ied soon
and is building his house. A tree fell the wrong way and hit him. He cannot
move his arms or legs. This means bad trouble. The people will say it is
witchcraft."

Mary with her helpers quickly made a stretcher to carry Etim. They carried
him to his mother's home at Ekenge.

"I will nurse him," said Mary to Etim's mother.

For two weeks Mary took care of him night and day. She prayed God to spare
the young man's life. She did everything she knew to help him. Etim did not
get better. Day by day he became worse. Sunday morning came. Mary could
see that he did not have long to live. She left him for a short time to
arrange for Mr. Ovens to take care of the church services. Hearing Etim
groaning and crying out, she rushed back to the house where he was.

The natives were blowing smoke into his nose. They were rubbing pepper into
his eyes. His uncle, Ekponyong, shouted into his ears. They thought they
were helping him to get well. Instead they made him die sooner. In a
moment he gave a cry and fell back dead.

"Etim is dead!" cried the people in the house. "Witches have killed him!
They must die! Bring the witch doctor at once!"

The people who were in the house quickly disappeared, and soon only Mary
and Etim's relatives were left. When the witch doctor came, he did all
kinds of queer things, which he said would tell him who had made the young
man die. He pretended to be listening to the dead boy talk.

"It is the people of Payekong. They are to blame. They put a spell on him,"
said the witch doctor.

Chief Edem called for the leader of his soldiers.

"Take my warriors and go to Payekong," said Chief E'dem. "Capture the
people and burn down the houses. Quickly now!"

The warriors were too late. Chief Akpo, the chief of Payekong, had heard
the news. He and his people had run off into the jungle. Only a few
people were left in the village. Those were captured by Edem's soldiers
and brought to Ekenge.

Mary was sure that Chief Edem would make the people take the poison bean
test. This is how the test was made: A small brown bean full of poison was
crushed and put into water. The person who was tested had to drink the
poison water. The natives thought that if the person drank the water and
died, he was guilty; if he lived, he was innocent.

"That is no way to honor your son, Chief Edem," said Mary. "You know it is
wrong and sinful to kill people."

"But they are bad people. They deserve to die."