Samson Odok : the Suffering 
Slave. 
MY wife and I had just landed at Calabar for 
our second term. We were delighted to 
find several of the old Mission boys had come up 
with the Mission boat to give us welcome. On 
our boat journey do^vn the river to our final 
destination, I found that one youth had accom- 
panied the others, for business reasons pure and 
simple. He was a slave called Samson Odok. His 
master, Charles Ekanem Esin, had ordered him to 
take the journey in his company to see if Ma 
Ward wanted a servant, and if so, to offer his 
(Samson's) services. Charles Ekanem Esin spoke 
to me on the subject first, but I told him that was 
Ma's palaver and not mine, and turned him oVer 
to my wife. In the discussion that followed we 
discovered that Samson was a slave; that he knew 
practically no English ; that of household work he 
was totally ignorant as he had always lived in the 
bush. But Mrs. Ward liked his open countenance 
and his eagerness to be given a chance, and so 
an arrangement was made by which Samson was 
to do certain household duties, go to school four 
half-days per week, take night lessons with the 
boys living on the Mission, and receive eight shil- 
lings per month and his keep. Nay ! that is 
scarcely accurate, fdr his master claimed five shil- 
