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 PRINCETON,  N.  J. 
 
 Vv 
 
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 BV  2622  .S8  18  1886 
 ,jjak     Isaacs,  Albert  Augustus 
 ^3«  Biography  of  the  Rev.  Henry 
 Aaron  Stern,  D.D. 
 
J 
 
BIOGRAPHY 
 
 OF    THE 
 
 REV.    HENRY    AARON    STERN,    D.D 
 
Thornley  &  Waddington,  Printers,  Leicester. 
 
^^«;**/'/^V 
 
 j^<l^ 
 
APR  24  1912 
 
 BIOGRAPHY         ^<^em  %i^ 
 
 OF    THE 
 
 REV..  HENRY  AARON  STERN,  D.D., 
 
 FOR   MORE  THAN 
 
 FORTY  YEARS  A  MISSIONARY  AMONGST  THE  JEWS : 
 
 CONTAINING   AN   ACCOUNT  OF 
 
 HIS    LABOURS    AND    TRAVELS 
 
 IN 
 
 MESOPOTAMIA,   PERSIA,  ARABIA,  TURKEY,  ABYSSINIA,   AND 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED    FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS 
 
 TAKEN   CHIEFLY   BY   HIMSELF. 
 
 BY   THE 
 
 REV.  ALBERT  AUGUSTUS  ISAACS,  M.A., 
 
 VICAR    OF    CHRIST    CHURCH,    LEICESTER. 
 
 ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 JAMES  NISBET  &  CO., 
 
 2  1,  Berners  Street. 
 
 i886. 
 
Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
 in  2008 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/biographyofrevheOOisaa 
 
EDITORIAL    PREFACE. 
 
 I  have  accepted  the  honourable  and  responsible  office 
 of  preparing  the  Biography  of  Henry  Aaron  Stern, 
 without  hesitation,  not  only  as  "  a  labour  of  love,"  but 
 also,  as  a  tribute  of  affection  to  the  memory  of  a  cherished 
 friend  and  brother  in  the  Lord,  and  a  distinguished  ser- 
 vant of  God.  In  the  compilation  of  this  Biography, 
 the  materials  which  I  have  had  at  my  disposal  have 
 been  more  than  abundant,  and  the  difficulty  propor- 
 tionate, in  culling  from  fields,  so  rich  in  their  resources, 
 that  which  might  be  most  suitably  and  usefully  employed. 
 My  desire  has  been,  that  the  editorial  part  of  the 
 narrative  should  entirely  subserve  the  great  aim  of  set- 
 ting forth  my  friend's  labours  and  experiences  in  his  own 
 words  so  that  it  might  be  truly  said  that  "  he  being  dead 
 yet  speaketh."  To  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  I  com- 
 mit this  work,  in  the  confident  hope  that  it  will  serve  to 
 promote  His  glory ;  and  with  the  prayer,  that  every  reader 
 may  be  enabled  by  Divine  grace,  to  follow  Henry  Aaron 
 Stern,  as  he  followed  Christ. 
 
 A.  A.  ISAACS. 
 
 July,  1886. 
 
OOTsTTEnSTTS- 
 
 Introduction    .. 
 
 Early  Life 
 
 Operative  Jewish    Converts'    Institution  and   Hebrew  College 
 
 Jerusalem 
 
 From  Damascus  to  Bagdad 
 
 The  Mission  to  Bagdad     ., 
 
 Babylon  and   Bussorah 
 
 The  Persian  Gulf 
 
 Missionary  Journeys  in  Persia  .. 
 
 Persepolis,  Julfa,  and    Ispahan  .. 
 
 Hamadan  
 
 Teheran,  Mosul,  and  Nestoria  ., 
 
 Constantinople 
 
 The  Crimean  War    .. 
 
 The  Crimea.     The  Caraite  Jews 
 
 Turkey  in  Europe    .. 
 
 Arabia-Felix     .. 
 
 Sanaa     
 
 Abyssinia 
 
 The  Nile,  Khartoum,  Wochnee,  and  Tschelga 
 
 Theodorus  of  Abyssinia    .. 
 
 The  Aboona.     The  Abyssinian  Church.     Genda    . 
 
 Page 
 
 9 
 
 13 
 
 19 
 
 24 
 
 28 
 
 32 
 
 36 
 
 40 
 
 43 
 
 50 
 
 61 
 
 66 
 
 72 
 
 85 
 
 88 
 
 95 
 
 100 
 
 112 
 
 139 
 
 146 
 
 163 
 
 176 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 The  Falashas 189 
 
 Missionary  Efforts.     Circulation  of  the   Holy  Scriptures           ..  204 
 
 Lake  Tzana.     Mr.  Bell.     Proposed  Embassy          212 
 
 The  Gumarah.     Journey  through   Debra  Tabor  and  Gondar  215 
 
 Abyssinian  Superstitions.     The  Bouda.     The  Zar            ..         ..  223 
 
 Return  from  Abyssinia,    Passing  Events.    The  British  Consulate  228 
 
 Abyssinia  Re-visited            ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..  234 
 
 The  Time  of  Tribulation  ..         ..         ..         ..         ..         ..         ..  241 
 
 Aggravated  Sufferings.     Unsuccessful   Intervention         ..         ..  255 
 
 The  Conspirators.     Death  of  the  Aboona 264 
 
 The  Prospect  of  Death 272 
 
 The  Waves  and   Billows 279 
 
 England's  Sorrow  and  Supplications 286 
 
 Magdala           ..         ..         ..         ..         ••         ..         ■•         ••         ••  292 
 
 English  Sympathy  and   English   Effort           302 
 
 Sickness  and   Death             314 
 
 The   British   Embassy         ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..  320 
 
 Royal  Sympathy.     National  Anxiety 332 
 
 The  Tidings  of  Salvation   in  Amba  Magdala           340' 
 
 The   British   Expedition      ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..  347 
 
 The  Day  of  Deliverance    ..         ..         ..         ..         ..         ..         ..  361 
 
 The  Retrospect.     The  Welcome           391 
 
 The   Present  and  the   Future      ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..  398 
 
 London  and  the   Home  Mission             402 
 
 The  Wanderers'  Home       ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..  417 
 
 The  Preacher.     The  Speaker     ..         ..         ..         ..         ..         ..  451 
 
 Testimonials  of  Respect  and  Affection          ..         ..         ..         ..  464 
 
 The  Victoria  Institute.     Hebrew-Christian   Prayer  Union           ..  469 
 
 The  Close  of  Day 474 
 
CHAPTER    I, 
 
 Few  offices  are  so  difficult  to  fulfil  as  that  of  the  Biographer. 
 The  materials,  out  of  which  he  is  required  to  construct  his  work, 
 are  necessarily  imperfect  and  perplexing.  The  faithful  and  complete 
 delineation  of  a  life,  is  entirely  beyond  his  grasp.  The  springs  of 
 thought  and  action, — the  processes  by  which  a  life  has  assumed  its 
 form  and  proportions,  are  to  him  almost  unknown.  He  can  trace 
 events,  weigh  circumstances,  and  draw  conclusions.  But  these  are 
 more  or  less  uncertain,  and,  it  may  be,  would  have  been  repudiated 
 by  the  very  person  whose  motives  and  objects  he  desires  faithfully 
 to  represent.  Even  when  he  may  have  the  assistance  of  a  diary, 
 or  a  record  of  the  experience  and  feelings  of  t'he  deceased,  it  does 
 not  necessarily  happen  that  a  true  light  is  thrown  upon  his  picture. 
 Such  a  diary  is  invaluable  as  a  record  of  passing  events  ;  but  when 
 it  attempts  to  delineate  the  secret  workings  of  the  heart,  there  is 
 generally  a  morbidity  and  unnaturalness  about  the  narrative,  which 
 discourages  sympathy,  and  neutralizes  conviction. 
 
 Nor  is  this  all.  The  readers  of  a  Biography  look  upon  it  from 
 different  points  of  view.  If  they  have  never  seen,  nor  known  the 
 person,  whose  history  is  brought  before  them — if  no  public  and 
 well-known  occurrences  have  either  excited  their  admiration,  or 
 provoked  their  censure,  a  neutral  tint  tones  down  the  record.  But 
 there  are  others,  who  have  known  with  a  greater  or  lesser  intimacy 
 the  departed  one,  and  who  regard  the  Biography  in  the  light  of 
 their  own  experience.  Some  may  have  known  him  under  certain 
 special  and  unfavourable  conditions.  This  colours  and  distorts  their 
 opinions,  as  to  what  such  a  Biography  should  have  been.     Others, 
 
lO  BIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    REV.    HENRY   AARON    STERN,    D.D. 
 
 knew  him  in  all  the  intimate  and  loving  relations  of  daily  life,  or  in 
 the  varied  labours  which  raised  him  above  the  ordinary  rank  of  man- 
 kind. To  these,  there  should  be  nothing  to  mar  the  symmetry  of 
 the  figure,  or  to  cast  a  shadow  over  the  bewitching  landscape. 
 Between  one  and  the  other,  therefore,  the  Biographer  has  to  steer 
 his  way.  All  upon  which  he  looks,  he  knows  to  be  more  or  less 
 distorted  and  defiled  by  the  influence  and  power  of  sin.  He 
 describes  an  imperfect  character  :  he  relates  the  events  of  an  im- 
 perfect life ;  and  he  seeks  to  embalm  the  memory  of  one,  of  whom 
 the  utmost  which  can  be  said  is  this;  "  She  (he)  hath  done  what 
 she  (he)  could." 
 
 Are  we,  therefore,  to  infer  that  Biographies  are  either  valueless  or 
 undesirable  }  This  is  far  from  being  the  case.  God  Himself  has 
 graciously  encouraged  us  in  the  preservation  of  such  memorials,  by 
 the  introduction  of  many  into  the  narratives  of  His  Holy  Word. 
 We  are  conscious  that  He  who  seeth  all  things,  He  who  knoweth 
 the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart,  alone  could  set  forth  "  what 
 was  in  man."  But  He  has  given  us  models  and  examples  of  the 
 manner  in  which  uninspired  minds,  and  weak  and  faltering  hands 
 should  chronicle  the  history  of  their  fellow  men.  How  varied  is  the 
 sacred  delineation !  With  some  it  is  pure  history,  without  any  reference 
 to  character  ;  with  some,  there  is  nobiliiy  of  soul,  and  earnestness  of 
 purpose,  to  stimulate  ;  with  others,  a  corrupt  life,  and  an  untoward 
 end,  to  warn  and  to  alarm.  One  spotless,  perfect  and  magnificent 
 life,  alone,  rises  above,  and  among  those  of  the  works  of  God's 
 hands — it  is  that  of  "The  Son  of  Man." 
 
 It  is  only  at  a  remote  distance,  and  with  feeble  steps  that  we  can 
 attempt  to  follow  the  divine  guidance.  But  it  is  well  that  the 
 attempt  should  be  made,  especially  when  the  theme  of  our  history 
 is  that  of  one,  who  occupied  a  foremost  place  in  the  annals  of 
 Missionary  enterprise.  Henry  Aaron  Stern  was  no  ordinary 
 man.  My  own  knowledge  and  observation  had  for  many  years  led 
 me  to  conclude,  as  I  have  often  so  expressed  myself,  that  he  was 
 "  the  greatest  INIissionary  of  modern  times."  Nor  was  it  unad- 
 visedly, that  in  the  funeral  Sermon,  which  it  was  my  privilege  to 
 preach  after  his  death,  that  I  represented  him  to  have  been  "a  king 
 
BIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  REV.  HENKV  AARON  STERN,  D.D.     II 
 
 among  men."  I  shall  not  be  so  ungracious  as  to  define  any  fea- 
 tures in  his  character,  which  may  have  been  open  to  unravourable 
 criticism, — but  as  a  keen  observer  of  men, — possessing,  it  may  be. 
 rather  exceptional  opportunities  for  studying  human  nature  under 
 varied  conditions  of  life,  I  may  with  confidence  say,  that  I  have 
 rarely  met  with  his  equal  in  all  that  gi\es  dignity  and  greatness  to 
 humanity.  The  admiration,  and  friendly  intercourse  of  the  great, 
 had  no  special  attractions  for  him,  and  had  no  influence  on  his 
 demeanour.  He  never  sought  great  things  for  himself.  His 
 character  was  one  of  absolute  simplicit}-.  That  simplicity  extended 
 itself  to  all  his  habits  and  pursuits,  and  was  one  of  the  great  instru- 
 ments through  which  his  life  was  preserved  under  conditions  most 
 detrimental  to  health.  At  the  same  time,  he  possessed  a  very 
 powerful  frame,  admirably  fitted  to  meet  the  hardships,  and  to 
 encounter  the  fatigue,  which  were  inseparable  from  some  of  his 
 missionary  journeys.  His  mental  gifts  and  powers  were  of  no 
 ordinary  kind.  As  a  writer  and  a  speaker  there  was  peculiar  bril- 
 liancy in  his  mode  of  expressing  himself,  and  a  striking  adaptation 
 of  his  language  to  the  theme  which  he  discussed.  He  possessed 
 invincible  firmness  of  character— deterred  by  no  obstacles- — a  firm- 
 ness, which  never  allowed  possible  difficulties  to  embarrass.  He 
 was  always  influenced  by  a  considerate  regard  for  the  interests  and 
 well  being  of  others.  None  of  his  fellow-labourers  were  ever 
 humiliated  by  any  assertion  of  his  superiority,  although  they  lived 
 and  laboured  in  concert  with  him,  under  a  consciousness  that  they 
 were  sustained  by  a  master-mind.  Some  of  the  events  which  are 
 hereafter  to  be  related,  will  show,  how  subordinated  to  his  great  work 
 were  all  his  earthly  interests,  and  how  he  never  allowed  any  advan- 
 tages presented  for  his  acceptance,  for  one  moment  to  be  enter- 
 tained, which  might  even  by  inference  bring  reproach  upon  his 
 calling.  Above  all,  he  had  but  one  desire — a  desire  which  shed  its 
 radiance  over  every  event  of  his  Christian  life  ;  and  that  was,  "  to 
 win  Christ,  and  to  be  found  in  Him,"  and  in  this  spirit  to  make  known 
 to  his  fellow  sinners,  and  especially  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
 Israel,  "  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ."  For  this  he  lived,  and 
 in  this  he  died.  He  now  rests  from  labours  of  which  he  might 
 with  justice   have  said,  with  the  great  Apostle   of  the    Gentiles : 
 
12  BIOGRAPHY    OK    THE    REV.    HENRY    AARON    STERN,    D.D. 
 
 "Are  they  Hebrews?  So  am  I.  Are  they  Israelites?  So  am  I. 
 Are  they  the  seed  of  Abraham  ?  So  am  I.  Are  they  the  ministers 
 of  Christ?  (I  speak  as  a  fool)  I  am  more  ;  in  labours  more  abun- 
 dant, in  stripes  above  measure,  in  prisons  more  frequent,  in  deaths 
 oft.  Of  the  Jews  five  times  received  I  forty  stripes  save  one.  In 
 journeyings  often,  in  perils  of  water,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in  perils  by 
 mine  own  countrymen,  in  perils  by  the  heathen,  in  perils  in  the 
 city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  in  the  sea,  in  perils  among 
 false  brethren.  In  weariness  and  painfulness,  in  watchings  often, 
 in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  fastings  often,  in  cold  and  nakedness. 
 Besides  those  things  that  are  without,  that  which  cometh  upon  me 
 daily,  the  care  of  all  the  rluirches." 
 
CHAPTER    II. 
 
 EAKI.V    LIFK. 
 
 Germany  has  been  the  nurser)',  in  which  has  been  trained  and 
 nurtured,  a  multitude  of  faithful  men  of  God,  who  have  devoted 
 themselves  to  Missionary  work.  It  would  almost  appear,  that  the 
 gracious  and  overruling  providence  of  God,  has  seen  fit  to  balance, 
 or  counteract  the  unbelief  and  indifterence  which  have  so  painfully 
 distinguished  that  part  of  the  Continent  of  Europe,  by  fostering 
 within  its  confines  an  unusual  number  of  gifted  and  eminent 
 believers,  and  an  army  of  Missionaries  for  the  promulgation  of  the 
 Gospel.  The  sacretl  duty  of  going  into  all  the  world,  for  the  purpose 
 of  preaching  the  Gospel  to  every  creature — a  duty  which  had  been; 
 hidden  under  the  superstitions  of  the  middle  ages — first  exhibited, 
 returning  life  and  activity  among  the  Teutonic  race.  The  annals  of 
 Missionary  eftbrt  in  the  heathen  world  bear  witness  to  this,  and  the- 
 records  of  Missions  to  the  Jews  attest  the  same  fact.  Although 
 it  was  in  England  that  the  flame  of  love  to  Israel  was  first  rekindled, 
 Germany  has  chiefly  su]iplied  the  agents  by  which  this  love  has  been 
 practically  exhibited.  From  the  ranks  of  the  early  converts  from 
 Judaism  to  Christianity,  a  large  proportion  of  the  most  able  and 
 successful  Missionaries  were  obtained.  Their  attainments  and 
 training  eminently  fitted  them  for  the  work  ;  nor  have  they  generally 
 been  less  distinguished  by  that  zeal  and  enterprise,  which  were 
 essential  to  the  eff"ectual  discharge  of  their  duties.  It  has  often  been 
 questioned  whether  Jewish  converts  are  the  best  agents  through 
 whom  the  Gospel  message  should  be  conveyed  to  their  unbelieving 
 brethren.  But  this  question  receives  a  satisfactory  solution,  in  the 
 abundant,  and  it  may  almost  be  said,  the  exceptional  blessing,  which 
 has  generally  accompanied  their  ministry.  The  subject  of  this 
 Memoir  was  himself  destined  to  illustrate  this  fact.  It  may  be  said 
 that  his  Jewish  origin  never  raised  up  a  barrier  between  himself  and 
 
14  BIOGRAPHY    OK    THE    KKV.    HEXRV    AARON    STERN,    D.D. 
 
 his  own  people,  but  rather  assured  them  of  the  symi)athy  and 
 fellowship  of  one,  who  had  had  personal  experience  of  their  wants 
 and  difficulties.  Yet  it  would  have  been  difficult  for  anyone,  who 
 may  have  had  the  opportunity  of  knowing  the  conditions  under  which 
 the  early  life  of  young  Stern  was  passed,  to  have  conceived  the 
 possibility  of  his  eventually  becoming  one  of  the  most  undaunted 
 and  honoured  warriors  of  the  Cross.  The  careful  observance  of 
 Jewish  usage,  and  the  strict  conformity  tcj  all  the  requirements  of 
 the  Synagogue  ritual,  which  distinguished  his  parents,  might 
 reasonably  have  been  expected  to  have  left  a  fixed  and  lasting 
 effect 'upon  the  mind  and  principles  of  the  son.  Yet  it  would  appear, 
 that  in  his  early  life,  he  was  impressed  with  the  hollowness  of  this 
 burdensome  ritual,  which  even  the  devotion  and  consistency  of  his 
 parents  could  not  dispel.  The  light  and  liberty  of  the  Gospel  of 
 Christ,  was  eventuall}'  to  throw  into  darker  relief  the  shadows  of 
 Jewish  observance,  through  which  so  many  of  his  people  were  vainly 
 endeavouring  to  grope  their  way. 
 
 Henry  Aaron  Stern  was  born  in  the  village  of  Unterreichen- 
 bach,  near  Gelnhausen,  in  the  Duchy  of  Hesse  Cassel,  on  the  iith 
 of  April,  1820.  He  was  the  y(jungest  of  the  family,  and  his  parents, 
 whose  names  were  Aaron  and  Hannah,  regarded  him  with  tliat  peculiar 
 solicitude  and  aflfection  which  generally  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  last 
 and  youngest  of  several  children.  His  early  life  was  one 
 of  gentle  but  firm  discipline.  The  resources,  as  it  would  appear,  of 
 his  father,  and  his  conviction  concerning  the  best  manner  in  which 
 the  child  should  be  trained,  did  not  admit  of  indulgence  in  the 
 luxuries  and  superfluities  of  life.  His  mid-day  meal  at  school  (to 
 which  he  had  two  miles  to  walk)  consisted  of  dry  bread  and  apples, 
 or  such  other  fruit  as  might  be  in  season.  A  hard-boiled  egg  was 
 an  unusual  luxury,  or  a  cup  of  coffiie  as  an  accompaniment  to  his 
 frugal  supper.  It  was  rarely,  except  on  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  that  he 
 was  allowed  to  eat  animal  food.  To  some,  it  might  appear,  that  such 
 fare  was  inadequate  to  the  preservation  of  health.  But  Henry  Stern 
 grew  in  physical  strength  as  well  as  in  mental  vigour.  In  the  years, 
 then  future,  of  trial  and  of  want,  when  the  most  simple  food  alone 
 were  attainable,  it  would  be  found  how  invaluable  and  providential 
 were  the  training  and  abstinence  of  his  vouth.     P2ven  in  a  matter 
 
THE    JUDENGASSE,    ERANKFOK T-ON- JU  E-MAIXE. 
 
BIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    REV.    HENRY    AARON    STERN,    D.D.  1 5 
 
 apparently  so  insignificant,  the  foundation  was  being  laid  for  those 
 qualities,  by  which  he  would  be  enabled  to  "  endure  hardness  as  a 
 good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ." 
 
 When  about  twelve  years  of  age,  his  father  sent  him  to  a  school 
 of  considerable  repute,  in  the  important  town  of  Frankfort-on-the- 
 Maine.  Over  this  school  presitled  Drs.  Creizenoch  and  Jopson, 
 and  subsequently  Dr.  Jost.  All  these  were  men  of  great  intellectual 
 attainments,  and  Dr.  Jost  in  particular  obtained  great  eminence  as  a 
 Jewish  writer.  After  the  manner  of  many  pedagogues,  the  rod  was 
 one  of  the  incentives  of  which  he  made  frequent  use,  in  stimulating 
 the  mental  progress  of  his  pupils.  This  did  not  commend  him  to 
 the  affections  of  many  of  the  boys,  and  Henry  Stern  was  among  a 
 number  who  conspired  to  carry  out  a  practical  joke  at  the  expense 
 of  their  too  severe  preceptor.  They  managed  to  dissect  the  master's 
 chair,  and  then  to  place  the  parts  together,  so  that  it  might  appear 
 as  usual.  The  consequence  which  naturally  followed,  was  that  the 
 chair  of  the  Doctor  gave  way,  on  his  attempting  to  take  his  seat. 
 He  was  furious  at  this  outrage,  and  having  obliged  the  guilty  pupils 
 to  confess,  he  beat  them  with  such  severity,  that  they  never  from  that 
 time,  attempted  a  practical  joke  of  the  kind. 
 
 Henry  Stern's  family  removed  from  Unterreichenbach  to  Frank- 
 fort-on-the-]Maine,  and  occupied  a  house  in  the  celebrated  and 
 picturesque  "  Judengasse,"  or  Jewish  quarter.  This  was  particu- 
 larly favourable  to  the  school-life  of  the  young  student.  During  this 
 time,  it  was  the  fond  desire  of  his  father  that  he  should  be 
 educated  for  the  medical  profession.  It  was  the  only  one  of  the 
 liberal  professions  for  which  a  Jew  was  then  eligible.  The  laws  of 
 the  land  prohibited  their  admission  into  any  other.  The 
 boy  concurred  in  this  wish,  but  intercourse  with  some  of  his  school- 
 fellows gave  another  bent  to  his  inclinations.  IMany  of  them  were 
 being  trained  for  a  commercial  life,  and  the  prospect  of  visiting 
 many  lands,  and  of  obtaining  wealth  in  such  a  vocation,  induced 
 him  to  request  his  father  to  permit  him  to  pursue  the  same  calling. 
 To  this  his  father  reluctantly  consented,  and  the  free  city  of  Ham- 
 burg offering  unusual  advantages  to  those  engaged  in  commercial 
 pursuits,  at  seventeen  years  of  age  Henry  Stern  journeyed  thither  in 
 furtherance  of  this  object.     Another  link  in  those  gracious  provi- 
 
1 6  RIOGRAPHY    OF   THE    REV.    HENRY    AARON    STERN,    D.D. 
 
 dences  was  here  forged,  which  were  eventually  to  lead  to  results,  then 
 unknown  and  unsought. 
 
 At  that  time,  one  of  the  most  devoted  and  successful  Missionaries 
 of  "  the  London  Society  for  promoting  Christianity  amongst  the 
 Jews  "  was  located  at  Hamburg.  Amongst  the  expedients  which  Mr. 
 Moritz  adopted  for  attracting  the  attention  of  the  Jews,  was  the 
 exhibition  of  a  number  of  books,  in  Hebrew  and  German,  in  a  glass 
 case,  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  his  house.  The  open 
 pages  attracted  the  curiosity  of  the  youth,  and  again  and  again  he 
 would  pause  on  his  way  in  order  to  read  their  contents.  He  ascer- 
 tained, on  enquiry,  that  the  owner  of  the  glass  case  was  a  "prediger" 
 who  sought  the  conversion  of  the  Jews  to  the  Christian  faith.  This 
 he  regarded  as  preposterous.  He  had  not  at  that  time  arrived  at 
 man's  estate,  and  like  most  Jewish  youths,  was  devoid  of  all  genuine 
 religious  principle  ;  yet  the  Christian  books,  which  from  time  to 
 time  he  had  the  opportunity  of  reading,  convinced  him,  that  the 
 creed  of  the  Christians  was  far  more  rational  than  the  burdensome 
 ritual  imposed  by  the  Rabbis. 
 
 It  was  in  the  year  1839  that  Henry  Stern  received  an  offer  of  a 
 good  appointment  in  London.  With  eager  expectation  he  accepted 
 the  offer,  and  sailed  for  the  great  centre  of  commercial  life  and 
 progress.  But  his  sanguine  expectations  were  about  to  be  rudely 
 crushed.  On  his  arrival  in  London,  he  found  that  the  firm  by  which 
 he  expected  to  have  been  employed,  had  failed  ;  and  that  no  other 
 opening  presented  itself  by  which  he  might  pursue  the  object  of  his 
 journey.  Day  by  day  his  eff"orts  to  obtain  employment  were  unsuc- 
 cessful, and  his  slender  resources  were  becoming  exhausted.  His 
 pride  forbade  his  return  either  to  Hamburg  or  Frankfort.  He  was 
 unwilling  to  own  to  his  friends  that  his  hopeful  undertaking  had 
 been  worse  than  fruitless.  His  energetic  and  self-reliant  spirit 
 began  to  quail,  before  a  prospect  so  dark  and  unpromising. 
 
 One  Sunday  afternoon,  a  young  fellow-lodger  invited  him  to 
 accompany  him  to  Palestine  Place  Chapel.  This  had  for  many 
 years  been  the  centre  of  the  operations  of  "the  London  Society  for 
 promoting  Christianity  among  the  Jews."  Young  Stern's  companion 
 led  him  to  think,  that  it  would  be  an  opportunity  for  seeing  what 
 was  going  on  among  those  whom  they  called  "  apostates."     Having 
 
BIOGRAPHY    OF     IHK    REV.    HENRY    AARON    STERN,    D.D.  I  7 
 
 no  Other  engagement,  he  agreed  to  go.  The  service  that  afternoon 
 was  performed  by  the  late  revered  Dr.  McCaul.  The  young  man 
 was  greatly  impressed  with  all  that  he  saw  and  heard.  Under  the 
 influence  of  those  impressions,  he  repaired  again  to  Palestine  Place 
 the  ne.xt  day,  and  having  the  opportunity  of  a  long  conversation 
 with  the  late  Rev.  J.  C.  Reichardt,  whose  affectionate  and  pious 
 demeanour  greatly  struck  him,  the  favourable  impressions  of  the 
 preceding  day  were  confirmed,  These  visits  were  frequently 
 renewed  ;  the  Messiah  of  the  Old  Testament  was  always  the  subject 
 of  conversation,  and  it  appeared  to  the  young  Israelite  as  a  singular 
 coincidence,  that  in  London,  as  in  Hamburg,  he  had  been  brought 
 into  contact  with  Christianity  and  Christians,  without  any  design  of 
 his  own.  He  now  resolved  to  read  the  New  Testament,  with  the 
 assurance  that  if  it  did  him  no  good,  it  could  do  him  no  harm.  As 
 he  expressed  himself;  "To  my  surprise,  the  lessons  it  inculcated, 
 the  moral  precepts  it  enjoined,  and  the  characters  it  pourtrayed, 
 appeared  to  me  wonderful  and  extraordinary.  No  such  perfect 
 person,  as  these  publicans  and  fishermen  described,  had  ever 
 appeared  on  earth.  Whence  did  they  procure  their  model  ?  Whence 
 their  inspiration  ?  The  volume  I  had  began  to  read  with  indiffer- 
 ence, I  now  read  with  attention.  If  there  be  a  Saviour,  I  mentally 
 exclaimed,  it  must  be  Jesus.  No  one  ever  exhibited  such  love,  put 
 forth  such  supernatural  energy,  nor  uttered  such  words  of  wisdom. 
 I  longed  to  be  His  disciple,  but  dreaded  the  grief  the  intelligence 
 would  inflict  on  my  parents." 
 
 None  but  those  who  have  passed  through  the  deep  waters  of 
 conviction  and  conversion,  can  understand  the  mental  and  moral 
 suffering,  to  which  an  enquiring  and  enlightened  son  of  Abraham  is 
 almost  invariably  exposed.  His  perplexities  arise,  not  merely  from 
 the  pjifnd  facie  difficulty  of  accepting  doctrines  and  principles  to 
 which  he  has  been  hitherto  a  stranger.  The  impression  forces  itself 
 upon  his  mind,  that  he  is  about  to  sever  every  tie  which  bind  him 
 to  those  whom  he  most  tenderly  loves.  The  national  sentiment, 
 which  has  kept  his  people  separate  from  all  the  other  nations  of  the 
 world,  is  about  to  receive  a  rude  shock  ;  and  by  all  those  whom  he 
 has  been  taught  to  revere  and  love,  he  knows  that  he  will  be  regarded 
 in  future  as  an  apostate  and  an  outcast.     The  declarations  from  his 
 
l8     lUOGRAPHY  OF  THE  REV.  HENRY  AARON  STERN,  D.D. 
 
 own  inspired  Scriptures,  concerning  the  curse  which  must  inevitably 
 descend  upon  all  those  who  serve  and  worship  other  gods,  force 
 themselves  upon  his  memory  ;  and  the  fear  of  controverting  one  of 
 the  most  positive  commands,  and  acting  in  direct  disobedience  to 
 the  will  and  desires  of  his  parents,  wounds  the  most  tender  suscep- 
 tibilities of  his  heart.  Those  who  had  an  acquaintance  with  the 
 character  of  Henry  Stern,  will  easily  understand,  that  the  conflict 
 which  agitated  his  mind  must  have  been  most  agonizing.  The 
 deepest  convictions,  and  the  most  positive  evidence  could  alone  sup- 
 port and  carry  him  onward,  in  the  path  on  which  he  had  entered. 
 He  himself  records,  that  he  was  again  and  again  on  the  brink  of 
 despair.  His  slender  means  also  were  gradually  diminishing,  and  he 
 was  driven  to  the  necessity  of  pawning  his  watch  and  books,  in 
 order  to  supply  his  daily  wants.  However  sorely  pressed  by  the 
 necessities  of  each  day,  he  felt  that  he  could  not  conscientiously 
 write  to  his  father,  or  other  relatives,  for  assistance.  The  change 
 which  his  belief  and  convictions  had  undergone,  led  him  to  shrink 
 from  a  course,  which  might  savour  of  hypocrisy. 
 
 In  his  intercourse  with  Mr.  Reichardt,  these  difficulties  were 
 mentioned  by  the  young  enquirer.  Mr.  Reichardt  was  at  that  time 
 the  Superintendent  of  "  the  Operative  Jewish  Converts'  Institution," 
 which  had  been  established  for  the  purpose  of  giving  employment 
 to  converts  and  enquirers.  The  trades  of  printing  and  bookbinding 
 were  there  taught.  A  fair  test  was  in  this  way  given  of  the  sin- 
 cerity of  those  who  professed  a  desire  to  become  Christians,  and  a 
 useful  trade  acquired,  by  which  they  might  be  enabled  to  earn  their 
 own  bread.  "  In  all  labour  there  is  profit."  As  far  as  we  may 
 judge,  the  occupation  of  a  lowly  carpenter  was  sanctified  by  the 
 personal  service  of  our  blessed  Lord.  But  it  must  have  been  no 
 light  trial  to  Henry  Stern,  that  the  humble  trade  of  a  printer  was  to 
 take  the  place  of  a  vocation,  which,  he  had  ardently  believed,  would 
 ensure  to  him  an  honourable,  and  probably  a  prominent  position  in 
 society.  But  he  had  now  determined  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  the 
 people  of  God,  and  to  endure  reproach  for  Christ's  sake.  The 
 proposal  was  accepted  ;  and  after  a  short  interval,  he  was  admitted 
 into  the  Institution,  through  the  portals  of  which  many  have  passed, 
 who  have  attained  distinguished  positions  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord. 
 
CHAPTER    III. 
 
 THE    OPERATIVE    JEWISH    CONVERTS'    INSTITUTION    AND    THE 
 HEBREW    COLLEGE. 
 
 It  is  well  known,  that  in  times  of  old,  many  of  the  kines  and 
 potentates  of  the  earth,  were  instructed,  from  carlv  years,  in  some 
 useful  trade.  The  lesson  was  thereby  taught,  that  some  reversal 
 might  take  place  in  their  social  condition,  and  that  they  should  be 
 in  a  position  to  face  the  possible  frowns  of  fortune,  by  the  ability  to 
 earn  their  own  livelihood,  by  means  of  some  honest  employment. 
 There  was  a  discipline  in  this  practice,  and  an  amount  of  self- 
 reliance  cultivated,  which,  when  this  rule  was  fairly  observed,  was 
 calculated  to  exert  a  favourable  influence  on  the  life  and  character 
 of  such  persons.  When,  therefore,  Henry  Stern  became  a  learner 
 in  the  art  of  printing,  he  was  commencing  an  honourable  pursuit, 
 which,  in  proportion  to  the  attention  and  conscientious  effort  which 
 he  might  manifest,  was  certain  to  be  a  help  to  him,  whatever  might 
 be  the  issues  of  the  future.  There  were  manv  of  the  surroundings 
 which  were  distasteful  to  him,  and  much  of  pride  to  be  overcome. 
 But  "the  reproach  of  Christ"  was  becoming  to  him  "greater  riches 
 than  the  treasures  in  Egypt."  There  were  many  of  his  brethren  of 
 the  house  of  Israel  who  had  sought  the  same  path  of  independence, 
 and  whose  faith  and  constancy  were  undergoing  the  same  test  as 
 that  through  which  he  was  about  to  pass.  He  also  knew,  that,  being 
 relieved  from  any  anxiety  concerning  the  supply  of  his  daily  wants, 
 he  would  now  have  a  fuller  opportunity  of  studying  the  great 
 questions,  which  had  already  so  favourably  impressed  him,  in  favour 
 of  Christianity. 
 
 The  young  enquirer  threw  the  same  diligence  and  energy  into 
 this  lowly  vocation,  which  characterised  every  action  of  his  subse- 
 
20  lUOGRAPHV    OF     IHK    REV.    HEXRV    AARON    STERN,    D.D. 
 
 quent  career.  He  soon  became  very  expert  as  a  printer,  in  the 
 work  of  which  he  acquired  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
 English  language.  And  his  progress  and  attainments  were  such, 
 that,  notwithstanding  his  foreign  training  and  education,  he  was  in 
 an  unusually  short  time  raised  from  the  position  of  an  apprentice  to 
 that  of  a  journeyman. 
 
 But  those  were  sad  and  sorrowful  days.  One  of  his  companions, 
 now  a  clergyman,  of  the  Church  of  P'.ngland,  relates,  how  often  their 
 hearts  were  bowed  down  with  grief,  when  meditating  upon  the 
 condition  in  which  they  were  placed.  They  were  now  cut  off  by 
 those  to  whom  they  were  bound  by  all  the  ties  of  natural  affection. 
 Intercourse  with  them  had  ceased,  and  they  knew  that  they  were 
 mourned  over  as  those  who  were  dead.  They  had  truly  forsaken 
 father,  mother,  and  kindred,  and  all  whom  they  held  dear,  in  order 
 that  they  might  obtain  the  knowledge  of  Him,  whom  to  know  is 
 eternal  life. 
 
 The  love  which  Henry  Stern  bore  towards  those  to  whom  he  had 
 become  an  alien,  was  unchanged.  A  time,  too,  would  eventually 
 arrive,  when  he  would  be  able  to  show  to  his  father  in  particular, 
 that  the  change  in  his  religious  convictions,  and  his  acceptance  of 
 the  Christian  revelation  as  the  essential  supplement  of  what  had 
 been  recorded  by  ]\Ioses  and  the  Prophets,  had  only  served  to 
 intensify  his  regard  for  his  kindred.  When,  in  subsequent  years,  his 
 improved  circumstances  enabled  him  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  his 
 aged  parent,  the  old  man  responded  in  language,  which  showed  that 
 he  was  not  insensible  to  the  power  which  had  wrought  so  effectually 
 in  the  heart  of  his  child.  "  I  can  never,"  he  wrote,  "repay  you  for 
 all  you  have  done  for  your  old  father,  but  I  give  thanks  and  pray 
 daily  to  God,  that  He  may  give  you  happiness  and  blessing."  And 
 Dr.  Poper,  then  the  Missionary  of  the  London  Society  at  Frankfort, 
 who  had  frequent  intercourse  with  the  father,  wrote  thus  : — "  May 
 the  Lord  (lod  abundantly  reward  into  your  own  bosom  the  child's 
 affection  you  are  manifesting  towards  your  father.  You  glorify  God 
 our  Saviour  by  so  doing,  and  it  is  delightful  for  me  to  hear,  when 
 speaking  to  your  father  and  other  of  your  relatives,  of  the  Gospel  of 
 the  love  of  God,  to  hear  remarks  from  their  lips  clearly  indicating 
 
BIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    REV.    HENRY    AARON    STERN,    D.D.  2  1 
 
 that  your  life  and  conduct,  your  kindness  and  affection  towards  your 
 aged  father  in  particular,  has  caused  them  to  look  upon  Christ,  and 
 the  doctrines  of  the  New  Testament,  with  difTcrent  feeling-s,  more 
 respect,  and  higher  regard." 
 
 The  preparation  of  enquirers  for  the  rite  of  Baptism,  has  always 
 been  a  matter  of  serious  concern  among  the  Missionaries  to  the 
 Jews.  It  has  been  considered  necessary  to  keep  them  for  a  leno-th- 
 ened  period  on  the  list  of  catechumens,  so  as  to  ensure,  as  far  as 
 possible,  their  careful  preparation — their  thorough  instruction  in  the 
 doctrines  and  principles  of  Christianity ;  and  further,  to  allow  the 
 fullest  test  to  be  given  of  their  constancy  and  sincerity.  No  excep- 
 tion to  this  general  rule  was  made  in  the  case  of  Henry  Stern.  He 
 shared  in  all  the  advantages  which  the  judicious  and  able  instruction 
 of  Mr.  Reichardt,  and  others  engaged  in  the  work,  could  afford. 
 The  time  arrived  when  the  now  ripened  desires  of  his  heart  were  to 
 be  attained.  He  had  given  the  most  satisfactory  evidence  that  he 
 was  a  true  Nathaniel,  in  whom  was  no  guile  ;  and  on  March  the  15th, 
 1840,  he  received  the  rite  of  Baptism  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Society, 
 in  which  he  had  first  heard  the  message  of  salvation.  After  an 
 interval  of  forty-five  years,  in  that  very  House  of  Prayer,  his 
 funeral  Sermon  was  preached,  and  the  solemn  fact  commemorated  ; 
 that  this  soldier  of  Christ,  who  had  not  been  ashamed  in  baptism 
 "to  confess  the  faith  of  Christ  crucified,"  had  laid  down  the  arms  of 
 his  warfare,  and  for  ever  entered  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord. 
 
 The  conduct  of  Henry  Stern,  during  the  whole  period  of  his  stay 
 in  the  Operative  Institution,  was  irreproachable.  His  piety,  abilities, 
 and  general  attainments,  in  process  of  time,  convinced  those  who 
 were  associated  with  him  as  his  instructors,  that  he  possessed  con- 
 siderable fitness  for  Missionary  work;  so  that  at  the  expiration  of  two 
 years,  the  Committee  felt  themselves  justified  in  recommending  that 
 he  should  be  admitted  into  the  Hebrew  College.  The  Rev.  J.  C. 
 Reichardt,  whose  gentle  dealings  with  the  young  enquirer,  had  in 
 the  first  instance  proved  so  attractive,  had  continued  to  fill  the  post 
 of  Superintendent.  On  August  9th,  1842,  he  reported  to  the  Com- 
 mittee that,  "  with  his  entire  concurrence,  Henry  Stern  had  applied 
 for  admission  into  the  Hebrew  College,  and  that  having  been 
 accepted  by  the  Committee  of  the  London  Society,  he  would  enter 
 
22  BIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    REV.    HENRY    AAROxV    SIERX,    D.D. 
 
 the  Collci^e  in  the  course  of  a  short  time.  This  was  accompanied 
 by  a  letter  from  the  young  inmate,  expressing  his  gratitude  for  the 
 benefits  he  had  enjoyed  while  in  the  Institution."  The  following 
 Resolution  was  then  passed: — "That  the  conduct  of  Henry  Stern 
 during  his  stay  in  tlie  Institution  has  been  such  as  to  afi[brd  the 
 Committee  unqualified  satisfaction  ;  and  they  therefore  hear  with 
 the  utmost  pleasure  of  his  reception  as  a  student  of  the  Hebrew 
 College,  having  every  encouragement  to  believe,  that,  with  God's 
 blessing,  he  will  prove  hereafter  a  faithful  labourer  among  his 
 brethren  according  to  the  flesh."  With  this  tt'stamur,  he  bade  fare- 
 well to  the  scene  of  his  first  great  trials  and  his  first  success.  To  the 
 inexperienced,  it  might  have  been  thought,  that  much  valuable  time 
 had  been  lost ;  but  in  reality  the  discipline  through  which  he  had 
 passed,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  had  been  enabled  to  attain 
 some  excellence  in  a  useful  and  not  uninteresting  occupation,  were 
 among  those  many  conditions  under  which  God,  in  His  all-wise 
 providence,  had  been  preparing  him  for  future  usefulness  and 
 blessing. 
 
 The  Rev.  Dr.  IMcCaul  was  at  that  time.  Principal  of  the  Hebrew 
 College.  His  qualifications  for  this  office  were  unitjue.  From  early 
 years  his  sympathies  had  been  enlisted  in  the  Jewish  cause,  and  this 
 had  led  him  to  consecrate  his  ripened  manhood  to  Missionary  work 
 on  their  behalf.  His  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew  tongue  had  been 
 perfected  by  constant  intercourse  witli  learned  Jews  in  the  kingdom 
 of  Poland,  and  so  great  were  his  attainments,  that  even  among  them 
 he  was  regarded  as  an  authority  in  Biblical  and  Talmudical 
 exegesis.  No  work  could  be  more  congenial  to  his  tastes  and 
 desires  than  the  training  of  young  Israelites  for  Missionary  work, 
 and  the  period  of  his  administration  of  the  College  as  its  first 
 Principal,  was  distinguished  by  an  unusual  measure  of  success 
 among  the  students  placed  under  his  care.  In  Henry  Stern  he 
 found  a  devoted  and  able  pupil.  Among  the  qualifications  which 
 he  possessed  for  the  work  to  which  he  was  about  to  be  called,  was 
 his  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew,  German,  French,  as  well  as  English 
 languages,  in  the  acquisition  of  the  last  of  which,  he  soon  showed  him- 
 self to  be  a  master.  He  had  also  a  fair  acquaintance  with  Latin  and 
 Greek.     In  less  than  two  years,  he  was  among  those  who  were  pre- 
 
BIOGRAPHY    OF    THK    REV.    HENRY    AARON    STERN,    D.I).  23 
 
 sented  to  the  Committee  of  the  London  Society  as  being  fully 
 qualified  to  enter  upon  Jewish  INIissionary  work.  The  following 
 Resolution  of  the  Committee  was  passed  on  January  9th,  1844: — 
 "That  INIr.  Stern  be  appointed  a  INIissionary  to  Bussorah  and  Bagdad, 
 — to  reside  at  Bussorah,  as  the  beginning  of  a  Mission  to  the  Jews 
 in  Chaldea  and  Persia."  "That  Mr.  Murray  Vicars  be  head  of  the 
 Mission,  and  that  the  Bishop  of  Jerusalem  be  requested  to  admit 
 Mr.  Stern  as  a  candidate  for  Holy  Orders."  To  all  those  who  have 
 been  called  by  the  Spirit  of  God  to  the  work  of  the  Ministry,  the 
 approach  of  the  time,  when  they  are  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  this 
 office,  brings  with  it  the  most  solemnizing  thoughts.  It  is  not  diffi- 
 cult to  conceive  the  depth  and  intensity  of  the  reflections  which 
 agitated  the  heart  of  Henry  Stern,  as  he  saw  the  door  so  wondrously 
 opened  to  him,  of  absolute  dedication  to  the  service  of  his  divine 
 Master,  and  usefulness  in  the  Ministrv  of  the  Word. 
 
CHAPTER    IV 
 
 JERUSALEM. 
 
 The  prospect  which  presented  itself  to  Henry  Stern  was  neces- 
 sarily one  of  deep  and  sacred  interest.  Amidst  the  turmoil  of  busi- 
 ness, and  the  worldly  advantages  which  reward  the  energy  and  perse- 
 verance of  the  Jewish  people  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  it  is  easy 
 to  understand,  how  likely  they  are  to  forget  the  home  of  their 
 nation,  and  the  land  which  God  gave  to  Abraham  and  to  his  seed  by 
 an  everlasting  covenant.  An  avowed  indifference  to  the  hopes  and 
 anticipations  which  the  Word  of  God  identifies  with  the  future  of 
 Israel,  is  not  uncommon  among  those,  who  would  repudiate  the 
 insinuation,  that  they  lack  patriotism,  or  concern  in  the  national 
 welfare.  But  the  affections  and  desires  of  every  thoughtful  and 
 pious  Jew  turn  towards  Jerusalem,  and  the  promises  of  an  un- 
 changeable God  give  vitality  to  the  expectation,  that,  "  He  that 
 scattered  Israel  will  gather  them  as  a  shepherd  doth  his  flock."  It 
 is  probable  that  thoughts  of  the  land  of  his  fathers  had  often  found 
 a  place  in  the  reflective  mind  of  young  Stern,  but  he  may  have 
 regarded  it  as  among  those  scenes  of  past  glory  and  future  bles- 
 sedness, which  he  was  never  likely  to  behold.  And  now,  it  was  to 
 beoome  a  great  reality.  He  was  about  to  enter  upon  the  work  to 
 which  his  heart  and  powers  had  been  consecrated  ;  and  his  admis- 
 sion into  the  Ministry  of  the  Word,  was  to  take  place  in  the  Holy 
 City,  around  which  were  gathered  the  most  hallowed  associations 
 of  the  past.  If  the  term  may  be  employed,  his  lot  was  an  enviable 
 one.  It  had  burst  upon  him  like  sunshine  after  a  rather  lengthened 
 period  of  darkness  and  suffering,  and  he  entered  with  thankfulness 
 into  every  arrangement,  which  had  been  made  by  the  Committee  of 
 the  London  Society. 
 
JKRUSAI.KM.  25 
 
 It  was  on  the  5th  of  January,  1 844.,  that  Mr.  Stern  was  officially 
 informed  of  his  appointment  as  a  Missionary  of  the  Society,  and  on 
 the  27th  of  February  he  appeared  before  the  Committee,  to  receive 
 their  final  instructions  and  to  take  his  leave.  On  that  occasion,  he, 
 and  each  of  his  fellow-students,  were  presented  by  the  Committee 
 with  a  copy  of  Bagster's  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  English  Bible  ;  in 
 itself  a  full  and  sufficient  indication,  that  he  was  now  sent  forth  to 
 "  preach  the  Word." 
 
 The  facilities  for  travel  were  not  as  great  then  as  they  are  at  the 
 present  day.  Sailing  vessels,  as  well  as  steamers,  conveyed  pas- 
 sengers, and  carried  on  the  trade  with  the  Mediterranean.  The 
 resolution  of  the  London  Committee  directed  that  the  band  of 
 Missionaries  should  travel  as  second  class  passengers,  if  they  took 
 passage  in  a  steamer ;  or  they  might  proceed  as  first  class  passen- 
 gers if  they  went  in  a  sailing  vessel.  The  party  consisted  of  Mr. 
 and  Mrs.  Murray  Vicars,  and  Mr.  P.  H.  Sternschuss  (who  had 
 already  been  ordained  at  Jerusalem),  Mr.  Stern,  Mr.  F.  G.  Klein- 
 henn,  and  another  fellow-student.  The  first  two,  were  appointed  with 
 Mr.  Stern,  to  labour  in  the  Mission  at  Bagdad  and  Bussorah. 
 
 Details  are  unnecessary  concerning  the  departure  of  the  Mis- 
 sionaries, and  their  arrival  on  the  coast  of  the  Holy  Land. 
 Every  object  on  which  they  gazed  was  fraught  with  interest.  The 
 plains  and  mountains  of  Judea,  were  the  witnesses  of  the  wonderful 
 works  which  had  written  their  record  upon  the  generations  of  the 
 past.  Every  outline  and  every  feature  of  the  landscape  which  pre- 
 sented itself  to  their  eyes,  set  forth  the  faithfulness  of  God,  and  the 
 truth  of  His  Holy  Word.  Amidst  its  desolation  and  apparent 
 barrenness,  they  read  the  prophecies  of  the  past ;  and  saw  in  their 
 complete  fulfilment,  the  evidence,  that  nothing  had  failed,  or  could 
 fail,  of  all  that  the  Lord  had  spoken. 
 
 The  Anglican  Bishopric  of  Jerusalem  had  been  founded  only  about 
 three  years  before  this  time.  It  had  been  offered  to  Dr.  McCaul,  who 
 declined  the  appointment,  on  the  ground  that  he  considered  that 
 none  but  a  son  of  Abraham  ought  to  fill  this  office.  The  Reverend 
 Michael  Solomon  Alexander  had  thereupon  been  nominated  to  the 
 
 c 
 
26  JERUSALEM. 
 
 Bishopric,  and  no  appointment  could  have  been  more  felicitous  or 
 promising.  His  short  episcopate  had  most  favourably  impressed 
 those,  who  had  encouraged  the  hope,  that  it  would  be  made  by  God 
 a  channel  of  much  blessing  to  Palestine  and  the  adjoining  coun- 
 tries. But  he  was  cut  ofif  in  the  midst  of  usefulness  ;  and  it  is 
 probable,  that  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Stern  was  amongst  the  last 
 official  acts  which  distinguished  his  episcopate.  The  Protestant 
 Church  on  INIount  Zion  (Christ  Church)  had  not  at  that  time  been 
 erected.  The  services  were  held  in  the  Chapel  of  St.  James,  which 
 after  that  time  was  converted  into  Mission  premises,  and  is  now 
 occupied  as  the  Boys'  School.  It  was  in  this  structure  that  Mr. 
 Stern  and  Mr.  Vicars  received  Deacon's  orders,  on  the  14th  July, 
 1844.  All  the  surroundings  of  this  occurrence  were  peculiarly 
 solemn  and  impressive.  The  conditions  under  which  he  was  about 
 to  enter  on  his  work,  the  city  in  which  his  ordination  took  place, 
 and  the  fact,  that  after  an  interval  of  many  generations,  the  hands  of 
 a  Jew  were  again  employed  in  consecrating  one  of  his  own  nation  to 
 the  work  of  the  ministry,  formed  a  remarkable  epoch  in  his  own 
 life,  and  an  event  in  the  history  of  the  Holy  City.  From  all  these 
 circumstances  he  might  gather  confidence  and  courage,  and  regard 
 them  as  happy  auguries  of  grace  and  blessing  from  on  high,  on  the 
 service  in  which  he  was  now  engaged. 
 
 Mr.  Stern  wrote  as  follows  to  the  Committee  : — "  I  am  happy  to 
 inform  you,  that,  on  Sunday,  July  14,  Mr.  Vicars  and  myself  were 
 admitted  to  the  sacred  office  of  the  ministry  by  the  Bishop  of 
 Jerusalem,  who  on  that  occasion  preached  a  most  powerful  and 
 affecting  sermon  ;  and  I  believe  that  every  one  present  was  inspired 
 with  that  holy  feeling  which  the  solemn  services  of  our  Church, 
 Mount  Zion,  and  the  scenery  around,  tend  to  effect.  Our  examina- 
 tion took  place  four  days  previous  to  the  ordination,  and  both  the 
 Bishop  and  his  Chaplain  expressed  their  satisfaction.  I  trust  that 
 the  Lord  will  assist  and  enable  me  by  my  ministry  to  convey  the 
 truth  of  the  Gospel  to  those  of  my  brethren,  who  are  yet  walking  in 
 darkness,  and  the  regions  of  the  shadow  of  death.  I  have  already 
 entered  upon  my  ministerial  duties.  I  have  preached  three  times  ; 
 twice  in  German  and  once  in  English,  and  have  also  read  the  morn- 
 ing prayers  in  Hebrew  for  a  fortnight." 
 
JERUSALEM.  27 
 
 At  the  request  of  the  Bishop,  Mr.  Stern  proceeded,  in  advance 
 of  the  party,  to  Bcvrout.  The  Missionary-Chaplain  at  that  place, 
 Mr.  Winbolt,  was  in  ill  health,  and  Mr.  Stern  was  enabled  to  take 
 his  duty  for  a  time,  ere  proceeding  to  Damascus. 
 
 The  other  Missionaries  designated  for  Bagdad  and  Bussorah, 
 remained  at  Jerusalem  till  the  2nd  day  of  September.  This  interval 
 was  doubtless  usefully  employed  in  obtaining  such  information  as 
 might  throw  light  upon  the  Scriptures,  and  afford  them  facilities  for 
 the  thorough  accomplishment  of  their  mission.  The  most  easy 
 mode  of  transit  was  adopted.  They  retraced  their  steps  to  Jaffa,  and 
 proceeded  thence  by  sea  to  Beyrout.  From  Beyrout  they  travelled 
 to  Damascus,  from  which  point  alone,  could  the  caravan  journey  to 
 Bagdad  be  accomplished.  The  route  from  Beyrout  is  one  of  great 
 archaeological  importance,  and  full  of  suggestive  local  associations. 
 The  noble  and  picturesque  mountains  of  the  Lebanon,  the  snowy 
 peak  of  Hermon,  and  the  majestic  ruins  of  Baalbec,  surmised  to 
 be  the  "  Baalath"  of  Solomon's  times,  could  not  fail  to  impress 
 and  instruct  our  travellers.  And  so  they  approached  the  ancient 
 and  still  flourishing  city  of  Damascus,  before  which  Paul  of  Tarsus, 
 the  persecutor,  was  struck  down  by  the  hand  and  power  of  God,  and 
 became  the  greatest  witness  to  that  Truth  which  he  had  sought  to 
 destroy.  Here  they  rested  for  a  time,  awaiting  the  departure  of  the 
 caravan,  under  the  escort  of  which  they  had  arranged  to  proceed 
 to  Bagdad. 
 
 Arrangements  were  made  for  the  service  of  five  riding  camels,  and 
 two  for  the  conveyance  of  baggage  and  provisions,  including  the 
 indispensable  supply  of  water,  which  was  stored  in  some  twenty  large 
 skin  or  leathern  bottles.  Several  muleteers  and  attendants  accom- 
 panied them,  being  essential  to  the  protection  as  well  as  the  comfort 
 of  the  travellers. 
 
CHAPTER    V. 
 
 FROM    DAMASCUS   TO    1?AGDAD. 
 
 The  journeys  of  INIissionaries  are  of  a  different  character  to  those 
 of  the  generality  of  travellers.  It  is  essential,  that,  as  far  as  possible, 
 the  expenses  of  such  journeys  should  be  circumscribed.  In  order 
 to  accomplish  this,  the  travellers  are  obliged  to  accommodate  them- 
 selves to  time  and  circumstances.  Their  movements  must  be  regu- 
 lated by  the  persons  who  conduct  a  caravan,  or  other  conditions, 
 under  which  the  wants  and  intentions  of  all  who  are  bound  to  any 
 particular  spot,  may  be  best  attained.  This  will  account  for  much  of 
 the  discomfort  and  suffering  which  the  following  pages  will  relate. 
 Our  traveller  had  no  choice  as  to  the  season,  or  accompaniments  of 
 his  journeys.  A  caravan  would  start  at  such  a  time,  and  without  the 
 protection  it  would  afford,  or  an  outlay  far  beyond  the  means  at  his 
 disposal,  he  could  not  proceed  on  his  way.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
 country  would  probably  be  insensible  to  the  inconveniences,  or  the 
 climatic  risks,  which  an  inhabitant  of  more  northern  climes  would  be 
 exposed  to.  The  whole  would  therefore  be  organised  and  con- 
 ducted, so  as  best  to  serve  the  purpose  of  the  many.  The  Mission- 
 ary, therefore,  has  simply  to  encounter  the  burning  heat  of  the 
 desert,  or  the  cold  and  exposure  of  mountain  districts,  and  thus  to 
 go  on  his  way,  in  the  hope  of  bringing  to  those  who  are  lying  "  in 
 darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death"  the  light  of  the  Gospel  of 
 Christ.  Such  were  the  prospects  which  presented  themselves  to 
 Mr.  Stern  and  his  fellow  labourers,  in  making  preparations  for  their 
 first  missionary  journey. 
 
FROM    DAMASCUS   TO    BAGDAD.  29 
 
 It  was  at  the  close  of  September,  1 844,  that  the  caravan  started 
 from  Damascus,  under  the  guidance  of  which  they  were  to  proceed 
 to  Bagdad.  Few  journeys  could  be  more  trying  to  Europeans.  The 
 predatory  Arabs  of  the  desert  hovered  about  in  every  direction,  and 
 demanded  the  incessant  watchfulness  of  the  wild  soldiers  whose 
 duty  it  was  to  protect  the  caravan.  Rest  by  day,  and  travel  by  night, 
 was  ofttimes  the  course  adopted.  This  was  in  itself  most  wearisome, 
 especially  when  it  continued  day  after  day.  Swarms  of  flies,  and 
 myriads  of  mosquitoes  were  the  travellers'  incessant  companions. 
 The  swinging  movement  of  the  camel,  and  the  discomfort  of  the 
 seat  on  which  each  was  perched,  aggravated  the  sufferings  of  those 
 who  were  exposed  to  the  burning  heat  of  the  desert.  Mr.  Stern, 
 knowing  that  the  route  passed  within  a  short  distance  of  the  world- 
 renowned  Palmyra,  had  stipulated  with  the  Sheik  that  he  should  be 
 conducted  to  its  magnificent  remains.  But  in  this  he  was  to  learn, 
 that  the  Arab  is  not  more  faithful  to  a  pledge,  than  his  European 
 brother. 
 
 "According  to  the  Sheik's  promise,  long  before  the  sun  had 
 pierced  the  golden  clouds  which  shaded  its  rising,  I  was  again  with 
 him.  He  was  just  engaged  in  sipping  his  eternal  coffee,  and  appa- 
 rently in  good  humour.  I  was  requested  to  sit  down  on  his  carpet, 
 but  apologized,  telling  him  that  the  sun  would  not  wait  for  me  ;  and 
 as  it  would  soon  get  hot,  I  was  anxious  to  start  at  once  for  Tadmor. 
 
 "  '  Tadmor,'  exclaimed  he,  '  Agaiab,  don't  you  know  that  the 
 Anizee  are  encamped  there,  who,  by  the  life  of  my  beard,  will  make 
 you  prisoner.' 
 
 "  '  If  they  do,  Sheik,  you  have  nothing  to  risk.' 
 
 "  '  ]\larshallah,  have  I  not  eaten  your  bread  and  salt,  and  are  you 
 not  my  son  .^  Nothing  to  risk  !  ISly  face  would  be  as  the  blackness 
 of  night  if  anything  unpleasant  occurred  to  you.' 
 
 "  '  Sheik,  you  have  sworn  and  pledged  yourself  in  Damascus  to 
 conduct  me  to  Palmyra,  and  a  true  son  of  Ishmael  never  perjures 
 himself.' 
 
 "  '  I  will  fight  every  son  of  the  Anizee  ;  I  will  shed  every  drop  of 
 my  blood  in  your  defence  ;  I  will  heap  sorrow  and  woe  upon  your 
 enemies.' 
 
 "And  all  this,  with  many  other  bold  asseverations,  he  made  with 
 such  a  serious  air,  look,  and  gesture,  quite  peculiar  to  the  impertur- 
 bable inhabitants  of  the  desert,  that  I  almost  credited  what  he 
 averred.  But  still  I  would  not  yield  entirely  to  his  evasions,  and 
 therefore  w^ith  an  unwavering  determination  insisted  upon  an  escort 
 to  accompany  me.  This  exhausted  his  patience,  and  with  a  sudden 
 impulse  he  sprung  from  his  seat,  and  bellowed  out,  loud  enough  to 
 
30  FROM    DAMASCUS    TO    BAGDAD. 
 
 be  heard  throughout  the  whole  camp,  '  You  can  take  all  the  soldiers  ; 
 but  if  the  Anizce  surprise  us,  and  seize  all  we  have,  you  will  incur 
 the  responsibility.' 
 
 "  He  had  scarcely  uttered  these  words  when  scores  of  voices 
 opposed  the  proposition,  and  as  my  own  party  coincided  with  the 
 majority,  I  was  obliged  to  succumb.  I  afterwards  engaged  two 
 peasants  from  Palmyra  to  conduct  me  there  and  back,  but  a  short 
 whispered  conversation  with  the  Shiek  produced  a  refusal  to  do  so. 
 I  now  resigned  myself  to  my  forlorn  hopes,  and  sat  down  on  the 
 shaft  of  a  polished  pillar,  and,  with  strained  eyes,  endeavoured  to 
 gain  a  distinct  glimpse  of  the  broken  columns,  mutilated  sculptures, 
 and  shivered  white  porticos,  of  the  celebrated  city  of  Zenobia — the 
 Tadmor  in  the  wilderness." 
 
 The  travellers  at  last  reached  the  Euphrates,  the  sight  of  whose 
 
 waters  communicated  new  life  to  their  wearied  frames.     On  the 
 
 borders  of  this  historical  stream  stands  the  little  town  of  Hit  (the 
 
 ancient  Is),  in  which  they  were  to  have  their  first  experience  of 
 
 missionary  work  among  the  Jews. 
 
 "  We  hastened  (wrote  ]Mr.  Stern)  to  the  black  hovel  of  a  Jewish 
 silversmith,  who  kindly  conducted  us  to  the  house  of  Rabbi  Isaac, 
 the  reader  of  the  synagogue.  The  worthy  teacher  of  this  isolated 
 and  despised  Karaite  community  received  us  with  the  greatest  cor- 
 diality, and  seemed  quite  delighted  to  see  persons  from  distant 
 Europe,  who  knew  the  sacred  language,  and  whose  creed,  according 
 to  his  idea,  had  so  much  of  the  purity  of  their  own  system  of  belief. 
 After  pipes  and  coffee,  we  proceeded  to  the  synagogue,  a  sable 
 dusky  room,  consisting  simply  of  four  smoked  mud  walls.  The 
 floor  was  covered  with  a  tattered  piece  of  carpet,  and  a  small  stool 
 stood  in  one  corner.  I  took  my  seat  on  the  ground,  and  surrounded 
 by  the  whole  Jewish  population,  entered  into  a  friendly  discussion. 
 They  were  evidently  struck  with  the  doctrines  we  preached,  and  did 
 not  evince  the  least  hatred,  violence,  or  opposition,  against  the 
 blessed  truths  which  we  proclaimed.  The  Rabbi  escorted  us  to  the 
 ferry,  and  several  times  enquired  after  the  '' Kttab  Saheer''^  (meaning 
 the  New  Testament),  which  he  was  anxious  to  possess,  yet  too  timid 
 to  ask  for.  In  the  afternoon,  he  and  several  other  Jews  returned 
 our  visit,  and  at  the  same  time  brought  a  present  of  bread,  eggs, 
 and  dates  ;  they  remained  upwards  of  two  hours  in  my  tent,  and 
 attentively  listened  to  the  passages  of  Scripture  which  I  expounded. 
 They  acquiesced  in  all  that  was  said,  and  dilated  with  delight  on  a 
 subject  so  important  and  momentous.  We  sold  them  four  Bibles 
 and  five  New  Testaments,  for  which  they  willingly  paid.  They  told 
 me  that  their  number  had  formerly  been  very  considerable,  but 
 tyranny  and  oppression  had  extended  their  withering  curse  to  all 
 classes,  and  visibly  diminished  the  po})ulation  of  every  hamlet, 
 village,  and  town.     These  few  isolated  and  solitary  Jews,  hated  by 
 
FROM    DAMASCUS     lO    I'.AGDAI).  3 1 
 
 their  bigoted,  rabbinical  liiethivii,  ami  strangers  to  lliose  s\'mpa- 
 thetic  ties  that  sweeten  the  bitter  waters  which  constantly  mingle 
 with  the  stream  of  life,  can  only  find  comfort  and  satisfaction  among 
 the  tombs  of  their  venerated  sires,  whose  memory  they  respect  and 
 revere.  They  appear,  however,  happy  and  contented  in  the  midst 
 of  their  Ishmaclitish  brethren,  who  suffer  them,  unmolested,  to  gain 
 by  the  work  of  their  hands  a  poor  but  honest  subsistence.  We 
 protracted  our  stay  at  Hit  several  days,  which  time  was  profitably 
 employed  in  continual  intercourse  with  them." 
 
 On  the  1 8th  of  October  the  caravan  arrived  at  Bagdad.     Amidst 
 
 the  salutations  which  welcomed  most  of  the  travellers,   Mr.  Stern 
 
 wrote  : — "  We  were  the  only  part}-  whom  no  eager  expectants  hailed, 
 
 no    acquaintance    anticipated,    and    no    countenances    welcomed. 
 
 We  felt  that  we  were  solitary  and  alone — strangers,  and  in  a  strange 
 
 countrv." 
 
CHAPTER    VI, 
 
 THE    MISSION    TO    BAGDAD. 
 
 It  is  desirable  that  a  sketch  should  be  given  of  the  well-known 
 
 oriental  city  in  which  Mr.  Stern  began  his  labours.     It  need  hardly 
 
 be  said,  that  all  those  regions  have  been  from  the  time  of  ?^Iahomed, 
 
 the  scene  of  the  dominion  and  corruption  of  his  followers.     Of  the 
 
 place  and  the  people,  Mr.  Stern  wrote  as  follows  : — 
 
 "  Man,  like  a  plant,  grows,  thrives,  and  flourishes  under  the 
 •genial  influence  of  those  methods  which  Infinite  Wisdom  has 
 ordained  for  the  development  and  perpetuation  of  the  human 
 species  ;  but  wherever  debasing  indulgence  and  imbecilitating  vice 
 predominate,  the  very  juice  of  the  vine  becomes  poison,  and  every 
 blessing  is  turned  into  a  curse.  The  corrupt  doctrines  of  the  Ara- 
 bian legislator,  and  the  vile  passions  which  spring  out  of  his  system, 
 fully  demonstrate  this  ;  and  the  most  inveterate  admirer  of  Mahomed 
 must  admit,  that  his  Koran  is  very  prejudicial  to  the  spiritual  and 
 intellectual  improvement  of  man,  and  the  general  welfare  of  society. 
 A  cursory  glance  at  the  population  of  Turkey  and  Persia  afford  a 
 manifest  proof  of  this  assertion.  Where  are  the  crowded  cities,  the 
 happy  multitudes,  the  smiling  fields,  and  the  busy  scenes  of  com- 
 merce and  manufacture  ?  I  might,  did  it  not  break  the  thread  of 
 my  narrative,  advert  to  Hira,  Anbar,  and  Ctesiphon,  or  cities  erected 
 by  the  desert  conquerors  themselves,  as  Bussorah,  Kufah,  &c.,  but 
 I  will  confine  myself  to  Bagdad.  This  city  in  its  palmy  days  con- 
 tained a  million  of  people,  who,  as  the  native  historians  state,  were 
 all  either  potent  nobles,  or  merchant  princes  ;  their  houses  were 
 palaces,  and  their  slaves  the  youth,  bloom,  and  beauty  of  Europe 
 and  Asia  ;  whilst  at  present  it  scarcely  contains  the  eighteenth  part 
 of  this  vast  population  within  its  desolate  and  debris  covered  area. 
 According  to  the  latest  census,  it  counts  within  its  wall  40,000 
 Mahomedans,  1,500  Christians,  and  i5,ooo  Jews.  The  latter,  as  a 
 striking  illustration  of  the  decay  of  ^loslem  power,  wealth  and 
 industry,  are  the  governing  element  of  the  place.  They  have  their 
 stored  booths  in  every  bazaar,  occupy  all  the  principal  caravanseries 
 
THE    MISSION    TO    HAGDAD.  33 
 
 with  their  merchantlize,  and  entirely  control  the  business  of  banker- 
 age  and  monopolies.  They  are  all  strictly  rabbinical  Jews,  super- 
 stitious, bigoted,  and  intolerant ;  full  of  zeal  for  the  Talmud  and 
 the  traditions  of  the  elders  ;  scrupulous  in  the  performance  of  all 
 external  rites  of  religion  ;  ostentatious  in  their  charity,  piety,  and 
 devotion  ;  tinctured  with  all  the  vices  of  their  Mahommedan  oppres- 
 sors, and  the  errors  of  their  pharisaical  forefathers.  They  have 
 three  large  and  six  small  synagogues  ;  the  former  are  capable  of 
 holding  2,000,  the  latter  from  loo  to  600  individuals.  Their  rabbis 
 are  proud,  haughty,  vain,  and  capricious  men  ;  neither  distinguished 
 for  their  abilities,  nor  admired  for  their  wisdom. 
 
 "  Like  their  haughty  ancestors,  they  scorn  and  reject  the  true 
 Messiah,  with  an  intense  gaze  they  turn  to  Zion,  and  with 
 yearning  impatience  expect  the  advent  of  a  temporal  prince,  who 
 will  subdue  their  enemies,  revenge  their  sufferings,  build  up  the 
 temple  of  their  captive  seer,  and  restore  the  departed  glory  of  their 
 nation,  in  that  land  whose  history  is  engraven  on  the  heart  of  Jew 
 and  Gentile,  and  which  has  been  consecrated  to  the  peculiar  abode 
 of  the  Shechina,  and  is  emphatically  styled  "the  city  of  God." 
 This  people,  who  in  their  desert  plains  had  thus  for  centuries 
 indulged  in  the  vain  delightful  dreams  of  future  conquests,  achieve- 
 ments and  uninterrupted  happiness,  had  never  heard  or  read  any- 
 thing about  our  holy  religion  ;  and  their  amazement  was,  therefore, 
 greatly  heightened,  when  they  saw  three  followers  of  the  despised 
 and  rejected  Nazarene  in  their  place  of  exile,  with  the  avowed  pur- 
 pose of  teaching  them  a  religion  which  they  had  hitherto  regarded 
 as  a  system  of  gross  idolatry  and  palpable  error.  Curiosity,  how- 
 ever, led  many  to  our  house  ;  the  rabbis  themselves,  attracted  by 
 the  novelty,  thronged  our  courts  and  rooms  ;  the  judicious  discourses 
 and  pious  exhortations  aroused  some,  and  shook  the  settled  belief  of 
 others,  and  a  feeble  light  was  gradually  rising,  which  threatened  to 
 disperse  the  impenetrable  darkness  that  had  enshrouded  the  plain  of 
 Shinar  ;  a  few  came  for  instruction,  and  others  to  attend  the  daily 
 Hebrew  services." 
 
 This  was  followed  by  a  considerable  awakening  among  the  Jews. 
 Two  of  the  number,  one  of  them  being  related  to  one  of  the  chief 
 rabbis,  declared  their  conviction  of  the  truth  of  the  Christian  faith, 
 and  their  anxiety  for  further  instruction.  The  chiefs  of  the  com- 
 munity then  saw,  that  they  had  allowed  a  freedom  to  the  mission- 
 aries, which  was  now  bearing  fruit  for  which  they  were  little  prepared. 
 The  new  enquirers  were  subjected  to  every  form  of  persecution  ; 
 each  ap])roach  to  the  houses  of  the  missionaries  was  carefully 
 watched,  and  a  "cherem,"or  excommunication,  pronounced  against 
 any,  who  might  venture  to  have  intercourse  with  them.     This  change 
 
3+  THE    MISSION    TO    BAGDAD. 
 
 in  what  had  appeared  to  be  so  hopeful  a  prospect,  was  no  small  trial 
 of  faith  to  the  Christian  ambassadors.  Before  the  throne  of  grace 
 they  laid  their  difficulties  and  their  wants,  and  relief  and  encourage- 
 ment were  vouchsafed  to  them  from  on  High.  The  respect  of  the 
 leading  Jews  for  the  character  and  faithfulness  of  the  Missionaries, 
 triumphed  over  their  prejudices ;  and  when  any  important  ceremony, 
 or  great  festival  took  place,  they  were  invited  to  their  dwellings,  and 
 received  as  honoured  guests.  Although  a  check  had  been  given  to 
 their  efforts,  it  did  not  deter  them  from  the  zealous  and  uncompro- 
 mising pursuit  of  the  great  object  of  their  mission. 
 
 Some  of  the  practical  eflfects  which  accompanied  their  ministry, 
 were  very  remarkable.  The  chief  Rabbi,  being  suspected  of  a  dispo- 
 sition to  embrace  Christianitv,  had  been  deposed  and  banished  from 
 the  town.  Mr.  Stern  having  heard  that  he  had  been  released  from 
 confinement,  and  that  the  caravan  in  which  he  was  a  traveller,  was 
 only  a  few  miles  from  the  town,  resolved  to  hasten  after  him,  for 
 the  purpose  of  saying  farewell. 
 
 "  He  seemed  deeply  touched  when  he  saw  me  arrive.  After  the 
 usual  salutations,  I  immediately  preferred  my  message,  urged  him 
 no  longer  to  prevaricate  and  strive  against  his  inward  conviction, 
 waiting  for  earthly  grandeur  and  dignities  ;  not  to  tempt  the  Lord, 
 nor  deny  His  holy  name  any  longer  for  worldly  considerations. 
 Tears  stood  in  his  eyes  when  I  had  finished,  and  he  promised  to 
 seek  further  instruction  either  at  Aleppo,  whither  he  was  then  pro- 
 ceeding, or  at  Jerusalem,  where  I  advised  him  to  go.  Having 
 recommended  him  to  the  grace  of  our  Lord,  I  returned  to  town,  in 
 order  to  be  able  to  send  him  a  New  Testament,  aud  several  other 
 Christian  books,  for  which  he  begged  me  most  anxiously,  as  the 
 Jews  had,  during  his  imprisonment,  taken  all  such  books  from  his 
 house.  May  the  Lord  in  His  mercy  guide  and  direct  him,  and 
 remove  all  obstacles  out  of  his  way." 
 
 This  chief  Rabbi,  on  the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  the  Missionaries, 
 had  observed  concerning  a  native  proselyte,  employed  as  a  col- 
 porteur, "  I  have  closely  watched  Ezekiel  since  his  baptism,  and  I 
 find  that  a  change  has  taken  place  in  him.  I  would  now  trust  his 
 simple  assertion,  more  than  the  oaths  of  a  whole  body  of  Jews." 
 The  sincerity  of  an  enquirer,  was  tested  under  the  following  trying 
 circumstances  : — 
 
 "A  fortnight  ago,  the  Nasi  (the  Jewish  Prince)  sent  for  him,  and 
 with  bland   affability  said,  '  I  hear  that  vou  are  an  adherent  of  the 
 
THE    MISSION    TO    liAGDAD.  35 
 
 new  religion.'  He  calmly  replied,  '  No,  my  Lord,  I  believe  in  the 
 religion  of  the  Bible,  and  trust  for  salvation  in  the  Messiah  of 
 Israel.'  The  Nasi  replied,  '  I  do  not  wish  to  interfere  with  your 
 faith  in  the  Gospel,  but  insist  that  you  divorce  your  wife.'  He 
 respectfully  refused  to  acquiesce  in  this  request,  and  as  the  Nasi 
 knew  that  he  could  not  legally  compel  him,  he  closed  the  interview 
 by  saying,  '  Then  you  will  restore  her  dowry.'  His  unconverted 
 friends  thought  that  this  demand  would  intimidate  him,  since  he 
 had  lost  his  own  money  by  several  bankruptcies  in  India,  and  was 
 trading  with  his  wife's  fortune  ;  but  instead  of  being  discouraged, 
 he  settled  all  his  accounts,  disposed  of  every  thing  in  his  possession, 
 and  without  a  word  of  complaint  satisfied  the  rigid  claim  of  the 
 partner  of  his  life,  and  the  mother  of  his  five  children." 
 
CHAPTER    VII, 
 
 BABYLON    AND    BUSSORAH. 
 
 The  narrative  of  ^Ir.  Stern's  life  would  be  incomplete,  were  there 
 no  reference  to  any  of  the  principal  spots  which  he  visited  at  various 
 times.  But  it  will  be  seen,  that  he  always  combined  with  such 
 visits,  the  object  of  his  life  and  mission.  He  invariably  traced  out 
 the  scattered  remnant  of  the  tribes  of  Israel,  and  in  most  instances, 
 proclaimed  to  them  the  message  of  redemption  of  which  the  majo- 
 rity of  them  had  never  hitherto  heard.  A  journey  from  Bagdad  to 
 the  site  of  the  once  celebrated  Babylon,  was  undertaken,  at  the  time 
 when  hindrances  had  been  placed  in  the  way  of  free  intercourse  with 
 the  Jews  of  the  former  place. 
 
 "  Babylon  (or  Hillah),  the  city  of  kingdoms,  the  beauty  of  the 
 Chaldean's  '  excellency,'  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  witnesses  to 
 the  faithfulness  and  power  of  God.  It  has  become  'heaps,  a  dwelling- 
 place  for  dragons,  an  astonishment  and  an  hissing.'  "  (Jer.  li.  37). 
 On  every  side  the  traveller  beholds  the  monuments  of  the  divine 
 vengeance.  "  To  a  traveller  who  has  walked  among  the  monuments 
 of  Egypt,  visited  the  marble  temples  of  Palmyra,  or  reposed,  as  I 
 have  done  myself,  behind  the  polished  sculptures  of  Persepolis  ; 
 Babylon  and  the  Birs  awaken  no  sensations  of  wonder  and  admira- 
 tion ;  but  to  the  student  of  prophecy,  who  gazes  upon  the  fallen 
 palaces,  demolished  temples,  and  shattered  walls,  every  mound  and 
 tumulus  is  a  collateral  evidence  of  divine  revelation  ;  the  fascinating 
 and  attractive  magnificence  of  the  former  is  eclipsed,  whilst  in  the 
 latter  he  sees  the  verification  of  the  awful  sentence,  '  Mene,  mene, 
 tekel,  upharsin.' " 
 
 The  Jews  of  Bagdad  had  not  been  slack  in  circulating  reports, 
 which  might  excite  prejudices  in  the  minds  of  their  brethren  at 
 Hillah.  They  refused  either  to  listen,  or  to  speak  on  religious  sub- 
 jects.    The  prospects  of  access  to  the  people  in  these  parts  being 
 
BABYLON    AND    BUSSORAH.  37 
 
 more  than  uncertain,  the  Missionaries  returned  to  Bagdad.  At  the 
 end  of  December,  1 846,  they  embarked  on  board  one  of  the  boats 
 which  trade  between  Bagdad  and  Bussorah.  It  was  to  the  latter  place 
 that  Mr.  Stern  had  originally  been  appointed,  and  although  it  was 
 on  more  matured  consideration  determined  that  he  should  remain 
 at  Bagdad,  it  was  deemed  expedient  that  he  should  visit  Bussorah, 
 and  extend  his  journeys  in  such  directions  as  might  open  fields  of 
 missionary  activity. 
 
 The  regions  through  which  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates  flow,  have 
 been  renowned  in  the  history  of  the  past.  Evidences  presented 
 themselves  on  every  side  of  their  former  fertility,  and  the  extent  and 
 magnificence  of  the  cities  which  once  flourished  on  their  plains. 
 The  river  voyage  conducted  them  near  the  remains  of  Ctesiphon 
 and  Sileucia.  The  famous  Arch  of  Khosroe  was  in  the  neighbour- 
 hood, and  encouraged  by  the  temporary  delay  of  the  vessel,  Mr. 
 Stern  set  out  to  visit  it.  "  I  had,"  he  relates,  "  a  fatiguing  walk 
 before  I  reached  this  wonder  of  antiquity,  and  I  confess  that, 
 although  I  am  no  great  enthusiast,  yet  the  sight  of  this  magnificent 
 arch  absorbed  my  whole  attention,  and  made  me  forget  my  wearied 
 feet,  the  boat,  and  the  walk  back.  The  Arch,  or  Tauk-e-Kesea, 
 from  the  distance,  owing  to  the  flatness  of  the  soil,  has  an  insignifi- 
 cant appearance  ;  but  a  nearer  approach  reveals  to  the  eye  the 
 remains  of  a  building  worthy  in  every  respect  of  the  luxurious  and 
 extravagant  monarch  whose  name  it  bears.  There  is  no  building  in 
 the  East  that  can  vie  with  it,  in  size,  magnificence,  or  skill  ;  the 
 archway  alone  is  106  feet  high,  153  deep,  with  a  faQade  284  feet 
 long  ;  it  is  ornamented  with  small  arches  and  recesses,  which  were 
 no  doubt  occupied  by  statues  and  symbolical  images." 
 
 The  town  of  Bussorah  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tigris,  at 
 the  head  of  the  Persian  Gulf.  It  is  the  port  through  which  trade 
 used  to  be  carried  on  with  Bagdad,  and  other  parts  of  the  interior. 
 The  London  Society  from  time  to  time,  sent  thither  cases  of  Bibles, 
 for  the  use  of  the  Missionaries,  in  the  prosecution  of  their  work. 
 The  town  had  so  deteriorated  from  its  former  state,  (both  as  regards 
 its  prosperity  and  the  number  of  its  population)  that  it  needed  little 
 to  prove,  that  it  was  a  wise  resolution  which  had  led  to  its  abandon- 
 ment  as   a   Missionary  station.     "Thirty   years   ago,"    IMr.    Stern 
 
38  BABYLON    AND    BUSSORAH. 
 
 recorded,  "  Bussorah  contained  upwards  of  sixty  thousand  inhabi- 
 tants, it  had  a  thriving  trade,  well-stored  bazaars,  and  a  happy,  rich 
 population  ;  at  present  it  does  not  contain  eight  thousand,  its  com- 
 merce (except  that  of  dates)  is  destroyed,  its  opulent  houses  impo- 
 verished, the  large  caravanserais  desolate,  and  the  market,  thronged 
 by  nations  from  all  regions  in  the  East,  is  now  only  frequented  by  a 
 few  sickly  Persians,  and  some  plundering  Arabs."  The  Jews  had  in 
 every  respect  shared  in  the  decline,  and  accumulated  miseries,  of  the 
 place. 
 
 Onward,  therefore,  they  sped  to  Bushire,  the  great  port  of  Persia, 
 on  the  Gulf  of  that  name.  The  population  of  Bushire,  consisting  of 
 but  2,000  persons,  include  representatives  of  all  the  oriental  races, 
 sects,  and  creeds.  Amidst  this  chaos  of  superstition  and  unbelief, 
 there  was  one  spot  at  that  time,  from  which  the  light  of  the  Gospel 
 shone.  "Colonel  Hennell,  the  political  agent  of  the  East  India  Com- 
 pany, an  excellent  devoted  Christian  officer,  combined  with  his 
 exemplary  life,  exhibits  to  the  ignorant  and  misguided  beings  by 
 whom  he  is  surrounded,  the  beauty  and  sublimity  of  our  divine  religion. 
 It  was  with  sincere  pleasure,  that,  during  my  abode  in  this  benighted 
 place,  after  the  toils  and  labours  of  the  week,  after  many  hard  struggles 
 and  severe  combats  with  the  opponents  of  light  and  knowledge,  I 
 could  every  Lord's-day  mingle  my  voice  in  the  praises  and  thanks- 
 givings of  the  few,  who  collected  together  in  the  small  chapel  of  the 
 Residency." 
 
 The  ministry  of  Mr.  Stern  was  blessed  in  a  remarkable  manner 
 in  this  place.  The  Lord  opened  the  heart  of  a  Jewish  Mullah,  called 
 Elijahu.  Notwithstanding  the  hatred  and  persecution  to  which  he 
 knew  that  he  would  be  exposed,  the  convictions  of  his  heart  could 
 not  be  stifled.  "  I  have  found  the  Mcssias,"  was  his  rapturous 
 exclamation.  Two  years  passed  away,  during  which  Elijahu  had 
 devoted  much  time  to  the  careful  study  of  the  Scriptures.  He  then 
 expressed  his  desire  to  receive  baptism  at  the  hands  of  Mr.  Stern. 
 The  Jews  used  every  effort  to  defeat  his  object,  and  Colonel  Sheil, 
 a  Roman  Catholic,  who  was  then  British  Envoy  at  the  Court  of 
 Persia,  gave  to  these  conspirators  his  countenance,  and  exhibited 
 the  most  unfriendly  spirit  towards  Protestants  and  Protestant  Mis- 
 sions.    Elijahu,  when  about  to  sail  for  Bagdad,  was  seized  by  the 
 
RAHYLON    AND    HUSSORAH.  39 
 
 police  agents,  and  it  was  only  the  influence  and  exertions  of  Captain 
 Kemball,  then  Assistant  British  Resident  at  Bushire,  which  secured 
 his  release,  and  enabled  him  to  proceed  to  Bagdad.  There,  after  a 
 stay  of  three  months,  and  further  instruction  in  the  truths  of  Chris- 
 tianity, he  was  baptized,  and  returned  to  his  native  place  ;  where,  his 
 consistent  walk,  and  Christian  life,  reconciled  him  to  his  family,  and 
 removed  many  of  the  prejudices  of  his  Jewish  acquaintances. 
 
CHAPTER    VIII. 
 
 THE    PERSIAN    GULF. 
 
 The  sequel  of  this  history  will  show,  how,  in  his  life  and  practice, 
 Mr.  Stern  walked  in  the  steps  of  the  Apostle  Paul.  To  proclaim 
 the  Gospel  to  "the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel"  was  the  cen- 
 tral object  of  his  efforts;  but  "the  Gentiles"  also  heard  "the  Word" 
 by  his  mouth  and  "believed."  With  the  ardour  and  faithfulness  of  a 
 true  servant  of  God,  he  ever  remembered,  that  the  breadth  of  the 
 command  was,  to  "  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature."  These 
 great  principles  were  ever  present  to  his  mind,  and  were  realized  in 
 practice,  when  navigating  the  Persian  Gulf,  and  visiting  the 
 "  mingled "  people  who  inhabit  those  coasts.  In  the  spring  of 
 1848,  Mr.  Stern  had  the  opportunity  of  taking  a  cruize  in  "the 
 Clive,"  under  Commodore  G.  C.  Hawkins,  who  commanded  the 
 squadron  of  the  East  India  Company.  "  The  Clive  "  pursued  her 
 course  from  one  station  to  another,  visiting,  among  other  places,  the 
 island  of  Bahrein.  The  capital  of  the  island  is  Maniima.  Here,  he 
 passed  a  most  interesting  time  in  conversation  with  Jewish  mer- 
 chants, whose  opposition  seemed  gradually  to  yield  to  their  better 
 convictions,  and  who  listened  with  pleasure  to  the  message  of  sal- 
 vation. One,  even  declined  to  receive  some  remuneration  to  which 
 he  was  entitled,  with  the  plea,  that  the  Jews  themselves  were  under 
 an  obligation  to  IMr.  Stern,  for  the  Gospel  which  he  had  proclaimed 
 to  them.  At  Maharaz  his  knowledge  of  Arabic  gave  him  access  to 
 the  Moslem  Sheiks.  With  readiness  they  terminated  their  diplo- 
 matic discussions  with  the  English  representatives,  in  order  that 
 they  might  hear  from  the  Missionary  the  reason  of  the  faith  which 
 was  in  him.  It  was  his  part  to  correct  their  misapprehensions,  as 
 well  as  to  unfold  to  them  the  truth.  The  result  of  these  interviews 
 was  an  earnest  desire  on  the  part  of  the  principal  Sheik  to  possess 
 
THE    PERSIAN    GULF. 
 
 41 
 
 an  Arabic  Bible.  Mr.  Stern  promised  that  a  copy  should  be  sent  to 
 him  by  "the  Clive"  on  her  next  cruise.  It  was  almost  touching,  to 
 hear  the  Sheik  at  one  time,  adjuring  the  Missionary  not  to  forget  his 
 promise  ;  and  at  another  time,  entreating  the  Commodore,  not  to 
 forget  to  bring  the  much-coveted  "Torah  and  Angeel."  It  was  a 
 satisfaction  to  know,  that  both  these  promises  were  faithfully  per- 
 formed. 
 
 Wherever  "the  Clive"  went,  Mr.  Stern  sought  for  information 
 concerning  the  Jews,  on  whose  behalf  he  had  been  sent.  As  the 
 ship  cruized  about  the  Persian  Gulf,  the  mountains  of  Arabia 
 attracted  his  notice,  and  he  learnt  that  in  the  heart  of  that  country, 
 now  so  seldom  traversed,  and  of  which  so  little  is  known,  consider- 
 able numbers  of  Jews  resided.  When,  he  was  moreover  informed, 
 that  they  lived  among  the  most  despotic  and  fanatical  ^Moslems,  and 
 that  they  were  subject  to  grievous  hardships,  his  heart  was  moved 
 with  a  desire  to  unfold  to  them  the  hopes  and  consolations  of  the 
 Gospel.  His  informants  gave  him  no  reason  to  believe  that  such  a 
 design  would  be  practicable,  but  they  rather  affirmed,  that  it  would 
 be  accompanied  by  much  danger.  Yet,  amongst  those  mountains 
 and  valleys,  this  undaunted  messenger  of  the  "  glad  tidings"  would 
 eventually  find  his  way.  The  events  of  that  journey  are  still  to  be 
 recounted ;  forming  as  they  did,  the  most  dangerous  and  adventurous 
 undertaking,  in  which  he  was  ever  engaged. 
 
 Divine  service  was  regularly  performed  on  board  "the  Clive" 
 during  these  voyages,  nor  was  any  suitable  opportunity  lost  of  minis- 
 tering to  the  crew.  It  was  sometimes  most  impressive  to  see  the 
 deep  emotions  of  some  of  the  seamen,  when,  to  an  assemblage  of 
 about  150  officers  and  men,  many  of  whom  had  passed  years  of  life 
 in  carelessness  and  sin,  the  Missionary  reasoned  of  "  righteousness, 
 temperance,  and  judgment  to  come."  Extracts  from  the  letters  of 
 two  of  the  crew  will  show  the  effect  produced  upon  their  minds  and 
 consciences  : — 
 
 "  By  the  infinite  mercy  of  God,  you  have  been  directed  to  this 
 ship,  to  speak  the  glorious  truths  of  the  Gospel  to  a  number  of  men 
 who  greatly  need  it,  in  order  to  induce  them  to  leave  the  service  of 
 sin  and  Satan,  and  seek  refuge  under  the  glorious  banner  of  the 
 Cross.     O  how  your  words  sank  into  our  hearts  this  morning  !     God 
 
 D 
 
42 
 
 THE    PERSIAN    GULF. 
 
 grant  that  the  impression  may  never  be  weakened  !  We,  sir,  have 
 been  those  bold  blasphemers  to  whom  you  addressed  those  words 
 of  peace  and  hope  ;  we  have  committed  iniquities  and  crimes  too 
 horrible  to  relate.  O  do  not  think  it  presumptuous  thus  to  write, 
 for  to  whom  can  we  go  more  appropriately  than  to  a  holy  minister 
 of  Christ,  sent  by  Providence  in  our  road,  to  guide  and  direct  us  .'' 
 Will  you,  reverend  sir,  oblige  us  with  a  copy  of  the  sermon  you 
 preached  this  morning  ?  Although  we  remember  the  greater  part 
 of  it,  yet  some  words  may  have  escaped  us  ;  and  this  day,  with  God's 
 blessing,  will  not  be  forgotten  by  many  of  us.  O  sir,  I  felt  for  some 
 of  my  shipmates,  who  avowedly  came  to  have  something  afterwards 
 to  scoff  at  and  ridicule ;  but  their  attention  was  arrested,  and  I  hope 
 that  they  will  seek  for  mercy,  as  myself  and  companions  have  been 
 led  to  do." 
 
 The  second  letter  contains  this  passage : — 
 
 "Thanks,  ten  thousand  thanks,  for  your  kindness  to  me  and  my 
 beloved  companions,  who  are  now  on  shore,  myself  being  the  only 
 one  of  them  on  board.  Sir,  the  enclosed  letter,  a  copy  of  which  I 
 shall  forward  to  the  Archdeacon  JeftVies,  in  Bombay  (who  often 
 exhorted  us  to  repent),  will  show  you  how  horrible  our  former  con- 
 duct has  been,  and  how  anxious  we  are  now  to  walk  with  Christ  and 
 his  people.  Your  words,  dear  Sir,  have  sunk  into  my  heart ;  for  I 
 assure  you,  that,  if  you  had  been  three  years  ship-mate  with  us,  you 
 could  not  have  spoken  to  us  more  feelingly ;  you  seemed  to  all  of 
 us  to  have  been  acquainted  with  our  sinful  lives,  and  to  have  always 
 addressed  people  like  myself  and  shipmates." 
 
 The  feelings  of  the  officers  and  seamen  of  the  ship,  were  expressed 
 some  months  after  this  cruize,  in  a  substantial  and  handsome  man- 
 ner. A  silver  inkstand  and  silver  pocket  communion  service  were 
 sent  to  Mr.  Stern.     The  inkstand  bore  the  following  inscription  : — 
 
 PRESENTED 
 TO 
 
 •     THE    REV.    HENRY    STERN, 
 
 BY 
 
 COMMODORE  HAWKINS, 
 
 AND  THE  OFFICERS  AND  SEAMEN  OF  THE  SQUADRON  OF  THE  INDIAN 
 
 NAV\',  STATIONED  IN  THE  GULF  OF  PERSIA, 
 
 IN  APRIL,    1848, 
 
 AS  A  SMALL  TOKEN  OF  THEIR  SENSE  OF  HIS  ZEAL  AND  ABILITY 
 
 IN  THE  DISCHARGE  OF  HIS  SACRED  FUNCTIONS, 
 
 AND  OF  THEIR 
 
 GREAT  PERSONAL  ESTEEM  FOR  HIS 
 
 PRIVATE  CHARACTER. 
 
CHAPTER     IX. 
 
 MISSIONARY    JOURXKVS    IN    PERSIA. 
 
 Mr.  Stern  started  from  the  borders  of  the  Persian  Gulf  at  the 
 beginning  of  1847,  ^or  a.  prolonged  tour  through  the  cities  of  the 
 Persian  kingdom.  A  journey  through  these  regions  is  always  a 
 matter  of  discomfort  and  difficulty,  especially,  when  economy  must 
 be  studied  as  to  the  mode  of  transit.  The  way-farer  traverses 
 mountains  covered  with  snow,  and  swept  by  the  winter  blast,  and 
 wends  his  way  ofttimes  by  narrow  and  dangerous  tracks.  Beneath, 
 in  the  plains,  the  climate  ranges  from  the  balmy  atmosphere  of  an 
 European  autumn,  to  the  heat  of  the  torrid  zone.  These  trials  have 
 no  equivalent  in  the  conduct  and  character  of  the  people.  Plunged 
 in  debauchery  and  the  lowest  form  of  sensual  pleasures  ;  living  when 
 they  are  in  power  by  rapine  and  oppression,  and  when  they  are 
 powerless,  eking  out  existence,  for  the  most  part,  either  by  fraud,  or 
 bv  the  most  debasing  occupations — the  scenes  which  present 
 themselves  to  the  eye  of  the  traveller  are  heart-rending  and  offensive. 
 The  forms  of  worship  are  various.  The  followers  of  Zoroaster  are 
 numerous,  but  the  Moslems  are  in  general  the  predominant  race  ; 
 and  the  tyranny  of  their  rule  is  felt  keenly  by  all  who  excite  their 
 avarice,  or  are  the  objects  of  their  malice.  Amongst  the  sufferers, 
 none  feel  so  bitterly  the  yoke  of  oppression  as  the  sons  and  daugh- 
 ters of  Abraham.  Their  lives  and  property  are  never  secure  from 
 the  greedy  eye,  or  persecuting  spirit  of  their  rulers  ;  and  the  meanest 
 of  the  rabble  look  upon  them  as  the  offscouring  of  all  things,  on 
 whom  they  can  outpour  their  venom,  without  the  fear  of  revenge. 
 To  wander  month  after  month  amidst  such  scenes  as  these — to 
 witness  the  anguish  and  tears  of  those  who  are   "still  beloved  for 
 
44  MISSIOXARV    JOURXKVS    IN    PERSIA. 
 
 the  fathers'  sakes," — and  to  know  that  the  oppressed  arc  ofttimes 
 led  into  crime  and  debasing  sin,  through  the  very  force  of  the 
 unhappy  circumstances  which  surround  them — must  be  an  unspeak- 
 able trial  to  the  servant  of  God. 
 
 It  is  "  out  of  the  depths"  that  the  cry  to  the  Lord  God  of  Sabaoth 
 is  frequently  heard.  The  voice  of  sympathy,  and  the  ministry  of 
 reconciliation,  appeal  with  irresistible  power  to  the  suffering  spirit, 
 and  the  awakened  soul.  The  evidence  that  such  effects  were  being 
 produced  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  brought  peace  and  relief  to  our 
 ]\Iissionary  traveller.  All  that  he  heard  and  saw  in  these  dark  and 
 sin-stricken  regions,  convinced  him  that  even  there,  the  Lord  had  a 
 seed  to  serve  Him,  There  were  some,  whose  an.xiety  and  hunger- 
 ing after  divine  truth,  bore  witness  to  that  "  repentance  toward  God, 
 and  faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  which  was  full  of  encou- 
 ragement. He  had  the  assurance,  that  although  he  was  now  sowing 
 "  in  tears,"  he  should  reap  "  in  joy."  It  was  not  merely  with  a 
 prophetic  eye,  but  amidst  the  facts  and  circumstances  which  har- 
 monized with  his  own  past  and  painful  experience,  that  he  expressed 
 his  confidence,  that  some  parts  of  these  desolate  wastes  would,  ere 
 long,  become  as  "the  garden  of  the  Lord."  It  will  be  seen  in  the 
 condensed  narrative  which  the  following  pages  contain,  that  in 
 several  cases,  no  other  agency  was  employed  by  God  in  eftecting  the 
 spiritual  deliverance  of  some  who  had  long  been  the  captives  of 
 Satan  and  of  sin.  In  some  instances,  others  were  to  reap  where 
 he  had  sown,  and  to  enter  upon  fields  of  labour,  in  which  he  had 
 been  the  first  to  plough,  and  to  sow  the  seeds  of  eternal  life. 
 
 It  often  happens,  that  the  most  encouraging  prospects,  are  followed 
 by  the  most  grievous  disappointments.  Mr.  Stern's  first  experience 
 and  observations  of  the  state  of  the  Jews  in  Persia,  convinced  him 
 that  it  was  a  field  fruitful  in  promise.  Wo  find  him  afterwards  sub- 
 mitting to  the  Committee  of  the  London  Society,  a  plan  for  the 
 occupation  of  the  city  of  Ispahan  as  a  central  Mission.  To  this 
 proposal  the  Committee  agreed,  and  the  sequel  will  sufficiently 
 explain,  why  the  plan  was  eventually  abandoned.  Apart  from  every 
 other  impediment,  it  was  found,  that  the  Missionary  was  not  likely 
 to  receive  any  protection  from  the  Representative  of  Great  Britain, 
 who  resided   at   Teheran.     Colonel  Shiel   was  a  Roman   Catholic. 
 
MISSIONAKN     JOl'RXKVS    IX    PERSIA.  45 
 
 It  is  unnecessary  to  enquire  liou  far  the  influence  of  tlie  Jesuits, 
 constrained  the  Britisli  Envoy  to  act  in  opposition  to  the  Protestant 
 Missionary.  It  was  soon  evident,  that,  as  far  as  he  was  concerned,  no 
 step  would  be  taken  to  preserve  Mr.  Stern's  life  or  property  ;  and 
 that  no  appeal  against  any  suffering  or  indignity,  to  whic-h  he  might 
 be  exposed,  would  meet  with  the  slightest  response.  The  political 
 considerations  which  affect  diplomatic  appointments,  in  various 
 parts  of  the  world,  are  too  often,  as  prejudicial  to  British  interests,  as- 
 thev  are  unfavourable  to  those  wlio  have  a  claim  on  British  pro- 
 tection. 
 
 The  route  from  the  Peisian  (kilf  passed  through  Kanzeroon.  The 
 approach  to  this  town,  and  the  intercourse  which  Mr.  Stern  had 
 with  the  Jews,  is  thus  described  : — 
 
 "  On  emerging  from  this  fine  verdant  vale,  we  entered  a  rugged 
 defile,  difficult  and  dangerous  to  traverse  both  for  man  and  beast. 
 Our  heavily  burthened  mules,  however,  accomplished  with  great 
 confidence  and  care  this  wearisome  task.  We  passed  several  Rah- 
 darees,  or  toll-houses,  where  guards  are  stationed  to  keep  the  road 
 free  from  marauding  hordes,  and  to  levy  tolls  on  merchandize  ;  but, 
 unfortunately,  they  perform  only  the  latter  part  of  their  duty,  and 
 whilst  they  subject  every  load  to  a  certain  impost,  they  expose  at 
 the  same  time  the  goods  of  the  merchant  to  the  rapacious  grasp  of 
 the  robber  and  freebooter.  Our  own  caravan,  till  we  came  in  sight 
 of  Kanzeroon,  was  full  of  fear  and  apprehension,  and  every  one  had 
 provided  himself  with  some  missile  weapons  to  repel  the  daring 
 gangs  who  infest  the  country,  and  make  it  exceedingly  unsafe  for 
 caravans  ;  happily,  as  the  Rahdars  informed  us,  the  robbers  had 
 some  better  game  to  chase  elsewhere,  and  so  we  escaped  without 
 any  personal  encounter.  We  reached  Kanzeroon  at  five  o'clock, 
 and  without  making  any  particular  inquiries  about  lodgings,  we 
 entered  the  first  hovel  where  we  found  an  empty  corner,  and  there, 
 contented  with  a  little  milk  for  dinner,  laid  down  near  some  smoking 
 cinders,  and  enjoyed  a  repose  which  many  a  less  exhausted  frame 
 might  have  envied.  Sleep,  "tired  nature's  calm  restorer,"  revived 
 us  again  ;  and  our  first  care  on  rising  from  our  carpets  was  to  get 
 our  abode  a  little  swept,  cleansed  and  humanized  ;  after  this  we  sent 
 to  the  mullah  of  the  Jews,  and  informed  him  of  our  intention  to  visit 
 his  people.  The  worthy  rabbi,  an  old  decrepid  man,  no  doubt  anti- 
 cipated that  we  were  rich  travellers,  and  wanted  to  purchase 
 antiques,  for  he  and  some  of  his  friends  forestalled  us,  and  followed 
 close  at  the  heels  of  our  servant.  Their  salaam  was  most  cringing 
 and  humiliating,  and  when  we  addressed  them  in  Hebrew,  and 
 invited  them  to  be  seated  on  our  carpets,  they  appeared  almost  in 
 doubt  whether  their  ears  did  not  deceive  them.     The  mullah,  who 
 
46  MISSIONARY    JOLRXEYS    IN    PERSIA. 
 
 was  not  far  from  threescore  and  ten,  and  totally  blind,  in  an  ecstacy 
 of  joy  exclaimed,  'Welcome,  welcome,  ye  children  of  the  covenant 
 and  heirs  of  the  promise  ;  welcome  in  the  land  of  the  INIedes  and 
 the  Persians,  ye  travellers  from  far  countries,  and  messengers  of  joy 
 to  the  captives  of  Zion,  whose  hearts  are  throbbing  with  fear  in  a 
 strange  land,  and  among  a  cruel  people.'  Here  the  afflicted  rabbi 
 burst  into  tears,  which,  partially  sincere  and  partially  feigned,  still 
 affected  us,  and  we  endeavoured  to  console  them  by  directing  their 
 minds  from  their  suffering  condition  on  earth  to  the  peaceful  abode 
 <of  the  believer  in  heaven.  The  words  of  comfort  were  like  balm  to 
 their  wounded  and  lacerated  hearts,  and  they  listened  with  intense 
 interest  to  all  we  told  them.  The  venerable  grey-bearded  rabbi  was 
 evidently  struck  by  the  numerous  prophecies  from  which  we  proved 
 the  veracity  of  our  belief,  and  with  his  sightless  balls  turned  to 
 heaven,  he  exclaimed  from  the  depth  of  his  heart,  '  O  thou,  who  in 
 mercy  hast  loaded  my  declining  years  with  sorrows  and  woes,  reveal 
 to  this  heart  those  saving  truths  which  m\'  blind  eyes  can  now  no 
 longer  examine  or  investigate.'" 
 
 Mr.  Stern's  arrival  at  Sheeniz  occasioned  considerable  excitement. 
 The  Persians  of  this  city  are  among  the  most  unscrupulous  adherents 
 of  the  Arabian  prophet.  It  has  often  been  the  scene,  both  before 
 and  since  Mr.  Stern's  visit,  of  persecution  against  those  who  endea- 
 voured to  preach,  and  circulate  the  Word  of  God.  Notwithstanding 
 this,  our  Missionary  was  greatly  impressed  by  the  attention  with 
 which  the  Moslems,  as  well  as  the  Jews,  listened  to  his  message. 
 It  was  an  evidence  that  his  words  were  "  with  power."  The  manner 
 in  which  he  spoke  of  the  work  of  some,  whose  writings  and  labours 
 had  preceded  his  own,  sufficiently  indicates,  how  anxious  he  was,  that 
 honour  should  be  given  to  those  to  whom  honour  was  due. 
 
 "  We  had  a  good  many  Jewish  and  ]\Iahomedan  visitors  ;  amongst 
 the  latter  was  the  treasurer  of  the  governor,— a  cunning,  deceitful 
 Persian,  who  was  so  liberal  and  profuse  with  his  services,  that  his 
 obsequiousness  filled  me  with  an  irresistible  repugnance,  and  made 
 me  loathe  his  society.  He  was  accompanied  by  the  British  agent, 
 a  base,  contemptible  drunkard.  The  object  of  their  visit  was  to  get 
 some  brandy,  but,  unfortunately,  when  they  had  exhausted  a  whole 
 volume  of  interested  flatteries,  and  eulogized  our  piety,  goodness, 
 and  devotion,  we  could  only  repeat  what  we  had  already  stated,  that 
 we  carried  no  such  beverage  with  us.  They  were  greatly  annoyed 
 at  this  repeated  refusal,  and  with  the  boldness  and  impudence  of 
 devoted  tlebauchees,  went  to  our  boxes,  opened  the  covers,  and 
 examined  whether  they  contained  the  brutalizing  liquor;  they  were 
 keenly  disaj)pointed  when  they  found  that  we  had  not  deceived 
 them,  and  with  the  most  imperturbable  nonchalance  sat  down  iigain 
 
MISSIONARY    JOURNF.YS    IN    PERSIA.  47 
 
 to  discuss  the  reason  of  our  disgust  for  this  wretched  propensity. 
 Happily,  upwards  of  twenty  Jews  entered  our  room  at  this  moment, 
 ■or  else  this  audacious  conduct  might  have  led  to  some  severe  anim- 
 adversion. Our  new  visitors,  with  their  sad  and  pensive  looks, 
 offered  a  strong  contrast  to  the  bold  and  artful  treasurer,  and  the 
 arrogant,  bloated  meerza.  We  begged  them  to  sit  down,  but  the 
 presence  of  the  two  worthies  made  them  timid  and  uneasy  ;  unhappy 
 people,  to  be  thus  condemned  to  fear  and  trembling,  without  any 
 rational  hope  that  under  the  sway  of  Islamism  their  position  will 
 ever  improve.  When  our  Mahomedan  visitors  were  gone,  the  Jews 
 seemed  to  breathe  a  different  atmosphere,  and  their  conversation, 
 which  had  been  flurried  and  constrained,  became  free  and  easy. 
 'They  asked  many  questions  about  the  doctrines  of  Christianity, 
 which  we  endeavoured  to  answer.  They  were  particularly  struck  to 
 find,  that  the  great  and  vital  truths  of  the  Gospel  were  all  contained 
 in  JMoses  and  the  Prophets.  Some  of  the  mullahs  urged  the  non- 
 fulfilment  of  the  many  prophetic  promises,  as  an  argument  against 
 our  belief  in  the  IMessiahship  of  our  Lord  ;  '  If  Jesus  is  indeed  the 
 Redeemer,'  they  said,  *  and  we  cannot  controvert  your  assertions, 
 w'hich  are  all  founded  on  the  inspired  volume,  then  tell  us  why  are 
 the  chains  of  our  bondage  still  rivetted  upon  us,  and  why  are  the 
 gates  of  our  captivity  still  closed  V  We  referred  them  to  those 
 passages  which  point  out  the  conditions  of  their  deliverance,  and 
 the  means  of  their  emancipation  ;  with  deep  emotions  and  agitated 
 feelings  they  acquiesced  in  all  we  said,  and  I  hope  that  in  many- 
 hearts  our  words  will  have  an  abiding  place,  and  produce  the  hal- 
 lowed and  glorious  fruits  of  repentance  towards  God,  and  faith  in 
 our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  multitudes  of  Jews  who  daily  crowded 
 our  house  attracted  the  notice  and  curiosity  of  the  Mahomedans, 
 .and  the  doctrines  of  our  religion  began  to  be  the  general  topic  of 
 the  day  ;  even  children  in  the  streets  pointed  at  us,  and  made  their 
 remarks  on  our  avowed  object.  I\Iany  Mahomedans  called  upon  us 
 for  New^  Testaments,  to  whom  we  invariably  explained  the  essential 
 doctrines  of  our  religion,  and  with  few  exceptions  we  were  always 
 listened  to  with  the  greatest  patience  and  interest.  Amongst  others, 
 we  also  formed  the  acquaintance  of  several  illuminati,  professed 
 .seekers  after  truth.  They  were  very  liberal  and  tolerant  in  their 
 views,  and  spoke  with  reverence  and  respect  of  Christ  and  his 
 followers.  Some  had  read  the  work  entitled  '  The  Balance  of 
 Truth,'  by  the  Rev.  C.  G.  Pfander,  a  German  missionary,  and  very 
 much  admired  the  spirit,  tone,  and  style  of  this  excellent  contro- 
 versial pamphlet.  Our  intercourse  with  these  adherents  of  the 
 Koran,  has  convinced  me,  that  an  intelligent,  pious,  and  prudent 
 missionary  might  do  incalculable  good  amongst  the  Mussulmans  of 
 Persia ;  his  work  would  of  course  be  entirely  preparatory,  and 
 would  frequently  test  his  faith  and  patience.  But  I  have  not  the 
 least  doubt,  although  many  withered  hopes  and  disappointed  expec- 
 tations may  attend  his  efforts,  yet,  if  he  perseveres,  the  happy  influ- 
 ence  of  social  and  religious   intercourse  will  ultimately  mitigate 
 
48  MISSIONARY    JOURNEYS    IX    PERSIA. 
 
 bigotr}',  soften  prejudice,  and  remove  many  of  the  obstacles  which 
 at  present  impede  the  successful  introduction  of  the  Gospel  into 
 this  sinful  and  polluted  country.  Hitherto,  very  few  attempts  have 
 been  made  to  bring  the  Persians  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  ;  an 
 erroneous  notion,  that  they  are  a  difficult  and  inaccessible  people, 
 has  closed  the  gates  of  compassion  and  benevolence  against  them, 
 and  led  multitudes  to  neglect  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  influ- 
 ential ^Moslem  tribes  in  Central  Asia.  It  is  true  several  pious  and 
 learned  missionaries  have  felt  a  deep  interest  in,  and  laboured  with 
 zeal  and  devotion  for  these  long-degraded  millions,  but,  unfortun- 
 ately, their  patrons  and  supporters  proposed  plans  which  it  was 
 impossible  to  adopt  and  impossible  to  carry  into  effect ;  the  conse- 
 quence was,  that  the  missionaries  were  obliged  to  abandon  a  field 
 where  they  had  great  encouragements  to  persevere.  But  while  we 
 lament  the  failures  which  attended  the  missions  amongst  the  believers 
 in  the  Koran,  we  are  bound  to  inquire  why  was  the  tide  of  mercy 
 not  turned  in  favour  of  the  Jews,  who  might  have  rewarded  the 
 husbandmen  with  an  abundant  crop,  and  proved  the  best  channel 
 to  dispel  with  the  torch  of  truth  the  long  night  of  Moslem  darkness, 
 superstition,  and  ignorance.  From  our  own  reception  amongst 
 them,  in  every  part  of  that  extensive  land,  I  am  quite  convinced  that 
 the  field  is  ripening  for  the  harvest,  and  had  I  only  enjoyed  a  nominal 
 protection  which  the  Protestant  representatives  of  Great  Britain 
 always  kindly  extended  to  the  unoftending  missionary,  the  land  of 
 my  prayers  and  trials  would  at  present  be  my  home,  and  the  scene 
 of  my  labours  and  usefulness. 
 
 "  At  the  request  of  almost  all,  we  continually  visited  the  syna- 
 gogues, and  invariably  met  with  a  kind  and  cordial  reception  ;  the 
 mullahs  themselves,  with  the  greatest  urbanity,  usually  offered  us 
 seats  on  the  oratory ;  and  without  any  demonstration  and  bigotry, 
 or  hostility  against  our  creed,  allowed  us  for  hours  together  to 
 address  publicly  their  respective  congregations.  Such  sermons 
 excited  many  discussions  among  the  Jews,  and  caused  a  great 
 demand  for  Bibles  and  Gospels.  Even  the  women,  whose  ignor- 
 ance is  most  deplorable,  manifested  great  interest  in  our  message, 
 and  readily  offered,  in  the  absence  of  money,  old  coins,  valueless 
 ornaments,  and  even  cooking  utensils  in  barter  for  our  books  ;  a 
 great  spirit  of  inquiry  was  awakened  in  that  celebrated  town,  where 
 this  miserable  remnant  of  a  forlorn  race  have  for  so  many  ages  been 
 groaning  under  the  iron  yoke  of  Mahomedanism.  What  amount  of 
 good  we  effected,  and  how  many  we  persuaded  to  be  almost,  or  alto- 
 gether Christians,  the  day  of  judgment  will  alone  disclose.  Num- 
 bers of  those  who  heard  us,  professed  their  conviction,  and  belief 
 in  the  truth  of  Christianity  ;  and  though  no  one  seceded  openly 
 from  the  synagogue,  and  avowed  himself  a  disciple  of  Jesus, — we 
 must  remember  the  extremities  to  which  such  a  step  would  expose 
 the  convert,  and  what  cruel  punishment,  either  judicial,  or  that  which 
 an  infuriated  mob  might  inflict  upon  a  despised  Jew,  who  has  the 
 temerity  to  prefer  the  Gospel  of  Christ  to  the  Koran  of  Mahomed. 
 
MISSIONARY    JOURNEYS    IN    PERSIA.  49 
 
 "  The  Sheerazees  have  always  been  considered  the  most  accessible 
 and  liberal  Persians  ;  that  narrow  bigotry,  fiery  enthusiasm,  and 
 blind  superstition,  which  characterizes  the  middle  and  lower  classes 
 of  the  Shee  sect,  is  not  exhibited  ;  still  there  is  the  cruel,  haughty, 
 murderous,  and  revengeful  spirit  of  the  martial  prophet ;  and  many 
 who  abuse  Mahomed,  and  deride  his  pretended  revelation,  will  draw 
 their  daggers,  and  unsheath  their  swords,  to  force  an  inoffensive 
 Jew  to  pay  allegiance  to  the  Arabian  lawgiver.  Many  hundreds  of 
 Israelites,  in  order  to  save  themselves  from  a  violent  death,  con- 
 stantly renounce  the  religion  of  their  fathers.  All  the  silk  merchants 
 in  the  bazaar  Vekeel,  the  most  extensive  market,  are  proselytes  ; 
 and  their  descendants,  out  of  fear,  strictly  conform  to  all  the  rites  of 
 their  new  belief.  I  conversed  with  many  of  them  ;  in  the  begin- 
 ning, they  were  very  distant  and  reserved,  but  when  we  became 
 more  intimately  acquainted,  they  laid  aside  their  assumed  restraint, 
 and  confessed  their  belief  in  Moses  and  the  Prophets,  and  their 
 contempt  and  abhorrence  for  everything  connected  with  their  adopted 
 creed." 
 
CHAPTER  X. 
 
 PERSEPOLIS,    JULFA,    ANlJ    ISPAHAN. 
 
 After  leaving  Sheeraz,  the  route  to  Isi)ahan  lay  by  the  ruins  of 
 Persepolis.  The  Buad-Emir  was  passed,  being  the  Araxcs  of  ancient 
 history.  Over  these  plains  and  mountains,  the  Medes  and  Parthians 
 ■once  held  dominion  ;  and  here,  the  armies  of  Alexander  the  Great 
 gained  some  of  their  greatest  victories. 
 
 "The  ruins  of  Persepolis,  which  appeared,  at  the  extremity  of 
 the  plain,  as  if  they  were  rising  out  of  the  bowels  of  the  grey  rugged 
 rocks,  at  whose  sloping  base  they  are  situated,  even  at  a  distance  of 
 ten  miles,  looking  grand  and  imposing,  rolling  back  the  mind  on  the 
 stream  of  time  to  centuries  long  since  past,  and  to  ages  whose  his- 
 tory is  enveloped  in  darkness  and  uncertainty. 
 
 "  On  approaching  from  the  plain,  as  we  did,  with  the  slanting 
 beams  of  a  winter  sun  shining  on  the  frowning  ruins,  where  one  of 
 the  greatest  monarchs  the  world  ever  knew  once  held  his  court ; 
 .and  another,  no  less  celebrated,  indulged  in  his  delirious  and  giddy 
 bacchanals,  the  place,  even  in  its  present  desolate  condition,  has 
 an  imposing  and  bewildering  appearance,  and  confirms  the  fame 
 which  Scripture  and  ancient  history  have  deservedly  conferred  on 
 the  greatest  and  wisest  monarch  of  antiquity.  This  pleasing  melan- 
 choly is  not  diminished,  after  ascending  the  double  flight  of  steps 
 which  conduct  to  the  landing  place,  for  here,  again,  the  numerous 
 marble  halls,  and  the  countless  bass-relief  sculptures,  excite  the 
 feelings,  and  make  one  linger  with  delight  on  a  spot  where  every 
 image  reminds  us  of  generations  long  since  forgotten,  and  of  heroes 
 whose  names  only  live  on  the  page  of  history.  The  platform,  which 
 is  raised  fifty  feet  from  the  plain,  occupies  an  area  of  about  fifteen 
 thousand  feet  long,  and  nine  hundred  broad  ;  it  is  ascended  by  a 
 double  marble  staircase,  the  steps  of  which  are  so  low  and  gentle, 
 that  without  any  difficulty  the  best  Arab  horse  will  ride  up  and  down 
 •with    ease.     On   reaching  the   landing  place,    two   colossal    bulls, 
 
PERSEPOLIS,    JULFA,    AND    ISPAHAN,  5 1 
 
 whose  heads,  no  doubt,  fell  under  the  scimitars  of  the  ruthless  Sara- 
 cens, form  the  portals  ; — fit  emblems  to  guard  the  sacred  precincts 
 •of  the  palace  of  the  great  king.  A  second  portal,  watched  by 
 similar  sentinels,  with  the  exception  that  they  have  human  heads 
 and  gigantic  wings,  conducts  into  a  spacious  court,  where  a  cistern, 
 once  replenished  by  subterraneous  aqueducts,  diffused  coolness,  and 
 now  only  increases  the  yearning  of  the  feverish  lips  for  the 
 refreshing  draught.  This  court  leads  to  a  second  terrace,  where  the 
 majestic  grandeur  of  this  smitten  elegance  is  most  conspicuous  ; 
 whole  colonnades  of  magnificent  columns  lie  hidden  under  their 
 own  mouldered  remains  ;  others,  half  concealed  from  sight,  disclose 
 the  finest  workmanship  of  the  Grecian  and  Egyptian  chisel  ;  and 
 the  few  still  standing  mockingly  display  the  wonder,  beauty,  and 
 splendour  of  this  scene.  From  these  pillars,  which,  in  sad  gran- 
 deur, stand  conspicuous  amongst  their  fallen  companions,  awaiting 
 the  same  withering  stroke,  the  eye  wanders  over  countless  hierog- 
 lyphic representations,  which  adorn  the  staircase,  and  ornament  all 
 the  walls,  till  the  mind  is  exhausted  and  fatigued  with  the  vast 
 variety  of  this  mighty  mansion,  which  has  defied  the  rude  assaults 
 of  numerous  hostile  armies,  and  still  continues,  even  in  its  present 
 desolation,  an  object  of  wonder  and  admiration.  Immediately 
 behind  the  ruins  of  this  gorgeous  palace  are  two  sepulchral  vaults, 
 cut  in  the  solid  rock,  and  elaborately  sculptured  in  the  front ;  the 
 most  conspicuous  person  being  the  Archemagus,  or  high-priest, 
 with  his  hands  extended  towards  a  blazing  altar,  and  the  symbol  of 
 the  guardian  spirit  hovering  over  the  intervening  space.  These 
 sepulchral  grots,  concealed  under  lofty  perpendicular  cliffs,  as  if  to 
 outlive  the  decay  of  worlds,  even  these  have  not  remained  unscathed 
 by  the  lapse  of  time  and  the  ferocity  of  man  ;  the  lower  part  of  one 
 is  entirely  covered  by  the  accumulation  of  rubbish,  and  the  debris 
 ■of  the  mouldering  rock ;  and  the  other  has  been  forcibly  broken 
 ■open  and  abused,  for  the  vile  purpose  of  a  stable,  by  the  rude  and 
 uncivilized  migrator}'  tribes  of  Fars,  who  encamp  near  this  former 
 abode  of  royalty,  during  the  winter  season.  We  remained  a  whole 
 day  amongst  these  interesting  objects  of  attraction ;  and  then, 
 through  the  dark,  untenanted,  marble  courts  (where  lie  many 
 hundreds  of  sculptured  figures,  which  only  want  life  to  relate  the 
 wonderful  occurrences  which  have  transpired  in  these  ruined, 
 mutilated,  and  silent  halls),  we  retraced  our  steps  to  the  principal 
 staircase,  and  returned  to  our  munzil,  at  Futenbad." 
 
 The  following  passages  convey  to  the  reader  a  vivid  impression  of 
 the  lamentable  condition  of  the  people  among  whom  the  Mis- 
 sionary was  called  for  a  time  to  sojourn.  The  causes  which  under- 
 lie the  degradation  of  the  Jews  are  clearly  and  simply  given  : — 
 
 "  Our  wearisome  night  journey  (from  Soormuk)  terminated  at  ten 
 .a.m.,  at  the  village  Aminabad,  where  we  found  a  hospitable  shelter 
 in   a   decaying   caravanserai.     In    the   afternoon,    half-a-dozen   of 
 
52  PERSEPOLIS,    JULFA,    AND    ISPAHAN. 
 
 rahthi^s  came  to  our  cell,  to  extort  an  impost  upon  our  luggage. 
 We  were  convinced  of  the  injustice  of  their  demand,  and  so,  with 
 sullen  indiflerence,  resisted  their  claim.  The  chief  of  the  party, 
 tired  with  his  unsatisfactory  negotiation,  became  quite  violent  and 
 intemperate,  and  invoked  the  most  awful  imprecations  on  himself, 
 if  he  allowed  us  to  leave.  We  listened  to  all  his  threats  and  men- 
 aces with  the  greatest  unconcern,  which  made  every  vein  in  his  face 
 throb  and  swell  with  fury ;  however,  when  this  ebullition  of  savage 
 rage  had  cooled  down,  he  returned  to  our  lodging,  and,  in  a  sub- 
 dued tone  of  voice,  said,  "  I  will  not  insist  upon  the  impost,  but 
 you  must  give  me  a  bottle  of  arrack,  to  make  some  -^tv/"  (pleasure)  on 
 your  account.  We  told  him  that  we  carried  no  such  beverage  with 
 us,  and  even  if  we  had  any,  would  not  be  accessary  to  his  breaking 
 the  prophet's  law.  The  disappointed  rahdar  swore  by  Ali,  and  all 
 the  124,000  Mahomedan  prophets,  that  sherab  and  arrack  were  only 
 interdicted  to  those  who  prayed  ;  but,  as  he  never  prayed,  he  could 
 not  be  included  in  the  law.  His  philosophy  and  logic  proved  of  no 
 avail,  and  the  worthy  tax-gatherer  left  with  contempt,  the  niggardly, 
 unsocial,  and  temperate  Franks. 
 
 "  When  we  arrived  m  Jul/a,  we  frequently  expressed  our  indigna- 
 tion at  the  public  profanation  of  the  Lord's-day;  the  whole  week  the 
 streets  looked  empty  and  deserted,  but  on  the  Sabbath  all  was 
 bustle  and  activity, — bishops,  priests,  and  people,  indiscriminately 
 hastened  to  the  market  to  make  purchases,  and  to  dispose  of  their 
 goods.  We  spoke  against  this  wicked  practice  to  those  with  whom 
 we  came  into  contact.  Meerza  Daood,  an  opulent  and  influential 
 Georgean  merchant,  approved  of  our  remonstrance,  and,  backed  by 
 the  authority  of  his  uncle,  Mehtummed-ad-Doulah,  the  governor  of 
 Ispahan,  he  transferred  the  market-day  from  the  Christian  to  the 
 Jewish  Sabbath.  The  Archbishop  gave  his  consent  and  approba- 
 tion to  this  arrangement,  and  for  several  Sundays  Mahomedan 
 policemen  were  stationed  at  the  gates,  to  prevent  Christians  from 
 profaning  and  desecrating  their  own  Sabbath.  For  a  few  weeks 
 the  market  was  not  so  well  attended  as  usual,  and  the  convent  to 
 which  the  place  belongs  sustained  a  trifling  loss  of  a  few  shillings 
 per  month  ;  the  Archbishop  took  umbrage  at  this,  and  the  original 
 custom  was  restored." 
 
 Speaking  of  the  Jewish  inhabitants,  Mr.  Stern  observed  : — 
 
 "The  hopeless  condition  of  this  oppressed  and  ill-treated  people 
 is  aggravated  by  the  dark  and  cheerless  prospects  which  loom  in 
 their  future.  Hated,  despoiled,  and  deprived  of  every  chance 
 whereby  to  earn  his  daily  bread,  the  poor  Jew — whose  person  many 
 consider  morally  defiled,  and  whose  very  touch  all  believe  communi- 
 cates contamination — is  compelled  to  have  recourse  to  the  most 
 degrading  pursuits,  to  gain  a  precarious  existence.  Many,  conse- 
 quently, lead  a  gipsy  life,  and  by  fraud  and  fortune-telling  alleviate 
 the   wants  of  nature  ;    others  support  themselves  by  cheating  and 
 
PERSEPOLIS,    JULFA,    AND    ISPAHAN.  53 
 
 peddling  ;  and  the  rest  pamper  the  corrupt  appetites  of  the  zootees, 
 and  sell  arrack,  wine,  and  other  inebriating^,  and  not  unfrequently 
 poisonous  draughts.  These  miserable  occupations,  which  must 
 engender  the  worst  principles  and  stifle  every  moral  sentiment,  are 
 not  selected  by  the  Jew  optionally,  but  he  is  driven  by  his  oppres- 
 sors into  the  worst  vices,  and  compelled  to  become  a  most  arrant 
 and  skilful  cheat.  Many  times  have  I  spoken  to  individuals  and 
 congregations  on  this  subject,  and  the  reply  was,  "What  are  we  to 
 do  ?  Shall  we  suffer  our  wives  and  helpless  children  to  starve 
 before  our  eyes,  or  shall  we  sell  our  sons  to  Moloch  (Islamism), 
 and  our  daughters  to  those  who  devour  us  ?"  Yet,  notwithstanding 
 these  dishonest  and  fraudulent  pursuits,  to  which  slavery  and  intoler- 
 ance condemn  him,  the  Jew,  with  all  his  pilfering  and  cheating,  is 
 scrupulous  and  punctilious  in  the  observance  of  his  religious 
 duties,  and  yearning  with  solicitude  for  the  advent  of  the  Redeemer. 
 I  have  frequently  seen  an  Israelite,  after  having  been  maltreated  by 
 some  Moslems,  sitting  down  on  the  ground,  exclaiming,  with  a  tone 
 in  which  hatred  and  sorrow  were  keenly  blended;  "Art  thou  not 
 He  that  brought  us  from  Egypt,  out  of  the  land  of  our  captivity  ; 
 and  wilt  thou  not  speedily  send  us  the  Messiah,  and  revenge  our 
 wrongs,  and  redeem  us  out  of  the  hands  of  these  profane  dogs,  the 
 enemies  of  our  holy  law  ?" 
 
 Ispahan  was  the  scene  of  much  which  was  encouraging,  and  much 
 which  perplexed.  The  Governor  at  that  time  was  Mehtummed-ad- 
 Doulah.  He  was  a  Georgian  by  birth,  and  one  of  the  best  rulers  in 
 Persia.  Had  he  lived,  Mr.  Stern  might  have  enjoyed  a  protection 
 and  support,  which  might  have  enabled  him  to  establish  a  Mission 
 at  Ispahan,  on  a  firm  and  lasting  basis.  So  fair  was  the  prospect, 
 that  he  submitted  to  the  London  Committee,  as  already  mentioned,  the 
 expediency  of  making  that  city  the  centre  of  Missionary  operations  in 
 Persia.  This  course  was  adopted  by  the  Committee.  A  few  months 
 after  Mr.  Stern's  return  to  Bagdad  from  his  first  visit  to  Persia,  he 
 started  again  for  Ispahan,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  with  the  expecta- 
 tion of  carrying  out  this  plan.  But  soon  after  his  arrival  in  1848, 
 his  friend  and  patron  died,  and  with  his  death  ceased  all  his  cherished 
 hopes,  of  the  protection  which  he  needed,  in  order  to  work  success- 
 fully among  the  people.  The  following  passages  will  serve  to 
 show  the  contrast  between  the  conduct  of  the  Moslem  Governor 
 and  that  of  the  British  Representative.  The  Mehtummed  had  invited 
 Mr.  Stern  to  see  him  : — 
 
 "  He  was  seated  in  a  little  room,  looking  out  upon  a  lovely, 
 fragrant  flower  garden.     Upon  our  entrance  he  immediately  rose, 
 
54  PERSEPOLIS,    JULFA,    AND    ISPAHAN. 
 
 and  with  a  peremptory  command  ordering  every  one  except  his 
 mullah  to  withdraw,  welcomed  us  with  great  aftahility  to  his  palace, 
 and  the  city  of  Ispahan.  After  tea,  coffee,  and  pipes,  the  conversa- 
 tion turned  upon  the  object  of  our  travels,  and  the  success  we  had 
 met  with.  Having  answered  these  few  interrogations,  his  Excel- 
 lency asked  us  what  were  our  opinions  and  views  of  Mohamed  and 
 the  Koran  .'^  Who  was  referred  to  in  Deuteronomy  xviii.  le^?^ 
 Whom  had  Moses  in  view  when  he  said,  "  The  Lord  came  from 
 Sinai,  and  rose  up  from  Seir  unto  them  ;  he  shined  forth  from 
 IMount  Paran,  and  he  came  with  ten  thousands  of  saints  :  from  his 
 right  hand  went  a  fiery  law  for  them  ?"  (Deut.  xxxiii.  2).  What 
 was  the  meaning  of  a  chariot  of  asses,  and  a  chariot  of  camels, 
 described  in  Isaiah  xxi.  6,  7  ?  And  many  other  similar  questions, 
 of  much  research  and  ingenuity,  which  we  answered  according  to 
 our  own  views.  He  expressed  himself  much  interested  in  our 
 labours,  and  assured  us  that  if  the  Jews  embraced  Christianity,  he 
 would  take  them  under  his  special  protection,  and  allow  no  one  to 
 molest  or  persecute  them. 
 
 "  A  few  days  after  this  interview,  we  received  several  invitations 
 to  come  to  the  palace,  as  the  Mehtummed  had  summoned  the 
 Jewish  mullahs  to  confer  with  us  in  his  presence,  on  the  subject  of 
 the  Messiah.  Accompanied  by  our  friend,  the  physician,  we  went 
 to  the  official  residence  of  his  Excellency,  where  we  were  received 
 with  the  greatest  condescension  and  politeness.  His  Excellency 
 himself  opened  the  conference  by  a  short  address,  in  which  he 
 explained  the  object  of  our  friendly  meeting,  and  the  beneficial 
 effects  which  might  accrue  from  a  careful  investigation  of  the 
 important  subject  of  religion  ;  he  told  the. Jews  that  he  sympathized 
 with  their  deplorable  position,  of  which,  before  our  arrival,  he  was 
 ignorant,  and  promised  to  take  all  their  complaints  under  consider- 
 ation at  some  future  period.  The  conference  lasted  upwards  of  two 
 hours,  and  though  the  Jews  were  guarded  in  their  expressions,  and 
 glossed  over  their  own  religious  sentiments,  in  order  to  please  the 
 Mehtummed  and  his  two  friends,  the  only  Mahommedans  allowed 
 to  be  present,  still  from  their  replies  much  was  elicited  to  convince 
 his  Excellency  that  Christianity  was  the  religion  of  Moses  and  the 
 Prophets,  and  the  only  system  which  met  the  contingencies  of  our 
 corrupt  nature.  We  presented  the  Governor  and  his  friends  with 
 Arabic  Bibles,  and  after  a  sumptuous  breakfast  in  the  palace,  asked 
 leave  to  depart,  and  returned  to  Julfa,  grateful  to  our  Heavenly- 
 Father  for  having  inclined  the  heart  of  the  greatest  man  in  the 
 country  in  our  favour. 
 
 "  In  Peresba,  a  small  village  of  infamcms  notoriety,  where,  with 
 our  servants,  I  had  gone  in  advance  to  secure  a  place  in  the  cara- 
 vanserai, we  were  attacked  by  a  party  of  robbers,  headed  by  the 
 chief  of  the  place,  and  having  neither  money  nor  other  articles  of 
 value  with  me  to  satisfy  the  cupidity  of  these  ruffians,  I  was  wan- 
 tonly maltreated,  and  left  bleeding  and  wounded  in  the  court  of  the 
 
PERSEPOLIS,    JULFA,   AND    ISPAHAN.  55 
 
 traveller's  home.  On  a  subsequent  occasion,  when  I  visited  the 
 capital  on  matters  of  business  connected  with  our  mission,  I 
 lodged  a  complaint  against  the  party  who  had  been  guilty  of  this 
 outrageous  assault,  with  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  minister  at 
 the  court  of  Persia ;  who  listened  with  much  excitement  and 
 indignation  to  my  statement,  but  suddenly  recollecting  that  I  was  a. 
 Protestant,  and  not,  as  he  may  have  heard  from  his  friends  the 
 Romish  priests  in  Julfa,  favourably  disposed  to  Popery,  with  great 
 severity  said  :  '  I  cannot  afford  you  any  redress,  as  you  have  no 
 legal  claim  to  British  protection.'  It  was  in  vain  to  urge  that  there 
 was  no  other  European  representative,  except  the  Russian,  to  whom 
 I  could  apply  ;  I  was  a  Protestant,  and  as  such  undeserving  of 
 such  treatment.  How  kind,  generous  and  noble  does  the  conduct 
 of  the  Mehtummed  appear  in  contrast  with  that  of  the  British  repre- 
 sentative ! 
 
 "The  savage  passions  of  the  zoohs,  which,  during  the  Meh- 
 tummed's  rule,  had  been  forcibly  suppressed  by  the  glittering  knife 
 ^of  the  executioners,  like  an  irresistible  torrent,  broke  forth  and 
 spread  terror  and  confusion  through  every  quarter  of  this  extensive 
 town.  The  Jews  and  Armenians,  who  seldom  escape  unscathed 
 in  any  popular  commotions,  were,  owing  to  the  few  favours  which 
 they  enjoyed  during  the  life-time  of  the  late  governor,  the  particular 
 objects  of  the  malice  and  hatred  of  these  unprincipled  ruffians,  and 
 many  a  cruel  deed  was  perpetrated  among  these  silent  and  patient 
 sufferers.  The  Armenians  had  still  an  advantage  over  the  Jews, 
 for  their  suburb  being  isolated,  and  the  principal  streets  defended 
 by  gates,  they  could  defy  the  heterogeneous  mass  of  which  the 
 Ispahan  rabble  is  composed  ;  but  not  so  the  Jews,  domiciled  in  the 
 worst  part  of  the  town,  and  surrounded  by  all  the  refuse  and  off- 
 scouring  of  the  populace,  with  their  spirits  broken  and  their  hearts 
 desponding,  they  submissively  endured  all  the  dire  misery  which 
 cupidity,  bigotry  and  lawlessness  could  inflict.  Our  own  position 
 during  this  wild  turmoil  was  very  critical ;  the  Ketkhoda  of  Julfa 
 sent  us  a  friendly  message  that  we  should  not  frequent  the  town, 
 nor  even  venture  unnecessarily  in  the  streets  of  Julfa,  as  he  could 
 not,  in  the  mutinous  state  of  the  place,  afford  us  any  assistance  in 
 case  of  emergency.  We  were,  however,  not  intimidated  by  this,  or 
 other  kind  warnings,  as  we  knew  Europeans  were  too  much  dreaded 
 in  Persia,  even  by  the  worst  characters,  to  offer  any  other  violence 
 to  their  persons  beyond  a  harmless  hissing  and  pelting  with  invul- 
 nerable missiles,  such  as  rotten  apples  and  orange  peel,  to  which 
 experience  had  made  us  quite  impervious.  We  therefore,  in  depen- 
 dence on  Him  who  had  been  with  us  in  so  many  troubles,  con- 
 tinued our  work  ;  and  an  extract  or  two  from  my  journal  will  show, 
 that  we  had  a  wide,  interesting  and  promising  field  of  labour  before 
 us." 
 
 It  will  be  thus  seen  that  the  threats,  dangers,  and  inconveniences 
 which  met  Mr.  Stern  on  every  side,  did  not  deter  him  from  pursuing 
 
Jb  PERSEPOLIS,    JULFA,    AND    ISPAHAN. 
 
 the  great  object  of  his  mission.  For  about  a  year  he  continued  his 
 labours,  notwithstanding  the  hindrances  which  were  placed  in  his 
 way  by  the  many  antagonists  to  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  The  interest 
 taken  in  his  ministry  was  not  confined  to  any  particular  class  of 
 Jews.  The  priests  and  mullahs, — the  most  learned  and  honourable 
 among  them, — sought  every  opportunity  of  intercourse  with  him. 
 
 "  On  the  Feast  of  Purim,  the  Jewish  mullahs  came  to  Julfa  to  see 
 us.  We  were  quite  astonished  to  see  a  company  of  grey-haired 
 venerable  men,  exposing  themselves  to  the  insults  of  an  unrestrained 
 fanatical  mob,  in  order  to  have  some  conversation  with  Christian 
 missionaries. 
 
 "Mullah  Jacob,  a  perfectly  blind  man,  said  :  '  I  have  been  fall- 
 ing more  than  ten  times  on  my  way  to  Julfa,  and  yet,  though  I 
 cannot  see  you,  I  do  not  regret  the  trouble  of  having  come  to  you.' 
 
 "  We. — 'And  we  hope  your  visit  will  be  beneficial  to  you.' 
 
 "  R/tnd  Mullah. — '  The  Lord  has  laid  upon  me  three  great  afflic- 
 tions, viz.,  poverty,  blindness,  and  old  age.' 
 
 "  We. — '  Whom  the  Lord  loveth  He  chasteneth  ;  and  although  he 
 conceals  from  your  sightless  eyes  the  wonderful  works  of  his  crea- 
 tion, yet  we  trust  He  has  not  hidden  from  your  mental  vision  the 
 glorious  plan  of  redeeming  mercy,  but  that  the  light  of  his  Spirit  has 
 shone  into  your  heart,  and  revealed  to  your  immortal  soul  that  great 
 light,  which,  whosoever  foUoweth,  shall  not  walk  in  darkness.' 
 
 "  The  conversation  now  became  general,  and  the  mullahs,  though 
 they  made  some  slight  objections  to  several  important  truths  which 
 we  brought  before  them,  yielded  to  many  essential  differences.  They 
 allowed  that  Jesus  must  have  been  the  Messiah  ;  acknowledged  the 
 need  of  an  all-sufficient  sacrifice,  and  admitted  the  necessity  of  an 
 Almighty  Saviour.  We  replied,  '  If  you  believe  that  Jesus  is  the 
 Messiah,  confess  that  we  can  only  be  redeemed  through  the  merits 
 of  His  blood,  and  saved  by  faith  in  His  name.  Why,  if  you  are 
 sincere  in  your  profession,  do  you  not  come  boldly  forward  and  cry, 
 'We  have  found  the  Messiah  of  whom  Moses,  the  Prophets,  and 
 Apostles  do  testify  ? 
 
 "They  seemed  confused,  and  hardly  knew  what  reply  to  make. 
 Mullah  Elijah,  after  a  pause,  affirmed  that  they  read  daily  in  the 
 New  Testament.  We  told  him  that  the  reading  alone  was  not 
 sufficient,  nor  would  it  be  of  any  avail  in  the  day  of  judgment. 
 '  What  then  must  we  do  ?'  '  The  New  Testament  answers  your 
 question,  when  it  tells  you  to  believe,  and  be  baptized  in  the  name 
 of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.' 
 
 "  Mullah  Solomon  most  seriously  answered,  '  We  baptized  each 
 other  when  we  were  in  the  bath  last  Friday.'  We  showed  them  the 
 o^uilt  of  this  dissimulation  and  hypocrisy,  and  admonished  them  not 
 
PERSEPOLIS,    JULFA,    AND    ISPAHAN.  57 
 
 to  trifle  with  such  a  momentous  subject,  since  their  eternal  well- 
 being  was  pending  on  the  issue.  These  poor  straying  sheep  really 
 deserve  our  prayers  and  intercessions  at  the  throne  of  grace.  Some 
 glimmering  of  Divine  light  has  indeed  broken  in  upon  their  long 
 night ;  but,  alas  !  their  hearts  have  so  much  vegetated  in  sin  and 
 vice,  and  luxuriated  in  every  evil  passion,  that  they  have  become 
 callous  in,  and  indifferent  to,  everything  that  cannot  be  rendered 
 subservient  to  their  temporal  interests,  and  the  bent  of  their  corrupt 
 nature.  In  our  intercourse  with  these  masters  in  Israel,  we,  how- 
 ever, frequently  met  with  pleasing  instances,  which  proved  that  our 
 labour  had  not  been  in  vain,  nor  our  strength  spent  for  nought  ; 
 thus  IMuIlah  Eliyahu,  the  oldest  rabbi,  with  whom  we  had  some 
 conversation  on  topics  of  great  import,  said,  '  I  can  assure  you  that 
 I  am  in  the  greatest  strait,  I  know  not  what  to  do,  for  to  believe 
 that  Christ  was  the  Son  of  God  is  incompatible  with  my  feeble 
 understanding,  and  to  argue  with  you  about  the  orthodoxy  of  our 
 faith  is  also  quite  impossible.'  We  advised  him  to  pray  for  the  illu- 
 mination of  the  Spirit,  who  was  the  only  sure  guide  to  life  and 
 eternal  happiness.  On  another  occasion,  we  had  a  long  discussion 
 with  the  Chief  Rabbi  ;  the  old  man,  with  a  dejected  countenance 
 and  depressed  spirits,  sat  quiet  and  calm,  listening  with  undivided 
 attention  to  all  we  said  ;  but  when  we  spoke  to  him  of  his  advanced 
 age,  and  reminded  him  of  his  nearness  to  eternity,  the  necessity  of 
 a  change  of  heart,  and  faith  in  the  promised  Redeemer,  he  started 
 up,  rushed  between  us,  and,  with  tears  streaming  down  his  wan 
 cheeks,  entreated  us  not  to  urge  this  matter  upon  him. 
 
 "  On  another  occasion,  after  a  long  sermon  on  the  advent,  atone- 
 ment, and  sacrifice  of  our  Saviour,  an  individual  in  the  assembly, 
 who  evidently  disliked  the  onerous  burthen  of  the  rabbinical  pre- 
 cepts and  injunctions,  got  up  and  said,  '  Your  religion  is  very  easy, 
 it  neither  enjoins  ceremonies,  nor  requires  any  particular  sacrifice  ; 
 ours,  on  the  contrary,  is  fraught  with  so  many  commands  that  it 
 occupies  the  whole  life  of  a  Jew  to  become  thoroughly  acquainted 
 with  all.'  On  being  asked  whether  an  unwearied  performance  of 
 the  whole  Rabbinical  code  would  curb  the  passions,  sanctify  the 
 heart,  and  bring  a  man  nearer  to  his  God  }  he  paused,  looked 
 round,  and  candidly  replied  '  No.'  He  was  then  told  that  Christi- 
 anity refined  the  human  breast,  ennobled  the  dark  mind,  filled  the 
 soul  with  holy  aspirations,  and  brought  the  fallen  creature  into  close 
 communion  with  his  redeeming  Lord.  They  all  seemed  quite 
 astonished  at  these  effects  being  attributed  to  the  Gospel,  and  asked 
 with  much  apparent  sincerity  and  anxiety,  whether  rites  and  cere- 
 monies were  quite  useless.  Our  reply  was,  '  If  they  are  calculated 
 to  edify,  they  are  expedient ;  and  if  not,  they  defeat  their  own 
 object,  and  ought  to  be  cancelled.'  They  confessed  that  there  was 
 much  of  sound  argument  in  what  we  said,  though  they  could  not 
 believe  that  the  Gospel  required  such  a  thorough  change  of  life  and 
 conduct  as  we  stated.     We  read  to  them  the  account  of  our  Lord's 
 
S8  PERSEPOLIS,    JULFA,    AND    ISPAHAN. 
 
 intercourse  with  Nicodemus  ;  but  they  were  as  much  astonished  and 
 surprised  at  the  doctrine  of  regeneration,  and  a  new  birth,  as  the 
 Pharisee  of  old.  We  gave  them  some  tracts,  and  then  took  our 
 leave." 
 
 This  city,  which  was  now  revelling  in  vice,  and  which  bore  every 
 possible  trace  of  decay  and  ruin,  must  have  been  at  one  time  distin- 
 guished for  its  magnificence.  Abbas  the  Great,  ruled  with  absolute 
 sway  over  these  lands,  and  during  his  reign,  the  empire  must  have 
 risen  to  a  state  of  unusual  prosperity. 
 
 "The  number  of  palaces,  bazaars,  gardens,  and  promenades, 
 which  have  survived  the  ravages  of  the  Afghans,  is  still  prodigious  ; 
 and  many,  for  beauty,  splendour,  and  extent,  would  not  be  deemed 
 unworthy  to  grace  a  fashionable  town  in  Europe.  The  Chehar 
 Baugh, — the  public  pleasure  ground,  where  thousands  of  Ispahanees 
 may  be  seen  on  a  gala  day,  loitering  among  the  beds  of  roses,  nar- 
 cissus, and  other  fragrant  shrubs,  singing  love-songs  and  smoking 
 caleoons, — is  the  most  lovely  and  luxurious  avenue  the  imagination 
 can  picture.  It  is,  including  a  magnificent  bridge  of  thirty-three 
 arches,  over  the  Zeinderood,  about  a  mile  long,  and  lined  with  four 
 rows  of  stately  chinar  trees,  planted  in  ages  long  since  past.  This 
 spacious  ground,  nicely  adjusted  into  equi-distant  parterres,  and 
 watered  by  perpetually  running  canals,  which  fall  from  foaming 
 cascades  down  into  square  and  octagonal  basins,  comprises  all  that 
 is  attractive,  exhilarating,  and  soothing  to  the  feelings  and  tastes  of 
 an  oriental.  On  the  sides  are  the  Hesht  Behesht,  or  eight  paradises, 
 with  their  pleasure  grounds  and  gay  pavilions,  which  both  diversify 
 and  add  to  the  picturesque  aspect  of  the  sylvan  scene. 
 
 "  There  are  many  other  palaces,  which,  though  deserted  and  un- 
 inhabited, still  continue  monuments  of  the  elegance,  luxury  and 
 wealth  of  the  Sefi  monarchs ;  but  the  Chehel  Sitoon,  or  forty 
 pillars,  which  recall  to  mind  the  visionary  tales  of  the  ingenious 
 mistress  of  Shahriar,  excels  all  that  fancy  can  conceive  of  oriental 
 splendour,  profusion  and  prodigality.  This  princely  residence  is  at 
 present  untenanted.  I  visited  it  in  spring,  when  the  trees  which 
 surround  it  were  covered  with  dense  foliage,  and  the  flowers  with 
 expanding  buds.  The  entrance  hall,  which  faces  the  garden,  is  one 
 sparkling  profusion  of  crystal  and  gilding ;  I  found  my  eyes  quite 
 dazzled  by  the  glare  which,  under  the  noon-tide  rays,  reflected  from 
 the  glass  pillars,  and  richly  mirrored  walls.  From  this  magnificent 
 hall,  I  passed  through  a  glass  door  into  another  grand  and  imposing 
 saloon,  where  the  great  Abbas  kept  his  midnight  orgies,  and  received 
 the  ambassadors  of  conquered  and  allied  nations  ;  it  is  an  imposing, 
 lofty,  and  spacious  room,  richly  ornamented  from  the  ceiling  down 
 to  the  floor,  on  which  latter  is  still  spread  the  costly  carpet  of  the 
 founder ;  the  walls  are  embellished  with  six  large  paintings,  which 
 display  both  the  taste  and  elegance,  as  well  as  the  intemperance 
 
PERSEPOLIS,    JULFA,    AND    ISPAHAN.  59 
 
 and  licentiousness,  of  the  Persian  court  at  that  period.  Contiguous 
 to  the  Chehel  Sitoon,  are  several  edifices  of  beauty  and  note  ;  but  as 
 there  is  such  a  great  uniformity  and  sameness  in  all  these  structures, 
 a  description  of  each  would  scarcely  be  admissible." 
 
 Nor  are  the  gifts  of  nature  less  prolific,  than  the  ingenuity  and 
 
 power,  of  which  these  remarkable  traces  remain. 
 
 "  With  the  Eid-e-Nawrooz,  or  the  feast  of  the  vernal  equinox,  a 
 relic  of  the  ancient  creed,  which  bigotry  could  not  suppress,  nor 
 fanaticism  obliterate,  commences  the  season  of  industry  and  dili- 
 gence ;  the  weather  is  then  delightful,  and  the  teeming  soil  round 
 Ispahan,  celebrated  for  fertility,  without  any  hard  toil  from  the  hus- 
 bandman, becomes  decked  with  the  most  lovely  vegetation.  The 
 people,  after  their  imprisonment  for  several  months  in  the  confined 
 atmosphere  of  the  harems,  are  so  enchanted  with  the  change,  that 
 they  protract  the  feast  for  upwards  of  sixteen  days  ;  during  the 
 whole  of  this  time  the  inviting  retreats  of  the  Chehar  Baugh,  Hesht 
 Behesht,  Chehel  Sitoon,  &c.,  &c.,  are  polluted  by  the  greatest  licen- 
 tiousness, and  most  shameless  debauchery." 
 
 The  anxieties  and  hardships  to  which  Mr.  Stern  had  been  exposed, 
 seriously  affected  his  health.  In  1 849,  the  Committee  of  the  London 
 Society  agreed  to  a  proposal,  that  he  should  return  for  a  time,  from 
 Bagdad  to  England.  From  the  times  of  the  Apostles,  it  has  been 
 the  hallowed  custom,  for  those  who  have  been  sent  forth  into  the 
 Mission  Field,  to  return  to  the  centres  of  Christian  eff"ort,  to  recount 
 to  the  Church,  what  the  Lord  had  done  through  their  instru- 
 mentality. Few  changes  could  be  more  valuable  to  a  toiling 
 Missionary — few  could  be  more  advantageous  to  his  work.  It  was  an 
 inexpressible  joy  to  this  faithful  labourer,  to  be  relieved  of  continued 
 contact  with  unbelief  and  superstition,  and  to  resume  companion- 
 ship with  the  people  of  God,  in  a  country  so  favoured  as  our  own. 
 Such  an  occasion,  moreover,  is  always  important,  presenting  as  it 
 does,  the  opportunity  for  communicating  personally  the  results  of 
 Mission  work,  to  those  who  are  wont  to  give  it  their  sympathy 
 and  support.  Mr.  Stern's  presence  in  England,  and  his  advo- 
 cacy of  the  cause  in  which  he  had  gained  so  much  experience, 
 could  not  fail  to  stimulate  the  zeal  and  interest  of  the  friends  of 
 Jewish  Missions.  That  which  contributed  to  the  restoration  of  his 
 health,  was  thus  made  useful  to  the  work  of  the  Society  at  home. 
 
 Our  Missionary  brother,  received  Deacon's  Orders  at  Jerusalem, 
 in  1844,  and  his  sojourn  in  England  aff"orded  a  favourable  opportunity 
 
6o  PERSEPOLIS,    JULFA,    AND    ISPAHAN. 
 
 for  his  admission  into  Priest's  Orders.  This  took  place  on  the  23rd 
 of  December,  in  the  year  of  his  return  to  England.  The  Bishop 
 of  London  (Dr.  Blomfield)  ordained  him,  in  the  Chapel  Royal  at 
 Whitehall. 
 
 There  are  circumstances  which  sometimes  render  it  expedient, 
 that  a  Missionary  should  be  untramelled  by  domestic  ties.  But  this 
 is  rarely  the  case.  The  presence  and  co-operation  of  a  sympathizing 
 wife,  is  of  immense  advantage  to  him  in  his  work,  apart  from  the 
 personal  happiness  to  which  it  largely  contributes,  Mr.  Stern's 
 presence  in  England,  opened  the  way  for  the  attainment  of  another 
 important  object  in  his  life  and  history.  On  the  2nd  of  April,  1850, 
 he  was  married  to  Miss  Charlotte  Elizabeth  Purday,  second  daughter 
 of  INIr.  Charles  Henry  Purday,  then  residing  in  Hunter  Street,  Bruns- 
 wick Square.  The  ceremony  was  performed  at  St.  George's  Church, 
 Bloomsbury,  by  the  Rector,  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  H.  ]Montagu  Villiers, 
 afterwards  Bishop  of  Durham.  Mr.  Villiers  was  amongst  the  most 
 active  and  valuable  members  of  the  Committee  of  the  London  Society. 
 He  had  watched  with  prayerful  interest  the  labours  and  devotedness 
 of  the  young  Missionary,  and  he  gladly  accepted  the  proposal,  that  he 
 should  be  the  instrument  of  uniting  him  to  one,  who  was  in  every 
 respect  fitted,  to  be  to  him  a  true  helper  in  the  Lord.  Soon  after 
 his  marriage,  Mr.  Stern  returned  to  Bagdad  with  his  bride,  where 
 they  arrived  on  the  14th  of  June. 
 
CHAPTER    XI 
 
 HAMADAN. 
 
 This  chapter  receives  the  above  superscription.  Hamadan  (the 
 ancient  Ecbatana)  is  one  of  many  towns  and  villages  through 
 which  Mr.  Stern  travelled,  in  the  course  of  a  second  Missionary 
 journey  in  Persia.  But  it  was  hereafter  to  be  associated  with  some 
 events,  which  would  serve  to  give  it  a  conspicuous  position  in  the 
 annals  of  Missionary  success.  The  "  bread  "  which  was  here  "  cast 
 upon  the  waters"  would  be  "found  after  many  days."  It  was  not  a 
 transient,  or  passing  excitement,  which  encouraged  the  assurance, 
 that  the  spirit  of  God  was  moving  in  the  hearts  of  the  Jews,  to 
 whom  JNIr.  Stern  unfolded  "  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ."  He 
 saw  enough  to  convince  him,  that  Hamadan  would  ere  long  stretch 
 out  its  hands  unto  God,  and  that  a  work  of  grace,  which  under  the 
 divine  blessing,  would  be  found  to  grow  in  depth  and  intensity,  had 
 begun  in  the  hearts  of  some  of  those,  who  listened  with  eagerness 
 to  his  ministry. 
 
 It  w^as  about  this  time,  that  I  may  be  said  to  have  had  my  first 
 indirect  introduction  to  this  distinguished  Missionary.  The  Rev. 
 W.  Ayerst,  Secretary  to  the  London  Society,  having  accepted  the 
 Vicarage  of  Egerton,  the  Rev.  B.  W.  Wright,  who  was  at  that  time 
 Chaplain  at  Trieste,  was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  In  the  unavoid- 
 able interval  between  Mr.  Ayerst's  resignation,  and  Mr.  Wright's 
 entrance  on  the  duties  of  the  office,  it  was  necessary  that  the  Annual 
 Report  of  the  Society  should  be  prepared.  This  duty  was  committed 
 to  me,  at  the  beginning  of  1853  ;  and  among  the  materials  which 
 were  placed  in  my  hands,  for  that  purpose,  were  the  journals  of  Mr. 
 Stern.  Up  to  that  time,  I  had  had  but  little  opportunity  of  reading 
 any  of  these  records,  and  I  was  greatly  impressed  with  the  evidences 
 
62  HAM  AD  AN. 
 
 which  they  gave,  of  a  zeal,  ability,  and  purpose  of  heart,  much  beyond 
 that  which  may  generally  be  found  in  such  documents.  My  impres- 
 sions were  confirmed,  when  in  subsequent  years  I  met  him  face  to 
 face,  and  heard  from  his  own  lips  the  recital  of  his  Missionary  adven- 
 tures. His  journeys  to  Persia  were  the  chief  themes  of  those 
 reports,  and  a  light  was  thrown  upon  the  condition  and  character 
 of  the  Jews  of  those  regions,  which  was  altogether  new  to  me. 
 
 It  is  almost  unnecessary  to  recur  to  the  difficulties  which  were 
 placed  in  the  way  of  Mr.  Stern's  work.  Colonel  Shiel,  the 
 British  Envov,  at  Teheran,  read  to  him  the  instructions  which 
 he  had  received  from  the  Foreign  Office  that  "if  any  European 
 whether  lay  or  ecclesiastic,  was  in  danger  of  life  and  property,  the 
 Envoy  was  to  interfere  and  protect  that  person."  Then,  he 
 coolly  added;  "I  shall  mention  your  case  to  Lord  Palmerston  by 
 next  post ;  but  as  he  is  not  a  church-goer,  like  Lord  Aberdeen,  who 
 would  have  given  you  protection,  as  he  did  the  American  Mission- 
 aries at  Oroomiah,  I  do  not  think  that  it  will  be  of  any  avail."  This 
 was  the  Envoy's  rejoinder  to  the  recapitulation,  of  the  insults,  mal- 
 treatment and  losses  to  which  Mr.  Stern  had  been  exposed.  On 
 one  occasion  he  related,  that  "  had  it  not  been  for  the  guardian 
 eare  of  our  Heavenly  Father,  who  restrained  the  arm  of  the  mur- 
 derer, when  his  dagger  was  uplifted  for  the  fell  deed,  the  mortal 
 remains  of  the  writer,  might  long  since  have  mingled  with  the  soil 
 which  he  had  often  sorrowfully  trod." 
 
 Mr.  Stern's  final  visit  to  Hamadan  took  place  on  the  yth  of 
 March,  1852.  He  thus  described  the  town  and  its  Jewish  inha- 
 bitants : — 
 
 "  According  to  the  most  accurate  information  I  could  obtain,  this 
 ancient  city  is  at  present  inhabited  by  five  hundred  Jewish  families. 
 They  reside  in  a  particular  quarter,  and  in  case  of  public  commo- 
 tion, which  generally  exposes  them  to  the  lawless  rapacity  of  the 
 covetous,  and  the  malevolent  persecutions  of  the  powerful,  they 
 close  the  gates  of  their  Ghetto,  and  so  enjoy  a  faint  security  till  the 
 storm  has  subsided.  Their  position  is,  however,  at  all  times  very 
 sad  and  pitiable,  and  one  cannot  behold  their  sluggish  and  stooping 
 motion,  nor  their  abject,  base,  and  sordid  occupations,  without  being 
 struck  with  the  terrible  fulfilment  of  the  prophetic  warning. 
 
 The  following  incident,  affords  a  painful  illustration  of  the  relent- 
 less and  wanton  oppression  to  which  the  Jews  are  subject : — 
 
HAM  AD  AN.  63 
 
 "  Early  in  the  morning,  the  Jews  crowded  my  little  room  in  the 
 caravanserai.  Many  of  them  had  been  reading  the  New  Testament, 
 and  the  questions  they  had  to  propound  were  numerous  indeed. 
 The  mullah  asked  me  why,  since  the  Gospel  commanded  that  Christ 
 should  be  preached  among  all  nations,  they  had  been  so  long  neg- 
 lected by  the  followers  of  Jesus.  I  told  him  that  the  greater  part  of 
 the  world  was  still  enveloped  in  darkness  and  sin,  and  gave  them  a 
 short  account  of  the  conversion  of  several  of  their  brethren  in 
 Europe  ;  and  the  trials  and  difficulties,  sufferings  and  persecutions, 
 which  many  of  these  have  had  to  endure,  quite  affected  them,  and 
 they  said  to  each  other,  '  Surely  this  religion  must  be  divine,  or  else 
 such  effects  could  not  be  produced.'  Our  conversation  was  suddenly 
 interrupted  by  loud  shrieks  and  lamentations,  accompanied  by  cries, 
 '  Chacham  !  oh,  Chacham  !'  I  looked  out  of  the  door  of  my  cell, 
 and,  to  my  horror,  saw  upwards  of  twenty  Jews  lashed  over  the  court 
 by  the  whips  and  clubs  of  about  a  dozen  Mahomedans.  I  instantly 
 rushed  out,  called  for  the  gate-keeper,  and  told  him  that  I  held  him 
 responsible  for  the  outrageous  conduct  of  the  ruffians,  who  thus 
 wantonly  maltreated  poor  and  inoffensive  individuals.  He  and  the 
 other  INIahomedans  were  rather  astonished  at  my  interference  in 
 behalf  of  Jews,  and,  in  a  most  impudent  strain,  assured  me  that  if  I 
 took  such  sympathy  in  their  sufferings,  I  might  as  well  become  a 
 sharer  in  their  punishments  ;  and  I  believe  the  threat  would  have 
 been  executed,  had  not  several  Russian  fishermen  hastened  to  my 
 relief.  I  would  have  brought  the  affair  before  the  Governor,  but 
 my ,  own  unprotected  position,  the  doubtful  advocacy  which  two 
 Russian  merchants  promised  me,  and  the  universal  contempt  and 
 abhorrence  in  which  Jews  in  this  countr}'  are  held,  all  conspired  to 
 mitigate  my  solicitude  to  obtain  redress  for  these  patient  sufferers. 
 Whilst  I  was  thus  engaged  in  defending  the  Jews  in  the  court,  their 
 brethren  in  my  cell  remained  perfectly  tranquil,  and  when  I  asked 
 them  how  they  could,  with  such  indifference,  see  their  friends  mal- 
 treated, their  simple  reply  was,  we  are  accustomed  to  these  things. 
 
 "The  avocations  in  which  their  industry  endeavours  to  find  the 
 means  of  subsistence  are  very  few,  and  oppressively  restricted. 
 Many  are  weavers  of  silk,  workers  in  silver,  tailors,  and  engravers, 
 but  the  fanaticism  of  the  mullahs  grudges  them  even  these  humble 
 trades,  which,  whilst  they  gain  them  sufficient  to  sustain  life,  make 
 them  at  the  same  time  feel  all  the  worst  pangs  of  poverty,  want,  and 
 hopeless  destitution.  These  inexorable  and  onerous  restrictions, 
 which  the  bigoted  sectaries  of  Ali  impose  upon  the  Jew,  have 
 crushed  his  frame  and  debased  his  mind  ;  and  we  must  not  feel 
 surprised  to  witness  among  this  people,  who  have  so  long  submitted 
 to  every  humiliation,  and  yielded  to  every  taunt,  mortification  and 
 insult,  till  their  once  susceptible  hearts  became  impervious  to 
 ignominy  and  degradation,  traces  of  the  worst  crimes  and  vices 
 which,  alas  !  taint  the  air  of  Persia,  and  pollute  that  smiling  and 
 fertile  land. 
 
64  HAMADAN. 
 
 "  Often,  very  often  indeed,  has  the  missionary,  in  traversing  these 
 dark  regions,  reason  to  blush  for  his  own  species,  and  to  wish  him- 
 self far  removed  from  a  scene  where  the  phases  of  human  depravity 
 are  so  repugnant  and  repulsive  ;  but  shall  these  perishing  multi- 
 tudes sink  into  the  grave  without  a  kind  voice  to  warn  them  of  their 
 danger?  or  a  compassionate  heart  to  point  them  to  Jesus  ?  No, 
 our  duty  is  to  exhort,  warn,  and  reprove  ;  and  although  the  effects 
 of  the  preached  Gospel  are  not  at  once  visible,  a  silent  and  benign 
 influence  is  widely  spreading,  and  we  may  take  it  for  granted  that 
 He  who  has  said,  for  our  encouragement,  '  In  the  morning  sow  thy 
 seed,  and  in  the  evening  withhold  not  thine  hand  ;  for  thou  knowest 
 not  whether  shall  prosper,  this  or  that,'  will  fulfil  his  promise,  and 
 cause  His  truth  to  convert  these  dark  places  into  vales  of  life,  holi- 
 ness and  joy. 
 
 "  Chacham  Eliyahu,  and  many  other  Jews,  gave  me  a  most  cordial 
 welcome.  I  spent  the  greater  part  of  my  tirtie  in  the  mullah's  house, 
 and  saw  several  individuals  who  had  heard  the  preached  Gospel,  and 
 had  read  the  books  I  gave  them,  not  without  benefit  to  their  souls. 
 The  greatest  obstacle  is,  that  those  persons  dare  not,  without 
 exposing  themselves  to  most  violent  persecutions,  and  perhaps  even 
 to  death  itself,  avow  their  convictions  of  the  truth.  We  must,  how- 
 ever, not  despair,  for  He  who  in  mercy  has  caused  His  word  to 
 enter  into  the  hearts  of  these  perishing  souls,  will  also  smooth  the 
 way  for  their  public  profession  of  the  crucified  Saviour." 
 
 We  have  seen  how  the  anxious  interest  which  many  of  the  Jews 
 exhibited,  in  this  town  and  neighbourhood,  in  the  things  which 
 "  accompany  salvation,"  excited  the  most  prayerful  hopes  of  the 
 Missionary  traveller.  At  Koshan  he  wrote  that  "  the  mullah  and 
 two  of  his  friends  informed  me  that  there  was  a  small  band  of 
 inquirers,  consisting  of  twelve  individuals,  including  several  rabbis, 
 who  regularly  assembled  twice  a  week  to  read  the  Old  and  New 
 Testament ;  they  have  to  combat  much  opposition,  and  to  endure 
 the  railings  and  insults  of  their  prejudiced  co-religionists,  who 
 frequently  apply  to  them  the  most  opprobrious  epithets  ;  but  under 
 all  these  disadvantages  they  persevere,  and  I  hope  that  He  who  has 
 awakened  their  consciences  and  affected  their  hearts,  will  continue 
 the  good  work  among  them,  and  thus  raise  up  in  this  heathen  place 
 a  little  community  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  His  holy  name." 
 
 Of  the  sale  and  circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  it  was  his  privilege 
 to  write  in  equally  encouraging  terms.  "  The  demand  for  books 
 was  so  great  that,  after  I  had  disposed  of  my  extensive  stock,  I  had 
 to  write  to  my  fellow-labourer,  Mr.  Sternschuss  (at  Bagdad),  for  a 
 
HAMADAN.  65 
 
 fresh  supply,  and  of  these  not  a  single  volume  remained  in  my 
 possession."  At  Ispahan,  and  in  other  places,  prolonged  inter- 
 course with  him  seemed  to  rivet  the  bonds  of  affection  and  confi- 
 dence which  had  been  formed  between  himself  and  his  Jewish 
 brethren.  He  was  no  longer  regarded  as  "a  stranger,  and  a 
 preacher  of  new  doctrines,  but  welcomed  as  a  brother,  and  treated 
 as  a  friend, — the  house  of  the  most  respectable  Jew  was  my  home, 
 and  the  synagogue,  for  hours  every  day,  my  place  of  preaching." 
 
 When  the  voice  of  the  Missionary  was  no  longer  heard,  warning 
 and  exhorting  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  the  Spirit  of  God  continued 
 to  water  the  divine  seed,  and  to  give  it  power  and  vitality.  In  1875, 
 the  embers  of  truth,  which  had  so  long  been  smouldering  and  hidden 
 from  observation  at  Hamadan,  burst  into  a  flame  ;  and  a  number  of 
 Jews,  of  whom  one  of  wealth  and  learning,  Hezekiel  Hirin  Elasar, 
 was  the  leader,  professed  their  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
 Their  number  increased,  and  some  were  baptized  by  American 
 Missionaries,  who  occupy  several  stations  in  Persia.  The  suffer- 
 ings through  which  these  disciples  of  our  Lord  had  to  pass,  could 
 hardly  have  been  exceeded.  They  were,  by  means  of  false  charges, 
 which  the  rapacious  ^Moslem  rulers  were  glad  to  confirm,  under  the 
 influence  of  large  bribes,  imprisoned,  beaten,  and  deprived  of  their 
 property.  One  died  from  the  effects  of  the  injuries  which  he 
 received.  They  held  fast  the  profession  of  their  faith,  without 
 wavering.  In  their  distress,  they  appealed  to  the  London  Society, 
 and  urged,  to  use  their  own  language,  that  they  should  be  allowed 
 "  to  live  unmolested  among  our  own  people,  and  to  draw  them  to 
 Jesus  Christ."  The  appeal  was  not  made  in  vain.  A  settled 
 Mission  was  established  by  the  Society  at  Hamadan,  and  the  seal 
 given  to  the  ministry  and  expectations  of  the  great  Missionary, 
 whose  work  of  faith,  and  labour  of  love,  were  thus  found  not  to 
 have  been  in  vain  in  the  Lord. 
 
CHAPTER    XII. 
 
 TEHERAN,    MOSUL,    AND    NESTORIA. 
 
 The  liardships  and  difficulties  through  which  Mr.  Stern  neces- 
 sarily passed,  in  the  prosecution  of  his  mission,  were  of  a  very 
 trying  nature.  The  approach  to  Hamadan,  of  which  he  gave  a 
 picturesque  description,  as  well  as  that  of  other  places,  which  he 
 visited  in  the  course  of  his  Missionary  wanderings,  will  serve  to 
 illustrate  this  point. 
 
 "At  two  o'clock  in  the  night  we  again  pursued  our  journey  ;  it 
 was  dark  and  stormy,  and  the  clouds,  in  rapid  confusion,  chased 
 each  other  over  the  lofty  Elwand,  whose  towering  summit  concealed 
 every  other  object  from  our  view.  The  ascent  up  this  steep  moun- 
 tain was  dangerous  and  difficult,  and  both  man  and  beast  had  to  use 
 the  greatest  care,  in  order  not  to  sink  into  the  drifted  snow,  which 
 had  filled  up  every  glen  and  chasm  ;  or  to  roll  in  the  ice-bound 
 ravines,  which,  at  every  few  steps,  dissected  these  mighty  ramparts 
 of  nature.  After  two  hours'  hard  toil,  we  reached  the  bold  summit, 
 from  whence  the  view  was  most  picturesque  and  romantic.  Before 
 us  rose  Alps  upon  Alps,  in  one  mighty  mass  of  white  glaring  moun- 
 tains, turning  the  darkness  into  the  very  light  of  day  ;  to  the  south, 
 reposed  the  plain  of  Seyedabad,  encircled  by  hills  and  studded  with 
 villages,  teeming  in  the  distance  with  a  most  variegated  cultivation  ; 
 whilst  high  above  this  fertile  vale,  like  specks  on  the  horizon, 
 towered  the  bold  steeps  of  Sennah  and  Coordistan.  The  descent 
 from  this  rocky,  wintry  region,  though  less  difficult,  was  not  less 
 dangerous,  for  every  moment  we  sank  into  mountains  of  thawing 
 snow,  when  we  had  to  struggle  and  toil  in  order  to  extricate  our- 
 selves from  our  uncomfortable  position.  Mid-day,  we  came  into 
 the  vast  plain  of  Hamadan,  having  walked  for  ten  hours  in  snow 
 and  ice,  wet  and  cold.  I  was  stiff  and  benumbed,  without  feeling 
 or  sensibility,  power  or  strength  ;  a  sickening  sensation  had  crept 
 over  every  part  of  my  body,  and  I  scarcely  expected  to  reach  the 
 town  without  fever,  ague,  or  some  other  illness  ;  but  He  who  tem- 
 pers the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb,  preserves  His  people  wherever 
 they  are,  and  whenever  they  call  upon  Him.     This  I  truly  experi- 
 
TEHERAN,    MOSUL,    AND    NESTORIA.  67 
 
 enced  ;  for  in  lookins^-  l)ack  upon  the  hardships  I  liad  undergone,  and 
 the  fatigue  I  had  emlured,  1  cannot  sufficiently  praise  the  goodness 
 of  God  in  having  tluis,  unscathed,  and  without  any  ill  effects,  per- 
 mitted me  to  accomplish  this  most  difficult  part  of  my  journey." 
 
 His  work  at  Teheran,  the  capital  of  Persia,  was  not  without  either 
 its  encouragements  or  its  hardships.  The  Jews  received  him  with 
 great  kindness,  and  expressed  their  gratitude  to  him  for  the  message 
 of  redeeming  love  which  he  proclaimed.  One  of  their  number,  Dr. 
 Aaron,  was  a  distinguished  physician,  and  occupied  that  position  in 
 the  roval  household.  His  son  had  given  Mr.  Stern  a  letter  of  intro- 
 duction. But  he  hastened  to  see  the  Missionary  without  waiting  for 
 the  delivery  of  the  letter.  His  intercourse  with  Mr.  Stern  was  such, 
 as  to  assure  him,  that  the  physician  was  deeply  convinced  of  the 
 truth  of  the  Christian  revelation.  On  parting  with  him,  ]\Ir.  Stern 
 said  :  "  Doctor,  I  hope  the  message  of  redeeming  love,  will,  ere  long, 
 cease  to  be  only  a  topic  to  occupy  the  lips,  but  be  practically  felt  in 
 the  heart,  and  make  you  and  yours  happy  through  faith  in  the  sacri- 
 fice and  death  of  our  adorable  Saviour."  "  The  heart  knows  its 
 own  bitterness  !"  was  his  reply ;  and,  with  evident  emotion,  he 
 exclaimed,  after  a  little  pause,  "  We  are  in  Persia,  where  the  sword 
 of  persecution  is  suspended  over  our  heads,  and  woe  to  us,  if",  by  a 
 premature  act,  we  arouse  the  vengeance  of  our  enemies  ;  but  of  this 
 you  may  be  assured,  that  many  in  Koshan  will  as  intently  love  Christ 
 and  his  Gospel,  as  they  formerly  rejected  the  one,  and  despised  the 
 other." 
 
 "  I\Iy  work  in  the  capital  being  accomplished,  I  set  out  for  Mazan- 
 deran,  an  entirely  new  and  untried  missionary  ground.  My  journey 
 over  the  snow-clad  Demawund,  was  one  of  the  most  trying  and 
 difficult  I  ever  performed  ;  and  only  those  who  have  travelled  in 
 regions  where  the  extremities  of  heat  and  cold,  rain  and  snow, 
 incessantly  alternate,  can  conceive  the  full  extent  of  the  toil  and 
 sufferings  I  had  to  endure.  But  a  merciful  Providence  guided  and 
 protected  me,  and  the  privilege  of  infusing  a  spirit  of  inquiiy 
 among  hundreds  of  Israelites,  who  never  heard  the  message  of  sal- 
 vation, or  exercised  their  minds  on  the  topics  of  religion,  made  me 
 forget  all  the  hardships  I  had  encountered,  and  prepared  me  to  meet 
 all  the  troubles  that  still  awaited  me." 
 
 The  journey  through  the  rugged  and  narrow  defile  of  Kohrood, 
 and  the  magnificent  prospect  which  lay  before  him  of  the  plains 
 of    Koshan,    with    pleasant-looking  villages  and   mulberry  planta- 
 
68  TEHERAN,    MOSUL,    AND    NESTORIA. 
 
 tions,  was  most  impressive.  Far  beyond,  and  apparently  on  the 
 very  verge  of  the  horizon,  "rose  the  bold  and  dark  range  of  the 
 Elburg,  and  the  glistening,  snow-clad  Demawund,  with  its  lofty 
 cone  tapering  towards  the  sky." 
 
 "  On  the  night  of  April  19th  (1852),  we  slept  in  a  ruined  caravan- 
 serai, near  the  peak  of  the  venerable  Demawund.  I  have  experienced 
 most  severe  frosts  in  Persia,  but  never  did  I  feel  a  more  intense 
 and  biting  cold  than  in  these  lofty  regions.  I  was  actually  obliged 
 to  keep  my  hands  and  feet  in  constant  motion,  in  order  to  maintain 
 vital  heat  in  them.  My  servants  and  muleteer,  who  did  not  feel 
 inclined  to  imitate  my  example,  lay  on  the  ground  almost  insensible. 
 With  great  difficulty  I  roused  them,  and  tearing  down  a  few  beams 
 of  wood  which  lay  across  the  roof  of  a  decaying  stable,  I  lighted  a 
 fire,  and  gave  to  each  a  cup  of  tea  ;  this  revived  their  spirits,  and 
 prepared  them  better  to  resist  the  benumbing  effects  of  the  frost." 
 
 At  Mosul,  Mr.  Stern  had  his  first  introduction  to  Mr.  Hormund 
 Rassam,  who  had  been  the  able  assistant  of  Sir  Austin  Layard,  when 
 he  was  engaged  in  his  successful  excavations  in  Assyria.  Mr. 
 Rassam  then  filled  the  post  of  British  Vice  Consul,  and  was  most 
 useful  to  the  jNIissionary,  in  introducing  him  to  the  president  and 
 vice-president  of  the  Jewish  community.  They  were  eventually  to 
 meet  again  under  circumstances  of  terrible  suffering  and  danger.  The 
 captive  Missionary,  on  the  heights  of  Magdala,  was  to  receive  as  his 
 fellow-prisoner,  the  Envoy,  whom  the  Queen  of  England  then  sent 
 to  deliver  the  captives  out  of  the  hands  of  Theodore  of  Abyssinia. 
 So  chequered  and  uncertain,  are  the  conditions  of  our  earthly  pil- 
 grimage ! 
 
 "  ]\Iosul,  the  modern  Ashur,  as  Jews  and  Christians  pompously 
 style  it,  is  separated  from  the  ruined  and  buried  metropolis  of  that 
 vast  and  pristine  empire,  from  which  it  derives  its  appellation,  by 
 the  muddy  and  rapidly-rolling  waters  of  the  Tigris. 
 
 "The  town,  from  the  eastern  bank,  looks  picturesque  and  im- 
 posing ;  but  no  sooner  has  one  crossed  the  tottering  and  rotten 
 bridge  of  boats,  than  the  eye  gazes  on  unsightly  streets,  despicable 
 bazaars,  and  dilapidated  and  decaying  houses.  The  dire  rule  of 
 avaricious  governors  has  converted  whole  quarters,  where  formerly 
 thousands  of  people  vied  with  each  other  in  honourable  industry, 
 into  fields  and  deserts.  The  number  of  beggars,  who  attack  the 
 passengers  in  the  streets,  is  also  quite  distressing.  Long  misrule 
 and  anarchy  af)pear  to  have  destroyed  all  energy,  and  the  heart 
 swells  with  indignation  at  the  sight  of  poverty  and  want  in  a  place 
 where  vast  fields  lie  uncultivated  around  the  city  walls,  which,  with 
 the  smallest  labour,  would  reward  the  husbandman  more  than  a 
 hundredfold." 
 
TEHERAN,    MOSUL,    AND    NESTORIA.  69 
 
 Our  traveller  passed  through  Nestoria,  in  the  expectation  of  being 
 able  to  visit  a  Hebrew  Colony  in  that  region,  of  which  he  had 
 heard.  The  weather  became  so  severe  and  winterly,  that  he  was 
 obliged  to  abandon  this  intention.  He  received  much  kindness 
 among  the  Nestorian  Christians,  who  assembled  in  considerable 
 numbers,  and  gave  him  a  respectful  greeting. 
 
 "  At  sunset  we  came  to  Bervarg,  a  district  inhabited  by  Nesto- 
 rians  and  Coords  ;  and  without  making  any  application  for  quarters, 
 I  rode  up  to  the  bishop's  residence  and  dismounted.  His  lordship 
 ■did  not  at  first  feel  inclined  to  admit  me  into  his  house ;  but  when 
 I  told  him  I  was  an  English  missionary,  he  appeared  quite 
 delighted,  and  endeavoured  to  make  me  as  comfortable  as  his 
 circumstances  would  permit.  A  little  before  night,  he  informed 
 me  that  himself  and  chaplain  were  going  to  vespers,  and,  if  I  felt 
 inclined,  I  might  accompany  them.  I  readily  accepted  the  invita- 
 tion, and  with  my  two  ecclesiastical  friends,  set  out  for  the  rocky 
 pyramid,  on  whose  pinnacle,  far  removed  from  this  nether  world, 
 I  was  told  stood  the  sacred  edifice.  The  ascent  to  this  '  Superas  ad 
 awos  sanctuary  was,  however,  no  easy  task.  The  venerable  bishop, 
 in  his  simple  Coordish  garb,  with  sandals  on  his  feet,  and  a  staif  in 
 his  hand,  bounded  over  rock  and  precipice  with  the  agility  of  a 
 mountain  goat.  I  attempted  to  follow,  but  the  first  few  steps 
 admonished  me  to  be  cautious.  The  old  man,  perceiving  my  distress, 
 advised  me  to  disencumber  my  legs  of  a  pair  of  unwieldy  travelling 
 boots  ;  this  I  did,  and  supported  on  his  insignia  of  office,  reached 
 the  summit  of  a  wild  rocky  steep,  and  stood  at  the  entrance  of  a 
 cr}^pt,  which  nature,  little  aided  by  art,  had  provided  as  a  temple  for 
 these  wild  mountaineers.  The  door,  which  consisted  of  a  massive 
 stone,  was  closed  by  a  formidable  wooden  bolt ;  this  the  priest 
 withdrew,  and  with  a  crash  it  turned  on  its  hinges  and  disclosed  a 
 •dreary,  bleak  and  dismal  interior.  The  bishop  immediately  took  his 
 steel,  flint  and  tinder  out  of  his  pocket,  and  with  the  help  of  a  few 
 dry  stalks,  lit  a  greasy  glutinous  earthen  oil  lamp,  which  instead  of 
 diffusing  any  light,  only  made  the  darkness  more  perceptible. 
 During  this  process  the  chaplain  had  commenced  the  service,  in 
 which  his  patriarchal  diocesan,  at  certain  intervals,  with  a  sonorous 
 voice,  joined.  There  was  a  melancholy  stillness  and  saddening  gloom 
 around  the  insulated  sanctuary,  which  solemnized  the  mind,  hushed 
 all  sublunary  feeling,  and  elevated  the  soul  in  prayer  and  praise  to 
 its  Creator. 
 
 "For  a  moment  the  deepening  shadows  of  night,  the  hollow 
 notes  of  the  worshipping  priests,  and  the  unearthly  silence  of  the 
 whole  scene,  reminded  me  forcibly  of  the  primitive  Christians  ;  but 
 the  fervour  of  their  devotion,  the  purity  of  their  lives,  and  the  entire 
 consecration  of  their  all  to  the  Redeemer,  are  things  for  which  we 
 must  yet  prayerfully  wait  in  the  Nestorian  Church.     At  the  conclu- 
 
70  TEHERAN,    MOSUL,    AND    NESTORIA. 
 
 sion  of  the  service,  the  door,  by  the  united  eft'orts  of  bishop  and 
 priest,  \vas  again  closed,  and  guided  by  the  glimmering  light  of  the 
 stars,  we  tracked  our  way  down  the  perpendicular  declivity  to  the 
 episcopal  residence." 
 
 There  was  no  order,  or  condition  of  men,  with  whom  ]Mr.  Stern 
 did  not  communicate,  and  to  whom  he  did  not  seek  to  propound 
 the  tenets  and  preciousness  of  the  Gospel.  Persia  has  always  been 
 known  as  tl]e  centre,  from  which  the  followers  of  Zoroaster  have 
 found  their  way  to  other  parts  of  the  East.  Of  these,  INlr.  Stern 
 makes  the  following  remarks  : — 
 
 "  In  the  evening  my  friends,  the  followers  of  Zoroaster,  known  by 
 the  name  of  Ghebres,  or  fire-worshippers,  invited  me  to  spend  a  few 
 hours  with  them,  in  order  that  I  might  explain  to  them  the  doctrines, 
 of  Christianity,  which  had  excited  so  much  interest  and  inquiry 
 among  the  Jews.  I  immediately  repaired  to  their  cells,  and  without 
 interruption  declared  to  them  all  the  elementary  truths  of  our  holy 
 religion,  viz. : — the  compassion  and  goodness  of  God  ;  the  fall  and 
 corruption  of  human  nature  ;  and  our  final  redemption  and  justifi- 
 cation through  the  atoning  blood  of  Christ.  They  acknowledged 
 that  the  religion  of  Jesus,  if  thus  clearly  and  plainly  propounded,, 
 must  enlighten  and  convince  the  mind  ;  but  upon  making  the  ques- 
 tion more  personal,  they  became  very  uneasy,  and  anxious  to  termi- 
 nate the  conversation.  They  asked  me  for  Persian  New  Testaments, 
 but  having  disposed  of  the  few  I  had  with  me,  I  lent  them  my  own 
 copy,  which  I  believe  was  read  the  greater  part  of  the  night  and  the 
 whole  of  the  following  morning.  They  told  me  that  they  would 
 write  to  Teheran  for  Bibles,  as  I  had  interested  them  in  the  contents 
 of  the  same." 
 
 This  chapter,  and  the  summary  of  Mr.  Stern's  labours  in  Persia, 
 may  suitably  be  terminated,  by  the  recital  of  an  incident  which  fol- 
 lowed his  intercourse  with  the  Ghebres. 
 
 "  Before  I  retired  to  rest,  an  incident  occurred,  which  I  record 
 simply  because  it  shows  the  anxiety  which  was  manifested  to  obtain 
 our  books.  A  poor  Jew,  during  the  evening,  came  for  a  copy  of  the 
 Hebrew  Gospel,  but  as  I  was  engaged  with  the  Parsees,  he  waited 
 till  I  left  their  room,  and  then  in  a  most  suppliant  tone  made  his 
 request.  Unfortunately,  the  boxes  had  been  closed  and  packed, 
 and  my  muleteer  swore  by  the  life  of  Mahomed  and  the  beard  of 
 Ali,  that  if  the  cases  contained  Korans,  and  the  Jew  wanted  to 
 become  a  Moslem,  he  would  not  be  disturbed  at  midnight,  and 
 untie  his  loads.  The  poor  man,  when  he  heard  this,  was  in  great 
 distress  ;  still  nothing  could  shake  his  determination,  for  he  said  : 
 *  The  gatekeeper  may  try  to  eject  me  (it  being  late  and  contrary  to 
 the  regulations  to  loiter  about  in  the  caravanserai  at  this  hour),  and 
 
TEHERAN,    MOSUL,    AND    NESTORIA.  7 1 
 
 your  muleteer  may  scold  and  maltreat  me, — I  love  Christ,  and  will 
 have  his  revelation.'  I  could  no  longer  resist  this  appeal,  and  so 
 unpacked  one  of  the  loads,  which  occupied  me  more  than  half-an- 
 hour,  and  presented  him  with  a  Gospel  ;  and  I  believe  that  a  pre- 
 sent was  never  more  gratefully  acknowledged.  He  actually  fell  at 
 my  feet,  and  alternately  kissed  the  book  and  my  boots  ;  even  in 
 going  away  he  clasped  the  little  treasure  to  his  heart,  and,  with 
 eyes  raised  upwards,  blessed  the  donor  of  this  valued  gift.  I  men- 
 tioned the  circumstance  to  Mullah  N.,  who  told  me  he  knew  the 
 man,  and  that  he  was  both  sound  in  mind  and  well  acquainted  with 
 the  Bible." 
 
 The  wheat  and  the  tares  are  everywhere  permitted  by  God  to 
 
 grow  together.     In  the  most  benighted  regions  of  the  world,  the 
 
 Lord  may  have   "a  seed  to  serve  Him."     From  the  uttermost  parts 
 
 of  the  earth  songs  of  praise  shall  reach    the   once   favoured,  but 
 
 now  degraded  countries  of  Messopotamia.    In  the  Lord's  appointed 
 
 time,  they  shall  join  in  these  songs  of  redemption,  and  witness  to 
 
 the  blessing  which  has  followed  the  labours  of  his  servants. 
 
CHAPTER    XIII. 
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 More  than  ordinary  perception  and  judgment  are  needed,  in  the 
 appointment  of  Missionaries  to  the  various,  and  sometimes  untrod- 
 den fields  of  labour,  to  which  they  may  be  called.  Although  the 
 human  heart  is  everywhere  the  same,  and  is  equally  exposed  to  the 
 corrupting  influence  of  sin  and  evil,  there  are  national  characteristics 
 which  cannot  be  overlooked,  and  there  are  effects  of  training  and 
 custom,  which  require  thought  and  careful  treatment.  The  idiosyn- 
 cracies  of  the  Jewish  character,  and  the  conditions  under  which  the 
 Jews  are  brought  up  and  educated,  are  almost  peculiar  to  themselves  ; 
 and  the  agency  employed  to  combat  their  prejudices,  and  to  meet 
 their  difficulties,  should  be  special,  and  carefully  adapted  to  the 
 purpose.  There  are  some  men  who  have  a  singular  power  of  con- 
 formation to  the  circumstances  which  surround  them,  and  to  the 
 people  with  whom  they  may  be  brought  into  contact.  Such  a  man 
 was  Henry  Stern.  But  there  are  others,  who  are  only  fitted  for 
 specific  fields  of  action,  or  for  a  certain  type  of  work,  and  to  that 
 they  should  be  confined. 
 
 Mr.  Stern's  labours  in  Mesopotamia,  Persia,  and  the  regions  to 
 which  he  had  been  first  called,  extended  over  a  period  of  nearly 
 eight  years.  He  had  been  a  witness  of  a  remarkable  change  for 
 the  better  among  the  people  to  whom  he  ministered.  All  classes 
 now  listened  with  attention  to  the  message  of  salvation,  and  readily 
 accepted  the  Christian  books  which  were  offered  to  them. 
 "  Rabbis  and  teachers,  bankers  and  merchants,  toiling  artizans 
 and  itinerant  pedlars,  gratefully  received  these  messengers  of  the 
 Gospel.  The  attempts  of  the  leading  rabbis,  to  oppose  the  influ- 
 ence of  light  and  knowledge,  which  were  thus  spreading  among  the 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE.  73 
 
 people,  had  only  served  to  excite  controversy  and  stir  up  disunion 
 among  their  respective  flocks.  There  were  encouraging  indications, 
 that  the  power  of  Christian  faith  was  reaching  many  minds  and 
 hearts,  among  the  thousands  of  Israelites  who  lived  at  Bagdad.  A 
 Depot,  for  the  sale  of  Bibles  and  books,  afibrding,  moreover,  a  con- 
 venient centre  for  intercourse  with  the  Jews,  had  been  established. 
 An  Industrial  Institution  had  also  been  tried,  to  which  those  who 
 might  be  suffering  persecution  for  conscience  sake,  might  resort, 
 and  earn  their  daily  bread.  Some  excellent  friends  of  the  Society 
 provided  the  funds,  by  which  this  Institution  was  commenced.  But 
 the  cost  of  maintaining  it,  and  the  persecution,  to  which  the  Jews 
 who  resorted  to  it,  had  to  encounter,  as  well  as  other  difficulties,  led 
 to  its  discontinuance. 
 
 Mr.  Stern  had  enjoyed  the  fellowship  of  several  of  our  most 
 energetic  Missionaries.  He  was  to  be  followed  by  those  who  had 
 earned  for  themselves  "  a  good  degree"  in  the  things  of  the  kingdom 
 of  heaven.  It  is  not,  however,  my  intention  to  make  mention  of 
 the  eff"orts  and  successes  of  other  labourers  in  this  or  other  impor- 
 tant fields  of  labour ;  but  only  to  keep  in  view  the  one  character, 
 whose  Biography  it  is  my  happiness  to  record. 
 
 The  time  was  now  approaching,  when  Mr.  Stern  was  to  be  called 
 to  another  sphere  of  Missionary  work.  His  arduous  duties,  and 
 exhausting  journeys,  had  in  a  measure  affected  his  general  health, 
 and  other  circumstances  arose,  which  indicated  that  a  change  was 
 desirable.  The  cholera  had  prevailed  at  Bagdad  with  alarming 
 intensity.  About  four  hundred  of  the  Jews,  and  four  thousand  of 
 other  natives,  died  from  the  effects  of  this  malady ;  and  numbers  of 
 others  had  perished  elsewhere,  who  had  vainly  sought  by  flight  to 
 escape  from  its  ravages.  Mrs.  Stern  was  seized  by  this  disorder  in  its 
 very  worst  form.  The  efforts  of  the  medical  attendant  to  arrest  its 
 progress,  by  means  of  the  usual  remedies,  had  been  apparently  use- 
 less, and  death  seemed  imminent.  When  human  skill  failed,  the  Lord 
 graciously  interposed.  The  English  Resident  kindly  offered  the 
 use  of  his  boat,  into  which  the  apparently  dying  patient  was  placed, 
 and  conveyed,  from  the  infectious  atmosphere  of  the  town,  to  Ctesi- 
 phon,  where  the  English  had  encamped.  The  symptoms,  in  a 
 short  time,  appeared  to  be  more  favourable.     During  this  terrific 
 
 F 
 
7+  CONSTANTIKOPl.K. 
 
 strugj^le  between  life  and  deatli,  not  a  native  would  apjjroach  the 
 tent  of  the  sufferer,  nor  minister  to  her  wants.  And  wlien,  throui^d) 
 the  mercy  of  God,  our  Missionary  saw  the  evidences  of  convales- 
 cence in  his  own  beloved  wife,  he  was  himself  more  fit  for  a  hos- 
 pital than  for  missionary  exertion.  Ikit  with  characteristic  earnest- 
 ness, he  was  ever  at  hand,  to  use  the  occasion,  in  order  to  j)oint  his 
 afflicted  brethren  to  the  Lamb  of  (iod  ;  th()ui,di  he  recorded,  that 
 his  eyes  were  so  swollen  and  inflamed,  tliat  he  couUl  scarcely  sec  to 
 read  or  write. 
 
 At  this  time,  a  change  was  about  to  take  ])lace  in  the  personnel  of 
 the  Mission  at  Coiislantinople.  The  Rev.  |.  O.  Lord,  who  was  at  the 
 head  of  it,  had  determined  to  return  to  England.  The  London 
 Committee  at  once  perceived,  that  a  twofold  object  might  be 
 attained  : — the  restoration  of  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stern  to  their  wonted 
 health,  and  the  settlement  of  one  of  their  most  able  and  successful 
 INIissionaries,  at  this  important  station.  It  was  therefore  resolved 
 that  he  should  become  head  of  this  Mission  ;  and  however 
 great  the  sorrow  at  leaving  many,  to  whom  the  Missionary 
 had  become  endeared,  this  arrangement  was  welcomed  as  a  gracious 
 interposition  of  Divine  Providence.  The  confidence  of  the  Com- 
 mittee in  their  faithful  Missionary,  was  expressed  in  the  Resolution 
 by  which  he  was  asked  to  take  charge  of  the  Mission  at  Constanti- 
 nople, as  "  an  event  which  the  Committee  would  contemplate  with 
 the  greatest  satisfaction  ;"  and  it  was  added,  that,  should  "  he  be 
 able  to  comply  with  their  wishes  in  this  respect,  he  lie  left  to  exer- 
 cise his  own  discretion  as  to  the  expediency  of  immediately  relin- 
 quishing his  present  ])ost,  and  that  he  be  requested  to  state,  what 
 under  the  circumstances,  he  would  consider  most  desirable  for  the 
 Bagdad  Mission." 
 
 On  the  igtJi  of  May  (1853),  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stern  arrived  at  the 
 Turkish  Capital.  They  had  left  many  who  had  become  deeply 
 attached  to  them  personally,  and  a  goodly  company  who  mourned 
 over  their  dei)arture,  inasmuch  as  the  devoted  ^lissionary  had  been 
 the  instrument  of  leading  them  to  the  Saviour  of  sinners.  His 
 new  sphere  of  action  presented  even  greater  opportunities  of  useful- 
 ness. Many  of  his  Bagdad  friends  were  connected  with  Constanti- 
 nople by  the  duties  of  their  calling,  and  from  Persia  and  other  parts 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE.  75 
 
 of  the  East,  as  well  as  from  Europe,  he  knew  that  he  would  meet 
 with  representatives  of  liis  own  nation. 
 
