JAMES CHALMERS was born at Ardrishaig, in 1841.
At the age of 14 he had adopted a rather reckless
mode
of life, and had left Sunday School, but he could not
flee his thoughts.
At 15 he heard Mr. Meikle read a letter from a mis-
sionary in Fiji, relating stories of cannibalism, and the
power of the Gospel; and when Mr.
Meikle said: "I wonder
if there is a boy here who will some day become a mis-
sionary and take the Gospel to cannibals?"--James
Chalmers resolved that he would.
But, before he could preach salvation to others, James
must himself be saved. He was
18 years of age before this
came to pass. It is a simple story. Two evangelists, at
the request of Mr. Meikle, were conducting services in a
joiner's loft, and a Mr. MacNicoll persuaded young
Chalmers to go, lending him a Bible at
the same time.
The meeting had commenced. Old Hundredth was
pealing out--"All people that on earth do well"--and
as
the boy entered, the sounds thrilled him. The text was
Rev. 22. 17: "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.
And
let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst
come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of
life freely." James wanted to come--he wanted the
Water of Life, but it was not till the following Sunday in
the Free Church that he was solemnly convicted. Heaven
could never be for him, he felt. On Monday, Mr. Meikle
had the joy of leading him to the Saviour--showing him
that "the blood of Jesus Christ his [God's] Son cleanseth us from all
sin" (1 John 1. 7).
On Jan. 28th, 1900, his wife wrote that they had a
New Year gathering of 1700. It was the last this brave
woman saw, the last "Tamate" saw, too. Along
with a
young colleague he started for Goaribari Island, in the
"Nine," and both put off for the shore in the whaleboat
on April 7th, 1901. The captain on the "Nine"
never
saw them again, and it was not until an expeditionary
force had landed and caught a prisoner at Dopima, that
any news could be had. The story the prisoner told was
that "Tamate" and his companion had been felled with
stone clubs, beheaded, and both their bodies eaten. The
natives who had accompanied the mies. were
treated in the same manner.