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Toua lea autraa axamplairaa origlnaux sont fllmte an commani^ant par la premiere page qui comporte une ampreinte d'Impreaaion ou d'illuatration at an terminant par la dart,iiire paga qui comporte una telle empre.!sides the colony of Ceylon. The province, or presidency as it is called, of Madras, occupies the chief pnrt of the eastern coast, and lies mainly l)et ween the chain of mountains n-^med the Eastern Ghauls and the Hay of Bengal. It has an area of one hanored and fifty tliousund sfjiian! miles, and a population of over thirty-four 'uilli-nis. Its people hdon;; to several distinct races, chief among which is the Tclugu, a branch of the great Aryan family, which sent forth successive tribes to colonize t^uropo. The Telugus occupy the country between Madras and Ornjam. and number about eighteen millions of souls. In the south they merge olT into the people who speak the Tamil language, and in the north into those who speak the Oriyah tongue; whilst Konds, Gadabas, Savaras, and other aboriginal »ribes are found all along the western border, occupying the foot- Idlls of tlie (thauts. Brahminism is the prevailing religion, although there are many Moham- medans, some Buddhists, and a few Parsees, or Persian tire worshippers. The sacred books of the Brahmins are called the Vedas, and are said to have been written two thousand five hundred years before the Christian era. The principles of caste hold the people under its sway which nothing but the religi(.n of oiir Lord and Saviour .lesus Chvist seems able to break. Cliristian missionaries were sent to this people by ihe London Missionary Society as early as the year 1805, but for thirty years their efforts were almost entirely confined to the work of translation and conducting schools. During the past fifty years, however, the outposts of Christian missions have been advancing from the south and the north, until now there \re thousands of Telugus and Oriyahs who have cast aside their idols, rellaquished their vain philosophy, and given up their debasing superstitions, to worship the only living and true God and Jesuj. Christ whom lie has sent, and to be guided by the truths of His Word, which, believed, accepted, and worked out in the life, make wise unto salvation. in I -^1 i M I'UKI-'AiK. T»,« mlHHionarloii of th« Fon-lKii MU.U.nury Hour.l nf the Hup'-lHl Coo- vcnln o^ tv-t'-tl . New MrlnwU-lc. «nrir.e EawKrd I.lund wer. vonllon or " rt,.,,, j„ 1^75. ,u„l v.ry nm.n hu.l three Jhvc worked out Into the Hurrou.ulln« .-ountry. ami by .v.-ry ^'^ ' ^.» f " .SortTav.. Htrlven to nhow thcnsclvcH approve*! workm.".. for J.huh (hrl.t n th I LumnylnK map th.. ntullonH occupW.l by thU I Card an- marked circle By U the weneH of the following' narnitlv.. of """^"''"'' *^, ?lKtu^MM^ told by Mr. Anhib.ld. f.>r.ncrly MIhh Carrie A. Ha.nn.md. their mlLmlouftrlea In India. J. MMK'II, Secntarif. I Saint John, N. B., Repteinbw, 1S«.\ INTRODUCTION, r litH been thoi.ght that tho Htory of " Ol'uaiiathi and IlKHurAMAii," two of tho most lomurkuble clmracterH that huvc been in connection with our Canadian misHion to the TeliigUH, might be interesting to Missionary Handn and Snnday- sohoola ; henco tho following pages have boon written. It is a true story, and the facts liave been gathered from Ilorrianiah's narrative. Gnrahathi donated two pieces of hind to tho mission. One in the town for a cha])el, and tho other outside of Uio town for a burial-ground. In this latter I is remains wore phiced. Some four years ago, tlio Ranee entered a suit against Oura- huthi, to recover property that was given to him when a Hindu, or more properly speaking, a heathen; and the piece of land in the town, on which is the well, was taken possession of by the government orticiuls. As compensation, 100 rupees was paid Gura- hathi, and after dediicting costs of suit, etc., he presented the mission with the remainder. If this story secures a larger sympathy for our mission, by which the Kingdom of God is advanced and His name honored, the desired end will be gained. C. A. AKCUIBALU. niuilipattun, In.Ua, July 4th, 1885. (JIKAIIATJII AND IISiUUAMAII. CIIAPTIOR I. LOCATION AND EAULY WOiiKEUS. ITTTATKI) on the western congf. of V.z day jf bengal, about Mvo Imndicd miles north of Muhm, is Hinilij.utam, the i>.^ town first occupied by the Hui)tist8 of the Miiritinio Provinces of Cuniidu us u mission station. On, some forty-two miles further north and slightly east, is Chicucole, th" next place that was i)erma..ontly occupied by the missionaries of this misaion. Althouoh our i)eople only began Chrictitm work in this northern part of the Telugu country in 1877, many sections along the coast between Vizagapatum and Chicacole, and some inland portions also, had for thirty or fru'ty years been under the supervision of the London Missionary Society, It fre honored member of the household, and the tiny charge had come to a home of comfort but of considerable seclusion. No degree of royalty, however, could save her from the various anointings with oil and saffron, the almost semi-roasting over a pan of coals, which must follow, and worse than all, the cruel searing of the little stomach with a hot iron. When this last ceremony is performed the infant is taken far enough