作家按语：《传教士和他的女儿》（原书名：裸拜）！故事叙述富有的喜欢生物硏究的英国青年亨利，32年走进神奇的贵州山区，他宣扬真爱，拯救生命、制止血腥与残杀…在边远的贵州山区建立了基督教堂，传播主的福音，他的美德和仁爱精神，使他受到众多山里基督徒的裸拜和崇敬！

作品引领喜欢旅游和民族风情的欧洲人、美国人进入美丽的贵州山区，去领略那里与世无争的宁静和鲜为人知的民族风情……中国解放后，当共产党人要驱逐亨利牧师时，桀骜的双溪坪教徒爆发了反抗……许多扑朔迷离的山村故事，皆在此书中！

传教士和他的女儿

Zongming Zhang

张宗銘 著

Translated by Tangjin Xiao

肖唐金 译

Henry remembered that Ah Cai had cut off a lock of hair from Dry Stick’s head for the treatment. He followed suit. He fed Ah Cai with the burned hair. Then, he asked again:

“What else can I do for you?”

Finding Henry puzzled, Ah Cai pretended not to be sad, answering, “Please help me dig a hole here, and bury the dead baby in it. Henry, could you also get me some water? I’m thirsty.”

Henry knew Ah Cai had bled much and shouldn’t drink any water for the time being. He didn’t get water for her. The dead baby had come out between the legs of Ah Cai. She cut off the umbilical cord with the medical scissors that Henry passed to her. She watched Henry hold the dead baby gently and put it on the grass. He dug a hole with a branch and her curved knife. Then, he placed the dead baby inside, prayed for some time and covered it with some mud and soil. Both Ah Cai and Henry looked sad.

After that, Henry placed a rock on the tomb. He asked Ah Cai, “Where is the nearest house here?”

Ah Cai pointed at the mountain path ahead, saying, “Shangzhai Village.”

Henry left all his belongings and Ah Cai’s basket about. Then he wrapped up Ah Cai with a blanket, and carried her on his back. They walked with difficulty on the uneven mountain path. The trip was tiring, and Henry began to feel the burden on his back. He stopped for a rest and then went on. He was hungry and thirsty, and blood kept dripping down from Ah Cai to him. His dresses and trousers were bloodstained. His straw shoes were soaked with sweat and blood.

Henry struggled to move on. On the way he met some peddlers, women and hunters. How badly he needed their help! With such a thought he pleaded:

“My name is Henry, a British Christian. Please save the poor Ah Cai in the name of God!”

The villagers were unaccustomed to talking with the blonde-haired and blue-eyed foreigner, and they were frightened at the sight of Ah Cai with filthy looks. They refused to offer help, and fled in all directions.

It was not strange for people to behave in this way. The blood Ah Cai shed was regarded as filthy and unlucky. It was a sign of misfortune for those who had seen it, for it could bring disasters to those people who touched it. It was said that the local wizards had once collected such blood and mixed it up with the blood of cattle, horses, goats, pigs and dogs. The mixture had been used to defeat the troops of the Qing Dynasty who had attempted to attack the local people. In view of this reality nobody was willing to accept Ah Cai in his house.

Ah Cai was then considered to be a token of bad luck in the eyes of the villagers. Henry carried her with difficulty on his back. The path they moved on was printed with bloodstains. He pleaded to anyone he met for help, but there was no response. Sometimes he thought he could no longer bear the burden on his back. Nevertheless, he reminded himself that he was a Christian, and then he was full of strength.

Ah Cai kept murmuring, “Water! Please stop for water! I’m dying for water!”

There were some springs and crooks on the way. Each time Ah Cai heard the sound of water, she would motion to Henry with her feeble hands for a drink. But Henry knew she couldn’t drink water for the time being. Water could be fatal for a woman who had shed too much blood. In fact Henry was both thirsty and hungry. He longed for a rest to pick some wild fruits and eat them. Yet he knew he couldn’t afford to waste time on the way. Ah Cai should get treatment as early as possible.

It was nearly 11 a.m. They came to a flat land. There were paddy fields and terraced land here and there. They came up to a house. Henry patted on the door. It was shut inside. There must be people there. But nobody answered his calls.

Henry patted on the door while raising his voice, “My name is Henry, a British Christian. I need your help.”

No reply came from inside the wooden hut. Henry came to the second and third houses. Still, there was no reply. Every house was closed to them. Henry cried sadly in the sunlight:

“My name is Henry, a British Christian. I need your help.”

He felt helpless. He realized that the people in Shangzhai Village didn’t welcome them. He came back to Ah Cai.

She was then unconscious. The blood stains on her attracted swarms of flies around. Henry was worried about her life. He knelt down and prayed to the sky above:

“Dear Lord, what should I do?”

There were chirpings of thrushes and tits as well as buzzes of flies around. Then, Henry heard a feeble voice. It was from Ah Cai: “Go to Shuangxiping!”

She was awake now. She pointed at another mountain path, murmuring, “Water! I need water! Go to Shuangxiping!”

Henry carried Ah Cai on her back again. He had no drink of water. The sun was scorching. Yet he plodded his way towards Shuangxiping with her under God’s guide. Jesus was the source of strength to him. He felt he was tireless.

It was a little while after noon. Henry and Ah Cai struggled to reach the edge of a cliff. They were exhausted and almost collapsed. The path on the cliff was steep. They had to bend their way upward. Henry asked:

“Ah Cai, is this Shuangxiping?”

Ah Cai saw the man-made path on the cliff, and replied, “Yes! After we have climbed up the cliff, we’ll see Shuangxiping.”

Henry glanced at the Tiger-head Cliff. It did look like the head of a tiger with sharp teeth and frightening looks. The path was about 1.2 meters high, 80 centimeters wide and 20 meters long. He looked aside. My goodness! It was a deep valley!

Henry had traveled to many places, but it was the first time that he had seen such a steep cliff. It was impossible for horses and cattle to move at this entrance. Even human beings had to crawl up and down with care. Carelessness could lead to the loss of lives here. What a cliff!