Alfred Saker, missionary to Africa : a biography - adventbeliefs.com

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ore 1ALFRED SAKER,ABIOGRAPHY.EDWARD BEAN UNDERHILL, LL.D.,Ilonorarij Sccrctavij of Uie Baptist Missionary Society.PUBLISHED BY THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY,10, CASTLE STREET, HOLBORN, E.G.,ANDALEXANDER & SHEPHEARD, LONDON,ISSl.

:LONDONPHIIfTBB BY ALBXANDBB AND 8 H B P H E A B BvL0N3DALB BCtLDINGS, CHAJfCKBT LIIIK.

Paul's love oF Christ, and steadiness unbribed,Were copied close in him, and well transcribed.He folloAved Paul : his zeal a kindred flame,His apostolic charity the same.Like him, oioss'd cheerfully tempestuous seas,ForsakiuL; country, kindred, friends, and ease :Like him, he laboured, and, like him, contentTo bear it, .suft'er'd shame where'er he went,COWPF.R.

PREFACE.Alfred Sakeh wisliod to be known under no otherdesignation than a " Missionary to Africa "; and it isunder that aspect of his character that the followingpages have been compiled. All the energies of hisnature were concentrated on that one object, and itsfulfilment he held to constitute his one claim to ourregard.But in otl^er respects he was a man worthy ofadmiration and of the deepest affection; and in thepursuit of his aim he never ibrgot the claims ..f familylove, of Christian dut}^ or of the Master to whom withgreat joy he gave the lifehe had received at His liands.Tor the purposes of this biography, I have been muchindebted to Mrs. Saker for many details of her husband'searly life; and the (Jommittee of the BaptistMissionary Society, whose honoured servant he was,have freely placed at my command thecorrespondencein their hands. A comparison \\ith some pages of theMisdonary Herald will show that I have freely usedmany statements recorded there; Imt as tliey wore the

Xproduction ofPREFACE.my own pen, and often derived from myown personal knowledge, Ihave not thouglit it necessaryto make any distinct reference to the paragraphsI have quoted or used.I trust that, under the Divine Blessing, this sketch ofa noble and useful life will contribute to deepen theinterest of the Christian Church in Foreign Missions,,and more particularly in the salvation of that greatContinent which still so lamentably needs the utmostdevotion of the people of the Lord.EDWARD B.UNDEPvHILL.Hami'STEAD, Feb. 5th, 188.1^.

—CONTENTS.CHAPTER I.VAGK.Early Life and Consecration—184M842 1Birthplace—Childhood—Youth — Conversion — DevotionChrist— In Devonport Dockyard — Marriage—Desire for amissionary life.toCHAPTER II.Departure for Africa— 1843 8-Origin of the African Mission—The exploration— Commencementat Clarence—Objections to the Mission—Explorers diivento Jamaica—The Chilmark engaged—Departure of ]Mr. andMrs. Saker— Voyage to Jamaica—Voyage to Fernando PoSufferings on the voyage—Arrival.CHAPTER III.Commencement of Missionary Labour—1844-1845 20Reception at Clarence— First trials—Personal toil— Firstattempt.s at printing—Death of infant—Visit to Binibia andthe Cameroons—Description of the river—Warm receptionby the Dualla chiefs—The first week.CHAPTER IV,Pkkils AiioNG THE Heathen—1845-1846 2*The A'kwa towns—Barbarous practices—Witchcraft—Mr.Saker's residence— Its purchase— Quarrels of the chiefs-Learning the language— Review of the first year's work.

—Xn'COXTE^'TS.CHArXEK V.TAGEPekseveeaxjC'E in Laeove— 1846-1847 36Listless attention of the people—Sufferings—Mr. Saker's firstvisit to England—His return to Africa—A busy life—Desirefor books—Begins to translate the Scriptures—Visit toClarence— Ba^itism of converts—Return to Cameroons—Cruelties of the heathen—Building of a school-house—Need ofbetter dwellings.CHAPTER VI.Anxious Days— 1848-1850 44Residence at Clarence— Illness and de[iartureof missionaries—Appeal for help—Work in Clarence—Arri%al of the Dove—A day of joy—Shadows retnm^—Death of Mr. Merrick—Thework at Bethel—First marriage and baptism— Formation ofa church—Health, and voyage to England.CHAPTER VII.The Dawn of Bkighter Days—1850-1852 56Dr. jSTewbegin's death—Appeal to the Committee—Mr. andMrs. Saker's return to Africa—Joyful reception—Visit toBethel—Baptisms—Persecution of converts—]\Ir. Saker againresides at Bethel—^Manufacture of bricks—How accomplished—Advance of the Gospel—Destruction of chapel at Clarence— Mr. "Wheeler's departure—Heavy toil—Triumph of truth.CHAPTER VI n.The MissioxAiiT at his Wokk—1853-1S56 69Bimbia station—Causes of its decay—The work at Cameroons—The church—The sick missionary—A'isit to EnglandReturn to Africa—Persecution of convei-ts—Acquisition ofDualla langTiage—Books prepared and printed^The standardAlphabet.

—CONTENTS.XlllCHAPTER IX.I'.VOKThe Home of Freedom— 1858 80Claim of Spain to Fernando Po—The missionaries drivenaway—The Mission abandoned— -Exploration of Amboises Bay—Description—Colony of Victoria founded— Its advantages—The exiles —Laws of the colony—The home of freedom—-Grateful retrospect.CHAPTER X.Days of Hope-1S59-1861 97Progress of the work— Composition of hymns and tunesVisit of Mr. DiboU and Mr. Saker to England—Approval ofthe Committee—Return voyage—Trials of the SlissionIntense activity of Jlr. Saker—Completion of New Testament—Classes for reading—Native i|uarrels—The Dualla languageand people.CHAPTER XLAscent of the Camerooxs ]\Iouxtaix—1861-1862 110The start—The native population—The ascent—Encampment—Traces of volcanic action—The summit—Final ascent byCaptain Burton—Return to Victoria.CHAPTER XII.In Peril on eveky Side— 1862-1863 117Slow growth of Victoria—Description of it—Departure of hiafamily for England— Interruptions from native quarrelsSavage life—Attempts to revive tlie slave trade—Additions tothe church—Failuie of health—Another visit to England.CHAPTER XIII.Perseveking Toil— 1864-1869 125-Eeturn voyage to Africa—State of Mission—Death of Mrs.Smith—Perseverance in manifold labours—Death of Johnson—Obstruction from wars—Progress in translation—Danger ofdrowning—Growth of the work—Translation of Bible completed—Baptisms—Visit to England.

——XIVCONTENTS.CHAPTER XIV.PAGEVisit of the Deputation—1869-1870 133First steps of the Mission—Obstacles and difficultiesDiversity of judgment among the missionaries—The Deputation—Thevoyage—Causes of difference—Formation of localCommittee—Secession of Mr. Saker—Secular work— Itsnecessity—Charges of extravagance and waste—Not sustained—Visit to Victoria—Growth of the colony—Mrs. Underhill'sdecease—Report of Deputation.CHAPTER XV.The Last Days in Africa—1870-1876 145His great task completed—Study of the prophets—The steamlaunch—Voyagesup the rivers—Ravages of small-poxArrangements for the Mission—A retrospect—Mr. Grenfelloneffect of his labours^Leaves Africa.CHAPTER XVI.

—ILLUSTRATIONS.FROXTIsI'IKiK— POJITH.UT OF TtEV,1.ALFRED SaKEU.Arrival of the "Chilmark" at Clarence2.—a a'lllage on the cameroon's3. —KiNf; A'kava'.s House axd Street4.—Bethel Chapel, Cameroox.so.— Bird's-eye View of Victoria6.— Mission-house and School, Amboises Bay7.Cameroons Mountain', kiiom A'ictoria ...8.—Victoria Charel, Amboises Bay9-—CH.A,rEL AT Hickory, or Mortonville ...10. New .Mission-house, Victoria11.On the Mungo River12.—Map of Cameroons River, &c., &c.PAGE202830G49296nolis12S14414316S

ALFEED SAKEE.A BIOGEAPHY.CHAPTER I.EAKLY LIFE AXD CONSECRATION, 1814-1842.HE small hamlet of Borough Green, in theparish of Wrotham, Kent, was thebirthplace of Alfred Saker. It lies ina richly cultivated district, below thechalk cliffs that rise to the north, fromwhence may be seen, looking over the (|uiet village ofWrotham, one of the most beautiful of the many lovelylandscapes that the weald of Kent offers to the loversof scenery. It is a district of meadows, cornfields, andhop-gardens, interspersed with shaws and orchards.Near at ha ad are the fine plantations and woods surroundingMereworth Castle. Still nearer to the littleGreen, on the north-west, is Addington, with its numerousmemorials of Druidical times in circles, brokencromlechs, and the remains of a great stone avenue thatremind the traveller of the monumental lines of Carnacin Brittany.Not far from Borough Green, to the west, is the considerablevillage of Ightham, with its interesting relics1

;2 ALFRED SAKER.of the Eoman occupation, consisting of a large intrenchmentand traces of a Eoman road, which appears tohave run through Borough Green itself.Here Alfred Saker was born on the 21st July, 1814,and amid these scenes he spent the years of his childhood.His father was a millwright and engineer, andthe parent of a large family of children, many of whomdied in infanc}'.Alfred was a weakly babe, and, m theHeopinion of the old nurse, " was not worth rearing."grew an exceedingly sensitive child, a gentle, retiringboy, feeble in frame and caring little for the boisterousgames of the children that gave life to the quietvillage. The only school his parents could afford tosend him to was the National School of the place. Heearly showed a great love for books, and preferred theirsociety to that of his playmates on the Green. At tenyears of age he had mastered all the lessons of theschool, and had made besides good progress in arithmeticand in the geometry of Euclid. He therefore left,and soon after entered his father's workshop, carryingwith him an eager thirst for knowledge, filling everyleisure hour with study, and spending every spare pennyin acquiring the books and instruments he longed topossess.Among other acquisitions, he learnt to sing.He hada sweet voice, which he generally exercised in the choirof Ightham church; but he often accompanied hischoral companions to Wrotham, where the father of hisfuture wife was the leader of the church's song.Beforehe was fifteen years of age, he had purchased a largepair of globes, which, at a later period, he gave to theSociety of which he became an honoured missionarythey are now preserved in the library of the Mis-

EARLY LIFE AND COXSECKATION. 'fsion House. A telescope was also among the scientitictreasures he dearly loved, and with which he spenthours in the fields behind his father's house till lona"after midnight, watching the stars. Before he was sixteen,he had constructed a small steam-engine, whichremained in his possession till he sold it on the eve ofhis departure for Africa.All these incidents of Alfred Saker's youth areeminently characteristicof the man he became, and inthe Providence of God his self-chosen pursuits were themost useful preparation that could have been devisedfor his future career.Up to this time AlfredSaker's mind does not appearto have been awake to the claims of the Gospel on hisfaith and love. They had probably never been pressedon his attention. There was, indeed, a small Baptistchapel in the hamlet, which, however, it is likely hehad never entered. The people attending it were poorand despised, and the good old minister, the Eev. JohnMorris, was much persecuted. The small communityover which Mr. Morris watched had been formed in1809, and for twenty-one years he held the office of itsPastor. In 1830 he was removed by death, and wasfollowed in his ministry by tlie Rev. Wm. Bolton, Mr.Bolton was a man of much energy and singular zeal,and his coming was followed by a revival in the congregation.It was about this time that Mr. Saker was " lent " byhis father to assist in a millwright's business in Sevenoaks.One Sabbath evening he was strolling alonethrough the street, when the singing in a chapel that hepassed drew his attention. He entered. The excellentpastor, the Ptev. Thos. Shirley, was not, however, the1*

4: ALFRED SAKER.preacher, but some stranger. The words to which theyouth listened fastened on his susceptible mind, andthe quiet hours of the night that followed witnessed theconsecration of his life to the service and the kingdomof his Saviour. The preacher's name he never knew,nor probably was the fact of Mr. Saker's conversion,through his sermon, ever made known to him ; but, inafter-years, Mr. Saker often referred to the incident asan encouragement to earnest labourers in Christ's vineyard,who yet may remain ever ignorant of the effectthat their work, under God's blessing, may havewrought. He soon returned home, and at once became ateacher in Mr. Bolton's Sunday-school, and shortly afterits superintendent. He assisted in the choir, and as hisgifts drew attention, he was prompt to exercise them inthe cottages and hamlets around. He took an activepart in every good work. Though modest and unassumingin manner, he did not fail to exhibit thatfirmness and persistency of character which, in lateryears, shone out so fully. In a recent reminiscence ofthese days, a life-long friend says of him ": What ismost memorable to me now, was the earnestness ofdevotion, and ofhishis pleadings with God at the prayermeetings.So much was this the case that I seem tohear, even now, his earnest tones, although more thanforty years have passed away." On the 4th January,1834, when nearly twenty years of age, he was baptizedby Mr. Fremling, of Footscray, and became a member ofthe church in the village of his nativity.With the public devotion of himself to Christ, hebe«jan to extend his labours in every direction. Hisevenings were either given to self-improvement or hewould go to some member's house, where a few lowly

EARLY LIFE AND CONSECRATION. 5people were gathered for converse and prayer. His fitnessfor evangelistic service became more and moreapparent. Not a village or hamlet in the neighbourhoodwas left untouched by his zealous ministrations." The first time," says the friend already referred to, "thatI remember going with him was to Wrotham Common.This, perhaps, may be regarded as the beginning of liisministry. It was a voluntary movement on his part,but most cordially approved by his brethren. At Piatt,Ightham, among, the huts of the sand diggers onWrotham Commoni, and at other places of the neighbourhood,he sought and found opportunities to carryon the good work." The church soon called him toexercise his ministry in a more formal way, and forsome time, at their request, he occupied every otherSabbath the little chapel at Plaxtol.The death of his father, in 1838, led Mr. Saker todecide on seeking employment elsewhere. He accordinglyapplied at various dockyards, and, after passinghis examination at Woolwich, he was appointed to asituation in Devonport. In his studies for theexamination he obtained valuable assistance from thelate Eev. Jno. Cox, of Woolwich, His work at theDevonport yard chiefly consisted in the preparation ofdrawings for the Admiralty. They were of suflicientexcellence to secure hispromotion on the first vacancy.In October, 1839, he was sent for nine months to thedockyard at Deptford, to superintend the erection ofmachinery.In the following month ofFebruary, he was marriedto Miss Helen Jessup, and at the close of his engagementat Deptford, he returned to Devonport.In the early days of his Christian life, he had

6'ALFRED SAKER.formed tlie desire to consecrate his powers to theservice of Christ in Africa, but he was more especiallystirred at this period to offer himself for thiswork by the striking narratives of the Kev. JohnClarke and Dr. Prince, on their return from a visitof exploration to the West Coast, in the year 1842,In this wish he was encouraged by his devotedwife. The counsel and opinion of his highly esteemedpastor, the Eev. Thos. Horton, brought decision to theyearnings of his heart, and, after some delay, he wasaccepted by the Committee of the Baptist MissionarySociety. He owed much to the ministry of Mr.Horton. "Writing many years after to Mrs. Horton, onthe decease of her husband, Mr. Saker thus speaks ofthe benefit that he received during the years of hisconnection with him:— " I shall ever remember thedebt I owe to the departed. In my early days heshowed me the beauty of holiness in a devoted humanlife, and also by his teaching and counsel incited allmy affections and faculties in earnest efforts to promotethe present and future happiness ofthe human family.And in whatever respect my life in Africa has been ablessing, it has resulted greatly from the teaching ofthose early days, even as the harvest from the seedsown. Oft I meditated writing to him while yetamong us on earth— my attempts were failures. Iwanted to give him a brief account of tlie result, throughhis help, of my life's toil,—in a written language, acompleted Bible, the conversion of hundreds, the trainingof young men to teach and to preach, and the gatheringtogether of churches to maintain the ordinances ofdivine service ;thus securing, as far as human eye cansee, the dissemination of the word of God with all its

EARLY LIFE AND CONSECRATION. 7benign influences. Such lines have never beenwritten ; the pleasure to me to tell, and the departedto hear, was denied. I could neitlier write nor travel.May the mercies of God be long continued to you andyours in tliis life, and, finally, the joy of endless lifewith the holy above."Mr. Saker's residence in Devonport w^as a period ofuseful preparation for his missionary career, and hefound in his connection with the church in MorriceSquare, a fitting sphere for the exercise of his gifts.Old scholars still living, tell of his labours in tlieSunday-school with devout thankfulness, and speakwith tears of gratitude of his strenuous exertions fortlieir highest welfare.

CHAPTER II.Depaetuee foe Afeica, 1843.MOISrCTST the earliest results in Jamaicaof the great Act of Emancipation, wasthe earnest desire of numbers of thefreed Africans toconvey the Gospel tothe land of their fathers. Many stillremembered the homes from which they had been torn,,and longed to revisit the j^lf^ce of their l)irth to communicatethe " riches of mercy," of which they hadbecome the grateful recipients in the house of theirbondage. Encouraged by numerous offers of personalservice, and by the abounding liberality of the Jamaicachurches, the Committee of the Baptist MissionarySociety, mindful of the Divine blessing that hadcrowned its labours with such large success in thechief island of the Antilles, felt itself compelled, in itsyear of Jubilee, to undertake this arduous enterprise..The time was auspicious, and the triumph of freedomover slavery could not more signally or gratefully becommemorated than by an effort to give the light of lifeto that " Dark Continent," and to atone for the crimesthatEnglish greed had for centuries committed, byproclaiming in Africa itself the glad tidings of a Divineliberty from on high.It was at once seen to be indispensable that fullerinformation than was then accessible should be obtained,.

DEPARTUEE FOR AFRICA. 9both as to the feasibility of a mission on the westerncoast of Africa, and as to the spot most suitable for itscommencement. For this purpose the Eev. JohnClarke, of Jericho, Jamaica, and Dr, G. K. I'rince, whohad practised the healing art there with reputation andsuccess, were invited by the Committee to proceed onthis necessary errand. Their long residence in thetropics, and their knowledge of the negro character,,gave them special fitness for the work of exploration.They embarked on board a trading vessel proceeding to>Africa on the 13th October, 1840, and after sailingleisurely along the western coast, calling at CapePalmas and Cape Coast Castle on the way, they reachedthe island of Fernando Po on the following New Year'sDay. Every opportunity of procuring information waseagerly embraced. Intercourse with the natives was.everywhere sought, and minute intpiiries were made asto the probable reception of the messengers of the Cross.At Clarence, Fernando Po, many of the inhabitantswere found to possess some acquaintance with English ;while from the situation of the island, nearly oppositethe important river Cameroons, ready access could behad to the interior of the continent, which lay onlytwenty miles away, presenting a coast-Kne of mountainand valley unrivalled for grandeur and salubrityon tlie sea-board of the western coast. From Clarencethe travellers passed over to the mainland, visited thechiefs, and met everywhere with a cordial welcome.They, therefore, resolved, while awaiting the resolutionof the Committee on their report, to commence theirlabours in Fernando Po, and to watch for the openingsthat Providence might offer to the great regionbeyond.

10 ALFRED SAKEK.On reference to a map, it will be seen that FernandoPo lies in the Gulf of Biafra, near to the coast of Guinea.The island is about forty miles in length by twenty inbreadth. It is nearly 120 miles in circumference, and,like the adjacent part of the mainland, is very mountainous;Clarence Peak, the most elevated point, attainingthe height of 10,700 feet. The southern extremityis intersected by several steepmountains, varying from1,000 to 3,000 feet in height, which, with the interveningvalleys, are covered with dense forests of large andvalual)le timber, and watered by numerous rivulets.The wet season commences at the latter end of May,and continues till the end of November. The seabreeze is regular, but the land breeze is often interceptedby the high range of mountains on the mainland.Clarence, the principal settlement, is on the northside of the island, in latitude 3^ 53' N., and longitude7° 40' E., and is built close to the sea upon an elevatedplain, embracing two small peninsulas, Point Williamand Point Adelaide, with a semi-circular space extendingabout a mile in length, and forming a cove welladapted for shipping. The spot is fertile, and the waterof the best quality. The tribes inhabiting the interiorwere in a state of nature—wild, savage, and withoutculture. But the people of Clarence were, for the mostpart, liberated slaves, brought there by the Britishcruisers, findinga sufficient livelihood in supplying thewants of the vessels frequenting the coast.The labour of the missionaries among these peoplesoon met with an abundant reward. By the beginningof the year 1842 five persons had been baptized,numerous inquirers gathered into a catechumen class,

DEPARTURE FOR AFRICA. 11and a school of seventy cliildren formed. The wiklAdeeyahs of the mountainous interior had been visited,and the foundations laid for future labour amongstthem. So encouraging were the reports sent home,that the Committee lost no time in announcing theirdecision, and in sending out the liev. Thos. Sturgionand his wife, permanently to occupy the fertile heldthat the Island of Fernando Po seemed to present.Now that forty years have elapsed since the resolutionwas taken to establish the mission on the West Coastof Africa, it may be useful to recall the objections andprejudices which had to be overcome. The resolutionsof the general meeting of the Society open with theremark, that the obstacles to such an enterprise hadhitherto been deemed insuperable. The inquiries of thedeputation, however, removed this objection. But therewere excellent persons who thought that the attempt topreach the Gospel to the children of Ham was a profaneinterference with a Divine decree. The African natives,they said, were sufferingfrom " the judicial sentence ofGod against them ; " but, af&rnis the resolution in reply," the Gospel which repeals every national malediction,and addresses itself to every creature," had rendered thissentence of none effect. The asserted mental inferiorityof the negro race was next dealt with ; this, if true, it wasreplied, had doubtless been intensified, if not caused, bythe horrid cruelties of slavery, and by the demoralisingvices that it encouraged. But slavery, and the slave trade,had received an irrecoverable blow by the action of theBritish Parliament, and missionary culture elsewheresufficiently proved that the negro mind was fully capableof instruction. With regard to the deadly nature of theclhnate, it was hoped that its perils might, in great mea-

12 ALFEED SAKEK.sure, be overcome by the employment of men acclimatisedin the tropical regions of the West Indies, andfitted, by natural constitution, to encounter its dangers.The agency offered by the Jamaica churches would, itwas thought, meet tlie difficulty, and the new army ofthe Lord could be ofdcered by a few trained men thatEngland would supply. Thus the churches of Britainmight fitly celebrate the fiftieth year of the Society'sexistence, and hope to find, even in Africa, " a placefor the Lord, a habitation for the mighty God ofJacob." " ISTo field," adds the committee, " is moreworthy of cultivation than this, nor is any more likelyto repay the toils of the husbandman."*In order to facilitate the proposed arrangements, ]\Ir.Clarke and Dr. Prince early in the year (1842) tookship to return to England. By a " signal providence "their vessel, struck by lightning and dismasted, was leftto the kindly influences of the trade winds, and driftedacross the Atlantic to the West Indies. Some dayswere spent among the Windward islands, but at lengththe voyagers reached Jamaica. Their unexpectedcoming aroused the enthusiasm and touched the sympathiesof the congregations. Tlie hand of the Lord wasin it. Numerous candidates for service in Africa cameforward, some of whom were examined and approved.The stay of the two explorers, however, was brief, and,,again taking ship, in company with the Eev. JosepliMerrick, who resigned the charge of a large church at.Jericho for the mission work, the voyagers reachedEngland on the 8th September. Their presence innumerous meetings served to deepen the interest of• Keport for 1842, resolutions of the fiftieth annual meeting.

DEPARTURE FOR AFRICA. 13British Christians in the evangelisation of Africa, and,in the course of a few months, the services of fourbrethren, with their wives, were accepted. One of thefour was Alfred Saker.For the transport of the West Indian contingent, asailing vessel, the Chilmark, of only 179 tons measurement,was engaged. It was resolved, that Mr.Clarke and Mr. Saker, with their families,should proceedin her to Jamaica, and accompany the chosenband. The rest of the missionaries, led by Dr. Prince,sailed direct for Fernando Po.The sorrows of parting with many beloved friends,both in Kent and in Devonshire, were deeply felt byMr. and Mrs. Saker ; but on the 16th August, 1843,tlie last words were spoken, and, with their littledaughter Eliza, they left London for Portsea, there toembark. The same evening a farewell service was heldin the chapel of the Pev. C. Poom, in which ]\Ir. Saker,with his companions Mr. Clarke and Mr. Hume (aBaptist missionary, likewise bound for Jamaica), tookpart. The ship did not arrive at Portsmouth till the18th. Early on the 19th they went on board theChilmarh, and by ten o'clock were passing throughthe Solent." We had," says Mr. Saker, " a lovely viewof the garden of England, the Isle of Wight.Its glens,hills, parks, and towns appeared in beauteous prospect.Towards night we passed The Needles, and eremorning anchored at Poole." The voyage connnencedauspiciously ; but in a day or two the weather changed,baffling winds hindered their progress, calms delayedthem, and sea-sickness aftlicted all the party. Thesmallness of the vessel, the scanty accommodationprovided by the owners of the vessel, and bad

14 ALFRED SAKER.provisions added to their misery. Mr. Saker wascompelled to sleep on the floor of the saloon, andthe eight weeks that the voyage to Jamaica lastedwere passed iu great discomfort, and ofttimes distress.Still the days were utilised by much reading. AnAdeeyah vocabulary prepared by Mr. Clarke wascopied, and the elements of the Houssa grammar werestudied. In his remarks on their pursuits, Mr. Saker,in his diary, thus early betrays the purpose he hadformed :— " May the Lord assist me," he says, " to studythese languages until we shall be able to give to themillions of Africa the word of God in their own tongue."The Sabbaths too were days of delight, and, in holyworship of the Master they served, the little bandfound consolation and peace.On the forty-eighth day of the voyage, at dawn, thewelcome cry was heard of "land ahead," "Aftergiving utterance to my gTateful feelings," says IMr.Saker, "I hastened on deck to see the long-desiredobject. The head-land of Deseda was clearly descriedin the distant gloom. I ascended the rigging, and, afterhalf-an-hour's search, just caught a glimpse of the darkoutline of Antigua, rising like three majestic rocks onthe distant horizon. Oh ! it was a pleasant sight, afterforty-eight days' imprisonment to the narrow limits of avessel, and the monotonous scenes of a long passage."During the day Guadaloupe, and nearer at hand theromantic islands of Montserrat, Nevis, and St. Kitts, werepassed ; but contrary winds delayed their approach toJamaica. On the afternoon of Friday, the 13th ofOctober, the grand outlines of the Blue Mountains camein sight, to the great joy of the voyagers. The morningof the day was squally, and at midday thunder,

DEPARTURE FOR AFRICA. 15lightning, and rain stayed their course. Some of thesails of the vessel were torn in pieces by the violenceof the storm. The next day, Saturday, was calm, andbefore noon the ship was safely anchored in the harbourof Port Eoyal. In the evening the party was heartilywelcomed by the brethren and friends in Kingston.Mr. Saker conducted the services of the Lord's-dayat Spanish Town, and returning on Monday to theChilmarh, sailed with his family to Black Eiver,where they spent three weeks of grateful rest andenjoyment with the esteemed missionary, the JXq\.Thos. May, whom they had known at Saltash, inDevonshire. Most gratifying visits were also paid tothe venerable missionary, the Eev. Thos. Burchell, atMount Carey, and to the home of the Eev. Thos.Cornford at Montego Bay, with whom also they hadbeen previously acquainted in England; thence theyproceeded to Falmouth to embark for Africa.The six weeks thus spent were occupied by thebrethren, aided by the pastors of the churches, incollecting the negro converts who were to assistin themission, some as missionaries and others as settlers.In all, forty-two persons, including children, enteredon the generous enterprise of civilising the savagetribes of Africa, and of giving to its perishing myriads thebread of life. Tlie deepest interest was manifested byall classes. Valedictory services were held in everypart of the island. The closing service took place onTuesday evening, November 28th, when a crowdedassembly gathered in the Baptist chapel in Falmouth,at which numerous addresses were delivered and muchprayer was made. Fifteen hundred persons remainedat the close to celebrate the dying love of the Saviour,

11 ALFRED SAKEE."looking forward to the day when He shall come inHis kingdom, and gather all the redeemed from amongevery people and nation to His feet.At length the preparations were complete, and theiJhihnarh sailed from Falmouth on the 1st December.Writing the next day, the devoted Knibb said, " TheChilmark sailed yesterday, and is now in sight ofKettering. She carries a noble band of missionaries.If ever I wished to have my likeness taken, it waswhen I requested and obtained permission to steer her-out of harbour, which under the directions of the captainI accomplished. Oh, it was an interesting, it was anoble sight !Contrary winds, adverse currents, and calms delayedthe vessel for many days in sight of Jamaica. On the11th she was still opposite the east end of the island,and it was not till the 13th that tlie voyagers lost sightof the "Queen of the Antilles." On the 22nd theypassed Watling's Island not expecting to see landao-ain until the Cape de Verde Islands should comeinto view.Mr. Saker cheerfully shared the labour of instructingthe various classes that were formed for the study ofsubjects likely to be useful to the Jamaica brethren inthe work before them. Di\ine service was held everyday, as well as on Lord's-days, both in the cabins andthe steerage, where most of the emigrants were lodged.The monotony of the x^^ssage was also dispelled bylight occupations and amusements, such as the weatherand the sea allowed. A voyage, however, that mighthave been agreeable and profitable in every respect,was often made miserable to all by the violence of thecaptain, the drunkenness and blasphemies of the crew.