away from the mother to prevent its cries of agony from reaching her ears. Probably Hindu mothers believe that these things do for their babies, from the higliest to the lowest, some such service as flannel and peppermint do for Canadian babies. Be that as it may, these customs are some of the concomitants of babyhood in this part of India. We may assume that the mothci-'s heart was sad because the dumb idol, to which she had made offerings, vowed, and prayed, had not given her a son instead of a daughter. Infanticide, though prohibited by law, has not entirely ceased, and though the lives of many baby-girls are preserved, they are still unwelcome little people, unless the father's heart, particularly, has been previously satisfied by the advent of boys. Other children were given to these parents, but all died in infancy or early childhood ; so Herriamah, the name of this one little girl, should have been, and perhaps she was, a great treasure. TCnowin"" he'' as ^ woman it is eusv to imafine that she was one ''■"to*"*'*'"**''** 7 " ^'^ t/ o of the round, dimpled, laughing babies, which mothers love to kiss 10 01 RAnATIII AND TTERRIAMAH and fondle ; and that before she could walk, ornaments of various kinds adorned the tiny wrists and anfeles, whoso tinkling sound made pleasant music to the baby ears. Ears and nose were perforated in several places, Jewels inserted, and another little craft had fairly set sail upon the sea of life. Before this little lady was old enough t j remember even the most important events, she was betrothed by her parents, according to Eiifitcrn custom, to a young gentleman of the same tender age ; and this momentous question being decided, there was nothing for her to do but play and grow as the days and months sped on. Had slie been a child belonging to any ordinary caste, she would have been about the streets, very scantily clad, with hair in a perfect tangle, and played in the dirt in the most abandoned manner. As it was, her mother probably never went beyond the compound walls, except in a closed palanquin ; and Herriamah's play-ground consisted of the enclosed courts, which form an important part of the dwellings of the rich, and which outside are usually clean and neatly whitewashed. She has told me stories of her childhood, in which bright colored clothing and beautiful jewels formed a conspicuous part. She must have been a pretty little girl, with her clear ^rown complexion, fine black eyes and hair, small hands and feet, even if she had not the rosy cheeks of some of our Mission Band girls. She used to delight to plait her hair in one long braid, with cord and tassels at the lower end, a large ornament at the other, then adorn it with the white flo'.vers of which natives are so fond. lT nlike the majority of Hindu girls, this little maiden received the rudiments of a meagre education. A teacher came daily to the palace to teach some of the male members of the family, and she learned to read and write Oriya, her native tongue, with a good de- gree of fluency, and, perhaps, this fact is the key-note to her whole life. About this time her father died, so her training was largely with her mother, of whom she used to speak with a good deal of affection. When Herriamah was about nine years old, the boy to whom she was betrothed died, then the future of the little widow was in the hands of her elders in a very peculiar manner. The betrothal is almost, if not q lite as bindin45^, as the marriage rite, and when a Jiusband dies, it is concluded that the widow has committed some A MISSIONARY STORY. 11 great sin in a previous existence, and that punishment is now being visited upon her. Consequently, in many cases, each friend feels that ho or she is doing right in contributing sometliing towards the general discomfort and wretchedness of the bereaved one. Sometimes as soon as the man is dead, they rush upon the poor woman, shave ok her hair, pull off the ornaments so roughly as to leave torn and bleeding wounds, beat and knock her about in a most inhuman manner. It is reasonable to hope that this ofily occurs when the woman is away from all her own, and in the house of her husband's friends. It is very common to find a Hindu mother-in-law who has little love for the young wife, and wnen she suffers the loss of a well-beloved son, there is reason to fear her. Thei:e are thousands of Hindu widows who have never been wives, and hundreds of them end their existence in this world by committing suicide, rather than walk in the hard path that the years spread out before them. Perhaps the life of shame, which many of them lead, is much less dreaded by them than the unkind treatment, and often servile condition, to which numbers are sub- jected. They have never heard of the blasting influences of the former, and it saves them from much of the suffering entailed bv the latter. ^ Neither Herriamah, nor any other, could ever be honorably married, and she was not supposed to have any mind of her own on any question, whether it was closely associated with her or not. But Herriamah was still with her own mother, and she was her only child, so girlhood passed away comparatively happily and unevent- fully, and the years of young womanhood rested upon her before more than a pleasant ripple had darkened the