Sketches from Formosa.

IQO
SKETCHES FROM FORMSA
after my narrow escape from the chapel-burning at
Peh-tsui-khe.
The last item in this narrative is that the Magistrate
to whom, under God, we are indebted for our present
foothold in this anti-foreign heathen city of Chiang-
hoa, now lies in his Yamen a corpse ! The chapel
premises had just been secured, and there were still
a number of details to settle when this tall, active
officer, of about forty-five years of age, unaccountably
took ill and died in a few hours. I do not give any
weight now to the rumours in circulation that poison
was used for bringing about the tragic event.
Our opening meeting there, when the place was
filled with willing listeners,* was an occasion of much
rejoicing. We had all along tried to act in a straight-
forward, patient, and forgiving way with this people,
and the result is that many of them now seem really
well-disposed towards us. The work commenced among
them will continue for some time to have very modest
dimensions ; but, whether as regards the action of the
Toa-sia Church in providing funds for it, or the fact
that our residence in the city is now made legally
secure, we feel profoundly thankful and very hopeful
for the future. My Chinese friends doubtless thought
I then took a rather strange way of showing this. I
had not seen a European face for nearly four months,
and was preparing to start at daybreak for Po-li-sia,
but felt it impossible to leave without repeatedly singing
out the Scottish version of a Psalm which has now become
so closely associated in my mind with the " Battle of
Chiang-hoa " of it:
that I shall here write down every word
* The Presbyterian Synod of Formosa was formed at Chianghoa
on 24th October, 1912, Mr. Campbell having been unanimously
invited to become its first Moderator.