Itu. She waited and
waited. At last she found one of the natives and asked, "Where is the
government boat? Is it late?"

"No, Ma, it long time gone."

So Mary had to walk back six miles through the jungle to the mission house
at Akpap.

"Why, Mary," said Miss Wright, "what are you doing here? I thought that by
this time you would be traveling on the government boat to Itu."

"I am in God's hands," said Mary, "and He did not mean for me to travel
today. I have been kept back for some good purpose."

The next week when she again made the trip to board the boat, Colonel
Montanaro who commanded the government soldiers in that part of the
country, was on the boat.

"I will be happy to have you travel with me and my soldiers," said the
colonel. "You will be safer that way. I am going to Arochuku."

"That is just what I would like to do," said Mary. "Now I see why God did
not let me travel last week. I have been wanting for a long time to visit
the chief city of the Aros. I want to see more about this juju religion."

Some time before, the government had sent soldiers into the country to make
the chiefs stop the juju worship. The chiefs had promised to stop it, but
it still went on secretly. After reaching Arochuku, Mary followed the
jungle paths over which the slaves had been made to walk for hundreds of
years. She came to the place of the Long Juju. There Mary saw the human
skulls, the bones and the pots in which the bodies had been cooked. Mary
shivered when she thought of the cannibal feasts.

Mary thought the people might be against her, but instead they welcomed
her. They had heard about the good things she had done in the jungle.

"O God," prayed Mary, "I want to bring the Gospel to these man-eaters for
whom Christ died. Please, dear God, make the home church and the Mission
Board see the great need here so that they will let me win this part of the
country for Christ."

Mary promised the people of Arochuku she would come again and open a
school. Then she returned to Akpap and wrote the Mission Board for
permission to open a station at Arochuku. Soon the answer came back!

We are sorry, but it will be impossible at this time to open work at
Arochuku. We do not have the money or the workers.

#12#

_Among the Cannibals_

"The mission Board says that they cannot open a mission station at Arochuku
now," said Mary. "I have asked God to give me a mission station where His
Gospel can be preached