The Black-Bearded Barbarian : The Life of George Leslie Mackay of Formosa — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Black-Bearded Barbarian : The Life of George Leslie Mackay of Formosa
John Stuart Mill · en
Ten miles from Tek-chham stood a little village called Geh-bai. The
missionary-soldiers visited it, and to their delight found a church
building ready for them. It was quite a wonderful place, capable of
holding fully a thousand people without much crowding. Its roof was the
boughs of the great banyan tree; its one pillar the trunk, and its walls
the branches that bent down to enter the ground and take root. It made a
delightful shelter from the broiling sun. And here Kai Bok-su preached.
But a banyan does not give perfect shelter in all kinds of weather, so
when a number of people had declared themselves followers of the Lord
Jesus, a large house was rented and fitted up as a chapel, with another
native pastor over it.
Away over at Kelung a church was founded through a man who had carried
the gospel home from one of the missionary's sermons. Here and there the
hepaticas were springing up. From all sides came invitations to preach
the great news of the true God, and the young missionary gave himself
scarcely time to eat or sleep. He worked like a giant himself, and he
inspired the same spirit in the students that accompanied him. He was
like a Napoleon among his soldiers. Wherever he went they would go,
even though it would surely mean abuse and might mean death. And,
wherever they went, they brought such a wonderful, glad change to
people's hearts that they were like slave-liberators setting captives
free.
The most lawless and dangerous region in all north Formosa was that
surrounding the small town of Sa-kak-eng. In the mountains near by lived
a band of robbers who kept the people in a constant state of dread by
their terrible deeds of plunder and murder. Sometimes the frightened
townspeople would help the highwaymen just to gain their good-will, and
such treatment only made them bolder. Bands of them would even come down
into the town and march through the streets, frightening every one into
flight. They would shout and sing, and their favorite song was one that
showed how little they cared for the laws of the land.
You trust the mandarins, We trust the mountains.
So the song went, and when the missionary heard it first he could not
help confessing that after all it was a sorry job trusting the mandarins
for protection.
The first time he visited the place with A Hoa they were stoned and
driven out. But the missionaries came back, and at last were allowed to
preach. And then converts came and a church was established. The
robber bands received no more assistance from the people, and were
soon scattered by the officers of the law. And Sa-kak-eng was in peace
because the missionary had come.