"
"But Mary, did you know that when a chief died recently, fifty or more
people were eaten at the funeral ceremonies, and twenty-five others had
their heads cut off and were buried with the chief?"
"Yes, I heard that. But things were almost as bad when I came to
Okoyong. God blessed my work, and He can protect me in this strange new
land of the cannibals. I do hope the Mission Board will let me go and work
among the Aros and Ibos."
The missionaries in Calabar wanted Mary to work at Ikorofiong and at
Unwana, which were two towns farther up the Cross River from Akpap. But
Mary did not think these were good places for her work. She wanted to be
where she could reach the most people. She wanted to work at Arochuku, the
chief city of Aros which was also near the Efik, Ibo and Ibibio tribes. She
wanted to open her first station at Itu, which was on the mouth of Enyong
creek, her second station at Arochuku and a third at Bende. The
missionaries at Calabar did not agree, but they decided to wait until a
worker could be found to take Mary's place at Akpap. Mary would not reave
these people until they could be taken care of by Christian workers.
"Send a minister to take care of a station. I cannot build up a church the
way a minister can," said Mary.
It looked as though Mary would not get to go to the land of Aros. Then Miss
Wright, the teacher from the Girls' Institute, asked to be sent to Akpap as
an assistant.
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