Woman and Her Saviour in Persia: By a Returned MissionaryLaurie, Thomas
History
Woman and Her Saviour in Persia: By a Returned Missionary
Laurie, Thomas
Church of the East -- Missions; Missions -- Iran; Women missionaries
needed, if we are all to sleep here. But soon she took out three of the
children to an empty manger, where she put new hay, and quickly settled
them; they were covered with an old rug, and at once fell fast asleep.
She then returned, saying, 'Now there is room for our guests,' and
brought a piece of cotton cloth, which she said was _all_ for me. In a
short time, one and another was fast asleep. They lay on mats, without
either bed or pillow, and the divers breathing or snoring of men, and
calves, and lambs was soon heard, all mingled together.
"I found myself sitting alone with the old lady, and so, putting my
carpet bag under my head, and drawing my shawl about me, I lay down
too. This was a signal for extinguishing the light; but before that, I
had marked a road, where I thought I might possibly pass out between
the sleepers should I need fresh air. There was no sleep for me; and
the swarms of fleas made me so uncomfortable, that before midnight I
found my way out, and remained as long as the cold air of that November
night allowed, and so passed out and in several times during the night.
I watched long for the morning, and at length it came, and the
sleepers, one by one, arose. They all hoped I had slept well, and I
could not tell them I had not, for they had given me the best they had,
and told me again and again how glad they were that I had come, and
hoped their house would always be mine when I came that way. There was
a proposal for breakfast, but the morning was so fine that I suggested
to Mr. Stocking that a carpet bag sometimes furnished a very good
breakfast.
"We did enjoy that ride very much after a sleepless night. The road was
often only a narrow path on the edge of a precipice, and such as I had
never passed over before; but I thanked my God at every step for the
pure, fresh air of those mountains. As we approached the village, hid
away among the cliffs, and in such a narrow spot that houses were
placed one above another on the terraced hill-side, one of our
attendants insisted on riding forward, and we were not greatly
surprised to find a crowd ready to welcome us. One and another cried
out, 'Senum wants you to go to Zechariah's.' So to Zechariah's we went,
and there was my pupil, waiting with open arms to receive me. She took
me from my horse, exclaiming, 'Is it true that you have come? I have
heard where you staid last night, and I know you did not sleep at all.
Come right into my room; there are no fleas here; I have a bed that is
clean, that I keep for the missionaries. I will spread it for you, and
you shall sleep before any body comes to see you.' The bed was spread;
she gave me milk to drink (Judg, iv. 19), and then said, 'I will guard
the door so no one shall disturb you, and I will wake you for dinner.'
I was soon asleep, and slept two long hours before she woke me.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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