—DEPARTUEE FOR AFRICA. 17the scarcity and bad quality of the food, and thewretched accommodation provided for the passengersand their families. The captain set an example ofrudeness, contempt, and injustice towards the colouredpeople, which the sailors were not slow to follow. Thepain suffered by Mr. and Mrs. Saker from his harshness,amounting at times to inhumanity, was aggravated byanxiety on account of Mrs. Saker's delicate condition.In other respects the voyage was not without itsintervals of pleasantness. After leaving the WestIndies, favourable winds were enjoyed, and no veryheavy storm was encountered.the missionary band, and diligentHarmony prevailed inadvantage was takenof quiet hours to study the languages of Africa, and toprepare for the task that lay before them. On thewhole, notwithstanding the crowded state of the ship,the health of the entire crew and passengers was good.A few extracts from Mr. Saker's journal will sufficeto indicate the character of the voyage :" Dccemhcr 13th.—A favourable wind sprang ui>during the night, which, by the morning, at eighto'clock, carried us out to sea, so that we lost sight ofthe Blue Mountains. Very thankful to get away, afterso many days of vain effort against the wind. Thedistance from Falmouth to the east end of Jamaica is notmore than fifty miles;yet it has taken us twelve daysto make it, and we hoped to get through the Windwardpassage in eight days. Toward evening St. Domingocame in sight, and we have hope of passing the islandsoon."" December IQtJi.—About noon a vessel was discoveredbearing on our course ; the wind being very liglit, shemade but little progress. Towards sunsetting she

18 ALFRED SAKER.approached sufficiently near to show the number, whenwe distinctly read, HopeioeM. Intense was the feelingof all on board, as the vessel came near, to speak ; ' Wasall well ? '' Have you anything from England ? ' Apleasant interchauge of question and answer followed ;but night had so far advanced that the vessel was onlydistinguished by her liglits.On separating, we burnt ablue light, and sang, ' Jesus shall reign where'er thesun,' &c. In return our friends gave three cheers. Isent off two rockets. We closed the day in publicprayer on deck. The vessel had on board Mrs. Knibband child, Mr. Button, Mr. and Mrs. Abbot, missionaryfriends bound for Jamaica."" Vlth, Sahhath Day.—I have preached to-day on theauthority of Scripture from 2 Peter i. 16. The seamenseemed much impressed. Mr. Clarke preached in theevening from Genesis xv. 1."" December 22nd.—Yesterday we passed Inagua, alow barren island, and we have to-day left behind usAcklin's and Crooked Islands, thus bringing us oncemore on the bosom of the mighty Atlantic. We havesafely passed the dangers of the Windward passage.We are all in health, and peace reigns among our littleband, though they have cause to complain. The captainannoys us in every possible manner."" Decemher 27th.—A good wind and straight course.Much seaweed and many fish. My dear wife and childcontinue well.May my heart rise in gratitude for suchfavours."Glad indeed were the voyagers when the mountainsof Fernando Po came in sight on the 1 5 th February. Buta calm delayed their approach, and was the forerunnerof a fearful tornado, that threatened them with destruc-

DEPARTURE FOR AFRICA. 10tiun, when just at their " desired haven." Through thegoodness of God the storm passed away, and a gentle"breeze bore them into Clarence Cove, where, about noon,they dropped anchor. Mr. Merrick and Mr. Christianmet them on the shore, and gave them a warm welcometo the sphere of their future toil. " In the enjoymentof untold mercies, after a passage of eleven weeks, weare privileged," says Mr. Saker, writing to Mr. Anguson the 20th February, 1844, " to tread these shores, andmingle with the dear brethren here in thanksgiving andprayer.You, my dear Sir, and the thousands of Britishfriends, who have offered up earnest, fervent, constantprayer for us, will know how to appreciate these tokensof Divine love, and unite with us in gratitude to God.They seem to me as evidences of His favour, cheeringus in the mighty work in which our hearts are engaged,and saying, My word ' shall not return unto Me void,'and bidding us look with sanguine hope, yea, piousassurance, of a great and glorious success."Such was the buoyant spirit and bright expectationwith which Mr. Saker entered on the arduous careernow opened before him.2»

—CHAPTER III.Commencement of Missionary Labour; 1844—1845,N landing, tlie voyagers found that Mr.Sturmon and Dr. Prince were on a visitto the interior ;but they hastened homeon receiving a message from Clarenceannouncing the Chilmark's arrival.Dr.Prince and his party had reached the island in theprevious September. They now gave the new comersa most affectionate reception. " We have been receivedhere," writes Mr. Saker, " with every demonstration ofjoy which the friends could show, in a way suitable tothe occasion, agreeable to our wishes, and honourable tothe Gospel. We landed about noon on Friday, the 16thFebruary, 1844. Before night every arrangement wasmade for the present location of all our company. Thefriends have cheerfully offered their homes to receiveus, and supj)ly us, accordiug to theirpleasure.ability, with piousIn the evening, at seven o'clock, we assembledat the mission-house for thanksgiving and prayer. Itwas cheering to our spirit to meet such a company, andhear their simple, touching, expressions before God.After a hymn of praise we united in those sweet linesofDoddridge'Look down, Lord, with pitying eye,And view the desolation round ;See what wide realms in darkness lie,And hurl their idols to the ground.

iii^fll;ii:;i!iil:i::l'^rH;!ii!ill|||!i|:^

COMMENCEMENT OF MISSIONARY LABOUR. 21• Lord, let the Gospel trumpet blow,And call the nations from afar ;Let all the isles their Saviour know,And earth's remotest ends draw near.'•Surely the poet must have stood on the shore ofFernando Po, so expressive, so appropriate are theselines. The welcome was heartfelt and joyous. OnSabbath morning a large company assembled at sixo'clock, when I preached from John iii. 16.* In theevening Mr. Clarke preached an interesting sermon,which was listened to with much attention; I hopeprofit. But what a scene! A house crowded withthoughtful, attentive, and now respectably clothed,hearers, listening with joy to the words of ' this life.'Who can forget that, three years since, they were allgiven up to work all wickedness greedily; but now,'What hath God wrought ? ' To Him be all the praise.'The vessel is now leaving, and I only add, I feel it inmy heart to live and die for the delightful work. Ibless God that I am permitted to see and hear, andwork in tliis heavenly field."Mr. Saker soon began to experience some of the trialswhich the missionary in Africa has to bear. The woodantsinvaded and destroyed the contents of his clotheschest. A tornado tore off the thatch of his house anddeluged it and all its contents with rain. Four timesin twenty days he was laid down by fever.His laboursat the printing press were constantly hindered by thewant of some necessary material. But these trials werecheerfully encountered. "Individually and in my" It is interesting to note that, under this first sermon of I\Ir.Saker's, Thomas Horton Johnson was converted, who afterwardsbecame a most useful fellow-worker and friend.

22 ALFRED SAKEE.family," he says, " numerous mercies are daily accordedto us by our heavenly Father—so numerous that Icannot attempt an enumeration." Of these, not theleast was the safe delivery of Mrs. Saker of a little girl,on the 25tli February, the expectation of which eventhad been a source of great anxiety and suffering onboard the Chilmarl:The moments were too precious to be lost in merelycurious investigation of the strange scenes aroundhim. "From my landing till now," he says, writinga little later, "I have been constantly engaged inwhat we may call the outworks of our enterprise."For already Mr. Saker began to display that remarkableeagerness for " work " which characterised himto the close of life. To the remonstrances of hi*brethren thathe was " doing too much "— " Too muchexposure, brother, will not do,"—his only response was," Tfieir kindness in this respect I feel, and am desirousof doing all I can to preserve the precious boon givento us—health. I know that European life is valuablehere ;but I must work while I have life, and I hopethe Lord willbless our efforts."The acconnnodation provided for his family wasnecessarily of tlie rudest kind, and much time wasoccupied in making provision for it. From the first,Mr. Saker's skill as an artisan was put into requisition,and building and furniture of every kind wereconstructed under his direction, as well as by hisown personal toil. "I have no less than five housesbuilding for the missionaries and teachers," he says, afew weeks after his arrival, " besides my teaching, whichI have daily to attend to." As the year wore onseverer sorrows came to him, fever frequently laid him

—COMMENCEMENT OF MISSIONARY LABOUR. 23prostrate ; Mrs. Saker also was often ill, and tlieirnew-born babe was taken from them to the enjoymentof an immortal life. On the 31st July he writes to theSecretary of the Society :" We have still to enumerate afflictions and mercies.I would rather leave out the former, but I must tellyou briefly. I recovered very slowly from my lateattack of dysentery, and it was not till last Monday Ifelt able to assist brother Merrickin attempting to castsome quadrates for the printing-ofiice. Such was thedeficiency that we felt we must wait a supply from you,unless I could succeed. Impelled by such consideration,I made my moulds from some old lead, andborrowed a ladle. Thus equipped, I set about casting,and by Wednesday noon had finished nearly a thousand,quite to my satisfaction, and the joy of my dearbrother. But the labour was too much for me, and, ereI had accomplished all I wished, my strength failed, andfour hours of fever every night since still keeps me low.Sabbath-day a fit of vomiting of four hours laid meprostrate, and I feel exceedingly weak now. Still theLord is gracious to us."" Since my dear wife's fever, the infant babe haspassed through much suffering ;but now those sufieringsare closed for ever. Parental feelings have beenstretched on this severe loss ;but all is well. Wewould not call her back again to earth. Yes, dearbrother, while prostrate on the bed through weakness,and maternal tenderness watching and nursing thesuffering one, her spirit fled ! Before our Sabbath lamphad ceased to burn, she fled to the glorious regions oflight and joy, to enjoy an eternalwith the adorable Eedeemer."Sabbath of happiness

24 ALFRED SAKEK." On Monday, brethren Clarke, Prince, and Merrickcame to confer on a place of interment.This was soondecided, and at 12 o'clock a lovely spot in the MissionHouse garden was consecrated by the reception of thisinnocent, this first of the Mission families that hasfallen here." fOther trials could be more lightly borne. At theclose of the year he tells us that all the missionarieswere suffering from destitution of some of the necessariesand many of the conveniences of life. " Nobiscuit, no flour, no sugar, no butter, no meat of anykind, except sometimes a fowl, a squirrel, or piece ofgood mutton. Yarn, our chief dependence, is nowgetting scarce. But I do not complain, Tlie host ofself-denying men in ancient and modern days would atonce reprove my carnal heart. Oh ! for the zeal of anapostle, to spend my days in cheerful laljour to spreadthe knowledge of the great salvation "! It was enoughfor Alfred Saker to be engaged at any cost in any departmentof this noble task. To promote the kingdomof righteousness and peace he desired to labour nightand day ; for this end he wished to live, and in thiswork to die.Early in the year (1845) Mr. Saker paid a visit toMr. Merrick at Bimbia, and with him traversed severalof the neighbouring towns. While thus engaged feveragain assailed him, and by the advice of Dr. Prince,who hurried from Clarence to his help, Mr. Saker returnedthither. The arrival of the Bove, from Englandon the 22nd March, with her band of new missionaries,the Thompsons and Newbegins, and Miss Vitou, notonly relieved the many pressing wants of the missionaries,but enabled Mr. Saker to commence the

COMMENCEMENT OF MISSIONAKY LABOUR. 25•achievement of a desire he had from the first cherished,—that of opening a new station on the Cameroons river.When first built, the Dove was intended to sail as asteamer, and her engines and machinery were to havebeen jolaced in the charge of Mr. Saker. But certaindefects in her construction led to her being employedas a sailing vessel only, and thus Mr. Saker became freeto enter on the sole duties of the missionary life. Hesays, "I cannot express the high satisfaction I feel whenlooking at the Dove ; I have not been without my disappointmentat the minus engines,' but I am sure that'all is well.It will not be possible to ascend any one ofthe rivers without a ' power ' superior in strength to thecurrent, and it will be equally futile to attempt it beforeour hands are strengthened by aid from home. Weneed fifty brethren now for the great work. If theLord has need He will soon send them. May we Ijestrengthened to persevere. The gentleness of the Doveseems to destroy the thought of the sufferings we have-endured for the want of it ; and I am confident thatOod will bless His servants in the use of it to Hisglory. Soon, soon may its wings be stretched, till allthe nations far and near be converted to the heavenlyKingdom of Jesus and His Spirit."In the month of April a brief visit, chiefiy for health,was paid by Mr. and Mrs. Saker, in company with Dr.Prince, toa district already marked out, about twentymiles up the broad estuary of the Cameroons, as suitablefor a missionary station.After passing the mangrove swamps which lie onboth sides of the river's mouth, and whose poisonousreaches are pierced by many tortuous channels leading tothe interior, the eastern shore changes its character,

26 ALFRED SAKER.and from the sandy beach begin to rise low cliffsof rich red-brown earth, generally covered to thebase with variousshrubs and trees, interspersed at thetop with cocoa and oil nut-palms. The first nativesettlement that is reached is the town of King Bell,and is marked by the canoes and traders' sheds that linethe river's brink. Beyond this another beach, with itsnumerous canoes, points out the landing place of a stilllarger town, the residence of the chief. King A'kwa, thehead of the most powerful of the tribes on the river.A little farther on, and on the same side of the stream,issituated Dido Town, lately founded by a branch ofthe A'kwa family. The chief occupation of the peopleis the collection of palm-oil and ivory from the nativesof the interior, with which they barter with the traders,whose store-hulks lie oif the town, for the cloth andtobacco, the beads and trinkets, that form the bulk oftheir trade.Assured of a welcome by the chiefs, Mr. Saker, onhis return to Clarence, at once made preparation tooccupy one or other of these native settlements as hispermanent residence.The Dove being otherwise employed, Mr. Sakerengaged a small schooner, the Wasp, and with HortonJohnson, on the 10th June, proceeded to commence hiswork in the Cameroons river. In thirty hours theyreached King A'kwa's town. The next day they landeda portion of their boxes at Dido Town, taking a houseoffered them by the chief on their former visit. Atthis King A'kwa was indignant. Was he not king ?Was not Dido his inferior ? He was old, too, and wouldnot live long. So he sent to demand the immediatesurrender of the missionary. As Chief Dido replied

—"COMMENCEMENT OF MISSIONAKV LABOUE. 27with defiance, the war-canoes were ordered out, andnext morning it seemed as if a furious onslaught onDido Town would alone avenge the injured honour ofthe King. Mr. Saker, however, immediately interposed.A palaver ensued, and, after twenty-four hours' negotiation,the King triumphantly Ijore away the missionarieswith all their belongings.The house hired of King A'kwa was built of wood, andconsisted ofone room only—twenty-one feet by fifteen.It had been erected a few months before by a traderfor the King's own use. Here, on the 16th June, 1845,.Mr. Saker, with his companion, took up his abode, andbegan his ministry as a messenger of Christ to theDuallas. A few extracts from his letter to Mr. Anguswill best describe his first movements :" Txiesday, Vjth.—Sliglit fever, and much weaknessall day."" Wednesdaj/, IStJi.—Much l)etter, rested all day.Dreadful storm at night, the rain Ijreaking in so as U>cover tlie floor."" 19fh and 20^7i.—Much better. Began the additionof two rooms to the present, in hopes of being completebefore my family arrives. These rooms will be constructedby tlie natives, and made of tlie same materialas their own huts—bamboo mats and rods."" '21st.—Sat nearly all day at the language with interpreter.Enjoyed much communion with God. Oneof my happiest seasons in prayer this morning. Feltnmch enlargement of heart when praying for theheathen, my brethren, and the Society. I am constrainedto say, 'Lord, renew the visits of Thy love.'" Sahbath Day, 22nd.—Eose early and met the chiefsand people of A'kwa town soon after six. We liad a

"28 ALFKED SAKEIl.good meeting, and tliey sat patiently (nearly two hours)to hear the word of God. At nine the children with afew adults came to our little house. Johnson and myselfsat with different companies till twelve o'clock. Athalf-past twelve I went to King Bell's town to havemy first meeting. Was a little disappointed ;could notcollect more than about twelve, who sat with the kingfor about half-an-hour. I tried to engage their attention,but they had drunk too much, so I left them, andwalked on to Joss's town. After waiting a little wehad a large but noisy company. I do hope God willanswer the many prayers of His people on their behalf." After returning and refreshment, we visited a townlying back in the bush between A'kwa's and Bell's town.Here we had a meeting which I tliink I shall neverforget. As I explained the design of Christ's missioninto our world, and illustrated His Divine power by Hismiracles, and His love by His freely giving Himself todeath for us, theastonishment and manifested surpriseof these people is past my power of utterance. About105, old and young, sat in a circle before me, with an•attention surpassed by no congregation at home. Tome it was an hour of hallowed feeling. We left witlifervent prayer that God would bless His word, fulfilHis promise, and make the heathen His own."Thus passed the first week of the laborious life thatMr. Saker now commenced among the tribes of theCameroons.On the 28th Mrs. Saker with her little daughterarrived in the Dove, in company with Miss Stewart,Mr. Clarke, and Mr. Merrick.

A VILLAGE ON THE CAMEE00N3.

—naught.CHAPTER IV.Perils among the Heathen, 1845—1840.K. SAKEE was now fairly launched ouhislife's work.He was surrounded bya multitude of heathens, without ahead or leader, for with King A'kwa'smortal illness his authority was set atEvery one did that which suited his dispositionbest, under no control, and delighting in cruelty andrevenge. The better informed among the people weretraders,and a few of them were thoughtful and serious.These endeavoured to maintain some degree of order.They showed Mr. Saker and his family much kindness,.and, what in his estimation was far Ijetter, they weredesirous to hear the Word. They did all they could toprotectthe missionaries and their property from thehands of violence. " I cannot," said Mr. Saker someyears afterwards, " describe to you the condition inwhich I found this whole people. A ])Ook they hadnot seen ; the commonest implements of liusbandry andtools of all kinds were unknown. I brought with metools to make my own dwelling. My circumstanceswere for a long time on a level with the natives' ; ourfood was nearly the same, but we were clothed andthey were not."The station Mr. Saker formed at King Akwa's town,and which he now named Bethel—the house of GodI

30 ALFKED SAKEK.is situated about twenty miles from the sea, on a liiglibluff on the eastern or left bank of the river Cameroons,which disembogues its waters about four degrees northof the Equator, nearly opposite the northern end oftheisland of Fernando To. The space of about a mileseparates the town of King Bell from that of KingA'kwa. The territories of the two chiefs are conterminousfor some distance into the interior, and, as a•consequence, the two tribes were often at variance andwar. Although the river somewhat winds in its courseto the sea, the sea-breezes have almost direct access tothese two towns, and, l)eing clear of the dense mangroveswamps which line the sea-shore and spread on eitherside of the river'smouth, the mission premises on theCameroons are more healthy than Bimbia and otherspots on the coast. The cottages of the people lie alongthe river and spread for some distance inland, shroudedby trees and bananas, the paths encumbered by bush.Tlie food plantations of the natives are still fartherinland, and are cultivated almost entirely by thewivesof the people, of whom the chiefs have many and theranks below them as they can afford to buy.Higher on the same side of the river is Dido town,and farther still is John A'kwa's town, the chiefs ofwhich recognise King A'kwa as their superior lord.These towns are a mile or two apart. Crossing theriver obliquely from John A'kwa's town, but higher up,we come to Preso Bell's town, or Hickory, inhabited bya branch of the family of King Bell. The river here isabout a mile broad. All the triljes dwelling in thesetowns speak the Dualla language. At the time themission began they were in anot actual warfare.state of unfriendliness, if

KDfG A'kWA's house XSB STEEET.

—PERILS a:\ioxg the heathen. 31.They were, in fact, utterly l)arl)aroiis, practising thewildest and most debasing superstitions, and given upto the practice of every vice that degrades humanity.The work to be accomplished, and the condition of thesesavage tribes, can only be understood by a few illustrations.One day, on visiting Bell Town, the missionariespassed by the side of the river a corpse lying unburied,and mangled by dogs. It was the body of a man fromWuri, drowned by the upset of a canoe. No persuasioncoiild induce the king to order its interment. Tlieirentreaties were laughed at." The man," said they, " isnot a Dualla man." Another day the brethren wereshocked to learn that the chief, Dido, had cruelly killedone of his wives and a slave. Another slave was throwninto the river, bound ; but, getting loose, he swauiashore, and fled into the bush.Mrs. Saker mentions tlie following instance ofbarbarity :" One of our first converts, a woman called Anna,was on the way to chapel one Sabbath morning. Onpassing the Egbo house (where the men practise theirsuperstitious rites), she heard the cries of women. On]3ushing the door open, she saw two women hanging bytheir wrists from the roof of the house, and beinsj;rubbed all over with a kind of herb that produces afearful irritation. The cries of the poor creatures weremost distressing. Anna begged they would untie them.They instantly seized her, and tied her in the sameway, rubbing the same herb on her. We did not hearof it for nearly six hours. Some of our young men,with Mr. H. Johnson, immediately went to the rescue.They had to fight their way in, but at length succeededin bringing Anna away. She had been one of our

32 ALFRED SAKER.brightest women, but from that day she was anidiot."Nothing among these people is more fatal than acharge of witchcraft; one that is often made on theoccurrence of any accident or natural death. A slaveof King A'kwa's was thus accused. To try the truth ofthe accusation, she was first tested with poison. Shewas made to drink an infusion of a poisonous nut ;but, although she speedily vomited the poison, which isusually regarded as a sign of innocence, .she was tiedhands and feet, and cast into the river. Another slavewas savagely mutilated by her enraged master, and leftin a miserable condition to perish.Soon after Mr. Saker's arrival, in the month of July,King A'kwa died. Mr. Saker was at the time busilyemployed in making the doors and shutters of his newapartments. With a few boards and joists, and a littlecontrivance, by the end of August the walls of the newstructure were finished, and the two rooms floored.But, on the death of A'kwa, indescribable scenes of disorder,confusion, and wrong ensued. The two elderbrothers quarrelled and intrigued for the succession.The houses of the dead chief were ransacked. Eventhe box (or coffin) containing his remains was brokenopen, and rifled of everything of value. His wives andslaves destroyed the dwelling that he had occupied.The town was given up to plunder. In October themission premises were invaded; the knives, books,spoons, and table linen, and, worst of all, the flour, onwhich life itself depended, together with the goats andfowls, were carried off. These disorders and plunderingscontinued till December, when the elder son wasdeclared king through the intervention of her Majesty's

PEIIILS AMONG THE HEATHEN". 33naval officers on tlie coast. A better state of tilingsthen began to prevail.It was in the midst of these disputes that A'kwa's"fifty sons, with the chiefs of the tribe, assembled at Mr.Saker's cottage to sell it to him, together with the plotof ground on whicli it stood. The price was soon settled,'but the purchase was followed by incessant bickeringsamong the vendors respecting their shares, and constantattempts were made to force more cloth andgoods from tlie buyer. Three days after the purchasewas completed, a large body of A'kwa's sons andslaves collected together, armed with firebrands, guns,sticks, and swords, and with wild noise and shouting

34 ALFRED SAKER.language iny special work, and although I cannot saymuch as to the advance which I have made, yet I hopeit is something ; and I hope more, that I shall live totranslate the whole Bible into the Dualla tongue.With Divine assistance I have a settled purpose soto do, and I hope not to relinquish my work till it isdone."Later on we shall see how this nohle purpose wasachieved, Eeviewing his first year's work in May,1846, in a letter to his sister,* he says, " When I rememberthat twelve months since I did not understandanything about the language, that we had no house atCameroons to contain us beyond the single room, thatduring the time we have been not less than two monthsabsent on account of health, that while at labour oftenafflicted and hindered in a variety of ways ; but thatnow we can look upon things around us, and know thatwe have a substantial store-house for boxes, barrels,and provisions, which has occupied me one month thisyear in erecting, and that now we are in health, betterhealth than when we commenced the year, surely Iought to be grateful ! If we cease to speak of Hismercy, the stones and trees around would reprove us.May our hearts be ever alive to His mercy, and thatmercy assist us to go on with our work, till we shallrejoice over sinners converted to God.This is the resultfor which we hope and pray, and it will be with unspeakablepleasure that we inform you of such success ;but we need your prayers and the prayers of all ourfriends. You must not forget that nothing short of• In which, however, he omits to notice a visit paid to theBassa towns in the interior.

PERILS AMONG THE HEATHEN. 35Divine power is sufficient to eftect so great a change*If this is necessary in England, how much more sowithtlie heatlien tribes, whose character is so accuratelydrawn in the first chapter of Eonians ! Forgetnot that it is among such we live and labour, andcease not to pray for us, and the success of the Wordamons us."3*

CHAPTER V.Perseverance ix Laboue, 1846—1847.UPtING tlie next two years Mr. Sakerclilip,ently and laboriously pursued hisarduous laliours amono; the ungovernedand ungovernable race around him.Sometimes not one individual wouldcome to the worship, which was regularly maintainedwith the two or three assistants Mr. Saker had secured.Occasionally King A'kwa, with a few of his chiefs andattendants, would be present and give him a listless anduninterested attention. Or he would meet them attheir frequent palavers, and endeavour to awaken theirminds to some desire for the comforts and advantagesof civilised life. A few children would fitfully attendthe daily school, and repeat the little Dualla hymnsand prayers their anxious teacher had prepared.Superstitious practices were employed to frighten himaway. His path would be laid with the leaves ofpoisonous trees, with the hope that the touch of themissionary's foot would stimulate their fatal propertiesand destroy his life. From robbery the mission goodswere never safe.Besides these trials, necessarily incident to the work,others bore hardly upon the energies and spirit of themissionary and his little family. The pestilentialclimate would for days together lay him aside, while

——0» ALFEED SAKER.cry every day is for an energy of spirit, strength ofbody, and a heart devoted to the glory of God in thetranslation of the Scriptures and the publication of theWord of Life."To a large extent the prayerful desire of his heartwas fulfilled. Nothing could repress the ardour witliwhich he pursued his toil. To his sister he writes :" I rise every morning between four and five, and witlibrief intermissions for meals, &c., I am busy—the wordis not expressi^'e—I am more than busy ; I am overwlielmedwith cares and duties till eight, sometimesnine, at night ; and what I am at this time most engagedin, I am trying my utmost tocomplete, the translationof the Gospels, and speedily, lest my health should failbefore it is done. If my health fail again, I feel therewill be no hope in any change short of Europe. Andlest it should fail, I wish to have the work ready forthe press, that it may be printed in England under myown care."Six months later, to the same correspondent, hesays :" During the day I have not time to sit down toeat bread, except a few minutes at nine, and again atfive. I sit at my books, teach boys, labour with mytools. (Jne day a carpenter, another a blacksmith,another a joiner, another a shipwright, or whatever isnecessary. But my chief and all-important work atpresent is the study of the Dualla language, the pre-X3aration of elementary books, the translation of theGospels, &c. This comes every day, and all otherthings, either as necessary repairs or needful occupations,are attended to for recreation."It is most interesting to note liow this study of theDualla language, and tlie preparation of a dictionary.

PERSEVERANCE IN LABOUR. 30grammar, Scriptures, and school-books are tlie theme ofahnost every letter. He cannot obtain the means ofprinting so soon as he desires, so he makes many shiftsto supply the want. His invention, aided by his knowledgeof iron work and engineering, enables him to cutii matrix, and to construct a^rude press ; but he is soonat a standstill for lead for the type, and he waitswearily for the chance of obtaining it from some passingsliip. The books he needs are not at hand. " I wisli,"he writes to Mr. Angus, " some good-natured friend,who ]ias the ability, could give me the volumes of the'Penny Cyclopa'dia.' Do you know, my dear brother, Iam sure I should be very thankful." Again, writing inJanuary, 1848, to the Committee of the Society, he begsthem to devote £10 or £15 of the surplus of his salaryto the purchase of works on Biblical criticism, theSeptuagint, and elementary works in Hebrew. " Thesebooks," he says, " I most want, and I beg of you, dearbrethren, to let me want no longer. Look and see ifyou are not wrong in withholding books so long, andafter repeated requests for tliem. Think of the positionyou have placed me in, In the midst of a heathenpeople—a people speaking their own language—a languageI have been obliged to acquire, Tliis heathenpeople I have to instruct, and open to them the way oflife. But how shall 1 do this ? I must read and

40 ALFEED SAKEE.while using every appliance within his reach, he, nevertheless,declares that he maintains "a constant, unwaveringdependence on Divine aid." Anticipating theobjection that the early training of his youth could nothave fitted him for the achievement of the grand workat which he aimed, he goes on to say that it was truehis early life was passed in occupations of another kind,but he is now free to give his whole heart and mind tO'the great task of Bible translation, and to make himselfcompetent for its execution ; and, for the sal^ of this'•'noble cause," he earnestly entreats the Committee togrant him the requisite aid. That aid was not withheld,and in " due time " the devoted herald of the Grossreaped the harvest of his desires.But while the work of conversion was necessarilyslow among the tribes of ilie Cameroons, the Gospelcontinued to make good progress at the seat of themission in Ternando Po. After the lamented deceaseof Mr. Sturgion, on the 13th August, 1846,* the stationwas placed in the charge of Dr. Prince, whose labours,,l)oth as a medical man and a missionary, were of invaluableservice in the early years of the Mission. InDecember, 1847, Dr. Prince paid a l)rief visit to Mr.Saker, at Cameroons, and at his urgent persuasion Mr.Saker laid aside his studies for a short visit to Clarence,,the special inducement being theobservance on the baptism ofservices intended forseveral converts on NewYear's Day. Before leaving home he thus reports to• Mr. Sturgion died of an illness contracted at Bimbia on avisit to Mr. Merrick, in the niontli of July. He landed in Afiicaon the 7th February, 1842, and was elected pastor of the Clarence.Mission Church on the 3Ist March, 1844. It then consisted offorty-two members ; and of sixty-three at his decease.

