MORE AFRICAN FRIENDS OF THE FOREST 



the skin, with no food, fire or shelter. I told Igabon to 

 get out of the side car and walk away a little distance 

 and wait till I called him, as I wanted to ask my God 

 to help us. He moved away twenty yards or so, and for 

 my part I challenged the Almighty, "For Heaven's Sake, 

 don't let me down now — if I have failed, I'm sorry, but 

 O God, prove Thy power now." I waited a moment, 

 and then again tried the self-starter, and, wonder of 

 wonders, the engine went like a bird. I called Igabon 

 back and said, "You see, my God is great?" "Truly, mas- 

 ter," he replied, "your God be big past all." 



Within a couple of hours we turned up at what was 

 to be my camp for the night. The Chiefs had long been 

 waiting and I told Igabon to salute them for me and 

 explain to them why I was late. He then dramatically 

 described the storm and what had happened, and then 

 how I had called on my God to help me. He ended his 

 dramatic recital with the words, "You see the White 

 Man's God be great past all Gods. He is fit even to make 

 the motor go." From then onwards, whenever I went 

 to a fresh district and was having Palavers with the 

 Chiefs, upon introducing me and explaining why I had 

 come, Igabon would always have to tell them the story 

 of the storm and why the White Man's God was big 

 past all. Thus, this dear old Pagan became one of the 

 greatest missionaries in the land. 



One day, I was sent down to Lagos on duty and re- 

 turned ten days later to find my old Forest interpreter 

 desperately ill in the hospital. The doctor could not be 



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