made a profession of faith in the Son of God. Thus "do the wicked flee when no man pursueth."

The visit of Mr. and Mrs. Archbell was very cheering to us under these circumstances, for which we united in giving thanks to the Lord, who "giveth a banner to them that fear him, that it may be displayed because of the truth." He sent a fear into the hearts of the enemy, so that they did us no harm. Before concluding this subject, it will not be uninteresting to notice the results. The party remained for two days; and Paul having informed me, privately, that it was the intention of some of the commando who had accompanied him, having been disappointed of booty at the Kuruman, not to return without it, and were for that purpose resolved to go as far as the Barolongs on the Molapo River, I embraced this opportunity of remonstrating with them on their intentions, describing the country, and the danger of such a villanous undertaking. They silenced me, protesting that they were ignorant of such a plan.

All took their departure: Paul and his adherents went to their homes; and at half a day's journey from the station, twenty-seven of the number turned off, and directed their course towards the interior. Of this we were informed, but several weeks elapsed before we knew what had become of them. One evening, when about to retire to rest, a faint rap was heard at the door: it was one of these unhappy individuals, of the name of Isaacs: he had nothing on him but his shoes, having cut off his clothes to expedite his escape from a catastrophe, which had destroyed nearly all his companions. From his statement, it appeared that the party reached the Malapo, and had taken a drove of cattle, when they wandered from their course, and came in contact with the subjects of a powerful chief of the Batlapis. One of these, a man of influence, they shot. The news was instantly conveyed to head-quarters: a plan was laid, by which they fell into an ambuscade, whence only nine narrowly escaped with their lives, leaving their all behind. This was

among the last efforts of the hordes of ruthless desperadoes, who had for five years been scattering, throughout the tribes, devastation, famine, and death, excepting Jan Bloom, who removed to the eastward, and made repeated but unsuccess ful attacks on the people of Moselekatse. They had filled their cup of iniquity: there was no power either to arrest or overthrow them: human attempts only fanned the flame of discord: the Almighty sent forth his blast upon them, and they were made to drink of the bitter cup they had them

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DIVINE RETRIBUTION.

327

selves poured out to others. The Bushmen, pestilence, prodigality, and beasts of prey, deprived them of their thousands of cattle; disease and famine thinned their camps; till, at length, in places which had echoed with the shouts of savage triumph over slaughtered tribes, and the noises of rude revelry and debauch, nothing is heard but the howl of the hyena, as an appropriate funeral dirge over the remains of a people, the victims of insubordination, ferocity, and lust.

These awful judgments on some were not without the most salutary results to others. So evidently was the hand of God displayed, that the atheistical Bechuanas were wonderfully impressed with the truth of an overruling Providence; which doctrine they had, as a nation, hitherto treated as visionary and false. They had ocular demonstration of what we had told them was the word of God, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and that Jehovah would scatter them that delight in war. The notorious apostate, Jacob Cloete, the ringleader of that section which had scattered devastation among the Kuruman tribes, was impoverished by his companions in crime, and retired to Berend's people a beggar. He visited us as such at the Kuruman. It would not have been unnatural to expect that the Bechuanas, to whom he had been as the demon of destruction, would have treated him with contumely, or sought revenge. No; though they were yet comparative heathens, they looked on his tall, haggard form, and emaciated countenance, with sympathy; and seeing him look wild, and start, as if the air he breathed was charged with spectres, arrows, and death, they presented him with food, and retired, remarking, "O chueroe ki poitsego," he is seized by terrors." He soon afterwards died, the victim of remorse and shame

CHAPTER XXIX.

WHILE thus the judgments of the Lord were abroad among the tribes, the appearances on the station were indicative of the long-desired change. The temporary chapel

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DELIGHTFUL CHANGE.

was becoming too small. The readiness with which many answered the questions of Dr. William Brown's Catechism, which had been translated, and an increasing fixedness of attention to the preacher, were like the glimmering light on the eastern sky, so long watched for, the presaging tints of the brighter rays which were, ere long, to gild the horizon, -the harbingers of the Sun of Righteousness arising on a benighted people.

Mr. Hamilton, who had been detained unusually long in the colony and on the road, from severe drought and loss of oxen, to our great joy arrived in the end of August, 1828. This veteran and faithful labourer, who might with great propriety be called the father of the Bechuana mission, was beyond measure delighted to find, although our circumstances had been perilous during his absence, that now his mental energies were to be called into exercise in a way he had scarcely dared to anticipate. Shortly after this we were favoured with the manifest outpouring of the Spirit from on high. The moral wilderness was now about to blossom. Sable cheeks bedewed with tears attracted our observation. To see females weep was nothing extraordinary; it was, according to Bechuana notions, their province, and theirs alone. Men would not weep. After having, by the rite of circumcision, become men, they scorned to shed a tear. In family or national afflictions, it was the woman's work to weep and wail; the man's to sit in sullen silence, often brooding deeds of revenge and death. The simple Gospel now melted their flinty hearts; and eyes now wept, which never before shed the tear of hallowed sorrow. Notwithstanding our earnest desires and fervent prayers, we were taken by surprise. We had so long been accustomed to indifference, that we felt unprepared to look on a scene which perfectly overwhelmed our minds. Our temporary little chapel became a Bochim-a place of weeping; and the sympathy of feeling spread from heart to heart, so that even infants wept. Some, after gazing with extreme intensity of feeling on the preacher, would fall down in hysterics, and others were carried out in a state of great exhaustion.

