The Final Adversary (20 page)

“It’s a rough country,” Gardner agreed. “We’ll have to toughen up.”

“Not a matter of that,” Seale insisted. “Some of the people I took back to America were fit enough, but no man’s tougher than malaria. Everyone gets it, and I understand that a man never gets over it. Three years ago I put a lovely family off in Monrovia, parents and three children. Methodist missionaries. They were a picture-book family, all strong and healthy. Eight months later I took the man and one son back to England. They were living skeletons. The mother and the other two children died within six months.”

The three men sat silently, thinking of the dark mass of land that lay beyond the ship’s prow. There was something ominous about it, the vast distances, the unknown rivers, and the wild animals—not to mention the savage qualities of some of its people.

“ ’Course, the Good Lord has promised to be with us all the way,” Awful remarked. A smile lifted the corners of his lips, and he gave a gentle jibe at the captain. “I wish the voyage were a little longer. We’d have your whole blinkin’ crew converted, Captain!”

A fleeting smile crossed Seale’s face. “You have me there, Reverend Gardner.” Several of the crew had given their hearts to the Lord in the Sunday services, and the officers had noted that their work had been affected for the better. “Wish the whole bunch would get converted,” Sipes had said. He himself had mellowed, and spent considerable time with Gardner and Barney.

Katie came into the dining room, and the three men rose.
“I have to get back to the bridge,” Captain Seale said. “We’ll make port in a week, so you’d best enjoy yourself. It’s going to be a hard life.” He tipped his hat to Katie, smiled, and added, “I understand you’ll be the speaker for the service this evening. I’ll look forward to hearing you.”

“Splendid chap.” Gardner nodded toward the retreating officer as they all sat down. “Andy’s got hopes for him, but he’s a hard case.”

“Oh no!” Katie protested. “He’s not at all like some of the others, Awful.”

“That’s true. However, he’d be a sight more likely to get saved if he wuz,” Gardner retorted. “Ain’t you noticed that none of the educated ones have found the Lord? Or only one, anyways. The captain thinks too much, that’s his trouble. Wants to figure everything out.”

“I agree,” Barney nodded. “Andy talks philosophy with him all the time, but he needs to know he’s a sinner. He’s such a decent man he doesn’t see his need of God.”

“And that stoker who got saved last Sunday, he didn’t have no doubts about what
he
was, did he, now?” Gardner said. “A regular drunk and everything else. And when he heard that Jesus Christ could take all that out of ’im, why he come runnin’ to get saved!”

“We’ll just have to pray that the gospel will get through to Captain Seale,” Katie said.

Gardner stood up. “Well, I’m goin’ to find that young engineer and give him a dose of Romans. The Spirit’s been convictin’ him, and I want to water the seed a little.”

“Got a good sermon for us tonight?” Barney asked after Gardner left. He had pressured Andy into asking Katie to speak, and had been surprised at his brother’s reluctance. Andy felt that with so few services left,
he
should do all the preaching.

“Oh, Barney, I can’t do it!” Katie almost wailed. She bit her lower lip, turned her eyes on him, and pleaded, “
You
preach tonight!”

“Not a chance!” he laughed.

“Some of the people on the ship don’t even believe in lady preachers,” Katie argued.

“Give ’em a good dose of fire and brimstone,” Barney teased. “And you’ll—” He stopped when he saw Pearl DeLaughter enter.

“Hello, Pearl,” he said, pulling out a chair for her. “Can I get you some coffee?”

“That would be nice.”

After Barney left for the galley, Pearl said, “You and Barney are getting quite close, I see.”

Katie’s cheeks turned pink. “Well,” she laughed, “he saved my life, so I think I’ll always be in his debt.”

“He’s not as good-looking as Andy, is he?”

“Not many men are.”

“That’s right. Are you interested in him?”

Katie had recognized from the first that Pearl was rather blunt, and that she took a great interest in the single members of the group. “I’m interested in being a good missionary right now. How’s Tobe?”

“Oh, he’s fine,” Pearl said absently.

“I’ve worried a little about him,” Katie frowned. “I hope he doesn’t have any of those attacks he had in New York.”

“I don’t expect—oh, here’s Barney.”

“Sugar and cream. That right?” he said as he placed the coffee before her.

