Pioneers and Founders: or, Recent Workers in the Mission fieldYonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
History
Pioneers and Founders: or, Recent Workers in the Mission field
Yonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
Missionaries
He was delighted with the habits there prevailing, dismissed his
attendants, dined at the common table, and altogether conformed himself
to the spirit of the place. When it was decided to send him to Dinapore
to assist Mr. Martyn in rendering the Bible into Persian, he took leave
of Serampore with tears in his eyes. He was gladly welcomed by Mr.
Martyn, and they worked together at the Gospel of St. Matthew, Sabat
showing a scholar-like anxiety both for correctness and rhythm; but there
was so much of the wild Arab about him that he was a continual anxiety.
The Serampore missionaries thought him a grand, dignified figure. Mrs.
Sherwood paints him much less pleasantly, and says he was exactly like
the sign of the Saracen's head, with intensely flashing eyes, high nose,
white teeth, and jet black eyebrows, moustache, and beard. His voice was
like rolling thunder, his dress of gorgeous material and thoroughly
Oriental, silk skull-cap, jacket, jewelled girdle, loose trousers, and
embroidered shoes, and he had a free and haughty manner, according with
his signature, when writing to a gentleman who had offended
him--"Nathanael Sabat, an Arab, who never was in bondage."
In April 1809, Mr. Martyn was removed to the station at Cawnpore, where
the Sherwoods were then residing. The time was one of the worst in the
whole year for travelling across the sandy plains, with a wind blowing
that made the air like "the mouth of an oven." For two days and two
nights, between Allahabad and Cawnpore, Mr. Martyn travelled in his
palanquin without intermission, and, having expected to arrive sooner, he
had brought no provision for the last day. "I lay in my palanquin,
faint, with a headache, neither awake nor asleep, between dead and alive,
the wind blowing flames." When he arrived, Mr. Sherwood had only just
time to lead him into the bungalow before he fainted away, and the hall
being the least heated place, a couch was made ready for him there, where
for some days he lay very ill; and the thermometer was never below 96
degrees, though the punkah never ceased.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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