Introduction. 
13 
end. The other two missionaries were also suffer- 
ing severely from the climate. 
Just at this time a skirmish occurred in the har- 
bour of Mombasa, between the officers of one of our 
cruisers, the Ariel, and some Suri Arabs. The 
latter had freighted a vessel with slaves, with the pur- 
pose, as was well known, of proceeding with this human 
cargo to one of the ports of South Arabia. Two of 
the Ariel's boats put off to the rescue. As soon, 
however, as they were seen to approach the harbour, 
the Arabs disembarked their slaves with all speed, 
and sent them ashore. On came the English, but they 
sprang on board the slaver a little too late; she was 
empty. The captain, however, was conducted to the 
governor of the fortress, and asked to produce his 
papers. This he was unable to do, and the English 
considered they were authorized to seize the vessel. 
They were proceeding to do so when the Arabs opened 
fire upon them. The English returned the fire briskly, 
but thought it best for the time to retire. 
Great excitement prevailed in the town during this 
encounter, from which, as may be supposed, the 
missionaries were not altogether free. Ill as most of 
them were, it must have been an exceedingly trying 
time for them. One bullet passed through the shutter 
of the room in which the two Swiss were lying, and 
struck the wall slightly over their heads. This, at any 
rate, could not have been a comfortable situation. 
Yet this was not all ; the missionaries could not be 
certain that the exasperated natives would not turn 
and wreak their vengeance upon them. What was to 
have prevented their doing so } They had already 
broken free of the trammels of the law, they were not 