.PERSEVEEANCE IX LABOUR. 41llr. Angus the progress of his hibours :"'You willreceive a parcel by the Ecqyicl, containing a few copies ofour books. My Class Book, 1 and 2, is through thepress. I have borrowed a page of type of l)rotherMerrick, with wliich I have printed four pages, onepage only at a time, of my "\'ocal)uIary, which extendsto 400 pages of letter paper (4to) in manuscript, twelvepages of hymns, and twenty of jNIatthew's (lospel..Tliese I use in the Dualla services, and hope in thebeginning of the year to add the whole of Matthew,,and increase my hymns to about a hundred. Thesewill all be printed in the same size, page after page.But I hope the day is not distant when I shall receivea press and type, to enable me to print in a bettermanner. The whole of Matthew and Mark are waitingfor the press ; but printing in the way I have begunenables me to correct as I go on, and when complete arevised copy will be a proof sheet for an edition, whetherit be printed in England or Africa. I sliall be out ofpaper by the end of i'ebruary, so nmst wait the supplywhich our brother Merrick expects."The happiness and the rest were well earned whichMr. Saker now enjoyed at Clarence. He thus describesthe scene of that New :— Year's Day morrdng " At six,o'clock we all met at Waterfall.Three sides of a squarewere occupied by a devoted band of men and women, allin white. In the centre a desk. In the background atent, and around tlie square not less than 200 inquirersand spectators. In front the Howing brook, winding ina delightful curve, and then seeking its way among themassive rocks, till at last it rushes over the precipitousfall. This, with the lovely bank, heavy foliage, andtowering trees backing the stream, presented an en-

42 ALFRED SAKER.•chanting scene.I read the 3rd of Matthew and prayed.Mr. Merrick preached from Philippians iii. 8, 'Yea, doubtless,and I count all things but loss for the excellencyof the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,' &c., &c.Dr. Prince then led nine candidates to the water side,^nd, after a solemn address, immersed them in the stream,in the name of the Father, the Son, and the HolySpirit. This done, we sang another hymn, and returnedto breakfast. But first, Dr. Prince and I walked throughthe town to see the sick, and it was ten when we ateour meal. At half-past three we began our missionarymeeting, and it was a delightful happy meeting too.A collection was made amounting to £11. Yesterdaymorning I had to preach to the people. The text wasa suitable one— " Grow in grace and in the knowledgeof Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour." It was a very.solemn sermon, and I felt the hallowing influence ofthe truth, I spoke with much freedom. At eleven Iwent into the school; a cheering sight: 260 scholarsiissembled, with not less than thirty teachers. Athalf-past three we met again for public service. Dr.Prince preached to a crowded house a baptismalsermon, argumentative and clear, and after an addressto the newly baptized, he received them into the church,and we all communed togetlier. At seven we dined,and spent the evening in cheerful song."Eefreshed by the fraternal and spiritual intercoursehe had enjoyed, Mr. Saker, early inJanuary, returnedto Cameroons, visiting on the way the station of Bimbia,where, since his arrival in Africa, Mr. Merrick hadlaboured with great zeal and efiiciency. In the few

PERSEVERANCE IN LABOUR. 43the people. A young man, wliile liatliing. was seizedby a shark, and in a few minutes his spine was tornout by the ravenous beast. Three men, two of themslaves, were accused of liaving bewitched the sufferer.They were seized, carried to the town, and put intochains. It was the Lord's-day, but after service ]\Ir.Merrick and Mr. Saker went to the town and found acouncil sitting, consisting chiefly of slaves, debatingwith King William the doom of the accused men. Theresult was that, instead of being murdered on the spot,the trembling wretches were condemned to exile. One]^00Y fellow was, however, allowed to accompanythe missionaries to their settlement. A second escapedto the home of Mr. Christian, one of the Jamaicaassistants ;it was soon surrounded by a violent crowd,and with difficulty the man was rescued. Ultimatelyhe was sent away for safety to Clarence. The thirdman was not permitted to escape the doom intended f

44 ALFEED SAKEE.myself a house as strong as the Lest wood and nailswill admit, and I cannot patch np these mud wallsmany weeks longer. What to do I know not."But, fired by zeal, and strengthened in his weaknessby Divine grace, Mr. Saker pressed onward, cheered bythe hope that ere long the light would dawn on theblinded eyes of the people around him. " Dualla isdark," he said ; " grossly dark—dark as death ; but,,blessed be God, the Gospel which we bear is able todispel it, dark as it may be."

CHAPTER VI.Anxious Days, 1848—1850.N" tlie month of June, 1848, the generalstate of the mission constrained Mr.Saker, till relief should come, to takeup his residence at Clarence. Of theband by which the mission had beencommenced, only Dr. Prince, ]\Ir. Merrick, and Mr.8aker remained. Mr. Sturgion and Mr. Thompsonwere dead. Mr. Clarke had returned to Jamaica with?. party of the Jamaica immigrants, some of whom weredriven from Africa by failure of health, and others werefound, from various causes, unfit for the work. A fewof them had died. Two or three only, men of triedcourage and ability, remained.Dr. Xewbegin's healtlihad also broken down, and he had left for England.And now Dr. Prince and his wife were compelled Ijythe deadly climate to hasten away, and to relinquislian enterprise in which they had borne so distinguishedand useful a part. Writing to the Committee on the.^th July, Mr. Saker thus explains the reasons for hisprovisional settlement at Clarence :" In time past, weWehave had to mourn over the dead again and again.have been called to bid adieu to the bereaved widow,and tlie afflicted wife and children. Our Jamaica bandliave almost disappeared, some by death—we hope nowin glory—some by the disgraceful end of having loved'this world.' In February, 1847, we were compelled to

" :46 ALFEED SAKER.part with afflicted sisters, one a wife [Mrs. Saker], anda dear child ; in May, with Mr, Clarke and his sicklyband ;in September with brother Newbegin, and nowa severer stroke has come in the removal of our belovedbrother and sister, Dr. and Mrs. Prince. We have beenweakened, chastened, and subdued, yet still ourHeavenly Father removes not His hand. Sorrowcomes on sorrow, and we are distressed. Oh, that wemay ever bow with submissive love to all His will !" This is a trial ! to send away those, the most useful,and without whom we know not how to go on, and weexclaim. What shall we do ? This is the conclusionClarence is of more importance than Cameroons.Cameroons is less important than Bimbia. Then,Cameroons must be laid aside. I offer to take chargeof Clarence till another shall relieve me. The doctorand his church thankfully accept it. It is decided,and I am your missionary resident at Clarence ;and asto Cameroons, Johnson, aided by James Frazer at present,will do what he can while I am away." Undersuch circumstances, we cannot wonder at the bitter cry,the sorrowful moan which his loneliness forced fromhim in his letter to the Secretary, of the 14th June." Oh I that our God may send us help speedily ! DearSir,—Are the churches so destitute of young men, thatlabourers cannot be found for Africa ? Are there nonewho can place their lives at the disposal of the Saviourin this sickly land ? Do our pious youths forget thatours is a God near and far off? Oh ! that the blessedSpirit may send you the men and the means, as well asthe heart to send them here ! We must have themspeedily. Africa groans to be delivered from the bonduseof sin."

ANXIOUS DAYS.4THai^pily, in this sad state of things, Mr. Saker'*health had gradually improved since the serious attackof illness that he passed through in the early monthsof the year. Aided by Miss Yitou, whose services inthe schools were invaluable, he was al)le to meet theemergency,and with unconquerable energy to giveeverymoment of time and every faculty of heart andmind to the duties that devolved upon him. The presshe had with rapture received, through the liberality offriends at home, was set up in Clarence, and, with thehelp of some lads he had trained, he soon threw ofTmany pages of school books and of Scripture for theuse of the people at Cameroons. The services of thesanctuary in Clarence were usually crowded, both onthe Sabbath and in the week. The prayer-meetings werefilledwith earnest worshippers, whose supplications fora Divine blessing on the Word received large and graciousanswers from on high. Here is a sketch of his daily:— toil " I preach twice on Sabbath days, once in theweek, attend the prayer-meeting on Tuesday eveningsMonday evening being devoted to teachers' meeting,maternal meeting, and missionary meeting (in order),Wednesday evening, all the classes (and everybodyconnected with the church is in class) assemble in thechapel. Thursday evening a Bible-class meets at myhouse. Friday evening, public lecture. Saturdayevening, to myself. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesdaymornings from ten to one o'clock, I instruct classes ofinquirers (in which there are at present fifty). Mondayevening, from five to six, another class who cannotattend earlier. My other hours are filled up in visitingthe people, or in study, and even at my table I cannotsit without some one calling on some business."To

48 ALFEED SAKER.^hese constant and severe labours lie added the superintendenceof the " boys " whom he had taught to act ascompositors and pressmen, and the supply of manuscriptdaily for the press. In his last letter of the year(December 18th), it is no wonder that he should say tothe Secretary, " My legs fail, my knees tremble, and Ihnow not what I shall do. Yet, hitherto, I am mercifullylielped, and, with the exception of weakness in myjoints, my health is good. Pray for me, dear brotlier ;and send help as soon as you can."But while Mr. Saker was thus toiling and \vriting,Onthe help he longed and prayed for was on the way.the 8tli December the Dov& once more left Gravesend,having on board Captain and Mrs. ]\Iilbourne, Mr. andMrs. Newbegin, Mrs. Saker, and Mr. and Mrs. Yarnold,the latter to assist as a teacher in Fernando Po. Tlieship was also laden with a valuable printing press forBimljia, the gift of friends in Scotland and Xorfolk ; a.•sugar mill, the gift of Mr. Peto ;and with a large quantityof stores and provisions for the sorely tried workers.By these arrivals the missionary band was increased-to eleven European agents (including the wives of themissionaries), and eight native preachers and teachers.A brief sunmiary of the work accomplished in theMission up to this point is given in the Society's annualreports. " Since 1841, the year of the opening of theMission, the bread-fruit tree, the pomegranate, themango, the avocado pear, and the mammee, fruits ofgreat value, and all suitable to the climate, have beenintroduced by our brethren;garments sufficient toclothe not less than 20,000 persons have been distributed;many hundreds of the natives, it may be saidthousands, have received medical assistance ; tln-ee

ANXIOUS DAYS. 49principal stations (Clarence, Bimlna, Cameroons), havebeen established ; and about eighty persons have beenbaptized. An ' Introduction to the Fernandian tongue 'has been written by Mr. Clarke, and, with specimensof translation, has been publislied by liini at Berwick.The gospel of Matthew, the book of Genesis, and Scriptureextracts in Isu])u have been published by Mr.Merrick at Bimbia ; and Mr. Saker is engaged v/ithtlie Dualla at Cameroons. Judging from these results,and comparing them with those of tlie first seven yearsof missionary labour in India, or other fields, we cannotbut regard the labours of our brethren in Africaas very encouraging and important."Anxious hearts, both on board the Dove and in FernandoPo, were awaiting the vessel's arrival, whichtook place on the IStli Feljruary, 1849. The voyagehad its perils, for in the Bay of Biscay, on the 23rdDecember, she encountered a storm, v/hich on thefollowing day increased in violence, and continued torage for several days. A sail was torn into shreds, thetiller was broken, the aft light was sto^'e in, and theship was nearly eugiilphed. The passengers, especiallythe females, suffered much from the incursions of thesea, as well as from the violence of tlie rain.At length,on the 6th January, they reached Madeira, and after refitting,proceeded on their way. The rest of the voyagethough tedious, was pleasant. " It was Sabbath morning,"writes Mrs. Saker, "at daylight, that we could traceland in the distance. No sea breeze until ten o'clock.But we were not seen hj our friends on shore until oneo'clock.I cannot describe how anxious I felt for manydays before, but especially as we approached the island.I could not tell what lay before me ; whether my dear

50 ALFEED SAKER.husband was living or dead, sick or in liealtli." Notless anxious was the husband, who, for days, had beenwatching from the shore for the arrival of the " largemercy " for which he had longed and prayed. TheSabbath-school had just closed, when tidings came thatthe Dove was in sight. The fogs, called " smokes,"which so often prevail on the coast at this season, hadfor many weeks been exceedingly heavy, so that anyobject three miles off covild scarcely be discerned. Asmall glass gave evidence that something was approaching." The news," says Mr. Saker, " tied through thetown so quickly, that I had not time to prepare myselfere five or six of our people came up to tell me.Othersran to the beach to procure a boat, and soon a dozenfriends were ready, seated in Mr. Lynslager's boat, toconvey us to great joy, or heavy tidings. Eapidly theboat glided over the waves, and all doubt as to theidentity of the vessel was removed ;yet, no one wasto be seen on deck, owing to the thick haze. We soonneared the Dove, and one by one I saw Captain Milbourne,brother Newbegin, a stranger, another, andanother, but no Mrs. Saker. Another moment and avoice came pealing over the water, ' All right, brother.'A happy greeting followed. My dear wife had beenobliged to go below from over-excitement. In a fewminutes all our minds were calm, and, afterreading the103rd Psalm, we prostrated ourselves before God inadoring gratitude."As the ship's dingy neared the shore, canoes and boatsfilled with people crowded about the new-comers ; thewhole town was moved, and every one, young and old,came out to show their welcome. Smiling and happyfaces greeted them. After a slight repast, the bell

ANXIOUS DAYS. 51sounded for worship, and a crowded assembly united inthanksgiving. Again, in the evening at seven, thechurch met to express in song and prayer the gratitiuleso strongly felt. Not less animating was the meetingheld on the following day. It was a joyous gathering,for it spoke of hope and blessing for Africa ; while itwas an unspeakable relief to the heart of the burdenedmissionary. To use his own expressive words :" To meit has been an exliilarating time. It has had a happyefiect on my spirit. But I feel unable to bear the joy,and I shall soon need a f[uiet, retired hour to moderatemy feelings. The hour will soon come, foi' on Tuesdaynext the Dove will move on to Bimbia. Brother Xewbeginand wife, Yarnold and wife, will take passage inher; and on its return it is probable I shall visitCameroons with ]\Irs. Saker."" The 18th Feljruary," he continues, " came, and wasa day of joy. Our hearts beat more freely as we lookedaround on our brethren, blooming in health, and readyfor the work. We hoped for large success." It wasthe expectation of j\Ir. Saker that the arrival of thisband of helpers, radiant with health and hope, wouldset him free to return to Cameroons. But this desiresoon received a check.Light sicknesses came as warningsof danger ahead. " I:^ot to destroy hope," he said," but they hindered labour, and became the precursorsof heavier calamities." The first of these omens wasthe decision of Captain ]\Iilbourne to return to Europe.Then tlie health of Mr. Yarnold began to decline, andbefore the end of the year he felt constrained to abandonthe work altogetlier. ]iut the illness of ]\lr.Merrick, hisdeparture from Africa, and death at sea in4*

52 ALFRED SAKER.the month of October,* was the most painful and fata!blow of all. These distressing events compelled Mr.Saker to reconsider his decision to return to Cameroons.He ever thought of it as the true field of his missionarylabours. Not that his efforts at Clarence were withoutreward. Many conversions testified to the power of hisministry. The people were attached to him. Hismedical knowledge added both to his influence and usefulness.An occasional visit to the Adeeyah tribes ofthe interior encouraged him to make some efforts forth^r benefit. His printing operations also went steadilyforward. But, under these circmnstances, he felt it liisduty thus to write to the Committee : " I know themind of my brethren and the wish of the church. ButI do not feel willing to remain at Clarence. I shall, Ihope, yield to whatever may, in the judgment of the-Committee and brethren here, be my duty. The churchand the brethren write in one voice, and if theCommittee recommend it, I shall comply with the requestof tlieir letter. But my feelings are against it ;:my heart is at Cameroons."But there was no alternative, and Clarence became'for a time the headquarters of his work. An occasional* The Kev. Joseph Merrick was a native of Jamaica, and ofAfrican descent. He was educated in the Society's schools, andas a yoiith began in 1837 to preach. He was soon after associatedwith his father in the pastorate of the church at Jericho.He entered on mission work in Africa in 1843, and laboured mostdiligently among the Isubu tril^e on the Bimbia river. Hequicklylearned to speak their language with great readiness andprecision, and translated a portion of the New Testament intathe Isubu tongue. It was partially printed by himself, but wascompletedat press by Mr. Saker. He died on the 22nd October,.184D, on his passage to England.

ANXIOUS DAYS.o'jvisit to Bethel was all that he cmikl do. Tlie voya

54 ALFRED .SAKER.of the voyage could not repress his anxious desire togatherin the first-fruits of his labours at King A'kwa'stown." At eight o'clock," continues Mr. Saker, " we helda prayer-meeting with our brethren, and a goodly companyof Duallas. At four next morning we met a largenumberofDuallas for prayer. This meeting continued tillsix. On account of the tide we deferred our next servicetilleleven o'clock, when we met again in the chapel.Sang and read in Dualla.Mr. Newbegin then explained,,through an interpreter, the chapter I had read, afterwhich I addressed the congregation in Dualla, showedfrom the Scriptures the command of Jesus to discij)leall nations and then baptize them, and exhorted theinquirers to a steadfast adherence to the words of ourLord, and the path of righteousness. We closed withsinging and prayer, and then went down to the beach.Another Dualla hymn was followed by an address tothecandidate. I then baptized this, our first convert,.in the waters of Cameroons. Oh, that this small beginningmay be speedily succeeded by the ingathering ofThe spectators ofa mighty host to the Lord our God !this (to them) novel scene were very attentive ;silenceand order were observed by all. Deep seriousness andanxiety were on the faces of many. Dr. Newbeginclosed with prayer."The afternoon was devoted to the formation of achurch, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Saker, HortonJohnson and his wife, and Smith, the convert justbaptised. The services w^ere closed by the celebration ofthe Supper of the Lord. " Thus," concludes Mr. Saker,." I have lived to witness what I have long desiredintensely, the beginning of a good work at Cameroons,,and the formation of a Christian church. Oh, that I

ANXIOUS DAYS. 5;>may see it increased to a thousand souls ! And Ido hope, for the Spirit of God is doing a large workthere. More than twenty inquirers are hanging onmy heart and lips with marks of deepest solicitude.The ferocious, demoniacal features are assuming thesoftness of children, and those who a little time sincesought my life are saying to me, What shall I do to'be saved ? ' I cannot describe my feelings when I seeand hear what I would record if I had but time. Dearsir,pray for us, and rejoice with us too."The regret of ]\Ir. Saker that he could not himselfminister to these eager souls was the more intense,because the chapel, built to hold 200 persons, wasnow crowded with interested hearers, and that duringthese visits hundreds more gathered to listen to thewords of grace which fell from his lips.By this time, however, the tropical heats and feverswere making their mark on the sinewy and spareframe of Mr. Saker, and notwithstanding a run to theriver Gaboon in August, from which he returned" much bettered," he yet felt it his duty to avail himselfofofthe offer of a free passage, in the Mission vesselthe United Presbyterian Church Mission at Calabar,to make a brief visit to England. After seven yearsof unceasing and exhausting toil, and many attacks ofillness, this change of climate was as necessary as it waswelcome. On the 12th of March, 1850, with his wifeand Miss Yitou, he left Clarence. The voyage wastedious, but the tedium was more than compensated bythe improved health with which the party landed atLiverpool on the ensuing 28 th of May.

—CHAPTER VII.The Dawn of Bkighter Days, 1850—1852.N" Mr. Saker's arrival in England, he foundthat the condition of the African Missionhad for some time occupied the anxiousattention of the Committee of the Society.But scarcely was he landed when thelecessity of immediate steps being taken for its reinforcementwas solemnly impressed upon them by theunexpected tidings of the decease of Dr. Newhegin,which took place shortly after Mr. Saker's departurefrom Clarence. This sorrowful event occurred nearmidnight, on the 17tli April, at the mouth of theCalabar river, whither Dr. Newbegin had sailed in theDove to obtain medical advice. Words cannot expressthe consternation with which the news was received.Not one of the English brethren sent out from Englandwas left in Africa. The hearts of many of the supportersof the Mission failed.It was at this moment of dee^) depression that IMr.Saker addressed the following remarkable letterto tlieCommittee :" I have a fear that some of you who wish well toAfrica will be discouraged, and I think you ought notto be. Let us re\aew some of the facts. Ten yearssince you commenced the work. You sent manylabourers and expended much treasure. Of those sent

THE DAWN OF BMGIITEIl DAYS. 57out, God has gathered tohimself Thompson, Sturgion,A. Fuller, Merrick, and Newbegin. Prince and Clarkehave been driven from the field, and a small companyof West Indians have tied, terrified by the toil andsuffering. This suffering and loss of life show that thesacrifice you have made is large. But ought we to haveexpected less ? Bloodless victories are not common.Sometimes we have to wait long for the results we seek;but in thisMission God, in His Providence, permits usto look at something accomplislied before this last afflictionfell on us. Let me refer to these results. Thereare now living in Africa about one hundred souls hopefullyconverted to God. In nine years past, forty mayhave died leaving the pleasing testimony that they aregone to a better land. They are saved, instrumentallythrough you and your agents." There are now eight native teachers engaged, moreor less, in efforts for the salvation of souls. They arenot all supported by you, but they are what they arcthrough you. The education imparted is an immensebenefit.In the colony of Clarence you have effected atransformation unspeakably valuable, and almost unprecedented.Among the natives of this island, impressionshave been made that only need fostering to result in theglorious and happy cliange you long to behold. On thecontinent it is difficult to say what has been done.Souls have been brought to God, churches formed, andactually the wilderness is now being transformed intothe garden of the Lord." All this stands against so much suffering, and somany deaths ;and will any say that the sacrifice equalsthe results ?" And w^e must not forget that all who die are self-

58 ALFEED SA.KER.de\'oted, and God has accepted thisoffering, and by itwrought all that we see accomplished." Brethren, I think you will feel with me, that wemust not be discouraged. God afflicts us ;let us humbleourselves before Him, and try to bring to His servicepurer and more devoted sacrifices." You will doubtless conclude, that I ought to returnto Africa immediately ;I can only say, I am ready."This trumpet call to " Come up to the help of theLord, against the mighty," roused every heart.The history of the Mission was passed in review.The proofs of God's working in the conversion of soulsby the preaching of the Word were patent, and destroyedevery doubt inthe minds of the Committee as to theirduty. Fidelity to the great cause committed to theircharge required the continuance of their efforts to winAfrica for Christ. No past suffering, no prospectiveperil, could daunt the firm, calm resolve of Mr. and Mrs.Saker However fearful others might be, their liveswere the Lord's, and to be spent in Africa for Him.Arrangements for their return were made as speedilyas possible, and on the25th October they sailed fromLiverpool, Owing to light winds and frequent calms,the passage was longer than had been anticipated ; butit was on the whole a pleasant one, and was crownedwith a warm welcome, when, on the 29th December, ona Sabbath day, they entered Clarence Cove. " Truly,"says Mr. Saker, " it was a day of joy to me and ourpeople." Many wept for gladness, and within an hourand a half some five hundred persons gathered in thechapel, to rejoice in hymn and prayer that the Lord hadnot forsaken His heritage. The gratitude of thetravellers was not a little increased by the fact they

THE DAWN OF ilKIGHTEK DAYS. 50learnt on landing, that two vessels, in wliicli they hadendeavoured to secure a passage from England, had beenwrecked on their way. Twelve days afterwards Mr.Saker was joined by the Eev. John Wheeler, who hadbeen the pastor of the church in Windmill Street,.Finsbury, London, and had nobly offered himself to sharewith him the perils of the Mission. He was immediatelychosen to fill the office of pastor in the church atClarence, and Mr. Saker was once more free to give himselfto the work on the great continent so near.Having set " in order the tilings wanting in thechurch " at Clarence, Mr. Saker paid a brief visit toBimbia, where he collectedtranslations of the lamented Merrick.the manuscripts and IsubuLeaving directionsfor their j)rinting with Joseph Fuller, he hastened tO'Bethel, where he found astate of things that filled hisheart with joy. He received " a truly Christian welcome,"and became immediately busy with the examinationof inquirers, and in listening to an account ofthe trials and persecutions through whicli the infantcommunity liad passed. Twenty persons were examined ^fifteen belonged to the number of those who, in October,1849, had given him reason to hope that a work ofgrace had been begun in their souls ; but only five werefor tlie present accepted for baptism ; one, a slave ;another, a prince belonging to a neighbouring tribe ; andthree females, each in years. " On Sabbath morning,the 2nd February, 1851," writes Mr. Saker, " weassembled at six o'clock in our chapel, which was soonfilled. I read and explained to the multitude some ofthe Scriptures respecting the institution and design ofbaptism. I then addressed the candidates, and exhortedthem to steadfastness. After prayer we left the chapel

60 ALFRED SAKER.for tlie river. The candidates and a large company ofinquirers followed nie down the hill, while nearly 200spectators took their station on the high bank overvlookingus. We prayed again, and then baptized. Then.it was proved that the Dualla is changed. Usually theyexpress their joys and sorrows with heathen noise. Yethere was no noise, save the sobbing of those whose dee])feelings could not otherwise lie expressed. The tearsrolled down many cheeks that day thathave not Ijeen•accustomed to weeping. Many said, ' Baptize me too.'We once more expressed our thankfulness to God, andthen returned to the chapel yard, singing a sweet songas we ascended the hill. In the afternoon we receivedthe newly baptized into our little church, rejoicing inthese, and hopeful for yet greater numbers."The converts had, through much tribulation, enteredthe kingdom of God. The congregation had beenseverely tried. The evident changes wrought by theGospel stirred up the hatred of not a few enemies of±lie Cross, and efforts were made toprevent the access•of the people to the chapel ; these failed, and at lastthe chiefs privately met to deliberate on the course tobe pursued. It was resolved to destroy the mission.station entirely, and to kill every native, male or female,who persisted in attending the ministrations of grace.A plan was secretly prepared ; but the principal chiefwas uneasy. To kill the young prince was certain tofcring on a war with the tribe to which he belonged.Persuasion was therefore employed to detach him fromMr. Johnson. A special messenger was also despatchedto Bimbia to fetch his sister, that her entreaties mighthe added to those of others. He listened, but declinedio yield. In his turn, he spoke of Christ, and pleaded

THE DAWN OF r.RIGHTKU DAYS. GTwitli her to forsake the workl. One argument she'urgently pressed. She said he woidd be killed, and'in saying this revealed the plot that had lieen laid'for the destruction of all who cleaved to the Word'of the Lord. This at once opened his eyes to thedanger; but he nobly replied :" Well, if they wishto destroy the Gospel, they cannot, and they shall'not kill the missionaries till they have first killedme. We will die together. I now see why you arebroughthere. Go to the chiefs, and say to them,I will not leave the Gospel of God." The principalchief's heart failed. To kill the prince wasperilous; so the word M^ent forth : " Let the white menlive." Still, many of the converts were put in chainsandcruelly beaten. Twice Mr. Johnson rescued onewomanfrom death. But at the time of Mr. Saker'sarrival this season of trial had nearly passed away, andhis heart was filled with joy " that God was makingHis own Word thus to grow."It was not till the month of September that Mr. Sakerwas able to take up his abode again at Bethel, to begin,as he said, " a long and solemn work." For the fewmonths during which Mr. Wheeler was passing throughthe fevers which usually attack a new-comer, Mr. Sakercontinued to assist him in the work of the church inClarence. In April he visited the mountain people,and in June Imptized nine persons below the wellknownwaterfall. Writing on the 28th August, he tluisanticipates tlie labours before him at Bethel ": I nowgo to my loved work again. How soon I shall be al)leto write you from my deep mine of toil I cannot tell.Next Aveek I iiiust baptize many at Cameroons, marrysome others, and then assemble all the children for

62 ALFBED SAKER.examination and reward. Remember us in your daily•supplications, and may the cheering presence of theFather of mercies be with you."Almost his first task on arriving at Cameroons wasto provide suitable dwellings for the Alission families.The frail and perishable character of the materials ofwhich houses were usually built, and the destruction-caused by the invasion of white ants, had early ledMr. Saker to devise some means for securing moredurable structures. At first he tried the harder woods•of the forests, but at length discovered that clay suitablefor bricks and tiles existed on the spot. He first setup his brick-making shed and kiln at Clarence ;but itwas soon evident that the clay of Cameroons offered afar better material. Writing on the 3rd January, 1852,he reports :" I am happy to say that in this I have acomplete success (both building brick and paving tiles),and for some weeks past my brickyard has been inactive operation. I suppose that 10,000 are now ready,-and we are making 2,000 a-week." The entire cost, hethought, would average about twenty shillings a thousand.To accomplish this great task he had himself tolabour with his own hands, and to train the lads whowere willing to submit to his tuition.In a letter written a few days later, Mr.Saker entersinto somewhat fuller detail of the way in which heattained his end. " In settling myself, seven years since,..at Cameroons, I resolved to make bricks, if for no otlierpurpose, yet for a good cottage for myself. Tor manymonths I tried, but in the end gave it up in despair.No persuasion or offer of payment would induce themen to labour. They laughed at us, and regarded us asslaves or fools. We could not get bricks, so built a

THE DAWN OF lUHGHTER DAYS. G3cliapel of wood, and the people filled it. They heard,and in time felt, the importance of preparing for thesolemnities of another world. The truth made impressionson their hearts, and they were changed. Eightprinciples began to have place, and when they went totrade in the country, they could no longer succeed ))yfraud or lies. As soon as this was seen, persecutioncame; and with the loss of all their property, and withpersonal suffering, they barely returned to tell their companions.And so it has happened that, as soon as a mandecides for God, his own townsmen drive him from themarkets, lest he should spoil their trade. In theirsufferings they came to me to know what they were todo. I have replied, ' Cultivate more ground, .raise andsell provisions, plant cotton, and open a new source oftrade.' Latterly, I have said, ' 3Iake bricks and I icillpay you: N'o\

—;G4ALFRED SAKER.for a material witli wliicli to make lime or cement. Ihope to succeed, and I purpose sending out my canoe tocollect oyster-sliells.If I can obtain sufficient, we shallsoon have lime. And then, brethren, what can hinderour work ? If the Lord gives me health, we shall dowell." And he did well, for the Lord was with him.In a few years the mission-houses, the chapel, the schoolhouses,were all transformed, and they remain durablemonuments of the practical knowledge, skill, and farseeingsagacity of this wise worker in the kingdomof God. King A'kwa's town itself has changed itsaspect. The brickmakers, the smiths, the carpenters,and the builders that Mr. Saker trained have in manyinstances exerted their newly-acquired skill in raisingstructures of brick, and improved habitable dwellingsfor themselves and others, instead of the frail bamboo'tand mud huts of their savage ancestors. Christianityand civilisation have gone hand in hand, scattering onevery side the fruits and flowers of a higher and betterlife.But Mr. Saker further describes for us, in his ownstriking way, the advances made in the evangelisationof the people :and still we have several whom we approve." A month since we baptized eleven more converts,The congregationis numerous, and the devout attention tO'the Word by a large number is exceedingly pleasing.At four and five o'clock every morning the schoolroomis crowded to hear the Word of God, and in the eveningthe ]Deople will only retire when bidden. Numbers useevery effort to learn to read. Many have succeededand then the joy, the astonishment, of their hearts atany fresh discovery of Divine Love as revealed in the

BETHEL CHAPEL, CA3IEE00NS.