surface of life's stream. I Vi OL'BAHATHI AND IIKUUIAMAII CHAPTER III. (JURAIIATIII AND NEW TIES. |ITUIN(; these years, an early playmate, named Ourahathi, the sou of wealthy parents, and of tlie same caste us Ilerri- (g^^ uniali. had grown to man's e#ate, and was a frequent visitor in and around the pahice. In his bhn.d was, to us, the fear- ful taint of leprosy, but iiitherto the disease had apparently madd little progress, while in physique he was tall and line looking. He had received a fair education, was naturally kind-hearted and generous, of rather a tiioughtful cast of mind, yet in every particu- lar was active and full of individuality. Me had never married ; possibly the girl to whom he was betrothed had died, for it is very unusual for young men to reach the age of eighteen or twenty without this matter being attended to. It is not supposable that Ilerriamah and Gurahathi were allowed much of each other's society, yet as considerable intimacy already existed between them, it is scarcely wonderful that as time passed it ripened into a warmer feeling, and they thought it would be a pleasure to them to walk life's pathway together. In Hinduism there is very little opportunity for the exercise of the love which is the foundation principle of happy Canadian homes, and had Herriamah's husband lived, long ere she had dreamed of such a thing as this, she would have been carried off to his house, and probably her whole life would have passed away without her knowing that such a thing was ever born in the human heart. Though deeply interested in each other, both she and Gurahathi knew perfectly well that she could never be his honorably married and publicly accepted wife ; yet, probably neither one of them ever thought of doubting the justice or criticizing the wisdom of this. A MISSION A RY 8TOUY. 13 one of their time-honored cuatoms. There was u cuetom, also, vhich was almost 03 common as the marriage ceremony, whicli was a part of the daily life around them, but which deprived woman uf ■womanhood's crown; and after a time the friends of the two parties decided that she should bo given to him. Ilerriamah was a widow who had really never been married, and condemned to life-long widowhood; she loved and was loved by the man to whom she was given, and it was with no small degree of pleasure that she entered upon her new life. How fair English readers will shrink from this with a start of iiorror, and perhaps with a feeling of strong condemnation for both; but they must remember tliat in all llerriiimah's future there was no other prospect of a happy home for her, that she had grown up surrounded by those who lived in a similar manner, that .she ac- cepted this as one of the natural conditions of life, and that she had never seen nor heard of our Bible and its pure teachings. Some years passed pleasantly and swiftly, and as Gurahathi seemed contented, his friends began to fear that he would never make any other woman his lawful wife, and as Herriamah could not inherit his property, they began to urge upon him what appeared duty to them, and the fact that she was already in his house was not the least obstacle to the instalment of another. For a long time he resisted all their efforts, but ultinK:.te]y yielded. Then there was a grand wedding, days and nights of feasting, the making of presents, beautiful torchlight processions, deafening Hindu music, the Guru or priest said his muntrunis, when the stars were in the right position, some water may have Vjeen thrown over the two, or they may have dipped some rice together with their hands ; he put on her neck the pousti, which in this case was probably a circlet of ornaments, with a peculiar one in front, and the little bride, probably a shy, prettv child of some twelve or thirteen years, was brought in a gaily-decorated palancjuin to the house where Herriamah had long been mistress. She was quiet and nice, and Herriamah, assured of and satisfied ■with the affection of Gurahathi, and the new wife not thinking anything about that, the two women always got along most amicably together. One was still a child ; more interested in romping about, when opportunity offered, than in anything else, with no interest in books or reading of any kind ; while between Gurahathi and the 14 OURAH/THI AND IIEUUIAMAH ; otlier there was oquulity of ago, similarity of tastes, each found in the otlier a companion, and many hours were spent together reading and conversing about their shastrums or sacred books. As yet no gleam of light had flashed across the darkness of their minds. But the sun was only below the horizon, and soon they would be nearly blinded by his brightness, and dazed with the true state of their hearts, which he should discover to them. One day Ilerrianiah saw a little boy running about with a two- paged leaflet in his hand, such as the missionary and his assistants give away by thousands. It was something more than mere curi- osity that led iier to ask to see it, and that finally pronipled the request to be allowed to keep it. This was the first thing she had O'-er seen regarding the Christian roligion, and she read it again and again with ever- increasing interest. She then showed the leaflet to Gurahathi, who read it, but no new thought took shape in his mind ; and when