Through lands that were dark Being a record of a year's missionary journey in Africa and Madagascar

In this intimate memoir, a seasoned missionary secretary chronicles a year‑long trek through Southern and Central Africa and onto Madagascar. Traveling alongside fellow envoys, he moves from the arid plains of the Bamangwato kingdom to the dense interior of the Congo and the highlands of Tananarive. The narrative is woven from letters sent home, giving a vivid, day‑by‑day feel of road‑side camps, bustling market towns, and remote mission stations. It captures the restless energy of a world on the cusp of change, where ancient customs meet a new spiritual outreach.

He meets Chief Khama, a Christian ruler whose measured authority blends traditional leadership with his newfound faith, and witnesses humble chapels flickering like lamps in the night. Across the Congo basin, the fledgling African church is described as an infant full of promise, its members learning to read, sing, and organize their own congregations. In Madagascar, bustling port cities and tranquil highland villages reveal a vibrant tapestry of language, music, and daily life, all observed through the lens of a missionary seeking both to serve and to understand.