still warm of course, but the nights
were cool and pleasant.

So early one October morning, Mackay and A Hoa started off on a tour to
the cities.

"We shall go to Kelung first," said the missionary. Kelung was a seaport
city on the northern coast, straight east across the island from Tamsui.
A coolie to carry food and clothing was hired, and early in the morning,
while the stars were still shining, they passed through the sleeping
town and out on the little paths between the rice-fields. Though it was
yet scarcely daylight, the farmers were already in their fields. It was
harvest-time--the second harvest of the year--and the little rice-fields
were no longer like mirrors, but were filled with high rustling grain
ready for the sickle. The water had been drained off and the reaper
and thrasher were going through the fields before dawn. There was no
machinery like that used at home. The reaper was a short sickle, the
thrashing-machine a kind of portable tub, and Mackay looked at them with
some amusement, and described to A Hoa how they took off the great wheat
crops in western Canada.

The two were in high spirits, ready for any sort of adventure and they
met some. Toward evening they reached a place called Sek-khau, and went
to the little brick inn to get a sleeping-place. The landlord came to
the door and was about to bid A Hoa enter, when the light fell upon
Mackay's face. With a shout, "Black-bearded barbarian!" he slammed the
door in their faces. They turned away, but already a crowd had begun
to gather. "The black-bearded barbarian is here! The foreign devil
from Tamsui has come!" was the cry. The mob followed the two down
the streets, shouting curses. Some one threw a broken piece of brick,
another a stone. Mackay turned and faced them, and for a few moments
they seemed cowed. But the crowd was increasing, and he deemed it wise
to move on. So the two marched out of the town followed by stones and
curses. And, as they went, Mackay reminded A Hoa of what they had been
reading the night before.

"Yes," said A Hoa brightly. "The Lord was driven out of his own town in
Galilee."

"Yes, and Paul--you remember how he was stoned. Our Master
counts us worthy to suffer for him." But where to go was the question.
Before they could decide, night came down upon them, and it came in that
sudden tropical way to which Mackay, all his life accustomed to the long
mellow twilights of his northern home, could never grow accusto