But Mary was not satisfied.  She did not want to take life easy.  As soon as she had built a church and the people were beginning to become civilized, she wanted to move on to wilder places.

“I want to start new work,” said Mary.  “Let those who are younger and who have not been in this work as long as I have, take the places where the work has been begun.”

Many of Mary’s friends among the natives had gone to Akpap, which was a village south of Ekenge.  This village was about six miles from the Cross River.  It was a large trading center.  Many heathen came to this village to trade their goods for other things they wanted.  Mary wrote to the Mission Board and asked them to let her begin work in this new place.

“We cannot at this time let you start work at Akpap,” wrote the Mission Board.  “To start there we would have to build a mission house, and we do not have the money for that.  Besides the nearest landing place is Ikunetu.  This is six miles from Akpap.  The forests are wild and hard to get through.  We believe you should continue the work at Ekenge.”

Mary wrote again and again, trying to persuade the Board to let her start work at Akpap.  At last the Mission Board agreed to let her start work there.  They promised to build a mission house and a boathouse for her steamboat.

Mary did not wait for the house to be built.  In 1896 she built a two-room native shed.  Here she began her work.  The house was not as good as the first house she built in Ekenge.  This did not bother Mary.  She was more concerned about bringing the Gospel to the heathen.

The work here was like that in Ekenge.  The chiefs came with the troubles they were having in their tribes.  They wanted her advice.  The people came with their family problems and wanted her to tell them what to do.  There were many heathen people who came from the jungle to visit her.  Mary taught her classes.  She conducted Sunday services.  She was busy all the time.  Then one day the smallpox sickness broke out.

“You must all be vaccinated,” said Mary to the natives.  “I will scratch your arm with this medicine and the smallpox will stay away from you.”

Hour after hour, far into the night, day after day, Mary vaccinated the natives.  When her medicine ran out, she took blood from the arms of those who had been vaccinated to use as vaccination medicine.

One day a man came running to the house where Mary was living in Akpap.  He had run a long way.  He was scratched up and sweating.  He had run through the jungle without stopping.

“Ma, Ma,” he cried, “the smallpox sickness has come to Ekenge.  Chief Ekponyong and Chief Edem are sick and many, many more.  Come quick, oh, come to Ekenge or we shall all die.”

“I will come with you at once,” said Mary to the messenger from Ekenge.  “I will help your people fight the smallpox sickness.”

Mary went back to Ekenge.  The smallpox sickness was very bad.  Nearly the whole village was sick.