Accordingly he started with a guard of native troops, a coloured interpreter and some servants, but without any white companion, since the attack on German territory was beginning and no one could be spared to go with him upon a diplomatic mission.
The journey was long and arduous, involving many days of marching across the East African veld and through its forests, where game of all sorts was extraordinarily plentiful, and at night they were surrounded by lions.

At length, however, with the exception of one man who remained with the lions, they arrived safely at the town of Jaga and were met by Mr.Tafelett, who took Godfrey into his house, a neat thatched building with a wide verandah that stood by the church, which was a kind of whitewashed shed, also thatched.
Mr.Tafelett proved to be a clergyman of good birth and standing, one of those earnest, saint-like souls who follow literally the scriptural injunction and abandon all to advance the cause of their Master in the dark places of the earth.

A tall, thin, nervous-looking man of not much over thirty years of age; one, too, possessed of considerable private means, he had some five years before given up a good living in England in order to obey what he considered to be his "call." Being sent to this outlying post, he found it in a condition of the most complete savagery, and worked as few have done.

He built the church with native labour, furnishing it beautifully inside, mostly at his own expense.

He learned the local languages, he started a school, he combated the witch-doctors and medicine-men.
Finally he met with his reward in the conversion of the young chief Jaga, which was followed by that of a considerable portion of his people.
But here came the trouble.