Childhood Days Long Walk Original Manuscript (Image #17)

was then in charge. A relative of No england, I saw him quite often at the royal residence or the mission house. He was tall and powerfully built with an equally powerful voice. Though he was in his fities when I first met him he was still growing sideways when he left the mission. Whenever he was scheduled to preach, the church would be packed and almost every woman present would kneel down at his feet and cry for salvation. The story was often told, and even believed by some, that shortly before my arrival at the mission, he had chased away single handed a dangerous ghost with only a bible and lantern as his weapons. Speaking for myself, the only occasion on which I ever saw a ghost with my own eyes was at Qokolweni in 1933. One evening a friend and I were going to a concert. We were frightened and tense as we passed a graveyard where those notorious creatures are supposed to live. Just at that moment a column of light flashed on us and we ran like hares chased by a pack of hunting dogs. We stormed into Reverend Mboniswa's house which was on the main road from Mthatha and Mqanduli. We were still speechless from shock and exhaustion when the triumphant ghost roared past. It had four wheels a motor car. Reverend Matyholo always reminds me of an incident for which I received a sharp rebuke. One afternoon I broke into his garden and stole maize which we roasted and ate with other boys. A girl saw me and immediately reported to the priest. The news reached the regent's wife the same day. She waited until prayer time, and as soon as we finished praising the Lord, she confronted me with this allegation and accused me of having taken bread from a poor servant of God and of disgracing