Thinking black; 22 years without a break in the long grass of Central ...

14
THINKING BLACK
But the faithful flame flickers on, an apostle of light, true
*' thinking black " parable of the Devil's battalions trying
to snuff the little lights of testimony twinkling across
Africa. Far-fetched metaphor though this looks, yet can
we place it under the sure shelter of high authority. For
did not Faraday long ago begin his famous lecture by
declaring " there is not a law under which any part of this
universe is governed that does not come into play in the
phenomena of the chemical history of a candle " ? Not
that these millions of midges haven't a method in their
madness. Hidden for their lives by day in the marsh, full
well they know that the scorching sun would devour them
if they emerged, war to the death being proclaimed
between solar light and these broods of darkness. What
wonder, then, at this their revenge on the poor candle, a
diminutive disciple of the sun spluttering in the night,
their vindictive swoop eloquent of the anti-light malice.
This certainly is the native's notion, for in his alliterative
language he makes a linear pun of it—calling the lamp the
"Sun's little Sonny," the prefixes rhyming as in English.
This is digression, though, and we must get on with
our story—but that means another chapter.