Christianity! Surely,
Blessings abound where'er He reigns!"
A Hoa had another tale to tell. One afternoon he had a strange
congregation in that little chapel. There were one hundred and forty-six
native converts and twenty-one Europeans. These were made up of seven
nationalities, British, American, French, Danish, Turkish, Swiss, and
Norwegian. Their ship was from America and was bound for Hongkong with
coal-oil.
They were amazed at seeing a pretty, neat chapel away in this
wild, remote place, which they had always supposed was overrun by
head-hunters, and indeed it was just that little chapel that had made
the great change. These men now entered it and joined the natives in
worshiping the true God, where, only a few years before, their blood
would have stained the sands.
A Hoa told them something of the great Kai Bok-su and the struggles
he had had with savages and other enemies, when he first came to this
region. The visitors were very much interested and did not wonder that
the name "Kai Bok-su" was held in such reverence. When they left, the
captain presented the little chapel with a bell, a lamp, and a mirror
which were on board his ship.
The long months of separation were rolling around, when something
happened that brought Kai Bok-su back to his island in great haste. Once
more war swept over Formosa. This time the trouble was between China
and Japan. The big Empire proved no match for the clever Japanese, and
everywhere China was forced to give in.
One of the places which Japan set her affections on was Formosa. She
must have the Beautiful Isle and have it at once. China was in no
position to say no, so the Chinese envoy went on board a Japanese
vessel and sailed toward Formosa. When in sight of its lovely mountains,
without any ceremony he pointed to the land and said, "There it is, take
it." And that was how Formosa became a province of Japan. At noon on May
26, 1895, the dragon flag of China was hauled down from Formosan forts
and the banner of Japan was hoisted.
Of course this was not done without a struggle. The Formosans themselves
fought hard, and in the fight the Christians came in for times of
trouble. So Kai Bok-su, hearing that his "valuables" were again in
danger, set sail for Tamsui.
When he arrived the war was practically over, but everywhere were signs
of strife. As soon as he was able, he took A Hoa and Koa Kau and visited
the chapels all over the country. Everywhere were s
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