she communicated to him lier feelings and doubts, he reproved her rather sharply, and asked why a woman need trouble herself about such things. But Ilerrianiah secured and treasured the leaflet, and the Spirit and presence of God, unseen and unrecognized, brooded over the idolatrous worshippers in the palace at Tekkali. In the heart of one strange and conflicting doubts had arisen. The old content and satisfaction, which the forms and ceremonies of her own religion had once afl'orded her, would never return, and some day the blackness of heathen darkness must give place to the wondrous light of eternal truth. Again the swiftly-passing days, watched over by the All-seeing Eye, brought to her hands another leaflet ; and she resolved that she would never rest till her old faith was re-established or hope- lessly lost. One of her first endeavors was to enlist the sympathies of Gura- hathi in the subject which so deeply engrossed her attention; and under (>od these efforts were crowned with an abundant success. The younger wife could not be induced to regard the question with any degree of favor. Hers was the more ordinary type of Indian womanhood — which knows neither aspiration nor desire ; which refuses to heed anything that might even give birth to a new thought ; which is content with the present and utterly indifferent A MISSION' A It Y STORY. 15 to tho future, particularly the future of the undying soul; whether she has a soul at all or not is of less importance to her than the price of a necklace. So, why those two pieces of paper should cause Ilerriamah so much concern, was a mystery to her, which she had not the slightest interest in solving. This being the case, Ilerriamah and Gurahathi quietlv enjoyed many conversations, and as quietly began to look about" for other sources of information. At that time there was living at Chicacolo a London Mission colporteur, named Moonaswamy, who occasionally made visits in the direction of Tckkali, and by the assistance of others, they procured from him a copy of the Old Testament, which they began to read together. Sufficient light came from this to crumble into atoms Ilorri- amah's already tottering faith ; but her companion in study was not so easily convinced, lie was possessed of considerable native ability, and was well read in what we call heathen mythology, but what, to him, was sacred truth. So, where his masculine mind doubted and reasoned, she intuitively grasped and walked with woman's simple yet equally earnest faith. 16 uruAiiATur Avn iikuiiiamam CHAPTER IV. LUaiT AND SEPARATION. tlESE two seekers after truth groped iilong in the semi- twilight, with an over-increasing knowledge of their ,,^^^^ own sinful hearts, until the l»urden became very heavy; and lYcrriamah, particularly, with strong crying and tears, turned to the still unknown (Jod for help. She felt that it must come from Him, whoever and wherever he was ; she and ho, too, needed the Saviour, but probably neither could well express their need in words. One after another their religious customs were dropped, and from the privacy of their own room went up many itetitions to the prayer-answering God. One day they heard that there was another book, called the Now Testament, which should accompany the one that was already in their possession, and that in various w^ys it would assist them to understand this one. Again they sent to the colj)orteur, Moonaswamy, and in due time the coveted treasure was in their hands, and they were reading it from cover to cover. There they read of the new heart to which the sinful one must give place ; of the baptism that followed ; that the Saviour, who was born and had grown to manhood, had submitted thereto ; that He had died to save sinners. Thus the beautiful plan of salvation was graduUy revealed to cheir wondering yet rejoicing hearts. They did not feel sure whether their sins were pardoned or not, and thoy felt afraid to die, not having been baptized. They probably put rather too much emphasis on this ordinance, and feared they could not be saved without it. But perhaps they committed ■iff A MIHHIONAKY HTOU\. IT no g eator cM-ror than thono do who pntctieully deny that the Lord oveth obcdK.m.0 rather than Hacrifico. Thoy fdt that thoy mnnt bo bapt.zod ; hut how wore thoy t<» attain the denirod e,.d ? Of .d tho Bte,.K that mako up tho threescore year, a.ul ten, thi.s. to nun. ".Hi women ,n Chr.Ht.an huuln, in ono of the n..«t nu^nentoun. J iM one of the erowninff aeU of life, wherein the Byn.pathies of n,any are drawn out towards the young convert; and to him it in Jit the turn„„.