“Just right. Thank you, Barney.” She smiled at him warmly. “You’ll spoil me.” She sipped the coffee as she studied him over her coffee cup. “I’ve been talking with Katie about you. We’ve decided that you’re not nearly as eligible as Andy.”

Barney grinned. “Aside from the fact that he’s better looking and smarter and knows how to make women happy, I don’t see why you should even voice such a thing. And remember, if a girl gets a fellow like that, some hussy is likely to run off with him. A girl wouldn’t have to worry about that if she got me.”

Pearl and Katie both laughed, and he grinned broadly. “Well, some girl might run off with me, too—but who would care? So you can see, there are advantages to a low down sort of fellow like me.”

“Oh, Barney, don’t talk nonsense!” Katie admonished. “Look how you and Awful got the Rescue Mission started. Why, Andy could
never
have begun a work in the fourth ward with the down-and-outers!”

“No,” Barney said thoughtfully, “he hadn’t been in Sing Sing. That’s another advantage I have over him—being a jailbird.”

“You’re a tough brute, Barney,” she commented, taking in his broken nose and muscular frame. The expression in her eyes was difficult to discern, for she had a way of scrutinizing and weighing people. “You’ll probably be carrying the whole lot of us on your back after the first week on the field.”

“Not me. That’ll be Andy. Or Awful, maybe.” He got to his feet. “See you later. I’m going for a nap.”

Pearl turned to Katie as Barney walked away. “You know what I think? You better get him, Katie. He’s not handsome, but he’d be caring and loving, one who would protect a woman.”

“Oh, Pearl, I’m not going to
get
anybody!” Katie exclaimed.

“If you don’t, I expect Irene will. A man needs a woman, and you and Irene are the only choices. And you know Irene—she’s pretty and knows how to please a man.”

There was an implied criticism in her words, but Katie ignored the remark. “I’ve got to go work on my sermon for tonight,” she said. “Pray for me, Pearl. Or better still, why don’t
you
take the service?”

“No, it’s you they need to hear,” Pearl said languidly. She continued sipping her coffee after Katie left, then got up and joined two officers at the rail who were taking a sighting. “Is that Africa, in that direction?” she asked playfully.

Back in the cabin, Katie labored over her sermon, staying secluded most of the day. Fortunately, Irene hated the cabin,
which the two shared, and was there only when asleep. The thought of preaching to the passengers and crew had been troublesome, and when Katie eventually joined the others for dinner, she still felt restless in her spirit.

She sat next to Del Saunders, saying little and eating less. His conversation seemed to be occupied with his lack of appetite, yet he devoured his food like a shark.
What a motley group we are,
she thought.
How will we ever exist?
Her mind returned to the message she was to give. She prayed much, half listening as Andy expounded around the table.

“I’ve been reading about Liberia,” he said. “The place has a very odd history. The name Liberia means ‘free,’ taken from the fact that it was settled by freed slaves. An organization called the American Colonization Society put the first group of freed slaves in the country in 1822. This society started the town of Monrovia, naming it after the President of the United States, James Monroe. He’d led the move to empower the U.S. Navy to board slave ships and release the slaves in Monrovia.”

“I never heard of slaves starting a country,” Irene spoke up.

“Well, it was pretty grim,” Andy said slowly. “Hunger and disease hit them hard, but gradually their numbers increased, and our government recognized the Liberian independence in 1882. It’s still sparsely populated.”

“What about mission work?” Del Saunders asked. “Will we find any of that?”

Andy hesitated, then said, “You already heard what they call the country—’The White Man’s Grave.’ The name came partly from the high death rate of missionaries. Of seventy-nine missionaries sent to Liberia by the Church Missionary Society of London before 1830, forty-four died of fever during their first year of service.”

“My word!” Awful gasped. “It ain’t no bloomin’ health resort, is it, now!”

The dark, foreboding information was anything but promising—some members paled at the prospect ahead, others
accepted it as a challenge, seeing God’s hand of direction and provision.

That evening more people than usual attended the service. “I think they’ve come to hear me because I’m a woman,” she whispered to Barney. “I feel like a freak!”

But when she faced the audience, the apprehension left and her voice was firm. She shared frankly about her life of sin, of how she had sunk to the lowest levels of society. As she bared her heart before them, she had no conception of the impression her words made on the crew and the passengers.

