“At last,” she said to herself, “at last I am in Calabar.”

#3#

In Africa

“Welcome, welcome, Mary,” said “Mammy” Anderson, as she hugged Mary.  Mammy Anderson and her husband, William Anderson, were among the first missionaries at Duke Town in Calabar.  “This is Daddy Anderson,” said Mammy Anderson, “and Daddy, this is Mary Slessor, just come from bonny Scotland to help us.”

Daddy and Mary shook hands.  “Long ago you preached in our church in Dundee,” said Mary.  “You told how many missionaries were needed.  I wished then I could help you.  I hope I can.”

Mary liked this fine Christian couple from the start.  The mission house where they lived was high on a hill above the town.  Mammy took Mary around the house and the yard, which they called a compound.  She showed Mary where the workers stayed who helped at the mission house.  She showed her the school where the little black children were taught to read and write and told of the dear Saviour who had died for them, too, that they might be saved from sin and Hell and go to Heaven.

“And here,” said Mammy, “is the bell.  I am putting you right to work.  One of your jobs will be to ring the rising bell for morning prayers.  You ring this at six o’clock.  Then everyone will get up, and we will have prayers in the chapel.”

That was Mary’s first job, but alas!  Mary often overslept and did not ring the rising bell in time.  One morning she awoke and saw that it was very bright outside.

“Dear me,” said Mary, “I’ve overslept again.”  She jumped out of bed, slipped into her clothes and rang the bell, loud and long.  Soon the workers began coming, rubbing their eyes and yawning.

“What’s the idea of ringing the bell now?” asked one of them.  “It’s much too early.”

“But look how bright it is,” said Mary.

Daddy Anderson laughed.

“Mary, Mary,” he said, “it’s only two o’clock in the morning.  The light you see is our bright tropical moon.  It’s not the sun.”  And all the workers laughed, and Mary laughed with them.

“I guess I’m not a very good bell-ringer,” she said.

Mary’s real job was to teach the children in the school on Mission Hill.  She remembered how she had played when she was a little girl that she was teaching the children of Calabar.  Now she was really doing it.  She loved the little black children.  After school she would take long walks with them into the bush.  There they saw beautiful birds of many bright colors, and beautiful flowers of all kinds.

Mary ran races with the black children.  How they loved that!  She climbed trees as fast as any boy.  The black children loved their white ma who taught them and played with them.  But playing with the children often made Mary late for meals.

“Mary, Mary,” scolded Mammy Anderson gently, “you are late again.  I am going to punish you.  You go to your room.  Since supper is over, you’ll just have to go to bed without it.”