-po.nt., wh.ch neither change nor the mi.t of years can efface from n.en.ory. And to thin nutn and woman, living in the dopthH of heatheuKsm, where the nan.e of Christ wan m.t known, o known only to be hated, it could scarcely be thought of withou qu.ckened pulse-beat, and spoken of or.y •. the strictest privacy. liu,y couhl truly say. " Wo rejoice to uo Thy will. O God;" but involved the rending of strong and tender ties, the departure from each other. '^' " "' ^"^'^ ^^'"'' ^''''*''^'^' ""^ ^^'^" «'^^^'I>''"g For the precepts of the book which thoy were now trying to fo hnv taught them the true relation in which each stood' to the llr\ n 7n ' ^'^'" ^" ^''^ ""^'"'^ ^'^•' l'"«'t''>» ^^""'^ be in the eyes of the Chr.stmn world, and as far as they could see, only sepa- Ht.on and rutl was before then,. Did they falter and shrink because of the roughness of the way v y,,, ;,,,,„, ,,^ J^ flesh ,3 weak ; yet trusting in this newly found Almighty One, they determined to press on. ^ ' ^ Finally, Ilorriamah resolved to go to Chicacole, and, if possible secure bapt.sm at the hands of 8ome one there. She sai.l she would walk the thirty miles rather than remain longer as she was. But Willie deeding ujmn ways and means, they learned that sprinkling was the practice of the Christians there; and, notwithstanding their lack of wisdom in many points, the words in their Oriya Jiible relating to baptism, conveyed to their minds another idea. As thev understood them, the Saviour received baj>tLsm at the liands of John and they did not see how anything short of that could be regarded as doing as lie did. The project of going to Chicacole was relinquished, and after a time t ley heard that there were Christians at Berhampore, who practiced the ni-fliniiMnn oc fl,^„ ..^..;i :l -. xi 1 1 .... . practiced the ordinance as they read it in the book. Th one hundred miles from Tekkali, in, to is town was them, a new part of the 18 Ml HAIIATHI \SU IIKIIUIAMAII ', counlry, un.l uino.i- .ttunjjtTH ; yi-i liiu iilott of going there wjw (li«- cuhscmI,' jtiavi'd ovor, iiikI limill) u,iri ,„-o wa» ,livi„o,l : ,.„,1 i„ wh. t ,li,.o,.ti„„ ho h,.,l g,,„o, „.,., tho mo,t im,,„rt,.„t .,u„,tio„. I,„,„iri , ! " nmao ,„ tho tow,,, „,„! „„,o„j; tho co„,tantlv con.i,,.. ,.,„l „, i,,' bn„,l.v-,„o„, ,„„1 ore io„« thoy 1,.,| ,»oort„i„o,l U„.t I...ri;.,„„o,; Z K' nty „l ,.of,;ge to whioh (i„n.l,.thi l,...l ,lo,I. A ,io|„,t„ti„„ f, " tl f,u„,ly w,., «o„t ,.ftor i w|,i.,|, „.o„hl .„„ ,.„ ,„.,',„„,i„, ,,„ J, of mo„ . w,,, „,„ ; thoy wouhl tol , of hmkc-hoarto,! t,i„„ I of tho8o,Tovv 1,0 l„„l c,u,.,„,i tl,o,„, of tho joy with wi,i,.h thoy w„„l, .■oco,vo 1,„„ MI,oy wo„|.i ,,,UI to tl,oir ,.,ssi,t„,co ,.11 tl„3ir .oli- ,, ,opl„,try, ,„ul tl,o,r th,-o..ts. If ,.11 thcso f.,ilo,l, ,.„,1 thoy c nM "ct po8.sos«,o„ of l,,.s ,.o>-™„ by c„„„i„g c- forco-noitho of whfd tho, w„„l,l ho.s,l„to to „,o - thoy wo„l,l bri„K him b„ok. Iji th,. ,„o,uiti>„o, (l„,.,.l„ahi l„„l re„cho,l Horl,,-,m|,oro in s„foty ho ch„,-oi. In .,,0 ti,no ho w,» ,.ooo|,to.l for b,.„ti.,„; b„t bofo,.„ ho h,.c ro,.l,zo,l this R,-o,.t cons„mm,.tion of his h„|,os tho party from Jokkal, .■uTivcl, and appcarcl bof,.ro him s„J,lo„lv one (l,.v in tho town who,, ho was «l„„c a„d „np,otooto,l. M„„v mission- ar,e8 havo listonod w,tl. aching and pniying hearts to snch talks as tho long ,.„d unsatisfactoi-y one which ensnod. l)ut, happily i„ tl„s case Gn,al,ath,'8 foet wo,-o on tho .-ock. Ife oo„l,l „' ' he in- .lucoa to retiu-n to his former life and faith, and ■ hen ho saw tho to OUHAnATIII AN») II KU HI AM Alt ; BttthoringanKor. au.l folt u..«uml thut they woul.l not l.c«.t»jto to Oftll to their iiM-iHtutico HornolhmK nioro olTcctivo thun wor.l.*. ho know thut only ii r.>«<>rt to ii Htnitoumn of houh. kin.l w.m.I.i «uvo him. r.) tollin" tlutn t.. cotnc with him to thi mi.sHi..m'ry'H h«.uH«. whore nil' hiH n.onoy un.l tiling'' woro, they tnrnml in thut dirr jtion. Arrived ut the lioune, they woul.l tmtiirally httvo lomo h^iitanoy fthout entering, un.l in thut moment (J.nuhulhi went in»iJo und ihi.t und fuHtone.l the .h.or hehind him. To hi« «li«muy, the misnionuty wum oiil. and only the Hervuntu were uround. The purty outside wu.- «.. enniKed that they were cettin.r muly to break in th • .loor. and i.r.)l)ably wiild have vorId ; so. funeral prepara- tions were commenced. All thy ceremonies with which his caste honor their dead were performed for him. The fri.dids made Home general bathings, and outside of the town a funeral pyre of t valuable kind of wood was erected, whereon (iunihathi was laid in efligy. Oil was poured over it, and after some of the friends had passed three times around the j ile, an elder brother, or some other near frieiul, put the torch to it, then went away. In some cases u man with a pot of water on his head walks once around the wood, then a small hole is made in the pot with a stick, and so on until three holes have been m ido, then the not is broken. There is fasting after the bivrning, mid, after three days, some conaiderable feasting, and further mourning, then life settles back into its ordinary channels. So it was in Tekkali. All, save Ilerria- mah, seemed to have forgotten Ih.' absent one, and she dared not mention his name. After Gurahathi's baptism, tl^ re was some correspondence be- tween him and the younger wife, probably at the suggestion of the 22 OUUAHATHI AND HERRIAMAII ; I I missionary, rcltttivo to her coming to him. This was a necessity ; but she soon gave all parties clearly to understand that she would not then, nor at any future time, have anything to do with him as long as he remained a Christian. Among Brahmins, etc., there is no social custom or legal for- mality by which husband and wife can be separated without loss of caste. But, among the lower orders of the people, when the mar- riage tie becomes irksome, there is a very simple way of severing it, if the parties concerned go about it according to the accepted custom. It is not liindu law, Ijut