Seruwanga, the bravest, refused to utter a cry as he was cut to pieces, but Kakumba shouted to Mujasi, who was a Mohammedan, “You believe in Allah the Merciful.  Be merciful!” But Mujasi had no mercy.

We are told that the men who were watching held their breath with awed amazement as they heard a boy’s voice out of the flame and smoke singing,

  “Daily, daily sing to Jesus,
  Sing, my soul, His praises due.”

As the executioners came towards the youngest and feeblest, Lugalama, he cried, “Oh, do not cut off my arms.  I will not struggle, I will not fight—­only throw me into the fire.”

But they did their ghastly work, and threw the mutilated boy on a wooden framework above the slow fire where his cries went up, till at last there was silence.

One other Christian stood by named Musali.  Mujasi, with eyes bloodshot and inflamed with cruelty, came towards him and cried: 

“Ah, you are here.  I will burn you too and your household.  You are a follower of Isa (Jesus).”

“Yes, I am,” replied Musali, “and I am not ashamed of it.”

It was a marvel of courage to say in the face of the executioner’s fire and knife what Peter dared not say when the servant-maid in Jerusalem laughed at him.  Perhaps the heroism of Musali awed even the cruel-hearted Mujasi.  In any case he left Musali alone.

For a little time M’wanga ceased to persecute the Christians.  But the wily Arabs whispered in his ear that the white men were still trying to “eat up” his country.  M’wanga was filled with mingled anger and fear.  Then his fury burst all bounds when Mujasi said to him:  “There is a great white man coming from the rising sun.  Behind him will come thousands of white soldiers.”

“Send at once and kill him,” cried the demented M’wanga.

A boy named Balikudembe, a Christian, heard the order and he could not contain himself, but broke out, “Oh, King M’wanga, why are you going to kill a white man?  Your father did not do so.”

But the soldiers went out, travelled east along the paths till they met the great Bishop Hannington being carried in a litter, stricken with fever.  They took him prisoner, and, after some days, slew him as he stood defenceless before them.  Hannington had been sent out to help Mackay and his fellow-Christians.

Then the King fell ill.  He believed that the boy Balikudembe, who had warned him not to kill the Bishop, had bewitched him.  So M’wanga’s soldiers went and caught the lad and led him down to a place where they lit a fire, and placing the boy over it, burned him slowly to death.

All through this time Mackay alone had not been really seriously threatened, for his work and what he was made the King and the Katikiro and even Mujasi afraid to do him to death.

Then there came a tremendous thunderstorm.  A flash of lightning smote the King’s house and it flamed up and burned to ashes.  Then King M’wanga seemed to go mad.  He threatened to slay Mackay himself.