me Ma Mary," said Chief Edem. "I am glad you have come. I have a
place for you. You take this room here in my women's yard. It is for you."

"Thank you, Chief," said Mary. It was a dirty, filthy room, but it was the
kind of room all the people of Okoyong used. Mary cleaned out the dirt. She
had a window put in. She hung a curtain over the door. While she was
working a boy came up to her.

"Ma Mary," he said, "I am Ipke. I want to help you." Ipke worked hard. He
helped Mary as much as possible. Whatever there was to do, Ipke was ready
to do it.

A few days later Mary looked out of her room. She saw Ipke. He was standing
near a pot of boiling oil. A crowd of people stood around yelling and
shouting.

Chief Edem came up to the crowd. Then a man took a dipper and filled it
full of boiling oil. Ipke stretched out his hands in front of him. Suddenly
Mary knew what was happening. She rushed out of her house, but she was too
late. Already the man had poured the boiling oil over Ipke's arms and
hands.

"Why have you done this?" asked Mary. Chief Edem said nothing. He turned
and walked away. The other people also kept still. Mary took Ipke to her
room. She put medicine on the burns.

"Why did they do this to you, Ipke?" she asked.

"It is because I helped the white Ma. The people say I do not follow the
old ways. It is bad to follow new ways. I must be punished. The bad spirit
must be burned out."

"O God," prayed Mary, "heal this boy and help me to change the wicked
heathen ways."

#6#

_A Brave Nurse_

It was strangely quiet in the village of Chief Okurike. The chief was
sick. All the magic of the witch doctors could not make him better. If he
died, many of his wives, slaves and soldiers would be killed to go with him
into the spirit-world.

A woman from a neighboring village came to the house of Chief Okurike's
wives.

"You are sad because Chief Okurike is dying," said the woman. "I know
someone who can help him. Far away through the jungle at Ekenge lives the
white Ma. With her magic she can make devils go out of your chief. My son's
child was dying. The white Ma saved her. She is well today. The white Ma
has done many wonderful things by the power of her juju. Let your chief
send for her. Then he will not die."

The wives talked it over.

"We must tell the chief," said the head wife. "He must send for the white
Ma. If he dies, many of us must die too. We do not want to die."

They told the ch