“But the Lord didn’t forget me,” she said warmly, her eyes flashing. “He died for me, and when I needed Him the most, He sent one of His servants to me. He doesn’t want me to mention it, but if it hadn’t been for Barney Winslow and the faithful workers of the Rescue Mission, I would still be lost, without hope, and away from God.”

She concluded with a pleading that all her hearers look to Jesus for salvation. In response, two members of the crew came forward. Barney and Awful knelt with the men, praying with the two and showing them the way. The reality of their experience of receiving Jesus as Savior showed in their faces and caused much rejoicing among them.

Afterward, Captain Seale said quietly, “I appreciated your sermon.” There was an expression of pain in his eyes, and he added, “I have a daughter who’s living a terrible life. Would you pray for her?”

“Yes, of course,” Katie responded, adding, “I’ve been praying for you, Captain Seale. I believe God is dealing with your heart, too. Do you think He wants to give your daughter a Christian father?”

He dropped his head, trying to hide the strong emotions stirring beneath his even demeanor. Katie waited for a moment. Then sensing the prompting of the Holy Spirit, she said, “When God is dealing with you, it’s not a good idea to ignore Him. Would you let me pray for you, Captain?”

When he lifted his head, she saw the tears in his eyes. He
said nothing but nodded assent. Katie prayed a simple prayer for his daughter, and when she ended, she asked, “Would you ask the Lord Jesus to come into your heart? That’s all one can do.” She urged him quietly. Finally he closed his eyes and his lips moved. Katie prayed, and when she finished, he lifted his head, and she saw that something had happened to him.

“I . . . I feel much better,” he said, his voice filled with wonder. “Is this what you called ‘being saved’?”

“Yes!” Katie said joyfully. “You asked Him to come into your life, didn’t you? Well, Jesus always comes when we ask. Now, could I give you a suggestion?”

“What is it?”

“Don’t keep what’s happened to yourself. Jesus said we were to confess Him before men. It may be a little difficult for you at first, but it will make you a stronger Christian. As you do, you’ll experience the reality of His love for you, and the desire to tell others will grow. Will you do that?”

Captain Seale seemed uncomfortable, but the shining face of the young woman before him gave him courage. “Yes, I will. As a matter of fact, I think right now would be the best time. I might lose my nerve later on.”

“May I tell the others the good news?” she asked, and when he nodded, to his astonishment she called out loudly, “Everybody! Let me have your attention!”

“You going to preach again, lady?” First Mate Sipes called out with a grin. He had enjoyed her sermon tremendously and would have listened to her again with pleasure.

“No, Mr. Sipes, I am not—but we have wonderful news for you.” She paused, tears running down her cheeks.

The others stopped what they were doing, wondering what she was going to tell them. “It always makes me cry when someone comes to the Lord Jesus.” She brushed the tears away with her hand and looked straight at Seale. “Captain Seale wants to say something. Right, Captain?”

Seale was basically a private person, and when he found himself the target of every eye, he flushed and stammered.
But gathering courage, he said firmly, “For a long time I’ve been interested in Jesus Christ, but a few moments ago, I discovered that—that He’s not just a person from ancient history but He’s alive! I’ve received Him into my life and I intend to follow Him with all my heart.”

The room broke out into cries of joy—mostly from the missionaries, of course. But the captain’s fellow officers were dumbfounded. Though they admired Captain Seale, knowing him as a fine seaman and an educated man, his sudden announcement came like a clap of thunder.

Sipes waited until the others had moved away before he approached Seale with a trace of uncertainty. “Well, Captain,” he mumbled, “I’m glad for you. Hope it lasts.” He looked at the missionaries and added in a subdued tone, “They ain’t like what I always thought Christians was like. Sort of makes a fellow think, Captain, when he meets up with the real thing, don’t it, now?”

“Yes, Mr. Sipes,” Captain Seale agreed. His eyes rested on Katie Sullivan. “It gives me a start, thinking that fine young woman, and the rest of them, may all be in a shallow grave in six months’ time.”

Sipes stared at him. “Aw, Captain, don’t talk like that!”

“I don’t like to, but you know what that country’s like.” Then he looked at Sipes and added, “I don’t think I would put off making a decision too long, Melvin. We never know what’s around the corner, do we?”