 One  of  the  most  ]ia|)py  features  of  the  change  of  station  which 
 Mr.  Stern  experienced,  was  his  association  with  a  greatly  increased 
 number  of  Christian  brethren,  who  were  employed  by  various  Mis- 
 sionary Societies.  He  seemetl  to  be  brought  into  more  immediate 
 contact  with  the  Christian  agencies  and  organizations,  which  were 
 engaged  in  the  Lord's  work  in  the  civilized  world.  The  Rev.  James 
 Haldane  Stewart  used  to  be  at  that  time  a  mouth-piece,  through 
 whom  a  call  to  united  prayer,  wiis  heard  in  most  parts  of  the  Mission 
 lickl.  This  was  further  developed,  and  perfected,  through  "  the 
 luangelical  Alliance."  These  were  seasons  of  great  spiritual 
 refreshment  to  the  labourers  in  distant  lands,  and  at  the  beginning 
 of  1854,  .Mr.  Stern  alluded  to  the  manner  in  which  the  season  had 
 been  commemorated  : — 
 
 "  You  will  no  doubt  be  glad  to  hear  that  ^Ir.  Stewart's  call  for 
 united  prayer  was  cheerfully  responded  to  by  the  missionaries,  and 
 man\-  of  the  English  and  American  residents  in  Stamboul.  The 
 meeting  (owing  to  our  various  duties  on  the  Sabbath,  and  also  the 
 scattered  position  of  our  homes)  was  held  on  the  second  day  of  the 
 year.  iNIr.  Goodell,  the  senior  missionary,  presided.  Several 
 appropriate  addresses  were  made,  and  prayers  offered  up  for  the 
 conversion  of  Jew  and  Gentile,  and  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
 Spirit  upon  the  Church  and  the  world  at  large.  A  deep  feeling  of 
 solemnity  pervaded  the  numerous  assembly,  and  I  am  certain  that 
 no  one  left  the  devotional  meeting  without  mentally  exclaiming,  '  It 
 was  good  for  me  to  have  been  there.'  " 
 
 Constantinople  has  always  been  the  scene  of  much  contention 
 among  rival  sects,  and  cruel  persecution  against  the  inoffensive 
 Jews.  The  members  of  the  Greek  Church  have  been  wont  to 
 believe,  that  it  was  a  meritorious  act  to  maltreat  and  insult  the  Jews, 
 during  the  season  of  Piaster.  So  fanatical  was  their  conduct,  that, 
 during  that  week,  hardly  a  Jew  ventured  to  appear  in  the  streets, 
 knowing  to  what  wanton  cruelties  they  would  inevitably  be  ex})osed. 
 Mr.  Stern  was  one  of  the  chief  instruments  through  whom  a  Peti- 
 tion was  presented  to  Lord  Stratford  de  Redclifife,  the  British 
 Ambassador,  whose  decision  of  character,  and  statesmanlike  ability, 
 had  raised  him  to  the  pinnacle  of  ambassadorial  power  and  useful- 
 ness. The  petition  was  signed  by  more  than  fifty  clergymen, 
 bankers,  and  merchants,  and  stated  : — 
 
76  COXSTANTINOPLK. 
 
 "That  your  petitioners  have  observed  with  deep  distress  the 
 wanton  and  heartless  abuse  to  which  the  Jews  of  this  city  are  sub- 
 jected, year  after  year,  at  the  season  of  Easter.  The  treatment 
 alluded  to  is  not  mere  annoyance,  but  positive  bodily  maltreatment, 
 of  which  many  of  them  have  been  eye-witnesses  even  in  the  streets 
 of  this  capital,  but  which  they  are  assured  on  competent  authority 
 often  proceeds  to  much  greater  extremes  in  the  provincial  towns 
 and  villages.  Without  wholly  exculpating  the  Roman  Catholics 
 from  participation  in  such  conduct,  they  have  no  hesitation  in 
 saying  that  it  is  from  Greeks  chiefly,  if  not  entirely,  that  most  of  the 
 injurious  treatment  proceeds.  Your  petitioners  cannot  doubt  for  a 
 moment,  that  your  Lordship  and  every  generous-minded  individual, 
 whether  of  the  Protestant,  the  Roman  Catholic,  the  Greek,  or  any 
 other  Church,  must  feel  such  unmanly  conduct  to  be  altogether 
 unworthy  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  and  even  inconsistent  with  the 
 duties  of  good  citizenship,  which  it  is  so  desirable  to  maintain  at  all 
 times,  but  especially  at  the  present  crisis.  In  these  circumstances, 
 it  has  occurred  to  your  petitioners,  to  request  your  Lordship,  and  the 
 Ambassadors  of  the  United  States,  of  Prussia,  of  Holland,  &c.,  to 
 \vhom  petitions  similar  to  this  are  to  be  presented  at  the  same  time 
 that  this  reaches  your  Lordship,  to  use  your  best  endeavours  with 
 the  Greek  Patriarch,  to  induce  him  to  exert  the  whole  influence  of 
 the  Greek  clergy  for  the  suppression  of  the  conduct  above  alluded 
 to,  conduct  which  in  many  instances  is  prompted  by  superstitious 
 and  mistaken  feelings,  but  which  they  would  hope  most  commonly 
 proceeds  from  mere  thoughtlessness." 
 
 Such  were  some  of  the  afiiictions  to  which  the  sons  and  daughters 
 of  Abraham  were  periodically  exposed.  The  influence  of  the  autho- 
 rities, in  a  measure,  checked  these  outbursts  of  fanatical  frenzy,  but 
 never  completely  subdued  them.  Nor  were  these  the  only  terrors, 
 which  again  and  again  overshadowed  the  lives  and  peace  of  these 
 "  wanderers  among  the  nations."  The  harrowing  and  infamous 
 accusations,  which  had  their  rise  in  the  darkest  ages  of  an  apos- 
 tate Christianity, — the  assertion  that  they  murdered  the  young,  and 
 used  their  blood  for  some  religious  purpose, — had  their  counterpart 
 in  the  annals  of  Constantinople. 
 
 "The  old  accusation  of  child-murder  has  again  been  excited 
 against  the  Jews  in  Stamboul.  The  story,  which  I  can  only  briefly 
 give,  is  this  : — A  JMahommedan  woman,  who  was  in  some  distress, 
 applied  to  a  well-kno\sn  Jewish  accoucheuse,  and  as  the  latter  had 
 already  rendered  several  favours  to  her  applicant  without  receiving 
 payment,  she  refused  to  attend  to  her  recjuest  till  the  accounts  were 
 settled.  On  the  21st  instant,  the  Turkish  lady,  accompanied  by  a 
 female  friend,  went  again  into  the  house  of  the  skilful  Jewess,  at 
 Djibali,  near  Balat,  and  reiterated  her  former  request.     The  accoii- 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE.  77 
 
 cheuse,  as  before,  was  deaf  to  entreaties  and  inaccessible  to  pity  ; 
 money,  and  money  alone,  she  declared,  could  secure  her  services, 
 and  gain  her  valuable  assistance.  This  inflamed  the  resentment  of 
 the  ^lahommedan  woman,  who  had  evidently  no  liberal  purse  at  her 
 disposal,  and  to  give  full  vent  to  her  rage,  she  rushed  into  the 
 street  and  declared  that  the  Jews  had  stolen  her  child,  and  were 
 going  to  kill  it.  Immediately,  an  excited  multitude  of  Greeks  and 
 Mahommedans  surrounded  the  house,  broke  the  windows,  and 
 dragged  the  son  of  the  Jewess  to  prison.  On  Friday,  the  22nd 
 inst.,  the  crowd  again  assembled  in  the  streets,  and  with  yells  and 
 threats  assailed  every  Jew  who  ventured  to  leave  his  dwelling. 
 Towards  noon,  the  popular  clamour  increased  in  intensity  ;  fortu- 
 nately, some  French  soldiers  who  had  been  ordered  to  the  scene, 
 immediately  arrested  the  ringleaders,  and  dispersed  the  infuriated 
 rabble.  The  rich  Jews  here,  supported  by  Rothschild,  are  now 
 taking  steps  against  the  revival  of  this  odious  and  wicked  calumny, 
 which  has  so  frequently  brought  ruin  and  desolation  upon  the  guilt- 
 less Jews." 
 
 The  hand  of  God  was  seen  in  other  calamities,  which  befel  the 
 Jewish  inhabitants  of  the  city,  and  brought  death  and  desolation  to 
 many  a  saddened  home.  The  Jewisli  quarter  of  Ortakeuy  has  fre- 
 quently been  the  scene  of  terrible  conflagrations.  The  fragile  nature 
 of  the  timber-built  tenements,  and  the  narrow  streets  in  which  they 
 are  situated,  render  it  most  difficult  to  subdue  the  flames,  or  prevent 
 their  rapid  progress.  Our  Missionary  described,  about  eighteen 
 months  after  his  arrival,  one  such  conflagration,  and  its  results. 
 
 "  You  may  perhaps  have  already  seen  in  the  newspapers  an 
 account  of  the  awful  conflagration,  which,  a  few  days  ago,  reduced 
 the  greater  part  of  Ortakeuy  to  cinders.  The  fire  broke  out  on 
 Wednesday,  Oct.  i8th,  at  about  fom-  o'clock  p.m.,  in  an  old  house 
 situated  in  the  Jewish  quarter.  A  few  engines  and  a  fire  brigade 
 were  soon  on  the  spot,  but  so  irresistible  was  the  progress  of  the 
 flames,  that  before  midnight,  ruin  and  desolation  marked  the  site  of 
 the  most  densely  crowded  locality  on  the  Bosphorus.  The  whole 
 Jewish  quarter,  including  synagogues,  schools,  and  every  private 
 dwelling,  became  a  prey  to  the  unsparing  element ;  and  thousands 
 of  persons,  houseless  and  homeless,  were  driven  to  seek  shelter  in 
 the  open  fields,  or  behind  the  smouldering  walls  of  their  former 
 abodes.  According  to  the  lowest  estimate  1300  adult  Jews, 
 besides  women  and  children,  lost  by  this  terrific  visitation  the  whole 
 or  the  greater  part  of  their  property ;  and  many  who  were  rich 
 and  wealthy  in  the  morning,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  had  no 
 longer  a  bed  for  their  wearied  frames,  nor  a  piece  of  bread  to  still 
 the  craving  wants  of  their  hungry  children.  My  own  house,  which 
 by  a  favourable  change  of  the  wind  was  unexposed  to  danger,  I 
 
78  CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 opened  to  rich  and  poor,  and  numbers  who  a  day  before  would  have 
 thought  it  a  sin  to  cross  my  thri'shold,  t^ladly  availed  themselves  of 
 the  refut^e  my  house  affonled  them.  The  next  day,  in  order  to 
 mitigate  the  distress  of  the  desponding  and  helpless  multitude,  I 
 wrote  a  ])etition,  which  Mr.  Schauffler,  of  the  American  iioard, 
 kindly  sent  round  to  the  English  and  other  Protestants  ;  antl  1  am 
 grateful  to  state,  that  the  generous  response  to  the  appeal  enabled 
 us  to  dry  the  tears  and  gladden  the  heart,  of  many  a  disconsolate 
 and  sorrowing  parent." 
 
 Day  after  day,  ]\Ir.  Stern  and  his  companions  ministered  to  the 
 wants  of  the  destitute,  the  afflicted,  and  the  dying.  Some  of  his 
 fellow-labourers  were  themselves  laid  u|),  through  the  toil  and  the 
 sorrow  which  these  visits  involved.  The  Jews,  whose  means  enabled 
 them  to  flee  from  these  scenes  of  misery,  closed  their  doors,  and 
 removed  to  another  quarter.  This  made  more  conspicuous,  the 
 wants  and  sufferings  of  those,  who  were  imable  to  leave  the  abodes 
 of  suff"ering.  Want  and  disease  abounded,  and  the  dead  and  dying 
 were  at  times  lying  side  by  side.  Tents  had  been  lent  by  the 
 Government,  in  order  to  aftbrd  some  shelter  to  the  houseless. 
 The  wretched  inmates  were  in  too  many  cases  re])resenttHl  bv  the 
 following  occurrence  : — 
 
 "  In  one  tent  1  witnessed  a  sight  which  startled  antl  horrified  me 
 .  beyond  expression.  It  was  occupied  by  a  porter,  called  Joseph 
 Chamal.  The  i)Oor  man  had  that  morning  been  bereaved  of  his 
 aged  mother,  and  her  decease  made  him  quite  frantic  and  disconso- 
 late. He  was  standing  near  his  tent,  beating  his  face  and  raving 
 like  a  maniac.  I  spoke  kindly  to  him,  but  the  words  of  sympathv 
 and  condolence  only  increased  his  piercing  shrieks  and  wild  ges- 
 tures. Pointing  to  the  bread,  I  said,  '  Joseph,  I  have  brought  some- 
 thing for  your  children.'  This  diffused  a  thrill  of  jov  (jver  his 
 sallow  countenance,  and  with  a  convulsive  grasp  he  seized  m\  IkukI, 
 and  pressed  it  to  his  feverish  lips.  As  the  rain  still  i)oured  down 
 without  intermission,  I  hastenetl  into  the  tent  to  satisfy  the  imme- 
 diate wants  of  the  children.  They  were  all  three  asleep,  and, 
 without  looking  at  their  sunken  and  pallid  cheeks,  their  deep  sighs 
 and  heavy  breathing  told  me  that  even  their  slumbers  were  not  free 
 from  anguish  and  pain.  Not  to  disturb  the  weary  suff'erers,  I  softly 
 lifted  the  heavy,  wet  coverlet,  to  cover  th(>  bread  :  but  what  words 
 can  embody  my  feelings,  when  beneath  this  wret(  hed  covering  I 
 beheld  the  glazed  eyes  and  stiff  corjjse  of  the  mother  of  these 
 sleej)ing  and  unconscious  children.  I  was  cpiite  shocked,  ami  a 
 sickening  sensation  crept  over  my  whole  frame.  The  afllictetl  hus- 
 band, in  his  i)assionate  grief  for  a  fond  mother,  had  evidently  (juile 
 forgotten    his  eholera-smitti-n   wife  ;    and  the  ailHcted    woman,    Iut 
 
COXSTAXTIXOPLR.  -79 
 
 (lying  eyes  fixed  on  the  unhappy  objects  of  her  affection,  must  have 
 resigned  her  agonized  spirit  into  the  hands  of  God.  I  was  too 
 much  agitated  to  solace  the  poor  man,  or  to  break  to  him  the 
 mournful  tidings.  The  people  who  were  encamjjed  near  him  knew 
 of  this  accumulated  stroke  of  affliction,  but  they  were  too  much 
 occu])ied  with  their  own  forlorn  condition  to  pay  any  attention  to 
 the  sorrows  and  woes  of  others.  I  exhorted  him  to  confitle  in  the 
 Almighty,  who  would  overrule  all  for  his  good.  He  did  not  believe 
 what  I  said  ;  for  the  faith  of  rabbinical  Jews  brings  no  conviction 
 to  the  heart,  nor  consolation  to  the  desj)onding  soul.  I  promised 
 to  send  him  some  clothing  for  his  children,  for  which  he  apj)eared 
 grateful,  and  gave  me  many  blessings.  It  was  now  two  o'clock,  and 
 as  I  had  been  on'  my  feet  since  seven,  and  breathed  a  disease-laden 
 atmosphere  all  this  time,  I  was  reluctantly  compelled  to  retrace  my 
 way  homewards." 
 
 It  is  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  imi)ortance  of  the  sphere  in 
 which  our  Missionary  brother  was  now  engaged.  It  presented  a 
 variety  of  aspects,  and  required  varied  powers  and  attainments  for 
 its  successful  prosecution.  He  was  incessantly  thrown  into  contact 
 with  Jews,  who  reflected  every  phase  of  belief  and  unbelief;  some 
 rigidly  observing  every  ceremonial,  and  others  living  in  avowed 
 neglect  of  every  religious  obligation.  Some  were  deeply  infected 
 with  the  "  oj)positions  of  science,  falsely  so  called."  Others  looked 
 upon  rabbinical  superstitions  with  almost  idolatrous  reverence. 
 \\'ith  many,  the  evil  lives  antl  pursuits  of  certain  nominal  Christians, 
 were  a  suflicient  condemnation  of  the  religion  of  which  they  were  the 
 professed  followers.  Some,  on  the  other  hand,  held  up  the  idolatry 
 and  fanaticism  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  Churches,  as  an  all-conclu- 
 sive reason  for  the  abhorrence  of  Christianity  itself.  With  these 
 persons,  differing  so  widely  in  their  conclusions,  and  swayed  by  so 
 great  a  variety  of  motives,  Mr.  Stern  seemed  to  deal  with  remarkable 
 aptitude  and  ability.  While  he  was  never  afraid  of  meeting  them 
 on  their  own  grountl,  and  showing  how  the  statements  of  their  own 
 rabbinical  writers,  and  the  traditions  of  the  past,  afforded  satisfactory 
 answers  to  Jewish  objectors ;  he  always  led  them  to  the  inspired 
 Scriptures,  and  contended  that  in  them,  and  them  alone,  would 
 they  find  infallible,  and  never-failing  guidance.  The  appeal  to 
 "  Moses  and  the  Pro[)hets,"  and  hence  to  those  Scriptures,  the 
 authority  of  which  no  religious-minded  Jew  could  deny,  was  the 
 rock  upon  which  he  took  his  stand,  and  the  power  which  wrought 
 eftectuallv  in  the  hearts  of  manv  who  believed. 
 
8o  CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 The  current  of  controversy  assumed  at  times  an  unexpected  cha- 
 racter, and  led  to  declarations  which  indicated  that  a  change  was 
 progressing  in  the  minds  of  many  Jews  which  was  altogether 
 unexpected. 
 
 "  Our  new  proselyte,  by  his  bold  and  unshrinking  defence  of  the 
 truth,  has  drawn  upon  himself  the  bitter  animosity  of  the  Jews  in 
 this  suburb.  This  hatred  would  not  merit  any  notice,  did  it  not 
 often  vent  itself  in  a  more  tangible  demonstration  than  mere  rude 
 epithets,  and  vile  and  abusive  language.  Now  and  then  our  brother 
 meets  with  Jews  who  protect  him  against  the  virulence  of  his  oppo- 
 nents, but  such  an  interference  does  not  escape  the  resentment  of 
 the  rabbis,  who  consider  every  one  that  refuses  to  join  in  their 
 furious  bigotry  against  Christianity,  a  railer  at  their  authority,  and 
 an  abettor  of  Protestantism.  An  incident  of  this  character  hap- 
 pened to  day  in  the  cafe  of  a  man  named  I .     This  individual, 
 
 who  generally  visits  me  every  Saturday,  was  listening  to  a  contro- 
 versy between  C and  several  rabbis.     The  arguments  advanced 
 
 by  our  brother  in  favour  of  the  Gospel,  were  old  Testament  passages 
 and  intelligent  truth  ;  and  the  replies  of  his  antagonists,  insidious 
 sophistries  and  provoking  personalities.  This,  the  owner  of  the 
 premises  and  several  other  Jews  declared  to  be  unfair ;  but  the 
 rabbis,  careless  about  these  remarks,  continued  their  biting  sarcasms 
 and  systematic  misrepresentations.  The  cafe-keeper  once  more 
 interposed  ;  but  this  time  it  excited  the  indigniition  of  the  dispu- 
 tants, and  they  tauntingly  exclaimed,  'Aha,  I is  also  a  Pro- 
 testant.' The  fiery  Jew  promptly  retorted,  'Yes,  I  am  a  Protestant, 
 and  I  defy  you  all  to  prove  that  Protestantism  is  not  true,  nor  its 
 doctrines  divine.'     These  words  were  immediately  reported  to  the 
 
 rulers    of  the    synagogue,    and    in  half  an  hour  after,   I was 
 
 informed  by  his  friends  that  he  would  be  excommunicated  and 
 imprisoned  the  next  morning.  The  poor  man  sent  at  once  to  my 
 house,  to  request  my  aid  if  he  was  thrust  into  prison  and  had  his 
 cafe  shut.  I  promised  to  render  him  every  assistance,  but  at  the 
 same  time  assured  him,  through  his  messenger,  that  he  needed  not 
 to  be  terrified,  as  I  felt  c]uite  certain  that  the  very  avowal  of  his  senti- 
 ments would  check  the  violence  of  his  superiors,  and  secure  him 
 against  their  malice,  ^ly  anticipation  proved  to  be  correct ;  for  the 
 Chief  Rabbi  and  his  coadjutors,  being  afraid  lest  their  own  severity 
 should  precipitate  his  secession  from  the  synagogue,  neither  sum- 
 moned him  before  their  tribunal,  nor  fulminated  against  him  the 
 threatened  anathema.  He  is  now,  more  than  ever,  reading  the  New 
 Testament,  and  I  pra}'erfully  hope  that  the  truth  which  has  to  some 
 extent  enlightened  his  mind,  will  ere  long,  by  the  spirit  of  God,  be 
 applied  to  his  heart." 
 
 The  persecution  to  which  enquirers  were  exposed,  and  the  diffi- 
 culties which  surrounded  them  in  their  acceptance  of  the  Christian 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE.  8 1 
 
 faith,  were  repeatedly  manifested  at  Constantinople.  Of  the  bap- 
 tism of  a  Chacham  and  his  children,  and  the  long  period  of  anxious 
 preparation  through  which  the  Chacham  had  passed,  Mr.  Stern  had 
 been  writing,  and  then  adds  : — 
 
 "Soon  after  my  arrival  here  he  called  on  me,  and  expressed  an 
 earnest  desire  to  be  prepared  for  baptism.  His  deep  and  unosten- 
 tatious piety  shone  so  conspicuously  in  his  whole  character,  that  I 
 would  have  had  no  hesitation  to  comply  with  his  request  at  once, 
 but  as  he  appeared  exceedingly  timid,  it  was  necessary  that  his  life 
 of  faith  in  Christ  should  be  exemplified  in  circumstances  where  his 
 fortitude  would  be  most  tested.  I  advised  him,  therefore,  to  go  to 
 Salonica,  and  persuade  the  objects  of  his  affection  to  become 
 sharers  with  him  in  the  blessings  of  the  Gospel.  He  readily  obeyetl, 
 and  encouraged  by  the  promises  of  Jehovah,  set  out  on  his  perilous 
 journey. 
 
 "  In  a  former  letter,  I  adverted  to  the  troubles  and  trials  he  had 
 to  encounter,  and  the  losses  he  sustained.  One  box,  containing  his 
 few  valuables,  was  forcibly  seized,  just  as  he  was  conveying  it 
 under  the  covering  of  night  to  the  house  of  the  colporteur  of  the 
 American  Board  of  Missions,  and  carried  to  the  residence  of  the 
 Chief  Rabbi,  where  it  still  is.  The  streets  to  the  harbour  were 
 closely  guarded,  that  he  should  not  escape.  Even  on  the  steamer, 
 which,  notwithstanding  all  the  foresight  of  the  rabbis,  he  reached 
 safely,  there  were  agents  to  arrest  him  under  false  charges  ;  and 
 had  not  God  sent  a  kind  and  powerful  Christian  friend  to  his  aid, 
 he  might  now  be  languishing  in  the  dungeons  of  the  rabbinical 
 inquisition,  or  groaning  under  the  ambiguous  justice  of  a  Turkish 
 Pasha.  His  wife,  a  quiet,  docile  woman,  is,  like  all  Eastern  females, 
 uneducated  and  ignorant,  but  he  is  now  teaching  her  to  read  ;  and, 
 by  the  grace  of  God,  she  may  yet  become  learned  and  versed  in 
 Bible  truths,  and  prove  a  blessing  to  numerous  other  females. 
 
 "An  agent  has  been  appointed  by  the  Sublime  Porte  to  repre- 
 sent the  Protestant  community.  He  might  perhaps  be  able  to  save 
 an  enquirer  from  the  vindictive  vengeance  of  the  rabbis,  but  he 
 cannot  prevent  them  ruining  him  in  his  business,  and  from  depriving 
 him  of  all  he  possesses.  I  lately  adverted  to  an  instance  of  this 
 kind,  where  a  father  was  surreptitiously  deprived  of  his  son,  and  on 
 lodging  a  complaint,  the  worthy  judge,  who  did  not  hold  the 
 balance  of  justice  in  an  impartial  hand,  informed  him,  that  the  Jews 
 claimed  a  sum  of  go,ooo  piastres,  a  legacy  bequeathed  to  the  boy 
 at  the  death  of  his  mother,  and  upon  his  requesting  to  have  the 
 charge  substantiated,  the  reply  was,  '  cawass  (policeman),  throw  this 
 man  into  prison.'  " 
 
 These  persecutions  took  a  variety  of  forms.     They  reached  the 
 
 young  as  well  as  the  old.     The  Schools,  which  had  been  established 
 
 in  the  Mission  for  the  instruction  of  Jewish  children,  notwithstand- 
 
82  CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 ing  the  prohibitions  of  the  Rabbis,  had  been  both  attractive  and 
 
 useful.     In  the  hearts  of  many  of  llie  Jewish  youth,  the  knowledge 
 
 of  the  Saviour  had  found  a  jjlace,  and  to  many  it  had  become  the 
 
 jv'Uhway  of  trial. 
 
 "The  father  of  S ,  though  a  tlevout  atUu'rent  to  the  Talmud, 
 
 notwithstanding  his  dread  of  the  Protestants,  jjlaced  his  son,  a  boy 
 of  eighteen  years,  and  firmly  rooted  in  his  faith,  in  one  of  the  mis- 
 sionary schools.  Here  the  youtli,  who  had  been  taught  from  his 
 infancy  to  consider  the  New  Testanienl  a  fable,  and  every  Christian 
 an  idolater,  was  startled  to  find  that  the  Cjospel  he  alwa}'s  regarded 
 as  the  offspring  of  the  brain,  was  really  a  heaven-born  truth,  and 
 the  salvation  he  derided,  the  life-spring  of  present  and  future  hap- 
 piness. He  now  sedulously  devoted  himself  to  the  reading  of  the 
 Old  and  New  Testaments,  a  study  which  enlarged  his  mind, 
 enlightened  his  conscience,  and  filled  him  with  an  unfeigned  love 
 and  trust  in  the  crucified  Redeemer.  These  convictions  naturally 
 relaxed  his  strict  obedience  to  the  duties  prescribed  by  the  Talmuil  ; 
 and  on  being  reproved,  his  honest  mind,  which  revolted  against 
 hypocrisy,  candidly  avowed  the  new  faith  he  had  adopted.  His 
 family,  who  are  near  relations  of  the  Chief  Rabbi,  were  appalled  at 
 this  unexpected  declaration,  and  immediately  eftbrts  were  made  to 
 win  him  back  to  the  synagogue  ;  but  our  young  brother  displayed 
 an  intrepidity  and  firmness  which  could  not  be  shaken  by  human 
 threats  and  violence.  The  father,  who  thought  no  torture  unlawful 
 towards  an  apostate  son,  put  an  end  to  all  persuasions  and  promises, 
 threats  and  curses,  and  with  the  cold  severity  of  the  superstitious 
 bigot,  he  chained  his  own  child  in  heav_\-  fetters,  and  shut  him  u|) 
 in  a  dark  and  solitary  garret.  In  this  confinement,  he  remainetl 
 three  days,  without  seeing  any  one  except  a  clever  Chacham,  whose 
 attempts  to  convince  him  of  his  errors  only  tended  to  confirm  his 
 belief,  and  to  elicit  a  deeper  and  more  heart-felt  acknowledgment 
 of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  The  affair  began  to  excite  some 
 notoriety  ;  and  as  the  father  dreaded  to  become  the  topic  of  public 
 censure,  he  acted  upon  the  artful  advice  of  a  friend,  and  placed  his 
 son  in  a  Jesuit  school,  in  the  hope  that  the  exhibition  of  a  corrupt 
 Christianity  might  show  him  his  illusion,  and  make  him  exclaim, 
 like  the  prodigal,  '  I  have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  thee.' 
 The  young  man  shrunk  with  horror  from  the  melanchol}-,  miserable 
 idolatry  of  Rome,  and,  in  the  accents  of  thrilling  pity,  he  imploreil 
 his  parent  to  remove  him  from  school.  '  No,'  was  the  insensible 
 reply,  '  either  worshij)  the  Christian  INfary,  or  become  a  pious  Jew.' 
 His  temptations,  struggles,  and  trials  increased  with  each  coming 
 day;  already  he  had  deeply  drunk  of  the  cup  of  sorrow,  and 
 endured  the  most  restless  and  rankling  grief,  but  now  sh(juld  he 
 also  deny  his  Saviour,  and  make  shipwreck  of  his  faith  ?  To  bear 
 the  gripe  of  hunger  and  the  bulfets  of  friends  for  Christ  and  the 
 Gospel,  he  could  cheerfully  do  ;  but  the  sacrifice  demanded  of  him 
 
CONSTANTINOPLK.  83 
 
 began  to  invnl\-c  more  than  mere  temi)ora!"y  privations  an'l  suffer- 
 ings— more  than  mere  tears  and  misery.  These  sad  reflections,  lu- 
 fek,  broke  the  last  link  between  him  and  his  father,  between  iiim 
 antl  liis  home  ;  and  though  poverty  and  dependence  stared  him  in 
 the  face,  he  availed  himself  of  one  busy  day,  and  while  his  ])arents 
 believed  him  to  be  in  school,  inhaling  lessons  of  Popery  from  a  Jesuit 
 priest,  he  had  embarked  on  board  a  steamer,  and  with  nothing  but 
 the  clothing"  he  had  on,  was  crossing  the  deep  to  reach  my  house. 
 Since  that  period  (nini'  niontlis  ago)  he  has  been  in  the  Institution, 
 where  his  child-like  resignation,  persevering  diligence,  and  unas- 
 suming i)iety,  have  borr.e  amply  testimony  of  his  fidelit\-  to  llu^ 
 Saviour,  so  that  I  could  not  resist  his  own  request  to  admit  liim,  ])y 
 the  sacred  rite  of  baptism,  inl.)  the  fold  of  the  Redeemer." 
 
 The  question  is  often  discussed — to  what  extent  has  tlic  inlluenre 
 
 of  Christianity  been  realized  in  the  Mahommedan  world  '^ — liow  far 
 
 are  we  justified  in  believing  that  this  influence  is  likely  to  j)revail  .-* 
 
 There  arc  two  great  declarations  which  are  conclusive  on  this  point 
 
 — the  first  is,  that  the  (iospe!  of  Christ  is  "the  power  of  Ciod  unto 
 
 salvation  to  every  on(>  that  belit'veth  ;"    and  the  second,  that   "the 
 
 kingdoms  of  this  world"  shall  become  "the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord 
 
 and  of  His  Christ."     The  numbers  may  be  small,  but  it  has  l)e('n 
 
 ])ro\('d  that  even  at  this  time  the  Lord  has  among  the  Moslems   "  a 
 
 people  for  His  name."     The  promises  of  the  future   indicate,  tliat 
 
 they,  with  all  other  nationalities,  will,  in  the  Lord's  good  time,  bow 
 
 in   believing  submission  before    Him,   who  is  King  of  Kings   anil 
 
 Loixl  of  Lords.     The  ministerial  experieni'e  of  .Mr.  Stern,  made  it 
 
 clear,  that  tlie  power  of  the  Divine  S})irit  coukl  reach  the  conscience 
 
 and  heart  of  tlie  Moslem  as  well  as  others,  and  that  the  message  of 
 
 salvation  might  l)e  made  to  them  a  "  sax'our  of  life  unto  lifr."     In 
 
 speaking  of  the  interest  whicli  nian\-  of  them  were  in  tlit^  liabit  of 
 
 displaying,  in  coming  of  their  own  accord,  and  discussing  w  ith  liini 
 
 the  relative  claims  of  Christianitv,  he  remarked  : — 
 
 "One  of  them  was  for  upwards  of  two  hours  disputing  with  some 
 of  our  inquirers  about  the  account  of  Christ's  sufferings,  as  recorded 
 in  the  Gospels.  The  Mohammedan  insisted,  that  God  contrived  a 
 stratagem  by  which  he  delivered  jesus  (nit  of  the  hands  of  his  ene- 
 mies, and  allowed  them  to  cruc-ity  a  counterfeit,  in  the  person  of 
 Simon  the  Cyrenean  ;  and  the  Jews  maintained  that  the  sacrifice  of 
 Christ  was  not  only  clearly  predicted  in  the  Old  Testament,  luit 
 also  that  it  was  intHspensably  necessary,  as  otherwise  pardon  of  sins 
 ami  reconciliation  with  God  were  utterly  impossible.  Our  inquirers 
 argued  with  great  zeal  and  warmth,  which  so  astonished  the  ]\Ios- 
 
84  CONSTANTINOPLE, 
 
 lem,  that  he  exclaimed,  '  If  you,  the  avowed  enemies  of  the  prophets, 
 and  particularly  of  Jesus,  defend  his  mission,  I  must  confess  that  we 
 live  in  strange  times,  and  in  an  eventful  period.' 
 
 "  I\Iy  old  eicquaintance,  the  Ulema,  called  again  at  the  depot. 
 He  had  with  him  a  huge  Arabic  manuscript,  containing  all  sorts  of 
 controversial  nonsense  and  trash,  about  the  doctrines  of  the  (iospcl. 
 I  had  read  some  parts  of  this  learned  effusion  of  the  Mohammedan 
 doctors  in  Bagdad,  and  so  knew  the  leading  arguments  ;  but  the 
 Ulema  insisted  on  my  perusing  again  several  passages,  which  he 
 particularly  admired.  Having  complied  with  his  request,  he  said  to 
 me  with  much  self-complacency,  '  Is  not  this  excellent  ?  is  it  not 
 quite  incontrovertible  ?'  '  You  may  call  it  excellent  and  incontrover- 
 tible,' I  rejoined,  '  whatever  you  like,  but  I  certainly  cannot  waste 
 such  epithets  on  wilful  perversions  and  misrepresentations.'  '  What,' 
 exclaimed  he,  '  did  not  Moses  refer  to  Mahomed  when  he  said,  I 
 will  raise  them  up  a  prophet  from  among  their  brethren,  &c. ;  and 
 did  not  Jesus  predict  his  advent,  when  he  spoke  of  the  Periclatus, 
 the  Illustrious  ?'  I  showed  him  that  Deut.  xviii.  1 8,  could  have 
 nothing  to  do  with  Mahomet,  who  was  no  Jew  ;  and  John  xiv.  1 6, 
 could  not  be  perverted  from  Paracletus,  the  Comforter,  into  Peii- 
 clatus,  the  Illustrious.  He  then  wanted  to  prove  that  our  Bible  was 
 corrupted,  and  as  he  did  not  succeed,  he  got  angry  both  with  the 
 Koran,  Mahomed  and  myself.  I  sold  him  an  abridged  Church  His- 
 tory, and  he  promised  to  visit  me  again." 
 
CHAPTER    XIV. 
 
 THE      CRIMEAN      WAR. 
 
 The  events  of  that  terrible  conflict,  in  which  England  and  many 
 of  the  great  nations  of  Europe  were  engaged,  are  now  only  remem- 
 bered by  those  who  are  somewhat  advanced  in  years.  The  penin- 
 sula of  the  Crimea,  was  the  scene  of  one  of  the  most  disastrous  and 
 costly  wars  which  have  ever  afflicted  humanity.  But  Constantinople 
 was  practically  the  base  from  which  every  warlike  operation  was 
 carried  on.  It  was  at  this  point  that  the  military  and  naval  forces  of 
 England,  France,  Italy,  and  Turkey,  gathered  together  ;  and  it  was 
 thence  that  they  went  forth  in  their  united  effort,  to  cripple  the 
 aggressive  power  of  Russia. 
 
 There  was  no  need  of  any  external  stimuli,  to  the  ungodly  influ- 
 ences which  are  incessantly  at  work  in  the  metropolis  of  Turkey. 
 But  these  were  intensified  beyond  expression,  by  the  flow  into  its 
 vortex,  during  that  eventful  period,  of  the  worst  forms  of  vice  and 
 worldliness.  With  many,  this  field  for  adventure  was  most  attractive. 
 Among  the  nobler  portion,  the  call  was  that  of  patriotism,  philan- 
 thropy, or  Christian  love.  But  among  the  multitude,  the  hope  and 
 desire  predominated,  that  out  of  the  ruin  and  suffering  of  their 
 fellow-men,  they  might  obtain  some  advantage,  and  that  either  by 
 legitimate  or  dishonest  trade,  the  wants  of  the  combatants  might 
 lead  to  their  enrichment.  This  presented  many  obstacles  to  the 
 successful  prosecution  of  Mr.  Stern's  labours.  The  attention  of 
 most  of  the  Jews  was  absorbed  in  the  almost  universal  eagerness  to 
 accumulate  wealth.  To  such  he  seemed  to  speak  in  vain,  but  to 
 others,  to  whom  the  war  had  become  disastrous,  he  found  easy  and 
 willing  access.  There  was  wailing  and  sorrow  in  many  homes. 
 Apart  from  the  occurrences  which  incessantly  called  forth  the  sym- 
 
86  THE    CRIMKAN    AVAR. 
 
 pathy  of  the  Missionary  towards  tlic  sick,  llu'  wouiuli'd,  and  the 
 dyini;-,  there  were  constant  openings  of  usefulness  among  those,  to 
 whom  the  war  was  the  source  of  disaster. 
 
 "  Amidst  the  throes  of  contencHng  nations,  and  the  convulsions 
 of  mighty  empires,  it  cannot  ])e  exjjected  that  an\'  community, 
 however  small  and  insignificant,  should  li\e  within  the  roar  and 
 thunder  of  hostile  arms,  and  \et  remain  indifferent  and  unconcerned 
 about  the  issue  of  a  contest  which  has  roused  so  many  passions, 
 and  involved  so  many  inte«x>sts.  Throughout  the  wide-spreading 
 regions  of  ^Mahomed's  empire,  ever}-  breast  is  moved,  and  every 
 nerve  unstrung,  and  both  the  believers  in  the  Gosjiel  and  the 
 votaries  of  the  Koran,  anticipate  with  hope,  not  unmingled  willi 
 fear,  the  best  results  from  the  present  eventful  struggle.  'I'he  jew 
 — the  isolated  Jew — also,  through  the  mist  and  darkness  of  the 
 ])olitical  atmosphere,  sees  with  rejoicing  the  gracious  dawn  of  that 
 brighter  day  which  will  encircle  the  world  with  the  golden  girdles 
 of  beauty,  peace,  and  happiness.  .Man}-,  indeed,  believe  the  era  of 
 millennial  glory  to  be  so  near,  that  they  imagine  every  day  to  witness 
 the  dissolution  of  the  whole  existing  system.  The  Chacham  in 
 Ortakeuy,  a  famous  cabalist,  has  already  realized  the  prophecy  in 
 Joel  ii.  28,  'Your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams  ;'  and  such  has  been 
 the  solemn  import  of  his  nocturnal  vision,  that  a  general  fast  was 
 proclaimed,  and  religiously  observed  by  the  people.  Another  old 
 man,  who  gains  his  bread  as  an  itinerant  vendor  of  goods,  in  the 
 dark  of  evening,  and  in  the  ominous  vicinity  of  the  Jewish  cemetery, 
 actually  conversed  with  the  King  of  Israel,  w-ho  condescendingly 
 announced  to  him  the  impending  woes  of  the  wicked  Gentiles,  and 
 the  unrivalled  glory  of  righteous  Israel." 
 
 "  In  Constantinople,  where  the  war  has  infused  an  unusual  acti- 
 vity in  every  trade  and  commerce,  so  that  rich  and  })oor,  high  and 
 low,  are  day  and  night  immersed  in  business,  and  bent  upon  the 
 objects  of  gain,  it  is  most  difficult  to  procure  access  to  the  people, 
 or  to  win  their  ears  to  hear  the  message  of  salvation.  Boys  scarcely 
 out  of  their  teens,  and  old  men  unable  to  hold  in  their  palsied  hand 
 the  money  after  which  they  grasp,  crowd  around  Nebuchadnezzar's 
 image,  and  with  greater  zeal  than  the  Babylonians  worship  at  the 
 golden  shrine.  Thus,  on  the  21st  ult.,  I  met  four  Jews,  with  whom 
 I  had  been  discussing  on  a  former  occasion  the  doctrines  of  tlie 
 Gospel,  and,  as  usual,  saluted  them  w-ith  a  '  buenos  dias.'  They 
 returned  my  salutation,  and  immediately  we  entered  into  a  desultory 
 conversation,  which  continued  till  we  reached  the  place  of  business 
 in  the  khan.  Here  the  conversation  suddenly  terminated,  and  every 
 one  began  to  speak  about  the  transmission  of  goods  to  Balaclava  and 
 the  allied  camps,  with  an  anxiety  and  solicitude,  as  if  life  and  death 
 were  pending  on  the  issue  of  their  speculation. 
 
 "The  war,  which  is  extensively  contributing  towards  the  external 
 amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  Stamboulees,   is,  I   regret  to 
 
TIIIC    CRIMKAN    WAR.  87 
 
 stale,  i)ainrully  di-lcriorating  the  general  progress  of  tlic  (lospcl, 
 and  the  moral  and  intellectual  condition  of  the  people.  Thus  among 
 the  Jews  it  was  formerly  very  difficult  to  gain  admission  into  their 
 houses,  still  it  was  not  entirely  a  useless  effort,  for  the  Missionary, 
 in  going  from  street  to  street,  and  house  to  house,  here  and  there 
 found  one  or  more  to  whom  he  could  communicate  the  message  of 
 the  Gospel ;  but  at  present  such  exertions  are  only  a  waste  of  time, 
 for  one  may  tra\erse  scores  of  lanes  and  alleys,  knock  at  every  door, 
 and  yet  not  meet  in  a  single  dwelling  a  boy  above  ten  years  of  age. 
 The  bazaars,  the  camp,  and  Balaclava,  are  the  centres  of  attraction 
 where  young  and  old,  the  vendors  of  illicit  spirits,  and  the  ruffian 
 who  has  become  grey  in  inicjuity,  collect  together  to  gain  bv  barter 
 or  cheatery,  what  they  would  never  have  accpiired  by  honest  labour 
 and  useful  industry.  This  idolatry  of  mammon  among  all  commu- 
 nities in  this  city,  has  been  productive  of  a  most  demoralizing  influ- 
 ence ;  and  if  no  superior  power  speedily  arrests  this  rolling  tide  of 
 a  debasing  heathenism,  every  vestige  of  religion  will  ere  long  be 
 eradicated,  and  the  most  repulsive  vice  and  sin  be  made  subservient 
 to  the  darling  object  of  material  interests.  God  grant  that  the 
 political  storm  which  is  now  convulsing  the  East,  mav  purify  the 
 moral  atmosphere,  and  waft  awav  the  clouds  which  hitherto  con- 
 cealed from  Jew  and  Mahommedan  the  full  Ijcauty  of  the  evangelical 
 covenant. 
 
CHAPTER    XV. 
 
 THE   CRIMEA.       THE    CARAITE   JEWS. 
 
 Among  the  places  occupied  by  the  Allies  in  the  Crimea,  was  the 
 town  of  Kcrtch.  At  that  time,  it  was  a  busy  and  attractive  seaport, 
 and  the  centre  of  a  considerable  trade.  About  seventy  Jewish 
 families  lived  in  the  town,  most  of  whom  were  persons  of  fortune 
 and  property.  They  were  exposed  to  very  brutal  treatment  at  the 
 hands  of  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants,  and  having  been  plundered  of 
 all  that  they  possessed,  they  accepted  an  offer  for  their  removal  to 
 Constantinople.  On  their  arrival,  the  Turkish  Government  appro- 
 priated to  their  use  a  spacious  khan,  and  gave  them  a  small  daily 
 allowance.  Their  Chief  Rabbi  was  an  educated  and  well-disposed 
 man,  and  there  was  very  little  prejudice  against  Christianity  in  the 
 minds  of  any  of  their  number.  Mr.  Stern  and  his  colleagues,  esta- 
 blished a  School  in  the  khan,  for  the  benefit  of  their  children,  and 
 aided  other  Christian  friends  in  ministering  to  their  wants.  "  We 
 can  have  no  objection,"  said  the  Rabbi,  "  to  anything  that  English 
 Christians  wish  to  teach  our  children,  for  we  see  that  they  do  every- 
 thing with  kindness  and  persuasion,  and  not  by  force,  as  the  Russian 
 Christians  do." 
 
 The  presence  of  these  Jews,  naturally  called  attention  to  the  state 
 of  the  Jews  who  lived  in  other  parts  of  the  Crimea.  These  were 
 known  to  be  chiefly  Caraites.  The  towns  in  which  they  lived  were 
 some  distance  from  the  coast,  the  principal  settlements  being 
 Baktchi-Serai  and  Tchoufut-Kaleh.  The  distinguishing  character- 
 istics of  the  Caraite  Jews,  is  their  rejection  of  the  authority  of  the 
 Talmud,  and  their  professed  acknowledgment  of  the  Old  Testa- 
 ment, as  the  only  authoritative  rule  of  faith.  It  has  been  conjec- 
 tured, that  they  were  among  the  Jews  who  did  not  return  to  Judea 
 
THE    CRIMEA.      THE    CARATrE   JEWS.  89 
 
 from  the  Babylonian  captivity,  but  wlio  found  an  asylum  in  the 
 Trans-Caucasian  districts.  The  introduction  of  the  Talmud  among 
 them  at  a  later  period  of  their  history,  is  said  to  have  led  to  serious 
 discussions.  Those  who  were  faithful  to  the  supreme  authority  of 
 the  Holy  Scriptures,  separated  from  the  others,  and  made  their  way 
 to  the  Crimea.  They  are  found  in  limited  numbers  in  Southern 
 Russia,  and  they  form  a  small  community  at  Jerusalem.  They  are 
 more  tolerant  than  the  Talmudical  Jews,  which  may  arise  from  the 
 fact,  that  there  is  no  record  of  their  ever  having  been  persecuted  on 
 account  of  their  faith. 
 
 The  moral  character  of  these  Jews  was  so  unexceptionable,  that 
 their  honesty  had  passed  into  a  Crimean  proverb:  "ACaraite's 
 word  is  as  good  as  the  most  binding  bond."  This  probably  arose 
 from  the  treatment  which  they  received  from  the  Government. 
 They  were  allowed  to  retain  their  ancient  usages  without  molesta- 
 tion, and  were  governed  by  their  own  laws.  The  Chief  Rabbi 
 occupied  the  position  of  their  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  Governor, 
 and  was  also  the  superintendent  of  all  their  schools.  These,  how- 
 ever, were  but  imperfect  channels  of  instruction  ;  for  the  Jews  of 
 the  Crimea  seemed  to  share  in  the  general  ignorance,  which  distin- 
 guished the  inhabitants. 
 
 As  soon  as  the  tide  of  war  had  reached  its  limit,  and  there  was  a 
 prospect  of  facilities  being  given  for  intercourse  with  these  inter- 
 esting people,  Mr.  Stern  was  instructed  by  the  Committee  to  pro- 
 ceed to  the  Crimea  for  that  purpose.  The  ground  had  been  so  far 
 prepared  by  his  intercourse  with  the  Kertch  Jews,  that  he  embarked 
 from  Constantinople,  with  the  confidence,  that  this  project  would 
 not  be  without  some  encouraging  results.  He  left  Constantinople 
 on  the  24th  of  April,  1856,  and  wrote  as  follows,  after  the  accom- 
 plishment of  his  mission  : — 
 
 "  On  Saturday  mid-day  we  reached  Balaclava,  the  most  busy  and 
 active  little  spot  on  the  globe.  I  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  a 
 shelter  in  that  crowded  military  position,  where  every  hut  is  occu- 
 pied by  soldiers,  depots,  and  government  offices.  On  Tuesday,  I 
 rode  to  Sebastopol,  and  on  my  Avay  visited  Dr.  Blackwood.  He 
 had  been  anticipating  my  arrival,  and  immediately  invited  me  to 
 remove  to  his  place,  near  the  front,  a  favour  of  which  I  availed 
 myself  the  next  morning.     The  subject  of  our  excursion  to  Tchou- 
 
 G 
 
go  THE    CRIMEA.      THE    CARAITE   JEWS. 
 
 fut-Kaleh,  the  principal  seat  of  the  Caraite  Jews,  which  we  had 
 already  discussed  at  Stamboul,  again  engaged  our  anxious  solici- 
 tude ;  and,  as  my  time  was  limited,  we  resolved  to  start  on  the  fol- 
 lowing day.  Some  other  friends  promised  to  join  us  ;  but,  as  we 
 were  determined  not  to  have  our  plans  disconcerted,  without  waiting 
 for  anyone  else,  Dr.  and  Lady  Alicia  Blackwood,  Miss  Almroth,  and 
 myself,  set  out  on  our  projected  expedition.  On  our  road,  we 
 crossed  the  Tchernaya,  whose  pellucid  waters,  only  a  few  months 
 previous,  had  been  dyed  with  the  blood  of  the  valiant  and  brave. 
 The  scenery  near  this  famous  battle-field  was  devoid  of  all  attrac- 
 tions ;  naked  hills,  intersected  by  treeless  valleys,  constituted  the 
 uniform  aspect  of  the  country ;  but  though  nature  had  been  parsi- 
 monious in  her  gifts  to  this  part  of  the  Tauric  Peninsula,  late  events 
 have  immortalized  these  heights  and  plains,  and  invested  them  with 
 an  historic  interest  which  time  will  never  obliterate.  Our  ride  from 
 the  Traktir  Bridge,  up  the  Mackenzie's  heights,  conducted  us  to  a 
 Russian  encampment,  where  we  still  saw  numerous  mounted  bat- 
 teries occupying  the  beetling  crags  and  yawning  chasms  of  the 
 rocks,  as  if  the  mighty  and  strong  who  have  fallen,  have  not  yet 
 satisfied  these  wide-throated  engines  of  death.  At  sunset,  we  reached 
 Baktschi-Serai,  a  dirty,  barbarous  Tartar  town,  situated  between 
 two  rocks,  and  consisting  of  one  unpaved  street  of  a  mile  in  length. 
 The  greatest  difficulty  was  to  find  lodgings,  as  the  inns  were  few, 
 and  the  number  of  English  visitors  very  considerable.  By  dint  of 
 perseverance,  we  secured  a  room  in  one  of  the  hotels,  for  the  ladies, 
 and  the  Doctor  and  myself  were  obliged  to  content  ourselves  with  a 
 limited  space  in  the  saloon,  which  also  served  the  purpose  of  a  dor- 
 mitory for  the  guests  and  our  host's  domestic  establishment.  The 
 same  evening  I  had  an  opportunity  to  make  the  acquaintance  of 
 several  Jews,  who  received  me  with  the  greatest  kindness.  The 
 poor  people  had  never  seen  a  missionary,  nor  heard  the  truths  of  the 
 Gospel,  and  my  presence  therefore  excited  the  utmost  wonder.  In 
 fact,  they  gazed  at  me  with  a  scrutinizing  curiosity,  as  if  I  were  a 
 visitor  from  the  unknown  shores  of  the  self-created  rabbinical 
 Savihatian.  My  books  they  were  also  most  solicitous  to  see  ;  but 
 as  it  was  already  late,  I  could  not  gratify  their  wish.  At  five  o'clock 
 the  following  morning  I  unpacked  my  box,  in  an  open  square 
 before  the  hotel,  and  ere  many  minutes  had  elapsed,  I  was  sur- 
 rounded by  numbers  of  Jews,  who  with  avidity  seized  the  books  I 
 offered  for  sale.  To  many  I  also  addressed  a  few  words  on  the 
 great  question  at  issue  between  Jews  and  Christians.  They  were 
 quite  ignorant  of  the  essential  doctrines  of  our  belief,  and,  like 
 most  Jews  who  come  continually  in  contact  with  the  idolatrous 
 ceremonies  of  the  Greek  and  Romish  Churches,  they  regarded  every 
 Christian  as  a  superstitious  worshipper  of  images  and  crosses.  One 
 young  Jew  was  particularly  attentive  to  all  I  said  ;  and  on  my  meeting 
 him  again,  on  our  second  visit  to  Baktschi-Serai,  he  assured  me 
 that  he  had  been  most  attentively  reading  the  New  Testament,  and 
 was  quite  anxious  to  be  instructed  in  the  truths  of  Christianity.   The 
 
THE    CRIMEA.       TH  K    CARAITK    JEWS.  9« 
 
 eagerness  of  the  Jews  to  get  our  books  excited  a  spirit  of  emulation 
 among  the  Tartars,  and  several  recjuested  me  to  give  them  New 
 Testaments  ;  unfortunately,  we  had  only  one  copy  in  Turkish  with 
 us,  and  this  I  did  not  wish  to  give  away  without  receiving  the  full 
 price  ;  subsequently,  Dr.  Blackwood  gave  it  to  some  Tartars,  who 
 accepted  it  with  intense  joy  and  gratitude.  At  eleven  o'clock,  we 
 mounted  again,  and  started  for  Tchoufut-Kaleh,  the  home  of  the 
 Caraites.  The  distance  from  Baktschi-Serai  to  this  mountain  city 
 is  only  two  miles,  and  to  anyone  who  passed  such  a  sleepless  night 
 as  we  all  did,  the  bracing  air  of  the  hills,  impregnated  with  the  per- 
 fumes of  numberless  aromatic  plants,  which  grew  wild  on  every 
 declivity,  afforded  quite  a  feast  and  delight  to  the  senses.  At  the 
 end  of  the  gorge  in  which  Baktschi-Serai  is  confined,  the  road 
 becomes  impassable  for  carriages  ;  we  therefore  left  our  vehicles  in 
 the  charge  of  the  drivers,  and,  partly  on  horseback,  and  partly  on 
 foot,  clambered  up  the  steep  and  slippery  path,  towards  the  aerial 
 home  of  the  secluded  Caraite  community.  Near  the  summit  we 
 met  the  rabbi,  riding  along  with  a  Russian  officer.  My  eye,  so 
 long  familiar  with  the  Eastern  Jews,  at  once  recognized  this  indi- 
 vidual as  the  rabbi,  and  immediately  we  entered  into  conversation, 
 first  in  Hebrew,  then  in  French,  and  at  last  we  interchanged  a  few 
 questions  and  answers  in  German.  He  was  exceedingly  civil,  and 
 invited  me  to  proceed  directly  to  his  house,  where  I  would  find 
 plenty  of  books  to  amuse  myself  till  his  return.  I  urged  him  to 
 come  back  with  us,  but  he  had  pressing  business  at  Baktschi-Serai, 
 which  he  was  obliged  to  despatch.  Leaving  the  rabbi,  we  entered, 
 through  a  passage  cut  into  the  solid  rock,  the  citadel  of  the  Caraites. 
 The  whole  place  appeared  deserted,  and  the  tramp  of  our  horses' 
 feet  on  the  hard  stony  pavement  vibrated  sadly  on  our  ears.  After 
 winding  our  way  through  several  narrow  streets,  in  which  silence 
 and  death-like  inactivity  seemed  to  reign,  we  suddenly  came  to  a 
 little  shed,  where  five  old  men,  in  the  Tartar  garb,  were  indolently 
 enjoying  the  fumes  of  the  chibouk.  I  accosted  them  in  Turkish, 
 and  they  readily  answered  all  my  queries.  One  of  them  accom- 
 panied us  to  the  house  of  the  rabbi,  the  best  and  most  comfortable 
 building  in  the  place.  A  relation  of  the  chief  received  us,  and  im- 
 mediately we  were  conducted  to  the  best  room,  where  the  rabbi's 
 wife,  a  young  lady  eighteen  years  old,  was  waiting  to  welcome  her 
 guests.  I  endeavoured  to  converse  with  the  inmates  of  the  house, 
 but  they  were  exceedingly  ignorant,  and  to  all  I  said,  had  one 
 answer  :  '  The  rabbi  will  be  able  to  speak  with  you,'  To  linger 
 away  our  time,  we  now  visited  the  Synagogue,  a  neat  building, 
 hanging,  like  the  houses,  on  the  veiy  edge  of  the  rock.  The  interior 
 was  covered  with  carpets,  and  adorned  with  a  row  of  silver  lamps  ; 
 also  the  scrolls  of  the  law  were  richly  ornamented,  and  an  air  of 
 wealth,  comfort,  and  prosperity  pervaded  the  whole  sanctuary. 
 Close  to  the  ark  of  the  law  stood  a  glass  case,  which  covered  a 
 magnificent,  elaborately-worked  silver  cup,  that  was  presented  to 
 the  Synagogue  in  1847,  by  the  Dowager  Empress  of  Russia." 
 
92  THE    CRIMEA.        IHE    CARAITE    JEWS. 
 
 ^Ir.  Stern  and  his  friends  found  a  refuge  in  a  Greek  Convent, 
 situated  in  a  gorge  some  distance  from  this  place.  His  narrative 
 continued  thus  : — 
 
 "  I  now  again  began  to  think  on  the  Caraite  Jews,  and  quite 
 despaired  of  accomplishing  the  whole  object  of  mv  journey  ;  the 
 Lord,  however,  never  discourages  the  efforts  of  his  servants.  This 
 I  fully  experienced  ;  for,  when  I  despondingly  abandoned  all  hopes 
 of  effecting  any  good  among  this  long  isolated  community,  num- 
 bers, quite  unexpectedly,  came  to  our  encampment,  and  freely  entered 
 into  conversation  with  me.  They  were  all  anxious  for  books  and 
 tracts.  Gospels  and  portions  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  willingly 
 paid  the  price  I  charged.  A  Russian  officer,  who  could  smatter  a 
 little  German  and  French,  together  with  the  abbot  of  the  convent, 
 were  also  attracted  to  the  spot.  The  abbot  immediately  inspected 
 the  books,  but  the  sight  of  the  Russian  New  Testament,  of  which 
 we  had  several  copies  for  distribution,  quite  frightened  him,  and  he 
 hurried  away  in  the  greatest  trepidation.  His  friend  did  not  share 
 these  terrors  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  appeared  most  desirous  to  pur- 
 chase a  New  Testament,  and  had  not  the  cunning  dignitary  watched 
 him  at  a  distance,  he  would  gladly  have  secured  a  copy.  To  revenge 
 himself  on  the  jealous  guardian  of  his  orthodoxy,  he  bought  a 
 Liturgy  and  Gospel  in  Hebrew,  which,  I  fear,  will  never  be  of  great 
 use  to  him.  The  Chief  Rabbi  of  the  Caraites,  Chacham  Solomon 
 Beyim,  together  with  several  of  his  people,  now  also  came  riding  to 
 our  encampment.  He  expressed  great  regret  at  his  unwilling 
 detention  in  Batschi-Serai ;  '  And  now,'  said  he,  '  if  you  are  indeed 
 a  good  brother,  and  your  words  and  appearance  tell  me  you  are, 
 mount  a  horse,  and  be  my  guest  this  night.'  This  generous  invita- 
 tion I  could  not  refuse,  and  as  one  of  the  rabbi's  companions  had 
 already  alighted  from  his  horse,  I  threw  myself  into  the  saddle,  and 
 the  whole  cavalcade,  consisting  of  fifteen  persons,  slowly  ascended 
 the  steep  mountain  of  Tchoufut-Kaleh.  We  did  not,  as  in  the 
 morning,  enter  the  citadel  through  its  rock-cut  gateway,  but  made 
 along  the  gorge  till  we  gradually  emerged  into  a  beautiful  dell, 
 sheltered  by  lofty  hills,  and  covered  with  umbrageous  trees.  This 
 lovely  spot  is  the  cemetery  of  the  Caraites,  and,  by  some  strange 
 caprice,  it  bears  the  significant  appellation  of  '  the  Valley  of  Jeho- 
 shaphat.'  The  rabbi  told  me  that  there  were  forty  thousand  sepul- 
 chral stones  in  this  secluded  and  peaceful  home  of  the  dead,  besides 
 myriads  to  whose  memory  poverty  or  indifferent  friends  had  raised 
 no  honoured  monument.  Many  of  the  epitaphs  bore  evident  marks 
 of  antiquity,  and  I  would  have  copied  some  of  the  inscriptions,  had 
 not  the  approach  of  the  Sabbath,  and  the  gathering  shades  of  night 
 precluded  my  doing  so." 
 
 Proceeding  on  his  tour,  he  recounted  the  circumstances  of  his 
 visit  to  the  capital  of  the  Crimea. 
 
THE    CRniEA.       THK    CARAITE    JEWS.  93 
 
 "  In  the  afternoon  we  reached  Simpheropol,  the  capital  of  the 
 Crimea,  and  lately  the  military  centre  of  the  Russian  forces.  It 
 being  the  Jewish  Sidibath,  the  streets  were  literally  crowded  with 
 the  gaily  dressed  descendants  of  Abraham,  who  were  wiling  away 
 the  tedious  hours  of  their  day  of  rest.  Our  strong  party  attracted  a 
 general  curiosity,  and  large  numbers  thronged  around  us,  one 
 recommending  this,  and  another  that  lodging,  as  the  best  and 
 cleanest  in  the  town.  The  first  we  saw  was,  however,  the  most 
 inviting  ;  and  so,  after  a  hopeless  search  to  find  something  superior, 
 we  were  glad  to  install  ourselves  in  the  two  rooms  ceded  to  us  bv  a 
 Jewish  family. 
 
 "  Early  in  the  morning,  whilst  my  friends  were  still  sleeping,  I 
 repaired  to  the  Synagogue.  The  congregation  were  just  engaged 
 in  prayers,  and  I  therefore  retired  to  the  court,  where  a  lively  and 
 animated  circle  was  soon  formed  around  me.  My  tracts  at  once 
 riveted  the  eager  gaze  of  all,  but  no  sooner  had  they  read  a  few 
 lines,  than  a  spontaneous  shout  arose,  '  A  goy,  a  goy.'  I  told  them 
 that  I  was  no  goy  (Gentile),  and  losing  no  time,  proceeded  to 
 explain  to  them  the  nature  and  the  end — the  hopes  and  the  conso- 
 lations of  the  Christian  faith.  As  at  Baktschi-Serai,  so  here, 
 idolatry  was  again  laid  to  my  charge,  but  I  repelled  the  assertion, 
 and  showed  them  that  the  Gospel  deprecated  idol  worship,  and 
 only  taught  mankind  to  adore  the  true  God,  revealed  in  the  Bible. 
 This  quite  confused  them,  and  they  could  not  unravel  the  mysterv, 
 that  I  should  be  a  Christian,  and  not  an  invoker  of  saints — a  fol- 
 lower of  Jesus,  and  yet  not  a  devotee  at  the  shrine  of  ]Mary,  I  now 
 gave  them  a  simple  and  explicit  summary  of  our  Protestant  belief, 
 and  I  feel  fully  persuaded  that  a  discourse  from  the  greatest  rabbi 
 could  not  have  engaged  the  mind,  and  enlisted  the  interest  of  an 
 audience,  more  deeply  than  I  did,  by  my  plain  disquisitions  on  the 
 fundamental  principles  and  tenets  of  our  faith.  I  sold  a  number  of 
 tracts.  New  Testaments,  and  Pentateuchs  ;  but  if  I  had  had  with 
 me  triple  the  number,  they  would  have  also  been  seized  with  avidity. 
 On  returning  to  my  lodging,  I  found,  close  before  the  gateway, 
 four  boys  and  two  adults,  holding  pictures  and  crucifixes  aloft  in  the 
 air,  before  which  the  superstitious  multitude  reverentially  bowed 
 and  crossed  themselves.  Surely  it  cannot  be  wondered  at,  if  the 
 Jew,  who  sees  such  an  exhibition  of  Christianity,  rejects  the  mes- 
 sage of  mercy,  and  with  the  full  provision  for  his  salvation,  descends, 
 unconverted,  unprepared,  and  unatoned,  to  the  gloomy  chambers  of 
 corruption. 
 
 "  Simpheropol  contains  10,000  inhabitants,  of  which  number  2000 
 are  rabbinical  and  about  800  Caraite  Jews.  During  the  war,  when 
 business  was  greatly  depressed  in  the  interior,  multitudes  of  Israel- 
 ites flocked  to  this  town,  some  in  order  to  make  contracts  with  the 
 government,  and  others  to  traffic  in  the  different  camps.  ^lany  of 
 these  are  still  in  the  place,  and  very  likely  the  majoritv  will  avail 
 themselves  of  the  facilities  now  aff"orded  to  trade  with  'f  urkev,  and 
 
94  THE    CRIMEA.       THE    CARAITE    JEWS. 
 
 either  permanently  establish  themselves  here,  or  at  Sebastopol.  In 
 selecting  a  missionary  station,  the  numerical  strength  of  the  popu- 
 lation, and  the  central  position  of  the  i)lace,  both  point  us  to  Sim- 
 pheropol,  as  the  most  eligible  sj)ot  in  the  Crimea. 
 
 "  On  May  5th,  we  left  again  for  Baktschi-Serai.  On  the  road  we 
 met  a  part  of  the  Russian  army,  on  their  march  to  the  interior.  All 
 the  officers,  as  we  passed  along,  saluted  us,  and  in  their  contented 
 and  happy  looks,  one  could  read  the  satisfaction  they  felt  at  the 
 termination  of  the  late  fearful  struggle.  In  the  evening  we 
 reached  Baktschi-Serai,  and  encamped  on  the  hills  near  the  town, 
 where,  to  our  great  regret,  we  had  an  ocular  demonstration  that  the 
 severe  rule  of  Russia  had  not  blunted  the  thievish  propensities  of 
 the  I'artars. 
 
 "On  Saturday,  INIay  loth,  I  got  an  order  for  a  passage  to  Con- 
 stantinople, but  as  the  steamer  did  not  sail  before  five  o'clock  p.m., 
 on  Sunday,  I  complied  with  the  request  of  my  friends,  and  at  half- 
 past  nine  preached  to  the  troops  in  the  open  air,  and  an  hour  later 
 at  head  quarters,  before  the  staff  of  General  Codrington  ;  and  thus 
 ended  my  short  and  pleasant  trip  to  the  Crimea." 
 
 The  Missionary  was  here  addressing  a  part  of  the  British  army, 
 at  the  termination  of  one  of  the  most  arduous  campaigns,  of  which 
 there  is  any  record  in  military  annals.  The  fields  of  the  Crimea 
 were  dyed  with  the  blood  of  the  noble  and  the  brave,  who  had  pur- 
 chased the  final  success  of  their  country,  by  the  sacrifice  of  their 
 lives.  Not  many  years  afterwards,  it  would  again  be  his  privilege 
 to  address  the  brave  troops  of  (jrreat  Britain.  But  then,  it  would 
 be  before  the  fortress  of  Magdala,  amidst  the  mountains  of 
 Abyssinia.  There,  he  himself  would  be  among  the  fruits  of  their 
 enterprise  and  energy,  as  a  captive  delivered  from  thraldom  ;  but, 
 in  happy  contrast  with  the  conflicts  of  the  Crimea,  none  fell  before 
 the  weapon  of  the  foe — no  cloud  o'ershadowcd  that  scene  of 
 triumph  and  victory. 
 
CHAPTER    XVJ. 
 
 TURKEY       IN       EUROPE. 
 
 "The  harvest  truly  is  great,  but  the  labourers  are  few."  These 
 solemn  and  pathetic  words  of  our  Lord  have  been  echoed  from  age 
 to  age.  The  inadequacy  of  the  agency,  through  which  an  attempt 
 is  made  to  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
 creature,  is  a  fact  which  no  one  can  gainsay.  The  fields  of  labour 
 which  are  continually  presenting  themselves  to  the  attention  of  ]Mis- 
 sionary  Committees,  are  not  only  numerous,  but  they  occasionally  offer 
 new,  or  changed  aspects,  which  demand  new,  or  increased  effort.  These 
 exigencies  cannot  be  met  with  the  very  inadequate  resources  over 
 which  such  Committees  have  control  ;  and  they  sometimes  neces- 
 sitate the  relinquishment  of  one  sphere  of  operation,  in  order  that 
 another  may  be  occupied.  Nor  is  it  always  possible  to  form  defi- 
 nite conclusions  on  the  wisdom  of  these  changes,  until  the  trial  has 
 been  made.  It  is  possible,  that  the  new  base  of  operation  may  not 
 prove  as  advantageous  and  successful  as  there  may  have  been 
 reason  to  anticipate.  To  meet  the  necessities  of  these  cases.  Mis- 
 sionary journeys  are  an  almost  invariable  characteristic  of  IMission- 
 ary  work.  The  many  towns  and  villages  which  may  be  accessible, 
 are  in  this  way  reached  even  when  they  cannot  be  occupied.  The 
 living  voice  of  the  messenger  arrests  and  instructs  if  only  for  a  time; 
 and  the  circulation  of  Bibles,  books,  and  tracts,  are  the  precious 
 seed  when  the  messenger  has  withdrawn,  which  in  the  hand  of  the 
 Lord,  is  ofttimes  fruitful  in  blessing. 
 
 Nor  is  this  mode  of  operation  without  its  distinctive  advantages. 
 Continued  aggression  on  anyone  of  the  strongholds  of  Satan,  very 
 
96  TURKEY    IN    EUROPE. 
 
 generally  leads  to  combined  and  organised  effort  to  resist  and 
 undermine.  Rabbinical  intolerance  gathers  together  its  forces,  and 
 uses  its  influence  to  destroy  the  effects  of  the  Gospel.  But  when 
 the  soldiers  of  Christ  pass  in  rapid  succession  from  one  stronghold 
 to  another,  the  enemies  of  the  truth  are  not  always  prepared  for 
 the  assault.  An  interest  in  their  message,  and  an  anxiety  to  become 
 better  acquainted  with  revealed  truth,  very  often  are  the  results  of 
 these  desultory  operations,  and  before  any  prejudicial  influence  can 
 be  exercised,  the  agents  pass  on  to  another  part  of  the  field. 
 
 From  every  Missionary  Station,  arrangements  are  almost  invari- 
 ably made  for  these  periodical  campaigns.  Old  ground  is  revisited, 
 and  new  ground  is  broken.  The  incipient  faith  of  some  enquirers 
 is  confirmed,  and  to  others  who  are  "out  of  the  way,"  the  glad 
 tidings,  of  redemption  through  Christ,  are  addressed.  Throughout 
 Turkey  in  Europe,  large  numbers  of  Jews  are  scattered.  They  form  a 
 large  proportion  of  the  population  in  Salonica  (the  ancient  Thes- 
 salonica)  and  Adrianople.  At  Brousa,  Philopopoli,  Loin  Palanka,  and 
 other  places,  which  have  been  familiarized  to  the  readers  of  the 
 accounts  of  the  recent  wars  in  the  East,  there  are  communities  of 
 Jews.  Both  Salonica  and  Adrianople,  have  been  at  various  times 
 occupied  as  Missionary  Stations.  But  when  these  Missions  were 
 suspended,  they  were  visited  from  time  to  time  by  the  Missionaries 
 from  Constantinople. 
 
 In  these  journeys,  Mr.  Stern  took  a  prominent  part.  To  recount 
 the  nature  of  his  intercourse  with  those  to  whom  he  was  sent,  would 
 be  the  mere  recapitulation  of  facts,  incidents,  and  conversations, 
 of  which  a  sufficient  number  have  already  been  given.  The  discom- 
 forts to  which  such  travellers  are  exposed  in  these  countries, 
 although  not  insignificant,  are  small  in  comparison  to  those,  through 
 which  Mr.  Stern  passed  in-  Persia  and  other  regions.  They  are 
 continually  dependent  upon  the  hospitality — generally  of  a  very 
 selfish  character — of  the  people  amongst  whom  they  sojourn. 
 These  were  sometimes  Mussulmans,  and  at  other  times  Bulgarians, 
 Roumelians,  or  members  of  the  Greek  Church.  Our  IMissionary 
 sometimes  related,  that?  while  the  Turk  would  accept  whatever  was 
 offered  to  him  as  remuneration,  without  any  controversy  ;  the  Greek 
 or  Bulgarian  would  be  extortionate  and  dissatisfied,  even  when  pro- 
 fessing to  be  influenced  by  the  most  kindly  feelings. 
 
TURKEY    IN    EUROPE.  97 
 
 The  country  through  which  the  traveller  passes,  is  generally  full  of 
 classical  reminiscences.  The  approach  to  the  Balkan  mountains  is 
 imposing,  the  swelling  undulations  gradually  assuming  a  more 
 rugged  and  picturesque  character. 
 
 "  About  noon  we  entered  Trajan's  Pass,  which  is  a  great  natural 
 fissure  through  their  very  centre.  In  a  military  point  of  view,  it  has 
 ahvciys  been  reckoned  of  great  value,  as  the  remains  of  Roman  and 
 other  fortifications  attest.  Beautifully  wooded  on  either  side,  and 
 furnished  with  a  clear  rivulet  running  along  its  base,  it  afforded  us 
 quite  a  romantic  ride  of  about  four  hours,  after  which  we  descended 
 into  the  valley  of  Tchtimau,  midway  in  which  stands  the  town  of  the 
 same  name.  Flocks  were  feeding  in  a  space  of  at  least  looo  square 
 acres,  on  grass  which  for  fineness  and  closeness  was  fully  equal  to 
 that  of  an  English  meadow.  The  houses  of  which  the  town  is 
 composed  were  each  fortified  with  mud  walls  supported  by  wattles, 
 as  a  protection  against  the  brigands  and  the  wolves.  As  we 
 entered,  a  marriage  was  being  solemnized,  and  the  procession 
 shortly  after  moved  down  the  street  where  our  khan  was  situated, 
 accompanied  by  the  sound  of  the  bagpipes.  The  bride  and  her 
 companions  were  each  dressed  in  black  skirts,  with  scarlet  bodices 
 and  aprons,  their  hair  being  plaited  in  long  tresses  down  to  their 
 feet,  and  intertwined  with  all  the  silver  coins  of  which  their  worldly 
 fortunes  were  composed.  The  bridegroom  and  his  fellows,  were 
 arrayed  in  the  usual  untanned  sheep-skins,  with  caps  made  of  black 
 lamb-skins.  When  all  present  were  united  round  the  public  foun- 
 tain, the  bride  bowed  three  several  times  to  the  earth,  and  then  the 
 bridesmaids  poured  water  upon  her  head.  This  part  of  the  cere- 
 mony being  completed,  a  large  ring  was  formed,  each  semi-circle 
 of  which  was  composed  entirely  of  one  sex,  and  a  very  modest 
 dance  executed  for  a  few  minutes  ;  after  which  all  the  guests 
 departed  to  their  several  homes.  The  simple  habits  and  customs  of 
 these  people  being  such  as  Homer  sings,  it  is  a  sad  and  solemn 
 reflection,  that  their  hearts  should  be  none  other  than  those,  of  which 
 Jeremiah  writes. 
 
 "  Ou  journey  on  this  day  was  made  over  a  wide  and  uncultivated 
 country,  the  geological  formation  of  which  was  limestone.  Our 
 way  sometimes  passed  over  hills  covered  with  stunted  oaks,  and 
 again  along  the  rocky  beds  of  mountain  torrents.  The  shades  of 
 evening,  deepened  by  misty  rain,  fell  upon  us  as  we  entered  the 
 village  of  Yeni  Khan,  where  one  of  our  Zaptiehs  deemed  it  necessary 
 to  mount  guard  all  night,  as  the  place  was  so  infested  with  robbers. 
 The  following  morning,  after  five  hours'  riding,  we  sighted  Sophia, 
 looking  very  dilapidated  from  the  effects  of  the  last  earthquake. 
 Its  mosques  were  in  ruins,  and  minarets  in  all  directions  had 
 toppled  over." 
 
 On  his  return  to  Constantinople,  Mr.  Stern  frequently  found  that  h 
 
 had  opened  new  channels  of  communication  with  the  Jews  in  other 
 
98  TURKEY    IN    EUROPE. 
 
 parts  of  the  land.  Among  the  anxious  and  inquiring,  correspon- 
 dence was  at  times  the  result.  Some  of  the  more  eager  and  decided, 
 would  abandon  their  homes  and  associations,  in  order  to  place 
 themselves  under  Christian  instruction,  and  to  have  free  and  con- 
 tinued intercourse  with  the  INIissionary.  IMany  found  that  they  had 
 not  escaped  the  watchful  eye  of  their  Jewish  brethren,  or  the  inqui- 
 sitorial enquiries  of  the  rabbis,  who  knew  that  their  own  position 
 was  endangered,  by  the  conversion  of  any  of  their  people  to  the 
 Christian  faith.  The  illustration  which  Mr.  Stern  gives  in  the 
 following  passage  of  such  occurrences,  is  also  accompanied  by  some 
 pertinent  remarks,  concerning  the  difference  between  the  conversion 
 of  the  Jews,  and  that  of  others,  who  belong  to  any  professing  Chris- 
 tian sect. 
 
 "  I  have  at  present  a  Stamboul  rabbi,  and  another  Stamboul  Jew, 
 under  instruction,  but  I  know  that  if  the  '  Beth  Din'  was  aware  of  it, 
 they  would  both  be  banished  from  the  city,  or  incarcerated  in  the 
 dungeons  of  the  Chacham  khone  (Jewish  prison).  Such  a  contin- 
 gency can  be  evaded  by  the  enquirer,  if  he  at  once  renounces  his 
 allegiance  to  the  Synagogue,  and  inserts  his  name  in  the  register  of 
 the  Protestants  ;  but  those  acquainted  with  the  timid  character  of 
 the  Oriental  Jew,  know  that  before  a  man  will  do  this  he  must  have 
 more  than  a  superficial  idea  of  the  truth  of  Christianity.  I 
 have  sometimes  heard  comparisons  instituted  between  an  enquiring 
 Jew  and  an  enlightened  Armenian  ;  we  might  as  well  institute  a 
 comparison  between  an  educated  infidel  Englishman,  and  an  untu- 
 tored savage  in  the  sun-blighted  deserts  of  Africa.  The  Armenian 
 is  a  nominal  Christian,  the  Jew  an  inveterate  unbeliever ;  the  one 
 regards  his  sealed  and  disguised  Gospel  with  love  and  esteem  ;  the 
 other  looks  upon  it  with  loathing  and  disgust ;  the  one,  from  his 
 infancy,  is  taught  to  worship  and  adore  the  blessed  Jesus  ;  the 
 other,  from  his  infancy,  is  taught  to  abhor  and  to  execrate  that 
 most  holy  name.  In  fact,  it  is  a  perfect  farce  to  establish  an 
 analogy  between  the  two,  or  compare  the  facility  with  which  the 
 one  can  leave  his  idolatrous  Church,  and  join  the  pure  reformed 
 Church,  with  the  difficulties,  trials  and  obstacles,  the  other  has  to 
 endure,  when  he  secedes  from  the  Synagogue,  and  embraces  the 
 Gosi)el  of  Christ.  Think  for  a  moment  on  the  ingrained  preju- 
 dices, the  Pharisaical  spirit,  the  hatred  and  contempt  of  the  cross — 
 think  on  these  and  hundreds  of  other  troubles  which  stare  him  in 
 the  face,  and  then,  can  you  wonder  that  a  man  requires  something 
 more  than  a  mere  elementary  knowledge  of  the  Gospel — a  mere 
 transient  impression  of  the  truth,  before  he  will  yield  obedience  to 
 Christ,  and  openly  avow  himself  His  follower?  I  do  not  allude  to 
 these    things    to    discourage.     No ;     we    have    abundant   cause  to 
 
TURKEY    IN    EUROPE.  99 
 
 bless  God  for  what,  by  His  mercy,  we  have  ah'eady  been  permitted 
 to  achieve,  and  for  the  many  hopeful  promises  which  incite  us  to 
 more  vigorous  efforts  in  the  future  ;  but  I  merely  advert  to  these 
 impediments,  because  I  know  that  not  a  few  of  our  friends  imagine, 
 that  religious  persecution,  and  rabbinical  tyranny,  are  checked  in 
 Turkey,  by  imperial  decrees  and  righteous  laws. 
 
CHAPTER    XVII. 
 
 ARABIA    FELIX. 
 
 About  ten  years  had  passed  since  i\Ir.  Stern  first  gazed  from  the 
 Persian  Gulf  upon  the  coast  and  mountains  of  Arabia.  The 
 enquiries  he  had  then  made  concerning  the  Jews  who  were  known 
 to  be  dwelHng  in  considerable  numbers  within  the  limits  of  that 
 almost  unknown  region,  had  elicited  but  scanty  information.  The 
 information  indicated  that  they  were  the  subjects  of  much  oppres- 
 sion and  persecution,  and  that  their  IMoslem  rulers  were  of  the  most 
 fanatical  character.  How^ever  deep  were  his  sympathies  in  the 
 sufferings  of  his  afflicted  brethren,  there  seemed  but  a  feeble  pros- 
 pect of  the  success  of  any  effort  to  reach  and  befriend  them.  The 
 cities  sacred  to  Moslem  superstition — Mecca  and  Medina — were 
 situated  within  those  boundaries,  and  the  keenness  of  their  super- 
 stitious devotion  to  the  memory  of  the  false  prophet,  prepared  them 
 to  resist  the  intrusion  of  any  Christian,  into  a  territory,  with  which 
 were  bound  up  their  most  sacred  associations. 
 
 From  this  almost  "terra  incognita,"  communications  occasion- 
 ally reached  the  Missionary,  during  his  residence  at  Constantinople. 
 Trade  to  a  limited  extent  was  carried  on  between  the  Red  Sea  and 
 the  interior.  The  Sovereign  authority  is  exercised  from  Constanti- 
 nople— in  which  resides  the  Sultan,  who  as  the  Caliph,  is  head  of 
 the  Moslem  religion.  This  would  lead  to  the  maintenance  of  some 
 connecting  links  with  this  remote  possession.  The  pilgrimages  of 
 the  Moslems  to  their  sacred  shrines,  would  also  afford  another  channel 
 by  which  Mr.  Stern  might  be  informed  of  the  state  of  the  country  and 
 of  the  people.     His  mintl  became  increasingly  impressed  with  the 
 
ARABIA    FELIX.  101 
 
 duty  of  going  to  these  outcasts,  with  the  message  of  comfort  and 
 reconcihation.  If  the  poor  Jews  of  Persia  had  found  balm  and 
 deliverance  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  their  afflicted  brethren  in  Arabia 
 seemed  to  cry  aloud,  "  Come  over  and  help  us." 
 
 It  need  hardly  be  stated  that  it  was  not  without  many  misgivings, 
 and  much  an.xiety,  that  the  London  Committee  consented,  that  Mr. 
 Stern  should  endeavour  to  penetrate  into  the  interior  of  Arabia. 
 They  had  had  the  fullest  experience  of  his  tact,  ability,  and  un- 
 equalled qualifications  for  such  an  enterprise  ;  and  July  12th,  1856, 
 saw  him  embarking  at  Constantinople,  and  commencing  this  uncer- 
 tain and  perilous  undertaking.  During  his  absence,  arrangements 
 were  made  for  the  removal  of  his  family  to  England.  Imme- 
 diately on  his  arrival  at  Cairo,  he  took  steps  for  the  further 
 prosecution  of  his  journey.  Locomotion  in  the  East  is  tedious, 
 and  it  was  not  therefore  until  the  18th  August  that  Mr. 
 Stern,  writing  from  Djiddah,  on  the  Red  Sea,  could  aftbrd  any 
 information  concerning  the  prospects  of  his  enterprise.  All  those 
 who  had  personal  or  relative  acquaintance  with  the  condition  of 
 Arabia,  expressed  but  one  opinion  concerning  the  terrible  risks 
 which  such  a  journey  would  involve.  They  questioned  the  possi- 
 bility of  his  penetrating  into  the  interior,  and  assured  him,  that  the 
 jealousy  and  watchfulness  of  the  INIoslems  were  so  great,  that  his  life 
 would  be  in  imminent  and  continual  danger.  To  push  onward, 
 notwithstanding  such  warnings,  required  a  measure  of  moral  courage 
 and  a  confidence  in  the  protecting  care  of  God,  of  which  there  are 
 few  examples.  A  witness  and  earnest,  must  have  been  conveyed  to 
 his  mind  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  that  it  was  upon  His  Master's  busi- 
 ness that  he  was  going  forth,  and  in  obedience  to  that  Master's 
 mandate,  and  that  therefore  he  had  nothing  to  fear.  This  experi- 
 ence, however  uncommon,  has  upheld  in  time  past,  some  of  the 
 Lord's  most  distinguished  servants  ;  and  a  Paul  entering  without 
 hesitation  the  hostile  city  of  Jerusalem,  or  a  Luther  facing  his 
 powerful  enemies  in  the  city  of  Worms,  are  among  the  witnesses 
 in  time  past,  how  divine  strength  is  made  perfect  in  the  weakness 
 of  the  people  of  God. 
 
 At  the  time  of  Mr.  Stern's  arrival,  Djiddah  was  the  scene  of 
 raging  epidemics.     Fever  and   cholera   were   doing   their  terrible 
 
102  ARABIA    FELIX. 
 
 work.  Yet  amidst  the  sufferings  and  groans  of  the  dying,  he  gave 
 a  good  account  of  his  own  health,  and  expressed  his  unabated  con- 
 fidence in  the  sustaining  Providence  of  God.  But  soon  after  the 
 despatch  of  this  intelligence,  he  was  laid  low  by  fever,  and  passed 
 through  ten  days  of  excruciating  agony.  Throughout  this  great  trial, 
 he  had  no  doubt  of  his  recovery,  believing  that  "Arabia  Felix  was 
 waiting  for  the  message  of  salvation."  He  described  the  circum- 
 stances of  his  embarkation  for  Hodeidah  (the  point  from  which  he 
 was  to  penetrate  into  the  interior),  the  vessel  in  which  he  was  a 
 passenger  called  the  "  Futty  Sultan,"  being  the  property  of  an 
 Indian    Hajee. 
 
 "The  sea  was  delightfully  calm  when  we  heaved  anchor,  and  our 
 vessel,  impelled  by  a  soft  northerly  breeze,  glided  imperceptibly 
 over  the  smooth  expanse.  Unfortunately,  we  had  not  yet  quite 
 passed  the  rocks  and  coral-reefs  which  render  the  ingress  and  egress 
 of  the  harbour  of  Djiddah  so  dangerous,  when  a  hot  blast  came 
 sweeping  from  the  desert,  and  arrested  our  onward  speed.  The 
 Arab  pilot,  unskilled  in  his  profession,  ordered  the  ship's  head  to 
 be  turned — a  manoeuvre  which  brought  us  on  a  hidden  rock,  where 
 for  about  an  hour  we  had  the  dreary  prospect  of  being  engulfed  by 
 the  billows  that  foamed  and  raged  around  us.  The  noise  and  tur- 
 moil was  terrific.  Servants  and  masters,  women  and  children,  in 
 mingled  confusion,  raised  the  most  plaintive  cries.  Even  old  men, 
 to  whom  the  tenets  of  the  Koran  ought  at  least  to  have  taught  resig- 
 nation, rushed  about  quite  frantic  with  fear  and  terror.  The  sailors 
 and  the  captain  (Mr.  Lawless)  alone  remained  tranquil  and  com- 
 posed, and  to  their  laudable  conduct,  and  patient  exertion,  the  ship 
 and  all  on  board  owed  their  safety.  Having  thus  providentially 
 escaped  from  a  watery  grave,  we  returned  again  to  Djiddah,  and 
 procured  divers  to  examine  the  vessel's  bottom.  She  had  sustained 
 some  severe  injuries,  but  being  built  of  teak  wood,  they  were  not 
 serious  enough  to  endanger  her  voyage  to  Bombay.  The  owner, 
 Hajee  Jacob,  to  manifest  his  gratitude  for  this  happy  escape  from  ship- 
 wreck, distributed  in  the  same  afternoon  upwards  of  thirty  thousand 
 rupees  among  poor  pilgrims  ;  and  on  the  following  morning,  amidst 
 the  elaborate  blessings  of  these  famished  devotees,  we  steered 
 again  out  of  the  harbour.  We  had  now  secured  a  more  experienced 
 pilot,  and,  without  any  accident,  accomplished,  in  six  days,  the 
 voyage  to  Hodeida.  On  landing,  I  immediately  proceeded  to  the 
 house  of  the  only  Christian  firm  on  the  coast  of  the  Red 
 Sea.  I  was  provided  with  the  best  recommendations,  and  my 
 reception  was  therefore  exceedingly  courteous.  The  same  evening, 
 two  merchants  from  Sanaa  came  into  the  office  where  we  were  sit- 
 ting, and,  in  the  hope  of  eliciting  some  information,  I  broached  the 
 subject  that  had  led  me  to  visit  Hodeida.     My  friend  immediately 
 
THE    REV.    H.   A.    STERN    IN    ARAI'.IA— FELIX. 
 
ARAHIA    FELIX.  103 
 
 Stopped  me,  and,  lowering  his  voice,  said  in  Italian,  '  Don't  men- 
 tion to  anyone  that  you  intend  to  cross  the  mountains.'  Three 
 days  after  this,  he  informed  me  that  he  had  made  arrangements  for 
 my  departure  ;  but  as  the  country,  particularly  Yemen,  was  in  a 
 lawless  and  anarchic  state,  it  was  necessary  to  avoid  any  preci[)itate 
 movement." 
 
 And   now,  with  anxious  and  prayerful  interest,  we  are  about  to 
 
 follow  our  traveller  on  his  perilous  journey.     There  is  not  a  step 
 
 throughout  it  which  is  not  accompanied  by  danger.     In  the  letter 
 
 of  introduction  which  his  new  friends  at  Hodeida  give  him  to  their 
 
 correspondent  at  Sanaa,  he  is  called  "  the  Dervish  Abdallah."     As 
 
 the  word  dervish  signifies  one,  whose  life  is  devoted  to  the  promo 
 
 tion.of  some  religious  object,  and  the  Arabic  name  Abdallah  means 
 
 "  the  servant  of  God,"  it  is  not  inappropriately  that,  for  a  time,  the 
 
 Missionary  should  bear  this  cognomen.    His  own  recital  explains  the 
 
 necessity  which  existed,  for  the  adoption  of  a  certain  dress,  and  a 
 
 certain  habit  of  life.      But  everywhere,  and  among  all  classes  and 
 
 creeds,  the  banner  of  the  Gospel  is  lifted  up,  and  Moslems  as  well 
 
 as  Jews  are  made  to  realize,   that  it  is  with   no  uncertain  sound 
 
 that  he  proclaims  the  object  of  his  mission. 
 
 "  Before  entering  on  my  arduous  undertaking,  I  had  to  adopt  the 
 native  dress,  and  also  to  shave  my  beard,  head  and  moustaches,  d 
 PArabe ;  and  the  metamorphosis  was  so  complete,  that  persons  with 
 whom  I  had  become  intimate  doubted  my  identity.  The  only 
 travelling  companion  I  could  procure  was  a  donkey-driver,  an 
 uncouth  black  Arab,  of  size  and  limb  strong  enough  to  decide  the 
 combat  in  any  single  encounter.  We  started  at  seven  in  the  evening, 
 and  trudging  over  a  barren  and  arid  desert,  did  not  halt  till  we 
 reached  Bageil,  which  we  did  at  nine  a.m.  In  the  coffee-shop 
 where  we  alighted,  we  met  upwards  of  a  score  of  Arabs.  They 
 gave  us  a  loud  salaam,  which  we  returned  in  a  similar  strain.  The 
 difficulty  was  where  to  stow  ourselves,  as  the  reed-hut  was  com- 
 pletely filled.  Ali,  my  worthy  donkey-driver,  in  whose  good  graces 
 I  had  during  our  night's  march  established  myself,  wanted  to  pro- 
 ceed farther — a  proposition  against  which  my  aching  frame 
 decidedly  protested.  The  Bedouins  noticed  our  embarassments, 
 and  contrary  to  the  selfish  character  of  their  nature,  they  crept 
 closer  to  each  other ;  and,  rather  than  mount  again,  I  wedged 
 myself  between  them,  and  patiently  endured  all  the  torments  which 
 a  thermometer  at  98°,  and  twenty  unwashed  and  unclothed  Ish- 
 maelites,  could  inflict.  My  beard  and  garb,  although  they  might 
 have  done  credit  to  any  of  the  sons  of  the  desert,  did  not  entirely 
 conceal,  from  the  keen  eyes  riveted  upon  me,  the  difference  of  our 
 
104  ARAHIA    FELIX. 
 
 country  and  home.  INIanyand  various  were,  therefore,  the  questions 
 addressed  tome;  but  what  particuhirly  interested  all  was — the  differ- 
 ence of  our  respective  creeds.  '  Don't  you  believe  in  Mahommed  ? 
 Have  you  read  the  Koran  ?  Is  Saidno  Yesua  (our  Lord  Jesus) 
 coming  again  ?  And  did  He  really  die  to  redeem  us  ?'  These 
 queries  furnished  abundant  matter  to  occupy  the  tedious  hours  of 
 the  day  ;  and  however  unpleasant  the  close  atmosphere  of  this  Arab 
 hospice  was  to  the  lungs,  I  did  not  regret  having  made  it  my  abode. 
 During  the  night  the  camels  which  carried  my  books  arrived.  I 
 immediately  repaired  to  the  encampment,  and  selecting  a  limited 
 quantity  for  the  mountains,  loaded  the  donkeys,  and  set  out  for  the 
 highlands.  We  were  now  slowly  emerging  out  of  the  desert,  and 
 the  sterile  region  which  confines  the  sea.  The  aspect  of  all  around 
 changed  as  we  advanced,  and  it  was  quite  a  pleasure  to  see  again 
 patches  of  green  grass,  and  fields  waving  with  an  abundant  harvest. 
 About  sunset  we  came  to  the  first  deep  mountain  pass,  where  we 
 found  a  magnificent  and  varying  prospect  awaiting  us.  Close  at  our 
 feet  lay  an  extensive  valley,  dotted  with  villages  and  the  castellated 
 forts  of  many  a  daring  chief.  Around,  and  in  the  rear,  rose  the 
 summits  of  Tebal  Boarra,  distinguished  for  their  furrowed  outlines, 
 which  were  indistinctly  visible  in  the  concentrated  light  of  the 
 setting  sun  ;  and  far  away,  in  the  shades  of  struggling  night,  uprose 
 towards  the  dark  sky  the  bold  and  frowning  ridges  of  the  to\\-ering 
 Harass.  Ali,  who  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  had  been 
 watching  the  shifting  of  the  moving  clouds,  suddenly  called  out, 
 '  Ya  Abdallah,  Ya  Abdallah,  beat  your  donkey  and  hurry  on,  for 
 there  is  a  storm  in  the  sky.'  The  words  had  hardly  been  uttered, 
 when  several  quick  and  bright  flashes  enveloped  us  in  their  lurid 
 glare.  The  thunder  roaring  in  the  distance  now  neared  the  moun- 
 tain, until  its  loud  peal,  which  was  echoed  among  the  wide- 
 spreading  rocks,  made  the  very  ground  on  which  we;  were  standing 
 tremble  beneath  our  feet.  I  sought  shelter  from  the  contest  of  the 
 elements  between  two  blocks  of  granite,  and  here,  protected  from 
 the  pouring  torrent,  I  witnessed  one  of  the  most  sublime  spectacles. 
 The  storm  lasted  above  half-an-hour  ;  but  the  lightning  continued 
 all  the  way,  now  brightly  revealing  the  slippery  path  upon  which  we 
 were  treading,  and  then  again  consigning  us  to  an  impenetrable 
 gloom.  By  dint  of  persevering  toil,  we  at  last  reached  El  Beia,  a 
 little  hamlet,  and  there  we  took  up  our  abode  for  the  night.  At 
 dawn,  in  company  with  another  party,  we  started  again.  The  rains 
 of  the  evening  were  succeeded  in  the  morning  by  a  den^e  fog. 
 Mountains,  valleys,  villages  and  castles,  were  all  hidden  by  the 
 dense  mists  which  ascended  from  the  saturated  fields.  I  had  pro- 
 ceeded in  advance,  and  forgetful  of  the  tortuous  winding  of  our 
 path,  was  quite  unaware  that  we  had  deviated  from  it  until  we  came 
 to  some  shepherds,  who  kindly  conducted  us  into  the  road  from 
 which  we  had  wandered.  At  ten  a.m.  we  rested  near  an  Arab  hut, 
 to  bait  our  animals,  and  also  to  eat  our  morning  meal.  This  latter 
 was  quite  a  primitive  aff"air ;  it  consisted  simply  of  hot  half-baked  cakes, 
 
ARABIA    FELIX.  105 
 
 on  which  we  poured  some  of  the  butter  we  carried  with  us  ;  when 
 this  was  done,  one  of  the  party  seized  an  earthen  saucepan,  and 
 having-  kneaded  the  whole  into  a  paste,  each  one  dashed  his  right 
 hand  into  the  black  pot,  and  in  profound  silence  swallowed  his  repast. 
 Our  travelling  companions  here  left  us,  and  myself  and  AH  pursued 
 again  our  toilsome  and  solitary  march.  We  had  now  crossed  the 
 })lain,  and  entered  into  deep  ravines,  overhung  on  both  sides  by 
 perpendicular  heights,  which  entirely  excluded  the  fiery  rays  of  the 
 scorching  sun.  Between  these  divided  rocks  we  found  a  mountain 
 torrent — a  cheering  and  refreshing  sight  to  eyes  that  had  not  seen 
 for  many  months  a  tiny  brook,  or  a  drop  of  drinkable  water.  We 
 followed  the  course  of  this  stream  till  we  came  near  Wady  Khar,  a 
 village  picturesquely  situated  on  the  sloping  side  of  an  isolated  hill. 
 In  this  place  we  unloaded,  and,  together  with  our  donkeys  and  the 
 family  of  our  host,  occupied  to  my  discomfort  one  and  the  same 
 shed.  Long  before  daylight  I  roused  my  friend  Ali,  and  ordered 
 him  to  get  ready  for  our  departure.  He  was  not  at  all  pleased  with 
 this  early  summons,  and  guessing  the  cause  of  my  impatience,  he 
 growled  in  a  gruff  voice,  '  If  you  cannot  endure  these  things,  why 
 didn't  you  provide  yourself  with  a  sack  to  creep  in  ?'  I  told  him 
 that  his  advice  came  too  late,  and  that  I  was  determined  to  load. 
 '  Load,'  he  replied,  'yes,  indeed,  if  you  want  to  be  killed  by  robbers, 
 or  by  a  false  step  on  the  ascent  of  Mount  Harass,  you  may  load  ;  I 
 don't  like  to  die,  and  so  shall  sleep.'  Thus  terminated  our  colloquy, 
 and  my  angr\-  donkey-driver  soon  again  gave  unmistakable  evidence 
 that  he  abided  by  his  word.  The  night  at  last  yielded  to  the  dawn 
 of  morning,  and  we  set  forward  on  our  perilous  and  difficult  journey. 
 We  were  already  several  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
 and  now  every  step  that  we  took,  every  hill  that  we  climbed, 
 brought  us  into  higher  and  more  superb  sceneries.  Alps  piled 
 upon  Alps  uprose  in  majestic  grandeur  wherever  the  eye  gazed. 
 Here  the  towering  summit  of  a  lofty  rock  ;  there  the  unfathomable 
 depth  of  a  frightful  precipice.  Here  stands  a  mountain  covered 
 from  its  base  to  its  highest  peak  with  a  forest  of  coffee-trees ;  there 
 a  confused  mass  of  hills,  out-topping  each  other  in  beautiful  variety, 
 wave  with  the  gigantic  stalk  of  the  Durra  (millet) ;  and  yonder, 
 towards  the  east,  the  vision  is  bound  by  the  grim  heights,  which, 
 in  days  of  yore,  defended  the  capital  of  Queen  Sheba's  empire.  To 
 scale  pile  after  pile  of  these  mighty  ramparts  was  a  most  exhausting 
 task,  and  both  we  and  our  animals  were  continually  obliged  to  stop 
 and  gasp  for  breath.  At  two  p.m.  we  reached  Safon,  a  beautiful 
 town,  situated  on  one  of  the  projecting  limbs  of  INIount  Harass.  I 
 had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Yehya  Ameira,  the  chief  of  the  Jews  ; 
 but  I  believe  it  was  more  owing  to  the  few  Hebrew  sentences  I 
 addressed  to  him,  than  to  the  letter,  that  I  got  a  hearty  and  cordial 
 welcome.  The  report  that  a  man  had  arrived  who  spake  Hebrew, 
 and  yet  was  no  Jew — dressed  like  a  INIahommedan,  and  yet  despising 
 the  Koran — caused  a  general  sensation,  and  young  and  old,  women 
 
 H 
 
I06  ARABIA   FELIX. 
 
 and  children,  flocked  to  the  house  to  see  me.  They  were  all 
 anxious  to  know  the  land  of  my  birth,  age,  creed,  family,  parentage, 
 &c.  The  object  of  my  journey,  more  than  anything  else,  excited 
 their  incredulity.  To  care  for  the  outcast  Jew,  to  pity  his  desola- 
 tion, and  to  yearn  for  his  peace  and  eternal  happiness,  were  things 
 they  derided  as  mere  inventions  to  veil  my  true  character.  But  I 
 showed  them  our  books,  and  the  sight  of  these  insignia  of  my 
 calling,  banished  every  spark  of  distrust,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we 
 became  as  intimate  as  friends  of  many  years.  They  were  now 
 quite  frank  and  unreserved  in  their  intercourse  with  me  ;  in  fact  the 
 very  idea  that  I  had  crossed  deserts  and  seas  to  seek  their  good, 
 produced  a  feeling  of  gratitude,  which  won  their  ear  to  all  I  said. 
 We  remained  together  till  evening  prayers,  and  then  adjourned  to 
 the  synagogue,  which  was  in  my  host's  house.  The  prayers  being 
 ended,  I  left  the  corner  in  which  I  had  been  sitting,  and  stepping 
 into  the  centre  of  the  room,  addressed  a  most  rapt  and  devout 
 audience.  The  topics  on  which  I  touched  were — the  unity  and 
 harmony  between  the  Old  and  New  Testament — the  perfection  of 
 God — His  holiness,  purity,  and  unbounded  love.  I  then  expatiated 
 on  the  excellencies  of  the  Christian  religion,  the  wisdom  that 
 framed  it,  the  love  that  executed  it,  and  the  benefits  bestowed  by 
 it.  This  language,  which  stripped  their  self-righteous  spirit  of  its 
 hopes,  and  their  vaunting  merits  of  all  confidence,  did  not  elicit  any 
 marks  of  disapproval  ;  they  felt  the  truth  of  my  words,  and  their 
 own  hearts  responded  to  the  declaration,  that  sin  had  driven  them 
 from  their  country,  alienated  them  from  their  God,  and  reduced 
 them  to  the  sufi"ering  and  misery  which  has  been  their  lot  for  so 
 long  a  period  ;  and  these  striking  facts,  not  only  appealed  to  their 
 understanding,  but,  as  I  could  perceive,  also  awed  and  touched 
 their  souls.  In  the  evening,  upwards  of  thirty  individuals,  headed 
 by  their  Chacham,  assembled  in  my  room.  It  was  an  interesting 
 sight  to  see  these  poor,  secluded  victims  of  Mahommedan  intoler- 
 ance, squatted  round  a  pale  and  dim  light,  either  reading  the  New 
 Testament,  or  listening  to  the  missionary.  They  had  many  ques- 
 tions to  ask  me,  and  some  of  considerable  import,  such  as,  whether 
 those  who  had  never  heard  of  Christ  could  be  charged  with 
 unbelief  ?  whether  the  Bible  was  the  only  revelation  from  God  .'* 
 and  whether  a  pious  and  devout  life  could  not  procure  pardon  and 
 forgiveness  of  sin  ?  We  remained  together  till  midnight,  and  even 
 then,  so  reluctant  were  they  to  leave,  that  several  continued  in  the 
 room,  where,  wrapt  in  their  talith,  or  garment  of  fringes,  they  slept 
 soundly,  till  the  servant  of  the  synagogue  summoned  them  to 
 prayers." 
 
 At  this  village,   Mr.  Stern  first  began  his  ministry  among  the 
 
 Arabian  Jews.     Safon  contained  a  population  of  about  fifty  Jewish 
 
 families.     Sheik  Dai  was  governor  of  this  part  of  the  country,  and 
 
 he  allowed  the  Jews  to  carry  on  their  daily  avocations  without 
 
ARAWA    KELIX.  IO7 
 
 molestation.     As  Mr.  Stern  advanced  into  the  interior,  the  social 
 
 prospect  became  more  saddening. 
 
 "  My  acquaintances  at  Safon  did  not  at  all  approve  of  my  travel- 
 ling alone  through  the  mountains  with  a  Mahommcdan,  and  in 
 obedience  to  their  advice,  I  engaged  Eliyahu,  a  shrewd  and  coura- 
 geous Jew,  who  was  well  known  on  the  road  ;  and  was,  as  he  in 
 true  Arab  style  assured  me,  quite  ready  to  shed  his  blood  in  my 
 defence.  Two  youths  from  Sanaa  also  attached  themselves  to  our 
 party,  so  that  altogether  I  had  now  four  travelling  companions. 
 The  morning  was  fresh  and  cool,  and  a  few  light  and  fleecy  clouds 
 hanging  on  the  mountains,  prognosticated  that  we  should  for  one 
 day  at  least  be  delivered  from  the  fierce  and  burning  sun.  Our 
 path,  as  on  the  previous  day,  threaded  up  and  down  dizzy  heights, 
 where  a  false  step,  or  the  shifting  of  a  stone,  w^ould  have  hurled  the 
 unfortunate  wayfarer  into  ravines  of  immeasurable  depth.  My 
 dress,  which  consisted  of  a  coarse  shirt  and  muslin  turban,  greatly 
 facilitated  my  steps,  though  at  the  same  time,  it  also  exposed  me  to 
 the  fervid  rays  of  the  cloud-defying  sun.  In  my  feet  I  endured  the 
 acutest  sufferings,  for,  being  obliged  to  walk  barefoot,  the  sharp 
 rocks  and  prickly  shrubs  pierced  and  lacerated  them  all  over.  I 
 had  shoes  and  sandals  with  me,  but  the  former,  my  companions 
 assured  me,  would  cause  suspicion  that  I  was  a  Turk — and  a  Turk 
 is  a  lawful  prey  to  every  mountaineer, — and  the  latter  were  so 
 clumsily  made,  that  even  on  level  ground  the  thongs  cut  the  toes,  and 
 made  the  blood  run  profusely.  We  passed  numerous  parties  of 
 armed  Bedouins,  whom  I  invariably  saluted  with  a  '  Salaam  Alei- 
 koum,'  a  compliment  which  was  returned  by  a  '  Salaam  ya  Dervish.' 
 Some  of  the  sceneries  we  traversed  were  grand  and  dazzling  ;  but 
 who  can  admire  the  beauties  of  nature  when  seen  through  eyes 
 dimmed  by  toil  and  fatigue  ?  To  me  every  object  had  lost  its 
 attraction,  save  the  gushing  rill,  which  tumbled  down  the  rocky 
 chasm,  and  afforded  luxurious  draughts  to  my  parched  and  feverish 
 tongue.  My  Jew-ish  guide,  and  the  two  youths  who  had  gone  with 
 me  in  advance  of  the  donkeys,  neither  felt  the  heat  nor  the  labour 
 of  the  numerous  ascents  ;  they  had  all  their  days  been  accustomed 
 to  climb  these  giddy  precipices,  and  practice  had  imparted  to  their 
 legs  the  agility  and  endurance  of  the  mountain  goat. 
 
 "  By  mid-day  we  came  to  Sachara,  a  little  town  divided  into  two 
 separate  villages,  one  inhabited  by  Jews  and  the  other  by  Moslems. 
 We  of  course  went  to  the  former,  and  proceeded  straight  to  the 
 house  of  Yehya  Hocohen,  the  head  of  the  synagogue.  Eliyahu,  to 
 whom  the  long  walk  had  given  a  zest  for  his  breakfast,  bolted  into 
 the  doorway,  and  at  the  top  of  his  voice  proclaimed  that  a  great  Cha- 
 cham  was  come — a  title  which  at  once  secured  me  a  kind  reception, 
 and  a  kiss  on  the  hand  from  every  inmate.  A  breakfast  of  hot 
 bread  was  soon  set  before  us  ;  and  whilst  we  were  eating  our  frugal 
 meal,  the  report  that  a  rabbi  had  arrived  spread  through  the  village, 
 
I08  ARABIA    FELIX. 
 
 and  brought  all  who  were  at  home  to  our  entertainer's  house. 
 They  were  quite  amazed  to  hear  that  I  was  a  believer  in  Jesus  of 
 Nazareth,  and  prompted  by  a  natural  curiosity,  I  was  unanimously 
 requested  to  give  an  account  of  my  faith.  I  cheerfully  complied 
 with  this  wish,  and  in  a  long  discourse  explained  to  them  how 
 Christianity  was  only  mature  Judaism,  and  the  sacrifices  of  the  Law 
 merely  types  of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ.  '  Is  there,  then,  no  atone- 
 ment for  sin  without  a  Redeemer  ?  and  are  the  prayers,  castigations 
 and  sufferings  of  the  Jews  all  in  vain  ?'  interrogated  several  voices. 
 '  Yes,  my  brethren,  they  are  in  vain,  if  substituted  in  the  place  of 
 God's  declared  purpose  of  mercy ;  and  it  would  be  a  libel  on  Scrip- 
 ture, and  an  unpardonable  disbelief  in  the  Messiah,  were  we  to  seek, 
 in  the  pride  and  self-sufficiency  of  the  heart,  that  pardon  and  salva- 
 tion which  Divine  mercy  alone  can  bestow.'  I  distributed  several 
 tracts  and  New  Testaments,  which  were  accepted  with  the  greatest 
 gratitude. 
 
 "  We  remained  at  Sachara  till  past  noon,  and  then  one  hour  more 
 brought  us  to  ]\[enakha,  the  principal  town  in  Mount  Harass.  Here 
 my  lodging  was  immediately  invaded  by  a  savage  and  lawless  set  of 
 Arabs,  so  that  the  poor  Jews,  whom,  through  Eliyahu,  I  had  invited 
 to  visit  me,  could  not  even  enter.  At  sunset  these  noisy  intruders, 
 to  my  infinite  satisfaction,  went  to  the  mosque  ;  and  myself  and  the 
 Jews  being  left  alone,  a  solemn  and  important  discussion  ensued. 
 *  You  are  right,'  was  the  remark  to  what  I  had  said,  '  the  frown  of 
 Jehovah  is  indeed  resting  upon  us  ;  for  why  are  we  despoiled  and 
 trodden  down  ?  Why  are  we  abused  and  derided,  the  slave  of  the 
 wild  Arab,  and  the  scorn  of  their  impure  offspring  ?  Are  we  not 
 descendants  of  Abraham  ?  and  does  not  the  blood  of  prophets  and 
 martyrs  circulate  through  our  veins  ?  Oh  God  !  Oh  merciful  God  ! 
 if  it  is  indeed  that  our  sins  merit  the  anguish  and  pain  we  sufler,  do 
 thou  in  thine  infinite  compassion  unfold  unto  our  dark  intellects 
 what  is  now  hidden,  and  make  clear  what  is  now  so  mysterious  !' 
 This  touching  ejaculation  awakened  my  deepest  sympathy,  so  that 
 with  yearning  solicitude  I  entreated  them  to  seek  the  aid  of  the  Holy 
 Spirit,  whose  power  alone  was  effectual  in  enlightening  the  mind,  in 
 subduing  the  heart,  and  in  disposing  the  will  and  affections  to  rest 
 on  a  Father's  love,  and  to  depend  for  salvation  on  a  Son's  sacrifice. 
 Whilst  we  were  thus  conversing,  there  was  suddenly  a  loud  knock 
 at  the  door,  and  upon  removing  the  bolt,  in  stepped  a  respectable 
 Mahommedan,  accompanied  by  two  attendants.  '  I  am  glad,  Abdal- 
 lah,'  said  he,  that  you  have  safely  reached  Menakha,  may  God  still 
 watch  over  you,  and  guide  you  in  peace  to  Sanaa.'  Having  replied 
 to  this  friendly  salutation,  my  visitor,  who  was  the  brother  of  Ali 
 Zarkhee,  the  most  wealthy  merchant  in  the  province  of  Sanaa, 
 informed  me  that  there  was  a  rumour  in  the  town,  that  a  Nazarene 
 had  arrived  laden  with  books  and  money,  to  upset  the  religion  of 
 the  country ;  '  and  this  intelligence,'  continued  my  kind  friend,  '  if 
 it  reaches  the  Bedouins — and  reach  them  it  will  before  to-morrow's 
 
ARABIA    FELIX.  IO9 
 
 sunset — renders  your  onward  journey  to  Sanaa  utterly  impossible. 
 This  information,  which  the  Jews,  on  whose  fidelity  I  could  rely, 
 corroborated,  entirely  disconcerted  my  plans  ;  and,  reluctant  as  I 
 felt,  necessity  compelled  me,  notwithstanding  my  two  hard  days' 
 travel  and  the  wounded  and  inflamed  state  of  my  feet,  to  start 
 before  day-dawn.  My  visitor  generously  told  me  that  he  would 
 send  some  of  his  own  Bedouins  to  conduct  me  to  the  next  stage  ; 
 and  there  were  still  a  few  hours  wanting  to  the  appointed  time, 
 when  two  tawny  and  fierce-looking  Arabs  roused  me  from  my  rest- 
 less slumber.  My  new  companions  were  genuine  sons  of  the 
 desert — men  of  hardy,  nervous  and  sinewy  frame,  who  could  bear 
 any  privations,  and  submit  to  every  hardship.  For  clothing  they 
 had  evidentl}'  a  supreme  contempt ;  a  tattered  piece  of  linen,  con- 
 fined round  the  waist  by  a  leathern  girdle,  in  which  were  stuck  a 
 curved  dagger  and  pointed  knife,  supplied  all  their  external  wants. 
 On  the  head  they  wore  nothing,  except  their  own  hair,  which  fell 
 long  and  matted  over  their  bronzed  necks.  It  was  still  dark  when, 
 under  the  escort  of  these  wild  and  formidable  beings,  we  resumed 
 our  journey.  Our  route  lay  through  a  district  which  abounded  with 
 the  most  lovely  and  charming  landscapes  ;  fields  and  trees,  moun- 
 tains covered  with  woods,  and  valleys  with  rank  grass  and  sweet 
 herbs ;  close  to  the  path  over  which  you  painfully  toil,  rolls  a 
 sparkling  rivulet,  which  murmurs  and  foams  whenever  the  trunk  of 
 a  tree,  or  a  piece  of  loose  rock,  impedes  its  progress  ;  above  you 
 hang  black  and  frightful  precipices,  under  whose  shade  the  tra- 
 veller dreads  to  loiter  ;  and  yonder,  farther  than  your  vision  can 
 reach,  towers  summit  after  summit  of  a  bold,  undefinable  mountain 
 range.  Everything  is  grand  and  beautiful,  only  man  vile,  base, 
 degraded,  and  repulsive.  Four  hours'  good  march  brought  us  into  a 
 ravine,  formed  by  two  grim  cliffs,  which  appeared  to  have  been 
 severed  by  some  tremendous  convulsion  of  nature.  This  was  the 
 most  dangerous  spot  on  our  road,  and  it  was  indeed  a  place  suited 
 to  the  dark  and  fell  crimes  which  of  late  years  it  witnessed.  Our 
 guard  was  now  exceedingly  uneasy,  and  their  eyes  glanced  sus- 
 piciously towards  every  moving  branch  or  rustling  leaf.  Now^  and 
 then  one  or  the  other  would  whisper  a  few  words  of  confidence  in 
 my  ears  ;  but  though  alone,  in  an  unknown  country,  and  among  a 
 savage  fanatical  people,  I  felt  no  dread  of  the  robber  and  murderer  ; 
 'the  eternal  God'  was  my  refuge,  and  His  'everlasting  arms,'  as  ever, 
 my  support. 
 
 "  We  at  last  cleared  this  dreaded  ravine,  and  proceeding  an  hour 
 farther,  espied,  on  the  broad  eminence  of  a  lofty  mountain,  the 
 little  town  of  Uhr,  famous  for  the  abundance  and  excellence  of  its 
 coffee. 
 
 "  I  was  entirely  worn  out  with  this  day's  laborious  and  toilsome 
 march,  still  my  spirit  did  not  yield  to  the  fatigues  and  exhaustion 
 of  my  frame  ;  in  fact,  the  very  idea  of  being  so  near  the  goal  of  my 
 travels,    and    the    prospect    of   introducing   the  Gospel  where   the 
 
no  ARABIA    FELIX. 
 
 shinings  of  its  light  have  never  yet  been  seen,  amidst  all  my  suffer- 
 ings, buoyed  me  up  with  hope,  and  cheerfully  carried  me  through 
 every  physical  trial. 
 
 "  The  Sheikh  of  Uhr,  to  whom  I  had  brought  a  letter  of  recom- 
 mendation, was  ver\'  profuse  in  the  offers  of  his  services,  and  with 
 much  self-complacency  at  his  own  piety,  he  assured  me  that  it 
 always  afforded  him  pleasure  to  see  a  Hajee.  I  told  him  that  I 
 was  no  Hajee  ;  and  though  this  unexpected  reply  discomfited  him  a 
 little,  he  checked  his  disappointment,  and  said,  '  Whatever  you  are, 
 whether  dog  of  a  Jew,  or  an  infidel  Xazarene,  you  are  welcome,  and 
 during  your  stay  here  I  will  protect  you.'  Whilst  we  were  engaged 
 in  this  polite  dialogue,  Eliyahu,  who  had  been  sitting  in  the  street, 
 was  chained  and  thrust  into  prison.  I  asked  the  worthy  chief  why 
 he  allowed  his  people  to  violate  the  rules  of  hospitality,  by  mal- 
 treating a  stranger's  servant,  and  one,  too,  who  had  the  honour  to 
 enjoy  his  favour  }  He  made  a  flimsy  excuse,  and  muttering  a  half 
 audible  curse,  in  which  I  came  in  for  a  good  share,  ordered  his  men 
 to  bring  the  Jew.  Pale,  famished,  bound  in  chains,  and  trembling 
 with  terror,  poor  Eliyahu,  whose  sole  crime  consisted  in  his  having 
 fled  from  the  heartless  tyranny  of  pitiless  persecutors — conducted 
 between  two  Arabs,  staggered  into  my  lodging.  His  first  impulse 
 was  to  throw  himself  before  me,  but  a  significant  glance  changed 
 his  purpose ;  and  in  a  moment,  in  despite  of  his  fetters,  he  was  on 
 his  knees  before  the  Sheikh,  begging  and  praying  for  his  release. 
 The  request  was,  after  many  humiliating  reproaches,  granted ; 
 though  I  was  obliged  to  do  penance  for  the  wrongs  he  had  endured  ; 
 as  during  the  greater  part  of  the  night  he  kept  me  awake,  by  dilating 
 on  the  cruel  disposition  of  the  Mahommedans,  and  the  ill-treatment 
 of  his  people. 
 
 "This  little  incident  rapidly  circulated  among  the  Jews  in  the 
 adjacent  villages,  and  numbers  came  on  the  following  day  to  see 
 this  unexpected  friend  of  their  nation.  I  had  lengthened  conversa- 
 tions with  the  majority  of  them  ;  and  though  every  word  I  said, 
 every  truth  I  urged,  was  opposed  to  their  religious  prejudices,  still 
 they  all  eagerly  listened  to  the  foreign  teacher,  and  readily  inclined 
 to  the  doctrines  he  pressed  upon  them.  In  passing  through  the 
 market,  where  numerous  Jews  had  exposed  their  scanty  wares  (it 
 being  market-day),  I  was  agreeablv  surprised  to  see  some  stealthily 
 reading  our  tracts,  and  others  quietly  discussing  the  merits  of  our 
 faith.  Poor,  despised  people  ;  my  heart  bleeds  when  I  think  on  the 
 anguiih  to  which  you  are  doomed,  and  the  sufferings  to  which  you 
 must  sobmit !  Your  lot  on  earth  is  grievous  and  painful — your 
 prospect  of  heaven  cheerless  and  uncertain.  That  Divine  ]\Iessiah, 
 whose  meekness  and  resignation  sheds  light  and  consolation  on  the 
 hard  and  rugged  i)ath  of  the  Christian,  is  unknown  to  you  ;  nor  can 
 you  cherish  those  hallowed  and  sublime  visions,  which,  even  in  the 
 very  depth  of  affliction  and  misery,  whisper  comfort  to  the  despair- 
 in  u'',  and  rest  to  the  troubled  ! 
 
ARABIA    FELIX.  Ill 
 
 "  On  the  third  morning  after  my  arrival  at  Uhr,  came  a  messenger 
 from  Ali  Zarkhee,  at  Sanaa,  who  brought  me  the  pleasing  intelli- 
 gence that  I  could  proceed  to  my  destination.  The  Sheikh  and 
 another  chief  also  received  notes,  in  which,  as  they  told  me,  my 
 safety  was  entrusted  to  their  charge.  All  things  being  thus  satis- 
 factorily arranged,  it  was  agreed  that  I  should  stay  over  night  at  Beit- 
 el-Nash,  a  village  two  hours'  distance,  and  from  thence,  accompanied 
 by  a  faithful  and  trusty  man,  go  on  the  next  day  to  Sanaa.  The 
 Sheikh  himself  having  a  house  at  Beit-el-Nash,  escorted  me  to  that 
 place,  and  under  the  pretence  of  friendship,  for  which  I  had  to  part 
 with  my  last  two  dollars,  entertained  me  under  his  own  roof. 
 
 "With  sunrise  we  quitted  this  miserable  village,  and  once  more 
 pursued  our  weary  way.  The  country  from  hence  onward,  looked 
 far  different  to  the  charming  and  lovely  scenery  which  characterizes 
 the  mountains  over  which  we  had  been  travelling  ;  no  longer  the 
 coffee  and  banana  plantations  clothed  the  hills,  and  imparted  a 
 luxurious  and  refreshing  fragrance  to  the  heated  atmosphere  ;  grim, 
 dreary,  and  frowning,  rose  the  barren  and  naked  rocks,  reflecting 
 from  their  rugged  and  flinty  sides  a  fire,  that  made  the  blood  boil 
 and  the  perspiration  stream.  We  encountered  several  armed  parties, 
 who,  unlike  those  on  Mount  Harass,  scrutinized  me  very  closely, 
 and  I  dare  say,  if  my  Bedouin  guide  had  not  always  forestalled  their 
 inquiries,  by  telling  them  that  I  was  a  wandering  Dervish,  their 
 rapacious  eyes  would  not  so  easily  have  turned  from  me.  Late  at 
 noon,  we  ascended  the  last  rocky  range  that  separated  us  from 
 Sanaa,  and  having  accomplished  this  task,  as  by  enchantment,  we 
 beheld  before  us  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  famous  cities,  with  its 
 quaint  palaces  and  gardens,  tapering  minarets  and  glittering  cupolas, 
 rising  like  an  oasis,  out  of  the  midst  of  desolation  and  death.  Here, 
 before  we  made  our  descent  into  the  plain,  we  halted  awhile,  in  the 
 shade  of  an  old  decayed  stable,  built  on  a  ledge  of  rock — a  pleasure 
 in  which  we  could  not  have  indulged  on  the  following  day,  as  the 
 pass  was  then  occupied  by  three  hundred  of  the  Beni  Jebar,  who 
 committed  the  most  outrageous  atrocities  on  all  who  had  the  misfor- 
 tune to  fall  into  their  hands. 
 
 "  Whilst  we  and  our  donkeys  were  enjoying  a  rest,  Eliyahu  went 
 in  advance  to  procure  me  a  lodging ;  and  it  was  quite  an  unantici- 
 pated delight  to  find,  at  the  gate  of  the  Jewish  town,  a  number  of 
 people  waiting  to  conduct  me  to  the  house  of  More  Saida  Mansoora, 
 one  of  their  principal  rabbis.  The  old,  grey-bearded  man,  had 
 himself  descended  into  the  street,  and,  in  the  presence  of  crowds  of 
 Jews,  he  gave  me  a  truly  oriental  welcome." 
 
CHAPTER    XVIII. 
 
 SANAA. 
 
 "  Tribes  of  the  xvandering  foot  aiid  iveary  breast, 
 Hoiv  shall  ye  flee  aivay  and  he  at  rest  ? 
 The  ivild  dove  hath  her  nest,  the  fox  her  cave, 
 Mankind  their  country — Israel  but  the  graved 
 
 This  was  the  strain  in  which  Byron,  who  was  in  every  respect  a  man 
 of  the  world,  wrote  of  the  ancient  people  of  God.  So  dark  were  the 
 clouds  that  incessantly  hung  over  their  lives  and  prospects,  and  so 
 terrible  the  sufferings  through  which  they  had,  without  ceasing,  to 
 pass ;  that  he,  unconscious  of  the  light  with  which  prophecy  illumines 
 their  future,  saw  nothing  but  the  grave  as  the  termination  of  all  their 
 tribulations.  Yet,  these  tribulations  are  among  the  most  plain  and 
 incontrovertible  evidences  of  the  truth  and  inspiration  of  the  Word  of 
 God.  The  people  from  whom  the  whole  Bible  came — the  people 
 to  whom  belonged  prophets,  apostles  and  teachers, — the  people  out 
 of  whom,  "as  concerning  the  flesh,  Christ  came;" — this  people 
 have  become  "  an  astonishment,  a  proverb,  and  a  by-word  among 
 all  nations."  Their  national  rejection  of  Him,  who  is  the  only 
 Refuge  from  the  wrath  to  come,  explains  their  sad  history.  "  He 
 came  unto  His  own,  and  His  own  received  Him  not."  But  the 
 time  will  come  when  they  shall  remember  these  things  "  among 
 all  the  nations,  whither  the  Lord  their  God  hath  driven"  them  ; 
 when  "  they  shall  return  unto  the  Lord  their  God  ;"  and  they  shall 
 look  on  Him  whom  they  have  pierced,  and  mourn  over  their  trans- 
 gressions. Then  the  sorrows  and  desolations,  of  which  this  history 
 gives  such  frequent  illustrations,  shall  cease  ;  "the  Lord  will  bring 
 them  again  into  the  land  which  their  fathers  possessed,"  and  Jerusalem 
 
SANAA.  I  I  3 
 
 shall  once  more  be  established,  and  become  a  praise  in  the  earth. 
 Of  the  town  and  region  into  which  the  traveller  had  now  entered, 
 Mr.  Stern  wrote  as  follows  : — 
 
 "  Sanaa,  which,  according  to  the  Jews,  is  the  Uzal  of  Gen.  x.  27, 
 contains  forty  thousand  inhabitants;  18,000  of  these  are  Hebrews 
 and  22,000  Moslemin.  The  time  when  the  Jews  first  settled 
 there  is  involved  in  uncertainty  :  their  own  tradition  asserts  that, 
 during  the  invasion  of  Palestine  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  they  fled  to 
 Egypt,  and  subsequently  wandered  farther  southwards,  till  they 
 came  to  the  mountains  of  Arabia,  where  they  permanently  estab- 
 lished their  homes.  The  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  salubrity  of  the 
 climate,  and  the  picturesqueness  of  the  scenery,  rapidly  augmented 
 the  little  colony  by  attracting  fresh  emigrants,  who,  on  those  distant 
 plains  and  woody  slopes,  sought  that  peace  and  quiet  which  their 
 own  fated  and  distracted  country  no  longer  afforded.  Inured  to 
 hardships,  and  nursed  in  war,  these  foreign  colonists,  by  a  dexterous 
 application  of  their  prowess  and  valour,  soon  gained  an  ascendancy 
 over  the  wild  tribes  by  whom  they  were  surrounded  ;  and  the  exiles 
 from  Judea  in  a  very  short  time  reigned,  where  at  first  they  had 
 only  been  tolerated.  For  nearly  six  hundred  years  the  power  and 
 religion  of  the  Hebrews  predominated  throughout  Arabia  ;  trade, 
 under  their  sway,  increased  ;  agriculture  flourished,  and  the  flocks 
 and  herds  multiplied  on  every  tract  of  pasture  land  ;  but  a  fierce 
 hurricane,  that  subverted  thrones  and  made  the  earth  heave  with 
 throes  unutterable,  was  brooding  in  the  atmosphere. 
 
 "  A  solitary  merchant,  whilst  pursuing  his  lonely  path  through  the 
 sandy  desert,  and  musing  on  the  daring  exploits  and  fabulous 
 traditions  of  his  ancestors,  conceived  the  notion  of  reforming  his 
 country  and  the  religion  of  his  people.  The  fire  of  enthusiasm, 
 kindled  in  the  boundless  plain  where  nothing  interposes  to  check 
 the  roving  imagination,  was  fed  in  the  silent  retreat  of  a  cave  in 
 Mount  Harass.  The  design,  formed  in  poverty  and  persecution, 
 grew  stronger  as  fortune  smiled,  and  converts  were  won.  Success 
 enhanced  the  enterprise,  and  in  a  few  years  the  luxurious  Khosroes 
 of  Persia,  and  the  imbecile  successors  of  Constantine,  trembled  in 
 their  marble  palaces  at  the  name  of  a  distant  Arab  enthusiast. 
 Mecca,  Medina,  the  strongholds  of  Chaibar,  and  all  the  provinces 
 along  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea,  yielded  to  the  scimetars  of  the 
 ruthless  conqueror.  The  Jews  were  the  first  victims  of  that  mighty 
 power,  which  was  destined  to  carry  desolation  into  the  fairest  abodes 
 of  Europe.  Throughout  Arabia,  the  sword  or  the  kelema  was  their 
 only  option.  No  capitation  tax — no  passive  spoliation — no  galling 
 slavery  could  procure  immunity  for  the  stubborn  unbelievers  in  the 
 holy  land  of  Islam.  Strange,  that,  after  such  severe  enactments, 
 such  unsparing  proscriptions,  such  wholesale  butcheries,  which 
 often  converted  the  villages  and  towns  of  the  Jews  into  charnel- 
 houses,  where  young  and  old,   the  man  with  grey  beard,  and  the 
 
1  1 4  SANAA. 
 
 maiden  in  full  bloom  of  years,  ended  their  unhappy  existence  ; 
 strange,  I  say,  when  we  reflect  on  all  these  torrents  of  blood,  that 
 there  should  still  be  in  every  valley  and  mountain-range  of  Arabia, 
 vast  multitudes  of  this  undying  and  imperishable  race.  Sanaa  alone, 
 as  I  was  informed  by  the  rabbis,  who  do  not  exaggerate  their  num- 
 ber, contains  3,500  adult  males  ;  and  in  the  whole  of  Yemen,  from 
 Saad,  the  ancient  Diklah,  in  the  north,  to  the  barren  rocks  that 
 abut  on  the  Indian  ocean  in  the  south,  there  are  upwards  of  200,000 
 of  this  loathed  and  wronged  people.  In  Sanaa  they  have  eighteen 
 synagogues,  some  of  which,  like  the  Kaneesa  Beit  Alushta,  are 
 spacious  and  solid  buildings.  These  places  of  worship  are  under 
 the  control  of  the  Beth  Din,  who  also  appoint  rabbis,  collect  the 
 taxes,  and  settle  every  dispute  and  litigation  that  may  arise  in 
 their  community.  Formerly  these  rulers  were  generally  men 
 renowned  for  wisdom  and  integrity,  wealth  and  influence ;  but  an 
 accumulation  of  troubles,  and  a  long  period  of  racking  care,  fear 
 and  anxiety,  have  lowered  their  character,  and  stripped  them  of  those 
 virtues  for  which  they  were  once  so  distinguished. 
 
 "  The  Jews  at  Sanaa,  and  in  the  whole  of  Yemen,  notwithstanding 
 their  miseries  and  oppressions,  which  invariably  crush  the  spirit 
 and  blunt  the  energies,  are  still  the  most  active,  industrious,  and 
 hard-v/orking  people  in  the  country.  Debarred,  by  the  enmity  of 
 the  Arabs,  from  cultivating  the  soil,  and  by  their  rapacious  dispo- 
 sition from  engaging  in  the  pursuits  of  commerce,  they  have  become 
 the  monopolizers  of  every  useful  art  and  every  branch  of  trade. 
 In  walking  through  a  bazaar,  it  is  unnecessary  to  inquire  for  the 
 part  occupied  by  the  Jews :  you  have  only  to  follow  the  sound  of 
 the  anvil,  and  the  vibration  of  the  weaver's  shuttle,  and  you  may  be 
 sure  to  find  the  spot  you  are  in  search  of.  Rich  and  influential  men 
 their  community  does  not  possess,  nor  are  they,  as  I  noticed,  much 
 bent  on  the  acquisition  of  wealth.  Poor  people  !  they  know  that 
 silver  and  gold  would  only  aggravate  their  burdens,  without  increas- 
 ing their  comforts  ;  and  they  do  not,  therefore,  long  for  treasures 
 which  the  Governor,  his  myrmidons,  or  the  Bedouin  of  the  desert, 
 could  at  any  moment  seize  with  impunity.  Poverty,  despair,  and 
 prostrating  want,  are  their  unhappy  lot  ;  and  as  if  the  misery  of 
 years  had  silenced  the  blessings  of  hope,  they  are  resigned  and 
 contented  if  by  the  sweat  of  their  brow  they  can  eke  out  the  means 
 to  satisfy  the  wants  of  a  weary  life.  In  the  market,  in  the  khans, 
 or  in  the  streets  ;  wherever  one  wanders,  the  haggard,  wan  and  care- 
 worn Jew  is  the  most  pitiable  object.  You  look  in  his  face,  and 
 you  read  in  the  knitted  brow  the  wrestlings  of  a  wounded  and 
 aching  heart — you  observe  his  walk,  and  you  see  in  his  creeping 
 steps  the  agonizing  fear  which  pervades  his  scathed  and  shattered 
 frame ;  even  his  squalid  rags,  unturbaned  head,  and  daggerless 
 leather  belt,  all  these  mark  the  despised  and  trodden  down  Jew. 
 
 "During  the  reign  of  the  Imams,  who  boasted  their  descent 
 from  the  family  of  Hoschem,  the  ancestors  of  INIahommed,  the  posi- 
 
SANAA.  I  I  5 
 
 tion  of  the  Jews  was  still  tolerable  ;  but  when,  three  years  ago,  the 
 power  of  these  temporal  and  spiritual  chiefs  came  to  an  end,  by  the 
 murder  of  Ychya  ibu  ^lahommed,  their  last  safeguard  vanished — 
 their  last  shelter  was  swept  away. 
 
 "  The  new  era  of  liberty  which  burst  the  feeble  restraints  of  law, 
 and  gave  free  scope  to  every  fierce  and  dark  passion,  was  immedi- 
 ately inaugurated  by  the  abandonment  of  the  Jewish  town  to  the 
 remorseless  cruelty  of  a  dissolute  and  bloodthirsty  mob.  For  eight 
 days  the  place  was  the  scene  of  atrocities  and  crimes,  of  rapine  and 
 plunder,  too  heartrending  to  describe,  and  too  humiliating  for 
 human  nature  to  peruse.  Unbefriended  sufferers !  Unhappy 
 exiles  !  no  wonder  that  ye  yearn  for  the  advent  of  the  Redeemer — 
 no  wonder  that  ye  sigh  for  the  close  of  the  dismal  night  in  which 
 you  are  shrouded. 
 
 "The  house  which  was  to  be  my  home  for  a  few  weeks,  stood  at 
 the  corner  of  one  of  the  narrow  and  unwholesome  lanes  which, 
 in  labyrinthine  confusion,  intersect  the  Jewish  quarter.  On  one 
 side,  it  was  joined  by  dwellings,  which,  from  their  external  appear- 
 ance, must  once  have  been  the  homes  of  affluence  and  ease,  though 
 now  they  bore  many  marks  of  ruin  and  neglect ;  on  the  other,  over  a 
 wide  surface,  lay  scattered  the  debris  of  buildings,  which,  three  years 
 ago,  were  wrested  from  their  lawful  occupants,  and  became  a  prey  to 
 a  savage  and  fanatical  mob.  The  old  rabbi,  who,  from  an  upper 
 window,  pointed  out  to  me  this  desolate  spot,  in  spite  of  all  his 
 efforts,  appeared  imable  to  control  the  stifling  emotion  which  shook 
 his  frame,  as  he  dilated  on  all  the  sufferings,  all  the  wrongs,  and  all 
 the  bitter  struggles  of  his  people ;  and  I  was  quite  appalled,  in 
 gazing  on  him,  to  see  a  face  that  a  few  minutes  before  had  been 
 calm  and  placid,  suddenly  betraying  intense  passion  and  unutterable 
 grief.  I  felt  my  deepest  sympathy  awakened  when  I  looked  on  this 
 aged  and  care-worn  teacher,  and  laying  my  hand  on  his  shoulder,  I 
 said,  '  My  dear  rabbi,  it  is  true !  alas,  too  true  !  that  your  lot  is  a 
 hard  and  painful  one  !  but  is  the  Lord  angry  without  a  cause  ?  Do 
 not  your  calamities  and  woes  tell  you  that  there  is  something  wrong 
 in  your  belief  ?  that  there  is  an  anathema  upon  your  race  ?  Here, 
 take  the  Bible  in  your  hand,  unfold  page  after  page,  and  does  not 
 God  speak  to  you  in  accents  of  the  profoundest  love  ?  Does  He 
 not  say,  '  Return  unto  me,  for  I  have  redeemed  thee  ?'  And  can 
 you  suppose  that  He  has  ceased  to  be  gracious  to  His  own  chosen 
 people,  or  that  the  fountains  of  mercy  are  dried  up  for  the  seed  of 
 Abraham  ?  No  ;  you  know  the  cause  of  your  miseries — ^}'ou  know 
 the  guilt  for  which  you  are  punished  !  '  Hold  !  hold  !'  he  exclaimed 
 in  a  hoarse  and  tremulous  voice,  '  I  cannot  discuss  these  matters — I 
 cannot  answer  the  arguments  you  advance  !' 
 
 "  On  returning  to  the  sitting-room,  which  was  also  my  host's 
 study  and  dormitory,  I  found  the  room  literally  crowded  with  Jews, 
 who  had  come  to  see  me.  After  the  salutation,  which  consisted 
 in  kissing  the  hand,  or,  as  the  rabbis  did,  in  a  familiar  embrace,  the 
 
Il6  SANAA. 
 
 conversation,  that  had  been  limited  to  a  few  complimentary  phrases, 
 became  more  free  and  unrestrained.  The  object  of  my  journey,  as 
 usual,  interested  all  ;  and  upon  being  told  that  I  had  brought  them 
 New  Testaments,  a  distinct  whisper  ran  through  the  closely-shoul- 
 dered assembly,  *  He  has  come  to  make  us  NojTim'  (Christians).  I 
 instantly  caught  these  words,  and  turning  to  the  numerous  coun- 
 tenances that  were  riveted  on  me,  I  began  to  expound  to  them  that 
 faith,  of  which  scarcely  one  knew  more  than  its  mere  name.  The 
 subjects  I  first  touched  were  the  various  prophecies,  which,  like  a 
 beacon  of  hope  through  the  mists  of  sin  and  corruption,  unfolded 
 to  the  believers  of  old  the  promise  of  a  coming  redemption  ;  I  next 
 turned  to  the  character  of  Christ,  His  sublime  teachings,  super- 
 human miracles,  and  infinite  holiness  ;  and,  lastly,  I  dilated  on  the 
 Saviour's  meek  death, resurrection  and  glorious  ascension — the  pledges 
 of  His  Messiahship,  and  the  guarantees  of  a  blessed  immortality. 
 There  was  a  breathless  silence  among  the  eager  listeners,  not  a  sound 
 was  heard  nor  a  word  uttered;  they  all  appeared  amazed  and  con- 
 founded at  the  sublime  truths  I  set  before  them  ;  even  the  rabbis,  who 
 doubted  my  words,  and  differed  from  the  views  I  expressed,  sat 
 motionless  and  absorbed,  as  if  the  pulse  of  life  had  suddenly  been 
 arrested.  It  was  an  affecting  sight  (and  these  few  hours  amply 
 compensated  me  for  all  the  toils  I  had  undergone),  to  see  a  multi- 
 tude of  men,  many  of  whom  had  already  reached  the  verge  of  life, 
 gathered  round  the  Missionary,  and  receiving  from  his  lips  an 
 account  of  that  Saviour,  to  whose  claims,  prejudice  and  ignorance 
 had  so  long  blinded  them.  The  heat  of  the  room  had  induced 
 numbers  to  throw  off  their  upper  garment,  and  as  they  sat  thus  almost 
 naked,  save  a  cloth  round  their  waist,  and  had  their  dark  and  sor- 
 rowful eyes  bent  upon  me,  I  felt  that  no  sacrifice  was  too  great — no 
 hardship  too  painful,  if  it  could  only  smooth  the  rugged  present, 
 and  lighten  the  gloomy  future,  of  these  men. 
 
 "  It  was  midnight  before  all  retired,  and  even  then,  had  my 
 strength  been  equal  to  the  task,  a  fresh  audience,  that  had  lingered 
 about  the  house,  would  readily  have  taken  possession  of  the  vacated 
 room." 
 
 Mr.  Stern  was  not  allowed  to  continue  his  residence  in  the 
 Jewish  quarter.  His  letter  of  introduction  made  a  demand  upon 
 the  hospitality  of  the  Moslems  ;  and  his  own  wishes  were  overruled 
 by  their  determination,  to  have  him  under  their  own  control. 
 
 "  On  awaking  in  the  morning,  from  a  sleep  that  had  been  broken 
 and  disturbed  by  several  noisy  inmates  who  occupied  the  same 
 chamber,  I  was  told  that  Ali  Zarkhee,  and  two  other  Moslem  mag- 
 nates, had  sent  to  announce  their  intention  of  visiting  me.  Th^ 
 three  Arabs  soon  made  their  appearance,  and,  as  if  I  had  no  voice 
 in  the  matter,  they  immediately  ordered  my  little  luggage  to  be 
 removed  to  the  Mahommcdan  town.     I  did  not  feel  quite  disposed 
 
SANAA.  117 
 
 to  acquiesce  in  their  unceremonious  arrangement  ;  but  my  visitors 
 overruled  every  objection,  by  assuring  me  that  in  the  Moslem  city, 
 without  any  danger  to  myself,  the  Jews  would  have  free  access  to 
 me,  whilst  if  I  remained  on  the  Koa-el-Yehad,  my  life  would  be  in 
 imminent  jeopardy. 
 
 "  The  new  lodging  to  which  my  friends  conducted  me,  was  in 
 the  Khan  of  Ali  Zarkhee,  a  sp^acious  and  massive  building,  situated 
 in  the  very  centre  of  the  market-place,  and  surrounded  on  three 
 sides  by  long  lines  of  bazaars,  where  Jews  and  Mahommedans  were 
 all  day  congregated.  Before  the  gate  of  the  Khan  many  idle  loi- 
 terers, and  blustering  coffee-drinkers,  were  assembled  when  we 
 arrived  ;  they  bowed  most  respectfully  to  my  Mahommedan  com- 
 panions, but  evinced  a  strong  inclination,  to  have  a  little  fight  for 
 the  faith  with  the  Christian. 
 
 "Before  I  was  quite  installed  in  my  abode,  or  had  sufficient  time 
 to  humanize  the  mud-floored  room,  the  Governor's  brother,  several 
 sheikhs,  merchants  and  mullahs,  honoured  me  with  their  company. 
 The  mullahs  Avere  of  course  inquisitive  about  my  creed,  and  with 
 sedate  and  grave  countenances,  they  asked  me  many  foolish  and 
 puerile  questions.  What  evidently  most  perplexed  their  acute  intel- 
 lects, was  the  origin  of  evil ;  and  they  nodded  a  gracious  approval 
 when  I  told  them  that  evil  and  good  were  both  overruled  to  accom- 
 plish a  wise  and  benevolent  end  ;  just  like  the  sun,  which  killed  one 
 and  conferred  benefits  on  thousands,  so  sin  ruined  the  careless,  and 
 displayed  God's  love  and  goodness  to  the  pious  and  holy.  The 
 next  topic  was  the  atonement  of  Christ ;  and  here,  though  I 
 touched  the  most  vulnerable  points  of  a  Mahommedan's  religious 
 prejudice,  to  my  surprise  they  remained  all  very  quiet,  and  neither 
 by  word  nor  sign,  manifested  a  favourable  or  adverse  opinion  on 
 this  all-important  truth. 
 
 "  A  great  number  of  Jews,  who,  during  my  conversation  with  the 
 Mahommedans,  had  been  standing  outside  the  door,  on  their 
 departure  quitted  this  humiliating  position,  and  entered  my  room. 
 They  all  expressed  themselves  highly  gratified  in  having  heard  a 
 Christian  defend,  before  believers  in  the  Koran,  the  revelation 
 made  to  Moses  and  the  Prophets  ;  though,  at  the  same  time,  accus- 
 tomed as  they  have  always  been  to  the  cruel  and  remorseless  dispo- 
 sition of  their  oppressors,  they  trembled  for  my  safety,  when  they 
 reflected  on  their  own  precarious  existence.  And  now,  having 
 faithfully  warned  me  of  every  impending  danger,  they  produced  the 
 tracts  I  had  distributed  on  the  preceeding  evening,  and  began  to 
 discuss  their  contents.  As  with  most  Jews,  their  chief  difficulty 
 was  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  '  Everything  that  you  have  told  u« 
 we  can  believe ;  thus  we  will  admit  that  Jesus  was  born  of  a  virgin 
 — that  He  performed  many  miracles — that  he  taught  excellent  doc- 
 trines— that  He  toiled,  suff"ered  and  died,  all  this  we  can  believe ; 
 but  that  the  Deity  should  make  atonement  for  man,  this  is  an  enigma 
 which  it   is   impossible  for  us  to  understand.'     This  great  truth, 
 
Il8  SANAA. 
 
 which  they  considered  so  repugnant  to  reason,  and  so  derogatory 
 to  the  Deity,  now  formed  the  theme  of  a  long  and  solemn  discus- 
 sion. There  was  many  a  doubtful  eye  fastened  on  the  inspired 
 volume,  when  I  opened  the  same  ;  but  their  scepticism  softened  as 
 I  pointed  out  passage  after  passage  where  this  sublime  doctrine  is 
 positively  declared.  Their  incredulity,  like  that  of  most  Jews,  was 
 founded  on  the  coarse  and  erroneous  notion,  that  the  faith  of  the 
 Christian  was  quite  distinct  from  that  of  the  Jew,  and  that  the 
 Saviour  whom  he  adored  as  a  God  was  nothing  more  than  a  frail 
 man.  That  Christianity  had  its  germ  in  Judaism,  and  that  the 
 Messiah  whom  we  worship  was  the  same  Divine  Being  who  revealed 
 Himself  to  the  prophets  and  saints,  had  never  entered  their  minds  ; 
 and  they  were  therefore  quite  startled,  nay  awed,  when  they  per- 
 ceived this  great  difficulty  cleared  up,  and  the  mystery  solved. 
 The  veil  thus  taken  from  their  hearts,  all  their  vague  and  futile 
 notions  yielded  to  better  influences,  and  I  am  convinced,  if  the 
 dread  of  their  Mahommedan  task-masters  had  not,  like  a  menacing 
 spectre,  floated  before  their  minds,  not  one  among  my  audience 
 would  have  left  the  room  without  avowing  his  faith  in  the  crucified 
 Redeemer.  As  it  was,  two  remained,  and  these,  with  tears  stream- 
 ing down  their  brown  wan  cheeks,  pressed  the  New  Testament  to 
 their  quivering  lips,  and  in  accents  of  intense  earnestness  ejaculated  ; 
 'Jesus,  thou  gracious  Redeemer  of  souls,  pity  our  ignorance,  and 
 forgive  our  sins !'  They  remained  with  me  till  evening,  and  then 
 and  there,  in  that  gloomy  room,  which  had  so  often  rung  with  the 
 boisterous  voices  of  wild  Bedouins,  could  now  be  heard  the  sighs 
 and  groans  of  two  despised  Israelites,  as  the  INIissionary  commended 
 them  to  the  mercy  of  that  Saviour,  whose  pardon  and  forgiveness 
 they  had  so  affectingly  implored." 
 
 An  introduction  to  the  Governor  of  Sanaa  was  the  next  formid- 
 able step,  in  which  the  Missionary  had  to  take  his  part.  To 
 combine  faithfulness  to  his  Divine  Master,  and  respect  to  the 
 opinions  and  wishes  of  this  autocrat,  required  more  than  human 
 wisdom. 
 
 "The  same  evening,  at  ten  o'clock,  I  went,  together  with  Ali 
 Zarkhee,  to  pay  my  respects  to  Sheikh  Achmed-el-Kheima,  the 
 Governor  of  Sanaa.  The  distance  from  the  Khan  to  the  fort  or 
 palace  is  about  ten  minutes'  walk  ;  but  as  my  feet  were  still  smarting 
 from  the  fatigues  of  the  journey,  it  occupied  us  nearly  half  an  hour. 
 Ali  Zarkhee,  on  whose  arm  I  was  leaning  for  support,  did  not  mind 
 the  slowness  of  my  movements  ;  he  had  been  present  at  the  discus- 
 sion with  the  mullahs  in  the  morning,  and  fearing  lest  I  might,  by 
 some  unguarded  expression,  rouse  the  passion  of  the  Chief,  the 
 tardy  walk  afi"orded  him  ample  time  to  forewarn  me  of  all  the  con- 
 sequences that  might  accrue  from  a  hasty  word. 
 
SANAA.  I  1 9 
 
 "The  castle,  which  stands  at  the  foot  of  Tebal  Makoom,  Hke  the 
 town  itself,  was  enveloped  in  perfect  darkness.  At  the  gate,  an 
 Arab  sentinel,  stretched  on  the  bare  ground,  more  obstructed  than 
 guarded  the  entrance.  We  passed,  unchallenged,  this  sleeping- 
 figure,  and  guided  by  our  extended  arms,  we  groped  our  way  to 
 another  gate.  Here  on  the  left  were  several  small  buildings  (I 
 believe  the  prisons),  one  of  which  was  occupied  by  half  a  dozen 
 Bedouins,  who  were  indulging  in  the  fumes  of  the  bouree.  They 
 salaamed  us,  asked  whether  I  was  the  Christian  Dervish,  and  once 
 more  puffed  away  their  favourite  weed.  Leaving  these  grim  and 
 sullen  smokers  to  the  enjoyment  of  their  pipes,  I  followed  in  the 
 rear  of  my  friend  (who  was  quite  at  home  in  this  region  of  night), 
 through  several  narrow  and  loathsome  passages — which,  even  in 
 the  day-time,  owing  to  the  formidable  obstructions  from  crumbling 
 walls  and  heaps  of  rotten  rubbish,  it  must  be  dangerous  to  traverse 
 — till  the  pale  glimmer  of  lights,  and  the  subdued  sound  of  voices, 
 indicated  that  we  had  reached  the  great  man's  official  residence. 
 The  entrance  to  this  principal  part  of  the  palace  was  through  a 
 low  door,  which  appeared  unguarded  ;  but  on  creeping  in,  a  closer 
 inspection  revealed,  in  a  recess  of  the  wall,  the  black  and  ungainly 
 forms  of  several  armed  men.  One  of  these  unprepossessing  forms, 
 on  seeing  Ali  Zarkhee,  threw  down  his  matchlock,  and  seizing  an 
 earthen  oil-lamp — the  only  light  in  the  place — without  uttering  a 
 word,  conducted  us  up  a  winding  stone  staircase,  into  the  presence 
 of  the  redoubted  Chief.  The  room,  unlike  the  reception-hall  of 
 other  Eastern  rulers,  displayed  nothing  of  wealth  or  luxury  ;  on  the 
 contrary,  the  bare  walls,  overhung  with  gaudy  chintz,  and  divans 
 covered  with  old  faded  carpets,  gave  it  a  shabby  and  ragged  appear- 
 ance. The  Governor — an  olive-coloured  Arab,  in  whose  lustreless 
 eyes  and  sunken  cheeks  vice  had  traced  her  indelible  characters, — 
 surrounded  by  about  a  score  of  Sheikhs  and  mullahs,  was  squatted 
 in  the  corner,  on  one  of  these  seats,  deeply  engaged  in  conversation. 
 At  my  entrance  he  stopped,  and  making  a  slight  inclination  with 
 the  head — a  condescension  I  did  not  expect — extended  to  me  his 
 hand,  and  in  a  kind  tone  said,  '  Welcome,  ya  Sheikh-el-Nazarane.' 
 He  now  asked  me  about  the  road — whether  I  liked  Sanaa,  and  if 
 there  were  such  a  beautiful  town  in  Room,  i.e.,  Europe.''  Having 
 replied  to  these  and  similar  questions,  the  conversation  turned  upon 
 the  new  topics  which  my  work  among  the  Jews,  and  the  difference 
 of  our  faith,  afforded.  The  mullahs,  after  venting  their  zeal  on  the 
 unbelief  of  the  Jews,  in  a  long  and  flowery  speech,  gave  a  descrip- 
 tion of  the  beauties  and  excellencies,  pleasures  and  delights,  their 
 Koran  offered  to  the  faithful ;  and,  as  if  their  epicurean  heaven 
 swayed  and  animated  all  their  senses,  they  said  to  me  compassion- 
 ately, '  What  reward  does  your  Angeel,  i.e..  Gospel,  hold  out  to  its 
 adherents  ?  '  Our  creed,'  I  replied,  '  like  yours,  has  also  its  hopes 
 and  promises,  joys  and  consolations  ;  like  yours,  it  tells  us  of  the 
 immortality  of  the  soul,  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  the  final 
 
120  SANAA. 
 
 judgment  of  mankind  ;  but  it  does  not  stop  here,  for  it  further 
 informs  us  that  man  is  a  fallen  creature — that  he  has  to  struggle 
 with  the  corruption  of  sin — and  that  unredeemed  by  an  Almighty 
 Saviour,  he  can  never  be  brought  back  to  the  favour  of  his  offended 
 God.  Now  this  mere  declaration  of  our  guilty  and  rebel  state,  un- 
 accompanied by  an  assurance  of  pardon  and  mercy,  would  either 
 sink  us  into  despair,  or  drive  us  into  the  sea  of  doubt  and  scep- 
 ticism. This  the  Divine  Being,  from  whom  the  Angeel  emanates, 
 foreknew ;  and,  to  remove  all  vain  speculations  and  all  self-created 
 fancies,  around  which  the  heart  might  cling  for  hope,  our  religion, 
 in  announcing  to  us  our  ruin  and  misery,  through  the  seduction  of 
 sin,  also  brings  us  the  cheering  tidings  of  our  reconciliation  and 
 redemption,  through  the  atoning  sacrifice  of  Christ.  This  grand 
 truth,  O  ye  wise  men  !'  (addressing  the  mullahs)  '  is  the  basis  of 
 our  faith,  and  the  source  of  our  happiness  ;  and  however  imperfect 
 our  gratitude  and  devotion  to  God  may  be,  for  all  the  blessings  He 
 has  conferred  upon  us,  the  yearning  desire  of  every  true  Nazarene 
 already  here  on  earth  is,  to  be  invested  with  that  purity  and  holi- 
 ness which  are  the  characteristics  of  the  inhabitants  of  heaven.' 
 There  was  a  kind  of  discontented  murmur  when  I  finished  the 
 address,  of  which  the  above  is  an  epitome  ;  but  I  could  perceive, 
 by  the  compressed  lips  of  some,  and  the  menacing  scowl  of  others, 
 that  the  words  of  life  and  truth  had  not  been  uttered  in  vain. 
 
 "At  midnight  the  assembly  separated,  except  AH  Zarkhee  and 
 tnj'self,  who,  at  the  request  of  the  Governor,  remained.  My  friend 
 did  not  much  admire  this  detention,  from  which  he  expected  some- 
 thing ill-boding  for  me  ;  happily,  his  suspense  was  only  of  short 
 duration,  for  the  Sheikh,  so  soon  as  the  door  closed  on  his  visitors, 
 invited  me  to  a  seat  near  him,  and  we  entered  into  an  unrestrained, 
 friendly  converse.  We  had  been  talking  about  half-an-hour,  when 
 a  servant  came  into  the  room,  and  said,  '  Sheikh,  there  is  a  tumult 
 in  the  market-place.'  At  these  words  the  countenance  of  the 
 Governor,  who  thought  there  was  an  insurrection,  became  flushed 
 with  intense  passion,  and  grasping  the  arms  which  hung  on  the  wall, 
 hastened,  together  with  some  of  his  attendants,  to  the  scene  of  dis- 
 turbance. This  unexpected  intelligence  alarmed  us  greatly,  but  more 
 particularly  my  friend,  who  was  quite  undecided  whether  he  should 
 go  and  assist  in  quelling  the  supposed  popular  commotion,  or 
 whether  he  should  remain  in  the  palace  and  wait  for  more  correct 
 information.  Our  consultation  was  cut  short  by  the  entrance  of  one 
 of  the  so-called  soldiers.  We  immediately  inquired  about  the  cause 
 of  the  uproar.  '  Nothing  at  all,'  replied  this  supporter  of  order, 
 '  only  two  Banians — cursed  infidels — have  been  murdered,  and  the 
 Sheikh  is  busy  in  taking  possession  of  their  property.'  " 
 
 And  now,  Mr.  Stern  was  engaged,  from  early  morn  until  late  at 
 night,  in  religious  discussions.  These  did  not  take  the  form  of  angry 
 debate,  but  eager  and  anxious  consideration  of  the  revelation  which 
 
SANAA.  I  2  I 
 
 God  had  given  in  His  Son.  The  Mahommedans  were  interested; 
 and  often  obtruded  themselves  on  the  company  of  the  Jews,  who 
 thronged  the  lodgings  of  the  IMissionary. 
 
 "  During  this  conversation,  several  mullahs  strode  into  my  room. 
 The  Jews  immediately  wanted  to  get  up  and  leave;  but  the  INIahom- 
 medan  doctors,  to  their  surprise,  quite  politely  requested  them  to 
 retain  their  places,  as  they  had  purposely  come  to  hear  the  argu- 
 ments they  used  to  combat  the  doctrines  I  preached.  '  We  have  no 
 arguments,'  they  timidly  replied,  'to  controvert  the  religion  of  the 
 Angeel  (the  Gospel) ;  both  our  creeds  rest  their  truth  on  Moses 
 and  the  Prophets  ;  our  only  difficulty  is  the  person  and  work  of  the 
 Messiah  ;  and  if  this  enigma  is  satisfactorily  solved,  the  Yehudee  is 
 a  Nazaranee,  and  the  Nazaranee  a  Yehudee.'  After  this  short  con- 
 verse with  the  Jews,  they  turned  to  me,  and  smilingly  inquired 
 whether  I  did  not  think  that  the  sword  was  a  far  better  instrument 
 to  make  proselytes  than  all  the  wisdom  and  learning  of  the  world  ? 
 '  Certainly  not,'  rejoined  I,  '  for  God  does  not  require  the  revelation 
 He  has  given  to  man  to  be  enforced  by  means  opposed  to  His 
 nature  and  attributes.  His  law  is  a  law  of  love,  and  wherever  it  is 
 proclaimed,  and  wherever  it  seeks  to  win  disciples,  it  must  elevate 
 and  not  debase — it  must  make  man  free  and  not  a  slave — it  must 
 change  the  heart's  faith  and  not  extort  an  hypocritical  lip  confes- 
 sion ;  this  our  Angeel  does,  and  wherever  its  message  is  proclaimed, 
 no  sword  and  no  hands  reeking  with  blood  are  requisite  to  make 
 converts  ;  its  own  language  is  the  best  pleader  of  its  truth,  and  its 
 adaptation  to  our  wants  the  most  powerful  credential  of  its  Divine 
 origin.'  '  But  did  the  Nazaranee  never  compel  people  to  accept 
 their  religion  ?'  demanded  they.  '  No  ;  never  did  true  followers  of 
 Christ  make  the  Angeel  a  pretext  for  persecution  ;  on  the  contrary, 
 they  love  their  fellow-men  and  seek  to  do  them  good  ;  they  pity 
 their  ruined  condition,  and  yearn  to  convey  to  them  the  tidings  of 
 salvation  ;  but  they  abhor  and  shrink  from  the  use  of  means  which 
 are  opposed  to  the  God  of  Love,  and  incompatible  with  the  Book 
 He  has  given  us.'  In  our  discussion,  which  lasted  above  an  hour, 
 I  never  adverted  to  the  method  by  which  Islamism  was  promul- 
 gated ;  this  my  potent  visitors  noticed — and  noticed,  I  believe,  with 
 pleasure  ;  for  they  were  very  friendly,  and  even  warned  me  in  going 
 away,  not  to  venture  in  the  streets  unaccompanied  by  Ali  Zarkhee, 
 or  some  other  influential  person. 
 
 "  In  the  afternoon,  as  I  was  sitting  and  conversing  with  the 
 Jews,  three  armed  Bedouins  stalked  into  my  room,  and,  without 
 any  salutation,  threw  down  their  guns,  and,  sans  ceremonie,  squatted 
 themselves  uncomfortably  close  to  me.  I  took  no  notice  of  their 
 intrusion,  as  several  armed  individuals  had  visited  me  before  ;  but 
 finding,  after  the  lapse  of  a  considerable  time,  that  they  did  not 
 move,  I  demanded  their  business.  '  We  are  soldiers  of  Sheikh 
 Achmed-el-Kheima,'   was  the  reply,  and  charged   to   watch  over 
 
 I 
 
122  SANAA. 
 
 your  safety  both  in  your  lodging,  and  also  when  you  go  out.'  '  The 
 Sheikh,'  I  rejoined,  '  may  his  life  be  prolonged,  is  very  kind  ;  but 
 as  I  am  in  the  zemzar,  {i.e.,  khan  of  a  friend),  you  must  obtain  his 
 permission  before  you  can  take  up  your  abode  on  his  premises.' 
 They  did  not  appear  much  inclined  to  follow  my  directions,  and  I 
 had  several  times  to  repeat  my  request  before  they  could  be  induced 
 to  make  their  exit.  The  Jews,  after  their  departure,  told  me  that 
 they  belonged  to  the  Beni  Djedad — a  tribe  infamous  for  crimes  and 
 atrocities  of  the  most  revolting  description.  As  I  anticipated,  the 
 unsolicited  guard  did  not  return  ;  and  subsequently,  on  making 
 inquiries,  I  discovered  that  the  Governor  had  not  sent  them  at  all, 
 but  that  they  had  come  of  their  own  accord,  in  the  hope  of  extorting 
 money  from  me — a  project  in  which  they  were  foiled  by  my  fearless- 
 ness, and  the  number  of  Jews  around  me. 
 
 "Soon  after  the  above  incident,  which,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
 guardian  care  of  our  Heavenly  Father,  might  have  been  attended 
 with  serious  consequences,  the  Governor,  afraid  for  my  safety, 
 actually  sent  me  several  armed  Arabs  ;  but  one  walk  in  their  com- 
 pany convinced  me,  that  it  was  better  to  appear  to  trust,  than  to 
 suspect  the  intentions  of  the  people.  But  the  dilemma  was,  how  to 
 get  rid  of  the  men  without  offending  their  Chief;  here,  as  usual,  my 
 kind  friend  Ali  Zarkhee  anticipated  me  ;  and  whilst  I  was  hesitating 
 whether  to  dismiss  them  or  not,  he  had  already  been  with  the  Sheikh 
 and  obtained  their  recall." 
 
 Hitherto  Mr.  Stern  had  been  unable  to  visit  the  Jewish  syna- 
 gogues. Every  moment  of  time  was  occupied  by  his  visitors. 
 Taking  advantage  of  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  at  an  early  hour,  accom- 
 panied by  two  Mahommedans,  he  threaded  his  way  to  the  Jewish 
 quarter. 
 
 "The  distance  from  the  Mahommedan  to  the  Jewish  town  is  half 
 an  hour's  walk.  A  large  tract  of  waste  land,  varied  by  cemeteries 
 and  fragments  of  former  dwellings,  forms  the  division.  On  the 
 Jewish  Sabbath  this  piece  of  ground  is  entirely  deserted  ;  not  a 
 human  being  is  to  be  seen,  not  a  voice  breaks  the  dull  silence  ; 
 here  and  there  a  bird  of  prey  and  a  savage  jackal  may  be  seen 
 prowling  among  the  tombs  in  search  of  food  ;  and  even  they,  if 
 their  shrill  and  discordant  notes  had  any  signification,  seemed  to 
 think  that  no  one  had  a  right  to  intrude  on  these  domains  on  the 
 seventh  day.  We  set  out,  I  said,  with  the  grey  dawn  of  morning  ; 
 but  in  these  climes  night  melts  so  imperceptibly  into  day,  that  the 
 sun  was  already  high  above  the  horizon  when  we  reached  the  syna- 
 gogue. Several  of  my  Jewish  friends,  on  hearing  that  I  had  come, 
 rushed  towards  the  door,  and  regardless  both  of  the  place  and  their 
 devotion,  shouted  with  all  their  might,  '  Baruch  habah  !  Baruch 
 habah  ! '  (blessed  is  he  that  cometh).  The  noise  and  excitement 
 having  a  little  subsided,  I  took  my  seat  on  the  carpet  of  one  of  the 
 
SANAA.  123 
 
 chiefs,  and  patiently  awaited  the  conclusion  of  the  service.  The 
 last  Amen  had  scarcely  been  uttered,  when  young  and  old,  the 
 learned  rabbi  and  the  untutored  amhaaretz  (ignorant  man),  collected 
 around  me,  and  clamorously  demanded  that  I  should  deliver  a 
 dcrasha,  i.e.,  lecture.  There  was  no  necessity  to  repeat  the  invita- 
 tion, for  the  assemblage  of  immortal  beings  gathered  together  in  that 
 place  of  worship,  even  under  far  less  favourable  circumstances, 
 would  have  impelled  me  to  warn  and  entreat,  to  persuade  and  urge, 
 that  they  should  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  My  sermon,  for  such 
 it  strictly  was,  lasted  about  an  hour,  and  yet,  unaccustomed  as  rab- 
 binical jews  are  to  restrain  their  vocal  organs  when  anything  is  said 
 in  a  religious  discourse  that  is  opposed  to  their  judgment,  or  mili- 
 tates against  their  prejudices,  there  was  a  breathless  silence  whilst  I 
 spoke,  throughout  th©  thronged  synagogue.  Before  I  quitted  the 
 house  of  prayer,  where  there  must  have  been  more  than  five  hundred 
 adults  (for  many  from  the  adjoining  congregations  had  been 
 attracted  to  the  place),  I  distributed  a  packet  of  tracts  ;  and  then, 
 accompanied  by  scores  of  people,  repaired  to  the  house  of  Solyman- 
 el-Xadaff  to  breakfast.  During  our  repast,  the  Jews  who  had. 
 gained  admittance  into  the  room,  entered  into  a  warm  and  ani- 
 mated discussion  on  the  topics  to  which  1  had  alluded  in  my 
 discourse.  At  two  p.m.,  my  Mahommedan  friends  came  to  fetch 
 me  ;  but,  ere  I  took  my  leave,  I  once  more  addressed  them  on  the 
 grand  question  at  issue  between  us.  Among  other  things,  I  said, 
 '  In  a  few  days  you  will  solemnize  the  Day  of  Atonement — a  day  of 
 humiliation  and  repentance,  of  fasting  and  prayer  ;  but,  my  dear 
 brethren,  can  oceans  of  tears  wash  away  sin  }  Can  anguish  of 
 heart  procure  pardon  .^  The  law  demands  perfection,  and  pro- 
 nounces death  upon  the  least  deviation  from  its  injunction.  Now 
 where  is  the  man  that  can  lay  claim  to  a  sinless  nature,  and  to  a 
 soul  unsullied  by  the  slightest  off"ence  }  We  might  traverse  the 
 whole  universe,  penetrate  the  most  secluded  sanctuary,  and  yet 
 everywhere  we  should  find  the  traces  of  our  fall,  and  the  blighting 
 eff'ects  of  sin.  No,  my  brethren,  there  is  no  merit,  as  the  Prophet 
 saith,  in  fasting,  and  no  release  from  guilt  through  the  sacrifice  of 
 the  lips  ;  the  exigencies  of  our  nature  require  a  worthier  atonement, 
 and  the  justice  of  God  an  ampler  satisfaction.  Not  the  blood  of 
 the  altar — not  even  the  off'spring  of  my  affection,  can  bring  me  back 
 to  the  lost  favour  of  a  just  Creator,  and  to  the  heaven  my  sin  hath 
 forfeited  ;  an  atonement  commensurate  with  Divine  justice  alone 
 could  silence  the  rigour  of  the  broken  law — alone  could  remove  the 
 curse  from  the  wide-spreading  domains  of  humanity.  This  sacrifice 
 the  believer  in  Christ  hath,  'for  he  was  w^ounded  for  our  transgres- 
 sions, and  bruised  for  our  iniquities '  ;  and,  oh  my  friends,  you  who 
 have  to  struggle  with  so  many  painful  vicissitudes,  and  so  many 
 adverse  circumstances,  suffer  not  the  sorrows  of  the  present  to 
 drown  your  concern  about  the  future  ;  on  the  contrary,  in  all  your 
 afflictions — in  all  your  troubles,  and  in  all  the  agonies  that  wring 
 
1 24  SANAA. 
 
 tears  of  blood  from  the  eyes — in  all  such  trying  circumstances,  let 
 faith  cherish  the  image  of  the  Redeemer,  and  grief,  however  deep, 
 ■will  be  assuaged — despair,  however  dark,  will  be  brightened.'  The 
 whole  audience  appeared  moved,  and  I  believe  many,  as  they  them- 
 selves said,  will  never  forget  the  Sabbath  I  spent  among  them. 
 
 "  My  books,  whose  arrival  I  had  been  anxiously  anticipating, 
 reached  Sanaa  on  Sunday  morning.  The  caravan  had  been  near 
 the  town  on  the  Thursday  previous,  but  on  receiving  information 
 that  the  Beni  Jebar  occupied  the  mountain-pass,  they  were  obliged 
 to  make  a  detour  of  nearly  seventy  miles. 
 
 "The  news  that  the  books  had  reached  me,  caused  quite  a  joyous 
 sensation  in  the  Kaa-el-Yehud  ;  and  several  of  the  rabbis,  unso- 
 licited, immediately  offered  me  one  of  the  synagogues  if  1  would 
 have  them  conveyed  to  their  town.  To  this  proposition  I  at  once 
 agreed  ;  but  what  was  my  dismay  when  Ali  Zarkhee,  to  whom  I 
 mentioned  this  plan,  told  me  that  an  order  had  come  from  the 
 Governor,  which  for  the  future  confined  my  liberty  to  the  precincts 
 of  the  khan.  'And  why,'  said  I,  'does  the  Sheikh  imprison  a 
 stranger,  whom  only  a  few  days  ago  he  assured  of  his  friendship 
 and  protection  ? '  '  You  are  not  imprisoned,  Abdallah,'  replied  he, 
 '  nor  has  the  Sheikh  ceased  to  be  your  friend  ;  no,  by  Allah,  he  is 
 anxious  about  your  safety,  and  this  induces  him  to  confine  your 
 movements.'  'But'  interrogated  I,  'hath  aught  occurred  to  warrant 
 such  apprehensions.?'  'Yes'  rejoined  he,  'Cadi  Shuganee,  a  very 
 holy  man,  and  several  others,  of  the  mullahs,  [may  their  fathers  be 
 cursed,]  assert  that  you  have  come  to  make  Nazaranee  of  the  Jews, 
 and  when  you  have  effected  this,  to  do  the  same  with  the  Moslemin. 
 Now,'  continued  he,  '  you  know  that  a  man  who  attempts  such  a 
 thing,  according  to  our  belief,  ought  to  be  killed,  and  perhaps  this 
 would  already  have  been  the  case  with  you,  were  you  not  my  son  ; 
 but  he  whom  Ali  Zarkhee  acknowledges  as  his  son,  no  Shuganee 
 dare  molest.' 
 
 "The  same  day  at  noon,  when,  as  usual,  I  was  engaged  in  read- 
 ing and  expounding  the  Word  of  God  to  inquiring  and  truth-thirst- 
 ing Jews,  More  Yehya,  one  of  the  Chachamim,  and  a  great  friend 
 of  mine,  stepped  into  the  room,  and  to  the  surprise  of  every  one, 
 muttered  between  his  closed  teeth,  'cursed  blasphemers — impure 
 idolaters — offspring  of  the  evil  one,'  &c.  Not  knowing  on  whom 
 these  and  many  more  gentle  epithets  were  lavished,  I  exclaimed, 
 'More  Yehya,  why  so  enraged — why  so  ill-tempered.?'  'Enraged 
 and  ill-tempered,'  reiterated  he,  '  have  we  not  cause  ?  are  we  not 
 the  most  wretched  and  miserable  people  under  the  sun  ?  is  not  our 
 life-blood  squeezed  out  of  our  hearts  drop  by  drop  ?  You,  in  your 
 kindness  of  soul,  for  which  the  Lord  give  you  a  seat  in  Paradise ; 
 you  have  come  from  the  country  where  the  sun  sets  ;  you  have 
 defied  the  monsters  of  the  deep,  and  braved  the  vile  Arab  of  the 
 desert — you  have  not  shunned  the  terrors  of  the  night,  nor  the  arrow 
 that  flieth  by  day  ;  this  you  have  done  to  comfort  Israel,  and  to  fill 
 
SANAA.  125 
 
 with  gladness  the  mourners  in  Jiulah  ;  and  now  you  are  here  scarcely 
 a  week,  yet  your  life  is  in  jeopardy — your  books  are  scarcely 
 unpacked,  when  the  seed  of  Moloch  demand  two  hundred  dollars 
 tribute.'  The  fiery  ami  passionate  rabbi,  after  he  had  given  vent  to 
 the  gushing  emotions  of  his  pent-up  wrath,  in  a  calmer  strain 
 related,  that  Sheikh  Abdallah  Chanini  and  Cadi  Shuganee  had  sum- 
 moned the  Beth  Din,  i.e.,  Jewish  tribunal,  before  them,  and  at  the 
 penalty  of  two  hundred  dollars  enjoined  them  not  to  accept  any  of 
 my  books.  'Did  the  Beth  Din  submit  to  this  request?'  inquired  I. 
 *  Yes,'  said  he,  with  a  deprecating  shrug  of  his  shoulder,  '  what  can 
 they  do,  are  we  not  all  slaves  to  the  Goyim,  i.e.,  Gentiles?'  The 
 secretary  of  the  Governor  here  interrupted  our  conversation  ;  and  to 
 him,  as  he  was  really  kindly  disposed  towards  me,  I  at  once  made  a 
 complaint  of  the  injustice  I  had  experienced  that  day.  The  worthy 
 functionary  was  quite  indignant  that  Abdallah  Chanini  should 
 impose  a  tax  on  books  I  had  brought ;  '  but  this  is  his  nature, 
 always  grasping — always  craving  for  money.  Well,  we  shall  foil 
 him  this  time,  for  by  the  life  of  Mahomet  he  shall  not  have  a  rupee; 
 and  as  to  your  confinement  to  the  zemzar,  I  know  that  this  is  not 
 pleasant,  for  I  have  myself  experienced  the  horrors  of  a  jail,  and  my 
 heart  still  throbs  whenever  I  think  of  the  efreed  and  genii  who  tor- 
 mented me  within  those  damp  walls  ;  but  the  zemzar  is  not  a  prison, 
 and  it  is  better  to  be  secure  of  life  in  a  room,  than  in  danger  of  the 
 same  in  the  garden  of  Haroun-el-Reshid.'  " 
 
 Another  interview  now  took  place  with  the  Governor,  accom- 
 panied by  circumstances  which  were  at  once  unexpected  and 
 remarkable. 
 
 "  My  facetious  and  philosophic  scribe  had  been  gone  about  an 
 hour,  when  he  came  back  with  a  message  from  the  Governor, 
 directing  me  to  repair  to  the  palace  in  the  evening,  and  there,  in 
 the  presence  of  the  Jewish  rabbis  who  were  also  invited,  he  would 
 himself  assure  us  that  Abdallah  Chanini  had  no  right  to  interfere 
 with  my  books,  nor  to  impose  a  tax  on  the  Jews  who  were  to  have 
 them.  The  excitement,  exhausting  discussions,  and  troubles  which, 
 during  the  whole  of  that  painful  Sabbath,  kept  my  mind  in  a  con- 
 tinual whirl,  made  me  quite  long  for  the  night  ;  and  now,  when  the 
 stars  were  already  sparkling  in  the  sky,  and  night  invited  me  to 
 meditation  and  rest,  there  comes  a  summons  from  the  Kaser,  and 
 that  too  from  a  man  whom  the  interest  of  my  work  forced  me  to 
 obey. 
 
 "  At  nine  o'clock,  Ali  Zarkhee — that  true  and  faithful  friend  to 
 the  lonely  Missionary — and  myself  were  wending  our  way  through 
 the  hushed  and  silent  streets  towards  the  residence  of  the  Governor. 
 There  was  a  considerable  movement  near  the  door,  and  numerous 
 grim,  half-clad  figures,  could  be  seen  gliding  through  the  darkness 
 of  the  night  towards  the  building  to  which  we  were  directing  our 
 
12  6  SANAA. 
 
 Steps.  I  asked  my  friend  what  this  movement  indicated  ?  '  Nothing 
 at  all,'  replied  he,  in  a  hoarse  and  low  voice,  '  the  Sheikh  has  a  great 
 assembly. 
 
 "  We  had  now  reached  the  entrance,  which,  like  the  abodes  of  all 
 eastern  despots,  was  guarded  by  several  ferocious-looking  Arabs. 
 We  took  no  notice  of  these  crouching  and  motionless  figures,  but 
 passed  the  door,  mounted  the  stairs,  and  without  ceremony  entered 
 the  audience  chamber  of  the  Governor.  The  assembled  magnates 
 glared  at  me  with  their  flashing  little  eyes,  as  if  I  were  some  dreaded 
 phantom  that  had  long  haunted  their  dreams,  and  who,  suddenly 
 endued  with  life  and  speech,  had  now  dropped  out  of  some  unknown 
 region  into  their  very  midst.  No  one  saluted  me  except  the  Sheikh, 
 and  two  daring  chieftains  from  the  mountains,  to  whom  I  had  given 
 medicines  ;  they  alone  extended  their  hands  to  touch  the  hated 
 Christian.  '  Well,  Sheikh-el-Nazaranee,'  said  the  Governor,  '  I 
 hear  your  books  have  arrived,  and  that  you  are  entangled  in  troubles 
 about  the  disposal  of  them.  Teyib,  teyib,  we  shall  arrange  this 
 matter;  but  let  us  first  know  what  the  Jews  have  to  say.'  At  these 
 words  the  curtain  which  hung  before  the  door  was  withdrawn,  and 
 five  venerable  rabbis  appeared  at  the  threshold.  The  poor  rabbis, 
 as  they  thus  stood  quailing  and  dejected  at  the  entrance,  presented 
 a  strange  and  painful  contrast  to  the  bold  and  resolute  Arabs  who 
 were  lounging  on  the  divans  in  the  room.  '  Yahud,  do  you  believe 
 in  the  books  which  this  mullah  of  the  Nazaranee  hath  brought  ?' 
 demanded  the  Sheikh.  'We  do,'  was  the  brief  reply.  'And,' 
 pursued  the  same  harsh  voice  again,  '  will  you  prize  the  same  like 
 the  Torah  of  Mooza  and  the  Saboor  of  Daood  if  they  are  given  to 
 you  ?'  *  Yes,  your  Excellency,  for  the  Torah  of  the  Christians  is  the 
 same  as  the  Torah  of  the  Jews.'  '  What  do  you  say,'  ejaculated  a 
 mullah,  whose  hideous  features  were  made  still  more  frightful  by 
 the  quantity  of  kaad  he  had  stuffed  into  his  capacious  mouth,  '  what 
 do  you  say,  the  Ketab-el-Nazaranee  is  not  different  from  the  Ketab- 
 el-Yahud  ?  Wollah,  these  curs  imagine  that  we  are  all  the  sons  of 
 asses,  and  don't  know  the  Angecl.  Now,  listen  to  me,  I  have 
 studied,  thanks  to  the  Prophet,  and  understand  ettcnvheed  (theology) 
 and  ive  Urn  en-?ivgoom  (astrology).  This  Book,  which  is  called  Angeel, 
 was  written  by  Yooseph,  Shimon  and  Yakoob  ;  and  in  its  pages  it 
 predicts  the  coming  of  the  Prophet,  the  destruction  of  the  infidels, 
 and  the  triumph  of  Islam.  It  then  proceeds  to  narrate  how  your 
 wicked  ancestors  persecuted  Nebi  Eesau,  and  wanted  to  kill  him, 
 and  how  God  deceived  them  by  substituting  another  person  in  the 
 place  of  the  Son  of  Mary.  All  this  is  written  in  the  Angeel  ;  but 
 you  are,  as  the  Koran  saith,  deaf,  dumb,  and  blind,  and  cannot 
 understand  e/Uavhcai  as  I  and  the  faithful  {i.e.,  Mahommedans)  do.' 
 The  profound  wisdom  of  this  fascinating  mullah  would  have  excited 
 my  risibility,  had  not  his  whole  language  breathed  malice  and 
 hatred  towards  the  Jews  :  this  roused  very  different  emotions  ;  and, 
 prompted  by  a  desire  both  to  reprove  his  ignorance,  and  to  efface 
 
SANAA.  127 
 
 the  impression  his  nonsense  had  produced,  I  assured  the  jabbering 
 sage,  that  I  had  no  intention  to  dispute  his  skill  in  reading  the 
 characters  written  in  the  stars  of  heaven,  nor  the  hidden  mysteries 
 veiled  under  the  fine  language  of  the  Koran,  as  I  was  not  suffici- 
 ently learned  in  either  ;  but  as  regarded  the  Gospel,  however  great 
 a  scholar  he  might  be  in  other  matters,  this  sacred  volume  had  cer- 
 tainly never  formed  a  part  of  his  studies.  '  Why,  Abdallah  ?'  asked 
 the  Sheikh.  '  The  reason  is  simple  enough,  for,  if  he  had,  he  would 
 have  discovered  that  our  Book  was  written  by  the  immediate  dis- 
 ciples of  Christ ;  that  it  taught  us  the  knowledge  of  sin,  the  corrup- 
 tion of  mankind,  and  the  necessity  of  an  atonement ;  that  it 
 further  tended  to  enlarge  the  mind,  to  purify  the  heart,  to  fill  us 
 with  gratitude  to  God,  and  to  direct  our  feeble  understanding  from 
 the  objects  of  sense  to  the  contemplation  of  the  solemn  and 
 glorious  realities  of  heaven.'  '  Wonderful  book  !  wonderful  book  !  ' 
 exclaimed  the  Sheikh,  '  let  me  have  a  copy,  Abdallah,  and  give  as 
 many  copies  as  you  like  to  the  Jews — they  have  (here  he  turned  to 
 the  rabbis)  my  full  consent  to  accept  the  same,  free  of  any  impost.' 
 The  rabbis  now  made  a  profound  obeisance  and  retired.  I  in- 
 tended to  imitate  their  example,  but  was  not  allowed  to  do  so,  as 
 the  Governor,  and  every  one  else  in  the  room,  wanted  a  description 
 of  the  fire-carriages  and  wire-words  with  which  I  had  bewildered 
 the  intellect  of  the  secretary.  I  endeavoured,  by  coining  new 
 words,  to  give  them  some  idea  of  the  power  of  steam  and  electricity; 
 but  had  Watt  and  Franklin  themselves  occupied  my  place,  and 
 explained  their  immortal  discoveries,  the  telegraph  and  railway 
 would  still  have  been  ascribed  to  the  skill  of  magic,  and  the  genius 
 of  the  gente  a  basso. 
 
 "  The  toleration  of  the  Governor  towards  me  and  my  work  found 
 no  echo  in  the  heart  of  the  bigoted  Cadi ;  at  midnight,  and  again 
 at  the  dawn  of  day,  he  sent  to  the  rabbis  and  threatened  them  with 
 his  vengeance  if  they  preferred  the  Angeel  to  the  Koran,  and  the  teach- 
 ings of  Christ  to  the  doctrines  of  Mahomed.  I  purposed  to  call  on 
 him,  and  by  a  friendly  conversation  seek  to  soften  his  prejudice 
 against  my  efforts  ;  but  my  Moslem  friends  would  not  hear  of  such 
 a  thing ;  'Shuganee  is  a  holy  man,'  they  said,  'and  a  holy  man  may 
 do  many  things  we  disapprove  of,  with  perfect  impunity.' 
 
 "  Having  thus  taken  every  measure  to  ensure  a  wide  circulation  of 
 the  Word  of  God,  I  did  not  harass  my  mind  any  longer  with  gloomy 
 and  imaginary  fears.  I  had  proclaimed  the  Gospel  of  salvation  ;  I 
 had  lifted  the  veil  from  the  errors  of  the  Talmudic  creed  ;  and  now 
 whatever  obstacles  might  oppose  the  written  Word,  whatever 
 hindrances  shackle  its  free  course,  I  knew  the  preached  Word  had 
 reached  the  heart,  I  knew  that  it  had  melted  the  iron  of  the  soul  ; 
 and  I  felt  confident  that  no  human  power — no  votary  of  Islamism, 
 could  ever  hush  the  voice,  or  silence  the  upbraidings,  of  the  awakened 
 and  restless  conscience. 
 
128  SANAA. 
 
 "The  day  after  the  interview  witli  tlie  Governor,  I  liad  an  unusual 
 number  of  Jewish  visitors.  They  did  not,  as  on  previous  occasions, 
 throng  my  room  ;  but,  as  if  by  some  preconcerted  plan,  they  came 
 in  parties  of  three  and  four ;  and  these,  as  soon  as  they  had  pur- 
 chased a  few  books,  stealthily  crept  out  again,  and  with  their 
 precious  treasure  hidden  in  the  ample  folds  of  the  talith,  hastened 
 away  to  give  place  to  others.  In  this  manner,  unknown  to  Shu- 
 ganee  and  the  Beth  Din,  I  sold  and  circulated  two  cases  of  books, 
 which,  I  feel  persuaded,  have  ere  this,  cheered  many  a  desponding 
 heart,  and  solaced  many  a  wounded  spirit." 
 
 Among  these  indigent  and  struggling  Jews,  Mr.  Stern  sold  Scrip- 
 tures to  the  amount  of  about  £\z  sterling.  An  estimate  of  the 
 extent  of  these  sales  can  only  be  formed  by  a  knowledge  of  the 
 value  of  money  in  these  remote  regions.  A  small  copper  coin, 
 called  the  rupee,  is  of  common  use  at  Sanaa.  Six  hundred  of  these 
 are  of  the  value  of  one  shilling.  Mr.  Stern  used  to  show  some  of 
 these  diminutive  coins,  and  related  what  was  the  cost  of  his  two 
 weeks'  sojourn  at  Sanaa.  The  premises  in  which  he  lived,  belonged 
 to  a  Moslem,  whose  duty  it  was  to  provide  and  prepare  his  food, 
 and  attend  to  all  his  other  wants.  On  the  eve  of  his  departure,  he 
 settled  his  account  with  his  host,  who,  on  the  plea  that  his  own  life 
 had  been  endangered  by  his  giving  accommodation  to  an  infidel, 
 and  that  he  expected  to  be  handsomely  remunerated,  made  a  demand 
 for  twelve  hundred  rupees,  or  two  shillings,  in  order  to  cover  all 
 charges.  When  Mr.  Stern's  friend,  Ali  Zarkhee,  heard  of  this,  he 
 was  intensely  indignant  at  the  exorbitant  exactions  which  had  been 
 practised  upon  the  Missionary  ! 
 
 The  position  of  Mr.  Stern  at  Sanaa  was  now  becoming  one  of 
 
 increasing    danger.       He  also    recorded,    that    considerable  risks 
 
 beset  those  who  had  treated  him  with    kindness,    and   who    had 
 
 listened  with   interest  to  his  message.      It  became  an  imperative 
 
 necessity  that  he  should  retrace  his  steps. 
 
 "  I  began  to  make  preparations  to  leave  Sanaa.  I  had  now  been 
 twelve  days  in  the  city,  and  during  the  whole  of  that  time,  with  the 
 exception  of  a  few  hours'  rest  by  night,  every  minute  was  occupied 
 in  preaching  the  Gospel  to  Jew  and  Mahommedan.  Among  the 
 former,  besides  the  two  converts  already  adverted  to,  there  were 
 several  more  who  felt  the  converting  power  of  the  Gospel,  and  even 
 desired  to  be  baptized,  a  request  with  which  their  peculiar  position 
 forbade  me  to  comply  ;  and  among  the  latter  (Mahommedans)  the 
 impression  produced  had  evidently  shaken  the  faith  of  many,  though 
 
SANAA.  129 
 
 perhaps  their  understanding  was  not  quite  convinced.  One  of  my 
 Mahommedan  visitors,  a  most  respectable  merchant,  had  already 
 to  such  a  degree  excited  the  suspicion  of  his  co-religionists,  that  in 
 the  public  market  he  was  most  outrageously  maltreated  and  beaten  ; 
 and  my  faithful  friend,  Ali  Zarkhee,  together  with  half  a  score  of 
 other  persons,  the  most  potent  in  the  town,  were  only  saved  from  a 
 similar  fate,  as  he  himself  wrote  to  Signor  Theophani,  at  Hodeida, 
 by  my  unexpected  departure.  Gladly,  indeed,  would  I  have  pro- 
 longed my  stay, — gladly,  indeed,  would  I  have  continued  to  preach 
 the  Gospel  to  the  perishing  souls  who  flocked  around  me  ;  but  the 
 public  clamour  against  me  began  to  be  too  loud  and  vehement  to 
 resist  it  much  longer  ;  and,  as  in  my  own  fate  I  would  have  involved 
 many  Jews  and  Mahommedans,  it  became  an  imperative  duty  to  quit 
 the  place. 
 
 "  The  difficulty,  however,  was,  how  to  get  away.  Should  I 
 retrace  the  road  by  which  I  came,  I  should  certainly  fall  into  the 
 hands  of  some  of  the  village  chiefs,  who  were  engaged  in  a  deadly 
 feud  ;  and  should  I  go  more  towards  the  south,  I  should  encounter 
 the  sanguinary  Beni  Jebar,  who  occupied  every  mountain  pass.  In 
 this  perplexity,  my  confidence  in  a  gracious  Providence  did  not 
 forsake  me ;  I  had  gone  on  a  mission  of  mercy,  and  I  was  sure  the 
 God  of  mercy  would  protect  me.  In  this  hope,  as  the  following 
 will  show,  I  was  not  disappointed.  The  Sheikh  of  the  Beni  Jebar, 
 a  bold,  lawless  chieftain,  during  my  stay  at  Sanaa,  had  suffered  from 
 a  slight  attack  of  fever ;  as  usual  in  such  cases,  the  mullahs  were 
 consulted,  and  these  sages  immediately  had  recourse  to  an  elaborate 
 application  of  charms  and  passages  of  the  Koran  ;  but,  as  the 
 patient's  faith,  so  the  doctors  pretended,  was  not  very  strong, 
 neither  the  one  nor  the  other  relieved  his  pains  nor  allayed  the 
 internal  fire  ;  in  this  emergency,  the  Nazaranee,  who  had  already 
 established  his  fame,  was  summoned  to  the  house,  and  by  compel- 
 ling the  sick  man  to  swallow  a  strong  dose  of  physic,  and  an  equally 
 strong  emetic,  the  cure  was  soon  effected.  To  this  robber  chief, 
 who  had  never  even  thanked  me  for  my  medicines,  I  now  applied 
 for  an  escort ;  and,  as  if  anxious  to  make  reparation  for  his  ingrati- 
 tude, he  averred,  by  the  life  of  his  beard,  that  not  only  through  the 
 province  of  Sanaa,  but  over  the  whole  globe,  his  brave  and  valiant 
 tribe  would  safely  conduct  me. 
 
 "  The  Jews  were  deeply  affected  when  they  heard  that  I  had 
 decided  on  leaving,  and  group  after  group  flocked  into  my  room  to 
 give  me  the  parting  blessing.  There  was  a  tone  of  solemn  earnest- 
 ness in  these  meetings — an  unconscious  expression  of  the  soul's 
 innermost  feeling  ;  and  that  last  day  in  Sanaa,  when  old  and 
 young,  the  man  already  advanced  in  the  chilly  vale  of  years,  and 
 the  rabbi  venerable  for  his  learning,  pressed  forward  to  give  me  the 
 final  embrace,  or  to  imprint  the  kiss  of  affectionate  remembrance 
 on  my  hand — that  last  day,  I  can  truly  say,  I  shall  ever  consider  as 
 the  happiest  of  my  life — the  happiest  of  my  missionary  career. 
 
130  SANAA. 
 
 "And  now,  once  more,  I  grasp  my  pilgrim's  staff,  and  set  out  on 
 my  dreary  and  perilous  journey.  The  first  blush  of  morning  was 
 just  tinging  the  horizon,  the  bazaars  were  still  closed,  and  the  dusty 
 streets  were  still  undisturbed  by  the  terrible  Bedouins  of  the  desert, 
 and  the  sombre  Arab  of  the  city  ;  when,  together  with  AH  Zarkhee 
 and  several  other  INIahommedans,  I  emerged  from  the  gates  and 
 commenced  my  journey  towards  the  cloud-capped  mountains.  My 
 friends  accompanied  me  about  an  hour's  distance,  to  a  spot  that  had 
 previously  been  appointed  as  the  rendezvous  for  the  escort.  Faith- 
 ful to  his  promise,  the  Sheikh  of  the  Beni  Jebar,  with  three  armed 
 Bedouins,  was  already  on  the  ground.  Here  we  all  alighted,  and 
 had  a  short  consultation  about  the  road,  which,  of  course,  was 
 enlivened  by  the  smoke  and  bubble  of  the  bouree.  This  matter 
 being  satisfactorily  arranged,  I  again  mounted  my  donkey,  and, 
 under  the  auspices  of  the  three  desert  banditti,  began  to  scale  the 
 rocks,  which,  like  Cyclopean  walls,  guard  the  descent  into  the  plain 
 of  Sanaa." 
 
 And  now  we  enter  upon  the  recital  of  one  of  those  episodes,  in 
 the  wanderings  of  the  Lord's  servant,  in  which  we  trace  that  pro- 
 tecting hand  which  never  fails,  and  that  watchful  providence  which 
 neither  slumbers  nor  sleeps.  It  was  not  the  last  and  only  time 
 when  he  was  to  realize  this  blessedness,  and  when  his  soul  was  to 
 be  kept  "  in  perfect  peace,"  amidst  manifold  dangers  and  impending 
 death. 
 