simply a custom that has become strong by use. Every village has its town hall, or council chamber, but usually not built in Canadian style. Occasionally it is a room, but more frequently a wall a few feet high is constructed of stone around a large tree ; the enclosed space, when iillod in and sodded over, makes a very comfortable place to sit and talk, while the wide- spreading l>ranches shelter from tlio sun. In more rural villages a few large, iUit stones, near the centre, serve the same purnose : and here many difficulties are settled, some honest work done, and many dishonest schemes planned and carried into execution. When a man brings a complaint against his wife, or vice versa,. several men belonging to the village where the parties dwell are called together by the Naidu, or head man of the village. These gather under the large tree, or around the ilat stones, and consider the matter. If both ])arties are agreed, a paper is made out, and they are allowed to go their several ways. Should either fail to appear, and ofl'er no proper excuse, the divorce is granted, as absence is regarded as consent. For ordinary difficulties, and among natives only, the matter requires but little time and thought, and is of very frequent occurrence. But when a man becomes a Christian, he not only loses his caste — which is a good thing to get rid cf — but he loses all his former Hindu friends as well. Humanly speaking, he has only the mission- ary to look to ; and when, as in this case, the missionary lived one hundred miles from the place where iYxf", p uncMat must be held, the separation is not so easily encompassed. Only time can make some crooked things straight, and this was one of the things that must, indefinitely wait. A MISSIONARY 8T0UY. 98 CHAPTER VI. IlERRIAMAIl GOES TO BERIIAMPORE. ■ONTILS passed away, and Ilcrriamah was waitino: day after day in Tekkali for some word or sign to indicate the approacl). of long-sought deliverance. She was often compelled to participate in the ceremonies and festivals, with which heathen life abound, and which are more or less closely connected with idolatrous worship. But she refused to pray to the inols, or to make any kind of jwnjali to them. Consecpiently her position was becoming more and more irksome. One day, when in some one of the outer courts, an unknown man quietly drew near and passed into her hand a folded paper. It proved to be a note from Gurahathi, saying that the missionary advised her to come to Berhampore, if she could make her escape, and that he would try to send her money for a bandy, in a few days, by some one whom ho could trust. lie also told her that she might feel assured that tne man who should come was his messenirer, if he repeated to her a given word in answer to a question of hers. A journey of one hundred miles is a trifle to a Canadian woman; but to Ilerriamah, who had never been beyond the town of Tekkali, it was almost etpial to one of Bunyan's lions. It was a struggle also to leave her mother and many other old associates. Days of unrest and anxiety followed, N/herein the effort to appear at ease and unconscious wore upon her so mnch that her friends thought she was sick. Thinking this, she was left largely to her own devices, which suited her purpose well, as she was constantly on the Avatch for, and feared she would miss the messenger, when he should arrive. One afternoon, while sitting on a doorstep, a man at some dis- tance drew her attention. In a moment ihe magic words passed 24 oubahathi and herriamah ; her lips, and were answered ; then, with loudly-beating heart, she received a note which directed her to be ut an appointed place at a given time, if possible. Oays passed, and the man waited, but no opportunii to escape from the house offered itself. Finally, one of the annual festivals which was to cominomorate the death of some member of the family was to be celebrated. Herriamah pleaded indisposition, and was at last allowed to remain in her own room. And, said she, **I really was sick ; my head and my heart ached." When alone, she hastily put together in a bundle some clothing and jewels, which she could call her own, knelt down and i)rayed for the last time where she had often prayed before, and asked God's blessing upon herself and the mother whom she loved, but who must be left behind, then quietly passed away out of the house into the gathering night, found the bandy, which was soon ready, and in a short time they 'lad turned their backs upon Tekkali, and their faces were towards Cerhampore. The first time that Herriamah toM me all this, we were alone in the Chicacole mission house. It was evening, and I was lying on the couch in the sitting-room, while she sat on the floor beside me. No lamps were lighted, but the warm air seemed tremulous with the soft eastern moonlight, which made the outside world beautiful, and which fell across the floor in wide sheets through the open front doors. Sa'd she, " It was a night just like this," and her recital and description kept my pulses thrilling. They were not pursued, or if they were they saw noHiing of the pursuers. Probably the family thought that the last disturber of tue peace had gone, and it was better so. She was only a woman, and a widow beside, nob worth taking much trouble for. The