Part 21 (2/2)

CHAPTER LXVII

RAIN FROM BELOW

AT this depth the earth and coral began to be soaked with da water My soul had a faith that God would open a spring for us; but side by side with this faith was a strange terror that the water would be salt So perplexing and hest experiences of the soul; the rose-flower of a perfect faith, set round and round with prickly thorns One evening I said to the old Chief, ”I think that Jehovah God will give us water to-morrow from that hole!”

The Chief said, ”No, Missi; you will never see rain co up from the earth on this Island We wonder what is to be the end of this mad work of yours We expect daily, if you reach water, to see you drop through into the sea and the sharks will eat you! That will be the end of it; death to you, and danger to us all”

I still answered, ”Come to-morrow I hope and believe that Jehovah God will send you the rain water up through the earth”

At thesorrowful consequences, had no water been given; but I had faith that the Lord was leading lory, not ain at daybreak and sank a narrow hole in the center about two feet deep The perspiration broke over h every lian to fill the hole Muddy though it was, I eagerly tasted it, lapping it withhand, and then I almost fell upon my knees in that muddy bottom as my heart burst up in praise to the Lord It ater! It was fresh water It was living water fro to speak of; and no spring in the desert, cooling the parched lips of a fevered pilgri called a Well of God than did that water to me!

The Chiefs had asseer expectancy It was a rehearsal, in a s round, while Moses struck the rock and called for water By and by, when I had praised the Lord, and reatly settled, I filled a jug, which I had taken down e to the top called for theiven us through the well

They closed around azed on it in superstitious fear

The old Chief shook it to see if it would spill, and then touched it to see if it felt like water At last he tasted it, and rolling it in his mouth with joy for a moment, he sed it, and shouted, ”Rain! Rain!

Yes, it is Rain! But how did you get it?”

I repeated, ”Jehovah ave it out of His own Earth in answer to our labors and prayers Go and see it springing up for yourselves!”

Now, though every hest tree as swiftly and as fearlessly as a squirrel or an opossuaze down into that well To them this was miraculous! But they were not without a resource that reed to take firm hold of each other by the hand, to place the line, the foreaze into the well, and then pass to the rear, and so on till all had seen ”Jehovah's rain” far below It was somewhat comical, yet far more pathetic, to stand by and watch their faces, as man after man peered down into the mystery, and then looked up at me in blank bewilderment!

When all had seen it with their own very eyes, and were ”onder,” the old Chief exclaimed--

”Missi, wonderful, wonderful is the work of your Jehovah God! No God of Aniwa ever helped us in this way The world is turned upside down since Jehovah came to Aniwa! But, Missi,” continued he, after a pause that looked liked silent worshi+p, ”will it always rain up through the earth?

or will it coo like the rain from the clouds?”

I told them that I believed it would always continue there for our use, as a good gift froli to strike his brain, ”will you or your family drink it all, or shall we also have some?”

”You and all your people,” I answered, ”and all the people of the Island, may come and drink and carry away as much of it as you wish I believe there will always be plenty for us all, and the more of it we can use the fresher it will be That is the ith ifts to men, and for it and for all we praise His Name!”

”Then, Missi,” said the Chief, ”it will be our water, and we may all use it as our very own”

”Yes,” I answered, ”whenever you wish it, and as much as you need, both here and at your own houses, as far as it can possibly be erly, fully convinced at length that the well contained a treasure, and exclaimed, ”Missi, what can we do to help you now?”

I was thankful, indeed, to accept of the Chief's assistance, now sorely needed, and I said, ”You have seen it fall in once already If it falls again, it will conceal the rain froiven us

In order to preserve it for us and for our children in all tireat coral blocks from the bottom to the very top I will now clear it out, and prepare the foundation for this wall of coral Let every est block they can bring It is orth all the toil thus to preserve our great Jehovah's gift!”