BREAKING through the soft earth of a newly-sown field of grain, a man was seen slowly and painfully to struggle out of his grave. He had been seized and stowed away as dead in the larder of a crocodile — a cave in the river bank.
Here is the whole story, as told by John A. Clarke, of Katanga, Belgian Congo: Mr. Clarke had just purchased and handed to his cook a partridge which looked like good eating. A little way from his compound he saw a native coming at the run. Out of breath, the man said: “Bwana, have you just bought a red-legged partridge?”
“Yes,” said the missionary, “What about it?”
" I want to redeem it,” was the reply.
“Too late,” said the missionary, “the cook has just killed it.”
The man’s distress was evident. The missionary was interested, and got his story from him.
Some years before, the African man had been taken by a crocodile, which had carried him off under the river bank and placed him, apparently drowned, with a badly torn leg, on a ledge where the water was only inches deep. (The crocodile is said to like its meat “high” and always has a larder somewhere handy.) He woke up very sick and in great pain, got rid of most of the water he had swallowed, and began to take note of his surroundings. The cave floor was under water and the air was very stuffy. The roof was of earth. As he lay, he heard something tapping on it. Listening and wondering, he decided that he must be under a patch of cultivation which came to the river’s edge. The tapping was made by the red-legged partridges, which were picking up the seeds which had fallen on the hard ground of the river bank. So the roof could not be very thick. He managed to scrape a hole through and was rescued.
“Bwana,” he said, “I’m known as ‘the friend of the red-legged partridges.’ They saved my life, and whenever I can I buy them and set them free.”
We believe the missionary did not lose the opportunity of telling the native man of One who has done far more for us all than the red-legged partridges. It cost those birds nothing, but the African was very grateful. It cost the Lord Jesus His life’s blood to rescue and redeem us from the place of death where sin had brought us. Satan had taken us captives and we would perish had not Jesus come down to save us. The African got out of his prison alone, but no one can ever get free from sin and Satan by their own efforts. No one can escape the judgment of God against sin except they take Christ as their Saviour.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph. 2:8,98For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8‑9). Those who think they can save themselves only perish in their sins.
Christ alone can save
Break the power of sin;
Christ doth fully satisfy
The heart that cleaves to Him.
ML-10/28/1962