The Black-Bearded Barbarian : The Life of George Leslie Mackay of Formosa
John Stuart Mill · en
The young scientist was delighted with Dr. Mackay and found in him a
very interesting companion. They met in Kelung, and when Dr. Warburg
found that Dr. Mackay was going to visit the Kap-tsu-lan plain, he
joined his party. The stranger found many rare specimens of orchids on
that trip and several peculiar spear and arrow heads to be taken back as
curios to Germany. But he found something rarer and more wonderful and
something for which he had not come to search.
He saw in one place three hundred people gather about their missionary
and raise a ringing hymn of praise to the God of heaven, of whom they
had not so much as heard but a few short years before. He visited
sixteen little chapels and heard clever, brightfaced young Chinese
preachers stand up in them and tell the old, old story of Jesus and his
love. And he realized that these things were far more wonderful than the
rarest curios he could find in all Formosa.
When he bade good-by to Dr. Mackay, he said: "I never saw anything like
this before. If scientific skeptics had traveled with a missionary as
I have and witnessed what I have witnessed on this plain, they would
assume a different attitude toward the heralds of the cross."
Not many months later Dr. Mackay again went down the eastern coast. This
time he took three of his closest friends, all preacher students, Tan
be, Sun-a, and Koa Kau. With a coolie to carry provisions, their
Bibles, their forceps, and some malaria medicine, they started off fully
equipped.
By steam launch to Bang-kah, by a queer little railway train to
Tsui-tng-kha and by foot to Kelung was the first part of the journey.
The next part was a tramp over the mountains to Kap-tsu-lan.
The road now grew rough and dangerous. Overhead hung loose rocks, huge
enough to crush the whole party should they fall. Underneath were wet,
slippery stones which might easily make one go sliding down into the
chasm below.
As usual on this trip they had many hairbreadth escapes, for there were
savages too hiding up in the dense forest and waiting an opportunity to
spring out upon the travelers. Dr. Mackay was almost caught in a small
avalanche also. He leaped over a narrow stream-bed, and as he did so,
he dislodged a loose mass of rock above him. It came down with a fearful
crash, scattering the smaller pieces right upon his heels; but they
passed all dangers safely and toward evening reached the shore where
the great long Pacific billows rolled upon the sand. They were in the
Kap-tsu-lan plain.
Their journey through the plain was like a triumphal march. Wherever a
chapel had been erected, there were converts to be examined; wherever
there was no chapel, the people gathered about the missionary and
pleaded for one. They often recalled the first visit of Kai Bok-su when
"No room for barbarians" were the only words that met him.