THE DAWN OF BRIGHTEIi DAYS. 05Scriptures ! They hold their lips, or beat their heads,as the expressions they read are explained to them, andare utterly unable to describe the emotions of theirhearts.Sometimes they seem afraid to breathe, lest thewonderful idea should be disturbed and flit away fromthem ;and they wait for minutes, unable to grasp tlietliought which comes upon them. The parables ofJesus are a continual feast for them. One thing maybe recorded. Concern for instruction succeeds conversion;ignorance is not deplored till guilt is a burden.Our church now numbers twenty members ; inquirers,twenty-five ; a congregation which fills our little temple;school not large, Ijut, I hope, efficient." He closes thisdeeply interesting narrative with the intunation thathe had begun to attempt the same gracious work at thetown of King Bell.Scarcely, however, was Mr. Saker settled at Bethelthan he was called away to Clarence, by the destructionof the chapel in a fearful tornado ; and in the month ofMay the care of the entire Mission again fell into hishands, by the departure of his valued friend and colleague,Mr. Wheeler.It was hoped that a brief sojournin England would enable jMr. Wheeler to return invigoratedand restored, but tliis hope was disappointed.Mr. Wheeler failed to return, and for two years anda-half Mr. Saker was compelled to meet—alone andunassisted by any European—the many cares andanxieties of the entire Mission. But his indomitablecourage never gave way. With his native helpers helaboured night and day. " In journeyings often, inperils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by theheathen, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea,in weariness and paiufuluess," he pursued tlie great

!—;66 ALFEED SAKER.object of his life, never happier than when, as the fruitof his self-sacrifice and zeal, he gathered a few sheepfrom the wilderness into the fold of God. Writinof onthe 28th of September, 1852, he says :" The work of Missions, as ^ue see it and feci it, losesnone of its interest. "We have two scenes ever beforeus, and painted in unmistakeable colours. Here iswickedness in its most degraded and deadly formmisery, discord, and death float around us—a corruptingmass, a sea of death, subjects for deepest compassion,work for the purest benevolence." We have also a pleasant enclosure apart from thisfearful scene ; an enclosure where the voice of prayerand praise happily continue, where the lovely plants ofa better clime are springing up and bearing fruit toGod. All glory to Him who plants and waters theprecious seed" In our churches we liave enough to make us thankfulin the steadfastness and piety of our members.That many endure so much and so well is a marvel..This is especially the case at Cameroons. That someare wavering, or worse, cannot be surprising. SinceMr. Wheeler left us we have buried four honourablemembers. The continued rainy season alone preventsus from baptizing some, and the number of inquirers isincreasing."" But there is one thing almost disheartening. Wehave three churches in as many different places. Wehave two other places where the Word is regularlypreached ;yet, what is the whole of this to the mass ofmen living in darkness around us ? What proportionis a hundred members of churches to the tens of thousandstreading the same soil, dancing before our eyes.

What;,THE DAWN OF BRIGHTER DAY.S. 67alike careless of God and themselves ? What do weamong so many ? Where one regards the voice ofmercy, thousands turn a deaf ear ; and yet death goeson with his work ;war, disease, and witchcraft are insatiable; and a generation is almost gone since I firstsaw this dreary land. This fearful woe is unmitigated,except we feel the value of one soul saved from ruinand it is not of one only we rejoice ; so our joy is great.Thus ours is a mingled lot—highest pleasure with dishearteningsorrow. In such a land, what manner of"men ought we to be ?In another letter of this year he expresses regretthat the cares which daily press upon him hinder hiscommunicating the incidents that continually arise.How much could he say of the converts, of his assistants,'of the condition of the people touching tales !What thrilling emotions their persecutions and deliverancesexcite ! Then there are new converts, awakeninghope and filling the heart with joy "! Then come theroarings of the adversary," for the " prey is taken fromthe mighty, and the enemy brings his hostin the shapeof a hundred slaves, armed with staves, guns, and swords,as on Monday last, surrounding the houses and threateningto drive us all away, and finally decamping withour cow and all the goods that can bo seen. But all isuseless. They see and feel that the cause is God'ssuperstition fails to hold them in chains as heretoforeand although Satan would excite them because thei]'religion and the hope of their gain are going, yet, whenleft to think and remember all that they see and heaifrom us, their heart§ fail, and thus, as last evening, the})restore all that they took away on Monday. Such athing was never known before. That an animal could.=1*

^68ALFRED SAKEE.live in their hands an hour is marvellous, especiallywhen hungry and excited to madness. But all things—how can you know them if I fail to write ? And yetI could fill a very long sheet every week had I time ordetermination equal to the task."Indeed, but a small portion of Alfred Saker's lifeworkcan he described in the few pages allotted to thisbiography. All that can be done is briefly to indicatethe nature of the toil, and thebreadth of the labours,which filled a life of unsparing devotion and relentlessself-sacrifice.

CHAPTER VIII.The Missioxauy at hisWork, 1853—185G.HATEVElt might bethe difficulties auc^.discouragements of the work, Mr. Sakerfound at Clarence and Cameroonsabundant joy and gratification in themanifest growth of the kingdom of God,.in its "righteousness, peace, and joy in the HolyGhost." Not so among the Isubu people of Bimljia.This station was founded by the lamented Merrick onhis arrival in Africa, and on a spot that was deemedthe most healthy of any that could be found at themouthof the Cameroons. A high promontory of Ijasaltstands boldly out from tlie main land, breasting thewaves of the Atlantic, and apparently free from thelialeful miasma which ever lurks in the swamps andmangrove forests of the low-lymg shores around. It has,however, proved to be the most deadly of any of thesettlements on the coast, and every European missionarywho has made it his residence, even for a temporarysojourn, has retired from it either sick unto death orsmitten with malarial fever of long continuance.Tor the first two or three years there were signs of progress,but it soon became manifest that the coming ofthe Gospel was too late to stem the torrent of iniquity anJLdegradation that was hurrying the Isubu tribes to theirdestruction.The efforts of Dr. Newbegin, his successor.

of70 ALFKED SAKER.were alike unavailing, and the wretchedness of thepopulation rapidly culminated in irrevocable decay.Mr. Saker, too, found that the miseries occasioned byinternal discords, by the curse of witchcraft, by continualmurders, by the unceasing wars with neighbouringtribes, were on the increase. As the natural consequence,the people were rapidly declining in numbers.The means of existence were failing ;the land ceased tooe cultivated ;fishermen no longer plied their calling;incessantly harassed with trials for witchcraft, they tiedto other spots. The endless fighting cut off the supplyof yams, maize, and plantains from the interior. If oneman toiled and planted to feed his family, his canoe wasburnt and his field and home were invaded until thedevastation was complete, and, to use the forciblelanguage of Mr. Saker, " hunger pined in every corner."The few converts, though cared for by the missionary,were in constant peril. This disastrous state of thingsdetermined Mr. Saker to remove Mr. and Mrs. Fuller toCameroons, and with them the printing materials andsuch of the remaining buildings as would be useful, andto confine the mission to one native schoolmaster. Hisown visits would for the future be of a purely evangelisticcharacter. If any other consideration weighedwith hmi in coming to this decision, it was the unhealthycharacter•increasethe place, which was constantly on thefrom the growth of bush and swamp followingthe decay of cultivation and the rooting out of thepopulation.A short extract from a letter of Mr. Fuller (July,1853) will vividly depict for us the horrors of thesavage life by which he was encompassed " In June,on the third Sabbath day, the noise of drums was heard,

THE .AIISSIONAKY AT lUS WORK. 71a canoe made its appearance at the point, and what wasthis noise ? The drum was telling (tlie natives canmake their drums speak) the horrible tale of their crueldeed. It was too awful a sight for me to witness; butthose who saw it said that a man's head, newly cut of!",was at the bow of the canoe. It was the head of a poorinnocent creature taken by a man by name Ngganda, orDick Bumbi, and for no just cause, but simply for whatthey call ' a hero.' This was soon followed by a grandfestival, the particulars of which I am unable to give."As there was no prospect of any reversal of this stateof things, the Committee, in 1870, resolved to withdrawtheir single agent at Bimbia, and it has ceased to be•occupied as a station. It is, however, occasionally visitedby the missionaries in their passages to and from Victoria,and the knowledge of the " way of life " is notallowed utterly to die out in the land.At Cameroons how different was the scene.Here substantialbuildings were gradually spriuging up—a mission-houseto last for years to come, and to be a fixed basefor future operations, and a liouse wliich, when finished,would accommodate a family and all the visitors it mighthave to welcome. With it were a school-room, a printingoffice, asafe store, an artificer's shop, and a chapel, alsolesser structures for printers and servants attached tothe Mission. " Stand witli me now, dear brother, aminute," says Mr. Saker, writing to the Secretary of theSociety (November, 1854) ;" we are in the school-room,at present appropriated to printing. The press is justput up, the type is in cases, and here stands Fuller atmy right hand. Next liim is Songe ; near him isDikundu. At my left hand is Dumbe. Coming in at.the door is N'kwe. Behind him is Carra. Excepting

THE MISSIONARY AT HIS WORK. 7othat he must begin the work now ;buckle on the armourmore firmly and stand, if the teacher falls." We change this scene again, and it is myself, weariedand faint and full of pain. This is not worth looking at.A poor faltering worm. But before I close to-night, letme ask, Will it be lawful for me to come home for achange at no distant day ? I ask now because I knowthetime will soon come when I must take a change ordie, and wlien tlie time comes I cannot wait f(jr ananswer. I hope to labour on a few months yet before Iam broken down ; and be assured of tliis, I cannot leavetill stern duty drives me."The needed relief was not only promptly granted bythe Committee of the Society, but by the arrival of theEev. Jno. Diboll, of Holt, Norfolk, towards the closeof the year, as pastor of the church at Clarence, Mr.Saker was able in July, 1855, to obtain the change hesomuch required.Mrs. Saker, whose health had utterlybroken down, as well as that of their little boy, had precededhim homewards in the February of the previousyear. It was none too soon. For several days prior tohis embarkation, he was so ill that his life was thoughtto be fast drawing to a close. It pleased God, duringthe voyage, to restore him in some measure to his usualhealth, so that on his arrival he was able to communicateto many friends in various parts of the country, insome detail, the progress and character of his work, andto deepen in the minds of the churches their interest inthe salvation of Africa.His stay in his native land was not a prolongedone. Ever anxious to be at the post of duty, Mr.and Mrs. Saker, after an interesting inters^iew withthe Comnnttee, in which plans were arranged for the-

74 ALFRED SAKEll.welfare of the Mission, sailed from Plymouth on the24th of December (1855).The voyage, till their arrivalat Madeira, was a tempestuous one ;but on the 2nd ofFebruary (1856) they landed at Clarence, having enjoyeda passage which strengthened their health. A welcomewas given scarcely inferior in the rapture of the greetingto that which met them on their return in 1850, whenthe converts had been bereaved of all their teachers.They found Mr. Diboll in good health, and with muchto cheer him in his labour among the people of FernandoPo. At Cameroons the native brethren were perseveringlycarrying on the Lord's work.Writing on the 6th ofFebruary, Mr. Saker says, " This evening, at eight o'clock,we were permitted to arrive at our peaceful home, andto bow with Johnson and our young friends in thankfulprayer, all of whom the Lord has mercifviUy preserved.Fuller is away at Bimbia, but I hear he isquite well."Mr. Saker at once plunged into the full stream ofactive labour. With slight exception he found everythingproceeding in a satisfactory manner. The stateof the church was gratifying; Johnson's labours hadbeen blessed. Seven persons had been admitted to thefellowship of the church, and there were many hopefulinquirers. As to Johnson, he says, " I need only say heis as he was, perhaps more humble ; I cannot expressmy thankful feelings on finding him so well." " Thename of N'kwe I note with much satisfaction. A. letterwritten years since informed you of the baptism ofseveral ; one was specified as a prince, another as a slave.The former, under the honourable name of ThomasHorton, has been known in our books for some time ; theother has trodden a very lowly path, but equally useful,till at last we have separated him for the work of an evan-

THE MISSIONARY AT HIS AVOr.K. tOgelist. The whole country is at present his field of labour."Mr. Saker was also happy to welcome a trained teacherfrom Sierra Leone for the school, a young woman ofearnest piety and affectionate character, whom he hadsent thither some months before for education.At Bell Town, in September, the house of the nativemissionary was invaded by a ral)l)le, incited by superstition.His wife was dragged out, her clothing torn off,and she was taken with another woman into the bush.Johnson, accompanied by some of his friends, pleadedwith the king till midnight for their liberation, and sofar succeeded as to have them placed in the house of hisnephew, who, with his wife, was a member of the church.The next day superstitious rites were resumed, and paymentswere demanded to free the women from annoyance.Ulthnately, through Mr. Saker's interventionand firmness, the women were released, and the aggressorsconsented to pay a fine to recompense them fortheir sufferings. " Thus we are permitted," says ]\Ir.Saker, after recounting the incident, " to enjoy a moraltriumph, a feeble and unprotected worm in the midst offive thousand heathens contending and triumphing overthem. Why is this ? Verily it is that the conscienceof the multitude is on our side. God constrains themto bow to the work of a solitary teacher ;and great istlie rejoicing in the town to-day that I have promisedto be their friend still. Yesterday w^as gloom andsorrow ;to-day, one of joy. Well it is for us when ourtriumph is gladness for the multitude. This evening Iattend to receive the acknowledgment of the offendingchief."It will already have become apparent with what deepinterest Mr. Saker studied the native tongue, and

—•6ALFRED SAKER.labourednight and day to embody in a i^rinted shape,for permanent use, the knowledge he had acquired. Itwas no slight task to acquire a barbarous language,having no written letter or character, without books toguide, or competent interpreters to translate. Thepatience, toil, and incessant correction needful for itssuccessful prosecution few can estimate.It is only due,even at some length, to give in his own words a descriptionof Mr. Saker's methods and their results. Hisletter is dated December 22nd, 185G :" In my various translations and printing in thelanguage which I have most to do with, I have madesome considerable progress. The printing has conducedvery much to give to my knowledge of the language suchsolidity as I think will now enable me to give it grammaticalform and order. Through years of labour, notdevoted wholly to this one thing, I have sought to layhold of all the forms of speecli as they fall from nativelips, then to compare and separate those forms, andbring out classes of words and syllables." A mental structure at last arose from this chaos,and I wished to give the language that form in printhad assumed in my notes and books. I made a beginning,and printed eight pages ; but a multitude ofla])ours prevented my prosecuting it, until after manymonths my health failed so much as to compel me toprepare for visiting Europe. The uncertainty of life,and the consciousness that all my knowledge of thelanguage would be lost to the mission, should I notsurvive my voyage, determined me to complete thegrammar in as condensed a form as possible."In great weakness and oft in fever, the copy waswritten and the proofs corrected. The day before theit

THE MISSIONARY AT HIS WORK. 77mail was due, the. last sheet was printed.The lew linesof introduction were then written, and given to theprinter at six in the evening ; at midnight I arose andcorrected the proof ; at ten next morning a sufficientnumber of copies were stitched for me to carry to Europe.The mail did not come, and I had then to lie and sufferanother month. How nnich weaker I became by tliatmonth's unmitigated fever, or how near to the gravewhen I at last left, it is not needful to think about. Itis enough to know that the voyage home, the kindattentions of friends, and the innumerable mercies thatGod granted me through them, resulted in restoring meto health, and eventually to my labour in this land." Now that I am thus restored, and have been enabledto conquer some difficulties that have arisen in consequenceof my absence, I am very desirous of completingthe work which was then so imperfectly and so feel)lyattempted in weakness and pain." While in England I read through this small grammar,and although I saw many things imperfectlyexplained, and many not ex]dained at all, I was satisliedwith the general distinctness with which the leadingfacts of the language were exhibited. With the arrangementof the verb I was not satisfied, and could see thatthe whole needed revision. I rememlier but too distinctlythe suffering in which it was put together, and Ialmost wished it had not been printed." A larger grammar I have now begun, and hope forhealth to finish it. It must have my undivided attentiononly occasionally, but T hope to complete it durinfrthe coming year." I have tried these first sixteen pages in some oldtype, and by picking the best of the letters it is read-

78 ALFEED SAKEE.able ;but I fear I shall be obliged to take my Scripturetype, and ns^e this old fount for school purposes asheretofore." You will remember the attention that was devotedto African philology in 1850, and the rules that weresent out, recommending missionaries to adopt oneuniform orthography. As these rules made no changeof consequence in my work, beyond the introduction oftwo new characters for previous diphthongs, I adoptedthem without difficulty. The attention given to thissubject in the aljove year and since has, it seems,resulted in the publication of a standard alpluibet. Thisalphabet I received about three months since, and havegiven it all the attention it needed ; most of its statementswill be generally approved." I have printed ten copies for correction, on writingpaper, with a large margin ; and if you will kindly makeremarks on it, or propose any questionings to direct myattentionto anything that may not be plain, I shall begrateful for the aid, and it may conduce much to theperspicuity of the grammar when done.This, of course,,applies to the following sheets as much as this, for Iintend to send you each sheet as it is prepared, if youcan find time for its reading." I enclose four copies. If you think of any friendswho are competent to offer an opinion, and at thesame time can command leisure for the examination,I hope you will not hesitate to put one in their hands,and maybe their remarks will be of ser\'ice."The allusion here made by Mr. Saker to a " standardalphabet " refers to the result of a conference whichmet at the Prussian Embassy in the year 1850. It wassummoned by the late Chevalier Bunsen, and consisted

THE MISSIONARY AT IIIS WORK. 70of sucli eminent men as Professors Lepsius and MaxMliller, Professor Owen, and Sir Charles Trevelyan,together with the Secretaries of the leadingMissionary-Societies. Its object was to attain uniformity in theuse of Eoman letters when, for the first time, anyAfrican language is reduced to writing. By theemployment of this alphabet, which was based onscientific and physiological principles, great progresshas been made in identifying and classifying tlielanguages of the African continent, and in the recognitionof racial and linguistic affinities between theinnumerable tribes scattered over its vast surface. TheDualla has been found to be only one dialect of atongue which, in its root forms, is known across theentire continent, and from the banks of the Cameroonsto the borders of Zululand.* It is matter for reo-retthat this " standard alphabet " is not in every caseemployed by those who are interested in Africa'scivilisation and evangelisation.It is only necessary to add to the above strikingaccount of persistent and noble endeavour, that early inthe following year (1859) Mr. Saker had succeeded inputting to press the Book of Psalms and the Epistle tothe Eomans, and a few copies as specimens had beenstruck off. He only awaited a supply of accents fromEngland to place these precious documents of God'sWord in the hands of the Dualla people.* See on this interestinfr subject an important work justpublished, entitled ": A Sketch of the Modern Languages ofAfrica." By E. N. Gust, of H.M. Indian Civil Service. In 2vols. London : Triibner. 1883.

CHAPTER IX.The Home of Theedom, 1858.HE island of rernando Po was originallydiscovered in 1471 by a Portuguesenavigator, who gave it his name, andclaimed it as an appanage of the Crownof King Alphonso V. of Portugal. Itwas ceded to Spain in 1778, and, after a short occupation,it was abandoned by the Spanish Governmentin 1782. In 1827, the English Government formeda settlement on the north side of the island, naming itafter the Duke of Clarence, who was then at the headof the Admiralty. The situation of the island furnishedthe English fleet with a convenient harbour from whiclito watch the coast, and to carry on the suppression of theslave traffic, in which beneficent work Great Britain wasthen actively engaged. The colonists consisted of twoclasses, those brought from Sierra Leone as artisans orlabourers, for the most part employed in the servicethe fleet, and others liberated from slave vessels by HerMajesty's cruisers ; but all of them were British subjectsand under English rule. Although, at the commencementof the Baptist ]\Iission in 1841, it was known tliatthe Spanish Crown had revived the claim to the sovereigntyof the island, its representative,ofthe Commanderof the brig Nervion, Captain de Lerena, respected theBritish character of the colonists, and specially decreed,

THE HOME OF FREEDOM. 81on the part ofHer Catholic Majesty's Government, that" personal liberty, property, and religion should be secureto every inhabitant." Under this liberal law the INIissionwas founded, and it was not until the year 1845 thatany interference was attempted.On Christmas Day of that year, theSpanisli Consul-General arrived at Clarence. He was instructed tosend the missionaries away, unless they would consentto reside " in a private capacity only."' Withthis condition they declined to comply ; but as theConsul regarded their labours as of great benefit tothe people, he was willing to give them a year's gracein which to prepare for their departure. Meanwhilethey might continue to preach, and to carry on theirschools. Ultimately it was arranged that for an indefinitetime there might always remain in Clarence onemissionary and two teachers, but that the interior tribesshould not be evangelised.With the Consul also camea bishop and a priest. Their efforts to attract thepeople by the " scenic display"utterly failed, and before tlie end ofof Roman Catholic ritesthe year 18-i6 theyreturned to Spain. It is due to the bishop to say thathe acknowledged in the warmest terms the benefitsresulting from the labours ofthe missionaries, and publishedin Spain a grateful recognition ofthe advantageshe had personally enjoyed from the medical attendanceand advice of Dr. Prince. "Inspite of all my endeavours,"lie says, " to recompense in a slender degree the generosityand watchfulness of Dr. Prince, I never couldsucceed in making him receive the smallest remunerationfor his valuable services."Contrary to the expectation ofthe missionaries, theywere left with little molestation till the month of6

82 ALFRED SAKER.September, 1856, when another bishop with severalpriests landed, with the avowed object of extinguishingthe Mission and expelling the missionaries from theisland. As they were not, however, armed with sufficientauthority to set aside the arrangements made in1845, the bishop soon left, and shortly afterwards thepriests also, with the intention of obtaining enlargedpowers from the Spanish Government.At length, in the evening of Saturday, May the 22nd,1858, the Spanish steam vessel Balboa anchored inClarence Cove, having on board Don Carlos Chacon,Commander of the Spanish squadron, and Governor-General of all the islands belonging to Spain on thecoast. With six Jesuits, he had come to give effect tothe orders of the Spanish Crown. He proclaimed thereligion of the Eoman Catholic Church to be the solereligion of Fernando Po, as it was that of the kingdomof Spain, to the exclusion of every other. No otherreligious profession could be " tolerated or allowed."Professors ofalien religions must confine their worshipto their private houses, and limit it to the members ofThe edict was read in a scanty audiencetheir families.of the people, with the firing of cannon, and amidsttorrents of rain, the lightning and thunder of a tropicaltornado giving a strange awfulness to the scene.Thatevening, the evening of the 27th of May, the peoplemet for the last time in open worship to call upon Godtheir Saviour.That the measure was due in large degree to therestless activity and intrigues of the Society of Jesusthere can be little doubt. But, besides this, the rapid"rowth of commerce in the Gulf of Guinea, and theopening of the great river Niger to European enterprise.

THE HOME OF FKEEDOM. 83had given increased value to the island of Fernando Po,holding as it does the key to the embouchure of tlieNiger and the command of the entirecoast of the Gulf,with its tributary rivers, the Calabar and the Cameroons.The arrival of the Spaniards having thus put a stop tothe public services _of the sanctuary, on the Lord's-dayafternoon, May 30th, ]\Ir. Saker gathered a few of hisflockin the wilderness behind Clarence, and, under theoverhanging branches of the forest, conducted theworship of God. The w^eather was not propitious.Torrents of rain descended, and many were preventedfrom joining the assembly by the Komish priests, whoparaded the streets of the town throughout the day.Many armed sailors also moved about, Governor Chaconhaving been informed by some adversary that the peoplewere being urged to mutiny and insurrection. It wassaid that they would fight for their worship.Nevertheless,the day passed without disturbance ; the voice ofprayer and praise was heard in nearly every cottage,the proclamation forbiddingchapel.public worship only in theIn repeated interviews, as well as by correspondence,Mr. Saker endeavoured to shake the resolution of the•Commander. His reply to the request for permissionto remain, reports Mr. Saker, was, in plainEnglish, " I•cannot ; I will not grant it. Do not ask me again."The final answer of the Governor was read to the inhabitantsin a public meeting called to receive it.Fearinginterruption, there was not any open act of worshipperformed. At Mr. Saker's request, the assembly satfor a few minutes in silent prayer, and then, withdeep solemnity of feeling, the resolve was taken toleave the island as soon as provision could be

—84 ALFEED SAKER.made for a new settlement, in a land where freedomof conscience and civil liberty could be enjoyed.As the entire abandonment of the Mission in Clarencewas imperative, a new home had now to be sought forall who valued liberty and truth. No better pioneer inthe search could have been found than Alfred Saker,and he was not slow to comprehend and to meet thenecessities of the case.After narrating the events thathad transpired, Mr. Saker writes to the Committee :" Now, as to the future, Jesus shall be our guide. Thereare a few general ideas which I can put on paper. Prayfor us that we may be directed aright. Cameroons isours—a finestation, an open door to the interior of theland. Bimbia is ours—room enough for a town, andlarge trade. But a port is wanted, where there can beBritish protection, British capital and laws ;a depotfor coals for the navy, a safe harbour for our merchantvessels, a free port for the commerce of these rivers,and a refuge for the oppressed and the slave. Theseare all essential points to be secured, and I think areall attainable, if the British Government can be so farinterested as to put their hands to the work. Thenthere are matters specially missionary ; these will haveour careful attention. There is now no idea of reraainino-here. The long-endured oppression, the expectedthreats of banishment, and the general decay of allbusiness, had determined many to leave before this.Now our course must be, first, to provide a home for aU,if possible, where freedom to worship God must be thefirst requirement ; and then, next, for employment, and,if possible, prosperity."His resolve was taken.Two days after penning thisletter, Mr. Saker set fortli to explore the mountain region

THE HOME OF FREEDOM. 85of the Camerooiis, which, with its rocky sliores, bays,and islands, lay opposite, some twenty miles distant fromFernando I'o.Wednesday morning, the l^id of June, was wet andgloomy ; but, in company with Mr. Fuller, a nativebrother, five boys and two women, at eight o'clock Mr.Saker sailed in a small native craft for Bimbia. Heavyrain, chopping winds, with intervals of dead calm, delayedthe vessel's progress. Worst of all, in the confusionoccasioned by taking on board a large number of packages,the basket of provisions was left behind. The littletea and sugar they found had got mixed with pepper.Hungry, wet, and sick, the voyagers at length reachedBimbia on the following Sabbath. Four days and a-halfhad been spent in a voyage usually of twelve hours'duration.King William, the Bimbia chief, had now to be seen,and his consent gained to the occupation of such a partof the coast as might be found suital)le for a settlement.Previous journeys and voyages pointed out the Bay ofAmboises as a favourable spot; and, at Mr. Saker'sformal request, thechief willingly agreed to sell such atract of land as might be wanted. He also promised aguide when the missionary was ready to start on hisexploring expedition. The weather being very stormy,Mr. Saker proceeded to his station at Cameroons, wherearrangements were rerpiisite for the reception of someof the children from Clarence. The boat being provisioned,Mr. Saker left, on jNlonday, the 14th of June,for Bimbia. By nightfall tlie bar of the river wasreached, where he anchored till next morning. A nightof storms and of rolling seas, with great discomfort,followed. A small canoe that Mr. Saker had taken with

86 ALFKED SAKER.him was lost ;but Bimbia was at length reached in theafternoon.After a hurried dinner, Mr. Saker, with Mr.Fuller and a guide, set out to explore the bay, where hehoped to find a suitable refuge for his flock. With rapidsteps they penetrated the wilderness, and soon, at WarBay, came upon the sea, under the towering cliffs whichskirt its shores. Tlie track round the bay was exceedinglydifficult ; they had to traverse broken rocks andboulders innumerable, loose, rolling, with slippery surfaceand jagged edge, the debris of mighty volcanic action.Turning again into the wilderness, the path led themacross ravines and through rivers, over cliffs, and alongthe base of the mountains, which here approach the sea.The thick bush of the forest was dark as night ; but thelevel and open land exhibited a rich soil, well timberedand watered.The Bay of Amboises reached, it was too late toexplore it. The sun Avas setting, so the return journeywas begun. The dark wilderness was darker by night.The guide lost his way. Then came the necessity offorcing a path through the thick underwood. The rockshad to be scrambled over by the light of the stars,precipices avoided, and deep ravines crossed. Amidthese arduous exertions the night wore away. For six orseven hours the weary wandering lasted. At lengththe roar of the sea was heard. Trembling and thankful,the perplexed travellers reached War Bay, but theirlabours were far from done. " To walk over thesestones by the faint light of the stars," says Mr.Saker, " was impossible, yet go we must. Wearyand sore we began. On my knees, my toes, andwith my hands, I laboured for two hours overthat dreadful road." The cliff reached, it was too dark

THE HOME OF FKEEDOM. 87to find the path to ascend it ; so, being safe from thetide, the travellers lay down, under God's protection, onthe stones, and tried to sleep." The cold was too great;Puller and I lay close, to be warm; but we could notsleep.In about an liour and a half the first faint streakof morning aroused us. Soon, very soon, we found thetrack, and then we ascended. By half-past six we hadreached Fuller's house at Bimbia."Shoes, trowsers, hat,umbrellas : all were torn or battered to pieces ;theirhands were pierced with thorns, and gashed by the sharpedges of the rocks.The morning light also showed them that a few feetbeyond the spot where they lay down there was a steepprecipice. Surely the hand of God preserved them fromtaking in the darkness the few steps by which theirlives would have been sacrificed.Such was the first attempt to find in the wilderness alodge for the people of God. But, undismayed by thisperilous adventure, the indefatigable explorers took boatafter breakfast, and set out for Amboises Bay by sea.In the Niger expedition of 1841, this bay was visited byCaptain W. Allen, its commander. On several occasionshis ships had anchored within the islands which shelterthe entrance from the mighty swell of the great Atlantic;but the officers of the survey received the impressionthat, while the anchorage was safe, the climate salubrious,and the proximity of the mountains favourableto health, the bay did not contain a safe landing-place.Naught but a heavy surf w"as visible from the steamer'sdeck." But now," says Mr. Saker, " that I need a homefor our people, where a trade may be created, and towhich commerce may be drawn, I search for a landingonly; and, behold ! God hath hidden, up a deep interior

—;88 ALFEED SAKER.bay, for ages—a "bay with nearly two miles of beacliwithout a stone, and almost without a wave, large enoughto contain a thousand boats and small vessels ; whilethe Amboises Bay will contain a navy. Into this baythe sea-breeze blows in all its purity, and the mountainwind at night is all freshness. Here, if Her Majesty'sGovernment sanction and sustain our efforts, can be putup coal stores, provision stores, building-yards, and everyother essential for commerce. Here, too, a highway may bemade into the interior, and the native produce be shippedin smooth water for Europe. It will be a centre ofcivilisation, freedom, and light.It will be essentially areligious, enlightened colony. And here, also, underBritish protection, the Lord's people may worship Godwithout molestation."During a lovely day the exploration ofthis beautifulretreat was completed. The toil of the previous dayswas forgotten in the success which had been achievedand the missionary returned to Clarence with a glad andgrateful heart to report to his brethren how the goodhand of God had led him and prospered his way. Onhis arrival in Clarence, Mr. Saker found in the littleharbour three more Spanish men-of-war.Ambas, or Amboises Bay, is situated to the northeastof Fernando Po, and is shadowed by the volcanicmountains of the Cameroons, the highest peak of whichrises, within ten or twelve miles of the sea, to the heightof 13,760 feet. Three islands occupy its entrance; Abobbior Pirate Island, Dameh or Ambas Island, and Mendoleh.Of these, the last is the largest, and is coveredwith forest trees to its highest point. All are inhabited bya race evidently derived from Binibia, and they speak amodification of the Dualla language. They claim to be

THE HOME OF FREEDOM. 89independent of the chiefs of the continent, and theirindependence is secured by the rocky fastnesses inwhich tliey dwellSomewhat nunierous tribes, known as the Bakwilipeople, dwell among the mountains, and bring theproduce of their cultivation for exchange with the Isul)Uand other triljes dwelling in the lowlands (jf the ]3indjiacountry, and with the islanders of the Bay.Once within the shelter of the islands, the voyagersees before him a bay some fifteen to twenty milesin circuit, with arocky shore, and the surf perpetuallybreaking upon it. An opening in the rocky ridge tothe eastward admits boats and small vessels into acove, revealing an open space,with a fine sandy beach,nearly two miles in length, by a mile and a halfin breadth, watered by a deep and copious mountainstream. Mr. Saker fixed on this spot for the newsettlement and mission station, which he namedVictoria. The outer bay has a safe anchorage for shipsof a large size at all seasons, and is open only to thesouth-west wind, blowing cool and refreshing from thebroad Atlantic. The first eminence on the way to thegreat Cameroons mountain rises within three or fourmiles of the cove, and reaches to the height of 5,820feet. Its sides are clothed with forest. Old men relatethat fire was seen years ago to issue from the mainpeak. They felt the earth " shake like a steamboat."This, coupled with the local name of the mountain,Mongo-ma-lobah, orGod's mountain, lends probabilityto the supposition that it may be the chariot of the godsspoken of by Hanno the Carthaginian.*• Capt. W. Allen's " Niger Expedition," vol. i., p. 273.