long journey was made in safety, and Herriamah reached Berhampore, where she was kindly received by the missionaries, and a place was given her among the women and g'vLs who were, in various ways, connected with the mission. It was a happy day for her when she Avas allowed to follow her Saviour in baptism, and she spoke of the peace and joy that filled her soul. The change from life in the centre of a heathen town, to the quiet of a God-fearing mission compound, must have been great to them both, and those days are i-everted to with pleasure. She and Gurahathi were not allowed to live together, as the missionaries could not regard her as his married wife. Neither could they marry A MISSION All Y STORY. '45 Tier to him, as they wished, till the tie which bound him to the other woiMiin hud been severed, and there seemed no early probability of accomplishing this. Months, or perhaps a year or two, passed in (juiet contentment ; then the old missionaries went homo on furlough, and new ones came in their stead. Let the new ones bo ever so devoted, energetic and faithful, they cannot begin where the old ones have left off ; they must take uj) the work, but the work misses the understanding of men and things, and the much valuable experience that the de- parting ones take to the home-land with them. This may have had nothing to do with the matter, but shadows seem to have fallen again on Gurahathi and llerriamah. The leprosy, which had long been comparatively dormant, rapidly began to develope, and both he and Herriamah, as natives are apt to be, were exceedingly troubled. At one time, when he was very ill and needing care, she went to his assistance without the consent of the missionaries. Trouble was started, and, ulti- mately, this led to their leaving the station together ; but they were still retained as members of the Church, and, long after, they left that one to join the church at Chicacole. They went to Calcutta, and God appeared to bless them. Their lot fell among good Christian people, who tried to help Gurahathi medicinally ; earnest prayers were offered for him, and health was in a measure restored. They, and others, have spoken of that period as the time when health was given in answer to prayer. After spending some months here, they returned to their own native town, Tekkali ; not to the old home of plenty and comfort, but to comparative poverty, and to that part of the town where the lowest caste people lived. Gurahathi had some claim to a piece of land, and though he ultimately lost this, they settled down and began life anew. He was always kind to the people, to whom he began to tell the way of salvation. His general influence was good, and he evinced his philanthropic spirit by digging a well for the benefit of ail who would take water from it. The well was nicely stoned up, and on a broad, Hat stone at the top, was the following inscription : '' Beneficent Lord Almighty. In the year of Our Lcru 1877 this well was dug 22 cubits deep. Bahoobalindruni Uthucutanaryie Urapu Gurahathi, Rupees 100, cost of well. Darapu Kittish stoned 26 UUIIAIIATIU ANt) IIKUUIAMAFI : it Up. No man is to give this water as a meritorious act, or sell it for money. If any man wishes to take water freely, and another attemi»t to prevent him, may the Lord's ourse bo on him. Amen. Oummipilly Hataehyah prepared this stone." To Christian Canadians who live in the midst of beautiful rivers, singin«; brooks and bubbling springs, this may seem a matter searcely worthy of niention ; but in this i)art of caste-bound India, where rivers are few, and only a dry sand-bed is all that is left of them during the hot season, where brooks and springs are rarely or never seen, a very diiferent value is placed upon a well of good water. If a well belongs to Bruhmins, the ordinary classes of people are not allowed to draw from it without pay, and sometimes water is refused altogether. Ordinarily, men, bullocks, and butlaloes, share the green, thick water of the filthy tanks. So, when Gura- hathi dug and i)nt this well into perfect order, at his own expense, it is presumable that many a blessing was envokod for him by those who drank of the sparkling water, and that to their dark minds this one meritorious action would balance many sinful ones, when the day of reckoning should come. To such a day the most benighted look forward ; and to them it is only a < ostion of preponderance. A MISSIONARY STOUT. 27 CHAPTER VII. NEW FRIENDS AND CHANGES. ^IIE former frionds of Giirahathi and Ilerriamah regarded them with the utmost contempt, but this was in a com- paratively dormant state, as long as they were not too aggressive as Christians. They avoided open contact wit), them, buu let pass no opportunity of insult or injury. So their days of trial were net yet over. Before any of our missionaries came to this part of the country, some of the residents of Akalatampara, a village some thirty miles from Chicacole, but not in the direction of Tekkali, had been led to Christ through the instrumentality of M. Anthrovadv, of whom many have heard; and these, in visiting Tekkali, had found Gura- nathi and Ilerriamah. When Kev. W. F. Armstrong settled in Kimedy, he found in these Akalatampara Christians his lirst native assistants, and through them became acquainted