Sketches from Formosa.

IV
THE SEK-HWAN ABORIGINES
ON i4th October, 1872, Dr. Dickson and myself left the
city to visit our stations among the Sek-hwan, who
occupy the northern part of the county of Chiang-hoa.
Our party consisted of eighteen persons, and was made up
chiefly of brethren from the villages of Toa-sia and Lai-sia.
All along the way we enjoyed very favourable oppor-
tunities for open-air preaching, and for disposing of large
quantities of Christian books and tracts. This part of
our work was most interesting. Hundreds of people
gathered about us in the more populous towns through
which we passed, and listened with great goodwill as we
spoke to them of God's love in sending His Son to save
them. No sooner, too, had we halted for the night at
any roadside inn, than crowds would collect and refuse
to go away till we came out and told them something of
the object of our visit. I was pleased to see that those
Chinamen always acted with civility, and were even
profuse in their hospitality at some places, treating us to
tea, fruit, sweetmeats, and curious cakes made up with
choice little morsels of rank pork fat.
Our chapel in Toa-sia was reached about noon on the
I7th, after an entire journey of nearly a hundred miles.
Of course the converts gave us a most hearty welcome.
The last pastoral visit paid to them was in March, and they
had been looking forward to the present one with much
expectancy. From the thirteen candidates for baptism
we examined, it was thought that only two might be
3 33