Sketches from Formosa.

176
SKETCHES FROM FORMOSA
the three cemeteries continue to be kept in perfect con-
dition so far as any interference from the natives is con-
cerned, and it was one day about the middle of last June
that I stood with a large crowd looking in through the
gate at an obelisk of dressed coral which loving hands
had raised to the memory of Admiral Courbet. The
and communi-
people around me were all very obliging
cative, and the following were some of the remarks they
made about him whose memorial stood now before us :
/ chin ho-ta (he was exceedingly brave) ; / put-chi giam
I gau the-thiap kan-khaw lang (he
(he was very strict) ;
was good at sympathizing with miserable people) . Brave,
just, compassionate. What a noble testimony ! Coming
also from those to whom he stood in the relationship of
Conqueror ! Could the ambition of any true knight
reach higher ? There was at least one head uncovered
in that little crowd.
But it is time now to make some reference to the
Pescadores as a field of labour for the Christian missionary.
About two hundred and fifty years ago Rev. John Lutgens
died there after several years of devoted service ; and
about fifty years ago, the well-known Mr. Gutzlaff halted
there on his way to Formosa, but his stay must have been
very brief, and entirely limited to the distribution of
tracts and copies of the Scriptures. These are the only
such visits of which any record can be found till the one
from which I have just returned.
I left Taiwan-fu about four months ago, and after
overtaking the usual visitation of the Chiang-hoa stations,
had the way opened for me to engage in some evange-
listic work among the seldom visited towns and villages
of our wide field. It occurred to me then that this would
be the best time for me to carry out a long-cherished
wish to go over to the Pescadores. On mentioning the
matter to Preacher Tiong, he at once expressed an eager