Some months previous to these changes, Aaron Josephs, who was once a runaway slave, but who had, through the kind interference of G. Thompson, Esq., obtained his manumission for the sum of 1,500 rix-dollars, the proceeds of ivory he had collected for that purpose, left his farm for a time, and came to reside at the station, for the sake of the educa

tion of his children, as well as to improve himself in reading and writing.

Both he and his wife were steady and industrious, having come from the colony, where they had enjoyed some advantages. He, also, was awakened to a sense of his danger, and having a tolerably extensive knowledge of divine truth, he was soon a candidate for Christian fellowship, and was, with his three children, baptized at the same time with our own infant. The scene, from the previous state of feeling, was deeply impressive and exciting. Notwithstanding all our endeavours to preserve decorum in the crowded place of worship, strong feeling gave rise to much weeping and considerable confusion; but, although it was impossible to keep either order or silence, a deep impression of the Divine presence was felt. The work which had commenced in the minds of the natives received an additional impulse from the above circumstance; so that the sounds predominant throughout the village were those of singing and prayer. Those under concern held prayer-meetings from house to house, and when there were none able to engage in prayer, they sang till a late hour, and before morning dawned, they would assemble again at some house for worship, before going to labour. We were, soon after this interesting occurrence, delighted with farther results. Aaron and two other men came and offered to take upon themselves the labour and expense of raising a school-house, which would serve as a place of worship, till one for that special purpose was erected. All they required was the plan; and the doors and windows, with their frames, which they would also have made, but they lacked ability. This department, of course Mr. Hamilton thankfully undertook. It was a voluntary act on their part, without the subject having been once hinted at. We had scarcely laid down the plan, fifty-one feet long by sixteen wide, when Aaron, who was by trade both builder and thatcher, set all in motion. The season happened to be a rainy one, and as the walls were made of clay, there were serious interruptions; but it was nevertheless soon completed; for all who felt interested in the work, even women and children, gave what assistance was in their power, carrying clay, laths from the bushes, materials for thatch, or whatever else could contribute to its erection. It afforded us no small gratification to see the building finished with zeal equal to that with which it was commenced. Many important improvements were at the same time made in the outward affairs of the mission, in which there was no lack

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BAPTISM OF THE CONVERTS.

of native assistance, while the language and translations were attended to, to supply the wants of those who were now beginning to thirst after Divine knowledge.

The building was opened in the month of May, 1829, and in the following month we selected from among the inqui rers six candidates for baptism. This was not done without much prayer and deliberation. These had given us very satisfactory proofs of a change of heart. After particular private examination, separately, they were found to possess a much larger knowledge of Divine truth than was expected; and their answers were most satisfactory; it was truly gratifying to observe the simplicity of their faith, implicitly relying on the atonement of Christ, of which they appeared to have a very clear conception, considering the previous darkness of their minds on such subjects. They were therefore baptized on the first sabbath of July, when other circumstances concurred to impart additional interest to the solemnity. It appeared as if it had been the design of Providence to call together, from all quarters, an unusual and most unexpected number of spectators from Philippolis, Campbell, Griqua Town, and Boochuap. From these places there were present about fifty Griquas, who happened to congregate here previous to their proceeding on a hunting expedition. These were suitably and profitably impressed with what transpired, for they themselves had been for some time previous in a lukewarm state, and were thus awakened to jealousy about their own condition, by seeing the Bechuanas pressing into the fold of Christ, while they by their backslidings were being thrust out, and to this we frequently afterwards heard that people bear testimony.

There were also present, parties from different places of the interior, who had come for purposes of barter. The place of worship was crowded to excess, and the greatest interest excited by a scene which was indeed a novelty to many, the service being conducted in the Bechuana language. After a sermon on John i. 29, a suitable address was given to the candidates, and when a number of questions had been asked, they were baptized, with five of their children. Among them was Rachel, the wife of Aaron, whom Mr. Hamilton addressed in Dutch, she being more conversant with that language; the others were Bechuanas. In the evening we sat down together to commemorate the death of our Lord.* Our number, including ourselves and a Griqua, *It may not be unworthy of remark, that on the Friday evening previous, we received from John Greaves, Esq., of Sheffield, communion