 "  The  day,  like  every  day  in  Arabia,  was  exceedingly  hot,  and  we 
 had  hard  work  to  cross  the  wild  and  craggy  steeps  over  which  our 
 route  lay.  There  was  little  in  the  scenery  to  cheer  the  eye  or  cap- 
 tivate the  imagination.  Stern  and  savage  looked  the  rocks,  poor 
 and  wretched  the  villages.  Occasionally  we  descended  into  a  gully, 
 enlivened  by  the  hoarse  and  monotonous  murmurs  of  a  fitful  stream, 
 that  rolled  its  course  between  tall  grass  and  dwarfish  trees,  till  its 
 waters  were  diverted  into  rude  canals  for  the  purpose  of  irrigation. 
 On  one  of  the  rocks,  over  which  rushed  a  turbulent  and  impetuous 
 torrent,  sat  two  women  absorbed  in  grief  and  wailing  most  piti- 
 fully. I  expected  that  a  robbery  or  cruel  murder  had  been  perpe- 
 trated, and  therefore  stopped  to  inquire.  At  first  they  only 
 answered  by  a  louder  and  shriller  lamentation  ;  but  when  the  query 
 was  repeated,  they  raised  their  flashing  eyes,  and  convulsive  with 
 struggling  passion,  exclaimed,  '  Yes,  Oh  sons  of  the  faithful  ! 
 murder  has  been  committed,  for  yesterday  the  infidels  in  yon  village 
 slew  Hossein — my  husband,  and  Ibrahim — Fatimah's   brother,  and 
 
 may (here  followed  a  fearful   flood   of  curses)  if  we  shall  ever 
 
 move  from  this  spot,  or  desist  from  bemoaning  the  mighty  and 
 valiant,  till  their  enemies  are  annihilated,  and  their  blood  is 
 avenged.'  Probably  by  this  time  their  inveterate  malice  has  been 
 satisfied,  though   it  may   have  cost  many  a  sister  a  brother,  and 
 
SANAA,  1 3 1 
 
 many  a  wife  a  husband.  When  will  this  sanguinary  spirit  of  hate 
 and  vengeance  be  eradicated  from  the  human  heart ;  and  peace, 
 charity,  and  godliness,  shed  their  benign  influence  over  the  wide 
 domains  of  man  !  Late  in  the  afternoon  our  path  increased  in 
 ruggedness,  and  the  prospect  around  us  in  sterility  and  desolation. 
 Boundless  ranges  of  rocks,  like  the  surging  waves  of  the  stormy 
 ocean,  towered  in  wild  and  shapeless  masses  to  the  extreme  bounds 
 of  the  horizon,  as  if  the  earth,  weary  of  the  sin  and  iniquity  of  the 
 inhabitants,  heaved  beneath  the  corrupt  and  unholy  burden.  We 
 had  reached  the  top  of  a  clifl",  and  were  searching  for  a  descent  into 
 the  valley,  when,  from  a  small  fissure,  which  had  no  doubt  been 
 scooped  out  by  some  robber's  hand,  up  started  a  bloated  creature, 
 who  in  an  instant  seized  the  halter  of  my  donkey.  The  escort 
 instinctively  unsheathed  their  swords,  and  rushed  upon  the  assailant, 
 when  a  chorus  of  savage  and  wild  yells  announced  that  the  ruffian 
 was  not  alone.  '  What  do  you  want,'  interrogated  my  guard,  '  that 
 you  stop  a  traveller  under  the  protection  of  the  renowned  Sheikh  of 
 the  Beni  Jebar  ?'  '  Silence,'  was  the  reply,  '  and  let  not  an  infidel 
 Nazaranee  mar  the  amity  of  our  tribes.'  Whilst  this  brief  colloquy 
 took  place,  upwards  of  a  score  of  naked,  ferocious  figures,  collected 
 on  the  cliff.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  muttering  and  whispering 
 between  our  assailants  and  the  escort.  '  Has  he  money  ?  Would 
 Ali  Zarkhce  ransom  him  ?  Should  not  a  Nazaranee  be  killed  ?' 
 Such  and  similar  sentences  I  could  distinctly  hear  ;  but  ominous  as 
 were  these  words,  they  did  not  fill  me  with  fear  or  apprehension ; 
 the  Lord  was  my  refuge,  and  His  love  my  antidote  to  anxiety  and 
 distress.  The  Sheikh  of  the  robbers,  Achmed-el-Nisha,  at  the  con- 
 clusion of  this  debate,  summoned  me  to  follow  him  to  his  house, 
 in  the  Belad-el-Boostan.  Here  my  luggage  was  carefully  examined; 
 but  to  their  infinite  annoyance,  they  found  very  little  worth  taking, 
 except  my  Aruroid,  and  this  they  regarded  as  a  magical  instrument, 
 which  they  would  not  touch.  They  were  all  vexed  at  my  poverty,  but 
 particularly  one  broad-chested  ruffian,  whose  odious  and  repulsive 
 appearance,  even  -while  I  write  this,  flutters  before  my  imagination 
 like  a  frightful  spectre.  This  fellow  had  no  doubt  anticipated  a 
 large  share  of  the  booty,  and  now,  when  he  discovered  his  disap- 
 pointment, like  an  infuriated  bull  he  sprang  upon  me,  and  four  or 
 five  times  dashed  his  clenched  horny  hand  in  my  face.  '  By  the 
 life  of  the  Prophet,'  ejaculated  my  escort  and  donkey-driver,  '  this 
 shall  not  be  ;'  and  in  a  moment  the  whole  court  rang  with  a  fierce 
 and  furious  clamour.  Bleeding  profusely  from  my  nose  and  mouth, 
 I  still  darted  between  the  contending  parties,  and  by  entreaties, 
 promises,  and  persuasions,  allayed  the  flaming  rage  of  my  own 
 people.  Peace  being  again  restored,  the  Sheikh,  with  surly  hospi- 
 tality, invited  all  to  supper.  After  the  repast,  tho  barber  of  the  vil- 
 lage commenced  greasing  the  arms,  chests,  and  legs  of  the  guests  : 
 he  wanted  to  honour  me  also  with  a  scrubbing  and  polish,  but  I 
 declined  the  favour,  as  my  legs  were  inflamed,  and  would  not  have 
 
132  SANAA. 
 
 improved  under  his  manipulations.  '  Have  you  prayed  .'''  inquired 
 the  horrid  figure  who  had  so  ferociously  attacked  me.  '  Yes,  I  have,' 
 was  the  answer.  '  And  what  did  you  pray  for  ?'  continued  the 
 same  coarse  voice.  '  I  prayed  that  God  would  deliver  me  out  of 
 your  hands.'  'Say  salla  allei-el-Nebi'  i.e.,  peace  be  upon  the  Prophet 
 (Mahomed).  '  I  won't  lie,  and  therefore  I  will  not  say  it,'  was  the 
 rejoinder.  '  Dog  of  a  Nazaranee,'  cried  he,  '  thou  shalt  yet  die  by 
 these  hands  and  this  dagger.'  Subsequently  the  Sheikh  told  me, 
 that  I  must  send  to  AH  Zarkhee  for  money  to  ransom  me.  '  I  shall 
 comply  with  your  request,'  said  I,  '  but  I  doubt  whether  Ali  Zarkhee 
 will  comply  with  mine.'  '  Then,'  retorted  he  sullenly,  '  I  shall 
 either  detain  you  as  a  prisoner,  or  kill  you  as  an  infidel  merits.' 
 '  Do  what  you  like,  I  am  in  your  power.'  The  night  had  now 
 already  far  advanced,  and  as  I  was  tired  and  worn  out,  I  flung 
 myself  on  the  hard  floor,  and  fell  into  a  kind  of  feverish  slumber  or 
 stupor,  from  which  I  did  not  awake  till  the  pale  light  of  day  began 
 to  stream  into  the  room.  The  Sheikh  had  evidently  become 
 softened  during  the  night,  for  he  no  longer  threatened  me  with 
 imprisonment  and  death  ;  nay,  he  was  so  mollified,  that  he  even 
 offered  to  escort  me  over  the  mountains  to  the  borders  of  the  dis- 
 trict under  Sheikh  Ishmael,  the  chief  of  Beit-el-Zebadonee,  with 
 whose  brother  I  had  got  intimately  acquainted  at  Sanaa.  As  my 
 own  guard  had  already  been  dismissed,  I  readily  assented  to  this 
 proposal  ;  and  thus,  by  the  kind  interposition  of  a  gracious  Provi- 
 dence the  very  men  who  a  few  hours  before  scorned,  maltreated, 
 and  even  threatened  to  kill  me,  became  my  guides,  and  the  guar- 
 dians of  my  safety. 
 
 "  We  started  an  hour  after  sunrise.  It  was  an  exceedingly  hot 
 morning,  not  a  breath  agitated  the  air — not  a  leaf  trembled  on  the 
 solitary  tree.  My  companions  predicted  a  storm,  and  the  sultriness 
 of  the  atmosphere,  at  an  altitude  of  four  thousand  six  hundred  feet, 
 gave  an  apparent  certainty  to  their  prognostication.  I  dreaded  a 
 long  burning  day,  but  I  dreaded  still  more  the  pouring  showers  and 
 the  swelling  torrents.  Our  fears  were,  however,  groundless,  for 
 suddenly  the  air  cooled,  and  a  refreshing  breeze  swept,  sighing 
 down  the  rocks,  into  the  narrow  valley  through  which  we  slowly 
 wended  our  way. 
 
 "The  country  we  traversed  was  much  the  same  as  on  the  day 
 previous,  except  that  the  ascents  were  now  and  then  steeper,  and 
 the  paths  more  rugged  and  uneven.  We  continued  climbing  up 
 and  down  these  interminable  ranges  of  dizzy  heights  until  '  Asr* 
 two  hours  and  a  half  before  night,  when  we  reached  a  little  stone 
 building,  the  boundary  mark  of  the  district.  Here  the  escort  left 
 us,  though  not  without  searching  me  once  more  to  see  whether  I  had 
 money  or  other  valuables  concealed  about  me.  I  had  a  letter  to 
 the  Chief  of  an  adjacent  village,  where  we  intended  to  remain  over 
 night ;  but  the  hospitable  Arab,  when  he  heard  of  the  low  state  of 
 my  finances,  was  not  anxious  for  my  company.     He  had,  however. 
 
SANAA.  133 
 
 the  generosity  to  give  me  a  little  bread,  and  also  a  guide  to  Beit-el- 
 Zebadonee,  where  we  arrived  utterly  knocked  up  at  nine  in  the 
 evening. 
 
 "  Our  reception  by  Sheikh  Ishmael  was  very  difterent  from  that 
 of  his  neighbours.  Immediately  on  our  arrival,  in  the  true  patri- 
 archal style,  he  ordered  water  for  my  feet,  and  made  the  barber 
 lave  the  gory  and  torn  skin.  Whilst  this  grateful  operation  was 
 going  on,  the  servants  brought  in  a  wooden  dish  containing  bread, 
 interlarded  with  melted  butter.  It  was  not  exactly  a  dinner  that 
 would  have  suited  every  palate,  but  we  were  famished,  and  did 
 ample  justice  to  our  host's  hospitality. 
 
 "  I  was  too  weak  and  exhausted  to  resume  my  journey  the  next 
 morning,  and  we  therefore  stayed  another  night  ;  and  then,  accom- 
 panied by  a  guide  of  the  Beni  Jebar,  with  which  their  Nageeb  had 
 furnished  me,  we  proceeded  again  on  our  toilsome  way.  We  were 
 now  in  the  most  fertile  region  of  Arabia,  and  the  prospect  in  every 
 direction  was  indeed  grand,  beautiful  and  picturesque.  From  the  very 
 summit  of  the  highest  mountain-peak,  down  to  the  lowest  depth  of 
 the  ravine,  every  patch  of  ground  was  either  wooded  by  lofty  trees, 
 or  overgrown  with  herbage  and  the  profuse  foliage  of  coffee  planta- 
 tions. In  one  part  of  the  descent  could  be  heard  the  noise  of  the 
 cascade,  as  it  dashed  over  the  worn  rock ;  in  another  the  warbling 
 notes  of  the  many-coloured  birds,  as  they  winged  their  flight 
 through  the  scented  air.  Here  a  green  velvet  slope  is  dotted  with 
 houses  ;  yonder,  on  a  high  towering  summit,  gleam,  in  the  rays  of 
 the  sun,  the  grey  walls  of  a  chieftain's  home.  But  sublime  as  are 
 the  sceneries  in  this  part  of  Arabia,  prodigal  as  are  here  the  gifts  of 
 nature,  man  still  is  wild,  and  savage,  and  unthankful. 
 
 "  Late  at  noon  we  parted  with  our  guide,  who  dared  not  enter 
 the  province  of  Harass,  under  the  sway  of  Sheikh  Dai.  He  had 
 been  faithful  to  his  charge,  and  several  times  arrested  hostile  parties 
 who  came  running  towards  us,  so  that  he  well  deserved  a  present ; 
 but  what  should  I  give  him  ?  Money — I  had  none  ;  and  clothing 
 — my  whole  stock  only  consisted  of  a  coarse  cloak,  coarse  shirt, 
 t-urban  and  belt,  which  I  wore  myself.  The  fellow  noticed  my 
 embarrassment,  and  to  compound  the  matter,  coolly  proposed  that 
 we  should  exchange  garments.  I  did  not  feel  inclined  to  return  to 
 Hodeida  in  the  garb  of  a  Beni  Jebar,  and  we  therefore  simpl}'  con- 
 fined the  barter  to  our  turbans  (the  best  article  of  dress  in  my 
 possession,  and  this  cost  at  Hodeida  only  half  a  dollar,  or  two  shil- 
 lings), and  parted  eternal  friends." 
 
 Mr.  Stern  now  rejoined  the  track  by  which  he  had  travelled  to 
 Sanaa.  His  Jewish  acquaintances  received  him  with  kindly  hospi- 
 tality. His  return  to  Hodeida  is  given  in  the  following  extracts. 
 Wonder  as  well  as  pleasure  filled  the  minds  of  those  whose  anxieties 
 had  been  excited,  whose  warnings  must  again  and  again  have 
 recurred  to  his  memory,  and  who  thankfully  welcomed  his  return. 
 
1 34  SANAA. 
 
 "  In  the  evening  we  reached  Menakha,  and  alighted  at  our  old 
 quarters.  The  Jews  were  quite  delighted  to  see  me  safely  back 
 again  ;  and  if  they  had  been  Christians,  their  inquiries  about  my 
 work  and  the  reception  of  the  Gospel  at  Sanaa,  could  not  have  been 
 more  anxious  and  solicitous.  They  had  read  the  books  I  left  them 
 on  my  first  visit,  and  these  silent  messengers,  together  with  the 
 preached  tidings  of  mercy,  had  evidently  produced  a  deep  impres- 
 sion on  their  minds. 
 
 "  We  remained  at  Menakha  two  days,  and  then  set  forth  again  on 
 our  road  to  Hodeida,  which,  with  profound  gratitude  to  our  Hea- 
 venly Father,  I  entered  on  Monday,  October  13th  (1856). 
 
 "  Subsequently  I  proceeded  by  land  to  Mokha,  where  the  numer- 
 ous troubles,  fatigues  and  privations  I  had  undergone,  brought  on  a 
 dangerous  fever.  The  few  Jewish  families  in  the  place  were  most 
 assiduous  in  their  attentions  to  me,  and  I  shall  never  forget  the 
 kindness  of  Mr.  Landan,  a  German  Jew,  who,  with  a  cargo  of  goods, 
 was  on  his  voyage  from  India  to  Suez.  This  good  Samaritan, 
 whom  I  had  met  only  once  before,  nursed  me  with  the  tenderness 
 and  affection  of  a  brother ;  he  even  wanted  to  let  his  ship  go  on, 
 and  to  follow  by  land  after  my  recovery  ;  but  to  this  I  could  not 
 consent,  as  I  knew  he  would  thereby  incur  a  heavy  loss.  Such  acts, 
 from  a  strictly  religious  Jew  towards  a  Missionar}-,  strikingly  show 
 that  the  enmity  of  the  cross  is  taken  away,  and  that  a  new  spirit  is 
 animating  the  hearts  of  the  widely  scattered  sons  of  Israel. 
 
 "  My  illness,  and  the  prevalence  of  a  suffocating  semoun,  detained 
 me  at  Mokha  longer  than  I  had  contemplated.  On  the  eighth  day 
 the  fever  abated  a  little,  and  I  made  an  attempt  to  quit  the  gloomy 
 and  dismal  walls  of  my  lodging ;  but  my  wonted  strength  was  so 
 undermined,  that  this  feeble  exertion  brought  on  a  dangerous 
 relapse.  On  November  3rd,  the  sky,  which  since  my  departure 
 from  Hodeida  had  been  obscured  by  dark  and  misty  clouds,  became 
 again  clear  and  visible.     Several  of  our  native  friends  immediately 
 
 hastened  to  announce  to  Mons.   P (the  agent  of  a    French 
 
 house)  and  myself,  the  cheering  tidings  that  the  wind  would  change, 
 and  that  we  should  at  last  be  favoured  with  the  impatiently  longed- 
 for  shemal.  This  intelligence  made  us  forget  all  our  sufferings,  and 
 with  the  utmost  expedition  we  prepared  for  our  voyage  to  Aden. 
 A  great  number  of  ships,  laden  with  coffee,  were  moored  in  the 
 roads,  and  from  these  our  Arab  friends  selected  the  best  built  and 
 the  most  ably  manned.  The  rais,  or  captain,  a  short,  sinewy, 
 genuine  son  of  Africa,  made  the  purchase  of  our  provisions,  and  as 
 I  was  too  weak  to  walk,  two  of  his  crew  took  me  in  their  arms  and 
 hurried  me  down  to  the  beach.  The  wind  was  still  blowing  from 
 the  south,  and  the  breakers  came  rolling  towards  the  land  with 
 appalling  violence.  By  dint  of  labour,  we  paddled  through  the 
 raging  and  foaming  element  in  the  direction  of  the  ship,  which  lay 
 at  anchor  beyond  the  shoals  that  stretch  along  the  whole  coast. 
 Before  we  sailed,  there  was,  as  usual,  a  great  deal  of  noise  and 
 
SANAA,  135 
 
 clamour,  altercation  and  abuse.  One  proposed  that  we  should  wait 
 and  see  whether  the  wind  would  really  shift  to  the  north  ;  and  an- 
 other asserted  that  if  it  had  been  decreed  that  we  should  pass  the 
 
 Bab  (straits),  we  ought  boldly  to  brave  our  fate.     Mons.  P and 
 
 myself  were  too  anxious  to  get  out  of  aguish  Mokha  to  oppose  this 
 latter  mode  of  reasoning,  and  though  wind  and  sea  were  against  us, 
 we  unfolded  our  latteen  sail  and  tacked  towards  the  scorched  and 
 barren  coast  of  Africa.  Our  rais,  like  a  man  conscious  that  he  was 
 an  Arab — and  that  an  Arab,  even  at  sea,  is  unfettered  by  the  rules 
 of  science  and  civilization — displayed  in  his  mode  of  navigation  a 
 recklessness  that  made  me  shudder  whenever  our  little  fabric  came 
 close  to  a  rock  or  island.  Modern  improvements  and  discoveries 
 have  not  yet,  on  the  Red  Sea,  superseded  the  prejudices  of  igno- 
 rance, and  the  Arab  of  the  present  day,  like  his  ancestors  who  in 
 times  of  yore  manned  the  boats  of  Sesostris  and  the  ships  of  Tar- 
 shish,  will,  on  a  voyage  from  Egypt  to  India,  dispense  with  compass, 
 quadrant,  chart,  and  every  other  requisite  by  which  life  and  pro- 
 perty are  ensured  on  the  ocean  ;  the  stars  by  night  and  the  coast 
 by  day  are  his  guide  and  map,  and  should  even  a  storm  obscure  his 
 view  of  heaven  and  earth,  is  not  Alia  Kerim  able  to  steer  his  ship 
 aright  in  the  tempest  as  well  as  in  the  calm  ?  This  kind  of  reason- 
 ing we  heard  from  our  rais,  and,  however  we  might  dissent  from  his 
 views,  he  had  the  crew  on  his  side,  and  they  all  admired  the  wisdom 
 and  faith  of  their  chief.  The  fury  of  the  gale  increased  as  the  day 
 advanced,  and  before  the  sun  was  in  the  meridian,  we  were  driving 
 helplessly  between  mountains  of  green  water,  amid  the  spray  of 
 rising  and  sinking  waves.  We  were  now  nearing  the  dark  and 
 frowning  rocks  which  line  the  coast  of  Africa,  but  the  man  at  the 
 helm  did  not  alter  his  course,  nor  the  rais  issue  orders  to  shorten 
 
 the  sail.     Both  myself  and  Mons.  P perceived  the  danger  to 
 
 which  our  forty-ton  craft  would  be  exposed  if  not  checked  in  her 
 career,  and  we  therefore  at  once  requested  the  rais  to  have  her 
 canvas  shifted,  and  the  helm  put  a  lee.  He  complied  with  our 
 wish,  and  the  little  vessel,  as  if  accustomed  to  brave  wind  and  sea, 
 leaped  over  the  crested  billows  and  yawning  chasms,  towards  an 
 island  that  offered  us  a  safe  anchorage  for  the  night.  Some  of  our 
 crew  immediately  hastened  on  shore  to  prepare  the  evening  repast, 
 and  also  to  dry  our  clothing,  which  had  become  thoroughly 
 drenched.  I  remained  on  board,  and  there,  surrounded  by  a  few 
 of  the  passengers  and  sailors,  I  passed  the  evening  in  conversing 
 with  these  followers  of  the  false  prophet,  on  the  hope  and  faith  of 
 the  Christian.  With  daylight  we  again  ventured  into  the  open  sea. 
 The  wind  was  hushed,  and  our  ship  floated  lightly  over  the  heaving 
 and  restless  waters.  Our  rais,  who  for  many  years  had  watched  the 
 various  signs  which  herald  the  scnioun,  was  not  deceived  by  this 
 illusive  calm  ;  on  the  contrary,  his  small,  piercing  eyes  wandered 
 over  the  wide  expanse  before  us  with  an  anxiety  that  boded  nothing 
 propitious  to  our  voyage.     As  anticipated,  the  hot  wind,  which  for 
 
136  SANAA. 
 
 the  last  sixty  days  had  barred  the  straits  to  every  native  boat,  came 
 as  usual  rushing  on  from  the  desert  in  unrestrained  fury,  threatening 
 to  engulf  us  and  our  ship  in  the  waves,  which  in  rapid  succession 
 broke  over  us.  We  now  saw  that  it  would  be  utterly  impracticable 
 to  force  our  way  through  the  narrow  passage  before  us,  where  all 
 was  one  chaos  of  foam  and  spray.  The  common  danger  produced 
 unanimity  of  feeling,  so  that  without  one  dissentient  voice  it  was 
 agreed  that  we  should  return  to  INIokha.  Our  latteen  sail  was  imme- 
 diately swung  round,  and,  driven  before  the  gale,  we  accomplished 
 
 the  distance  of  thirty  miles  in  less  than  two  hours.     Mons.  P , 
 
 on  beholding  again  the  flat-roofed  houses  of  INIokha,  was  quite 
 indignant,  and,  in  order  to  give  vent  to  his  ill-temper,  he  abused 
 the  Arabs,  their  ships,  government,  and  everj-thing  else  connected 
 with  their  country  and  mode  of  life.  I  felt  too  grateful  for  our 
 escape  from  shipwreck  to  think  much  upon  the  miseries  of  a  pro- 
 tracted stay  in  that  wretched  town — the  hot-bed  of  poverty  and 
 disease. 
 
 "  And  now  we  are  once  more  installed  in  our  old  lodging,  inhaling 
 an  atmosphere  impregnated  with  fever,  and  chewing  the  cud  of  our 
 gloomy  and  melancholy  reflections.  The  few  Jews — the  remnant 
 of  a  once  flourishing  community — who  reside  in  Mokha,  almost 
 daily  either  came  to  my  lodging,  or  I  visited  their  reed-built  enclo- 
 sure. A  good  number  of  the  more  respectable  Arabs  also  favoured 
 us  with  their  company,  and  as  they  knew  I  was  a  Missionary,  we 
 generally  had  lengthened  religious  conversation.  They  never 
 evinced  the  slightest  indications  of  bigotry  ;  in  fact,  Islamism,  like 
 Popery,  has  very  few  devout  champions  within  the  confines  of  its 
 own  sacred  territory. 
 
 "  Our  time,  which  really  hung  heavy  upon  us,  was  thus  -whiled 
 away  between  the  alternations  of  fever  and  the  visits  of  Jews  and 
 Mahommedans,  till  the  29th  (Oct.),  when,  by  a  fortunate  circum- 
 stance, a  cargo  of  coff"ee,  in  charge  of  a  formidable  Sheikh,  was 
 proceeding  by  land  to  a  small  bay  beyond  the  straits.  With  this 
 leader  of  a  daring  tribe  of  robbers  we  arranged  to  travel,  on  the 
 condition  that  he  pledged  himself  to  conduct  us  safely  to  the  spot 
 where  a  boat  was  waiting  to  convey  the  cofi'ee  to  Aden.  He 
 assented  to  our  proposition,  and  all  was  settled  for  our  departure 
 next  day.  The  morning  was  tolerably  cool  when  we  started,  and  a 
 few  clouds  which  hung  on  the  horizon  prognosticated  a  sunless, 
 comfortable  day.  I  was  still  an  invalid,  and  my  whole  frame  burn- 
 ing with  feverish  fire  ;  but  the  very  idea  of  having  left  Mokha  allevi- 
 ated my  suff"erings,  and  imparted  hope  to  my  desponding  spirits. 
 The  semoun  of  the  last  twenty-four  hours  had  entirely  exhausted 
 itself,  and  the  light  currents  of  air  which  swept  across  our  path 
 announced  the  wished-for  change.  Our  illusion  was  only  of  short 
 duration  ;  for  the  sky  before  noon  became  as  usual  red,  and  the 
 atmosphere  oppressive.  Even  our  camels  appeared  conscious  of 
 the   approach    of  the  semoiai,  for  they  seemed  quite  uneasy,  and 
 
SANAA.  137 
 
 instinctively  accelerated  their  steps,  as  if  anxious  to  terminate  the 
 day's  task.'  The  air,  chars^^ed  with  clouds  of  heated  dust,  though 
 quite  suffocating  to  us,  did  not  much  inconvenience  our  Bedouins, 
 Avho  walked  behind  their  camels,  entertaining  themselves  with  songs 
 .and  stupid  stories.  About  three  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  an 
 ■encampment  under  the  control  of  our  Sheikh  Ali  Zabeed,  and  met 
 with  a  kind  and  hospitable  reception  by  his  people. 
 
 "  The  next  day  we  had  to  accomplish  a  journey  of  fourteen  hours, 
 .and  that  too  under  the  prostrating  blasts  of  the  hot  wind.  We  did 
 not  alight  from  our  camels  till  evening,  when  we  came  near  some 
 wells, — the  camp-ground  of  migratory  Arabs.  Here  we  remained 
 till  midnight,  and  then  once  more  mounted  our  patient  animals, 
 and  set  out  on  our  doleful  journey,  which  ended  at  nine  in  the 
 morning.  Soon  after  we  had  unloaded,  we  were  visited  by  one  of 
 the  Sheikhs,  who,  by  his  exorbitant  exactions  and  atrocious  crimes, 
 had  greatly  contributed  to  make  that  part  of  the  coast  dreaded  by 
 all  travellers.  He  was  accompanied  by  a  half-clad  youth,  who  had 
 .a  heavy  gun  suspended  on  his  naked,  brown  shoulder.  The  Chief, 
 when  he  saw  me  gazing  on  the  little  fellow  with  his  ponderous 
 weapon,  said,  'Achmed  knows  how  to  handle  arms  as  well  as  you 
 and  I,'  and  then,  pointing  to  a  dislodged  piece  of  rock,  he  added, 
 '  only  a  week  ago,  he  hit  a  Sumalee  on  yonder  stone,  and  killed  him 
 with  one  bullet.'  '  And  don't  you  consider  it  wrong,  capriciously 
 to  murder  a  poor  fellow  who  passes  near  your  encampment .?' 
 '  Wrong,'  reiterated  he,  '  certainly  not,  for  I  am  lord  of  these 
 domains,  and  no  one  has  a  right  to  intrude  on  the  same,  without 
 my  previous  sanction.'  He  was  reminded  by  one  of  our  party  that 
 Ave  had  not  conformed  to  this  rule.  '  Yes,'  rejoined  he,  'you  would 
 also  have  to  smart  for  it,  if  you  were  not  under  the  protection  of  my 
 friend  Ali  Zabeed.' 
 
 "  Mons.  P and  another  traveller  pointed  to  the  numerical 
 
 strength  of  our  party,  a  brag  at  which  he  contemptuously  smiled  ; 
 and  then,  to  show  that  he  was  not  alone,  he  gave  a  shrill  shriek, 
 and  in  less  than  ten  minutes,  there  appeared  groups  of  armed 
 savages  on  the  ridges  of  the  surrounding  cliffs,  ready  to  do  the 
 bidding  of  their  Chief.  'You  see,'  said  he,  that  I  am  not  alone,  but 
 if  you  carried  the  aggregate  riches  of  Arabia,  you  would  have  nothing 
 to  fear,  so  long  as  my  friend  is  with  you  ;  and  he  will  not  leave  you 
 till  you  have  embarked.'  His  words  proved  true,  for  our  Arab  escort 
 continued  near  us  till  all  were  on  board,  and  moving  out  of  the 
 little  bay. 
 
 "  The  journey  in  the  desert  had  been  exceedingly  trying,  but  no 
 sooner  were  we  on  the  agitated  and  turbulent  sea,  than  all  our 
 fellow-passengers  began  to  sigh  for  the  camel  and  the  sandy  plain. 
 Our  vovage  of  eighty  miles  occupied  us  three  days  ;  but  slow  as  was 
 our  progress,  I  did  not  regret  it,  as  the  sea  air  invigorated  my 
 exhaiisted  strength,  and  removed  the  tormenting  fire  which  the 
 fever  had  kindled  in  my  throbbing  brain.     On  December  the  6th 
 
 K 
 
138  SANAA. 
 
 (1856)  we  landed  at  Aden,  where  I  was  received  with  the  greatest 
 cordiality  by  most  of  the  British  residents.  Mr.  Badger,  the  chap- 
 lain, invited  me  to  make  my  abode  in  his  house,  and  I  shall  always 
 retain  a  grateful  recollection  of  the  kindness  and  attention  1  expe- 
 rienced under  his  roof.  The  day  after  my  arrival  being  Sunday, 
 I  preached  in  the  English  Church  to  a  good  and  attentive  congre- 
 gation. 
 
 "And  here  I  will  close  the  account  of  this  journey,  on  which  I 
 experienced  so  many  mercies.  Whatever  blessed  results  may 
 accrue  from  it,  I  will  say,  '  Not  unto  me,  O  Lord,  not  unto  me,  but 
 unto  Thy  name  be  all  the  praise  and  glory.' " 
 
 It  was  difficult  to  convince  some  persons  that  our  Missionary  had 
 accomplished  so  difficult  an  undertaking.  His  Arab  attendant  did 
 not  fail  to  enlarge  upon  all  the  varied  dangers  to  which  they  had 
 been  exposed,  and  he  went  so  far  as  to  assure  j\Ir.  Stern,  that  there 
 were  times  when  he  had  himself  been  tempted  to  take  his  life,  and 
 that  he  would  have  done  so,  had  he  not  been  convinced,  that  the 
 rewards  of  his  faithfulness,  would  exceed  any  possible  gain  by  the 
 murder  of  his  employer. 
 
 I\Ir.  Stern  obtained  a  passage  at  Aden,  by  the  English  steamer, 
 to  Suez.  The  knowledge  of  the  bold  and  successful  adventure  in 
 which  he  had  been  engaged,  excited  unbounded  surprise  and  admi- 
 ration. He  asked  the  Captain  of  the  Steamer  whether  he  could  not 
 reduce  the  passage-money,  seeing  that  he  was  the  ^Missionary  of  a 
 Society  supported  by  voluntary  contributions,  and  engaged  in  a 
 charitable  work.  "  I  cannot  make  any  reduction  in  the  fares,"  was 
 the  reply  ;  "  but  I  can  take  you  for  nothing.  I  neither  know,  nor 
 care  for  your  Society ;  but  I  will  give  you  a  free  passage,  provided 
 it  be  for  your  own  benefit."  Mr.  Stern  merely  bowed  his  acknow- 
 ledgments. It  is  almost  unnecessary  to  add  that,  the  funds  of  the 
 Society  benefited  by  the  estimation  in  which  the  enterprising 
 traveller  was  held. 
 
 Mr.  Stern  arrived  in  Constantinoj^le,  January  ist,  1857. 
 
CHAPTER    XIX. 
 
 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 The  missionary  journey  of  ]\Ir.  Stern  into  the  heart  of  Arabia 
 Felix,  and  his  safe  return,  after  encountering  dangers  which,  how- 
 ever, did  not  exceed  those  of  which  he  had  been  forewarned,  was  a 
 marked  event  in  the  history  of  the  London  Society.  In  the  Report 
 for  1857  ^t  '^^'3'S  thus  referred  to  : — "  We  recall  to  your  recollection 
 for  one  moment  the  great  achievement  recorded  in  our  Report  this 
 year,  of  a  journey  into  Arabia  by  your  missionary  Stern.  It  is  sig- 
 nally owing  to  the  grace  and  goodness  of  God  that  he  succeeded  in 
 that  most  arduous  enterprise,  and  this  he  humbly  and  thankfully 
 acknowledges.  We  may  well  feel,  that  if  it  had  been  almost  the 
 only  effort  of  the  year,  our  Society  would  have  been  the  means  of 
 accomplishing  an  object  worth  its  existence.  May  we  not  hope, 
 that  the  preserving  kindness  of  our  God  towards  His  servant,  is  a 
 token  for  good  in  connection  with  the  work  fulfilled  ?  And  may 
 we  not  plead  with  you  for  your  fervent  supplications,  that  the 
 Gospel  preached  to  those  Jews  and  Mohammedans,  who  hung  upon 
 his  lips,  may  yield  abundant  fruit  in  that  benighted  land  unto  life 
 eternal ?" 
 
 The  interests  of  the  Society,  apart  from  any  desire  of  his  own, 
 demanded  that  he  should  visit  England,  in  order  that  he  might 
 personally  recount  the  wonders  which  the  Lord  had  wrought.  Nor 
 can  those  who  had  the  opportunity  of  hearing  him,  ever  forget  the 
 impression  which  that  recital  made,  and  how  it  seemed  to  open 
 new  and  more  vivid  conceptions  concerning  the  nature  of  Mis- 
 sionary work  amongst  the  Jews.     In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year, 
 
140 
 
 ABYSSINIA. 
 
 (1857),  Mr.  Stern  returned  to  Constantinople  and  pursued  with 
 unabated  zeal  and  faithfulness  the  labours  to  which  his  life  had 
 been  dedicated,  both  in  the  city  itself,  and  in  the  neighbouring 
 towns  and  villages. 
 
 In  order  that  this  period  may  not  appear  a  literary  blank  in  the 
 history  of  the  Missionary,  it  is  well  to  give  his  statement  concerning 
 the  action  and  influence  which  Rabbinism  exercised  at  Constanti- 
 nople. This  subject  has  been  already  referred  to,  but  it  is  ex- 
 panded, and  additional  light  thrown  upon  it,  b}-  the  following 
 comment : — 
 
 "The  idea  that  Rabbinism,  like  the  Decalogue,  was  revealed  in 
 the  fires  of  Sinai,  and  is  of  equal  authority  with  the  Law  written  by 
 the  finger  of  God,  the  Jews  through  successive  ages,  in  all  the 
 countries  of  their  dispersion,  have  implicitly  maintained.  That  the 
 contradictory  dogmas,  shallow  sophistries,  and  dangerous  morals 
 enunciated  in  the  Talmud,  could  not  have  had  the  Deity  for  their 
 author,  and  man's  welfare  for  their  aim,  did  not  much  trouble  their 
 minds  or  perplex  their  judgment.  Here  and  there  an  enlightened 
 Jew  might  protest  against  rabbinical  usurpation,  but  his  warning 
 voice  fell  on  deaf  ears,  and  he  had  to  retreat  before  the  threat  of 
 excommunication,  and  the  vindictiveness  of  unrelenting  Chacha- 
 mim.  In  many  parts  of  Europe,  the  successful  labours  of  the  Jews' 
 Society,  and  the  general  diff"usion  of  knowledge  during  the  last  half 
 century,  have  to  a  great  extent  undermined  that  system  of  falsehood 
 which  pride  and  ambition  had  imposed  on  ignorant  credulity  ;  and 
 the  Jew,  emancipated  from  the  shackles  of  a  spiritual  bondage,  may 
 either,  with  the  lamp  of  truth  in  his  possession,  press  forward  to 
 heaven  ;  or,  intoxicated  with  the  vapours  of  rationalism  and  infi- 
 delity, rush  recklessly  on  to  perdition.  Not  so  in  the  East.  Here, 
 in  this  putrescent  moral  atmosphere,  Talmudic  Judaism,  supported 
 by  the  temporal  and  spiritual  powers  of  the  Chachamim,  has  hitherto 
 tolerated  no  antagonistic  influence,  nor  met  with  any  serious  check. 
 The  inquisition,  a  name  which  ought  to  fill  with  horror  the  inmost 
 recesses  of  a  Jew's  soul,  has  found  in  the  very  land  that  afforded 
 him  a  refuge  from  the  inexorable  Torquemada,  a  loathsome  imita- 
 tion in  the  Chacham  Khane,  where  obedience  to  the  Talmud  has 
 ever  been  enforced  by  the  lash,  and  freedom  of  thought  has 
 perished  in  a  loathsome  cell. 
 
 "  No  wonder  that  the  Chachamim  raved  and  fumed,  when  their 
 spiritual  Ghetto  was  invaded  by  missionaries,  and  their  dark  and 
 soul-destroying  system  was  unveiled  by  Christian  hands.  No 
 wonder  that  vile  epithets  and  execrable  curses  were  prodigally 
 lavished  upon  us,  and  all  who  ventured  to  listen  to  our  teaching  and 
 to  visit  our  homes.  They  had  sagacity  enough  to  perceive  that  our 
 efforts  were  dangerous  to  their  craft,  and  subversive  of  their  rule, 
 
AHVSSINIA.  141 
 
 and  they  therefore  endeavoured  to  neutrahze  by  threats  and  warn- 
 ings, what  they  dared  not  attack  by  Scriptural  arguments,  in  public 
 controversy.  The  more  enlightened  and  liberal  itleas  which  had, 
 however,  already  been  communicated,  subsequent  events  tended 
 still  more  to  confirm,  and  the  Chachamim,  conscious  of  their  ina- 
 bility to  repress  the  generous  impulse  for  moral  and  intellectual 
 improvement  among  many  of  their  people,  with  a  forced  grace 
 accepted  the  proposal  of  IVI.  Albert  Cohen  (the  President  of  a 
 benevolent  society  of  Israelites  at  Paris),  who  kindly  offered  to 
 establish  schools  for  the  better  training  of  Jewish  boys  and  girls. 
 Inveterate  hostility  towards  the  Protestants,  and  a  frantic  desire  to 
 counteract  their  efforts,  lent  support  and  encouragement  to  the  new 
 scheme.  In  1854,  a  school,  under  a  French  master  and  mistress, 
 was  opened,  and  in  the  absence  of  all  enlightened  sympathy  and 
 cordial  co-operation  on  the  part  of  the  heads  of  the  community,  the 
 estal)lishment  had  to  struggle  with  numerous  difficulties  and  great 
 obstacles,  in  order  to  maintain  a  precarious  existence." 
 
 Mr.  Stern  then  refers  to  the  famous  edict  which  was  promul- 
 gated bv  the  Turkish  Government,  immediately  after  the  Crimean 
 War.  By  this  edict,  religious  liberty  was  certified  to  all  the  subjects 
 of  the  empire,  and  many  new  privileges  guaranteed  to  those  who 
 belonged  to  other  nationalities.  These  have  been  but  imperfectly 
 satisfied,  in  the  practical  action  of  the  Government. 
 
 "On  the  1 8th  February,  1856,  the  famous  '^  Hatti-Humaioun' 
 was  proclaimed,  and  all  the  friends  of  liberty  and  civilization,  both 
 in  the  East  and  West,  rapturously  applauded  the  Sultan's  noble  act. 
 The  barricades  to  free  thought  and  moral  regeneration  were  now 
 demolished,  and  the  philanthropist  and  the  Christian  thought  the 
 memorable  victories  on  the  hills  and  valleys  of  the  Crimea  not  too 
 dearly  purchased,  if  they  might  only  realize  the  beautiful  vision  of 
 converted  and  civilized  Asia.  That  this  was  merely  a  glowing  and 
 a  pleasing  fancy,  the  last  two  years  have  painfully  demonstrated  ; 
 still  every  one  must  admit  that  the  spasmodic  enthusiasm  roused 
 the  Oriental  from  his  leaden  slumbers,  and  awakened  hopes  and 
 fears  throughout  the  motley  population  of  these  lands,  which  at  no 
 ver}^  remote  period  must  effect  many  a  salutary  change.  The 
 adherents  of  the  Talmud,  who,  like  the  followers  of  the  Arabian 
 prophet,  regard  every  change  as  apostacy,  and  every  innovation  as 
 sin,  for  the  nonce  forgot  their  wonted  bigotry,  and  the  anticipation 
 that  a  liberal  education  of  their  children  might  ere  long  prove  a 
 golden  mine  to  their  pockets,  and  also  arrest  the  operations  of  the 
 missionaries,  made  them  even  anxious  to  see  the  reform  movement 
 prosecuted  with  energy  and  vigour. 
 
 "  A  Committee,  consisting  of  several  foreign  and  wealthy  native 
 Jews,  with  the  Chacham  for  a  President,  was  immediately  appointed, 
 and  plans  for  schools  and  other  needful   improvements  proposed 
 
142  ABYSSINIA. 
 
 and  approved.  liut  in  the  language  of  '  La  Presse  d'Orient,'  a 
 French  newspaper,  '  une  ombre  avait  glassee  sur  ce  brilhant 
 tableau.'  A  fanatic  Chacham,  whose  narrow  mind  revolted  at 
 everything  that  did  not  tend  to  magnify  the  wisdom  of  the  writers 
 of  the  Talmud,  took  umbrage  at  these  well-directed  eftbrts,  and 
 spurred  by  a  superstitious  frenzy,  and  the  persuasions  of  a  band  of 
 partisans,  he  boldly  denounced  the  intended  changes,  as  Protestant 
 in  their  origin,  and  anti-Talmudic  in  their  aim.  His  sharp  rebukes 
 and  systematic  misrepresentations  gained  little  sympathy  or  notice  ; 
 this  still  more  galled  his  morbid  temper,  and  careless  of  the  scandal 
 and  disgrace  he  was  occasioning,  he  publicly  and  in  a  full  syna- 
 gogue, vented  his  suppressed  indignation  by  anathematizing  the 
 schools,  committee,  teachers,  parents,  children  ;  in  fact,  every  one, 
 whatever  his  position  might  be,  who  was  in  favour  of  progress,  not 
 excepting  even  the  Chacham  himself.  Religious  prejudices  being 
 thus  again  invoked,  and  the  stagnant  waters  of  bigotry  again  agi- 
 tated, it  became  an  imperative  duty,  in  order  to  hush  the  excite- 
 ment, and  to  remove  the  odium  of  an  excommunication  from  the 
 Chief  Rabbi,  that  the  audacious  offender  should  be  chastised  for 
 this  indiscreet  ebullition  of  his  zeal.  A  court  of  Chachamim  was 
 immediately  convoked,  and  the  pious  delinquent  arraigned  for  mis- 
 demeanour ;  happily  for  him,  all  his  judges  sympathized  with  him 
 in  his  religious  sentiments,  and  these  merely  awarded  him,  as  a 
 peace-offering  to  the  aggrieved  party,  a  reproof  which  was  adminis- 
 tered with  '  bated  breath  and  whispering  humbleness.'  Faction 
 being  thus  expeditiously  crushed,  and  harmony  restored,  the  wealthy 
 and  affluent  inaugurated  the  auspicious  event  by  contributing  liber- 
 ally towards  the  building  of  a  new  school,  large  enough 
 to  accommodate  fifty  boarders  and  four  hundred  day  scholars. 
 Our  mission  schools  were  now  as  ever  before  decried  as  super- 
 fluous, and  the  parents  and  children  threatened  with  excision  from 
 the  synagogue,  if  they  disregarded  the  rabbinical  mandate.  This 
 interdict  called  forth  resistance,  and  begat  opposition.  The 
 parents  had  confidence  in  our  schools,  and  not  in  their  own  ;  they 
 knew  that  we  did  not  pretend  to  give  their  children  a  highly 
 polished  education,  but  they  saw  that,  instead  of  it,  we  endeavoured 
 to  impart  a  better  mould  to  their  hearts,  and  a  healthier  impulse  to 
 their  moral  energies  ;  and  this  so  impressed  them  with  the  supe- 
 riority of  our  training,  that  many  did  not  hesitate  to  declare  that  if 
 their  children  were  not  permitted  to  receive  instruction  in  the 
 schools  of  the  Protestants,  neither  should  they  receive  any  in  the 
 new  schools  of  the  Jews." 
 
 A  variety  of  new  facts  were  from  time  to  time  brought  before  the 
 
 attention  of  the  friends  of  Israel,  in  relation  to  the  Jews  in  various 
 
 parts  of  the  world.     Some  of  the  most  suggestive  and  interesting 
 
 had   reference  to   Abyssinia,   in   which    it  was  known  that  a  large 
 
 number    of    Jews    were    located,    who    preserved    in   a   remarkable 
 
ABYSSINIA.  143 
 
 manner  the  traditions  of  their  fathers.  These  descendants  of 
 Abraham,  were  only  acquainted  with  the  idolatrous  and  corrupt 
 form  of  Christianity,  which  was  presented  by  the  Abyssinian 
 Church.  They  were  reported  to  be  temperate  and  unprejudiced, 
 and  there  was  every  reason  to  believe,  that  the  truths  of  the  Chris- 
 tian faith,  untinctured  by  the  superstitions  of  which  they  had 
 always  been  eye-witnesses,  would  secure  their  attention  and 
 sympathy. 
 
 When  the  importance  of  this  field  of  eftbrt,  and  the  duty  of 
 attempting  its  cultivation,  presented  itself  to  the  attention  of  the 
 London  Committee,  their  eyes  were  instinctively  turned  towards  the 
 man,  who  had  earned  a  reputation  for  courage,  wisdom  and  success, 
 such  as  rarely  had  been  attained.  To  him,  therefore,  they  appealed  ; 
 and  I\Ir.  Stern,  "assuredly  gathering  that  the  Lord  had  called"  him 
 "  to  preach  the  Gospel  "  to  the  Jews  of  Abyssinia,  expressed  his 
 willingness  to  proceed  on  such  a  mission. 
 
 Our  minds  have  been  made  familiar  by  the  events  of  the  late  war 
 in  the  Soudan,  with  the  hardships  and  difficulties  which  such  a 
 journey  would  involve.  But  the  danger  to  the  traveller's  life  and 
 person  were  inconsiderable  in  comparison  to  that  of  which  the 
 Missionary  had  had  experience  in  Arabia  Felix.  He  proceeded  to 
 make  the  necessary  preparations,  and  on  September  5th,  1859,  he 
 was  again  on  his  wa}-  to  Cairo,  whence  he  had  formerly  started 
 eastward  to  Arabia  Felix,  and  from  which  point  he  was  to  proceed 
 southward  to  Abyssinia,  on  the  like  errand  of  love  and  mercy. 
 
 On  this  occasion,  our  Missionary  had  provided  himself  with 
 varied  means,  by  which  his  journey  might  be  made  useful  and 
 instructive.  While  in  London,  he  had  taken  lessons  in  photography 
 gratuitously  given  by  'Sir.  Mayall,  the  well-known  photographer.  Mr. 
 INIayall  had,  in  the  most  liberal  manner,  afforded  him  every  facility 
 for  obtaining  a  competent  knowledge  of  the  art,  and  allowed  him 
 to  practise  freely  in  his  studio  in  Regent-street.  On  one  occasion, 
 a  friend  of  Mr.  Stern  went  to  Mr.  Mayall's  studio,  for  the  purpose 
 of  having  his  portrait  taken.  The  Missionary,  in  artist's  attire,  was 
 busy  behind  a  screen,  and  every  now  and  then  appeared,  to  the 
 wonder  and  perplexity  of  his  quondam  friend.  Convinced  that,  if 
 it  was  a  mere  resemblance,  it  was  a  most  remarkable  one,  he  chal- 
 
144  ABYSSINIA. 
 
 lenged  his  identity,  and  then,  amidst  much  mirth  and  amusement, 
 Mr.  Stern  made  known  to  him  the  nature  of  his  performance,  and 
 the  object  he  had  in  view.  The  London  Committee  subsequently 
 made  a  small  grant  towards  the  expenses  of  his  apparatus,  as  con- 
 tributing materially  towards  the  illustrations  of  some  of  their  publi- 
 cations. We  shall  see,  in  the  rather  tlistant  future,  that  the  knowledge 
 of  photography  was  not  an  unallo\-cd  advantage  to  the  enterprising 
 traveller. 
 
 Mr.  Stern  re-visited  Jerusalem,  on  his  way  to  Alexandria  and 
 Cairo,  in  order  that  he  might  obtain  from  Bishop  Gobat,  or  from 
 any  other  source,  such  information  concerning  Abyssinia  as  might 
 be  useful  to  him,  and  promote  the  object  of  his  journey.  A  Gentile 
 INIission  to  the  interior  of  that  country,  with  very  equivocal  results, 
 had  long  existed ;  and  it  was  hoped  that  the  agents  might  render  some 
 service  to  Mr.  Stern,  in  his  attempts  to  reach  the  Falashas.  It  was 
 decided  that  the  line  of  travel  should  be  by  the  Nile  and  Khartoum, 
 which,  although  more  tedious,  offered  in  other  respects  greater 
 facilities  for  its  safe  accomplishment.  The  route  from  Massowah, 
 on  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea,  would  have  been  much  shorter,  but 
 the  tribes  between  that  port  and  the  Abyssinian  kingdom  were  in  a 
 state  of  revolt,  and  progress  through  that  part  of  the  country  was 
 almost  impracticable.     From  Alexandria  our  Missionary  wrote  : — 
 
 "  I  am  happy  to  inform  vou  that  I  have  at  last,  through  the 
 mercy  of  our  God,  safely  reached  Alexandria.  The  satisfaction 
 which  my  visit  to  Jerusalem  would  have  afforded  me,  was  almost 
 entirely  marred  by  the  unexpected  intelligence,  which  came  on  the 
 very  eve  of  my  arrival  in  the  Holy  City,  that  the  plague  had  broken 
 out  at  Beyrout,  and  that  the  whole  of  Syria  was  in  quarantine. 
 Here  I  was  in  a  dilemma,  from  which  I  scarcely  knew  how  to  extri- 
 cate myself.  The  steamers  without  exception  refused  to  take  any 
 passengers,  and  the  road  through  the  desert  was  declared  to  be 
 both  unsafe  and  very  expensive.  The  only  means  of  getting  into 
 Egypt,  of  which  I  could  now  avail  myself,  was  a  native  sailing  boat ; 
 and  reluctant  as  I  felt  to  entrust  my  life  to  one  of  those  frail  and 
 dangerous  craft,  which  seldom  can  brave  a  rough  sea,  I  was  obliged 
 to  do  so,  as  I  had  no  alternative.  Together  with  a  motley  mixture 
 of  twenty-five  uncouth  Europeans  and  Asiatics,  I  embarked  on  the 
 2nd  Nov.  at  Jaffa,  and  you  can  easily  imagine  the  weather  we  had, 
 when  I  tell  you  that  the  voyage  of  250  miles  occupied  twelve 
 days.  On  one  occasion,  the  little  bark  was  not  fifty  miles  from 
 Egypt,  when  suddenly  a  terrific  gale  sprang  up  from  the  West  ;  and 
 
ABYSSINIA.  145 
 
 notwithstanding  all  our  exertions,  drove  us  over  the  surging  and 
 buffeting  waves  back  to  the  coast  of  Syria,  into  the  roads  of  Tyre. 
 After  two  days  the  wind  changed  again,  and  once  more  we  steered 
 for  Alexandria,  which,  in  an  exhausted,  and  almost  famished  con- 
 dition, we  reached  on  the  14th  inst.  Thus  the  trip  to  Palestine 
 cost  me  many  a  painful  hour,  but  I  do  not  regret  it,  for  the  inform- 
 ation I  obtained  from  the  Bishop,  and  the  pleasant  and  edifying 
 intercourse  I  had  with  him,  the  missionaries  and  the  converts, 
 amply  compensated  me  for  the  sufferings  to  which  the  voyage  sub- 
 jected me." 
 
CHAPTER    XX. 
 
 THE    NILE,    KHARTOUM,    AVOCHXEE,    AND     TSCHELGA. 
 
 At  the  beginning  of  December,  1859,  Mr.  Stern  left  Cairo,  on  his 
 way  to  Abyssinia.  It  is  desirable  that  some  extracts  should  be 
 given  from  his  journal  of  travel,  in  order  that  it  may  be  seen  under 
 what  conditions  he  pursued  his  way.  It  will  recall  to  memory  the 
 names  of  places  by  which  our  gallant  soldiers  recently  advanced,  in 
 the  vain  hope  of  rescuing  the  gallant  General  Gordon,  from  the 
 hands  of  the  Soudanees. 
 
 "  It  was  with  a  mingled  sensation  of  joy  and  regret,  of  hope  and 
 fear,  that  I  embarked  on  board  a  dahabia  which  lay  moored  at 
 Boulak,  the  port  of  Cairo  ;  and,  with  a  sad  and  lingering  look,  bade 
 farewell  to  Egypt  and  railways — to  Egypt  and  the  last  vestige  of 
 civilized  life.  Our  crew,  who,  with  the  exception  of  the  rais,  were 
 all  natives  of  Nubia,  received  me  and  my  companion  with  grins  and 
 smiles,  which,  to  the  surprise  of  their  bakshei'sh-Xowgmg^  cupidity,  we 
 returned  with  liberal  interest  in  the  same  ephemeral  currency. 
 The  wind  being  favourable,  the  cable  was  instantly  loosed,  the 
 latteen  sail  unfurled,  and  amidst  the  usual  accompaniments  of  dis- 
 putes and  quarrels,  bustle  and  confusion,  our  boat  swept  past  the 
 peasant's  hut  and  the  Pasha's  palace — the  pleasure-grounds  of  the 
 living,  and  the  time-defying  tombs  of  the  dead — till  evening  veiled 
 garden  and  pyramid,  hovel  and  hall,  from  our  admiring  gaze.  The 
 wind,  which  increased  with  the  advance  of  night,  propelled  our 
 craft  at  such  a  rapid  rate,  that,  notwithstanding  the  varied  attrac- 
 tions on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  we  continued  our  voyage  with  no 
 other  interruption  than  an  occasional  brush  from  a  floating  stack  of 
 straw,  or  a  jerk  on  the  shallow  bed  of  the  river. 
 
 "  After  a  pleasant  sail  of  more  than  a  week,  we  reached  Caniak 
 and  Ljixor,  where  we  spent  four  days  amongst  ruins  and  tombs, 
 which  have  been  so  often  described  that  I  need  not  plunge  into  the 
 secrets  of  hieroglyphic  mysteries,  or  linger  in  the  rifled  chambers 
 of  proud   royalty's  last  resting-place.     The  rais,  and  crew  of  the 
 
THE    NILE,    KHARTOUM,    WOCHXEE,    AND    TSCHELGA.  1 47 
 
 boat,  shared  in  our  stoic  indifference  to  the  fallen  grandeur  and 
 gloomy  desolation  of  Thehcs  ;  and  without  a  single  sigh  or  a  parting 
 glance  of  sorrow,  we  took  our  departure  from  a  spot  where  vanity 
 and  ambition  have  traced  their  awful  characters  on  the  wreck  and 
 ruins  of  a  city,  which,  to  the  very  verge  of  time,  may  well  elicit  the 
 wonder  and  admiration  of  every  visitor. 
 
 "  From  royal  Thebes  to  Assouan  (the  Syene  of  Ezekiel  xxix.  lo), 
 we  passed,  in  uninterrupted  succession,  cities  and  temples  that 
 once  rang  with  the  hum  of  busy  and  gay  multitudes,  but  where  now 
 no  sound  breaks  upon  the  ear,  except  the  discordant  cry  of  the 
 jackal,  or  the  plaintive  ditty  of  the  weary  camel-driver. 
 
 "Anxious  to  hasten  on,  we  immediately,  on  reaching  the  first 
 cataract,  secured  camels  ;  and  on  the  following  day,  before  the 
 sun  had  sunk  behind  the  rocks  and  granite  cliffs,  which  form  the 
 natural  boundary  between  ancient  Egypt  and  F.thiopia,  we  were 
 again  spreading  our  sails  to  the  gentle  breeze,  and  drifting  slowly 
 up  the  sacred  river,  till  December  the  14th,  when  we  exchanged  the 
 boat  for  the  camel,  and  the  muddy  Nile  for  the  sandy  desert.  Our 
 original  intention  was  to  go  to  Wady  Haifa,  a  few  miles  south  of 
 the  cataracts  which  here  impede  the  navigation  up  to  Berber,  and 
 from  thence  by  land  to  Dongola  ;  but  as  that  journey  would  have 
 occupied  us  far  more  time  than  the  route  from  Korosko,  across  the 
 dreaded  Bahr  Atmur ;  we  chose,  regardless  of  its  dangers,  and 
 trusting  in  the  protection  of  our  God,  the  more  fatiguing  and  trying, 
 though  the  shorter  and  more  expeditious  journey. 
 
 "  Sheikh  Achmed  el  Khalifa,  one  of  the  Chiefs  responsible  for  the 
 safety  of  goods  and  travellers  across  the  desert,  was  then  at  Korosko  ; 
 and  as  I  had  letters  of  recommendation  to  him,  my  companion  and 
 myself,  on  disembarking,  repaired  to  his  dwelling.  Together  with 
 his  brother  and  some  subordinates,  he  was  seated  on  a  carpet  under 
 the  shadow  of  the  court  wall,  smoking  and  sipping  coffee.  We 
 squatted  down  near  these  magnates  of  the  sandy  wilds,  and  after  a 
 few  unmeaning  complimentary  phrases,  and  a  heap  of  commonplace 
 inquiries,  we  broached  the  object  of  our  visit,  and  requested  to  be 
 furnished,  as  soon  as  practicable,  with  a  sufficient  number  of  camels 
 for  our  journey.  The  worthy  Chief  at  once  promised  to  attend  to 
 this  matter ;  and  after  a  few  other  arrangements  about  the  hire  of 
 animals,  and  the  weight  they  would  be  able  to  carry,  we  took  leave 
 and  returned  to  our  tent. 
 
 "  The  following  day,  the  owners  of  the  camels  made  their  appear- 
 ance, and  began  to  inspect  our  cargo.  Confident  that  we  were 
 strangers,  and  unacquainted  with  the  regulations,  they  began  to 
 grumble  at  the  size  of  one  box  and  the  weight  of  another.  At  first 
 we  were  quiet  ;  but  as  patience  is  not  very  clastic  in  an  atmosphere 
 where  the  thermometer  rises  to  above  a  hundred  in  the  shade,  we  at 
 last  silenced  their  garrulous  tongues  by  acquainting  them  with  the 
 ■agreement  we  had  concluded  with  the  Sheikh,  and  the  injury  their 
 Cluster  and  talk  would  inflict  on  their  reputation  for  honesty,   and 
 
148  THE    NILE,    KHARTOUM,    WOCHXEE,    AND   TSCHELGA. 
 
 their  prospect  of  a  bakshctsh.  The  last  word  had  a  talismanic  effect  ; 
 for  it  was  scarcely  uttered,  when  all  instantly  assented  to  our  propo- 
 sition, and  promised,  with  the  help  of  Allah,  to  make  the  journey  a 
 perfect  pleasure  trip  (of  course  it  was  understood)  if  sand,  heat,  and 
 bad  water  would  allow  it. 
 
 "The  same  evening  our  water-skins  were  filled,  our  packages 
 securely  bound  with  strong  ropes,  and  every  other  preparation  com- 
 pleted for  our  march  across  the  dreaded  desert,  which,  till  within 
 the  last  few  years,  on  account  of  its  many  dangers,  was  under  an 
 interdict  from  the  Egyptian  Government,  and  would  probably  still 
 enjoy  its  undisturbed  solitude,  had  not  some  European  merchants 
 who  trade  with  the  Soudan,  succeeded,  through  the  influence  of 
 their  respective  Consuls,  in  having  it  opened  for  the  more  expediti- 
 ous transport  of  their  various  articles  of  commerce. 
 
 "  Our  caravan,  which  consisted  of  about  two  hundred  camels,  met 
 together,  more  for  the  sake  of  company  than  for  mutual  protection, 
 at  a  place  called  El  Bab,  six  hours'  distance  from  the  banks  of  the 
 Nile.  Here  all  our  fellow-travellers  were  already  encamped,  and  it 
 was  quite  a  cheerful  sight  to  see  in  the  boundless  desert  so  many 
 blazing  bivouac  fires,  and  to  hear  in  the  otherwise  tenantless  waste 
 the  hum  of  so  much  active  and  busy  talk. 
 
 "  During  the  summer  months,  the  caravans,  in  their  passage 
 across  this  sun-blighted  tract,  march  from  eighteen  to  twenty  hours 
 per  day ;  but,  when  the  heat  is  less  intense  and  violent,  the  evening 
 terminates  the  journey,  and  the  camp  is  not  broken  up  again  till  the 
 scantily-clad  camel-owners  feel  their  chilled  frames  warmed  and 
 their  cold  blood  heated,  by  the  fierce  rays  of  a  scorching  and  merci- 
 less sun. 
 
 "  On  the  fifth  day  we  reached  Murad,  the  only  spot  in  this  arid 
 and  blighted  desert  where  there  are  a  few  brackish  wells,  which 
 contain  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  to  prevent  the  various  caravans 
 that  travel  along  this  route  from  perishing  with  thirst.  We  were 
 fortunate  in  passing  just  after  the  rainy  season,  when  the  wells  are 
 tolerably  full,  and  the  muddy,  turbid  liquid,  may  yet  be  gulped 
 down  without  a  shudder  or  paling  lip  ;  but  when  I  returned  from 
 Abyssinia,  after  a  \ery  dry  summer,  the  water  of  the  Murad  was  so 
 unpalatable  to  the  taste,  and  so  deleterious  to  the  system,  that  I 
 believe  an  unfiltered  draught  of  the  Thames  in  the  month  of  August 
 would  have  been  like  nectar  compared  to  this  loathsome  and  dis- 
 gusting drink. 
 
 "  Our  empty  gt'rlnhshKtxng  again  replenished,  and  the  thirst  of  our 
 camels  allayed,  we  quitted  at  a  very  early  hour  these  stagnant  wells, 
 and  in  a  solemn  and  serious  mood,  which  the  prospect  of  a  very 
 wearisome  day  was  not  calculated  to  dissipate,  trudged  in  separate 
 files  over  the  sand-covered,  pathless  waste.  There  is  something 
 gratifying  to  the  mind  and  cheering  to  the  heart,  in  the  mitlst  of 
 the  keen  toils  of  a  desert  journey,  where  you  have  continuall}-  to 
 struggle  with  dangers  and  fatigues,  hardships  and  privations,  which 
 
THE   NILE,    KHARTOUM,    WOCHXEE,    AND   TSCHELGA.  1 49 
 
 those  who  live  in  the  busy  hive  of  large  cities,  or  move  about  in  the 
 garlanded  and  festooned  circles  of  fashion,  cannot  possibly  appreci- 
 ate ;  in  fact,  the  very  idea  that  your  life  is  bound  up  with  the  filthy 
 water-skins  strung  on  the  back  of  the  camel  you  bestride,  or  linked 
 to  the  heap  of  stones  carelessly  strewn  as  waymarks  along  the  path 
 you  pursue,  tends  not  only  to  brace  the  nerves  and  to  fortify  the 
 soul,  but  also  to  strengthen  the  belief  and  to  deepen  the  conviction 
 that  there  is  a  gracious  Being  watching  over  you,  whose  presence 
 fills  every  void,  and  whose  goodness  guards  your  every  step. 
 
 "  The  tantalizing  sareb,  or  mirage,  which  had  mocked  our  sight 
 ever  since  we  entered  this  arid  domain  of  sand  and  calcined  rocks, 
 increased  with  the  power  of  the  sun  and  the  refraction  of  his  rays. 
 This  treacherous  phenomenon,  as  if  delighted  to  irritate  and  to  vex 
 the  wayworn  pilgrim,  now  deludes  his  eye  with  a  regular  succession 
 of  beautiful  lakes  and  shady  avenues,  and  then  again  with  an 
 expanse  of  waving  grass  around  a  picturesque  villa.  Here  is  pre- 
 sented a  grove  of  towering  trees,  there  a  flock  of  browsing  cattle  ; 
 in  fact,  the  deception  is  so  perfect,  that  the  traveller  will  not  believe 
 that  the  beautiful  scene  on  which  the  eye  longingly  lingers  is  not 
 real,  till  his  camel  actually  treads  in  the  saltpetre-encrusted  soil, 
 and  dissipates  the  optical  illusion.  On  the  eleventh  day,  we 
 reached — minus  a  good  number  of  camels,  which  perished  from 
 exhaustion — Abott  Hamed,  where  we  again  beheld  the  towering 
 palm,  and  drank  of  the  refreshing  Nile." 
 
 From  this  point,  the  Nile  again  became  the  traveller's  highway. 
 After  the  monotony  and  discomfort  of  the  desert,  and  the  sandy 
 wastes  through  which  they  had  passed,  the  luxuriant  vegetation  of 
 the  banks  and  islands  by  which  they  sailed,  and  the  rest  which 
 they  enjoyed,  strengthened  and  refreshed  them  for  their  onward 
 journey. 
 
 On  the  1 8th  of  January,  they  arrived  at  Kharioiim,  the  name  of 
 which  will  always  be  identified  with  the  heroic  struggle,  and  the 
 martyr's  end,  of  one  of  the  most  distinguished  and  Christian  of 
 England's  sons.  Khartoum  is  the  most  important  town  of  the 
 Soudan,  situated  near  the  confluence  of  the  White  and  Blue  Nile. 
 It  was  at  that  time  the  centre  of  trade  for  all  the  surrounding 
 regions,  and  the  point  at  which  the  slave  dealers  assembled,  when 
 carrying  on  their  nefarious  and  unlawful  traffic.  In  this  place,  the 
 traveller  was  dependent  upon  the  hospitality  of  the  inhabitants, 
 there  being  no  public  khan  in  which  he  might  find  a  refuge.  Dr. 
 Natterer,  the  Austrian  Consul,  most  kindly  received  the  missionaries 
 under  his  roof,  and  there  they  remained,  until  arrangements  were 
 made  for  the  prosecution  of  their  journey. 
 
150  THE    NILE,    KHARTOUM,    WOCHNEE,    AND    TSCHELGA. 
 
 "  The  bazaiar,  which  in  Khartoum,  as  in  Constantinople  and 
 Cairo,  constitutes  the  rendezvous  of  the  merchant  and  shopkeeper, 
 the  idle  and  the  busy,  was  the  spot  which  naturally  attracted  our 
 curiosity.  It  was  now  towards  noon,  when  the  vendors  of  milk, 
 bread,  fish,  poultry,  onions,  and  garlic,  brought  their  inviting  deli- 
 cacies to  the  market  ;  and  never  did  I,  in  all  my  peregrinations, 
 jostle  through  such  a  crowd  of  semi-naked  savages,  and  breathe 
 such  an  unclean  aroma,  as  in  that  strange  emporium  of  African 
 trade.  In  the  motley  crowd  were  to  be  seen  the  haughty  Turk,  the 
 grave  Arab,  the  grinning,  thick-lipped  negro,  the  melancholy  Galla, 
 and  the  garrulous  representatives  of  countless  tribes  of  Bedouins, 
 from  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea  to  the  deserts  of  Darfour ;  and  as 
 the  majority  of  this  mi.xed  multitude  had  the  greatest  contempt  for 
 dress,  and  a  passionate  fondness  for  rancid  grease,  which  ran  in 
 stagnant  and  blistering  streams  down  their  matted  and  bushy  hair, 
 till  every  one  glistened  and  sparkled  like  a  lump  of  melting  tallow, 
 the  toute  ensemble  presented  a  most  savage  and  repulsive  scene. 
 
 "  The  following  day  most  of  the  European  residents,  who  here 
 constitute  a  little  colony  of  about  fifteen  individuals,  visited  us. 
 Two  or  three  of  these  are  in  the  service  of  the  Egyptian  Govern- 
 ment ;  but  the  rest  are  traders  and  hunters  of  the  elephant,  along 
 the  banks  of  the  White  River,  where  they  also  spend  the  greater 
 part  of  the  year.  The  ivory  trade,  which,  a  score  of  years  ago,  was 
 a  most  lucrative  speculation,  has,  of  late,  become  a  very  hazardous 
 business  ;  and  I  have  been  assured  by  natives,  as  well  as  Europeans, 
 that  most  persons,  and  especially  the  Mohammedans,  who  embark 
 in  this  dangerous  and  expensive  traffic,  make  it  remunerative  by 
 combining  with  it  an  extensive  barter  in  slaves.  Frequently,  an 
 armed  crew  of  a  boat,  in  sailing  up  the  river,  espy  a  settlement  of 
 negroes,  and  before  these  unsuspecting  dwellers  in  the  jungle  are 
 aware  of  the  marauders'  approach,  they  are  hemmed  in  by  a  set  of 
 inhuman  wTetches,  who,  prompted  by  a  love  of  rapine  and  plunder, 
 not  unmingled  with  a  fanatical  zeal  for  religion,  eagerly  rush  upon 
 these  unhappy  beings,  and  before  they  can  seize  their  defensive 
 weapons,  the  encampment  is  on  fire,  and  half  its  occupants  at  the 
 mercy  of  the  fiendish  captors.  Occasionally  the  blacks,  goaded  to 
 desperation,  lie  in  ambush  for  their  cruel  foes  ;  and  no  sooner  do 
 these,  confident  in  their  arms,  touch  the  land,  than  they  are  pierced 
 by  scores  of  poisoned  arrows,  or  transfixed  by  many  a  quivering 
 spear. 
 
 "The  Government,  notwithstanding  treaties  with  European 
 Powers,  not  only  connives  at  this  infamous  traffic,  but  encourages 
 it  by  sending  extensive  orders  for  strong  sinewy  blacks,  to  fill  up 
 the  thinning  ranks  of  the  army.  Dr.  Nattcrer,  the  energetic  Aus- 
 trian Consul,  has  repeatedly  protested  against  this  official  infringe- 
 ment of  established  contracts ;  but  his  temerity  hitherto  only 
 involved  him  in  serious  troubles  with  the  Governor  of  the  Soudan  ; 
 and   for   a  considerable  time  he  even  dared  not  venture  into  the 
 
THE   NILE,    KHARTOUM,    AVOCHNEE,    AND    TSCHELGA.  151 
 
 Streets  without  a  loaded  revolver  in  his  pocket.  Even  during  my 
 stay  at  Khartoum,  I  heard  of  several  convoys,  which  had  secretly 
 been  imported  into  town,  and  as  ninety-two  boats  were  then  on 
 their  way  up  the  White  River,  it  was  generally  anticipated  that  the 
 p^retended  speculators  in  ivory  would  make  the  negroes  pay  in 
 default  of  the  elephant." 
 
 The  arrangements  for  their  onward  march  having  been  completed,. 
 
 Mr.  Stern  wrote  as  follows  : — 
 
 "  Our  stay  at  Khartoum  having  been  protracted  beyond  our 
 original  intention,  we  at  last  made  preparations  for  our  departure  to 
 real  savagedom  ;  and  on  the  twelfth  day  after  our  arrival,  embarked 
 on  the  Blue  Nile,  and,  between  islands  covered  with  huge  croco- 
 diles, and  high  banks  wooded  by  umbrella-shaped  acacias,  sailed 
 along  to  Abon  Harass.  The  wind,  after  a  few  hours'  languid 
 breathing,  subsided  into  a  wearisome  calm,  and  we  had  the  greatest 
 trouble  in  inducing  our  lazy  crew,  who  lay  coiled  upon  boxes  and 
 spars  in  the  grilling  sun,  to  betake  themselves  to  the  towing  rope. 
 The  following  morning  we  came  to  Elfun  (ten  minutes  from  the 
 river),  a  wretched  building  abounding  with  mt/rssa  houses,  and  an 
 equally  respectable  population.  The  market,  which  happened  to  be 
 held  on  our  arrival,  prompted  the  rais  and  his  sailors  who  had  a 
 few  piastres  to  spend,  to  make  a  halt.  Mid-day  passed  away,  after- 
 noon came,  the  sun  softly  moved  down  the  horizon,  and  still  none 
 of  the  crew  made  their  appearance.  We  began  to  think  that  they 
 had  deserted  us  and  the  boat,  when  several  of  them,  a  little  too  gay 
 and  exhilarated  from  the  potations  they  had  quaffed,  crept  on  board. 
 The  rais  soon  followed,  but  before  he  could  reach  the  boat  he  fell 
 on  the  heated  sand,  writhing  in  agonizing  contortions.  His  whole 
 appearance  indicated  that  the  inebriating  jneressa,  in  which  he  had 
 freely  indulged  whilst  under  the  influence  of  ague,  must  either  be 
 expelled,  or  our  craft  sail  without  its  commander.  The  latter  plan 
 was  considered  the  most  feasible,  when  it  occurred  to  me  that,  as 
 possibly  we  might  all  have  to  suffer  from  similar  maladies,  a  few 
 experiments  might  not  be  amiss  in  promoting  the  skill  of  our  future 
 practice.  Our  box  of  medicines,  which,  like  the  hoarded  treasure 
 of  the  miser,  we  never  allowed  to  be  out  of  our  sight,  was  instantly 
 ransacked,  and  an  emetic,  such  as  an  extreme  fever  case  alone 
 could  sanction,  was  poured  down  the  throat  of  our  helpless  patient. 
 The  result  justified  the  potency  of  the  remedy,  and  I  believe  the 
 grateful  rais  and  his  amazed  crew  regarded  me  thenceforward  as  the 
 greatest  physician,  and  the  most  wonderful  hakeem,  that  ever  ploughed 
 the  waters  of  the  Blue  Nile. 
 
 "  On  the  following  day,  we  passed  a  good  number  of  flocks,  which 
 were  browsing  quite  unguarded  among  the  trees  and  bushes  along 
 the  river's  edge.  Our  sailors,  under  the  pretext  of  collecting  wood, 
 neared  the  land,  and  before  we  could  remonstrate  with  them,  they 
 had  stolen  a  sheep,  and  stowed  it  safely  away.    In  the  evening,  we 
 
152  THE    NILE,    KHARTOUM,    WOCHXEE,    AND    TSCHELGA. 
 
 moored  the  boat  under  a  high  bank,  far  from  any  human  habitation, 
 and  there,  in  conformity  with  the  Mohammedan  ritual,  the  stolen 
 sheep  was  slaughtered  and  devoured  in  the  name  of  Allah.  The 
 religious  scruples  of  these  thieves  reminded  me  of  some  Greek 
 pirates,  who,  a  few  years  ago,  seized  a  schooner  in  the  JEgean  Sea, 
 and  murdered  every  soul  on  board  ;  yet  these  desperadoes,  who  did 
 not  shrink  from  perpetrating  the  greatest  crime,  would  not,  I  was 
 assured  by  some  of  their  own  countrymen,  as  it  was  the  season  of 
 Lent,  touch  any  of  the  captured  salt  beef,  although  they  were  sub- 
 ject for  many  days  to  the  most  gnawing  and  distressing  hunger. 
 
 "  Our  voyage,  owing  to  a  succession  of  calms  and  contrary  winds, 
 became,  at  last,  so  painfully  tedious  and  monotonous,  that  even  the 
 monstrous  crocodiles  lost  their  attractions,  and  the  ducks,  geese, 
 ibis,  and  pelicans,  which  fluttered  in  myriads  on  the  isles  and 
 shallow  brink  of  the  water,  ceased  to  excite  the  least  interest  or 
 notice. 
 
 "  At  some  of  the  villages  where  we  tied  up  the  boat,  we  tried  to 
 make  short  exploratory  excursions  ;  but,  after  half-an-hour's  brisk 
 walk  over  those  illimitable  wastes,  which  stretch  like  a  heaving  and 
 undulating  sea  far  beyond  the  discoveries  of  modern  geographical 
 knowledge,  all  onward  progress  became  impossible,  and  with  aching 
 limbs,  and  a  few  brace  of  tough  pigeons,  as  the  only  result  of  our 
 toil,  we  again  returned  to  the  boat,  or  dispelled  our  evening  ennui 
 close  to  some  hovel,  in  friendly  converse  with  groups  of  well-dis- 
 posed natives." 
 
 Fever  now  began  its  insidious  attack  on  some  of  the  party,  who 
 under  great  difficulties  pursued  their  weary  way.  On  the  seventh 
 day  after  leaving  Khartoum,  the  passengers  exchanged  their  river  life 
 for  that  of  the  wilderness.  Over  this  district,  a  sub-Governor, 
 responsible  to  the  Governor  of  Khartoum,  exercised  authority  ;  and 
 spoliation,  imprisonment,  murder,  and  every  other  form  of  crime 
 and  oppression,  very  generally  prevailed.  Strange  were  the  aspect 
 and  manners  of  the  inhabitants.  In  some  instances,  a  rough  hos- 
 pitality was  exercised  ;  but  caution  and  watchfulness  were  continu- 
 ally needed,  in  their  intercourse  with  the  barbarous  natives.  On 
 their  way  to  Kedarcf,  the  heat  and  malaria  prostrated  them,  and 
 occasioned  much  suffering. 
 
 "  Warm  and  glowing  was  the  atmosphere  when  we  set  out,  and 
 warm  and  glowing  it  continued  as  we  journeyed  on.  For  several 
 hours  our  route  extended  across  an  austere,  furrowed  and  broken 
 tract,  where  the  poor  camel  at  every  few  steps  plunged  into  a  hole 
 or  lost  its  balance  in  an  empty  ditch.  The  teasing  reminiscences  of 
 former  abundance  only  increased  the  present  want,  and  the  eye 
 wandered  in  vain  over  the  blighted  plain,  to  espy  a  grateful  well  or 
 
THE    NILE,    KHARTOUM,    AVOCHNEE,    AND    TSCHELGA.  1 53 
 
 a  grassy  spot.  We  met  on  our  way  a  good  number  of  Arabs,  who 
 w-ere  returning  to  their  desert  homes  from  the  market  of  Matamma, 
 where  they  had  been  making  purchases  of  horses,  cows,  honey,  and 
 wheat.  They  were  all  wiry  and  athletic  figures,  mounted  on  drome- 
 daries and  unsaddled  horses,  with  their  dishevelled  hair  streaming 
 in  the  breeze,  and  their  robust  and  muscular  busts  as  low  as  the 
 waist,  exposed  to  the  full  play  of  the  sun's  dazzling  rays.  Their 
 arms  consisted  of  a  long  spear,  an  oval  shield  of  hippopotamus' 
 hide,  and  a  straight  double-edged  sword,  which  was  fastened  on  the 
 pommel  of  the  saddle,  or  hung  suspended  from  a  leather  strap 
 across  the  shoulder.  On  the  whole,  these  tenants  of  the  desert, 
 imaffected  by  the  vices  which  have  corrupted  the  Bedouin  in  Syria 
 and  Lower  Egypt,  in  their  appearance,  haughty  air,  accoutrements, 
 and  dress,  realized  most  graphically  the  prophetic  announcement : 
 ■*  He  will  be  a  wild  man.'  Towards  the  decline  of  noon,  we  came 
 to  a  little  wood,  and,  without  consulting  our  grumbling  Arabs, 
 coaxed  our  camels  on  their  knees,  and  sought  shelter  in  the  gloomy 
 thicket. 
 
 "Towards  evening,  we  were  off  again.  The  road,  which  before 
 had  been  difficult  and  dangerous,  on  account  of  the  many  yawning 
 clefts,  now  became  still  more  perilous  and  uncomfortable,  owing  to 
 the  many  bushy  and  thorny  trees  which,  at  every  few  steps,  threat- 
 ened the  traveller  with  the  fate  of  Mohamed's  coffin.  As  evening 
 advanced,  and  the  darkness  increased  in  intensity,  half-a-dozen  of 
 our  camels  got  entangled  in  the  copses,  into  which  they  had  stu- 
 pidly rushed  to  pluck  some  leaves  ;  and  before  they  could  be  extri- 
 cated, our  boxes  came  tuniMing  to  the  ground,  while  the  camel- 
 drivers  exhausted  their  lungs  in  vile  abuse.  Half  of  our  loads  being 
 already  on  the  ground,  the  rest  soon  followed  ;  so,  our  camels 
 having  selected  the  camping  ground,  w^e  yielded  to  their  good  taste, 
 and  around  a  blazing  fire  re-arranged  our  luggage,  and  bedless  and 
 coverless,  fell  asleep  on  the  hard  and  clodded  soil.  Long  before 
 daylight  we  were  again  mounted  on  our  submissive  quadrupeds, 
 •wending  our  doleful  path  between  gum,  doum,  and  the  wide-spread- 
 ing acacia,  towards  the  river  Rahad,  where  we  intended  to  take  in 
 a  supply  of  water,  to  last  us  till  we  reached  Kedaref,  a  distance  of 
 three  days'  journey.  I  had  hitherto,  considering  the  toil  and 
 fatigue  to  which  we  were  incessantly  exposed,  enjoyed  tolerably 
 good  health  ;  and,  by  practising  a  little  caution  and  abstinence,  I 
 anticipated  a  continuance  of  the  same  blessing  till  we  got  into  the 
 mountains  of  Abyssinia  ;  that  very  morning,  however,  I  felt  such  a 
 depression  and  weariness  of  body  and  spirit,  that,  notwithstanding 
 our  want  of  provisions,  I  could  not  muster  sufficient  energy  to  level 
 my  gun  at  the  flocks  of  pigeons  and  guinea-fowl,  which  cackled  and 
 cooed  as  if  they  were  unconscious  of  fear,  and  an  exception  to  the 
 coyness  of  their  species. 
 
 "  At  mid-day  we  again  approached  the  putrid  waters  of  the 
 exhausted  Rahad,  and  alighted  in  a  wood  close  to  its  banks,  where 
 
 L 
 
154  THE   NILE,    KHARTOUM,    WOCHNEE,    AND   TSCHELGA. 
 
 groups  of  uncouth-looking  Arabs  sat  feasting  round  a  camel  that 
 had  broken  its  legs.  Several  of  our  party,  who  were  in  the  excruci- 
 ating agonies  of  ague,  immediately  threw  themselves  on  the  bare 
 ground,  which,  instead  of  diminishing,  only  enhanced  the  cold 
 shiver,  and  intensified  the  quivering  sensation,  of  their  fevered 
 frame.  I  immediately  hastened  to  unpack  the  medicine  chest,  and 
 with  emetics  and  copious  doses  of  ipecacuanha,  sought  to  arrest  the 
 sufferings  of  my  companions,  as  well  as  my  own  incipient  symptoms 
 of  a  disease,  which  I  knew  to  be  frequently  malignant  in  its  cha- 
 racter and  fatal  in  its  effects. 
 
 "Emetics  and  hot  water  were,  however,  alike  unavailing;  and, 
 unconscious  of  all  around,  and  in  a  kind  of  delirious  stupor,  I  sus- 
 tained for  about  four  hours  the  prostrating  paroxysms  of  cold  and 
 heat,  which,  on  the  return  of  sensibility,  left  me  so  weak,  depressed, 
 and  sufi"ering,  that,  in  the  language  of  another  missionary,  I  longed 
 '  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ.' 
 
 "  To  protract  our  stay  in  that  malarious  jungle,  haunted  by  the 
 lion,  and  the  no  less  violent  and  untamed  roving  Arab,  was  more 
 dangerous  than  to  proceed  on  our  journey  ;  and  we  had,  therefore, 
 no  alternative  but  to  be  resigned  to  the  misery  which  we  could  not 
 avert,  and  the  distracting  agonies  which  we  could  not  alleviate. 
 Poor  Cornelius,  the  mission  assistant,  who  was  chattering  as  if  chilled 
 by  a  Siberian  frost,  enlisted  the  liveliest  interest  of  our  camel-drivers, 
 and  they  all  fully  anticipated  that  death  would  soon  terminate  his 
 suff"erings,  and,  according  to  Soudan  custom,  enrich  them  with  his 
 scanty  wardrobe.  Our  journey  in  the  evening  and  morning  was  still 
 endurable,  but  when  the  fiery  rays  of  a  vertical  sun  began  to  stream 
 down  upon  us,  our  agony  was  so  intense  that,  compared  to  it,  the 
 torture  of  a  treadmill  would  have  been  a  delicious  relaxation.  At 
 mid-day,  we  usually  alighted  in  the  shade  of  the  granite  rocks,  which 
 at  various  intervals,  like  watchtowers,  dotted  the  plain,  or  under  a 
 tree,  which  marked  the  spot  where  a  previous  encampment  had 
 interred  its  dead.  On  the  eve  of  the  sixth  day,  we  made  our 
 resting-place  on  a  grassy  plain  near  Kedaref,  close  to  several  shal- 
 low wells,  whose  brackish  liquid  afforded  our  parched  and  blistered 
 lips  ineffable  draughts.  Early  in  the  morning  (as  I  dreaded  another 
 attack  of  ague),  to  the  annoyance  of  half-a-dozen  ostriches  who 
 were  quietly  pecking  their  morning  repast  in  the  shrubs  and  her- 
 bage around,  I  mounted,  and,  accompanied  by  my  sick  Arab  lad 
 and  the  owner  of  two  camels,  hastened  to  Sitk  Abou  Sin,  a  locality 
 which  derives  its  name  from  being  the  principal  mart  between  the 
 Atbara  and  Rahad,  Galabat  and  Khartoum.  In  conformity  with  the 
 unrestrained  etiquette  of  the  Soudan,  I  rode  straight  to  the  enclo- 
 sure, in  which  stood  the  huts  of  Michel — a  Copt — the  only  Christian 
 in  this  district.  Here,  contrary  to  the  inclination  of  his  attendants, 
 who,  judging  from  my  ragged  garb,  and  meagre,  sallow  looks,  were 
 disposed  to  question  my  respectability,  I  was  compelled  to  force  an 
 entrance  within   the  thorny  fence.       Little   Michel,   swathed  and 
 
THE    NILE,    KHARTOUM,    WOCHNEE,    AND    TSCHELGA.  1 55 
 
 swaddled  in  unbleached  calico  and  rainbow-coloured  cotton  shawls, 
 looked  the  very  type  of  all  African  diseases.  I  sympathetically 
 incjuircd  whether  I  could  ofter  him  any  medicine,  and,  to  my  sur- 
 prise and  disgxist,  he  requested  me  to  bandage  his  arm,  which  two 
 days  before  had  been  splintered  by  coming  into  too  serious  col- 
 lision with  the  hard  skull  of  a  negro.  The  black  fellow,  who  stood 
 close  by,  so  grinned  and  distorted  his  ebony  countenance  whilst  his 
 unfeeling  taskmaster  narrated  his  mishap,  that,  in  spite  of  my  own 
 ills,  I  could  scarcely  retain  a  becoming  gravity.  I  promised  to 
 render  him  all  the  assistance  in  my  power,  and  then  stretched 
 myself  on  an  angareb,  where,  for  above  two  hours,  I  endured  the 
 cold  of  an  iceberg,  in  a  place  where  the  thermometer  was  above  i  lo 
 degrees  in  the  shade. 
 
 "Abstinence  from  almost  all  food,  and  eighty  grains  of  quinine 
 during  four  successive  days,  subdued  the  fever,  and  enabled  me  to 
 leave  that  lazar-house  of  vice,  depravity,  and  crime.  We  started  at 
 noon,  and  proceeded  in  a  south-easterly  direction  over  an  undu- 
 lating country  towards  the  village  Assar,  where,  in  the  house  of  a 
 Copt,  we  found  a  comfortable  and  hospitable  night's  refuge.  From 
 hence  to  Doka  our  route  was  diversified  by  forests  and  thickets, 
 abrupt  rising  mounds,  and  fantastically  shaped  basalt-rocks.  Deer, 
 guinea-fowl,  and  doves,  abounded  everywhere  ;  but  we  had  such  an 
 aversion  to  animal  food,  that  we  gladly  preferred  the  coffee-pot  to 
 the  flesh-pot ;  and  a  thin  piece  of  tough  bread  to  the  most  inviting 
 venison. 
 
 "  Near  Doka  I  had  one  of  those  narrow  escapes  from  a  serious 
 accident,  which  on  that,  as  on  many  former  occasions,  clearly 
 indicated  that  a  gracious  Providence  was  watching  over  the  safety, 
 and  directing  the  steps  of  the  Missionary,  through  the  wild  and 
 dreary  jungles  of  Africa.  It  was  just  about  noon,  the  time  which 
 we  usually  devoted  to  rest,  when  one  of  our  camels,  with  the 
 intense  obstinacy  and  stupidity  which  these  brutes  occasionally 
 manifest,  rushed  with  two  large  boxes  slung  across  its  back  into  a 
 dense  thicket.  A  huge  branch  intercepted  its  progress,  and  brought 
 cases  and  camel  down  into  the  shrubs  and  grass,  which  grew  around 
 the  gnarled  tree.  My  own  vicious  animal,  in  a  spirit  of  emulation, 
 bolted  after  its  leader,  and  in  spite  of  all  my  efforts  to  check  its 
 impetuosity,  by  tightening  the  rope  round  its  muzzle,  the  unruly 
 beast  dashed  through  creepers  and  bushes  till,  at  the  heel  of  its 
 companion,  a  jerk  hurled  me  and  the  luggage  down  upon  the 
 prickly  copse.  Several  of  our  people  instantly  hastened  to  my 
 rescue,  and,  to  their  horror,  they  discovered  close  to  my  bleeding 
 hands  and  face  an  affrighted  boa,  which  for  an  instant  glistened  in 
 the  refracted  rays,  and  then  disappeared.  They  all  now  thought 
 that  I  must  enjoy  the  special  favour  of  Heaven,  whilst  I  was  grateful 
 to  a  gracious  God  for  the  miraculous  escape  from  a  dreadful  fate." 
 
 Our  travellers  continued  to  realize,  in  their  daily  experience,  the 
 
 faithfulness  of  the  divine  declaration,  "the  Lord  is  thy  keeper." 
 
156  THE    NILE,    KHARTOUM,    AVOCHXEE,    AND    TSCHELGA. 
 
 Preservation  in  the  midst  of  danger,  and  relief  from  debilitating 
 illness,  were  among  the  evidences  of  the  unceasing  care  of  their 
 Heavenly  Father.  The  object  of  their  journey  was  ever  present, 
 and  opportunities  sought  for  setting  before  the  barbarous  people  the 
 revelation  of  love  and  mercy. 
 
 "With  sunrise  various  chiefs  from  the  Atbara,  and  the  deserts 
 bounded  by  the  inlands  of  Abyssinia,  came,  either  to  settle  accounts 
 or  to  dilate  on  marauding  expeditions.  Our  unexpected  presence 
 excited  some  dismal  forebodings  in  the  throbbing  heart  of  a  Sheikh 
 or  two,  who,  conscious  of  their  enormities  and  crimes,  thought  they 
 recognized  in  us  the  spies  of  the  Egyptian  Government,  and  heralds 
 of  their  impending  doom.  Our  numerous  boxes,  and  the  exhi- 
 bition of  several  Arabic  Bibles,  however,  convinced  them  of  the 
 peaceable  character  of  our  mission  ;  and  I  was  assured  by  one  and 
 another  Chief,  that,  if  I  passed  through  their  territory,  both  they 
 and  their  people  would  be  my  obedient  slaves.  IMuallem  Saad,  a 
 most  kind,  amiable,  and  thoroughly  good  man,  a  wonderful  rarity 
 among  the  degraded  and  unprincipled  Copts,  related  to  the  assem- 
 bled desert  magnates  what  I  had  told  him  about  Missions,  and  the 
 wonderful  changes  they  had  effected  in  refining  the  corrupt  nature, 
 in  ennobling  the  depraved  heart,  and  in  instructing  the  benighted 
 minds  of  men,  who  once  possessed  not  the  slightest  knowledge  of 
 God  or  heaven.  They  thought  that  this  was  a  most  meritorious 
 work,  and  in  tones  of  evident  sincerity,  they  all  offered  me  their 
 spears  and  trusty  warriors,  if  I  would  go  and  convert  their  neigh- 
 bours the  Shankgallas.  I  told  them  that  a  religion  which  is  true 
 and  divine  must  convince  the  mind  and  win  the  heart,  without  the 
 use  of  violence  or  force,  and  that  this  method  of  propagating  the 
 doctrines  of  the  Angeel  had  been  enjoined  by  Christ,  and  practised 
 by  his  followers.  '  Our  prophet,'  said  the  old  scribe  of  the  Kashef, 
 '  has  not  adopted  the  example  of  "Nebi  Isau,"  and  this  is  the  reason 
 that  Islamism  despatches  more  hypocrites  to  hell  than  true  Moslems 
 to  heaven.' 
 
 "  Our  short  stay  at  Doka,  where  we  were  most  hospitably  enter- 
 tained, and  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  good  air  and  an  abundance  of 
 drinkable  water,  quite  renovated  our  exhausted  frames  ;  and  with 
 fresh  vigour  and  energy  we  again  tied  the  halter  around  the  muzzles 
 of  our  camels,  and  resumed  betimes  in  the  morning  our  march 
 through  forests  and  dense  jungles,  towards  Galabat,  or,  as  it  is 
 called  by  the  Abyssinians,  Matamma.  Three  hours'  ride  brought 
 us  to  Dagleish,  where  the  violence  of  the  heat  compelled  us  to  seek 
 refuge  from  the  noontide  sun  in  a  hut,  which  charity  has  taught  the 
 natives  to  attach  to  every  settlement,  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
 wearied  and  exhausted  wayfarer.  The  floor  of  this  hospice,  which 
 numerous  nests  of  ants  had  furrowed  and  raised  for  their  own  domi- 
 cile, did  not  offer  a  very  safe  retreat ;  but  the  Sheikh,  accompanied 
 by  a  detachment  of  his  harem,  brought  angarehs  (couches)  and 
 
THE   NILE,    KHARTOUM,    WOCHNEE,    AND    TSCHEI.GA.  1 57 
 
 large  bundles  of  rushes  ;  anil  these  few  articles  of  African  furniture 
 soon  diffused  an  air  of  comfort  and  cleiinliness  around  our  tcm[)0- 
 rary  shelter. 
 
 "  Past  noon  we  mounted  again.  Our  path,  which  hi}-  between 
 forests  of  incense,  tamarind,  and  sycamore  trees,  at  every  opening, 
 unfolded  to  us  the  varied  prospect  of  fields  and  plains,  upland 
 glades  on  which  the  shepherd  tended  his  flock,  and  round  hills  on 
 which  some  Arabs  had  raised  their  huts.  This  whole  region,  appa- 
 rently so  rich  in  natural  beauty,  and  so  bountifully  provided  with 
 nature's  most  attractive  gifts,  is  surrounded  by  an  atmosphere  of 
 death,  and  inhabited  by  tribes  of  marauding  and  predatory  habits. 
 On  my  return  from  Abyssinia  I  passed  by  this  same  route,  and  on 
 several  spots  I  saw  the  mangled  remains  and  the  clotted  gore  of 
 the  poor  victims  who  had  been  murdered  the  night  previous  by  the 
 Beni  Nimmer,  the  children  of  the  Tiger,  as  they  are  appropriately 
 styled,  who  were  hovering  in  the  neighbourhood,  plundering  peace- 
 able villages,  and  killing  every  traveller  whom  business  led  along 
 that  road.  We  saw  several  spies  watching  in  the  leafy  branches  of 
 the  trees,  but  the  cheery  songs  of  my  escort,  the  rapid  fire  of  my 
 revolver,  and  the  report  of  my  being  a  friend  of  King  Theodorus, 
 whose  liege  subjects  these  freebooters  claim  to  be,  kept  the  Tiger 
 ajid  his  followers  at  bay,  and  secured  me  a  safe  passage  through 
 that  blood-stained  territory. 
 
 "  A  cool  and  refreshing  breeze,  which  sprang  up  at  sunset, 
 induced  us  to  continue  our  march.  Our  camel-owners  readily 
 seconded  our  wish,  and,  till  night  closed  in  upon  us,  our  progress 
 was  satisfactory  to  all ;  but  now,  as  the  darkness  became  more 
 intense,  and  the  tortuous  path  lined  with  prickly  shrubs  and  thorny 
 trees,  grew  narrower,  we  were  obliged,  out  of  regard  to  our  clothing 
 and  skin,  to  put  a  stop  to  our  day's  journey.  The  next  dav,  at 
 noon,  wearied  and  fatigued,  we  reached  Maiamma,  the  last  village 
 on  the  Abyssinian  frontier.  Here  we  thought  our  hardships  and 
 toils  would,  if  not  terminate,  be  at  least  mitigated  ;  but,  to  our  sur- 
 prise, we  found  the  Sheikh  rude  and  sulky,  and  all  his  wild 
 Tougrouree  subjects  in  arms,  and  excited  to  the  highest  pilch  of 
 frenzy.  Upon  inquiry,  we  discovered  that  the  panic  which  had 
 turned  the  heads  of  old  and  young,  women  and  children,  was 
 caused  by  the  dread  of  a  Tigrean  invasion,  to  avenge  the  death  of 
 three  hundred  countrymen  and  co-religionists,  who,  a  fortnight 
 before,  in  an  attempt  to  plunder  the  market,  had  fallen  into  an 
 ambush,  and  were  mercilessly  slaughtered  by  their  watchful 
 enemies." 
 
 The  firmans  and  letter  from  the  Viceroy  of  Egypt,  secured  some 
 attention  from  the  despotic  Sheikh  of  these  parts.  He  had  shown 
 an  unwillingness  to  extend  any  protection  to  the  travellers,  until 
 these  documents  were  produced.  These  people  looked  with  sur- 
 prise and  contempt  upon  the  Europeans,  who  were  willing  to  pay 
 
158  IHE    NILE,    KHARTOL'M,    WOCHNEE,    AND    TSCHELGA. 
 
 in  wages,  for  the  services  of  their  attendants,  a  sum  which  would 
 have  sufficed  to  purchase  the  finest  Galla,  as  a  slave.  Their  trade 
 in  human  flesh  had  destroyed  every  sense  of  justice  and  compas- 
 sion, and  rendered  them  insensible  to  the  amicable  relations  which 
 ought  to  exist  amongst  mankind. 
 
 "  From  here  to  Wochnce,  the  whole  surface,  occupying  about 
 sixty  miles,  is  utterly  destitute  of  all  human  habitations — of  all  signs 
 of  human  life.  The  lion  and  tiger,  the  buffalo  and  rhinoceros,  the 
 elephant  and  giraffe,  are  the  sole  occupants  of  the  whole  region, 
 and  the  traveller  from  every  overhanging  cliff  can  see  the  more 
 bulky  of  these  dwellers  in  the  forest  leisurely  enjoying  their  noon- 
 day siesta  on  the  bank  of  some  stream,  or  beneath  a  clump  of  shady 
 trees.  The  caravans,  which  for  about  six  months  in  the  year  pass 
 and  repass  this  solitary  route,  invariably  travel  in  large  parties,  to 
 ensure  mutual  protection  against  an  attack  of  predatory  Tougrourees, 
 and  the  no  less  dangerous  assaults  of  wild  beasts.  As  our  own 
 party  was  not  very  strong,  we  marched  almost  without  intermission, 
 by  day  and  night,  an  effort  which,  in  our  exhausted  condition, 
 made  our  limbs  ache,  and  our  heads  throb  with  most  agonizing 
 pain. 
 
 "On  the  second  morning,  we  descended  through  a  long  range 
 of  hills  down  into  a  steep,  green  wilderness  ;  and  from  thence, 
 between  groves  of  bamboo,  ebony,  and  different  species  of  euphor- 
 bia, we  rode  on  to  Wochnee,  which  we  reached  ere  the  sun  had 
 mounted  above  the  horizon.  I  had  heard  so  much  of  Wochnee, 
 that  I  expected  to  see  a  large  village,  occupied  by  an  industrious, 
 busy  population  ;  but,  to  my  surprise,  I  found  that  the  grand 
 market  of  Western  Abyssinia's  trade  is  periodically  held  in  the 
 depth  of  a  dense  forest,  where,  even  during  the  driest  season,  the 
 luxuriant  vegetation,  hemmed  in  by  steep,  towering  mountain- 
 ranges,  exhales  from  its  humid  soil  a  pestilential  miasma.  A  few 
 miserable  huts,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  grim  collectors  of 
 the  duty,  and  the  distillers  of  Jcfch  and  dallah,  were  the  only  habi- 
 tations visible  in  this  wooded  solitude.  j\Iy  companion,  who  had 
 preceded  me  with  letters,  in  order  to  prevent  any  possible  detention 
 in  the  lowlands,  I  found  here  in  one  of  these  miserable  sheds,  suf- 
 fering from  fever  and  a  coup-de-so/cil. 
 
 "  The  fate  of  a  German,  sent  out  last  year  by  the  Bishop  of  Jeru- 
 salem, who  here  found  his  grave,  as  did  his  son  some  days  later  at 
 Tschelga,  prompted  me  to  expedite  our  journey  up  to  the  highlands  ; 
 but,  to  our  disappointment,  when  we  were  ready  to  quit  that  steam- 
 ing jungle  and  hotbed  of  disease,  the  Negad  Ras,  or  chief  of  the 
 Custom,  interdicted  our  onward  movement,  without  the  previous 
 sanction  of  the  King,  or  the  exi)ress  order  of  the  Governor  of  the 
 province.  We  had  no  inclination  to  submit  to  the  penance  imposed 
 upon  us  by  a  sullen  official  ;  but  as,  to  all  our  remonstrances,  he 
 only    reiterated   that  it   was   a  command  of  the   Negoos,  we  were 
 
THE   NILE,    KHARTOUM,    WOCHNEE,    AND   TSCHELGA.  1 59 
 
 obliged  to  chew  the  cud  of  our  disappointment  in  patient  resigna- 
 tion. On  the  fourteenth  day,  the  impatiently-expected  order  at 
 length  arrived,  and  without  any  delay  we  hired  donkeys,  and,  accom- 
 panied by  a  soldier  from  the  Palambaras  and  a  chief  of  the  Kamants, 
 set  out  for  Tschelga. 
 
 "  Our  route,  which  was  nearly  due  east,  lay  over  huge  mountains 
 and  wooded  plains,  rugged  ravines  and  frowning  rocks,  so  varie- 
 gated and  picturesque,  that,  in  the  beauty  of  each  successive  scene, 
 the  admiring  eye  imparted  fresh  vigour  and  elasticity  to  the  wearied 
 and  exhausted  frame.  A  few  isolated  rocks,  with  their  flat  summits, 
 concealed  in  white  misty  clouds,  like  castellated  towers,  rose  far 
 above  this  magnificent  landscape.  The  most  conspicuous  of  all, 
 the  Zar  Amba  and  Entchet  Amba,  are  at  present  used  as  State  pri- 
 sons, but  formerly  they  were  the  homes  of  captive  royal  princes. 
 
 "The  report  that  Franks  had  arrived  soon  spread  through  the 
 market,  and  the  Cosagi,  the  hill  we  occupied,  in  a  very  few  hours 
 became  the  centre  of  attraction  to  Jews,  Christians,  and  Kamants. 
 The  latter  sect,  who  live  almost  exclusively  in  the  province  of 
 Tschelga,  are,  on  account  of  their  indifference  to  the  religious 
 prejudices  which  one  superstitious  system  has  copied  from  the 
 ■other,  very  much  despised  and  misrepresented.  I  questioned  a 
 good  number  about  their  knowledge  of  God,  and  their  hopes  of 
 eternity ;  but  they  had  so  little  to  communicate,  beyond  a  belief  in 
 a  Supreme  Being  and  the  existence  of  a  future  state,  that  the  most 
 simple  query  caused  them  the  utmost  wonder  and  surprise.  They 
 have  some  priests,  and,  at  stated  times,  repair  to  certain  places  to 
 perform  secret  acts  of  devotion  ;  but,  on  the  whole,  their  system  of 
 belief  is  devoid  of  every  human  ingredient  and  every  Divine  reve- 
 lation, of  every  sensible  object  of  adoration  to  impress  the  senses, 
 and  every  spiritual  truth  to  touch  the  heart.  Their  language  is 
 Amharic,  but  amongst  themselves  they  speak  in  the  Falasha  tongue ; 
 and  the  striking  Jewish  features  of  many  a  man  and  woman  amongst 
 them  inclined  us  to  credit  the  report  which  assigns  to  them  a  Jewish 
 origin." 
 
 The  detention  of  the  Missionaries,  until  leave  could  be  obtained 
 from  the  King,  for  their  advance  into  the  country,  became  weari- 
 some and  perplexing.  Mr.  Stern  determined  to  visit  the  Governor 
 of  the  province,  whose  residence  at  Tschelga  was  about  seven  hours' 
 distance  from  their  own  camping  ground.  After  a  fatiguing 
 scramble  over  almost  perpendicular  rocks  and  heights,  they  arrived 
 at  the  imposing  Amba,  where  the  great  man  held  his  Court. 
 
 "We  immediately  dismounted,  and,  emulating  the  good  example 
 of  other  visitors,  shouted  to  the  soldiers  and  domestics,  who  were 
 enjoying  their  siesta  behind  dislodged  rocks,  or  taking  an  airing  on 
 the  edge  of  fathomless  precipices,  that  they  should  open  the  gates. 
 The  appearance  and  complexion  of  the  stranger  created  quite  a 
 
l6o  THE   NILE,    KHARTOUM,    WOCHNEE,    AND   TSCHELGA. 
 
 sensation,  and  a  whole  troop  of  lazy  fellows,  with  straining  eyes 
 and  gaping  mouths,  looked  at  me  across  the  ravine  as  if  a  being 
 from  a  different  planet  had  suddenly  tumbled  amongst  them.  I 
 reiterated  my  request,  and  at  last  one  of  the  savages,  more  cou- 
 rageous than  the  rest,  moved  out  of  the  line  of  terrified  gazers,  to- 
 announce  my  arrival.  During  this  interval,  to  the  amusement  of 
 the  subordinate  governors  and  their  suites,  who  could  not  compre- 
 hend why  a  man  should  walk  when  he  could  leisurely  squat  down 
 and  rest,  I  took  a  stroll  over  this  upper  plain,  to  have  full  sight  of 
 the  matchless  scene,  on  which  the  eye  so  delightedly  rested.  From 
 the  altitude  on  which  we  stood,  we  had  a  range  to  our  vision  which 
 must  have  embraced  more  than  150  miles  in  circumference.  There, 
 on  our  left,  towards  the  south-east,  lay  the  rich  plain  of  Dembea, 
 bounded  by  the  placid  waters  of  the  Tzanza,  and  the  Alpine  range 
 of  the  Guna,  with  its  summit  14,670  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
 clearly  defined  towards  a  blue,  cloudless  horizon  ;  on  our  right, 
 close  on  the  rear  of  the  Amba,  in  a  north-westerly  direction,  as  if 
 arrested  in  their  heaving  and  surging  by  the  fiat  of  Omnipotence, 
 rose  out  of  an  agitated  and  restless  ocean  of  green  foliage,  the 
 wave-like  mounds  and  hills  of  Armatgioho  intersected  by  wooded 
 valleys  and  dark  chasms,  whilst  on  the  outskirts  of  this  magnificent 
 region,  faintly  discernible  through  the  hazy  atmosphere,  extended 
 beyond  the  eyes'  ken,  an  unsightly  and  desolate  waste  of  blight  and 
 sterility.  My  ramble  was  brought  to  a  close  by  a  messenger  whom 
 the  Palambaras  had  despatched  to  conduct  me  across  the  narrow 
 path  which  united  the  Amba  with  the  plateau.  Arrived  on  the 
 opposite  side,  we  passed  a  low  gateway  constructed  of  massive 
 blocks- of  wood,  and  then,  on  the  edge  of  the  yawning  precipice, 
 which  was  protected  by  a  parapet  of  loose  stones,  we  scaled  the- 
 height  of  this  rampart  of  nature,  and,  between  rows  of  ragged  ser- 
 vants and  lazy  soldiers,  made  our  way  to  the  audience-chamber  of 
 the  Governor  of  Western  Abyssinia. 
 
 "The  building,  in  which  all  the  business  of  an  important  pro- 
 vince was  transacted,  resembled  in  appearance  a  circular  hay- 
 stack on  a  magnified  scale.  At  my  entrance,  every  inch  of  ground 
 w^as  crowded  with  officials,  visitors,  and  litigants,  who,  by  being 
 closely  packed  together,  so  effectually  excluded  every  ray  of  light 
 which  might  have  forced  its  way  through  the  interstices  of  the 
 wicker  framework  that,  in  my  endeavours  to  steer  safely  through 
 the  invisible  throng  towards  the  alga  of  the  Chief,  I  stumbled  over 
 several  greasy  and  slippery  figures,  and  might  perhaps  have  ended 
 my  adventurous  walk  in  the  dark,  on  the  heads  of  half-a-dozen 
 indignant  and  mortified  Shums,  had  not  the  Palambaras  extended 
 his  hand,  and  drawn  me  towards  a  small  recess  which  he  occupied. 
 After  a  few  desultory  questions  of  no  importance,  the  Court  again 
 resumed  its  sitting,  and  plaintiffs  and  defendants  in  dozens  leaped 
 on  their  feet,  to  display  their  forensic  skill.  The  boisterous 
 debates  of  the  passionate  litigants  did  not  in  the  least  disturb  the 
 
THE   NILE,    KHARTOUM,    WOCHNEE,    AND    TSCHELGA.  l6l 
 
 calm  dignity  of  llie  Judge,  or  deter  him  from  pronouncing  a  prompt, 
 and,  I  believe,  also  correct  decision,  in  the  most  entangled  cases. 
 Now  and  then  a  disappointed  suitor  ventured  to  express  his  dissent 
 from  the  verdict,  a  presumption  which  led  to  his  immediate  ejec- 
 tion from  the  Court,  and  not  unfrequently  a  sound  application  of 
 the  hippopotamus  whip  to  his  nude  back  ;  whilst,  on  the  contrary, 
 the  gainer  in  the  action  threw  himself  on  all-fours,  and  with  his 
 drooping  forehead  on  the  foul  rushes  which  served  for  a  carpet, 
 gave  vent  to  the  overflowing  gratitude  of  his  heart  in  a  long  string 
 of  unmeaning  and  sham  blessings. 
 
 "The  incessant  wrangling,  close  atmosphere,  and  offensive 
 odours,  which  pervaded  this  hall  of  justice,  made  my  feverish  frame 
 long  to  breathe  again  the  invigorating  breeze,  I  heard  sighing 
 among  the  dry  leaves  and  branches  woven  in  the  circular  walls  of 
 the  hut ;  but  the  difficulty  was  how  to  effect  my  object  without 
 creating  confusion,  or,  what  was  equally  difficult,  without  bringing 
 my  heavy  boots  in  collision  with  some  naked  feet  and  swinging 
 bodies.  I  signified  my  intention  to  the  Palambaras,  who,  instead 
 of  acceding  to  the  request,  waved  his  hand  to  half  a  score  of  sol- 
 diers, and  in  an  instant  high  and  low,  shums  and  officers,  were 
 helter-skelter,  with  the  exception  of  a  priest,  who  held  a  brass  cross 
 in  his  hand,  ejected  from  the  court. 
 
 "  Being  now  alone,  the  worthy  Chief  seized  a  pair  of  English 
 double-barrelled  pistols,  which  lay  charged  beneath  his  pillow,  and 
 in  a  kind  of  peremptory  style  requested  me  to  explain  to  him  the 
 manufacture  of  such  beautiful  arms.  I  was  about  to  pour  forth  my 
 whole  stock  of  knowledge  on  this  subject,  when  one  of  my  Abys- 
 sinian companions,  w'ho  had  been  in  Syria  and  Egypt,  interrupted 
 me,  and,  in  a  strain  so  confused  and  bewildering,  launched  out  on 
 steam,  telegraphs,  and  cannons,  that  I  was  not  at  all  astonished  to 
 see  the  poor  priest  making  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  the  Palambaras 
 himself  own  that  work  done  by  the  seething,  bubbling,  and  whirling 
 of  water  and  fire  could  not  be  free  from  the  agency  of  the  gcute  a 
 basso.  I  endeavoured  to  slide  the  conversation  into  a  more  serious 
 groove,  and  had  partly  succeeded,  when  suddenly  a  procession  of 
 half-a-dozen  slaves  brought  in  a  wicker  basket  of  bread  and  black 
 fiery  sauce,  concocted  of  capsicums,  onions,  dried  peas,  and  other 
 palatable  ingredients.  Seven  hours'  ride  and  a  long  fast  had  given 
 me  and  my  companions  an  excellent  appetite,  and  a  crouching 
 Galla  had  to  ply  his  unwashed  hands  for  a  considerable  time  in  the 
 hot  paste,  in  order  to  soften  a  sufficient  quantity  of  leathery  cakes 
 for  his  master's  famished  guests.  During  the  repast,  the  Palam- 
 baras eyed  me  very  keenly,  and  on  perceiving  that,  I  guessed  the 
 import  of  his  gaze,  he  candidly  confessed  that  his  eyes  had  been 
 riveted  on  my  printed  calico  shirt,  which  he  thought,  as  I  had  an 
 abundance  of  upper  garments,  I  could  well  leave  him  as  a  memento 
 of  our  friendship.  I  readily  promised  to  accede  to  this  request ; 
 but  instead  of  divesting  myself  then  and  there  of  this  important 
 
1 62  THE    NILE,    KHARTOUM,    AVOCHNEE,    AND    TSCHELGA. 
 
 article  of  dress,  as  he  anticipated,  I  postponed  satisfying  his  cupi- 
 dity till  my  return  to  Tschelga.  He  instantly  ordered  two  servants 
 to  accompany  me,  and,  with  many  iterated  asseverations  that  he 
 would  ensure  me  a  favourable  reception  by  the  King,  which  I  sub- 
 sequently learnt  was  mere  brag,  I  retraced  my  steps  to  our  lonely 
 camping  ground  on  the  Cosagi. 
 
 The  expectations  of  our  Missionary  friend  were  about  to  be 
 realized.  He  received  an  intimation  that  the  King  had  accom- 
 plished the  object  of  his  distant  expedition,  and  that  he  should 
 prepare  for  the  announcement  that  he  might  proceed  on  his  way. 
 
 "  My  companion  being  too  weak  and  indisposed  for  a  twenty-eight 
 hours'  unintermitted  ride,  I  left  him  in  charge  of  the  luggage,  and,  by 
 the  light  of  myriads  of  sparkling  stars,  proceeded  with  some  trusty 
 natives  on  my  doleful  journey.  The  grey  dawn  was  just  unveiling 
 the  dark  ridges  of  the  Begedemer  mountain-range,  when  we  came 
 to  the  Quanque,  the  boundar}-  line  between  Tschelga  and  Dembea. 
 
 "This  river,  which  has  its  rise  in  the  hills  of  Dagossa,  half  an 
 hour's  distance  west  of  the  Tzanza,  had,  when  we  crossed  it,  scarcely 
 more  than  two  feet  depth  of  water  ;  but  during  the  rainy  season,  the 
 numerous  torrents  which  roll  into  it  render  it  a  formidable  stream 
 before  it  debouches  into  the  Atbara.  Along  its  banks  coal-mines 
 of  a  very  superior  quality  abound  ;  even  those  pieces  which  lay 
 strewn  over  the  ground,  and  had  become  calcined  by  the  action  of 
 the  sun,  on  being  lighted,  burned  with  a  fervent  heat.  Some  shep- 
 herds, who  were  tending  their  flocks  on  the  rich  pasture-land  of 
 these  extensive  plains,  cheerfully  supplied  us  with  an  abundance  of 
 excellent  niilk,  and  after  a  brief  halt  and  this  substitute  for  coffee,  1 
 leaped  again  into  my  clumsy  saddle,  and  rode  away." 
 
CHAPTER    XXI. 
 
 THEODORUS    OF    ABYSSINIA. 
 
 The  time  was  at  hand,  M'hen  Mr.  Stern  was  about  to  meet  the 
 potent  King  of  Abyssinia.  Suspense,  impatience  and  anxiety,  had 
 produced  some  despondency,  when  tidings  reached  him  that  the 
 King  had  returned  from  an  expedition  into  Tigre,  and  an  order 
 given  that  the  travellers  should,  without  delay,  repair  to  the  royal 
 camp  at  Lamgic,  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake  Tianza. 
 After  encountering  some  hindrances  from  the  people,  and 
 traversing  with  difficulty  rugged  and  pathless  hills  and  valleys, 
 he  reached  the  spot  at  which  King  Theodoras  and  his  troops  were 
 encamped.  The  army  were  collected  together  in  a  narrow  plain, 
 between  two  chains  of  mountains.  Mr.  Bell,  an  Englishman,  of 
 whom  more  will  be  related  hereafter,  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
 King,  and  held  a  high  rank  in  the  royal  army  ;  and  to  his  tent  the 
 Missionary  was  conducted.  The  cordial  and  friendly  welcome 
 which  he  received,  cheered  and  refreshed  him.  He  was  here 
 informed  that  the  King  had  determined  to  give  him  an  audi- 
 ence on  the  following  day.  It  was  with  considerable  anxiety  that 
 he  looked  forward  to  this  interview,  on  which  so  much  depended. 
 These  anxieties  were  relieved  by  the  very  encouraging  reception 
 accorded  to  him,  and  which  was  such  as  to  inspire  him  with  con- 
 fidence as  to  the  happy  result  of  his  mission. 
 
 "  Punctual  to  the  engagement,  the  King  sent  for  me  on  the  fol- 
 lowing morning,  and,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Bell,  I  repaired  to  the 
 royal  presence.  As  the  weather  was  cool  and  refreshing.  His 
 INIajesty  had  left  the  tent,  and,  surrounded  by  scores  of  his  nobles, 
 paced  up  and  down  on  a  green-sward  facing  the  Tzanza.  On 
 approaching  this  spot,  I  uncovered  my  head,  and,  in  a  deferential 
 
164  THEODORUS    OF   ABYSSINIA. 
 
 attitude,  paused  at  about  fifty  yards  distance  from  the  royal  presence. 
 With  the  greatest  courtesy,  the  King-  beckoned  me  to  come  nearer; 
 a  condescension  towards  a  Frankish  priest  which  made  many  a 
 haughty  Chief  sneer;  and  then,  in  a  tone  of  the  utmost  aftabiUty,  he 
 interrogated  me  about  the  various  countries  I  had  visited,  the  cha- 
 racter of  the  people,  and  the  religions  they  professed.  That  a 
 Christian  nation  like  the  English  should  tolerate  idolatry  in  India, 
 and  uphold  the  power  of  Mohammedanism  in  Kgypt  and  Turkey, 
 he  could  not  understand  ;  and  as  politics  and  religion  are  synony- 
 mous terms  in  Abyssinia,  I  thought  it  advisable  merely  to  observe,, 
 that  Christianity  taught  us  to  love,  and  not  to  persecute  ;  to  instruct, 
 and  not  to  oppress  an  unbeliever.  "■  Avoonat !  avoonat  P  ('Truef 
 true  !')  he  exclaimed  ;  '  and  if  this  is  your  design  in  Abyssinia,  you 
 have  my  approval  to  your  mission,  if  you  likewise  obtain  the  assent 
 of  the  Aboona^  On  my  craving  permission  to  travel  in  his  realm,  in 
 case  the  Metropolitan  countenanced  the  object  which  had  brought 
 me  to  Abyssinia,  he  instantly  replied,  '  I  am  your  brother  and 
 friend,  and  you  have  my  full  sanction  to  visit  every  province  in  my 
 kingdom.' " 
 
 At  this  time,  the  ruler  of  Abyssinia  had  reached  the  zenith  of 
 prosperity  and  success.  His  previous  life  and  history  were  well 
 known.  The  courage  and  daring  which  had  raised  him  from  insig- 
 nificance to  the  throne,  had  excited  the  awe  as  well  as  the  admira- 
 tion of  his  subjects.  From  a  variety  of  sources,  Mr.  Stern  had 
 received  circumstantial  information  concerning  the  events  of  his 
 reign,  and  of  the  acts  of  heroism  on  the  one  hand,  and  cruelty  on 
 the  other,  by  which  it  had  been  distinguished.  When  he  recorded 
 these  things,  for  the  information  of  English  readers,  how  little 
 could  he  have  conceived,  that  there  was  even  a  possibility  of  a 
 weapon  being  thereby  forged  against  his  life  and  well-being!  In 
 the  light  of  the  present,  we  are  often  led  to  form  unjust  conclusions 
 concerning  the  acts  of  the  past.  But  those  acts  may  be  legitimate 
 and  even  desirable,  which  in  the  current  of  events,  are  proved  to  be 
 fraught  with  danger  and  tribulation. 
 
 "The  name  of  King  Theodoras,  though  familiar  to  the  Arab  and 
 the  Galla — the  peasant  on  the  Nile,  in  the  west,  and  the  wild  shep- 
 herd on  the  desert  along  the  Red  Sea,  in  the  east — is  still,  owing  to 
 the  remoteness  of  his  countr}-,  and  the  obscurity  of  his  people,  little 
 known  to  Europe  and  European  fame.  We  hear  of  him,  whenever 
 a  volcanic  eruption  occurs  on  the  outskirts  of  his  territory,  or  French 
 emissaries,  prompted  by  religious  zeal  and  political  intrigue,  excite 
 a  rebel's  fatal  hope  in  Tigre ;  but  little,  very  little,  is  still  known 
 about  the  eventful  and  romantic  historv  of  the  man,  who,   from  a 
 
THEODORUS    OF   ABYSSINIA.  1 65 
 
 poor  boy,  in  a  reed-built  convent,  became  the  chief  of  a  few  free- 
 booters, and  from  a  chief  of  freebooters,  the  conqueror  of  numerous 
 provinces,  and  the  Sovereign  of  a  great  and  extensive  realm. 
 
 "  King  Theodoras,  the  present  ruler  of  Abyssinia,  was  born  in 
 Quara,  a  small  province  on  the  western  borders  of  Amhara.  His 
 father,  Hailu  Weleda  Georgis,  though  a  reputed  scion  of  Queen 
 Saba's  royal  line,  acquired  no  distinction  in  life,  and  awakened  no 
 sympathy  or  regret  at  his  death.  The  small  fortune  of  the  deceased 
 nobleman  was  soon  seized  and  wasted  by  greedy  relations,  and  the 
 poor  mother  of  Kasa  (the  surname  of  the  future  King),  like  numbers 
 more  in  that  demoralized  countr}-,  where  love  is  seldom  hallowed 
 by  the  religion  that  belongs  to  it,  was,  ere  long,  driven  by  want  to 
 eke  out  a  miserable  subsistence,  by  the  sale  of  kosso,  whilst 
 the  tender  object  of  her  affection  found  a  refuge  in  a 
 convent  at  Tschangar,  twelve  hours  south-west  of  Gondar. 
 In  this  asylum  the  young  orphan  might  have  spent  some 
 years  in  dreaiy  indolence  and  life-sapping  inactivity,  had  not 
 Dejatch  Marou,  a  defeated  rebel,  invaded  the  sanctuarj-,  burned  all 
 its  huts,  and  by  killing  and  mutilating  helpless  boys,  glutted  his 
 cowardly  vengeance  on  their  victorious  parents.  Kasa  eluded  the 
 inhuman  cruelty  of  the  dastardly  foe,  and,  under  the  covert  of  night, 
 gained  the  house  of  his  powerful  uncle,  Dejatch  Confu. 
 
 "  In  this  chieftain's  home,  which  was  the  rendezvous  of  scheming 
 and  discontented  rebels,  the  ardent  youth  imbibed  an  enthusiastic 
 love  of  war,  and  a  passionate  ambition  for  daring  and  dangerous 
 exploits.  His  courage,  which  knew  no  fear,  and  shrunk  from  no 
 obstacle,  soon  secured  him  the  favour  of  his  guardian,  and  the 
 admiration  of  his  troops  ;  and  the  late  aspirant  for  precarious 
 honours  in  the  Church  might  have  attained  the  highest  dignity  in 
 the  State,  had  not  death  deprived  him  of  his  potent  guardian  and 
 generous  benefactor.  The  two  sons  and  heirs  of  Confu,  as  it  will 
 also  sometimes  happen  in  other  lands,  had  hardly  consigned  the 
 mortal  remains  of  their  parent  to  their  last  resting-place,  when  they 
 began  to  fight  and  quarrel  about  the  patrimony. 
 
 "Dejatch  Beru  Goshu,  the  valiant,  crafty,  and  plotting  Governor 
 of  Damot  and  Godjam,  eagerly  watched  the  issue  of  this  insane 
 fratricidal  strife,  and  when  the  whole  province  had  been  reduced  to 
 anarchy,  confusion,  and  disorder,  he  invaded  it  with  his  lawless 
 hordes,  and,  almost  without  any  resistance,  made  himself  master  of 
 the  most  fertile  and  populous  parts  of  Abyssinia.  Kasa,  who  had 
 joined  the  partisans  of  the  elder  brother,  fled  before  the  ferocious 
 and  unsparing  conqueror  to  Sarago,  in  Alava,  where,  concealed  in 
 the  hut  of  a  kind  peasant,  he  eluded  for  more  than  a  month  the 
 pursuit  of  the  ruthless  foe.  It  is  narrated  that,  some  years  later, 
 when  Kasa's  military  successes  and  triumphs  had  achieved  for  him 
 the  title  of  Dejatch,  he  was  sent  to  Alava,  to  repress  and  quell  an 
 insurrection  in  that  district.  The  rebels,  without  resistance,  were 
 awed  into  submission  ;    and,  to  prevent  any  future  troubles,  every 
 
1 66  THEOnORUS   OF    ABYSSINIA. 
 
 insurgent  was  mulcted  in  a  penalty  of  feeding  for  a  week,  half  a 
 score  or  more  of  voracious  trooj)s.  Kasa's  former  benefactor 
 refused  to  receive  the  unwelcome  guests,  and  upon  being  dragged 
 before  the  Chief,  he  was  instantly  recognised  by  the  recipient  of 
 his  bounty,  and,  amidst  the  plaudits  of  the  soldiery,  exalted  to  the 
 Shumat  of  Sarago,  and  rewarded  with  the  gift  of  twenty  dollars, 
 eight  oxen,  eight  cows,  and  eight  male  and  female  slaves. 
 
 "  To  return  from  our  digression.  We  find  Kasa,  after  his  escape 
 from  Bern  Goshu's  bloodhounds,  at  the  head  of  a  band  of  seventy 
 robbers,  in  the  marshy  and  malarious  borders  of  the  western  kolla, 
 or  lowland,  subsisting  on  the  illicit  gains  of  bloodless  highway 
 robberies.  The  banditti,  weary  of  their  leader's  strict  discipline, 
 conspired  against  his  life  ;  but  before  they  could  perpetrate  their 
 fell  deed,  the  secret  was  divulged,  and,  in  a  terrible  encounter, 
 Kasa,  with  a  few  bravos,  disabled  and  routed  his  enemies.  With 
 this  small  band  of  trusty  and  faithful  followers,  he  now  joined 
 Derar,  another  desperado,  and  these  two  boon  companions  for  some 
 months  were  the  terror  of  the  Tougrourees,  and  the  scourge  of  all 
 the  Khowadgees,  or  Mohammedan  merchants,  on  the  road  between 
 Wochnee  and  jMatamma. 
 
 "  He  became  disgusted  with  this  vocation  which,  however,  was 
 not  disreputable  in  a  lawless  and  disorganized  country.  He  had  so 
 much  sense  of  moral  rectitude,  that  he  soon  shrank  in  perfect 
 horror  from  a  freebooter's  trade,  and  returned  again  to  an  honest 
 livelihood  in  his  own  native  place.  The  bold  exploits  and  gallant 
 feats,  which  had  rendered  the  robber's  name  famous  throughout 
 Abyssinia  and  the  Soudan,  attracted  crowds  of  needy,  disaffected, 
 and  improvident  Chiefs  and  soldiers  around  him  ;  and  the  daring 
 bandit,  whose  strong  arm  and  ambitious  heart  could  not  well  brook 
 the  narrow  bounds  of  a  farmer's  home,  again  seized  his  sword,  and, 
 under  the  pretence  of  checking  oppression  and  restraining  violence, 
 unfurled  the  standard  of  rebellion. 
 
 "The  Waisero  Menin,  mother  of  Ras  Ali,  and  nominally  Queen 
 of  all  the  provinces  west  of  the  Taccazy,  now  began  to  dread  the 
 growing  power  of  Kasa,  and,  prompted  by  deep,  passionate  ani- 
 mosity, which  invariably  characterized  her  proceedings  towards 
 those  who  defied  her  authority,  or  did  not  minister  to  her  revolting 
 excesses,  she  despatched  a  large  army  to  crush,  as  she  said,  'the 
 kosso  vendor's  son.'  Informed  of  the  expedition,  Kasa,  without 
 delay,  hastened  to  meet  the  enemy  ;  but  no  sooner  did  the  latter 
 come  in  sight  of  their  opponents,  than  they  were  seized  with  a  panic, 
 and  fled  to  Dembea.  The  cunning  woman  had  now  recourse  to 
 intrigue,  and  the  witchery  of  soft  blandishments,  which  she  had 
 often  found  more  powerful  than  her  armies,  to  entrap  a  formidable 
 enemy ;  but  Kasa,  who  saw  the  bait  b}-  which  he  was  to  be  caught, 
 met  all  these  overtures  with  indifference  or  polite  evasion.  Baffled 
 and  embarrassed,  the  treacherous  Queen  was  more  than  ever  intent 
 upon  revenging  herself  on  the  presumptuous  rebel,  and  as  open 
 
THEODORUS    OF    AHVSSINIA.  1 67 
 
 violence  and  crafty  art  had  equall)-  failed,  she  did  not  shrink  from 
 compassing  the  redoubtable  Chieftain's  death  at  the  high  price  of 
 her  own  grandchild's  honour,  the  daughter  of  Ras  Ali,  whom  she 
 gave  him  in  marriage.  The  young  wife,  instead  of  abetting  the 
 infamous  design  of  her  grandmother,  with  a  constancy  and  affection 
 seldom  witnessed  in  that  demoralized  country,  foiled  every  attempt 
 on  her  beloved  husband's  life,  by  diverting  the  dangers  which  threat- 
 ened him  to  herself. 
 
 "  About  this  time  the  Arabs  near  the  borders,  conscious  of  their 
 neighbours'  intestine  feuds  and  quarrels,  made  several  inroads  on 
 Abyssinian  settlements,  an  affront  which  the  Queen  commissioned 
 Kasa,  who  had  resided  in  the  country,  to  revenge.  The  bold  Chief 
 obeyed  the  order ;  and,  with  an  army  badly  equipped  and  inferior 
 in  number,  he  unexpectedly  fell  upon  the  infuriated  Arabs  and 
 their  Egyptian  auxiliaries,  and,  reckless  of  life,  maintained  for 
 several  hours  an  unequal  and  destructive  conflict.  His  thinning 
 ranks  and  a  serious  wound  compelled  him  to  retreat,  but  the  valour 
 he  had  displayed  during  the  fiery  contest  struck  terror  and  awe  into 
 the  hearts  of  the  victors,  and  they  allowed  their  enemies  to  retreat 
 from  the  field  of  battle  without  any  attempt  to  impede  their  march, 
 or  to  make  prisoners  of  the  fugitive  forces.  The  remains  of  this 
 forlorn  hope,  who  were  either  wounded  or  afflicted  with  fever,  on 
 reaching  the  mountains  of  Tschelga,  Kasa  immediately  sent  to 
 quarters  in  the  districts  and  villages  along  the  Tzanza,  whilst  he 
 himself  proceeded  to  Tschangar,  to  have  his  wounds  cured  by  a 
 physician  of  that  place.  A  good  reeking  piece  of  bronndo  being 
 better  adapted  to  an  Abyssinian  constitution  than  all  the  horrid 
 drugs  and  sickening  concoctions  which  civilization  has  discovered, 
 the  /Esculapiiis  of  Tschangar  informed  his  patient  that  he  could  not 
 extract  a  ball  which  an  infidel  Arab  had  lodged  in  his  side,  nor 
 restore  him  to  his  wonted  health  and  vigour,  unless  he  first  re- 
 ceived a  fat  cow  and  a  large  jar  of  butter.  Kasa  thought  the  doctor's 
 prescription  a  good  opportunity  to  remind  the  Queen  that  he  was 
 still  in  the  land  of  the  living  ;  but,  as  that  dissolute  and  rancorous 
 woman  anticipated  that,  the  wound  or  poison  would  speedily  rid  her 
 of  an  implacable  foe,  she  sent  him  a  joint  of  beef,  with  a  sarcastic 
 message,  that  men  of  his  rank  and  quality  were  not  entitled  to  a 
 whole  cow. 
 
 "  Frantic  with  rage  at  this  fresh  insult,  the  wounded  Chief  impa- 
 tiently bided  the  few  days  the  faithful  leech  required  for  his  reco- 
 very, and  when  this  was  successfully  eff'ected,  he  hastily  flew  to 
 Quara,  where  he  assembled  his  trusty  followers,  and  before  the 
 Queen  could,  through  the  mediation  of  her  niece,  appease  the 
 wrath  she  had  so  causelessly  provoked,  a  rebel  army  was  on  its  way 
 to  Dembea  and  Gondar.  Convinced  that  no  expression  of  regret, 
 and  no  assurance  of  royal  favour,  could  heal  the  breach  or  avert  the 
 impending  struggle,  the  Queen,  with  the  prompt  vigour  and  energy 
 which  she  had  so  often  displayed  when  beset  by  danger,  despatched 
 
1 68  THEODORUS   OF   AUYSSINIA. 
 
 a  Strong  force  to  intercept  the  rebels'  progress,  and  to  destroy  their 
 leader.  The  hostile  armies  met  near  Tschako,  and,  in  a  fierce 
 engagement  which  took  place  the  same  day,  the  Royalists  sus- 
 tained a  most  signal  and  complete  defeat.  Kasa,  besides  a  vast 
 number  of  prisoners,  captured,  what  was  of  inestimable  value  to 
 him,  more  than  a  thousand  muskets.  Amongst  the  prisoners  was  a 
 proud  Chief,  named  Dejatch  Wonderad,  who,  in  a  council  of  war  at 
 Gondar,  loudly  boasted  that  he  would  bring  the  kosso  vendor's  son 
 alive  or  dead  to  the  foot  of  the  throne.  Kasa,  to  whom  Wonderad's 
 speech  was  reported,  sent  for  him  during  the  evening,  and,  to  the 
 amazement  of  all  present,  handed  him  a  dose  of  the  obnoxious 
 though  harmless  draught,  adding,  in  a  tone  of  biting  sarcasm,  '  As 
 my  mother  did  no  business  to-day,  you  will  accept  hjsso  instead  of 
 ieff  {ox  your  evening  repast.' 
 
 "  A  war  d  Voutrance  now  began  to  rage  all  over  Western  Abys- 
 sinia. The  Queen,  anxious  to  retrieve  past  failures  and  to  recover 
 lost  territory,  assumed  the  generalship  of  her  own  army,  and  at 
 Balaha,  near  the  Tzanza,  she  fell  unexpectedly  upon  the  foe  with  a 
 violence,  resolution,  and  bravery,  that  defied  all  resistance,  and 
 overcame  every  opposition.  Unfortunately,  the  pusillanimous 
 Chiefs  did  not  emulate  the  heroism  of  their  fearless  Queen,  and 
 the  combat,  thus  auspiciously  commenced,  was  so  supinely  pur- 
 sued, that  it  ignominiously  terminated  in  the  flight  of  the  imperial 
 troops,  and  the  captivity  of  their  bold  and  undaunted  commander. 
 
 Ras  Ali,  the  son  of  the  Waisero,  and  father-in-law  of  Kasa, 
 keenly  smarted  under  the  disgraceful  imprisonment  of  his  mother, 
 and  the  check  to  his  own  aspirations  after  a  crown  ;  but  as  he 
 thought  it  imprudent  to  incense  a  foe  dreaded  by  his  Chiefs,  and 
 regarded  as  invincible  by  his  troops,  he  hung  up  the  sword,  and 
 had  recourse  to  diplomacy.  Kasa,  who  to  an  impetuous  temper 
 unites  a  generous  heart,  readily  yielded  to  the  Ras's  suggestions; 
 and,  on  condition  that  under  the  title  of  Dejatch  he  should  hold 
 the  conquered  provinces  as  fiefs  of  the  Crown,  he  at  once  gave 
 liberty  to  the  Princess,  and  peace  to  the  troubled  and  distracted 
 empire. 
 
 "  A  peace  obtained  by  craft  could  not  be  of  long  duration  ;  and 
 in  1853,  scarcely  two  years  after  the  battle  of  Balaha,  Kasa  was 
 formally  superseded  in  his  government,  and  proclaimed  a  traitor 
 and  a  rebel.  This  outrageous  breach  of  a  solemn  pledge  excited 
 universal  indignation  among  the  Dejatch's  partisans,  and  the  sol- 
 dier as  well  as  the  peasant  burned  to  revenge  on  a  licentious  Queen 
 and  her  perfidious  son,  the  wrongs  of  their  admired  hero,  and  the 
 insults  of  their  beloved  Chief.  The  demon  of  civil  war,  once 
 evoked,  soon  convulsed  the  whole  kingdom,  and  every  one,  young 
 and  old — the  needy,  who  coveted  plunder,  and  the  ambitious,  who 
 sought  promotion — all  spurred  on  by  different  motives,  hastened  to 
 take  part  in  a  conflict,  which  was  to  decide  the  fate  of  the  throne 
 and  the  destiny  of  the  reigning  family.     At  Aishal,  in  Dembea,   a 
 
THEODORUS   OF   ABYSSINIA.  1 69 
 
 most  sanguinary  and  destructive  battle  was  fought  between  the  rival 
 forces.  Ras  Ali,  as  Mr.  Bell,  who  was  in  the  engagement,  told  me, 
 displayed  a  bravery  and  daring  that  elicited  general  admiration  ; 
 but,  notwithstanding  the  despairing  effort  of  the  fated  Chief,  the 
 rule  of  the  licentious  semi-Christian  Galla  usurpers  had  reached  its 
 goal,  and  before  night  their  last  descendant  was  a  fugitive  for  life, 
 whilst  his  despised  foe  remained  victor  of  the  field  and  gainer  of  the 
 crown. 
 
 "  The  conqueror  at  Aishal  now  marched  to  Quami  Tscherk,  in 
 Godjam,  to  revenge  his  own  and  his  country's  sufferings  on  the 
 ruthless  Beru  Goshu.  In  the  evening  preceding  the  engagement, 
 which  freed  Abyssinia  from  a  dreaded  and  remorseless  Chieftain, 
 Kasa  and  his  brother  officers  were  discussing,  over  some  reeking 
 joints  of  hrotinda,  the  merits  of  their  respective  troops,  when  one  of 
 the  principal  magnates  replied,  '  What  need  we  to  fear  ?  Since  no 
 one  can  resist  us,  how  much  less  you,  our  dauntless  and  gallant 
 leader  ?  Kasa  instantly  threw  himself  on  his  face,  and,  in  the 
 midst  of  his  hardened  companions  of  war,  exclaimed,  in  a  solemn 
 tone  of  voice,  '  I  praise  thee,  O  God,  that  thou  has  manifested  thy 
 goodness  to  a  poor  sinner  like  me  !  Whom  thou  humblest  is  hum- 
 bled, and  whom  thou  exaltest  is  exalted.  Thine  is  the  power  and 
 glory  for  ever  and  ever.'  The  next  day  Beru  Goshu  was  captured, 
 and,  with  a  stone  round  his  neck,  led  into  the  presence  of  the  fugi- 
 tive whose  life  he  had  formerly  sought  to  destroy.  The  magnani- 
 mous Chief  ordered  a  cloth  to  be  spread  for  his  captive,  and,  in 
 most  condescending  language,  asked  him  what  fate  he  would  have 
 awarded  him  if  their  fortunes  had  been  reversed.  Beru  Goshu  sul- 
 lenly replied,  '  You  would  have  been  executed.'  This  bold  and 
 unexpected  retort  brought  a  score  of  swords  out  of  their  sheaths  ; 
 but  the  conqueror,  instead  of  approving  the  rage  of  the  nobles  by 
 whom  he  was  surrounded,  j)ublicly  acknowledged  the  Divine  good- 
 ness which,  more  than  the  valour  of  his  troops,  had  saved  him  from 
 such  a  cruel  death. 
 
 "  During  these  events,  the  prisoner's  wife,  unconscious  of  her 
 husband's  fate,  together  with  a  considerable  number  of  troops, 
 bravely  repulsed  every  assault  on  the  rock,  where  they  had 
 entrenched  themselves.  Kasa,  anxious  to  prevent  the  unneces- 
 sary effusion  of  blood,  sent  the  prisoner,  his  two  brothers- 
 in-law,  and  several  dignitaries,  to  solicit  the  lady,  on  the  peril  of 
 her  own  and  the  lives  of  those  near  and  dear  to  her,  to  put  an  end 
 to  hostilities  by  evacuating  the  rock.  The  affectionate  wife  laconi- 
 cally replied,  '  Let  Kasa  take  the  Amba  ;  but  let  him  not  give  me 
 back  my  husband.'  The  request  was  granted,  and  Beru  Goshu  will 
 no  doubt,  to  the  end  of  his  days,  bemoan,  on  the  isolated  summit 
 of  the  Zar  Amba,  the  conjugal  indifference  of  his  treacherous  and 
 false  partner. 
 
 "  The  ambition  of  Kasa  grew  as  his  power  increased,  and  since 
 the  western  provinces  were  now  all  united  under  his  sway,  he  cast  a 
 
 M 
 
1 70  THEODORUS    OF   ABYSSINIA. 
 
 longing  eye  on  Tigre  and  Shoa,  two  powerful  states,  which,  since 
 the  reign  of  Tecia  Georgis,  in  1780,  had  maintained  the  indepen- 
 dence of  theirGovernments,  and  the  administrationof  their  respective 
 laws.  Dejatch  Oubie,  the  governor  of  Tigre,  anticipated  Kasa's 
 intention,  and,  to  avoid  a  surprise,  he  assembled  a  well-organized 
 army,  and,  amidst  the  alpine  heights  of  Semien,  awaited  the  enemy's 
 approach.  On  a  cold,  raw,  and  stormy  day,  in  February,  1856,  the 
 Amhara  forces,  after  a  long  and  fatiguing  march,  came  in  sight  of 
 the  wide-spreading  outlines  of  Oubie's  well-ordered  camp.  With 
 that  activity  and  promptitude  which  marked  all  his  movements, 
 Kasa  at  once  marshalled  his  army  in  battle  array,  and,  contrary  to 
 their  expectations  and  remonstrances,  ordered  them  to  charge  the 
 enemy.  At  this  command  a  loud  murmur  of  discontent  broke  from 
 the  serried  lines  of  his  fierce  warriors,  and  for  some  moments  Kasa 
 himself  stood  appalled  at  these  symptoms  of  fear  and  insubordina- 
 tion ;  but  as,  in  the  fortune  of  that  day,  the  prospects  of  a  crown 
 were  involved,  the  resolute  Chief,  in  that  clear  and  confident  tone 
 of  voice  which  had  often  done  him  more  service  than  the  sword 
 he  so  bravely  wields,  rode  in  front  of  his  army,  and,  in  a  short 
 address,  in  which  he  recapitulated  to  the  breathless  multitude  their 
 former  glorious  achievements,  he  defiantly  added,  '  And  now,  after 
 all  our  numerous  conquests,  does  yonder  rheumatic  dotard  chill 
 your  prowess  }  Do  yonder  guns,  charged  with  powder  and  rags, 
 cow  your  souls  }  Are  yonder  rocks  and  chasm  a  barrier  to  your 
 bravery  }  Follow  me,  and  to-morrow  by  this  time  my  name  will  be 
 no  more  Kasa  but  Theodorus,  for  God  has  given  me  the  kingdom.' 
 Reanimated  by  the  words  of  their  dauntless  leader,  the  countless 
 host  rushed  on  the  expectant  foe,  who  welcomed  them  with  a 
 shower  of  iron  balls  and  well-aimed  spears.  The  groans  of  the 
 dying  and  the  war-shouts  of  the  living, — the  echoes  of  the  cliffs 
 and  the  rolling  thunder  of  the  storm,  all  combined  to  make  that 
 day  one  of  the  most  terrible  in  the  annals  of  Abyssinian  warfare. 
 
 "  Evening  was  fast  approaching,  and  the  shades  of  night  were 
 beginning  to  confound  friend  and  foe,  still  the  desperate  struggle 
 raged  with  unabated  ardour,  and  the  carnage  continued  with  un- 
 mitigated fury.  Oubie,  who  had  on  that  day  evinced  a  generalship 
 and  gallantry  that  recalled  to  many  a  scarred  head  the  deeds  of 
 their  former  adored  Sabagadis,  was  at  last,  unknown  to  his  soldiers, 
 forced,  by  exhaustion  and  age,  to  seek  a  brief  rest  in  a  deep  dell, 
 at  the  outskirts  of  the  battle-field.  This  almost  unguarded  retreat 
 was  discovered  by  a  detachment  of  Kasa's  troops,  and  before  the 
 old  Chief  could  recover  from  the  sudden  surprise,  he  was  seized 
 and  carried  in  triumph  to  the  enemy's  camp.  The  Tigreans,  bewil- 
 dered and  panic-stricken  at  their  leader's  captivity,  were  immedi- 
 ately thrown  into  the  utmost  consterneition,  and  before  the  different 
 Chiefs  could  summon  courage  to  rally  their  disordered  retainers, 
 some  had  sought  safety  in  flight,  others  in  passive  submission,  and 
 not  a  few  in  a  soldier's  honourable  grave. 
 
THEODORUS   OF    ABYSSINIA.  I  71 
 
 "  On  the  following  day,  February  4th,  Kasa  besieged  the  Amba 
 Boahil,  13,500  feet  atjove  the  level  of  the  sea  ;  and  on  the  5th,  he 
 was  crowned,  under  the  name  of  King  Theodorus,  in  the  Church 
 IMariam  Deresgie,  by  the  i.\boona  Salania,  the  Metropolitan  of 
 Abyssinia.  After  the  coronation,  the  royal  troops  took  possession 
 of  the  Amba  Hai,  on  whose  summit,  of  14,000  feet  altitude,  Oubie 
 kept  his  treasures.  Here,  to  their  agreeable  surprise,  they  found 
 two  cannons,  seven  thousand  muskets,  a  great  quantity  of  gold  and 
 silver  plate,  and  about  forty  thousand  Austrian  dollars,  besides  a 
 vast  quantity  of  copper  vessels,  and  a  countless  number  of  coloured 
 Venetian  bottles,  which  the  Abyssinian  gentry  use  instead  of  wine 
 glasses,  in  drinking  their  hydromel. 
 
 "The  King  having  appointed  a  governor  over  the  conquered 
 province,  retraced  his  steps  to  Gondar,  from  whence,  after  a  brief 
 respite  from  incessant  toil  and  fatigue,  he  directed  his  march  south- 
 ward towards  the  WoUo  Galla  country — the  old  enemies  of  his 
 creed,  and  for  a  long  period  the  ruthless  oppressors  of  his  people. 
 Elated  with  former  successes,  and  confident  in  their  military 
 prowess,  the  Wollos,  who  are  divided  into  saba  beit,  or  seven  clans, 
 at  once  united  their  strength  to  oppose  a  foe  whose  power  and  war- 
 like skill  they  had  just  cause  to  dread. 
 
 "  At  Saga  Gora,  the  royal  forces  came  in  contact  with  Adara 
 Bille,  the  treacherous  host  of  Dr.  Krapf ;  and  in  the  very  first 
 charge  the  Abyssinians,  led  to  the  onslaught  by  their  martial  Sove- 
 reign, displayed  a  courage  which  struck  terror  into  the  hearts  of 
 their  oppressors,  and  made  them  shrink  from  encountering  a  foe^ 
 whose  natural  animosity  long  years  of  relentless  tyranny  had  stimu- 
 lated to  a  pitch,  bordering  on  a  kind  of  religious  frenzy.  Adare 
 Bille  and  upwards  of  a  thousand  Gallas  fell  in  battle,  or  perished 
 under  the  executioner's  knife,  whilst  the  country  around  was  plun- 
 dered, and  the  poor  women  and  children  carried  captive  into  the 
 various  provinces  of  Abyssinia.  The  Wollo  Galla,  after  this  defeat, 
 did  not  renew  the  contest ;  but,  chafed  and  dispirited,  they  precipi- 
 tately fled  to  their  mountain  fastnesses,  to  brood  over  their  late 
 disaster,  and  to  concert  means  for  future  action.  Well  acquainted 
 with  the  treacherous  character  of  his  foes,  the  King,  in  anticipation 
 of  their  wily  design,  at  once  fortified  the  Amba  Magdala,  which 
 rises  3,500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  surrounding  scene,  and  then, 
 leaving  a  garrison  strong  enough  to  check  any  sudden  inroad  upon 
 his  conquered  territory,  he  turned  towards  Shoa,  the  only  province 
 in  Abyssinia  which  still  maintained  the  independence  of  its  govern- 
 ment and  regal  power. 
 
 "The  fierce  and  proud  Shoaner,  although  they  professed  the 
 most  supreme  scorn  for  the  kosso  vendor's  son,  yet  did  not  neglect 
 to  make  every  preparation,  and  to  adopt  the  most  effective  mea- 
 sures to  oppose  his  onward  progress.  Their  army,  which  consisted 
 of  upwards  of  fifty  thousand  brave  and  valiant  troops,  was,  in 
 regard  to  numbers,  superior  to  that  of  the  King ;    but  the  enthu- 
 
172  THEODORUS    OF    AliVSSIXIA. 
 
 siasm  which  prompted  the  assailants  did  not  animate  their  oppo- 
 nents, for,  whilst  the  latter  felt  that  they  were  about  to  fight  for  a 
 Monarch  who  revelled  in  shameless  vice  and  hateful  excesses,  the 
 former  were  ready  to  shed  their  life's  blood  for  a  Sovereign  beloved 
 for  his  manly  virtues,  and  venerated,  nay,  almost  idolized,  for  his 
 dauntless  heroism. 
 
 "  On  the  plain  of  Bala  Worka  the  long-delayed  conflict  took 
 place.  The  Shoaner,  anxious  to  maintain  their  old  renown  for 
 bravery,  rushed  to  the  charge  with  a  courage  that  defied  all  resist- 
 ance, and  yielded  to  no  opposition.  Their  uncontrolled  {)assions, 
 however,  blinded  their  judgment,  and  made  them  deaf  to  the  com- 
 mands of  their  leaders,  and  thus  their  savage  bloodthirstiness 
 turned  what  seemed  to  promise  victory  into  a  disgraceful  and  com- 
 plete defeat.  Hailo  INIalakat,  the  successor  of  Sahale  Sellasie,  died 
 ere  the  disastrous  intelligence  arrived,  and  his  son  Menelek  yielded 
 himself  a  voluntary  captive  to  the  conqueror. 
 
 "The  revolution,  which  wrested  the  several  distracted  and  mis- 
 governed provinces  from  the  grasp  of  petty  tyrants,  and  brought 
 them  under  the  sway  of  a  powerful  and  energetic  ruler,  being  now 
 consummated,  the  King  left  his  royal  prisoner  to  be  the  companion 
 of  his  son  at  the  Amba  Magdala,  and  then  hastened  back  to  Gondar, 
 where  he  spent  the  rainy  season  in  redressing  the  grievances,  and  in 
 reforming  the  abuses  of  former  reigns." 
 
 Such  is  the  historical  sketch,  given  by  Mr.  Stern's  pen,  of  one  of 
 
 the  most  remarkable  men  who  ever  reigned  over  the  destinies  of 
 
 the  people  of  Abyssinia.     He  had  received  the  Missionary  with  a 
 
 condescension  and  kindness  which  exceeded  his  expectations.     He 
 
 had  sanctioned  his  mission,  and  commended  him  to  the  regard  of 
 
 the  Head  of  the  Abyssinian  Church.     All  this  might  have  led  a  less 
 
 discerning  man,  and  one  who  had  but   a  superficial  acquaintance 
 
 with  the  nature  and  character  of  the  human  heart,  to  arrive  at  the 
 
 most  encouraging   conclusions   concerning  what  the  future  might 
 
 bring  forth.     But  Mr.  Stern  perceived,  that  the  country  was  under 
 
 the  sway  of  a  despot,  the  victim  of  caprice  and  unbridled  passion. 
 
 The  smiles  of  to-day  might  rapidly  disappear  before  the  frowns  of 
 
 the  morrow,   and  the  protection   which  seemed  to  be  secured  by 
 
 every  pledge  and  promise,  might  be  followed  by  cruel  and  tyrannical 
 
 oppression.     It  was  to  be  his  lot  to  drink  to  the  very  dregs  of  the 
 
 bitter  cup  of  suffering,  of  which  he  found  that  so  many,  even  under 
 
 favourable  circumstances,   had   so  frequently  to  partake.     Such  a 
 
 scene  as  the  following  was  the  sequence  to  an  interview,  in  which 
 
 the  crafty  monarch  spoke  with  ajiparent  sincerity  of  his  interest  in 
 
 the  Missionary's  work  : — 
 
THEODORUS    OF    ABYSSINIA.  I  73 
 
 "  Business  of  importance  induced  me,  the  followini;  morning,  to 
 repair  again  to  the  Palace.  The  King  was  just  about  to  leave 
 Gondar,  and  that  too,  as  I  understood  from  the  ominous  and  sup- 
 pressed whispers  of  the  people,  in  no  very  good  temper.  This 
 change  in  his  deportment  from  that  of  the  previous  day,  was  attri- 
 buted to  the  discovery  of  several  muskets  and  other  property, 
 belonging  to  a  rebel  Chief.  Two  monks,  a  deblerrah  and  a  priest, 
 charged  with  secreting  them,  were,  without  trial  and  without  shrift, 
 condemned  to  immediate  death.  The  furious  Monarch,  to  strike 
 terror  into  the  hearts  of  his  rebellious  subjects,  ordered  the  crim- 
 inals to  have  their  hands  and  feet  cut  off ;  and  so  stern  were  his  com- 
 mands, that  not  even  a  drop  of  water  was  allowed  them  in  their 
 feverish  death-struggle. 
 
 "News  of  a  rebellion  in  Godjam  forced  him  again  to  the  field. 
 Goaded  to  desperation  by  these  perpetual  revolutions,  his  fiery 
 temper  burst  through  every  bond  of  humanity,  and  most  atrocious 
 and  revolting  deeds  were,  regardless  of  sex  and  station,  perpetrated 
 on  the  hapless  victims  of  his  vengeance.  The  rebellion  was 
 crushed  in  blood,  but  the  sting  of  remorse  rankled  deep  in  the 
 heart  of  the  despot  ;  and  when,  in  the  ensuing  year,  his  affectionate 
 and  tenderly-attached  Queen  died,  he  publicly  ackncnvledged  that 
 he  had  suffered  a  just  retribution  for  his  cruelty  towards  the  women 
 of  Godjam,  and  made  a  solemn  vow  never  more  to  allow  passion  to 
 blind  his  intellect,  and  to  steel  his  heart." 
 
 On  one  occasion,  Air.  Stern  attended  to  offer  his  congratulations 
 on  the  marriage  of  the  King,  to  the  daughter  of  his  former  captive, 
 Ras  Oubie  of  Tigre.  The  expressions  of  good-will  which  fell  from 
 the  lips  of  the  Monarch  did  not  close  the  eyes  of  his  well-wisher  to 
 the  severities  of  his  rule.  The  illustration  of  that  severity  occurred 
 immediately  after  this  visit  of  ceremony,  and  is  placed  in  juxta- 
 position with  some  other  corresponding  facts.  It  was  in  these 
 terms  that  the  King  spake  : — 
 
 "  '  My  people  are  bad ;  they  love  rebellion  and  hate  peace ; 
 delight  in  idleness,  and  are  averse  to  industry  ;  but,  if  God  con- 
 tinues to  me  my  life,'  added  he  with  glowing  ardour,  '  I  will  eradi- 
 cate all  that  is  bad,  and  introduce  all  that  is  salutary  and  good.' 
 We  spontaneously  breathed  our  '  Amen'  to  this  hopeful  prophecy  of 
 a  man,  who  certainly  has  the  will  and  inclination  to  raise  his 
 country  from  its  present  moral,  social,  and  religious  degradation ,; 
 though,  unfortunately,  his  defective  education,  uncontrollable  am- 
 bition, and  hasty  temper,  must  all  undergo  a  severe  discipline,  ere 
 he  can  prove  himself — as  his  flatterers  pretend — worthy  f>f  the  title 
 and  noble  achievements  which  are  to  inaugurate,  according  to  an 
 old  legend,  the  golden  reign  of  the  great  Theodorus." 
 
B74  THEODORUS    OV    AMYSSINIA. 
 
 After  this  we  read  : — "  Suddenly  j)iercing  shrieks  and  yells,  from 
 the  direction  of  the  Imperial  residence,  broke  startlingly  on  my 
 ears.  I  listened  for  some  time ;  but,  as  every  minute  the  groans 
 and  cries  of  agony  rung  more  and  more  dismally  from  rock  and 
 hill,  I  soon  left  the  tent  and  proceeded  towards  the  spot  from 
 whence  the  screams  proceeded.  The  cracking  of  the  formidable 
 giraffe  (a  whip  about  five  feet  long,  cut  out  of  the  hide  of  the  hip- 
 popotamus), and  the  supplications  for  mercy,  which  I  could  now 
 distinctly  hear,  warned  me  that  the  Monarch  was  up,  and  adminis- 
 tering justice.  Actuated  by  curiosity,  I  stealthily  took  my  position 
 behind  a  prickly  shrub,  and  from  this  unobserved  retreat,  I  saw  about 
 a  dozen  figures,  each  with  his  arms  so  tightly  pinioned  that  the 
 blood  must  have  almost  spirted  out  of  the  trembling  fingers,  whilst 
 on  each  side  stood  a  soldier  to  support  the  hapless  culprit  during 
 the  executioner's  ruthless  task.  At  every  stroke  of  the  lash,  the  poor 
 wretches  uttered  the  most  heartrending  moans  ;  but  neither  the 
 wail  of  distress,  nor  the  lacerated  and  bleeding  backs  of  the  victims, 
 mspired  any  commiseration,  or  mitigated  the  severity  of  their 
 punishment.  My  eyes  involuntarily  turned  from  this  appalling 
 sight,  whilst  my  heart  breathed  the  fervid  prayer,  that  the  Gospel  of 
 love  might  ere  long  reform  the  cruel  laws  which  at  present  rule  the 
 inhabitants  of  this  country. 
 
 "The  King's  relentless  severity  towards  rebels  and  traitors  does 
 not,  however,  in  the  least  damp  the  aspiration  for  power,  or  the 
 passion  for  dominion.  Men  and  women  are  continually  scourged 
 and  mutilated  ;  whole  legions  of  wild  hordes  are  sent  to  desolate 
 and  lay  waste  suspected  and  disaft'ected  districts  ;  whole  clans  are 
 proscribed  and  outlawed  ;  and  yet  all  these  extreme  measures  and 
 sanguinary  edicts  fail  to  enforce  obedience,  or  to  win  the  nation's 
 fealty.  On  October  31,  i860,  three  thousand  rebels,  with  their 
 leader,  Gerat,  were  defeated  by  the  royal  troops  near  the  western 
 bank  of  the  Taccazy,  and  mercilessly  butchered  in  cold  blood  ;  in 
 fact,  so  inexorable  was  the  king,  that  even  their  wives  and  children 
 — contrary  to  former  custom — were  indiscriminately  condemned  to 
 perpetual  slavery." 
 
 Theodoras  had  been  enlarging  on  his  good  intentions  towards  his 
 people,    and  this  was  the  corollary  to  his  professed  anxieties  for 
 
THEODORUS    OF   ABYSSINIA.  1 75 
 
 their  welfare.  Whether  sincerely,  or  under  the  mere  impulse  of 
 the  moment,  he  seemed  at  times  to  be  influenced  by  right  motives, 
 and  by  some  measure  of  sound  knowledge. 
 
 "  In  the  afternoon,  Mr.  Bell  and  myself  were  summoned  to  the 
 royal  tent,  where,  for  some  time,  we  conversed  on  several  of  the 
 most  important  articles  of  our  faith.  I  was  quite  astonished  to  find 
 that  his  Majesty  was  well  acquainted  with  many  portions  of  God's 
 Holy  Word  ;  and  though  his  religious  knowledge  partook  deeply  of 
 the  superstitions  and  errors  of  his  Church,  yet  it  was  quite  evident 
 that  he  had  studied  the  Bible,  and  had  also  received  a  good  im- 
 pression from  its  sacred  contents.  I  mentioned  to  him  some  of  the 
 results  of  modern  missions,  and  if  he  had  won  a  great  battle,  he 
 could  not  have  manifested  greater  delight  and  pleasure  than  he 
 expressed  on  hearing  of  the  achievements  of  the  Gospel,  and  the 
 triumphs  of  the  Cross. 
 
 "  During  our  conversation,  I  incidentally  alluded  to  the  promise, 
 '  Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God.'  On  hearing 
 this  quotation,  his  whole  countenance,  usually  stern  and  grave, 
 assumed  a  happy  and  smiling  expression,  and,  as  if  engaged  in 
 some  deep  reflection,  he  made  a  short  pause  in  our  conversation, 
 and  then  exclaimed,  in  a  tone  in  which  mistaken  piety  and  ardent 
 zeal  were  evidently  blended,  '  Let  God  give  victory  to  my  arms,  and 
 peace  to  my  empire,  and  the  Cross  shall  not  lack  support  in  this 
 country !'  " 
 
CHAPTER    XXII. 
 
 THE   ABOONA.      THE   ABYSSINIAN    CHURCH.       GENDA. 
 
 The  protection  of  King  Theodorus,  and  permission  to  Mr.  Stern  to 
 carry  on  his  work  amongst  the  Jews,  was  made  conditional  on  the 
 concurrence  of  the  Head  of  the  Abyssinian  Church.  The  intolerance 
 of  the  ecclesiastics  presented  great,  if  not  insuperable  difficulties  to  its 
 attainment,  and  it  is  possible  that  it  would  have  failed  in  the  hands 
 of  one  who  possessed  less  tact  and  ability.  Protected,  as  that 
 fallen  Church  was,  by  the  authority  aud  adherence  'of  an  autocratic 
 potentate,  any  attempt  to  proceed  without  the  sanction  of  the 
 Aboofia  would  have  been  futile,  and  even  dangerous. 
 
 To  attain  this  end,  Mr.  Stern  moved  onward  from  point  to  point, 
 journeying  in  the  direction  of  Tshatshako  and  Magdala.  The  repu- 
 tion  of  the  renowned  fortress  was  anything  but  encouraging.  His 
 servants  and  companions  regarded  it  with  a  natural  dread,  for  it 
 had  been  made  the  prison-house  of  the  unfortunate,  and  the  scene 
 of  Theodorus's  most  deadly  vengeance.  In  addition  to  this,  the 
 Galla  tribes  were  actively  engaged  in  attacking  the  inhabitants,  and 
 destroying  their  property.  The  prognostications  concerning  a 
 probable  imprisonment  in  Magdala  e.xcited  no  apprehensions  in  the 
 mind  of  the  Missionary.  Yet,  among  the  mysterious,  but  ever-wise 
 purposes  of  God,  he  was  within  this  stronghold,  to  pass  years  of 
 captivity  and  suffering. 
 
 "  Our  first  hour's  march  over  the  rain-saturated  plain  was  as 
 cheerless  as  the  reveries  which  occupied  my  mind  ;  but  no  sooner 
 did  we  reach  the  woody  mountains,  and  inhale  the  cold  invigorating 
 morning  breeze,  than  all  sad  forebodings  vanished,  and  I  began  to 
 feel  quite  sure  that  my  journey,  instead  of  terminating,  as  it  had 
 
THE   ABOONA.      THE   ABYSSINIAN    CHURCH.      GENDA.  1 77 
 
 been  prognosticated,  in  a  long  imprisonment  at  Magdala,  or  in 
 captivity  or  else  in  violent  death  among  the  Wollo  Galla,  would  be 
 of  very  short  duration,  and  have,  with  God's  blessing,  a  most  suc- 
 cessful issue.  These  lucubrations,  as  some  who  have  never  been 
 placed  in  a  similar  position  may  term  them,  were  entirely  occupying 
 my  thoughts,  when  I  heard  a  shrill  voice  announcing  the  approach 
 of  a  great  man  ;  and  in  looking  towards  the  lofty  heights,  along 
 which  our  path  was  winding,  I  espied  numerous  groups  of  soldiers 
 and  servants,  emerging  out  of  the  luxuriant  trees  and  bushes  ;  and 
 in  coming  up  to  them,  they  gave  us  the  welcome  intelligence  that 
 the  Aboona  was  in  the  rear,  on  his  way  to  Debra  Tabor,  to  marry 
 the  King  to  a  daughter  of  Dejatch  Oubie,  the  late  Governor  of 
 Tigre. 
 
 "  With  trembling  anxiety,  I  now  gazed  towards  the  smiling 
 landscape,  to  obtain  a  glimpse  of  the  great  Churchman.  The 
 steady  tramp  of  mules,  and  the  glimmer  of  a  scarlet-covered  epis- 
 copal chair,  announced  the  proximity  of  the  procession.  I  instantly 
 quitted  my  saddle,  and  with  bared  head  and  deferential  obeisance, 
 awaited  the  holy  man's  arrival.  He  was  muffled  and  wrapped  up  in 
 silk  shawls,  so  that  he  could  scarcely  see  any  object  farther  than 
 his  saddle's  high  pommel ;  but  even  when  informed  of  my  presence, 
 he  merely  lifted  his  silk  drapery,  and  gave  a  glance  quite  sufficient 
 to  chill  the  blood  in  my  veins.  Not  at  all  daunted  or  irritated  by 
 this  contemptuous  salutation,  I  again  mounted  my  mule,  and, 
 without  waiting  for  an  invitation,  joined  the  moving  cavalcade. 
 Squads  of  men  and  women,  with  a  good  sprinkling  of  priests  and 
 monks  amongst  them,  at  very  short  intervals,  lined  the  road  ;  but 
 although  they  prostrated  themselves  in  the  dust  and  dirt  before 
 their  Primate,  it  afforded  me  some  satisfaction  to  see  that  they 
 were  not  treated  with  more  courtesy  than  myself.  Nearly  two 
 hours'  march  had  already  been  accomplished,  and  still  there  was  no 
 indication  of  a  halt,  and  no  change  in  the  slow,  grave,  and  digni- 
 fied motion  of  the  train.  I  asked  several  gloomy  and  sinister- 
 looking  priests,  when  and  where  their  Chief  w^ould  alight  ;  but  all 
 that  I  could  elicit  from  these  obtuse,  taciturn  beings  was,  ''  Alonkum," 
 ('  don't  know').  Determined  to  get  rid  of  all  torturing  suspense, 
 I  rode  up  to  the  side  of  the  Aboona's  confessor,  Kes  Joseph,  and 
 requested  him  to  procure  me  an  interview.  Without  deigning  a 
 reply,  he  ambled  away,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  the  Aboona,  the 
 confessor,  and  myself,  were  seated  under  the  shady  foliage  of  blos- 
 soming euphorbias,  and  conversing  in  a  familiar  and  unembarrassed 
 strain.  He  at  first  surmised  that  I  had  made  the  mission  to  the 
 Jews,  a  cover  to  tamper  more  insidiously  with  the  belief  of  the 
 Christians  ;  but  my  reiterated  solemn  assurances  that,  our  sole  aim 
 and  desire  was  to  bring  the  Falashas  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
 Saviour,  removed  all  his  suspicions,  and  elicited  his  full  and  unqua- 
 lified permission  to  preach  and  hold  assemblies  in  every  Jewish 
 settlement  throughout  his  vast  diocese." 
 
178  THE    ABOONA.      THE    ABYSSINIAN    CHURCH.      GENDA. 
 
 The  ministry  and  influence  of  Mr.  Stern,  aroused  a  large  number 
 of  the  members  of  the  AbN'Ssinian  Church  to  a  measure  of  anxiety 
 and  interest  in  divine  things,  which  was  new,  and  most  encouraging. 
 His  apprehensions  concerning  the  possible  difficulties  which  the 
 Aboona  might  obtrude,  in  opposition  to  his  work,  had  given  way 
 before  the  evidences  of  a  cordiality  and  sympathy  which  filled  his 
 heart  with  thanksgiving.  The  intelligence  of  the  Metropolitan, 
 conjoined  with  his  conviction  of  the  solemn  importance  of  the 
 truths  which  the  IMissionary  proclaimed,  had  stimulated  his  desire 
 that  his  ministr}-  might  be  honoured  and  blessed.  It  was,  more- 
 over, evident,  that  he  felt  that  this  mission  might  not  only  be  an 
 instrument  of  enlightenment  to  the  P'alashas,  but  might  awaken 
 into  life  and  devotion  the  dead  and  corrupt  members  of  his  own 
 fallen  Church.  How  far  his  own  heart  was  brought  under  the 
 power  of  the  Truth  we  are  left  to  surmise.  But  the  following 
 letter,  which,  during  Mr.  Stern's  visit  at  Gaff"at,  he  received  from 
 this  powerful  ecclesiastic,  gave  ground  for  hope,  that  to  him  the 
 Gospel  of  Christ  had  been  made  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation ; 
 and  shows  the  estimation  in  which  he  held  him,  who  had  come  from 
 distant  lands,  to  publish  the  message  of  peace  : — 
 
 "To  my  respected  brother,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stern,  minister  of  the 
 Church  of  England,  a  pure  apostle,  full  of  zeal  for  the  spread  of  the 
 Gospel  through  all  countries  and  climes.  God  preserve  his  valu- 
 able life  from  every  sickness  and  calamity,  direct  him  in  all  his 
 movements,  and  suffer  no  obstacle  to  impede  him  in  all  his  efforts. 
 
 "The  light  of  truth  which  you,  dear  brother,  have  come  to  pro- 
 claim, will  never  be  extinguished  ;  nor  will  those  who  hear  you 
 continue  uninstructed  in  the  knowledge  of  salvation.  You,  my 
 friend,  resemble  in  zeal  the  zealous  Paul,  who  awakened  and  aroused 
 by  his  preaching  many  a  sad  and  despairing  heart,  and  who  desired 
 to  be  accursed  from  Christ  for  the  sake  of  his  countrymen  ;  so  it  is 
 with  you,  O  preacher  and  minister  of  the  Gospel.  You  come  to 
 Abyssinia,  like  an  apostle,  to  devote  health  and  energy  to  bring  the 
 Jews  to  Christ.  The  Lord  accept  your  unwearied  diligence  in  His 
 cause,  and  make  your  efforts  redound  to  His  glory,  and  to  the 
 enlightenment  and  conversion  of  His  people.  May  patience  and 
 perseverance  be   granted  to  you   in  your  toilsome  work,  and  may 
 
THE   ABOONA.      THE    ARYSSINIAN    CHURCH.      GENDA.  1 79 
 
 ever}'  seed  you  scatter  produce  thirty,  sixty,  and  a  hundredfold,  to 
 the  glory  of  God  our  Father  and  Jesus  our  Redeemer.     Amen. 
 
 (Signed)  "  Salama, 
 "  Archbishop  and  Metropolitan  of  Abyssinia." 
 
 The  character  of  the  Church,  of  which  this  able  man  was  the 
 Head,  demands  some  notice.  The  recognition  of  no  other  form  of 
 Christianity  was  permitted  than  that  which  was  cultivated  within 
 her  pale.  Even  the  admission  of  the  Falashas  into  the  outward 
 privileges  of  the  Christian  covenant,  could  only  be  legitimately 
 accomplished  through  the  agency  of  the  Abyssinian  priesthood. 
 
 "  Let  us  turn  to  the  Christians,  or  Amharas.  Christianity,  the 
 national  belief,  was  introduced  into  Abyssinia  in  the  beginning  of 
 the  fourth  century  by  Frumentius  and  Edesius,  the  sons  of  a  Syrian 
 merchant,  who,  on  a  voyage  to  India,  were  driven  by  adverse  winds 
 to  seek  refuge  on  the  rocky  coast  of  the  Red  Sea.  Seized  by  savage 
 shepherds,  their  venerable  father  and  the  crew  were  at  once  mur- 
 dered, and  the  future  Apostles  of  Ethiopia  would  have  shared  the 
 same  fate,  had  not  their  pleasing  appearance  and  submissive  bear- 
 ing won  them  the  good  graces  of  their  captors.  Animated  by  the 
 noble  ambition  of  subjugating  the  country  of  their  exile  and  bon- 
 dage to  the  sway  of  the  Redeemer,  the  two  captives,  immediately 
 on  their  arrival  at  Court,  whither  they  had  been  conducted,  set 
 themselves  to  achieve  this  glorious  enterprise.  Their  laudable 
 efforts  were  crowned  with  the  most  wonderful  success.  The 
 Emperor  and  his  Court  became  the  first  converts  to  the  new  faith  ; 
 and  the  religion  espoused  by  those  in  authority  soon  found  adher- 
 ents among  the  common  people.  Athanasius,  to  whom  Frumentius 
 communicated  these  happy  tidings,  gratefully  acknowledged  the 
 missionary's  zeal  by  consecrating  him  Bishop  of  the  new  diocese  ; 
 and  the  bond  of  union,  cemented  fifteen  centuries  ago  between  the 
 Alexandrian  and  Abyssinian  Churches,  has  continued  firm  and 
 unbroken  to  the  present  day. 
 
 "The  sword  of  Islam,  which  had  extinguished  the  fires  of  the 
 INIagi  in  Persia,  and  uprooted  the  idolatries  of  Sabianism  in  Arabia, 
 at  length  sought  to  sweep  the  cross  from  the  mountain-regions  of 
 Ethiopia.  Nursed  in  war,  and  expert  in  the  use  of  the  lance,  the 
 whole  country  united  their  forces  to  defend  their  religion  and  their 
 home  against  the  invading  foe.  Many  a  flourishing  province 
 between  Nubia  in  the  north,  and  Enerea  in  the  south  (where  some 
 of  the  heads  of  the  idolatrous  tribes  still  retain  a  Christian  appella- 
 tion, and  observe  certain  Christian  festivals),  succumbed  to  the 
 fierce  onslaught  of  the  fanatic  Moslem,  and  the  no  less  sanguinary 
 inroads  of  the  rising  Pagan.  Formidable  assaults  from  without, 
 and  rebellion  and  treachery  from  within,  brought  that  ancient 
 monarchy  almost  to  the  brink  of  ruin  and  dissolution. 
 
180  THE    ABOONA.       THE    AliVSSIXIAN    CHURCH.       GEXDA. 
 
 "  In  the  sixteenth  century  the  disciples  of  Loyola,  in  the  hope  of 
 giving-  klat  to  their  new  order,  conceived  the  project  of  adding 
 Abyssinia  to  the  patrimony  of  St.  Peter.  Under  the  specious  pre- 
 text of  aiding  the  natives  against  their  hereditary  foes,  the  Arabs 
 and  Turks,  they  obtained  permission  to  enter  the  country,  and,  by 
 intrigues  and  cabal,  succeeded  in  gaining  many  powerful  partisans. 
 But  the  work,  supported  by  fraud  and  murder,  was  destined  to  end 
 in  the  discomfiture  of  its  abettors.  Hatred,  malice,  and  all  other 
 evil  passions,  were  enlisted  in  the  struggle ;  and  although  royalty 
 for  a  time  upheld  the  new  creed,  the  vaunted  triumphs  of  Rome 
 were  at  last  neutralized  through  the  excessive  violence  and  flagrant 
 enormities  of  her  own  sanguinary  agents.  Since  that  period,  they 
 have  repeatedly  tried  to  regain  a  footing  in  their  lost  territory  ;  and 
 their  last  representative,  Monsignor  de  Jacobis,  an  able  and  learned 
 bishop,  might  have  succeeded  in  his  attempt,  had  not  the  Jesuitical 
 propensity  to  blend  religion  with  politics  entirely  defeated  his 
 object,  and  compelled  him  and  his  friends  to  seek  safety  in  flight. 
 
 "  The  Abyssinian  Church,  although  she  has  pertinaciously  resisted 
 the  innovations  of  Rome,  and  the  no  less  dangerous  assaults  of 
 Islam,  merits  but  little  praise  for  her  attachment  to  a  creed  which  is 
 a  libel  upon  the  Gospel,  and  a  caricature  on  the  true  Christian 
 faith.  Weaned  from  idolatry,  without  being  thoroughly  enlightened 
 by  the  truth,  she  soon  substituted  asceticism  for  purity  of  life,  and  a 
 mechanical  performance  of  certain  rites  for  the  true  worship  of  the 
 living  God.  Fasts  and  penances,  the  adoration  of  the  Virgin,  and 
 the  intercession  of  Saints,  together  with  the  practice  of  circum- 
 cision, the  observance  of  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  and  of  all  the  Mosaic 
 restrictions  as  to  clean  and  unclean  animals,  form  the  essential 
 teachings  of  her  creed.  A  beggar  in  the  street  would  in  vain  ask 
 charity  in  the  name  of  the  Saviour ;  but  let  him  pronounce  the 
 magical  word  '  Miriam,'  and  a  humble  apology,  or  a  small  pittance, 
 will  be  the  reply.  To  adore  an  image  is  considered  a  heinous 
 offence  ;  but  to  fall  down  before  the  coarsest  daub,  or  the  wooden 
 Tabot,  is  the  highest  act  of  Christian  devotion.  Fasts  are  observed 
 most  rigorously ;  and  the  wretch  who  is  rioting  in  every  shameful 
 vice,  will  shrink  with  horror  from  the  man  who  touches  animal 
 food  during  the  interdicted  seasons.  Vice  and  immorality  are  even 
 regulated  by  a  peculiar  ecclesiastical  code  ;  and  a  conscientious 
 sinner  will  not  hesitate  to  consult  his  spiritual  adviser,  as  to  the  day 
 and  hour  when  he  may  with  impunity  break  a  Divine  law. 
 
 "  The  cause  of  this  spiritual  degradation  must  in  part  be  attri- 
 buted to  the  selfishness  of  an  idle  priesthood,  but  more  especially 
 to  their  deplorable  ignorance  of  the  Word  of  God.  A  round  of 
 worthless  ceremonials,  and  the  ilaily  repetition  of  the  Liturgy  in  a 
 language  not  understood  by  the  people,  and  very  often  a  dead 
 letter  even  to  the  officiating  priest,  constitutes  the  service  of  the 
 Church.  At  one  time  the  King  expressed  his  determination  to 
 supplant  the  ecclesiastical  Ethiopic  by  the  vernacular  Amharic  ;  but 
 
THE    AHOONA.       THE    ARVSSIXIAN    CHURCH.       GENOA.  l8l 
 
 as  this  would  have  subjected  the  priests  to  the  trouble  of  reading 
 what  they  now  repeat  by  rote,  such  a  storm  of  opposition  was 
 raised  that,  for  the  present,  the  subject  is  in  abeyance. 
 
 "  Indifferent  as  the  Abyssinian  divines  are  about  the  grand  doc- 
 trine of  the  Redemjition,  they  have  ever  been  most  violent  in  their 
 defence  of  certain  opinions  on  the  mysterious  subject  of  the  Incar- 
 nation. According  to  their  system  of  theology,  our  blessed  Lord 
 had  three  births.  Christ  proceeding  from  the  Father  they  style 
 the  eternal  birth  ;  Christ  born  of  the  Virgin  they  designate  the 
 temporal  birth  ;  and  Christ  anointed  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  or  the 
 union  of  the  Divine  and  human  nature  in  the  Virgin,  they  term  the 
 third  birth.  The  controversy  between  those  who  held  the  three- 
 fold birth,  and  those  who  approximated  in  their  views  to  the  other 
 Oriental  Churches,  has  at  times  waxed  so  fierce,  that  the  sword, 
 instead  of  the  Bible,  has  often  been  called  on  to  decide  the 
 contest. 
 
 "Aboona  Salama,  on  his  appointment  to  the  vacant  See  of 
 Ethiopia,  actively  exerted  himself  to  heal  the  divisions  which  these 
 unprofitable  speculations  had  created  in  the  Church.  His  orthodox 
 sentiments,  for  which  he  is  indebted  to  the  Church  IMissionary 
 Society's  School  at  Cairo,  where  he  was  formerly  a  pupil,  did  not 
 meet  the  approbation  of  his  clergy,  and  for  several  years  his  life 
 and  property  were  exposed  to  imminent  danger.  About  ten  years 
 ago,  his  archiepiscopal  residence  at  Gondar  was  pillaged  by  the 
 infatuated  priesthood,  and  he  himself  only  escaped  mal-treatment 
 by  a  timely  flight  into  Tigre.  On  the  accession  of  King  Theo- 
 dorus,  a  loud  clamour  was  raised  for  a  more  orthodox  Aboona  ;  but 
 to  the  general  surprise,  the  royal  herald  made  proclamation  that 
 his  Majesty  approved  of  the  scriptural  doctrines  of  the  Aboona,  and 
 that  in  future  all  who  adhered  to  the  obnoxious  dogma  of  the  three- 
 fold birth  would  be  taught  obedience  by  the  giraffe.  The  Shoa 
 clergy  denounced  this  decision  as  arbitrary  and  tyrannical,  as 
 indeed  it  was  ;  but  an  application  of  the  promised  whip  wrought  a 
 wonderful  change  among  that  insubordinate  body.  Within  the 
 last  few  years  several  attempts  have  been  made  to  revive  the  old 
 controversy  ;  and  it  is  quite  certain  that,  in  spite  of  the  giraffe,  the 
 deeply-rooted  error  will  not  be  eradicated,  till  a  new  generation  has 
 displaced  the  present  ignorant  body  of  ecclesiastics. 
 
 "  The  Abyssinian  Church,  in  common  with  all  other  Christian 
 communities  in  Asia  and  Africa,  is  strictly  Episcopal.  The  Aboona, 
 or  Primate,  who  is  consecrated  to  his  office  by  the  Patriarch  of 
 Alexandria,  the  revered  successor  of  St.  Mark,  can  alone  confer  the 
 priestly  title.  Every  candidate,  before  presenting  himself  for  or- 
 dination, must  have  acquired  some  knowledge  in  the  reading  of  the 
 sacred  language  of  Ethiopia,  and  in  the  complicated  ceremonies  of 
 the  liturgical  service.  On  the  day  appointed  for  ordination,  the 
 Primate,  in  full  canonicals,  and  seated  on  the  episcopal  throne, 
 receives  the  applicants  for  the  sacred  office.     All  being  properly 
 
I  82  THE    AHOONA.       THE    ABVSSIXIAN    CHURCH.       GENDA. 
 
 ranged  before  the  chair  of  St.  ]Mark,  each  candidate  solemnly 
 abjures  the  old  heresy  of  the  three  births,  and  then,  instead  of  the 
 imposition  of  hands,  receives  the  Aboona's  consecrating  breath. 
 Former  Archbishops,  less  scrupulous  than  the  present  successor  of 
 Frumentius,  indiscriminately  breathed  on  all,  whether  qualified  or 
 not,  who  could  pay  the  requisite  fee  of  two  salts — fourpence.  This 
 abuse  of  the  Fpiscopal  oflfice  is  happily  now  no  longer  practised. 
 
 "Deacons  are  selected  from  among  boys,  who  are  only  allowed 
 to  serve  in  the  church  till  they  attain  the  age  of  twelve  or  thirteen  ; 
 after  that  period  their  purity  of  life  is  susjjccted,  and  they  are  no 
 longer  considered  fit  to  approach  the  sacred  shrine  of  the  Tabot. 
 The  Bishop  and  monks  may  not  marry,  while  the  priests  may  ;  and 
 as,  on  the  death  of  their  wives,  they  cannot  contract  a  second 
 alliance,  the  reverend  wooers  invariably  choose  for  their  partners 
 the  most  robust  and  sprightly  lasses  in  the  land. 
 
 "The  debterahs,  or  scribes,  constitute  the  lowest,  but  most  influ- 
 ential body  in  the  Church.  These  worthies  enjoy  no  ecclesiastical 
 rank,  are  under  no  ecclesiastical  discipline,  and  yet  no  service  can 
 be  proj)erly  i)erformed  unless  they  take  part  in  it.  Their  chief  duty 
 consists  in  chanting  the  Psalms  and  Liturgy,  but  their  uncouth 
 gesticulation  and  discordant  shouting,  instead  of  elevating  devotion, 
 tend  rather,  at  least  in  European  estimation,  to  convert  the  service 
 of  God  into  a  sinful  burlesque,  and  the-  sanctuary  into  a  bedlam. 
 The  scanty  learning  of  the  country  is  exclusively  monopolized  by 
 this  order  ;  and  they  are  so  proud  of  their  erudition,  that  they  deem 
 it  a  disgrace  to  exchange,  by  the  breathing  of  the  Aboona,  the 
 proud  title  of  debterah,  for  the  less  learned  appellation  of  kas,  or 
 priest. 
 
 "These  literati,  notwithstanding  their  better  acquaintance  with 
 the  sacred  volume  and  the  lives  of  the  saints,  are  considered  the 
 most  arrant  scoundrels  in  the  land.  Gondar,  which  contains  a  con- 
 siderable number  of  the  fraternity,  is  notorious  for  the  dissolute 
 profligacy  of  its  inhabitants  ;  and  it  is  proverbial  throughout  the 
 country  that  wherever  debterahs  abound,  there  vice  and  immorality 
 thrive. 
 
 "  Ignorant  and  depraved  as  the  Abyssinians  are,  they  yet  possess 
 many  traits  of  character  which,  if  rightly  developed,  may  hereafter 
 raise  them  to  be  a  great  civilized  Christian  nation.  Superior  in 
 mental  culture,  religious  sentiments,  and  social  condition  to  the 
 tribes  and  races  around  them,  they  only  require  to  become  tho- 
 roughly imbued  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel,  and  their  ardent 
 temper,  purified  from  its  gross  passions,  will  prompt  them  to  carry 
 the  message  of  salvation  to  those  densely-populated  regions  of 
 Central  Africa  which  have  never  felt  the  breath  of  Divine  truth, 
 and  have  never  heard  the  glad  tidings  of  redeeming  love. 
 
 "The  Abyssinian  Church  holds  the  doctrine  of  purgatory,  and 
 post  mortem  purification.  Its  origin  may  be  traced  to  the  Jews, 
 thouoh  self-interest  and  avarice  assign  to  it  a  higher  source.     The 
 
THE    AHOONA.      THE    AHYSSINIAN    CHURCH.       GENOA.  1 85 
 
 number  of  masses  requisite  for  the  repose  of  the  soul  has  not  been 
 defined  bv  the  Church,  and  thus  the  misery  or  bliss  of  the  defunct 
 is  at  the  mercy  of  niggardly  relatives  and  exacting  priests.  At  the 
 expiration  of  a  fortnight  or  month,  the  Tascar,  or  banquet  for  the 
 dead,  is  celebrated,  when  priests  and  debterahs  will,  in  pious  de- 
 votion, devour  a  widow's  last  cow,  or  riot  on  her  hard  savings  of 
 many  years'  toil.  The  commemorative  feast  is  repeated  once  every 
 twelve  months  ;  and  this  gluttonous  exhibition  the  devout  and 
 superstitious  family  believe  enhances  the  bliss  of  the  deceased,  and 
 wafts  the  soul  to  brighter  realms.  Within  the  last  few  years, 
 through  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  vernacular, 
 more  enlightened  views  have  been  diffused  amongst  the  people, 
 and  many  now  openly  ridicule  the  idea,  that  the  indecent  debauch 
 of  depraved  ecclesiastics,  can  advance  the  happiness  of  departed 
 spirits. 
 
 "  An  instance  of  this  altered  feeling  occurred  in  a  village  on  the 
 plains  of  Dembea.  A  shum  of  considerable  rank,  while  on  a  visit 
 to  the  kolla,  or  low  country,  caught  a  dangerous  fever,  which,  on 
 his  return  home,  proved  fatal.  The  distracted  relatives,  in  the 
 excess  of  their  grief,  found  some  consolation  in  the  tears  of  friends 
 and  the  cordial  sympathy  of  a  sorrowing  district.  Liberality  to  the 
 priests,  and  kindness  to  the  poor  had  won  the  defunct  official 
 golden  opinions  ;  and  bands  of  ecclesiastics  and  mendicants,  in 
 hypocritical  rivalry,  emulated  each  other  in  extolling  the  many 
 virtues  which  had  adorned  his  character.  The  sorrow-stricken 
 widow  and  bereaved  children,  in  the  exuberance  of  their  gratitude 
 for  the  consolation  so  generously  proffered,  bestowed  handsome 
 largesses  on  several  churches  and  the  mass-saying  priests.  A  grand 
 Tascar  was  also  ere  long  appointed,  and,  in  eager  expectation  of  a 
 profuse  supply  of  detch,  dallah,  and  broundo,  groups  of  hungr}^ 
 guests,  from  far  and  near,  were  wending  their  way  on  the  auspicious 
 day  towards  the  house  of  mourning.  The  son  of  the  late  district 
 authority,  a  shrewd  waggish  fellow,  who  had  more  concern  for  the 
 patrimony  than  for  his  ancestor's  soul,  deferentially  welcomed  the 
 grinning,  bowing,  and  flattering  multitude.  A  whole  string  of  com- 
 plimentary and  unmeaning  phrases  having  been  duly  exchanged 
 between  the  host  and  his  guests,  the  conversation  spontaneously 
 turned  on  the  many  noble  qualities  of  the  late  '  baal  belt,'  which 
 every  one  eulogized  in  most  extravagant  terms.  '  And  do  you,  my 
 fathers,  really  believe,'  inquired  the  dutiful  son,  '  that  my  good  and 
 honoured  parent  is  in  the  blest  abode  of  the  righteous  ? '  '  No- 
 doubt,'  shouted  each  brounda  craving  throat,  '  he  is  in  Abraham's 
 bosom.'  'If  this  is  true,'  returned  the  scrupulous  inquirer,  'and 
 who  can  question  the  words  of  the  holy  fathers  ?  he  is  in  a  safe 
 and  happy  place,  and  I  must  not  disturb  him  by  a  Tascar.'  The 
 confounded  reverends  sought  to  modify  and  retract  their  verdict, 
 but  the  pious  host  was  inexorable  in  his  filial  resolve,  and  high  and 
 low,  priests  and  beggars,  were  compelled  to  march  off  with  hungier 
 unappeased." 
 
184  THE    ABOONA.       THE    AHVSSINIAN    CHURCH.       GEXDA. 
 
 We  may  here  add  a  passage,  descriptive  of  the  domain  over 
 Avhich  the  Aboona  presided,  and  from  which  he  derived  a  very 
 considerable  income.  In  dealing  with  his  own  ecclesiastics,  he 
 proved  himself  to  be  a  discriminating  judge,  and  a  severe  adminis- 
 trator of  ecclesiastical  punishments. 
 
 "A  further  ride  of  two  hours  brought  us  to  Gcnda,  the  ecclesi- 
 astical domain  of  the  Aboona.  His  Grace  had  already  communi- 
 cated the  probability  of  our  visit  to  his  shum,  and  this  official 
 generously  offered  us  a  home  and  shelter  during  our  stay.  We 
 accepted  the  proffered  accommodation  for  our  servants  and  animals, 
 but  as  our  skins  had  not  yet  become  impervious  to  the  sting  and 
 bite  of  all  kinds  of  reptiles  and  insects,  we  preferred  to  brave  the 
 uncertain  dangers  of  the  open  plain,  to  the  sure  assault  from  the 
 varied  specimens  of  entomology  to  be  found  in  a  native  shed. 
 
 "  The  town  of  Genda,  with  its  district,  which  affords  a  consider- 
 able revenue  to  the  Aboona  in  office,  also  receives  within  its  bounds 
 his  remains  when  defunct.  The  church  dedicated  to  this  sacred 
 object  stands  on  a  wide  open  space,  embowered  by  the  sombre 
 foliage  of  venerable  trees.  Like  all  sacred  edifices,  it  is  conically 
 shaped,  and  surmounted  by  an  apex  on  which  glitters,  in  the  bright 
 rays  of  the  sun,  the  significant  brazen  emblem  of  the  Christian 
 faith.  The  successive  Metropolitans  who  lie  buried  here,  I  believe, 
 never  expended  a  salt  on  its  repair,  and  the  walls  would  long  since 
 have  crumbled  into  ruin,  had  not  the  contributions  of  the  faithful 
 priest,  and  the  handicraft  of  the  unbelieving  Falasha,  occasionally 
 patched  up  the  revered  mausoleum.  Half-a-dozen  fanatical  monks, 
 who  had  come  from  a  remote  province  to  worship  at  the  shrine  of 
 the  holy  fathers,  when  they  saw  me  levelling  my  photographic 
 camera,  which  they  mistook  for  a  hostile  gun  ;  fiercely  seized  their 
 massive  clubs,  and,  in  a  compact  line,  marched  on  the  imaginary 
 enemy.  I  disarmed  their  monkish  wrath  by  reversing  the  instru- 
 ment. They  had  still  some  suspicion  about  my  design,  but,  on 
 showing  them  the  portrait  of  the  Aboona,  and  the  process  of  taking 
 a  view,  their  fears  were  forgotten  in  bewildering  amazement,  and 
 they  emphatically  ejaculated,  '  Be  Aboona  Salama  ye  viooi'  (By  the 
 death  of  Aboona  Salama),  you  are  a  magician  !' 
 
 "His  Grace's  palace,  a  conically-shaped  Egyptian  tent,  was,  from 
 motives  of  policy,  situated  on  an  undulating  verdant  sward,  near 
 enough  to  be  seen,  but  not  near  enough  to  allow  the  occupants  of 
 the  imperial  domiciles  to  scrutinize  their  Metropolitan's  doings. 
 The  genuine  simplicity  of  this  apostolic  abode  made  me  almost 
 sigh  a  pcccavi  at  the  recollection  of  my  former  uncharitable  sus- 
 picions about  prelatical  pride  and  hauteur  ;  but  a  closer  glance  at 
 the  gaudy-coloured  sanctum,  and  the  scores  of  prostrate  priests  at 
 its  entrance,  dissipated  all  such  squeamish  qualms,  and,  to  the 
 satisfaction  of  my  grinning  servant,  who,  no  doubt,  thought  that  I 
 was  treading  on  holy  ground  with  a  prayer  on  my  lips,  I  uncon- 
 
THE    AHOONA.      THE   ABYSSINIAN    CHURCH.      GENDA.  1 85 
 
 sciously  said  aloud,  '  Ah  !  enthrone  a  bishop  in  Africa,  or  enthrone 
 him  in  Europe,  if  Christ  is  not  his  example,  and  the  Spirit  his 
 teacher,  he  will  practically  vilify  that  very  truth  which  he  professes 
 to  uphold.' 
 
 "  There  were  at  least  five  or  six  hundred  Churchmen  squatted  on 
 the  large  open  space  in  front  of  the  tent,  waiting  for  an  interview 
 with  their  ecclesiastical  Chief.  Their  appearance,  though  grave 
 and  solemn,  lacked  dignity  and  intellect,  that  true  impress  of  the 
 Gospel  mission.  The  rigid  features  and  inanimate  eyes,  partly 
 muffled  in  cumbrous  shamas,  and  partly  shaded  by  voluminous 
 white  turbans,  were,  by  some  inexplicable  law  of  attraction,  uni- 
 formly bent  upon  that  humble  canvas  screen  which  sparkled  and 
 shone  under  the  sportive  ra)'S  of  the  noonday  sun. 
 
 "About  a  dozen  pairs  of  gay  and  smiling  priests  shackled  in 
 rusty  fetters,  as  if  proud  of  their  distinction,  in  singular  contrast  to 
 their  sombre  and  immobile  co-workmen,  strutted  on  the  velvet  turf, 
 with  steps  apparently  regulated  by  the  music  of  their  not  very  cre- 
 ditable chains.  Now,  manacled  gangs  were  by  no  means  unfamiliar 
 to  me,  having  resided  near  the  arsenal  of  the  Grand  Turk, 
 and  was  at  that  very  time  moving  in  the  courtly  atmosphere  of 
 Negoos  Theodoras  ;  but  then  almost  every  one  of  those  blear-eyed 
 incorrigible  vagabonds  had  the  tale  of  his  life  written  in  letters  of 
 fire  on  his  villainous  countenance  ;  whilst  these  ironed  priests  wore 
 neither  the  meek  look  of  guilty  penitents,  nor  exhibited  the  most 
 honourable  badges  to  clerical  preferment.  Absorbed  in  the  puz- 
 zling conjecture  as  to  the  nature  of  the  chains,  which  these  reverend 
 gentlemen  so  ostentatiously  paraded,  I  abstractedly  walked  on,  and 
 w-as  already  in  the  presence  of  the  great  Aboona,  when,  to  my  con- 
 fusion, I  became  aware  of  the  ugly  fact  that  I  had  not  been 
 announced.  I  quickly  apologized  in  the  best  language  I  could 
 command  ;  but  his  Grace  in  most  urbane  terms  assured  me  that  the 
 etiquette,  indispensable  in  receiving  strangers,  was  never  enforced 
 at  the  visits  of  friends.  This  condescending  reception  broke  the 
 ice  of  formality,  and  in  a  lively  and  interesting  strain  we  were  dis- 
 cussing topics  of  heterodoxy  and  themes  of  orthodoxy  ;  on  the 
 priests  of  Shoa,  who  eschew  truth,  and  with  their  ever  faithful  dag- 
 ger maintain  error  ;  on  the  Godjamees,  who  profess  Christianity, 
 and  yet  sadly  stick  to  Pagan  vagaries  and  Falasha  superstitions  ;  in 
 fact,  our  conversation  might  have  smoothly  run  on  till  dewy  eve, 
 had  not  the  declining  shadow — the  indicator  of  time's  flight  in 
 primitive  Ethiopia — struck  life  into  those  crouching  statues,  and 
 unstrung  the  tongues  of  those  taciturn  heads.  '  Abootia  ye  ?nooi  !' 
 '  ]May  the  Aboona  die.'  A  solemn  and  flattering  oath,  in  varied 
 cadences,  from  the  deep  bass  to  the  shrill  soprano,  resounded  from 
 the  throats  of  a  band  of  prostrate  and  cringing  ecclesiastics,  and 
 was  reproduced  in  all  its  mellifluous  native  accent  by  the  ever- 
 faithful  echo.  Such  an  adjuration  even  an  Aboona  could  not  resist, 
 and,    comfortably    seated    on    his    cushioned    alga,  with  a    black 
 
 N 
 
l86  THE   ABOONA.      THE   ABYSSINIAN    CHURCH.      GENDA. 
 
 silk  covering  over  his  august  head  clown  to  his  genuine  Coptic  nose, 
 he  had  to  endure  the  dreadful  bore  of  listening  to  all  sorts  of  plaints, 
 from  the  consecration  of  a  tabot  to  the  exorcising  of  a  bouda  ;  and 
 from  a  breach  of  ecclesiastical  discipline,  to  the  ignominious 
 seizure  of  a  poor  parishioner's  useful  donkey. 
 
 "  The  heterogeneous  mass  of  subjects  submitted  to  the  prelate's 
 decision,  might  have  perplexed  themost  acute  judgment  and  shrewd 
 intellect,  but  twenty-two  years'  constant  practice  had  sharpened  his 
 Grace's  judicial  perceptions;  and,  in  a  masterly  manner,  the  abstruse 
 subtilties  of  polemics  were  unravelled,  and  the  refractory  conduct 
 of  the  contumacious  promptly  chastised.  One  party  being  dismissed, 
 another  was  about  to  advance,  when  they  were  peremptorily  ordered 
 to  stand  back  till  the  charges  against  the  Abadies,  or  fathers  in 
 chains,  had  been  satisfactorily  settled. 
 
 "  A  glow  of  indignation  overspread  the  calm  and  placid  features 
 of  the  Prelate  as  those  worthies  were  introduced,  and,  quite  unlike 
 the  other  evildoers,  they  were  addressed  in  a  tone  that  caused  their 
 swarthy  cheeks  to  grow  pale,  and  their  whole  frame  feverishly  to 
 throb.  The  withering  sarcasm  of  their  chief  pastor's  impassioned 
 salutation,  inclined  me  to  believe  that  these  cowering  and  crouching 
 figures,  an  hour  before  so  haughty,  and  now  so  crestfallen,  must  be 
 horrid  criminals  and  irreclaimable  offenders  :  but  it  was  not  so. 
 Their  reverences,  as  I  soon  understood,  had  neither  robbed  churches 
 nor  scandalized  their  caste  by  unlawful  practices,  as  others  in  that 
 white-clad  company  had  done  ;  but  they  were  guilty  of  that  \vhich, 
 in  the  Prelatical  balances,  far  outweighed  every  other  sacerdotal 
 failing, — they  had  pertinaciously  clung  to  the  abolished  dogma  of 
 the  three  births  of  Christ,  and  they  had  also  arrogantly  absolved  cer- 
 tain priests  whom  his  Grace  had  found  it  necessary  to  excommuni- 
 cate. The  poor  men,  writhing  under  the  fear  of  the  impending  verdict, 
 pathetically  appealed  to  the  Aboona's  clemency  ;  and,  no  doubt, 
 their  penitential  contrition  mitigated  the  severity  of  the  sentence, 
 which,  though  lenient,  consisted  of  several  months'  successive  fasts, 
 divers  fines,  and  the  promise  of  the  giraffe  ;  besides  the  pleasing 
 prospect  that  a  repetition  of  the  offence  might  involve  banishment 
 from  the  realm,  and  the  amputation  of  a  leg  or  the  loss  of  an  arm. 
 
