The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-27

l POoSlOics III 4r luOHlltS. I1S oeiA0 iiS WohA1 | be cutting notches in a stick, one notcn
 for each noon, until the 18th notch had l been reached, when he would expect our ! shadows to fall on the ground at the 1 full moon by the side of his shadow. I Professor Gilbert and l returned to the l United States. We found three mission- aries and their wives ready to undertake l the heroic task of eyangelizing nearly half a million heather and until very recently savages in the very heart of Africa. By every token the little band was providentially qualified for this service.
 "Dr. D. L. Mumpower, the physician, and Mrs. Mumpower, the trained nurse. were from Fayette and Doniphan, Mo, Rev. c. c. Bush, the preacher. and Mrs. Bush, teacher of experience, were from Charlestown, w. Va, and Mir. J. A. Stockwell, agriculturist and builder, and Mrs. Stockwell, teacher and trained worker. were from Lake Charles, La. They were not only wiling to go. but
 considered 1t a privilege to be intrusted with so responsible a mission. The fol- lowing summer they were sent to Bel
 gium to study French, the official Ian guage of the Congo Beige.
 WENT TO SOUTH AMERICA My duties in the meantime took me to South America. Detained in Brazil
 several months. 1t was evident that it would not be possible to reach Wembo-
 Mama by the eighteenth moon. Pro
 lessor Gilbert was held by providential circumstances in the United States. therefore. wrote Rev. Motte Martin of Luebo, asking him to send messcn-
 gers to advise the chief of my un- avoidable delay and request him to extend the time to 24 moons. Four
 men were sent. who walked 1000 miles,
 |, l. 11r1 r.
 by the great chief, who loaded them
 with presents of food and a piece of cloth each, and gave them his spear,
 saying: Present this to Kabengele as a guarantee of protection when Ee ccmes with his people.
 sOn my second journey to Africa,
 Dr. w. NJ Morrison of the Presbyterian
 Mission. Rev. j. T. Mangum of Union Springs, Ala. the six missionaries and
 little Mary Elizabeth Mumpower ac-
 companied me We reached Matadi in
 three weeks. went up to Stanley Pool
 by rail. and found Captain Scott with the steamer Lansley waiting for us
 We returned with him to Luebo, 900
 miles. where we spent 10 days with
 Presbyterian friends. The welcome to
 Dr. Morrison and our party was
 royal one. Nearly 1500 people, includ-
 ing the missionaries of the station,
 were gathered on the river bank to greet us. As we steamed up to the
 landing place. the hymn Trust and
 Obey was started by our crew of 60 men. while from the shore Onward,
 Christian Soldiers came floating from
 the throats of over 1000 native con
 verts It was scene and an hour
 rare in the annals of missions and
 never to be forgotten.
 Everything was done for our com
 fort by our noble friends during our
 stay. Tn addition to the supply of
 ton of salt. cloth, school supplies, pro- visions and score of workmen, they offered to let us have two evangelists and their wives who might go as mis- sionaries to the Batetela. One of these
 was Mudimbi. who had gone with me
 on the first Journey. and Malando1a his wife Once more we travelled on
 the Lapsiey back down the Lulua and
 Kasai. and turning eastward into the
 Sankuru. we steamed 500 miles to Luz
 sambo. where we were entertained by
 MT. and Mrs. A. c. McKinnon and Rev R. D. Bedinger of the Presbyterian
 mission A caravan of 235 men and women was formed, Mir. Bedinger go- ing with us. and we started on our 12-day journey overland.
 "At Lubefu we found the chief awaiting us at the other end of the suspension bridge of vines He had Wdikeu three udNS journey to meet us As we passed from village to village we found the people ready to receive us and in several cases the chiefs had prepared presents of millet, rice, fruit and goats
 ARRIVED ON TIME
 "After many experiences our party arrived safely at Webo-Niama's v.l- lage one day before the twenty fourth moon and were entertained the frs. l The next day we moved out to tho concession of 22 acres given us by the Belgian government. and there, after clearing the ground we outlined tEc foundations for church, a school, hospital, storehouse. workshop and three residences. I organized a Meth odst church of 23 members. of which
 number 15 were transferred to us by the Presbyterians. a beautiful illus tration of comity and brotherly CO.,
 operation. Preparation for building
 was begun by Mir. Stockwell, q school
 was organized by Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Stockwell, medical work begun by Dr. and Mrs. Mumpower, and eyangelistit
 work started by Mir. Bush
 ''The isolation, the privation, the constant strain of effort to meet lim- itless need the daily contact with the sordid depravity of barbarism--these were the burdens under which the strongest might break. Mrs. Bush was the first to succumb and had to return to America, accompanied by her hus- band After two years, the Stockwells from Lake Charles. LA., came back to save the life of their baby boy. Walter Lambuth. attacked by a tropical dis ease. For months. the Mumpowers held the fort alone. leagues distant from the nearest missionaries, many miles from the nearest white men, sur- rounded by thousands of savages among whom cannibalism was still fresh and haunting memory. It was test of courage and devotion sush as men are rarely called upon to meet
 Then came relief. The mission board
 sent out to reinforce the thin line Rev. and Mrs H. P Anker. Rev. Thomas E.
 Reeve and Mrs. E. B. Stilz Braving the European submarine zone and spending months on the way, they arrived at Webo-Niama shortly after Christmas. Reeve was straightway sent to open a new station at Lubefu. 50 miles distant. and the others fell immediately into the many activities at Wembo-Niama and in the surrounding