The Nova Scotian settlers were in a desperate situation. The rainy season had not yet ended. and they had 110 shelter and no food to last them until the harvest. Worse still, they were in constant danger of attack by the Koya Temne who felt the British had cheated them to obtain land for the new colony. The settlers were helpless and surrounded by enemies; and in this volatile situation, Pa Demba stepped forward. He offered his little village as a refuge for the Nova Scotian school mistress and all the children of the colony, and agreed to take in as many of the other homeless as he possibly could. He made this compassionate gesture despite the fact that it was the hungry season for his own people and despite the bitter feelings of the other Temne Chiefs who would have liked to see the Freetown colony destroyed. Pa Demha set aside political differences and did what was humanly right. He is a powerful symbol of reconciliation among the ethnic groups, and his example shows that when times arc difficult, Sierra Leoneans come together as one people, and one nation.
