January 1926
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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heretics had distributed, collected and burned. This man became curious to know what such terrible literature could contain, and he managed to secrete a copy of the New Testa ment, which he read through. He read ft with increasing delight, God opened his eyes, and he found in the Book the way of salvation. The city had three distinct classes in its confines, the Indians from the mountain villages who spoke Quechua, the cholos who are of Indian descent but who speak Spanish, and the upper or monied class. The cholos comprise the greater part of the poverty stricken population, but in the upper class are many wealthy and refined families.^ And such poverty as does exist! Every Saturday is beggar s day, and from their hovels come forth the most abject looking creatures, begging for alms, after which they retreat to their hovels again and live for the week on the aid given on that one day. Those that are old and ill and poor are left to die, and very little charity of any sort exists. Wil liam and Randall worked chiefly among the poorer classes, not because they needed help the most, but because they in their abject poverty, were the easiest to reason with. People in distress are quicker to see possibilities of help, for they know they are helpless. The fanatical upper classes, secure in their outward professions of religion, scorn to express a need even though they may feel one. For several weeks events moved along quietly, and no new threat was made against them openly. William learned that his young friend the monk had gone to Rome. They knew that sooner or later the persecution would break out again with renewed vigor, and sought to prepare themselves for any surprise, resolving not to leave their work unless absolutely necessary. One evening Randall, who had gone to a near-by village, did not return as soon as William expected him and although they rarely were separated for long, on this occas ion William did not even know the direction in which his friend went. Randall himself,.was not sure when he started out, how many places he might-visit in the afternoon. All night William kept watch for him, but he did not come; with increasing uneasiness he anxiously awaited the arrival of daylight that he might search for him. Randall had made several visits to the homes of different converts, reading and praying with them, and it was quite late when he started home. On his way through the dark ened streets he was arrested on a false charge and taken to prison. It was a filthy place, and he shared his quarters with six criminals of the lowest type. He wondered how long he would have to stay in that dirty prison before release would come. He did not wish to disturb the des perate characters about him, as he sat huddled on the cold, bare floor of a damp cell. The sharp wind from snow covered mountains blew in through the iron-barred win dows, and the night passed slowly. He did not forget his Friend who had promised to be with him in every time of trouble, and prayed that release might come Bpeedily. He knew William would gladly do all he could to secure his release, but he also knew that William had no idea where he was. The next morning Randall was released by the civil authorities, and he knew that the arrest was an effort on the part of the priests to get rid of him. Thus began again persecutions which waxed bolder and bolder, until for their own protection as well as relief on the part of the Prefect, they were ordered to leave the city on a certain day. With the memory of their previous departure from a city, they resolved to go secretly, before the time appointed to go. This plan they were able to carry through to a limited (Continued on page 44)
the building, met his friend, garbed In the monk’s attire with his cowl closely drawn about his face. The first visit, was a very satisfactory one, and was followed by several others. One night as they were in the garden together, the monk told William that there had been a meeting of the church authorities in which the question of the expulsion of the two heretics was considered, and it was planned to get rid of them at once. A gunman had been employed to force their withdrawal from the city by whatever means were necessary. The monk was much exercised over the matter, and begged his young friend and his companion to leave the city at once. There was to be a big demonstration made the fol lowing day, and there would be sorry work, he knew. They talked longer than usual and, Just as they were planning to part, another priest and two men appeared in the garden between them and the door. The priest felt that he had them trapped, so leaving the two to guard the door he went in to give the alarm. William’s friend urged him to follow, and rushed into the building, on through some of the halls and finally out into another garden; there, bidding William good-bye and to trust in God, he went up to his own room. William searched carefully for an outlet, but could find none. The walls were fourteen feet high on two sides; on the third side was a lower wall, but when he tried to escape this way he was attacked by fierce dogs and had to return. The building occupied the entire length of the fourth side. During this time the other garden and the building had been thoroughly searched, but to no avail, so that this garden was now to be the scene of action. The searchers came near William; indeed, he felt that they must hear his thumping heartbeats, but crouched as he was under a bush overhang ing a ditch, and with the water almost over him, he was not detected and the watchers finally gave up the search. Later, when all was quiet within and without, William stole out and again searched for a possible outlet. This time he found a slender sapling against the wall, and by its aid he climbed the fourteen foot wall; staying but.a moment on top of the brilliantly moonlit wall, he dropped twenty feet down into the stream below. His fall was broken somewhat by bushes and limbs of small trees, and soon recovering himself he swam out and made his way back through the quiet city, to his room. He found that Randall also had just arrived, having spent nearly the whole night with the young Chris tian who had been stoned and left for dead, but who was now slowly recovering from his very painful injuries and bruises, as well as a broken leg. n CHAPTER 16 IN PRISON Very little sleep came to the eyes of the tired friends, and with the dawn of the morning they went with the infor mation that had been obtained from the friendly monk to the Prefect, who armed every soldier and policeman and insisted on order being maintained. The rioting did not occur as the priests had planned; there was a little disturb ance in one part of the city, but far away from the home of the heretics. The two friends bravely conducted their little meetings in the rooms they had rented for the purpose. Often a young Peruvian sought their rooms for conversation, and more than once they came in touch with some one who had read their literature secretly and had been led into the light of the knowledge of Christ. It was all the encouragement the young missionaries needed. One man who came to them told how he managed to secure a copy of the New Testament. The priests had ordered every Bible and piece of paper the
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