The villages we visited, resembled more or less, that we had seen
near the Half-way Pagoda.
During this journey I was an eye-witness of the manner in which the
missionaries dispose of their religious tracts. The missionary who
had been kind enough to accompany us, took this opportunity of
distributing among the natives some seeds that should bring forth
good fruit. He had 500 tracts on board our boat, and every time
that another boat approached us, a circumstance that was of frequent
occurrence, he stretched himself as far as possible over the side
with half a dozen tracts in his hand, and made signs to the people
to approach and take them. If people did not obey his summons, we
rowed up to them, and the missionary gratified them with his tracts
in dozens, and went his way rejoicing, in anticipation of the good
which he did not doubt they would effect.
Whenever we arrived at a village, however, matters reached even a
higher pitch. The servant was obliged to carry whole packs of
tracts, which in a moment were distributed among the crowd of
curious who had quickly gathered round us.
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