Missionary Enterprise, 
85 
king a full statement of Christianity, taught him to read a 
little, and instructed him in the doctrines of the Christian 
religion. On leaving M'tesa's court, Stanley left a little 
lad who had been brought up in a mission school belong- 
ing to the Universities' Mission ; and succeeding travellers 
reported that this lad read the Bible to the king, daily. In 
1876, Mr. Stanley wrote to one of the English daily papers, 
detailing his visit to the king, and M'tesa's willingness to 
receive teachers of the Christian religion. Immediately, 
offers of money were sent in to the Committee of the Church 
Missionary Society, with proposals that, they should send 
out agents to occupy that special mission-field around the 
Victoria Nyanza. In 1876, a party of eight missionaries 
and lay agents started for the district, arriving at Kagei, on 
the southern shore of the lake, in April, 1877. They first 
pitched their tents and temporary buildings, then put 
together the little mission-boat, Daisy ^ and finally proceeded 
to explore the lake, and Ukerewe. Before starting, how- 
ever, their little party was reduced to three by sickness and 
death, but the survivors were determined to persevere. 
They visited Ukerewe, and laid the foundation of a missionr 
station on the island. Lukongeh, the king, seemed to 
welcome them heartily, and promised to co-operate with 
them in all their mission operations. When settled at 
Ukerewe, in the dominions of Lukongeh, it was the in- 
tention of the three missionaries to separate, Mr. O'Neill 
remaining behind alone, Mr. Wilson to go to Karagwe to 
King Rumanika, and Lieutenant Smith to visit King M'tesa, 
in order to ascertain that monarch's feelings toward the 
mission agents and operations. Writing home, Mr. Smith 
said : " Now that we are about taking possession in the 
name of Christ of our respective kingdoms, pray for us. 
How much we need your prayers, we ourselves faintly 
