what they remembered of the sermon. Janie was
best at this. Mary and Alice could, at least, say the text, and when it
came to Annie's turn she always said: "Nkokop nte Jesus edi eyen
Abasi"--"I heard that Jesus is the Son of God."

Market-day was an exciting time for the children. The people came
crowding in from the villages with all sorts of food and things to sell,
such as yams--these are something like large potatoes,--shrimps from the
river, oil from the palm-nut, sugar-cane, ground nuts, Indian corn, and
fowls. Most of them came to see Ma, many simply to "k[:o]m" her, that is,
to give her compliments, others to get advice or medicine. They brought
little gifts for the children, sugar-cane, oranges and bananas and other
fruit, or seed-plants, which they put in their own plots of ground, for
they all liked to grow things.

It was Ma who taught them to love flowers. She knew a great deal about
the wild plants of the forest. One day, when walking with a visitor
along the path, he complained of toothache, and by and by she picked a
flower and told him to chew it. He did so, and the pain vanished. He
plucked another which he thought was the same, and she said, "If you eat
that you will be dead in five minutes."

Ma taught them many other things--indeed all they knew--and needed to be
very patient, for think of the ages of darkness and ignorance that lay
behind them! She tried, above all, to get them to hate lying, which is
so common in Africa. Her one great and constant bit of advice and
warning to them was--"Speak the truth."

These pleasant days in the Mission House were soon to end. Ma was now
ready to go forward, and only waited to be sure that God was leading
her, for she never wanted to go any way but His. One day she trudged the
six miles to the Cross River in the hope of catching the Government
launch for Itu. It passed when she was resting in a hut, and she had to
trudge back the weary miles to Akpap again.

"Oh, Ma," said Miss Wright, "I am sorry you missed it."

Ma was tired, but only smiled and said, "Never mind, lassie, God did
not mean me to go to-day, and He knows best."

A week later the launch saw her and picked her up, and on board she
found the Military Commander.

"Ma," he said, "I'm going as far as Arochuku. Why not come up with me?"

"Oh," she thought, "is this what God meant when He turned me back last
week?" And although she meant only to go to Itu and had no change of
clothing or food