The Gospel Man

"Many Englishmen, Sir, and I may be pardoned for saying so, have been distinguished mercenaries. But we welcome all men, irrespective of their profession and the esteem in which they hold themselves, to contribute to the success of our work. We welcome them as spirits in the service of our Lord, whether they are in the pay of the Governor General of India or maintained by the charities from Scotland," said Reverend Beath softly, and continued, "In any case, and as it appears to me, the practical reasons behind the new Governor General's views are most sound and honourable. The unending predilection of the army to keep on inflicting retribution without producing any lasting effect is a very strong reason for discountenancing further punitive expeditions. Only recently Lieutenant Williamson has won over the allegiance of the Garo Chiefs, who had never paid tribute to man, without a battle. He merely beat the village leaders in a race uphill."

"May I suggest that we transact some business now that we have exchanged the necessary pleasantries?" said Mr. Stewart. His interrogative style had matured through years of cynicism in the colonial civil service. It left the audience totally unclear about the personal opinions of the speaker.

But Captain Gray was not a person to be easily hushed into silence, and the only effect Reverend Beath=s chastening had upon him was his refuge in patriotism. "It's a fairly desperate situation for all of us", he said, "particularly in view of the difficulty in getting more able-bodied men together for continuing the fight. And perhaps more than the availability of trained men to die for the honour of our country and the Queen, the cost of these operations is of paramount importance to the Empire. If our missionary friend from Scotland here is not given to being perturbed on such matters, let's look for somebody else who might be willing to provide the healing touch after we have inflicted punishment in direct proportion to the outrages."

"I was never part of your plans to begin with," said the Scottish Presbyterian minister softly, "and I came out of sheer curiosity which has been amply rewarded."

"Shall we then proceed with our analysis of the causes of these raids, and discuss the humane measures that we may adopt in concert with our friends in the Church?" interjected the Political Officer, "and will Reverend Jones divulge his scholarly analysis of these unfortunate incidents which he had so very kindly confided in me some time past?"

"In my opinion, the forests are essential for the survival of these tribes. Hunting, as we all know, is their main source of food, and the land over which they hunt is undefined. They attempt to affect control, albeit quite violently, over their hunting and gathering areas in response to the imposition of our territorial jurisdiction. The clearance of forests for tea plantations constitutes a direct affront to their hunting-gathering instincts, and this leads inevitably to raids. Although a condign punishment is often necessary, reprisals will not solve the problem."

"That's an admirable analysis, Sir," exclaimed Captain Gray, "and imbued with an entirely English sense of patriotism and responsible erudition".

"That's very kind of you, Captain Gray," said Reverend Jones, "and being a Welshman does not stand in the way of either the mission which I have been entrusted with in these hills or my loyalty to the Queen. I would indeed be happy if we were in a position to work together towards a common goal of bringing these tribes into the fold of our Lord Jesus to ensure their surrender to the Empire in love rather than through defeat in war that they find repugnant to their self-esteem."We have a missionary here who talks as one of us, as participant in a common endeavour," said Major Graham.