Some came to her
side and looked under her bonnet, and retired with boisterous merriment.
But all their little annoyances she suffered with patience, knowing that
here she was to find a home, and to these very people declare the word of
God.
The manner in which they acquired a knowledge of the language is somewhat
novel. They were unable to find any one who was acquainted with the English
language, and were obliged to select an agreeable and pleasant Burman,
who, to the best of his ability, instructed them in the principles of the
language of his country. They would point to houses, and trees, and the
various objects around them, and he would give their names in Burman. Thus
after a while they were able to make themselves understood, and, being
willing learners, they very soon made rapid progress--rapid, considering
the discouragements under which they labored--being without both grammar
and dictionary, or any other book which could materially assist them. Slow
and discouraging indeed, compared with the labor of learning some other
languages under different circumstances, was their advancement; but when
the circumstances under which they commenced and prosecuted the task of
learning the language of the Barman nation are considered, we should
imagine that almost any progress was rapid.
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