90 ALFRED SAKEE.Here Mr. Saker resolved to found a colony of AfricanPilgrim Fathers, where the true worship of God mightfreely and uninterruptedly be observed, the rights ofconscience be secured from the intrusion of Eomishintolerance, and a new pharos of spiritual light be erectedfor the illumination of the surrounding tribes.Mr, Saker and hiscompanions soon tested the salubrityof the spot, and the excellence of the water, which,^in an abundant stream, flows into the sea at the westernend of the cove. " I went there," he says, " with mycompany in my usual health, or rather ill-health, strongenough for work, but with little energy ; a ceaseless cravingfor food, yet no appetite ; eating just enough to live.This is constant. In that state I went to Victoria, andI began to feel the effects of its air the first day. Myappetite returned and increased. At night I slept withmy whole heart, equally as with my whole heart I damy daily working. Eest was sweet, food was sweet;life was life, and not a dying death."The property in the soil having already been secured,*Mr. Saker at once commenced his preparations tocolonise it. Eeturning to Cameroons, he quicklybrought together the materials for a small hut, and,accompanied by a band of men and boys drawn from* " District of land commencing at War Bay, and by coast lineembracingthe beadland Mananga, Foo Bay, Ambas Bay, to thepoint of land called Kokki, including the islands Mondovi,N'Aami, and Bobu ; thence inland towards the Great Mountainfive miles ; thence by line to the towTi of Bosambo ; thenceto ]\rjanji on the Bimbia River till parallel with the Albert Hills ;.and thence embracing these hills the line shall enter a rivuletrunning to War Bay." The above description is copied fromKing William's grant. The original is in possession of theSocietv.

THE HOME OF FllEEDOM. 91the stations on the river, he proceeded to erect it onthe selected site. " On the 9th of June," he says, " wewent on shore at Aniboises Bay. Of this land we tookpossession with prayer. By seven in the evening wehad a tenantable abode, nine feet by eighteen. Therewe then assembled for united worship; and therenineteen of our company laid down to sleep that night,while I, and three of my boys, retired to the boat."In constant wind and rain, with short intermissionsof fine weather, the labour of clearing the ground wenton. The two first trees were felled by Mr. Saker's own'"'hands. In one day," he says, " there fell twentyseventrees of the dense forest, and very much of theimpenetrable underwood."beach was enlarged, otherSlowly the rude hut on thebuildings for stores were putup, and sections of them were divided into apartmentsfor families as they might arrive from Clarence. " OnFriday, the 13th," he says, "we began our publicworship, with very fervent prayers that the worshipmight be contmued, and be pure through cominggenerations,and that the Gospel there might be thelight of life to thousands. Then, again, on the Sabbathwe had our three services, as at Clarence in former days.A prayer meeting on Monday evening, and class onWednesday and preaching on Friday. Thus the publicworship of the tabernacle is begun, and I hope neverto cease till the angel announces the ' C7ul of time! "As the W(jrk proceeded the situation was found tosurpass their expectations. The harbour was well i)rotectedfrom seaward by lines of rock, and affordedabundant space for wharves, docks, and landing piers.The land was everywhere raised above the highesttides. The river gave an unfailing supply of the purest

;52 ALFllED SAKER.water.Willi characteristic skill and energy Mr. Saker.satisfied himself of its abundance. "I measured it,"he says, " and found 27,000 cubic feet of water flowinginto the ocean every minute. Its clear stream shows,two things—first, that its course is over a rocky bedsecond, that land floods, which would be muddy, donot swell the volume into a turbid bounding torrent.The land floods evidently find an outlet in anotherriver I visited." The first road laid out ran from]\Iorton Bay to this ever-flowing stream. It constitutedthe first street, and was 5,480ft. long. In thecentre of it a plot was measured off for the chapel, and.1 )uilding lots, each one hundred feet in depth by fifty inbreadth, were staked out on either side. A fence wasplanted to protect the township from the dense forestbehind, and from tlie wild animals which have theirhome beneath its gigantic trees. Names were given tothe various points around. Morton Bay was named.after Sir Morton Peto. A mount, 800ft. high, about amilefrom the landing-place, with a rocky face towardsthe Bay, was named Helena, after his absent but belovedwife. Another elevation, east of the town, 2,000ft.high, clothed with richest foliage to the summit, acquired,the name of Mount Henry, after his excellent friend,the late Henry Kelsall, Esq.In addition to the general salubrity of the spot, it wasfound that the natives of the mountain came everythird day to a market that was held on the levelbeach. It was a provision market. Here the plantains,palm nuts, and yams of the interior were exchanged for^alt, tobacco, and for the fish caught and cured and.dried by the inhabitants of the islands. The new settlerswere spared those privatitjns which Mr. Saker and his

ii!:l!i

:THE HOME OF FREEDOM.9ofamily endured on their first arrival in the Cameroonsriver, " There is," he remarks, " abundance on themountain, and the fish -fit our command will cause themountain produce to come down to us.And as to price,a small fish is demanded for a yam or a bunch ofplaintains, for which at Cameroons I must pay ashilling." The great advantages the settlement possessedmay be summed up in Mr. Saker's own words" The vast importance to us of a sanatorium I neednot speak of to you ; I entertain hopes the mostsanguine. This comes unexpectedly to me. I havementally seen it—Victoria— a centre of freedom, oflight, of education, and commerce. It is also a highwayinto the interior. This has been its highest glory inmy eyes. If in addition to this it shall be a refreshing,reviving locality, how great will be the advantage !"'how large our mercyThe township planned l)y Mr. Saker for the exilesfromClarence lay wholly on the eastern side of the'stream ; the western side he reserved with the hope thathere might be built the store-houses and wharves whichwould be required should the British Government makeAmboises Bay the centre of their operations on the coast.The arrival of the settlers from Clarence rendered necessarysome regulations by which the infant colony should begoverned, and which might afford a firm foundation forits growth and prosperity. Perhaps in nothing was thesagacity and wisdom of Mr. Saker more prominent thanin the laws which he laid down for their guidance andcontrol. The document that he prepared will be foundin the Appendix, but some of its chief features must benoticed here. After stating that the township of Victoriahad been purchased from tlie King of Bimbia, and the

—94 ALFRED SAKEK.right and title thereto ceded to its present possessors, hedeclares that the township had been formed " as a refugeand a home for those who cannot continue where libertyof worship is denied, and for all others who may bedesirous of living peacefully with us." Following this; statement are directions as to the purchase and possessionof the plots marked out in the town, and then "laws"are enacted for the government of the colony. Thegovernment is to be carried on Ijy a Governor andCouncil, who will have power oxev all roads andtlioroughfares, and enforce, under certain penalties,the regulations that may be agreed upon. The followingimportant constitutional principle is affirmed :" There shall be entire freedom in all that relates to theworship of the true God, and the Word of God is herebyacknowledged to be the foundation of all our laws, andclaims the obedience of our lives. Although w^e arenow all of one mind in the essentials of Christian worship,yet should there come among us persons of differingopinions as to Christian worship and duty, all shallequally share in the freedom of worship, as well as inour protection." The Sabbath is declared to be a dayofrest, and all business must be suspended to allow ofits enjoyment, and the uninterrupted worship of God.Freedom of trade is secured, and a free importation permittedof all articles of commerce, excepting spiritsevery kind. These articles can only be permitted toenter for medicinal purposes, or, ifoffor any other object,under a duty of ten per cent. But their sale or barteris not permitted at all. Other regulations follow, oneespecially reserving power to institute and ordain lawsiis occasion may require.Under these wise, simple, but efficient rules, the

THE HOME OF FREEDOM. 05colony has grown to its present condition of prosperity.Not that it has realised yet all that its founder anticipated.To use his own trustful words, " For it I toiledday and niglit ; I have worn my spirits down to a wafer'sweight; my eyes and hands too." This was literallytrue. With his own hands he showed the exiles how tobuild their houses. He planned the structures thatslowly rose from the midst of the bush, which he wasamongst the first to clear away. He was resolved thaton that spot God should be freely worshipped, and theservants of the Lord have a secure home. As the result,some hundreds of Africa's children now enjoy perfectfreedom of body and mind. The voice of praise andprayer rises unceasingly on the mountain air, and theschools are ever training their children to enjoy theblessings that a Christian civilisation can impart.Slowlythe tribes of the hills around are coming under Christianinfluence, and important steps have been taken to reachthe far interior. Commerce is gradually spreading itsbeneficent interchanges among the people under theprotection of the British flag, which, from time to time,floats in the convenient bay.If the promise of ColonelNichols has not yet been fulfilled, it is neverthelessprobable that at no distant date the Imperial Crown ofEngland will exercise the sovereignty which the inhabitantsof Victoria would gladly recognise and obey.** Years ago the Bimbia chief, William, surrendered the sovereigntyof his country to Colonel Nichols, as the representative•of the British Crown, and received from him the empty title ofKing, in which his son still rejoices. The act of Col . Nichols has,however, never been formally acknowledged by the Governmentof Great Britain, although its cruisers and men-of-war frequentlyvisit the coast, and arbitrate among the tribes in cases of difficultyand war.

96 ALFRED SAKER.Looking back at the close of this eventful year, MrSaker could gratefully say ": A year of change and oftoil. Storms have beat on us, yet He has preserved us.Nor sun nor moon has been permitted to smite. Indoubt or perplexity, if it has once crossed our patlnvay.He speedily removed it, and, in the labours of each succeedinghoiir, He has more than supported and sustainedour powers. God has opened for us a wide door at Victoria,Amboises Bay. This is now our refuge, and alreadythe wilderness begins to rejoice. Its swelling hills andnoble mountain range tell of freedom, fertility, andhealth. No Jesuitical craft nor Spanish intolerance willdarken its increasing brightness. There, through themercy of our redeeming Lord, we shall worship andadore till this mortal sinks and the immortal spirit soarsbeyond the mountain to the Throne of God."In view of the work achieved by this devoted missionaryof the Cross, the language of the Society'sEeport, in 1860, is not a whit too strong:— "It isdifficiilt suitably to describe Mr. Saker in his variedlabours; and when his early circumstances are considered,and his present extraordinary attainments,some of them reaching to the higlier departments ofscience, he seems to be not only eminently fitted forhis post, but to be one of the remarkable men ofthe a2;e."

CHAPTER X.Days of Hope, 1859— ISO 1.Eev. J. DibollUEING the sixteen montlis which followedthe close of the year 1858, the necessitiesof the Mission required Mr. Saker tobe constantly on the move from onestation to another. The arrival of theat Victoria in April, 1859, enabled him,however, to relinc|uish the charge of the congregationand schools there, and personally to superintend theremoval and settlement of a portion of the Clarencepeople in their new home. The return of Mrs. Sakerand his daughter Eliza from England secured the progressof his work on the Canieroons, and the appointmentof the Eev. J. Pinnock, ofJamaica, to a new station atAbo, higher up the river, gave hope of the extension ofthe Gospel to the inner parts of the country. Theprinting of the Scriptures was diligently carried on, andthe indefatigable missionary had the pleasure ofseeingthrough the press his translation of the Book of Psalms,and a small collection of hymns, in the Dualla language.He records that he " had so far impressed his ideas ofwork on others that all the sheets have been printedwhile he Avas visiting or preaching at other places."Thebinding also was the work of native lads, who only afew years before had been rescued from liarbarism,Pespecting the composition of the hymns, and also of7

—98 ALFRED SAKER.many of tlie tunes sung to them, Mr. Saker gives thefollowing interesting account in a letter to the Eev. F.Trestrail, February 29th, I860:—"I am no poet. Inearly life, like some others, I wrote doggerel ; but, for theAfricans, we are obliged to do our best in everything,and then fear no censor. I have written what isliterally thus" 'Son of God, to Thee,To Thee Thyself we come ;With prayer we bend to Thee,With praises, too, we bend.'« 3rd ver. ' Through Thee, Thyself alone,We live ; in peace we live.Through Thee, Thyself alone.We tread our weary way.'" As to the greater number of the hymns, they are ruderenderings of our own hymns. But, in the attempt, myown feelings have dictated something more free, so thatthe translations arecalled imitations.not really such, but may rather be" I will try to get Eliza to send you one or more ofmy tunes. Do not let this surprise you, for I am a loverof music. And although I have never allowed mycompositions to go out of the house, I get more carelessas I get into years, and the praise or blame of men willbe alike indifferent to me now. Some of my best tunesare in daily use in our congregations in Africa ; but it isnot generally known that they are mine. On my wayto Amboises Bay—my first visit—after a terrible dayat sea, we reached Bimbia ; and at night, while lyingrestless in my bed, I found myself singing one of oursolemn but sweet hymns, but to a strange tune in myown fashion, and the thought came, perhaps it was the

DAYS OF HOPE. 99whisper of sleepless spirits :'Yes, tliou art a sweetmelody for such solemn words '—so I rose up and put it•on paper. The next day being Sabbath day, I sang itwith that same hymn in our morning worship. Thenatives are fond of singing, and they follow readily in•everything like natural music. A few days later Icalled this tune ' Victoria,' because it v/as the first timewe sang it at the new home. The same day, and thesame midnight hour, gave birth to another more solemn.It is called ' Helena.' Both were sung at Bimbia atthe same service."The decease of Mrs. DiboU on the 16 th j\Iarch(I860), combined with his entire loss of strength, constrainedthe bereaved husband to take a voyage toTeneriffe, and subsequently to his native land. Inreference to these events Mr. Saker wrote " : I am againalone with (}od. He will not fail me." Not a Europeanhelper was left in the field to share with him the toilsand the anxieties of the work. His own health alsowas in a shattered, if not perilous, state, and the thoughtoften passed through his mind, should he be takenaway, how could he best provide for thegreat interestsin his charge ? Other circumstances, moreover, urgedhim to make a brief visit to England, in order to conferwith the Committee, and by personal explanationsassist in the decision to which it was necessary that theCommittee should come. The Spanish Governmentstill delayed the settlement of the claims of the Societyfor compensation for the property confiscated atFernando Po. Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary to theCourt of Spain was then most opportunely in England,imd the case could fully, in all its aspects, be broughtbefore him.At the same time, Mr. Saker would be able

100 ALFRED SAKER.to remove certain unfavourable impressions that had beenmade on the minds of some vahied friends in England,with regard to the methods he had pursued in carryingforv/ard the evangelisation and civilisation of the savagetribes among whom his lot was cast. On the 30th ofApril he therefore took his passage in the mail forEngland, and much refreshed by this A'oyage, he landedat Liverpool on the 19th of June, with the Eev. J.Diboll, whom lie had overtaken at Teneriffe.Without delay the two brethren laid before the Committee,in the fullest detail, every department of theMission, and the transactions incident to the formationof the settlement in Amboises Bay. In tlie resolutionswhich were adopted on the 18th of July, the past andfuture were referred to. It was resolved— 1. " That thisCommittee desire to express to the Eev. A. Saker, andthe brethren associated with him in the African Mission,and who have so effectually assisted him, their gratitudefor his strenuous and able efforts to meet the difficultiesarising out of the Spanish seizure of the Society'sproperty at Eernando Po."* 2. " That this Committeedeem it of the highest importance to secure one or moreadditional missionaries for the African Mission, and thatit be referred to the African Sub-Conmiittee to takeimmediate steps to effect that object."• It was not till the 23rd April, 1861, tliat Sir IMorton Peto wasinformed by the Foreign Office that the Spanish Government hadconsented to pay ^'1,500 as a final settlement of the Society'.^claims, " on account of the expnlsion of the missionaries fromFernando Po in 1858." A few months afterwards the moneyreached the hands of the Treasurer. The cost, however, of theremoval of the buildings, and the purchase of the land onAmboises Bay, exceeded i;2,000. /

Tlius, iu fall view ofDAYS OF HOPE. 101the losses the Mission had sustained,the perils necessarily incident to the work, thecostliness of the endeavours to introduce the Gospel andits attendant blessings among uncultured and savagepeople, Mr. Saker's heart was cheered by the confidenceplaced in him by the Committee, and 1:)y the resolve tocontinue the conflict with superstition and sin amongthe fierce and degraded tribes of Africa. The cloudslifted, and a bright hope sprang up in his mind ofsuccessfulenterprise and Divine success.By the end of (October, the health of Mr. Saker andMr. Diboll was so much improved as to justify theirreturn. They were joined by the Iicv. liobert Smith,a member of the congregation in Eegent Street, Lambeth,and by Captain Milbourne, who took charge of theschooner the Committee had purchased to convey themissionaries, and to aid them in their work on thewaters of the Cameroons and Aniboises Bay.On the 31st of October, the Wanderer left hermoorings in the Bay of Dublin, and, after eleven days ofvarious weather, the voyagers safely reached the islandof Madeira. The entire passage to their destinationoccupied fifty-two days. In the evening of the 19th ofDecember, the party,, vigorous and hopeful, landed atCameroons. " The voyage," says Mr. Saker, " has notbeen a long one, nor has it been unpleasant. We wereable to continue our worship twice and thrice a daywith very few exceptions. Our health, too, was uninterrupted,and in health and in peace, in strong hope,we land at this our home." He found Mrs. Saker and hisfamily also well, and, afterstarted for Victoria.he sums up the result offive busy days at Bethel, heIn a few brief, vigorous sentences,his observations and inquiries.

102 ALFRED SAKER,"A brief investigation of all these places has given memingled feelings of grief and gladness. Sin reignswhere we hoped for righteousness. Oh, maj the powerof sin be broken soon Faithful labour has beenrewarded and accepted, and in this we rejoice. Theschools, where established, are succeeding. Our brethren,Fuller, Pinnock, Johnson, and N'Kwe have labouredour teachers,with much diligence and zeal ; andDuring, Decker, and my daughter, have succeeded well."The little band of workers had had a trying timeduring his absence. Mr. Pinnock had been driven fromAbo by the violence of the people, and all his possessionsseized and distributed among them. War hadbroken out among the tribes on the river, and themission family at Bethel had been horrified by theslaughter of a native, and the parading of his head andarms, dripping with blood, through the settlement.Women and girls had been kidnapped by traders in theriver, and the renewal of the horrid abominations ofthe slave trade were only checked Ijy the timely arrivalof Her Majesty's Consul with a man-of-war. " Oneday," writes Mrs. Saker, " our native teacher N'Kwebrought home a poor creature from the town where hepreaches on the Sabbath, to whom the people had giventhe poison drink. A chiefs child had died, and, as twoor three of her own children had also died, she wasaccused of witchcraft. These things do not occur sofrequently as a few years ago, but they are very sad.I gave her medicine, and she recovered. This is thethird we have been enabled to save from death sinceI came from England last year." A little later Mrs.Saker continues :" A day or two after, the mothersfrom the town were running to me begging me to.

DAYS OF iiorE. 103take their little girls, and to rescue their chief, who was inirons. The people had sent slaves for his redemption,but the trader refused to take any but girls. I cannottellyou, dear sir, the grief of my heart to see the poorcreatures, and to remember that a white man, an Englishman,was causing all this sorrow.I rescued three children.Two are still with me ;up toone I was obliged to givethe woman who Ijrought her, for men surroundedthe house in search for her. Mr. Fuller told themthey must remove him by force before any one elseshould he taken from the JMission ground." Themissionaries, true to their vocation, were the protectorsof the poor, the defence of the oppressed, and the refugeof those that had no helper.The reinforcements that Mr. Saker had brought withhim, and the further addition of the Eev, J. Peacocklater on in the year, enabled him to arrange both forthe conduct of the stations already formed, and forthe preaching of the Word in several neighbouringtowns. But to Mr. Saker these accessions of strengthIjrought no diminution of toil, but rather an increase ofit, from the superintendence everywhere necessary.Mr.Peacock, shortly after his arrival, in a few graphicsentences, permits us to see this heroic man at work :" Amidst bodily infirmities and pain he does not stop.He moves like machinery, day by day, in the greatcause of our gracious Master. I will just give an outlineof his movements. In the day, early, you will findhim translating. You may look for him : he is at theforge, like a blacksmith. Then you may see him at thecases in the printing-office, composing. Then it may behe is drawing plans of some work he wishes to be done;then searching the Hebrew to translate some important

104 ALFRED SAKEE.text ; then preacliing in Dualla to the natives. Indeed,I could not tell the varied duties he performs daily.How can I but esteem — yea, love—such a one, whoseheart is so engaged in the work to promote the glory ofOod in this place. Truly he was raised up for a greatwork, and, amidst all the difficulties that surround him,he accomplishes his work as a workman that needethnot to be ashamed."It is obvious that missionary life, under such circumstancesas have been detailed, cannot be carried on as inmore favoured climes. " I do not "wish," says Mr. Peacockagain, " to undervalue pulpit duties and goodpreaching ; but a man that could do no more would bea sorry workman on the "West Coast of Africa." Theripe fruits of civilisation cannot be gathered withoutarduous and continuous toil. In these regions all tradeis barter, and it is only by gifts of beads, cloth, tobacco,and the like that the missionaries can obtain the fruitsof the earth for food. If they want a house, they mustbuild it. They must be both workmen and the instructorsof workmen. In other lands the missionary, if heonly has money, can have all his wants supplied. InAfrica he must be his own purveyor, his own carpenterand brickmaker, and money is of no use. Inevitablyhis day is occupied with manifold so-called secular pursuits,as well as with exertions for the attainment of hisgreat object—the evangelisation of the people.In theseregions the Gospel must go hand in hand with the artsof civilised life, and the missionary must become thepioneer of both.In the month of June (1862) Mr. Saker was able toreport the completion at press of his version of the NewTestament into the Dualla tongue. " You will rejoice

DAYS OF HOPE. 105with me," lie says, writing to the Secretary on the oOth," that God has enal»led me to hring the last sheet of theNew Testament through the press. The deluging rains,which confine one so much at home, have contributedto this result sooner than I expected; hut other workwhich I hoped to complete before the 1st of August hasbeen impeded to the same extent.I shall entrust a copyof the Epistles, with the Eevelation, to the captainof the mail vessel, if he will deliver it in Liverpoolwithout charge. You w^ill rejoice, too, that my healthis so much better. During the last month, I havebeen jjcrmitted to work at least five days in theweek, and am now better than at the beginning. Atthe end of the Eevelation I have appended ' weights,measures, and coins,' and remarks. I enclose a firstprooffrom the printer's case as far as composed.The additions to be made to-morrow go to show that theancient cubit w^as only 18 inches. To this will be addedthe Dualla measures, which in this respect do not differmuch from the Hebrew."In a letter to Sir Morton Peto, dated a month later,Mr. Saker gives some additional information relative tothe use of the translation :— " About the middle of June,cur merciful Lord enabled me tocomplete the translationand printing of the New Testament. Since then Ihave had about 200 copies bound, and these are now inthe hands of our rising reading population. To bringthese pages to the ears of the people, we have appointedan hour, four evenings in the week, for reading, withsuch explanations as may be needed. On the Sabbath,in the intervals of worship, we have two other meetingsin the town, with crowded houses, simply for reading andprayer. My daughter conducts one, and our Mr. Smith

lOGALFEED SAKER.the other. It will be gratifying to you to learn thatMr. Smith is all that I could hope of him. He assistsme nobly and well. Some recent visits he paid to theinterior towns fill him with hope of success, while painfulexperience is gradually teaching him that that successmust only be looked for as the result of soul-tryinglabour."Eeference is here made to some terrible scenes ofcruelty and degradation of which Mr. Smith was witness,and in which he was compelled to interfere, not withoutperil of his life. On reaching a town a mile up theriver, the firing of guns was heard. The people of thetown were shooting the wives and slaves of the subjectpeople working on their farms. A fight ensued with thehusbands of the assaulted women. Mr. Smith, under aburning sun, amidst the dropping shots of the musketry,hastened, at the desire of the chief, with a messenger tostay the shedding of blood. Two men only were killed,but many were wounded. After some days, withefficient help from Mr. Saker, peace was restored. Alittle later two innocent men were seized and brought tothe landing place near the Mission house, to be drownedor murdered, and, as Mr. Smith was endeavouring toarrest the cruel purpose of their captors, he received ablow from behind, which made him stagger to theground ; l)ut several of the native converts caught andsupported him. Happily his liurt proved but of temporaryinconvenience.Other like incidents sorely triedthe courage of the young missionary, but the true spiritof self-sacrifice animated him. " My love for the workand the people increases the more I come in contactwith them ; and they, on the other hand, know how tolove and trust those that sympathise with them in their

various treubles.DAYS OF iiorE. 107Notwithstanding' their deep degradation,and dark heathen practices, they appear keenly tofeel a wrong, and to appreciate an act of kindness, andthis opens the way for making known to them the everlastingGospel.''The completion of the New Testament, and in a fewmonths that of a vocabulary, affords a favourable opportunityto give the results of Mr. Saker's investigationsinto the origin of the Dualla language and people.The language is spoken by a population variously estimatedas consisting of 30,000 to 80,000 persons, livingabout the mouth of the Cameroons river and the base ofthe great mountain which dominates the entire region.The people are thought to be a small part of a largefamily that at an early period migrated southward fromAbyssinia, and spread themselves over five or six degreesof country to the north and south of the equator.Theiroriginal language has been broken up into many dialects,and with many of their tribes the traces of theirhave entirely disappeared.})eopleoriginAmong rude and UDletteredlanguage undergoes rapid mutations, and attainsforms that battle all investigation. Still there existsevidence that the Duallahas many and close affinitieswith the languages of Eastern Africa, and with that ofthe tribes on the Gaboon.Dualla is the name both of the people and of thetongue they speak. Their traditions are but few, and ofno remote date. They refer their origin to one of the twosons of a man who settled on the western side of theCameroons mountain. One, named Koli, remained inthe parental seat ; but the other, Dualla, crossed theregion now known as Victoria and r>imbia, and expelledthe Basas from their dwellings on the Cameroons river.

