In Afric’s Forest and Jungle 
Much interest was added to our daily family 
worship by the aptness of the children in learn¬ 
ing to read in their mother tongue. All who 
could read gathered around the table in the cen¬ 
tral room and joined in reading the lesson for 
that night. Then followed a hymn and a prayer, 
both in the Yoruban tongue. They all had good 
voices, some very sweet, and I never think of 
the evening gathering around the table in the 
mission house at Abeokuta without a perceptible 
softening of the heart. Several of the boys are 
now zealous and effective ministers of the gos¬ 
pel among the people. All of them sooner or 
later made a profession of Christianity and most 
of them are useful Christians; but sometimes 
when I remember the pathetic history of some of 
them who are dead, there is a suspicion of tears 
in my eyes. 
All of them had to go through many trials of 
their faith. After I had departed for America, 
the authorities of Abeokuta broke up the mission 
stations. Most of the converts and children 
fled to the coast, but they had been warned 
of such troubles when they made a profession 
of Christianity and were not wholly taken by 
surprise nor at all discouraged in their Christian 
life. 
220 
