The Barotseland Mission, British Central Africa
By W. H. ANDERSON
I ARRIVED in Kimberley on Tuesday evening, and went directly to the church for prayer-meeting. I spent the evening telling them some of the good things that we enjoyed at the conference. The key-note of the conference — unity and work — met a hearty response from them. We had a pleasant time together. I spent the rest of the evening visiting and looking after some business which I had there. I returned to Brother J. V. Willson's place, and retired at half-past twelve. Wednesday morning I went out to Brother Honey's, and had a good time with them for the day. The dry weather had continued so long that Brother Honey's cattle and sheep were dying, and his fruit will be almost a failure. I did what I could to encourage him with a good report of the conference. He was quite pleased with the turn things had taken. When I told him of the return of Professor Elffers and his company, tears of joy filled his eyes. I left them in the evening, and joined Brother M. C. Sturdevant, en route to the Solusi Mission. We arrived at the mission on Friday about two hours before the rain. Things were very dry, and the grain has suffered. While I was there, they had good rains, and the crops looked much better when I left. Brother Sturdevant spent the time Friday evening telling them of the good things that we enjoyed at the conference. There was a spirit of consecration in the meeting. I had the service on the Sabbath, and dwelt on the needs of the natives in this field, and how each one present could help. After consulting with Brother Sturdevant, I chose five of the boys from Solusi for the work at Pemba. Two of them are married, and the other three will be as soon as it can be arranged. I brought the two married boys home with me, and suggested that their wives remain at Solusi to harvest the crops, and then, when the others are married, come on with them. I think they will be able to come about the first of May. I then went to Bulawayo on Monday, catching a train on Tuesday for the Falls. At the Falls I visited the French Protestant Mission. This school is closed for the present on account of the scarcity of food. Mealies are 32s. 6d. [eight dollars] a bag. Many of the natives have starved to death, and there is no relief for another month yet. I hope13to shoot some game here for them next week. I visited the patients at the hospital. Livingstone is a dreary, sandy waste, and absolutely undesirable for a home or town. I saw one novel sight while there. While walking from the mission to the town, I saw a herd of game. There in the bush were oxen, giraffe, wildebeeste, pookoo, litchwe impala, sitatunga, and antelope all herding together. It was a pretty sight. While in Livingstone I met Mr. Horton, an American and the cattle king of the country. In conversation he asked me if I needed any oxen to work on the farm. I told him, Yes; and he kindly offered me thirty-six (two span) for two years. I was glad to get them, and on reaching home sent the boys to bring them from his farm, about one hundred miles away. Sabbath morning I took the train for home. There was a drunken lot of men on the train, and when the guard saw me, he took me into a first-class compartment, and I had that alone for the whole journey. I did appreciate being free from drink and smoke during the journey. I arrived at Monze Siding Sunday noon, in the midst of a heavy rain-storm. I donned my oil-skin suit, and walked home. Some of the boys were there to meet me, but they did not bring the ox for me to ride home. It had been raining hard all the day and night before, and the water was often knee-deep in the path. When I came to the river, which the boys had swum in the morning, I found that it had gone down, and I was able to wade it. The water came up only to my waist. I found a nice dinner awaiting me,—new potatoes, turnips, green beans, cucumbers, and bread and butter. I enjoyed this very much after living from a lunch basket for nearly two weeks. There have been heavy rains here ever since I went away. The boys tell me that it has missed raining only one day since I left. Everything has grown well. I found all well at home except the child of one of my teachers. It has a rather severe attack of fever. I am treating it, and think it will be better soon. This has been a bad year for fever, the rains have been so heavy. I am all right here at home, but I do dread the trip I must make to the outstation next week. I hope that it will clear up before then. It will be disagreeable and dangerous to be wet all the time. The school here has an attendance of over one hundred. I can assure you it means a lot of work to see to them all. While I was away, twelve girls came. I do not know what to do with them. I have no huts for them, and they have been sleeping on the veranda of my house since their arrival. They move around from side to side to escape the rain. I can not send them home, and I do not see how I can keep them. It is one of the hardest problems that we have to face in the missions.