Was their martyrdom worth while?

To-day all the slave raiding has ceased for ever; innocent people are not slaughtered to appease the gods; the burning of boys alive has ceased.

Mackay began the work.  He made the first rough road and as he made it he wrote:  “This will certainly yet be a highway for the King Himself; and all that pass this way will come to know His name.”

“And a highway shall be there and a way; and it shall be a way of holiness.”

But the Way is not finished.  And the last words that Mackay wrote were:  “Here is a sphere for your energies.  Bring with you your highest education and your greatest talents, and you will find scope for the exercise of them all.”

FOOTNOTES: 

[Footnote 55:  There is no record of the precise words, but Mackay gives the argument in a letter home.]

CHAPTER XXI

THE BLACK APOSTLE OF THE LONELY LAKE

Shomolekae

In the garden in Africa where, you remember, David Livingstone plighted troth with Mary Moffat, as they stood under an almond tree, there lived years ago a chocolate-skinned, curly-haired boy.  His name was Shomolekae.[56]

His work was to go among the fruit trees, when the peaches and apricots were growing and to shout and make a noise to scare away the birds.  If he had not done this they would have eaten up all the fruit.  This boy was born in Africa over seventy-five years ago, when Victoria was a young queen.

In the same garden was a grown-up gardener, also an African, with a dark face and crisp, curly hair.  The grown-up gardener one day stole some of the fruit off the trees, and he went to the little boy, Shomolekae, and offered him some apricots.

Now, Shomolekae had learned to love the missionary, Mr. Mackenzie, who had come to live in the house at Kuruman.  He knew that it was very wrong of the gardener to steal the fruit and throw the blame on the birds.  So he said that he would not touch the fruit.  He went to an old black friend of his named Paul and said to him: 

“The gardener has stolen the apples and plums and has asked me to eat them.  He has robbed Mr. Mackenzie.  I do not know what to do.”

And old Paul went and told John Mackenzie, who took notice of the boy Shomolekae and learned to trust him.

Many months passed by; and two years later John Mackenzie was going to a place further north in Africa than Kuruman.  The name of this town was Shoshong, where Mackenzie would live and teach the people about Jesus Christ.  So he went to the father of Shomolekae, whose name was Sebolai.

“Sebolai,” said John Mackenzie, “I want to take your son, Shomolekae, with me to Shoshong.”

Sebolai replied:  “I am willing that my son should come to live with you, but one thing I desire.  It is that he should be taught his reading and to know the stories in the Bible and such things.”