 "  Now,  in  Abyssinia,  where  the  spiritual  authority  of  the  Church 
 is  controlled  by  the  secular  power  of  the  Crown,  the  INIetropolitan 
 cannot  legally  inflict  corporal  punishment ;  but  as  every  j^riest 
 knows  that  in'matters  of  faith,  and  particularly  on  questions  relating 
 to  the  disputed  tenet  of  our  Lord's  birth,  the  King  zealously  sup- 
 ports the  Aboona,  nevertheless,  very  few,  unless  their  lives  are  in 
 danger,  would  submit  their  religious  differences  to  the  secular  rather 
 than  to  the  spiritual  tribunal." 
 
 I'hc  despotic  power  of  Theodorus  was  frequently  exercised 
 without  regard  to  the  office  and  dignity  of  those  persons  who  lived 
 in   the  country,  or  who  acted  as  ambassadors  from  neighbouring 
 
THE   AROONA.      THE    AHYSSIXIAX    CHURCH.       GENDA.  I  87 
 
 States.  Even  ecclesiastics  felt  again  and  again  the  burden  of  his 
 displeasure,  and  the  rigour  of  his  rule.  To  curb  the  pretensions 
 of  others,  as  much  with  a  view  of  asserting  his  own  superi- 
 ority, as  in  the  ebullitions  of  passion  to  which  he  was  sub- 
 ject, seemed  to  him  a  pastime,  even  more  than  a  duty.  The 
 claims  of  justice  and  sound  policy,  were  often  curiously 
 united  with  the  determination  to  make  everyone  and  everything 
 bend  to  his  relentless  will.  When  he  reached  supreme  power  we 
 read  : — 
 
 "The  hierarchv  who,  by  many  overt  acts,  had  manifested  their 
 antipathy  to  the  new  King  and  their  symitathy  with  every  rising 
 rebel,  were  deservedly  selected  to  expiate  their  unchristian  bias 
 towards  anarchy  and  dis(rrder,  by  the  estabbshm-nt  of  a  new  code 
 for  the  regulation  of  Church  property,  antl  tliC  administration  of 
 her  revenues. 
 
 "  Since  the  reign  of  Yasous,  a.d.  1680,  the  Abyssinian  Church, 
 partly  by  intrigue  and  partly  by  intimidation,  had  acijuired  vast 
 landed  property.  These  extensive  domains,  wliich  comprise  a  third 
 of  the  country,  are  free  from  all  imposts  and  taxation.  The  King, 
 unwilling  to  increase  the  burden  of  the  peasant  at  the  expense  of 
 the  Church,  at  once  sequestrated  all  this  property  for  the  use  of  the 
 State  ;  and  instead  of  swarms  of  ignorant  and  vicious  priests,  who 
 obtained  ordination  in  order  to  live  without  labour,  and  assumed 
 the  turban  in  order  to  enjoy  luxurious  ease,  he  appointed  two  priests 
 and  three  deacons  for  each  church,  and  to  these  he  gave  small  tracts 
 of  land  to  cultivate  for  their  maintenance.  The  storm  of  indigna- 
 tion and  ebullition  of  wrathful  feeling,  which  this  new  edict  pro- 
 voked, taught  him  the  impracticability  of  carrying  into  immediate 
 execution,  a  policy  so  important  for  the  interests  and  welfare  of  his 
 country  ;  but  although  he  bided  his  time,  he  did  not  abandon  his 
 plan,  and  in  i860,  a  little  after  my  arrival  in  the  country,  the  sus- 
 pended law  came  into  full  force. 
 
 "In  December,  1856,  whilst  the  King  was  encamped  at  Jan 
 Meeda,  near  Debra  Tabor,  he  obtained  intelligence  of  the  arrival  of 
 the  Copt  Patriarch,  Cyrillus,  who  had  been  despatched  as  Ambas- 
 sador Extraordinary  by  Said  Pasha,  the  Viceroy  of  Egypt.  At  the 
 first  interview  the  King  expressed  surprise  that  a  Lik  Papas,  or 
 Patriarch,  should  assume  the  office  of  a  Mohammedan  representa- 
 tive, and,  as  if  anxious  to  make  the  proud  priest  smart  for  the  super- 
 cilious contempt  which  he  had  evinced  for  the  Abyssinians  since 
 his  arrival  in  the  country,  he  inquired,  in  a  tone  of  sarcastic  irony, 
 whether  the  propositions  he  offered  for  his  acceptance  were  dic- 
 tated by  love  to  Christ,  or  devotion  to  Said  Pasha.  -The  Patriarch, 
 galled  by  these  taunts,  merged  the  mildness  of  the  priest  in  the  ire 
 of  the  offended  Ambassador,  and,  in  words  to  which  royalty,  even 
 
1 88  THE    ABOONA.      THE    ABYSSINIAN    CHURCH.      GENDA. 
 
 in  the  wilds  of  Africa  is  unaccustomed,  gave  utterance  to  his 
 hitherto  suppressed  passion,  an  indiscretion  which  caused  him  and 
 the  Aboona  to  be  placed  under  arrest  in  the  royal  camp.  This  of 
 course  created  a  strong  sensation  ;  and  from  every  quarter  priests 
 and  monks  repaired  to  the  royal  presence  to  intercede  in  behalf  of 
 their  ecclesiastical  Chiefs.  To  curb  the  importunity  of  these  cla- 
 morous petitioners,  he  callously  replied  that  he  left  the  solution  of 
 his  quarrel  with  a  higher  Power,  and  that  if  he  was  wrong  in  not 
 complying  with  the  conditions  of  the  Patriarch,  which  required  that 
 he  should  expel  his  few  valued  European  friends,  and  grant  various 
 privileges  to  his  JNIahommedan  subjects,  the  men  whom  they  hypocri- 
 tically styled  saints  would,  no  doubt,  like  Tecla  Haimanot,  be 
 favoured  with  wings  to  fly  out  of  the  thorny  enclosure  w-ithin  which 
 they  were  confined.  Unfortunately,  this  volant  power  was  not  imparted 
 to  the  incarcerated  and  well-guarded  prelates  ;  a  disappointment 
 which  bent  their  stout  minds,  and  taught  the  Gospel  maxim  of 
 humility  to  their  proud  hearts.  The  King,  satisfied  that  the  salu- 
 tary penance  of  five  days'  imprisonment  had  not  been  inflicted  in 
 vain,  came  to  terms  with  his  prisoners,  and,  in  the  sight  of  the 
 applauding  army,  the  Patriarch  and  Aboona  were  led  out  of  their 
 demolished  prickly  fence,  to  more  commodious  and  agreeable 
 quarters. 
 
 "  In  the  following  November  the  Patriarch  obtained  leave  to  de- 
 part, and  never  did  a  chief  pastor  more  willingly  quit  his  flock,  or  a 
 flock  more  anxiously  sigh  for  the  disappearance  of  their  chief  pastor, 
 than  the  Abyssinians  did  for  the  hated  Cyrillus,  and  Cyrillus  for  that 
 of  the  equally  hated  Abyssinians." 
 
CHAPTER    XXIII. 
 
 THE    FALASHAS. 
 
 It  is  now  necessary,  that  the  people  to  whom  Mr.  Stern's  mission 
 was  specially  addressed  should  be  made  the  subject  of  our  consider- 
 ation. So  uncertain  and  complex  had  been  the  accounts  which 
 from  time  to  time  had  reached  Europe  concerning  the  origin, 
 habits,  and  religious  belief  of  this  remarkable  people,  that 
 it  needed  personal  inquiry  and  observation  in  order  to  arrive  at  just 
 and  satisfactory  conclusions  concerning  them.  That  they  professed 
 to  be  jews,  and  were  in  the  habit  of  observing  many  Jewish  cere- 
 monies, had  been  well  known.  But  the  evidence  on  which  their 
 claims  rested,  and  the  extent  to  which  their  practices  coincided 
 with  those  enjoined  in  the  Levitical  Law,  was  the  subject  still  of 
 considerable  uncertainty.  It  was  part  of  Mr.  Stern's  duty  to  endea- 
 vour to  arrange  and  reduce  to  order  this  tangled  skein  of  mingled 
 truth  and  fable,  and  to  elucidate  the  facts  which  wuuld  justify  his 
 mission  being  accepted,  as  one  essentially  to  "the  lost  sheep  of 
 the  house  of  Israel." 
 
 "  Ealasha,  from  the  Ethiopic  /alas,  signifies  exile,  and  is  the 
 name  by  which  the  Jews  in  Abyssinia  are  designated.  The  period 
 of  their  settlement  in  that  remote  country  is  involved  in  uncer- 
 tainty. According  to  their  own  tradition,  and  the  concurrent 
 testimony  of  native  Christian  writers,  they  came  to  Ethiopia  in  the 
 reign  of  Maqueda,  the  Queen  of  Sheba.  This  princess,  v\ho,  in  the 
 lays  and  legends  of  the  country,  is  pourtraycil  in  the  most  glowing 
 and  extravagant  colours,  had  frequently  heard  from  merchants  and 
 traders,  of  the  magnificence  and  wisdom  of  the  Jewish  Monarch. 
 Curiosity,  not  unmixed  with  a  touch  of  pardonalile  vanity,  prompted 
 her  to  visit  the  court  of  the  wise  and  famous  Soh)n:on.  Her  fault- 
 less beautv,  and  intellectual  sagacity,  won  for  her  the  favour  and 
 
igO  THE    FAI.ASHAS. 
 
 assiduous  attentions  of  the  gifted  King;  and,  after  a  lengthened 
 sojourn  at  Jerusalem,  she  returned  to  her  own  dominions,  laden 
 with  munificent  iiresents,  and,  what  greatly  enhanced  her  happiness, 
 with  a  youthful  heir  and  prince,  in  the  person  of  her  son  Menilek. 
 The  bond  of  friernlship  and  union  between  the  two  mighty  rulers, 
 initiated  by  mutual  regard  and  cemented  by  the  tenderest  affection, 
 was  made  still  more  lasting  and  secure  by  religious  svmpathw  In 
 the  train  of  the  illustrious  princess,  besides  a  number  of  tlistin- 
 guishcd  Jews  from  every  tribe,  was  Azariah,  the  son  of  the  High- 
 priest  Zailok,  to  wh(j;n  the  pious  j)arent  had  specially  intrusted  the 
 education  of  Menilek  and  the  guardianship  of  the  /a/x)/,  or  trans- 
 cript of  the  law.  The  impetuous  zeal  of  the  emigrants  found  ample 
 scope  for  its  loftiest  inspiration  in  the  new  world  to  which  they 
 were  transplanted,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  the  worship  of 
 the  God  of  Israel  extensively  supplanted  the  idolatries  of  Ethiopia. 
 
 "  From  these  vague  traditions  in  which  truth  and  fiction  are  in- 
 extricably jumbled  together,  the  inquirer  does  not  gain  much  trust- 
 worthy information  on  the  history  of  Ethiopia,  and  the  settlement 
 of  the  Jews  in  that  country.  The  most  j)robable  conjecture  is,  that 
 at  a  very  early  period — perhaps  when  Solomon's  fleet  navigated  the 
 Red  Sea — some  adventurous  Jews,  impelled  bv  love  of  gain,  settled 
 among  the  pleasant  hills  of  Arabia  Felix  ;  whilst  others  of  a  more 
 daring  and  enterprising  spirit  were  induced  to  try  their  fortune  in 
 the  more  remote,  though  not  less  salubrious,  mountain  scenes  of 
 Ethic^pia.  The  Queen  of  Sheba's  visit  to  Solomon,  whether  she 
 reigned  over  both  or  only  one  of  those  countries,  is  an  incontestable 
 proof  tliat  the  wise  King's  fame  had  spread  far  beyond  his  own 
 empire.  To  subjects  of  a  monarch  so  renowned  !or  wisdom, 
 wealth  and  power,  a  gracious  reception  was,  no  doubt,  everywhere 
 accorded  ;  and  the  new  setthrs,  in  their  prosperity  abroad,  probably 
 soon  forgot  the  attractions  of  their  home  in  Judea.  Sul)sequent 
 troubles  in  Palestine,  and  the  final  overthrow  of  the  Jewish  mon- 
 archy by  Nebuchadnezzar,  increased  the  number  of  the  emigrants, 
 and  in  the  lapse  of  a  few  centuries  the  Jews  formed  a  powerful  State 
 in  Arabia,  and  a  formidable  and  turbulent  people  in  the  Alpine 
 regions  between  Tigre  and  Amhara  in  Ethiopia. 
 
 "The  legend  of  Menilek  and  the  supposed  descent  of  the  Abys- 
 sinian Sovereigns  from  the  line  of  Solomon,  unquestionably  exer- 
 •cised  a  salutary  influence  in  favour  of  the  Jews,  and  contributed 
 more  than  anything  else  towards  the  spread  of  those  Mosaic  rites 
 and  ceremonies,  which  to  this  day  are  still  so  extensively  engrafted 
 •on  the  Christianity  of  the  country.  On  the  promulgation  of  the 
 Gospel,  the  Jews,  who  had  now  become  scattered  all  over  the 
 Avestern  plains  of  Tschelga  and  Dembea,  retired  again  to  their 
 mountain  fastnesses  of  Semien  and  Bellessa,  where,  under  their  own 
 king  and  queen,  called  Gideon  and  Judith,  they  maintained  till 
 .the  beginning  of  the    17th  century  a  chequered  and  independent 
 
THE    FALASHAS.  191 
 
 existence.  With  the  fall  of  their  last  ruler,  and  the  capture  of  their 
 strongholds,  the  Falashas  were  driven  from  their  rocky  homes,  and 
 forced  to  seek  a  refuge  in  the  midst  of  their  enemies,  the  detested 
 Amharas.  The  provinces  in  which  theyat  present  reside  are  Dembea, 
 Quara,  Woggera,  Tschelga,  and  Godjam,  where  their  settlements 
 are  strikingly  distinguished  from  the  Christian  villages  by  the  red 
 earthen  pot  on  the  apex  of  their  jucsqmd,  or  place  of  worship,  which 
 towers  from  the  centre  of  the  thatched  huts  by  which  it  is  invari- 
 ably environed. 
 
 "  Claiming  a  lineal  descent  from  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  the 
 Falashas  pride  themselves  on  the  fame  of  their  progenitors,  and  the 
 purity  of  the  blood  that  circulates  in  their  own  veins.  Intermar- 
 riages with  those  of  another  tribe  or  creed  are  strictly  interdicted, 
 nay,  even  a  visit  to  an  unbeliever's  house  is  a  sin,  and  subjects  the 
 transgressor  to  the  penance  of  a  thorough  lustration  and  a  complete 
 change  of  dress,  before  he  can  return  to  his  own  home.  Their 
 stern,  uncompromising  sectarian  spirit,  has  been  highly  beneficial 
 in  excluding  from  their  community  that  licentious  profligacy  in 
 which  all  the  other  inhabitants  of  Ethiopia  riot ;  and  it  is  generally 
 admitted  that  Falasha  men  and  women  seldom,  if  ever,  stray  from 
 the  path  of  virtue,  or  transgress  the  solemn  law  of  the  decalogue. 
 
 "  The  bane  of  early  marriages — the  blight  of  domestic  happiness 
 and  holy  affection  in  so  many  countries, — the  Jew  in  Abyssinia 
 justly  deprecates,  and  no  parent  will  give  his  daughter  to  a  man 
 who  is  not  conscious  of  the  responsibility  he  contracts,  and  willing 
 to  labour  for  the  woman  he  has  wooed.  Most  of  the  men  enter 
 into  the  marital  state  at  an  age  varying  from  twenty  to  thirty,  and 
 the  women  from  fifteen  to  twenty  ;  and  the  troth  once  plighted,  no 
 priestly  power  can  ever  annul.  Polygamy  they  do  not  practise,  nor 
 are  their  daughters  and  wives  shut  up  in  closely-fenced  huts,  as 
 amongst  the  Christian  magnates  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  enjoy  im- 
 munity from  all  slavish  restraint,  and  their  graceful  and  modest 
 deportment  is  the  best  proof  that  they  are  worthy  of  it. 
 
 "  Faithful  in  their  domestic  relations,  the  Falashas  are  also,  as 
 far  as  their  limited  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  extends,  faithful  to 
 their  religious  convictions.  The  law  of  Closes,  which  they  profess 
 to  observe,  is  the  formula  after  which  they  have  moulded  their  wor- 
 ship ;  and  it  sounds  strange  to  hear  in  Central  Africa  of  a  Jewish 
 altar  and  atoning  sacrifices.  Their  mesquids,  like  the  Christian 
 Churches,  consist  of  three  divisions,  with  an  entrance  towards  the 
 east.  The  admission  into  these  diff"erent  courts  is  rigorously  regu- 
 lated by  the  Levitical  Law,  and  the  severest  penalty  would  be 
 inflicted  on  anyone  who  should  incautiously  pollute  the  sacred 
 edifice.  In  the  rear  of  every  place  of  worship  is  a  small  enclosure, 
 with  a  huge  stone  in  the  centre  ;  and  on  this  crude  altar  the  victim 
 is  slaughtered,  and  all  other  sacrificial  rights  performed.  This 
 sanctum  is  as  sacredly  guarded  from  unlawful  intrusion  as  the  rest 
 
192  THE    FALASHAS. 
 
 of  the  premises,  and  woe  betide  the  stranger  who,  ignorant  of 
 Falasha  customs,  ventures  too  close  to  the  forbidden  precincts. 
 Before  I  had  been  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  niesquid  architec- 
 ture, I  was  one  day  on  the  very  verge  of  committing  this  unpardon- 
 able offence.  It  was  a  very  sultry  and  close  noon  when,  after 
 several  hours'  fatiguing  march,  we  reached  a  Falasha  village. 
 Eager  to  obtain  a  short  rest,  I  went  in  quest  of  a  cool  and  quiet 
 shelter,  when  accidentally  I  espied,  in  the  midst  of  a  secluded 
 grassy  spot,  a  smooth  block,  that  looked  as  if  it  had  been  charit- 
 ably placed  there  to  invite  the  weary  to  solitude  and  repose.  The 
 thorny  stockade  easily  yielded  to  the  iron  of  my  lance,  and  I  was 
 just  about  to  ensconce  myself  behind  the  flattened  stone,  when  a 
 chorus  of  angry  voices,  made  still  more  clamorous  by  the  ever- 
 tantalizing  echo,  reminded  me  of  my  mistake,  and  urged  me  to  beat 
 a  hasty  retreat. 
 
 "The  painful  scarcity  of  the  sacred  volume  among  the  Falashas, 
 which  forcibly  reminds  one  of  the  pathetic  denunciation  in  Amos, 
 ch.  viii.,  II,  12,  is  exhibited  in  their  unconscious  deviation  from 
 that  very  law  which  they  so  loudly  profess  to  observe.  Their  sacri- 
 fices are  most  capriciously  offered,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the 
 Paschal  Lamb,  neither  the  offering  on  the  Sabbath,  nor  on  the  day 
 of  Atonement,  is  in  accordance  with  the  original  command.  Igno- 
 rant as  the  priests  and  their  people  are  of  the  contents  of  God's 
 Word,  they  possess  a  most  familiar  knowledge  of  those  chapters  in 
 Leviticus  that  treat  of  the  laws  of  purification.  Saturday  after 
 Saturday,  the  Falasha  congregations  throughout  Abyssinia  hear  in 
 their  mesquids  an  exposition  or  discourse  on  that  edifying  topic  ; 
 even  a  stranger,  whom  the  officiating  ministers  deign  to  honour,  is 
 condemned  to  listen,  amidst  the  melodious  la  la  Ids  of  the  women, 
 to  a  chapter  describing  leprosy,  plague,  or  other  ills  which  sin  and 
 dirt,  vice  and  ungodliness,  have  entailed  on  offending  humanity. 
 To  provide  for  any  such  contingency,  every  Falasha  settlement  has 
 a  hut  at  its  outskirts,  and  there  the  unclean  and  impure  must  take 
 refuge  during  the  prescribed  number  of  days. 
 
 "  This  ritual  scrupulosity  involves  many  social  hardships,  and 
 inflicts  on  numbers  many  a  keen  pang.  Particularly  in  the  hour  of 
 dissolution,  when  the  sweet  expressions  of  friendship  and  love  are 
 so  soothing  to  the  agonized  soul  and  anguished  frame,  the  dying 
 Falasha  has  no  affectionate  hand  clasped  in  his,  and  no  words  of 
 comfort  from  beloved  objects  whispered  in  his  ears.  The  inflexible 
 law  forbids  the  last  offices  to  the  weeping  relative,  and  the  helpless 
 sufferer  is,  in  death's  agonizing  convulsions,  dragged  from  the  weary 
 couch  into  the  open  air,  where  the  polluted  and  unclean  remove 
 him  from  the  bare  ground  to  the  tainted  and  lonely  hut. 
 
 "  The  feasts  ordained  in  Scripture  are  regularly  observed  by  the 
 Falashas,  though  with  less  rigour  than  by  the  Jews  in  other  parts  of 
 the  world.     Passover,  which,  also  according  to  Exodus  xii.  2,  marks 
 
THE    FALASHAS.  1 93 
 
 the  commencement  of  their  new  year,  is  solemnized  by  offering  the 
 appointed  sacrifice,  and  by  the  substitution  of  unleavened  for  lea- 
 vened bread.  These  passover  cakes  they  do  not  prepare  before- 
 hand in  the  orthodox  style,  but  each  family  bakes  every  day  the 
 quantity  requisite  for  the  household.  On  the  feast  of  Pentecost, 
 the  feast  of  trumpets,  the  day  of  atonement,  and  the  feast  of  taber- 
 nacles, the  people  bring  their  offerings  to  the  mesquids,  and  also 
 join  in  appropriate  commemorative  prayers  ;  but  beyond  this,  and 
 abstinence  from  agricultural  pursuits,  they  neither  blow  the  horn, 
 erect  booths,  nor  practise  the  other  ancient  ceremonies  of  the  syna- 
 gogue. 
 
 "  But,  notwithstanding  this  apparent  laxity  in  the  observance  of 
 their  other  festivals,  they  entertain  the  most  rigid  notions  as  to  the 
 sanctity  of  the  Sabbath.  The  preparations  for  the  due  celebration 
 of  this  sacred  day  commence  on  Friday  at  noon,  when  every  one, 
 who  is  not  prevented  by  illness,  repairs  to  an  adjacent  river,  to 
 bathe  and  change  his  garb.  This  task  accomplished,  the  majority 
 lazily  saunter  about  in  the  fields,  or  indolently  recline  on  the  grassy 
 margin  of  some  sparkling  stream,  till  sunset  summons  to  the  mes- 
 quid.  The  service,  which  consists  in  chanting  psalms  and  hymns, 
 relieved  by  allegorical  stories,  and  a  few  verses  or  a  chapter  of  the 
 book  of  Leviticus,  lasts  a  considerable  time,  and  in  some  places, 
 the  plaintive  notes  of  the  worshippers  may  even  be  heard  across 
 the  quiet  valley  and  around  the  lonely  hill,  throughout  the  night. 
 This  extreme  religious  fervour  the  priests  exclusively  monopolize, 
 nor  do  their  flocks  envy  them  a  privilege  which  would  rob  them, 
 after  six  days'  toil,  of  that  very  rest  and  physical  health  which  the 
 Sabbath  was  designed  to  promote. 
 
 "Exemplary-  in  their  morals,  cleanly  in  their  habits,  and  devout 
 in  their  belief,  the  Falashas  are  also  industrious  in  the  daily  pursuits 
 and  avocations  of  life.  Husbandry  and  a  few  simple  trades — such 
 as  smiths,  potters,  and  weavers, — constitute  the  sole  occupations  in 
 which  they  engage  ;  commerce  they  unanimously  repudiate  as  in- 
 compatible with  their  Mosaic  Creed,  and  it  is  quite  a  disappoint- 
 ment not  to  find  a  single  merchant,  among  a  quarter  of  a  million  of 
 people,  the  lineal  descendants  of  those  who  are  supposed  to  have 
 acquired  a  taste  for  traffic  and  riches,  on  the  very  eve  of  their  eman- 
 cipation from  Egyptian  servitude. 
 
 "  The  conscientious  fidelity  of  the  Falasha  to  the  law  is  strangely 
 inverted  by  the  very  priests  who  pretend  to  be  its  props  and  support. 
 According  to  the  unimpeachable  annals  of  the  Church,  Christianity 
 was  introduced  into  Abyssinia  at  the  end  of  the  third  or  the  com- 
 mencement of  the  fourth  century.  The  Jewish  religion,  free 
 from  all  traditional  corruptions  antecedent  to  this  date,  as  I  have 
 already  mentioned,  had  numerous  adherents  both  in  Habesh 
 and  across  the  Straits,  in  Arabia  the  Happy.  Islamism,  which,  like 
 an  irresistible  equatorial  conflagration,   spread  its  devastating  and 
 
19+  THE    FALASHAS. 
 
 devouring  flames  from  the  Indus  to  the  (Ganges,  and  from  the  Wall 
 of  China  to  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  annihilated  the  Jewish  polity  in 
 the  land  of  its  birth,  and  offered  the  alternative  of  death  or  the 
 Koran.  The  existence  of  a  Jewish  colony  in  an  adjacent  continent, 
 no  doubt  induced  many  to  seek  liberty  in  exile,  and  toleration  in 
 penury.  Fanaticism,  like  an  epidemic,  intensified  by  persecution, 
 was  fed  in  solitude,  and  ripened  on  Semien's  stern  and  craggy 
 heights.  The  poor  emigrants,  having  preferred  poverty  and  want, 
 to  liberty  and  a  hated  creed,  now  sought  to  infuse  their  own  spirit 
 of  bigotry  into  their  co-religionists  ;  and  as  the  Christians  had  not 
 profited  much  by  the  Gospel,  so  the  jews  had  evidently  not  been 
 much  benefited  by  the  solemn  spiritual  truths  taught  by  Moses. 
 Sacrifices  and  misunderstood  ceremonies  constituted  then,  as  at 
 present,  their  whole  religious  system.  The  people,  who  always 
 recognized  in  their  spiritual  guides  the  arbitrators  of  their  future 
 weal  or  woe,  willingly  paid  them,  as  they  still  do,  the  homage  of 
 their  hearts,  and  the  tithe  of  all  their  earthly  possessions.  Human 
 ambition,  however,  is  quite  as  soaring  in  Central  Africa  as  in  civi- 
 lized Europe,  and  the  grasping  priest,  not  content  with  his  sacer- 
 dotal character,  must  needs  be  also  distinguished  from  the  common 
 herd  by  the  sanctity  of  his  person,  and  the  immaculate  purity  of  his 
 life.  The  laxity  of  morals  amongst  the  Christians,  which  had  also 
 infected  the  Jews,  afforded  the  longed-for  opportunity;  and  a  fanatic 
 called  Gorgorius,  who  proclaimed  himself  a  prophet,  loudly 
 denounced  the  prevailing  evil,  and  enjoined  on  all  who  would  follow 
 him,  to  take  the  same  steps  as  those  who  in  the  earlier  days  of  Chris- 
 tianity put  a  mistaken  construction  on  one  of  our  Lord's  sayings  in 
 Matt.'  xix. 
 
 "  Impelled  by  a  blind  and  implicit  faith  in  the  regenerator  of 
 their  caste,  these  priests,  after  their  initiation,  frequently  pass 
 months  anti  years,  like  the  Christian  hermit  in  times  of  yore,  in 
 swampy  marshes,  stern  wilds,  and  poisonous  jungles,  where  roots  or 
 dried  peas  (which  latter  they  carry  with  them)  are  their  only  means 
 of  subsistence.  Numbers  succumb  to  the  noxious  influence  of  the 
 atmosphere,  others  perish  of  famine,  whilst  not  a  few  become  the 
 prey  of  the  lion,  tiger,  hyena,  and  other  voracious  and  venomous 
 beasts,  which  inhabit  those  unsightly  tracts.  These  hardships  and 
 dangers,  one  would  think,  were  quite  enough  to  deter  any  one  from 
 so  hazardous  and  diflicult  a  novitiate  ;  but  such  is  the  contagion  of 
 fanaticism,  that  not  only  will  many  patiently,  for  years  and  years, 
 endure  pains  and  privation,  hunger  and  toil ;  but  scores,  in  the 
 wild  frenzy  of  their  disordered  imagination,  will,  every  year  during 
 the  rainy  season,  seek  peace  for  their  troubled  souls  by  a  voluntary 
 grave,  in  the  deep  and  rapid  streams  which  intersect  the  whole 
 land.  Dcbterah  Negousee,  an  honest  and  candid  Falasha,  told  me, 
 he  knew  a  priest  who  threw  himself  into  a  boisterous  river,  flowing 
 through  Armatgioho,  but  as  the  current  was  very  strong,  and  the 
 banks  in  some  parts  on  a  level  with  the  water,  he  was  drifted  ashore 
 
THE    FALASHAS.  I  95 
 
 in  a  state  of  stupor.  The  self-immolating  ascetic,  when  conscious- 
 ness returned,  felt  deeply  afflicted  at  this  escape  from  premature 
 death  ;  and  as  if  some  great  misfortune  had  befallen  him,  he 
 lamented,  in  his  restoration  to  earth,  an  imaginary  unfitness  for 
 heaven.  Those  who  inflict  on  themselves  all  the  tortures  and 
 wasting  agonies  frail  humanity  can  endure,  are  regarded  by  the 
 common  people  with  great  veneration  ;  though  others,  and  i>ariicu- 
 larly  the  debterahs,  or  learned  class,  consider  them  proud,  arro- 
 gant, and  self-righteous  fanatics.  The  dwellings  and  couNcnts  of 
 these  ascetics  are  carefully  isolated  from  the  abodes  of  the  inipure 
 and  unholy  people  ;  nay,  as  every  contact  with  the  common  herd 
 communicates  contamination,  and  involves  laborious  lavations  of 
 bodv  and  dress,  they  will  not  eat,  drink,  or  sleep  in  the  houses  of 
 other  jieople  ;  even  their  own  fields  must  be  cultivated,  the  harvest 
 reaped,  and  the  bread  prepared,  by  themselves  or  younger  monks. 
 
 "There  is  sonu'thing  in  the  very  appearance  of  these  ascetics, 
 which  proclaims  iliem  martyrs  to  their  own  bigotry  and  self-created 
 delusion.  The  common  people  have  all  an  erect,  upright  carriage, 
 altogether  free  i'rom  that  nervous  and  shrinking  diffidence  which 
 external  tvrann\'  or  internal  despair  engender ;  but  the  priests, 
 whenever  their  own  piety  and  self-righteous  deeds  are  not  ques- 
 tioned, have,  as  a  body,  the  unhappy  look,  ihe  knitted  brow,  the 
 restless  glance,  which  speak  of  corroding  cares  and  hopeless 
 anguish.  In  physiognomy,  most  of  the  Falashas  bear  striking  traces 
 of  their  Semitic  origin.  Among  the  first  group  we  saw  at  (londar, 
 there  were  some  v.hose  Jewish  features  no  one  could  have  mis- 
 taken, wlio  had  ever  seen  the  descendants  of  Abraham,  either  in 
 London  or  Berlin.  Their  com j flexion  is  a  shade  paler  than  that  of 
 the  Abyssinians,  and  their  eyes,  although  black  and  sparkling,  are 
 not  so  disproportionately  large  as  those 'which  characteristically 
 mark  the  other  occupants  of  the  land. 
 
 "  These  people,  so  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  so 
 unsocial  in  all  their  habits,  presented  most  formidable  obstacles  to 
 the  success  of  missionary  efforts.  To  despise  and  abhor  every  alien 
 creed  as  worthless  and  false,  has  always  been  the  secret  boast  of  the 
 priest,  and  an  essential  lesson  enforced  at  the  ?m squid.  The  idola- 
 tries and  gross  superstitions  of  the  various  races  and  tribes  in  and 
 around  Ethiopia,  rendered  such  intolerance  not  only  justifiable,  but 
 absolutely  necessary  ;  and  one  can  scarcely  wonder  that  the  Hebrew, 
 in  the  midst  of  these  moral  wastes  and  sin-stained  regitms,  should 
 consider  himself  the  sole  possessor  of  the  true  faith — the  sole 
 adorer  of  the  true  and  invisible  God.  News  of  our  arrival  in  the 
 country,  and  of  the  object  we  sought  to  achieve,  no  sooner  spread 
 through  their  scattered  settlement,  than,  in  an  ebullition  of  mis- 
 taken zeal,  they  solemnly  resolved  not  to  have  any  intercourse  with 
 men  who,  as  it  had  been  misrepresented  to  them,  were  anxious  to 
 wean  them  from  the  spiritual  worship  of  the  great  Adonai  of  Israel, 
 
196  THE    FALASHAS. 
 
 to  the  senseless  idols  of  the  Abyssinian  Church.  The  delay  in 
 obtaining  the  requisite  official  sanction  to  our  work,  which  we 
 found  extremely  harassing  at  the  time,  was,  however,  under  an 
 overruling  Providence,  made  subservient  to  allay  their  bigotry  and 
 to  remove  their  groundless  fears.  That  our  belief  differed  materi- 
 ally from  that  of  the  detested  Amharas,  they  had  already  heard  from 
 soldiers  in  the  royal  camp,  and  monks  on  the  roadside  ;  and  when 
 they  received  exaggerated  intelligence  of  the  Aboona's  opposition 
 to  our  efforts,  their  curiosity  was  roused  to  the  highest  pitch,  and 
 priests  and  common  people  manifested  a  most  anxious  solicitude  to 
 hear  the  extraordinary  strangers,  whom  pure  compassion  for  their 
 souls'  welfare,  had  prompted  to  encounter  the  dangers  of  a  long  and 
 wearisome  journey." 
 
 All  attempts  to  propagate  divine  truth  are  invarial)ly  met,  at  first, 
 either  by  doubts  or  opposition.  The  motives  of  its  adherents,  and 
 the  principles  on  which  their  operations  are  carried  on,  are  natur- 
 ally the  object  of  suspicion  and  prejudice,  until  examination  and 
 experience  demonstrate  their  purity  and  worth. 
 
 That  our  Missionary  had  a  smaller  measure  of  these  difficulties 
 placed  in  his  way,  than  those  which  may  generally  be  traced  in 
 Missions  to  the  Jews,  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  manly  sincerity 
 and  unhesitating  confidence  with  which  he  delivered  his  INIaster's 
 message.  We  have  seen  the  power  which  these  exercised  over  the 
 minds  and  conduct  of  the  Jews  of  Persia  and  Arabia  Felix,  and  are 
 therefore  prepared  to  trace  corresponding  effects  in  his  ministry  to 
 the  Falashas  of  Abyssinia.  But  this  was  not  attained  without  some 
 of  those  impediments,  which  the  designing  and  ignorant  are  at  all 
 times  ready  to  place  in  the  way.  On  his  arrival  at  the  village  of 
 Woggera,  he  found  that  the  Falashas  had  been  alarmed,  through 
 false  rumours  concerning  the  nature  and  object  of  his  mission  ; 
 which,  however,  were  dispelled  by  a  short  and  timely  explanation. 
 "  Several  Jewish  peasants,  who  were  weeding  the  green  teff  fields, 
 when  they  saw  us,  left  their  agricultural  implements,  and  quickly 
 hurried  away  to  communicate  the  tidings.  The  intelligence  evi- 
 dentl\-  i)roduced  great  consternation.  We  immediately  conjectured 
 that  the  vicious  Amharas  had  also  here  plied  their  mischievous 
 tongues,  to  sow  distrust  and  alarm.  To  ascertain  the  truth,  we 
 dispatched  Debterah  Negousee  into  the  enclosure,  which,  ever}-- 
 where  in  Habesh,  secures  the  homes  of  Israel  from  the  polluting 
 
THE    FALASHAS.  I  97 
 
 foot  of  the  unbeliever.  He  soon  returned  with  a  knot  of  Falashas, 
 who  candidly  told  us  that  every  man,  woman,  and  child  would 
 have  gladly  assembled  to  hear  us,  had  they  not  been  frightened  by 
 a  report,  that  we  were  authorized  to  bind  round  their  necks  the 
 matteh — the  hated  badge  of  Abyssinian  Christianity.  We  removed 
 their  fears  and  prejudices  before  we  separated,  and  they  all  pro- 
 mised to  visit  us  frequently  whilst  at  Genda." 
 
 The  reception  which  in  general  he  experienced  was  most  cheering 
 and  satisfactory.  There  was  hardly  a  Falasha  village  in  which  the 
 people  did  not  show  a  readiness  to  relinquish  the  work  in  which 
 they  were  engaged,  in  order  to  hear  from  the  lips  of  the  Missionary 
 the  glad  tidings  of  great  joy.  The  contrast  between  the  vain  and 
 idolatrous  superstitions  with  which  they  had  become  familiarized, 
 under  the  name  of  Christianity,  and  the  simplicity  and  sweetness  of 
 the  record  which  God  had  given  in  His  Word  concerning  His  Son, 
 arrested  their  attention  and  secured  their  sympathy. 
 
 "  The  impassable  gulf  between  us  and  the  Falashas  being  now 
 bridged  over,  we  at  once  commenced  our  missionary  work  by  visit- 
 ing Anora,  half-an-hour's  distance  south-west  of  Gondar.  This 
 village,  which  lies  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  Kaha,  on  a  rich 
 and  fertile  plain,  consists  of  about  thirty  houses  and  a  mesqidd. 
 Forbidden  by  ceremonial  rigour  from  entering  a  Falasha  dwelling, 
 we  took  shelter  from  the  vertical  rays  of  a  scorching  sun,  behind  a 
 dilapidated  wall,  overshadowed  by  the  mimosa  and  the  graceful 
 euphorbia.  The  report  of  our  arrival  instantly  attracted  every  one, 
 who  was  at  home,  to  the  spot  where  we  had  alighted.  After  the 
 usual  salutations,  we  inquired  whether  they  had  any  religious  books, 
 to  which  they  replied,  '  We  have  Moses  and  David.'  On  this  we 
 rejoined,  '  Do  you  also  believe  in  the  Prophets,  and  in  Christ,  of 
 whom  all  the  inspired  writers  unitedly  testify  7  They  hesitated  a 
 little,  and  then  said,  in  a  timid  tone  of  voice,  as  if  conscious  that 
 they  were  uttering  an  untruth,  '  We  keep  the  law.'  We  reminded 
 them  that  they  could  not  keep  the  law,  and  that  the  law  was 
 not  able,  even  if  they  possessed  the  ability  to  perform  all  its  rites, 
 and  to  conform  to  all  its  ordinances,  to  procure  for  them  pardon  of 
 sins,  or  acceptance  with  God.  We  further  told  them  that  a  sacri- 
 fice, far  more  precious  than  those  that  bled  on  the  altar  in  the  temple, 
 was  indispensable,  and  that  Christians  possessed  this  sacrifice  in 
 Christ,  who,  by  His  vicarious  suffering,  atoned  for  our  guilt,  and 
 provided  for  our  justification.  They  cordially  assented  to  every 
 word  we  said,  and  only  regretted  that  they  were  too  ignorant  to 
 retain  all  those  precious  truths.     To  our  inquiry  whether  they  had 
 
198  THE    FALASHAS. 
 
 any  desire  to  learn,  they  exclaimed  with  an  imploring  expression  in 
 their  black  lustrous  eyes,  '  O  yes  !  O  yes  !'  We  then  informed 
 them  that  we  were  also  Falashas,  who,  moved  by  compassion  for 
 their  helpless  and  deplorable  condition,  had  crossed  seas  and 
 deserts,  dreary  swamps  and  unsightly  wilds,  to  communicate  to 
 them  these  tidings  of  mercy,  which  alone  can  secure  peace  to  the 
 troubled  conscience,  and  fill  the  soul  with  love  to  a  sin-hating  God. 
 They  were  exceedingly  grateful  for  our  interest  in  their  spiritual 
 welfare  and  everlasting  happiness.  At  our  departure  they  all 
 accompanied  us,  and  we  had  several  times  to  entreat  them  to  return, 
 before  they  could  be  persuaded  to  tear  themselves  away  from  their 
 unexpected  friends. 
 
 "  The  cool  lawns  of  Quosquam  might  have  lempted  us  to  protract 
 our  stay  during  the  sultry  heat  of  the  day,  b  it,  as  we  had  still  to  pay 
 our  friends  at  Antonius  a  visit,  we  again  va  Itcd  into  our  saddles, 
 and  in  another  half-hour  were  midway  up  a  sieep  wooded  mountain 
 ridge,  on  which  hangs,  securely  nestled,  the  quiet  f'alasha  village. 
 Seating  ourselves  on  a  fragment  of  dislodged  rock,  beneath  an  arti- 
 ficial terrace,  on  which  the  never-absent-  tainted  hut  for  the  impure 
 was  erected,  we  awaited  the  assembling  of  the  people.  It  being 
 Friday,  when  every  one  must  be  at  home  to  prepare  for  the  Sabbath, 
 groups  of  men  and  women,  wrajiped  in  their  holiday  attire,  soon 
 collected  on  the  uneven  and  stony  sjnice  before  us.  As  in  other 
 places,  so  also  in  this  settlement,  we  plainly  stated  our  design,  and 
 the  motives  which  actuated  us  in  our  efforts.  They  unanimously 
 declared,  '  We  believe  it  !  We  believe  it !'  Touched  by  the  confi- 
 dence they  placed  in  our  simple  declaration,  we  affectionately  and 
 faithfully  exposed  their  fatal  error,  in  believing  that  a  few  legal 
 observances  and  external  rites  were  the  worship  due  to  God,  or  the 
 sole  object  of  the  Law.  The  monument  of  Fasilidas'  horse,  dis- 
 cernible through  the  majestic  trees  and  thickets,  afforded  an  apt 
 illustration,  and,  directing  their  dark  and  sparkling  eyes  towards  it, 
 we  said,  'This  memorial  of  a  dead  animal,  you  will  admit,  looks 
 grand  and  beautiful  from  without ;  and  yet,  were  you  to  remove  its 
 superincumbent  weight  of  stones  and  mortar,  you  would  find  within 
 only  a  rotten  carcass,  or  the  mouldering  remains  of  bones  ;  so  also 
 may  a  man  be  quite  clean  ceremonially,  and  yet  within  be  full  of 
 malice,  vice,  and  every  repulsive  sin.'  We  then  explained  to  them 
 the  nature  of  sin  and  its  demerit,  and  seriously  urged  them  to 
 transfer  their  faith  from  mechanical  rites  to  the  living  God,  and 
 from  the  Law  which  condemns,  to  the  Gospel  which  saves  the 
 sinner.  They  all  replied  in  a  loud  tone  of  voice,  in  which  the  clear 
 sounds  of  the  women  could  be  distinctly  discerned:  "You  tell  us 
 good  words,  and  God  hath  evidently  sent  you  to  teach  and  direct 
 us  into  the  right  path  !'  We  in,quired  whether  any  of  them  could 
 read,  and  to  our  surprise  there  was  not  one  in  this  crowded  village 
 who  could  spell  a  single  word.  Poor  people  !  they  live  almost  in 
 Pagan  ignorance,  and  die  in  Pagan  hopelessness  !     In  going  away 
 
^. 
 
 mm^^'^^^ 
 
 FALASHA    VILLAGE,    Al'.VSSINLV. 
 
 MOSLEM    VILLAGE,    ABYSSINIA. 
 
THE    FALASHAS.  1 99 
 
 I  said,  '  You  have  now  heard  of  a  Saviour  who  died  that  all  might 
 eternally  live,  and  whether  you  believe  it  or  not,  you  will  again  hear 
 of  this  matter;  but  mind,  it  may  not  be  from  the  lips  of  a  messen- 
 ger of  mercy,  but  from  the  lips  of  Him  who  now  seeks  your  salva- 
 tion, and  who,  if  )-ou  now  reject  His  proffered  mercy,  will  then  pro- 
 nounce your  eternal  doom.' 
 
 "  Soon  after  daylight  on  Saturda}'  morning  we  were  on  our  way 
 to  Dcfatsha.  The  majority  of  the  more  holy  were  still  in  the 
 mcsquid,  enjoying  their  frugal  morning  repast, — the  offering  of  the 
 previous  day.  Of  course  we  did  not  venture  to  approach  too  closely 
 the  venerated  edifice,  but  resumed  our  station  on  the  old  parapet,, 
 and,  till  the  people  assembled,  enjoyed  the  delicious  breeze,  which, 
 in  cool  and  grateful  gusts,  came  sweeping  along  the  dew-covered 
 trees.  Gratlually,  from  the  mtsqiiid  and  houses,  men  and  women 
 eagerly  gathered  around  the  preachers,  and  the  lonely  and  quiet 
 spot,  where,  a  few  minutes  before,  the  sighing  of  the  wind,  as  it 
 gently  brushed  through  hedge  and  tree,  could  be  distinctly  heard, 
 was  now  all  bustle,  talk,  and  excitement.  The  question  about  the 
 observance  of  the  Sabbath,  propounded  by  more  than  twenty  voices 
 at  once,  was  quickly  disposed  of  by  a  comparison  of  the  two  reasons 
 assigned  in  Exodus  and  Deuteronomy,  which  we  told  them  were 
 both  superseded  by  the  higher  obligation  of  sanctifying  the  day  of 
 redemption.  We  then  discoursed  on  Sacrifices,  and  b}  numerous 
 quotations  from  the  Scriptures,  demonstrated  to  them  that  every 
 type  and  prediction,  every  sacrifice  and  offering,  pointed  to  the 
 Gospel  for  its  meaning,  and  to  the  Saviour  for  its  value  ;  and  that 
 thus  when  Christ  came,  men  were  prepared  for  His  appearance, 
 and  looking  for  His  coming.  For  more  than  an  hour  we  uninterrupt- 
 edly expounded  to  them  the  great  doctrine  of  Divine  revelation, 
 from  the  Fall  to  the  Cross — from  the  Curse  to  the  Redemption. 
 All  were  deeply  impressed  with  what  they  heard,  but  particularly 
 some  young  men,  who,  in  imploring  accents,  entreated  us  to  remain 
 in  Abyssinia,  and  teach  them  to  know  the  Saviour.  More  than  a 
 hundred  and  fifty  persons  accompanied  us  a  short  distance,  and  we 
 were  already  far  down  the  steep  declivity,  when  from  many  a  torn 
 and  jagged  cliff  the  echoes  rang  with  their  grateful  blessings. 
 
 "  Next  morning  one  of  the  debterahs  from  the  village  Defatsha 
 called  on  us  for  a  Bible.  He  spoke  most  seriouslv,  and  like  an 
 anxious  enquirer,  said,  in  tremulous  nervousness,  as  if  his  soul  was 
 agitated  to  its  utmost  depth,  '  Before  your  arrival  here  no  one  told 
 us  that  we  were  in  the  wrong  ;  we  had  our  Oreed  (Pentateuch)  and 
 David ;  we  observed  the  Sabbath,  gave  the  priest  their  tithes,  and  so- 
 thought  all  was  safe  ;  that  the  Christians,  with  their  idols,  Miriam 
 and  the  saints,  could  have  a  superior,  more  scriptural,  and  more 
 spiritual  faith,  was  quite  out  of  the  question  ;  but  now  God  hath 
 sent  you  to  teach  us,  and  I  trust  we  shall  all  profit  by  your  instruc- 
 tions.' 
 
200  THE    FALASHAS. 
 
 "  Our  path  along  the  tortuous  course  of  the  river  Dimah  was  so 
 densely  wooded,  that  we  were  compelled  to  use  every  precaution — 
 especially  as  our  hair  for  some  time  had  not  undergone  a  clipping 
 operation — to  escape  the  fate  of  Absalom.  The  stars  had  begun  to 
 twinkle  in  the  blue  sky,  the  hyenas  had  attuned  their  piercing 
 yells  for  the  nocturnal  revel,  and  still  no  village  fire  gleamed 
 through  the  darkness,  and  no  enlivening  ditty  from  the  village 
 youths  rang  on  the  ear.  We  already  thought  that  the  w-ild  jungle 
 must  be  our  home  for  the  night,  when,  suddenly,  shrill  shouts  of 
 our  people  from  the  opposite  bank  told  us  that  we  were  close  to 
 Balankab,  a  Falasha  settlement.  We  at  once  forded  the  river,  and 
 exchanged  the  high-peaked  and  fatiguing  saddle  for  the  luxurious 
 grass  couch.  This  second  day's  journey  impressed  us  deeply  with 
 the  magnitude  and  sacredness  of  our  work,  and,  wearied  and  way- 
 worn as  we  were,  I  believe  both  myself  and  companion  would 
 gladly,  had  it  been  possible,  have  forgotten  all  physical  toils,  and 
 continued  day  and  night  our  march  through  a  land  where  hundreds 
 and  thousands  of  struggling,  anguished,  and  despairing  souls  were 
 longing  for  that  message  which  can  silence  the  upbraidings  of  con- 
 science, and  shiver  the  chains  of  superstition." 
 
 Monasticism  is  an  excrescence,  which  has  sprung  from  various 
 religious  systems.  The  Jews  have  felt  its  influence.  The  lower 
 the  tone,  and  the  greater  the  ignorance  of  the  followers  of  any  sect, 
 the  more  ready  have  they  been  to  pay  honour  to  the  ascetic,  and  to 
 regard  him  either  as  a  supernatural  being,  or  as  one  endowed  with 
 peculiar  power  and  holiness.  The  Christian  revelation  undermines 
 and  destroys  these  pretensions,  and  exposes  the  fallacies  with  which 
 these  honest  visionaries,  or  designing  knaves,  work  upon  the  cre- 
 dulity or  superstition  of  the  ignorant.  These  Jewish  monks  showed 
 great  dislike  to  Mr.  Stern  and  his  work,  for  they  knew  well  that  if 
 the  Falashas  followed  his  instructions,  their  occupation  would  be 
 gone. 
 
 "  Being  Christians,  we  were  obliged  to  keep  at  a  respectful  dis- 
 tance from  the  home  of  Aboo  IMaharee  and  his  monks.  This  pre- 
 caution we  had  no  cause  to  regret ;  on  the  contrary,  we  admired 
 here  and  everywhere  else  the  superior  taste  of  the  Falashas,  which 
 forces  the  stranger  to  seek  shelter  in  the  clean  shady  grove,  and 
 not  in  the  foul  and  reeking  hut.  Whilst  our  companions  went  to 
 announce  our  visit,  we  retired  to  one  of  the  bowers  into  which 
 nature  had  fashioned  her  own  choice  gifts.  Our  intention  to 
 encounter,  in  the  arena  of  controversy,  a  high-priest  so  renowned 
 for  his  lore  and  sanctity  as  Aboo  IMaharee,  had  been  the  subject  of 
 much  speculation  among  the  people,  and  it  was  generally  reported 
 that  we  would  not  venture  to  subject  our  creed  to  the  chance  of  a 
 
THE    FALASHAS.  201 
 
 public  defeat.  The  report  of  our  arrival  at  Balankah  dissipated  this 
 illusion,  and  multitudes,  almost  simultaneously  with  ourselves, 
 arrived  at  Zcra  Workce  to  witness  the  interview.  ^lany  of  the  par- 
 ties, in  defiling  before  our  sylvan  retreat,  prognosticated,  in  good 
 Amharic,  an  unfavourable  issue  to  our  conference.  The  bustle  and 
 commotion,  and  the  running  to  and  fro,  had  continued  for  some 
 time,  when,  suddenly,  all  stood  still  to  behold  the  priestly  proces- 
 sion emerging  from  the  sacred  enclosure.  Aboo  Maharee,  the 
 chief,  swathed  in  a  white  shama,  and  holding  a  long  bamboo  staff, 
 which  in  the  distance  looked  like  the  crosier  of  a  bishop,  in  digni- 
 fied gravity  moved  in  front  of  the  heaving  and  undulating  mass. 
 There  was  something  imposing  and  majestic  in  the  appearance  of 
 the  man,  which  one  could  scarcely  behold  without  admiration  and 
 reverence.  He  is,  I  should  think,  about  sixty  years  of  age,  of  a 
 noble  and  commanding  figure,  high  and  expressive  forehead, 
 melancholy  restless  eyes,  and  a  countenance  once  no  doubt  mild 
 and  pleasing,  but  to  which  self-imposed  penances  and  a  repulsive 
 practice  have  imparted  an  expression  most  strange  and  unearthly. 
 Myself  and  companion  rose  simultaneously  as  he  and  his  followers, 
 in  a  well-ordered  procession,  approached,  a  compliment  which  all 
 gratefully  acknowledged  ;  and  then,  as  if  by  previous  arrangement, 
 the  multitude  squatted  down  on  the  right  and  on  the  left  of  our 
 retreat,  leaving  a  broad  space,  as  the  rubicon,  between  the  polluted 
 people  and  the  holy  priests.  The  whole  assembly,  in  perfect  bewil- 
 derment and  wonder,  stared  at  us  with  a  stern,  grave,  and  unmoved 
 gaze,  as  if  they  wanted  to  penetrate  our  very  thoughts,  and  read  in 
 our  very  looks  their  hope  or  despair,  joy  or  sorrow.  There  sat  the 
 old  monk,  macerated  and  wan,  with  the  brown  skin  hanging  in 
 loose  folds  around  his  wasted  features,  his  eyes  sunk  and  lustreless, 
 from  long  mortification,  or  bright  and  sparkling  with  the  mad  fire 
 of  fanaticism.  Close  to  this  spectre-like  apparition,  as  if  seeking 
 hope  and  comfort  from  mature  age  and  sinking  life,  reclined  the 
 young  novice,  in  whose  placid  and  unnaturally  smooth  face  the 
 struggles  of  painful  superstition,  and  perhaps  the  horrid  conscious- 
 ness that  life,  with  its  attractions  and  ties,  had  all  been  vainly  bar- 
 tered for  a  disordered  dream  and  a  wild  feverish  fancy,  were  too 
 glaringly  traceable. 
 
 "The  other  groups,  among  whom  we  noticed  a  good  sprinkling 
 of  women,  offered  a  strange  contrast,  by  their  healthy  looks  and 
 smiling  expressions,  to  these  mutilated,  dissatisfied,  and  unhappy 
 priests.  It  is  true,  there  was  scarcely  one  in  that  assembly  who 
 had  any  doubt  that  these  ascetics  were  self-denying,  good  men,  who 
 had  renounced  the  world  and  all  its  fascinations,  for  a  life  of  devo- 
 tion and  piety  ;  yet  there  seemed,  as  if  by  a  general  sympathy,  some 
 secret  apprehension,  some  latent  fear,  that,  after  all,  these  proud 
 and  secluded  anchorites  might  be  in  error,  and,  instead  of  the  sub- 
 stance, grasp  a  mere  shadow — instead  of  revealed  truth,  cling  only 
 to  a  mere  self-creative  fancy.     In  conformity  with  Abyssinian  eti- 
 
 o 
 
202  THE    FALASHAS. 
 
 quette,  that  a  stranger  should  honour  a  Chief  with  a  present,  I  gave 
 to  Aboo  ]Maharee  a  gilt-edged  Bible  and  a  white  dress,  which,  as  he 
 could  not  accept  it  from  my  polluted  hand,  he  requested  me  to  put 
 into  the  bag  of  one  of  the  priests.  He  was  exceedingly  pleased 
 with  this  token  of  my  regard,  and  after  many  elaborate  thanks,  all 
 rose,  and  in  a  fervid  and  solemn  strain,  prayed  for  our  safety,  wel- 
 fare, and  happiness.  It  was  a  moving  sight  to  see  such  a  vast  num- 
 ber of  priests  and  people,  all  with  uncovered  heads  and  uplifted 
 hands,  supplicating  the  Divine  blessing  on  the  lonely  and  isolated 
 missionaries. 
 
 "  Several  minutes  elapsed  before  the  effect  of  this  touching  scene 
 subsided,  and  then,  when  all  had  again  resumed  their  seats,  we 
 explained  to  them  the  object  of  our  mission,  and  the  motive  by 
 which  we  were  actuated.  Our  words  removed  the  fears  which  the 
 malicious  Amharas  had  excited,  and  we  were  unanimously  solicited 
 to  state  the  essential  truths  of  our  belief.  The  most  intelligent 
 candidly  confessed  that  our  words  were  the  echo  of  IMoses  and 
 David,  and  that  they  would  be  happy  to  see  us  frequently  among 
 them,  in  order  to  discuss  these  weighty  and  important  topics.  Aboo. 
 Maharee,  who  had  hitherto  remained  silent,  now  turned  to  me, 
 and,  in  a  faltering  and  tremulous  voice,  said,  '  Either  you  will 
 become  one  of  us,  or  I  shall  become  one  of  you.'  They  very  much 
 wanted  us  to  stay  with  them  all  night ;  but  we  had  no  inclination  to 
 intrude  our  hungry  retinue  on  the  hospitality  of  priests,  who  must 
 be  their  own  cooks  and  bakers.  Aboo  IMaharee  would  not,  how- 
 ever, allow  us  to  depart  without  some  provision,  and,  reluctant  as 
 we  were,  he  compelled  us  to  accept  a  basket  of  ieff  and  a  gumbo  of 
 dallah.  The  worthy  Chief,  to  convince  us  of  his  interest  in  our 
 mission,  ordered  Debterah  Negousee,  a  learned  scribe,  to  conduct 
 us  to  all  the  Jewish  settlements.  This  amicable  conference  at  Zera 
 Workee  produced  the  most  favourable  impression  on  the  Falashas, 
 and  wherever  we  went,  the  report  had  already  preceded  us  that  we 
 were  the  friends  of  Aboo  Maharee. 
 
 "  The  cold,  dull,  and  sullen  morning  had  not  yet  been  dissipated 
 by  the  light  of  day,  when  several  monks  made  their  appearance. 
 The  object  of  their  early  visit  was  the  universal  desire  to  get  copies 
 of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  We  put  them  off  till  our  arrival  at  Genda, 
 whither  they  willingly  promised  to  follow  us.  Our  people  being 
 still  in  the  huts,  where  they  and  their  animals  had  been  stowed,  we 
 had  abundance  of  time  to  lecture  these  priests  on  the  false  cha- 
 racter with  which  they  invested  themselves,  as  well  as  the  unholy 
 and  sinful  practice  in  which  they  indulged.  They  were  quite 
 appalled  at  the  passage  of  Scripture  which  placed  them  in  a  cate- 
 gory with  the  Ammonite  and  Moabite,  and,  to  conceal  their  confu- 
 sion, endeavoured  to  justify  the  continuance  of  sacrifices.  By  about 
 nine  a.m.  we  were  on  our  way  to  Fenja.  Here  we  met  with  several 
 of  the  monkish  fraternity.  One  of  these,  a  haughty-looking  fellow,^ 
 to  display  his  Biblical  knowledge,  edified  us  by  relating  the  exploits 
 
THE    FALASHAS.  203 
 
 of  the  twelve  tribes,  whose  names,  unfortunately  for  his  learning,  he 
 could  not  recollect.  We  told  him  that  a  little  child  in  our  country 
 knew  all  these,  and  many  other  more  important  incidents,  much 
 better.  Not  at  all  checked  by  the  rebuke,  his  voluble  tongue 
 sought  scope  for  its  bluster  upon  the  glorious  topic  of  the  Aaronic 
 priestly  succession,  and  I  do  not  know  how  long  he  might  have 
 rattled  on  had  we  not  pointed  him  to  Hosea  iii.  4,  5.  He  thought 
 this  quite  a  sufficient  reply,  and  wrapping  his  shama  closely  around 
 his  gaunt  frame,  he  politely  invited  us  to  his  settlement,  and 
 marched  off." 
 
CHAPTER    XXIV. 
 
 MISSIONARY    EFFORTS.       CIRCULATION     OF    THE     HOLY    SCRIPTURES. 
 
 Missions  to  the  Abyssinian  Church  had  been  for  many  years  in 
 existence.  They  had  taken  a  distinctive  form.  The  Basle  Society 
 conjoined  with  the  efforts  to  propagate  the  Gospel,  the  employment 
 of  their  agents  in  various  trades  and  handicrafts.  It  was  not 
 unreasonable  to  believe,  that  instruction  conveyed  to  the  people,  in 
 matters  which  conferred  some  temporal  advantage,  might  lead  them 
 to  appreciate  the  more  important  object  of  leading  them  to  Christ. 
 The  great  danger  of  this  combination,  of  the  merely  useful  with  the 
 spiritual,  was  to  the  individual  agents  themselves.  In  the  pursuit  of 
 the  one,  they  might  be  tempted  to  overlook  or  undervalue  the  other. 
 In  Abyssinia,  this  danger  assumed  a  very  serious  and  demoral- 
 izing form.  The  presence  of  Europeans,  acquainted  with  useful 
 trades  and  occupations,  with  which  the  Abyssinians  were  not  familiar, 
 excited  the  special  attention  of  the  King.  A  monarch  so  despotic, 
 was  not  likely  to  brook  any  reluctance  to  conform  to  his  wishes. 
 When  to  this  was  added  the  assurance  of  his  favour,  and  the 
 bestowal  of  special  honours  and  advantages,  it  can  be  no  matter 
 of  surprise,  if  the  least  decided  and  earnest,  sooner  or  later 
 relinquished  the  chief  object  of  their  mission,  and  gave  themselves 
 unreservedly  to  the  secular  service  of  the  King.  It  is  hardly  too  much 
 to  say,  that  there  was  but  one  honourable  exception  to  this  rule.  Mr. 
 Stern,  with  characteristic  forbearance  and  magnanimity,  never  com- 
 mented on  the  deficiencies  which  came  constantly  to  his  know- 
 ledge ;  while  he  commended  the  Christian  character  and  faithful 
 consistency  of  the  one,  who  failed  not  to  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God 
 
CIRCULATIOX    OF   THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES.  205 
 
 his  Saviour.  But  the  persons  who  transgress  and  exhibit  unworthiness, 
 are  wont  to  quail  before  the  presence  of  those  who  are  eye-witnesses 
 of  their  conduct,  and  the  enmity  of  the  human  heart  is  never  more 
 active  than  towards  those  who  become  acquainted  with  tliis  unworthi- 
 ness. One  fact  created  much  feeling  and  irritation.  During  his  visit  to 
 the  island  on  Lake  Tzana,  Mr.  Stern  discovered  several  cases  of 
 Amharic  Bibles.  In  one  of  his  faithful  journals  he  referred  to  this, 
 and  spoke  of  the  immense  value  of  this  discovery,  in  providing  him 
 with  an  additional  supply  of  Bibles,  to  meet  the  great  demand  of 
 the  Abyssinians  for  the  Word  of  God.  But  it  had  been  reported 
 by  the  agents  that  all  these  Bibles  had  been  distributed.  Hence, 
 much  controversy  and  acrimony  of  feeling  was  exhibited,  and  every 
 attempt  was  made  to  neutralize  this  indisputable  fact.  Mr.  Stern 
 took  no  notice  of  any  comments  which  were  made  on  his  report. 
 But  when  the  subject  was  referred  to,  he  only  quietly  smiled,  and 
 said,  "All  I  can  say  is,  that  I  found  the  boxes  of  Bibles  there.  I 
 obtained  permission  from  the  King  that  they  should  be  used,  and  no 
 gift  could  have  been  more  op;)ortune  or  valuable.'  But  the  offenders 
 did  hot  forget  what  had  happened  ;  and  their  indifference  to  his 
 sufferings,  when  on  his  second  visit  to  the  country  he  was  bowed 
 down  with  woe,  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  the  existence  of 
 vindictive  pleasure,  at  the  afflictions  of  the  one  who  had  given  this 
 truthful  recital. 
 
 When  speaking  of  his  intercourse  with  two  of  these  agents,  Mr.  Stern 
 wrote : — "  The  visit  of  two  Europeans  in  that  wild  and  strange 
 land,  where  I  had  not  a  friend  or  companion  beyond  parties  of  pes- 
 tering, and  importuning  native  mendicants,  was  indeed  a  great 
 relief  to  my  mind,  in  the  utter  loneliness  and  solitude  to  whicli,  till 
 the  arrival  of  my  companion,  I  should  otherwise  have  been  hope- 
 lessly doomed.  ^ly  new  acquaintances,  who  had  been  more  than 
 five  years  in  the  country,  gave  me  much  useful  information  about 
 Abyssinia  and  its  population.  The  King  they  held  in  high  esteem 
 for  his  probity  of  sentiment,  purity  of  life,  and  singleness  of  pur- 
 pose ;  but  in  reference  to  his  subjects,  they  could  only  re-echo 
 what  I  had  from  the  first  day  noticed,  that  they  were  a  false, 
 treacherous,  and  insolent  race — absurdly  superstitious  in  their  reli- 
 gious belief,  and  revoltingly  obscene  in  their  domestic  relations, — 
 
206  MISSIONARY    EFFORTS. 
 
 insolent  to  an  inferior,  and  cringing  and  servile  to  a  superior — at 
 one  time  declaring  that  they  had  entirely  departed  from  the  faith 
 of  the  Gospel,  and  a  minute  after,  contending  that  their  creed  had 
 the  signet  of  St.  Mark  for  its  authenticity,  and  the  example  of  won- 
 der-working saints  for  its  inviolable  defence  ; — a  nation,  in  fact,  so 
 debased  in  mind  and  vitiated  in  heart,  that,  notwithstanding  their 
 physical  and  intellectual  superiority  to  every  other  African  tribe, 
 they  vie  with  all  in  truthlessness,  cunning,  and  moral  depravity." 
 
 "Three  of  the  small  German  colony,  who  had  been  confined  in 
 the  Amba  Magdala,  the  King,  on  his  march  to  the  \\'ollo  country, 
 liberated  from  their  rocky  home,  and  sent  to  establish  themselves 
 at  Gaffat,  on  the  hill  formerly  occupied  by  Mr.  Plowdcn.  Mr. 
 Flad,  one  of  this  little  exiled  band,  together  with  his  partner,  a 
 well  educated  and  self-denying  deaconess  from  Dr.  Fliedner's 
 excellent  Institute  at  Kaiserwerth,  were  quite  an  acquisition  to  our 
 circle.  This  worthy  couple,  true  to  their  high  and  holy  vocation, 
 in  the  midst  of  many  troubles,  discouragements,  and  privations, 
 have,  during  the  last  six  years,  unweariedly  laboured  to  disseminate 
 God's  Word,  both  among  the  garrison  at  Magdala,  and  the  pea- 
 sants who,  from  all  parts  of  Abyssinia,  periodically  supply  the  fort 
 with  provisions.  Their  efforts,  though  not  cheered  by  much  suc- 
 cess, have  not  been  altogether  in  vain.  They  have  circulated  hun- 
 dreds of  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  instructed  numbers  of  Pagans  and 
 Amharas  in  the  great  truths  of  salvation,  and,  both  by  example  and 
 precept,  in  relieving  the  sick,  and  in  affectionate  and  persuasive 
 entreaties  addressed  to  the  healthy,  have  been  wonderfully  success- 
 ful in  removing  much  of  native  prejudice,  and  in  scattering  far  and 
 wide  the  seed  of  the  everlasting  Gospel." 
 
 To  the  Falashas  the  Gospel  message  was  full  of  interest,  and 
 occasioned  anxious  enquiry.  To  the  native  Christians,  the  Mis- 
 sionary gave  his  testimony  concerning  the  true  and  unadulterated 
 revelation  of  God's  love  in  His  Son.  But  to  the  former — his 
 brethren  according  to  the  flesh,  he  bore  witness  with  a  peculiar  and 
 unceasing  solicitude.  Some  of  his  communications  with  them  he 
 thus  describes  : 
 
 "Our  visit  to  A >iora  was  returned  by  eighteen  adults  and  Jeru- 
 salim,  their  Shum  or  civil  Chief  of  the  district — a  Baal  Kamees,  or 
 
CIRCULATION    OF   THE    HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  207 
 
 nobleman  by  rank.  We  asked  them  many  questions  about  their 
 history  and  settlement,  but  all  they  knew  was  the  old  fable  that 
 Menilek,  the  son  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba  by  Solomon,  brought  them 
 to  Abyssinia.  Not  wishing  to  dilate  on  this  unprofitable  topic,  we 
 diverged  to  another — the  end  and  aim  of  the  law.  Like  the  Jews 
 in  Europe,  they  cherished  the  fanciful  notion  that  by  adhering  to 
 certain  observances  and  ritual  ceremonies,  they  were  keeping  the 
 law,  and  justified  before  God.  That  the  design  of  the  moral  and 
 civil  polity,  revealed  to  Moses  on  Sinai  and  in  the  wilderness,  was 
 to  wean  the  people  from  idolatry,  and,  by  a  long  array  of  types, 
 impressive  ceremonies,  and  significant  rites,  to  prepare  them  for 
 the  reception  of  a  more  ennobling,  more  spiritual,  and  more  holy 
 faith,  even  that  of  the  Gospel,  had  never  been  heard  among  them  ; 
 and  consequently,  they  were  not  a  little  amazed  when  we  told  them 
 that  God,  as  their  King,  Benef^ictor  and  Deliverer,  gave  them  regu- 
 lations for  their  temporal  conduct ;  and,  as  their  final  Judge,  pre- 
 cepts to  define  the  heinousness  of  sin,  the  necessity  of  an  atone- 
 ment, and  that,  too,  not  an  atonement  consisting  in  the  blood  or 
 life  of  a  slaughtered  animal,  but  an  expiation  like  that  of  the 
 Redeemer,  who,  by  sustaining  our  guilt,  satisfied  Divine  justice, 
 and  supplied  us  with  the  means  for  the  renovation  of  our  fallen 
 nature,  and  continual  progress  in  holiness.  We  then  pointedly 
 adverted  to  their  sacrifices,  and  from  Deut.  xii.  plainly  showed  them 
 that  they  were  not  only  interdicted,  but  were  actually  sinful  in  a 
 place  not  chosen  by  God.  Some  captious  Christian  debterahs  now 
 wanted  to  show  their  polemical  acumen,  but  I  promptly  silenced 
 them  by  asking  whether  they  and  their  Church  believed  in  the  New 
 Testament  ?  One  debterah,  Selasse,  a  quiet,  humble,  and,  I  trust, 
 enlightened  man,  quickly  retorted,  '  We  have  a  peculiar  faith.' 
 'Then,'  returned  I,  '  if  you  have  a  peculiar  faith,  it  cannot  be  that 
 of  the  Gospel ;  and  if  it  is  not  of  the  Gospel,  it  is  false !'  They 
 admitted  the  justice  of  the  censure,  and  without  further  inter- 
 ruption, listened  most  attentively  to  our  conversation  with  the  Jews. 
 
 "  On  the  following  morning,  very  early,  Debterah  Negousee,  the 
 teacher  at  Anora,  together  with  two  other  Falashas,  entered  our 
 room.  Their  sad  and  desponding  looks  were  an  unmistakable 
 index  of  the  unfavourable  tidings  they  had  to  communicate.  A 
 long  pause,  during  which  nothing  but  their  deep-drawn  sighs  were 
 audible,  made  me  unwittingly  smile,  and  in  a  cheering  tone  I  said, 
 'Don't  be  afraid  to  unburden  your  hearts,  if  you  have  no  message 
 of  exile,  prison,  or  immediate  execution.'  My  own  apparent  confi- 
 dence imparted  courage  to  our  visitors,  and  they  told  us  that  their 
 people  had  sent  them  to  ascertain  from  us,  personally,  the  truth  of 
 the  rumour,  that  we  wanted  to  make  the  Falashas  Christians  by 
 force  ;  '  for  if  that  statement  is  correct,'  they  added,  '  we  are  com- 
 missioned to  inform  you,  that  every  Jew  and  Jewess  will  resist,  even 
 to  death,  the  faintest  attempt  at  coercion  ;  but  if,  on  the  contrary 
 (and  they  will  believe  your  words),  you  have  come  to  teach  them 
 
208  MISSIONARY    EFFORTS. 
 
 truths  that  can  be  proved  from  God's  Word,  they  will  gratefully 
 listen  to  your  instructions.'  We  gave  our  unqualified  denial  to  this 
 report,  which  savoured  of  the  intolerant  Amhara,  and  in  return 
 requested  them  to  inform  the  Jews,  that  we  could  not,  would  not, 
 and  dared  not,  as  we  were  strangers,  use  violence  towards  any  one 
 of  his  Majesty's  subjects  ;  nay,  more,  they  might  solemnly  aver  in 
 our  name,  that,  if  all  the  Falashas  were  ready  and  willing  to  be 
 baptized,  we  would  not  administer  that  rite  to  a  single  individual 
 without  previous  instruction  and  unmistakable  evidence  of  convic- 
 tion and  conversion.  They  were  delighted  with  the  reply,  and  pro- 
 mised to  report  what  we  had  said  to  all  their  people. 
 
 "  At  Oihga  the  priests  and  people  gave  us  a  cordial  and  hearty 
 welcome.  The  four  expounders  of  the  law,  anxious  to  retain  the 
 confidence  of  their  flock,  expatiated  in  a  declamatory  style  on  the 
 long  list  of  ritual  observances  enjoined  in  the  book  of  Leviticus. 
 We  fully  admitted  that  all  that  they  had  mentioned  was  of  Divine 
 origin,  but,  at  the  same  time,  we  also  reminded  them  that  God 
 required  something  more  than  ablutions,  and  the  performance  of 
 certain  rites  and  ceremonies,  which  only  affected  the  body,  but 
 left  unchanged  and  unconverted  the  sinful  heart.  In  this  obvious 
 truth  they  tacitly  acquiesced.  The  scope  of  the  law  was  next  dis- 
 cussed, and  it  was  an  affecting  sight  to  witness  the  breathless 
 attention  which  pervaded  that  assembly,  as  they  heard  for  the  first 
 time  of  the  love  of  the  Gospel,  in  the  types  and  figures  of  their 
 own  law. 
 
 "  One  of  the  priests,  the  best  informed  of  the  four,  whose  heart 
 the  truth  of  God's  Word  had  evidently  penetrated,  in  a  voice 
 choked  by  the  deepest  emotion,  exclaimed,  '  I  am  now  too  full  to 
 speak,  but  come  to  my  village,  for  I  want  to  converse  with  you 
 alone,  and  also  aff'ord  my  people  the  opportunity  of  hearing  the 
 good  tidings  you  proclaim.'  We  promised  to  accept  his  invitation, 
 which  so  pleased  him,  that  he  ordered  that  portion  of  the  Scripture 
 which  they  possessed  to  be  brought  out  ;  and,  whilst  the  women 
 were  shouting  their  shrill  la,  la,  la,  and  the  priests  were  bravely 
 intoning  some  verses  on  purification,  we  took  our  departure. 
 
 "  The  news  of  our  arrival  at  Genda,  which  spread  with  almost 
 incredible  rapidity  through  the  various  districts  far  and  near, 
 attracted  a  vast  concourse  of  Falashas  to  the  spot  where  we  had 
 encamped.  Our  tent  being  too  small  to  receive  the  numerous 
 priests  and  their  followers,  we  made  a  tree  in  front  of  our  canvas 
 dwelling — the  usual  court  of  the  Genda  administrators  of  justice, — 
 the  scene  of  our  meetings  and  interviews.  These  open-air  assem- 
 blies, however,  soon  threatened  to  become  very  boisterous  and 
 intemperate,  on  account  of  the  great  concourse  of  Christian  deb- 
 terahs  and  priests,  who  thought  this  a  splendid  opportunity  for  the 
 display  of  their  polemical  prowess  against  the  Falasha  infidels.  To 
 put  a  stop  to  the  clamour  and  contest,  we  stationed  some  of  our 
 own  and  the  Aboona's  people  around  the  green  sward,  and  these, 
 
CIRCULATION    OF   THE    HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  20g 
 
 together  with  several  Christian  debterahs  whom  we  had  enlisted  in 
 our  service,  kept  perfect  order  and  quiet  amongst  the  wild  and 
 turbulent  crowd.  The  Falashas,  with  their  dark  lustrous  eyes 
 rivetted  upon  us,  sat  motionless  as  statues  while  we  dilated  on 
 various  passages  of  Scripture  in  proof  of  the  veracity  of  our  faith, 
 and  its  adaptation  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  craving  heart,  and  the 
 upbraidings  of  the  guilty  conscience.  We  next  discussed  the  mys- 
 teries of  the  Trinity,  and,  without  burdening  their  minds  with 
 metaphysical  sophistries  and  subtle  reasonings,  we  simply  explained 
 to  them  the  various  prophecies  which  heralded  the  advent  of  the 
 Redeemer,  adverted  to  the  numerous  miracles  which  attested  His 
 mission,  and  lastly,  gave  an  account  of  His  sufferings  and  death, 
 that  sin  might  be  cancelled  and  the  sinner  saved.  Debterah  Bern, 
 the  most  intelligent  man  we  met  among  the  Falashas,  was  now 
 urged  to  reply  to  our  statements,  but,  as  every  objection  which  he 
 advanced  betrayed  the  impression  produced  on  his  own  mind,  he 
 got  up  and  walked  away.  A  few  days  afterwards,  he  and  two  other 
 debterahs  (one  a  teacher  who  has  a  school  of  94  children),  came  to 
 us,  and  solemnly  declared  their  convictions  of  the  truth,  and  their 
 earnest  desire  to  be  baptized." 
 
 With  these  ministrations,  were  associated  the  hungering  and  thirst- 
 ing of  the  people  for  the  Word  of  God.  Even  in  countries  in  which  no 
 practical  difficulty  exists,  in  the  way  of  every  person  becoming  pos- 
 sessed of  the  Bible  ;  when  the  Holy  Ghost  is  outpoured,  and  when 
 sinners  are  awakened  from  the  slumber  of  sin,  the  Scriptures  are 
 studied  and  reverenced,  as  if  hitherto  they  had  been  altogether 
 unknown.  How  much  more  was  this  likely  to  be  traced  among  a 
 people,  to  whom  their  possession  was  at  all  times  rare  and  uncer- 
 tain \  Among  the  native  Christians  such  occurrences  as  this  are 
 narrated  : — "  The  arrival  of  the  travellers  created  quite  a  sensation 
 in  the  village  and  its  vicinity,  and  all  hastened  to  have  a  peep  at 
 the  white  men.  The  commander  of  the  troops,  a  tall,  pleasant- 
 looking  Imal  ka/uiYs,  who  had  formerly  met  Mr.  Flad,  came  to  renew 
 the  acquaintance.  He  was  very  talkative,  and  manifested  a  lively 
 interest  in  our  Mission  to  the  Jews.  Being  anxious  to  obtain  a 
 New  Testament,  we  gave  him  a  copy  in  Amharic,  out  of  which  he 
 immediately  read  several  chapters  to  our  motley  assembly  of  armed 
 and  unarmed  visitors.  They  all  expressed  their  admiration  and 
 delight  at  the  contents  of  the  inspired  volume,  and  wonderingly 
 inquired  amongst  themselves,  why  their  own  priests  kept  truths  so 
 beautiful  and  sublime,  disguised  in  a  language  no  one  could  under- 
 stand." 
 
■2  10  MISSIONARY    EFFORTS. 
 
 The  caution  and  discretion  which  IMr.  Stern  exercised  in  the  dis- 
 tribution of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  eagerness  of  the  Falashas  to 
 possess  them,  are  illustrated  in  the  following  incidents: — "The 
 ■notice  of  our  arrival,  which  had  been  communicated  to  the  different 
 Palasha  settlements  in  the  district,  brought  all  the  priests  and  their 
 friends  to  Chamarc.  The  majority  of  these  turbaned  ecclesiastics 
 had  never  seen  a  complete  volume  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  and 
 their  demand  for  copies  far  exceeded  the  stock  at  our  disposal. 
 Before  we  supplied  any  applicant,  we  invariably  made  him  read  a 
 few  verses,  in  order  to  test  his  acquaintance  with  the  Amharic  cha- 
 racter. The  passages  we  selected  were  either  direct  Messianic 
 prophecies,  or  solemn  appeals  to  the  heart,  and  these  important 
 topics  kept  up  without  interruption  the  serious  tone  of  our  discus- 
 :sion?." 
 
 "  The  desire  to  possess  the  written,  was  quite  equal  to  the  desire  to 
 hear  the  preached  Word.  From  the  lowlands  of  Quara,  and  the 
 mountains  of  Semien,  the  scattered  communities  sent  their  deputa- 
 tions to  secure  for  their  respective  settlements  a  copy  of  the  sacred 
 volume.  One  man,  who  had  come  to  Genda  from  a  distance  of 
 several  days'  journey,  on  his  arrival  found  that  we  were  gone. 
 Nothing  daunted,  he  grasped  his  pilgrim's  staff  and  followed  our  track 
 to  Chamare.  On  meeting  us,  a  visible  sensation  of  joy  broke 
 abruptly  over  the  dark  features  of  the  care-worn  wanderer,  and,  in 
 strains  of  eloquent  sincerity,  he  preferred  his  request.  Another 
 man — a  priest, — when  he  entered  our  tent,  naively  %dL\^,  "I  visited 
 Chamare  on  business,  and  was  just  about  to  depart,  when  I  heard 
 of  your  approach.  Well,  thought  I,  these  men  love  the  Falashas, 
 and  are  interested  in  their  welfare,  the  God  of  Israel  may  therefore 
 dispose  them  to  give  me  a  Bible  for  my  people.  Encouraged  by 
 this  hope,  I  went  up  to  your  tent,  but  the  crowd  was  so  dense  that 
 I  failed  in  gaining  admission.  The  next  day  I  heard  you  preach, 
 and  again,  on  the  day  following,  I  listened  to  a  lengthy  discussion. 
 Many  afterwards  got  Bibles,  but,  though  I  entreatecl  most  earnestly, 
 God  evidently  did  not  dispose  your  heart  to  grant  my  request.  Now 
 this  morning  my  hopes  are  again  disappointed  ;  but,  as  I  am  accus- 
 tomed to  walk,  I  shall  follow  you  till  God  inclines  your  heart  to 
 yield  to  my  prayers.'  Such  and  similar  pathetic  appeals  we  heard 
 almost  daily  ;  and,  although  we  were  unable  to  satisfy  the  importu- 
 nate demands  of  all,  yet  we  rejoiced  to  witness  this  spirit  of  anxious 
 inquiry, — this  yearning  for  the  life-giving  Word.  Those  who  were 
 happy  enough  to  obtain  the  sacred  volume,  manifested  their  bound- 
 less gratitude  by  bringing  us  presents  of  fowls,  mjlk,  bread,  Ovrc, 
 and  those  who  came  from  a  distance,  and  had  nothing  with  which 
 to  make  a  return  for  the  invaluable  gift,  prostrated  themselves  on 
 
CIRCULATION    OF   THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES.  211 
 
 the  ground,  and,  notwithstanding  our  entreaties,  would  kiss  our 
 hands  and  feet — aye,  the  very  ground  where  we  sat,  in  token  of  their 
 heartfelt  acknowledgment.  Our  great  difficulty  was,  to  transport  the 
 heavy  Amharic  Bibles  across  a  country  where  sometimes,  for  hours, 
 the  path  wound  along  a  yawning  abyss,  or  over  a  steep  rocky  height. 
 The  poor  people,  however,  thought  we  could  surmount  every  phy- 
 sical impossibility,  and  consequently,  whenever  we  put  off  an  appli- 
 -cant  till  our  return  to  Genda,  he  would  regard  it  as  a  denial  to  his 
 request,  and  squat  down  near  our  camp,  the  very  picture  of 
 -despair. 
 
 "  The  sun  was  shining  with  its  wonted  brightness  and  dazzling 
 splendour  through  a  cloudless  azure  sky,  when  we  loaded  our  ani- 
 mals and  quitted  the  swampy  plain.  We  had  scarcely  proceeded  a 
 mile,  when,  on  looking  back,  we  saw  a  party  of  Falashas  running 
 after  us  in  breathless  haste.  Fearing  that  something  serious  had 
 occurred,  we  slackened  our  pace,  but,  to  our  surprise,  we  found, 
 when  the  panting  group  came  up  to  us,  that  they  were  priests  and 
 ■debterahs  from  various  settlements,  some  of  whom  (a  thing  seldom 
 ■done  in  Abyssinia,  on  account  of  the  numerous  wild  beasts)  had 
 been  travelling  the  greater  part  of  the  night  in  order  to  overtake  us, 
 that  they  might  thus  secure  copies  of  the  Scriptures  before  our 
 ;Stock  was  exhausted.  They  had  heard  on  the  road  of  the  fanatical 
 monk,  and  in  indignant  language  blamed  his  conduct.  They 
 accompanied  us  two  miles  farther  to  a  ^Mohammedan  village, 
 where,  for  several  hours,  we  dilated  on  the  wonderful  theme  of 
 redemption,  which  we  showed,  by  numerous  quotations,  ran  like  a 
 golden  thread  through  every  page  of  the  inspired  volume  ;  speaking 
 in  one  place  through  types  and  emblematic  ceremonies,  and  in 
 another  by  visions  and  prophecies  ;  now  appealing  to  the  yearning 
 affectionsof  the  heart,  and  then  addressing  itself  to  the  reason  and 
 intellect ;  containing  warnings  of  woe  and  wrath  to  the  impenitent 
 on  one  page,  and  promises  of  bliss  and  joy  to  the  humble  and  con- 
 trite on  the  other.  '  In  this  way,'  we  added,  '  God,  in  His  infinite 
 mercv,  has  solved  for  us  every  enigma,  satisfied  every  doubt,  and 
 removed  every  false  plea.'  They  were  very  serious,  and  promised 
 to  attend  our  meetings,  if  we  settled  amongst  them." 
 
CHAPTER    XXV. 
 
 LAKE    TZANA.       MR.    HELL.       PROPOSED    EMI5ASSY. 
 
 The  time  was  now  approaching  for  Mr.  Stern's  return  from  his 
 most  interesting  and  successful  Mission.  His  travels  had  ranged 
 through  various  portions  of  the  Abyssinian  Kingdom.  He  had  in 
 particular  visited  most  of  the  districts  in  which  the  Falashas  lived, 
 and  had  been  led  to  form  a  cheering  opinion  concerning  the  pros- 
 pects of  any  missionary  efforts  whic'a  might  be  made  on  their 
 behalf.  He  had  secured  the  services  of  Mr.  Flad  as  an  agent  of  the 
 London  Society,  and  had  engaged  several  of  the  most  promising 
 among  the  Falashas  themselves,  to  organize  schools  for  the  purpose 
 of  giving  to  the  people  Scriptural  instruction.  In  the  prosecution 
 of  these  objects,  he  had  visited  a  variety  of  places  possessing  his- 
 toric as  well  as  local  interest.  Among  these  was  one  of  the  few 
 lakes  which  appear  to  exist  in  that  part  of  the  African  continent. 
 Of  Lake  Tzana,  and  the  verdant  islet  of  IMatracha,  on  which  he 
 became  possessed  of  several  cases  of  Amharic  Bibles,  he  observed  : 
 "  As  we  had  business  to  transact  with  the  aliga  of  the  Church,  we 
 hailed  a  boat,  and  instantly  a  well-shaped  lighter,  built  of  colossal 
 rushes,  that  grow  in  this  inland  sea,  shoved  off  from  the  shore.  The 
 primitive  craft,  as  it  gently  glided  over  the  smooth  and  unruffled  deep, 
 forcibly  reminded  me  of  the  prophet's  vessels  of  bulrushes,  to 
 which  it  bore  a  striking  resemblance.  Several  hippopotami,  which 
 were  sporting  in  the  water,  excited  the  hostility  of  our  people  (who 
 piously  hated  all  unclean  animals),  and  they  applied  to  them  the 
 most  insulting  epithets  they  could  find  in  their  vocabulary.  The 
 huge    puffing    monsters,    however,   did    not  in  the  least   heed    the 
 
li:,':iii;iiiiiiiiiJiiiiil!iiiiilillli:nrni""'!i;,T' 
 
 ;|imiii{|iiiMil!lMiuil;|l):l[ 
 
 !   1,1  l"'ml'i' 
 
LAKE   TZANA.      MR.    BELL.       PROPOSED    EMBASSY.  213 
 
 impotent  rage  of  their  assailants  ;  but,  conscious  of  their  strength 
 and  invuhierable  skin,  leisurely  continued,  in  defiance  of  shouts  and 
 yells,  to  perform  their  customary  aquatic  evolutions." 
 
 From  Mr.  Bell,  the  trusted  lieutenant  of  Theodorus,  he  had 
 received  the  kindest  attention  and  most  generous  support.  From  a 
 state  of  practical  indifference  and  irreligion,  he  had  been  awakened 
 to  hopes  and  desires,  which  too  truly  proved  to  be  the  harbingers 
 of  his  death.  Mr.  Stern  wrote  : — "  I  invited  Mr.  Bell  to  attend  the 
 service  which  I  had  organized  for  the  benefit  of  the  few  Europeans 
 on  our  lonely  hill.  He  readily  assented  to  my  proposition,  and  on 
 the  following  Lord's-day  was  with  us  for  several  hours.  More  than 
 twenty  years  had  elapsed  since  he  last  joined  in  the  prayers  of  the 
 Church,  or  listened  to  an  exposition  of  the  Gospel  from  a  Protes- 
 tant minister's  lips.  The  solemnity  of  the  service,  and  the  pathetic 
 and  thrilling  appeals  of  the  sacred  volume  to  which  he  had  so  long 
 been  almost  a  stranger,  evoked  sad  recollections  and  bitter  memo- 
 ries of  a  life  without  a  saving  faith,  and  the  anticipation  of  a  future 
 account  without  the  recognition  of  a  crucified  Redeemer.  The  next 
 day,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Flad,  he  expressed  his  unfeigned  gratification 
 at  having  spent  the  Sunday  under  our  roof,  and  at  the  same  time, 
 in  an  earnest  strain,  requested  him  to  become  the  guardian  and 
 executor  of  his  will,  should  the  next  battle-field  terminate  his 
 career.  These  gloomy  forebodings  proved  but  too  true,  for  in  a 
 fight  between  Gerat  and  the  King,  which  took  place  three  months 
 later,  this  brave  and  kind-hearted  man,  to  the  regret  of  a  whole 
 nation,  nobly  fell  in  defending  the  life  of  his  Sovereign  and  friend." 
 
 Mr.  Bell's  death  was  a  national  calamity.  He  exercised  a  strong 
 influence  over  the  mind  and  movements  of  the  King,  and  it  was  to 
 that  influence,  in  a  great  measure,  that  Mr.  Stern  imputed  a  pro- 
 bable course  of  life  on  the  part  of  the  imperious  Monarch,  which 
 the  future  too  sadly  falsified.  "  King  Theodorus,  as  is  well  known, 
 has  always  manifested  great  partiality  for  Europeans  ;  and  any  pro- 
 ject calculated  to  enhance  the  wealth  of  his  empire,  and  the  stability 
 of  his  throne,  is  sure  to  meet  with  his  countenance  and  support. 
 Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Bell,  whose  judicious  counsels  exerted  the 
 most  happy  influence  on  the  conduct  and  actions  of  the  despot, 
 some  unfavourable  changes  have  characterized   his  proceedings  ; 
 
214      LAKE  TZAXA.   MR.  RELL.   PROPOSED  EMBASSY. 
 
 Still  it  admits  of  little  doubt  that  the  present  ruler  of  Abyssinia, 
 with  all  his  faults, — which  the  circumstances  of  his  birth  and  the 
 condition  of  his  country  must  in  some  degree  palliate, — is  a  man 
 far  in  advance  of  his  people  in  ideas  and  aspirations  ;  and,  whether 
 commercial  enterprise  is  to  find  a  ne-w  sphere,  or  the  interests  of 
 oppressed  humanity  in  Africa  are  to  be  promoted,  by  a  little  cir- 
 cumspection and  proper  judgment,  these  and  other  desirable 
 objects  may  be  surely  advanced,  whilst  such  a  man  as  King  Theo- 
 dorus  occupies  the  throne  of  Ethiopia.  Hitherto,  neither  the 
 Sovereign  nor  his  subjects  have  had  much  opportunity  for  forming 
 a  correct  estimate  of  the  various  sources  of  wealth  that  lie  within 
 their  reach,  or,  what  is  of  far  greater  import,  of  becoming 
 acquainted  with  the  beauty  of  that  Gospel  in  which  they  so  loudly 
 profess  to  believe  ;  but,  let  the  missionary  quietly  and  judiciously 
 pursue  his  evangelistic  work ;  let  the  fostering  hand  of  trad-e 
 develope  the  hidden  treasures  of  the  land,  and  an  impulse  will  be 
 given  to  industry,  a  stimulus  to  civilization,  and  a  salutary  power  to 
 law ;  and  the  only  nation  in  Central  Africa  bearing  the  name  of 
 Christian,  and  now,  alas,  notorious  for  vice,  may  yet  become  famous, 
 for  '  whatsoever  is  honest,  lovely,  and  of  good  report.'  " 
 
CHAPTER    XXVI. 
 
 THE  GUMARAH.      JOURNEY  THROUGH   DEBRA  TABOR  AND  GONDAR„ 
 
 The  scenery  of  Abyssinia  is  peculiarly  impressive.  The  moun- 
 tains and  valleys  are  of  the  most  picturesque  character,  and  the 
 crests  of  lofty  hills  are  frequently  crowned  with  beetling  rocks, 
 which  have  the  appearance  of  castellated  palaces,  or  immense  forti- 
 fications. Through  many  parts  of  this  country,  Mr.  Stern  was  con- 
 ducted under  an  escort  provided  by  the  King,  and  accompanied  on 
 several  occasions  by  Mr.  Bell.  The  customs  of  the  people,  the 
 superstitions  of  which  they  are  the  victims,  and  the  impositions 
 practised  on  their  credulity,  gave  him  the  opportunity  of  comment- 
 ing on  the  evil  of  these  propensities,  and  setting  forth  the  simpli- 
 city and  truth  of  the  Gospel.  Some  remarkable  phenomena  are 
 described  by  Mr.  Stern. 
 
 "  As  we  advanced,  the  country  became  more  wild,  and  the  path 
 more  precipitous.  Monkeys  abounded  in  the  trees,  and  also  a  few 
 savage-looking  boars  prowled  about  the  marshy  banks  of  the  nume- 
 rous rivulets  in  search  of  roots,  but  no  human  being  was  visible 
 except  three  miserable,  haggard  wretches,  on  whose  countenances 
 vice  had  traced  its  appalling  characters,  and  these,  like  ourselves, 
 were  wending  their  way  towards  the  celebrated  medicinal  hot 
 springs.  Late  at  noon  we  espied  the  deep-fissured  gorge  through 
 which  the  river  threaded  its  winding  course.  The  descent  being 
 steep  and  overgrown  with  entangled  shrubs  and  mimosas,  we  con- 
 signed our  animals  to  the  care  of  the  servants,  and  scrambled,  quite 
 indifferent  to  the  scratches  inflicted  on  our  hands  and  feet,  down  to- 
 the  Gumarah,  where,  on  a  clean  grassy  spot,  I  was  soon  comfort- 
 ably established. 
 
 "The  hot  mineral  springs,  which  in  large  volumes  well  out  of  the 
 dull,  brown  basalt  rock,  are  situated  on  a  sloping  declivity,  close  to- 
 the  river's   edge.     A   small,    insignificant  building,   raised  over  a 
 
2l5  THE    GUMAKAH. 
 
 basin  two  feet  in  depth,  into  which  tlic  sanative  water  bubbles, 
 constituted  the  bath  for  the  hime,  the  bhnd,  and  the  halt ;  whilst 
 those  who  were  afflicted  with  scrofulous,  scorbutic,  leprous,  and 
 other  contagious  diseases,  had  to  perform  their  lavations  in  an 
 enclosed  pool  a  little  lower  down,  where  they  enjoyed  the  double 
 advantage  of  getting  cool,  as  well  as  bathing  in  water  already  tested. 
 
 "  These  baths,  which  are  continually  surrounded  by  most  haggard 
 and  ghastly  objects,  vividly  reminded  me  of  Bethesda's  pool.  There 
 were  men  and  women,  youths  and  maidens,  all  more  or  less  branded 
 by  the  indelible  curse  of  depravity  and  vice.  Some  of  these  help- 
 less creatures  were  squatted  on  the  bare  soil,  some  lay  at  full  length 
 in  the  sun's  fiery  rays,  and  some  leaned  their  aching  frames  for  sup- 
 port against  a  rough  stone,  or  the  trunk  of  a  decayed  tree  ;  but  not- 
 withstanding the  incurable  character  of  the  maladies  with  which  the 
 majority  were  smitten,  the  cadaverous  eyes  of  all  watched  with 
 intense  anguish  for  a  vacancy  ■  in  the  two  ever-filled  kennel-like 
 structures, — the  only  objects  of  their  longing  desire, — the  only 
 bright  spots  that  shed  beams  of  hope  in  their  souls'  dark  despair. 
 
 "  My  friend,  Mr.  Bell,  whom  a  long  residence  in  this  country 
 had  rendered  perfectly  indifferent  to  mephitic  influences,  out  of 
 consideration  to  me,  ordered  the  upper  bath  to  be  cleaned  ;  but  I 
 had  no  desire  to  prevent  any  one  of  the  numerous  pitiful  groups 
 clustered  around  these  imaginary  health-imparting  fountains,  from 
 ■enjoying  the  remedy  on  which  they  placed  their  vain  expectations 
 of  a  cure. 
 
 "  Saints  and  demons,  angels  and  fiends,  whom  the  natives  respec- 
 tively bless  or  curse  for  whatever  is  good  or  bad  in  their  countr}', 
 come  in  also  for  a  share  of  the  virtues  attributed  to  these  salubrious 
 springs.  According  to  their  legend,  holy  Kirkos,  a  man  of  no  mean 
 saintly  repute,  by  his  love  for  the  truth  and  zeal  for  the  Gospel, 
 contracted  the  enmity  of  the  unbelievers,  who,  to  glut  their  revenge, 
 awarded  him  a  crown  of  martyrdom.  The  soul  of  the  fictitious 
 saint,  released  from  its  earthly  thralls,  winged  its  flight  to  the 
 regions  of  the  blest,  but  his  mortal  remains,  uninterred  by  the  mis- 
 creants, were  devoured  by  large  vultures  called  anioras,  and  his 
 bones  dropped  near  the  Gumarah,  on  those  very  spots  from  which 
 gush  forth  the  healing  waters — the  incontestable  proofs  of  his  piety, 
 and  the  everlasting  memorials  of  his  benevolence. 
 
 "To  prevent  these  resorts  of  the  sick  and  suffering  from  being 
 overcrowded,  the  healing  virtue  of  the  water  is  restricted  to  seven 
 days  ;  after  that  period,  their  efficacy  becomes  neutralized  ;  and 
 should  the  patient  delay  his  departure,  he  may  be  honoured  for  his 
 temerity  by  a  visit  from  the  Nedatitu,  a  race  of  graceless  female 
 Genii,  who  riot  in  carnage,  and  are  reported  to  feast  on  human 
 flesh.  I  had  no  inclination  to  protract  my  stay  in  this  lazar  spot  of 
 disease  and  ill-famed  home  of  savage  harpies,  and  therefore,  after 
 two  days'  rest,  I  scaled  again  the  lofty  heights  which  rise  almost 
 perpendicularly  on  both  sides  of  the  Gumarah,  and  set  out  for  Gaf- 
 fat,  near  Debra  Tabor,  the  capital  of  Begemeder. 
 
JOURNEY   THROUGH    DEBRA   TABOR    AND    GONDAR.  217 
 
 "The  ascent  out  of  this  gloomy  dell,  where  every  breath  seemed 
 tainted  with  the  poison  of  incurable  disease,  brought  us  again  into 
 a  cooler  atmosphere,  and  a  more  exhilarating  scene.  My  mule 
 being  fresh,  and  my  servants  well  fed  and  greased,  we  moved 
 along  at  a  rate  that  startled  many  a  wild  beast  out  of  its  lonely 
 haunt. 
 
 "  The  narrow  untenanted  valley  of  Wanzag/e,  which  we  had  tra- 
 versed by  noon,  brought  us  to  a  broken  and  precipitous  range 
 of  rocks,  an  excrescence  of  the  Alpine  Guna.  We  halted  a 
 few  minutes  to  recover  our  expended  energy,  and  then,  with  a  des- 
 perate effort,  slowly  and  cautiously  climbed  up  the  rugged  acclivi- 
 ties, where  an  unspeakably  grand  spectacle  presented  itself  to  our 
 gaze.  The  whole  country  to  the  north  and  east,  far  beyond  the 
 limits  of  the  eye's  range,  mountains  and  valleys,  rocks  and  chasms, 
 all  lay  bathed  in  pne  mighty  mass  of  bright  blazing  fire.  Not 
 knowing  which  way  to  take,  for  the  devouring  element  came  crack- 
 ling and  hissing  nearer  to  the  spot  where  we  stood,  I  turned  to  my 
 servants,  and  inquired  for  the  path  we  could  safely  pursue  ;  but  as 
 they  were  in  terror  of  the  hyenas  and  leopards,  whose  howls  and 
 yells  rang  ominously  through  the  illuminated  night  air,  they  only 
 thought  of  their  own  safety;  and,  whether  I  followed  or  not,  they 
 sped  on,  between  creaking  trees  and  flaming  grasses,  towards  a 
 black  spot,  which  was  faintly  visible  through  the  fitful  conflagration. 
 The  hot  and  clammy  vapours,  which  every  gust  of  wind  drove 
 straight  across  our  path,  parched  our  lips,  and  produced  a  suflfo- 
 cating  sensation  in  our  heaving  chests  ;  still  we  dared  not  stop,  but 
 were  compelled  to  hasten  on,  in  search  of  a  safe  retreat.  Now  and 
 then  the  fierce  blaze,  leaping  and  tossing  in  uncontrollable  rage 
 over  ever}'  opposing  barrier,  presented  a  sight  that  filled  the  beholder 
 with  wonder,  awe,  and  delight.  A  huge  mountain  just  opposite  to 
 our  path,  around  which  the  lurid  flame  rolled  its  desolating  flood, 
 aff"orded  a  sight  I  shall  never  forget.  Now  the  red  fire  lighted  it 
 up  to  its  summit  with  an  intense  bright  glow  ;  now  volumes  of  thin 
 white  smoke  suftused  it  with  ghastly  hues  ;  anon,  again,  the  ever- 
 shifting  vapours  shrouded  it  in  impenetrable  darkness.  I  watched 
 for  some  time  this  grand  rampart,  which,  like  a  rock  amidst  the 
 lashing  waves,  bade  defiance  to  the  devouring  elements,  when  sud- 
 denly a  severe  blast  swept  a  fiery  torrent  through  the  blackened 
 underwood,  into  furrows  clothed  with  rank  grass,  and  in  an  instant 
 the  white  vapoury  clouds,  ignited  by  the  freshening  breeze,  spread 
 upwards  and  around  till  the  whole  mountain,  to  its  wooded  summit, 
 flared  and  flickered  in  a  blood-red  flame,  that  diffused  a  glaring 
 light  for  many  miles  over  the  surrounding  country.  The  glowing 
 sparks  that  fell  in  luminous  showers  from  the  burning  trees 
 expedited  our  march,  and  we  were  truly  grateful  when  we  reached 
 the  outskirts  of  this  Tophet,  with  no  other  injury  than  a  few  blis- 
 ters, and  ver}'  sore  feet.  A  peasant,  near  whose  abode  we  alighted, 
 hospitably  off"ered  us  shelter  under  his  roof,  but  the  vast  sheet  of 
 
 p 
 
2l8  THE   GUMARAH. 
 
 fire  which  was  still  blazing  in  all  directions,  induced  me  to  prefer 
 fronting  the  approaching  foe  under  the  open  vault  of  heaven,  rather 
 than  in  a  dry  and  inflammable  shed.  Happily,  our  night's  rest  was 
 not  broken  by  the  spread  of  the  conflagration,  and  we  rose  from 
 the  clotty  ground  that  had  formed  our  common  couch,  a  little 
 aching  in  our  limbs,  yet  refreshed  enough  to  pursue  our  journey 
 over  the  desolate,  smouldering  tract,  towards  the  fertile  fields  and 
 green  meadows  of  Debra  Tabor. 
 
 "  It  was  mid-day  before  we  came  in  sight  of  the  hill  around 
 whose  base  and  terraced  sides  clustered,  gorgeously  illuminated  in 
 the  sun's  meridian  rays,  a  mass  of  mean,  tottering  huts,  which,  on  a 
 nearer  view,  I  thought  must  have  been  purposely  erected  to  give  a 
 name  to  the  locality  ;  though  subsequent  information  convinced  me 
 that  the  miserable  state  of  this  royal  city  was  the  result  of  its  fre- 
 quent occupation  by  hordes  of  rapacious  and  profligate  troops,  who 
 drove  away  all  the  families  that  were  respectable,  and,  in  their 
 stead,  peopled  the  vacant  dwellings  with  a  reckless  multitude  of  the 
 shameless,  the  dissolute,  and  the  abandoned.  A  few  isolated  huts, 
 of  a  larger  size  and  superior  construction,  that  stood  on  the  brow  of 
 the  hill,  my  servants  pointed  out  to  me  as  the  future  residence  of 
 the  King  and  his  newly-affianced  bride,  the  daughter  of  his  late 
 captive,  Ras  Oubie,  of  Tigre.  The  unsightly  and  forlorn  town, 
 abounding  with  slimy  puddles  that  aff"orded  a  luxuriant  growth  to  a 
 rank  vegetation,  and  a  number  of  shaky  hovels,  where  foul  and  pol- 
 luting vice  held  their  perpetual  carnival,  presented  a  striking  con- 
 trast to  the  lovely  panorama  of  green  fields,  shady  groves,  lofty 
 mountains  and  towering  rocks,  by  which  it  was  environed.  I  did 
 not  stay  in  this  horrible  place  longer  than  was  absolutely  necessary 
 for  a  hasty  visit  to  the  Governor,  a  bland  debauchee,  whose  back 
 and  purse  had  already  many  a  time — and  that,  too,  without  effecting 
 any  improvement — smarted  under  the  lash  of  his  royal  master.  He 
 was  all  smiles  and  compliments  ;  but  as  I  knew  how  to  interpret 
 these,  I  put  an  end  to  the  tedious  interview  by  requesting  a  bal- 
 daraba  (an  escort)  to  conduct  me  to  Gaff"at.  An  athletic  young 
 black,  one  of  the  Governor's  own  attendants,  was  immediately 
 charged  with  my  guardianship,  and  in  the  company  of  this  cheerful 
 and  lively  guide,  we  trudged  on  to  our  destination. 
 
 "A  heavy  shower  of  rain,  accompanied  by  vivid  flashes  of  light- 
 ning and  loud  bursts  of  thunder,  without  any  of  the  usual  premoni- 
 tory symptoms,  most  capriciously  overtook  us  during  the  first  half 
 hour's  march.  Our  people,  accustomed  to  such  freaks  of  nature 
 antecedent  to  their  winter,  quickly  folded  up  their  shamas,  and,  with 
 their  nude  backs  exposed  to  the  pouring  torrents,  merrily  trod  the 
 saturated  and  slippery  earth.  The  ascent  up  one  of  the  rugged 
 shoulders  of  the  Guna,  after  a  day's  good  toil,  severely  tested  our 
 aching  and  wearied  limbs.  We  had  already  clambered  an  altitude 
 of  more  than  a  thousand  feet,  when  we  heard  a  rumbling  and  rat- 
 tling noise  overhead,  and,  on  looking  in  the  direction  of  the  sound. 
 
JOURNEY  THROUGH  DEBRA  TAHOR  AND  GONDAR.      219 
 
 we  saw  a  hail-storm  rapidly  drifting  towards  us.  Without  an 
 instant's  delay,  and  as  if  pursued  by  a  foe,  all  who  were  unencum- 
 bered with  burdens,  bounded,  panting  and  gasping,  in  the  direction 
 of  a  grove  of  kosso-trees,  which  promised  a  safe  retreat.  Our  por- 
 ters no  sooner  saw  the  race,  than  they  also  imagined  that  their  gun- 
 proof  skulls  were  in  danger  from  the  pelting  hail  ;  and,  in  the 
 greatest  consternation,  threw  down  their  loads,  and  scampered 
 after  us  as  fast  as  their  fright  and  the  slippery  path  allowed  them. 
 
 "The  hail,  after  half  an  hour's  duration,  abated,  and  we  could  ven- 
 ture, without  danger  either  to  head  or  eyes,  to  resume  again  our 
 upland  journey.  It  was  a  strange  spectacle  to  see  the  whole  coun- 
 try, which  a  little  before  was  all  smiling  in  vernal  bloom,  thus  sud- 
 denly shrouded  in  a  kind  of  unbleached  mantle  of  wintry  white  ; 
 but  Abyssinia  is  the  land  of  extremes,  and  rain  and  sunshine, 
 oppressive  heat  and  chilling  blasts,  alternate  almost  regularly  during 
 the  four  months  which  constitute  the  winter  season. 
 
 "The  ascent  increased  in  wild  ruggedness  as  we  advanced.  On 
 all  sides  dark  and  gloomy  precipices  obstructed  the  view,  and  ter- 
 minated our  path.  Now  we  mounted  a  slippery  height,  where  a 
 false  step  would  have  hurled  us  into  ravines  of  unfathomable  depth  ; 
 now  we  crept  through  a  rocky  cleft,  along  whose  furrowed  sides  the 
 melting  hail  leaped  in  foaming  cascades  ;  and  now  again,  with 
 hands  and  feet  firmly  fixed  in  the  crumbling  soil,  we  crept  cautiously 
 on  all  fours  up  a  tortuous  and  shelving  pathway,  which  terminated 
 in  a  broad  meadow  or  tract  of  pasture  land.  Here  we  found  a  little 
 village  to  house  our  servants,  when  we  pitched  the  tent,  and  on  the 
 wet  grass,  and  in  a  pure  and  invigorating  atmosphere,  passed  a 
 most  comfortable  and  refreshing  night. 
 
 "  Early  in  the  morning,  we  made  an  excursion  to  the  highest 
 summit  of  the  Guna.  The  air,  when  we  started,  was  still  raw,  cold, 
 and  biting  ;  but  we  anticipated  that  the  rising  sun  would  soon 
 dispel  the  sharp  frosty  atmosphere,  and  diffuse  a  genial  warmth  over 
 the  wet  and  saturated  earth.  Our  expectations  were  doomed  to 
 disappointment,  for  the  bright  lord  of  day  had  scarcely  looked  on 
 the  quiet  creation  that  awaited  his  smiling  beams,  when,  instead  of 
 imparting  the  usual  fresh  tinge  of  the  rose  to  the  towering  moun- 
 tains and  undulating  dells,  he  tantalized  us  by  wrapping  every 
 hollow  and  hill  in  a  winding  sheet  of  ghastly  death.  The  steaming 
 vapours  unrolled  themselves  at  first  in  the  lower  regions,  but  gradu- 
 ally they  rose  higher  and  higher  ;  now^  encircling  with  a  silvery 
 cestus  a  huge  isolated  cliflf,  and  now,  again,  obscuring  the  bold  out- 
 lines of  an  inaccessible  mountain  range.  We  already  regretted  our 
 expedition,  and  longed  to  be  ensconced  under  the  snug  canopy  of 
 our  canvas  ;  but  as  to  retreat  would  have  been  quite  as  difficult  as 
 to  advance,  we  resolved  to  defy  the  chilling,  clammy  fog,  in  order 
 to  accomplish  our  object.  The  guides,  who  were  as  much  at  home 
 in  the  labyrinthine  confusion  of  these  alpine  heights  as  in  their  own 
 
2  20  THE    GUMARAH. 
 
 sooty  huts,  carelessly  threailed  their  way  through  the  dense  gloom, 
 whilst  we,  conscious  of  numberless  dangers,  were  almost  afraid  to 
 move. 
 
 "A  quivering,  rainbow-like  gleam  was  now  visible  on  the  western 
 horizon,  but  its  unsteady  light  kept  us  for  a  few  minutes  in  doubt 
 whether  to  attribute  it  to  lightning,  or  the  piercing  beams  of  the 
 sun's  rays.  Our  gaze,  which  was  intently  fixed  on  that  glimmering 
 spot,  did  not  linger  long  in  uncertainty,  for  a  few  gusts  of  wind 
 which  came  sighing  through  the  fissures  and  clefts  of  the  rocks, 
 burst  the  heaving  vapoury  curtain,  and  unfolded  to  our  enraptured 
 sight  a  scene  indescribably  grand  and  magnificent.  There,  to  the 
 north,  rose,  in  every  imaginable  shape  and  form,  the  mountains  of 
 Bellessa,  from  whose  hoary  summits  and  sloping  declivities,  hun- 
 dreds and  thousands  of  bold  warriors  have  often  poured  down,  to 
 defend  their  religion  and  home  against  the  inroads  of  pagan  Gallas, 
 and  the  assaults  of  Mohammedan  conquerors  ;  westward  spread  the 
 noble,  broad  plain  of  Dembea,  intersected  by  numerous  groves  and 
 villages,  with  the  Tzana  to  protect  it  towards  Alafa  and  Dagossa, 
 and  a  dark  belt  of  indistinct  hills  for  its  ramparts  on  the  side  where 
 it  abuts  on  Tschelga  and  Quara ;  to  the  right,  and  far  away  in  the 
 airy  distance,  could  be  traced,  in  a  south-south-westerly  direction, 
 the  faint  outlines  of  Godjam,  the  land  where  coffee  grows  and  gold 
 is  found,  and  where  the  blue  Nile,  one  of  the  sources  of  Egypt's 
 fertility,  has  its  rise  ;  whilst  a  sombre  shadowy  line  along  the  blue 
 sky  in  the  north-east,  defined  the  chain  of  rocks  and  mountains 
 which  encircle  with  an  adamantine  wall  the  sacred  pilgrim-land  of 
 Lasta. 
 
 "  I  could  have  loitered  here,  in  communion  with  nature  and 
 nature's  God,  for  many,  many  hours,  had  not  the  effect  of  the 
 atmosphere,  at  this  elevation  of  14,670  English  feet  above  the  level 
 of  the  Mediterranean,  been  too  oppressive  to  my  lungs  ;  and,  un- 
 willing as  I  felt  to  move,  a  suff"ocating  sensation  drove  me  from  the 
 rocky  and  barren  summit.  The  vegetation,  which  at  the  highest 
 altitude  consisted  only  of  some  lichens  and  heather,  2000  feet  lower 
 down  was  of  a  rich  verdure,  enamelled  with  beds  of  lovely-coloured 
 lilies  and  the  tapeungjudara,  a  species  of  huge  lobelia. 
 
 "  The  general  anxiety  to  reach  Gondar — the  capital  of  Abyssinia, 
 and  the  loadstone  of  the  natives — before  evening,  imparted  fresh 
 strength  and  elasticity  to  our  footsore  people,  and  they  bounded 
 along  at  a  rate  that  would  have  entitled  them  to  the  prize  had  they 
 been  running  a  race.  A  brisk  march  of  several  hours  brought  us  to 
 the  Magatch,  which  is  spanned  by  a  bridge  of  five  arches.  There  we 
 met  a  good  number  of  people  who  were  on  their  way  to  the  market 
 of  the  metropolis.  The  commodities  which  they  had  for  sale  or 
 barter,  were  of  the  most  motley  character  conceivable.  Here  was  a 
 man  sweating  under  a  heavy  bag  of  teff" ;  and,  a  little  farther  on, 
 walked  a  woman  carefully  supporting  on  her  elaborately-curled  head, 
 a  crushing  gumbo  of  honey.     Now  passed  a  whole  group  charged 
 
||pMiiiiiiiiipi]iiip|||jj!lii|i 
 
JOURNEY    THROUGH    DEHRA    TABOR    AND    GONDAR.  22  1 
 
 with  garlic  and  onions,  chillies  and  pepper  ;  in  a  few  minutes  more 
 came  a  procession  of  donkeys,  almost  smothered  beneath  bulky  and 
 shapeless  bales  of  lowland  cotton  ;  and  anon,  the  rugged  and  steep 
 highway  was  blocked  up  by  droves  of  oxen  and  cows,  destined  to 
 furnish  broundo  joints  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  royal  city.  The 
 peripatetic  speculators  in  the  animal  and  vegetable  creation  of 
 Ethiopia  gazed  at  us  in  wondering  surprise,  and,  for  the  nonce, 
 business  was  merged  in  the  conjectures  excited  by  the  visit  of  the 
 strangers.  They  were  all  exceedingly  civil  to  us,  and  we  passed 
 without  inconvenience  through  the  steaming  and  gaping  crowd. 
 
 "  The  animated  scene,  presented  by  the  multitude  hurrying  to 
 market,  beguiled  the  tediousness  of  our  journey,  and  brought  us  in 
 less  time  than  we  anticipated  to  the  capital  of  King  Theodoras. 
 His  Grace  the  Metropolitan,  having  kindly  placed  the  archiepis- 
 copal  residence  at  our  disposal,  we  made  straight  [or  Kudus  Gabriel, 
 where  the  Primate's  steward,  who  had  already  been  apprised  by  a 
 special  messenger  of  our  intended  visit,  gave  us  a  hearty  and  cor- 
 dial reception. 
 
 "  I  sallied  forth  at  the  first  flush  of  day,  to  have  a  quiet  and  un- 
 disturbed view  of  Gondar.  An  overhanging  grassy  platform  in  the 
 rear  of  our  premises,  just  opposite  the  Gimp,  or  castle,  afforded  me 
 the  best  position  for  satisfying  my  curiosity.  Standing  on  that 
 spot,  I  beheld,  as  in  a  shifting  panorama,  the  various  groups  of 
 houses  and  churches  which  occupy  the  northern  and  south-western 
 side  of  this  strange  city.  The  widely-separated  and  distinct  clus- 
 ters of  houses,  interspersed  with  fields  and  trees,  presented,  in  the 
 golden  glow  of  the  morning,  a  very  striking  and  pleasing  sight. 
 There,  just  beneath  my  feet,  in  a  deep  ravine,  overlooked  by  several 
 conically-shaped  huts,  a  sparkling  brook  leaped  over  its  rocky  bed, 
 down  to  the  river  Gaha,  where,  almost  in  the  sight  of  the  populous 
 Mohammedan  quarter,  called  Islam  Beit,  ^Ir.  Plowden  the  English 
 Consul,  received  his  deathblow  from  a  freebooter's  lance.  From 
 this  glen,  up  on  a  verdant  heath,  lay  the  Etcheque  Beit,  where  the 
 ecclesiastical  head  of  the  monks,  and  the  more  respectable  inhabi- 
 tants, have  their  dwellings.  On  the  left  of  that  irregular  elevation 
 stretched  Bada,  with  its  large  church  and  extensive  groves,  crum- 
 bling walls  and  squalid  hovels  ;  and  quite  on  the  summit,  beyond 
 the  eye's  ken,  gleamed  in  the  blazing  sun  the  tottering  towers  and 
 ruined  halls  of  the  once  stately,  but  now  decayed  and  almost  unin- 
 habitable palace. 
 
 "We  had  now  been  nineteen  days  at  Gondar,  and  not  thinking  it 
 advisable  to  protract  our  stay,  we  set  out  again  on  our  missionary 
 journey.  Our  route  was  west-south-west  across  the  hills,  which, 
 like  Cyclopean  embattlements,  encompass  Gondar.  At  Assaso,  a 
 suburb,  an  hour's  distance  from  the  metropolis,  there  are  still  some 
 gardens  and  a  churcli  which  remind  the  vain  Abyssinian  of  the 
 superiority  cf  the  Franks,  who  saved  Ethiopia  from  the  yoke  of 
 Islamism,  but  injudiciously  endeavoured  to  impose  on  her  the  no 
 
22  2     JOURNEY  THROUGH  DEHRA  TAHOR  AND  GONDAR. 
 
 less  detested  manacles  of  Popery.  Here  we  re-arranged  our  books, 
 which  pressed  heavily  on  the  saddlebacks  of  our  mules,  and  then 
 through  a  steep  and  narrow  defile  pushed  on  to  Manci^cr  Gahrid,  a 
 hamlet  hidden  in  a  forest  of  acacias,  wanza,  worka,  antl  other  tro- 
 pical trees  and  plants.  We  had  some  difficulty  in  extricating  our 
 feet  from  the  rank  weeds  and  tangled  j)arasites,  which  everywhere 
 barred  our  onward  progress.  Bruised  and  bleeding,  we  reached  the 
 Shum's  hut,  and  there,  in  a  field  of  pumpkins,  we  cleared  a  small 
 space  for  our  tent.  After  a  supper  of  excellent  milk,  and  an  abun- 
 dance of  vegetables,  a  luxury  we  had  not  enjoyed  for  many  weeks, 
 we  retired  to  rest,  and,  reclining  on  soft  grass  and  aromatic  herbs, 
 slept,  in  defiance  of  mosquitoes  and  hyenas,  quite  as  soundly  in  the 
 African  wilderness  as  we  could  have  done  in  the  most  luxurious 
 chamber  in  the  heart  of  civilized  Europe. 
 
 "  With  the  first  streaks  of  day  we  were  at  our  morning's  devo- 
 tions ;  we  then  drank  a  cup  of  bitter  coff'ee  (the  luxury  of  sugar 
 being  unknown  in  Abyssinia),  and  thus  strengthened  and  refreshed 
 in  body  and  spirit,  we  started  again  on  unknown  and  unbeaten 
 tracks.  Our  score  of  servants  were  not  so  expeditious  as  ourselves. 
 A  large  pot  of  peppered  pumpkins  was  still  on  the  fire,  and  till  this 
 was  devoured  they  moved  about  as  if  their  feet  were  j)aralyzed  and 
 their  hands  palsied.  Had  we  been  pressed  for  time,  we  should 
 have  ordered  them  to  stow  their  repast  in  a  skin,  and  eat  it  on 
 the  road  :  but  as  we  had  to  visit  a  Falasha  village  in  the  neighbour- 
 hood, it  would  have  been  wanton  cruelty  to  tear  them  away  from 
 the  bubbling  and  seething  pot. 
 
 "  There  is  someihing  cheering  and  inexpressibly  jjleasant  in  a 
 tropical  morning  on  the  highlands  of  Abyssinia,  more  particularly 
 so,  when,  as  in  our  case,  gratitude  swells  the  breast,  and  hallowed 
 visions  cheer  the  mind.  Isolation  and  loneliness  are  then  entirely 
 forgotten,  and  one  hurries,  without  any  sensation  of  fatigue,  to  the 
 places  mapped  out  for  the  day's  toil.  The  balmy  air,  and  the 
 lovely  landscapes  which,  as  in  a  panorama,  float  in  rapid  succession 
 before  the  enraptured  sight,  preclude  any  desire  for  rest  until  noon 
 approaches,  and  a  meridian  &un  hushes  every  breath,  and  drives 
 man  and  beast  to  seek  shelter  from  its  fiery  blaze." 
 
CHAPTER    XXVII. 
 
 ABYSSINIAN    SUPERSTITIONS.      THE    KOUDA.      THE   ZAR. 
 
 The  twin-sisters  of  superstition  and  unbelief  occupy  some  mea- 
 sure of  ground  in  every  country  of  the  world.  The  intelligence  of 
 the  human  mind  revolts  against  the  degradation  to  which  pagan, 
 heathen,  or  so-called  Christian  superstitions,  lower  every  faculty. 
 The  unbelief  of  paganism  assumes  a  coarser  and  more  revolting 
 form  than  that  of  the  scientist ;  but  it  is  always  contemporaneous 
 with  the  attempt  to  dominate  over  the  human  mind  by  the  intro- 
 duction and  spread  of  sacerdotal  influence. 
 
 Mr.  Stern's  narrative  contains  some  statements  which  reveal  the 
 social  and  religious  state  of  Abyssinia.  Many  of  the  phenomena  to 
 which  he  alludes  are  unaccountable,  and  would  be  regarded  with 
 distrust  had  they  not  fallen  under  the  personal  observation  of  a 
 witness  so  reliable.  How  far  the  Evil  One  is  permitted  to  exercise 
 an  influence  in  the  affairs  of  mankind,  has  always  been  the  theme  of 
 discussion  and  difference  of  opinion.  But  the  concurrent  testimony 
 of  all  who  have  studied  such  strange  occurrences  as  those  about  to 
 be  related,  testify,  that  it  is  over  the  weak  and  impressionable  that 
 pretenders  to  the  supernatural  have  power.  In  all  parts  of  the 
 world,  it  is  notorious  that,  under  some  extraordinary  impulse, 
 persons  have  been  enabled  to  accomplish  objects,  which  were  alto- 
 gether unattainable,  under  the  normal  conditions  of  life. 
 
 "In  dilating  on  the  ills  the  Ethiopian  is  heir  to,  the  Bouda  and 
 Zar  must  not  be  forgotten,  since  they  occupy  a  most  prominent 
 place  in  the  catalogue  of  evils  which  torture  the  brown-skinned 
 children  of  the  sun.  Of  the  two,  the  Bouda,  or  sorcerer,  as  the 
 word  signifies,  is  the  most  dreaded.     His  powers  in  the  black  art 
 
224        ABYSSINIAN    SUPERSTITIONS.       THE    HOUDA.       THE    ZAR. 
 
 are  reported  to  be  of  a  most  varied  character.  At  one  time  he  will 
 enslave  the  objects  of  his  malice  ;  at  another,  he  will  subject  them 
 to  nameless  tortures  ;  and  not  unfrequently  his  vengeance  will  even 
 compass  their  death.  Like  the  Genii  and  Efrets  of  the  Arabian 
 Nights,  the  Bouda  invariably  selects  those  possessed  of  youth  and 
 talent,  beauty  and  wit,  on  whom  to  work  his  evil  deeds.  Those 
 most  profound  in  magic  skill  are  the  inhabitants  of  Damot, 
 some  Godjamees,  and  the  workers  in  iron  and  brass,  a  trade 
 almost  exclusively  monopolized  by  the  poor  despised  Falashas. 
 A  variety  of  charms  have  been  invented  to  counteract  the  Bouda's 
 power,  but  the  most  potent  and  expensive  are  the  amulets  written 
 by  pious  debterahs,  and  worn  round  the  neck.  The  dread  of  the 
 sorcerer  has  introduced  a  whole  tribe  of  exorcists,  who  pretend  to 
 be  able  both  to  conjure  the  evil  spirit,  and  also  to  detect  his  where- 
 about ;  and  these  are,  accordingly,  held  in  great  awe  by  the  people. 
 Their  traffic  resembles  in  every  respect  that  of  the  highwayman  ; 
 with  this  difference  only,  that  the  one,  in  bold  and  unblushing  lan- 
 guage, calls  on  his  victim  to  stand  and  deliver,  and  the  other 
 stealthily  creeps  into  the  midst  of  a  troop  of  soldiers,  or  amongst  a 
 convivial  party  of  friends,  and  pronounces  the  mystical  word  Bouda. 
 The  uncouth  appearance  and  sepulchral  voice  of  the  exorcist  every- 
 where produce  the  deepest  sensation  ;  and  young  and  old,  men  and 
 women,  gladly  part  with  some  article,  to  get  rid  of  his  hated  and 
 feared  presence.  If,  as  sometimes  happens,  one  or  two  less  super- 
 stitious individuals  object  to  these  wicked  exactions,  the  exorcist 
 has  a  right  to  compel  every  one  present  to  smell  an  abominable 
 concoction  of  foul  herbs  and  decayed  bones,  which  he  carries  in  his 
 pouch.  Those  who  unflinchingly  inhale  the  offensive  scent  are 
 declared  innocent,  and  those  who  have  no  such  strong  olfactory 
 nerves  are  declared  Boudas,  and  shunned  as  allies  of  the  Evil  One. 
 In  the  time  of  Goshu  Bern's  rule  in  Godjam,  hundreds  were  exe- 
 cuted on  the  suspicion  of  being  Boudas  ;  and  even  King  Theodorus, 
 till  within  the  last  few  years,  when  he  began  to  study  God's  Word, 
 continually  sanctioned  these  judicial  murders. 
 
 "  During  the  rainy  season,  when  the  weather,  like  the  mind,  is 
 cheerless  and  dull,  the  Boudas,  as  if  in  mockery  of  the  universal 
 gloom,  celebrate  their  saturnalia.  In  our  small  settlement  at  Gaffat, 
 the  monotony  of  our  existence  was  constantly  diversified  by  a  Bouda 
 scene.  Towards  the  close  of  August,  when  every  shrub  and  tree 
 began  to  sprout  and  blossom,  the  disease  degenerated  into  a  regular 
 epidemic  ;  and  in  the  course  of  an  evening,  two,  three,  and,  not 
 unfrequently,  every  hut  occupied  by  natives,  would  ring  with  that 
 familiar  household  cry.  A  heavy  thunderstorm,  by  some  mysterious 
 process,  seemed  invariably  to  predispose  the  people  to  the  Bouda's 
 torturing  influence. 
 
 "I  remember  one  day,  about  the  end  of  August,  we  had  a  most 
 terrific  tempest.  It  commenced  a  little  after  midday,  and  lasted 
 till  nearly  five  o'clock.     During  its  continuance  the  air  was  com- 
 
ABYSSINIAN    SUPERSTITIONS.      THE    HOUDA.      THE    ZAR.        225 
 
 pletely  darkened,  except  when  the  lightning's  kirid  blaze  flashed 
 athwart  the  sky,  and  relieved,  for  a  few  seconds,  the  almost  mid- 
 night gloom.  No  human  voice  could  be  heard  amidst  the  thunder's 
 deafening  crash,  and  the  torrent's  impetuous  rage  ;  everything 
 above,  beneath,  and  around,  seemed  in  the  agonies  of  dissolution, 
 and  it  required  no  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  believe  that  the 
 wails  and  dismal  groans,  which  rang  on  the  car,  were  the  war-whoop 
 of  evil  spirits  engaged  in  a  frantic  and  deadly  contest. 
 
 "  The  noise  and  tumult  of  the  striving  elements  had  scarcely 
 subsided,  when  a  servant  of  Mr.  Mayer,  a  stout,  robust,  and  mascu- 
 line woman,  began  to  exhibit  the  Bouda  symptoms.  She  had  been 
 complaining  the  whole  noon  of  languor,  faintness,  and  utter  inca- 
 pacity for  all  physical  exertion.  About  sunset  her  lethargy  in- 
 creased, and  she  gradually  sank  into  a  state  of  apparent  unconscious- 
 ness. Her  fellow-servants,  who  were  familiar  with  the  cause  of  the 
 complaint,  at  once  pronounced  her  to  be  possessed.  To  outwit  the 
 conjurer,  I  thought  it  advisable  to  try  the  effect  of  strong  liquid 
 ammonia  on  the  nerves  of  the  Evil  One.  The  place  being  dark, 
 faggots  were  ignited  ;  and  in  their  bright  flickering  light  we  beheld 
 a  mass  of  dark  figures  squatted  on  the  wet  floor  around  a  rigid, 
 motionless,  and  apparently  dead  woman.  I  instantly  applied  my 
 bottle  to  her  nose ;  but  although  the  potent  smell  made  all  near 
 raise  a  cry  of  terror,  it  produced  no  more  effect  on  the  passive  and 
 insensible  patient,  than  if  it  had  been  water  from  the  newly-formed 
 rivulets. 
 
 "The  owner  of  Gafifat,  an  amateur  exorcist  almost  by  instinct,  as 
 if  anticipating  something  wrong  in  that  part  of  his  domain  occupied 
 by  the  Franks,  made  his  appearance  in  the  very  nick  of  time.  This 
 bloated  and  limping  dotard,  who  had  wasted  his  youth  and  man- 
 hood in  folly  and  vice,  for  which,  in  his  old  age,  he  seeks  to  atone 
 by  discarding  one  after  the  other  of  his  former  wives,  and  by  poring 
 over  the  legends  of  saints  and  martyrs,  no  sooner  hobbled  into  the 
 hut  than  the  possessed  woman,  as  if  struck  by  a  magnetic  wire, 
 burst  into  loud  fits  of  laughter  and  the  paroxysms  of  a  raving 
 maniac.  Half  a  dozen  stalwart  fellows  caught  hold  of  her,  but 
 frenzy  imparted  a  vigour  to  her  frame,  which  even  the  united 
 strength  of  these  athletes  was  barely  sufficient  to  keep  under  con- 
 trol. She  tried  to  bite,  kick,  and  tear  every  one  within  reach  ;  and, 
 when  she  found  herself  foiled  in  all  these  mischievous  attempts,  she 
 convulsively  grasped  the  unpaved  wet  floor,  and,  in  imitation  of  the 
 hyena,  gave  utterance  to  the  most  discordant  sounds.  Manacled 
 and  shackled  with  leather  thongs,  she  was  now  partly  dragged  and 
 partly  carried  to  an  open  grassy  spot ;  and  there,  under  the  starry 
 vault  of  heaven,  and  in  the  presence  of  a  considerable  number  of 
 people,  the  conjurer,  in  a  business-like  manner,  began  his  exor- 
 cising art. 
 
 "Three  other  women  had  similar  attacks  that  same  evening,  and 
 that,  too,  without  any  premonitory  symptoms.     I  tried  to  deceive 
 
2  26        ABYSSINIAN    SUPERSTITIONS.      THE    BOUDA.      THE   ZAR. 
 
 one,  and,  instead  of  the  disgusting  concoction,  put  a  wooden  dish 
 with  bread  and  water  in  her  way ;  but  on  smelling  it,  she  shrank 
 from  its  contents,  and  rapidly  crept  on  till  the  strong  effluvia 
 brought  her  to  the  spot  where  the  loathsome  viands  were  concealed. 
 Some  conjurers  are  so  expert  in  their  art,  that  even  at  a  distance 
 they  can  control  those  under  the  influence  of  the  nameless.  A  case 
 of  this  kind,  which  occurred  at  Magdala,  was  narrated  to  me  by  an 
 eye-witness.  In  this  instance,  the  possessed  was  a  young  girl  of 
 attractive  appearance.  Her  friends  and  companions,  who  at  once 
 suspected  the  Bouda  symptoms,  despatched  a  messenger  to  the 
 exorcist ;  but,  as  he  was  then  in  a  lazy  mood,  he  commissioned  a 
 menial  to  conduct  her  to  his  own  abode.  The  raving  and  frantic 
 girl,  upon  receiving  this  summons,  immediately  relaxed  in  her  vio- 
 lent frenzy,  and  grasping  a  huge  and  ponderous  stone,  she  lifted  it 
 on  her  head  and  calmly  followed  her  guide. 
 
 "  In  small  villages  and  settlements,  where  no  conjurer  is  at  hand 
 to  exorcise  the  familiar  spirit,  the  paroxysm  of  madness  will  spend 
 itself  in  an  hour  or  two  ;  but  the  suflferer,  worn  out  and  prostrate, 
 sinks  down  into  a  feverish  lethargy  and  stupor,  from  which,  I  was 
 assured  by  reliable  individuals,  few  ever  awake. 
 
 "This  curious  malady,  which  Abyssinian  credulity  ascribes  to  the 
 direct  possession  of  the  Wicked  One,  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  from 
 the  details  communicated  to  me  by  European  residents,  may  be 
 traced  to  far  more  natural  causes  than  those  assigned  by  the  natives. 
 The  very  persons  most  subject  to  the  Bouda  influence  are,  in  them- 
 selves, a  proof  that,  however  puzzling  the  cure  may  be,  there  is  no 
 mystery  about  the  origin  of  the  disease.  Among  the  numerous 
 cases  which  came  under  my  own  notice,  I  ascertained  that  the  suf- 
 ferers, invariably,  had  either  been  afflicted  with  a  disordered  imagi- 
 nation, or  shaken  by  much  excitement  or  depression  in  their 
 nervous  system.  The  more  intelligent  natives  admit  that  the 
 sober,  moral,  and  virtuous  of  both  sexes  enjoy  immunity  from  the 
 demon's  power ;  whilst,  on  the  contrary,  those  who  indulge  in  mor- 
 bid fancies,  luxuriate  in  sinful  indulgences,  and  riot  in  dissolute 
 habits,  are  seldom,  if  ever,  entirely  free  from  the  fear  of  a  sudden 
 attack. 
 
 "  Next  in  importance  to  the  Bouda  is  the  Zar.  This  malady  is 
 exclusively  confined  to  unmarried  women,  and  has  this  peculiar 
 feature,  that  during  the  violence  of  the  paroxysm  it  prompts  the 
 patient  to  imitate  the  sharp,  discordant  growl  of  the  leopard.  I 
 recollect  that  the  first  time  I  saw  a  case  of  this  description,  it  gave 
 me  a  shock  which  made  my  blood  run  cold.  The  suff"erer  was  a 
 handsome,  gay,  and  lively  girl,  a  little  above  fifteen.  In  the  morn- 
 ing, she  was  engaged  as  usual  in  her  work,  when  a  quarrel  ensued 
 between  her  and  other  domestics.  The  fierce  dispute,  though  of  a 
 trifling  character,  roused  the  passions  of  the  fiery  Ethiopian  to  such 
 a  pitch,  that  it  brought  on  an  hysterical  affection.  The  natives  all 
 cried,  '  She  is  j)ossessed  !'    and  certainly  her  ghastly  smile,  nervous 
 
AHYSSINIAN    SUPERSTITIONS.      THE    BOUDA.      THE   ZAR.        227 
 
 tremour,  wild  stare,  and  unnatural  howl,  justified  the  notion.  To 
 expel  the  Zar,  a  conjurer,  as  in  the  Bouda  complaint,  was  formerly 
 •considered  indispensable  ;  but  by  dint  of  perseverance,  the  medical 
 faculty  of  the  country,  to  their  infinite  satisfaction,  have  at  length 
 made  the  hapf)y  discovery  that  a  sound  application  of  the  whip  is 
 quite  as  potent  an  antidote  against  this  evil  as  the  necromancer's 
 spell.  Neither  in  the  above,  nor  in  any  other  instance  that  occurred 
 among  our  own  people,  had  we  recourse  to  this  remedy  ;  but, 
 instead  of  it,  we  made  the  patient  inhale  strong  spirit  of  ammonia  ; 
 and,  if  this  failed,  we  left  her  to  herself,  and  in  a  day  or  two  she 
 would  again  recover  her  impaired  senses  and  wonted  health. 
 
 "  In  bringing  this  demoniacal  subject  to  a  close,  I  am  forcibly 
 reminded  of  the  words,  '  Be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out.'  That 
 there  is  something  in  these  diseases,  and  in  their  mode  of  cure, 
 which  transcends  ordinary  disorders,  no  one  who  has  stood  beside 
 a  frantic  and  agonized  patient,  and  wondered  at  the  sudden  and 
 more  than  dramatic  transition  from  raving  frenzy  to  childlike  doci- 
 lity, can  well  deny  ;  but  without  deciding  whether  it  is  epilepsy, 
 catalepsy,  or  hysteria,  I  am  quite  sure  that  fiends  and  spirits  have 
 less  to  do  with  the  matter,  than  the  irregular  life  and  dissolute  course 
 which  so  many  pursue." 
 
 And  now  that  our  Missionary  friend  is  about  to  retrace  his  steps 
 through  jungles,  arid  plains,  and  mountain  passes,  to  his  allotted 
 work  in  Europe  ;  a  circumstance  should  be  chronicled,  which  has 
 an  important  connection  with  events  which  hereafter  are  to  be 
 noted.  On  one  of  the  many  occasions  in  which  Mr.  Stern  had 
 free  and  unreserved  converse  with  the  King,  he  made  a  variety  of 
 inquiries  concerning  the  state  of  Europe, — the  practice  and  belief 
 •of  the  various  nationalities, — the  extent  of  their  armies,  and  the 
 nature  of  their  warfare.  "  He  was,"  wrote  Mr.  Stern,  "  surprised  to 
 hear  that  in  Christian  countries  prisoners  of  war  were  generously 
 treated,  and  women  and  children,  youth  and  innocence,  exempted 
 from  all  penalties."  The  reply  of  Theodorus  was  this  : — "  You  are 
 superior  to  us  in  all  things  ;  and  if  God  permit,  I  shall  soon  send 
 an  Embassy  to  England,  to  open  the  eyes  of  at  least  a  few  of  my 
 people."  The  sequel  will  show,  that  such  an  Embassy  was  pro- 
 posed to  the  British  Government,  and  treated  with  silent  disdain 
 and  indifference.  And  that  sequel  will  also  show,  that  the  absence  of 
 that  courtesy  and  statemanship,  which  ought  to  characterize  the 
 administration  of  the  foreign  as  well  as  the  domestic  affairs  of  our 
 •country,  led  to  incalculable  suffering,  perplexing  political  entangle- 
 ments, and  a  vast  expenditure. 
 
CHAPTER    XXVIII. 
 
 RETURN    FROM    ABYSSINIA.       PASSING    EVENTS. 
 THE    BRITISH    CONSULATE. 
 
 The  unsettled  state  of  the  country,  between  Abyssinia  and  the 
 coast  of  the  Red  Sea,  obliged  JNIr.  Stern  to  return  to  Cairo  by  the 
 same  route  as  that  by  which  he  had  entered  the  scene  of  his  labours. 
 He  would,  to  some  extent,  profit  by  the  experience  which  he  had 
 acquired  during  that  long  and  toilsome  journey,  and  make  such 
 arrangements  as  might  be  more  favourable  to  his  progress.  But 
 the  risks  and  inconveniences,  and  the  tedium,  of  a  line  of  travel, 
 which  depended  so  entirely  upon  the  good-will  of  the  semi-bar- 
 barous people,  were  necessarily  of  the  same  character.  It  was 
 therefore  with  devout  thankfulness  that  his  numerous  friends,  and 
 the  Committee  of  the  London  Society,  heard  of  his  safe  arrival  at 
 Cairo. 
 
 In  the  year  1858,  the  Society  had  commemorated  its  Jubilee. 
 Among  the  objects  to  which  it  was  decided  that  the  Jubilee  Fund 
 should  be  devoted,  was  that  of  exploratory  journeys  in  distant 
 regions  inhabited  by  Jews  not  previously  reached  by  its  ordinary 
 agencies.  That  which  Mr.  Stern  had  so  vigorously  undertaken, 
 and  so  successfully  accomplished  in  Abyssinia,  fulfilled  these  condi- 
 tions ;  and  added  to  the  pages  of  the  Society's  history  another  remark- 
 able evidence  of  the  importance  of  its  work,  and  the  blessings  with 
 which  that  work  had  been  accompanied.  Their  faithful  and  inde- 
 fatigable Missionary  had,  so  far  as  the  materials  and  circumstances 
 permitted,  organized  an  agency,  by  which  the  seed  he  had  sown 
 might  be  watered  and  tended.     The  interest  which   the  Falashas 
 
RETURN    FROM   ABYSSINIA.       PASSING    EVENTS.  229 
 
 had  taken  in  his  message  had  been  deepened  by  conviction,  and 
 there  was  abundant  reason  to  beheve,  in  many  instances,  by  their 
 conversion  to  God,  and  their  conscientious  reception  of  the  truths 
 of  the  Gospel.  Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Flad  and  another  agent, 
 several  of  the  most  enlightened  and  best  instructed,  were  appointed 
 to  labour  among  their  own  people — and  in  the  training  and  educa- 
 tion of  the  young.  A  happy  confidence  filled  the  heart  of  the  Mis- 
 sionary, that  there  was  a  deep  reality  in  what  he  had  seen,  and  the 
 testimonies  which  had  come  to  his  knowledge  of  the  sincerity  of  the 
 enquiries.  However  inadequate  to  the  wants  of  this  great  Mission 
 field,  it  was  a  satisfaction  to  know  that  a  new  agency  had  been 
 created  ;  and  that,  in  proportion  to  the  means  employed,  in  the 
 providence  of  God,  there  was  every  reason  to  believe  that  the 
 results  would  be  encouraging. 
 
 Mr.  Stern  was  summoned  by  the  Committee  to  proceed  from 
 Cairo  direct  to  England,  in  order  that  from  his  own  lips  the  friends 
 of  Israel  might  receive  full  information  concerning  the  events  and 
 results  of  his  most  interesting  journey.  He  arrived  in  England  in 
 April,  1 86 1.  His  family  had  been  removed  from  Constantinople  to 
 England,  accompanied  by  Miss  Purday,  who  had,  during  the 
 lengthened  absence  of  the  head  of  the  household,  on  his  various 
 missionary  journeys,  been  to  Mrs.  Stern,  a  most  useful  and  sympathiz- 
 ing sister.  They  had  been  quietly  settled  in  the  neighbourhood 
 of  the  Metropolis,  where  they  continued  from  that  time  to  reside. 
 It  was  with  no  ordinary  joy  that  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Stern  was  wel- 
 comed. In  all  parts  of  the  country  large  and  enthusiastic  meetings 
 were  held,  in  order  that  he  might  narrate  the  events  of  his  journey, 
 and  give  information  concerning  a  country  of  which  little  had  been 
 written,  and  a  people  of  whom  still  less  was  known. 
 
 During  this  period,  some  communications  were  passing  between 
 Abyssinia  and  the  Foreign  Office  of  Great  Britain.  The  steps 
 taken  in  former  years  by  the  Foreign  Office  had  cleared  the  way 
 for  any  diplomatic  relations  which  might  be  established  between 
 the  two  countries.  The  events  of  the  future  can  only  be  under- 
 stood by  reference  to  what  had  transpired  in  the  past. 
 
 About  the  year  1843,  Abyssinia  was  visited  by  an  active  and 
 enterprising  young  Englishman,  Mr.  W.  Plowden.     His  residence 
 
230  RETURN    FROM    ABYSSINIA.      PASSING    EVENTS. 
 
 in  that  country  extended  over  a  space  of  five  years,  during  which  time 
 he  took  every  opportunity  of  making  himself  acquainted  with  the 
 inhabitants,  and  the  industrial  and  commercial  resources  of  the 
 various  States  into  which  it  was  divided.  He  then  revisited 
 England,  and  obtained  an  interview  with  Lord  Palmerston,  before 
 whom  he  laid  the  result  of  his  own  personal  experience,  and  urged 
 that  a  field  so  important  should  not  be  neglected  by  the  Govern- 
 ment. The  sagacity  of  the  British  Statesman  approved  of  the  sug- 
 gestion ;  and  INIr.  Plowden,  without  any  solicitation  on  his  own  part, 
 was  appointed  to  be  British  Consul  at  ]Massowah,  the  port  on  the 
 Red  Sea,  through  which  there  was  the  most  direct  communication 
 with  the  interior.  But  Massowah  was  to  be  only  the  base  from 
 which  his  professional  duties  were  to  be  carried  on.  Its  population 
 was  insignificant  and  uncertain — its  trade  inconsiderable.  The  Consul 
 was  therefore  instructed  to  promote  in  any  way  in  his  power,  com- 
 mercial relations  between  Great  Britain  ami  Abyssinia, — to  use 
 means  for  the  suppression  of  the  slave  trade, — to  exercise  his  influ- 
 ence for  the  preservation  of  peace  between  Egypt  and  Abyssinia,, 
 and  to  watch  and  counteract  the  intrigues  of  other  foreign  coun- 
 tries. Ras  Ali  was  then  the  most  powerful  of  the  Abyssinian  Chief- 
 tains, and  he  was  charged  to  convey  presents  to  him,  and,  if 
 possible,  to  conclude  a  treaty.  For  more  than  six  years  Mr.  Plowden 
 carried  out  the  important  duties  with  which  he  had  been  entrusted, 
 returning  from  time  to  time  to  Massowah,  but  spending  most  of 
 his  time  in  Abyssinia  proper,  in  the  barbarous  Court  of  Ras  Ali,. 
 and  subsequently  in  that  of  King  Theodorus.  It  is  also  impor- 
 tant to  understand,  that  neither  he  nor  his  successor,  Captain 
 Cameron,  ever  received  the  slightest  intimation,  in  their  regular 
 correspondence  with  the  Foreign  Office,  that  they  exceeded  their 
 instructions,  or  had  entered  any  Province  or  State,  contrary  to  the 
 rules  laid  down  for  their  guidance.  He  left  Massowah  on  his 
 last  visit  into  the  interior  on  the  25th  of  March,  1855,  and  in 
 i860,  on  his  return  homewards,  he  was  slain  in  a  skirmish,  into 
 which  he  had  been  accidentally  drawn. 
 
 In  June,  1852,  the  predecessor  of  Theodorus  had  entered  into  a 
 treaty  with  England,  in  which  occurred  this  article  :  "  Her  Bri- 
 tannic Majesty  engages  to  receive  and  protect  any  Ambassador, 
 
THE    HRITISH    CONSULATE.  231 
 
 Envoy,  or  Consul,  whom  His  Majesty  of  Abyssinia,  or  his  succes- 
 sors, may  see  fit  to  appoint,  and  will  equally  preserve  inviolate  all 
 the  rights  and  privileges  of  such  Ambassador,  Envoy,  or  Consul."' 
 
 On  the  death  of  Mr.  Plowden,  Captain  Cameron  was  appointed 
 to  succeed  him.  The  very  nature  of  Mr.  Plowden's  death  might 
 have  justified  the  Foreign  Oftice  in  laying  down  some  strict  limits- 
 beyond  which  his  successor  was  not  to  pass.  But  practically,  the 
 former  instructions  were  confirmed,  and  Captain  Cameron's  prin- 
 cipal duties  lay  in  direct  and  personal  communication  with  the 
 Court  of  Abyssinia.  On  the  2nd  of  February,  1861,  a  despatch  was 
 sent  to  him  couched  in  the  following  terms  : — "  Your  first  duty,  on 
 arriving  at  Massowah,  which  you  will  consider  as  the  head-quarters 
 of  your  Consulate,  will  be  to  make  yourself  acquainted  with  the 
 general  state  of  political  affairs  in  Abyssinia.  Her  Majesty's 
 Government  are  so  imperfectly  informed  of  what  may  have  hap- 
 pened in  that  country  since  the  death  of  your  predecessor,  that  I 
 am  unable  to  lay  down  any  very  precise  rules  for  the  guidance  of 
 your  conduct."  "  It  will  be  your  duty  closely  to  watch  any  pro- 
 ceedings which  may  tend  to  alter  the  state  of  possession,  either  on 
 the  sea-coast  or  in  the  interior  of  the  country."  It  would  have 
 been  impossible  for  Captain  Cameron  to  observe  the  directions- 
 which  were  thus  conveyed  to  him,  if  he  had  remained  at  Massowah, 
 which  was  Turkish  or  Egyptian  territory ;  and  had  never,  by  per- 
 sonal observation  and  intercourse  with  its  rulers,  obtained  correct 
 information  concerning  the  state  of  Abyssinia.  When  Mr.  Stern 
 first  arrived  in  the  country,  those  relations  were  recognized,  and  the 
 Representative  of  England  was  treated  with  becoming  honour  and 
 respect. 
 
 Further  intercourse  with  Europeans,  and  especially  the  few  whose 
 character  and  objects  were  so  ennobling  as  those  of  Mr.  Stern,  had 
 convinced  Theodorus  that  it  would  be  to  the  advantage  of  his 
 kingdom  if  an  Embassy  were  sent  to  England.  We  have  already 
 seen  how  strongly  he  expressed  himself  to  this  effect  to  the  Mis- 
 sionary, and  how  he  desired,  that  the  Queen  of  the  greatest  Empire  of 
 the  world,  might  receive  from  his  hands  an  appeal  for  closer  rela- 
 tions between  her  country  and  his  own.  This  intention  was  duly 
 carried  out,  and  the  royal  message  was  conveyed  to  England,  and 
 
232  RETURN    FROM    AP.YSSINIA.      PASSING    EVENTS. 
 
 deposited  at  the  Foreign  Office.  In  that  letter  to  the  Queen,  the  King 
 wrote  thus  : — "  Consul  Cameron  arrived  with  a  letter  and  presents  of 
 friendship.  By  the  power  of  God,  I  was  very  glad  hearing  of  your 
 -welfare,  and  being  assured  of  your  amity.  I  have  received  your 
 presents,  and  thank  you  much.  I  fear  that,  if  I  send  Ambassadors 
 with  presents  of  amity  by  Consul  Cameron,  they  may  be  arrested  by 
 the  Turks.  And  now  I  wish  that  you  may  arrange  for  the  safe 
 passage  of  my  Ambassadors  everywhere  on  the  road.  I  wish  to 
 have  an  answer  to  this  letter  by  Captain  Cameron,  and  that  he  may 
 •conduct  my  Embassy  to  England." 
 
 Often  might  the  historian  desire  to  record,  if  it  were  possible, 
 that  all  communications  intended  for  the  Royal  eye,  reached  the 
 throne  direct,  without  any  official  intervention.  The  wisdom  and 
 perception  of  our  Sovereign,  had  they  free  exercise,  would  doubtless 
 •obviate  many  of  the  intricate  and  perilous  embroglios  into  which  we 
 have  at  times  been  plunged,  either  by  the  incompetence,  or  by  the 
 procrastination  and  indifference  of  those  who  hold  the  seals  of 
 office.  And  so  it  came  to  pass,  that,  with  Earl  Russell  at  the 
 Foreign  Office,  the  letter  of  King  Theodorus  was  treated  with  con- 
 tempt, and  not  the  slightest  intimation  conveyed  to  the  Representa- 
 tive of  Great  Britain,  that  his  desire  to  send  an  Embassy  to  England 
 would  be  favourably  recognized,  or  otherwise.  To  a  man  believing 
 in  the  overwhelming  greatness  and  power  of  his  own  country  and  his 
 people — one  who  had,  in  time  past,  by  indomitable  energy  and 
 courage  gained  remarkable  successes,  and  exercised  a  despotic  and 
 tyrannical  power — such  neglect  of  his  request  was  most  galling. 
 He  chafed  incessantly  under  this  humiliation,  and  reproached  the 
 Consul  for  dereliction  of  duty.  The  further  communications  to  the 
 Foreign  Office  of  Captain  Cameron,  were  treated  with  the  same 
 silent  indifference  ;  and  it  became  more  than  difficult  to  calm  the 
 angry  Monarch's  indignation,  by  assuring  him  that  the  delays  were 
 the  usual  antecedents  to  a  gracious  and  complete  acquiescence  in 
 his  desires.  While  Mr.  Stern  was  actively  engaged  in  enlisting  the 
 sympathies  of  large  English  assemblies  in  the  cause  of  the  Falashas, 
 and  the  welfare  of  Abyssinia,  the  political  atmosphere  of  that 
 country  was  becoming  charged  with  clouds  ;  and  the  mutterings  of 
 that  terrible  storm  began  to  be  heard,  which  was  eventually   to 
 
THE    BRITISH    CONSULATE.  233 
 
 burst  with  all  its  violence  on  his  devoted  head.  The  responsibility 
 of  all  the  troubles  and  expenditure  which  ensued,  devolve  on  the 
 Foreign  Office,  and  on  those  who  at  that  time  conducted  the  Govern- 
 ment of  this  countr}-. 
 
CHAPTER    XXIX. 
 
 ABYSSINIA    RE-VISITED. 
 
 The  part  of  the  Biography  upon  which  we  are  about  to  enter  is 
 identified  with  the  history  of  England.  Hitherto  Mr.  Stern's  life 
 and  labours  have  only  been  so  far  public,  that  they  have  been  asso- 
 ciated with  an  enterprise  which  was  fitted  to  enlist  the  benevolence 
 and  interest  of  Christians  of  every  land.  But  now,  he  will  be  found 
 to  occupy  a  place  in  our  national  history,  and  to  have  his  niche  in 
 that  temple  of  fame  and  of  suff"ering,  which  must  endure  as  long  as 
 any  chronicles  exist  of  our  nation's  progress  and  greatness. 
 
 The  intelligence  which  reached  the  London  Society,  from  time  to 
 time,  concerning  the  Mission  in  Abyssinia,  was  most  encouraging 
 and  interesting.  A  letter,  written  in  Amharic,  had  been  received 
 by  the  Committee,  in  which,  among  other  expressions,  the  converts 
 said  : — "  May  this  letter  reach  the  Society  in  England  who  sent 
 Bibles  and  Teachers,  to  the  dispersed  children  of  Israel,  in 
 Ethiopia.  It  is  sent  from  the  Falashas  at  Genda,  who  believe  in 
 Jesus  Christ.  .  .  And  now,  our  dear  fathers,  take  us  into  your 
 care,  and  pray  for  us,  that  we  may  receive  the  grace  of  our  Lord,  and 
 be  established  in  it ;  for  we  are  like  tender  plants,  which  have  not 
 been  sufficiently  rooted."  These  converts  from  among  the  Falashas 
 had  exhibited  a  measure  of  personal  piety,  and  a  devotion  to  the  work 
 and  service  of  God,  which  conveyed  the  fullest  assurance  that  the 
 Spirit  of  God  was  honouring  and  strengthening  this  infant  Church. 
 But  there  was  much  to  indicate  that  its  organization  was  incom- 
 plete, and  that  it  was  very  desirable  that  the  mind  which  first 
 directed,  and  the  hand  which  first  adjusted  the  crude  materials  out 
 of  which  the  structure  was  to  be  raised,  should  be  again  employed 
 in  superintending  its  further  developement  and  completion. 
 
ABYSSINIA    RE-VISITED.  235 
 
 Mr.  Stern  was  still  in  England,  advocating  the  cause  of  the  Lon- 
 don Society,  when  the  Committee  came  to  this  conclusion.  On  hear- 
 ing that  it  was  considered  expedient  that  he  should  undertake  another 
 journey  into  Abyssinia,  with  his  usual  readiness  to  enter  upon  any 
 work  to  which  the  Lord  had  called  him,  he  placed  himself  at  the 
 disposal  of  the  Committee.  He  had  been  so  impressed  by  the 
 genuine  and  earnest  desire  of  the  Falashas  to  receive  "the  Truth  as 
 it  is  in  Jesus,"  that  he  welcomed  the  probable  opportunity  of  again 
 ministering  to  these,  his  spiritual  children,  "to  the  end,"  that  they 
 might  "  be  established." 
 
 Mr.  Stern  left  England  in  September,  1862,  and  was  joined  by 
 Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rosenthal  at  Alexandria.  They  journeyed  by  the  Red 
 Sea  to  Massowah,  from  which  port  they  proceeded  to  Abyssinia. 
 They  remained  for  a  time  at  Manwoloo,  so  that  it  was  not  till 
 April,  1863,  that  they  arrived  at  Genda,  which  was  the  head- 
 quarters of  the  Mission  to  the  Falashas. 
 
 The  King  was  at  that  time  at  Godjam.  He  had  directed,  with 
 great  consideration,  one  of  his  officials  to  conduct  the  Missionaries 
 from  the  borders  of  his  dominions  to  the  station  at  Genda.  But 
 this  official  had  disobeyed  his  instructions.  The  province  of  Tigre 
 was  in  an  unsettled  state,  and  it  was  with  considerably  difficulty, 
 that  permission  could  be  obtained  from  the  deputy-governor  to 
 pass  through  that  part  of  the  country.  Although  the  approach  to 
 Abyssinia  was  made  under  more  favourable  conditions  than  at  the 
 time  of  Mr.  Stern's  first  visit,  two  wearisome  months  were  spent, 
 owing  to  the  hindrances  placed  in  their  way,  ere  he  and  his  com- 
 panions arrived  at  Genda. 
 
 The  personal  intercourse  of  our  Missionary  with  the  Christian 
 Falashas,  confirmed  the  expectations  which  he  had  expressed  during 
 his  first  visit,  and  the  hopes  which  subsequent  information  had 
 inspired.  He  found  a  band  of  pious  proselytes,  professing  their 
 faith  in  the  Redeemer,  studying  with  assiduity  the  Holv  Scriptures, 
 and  holding  forth  the  Word  of  Life  to  others.  Their  influence 
 extended  beyond  their  own  community,  to  the  members  of  the 
 Abyssinian  Church,  whom  they  often  courteously  invited  to  discuss 
 certain  articles  of  faith,  and  to  examine  the  practices  of  the  Am- 
 haras,  which  were  at  variance  with  the  teaching  of  God's  Word. 
 
236  ABYSSINIA   RE-VISITED. 
 
 The  AHga,  or  Archdeacon  of  the  Church  at  Genda,  when  invited  to 
 do  this,  had  sent  the  following  rejoinder,  which  was  in  itself  a  testi- 
 mony to  his  own  uprightness,  and  his  confidence  in  the  principles 
 of  the  Falasha  converts  : — "  I  will  not  argue  nor  dispute  with  you, 
 on  matters  of  our  respective  creeds  ;  I  know  that  you  are  right,  and 
 we  are  wrong ;  that  you  adhere  to  the  dictates  of  the  Gospel,  and 
 we  to  the  customs  of  our  fathers." 
 
 Mr.  Stern  having  examined  many  of  these  proselytes,  and  being 
 assured  that  they  were  sufficiently  competent  to  undertake  evan- 
 gelistic work,  employed  four  of  them  to  go  into  remote  districts, 
 which  were  not  accessible  to  the  regular  agents  of  the  Society  ;  and 
 arranging  that  they  should  return  at  certain  intervals,  to  give  an 
 account  of  their  work,  and  to  receive  any  further  instructions  they 
 might  personally  need.  The  sum  of  five  pounds  annually  was 
 allotted  to  each  labourer.  This  small  sum  was  considered  suffi- 
 cient, as  a  remuneration  for  all  the  duties  they  were  required  to 
 perform . 
 
 The  arrangement  and  extension  of  the  means  of  educating  the 
 people,  was  one  of  the  most  important  subjects  which  occupied  Mr. 
 Stern's  attention.  Some  teachers  had  already  been  trained  by  Mr. 
 Flad,  and  fifty  pounds  per  annum  was  considered  to  be  sufficient 
 for  the  preparation  of  twenty  persons  for  this  purpose.  The  common 
 people  were  almost  entirely  ignorant  of  even  the  alphabet  of  their 
 own  language,  and  old  and  young  thirsted  for  the  means  by  which 
 they  might  be  able  to  study  the  Scriptures.  Beyond  this  attain- 
 ment, and  the  ability  to  write  as  well  as  read,  it  was  not  the  desire, 
 or  the  intention  of  the  Missionaries  that  the  work  of  education 
 should  proceed.  In  his  letter  giving  details  of  these  arrangements, 
 Mr.  Stern  said  : — 
 
 "  The  question  will  naturally  suggest  itself, — Is  the  field,  thus 
 accessible  to  the  spiritual  husbandman,  numerically  large  enough  to 
 warrant  an  expenditure  of  life,  time,  money,  and  energies,  in  its  culti- 
 vation }  To  this  query  I  give  an  unqualified  aflirmative.  Compared 
 with  Poland,  Germany,  or  even  European  Turkey,  the  Jewish  popu- 
 lation in  Abyssinia  is  small,  and  very  much  dispersed  ;  yet  no  appre- 
 hensions need  to  be  entertained  that  we  are  toiling  for  an  insignifi- 
 cant and  languishing  remnant  of  an  exiled  race.  According  to  the 
 estimate  I  carefully  formed  on  my  first  visit,  I  came  to  the  conclu- 
 sion, that  the  Jew's   scattered   over  the   Alpine  regions  of  Africa, 
 
ABYSSINIA   RE-VISITED.  237 
 
 exceeded  six  times  the  sum  total  of  that  people  in  the  United  King- 
 dom of  Great  Britain  ;  but  Mr.  Flad,  who,  with  the  assistance  of 
 natives,  has  endeavoured  to  gain  the  most  reliable  statistics,  estimates 
 the  number  much  higher.  The  provinces  in  which  they  reside  are 
 Tigre,  Woggera,  Armatgioho,  Walkeih,  Tschelga,  Dembea,  and 
 Buara.  In  this  latter  province,  the  vernacular  tongue  is  that  spoken 
 by  the  Falashas, — one  of  the  most  striking  proofs  that  they 
 constitute  a  numerous  and  influential  body.  Our  own  labours 
 have  till  now  been  almost  exclusively  confined  to  Dembea  and  a 
 part  of  Tschelga  ;  but  even  on  this  limited  territory,  I  have  been 
 assured,  that  there  are  more  than  fifty  thousand  Falashas.  Thus 
 this  field,  whether  we  consider  the  multitude  of  souls  entrusted  to 
 our  care,  or  the  willing  disposition  of  the  people  to  listen  to  what 
 we  have  to  say,  constitutes  a  scene  of  intense  and  unabating 
 interest.  Difficulties  and  troubles  may  be  looming  in  the  horizon 
 of  our  missionary  sphere  ;  the  slumbering  demon  of  intolerance 
 may  be  roused  to  exert  his  baneful  power ;  a  fiery  furnace  of  perse- 
 cution may  test  the  faith  of  our  converts  ;  still,  if  we  persevere  in 
 prayer  and  unfeigned  trust  in  the  promises  of  our  God,  I  believe 
 that  not  only  the  Falashas,  but  the  Abyssinian  Church  itself,  and 
 millions  of  degraded  Pagan  Gallas,  will  yet  ascribe  their  enfranchise- 
 ment from  error,  corruption,  and  idolatry,  to  the  operations  and 
 influence  of  our  mission." 
 
 All  was  sunshine  at  that  time,  and  yet  Mr.  Stern,  with  prophetic 
 eye,  contemplated  the  possibility  of  approaching  woe.  How  well 
 he  knew  from  experience,  as  well  as  from  the  testimony  of  God's 
 Word,  that  after  intervals  of  rest,  the  Church  had  ofttimes  seasons 
 of  bitter  persecution!  God's  faithful  servant  was  ever  ready  with 
 the  Master's  message,  and  his  fellow-travellers  heard  from  his  lips, 
 as  occasion  permitted,  the  truths  which  he  so  valued  and  loved. 
 The  following  incident  of  travel  is  an  illustration  of  some  of  the 
 happy  effects  resulting  from  the  seed  which  he  sowed  by  the  way- 
 side : — 
 
 "A  Spanish  rabbi  from  Jerusalem,  who  during  several  years  had 
 frequent  intercourse  with  our  missionaries,  resolved  to  augment  his 
 fortune  by  opening  a  trade  with  Abyssinia.  His  commercial  specu- 
 lations, which  I  do  not  think  will  realize  the  hopes  he  cherishes, 
 brought  him  to  Massowah,  a  few  days  after  our  arrival.  During  our 
 detention  there,  he  very  often  visited  me,  and  our  conversation, 
 though  not  always  on  religious  topics,  had  invariably  a  serious  ten- 
 dency. We  quitted  that  place  some  days  before  he  was  able  to  leave. 
 On  the  road  we  met  again,  and  then  travelled  in  company.  His 
 thorough  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  and  his  love  of  the 
 Talmud,  aff'orded  us  matter  to  beguile  many  a  wearisome  hour. 
 The  doctrines  of  the  New  Testament,  and  their  adaptation  to  the 
 
238  ABYSSINIA   RE-VISITED. 
 
 wants  of  the  human  heart,  which  I  brought  into  comparison  with 
 the  trivial  and  profitless  teaching  of  the  Rabbis,  awakened,  un- 
 known to  me,  serious  reflections  in  his  mind,  and  whenever  we 
 halted,  my  Hebrew  Bible  was  in  his  hand.  On  approaching  Gon- 
 dar,  he  repeatedly  expressed  his  regret  that  we  should  be  obHged  to 
 part ;  and  that  perhaps  for  a  long  time  to  come  he  would  meet  with 
 no  one  able  to  speak  to  him  on  those  momentous  subjects,  which 
 had  afforded  him  such  delight  and  happiness.  I  pointed  him  to  the 
 sacred  volume,  and  told  him  that  it  was  the  only  guide  to  open  the 
 door  of  hope  and  life  to  the  serious  inquirer  after  truth.  In  the 
 Capital,  where  each  one  had  to  attend  to  his  own  business,  our 
 intercourse  was  interrupted.  One  morning,  the  Chacham  came 
 abruptly  into  my  room,  and  in  accents  of  the  most  fervent  entreaty 
 solicited  me  to  baptize  him.  I  refused  to  yield  to  this  request,  and 
 advised  him  to  postpone  the  rite  of  baptism  till  he  returned  to  Egypt 
 or  Syria.  Unrepelled  by  my  reply,  he  again  and  again  begged  me 
 not  to  deny  him  a  favour  which  would  silence  the  cravings  of  his 
 soul,  and  constitute  him  a  member  of  Christ's  Church.  As  I  was 
 then  about  to  start  for  Genda,  I  asked  him  to  accompany  me,  and 
 there,  after  some  days'  regular  instruction,  I  administered  to  him 
 in  the  presence  of  all  the  members  of  our  mission,  the  sacra- 
 ment of  baptism.  Yesterday  he  left  for  the  royal  camp,  and 
 unless  he  is  detained  there,  we  shall  probably  never  meet  again, 
 except  it  be  in  spirit,  around  the  throne  of  grace." 
 
 The  former  friend  and  well-wisher  of  Mr.  Stern,  the  Aboona 
 Salama,  was  far  away  in  the  neighbourhood  of  IMagdala.  The 
 governors  of  his  extensive  possessions  in  Tigre  had  given  him  a 
 very  hospitable  reception,  and  the  Aboona  Joseph,  of  whose  feelings 
 Mr.  Stern  had  not  formerly  entertained  a  very  favourable  impression, 
 had  been  equally  kind.  These  evidences  of  the  pleasant  reminis- 
 cences which  the  ecclesiastics  had  of  his  former  visit,  encouraged 
 the  assurance  of  their  protection  and  sympathy,  in  the  work  in 
 which  he  was  engaged.  He  offered,  if  necessary,  to  proceed  to 
 Magdala,  in  order  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  Metropolitan.  Ere 
 long,  that  tedious  and  irksome  journey  was  to  be  accomplished  by 
 him,  not  as  a  free  agent,  but  as  a  prisoner  in  chains. 
 
 Mr.  Stern  soon  discovered  that  the  country  was  almost  in  a  state 
 of  revolution.  The  early  promise  of  an  equitable  and  enlightened 
 rule  had  not  been  fulfilled  by  Theodorus.  His  fiery  ambition  had 
 been  in  former  times  kept  in  subjection  by  some  degree  of  rever- 
 ence for  the  Word  of  God,  and  some  religious  scruples.  Then  his 
 army  regarded  him  as  a  superior  being ;  he  was  the  idol  of  his  sub- 
 
AHYSSINIA    RE-VISITED.  239 
 
 jects,  and  all  rendered  to  him  a  loyal  obedience.  But  the  suc- 
 cesses which  had  stimulated  his  valour,  had  also  encouraged 
 inordinate  ambition.  His  blind  passions  had  become  uncontrolla- 
 ble from  the  effects  of  intemperance  ;  and  conspiracies  and  dis- 
 content, had  excited  him  to  a  state  bordering  on  frenzy.  In  his 
 despatch  from  Genda,  Mr.  Stern  spoke  of  these  things  as  fraught 
 with  danger,  and  as  indicative  that  the  country  was  in  a  very  critical 
 state.  But  the  King  had  never  failed  to  exhibit  a  friendly  attitude 
 towards  the  Mission,  and  the  fervent  prayer  of  the  Missionaries  was, 
 that  he  might  return  to  the  paths  from  which  he  had  so  grievously 
 strayed,  and  that  peace  and  contentment  might  be  restored  to  the 
 land.  Mr.  Stern,  however,  little  conceived  to  what  an  extent  the 
 silence  of  the  British  Government,  and  the  indiiTerence  to  his 
 request,  were  rankling  in  the  heart  of  the  Monarch,  and  aggravating 
 the  irritation  under  which  he  laboured,  at  the  domestic  troubles 
 which  beset  his  daily  path. 
 
 Communications  had  been  taking  place  between  the  French 
 Government  and  Theodorus.  Presents  had  been  sent  by  M.  Le- 
 jean,  the  representative  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  who  reached 
 Abyssinia  a  few  months  after  the  arrival  of  Consul  Cameron. 
 The  attention  which  Theodorus  received  was  an  additional  stimulus 
 to  his  vanity  and  pride.  The  Ambassador  of  France  was  treated 
 with  much  indignity,  and  his  request  to  return  to  his  native 
 country  had  not  only  been  peremptorily  denied,  but  manacles  had 
 been  placed  on  him  when  this  request  was  repeated.  Yet  at  this 
 juncture  the  Missionaries  continued  to  be  unmolested  in  their  work 
 at  Genda.  The  machinery  was  being  carefully  organized.  The 
 Mission  Schools  were  formed  and  Scripture-readers  engaged. 
 They  had  begun  to  itinerate  in  the  provinces  ;  and  in  order  to  pro- 
 vide them  with  necessary  materials,  tracts  were  written  in  pre- 
 paration for  printing,  and  the  translation  of  books  commenced. 
 Mr.  Stern  had  an  interview  with  the  King  at  Dembea.  The 
 hands  of  two  of  his  loitering  soldiers  had  just  been  cut  off,  and 
 the  giraffe  inflicted  on  one  of  his  most  faithful  supporters,  the 
 Governor  of  the  province.  Nevertheless,  he  preserved  a  courteous 
 demeanour  towards  the  Missionary  ;  and  on  being  asked  whether 
 he   might    visit    the    lowland    province    of   Armatgioho,    the  King 
 
240  AHYSSINIA    RE-VISITED. 
 
 politely  replied,  "  You  can  go  where  you  like,  and  if  you  want 
 grain,  money,  or  anything  else,  let  me  know,  and  you  shall  be 
 supplied."  No  language  could  more  clearly  indicate,  that,  as  far  as 
 Mr.  Stern  was  concerned,  the  attitude  of  the  King  continued  to  be 
 friendly,  and  that,  if  other  circumstances  had  been  equally  favour- 
 able, no  breach  of  that  friendship  would  have  occurred. 
 
CHAPTER    XXX. 
 
 THE      TIME      OF     TRIHULATION. 
 
 It  was  in  June,  1863,  that  Consul  Cameron  returned  from  the 
 coast  of  the  Red  Sea  to  Abyssinia.  Well  would  it  have  been  for 
 himself,  and  for  the  other  Europeans,  if  at  that  time,  at  least,  he 
 had  remained  at  Massowah.  But  it  was  in  the  prosecution  of  his 
 official  duties  that  he  had  come  to  Gondar,  without  any  reason  for 
 believing-  that  the  King  was  agitated  beyond  precedent,  on  the 
 question  of  the  proposed  Embassy  to  England.  On  being  informed 
 that  the  Consul  had  returned  without  any  reply  to  the  letter  which 
 he  had  addressed  to  the  Queen  of  England,  notwithstanding  the 
 •effort  to  conceal  the  wound  which  his  pride  had  sustained,  he  mani- 
 fested great  indignation.  In  his  interviews  with  Consul  Cameron, 
 at  which  some,  if  not  all  the  Missionaries  were  generally  present,  he 
 betrayed  an  asperity  and  bitterness  w^hich  the  most  careless  observer 
 could  perceive. 
 
 Consul  Cameron  resided  in  one  of  the  buildings  which  formed 
 the  Mission  premises  at  Genda.  This  was  found  to  be  productive  of 
 serious  consequences  to  the  Mission,  and  those  who  were  conducting 
 it,  and  drew  from  the  royal  household  an  amount  of  observation  and 
 unfavourable  criticism  to  which  they  had  not  been  accustomed. 
 The  buildings  consisted  of  seven  thatched  conical  huts,  including 
 one  which  was  used  as  a  chapel,  and  another  which  was  used  as  a 
 school-house.  But  these  were  now  considered  to  be  too  numerous, 
 and  everything  which  took  place  there  e.xcited  displeasure.  The 
 Aboona  had  his  spies  about  the  Royal  Court,  and  on  July  3rd,  1863, 
 admonished  Mr.  Stern,  not  to  divulge  to  the  King  the  number  of 
 
242  THE    TIME    OF    TRIBULATION. 
 
 proselytes  and  catechumens  who  had  been  gathered  in  from  among 
 the  Falashas.  These  warnings  fell  on  the  ear  of  the  Missionary  as 
 the  death-knell  of  the  Mission.  But  it  did  not  deter  him  from  the 
 path  of  duty.  "  My  only  object  now  was  to  improve  the  brief 
 period  during  which  we  were  still  tolerated,  in  disseminating  over  the 
 troubled  land  those  heaven-born  truths  which,  even  in  the  absence 
 of  the  living  teacher,  if  blessed  from  on  High,  could  make  those 
 mountains  and  valleys  redolent  with  a  fragrance,  far  more  sweet 
 than  that  of  its  scented  shrubs  and  aromatic  herbs.  That  such  a 
 period  was  approaching,  unmistakable  signs  palpably  indicated.  A 
 power  invisible  had  touched  the  hearts  of  many,  and  awakened  a 
 responsive  chord.  There  was  now  seen,  what  was  never  witnessed 
 before,  a  thirst  for  the  Divine  Word,  a  yearning  for  Christian 
 instruction,  and  an  honest,  confiding  trust  in  the  foreign  teacher. 
 I  had  wandered  over  many  a  tract,  district,  and  province,  where  the 
 voice  of  the  messenger  of  glad  tidings  had  never  fallen  on  anxious, 
 listening  ears  ;  but  wherever  I  roamed  and  wherever  I  strayed — on 
 the  verdant  plain,  and  on  the  picturesque  mountain  slope  ;  in  the 
 sequestered  wood,  and  beneath  the  isolated  shady  tree — every  spot 
 became  a  centre  of  attraction,  and  every  retreat  a  temple  for  con- 
 verse and  communion  with  troubled,  agitated,  and  alarmed  truth- 
 seeking  fellow-men.  The  day  of  salvation  had  indeed  dawned,  the 
 shadows  of  unregeneracy  hatl  indeed  fled,  and  the  morning  of  joy 
 and  praise  was  about  to  break  over  this  region  of  sin,  and  this  home 
 of  spiritual  night,  when  events  fraught  with  anguish,  affliction,  and 
 despair,  marred  our  hopes,  and  disappointed  our  most  hallowed 
 anticipations." 
 
 Towards  the  end  of  September,  Mr.  Stern  returned  to  Genda  from 
 a  missionary  tour,  which  he  had  been  making  in  the  north-western 
 lowland  provinces.  His  heart  overflowed  with  thankfulness  to  God,  at 
 the  evidences  of  good  which  he  had  witnessed,  in  his  intercourse 
 with  the  Falashas  in  those  districts. 
 
 "  On  my  arrival,  Mrs.  Flad  told  me  that  she  was  glad  that  I  had 
 come  back  in  the  very  nick  of  time,  as  on  that  very  day  she  had 
 received  a  letter  from  her  husband  at  Gondar,  requesting  me  in  the 
 name  of  the  King  to  repair  thither,  as  his  Majesty  wanted  to  com- 
 municate to  all  the  Europeans  the  answer  M.  Bardel  had  brought  to. 
 the  letter  he  had  despatched  by  him  to  the  Emperor  Napoleon. 
 
THK    TIMK    OF    TRIBULATION.  243' 
 
 Captain  Cameron  received  a  summons  of  similar  import  from  the 
 King  himself.  We  immediately  made  our  few  necessary  prej)ara- 
 tions,  and  the  following  day  set  out  for  the  capital.  The  feast  of 
 St.  John,  which  was  then  solemnized,  imparted  a  festive  aspect  to- 
 the  camp  and  city.  Eating  and  drinking,  singing  and  dancing,, 
 resouniled  from  hut  and  tent,  palace  and  church.  All  were 
 plunged  in  merriment  and  gaiety.  The  myriads  of  beeves  plundered 
 froni  the  Zeelans,  and  liberally  distributed  among  the  hungry 
 broundo-loving  gourmands,  amazingly  enhanced  the  savage 
 carnival.  We  had  now  approached  within  a  respectful  distance  of 
 the  imperial  palace,  where  etiquette  warned  us  to  leave  our  saddles. 
 Hosts  of  greasy  terpsichorean  performers  met  us  at  every  nook  and 
 corner  of  the  labyrinthine  Etcheque  Beit,  where  the  royal  domicile 
 stands  out  in  bold  and  picturesque  relief,  from  the  midst  of  a  mass 
 of  indescribable  rickety  tenements.  Careless  of  the  sweltering 
 fetid  throng,  we  steered,  like  a  ship  with  sails  all  spread,  through 
 the  stormy  and  boisterous  living  ocean,  up  to  the  precincts  of  the 
 Royal  Court,  in  the  hope  of  meeting  a  sober  courtier  who  would 
 inform  his  ^lajesty  of  our  advent.  The  bacchanalian  votaries  were 
 all,  however,  too  much  absorbed  in  their  peculiar  merriments  to 
 pay  any  attention  to  two  white  strangers  ;  and,  as  we  were  too  fond 
 of  pure  air,  we  tacked  our  course  out  of  the  stifling  atmosphere 
 towards  the  dwelling  of  a  debterah,  where  we  knew  a  friendly  wel- 
 come awaited  us.  On  our  way  we  encountered  M.  Bardel.  He  did 
 not  see  me,  and  this  perhaps  removed  all  restraint  from  his  tongue. 
 During  the  short  converse  with  Consul  Cameron,  the  words,  'I 
 shall  crush  them  all ' — which  might  have  had  reference  to  the  mis- 
 sionaries, workmen,  or  French  Consul— fell  with  a])palling  import 
 on  my  startled  ear. 
 
 "  Sunday  was  undisturbed,  but  early  on  Monday  nnjining  we 
 were  ordered  to  repair  to  the  royal  residence.  Of  course  we  in- 
 stantly obeyed  the  summons,  and  hurried  to  the  palace.  Two  gor- 
 geous' tents,  which  stood  conspicuously  on  the  greasy  lawn  fronting 
 the  royal  saloon,  indicated  that  some  business  of  importance  was 
 about  to  be  transacted.  In  one  of  these  gaudy  pavilions  was  IM. 
 Lejean,  the  French  Consul,  and  in  the  second,  to  which  we  were 
 directed,  were  already  assembled  in  barbarous  state  uniform  his 
 Majesty's  white  workmen.  A  few  minutes  had  only  elapsed,  when 
 half-a-dozen  officers  of  the  palace  made  their  appearance,  and 
 requested  us  to  follow.  An  ascent  of  about  fifty  broad  steps 
 landed  us  on  the  vestibule.  Here  another  cluster  of  officials  con- 
 ducted us  into  the  audience  hall,  which  was  still  redolent  with  the 
 odours  of  the  previous  day's  raw  beef  banquet.  His  Majesty  was 
 seated  in  the  deep  recess  of  a  glassless  window,  surrounded  by 
 books  and  papers,  which  merged  the  savage  African  into  the  polite 
 and  polished  Ethiopian.  He'was  more  than  usually  dignified  and 
 polite  in  his  deportment,  though  it  was  evident  that,  beneath  that 
 assumed  blandness  and  forced  condescension,  there  lay  an  under- 
 
244  TH'-    TIME    OF   TRIBULATION. 
 
 current  of  anger  and  asperity  which  his  best  acting — and  he  was  a 
 consummate  actor — could  with  difficulty  conceal.  All  being  seated 
 on  the  carpets  which,  in  a  crescent  form,  were  spread  a  few  yards 
 from  the  Negoos,  M.  Bardel,  the  Royal  Envoy,  received  an  intimation 
 to  rise.  The  favoured  courtier  in  a  trice  was  on  his  legs,  and  like  a 
 man  who  knew  what  was  expected  from  him,  stood  with  an  air  of 
 confidence  awaiting  his  master's  commands.  *  Aito  Bardel ' — in  sub- 
 dued accents  the  King  then  said  :  '  how  were  you  received  by  the 
 Emperor  ?'  '  Your  Majesty,'  the  crafty  Envoy  rejoined,  '  I  met  with 
 a  most  uncourteous  reception  at  the  court  of  Erance.'  '  Did  they 
 provide  you' — returned  the  King,  '  with  a  house,  food,  and  all  that 
 you  required  ?'  '  No,  Janehoi,'  was  the  response,  '  I  got  neither  a 
 house  to  dwell  in,  nor  "food,  nor  money  to  supply  my  daily  wants.' 
 
 *  What  did  the  Emperor  tell  you,'  continued  the  King  in  the  same 
 smooth  tone,  'when  you  presented  him  my  letter  ?'  '  His  Imperial 
 Majesty  asked  me  a  variety  of  questions  about  Abyssinia,'  quoth  the 
 envoy,  '  and  he  seemed  favourably  disposed  to  my  proposals,  when 
 he  turned  to  his  adviser,  M.  d'Abbadie,  who  was  in  the  reception 
 hall,  and  consulted  him  about  the  matter  embodied  in  your  Ma- 
 jesty's despatch.  M.  d'Abbadie's  observations  immediately  pro- 
 duced a  change  in  the  Emperor's  conduct  towards  me,  and  he 
 dismissed  me  with  the  sarcastic  sentence,  '  I  will  have  no  direct 
 intercourse  with  a  sovereign  who  cuts  off  the  hands  and  feet  of  his 
 subjects.'  That  this  whole  interview  was  a  fiction  of  M.  Bardel's 
 own  inventive  genius  was  palpable,  but  I  could  not  venture  to 
 express  such  a  conjecture,  without  endangering  my  life,  to  any  one 
 except  Consul  Cameron.  The  Emperor,  though  unwilling  to  have 
 any  direct  intercourse  with  the  court  of  Abyssinia,  the  envoy  further 
 stated,  was  not  desirous  to  terminate  all  future  relation  with  Ethi- 
 opia, and  this  induced  him  to  order  his  minister  to  write  an  answer 
 to  the  document  he  had  conveyed  to  France.  This  letter,  which 
 was  most  courteous,  and  replete  with  wise  and  sensible  suggestions, 
 was  now  handed  for  perusal  to  the  assembled  conclave.  Consul 
 Cameron  was  ordered  to  read  it  aloud,  for  the  edification  of  all. 
 When  this  was  done,  his  Majesty  seized  the  document,  and  dashing 
 it  on  the  ground,  remarked  in  accents  of  bitter  irony,  blended  with 
 wounded  pride,  '  Is  this  an  answer  to  my  letter  ?  Napoleon  may 
 think  himself  great,  but  I  am  greater  still  ;  his  genealogy  is  only  of 
 yesterday ;  mine,  on  the  contrary,  I  trace  back  to  David  and  Solo- 
 mon. True  he  is  rich,  and  I  am  poor ;  he  is  powerful,  and  I  am 
 weak  ;  he  has  fine  palaces,  and  I  only  ruins  ;  but' — and  he  paused  a 
 few  seconds,  whilst  his  hypocritical  eyes  were  devoutly  upturned — 
 
 *  glory,  wealth,  and  renown  will  yet  be  my  portion  !'  A  few  unim- 
 portant questions  were  now  interchanged  between  the  Negoos  and 
 the  disgraced  French  representative.  ]\I.  Lejean  tried  and  tried 
 hard  to  convince  his  ^Majesty,  through  the  delegates  (for  a  personal 
 interview,  though  urgently  solicited,  was  not  granted),  that  he 
 laboured  under  an  erroneous  impression,   and  misunderstood  the 
 
THE  timp:  of  tribulation.  245 
 
 sentiments  of  his  master  the  Emperor,  who  cherished  the  highest 
 regard  and  esteem  for  tlic  King.  To  corroborate  his  statement,  he 
 most  assiduously  craved  permission  to  present  to  the  Negoos,  the 
 despatches  he  had  received  from  his  government,  which  positively- 
 stated  that  the  Abyssinian  embassy  would  be  accepted,  so  soon  as 
 the  arrangements  for  their  passage  through  Egypt  had  been  satis- 
 factorily settled.  Neither  diplomacy  nor  persuasion  could,  how- 
 ever, appease  the  incensed  monarch  ;  and  M.  Lejean  and  his  com- 
 panion, Dr.  Legard,  instead  of  chains,  with  which  they  were  to 
 have  been  favoured,  had  not  the  Aboona  interfered,  received 
 peremptory  orders  to  quit  the  country.  The  departure  of  the 
 French  Consul ;  the  doubts  and  suspicions  about  an  answer  to  his 
 letter  from  the  British  Government  ;  the  report  that  a  strong  Turkish 
 force  had  taken  their  position  at  Matamma,  on  the  north-western 
 border ;  the  consciousness  that  he  could  not  cope  with  a  foe  whom 
 he  had  insolently  challenged  to  a  combat,  together  with  the  fading 
 vision  of  ever  obtaining  by  diplomacy  the  coveted  possession  of 
 Senaar  to  the  north-west,  and  the  isle  of  Massowah  to  the  north- 
 east, soured  his  temper,  and  stimulated  him  to  perpetrate  deeds 
 which  led  to  the  ruin  of  his  country,  and  the  loss  of  his  crown  and 
 life.  Ominous  indications  of  coming  events  henceforth  cast  their 
 dismal  shadows  athwart  our  serene  and  hitherto  unclouded  horizon. 
 No  one,  of  course,  had  the  remotest  idea  in  what  shape  or  form  the 
 impending  crisis  would  develope  itself.  I  believed  the  royal  indig- 
 nation would  burst  on  the  missionaries,  in  an  order  for  their  imme- 
 diate expulsion,  and  on  the  British  Consul,  in  a  mandate  for  a  for- 
 cible unfettered  detention.  I  communicated  the  fears  I  felt  to- 
 Captain  Cameron,  but  he  did  not  share  the  dismal  forebodings  in 
 which  I  indulged. 
 
 "The  object  of  my  mission  was  by  this  time  completely  attained, 
 and,  to  avoid  all  unnecessary  delays,  which  might  perhaps  have 
 retarded  my  return,  I  mounted  my  mule,  and  bade  farew'ell  to  scenes 
 and  associations  that,  I  still  faintly  trusted,  would  prove  centres  of 
 light  and  truth,  to  irradiate  far  and  wide  the  thick  darkness  of 
 Abyssinia's  superstitous  gloom." 
 
 Some  repetition  will  necessarily  occur  in  this  important  narrative. 
 There  are  prominent  features  which  need  to  be  reiterated,  inasmuch 
 as  they  have  been  made  the  theme  of  much  controversy  and  mis- 
 representation. The  following  extract  summarizes  some  points 
 which  are  essential  to  the  narration  : — 
 
 "Consul  Cameron,  whose  name  is  mixed  up  with- all  the  troubles 
 which  subsequently  befell  the  small  band  of  captives,  reached  the 
 court  of  Theodorus  in  1863.  The  reception  accorded  to  him  was 
 most  flattering.  His  Majesty  till  then  had  some  suspicion  that  the 
 British  Government  had  not  quite  exonerated  him  from  all  blame  in 
 the  murder  of  Consul  Plowden.     The  arrival  of  a  new  representa- 
 
-246  THE    TIME    OF    TRIHULATION. 
 
 tive,  and  the  letters  and  presents  he  brought — particularly  a  gun 
 from  Her  INIajesty,  with  a  neat  inscription,  acknowledging  the  kind- 
 ness he  had  evinced  to  her  late  servant — removed  this  false  impres- 
 sion. The  Consul,  whilst  in  the  camp,  was  the  royal  guest,  and  was 
 treated  with  marked  respect  and  courtesy.  The  advantages  of  diplo- 
 matic intercourse  with  some  of  the  great  powers  of  Europe,  which 
 the  King  had  been  contemplating  for  some  time,  were  now  about  to 
 be  realized.  With  this  object  in  view,  an  official  note  was  immedi- 
 ately indited  ;  one  copy  was  entrusted  to  the  British  Consul  for 
 his  Government,  and  another  to  M.  Bardel,  a  Frenchman,  for  the 
 Emperor  Napoleon.  His  aim  in  seeking  to  cultivate  the  friendship 
 of  two  great  countries  like  England  and  France,  was  not  unworthy 
 •of  the  character  of  the  man. 
 
 "  '  We  are  blind,'  he  told  me  on  several  occasions,  '  and  I  wish  to 
 •  cultivate  the  friendship  of  enlightened  nations,  in  order  that  they 
 may  aid  me  to  educate  my  own  people.'  Of  course,  in  his  mind, 
 education  was  to  a  very  great  extent  associated  with  the  manufac- 
 ture of  powder,  the  casting  of  cannons,  and  the  making  of  roads  ; 
 all  other  branches  of  knowledge  he  regarded  as  insignificant,  or 
 subordinate  to  these  requirements.  To  his  vexation  and  disap- 
 pointment, England  did  not  reply  to  his  despatch,  and  France  only 
 met  his  advances  with  suggestions  and  counsels  he  did  not  relish. 
 Consul  Cameron,  fully  persuaded  that  his  Government  would  receive 
 the  embassy,  which  had  been  accepted  several  years  before,  sent 
 special  messengers  to  Aden  to  insure  the  safety  of  the  royal  letter, 
 whilst  he  himself,  during  the  interval,  made  a  tour  round  the  north- 
 eastern and  north-western  frontier,  and  then  returned  to  Abyssinia 
 in  June,  1863,  and  took  up  his  abode  on  our  mission  premises." 
 
 We  pause  on  the  threshold  of  one  of  those  events  in  the  history 
 ■  of  the  suffering  people  of  God,  which  can  only  call  forth  the  excla- 
 mation, "  Righteous  art  Thou,  O  Lord  !"  How,  and  why  the  Lord 
 thus  works,  and  the  wisdom  of  the  process  by  which  His  people  are 
 exposed  to  the  deepest  tribulation,  is  a  mystery  of  which  we  have 
 but  the  imperfect  outline.  "  Be  still  and  know  that  I  am 
 God."  It  has  often  been  the  will  of  God  that  His  most  distin- 
 guished servants  should  realize  experimentally  the  sufferings  of 
 their  crucified  Lord,  and  should  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  of 
 agony  wherewith  He  was  baptized. 
 
 "It  was  on  the  memorable  October  13,  1863,  that  I  entered  on 
 my  disastrous  and  fatal  journey.  The  sun  on  that  ill-omened  day 
 rose  in  its  wonted  tropical  splendour  ;  hills  and  valleys,  fields  and 
 meadows,  all  sparkled  and  glittered  in  the  lovely  splendour  of  a 
 tropical  morn.  To  the  north  rose,  in  bold  relief  against  the  azure 
 sky,  massive  rocks,  which,  for  many  hours  of  the  day,  cast  a  deep 
 shadow  over  the  sacred  quarter  of  Kudus  Gabriel.     Opposite,  on  a 
 
THE    TIME    OF    TRIHULATION.  247 
 
 verdant  sloping  ground,  lay  in  peaceful  repose  the  large  division  of 
 the  town  called  Etcheque  Beit,  intersected  by  churches  embosomed 
 in  the  shady  foliage  of  the  juniper.  Beyond  these,  in  a  south-west 
 direction,  extended,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  the  tents  of  the 
 King's  army  ;  whilst  due  south  and  west,  at  the  extremity  of  the 
 lovely  plain,  lay,  like  a  sheet  of  burnished  gold,  the  isle-dotted  lake 
 of  Dembea.  The  silence  of  death,  broken  only  by  the  chants  of  the 
 officiating  priests,  which,  till  now,  fell  in  melancholy  cadences  on 
 the  ear,  was  gradually  superseded  by  less  harmonious  strains. 
 Bleating  flocks,  accompanied  by  the  jarring  notes  of  the  shepherd's 
 shrill  reed-pipe,  here  scaled  a  steep  ascent  towards  an  upland  pla- 
 teau ;  there  a  peasant,  cracking  his  terrible  giraffe,  lazily  followed  his 
 beeves  to  a  distant  field.  From  one  house  resounded  the  harsh 
 voice  of  a  virago,  who  poured  forth  volumes  of  unmentionable 
 epithets  on  a  truant  daughter  or  indolent  husband  ;  from  another 
 were  heard  the  oaths  of  a  drunken  soldier,  who  refused  to  pay  for 
 his  libations,  intermingled  with  the  shouts  and  imprecations  of  a 
 merchant,  who  would  not  yield  his  property  to  the  spoiler.  This  din 
 and  confusion,  as  if  not  enough  to  stun  the  ear,  was  now  and  then 
 heightened  by  the  sharp  rattle  of  a  rusty  musket,  which,  as  it  floated 
 across  the  plain,  gathered  strength  in  the  distant  rocks,  where  it 
 reverberated  for  miles  with  a  deep  crawling  echo,  or  by  a  savage 
 war-whoop,  that  reminded  one  forcibly  of  a  large  travelling  mena- 
 gerie. In  my  own  domicile  all  was  in  harmony  with  its  sedate 
 occupant.  Servants  and  slaves  noiselessly  performed  their  various 
 duties  ;  even  the  beggars,  who  beleaguered  the  doorway,  in  sub- 
 dued accents  solicited  their  alms,  quite  contrary  to  their  wonted 
 boisterous  clamour.  My  mind,  excited  by  the  anticipation  of  the 
 journey,  the  fears  and  doubts  of  its  successful  termination,  and  a 
 variety  of  distracting  reveries — the  prelude  of  coming  troubles — 
 forbade  repose,  and  I  rose  exhausted  and  feverish.  The  bustle  of 
 packing,  the  hurrying  to  and  fro  of  domestics,  and  the  excitement 
 of  leave-taking,  relieved  my  spirit,  and  banished  those  dismal 
 visions  which,  in  defiance  of  all  resistance,  presented  themselves  to 
 my  imagination.  My  host,  the  Aboona,  in  the  retirement  and  sanc- 
 tity of  an  inner  court,  which  it  was  sacrilegious  to  cross  without 
 previous  sanction,  promised  me,  on  the  preceding  evening,  an  early 
 interview  ;  but,  forgetful  of  his  engagement,  and  wrapt  in  sw^eet 
 daylight  slumber,  he  tested  my  patience  not  a  little  by  his  unreason- 
 able hours.  Unwilling  to  delay  longer,  I  had  the  temerity  to  pene- 
 trate his  sanctum.  On  seeing  me  he  stretched  out  his  hand,  and 
 observed,  '  I  am  later  than  usual ;  but  this,'  he  added,  smilingly, 
 '  must  be  attributed  to  the  holy  Georgis,  who,  like  myself,  does  not 
 want  you  to  desecrate  the  day,  devoted  to  him,  by  travelling.'  I 
 expressed  a  different  opinion,  but  he  ridiculed  my  secret  surmises.  I 
 then  discussed  again  various  unimportant  matters,  partook  of  a  sub- 
 stantial breakfast,  arranged  some  business  affairs,  and  then,  followed  by 
 his  own  and  Father  Joseph's  (his  confessor's)  best  wishes,  took  my 
 
248  THE    TIMK    OF    TRIBULATION. 
 
 departure  out  of  the  hospitable  episcopal  residence.  My  animals 
 being  loaded  and  already  on  the  march,  I  at  once  mounted  my 
 mule,  and,  accompanied  by  my  Armenian  servant  and  some  natives, 
 rode  up  to  the  Etcheque  Beit,  to  bid  farewell  to  Consul  Cameron. 
 He  had  already  anticipated  this  parting  visit,  for  his  mule  stood 
 saddled  in  the  court.  To  avoid  the  noonday's  sun,  we  bestrode  our 
 animals,  and,  trotting  through  rugged  narrow  lanes  and  over  hills 
 impregnated  with  all  sorts  of  unmentionable  odours,  hurried  on 
 towards  the  foaming  and  dashing  Gaha.  Bardel  joined  us  near  the 
 river,  and  he  and  the  Consul,  with  their  numerous  followers,  formed 
 quite  a  respectable  cavalcade.  As  the  King  was  on  the  march, 
 masses  of  soldiers,  with  their  ragged  followers,  were  in  a  confused 
 medley,  forcing  their  course  in  the  same  direction,  in  order  to  join 
 their  respective  Chiefs.  The  panting  and  gasping,  hungry  and  tat- 
 tered multitude,  formed  a  host  whose  very  ajjpearance  augured 
 desolation  and  misery  to  any  province  they  might  have  to  traverse. 
 To  us  they  were  tolerably  civil,  though,  as  I  afterwards  recollected, 
 there  was  not  that  deference  which  had  hitherto  been  evinced 
 towards  the  white  man.  Had  I  been  less  engaged  with  my  own 
 thoughts  and  more  with  the  rabble  host,  I  might  have  divined,  from 
 the  coarse  jests  and  gibes,  the  rude  gaze,  and  impertinent  appearance 
 of  the  semi-savages  between  whom  we  defiled,  that  the  white  man 
 had  sunk  in  position,  and  that  there  were  already  indistinct  murmurs 
 which  prognosticated  his  impending  doom. 
 
