providing for the family. Whilst the daily life of the natives was dull and uneventful, every now and then, at the instigation of the witch-doctor or the rain-maker, who cunningly wrought upon his envy or greed, the Cameroons man would give way to a perfect passion of cruelty. Under its influence he would fight his enemies, torture and mutilate any who fell into his hands, and ruthlessly slaughter women and children; then when the storm was over, he would lapse back into a sullen, dogged calm, presently to be followed by another outbreak. It was a fearful condition, in which contact with the European had rather stimulated to fresh vices than brought a better life.

Amongst these people Saker settled down; he began to build a small house, and a store-room for his goods; he put together a printing press, and set about the study of the language. He gradually collected the words in common use, and sought to give literary shape to these fragments, which with an admirable patience he had gathered together. He tried to win the confidence of his wild neighbours, his skill in handicraft and his rough knowledge of medicine standing him in good stead. Many times it seemed as though all his efforts would come to a sudden and violent end; he was threatened, laughed at, or stolidly neglected. Sometimes his wife and he would be roused at midnight by the horrid din of war, and when the people were intoxicated with the passion for blood, no one was safe. Still he held on, and little by little his courage, his patience, and his readiness to help the people in sickness or trouble began to tell. Here and there he was listened to with genuine attention, and some began to ask, Why is this man so different from ourselves, and from the traders on the river? They were perplexed that he did not want to make money out of them; he never cheated, and never lied; what he promised he did his best to perform. Even a Cameroons native could appreciate conduct such as this, it touched his dark heart. Thus did the missionary's life exemplify the Gospel which in broken accents he tried to proclaim.

Continuous toil compelled Mr. Saker occasionally to seek rest and refreshment in short visits to Fernando Po; but his heart was always in the Cameroons, he ever held it to be his peculiar field, and to it he returned with unswerving purpose.

FIRST CONVERT.

At last, a little more than four years after his arrival in the country, this patient worker had the joy of baptizing his first native convert.

It was a notable occasion for all concerned, faith and hope seeing in the one man the promise of the harvest yet to be. For two hours in the early morning of the day, Mr. Saker and Mr. Newbegin (who had come to reinforce the Mission) met a number of Duallas for prayer, then later a solemn service was held in the little chapel, in which the command of the Lord to make disciples of all nations, and to baptize those who believed on Him, was explained; and then, finally, the congregation adjourned to the river brink, and the convert was baptized in the presence of a silent and orderly crowd of his fellow-countrymen. The services of the day were closed by the formation of a church composed of Mr. and Mrs. Saker, of Horton Johnson and his wife, and the new convert. Together the little company partook of the Supper of the Lord, testifying thus to their union with one another and with Him. Perhaps to some all this may seem a trifling affair, but surely to the deeper mind it is a fulfilment of the ancient word, "With God all things are possible." It was something, it was much, that amongst a people untaught, gross and cruel, consecrated to violence and lust, even one heart should have been found willing to receive the message of Divine love and redemption.

After this first gleam of light, that seemed to promise the coming of the day, dark clouds of sorrow gathered over the work of the African Mission, sickness and death laid a heavy hand upon the workers. Saker and his wife, worn out in the toil, had to come home, as the diver has to come to the surface for a breath of fresh air; they had left Newbegin in charge, but before they reached England Newbegin was dead. It was a heavy blow, for already Thompson, Sturgeon, A. Fuller, and Merrick had been called home. The hearts of many friends of the Mission in England grew faint, and there was talk of withdrawal. Then it was that this pioneer of the Cameroons Mission addressed a very remarkable letter to the Committee, a letter that reveals the man :

"I have a fear that some of you will be discouraged, and I think you ought not to be. This suffering and loss of life show that the sacrifice you have made is large. But ought we to have expected less? Bloodless victories are not common." And then, after briefly narrating what had been accomplished, he went on to say: "Brethren, I think you will feel with me that we ought not to be discouraged. God afflicts us, let us humble ourselves before Him, and try to bring to His service purer and more devoted sacrifices."

"You will doubtless conclude that I ought to return to Africa im

mediately; I can only say, I am ready." Who could be courageous enough to hesitate in presence of a spirit such as this?

Early in 1851 Mr. and Mrs. Saker returned to the Cameroons, to find that the good work had made steady progress during their absence. Five persons were baptized, later there were more converts, and a new spirit of religious inquiry became manifest amongst the people. Crowds gathered to hear the Word of God, and could scarcely be prevailed upon to disperse when the service was over; numbers more gave evidence of their awakening by trying to read. As they slowly worked their way through some Gospel narrative, these poor people would touch their lips or beat their heads, as being unable otherwise to express their wonder and their joy.

Meanwhile the church at Clarence had prospered, and even at Bimbia, that unwholesome spot on the coast north of the Cameroons River, amidst untold horrors of savage life, Mr. Fuller and his wife had more than held their own. Thus was the Mission established and the whole work consolidated.

Under Mr. Saker's guidance, the arts of civilisation went hand in hand with religion; he dug a clay pit and made bricks, he wrought as a carpenter and a worker in metals, and planted a kitchen garden. The printing press was constantly busy, for by this time the structure of the Dualla tongue had been explored, and its forms beaten into shape. Class-books were prepared and portions of Scripture were translated.

Persecution was not entirely absent; at times it seemed as though an evil spirit had seized the heathen natives; they hatched murderous plots, and the converts often suffered violence, and went in fear of their lives. Amidst these perils Saker and Johnson, with their helpers, steadily pursued their work; each dangerous emergency as it arose was met with a quiet but fearless courage. Not seldom, when matters had reached a point at which restraint was no longer possible, the storm would suddenly die down, as though the Lord Himself had spoken the commanding word-Peace, be still!

To sum up the situation, by 1858 a native church had been built up at Clarence in Fernando Po, and work had been constantly carried on amongst the savage islanders of the interior; there was a small Mission, beset with many perils, at Bimbia; and on the southern bank of the Cameroons River, Saker was thoroughly established; a church had been formed, day and Sunday schools set a-going, a chapel, school, and mission-house erected, and all the machinery of