British East Central Africa
By J. H. Watson
CHOLO.—It is now midwinter, and the weather is pleasant. When the sun shines, the days are warm, but the nights are cool—almost cool enough for frost. We have had more or less rain since our arrival, but what is called the rainy season is in the summer, and begins about October. We are glad that we hurried along, so as to be here in the cool season; for we believe it will be very trying in the hot season. Generally speaking, however, we are much pleased with the climate. I do not know how long we shall succeed in warding off the fever. All Europeans expect to have it at least twice a year. Many times since our arrival we have had evidences that it is in the providence of God that we are here. Within twelve hours after we reached here, we were at work on matters that seemed to be waiting for us, and which we arrived just in time to attend to. This has made us feel very glad. We care not what may be the circumstances that we may have to meet as long as there is work that we can do to advantage. We have a nice place here. Even though we are surrounded with woods and wild beasts, we feel just as safe as if we were in Battle Creek. I think we now have the little matters of the mission, the school, and the farm pretty well adjusted, and we hope it will not be necessary for us to spend much time or energy on those things, but that we can devote ourselves almost entirely to the one purpose of helping and teaching the people. Our students number about forty, and applicants are coming in. We can take these people only a very short step at a time, and it is better to go slowly than to try to go too fast with them. I have a nice class of seven boys. It is true, they are very backward students, but somehow I feel drawn to them all the more on this account; and notwithstanding the fickleness of the native, I am hoping for good results. In working for the natives we do not have to wait for ceremony, but can go right to work without making apologies. The estate is so extensive that I have no question as to its containing two thousand acres. It is supposed that there are about two hundred acres under a sort of cultivation, in addition to the land on which the houses and native huts stand. The rest of the land is covered with timber, brush, and grass that grows eight or nine feet high. This makes a good lair for wild beasts. It is the home of lions, hyenas, leopards, etc. It is only a few days ago that a leopard was seen lying by the spring where we get our water, and some of the goats on the place have been carried off by the wild animals. It can readily be seen that the part of the estate which is not in use is more of a hindrance than a help to us on account of its being a hiding place for these beasts. The grass would be good for cattle, but with the exception of about twenty-five goats, there is not an animal on the place. I propose, if we can spare the money, to buy some cattle, as other missions have done, and make use of the abundance of grass that is going to waste. Cattle are rather dear here, but I am informed that up in the Angonaland, three hundred miles from here, there are cattle that we can buy for about half what they would be worth here, and it would not cost us much to have them brought to this place. As it is necessary to make a trip that way, to look after the out-school work, Brother Branch and I have decided to make the trip together, and attend to the two things at the same time. It is a hard trip. The only means of travel is to go on foot, or by machilla. The machilla is a hammock, suspended from a pole, which is carried on the shoulders of two natives. It can be easily imagined what it is to make a trip in this way. We can go about forty miles a day. One has to go through all sorts of country, with a narrow path, on each side of which the grass grows higher than one's head. We came over some miles of this kind of path on our journey to the mission. Since leaving Cape Town, I have been working hard on the language, and hope soon to be able to converse with the people without an interpreter. This will be a great advantage, and will enable me to do more for them. Although Brother Branch has not been able to give a great deal of time to the language, his little boys can talk quite freely with the natives. We are all of splendid courage, and enjoy our work with the people. It seems a hopeless task to get into their minds anything but the simplest thoughts, and these they do not seem to be able to remember, but we know that some of them will be made ready to go into the kingdom with us, and for this we will labor and pray.