British Central Africa by Joel C. Rogers

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 5, 1907

British Central Africa

By Joel C. Rogers

JOEL C. ROGERS

We have at last reached Cholo, Nyassaland, the end of our long journey. As we came up the Zambesi River and the Shire, and as we climbed the big mountain last night at midnight on the road from Chiromo to the mission, we felt that we had been well advised in regard to the best season for entering Nyassaland. This is the dry season, and the rivers are falling rapidly, but the country seems very beautiful.

It is rather exciting, in the middle of the “mighty Zambesi,” to see our boys plunge into the water, one by one, with a long rope fastened to the prow, to pull our little flat-bottomed steamer off the sand. This operation is varied by twenty or more of these native boys, with long bamboo poles, shoving with all their might to help the boat along, or to swing it from a sticking place. I suppose by the end of this month it will be almost impossible for any boat to reach the terminus of the railway at Port Herald. Midway up the Shire River we were obliged to transfer to a smaller boat. The river became very narrow as we ascended, so that with the two barges, conveyed by most of the boats, the little flotilla reached almost from one bank to the other. It seemed almost impossible for the wheelman to keep the boat in the channel. The river is very winding. We passed several extensive sugar plantations on the Zambesi. The factories make the product into crude sugar, and ship it to Lisbon for refining.

From Port Herald to Chiromo—thirty miles—we had as comfortable a ride on the Shire Highlands Railroad as one could expect on the New York Central. This road is being extended to Blantyre, which place I believe they hope to reach this year. As you know, the Cape to Cairo Railroad is pushing up through northern Rhodesia, and I am hoping that within a few years we shall have a railway connection across from Blantyre. The journey from Cape Town to British Central Africa is very tedious. It took us two full weeks to reach Cholo from Gwelo.

Brother Branch met us at Chiromo, with about forty boys to carry us and our goods. Each machila requires a relay, so they assign about ten boys to one machila. For a long journey this mode of travel seems necessary here; but to strong, healthy people, like ourselves, walking would be preferable. Every bone in my body aches to-night, from the excessive shaking up which I got in the machila.

LATER.—As there was no mail for a few days, I have waited to see more of the mission before sending this letter. This has given me time to visit the school, and to take a good look about the place. The buildings are in good condition, as a rule. I like the location and surroundings quite well. Mount Cholo is about seven miles away to the west, and to the north we have a number of higher mountains. We find quite a nice variety of fruit growing on the place, such as lemons, pineapples, bananas, and guavas. Of course we shall miss our American fruits, but I am told that some raspberries and other things grow wild.

As near as I can learn, there are about one hundred and fifty persons living on the station. This includes men, women, and children—possibly there may be more. It seems that among the older missions in this country, the custom has been established of paying boys a certain wage monthly to attend school. Of course they do some work. It seems that in order to get a school together, Brother Branch has been obliged to follow this custom. Of course the wage is very small—three shillings a month, and their food, to the unmarried men, and three shillings a month and ground for a garden, to the married men. It may be that this is the only way to keep a school together. They do some farming on the place, but in a very primitive way, and on a limited scale. I am told that cattle raising pays better than anything else here. At present there are only nineteen head of cattle on the place. These are the increase from four head which Brother Watson bought four years ago.

I find a school numbering about sixty, which is made up of some married men and their wives, who live here on the place; a few young men; and boys and girls. It is now time for their annual vacation, which lasts a month or more. Mrs. Branch and the three children intend to leave to-day, for a vacation at Cape Town. This will give us time with Brother Branch to look about the country, and we hope to find a suitable place for a mission training-school. The plan of work which I have in mind is, briefly, this: to let the school go on about as it is; then as soon as we find a suitable place for our school, we will take the young men who we think are capable of receiving training for teachers and evangelists, and try to gather in more.

Within a few days we shall go to Blantyre, and shall also visit Shiloh, which is now offered us for one hundred pounds. There is also another place offered for sale near Blantyre, which we shall visit. Of course I can not say anything as to how things will turn; but we trust that the Lord will open the way, and give us some young men who can be trained to carry the message to the people of Central Africa.