the life of william carey-第20章

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earance　in　everything；　or　it　is　impossible　for　him　to　stand　their　profuse　way　of　living；　being　so　contrary　to　his　character　and　so　much　above　his　ability。　This　is　a　snare　to　dear　Mr。　Thomas；　which　will　be　felt　by　us　both　in　some　measure。　　It　will　be　very　important　to　missionaries　to　be　men　of　calmness　and　evenness　of　temper；　and　rather　inclined　to　suffer　hardships　than　to　court　the　favour　of　men；　and　such　who　will　be　indefatigably　employed　in　the　work　set　before　them；　an　inconstancy　of　mind　being　quite　injurious　to　it。〃

He　had　need　of　such　faith　and　patience。　　Hearing　of　waste　land　in　Calcutta；　he　returned　there　only　to　be　disappointed。　　The　Danish　captain；　knowing　that　he　had　written　a　botanical　work；　advised　him　to　take　it　to　the　doctor　in　charge　of　the　Company's　Botanic　Garden；　and　offer　himself　for　a　vacant　appointment　to　superintend　part　of　it。　　The　doctor；　who　and　whose　successors　were　soon　to　be　proud　of　his　assistance　on　equal　terms；　had　to　tell　him　that　the　office　had　been　filled　up；　but　invited　the　weary　man　to　dine　with　him。　Houseless；　with　his　maddened　wife；　and　her　sister　and　two　of　his　four　children　down　with　dysentery；　due　to　the　bad　food　and　exposure　of　six　weeks　in　the　interor；　Carey　found　a　friend；　appropriately　enough；　in　a　Bengali　money…lender。9　Nelu　Dutt；　a　banker　who　had　lent　money　to　Thomas；　offered　the　destitute　family　his　garden　house　in　the　north…eastern　quarter　of　Manicktolla　until　they　could　do　better。　The　place　was　mean　enough；　but　Carey　never　forgot　the　deed；　and　he　had　it　in　his　power　long　after　to　help　Nelu　Dutt　when　in　poverty。　Such；　on　the　other　hand；　was　the　dislike　of　the　Rev。　David　Brown　to　Thomas；　that　when　Carey　had　walked　five　miles　in　the　heat　of　the　sun　to　visit　the　comparatively　prosperous　evangelical　preacher；　〃I　left　him　without　his　having　so　much　as　asked　me　to　take　any　refreshment。〃

Carey　would　not　have　been　allowed　to　live　in　Calcutta　as　a　missionary。　　Forty　years　were　to　pass　before　that　could　be　possible　without　a　Company's　passport。　　But　no　one　was　aware　of　the　existence　of　the　obscure　vagrant；　as　he　seemed；　although　he　was　hard　at　work。　All　around　him　was　a　Mohammedan　community　whom　he　addressed　with　the　greatest　freedom；　and　with　whom　he　discussed　the　relative　merits　of　the　Koran　and　the　Bible　in　a　kindly　spirit；　〃to　recommend　the　Gospel　and　the　way　of　life　by　Christ。〃　　He　had　helped　Thomas　with　a　translation　of　the　book　of　Genesis　during　the　voyage；　and　now　we　find　this　in　his　journal　two　months　and　a　half　after　he　had　landed：

〃Through　the　delays　of　my　companion　I　have　spent　another　month；　and　done　scarcely　anything；　except　that　I　have　added　to　my　knowledge　of　the　language；　and　had　opportunity　of　seeing　much　more　of　the　genius　and　disposition　of　the　natives　than　I　otherwise　could　have　known。　This　day　finished　the　correction　of　the　first　chapter　of　Genesis；　which　moonshi　says　is　rendered　into　very　good　Bengali。　　Just　as　we　had　finished　it；　a　pundit　and　another　man　from　Nuddea　came　to　see　me。　　I　showed　it　to　them；　and　the　pundit　seemed　much　pleased　with　the　account　of　the　creation；　only　they　have　an　imaginary　place　somewhere　beneath　the　earth；　and　he　thought　that　should　have　been　mentioned　likewise。。。

〃Was　very　weary；　having　walked　in　the　sun　about　fifteen　or　sixteen　miles；　yet　had　the　satisfaction　of　discoursing　with　some　money…changers　at　Calcutta；　who　could　speak　English；　about　the　importance　and　absolute　necessity　of　faith　in　the　Lord　Jesus　Christ。　One　of　them　was　a　very　crafty　man；　and　tried　much　to　entangle　me　with　hard　questions；　but　at　last；　finding　himself　entangled；　he　desisted；　and　went　to　his　old　occupation　of　money…changing　again。　If　once　God　would　by　his　Spirit　convince　them　of　sin；　a　Saviour　would　be　a　blessing　indeed　to　them：　but　human　nature　is　the　same　all　the　world　over；　and　all　conviction　fails　except　it　is　produced　by　the　effectual　working　of　the　Holy　Spirit。〃

