A LESSON FROM HEATHEN. 679 



ties hung on his track, begging him to stay with them and help 

 them, without tenderest emotion. Oh, how long shall it be be- 

 fore the Church of Jesus Christ extends its blessings 'to all the 

 benighted of earth ! Where the sun has shone, it may shine ; 

 where Christian feet have trod, they may tread ; where Chris- 

 tian power has been recognized and felt, it may reign. Africa 

 may be Christ's, all Christ's ; the same gentle agency by which 

 the gospel prevails in other lands is enough to make even the 

 darkest wildernesses of that land, earliest known and last to be 

 redeemed, blossom like a rose. 



As he journeyed toward Bambarre the traveller's heart was 

 grieved every day by the desolations which the unscrupulous 

 invaders had made, in even so short a time. The sites of de- 

 stroyed villages, panic-stricken refugees, there was nothing 

 cheering, the deepening curse hung like a pall over all the land- 

 scapes. The hills were not inspiring as they would have been ; 

 even the splendid foliage waving everywhere, like nature's de- 

 fiance of human wrath, could not seem as fresh and green as it 

 was, to eyes saddened by such sights as it imperfectly concealed. 

 Effigies of men were often seen : the people called them Bathata 

 — fathers or ancients. The names of these rude pieces of 

 handiwork were preserved, and when they were spoken of, these 

 revered names were pronounced most carefully. These heathen 

 teach us a lesson by their thoughtful utterances of the names of 

 their deities. Sometimes there are offerings made to the 

 " fathers " by the poor savages. 



On this journey Dr. Livingstone was repeatedly saved from 

 death by unmistakable providences. In his account of this he 

 says, that one day he came to a village, ill, almost every step in 

 pain, and was distressed to see the people all run away. There 

 was evidently a mistake, he felt sure they could not know who 

 he was. They would come sometimes and throw stones at his 

 people, and tried to kill those who went for water. All night 

 these villagers watched them. The next morning, the first thing 

 was to send men forward to see if the way was clear. But the 

 people would come to no terms. They knew their advantage, 

 and the wrongs they had suffered from Bin Juma and Mo- 

 hamad's men when they threw down the ivory in the forest. 

 In passing along the narrow path, with a wall of dense vegeta- 



