HELD IN BONDAGE. 
9 
very enlightened woman. That is why Jane Asuquo 
— the slave-girl — was allowed to **learn book.'* Jane 
became interested in good things, and her heart 
turned unto the Lord. Just when it seemed likely 
that she would become a baptised Christian and a 
member of our little Church, she suddenly disap- 
peared. The King had demanded her from her 
mistress, the Queen, as he wanted to make her one 
of his wives. The Queen pleaded; Jane cried as 
if her heart would break ; the members of the 
Church interviewed his royal highness; and a 
Christian youngs fellov/ said he was willing to marry 
her, Christian fashion ; but all was vain and fruit- 
less. The King was wroth that any bother should 
have been made at all. Jane Asuquo was only a 
slave to him, and her feelings and rights simply 
didn't count ! Ndo Mokidem and his wife were 
both Christian slaves. They left their master's 
farm to attend a missionary meeting, but took good 
care to start work earlier for several mornings in 
succession to make good the time lost. Their 
master was angry that they should even think of 
allovv^ing God's claims to compete vv^ith his, so he 
took out a summons against them in a native court 
belonging to a tow^n some miles away. They were 
arrested at the farm, taken to be tried at this dis- 
tant place, and sentenced to six months' imprison- 
ment ! Verily the tender mercies of slavery are 
cruel. The only ray of hope for these dark-skinned 
sons and daughters of Africa, now in bondage, lies 
in the spread of the Gospel, which slowly but 
surely brings equal rights and liberty to all. Christ 
is coming to Africa to break oppression, and set 
the captives free. 
