CHAPTER V.
“IN PERILS BY THE HEATHEN, IN PERILS IN THE WILDERNESS.”
ON our arrival at Bareilly in January, 1857, we were most kindly received by the Judge—Mr. Robertson—a member of the Free Church of Scotland. He took us into his home, and entertained us until we could obtain a house and furnish it. He was greatly delighted at our coming, for he believed in Missions, and in the power of the Gospel to reach the hearts of the heathen. For more than thirty years he had been in the civil service, knew the people well, and spoke their language with great fluency. His advice and opinions on our work were freely given and gratefully accepted, and it was evident that we might ever count him among the truest friends of our Mission.
We entered our own home just ten weeks before the Rebellion occurred; settled all things for our work, put up my valued library in its place, and began to study the language, little dreaming that so soon our comfortable arrangements would be consigned to the flames, and we be homeless and hunted for our lives on the adjoining mountains!
Yet, we might have been awakened from our sense of security by many events around us. In particular, one day a native gentleman called at our house and held a conversation, Joel interpreting, in which I was given to understand that my coming among them was regarded by the people of Bareilly with considerable anxiety; that for some time they had been led to believe the English Government had hostile intentions toward their faith, and really intended, by force or fraud, to break their caste and destroy their religion; and the supposition was, that I had been brought there by the Government to be ready, when their caste was broken, to baptize them, and so complete their Christianization!