108 ALFllED SAKER.Marks of the contest are still seen in some embankmentsnear the Mission station at Bethel. The river issaid to have been narrower than at present, havingwithin the last forty years made great encroachmentson the land.The Duallas are divided into tribes, nnder independentchiefs. Feuds are frequent, and property isvery insecure. The slave trade was once the calling ofthe entire people, and to the rapine, oppression, andbloodshed of that fearful time, together with the diminutionin the number of people consequent upon it, mayhe traced the ferocity so frequently witnessed by Mr.Saker and his companions. Since the cessation of theforeign slave trade, there has been a great improvement,and many wasted spots are recovering the' populationihey had lost. Slaves are, however, still held amongthe people. They are usually the fruit of war, sometimesof puichase, and the labour of the field is usuallycarried on by them, as well as by the wives of the freeportion of the population. In most Dualla towns theslaves are two to one in excess of the freemen. Theyare, in fact, from their numl^er, which is continuallyincreasing by bii'ths, treated rather as serfs than slaves,xmd the chiefs are in constant dread of an uprisingamong them.The Dualla tongue has many affinities with the Isulju,spoken at Bimbia. Northward, and on the sides of themountain, the lano-uaQ-es differ from the Dualla, and thepopulation has a different origin ; but nearness andintercourse are fast breaking down the distinction. TheDualla vocabulary is very scanty as compared withmore cultivated tongues. It contains about 2,400root forms. It is, however, notwithstanding the

DAYS OF HOPE.lOOefforts of the missionaries, veiy imperfectly known." Ever and anon," says Mr. Saker, " we come nponwords which lie like griiins of gold in the bed of thestream, and, like grains, are revealed only by the disturbanceof storms and floods. While the daily concernsof man run smoothly on, in a few words heexpresses his wants, his thoughts and emotions ; butlet his heart be moved by strongpassion, by deep distress,by mental conflicts, and words none suspected tol)ein his memory, or even in existence, are foundwelling up from the deeps of his heart, and in a momentwe see that they are the true words—such words that aless exciting cause would not have revealed." Often,too, on some distant journey, and among some offshootof the same stem, he has picked up words for his vocabularywhich were unused or unknown among thetribes immediately around him.The elementary sounds in Dualla are thirty-three innumber, which English letters, with some orthographicaladditions, have been employed to express ; exceptingc, h, q, and z, the sounds of which letters are unknown.To this may be added the interesting fact, that all thebooks hitherto printed in the Dualla tongue, with theexception of the last edition (1882) of the New Testament,liaveall Ijeen printed on the spot, and chiefly bylads trained in the jMission, the fruit of missionarylabour. The new edition of the New Testament justreferred to has been carried through tlie pressby Miss Emily Saker, Mr. Saker's youngest and highlyestimable daughter, now labouring with the devotionand perseverance of her father at the station, and amongthe people, so dear to his heart.

CHAPTEE XLAscent of the Camekoons Mountain, 1861—1862.N" the last days of the year and the firstweeks of 1862, Mr. Saker enjoyed apleasant interlude in his work by theascent of the great Cameroons mountain,having for his companions CaptainBurton, H.M.'s Consul, ]\I. Gustavo Mann, a well-knownHanoverian and botanist, in the employment of theEnglish Government, and Sefior Calvo, the SpanishJudge of Fernando To. Mr. Mann left Victoria on the13th of December (1861) for the last town on the mountain,and on the arrival of the Consul with Sehor Calvoon the 19th, Mr. Saker commenced the ascent with them,taking Mr. Johnson as interpreter, and several Kroomento carry the luggage. The distance of the summit fromAmboises Bay, on its southern side, is reckoned at14 miles, but the mountain in its entire extent covers anarea of about 400 square miles, between the Binibia andPiumby rivers, which bound it on the east and west,and the hilly region that embraces it on the north. Thiswas not the first attempt to climb the peak. Mr. Merrickassailed it in 1847, and succeeded so far as to reachthe open grassy plain above the forest that covers thelower slopes of the mountain. Here water failed him;his companions suffered from cold and thirst, and hewas compelled to return. In 1860, Mr. Mann ascended

ASCENT OF THE CAMEROOXS MOUNTAIX.Ill-a short distance, but time would not then allow furtherprogress, and the mountain " whose glorious pinnaclenever yet felt the foot of man " remained for the presentparty to climb its steeps, and to secure the long-covetedhonour of being the first to tread this virgin peak.The route from Victoria lay through a noble forest ofpalms, acacias, African oak, and other fine timbertrees,from 100 to 150 feet high, across a countryadmirably adapted for the growth of maize, cocoa, sugar,and coffee. Twice the party forded the " bright littlemountain stream which supplies Victoria with thepurest water," passing west of Mount Henry, " a site,"says Captain Burton, " which I at once fixed upon as aprovisional sanatorium." After four hours' walking,they halted for breakfast at Bosumba, a village of thechief Myombi, 1,000 feet above the sea and four milesand a-half from Victoria.The path now led through dense bush and grass. Thedistrict was populous. The people are known as theBakwili, and are allied by language and race to thetribes of the lowlands. Mr. Saker found that theyunderstood the Isubu when he addressed them in thattongue. As usual, their dress was the scantiest possible,a kilt of plantain leaves sufficing for every need. A fewpossessed slips or rags of stuff or cloth, and a handkerchieffor the head. Their ornaments, more abundantThe head was bare, shaved, or, whenthan their dress, were of beads of many colours, porcupine'steeth, and armlets of copper or brass, and occasionallyof ivory.otherwise, the hair was dressed in fantastic modes. Akind of axe, called a matchet, was carried by the men,and in a few cases a rusty old matchlock was the weaponof protection or offence. The women, as among all these

112 ALFRED SAKER.tribes, performed not only every hoiiseliold duty, butcarried on the cultivation of the ground, and were oftentattooed in a fashion the most grotesque.At half-past four they reached Maponya, in thecountry of the chief Botani, and the highest village inthis part of tlie mountain. Here they met Mr. Mann.The chief received them with great ceremony. Habitedin his royal garb, a tall black hat, an old scarlet andgamboge coatee of the Eoyal Marines, and a pocket handkerchief," he performed a lively dance, apparently borrowedfrom tlie movements of excited poultry. InAfrica, when the king dances, you have to pay for thehonour."Disputes arising with the natives, the party soonlaunched themselves on the wilderness. They bivouackedin the forest, on a steep and narrow spot, at aplace afterwards called Eidge Camp. Proceeding ateight o'clock next day, they found that the plantain andthe palm had disappeared, and were replaced by thegraceful tree-fern. Ferns everywhere in most gracefulforms covered the ground, or ran, creeper-like, up thetrunks of the trees. It was " a beautiful fernery, setoff by the huge tropical growth around it."Passing under a natural arch of fallen trees, whichthey called Pern Gate, they emerged on a region oftallgrass. Then came a broad green slope of small fernsand moss, resting on a rugged bed of old, decayed lava,half-a-mile wide, the banks on either side girt withgiant trees. Here they breakfasted, and feasted onblackberries. A hunter's path now led them up theside of the lava river, among huge blocks whicli endangeredtheir ancles. Salvias scented the air, and thesurface was spangled with the blossoms of an unknow^n

ASCENT OF THE CAMEROOXS MOUNTAIX. 113'fldwer. Bees settled upon tlieni, l)ut did not stini; ; andthe heat of the svni became intense.Tlie last part of the day's journey was the most ruf^gedof all. The lava, as it approached the place of its issue,became more broken, lying al)out in most irregularheajis. ])efore attempting it, Captain Burton lay downto sleep, the rest of the party going on. The BlackCrater, from which the lava had Howed, was at lengthreached. It was about 100 yards in diameter, with a lip ofsome 200 feet above the level of the platform below.]ilacing his compass l)etvveen the rocks, Mr. Saker foundthat, in an unaccountable manner, the north pole of theneedle dipped to the south. Water was obtained nearnt hand, and here the travellers encamped. It was abad camping-place ; a high north-east wind roared roundthem all night, and the thermometer fell to 40° Falir.Next day brought them a lovely morning, and, attwo p.m., they set out for the spring, to which, as hew^as the discoverer, Mr. ]\Iann's name was given. Theyfound a little runnel of pure cold water, issuing frompeaty earth, embowered in l>lue flowers, and surroundedby nettles. Here the camp was fixed, and for fiveweeks it became the base of their researches and thecentre of their excursions.OnIt was 7,000 feet above thesea, and was held by common consent to 1 )e an admirableppot for a sanatorium or a colony. ]\Iaterials for roadsor for house-liuilding lay around in abundance, and, inhis enthusiasm, Captain Burton exclaimed, " Where cana Lebanon be found cfjual to the beautiful, the majesticCameroons " ? " Here," says ]\Ir. Saker, in a lower key,'"we had a glorious sky, a dry air, in fact an English,home, and no great obstacles in the ascent but what alittle patient toil will overcome."8

114 ALFRED SAKEE.Christmas-eve and Christmas-day were spent intakino- bearinos, ramblin" about the hills, and in namingplaces. The main peak they discovered to be dividedinto a pair of distinct heads, which they christened Victoriaand Albert. " Little did we think," remarks Mr.Saker, " that the nation and our beloved Sovereign werethenbeing plunged into irreparable grief by PrinceAlbert's death." Another summit was named EarthworkCrater, and the elevation near which they wereencamped. Mount Helen, after Mrs. Saker, who had suppliedthe Christmas pudding. From its cone there wasa wonderful prospect of wild scenery and of perplexingconfusion. Twenty-eight deep crevasses were counted,with numberless thick lava beds and ribs of scoriaceousrock. The morning of Christmas-day was spent by ]\Ir.Saker, in company with Captain Burton, in a climb tothe summit of Earthwork Crater, about thirteen milesfrom Victoria, and five from the main peak of the mountain.The volcano had apparently long burnt itself out,and the pools of water formed during the rains at thebottom of the crater were the resort of the small birds thatabound in its vicinity. Returning from this excursion,,and breakfast despatched, Mr. Saker left the party, anddescended the mountain for Cameroons, where some importantduties required his attention.Early in January,however, in company with his colleague in the Mission,.Mr. Smith, he rejoined the mountaineers. They hadpassed the time in exploring a portion of the higherregions, but were suffering from exposure and fatigue.Mr. Smith being too unwell to go farther, Mr. Saker,.with some Kroo boys, on the 13th, left the camp toclimb Victoria, the highest of the twin peaks. Theascent was made on the south side.

ASCENT OF THE CAMEKOONS MOUNTAIN. 115" During my absence," writes Mr. Saker, " Mr. Maunhad ascended the north side, while Consul Burtonattempted the south face. After a day's weary toil overbeds of lava, we reached the foot of a small mountsomewhat sheltering to weary travellers. There I spreadmy blanket and passed the night. It was a gloriousevening, but somewhat cold. At early dawn I foundthe glass at 31 "^ Fahr. But the sun rose, a cloudlessmorning, and it soon grew warm. At six I beganthe ascent, and at ten reached the southern summitor ridge. By this time it was very warm, and the windthat sweeps so fearfully in these regions seemed hushed.Light fleecy clouds ever and anon shut in the surroundingscenery. Towards the east I saw a range ofmountains that I had never before observed, and tookits bearings; but the attempt to secure the angles ofsummits towards the west was not so successful. EreI could bring two points together, one would Ije obscured."At this highest point I found the water boil at188°, thermometer 58". This gives an elevation nearlythe same as our charts, the result of trigonometricalsurvey below. My attempt to explore the Crater wasa failure. The whole was enshrouded in cloud. TheCrater must be of enormous extent. Its two peakspresent a large angle at seven miles distance. After along delay, I began the descent, and at two reachedmy last night's resting-place. After rest and refreshment,we set out on return to our camp. Here I found theConsul a little better, but still unable to walk much.As I had stayed on this second run up the mountainten days, I was now compelled to leave for Mctoria andCameroons.We have ascertained that there are native8*

n.6 ALFRED SAKEE.towns at about 3,500 feet elevation, that cultivationextends but little farther, and that beyond these heightsthere is every inducement to seek a temporary homefor invalids and wearied missionaries."A final ascent was made by Captain Burton and hiscompanions on the 27th of January. In this Mr. Sakerdid not participate, as he had returned to AmboisesBay. The investigators encountered intense cold. Theirwaterproof coats were wliite with hoar-frost, and thesummit was powdered with frozen dew. Before leavingthe peak, Captain Burton was able to discover a completesolfaterra, lying to the north-east of Albert Crater.Smoke arose in puffy volumes from long lines of whitemarl and sulphur. This discovery accounts for themany detached reports of flames seen issuing from themountain by the merchants of Cameroons and the peopleof Fernando Po. It would seem, therefore, that thegreat volcanic mountain of Cameroons is not yet anextinct volcano. A hailstorm signalised the descent."Finally," adds Consul Burton, "on the 2nd of February,1862, I once more saw the scattered bungalows of Victoria,where the kindly Mrs. Saker, who would not leavethe place till our safe return, received me with allhospitality."** For th.e materials of this chapter, besides Mr. Saker's letters,I am indebted to the Report presented to the Foreign Office l>yConsul Burton, and kindly forwarded to the Mission House byLord Russell.It is also printed in the " Proceedings of the RoyalGeographical Society," vol. vi., p. 238.

CHAPTERXII.Ix Perils ox Every Side, 18G2—18G3.HE next eighteen months of Mr. Saker'smissionary life were months of unceasingtoil and constant anxiety. Hisexpectations with regard to the earlycolonising of Amboises Bay were onlypartially fulfilled. The English Government hesitatedto avail themselves of the advantages which it presentedas a coaling station, and a healthful resort for the sickcrews of the men-of-war on the coast. Clarence Covecontinued to be the head-quarters of the squadron, andtrade naturally remained in its former channels. Thepeople were, therefore, disinclined to leavg the place wheretheir property and livelihood were secure.There were,however, some compensations for the slow developmentof the colony. The government of it could be moreeasily controlled ; time was allowed for the foundationof the town, and its due supply with the necessariesand conveniences of life. At the commencement of1862, eighty-two persons had settled there, of whomone-half were children connected with the families ofthe converts, and a portion of wliom came from FernandoPo to be educated under the care of Mr. Pinnock, theresident pastor of the church. Some fifty or sixtypersons habitually attended public worship, a few ofthem natives from the mountains. Mr. Saker thus

118 ALFRED SAKER.refers to them in a letter to Lady Peto :— " You will bepleased to hear that some of the poor dark natives nearthis place are not only listening to the Gospel whentaken to their towns, but are attending the services inour little chapel.Many who never heard the name ofJesus are listening to the offers of salvation through acrucified Saviour. It is not unusual to hear themexclaim aloud or talk to each other on the subject towhich they are listening."The Eev. E. Smith, on visiting Victoria, thus describeshis impressions of the place:— "It is a delightsomespot, very beautiful for situation. The little townappears to be rising very slowly. There are severalgood houses already built on the estate, and a vastnumber of people live on the mountains around. Imade a journey to one of the fishing towns somedistance off, in company with our esteemed and lovedbrother Johnson. After we had climbed over therocks, and journeyed through the bush three partsof the way, a light tornado overtook us, and wettedus a little. We pressed on to the town close by,and were well repaid for anything we suffered. Wehad a good meeting in King George's house, thepeople listening attentively to the good news. TheKing's ' palace' consisted of one large room, with a fewfeet partitioned off for a bed-room, a mud floor, three orfour stands for drying fish, with wood fires underneath.There were as many drying tables as the King has wives.A number of black earthen pots for cooking completedthe utensils in the room. I counted seven goats thatlive and sleep in the house, and a pig is no uncommonmember of the family circle. Three wives and a numberof children made up the household present on our visit."

VICTOEIA CHAPEL, AiEBOISES BAY.

IN PERILS ON EVERY SIDE. 119Such is a fair specimen of the best of the liouses of theBakwili, among whom the missionaries were labouringto introduce the Gospel with its elevating tendenciesand hopes.At Cameroons, Mr. Saker was made intensely sorrowfulby the increasing ill-health of his wife and daughter.In August he was obliged to part with them. The lossthis was to his work the following extracts from hisletter of August 29th (18G2) will show :— " To-day, Isend away to England my wife, daughter, and servant.These, one and all, are worn down to a low, low conditionphysically, but their flow of spirits seems unconquerable.Of Mrs. S. I say not a word here ;but it seems right thatI give a line of information of the others, but chiefly ofmy daughter. Soon after her arrival here, I pointed outa line of labour which I wished her to undertake, but,after looking round, she saw so much work to be donein other ways that she decided for herself what todo. Of course, in the presence of so much work, Icould only consent;yet did I mwardlysay, 'The noveltywill soon wear off", and then she will weary of it.' Butit has not been so. She has maintained her plans tillnow. She chose the day-school, and has continued itwith much diligence till a week since. She found thewomen of the church in much ignorance and wishingfor help. She attempted their improvement by openinga service in the town, at the house of one of the members,for women only, devoting the afternoon of one day inthe week to this, and meeting the same body of womenon theSabbath-day, instead of attending the Sabbath-Although these meetini^fs have all been more orschool.less religious services, reading and expounding Scriptureand prayer, at first using our excellent friend the owner

:120 ALFEED SAKERof the house as interxDreter, but latterly doing withoiitliiin, often have I detected her composing sermonsfor the Sabbath. Tims has she done much to gladdenand instruct thesepoor women, and they grieve for herleaving. She has also devoted one afternoon in theweek to teaching them needlework. Of Maria, I canonly say she has been a riglit hand to Mrs. Saker, andheart and soul one with her. To her and Eliza I amindebted for stitching all our books as the first step inbinding.This has mostly been the work of evenings."Pleasant, indeed, is this sight of the entire family ofour missionary brother giving itself to the work of God ;comljining together, each in their measure, to impart theknowledge of both temporal and spiritual things to theignorant and degraded children of Africa.The task was no easy one. Often was it interruptedby bad health ; by violent disputes among the j)eople ;by the outbreak of war ; and Ijy the vile attempts ofwhite men to revive the abolished trade in slaves.Thus,under date of September 20tli (1862), Mr. Saker writes" After Mrs. S. left me on the 30th ultimo, I camehome only to lie down and sicken, and suffered a sharpattack for five days. I then recovered. During thatsame time Smith, too, was suffering daily from repeatedfevers." Again, in the same letter :" Just now we areliving in perpetual and daily quarrelling.but little business going on atThere seemspresent, and the nativestake advantage of the leisure to exhaust themselvesin wrangling and fierce disputes. Three times thismonth have I been called home to prevent openwar. To-day—nearly half a day spent in quelling anenraged multitude. The steam is blown off now; butonly to be renewed on Monday." Nature, too, seemed

IN PEKILS OX EVERY SIDE. 121often unpropitious. " A fearful storm of rain came onus on Wednesday night last.It commenced just a littlebefore eight, while our classes were still inchapel, andabated not till after twehe. Tlien again at three in themorning, and lasted for half an hour, accompanied withwind, lightning, and thunder. Our people could not gohome from meeting till past midnight." In seven hours,by his rain gauge, Mr. Saker found that seven and a-half inches of rain had fallen. The damage done to the-Mission buildings was great, and required many weeks torepair.Here is another scene of savage life, and of the partplayed in it 1 )y the missionary :— " Saturday night, late,the principal chief of A'kwa town came home, andheard all one side of the dispute. He allowed himselfto he excited to madness. At four in the morning hebeathis drum, calling all out to war. At five our yardand outbuildings were filled with women and childrenof the weaker party. At six the small town close to uswas invaded l)y a hostile multitude. We counselledquietness, and took resistance into our own hands.Bythis means we prevented miicli l)loodshed, and savedmost of the property. Smith and Fuller resisted thesedemoniacal men manfully, and by nine we had so farsucceeded in quieting the rabble tliat we saw the last ofthem out of the town. The destruction of hundreds ofplantain and fruit trees makes a desolate show ;butthis, and the breaking down of four or five houses, isthe chief damage. So our Sabbath was broken up ; butwe had a good and quiet meeting in the afternoon andevening."The resistance alluded to above was that of earnestand fearless remonstrance. From the first Mr. Saker-

122 ALFRED SAKER.rejected the use of any weapon for self-defence.Amidstall the perils he encountered in the wilderness from therage of man he never resorted to violence or retaliationfor his protection. He was strong in meekness, inpatience, and in imperturbable quietness of spirit, andin his calm trust in God.Later in the year, two slaves belonging to Portugueseowners on the coast, having escaped, found their wayto the Cameroons river. They were claimed by atrader, who sold the man and kept the woman for aworse purpose. Escaping again, they were befriendedby Mr. Saker. From this arose another attack on themission-house by the trader's slaves, and for some daysthe lives of the missionaries were in serious danger.The poor refugees at length found a place of securityat Victoria.But, in spite of all these agitations and sore besetments,the Word of God was not bound.Writing at theclose of the year (December 27, 18G2) this unresting toiler:— reports " God has graciously given us an increase toour church. You will remember that our last increasewas in August, the last Sabbath in the month, that Mrs.S. and Eliza might participate in our joy. On thatoccasion our brother Smith baptized ; and now to-dayfive others are given to us, and to-morrow, being thelast Sabbath of the year, they are to be baptized. Mr.Fuller will have the pleasure of leading these lowlyones into our river.Very many things conspire to makethis increase joyous to me, and not the least of thesethat one more from out of our own family is called to(jod, and is honoured by His grace. It is a sj)ecialmercy to us, that our hearts be not too much oppressednor cast down."

IN PERILS ON EVERY SIDE. 123The severe strain of these events on Mr. Saker'shealth again raised the question of the necessity of hisseeking an invigorating chnie. For more than twentyyears he had borne, with a resolution of mind andwill that few men could he found to exercise, thedebilitating diseases of this pestilential coast He hadseen one after another of his colleagues and companionsyield to their deadly assaults. Himself with anemaciated frame and a shaken constitution, he yetpersisted in his work. " I cannot hope," he writes on the.31st of March, 1863, " to live much longer in Africa.The weakness and suffering of the past month haveconvinced me that if my life is to be preserved I mustjourney to you." Although he sometimes regarded hishis preaching, he said, was curtailedlife as useless—forto the lowest point—he could not contemplate an abandonmentof the work without the deepest repugnanceand sorrow. But from the opening of the year itseemed his imperative duty to leave. Circumstancesat home had also rendered it important that he shouldagain see the Committee. The attacks on his methodsof operation, alluded to in a previous chapter, had beenrenewed, and unfortunately received a certam measureof support from some who were not wholly unacquaintedwith the exigencies of an African clime, and the perils ofa pioneering life among savage races of men. A request,therefore, came from head-quarters that he would revisithis native land. In his uncertainty of the future, hereplied to the Secretary's letter conveying the wdsh ofthe Committee ": I shall obey your summons as soonas I can. Certainly I cannot leave before the 28tliFeb. (1863), and then my foolish heart asks, Who is tocare for this land ? But this is weakness, if not worse

124 ALFRED SAKEE.The cause is God's, and if He calls me away He cantake care of it, either by me or by some other means.Only let me see my duty in the matter, and then reasonand command both say, Go forward.' The God of ' allgrace comfort your heart with strong hope and faith."He felt it, however, necessary that he should remain,if possible, till the return of the Eev. E. Smith, whowas then on a brief visit to England. This took placeon the 29th of May, and early in July Mr. Saker oncemore left his work. It is needless to encumber thesepages with controversies which are now forgotten, butwhich at the time were productive of much personaldistress. He was heartily welcomed by all who knewhis v/orth and the nobleness of his character, and notless cordially did the Committee, after " full' investigation,"give expression to their satisfaction "at thediligence, the zeal, the self-denial, and the success " withwhich he had planted the Christian faith in new fields,on a barbarous coast, amidst wild uncultured tribes, andfounded " a Christian colony whence civilisation and theGospel may spread ;" and all achieved " in the midst ofperils b)'' sea and land, among savages thirsting for hisblood, or by their spells hoping to destroy his life."

CHAPTERXIII.Tersevering Toil, 18G4— 18G9.It. SAKER was much refreshed andinvigorated by his year's sojourn inEngland, and l)y the Christian intercoursehe enjoyed in the numerousdeputation visits he paid to thechurches. On the 21st of September, 1SG4, a deeply interestingfarewell service was held in BloomsburyChapel, at which theRev. Q. W. Thomson was also setapart for the service of Christ in Africa. With Mrs.Saker and her three daughters, the two missionarieswent on board the mail steamer at Liverpool on thefollowing Saturday. On the 1st of October Mr. Sakerwrites from Madeira to the Rev. F. Trestrail :— " Wearc quietly at anchor here. Our passage has been oneofsome discomfort, but of much mercy, and we are allin health and looking forward to our future run as oneof peace and pleasure. We left Liverpool with fineweather, which continued all the Sabbath, and weenjoyed an hour's public worship in the saloon. OnMonday the wind increased, making it difficult t

12GALFRED SAKEE.anticipating a day's enjoyment on shore witli our friends.Affectionate remembrances from Mrs. S. and our girls;also from Mr. Thomson." From this j)oint to SierraLeone the voyage was most pleasant, and, calling atseveral ports on the way, intercourse was enjoyed withjnauy Christian friends. Writing on the 13th of Octoberfrom Sierra Leone, Mr. Saker says :— " The few hours atthat lovely place, Madeira, will not soon be forgotten.AVe had a short run on shore at Teneriffe, but the rainmade it unpleasant. At Gambia we spent a few hourswith the good Wesleyan brother who is there labouringfaithfully, but whose health is fast failing. And nowhere also are we tasting the joy of Christian society.At Madeira it was with the Presbyterians ; at Gambia,with Wesleyans ; and here, with Episcopalians. Andyet, in all, spiritual life is the same, and, but for someexternal manifestations that are apart from Christianlife, it would be very difficult to point to differences.How glorious, how precious, is this onenesa of life inChrist. May the day soon dawn when the Saviour'sprayer may be fulfilled—' that they all may be one.' "The last fourteen days of the voyage were not soX^leasant as the earlier portion of it. Many days werewet, and the rains continued for some days after theirarrival at Cameroons, which took place on the 29thof October. " I am very thankful," says Mr. Saker, inconclusion, " that we are all preserved and broughtsafely to our distant home, and that we meet ourbrethren, our friends, and our (school) children in somuch health and comfort. May this, our re-union, begreatly promotive of good to this country, to each other,and also glorifying to our God."There was no delay in recommencing his interrupted

PERSEVERIXC! TOIL. 127labours, and ina few weeks we find Mr. Saker reportingthat lie had laid tlie foundation of a new brickchapel at Bethel, that his translation of the Old Testamenthad been resumed, and Ruth, jSTalium, Habakkuk,and Zephaniah, for school purposes, were in the press.The ser\'ices at all the stations were revived with freshvigour. His new iron boat had been put together, andwas already employed in communicating witli Victoriaand in visiting the outlying trilies among which evangelisticetlbrts had been or were about to be commenced.BrieHy, he announces that Mr. Pinnock had had thejoy of baptizing two converts. " The attendance atHickory is excellent. At John A'kwa's Town, JMr.Fuller's new home, very bad. Here at Bethel we arecrowded. At Mr. Pinnock's place we can sometimesget a few. At Bell's Town a good company. We wishfor, we pray for, and expect a large increase. Pray forus that the blessing may come."Sickness and death soon, however, began to enterthe small circle of devoted labourers. The wife of Mr.Smith fell a prey to disease on the 27th of January (1865),after a brief life of Christian toil ; while Mr. Thomsonand the younger members of Mr. Saker's family wereoften down with constantly recurring fevers. Deathalso bore away some of the best of the early converts,who died witnessing in death, as in life, the power ofthe Gospel to win the most debased of mankind toholiness, and fit them for the bliss of a better land.Thus, under sunshine and cloud, in weariness often,disease ever haunting hissteps, in the midst of dangersthat no human foresight could avert, this heroicman pursued the one great aim of his life. It werea repetition of the like actions and the same

128 ALFRED SAKEK.xlevotedness, to follow Mr. Saker througli the nextfour years in which he was permitted to pursuehis course. Frequent spells of bodily sufiering didnot prevent the achievement of the oljjects on whichhis heart was set. War for a time might disturbthe quiet progress of his work ; his helpers might fail,or the necessary material for the needed buildings mightbe long in coming to hand ; still, with unremitting vigour,the work was carried on. Chapels and school-housesand mission-houses, at_ Bethel, at Victoria, at Hickory,.and at Bell Town, were planned and made; repairs ofbuildings, fallinginto constant decay from the ravagesof insects or of storms, were made ; and, above all,the care of the churches, the training of the young,the translation of tlie Scriptures, the preparation ofvocabularies and school books, and the exercise of aninfluence deservedl}' won in the counsels of the tribes,and which was ever usedfor the preservation of peace,.civilisation, and good government;—all, and everyone of these various departments of missionary labourreceived ]\Ir. Saker's incessant attention, and calledforth the energies of his ever active mind. Exhaustingand depressing as is the climate of this region of Africa,Mr. Saker filled every hour with some needed work.In his letters, ]\Ir. Saker seldom enters into muchdetail. For the most part he describes his employmentsin a few short, pithy sentences. He was too busyto give the time to composition, or to dwell on thespecial features of his work. A few excerpts from hispapers will sufficiently exhibit the variety of his aims,and his mode of working.Thus, on the 31st of March (1866) he says :—" Themonth closes heavily on us. For two weeks we have

CHAPEL AT HICKOEY TOWN, CAMEEOONS.

