Mary picked up the baby who was crying now. She looked him over,
carefully. He was not hurt. Softly she sang to the baby and rocked him to
sleep. After the baby was well, Mary went back to the mission station in
the valley.
Another time news came that twins had been born. All the people had thought
a lot of the mother, even though she was a slave. Now everyone hated
her. The other women in the house cursed her. They broke up the few dishes
she owned. They tore up her clothes. They would have killed her but they
were afraid of Mary Slessor and what she would do.
They took the two babies and stuffed them into an empty gin box and shoved
it at the woman.
"Get out! Get out!" they said, "you have married the Devil. You have a
devil in you." They threw rocks at her and drove her out of the village.
Mary met the poor woman carrying her babies in the box on her head. The
screaming, howling crowd of people were following her.
"Go back! Go back to your village," Mary told the crowd. Then turning to
the woman she said, "Give me the box and come with me to my house."
When Mary opened the box, she found one child dead. The baby's head had
been smashed when it was jammed into the box. Mary buried the poor little
baby. Soon the owner of the woman came and took her back. She was willing
to do this as long as she had no children. The little baby stayed with Mary
and became another of her family.
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