sui river, nestled at the foot of the mountains, stood
a busy town called Sin-tiam. A young man from this place sailed down to
Tamsui on business one day and there heard the great Kai Bok-su preach
of the new Jehovah-God, he went home full of the wonderful news, and so
much did he talk about it that a large number of people in Sin-tiam were
very anxious to hear the barbarian themselves. So one day a delegation
came down the river to the house on the bluff above Tamsui. They made
this request known to the missionary as he sat teaching his students in
the study. Would he not come and tell the people of Sin-tiam the story
about this Jesus-God who loved all men? Would he go? Kai Bok-su was on
the road almost before the slow-going Orientals had finished delivering
the message.

It was the season of a feast to their idols in Sin-tiam when the
missionary and his party arrived. Great crowds thronged the streets,
and the barbarian with his white face and his black beard and his queer
clothes attracted unusual attention. The familiar cry, "Foreign devil,"
was mingled with "Kill the barbarian," "Down with the foreigner." The
crowd began to surge closer around the missionary party, and affairs
looked very serious. Suddenly a little boy right in Mackay's path was
struck on the head by a brick intended for the missionary. He was picked
up, and Mackay, pressing through the crowd to where the little fellow
lay, took out his surgical instruments and dressed the wound. All about
him the cries of "Kill the foreign devil" changed to cries of "Good
heart! Good heart!" The crowd became friendly at once, and Mackay passed
on, having had once more a narrow escape from death.

The work of preaching to these people was carried on vigorously, and
before many months had passed the Christians met together and declared
they must build a chapel for the worship of the true God. So, close
by the riverside, in a most picturesque spot, the walls of the second
chapel of north Formosa began to rise. It was not without opposition
of course. One rabid idol-worshiper stopped before the half-finished
building with its busy workmen, and, picking up a large stone, declared
that he would smash the head of the black-bearded barbarian if the work
was not stopped that moment. Needless to say, the missionary, standing
within a good stone's throw of his enemy, ordered the workers to
continue. George Mackay was not to be stopped by all the stones in north
Formosa.