PERSEVERING TOIL. 129been in the midst of war and its consequences, and nohope of peace yet. Our work, our journeys, our meetingsare all more or less impeded. We have to-day ourusual service, and to-morrow we hope to have meetingsin all the hostile towns. Isaiah is finished. This weekI l>egin a new work. Our chapel will have been quitesilent this month. The men have been compelled totake the musket and sword instead of the trowel. Ourfriend Johnson has gone at last, and his family aredeep sorrow."Mr. Horton Johnson was Mr. Saker's first convert,and became, under his instruction, one of the mostuseful and efficient servants of the Mission. His pietyand zeal were conspicuous, and his loss was mostse^'erelyfelt by Mr. Saker and the native church.Another month Mr. Saker writes :" Our brethrenhave taken advantage of the fine weather, and have beenjourneying.This has left me all the work of the station,besides much translation, printing, and building ;sixteenhours daily, with scarcely time to eat. It will bepleasant for you to know that I have gone on all themonth without suffering from it, and am now strong foranother month of toil. Our war here is not at an end,but may break out at any moment. The madness andsavagery of both sides are a sad interruption to us.But what are our disputes, and hatred, and slaughterto that of the European Continent [the Franco-GermanWar] ! True, both are alike desperate, both are theresult of ambition ; but there they separate—they onlyunite in the character of the misery it entails. Oh I"when will the Kingdom of Peace be set up ?Again he writes in July, 18GG : "As to our successin our toils I cannot say much. I have just finished9in

130 ALFRED SAKER.Matthew, almost a new translation, aseveiy verse andevery word has been revised, and the best possiblerepresentation given to the Greek as far as I can do it.Indeed, the present edition is doubtless my final attemptto give the people the true Word of Life. Some tenyears liave passed since the Matthew we use was printed;during that time my knowledge of the language hasbeen steadily increasing. I can give a better renderingnow than I could then. Some five chapters of Markare now in the press, and I shall this month print asfar as my paper will allow. While this new revisionof the Gospels is going through the press, other partsof the Old Testament are to keep pace with it. I ambusy now with the Book of Job. While I await paperfrom you I must attend to Mr. Thomson's dwelling.Certain buildings must be had. For instance, all thecooking must be done out of the house. Then thereare sheds for goats, fowls, &c. ; all adds to the expense.We are looking forward to a small addition to ourchurch next month ; it may be six weeks. There areonly two accepted at present."On one occasion he had aMr. Saker's frequent journeys to Victoria often exposedhim to great danger.narrow escape from being drowned. A sudden rush ofwind swayed the boom of his little schooner, and he wasswept into tHe sea. By the help of the boatmen he wasquickly rescued, but had to sit for eight hours in his wetclothes.The steady and continuous growth of his workmore than compensated him for all his toil and sufferings.The work of the Lord prospered under his hand.In his last letter of the year 1868 he had the joy toannounce the virtual completion of the version of the

;PERSEVERINCJ TOIL. 131Old Testament scriptures. "The year's toil is over,"he writes. "Tlirough God's manifold mercy I havecompleted the translation of the entire Bible, with theexception of a few chapters ofChronicles, which are sonearly like parts of the Books of Kings that I omittedthem till other books were finished. Those chapters Ishall not write till next rains, as in the months ofJanuary and February I must be out in the countryand towns adjacent. You are aware tliat, after my recoveryin February last, I sought to print the revised'Acts of the Apostles,' and then the Psalms. This done,my health emboldened me to resolve on the translationof all the remaining books of the Old Testament, and Iam exceedingly thankful that God has helped me to gothrough it, althougii I have suspended nearly everythingelse, except the preaching, for this one workSome books have given me great trouble. There are•constructions in Ezekiel which T cannot even nowunderstand sufficiently to render into intelligible sentences; even the English rendering I do not understand.If a few things in the Acts ' ' wearied my brain for.hours, Ezekiel has held me for days. Some of his wordsI must read and read again ere I can print."Our church increases slowly. We baptized six;three others are accepted, and two from Dido Town, thereward of the faithful toil of N'Kwe, and where also Mr.Smith has often visited. These will be baptized in afew days. Our congregation increases slowly too.Sometimes we feel oppressed at the few who will hearat other times nearly a full house of earnest hearers fills•one with joy and hope."Early in the year 1869 Mr. Saker again resolved on avisit to England.His colleagues had all of them, in the9*

132 ALFEED SAKE!;.three or four years previous, been compelled to returnhome for invigoration and health ; and Mrs. Saker andher children had been absent for many months. Eventsto be presently referred to also rendered it expedientthat he should confer with the Committee.For twentyfiveyears he had laboured in the tropics, and, althoughhis indomitable spirit forbade him to relinquish thetask, it was yet doubtful whether his strength wouldpermit or justify a prolongation of that intense devotionwhich had so wonderfully and so long sustainedhim. Leaving, therefore, his colleagues, now well inuredto the work, he tore himself away, and in the monthof May once more reached his native land, emaciated,pale, feeble, and deeply suffering, yet ready at a moment'scall to risk all for Christ and or the souls of men.

CHAPTER XIV.Visit of the Deputation, 1869— 1870.WEXTY-FOUE years had more thanelapsed since Mr. Saker commenced bismissionary life among the Dualla townson the riiverCameroons.Brief visits hadbeen paid to them by Dr. Prince andMr. Clarke in the early years of the IMission ; but Mr.^aker was the lirst missionary to settle there.His firstdwelling, as we have seen, was a native hut, withoutwindows or outlet, except the door, raised on a moundof earth, the walls formed of split bamboo, and plaitedpalm leaves for the roof The peojjle were utterlybarbarous, without knowledge or written language,without clothing except ofthe rudest and most meagrekind, unacquainted Avith the arts of social life, oiwith the customs of civilised society, except suciias ministered rather to their degradation, and theindulgence of vicious inclinations. Food fit forEuropeans was nearly unattainable, and the cultivationpractised by the people was so scanty and wretchedas to leave them for a large part of the year dependenton the spontaneous fruiis of the ground. Communicationwith England was unfrequent, and Mr. Saker andhis family were more than once on the verge of starvation.Unaided, except by his devoted wife and a native

134: ALFRED SAKEE.convert or two from Clarence, Mr. Saker had alone, hvthe first instance, to grapple with these difficulties. Abetter house, if only for health's sake, had to be erected.The first buildings were necessarily of wood, and itwas the perishable nature of this material that led Mr.Saker subsequently to attempt the manufacture ofbricks. By degrees, the converts and others of thepeople were taught the use of the hammer, the chisel,and the plane ; the moulded clay was burnt, and ahouse of enduring materials was built. Gradually andslowly the permanent buildingsin which the work ofthe Mission was carried on were constructed from Mr..Saker's designs, and erected under his_incessantsupervision.But this went on not at one station only. At Dido'sTown, at Bell Town, at John A'kwa's Town, at Hickoryor Mortonville, more or less of this beneficent workwas accomplished ; and, last of all, a permanent townshipwith its laws and regulations was establishedon Amboises Bay ; a mission chapel and residencefor the missionary were erected, and assistance wasgiven to the colonists to establish themselves in theirnew home, where freedom to worship God and perfectliberty were to the fullest extent secured and enjoyed.But if the achievement of these varied resultsabsorbed a great deal of time, we have seen that themore direct duties of a missionary's life were notneglected.Every available moment was consecrated tothe acquisition of the language, in reducing it to a writtenform, and in the employment of the press to furnish thepeople with the Scriptures and other useful books.Many days and weeks were spent in itineracy, in orderthat the knowledge of the Gospel might be given to the

VISIT OF THE DEPUTATION. 135tribes dwelling on the hi'jjher reaches of the river, andyet farther into the interior ; while the fruits of hisearnest ministry at the stations were gathered intoschools and congregations. All had to be effected inspite of frequent sickness and necessary absences, thehostility of some of the tribes, and the wearing awayof both physical and mental energies in the miasmaticatmosphere of the deadly Western Coast of Africa. Onemissionary after another had come and gone, some tothe rest of G-od, others driven away by the latalitiesthat await all who sojourn there.At the time of which we now write (18G9) there remained,of all the devoted men who had consecrated theirlives to the Mission besides Mr. Saker, only the two youngbrethren, Mr. Robert Smith and Mr. Q. W. Thomsonfrom England, and Mr. Joseph FiOler and Mr. Pinnockfrom Jamaica. To the deep distress of Mr. Saker, therehad arisen during the last few years much diversity ofjudgment between him and them, and which for a sliorttime seemed to threaten the existence of the Missionitself.Correspondence and forbearance had alike failedto restore harmony. At length, the Committee of theSociety deemed it necessary, once for all, to make aninvestigation upon thespot into the alleged grounds ofcomplaint. For this purpose, in the autumn of theyear, the Committee requested me to accompany Mr.and Mrs. Saker on their return.Accordingly, with my beloved wife, and in the companyof Mr. and Mrs. Saker and their daughter Emily,I sailed from Liverpool in the steamship Athenian.The first two days of tlie voyage were stormy, but theclouds dispersed, and the rest of the way the sea wascalm and the journey uneventful.Vv'e landed at Bethel

136 ALFRED SAKER.Station, King A'kwa's town, on the 7th of December, inJiealth and safety. Daring the month that I was permittedto remain, my time was wholly occupied withthe questions that had brought me to Cameroons, and Ihad but few opportunities for journeying beyond thearea occupied by the brethren in their daily toil. I wasvery soon convinced that the alienation of feeling andcontrariety of action, which were soon made painfull}'apparent to me, sprang chiefly, ifnot altogether, from adiversity of judgment as to the conduct of the Mission.The younger brethren were of opinion that, while acertain amount of secular work in putting np buildingsand keeping them in repair was requisite, too muchtime and attention had been given to them by Mr.Saker, to the detriment ofthe more spiritual part of tliework. By an unfortunate concurrence of circumstances,these differences hadacquired an importance altogetherunanticipated. In 1863 the home Committee had givenpower to a local Committee of all the missionaries onthe spot to meet, as often as might seem desirable, todiscuss and decide, subject to their approval, all questionsof interest, both secular aud relig iou?, affecting thewelfareof the Mission.This arrangement came into operationiu 186-4, but, before the end of that year, theremoval of all the senior brethren by death, or from othsrcauses, had left the management of these matters in thehands of the younger men mentioned above.*Mr. Saker soon found himself alone and unsupportedhi the councils of this Committee. It is unnecessary toenter into any minute detail of the events that followed.* Mr. Thomson only arrived in Africa at the end of the year

VISIT OF THE DEPUTATION. 137It was, to say the least, unfortunate.The discussions thatarose, and the resistance he met with, gave intense pain tothe senior member of the Committee, and after a short timehe withdrew from its deliberations, continuing to pursuethe course which the home Committee, on a previousoccasion, had declared to be " necessary to the wellbeingof the Mission."It can surprise no one that 'Sh-Haker should decline to allow his actions to be judged,and his views of what was necessary for '''the well-beingof the Mission" to be canvassed, in an adverse sense, bybrethren who were so much his juniors in age, in experience,in knowledge of missionary atfairs, and in acquaintiincewith the people. They were zealous, assiduous in thedischarge of the duties they had undertaken, but hadonly a limited acquaintance with the severe toil whichhad secured the advantages they now enjoyed. Mr.Saker, too, was by natural constitution reserved inspeech, apt to be silent when resisted, and to retire intohimself when no readiness was shown to accept hisconclusions, or to act with him in furtherance of hisplans. Nor could he tolerate any lack of industry orzeal. Ever himself fighting against the debilitating

;138 ALFRED SAKER.of labour, a word here, a five minutes' handling oftoolthere—all this is far less than what others have givento idle gossip. Then, on buildings for the Missionwhere would we all have been if still confined to thefrail, sickly huts of the heathen ? Deaths among ushave diminished in proportion to a better housing, andhow can we get better houses but by personal labour ?persevering labour, and with a double object—tosecurea healthy dwelling, with instruction to the natives,young and old, to go and do likewise. This, it is said,,is all very well, but it has been to the neglect of thework of a missionary. That means spiritual work, asthey would express it."With such, the true work of themissionary is, it seems, to go, book in hand, under a treehere and a shed there, and preach to the people. Withme the work has ever appeared in a different light.It isto go to the man in his house, to sympathise in hissorrows and cares, to aid him to think of a bettercondition and of the means to attain it. Then, whenliis attention has been gained, to speak of that higherlife which we have lost, and which the loving hand ofGod will give us again, if we will hear Him." Who, my dear brother, is to measure the value ofsuch a simple lesson given from one heart to anotherAndlieart, from a soul in light to a soul in darkness ?what if such a lesson be given by showing a better wayof planting and building ? I know that this methodhas no Mat : there is no noise, but I know there aregreat results. In all places where God has permittedme to labour, the first efforts have in part passed away,but now we can get a settled congregation. Yet, whilethere are heathen around us, the work must go on fromhouse to house, and from heart to heart, if it is to-

VISIT OF THE DEPUTATION. 139'succeed. To me it has ever been that the spiritualwork is to get at the heart of the individual man. Howit is done I don't care a pin. The Master wrought so ;theapostles in their various modes so worked, but still usingthe public assemblies when they could, as on the Mount,in an upper room, on Mar's Hill, or by the waterbrook,where prayer was often offered."All must feel that is a sutticient and forcible vindicationof Mr. Saker's methods of operation. It needs nocomment. It is complete, and requires no furtherexplanation.But, in connection with Mr. Saker's secular labours, itwas also affirmed that there had been much Avaste. andeven extravagance. With regard to this point, I maybe permitted to quote the observations I addressed tothe Committee :— " Doubtless some mistakes have beenmade, as was inevitable through the novelty ofthe circumstances.Experiments were tried which could nothave been done without expense. Some instances werementioned to me which were evidently nothing morethan diflerences of judgment between Mr. ISaker andthe local board ; the latter judging that to be wastefulwhich did not meet witli their approval. But it mustbe remembered that Mr. Saker found nothing to hishand ; he had to plan, to conceive, to construct everything,with few or no resources on the spot. After thefullest consideration I could give to these adverse statements,and after inspecting thepresumed evidences ofthis waste, it is my deliberate judgment that, while insome cases the statements have been exaggerations, inothers, when the destructive effects of climate are considered,the interruptions occasioned by illness, thethefts of the native population, the slow and inadequate

i40ALFKED SAKER.workmanship of the men Mr. Saker has had to instruct,the delay arising from want of materials to finish thework, and for which resort must be had to the stores andworkshops of England, Mr. Saker has done his best, hasnever wilfully wasted the Society's property, and hasnot been guilty of extravagance. On the contrary, Imarvel at the amount of work, both secular and religious,accomplished in the twenty-four years of Mr. Saker'stoil. He has exhibited an endurance, a devotedness inthe ]\Iaster's service, an heroic struggle with perils anddifficulties on every hand, which few missionaries arccalled to exercise, and which his successors will nothave to encounter. I should be unfaithful to my convictionsif I were not -anew to commend Mr. Saker tothe fullest confidence of the Committee, or to speak ofhim as among the greatest of modern missionaries ofthe Cross."During my stay I was able to visit all the stationsoccupied by the brethren. My last visit, in the companyof my dear wife and Mi*. Saker, was to Victoria.Two days were occupied in the voyage there and back,in an open boat, protected l3y an awning from thescorching sun. The crew consisted of four Cameroonsmen ^ (Christians) and four Kroo boys. It wasearly morning when we started, and, the moon beingnear her full, it was very light. Partly rowing andpartly under sail, about eight o'clock we entered one ofthe creeks which unite the Cameroons and Bimbiarivers. It was a beautiful pull among the mangrovetreeswhich grew in profusion at the water's edge, whilethe Bimbia mountains, which constitute the lower rangesof the great Cameroons mountain, added grandeur to thescene. The necessity of reaching Amboises Bay by

VISIT OF THE DErUTATK)X. 141daylight would not allow us when passing Bimbia t&-seek an interview with King William, whose housestands on an eminence a short distance from the river.Leaving the river for the sea, we weathered two orthroe promontories, and crossed the mouth of Man-of-War Bay. The coast scenery was very line. It wasrocky, consisting of masses of basalt and trap, coveredwith fine timber to the water's edge, where the seabroke in wild surf. The shore-hills were backed bylofty mountains, and could we have seen the great peak^wiiioh obstinately clothed itself with clouds and fogduring nearly the whole time of our stay, the scenerywould have exhibited its grandest and noblest forms.We caught the faintest glimmer of the mountain's shapeand magnitude, only sufficient to intensify our disappointment.About four o'clock we rounded the islandof Mandoleh, at the entrance of Amboises Bay, andVictoria lay before us on its little clearing, and its fewhouses scattered along the shore. Mr. Saker pointedout to us the chapel, Mr. Pinnock's house, Mr. Wilson's,and other cottages erected by the people. These friendscame down to the beach to receive us, as the surf droveour boat on shore amidst the sprinkling of the spray.Mr. Pinnock's house became our home during ourbrief stay. We found the colony to consist of some200 persons, all of whom were under the efficient instructionof Mr. Pinnock ;either in the day-school,which he personally taught, or in his Bible-classand Sunday-school, or in the sanctuary. A fewof the mountain people had lately settled in thetown, and a village had been formed, about a milefrom Victoria, of the fishing population inhabiting theislands of the bay. Here a school-house had been built

142 ALFRED SAKER.and the village was regularly visited by the pastor orsome of his members. Most of the houses of the nascentcolony were well-built of timber, and some progress hadbeen made in boat-building. I saw a schooner of considerablesize on the stocks, nearly ready for launcliing.Frequent intercourse was kept up with Fernando Po,where the produce of the colonists found a readymarket, and from whence children offormer membersof the church came to the school under Mr. Pinnock'scare. I was greatly pleased with the neatness of thepeople, their industry, their love for their minister andfor the house of God. Two days were passed in pleasantintercourse with the people, and we left with regret thisfair scene of hopeful toil.On the morning of the day following our return toBethel, my dear wife was suddenly called away to herheavenly home. The exposure of the previous daysand the great heat brought on an apoplectic attack,which, without any warning, robbed me of her sweetcompanionship. The prostration which followed herdecease, and the fever which seized me during the firstdaysof January, prevented the fulfilment of my intentionto make several excursions into the interior. Butthe main object of my visit was accomplished, and Ihad the pleasure of sesing relations of friendship andco-operation re-established and harmony restored.This chapter will be best closed with a few extractsfrom the report which I presented to the Committee," It is with more than pleasure that I statethat all the brethren sustain cheerfully the hardshipswhich this work entails, and endure with manly andChristian patience personal sufferings which fall to thelot of few missionaries in any part of the mission field.

;VISIT OF THE DEPUTATION. 14.'>For the Lord's sake, for the sake of the salvation of thesesavage and barbarous tribes, they gladly encounternumerous perils, and fearlessly meet the dangers whicha residence among uncivilised people involves, Tlieyare worthy of the churches that sent them fortli, andof the support rendered them by the Society wliosemissionaiies they are." The effect of these various labours in King A'kwa'.stown is very visible, not only in the improved dwellingswhich are springing up, and in the introduction of thecustoms of civilised life among the people, but in theabolition of the sanguinary practices which formerlyprevailed ; in the evident decay of superstition ;in theinfluence of the missionary in the counsels of the chiefsin the numbers wlio attend the house of God ; in theestimation in which the missionary and the converts aregenerally held ; and in the desire of the people forinstruction." The tribes living on the higher reaches of the river,as well as others nearer to the sea, are

144 ALFRED SAKER.fulfil the wishes of these more distant people, though itmay for a time involve an entire separation from the.stations now occupied.'•It now only remains that I should record in thewarmest terms my thankfulness for the welcome wkiclimy l)eloved wife and myself received from the brethrenand their partners, their readiness to supply me withthe information I required, the solicitude displayed byall, and especially by Mr. and Mrs. Saker, with whom Itookup my residence, for our comfort and health, and,above all, for the tender sympathy shown me by thelirethrcn in the great sorrow that befell me. If I leftin Africa with irrepressible grief the remains of onemost dear to me, my companion and helper in all mytravels in the service of the Society, I have neverthelesscome away with feelings of gratitude to God for thework which His servants have wrought, and for thesuccess which He has graciously given them. TheAfrican ^Mission abundantly deserves the support of thefriends of the Society, and is one that, with God'sblessing, will largely repay the toil expended upon it."

NEW MISSION- HOUSE, VICTOEIA, CALLED " BROOK MOUNT."

CHAPTER XV.The Last Days in Africa, 1870—187G.HE last seven years of Mr. Saker's missionarylife in Africa were years ofsteady and nnceasing toil, often interruptedby sickness, and only varied by ashort visit to England in 1874. The details of his daily•work difier little [from those already given, and it willsuffice to select a few incidents that have some freshnessor special interest.Notwithstanding frequent exhaustion and growingweakness, he still pressed on his translations and laboursat the press. On the 23rd of February, 1872, he announcesthe completion of the task he had set himself in theearliest days of his career. " I write you a line to-daywith sensations of great joy. The great work of yearsis now completed, and I feel as a birdlong iuiprisoned,liberated at last, with permission to fly and enjoy theglories of an open sky. I feel too much joy to expressit in a few words. While I write this, do not thinkthat the labour is all over and gone. There is yetmuch labour before us. Nevertheless, the victory isgained. The great work of getting into type this pricelessboDu to this country is now completed. The lastsheet of the Sacred Volume, in good and readable type,is before me.There yet remains the task of reprintingeuch books as are much needed, and then binding the10

146 ALFEED SAKEFv.whole in one volume. Our Bible will then be in threevolumes—the Pentateuch, this volume, Joshua toMalachi, and the New Testament. This is mechanicaltoil, and will be done by my worthy helpers. Havingthus prepared a tool, my own work henceforth willconsist chiefly in preparing a body of young men andwomen to use it well. Four young men are nowreading with me ; two are already preachers, o.nd the twoothers will, I hope, begin very soon. Then there arefour others, younger, who are studious, working both atthe type and their books. I have hope that God willcall them also into His vineyard. These are in hand here.There are, beside the young men in the town, membersof the church who have long been waiting for me togive them lessons, and my joy is not small that henceforthI shall have time to help them. On next Sabbath-Day, we have the work of baptizing again. We hopeour God has drawn seven others to Himself, and theseweshall baptize and receive into the church."But,although the translation of the whole Bible intoDualla was finished, he gave every spare moment to itsrevision.Often lying on his bed, strewed with his books,unable to rise, he pursued the study of the Divinerecords in the originals, noting the conclusions thathis investigation led him to embrace. Eeferring tohis studies in one of his letters, he says (April 25th,1870), " I have been deeply interested for some weekspast in the writings of the old prophets. "Would thatI had more of their spirit. The more I look atthose old Hebrew writings, the more majestic andamazing they appear ; that so much should be said insuch few words, that so much has been left unsaidsuch discrimination can only be Divine. While trans-

THE LAST DAYS IX Al'lIICA. 147lilting, I have often had to pause, heing overwhehneclwith the revelation ; and now, in printing, I feel againmy littleness, and am but a babe."It was an additional cause of joy to Mr. Saker that anAmerican missionary from the Gaboon, visiting Cameroonsin 1875, informed him that his Dualla versionof the Scriptures was perfectly understood l)y thenatives of that part ofthe coast,Tlie continual quarrels and wars among the tribes,though often bringing the Mission families into greatperil, stimulated Mr. Saker's desire to spread amongthem the gospel of peace. "The war," he says (writingin November, 1872), " is not yet over. In fact, weknow not what will be spared to-morrow. Eifle ballsare flying about us, but at present our mission-houseand chapel are mercifully spared." Fearless amidstevery danger, he busied himself in repairing the damagethus occasioned, in seeking to reconcile the combatants,and in devising plans for the extension of the Gospel intheir midst.The gift of a small steam launch, by a valued friend, onhis visit to England in 1874, gave hope to Mr. Saker thathe might be able to carry out the wish he had longcherished of visiting the towns lying in the variousrivers that deliver their waters to the Cameroons.Unexpected delays took place in its arrival. " I havebeen strongly hoping," he says (July 17th, 1875), " thatthis July mail would have brought my little boat. ButI must wait a little longer. I have no informationrespecting it. From the time of my return till to-day,I have given much attention to evangelistic labouraround us, as well as to printing. I am happy to saythat the work has been resumed atBell Town, and the10*

148 ALFRED SAKER.school established. At Malimba a school lias beenbegun, and children already readin the first-class book,while one man evidences a change of heart. Others«,re seeking instruction. The more distant regions arestill before me, like the land of Israel to ]\Ioses when onthe mountains of Moab. Shall I, like him, be forbiddento enter the land ? I have waited in perfect quiet,having my hands full, and shall find employment hereif detained. But I long to do something more before Idie. My general health is good, but I have to take allpossible care, for the foe is ever on the watch to castme down. Not a day passes but I hear the warningvoice."As the letter announcing the arrival of the long-desiredboat is very characteristic, showing that the engineerof Devonport Dockyard had lost none of his earlytastes or skill, it is given in full. The date is November10th, 1875, from " Old Calabar" :— " Before this reachesyou, you will have learnt that the little steam yachtwas left for me at this place, and that one of the traderskindly lent me the use of his boat to visit and take•charge of it. I arrived here late on Friday night, the5th inst.Since then I have been cleaning and finishing,for the engineers of the mail could not complete allthey wished on account of time. I have put the littlevessel on the beach, and, while the tide was out, accomplishedall that was needful to be done except somea forge.Last evening we again floated her into deep water, andto-day I have tested the engines. At high water I shallrivetting in the paddle boxes, for which I needbegin my homeward journey, but anchorof the river allnight.at the mouth" It is a small thing to say that I am very thankful

THE LAST DAYS IN AFRICA. 141>to receive this vessel after so long a delay. May it bea consecrated instrument to God's glorious work. Ifeel that its mission is one and simple—to bear themessenger safely and speedily to his distant work."Between tliis date and the 10th of March (187G), Mr.Saker made three journeys in his little steamer ;the thirdwas one of intense pain and grief. Writing under dateof February 28th, he says :" I left here (Cameroons) onthe 17th. The next morning we sought to enterour eastern river for Lungarsi, but a tornado debarredus. Yetj as soon as possible, we steamed on, andmanaged to make some forty miles with comfort. Thenext day we went on again, but were soon detained byshallow water. We waited an hour, and then clearedthe bank. Not more than thirty miles of progress allday. The next day was the Sabbath. Tried in themorning to reach the first village ;found the water tooshallow, so took the small boat to communicate withthe people. Judge of my disappointment in findingthe village to contain only five small huts, representingone family, and that a recent immigration from a highersettlement. The former people all cut off by the smallpoxwhile I was in England."By the night tide we passed the bank which was ourhindrance in the morning, and came again to deepwater. Thence onward, and at nine in the morningmade the Butu landing-place. We visited the people,,examined the school-house ;* it is now a ruin. It was.abandoned on account of the plague, and has not beenused since. Here 1 found all the old families gone.Two young men, sons of the former chief, welcomed us,* At Malimba ; see before, p. 148.

