December 1924
T H E
K I N G ’ S
B U S I N E S S
769
W ith Kwang-si Robbers in a Chinese Mountain Fastness That “ prayer changes things” was never more strikingly manifested than in the experience of Messrs. H. G. Miller and R. A. Jaffray (Christian and Missionary Alliance missionaries in China), when they were captured by brigands, and their lives thereby put in jeopardy. Our readers will recall a similar experience related by Mrs. How ard Taylor in the May King’s Business, entitled “ Six Weeks with Chinese Brigands.” The heart of every child of God will glow with renewed faith and devotion as they read this fresh illustration of the marvelous sustaining grace of our God in the midst of great peril.
RESCUE party for Kwai-lin composed of Messrs. Ray (Baptist), Miller, Carme and Jaffray (Alli ance), left Wuchow on the hospital motor launch, the “ Roanoke” , about 2:00 A. M. Thursday, May 22nd. In three days we reached Chao-ping (Chin-ping). Directly opposite the town of Tsai-kwong, above Chao-ping, we were attacked by a band of robbers who opened fire on our boat at four o’clock Sunday afternoon, May 25th. We had an escort of eighty soldiers from Chiu-Ping who walked ashore, keeping even with thes'?“ Roanoke” 'all the way. Ten “ li” below Tsai-Kwong the troops who had been marching on the west side of the river crossed to the-opposite hank, and, on reaching the town of Tsai-Kwong, the robbers opened fire upon us. Our launch anchored, and many of the troops gathered behind the launch and shot across the river at the -enemy. Probably only twenty shots were fired from our escort of eighty men. The robbers at Tsai-Kwong were about thirty in number, as far as we could tell, and they poured into us a volley of over a hundred shots. Im mediately the fire opened, about two-thirds of our escort ran for their lives, without offering any resistance.' Our "escort” did not return to offer any protection. “Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear” I feel I ought to give praise to God for His wondrous keeping power in body, mind and spirit during those most trying circumstances. Naturally speaking, I am not a man of courage, but rather disposed to be fearful and timid, and I had often wondered how I would act if placed in a posi tion of danger. During the nearly thirty years of traveling in China I have never before met robbers but once,; and that was last year. I have always felt, however, that there would be grace given in every hour of need, and so it was at this time. Throughout all my dealings with the robbers, I had not the first sensation of fear. Some of their eyes glared like animals. Their voices were rough and coarse, almost like the growl of wild beasts. They were armed to the teeth. Most of their rifles, if not all, were exactly the same as those used by the inilitary troops of the Chinese Govern ment. They all carried knives. This no doubt shows that nearly all the bandits were ex-soldiers: in fact, a number of them told me that they had served under well known military generals of the province. “My Word Shall Not Return unto Me Void” But to return to the Lord’s keeping power and the total absence of fear. I found that I could look these fierce, wicked men straight in the face, put my hands upon their shoulders, and talk to them about the Lord Jesus, heart to heart, without a tremor in my voice, and without the slight est consciousness or appearance of fear. This seemed to be as great a surprise to them as it was to myself, and it seemed to trouble them. On several occasions during my five days with this ter ribly wicked robber band, I talked about Jesus to the chief in charge of the gang, and to individual robbers, until their hearts were moved and the tears began to come to their eyes. I found that they felt very uncomfortable under this
Sensation and, in fact, the head vobber chief, on a number of occasions distinctly avoided me because his emotions had been moved with the story of the love of Jesus, and lie would give' me no further opportunity to talk with him about his soul.. I found that the love of Jesus, His vicarious death on the cross, bearing our sins in His own body on the Tree, was "the subject that touched the tender spot in their hearts. I have never seen such wicked men in my life, and never want to see such again. I never could have believed that men and women (for there were women there too) could have sunk to such utter depths of depravity. In some cases the women seemed as depraved as the men. How I praise Him for the privilege of going to these men and giving them the message of the Gospel. If I had not gone they surely never would have heard the Gospel story. Over and over again we said to one another, “ I would not have missed this for all the world” , and yet it was as far removed from a pleasure excursion as one could possibly imagine. After our capture, which took place on Sunday afternoon at about four o’clock, we walked until about three o'clock in the morning. Then on Monday night again, not having suc ceeded in getting much rest during the day, we marched from five in the evening until five o’clock, just before day break— an almost continuous twelve hour march with hardly a break. This included the ascent in the pitch dark — lighted only by kerosene torches— of a rugged mountain, the upper part covered with grassy moss, exceedingly slip pery, probably 3,000 feet high. A few days later we descended this same mountain in the daylight, but in the drenching rain. The descent was even more hazardous than the ascent. The chief himself admitted that it was as much as one’s life was worth to try to descend that moun tain in the wet weather. “ As Thy Days So Shall Thy Strength Be” I knew, of course, that I was so{t, and I always expect on itinerating trips, under the best of conditions, to return with blistered feet and crippled joints; but what was my amazement to find that after these nights and days of marching over the worst kind of roads, I had not a swelling or a blister on my feet (Deut. 8 :4), nor a crippled joint or aching muscle! I could only say it was due to the grace and strength of my God. “ He shall give: His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Psa. 91:11, 12). “ Christ liveth in me!” (Gal. 2:20). For many years, in fact all my life, I have suffered from a weakness of heart, and have had to studiously avoid climbing hills. Though conscious of His strength as I ascended that steep precipice, scrambling over rocks, fight ing our way through brush wood, crossing rushing torrents, yet I rather expected to have a time with my heart: in fact, I felt my pulse several times in ascending the mountain, and found there was hardly a trace of palpitation. The robbers were very considerate, and while they were in a (Continued on page 809)
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