 "  Some  servants  of  Consul  Cameron  and  Messrs.  Staiger  and 
 Brandeis,  who,  with  despatches  and  letters  for  the  coast,  had,  on 
 the  previous  day,  by  order  of  the  King,  been  plundered  and  mal- 
 treated, confirmed  my  suspicions.  Al  Tassab,  one  of  the  pe.rty, 
 and  who  was  delighted  to  find  a  refuge  among  my  people,  lost 
 twelve  dollars,  all  his  earthly  possessions.  The  packets  were  con- 
 veyed to  Gondar,  and  there  Samuel,  as  I  heard  from  his  own  lips, 
 concealed,  but  did  not  destroy  them.  His  sole  object  was  to  keep 
 on  good  terms  with  the  favourite  Chrishona  artizans,  and  their  mis- 
 sionary brethren,  Staiger  and  Brandeis,  till  he  had  wreaked  his 
 vengeance  on  Consul  Cameron,  and  those  whom,  like  myself,  he 
 considered  more  directly  connected  with  England. 
 
 "  Two  hours'  ride  was  beguiled  by  pleasant  converse  about  the 
 future  destiny  of  the  country,  of  whose  beauties  and  capabilities  we 
 could  judge  by  the  surrounding  scenery ;  and  then  we  bade  each 
 other  a  cordial  farewell.  Followed  by  my  Armenian  servant,  I  sped 
 my  way  through  the  ever-increasing  crowd,  up  a  regular  succession 
 of  steeps,  and  about  mid-day  landed  on  the  verdant  plateau  of  Wog- 
 gera.  Here,  to  my  disagreeable  surprise,  I  saw,  about  ten  minutes' 
 ride  to  the  left,  the  camp  of  the  King.  Immediately  I  consulted 
 with  my  people,  who  had  been  waiting  for  me,  whether  we  should 
 encamp.  They  unanimously  declared  that  it  was  my  duty  to  halt, 
 until  I   had  paid  my  respects  to  the   King.     I  did  not  particularly 
 
THE   TIME   OF   TRIHULATION.  249 
 
 admire  this  advice,  but  as  a  deviation  from  the  established  eti- 
 quette might  have  been  misinterpreted  into  rudeness  or  contempt, 
 I  accepted  with  the  best  grace  a  not  very  pleasant  suggestion. 
 
 "  A  fair,  green  spot,  abounding  with  fragrant  herbs  and  shady 
 trees,  invited  us  to  alight.  The  royal  camp,  though  near,  was  not 
 near  enough  to  attract  the  inquisitive  and  curious,  the  lazy  beggar 
 and  the  proud  military  chief,  to  our  halting-place.  My  tent  was 
 soon  erected,  and  on  a  bed  of  sweet  herbs  I  enjoyed  a  happy  and 
 calm  repose,  after  the  fatigue  and  toils  of  the  journey. 
 
 "  The  idea  of  visiting  the  white  tent  of  royalty,  which  shone 
 brightly  in  the  clear  atmosphere,  on  a  hill  about  half  an  hour's  dis- 
 tance, depressed  my  spirits  with  a  melancholy  I  could  not  explain. 
 I  tried  to  dispel  this  ceaseless  gloom  by  writing  and  jotting  down 
 notes,  but,  notwithstanding  my  utmost  effort,  I  found  it  impossible 
 to  banish  the  presentiment  of  an  impending  disaster.  Conscious 
 that,  neither  by  word  nor  deed  I  hatd  merited  the  King's  ill  will,  I 
 strove  against  the  warning  of  the  internal  monitor,  and,  throwing 
 my  shama  around  me,  like  a  man  anxious  to  get  over  an  unpleasant 
 task,  I  went,  accompanied  by  two  of  my  people,  towards  the  hill,  on 
 whose  summit  stood  conspicuously  the  imperial  pavilion.  As  I 
 approached,  all  previous  surmises  and  misgivings  vanished  ;  and, 
 confiding  in  the  consciousness  of  my  integrity,  which  I  thought 
 would  be  a  shield  strong  enough  to  guard  me  against  the  machina- 
 tions and  malice  of  insidious  foes,  if  I  had  any,  I  boldly  advanced 
 till  I  stood  within  a  respectful  and  becoming  distance  of  the  never- 
 to-be-forgotten  spot. 
 
 "  Whilst  waiting  for  the  approach  of  an  officer  or  domestic  of  the 
 royal  household,  who  would  announce  my  visit,  groups  of  drunken 
 militar}^  chiefs  and  district  governors  came  staggering,  in  most 
 unseemly  attitudes,  out  of  the  royal  banqueting  tent.  Many  gazed 
 at  me  in  stupid  bewilderment ;  others,  with  heavy  tongues,  bawled 
 forth  a  compliment  or  abuse  on  the  white  men,  who  had  brought 
 into  disrepute  the  faithful  lance  and  trusty  sword,  by  the  introduc- 
 tion of  heavy  muskets  and  unwieldy  cannons.  I  felt  disposed  to 
 retreat,  but  to  this,  for  sapient  reasons,  my  companions  justly 
 objected.  I  then  suggested  that  we  should  seek  the  shelter  of  a 
 shady  tree  or  bush,  till  the  banquet  was  over  and  his  JMajesty 
 visible.  This  proposal  was  equally  rejected  as  incompatible  with 
 Abyssinian  rule.  The  last  jar  of  hydromel  had  at  length,  as  a  royal 
 page,  en  passant,  assured  me,  been  quaffed  ;  the  last  reeking  joint 
 had  been  devoured ;  the  last  batch  of  rioters  had  disappeared, 
 when  the  folds  of  the  tent  were  thrown  aside,  and  his  Majesty,  sur- 
 rounded by  half-a-dozen  officers  and  several  pages,  strutted  out  into 
 the  open  air.  My  companions  quickly  prostrated  themselves  into 
 the  dust ;  whilst  I,  without  imitating  their  servile  obeisance,  made 
 a  humble  and  deferential  bow.  '  Come  nearer ! '  shouted  the  atten- 
 dants. I  obeyed,  and  advanced  a  few  steps.  '  Still  nearer ! '  reiter- 
 ated several  stentorian  voices.     I  complied,  and  made  another  for- 
 
 R 
 
250  THE   TIME    OF   TRIBULATION. 
 
 ward  movement.  '  What  do  you  want  ?'  sharply  demanded  the 
 flushed  and  drink-excited  Negoos.  '  I  saw  your  IMajesty's  tent,' 
 was  the  response,  '  and  came  hither  to  offer  my  humble  salutations 
 and  respects  to  your  Majesty.'  'Where  are  you  going  .^'  'lam, 
 with  your  IMajesty's  sanction,  about  to  proceed  to  Massowah.'  '  And 
 why  did  you  come  to  Abyssinia  ?'  '  A  desire  to  circulate  the  Word 
 of  God  among  your  IMajesty's  subjects  prompted  the  enterprise,'  I 
 rejoined.  '  Can  you  make  cannons  ?'  '  No,'  was  the  reply.  '  You 
 lie,'  was  the  laconic  retort ;  and  then,  turning  with  a  withering 
 glance  towards  Negusee,  one  of  my  companions — a  servant  of 
 Consul  Cameron,  he  imperatively  demanded  to  know  the  name  of 
 his  province.  '  I  am  from  Tigre,'  tremulously  responded  the  poor 
 man.  '  And  you  are  the  servant  or  interpreter  of  this  white  man  ?' 
 '  No,  your  Majesty,  I  am  in  the  employ  of  Consul  Cameron,  and 
 only  accompany  him  down  to  Adowa,  whither  I  am  bound  to  see 
 my  family.'  '  You  vile  carcass  !  you  base  dog  !  you  rotten  donkey  ! 
 you  dare  to  bandy  words  with  your  King.  Down  with  the  villain, 
 and  hcmouti  (by  my  death),  beat  him  till  there  is  not  a  breath  in  his 
 worthless  carcass.'  The  order  was  promptly  obeyed,  and  the  poor, 
 inofl'ensive  man,  without  a  struggle,  ejaculation,  or  groan,  was 
 dashed  on  the  ground,  where,  amidst  the  shouts  of  the  savage  Mon- 
 arch, that  the  executioners  should  vigorously  ply  their  sticks,  the  ani- 
 mated and  robust  frame  was,  in  less  than  a  minute,  a  torn  and  mangled 
 corpse.  '  There's  another  man  yonder,'  vociferated  the  savage 
 King,  '  kill  him  also.'  The  poor  fellow,  who  stood  at  a  consider- 
 able distance,  was  immediately  dragged  to  the  side  of  his  motion- 
 less companion,  and,  without  having  breathed  a  word  or  syllable 
 that  could  possibly  have  irritated  the  sanguinary  tyrant,  doomed  to 
 share  the  same  unhappy  fate.  I  was  amazed,  bewildered,  and  sur- 
 prised. In  my  agitation  I  might,  unconsciously,  have  put  my  hand 
 or  finger  to  my  lips.  This  the  cruel  tyrant  construed  into  an  act  of 
 defiance,  and,  without  one  warning  or  reproof,  he  rushed  upon  me 
 with  a  drawn  pistol,  like  a  lion  balked  of  his  prey.  For  an  instant 
 I  saw  the  glittering  weapon  sparkling  in  the  rays  of  the  sinking 
 sun,  and  then,  as  if  checked  in  his  fell  design  by  an  invisible  power, 
 it  disappeared  again  into  the  case  suspended  round  his  waist. 
 '  Knock  him  down  !  brain  him  !  kill  him  !'  were  the  words  which 
 rung  appallingly  on  my  ear.  In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  I  was 
 stripped,  on  the  ground,  and  insensible.  Stunned,  unconscious, 
 and  almost  lifeless,  with  the  blood  oozing  out  of  scores  of  gashes, 
 I  was  dragged  into  the  camp,  not,  as  my  guards  were  commanded, 
 to  bind  me  in  fetters,  but,  as  they  thought — and  I  heard  it  from 
 their  own  lips — to  bury  me. 
 
 "A  stifling  sensation,  I  well  remember,  roused  me  to  something 
 approaching  consciousness.  I  tried  to  speak,  but  my  throat  and 
 mouth,  full  of  clotted  blood,  forbade  the  attempt.  I  sought  to  look 
 around  me,  but  my  eyes  were  glued,  and  I  did  not  dare  to  open 
 them.     I  endeavoured  to  recollect  the  events  of  the  last  few  hours, 
 
THE   TIME    OF   TRIBULATION.  25 1 
 
 but  my  swimming  and  giddy  head  rendered  the  effort  abortive. 
 Rousing  myself  from  this  state  of  painful  lassitude  and  stupefaction, 
 my  mind,  though  sadly  confused,  retained  some  faint  recollection  of 
 the  last  hour's  terrible  scene.  The  soldier  to  whom  I  was  fastened, 
 and  whose  shama  my  bleeding  wounds  had  thoroughly  saturated, 
 noticed  that  I  was  in  great  agony  and  distress.  The  gentle  touch 
 with  which  he  lifted  the  chain  convinced  me  that  he  was  not  one  of 
 Theodorus'  hardened  ruffians.  '  What  do  you  w'ant  ?'  he  kindly 
 inquired.  I  pointed  to  my  parched  and  feverish  lips.  '  Woha' 
 (water).  '  Tenisu  (get  up),  and  you  shall  have  some.'  With  diffi- 
 culty I  raised  my  cold,  shivering,  and  stiff  limbs,  and,  together  with 
 my  "kind  guardian,  crept  to  a  watch-fire,  where  there  was  a  party 
 who  had  a  skin  full  of  water.  '  Hit  (go),  Turk,'  they  shouted,  '  for 
 our  Christian  cups  shall  not  touch  a  Moslem's  lips.'  '  I  am  not  a 
 IMahommedan,'  I  mournfully  sighed,  '  but  a  Christian,  and  a  believer 
 in  the  blessed  Trinity.'  These  faintly-breathed  words  acted  like  a 
 galvanic  battery  on  their  insensible  hearts.  Promptly  the  water  cup 
 was  raised  to  my  quivering  lips,  and  a  place  vacated  for  me  near  the 
 fire.  A  good,  cold  draught  roused  me  to  a  knowledge  of  my  misery 
 and  wretchedness,  loneliness  and  desolation.  I  was  alone  ;  a 
 stranger  in  a  strange  country.  No  bosom  was  open  to  my  sorrow, 
 no  heart  shared  my  grief.  The  world  around  me  was  dead  to  a 
 white  man's  anguish,  and  indifferent  to  his  woes  ;  but  though  far 
 removed  from  the  sight  of  those  whose  words  might  have  soothed 
 the  aching,  lacerated,  and  bleeding  missionary ;  whose  hands  might 
 have  bathed  his  throbbing  temples,  stanched  his  bleeding  wounds, 
 and  protected  him  from  the  chill  morning  blast,  there  was  One  pre- 
 sent, who,  in  the  utter  despondency  and  despair  of  the  storm-tossed 
 heart,  could  point  to  His  own  solemn  and  touching  words  :  '  Fear 
 not,  for  I  am  with  thee  ;  be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am  thy  God.  I  will 
 strengthen  thee  ;  yea,  I  will  help  thee  ;  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee  with 
 the  right  hand  of  My  righteousness.' 
 
 "The  long,  interminable  night  of  suffering  and  trial,  with  its  dew 
 and  cold  and  darkness,  at  length  drew  to  a  close,  and  the  dawn 
 revealed,  in  its  dim,  pale  light,  the  mountain-tops  that  guarded,  like 
 impregnable  ramparts,  the  south-eastern  confines  of  the  wide- 
 spreading  Woggera  plain.  Twilight  in  those  latitudes  speedily 
 yields  to  the  full  blaze  of  sunlight,  and  cold  night  to  the  warmth,  if 
 not  heat,  of  day.  The  camp  was  now  full  of  life,  activity,  and 
 bustle.  Tents  were  struck,  mules  loaded,  and  horses  saddled. 
 Women  and  men,  chiefs  in  silken  shirts,  and  common  soldiers  in 
 greasy  shamas,  vied  with  each  other  in  clearing  the  camp  and  road 
 before  the  approach  of  the  royal  cavalcade.  In  the  midst  of  that 
 hum  and  din,  I  alone  was  most  indifferent  and  unconcerned.  Many 
 of  my  wounds  had,  indeed,  ceased  to  bleed,  but  that  did  not  miti- 
 gate my  excruciating  suftering.  During  the  cold  and  damp  of  night 
 the  inflammation,  if  not  subdued,  was  at  least  checked  ;  but  the 
 wind  and  sun,  acting  on  the  unswathed  and  exposed  gashes,  pro- 
 
252  THE    TIME    OF    TRIHULATION. 
 
 duced  the  most  exquisite  and  indescribable  torture.  Death,  the 
 dreaded  intruder  on  many  a  happy  home,  would  then  to  me  have 
 been  an  angel  of  mercy  ;  but  though  I  yearned  most  impatiently 
 for  his  visit,  he  would  not  come.  The  fetters  fastened  around  my 
 native  companion's  wrist  were  unrivetted,  and  my  swollen,  palsied 
 arms,  instead  of  being  held  in  irons,  were  pitilessly  grasped  by  two 
 savage  ruffians,  in  the  service  of  a  notorious  villain,  AH  Woobeshat, 
 the  Governor  of  Woggera.  Excited  to  a  pitch  almost  verging  on 
 frenzy,  I  tried  to  shake  off  the  dastardly  poltroons,  but  the  exertion 
 exceeded  my  energy,  and  I  shrank  prostrate  at  their  feet.  Forced 
 to  get  up,  1  was  partly  carried  and  partly  dragged  out  of  the 
 detested  camp.  The  ph}sical  effort  was  too  much  for  my  failing 
 strength,  so  that,  despite  the  goading  of  the  zealous  myrmidons  of 
 Ali  Woobeshat,  I  had  to  rest  again  and  again.  Water  !  water  !  was 
 my  entreaty.  This  mournful  cry,  several  parties  of  soldiers  who 
 passed  by  heard  ;  but,  although  they  cast  many  a  pitiful  glance  on 
 the  disfigured  and  woe-begone  stranger,  not  one  had  compassion 
 enough  to  allay  the  maddening  thirst  of  my  burning  tongue.  At 
 last  I  saw  a  Chief,  a  native  of  Genda,  strutting  along,  who  had 
 formerly  been  in  Egypt  on  an  errand  of  his  royal  master,  where,  as 
 I  heard  from  his  own  lips,  he  had  been  most  hospitably  entertained. 
 That  man,  I  felt  persuaded,  would  act  the  part  of  the  good  Samari- 
 tan, and  relieve  my  distress.  He  halted,  looked  at  me,  listened  to 
 my  pathetic  appeal ;  and,  with  the  withering  scowl  of  a  demon  on 
 his  lean,  ugly  face,  rode  quietly  away.  Ah  !  tell  me  not  that  there 
 is  a  hidden  fount  of  kindness  in  every  heart,  which  needs  only  to  be 
 touched,  and  it  will  gush  forth  in  streams  of  love,  tenderness,  and 
 mercy !  This  may  be  the  case — nay,  I  believe  it  is  the  case,  in 
 countries  where,  as  in  happy  England,  the  Gospel  has  refined  the 
 asperities  of  a  selfish  nature  ;  but  such  was  not  my  experience  in 
 Abyssinia,  and  in  the  camp  of  the  crime-stained  Theodoras. 
 Pushed  on  by  the  cow^ardly  savages,  w'ho  imagined  that  a  man  who 
 could  not  stand  might  yet  be  able  to  run,  I  crawled  forward,  and  at 
 length,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  custodians,  was  safely  housed  in  a 
 peasant's  reed-built  cabin.  Two  Chiefs,  Hassan  Ali,  the  nominal 
 governor  of  Yedshou,  and  Basha  Medeka,  a  noble  of  Woggera,  who 
 had  the  previous  evening  broken  their  sticks  on  my  head,  received 
 me.  Whether  my  wretched  and  almost  dying  condition  moved 
 their  pity,  or  whether  they  thought  that  my  decease  might  draw 
 upon  them  the  wrath  of  their  master,  I  cannot  positively  assert.  I 
 know  that  they  were  attentive  to  my  wants,  and,  together  with  the 
 villagers,  did  everything  in  their  power  to  mitigate  my  sufferings. 
 Hassan  Ali,  an  amateur  dabbler  in  the  chirurgical  art,  kindly  exa- 
 mined the  depth  of  my  wounds.  The  operation,  though  well 
 intended,  was  very  painful,  for  the  instrument — a  hard  stalk  of 
 straw — was  not  the  best  probe  for  a  white  man's  skull.  The  swarthy 
 amateur  doctor  was  evidently  displeased  with  his  patient's  condition, 
 .and,  to  convince  himself  thoroughly  of  the  state  of  my  cranium,  he 
 
THE    TIME    OE    TRIIiU LATION.  253 
 
 ordered  me  to  press  firmly  a  piece  of  cane  whicli  lie  had  put 
 between  my  teeth.  I  tried  to  obey,  but  the  swollen  and  aching 
 gums  refused  to  perform  the  imposed  task.  By  dint  of  perseve- 
 rance I  at  last  succeeded.  The  kind  physician  watched  the  opera- 
 tion with  intense  interest,  and  then,  like  a  wise  man,  without 
 expressing  his  opinion,  probably  not  to  compromise  his  reputation, 
 he  gave  a  sapient  shake  to  his  butter-besmeared  wig,  and  squatted 
 down. 
 
 "  It  was  now  about  eight  o'clock,  and  as  I  had  not  yet  heard  or 
 seen  anything  of  my  servants,  I  began  to  be  suspicious  about  their 
 safety.  jMy  guards  kindly  assured  me  that  nothing  had  happened 
 to  them,  and  that  in  a  short  time  they  would  be  conducted  to  my 
 abode.  This,  for  the  nonce,  proved  true,  for  before  noon  they  all 
 made  their  appearance.  The  sight  of  their  disfigured,  prostrated, 
 and  wounded  master,  who  only  a  short  time  before  had  left  them 
 cheerful,  strong,  and  happy,  arrested  their  breath,  and,  in  rapt 
 speechlessness,  they  stood  gazing  at  me.  Their  pent-up  g-rief 
 gathered  strength  during  this  brief  silent  interval,  and  then  gushed 
 forth  a  fiood  of  tears  and  convulsive  sighs  so  genuine,  honest,  and 
 touching,  as  to  awaken  a  responsive  sympathetic  chord  in  the 
 bosom  of  the  groups  of  villagers  who  had  collected  around  my  deso- 
 late couch. 
 
 "  Past  noon,  there  arrived  from  the  infamous  governor,  AH  Woobe- 
 shat,  a  pair  of  hand  and  foot  chains,  which,  at  the  command  of  roy- 
 alty, were  to  be  fastened  around  my  swollen  limbs.  The  guards, 
 hardened  as  they  were  to  every  better  sentiment,  I  could  perceive 
 from  their  looks,  did  not  quite  approve  this  fresh  infliction  of  suf- 
 fering on  a  dying  man.  There  were  many  whispers,  consultations, 
 and  animated  debates  ;  but,  as  I  anticipated,  it  all  ended  in  a  unani- 
 mous decision  that  the  royal  mandate  must  be  obeyed.  My  poor 
 servant  Joseph,  a  native  of  Aleppo,  on  perceiving  that  his  master's 
 lacerated,  torn,  and  bleeding  limbs  were  to  be  manacled,  threw 
 himself  before  the  guards,  and,  in  melting  accents,  implored  that 
 they  should  not  perpetrate  such  a  ruthless  deed  on  a  stranger  and  a 
 Christian.  I  believe  they  would  gladly  have  acceded  to  his  prayer, 
 had  not  the  image  of  their  terrible  master  floated,  like  a  dreaded 
 phantom,  before  their  frightened  imagination,  and  steeled  them 
 against  another's  woes.  They  still  hesitated  a  little,  and  not  till 
 I  told  them  to  do  whatever  they  felt  disposed,  did  they  proceed  to 
 perform  the  disagreeable  operation.  The  ring  round  the  wrists  was 
 expeditiously  hammered  on  ;  not  so  around  the  ankles.  The 
 inflammation,  which  had  continued  to  increase  till  the  leg  had 
 assumed  a  most  formidable  size,  rendered  it  impossible  to 
 fasten  the  hoop  so  that  the  foot  could  not  slip  through.  Baffled 
 and  perplexed,  they  at  last  resolved  to  fasten  the  right  hand  to  the 
 left  ankle,  the  least  injured — an  operation  which,  I  must  confess, 
 they  performed  with  a  care  and  tenderness  that  did  honour  to  their 
 humane  feelina:s. 
 
254  "^"^E    TIME    OF    TRIl^ULATION. 
 
 "  Utterly  unconscious  that  I  had  perpetrated  any  offence  or  crime 
 to  merit  this  harsh  treatment,  I  consoled  myself  in  my  terrible  posi- 
 tion with  the  illusive  hope,  that  after  a  day  or  two,  the  tyrant  would 
 regret,  or  at  least  relax  in,  his  unprovoked  severity,  and  permit  me 
 to  crawl  on  as  well  as  I  could  to  Massowah.  I  had  not  yet  pene- 
 trated the  depth  of  Theodorus'  malice,  nor  experimentally  learnt, 
 that  man  in  barbarous,  and  sometimes  also  in  civilized  countries,  is 
 most  vindictive  towards  those  on  whom  he  has  inflicted  the  deepest 
 wrongs. 
 
 "  The  sunny  visions  in  which  my  enfeebled  imagination  loved  to 
 indulge,  alleviated  my  oppressive  solitude  ;  and  I  sank  for  several 
 hours  into  what  I  so  much  needed — a  kind  of  stupid  reverie.  Dawn 
 — cold  and  dismal  dawn — had  already  lit  up  the  rickety  stockade 
 walls  of  my  prison,  when,  chilled  by  the  damp  winds  that  poured  in 
 gusts  through  every  hole  and  crevice,  I  awoke  to  the  fearful  reality 
 of  my  sad  position.  A  few  verses  out  of  the  sacred  volume,  adapted 
 to  my  circumstances,  imparted  a  peaceful  serenity  to  my  chafed  and 
 harassed  mind.  '  Neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain.'  I  had 
 read  these  words,  pondered  over  them,  and  preached  about  them, 
 but,  not  till  that  moment  did  I  feel  the  energy  they  infuse,  the  con- 
 solation they  afford,  and  the  sweet  resignation  they  communicate. 
 Delightful  thought ! — no  more  torture  to  rack  the  frame — no  more 
 fetters  to  cripple  the  limbs — no  more  bufifetings  to  mark  with  blood 
 the  Christian  preacher's  entangled  path — no  more  oppression  and 
 tyranny,  scorn  and  derision,  such  as  fell  to  my  lot  the  day  before — 
 but,  rest,  peace,  and  joy  in  the  home  of  our  God,  in  the  mansions 
 of  glory  near  the  centre  of  creation,  where  tyranny  cannot  enter, 
 nor  cruel  despotism  have  the  sway  ;  where,  no  chastening  stroke  is 
 felt,  and  no  bitter  cup  is  swallowed  ;  where,  is  the  tree  of  life, 
 beneath  whose  shadow  we  shall  repose — and  the  fountain  of  life, 
 whose  water  we  shall  drink. 
 
 "  Such  were  the  thoughts  which  beguiled  my  mind,  and  dissipated 
 the  maddenina:  gloom." 
 
CHAPTER    XXXI. 
 
 AGGRAVATED    SUFFERINGS.      UNSUCCESSFUL    INTERVENTION. 
 
 The  recital  of  the  Missionary's  cruel  and  ignominious  sufferings 
 has  been  given  in  his  own  words.  The  barbarous  despot,  at  whose 
 word  he  had  been  maltreated  even  unto  death,  had  not  on  any  pre- 
 vious occasion  exhibited  anger,  or  upbraided  him  with  any  neglect 
 of  duty,  or  act  of  disrespect.  There  had  been,  therefore,  no  deed  of 
 personal  hostility  which  might  lead  to  events  so  wicked  and  deplor- 
 able. Up  to  that  time,  there  is  not  a  shadow  of  evidence  of  any 
 kind,  that  Theodorus  entertained  anything  but  a  friendly  feeling 
 towards  Mr.  Stern.  Nor  is  it  too  much  to  believe,  that,  if  his 
 appearance  in  the  presence  of  the  King  had  not  taken  place,  when 
 he  and  his  dissipated  Chiefs  were  intoxicated  from  the  effects  of 
 their  long  continued  libations,  such  a  catastrophe  would  not  have 
 occurred.  How  far  those  who  urged  him,  contrary  to  his  own  incli- 
 nations, to  present  himself  to  the  King  at  that  moment,  were  influ- 
 enced by  unworthy  motives,  does  not  appear.  He  was,  however, 
 afterwards  told  by  Hassan  Ali,  that  had  he  not  called,  orders  had 
 been  given  to  arrest  him,  and  that  in  such  a  case  the  penalty  might 
 have  been  more  terrible  than  the  infliction  of  the  stick.  Every  cir- 
 cumstance seemed  to  combine,  in  aggravating  the  distress  and 
 suffering  which  crushed  his  body  and  lacerated  his  soul.  Theo- 
 dorus himself,  as  if  deeply  conscious  that  he  had  been  guilty  of  an 
 unpardonable  and  wholly  unjustifiable  offence,  took  every  measure 
 by  which  he  might  be  apparently  justified ;  and  heaped  every 
 possible  indignity  upon  his  captive,  as  if  he  had  been  the  worst  of 
 criminals. 
 
2S6  AGGRAVATED    SUFFERINGS. 
 
 The  morning  after  this  outrage,  a  company  of  horsemen  appeared 
 to  conduct  Mr.  Stern  to  the  presence  of  the  King.  Some  of  the 
 guards  seemed  to  be  moved  by  the  sight  of  his  bruised  and  bleeding 
 body,  and  whispered  that  the  King  would  show  him  mercy.  They 
 then  hinted,  that  which  subsequently  proved  to  be  a  fact,  that  his 
 intimacy  with  the  Aboona  was  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  his  trouble, 
 for  that  an  unfriendly  feeling  had  sprung  up  between  the  INIetropolitan 
 and  the  King. 
 
 The  mournful  cavalcade  reached  Gondar,  where  Theodorus  had 
 pitched  his  tents.  As  soon  as  it  arrived,  the  guards  bound  a  strong 
 belt  around  the  waist  and  arms  of  the  sufferer;  a  seeming  precaution 
 which  they  had  omitted  on  the  journey,  but  which  they  dared  not 
 neglect  when  entering  the  camp. 
 
 One  of  Mr.  Stern's  servants  had  proceeded  to  the  Aboona's  resi- 
 dence, and  returned  with  notes  from  the  Primate  and  from  Consul 
 Cameron,  which  he  secreted  in  his  clothing.  These  papers  expressed 
 the  deepest  sympathy  in  his  sufierings,  and  the  solemn  assurance, 
 that  no  effort  should  be  spared  in  order  to  effect  his  liberation. 
 
 Hurried  into  the  presence  of  the  dreaded  tyrant,  the  following 
 colloquy  took  place  : — 
 
 "  '  Why  did  you  come  before  me  on  the  road  ?'  demanded  his 
 Majesty  in  a  stern  tone.  '  I  came,'  was  the  rejoinder,  '  to  offer  my 
 salutations  and  respects  to  your  Majesty.'  '  Who  gave  you  permis- 
 sion,' continued  my  interrogator,  evidently  at  a  loss  to  palliate  his 
 cruelty,  '  to  take  my  people  to  your  country  ?'  '  Your  Majesty  is 
 misinformed,'  I  replied,  '  for  I  never  intended  to  take  a  single 
 Abyssinian  to  Europe.  This,  my  servants,  who  are  all  standing 
 here  (they  had  all  been  arrested),  can  testify.'  '  Why  did  you  insult 
 me  when  I  punished  two  of  my  subjects,  who  did  not  conduct  them- 
 selves with  becoming  propriety  in  my  presence  ?'  '  Your  JNIajesty,'  I 
 solemnly  replied,  '  there  is  a  God  above,  and  He  knows  that  cour- 
 tesy prompted  me  to  approach  your  Majesty's  tent.'  After  a  pause, 
 during  which  he  evidently  tried  to  work  himself  into  a  rage,  he 
 abruptly  and  angrily  said :  *  You  white  men  hate  me,  and  I  hate 
 you.  I  allow  you  to  come  and  stay  in  my  country  merely  because  I 
 want  to  get  some  of  your  helhad  (arts).  England  and  France  boast 
 of  power  and  riches  ;  I  defy  them  both.'  Then  turning  to  the  ser- 
 vants, he  inquired  why  they  accompanied  me.  The  response,  as 
 might  have  been  expected,  was,  '  because  he  pays  us.'  'And  where 
 are  you  going  ?  Several  at  once  replied,  '  To  our  home  at  Adowa.' 
 '  And  cannot  I  pay  you  more,  vile  peasants'  sons,  than  that  white 
 slave  .'''    y:runted  forth  the  artificiallv  excited  Monarch.     '  Guards, 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL    INTERVENTION.  257 
 
 seize  them  !'  Instantly  they  were  seized,  stripped  and  buffeted  ; 
 then  turning  in  the  direction  where  the  chiefs  of  my  escort  stood, 
 he  said  :  '  Watch  him  well,  and  do  not  allow  any  one  without  my 
 sanction  to  approach  him.'  I  was  immediately  in  the  grasp  of  half- 
 a-dozen  officers,  who  led  me  to  the  tent  which  had  been  erected  for 
 my  camp  prison.  The  small  canvas  shelter  was  already  crowded 
 by  a  whole  host  of  volunteers,  who,  under  the  pretext  of  wishing  to 
 see  their  friends,  had  really  come  to  have  a  good  view  of  the  unfor- 
 tunate Cocab.  Sick,  feverish,  and  exhausted,  I  was  not  allowed  to 
 stretch  my  weary  limbs  in  peace  and  quiet  on  the  hard,  uneven 
 ground.  I  was  a  prisoner,  but  without  fetters,  and  until  these  were 
 rivetted  around  my  swollen  ankles  and  wrists,  the  gaolers  could  not 
 partake  of  the  repast  provided  by  the  royal  purveyor.  Manacles, 
 with  which  each  Chief  must  be  provided,  whether  on  a  march  or  in 
 the  camp,  at  home  or  abroad,  were  quickly  enough  brought  into  the 
 prison.  There  was,  as  ever,  some  altercation  about  the  weight  of 
 one  and  the  length  of  the  other.  These  preliminaries  were,  how- 
 ever, amicably  arranged,  and  the  passive  victim  of  wanton  cruelty, 
 had  patiently  to  yield  his  aching  limbs  to  the  merciless  infliction  of 
 a  malefactor's  manacles.  Bread,  broundo,  and  tedj,  were  now  in 
 due  proportion  served  to  the  faithful  lieges  of  the  great  king.  The 
 smell  of  the  reeking  collops  and  fetid  assembly  did  not  improve  my 
 position.  My  eyes  were  swollen,  my  nerves  unstrung,  and  my  head 
 was  throbbing  as  if  every  pulsation  would  be  the  last ;  and  yet  the 
 agony  did  not  cease,  nor  my  wretched  existence  terminate  for  ever. 
 I  moved  from  side  to  side  ;  now  my  shama  covered  my  quivering 
 frame,  then  again  I  had  madly  thrust  it  over  the  soldier  to  whom  I 
 was  tied  ;  one  moment  I  bit  it  in  agony  with  my  chattering  teeth, 
 the  next  I  almost  unconsciously  applied  it  to  a  bleeding  sore.  I  do 
 not  know  how  long  this  struggle  between  pain  and  restlessness, 
 wakefulness  and  somnolency  continued.  A  stupor  akin  to  insensi- 
 bility overwhelmed  me,  from  which  I  could  not  rouse  myself  till 
 daybreak  next  morning." 
 
 One  day  of  anguish  succeeded  another.  Reports  reached  the  ear 
 of  the  captive  of  the  efforts  being  made  by  the  Consul  and  others, 
 on  his  behalf.  It  was  even  said  that  the  King  intended  to  condone 
 the  wrong  he  had  done,  by  the  gift  of  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  a 
 prompt  dismissal  of  the  Missionary  to  his  own  country.  "I  che- 
 rished similar  hopes,"  wrote  Mr.  Stern,  "and  in  my  illusion  I  not 
 unfrequently  worried  my  mind,  with  all  sorts  of  conjectures  about 
 the  application  of  the  money  the  tyrant  might  give  me,  of  which,  as 
 it  was  extorted  from  his  subjects  by  the  torturing  rope  and  muti- 
 lating knife,  I  would  not  retain  a  farthing  in  my  possession."  Then 
 a  party  were  sent  to  ransack  his  luggage,  and  to  seize  any  letters 
 
■258  AGGRAVATED    SUFFERINGS. 
 
 ■which  might  be  in  his  possession  and  which  he  might  have 
 received  either  from  the  Consul,  or  from  the  Aboona.  Some 
 days  afterwards,  I\Ir.  Flad  and  others  were  instructed  to  visit 
 him,  and  to  "  ask  Aito  Cocab  (as  Mr.  Stern  was  called)  why 
 he  insulted  him."  The  delegates  returned  with  the  assurance,  that 
 any  disrespect  was  never  intended  ;  and  that  if  any  offence  had 
 been  unwittingly  committed,  Mr.  Stern  would  with  a  stone  on  his 
 neck  crave  the  King's  forgiveness.  But  this  attempt  at  conciliation 
 •was  in  vain.  As  one  demand  was  complied  with,  another  was  made; 
 and  it  was  soon  evident  that  other  agencies  were  at  work,  in  order  to 
 foment  the  Monarch's  indignation,  and  render  the  restoration  of 
 friendly  relations  impossible.  The  delegates  "  were  ordered  to 
 come  again  the  next  morning,  and  to  bring  with  them  at  the  same 
 time  a  letter  from  Consul  Cameron,  embodying  the  views  and 
 feelings  entertained  by  the  British  Government  towards  Abyssinia 
 and  its  Monarch.  The  Consul  was  immediately  informed  of  the 
 request  of  the  King,  with  which,  I  believe,  he  promptly  complied. 
 The  following  morning,  the  small  band  of  intercessors  repaired 
 again  to  the  royal  camp,  where  they  expected  to  meet,  according  to 
 previous  arrangement,  a  messenger  with  Consul  Cameron's  des- 
 patch. Aito  Samuel,  in  his  blandest  tones,  welcomed  the  deputies  ; 
 and  if  gracious  smiles  and  low  bows  conveyed  any  meaning,  I  was 
 a  free  and  happy  man.  The  affable  courtier  hastened  to  present 
 to  his  Majesty  the  salutations  of  his  visitors,  to  whom,  after  a  brief 
 pause,  he  returned  with  a  most  condescending  response.  '  Have 
 you  brought  Consul  Cameron's  letter,  as  his  IMajesty  requested  ?* 
 now  inquired  the  worthy  mouthpiece  of  royalty.  Almost  spontane- 
 ously, every  one  turned  round  to  see  whether  the  expected  messen- 
 ger, with  that  important  document,  had  arrived  ;  but,  alas  !  though 
 they  shouted,  inquired,  and  searched,  he  could  not  be  found. 
 Angry,  black,  scowling,  the  excited  courtier  disappeared  within  the 
 folds  of  the  royal  pavilion.  Tremulously  the  little  group  awaited 
 the  issue  of  this  exciting  and  shifting  scene.  Their  patience  was 
 not  long  tried,  for  the  folds  of  the  tent  were  once  more  lifted,  and 
 Samuel,  not  radiant  with  benignity,  but  frowning  like  a  fiend,  stood 
 before  them,  and,  in  an  assumed  tone  of  offended  dignity,  blended 
 with  the  coarse    bombast  of  low  vulgarity,   ordered  them,  in  the 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL   INTERVENTION.  259 
 
 name  of  the  King,  to  return  to  their  homes.  My  expected  libera- 
 tion was  thus  postponed  from  day  to  day,  and  week  to  week.  There 
 were  many  natives,  and  some  Europeans,  who  were  anxious  to  have 
 the  manacles  knocked  off  my  limbs  ;  but  they  had  no  influence,  or 
 were  too  timid  to  put  it  to  the  test.  Aboona  Salama,  the  Metropo- 
 litan, alone,  was  most  indefatigable  in  his  exertions.  He  threatened 
 and  implored,  gave  rich  presents,  and  made  glowing  promises  ; 
 spared  neither  time,  letters,  nor  money  ;  in  fact,  he  did  everything 
 in  his  power,  and  beyond  his  power,  to  move  the  pity  of  the  tyrant 
 towards  the  victim  of  his  ferocity.  At  one  time  he  seemed  inclined 
 to  relent,  and  the  next  I  was  again  more  closely  watched.  Perhaps, 
 I  thought,  the  malicious  Monarch  finds  a  satisfaction  in  the  ago- 
 nizing suspense  of  his  captive  ;  or,  he  seeks  some  plea  to  gloss  over 
 the  infamy  of  his  base  conduct  ;  or,  what  appeared  not  improbable, 
 he  intends,  in  the  dying  throes  of  the  white  man,  to  demonstrate 
 before  obsequious  serfs  the  greatness  of  his  power.  Such  were  the 
 dismal  phantoms  with  which  my  diseased  imagination  beguiled  the 
 present,  and  sought  to  foreshadow  the  future. 
 
 "  A  fortnight  thus  elapsed,  a  fortnight  that  appeared  a  century, 
 for  who  can  compute  the  length  of  those  weary  hours  that  hang 
 immovable  on  the  dial-plate  of  Time,  offering  neither  hope  to 
 despair,  rest  to  trouble,  nor  comfort  to  misery.  At  such  a  period — 
 I  say  it  solemnly — the  punctured  head,  the  riven  side,  the  pierced 
 feet,  and  the  heavy  cross  of  Redeeming  Love,  is  a  sight  that  nerves 
 and  supports  the  drooping  and  desponding  spirit.  In  my  distress 
 and  sorrow,  I  threw  myself  on  the  bosom  of  a  sympathizing  Saviour, 
 and  if  I  was  not  happy,  I  was  at  least  resigned." 
 
 Some  signs  of  a  better  state  of  mind  again  began  to  manifest 
 themselves.  It  was  reported  that  the  long-expected  letter  from  the 
 British  Government  had  reached  Massowah.  The  confiscated  lug- 
 gage and  keys  were  returned  to  Mr.  Stern,  and  inquiries  were  sent 
 from  the  designing  King  concerning  the  health  and  circumstances 
 of  the  captive.  His  faithful  servant,  Joseph,  who  clung  to  him 
 through  every  adversity,  had  obtained  permission  to  visit  the  Euro- 
 peans, and  returned  with  the  joyful  intelligence  that  he  had  heard 
 in  the  Consul's  house  that  a  steamer  had  arrived  at  Massowah,  with 
 letters  and   presents  for   the    King.     However   exaggerated  these 
 
2  6o  AGGRAVATED    SUFFERINGS. 
 
 impressions  might  have  been,  they  yet  cheered  the  sufferer,  who 
 was  learning  meekly  to  bear  his  galling  fetters,  and  cheerfully  to 
 submit  to  the  grievous  wrongs  to  which  he  had  been  subject. 
 
 "  I  had  a  support  in  the  brightening  future,  and  a  solace  in  the 
 prospect  of  a  speedy  release  from  that  wasting  confinement  which 
 rendered  the  present  so  sickening.  My  frame,  inured  to  fatigue, 
 and  steeled  against  hardships,  unimpaired  by  potent  hydromel,  and 
 still  more  potent  arackee  (alcohol),  which  only  on  special  occasions, 
 and  in  the  presence  of  royalty,  polluted  my  lips,  began  to  recover 
 from  the  shock  it  had  experienced.  The  wounds  and  scars  which 
 only  a  week  before,  even  under  the  most  favourable  changes,  threa- 
 tened to  cost  me  my  right  hand,  and  perhaps  my  arm,  began  to  heal, 
 the  swelling  subsided,  and  I  could,  without  great  effort  or  support, 
 stand  erect.  All  looked  serene  and  cheerful.  That  my  papers  and 
 diaries,  in  a  foreign  language,  containing  facts,  incidents,  and 
 observations  on  the  occurrences  of  each  passing  day,  which  no  tra- 
 veller or  missionary  ought  to  entrust  to  memory,  should  ever 
 offer  a  pretext  for  renewed  severity,  never  for  a  moment  pre- 
 sented itself  to  my  mind.  Besides  this,  who  would  suggest  to  the 
 King  the  perusal  of  a  stranger's  letters  and  notes  ?  M.  Bardel, 
 who  hated  missionaries,  might  do  so  ;  but  he  pretended  to  cherish  a 
 special  regard  for  me  ;  and  then  his  apparent  efforts  to  effect  my 
 release,  strengthened  the  confidence  I  reposed  in  him.  Aito 
 Samuel,  the  ex-baldaraba  of  Consul  Cameron,  I  knew,  was  capable 
 of  any  vile  action,  if  it  tended  to  injure  the  white  man,  whom  he 
 hated,  or  enhanced  the  royal  favour,  which  he  laboured  to  secure. 
 He  had,  however^  been  most  injudiciously  bribed  to  conceal  what 
 he  ought  never  to  have  known.  Had  I  possessed  less  candour  and 
 some  duplicity,  not  a  written  line  in  my  possession  would  ever  have 
 gratified  the  sight  of  the  King  or  his  unscrupulous  minions.  It  is 
 true  I  ought  to  have  remembered  Richelieu's  aphorism  :  '  Give  me 
 two  lines  from  any  man,  and  his  head  shall  roll  on  the  scaffold.'  I 
 was  deceived.  Several  times  I  intended  to  give  a  few  dollars  to  my 
 native  companion,  and,  in  the  absence  of  the  guard,  try  to  destroy 
 every  scrap  of  paper  in  my  possession  ;  but  then,  again,  it  appeared 
 to  me  quite  a  superfluous  precaution,  to  remove  notes  and  memo- 
 randa that  were  useful  and  intelligible  to  me,  but  almost  valueless 
 and  incoherent  to  a  stranger.  ]\Iy  book,  of  which  I  had  a  copy — 
 the  only  one  in  Abyssinia — I  would  never  have  concealed,  for  the 
 history  of  the  King's  life  which  it  embodied,  I  imagined,  could  not 
 fail  to  be  flattering  and  grateful  to  the  despot's  pride.  The  well- 
 founded  statement  that  his  mother  sold  kosso,  I  felt  sure  the  most 
 cursory  reader  of  the  volume  could  perceive,  was  not  written  to 
 depreciate,  but  to  do  justice  to  the  humble  Chieftain,  who,  by  his 
 own  skill,  dexterity,  and  valour,  had,  through  the  lines  of  hostile 
 nobles  and  cringing  serfs,  made  his  way  to  a  sceptre  and  throne. 
 Such  were  the  conjectures  that  sometimes  flashed  across  my  mind. 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL    INTERVENTION.  261 
 
 without  leaving  a  real  or  abiding  impression.  The  possibility  of  an 
 interview  with  the  King,  the  probability  of  a  reconciliation,  the 
 removal  from  prison,  the  mode  of  travelling,  and  the  joyous  restora- 
 tion to  friends  and  home  ;  these,  and  not  the  dismal  anticipation  of 
 a  protracted  captivity,  and  more  rigorous  treatment,  were  the  pic- 
 tures that  danced  before  my  eyes,  and  exhilarated  my  spirits. 
 
 "  It  was  exactly  twenty-eight  days  after  my  ftital  encounter  with 
 the  King  on  the  Woggera  highlands,  that,  about  noon,  friend 
 Samuel,  with  a  flushed  countenance  and  averted  look,  strutted  into 
 the  prison-tent.  The  guards,  of  whom  a  good  number  were  acci- 
 dentally with  me,  as  well  as  myself,  received  his  most  courteous 
 salutation.  I  requested  him  to  sit  down,  but,  without  heeding  my 
 invitation,  he  entreated,  in  the  sweetest  tone  that  he  could  adopt, 
 that  I  should  resign  to  him  the  keys  of  my  luggage.  '  Samuel,'  I 
 said,  in  a  voice  which  neither  betrayed  anger  nor  grief — '  Samuel,  I 
 know  what  this  request  signifies,  only  take  care  that  you  do  not 
 bring  new  troubles  on  an  innocent  man  ;  for  if  you  do  I  may  die, 
 and  if  your  own  acts,  and  those  of  your  abettors,  escape  with  im- 
 punity here,  they  will  not  remain  unvisited  hereafter.'  '  Don't 
 think  ill  of  me,  I  am  your  friend' — and  then,  turning  to  the  guards, 
 he  shouted,  'Seize  this  luggage,  and  carry  it  up  to  his  Majesty!' 
 Joseph,  who  sat  petrified  and  stunned,  the  courtier  now  touched  by 
 the  arm,  and,  in  a  cajoling  strain,  said,  'Joseph,  ibn  Arab,  you  must 
 come  with  me.'  The  bewildered  man  gave  him  a  glance  that  would 
 have  pierced  his  very  soul,  had  it  not  been  encased  in  a  triple  brass 
 covering,  and  then,  without  uttering  a  word,  obeyed  mechanically 
 the  injunction,  and  marched  off. 
 
 "  Adversity  had  again  blighted  my  prospects,  and  marred  my 
 best  hopes.  I  was  not  sad.  I  was  not  in  despair.  I  was  callous, 
 reckless,  and  indifferent.  My  senses  were  blunted,  and  my  mind 
 unhinged.  Robbed  of  liberty,  and  chained  like  a  wild  beast,  I  did 
 not,  at  that  moment,  dread  the  knife,  nor  fear  the  gallows.  The 
 cup  of  misery  was  full,  and  I  was  sick — sick  to  loathing  of  this 
 wretched  existence.  My  agitation  keenly  affected  my  nervous  sys- 
 tem, and  I  sank,  worn  out  with  all  kinds  of  horrible  ideas,  on  the 
 hard  pallet.  Samuel,  who,  with  the  lens  of  my  photographic 
 camera,  came  back  to  the  tent,  was,  as  he  subsequently  told  me, 
 quite  frightened  to  gaze  at  me.  My  whole  appearance  had  under- 
 gone a  change.  My  face  was  red,  my  eyes  fiery,  my  lips  com- 
 pressed, and  I  stood  before  him — to  use  his  own  words — more  like 
 an  enraged  Bedlamite  than  a  humble  manacled  captive.  I  adjusted 
 the  glass,  gave  the  requisite  explanation,  and  then  stretched  myself 
 again  on  the  comfortless  couch.  An  hour,  at  least,  had  elapsed 
 ere  I  became  fully  aware  of  my  position,  and  the  dangers  by  which 
 I  was  encompassed.  I" roused  myself  from  this  painful  lethargy, 
 and,  entering  into  conversation  with  my  inseparable  companion, 
 whiled  away  another  hour.  About  sundown,  Joseph,  pale  and  hag- 
 gard, followed  by  the  bearers  of  the  luggage,  returned  to  his  mas- 
 
262  AGGRAVATED    SUFFERINGS. 
 
 ter's  prison.  Sobs  and  sighs  for  some  minutes  sealed  his  lips. 
 *  Oh,  master  1'  he  at  length  ejaculated,  '  you  are  in  the  clutches  of 
 wicked  men,  and  they  will  kill  you,'  he  added,  with  sad  solemn 
 emphasis.  My  books,  papers,  manuscripts,  and  a  good  number  of 
 valuable  presents,  in  the  shape  of  skins  and  silver  ornaments,  which 
 I  had  received  from  the  Aboona,  were  all  sequestrated.  Mr.  Samuel, 
 and  his  coadjutor,  M.  Bardel,  according  to  Joseph,  manifested  the 
 most  eager  desire  to  find  obnoxious  and  compromising  papers. 
 The  King  several  times  got  tired  of  the  business,  and  ordered  the 
 various  articles  to  be  put  back  again  into  their  places  ;  but  the  zea- 
 lous examiners  were  so  intent  on  their  agreeable  task,  that  they 
 scarcely  heeded  the  royal  command.  The  sketches  in  my  book, 
 and  my  brush  and  comb,  particularly  elicited  his  Majesty's  admira- 
 tion. He  made  a  variety  of  inquiries  about  me,  the  illustrations  in 
 the  book,  and  the  mode  and  method  of  taking  photographs. 
 Joseph,  who  was  supposed  to  be  initiated  in  all  the  mysteries  of  his 
 master's  lens  and  collodion,  gave  the  most  elaborate,  and,  no 
 doubt,  most  lucid  explanation  of  the  process.  Samuel  tried  to 
 assist  him  ;  but  it  was  quite  evident,  from  his  own  words,  that  he 
 did  not  feel  disposed  to  share  the  honours  of  his  profound  photo- 
 graphic lore  with  an  ignorant,  self-conceited  African.  '  I  allowed 
 him,'  he  said,  contemptuously,  '  to  make  his  own  comments  on  the 
 comb,  which  his  savage  master,  the  King,  stuck  in  his  mop,  for  I 
 would  not  argue  with  him  on  such  a  topic.  Photography  is,  how- 
 ever, quite  a  different  thing,  and  I  was  determined  to  oppose,  if  I 
 could  not  humble,  his  arrogant  pretensions.'  This  conversation 
 cheered  us  up  a  little,  and  we  were  both  thinking  of  composing 
 ourselves  to  rest,  when  a  whole  troop  of  ruffians,  headed  by  Jaque 
 Obey,  a  notorious,  merciless  poltroon,  rushed  into  the  tent,  and 
 ordered  me  to  follow  him.  '  Short  shrift,'  I  ejaculated.  The  sol- 
 dier to  whom  I  was  linked  guessed  rny  surmises,  and,  drawing  the 
 fetters  by  which  we  were  fastened  to  each  other  a  little  tighter,  he 
 said,  in  bated  breath,  '  The  King  is  angry,  and  has  given  you  in 
 charge  of  more  rigorous  guards.'  '  Mashanyies'  (leather  thongs), 
 bawled  out  the  head  gaoler,  as  we  approached  the  lines  under  his 
 control.  '  Are  these  ruffians  going  to  tie  me  with  ropes  ?'  I 
 remarked  to  my  servant.  The  good  man,  in  the  bitterness,  of  his 
 heart,  curtly  rejoined,  *  Master,  these  blacks  are  fiends.'  In  the 
 twinkle  of  an  eye  the  ropes  were  brought,  not,  as  I  suspected,  to 
 inflict  on  me  the  torture  of  the  quad,  but  to  wrench  off  the  old  easy 
 chain  around  the  wrist,  which  allowed  me  to  stand  upright,  and  to 
 give  me  in  its  stead  a  double  chain,  to  bend  and  cripple  the  whole 
 frame.  The  operation  of  fastening  on  these  cruel  fetters  confirmed 
 my  previous  bad  opinion  of  that  atrocious  villain,  Jaque  Obey,  and 
 his  bullies.  Held  by  about  a  dozen  of  these  wretches,  which  ren- 
 dered me  quite  helpless  and  passive,  my  right  leg  was  violently 
 seized,  and  an  iron  bar  put  on  the  ankle.  To  tighten  this  long, 
 broad,  and  lockless  piece  of  iron,  so  that  the  foot  might  not  slip 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL    IXTERVENTIOX.  263- 
 
 through,  and  aflord  the  prisoner  facilities  to  escape,  a  heavy  ham- 
 mer, or  large  stone,  is  plied  till  the  oblong  bar  forms  a  hoop  around 
 the  leg,  which  no  giant  arm,  unaided,  can  burst.  In  the  present 
 instance,  probably  to  augment  the  agony  of  the  captive,  many  a 
 stroke,  as  it  descended,  fell,  not  on  the  insensible  iron,  but  on  the 
 white  man's  unresisting  limb.  One  or  two  of  the  executioner's 
 satellites  manifested  some  compunction,  and  addressed  a  few  words 
 of  encouragement  to  me.  '  Beat  on,'  vociferated  the  infamous 
 leader  of  the  band,  '  and,  if  he  moves,  let  his  white  skin  feel  a 
 black  hand's  strength.'  Several  volunteers,  among  whom  were 
 some  servants  of  the  Negad  Ras,  a  protege  of  Consul  Plowden,  and 
 formerly  in  his  employ,  perhaps  to  resent  an  old  grudge  against 
 their  master,  took  a  particular  delight  in  battering  the  shrinking 
 limbs  of  the  defenceless  Frendjoj.  The  operation  on  the  right  leg 
 being  completed,  the  left,  and  then  the  right  arm,  had  to  submit  to 
 the  same  merciless  treatment.  No  criminal  of  the  deepest  dye,  no 
 outlaw  with  the  brand  of  infamy  on  his  brow,  no  fugitive  from  the 
 just  sentence  of  the  law,  could  possibly  have  met  with  a  harsher 
 treatment  than  was  accorded  to  me  on  that  dreadful  night  by  Jaque 
 Obey  and  his  crime-stained  crew.  I  was  indeed  sick — oh  1  sick  to 
 loathing — of  a  life  fraught  with  ever-increasing  troubles  and  trials. 
 The  warbling  and  bleeding  words  of  Job  found  an  echo  in  my 
 bosom,  and,  like  him,  I  also  wished  to  be  '  where  the  wicked  cease 
 from  troubling,  and  where  the  weary  are  at  rest.'  Alone,  and  in  an 
 African  prison,  amidst  beings  who,  though  they  had  a  human  form, 
 were  dead  to  every  human  sentiment,  I  sought  then,  as  ever  after- 
 wards, refuge  and  protection  beneath  the  shadow  and  shelter  of  the 
 cross.  The  Saviour  was  indeed  with  me,  and  His  presence  diffused 
 peace  and  comfort  around  the  captive  home  of  the  crushed  IMis- 
 sionary.  Another  week  had  been  added  to  the  never-ending  period 
 of  affliction  and  sorrow,  without  bringing  me  release  or  lighter 
 fetters.  Food  I  had  none,  nor  did  I  much  care  for  it.  A  flat  teff" 
 cake,  baked  by  a  servant  of  the  gaoler,  and  a  little  pepper  flour 
 mixed  with  water,  constituted  my  breakfast  and  dinner.  Consul 
 Cameron  sent  me  every  day  a  most  liberal  repast ;  but  the  soldier, 
 who  charitably  proffered  to  convey  it  from  his  house  to  my  canvas 
 gaol,  unscrupulously  appropriated  all  to  his  own  and  his  brother's 
 table.  Unhappy  man  !  Little  did  he  dream  that  in  a  few  months 
 more,  that  very  brother  whom  he  fed  with  provisions  robbed  from  a 
 white  captive's  scanty  supplies — that  the  same  brother  would  arrest 
 his  step,  and  with  his  own  hand  and  spear  transfix  the  deserter's 
 faithless  heart !  " 
 
CHAPTER    XXXII. 
 
 THE  CONSPIRATORS.   DEATH  OF  THE  ABOONA. 
 
 Throughout  this  history  of  woe,  the  reader  will  be  impressed  by 
 the  evidence,  that  it  was  not  the  King  alone  who  sought  to  compass 
 the  destruction  of  the  innocent  Missionary.  The  motives  by  which 
 these  fiends  in  human  form  were  influenced  varied  in  degree  and 
 kind.  The  most  artful  of  these  conspirators  was  the  man  Samuel, 
 whose  knowledge  and  craft  had  enabled  him  to  gain  the  ear  of 
 Theodorus.  He  had  personal  ends  to  attain.  The  destruction  of 
 the  white  men  would,  he  conceived,  ensure  to  himself  great  advan- 
 tages in  the  royal  court.  Such  a  hope  and  desire  could  only  spring 
 from  the  breast  of  a  man  who  was  capable  of  every  crime,  and  who 
 hated  everything  which  was  noble  and  good.  To  this  demon  of 
 wickedness,  the  sufferers  owed  more  of  the  bitterness  with  which 
 their  cup  was  continually  charged,  than  to  any  other  person.  The 
 next  in  criminality  was  the  Frenchman,  Bardel,  who  was  capable  of 
 any  servile  and  dishonest  act  by  which  he  might  gain  the  favour  of 
 the  King,  and  add  to  the  misery  of  the  faithful  Protestants.  Nor 
 did  the  German  artizans,  who  doubtless  felt  that  their  own  safety 
 and  success  depended  on  their  ministering  to  the  royal  caprice  and 
 vindictiveness,  fail  to  add  their  quota  to  the  category  of  wrong. 
 When  Mr.  Stern  steadfastly  asserted  his  innocence,  they  pretended, 
 that  his  indisposition  to  own  that  he  had  done  any  wrong,  rendered 
 in^possible  any  interference  on  their  part.  When,  under  the  pressure 
 of  entreaty,  he  humbled  himself  to  the  dust,  they  were  as  ready  to 
 afifirm,  that  his  acknowledgment  of  any  error,  was  a  hindrance  to  any 
 effort  which  they  might  have  made  on  his  behalf.  The  haughty  savages 
 
THE    CONSPIRATORS.      DEATH    OF    THE   ABOONA.  265 
 
 who  surrounded  the  Throne,  regarded  all  these  Europeans  as  their 
 natural  enemies  ;  and  were  consequently  ready  to  throw  fuel,  upon 
 the  fire  of  the  wrath  of  the  profligate  and  incensed  Monarch.  But 
 wicked  and  intolerant  as  Theodorus  was,  there  were  times,  when, 
 had  it  not  been  for  these  evil  influences,  the  Missionaries  would 
 have  been  liberated  from  their  fetters,  and  at  the  utmost  banished 
 from  the  country.  Some  of  these  ruffians  met,  at  the  hands  of  their 
 despotic  Sovereign,  and  by  other  means,  the  punishment  and  the 
 ignominious  end  which  they  deserved. 
 
 Rumours,  sometimes  of  a  hopeful  and  sometimes  of  an  afflictive 
 character,  continued  to  be  circulated.  About  noon  one  day,  a 
 number  of  the  fierce  guards  marched  into  the  tent,  and  com- 
 manded ^Ir.  Stern  to  accompany  them  to  the  presence  of  the  King. 
 
 "  Not  knowing,  and  not  even  caring  to  know,  whether  I  was 
 about  to  be  led  to  execution  or  freedom,  I  unresistingly  allowed  the 
 dastardly  cowards  to  drag  me  to  the  spot,  from  whence  proceeded 
 the  muffled  noise  that  had  puzzled  me  the  whole  morning.  Here, 
 to  my  surprise,  I  found  the  c/i/e  of  the  whole  army  drawn  up  in  a 
 square,  with  the  farthest  line  occupied  by  a  throne,  on  which,  in 
 proud  dignity,  sat  the  savage  King,  shaded  by  two  gigantic  silken 
 umbrellas.  '  Bring  the  Falasha  forward,'  said,  in  a  sharp  and  shrill 
 voice,  the  recumbent  figure  on  the  throne.  Quick  as  lightning,  the 
 heaving  mass  formed  a  passage  in  the  centre  of  the  line,  and  there 
 the  pompous  despot  had  the  satisfaction  to  behold  his  victim, 
 manacled,  haggard,  and  exposed  to  the  rude  gaze  of  a  despicable, 
 servile  mob.  Averting  my  eyes  from  the  execrable  tyrant  who  had 
 brought  on  me  all  that  misery,  I  leisurely  and  fearlessly  surveyed 
 the  throng  that  stared  on  me  in  wild,  stupid  wonderment.  Many  a 
 face  in  that  gorgeous  royal  judgment  court  was  familiar  to  me. 
 though  not  one  had  the  heart  or  the  courage,  to  extend  to  the  cul- 
 prit even  a  sign  of  recognition.  Messrs.  Bardel  and  Zander,  the 
 imperial  counsellors,  were  to  the  left,  and  the  dignitaries  of  the 
 church  to  the  right  of  the  dais.  Fronting  this  most  uninteresting 
 assemblage,  there  was  a  vacant  space,  covered  with  new  and  old, 
 bright  and  faded  carpets,  from  Turkey,  Europe,  India,  and  Persia. 
 From  this  sacred  spot,  where  none  dared  to  venture  unsummoned, 
 extended  another  line  of  carpets,  on  which  sat,  facing  each  other, 
 the  King's  European  workmen.  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  Consul,  and 
 the  INIissionaries.  The  Consul  was  in  his  uniform  ;  Messrs. 
 Josephson,  Staiger,  and  Brandeis,  were  in  their  European  garb, 
 over  which  hung,  in  approved  Court  fashion,  the  white  shama ;  and 
 all  the  rest,  who  were  knights  of  the  shirt,  shone  and  sparkled  in 
 the  dazzling  glitter  of  tawdry  harlequins. 
 
 s 
 
266      THE  CONSPIRATORS.   DEATH  OF  THE  ABOONA. 
 
 "  Undaunted  by  a  subservient  multitude,  and  confident  in  the 
 purity  and  integrity  of  my  actions,  I  calmly  awaited  the  issue  of  that 
 day's  pomp  and  ceremony.  The  sight  of  INIr.  Rosenthal,  in  fetters, 
 and  guarded,  gave  me  quite  a  shock  ;  and  my  Christian  fortitude  (I 
 do  not  say  it  in  a  boastful  strain),  which  always  rose  higher  as  the 
 danger  became  more  imminent,  almost  faltered  and  flagged.  Per- 
 fectly ignorant  of  the  offences  laid  to  his  charge,  I  forgot  my  own 
 misery  by  reflecting  on  that  of  my  companion.  The  distress, 
 agony,  and  grief  of  his  desolate  and  friendless  young  wife,  roused 
 every  dormant  passion  of  my  heart ;  and  impotent  as  I  was,  had  it 
 been  prudent  or  practicable,  I  would  that  moment  have  rushed  on 
 the  craven  savage,  and  defied  him  in  the  very  midst  of  his  rabble 
 hosts.  In  my  excitement,  I  unconsciously  shook  the  abominable 
 fetters  by  which  I  was  tightly  held.  A  pull  from  the  gaoler,  that 
 made  my  arm  ache,  reminded  me  that  patience  and  submission,  and 
 not  boldness  and  candour,  were  the  virtues  I  had  to  practise.  Aliga 
 Fanda,  the  expounder  of  the  Fctha  N'egest,  a  code  of  cruel  laws, 
 erroneously  supposed  to  be  based  on  that  of  Justinian,  was  then 
 read.  The  servile  scribe,  who  cared  for  his  master's  favour,  and 
 not  for  the  maintenance  of  justice,  in  ^  hurried  tone,  as  if  ashamed 
 of  his  own  baseness,  declared  the  prisoners  worthy  of  death.  Poor 
 man  !  He  has  expiated  his  cringing,  criminal  subserviency  to  an 
 unscrupulous  despot,  by  the  same  terrible  death  of  mutilation  which 
 he  often  pronounced  on  others.  His  innocent  wife  and  her  five 
 children  experienced  a  more  lenient  treatment,  for  the  tyrant  spared 
 them  the  maddening  pain  of  the  knife,  and  graciously  dispatched 
 them  in  the  flames  of  their  blazing  homestead.  An  indictment 
 without  a  proof,  and  a  verdict  without  a  trial,  appeared  inconsistent, 
 even  to  the  ruthless  savage  ;  and  to  invest  his  proceedings  with  an 
 air  of  plausibility,  the  charges  against  the  prisoners  were  read.  Ten 
 articles,  I  believe,  were  preferred  against  me.  They  were  nearly 
 all  garbled,  perverted,  and  disconnected  extracts  from  notes  and 
 diaries,  which  the  base  minions  of  the  tyrant,  in  the  hope  of 
 favour  and  reward,  had  dexterously  disposed  to  suit  their  own  and 
 their  employer's  murderous  design.  The  most  formidable  crimes 
 alleged  against  me  were,  that  I  had  stated  his  Majesty  had  no  good 
 counsellors  ;  that  he  had  plundered  various  districts,  and  among 
 these  the  Episcopal  domain  of  Genda  ;  that  he  was  no  friend  of  our 
 mission  ;  that  he  was  provoking  the  hostility  of  France,  and  the 
 aggression  of  Egypt ;  that  the  Abyssinians  had  no  legal  marriages  ; 
 that  I  had  said  that  at  Dubark,  on  the  Woggera  plateau,  the  King 
 had  murdered  in  cold  blood  between  700  and  800  people  ;  and, 
 finally,  that  I  was  in  correspondence  with  the  Metropolitan,  and 
 had  a  few  harmless  letters  from  him  in  my  possession.  The  only 
 oftensive  statement  in  my  book,  of  which  I  had  one  solitary  copy, 
 that  was  sent  to  me  by  post,  consisted  in  the  correct  and  well-ascer- 
 tainod  pedigree  of  his  Majesty. 
 
 "  Rosenthal's  sins,  which  were  shifted  on  my  shoulders,  though  I 
 knew  not  a  word  of  what  he  had  written  till  that  moment,  consisted 
 
THE    CONSPIRATORS.       DEATH    OF    THE    Al'.OOXA.  267 
 
 in  some  reflections  on  the  King's  domestic  life,  in  a  private  letter 
 to  his  brother-in-law  in  London,  and  in  a  remark  that  Abyssinia 
 would  probably  enjoy  greater  security  under  the  sway  of  Egypt,  than 
 under  the  sceptre  of  its  native  sovereigns.  Mrs.  Flad  had  also  fear- 
 fullv  compromised  herself  in  a  note  addressed  to  me,  and  which 
 contained  the  treasonable  observation,  that  his  ^lajesty  still  bragged 
 that  he  would  invade  England,  and  conquer  Jerusalem.  Her  Dar- 
 winian theory  of  development  at  an  inverted  ratio — viz.,  that  the 
 Abyssinian  lion  had  degenerated  into  a  tiger — the  considerate 
 translators  had  omitted,  probably  to  avert  a  little  longer  the  hos- 
 tility of  the  favoured  artizans.  She  was,  of  course,  arraigned  before 
 the  august  tribunal,  but  luckily  her  historical  knowledge  of  the 
 cruelties  perpetrated  by  the  Turks  in  Europe,  and  which  she  dreaded 
 to  see,  during  the  King's  absence  on  his  distant  expedition,  re- 
 enacted  in  Abyssinia,  together  with  her  husband's  doubtful  position 
 at  court,  to  my  delight,  gained  her  the  royal  clemency  and  pardon. 
 Such  was  not  the  merciful  verdict  accorded  to  the  other  culprits. 
 They  were  the  victims  of  malicious  intrigue  and  revolting  selfish- 
 ness. They  were  encompassed  by  foes,  who,  whilst  they  professed 
 friendship  and  devotion,  sought  revenge  and  honours  by  circum- 
 venting their  destruction  and  that  of  other  Europeans,  with  whom, 
 at  the  very  moment,  they  were  eating,  drinking,  and  interchanging 
 courtesies.  Oh  !  it  chills  the  blood,  arrests  the  pulsations  of  the 
 heart,  and  makes  one  blush  to  think  that  beings  endued  with  a  soul 
 and  conscience,  could  remorselessly  seek  to  gain  their  own  nefari- 
 ous ends,  by  compassing  the  ruin  and  death  of  innocent  fellow- 
 creatures  !  Let  philosophers  praise,  poets  admire,  and  moralists 
 speculate  on  the  innate  human  virtues  :  daily  experience  verifies  the 
 old  and  much-abused  truth,  '  that  the  heart  is  deceitful  above  all 
 things,  and  desperately  wicked.'  " 
 
 "  A  long  time  was  occupied  by  the  priests  and  nobles  in  the  vain 
 attempt  to  show  the  royal  genealogy  of  their  tyrannical  master. 
 '  Rogues  !  Villains  !  Knaves  !'  shouted  the  enraged  King,  'I  shall 
 teach  you  to  remember  who  I  am,  and  from  whence  I  come  ;'  and 
 then,  turning  to  the  trembling  hierarchical  party,  he  poured  forth 
 a  volley  of  abuse  that  established  beyond  all  doubt  his  true  origin. 
 To  appease  his  devouring  rage,  he  turned  his  tiger  gaze  on  me,  and 
 in  a  blustering  jumble  of  impassioned  phrases,  challenged  me  to 
 single  combat.  I  did  not  reply.  This  increased  his  fury,  and  for- 
 getful of  the  dignity  which  he  generally  tried  to  maintain,  he 
 almost  sprang  from  his  lofty  seat,  shouting,  '  Well,  if  you  are  not  a 
 woman,  will  you  take  the  choice  of  the  weapon — sword,  spear, 
 pistol,  or  even  cannon,  and  fight  me  .-■'  Calmly,  and  without  mani- 
 festing either  fear  or  contempt,  I  rejoined,  '  I  am  a  priest,  and  do 
 
268       THK  CONSPIRATORS.   DKAIH  OF  THE  AHOONA. 
 
 not  fight.'  Whilst  this  colloquy  was  going  on,  two  of  the  chief 
 guards,  who  were  stationed  close  to  !Mr.  Rosenthal,  suddenly,  as  if 
 struck  by  an  invisible  arm,  dropped  down,  and  were  carried  insen- 
 sible out  of  the  heaving  and  surging  lines.  This  incident,  one 
 might  suppose,  would  have  made  some  impression  on  the  super- 
 stitious minds  of  the  tyrant  and  his  hordes,  and  move  them  to  com- 
 passionate the  strangers  whom  he  had  so  outrageously  wronged  ; 
 but  no — nothing  could  move  a  heart  that  was  dead  to  every  better 
 feeling,  and  steeled  against  the  woe  of  every  stranger. 
 
 "  The  charge  of  pride,  to  which,  in  the  absence  of  a  better  plea, 
 despicable  pusillanimity  sought  a  refuge  from  censure  for  a  guilty 
 indifference  to  the  sufferer's  woes,  was  unsparingly  alleged  against 
 me.  I  had  unhesitatingly  rebutted  the  accusations  of  the  tyrant, 
 shown  that  the  translators  of  my  papers  had  been  actuated  by  malice, 
 and,  undaunted  by  multitudes,  asserted  that  the  very  book  from  which 
 my  enemies  had  extracted  mutilated  passages,  to  effect  my  condemna- 
 tion, unequivocally  demonstrated  my  regard  and  esteem  for  his 
 Majesty.  But  if  every  one  shrank  from  defending  my  cause,  or  inter- 
 ceding in  my  behalf,  during  that  terrible  afternoon,  I  was  not  for- 
 saken or  abandoned  ;  there  was  One  with  me,  and  His  presence 
 supported  me  in  my  trouble,  strengthened  me  in  my  weakness,  and 
 conducted  me  safely  through  all  my  exhausting  conflicts." 
 
 The  captives  were  sent  back  to  their  miserable  tent,  and  day  after 
 day  passed  of  sorrow  and  suspense.  On  one  occasion,  Jaque  Obey, 
 their  chief  tormentor,  entered  the  tent.  "I  at  once  perceived  that 
 he  was  irritated,  drunk,  and  in  bad  humour.  For  two  or  three 
 minutes  he  sulkily  squatted  down,  and  conversed  with  another 
 Chief,  Basha  Hailu,  on  the  discovery  made  among  my  baggage. 
 Abruptly,  as  if  impelled  by  a  demon-spirit,  he  broke  off  the  col- 
 loquy, and,  fixing  his  ferret  eyes  on  me,  in  accents  that  made  me 
 start,  hissed  out :  '  If  I  had  my  sword  I  would  cut  off  that  white 
 dog's  head.  Never  mind.  Get  up,  you  slave,  and  let  me  see  your 
 fetters !'  He  did  not  permit  me  to  obey  the  injunction,  but,  suiting 
 the  action  to  the  words,  he  pulled  me  forward,  and  began  merci- 
 lessly to  batter  the  iron  hoops  around  my  legs.  Wounds,  bruises, 
 gashes,  all  were  unheeded  by  the  besotted  savage.  His  friends 
 begged,  his  subordinates  entreated,  even  his  own  servants — wretches 
 
THE    CONSPIRATORS.       DKATH    OF    THE    ABOONA.  269 
 
 who  envied  the  morsel  of  bread  we  ate — implored  him  to  desist, 
 and  not  to  break  my  bones  ;  and  still  the  ruffian  persevered  in  his 
 barbarous  work.  I  quailed  and  shivered  beneath  every  stroke,  but 
 the  ferocious  Agow  woukl  not  desist,  till  he  actually  saw  me  drop, 
 faint  and  almost  insensible,  on  the  knee  of  my  poor  Joseph.  Mr. 
 Rosenthal's  chains  he  also  inspected,  but  as  they  could  not  be 
 made  tighter,  he  merely  gave  him  a  kick,  that  sent  him  rcjlling  into 
 his  lair.  The  horrors  of  that  evening,  and  some  similar  scenes,  are 
 so  vividly  impressed  on  my  mind,  that  I  shall  remember  the  spot 
 and  the  persons  to  my  last  hour." 
 
 On  another  occasion,  a  Chief,  accompanied  by  Samuel,  came  to 
 the  tent,  and  assured  Mr.  Stern,  that  the  King  would  give  him  a 
 free  pardon,  and  many  favours,  if  he  would  confess  that  it  was 
 through  Ras  Oubie's  wife,  that  he  had  obtained  his  information 
 concerning  the  royal  descent.  Great  was  the  surprise  of  these 
 miscreants  to  be  told,  that  Mr.  Stern  knew  nothing  of  the  family, 
 and  could  not  purchase  his  liberty  at  the  expense  of  truth  and 
 honour. 
 
 But  a  more  perplexing  attempt  was  made  to  force  compliance  with 
 the  wishes  of  the  tyrant,  from  the  helpless  servant  of  God.  The 
 rupture  which  had  taken  place  between  the  King  and  the  Aboona 
 had  assumed  serious  proportions.  The  atrocities  committed  by  the 
 despot,  and  the  desolation  which  he  had  spread  over  many  of  the 
 most  fertile  provinces,  had  led  to  some  rebuke  from  the  lips  of  the 
 Metropolitan.  The  kindly  intercession  which  he  had  employed  on 
 behalf  of  the  captive,  had  yet  further  irritated  the  profligate  Monarch. 
 Although  he  had  received  considerate  gifts  from  the  Aboona,  his 
 implacable  hostility  could  not  be  appeased.  The  crafty  and  design- 
 ing Samuel  was  employed,  in  order  to  extort  from  Mr.  Stern  some 
 admission  which  the  P'mperor  might  use  against  the  Bishop  ;  more 
 particularly  in  reference  to  the  authority  on  which  the  lAIissionary 
 had  given  an  account  of  the  King's  origin.  The  usual  abundant 
 promises  were  made,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  be  tempted  to  make 
 some  admission  which  might  serve  the  King's  purpose.  But  Mr. 
 Stern,  raising  his  right  hand,  replied,  "  the  Bishop  I  honour  as  a 
 friend,  and  were  he  even  my  enemy,  neither  diversity  in  our  reli- 
 gious sentiments,  nor  the  ilrcad  of  danger,  nor  the  hope  of  favour, 
 
ZyO  THE    COXSl'IRATOKS.       DKATH    OF    THE    AP.OOXA. 
 
 should  make  me  swerve  from  the  truth."  In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Shaw, 
 the  late  Secretary  to  the  Geographical  Society,  Captain  Cameron 
 described  what  had  taken  place  between  Theodorus  and  the 
 Aboona;  and  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  tlie  bold  and  uncompro- 
 mising attitude  which  the  Missionary  had  taken.  That  this  confi- 
 dence was  thoroughly  deserved,  the  following  incidents  will  show  : 
 "  One  evening  a  young  lad  in  the  service  of  the  Consul,  who, 
 together  with  other  servants,  had  again  returned  to  his  master, 
 crept  down  near  me,  and  adroitly  conveyed  a  small  piece  of  paper 
 into  my  dead  and  feelinglcss  hand.  I  liastily  put  it  in  my  Bible, 
 thinking  it  was  a  letter  from  a  European — a  mistake  which  the 
 Arabic  character  soon  exposed.  The  note  was  from  the  Bishop, 
 and  commenced  :  '  To  my  brother  in  Christ,  servant  of  the  apostles 
 and  prophets,'  &c.,  &:c.  It  then  adverted  to  the  sufferings,  all,  and 
 especially  myself,  had  endured  on  his  account ;  and  quoting  certain 
 appropriate  passages  of  Scripture,  it  concluded  abruj)tly  with  a 
 remark  about  money.  By  the  dim  glimmer  of  the  guard's  light,  it 
 occurred  to  me  that  the  Aboona  expected  that  ere  long,  I  should 
 have  to  endure  a  fresh  ordeal  of  the  Xegoos'  retributive  vengeance, 
 and  that,  doubtful  about  the  issue,  he  wanted  me  to  send  him  an 
 '-order  for  the  money  I  owed  him.  This  warning,  for  such  my 
 warped  imagination  fancied  it  to  be,  gave  me  a  momentary  shock, 
 and  grasping  the  ill-boding  missive  between  my  numbed  fingers,  I 
 held  it  clandestinely  to  the  light,  and  to  my  satisfaction  discovered 
 that  instead  of  an  order  for  the  money  I  had  borrowed,  it  was  a 
 generous  offer  to  advance  me  more.  This  incident,  trifling  as  it 
 may  appear,  inspired  me  and  my  fellow-captives  with  a  vague  hope, 
 that  the  reconciliation  between  the  Negoos  and  the  Aboona  would 
 effect  an  improvement  in  our  position — an  anticipation  which  might, 
 perhaps,  have  been  realized,  had  the  susceptible  Monarch's  offended 
 pride  been  appeased,  In-  the  timely  arrival  of  the  long-expected 
 despatch  from  England. 
 
 "No  funds,  no  provisions,  in  the  midst  of  a  tropical  winter  and 
 an  unfeeling  race,  were  matters  that  made  us  a  little  anxious  about 
 the  future.  In  this  emergency,  I  applied  to  our  constant  friend,  the 
 Bishop  ;  and,  to  our  di'liglit,  he  si'iit  me  forty  dollars,  ncarlv  all  the 
 read}'  cash  at  his  disposal." 
 
THE    CONSPIRATORS.      DEATH    OF    THE    ABOONA.  27 1 
 
 Had  it  not  been  for  the  veneration  in  which  this  ecclesiastic  was 
 held,  both  by  the  priests  and  by  the  soldiery,  it  is  more  than  pro- 
 bable that  the  despot  would  have  accomplished  his  destruction. 
 His  life  was,  however,  drawing  to  a  close.  The  trials  to  which  he 
 had  been  exposed  doubtless  hastened  his  end.  The  captives  were 
 still  incarcerated  at  Magdala,  when  Aboona  Salama  breathed  his 
 last.  To  the  close  of  his  life,  his  efforts  had  been  unceasing  to  alle- 
 viate their  sufferings,  and  effect  their  deliverance.  His  death 
 was  regarded  as  a  public  calamity — and  weeping  and  lamentation 
 resounded  from  every  quarter  and  from  every  class,  when  this  was 
 publicly  announced. 
 
CHAPTER    XXXIII. 
 
 THE      PROSPECT     OF     DEATH. 
 
 The  threats  and  artifices  of  the  emissaries  of  darkness  had  not 
 come  to  an  end.  Another  course  was  adopted  in  order  to  wring- 
 admissions  from  the  Hps  of  ]Mr.  Stern.  The  horrors  of  death  by 
 means  of  the  terrible  gii'tiffc  were  to  be  exhibited  to  him  in  all  their 
 intensity.  About  a  dozen  peasants,  who  had  been  robbed  by  some 
 of  the  pillage-loving  soldiery,  were,  in  the  presence  of  the  INIission- 
 aries,  put  to  death  by  these  revolting  means.  For  about  two  hours, 
 they  were  obliged  calmly  to  stand  close  to  the  maltreated  and 
 dying  men,  whose  blood  was,  by  the  executioners,  intentionally 
 spurted  upon  their  persons.  "  Are  you  afraid  now  7'  inquired  the 
 furious  tyrant.  But  the  servant  of  God  recorded  that  he  felt  no 
 fear, — he  dreaded  no  death.  He  expected  then  and  there  to  suffer 
 by  the  same  torturing  process  ;  and  had  calmly  estimated  that  one 
 hundred  of  the  strokes  administered  by  these  Shankgalla  giants 
 would  terminate  his  existence.  He  was  again  dragged  into  the  pre- 
 sence of  Theodoras.  ]\Ir.  Stern  had  hardly  commenced  to  plead,  that 
 if  he  had  done  anything  which  might  be  construed  into  an  insult, 
 it  was  unintentional,  and  that  he  and  his  fellow-captives  humbly 
 sought  the  clemency  of  the  Sovereign,  when  the  royal  fiend  com- 
 manded them  to  be  stripped,  and  hurried  back  to  their  prison 
 house.  There,  shivering  with  cold,  bruised  in  body,  and  crushed 
 in  mind,  they  lay  manacled  as  before,  and  subjected  to  the  vilest 
 treatment  from  their  savage  guards.  But  although  they  dared  not 
 raise  their  voices  ;  like  Paul  and  Silas  at  Phillippi,  they  were  filled 
 with  a  sense  of  the  Lord's  sustaining  power,  and  they  inwardly 
 sang  praises  to  Him.  Some  ragged  apparel  was  sent,  to  shelter 
 them  from  the  cold,  as  a  special  act  of  mercy. 
 
THE    PROSPECT    OF    DEATH.  27J 
 
 The  climax  was  now  apf)roaching.  The  officials  of  the  Foreign 
 Office  were  about  still  further  to  exhibit  theii  incompetence,  and 
 irretrievably  to  complicate  the  question,  which  it  required  no  great 
 diplomatic  ability  to  solve.  The  King's  request  for  the  sanction  of  an 
 Embassy,  had  been  treated  with  contempt ;  and  the  letters  of  Consul 
 Cameron,  urging  that  a  reply  might  be  given,  had  remained  un- 
 answered. And  now,  when  death  or  life  trembled  in  the  balance,  and 
 when  some  gleams  of  hope  began  to  appear,  a  letter  from  the  Foreign 
 Office  dispelled  the  rising  expectation  that  the  day  of  deliverance 
 might  be  at  hand.  Consul  Cameron  was  reproved  for  having,  as 
 the  letter  untruthfully  represented,  exceeded  his  instructions  by 
 entering  Abyssinia,  and  peremptorily  ordered  to  return  to  Massowah. 
 Had  the  Consul  been  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  intrigues 
 which  at  that  moment  prevailed  at  the  Abyssinian  Court,  he  would 
 doubtless  have  been  content  for  a  time  to  remain  in  the  position  of 
 an  unfettered  prisoner.  But,  acting  on  the  instructions  he  had 
 received,  he  solicited  the  royal  sanction  to  his  departure  for  the 
 coast.  This  was  in  effect  a  declaration,  that  no  rejoinder  could  be 
 expected  from  England  to  the  King's  letter ;  and  the  exasperated 
 Monarch  threw  down  the  gauntlet,  commanded  the  Consul  himself 
 to  be  arrested  and  manacled,  and  cast  into  prison.  All  the  other 
 Europeans,  except  those  employed  in  the  King's  service,  were 
 imprisoned  at  the  same  time.  The  property  of  the  Consul  and 
 Missionaries  was  seized,  and  it  was  the  courage  alone  of  the  ladies 
 of  the  party,  which  defeated  the  plan  of  the  miscreants,  to  rob 
 them  and  their  children  of  their  limited  wardrobe. 
 
 Some  of  the  Europeans,  including  Mr.  Flad,  were  soon  liberated. 
 These  were  not  the  persons  whom  Samuel  desired  to  injure.  There 
 was  incontrovertible  evidence,  that  when  he  was  most  urbane,  he 
 was  eagerly  endeavouring  to  bring  about  the  death  of  Mr.  Stern 
 and  a  few  of  the  others.  During  each  day  he  passed  between  the 
 royal  residence  and  the  })rison  house,  bearing  some  message, 
 demanding  some  explanation,  or  seeking  in  every  way  to  entangle 
 and  deceive  the  poor  prisoners. 
 
 The  quarrel  between  the  Monarch  and  the  Aboona  had  been 
 increasing  in  intensity.  He  sought  by  every  means  to  secure  some 
 evidence   which    might    incriminate    the    IMetropolitan.      He    was 
 
274  THE  PROSPECT  OF  DEATH. 
 
 anxious  to  fix  on  him  the  charge,  of  being  the  informant  through 
 whom  Mr.  Stern  had  been  made  acquainted  with  liis  parentage. 
 But  no  entreaties  or  threats  obtained  from  tlie  long-suflering  Mis- 
 sionary tlic  information  which  the  tyrant  souglit. 
 
 "About  sunset  his  INIajesty  came  galloping  over  the  plain;  and, 
 bounding  up  to  his  pavilion,  he  asked  some  questions,  and  then 
 there  was  a  sound  like  the  rush  of  a  mighty  torrent  that  had  sud- 
 denly burst  its  pent-up  limits,  and  was  rolling  on  in  unchecked  im- 
 petuosity over  the  ruin  and  desolation  created  by  its  onward  pro- 
 gress. ]\I.  Bardel,  who  was  outside  the  tent,  explained  the  cause  of 
 the  commotion  in  the  brief  sentence,  '  The  King  is  coming.' 
 'Dog!  Falasha  !  Scoundrel!  tell  me  the  name  of  the  man  who 
 reviled  my  ancestors  !'  shouted  the  enraged  tyrant,  '  or  I'll  tear  the 
 secret  out  of  your  hailanya  (stout  heart).'  I  attempted  to  reiterate 
 what  I  had  said  to  the  delegates  in  the  afternoon  ;  but,  ere  I  could 
 finish  a  sentence,  I  was  blinded  with  buffets  ;  whilst,  at  the  same 
 time,  several  fellows  violently  seized  me  by  the  hand,  and  began  to 
 twist  around  my  arms,  hard  coarse  ropes,  formed  of  the  fibres  of 
 the  Doloussa  tree.  Rosenthal,  simultaneously  with  myself,  experi- 
 enced similar  treatment.  His  poor  wife,  thinking  that  our  last 
 moments  had  come,  distractedly  ran  into  the  arms  of  Consul 
 Cameron.  The  latter,  who  also  believed  that  all  were  about  to  be 
 butchered,  called  out  to  me,  '  Stern,  we  shall  soon  be  in  heaven  1' 
 This  exclamation  the  savage  King  quickly  interpreted  into  an 
 exhortation  that  I  should  not  compromise  the  Prelate  ;  and,  as  if 
 glad  of  a  pretext,  Mrs.  Rosenthal,  under  a  shower  of  blows,  was 
 driven  with  her  babe  into  our  tent,  and  then  into  her  own,  whilst 
 all  the  other  prisoners,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Kerans,  who  was 
 suffering  from  illness,  were  thrown  on  the  ground  and  pinioned. 
 
 "  Generally,  criminals  under  torture  are  only  tied  around  the 
 upper  part  of  the  arm,  but  the  white  miscreants  were  deemed  male- 
 factors unworthy  of  such  leniency.  From  the  shoulder  down  to  the 
 wrists  the  cords  were  rolled  fiendishly  tight  around  the  unresisting 
 limbs.  This  being  still  regarded  as  insufficient,  the  swollen,  throb- 
 bing hands  were  bound  together  behind  the  back,  and  then  other 
 ropes  were  fastened  across  the  chest,  and  that,  too,  with  a  force 
 that  made  one  gasp  for  breath.  \A'rithing  and  quivering  in  every 
 nerve,  we  lay  in  agony  on  the  hard,  bare  ground.  Some  prayed  ; 
 others  groaned.  Here  one,  in  excruciating  torments,  rolled  about ; 
 there  another,  in  desperate  frenzy,  knocked  his  reclining  head  on  a 
 loose  stone,  as  if  determined  to  end  by  suicide  his  career  of  suffer- 
 ing. The  crescent  moon,  shining  through  a  white  canopy  of  clouds  ; 
 the  stillness  of  the  guards,  broken  by  the  howling  of  savage  dogs  as 
 they  careered  in  quest  of  prey  through  the  camp  ;  and  the  moans 
 and  sighs  of  the  tortured,  formed  a  scene  that  beggars  language  to 
 describe.  His  Majesty,  immediately  on  the  application  of  the 
 ropes,  quitted  the  spot,  and  rc])aircd  to  his  tent.     Samuel,  his  face 
 
THE    PROSPECT   OF    DEATH.  275 
 
 concealed  under  a  black  hood,  every  few  minutes  made  his  appear- 
 ance, and  inquired  whether  I  would  confess  ;  and  on  not  receiving 
 a  satisfactory  reply,  whispered  to  the  guards,  '  Give  him  another 
 rope  round  the  chest.'  Three  times  he  repeated  his  visits,  and 
 three  times  a  couple  of  soldiers  jumped  on  me,  and  with  ardent 
 delight,  as  if  they  felt  pleasure  in  torturing  a  white  man,  executed 
 the  royal  command.  To  contract  the  bark  ligaments,  the  execu- 
 tioners now  and  then  poured  a  profusion  of  cold  water  down  our 
 insensible  backs.  '  Speak  !'  once  more  repeated  the  muffled  royal 
 messenger ;  a  command  which  Captain  Cameron  seconded  by 
 shouting,  '  Stern,  Stern,  say  what  you  know  !' 
 
 "  The  maddening  torture  had  now  lasted  about  three-quarters  of 
 an  hour,  and  still  there  was  no  sign  that  the  tyrant  would  relent  in 
 his  cruelty.  Physically  and  mentally  prostrated,  the  hand  of  faith 
 in  the  prospect  of  eternity  held  confidingly  on  to  the  Eternal  Rock, 
 and  prayerfully  sighed  for  release  from  these  earthly  pangs  and 
 woes.  The  Negoos,  probably  suspecting  that  we  should  succumb 
 beneath  a  protracted  torture,  and  so  elude  the  clutches  of  further 
 revenge,  ordered  the  ropes  to  be  removed.  Promptly,  a  score  of 
 black  hangmen  were  bending  over  us  and  unfastening  the  cords. 
 This  process  caused  excruciating  pains,  for  the  hard  bark  ligaments 
 rebounding  from  the  stiff,  marble  limbs,  tore  away  skin  and  flesh  in 
 broad  gory  shreds. 
 
 "  Infidelity,  scepticism,  sneers,  and  scoffs,  were  now  all  merged 
 in  one  deep  and  pathetic  cry  of  anguish,  fear,  and  despair.  In  com- 
 pliance with  the  requests  of  my  fellow-sufferers,  I  poured  forth  the 
 despair  of  our  hearts  to  Him  who  '  heareth  the  sighing  of  the  pri- 
 soners, and  delivereth  those  that  are  appointed  to  die.'  Our  guards, 
 who,  on  the  approach  of  the  King,  scowled  on  us  like  fiends  ;  now, 
 in  a  most  sympathetic  spirit,  so  characteristic  of  the  transient  emo- 
 tions of  the  barbarian  and  savage,  rendered  us  every  aid  in  their 
 power.  IMy  own  '  kuranyee,'  the  man  to  whom  I  was  chained — a 
 kind  Galla  from  Enaree — arranged  the  pallet  on  which  I  slept,  and 
 also  gently  swathed  my  wounded  arms  in  the  soft  folds  of  the 
 shama. 
 
 "A  harassing  and  anxious  night  was  followed  by  a  cheerless  and 
 desponding  morning.  Nervously  we  anticipated  some  new  harrow- 
 ing message  from  the  King ;  but,  to  our  delight,  he  rode  out,  and 
 the  forenoon  wore  away  in  silence  and  stoical  apathy.  Towards 
 noon,  the  chief  of  our  guards  came  into  our  prison,  and,  after  some 
 desultory  remarks,  urged  me  to  satisfy  his  Majesty.  '  Tell  those 
 who  sent  you,'  I  replied,  that  I  have  spoken  the  truth  ;  and  if  the 
 King  does  not  believe  me,  I  can  swear  on  this  book' — the  Bible, 
 Avhich  I  raised  aloft  on  my  palsied  and  swollen  hand — '  that  the 
 Bishop  never  spoke  to  me  about  his  descent.'  '  Well,'  was  the 
 laconic  retort,  'you  will  all  get  ropes  again,  and  that,  too,  much 
 severer  than  last  night.'  Uncertain  about  our  fate,  moments, 
 minutes,  and  hours  passed  away  in  torturing  suspense.     Near  even- 
 
276  THE    PROSPECT    OF    DEATH. 
 
 ing,  Samuel — that  messenger  of  evil — again  obtruded  his  hated 
 person  upon  us.  He  crouched  down  near  Consul  Cameron,  and 
 with  the  utmost  assiduity  tended  his  wounds.  His  aftabilily  and 
 condescension  emboldened  me  to  ask  him  why  the  Negoos,  after 
 granting  me  a  full  pardon,  again  revived  the  old  affair.  A  wither- 
 ing scowl  gathered  over  his  brow  at  these  words,  and,  as  if  panting 
 for  breath,  he  glared  at  me  a  few  seconds,  anil  then  poured  forth  a 
 volley  of  frightful  abuse.  '  Dog !  Falasha  !  Villain  !'  &c.,  '  how 
 dare  you  criticise  the  King's  actions,  and  defy  his  authority  ?  Look 
 here,  and  behold  the  sufferings  you  have  inflicted  on  your  brethren. 
 This  is  poor  M.  Bardel  ;  and  do  you  know  who  lies  here  ?'  (point- 
 ing to  the  Consul).  '  This  is  Victoria.'  Shattered  and  prostrate  as 
 I  was,  my  whole  frame  shook  and  trembled  at  this  unmerited 
 rebuke.  Samuel,  I  think,  noticed  this,  and,  bending  down  to  me, 
 he  whispered  confidentially,  '  Come  out ;  I  want  to  speak  to  you.' 
 Once  in  the  open  air,  the  raging  .courtier  subsided  into  the  smooth, 
 flattering  knave.  Placing  his  hand  aff"ectionately  on  my  aching 
 shoulder,  he  said,  '  Don't  think  that  I  am  angry  with  you  ;  on  the 
 contrary,  I  admire  you  ;  but  what  possesses  you,  that,  for  the  sake 
 of  the  Bishop,  who  is  neither  your  countryman  nor  of  your  belief, 
 you  incur  the  wrath  of  the  King,  and  expose  your  person  to  suffer- 
 ing ?  He  is  my  Aboona  (he  forgot  that  he  had  often  told  me  he  was 
 a  Protestant),  but  yon  are  my  friend  ;  and  I  don't  care  what  happens 
 to  him  if  you  only  (whose  money  I  have  eaten),  by  obliging  the 
 Negoos,  win  honour  and  favours.'  I  shook  my  head;  and  the  foiled 
 inquisitor  hastened  away,  muttering  no  very  charitable  benison 
 on  my  devoted  head. 
 
 "The  shades  of  night  had  by  this  time  gathered  dark  and  thick 
 around  us.  The  guards  took  their  station,  and  the  white  prisoners, 
 after  committing  themselves  to  the  guardian  care  of  a  Divine  Pro- 
 tector, composed  themselves  to  uneasy  slumbers.  The  sudden 
 whisper  of  voices,  and  the  sound  of  approaching  steps,  made  us 
 start  from  our  leather  skins.  '  Cocab  !  Rosenthal  !  Makerer !' 
 roared  several  voices  at  once.  Leaping  mechanically  on  our  feet, 
 we  were  in  an  instant  out  of  the  tent.  Several  dark  figures  in  a 
 trice  encompassed  me,  and  with  ruthless  fur}'  dashed  their  horny 
 hands  in  my  eyes  and  face.  Blow  after  blow,  in  quick  succession, 
 descended  stunningly  upon  me,  whilst  at  the  same  time  the  ropes 
 were  rapidly  rolled  around  my  wounded  and  lacerated  arms.  '  Tie 
 his  legs,  too,  if  he  does  not  confess,'  rang  in  deep  but  distinct 
 accents  from  the  roval  pavilion,  and  was  re-echoed  from  the  lungs 
 of  three  other  beings,  who  stood  at  measured  distances  to  send 
 back  my  reply.  My  eyes,  dimmed  by  buffets,  started  almost  out  of 
 their  sockets  ;  my  veins  began  to  swell,  and  throbbed  as  if  they 
 would  burst ;  and  my  heart,  compressed  by  the  inhuman  tightness 
 of  the  cords,  almost  stopped  its  pulsations.  Despairingly  I  raised 
 my  inflamed  eyes  towards  heaven,  and  prayed  tliat  the  bitter  cup 
 might  either  pass  away  from  me,  or,  if  I  was  to  drain  it  to  the  dregs, 
 
THE    rROSPF.CT    OF    DEAJH.  277 
 
 that  the  agony  might  not  be  protracted.  In  h>.ss  than  five  minutes 
 my  head  became  dizzy,  my  eyes  dim,  and  my  mind  confused,  bewil- 
 dered, and  mad.  '  Samuel,  Samuel  !'  I  shrieked,  in  frenzied  agony, 
 '  what  do  you  want  }  what  do  you  want  ?'  '  Tell  Janehoi  all  you 
 have  been  told  by  the  Aboona,'  was  his  calm  response.  '  Oh  !  my 
 God  !  mv  God  !'  I  mentally  ejaculated,  '  have  I  still  longer  to  endure 
 this  wasting  martyrdom  .'''  and,  seized  by  a  fit  of  delirium,  I  vocifer- 
 ated in  a  hoarse,  suffocating  voice,  '  Yes  !  the  Aboona  often  told 
 me  that  the  King  was  more  dreaded,  and  possessed  more  power  than 
 any  of  the  former  sovereigns  of  Ethiopia,  but  that  his  ambition  and 
 cruelty  had  depopulated  the  country.'  '  Untie  his  ropes  !'  com- 
 manded a  clear  and  distinct  voice,  that  rang  appallingly  far  above 
 the  cooling  breeze,  as  it  swept  in  refreshing  gusts  over  the  torn  and 
 bleeding  limbs  of  the  sufferer." 
 
 INIercy,  love,  and  sustaining  grace  are  given  to  the  people  of 
 God  in  the  time  of  their  greatest  need.  The  mysterious  and  afflic- 
 tive providences  of  the  Most  High — the  sin  and  evil  which  He 
 permits  in  the  world — all  these  to  be  understood,  must  be  viewed 
 in  the  light  of  eternity.  The  more  precious  the  jewel,  the  more 
 severe  is  the  process  by  which  it  is  polished  and  prepared, 
 for  its  place  in  the  heavenly  diadem.  It  is  this  conviction,  which 
 sheds  a  hallowed  light  on  the  afflictions  of  the  children  of  God, 
 and  reconciles  them  to  the  deep  waters  and  saddening  vicissi- 
 tudes through  which  they  frequently  are  led.  "  Slowly," 
 wrote  jNIr.  Stern,  "the  weary  hours  of  terror  and  dread  rolled 
 on.  Our  nerves  were  horribly  shattered,  and  our  minds,  too, 
 would  have  been  unhinged,  had  not  religion,  with  her  solacing 
 influence,  soothed  the  asperities  and  hardships  of  our  existence. 
 The  Bible — prayers— a  morning  and  evening  exposition  of  an  appro- 
 priate passage— were  the  exercises  in  which  we  regularly  engaged. 
 No  bitter  gibes,  no  harsh  expression,  no  unbecoming  word,  charac- 
 terized our  intercourse  ;  religion  formed  a  wonderful  bond  of  har- 
 mony; and  when  I  looked  on  the  devout  countenances  that  then 
 hung  over  the  inspired  page,  as  I  commented  on  the  selected  text,  I 
 cherished  the  pleasing  hope,  that  the  clouds,  so  big  with  wrath,  had 
 been  charged  with  showers  of  everlasting  mercy." 
 
 "  Bad  food,  heavy  fetters,  together  with  the  troubles  to  which  we 
 were  continually  subject,  did  not,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  impair  our 
 health  ;  on  the  contrary,  our  appetite  increased  as  provisions 
 diminished  ;  and  I  believe  that,  had  not  the  spirit  of  religion  pre- 
 vailed amongst  us,  our  millet  cakes  would  more  than   once  have 
 
278  THE  PROSPECT  OF  DEATH. 
 
 been  swallowed  with  a  condiment  even  hotter  than  our  peppery 
 Abyssinian  sauce.  Thus  day  after  day  was  buried  in  the  relentless 
 womb  of  time,  and  still  our  position  remained  unimproved.  Hope, 
 that  greatest  blessing  of  man,  almost  ceased  to  irradiate  the  gloom 
 of  our  captivity,  and,  in  a  state  of  apathy  bordering  on  reckless  in- 
 diflcrence,  the  sun  rose  and  set  upon  the  isolated  captives  in  wild 
 Africa,  Our  mornings  generally  commenced  with  the  dawn,  when 
 all,  except  the  Consul,  who  indulged  in  later  hours,  had  a  small  tin 
 of  black,  bitter  coffee,  and  a  piece  of  wheaten  bread.  About  ten  we 
 had  Divine  worship,  which  consisted  in  reading  the  Psalms  and  a 
 chapter  out  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  an  exposition,  and 
 extempore  prayer.  Mid-day,  a  dirty  basket,  containing  five  or 
 six  half-baked  teff,  or  mashilla  flaps,  followed  by  a  sooty  saucepan, 
 containing  some  boiled  lentiles,  was  brought  into  our  tent.  An 
 ebony-coloured  woman — a  curious  specimen  of  the  Shankgalla  race, 
 formerly  in  the  service  of  Consul  Plowden — instantly  bared  her  arm, 
 and  dashing  it  up  to  the  wrist  in  the  uninviting  decoction,  threw 
 piece  after  piece  of  the  soaked  cakes  into  the  basket,  around  which 
 the  prisoners,  with  becoming  gravity,  were  squatted.  Mystoura, 
 the  cook,  a  liberated  Galla  slave,  occasionally  varied  the  bill  of  fare, 
 and  we  had  sun-dried  fish,  called  quanta ;  or  a  very  limited  quan- 
 tity of  fresh  meat,  transformed  into  a  stew  ;  or,  if  she  was  in  a  very 
 good  humour,  which  could  not  have  been  very  often  the  case,  she 
 sent  us  a  mess  of  paste,  a  wretched  imitation  of  macaroni.  Consul 
 Cameron  fared  somewhat  more  luxuriously ;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
 Rosenthal  dined  privately,  in  a  small  tent  that  was  assigned  them 
 as  a  special  favour.  Towards  sunset  we  again  had  prayers,  and 
 then  a  second  sumptuous  repast,  after  which  each  one  tried  to  woo 
 sleep  to  his  eyes.  The  King,  to  our  infinite  satisfaction,  no  longer 
 took  any  notice  of  us  ;  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  annoyances  of 
 the  insufferable  tabaguees,  our  life  of  misery  would  have  flowed  on, 
 in  an  even,  uniform  course." 
 
CHAPTER    XXXIV. 
 
 THE      AVAVES      AND      HILLOWS. 
 
 During  the  weeks  and  months  of  acute,  and  apparently  intermi- 
 nable suffering,  through  which  the  Captives  had  been  passing,  many 
 circumstances  were  frequently  arising  which  added  to  the  royal 
 indignation,  and  seemed  to  darken  the  lowering  clouds  with  increased 
 gloom  and  terror.  The  Abyssinians,  resident  in  Jerusalem,  had  been 
 expelled  from  their  Convent.  That  body  of  professing  Christians 
 had  long  looked  to  the  British  Consul  for  protection  against  the 
 despotism  of  the  Turks,  and  the  enmity  of  the  various  apostate 
 Churches  whose  head-quarters  were  situated  in  the  Holy  City.  It 
 is  needless  to  enquire,  how  far  this  protection  had  been  ever 
 offered,  or  practically  withdrawn.  The  Head  of  the  Abyssinians  at 
 Jerusalem  had  arrived  at  the  Court  of  Theodorus,  to  complain  of 
 the  injustice  which  his  people  had  sustained ;  and  in  so  doing 
 became  an  agent,  for  stimulating  the  prejudices  and  anger  of  the 
 King  against  the  British  nation.  The  Abyssinian  Bishop  had 
 reported,  that  the  Coptic  priests  had  been  in  league  with  the  Turks, 
 to  effect  their  expulsion  ;  and  that,  while  he  had  repeatedly  besought 
 the  interference  of  the  British  Consul,  he  had  been  told  that  this 
 was  impracticable. 
 
 Mr.  Stern's  book,  entitled  "Wanderings  among  the  Falashas  in 
 Abyssinia,"  had  hardly  passed  through  the  press  on  his  departure  from 
 England.  A  copy  had  followed  him  by  post,  and  its  contents  afforded 
 the  conspirators  a  fruitful  field  from  which,  to  invent  and  misrepresent 
 the  opinions  of  the  IMissionary,  and  to  stimulate  the  King  to 
 renewed  barbarities.     The   Frenchman,  Bardel,   had  been  one  of 
 
28o  THE    WAVES   AND    lULLOWS. 
 
 the  primary  agents  in  these  deeds  of  shame.  Mr.  Steiger,  the  Mis- 
 sionary from  the  Scotch  Church,  wrote  from  Gaffat,  in  December, 
 1864,  that  "the  chief  cause  of  the  King's  animosity,  next  to  the 
 natural  heart  unrenewed  by  God,  was  the  influence  of  a  certain 
 Frenchman  named  BardeL  He  had  come  to  Abyssinia  three 
 years  ago,  as  Secretary  to  the  Enghsh  Consul,  but  had  been  sent  to 
 France  with  a  letter  to  the  Emperor  Napoleon.  When  he  returned 
 from  Paris  with  an  official  answer,  he  brought  at  the  same  time  a 
 private  commission  from  the  Secretary  for  Foreign  Aftairs,  M. 
 Drouyn  de  Lhuys,  and  his  Jesuit  friends,  to  endeavour  by  all  means 
 to  destroy  the  Protestant  Missions  in  Abyssinia,  and  to  plant  Roman 
 Catholic  missionaries  in  their  stead — the  price  of  his  endeavours 
 being  a  Vice-Consulship.  He  executed  his  commission  with  a 
 subtlety  and  ingenuity  which  is  truly  surprising,  and  which  none  but 
 a  Frenchman  taught  in  a  Jesuit  school  could  have  learnt.  But 
 truly,"  added  INIr.  Steiger,  "  the  foolishness  of  God  is  wiser  than 
 men,  and  the  weakness  of  God  stronger  than  men.  Wonderfully  has 
 the  saying  been  fulfilled,  '  he  that  diggeth  a  pit  for  others,  will 
 surely  fall  into  it  himself.'  Through  his  own  intrigues  he  has 
 fallen,  for  ere  his  work  was  completed  his  punishment  came.  He 
 is  now  in  prison,  chained,  with  Mr.  Stern,  whose  fall  he  had  so 
 desperately  striven  to  compass.  When  he  saw  his  plans  frustrated^ 
 he  confessed  his  wickedness  to  his  companions,  whose  captivity  he 
 shares." 
 
 The  man  Samuel  had  been  an  attendant  or  "introducer"  to  Consul 
 Cameron.  We  are  not  informed  how  he  managed  to  ingratiate  himself 
 with  the  King.  But  his  unscrupulous  greed,  and  his  thirst  for  power, 
 impelled  him  to  sacrifice  anyone  who  might  stand  in  the  way  of  his 
 nefarious  designs.  He  had  nominally  exchanged  Mahommcdanism 
 for  the  tenets  of  the  Abyssinian  Church,  and  had  then  professed 
 that  he  had  renounced  that  communion  for  Protestantism.  There 
 was  the  fullest  evidence  that  he,  above  all  others,  sought  the  de- 
 struction of  the  Missionaries,  and  probably  that  of  his  former 
 employer,  Consul  Cameron. 
 
 The  dissensions  between  the  King  and  the  Aboona  was  another 
 element  of  incessant  danger  and  trouble.  Just  at  the  time,  when 
 the  personal  influence  of  the  latter  might,  under  favourable  circum- 
 
THE    WAVES    AND    BILLOWS.  2»I 
 
 Stances,  have  neutralized  the  Monarch's  irritation  at  the  neglect  with 
 which  his  letter  had  been  dealt  with  by  the  British  Government,  or  at 
 least  secured  good  treatment  to  the  Captives,  the  friendship  which 
 existed  between  himself  and  Mr.  Stern  intensified  rather  than  miti- 
 gated their  sufferings.  The  jealousy  of  the  Chiefs,  who  were  the 
 parasites  and  flatterers  of  the  King;  and  the  spite  of  the  German  arti- 
 zans,  who  had  cast  their  religious  profession  to  the  moles  and  to  the 
 bats,  and  become  the  obsequious  servants  of  the  despot,  added  fuel  to 
 the  flame.  It  is  necessary  to  group  these  facts  together,  and  to  note 
 how,  by  an  extraordinary  and  unexpected  association  of  circum- 
 stances, the  savage  and  excited  nature  of  Theodoras  was  stimulated 
 to  the  perpetration  of  the  most  flagrant  iniquities  ;  in  order  that  it 
 may  be  understood  how  the  afflictions  of  the  Missionaries  were 
 aggravated  and  prolonged. 
 
 "  '  Keremt,'  or  winter,  as  the  rainy  season  is  emphatically  desig- 
 nated, was  now  rapidly  approaching.  Almost  every  noon  the  sky 
 became  darkened,  and  lowering  clouds,  amidst  the  reverberations  of 
 the  thunder,  poured  down  deluging  floods.  Our  frail  cotton  tent, 
 which  had  already  for  more  than  four  months  resisted  the  wear  and 
 tear  of  guards  and  prisoners,  sun  and  wind,  notwithstanding  the 
 skilful  patching  of  Pietro  and  Makerer,  freely  admitted  the  pelting 
 torrent.  During  the  day  the  horrors  of  the  tempest  were  still  miti- 
 gated by  the  scanty  coverings  in  which  each  could  muffle  his  shi- 
 vering frame ;  but  by  night,  when  wedged  between  suspicious 
 guards,  who  tremblingly  rose  at  the  slightest  clang  of  the  heavy 
 chains,  one  was  forced  patiently  to  press  the  inundated  couch. 
 The  King  twice  or  thrice,  in  riding  out,  gave  a  musing  glance 
 across  our  fence,  which  led  us  to  anticipate  that  our  wretched 
 apology  for  a  shelter,  would  soon  be  exchanged  for  some  more  sub- 
 stantial covering — an  expectation  that  was  never  destined  to  be 
 realized.  Condemned  to  wet  and  filth,  our  misery  was  intensified 
 by  the  foul  aroma  of  the  coarse  guards,  who  in  crowds  obtruded 
 their  off'ensive  persons  upon  us.  Goaded  to  desperation,  we  sent 
 one  afternoon  to  Samuel,  and  requested  him  to  regulate  the  watch. 
 Samuel  mentioned  it  to  the  King,  and  the  reply  was,  '  If  they  don't 
 like  to  come  in  contact  with  my  people,  give  them  foot-chains,  and 
 let  only  two  soldiers  watch  in  the  tent.'  This  unexpected  threat 
 of  fresh  suff'ering,  gave  us  an  unmistakable  cue  to  his  Alajesty's  sen- 
 timents towards  us  ;  but,  without  allowing  such  an  ebullition  of 
 hatred  to  depress  our  spirits,  we  determined  henceforth  passively  to 
 endure  every  hardship  that  might  still  fall  to  our  lot." 
 
 The  spread  of  small-pox,  the  general  prevalence  of  other  diseases, 
 
 and  the  suff'erings  of  the  people,  prompted  the  King  to  change  his 
 
 T 
 
282  THE   AVAVES   AND    BILLOWS. 
 
 camp.  This  was  removed  to  Assasso,  about  three  miles  from  Gon- 
 dar,  and  was  the  beginning  of  the  movement  which  ended  in  the 
 incarceration  of  the  prisoners  in  the  royal  prison  at  A?iiba  Magdala. 
 
 On  the  6th,  towards  evening,  Basha  Tecka,  the  commander  of 
 the  fusiliers,  paid  us  a  visit,  and  ordered  our  foot-chains  to  be 
 removed  for  hand-chains.  The  operation  of  unriveting  the  massive 
 irons  required  the  efforts  of  eight  powerful  savages,  and  even  these 
 had  to  exert  all  their  strength  to  accomplish  the  feat.  We  were 
 immediately  linked  together  in  pairs,  by  shackles  fastened  around 
 the  wrists.  The  wonted  insolence  of  the  conceited  Ethiop,  which 
 had  been  often  enough  exhibited  towards  us,  was  on  the  present 
 occasion  not  omitted  ;  and  many  a  vile  sarcasm  was,  during  the 
 hammering  of  the  irons,  expended  on  the  defenceless  white  prison- 
 ers. On  the  following  morning,  a  formidable  guard  came  to  escort 
 us  to  the  camp.  Consul  Cameron  and  myself,  who,  at  our  own 
 request,  were  chained  together  for  the  ride,  formed  the  most 
 unhappy  pair.  Enervated  by  suffering  and  sickness,  I  was  in  no 
 condition  to  manage  the  young  and  untamed  mule  which  I  received 
 orders  to  mount ;  nor  was  my  companion,  whose  nerves  and  mind 
 were  dreadfully  shaken,  better  fitted  for  the  novel  exercise.  Seizing 
 the  restive  animal  by  his  clumsy  bridle,  I  vaulted  into  the  saddle^ 
 and,  with  my  unfettered  hand,  sought  to  adjust  my  shama,  when 
 Consul  Cameron,  unmindful  of  his  black  Arab  cloak  and  European 
 cap,  moved  in  front.  The  unruly  animal  instantly  commenced  his 
 mad  pranks,  and,  ere  I  could  firmly  grasp  the  crupper,  I  was 
 dragged  sideways  by  the  short  chain,  and  fell  bleeding  on  the  hard 
 ground.  We  now,  in  opposition  to  the  imperative  commands  of 
 our  guards,  determined  to  accomplisli  the  journey  on  foot,  but  a 
 boisterous  '  min  abadu'  ('  who  is  their  father')  obliged  us  to  desist 
 from  our  resolution.  The  road  for  a  short  distance  led  across  a 
 stony,  undulating  tract,  and  then  gradually  declined  into  a  rich 
 pasture  land,  intersected  by  numerous  streamlets  and  torrents,  where 
 every  step  was  difficult  and  dangerous.  Notwithstanding  my  acci- 
 dent, Ave  jogged  on  tolerably  well  ;  nay,  had  not  Consul  Cameron 
 frequently  become  oblivious  of  the  present,  and  allowed  his  mule  to 
 make  a  circuit  around  the  head  of  his  neighbour,  the  trip  might 
 have  proved  beneficial  to  our  depressed  spirits. 
 
 In  another  passage,  Mr.  Stern  wrote  thus  of  the  characteristics 
 of  the  journey,  by  Avhich  he  and  his  fellow-prisoners  were  being 
 conducted  towards  the  scene  of  their  future  and  long  protracted 
 incarceration. 
 
 "  Shackled  in  couples  around  the  wrists,  and  guarded  by  a  band 
 of  armed  fusiliers,  we  Avere  now  ted  out  of  the  narrow  enclosure  in 
 which  we  had  been  closely  confined  for  more  than  two  months. 
 The  King,  more  intent  on  torturing  than  on  destroying  the  hated 
 
THE    WAVES    AND    P.ILLOWS,  283 
 
 and  envied  '  Frendjoj,'  had  given  orders  tliat  we  should  be  provided 
 with  mules  ;  but  the  escort  being  well  aware  that  prisoners  are  not 
 objects  of  much  consideration,  did  not  feel  quite  disposed  to  com- 
 ply with  this  high  behest.  The  ride  from  Gondar  to  Assasso  had 
 not  increased  our  relish  for  bestriding  a  mule  in  fetters  ;  and  at  my 
 suggestion,  all,  except  Mrs.  Rosenthal,  who  had  a  baby  in  her  arms, 
 consented  to  try  the  strength  of  their  legs.  The  soldiers  highly 
 approved  of  this  resolution  ;  and  after  Mrs.  Rosenthal  was  mounted, 
 we  set  forward  in  a  placid  if  not  cheerful  humour.  Some  minutes' 
 walk  brought  us  to  a  precipice,  at  whose  foot  extended  far  and  wide 
 the  fertile  plain  of  Dembea.  Like  children  freed  from  the  restraint 
 of  the  school-room,  we  leaped  and  scrambled  over  dislocated  pieces 
 of  rock  and  loose  gravelly  paths,  with  a  recklessness  that  inspired 
 our  tabaguees  with  the  dread,  that  these  mad  pranks  were  only  artful 
 tricks  to  cover  a  secret  design  to  effect  a  sudden  escape.  Once  in 
 the  plain,  these  terrors  were  dispelled  ;  and,  marshalled  between  a 
 detachment  of  troops,  we  were  driven  along  more  like  wild  beasts, 
 than  the  innocent  victims  of  a  rancorous  despot.  For  about  two 
 hours  we  kept  up  a  brisk  march,  and  then  our  feet  began  to  get 
 sore,  and  one  couple  after  another  slackened  their  pace.  Consul 
 Cameron,  supported  by  the  sinewy  arms  of  Makerer,  to  whom  he 
 was  linked,  was  the  first  who  declared  himself  knocked  up  and 
 unable  to  move  farther.  A  kind  soldier— a  perfect  curiosity  in  this 
 land  of  heartless  selfishness — generously  offered  him  his  mule  to 
 mount,  a  favour  which  was  gratefully  accepted.  I  felt  much  dis- 
 posed to  imitate  my  fellow-prisoner,  but  as  good  Samaritans  do  not 
 abound  in  Abyssinia,  I  tried  with  lively  converse  to  invigorate  my 
 wearied  and  trembling  limbs.  The  plain,  clothed  in  the  most  varie- 
 gated vegetation  of  the  tropics,  and  dotted  with  copses  and  brush- 
 wood, around  which  the  dog-rose,  eglantine,  honeysuckle,  and  an 
 endless  variety  of  convolvuli,  had  woven  festoons  that  defied  the 
 skill  of  the  florist,  aftbrded  ample  materials  for  mutual  converse. 
 
 "  Luckily,  our  escort  pitied  my  worn-out  state,  and  allowed  us  to 
 halt  every  few  minutes,  a  favour  which  was  not  so  prodigally 
 extended  to  our  friends  in  advance.  On  nearing  the  camp,  I 
 exerted  all  my  energies  to  accomplish  the  short  distance  that  still 
 lay  before  us  ;  but  my  eyes  waxed  dim,  my  legs  began  to  tremble, 
 my  heart  violently  palpitated,  and  I  sank  repeatedly,  faint  and  pros- 
 trate, on  the  wet  grass.  This  was  at  the  outskirts  of  the  camp,  and 
 we  had  only  about  ten  minutes  more  to  the  halting-place,  yet  even 
 this  short  distance  my  aguish  limbs  refused  to  perform.  The  guards 
 in  advance  anticipated  our  plight,  and,  what  was  a  perfect  wonder, 
 they  actually  brought  us  two  mules  to  mount.  I  expected  my  com- 
 panions would  overwhelm  me  with  showers  of  reproach,  but  excess 
 of  fatigue  had  closed  their  lips,  and  I  only  heard  from  two  an 
 ironical  sotto  voce,  '  Well,  will  you  w-alk  again  ?  Meanwhile,  our 
 tent  arrived,  and  the  tabaguees,  anxious  to  be  released,  set  to  work 
 to  pitch  it.     This  was  no  easy  job,  for  the  decayed  and  rotten  tat- 
 
284  THE    WAVES    AND    mLLOWS. 
 
 ters,  too  feeble  to  bear  the  strain  of  the  ropes,  gave  way  at  every 
 pull.  By  dint  of  perseverance,  it  at  last  fluttered  in  the  breeze  more 
 like  a  good  old  flag  than  anything  worthy  the  name  of  a  shelter. 
 By  accident,  Bardel  and  myself,  Kerans  and  Pietro,  occupied  the 
 side  which  still  could  boast  of  a  few  hanging  shreds,  whilst  Consul 
 Cameron  and  Makerer  literally  had  the  earth  for  their  bed,  and  the 
 sky  for  their  canopy.  At  midnight,  a  storm,  accompanied  by  im- 
 petuous torrents  of  rain,  burst  upon  us.  The  uneven,  swelling 
 plain,  formed,  for  a  little  while,  a  temj)orary  barrier  to  the  noisy 
 floods,  but  the  pitiless  tempest  ere  long  overstepped  these  natural 
 boundaries,  and  muddy  rivulets,  in  tumultuous  hurry,  careered  over 
 every  part  of  the  Imperial  camp.  We  tried  to  shelter  ourselves 
 under  skins,  but  finding  these  efforts  unavailing,  we  laid  down  in 
 the  rolling  and  splashing  waters,  and,  what  many  may  think  incre- 
 dible, enjoyed  in  this  position  a  sound  and  refreshing  sleep.  Mr. 
 Rosenthal's  fragile  tenement  was  almost  entirely  swept  away  by  the 
 unsparing  nocturnal  blasts  ;  and,  cold  and  shivering,  he,  his  wife, 
 and  babe,  sighed  for  the  dawn  of  day.  Fortunately,  they  had  some 
 bed  clothing  still  left — the  debris  of  their  plundered  property — and 
 these,  by  patching  and  stitching,  they  succeeded  in  converting  into 
 a  tolerable  covering.  We  were  too  many,  too  poor,  and  too  lazy, 
 to  make  a  similar  effort ;  in  fact,  had  we  possessed  the  material  and. 
 inclination,  we  would  not  have  improved  the  old,  or  purchased  a 
 new  tent,  from  the  well-founded  dread  that  it  might  attract  around 
 us  crowds  of  tabaguees,  whose  proximity  invariably  caused  us  far 
 more  annoyance  than  wind  or  rain. 
 
 "We  remained  at  Ferga  from  September  24th  to  October  i-i-th, 
 and  then  again  set  forward.  The  journey  from  this  to  the  capital 
 of  Begemeder  occupied  fifteen  days,  of  which  only  three  were  spent 
 in  actual  travelling.  On  reaching  Debra  Tabor,  we  expected  that  a 
 messenger  from  Gaffat  would  meet  us  ;  but  in  vain  we  wistfully 
 strained  our  eyes  in  all  directions,  to  discover  the  face  of  a  known 
 servant,  or  the  white  countenance  of  a  '  Frendjoj.'  Probably  the 
 majority,  if  not  all,  would  have  gladly  gone  to  see  us  had  they  not 
 dreaded  the  cruel  tyrant,  whose  proximity  freezed,  if  it  did  not 
 entirely  damp  and  extinguish,  every  feeling  of  sympathy  towards 
 those  who  had  incurred  his  displeasure.  As  we  did  not  obtain 
 unsolicited  intelligence  from  the  Europeans  who  were  located  about 
 two  miles'  walk  from  our  resting-place,  we  sent  one  of  our  servants 
 for  that  purpose  to  Mr.  Flad.  The  messenger  returned  in  the 
 evening  loaded  with  potatoes,  bread,  milk,  and  a  small  note,  which 
 contained  the  tantalizing  news,  that  his  Majesty,  during  the  two  or 
 three  conferences  with  the  Gaffat  white  workmen,  had  always  care- 
 fully avoided  to  allude  to  our  affairs.  Once,  during  an  interview, 
 some  one  ventured  to  advert  to  our  position,  but  the  Negoos  did  not 
 deign  to  notice  his  remark  on  that  disagreeable  topic.  Several  days 
 of  heartburning  suspense  had  already  elapsed,  and  still  there  was  no 
 other  amelioration  in  our  condition,  beyond  that  we  had  an  ample 
 supply  of  wholesome  food  from  Gaffat. 
 
THE    WAVES    AND    lULLOWS.  2S5 
 
 "On  the  5th  of  November,  1864,  the  cheering  tidings  were 
 communicated  to  us,  tliat  Cantiba  Haiki,  the  late  Governor 
 of  Gondar,  a  man  highly  esteemed  by  the  King  and  the 
 European  workmen,  had  received  orders  to  proceed  to  the  camp, 
 and  to  conduct  us  and  our  Frencli  fellow-sufierers  free,  to  a  new 
 home,  in  the  vicinity  of  our  countrymen.  We  were  already  in  spirit 
 revelling  in  the  luxury  of  unshackled  limbs,  when  at  the  very 
 moment  that  we  expected  to  hear  the  tramp  of  our  liberators' 
 mules,  and  to  grasp  their  extended  hands,  one  messenger  followed 
 by  another  came  to  announce  that  the  humane  intentions  of  his 
 Majesty  had  been  defeated  by  a  report  of  Samuel,  confirmed  by 
 Dejatch  Barea,  the  Governor  of  Tigre,  that  a  British  general  and 
 troops  had  landed  at  Massowah,  and  that  another  great  man, 
 whether  French  or  English  was  not  stated,  had  also  arrived  at 
 Senaar;  and  that  both  publicly  declared,  that  they  were  determined 
 to  move  towards  Abyssinia,  to  effect  our  deliverance  either  by  medi- 
 ation or  force  of  arms.  This  unexpected  blight  of  our  fond  antici- 
 pations came  upon  us  like  a  thunderclap,  but  the  soul,  when 
 pressed  down  by  a  succession  of  calamities,  either  becomes  callous 
 and  apathetic,  or  tries  to  obtain  calmness  and  comfort  for  the 
 troubled  heart  in  prayer,  and  the  promises  of  the  inspired  page. 
 This  was  the  case  with  us.  Tried,  troubled,  and  almost  worried  to 
 the  last  point  of  endurance,  the  mind  would  have  become  blunted, 
 had  it  not  soared  above  the  woes  of  life,  and  in  the  contemplation 
 of  the  future  sought  an  antidote  against  the  oppression  and  tyranny 
 of  the  present.  Doubt  and  misgivings  being  now  removed,  we 
 resigned  ourselves  to  our  fate,  and,  in  listless  indiff'erence  or  child- 
 like submission  to  an  all-wise  Protector,  prayerfully  awaited  the 
 solution  of  our  complicated  history.  On  November  the  7th,  I  got 
 a  note  from  Mr.  Flad,  which  contained  the  dreadful  intelligence 
 that  we  were  next  day  to  be  escorted  to  Magdala,  the  penal  settle- 
 ment of  the  '  Negoos  Negest.'  During  my  first  visit  to  this  mis- 
 governed country,  I  was  nearly  forced  to  see  this  uninviting  Amba, 
 in  order  to  have  an  interview  with  the  Aboona,  then  in  disgrace  ; 
 and  although  at  that  time  I  was  free,  and  buoyed  up  by  the  cheer- 
 ing prospect  of  initiating  a  promising  mission  in  Central  Africa,  yet 
 I  blessed  a  gracious  Providence  who  brought  me  in  contact  with  the 
 successor  of  Fromentius,  ere  I  had  accomplished  my  first  stage  ;  and 
 now  my  whole  frame  shuddered  at  the  idea  of  a  deportation  in 
 chains  to  that  very  rock,  which  once,  under  the  most  auspicious  cir- 
 cumstances, I  had  an  invincible  repugnance  to  approach.  ]\Ir. 
 Flad,  in  his  missive,  laboured  to  soften  the  asperity  of  our  destiny, 
 by  predicting  a  speedy  change  ;  but  we  felt  that,  humanly  speaking, 
 our  fate  was  sealed,  and  that  only  a  higher  power  could,  and  would 
 deliver  us  out  of  the  hands  of  a  ruthless  savasre." 
 
CHAPTER    XXXV. 
 England's  sorrow  and  supplications. 
 
 Sunshine  had  been  succeeded  b}-  a  tempest  of  alarming  magni- 
 tude. The  letters  which  had  reached  England  from  Abyssinia  were 
 full  of  hope  and  encouragement.  The  work  and  prospects  of  the 
 INIission  to  the  Falashas  appeared  to  be  fruitful  in  promise.  The 
 general  details  of  the  Mission  had  been  organized,  and  placed  on  a 
 basis,  which  promised  to  be  productive  of  satisfactory  and  perma- 
 nent results.  The  friends  of  ^Iv.  Stern,  and  the  Committee  of  the 
 London  Society,  were  now  in  daily  expectation  of  some  tidings 
 concerning  his  departure  from  Abyssinia,  and  his  hoped-for  arrival 
 at  Massowah.  Not  a  circumstance  had  come  to  their  knowledge  to 
 indicate,  that  anything  had  been  taking  place  which  might  compro- 
 mise the  safety  of  the  beloved  ^Missionary,  or  prove  disastrous  to 
 the  work  in  which  he  had  laboured. 
 
 Almost  simultaneously  with  these  announcements,  a  letter  was 
 received  from  Khartoum  from  ]\Ir.  C.  F.  Hausmann,  an  agent  of 
 the  Basle  Society,  dated  January  2nd,  1864,  giving  a  detailed  narra- 
 tion of  the  captivity  and  sufferings  of  the  Missionaries,  and  of  the 
 circumstances  by  which  these  sufferings  had  been  accompanied. 
 The  minds  of  all  who  had  any  acquaintance  with  these  servants  of 
 God,  or  who  had  watched  with  interest  the  progress  of  their  mis- 
 sion, were  filled  with  consternation  and  alarm.  The  intelligence 
 spread  through  the  press  with  great  rapidity.  Letters  of  inquiry, 
 and  suggestions  concerning  the  wisest  course  to  pursue,  were 
 pressed,  without  intermission,  upon  the  attention  of  the  London 
 Committee.      Tlicy  placed  themselves  at  once   in   communication 
 
England's  sorrow  and  supplications.  287 
 
 with  the  Foreign  Office,  and  were  informed  that  similar  despatches 
 had  been  received  by  the  Government ;  that  Consul  Came- 
 ron was  also  a  prisoner  ;  and  that  orders  had  been  sent  by  tele- 
 graph to  Egypt,  that  every  available  means  were  to  be  employed,  in 
 order  to  effect  the  liberation  of  the  Captives.  Had  it  not  been  for 
 the  existence  of  the  Consulate,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  these 
 calamities  would  never  have  occurred  ;  but  now  that  the  Consul 
 himself  was  a  prisoner,  an  indirect  pledge  was  given,  that  the 
 deliverance  of  the  other  Captives  would  be  considered  to  be  insepa- 
 rable from  his  own.  The  intervention  of  the  Government  on 
 behalf  of  the  Missionaries  would  otherwise  have  proved  to  be  as 
 unlikeh',  as  any  attempt  at  the  present  time,  to  call  the  murderers  of 
 the  late  Bishop  Hannington  to  account,  in  the  depths  of  equatorial 
 Africa. 
 
 Hope  and  expectation  day  by  day  agitated  the  hearts  of  the  re- 
 latives and  friends  of  the  Captives.  Any  moment,  it  was  believed, 
 might  convey  the  intimation  that  the  barbarous  ruler  of  Abyssinia 
 had  relented,  that  the  Captives  had  been  freed  from  their  shackles, 
 and  were  on  their  way  to  the  coast.  But  the  weary  months  passed 
 on,  and  the  months  were  gathered  into  years,  and  yet  no  ray  of 
 light  broke  in  upon  the  dark  and  sorrowing  prospect. 
 
 On  the  22nd  of  IMarch  of  the  same  year  (1864),  the  Committee  of 
 the  London  Society  passed  the  following  resolution  : — "That  this 
 Committee  feel  themselves  called  upon  to  deplore,  with  all  the 
 friends  of  Jewish  Missions,  this  heavy  trial  which,  by  Divine 
 permission,  has  befallen  their  brethren  in  Abyssinia,  just  at 
 a  moment  when  the  Rev.  IMr.  Stern  was  on  the  point  of  returning 
 to  Europe  to  tell  '  what  great  things  the  Lord  had  wrought.' 
 While  humbly  submitting  to  the  Divine  will,  the  Committee  desire 
 to  record  their  prayerful  sympathy  with  their  suffering  brethren  and 
 sisters,  and  to  condole  with  the  members  of  their  respective  fami- 
 lies, on  the  heavy  trials  they  are  called  upon  to  endure,  but  which 
 will  not  fail  to  call  forth  on  their  behalf  the  sympathies  and  prayers 
 of  the  Church  at  large." 
 
 No  event,  it  may  with  confidence  be  said,  had  ever  more  gene- 
 rally called  forth  the  prayers  of  the  people  of  God.  During  this 
 painful  and  protracted  crisis,  there  were  many  persons,  from  whose 
 
288  England's  sorrow  and  supplications. 
 
 thoughts,  the  sufferings  and  need  of  their  captive  brethren,  were 
 never  absent.  When  subsequent  communications  announced  the 
 sickening  and  agonizing  details  which  have  already  been  given, 
 there  were  some  who  wrestled  with  tears  before  God,  that  help  and 
 deliverance  might  be  vouchsafed  to  the  oppressed.  An  honoured 
 member  of  the  London  Society's  Committee — Judge  Payne — whose 
 interest  in  every  Evangelical  work  was  almost  proverbial — was 
 among  the  first  to  call  at  the  Society's  House  on  the  morning  that 
 the  startling  intelligence  appeared  in  the  daily  papers.  He  referred 
 to  the  circumstances  which  accompanied  the  release  of  Peter  ;  who 
 was  fast  in  prison — bound  with  chains — sleeping  between  two 
 soldiers  ;  and  "  prayer  was  made  without  ceasing  of  the  Church  unto 
 God  for  him."  This  he  said  proved  to  be  the  instrument,  by  which 
 the  Lord  caused  his  fetters  to  be  loosened,  and  his  deliverance  to 
 be  accomplished.  Another  member  of  the  Committee,  in  answer 
 to  the  anxious  pleadings  of  Mr.  Stern's  afflicted  and  devoted  wife, 
 observed,  "  Your  husband  has  a  charmed  life,  I  shall  not  despair  of 
 seeing  him  again  on  the  platform  in  Exeter  Hall."  On  a  subse- 
 quent occasion  iMrs.  Stern  informed  this  friend,  who  had  been 
 watching  with  prayerful  anxiety  the  progress  of  events,  that  she  had 
 conveyed  to  her  husband  the  cheering  words  that  had  been  spoken 
 at  their  previous  interview  ;  and  that  although  many  of  her  letters 
 failed  to  reach  their  destination,  the  particular  letter  referred  to,  was 
 duly  received  and  gratefully  acknowledged  by  the  suftering  captive. 
 And  it  may  be,  that  the  knowledge  of  the  hair-breadth  escapes, 
 and  wondrous  providences  which  had  marked  his  previous  history, 
 operated  as  powerfully  as  any  other  causes,  for  the  sanguine  expec- 
 tations which  many  encouraged  concerning  his  release. 
 
 The  great  distance  from  the  coast,  and  the  difficulty  of  access  to 
 the  central  parts  of  Abyssinia,  occasioned  incessant  doubt  and 
 irresolution  as  to  the  course  which  it  would  be  best  to  pursue.  The 
 intelligence,  which  was  received  at  lengthened  intervals,  and  of  a 
 very  imperfect  kind,  led  to  incorrect  conclusions  concerning  the 
 true  causes  of  these  disasters,  and  useless  suggestions  as  to  the 
 means  by  which  the  severities  of  Theodorus  might  be  mitigated,  and 
 the  Captives  allowed  to  depart.  Had  the  friends  of  the  prisoners 
 been  made  acquainted  with  the  influences  which  were  at  work  in 
 
England's  sorrow  and  supplications.  289 
 
 the  depraved  Court  of  the  King,  to  intensify  their  sufferings,  and, 
 if  possible,  to  bring  about  their  death,  their  anxieties  would  have 
 been  sensibly  increased.  But  the  despot  was  recognized  as  the  only 
 person  whose  caprice  and  tyranny  had  inaugurated  and  continued 
 the  ill  usage  which  the  prisoners  had  received,  and  whom  it  was 
 necessary  to  conciliate.  Many  tearful  eyes  eagerly  scanned  the 
 daily  papers,  in  the  hope  that  a  despatch  might  announce  that 
 the  day  of  deliverance  had  come.  A  pencil-note  had  been  received 
 from  Gondar,  dated  February  14th,  1864,  stating  that  Consul 
 Cameron,  Messrs.  Stern,  Rosenthal,  Kerans,  Bardel,  and  others, 
 were  all  in  chains.  The  British  Political  Agent  and  Resident  at 
 Aden  had  accompanied  this  with  a  letter,  dated  the  beginning  of 
 April,  stating  that  in  his  opinion  the  Captives  were  in  no  danger 
 of  personal  injury,  beyond  the  inconvenience  of  confinement ;  and 
 at  the  same  time  intimating,  that  no  efforts  should  be  wanting  on 
 his  part,  in  order  to  effect  their  release.  It  seemed  strange,  that  he 
 could  not  at  that  time  have  been  aware  of  the  cruelties  to  which 
 Mr.  Stern,  at  least,  had  been  subjected,  from  the  very  commence- 
 ment of  these  calamities. 
 
 It  was  not  till  October  of  the  same  year  that  a  letter  was  received 
 from  IMr.  Flad,  dated  Gaffat,  May  27th,  1864.  This  arose  from  the 
 great  difficulty  of  obtaining  the  services  of  natives,  who  would  run 
 the  risk  of  conveying  any  letters  to  Massowah.  IMr.  Flad  wrote  to 
 the  Secretary  of  the  London  Society  as  follows  : — "  As  an  oppor- 
 tunity offers,  I  take  my  pen  to  send  you  some  account  of  our  pre- 
 sent circumstances  ;  though  my  heart  yearns  to  give  you  circum- 
 stantial details.  For  certain  reasons  I  cannot  do  so  now,  but  hope, 
 through  our  friend  Hausmann,  you  have  received  the  verbal  com- 
 munications I  was  able  to  send  him.  The  Lord's  hand  lies  heavily 
 upon  us- — it  often  appears  as  if  he  had  forsaken  us,  and  withdrawn 
 His  mercy — yes,  as  if  the  heavens  above  us  were  closed,  because 
 our  prayers  seem  to  remain  unanswered.  Our  misery  and  need  are 
 great.  We  comfort  ourselves  with  God's  Word,  and  commend  our 
 concerns  to  Him.  He  will  do  all  things  well.  Even  should  it 
 please  Him,  in  His  inscrutable  and  mysterious  counsel,  that  we 
 should  be  sacrificed,  His  will  be  done  ;  in  our  Saviour  we  have  found 
 peace.    He  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  our  comfort  in  suffering. 
 
■ZgO  ENGLAND  S    SORROW   AND    SUPPLICATIONS. 
 
 our  hope  in  death,  and  our  joy  in  the  resurrection  ;  it  is  further,  a 
 comfort  to  have  the  assurance,  that  our  work  for  Him  and  His 
 kingdom  in  this  country  has  not  been  in  vain.  The  time  will  come 
 vhen  others  ma}-  reap  what  we  have  sown,  and  then  we  shall 
 rejoice  with  them  before  the  throne  of  the  Lamb.  This  prospect  in 
 our  darkest  hours  often  sweetens  the  bitterness  of  our  sufferings. 
 
 "  Mr.  Stern  is  still  bound,  as  also  the  English  Consul,  Cameron, 
 with  all  his  European  servants.  Mr.  Rosenthal  is  free,  and  lives 
 with  his  wife  and  child  near  them  ;  they  are  all  still  in  the  royal  camp 
 at  Gondar.  I,  with  my  dear  wife  and  two  children,  live  three  days' 
 journey  from  them,  in  Gafifat,  with  the  two  missionaries  of  the 
 Scotch  Society,  and  two  German  huntsmen.  Although  we  have  no 
 longer  chains  on  our  hands,  we  are  still  prisoners.  Communication 
 with  those  in  Gondar  has,  God  be  praised,  not  yet  been  cut  oft';  and 
 so  I  have  been  able  to  supply  them  from  hence  with  money,  medi- 
 cines, &c.,  which  is  a  great  mercy. 
 
 "  We  now  expect  every  day  the  arrival  of  a  letter  from  the  English 
 Government;  but  know  not  what  its  effects  will  be  to  us  ;  it  will 
 either  procure  our  liberation,  or  more  severe  imprisonment.  The 
 gentleman  who  came  here  with  me,  was  taken  ill  with  dysentery,  in 
 consequence  of  which  he  died  on  the  loth  of  April." 
 
 After  an  interval  of  several  months,  another  letter  from  INIr.  Flad, 
 written  from  Gaffat,  reached  the  Secretary  of  the  Society;  in  which 
 he  briefly  stated,  that,  since  he  last  had  the  opportunity  of  writing, 
 the  circumstances  of  the  Captives,  and  those  who  were  still  allowed 
 their  liberty,  had  not  improved.  He  related,  that  they  had,  during 
 the  rainy  season,  been  exposed  to  much  suffering,  and  that  it  was 
 marvellous  that  they  were  still  alive.  The  prisoners  he  described 
 as  being  removed  from  place  to  place,  wherever  the  camp  of  Theo- 
 dorus  was  pitched ;  and  that  the  impression  existed,  that  they  would 
 be  incarcerated  in  some  fort,  probably  that  of  IMagdala.  He 
 added:  "All  our  proselytes  have  followed  me  hither;  they  are  in 
 the  greatest  need  and  poverty,  having  been  robbed  of  all  their  pro- 
 perty. Some  have  in  consequence  been  brought  nearer  to  the 
 Lord,  and  now  willingly  and  patiently  bear  their  cross  ;  others,  on 
 the  contrary,  have  gone  on  the  road  to  destruction,  on  which  all 
 
England's  sorrow  and  supplications.  291 
 
 Abyssinian  Christians  walk;  they  have  left,  and  are  wandering 
 about  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  Those  who  are  still  here, 
 come  to  me  on  Sundays  to  the  Bible  Class.  Debtera  Beru  shows 
 himself  everywhere  as  a  light  shining  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and 
 perverse  generation.  INIay  the  Lord  preserve  him  by  His  grace, 
 and  richly  anoint  him  with  His  Holy  Spirit,  to  be  a  witness  of  His 
 great  love  and  grace." — At  the  same  time  a  letter  was  received, 
 which  INIr.  Stern  had  written  to  INIr.  Flad.  It  was  the  first  commu- 
 nication in  the  handwriting  of  the  most  prominent  among  the 
 sufferers.  As  such,  it  was  read  with  peculiar  interest  and  emotion. 
 "Your  last  lines  gave  us  some  hope  that  perhaps  in  a  few  months 
 our  sufferings  would  come  to  an  end,  but  this  hope  has  again 
 vanished.  The  Consul-General  will  no  doubt  send  back  a  friendly 
 letter.  God  can  deliver  us  all,  and  who  knows  if  the  time  is  not 
 nearer  than  we  think  for.  Let  us  all  be  earnest  and  diligent  in 
 prayer,  and  the  Lord  will  not  forsake  those  that  are  His.  Thanks 
 to  all  the  brethren  in  Gaffat,  for  their  endeavours  to  get  us  liber- 
 ated. When  you  send  to  Massowah,  kindly  write  to  my  wife  in  my 
 name — I  have  no  ink,  nor  heart  to  write  myself, — '  Do  not  despair, 
 but  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  in  His  own  time  we  shall  be  reunited. 
 I  have  suffered  a  martyr's  trials,  and  also  experienced  a  martyr's 
 consolation.  If  the  British  Government  act  wisely,  we  may  all  get 
 out ;  but  should  they  adopt  harsh  and  severe  measures,  the  conse- 
 quences will,  humanly  speaking,  be  serious.'  Tell  her  also,  that  she 
 and  my  dear  children,  are  never  absent  from  my  mind,  and  are 
 remembered  in  my  almost  hourly  intercessions  at  the  throne  of 
 grace." 
 
 During  this  time,  the  President  of  the  London  Society,  the  Earl 
 of  Shaftesbuiy,  had  with  ceaseless  assiduity  kept  up  communication, 
 personally  and  by  letter,  with  the  Foreign  Office ;  and  obtained  the 
 assurance,  that  the  IMissionaries  should  share  in  all  the  efforts 
 which  were  being  employed  for  the  release  of  the  British  Consul. 
 Thus  passed  away  many  a  weary  month  of  anxious  and  prayerful 
 suspense. 
 
CHAPTER    XXXVI. 
 
 MAGDALA. 
 
 The  last  communication  which  had  reached  the  Committee  of 
 the  London  Society,  had  conveyed  an  indistinct  impression  of  the 
 state  and  circumstances  of  the  prisoners.  It  was  clear  that  they 
 were  being  removed  from  place  to  place,  and  that  their  lives  and 
 health  were  exposed  to  incessant  risks  and  dangers.  But  a  pro- 
 found mystery  seemed  to  enshroud  the  causes  which  had  led  to 
 these  bitter  persecutions,  and  the  ground  on  which  they  were  so 
 relentlessly  continued.  Every  possible  scope  was  given  to  conjec- 
 ture, and  to  the  imagination.  But,  however  dismal  and  heartrending 
 were  the  pictures  thus  conjured  up  of  privation  and  suffering,  they 
 but  feebly  represented  the  extent  and  intensity  of  those  through 
 which  the  Captives  were  passing. 
 
 The  Lord  "  stayeth  His  rough  wind  in  the  day  of  his  east  wind" 
 — that  wind,  it  has  been  well  said,  is  "tempered  to  the  shorn  lamb." 
 However  difficult  of  access,  there  were  friends  in  the  country  ready 
 to-  minister  to  the  wants  of  the  prisoners.  We  have  seen  how 
 large-hearted  and  considerate  were  the  sympathies  and  help  of  the 
 Aboona.  When  Consul  Cameron  was  at  large,  he  used  every 
 means  for  conveying  to  Mr.  Stern  supplies  of  money  and  provisions;, 
 and  ]Mr.  Flad  was  continually  on  the  watch  in  order  to  attain  the 
 same  end.  Without  this,  there  is  little  doubt  that  Mr.  Stern,  and 
 some  of  his  fellow-sufterers,  would  have  perished.  The  secret 
 agents  who  were  employed  in  this  delicate  and  difficult  matter,  were 
 well  paid;  and  they  therefore  knew  that  it  was  for  their  own  advan- 
 tage that  the  lives  of  the  prisoners  should  be  preserved.     Succour 
 
MAG  I) ALA.  293 
 
 and  sympathy  were  in  a  measure  maintained,  and,  apart  from  the 
 coarse  and  insufficient  provisions  which  the  royal  commands  per- 
 mitted, clandestine  sources  of  more  nourishing  sustenance  were 
 mercifully  vouchsafed. 
 
 As  the  captives  were  dragged  from  one  point  to  another,  accom- 
 panying the  movements  of  the  restless  and  tyrannical  Monarch, 
 reports  would  be  of  frequent  recurrence  as  to  their  probable  fate 
 At  times  it  appeared  as  if  there  was  but  a  step  between  them  and 
 death,  and  at  other  times,  circumstantial  accounts  reached  them,  of 
 the  means  which  were  being  employed  in  order  to  bring  about 
 their  deliverance.  The  one  was  generally  as  unfounded  as  the 
 other.  Theodorus  had  no  intention  of  putting  his  prisoners  to 
 death.  Had  this  been  his  design,  the  wily  devices  of  Samuel  and 
 the  other  conspirators  would  have  ere  long  accomplished  it.  But 
 he  was  infatuated  with  the  idea,  that  both  among  his  own  subjects, 
 and  among  European  States,  his  greatness  and  glory  would  be 
 increased  by  dragging  at  his  chariot  wheels  these  few  defenceless 
 men.  The  whole  history  shows,  that,  however  much  he  might  at 
 times  have  inspired  hopes  of  their  release,  his  only  intention  had 
 been,  to  draw  more  securely  around  them  the  meshes  of  bondage 
 and  subjection. 
 
 Mr.  Stern  and  his  companions  had  vainly  hoped,  that  at  Debra 
 Tabor  they  would  be  released  from  their  fetters.  But  the  prayer- 
 fully desired  change  came  not — and  their  worst  fears  were  concen- 
 trated in  the  announcement,  that  they  were  to  be  removed  to  the 
 frowning  and  ill-reputed  fortress  of  Magdala.  They  had  heard 
 enough  of  its  history — of  the  wholesale  execution  and  death  of  its 
 inmates — to  know  that  most  of  those  who  entered  its  portals  gave 
 farewell  to  hope.  But  however  dismal  might  be  their  forebodings, 
 they  felt  that  underneath  were  "  the  Everlasting  arms;"  and  that  all 
 things  were  possible  to  Hijn,  who  ordereth  all  things  according  to 
 the  counsel  of  His  own  gracious  will. 
 
 "On  the  8th  (November,  1864)  we  quitted  Debra  Tabor,  the 
 goal  where  we  had  confidently  imagined  that  our  manacles  would 
 be  removed,  and  our  captivity  come  to  an  end.  Our  first  place  was 
 Jan  Meeda,  the  spot  where  the  late  Copt  Patriarch,  the  ambassador 
 of  the  Viceroy  of  Egypt,  was  incarcerated  by  the  artful  barbarian. 
 
294  MAG  D  ALA. 
 
 whose  smiles  and  suavity  ought  never  to  have  duped  a  white  man. 
 Here  Mr.  Waldemaier,  en  passant,  paid  us  a  flying  visit.  He  did 
 not  alight  from  his  horse  ;  and  the  noble  steed,  as  it  stood  neigh- 
 ing and  stamping  the  ground  outside  the  fence  in  which  we  were 
 shut  up,  conjured  up  to  our  minds  visions  of  freedom  and  liberty, 
 that  made  the  irons  burn  like  fire  around  the  wrists.  From  this  to 
 Magdala  is  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  which  a  native  can 
 easily  perform  in  five  days  ;  but,  although  we  were  mounted,  it  still 
 took  seven  days  to  traverse  that  distance.  The  mountains,  valleys, 
 and  deep  ravines,  clad  in  bright  verdure,  and  exhaling  at  the  slight- 
 est breath  a  balmy  fragrance,  would,  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
 have  ravished  the  senses  ;  but  suffering  had  dimmed  our  sight,  and 
 thrown  a  funereal  pall  over  these  matchless  scenes.  Villages  and 
 hamlets  we  saw  very  few,  the  puissant  King  had,  since  his  acces- 
 sion to  the  throne,  changed  the  aspect  of  these  lovely  regions,  and 
 transformed  plains  and  slopes,  once  the  abode  of  comfort  and 
 plenty,  into  wilds  and  deserts,  where  the  lion,  leopard,  and  hyena 
 roam  unscared.  Our  party,  which,  since  the  departure  from  Bege- 
 meder,  had  considerably  increased,  did  not  much  tend  to  beguile 
 the  fatigue  and  toil  of  the  route. 
 
 "  Our  fellow-criminals,  for  such,  whether  justly  or  unjustly,  they 
 were  '  reputed  to  be,'  experienced  even  still  harsher  treatment  than 
 their  white  companions ;  and  once,  after  halting,  to  our  horror,  they 
 had  to  form  an  acquaintance — though  only  a  slight  acquaintance — 
 with  the  torturing  rope. 
 
 "  The  Alpine  ranges  of  the  Wollo  Galla,  extending  in  fantastical 
 and  shapeless  masses  far  beyond  the  verge  of  the  horizon,  grew 
 more  and  more  conspicuous,  on  our  approach  to  the  flat-topped 
 rock  that  was  the  limit  of  our  journey.  Blazing  watch-fires,  those 
 primitive  beacons  to  proclaim  the  advance  of  the  foe,  in  eddying 
 clouds  rose  high  in  the  air,  giving  the  whole  scene  the  aspect  of  an 
 active  volcanic  region.  Descending  3,500  feet,  we  crossed  the 
 Beshilo,  which,  after  its  junction  with  the  Djiddah,  about  thirty 
 miles  farther  south,  debouches  into  the  Abai,  or  Blue  Nile.  From 
 thence,  the  road  lay  through  a  shady  defile,  flanked  on  both  sides 
 by  lofty  ranges,  which  shut  out  from  view  every  object  except  the 
 nebulous  sky;  which,  in  pity  to  the  worn-out  prisoners,  tempered 
 the  flaming  rays  of  a  tropical  sun.  Gradually  the  road  widened, 
 and  a  chaos  of  gigantic  piles,  heaved  up  by  a  terrible  convulsion, 
 in  majestic  confusion,  stood  out  in  bold  relief  towards  the  southern 
 horizon.  Threading  along  a  succession  of  almost  perpendicular 
 ascents,  we  at  last  reached  a  broad,  grassy  terrace,  sheltered  by  the 
 refreshing  gloom  of  Nature's  mighty  ramparts  ;  and  here,  to  our 
 delight,  we  were  ordered  to  dismount.  Our  servants,  who  had  some 
 provisions,  not  having  yet  arrived,  we  were  reduced  to  feast  on  the 
 pure  air,  which  in  fragrant  gusts  was  wafted  from  the  Galla  heights 
 across  our  camping-ground.  Mrs.  Rosenthal,  who  was  more  prcK- 
 vident  in  her  menage  than  her  neighbours,  kindly  sent  us  a  tin  of 
 
MAGDALA.  295 
 
 coftec,  which,  like  the  loving  cup,  circulated  from  hand  to  hand,  till 
 it  was  drained  to  the  very  dregs.  The  following  day  we  remained 
 encamped,  and  then  once  more  mounted  our  mules,  to  scale  the 
 steep  sides  of  the  lofty  Amba. 
 
 "Climbing  about  looo  feet  more,  we  came  to  Salamige,  a  dell 
 hemmed  in  to  the  west  by  a  flat-topped  rock,  called  Salasie ;  and 
 another,  opposite  to  the  south-east,  bearing  the  distinguished  name 
 of  Amha  Jl/agda/a.  On  this  spot,  we  found  all  the  state  prisoners, 
 in  number  about  two  hundred,  awaiting  the  royal  mandate  to  pro- 
 ceed to  their  isolated  Amba  home.  Placed  between  files  of  troops, 
 clad  in  their  holiday  garbs,  many  a  painful  spasm,  shot  through  the 
 heart  on  reflecting  on  the  past,  and  in  contemplating  the  future.  A 
 group  of  Chiefs  in  their  flaunting  rainbow-coloured  shirts  now  came 
 running  towards  us,  and  instantly  the  whole  party  was  in  motion. 
 Many  a  sinister,  black  visage  was  turned  upon  us,  and  many  an  ill- 
 boding  sentence  was  uttered  against  us,  as  we  were  driven  through 
 a  narrow  gap  up  into  the  dreaded  fortress.  That  his  Majesty  had  been 
 bragging  about  his  European  Captives,  was  evident  from  the  deport- 
 ment of  the  wild  hordes  ;  and  this  idea,  which  was  uppermost  in 
 the  minds  of  a  few  of  us,  did  not  tend  to  soothe  the  agony  of  the 
 lacerated  heart.  Gasping  and  panting,  we  at  length  emerged  out 
 of  a  rude,  strong  gateway,  on  to  the  summit  of  the  Amba.  Again  a 
 short  halt  was  ordered,  and  then  once  more  all  hurried  forward, 
 towards  a  collection  of  sugar-loafed  huts — the  dwellings  of  his 
 Majesty's  Court.  All,  in  a  twinkle,  lay  prostrate  in  the  dust ;  but 
 the  profound  obeisance,  instead  of  meeting  a  response,  remained 
 unnoticed  amidst  the  boisterous  shouts  for  arackee.  The  male- 
 factors and  their  servile  guards  paused  ;  but,  as  the  Negoos 
 indulged  in  his  orgies,  we  were  driven  on  to  our  lodging — the 
 prison." 
 
 Within  the  natural  ramparts  of  this  terrible  fortress,  Theodorus 
 
 was  encamped.      The  extensive  plateau  afforded  ample  space  for 
 
 the  reception  of  a  considerable  force,  and  for  the  huts  and  other 
 
 miserable  receptacles,   into  which  the  prisoners  of  all  kinds  were 
 
 packed  and  chained. 
 
 "  Exiled  to  an  isolated  rock,  in  the  midst  of  a  strange  people, 
 and  in  an  inhospitable  land,  our  position  compelled  us  to  banish  all 
 vain  regrets,  in  which  sorrow  loves  to  indulge.  Impatience  might 
 have  increased,  but  could  not  mitigate,  our  misery ;  and  visions  of 
 a  happy  past  would  only  have  deepened,  and  not  softened,  the 
 gloom  of  the  terrible  present.  We  were  prisoners,  and,  with  all  the 
 energy  we  could  muster,  we  struggled  against  the  troubles  and  diffi- 
 culties of  our  sorrowful  existence.  The  great  object  which,  on 
 nearing  our  Amba  home,  engaged  our  thoughts,  was  the  place 
 where  we  should  be  confined.  In  the  camp  and  on  the  march  we 
 had,  if  not  a  real  tent,  something  of  an  apology  for  one;    but  now 
 
296  MAGDALA. 
 
 we  were  to  be  stationary,  and  the  question  naturally  enough  sug- 
 gested itself  to  every  one — '  Where  will  be  our  home  ?'  The  com- 
 mon gaol,  surrounded  by  a  thorny  fence,  contained  only  two  cir- 
 cular-shaped huts,  and  these,  it  was  evident,  would  barely  suffice  to 
 accommodate  our  two  hundred  fellow-prisoners,  even  if  the  fifty 
 who  occupied  them  on  our  arrival,  had  their  vainly  cherished  hopes 
 of  liberation  verified.  Intently  we  watched  the  proceedings  of  the 
 Chiefs,  who,  in  undeviating  order,  handed  their  important  charge 
 ■over  to  the  Amba  authorities.  Rulers  of  provinces  who  had  unsuc- 
 cessfully fought  for  their  independence  took  the  precedence  ;  ne.xt 
 followed  hereditary  Chiefs  of  districts  ;  then  obnoxious  governors, 
 suspected  military  commanders  ;  and  finally  common  rebels,  thieves, 
 murderers,  and  all  sorts  of  rabble.  The  poor  Frendjoj,  as  the 
 lowest  of  the  low,  held  by  their  chains,  were  last  of  all  led  through 
 the  rickety  but  well-guarded  door.  Liq  INIaquas  Gedana  INIiriam, 
 the  commandant  of  the  Amba,  and  a  relation  of  the  King,  gave  us 
 a  contemptuous  glance,  on  being  consigned  to  his  care,  and  then 
 hurried  off  with  all  the  great  Chiefs  to  announce  to  his  drunken 
 master  that  the  prisoners  were  all  landed,  lodged,  and  safe  in  the 
 gaol.  It  is  said  that  there  is  no  pleasure  without  an  admixture  of 
 pain,  and  no  sorrow  without  an  ingredient  of  comfort.  This  experi- 
 ence taught  us  during  our  first  night's  residence  in  our  new  convict 
 .settlement.  We  were  vexed  and  irritated  that  white  men  who  had 
 committed  no  offence  should  be  condemned  to  herd  with  a  lot  of 
 hardened  native  criminals,  in  the  cold  open  air.  The  account, 
 however,  which  the  occupants  of  the  house  gave  us  next  morning 
 of  their  night's  rest  removed  all  soreness  and  heart-burning,  and  we 
 were  more  than  content  to  be  ranked  with  the  basest  of  King 
 Theodorus's  subjects. 
 
 "  In  the  afternoon,  the  royal  blacksmiths  and  their  assistants 
 •came  to  the  gaol,  and  began  their  pleasant  task  of  hammering  on 
 the  foot  chains,  which  on  the  journey  had  been  removed.  Some  of 
 the  old  prisoners  on  the  Amba  had  fetters  both  around  the  wrists 
 and  the  ankles,  which  made  us  fear  that  this  double  torture  would 
 also  be  inflicted  on  the  new  batch  of  convicts.  Our  apprehensions 
 were  groundless.  His  Majesty  had  not  yet  entirely  thrown  ofi"  all 
 restraints,  and  become  that  merciless  fiend  into  which  he  degener- 
 ated a  few  months  later.  He  had  still  a  great  part  of  the  country, 
 and  a  large  army,  whose  fidelity  he  was  loth  to  forfeit  by  any  wan- 
 ton acts  of  cruelty  towards  Chiefs,  who,  though  they  were  prisoners, 
 had  many  powerful  friends  and  numerous  adherents.  It  is  true  he 
 might  have  been  indulgent  towards  the  incarcerated  aristocrat  and 
 severe  towards  the  plebeian,  but  as  this  would  have  proved  an 
 odious  and  questionable  distinction,  all,  without  regard  to  rank 
 and  crime,  had  the  fetters  wrenched  off"  the  wrists,  and  shackles 
 fastened  around  the  legs.  The  operation  occupied  three  complete 
 days,  and  even  then  the  task  would  not  have  been  accomplished, 
 had  not  a  band  of  volunteers  aided  the  sweating  royal  blacksmiths," 
 
MAGDALA.  297 
 
 On  November  25th,  1864,  the  King  and  his  army  quitted  the 
 environs  of  INIagdala.  Although  the  precautions  habitually  taken 
 by  the  Governor  and  guards,  indicated,  that  there  would  be  no  relaxa- 
 tion of  the  restraints  and  hardships  to  which  the  Captives  were 
 continually  subject ;  there  was  some  relief  in  the  consciousness,  that 
 the  presence  of  the  hated  tyrant  had  been  withdrawn. 
 
 "  The  departure  of  the  King  removed  the  air  of  depression  which 
 had  rested  on  our  prison,  and  all  looked,  if  not  content,  yet 
 resigned.  Condemned  without  law,  and  incarcerated  without  any 
 hope  of  release,  the  majority  of  these  victims  of  tyranny  and  oppres- 
 sion tried  more  or  less,  according  to  their  means,  to  mitigate  their 
 hapless  condition  by  procuring  those  comforts  which  their  circum- 
 stances permitted.  Thus,  some  immediately  commenced  building 
 huts  ;  others  prepared  the  favourite  hydromel.  Here,  sat  a  group 
 busily  engaged  in  mending  their  tattered  rags,  which  the  journey 
 had  not  improved  ;  and  there,  squatted  a  half-score,  nimblv  plying 
 their  fingers  to  unmat  their  bushy  wigs,  ere  the  detestable  layer  of 
 butter  glittered  and  sparkled  on  the  stiif-twisted  plaits.  We  tried 
 to  imitate  the  example  of  our  companions  ;  and  whilst  some  pro- 
 cured materials  to  build  huts  where  they  might  pass  the  day  outside 
 the  prison,  the  rest,  myself  among  the  number,  improvised  an  awn- 
 ing, which  we  attached  to  the  eaves  of  the  prison,  and  there,  whiled 
 away  our  time,  in  converse  with  Ethiopia's  most  notorious  vagabonds 
 and  ruffians. 
 
 "  The  daring  character  of  the  houseless  criminals  frightened  the 
 guards,  and,  after  many  consultations — for  without  counsels  and 
 joint  responsibility,  under  the  suspicious  rule  of  Theodoras,  nothing 
 could  be  attempted — it  was  decided  to  erect  another  house  for  the 
 night  accommodation  of  the  unsheltered  and  dangerous  class,  to 
 which  we  belonged.  With  horror  we  saw  the  heaps  of  poles, 
 sticks,  and  bamboos  swell  before  our  eyes.  It  was  bad  enough  to 
 be  in  the  narrow  compound  of  our  uncovered,  foul  prison,  but  to  be 
 shut  up  in  a  close  hut,  and  to  be  compelled  to  inhale  a  pestilential 
 atmosphere,  appeared  to  us  the  acme  of  misery.  We  spoke  to  our 
 guards,  and  in  most  coaxing  terms  entreated  them  to  exempt  us 
 from  the  horrors  of  the  new  dormitory.  Two  kindly  promised  to 
 befriend  us,  but  the  rest  justly  remarked  :  '  The  Negoos  charged  us 
 to  guard  your  person,  and  not  to  watch  over  your  health  and  com- 
 fort. If  you  die  we  shall  not  be  blamed,  but  if  you  escape  we  lose 
 our  heads.'  It  was  of  no  use  to  represent  to  them  that  we  had  no 
 wings  to  fly  out  of  the  Amba,  nor  claws  to  climb  over  perpendicular 
 precipices  ;  they  dreaded  our  skill,  and  neither  entreaties  nor  argu- 
 ments were  of  any  avail.  In  a  week  the  house  was  finished,  and  a 
 little  before  sunset  all,  not  already  domiciled,  were  driven  pell  mell 
 into  it. 
 
290  MAGDALA. 
 
 "  Our  native  companions  and  associates,  in  anticipation  of  a 
 scramble,  installed  themselves  in  their  different  places  early  in  the 
 afternoon,  long  before  the  usual  hour  for  muster  ;  and  the  close  quar- 
 ters they  occupied  gave  us  a  glimmer  of  hope  that  the  densely-packed 
 hut,  which  rendered  every  accession  to  its  numbers  impossible, 
 would  be  more  gracious  to  us  than  the  guards.  We  were  deceived. 
 Crowded  in  every  nook  and  corner,  the  eight  Frendjoj,  despite  all 
 protestations,  had  to  squeeze  themselves  in  among  the  heaving  and 
 fighting,  the  squabbling  and  shouting  mass.  We  were  now  eighty- 
 one  prisoners,  in  a  house  scarcely  large  enough  to  accommodate, 
 with  anything  approximating  to  comfort,  a  fourth  part  of  that  num- 
 ber. McKelvey,  whom  we  emphatically  designated  '  U enfant  ter- 
 }ible,'  gave  the  key-note  of  a  boisterous  altercation.  '  Tabaguee 
 be  Janehoi  mout  ('  Guards,  by  the  death  of  the  King')  give  us  a 
 place  where  to  lie.'  The  embarrassed  watchmen  did  not  dare  to 
 close  their  ears  to  such  an  adjuration,  and  indisposed  as  they 
 appeared  to  be,  they  had  to  attend  to  the  summons.  *  Move  your 
 vile  carcase,  you  murderer;  get  up,  you  rascally  thief;  draw  up 
 your  knife-doomed  legs,  you  cowardly  deserter  !'  resounded  far 
 above  the  hum  and  din  of  the  fettered  throng,  from  the  stentorian 
 throats  of  half-a-dozen  tabaguees,  accompanied  by  the  rattle  of  the 
 long,  knotty  sticks,  that  fell  discordantly  on  the  chains  and  skulls 
 of  the  unyielding,  closely-wedged  crowd.  By  dint  of  menace  and 
 blows,  a  small  space  was  at  last  cleared,  which  enabled  us  to  squat 
 down.  We  had  now  to  arrange  the  position  in  which  we  intended 
 to  sleep.  This  was  indispensable,  to  obviate  a  disagreeable  col- 
 lision. 
 
 "  Some  thought,  that  rational  beings  invariably  slept  on  the  right 
 side ;  others,  on  the  contrary,  maintained  that  since  they  first 
 opened  their  eyes  to  the  light  of  day,  they  had  always  slept  on  the 
 left.  A  little  discussion,  however,  settled  this  difficulty,  and  all 
 unanimously  agreed  to  follow  the  example  of  the  majority.  The 
 intention  was  good,  and  had  it  merely  depended  on  immobility,  our 
 comfortless  nights  might  have  glided  on  in  perfect  harmony.  Unfor- 
 tunately, now  and  then,  one  or  the  other  got  tired  of  that  forced 
 method  of  repose,  and,  forgetful  of  the  conditions  imposed,  veered 
 round  and  rolled  on  his  angry,  and  sometimes  half  smothered  and 
 gasping  neighbour.  These  incidents  produced  a  little  hilarity,  but 
 did  not  effectually  mar  our  unity.  Such,  however,  was  not  the  result 
 of  an  accidental  encounter  with  the  slumbering  groups  at  our  feet. 
 Accustomed  to  a  putrescent  atmosphere,  and  indifferent  about  future 
 contingencies,  the  poor  fellows  grunted  and  snored  on  their  hard 
 stone  pillows  as  if  they  reposed  on  beds  of  down.  Disgusted  with 
 the  discordant  noise  and  the  crippling  posture,  the  restless  Frendjoj 
 would  now  and  then,  to  obtain  a  little  comfort,  stretch  their  limbs 
 beyond  the  legitimate  limit  of  five  feet.  Instantly  there  was  a  shout 
 and  a  protest,  'the  rattle  of  clanking  fetters,  and  the  sound  of  a  ham- 
 mering stone.     Knocks  and  kicks,  threats  and  abuse,  in  boisterous 
 
MAGDALA.  299 
 
 confusion,  reverberated  through  the  cUmly-lightcd  prison.  In  a 
 few  minutes,  the  shackled  combatants  were  hors  dc  combat,  and,  at 
 the  intercessions  of  friends,  ready  to  conclude  an  armistice,  which 
 restricted  the  skull  and  feet  of  the  belligerents  within  proper 
 bounds,  if  not  for  ever,  at  least  till  dawn  of  day.  A  fortnight  we 
 had  endured  the  horrors  of  this  swarming,  suffocating,  and  loath- 
 some dormitory.  During  this  interval  we  became  intimate  with 
 most  of  the  guards,  which  removed  their  apprehensions  about  our 
 supernatural  skill  ;  and  we  obtained  full  permission  to  sleep  under 
 the  awning  outside  the  gaol.  This  favour  was  highly  appreciated, 
 and,  when  we  had  the  means,  substantially  acknowledged.  Our 
 hours,  days,  and  weeks,  if  not  broken  by  an  occasional  squabble,  or 
 some  other  disagreeable  exhibition,  glided  on  in  wearisome  and 
 unrelieved  monotony. 
 
 "  Like  our  native  comrades,  we  often  imagined  that  our  shackles-' 
 would  speedily  drop,  our  prison  open,  and  the  captive  exile  hasten 
 away  to  freedom  and  home.  The  sanguine  and  imaginative  Ethi- 
 opian, more  than  the  cool,  deliberate,  and  reflecting  Frendjoj,  was- 
 always  building  castles  in  the  air.  For  months  and  months  delight- 
 ful sunny  pictures,  never,  perhaps,  to  be  realized,  danced  before  his 
 eyes.  Suddenly,  a  whisper  circulated  through  the  crowded  huts,, 
 which  shaded  every  face,  and  imparted  an  air  of  desolation  to  the 
 careworn,  swarthy  countenances.  The  messenger  of  evil  had  arrived, 
 and,  without  any  previous  intimation,  hint,  or  warning,  the  deluded 
 'prisoners  of  hope'  were  dragged  away  in  dozens,  and  hurried — for 
 the  King's  behest  must  be  promptly  executed — shriftless  and  un- 
 prepared, into  eternity.  Frequently  did  I  hear  the  guilty  and  inno- 
 cent dilating,  in  glowing  colours,  on  the  future  ;  when,  lo  1  and 
 behold  !  instead  of  thongs  and  poles  to  wrench  off  the  heavy  irons, 
 there  gleamed  over  their  devoted  heads  the  sword  and  spear — the 
 symbols  of  their  woeful  doom.  Such  sad  and  harrowing  sights 
 damped  the  ardour  of  the  courageous,  and  filled  with  dismay  the 
 timid." 
 
 •  While  the  Captives  were  passing  through  these  tribulations,  other 
 events    occurred    in    Abyssinia,    which    excited    the    blood-thirsty- 
 vengeance  of  the  tyrant,  and  were  step  by  step  undermining  his  ■ 
 authority  in  his  own  kingdom.     His  attack  on  the  territory  of  the 
 Wollo-Gallas,  his  indiscriminate  slaughter  of  the  inhabitants,  and' 
 the  unrelenting  eagerness  with  which  he  laid  waste  the  country,  and . 
 burnt   the   villages,  were  all  graphically  described  by  Mr.   Stern. 
 Memilek,  the  heir-apparent  to  the  throne  of  Shoa,  had  for  some  time 
 been  a  prisoner  at  large  in  the  Court  of  Abyssinia.     He  managed 
 to  effect  his  escape,  and  with  considerable  difficulty  reached  the 
 territory  of  the  Wollo-Gallas.     In  consequence  of  this,  every  Galla 
 
300 
 
 MAG  DAL  A. 
 
 prisoner  at  Magdala  was  slaughtered  ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  the 
 remonstrances  of  the  principal  men,  the  Christian  prisoners  would 
 have  shared  in  the  same  fate.  But  the  irritated  monarch  could  not 
 repress  the  angry  passions  which  agitated  his  soul.  The  Aboona 
 was  at  that  time  at  Magdala,  at  which  place  Mr.  Stern,  it  will  be 
 remembered,  had  offered  if  necessary  to  join  him,  when  he 
 w^as  his  own  master.  Theodorus  saw,  at  this  juncture,  the  Bishop 
 seated  quietly  before  his  house.  "  Leaping  out  of  his  saddle,  the 
 infuriated  Monarch  sprang  forward,  and,  with  a  quivering  spear, 
 confronted  the  calm  and  undaunted  pontiff.  '  Monk  !'  was  the 
 polite  salutcition,  '  why  did  you  not  come  out  and  absolve  me  ?'  '  I 
 saw  your  face  stained  with  l)lood,'  was  the  laconic  reply,  '  and  had 
 no  inclination  to  intrude  on  your  presence.'  The  altercation  grew 
 every  moment  more  loud  and  animated.  The  King  called  the 
 Bishop  'traitor,'  and  the  Bishop  the  King  '  diabolos."  Words  led  to 
 threats,  and  threats  almost  to  blows.  Weary  of  the  wordy  strife, 
 the  brave  and  fearless  Primate  dashed  aside  his  veil,  and,  baring 
 his  neck,  summoned  the  executioner  to  execute  the  despot's  fell 
 design.  Touched  by  the  sight  of  their  unshaken  and  death-court- 
 ing Aboona,  who  stood  before  them  like  a  venerated  saint  of  the 
 calendar,  hurling  heaven's  wrath  and  judgment  on  scorning  unbe- 
 lievers ;  the  fickle  and  superstitious  multitude,  fresh  from  the  field  of 
 slaughter,  cast  themselves  before  the  Monarch  and  supplicated  his 
 clemency.  Mute  with  surprise,  the  baffled  tyrant,  who  expected  to 
 see  a  meek  and  not  defiant  churchman ;  with  affected  scorn,  said  ; 
 'Well,  since  he  wants  to  die,  let  him  live  ;  but  write  down  his  pro- 
 perty, and  guard  him.' 
 
 "Disgusted  with  the  proud  attitude  of  the  Aboona,  the  irritated 
 Monarch  cast  his  vicious  glance  towards  the  gaol,  where  he  knew 
 he  could,  unopposed,  extort  tears  of  blood  from  the  victims  of  his 
 violence.  Hitherto,  most  of  the  INIagdala  prisoners,  ourselves 
 among  the  number,  had  only  fetters  attached  to  their  ankles  ; 
 but  now,  at  the  behest  of  his  Majesty,  the  right  hand  was  fastened 
 by  a  chain  about  eight  inches  long,  to  the  legs,  and  in  this  crippled 
 and  doubled-up  posture,  all  the  prisoners  were  condemned  to  spend, 
 according  to  the  tyrant's  expectation,  the  remainder  of  the  wretched 
 days  of  their  life." 
 
MAGDALA.  3°! 
 
 The  tempest  which  raged,  fell  again  on  the  heads  of  the  innocent 
 Captives,  and  their  life  of  woe  became  more  burdensome  and 
 afflictive. 
 
CHAPTER    XXXVII. 
 
 ENGLISH    SYMPATHY    AND    ENGLISH    EFFORT. 
 
 The  agitation  and  anxiety,  which  the  first  tidings  of  Mr.  Stern's 
 sufferings  and  imprisonment  had  occasioned,  increased  day  by  day. 
 It  was  natural  that  his  relatives,  and  those  of  the  other  prisoners, 
 should  appeal  to  the  British  Government,  as  the  channel  through 
 which  alone  any  effective  steps  might  be  taken  for  their  deliverance. 
 People  who  had  lived  in  the  East,  and  who  were  acquainted  with 
 those  agencies  by  which  Abyssinia  had  been  reached  and  influenced 
 in  former  years,  were  prolific  in  their  advice  and  suggestions  as  to 
 the  means  by  which  this  might  be  now  done.  The  Coptic  Patriarch 
 at  Cairo — Bishop  Gobat  at  Jerusalem — or  others  who  had  personal 
 relations  with  King  Theodorus,  were  spoken  of  as  possessing  the 
 key,  by  which  the  door  of  deliverance  might  be  opened.  But  as 
 intelligence  found  its  way  through  the  well-guarded  confines  of  the 
 semi-barbarous  country,  to  this  and  other  lands,  it  became  more 
 and  more  evident  that  such  agencies  were  powerless.  The  accounts 
 which  occasionally  reached  England,  indicated,  that  from  the  hands 
 of  bandits,  whose  purpose  might  be  moved  by  gold,  there  would  be 
 a  greater  possibility  of  delivering  the  Captives,  than  from  the  grasp 
 of  Theodorus  of  Abyssinia. 
 
 But  as  long  as  a  gleam  of  light  illumined  the  dark  prospect,  sug- 
 gestions and  efforts  continued  to  be  made.  Among  the  most  fervid 
 and  energetic  were  those  of  Dr.  Beke,  who  had  spent  some  years  in 
 Abyssinia,  and  had  acquired  considerable  knowledge  of  the  country  and 
 the  people.  He  confidently  believed,  that,  if  sufficiently  provided  with 
 the  means  of  approaching  the  despot,  so  as  to  treat  him  with  the 
 
ENGLISH    SYMPATHY   AND    ENGLISH    EFFORT.  303 
 
 honour  which  he  demanded,  he  would  be  enabled  to  obtain  the 
 pardon  and  release  of  the  Captives.  But  he  was  at  that  time  uncon- 
 scious of  the  incalculable  changes  which  had  passed  over  the 
 country.  Had  he  and  others  known,  how  the  once  promising  and 
 autocratic  Ruler,  had  become  the  most  relentless  and  sanguinary- 
 barbarian,  he  would  have  understood,  that  all  that  he  could  expect, 
 had  he  ventured  into  Al^yssinia,  would  have  been  a  share  in  the 
 captivity  and  sufferings  of  others. 
 
 When,  however,  there  seemed  little  probability  of  any  active 
 effort  on  the  part  of  the  British  Government,  the  relatives  and 
 friends  of  the  sufferers  determined  to  appeal  for  help,  in  order  that 
 Dr.  Beke  might  be  enabled  to  enter  upon  this  hazardous  under- 
 taking. More  than  two  thousand  pounds  were  contributed  from 
 various  friends,  suitable  presents  were  prepared  for  Theodorus,  and 
 Dr.  Beke  prepared  to  take  his  departure  on  this  most  unpromising 
 mission.  He  proceeded  as  far  as  Massowah,  at  which  port  INIr. 
 Rassam,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  had  already  arrived ;  and  had 
 opened  negociations  with  Theodorus,  for  permission  to  enter  Abys- 
 sinia. This  barred  the  onward  progress  of  Dr.  Beke,  and  occa- 
 sioned considerable  disappointment.  But  "hope"  never  dies. 
 Even  under  the  most  unfavourable  circumstances,  it  is  the  cheering 
 minister,  who  whispers,  that  out  of  the  most  impenetrable  gloom 
 light  may  arise.  ]\Iany  loving  and  anxious  hearts,  therefore,  still 
 looked  upon  this  project,  with  confidence  and  sanguine  expectation. 
 
 The  days  and  weeks,  as  they  passed,  brought  with  them  new 
 counsels  and  new  difficulties.  The  Secretariat  at  the  Foreign 
 Office  were  perplexed.  They  lived  in  the  ambiguous  hope,  that  by 
 some  preternatural  event  the  enigma  might  be  solved.  This  will  be 
 seen  from  the  following  data,  which  relate  to  the  various  official 
 and  personal  efforts  which  were  employed  at  that  time. 
 
 The  London  Committee  wrote  as  follows : — "  It  has  appeared  to 
 the  Committee,  throughout  these  distressing  proceedings,  that,  the 
 conduct  of  King  Theodorus  being  based  upon  political  considera- 
 tions with  which  our  Government  only  could  deal,  they  ought  not 
 to  interfere  by  any  independent  action,  so  long  as  the  Government 
 were  making  all  reasonable  efforts  to  accomplish  the  liberation  of 
 the  Captives.     It  has  not  always  been  practicable  to  ascertain  the 
 
304  ENGLISH    SYMPATHY   AND    ENGLISH    EFFORT. 
 
 exact  State  of  things,  though  the  Committee  have  from  time  to  time 
 received  sulhcient  information  to  assure  them,  that  the  desired 
 object  had  not  been  abandoned  by  Government.  They  have  now 
 been  distinctly  informed,  through  a  letter  from  Earl  Russell  to  their 
 President,  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  that  Mr.  Rassam  is  instructed  to 
 proceed  with  his  mission,  King  Theodorus  having  invited  Mr. 
 Rassam  to  visit  him.  The  Committee  feel  that  this  being  the  case, 
 it  is  their  duty  to  hold  back  from  any  independent  action,  till  the 
 result  of  Mr.  Rassam's  mission  is  ascertained.  If  the  measures  of 
 Government  fail,  such  a  result  would  place  the  whole  question  on 
 totally  different  grounds.  An  independent  appeal  to  the  compassion 
 of  the  King  by  a  private  agent,  or  such  other  measure  as  might  be 
 available,  must  then  be  resorted  to." 
 
 Lord  Shaftesbury  had  frequent  communication  with  Earl  Russell 
 on  the  subject,  and  conveyed  to  him  a  petition  from  Mrs.  Stern — 
 "  praving  that  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  might  be  graciously  pleased 
 to  write  to  King  Theodorus  on  behalf  of  the  unfortunate  Captives. 
 Earl  Russell  stated  that,  after*  much  consideration,  he  had  come  to 
 the  conclusion,  that  he  ought  not  to  advise  the  Queen  to  write  to 
 the  King  of  Abyssinia  ;  but  gave  the  assurance  that  every  possible 
 means  should  be  used  to  obtain  the  release  of  Mr.  Stern  and  his 
 fellow-prisoners."  On  the  28th  of  July  (1865)  "  Mr.  Purday,  father- 
 in-law  to  Mr.  Stern,  had  an  interview  with  the  Committee,  and  laid 
 before  them  a  memorial  to  Earl  Russell,  which  it  was  proposed 
 should  be  signed  by  the  relatives  of  all  the  Captives.  To  this  the 
 Committee  saw  no  objection,  and  the  petition  was  accordingly  for- 
 warded." These  private  negociations,  and  attempts  to  carry  out 
 some  policy,  which  might  effect  the  greatly-desired  result,  were 
 proceeding  pari-passu,  with  the  hesitating  plans  and  irresolute  pro- 
 jects of  the  Foreign  Office.  "Early  in  September,  1864,  it  was 
 announced  that  IMr.  Rassam,  Her  Majesty's  Consul  at  Aden,  was 
 entrusted  with  the  conveyance  of  a  letter  from  Her  Majesty  the 
 Queen,  to  the  King  of  Abyssinia.  On  this  mission,  Mr.  Rassam 
 arrived  at  INIassowah,  on  the  Red  Sea,  about  the  20th  of  August, 
 1864,  and  was  detained  there  until  the  month  of  August,  1865,  in 
 daily  expectation  of  receiving  an  invitation  from  the  King  to  pro- 
 ceed to  his  Court,  under  the  promise  of  a  safe  conduct,  with  Her 
 
ENGLISH    SYMPATHY   AND    ENGLISH    EFFORT.  305. 
 
 Majesty's  letter.  During  his  detention  at  Massowah,  Mr.  Rassam 
 did  not  omit  any  effort  to  procure  tidings  of  the  Captives.  In  July, 
 1865, — following  upon  a  discussion  in  Parliament, — the  Govern- 
 ment saw  fit  to  nominate  Mr.  Palgrave  on  a  Special  Mission  from 
 the  Queen  to  King  Theodorus,  with  instructions  to  proceed  to  Abys- 
 sinia, vicl  Egypt  and  Matamma,  without  interfering  with  Mr.  Ras- 
 sam's  Mission.  Renewed  assurances  were  at  the  same  time  obtained 
 from  the  Government,  that  the  captive  missionaries  should  not  be 
 forgotten." 
 
 On  the  5th  of  September  of  the  same  year,  it  was  announced 
 in  the  public  papers,  and  confirmed  at  the  Foreign  Olfice,  that 
 Consul  Cameron  had  been  liberated  from  his  chains,  and  that 
 ]\Ir.  Rassam  had  received  an  invitation  from  King  Theodorus  to 
 proceed  to  his  Court.  It  was  added  that  Mr.  Rassam  was  at  Cairo 
 awaiting  instructions  from  Her  Majesty's  Government.  In  reply  to 
 Lord  Shaftesbury,  Earl  Russell  wrote  on  October  1 6th,  that,  as 
 King  Theodorus  had  invited  Mr.  Rassam  to  his  Court,  he  had  been 
 ordered  to  proceed  thither,  Mr.  Palgrave  being  directed  to  wait  in 
 Egypt,  until  his  Lordship  knew  the  result  of  Mr.  Rassam's  Mission. 
 
 It  may  be  here  observed,  that  both  these  gentlemen,  with  regard 
 to  whose  mission  this  vacillating  course  was  pursued  by  the  Govern- 
 ment, were  persons  of  great  ability,  and  possessing  much  diplo- 
 matic experience.  Mr.  Palgrave  had  been  a  great  deal  in  the  East, 
 and  had  successfully  accomplished  some  very  hazardous  journeys  in 
 INIahommedan  countries.  Mr.  Rassam  was  also  a  person  of  great  tact 
 and  experience,  and  necessarily  well  acquainted  with  the  character  and 
 habits  of  the  natives  of  Eastern  lands.  But  in  the  eyes  of  most  persons, 
 INIr.  Palgrave,  being  a  European,  had  the  advantage  over  Mr. 
 Rassam,  who  was  an  Armenian  by  birth.  It  will  sufficiently 
 appear,  how  important  it  was  at  that  juncture,  that  England 
 should  be  represented  by  an  Englishman,  Mhen  the  following 
 extract  from  a  letter  received  by  Mrs.  Stern,  from  the  British  Con- 
 sul at  Cairo,  dated  Sept.  27th,  1865,  is  given: — "I  had  been  in 
 hopes  that  I  should  have  had  the  satisfaction  to  announce  to  you 
 the  departure  of  Mr.  Palgrave  for  Abyssinia,  through  whom  we  had 
 every  confidence  that  the  liberation  of  the  Abyssinian  captives 
 would  have   been  effected.      Now,   however,    matters    have  taken 
 
306  ENGLISH    SYMPATHY   AND    ENGLISH    EFFORT. 
 
 another  course,  by  the  sudden  arrival  of  Mr.  Rassam  in  Egypt,  with 
 the  astounding  announcement  that  the  King  had  invited  him  to 
 Gondar  ;  but  the  letter  being  neither  sealed  nor  signed,  it  seems  to 
 me  anything  but  a  positive  assurance  that  Mr.  Rassam  would  be 
 ■welcomed  by  the  King.  Mr.  Rassam  is,  however,  convinced  that 
 there  can  be  no  treachery  in  the  matter,  and  has  returned  to  INIas- 
 sowah,  from  whence  he  will  start,  the  middle  of  next  month,  for 
 Matamma  and  Abyssinia.  I  cannot  conceal  from  you,  that  reports 
 of  a  recent  date,  from  the  German  ^Missionaries  in  those  parts,  to 
 the  Mission  at  Jerusalem,  state,  that  the  King  was  still  loth  to  set 
 poor  Mr.  Stern  and  Mr.  Rosenthal  free  ;  but  said,  if  he  received  the 
 answer  from  the  English  in  a  proper  way,  there  would  be  no  objec- 
 tion to  set  Stern  free.  Hence  I  regret  much  that  Mr.  Palgrave  has 
 not  been  allowed  to  proceed  on  his  journey.  I  still  hope,  however, 
 that  the  last  reports  sent  home,  will  induce  the  Government  to 
 re-order  Mr.  Palgrave  to  proceed,  for  there  is  no  doubt  the  King 
 feels  hurt  that  an  Englishman  was  not  entrusted  with  the  Queen's 
 letter.  I  must,  however,  say,  that  Mr.  Rassam  feels  confident  that 
 when  he  is  received  by  the  King,  he  will  effect  the  release  of  Mr. 
 Stern  and  Mr.  Rosenthal."  However,  Mr.  Rassam  proceeded, 
 according  to  his  instructions,  to  Massowah  ;  there,  as  events 
 showed,  to  await  for  more  than  a  year,  the  solicited  safe-conduct  of 
 the  despot  to  enter  his  dominions. 
 
 Letters  from  Mr.  Stern,  and  the  other  prisoners,  found  their  way 
 to  the  coast  at  long  intervals.  The  services  of  persons  had  been 
 secured,  who,  doubtless  encouraged  by  the  liberal  rewards  which 
 they  received,  were  willing  to  encounter  the  risks  connected  with 
 the  conveyance  of  these  letters  to  Massowah. 
 
 A  long  letter,  painfully  interesting,  and  containing  a  confirmation 
 
 of  all  tlie  distressing  incidents  already  narrated,  was  addressed  to 
 
 his  beloved  wife,  from  Amba  Magdala,  in  April,  1865. 
 
 "  My  dear  Charlotte, — As  there  is  just  now  an  opportunity  of 
 sending  to  Massowah,  I  hasten  to  write,  as  I  know  from  my  own 
 feelings  how  anxious  you  must  be  to  receive  tidings.  Little  did 
 you  or  I  anticipate,  that  sad  morning,  when  a  gloomy  foreboding 
 allowed  you  only  to  utter  a  faltering  '  God  bless  you,'  that  our  sepa- 
 ration would  be' so  long.  Months  ago,  my  sufferings  and  imprison- 
 ment might  have  terminated,  had  not  alwavs  some  fresh  and  un- 
 
ENGLISH    SYMPATHY    AND    ENGLISH    EFFORT.  307 
 
 toward  event  occurred  to  frustrate  my  hopes.  The  only  comfort  in 
 all  the  afflictions  that  have  been  my  lot  for  nearly  nineteen  months, 
 is  the  consciousness  that  ever  since  a  gracious  Providence  directed 
 my  wandering  steps  to  this  country,  I  have  only  sought  the  welfare 
 of  souls  and  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer.  My  object  was,  of  course, 
 grosslv  misrepresented  ;  and  I  believe  that,  next  to  the  members  of 
 Her  Britannic  Majesty's  Government,  King  Theodorus  considered 
 me  the  greatest  miscreant  that  ever  breathed  the  free  air  of  heaven. 
 
 "  But  I  must  not  be  prodigal  with  the  limited  quantity  of  paper 
 at  my  disposal,  nor  dare  to  be  diffusive  in  my  statements,  without 
 attracting  the  eyes  of  the  guards  ;  therefore,  I  simply  jot  down  the 
 chief  points  connected  with  my  own  and  fellow-prisoners'  painful 
 history.  You  are  aware  that  in  the  beginning  of  April,  1863,  I 
 reached  Abyssinia.  Our  mission,  though  restricted  in  its  opera- 
 tions, was  then  most  prosperous  ;  and,  despite  obstacles,  I  cherished 
 the  most  hallowed  anticipations  respecting  the  future.  In  June, 
 Captain  Cameron,  H.  B.  Majesty's  Consul,  arrived  a  second  time  at 
 our  station  at  Genda.  The  King,  who  had  been  at  some  distance, 
 also  quite  accidentally  came  into  our  neighbourhood.  During  his 
 stay  in  our  vicinity,  I  heard  several  times  that  he  was  annoyed,  that 
 Captain  Cameron  had  not  brought  an  answer  to  his  letter  to  the 
 British  Government,  and  also  for  having  gone  round  the  frontier, 
 and  formed,  as  was  falsely  represented,  prejudicial  intimacies  with 
 his  enemies,  the  Turks.  Against  us  and  our  mission  I  also  heard 
 unfavourable  reports  ;  and  as  I  knew  the  priests  were  opposed  to  us 
 and  our  work,  I  communicated  my  fears  to  my  fellow-labourers,  and 
 all  agreed  not  to  incur  any  expense,  except  what  was  indispensably 
 necessarv  for  the  support  of  Schools,  Scripture-readers,  and  the 
 extensive  circulation  of  the  Word  of  God.  Not  expecting  violence 
 or  forcible  detention,  even  under  the  most  adverse  circumstances,  I 
 visited  the  Falashas  of  various  districts  ;  and  at  the  end  of  August, 
 accompanied  by  Cornelius,  I  set  out  for  Armatgioho,  a  province 
 well  inhabited  by  Falashas,  who  had  never  seen  a  missionary  or 
 heard  the  tidings  of  Redeeming  love.  About  the  20th  of  September 
 I  came  back  to  Genda,  and  on  the  evening  of  my  return  a  royal 
 ■order  summoned  the  British  Consul,  all  the  missionary  agents,  and 
 myself,  to  Gondar,  to  hear  the  reading  of  the  letterwhich  Mons.  Bardel 
 had  brought  from  the  Emperor  of  the  French.  All  obeyed  the 
 behest,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd  October  (I  think  the  dates 
 may  not  be  quite  correct),  the  despatch  was  publicly  read,  and  the 
 fictitious  interview  between  Mons.  Bardel  and  Napoleon  III.  nar- 
 rated before  the  small  European  colony.  The  King  was  exceed- 
 ingly dissatisfied  with  the  letter  and  the  reception  of  his  messenger, 
 and  I  know  that  Mons.  Lejean,  the  French  Consul,  might  still  have 
 kept  us  company,  had  not  Aboona  Salama  arrested  the  King's  vio- 
 lence, and  gained  him  permission  to  leave.  Mons.  Lejean  and 
 Mons.  Legard,  a  French  physician,  were  peremptorily  required  to 
 •quit  Abyssinia,    and   the   rest   returned  to  their  respective   homes. 
 