;]50 ALFRED SAKER.and led us over the town, sucli as it is. I countedfifteen bouses, including the chief's three. At a laterhour I walked three-quarters of an hour through theone-time town on the bank of the river. In that walkI counted five huts, with two new ones building. Iheard of yet other huts if I would walk a luilefarther on. In all this walk the spoor of the hippopotamusand the elephant were everywhere. I cannotdescribe the spiritless life of these few poor people.The fearful visitation, cutting off such multitudes, is sorecent ; stupefaction and powerlessness seem upon all.We found some of the children alive who had read thefirst class-book."After staying with these people four hours, wepassed a mile into ' Kotto.' It was here at Kotto thatmy heart failed me ;the desolation so great, so recentI met a man of years— the chief. With him I walkedover the ruins. The chief's street consists now of nineseparate buildings. Beyond, street after street, withhouses cast to the ground.In many streets not a houseleft ; the whole choked with dehris, not a way to passthrough. Then we came to a house—solitary. It wasthe house of a slave, the sole representative of a oncepowerful clan. Then onward, and another house—thehome of a woman, the only survivor of a large familywhich filled three streets. Then on and on, a lieartrendingsight. The one-time multitude to whom Ipreached the good news of the Kingdom—where arethey?" Sadly I walked the length and breadth of that town.The plantain and cocoa in luxuriant growth, and noliving owner ;a land full of food, and the eater gone." I met in my walk seven men beside the chief, some

"THE LAST DAYS IX AFRICA. 151twenty women and grown girls, perhaps twenty-five•children.Those I saw and those I heard of will give apopnlation of about eighty souls. My estimate of thepopulation on my former visit was four thousand !" To these few grown-up yet 1broken men and women,what could I say ? My own heart was dumb ; anindescribable awe was upon me;I could do but littlebeyond commending them to God in prayer." After doing what we could at Butu and Kotto theIMonday and Tuesday, we took the high water in thenight, and passed safely over the banks on our return.Daylight came, and with tide and steam we went onwardwith speed, and that night anchored at the bar of the riverin a terrible storm.It drifted us with our anchor and allour chain on to a large sand-bank, and nearly over it,and left us so high that we could only float off at nearlyhigh water. Then an hour and fifteen minutes broughtus home, thankful, yet sad. The w^ords are constantlywelling up within me, ' I was dumb, for Thou didst it.'Such are the terrible ravages of small-pox when itfinds a nidus among an uncivilised people, far removedfrom all the remedies which civilisation can supply.Many a town on the coast of Africa has thus l^eenwasted by this fatal and frightful disease.From this time, the health of Mr. Saker steadilydeclined, and it became evident, towards the close ofthe year, that his shattered condition could no longerendure the fervid heats of the Torrid zone. One morevisit to the interior, to the south of Bethel, was paid inthe month of June, where he reports that he met withoverflowing hearers. But he was compelled to say," There is a general weakening going on. Daily I feelthat the tabernacle is dissolving ;hence 1 try to secure

—;152 ALFRED SAKER.every hour for such work as seems imperativelydemanded of me." Thirty-two years of labour in adeadly climate, and the unresting toil in which he hadexhausted the energies of a frame always frail, left noalternative if his life were to be prolonged for a singleday.After his visit home in 1874, he had returned toAfrica with the Eev. J, Grenfell, a young man ofa congenial spirit and of youthful energy, to whom hecould confide the well-being of his beloved people atBethel ; while at Victoria and on the mountain side, Mr.Pinnock, and his son-in-law, Mr. Thomson, could watchover his work and sustainthe growing colony so dearto his heart. Mr. Smith had died in the month ofAugust, in the prime of life ;but Mr. Joseph Fuller wasadmiraljly fitted to supply his place at Hickory andDido Town. In his last letter to the Mission Housefrom Africa, dated September 28th, 1876, after sayingthat his "health has been failing very seriously," headds with joy, " I have good news from the interiorthe work of God is progressing there. Two other youngmen will leave here in about three weeks for anotherplace where they are needed. Pray excuse more ; myhead refuses to direct my pen." The end of this heroicman's career in Africa had come, and it closed, as it hadbegun, with the one absorbing thought and effort togi^eto Africa the great salvation.We cannot more appropriately bring this record ofan earnest missionary life to a close than by givingMr. Saker's own account of the work in which hehad been engaged, as narrated in a private letter to afriend :" I cannot describe to you the condition in which I

;fuund this whole people.THE LAST DAYS IX AFKICA. ISS*-A book they had not seenthe commonest implements of husbandry and tools ofall kinds were unknown ; civilisation, with all itsappliances,was entirely absent. The hut for dwelling,and its separate shed for working, were in some respectsobjects beautiful to sight, and in their formation showedtaste and ingenuity^. Crockery, too, had just beereintroduced by traders, and bartered for oil. But theseformed only objects for inspection and admiration to thosewho could not obtain them ; they were the covetedpossession ofthe chiefs." I brought with me tools to make my own dwelling.These attracted immediate attention, and soon severalyouths learned to use the saw, the plane, and the adze.The want of tools was felt by numbers, and I gaveawaymuch to meet that want. Implements of husbandry,the spade and the hoe, were introduced. Then Itaught them to cutthe large timber trees, and suppliedthe cross-cut and the pit saw, and aided them in sawing,till they could do it alone. I taught them better modesof culture, and planted ground as an example. Iintroduced seeds from other parts of the coast at a'considerable charge, until the country was stocked withthe sweet potato.And I had the pleasure of seeing agradual extension of cultivation, and much lesssufferingfrom want. At our first settlement here, thetotal produce from the land did not exceed three months*consumption for the year, and tliere followed months ofsemi-starvation, and a running to distant places topurchase food at great expense.In the course of yearsweso improved that in some things there is now aredundance."In teachiniT these men A'arious handicrafts and

154 ALFRED SAKEE,Imsbandiy, many wants were created, and, except fromme, there was no means of meeting those wants. HenceI had to lend tliem tools, and nails, hinges, screws, locks,&c., &c., and this lending was, for a long time, no betterthan giving. In the course of time, and when thepeople were able to do it, I demanded a payment inproduce, and accepted such a price as each was able torender. This also passed away, and now for a longtime past I have (except in needy cases) exacted thefull value of tools and other goods supplied ; and, as welive chiefly by barter, we oft maintain our large familyof native children by the exchange of nails, screws,hinges, &c." For all such expenditure you will readily sec thatthe Mission funds are not available, and the attempt tosupply the want was a heavy drain for years ; indeed,my circumstances were for years on a level with thenatives; our food was nearly the same; but we wereclothed and they were not." liecalling thus the past, my heart again utters itsglad thanks to those friends who aided me in the heavyexpenses of those early years.Never shall I forget tlierelief I felt when a friend sent me £10 to buy seeds, orin any other way helped me on—in books, too, for thosewho learned to read and write, and in class and copybooks.I may also safely say that the many reams ofnote-paper I have consumed in translations, vocabularies,and grammars, friends have supplied the whole." Lest I weary you, I will now cease this reference tothe past."That these labours bore ample fruit in conversions,iind in laying broad and deep the foundations of theKingdom of God on this part of the coast of Africa, we

;THE LAST DAYS IN AFRICA. loohave abuiidaiitly seen. Mr. Grenfell has assured usthat, on the general population also, Mr. Saker's exertionswere not without ample reward. When a palaver, ornative council, he tells us, is held in the town, " theindividual against whom a decision is given often refusesto accept the verdict, unless the native pastor or one ofthe deacons is in the majority. The knowledge that anadverse decision, if not endorsed by some of the Christianpeople, will be appealed against, renders the palaverespecially attentive to their opinions. Culprits havegreat faith in the uprightness of the officers of the church,and feel sure that their judgment will be tempered bymercy. Such a fact speaks volumes for the power forgood that the church possesses. Although the strifebetween the natives and the traders continues, theMission premises are held to be neutral ground, and onLord's-day both parties assemble in that home of peace,the house ofprayer."Thus, step by step, Christianity and civilisation havel)een planted, and the severe sufferings of Mr. Saker'searly years have been abundantly repaid in the improvedcondition of the people and in the spread of Gospel light.Much yet remains to be done to banish the superstitionsand bad habits that ages of ignorance have nurturedbut the successors of Mr. Saker will find ready totheii hand appliances wdiichwere vainly sought in theearly stages of the work. The gains of the past areproofs that the Divine blessing has not been withheld,and are moreover pledges that greater things are in storeto reward patient well-doing in the time to come.Mr. Saker finally left the scene of his conflicts andsuccesses by the mail of November, and reached hisnative land on the 12th of December, 187G.

CHAPTER XVI.Closing Days, 1877—1880.LETTER dated the 12th of December,1876, and written as the ship nearedLiverpool, announced the arrival of Mr.Saker. " Dear brother," he said, " Thusfar God has graciously brought us. Inan hour I hope to land. The voyage home has beenthe renewal of my life. T shall land with much of raypast health. This is a great mercy. Our voyage, thoughlong (40 days), has been exceedingly pleasant. I havereceived every kindness and attention from the commanderand officers, and much of my restoration is due tothe comforts which have surrounded me." Although Mr.Saker wrote thus hopefully of his health, there awaitedhim many months of severe suffering. " The Shadow,"as the natives of Cameroons had of late years beenwont to designate him, as in weakness he moved aboutamong them, landed, worn to skin and bone, emaciatedto a degree scarcely conceivable, and with a constitution,never strong, now utterly broken. His indomitablespirit alone kept him alive. As the spring advanced,some degree of improvement began to appear, and inthe early months of the following year he was able tovisit, as a deputation, a few of the more importantchurches in various parts of the country.The Mission to the Congo, which at this time was in

CLOSING DAYS. 157contemplation, excited his deepest interest, and in everypossible way he rendered the aid that was in his power.His long acquaintance with equatorial Africa, its peopleand its languages, was of great service to the Coniniittec,and made his counsel invaluable. Joyfully wouldhe again have gone forth as the pioneer of this greatenterprise. In a speech of rare merit that he deliveredat Cannon Street Hotel, at the breakfast meeting heldto expound the course taken by the Committee of theSociety to inaugurate this Mission, after recountingsome of the labours and successes of his life in Africaas grounds for encouragement, he added, with an "accentof conviction" that thrilled the assembly, "Though theyears past have been years of suffering and years oftoil, there is nothing in this country that could temptme to stop—tempt me to exchange a life of labour andsuffering there, if so be I can have but a repetition ofthe joy that has been given to me in that landGod hath accepted our past labours and blessed them.Let us in faith and in faithful labour trust Him for allthe future."In the year following, at the meeting held in CannonStreet Hotel to bid farewell to the four youi.-g brethren,Messrs. Comber, Crudgington, Bentley, and Hartland,who were about to enter on the Congo Mission, Mr.Saker met with a most enthusiastic reception, tlicwhole audience rising to their feet to do him honour.In the following wise and devout language he gatheredup the experience of his missionary life :— " While Icongratulate you to-night, and the Committee also, inthe establishment, so far, of this Mission, I should like,to utter just this word— that the enthusiasm of thishour will not suffice. AVe are but beginnin"; a work

158 ALFEED SAKER,which will test our fidelity, our faith, our zeal, and itwill test our hope also. Yet we may go forth withconfidence, because He that commandeth thatthe Grospel to the heathenwe bearhath Himself promised thatHe will be with us. It is not prospective ;but He is'Avith us. Lo ! I am with you always, even to the endof the world.' And in the presence of the Master, andarmed with His power, your brethren, young as theyare, may go forth in confidence. You may send themwith confidence, and they will labour on faithfully andsuccessfully while they live near their Master, lowly,trusting in Him, holding fast to His hand, and walkingas ever in His sight. But they may be called upon tosuffer. We know that they must labour, it may be long,long years without much success, and in allthe labour,in all the suffering, in all the toil of the future, in allthe waiting, they Avill want your sympathy, yourprayers, your help ;not the sympathy of this hour alone,but the continuous sympathy of your hearts. Thesebrethren now going forth are but few, and they areweak as we are; yet in the hand of the Master theycan be strong.Pray, then, that the Master may not failthem, that they may not fail their Master ; but thatthey may live near unto Him, and that they work forHim. And, then, while they are down in that deepdungeon, you cannot know the sorrow, the suffering, theKeep hold of that rope, friends, ontoil, they may have.which they depend. Let them have the consciousnessthat the whole Christian heart of this country is beatingin sympathy with them, and that your prayers ascendto the Master on His Throne that He may sustain them."Once more, in the autumn of 1879, Mr. Sakerappeared before the delegates of the churches assembled

CLOSING DAYS. 159'ill Glasgow, and boro his testimony to the -wondrousp;race that had aided histhe work of the Lord.labours, and prospered him inIt was a wonderful sight to seethat enfeebled man, that spare frame, that fadiiig form,in tender, quiet, and yet thrilling words call fortli thedeep emotions of the vast throng gathered in St.Andrew's Hall. For several minutes he stood tremblingwith awe, as the assembly testified its regard and respectfor the hero of the Cross. His last words were thebreathing out of his life." If," he said, " the African isa brother, should we not give him some of our breadand a draught of our water ? Oh 1" he exclaimed, witha glow of passionate feeling that touched and awokeinto voiceful expression the chords of every heart inhis audience, " that I had another life to go out there.The field is white there, the multitudes are in darknessstill. It is the Son of (Jod calling on us to go forth andpreach the Gospel to this creature, and we have thepromise that He will l)e with us unto the end. ]\IayHis blessing be on you and on them."Thus closed the public life of Alfred Saker. Hisfew last months were cheered by tlie promise that hiswork at Cameroons would not be overlooked in the moreexciting interest of the movement on the Congo. Mr.Comber and Mr, Grenfell had been taken away to devotetheir energiesand their experience to tlie exigencies ofthe new field, but ]\Ir. and Mrs. Lyall were acceptedfor King A'kwa's Town ;and his son-in-law, Mr.Thomson, would not fail to watch with deep and anxioussolicitude over the best interests of the colony ofVictoria. Above all, his joy was full when the Committeeaccepted the services of his youngest daughter, Emily,tliat she might enter upon that portion of her father's

160 ALFEED SAKER.work which more especially concerned the training ofthe young. From her childhood she had aided herparents, and given, as the years went on, the mostefficient help to her father in his translations and printingwork. Her familiar acquaintance with the Dualhilanguage was of great value to the Mission, and allhearts were glad that the name of Saker would not belost or forgotten among the people he had lived to save.I cannot refrain from quoting the following testimonyto the value of the labours of both father and child,.given by that eminent scholar, E. N. Oust, Esq., of theIndian Civil Service, in his important and valuablework (just published) on the Languages of Africa. " Ithink also," he says, " of the patient, enthusiastic scholar,often tried l)y fever and dysentery, and warned to fly,yet lingering on until his work was stopped by death,bearing hardships and discomforts of which we canform no conception. And it is not every missionary.scholar who, like Saker, has left a young daughterwilling and able to take up the skein of an Africanlanguage dropped by her father, and carry through tocompletion a revised edition of her fatlier's translationof the New Testament." * The mantle of the fatherhas fallen on his beloved child. Her parents, droopingunder the weakness and exliaustion consequent ontheir long life in Africa, cheerfully relinquished " thelight of the house " for the cause of Christ in the DarkContinent.* "A Sketch of the Modern Languages of Africa,"' by R. N. Oust,Esq., vol. i., p. 71. This edition of two thousand copies of theDualla New Testament was printed at the cost of the BibleTranslation Society. Though Miss Saker made many emendationsof the text, it is rather a reprint than a revision.

CLOSING DAYS. 161IXiring the last few months of his life, aiuid iii-•creasing sufl'ering borne with singular patience witliunabated mental clearness Mr. Saker would often returnto his favourite (jccupations, and take up liis Duallavocabulary and grammar with the desire to render themmore complete, oi' busy himself witli liis tools. But asingle half-hour was sufticient to tire his worn-outpowers, and for weeks he would be compelled to laybooks and tools aside, sorrowfully sighing out the words,what have I come to, that I cannot even do"'Oh !that ^ " He came home ill from Glasgow, and from thattime the disease which he had so long manfully bravedgained increasing strength. Eeluctantly he was drivento decline the requests which reached him to visitvarious congregations where his presence would havebeen highly valued. With the cold winds of March(1880) he daily became more low. On the 8tli of thatmonth he had a very bad night, but in the morningslept a little. To his wife, who entered his room soon-after he awoke, gazing at her with a far-off" look, hesaid," My dear, cannot we have a few words of prayertogether ? " Her heart sank ;she felt that the hand ofdeath was gently drawing him away. " He prayed,".says the beloved partner of all his labours, " such aprayer as I had never heard. I often wish I couldrecall some of it, but I cannot. I felt, 'Truly Godis here.'" He then slowly dressed, and descendedto his room below, where he remained till the endcame.Nevertheless, he spoke hopefully to the doctor iniittendance, and expressed the opinion that his workwas not yet done. " No, my dear friend," was the reply,"" it is not done, for I believe we shall have glorious11

162 ALFKED SAKER.work to do yonder.'"' " Yes," he answered ;" but I do'not think my work for Africa is done yet." Nor is itdone ;his works " do follow him," and the leavesofthe tree of life he has planted on the Dark Continentremain still, and flourish for the healing of itspeople.It was evident, however, to those who watched himwith tender solicitude, that the shades of the dark valleywere gathering over his head;yet was the path beforehim lit up with the presence of Him who is the Lightof Life and the Giver of Victory over Death. Calmlyhe comforted his wife with words of cheer and hope." When God takes me," he said, " He will provide foryou. Itemember the past, through how many dangersand trials you have been l)rought. He will raise upfriends for you."As the evening of final rest drew near, he seemedat times scarcely conscious, and when he spoke it waswith difficulty that he could be understood. Amonghis last distinct utterances was one addressed tohis grandson Alfred. Seeing iiim entering the roomto say " Good night," he watched the boy that hedearly loved to tlie foot of the bed, and then said^" God bless you, my boy." All day on Friday (the12th) he was evidently yielding to the disease ; butit was not till about five o'clock in the afternoon thathe fully realised that the end had come. He openedhis eyes, and, looking earnestly at his wife, put outhis hand for hers. She said, " Are you conscious thatyou are going to leave me ? " He nodded assent. " Areyou quite happy ? " And again he gave the like token.Then closing his eyes, amidst much difliculty of breathing,gently and quietly, about one o'clock, he crossed

—CLOSIXG DAYS. 163the river of deatli. A sweet smile passed over thepallid, worn fae(^ as the ministering angels Lore hisspirit to the presence of his Lord.In bringing to a conclusion this brief sketch of thelife of Alfred Saker, I am happy to add the followingadditional particulars of the closing scene from the pen ofmy dear friend and successor, Mr, Alfred Henry Baynes,the present Secretary of the Baptist Missionary Society:" Dear Dr. Uxi)Ekiiill,—You have been good enoughto ask me to give you a few particulars relating to theclosing days of Alfred Saker's life. You know howour heroic friend disliked all titles ; he often used tosay to me, ' I will have neither prefix nor affix to myname—let it always stand, Alfred Saker, Missionary toAfrica! There was, as you so well know, a grand simplicityabout our friend. He had an utter contempt forwhat the world calls ' fame.' I had the privilege of seeinghim frequently during his closing days, and I regard thosefre

—;164 ALFRED SAKEE.the word ' Africa ' ring forth. At last he would becomewrought up to such a pitch that lie could scarcely remainat his Avork, in his passionate longing to be off'. His onemaster passion all through life was to live and labour forthe good of the Dark Continent."The last time I saw him alive—only a few hoursbefore hisdeath—he was greatly exhausted, and I feltsure the end was rapidly approaching. I can neverforget what took place then. He was speaking of howmanifestly Christ had been with him through thenight when, in great suffering, he thought his endhad come, and, turning to me with eyes full ofbrightness, and with a voice unfaltering, he quoted thewords'Jesus, the very thouglit of TheeWith sweetness fiffs iny breastBut sweeter far Thy face to see,And in Thy presence rest.'And, apart from a ' Farewell,' and ' God bless you, mydear friend,' these were his last words as I left thehouse. A few more hours, and a final struggle, andhe passed through the gates into theever at rest.and looked upon hiscity, and was forTwo days afterwards I stood by his cofhn,thin, pale, worn face—very peacefuland very calm ; it had lost much of its painful look,the result of intense suffering, and there seemed restingupon it a peace which was reposeful and beautiful. Ireverently bent my head down, and kissed his cold forehead,and said ' Farewell,' until the everlasting day dawn andthe shadows flee away, to one of the noblest grandest menI ever expect to meet on earth, and 1 cannot recall thatmoment without the deepest feeling of devout thanks-

"—•CLOSING DAYS. 165giving that I was privileged to know him, and to callhim my friend." Mrs. Saker will tell you that his last words were :*For Thou art with uie ; and surely these words tell'out the whole story, and explain the entire life.A ' good soldier ' of Jesus Christ,'faithful untodeath.'" Oh, for grace, that we may be enabled to followhim, who now, through faithpromises!and patience, inherits theOn Friday morning, March 19th, at NunheadCemetery, amid sunshine and tears, the wasted frameof Alfred Saker was committed to the tomb, until theglad morning of resurrection. In the cemetery chapel,the Eev. C. M. Birrell read suitable portions of Scriptureand offered prayer, and, after an address by myself,the liev. J. P. Chown conducted the service at the grave.Many who loved him stood around the sepulchre, andsang, with devout and tender, yet grateful, sorrow, thesingularly appropriate hymn" Captain and Saviour of the hostOf Christian chivalry !We bless Thee for our comrade true,Now summoned up to Thee." We bless Thee for his every stepIn faithful following Thee ;And for his good fight fought so well,And crowned with victory." We thank Thee that tlie wayworn sleepsThe sleep in Jesus blest :The purified and ransomed soulHath entered into rest.

—166 ALFEED SAKEK." We bless Thee that His humble loveHath met with such regard ;We bless Thee for his blessedness,And for his rich reward."The sorrow felt in England had a touching andcharacteristic response in Africa. His native helper,Dibundu, writing to Mrs. Saker on hearing of thetidings of her beloved husband's departure, says :" King A'kwa was up country when he heard of dearMr. Saker' s death. He was bitterly sorry, and all hispeople too ; because they cannot forget all the goodwork Mr. Saker did in Cameroons river, and all roundabout. So the King made a law for his town, all of hisown accord, in remembrance of Mr. Saker, that no w^orkshould be done on Sundays, but all ought to go toworship. So on Sunday, May 8th, all the people withone accord came to our chapel, which was over-full, andmany more outside could not get in. You will rememberus, please, in your prayers, thaton, and many be converted to Jesus."the good work may goLittle more need be said respecting this true heroand faithful missionary of the Gospel of Christ. Thenarrative of his labours and the story of his lifesufftciently express the spirit that animated him, andshow thedevotedness with which he wrought to fulfilhis appointed service. He believed, with profoundconviction, that the Lord of the harvest had summonedhim to this task. Somewdiat austere in manner, reticentin speech, untiring and indefatigable in the pursuitof the object he had set his heart upon accomplishing,he was, nevertheless, truly tender and affectionate inspirit. If he was hard to please by those who werelaggards in the vineyard, or if his plans surpassed tlie

CLOSING DAYS. 167apprehensions of those who were about him, he wasever the foremost in labour and the last to leave thefield. He was the pioneer in a region in wliich lie hadno compeer, and to his hands fell the severe toilnecessary to lay the foundations of the work he achieved.'Take it all in all," is the testimony of that great man,Dr. Livingstone ;" take it all in all, specially havingregard to its many-sided character, the work of AlfredSaker at Cameroons and Victoria is, in my judgment,the most remarkable on the African coast."Xot less striking is the testimony of one of the mostnoted of modern African travellers, who visited the coastonly a few years ago, with no sympathy for mission work,and no personal regard for Christianity " : I do not at allunderstand how the changes at Cameroons and Victorialiave been brought about.to a large extent, Ijeen abolished ;Old sanguinary customs liave,witchcraft liides itselfin the forest; the fetish superstition of the people isderided l)y old and young, and well-built houses arespringing up on every liand. It is really marvellous tomark the change that has taken place in the natives ina few years oidy. From actual cannibals many havebecome honest, intelligent, well-skilled artisans. Anelementary literature has been established, and thewhole Bible translated into their own tongue, hithertoan unwritten one. There must surely l)e something'abnormal' in this." *Yes ; but the " abnormal " character of Alfred Saker'slabours lies in this : that, sustained l)y faith, with aheart quickened l)y the love of Christ, and inspired bythe H(jly Spirit of God, he wrought with full purpose• Mis

168 ALFKED SAKER.of heart for the salvation of Africa, and Uod gave himthe success that will ever attend the faithful servant ofthe Lord. His last words, " For Thou art with me,"tell out and explain the story of his life. He was.a gootl soldier of Jesus ('hrist, and, faithful untodeath,and therefore he has won the crown of an.enduring and immortal life.Reader : Go, and do thou likewise.

APPENDIX.Xo. 1.EEGULATIONS FOR THE COLONY OF VICTORIA,AMBOISES BAY.Agency Office, (ktohei; 1858,Victoria, West Afkica.This district, with its township now named Victoria, having Victoria.been purchased from the King of Bimbia, and the right and titlethereto having been ced»Ml to its present possessors ; and thistownship having Ijeen formed as a refuge and a home for thosewho cannot continue where liberty of worship is denied, and forall others who may be desirous of living peacefully with us, wedo heieby arrange and decree as followsThere shall be additional streets formed, as the wants of thetownship shall need them, according to the plan suspended inthis ottice.The spaces between the roads or streets shall be divided in Lots.building lots, and numbered. Each separate lot shall be a frontageof 50 feet and depth 100 feet.These lots can be obtained, at this office, by expressed adhesionto the regulations or bye-laws herein decreed and establishedamong us this day ; and on the following terms :Firstly,—By turchase, when a title iov a secure possessionwill be given as a receipt of payment made, and an acknowledgmentof the transfer.Secondly,—By an agreement, for a nominal ground-rest,and which agreement is to expire at the end of a term ofyears from date, with the option then of purchase at the marketprice, or a new agreement.How obtained,

170 ALFRED SAKER.Thirdly,— By a free grant, to continue during the life of therecipients, man or wife, with then the option of purchase by thePossession,heir, at the market price, or a new grant to the children.Any lot of ground in the township must be cleared of its bushand trees in six months, and a building—being a temporary or]3ermanent house—must be erected thereon within the twelvemonths, and the roadways, measured by the fr.mtage, keptcleaned. FaiHng in these preliminary steps, the right of])ossession lapses to this office, and the purchase money, if any,will be returned, but any expense incurred in a first clearing willCi.ardcn ground.be lost.(4arden ground in the neighbourhood granted to any settlersfree for seven years.For^ the sake of good order, health, and quiet, there must becleanliness, sobriety, and a strict observance of the laws andregulations established among us, and which are as follows :Laws.OfficersFor the better secimty of the settlers, and for the suppressionof disorderly conduct and crime, there shall be a Governor and aC juncilCouncil—the Governor being the owner of the estate or therepresentative of the owners.The Council to be composed of men of good character, and, ifpossible, of substance. This Council is not to exceed twelveDutiesFreedom of ^ship.persons;half to be chosen by the Governor, and half by thehouseholders.This Council shall have charge of all public roads andthoroughfares, of the beach and bays, and shall enforce cleaningof the roads and removal of all nuisances, summoning to theirmeeting all who infringe the laws in any way ; and shall havepower to inflict penalties not exceeding twenty shillings, orconfinement with labour not exceeding one month.There shall be entire freedom in all that relates to the worshipof the true God ;and the word of God is hereby acknowledgedto be the foundation of all our laws, and claims the obedience o^"our lives.That although we are now all of one mind in the essentials ofCliristian worship, yet should there come among us persons of

AITENDIX. 171differing opinions as to Christian worsliip or duty, all shallequally share in our freedom of worship, as well as in ourprotection.That the worship of God be not interrupted, the Sabbath sliaU Subbuth.be regarded ;all business shall be suspended, and the dayesteemed sacred to worship and rest.There shall be entire freedom in all that relates to trade and Fxcc u-ii.iobarter in. the township and with tlie natives around.There shall be free importations of all goods, of provisions, ofclothing, of trading goods, and machinery, of all and everyarticle ; except the following :Kum, or other spirits, as articles of barter or sale, are tor ever proiubitioprohibited.Brandj', gin, and wine, admitted free for medicinal pui-poses,but for other purposes, not for sale or barter, only with a duty often per cent, paid on the value thereof.Porter or ale, not for barter or sale, admittedAny infringement on the above clauses will involve, in allcases, confiscation of the property, and a fine of £5 sterling forthe first oftence ; a fine of £10 sterling for the i

APPENDIX.No. 2.KESOLUTION OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE BAPTISTMISSIOXAEY SOCIETY OX THE DEATH OF THE.REV. ALFRED SAKER.At the quarterly meeting of tlie Committee in April, thefollowing resolution with regard to the decease- of theEev. Alfred Saker was unanimously adopted, andordered t(j be recorded on the minutes of the Committee:"That the Committee of the Baptist Missionary Societycannot record the departure to his rest of the Rev. Alfred Sakerwithout expressing in the warmest and most affectionate termstheirhigh appreciation of his character and labours. For thirtysevenyears Mr. Saker fulfilled his course as a missionary of theOoss in tlie exhausting climate of Western Africa, throughoutsuffering much from the diseases incident to a residence on thatfever-stricken coast, yet never abating his toil nor intermitting hislabours, though often physically unecpial to the achievement ofthe task to which his life was given. He spared not hisattenuated frame, nor did he retire from his post until utterlyprostrate, and it was apparent to all that a further continuancewas impossible. Under circumstances of great difficulty heplanted the mission on the Continent, on the River Cameroons,induced the natives to abandon many of their sanguinary anddegrading customs, and, by the blessing of God, established achurcli of Jesus Christ in their midst, ever to testify to the-

APPENDIX. 173grace and redeeming mercy of tlie Lord. Willi his own liandshe laboured to teach, and, encouraged l.y his example, he led thepeople to aciiuire, the arts of civilised life ;he mastered, and forthe first time reduced to WTiting, their language ;preparedschool-books and grammar for their use, and crowned hisarduous labours by translating and printing the entire volumeof the Word of the living God. AVhen the mission was drivenby the llotnan Catholic Church from Fernando Po, he exploredthe neighbouring coast, and founded the colony of Victoria inAmboises Bay, where the converts gathered at Clarence mightfind a refuge and a place to worship C!od without molestation, infreedom of conscience, and exempt from further interference witlitheir personal rights and liberties. In every trial his resourcewas the Mercy Seat, and, amid great provocations, he possessedhis soul in patience. He endured hardness as a good soldier ofJesus Christ. He was faithful unto death. His whole life borerecord to the Psalmist's declaration, repeated in his last moments,'For Thou art with me.' What he was (4od made him ;andfor his noble life, his heroic consecration, and blessed example,the Committee adore the Divine Hand whose workmanship hewas.•'To his beloved widow and life-long companion in all hislabours and distresses, and the members of hisfamily, especiallythose who were his helpers in the work, the Committee tendertheir earnest sympathy, and trust they may be sustained to theend by the same Divine love, and cheered by the gracious consolation,which the Father of the fatherless and Husband of thewidow can impart to them in their sorrow\"

LONDON :PRINTED BY ALEXANDER AND SHEPHEAED,LONSDALE BUILDINGS, CHANCERY LANE.

Zbc Baptist riDissionav^ Societ>2.OBJECT.T/ie great object of this Society is the diffusion of thekiiowledgc of the religion of Jesus Christ throughout thezvhole world, beyond the British Isles, by the preaching ofthe Gospel, the translation and publication of the HolyScriptures, and the establishment of Schools.OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY.treasurer-Joseph Tritton, Esq.•ffDon.Sccrctanj.Edward Bean Underhill, Esq.,LL.D.©cncral Sccretar\2.Alfred Henry BaYxNtes, Esq., F.R.A.S.Bssociation Secretary.Rev. J.B. Myers.asankers.Messrs. Barclay, Bevan, Tritton, & Co.Mission House, 19, Castle Street, Holborn,London, E.C.It is requested that all cojitributions he sent to the General SecretaryAlfred Henry Baynes, Mission House, 19, Castle Street,Holhorn, London, E.C, and payable to his order.

JOHN CHAMBERLAIN :PUBLICATIONS.a Missionary's Biography.By Rev. C. B. Lewis.JOHNPrice One Shilling.THOMAS,Surgeon of the " Earl of Oxford " East Indiaman, and first Baptist Missionaryto Bengal.By Rev. C. B. Lewis.Price Ten Shillings & Six Petice.CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN THE EAST ANDWESTIn connection with the Baptist Missionary Society.By Edward Bean Underhill, LL.D., F.R.G.S.Price One Shilling &f Sixpence.MEMORIALS OF BAPTIST MISSIONARIES INJAMAICA,Including Sketch of the Labours of the Moravians, "Wesleyans, and earlyAmerican Teachers in Jamaica, Bahamas, Hayti, and Trinidad.By John Clarke,Corresponding Member of the Ethnological Society, and late Missionary inWestern Africa.LIFEPrice Pour Shillings.OF JAMES MURSELL PHILLIPPO,Missionary in Jamaica.By Edward Bean Underbill, LL.D., F.R.G.S.Wi/h Portrait, price Six Shillings &• Six Pence." We thank Dr. Underhill for this remarkably cheap, but remarkably rich, contributionto our missionary biography." The Freeman." Dr. Underhill has given us in this work one of the best biographies of one of thebest and most honoured of modern missionaries." Nonconformist and Independent."One of tlie most fascinating biographies it has ever been our privilege to read. Itis certain to be popular." Saptist Magazine."Dr. Underbill's book is one which the friends of missions will be delighted toread." Christian World."We commend the book to young men and to all workers in the Kingdom ofChrist." Christian.Alexander & Shepheard, 21, Castle Street, Holborn.

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