MORAVIAN MISSIONS. 
285 
For many years Schmidt remained alone in 
his work, with no other white man near him. He 
built himself a little cottage, and laid out a little 
garden in the wilderness, many miles away 
from Cape Town, and here the free Hottentots 
gradually gathered around him. At the end 
of five years, he had from thirty to fifty in his 
school, and at the end of that time, a.d., 1742, 
he also had the privilege of baptizing the first 
Hottentot convert. In the following year 1743, 
he found it necessary to return to Europe, com- 
forting himself, however, and his people with 
the hope of a speedy return to the scene of his 
labours. But he returned no more. The ene- 
mies of the brethren prevailed to thwart his 
plans, and, for fifty years, the little flock was 
left, as sheep without a shepherd. 
At length, in 1792, the affairs of the Com- 
pany came, in the course of God's Providence, 
to be presided over by men, who took a warm 
interest in the affairs of the Brethren, and to 
their request, to be allowed to send a second 
Mission to the natives of South Africa, a fa- 
vourable answer was at once returned. The 
three Missionaries then sent, were helped upon 
their way with every kind attention from the 
authorities, and reached their future place of 
residence, B avian's Kloof, (Baboon's Glen) on 
the eve of Christmas day, 1792. This spot 