with the friends in Tekkali. He heard their story, and to him, as to other missionaries before him. their ca^. was a very puzzling one. He plainly told them what tl.eir position was m the eyes of all well-living people, and advised another separation. They did as he advised, and late in 1879 or early in 1880 Herriamah came to Chicacole, and once more set up her house in one of the verandah rooms of the mission house. One of her fir«i, duties was to learn -methingof the Teliigu language, as her native tongue, Oriya, was not used in Chicacole and vicinity. Here, in May of 1880, when the return of Mr. Armstrong to Canada necessitated my going to Chicacole, my acquaintance with Ilerriamah began, and a close friendship grew up between U3. During the one year and eight months that I was alone at Cnicacole] she was most invaluable to me in many ways; was always within call during the day, and every night her bed was spread on the floor US OURAirATIII AND IIERUIAMAlI ; beside my cot. She learned to read Telugu well, and could speak it better than she could read it ; was one of my best daily Bible-elaas fltudonts, and was generally a help and comfort. She became a very good Bible-woman, and not only worked in Chicacole, but walked off three and four miles to the villages, and seemed faithful to the work entrusted to her. (lurahathi was still in Tekkali, engaged in teaching a small school, and in preaching to the poorer classes of the people. Ills activity brought ujmn him the wrath of his own relatives, who were his worst enemies and his most bitter persecutors. Darkness hung heavily over the wicked city, and ho was the only man therein who endeavored to serve God. Without any appearance of complaint, iiis monthly rejwrts showed plainly that the cross waa heavy, but they breathed a si)irit of such rare humility and patience, that their receipt always brought new courage to my own, some- times, almost fainting heart. Two or three times his poor little mud house was torn down, the garden where he tried to gr<'w a few vegetables for food was laid waste, and any household articles that he had were broken in pieces. Homeless and sick, he was driven about and was forced to shelter himself in an open shed, under a large tree, where he lived and taught his school for months. As the I'jprosy had alfected his hands, he was usually unable to do his own cooking ; and the little boy who had earned his food and clothing by doing this work for him, one day ran oif and left him. Occasionally ho would write pathetically of his lonely state, and ask if there was yet no prospect of Ilerriamah being allowed to come to him. His letters to me always enclose 1 a note to her, and many were the plans that we discussed for his comfort, and when they were put into execution none were more grateful than he, and none more pleased than she was. When his pay was increased, she was glad ; and, when material for some coats ..as purchased, she seemed very happy in making thom. lie lived among the lowest and poorest of the people, but his kindness to them and his patience in suffering won their hearts, and opened their dirty little dub-bags.* He decided to build another house, and they contributed considerable in money, and helped a good deal about the work. * Money bags. A MISSrOWARY STORY. S» »I> eauJ to l» seokmg the Snviour. That >v,i,, tl,„ l,c..i„ of b or , ,.j, ,„ Tokkali ; but it wa- only the .i™t gli,„, .;",„"' wl" el h„, „„co ,tea,lily increancl till, ,,erh,..,,», ,,„„ the o ino brighter spot on the Chicacolo lli.l,!. " "" AlthonKh the ,,no8tio., of ll.MTiamah', return to Onrahathi was parts of the Hold was prcpenng. l,„t it wa>, i„ a mcasnre crippled and the above was one of the thing., that had to wait of 0, rlrjhi"?'';'"'"!' ','"'™'''"' ""■^' ""'■'""^ '^ S" '" "'0 "•'^i^'tanco Of Omahatl, ; but not knowing what conrse wonld eventuali- bo deeuled as the widest, not nn.oh encouragement was held ",,": ^ Teu"li tnd llf'"', •""■'r"'"-'^ -^^l'™»«'' ■•'^"■■'Ji"S news from lekk, I,, „d not wishing to say much herself, she delegated one of the Christians, named Kajainah, to see what were the latest develor- was ?Wr alrn T T"'° "I" ^^^ '" '''^''"'^ »' '''» «°>"<' "'»' " Ana When told that fears were en, .rtained regarding Hcrriannh's happiness should she at any future time be allowed to gl a Gnra a, I was not what he once was: that the disease was'st'ea I ; a 10 f Z'r '" '"' '^'*f ',' ""'• """ '■» '""• ""' - comfortable and aid ^t "'ZT'' '""" '"''' '^^ ''"™ "P h-' two hands and said, t is not that, not that. It may seem so to you, but doub Tt'i'n" " " ''" " "'"«•" ''"" ""P"^'''-" "- -'«'ood b aoubt stiJl remuined. On the flr.t day of January, 1882, Kev. J. li. Hutchinson and fomily reached Chicacole, and one of the early duties of the nZ Tekk^" ; t , : ^™' ""'' "' "'" ""'y "host, the converts at Tekkal,, who had for months been waiting bis coming. There it. hat heathen city, where a poor and despised leper Ld been 'the m trument used ,n turning some from death unto life, the solemni! zationof that most beautiful of Christ's ordinances was enough to th nil the nerves and bring tears to the eyes of any who loved the work 80 OUUAHATIfl AVI> IIKUUIa «t All ; Gunihuthi vinitiMl Cliicacolo, where ho imd Ilcrriuinah talked over their iitTiiirH, imd LM»nclu