308  ENGLISH    SYMPATHY    AND      ENGLISH    EFFORT. 
 
 The  crisis,  which  for  some  time  had  been  looming  in  the  distance, 
 was  now  drawing  nearer  and  nearer.  All  felt  that  there  was  some- 
 thing impending,  but  even  the  most  timid  dreaded  nothing  beyond 
 the  seizure  of  property  and  expulsion  from  the  country.  My  own 
 work  being  finished,  I  purchased  the  requisite  number  of  animals, 
 and  started  for  the  coast.  On  my  way  I  had  to  re-pass  Gondar, 
 where  the  King  was  still  with  his  army.  The  Metropolitan,  with 
 wonted  kindness,  invited  me  to  his  residence,  an  offer  which  I 
 gratefully  accepted.  I  reached  Gondar  on  Thursday,  and  on  Satur- 
 day I  intended  to  pay  my  salaam  to  his  Majesty.  Unfortunately, 
 before  I  could  secure  a  baldaraui,  or  introducer,  the  King  unexpec- 
 tedly set  out  on  an  expedition  against  a  rebel.  I  remained  at  Gon- 
 dar till  Tuesday,  and  then  bade  a  final  adieu  to  the  Bishop  and 
 other  friends,  and  quitted,  as  I  thought  for  ever,  the  capital  of 
 Abyssinia.  Captain  Cameron,  and  also  the  Frenchman  Bardel, 
 accompanied  me  about  two  hours  on  my  road,  and  then  shook 
 hands  and  parted.  My  people  as  well  as  myself  were  in  the  hap- 
 piest mood,  a  feeling  which  even  our  animals  seemed  to  share,  for 
 they  marched  with  ease  along  the  shelving  path  and  ever  dizzying 
 precipices  up  to  the  plain  of  Woggera.  Here,  to  my  surprise,  I 
 saw  the  King's  white  tent  glittering  in  the  sun's  rays  on  one  of  the 
 heights  which  dot  the  plateau.  Duty,  as  well  as  courtesy,  forbade 
 me  to  advance  without  saluting  His  Majesty.  This  induced  me  to 
 halt,  and  towards  the  afternoon  I  proceeded,  accompanied  by  two  of 
 my  servants,  of  whom  one  spoke  a  little  Arabic,  to  the  royal  camp- 
 ing ground.  After  waiting  about  two  hours,  His  Majesty  came  into 
 the  open  air.  IMyself  and  attendants  immediately  made  a  most 
 humble  obeisance.  There  was  a  frown  on  the  King's  countenance, 
 which  augured  nothing  auspicious.  Between  the  first  question  and 
 the  death  of  my  two  servants,  the  hand  of  time  could  not  have 
 advanced  ten  minutes.  The  gloom  of  approaching  night,  the 
 rattling  of  the  sticks,  and  my  own  doubtful  fate,  prompted  me  to 
 put  my  hand  mechanically  to  my  lips,  or,  as  it  was  said,  to  put  a 
 finger  into  my  mouth.  This  was  construed  into  a  crime,  and  in 
 less  time  than  these  words  take  to  pen,  I  was  stript,  beaten,  and  lay 
 almost  lifeless  on  the  ground.  Wounded,  bruised,  and  bleeding, 
 my  executioners  dragged,  or  rather  carried  me  down  the  hill,  where 
 my  swollen  wrist  was  fastened  by  a  hoop  and  a  chain  to  the  arm  of 
 a  soldier.  My  guardian,  moved  with  compassion,  tried  with  rank 
 grass  to  stanch  the  blood,  which  profusely  welled  out  of  more  than 
 a  score  of  gashes  anil  scars  ;  but  finding  the  eftbrt  useless,  he  wrapt 
 himself  in  his  shama,  and  with  my  spectral  form  clinging  to  him, 
 fell  asleep.  I  also  sank  several  times  into  a  feverish  stupor,  and 
 oh  !  how  gladly  would  I  have  passed  the  wearisome  hours  of  night 
 in  forgetfulness,  had  not  the  shifting  motion  of  blood  in  my  mouth 
 and  throat  denied  me  this  indulgence.  In  sighs,  groans,  and  ex- 
 cruciating agonies  the  night  waned,  and  the  beautiful  stars,  uncon- 
 scious of  mortal    woes,    glittered  with    wonted    brightness  in  the 
 
ENGLISH    SV:iIP.\THY    AND    KNCiLlSH    EFFORT.  309 
 
 eastern  horizon.  At  daylight  I  was  given  into  the  charge  of  several 
 Chiefs,  whilst  the  King  moved  on  to  Gondar.  The  villagers,  as 
 also  my  guards,  showed  me  much  sympathy,  and  like  the  good 
 Samaritan,  they  washed  my  wounds,  and  brought  me  an  abundance 
 of  milk,  the  only  nourishment  my  inflamed  lips  and  gums  allowed 
 me  to  swallow  down.  Mid-day,  my  servants,  strongly  guarded, 
 were  conducted  to  my  temporary  prison,  and  never  shall  I  forget 
 the  shrieks,  lamentations,  and  agonizing  contortions  which  the 
 sight  of  their  afflicted  master  occasioned.  Orders  had  been  sent 
 that  I  should  have  foot  and  hand-fetters,  but  as  my  ankles  were  too 
 much  inflamed  for  the  hoops,  they  trangressed  the  royal  command, 
 and  only  tied  my  left  hand  to  my  right  ankle.  The  next  day  a 
 detachment  of  troops  came  to  escort  me  and  my  servants  to  Gondar. 
 I  was  now  treated  as  a  regular  criminal ;  in  fact,  my  position 
 became  so  painful,  and  my  physical  suffering  so  intense,  that  I 
 looked  for  death  as  a  happy  release.  The  abject  condition  to 
 which  I  had  been  reduced,  softened  even  the  flinty  hearts  of  my 
 guards,  and  amidst  words  of  comfort  and  hope,  they  told  me  in 
 whispering  breath,  that  my  intimacy  with  the  Bishop,  and  the  report 
 that  he  had  sold  the  Church  lands  to  me  and  the  British  Consul, 
 were  the  cause  of  my  misfortune  ;  and  that  it  might  have  fared 
 worse  with  me  had  I  passed  the  royal  camp,  as  arrangements  had 
 already  been  made  for  my  arrest.  Loss  of  blood  and  want  of  food, 
 beyond  a  few  biscuits,  brought  on  a  melancholy  and  a  depression 
 of  spirits,  which  language  cannot  depict.  On  the  fourth  day  (I 
 believe),  Mr.  Flad,  Mons.  Bardel,  Samuel  (a  convert  of  Bishop 
 Gobat),  and  two  officers  of  the  royal  household,  came  to  inspect 
 my  luggage,  as  I  w-as  suspected  of  having  letters  from  the  Bishop 
 or  Captain  Cameron." 
 
 The  letter  concluded  with  a  paragraph  as  follows : — 
 
 "  The  foregoing  is  a  hasty,  brief,  and  unvarnished  statement  of 
 facts,  which  you  will  kindly  communicate  to  Mr.  Goodhart,  for  the 
 information  of  all  who  sympathize  with  me  and  my  fellow-prisoners. 
 On  a  future  occasion,  if  1  get  paper,  I  shall  furnish  you  with  an 
 account  of  our  subsequent  career  of  sufferings,  viz. :  INIessages  from 
 the  King — Fresh  hatred  against  me — Awful  passage  of  Scripture — 
 Warning  to  me  and  Rosenthal  before  suspected  execution — Full  and 
 complete  pardon  to  R.  and  myself — Release  of  Plad  and  the  other 
 missionary  agents — IMons.  Bardel's  return  from  Kassala — Imprison- 
 ment— Royal  message  that  he  was  the  cause  of  all  our  troubles — 
 Release  of  Rosenthal  from  his  fetters — Controversy  about  religious 
 fasts  between  the  King  and  myself — Reckless  temerity  in  quoting 
 Isaiah  Iviii. — Public  interview  between  the  Metropolitan  and  myself 
 — Refusal  to  incriminate  him — Torture  with  ropes — Royal  message, 
 '  I  know  you  are  not  afraid  to  die,  but  I  shall  not  kill  vou  ;  on  the 
 contrary,  I  shall  at  regular  intervals  torture  you  {i.e.  myself),  till  the 
 flesh  falls  in  rotten  pieces  from  your  body' — Second  night's  more 
 frightful  torture — Finally,   removal   of  all  the  prisoners  to  Amba 
 
3IO  ENGLISH    SYMPATHY    AND    ENGLISH    EFFORT. 
 
 Magdala.  These  and  the  former  facts,  if  fully  delineated,  would 
 form  a  book  of  real  horrors,  far  stronger  than  the  most  improbable 
 and  terrifying  fiction.     God  bless  you  all." 
 
 In  another  letter,   addressed  to  the    Secretary   of  the    London 
 Society,  and  dated  May  30th,  1865,  Mr.  Stern  wrote  thus: — 
 
 "  As  there  is  a  messenger  leaving  for  Massowah,  I  creep  into  my 
 lair,  and  hidden  under  my  shama,  scribble  a  few  lines.  Had  I  paper, 
 I  would  have  continued  the  sad  history  of  our  trials  and  troubles  ; 
 but,  unfortunately,  I  do  not  possess  more  than  this  slip  (half  a  sheet 
 of  large  note  paper).  I  must  therefore  wait  until  our  friends  supply 
 us  with  a  few  sheets.  Our  position  since  my  last  has  undergone  no 
 change.  Day  after  day  comes  to  its  close  in  the  usual  painful  or 
 reckless  monotony  of  savage  life.  Sometimes  tidings  reach  us 
 which  afford  a  thrill  of  joy,  and  perhaps  for  a  week  we  ruminate  on 
 freedom  and  the  blessings  of  civilized  life  ;  and  then  again  the 
 vision  of  hope  becomes  damped,  and  the  soul  either  seeks  comfort 
 and  consolation  in  God  and  His  Word,  or  sinks  into  the  wonted 
 state  of  apathy.  I  firmly  believe  that  our  Heavenly  Father  will  3-et 
 deliver  us,  and  without  wearying  my  mind  with  speculations  whether 
 this  is  to  be  effected  by  internal  political  changes  (a  topic  on  which 
 I  will  not  dilate),  or  by  external  pressure,  I  patiently  leave  all  in  the 
 hands  of  Him  who  shapes  events  to  further  His  divine  and  holy 
 purpose.  At  present  we  are  daily  anticipating  the  beginning  of  the 
 rainy  season  ;  last  year  we  dreaded  the  winter  ;  but  He  who  in 
 mercy  preserved  us  in  times  past,  will  also  graciously  watch  over  us 
 in  the  time  to  come.  As  I  am  reminded  of  the  approach  of  winter, 
 I  will  give  you  a  hasty  sketch  of  the  place,  where  we  and  upwards  of 
 two  hundred  unhappy  natives,  of  all  ranks  and  conditions  may  have 
 to  pass  the  ensuing  inclement  season.  Just  picture  to  your 
 imagination  an  isolated  locality,  rising  out  of  the  midst  of  a 
 jumble  of  conical  hills,  deep  ravines,  and  serrated  ridges,  and  you 
 have  Amba  Magdala.  On  the  summit  there  are  clusters  of  thatched 
 huts,  occupied  by  about  1,000  troops.  Not  far  from  the  Church, 
 which  you  recognize  by  an  apex  surmounted  by  a  glittering  cross, 
 you  gaze  on  a  mass  of  wretched  hovels  that  stand  in  mocking  con- 
 trast around  four  spacious  circular  dwellings  ;  you  approach  a  few 
 steps  nearer,  and  you  behold  a  strong  thorn  fence  guarded  by 
 groups  of  sooty  soldiers,  close  to  whom  lie  basking  in  the  sun 
 bands  of  unfortunates  loaded  with  galling  fetters.  This  is  the  royal 
 prison.  Those  wretched  huts  outside  the  enclosure  are  occupied  by 
 the  elite  of  the  prisoners  during  the  day  ;  but  towards  evening  all 
 must  repair  within  the  fence,  where,  after  being  counted,  they  are 
 driven  like  wild  beasts  within  the  reeking  walls  of  those  conically- 
 shaped  structures.  Insects,  and  all  that  is  repulsive  of  whatever 
 name  or  colour,  swarm  in  these  gaols  ;  and  really,  if  Providence  had 
 not  tempered  human  nature  so  as  to  render  it  capable  of  endur- 
 ing every  hardship,  I  believe  even  few  Abyssinians  would  long  resist 
 
ENGLISH    SYMPATHY    AND    ENGLISH    EFFORT.  311 
 
 the  fetal  inlluence  of  this  poisonous  atmosphere.  By  special  favour 
 we  are  allowed  to  make  our  abode  close  to  the  walls  of  one  of  these 
 houses;  and  there,  under  a  black  woollen  awning,  Captain  Cameron, 
 Rosenthal,  JMakerer,  and  myself  pass  the  day  and  night,  and  the 
 rest,  who  have  huts  outside,  only  the  night. 
 
 "Please  remember  me  and  my  fellow'-prisoners  at  the  Throne  of 
 Grace.  Kindly  forward  a  copy  of  this  to  Mrs.  Stern,  with  my  love 
 to  her  and  the  dear  children." 
 
 The  iith  of  October  brought  to  Mrs.  Stern  another  letter,  dated, 
 
 Amba  Magdala,  July   13th,    1865.       It  will  be  seen,  that  at  that 
 
 time,  the  information  had   reached  the  prisoners  that  Mr.  Rassam 
 
 had  arrived  at  Massowah.     This  probably  had  a  favourable  effect 
 
 upon   the    guards,    and    upon  the  messengers   who  were   covertly 
 
 employed  to  convey  letters  to  the  coast. 
 
 "  My  dear  Charlotte, — As  Captain  Cameron  is  sending  to  Mas- 
 sowah, I  scribble  a  line  to  say  that  we  are  still  in  prison  and  fetters. 
 We  anticipated  that  Mr.  Rassam,  Her  Majesty's  agent  at  Massowah, 
 would,  by  his  friendly  and  conciliatory  letters  to  the  King,  ere  this 
 have  appeased  his  oftended  pride,  and  obtained  our  release  from 
 these  galling  chains.  Our  anticipations  have,  however,  to  our 
 grief,  not  been  realized  ;  and  we  must  still,  for  some  time,  be  patient 
 and  prayerful  expectants  of  coming  deliverance. 
 
 "  His  Majesty,  about  ten  days  ago,  wrote  to  Mr.  Rassam  to  come 
 to  Abyssinia  ;  and  his  advent,  and  the  delivery  of  the  Queen's  letter, 
 we  believe,  may  possibly  effect  our  liberation. 
 
 "Just  now,  everything  here  is  in  a  transition  state  ;  and  it  is  quite 
 impossible  to  prognosticate  the  events  of  the  ensuing  few  months, 
 or  even  weeks.  A  general  undisguised  presentiment  of  a  change,  is 
 evinced  in  the  open  revolt  of  all  the  important  provinces.  And 
 relentless  despotism  may  soon  experience  a  terrible  retribution. 
 My  own,  and  most  of  my  fellow-prisoners'  misfortunes,  may,  to  a 
 great  extent,  be  attributed  to  the  crafty  insinuations  and  insidious 
 malice  of  godless,  unprincipled  men  ;  who  in  the  ruin  of  others 
 sought  to  attain  their  own  nefarious  and  selfish  ends.  I  do  not, 
 however,  despair  or  despond.  To-day  I  have  been  in  chains 
 twenty-one  months  (now  two  years),  and  although  during  that  long 
 heart-wasting  existence  I  have  had  to  submit  to  fiendish  tortures, 
 and  more  than  once  have  been  obliged  to  face  (apparently)  a  cruel 
 death,  yet  I  enjoy  an  infinite  satisfaction  in  the  consciousness,  that 
 by  an  inflexible  Christian  firmness  I  saved  others,  and  won  influen- 
 tial friends  to  the  cause  of  Missions  in  Abyssinia.  His  INIajesty, 
 since  our  arrival  here,  has  not  favoured  us  even  with  an  en  passa?it 
 enquiry.  Placed  on  a  level  with  murderers,  robbers,  and  other 
 great  criminals,  our  days  have  rolled  on  in  the  usual  sad  monotony 
 of  savage  prison  life.     Within  the  last  few  days  we  have,  however, . 
 
312  ENGLISH    SVMPATHV    AND    ENGLISH    EFFORT. 
 
 again  experienced  something  of  His  Majesty's  feelings  against  the 
 white  prisoners.  The  cause  of  this  fresh  outburst  of  indignation  is 
 utterly  unconnected  with  our  aftairs.  On  the  night  of  the  ist  inst., 
 Menilck,  the  Crown  Prince  of  Shoa,  and  son-in-law  to  the  Negoos 
 Theodorus,  unexpectedly  quitted  the  royal  camp,  and,  accompanied 
 by  his  followers  (but  not  by  his  young  wife),  fled  to  his  own  country. 
 The  King,  irritated  at  the  desertion  of  another  powerful  prop  of  his 
 throne,  next  morning  executed  all  the  Galla  prisoners  ;  then  quar- 
 relled with  the  Bishop  ;  and  at  last  his  chafed  spirit  vented  itself  on 
 all  his  Christian  prisoners,  by  giving  them  foot,  as  well  as  hand- 
 chains.  This  art  of  tormenting  (which  is  ascribed  to  the  wise  King 
 of  Israel)  is  a  most  cruel  invention,  particularly  when,  as  in  our  case, 
 the  fetters  are  so  short,  that  one  is  actually  bent  double  and  unable 
 to  move  about  by  day,  or  to  stretch  one's  weary  limbs  by  night. 
 There  is  a  report  that  we  are  to  be  released  from  these  abominable 
 hand-shackles  ;  I  shall  be  thankful  if  it  proves  to  be  true,  as  the 
 stooping  attitude  affects  my  head,  and  causes  great  pain  in  the 
 spine. 
 
 "  I  intended  to  continue  the  narrative  of  our  troubles,  but  I  have 
 not  a  sufficient  quantity  of  paper.     We  expect  messengers  with  pro- 
 visions, clothing,  paper,  &c.,  from  IMassowah  ;    and  on  their  return, 
 I  shall  send  you  a  long  but  very  sad  letter.     God  bless  you  all. 
 "  I  am,  your  aff'ectionate  husband, 
 
 "  Henry  A.  Stern." 
 
 The  captivity  and  sufferings  of  the  Missionaries  might  have  occa- 
 sioned but  little  concern  without  the  circle  of  their  relatives,  and 
 those  interested  in  the  Mission  ;  and  an  occasional  paragraph  in 
 the  daily  papers  might  have  sufficed  to  convey  to  the  public  such  a 
 measure  of  information  as  so  unimportant  a  subject  would  need. 
 But  a  Consul  of  Her  Britannic  INIajesty  was  among  the  prisoners, 
 and  a  sharer  in  the  indignities  to  which  the  Missionaries  were 
 exposed.  This  sufficed  to  give  it  importance  in  the  eyes  of  the 
 Continental  press,  and  necessarily  to  give  it  marked  prominence  in 
 the  leading  journals  of  our  own  country.  The  Government  had  its 
 apologists,  and  there  were  a  few  who  did  their  best  to  exculpate  the 
 Foreign  Office  from  the  neglect  which  was  laid  to  its  charge.  But 
 the  general  tone  of  the  English  press  was  decisive  in  its  condemna- 
 tion, and  such  documentary  evidence  as  was  allowed  to  see  the 
 light,  confirmed  every  serious  imputation  with  which  the  Officials 
 were  loaded.  With  merciless  particularity  the  history  of  the  past 
 was  explained  and  exposed,  and  the  attempts  at  refutation  were 
 feeble  and  garbled.     Two  of  the  most  able  lawyers  of  the  day — Sir 
 
ENGLISH    SYMPATHY   AND    ENGLISH    EFFORT.  3  1  3 
 
 Hugh  Cairns  (afterwards  Earl  Cairns)  in  the  House  of  Commons — 
 and  Lord  Chelmsford  (ex-Lord  Chancellor)  in  the  House  of  Lords — 
 made  it  the  theme  of  some  of  their  most  forcible  speeches.  The 
 clear  and  judicial  mind  of  these  eminent  jurists,  analyzed  all  the 
 salient  points  of  the  official  documents  which  were  accessible  ;  and 
 exposed  in  convincing  terms  the  evils,  of  which  official  incompetence 
 and  procrastination  had  been  productive.  It  was  in  vain  that  the 
 Under  Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs  endeavoured,  most  ungene- 
 rously, to  affix  blame  on  Consul  Cameron.  The  conclusion  was 
 inevitable,  that  he  had  not  acted  beyond  his  instructions,  and  that 
 had  his  repeated  applications  for  some  acknowledgment  of  the 
 King's  letter  been  responded  to,  no  difficulty  would  ever  have 
 arisen.  Nor  is  it  unimportant  to  observe,  that  during  all  the  Par- 
 liamentary and  public  discussions  which  these  events  occasioned, 
 no  official  ever  ventured  in  any  way  to  assail  the  conduct  or 
 demeanour  of  the  Missionaries,  who  had  been  the  chief  sufferers. 
 Throughout  the  whole  of  those  years  of  labour  which  preceded, 
 and  the  suffering  which  followed,  the  outburst  of  royal  intolerance, 
 their  line  of  action,  and  their  forbearance  under  the  most  irritating 
 provocations,  had  been  above  blame  and  reproach.  We  must 
 always  be  prepared  for  unfavourable  comments  from  the  ungodly 
 and  the  hypocritical,  on  Missionary  work  in  general,  and  Mission- 
 aries in  particular.  Such  persons  were  not  slow  at  this  juncture  to 
 insinuate,  that  to  the  Missionaries  were  to  be  imputed  the  complica- 
 tions which  arose  in  Abyssinia,  and  the  subsequent  cost  which  the 
 military  expedition  occasioned.  Imputations  of  this  kind  are  un- 
 worthy of  notice,  inasmuch  as  every  authoritative  document  esta- 
 blished the  fact,  that  they  were  the  aggrieved  and  suffering  victims, 
 of  the  incapacity  and  neglect  of  others. 
 
CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 
 
 SICKNESS    AND    DEATH. 
 
 A  tedious  and  embarrassing  year  had  passed,  since  Mr.  Rassam 
 landed  at  Massowah.  No  attempt  at  advance  into  the  interior  had 
 during  that  time  been  made  by  him,  and  the  entry  of  other  Euro- 
 peans into  Abyssinia  was  strictly  prohibited.  He  waited  for  a 
 safe-conduct  from  Theodoras,  and  this  safe-conduct  repeated 
 appHcations  failed  to  procure.  It  will  always  remain  a  matter 
 of  speculation,  whether  a  bolder  course  would  not  have  accom- 
 plished more  satisfactory  results.  A  semi-barbarian  always  pays 
 homage,  to  the  courage  which  claims  a  right,  rather  than  to  the 
 timidity  which  asks  a  favour. 
 
 The  reports  of  these  negociations  found  their  way  into  the  prison- 
 enclosures.  They  were  garbled  and  distorted.  At  times  they  were 
 on  the  very  borders  of  success,  at  other  times  they  were  indicative 
 of  inevitable  failure.  The  experience  which  the  Captives  had 
 passed  through,  and  their  knowledge  of  the  despot's  character  and 
 of  the  intrigues  which  beset  his  court,  prepared  them  for  the  worst. 
 But  their  confidence  in  the  protecting  care  of  their  Almighty  Friend 
 was  the  sheet-anchor  which  never  drifted  ;  and  while  they  were  day 
 by  day  prepared  for  any  calamity,  they  were  "strong  in  faith,  giving 
 glory  to  God." 
 
 The  gravest  diseases  and  epidemics  invaded  the  camp  and  the 
 prison,  and  carried  off  prisoners  as  well  as  guards.  Mr.  Stern  and 
 his  companions  in  suffering  did  not  escape  illness  in  many  forms  ; 
 but  "  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness,"  and  "  the  destruction 
 
SICKNESS    AXIJ    DliAlH.  3  1 5 
 
 that  wastcth  at  noon-day,"  harmed  thcni  not.  To  the  sick  antl  the 
 dying  lliey  ministered  ;  and  the  medicines,  of  which  they  had  a 
 small  supply,  were  the  instruments  of  healing  to  many  of  the 
 afflicted,  and  elicited  blessings  from  many  a  scornful  lip. 
 
 "  Death,  the  tlreaded  enemy  of  the  happy  and  gay,  and  the  friend 
 of  the  sorrowful  and  sad,  almost  disdained  the  putrescent  gaol, 
 where  his  visits,  if  not  courted,  would  not  have  been  unwelcome. 
 We  had  a  little  sickness,  and  a  few  deaths  ;  but  each  one,  wrapt  in 
 profound  reflection  on  his  own  woes,  almost  unconsciously  became 
 indifferent  to  the  woes  of  others.  Each  week,  perhaps,  one  died. 
 The  funeral  obsequies  occupied  very  little  time,  and  excited  very 
 little  attention.  Freed  from  the  toils  and  troubles  of  a  harrowing 
 life,  the  miserable  sufferer  had  scarcely  gasped  forth  his  last  breath, 
 when  half-a-dozen  of  his  fellow-captives  lifted  up  his  shackled  and 
 still  quivering  corpse,  and  laid  it  on  the  bare  ground  under  the 
 prison  eaves.  The  same  kind  hands,  guarded  by  gaolers,  dug,  at 
 some  distance  from  the  prison-compound,  a  hurried  grave,  whilst 
 others  wrenched  the  fetters  from  the  stiffening  and  iron-wasted 
 limbs.  In  about  an  hour  all  was  over.  One  or  two,  to  whom  the 
 departed  was  dear,  shed  a  silent  tear  over  his  mortal  remains,  and 
 then,  without  a  ministering  priest  to  say,  in  solemn  voice,  '  dust  to 
 dust,  and  ashes  to  ashes,'  the  corpse  was  put  into  the  ground,  the 
 clods  were  rolled  over  it,  and  he  had  ceased  to  be  numbered  among 
 the  victims  of  King  Theodorus's  tyranny. 
 
 "  A  sudden  outbreak  of  an  epidemic,  which  prostrated  its  scores, 
 unlike  an  isolated  death,  produced  a  solemnizing,  but  not,  what 
 might  have  been  expected,  a  desponding  effect.  Death  to  most 
 had  lost  its  sting,  and  his  approach  was  regarded  with  sullen  indif- 
 ference, if  not  with  gloomy  satisfaction.  In  autumn,  1865,  numbers 
 of  our  fellow-prisoners  were  attacked  by  that  terrible  scourge,  the 
 small-pox.  The  groans,  shrieks,  and  lamentations  of  the  sick  and 
 dying  wrung  ever)'  heart  with  anguish  and  grief.  Removed  from 
 friends  and  relations,  whose  tender  care  and  assiduity  might  have 
 assuaged  the  pangs  of  disease  and  the  agonies  of  dissolution,  the 
 shackled  and  afflicted  sufferers  without  exception  refused  to  accept 
 the  sympathy  and  attention  which  charity  proffered  ;  and,  in  mourn- 
 ful and  pleading  accents,  they  entreated  to  be  allowed  to  have  a 
 peaceable,  and  not,  as  they  prophetically  anticipated,  a  forcible  exit 
 out  of  this  world." 
 
 The  saddening  event  which  cast  its  darkest  shadow  over  the 
 chequered  life  of  the  prison-home,  was  the  death  of  the  little  son 
 of  I\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Rosenthal.  The  recital  of  this  distressing  cir- 
 cumstance, is  given  in  I\Ir.  Stern's  own  touching  and  expressive 
 narration. 
 
3l6  SICKNESS    AND    DEATH. 
 
 "  It  was  at  tliis  very  period,  when  our  prison-life  was  so  even  and 
 uniform,  that  death  entered  our  small  circle,  and  created  a  painful 
 gap.  Little  Henry  Rosenthal,  endeared  to  every  one  on  account  of 
 his  innocence,  infantine  beauty,  and  sweet  disposition,  suddenly 
 quitted  the  narrow  confines  of  an  African  prison  for  the  glorious 
 mansions  of  the  redeemed.  The  young  pilgrim,  whose  short 
 sojourn  in  this  lower  world  had  been  fraught  with  trials,  which,  hap- 
 pily, seldom  fall  to  the  lot  even  of  the  beloved  ones  of  missionaries 
 in  the  most  unexplored  and  ungenial  climes,  seemed  destined  to 
 brighten  for  a  short  period  the  dismal  life  of  his  father  and  mother, 
 and  then  departed  for  ever. 
 
 "  Born  a  few  months  before  his  parents'  imprisonment,  the  tender 
 creature  just  began  to  be  conscious  of  a  mother's  loving  smile, 
 when,  driven  from  house  and  home,  he  had  to  feed  on  tears,  and  to 
 repose  on  a  bosom  often,  very  often,  throbbing  with  the  anguish 
 of  a  breaking  heart.  Like  some  tender  plant,  he  gathered  strength 
 during  an  interval  of  calm,  and  pined  whenever  there  was  a  storm. 
 
 "  After  the  departure  of  the  King  from  Magdala,  all  the  prisoners 
 began  to  breathe  a  freer  and  more  invigorating  atmosphere.  Little 
 Henry,  in  the  placid  countenance  of  an  affectionate  mother,  intui- 
 tively perceived  that  something  auspicious  had  occurred.  Better 
 clad,  better  fed,  more  of  cheerfulness  and  less  of  sadness  around 
 him,  like  a  bird  released  from  a  cruel  cage,  he  was  always  in 
 motion,  running,  unhindered  by  guards,  from  one  white  prisoner  to 
 another,  with  a  gaiety  and  playfulness  as  if  he  had  suddenly  been 
 transported  from  the  land  where  the  eye  is  never  dry,  to  a  scene 
 where  weeping  is  unknown.  Shy,  and  possessing  an  innate  repug- 
 nance towards  natives,  he  yet  soon  became  reconciled  to  the  youth- 
 ful criminals,  who,  in  the  absence  of  other  play-companions,  led 
 him  round  the  prison  enclosure,  rolling  about  a  worsted  ball,  or 
 plaiting  straw  grasses,  which  sprang  up  here  and  there  despite  the 
 tramp  of  countless  feet.  Several  times  he  also  moved  beyond  the 
 limits  of  our  gaol,  and,  by  special  request,  visited  the  mother  of 
 Ras  AH,  the  late  ruler  of  the  Amhara  country,  and  also  Aboona 
 Salama.  The  latter,  to  win  the  affections  of  his  youthful  visitor, 
 offered  him  glittering  watches,  crosses,  and  a  variety  of  attractive 
 objects  ;  but  he  gazed  upon  all  with  an  indifferent  glance,  as  if 
 those  gaudy  trinkets  were  unsuited  to  the  child  of  imprisoned 
 parents.  The  kind-hearted  Bishop,  on  observing  this  unusual  indif- 
 ference to  all  these  gay  and  fascinating  articles,  remarked  to  his 
 guide — a  soldier  and  a  sincere  Christian  man  :  '  This  child  bears 
 the  impress  of  heaven,  and  will  not  continue  long  upon  earth.' 
 
 "  About  the  beginning  of  December,  1865,  his  rosy  cheeks  began 
 to  pale,  and  a  sombre  shade — the  herald  of  death — overspread  his 
 ever-beaming  countenance.  He  now  no  longer  quitted  the  tent,  or 
 enlivened  by  his  merry  laughter  the  gloomy  court  of  our  prison. 
 Two  days  before  his  decease,  just  as  a  few  of  us  had  finished  our 
 
SICKNESS   AND    DEATH.  317 
 
 usual  morning  devotions,  a  piercing  shriek  summoned  me  to  the 
 abode  of  my  fellow-captive.  The  infant  sufferer  was  then  panting 
 and  gasping  for  breath,  whilst  his  deep  blue  eyes,  in  mournful 
 glances,  wandered  from  one  to  the  other,  as  if  imploring  help  and 
 relief.  I  praved,  with  tlic  deeply-afflicted  parents,  that  if  the 
 beloved  object  of  their  affection  was  to  be  removed,  the  struggle 
 might  be  short.  That  prayer,  like  many  others,  as  perhaps  eternity 
 will  reveal,  which  was  sighed  out  in  agonies  and  tears  in  that  dole- 
 ful spot,  by  one  and  the  other  of  the  sorely-tried  white  prisonerst, 
 was  heard,  and  the  spasms,  that  tore  and  racked  that  frail  frame, 
 ceased.  In  the  evening,  as  was  his  custom,  he  folded  his  tiny 
 hands  together,  and,  raising  his  eyes  solemnly  to  that  spirit-land 
 where  the  songs  of  infinite  love,  and  not  the  clang  of  fetters,  are 
 heard ;  he  devoutly  followed  every  word,  as  if  he  understood  the  im- 
 port of  that  prayer  in  which  a  mother's  grief-wrung  heart  sought 
 comfort  and  support.  The  next  day  he  appeared  more  animated, 
 but  during  the  night  he  had  a  relapse,  and  ere  the  morning  dawned, 
 his  eyes  were  closed  to  earth,  and  earth's  pains  and  woes. 
 
 "The  bereaved  parents,  deprived  of  all  that  had  tempered  the 
 severity  of  their  misery,  lay  forlorn  and  desolate  on  the  hard  ground 
 of  their  prison,  bemoaning  the  loss  of  their  first-born.  With  our 
 left  hands  (the  right  hand  being  manacled),  McKelvey  and  myself 
 dressed  the  corpse  in  white  ;  and,  with  the  aid  of  some  native  fel- 
 low-prisoners, made  a  small  coffin  of  reeds,  which  the  Bishop 
 kindly  sent  us.  The  grave  was  dug  on  an  acclivity  close  to  our  gaol, 
 and  to  this  spot  with  tottering  steps  we  followed  the  first  and 
 youngest  victim  of  our  captivity,  to  his  final  resting-place.  All  the 
 guards,  and  scores  of  women,  had  assembled  around  the  grave  ; 
 and,  amidst  the  wails  and  sobs  of  the  multitude,  to  whom  the  sweet 
 child  had  endeared  himself,  I  performed,  crippled  and  bent  double 
 by  heavy  shackles,  the  touching  funeral  service  of  our  Church.  A 
 month  later,  a  fresh  tomb  had  to  be  raised  by  the  side  of  the 
 departed,  for  his  little  sister  ;  and  once  more,  amidst  the  rattle  of 
 chains  and  the  prayer  of  hope,  was  the  earth  heaped  over  the  second 
 white  child's  grave,  on  this  sterile  and  isolated  Amba. 
 
 "The  spot  where  the  two  children  lie  interred,  is  marked  by  a 
 tombstone,  two  feet  high,  with  the  inscription  :  '  Suffer  little  chil- 
 dren to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  king- 
 dom of  God. ' 
 
 "  We  had  a  few  trifling  metlicines,  and  these  we  husbanded  most 
 carefully.  ^ly  own  laboratory  contained  paste  of  colocynth,  opium, 
 and  tartar  emetic.  The  selection,  if  not  very  choice,  was,  at  least, 
 very  potent.  Not  accustomed  to  dabble  in  the  healing  art,  I 
 made  experiments  on  myself  ere  I  tampered  with  the  health  of 
 others.  My  colocynth  pills  obtained  a  fame  at  Magdala,  that  Mori- 
 son  and  Hollowav  might  have  envied.  In-door  and  out-door 
 patients  applied  for  that  wonderful  specific  against  all  diseases.     I 
 
jr8  SICKNESS    ANM)    DEATH. 
 
 had  no  objection  to  part  with  my  pills,  but  a  decided  objection  to 
 manufacture  them.  Kerans,  who,  I  believe,  had  imbibed  a  profound 
 knowledge  of  the  pill-manipukaing  process  beneath  the  parental 
 roof,  occasionally  came  to  my  help ;  and,  after  we  had  fabricated 
 two  or  three  dozens,  which  occupied  about  an  hour;  our  hands,  and 
 sometimes  our  faces  too,  looked  frightfully  impressed  with  oar 
 profession. 
 
 "If  I  devoted  myself  to  the  healing  of  internal  complaints, 
 Kerans  applied  himself  to  alleviate  external  pains.  The  Abyssi- 
 nians,  although  favoured  with  good  grinders,  are  not  entirely  exempt 
 from  tooth-ache.  Many  constantly  applied  to  us  for  relief.  At 
 first  we  were  nervous  in  our  practice,  as  we  had  no  royal  dijiloma  ; 
 and  without  such  a  high  sanction,  it  was  not  advisable  to  incur  the 
 risk  of  a  misrepresentation,  which  a  disappointed  jjatient  might 
 perchance  fabricate  against  us.  This  diffidence  speedily  wore 
 away,  and,  encouraged  by  a  few  incipient  successes,  we  unflaggingly 
 pursued  our  healing  art.  Kerans  and  his  forceps,  Makerer  and  his 
 sulphate  of  zinc,  and  myself  with  the  eternal  colocynth,  were  insepar- 
 ables. My  pills,  as  already  stated,  did  wonders  ;  but  they  were  alto- 
 gether eclipsed  by  the  miracles  performed  by  my  two  companions. 
 Fellows,  with  eyes  glued  together  as  if  they  were  hermetically  sealed, 
 had  only  to  submit  to  Makerer's  patent  phial,  and  in  three  or  four 
 days  they  were  cured.  Others,  with  faces  swollen,  swathed,  and 
 dreadfullv  woe-begone  ;  needed  only  a  touch  of  Kerans'  forceps, 
 then  there  was  a  loud  crack,  a  gory  tooth,  a  stream  of  blood,  a 
 polite  prostration,  and,  what  was  most  welcome,  a  farewell  to  pain. 
 They  had  all  implicit  faith  in  the  skill  of  the  dentist ;  and  no  one, 
 tjhat  I  recollect,  would  ever  push  away  his  arm,  or  hoist  him  down 
 from  the  heaving  chest,  till  the  operation  was  accomplished.  These 
 acts  of  kindness  procured  us  friends  ;  and  we  enjoyed  privileges 
 which,  during  our  second  captivity,  when  we  were  in  what  the 
 King  termed  his  elfin,  or  harem,  handsome  largesses  could  not 
 have  purchased." 
 
 Mr.  Stern  and  Consul  Cameron  suffered  most  from  pains  in  the 
 spine,  brought  about  by  the  crippled  position  which  the  hand-and- 
 foot  shackles  necessitated.  Had  they  not  contrived  a  plan  by  which 
 they  were  enabled  to  0]u^n  the  wrist-shackles  by  night,  and  close 
 tiliem  again  at  early  dawn,  the}-  would  probably  have  never  again 
 been  able  to  stand  upright.  While  Mr.  .Stern  had  the  heaviest 
 shackles  on  his  legs,  he  had  the  lightest,  and  most  easily  opened, 
 around  his  wrists.  And  this  distinguishijig  favour  he  owed  to  the 
 gift  of  a  Gosi)el  in  Amharic,  which  he  had  some  time  before  given  to 
 his  jailor.  The  vermin  which  infested  the  fcetid  canif),  and  the 
 rats    whicli     swainied     at    night,     were     sources     of     inilescribable 
 
SICKNESS   AND    DEATH.  319 
 
 annoyance.  Amidst  such  discomforts  as  these — chained  and  bound — 
 and  with  painful  apprehensions  respecting  the  increased  sorrows 
 which  each  succeeding  day  might  introduce,  the  afflicted  servants  of 
 God,  spent  weeks  and  months  of  weariness  and  distress. 
 
CHAPTER    XXXIX. 
 
 THE  BRITISH  EMBASSY. 
 
 Light  had  riven  the  dark  and  lowering  clouds.  Uncertainty  had 
 been  succeeded  by  reality.  No  longer  were  the  expectations  and 
 hopes  of  the  Captives  tantalized  by  mere  idle  rumours.  The 
 Representative  of  Great  Britain  had  reached  Abyssinian  territory. 
 Mr.  Rassam  had  arrived  at  Gondar,  and  the  intimation  had  been 
 made  known  at  the  prison-house,  that  the  Captives  were  to  be 
 freed. 
 
 On  the  morning  of  Feb.  24th,  1866,  Agha  Faree  Gholam,  with 
 other  officials,  arrived  at  Magdala,  bearing  this  happy  intelligence. 
 In  the  afternoon  of  that  day.  Consul  Cameron  and  IMr.  Stern  were 
 first  summoned  into  the  presence  of  the  Chiefs,  who  held  supreme 
 command  at  Magdala.  The  other  European  prisoners  followed  in 
 due  order.  Then  the  royal  messenger,  addressing  them,  said : 
 "  The  King,  my  master,  has  charged  me  to  inform  you,  that  he  has 
 received  a  letter  from  your  Queen,  through  her  Envoy,  Mr.  Rassam, 
 and  that  in  conformity  with  the  request  embodied  in  the  same,  he 
 has  been  pleased  to  order  your  liberation."  Although  still  shackled 
 with  hand  and  foot  chains,  the  Captives  managed  to  prostrate 
 themselves,  in  acknowledgment  of  this  act  of  royal  clemency.  The 
 poles  and  wedges  which  were  employed  in  wrenching  off  their 
 fetters  inflicted  many  a  wound  ;  but  who,  wrote  Mr.  Stern,  "cared 
 for  physical  pain,  when  the  illusive  visions  of  liberty,  friends,  and 
 home,  floated  before  the  enraptured  eye.  '  Our  gait,'  on  the  remo- 
 val of  the  fetters,  resembled  that  of  a  thoroughly  drunken  man. 
 We  staggered,  reeled,  and  sank  down.     All  was  swimming  before 
 
THR    BRITISH    EMBASSY.  32  1 
 
 the  eyes,  or  moving  beneath  the  feet.  To  make  a  regular  firm  step 
 was  beyond  the  reach  of  possibility.  We  walked  on  air.  Each 
 one,  as  the  shackles  dropped  from  his  limbs,  was  gently  supported 
 by  two  or  three  kind  friends  ;  but  notwithstanding  every  effort,  the 
 frame  was  too  light  and  the  head  too  giddy,  to  maintain  the  equili- 
 brium, and  we  rolled  towards  Ras  Gedana  Miriam's  house,  more 
 like  revellers  from  a  scene  of  debauch,  than  prisoners  released  from 
 their  shackles." 
 
 The  announcement  of  their  liberation  was  repeated  ;  and  on  the 
 27th  of  the  same  month  the  royal  messenger,  at  the  head  of  a  con- 
 siderable detachment  of  the  Magdala  garrison,  proceeded  to  escort 
 the  rejoicing  freed-men  on  their  way.  On  approaching  Gaffat,  the 
 information  which  reached  them  was  very  discouraging.  The 
 orders  respecting  their  march  were  most  conflicting,  and  impressed 
 the  minds  of  the  Missionaries  with  the  apprehension,  that  the  despot 
 was  practising  his  old  arts  of  guile  and  treachery.  It  was  said,  that 
 he  was  about  to  build  a  fleet,  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr. 
 Rassam,  in  order  to  navigate  Lake  Tzana.  The  vigilance  with 
 which  the  Europeans  were  watched  by  the  soldiery,  confirmed  their 
 fears,  and  was  in  itself  an  evidence,  that  they  could  not  yet  count 
 upon  their  freedom. 
 
 IMr.  Rassam  and  his  companions  were  encamped  near  Quarata. 
 The  traitor,  Samuel,  had  been  appointed  by  the  King,  to  be  his 
 baldaraba,  or  introducer.  The  Envoy  had  received  a  very  flattering 
 reception  from  Theodorus,  who  had  directed  his  attendants  to  treat 
 him  with  the  utmost  honour.  Provisions  of  every  kind,  extorted 
 from  the  unfortunate  peasantry,  flowed  in  abundance  into  the 
 ambassadorial  camp;  and  Mr.  Rassam  was  greatly  impressed  with 
 the  apparent  sincerity  and  courtesy  of  his  sable  host.  The  King 
 was  encamped  on  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Tzana,  and  the 
 British  Envoy  on  the  eastern  shore.  Frequent  communication 
 passed  between  them.  A  trial  of  the  prisoners  was  ordered  by 
 Theodorus,  in  order  that  he  might,  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Rassam, 
 attempt  to  establish  the  justice  of  his  past  proceedings.  The 
 foolish  and  unfounded  charges  made  against  the  INIissionaries  were 
 repeated,  as  well  as  the  complaint  that  Consul  Cameron  had  been 
 unfaithful  to  his  trust,  in  not  obtaining  a  replv  to  the  letter  which 
 
322  THE    RRITISH    EMBASSY. 
 
 he  had  written  to  the  Queen  of  England.  M.  Bardel  received  the 
 more  just  condemnation  for  his  duplicity  and  prevarication.  As  a 
 matter  of  form,  each  of  the  offenders  was  recjuired  to  own  the  truth 
 of  the  charges  made  against  him,  in  order  that  the  royal  clemency 
 might  with  propriety  be  exercised.  The  crafty  Monarch  pretended 
 to  be  delighted  with  the  result  of  the  trial,  and  in  language  becom- 
 ing his  character,  sent  a  message  as  follows  : — "  My  chiklren,  I  am 
 full  of  gratitude  for  what  you  have  done.  Come  to  nie,  ami  I  will 
 kiss  your  hands  and  feet." 
 
 The  King  now  pretended  to  order  the  preparation  of  suitable 
 presents,  of  which  Mr.  Rassam  was  to  be  the  bearer,  to  Queen 
 Victoria.  Then  a  seal  was  to  be  engraved,  in  which  should  be  in- 
 serted the  claims  ofTheodorus  to  descent  from  Solomon,  which  seal 
 was  to  beemployed  in  givingdignity  to  thegifts,  with  which  the  eman- 
 cipated Captives  were  to  be  laden.  But  days  and  weeks  passed  on,  and 
 the  artist,  in  whose  hands  this  important  work  was  placed,  failed  to 
 bring  it  to  perfection.  It  was  impossible,  with  any  degree  of  reason,  to 
 account  for  this  prolonged  delay.  The  lesson  of  patient  resigna- 
 tion had  been  too  indelibly  engraved  upon  the  hearts  of  those  who 
 had  so  long  lived  on  the  threshold  of  eternity,  to  occasion  much 
 irritation.  They  watched  with  anxiety  and  doubt  all  that  was 
 passing  around  them  :  they  heard  with  trepidation  of  the  frequent 
 councils  which  were  held  between  the  King  and  his  Chiefs  ;  and, 
 notwithstanding  the  presence  of  the  British  Envoy,  they  became 
 more  and  more  convinced  of  the  existence  of  deep-laid  treachery. 
 The  seizure  of  a  packet  of  letters  which  had  been  despatched  to  the 
 coast,  and  which  had  been  re-delivered  to  Mr.  Rassam,  portended 
 ■no  friendly  relations  between  the  tyrant  and  his  unwilling  guests. 
 
 "Our  anxiety  increased  in  intensity  as  the  days  multiplied.  At 
 length,  on  the  morning  of  April  nth,  (1866),  Agha  Farec  Gholam  ; 
 Lidj  Abitou,  a  Belessa  Chief;  Kasai,  his  friend,  and  a  few  other  stars 
 of  lesser  magnitude,  made  their  appearance  in  the  mission  camp  with 
 orders  for  our  departure.  This  was  the  most  surprising  and  agree- 
 able intelligence  we  had  received  since  our  misfortunes.  With 
 alacrity  we  hastened  to  make  the  few  necessary  preparations  for  our 
 journ'ey.  Mr.  Rassam  and  his  two  companions  were  not  to  start 
 with  us.  They  were  the  dear  friends  of  the  King;  and,  as  such,  the 
 Negoos  could  not  allow  them  to  leave  without  a  parting  interview. 
 The  rest,  as  Samuel  designated  them,  were  '  dirt,'  and  not  worthy 
 
THE    BRITISH    EMBASSY.  323 
 
 to  behold  the  glorious  countenance  of  his  INIajesty,  a  privation  for 
 which  we  knew  how  to  console  ourselves.  Agha  Faree  (iholam, 
 ■our  uncouth,  semi-negro  friend,  did  not  share  in  the  satisfaction 
 which  prevailed  in  our  small  camp.  There  was  a  forbidding  leer  in 
 that  one  glittering  eye,  which  the  small-pox  had  most  ungenerously 
 left  him,  to  fill  up,  I  presume,  the  black  catalogue  of  pillage  and 
 murder  entrusted  to  him  by  his  worthy  master,  that  caused  me  a 
 j)ang  whenever  I  glanced  at  him.  He  had  swallowed  down  sub- 
 stantial i)ieces  of  quivering  broundo,  drained  many  a  berrile  of 
 potent  arackee  and  tedj,  and  still  his  spirits  were  below  zero.  It 
 could  not  be  an  evil  conscience  that  was  at  work  within  him  ;  for  a 
 man  like  him,  whose  very  garments  were  drenched  in  blood,  could 
 not  have  much  of  a  conscience  ;  and  even  if  he  had,  it  was  torpid,  or 
 ■altogether  in  abeyance.  I  had  no  tedj  or  arackee  to  offer  him  ;  but, 
 instead  of  these  delicacies,  for  which  most  Abyssinians  will  sell 
 their  souls,  I  almost  drowned  him  in  excellent  coffee.  The  genial 
 beverage  did  not  melt  the  ice  of  his  soul,  nor  loose  the  strings  of  his 
 tongue.  He  was  sullen,  morose,  and  unsociable.  There  was  some- 
 thing on  his  heart  which  evidently  troubled  and  perplexed  him. 
 He  had  a  kind  of  doggish  affection  for  some  of  us,  partly  on 
 ■account  of  the  presents  he  had  received,  and  also  partly  on  account 
 of  the  kindness  and  courtesy  he  had  invariably  experienced  ;  and 
 this  rendered  his  taciturnity  still  more  suspicious.  Several  times  I 
 tried  to  worm  out  the  secret,  by  questioning  him,  in  a  most  coaxing 
 tone,  about  our  journey  ;  but,  like  one  of  those  ugly,  squatting, 
 Indian  idols,  he  sat  motionless  and  mute.  Once  only,  in  reply  to  a 
 dubious  wish  that  he  might  be  the  chief  of  our  escort,  did  he  yawn 
 forth,  in  croaking  accents,  '  Koi,  Koi'  (wait,  wait).  He  knew  that  a 
 •detachment  of  royal  troops  was  on  the  road  to  seize  us,  and  very 
 likely  the  secret  would  not  have  remained  enshrined  in  his  black 
 bosom,  had  he  not  justly  dreaded  the  consequences  it  might  involve. 
 In  the  afternoon,  a  grand  council  was  convoked  at  Quarata,  which 
 was  attended  by  all  the  magnates  of  the  place.  Samuel  was  one  of 
 the  wise  men  who  constituted  that  conclave,  and  it  does  not  reflect 
 much  credit  on  the  ungrateful  courtier,  that  a  cowardly  fear  deterred 
 him  from  warning  his  new  master,  Mr.  Rassam,  of  our  coming 
 troubles. 
 
 "  The  following  morning,  which  was  to  consummate  our  Abvs- 
 sinian  exodus,  we  hailed  with  joy  and  delight.  IMr.  Rassam,  his 
 •companions,  and  the  European  workmen,  at  sunrise  embarked  in  a 
 small  fleet  of  bulrush  boats  for  the  royal  camp,  and  about  two 
 hours  afterwards,  the  late  jMagdala  Captives,  the  three  missionaries, 
 and  two  hunters  on  parole  at  Gaffat,  in  high  glee,  sprang  into  their 
 saddles  and  trotted  away.  Our  road  lay  across  rough  and  uneven 
 paths  lined  with  stinging  nettles,  and  broken  by  dried- up  canals 
 and  deep  ruts.  This,  however,  we  did  not  notice  :  our  excited  ima- 
 ginations tinted  every  object  with  lovely  colours,  and  we  stumbled 
 ■over  holes   and   ditches,   brushed  along  weeds  and  bushes,   in  the 
 
324  THE    r.RITISH    EMBASSY. 
 
 delirium  of  a  most  ecstatic  dream.  Our  guards  never  flagged  in 
 their  vigilance.  They  were  in  the  rear  and  in  the  front,  on  the  right 
 and  the  left ;  in  fact,  wherever  we  wandered,  there  they  hovered 
 around  us. 
 
 "After  all,  we  had  misunderstood  Theodorus.  Did  not  the  very 
 attentions  of  the  guards  prove  that  the  reconciliation,  at  least  on  his 
 part,  was  quite  sincere  ?  Did  not  those  watchful  eyes,  that  gleamed 
 on  us  whenever  in  our  rapture  we  deviated  from  the  right  path, 
 show  how  precious  we  were  to  his  heart  ?  Did  not  the  solicitude 
 which  every  soldier  manifested  for  our  safety  demonstrate  how  ten- 
 derly his  late  prisoners  had  entwined  themselves  around  his  deepest 
 and  best  affections  ?  Smite  on  your  breasts,  prostrate  yourselves 
 on  the  ground,  and  acknowledge  that  Theodorus  is  a  grossly 
 injured  Monarch,  and  a  most  amiable  and  forgiving  Christian. 
 Such,  perhaps,  were  the  thoughts  that  floated  through  the  mind  of 
 one  or  the  other  on  that  short  hour's  travel.  At  the  village  where 
 we  alighted,  a  whole  detachment  of  troops,  without  lance  or  sword, 
 probably  in  order  not  to  awaken  any  suspicion,  sat  basking  in  the 
 sun's  mild  rays.  We  wanted  to  encamp  outside  the  fence  that 
 encircled  the  fragile  tenements  of  the  district  governor's  abode,  but 
 were  solemnly  assured  that  this  was  impossible.  '  You,'  we  were 
 told,  '  are  friends  of  the  King,  and  we  cannot  allow  you  to  camp  in 
 the  open  air,  where  hyaenas,  leopards,  and  lions  may  disturb  your 
 nocturnal  slumbers.'  This  was  kind,  provident,  and  considerate  ; 
 and,  with  all  our  disgust  for  enclosures  which  we  had  imbibed  at 
 Magdala,  we  readily  yielded  to  the  commands  of  these  cautious- 
 men.  When  our  tents  were  all  pitched,  Lidj  Abitou  and  his  friend 
 Kasai  paid  me  a  visit.  I  ordered  some  coffee,  but  he  refused  to 
 drink  any,  as  he  was  so  very  busy  in  attending  to  our  rations.  JSn 
 passajit,  he  inquired  whether  I  or  any  of  my  companions  had  fire- 
 arms. I  told  him  that  I  had  none,  and  that  the  majority  of  my  com- 
 panions were  also  unprovided  with  fire-arms,  swords,  or  weapons  of 
 defence.  He  chuckled  on  hearing  this,  and  then  walked  away, 
 evidently  pleased  with  the  idea  that  the  capture  of  the  white  men 
 could  be  eff'ected  without  any  serious  resistance.  Late  at  noon  we 
 were  all  summoned  into  a  hut  to  hear  a  letter  read,  which,  it  was 
 pretended  had  that  moment  arrived  from  the  King.  We  all  thought 
 that  it  was  a  parting  epistle,  embodying  the  following  or  similar 
 contents  :  '  I  am  well,  and  hope  you  are  well.  1  love  you,  and 
 want  you  also  to  love  me.  Send  me  cannon  and  gun  makers  to 
 chastise  my  bad  people,  who  advised  me  to  chain  you.  By  your 
 favour,  and  the  power  of  ...  I  shall  send  their  bodies  to  the 
 grave  and  their  souls  to  hell.     Farewell.' 
 
 "The  haystack-shaped  cabin,  on  our  entering,  to  our  surprise, 
 was  closely  lined  by  well-armed  troops.  We  did  not  exhibit  any 
 fear  ;  but,  placing  ourselves  in  front  of  the  compact  mass  of  senti- 
 nels, with  some  internal  trepidation,  awaited  the  issue  of  these 
 strange  and  mysterious  proceedings.     Bcitwodet  Tadlo,  a   chief  of 
 
THE    F.RITISH    EMI'.ASSV.  325 
 
 some  note,  who  perished  a  year  hiter  under  the  executioner's  knife, 
 after  putting  some  questions  to  his  subordinates  about  our  numbers, 
 and  whether  all  were  present,  unfolded  a  paper,  and,  lifting  it  on 
 high,  inquired  whether  we  knew  the  seal.  *  Yes,  it  is  the  King's,' 
 was  the  simultaneous  response.  '  Guards,  seize  them  ! '  and  instantly- 
 each  one  was  in  the  iron  grasp  of  two  or  three  ruffians.  The  blow 
 was  so  sudden  that  we  had  no  time  to  reflect  or  make  any  conjec- 
 ture. One  or  two  ejaculated,  'Are  these  villains  going  to  murder 
 us  ?'  Quiet  and  order  being  restored,  the  royal  epistle  was  next 
 read.  It  began,  as  usual,  in  the  name  of  the  Trinity — the  blas- 
 phemous despot  had  learned  to  interlard  his  abominable  effusions 
 with  Scripture  sentences — it  then  adverted  to  the  friendly  feeling 
 that  had  always  subsisted  between  the  King  and  I\Ir.  Rassam  ; 
 touched  in  ambiguous  language  on  an  unhappy  quarrel  that  had 
 marred  their  attachment  ;  and  finally  closed  with  an  injunction  to 
 put  us  in  chains,  but  not  to  maltreat  us  by  any  other  infliction  of 
 suffering.  Manacles — the  heaviest  I  had  yet  seen — were  soon  ham- 
 mered around  the  well-trained  right  and  left  wrists  of  each  pair,  and 
 thus  linked  together  we  were  driven,  well  watched,  into  prison. 
 The  two  ladies  and  their  children  were  exempted  from  this  rigorous 
 guardianship,  and  they  had  a  quiet  but  sad  night,  in  a  tent  that  was 
 assigned  for  their  sole  occupation. 
 
 "  The  weary  night  at  last  waned,  and  the  grey  light  of  dawn 
 began  to  be  visible  through  the  chinks  and  holes  of  our  prison. 
 The  clanking  of  chains  and  the  sound  of  steps  roused  the  snoring 
 guards,  who  would  gladly  have  slept  half  an  hour  more,  had  their 
 restless  charge  been  a  little  more  considerate.  By  the  time  our 
 braves  had  girded  on  their  unwieldy  swords,  swathed  themselves  in 
 their  bulky  belts,  and  removed  the  barricades  that  protected  the 
 doors,  orders  came  that  we  should  proceed  to  the  lake,  where  boats 
 were  ready  to  convey  us  to  the  royal  camp. 
 
 "  Mid-day  we  reached  Zeghee.  Several  of  the  European  work- 
 men, on  our  arrival,  came  out  of  the  royal  enclosure,  but  they  took 
 no  notice  of  us,  nor  even  sent  a  servant  to  inquire  after  the  welfare 
 of  their  brethren,  of  whom  three  were  in  our  party.  They  were 
 certainly  slaves  ;  or,  as  the  King  used  to  style  them,  most  servile  and 
 subservient  slaves.  In  getting  out  of  the  boats  each  one  was 
 searched,  to  see  if  he  had  any  money  about  his  person.  This  act 
 was  not  dictated  by  hostile  feeling  towards  us,  but  b}-  pressing  want. 
 The  soldiers  were  starving,  the  loyal  provinces  impoverished,  and 
 the  exchequer  drained  and  empty.  These  were  contingencies  that 
 weighed  heavily  on  his  INIajesty's  mind  ;  and  as  the  wretched 
 Frendjoj  had  a  few  dollars,  the  unscrupulous  son  of  Solomon,  who 
 was  never  particular  about  the  tuum,  thought  he  might  as  well 
 appropriate  them  to  his  own  use.  He  had  plundered  me  before  of 
 more  than  two  hundred  pounds  in  cash,  besides  a  valuable  collec- 
 tion of  manuscripts,  a  watch,  clothing,  photographic  apparatus,  &c. 
 I  pardoned  him  those  robberies,  as  he  had  at  least  some  extenua- 
 
326  THE    I'.RITISH    EMBASSY. 
 
 tion  in  the  custom  of  the  country  ;  but  to  deprive  a  number  of  par- 
 doned prisoners  of  a  few  paltry  dollars,  was  an  act  worthy  of  a  mean 
 thief,  and  not  of  a  miyhty  King. 
 
 "  The  following  morning  there  was  a  grand  court  within  the  royal 
 enclosure,  to  try  the  prisoners.  It  was  a  meagre  and  beggarly  affair,, 
 compared  to  the  imposing  spectacle  presented  on  a  similar  occa- 
 sion, a  little  more  than  two  years  before,  at  Gondar.  The  tyrant 
 himself,  if  he  cast  a  retrospective  glance  at  the  past,  must  have  felt 
 the  contrast  most  dire  and  rueful.  He  was  then  in  the  zenith  of  his 
 power.  Success  everywhere  attended  his  arms,  and  in  the  flush 
 of  glorv  the  infatuated  man  really  began  to  think  that  he  was  the- 
 Theodorus  of  prophecy.  All  was  now  reversed.  His  army  had 
 dwindled  down  from  150,000  warriors  to  about  25,000  ruffians.  His 
 extensive  realm  had  shrivelled  into  a  few  provinces,  and  his  schemes- 
 of  foreign  aggrandizement,  had  become  confined  to  a  desperate 
 struggle  with  home  rebels.  Had  he  reflected,  he  might  have- 
 remembered  that  his  power  began  to  wane  from  the  very  hour  that 
 a  scarred,  lacerated,  and  bleeding  missionary,  lay  insensible  at  his 
 feet ;  but  he  had  sold  himself  to  work  evil,  till  the  bolt  of  justice  put 
 an  end  to  his  desolating  career. 
 
 "  Driven  along  like  a  gang  of  galley-slaves,  we  hurriedly  traversed 
 the  camp,  from  whence,  through  a  wide  passage  in  the  royal  fence, 
 we  were  ushered  into  the  presence  of  the  judge,  jury,  and  audience. 
 His  Majesty  was  on  an  alga  or  divan  ;  the  members  of  the  mission 
 on  his  right,  about  ten  yards  in  front ;  the  European  workmen 
 about  double  the  distance  off  in  the  same  line ;  and  the  rest,  consisting 
 of  military  chiefs,  officers,  and  priests,  were  ranged  in  a  semicircle,, 
 according  to  their  rank.  We  were  placed  in  a  row  at  the  farthest 
 end  of  the  assemblage,  opposite  the  alga.  His  Majesty  asked  us  a 
 few  questions  about  our  health  and  welfare,  which  we  acknowledged, 
 in  prostrations  so  exact  and  uniform  as  to  do  credit  to  our  long 
 training.  Consul  Cameron,  in  whose  behalf,  it  was  said  by  high 
 and  low,  soldier  and  chief,  the  mission  had  visited  Abyssinia — a 
 report  not  at  all  creditable  to  those  who  spread  it — was  ordered  to 
 be  released  of  nis  chains,  and  placed  near  his  brother  officers.  M. 
 Bardel,  probably  on  account  of  some  special  service,  had  the  same 
 honour  assigned  to  him  ;  and  the  rest,  who  had  neither  merit  nor 
 official  position,  were  obliged  to  gratify,  in  their  humiliating  hand- 
 cuffs, the  gaze  of  the  assembled  multitude.  The  questions  propounded 
 were  of  the  old  stereotyped  stamp,  with  a  few  embellishments  to 
 heighten  their  effect.  We  were,  of  course,  all  meekness  and  sub- 
 mission. The  fiendish  malice  in  the  tyrant's  eye,  even  more  than 
 words,  expressed  his  disappointment  with  our  conduct.  He  wanted 
 to  find  an  excuse  for  his  vile  treachery  and  base  designs,  in  the 
 boldness  of  the  Captives,  or  in  their  defence  of  paltry  charges  pre- 
 ferred against  them.  His  scheme  failed,  and  he  had  to  seek  some 
 other  subterfuge  to  palliate  his  past  proceedings,  and  to  throw  a 
 veil  over  his  well-m^itured,  nefarious  projects.     '  INIy  children,'  he 
 
THK    HRITISH    P:MHASSV.  327 
 
 then  said  to  his  wcjrkmen,  who  were  called  before  him,  '  is  it  right 
 that  I  should  ask  for  Kasa  ?'  (compensation).  Waldemeier  and  Zan- 
 der, in  their  excitement,  said  loudly,  '  Kasa  is  very  good.'  Perhaps- 
 if  they  had  remembered  that  so  many  ears  were  listening  with 
 intense  interest  to  every  word  they  uttered,  they  would  have 
 expressed  their  opinion  sotto  voce,  for  they  were  both  expert  Abys- 
 sinian courtiers,  of  the  real,  genuine,  and  unmistakable  type.  The 
 rest  were  more  politic,  except  Saalmiiller,  who  said  distinctly,  '  No, 
 Kasa  is  bad.'  These,  then,  were  the  men  who,  a  few  days  before, 
 had  boldly  requested  the  King  to  sanction  our  departure.  The 
 story  is  true,  but  the  motives  by  which  they  were  actuated  will 
 remain  a  mystery.  It  is  most  likely  that  the  bold  straightforward- 
 ness of  the  native  Chiefs  excited  their  emulation — an  indiscretion 
 for  which  some  at  least  atoned  by  a  diplomeitic  manoauvre,  that 
 screened  them  from  his  Majesty's  displeasure. 
 
 "Before  the  Court  was  dissolved  Mr.  Rassam  and  his  party  were 
 ordered  to  rise. 
 
 "  The  compressed  thin  lips  and  spasmodic  contortions  of  the 
 King's  bloated  face  indicated  something  boisterous ;  but  he  restrained 
 himself,  and  merely  said,  '  Why  did  you  send  the  prisoners  away 
 before  I  was  reconciled  with  them  .^  Are  you  my  masters  }  I  want 
 England  to  be  my  friend,  for  we  tw'O  can  make  a  hedge  around 
 Senaar.  Now  you  remain  with  me  ;  and  wherever  I  go,  you  will 
 go  ;  and  wherever  I  stay,  you  will  stay.'  Mr.  Rassam,  undaunted 
 by  royal  rhetoric,  like  a  Christian  and  a  gentleman,  in  becoming 
 terms,  requested  our  release.  His  Majesty  grinned,  and  then 
 rejoined,  '  Enough  for  to-day.'  " 
 
 There  is  much  to  bewilder  in  the  recapitulation  of  the  varied 
 incidents  with  which  this  period  abounds.  Events  seem  to  move 
 in  a  circle.  There  is  apparently  no  real  progress  ;  and  we  return  to 
 the  old  and  melancholy  scenes  to  which  we  had  vainly  hoped  that 
 we  had  bidden  adieu.  The  prospect  of  deliverance  had  passed 
 away  as  the  mirage  of  the  desert.  The  blissful  and  tantalizing  vision 
 was  again  succeeded  by  the  clang  of  fetters,  and  the  gloom  of  the 
 prison-house.  The  tyrant  seemed  to  revel  in  the  mental  and  moral 
 torture  of  his  victims,  even  when  he  did  not  resort  to  the  former 
 weapons  of  physical  punishment.  The  attributes  of  the  feline  race 
 seemed  to  predominate  in  him  over  every  other  characteristic,  and 
 he  only  permitted  his  prey  to  enjoy  a  certain  measure  of  liberty, 
 with  the  view  of  showing  that  escape  was  impossible. 
 
 Several  documents  had  at  that  time  reached  the  barbaric  Court. 
 Among  them  was  the  petition  which  had  been  addressed  to  Theo- 
 
328  THE    in<ITI.SH    EMHASSY. 
 
 dorus  by  the  relatives  of  the  Captives.  These  documents  were  read 
 aloud  to  the  prisoners.  Mr.  Stern  observed  : — "  Our  relatives' 
 mournful  and  affecting  petition,  made  us  forget  the  nonsensical 
 ceremony  in  which  we  had  taken  such  an  active  share,  and  with 
 thrilling  emotions  we  listened  to  every  word  of  that  tender  appeal. 
 The  tyrant  himself,  as  he  said,  when  he  received  it  about  a  month 
 before,  was  deeply  touched  on  perusing  its  contents,  and  the 
 seriousness  he  evinced  when  it  was  read  to  us  in  English,  a  language 
 of  which  he  understood  not  a  word,  showed  that  the  impression 
 was  not  entirely  effaced." 
 
 Cholera  now  broke  out  at  Quarata.  Hundreds,  and  even  thou- 
 sands, fell  before  this  terrible  scourge.  The  soldiery  in  particular 
 were  decimated  by  its  ravages.  Orders  were  given  to  remove  the 
 camp  to  Debra  Tabor.  The  professed  honour  with  which  Mr. 
 Rassam  had  been  treated  was  followed  by  marked  disrespect,  and 
 he  was  now  regarded  as  a  prisoner,  and  confined  in  a  black  and  dis- 
 mal tent.  The  King  at  one  time  proposed  to  keep  him  as  a  host- 
 age, and  dismiss  the  other  prisoners  ;  but  the  decisions  of  one 
 moment,  were  reversed  the  next.  The  conflict  between  one  line  of 
 action  and  another,  came,  however,  to  an  end  ;  and  while  the 
 Monarch  turned  his  attention  to  the  provinces  which  had  revolted 
 against  his  authority,  Mr.  Rassam  and  the  European  prisoners  were 
 despatched  again  to  the  royal  prison-house  of  Amba  Magdala. 
 Often,  may  he  and  Mr.  Stern  have  recalled  to  memory,  the  contrast 
 between  their  present  condition,  and  the  circumstances  under  which 
 they  first  met,  in  the  city  of  Mosul. 
 
 "  Whilst  the  King  was  rioting  in  carnage  and  bloodshed,  his 
 white  victims,  to  their  joy  and  gratitude,  were  far  away  from  him, 
 on  the  world-wide  known  Amba  Magdala.  Our  journey,  which  was 
 fatiguing,  occupied  four  good  days.  Near  the  fortress  we  were  met 
 by  about  two  hundred  men  of  the  garrison  ;  most  were  old  acquain- 
 tances, and  evidently  not  displeased  to  see  us  again.  '  May 
 the  Lord  open  you !' — the  salutation  with  which  they  grinningly 
 greeted  us — was  the  key-note  that  told  of  chains  and  a  prison. 
 What  the  old  prisoners  most  dreaded  was,  however,  not  fetters,  but 
 the  common  gaol.  Our  fears  were  speedily  removed,  and  to  our 
 satisfaction  we  were,  under  a  strong  guard,  escorted  to  a  house 
 near  the  royal  fence,  formerly  the  prison  of  his  Majesty's  disgraced 
 friends. 
 
L 
 
 THE    liRITISH    EMHASSV.  329 
 
 "We  reached  the  Amba  on  July  izth,  and  on  the  i6th,  foot 
 chains  were  hammered  around  our  legs.  The  Commandant,  who 
 had  received  some  valuable  presents  from  Mr.  Rassam,  did  not 
 admire  this  harsh  treatment  of  the  liberal  Frendjoj,  and  as  he 
 knew  that  the  truth  was  an  ugly  fact,  he  had  recourse  to  the  pal- 
 pable falsehood,  that  chains  were  the  inevitable  condition  of  an 
 Amba  residence.     It  was  a  well-meant,  but  ludicrous  and  stupid  lie. 
 
 "  A  few  days  after  we  were  shackled,  the  Ras,  conjointly  with  his 
 Council — for  without  serious  deliberation  nothing  could  be  done — 
 enlarged  our  premises,  and  we  got  two  other  huts  in  addition  to  the 
 one  we  already  occupied.  The  real  genuine  prison,  which  faced 
 the  entrance  to  our  compound,  was  assigned  to  Consul  Cameron, 
 Mr.  Rosenthal,  and  myself.  Opposite  to  this  was  the  kitchen,  a 
 large  rickety  circular  building  ;  this  was  given  to  Messrs.  Kerans, 
 Pietro,  the  Alission's  Indian  servants,  and  some  hangers  on.  The 
 entrances  to  the  two  buildings  were  in  such  close  proximity,  that 
 long  before  breakfast  or  dinner  was  ready,  puffs  of  smoke,  redolent 
 with  the  fumes  of  seasoned  viands,  announced  the  bill  of  fare.  This 
 did  not  inconvenience  us ;  on  the  contrary,  the  smell  of  roast, 
 curry  and  stew,  after  all  the  abominable  odours  we  had  inhaled  in 
 the  common  prison,  was  a  luxury  which  our  olfactory  nerves  most 
 keenly  appreciated. 
 
 "  Apart  from  the  dwellings  of  the  low  and  inferior  prisoners, 
 about  a  hundred  yards  to  the  right,  in  isolated  grandeur,  stood  the 
 abode  of  the  Envoy — a  hostage,  as  Theodoras  himself  said,  of  no 
 mean  repute.  It  could  not  boast  of  much  architectural  beauty  or 
 taste,  but  it  was  well  thatched,  clean,  and  furnished.  In  a  parallel 
 line  with  'the  residency,'  as  in  the  peculiar  jargon  of  Magdala  we 
 used  occasionally  to  designate  M.  Rassam's  dwelling,  the  eye  fell 
 •on  an  immense  cage,  a  kind  of  structure  that  might  have  been 
 taken  at  a  little  distance  for  a  hay-stack,  and,  on  closer  inspection, 
 for  a  village  circus.  This  formed  the  home  of  his  two  companions, 
 Dr.  Blanc  and  Lieut.  Prideaux.  The  five  old  prisoners,  and  the 
 occupants  of  the  kitchen  were  guarded  by  soldiers,  during  the  night, 
 a  nuisance  from  which  the  members  of  the  mission  were  exempted. 
 It  was  asserted,  that  the  King  himself  had  given  the  order  ;  but  as 
 we  were  more  than  a  week  allowed  to  sleep  unwatched,  the  story 
 lacked  even  the  appearance  of  probability.  Samuel  was,  no  doubt, 
 the  contriver  of  the  arrangement,  as  it  enhanced  his  importance, 
 and  tended  to  maintain  an  invidious  distinction  between  the  pri- 
 soners. A  few  months  later.  Consul  Cameron,  who  had  succeeded 
 in  ingratiating  himself  with  Samuel,  got  permission  to  sleep  in  a 
 hut,  undisturbed  by  noisy  guards;  and  in  December,  1867,  at  the 
 kind  request  of  ]\Ir.  Rassam  and  Dr.  Blanc,  a  similar  concession 
 was  extended  to  me. 
 
 "Exiled  and  banished  on  a  rocky  fortress,  in  the  heart  of  Africa, 
 the  question  which  most  agitated  our  minds,  was  the  conveyance  of 
 letters  down  to  the  coast.     During  our  first  captivity  we  sent  every 
 
 w 
 
330  THE    BRITISH    EMBASSY. 
 
 month  or  two  some  messengers  down  to  IMassowah.  They  seldom 
 met  with  an  untoward  accident,  and,  if  they  did  not  quarrel  or  fight, 
 were  almost  sure  to  pass  unmolested  through  the  various  provinces 
 they  had  to  traverse.  Mr.  Rassam  availed  himself  of  the  same 
 agencies  ;  and  as  he  had  a  whole  host  of  followers,  he  could  select 
 the  most  trustworthy,  whenever  he  had  important  despatches  to  for- 
 ward. The  messengers  were  invariably  warned  of  the  dangers  they 
 would  have  to  encounter  if  caught  by  the  King's  people — a  precau- 
 tion that  kept  them  in  a  whol'esome  tremor,  till  they  were  far  beyond 
 the  rocks  and  ravines  that  encircle  Magdala.  It  was  humiliating  to 
 think,  that  in  the  wilds  of  Africa,  a  few  unfortunate  foreign  captives, 
 should  not  be  able  to  express  their  hopes  and  fears  to  distant  rela- 
 tives and  friends  without  some  risk  and  danger.  The  very  idea  of 
 such  a  contingency  appeared  ridiculous  ;  and  yet  it  was  not  less 
 strange  than  true,  that  a  simple  sentence — and  that,  too,  couched 
 in  a  foreign  language — an  evil-disposed  European  might  have  per- 
 verted into  a  most  wicked,  mischievous,  and  cruel  offence.  Hap- 
 pily, it  only  occurred  once;  and  we  have  to  thank  our  faithful  native 
 messengers  that  it  did  not  occur  again.  The  will  existed,  but  the 
 proofs  were  wanting. 
 
 "  Our  great  difficulty  very  often  consisted  in  concealing  letters 
 after  they  were  written.  Generally  the  messengers  departed  as 
 soon  as  they  were  finished,  but  sometimes  it  happened,  that  on  the 
 very  morning  when  they  were  to  leave,  intelligence  reached  us  that 
 the  road  was  unsafe,  or  that  some  of  the  garrison  had  gone  to  a 
 neighbouring  district.  In  the  beginning,  when  such  an  emergency 
 arose,  we  entrusted  them  to  our  native  friends  on  the  Amba ;  but 
 during  the  last  few  months  of  our  captivity,  we  concealed  them  in 
 the  bamboos  that  supported  the  thatched  roofs  of  our  huts. 
 
 "The  journey  down  to  the  coast  and  back  to  Magdala,  a  toler- 
 able pedestrian  could  accomplisji  in  two  months.  Most  of  the 
 messengers  performed  the  first  trip  in  less  time  than  was  expected. 
 The  second,  however,  was  not  so  expeditious,  and  the  third  outrage- 
 ously long.  The  causes  of  the  delays  were  obvious.  An  Abyssinian 
 without  money,  is  most  obedient,  industrious  and  frugal ;  but  with 
 money,  he  is  lazy,  arrogant  and  luxurious.  Now,  as  each  man,  on  his 
 arrival  at  IMassowah,  got  twenty  Maria  Theresa  dollars,  and  perhaps 
 a  gratuity  on  his  return  ;  he  thought  it  necessary,  after  two,  or  the 
 utmost  three  trips,  to  repay  himself  for  his  toil,  by  a  little  indulgence 
 in  those  gratifications,  which  every  Abyssinian  village  so  abundantly 
 offers.  Tedj,  arackee,  and  other  pleasures,  did  not,  however,  spoil 
 their  honestv,  or  make  them  indifferent  to  what  was  entrusted  to 
 their  charge. 
 
 "  Our  money  we  got  through  the  same  channel ;  and  out  of  the 
 number  that  were  employed,  only  one  man  lost  about  eighty  dol- 
 lars ;  all  the  rest  brought  the  sums  entrusted  to  them  quite  intact. 
 This  honesty  in  our  Abyssinians — a  race  proverbial  for  their  thie- 
 
THK    IIRITISH    EMBASSY.  331 
 
 vish  proclivities — frequently  amazed  us.  It  is  true  they  could  not 
 easily  abscond  with  two  hundred  dollars,  the  sum  each  man  carried, 
 as  probably  the  rebels  would  speedily  have  relieved  them  of  their 
 dishonest  wealth.  But  these  I  do  not  think  were  considerations 
 that  had  much  influence  with  them.  They  had,  I  believe,  a  kind  of 
 religious  terror,  blended  with  a  slight  attachment  to  their  masters  ; 
 and  these  united  deterred  them  from  decamping.  Had  they  been 
 rogues,  we  should  have  had  a  terrible  existence  at  Magdala.  Although 
 it  was  said,  that  the  King  had  ordered  rations  for  the  members  of  the 
 mission,  I  do  not  believe  it  ;  but  even  if  it  had  been  true,  they  might 
 have  perished  on  the  bounties,  that  would  have  been  doled  out  to  them 
 by  the  royal  purveyors.  I  and  my  companions  had  experienced 
 something  of  this  mode  of  existence.  Luckily,  or  rather  providen- 
 tially, we  were  seldom  long  without  money ;  or  else  we  might  have 
 gnawed  our  lips  in  the  grim  agonies  of  starvation." 
 
CHAPTER    XL. 
 
 ROYAL    SYMPATHY.       NATIONAL    ANXIETY. 
 
 The  time  of  captivity  was  now  counted  by  years.  In  the  ordi- 
 nary events  of  life,  men  become  cold  and  languid  when  contem- 
 plating the  incessant  recurrence  of  the  same  tale,  however  sad  ;  and 
 the  like  events,  however  remarkable.  But  the  consequences  of  the 
 captivity  at  Magdala  were  so  serious,  that  the  anxieties  and  eager- 
 ness of  the  English  people  increased  perceptibly,  as  this  lengthened 
 period  passed  on. 
 
 Earnest  and  unremitting  prayer,  was  accompanied  by  keen  and 
 unwearied  sympathy.  Few  there  were  who  forgot  the  families  of 
 the  Captives,  whose  days  and  nights  were  passed  in  trembling  anti- 
 cipation. This  cheered  and  encouraged  them;  and  Mrs.  Stern  in 
 particular  realized,  how  many  were  ready,  by  any  means  in  their 
 power,  to  soothe  and  comfort  her,  amidst  her  sorrows  and  per- 
 plexities. 
 
 England's  Queen,  has  always,  by  her  bright  and  noble  example, 
 led  the  van  in  all  that  adorns  her  womanly  instincts,  as  well  as  her 
 regal  state.  Whenever  public  and  even  private  sorrow  reaches  the 
 royal  ear,  it  meets  with  generous  and  loving  sympathy.  Although 
 the  following  letter  is  introduced  in  anticipation  of  events  which 
 are  still  to  be  related,  it  is  entitled  to  precedence  over  other  cor- 
 respondence, of  which  some  examples  are  now  given.  Mrs.  Stern 
 had  ventured  to  address  the  Queen,  through  the  instrumentality  of 
 Lord  Stanley,  who  had  become  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign 
 Affairs.  General  Grey,  Her  Majesty's  Equerry,  received  the  Queen's 
 commands  to  give  the  following  reply  : — 
 
ROYAL    SYMPATHY.       NA  ITOXAL    ANXIETY.  333 
 
 "  General  Grey  has  received  the  commands  of  the  Queen 
 to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  Mrs.  Stern's  letter,  for- 
 warded by  Lord  Stanley. 
 
 "  Her  Majesty  has  sympathized  deeply  with  tlwse,  whose 
 friends  and  relations  have  suffered  such  a  long  and  cruel 
 captivity  in  Abyssinia ;  and  now  joins  with  them  in  heart- 
 felt gratitude  to  God,  for  the  success  which  has  attended 
 the  measures  taken  for  their  release.  She  congratulates 
 Mrs.  Stern  on  the  termination  of  this  long  period  of 
 anxious  suspense,  and  trusts  that  her  husband  may  now  be 
 .  soon  restored  to  her,  without  having  suffered  in  health 
 from  his  long  confinement. 
 
 "General  Grey  is  also  desired,  to  thank  IMrs.  Stern,  for 
 her  kind  congratulations  on  the  providential  escape  of  the 
 Duke  of  Edinburgh  from  the  pistol  of  the  assassin. 
 
 "Osborne,  May  7,  1868." 
 
 In  the  field  of  religious  and  useful  literature,  the  name  of  Miss 
 Tucker  is  well  known  under  the  signature  of  A.  L.  O.  E.  The 
 letters  of  one  so  loved  and  distinguished,  are  worthy  of  being  pre- 
 served ;  and  they  are  suitably  added,  in  order  that  an  illustration 
 may  be  given  of  the  character  of  the  correspondence,  in  which  Mrs. 
 Stern  was  frequently  occupied. 
 
 "  Madam, — Permit  one  who  is  a  perfect  stranger  to  you,  and  yet, 
 I  trust,  a  sister  in  Christ,  to  offer  to  you  the  expression  of  her  sym- 
 pathy, under  the  long-protracted  trial  of  your  noble  husband's 
 imprisonment.  It  appears  as  if  we  must  not  look  to  Government 
 for  the  means  of  breaking  his  chain,  and  it  occurs  to  me  that  if 
 some  one  could  suggest  to  the  mind  of  King  Theodorus  the  expedi- 
 ence of  commuting  imprisonment  for  fine,  the  cupidity  of  the  man 
 might  be  gratified,  while  his  pride  would  not  be  w-ounded.  Could 
 such  an  agreement  be  entered  into,  how  joyfully  would  many  con- 
 tribute their  mites  to  ransom  the  prisoner,  and  give  back  the 
 honoured  Missionary  to  the  work  of  the  Church  !  It  may  seem 
 presumptuous  in  me  to  venture  to  suggest  anything  to  those  who 
 must  have  given  the  subject  such  deep  thought  and  attention  ;  but 
 sympathy  at  least  is  soothing,  and  you  may  like  to  know  that  in  such 
 a  place  as  the  Marylebone  Poorhouse  (which  I  visit)  it  is  felt  for 
 Mr.  Stern  and  his  afflicted  companions  !     May  the  Almighty  spread 
 
J34  ROYAL    SYMPATHY.       NATIONAL    ANXIETY. 
 
 over  them  His  protecting-  wini^s  and  give  them,  as  he  gave  St.  Peter, 
 to  the  prayers  of  the  Church. 
 
 "  Yours,  Madam,  with  Christian  regard, 
 
 "  A.  L.  O.  E., 
 
 "  .\uthoress  of  the  Young  Pilgrim,  &c." 
 "July  7th,  1865." 
 
 "  Childown  Cottage,  Chertsey. 
 
 "  Dear  Madam, — Your  letter,  addressed  to  me  as  A.  L.  O.  E., 
 only  reached  me  a  few  hours  ago,  owing  to  my  absence  from  my 
 usual  residence,  or  it  would  have  received  a  more  speedy  reply. 
 ''The  accompanying  letters'  which  you  mention,  and  which  would 
 be  most  interesting,  I  have  not  received  at  all  ;  I  hope  that  they  are 
 not  lost,  but  that  they  may  come  by  the  morning's  post.  I  hope 
 and  will  pray  that  our  God  may  bless  Dr.  Beke's  mission.  Much  w^ill,  I 
 should  think,  humanly  speaking,  depend  upon  the  selection  of  such 
 presents  as  would  be  likely  to  strike  a  barbaric  monarch  as  curious 
 and  beautiful.  It  seems  presumptuous,  in  one  so  ignorant  on  the 
 subject  as  myself,  to  suggest  such  things  as  the  stereoscope,  with 
 those  pictures  which  give  candle-light  effects  ;  or  those  ingenious 
 working  models  of  steamers,  &c.,  which,  I  believe,  are  to  be  pro- 
 cured at  Cremer's,  in  Regent-street.  Few  things,  perhaps,  would 
 give  the  Emperor  Theodorus  a  grander  idea  of  the  extent  of  our 
 Sovereign's  power  than  a  good  coloured  map  of  London,  or  that 
 panoramic  view  of  it  which  I  remember  was  once  contained  in  the 
 Illustrated  Navs.  I  am  sure  that  you  will  make  the  matter  of  the 
 choice  of  presents  a  subject  for  prayer. 
 
 "Will  you  kindly  take  charge  of  the  enclosed  offering  }  I  should 
 like  it  to  be  put  down  thus  :  '  Our  brethren  have  need'  (i  John  iii., 
 17).     Perhaps  that  verse  referred  to,  may  touch  some  other  heart. 
 
 "  The  pressure  of  such  long-continued  anxiety  on  your  mind  must 
 be  very  wearying,  very  trying  to  faith  !  I  have  known  something  of 
 it,  for  all  my  five  brothers  were  in  India  at  the  fearful  mutiny  time, 
 four  of  them  in  imminent  danger  !  It  was  so  hard  to  see  God's 
 hand  in  that  trial  !  Yet,  dear  Madam,  I  have  found  that  though 
 'heaviness  endureth  for  a  night,  yet  joy  cometh  in  the  morning.' 
 The  Rev.  M.  Judson  sowed  '  in  tears,' — what  anguish  was  endured  by 
 his  wife, — but  the  harvest  was  a  harvest  of  light !  If,  as  we  hope 
 and  pray,  vour  husband  and  his  companions  be  released  from  their 
 cruel  bondage,  how  much  more  weight  his  words  are  likely  to  have 
 with  the  Falashas.  His  sufferings  may  at  this  moment,  be  preach- 
 mg  a  powerful  sermon  to  those  whom  his  voice  cannot  reach. 
 Satan  probably  thought  that  he  had  succeeded  in  silencing  John 
 Bunyan  when  that  good  man  was  cast  into  prison  ;  but  the  result 
 was  a  book  through  which  he  has  preached  for  centuries,  to  genera- 
 tion after  generation,  and  in  many  tongues  to  many  nations.     Does 
 
ROYAL    SYMPATHY.       NATIONAL    ANXIETY.  335 
 
 not  Bunyan  now  in  glory  praise  and  bless  God  for  his  prison  ?    May 
 it  be  thus  with  your  husband ! 
 
 "Yours  with  true  sympathy  and  Christian  regard, 
 
 "C.  M.  Tucker. 
 "August  24th,  1865. 
 
 "  P.S. — Pray,  in  addressing  a  letter  to  me,  put  both  my  initials, 
 *  Miss  C.  I\I.  Tucker." 
 
 "Dear  Madam, — I  enclose  stamps  for  a  copy  of  the  Captives' 
 letters,  which  I  wish  to  take  with  me  to  the  Marylebone  Poor-house 
 to-morrow.  It  would  rejoice  the  sufferers  to  know,  what  a  strong 
 interest  is  taken  by  some  of  the  inmates  in  their  fate  ;  that  in  several 
 of  the  w^ards  prayer  has  been  offered  for  them,  and  that  any  fresh 
 tidings  are  eagerly  welcomed  in  that  abode  of  poverty  and  sorrow. 
 "  Trusting  that  a  blessing  may  rest  upon  Dr.  Beke's  mission, 
 "  I  remain,  dear  Madam,  faithfully  yours, 
 
 "  C.  M.  Tucker. 
 "3,  Upper  Portland-place,  W.,  Nov.  27th,  1865." 
 
 The  British  Resident  at  Aden,  Colonel  ]\Ierewether,  through 
 whom  letters  and  despatches  were  conveyed  to  Massowah  and 
 Abyssinia,  was  in  frequent  communication  with  Mrs.  Stern ;  and 
 w'ith  the  utmost  courtesy  and  consideration  kept  her  informed  of 
 anything  which  transpired,  by  which  her  anxieties  and  distress 
 might  be  alleviated.  The  following  letters  will  suffice  to  indicate 
 the  kind  and  unwearied  interest  which  he  took  in  the  negociations, 
 which  were  actively  carried  on  for  the  release  of  the  prisoners  : — 
 
 "Aden,  7th  March,  1865. 
 
 "  My  dear  Madam, — The  enclosed  letter  from  your  husband 
 arrived  the  day  before  yesterday,  from  Massowah.  I  regret  deeply 
 that  I  am  unable  to  send  you  with  it  any  tidings  of  the  prospect  of 
 early  release  of  the  poor  Captives  ;  but  it  is  one  step  in  advance 
 being  able  to  intercommunicate,  which  hitherto  we  had  been  unable 
 to  do,  and  I  trust  we  may  accept  this  as  a  good  omen  of  better 
 progress  in  future.  The  determined  silence  of  the  King  is  ^he 
 obstacle  ;  every  possible  endeavour  is  being  used  to  remove  that, 
 and  we  may  hope  that  on  his  return  to  his  Capital  he  will  give 
 attention  to  the  letters  which  have  been  addressed  to  him  from 
 Massowah. 
 
 "  Permit  me  to  offer  you  my  sincere  sympathy  in  so  many  trials, 
 and  to  remain, 
 
 "  ]My  dear  Madam,  yours  faithfully, 
 
 "W.  L.  Merewether, 
 
 "  Lt.-Colonel,  Resident." 
 
336  ROYAL    SYMPATHY.       NATIONAL    ANXIETY. 
 
 "Aden,  4th  February,  1866. 
 
 "  Dear  jMadam, — I  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  by  last  mail 
 your  letter  of  the  9th  January.  I  can  assure  you  the  information 
 you  received  about  letters  from  your  husband  and  the  poor  Captives 
 being  detained  at  Aden,  was  totally  incorrect.  Any  letters  which 
 have  come  here  from  Abyssinia,  have  invariably  been  sent  on  to 
 England  by  the  first  steamer — several  times  this  has  happened  on 
 the  same  day  they  have  been  received. 
 
 "  On  the  21st  ult.,  I  sent  a  thick  packet  for  you  to  the  Rev.  IMr. 
 Goodhart,  which  had  only  reached  me  that  morning.  It  will,  I 
 hope,  have  been  delivered  safely  to  you,  and  from  it  you  will  have 
 learned  the  latest  tidings  of  the  poor  prisoners.  Consul  Cameron 
 writes  in  good  spirits,  and  on  the  27th  September  says  : — '  We  have 
 weathered  the  winter  season  famously,  though  not  without  trouble.' 
 This  letter  is  the  latest.  In  a  previous  one,  dated  the  i8th,  he 
 wrote : — '  We  have  had  some  trouble  in  getting  comfortably 
 through  the  winter,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  getting  provisions  ; 
 but  there  has  been  no  one  ill  except  Rosenthal,  who  has  been  shut 
 up  for  about  ten  days  with  neuralgia  and  sore  eyes.' 
 
 "  They  had  heard  of  Mr.  Rassam  being  on  his  way  up,  and  hope- 
 ful in  consequence.  Your  husband's  note  was  dated  1 2th  Septem- 
 ber only.  He  told  IMr.  Rassam  to  use  the  packet  addressed  to  you 
 as  he  liked  (it  being  the  continuation  of  his  most  interesting 
 journal)  ;  but  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  had  not  time  even  to  read  it — 
 wishing  it  should  not  miss  that  day's  mail,  so  sent  it  on  with  the 
 other  letters. 
 
 "There  was,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  some  delay  at  IMassowah  with 
 these  letters,  owing  to  unavoidable  circumstances.  Operations  in 
 the  interior  of  Arabia,  compelled  the  employment  on  that  coast  of 
 the  Victoria  steamer  up  to  the  9th  January,  so  that  she  did  not 
 visit  IMassowah  in  December,  as  I  had  previously  arranged.  The 
 letters  reached  IMassowah  on  the  15th  December,  and  IMons.  IMun- 
 zinger,  in  charge  of  the  British  Consulate,  very  properl}-,  I  think, 
 kept  them  till  the  Victoria  came,  instead  of  sending  them  by  native 
 boat  to  this  place,  a  very  tedious  and  uncertain  process  at  this  time 
 of  year. 
 
 "  IMr.  Rassam  was  progressing  excellently  well.  He  reached 
 Kassala  on  the  6th  November,  left  it  on  the  9th,  and  expected  to 
 be  at  IMetemma  on  the  20th.  It  was  reported,  and  believed  to  be 
 true,  that  the  King  had  moved  into  Godjam,  to  be  near  Metemma, 
 and  that  he  had  the  poor  prisoners  with  him  ;  but  this  last  required 
 confirmation.  I  have,  however,  every  hope  that  within  a  fortnight 
 or  so  we  shall  receive  good  and  most  cheering  tidings.  If  nothing 
 unfortunate  happened  to  stop  IMr.  Rassam,  I  have  perfect  confi- 
 dence that  all  will  go  well  directly  he  joins  the  King,  and  that  he 
 should  do,  some  time  in  December — about  the   20th.     I   sincerely 
 
ROYAL    SYMPATHY.       NATIONAL    ANXIETY.  337 
 
 hope,  therefore,  that  the  late  Captives  may  be  the  expression  we 
 should  use,  and  that  they  passed  a  happier  Christmas  than  they 
 have  known  for  the  last  three. 
 
 "  H.M.  ship  Syra  will  proceed  to  Massowah  in  a  few  days,  and 
 should  bring  a  portion  of  the  good  tidings. 
 
 "  With  renewed  expressions  of  sincere  sympathy,  and  best  wishes- 
 that  our  present  expectations  may  be  fully  realized, 
 
 "  Believe  me,  dear  Madam, 
 
 "  Very  faithfully  yours, 
 
 "  W.  L.  Mere\vether." 
 
 "Aden,  March  4th,  1866. 
 "  My  dear  Madam, — H.M.S.  Syra  returned  from  INIassowah  yes- 
 terday, bringing  news  from  the  unfortunate  Captives  up  to  the  27th 
 December.  They  had  all  been  suftering  from  bad  influenza  since 
 the  previous  accounts,  but  at  the  time  of  wTiting  had  got  quite  over 
 that,  and  were  as  well  as  could  be  under  such  circumstances.  No 
 letter  came  from  your  husband,  so  I  send  you  these  few  hasty  lines, 
 the  latter  part  of  which  will,  I  hope,  give  you  some  comfort.  But 
 before  mentioning  the  good  tidings,  I  regret  to  have  to  tell  you  of 
 poor  JMrs.  Rosenthal  having  lost  her  child,  on  the  i  ith  December. 
 It  had  never  been  very  strong,  and  had  at  last  sunk  under  the  priva- 
 tions it  had  to  endure.  A  daughter  was  born  to  them  on  the  i8th 
 of  the  same  month,  and  Mrs.  Rosenthal  and  the  baby  were  doing 
 very  well  when  the  last  letters  left,  on  the  27th.  Will  you  kindly 
 communicate  this  to  their  family  and  friends  ? 
 
 "  The  good  tidings  are,  that  Mr.  Rassam  reached  Metemma  on 
 the  2 1  St  November,  and  there  found  a  very  courteous  greeting  from 
 the  King,  as  well  as  an  escort ;  and  on  the  4-th  January  was  about 
 50  miles  only  west  of  Gondar,  en  route  to  the  Court  of  the  King  ; 
 after  which  he  was  to  go  to  Debra  Tabor  or  Korata,  and  by  this- 
 time  is,  I  hope,  in  personal  communication  with  the  poor  prisoners 
 — a  glorious,  bright  day  for  them,  when  it  occurs.  The  King  had 
 given  special  instructions  to  everyone,  to  be  most  civil  to  INIr.  Ras- 
 sam's  party,  and  to  supply  them  with  everything. 
 
 "I  hope  to  have  more,  and  even  better  tidings,  before  the  end  of 
 this  month.  Mr.  Flad,  from  Gaftat,  writes  that  the  King  had 
 written  to  the  Europeans  there,  that  an  Ambassador  was  coming  to 
 him  from  the  English,  and  that,  after  he  had  seen  him,  he  would 
 send  him  on  to  Gaftat,  when  they  were  to  treat  him  with  due 
 honour.  The  Europeans  and  Abyssinians  at  Gaftat  all  thought  the 
 King  had  changed,  and  that  the  object  of  Mr.  Rassam's  journey 
 would  be  obtained  now.  Trusting  most  sincerely,  and  confidently 
 believing  it  may  be  so, 
 
 "  Believe  me,  my  dear  Madam, 
 
 "  Yours  very  truly, 
 
 "  W.  L.  Merewether." 
 
338  ROYAL    SYMPATHY.       NATIONAL    ANXIETY. 
 
 Many  kindly  letters  flowed  in,  from  those  who  were  eager  at  the 
 
 time  to  help  the   Fund,  by  which  Dr.  Beke  might  be  enabled  to 
 
 accomplish  the  longed-for  release  of  the  Captives. 
 
 "Castle  Hill,  Farnham.  Sept.  28,  1865. 
 
 "  Dear  Mrs.  Stern, — I  am  a  little  boy,  who  feels  very  sorry  for 
 your  husband's  captivity,  and  I  hope  that  the  gentleman  who  is 
 going  out,  will  succeed  in  getting  him  released.  I  enclose  half  a 
 sovereign,  which  I  have  collected ;  and  I  wish  it  to  go  to  the  fund 
 for  helping  Mr.  Stern. 
 
 "Ever,  believe  me,  yours  truly, 
 
 "F.  H." 
 
 The  late  Bishop  of  Carlisle's  (Dr.  Waldegrave)  letter,  is  among 
 the  few  which  have  been  preserved. 
 
 "Rose  Castle,  Carlisle,  18th  November,  1865. 
 
 "  Dear  IMadam, — I  will  gladly  subscribe  five  pounds  to  your 
 Liberation  Fund.  I  wish  I  could  promise  more.  Pray  apply  for  it 
 when  wanted. 
 
 "  Faithfully  yours, 
 
 "  Saml.  Carlisle. 
 "  Mrs.  Stern." 
 
 It  is  not  inappropriate  to  insert  here  a  part  of  a  letter  which  the 
 Rev.  E.  H.  Bickersteth,  the  present  Bishop  of  E.xeter,  wrote  to  Mr. 
 Stern  on  his  safe  return  to  England.  It  serves  to  illustrate,  the 
 nature  of  the  intercessions,  which  day  by  day  ascended  to  the  throne 
 of  grace,  for  his  preservation  and  deliverance. 
 
 "  Christ  Church  Parsonage,  Hampstead,  N.W. 
 
 "  Dear  Mr.  Stern, — Our  hearts  have  been  filled  with  joy  and 
 praise  at  your  safe  return.  You  may  remember  speaking  in  an  iron 
 room  in  my  garden,  for  the  Jews  Society,  some  little  while  before 
 3'ou  went  to  Abyssinia.  This  gave  you  a  strong  hold  in  the  hearts 
 of  my  aff"ectionate  flock,  and  prayers  were  continually  off"ered  both 
 in  my  church  and  among  the  families  of  my  congregation,  and  even 
 by  my  little  children,  day  by  day,  for  you.  Our  hearts  thank  God 
 for  you." 
 
 The  Dowager  Lady  Dynevor,  has  very  considerately  communi- 
 cated, the  following  interesting  reminiscence  of  that  season  of 
 anxiety  and  hope.  She  writes  : — "  I  always  associated  the  name  of 
 Dr.  Stern  with  a  beloved  son,  whom,  with  my  dear  husband.  Dr. 
 Stern  has  now  met  in  the  presence  of  the  King  of  Kings.  My  child, 
 Francis  Carnegie  Rice,  was  about  nine  years  of  age  when  he  attended 
 
ROYAL    SYMPATHY.       NATIONAL    ANXII':TY.  339 
 
 ■with  me  a  Meeting,  held  in  our  parish  of  Fairford,  in  Gloucestershire, 
 for  the  Jews  Society.  At  this  Meeting,  the  Rev.  J.  Drury  was  the  De- 
 putation. He  told  us  with  touching  earnestness  the  sad  tale  of  suf- 
 fering through  which  Mr.  Stern,  and  other  missionary  servants  of  the 
 Lord,  were  passing  in  Abyssinia ;  and  of  the  cruel  tortures  which 
 they  had  endured  at  the  hand  of  the  merciless  tyrant,  who  ruled 
 over  that  country.  He  asked  the  prayers  of  Christians  for  them, 
 and  thus  enlisted  on  their  behalf  the  deepest  sympathy  and  prayers 
 of  my  darling  child.  He  watched  with  remarkable  intelligence  for 
 his  age,  the  progress  of  events  and  the  war  in  Abyssinia,  by  which 
 the  oppression  of  Theodorus  was  terminated.  As  long  as  memory 
 lasts,  I  shall  never  forget  the  da}',  when  '  The  Times  '  announced 
 that  event.  In  the  joy  of  his  heart,  he  called  from  down-stairs — 
 '  Mamma,  our  prayers  are  answered.  King  Theodorus  is  dead.'  He 
 could  not  wait  even  to  come  up  to  my  room,  but  twice  repeated  the 
 sentence.  The  tones  of  triumph,  with  which  he  exclaimed  that  the 
 Captives  would  now  be  set  free,  ring  in  my  ears,  as  I  almost  now 
 hear  his  shout.  During  those  months  of  suspense,  his  interest  in  those 
 servants  of  the  Lord  never  flagged.  Three  months  after  that  time,  the 
 Master  came  and  called  my  bright  and  beautiful  boy  to  be  with  him 
 for  ever.  I  afterwards  mentioned  this  to  Mr.  Stern,  as  a  prominent 
 reason  for  my  interest  in  his  'Wanderers'  Home.'" 
 
 The  young  as   well  as  the  old   were  thus  swelling  the  tide   of 
 prayer.     The  time  came,  when  their  hearts  were  one  in  praise. 
 
CHAPTER     XLI. 
 
 THE    TIDINGS    OF    SALVATION    IN    AMRA    MAGDALA. 
 
 The  persecutions  which  harassed  the  primitive  Church  at  Jerusa- 
 lem, were  God's  own  appointed  means  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel. 
 The  preachers  of  "  the  Word  "  were  "scattered  abroad"  in  every 
 place,  to  make  known  the  message  of  Redemption.  The  history  of 
 those  years  of  terrible  captivity  within  the  fortress  of  Amba  ^Mag- 
 dala,  had  its  corresponding  episode  of  unspeakable  blessing.  It  is 
 probable,  that,  likeSamsonof  old,  of  whom  it  is  recorded  that  "  he  slew 
 at  his  death  more  than  they  which  he  slew  in  his  life,"  Mr.  Stern's 
 labours  in  captivity  were  more  signally  owned  of  God  to  the  salva- 
 tion of  souls,  than  those  of  which  we  trace  such  encouraging  results 
 when  he  was  at  liberty.  Nor  can  we  fail  to  observe  with  rejoicing, 
 that  the  flame  of  divine  love,  which,  in  the  incidents  of  his  former 
 missionary  life,  led  him  to  seize  every  opportunity  of  doing  his 
 Master's  work,  was  a  constraining  principle  which  animated  his 
 heart,  even  when  manacled  and  helpless.  Like  the  prophet  Jere- 
 miah, he  might  exclaim,  "His  Word  was  in  mine  heart  as  a  burn- 
 ing fire  shut  up  in  my  bones,  and  I  was  weary  with  forbearing,  and 
 I  could  not  stay."  The  foul  and  pestilential  atmosphere  of  the 
 prison-house  was,  during  his  first  incarceration  in  Magdala, 
 disregarded,  as  of  little  moment,  so  long  as  he  might  lead  sinners  to 
 the  Saviour,  and  preach  deliverance  to  those  who  were  in  bondage 
 to  Satan  and  to  sin. 
 
 "  Most  of  my  comjxinions,  immediatel}-  after  sunrise,  sought  the 
 shelter  of  their  huts  outside  the  prison-fence.  I  never  erected  one 
 of  those  tenements,  and  generally  remained  within  the  compound, 
 where  scores  of  criminals  did  not  allow  time  to  liang  heavily 
 upon  me. 
 
THE    TIDINGS    OF    SALVAIION    IN    AMllA    MAGDALA.  34I 
 
 "  We  had  now  visitors  every  day.  Some  came  to  hear  what  we 
 had  to  say  about  our  religion  ;  others  wanted  an  explanation  of  a 
 Scripture  passage ;  and  not  a  few,  among  whom  were  the  royal  scribes, 
 wished  to  obtain  an  intelligent  knowledge  of  that  Gospel  in  which 
 they  professed  to  believe.  The  guards  did  not  approve  of  these 
 visits,  but  by  coaxing,  and  cups  of  strong  coffee,  they  were  won  over 
 to  our  side  ;  and  almost  every  day  my  lair  was  crowded  to  suffoca- 
 tion by  three,  four,  and  sometimes  more,  honest  and  candid 
 inquirers  after  the  truth.  Our  fellow-captives,  provoked  to  emula- 
 tion by  what  they  witnessed,  also  began  to  inquire  into  the  great 
 and  overwhelming  questions  which  had  excited  general  attention. 
 A  vast  majority,  of  course,  could  not  read,  but  they  were  so  earnest, 
 that  many  an  old  man  began  to  study  the  alphabet ;  and  very  often 
 for  hours  and  hours,  these  illiterate  disciples  drove  one  mad,  with 
 their  loud,  monotonous  chants  of  hissing  consonants  and  deafening 
 vowels. 
 
 "The  light  of  truth,  kindled  in  the  hearts  of  a  few  soldiers  and 
 captives,  soon  communicated  itself  to  kindred  spirits  and  congenial 
 minds.  The  priests  observed  this  movement,  and  clamorously 
 raised  their  voices  to  check  its  onward  progress.  Their  opposition 
 stirred  up  stagnant  superstition,  and  won  fresh  supporters  to  the 
 cause  of  the  Gospel.  There  were  meetings  and  public  disputations ; 
 warm  debates  and  sharp  threats.  The  champions  of  truth  appealed 
 to  the  Bible  ;  and  the  defenders  of  error,  to  saints  and  legends  of 
 the  Church.  These  contests,  which  exhibited  the  worthlessness  of 
 monkish  puerilities,  and  brought  out  in  bold  relief  the  pure  and 
 soul-saving  declarations  of  Scripture,  invariably  proved  disastrous  to 
 the  cause  of  the  Church  and  its  untutored  champions.  Several  of 
 the  latter,  prompted  by  a  solemn  conviction  that  their  creed  was 
 not  in  harmony  with  the  Word  of  God,  seceded  from  their  own 
 ranks,  and  joined  the  number  of  their  opponents,  whose  very  life 
 proclaimed  the  pure  and  ennobling  doctrines  of  their  faith.  What 
 influence  these  bands  of  believers  may  yet  exert  on  their  unhappy 
 country,  it  is  impossible  to  prognosticate.  They  may,  to  escape  the 
 moral  pollution  of  the  world  in  which  they  live,  seek  the  retirement 
 of  the  isolated  village  and  solitary  mountain  range  ;  and  they  may 
 also,  prompted  by  a  holy  and  divine  impulse,  like  the  messengers  of 
 glad  tidings  who  in  times  of  yore  planted  the  standard  of  the  cross 
 on  the  Abyssinian  Alps,  go  forth,  in  the  full  ardour  of  their  young 
 love  and  zeal,  to  spread  far  and  wide,  over  scenes  of  sin  and  vice, 
 superstition  and  ignorance,  the  saving  and  enlightening  knowledge 
 of  the  Gospel. 
 
 "The  Word  of  God,  the  comfort  and  solace,  the  prop  and  sup- 
 port of  the  suffering  and  sorrowing,  was  an  inexhaustible  treasure  in 
 the  dungeon  of  the  captive.  With  raptures  the  eye  rested  on  its 
 soul-thrilling  pages,  picturing  to  its  view  the  cross,  the  emblem  of 
 redeeming  love  and  mercy ;  or  wandering,  by  faith,  amidst  scenes 
 of  glory  and  bliss,  that  poured  a  flood  of  gladness  into  the  despond- 
 
342  THE    TIDINGS    OK    SALVATION    IN    AMHA    MAGDALA. 
 
 ing  heart.  The  weakened  mind  could  not,  however,  for  any  great 
 length  of  time,  sustain  the  effort  of  deep  thought,  without  serious 
 injury.  A  religious  movement  among  some  of  Mr.  Rassam's  people, 
 daily  alTorded  me  occupation  for  one  or  two  hours.  It  commenced 
 with  [nimer  Ali,  the  dragoman,  a  Mahommedan  from  the  coast. 
 He  was  a  good,  upright,  and  honest  man.  His  knowledge  was 
 exceedingly  limited — a  defect  which  he  sought  to  remedy  by  an 
 earnest  application  to  the  study  of  the  Amharic  Bible.  His  baptism, 
 induced  six  more  of  his  countrymen  to  put  themselves  under  my 
 instruction.  Two  of  them  were  serious  and  earnest  men,  but  the 
 other  four  I  considered  very  unsatisfactory  characters. 
 
 "  Our  Sundays  were  to  the  majority,  the  best,  if  not  the  happiest 
 days  in  the  week.  The  old  prisoners,  who  had  been  robbed  and 
 plundered  by  the  King  and  his  people  of  all  that  they  possessed, 
 were  reduced  to  great  indigence,  in  all  those  articles  that  adorn  the 
 outer  man.  Mr.  Rassam  and  Dr.  Blanc,  who  had  their  wardrobes, 
 nearly  complete,  most  liberally  assisted  us;  and  it  was  quite  a  luxury 
 on  the  morning  of  the  Lord's-day,  to  don  clean  and  decent  gar- 
 ments. At  ten  o'clock,  we  regularly  had  Divine  service  in  the 
 Envoy's  hut.  Our  worship  consisted  in  the  reading  of  the  Liturgy, 
 a  short  sermon,  and  a  prayer  adapted  to  our  peculiar  circumstances. 
 A  prison,  and  that,  too,  in  Abyssinia,  is  not  the  best  school  for  the 
 cultivation  of  those  graces  which  ennoble  nature  and  refine  the 
 heart ;  nevertheless,  we  still  endeavoured,  more  or  less,  according 
 to  our  peculiar  temperament,  views  and  sentiments,  to  maintain  the 
 decencies  of  civilized  life,  and  to  make  quietness  and  confidence  our 
 strength." 
 
 The  accounts  which  Mr.  Stern  gave  of  the  power  of  the  Word  of 
 God,  in  the  conversion  of  natives  of  the  highest  rank,  was  most 
 interesting  and  impressive. 
 
 "  The  Wagshum  Defaree,  one  of  the  most  powerful  chieftains  in 
 the  country,  paid  me  a  visit.  This  proud  and  brave  noble,  who  can 
 boast  of  an  ancestry  far  less  doubtful  than  that  which  King  Theo- 
 dorus  claimed,  little  dreamed  on  that  day,  when  thousands  of 
 devoted  retainers  stood  ready  to  obey  his  behest,  that  before  many 
 years  had  rolled  by,  he,  the  great  lord,  would  be  the  fellow-prisoner 
 of  the  lonely  Missionary.  Prepossessing  in  appearance,  courteous 
 in  deportment,  and  brave  above  all  fears,  he  had  become  the  idol  of 
 his  followers,  and  the  general  favourite  of  the  people.  My  own 
 mission  very  much  interested  him,  and  he  offered  me  assistance  and 
 protection  if  I  visited  Lasta  and  Bellesa,  the  provinces  which,  from 
 time  immemorial,  constituted  the  patrimony  of  his  family.  The 
 rebellion  of  his  nephew,  Wagshum  Gobagee,  whose  name  became 
 well-known  during  our  captivity  and  Lord  Napier's  expedition, 
 excited  the  King's  distrust  against  him;  and  he  w^as  suddenly 
 arrested,  and,  under  a  strong  escort,  despatched  to  the  prison  at 
 
THE    TIDIXC.S    OK    SALVATION    IN    AMI'.A    MAGDALA.  343- 
 
 Magdala.  The  Word  of  God  in  Amharic,  printed  by  the  Bible 
 Society,  and  also  a  copy  of  our  Liturgy  in  Amharic,  of  which  the 
 gaolers  did  not  deprive  him,  were  now  his  constant  companions. 
 He  was  again  and  again  informed,  that  the  King  had  determined 
 upon  his  execution ;  but  the  invariable  reply  was  :  '  Let  him  do  so. 
 Earth  has  lost  its  attractions,  and  heaven  is  the  goal  for  which  I 
 sigh.'  The  battle  of  Arogil,  which  accelerated  the  tyrant's  fate, 
 saved  Defaree's,  and  many  other  imprisoned  chiefs'  lives.  After  his 
 release  by  Lord  Napier,  his  nephew,  who  at  present  rules  over  the 
 greater  part  of  the  country  west  of  the  Palcazie,  would  have  been- 
 obliged  to  resign  the  government  into  his  hands  ;  but  he  would  not 
 yield  to  the  importunities  of  the  people  ;  for  he  was  sick,  as  he 
 repeatedly  told  me,  of  war,  and  the  excitement  of  battles,  and  was- 
 only  desirous  to  enjoy  peace  and  quiet  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,, 
 and  in  communion  with  his  God." 
 
 "  Throughout  all  the  anxious  days  and  agonizing  nights  of  these 
 long  four  years,  the  Bible,  with  its  promises,  was  the  solace  and 
 support  of  the  desponding  heart.  At  one  time,  for  six  weeks,  I  was 
 deprived  of  this  sacred  treasure,  and  when  a  Bible  was  again 
 handed  to  me,  the  joy  I  experienced  was  boundless.  Never  did  a 
 miser  more  eagerly  hug  his  gold,  than  I  clasped  the  priceless  volume. 
 
 "  Surrounded  by  hosts  of  guards,  who  found  a  pleasure  in  watch- 
 ing the  white  Captives,  I  availed  myself  of  the  opportunity,  and 
 occasionally  spoke  to  them  on  the  subject  of  religion.  This 
 enlisted  their  attention,  and,  in  less  than  a  week,  salvation  through 
 the  blood  of  redeeming  love  became  the  absorbing  topic  of  conver- 
 sation. Sometimes,  surrounded  by  a  group  of  these  eager  inquirers 
 after  truth,  I  quite  forgot  my  crippling  chains  and  prison-home. 
 The  mental  respite  was  brief,  but  delightful.  One  afternoon,  before 
 we  were  shut  up  at  INIagdala,  a  big  Chief,  with  an  air  of  supercilious 
 hauteur,  came  strutting  into  our  prison.  Without  offering  the  usual 
 salutation,  '  May  the  Lord  release  you,'  which  an  Abyssinian  seldom 
 omits  when  he  chances  to  come  near  a  prisoner  in  fetters,  the  great 
 man  glanced  proudly  round,  and  then  favoured  me  with  a  special 
 penetrating  stare.  Angry  and  indignant,  I  looked  at  him  sternly  in 
 turn.  The  exertion  of  the  steady  gaze,  as  well  as  the  overwhelming 
 burden  of  our  hapless  misery,  brought  tears  into  my  eyes.  '  Cocab,' 
 asked  the  haughty  Chief,  in  an  ironical  tone,  '  do  you  admire  me  ?' 
 'Yes,'  I  rejoined,  in  the  same  key,  'I  admire  you  exceedingly.' 
 '  And  do  you  also  admire  my  silk  dress  .-''  '  Yes,'  I  replied,  '  for  I 
 bought  it,  and  paid  a  good  sum  for  it.'  '  And  do  you  think,'  he 
 continued,  in  the  same  tone,  '  that  butter  will  enhance  its  beauty 
 and  duration  ?'  I  assured  him  that  I  had  never  dipped  silk  into 
 butter,  but  that  if  he  thought  it  would  improve  its  quality  and 
 appearance,  he  ought  by  all  means  to  try  it.  '  Well,  you  are  right,' 
 was  the  reply ;  '  and  now,  as  I  have  to  attend  to  my  soldiers,  I  must 
 be  off,  but  to-morrow  I  shall  call  again.'     With  these  words  he  hur- 
 
344  "^HE    TIDINGS    OF    SALVATION    IN    AMI'.A    ^iIAGDALA. 
 
 ried  away,  and  we  were  glad  enough  to  see  his  shadow  receding 
 from  our  prison  door. 
 
 "  Faithful  to  his  promise,  he  again  paid  us  a  visit  on  the  follow- 
 ing day.  This  time  his  hair  and  lilac  silk  dress  were  a  greasy, 
 ishining  mass  ;  and  he  had  evidently  just  emerged  from  the  hands 
 ■of  the  barber.  Our  guards  had  quite  accustomed  us  to  an  atmos- 
 phere redolent  of  rancid  butter ;  but  the  lavish  profusion  which  the 
 great  chief  had  indulged  in,  diffused  an  odour  within  the  limited 
 space,  that  proved  too  strong  even  for  our  blunted  olfactory  nerves. 
 To  my  discomfort,  he  squatted  down  close  to  me.  I  tried  to  avoid 
 a  too  intimate  contact,  but  before  I  could  move  away  in  my  heavy 
 manacles,  one  of  his  hands  fell  smartly  on  my  shoulders,  whilst 
 with  the  other  he  roughly  seized  my  chained  wrist.  The  sudden 
 jerk  of  the  fetters  lacerated  the  skin,  and  caused  a  good  deal  of 
 pain.  This  did  not  trouble  him  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  assured  me  it 
 was  an  act  of  unwonted  condescension  that  a  man  of  such  lofty 
 rank  as  himself  should  honour  a  prisoner  even  with  the  slightest 
 touch  of  his  fingers.  I  felt  inclined  to  retort  in  terms  he  justly 
 merited,  but  the  fear  of  increasing  my  own  as  Avell  as  my  com- 
 panions' misery,  induced  me  to  bow  in  acknowledgment  of  the  dis- 
 tinguished favour.  '  Well,  Cocab,'  he  continued,  '  you  appreciate 
 me,  and  I  also  want  to  be  your  friend.  You  are  aware  that  in  our 
 country,  anyone  who  incurs  '  Negoos'  (the  King's)  displeasure  is  out 
 of  the  pale  of  the  law.  He  may  be  beaten,  kicked,  and  stripped  of 
 every  rag  with  impunity.  Thus,  if  I  felt  disposed,  I  might  remove 
 the  skin  on  which  you  sleep,  or  tighten  the  fetters  in  which  you  are 
 bound ;  and  yet  you  could  not  make  a  complaint.'  Unable  to 
 endure  the  insolence  of  this  conceited  savage,  I  silenced  his  offen- 
 sive tongue  by  telling  him,  that  only  cowards  would  maltreat  unfor- 
 tunate men  who  were  shut  up  in  a  dungeon,  and  deprived  of  the 
 use  of  their  limbs.  '  Yehun'  (let  it  be  so),  was  the  prompt  reply  ; 
 '  but  now,  I  want  you  to  speak  to  me  on  the  subject  of  your  reli- 
 gion. You  always  talk  to  my  soldiers  about  the  '  angeel'  (Gospel), 
 why  not  also  to  me  ?'  Most  gladly  did  I  avail  myself  of  this  invita- 
 tion, and,  for  about  an  hour,  the  potent  Chief  and  some  of  his  per- 
 sonal attendants  crouched  round  me,  and  listened  with  devout 
 interest  to  a  statement  of  some  of  the  essential  doctrines  of  the 
 Gospel.  He  was  much  pleased  with  what  he  heard,  and  to  evince 
 his  gratitude,  he  ordered  the  officer  of  our  guards  to  treat  us  kindl/, 
 and  not  like  common  malefactors.  The  next  day  he  repeated  his 
 visit,  and  then  again  the  day  after  ;  and  he  continued  to  visit  us  daily 
 with  scarcely  an  exception  for  about  a  fortnight.  During  that  short 
 period  his  deportment  improved  very  considerably.  He  no  longer 
 blustered  and  bragged  about  his  honours  and  dignities,  power  and 
 possessions.  His  followers,  too,  noticed  that  he  drank  less  tedj 
 (mead),  and  that  he  was  more  serious.  Sometimes,  to  their  sur- 
 prise, he  would  take  the  Amharic  Bible,  of  which  he  possessed  a 
 copy,  and  read  to  them  certain  passages  or  chapters,  which  con- 
 
THE    TIDINGS   OF   SALVATION    IN   AMHA   MAGDALA.  345 
 
 demned  the  very  vices,  to  which  till  quite  recently,  he  had  been 
 addicted.  On  one  occasion  he  asked  me  whether  the  people  in  our 
 country  used  butter  for  their  hair,  or,  like  the  Arabs  in  the  Soudan, 
 applied  tallow  or  castor-oil.  He  was  informed  that  we  preferred 
 water,  which  promoted  health  and  cleanliness.  '  You  are  always 
 right,'  was  his  rejoinder  ;  '  and,  if  his  Majesty  had  not  been  offended 
 by  the  rulers  beyond  Jerusalem,  you  might  teach  us  much  that  is 
 good  and  useful.' " 
 
 Mr.  Flad  had  been  sent  on  an  Embassy  to  England.  On  his 
 arrival  in  this  country  on  this  important  mission,  he  had  a  personal 
 audience  of  the  Queen,  at  Windsor  Castle.  Theodorus  desired 
 a  letter  from  the  Queen,  which  was  graciously  written  ;  but  he 
 desired  also  that  skilled  workmen  should  accompany  Mr.  Flad  to 
 Abyssinia,  in  order  to  cast  cannon,  and  manufacture  gunpowder. 
 This  was  not  done.  The  tyrant's  object,  therefore,  was  not  accom- 
 plished, and  the  tyrant's  wrath  was  unsubdued.  Mr.  Flad  purchased 
 by  direction  of  the  King,  and  at  the  King's  cost,  a  quantity  of 
 mechanical  tools,  during  his  short  stay  in  England.  His  wife  and 
 children  were  retained  as  hostages,  and  as  a  pledge  that  he  would 
 return  to  Abyssinia. 
 
 The  state  of  the  country  at  this  time  was  most  perplexing.  On 
 the  borders  of  IMagdala  the  enemies  of  Theodorus  were  active  and 
 threatening.  The  prisoners  hoped  and  prayed  that  in  the  absence 
 of  the  King,  the  fortress  might  be  attacked  and  carried,  and  that  in 
 this  way  their  liberty  might  be  attained.  But  the  demonstrations 
 of  hostility  never  spread  so  far  as  the  dreaded  fortress.  It  was  not 
 from  this  quarter  that  deliverance  was  to  arise.  To  British  arms, 
 and  British  prowess,  were  to  be  given  the  honour  and  happiness  of 
 effecting  this  object. 
 
 And  now  that  the  long  and  dreary  night  of  suffering  and  sorrow, 
 is  to  be  succeeded  by  the  dawn  and  sunlight  of  the  day  of  joy  and 
 freedom,  there  is  one  special  feature  of  this  history  which  ought  to 
 be  carefully  noted.  The  Captives,  who  throughout  these  calami- 
 tous years,  had  to  bear  the  chief  burden  of  the  tyrant's  indignation, 
 were  Mr.  Stern  and  Mr.  Rosenthal.  They  were  emphatically  the 
 two,  who,  in  their  conduct  and  in  their  letters,  exhibited  most  mar- 
 vellously the  power  of  divine  faith,  and  the  evidence  that  they  were 
 the  peculiar  subjects  of  divine  grace  and  love.     These  men  were 
 
346  THE   TIDINGS   OF   SALVATION    IN    AM15A   MAGDALA. 
 
 Jewish  Converts — they  belonged  to  the  elect  remnant  of  that  people, 
 of  whose  sincerity  and  genuine  conversion  to  God,  many,  so-called 
 Christians,  profess  to  stand  in  doubt.  "  Ye  are  my  witnesses,"  saith 
 the  Lord.  The  eyes  must  be  blind,  and  the  heart  must  be  as  hard 
 as  "  the  nether  millstone,"  which  fail  to  acknowledge,  that  these 
 men  were  "burning  and  shining  lights" — "the  servants  of  the 
 most  High  God" — who  "in  simplicity  and  sincerity"  proclaimed 
 to  their  fellow-sinners  "  the  way  of  salvation." 
 
 The  subsequent  history  of  Abyssinia,  has  been  one  of  anarchy 
 and  strife.  But  the  bread  cast  upon  the  waters,  has  been  found 
 after  many  days.  The  seed  sown,  amidst  scenes  of  sorrow  and 
 suffering,  has  taken  root  downward  and  borne  fruit  upward  ;  and 
 continues  to  afford  the  pledge  and  evidence,  that  those  works  of 
 faith  and  labours  of  love,  have  borne  permanent  fruit,  and  have  "  not 
 been  in  vain  in  the  Lord." 
 
CHAPTER    XLII. 
 
 THE      BRITISH      EXPEDITION. 
 
 A  change  had  taken  place  in  the  pcrsimnel  of  Her  Majesty's 
 Government.  Instead  of  Earl  Russell,  Lord  Stanley  (the  present 
 Earl  of  Derby)  filled  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign 
 Affairs,  The  new  Secretary  of  State,  had  never  been  distinguished 
 for  the  heroic  treatment  of  any  of  the  national  problems,  which 
 might  require  his  intervention.  His  temperament,  was  neither  war- 
 like, nor  ambitious.  But  there  could,  at  that  juncture,  have  hardly 
 been  a  doubt  as  to  the  course  which  this  country  was  bound  to  pur- 
 sue. The  imprisonment  and  maltreatment  of  the  British  Consul, 
 had  been  followed  by  the  incarceration  of  the  Envoy,  through  whom, 
 the  Government  had  vainly  expected  that  the  release  of  the  former, 
 and  that  of  the  other  Captives,  would  have  been  effected.  Theodoras 
 of  Abyssinia  had  become  an  intemperate  and  blood-thirsty  monster, 
 who  had  trodden  under  foot  every  moral  and  political  obligation  ; 
 and  who  defied  from  his  mountain  fastnesses,  the  power  and  hosti- 
 lity of  the  world. 
 
 There  was  but  one  opinion  and  one  cry.  Every  reasonable  e-ff'ort 
 had  been  made  to  lead  this  barbarian  to  act  with  common  sense,  even 
 in  the  consideration  of  his  own  interests.  All  had  failed;  and  one 
 only  resort  was  left,  and  that  a  resort  to  arms.  The  Imperial  power  of 
 this  country  had  its  ramifications  in  almost  every  part  of  the  world  ; 
 and  it  was  easy  to  see,  that  apart  from  all  other  considerations,  to 
 hesitate  concerning  vigorous  and  decided  action,  would  be  to 
 hazard  dangers  and  disaff'ection  in  the  East,  and  all  other  parts  of 
 Enarland's  dominions. 
 
348  THE    BRITISH    EXPEDITION. 
 
 At  this  juncture  Mr.  Purday,  father-in-law  to  Mr.  Stern,  addressed 
 a  letter  to  Lord  Stanley,  in  which  he  ventured  to  observe,  that  the 
 use  of  force  appeared  to  be  the  only  course  now  open  to  the 
 Government,  and  the  only  means  by  which  the  Captives  might  be 
 released.  To  this  Lord  Stanley  gave  the  following  significant 
 reply : — 
 
 "Foreign  Office,  INIay  27,  1867. 
 
 "  Sir, — I  am  directed  by  Lord  Stanley  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
 of  your  letter  of  the  25th  instant,  in  which  you  state,  that  from  let- 
 ters received  from  Abyssinia,  the  relatives  of  the  Captives  feel  per- 
 fectly convinced  that  nothing  but  force  will  induce  King  Theodorus 
 to  give  up  the  prisoners,  and  that  if  Her  Majesty's  Government  do 
 not  take  immediate  steps  to  rescue  tliem,  they  must  necessarily  be 
 sacrificed. 
 
 "  I  am  to  state  to  you,  in  reply,  that  the  question  of  the  use  of 
 force  has  not  been  overlooked  ;  indeed,  it  appears  to  have  been  con- 
 sidered by  the  last  as  well  as  by  the  present  Government.  It 
 involves,  however,  many  other  questions  of  serious  difficulty,  in- 
 cluding the  important  matter  of  the  distance  of  the  seat  of  war  from 
 India,  which  must  necessarily  be  the  base  of  operations  ;  as  well  as 
 the  distance  of  Magdala  from  the  point  at  which  the  troops  would 
 be  landed  ;  but  the  most  important  question  which  arises  is,  what 
 effect  would  the  use  of  force  have  on  the  fate  of  the  Captives  ? 
 
 "The  object  of  the  employment  of  force  would  of  course  be  to 
 save  their  lives,  and  to  effect  their  release ;  but  a  very  strong 
 opinion  is  held  by  many  persons  that  it  would  instantly  lead  to  the 
 murder  of  the  Captives.  It  is  the  duty  of  Her  Majesty's  Govern- 
 ment to  spare  no  efforts  to  avoid  so  disastrous  a  result ;  and  they  are 
 still  in  hopes,  that  the  steps  they  have  taken  will  lead  to  the  libera- 
 tion of  the  prisoners. 
 
 "  I  am.  Sir,  your  most  obedient,  humble  servant, 
 
 "James  Murray. 
 "  Charles  H.  Purday,  Esq.,  24,  Great  Marlborough-street." 
 Sir  J.  Lytton  Bulwer,  in  a  letter  to  the  Fa/I  Mall  Gazette,  ob- 
 served : — "  In  all  matters  one  can  only  do  the  right  thing,  and 
 abide  the  consequences.  Moreover,  if  there  is  the  chance  of  an 
 unfortunate  result  from  the  employment  of  force,  there  is  the  cer- 
 tainty of  a  miserable  result  from  the  employment  of  bribery.  In  the 
 first  place,  for  the  Queen  of  England  to  bribe  the  King  of  Abyssinia 
 not  to  imprison  and  torture  her  subjects  is,  let  what  will  be  said  on 
 the  matter,  an  indelible  disgrace.     In  the  next  place,  what  is  this 
 
THE    BRITISH    EXPi: DITIOX.  349 
 
 but  an  encouragement  to  seize  and  imprison  Englishmen  whenever 
 they  can  be  conveniently  caf:)tured  ?  When  we  are  given,  as  a 
 happy  example,  the  mode  of  dealing  with  the  brigands  in  Greece 
 and  Calabria,  is  it  pretended  th^it  such  a  course  leads  to  the  discon- 
 tinuance of  brigandage  ?  Does  it  not,  on  the  contrary,  feed  and 
 support  it  ?  A  thousand  times  better  do  nothing,  than  stick  up  a 
 placard  over  the  door  of  our  Foreign  Office  to  make  it  known,  that 
 every  distant  barbarian  who  captures  and  tortures  a  certain  number 
 of  Englishmen  may  expect  a  reward  of  ten,  twenty,  or  thirty  thou- 
 sand pounds.  I  cannot  specify  the  sum,  because  I  don't  know  the 
 exact  amount  which  it  is  suggested  we  should  pay  for  capturing  and 
 torturing  British  subjects,  but  I  suppose  it  is  intended  to  be  some- 
 thing considerable." 
 
 The  Standard,  in  a  leading  article,  remarked  that  "  it  is  time  that 
 the  country  should  decide  what  is  to  be  done  with  the  Emperor 
 Theodorus,  in  the  matter  of  the  British  prisoners.  These  unfortu- 
 nate victims  of  the  angry  folly  of  a  barbarian  King — and,  we  might 
 add,  of  the  negligence  and  blundering  of  Earl  Russell — still  con- 
 tinue to  suffer  a  fate  the  very  contemplation  of  which  is  enough  to 
 flush  the  cheek  of  every  honest  Englishman.  The  claim  of  these 
 prisoners  upon  our  nation  is  a  claim  upon  our  common  manhood. 
 It  would  be  strong  enough,  if  the  victims  of  Theodorus  were  simply 
 private  citizens  of  England  ;  it  is  so  strong  as  to  be  almost  irresis- 
 tible when  we  reflect  that  two  of  them,  at  least,  Mr.  Cameron  and 
 Mr.  Rassam,  owe  their  imprisonment  to  their  having  been  engaged 
 in  the  public  service.  If  it  were  not  a  question  of  simple  humanity, 
 it  would  be  one  of  national  duty  to  attempt  their  release.  The 
 lesser  arguments  founded  on  policy  and  expediency  need  hardly  be 
 urged  in  the  presence  of  the  simple  fact,  that  here  are  a  party  of 
 English  citizens,  kept  in  chains  in  a  foul  dungeon,  openly  and 
 avowedly  as  an  insult  to  the  British  Government.  Can  we  permit 
 this  thing  to  be,  and  hold  up  our  heads  among  the  Powers  of  the 
 earth  .^  Regarded  purely  as  a  question  of  national  interest,  can  we 
 aff"ord  to  incur  this  great  injury  to  our  reputation  among  the  nations 
 of  the  East .-'  We  must  presume  that  we  are  all  agreed  that  the 
 Abyssinian  Captives  shall  not  be  left  to  rot  in  their  dungeons. 
 There  is  onlv  one  other  alternative — we  must  get  them  out  bv  force, 
 
350  THE    BRITISH    EXPEDITION. 
 
 or  attempt  to  do  so.  An  Abyssinian  expedition,  though  difficult,  is 
 not  after  all  a  more  formidable  enterprise  than,  upon  far  less  urgent 
 occasions,  we  have  several  timt's  undertaken.  It  is  certainly  not 
 more  hazardous  than  the  war  with  the  Sitana  fanatics,  under 
 General  Chamberlain;  the  campaign  in  Persia  under  General  Out- 
 ram  ;  or  that  into  the  Waikato  country  under  General  Cameron.  It 
 is  one  of  tlie  penalties  of  an  Inijierial  jiosition  to  be  expose'd  to  such 
 wars ;  and  we  cannot  hope  to  escape  the  obligation  except  by 
 incurring  some  evil  greater  than  war  itself.  The  Abyssinians  are 
 ccrtainlv  not  an  enemy  more  to  be  dreaded  than  the  Affghans  of  our 
 north-western  frontier  of  India,  or  than  the  JMaories  of  New  Zea- 
 land. The  best  and  latest  intelligence  we  have  from  the  country, 
 represents  tlie  population  as  disaffected  to  Theodorus,  and  the  pro- 
 vinces nearly  all  in  open  rebellion,  'i'lie  prospect  of  an  Abyssinian 
 war  is  unwelcome  ;  but  the  question  is,  is  there  a  safe  or  honour- 
 able alternative  ?  If  there  be,  no  one,  we  are  convinced,  will  hail 
 it  more  gladly  than  our  present  Foreign  INIinister,  who  is  never 
 Likely  to  be  accused  of  indifference  to  the  cause  of  peace.  But  the 
 scandal  endures  and  grows  while  we  are  licsitating,  and  death  may 
 yet  forestall  us,  of  our  just  vengeance  and  our  sacred  duty." 
 
 This  was  the  tone  and  character  of  almost  every  article,  which 
 eame  from  the  Press,  both  in  England  and  in  India.  The  Govern- 
 ments of  neighbouring  countries  watched  with  keen  interest  the 
 passing  incidents  of  this  embroglio;  while  the  Jesuits  circulated  the 
 most  gloomy  reports  as  to  the  certain  failure  and  destruction  which 
 awaited  an  invading  force.  The  Count  cki  Bisson,  writing  in  their 
 interests,  and  calculating  on  the  extirpation  of  the  Protestant  Mis- 
 sions and  their  adherents,  wrote  thus  :  — 
 
 "  We  will  not  speak  of  the  Kadaref  worm  or  of  the  toenia  ;  one 
 is  safe  from  them  if  one  never  drinks  water.  We  will  say  nothing 
 of  the  gigantic  defiles,  of  the  absence  of  roads  over  mountains  inac- 
 cessible to  Europeans,  of  the  rains  that  commence  in  April,  a  fright- 
 ful deluge  which  breaks  down  the  strongest  tents,  changes  rivulets 
 into  torrents  and  rivers  into  oceans,  drowning  the  plains  for  two 
 months,  and  leaving  them  during  the  three  succeeding  months 
 ravaged  by  typhus  and  by  the  pernicious  fevers  engendered  by 
 mountains  of  tlclritus  in  fermentation,  of  carcasses  of  animals  in 
 putrefaction,  under  a  sunheat  of  85  deg.  centigrade.  We  will  not 
 point  uul  the  desjjcrate  position  of  an   invading  army  in  a  country 
 
THE    BRITISH    EXPEDITION.  351 
 
 which  has  already  been  methodically  ruined,  sacked,  and  burnt, 
 sftrrounded  on  all  sides  by  pestilential  marshes,  hemmed  in  by  fana- 
 tical free  corps,  implacable  in  their  hatred,  inexorable  in  their  ven- 
 geance, indefatigable  in  their  attacks  ;  of  an  army  cut  off  from  its 
 base  of  operations  by  muddy  and  mephitic  oceans,  without  commu- 
 nications, without  the  possibility  during  one-third  of  the  year  of 
 obtaining  supplies,  and  consequently  obliged  to  take  with  it  provi- 
 sions, stores,  medicines,  ammunition  for  four  months.  We  will  not 
 dwell  upon  the  absurdity  of  employing  in  endless  defiles,  strewed 
 everywhere  with  rocks  fallen  from  the  mountains,  a  cavalry  accus- 
 tomed to  the  plains  of  India,  draught  animals  accustomed  to  the 
 sandy,  easy  paths  of  the  Desert,  in  provinces  where  often  man  alone 
 serves  as  beast  of  burden,  helping  himself  with  his  feet  and  hands. 
 All  that,  concerns  the  skilful  English  Generals,  and  their  so  well- 
 organized  Commissariat." 
 
 It  was  decided,  that  India  should  be  the  base  of  operations,  and 
 that  a  considerable  number  of  the  Native,  as  well  as  the  European 
 troops,  should  take  part  in  the  campaign.  The  reports  which 
 reached  the  Authorities,  of  the  barrenness  of  the  Abyssinian 
 highlands,  and  the  consequent  want  of  supplies  which  they  would 
 necessarily  encounter  in  their  onward.-  march,  led  them  to  make 
 extraordinary  provision  in  regard  to  the  Commissariat.  These 
 things  involved  serious  and  heart-breaking  delays  ;  and  the  faith  of 
 the  anxious  watchers  was  frequently  shaken  to  the  very  foundation, 
 as  they  contemplated  the  possible  destruction  of  the  Captives,  ere 
 succour  might  reach  them. 
 
 A  valued  friend,  and  an  officer  of  high  rank,  has,  at  my  request, 
 supplied  me  with  an  outline  of  the  movements  of  his  own  Brigade, 
 which  will  sufficiently  explain  the  characteristics  of  the  serious 
 undertaking  in  which  we  were  engaged.  From  his  own  lips,  I  heard 
 also  a  thrilling  statement,  of  the  circumstances  which  accompanied 
 the  advance  into  the  interior.  But  the  most  remarkable,  and  the  most 
 sacred  feature  of  those  movements,  was  the  spirit  of  prayer  which 
 exercised  its  blessed  power  over  the  advancing  hosts  of  Britain's 
 power.  There  were  among  the  officers  of  every  grade,  as  well  as  in 
 the  ranks  of  the  soldiery,  a  goodly  company  of  true  Christians  ;  who 
 knew  that  if  the  enemy  were  permitted  to  come  in  like  a  flood,  the 
 Spirit  of  the  Lord  would  lift  up  the  standard  of  successful  resist- 
 ance. Many  a  craggy  nook,  and  many  a  leafy  shade,  bore  witness 
 to  the  intercessions  which  rose  up  from  these  "  Soldiers  of  Christ," 
 
352  THE    BRITISH    EXPEDITION. 
 
 that  the  Lord  would  make  them  tlie  instruments  of  effecting  the 
 release  of  His  shackle-bound  servants.  Their  own  lives  and  safety, 
 were  subordinated  in  their  thoughts,  to  the  intense  and  anxious 
 interest  which  they  felt  in  the  accomplishment  of  their  mission. 
 
 The  Illustrated  Papers  of  that  time,  aiforded  their  readers  the 
 opportunity  of  judging  what  was  the  character  of  the  400  miles  of 
 country,  through  which  the  British  force  had  to  wend  its  way. 
 The  graphic  descriptions  of  Mr.  Stern,  were  confirmed  by  the  admir- 
 able sketches,  which  were  supplied  by  the  artists,  who  accompanied 
 the  Expedition.  From  a  multiplicity  of  points,  throughout  the 
 whole  of  those  mountain  ranges,  a  handful  of  determined  men, 
 might  have  effectually  barred  the  approach  of  the  British  force. 
 The  conveyance  of  artillery  in  particular,  would,  in  many  places, 
 have  been  simply  impossible,  had  it  not  been  for  the  ability  and 
 activity,  which  the  Royal  Engineers  of  the  army  manifested,  in  over- 
 coming every  difficulty.  It  seemed  hardly  possible,  that  any  pro- 
 gress was  likely  to  be  made  in  their  march,  without  the  sacrifice  of 
 many  lives. 
 
 "  The  British  Government  having  determined  to  send  an  Expe- 
 ditionary Force  of  about  12,000  men  of  all  arms,  under  command  of 
 SirRobertNapier,G.C.B.,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Bombay  Army, 
 into  Abyssinia,  for  the  purpose  of  liberating  the  Envoy  and  Consul 
 of  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  of  England  and  other  British  subjects, 
 kept  in  imprisonment  and  chains  by  Theodorus,  Emperor  of  Abys- 
 sinia, a  reconnoitring  party  was  despatched  to  the  coast  of  the  Red 
 Sea,  in  September,  1867,  and  orders  issued  for  the  departure  of  an 
 advance  Brigade  early  in  October,  consisting  of  the  ist  Native 
 Artillery  and  Mountain  Train,  3rd  Light  Cavalry,  loth  Regiment, 
 2nd  Company  Sappers  and  Miners,  and  ist  Division,  the  whole 
 under  command  of  Colonel  Field. 
 
 "The  Regiment,  left  Poona  by  rail  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
 3rd  October,  to  embark  at  Bombay  for  Abyssinia,  it  having  been 
 ordered  to  form  part  of  the  advance  Brigade  of  the  Expeditionary 
 Force.  On  the  morning  of  the  4th  October,  before  embarking, 
 it  was  paraded  on  the  Esplanade,  for  the  inspection  of  his 
 Excellency  Sir  Robert  Napier,  the  Commander-in-Chief,  who 
 addressed  the  corps  in  most  complimentary  terms,  expressing 
 perfect  confidence  in  the  good  conduct  and  discipline  of  the 
 Regiment,  which  had  been  under  his  eye  at  Poona,  and  saying 
 he  had  selected  it  out  of  the  whole  army,  for  the  purpose  of  leading 
 the  advance  into  Abyssinia.  The  strength  of  the  Regiment  was 
 640  rank  and  file. 
 
THE    liRITISH    EXPEDITION.  355 
 
 "  The  headquarter  wing  embarked  on  board  tlie  India  steamer, 
 and  the  left  wing,  under  the  command  of  Major  James,  on  board 
 the  Dalhousie  steamer.  The  voyage  was  a  prosperous  one,  and, 
 after  caUing  at  Aden  and  remaining  there  two  days,  the  steamers 
 again  started  for  Annerley  Bay,  on  the  coast  of  the  Red  Sea,  and 
 anchored  off  the  port  of  Zoulla,  on  the  evening  of  the  21st  October. 
 The  shore  was  a  shelving  and  shallow  one,  and  at  that  time  there 
 was  no  pier  or  convenience  for  landing  troops  and  stores.  The  dis- 
 embarkation of  the  Advance  Brigade  had  to  be  effected  by  great 
 labour  and  personal  exertion  on  the  part  of  the  men.  Water  was  so 
 scarce  on  shore,  that  it  had  to  be  landed  daily  for  the  troops  and 
 animals,  as  they  were  disembarked,  and  in  like  manner  provisions  ; 
 while  all  the  regimental  stores,  baggage,  &c.,  had  to  be  brought  off 
 and  landed  by  the  Sepoys.  On  the  morning  of  the  2nd  November, 
 the  Regiment  marched  to  Gormagto,  at  the  mouth  of  the  pass  of 
 that  name,  and  there  encamped,  having  first  cleared  the  ground  of 
 dense  Banbul  Jungle.  Here  the  headquarters  remained  for  the 
 whole  of  November,  and  the  men  were  employed  in  the  arduous 
 work  of  making  roads,  both  towards  Zoulla  and  through  the  pass, 
 and  in  clearing  ground  for  the  encampment  of  other  regiments  ;  the 
 left  wing  was  pushed  on  to  occupy  a  post  at  Lower  Soroo  in  the 
 pass,  and  afterwards  at  Upper  Soroo,  and  there  it  was  also  em- 
 ployed in  making  roads,  the  route  being  at  this  time  simply  the 
 track  of  a  mountain  torrent  impassable  even  for  mules.  It  having 
 been  decided,  after  a  careful  survey,  that  the  Gormagto  pass  offered 
 the  best  and  easiest  approach  to  Senafe,  on  the  highlands  of  Abys- 
 sinia, a  distance  of  63  miles  from  the  coast.  The  Advance  Brigade, 
 which  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Field,  at  the  same  time  that  he 
 held  command  of  the  Regiment,  was  ordered  to  concentrate  and 
 march  on  Senafe.  Friendfy  relations  with  the  mountain  tribes  had 
 previously  been  established  by  the  political  officer ;  but  frequent 
 reports  were  received  in  camp  to  the  effect  that  large  bodies  of  men 
 were  collecting  at  the  head  of  the  pass,  to  oppose  the  entrance  into 
 Abyssinia  ;  and  it  was  added  that  the  Prince  of  Tigre  intended  to 
 resist  our  advance.  On  the  28th  November,  the  headquarters  of 
 the  Regiment  broke  ground,  and  marched  to  Lower  Soroo,  where  it 
 halted  two  days  to  make  the  road,  and  then  proceeded  up  the  pass, 
 being  joined  at  Upper  Soroo  by  the  left  wing  and  Native  Artillery, 
 with  ]\Iountain  Train.  The  advance  was  continued  to  Rara  Guddle, 
 where  in  the  narrowest  part  of  the  gorge  the  Regiment  had  to 
 bivouc  for  three  days  without  being  able' to  pitch  tents,  the  temper- 
 ature having  fallen  to  near  freezing  point.  The  road  to  the  head 
 of  the  pass  was  quickly  opened  by  the  Sappers  and  Miners,  with 
 tw^o  companies  of  the  Regiment,  under  Major  Pierce  ;  and  in  the 
 meantime  an  Envoy  from  the  Prince  of  Tigre,  with  friendly  over- 
 tures, arrived,  and  had  an  interview  with  Colonel  Merewethcr,  the 
 Agent.  All  being  in  readiness,  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  December 
 the  march  was  re-commenced  for  Senafe,  a  distance  of  nine 
 miles,  two  companies  of  the  Regiment,  under  ]Major   James,   being 
 
354  1"HE    BRITISH    EXPEDITION. 
 
 left  to  keep  open  the  communication,  and  at  two  p.m.  the  small 
 force  had  reached  the  head  of  the  pass,  where  a  number  of  native 
 Chiefs  had  collected  to  give  it  a  friendly  welcome.  Preceded  by 
 them,  with  band  playing,  the  Brigade  marched  to  Senafe.  The 
 early  establishment  of  this  post  on  the  highlands  was  of  great  im- 
 portance, as  it  not  only  commanded  the  head  of  the  pass,  and 
 secured  our  communications  with  the  coast,  but  proved  to  the 
 people  of  Abyssinia  that  we  were  in  earnest,  and  gave  us  the  oppor- 
 tunity of  evincing  our  friendly  intentions  towards  them.  The  Prince 
 of  Tigre,  after  a  period  of  hesitation,  joined  heartily  in  a  friendly 
 alliance,  and  caused  a  proclamation  to  be  made,  calling  upon  his 
 subjects  to  bring  in  supplies,  and  in  every  way  to  facilitate  the  pro- 
 o;ress  of  the  force  through  his  territory.  The  country,  from  its  im- 
 poverished state,  was  able  to  produce  but  veiy  little  corn  or  other 
 supplies,  excepting  cattle  and  sheep  ;  and  the  Sepoys  experienced 
 hardships  in  the  total  deprivation  of  all  vegetables,  fruit  and  con- 
 diments, with  their  daily  rations  of  flour.  At  Senafe,  where  the 
 Regiment  remained  until  the  end  of  January,  1868,  it  was  employed 
 in  making  roads  and  cutting  down  jungle  ;  and,  under  the  direction 
 •of  Major  Pierce,  also  huts  for  more  than  1,000  muleteers  were  con- 
 structed, tlie  whole  of  the  wood  having  been  cut  and  brought  by 
 the  Sepoys  from  the  jungle,  for  this  purpose.  To  improve  the 
 water  supply,  wells  were  dug  and  a  tank  made  by  the  men,  and  all 
 ranks  zealously  laboured  in  every  way  to  further  the  objects  of  the 
 Expedition.  Two  companies  of  the  right  wing,  under  Alajor  Pierce, 
 joined  a  field  pioneer  detachment,  which  was  ordered  to  open  the 
 road  to  Addigerat,  and  they  left  Senafe  on  the  1 8th  January.  The 
 headquarters  of  the  Regiment,  with  the  remaining  companies  of 
 the  right  wing,  also  marched  from  Senafe  on  the  20th  January  ;  but 
 the  left  wing,  under  Major  James,  was  ordered  to  remain  behind 
 to  garrison  that  place,  and  it  was,  to  the  great  disappointment  of  all 
 ranks,  kept  at  this  post  until  the  close  of  the  campaign. 
 
 "  The  march  to  Addigerat  was  eff'ected  without  any  events  of 
 interest  occurring,  the  road  having  been  opened  by  the  pioneer 
 detachment,  commanded  by  Major  Pierce,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
 the  country  being  found  friendly,  and  ready  to  bring  into  camp  for 
 sale  what  few  supplies  they  had.  Addigerat  was  reached  on  the  2nd 
 February,  and  here  the  Regiment  halted  until  the  arrival  of  his 
 Excellency  tlie  Commander-in-Chief,  with  the  remainder  of  the  ist 
 Brigade  and  a  battery  of  Armstrong  guns.  One  column  was  then 
 pushed  on  to  Antalo,  being  preceded  by  a  pioneer  detachment,  to 
 which  two  companies  of  the  Regiment  were  again  attached,  and  a 
 second  column,  with  the  headquarters'  camp,  followed  on  the  6th 
 February,  this  column  being  commanded  by  Colonel  Field.  About 
 half-way  between  Addigerat  and  Antalo,  a  satisfactory  interview 
 took  place  between  the  Prince  of  Tigre  (by  name  Kassa)  and  Sir 
 Robert  Napier ;  but  the  former  found  it  difficult  to  believe  that  his 
 Excellency  really  intended  to  attack  and  destroy  King  Theodorus, 
 the  t}-rant  of  Abyssinia,  and  liis  stronghold,  ^Magdala. 
 
THK    HRITISH    EXPEDITION.  355 
 
 "The  ist  Division  of  the  force,  under  the  command  of  Major- 
 <General  Sir  C.  Staveley,  divided  into  two  Brigades,  was  organized  at 
 Antalo  for  the  purpose  of  advancing  on  Magdala  ;  the  2nd  Division, 
 under  the  command  of  Major-General  jMalcohn,  holding  the  posts 
 between  the  sea  coast  and  Antalo.  A  pioneer  force,  to  open  the 
 road,  was  also  formed,  and  the  command  of  the  same  given  to 
 ■Colonel  Field,  who  was  appointed  Brigadier  General,  with  the 
 Adjutant  of  the  Regiment,  Captain  Durand,  as  his  Brigadier  Major  ; 
 -and  in  consequence,  the  command  of  the  Regiment  devolved  upon 
 INIajor  James,  who  joined  as  quickly  as  possible  from  Senafe,  leav- 
 ing the  left  wing  under  the  command  of  IMajor  Burd.  The  country 
 between  Senafe  and  Antalo  was  in  many  parts  very  diflicult  and 
 hilly,  but  beyond  Antalo,  all  the  way  to  INIagdala,  a  distance  of 
 .about  200  miles,  it  was  extremely  mountainous,  entailing  great  labour 
 upon  the  pioneer  force,  there  being  no  country  roads,  and  a  path 
 having  to  be  made  sufficiently  wide  for  the  elephants,  which  were 
 employed  to  carry  the  mortars  and  Armstrong  guns. 
 
 "At  Lat,  which  place  was  reached  on  the  22nd  March,  a  new 
 ■disposition  of  the  force  was  made  :  the  pioneer  force  was  incorpo- 
 rated into  the  other  Brigades,  and  a  3rd  Brigade  was  formed,  the 
 command  of  which  was  given  to  Brigadier-General  Field,  who  was 
 ■directed  to  bring  on  the  guns  ;  the  ist  and  2nd  Brigades,  without 
 baggage,  being  pushed  rapidly  forward.  ^lajor  James,  with  the 
 headquarters'  wing  of  the  Regiment,  joined  the  3rd  Brigade  at  Lat, 
 having  left  behind  at  Antalo  all  sick  and  weakly  men.  Supplies 
 for  both  men  and  officers  now  became  scarce,  the  country  produced 
 next  to  nothing,  and  much  privation  had  to  be  endured  ;  the  men 
 for  days  having  to  subsist  upon  wheat  which  they  roasted,  or  upon 
 flour  and  water  chupatties,  without  ghee  or  salt.  All  privations 
 were  cheerfully  borne,  and  the  3rd  Brigade  followed  the  advance 
 force  as  rapidly  as  possible  ;  and  after  crossing  a  river  and  climbing 
 ■a  mountain  to  the  Wadela  plateau,  overtook  the  2nd  Brigade  at 
 Santara,  on  the  31st  March.  Here  orders  were  received  for  the  3rd 
 Brigade  to  be  amalgamated  with  the  ist  and  2nd  Brigades  ;  conse- 
 quently, General  Field  resumed  command  of  the  Regiment,  and 
 joined  the  2nd  Brigade,  under  Brigadier  General  Wilby. 
 
 "The  Sepoys  and  followers  suffered  severely  from  the  intense 
 •cold  in  this  elevated  region,  10,500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea; 
 and  the  absence  of  firewood  added  greatly  to  their  sufferings.  The 
 whole  of  the  ist  Division  moved  forward  to  ]\Iagdala  without  private 
 baggage,  each  soldier  and  Sepoy  being  only  allowed  to  carry  one 
 waterproof  sheet  and  one  blanket,  besides  great  coat ;  the  officers 
 being  also  allowed  only  a  waterproof  sheet  and  two  blankets.  Twenty 
 men  were  allotted  to  one  bell-tent,  and  12  officers;  and  with  car- 
 riage thus  reduced  to  the  lowest  extent,  the  small  attacking  force 
 pushed  on  in  the  highest  spirits.  The  Wadela  plateau  was  crossed 
 in  four  marches,  which  brought  the  force  to  the  precipitous  descent 
 to   the  Jeetta  river,   a  narrow   stream   running  from  east  to  west, 
 
356  THE    BRITISH    EXPEDITION. 
 
 between  mountains  rising  abruptly  on  each  side,  to  3000  feet  above 
 the  chasm.  A  wide  road,  which  greatly  facilitated  the  progress  of 
 the  force,  had  been  made  down  the  mountain  and  up  the  other  side,, 
 by  King  Theodoras,  in  conveying  his  heavy  guns  to  Magdala ;  con- 
 sequentl}',  but  little  delay  was  experienced,  and  the  force,  after 
 encountering  heavy  storms  on  the  march,  reached  the  Dalanta 
 Plain  on  the  3rd  April.  The  two  Brigades  encamped,  for  the  con- 
 venience of  water,  on  different  parts  of  this  extensive  Plain,  which, 
 is  at  a  height  of  10,500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  Divi- 
 sion halted  several  days  here,  while  supplies  were  being  brought  up 
 from  the  rear,  and  to  enable  a  reconnaissance  to  be  made  of  the 
 stronghold  of  Magdala,  which  was  visible  from  the  edge  of  the  pla- 
 teau, at  not  more  than  nine  miles'  distance,  as  the  crow  flies. 
 
 "  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  loth  April,  the  ist  Brigade,  under 
 command  of  Brigadier  General  Schneider,  and  accompanied  by 
 INIajor-General  Sir  C.  Staveley,  K.C.B.,  was  ordered  to  cross  the 
 Bashilo  river ;  and  after  advancing,  and  making  a  close  reconnais- 
 sance of  the  strongholds  of  Fallah,  Selasse  (where  the  King's  camp 
 was  pitched),  and  Magdala,  to  take  up  a  position  whence  operations 
 could  be  conducted  against  the  enemy.  The  2nd  Brigade,  a  few 
 hours  afterwards,  also  marched  with  orders  to  bivouac  on  the  south 
 side  of  the  Bashilo,  in  support  of  the  ist  Brigade.  The  descent  tO' 
 the  Bashilo  was  as  long  and  steep  as  that  to  the  Jeetta  river  ;  but 
 on  the  opposite  side  the  ground  towards  Magdala  was  easier  of 
 approach.  It  was  considered  probable  that  the  enemy  would  have 
 disputed  the  passage  of  the  Bashilo  ;  but  the  King,  confident  in  his 
 host  and  heavy  guns,  and  in  the  strength  of  his  fortress,  was  con- 
 tent that  we  should  advance  close  to  his  position,  doubtless  thinking 
 that  he  would  then  be  able  more  easily  to  destroy  the  small  British 
 force. 
 
 "  It  was  about  two  p.m.  when  the  King,  watching  from  the  Fallah 
 hill  the  slow  approach  of  the  ist  Brigade,  as  it  toiled  over  the  diffi- 
 cult ground,  and  urged  by  his  Generals  and  soldiers  to  attempt  it, 
 determined  upon  attacking  the  same.  The  word  was  given,  and 
 streaming  down  the  slopes  of  the  mountains,  some  6,000  horse  and 
 foot  of  Theodorus's  best  soldiers,  led  on  by  his  favourite  General,, 
 came  boldly  on  to  attack  the  Brigade.  No  time  had  been  lost  on 
 our  side,  and  Colonel  Pcnn's  battery  of  steel  guns,  and  the  rocket, 
 battery,  immediately  opened  fire.  The  23rd  Punjaub  Pioneers 
 formed  in  skirmishing  order  on  the  left,  and  some  companies  of  the 
 4th  Foot,  armed  with  Snider  rifles,  on  the  right  of  the  battery  ; 
 whilst  the  guard  to  the  battery,  consisting  of  two  native  oliicers  and 
 40  men  of  the  loih  Regiment,  also  joined  the  line,  and  the  fire 
 became  general.  Again  and  again  the  enemy  came  boldly  to  the 
 attack,  but  the  withering  and  murderous  fire,  wliich  mowed  them 
 down  in  hundreds,  soon  utterly  disorganized  them,  and  caused  them 
 to  retreat  in  confusion,  being  pursued  into  the  ravines  by  the  infantry, 
 where  many  fell  under  the  bayonet.     About  500  were  killed,  and  as 
 
THE    l?RiriSH     EXPEDITION.  357 
 
 many  wounded,  in  this  brilliant  action,  and  the  King  and  his  army 
 were  alike  thoroughly  intimidated  ;  whilst  on  our  side  only  twelve 
 men  were  wounded  and  none  killed. 
 
 "  The  2nd  Brigade  had  during  the  action  received  orders  to  march 
 forward,  and  during  the  night  the  loth  Regiment  escorted  the 
 Armstrong  guns  to  the  front,  and,  with  the  rest  of  the  2nd  Brigade, 
 took  up  a  position  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  ist  Bri- 
 Brigade.  On  the  morning  of  the  nth,  the  King  sent  Mr. 
 Flad  and  Lieut.  Prideau.x  to  the  Commander-in-Chief,  to  request 
 terms,  admitting  his  defeat.  A  letter  was  returned  to  him,  saying 
 that  the  unconditional  surrender  of  the  Captives,  of  himself  and  of 
 the  fortress  was  demanded,  and  that  his  life  should  be  spared,  and  he 
 .should  be  treated  with  honour,  if  he  thus  submitted  to  Her  Majesty's 
 conditions.  On  the  afternoon  of  this  memorable  day,  (April  iith, 
 1868)  the  Captives  were  released  and  sent  into  his  Excellency's 
 €amp,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  whole  force ;  but  the  haughty 
 Emperor  would  not  surrender  himself  and  fort,  but  continued 
 ■negotiations,  hoping  for  better  terms.  A  period  of  forty-eight 
 hours  was  allowed  for  his  final  decision  ;  but  as  he  had  not 
 yielded  on  the  morning  of  Good  Friday,  the  13th,  the  two  Brigades 
 were  formed  up  for  the  purpose  of  attacking,  and  carrying  by 
 assault,  the  mountain  strongholds  and  fort.  The  2nd  Brigade,  led 
 by  the  33  rd  Regiment,  had  the  honour  to  be  in  front,  the  ist  Bri- 
 gade being  held  in  support.  The  loth  Regiment  followed  Captain 
 Twiss's  battery  of  steel  guns,  one  company  having  been  detached 
 in  support  of  the  Armstrong  gun  battery,  and  one  company  to  guard 
 many  soldiers  of  the  King,  who  had  come  into  our  camp  and  laid 
 ■down  their  arms. 
 
 "The  Division  marched  by  the  King's  road,  which  led  up  the 
 steep  ascent  to  the  saddle  connecting  Fallah  with  Islamgee,  and  as 
 it  neared  these  heights,  it  became  evident  that  no  opposition  would 
 be  offered,  the  enemy  being  visible,  and  crowding  the  rocks  which 
 commanded  the  road,  but  not  attempting  to  impede  the  progress  of 
 the  force.  On  reaching  the  plateau,  the  33rd  Regiment  was  at  once 
 directed  to  seize  the  Islamgee  hill,  and  the  headquarters,  with  two 
 companies  of  the  xoth  Regiment,  to  occupy  Fallah,  which  was  the 
 key  of  the  position,  and  commanded  Magdala,  The  Regiment 
 ■quickly  seized  this  hill,  and  found  it  deserted,  two  brass  i8-poun- 
 ■ders,  which  had  opened  fire  on  the  10th  inst.  on  the  ist  Brigade, 
 having  been  left  behind  by  the  enemy.  In  the  meantime,  Theo- 
 dorus's  boastful  warriors  had  laid  down  their  arms  before  the  Com- 
 mander-in-Chief, and  then  were  ordered  to  leave  the  hill,  together 
 with  the  multitude  of  women  and  children,  whilst  their  arms,  many 
 thousands  in  number,  were  collected  into  heaps,  and  placed  under 
 guards.  It  was  at  first  reported,  that  the  King  had  fled  with  a  few 
 followers,  but  as  the  troops  approached  the  fort,  some  shots  were 
 fired  from  it,  and  it  became  known  that  he  had  shut  himself  up  with 
 a  few  faithful  chiefs  and  soldiers,  and  would  defend  it  to  the  last 
 
3S8  THE    BRITISH    EXPEDITION. 
 
 extremity.  The  Armstrong  guns  having  been  sent  for,  and  placed 
 in  position,  and  the  two  steel  mountain  train  and  rocket  batteries 
 having  Hkewise  been  made  ready,  fire  was  opened  upon  the  fort  and 
 gateway,  and  the  two  Brigades — the  2nd  for  the  attack  and  the  ist 
 in  support — were  formed  up  ready  for  the  assault  opj)osite  the  N.  E. 
 gate.  The  loth  Regiment  had  been  recalled  from  Fallah,  and 
 ordered  to  occupy  Islamgee,  which  overlooked  the  attack  on  the 
 fort.  After  the  batteries  had  maintained  their  fire  for  about  an 
 hour,  the  assault  was  ordered.  The  33rd  Regiment,  with  a  party  of 
 Royal  Engineers,  gallantly  led  the  same.  The  opposition  was  very 
 feeble,  whereas  the  fire  from  the  Snider  rifle  was  tremendous  ;  and. 
 under  cover  of  the  same,  some  of  the  foremost  soldiers  soon  forced, 
 their  way  through  the  walls,  built  of  stones  topped  with  bushes, 
 w'hich  flanked  the  gateway  ;  and  almost  the  first  sight  which  pre- 
 sented itself  was  the  dead  body  of  the  King,  lying  on  the  roadi 
 between  the  two  gates.  It  soon  became  evident  that  he  had  shot 
 himself  through  the  mouth  with  his  own  hand,  when  he  found  fur- 
 ther resistance  was  hopeless.  The  few  of  his  soldiers  who  had 
 remained  faithful,  had  nearly  all  been  killed  ;  and  the  fort  was  imme- 
 diately taken  possession  of,  a  large  body  of  men  who  had  taken  no 
 part  in  the  action,  quietly  laying  down  their  arms.  The  loss  on  our 
 side  during  the  assault  was  only  one  officer  wounded  in  the  arm, 
 and  some  three  or  four  men  wounded.  Forty  pieces  of  cannon,  large 
 and  small,  were  taken,  besides  a  large  store  of  ammunition  ;  but  no 
 treasure  was  discovered,  or  other  prize  property  of  value,  excepting 
 the  spoil  of  the  Churches  of  Gondar,  in  silver  crosses  and  orna- 
 ments, and  the  crown  and  state  seal,  &c.  of  the  King.  The  next 
 day  the  Queen  and  son  of  Theodoras  were  escorted  to  the  Com- 
 mander-in-Chiefs camp,  and  the  body  of  the  King  was  buried  in 
 the  Church  within  the  fort.  Ninty-one  state  prisoners,  many  of  them 
 Chiefs  of  note,  were  released  from  their  cruel  captiyity,  and  prepara- 
 tions were  at  once  made  for  the  return  march  of  the  force. 
 
 "During  the  next  few  days,  the  heavy  guns  which  had  so  long 
 been  the  boast  of  Theodoras  and  the  terror  of  Abyssinia,  were 
 destroyed,  and  all  the  houses  in  Magdala,  and  the  defences,  were 
 burnt  and  blown  up,  and  completely  destroyed.  On  the  17th,  the 
 force  commenced  its  return  march,  the  2nd  Brigade  leading,  the 
 23rd  Regiment  Pioneers  and  Sappers  having  the  day  previous  gone 
 on.  The  liberated  Captives,  about  60  in  number,  were  divided 
 between  the  two  Brigades,  for  the  convenience  of  transport  and 
 protection,  and  the  troops,  elated  with  the  wonderful  success  which 
 God  had  vouchsafed  to  them,  prepared  cheerfully  to  meet  the 
 fatigue  and  privations  which  had  to  be  encountered  during  the  200 
 miles'  march  to  Antalo,  where  was  the  first  large  depot  of  supplies. 
 On  the  Dalanta  Plain,  a  halt  of  two  days  took  place,  and  on  one 
 of  these  days  a  grand  field-day  was  held,  when  the  Commander-in- 
 Chief  having  formed  the  troops  into  a  square,  the  Captives  being 
 present,  caused  his  Adjutant-General  to  read  out  a  general  order. 
 
THE    liRITISH    EXPEDITION.  359 
 
 expatiating  upon  the  success  which  had  crowned  the  eftbrts  of  the 
 force  ;  and  his  Excellency  then  addressed  all  ranks,  in  grateful  and 
 complimentary  terms,  thanking  at  the  same  time  the  Foreign  officers 
 who  had  accompanied  the  Expedition. 
 
 "The  march  was  daily  prosecuted  without  halts,  it  being  of  great 
 importance  for  the  force  to  get  out  of  the  mountainous  region 
 before  the  setting  in  of  the  rains,  which  were  close  at  hand.  The 
 troops  suflered  much  from  the  inferior  quality,  as  well  as  the  want 
 of  the  full  ration  of  daily  food.  Storms  were  of  frequent  occur- 
 rence, and  the  encamping  grounds  were  often  wet  and  under  water. 
 The  object  of  the  Expedition,  however,  had  been  gained,  and  all 
 ranks  marched  cheerfully  forward,  submitting  to  every  privation 
 without  a  murmur.  On  the  gth  May,  the  2nd  Brigade  arrived  at 
 Antalo,  and  a  rest  of  several  days'  halt  and  full  rations  of  food, 
 greatly  revived  and  benefited  the  troops.  Senafe  was  reached  on 
 the  24th  INIay,  by  easy  marches,  and  on  the  following  day  the  head 
 wing  of  the  Regiment  continued  its  march  through  the  pass  to 
 Goomaglo  and  Zoulla,  the  left  wing,  under  command  of  Major 
 Burd,  having  previously  marched  to  the  coast,  and  embarked  for 
 BomlDay  on  the  13th  May.  On  the  morning  of  the  28th  May,  the 
 head  wing  proceeded  by  rail  from  Gormaglo  to  Zoulla,  and  at  once 
 embarked  on  board  the  transport  steamer  American,  which  sailed 
 for  Bombay  on  the  30th  of  the  same  month. 
 
 This  is  a  condensed  account  of  the  movements  of  the  troops, 
 both  in  their  advance  and  retirement  from  this  picturesque  but 
 inhospitable  land.  The  opposition  of  the  Prince  of  Tigre  was  the 
 greatest  difficulty  which  threatened  their  progress,  and  this  it  has 
 been  seen  was  overcome.  The  interview  of  the  Commander-in- 
 Chief  with  this  semi-barbarous  potentate  is  given  in  detail  in  the 
 following  passage  : — 
 
 "  By  this  time  the  Abyssinian  line  was  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
 the  stream.  It  suddenly  opened  out  in  the  centre,  and  Kassa,  sur- 
 rounded by  his  immediate  counsellors  and  guard,  rode  forward  on  a 
 white  mule,  with  a  crimson  umbrella  borne  above  his  head.  He 
 forded  the  stream,  and  was  received  by  Sir  Robert  Napier.  Mutual 
 salutations  were  exchanged,  which  no  doubt  were  quite  as  sincere 
 as  those  in  daily  vogue  in  the  civilized  world.  Kassa  is  a  young 
 man  of  thirty-five  years  of  age.  His  face,  of  a  dark  olive  colour,  is 
 intellectual ;  but  he  has  a  careworn  and  wearied  expression,  which 
 justifies  his  statement  that  he  did  not  desire  power,  but  that  it  was 
 thrust  upon  him  by  the  people  of  Tigre.  He  wore  the  Abyssinian 
 costume,  a  white  robe  or  toga,  embroidered  with  crimson  round  his 
 body,  and  the  flowered  silk  shirt  which  marks  those  high  in  office. 
 His  dark  black  hair  was  arranged  in  careful  plaits,  which,  drawn 
 back  from  the  forehead,  are  tied  by  a  piece  of  ribbon  round  the 
 back  of  the   neck.     The  conversation  was   conducted  through  an 
 
360  THE    URITISH    EXPEDITION. 
 
 interpreter.  Prince  Kassa  was  ceremoniously  conducted  into  the 
 General's  tent,  where  a  long  conference  was  held,  with  the  most 
 satisfactory  results.  Having  received  some  presents,  a  horse,  a 
 double-barrelled  rifle,  and  glass  vases,  he  promised  his  aid  to  the 
 Expedition  in  the  matter  of  food  and  forage.  An  inspection  of  the 
 British  troops  then  took  place,  after  which  Sir  Robert  Napier  was 
 invited  to  come  across  and  enter  Kassa's  tent.  At  the  farther  side  of 
 the  circular  tent  was  a  small  couch  covered  with  silk  cloth,  on  which 
 the  Prince  took  his  seat,  and  placed  Sir  Robert  Napier  at  his  side. 
 The  Abyssinian  officers  of  high  grade  sat  round  the  tent,  on  the 
 floor,  at  the  left-hand  side  of  their  Chief,  while  the  English  seated 
 themselves  on  the  ground,  to  the  left  of  their  Commander.  Girls, 
 bearing  large  baskets  of  Abyssinian  bread  and  curry,  came  in,  and 
 placed  them  on  the  ground  in  front  of  the  visitors.  The  bread  was 
 brown,  formed  in  flat  circular  cakes  about  a  foot  in  diameter,  and 
 had  a  slightly  sour  taste.  After  enough  had  been  eaten,  other  girls 
 entered,  bearing  huge  bullock-horns  filled  with  '  tedj,'  a  drink  made 
 of  fermented  honey.  This  was  poured  into  Florence  flasks,  and 
 given  to  each  guest.  After  a  while,  when  many  flasks  had  been 
 emptied,  musicians  were  introduced.  The  band  consisted  of  six 
 men,  who  played  on  long  pipes,  which  uttered  wild  but  not  unplea- 
 sant music.  A  war  song  was  sung  by  a  minstrel,  and  all  the  Abys- 
 sinians  joined  in  chorus.  The  entertainment  was  now  drawing  to  a 
 close,  and  the  presents  were  brought  in,  to  be  bestowed  upon  the 
 British  Commander.  He  was  first  invested  with  a  silver-gilt  armlet, 
 the  sign  of  a  great  warrior.  Then  a  lion's  skin  and  mane,  the 
 mark  of  a  fierce  fighter  in  battle,  were  placed  upon  his  shoulders;  a 
 sword  was  girt  upon  his  side,  and  a  spear  and  shield  for  him  were 
 handed  to  one  of  his  staff",  who  acted  on  the  occasion  as  his  armour- 
 bearer.  The  meeting  then  broke  up.  Kassa,  after  frequent  hand- 
 shaking, accompanied  the  General  to  the  door  of  the  tent,  where  a 
 grey  mule,  caparisoned  with  Abyssinian  saddlery  and  trappings,  was 
 waiting.  On  this  Sir  Robert  Napier  had  to  mount ;  and,  again 
 accompanied  by  the  Abyssinian  army,  rode  down  to  the  Diab,  where 
 the  Abyssinians  halted.  The  English  General  and  his  staff"  rode 
 into  their  own  camp." 
 
 During  this  advance,   other  events  were  transpiring  within  the 
 
 walls  of  JMagdala,  and  in  the  adjacent  provinces,  which  demand  a 
 
 separate  and  particular  narration. 
 
CHAPTER    XLIII. 
 
 THE    DAY   OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 The  observant  eye  of  the  servant  of  God,  will  never  fail  to  trace, 
 the  varied,  and  sometimes  obscure  manner,  in  which  the  Lord 
 accomplishes  His  purposes.  "  Thy  way  is  in  the  sea,  and  thy 
 path  in  the  great  waters,  and  thy  footsteps  are  not  known." 
 
 The  cruelties  and  unrestrained  violence  of  Theodorus  had  alien- 
 ated many  of  his  warmest  adherents  : — the  defection  of  many  tribes, 
 had  led  the  most  formidable  of  the  surrounding  States  to  conclude, 
 that  his  was  "a  falling  cause."  This  will  in  a  great  measure 
 account  for  the  free  and  unmolested  advance  of  the  British  troops, 
 and  the  friendly  reception  which  they  had  experienced  on  their 
 march.  The  King  himself  was  infatuated  with  the  idea,  that  the 
 cannon  cast  by  his  European  workmen  would  spread  death  and 
 destruction  on  every  side,  and  secure  the  annihilation  of  the  British 
 Force.  One  mortar  in  particular,  was  of  unusual  size ;  and  most  tedi- 
 ous was  the  process  by  which  it  was  necessary  to  drag  it  from  Debra 
 Tabor,  in  conveying  it  to  Magdala,  along  craggy  paths  and  perilous 
 mountain  passes.  The  savage  Monarch  was  thereby  delayed,  through 
 many  a  weary  week,  in  his  approach  to  the  scene  of  his  expected 
 victories  ;  and  the  anxious  Captives  were  thereby  preserved  from  a 
 dreaded  presence,  which  might  have  precipitated  their  destruction. 
 These  difficulties  were  multiplied,  by  the  harassing  attacks  to  which 
 Theodorus  and  his  troops  were  exposed,  at  the  hands  of  their  con- 
 tinually increasing  enemies  ;  and  the  frequent  desertion  of  others, 
 who  felt  that  at  any  time,  they  might  become  the  objects  of  his  un- 
 restrained vengeance. 
 
362  THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 "  The  rebellion  of  Begemeder,  the  only  province  that  had 
 hitherto  continued  loyal,  ought  to  have  taught  the  tyrant  to  adopt  a 
 more  conciliatory  policy.  Impelled  by  the  demon  of  vengeance,  he 
 ruthlessly  pursued  his  path  athwart  smouldering  villages  and  grim 
 and  ghastly  charnel-houses,  the  fell  work  of  his  own  murderous 
 hands.  Cowed  by  the  energetic  resistance  of  frenzied  peasants,  he 
 withdrew  from  the  butcheries  in  the  open  field  to  the  less  dangerous 
 carnage  in  his  own  fenced  camp.  On  the  7th  of  June,  upwards  of 
 six  hundred  and  seventy  of  Wadela,  Yedshou,  and  other  troops, 
 under  the  false  pretext  that  they  were  to  receive  their  pay,  appeared 
 unarmed  before  the  tyrant.  '  Aha,  you  vile  slaves,'  was  the  address, 
 *  I  hear  you  want  to  join  the  rebels  and  fight  against  me.  I  will 
 feed  the  hyaenas  with  your  foul  carcasses  before  you  execute  your 
 designs.  Off  with  the  traitors.'  In  an  instant  they  were  in  the 
 grasp  of  friends,  companions,  and  kinsmen,  who,  strange  as  it  may 
 appear,  readily  performed  the  executioner's  work. 
 
 "These  wholesale  butcheries  roused  friend  and  foe  to  a  sense  of 
 their  danger.  Ras  Adalou,  the  Chief  of  the  Yedshou  troops,  on  the 
 eve  after  the  massacre  of  the  Wadeleans  and  their  companions, 
 mounted  his  horse,  and  calling  on  his  retainers  to  follow  him,  they 
 all  in  a  body  marched  out  of  the  hedged-in  camp.  Theodorus  saw 
 them  turning  their  backs  upon  him,  but  he  had  not  heart  to  pursue 
 the  desperate  bands,  who  were  determined  to  sell  their  liberty  and 
 lives  at  no  mean  price. 
 
 "The  defection  of  Ras  Adalou  intensified  the  rage  and  despair  of 
 the  tyrant.  Day  after  day,  men,  women  and  children  were  indiscri- 
 minately subjected  to  the  most  appalling  tortures,  or  condemned  to 
 a  horrible  death.  Within  four  weeks,  according  to  the  statement  of 
 eye-witnesses,  upwards  of  three  thousand  persons  perished  by  the 
 sword,  the  rope,  whip,  stick  and  mutilating  knife. 
 
 "  This  homicidal  mania  became  more  ungovernable  as  the  victims 
 multiplied.  No  one  was  safe.  The  executioner  of  to-day  bled  on 
 the  morrow.  Accuser  and  accused  frequently  perished  by  the  same 
 knife  and  hand.  Near  and  around  the  caimp,  all  was  one  large  field 
 of  death  and  corruption.  The  ver}'  air  was  tainted  with  the  poison 
 of  the  putrescent  corpses,  and  the  slain  themselves  threatened  the 
 retributive  vengeance,  which  the  living  were  too  recreant  to  inflict. 
 
 "  Terrorism  had  decimated  the  camp.  The  tyrant  himself  was 
 amazed  at  the  abject  servility  of  the  men,  who,  to  retain  his  favour, 
 would  betray  friends  and  relations  to  a  most  appalling  death,  without 
 remorse  or  regret.  He  had  effectually  crushed  treachery  and  eradi- 
 cated opposition.  To  go  further  he  did  not  deem  advisable.  The 
 Chiefs  and  their  retainers  who  still  remained  attached  to  him,  any 
 fresh  violence  he  thought  might  justly  awake  from  their  stupid 
 torpor,  and  prompt  to  acts  of  desperation,  he  shuddered  to  contem- 
 plate. Where  was  he,  however,  to  find  victims  to  quell  the  fiery 
 tempest  that  was  devouring  his  soul  .^ 
 
THE    DAV    OF    DELIVERANCK.  363 
 
 "  In  the  plain  of  Efag,  a  day's  journey  to  the  north-west  of  Debra 
 Tabor,  nestling  amidst  groves  and  a  few  isolated  hills,  that  impart  a 
 picturesqueness  to  the  scene,  stood  about  a  dozen  villages, 
 which  by  fortuitous  circumstances  escaped  the  general  devastation. 
 The  infatuated  people,  confiding  in  the  swiftness  of  their  mules,  the 
 weakness  of  the  despoiler,  or,  perhaps  the  support  of  a  rebel  Chief, 
 made  no  eflForts  to  secure  either  their  property  or  their  lives.  The 
 rumoured  approach  of  the  tyrant,  however,  frightened  them  ;  and  all 
 hurried  away  in  the  direction  of  Woggera,  where  Taousie  Gobazif,  an 
 insurgent  leader,  had  his  camp.  Theodorus,  who  was  informed 
 by  his  spies  of  the  emigration  of  these  peasants,  despatched  some 
 of  his  Chiefs  with  the  most  friendly  and  paternal  messages.  The 
 insane  victims  of  oppression  and  tyranny,  instead  of  scorning  the 
 treacherous  protestations  of  the  false  King,  listened  to  them  with 
 unsuspecting  trust.  Back  to  the  deserted  homes  rolled  the  tide  of 
 the  migratory  host.  Their  mules  were  unloaded  ;  their  grain  stowed 
 into  the  empty  godahs ;  and  their  flocks  sent  to  graze  on  the  adja- 
 cent rich  meadows.  No  fear  disturbed  their  repose.  The  solemn 
 declaration  of  a  master  who  had  never  kept  his  promise,  acted  like  a 
 fatal  spell  on  the  doomed  multitude.  They  spread  their  hides  on 
 the  floors  of  their  huts,  and  wrapped  their  shamas  tightly  round — 
 and  slept.  It  was  their  last  repose  on  earth.  The  men  of  violence 
 and  blood  were  upon  them,  and  before  another  grey  dawn  had  dis- 
 sipated the  blackness  of  night,  they  were  all  burnt  and  charred 
 corpses.  A  few  persons  only  escaped  the  fury  of  the  destroyers, 
 and  the  account  they  had  to  give  of  the  scene,  surpassed  in  horror 
 the  most  fiendish  massacres  ever  enacted  before.  No  one  was  spared ; 
 the  weak  and  the  strong,  youth  and  age,  were  all  mercilessly  con- 
 sumed beneath  the  roofs  which  had  given  them  a  shelter  and  a 
 home.  Little  children,  frightened  by  the  conflagration,  here  and 
 there  rushed  out  of  their  huts  in  the  vain  hope  of  escaping  the 
 devouring  element ;  instantly  a  cruel  spear  tossed  them  in  the  air, 
 and  they  fell  shrieking  amidst  the  raging  flames.  From  Efag,  the 
 blood-drenched  rufiianly  band  hurried  on  to  Derita,  a  large  village 
 of  wealthy  Mahommedan  merchants.  Here  they  intended  to  perpe- 
 trate the  same  hideous  atrocities,  but  the  inhabitants  had  forestalled 
 them  the  savage  pleasure  by  a  timely  flight  up  the  Woggera  plateau. 
 It  was  in  this  very  village  that  a  messenger  from  Massowah,  with 
 the  ultimatum  from  England,  had  taken  refuge.  He  evidently 
 intended  to  execute  the  errand  on  which  he  had  been  sent,  had  not 
 a  wholesome  terror  of  the  tyrant's  wrath  deterred  him.  We  were  in 
 raptures  when  the  intelligence  reached  us.  The  tyrant  was  then  in 
 no  mood  to  receive  menacing  despatches.  He  wanted  blood,  and 
 the  most  cautiously  worded  communication  would,  humanly  speak- 
 ing, have  decided  our  fate.  God  was  always  good  and  merciful 
 to  us. 
 
 "Elated  with  his  base  and  dastardly  massacre  of  men,  women, 
 and  children,  the  robber  Chief — he  was  in  reality  no  longer  King — 
 
364  THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 thought  that  he  might  again  try  his  fortune  upon  stronger  and  more 
 honourable  battle-fields.  Belessa,  two  days'  journey  to  the  north- 
 east of  Debra  Tabor,  a  small  mountainous  province,  abounding  in 
 grain,  flocks,  and  herds,  offered  the  tempting  bait.  Stimulated  by 
 greed  and  rapacity,  his  pillage-loving  bands  pressed  forward  to  seize 
 the  anticipated  spoil.  Lidj  Abitou,  the  chief  of  our  escort  on  the 
 unfortunate  day  we  left  Quarata,  but  then  a  rebel,  together  with  his 
 father,  a  former  prison  companion  at  Magdala  during  our  first  cap- 
 tivity, and  the  brave  peasants,  anticipated  the  bloodthirsty  depre- 
 dators, and  boldly  confronted  them.  The  cowardly  braggart,  who 
 could  riot  in  the  throes  of  shackled  captives  and  defenceless  unarmed 
 peasants,  at  the  sight  of  a  determined  foe,  paltroon  like,  shrunk 
 from  the  contest.  His  followers,  panting  for  booty,  manifested 
 even  more  daring  than  their  swaggering  leader.  '  Let  us  advance,' 
 shouted  a  few  of  the  boldest  Chiefs,  '  and  these  rebels  will  be  scat- 
 tered to  the  wind.'  '  I  know  what  you  want,'  said  the  grinning 
 savage,  as  it  was  related  to  us  by  eye-witnesses,  '  but  you  shall  not 
 have  your  wish.' 
 
 "Chafed  and  galled  in  spirit,  the  worthy  Theodoras,  followed  by 
 the  imprecations  and  curses  of  an  enraged  people,  retraced  his 
 steps  to  Debra  Tabor.  '  Light  the  fires,  smelt  the  metal,  cast  the 
 big  Sebastopol,  and  I  will  destroy  my  enemies  ! '  were  the  orders 
 now  issued  to  his  servile  European  workmen,  who  sometime  before, 
 had  been  removed  from  their  comfortable  homes  at  Gaffat  to  the 
 putrescent  camp  at  Debra  Tabor.  Up  circled  the  flame  of  the 
 heated  furnace  ;  down  into  the  round-shaped  form  poured  the 
 molten  metal.  Oh  !  there  was  a  hissing  and  battering,  a  whirling 
 and  whizzing  in  that  Debra  Tabor  foundry,  that  eclipsed  all  that  had 
 ever  been  seen  in  Abyssinia.  The  Frendjoj  were  perfect  wizards. 
 It  could  no  longer  be  denied  that  they  had  deserved  those  dollars 
 which  oppressed  subjects  were  so  unwilling  to  resign,  and  envious 
 soldiers — foolish  men — grudged  to  see  so  worthily  bestowed.  There  ! 
 Look  at  the  Sebastopol,  that  big  yawning  monster ;  and  does  not 
 the  very  sight  amply  repay  all  that  was  ever  bestowed  on  its  makers.'' 
 The  tyrant  was  in  ecstacy.  '  Let  the  wide  mouth  of  that  glittering 
 giant  only  vomit  forth  its  contents,  and  death  and  destruction  will 
 hurl  into  everlasting  darkness  the  foes  who  dare  to  fight  for  life  and 
 home.' 
 
 "The  number  of  Europeans  in  the  camp  at  this  period  amounted 
 to  twenty-seven,  of  whom  fifteen  were  men,  three  women,  and  nine 
 children.  M.  Makerer  and  McKelvie,  who  were  formerly  our 
 Magdala  companions,  volunteered  to  enter  the  royal  service,  and 
 this  exempted  them  from  chains,  and  a  second  transportation  to  the 
 fortress.  Messrs.  Staiger  and  Brandeis,  the  missionary  agents  of  a 
 Scotch  Society,  and  two  hunters,  Schiller  and  Essler,  after  much 
 hesitation  and  many  excuses,  were  ordered  to  assist  their  brethren 
 in  the  work  of  the  foundry.  Weary  of  a  wretched  bondage,  and 
 perhaps,  too,  a  little  apprehensive  of  coming  events,  the  last  four, 
 
THE    DAY   OF    DELIVERANCE.  365 
 
 together  with  Makerer,  resolved  to  seek  freedom  and  liberty  in 
 flight.  M.  Bardel,  who  had  first  suggested  the  plan,  was  admitted 
 into  the  secret,  and  he  manifested  the  utmost  eagerness  that  its 
 execution  should  not  be  delayed.  Bardel,  Staiger,  and  Brandeis, 
 were  to  start  together,  and  so  also  the  rest,  to  avoid  all  observation. 
 With  their  money,  which  was  very  little,  round  the  waist,  and  some 
 bread  in  their  pockets,  they  impatiently  awaited  the  moment  fixed 
 for  starting.  The  hour  at  last  approached,  and  their  hearts  bounded 
 with  joy  at  the  prospect  of  deliverance.  Suddenly  there  is  heard 
 the  tramp  of  feet,  the  hum  of  voices,  and  the  rattle  of  shields  and 
 spears.  The  would-be  fugitives  turn  pale  ;  the  cold  perspiration 
 stands  on  their  brows  ;  they  tremble,  nay,  almost  faint,  for  the  King, 
 with  his  myrmidons,  and  their  accuser,  Bardel,  stands  before  them. 
 
 "The  tyrant's  eye  vindictively  gleamed  on  the  prisoners,  while  he 
 sternly  demanded  why  they  were  so  ungrateful,  and  wanted  to  run 
 away.  The  reply  that  they  wished  to  see  their  country,  of  course 
 did  not  satisfy  their  interrogator,  and  they  were  all  put  in  chains. 
 The  poor  servants,  who  were  utterly  ignorant  of  their  intentions, 
 did  not  get  off  so  easily.  Two  of  them  were  fearfully  tortured,  and 
 ere  the  wounds  had  healed,  they  were,  together  with  four  com- 
 panions (one  a  native  of  Massowah),  publicly  executed.  Their 
 countrymen,  and  particularly  their  brethren,  of  whom  four  were  the 
 King's  chief  workmen,  took  not  the  slightest  notice  of  them  for 
 many,  many  torturing  months.  They  had  incurred  the  royal  dis- 
 pleasure, and  like  the  Magdala  Captives,  were  to  be  shunned  as  if 
 the  very  chains  communicated  a  dangerous  contagion." 
 
 On  Friday,  December  13th  (1867),  the  first  tidings  reached  the 
 Captives  that  the  British  Expedition  was  on  its  way. 
 
 "  Messengers  from  the  coast  arrived  about  noon  ;  but  it  was  not 
 before  evening  that  the  letters  were  smuggled  into  our  prison. 
 There  were,  as  usual,  none  for  me.  A  kind  of  fatality  hung  over  my 
 letters.  My  friends  wrote,  but  of  the  scores  which  they  forwarded, 
 not  a  tithe  ever  reached  me.  Vexed  and  annoyed,  I  snatched  up  a 
 fragment  of  Guizot's  '  Histoire  de  la  Civilisation,'  which  Mr.  Rosen- 
 thal had  secured  during  his  stay  at  Gaffat,  and  began  to  study  the 
 influence  of  monasticism  on  the  moral  and  social  condition  of 
 Europe.  A  summons,  to  come  immediately  to  Dr.  Blanc's  hut,  was 
 significant  of  good  news.  The  clapping  and  cheering  of  several  of 
 my  companions,  confirmed  my  anticipation.  '  Cheer  up,  Stern  ! ' 
 exclaimed  the  doctor.  'Good  news!  Troops  are  coming! 
 Colonel  Merewether  has  landed  !  Hurrah  for  old  England  ! '  The 
 budget  was  worthy  of  the  })laudits  it  elicited  from  the  Captives. 
 Oh,  it  was  a  happy  evening,  that  13th  of  November  1  Gloom  and 
 despondency  had  entirely  vanished.  No  vacant  glance,  no  dejected 
 countenance,  no  shaded  brow  was  visible  among  the  eight  victims 
 of  Theodorus'  tyrannv.       Our  chains  were  light,  our  hearts  merry; 
 
366  THE  DAY  OF  DELI VKRANCE. 
 
 we  were  in  a  transport  of  delirious  joy — a  sensation  to  which  the 
 majority,  for  more  than  four  years,  had  been  perfect  strangers. 
 
 "  British  troops  and  King  Theodorus  were  now  both  on  the  road 
 to  Magdala.  But  who  will  arrive  first  ?  Will  our  expected  libera- 
 tors forestall  our  dreaded  captor,  or  will  they  allow  him  to  inundate 
 the  Amba  with  blood  ere  they  make  their  appearance  ?  Such  and 
 similar  reflections  forced  themselves  very  soon  on  our  minds,  and 
 filled  us  with  intense  anxiety  and  suspense.  Never  were  the 
 chances  of  freedom  and  death  so  equally  balanced  ;  never  were  the 
 steps  of  friend  and  foe  so  eagerly  watched.  We  were  approaching 
 the  goal  of  our  suffering,  the  crisis  of  our  fate.  A  tranquil  confi- 
 dence, that  the  days  of  banishment  and  exile  were  drawing  to  a 
 close,  however,  dissipated  those  gloomy  forebodings,  which  horri- 
 ble tortures,  ten  times  worse  than  death,  conjured  before  the  mind. 
 We  felt,  at  least  most  of  us  felt,  that  God  had  been  and  would  be 
 with  us,  and  this  conviction  shed  a  peaceful  serenity  over  our  dismal 
 prison  home. 
 
 "  Christmas,  that  season  of  joy  and  gladness,  had  now  set  in. 
 The  Expeditionary  forces,  to  our  disappointment,  we  heard  the 
 evening  before,  had  not  yet  quite  landed,  whilst  King  Theodorus, 
 whose  advent  we  dreaded,  was  persistently  threading  his  way 
 through  bristling  lines  of  cowardly  insurgents  towards  our  Amba. 
 Our  felicitations  on  the  morning  of  that  happy  day,  were  not  much 
 associated  with  the  glorious  events  it  is  designed  to  commemorate. 
 Our  minds  were  occupied  with  King  Theodorus  and  his  movements. 
 Various  conflicting  reports  had  reached  our  Amba,  and  they  formed 
 the  themes  of  general  discussion.  It  was  said,  that  Daunt  and 
 Dalanta,  two  rebel  districts  that  occupy  the  plateau  between  the 
 Djiddah  and  Beshilo,  had  accepted  the  royal  amnesty,  and  made 
 their  submission  ;  then,  that  three  hundred  rebels  had  been  caught, 
 and  roasted  alive ;  and  lasth-,  that  his  Majesty,  in  the  profound 
 consciousness  of  the  inviolability  of  the  law,  as  a  warning  and 
 example  to  his  faithless  subjects,  had  immolated,  on  a  flaming  pyre, 
 Ras  iMeshasha,  the  Prince  Imperial.  These  rumours  were  followed 
 by  others  of  a  less  appalling  import.  A  large  proportion  of  the 
 Daunt  aud  Dalanta  peasantry,  it  was  true,  had  made  their  submis- 
 sion to  the  King  ;  a  few  rebels  had  also  been  executed  ;  but  the 
 story  about  the  royal  Prince  was  what  we  ought  to  have  expected,  a 
 most  unworthy  libel. 
 
 "Our  anticipations  that  Daunt  and  Dalanta,  would  continue  to 
 form  an  impassable  barrier  to  the  King's  progress  were  disappointed, 
 and  day  after  day  we  heard,  that  he  was  advancing  nearer  and 
 nearer  to  our  rocky  home.  The  road  was  still  a  serious  obstacle  to 
 his  onward  movement ;  but  with  the  assistance  of  the  peasantry, 
 who  had  returned  to  their  allegiance,  basalt  rocks  were  blasted  and 
 levelletl,  trees  cut  down,  and  every  impediment  in  his  march 
 removed.     To  hurry  on  the  work,  the  Lord's-day  rest,  which  had 
 
THE    DAY   OF    DELIVERANCE.  367 
 
 hitherto  been  respected,  more  from  sheer  necessity  than  any  reli- 
 gious scruples,  was  now  suspended  ;  and  Europeans  as  well  as 
 natives  had  to  ply  the  axe  and  hammer  on  the  Christian's  Sabbath. 
 
 "The  stupid  and  infatuated  peasants,  to  compensate  for  their 
 late  defection,  exerted  themselves  to  the  utmost  to  retain  the 
 favourable  opinion  of  their  capricious,  whimsical,  and  faithless 
 master. 
 
 "  At  his  own  particular  request,  the  Chiefs  remained  in  the  camp, 
 while  the  people  carried  his  baggage,  assisted  in  making  the  road, 
 and,  together  with  his  ragamuffins,  alias  soldiers,  dragged  his  un- 
 wieldy cannons  up  to  their  own  verdant  plain.  Praises  the  most 
 lavish  and  profuse,  were  abundantly  bestowed  on  the  good  and 
 loyal  Dalanta  peasantry.  They  were  liege  subjects,  excellent 
 fathers,  and  most  exemplary  men — nay,  on  the  last  Sunday  before 
 the  Abyssinian  Lent,  during  a  hroiindo  (raw  meat)  feast,  he  assured 
 the  village  authorities  that  they  and  their  descendants,  and  the  dis- 
 trict entrusted  to  their  charge,  should,  to  the  very  end  of  time, 
 enjoy  immunities  and  privileges  the  most  glorious  and  distinguished 
 a  ^lonarch  could  bestow. 
 
 "Thinking,  that  his  wily  smiles  and  glib  tongue  had  dispelled 
 every  apprehension  of  treachery,  he  gave  secret  orders  to  his  ban- 
 ditti to  fall,  before  the  dawn  of  day,  upon  the  sleeping  peasantry, 
 and  to  despoil  them  of  their  property.  The  plan  was  well  con- 
 ceived, but  not  so  easily  carried  into  effect.  The  slumbering  though 
 surprised  people  were  not  quite  unprepared  ;  so  that  the  ruffians, 
 before  they  could  execute  their  fell  purpose,  had  to  struggle,  and 
 that  most  fiercely,  with  their  stout-hearted,  obstinate  victims. 
 Numbers  of  the  King's  people  were  knocked  down  by  the  heavy, 
 knotted  clubs  of  the  vigorous  peasantry ;  others  were  brained  by 
 the  infuriated  women  ;  and  not  a  few,  even  in  the  camp  itself,  were 
 stretched  upon  the  ground,  never  to  rise  again,  by  the  frantic  Chiefs 
 whom  they  sought  to  make  their  prisoners.  The  Daunt,  and  scores 
 of  the  Wadela  people,  on  hearing  the  war-whoop,  hurried  (an 
 unusual  thing  in  that  reft  and  selfish  country),  to  the  assistance  of 
 their  neighbours,  and  by  their  united  efforts  drove  the  bragging  and 
 treacherous  robber  Chief  behind  the  shelter  of  his  artillery. 
 
