Of the
doctrines which he preached to them day and night, most of them, it is
true, did not understand much. Still they accepted them as the price of
being allowed "to live in his shadow," but in the vast majority of cases
they sturdily refused to put away all wives but one, as he earnestly
exhorted them to do.
At first he wished to eject them from the settlement in punishment of this
sin, but when it came to the point they absolutely refused to go,
demonstrating to him that they had as much right to live there as he had,
an argument that he was unable to controvert. So he was obliged to submit
to the presence of this abomination, which he did in the hope that in time
their hard hearts would be softened.
"Continue to preach to us, O Shouter," they said, "and we will listen.
Mayhap in years to come we shall learn to think as you do. Meanwhile give
us space to consider the point."
So he continued to preach, and contented himself with baptising the
children and very old people who took no more wives. Except on this one
point, however, they got on excellently together. Indeed, never since
Chaka broke upon them like a destroying demon had these poor folk been so
happy. The missionary imported ploughs and taught them to improve their
agriculture, so that ere long this rich, virgin soil brought forth
abundantly.
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