play. They are too young to be married. They meant no real harm."

The men did not like to hear that. They did not like to hear that their
ways were wrong.

"If punishment is hard," said the old men, "wife and slave will be afraid
to disobey."

"King Okon," said Mary, "show that you are a good king by being kind and
merciful. Don't be too hard on these young girls."

"All right, Ma," said the king, "I will make it only ten blows with the
whip. Also we will not rub salt into the wounds to make them sting."

When the whipping was over, Mary took the girls into her room. There she
put healing medicine on their backs while she told them about Jesus who
could heal their souls.

At last it was time for Mary to go back to Old Town. The king and the
people were sorry to see her go. On her homeward way a tropical storm
struck the canoe and the people in it. Mary was soaked. The next morning
she was shaking with sickness and fever. The rowers feared their white Ma
would die. They rowed as fast as they could for Old Town. Mary was so sick
that she had to take a long rest.

A few months later a big storm tore off the roof of her house and again she
was soaked as she worked to save the children. Again she became very sick.

"You must go home to Scotland," said Daddy Anderson. "You must go home and
rest and get well."