A health-change—The brightest of his class—Rotten Elephant—Very sick—An object of wonder—Mount Teneriffe—Adventure with a stage-coach—Adventure with a donkey—The crisis—The Ashantee war—A burial at sea. XVI A CHURCH 354 Reality versus romance in missions—Arrival of the steamer—Adventure in a canoe—An Apollo Belvidere in ebony—A sensational call to worship—A white man’s foot—A prayer that caused a panic—Not wickedness, but worms—The right hand, or the left?—“Dawn of the Morning”—M’abune Jésu—Keeping the Sabbath—The harvest—The Jesuits—A building not made with hands—“O’er crag and torrent.” ILLUSTRATIONS _Facing Page_ CANOE OF A CHIEF ON THE CAMEROON RIVER _title_ MOUNT TENERIFFE, CANARY ISLANDS 24 MISSION HOUSE AT BATANGA 52 REV. A. C. GOOD, PH. D. 55 LITTLE FRANCES BORN IN AFRICA 86 A GROUP OF ADMIRING NATIVES 110 AN IMPROVED MISSION HOUSE AT EFULEN 118 THE PASSION FOR CLOTHES 131 THE OLD CHURCH AT BATANGA 154 PASTORS AND ELDERS OF THE BATANGA CHURCH 160 THE DEBARKATION OF A DECK PASSENGER 181 MAN AND WIFE 224 TWO MEN DANCING 224 NDONG KONI 236 MAKUBA, CAPTAIN OF THE BOAT CREW 276 BOJEDI, TEACHER OF FANG SCHOOL 314 THREE FANG BOYS 378 The Jungle Folk of Africa I THE VOYAGE “O ye! who have your eyeballs vexed and tired, Feast them upon the wideness of the sea.”—_Keats._ When I was about to sail for Africa a friend read to me a thrilling incident which was supposed to be prophetic of my own fate. A cannibal maiden proposes marriage to a newly-arrived missionary. The missionary modestly declines her offer; whereupon, looking down at him with utmost complacency, she tells him that she will have him anyhow—either _married_, or _fried_. I have gone to Africa twice, and have lived there nearly seven years, yet I have escaped both of these dreadful contingencies. There is no longer any glamour of romance about the missionary life. It is not a life of hair-raising adventures and narrow escapes. In those seven years I was never frightened and seldom killed. Dull monotony is the normal experience and loneliness the besetting trial.