lOO 
GOD'S BLACK DIAMONDS. 
on the waters hastening homewards. Her patient 
vigil was at last rewarded, and there was the great 
joy of re-union. I thanked God for it all, for I 
knew in my heart of hearts that these two were 
now really one in the most sacred sense, and that 
the Gospel had made their house into a real home. 
And you know^ that is what heathenism can never 
do. When our Mission was extending its borders 
rapidly, and business with the homeland greatly 
increased in consequence, our missionaries found 
it very, very inconvenient to have to go to Calabar 
so often. To do away with this, they sought to 
lease land in Calabar and build a hut where goods 
might be stored, as they came from the steamer, 
until someone could be spared to go to fetch them. 
Efiom knew about this, and came along to the 
Revs. N. Boocock and R. Banham and told them 
he had a suitable piece of ground which he would 
be glad to let the Mission have on lease. It seemed 
in every way a Providential opening, and the offer 
was readily accepted. They all went to the Govern- 
ment together to arrange for its transfer, and every- 
thing pointed to a speedy settlement. But this 
was reckoning without a powerful enemy of all 
missionary work, the Egbo Society. They hated 
the idea of another Mission coming into Calabar, 
and sought to prevent it in cunning fashion. First 
of all they disputed Efiom's title to the land; 
then with much pains and care they brought pres- 
sure to bear upon a number of individuals to give 
testimony supporting their false claims. In the 
end, they laid a charge against Efiom of unlawfully 
seeking to dispose of land for which he had no true 
title. Efiom was arrested, tried, and on the 
