"
The door of Kap-tsu-lan had opened at last! The missionary's eyes
gleamed with joy and gratitude as he accepted the invitation. The
delegation led the visitors straight to the house of the headman.
For the Pe-po-hoan governed their communities in the Chinese
style and had a headman for each village. The missionary party
sat down in front of the hut on some large flat stones and talked
over the matter with the chief and other important men. And while
they talked "Black-face" slipped away. He returned in a few
moments with a breakfast of rice and fish for the visitors.
The result of the conference was that the villagers decided to
give the barbarian a chance. All he wanted it seemed was to tell
of this new Jehovah-religion which he believed, and surely there
could be no great harm in listening to him talk.
In the evening the headman with the help of some friends set to
work to construct a meeting-house. A tent was erected, made from
boat sails. Several flat stones laid at one end and a plank
placed upon them made a pulpit. And that was the first church on
the Kap-tsu-lan plain! There was a "church bell" too, to call the
people to worship.
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