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THOMAS J. COMBER. 
Mr. Comber, “ Nga Liema must be something awful 
when he is worked up into a passion ; it must be our 
work, however, to try and get an influence over him, 
and make his savage nature tame and tractable. May 
the Lord help us in this, give us this influence over 
him, and by His Holy Spirit soften and humanise 
the spirit of Nga Liema. There are a few nice boys 
in the town, whom we shall try as soon as possible 
to get under our influence.” 
When the arrangements for the new site were carried 
into effect, Mr. Comber, leaving one of his party to 
clear the ground, went down again to Many an ga. 
Whilst there he wrote as under to his old and dear 
friend, Mr. Rickards : — When you read this, it will be 
six years since I left England to serve Christ in 
Africa. During this time it has not been my lot to go 
in a groove. Little of sameness and plenty of vicissi- 
tudes have fallen to my share. I have not chosen my 
way or my department of work. He has given it to 
me to do, and has upholden me in it, so that in this 
dark and great land I have been able in a small way 
to ‘ prepare the way of the Lord,’ and to a little extent 
to ‘ make straight ’ in Cameroons and Congo a high- 
way.’ I feel now that my work in this department 
may be drawing to a close, and that I shall be settling 
down at Stanley Pool. Whether so or not, I know 
that He will guide me and show me the way I am to 
take. As to Congo here, my very dear colleagues, all 
‘ good men and true,’ and myself, have just about com- 
pleted our difficult first work, and the magnificent 
thousand miles and more of unimpeded water-way is 
open to us, with all the great tribes and myriads ot 
dark sinful souls on its banks, and those of its great 
affluents. We have established our five stations, and 
commenced work in some measure at each. It has 
been a difficult work, and we have had to stick to it, 
shoulder by shoulder, in frequent disappointments 
and sometimes blows ‘ heavy and hard to bear ; ’ but 
our loving Father has been pleased to deal very 
