The voyagers reached Matadi safely on Sunday, August 2nd, and before going to San Salvador made the journey to Stanley Pool to attend meetings of the local committee. They found great refreshment in converse with their colleagues, and Mrs. Lewis wrote a long letter containing brief, kindly notes concerning every one of them. The return journey was made in the company of Mr. and Mrs. Lawson Forfeitt and included a brief but happy stay at Wathen. Mr. Forfeitt has given me an idyllic picture of a Sunday evening encampment upon a hillside, where, in ideal natural conditions, the travellers worshipped God in informal service and read together one of Dr. Maclaren’s sermons. Upon reference to Mrs. Lewis’s journal I find the date of this incident was August 30th, and the reading of the sermon is mentioned.
San Salvador was reached on Wednesday, September 9th, and Mr. and Mrs. Lewis forthwith settled down to their customary round of duties. In October they made a journey of visitation to the outposts, and one incident points the moral that we appreciate our privileges when we are on the point of losing them. The people of Mawunze, among whom Vita and his wife had been working, had proved apathetic to such a degree that it was determined to withdraw Vita, for other towns were clamouring for a teacher. As soon as this decision was known all Mawunze turned out in a fit of penitence and besought that Vita might be allowed to remain, promising all manner of amendment. In the end he left for a season with the understanding that if the newly awakened ardour were maintained he should return.
In November the town of San Salvador was plunged into excitement by the sudden death of the King, following a flagrantly nefarious piece of conduct, the culmination of an evil course. To the great indignation of Mrs. Lewis and her colleagues the Resident consented to wink at the following of certain heathen and illegal customs in the observance of the obsequies. It was peculiarly painful to Mrs. Lewis that certain of her women friends and converts, wives of the deceased King, would have to sit all day long for months in a house with the corpse, never going out except at night. The only concession secured was that those who were professed Christians should be permitted to attend the services of the Mission.
Matter for discouragement and encouragement appears in the following extracts from a letter to Miss Hartland dated December 21, 1896:—
“The dreadful thing with these children is their propensity to steal. E. is just the same as D., and so are L. and M. at the other houses. We have tried everything with them—admonition, punishments of various kinds—but nothing has any effect. Can you suggest a remedy? We have even bribed, but to no purpose. Steal they will, and some of them ‘lie on the top.’ If any one has doubts about ‘original sin’ let him come here!
“E. is a regular Topsy. She informed Mrs. Graham once, who was trying to talk to her seriously, that she didn’t want to go to heaven; she should prefer going to the other place. Isn’t it dreadful? What are you to do with a child like that? One of Mr. Hawker’s sweet little angels of seven!!! None of the black children would say that, though they do just as bad things. She is a mulatto. I do hope she may be converted, for she is very pretty, unfortunately for her, and what will become of her I can’t think. She can read nicely, but is not very clever otherwise.... You will be glad to know that the chief of Mbanza Mputu refused to apply for the throne here after the death of the King, because it would entail his becoming a Roman Catholic. I think it was a fine evidence of sincerity, for he was really the rightful heir.... Another thing you will be interested to hear. When we were at Mbanza Mputu a fortnight ago, Matata brought a man to Tom, saying he came from his town of Bangu (near the Arthington Falls, you know), and he wanted to come to learn more about God’s palaver. When Tom began to ask him questions, it turned out that he first heard the Gospel from John [Hartland] when he went to the falls with Matata, and that he was sent up to Manyanga with a message when John was ill there. He seems a very hopeful inquirer, and thus the seed sown so many years ago seems to be bearing fruit now. It is an encouragement, too, to us, as one never knows how even one visit to a town may be the means of awakening some hearers to a sense of their need.”
Early in the year 1897, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis were again engaged in visiting the out-stations. In April San Salvador is visited by mumps, in epidemic form, and Mrs. Lewis contracts the disease in the course of her work among the people. About this time she is filled with sorrow by the death of Mr. Pople at Tumba; and, two months later, she and all friends of the Mission are again plunged into mourning by the death of Mr. White at Yakusu. In July she is away at Nkoko, concerned in the appointment of a new teacher—Manwana, one of their first boys. And in the following month mention is made of the undertaking which gives the title to this chapter.
“August 18th. (To Miss Ethel Percival.)—In San Salvador the sickness is dreadful, and hardly a day passes without a death. Uncle and Mr. Phillips are continually at funerals, and we don’t hear of all those who are buried by the Padres, or in country fashion as heathens. The Catholics are beginning to restore the old cathedral.[5] I am sorry, as they have spoilt the beautiful ruins—the only pretty thing in the place. And they won’t do it properly. It will be a very small, insignificant place when it is finished. Of course it is to save trouble, for one thing, as some of the walls are already there. We hope to build our new chapel next dry season, all being well. Uncle is busy with plans now. That will be very much larger. By the way, you would love our cat! She has two dear little kittens. She had five—but—I draw a curtain! These two are sweet! Sandy we shall keep; Tiger goes to Mrs. P. But Mrs. Tabitha is nearly human in the way she goes on. We put her in the medicine-room on the piazza at night; but as soon as our door is open in the morning she carries her two babies to their day nursery in our bedroom. She much regrets that they are not allowed there at night, and protested loudly when we came home, for she had been allowed to keep house in our absence. She likes to be near us, though she does not like being nursed.”
Early in October Mrs. Lewis reports the glad and ceremonial welcome accorded to a new colleague, Mr. Adams, and a journey of itineration in which she and Mr. Lewis were accompanied by him. A striking incident occurred in the course of this tour. As they were on the point of leaving one town certain women came and laid a bundle of fetishes before her, saying, “Here are the things which tempt us.” She had not spoken of fetishes, but they had made practical application of her words.
“November 25th.—I think I told you that the Resident and priests were starting to rebuild the cathedral. They laid the foundation-stone, with their names on it, and built very thick stone walls. But a few days ago, lo, and behold, in the walls appeared two great cracks, and the workmen were sent off in a great hurry lest the whole thing should collapse upon the top of them. They had built above rotten graves and without sufficient foundation. So it is left now, and I very much doubt if it will ever get finished. The King and the people are rather wild because the priests have been forcing them to pay for it, taking a part of the King’s monthly allowance. They have just managed to spoil the beauty of the old ruins, though. By the way, one of you speaks about the future King being in our school. He was in our school; but as soon as he was appointed to be King he was taken away to stay with the Resident, treated like one of themselves, and sent to the Padres’ school. Now he has been sent to school at Loanda, and they say in a little while he will go to Portugal. He was perfectly spoilt before he left here. He will learn at Loanda every conceivable kind of wickedness. So I am afraid he is more likely to be a curse than a blessing when he returns. However, ‘sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.’ We must trust that in some way things will be overruled for good.”