Letters and Articles 33–46

My very dear Friend

Your letter was what it always is, A perfect, joyous message from God to me. Notwithstanding all the sadness of your loss, it is a joyous message, telling as it does, That “God is able to make all Grace Abound.”, under the most trying circumstances, & in all the crisis of life. That is *The* Apologetic to Xtianity & Xt(Note 1) among Men. Our Family Worship lesson this morning was 2 Cor.1st(Note 2) & all the comfort & the motive for having got it, & the duty of using it as “*our* *line* of defence” to be held for Our King & His Empire, against Satanic & earthly foes, in our own hearts & outside in the world. “Tell it out among the Nations ”that He is *Able* to Keep, Able to Comfort, Able to “save to the uttermost” all who come to Him with want, or sin, or sorrow. “He is able” to supply all our need as sinners, & Blessed be His Name! Able to supply all our need as men & women living in a world full of partings & sadness & soul & body needs which cannot be tabulated in words. And *you* are telling it out & Mrs Arnot has been telling it out to me, & I have been strengthened & comforted, & have been trying to pass it on. I thank God for all He has been to you & yours during these months of trial! For the Grace given to the dear Father now with Himself, safely passed into the Home Above, & for His Help & Grace & Comfort to the aged companion of his long life; & for His Goodness to you beloved Friend of mine, through it all, making you grow in Grace & - in what is far deeper & more profound, & less easy to express -“ The *Knowledge* **of** our Lord Jesus Xt.

I have been long in answering your dear letter, but I have not been able to write, & am not now. Only at this Season, my heart goes out to you, & communes with you in what will be a rather sad Xtmas(Note 3) tide. There will be few Merry Xtmasses in Europe this year. But thank God, there will be a more profound sense of all Xt came to be & to *do* for Mankind, & a closer union & communion between Him & His People thro’ the sadness & insufficiency of Earthly Good. He will Himself draw near & will fill empty chairs in lonely homes & hearts & make His people - aye & thousands who have not sought Him in prosperity, to know that Here & Now, He is the Resurrection, & the Life, that he that beleiveth in Him shall never die. Dear One, It is the day after Xmas. I meant to write to you Yesterday, but I never got the length of the pad tho’ it lay in sight all day. How has it been with you? & how has it been in the Trenches, & the Battle front lines in the cold & the Homesickness? Again! Rest. & God was there, & He has done all things well. I have had a visit from Miss Coupar & Mrs Brown. Mr Brown is working at Ikot Obon for a few days, & the ladies from Duke Town School, Miss Chalmers & Miss McKennall were down with Miss Peacock the day before. It has been so nice to see them all. The bairns had a tea party on the back verandah on Xmas Eve. I had a package of Plum Puddings from one of our officers,(Note 4) & we had one of them, & a tin of fresh herring & tea & the table cups & saucers & dishes, & the bairns were greatly delighted. Tonight they will each get a Hymn Book - Efik-, Dr Robertson was from home, & they don’t sell these elsewhere up river. I have a big boil on my side so did not get to the meeting yesterday, as I could not bear my clothes on it, but it is broken & better today, & I hope we shall have a good service tomorrow. There is rather hot fighting going on up the Cross River a bit, & all round our boundaries. We have taken the Capital of the Cameroons, & some 5 locomotives & *2 aeroplanes*. They say those have been over Calabar unknown to us, & they had the Railway laid up to 40 miles of Itu they say so it was easy to come down & fire up without our knowledge, & we have not a single gun at Itu. But Our Father was watching over us, & the Railway is cut & several Germans taken prisoners, & a steamer has taken all their women who were left behind. That fact of leaving their women is a great compliment to Britain I think. But we are not yet rid of them, for there are other companies about, only it is hard to find out where in the dense Forests that surround us. The light is (failing?) me & there are many interruptions. But whether or not I get a letter proper written this will shew you that my hearts love is with you. The Diamond(Note 5) will pass on Tuesday. I think she is on Government business, but the Browns will be going on her. So I shall have a lot of local letters to write on Monday to go with them, & may be I shall not get more done for the Wednesday mail boat.

My dear lassie Yesterday I had Mr Hart from Duke Town Calabar. We were on our way home from Morning service, & saw a cyclist coming up the road smiling & waving, & lo! Mr Hart whose boy had lost the road from (Uro?) Ibo from which he was coming, turned up. He had come a long way that morning & was very tired. & it was blazing hot, & his box was half a day behind as his boy got a puncture. Well you can guess the surprise, & the pleasure, & the fine conversation till evening brought the meeting here & he took the Adress, & then I was so tired after the two services & the meeting, that I turned in & left him out in the moonlight thinking the Diamond would not be here till after noon today. Up comes a messenger in the middle of the night to say the Diamond was at Itu, & was to sail at 6. A.M. so he was up at 4 o/c & off before day light to catch her. Wasnt it a cheat? But boats are scarce & uncertain & must be caught at any cost. So want of sleep & visitors & and an untimely but welcome shower of rain, has kept me till now, evening time; & Brown who was to send me a boy to nail on 2 sheets of iron on the roof, has never turned up, & I suppose they are all gone in the early morning & I shall get Rested in some other way, I have no doubt. We are to have a play day for the Sabbath & day school children on Friday, & shall give them prizes. I have been looking out for things this forenoon, & very likely I shall not hear or see anything of my fellow workers till the Year has passed, so I shall have no news to give you. But I send my requests via the Heavenly Wireless, & no destroyer can touch that, or hinder the transference to you. Hence I leave you in Good, Strong, Everlasting, Comfy, Tender Hands, & He will hold us both & all we hold dear, “till we meet”, whether it be here or yonder. My warmest love to your dear mother & to your brother Angus, & may the “Best Wine” be measured out to you, & the ’Finest of the Wheat’ & His Own Blessed Presence as the year dawns, & goes on, bringing the Health & the Growth & profit & satisfaction that will go on accumulating in Priceless & Eternal Treasure.

All the bairns know you from your photo, & send messages of love to you. So does your ever loving sister & friend in the Holiest of Bonds.

Mary M Slessor

What if I go home to Scotland in March? Eh?

But theres no one for Ikpe or any where about. Alas!