answer, "The Gospel has not yet been preached to them _in their own
tongue in which they were born_. They have heard it only through
interpreters, and interpreters who have themselves no just
understanding, no real love of the truth. We must not expect the
blessing till you are able, from your own lips and in their language, to
bring it through their ears into their hearts."

"From that hour," said Moffat, in relating the conversation, "I gave
myself with untiring diligence to the acquisition of the language."

As an instance of the drawback of preaching by means of an interpreter,
the sentence, "The salvation of the soul is a very important subject,"
was rendered by one of those individuals as follows: "The salvation of
the soul is a very great sack." A rendering altogether unintelligible.

For the purpose of studying the language Moffat made journeys among the
tribes, so that he might for a time be freed from speaking Dutch, the
language spoken with his own people at Lattakoo. Itinerating visits were
also made in turn every Sabbath to the surrounding villages, and
occasionally further afield, but sometimes, after walking perhaps four
to five miles to reach a village, not a single individual could be found
to listen to the Gospel message.

The only service in which the missionaries took any real delight at this
time, was the Sabbath evening service held in Dutch for the edification
of themselves and the two or three Hottentots, with their families, who
belonged to the mission.

In addition to sore privations, discouragements, false accusations, and
the loss of their property, the missionaries found even their lives at