 "This  last  defeat  made  him  conscious  of  the  utter  helplessness  of 
 his  position  ;  and,  like  ourselves,  he  was  anxious  for  the  approach 
 of  the  British  troops,  whose  advent  he  knew  would  terminate  the 
 destructive  and  unequal  conflict  in  which  the  captor  and  captured, 
 the  spoiler  and  spoiled,  were  mutually  involved.  Now  and  then,  he 
 indulged  in  a  little  harmless  brag  about  Pharaoh  and  the  Israelites, 
 David  and  Goliath,  Sennacherib  and  Zedekiah,  and  on  one  occasion, 
 he  spoke  of  himself  as  a  man,  who,  like  Simeon  in  days  of  yore,  was 
 waiting  for  help,  deliverance,  and  redemption. 
 
 "  Towards  his  European  workmen  he  began  to  manifest  an 
 unwonted  severity.     The  motives  for  this  sudden  resentment  against 
 
368  THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 his  obsequious  white  slaves,  were,  of  course,  shrouded  in  some 
 obscurity  ;  but  it  was  evident,  that  an  under-current  of  suppressed 
 anger  had  long  lurked  in  his  heart  against  them,  and  that  policy, 
 and  not  regard,  had  induced  him  to  maintain  a  sham  friendly  inter- 
 course with  them.  One  day,  on  the  plain  of  Dalanta,  he  was 
 exceedingly  indignant  against  them.  Old  Shimper,  who,  for  some 
 special  services  he  had  rendered,  came  in  for  a  considerable  share 
 of  abuse,  on  beholding  the  lance  in  the  royal  hand  quivering  before 
 his  eyes,  already  imagined  himself  a  dead  man,  and  in  his  terror,  or 
 perhaps  to  avert  the  catastrophe,  apparently  tumbled  senseless  on 
 the  hard  ground.  Only  a  few  weeks  before,  when  the  rest  got  gor- 
 geous tents,  which  they  were  to  pitch  and  not  to  occupy — probably 
 to  excite  the  jealousy  of  the  soldiers  against  them — he  was,  by  some 
 oversight,  forgotten.  To  twist  the  mistake  into  a  well-shaped  com- 
 pliment, he  told  the  King  that  he  did  not  require  a  tent,  as  everyone 
 knew  that  his  Majesty's  vast  and  generous  heart  was  his  shelter  and 
 home.  Poor  sycophant !  he  was  ungraciously  rewarded  for  the 
 incense  of  flattery,  he  undertook  to  lavish  so  profusely  on  the  Moloch 
 he  pretended  to  adore." 
 
 On  Sunday,  March  29th  (1868),  the  King  arrived  at  Magdala. 
 At  times  he  professed  to  be  favourably  affected  towards  Mr.  Rassam 
 and  the  Captives,  and  then  would  outpour  the  venom  which  filled 
 his  heart,  in  abuse  and  blasphemy.  How  perilously  near  the  Euro- 
 pean Captives  were  to  the  most  cruel  and  ignominious  death,  will 
 appear  from  what  follows.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find,  in  the  his- 
 tory of  the  most  savage  races,  the  parallel  to  the  merciless  atrocities 
 which  distinguished  this  atrocious  tyrant. 
 
 "  About  sunset  on  April  6th,  we  received  an  intimation,  that,  on 
 the  following  morning,  all  the  prisoners,  Europeans  and  natives, 
 would  have  to  repair  to  the  royal  camp.  We  did  not  much  appre- 
 ciate this  impending  change  from  a  dingy  prison-hut  to  a  tented 
 camp  confinement.  It  was  a  sad  exit  that  awaited  us  next  day.  We 
 had  a  considerable  number  of  friends  on  the  Amba,  and  many  of 
 these  repaired  at  an  early  hour  to  the  open  space  in  front  of  our 
 prison,  to  see  us  taking  our  departure.  They  all  looked  sad,  dis- 
 consolate, and  sorrowful ;  and  it  was  evident,  from  the  sighs  and 
 irrepressible  tears  of  the  multitude,  what  doom  they  imagined  would 
 be  our  lot.  The  native  prisoners,  between  four  and  five  hundred, 
 who,  owing  to  their  hand  and  foot  chains,  in  a  bent  and  stooping 
 posture  shuffled  on  in  our  rear,  heaved  the  deepest  and  most  heart- 
 rending groans  and  sighs.  Their  eyes  were  riveted  on  us  with  an 
 agonizing  interest,  for  they  knew  that  the  reception  accorded  to  us, 
 would  be  the  verdict  of  their  own  fate.  To  the  joy  and  delight  of 
 our  friends,  and  the  numerous  victims  of  lawless  tyranny,  his 
 Majesty  gave  us  a  most  friendly  salutation.     On  perceiving  my  long 
 
THE    DAY   OF   DELIVERANCE.  369 
 
 hair,  which  I  had  allowed  to  grow  undipped,  as  a  protection  to 
 the  neck  from  heat  and  cold,  he  smilingly  turned  his  eyes  on  me, 
 and  said  :  '  O  Cocab,  why  have  you  plaited  your  hair  ? '  Samuel 
 forestalled  my  response,  by  replying  :  *  Your  Majesty,  it  is  not  plaited ; 
 it  falls  naturally  over  his  shoulders.' 
 
 "The  bustle  and  tumult,  din  and  confusion,  which  prevailed  near 
 the  spot  where  we  were  standing,  induced  the  King  to  move  out  of 
 the  heaving  and  toiling  multitude  by  whom  he  was  encompassed. 
 The  officials  followed,  but  the  rest  of  the  Captives  kept  at  a  respect- 
 ful distance.  His  Majesty  was  exceedingly  affable,  courteous  and 
 polite.  He  dilated  on  all  sorts  of  topics,  but  the  tenor  of  his  con- 
 versation was  so  incoherent,  that  his  efforts — and  he  was  a  master  in 
 disguising  his  real  sentiments — failed  to  conceal  the  conflicting 
 thoughts  that  occupied  his  mind.  After  an  hour's  interview,  he 
 ordered  us  all  to  repair  to  a  gorgeous  tent,  which,  in  the  absence  of 
 Mr.  Rassam's,  had  been  erected  for  our  accommodation. 
 
 "After  this  interview  with  his  white  Captives,  he  compensated 
 himself  for  the  little  self-denial  his  courtesy  had  imposed,  by  a  good 
 deal  of  bluster  and  brag,  on  the  victories  and  triumphs  he  was  about 
 to  achieve.  Amongst  other  things  he  said :  '  The  English,  ever 
 since  the  time  of  Noah,  have  cast  cannons,  and  manufactured  guns 
 and  powder,  whilst  we  only  commenced  yesterday  ;  but  don't  be 
 afraid  ;  we  shall  strip  them  of  their  arms,  and  you  will  be  clad  in 
 their  gay  and  gorgeous  garments.'  Such,  and  a  variety  of  similar 
 effusions  came  flowing  from  his  lips,  in  smooth  and  well-shaped 
 phrases,  till,  weary  with  the  effort,  he  dismissed  his  bands,  and 
 mounting  his  mule,  proceeded,  accompanied  by  his  European  work- 
 men and  several  Chiefs,  up  to  the  summit  of  Salasie,  from  whence 
 he  had  a  full  view  of  the  onward  movement  of  the  Expeditionary 
 force. 
 
 "  Next  day,  a  messenger  brought  a  letter  from  Sir  Robert,  now 
 Lord  Napier  of  Magdala.  The  road  to  the  very  camp,  being  infested 
 by  robbers  and  insurgents,  it  was  necessary  to  stitch  the  missive  in 
 a  seam  of  the  bearer's  ragged  inexpressibles,  to  ensure  its  safety. 
 Theodorus  was  quite  indignant  at  receiving  a  small  note,  instead  of 
 a  large  letter.  He  was  told,  it  was  not  disrespect,  but  necessity, 
 that  had  compelled  the  Commander-in-Chief  to  send  such  an 
 epistle.  '  It  is  true,'  he  responded,  '  the  road  is  full  of  thieves  and 
 robbers,  but  who  is  this  man  that  addresses  himself  to  me  ?  I  wrote 
 some  years  ago  to  his  Queen,  and  she  did  not  answer  me  ;  does  he 
 suppose  that  I  shall  enter  into  a  correspondence  with  him  ?  Take 
 the  paper  away,  I  don't  want  to  see  it.'  This  was,  however,  merely 
 bluster,  for  when  the  messenger  and  his  own  Chiefs  had  retired,  he 
 sent  for  Samuel,  and  requested  to  know  the  contents  of  Lord 
 Napier's  despatch. 
 
 "  In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  he  was  angry,  passionate,  and 
 savage.     To  quell  the  fury  of  his  wrath,  it  was  necessary  that  blood 
 
37°  THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERAN'CE. 
 
 •should  flow.  He  had  not  yet  decided  on  the  massacre  of  his 
 prisoners,  but  to  appease  the  demon  that  devoured  his  heart,  a  few 
 victims  had  to  be  sacrificed.  Seven  individuals  were  immediately 
 selected  for  a  holocaust,  to  pacify  the  blood-thirsty  Moloch.  Among 
 the  innocent  sufferers,  was  a  young  woman  and  her  infant,  the  wife 
 of  the  fugitive  Becherwand  Confou,  who  had  decamped  in  Septem- 
 ber last.  Ever  since  the  flight  of  her  husband,  she  had  been  a 
 prisoner ;  and  probably  the  long  reprieve  she  had  experienced,  led 
 her  to  cherish  the  pleasing  illusion,  that  her  young  life,  and  that  of 
 her  babe,  would  not  be  sacrificed  to  the  despot's  resentment.  Poor 
 woman — like  hundreds  more — she  dreamt  of  life,  freedom,  and 
 happiness,  till  the  executioner  dragged  her  and  the  innocent  crea- 
 ture clasped  in  her  slender  arms,  to  a  horrible  and  cruel  death. 
 
 "These  incipient  butcheries  were  merely  a  prelude  to  still  greater 
 atrocities,  and  more  extensive  massacres.  In  the  afternoon  of  the 
 next  day,  we  were  suddenly  startled  by  the  sound  of  an  intermittent 
 musketry  fire.  I  looked  out  of  the  tent  to  see  whether  the  King 
 was  bragging.  The  rush  of  armed  soldiers  from  every  part  of 
 the  camp,  indicated  that  something  serious  and  disastrous  was 
 taking  place.  All  was  hushed,  as  if  the  silencer  of  all  sounds,  had 
 suddenly  traversed  those  lines  of  huts  and  tents,  in  which  noise  and 
 clamour  perpetually  reigned.  The  rattle  of  musketry,  blended  with 
 the  yells  of  despair,  and  the  shouts  of  rage,  fell,  however,  with  an 
 ominous  and  appalling  horror  on  our  ears.  'What  is  the  matter.^' 
 I  inquired  of  my  neighbour.  '  Hist,'  was  the  response,  '  the  king  is 
 killing  all  the  prisoners.'  These  terrible  words  diffused  an  aguish 
 chill  through  my  very  heart.  '  What ! '  I  involuntarily  ejaculated, 
 *  killing  his  prisoners — men  whose  only  crime  consists  in  their 
 having  served,  and  served  faithfully,  too,  a  tyrant  to  whom  they 
 ought  never  to  have  tendered  allegiance  ? '  Most  of  the  sufferers 
 were  our  former  companions  in  the  common  gaol,  which  deepened 
 the  sympathy  we  felt  for  them  in  their  last  mortal  struggle.  The 
 sun  had  already  disappeared  from  the  horizon,  and  twilight  spread 
 a  dismal,  dusky  hue  over  the  scene  around,  and  still  the  firing  con- 
 tinued unabated.  With  night,  it  gradually  diminished ;  and  then 
 only  isolated  shots  reverberated  across  the  panic-stricken  camp. 
 
 "  The  slaughter  lasted  about  three  hours,  and  during  that  interval, 
 three  hundred  and  seven  human  beings  were,  unwarned,  and  per- 
 haps unpre{)ared,  hurled  into  eternity.  Some  of  the  prisoners  did 
 not  unresistingly  yield  to  their  woeful  doom.  One,  Immer  Ali,  a 
 native  of  Ferga,  near  the  Tzana  Lake,  formerly  a  Chief  of  considera- 
 tion in  his  province  ;  in  spite  of  hand  and  foot  chains,  with  a  con- 
 vulsive grasp  dragged  his  executioner  towards  the  precipice  over 
 which  he  was  to  be  hurled.  The  rufiian,  who  dreaded  the  doom 
 which  he  intended  to  inflict  on  his  fellow  man,  shouted  for  help. 
 On  hearing  the  cry,  the  tyrant,  tiger-like,  sprang  forward,  and  with 
 his  gory  sword  literally  hacked  the  man  to  pieces.  One  victim  after 
 another,  lay  writhing  and  quivering  in  their  last  pangs  at  the  foot  of 
 
THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE.  37 1 
 
 the  dizzy  precipice,  and  still  the  tyrant's  rage  was  unappeased. 
 '  Bring  the  white  men,  and  let  their  blood  flow,  mingled  with  that 
 •of  my  own  subjects,'  was  the  order  that  fell  from  his  lips.  Already, 
 we  were  informed,  whole  bands  of  rufllans  stood  prepared  to  seize 
 the  intended  prey,  when  several  Chiefs,  no  friends  of  the  foreign 
 'Captives,  stepped'  forward,  and  requested  that  our  execution  might 
 be  deferred  till  next  day.  '  Your  Majesty,'  they  respectfully  remarked, 
 '  the  white  men  do  not  deserve  the  easy  death  of  the  sword  and 
 bullet ;  no,  keep  them  till  to-morrow,  and  then  let  the  slow  torture 
 of  a  flaming  hut  put  an  end  to  their  existence.'  '  You  are  right,' 
 was  the  response. 
 
 "  We  were  not  unconscious  of  the  perils  by  which  we  were  encom- 
 passed ;  still  we  could  scarcely  realize  that  our  lives  were  suspended 
 on  such  a  slender  thread.  One  minute's  silence,  one  repressed 
 •sentence  of  the  Chiefs,  and  the  gulf  between  time  and  eternity  would 
 have  been  crossed.  When  the  above  fact  was  narrated  to  me  by 
 one  of  my  companions,  I  was  utterly  lost  in  bewildering  amazement. 
 Our  Heavenly  Father,  I  knew,  had  more  than  once  interposed 
 between  us  and  a  violent  death  ;  but  such  a  visible  display  of  His 
 guardian  care  and  protection,  overwhelmed  me  with  a  feeling  of  awe, 
 akin  to  that  which  the  high  priest  must  have  experienced,  when  he 
 entered  the  holy  of  holies,  and  stood  in  the  immediate  presence  of 
 the  Shechinah." 
 
 The  scene  within  the  walls  of  Magdala,  must  be  further  described 
 by  the  versatile  pen  of  Mr.  Stern,  but  the  scene  which  was  witnessed 
 ■on  the  heights  which  surrounded  the  almost  inaccessible  fortress, 
 must  in  addition  be  again  given  by  another  hand.  The  most  solemn 
 Anniversary  in  the  history  of  the  Christian  Church,  was  accompanied 
 by  events,  which  afford  a  moral  representation  of  the  resurrection  of 
 the  chain-bound  Captives,  who  had  so  long  been  living  on  the  con- 
 fines of  eternity. 
 
 "The  following  day  was  Good  Friday,  which  the  Abyssinian 
 ■Church  most  strictly  observes.  The  tyrant,  though  a  perfect  fiend 
 and  coarse  blasphemer,  repaired,  from  a  superstitious  impulse,  at  a 
 very  early  hour  to  church.  On  his  return,  he  sent  word  to  Mr. 
 Rassam  that  we  should  without  delay  repair  to  our  Amba  prison. 
 It  was  a  delightful  message,  and  I  believe  no  prisoners  ever  returned 
 to  their  dungeons  with  greater  joy,  than  the  white  Captives  did  to 
 their  huts  on  the  fortress  of  Magdala.  The  very  walls  of  those  dis- 
 mal abodes,  which  before  imparted  a  desponding  melancholy  to 
 •our  minds,  on  that  very  morning,  beamed  with  a  peace  and  serenity 
 that  sent  back  to  our  cold  hearts  a  warm  tide  of  gladness  and  joy, 
 to  which,  for  a  long,  long  time,  they  had  been  perfect  strangers. 
 It  was  a  perfect  bliss  to  quit  the  royal  charnel-house,  and  to  breathe 
 •once  more,  if  even  for  a  few  hours,  an  atmosphere  not  impregnated 
 Avith  blood  and  death. 
 
372  THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 "  In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  we  heard  that  a  Division  of  the 
 Expeditionary  force  had  approached  to  within  two  hours  of  our  for- 
 tress. Some  of  our  servants  who  had  followed  us,  came  every  instant 
 into  our  huts  with  some  intelligence,  about  the  dress,  looks,  and 
 attitude  of  the  soldiers,  whom  their  piercing  glances  detected  on  the 
 heights  around  Arogie.  Samuel,  who  was  justly  afraid,  lest  their 
 observations  should  be  reported,  and  draw  on  us  the  tyrant's  resent- 
 ment, ordered  none  to  move  out  of  their  tents,  if  they  dreaded  the 
 whip, 
 
 •  "  Between  three  and  four  p.m.,  the  boom  of  a  sound  like  distant 
 thunder,  which  the  rocks  and  clifis  reverberated  for  miles  and  miles 
 around  the  isolated  Amba,  made  us  all  start  to  our  feet.  '  Was  that 
 rattle  a  peal  of  thunder,  or  the  roar  of  cannon  ? '  formed  the  question 
 of  every  lip.  Again  and  again,  the  sky  above  awakened  the  sleeping 
 echoes  of  the  surrounding  scenes,  intermingled  apparently  with 
 other  sounds  than  those  created  by  the  shadowy  and  hazy  clouds 
 that  hung  pall-like  over  our  homes.  It  was  now  no  longer  doubtful, 
 that  the  royal  artillery  was  in  full  play,  and  that  the  King  was  either 
 bragging,  or  engaged  in  a  regular  fight.  We  could  not  believe  that 
 he  had  ventured  to  measure  his  strength  with  disciplined  troops, 
 and  the  victorious  li-li-lil,  which  floated  from  the  royal  camp  up  to 
 the  fortress,  where  every  woman  and  child  repeated  the  shrill  notes, 
 till  they  were  hoarse  from  the  e.xertion,  rendered  the  very 
 thought  ridiculous  and  absurd.  At  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
 Messrs.  Flad,  Waldemeier,  and  several  of  the  King's  servants,  came 
 to  our  prison  to  announce  to  us  the  cheering  intelligence,  that  a 
 fight  had  taken  place,  and  that  his  Majesty's  troops  had  sustained  a 
 most  signal  and  fatal  defeat.  The  crest-fallen  tyrant,  who,  only 
 little  more  than  eighteen  months  before,  claimed  the  universe  for 
 his  realm,  had  learnt  a  lesson  from  the  destructive  contest  at  Arogie 
 which,  had  it  been  administered  to  him  a  few  years  before,  might 
 have  spared  Abyssinia  an  incalculable  amount  of  bloodshed,  misery, 
 and  desolation.  '  Once  I  thought,'  was  the  message  to  Mr.  Rassam, 
 '  that  your  people  were  women,  and  could  not  stand  before  me,  but 
 I  find  that  they  are  men.  I  have  been  beaten  by  the  fit  aurari 
 (advanced  guard).  My  musketeers  are  dead.  Prove  that  you  are 
 my  friend,  and  reconcile  me  with  the  man  who  is  stronger  than  I.' 
 Mr.  Rassam  returned  a  polite  and  most  judicious  reply.  He 
 informed  the  King,  that  the  object  of  his  mission  had  been  the  re- 
 establishment  of  peace  between  England  and  Abyssinia,  and  that 
 although  he  had  failed  in  achieving  this  end,  he  was  still  as  friendly 
 disposed  as  ever,  and  if  his  Majesty  was  inclined  to  listen  to  his 
 counsel,  he  would  advise  him  to  give  up  to  the  Commander-in-Chief 
 all  the  prisoners.  Not  to  irritate  the  chafed  lion,  he,  however,  pro- 
 posed to  send  Lieut.  Prideaux  as  his  envoy  to  Sir  Robert  Napier,  if  his 
 Majesty  consented  to  send  one  of  the  Europeans,  and  some  of  his 
 own  Chiefs  to  accompany  him. 
 
THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE.  373 
 
 "Excited  by  drink,  his  Majesty,  when  the  delegates  returned,  had 
 become  oblivious  of  the  errand  on  which  they  had  been  despatched. 
 Towards  dawn,  the  fumes  of  the  alcohol  evaporated,  and  the  mes- 
 sengers received  instructions  to  depart  for  the  British  camp. 
 
 "  Sir  Robert  Napier  was  exceedingly  attentive  and  courteous  towards 
 the  native  envoy,  Dejatch  Alamie.  His  affability  did  not,  however, 
 modify  his  demands  for  the  surrender  of  all  the  Europeans,  and  the 
 unconditional  submission  of  Theodorus  to  the  Queen  of  England, 
 who  would  award  him  honourable  treatment. 
 
 "  Persuaded,  that  all  negotiations  would  be  futile  if  these  condi- 
 tions were  not  promptly  complied  with,  the  delegates  hurried  back 
 to  the  royal  camp.  During  the  interval  King  Theodorus  dictated  a 
 semi-defiant  letter  to  the  Commander-in-Chief.     'You,'  he  wrote, 
 
 '  have  prevailed  against  me Believing  myself  to  be  a  great 
 
 lord  I  gave  you  battle,  but  by  reason  of  the  worthlessness  of  my 
 artillery,  all  my  pains  were  as  nought.  The  people  of  my  country 
 by  taunting  me  with  having  embraced  the  religion  of  the  Franks, 
 and  by  saying  that  I  had  become  a  Mussulman,  and  in  ten  different 
 ways,  provoked  me  to  anger  against  them.     Out  of  the  evil  I  have 
 
 done   to   them   may   God    bring   good Since   the   day 
 
 of  my  birth  till  now,  no  man  has  dared  to  lay  hand  on  me.  Wherever 
 my  soldiers  began  to  waver  in  battle,  it  was  mine  to  arise  and 
 rally  them.  Last  night  the  darkness  hindered  me  from  doing  so. 
 ....  I  had  hoped,  after  subduing  all  my  enemies  in  Abyssinia,  to 
 lead  my  people  against  Jerusalem,  and  to  expel  from  it  the  Turks. 
 A  warrior  who  has  dandled  strong  men  in  his  arms  like  infants,  will 
 never  suffer  himself  to  be  dandled  in  the  arms  of  others.'  This  docu- 
 ment, together  with  a  letter  he  had  received  from  Sir  Robert  Napier, 
 were  handed  to  the  messengers.  Before,  however,  finally  dis- 
 missing them,  he  inquired  what  honourable  treatment  of  himself 
 and  family  signified  ;  and  on  not  receiving  the  desired  explanation, 
 he  turned  to  those  who  surrounded  him,  and  ironically  remarked  : 
 *  Does  the  man  know  anything  about  my  family  that  he  speaks  of 
 honourable  treatment  ?  Has  he  counted  the  number  of  my  wives 
 and  children  ? ' 
 
 "  Impassive  to  a  degree,  that  rendered  us  almost,  if  not  altogether 
 impervious  to  those  fluctuations  of  hope  and  fear,  which,  under 
 ordinary  circumstances,  might  have  agitated  our  whole  being  to  a 
 feverish  pitch,  we  passed  our  forenoon  in  comparative  peace  and 
 tranquility. 
 
 "  The  messengers  had  been  gone  about  two  hours,  when  the 
 King,  goaded  to  despair  by  the  mad  fury  that  burned  in  his  heart, 
 seized  a  pistol,  and  dashing  the  muzzle  into  his  mouth,  wanted  to 
 put  an  end  to  his  own  existence.  Several  of  his  Chiefs  promptly 
 wrenched  the  weapon  out  of  his  hand.  In  the  struggle,  the  pistol 
 exploded,  and  inflicted  a  wound  on  the  royal  ear.  The  Chiefs,  who 
 were  all  deeply  affected,  urged  him  to  shake  off  all  despondency, 
 
374  '^"HE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 and  to  prove  himself  worthy  of  the  name  he  bore.  '  Our  lives  are 
 yours,'  they  said,  'and  we  will  fight,  and  if  necessary,  die  with  you.. 
 Let  us  bravely  defy  the  Frendjoj,  and  if  they  venture  to  approach, 
 they  shall  have  dead  and  not  living  captives.'  To  this  honest 
 remonstrance — and  it  was  honest,  for  they  fell  fighting  at  his  side 
 during  the  capture  of  Magdala — he  deigned  no  reply  ;  but  turning  to 
 Betwodet  Hassanei,  and  Ras  Eissawur,  he  ordered  them  to  go  to  our 
 prison  and  inform  us,  that  we  were  free,  and  could  go  to  the  camp. 
 I  could  scarcely  believe  the  import  of  the  message,  so  utterly 
 opposed  did  it  appear  to  reason,  common  sense,  and  the  usual  tac- 
 tics of  Theodorus. 
 
 "We  instantly  got  ready  to  obey  the  royal  behest,  the  most 
 gracious  he  ever  issued  ;  when  another  messenger  arrived  to  inform 
 us  that  it  was  probably  too  late  that  day  to  reach  the  British  camp, 
 and  that  we  should  postpone  our  departure  till  the  next  day.  As. 
 we  all  harboured  a  vague  dread,  that  our  exit  was  a  mere  blind  to 
 give  klai  to  some  base  treachery,  we  did  not  regret  another  night's- 
 reprieve.  After  waiting  an  hour,  more  peremptory  orders  were  con- 
 veyed to  us  that  we  should  start.  As  we  emerged  out  of  our  prison,, 
 we  encountered  many  faces  bathed  in  tears.  It  was  touching  to  see 
 that  even  at  Magdala,  there  were  hearts  not  indifferent  to  the 
 foreigners,  or  unconcerned  about  our  freedom  and  release.  The 
 kind  and  sympathetic  groups,  like  ourselves,  imagined  that  the 
 march  towards  the  royal  camp,  was  a  short  funereal  procession  to  exe- 
 cution and  the  grave.  Near  the  gates  of  the  fortress,  we  met  Messrs. 
 Meyer  and  Saalmiiller,  two  of  the  European  artisans,  who  were  to 
 escort  us  into  the  British  camp.  '  Is  there  any  treachery } '  we 
 anxiously  inquired  of  our  appointed  conductors.  '  We  are  not 
 aware  that  there  is,'  was  the  response.  '  We  know  for  certain,'  they 
 added,  '  that  a  little  while  ago,  the  King  intended  to  commit  suicide,, 
 and  had  he  succeeded  in  his  design,  you  and  every  European  in  the 
 camp,  would,  ere  this,  have  fallen  beneath  the  lances  and  swords  of 
 the  enraged  Chiefs.'  That  the  restraint  imposed  on  the  tyrant's, 
 violence,  should,  humanly  speaking,  prove  the  safeguard  of  his  Cap- 
 tives, seemed  to  me  an  interposition  so  miraculous  and  Divine,  that 
 I  dismissed  all  apprehensions,  and  rapturously  contemplated  the 
 approaching  hour  of  freedom  and  liberty. 
 
 "The  order  was,  that  we  should  quit  the  camp  without  delay. 
 We  were  quite  willing  to  obey  this  behest,  had  not  two  of  the  Chiefs^ 
 who  were  friendly  disposed  towards  us,  unsolicited,  sent  a  message 
 to  their  master,  that  we  were  loth  to  leave  without  a  parting  inter- 
 view. Certainly  we  had  no  desire  to  encounter  once  more  the  ash- 
 coloured  countenance  and  vengeance-flashing  eye  of  Theodorus. 
 The  Chiefs  knew  that  perfectly  well,  and  to  forestall  that  sad  catas- 
 trophe, which  they  anticipated  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
 British  forces  would  visit  with  a  retributive  vengeance,  they  took 
 every  precaution  to  avert  it.     Two  or  three  messages  passed  rapidly 
 
THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE.  375 
 
 between  the  King  and  his  white  Captives,  and  at  last  the  order 
 came  that  his  Majesty  would  receive  Mr.  Rassam,  and  no  one 
 else. 
 
 "  Our  friend,  in  full  diplomatic  uniform,  and  surrounded  by  a. 
 whole  concourse  of  Chiefs  and  royal  domestics,  hurried  on  to  Fahla  ; 
 whilst  the  other  seven  Captives  and  Mrs.  Rosenthal,  who  was  a 
 semi-prisoner,  and  always  associated  with  us,  which  was  not  the 
 case  with  the  rest,  were  driven  along  a  path  that  lay  at  the  foot  of 
 serrated  cliffs  and  shivered  rocks,  that  were  literally  crowded  with 
 spectators.  King  Theodorus,  we  were  told,  was  not  two  hundred 
 yards  from  the  spot  where  we  stood.  This  startled  us.  Go  on — 
 stop — to  the  right,  to  the  left,  were  the  contradictory  commands- 
 that  hissed,  in  whispering  notes,  along  the  line  formed  by  the  Cap- 
 tives and  their  guards. 
 
 "  Hemmed  in  by  dizzy  precipices  and  lofty  rocks,  the  frowning 
 countenance  of  the  King  in  front,  and  the  anxious  and  expectant 
 gaze  of  numerous  guards  in  the  rear,  we  resolved  not  to  risk  the 
 peril  of  an  unguarded  step,  till  we  positively  knew  what  course  to- 
 pursue.  Pale  and  trembling,  we  awaited  the  issue  of  the  ne.xt  few- 
 minutes.  The  clatter  of  shields  and  the  glimmer  of  spears  made- 
 me  turn  to  the  right,  and  to  my  amazement,  I  beheld  Theodorus,. 
 threading  his  way  between  huge  blocks  towards  the  path  where  we 
 were  standing.  Instantly  we  all  fell  prostrate  on  the  ground  and 
 saluted  him.  He  looked  flushed,  distracted,  and  wild.  When  close 
 to  me,  and  I  was  the  fifth  in  the  rear,  his  fiery  gaze  lighted  for  a. 
 moment  on  me,  and  then  in  a  smooth  soft  tone  he  said  :  '  How  are 
 you  ?  Good  bye.'  It  was  the  sweetest  Amharic  to  which  I  had 
 ever  listened — the  most  rapturous  sentence  that  ever  greeted  my 
 ears.  It  was  said,  that  at  the  very  moment  when  he  dismissed  Mr. 
 Rassam,  his  hand  grasped  a  gun,  evidently  with  the  design  of  dis- 
 charging it  at  his  white  Captives.  Had  he  done  so,  the  group  of 
 musketeers  by  whom  he  was  surrounded  would  have  followed  his 
 example.  Impelled  by  an  invisible  power,  the  weapon,  with  the 
 rapidity  of  the  lightning's  flash,  dropped  out  of  his  grasp ;  and 
 Divine  mercy,  not  Theodorus'  clemency,  saved  us  from  a  violent 
 death. 
 
 "  Slowly  and  solemnly  we  marched  on  our  way.  There  was  no 
 haste  or  hurry,  which  might  have  aroused  the  tyrant's  wrath,  and 
 brought  the  executioner  upon  us,  but  the  measured  tramp  of  men, 
 who  reluctantly  leave  a  spot  where  they  would  willingly  linger.. 
 Once,  however,  beyond  the  hated  camp,  we  accelerated  our  steps, 
 and  did  not  halt  till  we  were  within  sight  of  our  liberators'  closely- 
 ranged  conical  tents.  Evening  had  already  set  in,  and  dark  shades 
 shrouded  every  object  from  our  view.  On,  on  we  rapidly  strode. 
 Suddenly  we  heard  a  challenge.  They  were  Indian  pickets.  They 
 salaamed  us  in  tones  of  evident  pleasure.  We  advanced.  The 
 hum  of  voices  became  more  distinct.     There  was  a  shout,  a  cheer,. 
 
376  THE    DAY   OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 and  a  hurrah.  A  clear  melodious  voice  resounded  far  above  the 
 hum  and  murmur  of  the  wide-stretching  lines,  it  was  from  its  accents 
 the  voice  of  an  officer,  and  the  message  it  conveyed  was  affecting, 
 solemn,  and  significant.  '  God  has  heard  His  people' s  prayer,  and 
 disposed  King  Theodorus  to  lei  his  prisoners  go.' 
 
 "  It  was,  indeed,  a  wonderful  deliverance.  King  Theodorus  and 
 his  few  faithful  Chiefs  had  no  intention  to  grant  us  freedom  and 
 liberty.  They  had  resolved  to  immolate  us  on  that  very  path,  which 
 they  foresaw  our  liberators  would  traverse,  ere  many  hours  had 
 elapsed.  One  word,  and  one  only,  would  have  stretched  us  lifeless  on 
 the  hard  and  rocky  ground.  God,  however,  was  with  us,  and  He 
 alone  conducted  us  safely  through  the  midst  of  the  murderous  band, 
 who  were  quite  prepared  to  imbrue  their  hands  in  the  white  men's 
 blood.  Twice  his  Chiefs,  and  particularly  Ras  Engeda,  urged  him, 
 as  we  were  quitting  the  camp,  that  he  should  wrench  off  our  hands 
 and  feet,  and  thus  demonstrate  that  he  feared  no  enemy,  and  dreaded 
 no  danger.  '  No  ;  I  have  already  killed  people  enough,  let  the 
 white  men  go  and  be  free.' 
 
 "  Having  yielded  to  an  irresistible  power,  and  given  up  his  most 
 valued  hostages,  he  unhesitatingly  complied  with  Sir  Robert  Napier's 
 firm  and  unbending  demand,  and  on  the  following  day,  Easter  Sun- 
 day, surrendered  his  European  workmen  and  their  families.  This 
 last  act  of  submission  may,  perhaps,  have  been  prompted  by  a  faint 
 hope  that  the  Commander-in-Chief  would  now  withdraw  his  troops 
 and  leave  Magdala  in  possession  of  a  gang  of  desperadoes,  to  carry 
 on  their  atrocious  and  murderous  trade.  He  forgot  the  condition 
 imposed  on  him  ;  and  had  to  learn  that  a  British  general  is  as  true 
 to  his  word,  as  he  is  faithful  to  his  sword." 
 
 Let  us  now  turn  to  the  more  detailed  description,  given  b}'  an 
 observer  of  the  action,  which  had  led  to  this  great  and  long  hoped- 
 for  deliverance. 
 
 "  Sir  Robert  Napier  had  arrived  with  his  staflf,  and  it  was  evident, 
 by  the  anxious  care  with  which  he  reconnoitred  the  hill  before  us, 
 and  the  head  of  the  valley,  that  he  considered  our  position  to  be  a 
 critical  one.  We  could  see  with  our  glasses  half-a-dozen  guns  in 
 line  on  the  fiat  top  of  Fahla,  and  as  many  more  upon  Salasie,  and 
 presently  we  saw  two  artillerymen  go  from  gun  to  gun,  and  load 
 them  in  succession.  Still  all  was  quiet,  but  the  suspense  was  a 
 most  anxious  one,  for  we  knew  that  from  the  fortress  they  could  see 
 our  long  line  of  animals  winding  up  the  valley,  and  that  the  head  of 
 the  train  must  be  fast  approaching.  Presently,  the  Naval  Rocket 
 Brigade,  which  was  in  front  of  the  baggage,  emerged  upon  the  flat 
 below  us,  and  joined  the  Punjaubees,  and  almost  at  the  same 
 moment  a  dozen  voices  proclaimed,  '  A  large  force  is  coming  down 
 the  road  on  the  brow  of  the  fortress.'  Every  glass  was  turned 
 there,  and  a  large  body  of  horse  and  foot  men  were  seen  hurrying 
 
THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 377 
 
 down  pell-mell,  and  without  any  order  or  regularity.  At  first  there 
 was  a  divided  opinion  as  to  whether  this  was  a  peaceful  embassy,  or 
 an  attack ;  but  all  doubt  was  put  an  end  to  in  another  minute,  by 
 the  booming  of  a  gun  from  Fahia,  and  byathirty-two  pound  shotstrik- 
 ing  the  ground,  at  a  few  yards  from  the  body  of  Punjaubees.  It  was 
 war  then,  and  a  general  burst  of  cheering  broke  from  the  officers 
 who  were  clustered  round  the  Generals.  Theodorus  actually  meant 
 to  fight,  and  not  only  that,  but  to  fight  in  the  open.  Still,  our  posi- 
 tion was  a  most  serious  one.  The  second  Brigade  was  miles  behind, 
 the  baggage  undefended  except  by  the  Punjaubees,  and  it  was  easy 
 enough  for  the  enemy  to  make  a  circuit  down  the  ravine  and  to 
 avoid  them.  Sir  Robert  Napier  instantly  despatched  an  aide-de- 
 camp to  Major  Chamberlain,  commanding  the  Pioneers,  to  order 
 him  to  take  up  a  position  on  elevated  ground  to  his  left,  where  he 
 could  the  better  protect  the  baggage,  and  to  order  the  Naval  Bri- 
 gade to  hurry  up  the  valley,  to  the  commanding  spur  upon  which  we 
 were  standing.  Aide-de-camp  after  aide-de-camp  was  sent  back  to 
 bring  up  the  infantry.  It  was  a  most  e.xciting  five  minutes.  The 
 enemy  were  coming  down  with  very  great  rapidity.  They  had 
 already  come  down  the  road  from  the  fortress,  and  were  scattered 
 over  the  plain,  the  principal  body  moving  towards  the  valley  in 
 which  was  our  baggage,  the  rest  advancing  in  scattered  groups, 
 while  the  guns  upon  Fahla  kept  up  a  steady  fire  upon  the  Punjau- 
 bees. A  prettier  sight  is  seldom  presented  in  warfare  than  that  of 
 the  advance  of  the  enemy.  Some  were  in  groups,  some  in  twos 
 and  threes.  Here  and  there  galloped  Chiefs  in  their  scarlet  cloth 
 robes.  Many  of  the  foot  men,  too,  were  in  scarlet  or  silk.  They 
 kept  at  a  run,  and  the  whole  advanced  across  the  plain  with  incre- 
 dible and  alarming  rapidity,  for  it  was  for  some  time  doubtful 
 whether  they  would  not  reach  the  brow  of  the  little  valley,  along 
 which  the  Rocket  Train  was  still  coming  along  in  a  single  file, 
 before  the  infantry  could  arrive  to  charge  them,  and  in  that  case 
 there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  sailors  would  have  suffered  severely. 
 The  road,  or  rather  path  from  the  valley,  up  to  the  spur  upon  which 
 we  stood,  was  steep  and  very  difficult,  and  considerable  delay 
 occurred  in  getting  the  animals  up.  After  a  few  minutes,  which 
 seemed  ages,  the  infantry  came  up  at  the  double  ;  all  their  fatigue 
 and  thirst  vanished,  as  if  by  magic,  at  the  thought  of  a  fight.  The 
 4th,  who  were  only  about  300  strong — the  remainder  of  their  body 
 of  a  hundred  and  fifty  being  with  the  baggage — were  ordered  to  go 
 on  in  skirmishing  order ;  they  were  followed  by  the  little  party  of 
 Engineers,  then  came  the  Beloochees,  and  after  them  the  two  com- 
 panies of  the  loth  N.I.  and  the  Sappers  and  Miners.  Just  as  the 
 head  of  the  infantry  went  down  into  the  valley,  the  leading  mules 
 reached  the  top  of  the  crest  by  our  side,  and  in  less  than  a  minute 
 the  first  rocket  whizzed  out  on  the  plain.  It  was  our  first  answer  to 
 the  fire  which  the  guns  of  the  fortress  had  kept  up,  and  was  greeted 
 Avith  a  general  cheer.     As  rocket  after  rocket  rushed  out  in  rapid 
 
378  THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 succession,  the  natives  paused  for  a  minute,  astonished  at  these 
 novel  missiles,  and  then,  their  Chiefs  urging  them  forward,  they 
 again  advanced.  They  were  now  not  more  than  five  hundred  yards 
 from  ourselves,  a  hundred  from  the  edge  of  the  little  ravine  up  the 
 side  of  which  the  skirmishers  of  the  4th  were  rapidly  climbing. 
 With  my  glass  I  could  distinguish  every  feature,  and  as  we  looked 
 at  them  coming  forward  with  a  run,  with  their  bright-coloured 
 floating  robes,  their  animated  gestures,  their  shields  and  spears  ;  one 
 could  not  help  feeling  pity  for  them,  ruffians  and  cut-throats  as 
 most  of  them  undoubtedly  were,  to  think  what  a  terrible  reception 
 they  were  about  to  meet  with.  In  another  minute  the  line  of  skir- 
 mishers had  breasted  the  slope,  and  opened  a  tremendous  fire  with 
 their  Sniders  upon  the  enemy.  The  latter,  taken  completely  by 
 surprise,  paused,  discharged  their  firearms,  and  then  retreated, 
 slowly  and  doggedly,  but  increasing  in  speed  as  they  felt  how  hope- 
 less was  the  struggle  against  antagonists  who  could  pour  in  ten 
 shots  to  their  one.  Indeed,  at  this  point,  they  were  outnumbered 
 even  by  the  4-th  alone,  for  they  were  in  no  regular  order,  but  in 
 groups  and  knots  scattered  over  the  whole  plain.  The  4th  ad- 
 vanced rapidly,  driving  their  antagonists  before  them,  and  followed 
 by  the  native  regiments.  So  fast  was  the  advance,  that  numbers  of 
 the  enemy  could  not  regain  the  road  to  the  fortress,  but  were  driven 
 away  to  the  right,  off"  the  plateau,  on  to  the  side  of  a  ravine,  from 
 which  the  rockets  again  drove  them,  still  further  to  the  right,  and 
 away  from  INIagdala.  The  4th  and  other  regiments,  formed  up  at  a 
 few  hundred  yards  from  the  foot  of  the  ascent  to  the  fortress,  and 
 for  half  an  hour  maintained  an  animated  fire  against  the  riflemen 
 who  lined  the  path,  and  kept  up  a  brisk  return  from  small  rifle  pits 
 and  the  shelter  of  stones  and  rocks.  All  this  time,  the  guns  upon 
 Fahla,  and  some  of  those  upon  Salasie,  kept  up  a  constant  fire 
 upon  our  advancing  line,  but  the  aim  was  very  bad,  and  most  of  the 
 shot  went  over  our  heads.  Certainly,  more  alarming  were  our  own 
 rockets,  some  of  which  came  in  very  unpleasant  proximity  to  us. 
 Presently,  to  our  great  relief,  they  joined  us,  and  soon  drove  the 
 enemy's  riflemen  up  the  hill,  -after  which  they  threw  a  few  salvos  of 
 rockets  with  admirable  aim  at  the  guns  a  thousand  feet  above 
 us,  doing,  as  it  afterwards  turned  out,  considerable  damage,  and 
 nearly  killing  Theodoras  himself,  who  was  superintending  the  work- 
 ing of  the  gun  by  his  German  prisoners.  In  the  meantime,  a  much 
 more  serious  contest  was  taking  place  upon  our  left.  The  main 
 body  of  the  enemy  had  taken  this  direction  to  attack  the  baggage, 
 and  advanced  directly  towards  the  Punjaub  Pioneers,  who  were 
 defending  the  head  of  the  road.  Fortunately,  as  they  were  nearly 
 approaching.  Colonel  Penn's  mountain  train  of  steel  guns,  which 
 were  following  the  naval  train,  arrived  at  the  top  of  the  road,  and 
 instantly  unloaded  and  took  their  places  by  the  side  of  the  Punjau- 
 bees.  When  the  enemy  were  within  three  hundred  yards,  the  steel 
 guns  opened  with  shells,  and  speedily  stopped  the  advance  of  the 
 
THE    DAY    OK    DELIVERANCE.  379 
 
 head  of  the  cohiinn.  The  greater  part  of  the  natives  tlien  went 
 down  a  ravine,  further  to  the  left,  down  which  they  proceeded  to 
 the  attack  of  the  baggage,  in  the  main  valley  of  which  this  ravine 
 was  a  branch.  The  baggage  guard,  composed  of  a  detachment  of 
 the  4th,  scattered  along  the  long  line,  had  already  been  warned  by 
 the  guns  of  the  fortress  that  an  attack  was  impending,  and  Captain 
 Aberdic,  of  the  Transport  Train,  galloping  down,  brought  them 
 word  of  the  advancing  body  of  the  enemy.  The  various  officers 
 upon  duty  instantly  collected  their  men.  Captain  Roberts  was  in 
 command,  and  was  well  seconded  by  Lieutenants  Irving,  Sweeney, 
 and  Durrant  of  the  4th,  and  by  the  officers  of  the  Transport  Train. 
 As  the  enemy  poured  down  the  ravine,  they  were  received  by  a 
 withering  fire  from  the  deadly  Snider.  A  portion  of  the  Punjaubees 
 came  down  the  ravine  and  took  them  in  flank,  and  some  of  the  guns 
 of  Penn's  battery,  getting  upon  a  projecting  space,  scattered  death 
 everywhere  amongst  them.  From  the  extreme  rapidity  of  the  fire 
 of  the  Snider,  the  firing  at  this  time  in  different  parts  of  the  field 
 was  as  heavy  and  continuous  as  that  of  a  general  action  between 
 two  large  armies.  The  Punjaubees  behaved  with  great  gallantry, 
 and  charged  with  the  bayonet,  doing  great  e.xecution.  The  natives, 
 who  had  fought  with  great  pluck,  now  attempted  to  escape  up  the 
 opposite  side  of  the  ravine,  but  great  numbers  were  shot  down  as 
 they  did  so,  their  white  dresses  off'ering  a  plain  mark  to  our  rifle- 
 men ;  at  last,  however,  the  remnant  gained  the  opposite  bank,  and 
 fled  across  the  country  to  our  left,  owing  to  their  retreat  to  Magdala 
 being  cut  off.  The  action,  the  first  to  the  last  gun,  lasted  an  hour 
 and  a  half.  It  was,  as  far  as  our  part  of  the  fray  was  concerned,  a 
 mere  skirmish.  We  had  not  a  single  man  killed,  and  only  about 
 thirteen  wounded,  most  of  them  slightly.  Captain  Roberts,  how- 
 ever, was  hit  in  the  elbow-joint  with  a  ball,  and  will,  it  is  feared, 
 lose  his  arm.  On  the  other  hand,  to  the  enemy  this  is  a  decisive 
 and  crushing  defeat.  Upwards  of  three  thousand  of  Theodorus' 
 bravest  soldiers  sallied  out ;  scarcely  as  many  hundreds  returned. 
 Three  hundred  and  eighty  bodies  were  counted  the  next  morning, 
 and  many  were  believed  to  have  been  carried  off  in  the  night. 
 Very  many  fell  upon  the  slope  of  the  hill,  and  away  in  the  ravine  to 
 our  right  and  left,  where  our  burying  parties  could  not  find  them. 
 Certainly  five  hundred  were  killed,  probably  twice  as  many  were 
 wounded,  and  of  these,  numbers  have  only  crawled  away  to  die.  It 
 was  a  terrible  slaughter,  and  could  hardly  be  called  a  fight,  between 
 disciplined  bodies  of  men  splendidly  armed,  and  scattered  parties 
 of  savages  scarcely  armed  at  all.  Much  as  the  troops  wish  for  an 
 opportunity  of  distinguishing  themselves,  I  have  heard  a  general 
 hope  expressed,  that  we  shall  not  have  to  storm  the  place ;  for  there 
 is  but  little  credit  to  be  gained  over  these  savages,  and  the  butchery 
 would  be  very  great.  The  natives  are,  however,  undoubtedly  brave, 
 and  behaved  really  very  gallantly.  Not  a  single  shield,  gun,  or 
 spear,   has  been  picked  up,  except  by  the  side  of  the  dead.     The 
 
380  THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 living,  even  the  wounded,  retreated  ;  they  did  not  fly.  There  was 
 no  suave  (pii pent,  no  tlirowing  away  of  arms,  as  there  would  have 
 been,  under  similar  desperate  circumstances,  by  European  troops. 
 As  the  troops  returned  to  the  rear,  we  passed  many  sad  spectacles. 
 In  one  hollow  a  dozen  bodies  lay  in  various  positions.  Some  had 
 died  instantaneously,  shot  through  the  head  ;  others  had  fallen 
 mortally  wounded,  and  several  of  these  had  drawn  their  robes  over 
 their  faces,  and  died  like  Stoics.  Some  were  only  severely 
 wounded,  and  these  had  endeavoured  to  crawl  into  bushes,  and 
 there  lay  uttering  low  moans.  Their  gaudy  silk  bodices,  the  white 
 robes  with  scarlet  ends  which  had  floated  so  gaily  but  two  hours 
 since,  now  lay  dabbled  with  blood,  and  dank  with  the  heavy  rains 
 which  had  been  pitilessly  coming  down  for  the  last  hour.  I  have 
 omitted  to  mention,  that  a  tremendous  thunderstorm  had  come  on 
 while  the  engagement  was  at  its  height,  and  the  deep  roar  of  the 
 thunder  had  for  a  time  completely  drowned  the  heavy  rattle  of  mus- 
 ketry, the  crack  of  the  steel  guns,  and  the  boom  of  the  heavy  guns 
 upon  Fahla.  Once,  when  the  storm  was  at  its  height,  the  sun  had 
 shone  brightly  out  through  a  rift  of  the  thunder-clouds,  and  a  mag- 
 nificent rainbow  shone  over  the  field  upon  which  the  combatants 
 were  still  fiercely  contending.  Only  twice  was  the  voice  of  man 
 heard  loudly  during  the  fight.  The  first  was  a  great  cheer  from  the 
 natives  upon  the  hill,  and  which  we  could  only  conjecture  as  occa- 
 sioned by  the  return  unharmed  of  some  favourite  Chief.  The  other 
 was  the  cheer  which  the  whole  British  force  gave,  as  the  enemy 
 finally  retired  up  into  their  strongholds.  Thus  terminated,  soon 
 after  six  o'clock,  one  of  the  most  decided  and  bloody  skirmishes 
 which,  perhaps,  ever  occurred.  It  will  be,  moreover,  memorable,  as 
 being  the  first  encounter,  in  which  British  troops  ever  used  breach- 
 loading  rifles. 
 
 "As  we  had  marched  before  daybreak,  and  went  into  action  long 
 before  any  of  the  baggage  animals  came  up,  no  one  had  taken  food 
 for  the  whole  of  the  long  and  fatiguing  day.  Very  strong  bodies  of 
 troops  were  thrown  out  as  pickets,  and  the  whole  were  got  up  and 
 under  arms  at  two  in  the  morning,  lest  Theodorus  should  renew  his 
 attack  before  daybreak.  There  was  now  news,  that  there  was  water 
 to  be  had  in  a  ravine  to  our  left,  and  the  Bhurties  were  sent  down 
 with  the  water  skins,  and  numbers  of  the  soldiers  also  went  down 
 w'ith  their  canteens.  The  water  was  worse  than  any  I  every  drank 
 before,  and  ever  think  to  drink  again.  Numbers  of  animals,  mules 
 or  cattle,  had  been  slaughtered  there  ;  it  appeared,  in  fact,  to  have 
 been  a  camp  of  Theodorus'  army.  The  stench  was  abominable, 
 and  the  water  was  nearly  as  much  tainted  as  the  atmosphere.  The 
 liquid  mud  we  had  drank  the  day  before,  was,  in  comparison,  a  healthy 
 and  agreeable  fluid.  However,  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and  few,  if  any, 
 refused  the  noxious  drink.  This  climate  must  certainly  be  an  extra- 
 ordinarily healthy  one,  for  in  spite  of  hardship  and  privation,  of 
 wet,  exposure,  bad  water,  and  want  of  stimulants,  the  health  of  the 
 
THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE.  38 1 
 
 troops  has  been  exceptionally  good.  Only  once,  at  Gazoo,  have 
 we  had  threatenings  of  tlyseiitery,  and  this  passed  away  as  soon  as 
 we  moved  forward.  I  (piestion,  if  we  had  a  single  man  in  hospital 
 upon  the  day  of  the  fight,  which  was  certainly  most  providential,  con- 
 sidering the  extreme  paucity  of  medical  comforts,  and  the  very  few 
 dhoolies  available  for  the  sick  and  wounded. 
 
 "On  the  next  morning,  several  of  the  principal  Chiefs  came  into 
 camp,  and  said  that  they  could  not  fight  against  our  people,  and 
 would,  therefore,  surrender.  They  held,  with  their  people,  P'ahla 
 and  Salasie,  and  would  hand  over  these  fortresses  lo  us,  on  condi- 
 tion that  themselves  and  their  families  were  allowed  to  depart  with 
 their  property,  unharmed.  With  them  came  Samuel,  a  man  who 
 has  been  frequently  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  prisoners, 
 both  in  their  own  letters  and  in  Dr.  Beke's  work.  This  man  exer- 
 cised a  strongly  prejudicial  influence  at  the  early  period  of  their 
 captivity,  but  has  since  shown  them  kindness.  Having  been  one  of 
 Thcodorus'  principal  advisers,  one  could  hardly  have  expected  to 
 see  him  deserting  his  master  in  his  adversity.  Samuel  is  a  strongly- 
 built  man,  with  remarkably  intelligent  features,  and  rather  grizzly 
 iron-grey  hair,  which  he  wears  in  its  natural  state,  and  not  plaited 
 and  grease-bedaubed,  in  the  Abyssinian  fashion.  Sir  Robert 
 Napier  accepted  the  surrender,  and  gave  permission  for  the  depar- 
 ture of  their  families  and  effects.  Captain  Speedy  was  ordered  to 
 return  with  them,  with  fifty  of  the  3rd  Native  Cavalry,  under 
 Colonel  Locke.  Orders  had  been  previously  given  for  the  whole  of 
 the  troops  to  parade  on  the  fliit  in  front  of  the  fortress.  Within  half  an 
 hour  after  the  departure  of  the  Cavalry,  the  troops  were  formed  up, 
 and  made  an  imposing  show,  the  first  we  have  had  since  we  landed. 
 Hitherto  the  Brigades  have  been  separated,  and  so  large  a  portion 
 of  them  have  been  scattered  along  the  line  of  baggage,  that  we  have 
 never  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  our  real  force.  We  could  now 
 see  that  it  was  a  very  formidable  body.  The  33rd  were  drawn  up 
 750  strong,  the  4th  450,  the  45th  400.  We  had  now  the  whole  of 
 the  2nd  Beloochees,  their  left  wing  having  arrived  during  the  night, 
 and  the  whole  of  the  Punjaubees.  We  had  two  companies  of  the 
 loth  Native  Infantry,  and  six  companies  of  Sappers  and  Miners  ; 
 altogether  a  very  complete  body  of  infantry.  We  had  Murray's 
 Armstrong  battery,  two  seven-inch  mortars,  Penn's  Mountain  Train 
 of  steel  guns,  Twiss's  Mountain  Train,  and  the  Naval  Rocket  Bri- 
 gade :  a  very  respectable  corps  of  artillery.  In  Cavalry  alone  we 
 were  wanting,  having  only  the  fifty  troopers  of  the  3rd  Native 
 Cavalry,  who  had  come  as  the  Commander-in-Chiefs  escort,  and 
 who  had  now  just  reached  the  top  of  the  crest  of  P'ahla.  The  rest 
 of  the  Cavalry,  namely,  the  3rd  Dragoons,  3rd  and  4th  Native 
 Cavalry  and  Scind  Horse,  having  been  sent  round  into  the  valley 
 to  cut  off  Theodorus'  retreat.  General  Staveley  was  of  course  in 
 command  of  this  division.  We  moved  forward,  headed  by  the  33rd, 
 to  whom,  as  having — of  the  European  regiments — borne  the  brunt 
 
382  IHE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 of  the  advance  work  throuy^hout,  was  now  assigned  the  honour  of 
 first  entering,  and  of  placing  the  British  flag  upon  INIagdala.  They 
 were  followed  by  the  +5ih,  INIurray's  and  Twiss's  battery,  and  the 
 rest  of  the  second  Brigade,  which  had  not  had  an  opportunity  of 
 taking  part  in  the  action  on  Good  Friday.  Then  came  the  4th  and 
 ist  Brigades,  with  the  exception  of  the  troops  who  were  left  behind 
 to  take  care  of  the  camp.  Major  Baigrie,  as  quartermaster-general 
 of  the  I  St  Division,  rode  in  advance.  As  the  long  line  wound  up 
 the  steep  ascent  in  Fahla,  the  effect  was  very  pretty,  and  elicited 
 several  remarks  that  this  was  our  Easter  Monday  review.  On  the 
 way  up,  we  met  a  large  number  of  men,  women,  and  children,  upon 
 their  way  down.  Once,  upon  the  shoulder,  which  connects  Fahla 
 and  Salasie,  we  found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  a  surprising  scene. 
 A  perfect  exodus  was  in  progress.  Many  thousands  of  men,  women, 
 and  children,  were  crowded  everywhere,  mixed  up  with  oxen,  sheep, 
 and  donkeys.  The  women,  children,  and  donkeys,  were  laden  with 
 the  scanty  possessions  of  the  inhabitants.  Skins  of  grain  and  flour, 
 gourtls  and  jars  for  water  and  ghee,  blankets  for  coverings  and 
 tents — these  were  their  sole  belongings.  It  was  a  Babel  of  noises. 
 The  women  screamed  their  long  quavering  cry  of  admiration  and 
 welcome  ;  men  shouted  to  each  other  from  rock  to  rock  ;  mothers 
 who  had  lost  their  children  screamed  for  them,  and  the  children 
 wailed  back  in  return  ;  sheep  and  goats  bleated,  and  donkeys  and 
 mules  brayed.  It  was  an  astonishing  scene.  All  appeared  ex- 
 tremely glad  to  see  us,  and  to  be  relieved  from  the  state  of  fear  and 
 starvation  in  which  they  existed  ;  men,  women,  and  children  bowed, 
 until  their  foreheads  touched  the  ground,  in  token  of  submission. 
 The  men  who  bore  no  arms,  carried  burdens,  as  did  the  women,  but 
 the  warriors  only  carried  their  arms.  The  number  of  gaudy  dresses 
 among  the  latter  was  surprising,  and  their  effect  was  very  gay  and 
 picturesque.  Shirts  of  red,  blue,  or  purple  brocade,  with  yellow 
 flowers,  and  loose  trousers  of  the  same  material,  but  of  a  difterent 
 hue,  were  the  prevailing  fashion  with  the  Chiefs.  These  were  dis- 
 tinguished from  the  soldiers  by  having  silver  or  tin  ornaments  upon 
 their  shields.  At  present,  all  retained  their  arms,  but  the  loth 
 Native  Infantry  had  been  left  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  with  orders  to 
 disarm  them  as  they  came  down  the  road.  All  along  our  march 
 over  Salasie  this  extraordinary  scene  continued,  and  we  saw  more 
 people,  than  we  have  seen  during  the  whole  time  we  have  been  in 
 Abyssinia.  The  general  opinion  is,  that  there  could  not  have  been 
 less  than  thirty  thousand  people  congregated  here,  and  I  believe 
 that  this  computation  is  rather  under  than  over  the  mark.  There 
 was  a  universal  feeling  of  thankfulness  that  we  had  not  been  obliged 
 to  bombard  the  place,  as  the  slaughter  in  this  defenceless  crowd  of 
 people  would  have  been  terrible.  Wherever  was  a  level  piece  of 
 ground,  there  their  habitations  were  clustered.  They  were  mere 
 temporary  abodes  ;  a  framework  of  sticks,  covered  with  coarse  grass, 
 placed  regularly  and  thickly,  so  as  to  turn  the  rain.     They  were 
 
THE    DAY   OF    DELIVERANCE.  383 
 
 about  the  size  and  shape  of  ordinary  haycocks,  and  show  that  the 
 people  must  sleep,  as  they  sit,  curled  almost  into  a  ball. 
 
 "  From  the  shoulder,  we  climbed  up  the  very  winding  road  on  the 
 face  of  the  natural  scarps  to  Salasie.  The  natural  strength  of  these 
 positions  is  astounding.  Fahla  is  tremendously  strong,  but  it  is  as 
 nothing  to  Salasie,  which  commands  it.  Colonel  Milward,  who 
 commands  the  artillery,  remarked  to  me,  that  in  the  hands  of  Euro- 
 pean troops,  it  would  be  not  only  impregnable,  but  perfectly  unat- 
 tackable.  Gibraltar,  from  the  land  side,  is  considered  impregnable, 
 but  Gibraltar  is  absolutely  nothing  to  this  group  of  fortresses. 
 After  capturing  Fahla  and  Salasie — if  such  a  thing  would  be  pos- 
 sible— an  attacking  force  would  still  have  Magdala  to  deal  with, 
 and  ]Magdala  rises  from  the  end  of  the  flat  shoulder  which  connects 
 it  with  Salasie  in  an  unbroken  wall,  except  at  the  one  point,  where 
 a  precipitous  road  leads  up  to  the  gate.  It  must  be  a  good  1,500 
 yards  from  the  top  of  Salasie  to  Magdala,  and  even  the  heaviest 
 artillery  could  do  nothing  against  the  wall  of  rock.  We  may  well 
 congratulate  ourselves,  that  Theodoras  sent  his  army  to  attack  our 
 baggage,  for  had  they  remained  and  defended  the  place,  provided 
 as  they  were  with  40  cannon,  our  loss  would  have  been  tremendous, 
 and  even  with  our  superior  weapons,  it  is  a  question  whether  we 
 could  have  succeeded.  The  road  in  many  cases,  winds  along  the 
 face  of  a  precipice,  which  a  few  men  from  above  merely  rolling 
 down  stones  would  have  cleared.  When  we  had  reached  the  brow 
 of  Salasie — a  still  higher  scarp  of  which  rose  two  hundred  feet 
 above  us — Major  Baigrie  halted  for  orders,  and  I  rode  on  with  two 
 or  three  others  to  the  little  body  of  the  3rd  Native  Cavalry,  who 
 were  half  a  mile  further  on,  at  the  edge  of  the  flat  between  Salasie 
 and  INIagdala.  I  should  say  that  early  in  the  morning,  we  had 
 received  news  that  Theodoras  had  left  in  the  night  with  a  small 
 body  of  his  adherents,  and  intended  to  gain  the  camp  of  the  Queen 
 of  the  Gallas,  and  to  throw  himself  upon  her  hospitality;  the  Gallas 
 being  wandering  tribes,  who,  like  the  Arabs,  would  protect  their 
 bitterest  enemy,  if  he  reached  their  tents  and  claimed  hospitality. 
 When  we  were  nearly  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  we  had  received  a  mes- 
 sage from  the  Cavalry,  saying  that  there  was  a  rumour  that  Theodo- 
 ras had  returned,  and  had  committed  suicide.  This  was  the  more 
 probable,  as  he  had  often  asserted  that  he  would  never  be  taken 
 prisoner,  and  had  only  the  day  before  fired  a  pistol  at  his  own  head, 
 when  the  news  came  that  Sir  Robert  Napier  demanded  the  uncon- 
 ditional surrender  of  Magdala.  The  ball  had  only  inflicted  a  slight 
 scratch  on  his  ear,  but  it  was  probable  that  he  might  have  repeated 
 the  experiment  with  more  success.  When  we  reached  the  Cavalry, 
 however,  we  found  a  state  of  some  excitement  prevailing.  Some 
 eight  or  ten  horsemen,  among  whom  Captain  Speedy  had  recog- 
 nized Theodoras  himself,  having  just  galloped  up,  brandishing 
 spears  and  discharging  their  muskets  in  defiance.  Colonel  Locke 
 could  not,  of  course,  charge  without  orders,  and,  indeed,  it  would 
 
384  THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCK. 
 
 have  been  most  imprudent  to  do  so,  as  the  whole  of  the  shoulder,  a 
 quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  and  six  or  seven  hundred  yards  to  the  fort  of 
 Magdala,  were  covered  with  little  huts,  behind,  and  in  which,  any 
 number  of  men  might  have  been  concealed.  Colonel  Locke  then 
 threw  out  a  few  of  his  men  as  skirmishers.  We  had  plenty  of  time 
 to  examine  the  guns.  Some  were  of  English,  some  of  Indian 
 manufacture.  All  were  of  brass,  and  varied  in  size  from  a  fourteen- 
 pounder  downwards.  There  were  two  or  three  small  mortars 
 among  them.  This  was  evidently  the  arsenal,  for  here  were  tools 
 and  instruments  of  all  descriptions — files,  hammers,  anvils,  &c. 
 There  were  bags  of  charcoal  and  a  forge,  and  here  were  many  hun- 
 dreds of  balls,  varying  in  size  from  grape  shot  to  immense  stone 
 balls  for  the  giant  mortar,  which  shattered  to  pieces  the  other  day 
 at  the  first  attempt  to  fire  it.  At  this  time  we  made  a  discovery, 
 which  quite  destroyed  the  feeling  of  pity  which  the  gallantry  of 
 Theodorus,  in  exposing  himself  to  our  fire,  had  excited.  The 
 Beloochees  had  joined  us,  and  were  posted  near  the  edge  of  a  pre- 
 cipice to  our  right.  Their  attention  being  attracted  by  an  over- 
 powering stench,  they  looked  over  the  edge  of  the  rock,  and  there, 
 50  feet  below,  was  one  of  the  most  horrifying  sights  which  was  ever 
 beheld.  There,  in  a  great  pile,  lay  the  bodies  of  the  350  prisoners 
 whom  Theodorus  had  murdered  last  Thursday,  and  whom  he  had 
 thrown  over  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  There  they  lay — men, 
 women,  and  little  children — in  a  putrifying  mass.  It  was  a  most 
 ghastly  sight,  and  recalled  to  our  minds  the  horrible  cruelty  of  the 
 tyrant,  and  quite  destroyed  the  eillect  which  his  bravery  had  pro- 
 duced. At  last,  at  half-past  three,  the  troops  came  down  and  took 
 their  places,  and  at  a  quarter  to  four  the  whole  of  the  guns  and 
 rockets  opened  a  tremendous  fire  to  cover  the  advance,  and  the 
 33rd,  preceded  by  a  small  band  of  Engineers  and  Sappers,  under 
 Major  Pritchard,  and  followed  by  the  45th,  advanced  to  the  assault, 
 the  4th  and  the  rest  of  the  ist  Brigade  retaining  their  places  as  a 
 reserve.  When  within  three  hundred  yards  of  the  rock,  the  33rd 
 formed  line,  and  opened  fire  at  the  gateway  and  high  hedge  which 
 bound  the  summit  of  the  precipice — the  most  tremendous  fire  I 
 ever  heard.  Even  the  thunder  which  was,  as  during  the  fight  of 
 Good  Friday,  roaring  over  head,  was  lost  in  the  roar  of  the  Snider 
 rifles,  and  which  was  re-echoed  by  the  rocks  in  their  front.  Under 
 cover  of  this  tremendous  fire,  the  Engineers  and  the  leading  com- 
 pany advanced  up  the  path.  When  they  were  half-way  up,  the 
 troops  ceased  firing,  and  the  storming  party  scrambled  up  at  a  run. 
 All  this  time,  answering  flashes  had  come  back  from  a  high  wall 
 which  extended  for  some  feet  at  the  side  of  the  gateway,  and  from 
 behind  the  houses  and  rocks  near  it.  When  the  Engineers,  headed 
 by  Major  Pritchard,  reached  the  gateway,  several  shots  were  fired 
 through  loopholes  in  the  wall,  and  two  or  three  men  staggered 
 back  wounded.  Major  Pritchard  himself  receiving  two  very  slight 
 flesh  wounds   in  the  arm.     The  men  immediately  put  their  rifles 
 
THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE.  385 
 
 through  the  holes,  and  kept  up  a  constant  fire,  so  as  to  clear  away 
 their  enemies  from  behind  it.  The  45th  opened  fire,  to  prevent  the 
 enemy's  skirmishers  doing  damage,  and  a  few  pioneers  of  the  45th 
 were  sent  up  with  axes  to  force  open  the  gate.  In  the  meantime, 
 however,  the  men  of  the  33rd,  upon  the  road  leading  up  to  the  gate,, 
 discovered  a  spot  half-way  up  by  which  they  were  able  to  scramble 
 up  to  the  left,  and  getting  through  the  hedge,  they  quickly  cleared 
 away  the  defenders  of  the  gate.  A  large  portion  of  the  regiment 
 entered  at  this  spot,  the  gate  not  being  fairly  opened  for  a  quarter 
 of  an  hour  after  the  storming  party  arrived  at  it,  for  when  it  was 
 broken  down  it  was  found  that  the  gate  house  was  filled  with  very 
 large  stones,  and  therefore,  had  powder  been  at  hand,  and  the  gate 
 been  blown  in,  a  considerable  time  must  have  elapsed  before  the 
 party  could  have  entered.  Behind  the  gateway  were  a  cluster  of 
 huts,  many  of  whose  inhabitants  still  remained  in  them,  in  spite  of 
 the  heavy  fire  which  had  for  two  hours  been  kept  up.  Behind  them 
 was  a  natural  scarp  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  high,  with  a  flight 
 of  steps  wide  enough  only  for  a  single  man  to  ascend  at  a  time.  At 
 the  top  of  this  was  another  gate,  which  had  been  shattered  by  the 
 rifles  of  the  33rd.  I  entered  with  the  rear  of  the  regiment,  but  ali 
 was  by  that  time  over.  By  the  first  gateway  were  six  or  seven  bodies,. 
 and  two  or  three  men  by  the  second.  Beyond  this  was  the  level 
 plateau,  thickly  covered  with  the  native  huts  of  their  ordinary  con- 
 struction, and  the  haycock  fabrics  which  had  covered  the  other 
 hills  and  plateau.  At  a  hundred  yards  from  the  gate  lay  the  body 
 of  Theodorus  himself,  pierced  with  three  balls,  one  of  which,  it  is 
 said,  he  fired  with  his  own  hand.  He  was  of  middle  height  and 
 very  thin,  and  the  expression  of  his  face  in  death  was  mild,  rather 
 than  the  reverse.  He  had  thrown  off  the  rich  robe  in  which  he  had 
 ridden  over  the  plain,  and  was  clad  in  an  ordinary  Chief's  red  and 
 white  cloth. 
 
 "I  presently  met  an  aff"ecting  procession.  These  were  the  pri- 
 soners. Laden  with  heavy  foot  chains  were  at  least  a  hundred 
 poor  wretches,  who  had  lingered  for  years  in  the  tyrant's  clutches. 
 Many  of  them  were  unable  to  walk,  and  were  carried  along  by  their 
 friends.  They  endeavoured  in  every  way  to  express  their  joy  and 
 thankfulness.  They  bent  to  the  ground,  they  cried,  they  clapped 
 their  hands,  and  the  women — such  at  least  as  were  not  chained — 
 danced  and  set  up  their  shrill  cry  of  welcome.  Very  kind  were  the 
 soldiers  to  them,  and  not  a  few  gave  up  their  search  for  odd  articles 
 of  plunder,  in  order  to  set  to  with  hammer  and  chisel  to  remove  their 
 chains.  There  were  some  hundreds  of  huts  upon  the  flat  plateau, 
 but  not  one  of  them  bore  any  signs  of  the  bombardment,  and  for- 
 tunately the  great  distance  at  which  the  guns  were  fired  had  saved 
 the  inhabitants  from  the  injury  which  they  must  otherwise  have 
 suffered  from  the  needless  bombardment.  A  few  people  had  been 
 wounded  when  the  33rd  had  first  entered,  but  their  number  was 
 very  small,  and  it  seems  incredible  that  out  of  so  large  a  population 
 
386  THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 only  some  ten  or  fifteen,  and  these  the  defenders  of  the  gate,  were 
 killed.  The  huts  were  all  of  the  same  size  and  description,  stone 
 walls  with  conical  roofs,  and  no  light  except  that  which  entered  by 
 the  door.  The  King  himself  lived  in  a  tent.  His  wife,  or  I  should 
 rather  say  wives,  lived  in  a  house  precisely  similar  in  shape,  but 
 larger  than  the  other  tents.  One  or  two  of  these  poor  women  were 
 among  the  wounded,  having  rushed  wildly  about  the  place  before  the 
 firing  ceased,  and  having  been  struck  by  stray  bullets.  It  is  extremely 
 satisfactory  to  know  that  no  lives,  with  the  exception  of  those  of  the 
 actual  fighting  men,  were  sacrificed.  We  have  no  killed,  and  only 
 ten  or  fifteen  wounded,  most  of  them  very  slightly.  One  of  the 
 Punjaubees,  who  was  wounded  in  the  fight  three  days  before,  has 
 since  died. 
 
 "  The  Abyssinian  Expedition  may  now  be  said  to  be  over,  and 
 has  been  a  more  perfect  and  extraordinary  success  than  the  most 
 sanguine  could  have  predicted.  It  would,  in  the  face  of  the  terrible 
 forebodings  which  were  launched  when  it  was  first  set  about,  have 
 seemed  almost  an  impossibility  that  we  could  have  journeyed  here, 
 defeated,  and  almost  annihilated  Theodorus'  army,  rescued  the  whole 
 of  the  prisoners,  stormed  INIagdala — incomparably  the  strongest  for- 
 tress in  the  world — Theodorus  being  slain  by  his  own  hand — and 
 returned  before  the  rainy  season,  with  a  loss  of  only  one  man  dead  from 
 his  wounds,  and  two  or  three  from  sickness — a  loss  infinitely  less  than 
 would  have  taken  place  in  the  ordinary  course  of  nature,  among  so  large 
 a  body  of  men.  And  yet  this  apparent  impossibility  has  been,  by  the 
 especial  providence  of  God,  achieved ;  for  that  He  has  specially 
 blessed  our  eff'orts  it  would  be  the  height  of  scepticism  to  doubt. 
 We  have  passed  through  fatigues  and  hardships  which  one  would 
 have  thought  must  have  told  upon  the  strongest  constitution.  We 
 have  had  wet,  day  after  day,  with  bitterly  cold  winds,  and  no 
 change  even  of  underclothing,  for  a  month  ;  we  have  had  no  tobacco 
 or  stimulants  to  enable  the  system  to  resist  this  wet  and  cold,  and 
 yet  the  hospitals  are  empty,  and  the  health  of  the  troops  perfect. 
 We  have  defeated  a  large  and  hitherto  invincible  army,  and  taken 
 the  strongest  fortress  in  the  world,  with  the  loss  of  only  one  man.  We 
 have  accomplished  a  march  through  a  country  of  fabulous  difficul- 
 ties, destitute  of  roads  and  almost  destitute  of  food,  and  with  our 
 difficulties  of  transport  vastly  aggravated  by  the  untrustworthy 
 reports  of  those  sent  on  before,  and  by  the  consequent  breakdown 
 of  our  baggage  train,  from  disease,  thirst,  and  overwork ;  and  yet 
 we  shall  leave  the  country  before  the  rains  set  in.  Humanly,  too  much 
 credit  can  scarcely  be  given  to  Sir  Robert  Napier.  He  has  had  to 
 overcome  innumerable  difficulties,  which  I  have  from  time  to  time 
 alluded  to,  but  he  has  met  them  all  admirably.  As  is  often  the 
 case  with  successful  commanders,  he  is  immensely  popular.  The 
 extreme  kindness  and  thoughtfulness  of  his  manner  to  all,  make  him 
 thoroughly  beloved,  and  I  believe  that  the  men  would  do  anything 
 for  him." 
 
THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE.  387 
 
 Another  observer  wrote  : — 
 
 "  The  descent  from  Dalanta  is  nearly  4,000  feet,  and  was  the 
 heaviest  bit  of  i^round  the  army  had  yet  gone  over.  The  river  was 
 reached  and  forded,  and  then  began  the  ascent  which  leads  up  to 
 Magdala.  This  was  a  work  of  great  labour.  Theodoras'  military 
 road,  which  he  made  to  move  his  great  mortar,  begins  on  the  right 
 bank  of  the  Tiddo,  and  is  continued  down  to  the  Bashilo  and  up  to 
 the  fort.  To  avoid  a  surprise  on  the  road,  the  troops  had  to  climb 
 the  heights  on  each  side.  In  this  way  the  force  got  up  unmolested 
 to  the  ground  under  Magdala.  The  attack  of  Theodorus'  soldiers 
 was  made  on  the  baggage  and  the  steel  guns,  which  they  mistook 
 for  baggage.  Theodorus  himself  was  in  that  part  of  the  mountain 
 called  Fahla,  where  most  of  his  guns  were  placed  ;  and  it  was  from 
 near  his  position  that  the  rush  was  made.  I  am  told  it  was  wonder- 
 ful to  see  the  speed  with  which  the  Abyssinian  warriors  jumped  and 
 ran  down  such  a  steep  and  difficult  descent.  As  they  came  down  in 
 such  masses,  the  baggage  and  naval  rocket  train  were  for  a  moment 
 threatened  with  danger.  The  4th  King's  Own,  under  Colonel 
 Cameron,  were  ordered  to  meet  them,  and  two  companies  moved 
 up  to  the  small  plain  of  Arogee,  which  now  gives  its  name  to  the 
 action.  They  opened  out  into  skirmishing  order,  and  their  first 
 discharge  was  delivered  so  near  to  the  Abyssinians — about  thirty 
 paces — that  a  score  of  them  bit  the  dust.  More  of  the  4th  came 
 up,  and  were  supported  by  the  Beloochees,  who  moved  up  to  the 
 left  of  them,  and  by  the  Pioneers,  who  passed  and  supported  the 
 right.  The  Naval  Brigade  got  upon  a  high  ground  behind,  and  kept 
 up  a  fire  of  rockets  during  the  engagement.  In  this  action,  the 
 Abyssinians  showed  no  lack  of  courage  ;  they  came  on  bravely,  some 
 on  horseback,  some  with  spears  and  shields,  and  many  with  mus- 
 kets ;  but  the  terrific  and  ceaseless  shower  of  lead  which  the  4th 
 poured  in  with  their  Snider  rifles  was  irresistible,  and  the  enemy 
 had  to  give  way,  leaving  about  400  dead  on  the  field.  It  is  clear 
 that  their  plans  were  formed  in  the  expectation  of  victory,  for  they 
 sent  down  a  body  on  each  flank,  and  penetrated  in  some  cases  to 
 the  rear,  so  as  to  cut  off"  all  chance  of  retreat ;  and  had  they  suc- 
 ceeded, the  whole  British  force  engaged  would,  in  all  probability, 
 have  been  destroyed.  Theodorus  had  alluded  in  his  conversation 
 to  David  overthrowing  Goliath,  and  had  said  that  the  like  might 
 take  place  again.  In  his  scriptural  mode  of  talking,  he  is  reported 
 to  have  said,  that  he  looked  for  the  British  army  coming,  as  Simeon 
 looked  for  the  Messiah." 
 
 It  is  impossible  for  any  but  those  who  have  passed  through  so 
 many  years  of  hope  and  fear, — of  suff'ering  and  occasional  relief, 
 — and  of  all  the  varied  trials  which  this  history  has  depicted  ;  to 
 realize  the  feelings  of  the  men  of  God,  who  were  now  free  and 
 happy.     It  was  on  the  heights  of  Balacklava  that  the  devoted  Mis- 
 
3»»  THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE. 
 
 sionary  had,  several  years  before,  proclaimed  the  Gospel  message  to> 
 
 an  assemblage  of  British   soldiers ;    and   now    again    his    voice    is> 
 
 raised,  addressing   this    noble    band,    by    whom,    in    the    gracious 
 
 providence  of  God,  he  had  been  saved  "out  of  the  mouth  of  the 
 
 lion." 
 
 "I  was  during  the  whole  of  that  day  in  a  state  of  delicious 
 ecstacy  and  dreamy  raptures.  Unrestrained  freedom  appeared  to 
 me  unnatural.  I  felt  as  if  I  could  not  divest  myself  of  the  idea  that 
 I  was  no  longer  guarded,  that  I  needed  not  to  conceal  every  scrap 
 of  paper,  or  burn  the  letters  with  which  dear  friends  and  kindred  in 
 anticipation,  greeted  my  safe  arrival  in  the  British  camp.  It  was, 
 indeed,  a  Resurrection  festival — a  foretaste  of  that  glorious  resurrec- 
 tion, when  the  grave  will  be  deprived  of  its  precious  treasures,  death 
 of  its  ghastly  trophies,  and  this  tenement  of  decay  and  mortality 
 become  the  abode  of  life  and  everlasting  beauty. 
 
 "  In  the  afternoon,  at  the  request  of  the  senior  Chaplain,  the  Rev. 
 E.  S.  Goodhart,  I  preached  twice  in  the  camp,  on  the  solemn  sub- 
 ject suggested  by  the  stupendous  events  of  that  grand  festival  of  the 
 Church.  The  roll  of  the  drum,  the  clash  of  arms,  the  long  line  of 
 troops,  and,  above  all,  the  vague  consciousness  that  I  was  free,  and 
 stood  among  friends  who  had  encountered  innumerable  hardships, 
 toils,  and  privations,  to  rescue  me  and  my  companions  out  of  the 
 fangs  of  a  remorseless  tyrant,  made  my  heart  gush  forth  with  emo- 
 tions of  the  deepest  gratitude  towards  God  and  man. 
 
 "Early  next  morning  all  the  troops  marched  up  to  IMagdala. 
 King  Theodoras,  to  forestall  his  capture,  tried  to  decamp.  His 
 people  feigned,  as  if  they  intended  to  follow  him.  There  was  the 
 usual  bustle  and  clamour  of  voices,  the  saddling  of  mules,  and 
 striking  of  tents  ;  but  after  waiting  for  an  hour — an  hour  in  which 
 was  crowded  and  compressed  a  terrible  future — he  perceived  that 
 he  was  disobeyed,  abandoned,  and  forsaken  by  the  men  in  whom 
 his  last  hopes  and  expectations  were  centred.  In  a  trice  his 
 charger's  head  was  turned  towards  the  mutinous  host.  HiseftbrttO' 
 stimulate  their  courage,  and  to  animate  their  devotion  was  in  vain. 
 His  voice  had  lost  its  charm,  and  his  words  fell  on  deaf  ears. 
 Indignant,  furious,  and  almost  mad,  he  clutched  his  pistol,  and 
 *  stretched  the  two  who  were  nearest  to  him  dead  on  the  spot  where 
 they  stood.  This  outburst  of  rage  did  not  frighten  into  submission 
 the  rebellious  bands,  and  the  dreaded  leader  of  victorious  legions,, 
 with  his  few  devoted  and  faithful  Chiefs,  was  forced  to  seek  a  refuge 
 and  shelter  from  a  foe  he  had  so  proudly  defied,  behind  the  ramparts 
 of  a  rocky  fortress.  Desperation  imparted  vigour  to  his  arm,  and 
 valour  to  his  heart.  His  career  of  blood  was,  however,  about  to  close. 
 He  had  enthralled  myriads  and  myriads  of  helpless  beings  ;  he  had 
 rioted  again  and  again  in  the  throes  and  agonies  of  the  weak  and 
 defenceless  ;  he  had  literally  shed  streams  of  human  blood,  and  now,. 
 
I*,  fl  ^^V 
 
THE    DAY    OF    DELIVERANCE.  389 
 
 •when  every  prospect  looked  dark  and  dismal,  that  very  pistol  which 
 had  been  so  familiar  with  ileath,  became  the  instrument  with  which 
 he  sealed  his  own  doom. 
 
 "  On  the  following  morning,  I  rode  with  Mr.  Goodhart  and  Cap- 
 tain Nicholson  up  to  IMagdala.  Our  path  wound  along  the  preci- 
 pice, where  lay  in  putrefying  heaps,  the  slaughtered  corpses  of  the 
 great  King's  prisoners.  The  sight  made  me  shudder,  and  almost 
 loudly  I  ejaculated  :  '  Here  my  mortal  career  would  have  terminated, 
 had  not  an  invisible  Power  interposed  in  behalf  of  a  helpless  Cap- 
 tive and  the  sharers  of  his  misery.'  On  the  Amba  itself,  all  was 
 activity  and  animation.  There  was  now  no  longer  heard  the 
 clank  of  galling  chains,  or  witnessed  the  sad  glance  of  despair. 
 Every  one  looked  happy  and  contented.  There  were  still  some  pri- 
 soners with  portions  of  their  fetters  dangling  on  their  legs.  They 
 had,  however,  no  shadow  on  their  brow ;  on  the  contrary,  their 
 hearts  were  overflowing  with  an  excess  of  gratitude  that  stifled  their 
 voices,  and  only  in  broken  accents  they  could  breathe  forth  their 
 true,  genuine,  and  hearty  blessings  on  their  deliverer — Sir  Robert 
 Napier.  It  was  quite  an  exciting  scene.  The  whole  fortress 
 swarmed  with  crowds  of  the  curious  and  busy.  Some  collected 
 Theodorus'  treasures,  others  despatched  them  down  to  the  camp  ; 
 and  not  a  few,  like  myself,  idly  sauntered  about,  to  have  a  full  view 
 •of  a  spot,  that  will  for  generations  to  come  live  in  the  history  of 
 Eritish  enterprise,  energy  and  valour.  The  King  had  not  yet  been 
 iDuried.  He  was  laid  on  a  stretcher,  in  a  hut,  which  for  many 
 months  formed  the  dungeon  of  one  of  his  white  Captives.  To 
 behold  that  man,  whose  nod  or  word  had  often  caused  myriads  and 
 myriads  to  tremble,  now  rigid,  gory,  and  dumb,  awoke  in  me  many 
 isolemn  reflections.  I  now  no  longer  remembered  the  tyrant  who 
 had  transformed  fertile  provinces  into  tangled  wildernesses,  and 
 happy  homes  into  charred  ruins.  I  no  longer  remembered  the  suf- 
 ferings he  had  inflicted  on  me  for  four  years  and  a  half.  I  no 
 longer  remembered  the  throes  and  agonies  of  a  nation,  in  which  he 
 found  his  delight  to  revel.  No  ;  my  views  wandered  beyond  the 
 limits  of  time,  and  the  visions  that  rose  before  my  mind,  made  me 
 rush  out  of  the  familiar  hut. 
 
 "The  Expedition,  undertaken  in  the  cause  of  humanity,  and  fol- 
 lowed by  the  prayers  of  thousands,  had  achieved  a  most  noble, 
 glorious,  and  bloodless  triumph.  Magdala,  however,  still  stood  out 
 in  bold  relief  from  the  surrounding  scenery,  a  proud  monument  of 
 Theodorus'  conquest  and  power.  Unexpectedly,  on  the  17th  April, 
 a  mass  of  dense  smoke  rose  in  circling  columns  from  the  centre  of 
 the  fortress.  In  a  few  minutes  it  became  more  bright  and  luminous. 
 The  last  stronghold  of  Theodorus  was  on  fire.  It  was  a  glorious 
 sight — a  sight  which  thrilled  with  joy  the  heart  of  the  Amhara  and 
 Galla,  the  liberated  captive  and  the  victorious  soldier. 
 
 "On  the  following  Sunday,  there  was  a  thanksgiving  service. 
 The   preacher   selected    for   his   text   the   words   of  the   Apostle, 
 
390 
 
 THE    DAY    OF    DELI VERANXE. 
 
 ' Thanks  be  unto  God,  which  giveth  us  the  victor}.'  All  felt  the 
 truth  of  this  significant  sentence — all  were  struck  with  its  solemn 
 import.  It  was  indeed  a  victory — a  victory  achieved  by  prayer,  and 
 redounding  to  the  glory  of  Him  who  has  said,  '  Thou  shalt  call,  and 
 I  will  answer.' " 
 
 This  chapter  may  fitly  be  concluded  with  the  proclamation  of  Sir 
 Robert  Napier,  who  combined  the  highest  qualities  of  the  soldier, 
 with  the  spirit  and  simplicity  of  the  Christian. 
 
 "  You  have  traversed,  often  under  a  tropical  sun,  or  amidst  storms 
 of  rain  and  sleet,  400  miles  of  mountainous  and  difficult  country. 
 You  have  crossed  many  steep  and  precipitous  ranges  of  mountains 
 more  than  10,000  feet  in  altitude,  where  your  supplies  could  not 
 keep  pace  with  you.  When  you  arrived  within  reach  of  your  enemy, 
 though  with  scanty  food,  and  some  of  you  without  either  food  or 
 water,  in  four  days  you  passed  the  formidable  chasm  of  the  Bashilo,. 
 and  defeated  the  army  of  Theodorus,  which  poured  down  upon  you 
 from  their  lofty  fortress  in  the  full  confidence  of  victory.  A  host  of 
 many  thousands  have  laid  down  their  arms  at  your  feet.  You  have 
 captured  and  destroyed  upwards  of  thirty  pieces  of  artillery,  many 
 of  great  weight  and  efficiency,  with  ample  stores  of  ammunition. 
 You  have  stormed  the  almost  inaccessible  fortress  of  Magdala,. 
 defended  by  Theodorus  with  the  desperate  remnant  of  his  Chiefs 
 and  followers.  After  you  forced  the  entrance,  Theodorus,  who 
 never  showed  mercy,  distrusted  the  offer  of  mercy  held  out  to  him,, 
 and  died  by  his  own  hand.  You  have  released  not  only  the  British 
 Captives,  but  those  of  other  friendly  nations.  You  have  unloosed 
 the  chains  of  more  than  ninety  of  the  principal  Chiefs  of  Abyssinia.. 
 INIagdala,  on  which  so  many  victims  have  been  slaughtered,  has- 
 been  committed  to  the  flames,  and  remains  only  a  scorched  rock. 
 Our  complete  and  rapid  success  is  due — -first,  to  the  viercy  of  God^ 
 whose  hand,  I  feel  assured,  has  beeti  over  us  in  a  just  cause ; 
 secondly,  to  the  high  spirit  with  which  you  have  been  inspired. 
 Indian  soldiers  have  forgotten  the  prejudices  of  race  and  creed,  to 
 keep  pace  with  their  European  comrades.  Never  has  an  army 
 entered  into  a  war  with  more  honourable  feelings  than  yours  ;  this 
 has  carried  you  through  many  fatigues  and  difficulties  ;  you  have 
 been  only  eager  for  the  moment  when  you  could  close  with  your 
 enemy."  One  passage  in  the  gallant  Commander's  address,  will  be 
 read  with  great  satisfaction  at  home.  "  I  thank  you,"  he  says, 
 "  for  your  devotion  to  your  duty,  and  the  good  discipline  you  have 
 maintained.  Not  a  single  complaint  has  been  made  against  a 
 soldier,  of  fields  injured,  or  villagers  wilfully  molested  in  property,  or 
 person." 
 
CHAPTER    XLIV. 
 
 THE    RETROSPECT.       THE    WELCOME. 
 
 We  are  standing  upon  the  border-line,  which  divides  one  of  the 
 darkest  and  most  anxious  episodes  of  Missionary  life,  from  the 
 period  of  rest  and  relief  upon  which  our  Missionary  Brother  was 
 about  to  enter.  The  events  which  had  happened  during  those 
 weary  years, — the  fruitless  efforts  which  had  been  made  in  order  to- 
 attain  the  ardently  desired  object, — the  conflict  of  opinion  on  all 
 points  bearing  upon  the  deliverance  of  the  Captives, — and  the 
 persistent  and  maddened  determination  of  Theodorus  to  tyrannize 
 and  to  oppress,  excite  our  wondering  and  perplexing  thoughtful- 
 ness.  When  Dr.  Beke  departed  from  England,  with  the  gifts  and 
 offerings,  by  which  it  was  fondly  hoped  that  he  would  secure  the 
 favour  of  the  Monarch,  and  become  the  happy  escort  of  the  eman- 
 cipated bondmen  to  the  land  of  their  adoption  ;  how  confident  were 
 many  friends  and  relatives  that  this  result  would  be  attained  !  It 
 was  well,  on  his  own  account,  that  he  was  hindered  from  prose- 
 cuting his  errand.  Yet  the  disappointment  was  not  the  less  acute, 
 when,  after  months  of  trying  activity,  he  was  constrained  to  retrace 
 his  steps,  and  return  from  Massowah.  And  when  the  British 
 Envoy,  armed  with  full  powers,  and  furnished  with  abundant  means 
 for  the  accomplishment  of  his  INIission,  reached  the  barbaric  Court, 
 how  was  it  possible  to  doubt  that  he  would  return  in  safety,  and  be 
 accompanied  by  the  Captives  !  Further,  when  England's  Queen  con- 
 descended to  accede  to  the  barbarian's  request,  and  sent  through 
 INIr.  Flad,  the  special  Envoy  of  the  King,  a  missive  of  good-will, 
 and  an  urgent  appeal  that  there  should  be  no  further  delay  of  the 
 
392  THE    RETROSPECT.       THE    WELCOME. 
 
 long-expected  release  of  the  prisoners,  it  seemed  impossible  to 
 doubt  that  this  would  at  once  be  granted.  But  all  these  efforts  failed, 
 and  amidst  the  almost  inaccessible  fastnesses  of  his  native  mountains, 
 Theodoras  presumed  to  bid  defiance,  to  the  greatest  Power  of  the 
 civilized  world. 
 
 We  have  seen  how  these  chains  were  broken  by  a  military  Expe- 
 dition, which  will  ever  be  remembered,  as  one  of  the  most  remark- 
 able and  successful  on  record.  Nor  can  we  believe,  that  a  feat  of 
 bold  and  judicious  valour,  which  left  its  impress  upon  the  tribes  and 
 nations  of  the  East,  and  upon  the  various  nationalities  of  Europe, 
 was  dearly  purchased,  even  at  the  cost  of  nine  millions  sterling. 
 There  are  occasions,  when  a  country  like  Great  Britain,  with  her 
 numerous  dependencies,  engaged  in  the  numberless  occupations  of 
 commerce  and  peace,  has  need  to  seize  the  sword,  and  by  some 
 deed  of  fearless  and  indomitable  courage,  show  to  the  world,  that 
 she  is  equal  to  the  exigencies  of  war,  as  well  as  successful  in  the 
 pursuits  of  peace. 
 
 But  it  is  to  a  higher  Tribunal  that  we  must  appeal,  when  we  con- 
 template the  happy,  though  tardy  results  of  those  years  of  unavail- 
 ing negociation,  and  military  success.  The  world  has  never  wit- 
 nessed events  which  afforded  more  unequivocal  testimony  to  the 
 power  of  Intercessory  Prayer.  Of  this,  the  whole  history  has 
 iDorne  the  impress,  and  supplied  the  evidence.  The  young  and  the 
 old — the  rich  and  the  poor — the  noble  and  the  peasant,  with  inces- 
 sant importunity,  pleaded  with  the  living  God,  that  life  and  freedom 
 might  be  given  to  the  sufferers.  The  uniform  of  the  British  army, 
 covered  the  hearts  of  men  of  every  grade,  who  knew  that  "  salvation 
 was  of  the  Lord,"  and  who  marched  onward  in  reliance  upon  His 
 blessing,  as  well  as  in  the  confidence  of  success.  And  the  great 
 Commander,  who  so  wisely  and  vigorously  conducted  the  campaign, 
 was  the  first  to  acknowledge,  that  the  hand  of  God  might  have  been 
 traced  in  every  step  which  had  been  taken,  and  that  the  remarkable 
 results  which  had  followed  their  efforts,  was  a  direct  answer  to 
 prayer.  When  Mr.  Stern  was  about  to  publish  in  the  pages  of 
 "The  Captive  Missionary,"  the  account  of  the  afflictive  experiences 
 dof  himself  and    his    fellow-Captives,  and  requested  permission  to 
 
THE    RETROSPECT.      THE    WELCOME.  393 
 
 dedicate  the  Work  to  Lord  Napier  of  Magdala  (to  which  title  Sir 
 Robert  Napier  had  been  elevated),  he  received  the  following  reply  : 
 
 "Thelydon  Hall, 
 
 "  Welshpool, 
 
 '  "  October  13th,  1869. 
 
 "  Dear  Mr.  Stern, 
 
 "  I  must  beg  your  pardon  for  so  much  delay  in  replying  to  your 
 letter  of  the  30th,  but  my  movements  in  the  country  have  been  un- 
 favourable to  the  regularity  of  receiving  and  answering  correspon- 
 dence. 
 
 "It  will  afford  me  great  pleasure  to  accept  the  dedication  of  your 
 book,  as  I  am  sure,  from  all  I  have  heard  of  you,  it  will  be  in  accor- 
 dance with  your  character  and  mission. 
 
 "I  was  but  one,  amongst  many,  who  were  instrumental  in  your 
 rescue. 
 
 "I  trust  that  you  and  your  family  are  recovering  from  your  long 
 and  sad  sufferings. 
 
 "  I  was  sorry  that  the  circumstances  in  which  we  left  iNIagdala,  pre- 
 vented me  from  doing  more  for  your  comfort  than  I  was  able  to  do, 
 during  your  march  to  the  coast. 
 
 "  I  remain,  dear  Mr.  Stern, 
 
 "  Yours  truly, 
 "  Napier  of  Magdala." 
 
 The  exultation  which  animated  the  hearts  of  everyone,  when  the 
 tidings  reached  England  of  the  result  of  the  Expedition,  can  hardly 
 be  expressed.  There  was  not  a  defect  to  mar  the  perfect  accom- 
 plishment of  the  undertaking.  Everyone  of  the  Captives  had  been 
 delivered, — Magdala  had  been  destroyed, — not  a  British  soldier  had 
 fallen  in  battle.  Theodorus  had  perished  by  his  own  hand, — and  a 
 salutary  check  given  to  the  barbarous  presumption  of  the  Abyssinian 
 Chiefs.  "  Consider,"  said  Lord  Shaftesbury  (in  his  speech  at  Exeter 
 Hall,  in  1868),  "the  manner  in  which  that  Expedition  has  been 
 ■conducted,  and  you  will  find  nothing  like  it  in  the  records  of  history. 
 For  no  other  purpose  than  to  rescue  Captives,  cruellv  and  unjustly 
 detained,  this  country  resolved  upon  an  arduous,  expensive  and 
 unknown  Expedition.     They  undertake  to  traverse  wilds,  scarcely 
 
 A  A 
 
394  THE    RETROSPECT.      THE    WELCOME. 
 
 ever  trodden  by  the  foot  of  man  ;  they  undertake  to  dive  into 
 recesses,  to  scale  mountains,  and  penetrate  valleys,  where  no  civi- 
 lized being  had  ever  been  before.  They  go  forward.  They  oppose 
 none.  They  insult  none.  They  pay  for  everything  they  consume. 
 By  the  blessing  of  God,  they  arrive  at  the  spot.  The  Captive  is 
 reached.  The  tyrant  is  slain.  And  the  army,  within  a  few 
 moments  of  having  accomplished  its  purpose,  is  on  its  march  back 
 again  to  the  coast,  without  having  appropriated  to  itself  one  acre  of 
 land,  or  having  received  remuneration  to  the  value  of  a  feed  of 
 corn.  I  maintain,  that  if  ever  there  was  in  the  history  of  mankind 
 a  Christian  Expedition,  this  is  worthy  to  be  ranked  with  them  in 
 that  history.  And  if  this  is  the  last  Expedition  that  Great  Britain 
 shall  undertake,  it  will  be  one  of  the  most  glorious,  one  of  the  most 
 satisfactory,  in  the  whole  range  of  her  magnificent  annals.  Let  us 
 lose  no  opportunity  of  blessing  Almighty  God,  for  the  Expedition 
 will  bring  other  results.  It  was  a  military  Expedition  in  appear- 
 ance. It  will  prove  a  Christian  Expedition  in  reality.  It  was 
 fitted  to  infuse  into  the  minds  of  the  natives  the  truth,  the 
 valour,  the  character  of  a  Christian  people  ;  the  feelings  of  a 
 Christian  nation ;  and  the  value  of  that  Gospel  which  it  has 
 professed.  And  we  shall  have  to  rejoice  that  there  was  combined 
 in  one  man — great  Christian  man  as  he  is — the  great  Commander 
 and  the  true  Christian." 
 
 And  now,  it  may  be  said,  that  all  England  was  in  expectation. 
 The  telegrams  which  announced  the  arrival  of  the  army,  and  its 
 precious  convoy  of  the  emancipated  Captives,  at  Massowah — their 
 embarkation  for  England,  and  their  progress  from  port  to  port 
 towards  England's  shores — all  was  read  and  watched  with  thrilling 
 interest.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  there  was  one  central 
 figure  in  the  group,  upon  whom  there  was  a  concentration  of  atten- 
 tion. It  was  the  figure  of  Henry  Aaron  Stern — the  hero  of  many 
 a  peaceful  conflict — of  many  a  Missionary  enterprise  ;  and  whose 
 body  now  bore  the  marks  of  many  a  scar — the  records  of  suffering 
 in  the  great  Master's  service.  And  when  he  and  his  fellow-labourers 
 were  gathered  once  more  to  their  homes  and  hearths,  where  they 
 again  embraced  those  whom  they  loved,  and  received  the  welcome 
 of  rejoicing  friends,  the  emotions  of  their  hearts  were  too  deep  for 
 
THE    RETROSPECT.      THE    WELCOME.  395 
 
 utterance.  Like  the  bow  which  had  been  strung  through  manv  a 
 weary  year,  when  the  tension  was  relaxed,  the  heart-strings,  for  a 
 time,  refused  to  regain  their  natural  tone  ;  and  the  deep  sorrows  of 
 the  past  were  but  slowly  subdued,  by  the  relief  and  joys  of  the  pre- 
 sent. It  might  be  said  that  here,  as  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple 
 at  Jerusalem,  conflicting  feelings  strove  for  the  mastery  ;  "so  that 
 the  people  could  not  discern  the  noise  of  the  shout  of  joy,  from  the 
 noise  of  the  weeping  of  the  people." 
 
 Thus  passed  a  season  of  private  and  personal  calm.  This  was 
 followed  by  the  gathering  together  of  the  people  of  God,  to  offer  a 
 public  acknowledgment  of  the  deliverance,  which  had  been  wrought 
 by  the  hand  and  power  of  God.  A  Meeting  for  this  purpose  was  sum- 
 moned, at  Freemasons'  Hall,  which  was  well  filled.  The  President 
 of  the  London  Society,  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  presided  ;  and  the 
 platform  was  occupied  by  Mr.  Stern,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rosenthal,  Mr. 
 and  i\Irs.  Flad,  and  a  large  number  of  influential  friends.  The 
 Meeting  was  one  of  "Thanksgiving;"  and  the  reading  of  portions 
 of  Scripture,  and  prayers,  mingled  with  praise,  formed  the  most 
 suitable  of  its  characteristics.  Mr.  Stern's  short  address  was  as 
 follows  : — 
 
 "About  two  months  and  a  half  ago,  he  and  his  fellow-captives 
 were  anxiously  awaiting  the  issue  of  the  conflict  in  the  issue  of 
 which  their  lives  were  involved.  That  the  conflict  would  be  so 
 short,  and  the  result  so  completely  successful  no  one  could  have 
 conjectured,  much  less  anticipated.  Shut  up  on  a  lofty  rock,  and 
 in  the  hands  of  a  cruel  and  merciless  tyrant,  whose  only  delight  it 
 was  to  riot  in  the  sufferings  and  agonies  of  humanity,  it  could 
 scarcely  have  been  expected  that  he  would  have  allowed  his  hos- 
 tages to  go — that  he  would  have  allowed  his  captives  to  obtain  their 
 freedom  without  attaining  his  own  object.  The  Captives  in  all  their 
 trials  and  troubles  were  sustained  and  buoyed  up  with  a  firm  confi- 
 dence that  God  would  not  forsake  them  ;  and  when  at  last  the  army 
 approached,  they  again  felt  cheered  by  the  thought  that  the  struggle, 
 whatever  its  termination  might  be,  would  be  short,  and  their  trials 
 would  soon  come  to  an  end.  And  yet,  notwithstanding  that  hope, 
 they  were  in  the  power  of  a  man,  whose  actions  only  the  day  before  the 
 troops  arrived,  visibly  testified  what  were  his  intentions  in  his  declara- 
 tion, that  if  the  Commander-in-Chief  shed  the  blood  of  any  of  the  na- 
 tives, the  blood  of  the  white  men  should  be  intermingled  with  that  of 
 his  own  people.  But  that  man  at  the  first  summons  actually  gave  up 
 his  hostages,  whose  detention  he  expected  would  have  been  instru- 
 mental to  his  retaining  his  country,  and  perhaps  a  great  many  adja- 
 
396  THE    RETROSPECT.       THE    AVELCOME. 
 
 cent  provinces.  Whatever  rule  might  be  applied  to  his  conduct — 
 whatever  test  might  be  used — whether  it  was  to  be  regarded  by  the 
 rules  of  logic,  or  the  cold  reasoning  of  philosophy,  there  was  only 
 one  true  solution  ;  and  that  was  that  God  had  heard  the  prayer  of 
 His  people,  and  sent  deliverance  to  His  servants.  It  was  not  his 
 intention  to  dilate  on  the  various  incidents  which  took  place,  but  he 
 could  assure  every  one  present,  that  there  were  many  occasions 
 when  he  and  his  fellow  Captives  longed  for  and  sighed  for  death, 
 which  they  would  have  regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  blessings 
 which  could  befall  them.  He  went  to  Abyssinia,  not  with  the  object 
 of  making  money  or  amassing  riches.  He  went  there  as  a  INIission- 
 ary,  prompted  by  a  sincere  desire  to  make  known  the  Gospel  of  his 
 Saviour,  and  the  truth  of  God's  Holy  Word.  That  Gospel  did  find 
 entrance  and  admission  into  the  hearts  of  many.  The  Spirit  of 
 God  evidently  touched  the  hearts  of  the  people  in  many  a  village, 
 and  a  responsive  chord  was  manifested  by  many  small  congregations, 
 and  he  witnessed  many  indications  that  the  truth  would  radiate  far 
 and  wide  in  many  distant  parts  of  that  country.  He  had  travelled 
 over  many  a  province,  where  the  voice  of  the  message  of  glad  tid- 
 ings had  never  before  fallen  on  the  ears  of  the  people.  It  was  true 
 that  martyrs  had  suffered  more  than  the  Abyssinian  Captives,  but  the 
 martyrs  were  sustained  to  some  extent  by  the  consciousness  that 
 they  were  proclaiming  the  Truth,  and  dying  for  it  as  a  testimony  to 
 the  religion  which  they  professed.  The  tyrant  never  accused  the 
 Missionaries  of  having  done  wrong  in  proclaiming  the  Gospel.  He 
 continually  brought  charges  against  them  which  were  mere  inven- 
 tions, for  the  purpose  of  palliating  his  cruel  acts,  and  the  Captives 
 were  sick  at  heart  in  thinking  that  they  were  charged  with  political 
 crimes.  However  dangerous  and  trying  the  position  of  the  Captives 
 had  been — notwithstanding  that  the  sword  was  suspended  over  their 
 heads,  and  threatened  to  descend  in  a  way  which  made  them  shud- 
 der— God  restrained  the  wrath  of  that  man,  and  whilst  he  has  gone 
 to  the  bar  of  the  Everlasting,  his  Captives  now  unite  in  praising 
 God  for  the  deliverance  which  He  had  vouchsafed  them.  Over  and 
 over  again,  the  King  had  made  up  his  mind  to  put  an  end  to  the 
 lives  of  his  Captives,  but  the  Divine  power  restrained  him,  almost 
 palsied  his  fingers,  and  at  last,  almost  miraculously.  He  restored  the 
 prisoners  to  freedom.  It  was  impossible  to  give  any  other  solution 
 to  the  liberation  of  the  Captives  than  that  it  was  a  Divine  interposi- 
 tion. With  respect  to  the  army,  they  had  encountered  dangers  and 
 hardships  of  which  it  was  almost  impossible  to  form  a  conception  ; 
 but  all  their  efforts,  and  energies,  and  skill,  and  tactics,  would  have 
 been  in  vain,  if  God  had  not  interposed  for  the  rescue  of  the  Captives. 
 That  was  not  merely  his  own  assertion.  That  declaration  was  made 
 by  the  Commander-in-Chief  when  he  first  had  the  opportunity  of 
 addressing  the  troops  under  his  control,  and  that  was  the  opinion  of 
 every  right-minded  and  right-thinking  officer  and  soldier  in  the 
 force.     God  had  heard  the  prayers  of  those  who  had  so  perse- 
 
THE    RETROSPECT.       THE    WELCOME.  397 
 
 veringly,  faithfully,  supplicated  God  for  the  deliverance  of  those  who 
 were  in  bondage  and  captivity.  He  had  experienced  many  signal 
 deliverances  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  but  he  could  solemnly 
 declare,  that  nothing  had  ever  made  such  a  deep  impression  on  his 
 heart  as  that  caused,  not  by  the  deliverance  of  the  Captives,  but  by 
 the  manner  in  which  it  had  been  eftected,  in  answer  to  the  prayers 
 which  had  been  offered  on  their  behalf.  He  had  now  only  to  tender 
 his  own  thanks  and  the  thanks  of  his  fellow-captives  to  those  who 
 had  manifested  so  much  perseverance  at  the  throne  of  grace  on 
 their  behalf.  He  hoped  they  would  do  the  sanie  in  every  difficulty 
 and  danger,  resting  assured  that  whether  they  prayed  for  themselves 
 or  for  others,  a  blessing  would  descend  upon  them,  and  enable  them 
 to  say,  '  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul — forget  not  all  his  benefits.' " 
 
 One  of  the  Abyssinian  soldiers  wrote,  after  his  return  to  his  own  vil- 
 lage— "  Tell  iNIr.  Stern,  that  the  Gospel  which  he  preached  in  prison  is 
 spreading  far  and  wide,  and  numbers  are  continually  being  added 
 to  those  that  believe  in  Christ,  and  numbers  have  rejected  those 
 superstitions  which  disgrace  our  Church." 
 
 Mr.  Rassam,  the  British  Envoy,  in  a  letter  of  September  26th,  1 868, 
 
 addressed  to  Mr.  Stern,  related  the  following : — 
 
 "I  had  a  letter  from  an  old  friend  yesterday  (a  sister  of  the  late 
 Mr.  Bowen),  a  most  pious  Christian  ;  who  told  me  that  she  had 
 dreamt  on  the  night  of  the  i-i-th  April  last,  that  the  King  was  dead 
 and  the  Captives  released.  The  dream  was  so  extraordinarv,  and 
 comes  from  such  a  good  Christian  lady,  that  I  must  insert  it  here 
 verbatim.  She  says,  '  It  is  curious  that  I  felt  convinced  you  were 
 all  safe  a  fortnight  before  it  was  known  in  England  ;  for  I  dreamt 
 the  night  of  the  14th  April,  that  I  was  on  a  steep  hill,  with  large 
 grey  rocks,  euphorbias,  palm  trees,  and  a  mud  wall  on  the  top. 
 Just  then  I  met  you,  and  you  said  to  me  '  Theodorus  is  dead,  and 
 all  the  Captives  are  in  the  British  Camp.' ' 
 
 "  Is  not  this  very  curious  ?  As  you  know,  on  that  day  I  had  charge 
 of  the  body  of  Theodorus,  and  in  the  evening,  or  at  least  in  the  after- 
 noon, I  had  him  buried." 
 
CHAPTER  XLV. 
 
 THE  PRESENT  AND  THE  FUTURE. 
 
 A  sacred  stillness  followed  the  turmoil  and  agony  of  the  past. 
 So  sacred  was  the  rest  and  calm  which  now  filled  the  enraptured 
 and  thankful  heart  of  the  emancipated  Missionary,  that  over  it  we 
 would  fain  draw  the  veil  of  sympathy  and  respect. 
 
 Those  years  of  suffering  had  ploughed  their  deep  furrows  into  his 
 health  and  constitution.  The  powerful  frame,  and  the  abstemious 
 habits,  had  alone,  under  the  Divine  blessing,  enabled  ^Ir.  Stern  to 
 survive  the  hardships  and  cruelties  to  which  he  had  been  exposed. 
 But  crippled  as  he  had  been  for  years  by  fetters  and  chains,  a 
 derangement  had  taken  place  in  the  muscular  and  nervous  system, 
 which  could  never  be  removed,  and  the  eiTects  of  which  were  to 
 accompany  him  to  the  grave.  The  mind,  so  vigorous  and  buoyant, 
 struggled  with,  and  exerted  a  power  superior  to  his  physical  infir- 
 mities. But  there  were  many  occasions  in  his  future  years,  when  those 
 infirmities  betrayed  their  presence,  and  obliged  him  for  a  time  to  sus- 
 pend his  labours.  He  had  never  spared  himself,  nor  failed,  where- 
 ever  he  might  be,  to  throw  himself  energetically  into  the  perform- 
 ance of  every  duty.  So  eager  was  the  desire  to  see  and  hear  him — 
 a  desire  which  spread  throughout  the  whole  land,  and  among  all 
 classes — and  one  which  was  not  confined  to  the  religious  and  the 
 thoughtful — that  he  was  constrained,  with  the  least  possible  delay, 
 to  sacrifice  his  much  needed  repose,  and  to  recount  to  others  all 
 that  he  had  seen,  and  known  and  endured.  An  off"er  was  made  to 
 him  of  six  hundred  pounds,  on  condition,  that  for  that  sum,  he  would 
 give  but  twelve  Lectures.      But  his  soul   revolted  then,  as  it  had 
 
THE  PRESENT  AND  THE  FUTURE.  399 
 
 always  done,  from  anything  mercenary ;  and  he  unhesitatingly 
 refused  the  tempting  suggestion,  as  unworthy  of  his  vocation  as  a 
 Christian  Missionary.  When  subsequently,  at  the  earnest  entreaty 
 of  some  sympathizing  friends,  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Com- 
 mittee of  the  London  Society,  he  gave  a  certain  number  of  Lectures, 
 the  proceeds  of  which  were  to  be  devoted  to  his  own  service,  he  did  not 
 refuse  this  expression  of  practical  regard.  But  all  whose  interest  in 
 him  took  this  form,  were  well  aware,  that  he  never  encouraged  such 
 evidences  of  their  good-will. 
 
 As  soon  as  it  became  known,  that  he  was  able  and  willing,  to  make 
 his  experience  and  captivity  in  Abyssinia,  the  occasion  of  advancing 
 the  interests  of  the  London  Society,  applications  for  his  presence  and 
 advocacy,  poured  in  at  the  Society's  House.  Almost  all  the  large 
 towns  of  England  were  visited,  and  INIeetings  held.  To  say,  that 
 the  attendance  at  these  Meetings  was  unprecedented,  and  that  the 
 largest  halls  were  crowded  by  those  who  hung  with  breathless 
 interest  on  the  eloquent  narration  of  his  great  sufferings,  his 
 preservation  and  deliverance,  is  to  say  but  little.  An  extraordinary 
 impetus  was  given  to  the  efforts  which  were  usually  made  on 
 behalf  of  the  Society,  and  its  funds  were  in  consequence  proportion- 
 ally replenished. 
 
 At  this  juncture,  persons  of  every  rank  of  life  seemed  to  covet  an 
 opportunity  of  inter-communication  with  the  distinguished  Mis- 
 sionary, and  very  prodigal  were  many,  in  offers  of  help,  should  the 
 need  and  the  occasion  occur.  These  offers  and  proposals,  har- 
 monized with  the  thoughts  which  passed  through  Mr.  Stern's  mind 
 on  his  arrival  in  England.  He  felt,  that,  physically,  he  would  be 
 unable  to  return  to  the  Foreign  Mission  field  ;  and  that  whatever 
 work  the  IMaster  of  the  vineyard  might  still  have  in  store  for  him, 
 should  be  in  England,  where  he  might  be  within  easy  reach  of  able 
 medical  advice.  He  therefore  welcomed  the  prospect  which  these 
 friendly  offers  suggested,  of  a  settlement  in  some  suitable  field  of 
 labour,  in  a  suburban  or  country  parish,  in  which  the  duty  would 
 be  regular  and  unexciting.  But  although  these  overtures  came 
 from  persons,  some  of  them  of  much  influence,  and  others  posses- 
 sing a  considerable  amount  of  Church  patronage — although  many 
 of  these   persons   received    him    into  their  houses,  with  apparent 
 
400  THE  PRESENT  AND  THE  FUTURE. 
 
 warmth  and  interest,  and  some  even  expressed  their  intention  of 
 approaching  the  Throne,  in  the  hope  of  Royal  patronage  ;  never- 
 theless, not  a  hand  was  practically  lifted  up,  to  give  effect  to  the 
 desires  which  had  been  thus  encouraged.  Letters  exist,  indi- 
 cating, how  persons  who  volunteered  "to  do  anything  in  their 
 power,"  professed  to  be  powerless,  when  it  suited  their  convenience. 
 At  length,  the  very  thought  of  the  charge  of  an  English  parish  was 
 abandoned,  nor  was  the  expectation  or  desire  ever  again  encou- 
 raged,   through    the    intervention    of    professing   friends. 
 
 We  are  now  persuaded  that  this  was  the  hand  and  will  of  God. 
 The  symmetrical  proportions  of  that  great  INIissionary  life  were  not, 
 in  His  Providence,  to  be  marred.  Other  ministerial  vocations  may 
 be  more  dignified,  in  the  eyes  of  man  ;  but  this  undoubtedly  stands 
 in  the  foremost  place  in  the  eyes  of  God.  As  a  Missionary  to  the 
 the  people  of  Israel  he  had  lived,  and  as  a  Missionary  to  his  own 
 nation  he  died.  There  is  no  part  of  the  outline  which  is  defective  ; 
 and  the  colouring  and  proportions  by  which  it  was  beautified  and 
 ennobled,  are  as  true  and  harmonious,  as  may  be  found  in  the  life 
 of  any  of  the  sons  of  men.  We  therefore  rejoice,  that,  in  the 
 extinction  of  hopes,  which  were  at  one  time  encouraged  by  those, 
 who  it  was  believed  might  have  given  them  reality  ;  the  hand  and 
 purposes  of  God  left  in  their  unbroken  continuity,  the  character 
 and  incidents  of  his  Missionary  career. 
 
 But  there  were  circumstances  which  cast  a  deeper  shadow  over 
 his  life  and  experience.  If  he  received  no  marked  favours,  he 
 could  hardly  have  been  expected  to  be  the  recipient  of  wrongs. 
 One  so  noble  and  disinterested — one  who  had  been  so  faithful  a 
 witness  for  the  Truth,  in  the  midst  of  so  many  dangers  and  tribula- 
 tions— should  have  been  exempt  from  the  jealousy  of  the  weak, 
 and  from  the  arrogance  of  official  incompetence.  This  is  alluded 
 to,  not  for  the  purpose  of  enlarging  upon  a  distasteful  theme.  But 
 at  times,  there  was  a  measure  of  chagrin,  and  an  apparent  absence 
 of  sympathetic  action,  which  excited  observation.  This  was 
 altogether  at  variance  with  his  natural  instincts,  and  had  its  root  in 
 the  conduct  and  demeanour  of  others. 
 
 Many  interesting  incidents  are  given  by  various  friends,  concerning 
 the  cordial  welcome  which  Mr.  Stern  received  whilst  on  his  deputation 
 
THE  PRESENT  AND  THE  FUTURE.  40 1 
 
 tours,  and  the  impression  wliich  was  produced  by  the  thrilling  narra- 
 tion, of  all  that  had  transpired  during  his  captivity.  In  some  respects, 
 they  were  wanting  in  the  characteristics  of  absolute  novelty  ;  for  a 
 full  confirmation  of  all  which  he  related,  had  been  publicly  chro- 
 nicled in  the  journals  of  the  day.  But  his  name  and  sufferings  had 
 been  so  long  familiarized  to  almost  every  reader  of  passing  events, 
 that  there  were  few  who  did  not  eagerly  desire  to  see  him,  and  to 
 listen  to  the  burnings  though  simple  words,  which  fell  from  his  lips. 
 The  time  for  his  wanderings  was,  however,  drawing  to  a  close. 
 No  settled  sphere  of  labour  suited  to  his  desires  had  presented 
 itself.  At  this  juncture.  Dr.  Ewald,  who  had  so  long,  ably  and 
 faithfully  filled  the  post  of  Senior  Missionary  of  the  London  Society, 
 in  the  INIetropolis,  was  led  to  retire  through  increasing  age  and 
 infirmity.  The  office  was  offered  to  Mr.  Stern.  After  careful  and 
 prayerful  consideration,  he  accepted  it.  It  was  most  providential, 
 that  one  so  capable  and  experienced  was  on  the  spot,  to  fill  this 
 vacancy,  and  to  carry  out  the  important  work  which,  from  the  time 
 of  its  foundation,  had  occupied  a  large  measure  of  the  attention  of 
 the  Society.  Mr.  Stern  entered  upon  his  new  duties  on  the  ist 
 January,  1871. 
 
CHAPTER    XLVI. 
 
 LONDON    AND    THE    HOME    MISSION. 
 
 Missions  to  the  Jews  have  one  advantage  over  other  Foreign  Mis- 
 sions. A  very  important  part  of  the  work  is  carried  on  within  the  limits 
 of  the  United  Kingdom,  and  appeals  to  the  investigation  and  convic- 
 tion of  every  sincere  enquirer.  No  adequate  plea  of  ignorance  can 
 be  adduced, — no  reasonable  excuse  for  indifference  to  the  claims  of 
 the  work  itself,  or  of  unbelief  concerning  its  results  and  conse- 
 quences. It  was  in  London  that  the  Society  first  commenced  its 
 labours,  and  London  continues  to  be  the  centre  of  its  operations. 
 Palestine  Place,  in  which  the  principal  Institutions  are  located,  is 
 easily  accessible  to  every  visitor  to  the  IMetropolis.  There,  the 
 Episcopal  Jews'  Chapel, — the  Schools  for  Hebrew  Boys  and  Girls, 
 — the  Training  Institution  for  Missionaries,  and  the  kindred  Estab- 
 lishment of  the  Operative  Jewish  Converts'  Institution,  and  the  Wan- 
 derers' Home,  present  a  phalanx  of  evidence  concerning  what 
 "  God  hath  wrought."  Here,  there  is  sufficient  to  encourage  every 
 honest  mind,  and  to  silence  objectors. 
 
 It  was  upon  this  field  of  work  that  I\Ir.  Stern  now  entered.  It 
 presented  to  him  no  novelties.  He  had  been  more  or  less  familiar- 
 ized with  it,  from  that  memorable  day,  when  first  within  the  walls 
 of  the  Chapel  of  the  Society,  the  proclamation  of  the  everlasting 
 Gospel  appealed  powerfully  to  his  conscience.  It  was  in  that  sacred 
 Edifice  that  his  new  office  would  require  him  to  raise  his  voice  in  the 
 vindication  of  those  great  truths,  which,  in  his  early  years,  he  would 
 have  sought  to  destroy.  He  had  himself  been  apartaker  of  the  benefits 
 of  the  Institutions  which  surrounded  him,  and  he  would  therefore 
 
LONDON    AND    THE    HOME    MISSION.  403 
 
 sympathize  with  all  those,  to  whom  they  might  be  made  the  channel 
 of  like  blessings. 
 
 Dr.  Ewakl,  the  immediate  predecessor  of  JMr.  Stern,  had  long 
 been  distinguished,  as  one  of  the  most  true-hearted  and  successful 
 of  INIissionaries  to  the  Jews.  He  had  been  the  instrument  of 
 leading  many  of  his  brethren  according  to  the  flesh,  to  the  know- 
 ledge of  the  Saviour,  in  North  Africa,  Jerusalem,  and  London  ;  in 
 which  spheres  his  Missionary  life  had  been  spent.  It  was  a  source 
 of  thankfulness  to  him,  that  the  mantle  of  his  work  should  be 
 placed  upon  the  shoulders  of  one  so  distinguished  and  able  as  I\Ir. 
 Stern.  It  was  in  itself  a  pledge,  that  nothing  would  be  wanting,  to 
 ensure  its  vigorous  and  thorough  prosecution. 
 
 Soon  after  his  appointment,  ]\Ir.  Stern  took  up  his  residence  at 
 Palestine  Place,  in  the  house  appointed  for  the  use  of  the  Head  of 
 the  Home  ^Mission.  He  was  heartily  welcomed  by  his  fellow- 
 labourers,  over  whom  he  was  called  upon  to  preside  ;  and  until  the 
 time  of  his  death,  those  relations  of  brotherly  sympathy  and  co- 
 operation, were  steadily  maintained.  His  chief  duties,  consisted  of 
 the  Sunday  afternoon  Hebrew  service,  which  he  conducted  in  the 
 Episcopal  Jews'  Chapel  ; — the  reception  of  Jewish  Enquirers  at  his 
 own  house  ; — the  visitation  of  Jews  in  those  parts  of  the  Metropolis 
 in  which  they  were  wont  to  congregate,  and  the  maintenance  of 
 correspondence  with  others,  w-ho,  either  living  at  a  distance,  or 
 being  peculiarly  circumstanced,  were  unable  to  have  personal  com- 
 munication with  the  Missionary.  He  continued  to  render  valuable 
 assistance  in  preaching  and  speaking  on  behalf  of  the  Society,  and 
 he  also  gave  lectures  to  the  ^Missionary  students  on  Jewish 
 controversy.  To  this  might  be  added  the  charge  of  the 
 "Wanderers'  Home,"  which  had  been  established  by  Dr.  Ewald, 
 and  the  preaching  of  Special  Sermons  to  the  Jews,  both 
 in  the  ^Metropolis  and  in  the  Provinces.  The  two  last  features  of 
 Dr.  Stern's  duties,  will  require  distinct  and  particular  treatment. 
 But  the  circumstances  associated  with  his  general  Missionary 
 labours,  will  be  best  illustrated,  from  the  Reports  which  were  for- 
 mulated from  year  to  year.  The  general  sketch  which  he  gave  of 
 the  state  of  the  Jews  in  England,  is  suggestive  and  important. 
 
404  LONDON    AND   THE    HOME    MISSION. 
 
 "Judaism  in  England  presented  a  painful  phase,  about  forty 
 years  ago.  It  was  then  an  inert  and  immobile  system.  People 
 clung  to  it  from  sheer  habit.  They  did  not  question  its  veracity, 
 nor  trouble  themselves  to  ascertain  its  origin  and  development. 
 That  certain  rites  or  customs  were  enjoined  by  the  rabbis,  was 
 quite  enough  to  invest  them  all  with  the  sanctity  of  a  divinely- 
 appointed  ordinance.  The  labours  of  the  Missionary,  the  circula- 
 tion of  the  New  Testament  and  Christian  books,  together  with  the 
 progress  of  education,  brought  on  a  reaction.  The  more  advanced 
 and  enlightened  threw  oft' the  trammels  of  the  Talmud,  and  formed 
 themselves  into  a  community  known  by  the  name  of  '  British  Jews.' 
 This  led  to  much  hostility,  contention,  and  strife.  The  Orthodox, 
 who  profess  to  adhere  to  the  traditional  law,  excommunicated  the 
 Reformed  ;  and  the  Reformed  denounced  with  unsparing  vigour 
 the  intolerant  fanaticism  of  the  Orthodox.  A  schism  threatened  to 
 mar  the  spurious  unity  of  the  Synagogue.  This,  no  doubt,  would 
 have  been  the  case,  had  not  the  progress  of  education,  the  influence 
 of  genuine  religious  conviction,  and  the  ever-growing  consciousness, 
 that  unity  is  strength,  tended  to  soften  the  bitter  animosity  which 
 at  the  beginning  of  the  movement  burst  forth  with  such  virulence.. 
 The  reiterated  assertions  of  Jewish  writers,  that  the  discrepancies 
 between  the  Orthodox  and  Reformed  Synagogues  are  far  less  than 
 those  that  exist  in  the  bosom  of  a  single  Christian  denomination,  are 
 certainly  more  ingenious  than  true.  The  Talmud,  which  claims 
 equal,  if  not  superior  authority  to  the  Word  of  God,  the  Reformed 
 Jews  utterly  repudiate. 
 
 "  But  the  Reform  movement,  although  initiated  amidst  the  plaudits. 
 of  the  wealthy  and  better  educated,  effected  no  real  spiritual  change. 
 This  could  easily  have  been  foreseen.  It  lacked  every  element 
 essential  to  a  beneficial  religious  reform.  Had  it  received  its  im- 
 pulse from  a  conscious  yearning  for  pardon  and  peace,  it  might  have 
 inaugurated  a  new  era  of  moral  and  spiritual  life  throughout  the 
 whole  community ;  but  as  this  was  not  the  case,  it  could  not  exert 
 any  sensible  influence,  nor  win  many  adherents.  The  Reformed, 
 or  British  Jews,  constitute  but  a  small  community.  Most  of  them,  if 
 not  all,  are  rich  and  cultivated.  Religion  with  them  is  more  a  matter 
 of  the  intellect  than  of  the  heart.  It  is  true  they  accept  the  Old 
 Testament  as  a  rule  of  faith,  though  at  the  same  time  they  give 
 it  a  broad  and  elastic  interpretation.  With  the  Talmud  they  will 
 have  nothing  to  do,  nor  do  they  conform  to  rites  and  ceremonies,, 
 which  all  Jews  have  hitherto  considered  essential  to  salvation.  Their 
 ritual  and  worship,  dogma  and  belief,  are  modified  in  accordance 
 with  the  spirit  of  the  age,  and  the  Rationalistic  theories  of  philoso- 
 phic speculators. 
 
 "Next  to  the  Reformed,  we  have  the  Conservative,  or  Orthodox. 
 This  is  by  far  the  most  numerous,  if  not  the  most  intelligent  party. 
 As  their  designation  indicates,  they  are  believers  in  the  divinity  of 
 the  Talmud.     They   maintain  that  Moses,   whilst  on  the  Mount,. 
 
LONDON    AND   THE    HOME    MISSION.  405 
 
 received  a  written  and  unwritten  law.  The  latter  he  communicated 
 to  Aaron,  his  sons,  the  elders,  and  then  to  the  people.  It  is  a  col- 
 lection of  fables  and  legends,  laws  and  precepts,  unworthy  of  the 
 praise  Jews  lavish  upon  it.  Some  good  maxims  are  to  be  found  in 
 its  ponderous  tomes,  but  they  are  jumbled  together  with  a  mass  of 
 moral  lumber,  which,  to  say  the  least,  painfully  emphasises  the 
 lament  of  the  prophet :  '  Lo,  they  have  rejected  the  word  of  the 
 Lord,  and  what  wisdom  is  in  them  ?'  The  majority,  who  profess  to 
 belong  to  that  school,  scarcely  know  more  of  the  oral  law  than  the 
 name.  It  comes  to  them  as  an  heirloom,  and,  without  any  inquiry 
 or  personal  investigation,  which  their  ignorance  of  Rabbinical 
 Hebrew  renders  impossible,  they  tacitly  bow  to  its  behests.  During 
 the  last  three  decades,  the  efforts  of  the  Missionary,  and  the  irresis- 
 tible progress  of  education,  have  weakened  its  authority ;  and 
 should  the  long-agitated  question  of  a  translation  ever  be  achieved, 
 its  doom  is  inevitable.  Even  at  present,  numbers  who  pretend  to  be 
 attached  to  it,  are  so  more  by  custom,  habit,  and  the  force  of  early 
 training,  than  by  any  regard  for  its  dogmas  and  teaching.  They 
 call  themselves  Orthodox  Jews,  but  have  no  confidence  in  the  an- 
 cestral faith. 
 
 "The  third  and  last  party  consists  of  Rationalists,  or,  as  they  fre- 
 quently style  themselves.  Freethinkers.  It  is  an  ominous  sign  of 
 the  decadence  of  religion,  when  multitudes  among  the  very  people 
 '  to  whom  pertaineth  the  adoption,  and  the  glory,  and  the  coven- 
 ants,' openly  disown  that  which  sheds  the  brightest  lustre  upon  their 
 race.  This  section,  although  very  numerous,  and  embracing  every 
 rank  and  station,  forms  no  distinct,  organized  community.  In  fact, 
 it  would  be  impossible  to  unite  them  ;  their  theories  are  too  antago- 
 nistic. They  have  no  central  rallying  point.  Chaos  and  confusion 
 prevail  in  their  camp.  There  is  not  a  phase  of  unbelief,  from  the 
 naturalist  who  denies  a  revelation,  down  to  the  Atheist,  who  says, 
 *  There  is  no  God,'  that  has  not  its  advocates  among  them.  In 
 their  ranks,  the  foreign  element  predominates.  Culture,  reason,  and 
 humanity,  are  words  that  are  perpetually  heard  from  their  lips. 
 Of  course  they  pretend  to  be  most  liberal  and  tolerant  towards  all 
 creeds.  Christianity  alone  is  obnoxious  to  them,  and,  with  all  the 
 boasted  victories  of  their  principles,  they  justly  fear  that  it  will 
 universally  prevail,  when  their  own  godless  aberrations  are  buried  in 
 oblivion. 
 
 "  Happily,  neither  spurious  reforms,  nor  wild,  philosophical 
 speculations,  can  satisfy  the  longing  of  the  thoughtful  Jew.  He 
 wants  something  more  than  vague  phrases  about  God,  conscience, 
 and  humanity.  Such  unmeaning  platitudes  he  has  heard  again  and 
 again.  He  is  weary  of  them.  What  he  wants  is  a  faith  that  can 
 give  certainty  to  doubt,  hope  to  fear,  and  life  to  death.  That 
 Judaism  cannot  do  this  he  is  fully  aware  ;  and  however  much  it  may 
 be  opposed  to  his  prejudices,  he  will  yet  have  to  flee  for  refuge  to 
 
406  LONDON    AND   THE    HOME    MISSION. 
 
 Him,  who  alone  can  deliver  from  sin,  and  fill,  with  peace  and  joy  in 
 believing,  the  troubled  heart.  Just  now,  the  clamour  is  for  a  reform 
 of  synagogue  worship,  a  more  spiritual  service,  and  the  abolition  of 
 certain  prayers,  rites,  and  ceremonies,  which  for  ages  have  been 
 considered  the  bulwarks  of  the  Jewish  faith.  The  organs  of  the 
 Synagogue  dilate  almost  every  week  on  these  topics,  and  quite 
 recently  the  subject  was  also  commented  upon,  in  non-Jewish 
 papers. 
 
 "But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  conflicting  views  and 
 sentiments  on  the  subject  of  religion,  which  prevail  among  the  Jews, 
 have  disposed  them  to  regard  with  greater  favour  the  doctrines  of 
 the  Gospel.  There  are,  no  doubt,  many  happy  exceptions  ;  but  the 
 great  majority  are  as  inimical  to  the  spiritual  truth  of  Christianity, 
 as  the  most  fanatical  Polish  rabbi.  That  this  is  no  exaggeration, 
 the  Jewish  press  unhesitatingly  proclaims.  The  writers  in  these 
 organs  perpetually  harp  on  the  lessons  of  purity  and  love,  which 
 Judaism  inculcates.  They  do  not  even  hesitate  to  assert,  that  the 
 sublime  precepts  of  the  Gospel  were  originally  embodied  in  the 
 traditions  of  the  Synagogue. 
 
 "  Now  it  must  be  admitted  that  in  Protestant  countries,  where  the 
 Gospel  exerts  a  salutary  influence  upon  all,  whether  they  accept  or 
 deny  its  divine  origin,  the  Jews  constitute  an  intelligent,  industrious, 
 and  thrifty  people,  though  not  superior,  as  their  rabbis  and  syna- 
 gogue organs  loudly  maintain,  to  their  Christian  neighbours. 
 Indeed,  it  is  a  notorious  fact,  that  wherever  Jews  are  to  be  found, 
 they  almost  unconsciously  assimilate  themselves  to  the  people 
 among  whom  their  lot  is  cast.  Thus,  in  the  East  they  are  super- 
 stitious and  ignorant — in  Russia  narrow-minded  and  fanatical — and 
 in  England  and  Germany  sceptical  and  materialistic.  Religion, 
 with  that  latest  class  has  been  merged  into  a  mere  nationality. 
 They  loudly  profess  to  be  perfectly  indifferent  to  what  a  man 
 believes,  so  long  as  he  follows  what  is  designated  '  the  dictates  of 
 conscience.'  The  principles  of  toleration  can  scarcely  go  farther. 
 But  is  that  really  the  case  ?  Certainly  not.  Scepticism  and  infidel 
 speculation  enjoy  their  sympathy,  but  not  truth.  Let  any  one  avow 
 himself  a  follower  of  Kant,  Hegel,  Darwin,  Voysey,  Bradlaugh,  &c., 
 his  companions  and  friends  will  declare  that  he  is  an  enlightened, 
 unprejudiced  man  ;  but  let  him  say,  '  I  am  a  Christian,'  and  instantly 
 he  is  denounced,  as  a  turncoat,  hypocrite,  and  deceiver.  His 
 honesty,  uprightness,  and  sincerity  may  be  beyond  all  doubt ;  still 
 he  is  misrepresented,  traduced,  and  vilified.  Indeed,  it  is  a  matter 
 of  gratitude  and  praise,  that,  in  spite  of  persistent  opposition,  the 
 Gospel  should  continue  to  exercise  its  divine  potency  in  the  conver- 
 sion of  so  many.  There  is  scarcely  a  race  from  whom  it  has  won 
 more  distinguished  trophies.  Some  of  the  brightest  examples  of 
 Christian  self-denial,  zead  and  devotion,  were  once  members  of  the 
 synagogue.  During  the  darkest  ages,  the  lamp  of  truth  was  held 
 aloft  by  Jewish  believers,  and  in  our  own  days,  not  a  few  of  the 
 
LONDON    AND    THE    HOME    MISSION.  407 
 
 most  able  defenders  of  the  divine  inspiration  of  Scripture,  against 
 the  attacks  of  rationalistic  writers,  belong  to  the  same  nation.  Truly 
 God  has  not  cast  away  His  people.  He  has  always  had  among  them 
 '  a  seed  to  serve  Him.'  " 
 
 In  another  Report,  the  relationship  existing  between  Judaism  and 
 
 Christianity  is  pointedly  stated.     It  is  there  seen,  that  the  freedom 
 
 of  thought,  and  the  liberty  of  conscience,  for  which  this  country  is 
 
 distinguished,  does  not  exempt  the  Jew  from   a  variety  of  trials, 
 
 when  he   becomes  an   enquirer  into  the    truths  of  the    Christian 
 
 faith. 
 
 "There  is  a  growing  consciousness,  that  a  religion  professing  to 
 be  divine,  must  be  able  to  satisfy  man's  highest  aspirations.  That 
 Judaism  cannot  do  this,  notwithstanding  the  loud  assertions  to  the 
 contrary  of  its  exponents,  is  no  longer  questioned  by  the  most 
 rational  and  thoughtful.  But  what  are  they  to  do  ?  Are  they  to 
 secede  from  the  Synagogue,  and  break  the  feeble  tie  that  binds 
 them  to  their  people  .^  No.  They  need  not  incur  that  odium.  They 
 need  not  violate  their  moral  sensibilities.  Modern  Judaism  does 
 not  exact  such  concessions.  Within  its  pale,  every  phase  of  unbelief 
 may  find  a  refuge.  It  professes  to  respect  all  honest  convictions, 
 only  they  must  not  have  the  slightest  tinge  of  Gospel  truth.  For 
 that  divinely  revealed  faith  it  has  no  plea,  and  admits  of  no  apology. 
 And  this  is  perfectly  natural.  They  are  fully  aware  of  the  progress 
 it  is  making,  despite  the  opposition  of  secularism  and  a  philosophy 
 falsely  so-called.  To  counteract  its  influence,  which  they  are  acute 
 enough  to  perceive  must  sooner  or  later  prove  fatal  to  their  own  and 
 to  all  other  systems,  that  merely  flatter  human  pride  and  foster  a 
 spirit  of  self-sufficiency  ;  skill,  learning,  and  every  other  resource, 
 except  open  violence,  are  called  into  requisition.  That  this  is  no 
 exaggeration,  the  Jewish  press  and  pulpit  sufficiently  exhibit.  Not 
 a  week  passes,  without  some  violent  attack  upon  the  Gospel  and  its 
 doctrines.  The  arguments  resorted  to  are  almost  invariably  old, 
 and  devoid  of  learning  and  research.  But  this  is  not  a  matter  of 
 importance.  The  object  is  merely  to  denounce  Christianity,  and  to 
 extol  the  beauty  and  reasonableness  of  Judaism.  Nor  has  the  Mis- 
 sionary any  cause  to  deplore  these  angry  eff"usions.  Men  do  not 
 fight  with  phantoms,  and  the  leaders  of  Jewish  religious  thought,  are 
 too  wise  to  indulge  in  incessant  attacks  upon  the  Gospel,  were  they 
 not  prompted  by  a  secret  fear  of  its  influence,  among  many  in  their 
 own  community. 
 
 "  There  are  numbers  of  Jews  who  are  fully  persuaded  that  '  Jesus 
 is  the  Christ,'  who,  notwithstanding  their  convictions,  will  not 
 openly  profess  the  faith  they  secretly  cherish.  Gladly  would  they 
 do  so,  did  they  not  shrink  from  the  sacrifices  the  step  would 
 entail.     This  may  appear  highly  inconsistent,  but  it  ought  to   be 
 
408  LONDON    AND   THE    HOME    MISSION. 
 
 remembered,  that  it  is  not  so  easy  to  encounter  the  hostility  of  friends 
 and  the  breath  of  slander,  if  not  persecution  ;  as  many,  who  have 
 never  had  to  undergo  such  trials,  are  inclined  to  think.  We  live  in 
 an  age  emphatically  notorious  for  a  false  and  spurious  liberalism. 
 Almost  every  one,  however  narrow-minded  and  bigoted  he  may  be 
 as  regards  his  own  peculiar  sentiments,  will  talk  about  tolerance  and 
 an  unfettered  conscience.  Jews,  in  that  respect,  form  no  exception. 
 They  write  in  the  most  glowing  strain  on  these  topics.  They  will 
 even  cite  disconnected  and  distorted  quotations  from  the  ponderous 
 tomes  of  tradition,  to  prove  that  the  rabbis  in  that  respect,  as  in 
 many  others,  were  in  advance  of  their  times  ;  and  that  only  when 
 persecutions  arose,  did  they  vent  their  indignation  in  harmless 
 denunciations,  and  some  not  very  charitable  prayers.  To  such 
 statements.,  the  merest  tyro  in  Talmudical  lore  knows  well  what 
 value  to  attach.  But  it  is  not  necessary  to  refer  to  tradition,  to 
 refute  assertions  ;  which  facts,  that  need  no  comment,  glaringly 
 contradict.  Let  a  Jew  declare  that  he  is  persuaded  that  Jesus  is 
 the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour  and  Redeemer  of  the  world,  and  is  not 
 all  that  pseudo-liberalism  instantly  cast  to  the  winds,  and  the  most 
 narrow-minded  bigotry  exhibited  ?  Is  not  the  man  subjected  to  the 
 vilest  abuse  and  the  most  scurrilous  remarks  ?  Is  not  his  character 
 traduced,  and  his  motives  misrepresented  ?  Does  not  slander 
 direct  against  him  its  defaming  breath,  and  denounce  him  as  '  the 
 offscouring  of  all  things.'  These  manifestations  of  Jewish  liberalism 
 and  tolerance  deter  many  from  ranging  themselves  under  the  banner 
 of  the  cross.  Of  course  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  all  Jews  are 
 animated  by  a  feeling  of  hatred  toward  '  meshumedim'  (apostates), 
 as  converts  are  usually  designated.  There  are  exceptions,  but  the 
 number  is  very  limited,  and  restricted  to  men  who  have  more  sym- 
 pathy with  the  Church  than  the  Synagogue.  Notwithstanding  these, 
 and  many  other  obstacles  and  hindrances,  the  Gospel  message  is 
 exciting  greater  attention.  It  is  seen  in  the  more  careful  study  of 
 God's  word,  the  reading  of  good  Christian  books,  the  serious  tone 
 in  which  religious  discussions  are  carried  on,  and  in  the  readiness 
 with  which  so  many  flock  to  the  churches  where  the  Missionary  is 
 advertized  to  preach. 
 
 "  But  as  there  is  no  cloud  without  its  silver  lining,  so  also  the 
 present  religious  condition  of  the  Jews  is  not  without  some  signs  of 
 hope.  There  are  many  among  them  who  have  no  sympathy  with 
 infidelity.  They  long  for  something  better  than  those  reiterated, 
 oanmeaning,  moral  platitudes,  which  starve  the  soul.  But  where  are 
 they  to  quench  their  thirst  ?  Are  they  to  relapse  into  the  exploded 
 superstitions  of  rabbinical  fables  and  legends  ?  Are  they  to  accept 
 the  chilling  system  of  negation  preached  by  modern  rabbis,  and 
 pronounced  as  the  most  perfect  conception  of  rational  belief  by  the 
 Jewish  press  ?  Or  are  they  to  seek  for  pardon,  comfort  and  peace 
 at  the  mercy-seat  of  the  Triune  Jehovah  ?  The  latter  is  no  doubt 
 the  conviction  which  is  gradually  taking  root  in  their  hearts,  and 
 
LONDON    AND    THE    HOME    MISSION.  409 
 
 drawing  them  nearer  to  the  Saviour.  Their  co-religionists  are  evi- 
 dently aware  of  this,  and  the  efforts  to  counteract  the  movement 
 are  exhibited  in  the  attacks  upon  the  Gospel,  with  which  the  Syna- 
 gogue literary  organs  abound. 
 
 "  Despite  many  obstacles  and  hindrances,  the  work  in  which 
 the  missionaries  are  engaged  proves  to  be  most  encouraging. 
 They  have,  as  usual,  proclaimed  the  message  of  salvation, 
 wherever  an  opportunity  presented  itself.  The  street,  the 
 workshop,  the  comfortable  home,  and  the  abode  of  wretchedness 
 and  destitution,  have  been  the  scenes  of  their  labours.  Sneers  and 
 blasphemies  often  greeted  the  message  of  mercy.  Such  salutations 
 pained,  but  did  not  intimidate  them.  They  remembered  Him,  who 
 ■endured  the  contradiction  of  sinners ;  and,  in  imitation  of  His 
 example,  preached  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  whether  man  would 
 hear  or  forbear.  Failures  and  disappointments  must  be  anticipated. 
 The  Gospel  would  not  be  divine,  had  unbelief  nothing  to  object, 
 and  ignorance  and  vice  nothing  at  which  to  cavil.  Its  mission 
 would  not  be  to  impart  a  new  and  holy  life,  did  it  command  uni- 
 versal homage  and  acceptance.  But  whatever  influences  may  retard 
 its  progress  among  the  great  mass,  there  is  always  a  small  remnant, 
 who,  conscious  of  their  guilt,  long  for  that  comfort  and  peace  which 
 are  alone  to  be  found  in  the  atoning  blood  of  Christ.  There  have 
 been  many  proofs  of  this.  Many  Jews  attended  the  daily 
 Bible  class,  for  periods  varying  from  one  to  six  months.  All, 
 as  might  be  expected,  did  not,  however,  become  true  Christians  and 
 upright  believers.  Some  yielded  to  the  entreaties  of  friends  ;  others 
 left  England,  as  they  could  not  obtain  the  means  of  subsistence  ; 
 and  not  a  few  were  dismissed  on  account  of  their  unsatisfactory 
 conduct.  But,  notwithstanding  these  disappointments,  eighiee?i 
 adults,  exclusive  of  children,  after  mature  preparation  and  many 
 severe  tests  of  their  sincerity,  publicly  professed  around  the  bap- 
 tismal font,  their  unfeigned  faith  in  the  crucified  Saviour.  They  had 
 all  to  sacrifice  friends,  kindred,  and  every  bond  of  cherished  affec- 
 tion, on  account  of  their  convictions.  It  was  a  hard  struggle  to  most 
 of  them  to  resist  the  tears  and  threats  of  those  they  loved,  but  there 
 was  no  alternative.  The  words,  '  He  that  loveth  father  or  mother 
 more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me,'  rang  in  their  ears,  and  without 
 hesitation  or  delay,  although  their  hearts  bled,  they  took  up  the  cross 
 and  resolved  to  follow  Jesus. 
 
 "  The  ever-increasing  accession  of  Christian  Israelites  to  the 
 Church,  must  not,  however,  be  regarded  as  the  only,  or  even  the 
 most  reliable  criterion  of  success.  This  idea,  though  widely  preva- 
 lent, is  quite  fallacious.  The  agents  rejoice  over  every  sinner  that 
 repenteth  ;  and  hail  with  delight  every  brand  plucked  from  the 
 burning  ;  but  their  chief  work  consists  in  proclaiming  truth,  expos- 
 ing error,  and  entreating  every  one  with  whom  they  come  in  con- 
 tact, to  flee  from  his  pharisaical  refuge  of  lies  to  Him,  on  whom 
 •"the  Lord  hath  laid  the  iniquity  of  us  all.'     This  is  their  vocation 
 
 B  B 
 
410  LONDON    AND   THE    HOME    MISSION. 
 
 and  duty,  and  if,  in  dependence  on  the  blessing  which  cometh  from 
 above,  they  carry  out  their  commission,  what  does  it  matter  where 
 a  man  is  baptized,  or  by  whom  the  rite  is  performed  ?  It  is  enough 
 to  know  that  their  labours  are  not  in  vain,  and  that  many,  who 
 dread  the  consequences  it  might  entail,  were  they  publicly  to  receiv^e 
 from  the  missionary's  hands  the  outward  sign  of  their  inward  spiri- 
 tual regeneration,  will  one  day  be  found  amongst  the  number,  who 
 will  constitute  his  joy  and  crown  of  rejoicing. 
 
 "  Many  Christians  entertain  most  erroneous  impressions  on  the 
 subject  ;  they  believe  that  the  Jews  will  ultimately  be  brought  into 
 the  fold  of  Christ,  but,  under  the  present  dispensation,  regard  the 
 effort,  if  not  quite  hopeless,  yet  surrounded  by  almost  insuperable 
 difficulties.  Now  it  may  be  admitted  that  many  and  formidable 
 obstacles  have  to  be  contended  with  ;  but  impediments  to  the 
 acceptance  of  the  Gospel  are  to  be  found  amongst  all  unbelievers, 
 no  matter  where  they  live  or  to  what  race  they  belong.  The  Jew,, 
 it  is  true,  sees  in  Christ  neither  form  nor  comeliness,  but  the  cause 
 must  be  sought  in  external  influences,  and  not  in  any  instinctive 
 incapacity  to  appreciate  spiritual  truth.  Idolatry  and  corruption  on 
 the  one  hand,  and  want  of  zeal  and  enlightened  exertions  on  the 
 other,  have  led  him  to  indulge  in  the  illusion,  that  the  doctrine  of 
 the  cross  is  foolishness,  and  the  atoning  sacrifice  on  Calvary  a  super- 
 stitious Gentile  invention.  During  the  last  thirty  years,  however, 
 great  changes  have  been  effected  in  the  moral  and  religious  senti- 
 ments of  the  Jews.  The  narrow-minded  precepts  of  the  Talmud 
 are  being  disregarded,  or  altogether  repudiated.  Synagogue  wor- 
 ship is  everywhere  remodelled,  and  dogmas  and  principles  once 
 vehemently  denounced  are  now  as  vehemently  proclaimed.  Even 
 the  style  of  preaching  has  undergone  a  reform,  and  hopes  and  aspi- 
 rations breathed  by  the  Christian  preacher,  are  frequently  copied  and 
 reproduced  by  the  professedly  orthodox  rabbi.  As  usual  extremes 
 meet,  and  contempt  for  the  traditions  of  men  has  led  multitudes  to 
 reject  the  Word  of  God.  That  this  is  no  exaggeration  palpable 
 facts  abundantly  prove.  If  you  go  to  German  Jews,  you  find  infi- 
 delity and  scepticism  gaining  universal  ascendency.  '  Speak  not  to 
 us  of  the  New  Testament,  for  we  are  sick  and  weary  enough  of  the 
 Old,'  is  the  language  that  drops  from  the  lips  of  the  enlightened 
 descendants  of  Abraham  ;  and  if  you  turn  to  their  less  philosophical 
 and  speculative  brethren,  born  and  brought  up  in  these  isles,  you  do 
 not  indeed  hear  much  of  scientific  enquiry  and  research,  but  instead 
 of  it  behold,  what  is  equally  soul-destroying,  the  steady  advance  of 
 materialism,  under  the  fashionable  name  of  pure  Theism  ;  nor  are 
 Polish  and  Oriental  Jews,  those  representatives  of  rabbinism  and 
 superstition,  quite  unaffected  by  these  ever-spreading  errors  and 
 doubts,  which  are  sapping  the  basis  of  all  Jewish  faith  in  revealed 
 truth.  A  reaction  has  set  in  among  that  class,  and  men  who  were 
 once  wont  to  regard  every  Talmudic  fable  and  legend  with  reverence 
 and   awe,   now   question,   without  any  hesitation,  the  veracity  of 
 
LONDON    AND    THE    HOME    MISSION.  4I  I 
 
 Moses,  and  the  possibility  of  miracles.  Judaism — real,  genuine 
 Judaism — is  in  its  decrepitude  and  decay.  It  is  no  longer  a  ques- 
 tion of  creed,  but  of  nationality.  Happily  the  Jews  as  a  nation  are 
 deeply  imbued  with  religious  feeling.  It  is  an  essential  element  in 
 their  character.  They  want  a  belief,  but  a  belief  that  can  remove 
 their  doubts  and  satisfy  the  longings  of  their  hearts.  This  boon  it 
 is  our  privilege  to  bestow.  God,  in  His  distinguishing  mercy,  has 
 made  Christian  England  the  guardian  of  that  very  Word,  once 
 deposited  in  the  custody  of  the  Jews  ;  and  if  that  true  light  from 
 heaven  has  brightly  shined  into  our  hearts,  and  given  us  '  the  know- 
 ledge of  the  excellency  of  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,'  love  and  gratitude 
 will  move  us  to  communicate  to  others  the  blessings  we  so  richly 
 enjoy.  The  encouragements  are  varied  and  inspiring.  There  was 
 a  time  when  an  inquirer  would  only  stealthily,  or  under  cover  of 
 night  venture  to  visit  the  missionary.  He  shrank,  from  the  very 
 thought  of  being  suspected  of  holding  intercourse  with  such  a  dan- 
 gerous character.  But  what  may  be  witnessed  at  present  ?  Fear 
 has  been  superseded  by  respect,  and  suspicion  by  confidence  ;  and, 
 as  regards  the  work  itself,  when  we  contemplate  the  changes  in  the 
 moral  condition  of  the  Jews,  and  observe  the  gradual  waning  of 
 their  prejudices,  or  compare  with  former  years  the  numbers  that  are 
 continually  swelling  the  ranks  of  Christian  Israelites,  who  can  help 
 exclaiming,  '  What  hath  God  wTOught  ?'  " 
 
 Many  of  the  most  important  Parish  Churches  in  the  East  of  Lon- 
 don were  periodically  opened  for  the  ministrations  of  Mr.  Stern. 
 Those  were  generally  selected,  which  were  situated  in  the  immediate 
 neighbourhood  of  a  large  Jewish  population.  At  the  Jewish  Festivals, 
 in  which  the  people  were  relieved  from  their  daily  avocations  ; 
 large  numbers  were  generally  attracted  by  the  Hebrew  placards,  and 
 by  the  intimation,  that  in  a  particular  Church,  Mr.  Stern  would 
 preach  a  special  Sermon. 
 
 "  In  some  instances,  as  in  Whitechapel,  where  the  Jews  have 
 their  great  centre,  the  Parish  Church,  on  the  eve  of  one  of  their 
 principal  festivals,  was  literally  crowded  with  Jews  ;  and  a  few  days 
 later,  in  an  adjoining  parish,  notwithstanding  the  inclemency  of  the 
 weather  and  the  unfavourable  position  of  the  church,  about  a  hun- 
 dred and  fifty  came  to  the  service.  Now  the  Missionary  readily 
 admits  that  all  who  attend  these  special  services  are  not  prompted 
 by  a  desire  for  instruction.  But  what  does  that  matter  ?  The  truth 
 is  proclaimed,  the  evidences  on  which  the  Christian's  hope  is  based 
 are  stated,  the  harmony  between  the  Old  and  New  Testament  made 
 clear.  More  than  this  the  preacher  cannot  do.  He  cannot  breathe 
 life  into  his  words.  He  cannot  invest  them  with  a  visible  proof  of 
 their  divine  energy  and  power.  He  cannot  quicken  the  dead  heart, 
 and  pour  light  into  the  darkened  mind.     Such,  Omnipotence  alone 
 
412  LONDON    AND    IHE    HOME    MISSION. 
 
 can  do.  But  the  Missionaries  are  glad  to  hear  that  conversions 
 may  be  traced  to  these  services.  Here  is  an  instance  : — Not  long 
 ago  a  Christian  Israelite,  who  on  Sunday  is  generally  engaged  in 
 Evangelistic  work,  was  preaching  in  a  provincial  town.  After  ser- 
 vice, a  man  stepped  into  the  vestry,  and,  grasping  the  preacher's 
 hand,  thanked  him  most  affectionately  for  his  address.  As  he  per- 
 ceived that  the  stranger  was  an  Israelite,  he  inquired  whether  he 
 accepted  the  doctrines  he  had  just  enunciated.  '  Yes,  I  do,'  was 
 the  ready  reply  ;  and  before  he  could  put  another  question,  the  man 
 added,  '  I  presume  you  suspect  my  nationality.  Well,  it  is  true  that 
 I  am  an  Israelite,  and,  perhaps,  like  yourself,  once  despised  the 
 Gospel.  Accident,  or  may  I  not  say  Providence,  led  me  into 
 Whitechapel  Church,  where  I  heard  Mr.  Stern.  I  did  not  like  that 
 notorious  apostate,  but  he  arrested  my  attention,  and  made  me 
 feel  uneasy.  I  went  home  and  read  the  Bible,  both  the  Old  and  New 
 Testaments,  and  now  I  believe  in  Christ  as  my  Saviour,  and  also 
 hope  very  soon  to  be  received  into  the  Christian  Church.' 
 
 "  A  sermon  addressed  to  Jews  was  preached  in  the  Parish  Church, 
 Spitalfields.  The  congregation  filled  every  nook  and  corner  of  that 
 large  place  of  worship.  The  heat  was  very  oppressive,  and  it  was 
 thought  that  after  service  all  would  be  glad  to  make  their  exit  into 
 the  open  air.  But  this  was  not  the  case  with  scores  of  men  among 
 the  congregation.  They  crowded  around  Rev.  H.  A.  Stern,  and,  in 
 tones  that  scarcely  admitted  a  refusal,  demanded  an  answer  to  some 
 queries  which  the  sermon  had  suggested.  The  rector,  Rev.  Samuel 
 Bardsley,  advised  Mr.  Stern  to  accede  to  their  request,  on  condition 
 that  they  allowed  him  to  act  as  chairman.  To  this  all  agreed,  and 
 at  once  repaired  to  the  vestry,  which,  together  with  the  vestibule 
 leading  to  it,  was  literally  crammed  with  an  eager  and  interested 
 multitude.  The  discussion,  which  was  calm  and  dispassionate, 
 lasted  about  an  hour.  All  on  parting  expressed  themselves  pleased 
 with  this  novel  vestry  meeting.  There  are  Jews  who  do  not  approve 
 of  such  full  and  candid  investigation  of  their  belief,  and  more  than 
 once  Mr.  Stern  has  been  threatened  with  all  sorts  of  maltreatment, 
 if  he  ventured  to  occupy  this  or  that  pulpit.  His  Abyssinian  ex- 
 perience has,  however,  made  him  indifferent  to  such  alarms.  Jewish 
 congregations,  whether  they  approve  or  disapprove  of  what  is 
 stated,  have  hitherto  uniformly  exhibited  in  the  church  the  most 
 exemplary  decorum  and  attention,  and  the  truths  preached  have 
 not  proved  unproductive  of  results. 
 
 "  InSt.lNIary's  Church,  Whitechapel ;  Christ  Church,  Spitalfields  ; 
 and  St.  Stephen's,  Commercial  Road,  there  were  present  at  each  sermon 
 from  four  to  five  hundred  Jews  and  Jewesses.  Their  attention  was 
 highly  gratifying.  In  leaving  the  sacred  building,  the  Missionaries 
 supplied  suitable  tracts  to  those  who  were  willing  to  accept  them. 
 Every  group  had  something  to  observe  about  the  sermon,  which 
 proved  that  they  had  not  been  careless  listeners.  Recently,  after  a 
 sermon  in  Christ  Church,  Spitalfields,  a  Jew,  on  going  out,  expressed 
 
LONDON    AND    THK    HO-NIE    MISSION.  413 
 
 his  regret  that  he  had  listened  to  a  '  meshumed,'  apostate.  Imme- 
 diately another  retorted,  '  What  have  you  to  object  against  that 
 sermon  ?  Did  not  the  preacher  prove  all  that  he  stated  from  our 
 own  Bible  ?  But  you  are  one  of  those  fanatics  who  think  that 
 all  the  nonsense  uttered  by  a  Rabbi  must  be  true,  and  every  truth 
 spoken  by  a  Christian  f^ilse.'  These  eiforts,  though  hitherto  unat- 
 tended by  any  tangible  results,  imparted  to  multitudes  some  know- 
 ledge of  the  essential  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  The  seed  thus  sown 
 in  faith  will,  however,  in  God's  own  appointed  time,  assume  a  new 
 form  and  substance.  It  cannot  all  waste  or  die.  The  dews  of 
 heaven  will  descend,  and  it  will  shoot  up  and  witness  that  the 
 Missionaries  have  not  laboured  in  vain,  nor  expended  their  strength 
 for  naught. 
 
 "During  the  year,  Mr.  Stern  preached  at  Swansea,  Bristol,  Birming- 
 ham, &c.  Everywhere  he  had  crowded  congregations,  including  a 
 great  many  Jews.  On  one  occasion,  on  descending  from  the  pulpit, 
 two  Jewish  ladies  came  to  shake  hands  with  him.  One,  who  was 
 accompanied  by  a  Christian  friend,  observed,   '  Mr.  Stern,  you  have 
 
 got  me  into  trouble.     Mr.  ,   a  man   of  influence  among  our 
 
 people;  noticed  that  I  joined  in  the  prayers.  Well,'  she  immediately 
 added,  '  I  don't  care,  for  I  am  glad  to  have  been  here.'  Now,  what- 
 ever the  immediate  effect  these  Mission  services  may  produce,  they 
 cannot  fail  to  exert  an  influence  which,  in  due  time,  will  yield  a 
 blessing." 
 
 The  ministry  at  the  Episcopal  Jews'  Chapel  in  Palestine  Place  was 
 also  frequently  a  scene  of  much  interest,  and  of  undoubted  bles- 
 sing. Some  of  the  hearers  carried  away  with  them  the  seeds  of 
 eternal  life,  and  even  in  other  lands,  it  was  found  to  have  taken 
 root  and  brought  forth  fruit. 
 
 "A  Missionary,  who  is  actively  working  among  the  Jews  in  Wes- 
 tern Germany,  one  day  came  to  a  small  town  inhabited  by  a  great 
 number  of  Jews,  who  enjoyed  the  questionable  notoriety  of  being 
 most  hostile  to  every  effort  to  teach  them  '  the  way  of  the  Lord 
 more  perfectly.'  In  his  walks  through  the  streets  he  encountered 
 several,  whom  he  tried  to  engage  in  a  conversation,  but,  on  perceiv- 
 ing his  object,  every  one  pointed  him  to  the  rich  shopkeeper.  The 
 Missionary  suspected  that  there  was  something  wrong,  but  prompted 
 by  a  sense  of  duty,  he  bent  his  steps  towards  the  building.  With  a 
 silent  prayer  for  that  help  which  cometh  from  above,  he  entered  the 
 shop.  The  proprietor,  who  knew  him,  sternly  inquired  what  he 
 wanted.  Without  any  hesitation  or  apology,  the  Missionan,-  at  once 
 announced  the  object  of  his  errand.  The  man  gave  him  another 
 doubtful  look,  and  then  said,  '  Come  into  my  office.'  When  they 
 were  both  seated,  the  owner  of  the  shop,  stretching  out  his  right 
 arm,  said,  '  I  am  glad  to  shake  hands  with  you.  A  year  ago 
 I    would    not    have    done  so  ;    indeed,    I  mav  add,   had  you  then 
 
414  LONDON    AND   THE    HOME    MISSION. 
 
 intruded  yourself  upon  me,  1  would  most  likely,  irrespective  of  con- 
 sequences, have  given  you  a  sound  horse-whipping.  But  I  have  no 
 longer  an  aversion  to  men  of  your  sacred  vocation.  I  was  recently 
 in  London,  and  during  my  stay  there,  I  twice  attended  the  Hebrew 
 service  in  Palestine  Place,  and  what  I  saw  and  heard  has  removed 
 my  prejudices  against  the  Christian  religion,  and  I  am  now  quite 
 willing  to  listen  to  whatever  you  may  have  to  urge  in  its  favour.' 
 After  a  long  and  interesting  conversation,  the  Missionary  and  the 
 once  fanatical  shopkeeper  parted  like  old  and  warmly  attached 
 friends.  Numbers  of  Jews,  who  had  watched  in  the  hope  of  wit- 
 nessing a  violent  scene,  were  perfectly  amazed  at  this  incompre- 
 hensible proceeding  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  Orthodox  member 
 of  their  community,  and,  in  imitation  of  his  example,  the  Missionary 
 had  at  every  house  he  visited  a  cordial  reception." 
 
 It  will  be  well,  in  connection  with  such  occurrences,  to  recount  a 
 few  instances  of  the  effect  produced  by  personal  communication 
 with  the  Jews,  and  the  evidences  which  continually  presented  them- 
 selves of  the  sacrifices  which  many  of  them  made,  when  they  learnt 
 "  to  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of 
 Christ  Jesus." 
 
 "A  highly  educated  Algerian  Jew  paid  a  visit  to  Mr.  Stern.  His 
 language  (which  was  excellent  French)  and  deportment,  indicated 
 that  he  was  a  man  occupying  a  superior  position  in  life.  After  a 
 brief  conversation  upon  the  prevailing  infidel  systems,  which  have 
 sapped  the  foundation  of  all  faith  in  Divine  revelation  among  Ger- 
 man and  French  Jews,  he  took  out  of  his  pocket  the  Society's  tract 
 on  Isaiah  liii.,  and,  holding  it  aloft,  said  in  a  solemn  voice,  '  Not 
 many  months  ago  I  was  a  confirmed  sceptic.  I  doubted  the  exist- 
 ence of  a  God,  and  smiled  at  the  idea  of  a  heaven  and  hell  ;  but  this 
 pamphlet  providentially  fell  into  my  hands.  I  thought  of  throwing 
 it  away,  as  I  did  not  consider  the  topic  of  which  it  treated  worthy  of  a 
 philosophic  mind.  Curiosity,  however,  overcame  my  natural  anti- 
 pathy, and  I  read  its  contents.  I  was  amazed  and  confounded. 
 Here  prophecv  and  its  fulfilment  were  in  striking  harmony.  I  felt 
 that  no  accident  or  contrivance  could  possibly  have  transformed  the 
 vision  of  the  Prophet  into  the  exact  description  of  the  scene  enacted 
 on  Calvary.  Renan  was  laid  aside,  and  the  Bible  taken  instead.  I 
 am  not  yet  a  Christian,  but,  with  God's  helj),  1  hope  to  become  one.' 
 Another  instance  of  the  evangelizing  influence  which  the  reading  of 
 a  good  book  may  effect,  is  the  conversion  of  an  English  Israelite. 
 About  a  year  ago,  he  was  passing  Palestine  Place  on  a  Saturday 
 afternoon,  and  thought  to  while  away  half-an-hour  by  calling  on  the 
 INIissionarv.  Mr.  Stern  tried  to  engage  him  in  serious  conversation, 
 but  he  was  averse  to  it,  and  listened  with  chilling  apathy.  On 
 going  away  he   offered   him   a  copy  of  that  excellent  little  book, 
 
LONDON   AND   THE   HOME    MISSION.  415 
 
 '  Philosophy  of  the  Plan  of  Salvation,'  requesting  him  to  return  it 
 after  he  had  read  it.  A  few  weeks  later  he  called  again,  looking  pale 
 and  haggard.  Upon  Mr.  Stern  inquiring  the  cause  of  his  altered 
 appearance,  he  informed  him  that  he  had  just  recovered  from  a  very- 
 dangerous  illness.  There  was  a  peace  and  calmness  in  his  voice 
 which  indicated,  far  more  than  words  could  have  done,  that  afflic- 
 tion's stroke  had  come  to  him  as  a  messenger  of  love  and  mercy. 
 During  his  painful  sickness,  he  had  learnt  to  appreciate  the  truth, 
 which  he  had  disregarded  and  opposed  whilst  in  health.  The  little 
 book  which  Mr.  Stern  had  lent  him  had  proved  a  guide  to  the  Bible, 
 and  the  Bible  to  the  throne  of  grace.  He  was  now  most  anxious  to 
 confess  publicly  that  Saviour  whose  holy  name  he  had  in  his  ignor- 
 ance blasphemed.  Mr.  Stern  fixed  three  evenings  in  the  week  for 
 his  religious  instruction,  and  although  his  work  during  the  day  often 
 utterly  exhausted  his  still  weak  frame,  he  never  missed  being  pre- 
 sent at  the  hour  named.  In  compliance  with  his  oft-reiterated 
 request,  Mr.  Stern  baptized  him,  and  a  few  weeks  later,  his 
 three  children.  He  has  since  had  to  contend  with  many  insults 
 and  petty  persecutions,  but  he  patiently  submits  to  all  for  the  Gos- 
 pel's sake. 
 
 "  Whilst  the  i\Iissionaries  w^ere  engaged  in  a  serious  and  calm 
 religious  discusssion  with  a  group  of  respectable  Israelites,  an  angry 
 bigot  rushed  into  their  midst,  and  by  his  gesture  and  clamour  tried 
 to  distract  the  attention  of  the  speakers  and  those  by  whom  they 
 were  surrounded.  '  Not  a  man,'  he  exclaimed,  '  is  baptized,  but 
 costs  the  Society  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  continues  the  profession 
 of  Christianity  only  so  long  as  he  is  supported  by  them  in  a  life  of 
 idleness.'  He  had  scarcely  ceased  speaking,  when  a  poor  proselyte, 
 on  his  way  to  the  scene  of  his  daily  toil  at  the  docks,  came  up  to 
 the  Missionaries  in  order  to  exchange  a  few  words  with  them.  The 
 Jew,  mistaking  him  for  a  co-religionist,  urged  him  vehemently  to 
 leave  the  spot,  and  have  nothing  to  do  with  such  men.  'Are  you 
 in  want  of  employment  ?'  he  cried  ;  '  come  with  me  at  once.  I 
 employ  many  people  ;  you  shall  be  paid  as  the  most  favoured 
 among  them,  and  have  the  satisfaction  of  remaining  faithful  to  the 
 religion  of  your  forefathers.'  The  Missionaries  saw  that  here  was  a 
 glorious  opportunity  for  publicly  rebutting  the  persistent  charge, 
 that  our  converts  are  actuated  by  mercenary  motives,  and  waited 
 anxiously  for  the  dock-labourer's  reply.  Raising  his  toil-worn  hands 
 in  the  direction  of  his  vehement  interlocutor,  he  said,  in  a  clear 
 voice,  '  You  are  mistaken  if  you  think  that  I  sell  my  conscience  for 
 money.  I  am  a  Christian,  and  as  such,  work  with  these  hands  for 
 the  maintenance  of  myself  and  family.  I  have  seen  better  days  as 
 a  Jew,  and  was  not  brought  up  to  manual  labour ;  but  I  am  content 
 with  my  lot,  and  thank  God  for  having  brought  me  to  the  knowledge 
 of  His  Son  Jesus  Christ.'  His  opponent  was  disconcerted,  and  had 
 not  another  word  to  say.  His  libel  had  received  a  dignified  and 
 befitting  reproof." 
 
4l6  LOXDOX    AND    THE    HOME    MISSION. 
 
 The  number  who  were  baptized,  during  our  Missionary's  connec- 
 tion with  the  Home  INIission,  was  considerable.  The  following, 
 among  a  large  number  of  similar  occurrences,  will  be  a  sufficient 
 illustration.  Mr.  Stern's  comments  will  also  clearly  indicate,  how 
 careful  he  was,  that  none  should  be  admitted  to  this  sacred  ordinance 
 but  those,  of  whom  he  had  full  reason  to  believe,  that  they  had 
 passed  "  from  death  unto  life." 
 
 "  A  solemn  sight  was  witnessed  in  the  Episcopal  Jews'  Chapel, 
 Palestine  Place,  on  Sunday  afternoon.  Besides  the  usual  congre- 
 gation, consisting  of  converts  and  regular  inquirers,  there  were  at 
 least  forty  strange  Jews  present.  The  report  that  a  baptism  would 
 take  place,  no  doubt  attracted  many.  An  exhibition  of  restlessness, 
 if  not  of  irreverence,  was  anticipated.  To  my  agreeable  surprise 
 and  satisfaction,  they  were  all  wonderfully  quiet  and  serious.  Every 
 one  joined  in  prayer  and  praise,  like  devout  and  earnest  Chris- 
 tians. Upon  closer  inspection  of  the  congregation,  I  discovered 
 that  more  than  half  had  occasionally  attended  my  Bible-class,  or 
 heard  the  message  of  salvation  in  Mission  Halls.  It  was  certainly 
 a  most  impressive  sight  to  see  a  number  of  Jews,  who  make  no  pro- 
 fession of  being  even  inquirers,  bending  their  knees  and  lifting  up 
 their  voices  in  prayer  and  praise  to  the  Triune  Jehovah.  It  shows 
 that  there  is  a  leavening  process  going  on,  and  I  fully  expect  that 
 before  long  multitudes  will  publicly  confess  Him  whom  to  know  is 
 life  eternal. 
 
 "The  two  Israelites  who  were  received  into  the  Church,  had  both 
 been  under  Christian  instruction  for  a  considerable  time.  Of  their 
 sincerity  and  uprightness  I  have  not  the  least  doubt.  One  of  the 
 candidates,  in  order  to  avow  his  convictions,  had  to  leave  a  com- 
 fortable home,  and  a  position  that  offered  him  bright  worldly 
 prospects.  However,  I  trust  that  he  has  experienced  the  import  of 
 the  Saviour's  words.  Matt.  xix.  29,  and  enjoys  peace  in  his  heart, 
 communion  with  God,  and  the  assurance  of  the  pardon  of  his  sins. 
 The  other  candidate  for  some  years  resided  in  Berlin,  where  he  had 
 a  good  business.  Disappointments  proved  to  him  a  blessing,  they 
 led  him  to  reflect  upon  the  future,  and  he  can  now  say  with  the 
 Psalmist,  '  It  is  good  for  me  that  I  have  been  afflicted,  that  I  might 
 learn  thy  statutes.' 
 
 "  There  are  several  more  enquirers  preparing  for  the  ordinance 
 of  Holy  Baptism.  Some  are  anxious  to  be  admitted  into  the  New 
 Testament  Covenant,  but  I  invariably  refuse  to  accede  to  such 
 requests,  unless  I  see,  that  the  applicant  is,  as  far  as  one  can  judge, 
 a  true  believer  and  sincere  Christian." 
 
CHAPTER    XLVII. 
 
 THE       wanderers'       HOME. 
 
 In  every  country  of  the  world,  a  Refuge  from  religious  persecu- 
 tion has  been  an  acknowledged  want.  The  history  of  ]\Iissions 
 among  the  Roman  Catholics  and  heathen  nationalities,  attest  the 
 fact.  It  cannot  be,  therefore,  a  matter  of  surprise,  that  this  has 
 always  been  one  of  the  experiences  of  Missionaries  among  the 
 Jews.  To  protect  enquirers  against  the  bigotry  and  intolerance  of 
 their  relatives,  and  to  secure  some  means  by  which  they  might 
 independently  earn  their  daily  bread,  has  been  always  a  source  of 
 anxiety.  These  considerations  led  Dr.  Ewald,  in  the  year  1853,  to 
 open  a  small  Home,  into  which  a  limited  number  of  enquirers  might 
 be  received,  where  they  might  be  examined  and  tested,  and  where 
 the  means  might  be  afforded  of  giving  them  a  temporary  shelter  from 
 want  and  persecution.  He  was  encouraged  in  this  undertaking  by 
 many  energetic  friends;  and  although  "the  Wanderers'  Home," 
 which  was  the  fruit  of  this  effort,  was  managed  by  its  own  Com- 
 mittee, and  supported  by  direct  contributions,  it  received  the 
 sanction  and  cordial  sympathy,  and  the  occasional  help,  of  the  Com- 
 mittee of  the  London  Society.  Within  its  walls,  a  large  number  of 
 anxious  enquirers  received  religious  instruction,  and  enjoyed  time 
 and  opportunity  for  the  careful  investigation  of  the  doctrines  of  the 
 Christian  faith.  From  this,  some  were  drafted  to  the  Operative 
 Jewish  Converts  Institution,  where  they  acquired  the  knowledge  of 
 a  trade  which  secured  their  independence  ;  or  other  opportunities 
 presented  themselves  for  useful  and  honourable  employment. 
 
 Mr.  Stern  entered  with  alacrity  upon  this  part  of  the  work.  In 
 Bagdad  and  Constantinople,  he  had  acquired  some  experience  of 
 
41 8  THE  wanderers'  home. 
 
 its  necessity  and  its  advantages;  and  throughout  the  whole  of  his 
 labours  in  connection  with  the  Home  Mission,  its  efficiency  was 
 fully  maintained. 
 
 The  premises  in  which  "the  Home"  had  been  established, 
 being  required  by  the  Committee  of  the  London  Society,  INIr.  Stern 
 took  measures  for  the  erection  of  new  and  more  commodious  build- 
 ings. These  were  carefully  designed  and  built,  in  order  to  satisfy 
 the  wants  of  such  an  Institution.  The  day  on  which  they  were 
 opened  was  made  the  occasion  of  much  rejoicing.  Mr.  Stern 
 removed  to  a  house  adjoining  the  new  "  Home."  Personal  incon- 
 veniences did  not  influence  him  in  his  course  of  action.  Many 
 would  have  deprecated  close  and  intimate  contact  with  those,  who 
 at  times  were  the  source  of  much  discomfort  and  trouble.  But 
 he  felt,  that  it  would  be  an  advantage,  that  the  inmates  should  be 
 under  his  own  eye,  and  that  the  proximity  of  the  buildings  .would 
 enable  him  to  act  with  greater  decision  and  judgment,  as  circum- 
 stances might  require. 
 
 His  Annual  Reports  of  this  Institution  were  always  full  of  infor- 
 mation and  interest,  and  afford  the  best  indices  of  the  work  which 
 he  gently  but  assiduously  carried  on  in  the  Metropolis.  His  know- 
 ledge of  many  languages  was  among  his  many  distinguishing  quali- 
 fications for  this  peculiar  and  most  important  undertaking,  which 
 brought  him  into  communication  with  Jews  belonging  to  almost 
 every  nationality.  The  Annual  Reports  furnished  a  very  lucid 
 epitome  of  the  state  and  character  of  the  Jews  generally,  as  well  as 
 the  special  and  individual  circumstances  of  those  to  whom  he  per- 
 sonally ministered. 
 
 "Jews  delight  to  boast.  It  is  one  of  their  most  consistent  weak- 
 nesses. They  did  so  in  the  days  of  the  prophets,  when  they  ex- 
 claimed, '  We  are  wise,  and  the  law  of  the  Lord  is  with  us  ;'  and 
 they  manifest  the  same  spirit  of  self-laudation  in  our  enlightened 
 times.  Only  a  few  months  ago  it  was  stated  in  a  leader  of  the 
 synagogue  organ,  that  '  if  Judaism  did  not  convert  the  world  when 
 it  was  ignorant,  there  is  yet  reserved  for  it  the  greater  glory  of  con- 
 verting it  when  it  has  reached  the  highest  pinnacle  of  enlighten- 
 ment.' Now  we  always  thought  that  Judaism  (of  course  Old  Testa- 
 ment Judaism)  attained  its  plenitude  of  glory  in  the  days  of  Isaiah, 
 when,  with  an  imprecedented  fulness,  the  stream  of  prophecy  over- 
 flowed the  land.     But  this  opinion  is  evidently  not  shared  by  Jews, 
 
THE    WANDERERS     HOME.  419 
 
 -\vho,  like  the  editor  of  the  communal  weekly,  anticipate  a  future 
 that  will  develop  a  Judaism  so  winsome,  attractive,  and  reasonable, 
 as  to  ensure  universal  acceptance  and  fealty.  We  were  almost  in- 
 clined to  believe,  that  educated  Jews  deprecated  such  bombastic 
 effusions,  but  it  aj^jiears  that  this  is  not  the  case.  Vanity  and  self- 
 conceit  still  retain  their  sway,  and,  as  we  have  frequently  been  told, 
 woe  betide  the  rabbi  or  editor  of  a  synagogue  paper,  who  dares  to 
 •offend  the  national  pride. 
 
 "  But  the  arrogant  assumptions  of  modern  Judaism,  if  they  are  to 
 •carry  conviction,  must  be  based  upon  very  different  arguments  than 
 mere  bold  assertions  and  inflated  sentences.  Thoughtful  men  re- 
 quire something  more  conclusive.  They  want  facts,  and  not  fine- 
 spun theories.  Judaism  never  exerted  any  palpable  influence  upon 
 mankind.  It  was  always  exxlusive.  That  of  Moses,  which  had  a 
 Divine  origin,  was  restricted  to  the  Promised  Land,  and  that  of  the 
 rabbis,  which  was  of  human  contrivance,  did  no  good  to  the  Jews, 
 .and  repelled  the  truth-seeking  Gentiles.  But  the  Judaism  of  the 
 future,  which  is  to  achieve  the  most  brilliant  triumphs,  whence  is  it 
 to  come  ?  With  what  authority  is  it  to  be  invested  .''  What  doc- 
 trines is  it  to  teach  ?  What  motives  for  submission  to  its  dictates 
 W'ill  it  furnish  ?  It  cannot  be  the  Judaism  of  our  own  day,  which  is 
 .split  into  all  sorts  of  sects,  and  represents  the  most  extravagant  and 
 contradictory  religious  ideas.  There  is  scarcely  a  phase  of  unbelief, 
 ■error,  and  superstition,  which  it  does  not  espouse. 
 
 "  Half  a  century  ago  that  was  not  the  case.  Judaism  at  that  time 
 presented  an  undivided  unity.  It  had  one  creed,  one  form  of  wor- 
 .■ship,  and  one  immutable  code  of  laws.  But  all  has  changed.  The 
 progress  of  education,  the  zealous  efforts  of  Missionaries,  and  the 
 •onward  flow  of  light  and  knowledge  have,  to  a  great  extent,  meta- 
 morphosed the  whole  system  of  Jewish  belief.  A  reaction  set  in, 
 and  all  that  had  hitherto  been  regarded  as  sacred  and  unassailable 
 was  henceforth,  at  least  by  the  cultured  and  educated,  denounced 
 as  superstitious  and  demoralizing.  Some,  in  their  zeal  for  reform, 
 outstripped  others,  who  were  not  quite  so  thorough  and  radical. 
 This  led  to  angry  discussion,  strife,  and  schism.  New  synagogues 
 were  built,  new  modes  of  worship  introduced,  and  new  doctrines 
 publicly  enunciated.  A  rupture  was  created  which  it  is  not  probable 
 will  ever  be  healed. 
 
 "  Hence  the  question  naturally  arises,  What  form  of  Judaism  is 
 finally  to  obtain  the  boasted  universal  ascendency .-'  Is  it  the 
 Judaism  of  the  Talmud  ?  This,  educated  Jews  themselves  confess, 
 is  opposed  to  whatever  tends  to  promote  intellectual  culture  and  the 
 nation's  moral  and  social  welfare.  Is  it  the  Judaism  of  reform  ? 
 This  is  still  in  a  chaotic  condition,  and  varies  to  suit  the  advanced 
 •or  moderate  opinions  of  the  communities  where  it  is  professed. 
 But  perhaps  it  is  the  Judaism  which  seeks  to  assimilate  itself  to  all 
 the  vagaries  of  the  modern  schools  of  thought  ?     This  also,  not- 
 
420  THE    WANDERERS     HOME. 
 
 withstanding  grand  pretensions,  ofters  nothing  but  hazy  speculations-, 
 which  rob  man  of  his  God,  and  the  heart  of  its  comfort  and  hope. 
 
 "  It  is,  however,  frequently  asserted  by  Jews,  that  the  work  which 
 their  ancestors  did  in  olden  times,  their  descendants  are  destined  tO' 
 carry  on  far  more  effectively  in  the  fast  approaching  future.  Now 
 without  dilating  on  that  glorious  era,  when  the  triumphs  of  the 
 Cross  will  be  consummated  amidst  the  hallelujahs  of  adoring  nations, 
 we  cannot  join  in  the  exultant  poean  of  a  certain  class  of  Jews,  who- 
 incessantly  reiterate  that  the  world  is  indebted  to  their  people  for 
 the  knowledge  of  God  and  of  His  Word.  That  the  truth  revealed 
 to  Jewish  prophets  and  apostles,  dispelled  the  darkness  that  brooded 
 over  the  fairest  lands  and  made  it  light  in  the  Lord,  no  one  can 
 dispute,  but  it  was  accomplished  in  spite  of  the  nation's  determined 
 opposition  and  persecution.  Peter  and  Paul,  the  three  thousand 
 converts  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost,  the  five  thousand  of  whom  we 
 subsequently  read,  and  the  thousands  mentioned  by  St.  James,  were 
 unquestionably  Jews,  who  loved  their  IMaster,  and  laboured  and 
 toiled  to  promote  His  glory.  They  shrank  from  no  danger,  and 
 dreaded  no  kind  of  torture  and  death  in  the  zealous  pursuit  of  their 
 holy  vocation  ;  but  all  this  they  did  contrary  to  the  injunction  of 
 the  elders,  priests,  and  rulers  of  the  people.  Had  the  designs  of 
 these  men  succeeded,  the  voice  of  mercy  would  have  been  drowned 
 in  the  blood  of  its  martyrs ;  and  idolatry,  with  all  its  attendant  pollu- 
 tion, might  still,  humanly  speaking,  reign  unchecked  throughout, 
 this  and  every  other  Christian  land. 
 
 "Now  we  unhesitatingly  assert,  that  synagogue  Judaism  has 
 always  been,  and  still  is,  most  hostile  to  the  Church  and  the  pro- 
 gress of  Christianity.  Jewish  writers  and  preachers  know  this  per- 
 fectly well.  They  are  not  unaware  that  the  superstitious  system  of 
 the  Talmud  is  as  much  opposed  to  the  Gospel,  as  light  is  to  dark- 
 ness; and  yet  they  persistently  reiterate,  that,  through  them,  mankind 
 has  been  taught  to  worship  God.  If  this  statement  emanated  from 
 men,  who  repudiate  the  traditions  of  the  Talmud,  there  might  be 
 some  excuse  for  the  assumption.  We  firmly  believe  that  Chris- 
 tianity and  the  Judaism  of  the  Old  Testament  are  not  opposing 
 creeds.  Just  the  reverse.  The  same  spirit  that  speaks  in  the 
 Gospel  also  speaks  in  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  ;  and  he,  that  turns. 
 a  deaf  ear  to  the  words  of  Christ,  also  resists  the  voice  of  the  Old 
 Testament  seers.  Christianity  is  not  a  religion  invented  by  apos- 
 tles :  it  is  the  theme  of  a  long  train  of  inspired  writers,  whose  words, 
 were  the  echo  of  the  Divine  promise  of  love  and  mercy.  From  the 
 very  first  declaration,  '  The  seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the  ser- 
 pent's head,'  up  to  tlie  last  injunction  in  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
 tures, '  Remember  ye  the  law  of  Moses,'  the  hope  of  a  coming 
 redemption  forms  the  chief  subject  of  revelation.  In  this  respect. 
 Christianity  and  ancient  Judaism  are  identical.  They  teach  one 
 and  the  same  doctrine,  and  point  the  penitent  sinner  to  one  and 
 the  same  Redeemer.     But,  whilst  Biblical  Judaism  and  Christianity,. 
 
THE    WANDERERS     HOME.  42 1 
 
 alike  direct  the  eye  of  faith  to  a  loving  and  atoning  Saviour,  Rab- 
 binic Judaism,  on  the  contrary,  controverts  and  discards  this  all- 
 important,  soul-saving  truth  ;  and  yet,  with  a  strange  inconsistency, 
 its  upholders  pretend  to  have  moulded  the  religious  sentiments  of 
 the  world. 
 
 "  Such  idle  boasts  need  no  refutation.  Modern  or  rabbinical 
 Judaism  is  a  system  averse  to  the  Scriptures  and  the  holiest  princi- 
 ples of  the  Christian  faith.  It  owes  its  existence  to  contingencies 
 inseparably  connected  with  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the 
 cessation  of  the  Temple  service.  Without  such  a  centre  of  unity  as 
 the  traditional  belief,  the  Jews  would  inevitably  have  sunk  into  in- 
 fidelity, or  have  been  absorbed  by  the  races  among  whom  they  were 
 scattered.  Rabbinism  forestalled  the  catastrophe,  and  uncon- 
 ■sciously  worked  out  the  designs  of  Providence  in  preserving  the 
 integrity  of  the  nation. 
 
 "Rabbinism  has,  however,  outlived  its  time.  It  no  longer  exerts 
 any  influence  or  power.  Educated  Jews  everywhere  denounce  it  as 
 an  exploded  system.  Unfortunately,  extremes  always  meet,  and, 
 with  the  rejection  of  error,  men  are  also  generally  disposed  to  throw 
 off  the  restraints  imposed  by  truth.  This  is  the  case  with  enligh- 
 tened Jews.  Their  apologists  may,  with  proud  self-complacency, 
 dilate  on  their  wealth,  their  unity,  their  national  aspiration,  their 
 costly  synagogues,  splendid  charity,  and  a  variety  of  other  real  or 
 imaginary  virtues  ;  but  no  one  can  consistently  deny,  that  honest 
 conviction  and  genuine  faith  in  the  ancestral  creed  have  almost,  if 
 not  entirely,  disappeared  from  among  the  educated  classes.  With 
 most  of  them,  religion  is  merely  a  condescending  acknowledgment 
 of  a  Supreme  Creator.  There  is  no  consciousness  of  sin,  no  quest 
 for  pardon,  and  no  passionate  longing  for  that  infinite  love  so 
 touchingly  expressed  by  the  Psalmist,  when  he  exclaims  :  '  My  soul 
 thirsteth  for  God.'  Their  synagogue  sermons,  communal  organs, 
 and  religious  publications  breathe  a  spirit  of  self-sufficiency  and 
 laudation  which  even  the  conceit  of  the  ancient  rabbis  did  not  excel. 
 Hence,  as  a  natural  result,  conscience  is  dormant,  and  arrogance 
 and  pride  are  repulsively  cultivated.  The  fear  of  a  holy  God,  the 
 knowledge  of  sin,  and  the  need  of  peace  and  consolation — the  in- 
 stinctive yearning  of  every  soul  not  utterly  dead  to  the  terrors  of  the 
 judgment  to  come — are  all  avoided  as  topics,  that  belong  to  a  by- 
 gone age,  and  quite  unsuited  to  our  advanced  intellectual  times. 
 
 "  But  the  anti-Christian  Judaism  of  the  rabbis  and  modern 
 Jewish  reformers,  who  jointly  claim  the  merit  of  having  conquered 
 the  world  by  the  force  of  truth,  will  not  always  deck  itself  with 
 spurious  honours,  nor  espouse  false  doctrines.  Truth  is  yet  to  sup- 
 plant error,  and  the  revealed  Word  of  God,  the  aberrations  of  men. 
 The  Israel  of  the  future  will  yet  be  to  the  whole  world,  what  believ- 
 ing Israelites  were  to  the  Church  after  the  Day  of  Pentecost.  The 
 godly  remnant,  the  holy  seed,  those  preserved  from  the  final  apos- 
 
42  2  THE    AVANDERERS     HOME. 
 
 tasy,  which  is  rapidly  developing  itself,  are,  as  the  Prophet  declares,. 
 '  to  blossom  and  to  bud,  and  to  fill  the  face  of  the  earth  with  fruit.'" 
 The  language  of  the  Prophet  corresponds  with  the  words  of  the 
 Apostle  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  where 
 the  Church  is  reminded  of  the  benefits  she  derived  from  Israel's 
 fall,  and  of  the  still  greater  blessing  that  will  flow  into  her,  through. 
 Israel's  restoration.  At  present,  the  tabernacle  of  David  is  fallen 
 down,  but  it  is  to  rise  again,  and  to  inaugurate  the  reign  of  righteous- 
 ness and  peace,  when  the  residue  of  men  will  seek  after  the  Lord,, 
 and  all  the  Gentiles,  upon  whom  the  Lord's  name  shall  be  called. 
 Thus  prophecy  declares,  that,  in  the  future,  just  as  in  the  past,  Israel 
 will  be  God's  instrument  in  eifecting  the  most  sublime  moral  and 
 spiritual  revolution.  It  will  not,  however,  be  the  work  of  the  nation 
 allied  with  every  false  system  'against  the  Lord  and  against  His 
 Anointed,'  but  the  godly  remnant  quickened,  renewed,  and  sanctified 
 by  the  Spirit,  who  '  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  many  people  as  a  dew 
 from  the  Lord,  as  showers  upon  the  grass.'  Nor  is  the  decisive- 
 crisis,  according  to  all  appearances,  very  far  oflf.  Many  are  the 
 ominous  indications  of  its  near  approach.  Already  multitudes  of 
 Jews  have  joined  the  hostile  forces  of  that  ever-swelling  anti-Chris- 
 tian confederacy,  which  is  to  be  fully  developed  in  the  latter  days. 
 Already  they  boast  that  their  antagonism  to  Christianity  is  doing 
 much  more  injury  to  the  Church,  than  missionary  efforts  will  ever 
 be  able  to  do  to  the  synagogue.  Already  in  ecstatic  strains,  they 
 celebrate  the  onward  march  of  ideas,  subversive  of  the  most  essential 
 Gospel  truths. 
 
 "  Happily,  these  ungenerous  sentiments  towards  the  Christian, 
 faith  are  not  cherished  by  all.  It  is  only  the  professed  advocates- 
 of  the  religion  of  reason  and  intellectual  progress  that  are  inimi- 
 cally  disposed  towards  its  teachings.  The  thoughtful,  serious,  and 
 unprejudiced,  do  not  share  their  views.  They  are  too  conscious  of 
 the  debt  of  gratitude  they  owe  to  the  benevolent  and  elevating 
 principles  which  underlie  the  Gospel.  Christ  is  not  regarded  by 
 them  with  indifference,  but  with  profound  veneration  and  love. 
 They  admire  his  ethics,  laud  His  morality,  and  even  admit  the 
 beautiful  adaptation  of  His  doctrines  to  the  irrepressible  longing  of 
 the  heart,  yearning  for  peace,  immortality,  and  communion  with 
 God.  Here,  however,  their  concessions  end.  Saving  impressions 
 of  the  truth  they  have  not,  and  the  burden  of  sin  and  the  need  of  a 
 Divine  Saviour  they  do  not  feel.  Religion  is  with  them  more  an 
 object  of  intellectual  research  than  an  imperious  instinct  of  a. 
 troubled  and  anxious  soul.  They  dislike  Judaism,  and  do  not 
 trouble  themselves  about  the  claims  of  Christianity.  The  world  is 
 their  temple,  and  wealth  and  pleasure  the  idols  they  worship.  It  is 
 sad  to  see  men,  acute  and  wise  in  mundane  matters,  perfectly  insen- 
 sible to  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of  their  souls.  No  doubt 
 this  callousness,  must  in  part  be  attributed  to  the  dead  and  mechani- 
 cal form  of  religion,  under  which  they  were  brought  up. 
 
THE   WANDERERS     HOME.  425 
 
 "  It  is  nevertheless  satisfactory  to  know,  that  the  New  Testament 
 is  read,  and  the  subHme  lessons  it  inculcates  thoroughly  valued. 
 We  should,  of  course,  hail  with  delight  more  sensible  tokens  of  its 
 renewing,  quickening,  and  regenerating  power.  But  for  such 
 demonstration  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  efficacy,  we  must  prayerfully 
 wait.  Our  present  duty  consists  in  sowing  the  seed,  which,  under 
 the  Divine  blessing,  will  ripen,  and  burst  forth  in  strong  faith,  holy 
 walk,  and  courageous  confession.  This  is  our  work,  and,  God 
 helping  us,  we  know  that  it  will  redound  to  His  praise  in  the  salva- 
 tion of  souls.  Patience,  perseverance,  and  intercession  must  not  be 
 intermitted.  They  are  indispensable  in  all  Mission-fields,  but 
 especially  in  that  of  the  Jews.  Fanciful  visions  should  not  be 
 cherished.  Vast  accessions  to  the  Church  ought  not  to  be  expected. 
 The  Jewish  heart  is  not  impervious  to  good  impressions,  nor  insen- 
 sible to  saving  conviction.  It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that 
 the  prejudices  of  centuries  can  be  obliterated  at  once,  and  truths, 
 so  long  rejected  and  despised,  accepted  without  a  deep  and  ardent 
 struggle.  What  we  have  to  do  is  to  preach  the  Gospel ;  and,  if  we 
 are  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  our  sacred  obligations,  we  need  not 
 fear  that  our  labour  and  strength  will  be  expended  for  nought.  In 
 proof  of  this  we  may  refer  to  some  of  the  incidents  connected 
 with  our  work  ,  as  they  forcibly  illustrate  that  the  Gospel  is  still  in 
 our  day,  as  it  was  in  times  of  yore,  the  power  of  God  unto 
 salvation  to  the  Jew  as  well  as  to  the  Gentile. 
 
 "  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  rebound  from  superstition  is  un- 
 belief, and  from  error  very  often  truth.  Of  this,  the  missionary  to 
 the  Jews  has  constant  proofs.  Persuaded  of  the  untenableness  of 
 the  ancestral  belief,  the  Jew,  like  the  Roman  Catholic,  without  much 
 inquiry  or  research,  plunges  recklessly  into  the  opposite  extreme, 
 and  becomes  either  an  open  or  secret  unbeliever.  He  is  not  happy, 
 however.  Nature  has  endowed  the  Semitic  race  with  a  religious 
 instinct,  which  no  human  power  can  thoroughly  eradicate.  This  is 
 particularly  the  case  with  Oriental  Jews,  who  have  not  long  been 
 domiciled  in  Europe." 
 
