The Black-Bearded Barbarian | Page 9

of a hill.
And now Tamsui came in sight--the new home of the young missionary.
It seemed to him that it was the prettiest and the dirtiest place he had
ever seen. The town lay along the bank of the river at the foot of a hill.
This bluff rose abruptly behind it to a height of two hundred feet. On its
face stood a queer-looking building. It was red in color, solid and
weather worn, and above it floated the grand old flag of Britain.
"That's an old Dutch fort," explained Mr. Ritchie, "left there since they
were in the island. It is the British consulate now. There, next to it, is
the consul's residence."
It was a handsome house, just below the fort, and surrounded by lovely
gardens. But down beneath it, on the shore, was the most interesting
place to the newcomer, the town of Tamsui proper, or Ho Be, as the

Chinese called it. The foreigners landed and made their way up the
street. To the two from south Formosa, Tamsui was like every other
small Chinese town, but Mackay had not yet become accustomed to the
strange sights and sounds and stranger smells, and his bright eyes were
keen with interest.
The main thoroughfare wound this way and that, only seven or eight
feet wide at its best. It was filled with noisy crowds of men who acted
as if they were on the verge of a terrible fight. But the older
missionaries knew that they were merely acting as Chinese crowds
always do. On each side were shops,--tea shops, rice shops, tobacco
shops, and many other kinds. And most numerous of all were the shops
where opium, one of the greatest curses of Chinese life, was sold. The
front wall of each was removed, and the customers stood in the street
and dickered with the shopkeeper, while at the top of his harsh voice
the latter swore by all the gods in China that he was giving the article
away at a terrific loss. Through the crowd pushed hawkers, carrying
their wares balanced on poles across their shoulders. Boys with trays of
Chinese candies and sugar-cane yelled their wares above the din. The
visitors stumbled along over the rough stones of the pavement until
they came to the market-place. Foreigners were not such a curiosity in
Tamsui as in the inland towns, and not a great deal of notice was taken
of them, but occasionally Mackay could hear the now familiar words of
contempt --"Ugly barbarian"--"Foreign devil" from the men that passed
them. And one man, pointing to Mackay, shouted "Ho! the
black-bearded barbarian!" It was a name the young missionary was
destined to hear very frequently. Past opium-dens, barber shops, and
drug stores they went and through the noise and bustle and din of the
market-place. They knew that the inns, judging by the outside, would
be filthy, so Mr. Ritchie suggested, as evening was approaching, that
they find some comfortable place to spend the night.
There was a British merchant in Tamsui named Mr. Dodd, whom the
missionaries knew. So to him they went, and were given fine quarters
in his warehouse. They ate their supper here, from the provisions they
had bought in the market, and stretching themselves out on their grass
mats they slept soundly. The next day was Sunday, but the three

travelers spent it quietly in the warehouse by the river, studying their
Bibles and discussing their proposed trip. They concluded it was best
not to provoke the anger of the people against the new missionary by
preaching, so they did not go out. To-morrow they would start
southward and take Mackay to the bounds of their mission field, and
show him the land that was to be "his parish."
CHAPTER III.
RECONNOITERING THE TERRITORY
Early Monday morning Mackay peeped out of the big warehouse door
at the great calm mountain shrouded in the pale mists of early dawn.
The other two travelers were soon astir, and were surprised to find their
young companion all ready. They were not yet well enough acquainted
with him to know that he could do with less sleep at night than an owl.
He was in high spirits and as eager to be off as he had ever been to start
for a day's fishing in the old times back in Ontario. And indeed this was
just a great fishing expedition he was commencing. For had not one
said to him, long long ago when he was but a little boy, "Come follow
me, and I will make you to become a fisher of men?" and he had
obeyed. The first task was to go out and buy food for the journey, and
to hire a couple of coolies to carry it and what