Ram　Basu　was　himself　in　debt；　was　indeed　all　along　a　self…interested　inquirer。　　But　the　next　gleam　of　hope　came　from　him；　that　the　Carey　family　should　move　to　the　waste　jungles　of　the　Soondarbans；　the　tiger…haunted　swamps　south…east　of　Calcutta；　and　there　cultivate　a　grant　of　land。　　With　a　sum　of　？6　borrowed　from　a　native　at　twelve　per　cent。　by　Mr。　Thomas；　a　boat　was　hired；　and　on　the　fourth　day；　when　only　one　more　meal　remained；　the　miserable　family　and　their　stout…hearted　father　saw　an　English…built　house。　　As　they　walked　up　to　it　the　owner　met　them；　and　with　Anglo…Indian　hospitality　invited　them　all　to　become　his　guests。　　He　proved　to　be　Mr。　Charles　Short；　in　charge　of　the　Company's　salt　manufacture　there。　　As　a　deist　he　had　no　sympathy　with　Carey's　enterprise；　but　he　helped　the　missionary　none　the　less；　and　the　reward　came　to　him　in　due　time　in　the　opening　of　his　heart　to　the　love　of　Christ。　　He　afterwards　married　Mrs。　Carey's　sister；　and　in　England　the　two　survived　the　great　missionary；　to　tell　this　and　much　more　regarding　him。　　Here；　at　the　place　appropriately　named　Hasnabad；　or　the　〃smiling　spot；〃　Carey　took　a　few　acres　on　the　Jamoona　arm　of　the　united　Ganges　and　Brahmapootra；　and　built　him　a　bamboo　house；　forty　miles　east　of　Calcutta。　　Knowing　that　the　sahib's　gun　would　keep　off　the　tigers；　natives　squatted　around　to　the　number　of　three　or　four　thousand。　Such　was　the　faith；　the　industry；　and　the　modesty　of　the　brave　little　man　that；　after　just　three　months；　he　wrote　thus：〃When　I　know　the　language　well　enough　to　preach　in　it；　I　have　no　doubt　of　having　a　stated　congregation；　and　I　much　hope　to　send　you　pleasing　accounts。　　I　can　so　far　converse　in　the　language　as　to　be　understood　in　most　things　belonging　to　eating　and　drinking；　buying　and　selling；　etc。　　My　ear　is　somewhat　familiarised　to　the　Bengali　sounds。　　It　is　a　language　of　a　very　singular　construction；　having　no　plural　except　for　pronouns；　and　not　a　single　preposition　in　it：　but　the　cases　of　nouns　and　pronouns　are　almost　endless；　all　the　words　answering　to　our　prepositions　being　put　after　the　word；　and　forming　a　new　case。　Except　these　singularities；　I　find　it　an　easy　language。　　I　feel　myself　happy　in　my　present　undertaking；　for；　though　I　never　felt　the　loss　of　social　religion　so　much　as　now；　yet　a　consciousness　of　having　given　up　all　for　God　is　a　support；　and　the　work；　with　all　its　attendant　inconveniences；　is　to　me　a　rich　reward。　　I　think　the　Society　would　do　well　to　keep　their　eye　towards　Africa　or　Asia；　countries　which　are　not　like　the　wilds　of　America；　where　long　labour　will　scarcely　collect　sixty　people　to　hear　the　Word：　for　here　it　is　almost　impossible　to　get　out　of　the　way　of　hundreds；　and　preachers　are　wanted　a　thousand　times　more　than　people　to　preach　to。　　Within　India　are　the　Maratha　country　and　the　northern　parts　to　Cashmere；　in　which；　as　far　as　I　can　learn；　there　is　not　one　soul　that　thinks　of　God　aright。。。My　health　was　never　better。　　The　climate；　though　hot；　is　tolerable；　but；　attended　as　I　am　with　difficulties；　I　would　not　renounce　my　undertaking　for　all　the　world。〃

It　was　at　this　time　that　he　drew　his　strength　often　from　the　experience　of　the　first　missionary；　described　by　Isaiah；　in　all　his　solitude：〃Look　unto　Abraham　your　father；　for　I　called　him　alone　and　blessed　him　and　increased　him。　　For　the　Lord　shall　comfort　Zion；　He　will　comfort　all　her　waste　places。〃　　The　sun　of　His　comfort　shone　forth　at　last。

Carey's　original　intention　to　begin　his　mission　near　Malda　was　now　to　be　carried　out。　　In　the　opening　week　of　1794　the　small　English　community　in　Bengal　were　saddened　by　the　news　that；　when　crossing　the　Hoogli　at　Calcutta；　a　boat　containing　three　of　its　principal　merchants　and　the　wife　of　one　of　them；　had　been　upset；　and　all　had　been　drowned。　　It　turned　out　that　two　of　the　men　recovered；　but　Mr。　R。　Udny　and　his　young　wife　perished。　　His　aged　mother　had　been　one　of　the　godly　circle　in　the　Residency　at　Malda　to　whom　Thomas　had　ministered；　and　Mr。　G。　Udny；　her　other　son；　was　still　the　Company's　commercial　Resident　there。　　A　letter　of　sympathy　which　Thomas　sent　to　them　restored　the　old　relations；　and　resulted　in　Mr。　G。　Udny　inviting　first　the　writer　and　then　Carey　to　become　his　assistants　in　charge　of　new　indigo　factories　which　he　was　building　on　his　own　account。　　Each　received　a　salary　equivalent　to　？50　a　year；　wit