White Queen of the Cannibals | Page 2

precious
food into the fire. He staggered to his bed and fell into drunken sleep.
With a deep sigh Mother Slessor put out the light and she, too, retired
for the night. Early the next morning she was up, preparing breakfast.
Carefully she scraped every bit of oatmeal out of the container and
boiled it for breakfast.
"Come, children, it's time to get up. Sunday school this morning,"
called Mrs. Slessor. Up jumped the six little Slessors. The older ones
helped the smaller ones get dressed. When they had eaten the little
oatmeal that Mrs. Slessor had for breakfast, they lined up for
inspection.

"John," declared Mrs. Slessor, "you did not wash behind your ears. Go
with Mary and let her scrub the dirt away. Now I'll put a bit of perfume
on your hankies, and here's a peppermint for each of you. There, off we
go to Sunday school and church."
Father Slessor snored in his drunken sleep, while the family went off to
hear God's Word and to sing His praises. When they returned, Father
Slessor was awake. He was sitting on the side of the bed and holding
his head. He had "morning after" sickness.
"Come, Robert," said Mrs. Slessor, "and sit up to the table. Good Elder
McDougal has given us a bit of meat and some bread, so we can eat
this day."
Father Slessor groaned, but sat up to the table and ate dinner with his
family. It wasn't much of a dinner. It would have been even less were it
not for the kindness and charity of friends, because Father Slessor had
spent all their money for drink.
After dinner the children did the dishes and ran out to play. When they
were alone, Father Slessor hung his head and said,
"Oh, my dear, what can I say? I am so ashamed. I did so want to bring
my wages home that we might have food for the children. And
well--before I knew it, my wages were spent."
"Robert," said Mrs. Slessor, "you have said again and again that 'tis
your friends who lead you astray. Would it not be well to move away to
some other town where you can find new friends who will not drink
and who will not tempt you to drink?"
"Aye, my dear, that no doubt would be the best. But where shall we
go?"
"I have heard that there is plenty of work in Dundee, with the mills and
all. Let's sell our things here and move to Dundee."
"Aye, let us do that. 'Tis certain it won't be worse than here for you and

the children."
"Very well, then. I shall tell the children and we shall move before the
week is out."
When Mother Slessor went outside to call the children, she found Mary
seated on the steps with her stick dolls about her.
"Well, Mary dear, what are you doing?"
"I am the teacher and these are the black children of Calabar. I am
teaching them about Jesus. I am telling them that He saved them from
their sins."
Mother Slessor hugged her little teacher and told her about the move
they planned to make. Then the other children were called and told, too.
There was much excitement, especially when the furniture was sold and
the Slessors with their remaining possessions took the train to Dundee.
It did not take long to find a place and get settled. Mother Slessor at
once looked for a church they might attend. She found the Wishart
Church, named for the famous preacher, George Wishart, who in 1544
had preached near the place where the church was built. Shortly
afterward he was killed for preaching about Jesus.
But Father Slessor did not do better in the new home. He could not
overcome the drink habit, and probably did not try very hard to
overcome it. In the meantime a new baby came to the Slessor home.
They called the baby Janie. How happy her brothers and sisters were to
welcome Janie! Mother Slessor was not altogether happy because she
knew there was another mouth to feed. Father Slessor promised to give
up drinking, but that did not mean anything, because he never kept
those promises.
The money they got from selling their furniture in Aberdeen slowly
melted away. Sickness came to the Slessor home. Robert Junior, who
was going to be a missionary to Calabar, became sick and died. Two
other of the children also died, and only Mary, Susan, John, and Janie

were left. But even that did not make Father Slessor give up his
drinking. The Slessors had less and less money to buy food. At last Mrs.
Slessor went to work in one of the factories. Mary had to take care of
the home. But the wages