 In  another  Report,  Mr.  Stern,  dwelling  on  this  subject  from 
 a  like  point  of  view,  vividly  describes  the  application  of  the 
 vision  of  Ezekiel  to  the  state  of  Israel,  during  the  period  of  their 
 long-protracted  dispersion.. 
 
 "  It  was  a  sad  sight,  which  presented  itself  to  the  Prophet  Eze- 
 kiel, when,  in  a  vision,  he  beheld  the  valley  of  dry  bones.  In  all 
 directions  a  ghastly  spectacle  met  his  gaze.  There,  lay  around  him 
 avast  field  covered  with  hideous  skeletons.  Appalled  and  oppressed, 
 he  traversed  in  solemn  silence  this  painful  scene  of  desolation  and 
 death,  when  suddenly  a  voice  addresses  to  him  the  startling  ques- 
 tion :  '  Son  of  man,  can  these  bones  live  ? '  The  prophet,  who  is 
 not  a  stranger  to   the  speaker,  replies  with  becoming  meekness  : 
 
424  IHE    WANDERERS     HOME. 
 
 '  O  Lord  God,  thou  knowest.'  No  human  power  can  quicken  the 
 dead,  and  recall  to  earth  and  time  the  departed.  The  Almighty- 
 alone  can  do  it,  for  nothing  is  impossible  with  Him,  and,  if  it  is  in 
 conformity  with  His  Divine  will,  this  valley  of  desolation  and  gloom 
 can  be  transformed  into  a  temple  of  adoration  and  praise.  And 
 now  He,  who  is  infinite  in  power  as  He  is  unfathomable  in  mercy, 
 commands :  '  Prophesy  upon  these  bones,  and  say  unto  them,  O  ye 
 dry  bones,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,'  and,  whilst  the  words  are 
 still  trembling  upon  the  lips  of  the  seer,  a  rustling  is  heard  among 
 the  dry  bones,  the  skeletons  move,  the  eyes  sparkle,  the  hearts  pul- 
 sate, and  they  rise  from  their  death-like  slumber  an  exceeding  great 
 army  to  magnify  and  laud  God's  holy  name. 
 
 "The  vision  the  prophet  beheld,  graphically  pourtrays  the  condi- 
 tion of  the  Jews  during  the  last  eighteen  centuries.  No  nation  ever 
 enjoyed  greater  privileges  or  more  grievously  abused  them.  Inflated 
 with  pride  and  self-sufliciency,  they  have  always  regarded  themselves 
 as  the  special  objects  of  Divine  complacency,  and  have  looked  for- 
 ward with  joy  to  the  advent  of  a  INIessiah,  who  would  gratify  all 
 their  cherished  dreams  of  temporal  splendour  and  glory.  But  hope 
 deferred  has  wrought  the  wonted  result,  and  made  the  heart  sick. 
 Disappointed  in  their  anticipations  of  a  Deliverer,  who  would  verify 
 all  their  fanciful  visions  of  wealth,  dominion,  and  power;  multitudes 
 have  lost  all  confidence  in  the  prophetic  declarations,  and  attribute 
 the  splendid  descriptions  of  a  Messianic  era  to  the  poetic  aspira- 
 tions of  patriotic  enthusiasts. 
 
 "  But  whatever  anti-scriptural  delusions  a  section  of  the  Jews 
 may,  for  a  time,  entertain  ;  it  cannot  be  said  that,  as  a  nation,  they 
 have  renounced  those  expectations,  for  which  their  ancestors  made 
 the  greatest  sacrifices.  The  reverse  is  the  case.  A  spirit  of  deep 
 devotion  dwells  in  their  hearts.  They  are  conscious  of  it,  and,  in 
 their  intellectual  arrogance,  struggle  to  suppress  it.  Under  the 
 plausible  pretext  of  purifying  religion  from  the  accretions,  with 
 which  superstition  has  overlaid  it,  they  have  almost  unconsciously 
 wandered  away  from  the  God  of  their  fathers,  and  adopted  theories 
 subversive  of  all  faith  in  His  Word.  But,  whilst  we  deplore  the 
 rejection  by  Israel  of  that  revelation  which  is  their  nation's  chief 
 glory,  and  their  adoption  of  the  materialistic  motto,  '  Let  us  eat  and 
 ■  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die,'  we  cannot  help  contemplating  with 
 satisfaction  this  melancholy  restlessness,  which,  ere  long,  must  effect 
 its  own  cure.  It  is  the  inevitable  reaction  of  centuries  of  mental 
 and  spiritual  bondage.  A  belief  based  upon  human  traditions  can- 
 not possibly  exact  the  obedience  of  enlightened  and  thinking  men. 
 The  careless  and  superstitious  may  bow  to  its  dictates,  but  not  the 
 serious  and  intelligent.  This  is  the  case  with  multitudes  of  Jews 
 in  the  present  day.  Weary  and  sick  of  the  falsehoods  of  the  rabbis, 
 they  have  drifted  into  all  sorts  of  fashionable  theories,  until  at  last 
 they  find  themselves  completely  lost  in  the  labyrinthine  maze  of 
 .scepticism  and  infidelity.     But  the  night  is  always  darkest  before 
 
THE    WAXUKREKS     HOME.  425 
 
 the  dawn  of  day.  Of  this  the  history  of  the  Church  furnishes  many 
 an  iUustration.  It  will  be  the  same  with  the  modern  unbelief  of 
 the  Jews.  They  will,  before  long,  see  the  folly  of  that  rationalistic 
 philosophy,  which  only  recognizes  the  gods  that  walk  before  their 
 eyes.  Already,  symptoms  of  a  craving  for  something  more  adapted 
 to  meet  the  wants  of  the  human  heart,  than  hazy  disquisitions  about 
 '  the  unknowable,'  are  manifesting  themselves  ;  already,  learned  chi- 
 meras, which  some  years  ago  were  regarded  as  the  sublimest  disco- 
 veries in  the  realm  of  moral  and  spiritual  truth,  have  been  scattered 
 to  the  winds  ;  already,  in  many  a  study  and  lonely  chamber,  the 
 Bible  has  supplanted  the  books  and  pamphlets  of  anti-scriptural 
 writers." 
 
 It  is  apparent,  that  the  conscientious  Missionary  never  disguised, 
 nor  employed  any  qualifying  terms,  in  pourtraying  the  character 
 and  disposition  of  those  to  whom  he  preached  the  Gospel.  What- 
 ever might  have  been  the  dignity  of  their  past  relations  to  God — 
 however  distinct  the  evidence  that  He,  in  the  e.xercise  of  His  own 
 gracious  purposes,  was  ever  keeping  them  as  "  the  apple"  of  His 
 "  eye,"  and  however  clear  the  assurance  of  their  future  glory — Mr. 
 Stern  never  failed  to  state  with  fullness  and  point,  the  nature  and 
 cause  of  their  present  unbelief. 
 
 "  The  Reformed,  or  rather  rationalistic  Jews,  perpetually  boast  of 
 the  noble  principles  of  humanity,  tolerance,  and  reasonableness, 
 that  underlie  their  sublimated  Judaism,  which  is  to  be  the  religion 
 of  the  future.  It  is  a  string  upon  which  they  are  never  weary  of 
 harping.  They  are  so  anxious  to  impress  this  fact  upon  the  world, 
 that  their  pulpits  and  newspapers  are  perpetually  repeating  the  same 
 story.  It  is  quite  painful  to  witness  the  efforts  they  are  making  to 
 exalt  their  new  Judaism,  at  the  expense  of  Christianity.  But,  in 
 spite  of  all  their  vaunts,  the  people  are  beginning  to  be  aware,  that 
 a  philosophic  Judaism  that  believes  nothing,  is  doing  them  as  little 
 good  as  a  rabbinic  Judaism  that  believes  all  things.  The  latter,  it 
 is  true,  has  kept  them  a  distinct  and  separate  nation,  but,  morally 
 and  socially,  it  has  done  them  incalculable  harm  ;  whilst  Christi- 
 anity, on  the  contrary,  wherever  it  finds  an  entrance,  proves  its 
 divine  origin  by  the  blessings  that  follow  in  its  train.  Now,  to 
 admit  that  the  Church  has  done  for  mankind  what  the  synagogue 
 never  could  do,  would  be  a  homage  to  the  Gospel,  which  these 
 narrow-minded  rationalists  are  very  loth  to  render.  Hence  their 
 incessant  boast  of  a  reformed  Judaism,  the  pretended  embodiment 
 of  everything  noble,  philosophic,  and  rational.  It  is  only  to  be 
 regretted  that  such  silly  notions  should  be  espoused  by  men  of 
 intellect  and  culture,  who  have  virtually  seceded  from  the  syna- 
 gogue, and  reduced  their  Judaism  to  a  mere  nationality.  Religion 
 in  the  true  sense  of  the  word  they  have  none.     In  the  advent  of  a 
 
 c  c 
 
426  THE    wanderers'    HOME. 
 
 INIessiah  thcv  do  not  believe  ;  even  the  Bible  they  regard  as  an  old- 
 fashioned,  obsolete  work,  quite  unsuited  to  our  advanced  ideas. 
 And  yet  their  philosophical  speculations  do  not  afford  them  com- 
 fort, nor  remove  the  dread  of  death,  the  grave,  and  the  judgment  to 
 come.  Their  desire  is  merely  to  glorify  a  rationalistic  Judaism. 
 Christianity  they  hate.  Its  dogmas  and  spiritual  teaching  are 
 repugnant  to  their  worldly  views  and  sentiments.  Owing  to  the  ill- 
 feeling,  which  their  attacks  upon  the  Gospel  are  calculated  to  excite 
 among  Christians,  they  have  of  late  become  a  little  more  guarded  ; 
 still,  whenever  the  faintest  shadow  of  a  favourable  opportunity  pre- 
 sents itself,  these  champions  of  a  spurious  tolerance  give  vent,  to  the 
 rancour  they  cherish  against  the  religion  of  Christ.  This  artful 
 opposition  should  not  slacken,  but  increase  our  efforts  for  their 
 spiritual  welfare.  We  have  only  to  follow  the  example  of  St.  Paul. 
 He  had  to  sustain  the  malice  of  his  former  co-religionists  to  its 
 utmost  extent,  and  yet  it  did  not  damp  his  zeal,  nor  cool  his  ardent 
 solicitude  for  their  salvation.  Whatever  town  he  visited,  the  syna- 
 gogue was  the  place  where  he  first  proclaimed  the  message  of 
 redeeming  mercy.  Fanatical  violence  did  not  make  him  indifferent 
 to  their  perishing  souls.  Was  he  not  himself  once  a  persecutor  ?  and 
 surely,  that  divine  power,  which  could  change  his  heart,  could  effect 
 the  same  in  the  case  of  others.  This  thought  no  doubt  sustained 
 him  amidst  all  the  labours  and  toils,  hardships  and  privations,  he 
 had  to  endure.  Nor  need  Missionaries,  especially  those  who  seek 
 the  conversion  of  Israel,  care  for  the  clamour  and  rage  of  infidel 
 and  superstitious  Jews.  We  have  to  warn  and  to  entreat,  and,  if 
 the  result  does  not  quite  correspond  with  our  expectations,  still 
 some  will  listen  to  the  truth,  believe,  and  also  live.  There  is  a 
 '  remnant  according  to  the  election  of  grace,'  and  we  prayerfully 
 anticipate  the  day  when  the  veil  which  is  upon  the  nation's  heart 
 will  be  lifted  up,  and  they  will  look  unto  Him,  who  died  that  they 
 might  eternally  live.  Already  a  ripple  can  be  discerned  on  the  face 
 of  the  dark  waters  of  Jewish  unbelief, — the  premonitor  of  the  storm, 
 which  will  ere  long  purify  the  moral  atmosphere,  and  make  all  light 
 and  gladness  in  the  Lord. 
 
 "  This  anticipation  is  not  an  illusive  dream.  Numerous  are  the 
 indications  which  justify  the  fond  hope  that  the  latter  day  of  glory 
 is  not  far  off.  To  refer  to  them  all  would  occupy  far  more  time  and 
 space  than  we  can  afford.  But  it  must  be  patent  to  every  careful 
 observer  of  the  signs  of  the  times  that  we  are  approaching  an  im- 
 portant crisis.  Never  at  any  former  period  did  infidelity  make  such 
 rapid  strides,  or  assume  such  a  defiant  attitude.  Lawlessness,  with 
 its  twin  sisters,  socialism  and  communism,  is  also  shamelessly  held 
 up  as  the  panacea  for  all  the  evils  that  aftiict  poor  humanity. 
 Religion,  too,  is  becoming  a  round  of  sensuous  rites,  witliout  any 
 sanctifying  energy  and  power.  Distrust  and  jealousy  pervade  all 
 classes.  It  exists  between  employer  and  employed,  between  capital 
 and  labour,  between  governments  and  people.     Even  nations  are 
 
THE    wanderers'    HOME.  427 
 
 not  free  from  this  failing,  which,  at  any  time,  may  plunge  Europe 
 and  Asia  into  a  terrible  conflict.  The  position  of  the  Jews  is  also 
 becoming  a  difficult  and  perplexing  problem.  Forty  or  fifty  years 
 ago  they  were  content  to  be  a  tolerated  people  ;  at  present  they  are 
 aspiring  to  develope  into  a  dominating  power.  Nor  is  their  ambi- 
 tion altogether  unreasonable.  Already  they  control — more  so  on 
 the  Continent  than  in  England — the  Exchange  and  Chambers  of 
 Commerce.  Literature,  too,  they  seek  to  make  a  monopoly.  The 
 Liberal  press  in  Germany,  Austria,  Italy,  and  to  some  extent  in 
 France,  is  completely  in  their  hands.  They  are  either  the  pro- 
 prietors, editors,  or  principal  contributors.  Nor  are  they  indifferent 
 to  science,  philosophy,  and  the  higher  branches  of  knowledge. 
 Jews  occupy  distinguished  professorial  chairs  in  the  Universities, 
 and  shine  as  eminent  judges,  lawyers,  and  physicians.  Titles  of 
 nobility,  which  they  ardently  covet,  few  possess  ;  but  instead  of 
 these,  they  eclipse  the  most  aristocratic  families,  by  their  magnifi- 
 cent palatial  residences  and  extensive  estates.  Even  in  the  Senates 
 and  Councils  of  Kings  they  hold  no  mean  position.  Indeed  it  is 
 admitted  by  all  thoughtful  men,  that,  if  the  Jews  continue  to  advance 
 in  the  same  ratio  during  the  next  thirty  or  forty  years  as  they  have 
 done  within  the  last  fifty,  they  will  obtain  unlimited  power,  and 
 dominate  the  world.  Not  very  long  ago,  the  learned  Professor 
 Ebrard,  of  the  University  of  Erlangen,  in  speaking  of  the  signs  of 
 the  times,  wrote  :  '  It  appears  as  if  our  age  might  be  compared  to 
 the  last  year  of  the  ministry  of  Christ,  when  the  great  mass  of 
 people,  who  before  had  followed  Him  with  a  half-blinded 
 enthusiasm,  turned  away  from  Him  and  left  Him  alone  with  His 
 disciples.  In  the  present  day,  that  same  Semitic  people,  having 
 entered  upon  a  phase  of  modern  Saduceeism,  are  working  as  the 
 chief  agitators,  to  turn  the  masses  of  the  Germanic  and  Germano- 
 Roman  nations  astray  from  their  Christian  faith.'  Wealth,  rank, 
 and  influence,  gratifying  as  they  are  to  their  pride,  have  not  won 
 them  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  people  amoi)g  whom  they  dwell. 
 On  the  contrary,  their  off"ensive  arrogance  and  anti-Christian 
 attitude  have  tended  to  bring  upon  them  a  good  deal  of  hatred  and 
 contempt.  The  thoughtful  and  reflecting  are  fully  conscious  of 
 this.  They  deplore  that  ostentatious  parade  of  riches,  and  open 
 espousal  of  the  most  dangerous  doctrines.  We  have  repeatedly 
 heard  men  of  this  stamp  express  their  just  fear  of  some  retributive 
 vengeance.  They  fully  anticipate  the  outbreak  of  a  revolution,  and 
 the  calamities  in  which  it  is  certain  to  involve  their  people.  Be- 
 sides that,  men  of  intelligence,  whose  views  are  not  limited  to  time, 
 are  daily  growing  more  and  more  weary  of  the  everlasting  repetition 
 of  that  false  humanitarianism — the  creed  of  modern  Jewish  Sad- 
 ducees.  They  want  something  better  than  mere  unmeaning,  moral 
 platitudes,  which  neither  appease  the  restless  mind,  nor  impart  com- 
 fort to  the  anxious  heart.  That  the  Gospel  only  can  affect  this, 
 many  are  quite  willing  to  admit. 
 
428  THE   AVANDERERS'    HOME. 
 
 "  Thus,  quite  recently,  a  Jew,  who  is  no  mean  scholar,  published 
 a  small  work,  in  which  he  endeavours  to  prove  that  Christianity  is 
 the  only  religion  which  reveals  a  plan  of  salvation  in  harmony  with 
 infinite  wisdom,  and  the  craving  of  the  sinful  heart.  He  advises  his 
 co-religionists  to  join  the  Christian  Church.  Another  writer,  in  a 
 pamphlet  which  bears  the  title,  '  New  Epistles  to  the  Hebrews,'  says  : 
 *  I  am  a  strict  Jew,  and  also  a  true  philanthro])ist.  jNIy  Jewish  as  well  as 
 my  human  feelings  revolt  against  this  new  Judaism,  which  is  based 
 not  on  the  law  and  the  prophets,  but  on  money.'  And  again,  in 
 speaking  of  a  restoration,  he  observes :  '  The  events,  which  are 
 transpiring  in  the  east,  may  bring  this  project  within  the  compass 
 of  probable  contingencies,  and  for  that  very  reason,  we  should 
 hasten  to  acknowledge  Christianity  as  the  religion  of  the  world's 
 redemption,  and  be  proud  of  it  as  the  consummation  of  the  most 
 glorious  scriptural  promises.  Only  by  admitting  this  great  fact,  can 
 we  come  into  possession  of  the  Promised  Land,  and  of  all  the 
 sacred  memorials  of  Christendom,  which  will  never  be  entrusted  to 
 a  nation  incapable  of  appreciating  them.'  This  is  the  language  of 
 an  educated  orthodox  Jew.  It  is  an  indication  of  the  budding  of 
 the  fig-tree.  Half  a  centur}'  ago  no  Jew  durst  express  such  senti- 
 ments without  incurring  the  severest  penalties.  But  times  have 
 changed.  Jews  of  culture  and  superior  intellectual  attainments,  are 
 actually  becoming  able  defenders  of  the  Gospel,  against  the  attacks 
 of  their  own  co-religionists. 
 
 "  Nor  is  our  work  unaffected  by  these  incipient  movements  which 
 agitate  so  many  Jewish  communities.  There  is  a  faint  glimmer  of 
 light  perceptible  on  the  dark  horizon  of  a  creedless  Judaism,  which 
 announces  that  the  night  is  far  spent  and  the  day  is  at  hand.  Mul- 
 titudes admit  that  Judaism,  in  spite  of  its  shifting  and  accommoda- 
 ting phases,  is  not  a  religion  that  can  ever  obtain  universal  credence. 
 It  is  a  system  of  doubt  and  negation  utterly  unsuited  to  the  restless 
 heart,  that  seeks  a  sure  haven  of  rest.  Jews  themselves  acknow- 
 ledge that  it  has  done  no  good  to  their  people,  nor  will  it  benefit 
 any  other  race.  Such,  they  admit,  is  not  the  case  with  Christianity  ; 
 on  the  contrary,  wherever  the  Gospel  is  accepted,  an  improvement 
 in  the  moral,  social,  and  spiritual  condition  of  the  people  imme- 
 diately takes  place.  Arrogant  modern  Sadduceeism,  which  delights 
 to  prate  about  progress,  humanity,  and  a  mock  universal  brother- 
 hood, cannot  brook  a  concession  so  galling  to  its  pride;  hence 
 hatred,  malice,  and  spiteful  misrepresentations.  But  we  are  indif- 
 ferent to  an  opposition,  which  borrows  all  its  arguments  against  the 
 truth  from  the  oft-refuted  literar}-  productions  of  notorious  infidel 
 writers.  Thank  God,  the  work  is  progressing,  and  will  continue  to 
 do  so  till  the  Jews  as  a  nation  look  unto  Him  whom  their  fathers 
 pierced,  and  exclaim  :  '  Lo,  this  is  our  God  ;  we  have  waited  for 
 Him,  and  He  will  save  us  ;  this  is  the  Lord  ;  we  have  waited  for 
 Him  ;  we  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  His  salvation.' " 
 
THE    WANDERERS     HOME.  429 
 
 The  persecutions  to  which  the  Jews  in  Russia  have  been,  within 
 the  last  few  years,  exposed,  are  well  known  to  every  reader  of 
 passing  events.  This  current  of  anti-Semitic  feeling  has  widely 
 prevailed  throughout  the  whole  Continent  of  Europe.  That  the 
 prosperity  and  success  of  the  Jews,  in  every  calling  to  which  they 
 have  applied  themselves,  has  been  the  chief  cause  of  the  hostility 
 and  distrust  with  which  they  have  been  treated,  is  beyond  all  contro- 
 versy. But  these  persecutions  have  been  the  most  remarkable  signs 
 of  the  times.  It  appears  to  have  been  a  movement,  directed,  in  a 
 certain  sense,  by  the  hand  and  power  of  God,  in  order  to  disturb 
 the  illusion  with  which  prosperity  and  ease  filled  the  minds  of 
 many  of  the  people,  that  in  the  bosom  of  those  nationalities,  in  the 
 midst  of  which  they  have  been  sojourning,  they  should  continue  to 
 have  their  rest.  Mr.  Stern's  comments  on  this  subject,  in  one  of 
 the  Reports  of  "the  Wanderers'  Home,"  are  suggestive  and  inter- 
 -esting : 
 
 "The  progress  of  knowledge,  the  spread  of  Gospel  light,  and  the 
 loud  boast  of  a  universal  brotherhood,  one  would  have  thought  had 
 for  ever  exorcised  the  spirit  of  persecution  and  racial  antipathies. 
 But  this  illusion  the  events  of  the  last  two  years  have  sadly  dispelled. 
 The  anti-Semitic  movement  in  Germany,  the  outrages  in  Russia, 
 and  the  ill-disguised  hostility  manifested  towards  that  people  in 
 other  lands,  give  emphasis  to  the  Scripture  statements,  which  so 
 minutely  foreshadow  their  painful  career.  Israel  is  not  to  find  a 
 permanent  peaceful  home  away  from  the  land  of  their  fathers. 
 Palestine  is  their  inheritance,  and  they  will  yet  possess  it,  '  from  the 
 river  of  Egypt  unto  the  great  river  Euphrates.'  For  the  last  twenty 
 or  thirty  years  their  watchword  has  been,  '  We  will  be  as  the  nations 
 about  us.'  This  desire  a  decade  ago,  according  to  all  appearances, 
 seemed  about  to  be  realized.  Civil  and  political  equality  broke 
 down  the  last  barrier,  which  separated  the  Jew  from  the  Christian. 
 In  Roman  Catholic  as  well  as  in  Protestant  countries  they  rose  to 
 positions  of  great  influence  in  the  financial,  literary,  and  political 
 world.  Jewish  bankers,  Jewish  literati,  and  Jewish  statesmen,  con- 
 trolled to  a  considerable  extent  the  exchange,  the  press,  and  even 
 the  Councils  of  Kings.  High  position,  social  influence,  and  political 
 power  induced  many  to  indulge  in  the  illusion,  that  the  golden  age 
 of  the  INIessianic  era,  of  which  the  prophets  spoke,  had  at  length 
 dawned  upon  them,  and  that  uninterrupted  prosperity  would  hence- 
 forward be  their  coveted  lot.  From  this  false  security  the  recent 
 outburst  of  a  wide-felt  hostility  unexpectedly  roused  them.  It  scat- 
 tered to  the  winds  all  their  proud  visions  of  a  godless  millennium, 
 and  made  them  involuntarily  cry,  '  We  looked  for  peace,  and  no 
 good  came — and  for  a  time  of  health,  and  behold  trouble.'  " 
 
430  THK    WANDERERS     HOME. 
 
 Turning  now  to  the  work  carried  on  within  the  precincts  of  "the 
 Home,"  there  are  some  characteristics  which  require  our  careful 
 attention.  The  status  in  Hfe  of  those  who  were  brought  within  the 
 influence  of  the  Gospel  is  described — the  lands  from  whence  they 
 came — and  the  necessity  of  an  acquaintance  with  various  languages, 
 in  order  to  hold  communication  with  them.  That  many  of  these 
 persons,  brought  up  in  affluence,  and  previously  filling  respectable 
 positions  in  life,  were  not  only  inquirers,  but  believers,  will  eventu- 
 ally appear. 
 
 "Already  we  see  in  the  wide-spreading  spirit  of  inquiry  and  rest- 
 lessness the  dawn  of  a  brighter  day.  Jews  cannot  long  exist  with- 
 out some  belief.  The  religious  sentiment  is  part  of  their  very 
 nature.  They  are,  however,  like  most  people,  inclined  to  extremes. 
 Imposed  upon  by  the  Rabbis,  they  have  become  distrustful  of  the 
 Prophets.  In  negations  and  rationalism  they,  nevertheless,  find 
 nothing  to  satisfy  their  reason  nor  to  allay  their  doubts.  The  mis- 
 sionary excited  their  fears  and  misgivings,  and  the  missionary,  too, 
 must  also  communicate  to  them  the  Gospel  of  salvation  and  peace. 
 
 "This  shaking  of  the  dry  bones  is  also  perceptible  in  the  study 
 and  better  appreciation  of  the  Gospel.  Formerly  any  one  posses- 
 sing a  New  Testament  was  denounced  as  an  apostate,  and  liable  to 
 be  expelled  from  the  synagogue.  Jewish  children,  who  attended 
 Christian  schools,  blotted  out  the  name  of  Jesus  wherever  it 
 occurred.  It  was  never  mentioned  without  a  vile  imprecation,  or  a 
 coarse  expression  of  contempt.  Times  have  changed.  The  New 
 Testament  is  no  longer  under  a  ban.  It  is  to  be  found  in  the 
 mansions  of  the  rich,  and  in  the  humble  dwellings  of  the  poor.  It 
 is  quoted  in  Jewish  newspapers,  and  very  often  cautiously  referred 
 to  in  synagogue  sermons.  It  is  read  by  high  and  low,  the  literate 
 and  the  illiterate.  Some  study  it  to  find  objections,  others  to  obtain 
 a  correct  knowledge  of  the  Christian  faith,  and  not  a  few  to  extract 
 from  its  pages  a  perfect  rule  of  life,  and  a  response  to  allay  the  fears 
 that  trouble  and  perplex  their  minds. 
 
 "  Only  quite  recently,  a  Jewish  lady  of  rank  and  wealth,  who  reads 
 the  New  Testament  every  day,  was  asked  by  a  friend  why  she  was 
 so  fond  of  that  simple  book.  Instantly  she  retorted,  '  You  call  it  a 
 simple  book  because  it  discards  embellishments  ;  I,  on  the  con- 
 trary, call  it  a  noble,  if  not  a  Divine  book,  for  it  satisfies  the  loftiest 
 aspirations  and  inculcates  the  purest  morality.'  Jews  attribute  the 
 almost  universal  dissatisfaction  with  dogmas  and  articles  of  belief, 
 which  age  and  custom  have  rendered  sacred,  to  the  progress  of 
 knowledge  and  the  sceptical  spirit  of  the  times  ;  but  we  know,  and 
 candid  Israelites  have  repeatedly  acknowledged,  that  to  the  efforts 
 of  missionaries  must  be  traced  the  inquiry  and  research  into  the 
 domain  of  religion,  which  pervades  their  community. 
 
THE    WAXDKRKRS     HOMK.  43  I 
 
 "The  last  and  most  tangible  proof  of  the  blessing  attending  our 
 labours  among  Jews  is  to  be  found  in  the  large  number  of  proselytes 
 who,  within  a  limited  period,  have  been  received  into  the  Church  of 
 Christ.  Antecedent  to  theestablishment  of  regularly-organized  Mis- 
 sions, secession  from  the  Synagogue  did  occasionally  take  [)lace.  We 
 might  mention  several  most  eminent  men,  who,  by  the  simple  read- 
 ing of  the  Scriptures  and  conversation  with  pious  Christians,  were 
 led  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Saviour,  and  kuih  in  His  precious  blood. 
 They  constituted  that  ever-existing  'remnant  according  to  the  elec- 
 ticn'of  grace ' — the  palpable  pledge  that  '  God  hath  not  cast  away 
 His  people.'  But  these  conversions,  the  first-fruits  of  a  future  and 
 more  abundant  harvest,  were,  comparatively  speaking,  very  few. 
 Since  then  the  reverse  has  been  the  case  ;  accessions  to  the  Church 
 have  been  rapidly  increasing.  In  Protestant  countries  like  Germany 
 and  England,  where  the  eiforts  of  missionaries  have  been  more  con- 
 centrated, baptisms  can  be  counted  by  hundreds,  and  even  thousands. 
 In  the  Chapel  of  the  London  Jews'  Society  in  Palestine-place  alone, 
 nearly  fourteen  hundred  adults  and  children  are  inscribed  on  the 
 baptismal  register.  In  Berlin  and  some  other  German  cities,  which 
 have  always  been  great  centres  of  attraction  to  Jews,  the  efforts  for 
 their  spiritual  welfare  have  been  crowned  with  a  success,  the  most 
 sanguine  could  scarcely  have  anticipated.  In  the  absence  of 
 accurate  official  statistics,  which  it  is  very  difficult  to  obtain,  we 
 cannot,  as  in  heathen  lands,  where  converts  occupy  distinct  settle- 
 ments, tabulate  the  proselytes  and  the  localities  where  they  reside  ; 
 the  aggregate  is,  however,  very  considerable.  According  to  the 
 most  authentic  information,  there  are  in  the  present  day  above 
 twenty  thousand  Jews,  who  by  baptism  have  been  received  into  the 
 fold  of  Christ ;  and,  were  we  to  include  those  who  are  Israelites  by 
 descent,  the  number  might  be  doubled,  if  not  tripled. 
 
 "  But  it  is  alleged,  particularly  by  unbelieving  Jews,  that  the 
 majority  of  converts  are  men  of  low  origin,  illiterate,  and  of  vicious 
 lives.  This  charge  is  not  new.  The  Pharisees  in  times  of  old 
 exclaimed,  'Have  any  of  the  rulers  believed  in  Him?'  And  one 
 of  the  most  notorious  heathen  opponents  the  primitive  Church  had 
 to  encounter,  made  use  of  similar  unworthy  taunts  in  his  attack 
 upon  the  Gospel.  Now,  if  we  admit  that  the  statement  is  true,  and 
 not  the  invention  of  insidious  malice,  which  seeks  to  misrepresent 
 every  good  work  in  orderto  further  its  own  ungodly  designs,  what  does 
 it  matter  ?  Are  the  vicious  not  to  be  reclaimed  ?  Are  the  degraded 
 not  to  be  raised  ?  If  it  is  wrong  to  snatch  the  vile  and  base  from 
 the  gates  of  dealh,  and  prepare  them  to  associate  with  the  pure  and 
 holy,  we  glory  in  the  offence.  The  sick  need  the  physician.  Our 
 Lord  Himself  came  to  call  not  the  righteous  but  sinners  to  repent- 
 ance. His  message  of  mercy  is  not  the  monopoly  of  the  decent 
 and  prosperous — it  is  as  free  as  the  air  we  breathe,  and  the  sky  on 
 which  we  gaze.  No  one  is  excluded  from  sharing  in  heaven's 
 universal  amnesty.     It  imposes  no  conditions,  and  exacts  no  con- 
 
432  THK    ^VANDERERS     HOME. 
 
 cessions,  l)ut  simply  bids  m;in  repent  and  be  reconciled  to  God. 
 Our  slanderers  should  be  grateful,  that  we  drain  their  community  of 
 the  vile  and  base,  and  make  them  virtuous  and  good.  We  know 
 Jews,  who,  before  their  conversion,  rioted  in  every  pollution  and 
 sin.  Judaism,  impotent  and  lifeless  as  it  is,  could  not  reform  their 
 characters  and  eradicate  the  evil  passions,  that  had  taken  hold  of 
 their  hearts.  On  high  festivals  and  the  Day  of  Atonement,  they 
 went  for  a  few  hours  to  the  Synagogue,  repeated  a  certain  number 
 of  prayers,  perhaps  also  gave  a  donation  to  the  poor,  and  away 
 again  they  hurried  to  the  haunts  of  dissipation,  in  the  vague  persua- 
 sion that  their  old  sins  were  wiped  out,  and  that  they  could  now 
 cast  up  a  new  account  before  another  twelve  months  had  comj)leted 
 their  circuit.  The  Gospel  revealed  to  them  the  purity  of  God,  the 
 equity  of  His  government,  and  the  merciful  design  of  His  law.  Sin 
 was  now  no  longer  regarded  as  a  harmless  infirmity,  which  Divine 
 justice  would  never  punish,  but  as  a  crime,  which  the  interposition 
 of  the  Divine  Redeemer  alone  could  expiate.  These  solemn  truths 
 startled  them  from  their  comj)lacent  security,  and  made  repentance 
 and  faith,  purity  and  holiness,  an  imperious  necessity  of  the  soul. 
 
 "  But  it  is  merely  an  artful  device  of  our  adversaries  to  represent 
 converts  as  men  of  doubtful  morals  and  uncultivated  minds.  They 
 resort  to  such  insinuations  from  motives,  that  are  obvious  enough. 
 We  admit  that  we  reject  no  one,  who  wants  to  be  instructed.  We 
 receive  all,  that  we  may  improve  all  But  it  is  a  well-known  fact, 
 that  the  ignorant  and  unlettered,  are  invariably  most  hostile  to  the 
 missionaries.  Coarse  and  fanatical,  or  extremely  loose  and  irre- 
 ligious, they  prefer  a  few  unedifying  rites,  that  appeal  to  the  senses, 
 to  the  spiritual  truths  of  the  Gospel,  that  impose  a  check  upon  the 
 sinful  aifections  of  the  heart.  It  is  far  easier  for  them  to  put  on 
 phylacteries,  and  to  kiss  the  scroll  of  the  law,  than  to  rise  to  a  new 
 life  of  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  Of  course  we  do  not,  like  the  Rabbis, 
 look  upon  ignorant  men  as  if  they  were  out  of  the  pale  of  humanity; 
 on  the  contrary,  we  gladly  welcome  them  to  our  Bible-class,  prayer- 
 meetings,  and  even,  where  it  is  necessary,  we  teach  them  to  read  in 
 the  language,  in  which  they  were  born,  the  wonderful  things 
 contained  in  God's  Word  ;  but,  as  a  rule,  their  religious  opinions 
 are  too  much  swayed  either  by  superstition  or  unbelief  to  make 
 them  heed  the  warnings  or  entreaties  of  the  missionary.  Our 
 proselytes,  if  not  all,  yet  the  great  majority,  belong  to  the  intelligent 
 and  learned  class.  Were  it  desirable,  we  might  give  a  long  list  of 
 Hebrew  Christians  distinguished  for  eminent  piety,  extensive  use- 
 fulness, and  superior  literary  attainments.  We,  however,  forbear  to 
 do  so.  Their  names  are  dear  to  the  Church,  and  will  be  remem- 
 bered with  reverence  and  love,  when  their  detractors  arc  altogether 
 forgotten. 
 
 "  Unwilling  as  we  feel  to  linger  any  longer  on  these  unpleasant 
 topics,  consideration  for  our  Hebrew-Christian  brethren  compels  us 
 
THE    WANDERERS     HOME.  433 
 
 "most  emphatically  to  repudiate  the  oft-reiterated  charge,  that  con- 
 verts constitute  the  refuse  of  the  Jewish  community.  The  Jews 
 know  well  enough  that  this  is  not  true.  But  what  are  they  to  do  ? 
 Shall  they  own  the  power  of  the  Gospel,  and  attribute  the  numerous 
 conversions  to  His  saving  influence.^  Shall  they  render  justice  to 
 these  men,  and  acknowledge  that  their  defection  from  the  Syna- 
 gogue was  prompted  by  the  holiest  of  motives  ?  No,  such  a  confes- 
 sion would  be  an  indirect  homage  to  the  divinity  of  the  Christian 
 faith.  In  the  absence  of  more  violent  methods  of  revenge,  malice 
 must  be  invoked  to  vindicate  the  violated  sanctity  of  the  synagogue 
 •creed.  It  is  a  two-edged  sword.  It  injures  the  character  of  the 
 proselytes,  and  casts  discredit  upon  the  work  of  the  missionaries. 
 Unfortunately,  many  Christians,  and  even  professing  friends  of 
 Israel,  credit  these  calumnies.  But  is  there  even  a  shadow  of  truth 
 in  the  statement  so  persistently  advanced  ?  We  need  not  travel  very 
 far  to  prove  our  assertion.  It  is  said  that  the  United  Kingdom  con- 
 tains about  60,000  Jews.  We  believe  that  100,000  would  be  more 
 correct.  They  form  a  most  heterogeneous  mixture.  All  countries 
 in  the  world  are  represented  by  them.  Learning  and  intellectual  cul- 
 ture, unlike  that  among  their  co-religionists  in  (iermany,  were  never 
 the  objects  of  their  ambition.  The  Exchange,  the  warehouse,  and  the 
 shop  engaged  their  talents,  and  secured  them  wealth  and  influence. 
 Now,  it  is  computed,  that  there  are  about  3,000  Christian  Israelites 
 in  the  Metropolis  and  the  Provinces.  Many  had  to  sustain  a  hard 
 conflict,  and  not  a  few,  too,  were  exposed  to  anguish  and  trouble 
 that  would,  if  published,  throw  into  shade  the  most  pathetic  story 
 of  the  sensational  novel  writer.  But  in  spite  of  the  overwhelming 
 difficulties,  that  drew  a  dark  shadow  over  their  temporal  prospects, 
 they  succeeded  in  winning  by  industry  and  perseverance  their  way 
 to  most  distinguished  positions.  Christian  Israelites  are  to  be 
 found  in  Parliament,  in  the  Courts  of  Law,  and  among  the  members 
 ■of  every  learned  profession.  In  the  Church  of  England  more  than 
 100  Hebrew-Christian  clergymen  faithfully  proclaim  the  Gospel, 
 which  once  they  hated  and  despised.  Foreign  and  Home  IMissions 
 have  also  a  fair  number  of  Hebrew  believers,  who,  having  them- 
 selves experienced  what  it  is  to  be  plucked  as  brands  from  the 
 burning,  seek  to  snatch  others  from  the  same  devouring  flame.  We 
 readily  admit  that  all  have  not  been  brought  to  the  knowledge  of 
 'Christ  through  the  instrumentality  of  missionaries.  Many,  perhaps, 
 never  saw  nor  spoke  to  a  missionary.  They  may  have  heard  of  his 
 existence,  listened  to  the  comments  and  reflections  made  upon  his 
 work,  or  accidentally  glanced  over  a  tract  or  book  he  circulated. 
 These  accidents,  which  in  all  probability  they  attribute  to  chance, 
 under  an  All-wise  Providence,  proved  the  indirect  means  that 
 ■excited  their  inquiry,  and  led  them  to  the  knowledge  of  Him,  whom 
 to  know  is  life  everlasting.  Thus,  we  believe,  that  many  whom  we 
 shall  never  know  in  this  world,  will  yet  be  our  joy  and  crown  of 
 rejoicing  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
 
434  fHE  wanderers'  home. 
 
 "  But,  before  we  enter  into  details,  it  may  be  useful  to  make  a 
 few  prefatory  remarks  to  explain  the  ditlicuities  and  obstacles  we 
 have  to  encounter.  The  Jews  in  England,  as  it  is  well  known  to  those 
 acquainted  with  them,  constitute  quite  an  eclectic  community. 
 They  come  from  all  lands;  and,  in  their  views  and  sentiments,  reflect 
 the  intellectual,  moral,  and  religious  state  of  the  different  nations, 
 among  whom  they  dwelt.  The  majority  are  natives  of  those  great 
 Jewish  centres,  Poland  and  Russia.  Every  year,  from  one  thousand 
 to  fifteen  hundred,  quit  the  dominions  of  the  Czar  for  these  free  and 
 friendly  shores.  Germany  and  the  East,  also  contribute  their  quota, 
 to  swell  the  Jewish  population  of  Great  Britain.  In  the  absence  of 
 reliable  denominational  statistics,  it  is  impossible  to  give  the  exact 
 number  of  Jews  within  the  British  realms  ;  but  we  believe  that  the 
 total  is  above,  rather  than  below,  one  hundred  thousand  souls. 
 About  seventy  thousand,  if  not  more,  reside  in  the  jMetropolis.  In 
 some  parishes,  such  as  Spitalfields,  Mile  End,  Stepney,  and  certain 
 parts  of  Whitechapel,  they  form  a  considerable  proportion  of  the 
 inhabitants.  But  the  East  is  not  the  only  part  where  they  congre- 
 gate. The  fashionable  West  and  North-west  also  have  a  fair  per- 
 centage, nor  are  the  North  and  North-east  entirely  eschewed  by  them.. 
 Many  are  very  wealthy,  but  the  great  majority  are  poor,  and  not  a. 
 few  miserably  destitute.  Their  prosperous  co-religionists,  although, 
 charitable  and  even  generous,  are  exceedingly  haughty  and  proud. 
 The  rabbinical  adage,  '  All  Israelites  are  one,'  is  only  exemplified 
 when  anything  occurs  that  offends  the  national  honour,  prejudice,. 
 or  interest.  Towards  missionaries  they  are  as  much  opposed,  as 
 were  their  fanatical  forefathers  ;  and  no  misrepresentation  is  thought 
 unbecoming,  that  can  possibly  tend  to  bring  into  disrepute  the 
 work  in  which  they  are  engaged.  Their  opposition,  happily,  does 
 not  retard  it  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  excites  attention  and  enlists, 
 inquiry.  We  ourselves  have,  during  the  last  twelve  months,  had 
 many  proofs  that  such  is  the  case.  At  no  former  period,  since  our 
 residence  in  the  Metropolis,  have  we  come  in  contact  with  so  many 
 and  such  different  classes  of  Jews.  On  several  occasions  our  house 
 had  quite  the  appearance  of  a  place  of  public  resort.  Our  visitors 
 represented  almost  every  nationality,  and  form  of  belief  and  unbe- 
 lief. The  Paris  Exhibition,  which  brought  a  large  number  of  foreign 
 Jews  to  London,  no  doubt  contributed  to  swell  the  extraordinary 
 number  of  our  visitors.  All  who  called,  were  not  actuated  by  a 
 desire  to  discuss  religious  questions  ;  but,  whatever  the  motive  may 
 have  been,  the  great  truths  of  the  Gospel  invariably  formed  the 
 chief  topic  of  our  conversation.  The  impression  produced  will  not, 
 we  trust,  prove  evanescent  in  every  instance. 
 
 "  Besides  a  miscellaneous  class  of  callers,  we  have  also  had  many 
 visits  from  men  and  women,  who  evidently  cherished  a  kind  of 
 vague  idea  that  Christianity  could  give  them  that  comfort  and  peace 
 which  Judaism  was  not  able  to  afford.  Out  of  that  number,  sixty- 
 six  were  admitted   into  the  Wanderers'  Home,  and,   for  a  period,. 
 
THE    WANDERERS     HOME.  435 
 
 varying  from  two  to  ten  months,  participated  in  the  means  of  grace 
 enjoyed  in  a  Christian  household,  whilst  nearly  as  many  were  pro- 
 vided with  lodgings  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  applications  for 
 baptism  exceeded  those  of  any  former  year,  but  it  was  not  deemed 
 advisable  to  accede  to  the  request,  in  cases  where  any  suspicion 
 existed,  that  the  desire  was  prompted  only  by  a  conviction  of  the 
 truth,  and  not  by  any  heartfelt  experience  of  its  converting  and 
 saving  power.  Several  of  the  candidates  still  continue  to  attend  our 
 Bible-class,  and  we  prayerfully  hope  that,  in  the  course  of  the  year, 
 grace  may  be  given  them  to  make  a  good  confession  of  their  faith 
 in  Christ  crucified.  From  among  the  many  catechumens  who,  since 
 last  December,  earnestly  solicited  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  twenty- 
 two  had  their  wish  granted.  They  were  all  thoroughly  prepared 
 for  that  rite,  and  our  fervent  prayer  is  that  He,  who  '  has  begun  a 
 good  work  in  them,  will  perform  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ.' 
 
 "The  social  position,  which  these  men  and  women  occupied 
 among  their  own  people,  though  not  very  high,  was  most  respect- 
 able. Two  are  the  sons  of  money-changers  and  bankers  ;  one  of  a 
 rabbi ;  two  of  landowners  ;  four  of  merchants  ;  one  was  a  broker  ; 
 one  a  small  shopkeeper,  and  the  rest  were  either  comfortable  trades- 
 people, or  worked  as  tailors,  dyers,  and  jewellers.  In  becoming 
 Christians,  they  all  had  to  make  some  sacrifice  for  Christ  and  the 
 Gospel.  It  was  not  povert}'  that  brought  them  to  the  truth,  but 
 love  for  the  truth  that  reduced  them  to  poverty.  We  mention  this, 
 because  the  question  is  often  asked  :  '  Why  is  it  that  the  majority  of 
 proselytes,  notwithstanding  their  superior  education,  are  generally 
 poor  ?'  The  answer  simply  is,  that  '  They  have  obeyed  the  Saviour's 
 command,  and  left  all  to  follow  Him.'  That  this  is  an  incontrover- 
 tible fact,  no  one  acquainted  with  our  proselytes  will  dispute.  Jews,, 
 it  is  generally  admitted,  are  most  violently  prejudiced  against  the 
 Gospel.  W^e  will  not  dilate  on  the  causes  which  have  produced 
 this  feeling.  The  rabbis,  by  misrepresenting  the  doctrines  of 
 Christianity,  have,  no  doubt,  contributed  to  a  very  great  extent  tO' 
 produce  it ;  but  the  Church  is  not  blameless.  Now  in  Austria, 
 Poland,  Russia,  Syria,  and  even  in  some  parts  of  Germany,  a  Jew, 
 who  is  convinced  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  naturally  enough  shrinks 
 from  taking  a  step  which  would  certainly  entail  social  ostracism, 
 domestic  persecution,  if  not  imprisonment,  and  the  ruin  of  every 
 prospect  in  life.  Anxious  to  avow  his  convictions,  and  yet  afraid 
 of  the  consequences  that  are  sure  to  ensue,  the  poor  man  resolves 
 to  quit  the  home  where  his  sentiments  will  not  be  tolerated,  for  the 
 land  where  he  knows  he  can,  without  let  or  hindrance,  worship  God 
 according  to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience.  The  lower  class  of 
 English  Jews  are  not  only  difficult  to  reach,  but  they  are  hardened 
 to  every  serious  and  salutary  impression.  INIost  of  them  are  either 
 ignorant  and  fanatical,  or  coarse  and  irreligious.  Of  course,  there 
 are  happy  exceptions,  but  they  are  few  and  far  between.  We  our- 
 selves have  baptized  some,  who  are  living  monuments  of  the  power 
 
43^  THE  wanderers'  home. 
 
 of  the  Gospel.  Indeed,  our  converts  form  quite  a  representative 
 body.  Tliey  come  from  all  climes,  and  speak  almost  every  tongue. 
 They  are  generally  well  educated,  and  some  are  even  profound  and 
 •erudite  scholars." 
 
 "  During  the  past  year,  upwards  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  attended 
 for  various  periods  the  daily  instruction.  It  was  something  quite 
 unusual,  to  see  the  Mission  Room  filled  every  morning  with  men  of 
 dititerent  ages — some  in  the  vigour  of  manhood,  and  others  on  the 
 verge  of  the  grave — who  all  expressed  an  anxious  desire  to  inquire 
 into  the  truths  of  Christianity.  Of  that  number,  more  than  a  hun- 
 dred were  admitted  into  the  Home,  or  provided  with  lodgings  in 
 the  neighbourhood.  Among  that  class,  were  rabbis,  teachers,  stu- 
 dents of  universities,  clerks,  mechanics,  and  pedlars.  They  repre- 
 sented almost  every  nationality.  Most  of  them  came  from  Poland, 
 Russia,  Hungary,  and  Roumania,  whilst  but  a  small  proportion  were 
 from  Turkey,  Persia,  and  Africa.  To  meet  the  difficulties,  which  the 
 diversity  of  languages  presented,  we  were  obliged  to  form  two 
 Bible-classes,  in  one  of  which  instruction  was  given  in  German,  and 
 in  the  other  in  Hebrew.  As  might  be  expected,  all,  who  attended, 
 were  not  prompted  by  the  purest  motives  ;  but,  whatever  the  object 
 may  have  been  that  induced  them  to  come,  they  w-ere  received  with 
 Christian  kindness,  and  taught  the  love  of  God  in  Christ,  in  the 
 prayerful  hope,  that  some  gleams  of  light  might  shine  into  their  be- 
 nighted hearts,  and,  in  due  time,  bring  them  as  true  penitents  to 
 the  Cross  of  Calvary.  And  our  expectations  are  not  always  dis- 
 appointed. The  bread  cast  upon  the  waters  is  often  found  after 
 many  days.  Some  years  ago  we  had  a  young  man  in  our  Home, 
 who  gave  us  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  To  our  great  satisfaction  he 
 took  his  departure.  We  doubted  whether  any  serious  impression 
 had  been  made  upon  him.  That  very  man  is  at  present  a  zealous 
 and  successful  preacher  of  that  Gospel,  which  he  once  despised. 
 Every  Sunday  he  has  crowded  congregations,  who  value  and  appre- 
 ciate his  ministry.  Another,  who  appeared  almost  impervious  to 
 every  religious  influence,  was,  after  the  lapse  of  several  anxious 
 months,  touched  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  became  a  renewed  and 
 converted  man.  He  is  at  present  the  pastor  of  a  village  congrega- 
 tion, and  is  beloved  by  all  the  members  of  his  flock.  The  last,  to 
 whom  we  will  briefly  allude,  heard  the  tidings  of  salvation  in  Jeru- 
 salem. Being  afraid  of  his  bigoted  relations  and  friends,  he  quitted 
 Palestine  and  made  his  way  to  this  country.  Like  most  inquirers, 
 who  come  to  London,  he  directed  his  steps  to  the  Wanderers' 
 Home.  Being  almost  destitute,  we  could  not  refuse  his  request  for 
 admission.  He  was  fully  convinced  of  the  errors  of  Judaism,  but 
 had  no  clear  idea  of  the  truths  of  Christianity.  Being  of  a  grave 
 disposition,  his  spiritual  conflicts  rendered  him  miserable  and 
 wretched.  At  last  the  clouds,  which  had  obscured  his  mental 
 vision,  were  dispelled  ;  and  he  could  truly  say,  '  Lord,  I  believe  ; 
 help  Thou  mine  unbelief.'  He  is  at  present,  an  earnest  and  univer- 
 sally beloved  evangelist  in  the  Holy  City." 
 
THK    WANDERERS     HOME.  437 
 
 It  is  now  desirable,  tliat  particular  instances  should  be  given  of 
 the  direct  blessing  which  had  been  given  by  God  to  this  interesting 
 and  important  work.  In  doing  so,  it  is  necessary  to  state,  that 
 these  form  but  a  few  out  of  the  many,  whose  "  record  is  on  high." 
 The  condition  in  which  these  sons  and  daughters  of  Abraham  had 
 lived,  and  the  nature  of  the  testimony  which  they  had  been  enabled 
 to  give,  have  already  been  indicated  in  the  words  of  the  Missionary. 
 These  have  been  the  Lord's  "  witnesses"— the  evidence  that  the 
 remnant,  according  to  the  election  of  grace,  is  being  thus  gathered 
 in,  year  by  year,  in  increasing  numbers.  It  is  in  itself  an  evidence, 
 that  they  are  beginning  to  remember  the  Lord,  in  the  lands  of  their 
 dispersion. 
 
 "  About  eighteen  months  ago,  a  gentlemanly-looking  Jew  came 
 to  my  house.  His  language,  dress  and  deportment,  indicated  that 
 he  belonged  to  the  upper  class  of  his  people.  After  a  few  cursory 
 remarks,  he  said  :  '  Mr.  Stern,  you  may  not  be  acquainted  with 
 my  name.  I  come  from  Austria.  The  missionary  promised  to 
 write  to  you  on  my  behalf,  and  I  presume  he  has  done  so.  I  have 
 left  a  comfortable  home,  and  a  position  in  my  father's  office,  which 
 assured  me  the  brightest  prospects  in  life,  for  no  other  cause,  than 
 an  irresistible  desire  to  secure  my  soul's  eternal  welfare.  Judaism, 
 whether  of  the  Rabbinists  or  modern  reformers,  is  not,  I  am  fully 
 persuaded,  in  harmony  with  God's  Word  ;  and  if  Christianity  is  not 
 Divine,  truth  is  perished  out  of  the  earth.  This  can  never  be  the 
 case.  The.Almighty  has  not  left  us  to  be  the  sport  of  chance,  and 
 then  to  plunge  into  eternal  darkness.  No  ;  He  has  given  us  the 
 Bible,  and  in  that  Bible  I  know  He  has  taught  us  not  only  that  man 
 is  a  sinner,  but  also  that  there  is  a  Saviour.  I  am  anxious,  how- 
 ever, to  be  instructed,  and  I  hope  you  will  accept  me  as  one  of  your 
 catechumens.'  I  could  not  resist  that  appeal,  and  so  at  once 
 admitted   him  into  the  Home.     His  father,   who  is  a  banker  and 
 
 money-changer  at  L ,  as  well  as  his  brother,  a  rising  physician, 
 
 when  they  heard  where  he  was,  repeatedly  urged  him  to  return  to 
 his  family  ;  but  to  all  their  entreaties  his  reply  invariably  was,  '  If  I 
 should  die  of  starvation  in  the  streets  of  London,  I  will  not  trifle 
 with  my  soul's  final  welfare.'  Unfortunately,  his  hasty  temper  and 
 unconquerable  pride,  often  made  me  question  whether,  despite  the 
 many  sacrifices  he  had  made  for  conscience  sake,  his  temper  and 
 disposition  would  not  hinder  him  from  ever  obtaining  an  experi- 
 mental knowledge  of  the  Gospel.  After  many  hard  and  severe  con- 
 flicts, that  light  which  lighteth  every  one  that  seeks  the  truth,  shone 
 into  his  heart,  subdued  its  passions,  and  filled  it  with  the  graces  of 
 the  Spirit.  I  now  no  longer  refused  to  accede  to  his  reiterated 
 request  to  be  received  into  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  I  have  every 
 
438  THE    AVANDERERS'    HOME. 
 
 reason  to  believe  that,  with  help  from  above,  he  will  continue  a 
 steadfast  and  exemplary  Christian  Israelite. 
 
 "  The  next  case  to  which  we  would  advert  is  one  of  peculiar 
 interest,  as  it  forcibly  demonstrates  that  no  system  of  philosophy, 
 however  elaborate  and  intellectual  it  may  be,  can  appease  the 
 yearning  of  the  soul,  conscious  of  its  high  destiny  and  utter  help- 
 lessness.    This  was  the  experience  of  S ,  as  it  is  also  that  of 
 
 many  other  serious  and  thoughtful  Israelites.  Born  in  one  of  those 
 beautifully-situated  towns  in  Hungary,  and  in  the  very  lap  of 
 luxury,  he,  from  his  infancy,  enjoyed  all  the  advantages  which 
 wealth  invariably  bestows.  At  the  usual  age,  his  parents  took  every 
 care  to  place  him  under  competent  teachers,  and  subsequently  they 
 sent  him  to  a  well-known  commercial  school  at  Vienna.  When  his 
 •education  was  finished,  his  father  took  him  into  his  own  business. 
 The  thoroughly  secular  education  which  he  had  received,  naturally 
 disposed  him  to  regard  all  creeds  with  indifference,  if  not  aversion. 
 The  Word  of  God  he  had  of  course  never  read,  nor  did  he  care  to 
 •do  so — it  was  too  old-fashioned  a  book  for  an  enlightened  Jew  ;  the 
 writings  of  modern  philosophers  had  far  greater  attractions.  They 
 were  the  subject  of  discussion  in  good  society,  and  in  harmony  with 
 the  progress  of  an  intellectual  age.  To  use  his  own  words,  he  was 
 a  confirmed  infidel.  Two  years  ago  he  visited  the  United  States, 
 and,  on  his  return,  stayed  a  few  weeks  in  England.  Here,  quite 
 accidentally,  a  New  Testament  came  into  his  hands.  At  first  he 
 regarded  it  as  a  book  of  fables,  and  intended  to  throw  it  aside,  but, 
 as  he  read  page  after  page,  it  aroused  his  attention  and  also  inter- 
 ested him.  He  was,  however,  too  hardened  a  freethinker  to  care 
 for  the  invitations  of  mercy,  and  the  denunciations  of  wrath  it  con- 
 tains. Still  he  was  not  happy  ;  a  dread  of  the  '  unknown'  oppressed 
 him.  Once  more  he  had  recourse  to  the  eff"usions  of  the  atheistic 
 school  ;  it  was  a  vain  effort  to  seek  for  life  and  light  in  the  cheerless 
 theories  of  philosophers,  who  only  speculate  on  eternal  death  and 
 ■darkness.  But  where  should  he  gain  that  knowledge  which  would 
 give  certitude  to  doubts,  hope  to  fear,  and  faith  to  unbelief.-^  With 
 the  Synagogue  he  had  done  for  ever,  and  the  doctrines  of  the  Church 
 he  did  not  understand.  In  his  perplexity,  he  again  betook  himself 
 to  the  New  Testament,  and,  to  his  delight,  that  which  before  he 
 had  regarded  as  a  sublime  system  of  ethics,  he  now  discovered  was 
 in  reality  a  dazzling  exhibition  of  Divine  wisdom  and  love.  It  was 
 at  this  very  time,  that  his  family  most  pressingly  urged  him  to 
 hasten  his  return  home.  This  he  felt  was  quite  impossible  ;  he 
 could  not  go  back  to  those  near  and  dear  to  him  and  conceal  his 
 Christian  convictions.  It  might  ensure  him  some  property,  but 
 would  it  not  be  an  imitation  of  the  reprobated  conduct  of  him  who 
 only  asked  to  go  home  and  bury  his  father  ?  Prompted  by  these 
 considerations,  he  determined  to  leave  all  and  follow  Christ.  It 
 was  at  this  critical  period  of  his  life  that  I  became  acquainted  with 
 him.     The  appearance,  language,  and  gentlemanly  deportment  of 
 
THE    WAXDERERS     HOME.  439 
 
 the  man  impressed  me  most  favourably  ;  but  what  could  I  do  for 
 him  ?  He  had  no  situation,  and  extensive  tours  had  almost  drained 
 ■his  resources  ;  true,  the  Wanderers'  Home  might  offer  him  a  shelter, 
 "but  then  I  did  not  consider  it  a  place  adapted  for  one  who  had 
 always  been  accustomed  to  an  easy,  independent,  and  luxurious  life. 
 I  mentioned  my  scruples  to  him,  but  he  assured  me  that  he  was 
 quite  willing  to  submit  to  any  discipline  that  I  might  deem  neces- 
 sary, to  test  his  sincerity  and  uprightness.  The  candour  with  which 
 he  spoke,  overcame  my  fears,  and,  without  further  hesitation,  I 
 yielded  to  his  request.  My  expectations  were  not  disappointed  ;  his 
 conduct  was  in  every  respect  most  exemplary.  Morning,  noon,  and 
 night  he  pored  over  the  pages  of  God's  Word.  These  studies  were 
 greatly  blessed  to  him  ;  God  no  longer  appeared  to  him  as  a  mere 
 abstract  idea,  but  as  an  all-wise  and  all-merciful  Father,  who  is 
 ever  with  His  people,  sanctifying  their  hearts,  inflaming  their  love, 
 and  fortifying  their  faith.  He  had  indeed  experienced  a  great 
 change  ;  and  now,  after  many  trying  and  painful  conflicts,  he  could 
 exclaim,  '  I  believe,  and  am  happy.'  Some  weeks  before  his  bap- 
 tism he  wrote  to  me  :  '  How  little  does  Christ  require  of  us,  and  yet 
 how  great,  infinitely  great,  did  the  simple  word  '  believe'  appear  to 
 me  last  year.  But  '  old  things  have  passed  away,'  and  now,  in  the 
 words  of  the  Ethiopian,  I  also  say,  '  What  doth  hinder  me  to  be 
 baptized  ?'  His  ardent  wish  was  at  length  gratified,  and  I  cherish 
 an  unfeigned  hope  that  '  He  who  hath  begun  a  good  work  in  him 
 will  perform  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ.' 
 
 "A  native  of  Bohemia,  came  one  day  to  my  Bible-class.  He  was 
 prompted  to  do  so  partly  by  curiosity  and  partly  by  a  desire  to  know 
 what  Christians  really  believe.  That  the  '  Goyim,'  or  Gentiles  of 
 Bohemia,  were  idolaters,  he  had  no  doubt,  but  he  could  not  think 
 that  such  a  clever  and  intellectual  people  as  the  English,  nor  the 
 great  number  of  Jews  who  had  embraced  their  faith,  could  possibly 
 bow  the  knee  and  worship  crosses,  pictures,  images,  and  other 
 idolatrous  emblems.  The  service  of  our  Church,  the  prayer  and 
 ■exposition  of  God's  Word  in  the  Home,  convinced  him  that  our 
 creed  was  very  different  from  that  of  the  people  of  his  own  native 
 country.  This  attracted  him  to  the  Bible-class  whenever  time  per- 
 mitted. Being,  as  I  was  told,  a  careless,  wild,  and  unsatisfactory 
 character,  I  spoke  to  him  several  times  about  the  ruinous  course  he 
 was  pursuing.  It  did  not  appear  that  my  words  made  any  impression 
 on  him.  One  day,  however,  after  the  Bible-class  was  over,  he 
 requested  to  have  a  private  conversation.  A  favour  of  this  kind, 
 which  is  never  refused  to  anyone,  was  readily  granted.  When  we 
 were  alone,  he  said,  without  the  least  preface,  '  Dr.  Stern,  I  want  to 
 become  a  Christian.'  My  reply  was,  '  I  cannot  make  you  one.  God 
 alone  can  do  that,  and  if  you  pray  to  Him  for  His  Holy  Spirit  He 
 will  hear  your  petition,  and  impart  to  you  that  Divine  gift  which  can 
 purify  your  heart,  and  make  you  a  true  and  sincere  follower  of 
 Christ,'     Some  days  later,  in  answer  to  a  question  I  put  to  him,  in 
 
440  THE    AVANDERERS     HOME. 
 
 the  course  of  the  usual  catechetical  instruction,  he  said,  with  evident 
 emotion,  '  I  am  not  like  some  here,  versed  cither  in  the  Bible  or 
 Talmud,  but  I  know  that  Jesus  suffered  and  died  for  my  sins.'  The- 
 tremulous  tones,  with  which  these  words  were  uttered,  convinced 
 me  that  a  work  of  grace  had  begun  in  his  soul,  and,  as  he  had 
 frequently  implored  me  to  admit  him  into  the  Home,  if  only  for  a 
 short  period,  I  at  last  yielded  to  his  request.  For  some  time  his 
 conduct  was  most  exemplary.  Unfortunately  it  did  not  last  long. 
 His  unruly  and  ungovernable  temper  again  and  again  broke  forth,, 
 so  that  at  length  I  had  to  dismiss  him.  I  was  sorry  for  the  poor 
 fellow,  but  there  was  no  alternative.  As  I  knew  that  he  would  not 
 find  work  among  the  Jews,  whose  hostility  he  had  incurred,  I  gave 
 him  some  pecuniary  assistance,  so  that  he  should  not  be  exposed  to 
 immediate  want.  On  his  leaving  I  reminded  him  of  the  solemn 
 truths  he  had  heard  in  the  Home,  and  urged  him  not  to  forget  them. 
 He  took  his  departure  with  an  air  of  assumed  indifference,  as  if 
 nothing  had  happened  to  cause  him  even  a  transient  regret.  I 
 hardly  ever  expected  to  see  him  again,  but,  to  my  agreeable  surprise 
 such  was  not  the  case.  The  Holy  Spirit  was  striving  within  him, 
 and  notwithstanding  obstinate  resistance  he  was  involuntary  induced 
 to  exclaim,  'Teach  me  thy  way,  O  Lord.  I  will  walk  in  Thy  truth; 
 make  my  heart  to  fear  Thy  name.'  And  now  once  more,  after  the 
 lapse  of  some  months,  he  came  to  the  Bible-class.  His  appearance 
 bore  traces  of  hardships  and  privations.  He  might  have  obtained 
 employment  among  the  Jews  had  he  consented  to  work  on  Sundays,, 
 but  this  he  was  determined  not  to  do.  By  dint  of  perseverance, 
 however,  he  succeeded  in  finding  a  place  in  the  business  of  a 
 Christian,  who  did  not  mind  his  broken  and  imperfect  English.  It 
 was  now  impossible  for  him  to  come  regularly  for  instruction,  but^ 
 whenever  leisure  permitted,  he  was  in  his  place.  The  light  of 
 Divine  truth,  which  had  illumined  his  mind  and  humbled  his  heart, 
 also  made  him  anxious  to  realize  that  his  sins  were  blotted  out,  and 
 that  he  was  accepted  in  the  Beloved.  This  caused  him  to  be  care- 
 ful not  to  yield  to  his  hasty  temper  nor  to  rest  satisfied  with  a  mere 
 outward  change,  without  a  true  and  genuine  inward  conversion.  I 
 knew  that  he  wanted  to  make  a  public  profession  of  his  faith,  but  I 
 invariably  refused  to  discuss  that  question  with  him.  Repeatedly 
 he  inquired,  'When  are  you  going  to  baptize  me  ?'  And  the  reply 
 he  always  received  was,  'When  I  feel  certain  that,  in  frame  and 
 feeling,  you  are  rooted  and  grounded  in  the  faith  once  delivered  to 
 the  saints.'  The  yearned-for  day  at  length  arrived,  and  he  was,  to 
 his  infinite  delight,  received  into  the  Church  by  the  sacrament  of 
 baptism.  He  is,  I  am  happy  to  add,  walking  in  every  respect 
 consistently  with  his  Christian  profession. 
 
 "A  native  of  Jassy,  went  some  years  ago,  like  many  other  pious 
 Jews,  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem.  Being  a  '  Chasid,'  or  strict 
 Pharisee,  his  heart  was  wrung  with  anguish  when  he  saw  a  consider- 
 able number  of  respectable  Israelites  there,  who  had  committed  the 
 
THE   WANDERERS     HOME.  44I 
 
 unpardonable  sin,  of  apostatizing  from  the  God  of  their  fathers.  To 
 behold  such  a  sight  in  the  Holy  City  was  to  him  an  inexpressible  grief. 
 '  No  wonder,'  he  mentally  ejaculated,  '  that  the  Messiah  does  not 
 come.  No  wonder  that  our  captivity  has  not  yet  been  turned.' 
 Reflections  like  these  haunted  him  by  day  and  night.  He  inquired 
 whether  these  heretics,  could  not  be  reclaimed,  and  the  answer 
 he  invariably  received  was,  '  No  human  power  can  persuade 
 them  of  the  error  of  their  ways.  They  are  infatuated  with 
 their  belief,  and  those,  who  try  to  bring  them  back  to  the  synagogue, 
 are  often  won  by  their  arguments  to  the  Church  to  which  they 
 belong.'  Pity  and  compassion  for  their  lost  condition,  moved  him 
 to  make  an  effort  to  restore  these  straying  sheep  to  the  fold  which 
 they  had  deserted.  To  his  surprise  he  found  that  the  men,  whom 
 he  had  commiserated  as  impious  apostates,  were  devout  believers  in 
 the  Bible.  It  is  true  they  held  that  Jesus  is  the  Messiah,  and 
 worshipped  Him  as  the  Jehovah  Zidkenii,  the  Lord  our  Righteous- 
 ness ;  but  did  not  the  Talmud  and  other  learned  Jewish  writings 
 maintain  that  God  Himself  was  the  Messiah,  the  Redeemer  of 
 Israel  }  All  this  excited  his  interest,  and  he  could  not  rest  until  he 
 had  procured  some  of  the  books  and  tracts  circulated  by  the 
 missionaries.  With  great  eagerness  he  devoured  their  contents. 
 The  warnings  of  his  friends  were  to  be  verified,  and  the  bigoted  Jew, 
 who  sought  to  turn  others  from  truth  to  error,  was  himself  to 
 be  turned  from  error  to  truth.  The  secret  soon  oozed  out, 
 and  he  had  to  leave  Jerusalem  in  order  to  escape  persecution 
 and  maltreatment  from  his  friends.  With  the  utmost  candour,  he 
 told  me  that  he  was  not  a  Christian,  but  that  he  was  most  anxiously 
 concerned  about  his  soul's  eternal  welfare.  As  his  sincerity  was 
 beyond  all  doubt,  I  granted  his  request  for  admission  into  the  Home. 
 Here,  however,  he  was  far  from  happy.  He  read  the  Bible,  attended 
 the  daily  instruction,  and  what  proved  a  comfort  to  others  only 
 troubled  and  distressed  him.  Gladly  would  he  have  said  with  the 
 blind  man  at  Jerusalem,  '  One  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I  was 
 blind,  now  I  see.'  But,  to  his  regret,  he  was  unable  to  do  so.  The 
 anguish  and  misery  he  endured  made  life  itself  a  burden.  At  length, 
 persevering  prayer  for  light  and  guidance  received  a  response,  which 
 filled  him  with  gratitude  and  praise,  and  he  realized  the  truth  of  the 
 Apostle's  exclamation  that  God  is  indeed  '  a  Rewarder  of  them  that 
 diligently  seek  him.'  His  growth  in  grace  and  in  the  experimental 
 knowledge  of  Christ  was  henceforth  most  rapid  and  striking.  The 
 night  of  doubt  and  fear  had  passed  awa}',  and  the  day  of  light  and 
 love  dawned  upon  his  benighted  soul.  No  longer  did  his  reason 
 rebel  against  the  Divine  plan  of  salvation.  The  Spirit  of  God  had 
 taught  him  his  helplessness,  and  joyfully  did  he  accept  the  offer  of 
 pardon  and  forgiveness  through  a  suffering  IMessiah.  IMay  He,  who 
 has  called  him  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  preserve  him  blame- 
 less unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
 
 "  Nearly  two  years  ago,  a  youth  of  about  eighteen,  but  who  looked 
 
 D  D 
 
442  THE    WANDERERS     HOME. 
 
 more  like  a  lad  of  fourteen,  applied  to  me  fur  instruction  and  admis- 
 sion into  the  Home.  He  told  me  that  he  had  been  a  waiter  in  an 
 hotel  at  Berlin,  and,  as  this  class  of  young  men  to  a  great  extent 
 have  no  religion,  I  hesitated  to  comply  with  his  request.  I,  how- 
 ever, invited  him  to  attend  my  Bible-class.  This  he  cheerfully  did. 
 Every  morning  at  nine  o'clock  he  was  in  his  place  around  the  table- 
 Pleased  with  his  regularity  and  attention,  I  at  length  received  him 
 as  an  inmate.  He  possessed  some  knowledge  of  Hebrew,  but 
 beyond  that,  his  education  had  been  sadly  neglected.  Being  docile 
 and  anxious  to  improve  his  mind,  I  sent  him  to  the  IMiddle-class- 
 school,  Cowper-street,  City-road.  Here  he  made  very  good  progress 
 in  English  and  other  branches  of  elementary  training.  His  desire 
 for  secular  knowledge  did  not,  I  was  glad  to  observe,  indispose  him 
 to  the  study  of  God's  Word.  Gradually  he  became  conscious  of  sin 
 and  the  need  of  a  Saviour.  Having  found  this  treasure,  he  sought 
 in  the  exuberance  of  his  joy  to  share  with  others,  and  particularly 
 with  his  father  and  sisters,  the  happiness  he  himself  felt.  The 
 tidings  he  communicated  did  not  touch  a  responsive  chord  in  their 
 hearts.  His  father  wrote  to  him  a  few  weeks  later,  '  I  am  amazed' 
 and  surprised  to  hear  that  you  have  become  a  Meshumed,  (apostate). 
 Is  it  possible  ?  Has  the  son,  whom  I  cherished  and  loved,  departed 
 from  his  God  ?  Did  your  mother,  of  blessed  memory,  teach  you 
 such  lessons  ?  I  suppose  you  got  this  wicked  idea  in  your  head  at 
 Berlin,  and  then  you  went  to  England  to  carry  it  out.  All  ungodly 
 Jews  do  so.  Alas,  that  it  should  be  the  case.  Our  pious  and 
 learned  men  should  hinder  their  friends  and  relations  from  visiting 
 that  country ;  they  only  go  there  to  be  baptized.  Already  I  had 
 hoped  that  you  would  come  home,  marry,  and  with  my  assistance, 
 become  a  respectable  member  of  our  community.  I  was  not  to 
 experience  that  happiness.  Intelligence  of  your  death  would  have 
 afflicted  and  pained  me,  but  intelligence  of  your  apostasy  has  caused 
 me  sorrow,  which  only  your  return  to  the  God  of  Israel  can  alle- 
 viate. Write  to  me  immediately,  and  without  any  reserve  tell  me,  what 
 induced  you  to  take  such  a  step.'  The  answer,  of  which  he  gave 
 me  the  copy  after  it  had  been  despatched,  was  most  touching.  He 
 assured  his  father  that  he  would  not,  were  his  life  pending  on  it, 
 cause  him  any  grief.  It  was  a  serious  matter  for  a  son  to  renounce 
 the  religion  of  his  parents,  relations  and  friends.  He  felt  the  awful 
 consequences  that  step  involved,  and  never  would  he  have  taken  it 
 had  not  the  Scripture,  conscience,  and  his  soul's  everlasting  happi- 
 ness prompted  him  to  do  so.  Were  he  to  consult  his  temporal 
 interest,  he  would  abjure  Christ,  and  rush  with  open  eyes  to  a  fear- 
 ful doom.  This,  however,  he  would  never  do,  had  he  even  to  beg 
 his  bread  in  the  streets.  If  his  father  thought  he  had  departed  from 
 the  God  of  Israel,  he  would  entreat  him  calmly,  and  without  preju- 
 dice or  passion,  to  examine  the  passages  of  Scripture  to  which  he 
 ventured  to  refer,  in  order  to  prove  that  he  was  not  an  idolater,  but 
 a  firm  believer  in  Him  whom  David  called  '  my  Strength  and  my 
 
THE    WANDERERS     HOME.  44.3 
 
 Redeemer.'  Unable  to  shake  his  son's  constancy  and  trust  in  the 
 Saviour,  the  old  man  has  tried,  through  friends  in  London,  to  per- 
 suade him  to  return  to  his  home  and  family,  where,  notwithstanding 
 his  Christian  belief,  he  would  meet  with  a  kind  and  cordial  reception. 
 Hitherto  they  have  not  succeeded,  and  I  trust  they  never  will  suc- 
 ceed. The  Saviour,  who  guided  him  to  His  footstool,  and  to  whom 
 in  his  baptism  a  few  months  ago  he  dedicated  himself,  will  sustain 
 him  by  His  grace  and  Spirit  in  every  trial  of  his  faith.  He  has  left 
 school,  and  is  at  present  in  a  situation,  where  his  industry  and 
 deportment  appear  to  give  great  satisfaction. 
 
 "  The  '  Chasidim,'  or  pietists,  form  a  large  and  fanatical  section 
 of  rabbinical  Jews.  Some  of  their  religious  rites  resemble  more  the 
 ravings  of  maniacs  than  the  worship  of  sane  men.  They  abound  in 
 Russia,  Austria,  Hungary,  Roumania,  and  some  parts  of  Turkey. 
 Though  implicit  followers  of  the  traditions  of  the  Synagogue,  they 
 mistakenly  seek  to  approach  the  divine  life  by  exercises  that  con- 
 tradict the  ascetic  habits  they  profess  to  practise.  Upwards  of 
 twenty  months  ago,  a  man,  about  thirty-two  years  of  age,  belonging 
 to  that  sect,  called  upon  me.  We  conversed  together  upon  the 
 person,  the  work,  and  the  glory,  as  well  as  the  extent  of  the 
 Messiah's  kingdom.  He  listened  most  attentively  for  some  time, 
 and  then,  quite  unexpectedly,  in  a  manner  that  startled  me,  ex- 
 claimed, '  I  had  a  presentiment  that  you  would  solve  some  of  the 
 enigmas,  which  for  a  long  time  have  perplexed  me.'  Upon  further 
 inquiry  I  learnt,  that,  for  several  years,  he  had  been  secretly  reading 
 the  New  Testament  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  Jesus  was  the 
 Christ.  Like  most  Jews,  when  they  begin  to  investigate  the  truths 
 of  the  Gospel,  he  sought  more  for  evidences  of  its  veracity  than  for 
 a  personal  application  of  its  soul-saving  doctrines.  However,  before 
 we  parted,  he  admitted  that  I  had  convinced  him  that  Jesus  was 
 the  Messiah  of  the  prophecies.  He  repeated  his  visits,  and  also 
 read  the  books  I  lent  him.  The  great  Light,  which,  whosoever  fol- 
 loweth  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  shone  into  his  heart,  dissipating 
 the  moral  and  spiritual  night,  in  which  he  had  hitherto  been 
 enveloped,  by  revealing  to  him  the  eternal  Son  of  God  as  the  only 
 hope  and  refuge  of  sinners.  His  father,  who  resides  in  Hungary, 
 and  is  a  man  of  considerable  estate,  heard  from  friends  and  country- 
 men of  his  son's  intercourse  with  the  missionary.  This  made  the 
 aged  Chasid  very  anxious  for  his  return.  He  sent  him  some  money, 
 and  promised  him  a  further  remittance  of  a  hundred  pounds  if, 
 without  delay,  he  left  England.  To  this  he  would  not  consent. 
 Then  the  questions  naturally  arose,  What  should  he  do  ?  With 
 whom  could  he  reside  }  And  where  would  he  find  the  means  of 
 subsistence  }  I  relieved  him  of  all  his  fears  and  troubles  by  ad- 
 mitting him  into  the  Home.  Here,  in  the  midst  of  a  number  of 
 pious  inquirers,  his  Christian  character  was  strikingly  developed. 
 He  no  longer  cared  for  evidences  of  the  truth  ;  the  Holy  Spirit  had 
 imparted  to  him  an  internal  testimony  which,  more  than  all  instruc- 
 
44+  'fHE    WANDERERS     HO.^[E. 
 
 tion  and  argument,  convinced  him  that  Christ  is  the  power  of  God 
 and  the  wisdom  of  God.  Henceforth  the  pious  Jew  grew  into  a 
 sincere  Christian,  and  the  implicit  devotee  of  Chasidism  into  a 
 humble  and  faithful  follower  of  Jesus.  In  conformity  with  his 
 earnest  request  I  baptized  him  ;  fully  persuaded  that  He,  who  has 
 called  him  to  a  knowledge  of  His  Son,  will  also  enable  him  to  glorify 
 His  holy  name  by  a  walk  worthy  of  his  Christian  profession. 
 
 "A  native  of  Hungary,  had,  like  most  Israelites  who  have  re- 
 ceived a  liberal  education,  thrown  aside  all  the  restraints  of  religion 
 and  adopted  the  fashionable  unbelief  of  the  day.  In  the  University 
 where  he  studied,  the  irreligious  sentiments,  which  he  had  espoused, 
 were  highly  popular.  Being  an  excellent  Hungarian  scholar  and  a 
 poet  of  no  mean  ability,  his  society  was  eagerly  sought  by  all  Mag- 
 yar patriots.  Admired  and  flattered  by  the  youthful  nobles,  who 
 would  in  future  years  control  the  destinies  of  his  country,  the  young 
 Jew  had  a  fair  prospect  of  a  successful  career.  In  his  miscellaneous 
 reading  he  one  day  lighted  upon  a  good  Christian  book,  which 
 greatly  interested  him.  It  contained  solemn  warnings  to  the  care- 
 less and  impenitent.  He  tried  to  divert  his  mind  from  the  contem- 
 plation of  such  topics,  by  plunging  more  deeply  into  the  vortex  of 
 dissipation,  but  an  accusing  voice  from  within  marred  all  his 
 pleasure.  '  If  a  religious  book  can  disturb  my  peace,'  he  mentally 
 ejaculated,  '  let  me  try  and  see  what  the  Bible  will  effect.'  He 
 bought  a  copy,  and,  being  a  man  of  decision,  he  did  not  rest  until 
 he  had  carefully  perused  its  contents.  Of  course  his  object  was  to 
 find  faults  ;  but,  to  his  surprise  and  comfort,  it  arrested  his  atten- 
 tion, and  taught  him  to  know  and  to  worship  the  God  of  truth.  The 
 change,  which  his  newly-acquired  convictions  produced  in  him, 
 did  not  escape  the  notice  of  his  friends.  At  first  they  were  inclined 
 to  attribute  it  to  some  disappointment ;  but,  when  they  discovered 
 the  real  cause,  they  began  to  hate  and  despise  him.  The  Jewish 
 professors  and  students  were  especially  indignant,  and  no  means 
 were  spared  to  bring  about  his  expulsion  from  the  University.  A 
 political  fracas  of  the  students,  with  which  he  had  nothing  to 
 do,  afforded  the  longed-for  opportunity.  He  was  rusticated,  and 
 ordered  to  quit  the  town,  until  the  charges  alleged  against  him  were 
 thoroughly  sifted.  Conscious  that  his  innocence  would  soon  be 
 established,  he  determined  to  visit  England  during  the  interval. 
 Here  I  became  acquainted  with  him.  The  poor  man  was  quite 
 delighted  to  meet  some  one  in  the  city  of  London,  who  was  willing 
 to  befriend  him.  From  a  conversation  I  had  with  him  I  could  see 
 that  his  knowledge  of  the  Gospel  was  still  very  superficial.  I  invited 
 him  to  my  Bible-class,  which  he  readily  attended.  Unfortunately, 
 his  finances,  which  at  no  time  had  been  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
 the  journey,  and  a  few  weeks'  residence  in  London  had  grievously 
 reduced.  No  money,  and  no  friends  able  to  assist  him,  the  man 
 would  have  sunk  into  utter  despair  had  I  not  offered  him  a  shelter 
 in  the  Wanderers'  Home.      Transplanted  into  the  salutary  atmos- 
 
THE    WANDKRHRS     HOMK.  445 
 
 pherc  of  a  Christian  household,  and  in  the  midst  of  men,  who  had 
 all  realized  more  or  less  the  power  of  the  Gospel,  the  truth  he  had 
 hitherto  but  vaguely  understood  took  hold  upon  his  aftections,  and, 
 under  the  Spirit's  influence,  renewed,  quickened,  and  sanctified  him. 
 He  had  now  been  in  the  Home  three  months,  and,  during  the 
 whole  of  that  period,  the  friend,  who  had  promised  to  watch  the  in- 
 vestigation of  his  case,  did  not  write  him  a  single  line.  This  sadly 
 troubled  and  distressed  him.  One  morning,  however,  the  longed- 
 for  communication  arrived.  The  matter  had  been  carefully 
 examined  into,  and  he  was  declared  innocent.  Anxious  once  more 
 to  resume  his  interrupted  studies,  he  resolved  to  return  to  the  Con- 
 tinent without  delay.  The  only  thing  that  could  have  detained  him, 
 was  the  administration  of  the  rite  of  baptism.  As  I  had  had  many 
 signal  proofs  that  he  was  a  truly  converted  man,  I  acceded  to  his 
 request,  and,  on  Sunday,  [March  27th,  he  was,  together  with  three 
 other  pious  catechumens,  publicly  received  into  the  covenant  of 
 grace.  Full  of  peace,  joy,  and  gratitude,  he  quitted  the  Home, 
 which  had  been  to  him  a  true  Beth-El,  and  retraced  his  steps  back 
 to  his  University.  The  sufferings  and  hardships,  to  which  he  had 
 been  unjustly  exposed,  although  a  gracious  God  had  overruled  all 
 for  good,  instead  of  subduing  the  malice  of  his  former  friends,  im- 
 parted to  it  greater  virulence.  His  unbelieving  Jewish  brethren, 
 who  had  heard  of  his  baptism,  were  most  relentless  in  their  hostilitv. 
 '  Apostate,'  '  renegade,'  were  the  epithets  applied  to  him  by  these 
 modern  Freethinkers.  Some  of  the  Professors,  who  were  kindly 
 disposed  towards  him,  advised  him  to  go  to  another  University, 
 where  his  religious  convictions  would  not  expose  him  to  perpetual 
 annoyances  and  vexations.  As  a  proof  of  their  sympathy  they  col- 
 lected a  handsome  sum,  with  which  they  presented  hini  in  order  to 
 meet  his  immediate  expenses.  The  poor  man  reluctantly  quitted 
 his  native  place  and  the  University  he  loved  so  well,  but  there  was 
 no  alternative.  I  hope,  however,  that  he  w-ill  not  give  up  a  pursuit 
 for  which  he  seems  to  possess  special  talents.  What  an  illusion  is 
 modern  liberalism  and  tolerance  !  " 
 
 The  mere  desire  to  be  baptized  is  never  recognized  by  the  ^lis- 
 sionaries  as  a  ground  on  which  this  ordinance  should  be  adminis- 
 tered. An  illustration  of  this  is  about  to  be  given.  Nor  does  it 
 suffice,  that  the  catechumens  should  exhibit  an  intelligent  acquain- 
 tance with  revealed  Truth.  The  Teachers  always  look  primarily 
 for  the  evidence,  that  the  Truth  had  been  received  into  the  heart  of 
 the  inquirer.  It  has  sometimes  been  argued,  that  tliis  rigidity  of 
 purpose  is  at  variance  with  the  usage  of  the  Apostles,  who  baptized 
 persons  on  the  mere  profession  of  faith,  even  without  an  interme- 
 diate training  as  catechumens.  But  every  experienced  Missionary 
 is  aware,  that  to  err  in  the  observance  of  unnccessarv  caution  in 
 
446  THF.    WAXDERKRS'    HO^ilE. 
 
 this  respect,  is  an  error  on  ilie  right  side.  One  case  of  apostacy 
 would  be  paraded  by  the  enemies  of  Christianity  before  the  world, 
 and  would  be  productive  of  more  mischief,  than  the  salutary  effect 
 produced  by  the  consistent  lives  of  hundreds,  who  hold  fast  the  pro- 
 fession of  their  faith  without  wavering. 
 
 "  Recently  a  Jewish  gentleman  of  superior  intellectual  attainments 
 and  culture  called  upon  me.  After  a  few  preliminary  remarks,  my 
 visitor,  whose  name,  for  obvious  reasons,  I  cannot  give,  informed 
 
 me  that  he  was  the  friend  of  the  reigning  Prince  of ,  and, 
 
 although  not  officially,  yet  virtually,  his  P'inance  Minister.  Some 
 pecuniary  business,  v>hich  years  before  he  had  transacted  for  the 
 Prince,  brought  him  under  his  favourable  notice.  He  was  then 
 residing  at  Breslau,  and,  though  a  Jew  by  birth,  had  seceded  from 
 the  Synagogue,  and  joined  the  section  officially  designated  '  Confes- 
 s/o/is/os,'  without  any  belief.  Prosperous  in  his  undertakings,  and 
 surrounded  by  an  amiable  and  loving  family,  he  still  felt  unhappy. 
 Life  without  a  future  appeared  to  him  a  sad  anomaly.  He  endea- 
 voured to  divert  his  mind  from  such  distracting  subjects  bv  reading 
 treatises  on  metaphysics  by  well-known  rationalistic  writers.  But 
 they  did  not  satisfy  him.  At  last  he  betook  himself  to  the  Bible 
 and  to  the  works  of  celebrated  divines.  These  studies,  which  his 
 wife  encouraged,  dissipated  the  fears  and  doubts  which  had  for  a 
 long  time  troubled  him.  Persuaded  that  the  God  of  Scripture  was 
 the  God  of  Redemption,  he  was  anxious  to  avail  himself  of  his  visit 
 to  England  to  be  admitted  by  baptism  into  the  English  P^piscopal 
 Church.  This  favour  he  thought  I  could  not  possibly  refuse,  parti- 
 cularly as  he  had  no  objection  to  bestow  a  liberal  gift  upon  any 
 charitable  institution,  in  which  I  was  interested.  To  his  regret,  I 
 could  not  accede  to  his  request,  as  his  views  of  the  doctrines  of  the 
 Gospel  were  far  too  vague  and  confused.  I  offered  to  instruct  him, 
 but,  as  his  time  was  limited,  he  thought  he  could  easily  be  received 
 into  one  of  the  churches  on  the  Continent,  where  he  fancied  the 
 clergy  were  not  so  strict  and  precise. 
 
 "  H.  B.  was  at  one  time  an  inmate  of  the  Wanderers'  Home.  He 
 appeared  to  be  an  honest,  upright  inquirer.  The  study  of  the  Bible, 
 and  notes  on  striking  texts,  were  his  happiest  occupations.  But, 
 with  all  this  outward  fervour  for  divine  things,  we  discovered  that 
 he  was  destitute  of  every  inward  spiritual  grace.  We  informed  him 
 that  the  Home  was  not  a  place  suited  for  men  who  cherished  his 
 views  and  sentiments.  He  acknowledged  the  justice  of  our  inti- 
 mation, and  took  his  departure.  What  he  had  learnt  in  the  Home 
 had,  however,  produced  an  impression  which  he  could  not  obliterate. 
 He  tried  to  forget  it,  but  the  effort  did  not  succeed.  Haunted  by 
 fears  and  alarmed  by  an  accusing  conscience,  he  despairingly  ex- 
 claimed, 'Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?'  The  inquiry  was 
 blessed  to  his  soul.     It  brou'dit  him  to  a  knowledire  of  his  yuilt  and 
 
THE  avanderp:rs    home.  447 
 
 the  dying  love  of  the  Redeemer.  In  his  mental  distress  he  once 
 more  bent  his  steps  towards  the  Home.  With  tears  streaming 
 ■down  his  cheeks,  he  expressed  deep  contrition  for  his  former  indif- 
 ference to  the  solemn  lessons  he  had  been  taught.  '  God,'  to  use 
 his  own  words,  '  has  had  pity  on  me,  and  I  shall  never  be  able  to 
 praise  him  sufficiently  for  all  He  has  done  for  my  soul.'  He  had 
 plenty  of  work,  and  now  only  desired  to  be  prepared  for  baptism. 
 It  was  quite  affecting  to  see  the  poor  man,  once  inflated  with  Jewish 
 pride  and  self-conceit,  now  acknowledging  himself  a  humble  and 
 ■contrite  sinner,  unworthy  of  the  love  and  mercy  God  had  shown 
 him." 
 
 Our  faithful  Missionary  was  often  reminded  of  the  bitter  trials 
 through  which  he  passed,  when  in  his  early  years  he  resolved  to 
 forsake  father,  mother,  and  all  who  were  dear  to  him,  so  that  he  might 
 *'  win  Christ  and  be  found  in  Him."  The  history  of  a  young  con- 
 vert is  here  introduced,  as  well  as  the  letter  of  his  afflicted  but  mis- 
 taken father. 
 
 "  Our  blessed  Lord,  in  one  of  those  touching  conversations  with 
 His  disciples,  declares,  '  He  that  loveth  father  or  mother  more  than 
 me,  is  not  worthy  of  me.'  All  must  be  renounced  and  forsaken, 
 when  brought  into  competition  with  the  duty,  homage,  and  service 
 due  to  the  Saviour.  This  is  not  easily  done.  It  requires  fervent 
 love  and  strong  faith,  before  any  one  can  sacrifice  every  tie  of  sw-eet 
 aflfection  and  cherished  friendship  to  the  dictates  of  religion  and 
 conscience.  But  He  who  enjoined  the  precept,  knew  also,  that 
 strength  would  be  imparted  to  carry  it  into  practice.  Here  is  an 
 instance.  A.  G.  arrived  in  this  country  about  eighteen  months  ago. 
 He  was  induced  to  leave  a  comfortable  home  and  a  happy  family 
 circle  by  an  intense  desire  to  see  the  world.  His  father  amply  pro- 
 vided him  with  the  means  necessary  for  some  months'  sojourn  in 
 foreign  lands.  Being  a  pious  Russian  Jew,  he  shrank  with  horror 
 from  the  idea  of  eating  unlawful  food,  or  living  in  an  hotel  kept  by 
 a  Gentile.  His  religious  scruples  naturally  brought  him  into  contact 
 only  with  his  own  people,  and  among  these  he  heard  language  that 
 shocked  and  appalled  him.  Not  merely  was  the  Talmud  denounced 
 as  a  system  of  superstition  and  folly  ;  the  Word  of  God,  too,  came 
 in  for  a  good  share  of  wicked  ridicule  and  blasphemous  criticism. 
 The  remarks  which  he  heard,  though  they  jarred  upon  his  ear,  led 
 him  to  reflect  on  the  veracity  and  soundness  of  the  creed  in  which 
 he  had  hitherto  reposed  unquestioning  trust.  Now,  it  is  an  incon- 
 trovertible fact,  that  genuine  Judaism,  such  as  is  taught  by  the 
 rabbis,  and  accepted  by  all  orthodox  synagogues,  can  only  thrive  in 
 the  atmosphere  of  stagnation.  It  cannot  maintain  its  claims  where 
 light  and  knowledge  exert  their  faintest  influence.  This  our  inex- 
 perienced wanderer  was  not  long  in  discovering.  Happily,  unlike 
 the  majority  of  Jews,  he  did  not  rush  from  one  extreme  to  another. 
 
448  THE    ^VANDERERS'    HOME. 
 
 and  discard  what  was  true  because  it  contained  an  admixture  of 
 what  was  false.  No  ;  religion  was  to  him  a  subject  far  too  serious 
 to  be  treated  with  such  culpable  recklessness.  But  to  whom  should 
 he  apply  for  counsel  and  instruction  ?  In  the  rabbis,  whether  of 
 the  orthodox  or  reformed  synagogue,  he  had  no  confidence.  They 
 either  defended  a  decrepid  system  of  tradition,  or  advocated  modern 
 theories  of  negation.  It  was  at  this  critical  period  of  his  religious 
 conflicts  that  I  became  acquainted  with  him.  At  my  suggestion  he 
 diligently  read  the  Bible,  and  also  attended  the  daily  instruction. 
 Never  having  been  to  a  Bible-class,  he  was  not  a  little  surprised 
 and  affected  by  what  he  witnessed.  The  prayer,  the  exposition, 
 and  the  subdued  solemnity  of  all,  impressed  him  most  favourably. 
 But  whilst  he  was  every  day  gaining  some  fresh  knowledge  of  the 
 truth,  which  drew  him  nearer  to  the  Saviour,  his  means  of  subsis- 
 tence rapidly  diminished.  True,  his  father  might  send  him  a  cheque 
 if  he  still  continued  a  pious  Jew  ;  but  as  this  was  not  the  case,  he 
 justly  hesitated  in  making  the  request.  These  and  other  circum- 
 stances, which  it  is  not  necessary  to  narrate,  induced  me  to  admit 
 him  into  the  Home.  Here,  relieved  of  all  immediate  anxieties,  and 
 surrounded  by  sympathizing,  believing  brethren,  the  last  lingering 
 shades  of  Jewish  self-sufficiency  and  superstition,  which  till  then 
 had  obscured  the  message  of  love  and  mercy,  melted  away,  and  the 
 work  of  the  Spirit  began  in  his  soul.  He  would  now  have  been 
 perfectly  happy,  had  not  the  dread  of  his  parents'  grief  and  sorrow, 
 should  they  hear  of  his  conversion,  perpetually  haunted  him. 
 Every  rap  of  the  postman  shook  his  whole  frame.  The  dreaded 
 letter  at  last  arrived,  and  as  its  contents  may  interest  our  friends, 
 we  will  translate  it : — 
 
 '  With  an  anguish-wrung  heart  and  many  tears,  I  write  to  you. 
 Know,  dearly-beloved  son,  that  your  grandfather  has  recently 
 appeared  to  me  in  a  dream,  and  distinctly  said,  '  Get  up,  for  you 
 will  receive  evil  tidings.'  Instantly  I  arose  from  my  bed,  and 
 walked  up  and  down  the  room  from  midnight  till  day  dawn. 
 Exhausted  and  worn  out,  I  again  lay  down  to  get  some  rest,  but  the 
 dreaded  vision  hung  over  me  like  an  incubus,  and  would  not  allow 
 me  to  enjoy  any  repose.  This  happened  several  successive  nights. 
 Anxious  not  to  distress  your  dear  mother,  I  did  not  communicate 
 to  her  the  dangers  I  saw  impending  over  our  house;  but,  to  my 
 inexpressible  grief,  I  saw  that  she,  too,  was  agitated  by  a  painful 
 secret,  which  she  vainly  tried  to  conceal.  After  many  entreaties, 
 she  told  me  that  she  was  distracted  by  dreams,  which,  as  she  nar- 
 rated them,  resembled  in  every  respect  those  that  tormented  me. 
 Three  days  elapsed,  and  then  a  man  came  from  K.,  who  brought  us 
 the  intelligence  of  your  apostacy.  The  news  stunned  us.  We  both 
 fainted,  and  it  took  more  than  an  hour  to  revive  us.  INIuch  sym- 
 pathy  has  been  shown  us  by  our  friends  and  neighbours.  I  am  now 
 a  little  calmer,  but  your  poor  mother  is  sick  and  utterly  desponding. 
 My  dear  son,  pity  your  grey-headed,  aged  father,  and  your  despair- 
 
THE    WANDERERS     HOME.  449 
 
 ing,  invalid  mother,  and  write  at  once  that  all  is  misrepresentation 
 and  calumm-.  l^anish  evil  thought  out  of  your  heart,  and  listen  to 
 the  words  of  your  father,  who  writes  to  you  with  tears,  bitter  tears, 
 in  his  eyes.  Oh,  do  not  bring  down  my  grey  hairs  with  sorrow  to 
 the  grave  !  Other  parents  are  happy  in  their  children,  and  why 
 should  you  make  us  miserable  ?  Remember,  my  dear  child,  with 
 what  tenderness  we  nursed  you  in  infancy ;  what  care  we  bestowed 
 upon  you  in  your  youth  ;  and  now,  in  vigour  and  manhood,  when 
 we  hoped  our  son  would  be  the  light  and  joy  of  our  eyes,  will  you 
 forsake  us,  and  the  God  whom  we  have  taught  you  to  worship  ?  We 
 implore,  nay,  we  adjure  you  by  all  that  is  holy,  that  you  abandon 
 your  evil  ways.  Repent !  Repent !  It  will  be  well  with  you  here 
 and  hereafter.  Do  not  go  on  in  your  iniquity.  If  you  are  in  want 
 of  money,  we  will  help  you.  If  you  have  debts,  we  will  pay  them  ; 
 nay,  I  will,  even  in  my  old  days,  make  a  long  journey  and  come  to 
 your  rescue.  Only  cheer  us,  my  dear  son,  with  good  tidings.  I 
 know  you  will  not  refuse  our  request.  You  will  not  listen  to  the 
 suggestions  of  the  Evil  One.  Should  you,  however,  disappoint  our 
 fond  hopes,  and  continue  in  your  godless  career,  we  ignore  you  as 
 our  son  ;  we  invoke  the  curse  of  Heaven  upon  you,  and  we  blot 
 out  your  name  from  our  memory  and  hearts.  That  such  a  misfor- 
 tune may  not  fall  to  our  lot,  is  the  prayer  of  your  heavily-afflicted 
 father,  '  H.  G.' 
 
 "  The  answer  he  returned  to  this  letter  was  affectionate  and 
 becoming  a  young  Christian.  He  assured  his  parents  that  he 
 loved  them  most  tenderly ;  and  that,  far  from  disobeying  their 
 wishes,  he  would  only  be  too  happy  to  anticipate  them,  provided 
 they  did  not  violate  his  convictions,  or  oppose  what  he  considered 
 the  dictates  of  God's  Word.  His  parents,  however,  were  unrelent- 
 ing. They  would  not  hear  of  his  protestations  of  filial  love,  nor 
 admit  that  he  was  not  a  deluded  apostate.  Abjure  your  errors,  or 
 we  discard  you  as  our  son,  were  the  conditions  they  imposed.  It 
 was  a  trial  that  put  his  faith  and  constancy  to  a  test  he  had  hardly 
 imagined.  He  must  now  either  deny  his  Saviour,  or  sever  the  tie 
 that  bound  him  to  his  parents.  But  he  did  not  falter  in  his  decision. 
 Cheerfully  would  he  have  yielded  to  the  entreaties  of  his  parents, 
 had  the  matter  merely  involved  temporal  interests,  but  as  it  con- 
 cerned his  soul's  eternal  welfare,  he  forsook  all,  and  followed 
 Christ." 
 
 Among  these — the  ancient  people  of  God — Mr.  Stejn  laboured 
 under  a  consciousness,  that  it  was  a  work  overflowing  with  privilege, 
 as  well  as  full  of  promise.  Nor  could  he  fail  to  witness  to  his 
 Gentile  readers,  that  it  was  through  the  excision  of  the  branches  of 
 the  good-olive  tree,  that  they  the  branches  of  the  wild-olive,  had 
 been  grafifed  into  the  parent-stock  of  life  and  blessing.  He  wrote 
 in  this  strain  in  one  of  his  Reports. 
 
45°  THE    AVAXnEKKRS     HOME. 
 
 "  'Their  debtors  they  are.'  How  startling  an  assertion  !  Rome 
 a  debtor  to  the  Jews!  Can  it  be  that  she  who  had  subdued  king- 
 doms, overthrown  empires,  and  given  laws  to  the  universe,  should 
 be  a  debtor  to  a  despised  and  fallen  race  ?  Impossible  !  Did  she 
 not  wield  an  undisputable  sway  over  countless  nations  and  tribes, 
 and  by  the  very  mention  of  her  formidable  legions  strike  terror  into 
 the  heart  of  the  brave,  and  is  she  to  be  told  by  a  man  of  obscure 
 name  that  she  lies  under  obligations  of  the  highest  nature  to  the 
 hated  Jews  ?  Such  thoughts  might  have  arisen  in  the  mind  of  a 
 Roman  in  the  palace  of  the  Cixisars,  as  he  read  the  i  ith  chapter  of 
 St.  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  And  yet  the  statement  of  the 
 Apostle,  however  obscure  and  unintelligible  it  might  have  appeared 
 in  times  of  yore,  to  a  Gentile  inquirer  after  the  knowledge  of  the 
 only  true  God,  is  a  fact  for  ever  fraught  with  mercy  and  love  to  every 
 believer.  Persecuted  and  oppressed,  the  scorn  of  the  mighty  and 
 the  scoff  of  the  weak,  the  Jews  have  confessedly  been  a  blessing  to 
 the  world.  Though  the  literature  of  Greece  and  Rome  has  no 
 ■doubt  tended  to  regulate  the  mind,  to  expand  the  intellect,  and  to 
 cultivate  the  taste,  yet  all  these  beneficial  influences  of  a  heathen 
 civilization  sink  into  insignificance,  when  compared  with  that 
 superior  knowledge  and  higher  wisdom  communicated  to  mankind 
 through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Jews.  The  writings  of  their 
 prophets  are  not  the  monopoly  of  the  learned  and  educated,  but  a 
 gift  designed  to  make  <?//  '  wise  unto  salvation.'  On  the  Thames 
 and  the  Ganges,  the  Niger  and  the  Rhine,  among  nations  of  every 
 shade  and  colour,  the  books  they  indited  are  read  and  expounded, 
 admired  and  revered  as  the  Word  of  God,  alike  by  the  monarch  on 
 his  throne,  as  by  the  humble  labourer  in  his  cottage-home. 
 
 "  Now,  if  Paul  could  say  to  the  Romans,  who  had  no  great  know- 
 ledge of  the  Law,  and  were  almost,  if  not  altogether,  unacquainted 
 with  the  sublime  and  heaven-inspired  poetry  of  the  Prophets,  '  Their 
 debtors  they  are,'  with  what  emphasis  ought  these  words  to  thrill 
 through  the  heart  of  every  Christian  believer  !  Words  cannot  des- 
 cribe, nor  the  tongue  utter,  the  debt  they  owe.  There  is  not  a 
 mercy  nor  a  blessing  which  they  value  for  themselves,  their  families, 
 and  the  world  at  large,  whether  for  time  or  eternity,  which  has  not, 
 under  Divine  providence,  flowed  to  the  Gentile  through  the  medium 
 of  the  Jew.  And  what  has  been  the  reciprocal  acknowledgment.'* 
 Centuries  of  oppression  and  unmitigated  misery  furnish  the  repl3\ 
 The  daughter  of  Zion,  clad  in  weeds,  sits  desolate  and  forlorn  on 
 the  highways  of  Christendom,  breathing  in  vain  the  mournful 
 language  of  the  Prophet,  '  Is  it  nothing  to  you  all  ye  that  pass  by  ? 
 behold,  and  see  if  there  be  any  sorrow  like  unto  my  sorrow,  which 
 is  done  unto  me,  wherewith  the  Lord  hath  afflicted  me  in  the  day 
 of  his  fierce  ana:er.'  " 
 
CHAPTER     XLVIII. 
 
 THE  PREACHER.   THE  SPEAKER. 
 
 The  Jews  are  well  known  for  their  linguistic  attainments.  They 
 -have  for  the  most  part  remarkable  aptitude  in  the  acquisition  of 
 foreign  languages,  and  a  large  proportion  of  them  are  equally  dis- 
 tinguished by  the  purity  of  their  accent.  From  an  early  period  of 
 his  professional  career,  these  qualities  were  distinctly  noticeable  in 
 Mr.  Stern.  His  vocabulary  was  copious,  and  he  was  singularly 
 felicitous  in  the  choice  of  suitable  language  in  which  to  express  his 
 ideas.  It  was  also  at  one  time,  often  the  subject  of  comment,  how 
 free  he  was  from  all  the  peculiarities  of  accent,  which  are  generally 
 indicative  of  persons  of  foreign  birth.  But  after  his  return  from 
 the  second  journey  to  Abyssinia,  this  quality  seemed  to  have  deterio- 
 rated. Whether  this  proceeded  from  his  prolonged  stay  among  an 
 Amharic-speaking  people,  or  arose  from  some  physical  cause,  it  is 
 impossible  to  say. 
 
 In  his  extempore  addresses,  his  choice  of  words  was  almost  as  cor- 
 rect and  vigorous,  as  it  was  in  writing.  As  a  Preacher,  he  was 
 always  attractive,  although  there  were  great  variations  in  the  force 
 and  impressiveness  which  characterized  some  of  his'  sermons.  On 
 the  first  occasion  on  which  he  occupied  my  own  pulpit,  his  sermon, 
 which  was  intended  in  a  measure  for  Jewish  hearers,  failed  to  im- 
 press ;  but  no  one  who  heard  him  on  his  second  visit,  when  he 
 'Came  for  a  similar  purpose,  will  ever  forget  the  masterly  exposition 
 which  he  gave  of  Psalm  xlv.,  and  the  true  eloquence  and  power 
 with  which  he  testified  of  Christ. 
 
 There  are  but  fragments  of  his  sermons  which  exist.  One 
 preached  at  St.  Matthew's  Church,  Newington,  in  April,    1S73,  on 
 
452  THE  PREACHER.   THE  SPEAKER. 
 
 Isaiah  xi.  lo,  was  taken  down  by  a  short-hand  writer,  and  with 
 some  corrections,  was  afterwards,  by  request,  published  from  the 
 manuscript.  A  few  extracts  from  this  sermon,  will  sufficiently  illus- 
 trate the  character  of  his  ministry. 
 
 "  We  are  sometimes  told  that  the  Christian  religion  is  not  designed 
 to  make  man  happy,  cheerful  and  resigned.  It  is  a  melancholy  and 
 gloomy  belief.  AH  it  breathes  is,  '  Man  is  a  miserable  sinner.' 
 These  remarks  are  suggested  by  a  sermon  a  friend  gave  me  last 
 evening,  and  which  was  preached  by  one  who  formerly  occupied 
 the  position  of  a  parochial  clergyman,  but  who  is  at  present  a  well- 
 known  unbelieving  lecturer.  The  discourse  is  based  on  the  Hun- 
 dredth Psalm,  and  has  had  an  extensive  circulation  among  the 
 Jews.  The  preacher,  in  dilating  on  the  goodness  of  God,  unspar- 
 ingly denounces  what  he  is  pleased  to  designate,  the  morose  and 
 cheerless  belief  of  the  Church.  The  arguments  he  advances  in 
 favour  of  his  own  views  are  so  inconclusive,  that  they  cannot  pos- 
 sibly satisfy  an  inquiring  mind.  It  is,  and  every  Christian  will 
 admit  it,  delightful  to  meditate  on  God's  infinite  love  and  compas- 
 sion ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  we  must  not  forget  that  it  would  be 
 quite  unreasonable  to  deprive  God  of  those  other  attributes,  which 
 are  essential  to  His  character.  To  say  that  God  is  merciful  and  not 
 just,  would  be  utterly  inconsistent.  But  whilst  infidels  and  unbe- 
 lievers seek  to  deprive  man  of  the  happiness  and  bliss  the  Bible 
 holds  out  to  him,  they  at  the  same  time  try  to  persuade  him  that 
 God  will  not  take  cognizance  of  the  sins  w-hich  are  contracted,  or 
 the  faults  which  are  committed  in  this  world.  They  evidently  for- 
 get that  the  God,  whose  infinite  compassion  is  so  great  that  He 
 will  not  visit  man  with  retributive  justice  in  a  future  state,  does  not 
 adopt  the  same  mode  of  procedure  in  this  world.  Wherever  we 
 look,  or  in  whatever  direction  we  turn  our  steps,  do  we  not  see 
 much  misery  f  Do  we  not  behold  a  great  deal  of  sorrow  and  suf- 
 fering .-'  Do  we  not  hear  of  hearts  breaking  ?  Do  we  not  see  tears,, 
 that  refuse  to  be  wiped  away,  welling  down  the  haggard  cheek .'' 
 Are  we  not  witnesses  of  the  bereavements  and  mourning  that  occa- 
 sionally afflict  every  household  ?  Surely  that  God,  who  is  to  be  so 
 infinite  in  mercy  in  His  dealings  in  the  future,  would,  we  should 
 imagine,  manifest  the  same  pity  to  poor  sinners  in  this  world.  But 
 you  know  perfectly  well,  my  hearers,  that  wherever  you  turn,  you 
 behold  the  signs  that  a  curse  has  fallen  upon  our  world,  that  a 
 blight  has  smitten  our  universe  ;  and  you  also  know  that  God,  in 
 His  infinite  mercy  and  compassion,  has  removed  that  curse,  has 
 taken  away  that  blight,  and,  by  the  sacrifice  of  His  own  Son,  has 
 opened  a  way  to  heaven  to  every  believer.  Does  not  the  Old  Tes- 
 tament tell  us  that  God  has  '  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked, 
 but  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his  way  and  live  ?'  His  appeal  to- 
 guilt}'  man  is,  '  Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  why  will  ye  die  ?'  Surel\-  God 
 need    not    have    given    us   a  Bible,   if  salvation   was  to   be  finally 
 
THE    PREACHER.       THE    SPEAKER.  453 
 
 extended  to  every  human  being.  Of  what  use  is  the  Bible  to  us,  if 
 the  Eternal  (to  use  the  language  of  the  unbeliever)  does  not  take 
 notice  of  the  actions  which  are  done  by  men — if  there  is  no  final 
 judgment,  no  final  hell,  no  punishment  for  the  wicked,  no  reward 
 for  the  righteous.  Nature  herself  teaches  us  a  diff'erent  lesson.  In 
 fact,  she  represents  in  the  events  which  daily  occur,  what  the  Bible 
 in  words  so  plainly  describes.  She  proves  to  us  most  palpably,  that 
 the  world  is  not  what  it  must  have  been  when  it  first  started  into 
 existence,  at  the  fiat  of  the  Creator.  Look  at  that  beautifully  plu- 
 maged  bird,  so  lovely  and  graceful,  hopping  from  tree  to  tree  in 
 unconscious  security,  suddenly  snatched  away  and  torn  by  an 
 unsightly  vulture.  Gaze  at  that  elegant  deer,  sporting  so  mirthfully 
 and  joyously  on  the  wild  moor,  unexpectedly  pounced  upon  and 
 mangled  by  the  fierce  leopard.  The  very  breeze  which  fans  our 
 over-heated  brow  on  a  hot  summer's  day,  may,  and  very  often  does, 
 carry  destruction  and  death  to  the  ship  freighted  with  hundreds 
 of  immortal  beings.  Surely  our  world  cannot  be,  at  present,  what 
 it  was,  when  God  looked  upon  it,  and  pronounced  it  '  very  good.'  " 
 
 The   preacher    then   proceeded    to    compare    Christianity   with 
 
 Judaism,   indicating,  that  they  in  common  recognize  the   perfect 
 
 love  and  goodness  of  God.     But  they  diverge,  when  the  conditions 
 
 under  which  that  love  and  goodness  are  manifested,  are  understood 
 
 and  weighed. 
 
 "To  illustrate  all  these  grand  and  sublime  truths,  the  limits  of  a 
 brief  discourse  will  certainly  not  suffice.  We  may,  however,  just 
 advert  to  a  few  of  the  many  declarations  contained  in  Scripture,  to 
 guide  you  in  examining  at  your  leisure  the  beautiful  vision  sketched 
 by  the  hand  of  prophecy,  and  destined,  as  we  hope,  ere  long  to 
 receive  its  more  complete  fulfilment.  That  it  is  God's  desire  that 
 all  should  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  and  live,  is  evident 
 from  the  very  first  utterances  of  prophecy,  '  that  the  seed  of  the 
 woman  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head.'  Centuries  rolled  by,  and 
 Satan  continued  his  usurped  empire.  Then  the  note  of  blessing 
 is  again  heard,  for  God  said  unto  Abraham,  '  In  thy  seed  shall  all 
 the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed.'  This  promise  is  repeated 
 again  and  again,  till  at  last  it  reaches  its  climax  in  the  words  pre- 
 ceding my  text :  '  The  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge 
 of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.' 
 
 "  But,  it  may  be  asked,  to  whom  do  these  grand  and  magnificent 
 prophecies  point  ?  Who  will  this  promised  Redeemer  be,  who  is 
 'to  open  the  blind  eyes,  to  bring  out  the  prisoners  from  the  prison, 
 and  them  that  sit  in  darkness  out  of  the  prison  house,'  or  '  to  whom 
 the  Gentiles  shall  seek  ?'  We  turn  to  the  New  Testament,  and 
 there  the  enigma  finds  its  solution,  the  prophecy  its  accomplishment. 
 We  there  behold,  in  the  child  born  at  Bethlehem,  Him  whom  INIicah 
 predicts  as  the  ruler  '  whose  goings  forth  have  been  of  old,  from 
 
454  1"**E  PREACHER.   THE  SPEAKER. 
 
 everlasting.'  In  Him  who  was  called  Jesus,  we  recognize  the- 
 '  Emanuel'  of  Isaiah,  the  '  Lord  our  Righteousness'  of  Jeremiah, 
 and  the  '  Son  of  Man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven'  of  Daniel  ;, 
 in  the  sufferer  on  the  cross,  '  the  man  of  sorrows,  wounded  for  our 
 trangressions  and  bruised  for  our  iniquities.'  In  fact,  the  birth  and 
 titles  of  this  august  personage,  as  well  as  the  period  of  His  appear- 
 ance, the  treatment  He  should  e.xperience,  and  the  effects  His  life, 
 death,  and  resurrection  were  to  produce,  are  so  minutely  delineated, 
 that  one  almost  wonders  how  persons  professing  to  believe  in  the 
 Bible  can  yet  reject  or  controvert  what  the  omniscient  Spirit  has. 
 in  the  clearest  language  revealed.  And  that  there  is  no  contrivance 
 to  make  the  events  narrated  in  the  New  Testament  harmonize  with 
 those  predicted  in  the  Old,  is  evident  from  the  facts  the  evangelists 
 themselves  relate.  Reflect  for  a  moment  on  the  announcement  of 
 the  birth  of  Jesus,  as  recorded  in  Luke  i.  32  :  'He  shall  be  great, 
 and  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the  Highest;'  or,  'the  Gospel  must 
 be  published  among  all  nations,'  Mark  xiii.  10.  And  does  not 
 every  generation  and  century  during  the  last  eighteen  hundred  years- 
 bear  witness  to  the  fulfilment  of  this  wonderful  prediction  ?  Now^ 
 what  human  forecast  or  conjecture  could  possibly  have  contrived, 
 that  the  child  born  in  Bethlehem  should  yet  be  called  by  the  whole 
 civilized  world  '  the  Son  of  the  Highest,'  or  that  the  story  of  one 
 crucified  on  Calvary,  should  be  proclaimed  as  the  message  of  mercy,, 
 and  the  tidings  of  salvation,  throughout  the  whole  universe  ?" 
 
 The  characteristics  of  the  Christian  religion  are  further  enforced, 
 
 in  such  terms  as  might  arrest  the  attention  of  his  Jewish  hearers, 
 
 and  show  how  Moses  and  the  Prophets  bore  testimony  to  Christ. 
 
 "  But  not  only  does  Christianity  draw  up  our  aff'ections  to  a  Father 
 reconciled  to  His  children  ;  it  also  meets  every  incjuiry  and  sugges- 
 tion that  can  possibly  arise  in  our  minds.  Doubts,  scepticism,  and 
 infidelity  do  not  spring  from  the  study  of  God's  Word  ;  on  the  con- 
 trary, from  a  neglect  of  it.  Numbers  of  people,  instead  of  going  tO' 
 '  the  fountain  of  living  waters,  hew  themselves  out  cisterns  which 
 can  hold  no  water.'  They  gain  their  knowledge  of  Scripture  from 
 sceptical  books,  and  thus  assail  truths  which  they  have  never  tho- 
 roughly examined  nor  investigated. 
 
 "  Another  proof  that  to  Him  who  is  the  '  root  of  Jesse  '  the  Gen- 
 tiles were  to  be  gathered,  we  have  in  the  spread  and  progress  of  the 
 Gospel  of  salvation.  Every  religion  before  Christ  only  found  adhe- 
 rents in  the  country  where  it  arose.  Even  Mosaism,  the  religion 
 distinguished  above  all  other  systems  and  creeds  by  its  Divine 
 origin  and  purer  morality,  only  gained  a  few  proselytes  from  sur- 
 rounding nations.  Christianity,  on  the  contrary,  humble  in  its 
 beginning,  and  opposed  in  its  progress,  has  achieved  triumphs, 
 which  to  the  very  end  of  time  attest  its  Divine  origin  and  mission. 
 Its  Founder  was,  we  are  told  by  the  prophet,  '  a  root  out  of  a  dry 
 ground'   (Isa.  liii.   2).     He  was  not  surrounded  by  the  pomp  and 
 
THE    PREACHER.       THE    SPEAKER.  455 
 
 splendour  which  attend  earthly  princes,  nor  did  He  seek  to  win  fol- 
 lowers by  promises  of  temporal  advantages.  '  Let  the  dead  bury 
 their  dead,'  was  the  answer  given  to  him  who  only  sought  to  go 
 home,  and  wait  till  his  father  was  consigned  to  the  grave,  ere  he 
 declared  himself  a  disciple  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus.  Devoid 
 of  attraction,  divested  of  all  splendour  as  the  religion  of  Jesus  must 
 have  appeared  to  the  proud  Pharisee,  the  philosophising  Greek, 
 and  the  sneering  Roman,  it  has  gathered  the  Gentiles  in  homage 
 and  adoration  around  the  footstool  of  David's  Son  and  David's 
 Lord. 
 
 "  Before  the  advent  of  Christ,  '  darkness  covered  the  earth,  and 
 gross  darkness  the  people.'  With  the  exception  of  Israel,  an  insig- 
 nificant nation,  mankind  were  sunk  in  idolatry,  wretchedness  and 
 vice.  They  had  changed  the  glory  of  God  into  the  similitude  of 
 '  birds,  four-footed  beasts,  and  creeping  things.'  This  too  at  a  time 
 when  man  made  great  progress  in  secular  knowledge,  and  in  the 
 various  arts  which  tended  to  charm  and  embellish  life.  He  could 
 erect  magnificent  temples,  stately  halls  and  monuments,  that  even 
 in  their  ruin  and  decay  excite  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  every 
 beholder  ;  yet  whilst  he  could  accomplish  such  feats  as  these,  his 
 spiritual  perceptions  were  so  blunted,  that  he  worshipped  the  crea- 
 tion of  his  own  hands,  and  bent  his  knee  to  the  very  reptile  he  could 
 crush  under  his  foot.  The  Gospel  came  like  a  light  from  heaven  to 
 dissipate  this  moral  darkness,  and  myriads  of  hearts  pulsated  with 
 love,  joy  and  peace. 
 
 "  There  is  another  striking  feature  in  Christianity,  which  stamps 
 it  with  universality,  and  this  is  its  simplicity.  It  does  not,  like 
 Judaism — not  that  new,  spurious  system  called  Reformed  Judaism, 
 but  that  Orthodox  Rabbinical  creed — demand  years  of  hard  study 
 before  a  moderate  knowledge  of  all  its  requirements  is  obtained. 
 Of  the  hundreds  of  Israelites  who  attend  the  synagogue,  few  only 
 understand  the  religion  to  which  they  .are  attached.  And  this  is 
 the  case  with  all  false  creeds.  They  are  either  overburdened  with 
 rites  and  ceremonies  few  ever  thoroughly  master,  or  enshrouded  in 
 mysteries  no  one  can  ever  penetrate.  The  Gospel,  in  striking  con- 
 trast to  all  these  human  systems,  simply  bids  us  '  Believe  on  the 
 Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved.'  It,  indeed,  contains 
 mysteries  ;  but  mysteries  no  Christian  would  wish  to  penetrate  or  to 
 understand.  They  are  mysteries  fragrant  with  blessings  for  time 
 and  eternity. 
 
 "  My  Christian  friends,  before  I  close,  permit  me  to  remind  you 
 that  Christ  was  revealed  from  heaven  in  order  that  by  the  sacrifice 
 of  Himself  He  might  vindicate  God's  justice,  and  remove  every 
 impediment  that  opposed  the  sinner's  restoration  to  His  favour  and 
 love.  Now  sin  must  be  something  very  heinous  in  the  sight  of  God 
 since  it  demanded  such  a  sacrifice.  Sometimes  we  are  told  that 
 there  is  nothing  fascinating  in  sin.     This  is  not  true.     Sin  has  its- 
 
456  THE  PREACHER.   THE  SPEAKER. 
 
 attractions,  gratifications,  and  charms.  Its  delights  are,  however, 
 not  lasting  ;  they  are  transient,  and  then  comes  the  retrospect,  with 
 its  remorse,  grief,  and  shame.  On  the  other  hand,  a  godly  life  is  a 
 perpetual  source  of  comfort  and  joy.  It  never  causes  a  blush  or 
 pang.  It  blesses  in  this  life,  and  it  holds  out  the  sure  and  certain 
 promise  of  the  life  that  is  to  come. 
 
 "And  as  the  Gospel  is  an  invincible  power  against  sin,  so  it  is 
 also  a  source  of  comfort  in  the  struggles  we  have  continually  to 
 encounter.  There  are  sorrows,  trials  and  disappointments,  insepar- 
 able from  our  present  state  of  existence.  The  wicked  in  that  respect 
 do  not  form  an  exception  to  this  universal  law.  They,  like  the 
 Christian,  liave  to  breast  many  a  storm,  and  to  sustain  many  a  keen 
 conflict.  There  is,  however,  this  difference :  the  Christian  recog- 
 nizes in  every  dispensation  the  loving  hand  of  a  gracious  Father, 
 and  is  happy  and  resigned  ;  the  ungodly  turns  to  the  world,  and  its 
 frown  sinks  him  into  despondency  and  despair." 
 
 There  were  many  points,  in  which  Mr.  Stern  rose  to  the  highest 
 excellence  as  a  Speaker.  There  was  an  unhesitating  flow  of  well- 
 chosen  and  expressive  language.  It  seemed  to  his  hearers,  as  if  the 
 most  suitable  and  vigorous  forms  of  speech  were  always  at  hand,  to 
 convey  to  them  the  facts  which  he  wished  to  relate  or  to  illustrate. 
 Frequently,  there  was  burning  eloquence  in  his  narrations,  but  at  all 
 times  his  natural  and  easy  delivery,  and  picturesque  descriptions, 
 commanded  universal  attention.  Few  could  fail  to  desire  to  hear 
 him  again,  who  ever  had  the  opportunity  of  hearing  him  once. 
 
 Three  quotations  from  his  speeches  at  the  Annual  Meetings  of 
 the  London  Society,  in  Exeter  Hall,  are  now  given.  They  mark 
 the  several  epochs  of  his  association  with  Abyssinia,  and  represent 
 him  as  sounding  the  note  of  his  arrival  after  his  first  journey — the 
 call  to  return  thither,  to  which  he  so  readily  responded — and  the 
 strain  of  thanksgiving,  in  which  he  recorded  his  return  from  thral- 
 dom and  suff'ering. 
 
 "It  is  only  a  few  months  ago  that  I  was  in  Abyssinia,  and  when 
 I  compare  the  assemblies  I  had  then  to  address  with  the  audience 
 just  now  before  me,  I  feel  the  contrast  to  be  so  powerful,  and  the 
 change  to  be  so  striking,  that  the  question  almost  involuntarily 
 starts  to  my  lips,  Why  should  a  God  of  love  and  benevolence 
 permit  one  portion  of  this  domain  of  humanity  to  be  plunged  in 
 perpetual  darkness,  whilst  another  is  continually  enjoying  a  pro- 
 gression in  spiritual  and  intellectual  light  ?  To  this  startling  and 
 perplexing  query,  the  first  page  of  prophecy  gives,  however,  a  direct 
 and  positive  reply.     It  tells  us  in  a  language  that  cannot  be  misin- 
 
THE    PREACHER.      THE    SPEAKER. 
 
 457 
 
 terpreted,  that  sin  hath  darkened  the  understanding,  and  corrupted 
 the  human  heart.  But  the  Word  of  God  does  not  pause  here,  it 
 does  not  phinge  us  into  an  abyss  of  misery,  and  then  leave  us  to 
 perish  in  despair  ;  it  does  not  fulminate  against  us  denunciations  of 
 wrath  without  unfolding  at  the  same  time  a  prospect  of  mercy  ;  on 
 the  contrary,  upon  the  lowering  clouds  shines  a  bright  bow  of  hope, 
 and  in  the  rolling  thunder  are  heard  the  accents  of  redeeming  love. 
 The  Infinite  Himself  provides  the  means  for  the  recovery  of  the 
 finite,  and  the  pure  and  holy,  atones  for  the  sin  of  the  polluted  and 
 the  guilty. 
 
 "Time  would  not  allow  me,  to  traverse  with  you  all  the  districts 
 and  provinces  I  visited,  but  this  I  can  truly  say,  that  my  missionary 
 tour  through  Abyssinia,  notwithstanding  the  troubles  and  difficulties 
 which  we  had  to  encounter — notwithstanding  the  many  dangers 
 and  trials  we  had  continually  to  submit  to — notwithstanding  that  we 
 were  often  reduced  to  circumstances  which,  I  believe,  would  have 
 excited  the  compassion  and  sympathy  of  a  guardian  of  one  of  your 
 workhouses,  or  of  the  Superintendent  of  one  of  your  refuges, 
 so  much  were  we  reduced  as  regards  external  appearances — 
 that  the  journey,  from  the  causes  I  have  specified,  was  one  of  unin- 
 terrupted delight  and  continual  joy.  Frequently  we  visited  three 
 or  four  settlements  in  a  day,  and  everywhere  the  woman  busy  in 
 her  hut,  and  the  peasant  working  in  his  field,  left  the  plough  and 
 the  grinding  stone  to  hear  the  white  messengers  of  the  cross. 
 Some  men  followed  us  for  days  and  days  over  mountains  and  valleys, 
 through  deep  ravines  and  over  rocky  cliffs ;  and  when  we  inquired 
 why  they  accompanied  us,  the  reply  invariably  was,  '  We  want  to 
 know  more  of  the  Redeemer  of  Israel  whom  you  proclaim.'  The 
 desire  to  possess  the  written  Word  was  quite  equal  to  the  desire  to 
 hear  the  preached  Word.  I  might  advert  to  several  instances,  where 
 men  had  come  from  Quara  and  Simien,  the  lowest  and  the  highest 
 lands  in  Abyssinia,  to  get  a  copy  of  God's  Word  for  their  com- 
 munity, and  as  in  many  instances  the  limited  stock  which  we  could 
 carry  did  not  permit  us  to  satisfy  the  demand  of  every  applicant, 
 men  far  advanced  in  life,  and  whose  hardened  features  had  never 
 been  moistened  by  a  tear,  sad  and  mournful,  squatted  down  near 
 our  tent,  weeping  and  sobbing  as  if  their  hearts  would  break. 
 
 "  Many  Christians,  who  believe  that  the  Gospel  can  and  does 
 convert  the  degraded  and  benighted  Pagan,  doubt  its  power  when 
 brought  in  contact  with  the  heart  of  the  obstinate  and  stift'-necked 
 Jew.  Now,  our  Lord  did  not  teach  us  to  cherish  such  thoughts. 
 He  did  not  say  to  His  disciples,  go  to  all  tribes  and  kindreds,  tra- 
 verse every  region  and  clime  with  the  message  of  my  love,  but  waste 
 not  your  time  and  energies  on  this  wicked  race,  this  sin-stained 
 people.  Such  was  not  the  commission  with  which  the  Divine 
 Redeemer  charged  His  disciples.  No  !  He  pitied  His  enemies, 
 prayed  for  His  persecutors,  and  manifested  His  benevolence  and 
 compassion  on  Hfs  very  murderers.     And  can  any  one  doubt,  that 
 
 E  E 
 
458  THE  PREACHER.   THE  SPEAKER. 
 
 the  Gospel  which  could  melt  with  tears  of  penitence  men  whose 
 eyes  were  still  o:leaming  with  the  fire  of  hate  and  revenge,  and  lead 
 them  to  exclaim  in  the  language  of  contrition  and  despair,  '  What 
 must  we  do  to  be  saved  ?  '  I  say,  can  any  one  after  witnessing  such  a 
 demonstration  of  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  doubt  its  efficacy  in  the 
 present  day,  in  converting  the  obstinate  Jew  and  inveterate  scoffer  ? 
 Thank  God  !  our  Gospel  has  not  lost  its  Divine  power  since  the  day 
 that  Peter  preached,  and  three  thousand  men  were  converted  ;  on 
 the  contrary,  the  evidences  of  its  saving  efficacy  are  witnessed  in 
 all  lands  and  in  all  climes,  where  the  e.xiles  of  Zion  have  found  a 
 refuge  and  a  home.  Away  then  with  selfish  excuses  and  unworthy 
 pleas,  and  instead  of  these,  let  pity  affect,  hope  arouse,  and  benevo- 
 lence prompt  you  in  this  holy  and  God-honouring  work.  In  your 
 prayers,  in  the  midst  of  your  numerous  comforts,  in  the  abundance 
 of  all  your  blessings  and  privileges,  Oh,  think  on  the  poor  Jew ; 
 think  on  him  not  as  the  banker  and  wealthy  merchant,  not  as  the 
 statesman  and  politician,  but  think  on  him  as  he  is  in  Arabia,  the 
 persecuted  and  oppressed,  the  outcast  and  despised  ;  think  on  him 
 as  he  is  in  Africa,  agonized  in  soul  and  tormented  in  heart ;  aye, 
 think  on  him  as  he  stands  on  a  lofty  rock,  and  by  one  fearful  leap 
 into  the  rolling  and  foaming  stream,  seeks  pardon  and  acceptance 
 by  a  premature  death.  I  am  sure  if  you  think  on  him  thus,  you 
 will  help  to  arrest  this  tide  of  misery;  you  will  do  all  you  can  to 
 stem  this  torrent  of  woe." 
 
 When  the  call  had  been  given  for  his  return  to  Abyssinia,  it  was 
 in  these  terms  that  he  alluded  to  it,  at  the  Annual  Meeting  in  1862. 
 
 "A  fortnight  ago,  I  thought  that  by  this  time  I  should  be  afloat 
 on  the  Mediterranean,  speeding  my  way  back  to  Constantinople. 
 My  passage  was  almost  engaged,  my  last  interview  with  the  Com- 
 mittee appointed,  and  in  my  heart  and  imagination  I  was  already 
 traversing  the  narrow  lanes  and  crowded  alleys  of  the  Jewish  quar- 
 ter in  the  city  of  the  Sultan  ;  when  news  reached  us  from  Abyssinia, 
 which  entirely  changed  my  destination.  And  now,  instead  of  going 
 to  Constantinople,  I  have  once  more  to  grasp  my  pilgrim's  staff, 
 and  wander  over  the  sun-burnt  deserts  and  arid  plains  of  Africa. 
 My  Lord,  I  fear  that  many  in  this  Hall  who  are  acquainted  with  my 
 missionary  career,  will  be  inclined  to  think  that  I  am  a  regular 
 wandering  Jew,  and  quite  unable  to  concentrate  my  energies  and 
 efforts  on  a  limited  and  confined  sphere  of  labour ;  but  I  am  quite 
 confident  that  there  are  some  gentlemen  on  this  platform,  who  will 
 bear  me  witness,  that  I  do  not  possess  that  mercurial  disposition  for 
 which  I  now  and  then  receive  credit ;  on  the  contrary,  if  ease  and 
 personal  comfort  were  to  me  an  object  of  the  slightest  value,  I 
 should  much  prefer  the  shores  of  the  Bosphorus,  to  the  wild  scenes 
 around  the  lake  Tzana,  and  the  city  of  the  Sultan  Abdul  Aziz,  to  the 
 capital  of  King  Theodorus.  My  Lord,  when  I  occupied  the  place 
 in  which  I  now  stand  a  year  ago,  I  spoke  about  our  newly  opened 
 
THE    PREACHER.       THE    SPEAKER.  459 
 
 missionary  sphere  in  Abyssinia,  from  wlu-nce  I  had  then  just 
 returned.  I  aUuded  on  that  occasion  to  our  hopes  and  disappoint- 
 ments, our  expectations  and  trials  ;  but  whilst  I  felt  perfectly  confi- 
 dent, from  the  numerous  indications  of  the  Divine  favour  which  we 
 had  then  experienced,  that  our  work,  notwithstanding  the  numerous 
 obstacles  which  we  should  meet  with,  would  still  gather  daily 
 fresh  strength,  and  gain  continually  deeper  root,  I  yet  did  not 
 anticipate  such  unclouded  sunshine  of  prosperity  as  that  which 
 God  in  His  infinite  mercy  has  been  pleased  to  vouchsafe  to  our 
 mission.  The  letters  which  were  received  very  recently  from 
 Abyssinia,  fully  justify  the  anticipations  which  I  then  so  fondly 
 expressed.  Our  missionaries  in  that  country  all  unite  in  stating, 
 that  there  is  a  great  and  wonderful  movement  among  the  Falashas, 
 One  missionary  states  in  his  letter,  that  a  whole  Jewish  village  at 
 Genda,  together  with  their  teacher,  (Debterah  Beroo,)  to  whom  I 
 alluded  in  my  journal  as  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  best  in- 
 formed Jews  in  Abyssinia,  had  formally  declared  their  full  convic- 
 tion of  the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  and  their  unanimous  desire  to 
 obtain  baptism. 
 
 "  Have  we  not  ample  proofs  in  the  history  of  tlie  Church,  that  the 
 opposition  of  man  is  frequently  the  opportunity  for  the  display  of 
 the  power  of  God  ?  We  know  that  the  Gospel  of  Christ  had  to 
 contend  against  an  infuriated  priesthood  and  a  blinded  people,  and 
 yet  that  very  faith,  which  man  in  his  vindictive  rage  thought  to 
 quench  in  the  blood  of  redeeming  love,  achieved  the  greatest 
 trophies  from  among  that  very  class  who  stood  around  the  Cross^ 
 and  in  malicious  rage  exclaimed:  'Away  with  Him.  Crucify  Him, 
 crucify  Him.'  And  if  we  go  back  to  the  remotest  period  of  history, 
 we  shall  invariably  find,  that  light  has  had  to  struggle  with  darkness,; 
 and  truth,  however  triumphant  at  last,  has  had  to  contend  against 
 error.  Talk  of  difficulties,  when  we  have  a  throne  of  grace  ;  of 
 obstacles,  when  engaged  in  a  Divine  work,  and  aided  by  a  Divine 
 Saviour.  Sooner  might  we  expect  that  the  astronomer  could  arrest 
 the  sun  in  his  course,  and  the  mariner  command  the  heaving  ocean 
 to  be  still,  than  that  God  should' be  unfaithful  to  His  promises,  or 
 retard  the  subjugation  of  sinful  men  to  the  sway  of  the  Gospel  of 
 Christ. 
 
 "  I  recollect  that  about  fourteen  months  ago,  when  in  Egypt,  I 
 met  two  ladies — one  the  daughter  of  a  distinguished  Irish  Prelate, 
 the  other  the  daughter  of  a  well-known  Divine  now  gone  to  his 
 rest.  These  two  ladies  had  visited  the  banks  of  the  Nile  to  recruit 
 their  impaired  health  ;  but  the  sight  of  the  banded  myriads,  leagued 
 against  God  and  His  Anointed,  moved  their  heart's  compassion  ;  and 
 instead  of  attending  to  their  own  interests,  they  went  about  tending 
 the  sick,  feeding  the  hungry,  and  instructing  the  helpless  and  young. 
 And  if  we  go  to  any  distant  sphere,  where  the  missionary  with 
 patient  steps  has  explored  the  dark  domains  of  humanity,  we  invari- 
 ably find  ladies — nursed  in  every  luxury,  gifted  with  every  accom- 
 
460  THE    PRKACHER.       THE    SPEAKER. 
 
 plishmcnt,  and  adorntnl  by  eveiy  grace  and  virtue — instructing  the 
 ignorant,  taming  the  savage,  and  rearing  amiidst  scenes  of  wretched- 
 ness and  sin,  abodes  of  hoHness  and  peace.  Now  I  trust,  that  our 
 friends  on  this  platform  will  emulate  such  examples,  and  that  one, 
 if  not  more,  will  resolve  this  day  in  their  hearts  to  accompany  me 
 to  Africa,  to  carry  the  tidings  of  salvation  to  the  i)Oor  Falashas,  who 
 are  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge  on  the  mountain  to})S  of 
 Abyssinia. 
 
 "  It  has  been  my  privilege  to  preach  Christ  in  different  countries 
 and  in  different  languages,  but  I  must  add  that  the  power  of  the  ser- 
 mon lay  too  frequently  in  the  force,  energy,  and  fervour  of  the 
 speaker ;  and  if  the  discourse  was  not  in  a  thrilling,  moving,  and 
 melting  strain,  there  would  be  seen  the  heavy  eye,  the  nodding 
 head,  and  the  furtive  glance  at  the  watch  or  clock.  But  in  Abyssinia, 
 where  I  have  preached  the  Gospel  with  a  stammering  tongue  and  a 
 faltering  lip,  I  never  saw  the  poor  worshipper  weary  to  hear,  so  long 
 as  1  was  not  weary  to  preach.  I  reiterate,  that  I  would  not  go  back 
 to  that  remote  country,  and  encounter  all  the  hardships  of  an  African 
 missionary  tour,  if  I  did  not  feel  a  yearning  desire,  a  deep  solicitude, 
 and  anxious  longing  for  the  welfare  of  that  remnant  of  Israel,  who 
 are  collected  together  on  the  highlands  of  Africa." 
 
 In  his  concluding  observations  the  President — the  Earl  of  Shaftes- 
 bury, said:  "When  I  consider  the  state  of  things  in  Abyssinia, 
 when  I  think  of  the  opening  that  God  has  made  for  us,  and  of  the 
 opportunities  which  are  now  afforded — when  I  think  of  the  door 
 standing  so  wide  open  into  which  we  hesitate  to  enter — when  I 
 reflect  on  the  importance  of  the  work  to  be  done,  and  remember 
 that  we  sit  passively  here,  I  ask  for  what  purpose  this  Society  exists — 
 if  you,  having  the  means  of  addressing  yourselves  to  hundreds  and 
 thousands  w^ho  not  only  have  no  aversion  to  Christianity,  but  are 
 anxious  to  receive  it,  fail  to  address  yourselves  to  the  work,  and  to 
 make  an  appeal  to  the  whole  country  to  come  forward  to  your  assis- 
 tance ?  I  declare  to  you,  that,  if  I  were  not  so  advanced  in  life  as  1 
 am,  I  should  almost  be  tempted  myself  to  take  Orders  and  go  out  as 
 a  missionary  to  the  Jews  in  Abyssinia.  My  friend  Mr.  Stern  has  so 
 warmed  my  heart,  as  he  always  does  when  he  speaks  on  this  subject, 
 that  I  would,  if  I  were  not  so  old,  go  out  and  join  him  in  this  great 
 and  holy  work  ;  for  I  believe,  that  no  part  of  the  Lord's  vineyard 
 was  ever  more  ready  for  the  harvest  than  is  this.  Mr.  Sheridan 
 once  said,  that  the  Jew  was  like  the  blank  leaf  between  the  Old  and 
 New  Testament.     What  a  wonderful,  graphic  description  that  was  ! 
 
THK    PREACHER.       THE    SPEAKER.  46 1 
 
 Sec,  then,  what  is  offered  to  you.  How  man}'  tliousands  of  blank 
 leaves  are  oflered  to  you,  on  which  may  be  written  the  everlasting 
 truths  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ ;  on  which  may  be  written  the  name 
 of  Christ  Himself  in  indelible  characters,  and  witli  respect  to  which, 
 after  tlie  accomplishment  of  your  good  and  holy  work,  you  may  say, 
 with  Christian  emphasis,  'What  I  have  written  I  have  written.'" 
 
 Seven  years  after  this  time,  Mr.Stern  stood  on  the  same  platform. 
 The  tale  he  had  to  tell  to  his  audience,  was  one  on  which  there 
 needs  to  be  no  further  comment. 
 
 "  I  would  briefly  advert  to  that  country  where  I  experienced  so 
 many  mercies,  sustained  so  many  hardships,  and  witnessed  such 
 palpable  interpositions  of  Divine  providence.  Few  spheres  of  mis- 
 sionary enterprise  on  the  wide  domain  of  our  universe  presented  a 
 more  promising  aspect  to  the  Christian  husbandman  than  Abyssinia; 
 King  Theodorus  was  not,  as  it  has  been  erroneously  stated,  opposed 
 to  me  and  the  work  in  which  I  was  engaged.  Again  and  again  he 
 reiterated,  that  our  efforts  depended  not  on  his  sanction,  but  on  that 
 of  the  Aboona  Salama.  That  good  and  honest  man,  who  received 
 his  training  in  a  school  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  openly 
 countenanced  and  encouraged  the  preaching  of  the  missionaries 
 and  the  circulation  of  God's  Word.  He  has  been  most  grossly 
 misrepresented  by  interested  parties.  All  sorts  of  unfounded 
 slanders  have  been  heaped  on  his  name,  but  I  shall  always  revere 
 his  memory,  and  so  no  doubt  will  my  friend  to  the  left  (I\Ir. 
 Rassam),  and  most  of  my  fellow-captives,  as  that  of  a  man  who  did 
 everything  in  his  power  to  mitigate  our  sufferings,  to  alleviate  our 
 wants,  and,  had  it  been  possible,  to  effect  our  freedom.  He  died 
 in  October,  1867,  and  his  last  moments  bore  striking  testimony  to 
 the  faith  he  cherished.  Death  had  already  laid  his  icy  hands  upon 
 him,  his  eyes  were  already  growing  dim,  the  world  and  its  scenes 
 and  actors  were  already  fading  from  his  view — still  he  did  not  forget 
 his  friends  in  the  dungeons  of  Theodorus,  but  almost  with  palsied 
 fingers  wrote  small  notes  to  Mr.  Rassam  and  myself,  in  which 
 prayers  for  our  release  were  mingled  with  his  dying  expressions  of 
 trust,  faith,  and  confidence  in  the  mercy  of  the  Redeemer.  Sup- 
 ported by  such  an  archbishop,  and  encouraged  by  the  Falashas,  our 
 mission  promised  to  become  a  kind  of  focal  power  to  irradiate  far 
 and  wide  that  region  of  moral  and  spiritual  night.  In  a  very  limited 
 period  of  time  the  Gospel  had  been  successfully  preached,  the  Word 
 of  God  had  been  freely  and  widely  circulated,  many  schools  had 
 been  established,  several  native  Scripture-readers  had  been  trained, 
 and  from  fifty  to  sixty  converts  had  been  collected  around  our  mis- 
 sionary station,  to  form  a  kind  of  nucleus  of  an  enlightened  Christian 
 community.  These  incipient  results  invested  our  mission  with 
 prospects  so  bright  and  dazzling,  that  in  the  delightful  anticipations 
 
4^2  XHE    PREACHER.      THE    SPEAKER. 
 
 of  the  future,  we  heeded  not  the  transitory  clouds,  as  we  imagined, 
 which  began  to  cast  their  ominous  forewarning  shadows  over  the 
 present.  The  difficulties  in  which  we  were  subsequently  involved, 
 the  dangers  that  hemmed  us  in  on  every  side,  did  not  weaken,  but 
 deepened  those  impressions  which  our  preaching  during  the  period 
 of  liberty  had  produced.  The  people  had  heard  and  acknowledged 
 not  only  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  but  that  we  also  suffered  in- 
 directly for  the  truth  of  the  Gospel.  And  it  was  equally  well-known, 
 for  the  lips  of  many  a  soldier  proclaimed  it,  that  although  King 
 Theodorus  had  thrown  us  into  prison,  and  had  bound  us  in  galling 
 fetters,  he  had  not  sealed  our  lips,  nor  interdicted  us  from  preaching 
 in  our  prisons.  Yes,  in  that  terrible  jail,  and  on  that  awful  rock  of 
 Magdala,  there  was  often  heard,  amidst  the  clang  of  fetters  and  the 
 groans  of  the  captive,  the  expressions  of  true  repentance  towards 
 God,  and  of  faith  in  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  Those  impressions 
 were  not  transitory  or  ephemeral.  The  soldiers,  and  the  few  Chiefs 
 who  were  drawn  around  us,  were  not  attracted  by  curiosity  or  the 
 gifts  which  we  could  bestow.  We  had  nothing  to  offer,  for  we  were 
 very  poor.  They  came  around  us  simply  to  hear  the  truth  we  pro- 
 claimed, and  the  Scripture  difficulties  which  we  solved.  To  show 
 that  this  is  not  a  varnished  missionary  statement,  I  will  only  allude 
 to  one  incident,  which  I  presume  even  the  most  inveterate  unbe- 
 liever in  the  success  of  foreign  missions  cannot  controvert,  or 
 designate  a  platform  exaggeration.  It  was  toward  the  end  of  Feb- 
 ruary, 1868,  that  we  heard  that  King  Theodorus,  accompanied  by  his 
 lumbering  and  useless  cannons,  was  gradually  crawling  on  towards 
 the  fortress  in  which  we  were  imprisoned.  We  had  anticipated  that 
 the  Expedition  would  forestall  his  arrival,  and  so  prevent  those 
 dangers  in  which  we  were  now  involved.  But  King  Theodorus 
 approached,  and  the  Expedition  was  still  at  a  considerable  distance. 
 Our  doom  appeared  now,  humanly  speaking,  decided ;  and  the 
 crisis  of  our  sad  history  appeared  inevitable.  Death — a  slow,  cruel, 
 torturing  death,  stared  us  in  the  face.  In  this  difficulty,  I  consulted 
 one  of  our  best  Christian  friends.  I  sent  for  him,  and  by  some 
 kind  of  manoeuvre  he  was  admitted  into  my  cell.  I  said  to  him, 
 'You  pretend  to  be  my  friend,  and  to  be  sincerely  attached  to  me  ; 
 now  prove  your  friendship,  and  give  occular  demonstration  of  your 
 love.  We  are  in  great  peril,  every  minute  we  expect  that  the  mes- 
 senger of  death  will  come  to  us.'  He  replied,  '  I  will  aid  you  if  you 
 suggest  any  means  of  escape.'  I  rejoined,  '  How  many  men  have 
 you  on  whom  you  can  depend  ?'  '  Thirty,  or  perhaps  forty,'  was 
 the  answer.  '  Well,  then,'  I  returned,  '  you  must  help  us  to  escape 
 out  of  this  horrid  rock.'  '  I  am  ready,'  was  the  response,  '  to  abet 
 your  enterprise  ;  but  rest  assured,  if  you  make  an  effort  to  storm  the 
 gates,  you  will  accelerate  your  own  death,  and  involve  us  and  our 
 families  in  the  same  doom.'  I  persisted.  I  told  him  he  must  show 
 by  his  works  the  sincerity  of  his  professions.  I  communicated  what 
 he  had  said  to  my  friend  Mr.  Rassam,  as  well  as  to  every  one  of  my 
 
THE    PREACHER.      THE    SPEAKER.  463 
 
 fellow-captives.  Wc  considered  the  question  of  our  escape  in  all  its 
 bearini^s,  and  at  last  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  attempt  would 
 prove  abortive,  and  not  only  involve  us  in  a  very  cruel  death,  hut 
 bring  a  similar  doom  upon  the  poor  soldiers  who  aided  us,  and  their 
 innocent  wives  and  children.  We  abandoned  the  plan,  but  it 
 demonstrated  that  those  men  were  not  only  Christians  by  profes- 
 sion, but  they  were  like  those  disciples  in  times  of  old,  who  were 
 ready  to  pluck  out  their  eyes  in  order  to  render  a  service  to  the 
 Apostle,  through  whom  they  had  been  brought  to  a  knowledge  of 
 Him  whom  to  know  is  life  everlasting.  That  genuine  spirit  of 
 Christian  piety,  love  and  devotion,  evinced  by  many  of  our  guards, 
 exerted  a  beneficial  influence  on  our  fellow-prisoners,  and  many 
 manifested  a  most  anxious  desire  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
 Gospel  of  Christ.  I  procured  them  several  copies  of  the  Scriptures, 
 and  these  were  continually  in  the  hands  of  anxious  readers  and 
 hearers,  who  drew  from  the  pages  of  inspiration  lessons  of  comfort 
 during  their  imprisonment,  and  of  peace  during  the  awful  moment 
 of  their  execution  and  death." 
 
CHAPTER     XLIX. 
 
 TESTIMONIALS    OF    RESPECT    AND    AFFIXITON. 
 
 The  extent  to  which  any  tangible  expression  should  be  given  of 
 our  regard  for  others,  and  the  form  which  such  testimonials  should 
 assume,  has  always  been  a  matter  of  opinion.  There  are  many, 
 whose  claims  are  overflowing  on  the  practical  sympathy  of  their 
 fellow-men,  whose  worth  and  services  never  receive  the  slightest 
 recognition.  On  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  admitted,  that  there 
 are  some  persons  in  the  world,  whose  deserts  have  been  altogether 
 incommensurate,  with  the  honours  and  benefits  which  they  have 
 received. 
 
 The  history  which  is  drawing  to  a  close,  sets  forth  the  character 
 of  one,  whose  services  to  his  fellow-men,  and  whose  devotion  to 
 his  heavenly  Master,  could  hardly  be  over-estimated.  That  he  had 
 only  "respect  unto  the  recompense  of  the  reward,"  none  could  fail  to 
 acknowledge  ;  but  it  is  not  less  satisfactory  to  know  that  there  were 
 occasions,  when  those  who  honoured  and  loved  him,  gave  him  some 
 substantial  evidence,  of  their  admiration  for  his  character  and 
 labours.  One  of  a  significant  kind  was  mentioned  in  the  early  part 
 of  this  Biography,  when  the  Commodore,  Officers,  and  Seamen, 
 comprising  the  Squadron  of  the  East  India  Comi)any,  cruizing  in 
 the  Persian  Gulf,  sent  to  him  an  inscribed  Silver  Inkstand,  as  an 
 evidence  of  their  sense  of  his  worth. 
 
 Among  his  fellow^  Hebrew  Christians,  Mr.  Stern  was  regarded 
 with  affectionate  reverence  and  lov(\  His  unolitrnsive  character, 
 manly  virtues,  and  consistent  life,  commended  him  to  their  unfail- 
 ing sympathy  ;  and  although  Gentile  Christians  were  liberal  in  their 
 
TESTIMONIALS    OF    KESPPXT   AND   AFFECTION.  465 
 
 contrilnitions  to  any  fund  which  was  intended  for  his  benefit,  every 
 movement  in  this  direction  was  initiated  by  his  Hebrew  bretlircn. 
 The  nature  of  their  regard  is  well  expressed  in  an  address  which 
 they  presented  to  liim,  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  Charlotte  Eliza- 
 beth Stern.  This  event  tookplace  on  January  ist,  1874.  The  faithful 
 and  affectionate  partner  of  his  life,  the  one  whose  gentle  devotion  and 
 blameless  life  had  commended  her  to  the  affectionate  interest  of  a 
 large  circle  of  friends — the  one  who  had  been  truly  the  sharer  of  his 
 deepest  sorrows  and  of  his  most  hallowed  joys,  was  called  away, 
 after  a  short  illness,  into  her  Divine  Master's  presence.  Her 
 afflicted  husband,  and  five  surviving  children — two  sons  and  three 
 daughters — were  the  chief  mourners.  But  the  Jewish  proselytes 
 sorrowed  with  their  sorrow.  "  She  had  wept,"  wrote  Mr.  Stern, 
 "  when  listening  to  the  tale  of  woe  they  had  to  tell,  and  now  their 
 honest,  manly  tears,  fell  in  profusion  over  the  grave  which  was  to 
 receive  her  mortal  remains.  A  few  days  after  the  funeral,  the 
 largest  room  in  the  Wanderers'  Home  was  crowded  by  a  mournful 
 assembly  of  Jewish  proselytes,  who  came  from  all  parts  of  the  Metro- 
 polis, to  present  me  with  the  following  engrossed  and  tastefully- 
 illuminated  letter  of  condolence,"  which  bore  one  hundred  and 
 ten  signatures : — 
 
 '  Reverend  and  dear  Sir, — We,  Christian  believers  of  the  House 
 of  Israel,  desire  to  express  our  unfeigned  sorrow  and  deep  sympathy 
 with  you  and  your  orphaned  children,  under  the  heavy  weight  of 
 affliction  by  which  you  are  bowed  down.  Many  of  us,  whose  sig- 
 natures are  appended  to  this  written  expression  of  condolence  are 
 indebted  to  your  instrumentalit}^  for  the  saving  knowledge  we  pos- 
 sess of  that  Gospel,  which  alone  opens  a  sure  and  joyful  prospect 
 of  immortality  beyond  the  grave.  Whether  in  the  Bible-class,  at 
 the  prayer-meeting,  or  in  the  pulpit,  you  have  always  sought  to 
 unfold  to  us  the  Divine  purposes  of  redeeming  love  ;  and  you  have 
 taught  us,  as  pilgrims  and  strangers,  to  look  daily  forward  to  the 
 blessed  realities  of  eternity.  Even  those  among  us  who  live  at  a 
 distance  from  your  immediate  missionary  and  ministerial  sphere, 
 but  whose  hearts'  desire  and  prayer  for  Israel  is,  that  they  might  be 
 saved,  have  been  in  the  habit  of  looking  up  to  you  as  a  zealous 
 representative,  and  an  able  and  affectionate  advocate  of  our  cause. 
 Bound  together,  therefore,  by  so  man)'  strong  and  pecular  ties  of 
 varied  and  manifold  relationship,  we  naturally  long  to  give  expres- 
 sion to  the  feelings  of  deep  sorrow  which  your  heavy  bereavement 
 has  stirred  up  in  our  hearts  ;  we  desire,  if  possible,  to  assuage  your 
 
466  TESTIMONIALS   OF    RESPECT    AND   AFFECTION. 
 
 grief  by  the  assurance  that  each  of  us  share  in  it,  and  that  we  bewail 
 your  loss  as  if  we  liad  personally  sustained  it. 
 
 '  We  need  not  point  you  to  the  consolations  which  the  Gospel  so 
 richly  supplies  to  believing  mourners.  Your  whole  life  has  been 
 spent  in  comforting  your  Jewish  brethren,  under  the  severe  tribula- 
 tion which  almost  invariably  attends  their  entrance  into  the  king- 
 dom of  God.  You  have  done  more — you  have  shown  them  a  noble 
 example  of  Christian  fortitude,  under  terrible  suffering,  endured  for 
 their  sake  and  the  Gospel,  in  the  wilds  of  Africa.  Your  eye  of 
 faith  has  often  pierced  through  the  darkest  cloud  of  sorrow  which 
 for  a  time  obscured  your  natural  vision.  Thus  your  own  personal 
 and  habitual  experience  has  lent  additional  weight  to  your  repeated 
 admonitions,  that  we,  too,  should  learn  to  disregard  the  things  of 
 time  and  sense,  that  we  should  renounce  the  visible  for  the  invisible, 
 and  seek  to  realize  the  spiritual  joy  of  heaven.  Now,  therefore,  that 
 you  are  again  passing  through  the  furnace  of  affliction,  we  feel  con- 
 fident that  you  are  not  without  that  solid  comfort  which  has  been 
 your  support  under  previous  trials,  and  which  you  know  so  well  how 
 to  hold  out  to  others.  In  this  confidence,  we  are  confirmed  by  the 
 calm  Christian  resignation,  the  subdued  and  noble  sorrow,  which 
 you  and  yours  have  exhibited  under  your  bereavement.  Such  a 
 frame  of  mind  can  only  be  created  and  maintained  by  the  deeply- 
 rooted  conviction,  that  your  beloved  wife  has  only  been  taken  from 
 you  for  a  time  ;  that  she  has  exchanged  a  life  of  conflict  for  one  of 
 ineflable  and  never-ending  rest,  and  that  when  your  own  earthly 
 warfare  is  over,  you  will  meet  her  among  the  throng  of  the  redeemed, 
 in  the  immediate  presence  of  the  Saviour. 
 
 '  We  are,  Reverend  and  dear  Sir, 
 
 '  In  deep  sympathy,  yours.'  " 
 
 Soon  after  the  joyous  excitement  of  Mr.  Stern's  deliverance  and 
 return  from  Abyssinia  had  moderated,  steps  were  taken  to  raise  a  Tes- 
 timonial Fund  on  behalf  of  the  chief  suff"erers.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Ewald, 
 with  true-hearted  earnestness,  took  the  lead  in  this  movement.  His 
 desire  was,  and  that  of  others  who  cordially  united  with  him  in  this 
 project,  that  it  should  reach  the  sum  of  one  thousand  pounds. 
 About  ;^68o  was  contributed  for  this  purpose.  After  the  payment 
 of  incidental  expenses,  the  amount  presented  to  Mr.  Stern  was 
 £336.  If  it  was  not  commensurate,  in  the  judgment  of  those  who 
 collected  it,  with  the  claims  of  him  whose  life  and  labours  had  been 
 a  spectacle  "to  angels  and  to  men,"  it  was  gratefully  received,  as 
 among  those  Divine  providences,  which  had  traced  and  sanctified 
 every  step  in  the  past. 
 
 The  thirtieth  Anniversary  of  Mr.  Stern's  Ordination,  at  Jerusalem, 
 fell  on  the  14th  of  July,  1S74.     His  admission  into  Priests'  Orders 
 
TESTIMONIALS    Ol''    RESPECT    AND    AFFECTION.  467 
 
 took  place  at  the  Chapel  Royal,  Whitehall,  on  December  the 
 23rd,  1849.  His  Hebrew  Christian  lirctliren,  and  other  friends, 
 determined  to  commemorate  the  latter  event,  by  making  it  the 
 occasion  of  another  manifestation  of  their  love  and  sympathy. 
 The  sum  of  £133  was  raised,  and  a  Presentation  made  to  the 
 veteran  Missionary  of  a  Silver  Salver,  a  Silver  Tea  and  Coffee 
 Service,  the  three  volumes  of  Smith's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  and 
 a  purse  of  fifty  sovereigns. 
 
 The  Presentation  was  accompanied  by  the  following  Address  : — 
 
 "We,  the  undersigned,  acting  as  the  representatives  of  numerous 
 friends  and  well-wishers,  desire  to  express  to  you  our  sincere  con- 
 gratulations, that  you  have  been  spared  in  the  good  pleasure  of 
 bod  to  arrive  at  the  thirtieth  year  of  your  Ministry  as  Priest  in  the 
 Church  of  England,  a  Ministry  on  which  we  feel  confident  the 
 favour  of  Heaven  has  rested,  but  of  which  the  full  results  will  only 
 be  revealed  in  Eternity. 
 
 "  We  cannot  but  return  thanks  to  Almighty  God  in  that  He  has 
 raised  you  up  to  take  so  active  an  interest  in  all  that  concerns  the 
 spiritual  condition  of  His  ancient  people,  the  Jews,  for  the  success 
 which  has  attended  your  efforts  in  that  direction,  and  for  the  loving 
 interest  you  still  evince  in  all  that  is  put  forward  for  their  benefit. 
 
 "  We  have  now  the  pleasant  task  of  begging  your  acceptance  of 
 the  accompanying  Silver  Service,  Dr.  Smith's  Dictionary,  together 
 with  a  purse  of  money,  as  a  small  token  of  the  high  esteem  we 
 entertain  for  you,  and  our  appreciation  of  the  services  you  have 
 rendered  to  the  cause  of  Israel. 
 
 "February  28th,  1880." 
 
 It  was  not  long  after  this  event,  that  the  same  energetic  and 
 loving  friends  determined,  that  their  regard  should  take  another 
 form.  It  was  in  itself  an  evidence,  that  habitual  contact  with  the 
 object  of  their  attachment,  deepened  their  respect,  and  desire  to 
 do  him  honour.  It  was  justly  considered,  that  one  who,  without 
 claiming  to  be  a  learned  man,  had  reached  a  high  position  in  the 
 literary  world,  and  whose  attainments  entitled  him  to  be  enrolled 
 among  men  of  letters,  should  receive  a  suitable  Degree.  It  is  not 
 unlikely,  that  had  the  proposal  been  made,  one  of  our  English  Uni- 
 versities would  have  conferred  an  Honorary  Degree  upon  the  dis- 
 tinguished Traveller.  But  application  was  made  to  the  Archbishop 
 of  Canterbury,  that  on  Mr.  Stern  should  be  conferred  the  Lambeth 
 Degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  An  Indian  Bishop  recoiled  with 
 alarm    from  the   intimation  conveyed   to  him  by  the  Archbishop, 
 
468  TESTIMONIALS    OF    RESPECT    AND    AFFECTION. 
 
 that  the  cost  of  this  honour  would  be  fifty-seven  pounds.  But  even 
 this  immoderate  sum,  did  not  suffice  to  cover  Dr.  Stern's  exj)enses, 
 or  satisfy  the  fees  demanded  by  exacting  archiepiscopal  officials. 
 The  gracious  acquiescence  of  the  Archbishop  in  this  application, 
 involved  an  outlay  of  seventy-six  pounds.  This  was  much  in  excess 
 of  the  estimate.  The  amount  subscribed  for  the  purpose  amounted 
 to  only  ^53. 
 
 It  has  occasionally  happened,  that  Missionaries  of  lengthened 
 experience,  and  of  acknowledged  capacity,  have  been  elected  as 
 Members  of  the  General  Committee  of  the  London  Society.  The 
 Rev.  J.  C.  Reichardt  occupied  this  position  for  many  years,  and 
 subsequently  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ewald  became  a  Member  of  the  Corres- 
 pondence Committee.  It  was  not,  however,  till  the  year  1884  that 
 Dr.  Stern  was  elected  a  Member  of  that  body.  The  wisdom  of 
 admitting  him  into  its  councils  was  manifest.  His  characteristic 
 straightforwardness  was  in  itself  a  pledge  for  the  honesty  with 
 which  an)^  advice  would  be  given,  and  his  widespread  knowledge 
 and  experience,  opened  a  fund  of  information  of  unbounded  value. 
 This  distinction — insignificant  as  it  was — he  thoroughly  appre- 
 ciated ;  which  was  shown  by  his  regular  attendance  at  the  Com- 
 mittee meetings,  where  he  was  a  thoughtful  adviser  in  the  many 
 questions  which  from  time  to  time  required  a  solution. 
 
CHAPTER    L. 
 
 THE    VICTORIA    INSTITUTE.       HEHREW-CHRISTIAN    PRAYER    UNION. 
 
 Dr.  Stern  was  necessarily  brought  into  contact  with  men  of  great 
 scientific  and  philosophical  attainments.  The  Victoria  Institute,  of 
 which  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury  was  President,  had  been  established 
 for  the  purpose  of  combating  the  influence  of  the  subtle,  refined, 
 and  scientific  infidelity  which  had  gained  a  considerable  hold  on  the 
 educated  classes.  The  archeology,  and  the  monuments  and  customs 
 of  the  East,  afford  a  large  field  of  enquiry,  and  many  remarkable  colla- 
 teral evidences  bearing  upon  Revelation.  With  these  Dr.  Stern 
 had  become  acquainted  ;  and  although  he  might  not  be  classed 
 among  distinguished  Orientalists,  he  possessed  considerable  know- 
 ledge, which  was  fitted  to  throw  light  on  the  complex  questions 
 which  were  frequently  brought  before  the  Council.  To  this  impor- 
 tant Institute  he  was  elected  an  Associate,  and  he  frequently  took  a 
 part  in  the  debates  which  followed  the  valuable  Papers  which  were 
 read  at  the  INIeetings.  One  example  will  suffice,  in  order  to  indicate 
 the  manner  in  which  he  treated  these  subjects.  "  Biblical  Proper 
 Names,  personal  and  local,  illustrated  from  sources  external  to  Holy 
 Scripture,"  had  formed  the  theme  of  discussion.  Dr.  Stern's  old 
 ally,  Mr.  Rassam,  had  taken  a  part  in  it,  and  to  this  he  refers. 
 
 "  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  follow  Mr.  Rassam  here.  I  have  in 
 former  days  followed  him  to  some  places  where  it  has  been  agree- 
 able enough  to  do  so,  and  to  others  when  it  has  not  been  quite  so 
 pleasant  ;  but  on  the  present  occasion  I  am  delighted  to  follow  him 
 upon  the  subject  which  has  engaged  your  attention.  There  cannot 
 be  the  least  doubt  that  in  the  Scriptures,  the  names  that  are  used 
 have  a  reference  either  to  localities,  to  historical  events,  to  the 
 worship  of  the  true  God,  or  to  the  worship  of  idols.     It  is  remark- 
 
470  THE    VICTORIA    INSTITUTE. 
 
 able,  that  in  the  very  beginning,  we  find  that  a  name  is  freciuently 
 erroneously  translated  in  the  English,  or  recognised  version,  as. 
 '  Hebrew.'  It  appears  very  strange  that  we  should  find  Abraham 
 translated  as  the  '  Hebrew.'  Now,  Abraham,  at  the  very  period 
 at  which  it  is  so  interpreted,  constituted  a  very  small  and  limited 
 family.  Again,  we  find  that  the  name  Joseph,  continually  men- 
 tioned during  the  Egyptian  period,  is  designated  as  '  Hebrew.' 
 Now,  any  one  acquainted  with  the  word  'Abur'  knows  that  it  does 
 not  mean  Hebrew  ;  it  really  means  '  one  to  pass  over,'  '  a  stranger,' 
 '  a  pilgrim,'  '  a  foreigner,'  and  thus  e.xplains  why  it  was  that  Joseph 
 met  with  so  gracious  a  reception  from  Pharaoh,  the  King  of  Egypt. 
 The  '  Pharaoh  '  of  the  time  of  Joseph  was,  I  believe,  one  of  the  last 
 of  the  shepherd  Kings — the  '  Hyksos' — so  that  it  is  easy  to  under- 
 stand that  he  sympathized  with  Joseph  as  being  a  stranger  in  Egypt,, 
 and  immediately  exalted  him  with  great  honours.  In  the  interest- 
 ing paper  to  which  we  have  just  listened,  there  occurs  several  times 
 a  name  which  is  certainly  one  of  great  importance  and  significance 
 — the  name  of  '  Baal,'  and  also  that  of '  Bosheth  '  ;  and  I  was  glad 
 to  hear  Mr.  Tomkins  say  that  he  took  these  for  two  distinct  and 
 separate  deities.  He  said  the  name  '  Baal'  and  that  of  '  Bosheth  ' 
 were  not  the  same  ;  and  on  looking  back  to  the  various  passages  of 
 Scripture  in  which  those  names  occur,  it  is  perfectly  evident  that 
 they  are  intended  to  represent  two  distinct  and  different  deities. 
 It  is  true  the  word  occurs  in  Greek  with  the  feminine  article,  and 
 this  has  evidently  led  some  people  to  suppose  that  the  two 
 names  are  identical ;  but  the  word  '  Baal '  also  occurs,  where 
 we  have  the  masculine  article.  Then  there  is  the  passage  in 
 Ezekiel,  to  which  reference  has  been  made  in  the  paper,  and  it 
 throws  some  light  on  the  subject,  for  the  Prophet  says — 'The  young 
 men  of  Aven  and  of  Pi-beseth  shall  fall  by  the  sword.'  Now, 
 '  Beseth '  and  '  Bosheth  '  would  appear  to  be  the  same.  The 
 Hebrew,  as  every  one  knows  who  is  acquainted  with  the  language, 
 is  easily  transposed  without  absolutely  destroying  the  identity. 
 Now,  '  Bubastis '  was  a  goddess  of  the  Egyptians,  whom  Herodotus 
 compares  with  Diana.  She  was  worshipped  in  the  form  of  a  cat, 
 and  festivals  were  held  in  her  honour.  I  have  been  led  to 
 make  these  few  remarks  because  I  find  in  most  commentators  and 
 writers  on  the  names  in  the  Bible,  that  they  have  confounded  '  Baal' 
 and  'Bosheth,'  as  if  they  were  the  same.  Of  course  there  are  other 
 names  which  deserve  serious  consideration,  and  I  trust  the  members 
 of  this  Institute  will  on  some  future  occasion  again  take  up  the 
 subject." 
 
 In  another  work  of  sacred  and  permanent  value.  Dr.  Stern  took  a 
 
 prominent  part.     This  was  the  formation  of  a  "  Hebrew-Christian 
 
 Prayer  Union,"  by  which  Christian  Israelites,   in  all  parts  of  the 
 
 world,  might  be  bound  together  in  holy  sympathy  and  love.     In 
 
 1847,  when  I  was  an  undergraduate  in  the  University  of  Cambridge,. 
 
HEr.REW-CHRISTIAN    PRAYER    UNION. 
 
 47  E 
 
 I  was  the  instrument  of  founding  tlie  first  of  these  organizations^ 
 which  has  become  the  fruitful  mother  of  many  noble  children. 
 One  of  the  most  youthful  of  these  scions,  was  "The  Hebrew-Chris- 
 tian Prayer  Union,"  of  which  Dr.  Stern  became  the  first  President. 
 It  has  formed  a  happy  bond  of  union  among  these  believers  who  are 
 scattered  over  the  whole  world.  It  also  affords  a  special  oppor- 
 tunity for  spiritual  communion,  among  the  Christian  Israelites,  who' 
 dwell  in  the  Metropolis.     Concerning  it  we  read  : — 
 
 "The  history  of  this  Union  is  a  very  brief  and  interesting  one. 
 For  some  years  past,  many  of  our  brethren  living  in  England  and 
 in  other  parts  of  the  world,  have  on  various  occasions  expressed  a 
 hope,  that  a  day  might  come  when  Hebrew  Christians  would  have 
 the  opportunity  of  more  frequently  meeting  together  for  their 
 mutual  spiritual  improvement  and  edification.  It  will  be  remem- 
 bered by  many  of  the  brethren,  that  this  feeling  gave  rise  to  the 
 formation  in  1867  of  the  'Hebrew-Christian  Alliance,' under  the 
 presidency  of  the  lamented  Dr.  Schwartz,  who  laboured  indefati- 
 gably  in  promoting  the  spiritual  welfare  of  our  beloved  nation,  and; 
 of  brotherly  love  and  union  amongst  ourselves.  The  same  feeling,, 
 and  the  same  Christlike  love  and  zeal,  prompted  your  Committee  tO' 
 revive  and  re-establish  this  Union  under  a  more  modest  title,  but 
 having  the  same  object  in  view,  viz.,  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
 mutual  welfare  of  the  brethren  in  the  Lord  Jesus. 
 
 "  We  who  believe  that  God  answers  the  prayer  of  the  faithful,  and 
 have  ourselves  realized  its  power,  have  felt  also,  that  prayer  is  the 
 best  bond  and  basis  of  union  between  Hebrew  Christians  of  all 
 denominations,  and  when  thus  united,  we  shall  be  true  sons  of 
 Israel,  who  prevailed  with  God  in  prayer. 
 
 "Though  we  are  united  by  a  national  tie,  and  by  the  common 
 bond  of  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour,  yet  we  feel  that 
 in  our  dispersion  all  over  the  world,  we  need  a  special  link  of  union 
 to  cement  us  more  closely  to  each  other,  to  exercise  an  united  influ- 
 ence upon  our  people,  upon  the  Church  and  the  world  at  large. 
 Our  aspirations  are  certainly  national,  but  not  in  an  ecclesiastical  or 
 political  sense,  but  in  the  sense  of  the  command,  '  Pray  for  the 
 peace  of  Jerusalem,  they  shall  prosper  that  love  thee.'  " 
 
 In  giving  an  extract  from  the  third  Report,  which  the  sequence 
 
 of  the  reference  to  the  Union  demands,  we  anticipate  the  sad  event 
 
 which  is  recorded.     It  was  but  a  short  time  that  our  brother  lived 
 
 to  preside  over  the  honoured  band,  who  had  personally  known  the 
 
 power  of  intercessory  prayer. 
 
 "  Our  bond  of  union,  is  Jesus  Christ,  crucified  and  risen  again,  our 
 Brother  and  our  Divine  Lord.     As  we  have  found  in  Him  our  own 
 
472  THE    VICTORIA    INSTITUTE. 
 
 personal  Saviour,  when  He  brought  many — yea,  all  of  us,  by  a  way 
 thatwedid  not  at  first  know  whitheritwould  lead  to — to  the  knowledge 
 of  the  Gospel,  so  we  believe  that  He  will  eventually  bring  all  the 
 lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel,  in  a  wonderful  manner,  to  His 
 fold,  and  will  be  the  only  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  their  souls.  Our 
 national  resurrection  and  restoration  is  not  a  dream,  but  a  reality  ; 
 therefore,  we  feel  bound  to  bear  a  united  and  public  testimony 
 before  our  nation  and  the  whole  world,  of  our  faith  in  Christ,  and 
 ■of  our  well-grounded  hope  that  Israel  will  yet  be  as  life  from  the 
 dead,  a  spiritual  galvanizing  and  electrifying  element  to  the  nations 
 of  the  earth.  We  have  specific  duties  as  Hebrew  Christians,  and 
 these  are,  to  quote  the  words  of  our  esteemed  brother,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
 Edersheim,  '  To  wake  the  Church  to  a  Scriptural  and  spiritual  view 
 of  her  relation  to  Israel,  and  to  make  known  the  glorious  Gospel  to 
 our  Jewish  brethren,  by  lifting  up  a  testimony  for  Christ  in  every 
 land,  that  so  '  the  remnant'  may  be  called  out  and  saved,  and  pre- 
 paration made  for  a  greater  and  wider  work,  which,  although  appa- 
 rently unconnected  with  our  present  Missions,  is  none  the  less  the 
 direct  outcome  of  them.' 
 
 "Among  the  events  that  have  taken  place  among  us  as  a  body, 
 we  record  first  of  all,  with  great  solemnity  and  sorrow  of  heart,  the 
 loss  by  death  of  several  members,  amongst  whom  was  our  first 
 President,  the  Rev.  Henry  Aaron  Stern,  D.D.,  whose  name  was 
 revered  in  all  the  Churches.  He  was  like  his  name,  a  star — yea,  a 
 burning  and  shining  light,  that  shone  alike  in  the  desert  of  Arabia, 
 and  in  the  prison  of  Abyssinia,  and  in  the  capitals  of  Turkey  and  of 
 England  ;  often  indeed  obscured  by  clouds  of  trouble  and  of  untold 
 suffering,  yet  triumphant  to  the  last,  by  the  strength  of  Him  whom 
 he  so  faithfully  served,  and  whose  presence  he  ever  felt  near.  We 
 cannot  omit  to  quote  a  few  words  from  one  of  the  funeral  sermons 
 — from  that  preached  by  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Barraclough,  the  Chaplain 
 of  the  Jews'  Episcopal  Chapel,  Palestine  Place.     '  Dr.  Stern's  has 
 
 been  a  grand  career  of  40  years'  missionary  work ]\Iay 
 
 we  not  say  with  one  who  knew  him  well,  '  What  Livingstone  was  for 
 missionary  endurance.  Stern  was  for  missionary  courage  and  heroism.' 
 But  if  others  thus  speak  of  him,  we  who  knew  him  so  intimately — 
 many  of  us  whom  he  had  begotten  in  the  faith,  and  who  enjoyed 
 his  friendship  and  love,  can  scarcely  find  words  to  describe  the  loss 
 to  us  and  to  the  Church.  But,  thank  God,  we  know  that  he  is  in 
 glory,  and  has  received  the  promise  :  '  And  they  that  be  wise  shall 
 ■shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament ;  and  they  that  turn  many 
 to  righteousness  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever'  (Dan.  xii.  3). 
 
 "  We  conclude  this  remembrance  of  our  departed  brother  and 
 President  in  the  words  of  the  Rev.  Gordon  Calthrop :  '  Whilst  we 
 mourn  for  his  bereaved  family,  and  whilst  we  feel  for  ourselves  that 
 one  more  strong  and  valiant  man  has  been  taken  away  from  amongst 
 the  ranks  of  the  toilers  of  the  kingdom,  we  are  thankful  for  the 
 brave  warrior  who  has  fallen  in  his  harness  on  the  field  of  battle, 
 
HEBREW-CHRISTIAN    PRAYER    UNION.  473 
 
 who  has  fought  vaHantly  the  good  fight  of  faith,  and  has  gone  to 
 grasp  the  crown  of  life  and  immortality  and  glory,  which  the  Lord 
 Himself  gives  to  all  those  that  love  His  appearing.'  " 
 
 Previously  to  this  Dr.  Stern  wrote  himself:  "St.  Paul,  in  writing 
 to  the  Romans,  exclaims,  '  Brethren,  my  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to 
 God  for  Israel  is  that  they  may  be  saved.'  It  must  have  sounded 
 strange  to  the  ears  of  a  Roman  to  hear  such  language  from  the  lips 
 of  a  despised  Jew.  What  interest  could  a  Roman  take  in  the 
 spiritual  welfare  of  this  people  ?  They  were  not  a  nation  distin- 
 guished for  military  prowess,  poetic  genius  or  artistic  skill.  On  the 
 contrary,  they  were  regarded  as  a  rebellious,  unsocial  and  supersti- 
 tious race.  But  the  Apostle  addressed  his  epistle  to  believers,  to 
 men  who  loved  the  Saviour,  and  yearned  to  promote  His  glory  in 
 the  salvation  of  souls.  His  exclamation  might  excite  the  contempt 
 of  the  proud  and  the  godless,  the  lover  of  art  and  the  student  of 
 philosophy;  but,  in  the  heart  of  the  Christian,  he  knew  that  it  would 
 touch  a  responsive  chord  and  find  a  sympathetic  echo.  Now  if  the 
 Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  notwithstanding  all  the  ill-treatment  he  had 
 received  from  his  countrymen,  could  not  restrain  his  ardent  solici- 
 tude for  the  spiritual  w-elfare  of  his  people,  ought  we  not  to  imitate 
 his  example,  and  pray  earnestly  and  perseveringly  that  God,  in  His 
 infinite  mercy,  may  remove  the  veil  that  has  so  long  hid  the  Saviour 
 from  their  sight,  and  cause  them  to  look  unto  Him,  whom  their 
 fathers  pierced  ?" 
 
 F  F 
 
CHAPTER    LI. 
 
 THE      CLOSE      OF      DAY. 
 
 We  are  about  to  enter  upon  the  last  stage  of  one  of  the  most 
 eventful  and  remarkable  of  lives.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say,  that 
 its  incidents  and  its  lessons  are  more  than  worthy  of  being  read — 
 they  are  worthy  of  being  studied.  If  indomitable  resolve — if  abso- 
 lute self-sacrifice — if  simplicity  of  purpose  and  sincerity  of  heart,  are 
 to  hold  an  honoured  place  in  the  estimation  of  the  just  and  the 
 thoughtful — the  readers  of  this  Biography  will  make  it  one  of  their 
 text-books,  for  the  exhibition  of  these  higher  characteristics  of  the 
 defaced,  but  yet  distinctly  marked  outlines  of  the  image  of  God, 
 still  traced  in  the  work  of  His  hands.  IMy  introduction  demanded, 
 that  in  Dr.  Stern  we  should  see  the  defects  of  a  fallen  nature, 
 as  well  as  the  power  of  regenerating  grace.  He  stands  on  the 
 common  platform  of  our  humanity,  with  all  its  need,  its  sinful- 
 ness and  its  weakness.  Inscribed  upon  every  feature  of  this  life, 
 are  the  inspired  words,  "  God  forbid  that  I  should  glory,  save  in 
 the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
 
 But  if  the  student  of  human  character  desires  to  learn,  how  Divine 
 strength  is  made  perfect  in  the  weakness  of  the  people  of  God — if 
 he  seeks  to  know,  how,  by  a  concentration  of  moral,  spiritual,  and 
 physical  forces,  a  feeble  man  may  be  enabled  to  surmount  difficulties 
 which  appear  to  be  insurmountable,  and  to  attain  ends  which  reach 
 beyond  all  that  is  possible  to  mankind — then  the  current  of  this 
 history  will  have  given  him  a  key  to  these  mysteries.  In  the  Divine 
 Government,  the  instruments  are  so  subordinated  to  the  great  con- 
 trolling Power,  by  wliich  the  machinery  of  providence  and  grace  is 
 
THE    CLOSE    OF    DAY. 
 
 475 
 
 directed,  that  the  weakest  and  most  insignificant  factor,  is  ofttimes 
 that,  upon  which  the  most  momentous  consequences  are  made  to 
 rest.  But  those  whom  the  Lord  employs,  are  generally  fitted  in  a 
 special  manner  for  the  work  to  which  they  are  called.  It  is  His 
 prerogative  to  carry  out  His  own  designs  as  seemeth  best  to  His 
 infinite  wisdom  ;  but  His  instruments  are  usually  prepared  by  favour- 
 able antecedent  circumstances,  and  by  the  communication  of  such 
 endowments,  as  may  best  fit  them  for  their  oflice.  It  is  not  eulo- 
 gistic, nor  ill-timed,  to  reiterate  the  estimate  already  given  of  the 
 subject  of  this  Biography  ;  and  to  affirm,  that  no  thoughtful  and  dis- 
 passionate mind  could  question,  the  great  and  distinguished 
 faculties  with  which  he  was  endowed  by  God.  That  athletic  frame — 
 that  finely  chiselled  countenance,  and  lustrous  eye — that  air  of 
 intelligence  and  conscious  integrity  of  purpose  which  invited  con- 
 fidence and  assured  of  sympathy — that  faithful  and  uncompromising 
 adherence  to  duty  and  to  truth.  These  clustered  around  mental 
 gifts  and  powers  of  no  ordinary  kind,  and  a  constant  readiness  to 
 employ  them  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  true  welfare  of  his  fello\v 
 men.  Nor  was  there  any  perceptible  decay  of  these  powers.  The 
 sufferings  of  the  past,  which  had  undermined  that  vigorous  consti- 
 tution, left  no  outward  and  unmistakeable  evidences  of  their 
 existence.  He  had  been  so  trained  in  the  furnace  of  adversity,  that 
 their  presence  could  only  be  betrayed,  when  they  became  acute 
 beyond  endurance.  But  even  at  those  seasons  when  nature  asserted 
 her  claim  to  rest,  and  the  afflicted  body  bowed  under  the  burden,  the 
 mind  and  thoughts  maintained  their  brightness  and  vivacity.  The 
 anxieties  which  such  illnesses  brought  in  their  train,  were  dispelled 
 by  his  speedy  return  to  activity  and  duty. 
 
 Thus  passed  the  last  few  years  of  the  Missionary's  life,  unaffected 
 but  by  one  event  of  importance  and  interest.  On  March  3rd,  1883, 
 nine  years  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife — Dr.  Stern  w^as  united  to 
 Miss  Rebecca  Davis  GoflT,  the  third  daughter  of  S.  D.  Goff,  Esq.,  of 
 Horetown,  Co.  Wexford.  With  this  lady  he  had  been  long 
 acquainted,  and  well  was  she  fitted  to  add  to  his  domestic  joys, 
 and  to  bear  her  part  in  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  his  voca- 
 tion. Nor  had  they  any  fears  at  that  time  concerning  the  prolon- 
 gation of  their  union.     Those    distressing   symptoms   which  had 
 
476  THE    CLOSE    OF    DAY. 
 
 yielded  to  careful  treatment  and  timely  rest  in  the  past,  would,  it 
 was  hoped,  continue  to  be  subjugated,  under  the  Divine  blessing, 
 to  the  strength  of  a  noble  constitution,  and  an  abstemious  habit 
 of  life.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  he  made  a  short  tour 
 on  the  Continent.  It  was  with  deep  interest  that  Dr.  Stern  visited 
 with  his  bride  the  city  of  Frankfort-on-the-IMaine,  in  which  so 
 many  instructive  years  of  his  boyhood  had  been  passed.  He  was 
 enabled  still  to  point  out  in  the  picturesque  "  Judengasse,"  the 
 house  in  which  he  had  lived  with  his  parents.  The  demolitions 
 which  had  taken  place,  had  hitherto  spared  the  ancient  structure, 
 which  had  been  hallowed  by  many  filial  associations,  and  youthful 
 resolves.  The  world  had  at  that  time  spread  its  panoramic  beauties 
 before  his  eager  imagination,  and  instilled  a  longing  to  know  and 
 to  learn.  That  desire  had  been  gratified.  But  how  little  could  he 
 have  conceived,  at  what  a  cost,  such  knowledge  and  experience  would 
 be  attained  !  The  reminiscences  of  his  early  years,  could  hardly  fail 
 to  awaken  the  echoes  of  those  footsteps,  which  had  marked  his  on- 
 \vard  life;  and  to  clothe  with  solemn  remembrances  the  "forty 
 years,"  during  which  the  Lord  his  God  had  been  leading  him  in  the 
 wilderness  of  the  world. 
 
 Our  Missionary  brother  resumed  his  usual  duties.  These  were 
 carried  out  with  indefatigable  and  punctilious  regularity.  The  habit 
 of  early  rising  had  always  been  maintained,  and  enabled  him  to  keep 
 up  a  correspondence  with  converts  and  enquirers,  which  was  of  im- 
 portance to  them,  and  encouraging  to  himself.  The  extracts  from 
 the  Reports  of  "The  Wanderers'  Home,"  sufficiently  indicate  how 
 days  and  even  nights  were  generall}'  employed.  He  was  always  so 
 welcome  and  attractive  as  a  representative  of  the  London  Society, 
 that  his  presence  as  an  advocate  at  public  meetings  continued  to  be 
 eagerly  sought.  On  specific  occasions,  his  name  was  announced  in 
 some  of  the  principal  provincial  towns,  as  about  to  preach  a  sj)ecial 
 Sermon  to  "Jews  and  Christians."  No  opportunity  was  neglected, 
 by  which  he  might  bear  witness  to  his  Jewish  brethren,  concerning 
 the  Gospel  of  Christ;  nor  seek  to  exalt  the  name  and  person  of 
 Him,  who  is  the  "  Root  and  the  Off"spring  of  David." 
 
 On  Friday,  March  27th  (1885),  we  met  at  the  Committee  Meeting 
 of  the  London  Society.     At  its  close,  we  greeted  each  other ;  and. 
 
THE    CLOSE    OF    DAV.  477 
 
 in  reply  to  my  enquiries,  he  said,  "  I  am  not  well."  It  was  in  such 
 mild  and  cautious  language  that  he  alluded  to  the  growth  of  disorder, 
 and  the  presence  of  suffering,  which  in  a  few  weeks  from  that  time,, 
 would  enrol  his  relatives  and  friends  among  the  mourners  for  the 
 dead. 
 
 Early  in  the  month  of  April,  however,  he  undertook  at  the  request 
 of  the  Committee  of  the  London  Society  a  Mission  to  Dublin  on 
 some  important  official  business;  returning  to  England  on  the  23rd. 
 On  Sunday  evening,  the  25th,  he  preached  on  behalf  of  the  Society 
 at  Immanuel  Church,  Streatham  Common,  from  which  he  returned 
 greatly  exhausted.     He  never  left  his  home  again. 
 
 The  month  of  April  passed,  and  May  arrived.  The  Anniversary 
 Meeting  of  the  London  Society  took  place  in  Exeter  Hall,  on 
 Friday,  the  8th.  That  well-known  form  was  not  there.  This  was- 
 observed,  and  it  was  the  theme  of  sorrowful  comment.  "  He  was- 
 ill,"  it  was  said,  and  there  was  a  public  expression  of  regret,  that 
 the  Meeting  was  not  cheered  by  his  presence. 
 
 The  Servant  of  God  was  on  his  dying  bed.  The  messenger  of 
 death,  which  had  so  often  approached  his  earthly  tabernacle — 
 whose  hand  had  on  so  many  occasions  appeared  about  to  strike, 
 and  whose  presence  and  call  had  at  times  been  so  ardently  desired 
 — was  now  about  to  enter  in,  and  to  give  the  final  summons.  Yet  the 
 anxious  watchers  were  more  influenced  by  hope  than  by  fear.  The 
 calmness  with  which  suffering  was  endured,  gave  an  unfaithful 
 index  of  its  ravages  and  its  extent.  He  had  rallied  from  attacks 
 apparently  as  serious  in  times  past,  and  why  should  they  doubt,  that 
 by  the  good  hand  of  the  Lord  upon  him,  he  might  again  be 
 restored ! 
 
 It  is  said,  that  at  times,  on  the  approach  of  death,  the  events  of 
 life  pass  before  the  mind  in  rapid  review,  or  present  a  vast  panor- 
 ama to  the  wondering  imagination.  We  may  well  conceive,  that  to 
 mental  faculties  clear  and  lucid  to  the  last,  such  a  vision  may  have 
 been  vouchsafed.  IMemory,  with  all  its  subtle  and  refined  instincts, 
 might  depict  to  the  dying  Christian  the  scenes  and  circumstances 
 of  his  former  history.  There,  was  the  first  Jewish  home  in  the 
 village  of  Unterreichenbach — the  young  student  in  the  city  of  Frank- 
 fort,— the  merchant's  clerk  in  the  busy   town  of  Hamburg.     And 
 
478  THE    CLOSE    OF    DAY. 
 
 now  he  is  speeding  across  the  seas  to  London,  the  great  emporium 
 of  the  world  ;  where  the  taHsmanic  touch  of  fortune  will  elevate  him 
 among  the  merchant-princes  of  the  earth.  But  the  fondly  cherished 
 hopes  become  a  painful  dream,  and  privation  and  perplexity  are  his. 
 daily  attendants.  In  this  way  a  Divine  hand  is  leading  him  on. 
 He  goes  to  the  Christian  temple  to  cavil,  but  he  returns  to  pray. 
 And  now,  with  humbled  pride,  but  stern  resolve,  he  is  content  to  gain, 
 by  honest  toil  his  daily  bread,  so  that  he  may  obtain  "  the  Pearl  of 
 great  price."  The  tender  bonds  which  bind  him  to  those  whom  he 
 loves  are  severed  ;  and  separated  from  those  to  whom  he  has  been 
 most  closely  united,  he  hears  no  voice  but  that  of  "Jesus." 
 
 Rays  of  light  begin  to  cross  that  dark  and  rugged  way.  It  is 
 about  to  be  made  plain,  why,  and  how,  the  Lord  hath  thus  been 
 leading  him  on.  He  is  consecrated  to  the  great  vocation  of  a  Mis- 
 sionary to  his  own  brethren.  In  the  Holy  City  itself,  in  which  the 
 Lord  of  glory  gave  His  testimony,  he  is  ordained  to  the  office  of 
 the  Ministry.  The  field  on  which  he  is  about  to  enter  will  tax  his 
 highest  powers,  and  test  his  utmost  endurance.  Here  the  vision 
 presents  its  dark  shadows,  as  well  as  its  bright  and  comforting  out- 
 lines. He  visits  scenes  which  are  tracked  with  the  blood  of  his^ 
 brethren  according  to  the  flesh.  His  heart  is  wrung  with  anguish, 
 as  he  beholds  their  sorrows  and  their  oppression,  in  the  lands  of 
 their  dispersion.  But  he  bears  to  them  the  tidings  of  a  Saviour's 
 love,  and  comfort  and  peace  are  breathed  into  many  a  troubled  soul. 
 
 From  Bagdad  and  Persia,  the  Genius  of  Memory  transports  him 
 to  the  shores  of  the  Bosphorus.  There  again,  he  enters  into  those 
 intricate  fields  of  labour,  which  stretch  beyond  the  Turkish  Capital 
 to  all  the  adjacent  lands,  and  even  to  the  scattered  tribes  dwelling 
 in  the  Crimean  Peninsular. 
 
 One  of  the  hopes  of  many  years  is  about  to  be  realized.  As  the- 
 Christian  "Dervish,'"  holding  aloft  the  Standard  of  the  Gospel,  he  is 
 now  traversing  the  wilds  of  Arabia.  A  new  world  opens  to  his 
 view.  The  down-trodden  remnant  of  his  people,  are  here  crushed 
 beneath  the  heel  of  the  oppressor.  He  comes  to  minister  to  their 
 consolation,  and  to  leave  seeds  of  life,  which  shall  be  fruitful  in 
 blessing.  With  bleeding  feet,  he  scales  those  mountain  passes, 
 and  journeys  over  those  arid  plains.     Lawless  robbers  seize  him,  and 
 
THE    CLOSE    OF   DAY.  479 
 
 conspire  to  put  him  to  death  ;  but  no  weapon  which  is  formed 
 against  him  can  prosper.  He  returns  in  safety  to  the  land  of  his 
 adoption,  to  tell  of  all  that  the  Lord  has  wrought. 
 
 The  scene  is  again  changed.  He  is  among  the  mountains  and 
 plains  of  Abyssinia.  He  beholds  the  beams  of  the  Word  of  God 
 illuminating  the  hearts  of  the  Falashas  and  idolatrous  Abyssinians. 
 But  the  fair  landscape  is  enshrouded  with  gloom,  and  terrors  of 
 ■darkness  burst  forth  from  those  threatening  clouds.  What  a  retro- 
 spect is  here  !  Do  those  years  of  unspeakable  tribulation,  convulse 
 and  harass  the  soul  of  the  dying  Missionary  ?  No  !  They  are 
 overshadowed  by  the  sense  of  the  love  and  faithfulness  of  God. 
 They  are  sanctified  by  the  power  and  reality  of  prayer.  They  have 
 been  among  the  "  light  afflictions,"  endured  only  for  "  a  moment," 
 — to  be  followed  by  "  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
 glory."  He  is  passing  onward  towards  the  shores  of  eternity.  As 
 those  scenes  of  the  past  recede  from  his  mental  vision,  they  are 
 illumined  with  a  heavenly  light,  reflected  from  the  throne  of  the 
 Divine  glory.  They  have  been  among  the  "all  things"  which 
 "  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  to  them  who  are 
 the  called  according  to  His  purpose." 
 
 "  His  sun  IS  gone  doivn  while  it  ivas yet  day." 
 
 It  had  been  a  life  in  which  all  had  been  "day."  The  seasons  of 
 the  greatest  tribulation  had  been  among  the  most  blessed  and 
 honoured.  Throughout  the  whole  of  his  pilgrimage,  he  had  been 
 "  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season,"  in  publishing  the  Words  of 
 eternal  life.  There  had  been  no  cessation  from  his  holy  calling. 
 He  was  but  sixty-five  years  of  age,  but  how  long  had  been  that  life, 
 if  reckoned  by  the  extent  of  his  labours  !  It  had  hardly  been  gener- 
 ally known  that  he  was  seriously  ill.  With  sudden  surprise,  the 
 announcement  reached  a  multitude  of  sorrowing  friends,  that  Dr. 
 ■Stern  had  died,  on  Wednesday  afternoon,  (May  the  13th,  1885.) 
 
 ''He  is  not  dead  but  sleepethT 
 
 The  funeral  Service  was  performed  in  the  Society's  Chapel,  at 
 Palestine  Place,  on  the  following  Monday,  May  the  i8th,  in  the 
 presence  of  a  large  congregation  of  Christian  Israelites  and  other 
 sympathising  friends,  including  many  representatives  of  the  London 
 
480  THE    CLOSE    OF    DAY. 
 
 Society,  and  other  kindred  Missionary  Institutions.  Many  accom- 
 panied the  members  of  the  family,  to  the  City  of  London  Cemetery, 
 at  Ilford,  where  rest  his  mortal  remains  with  those  of  his  first  wife, 
 ■until  that  day,  when 
 
 "  Thejn  also  ivhich  sleep  in  Jesus,  7uill  God  bring  ivith  Himr    . 
 
 PRINTED   BY   THORNLEY   AND    WADDINGTON,    BELVOIR   STREET,    LEICESTER. 
 
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