A FEW weeks ago, in company with F. A. Detamore, I left Padang to visit Immanuel Siregar, our worker in Batakland, Sumatra.
The first day was a pleasant one, for most of it was spent climbing the mountains by means of a cog railway. As we had taken about six hundred of our Malay papers with us, at the different stops we sold or gave away what papers we could. The remainder of our journey overland we made by dose, which is a two-wheeled carriage, usually drawn by one horse, but in the mountains two small ponies are generally used.
As it is unsafe to drink the water here without first boiling it, we drank the water from green coconuts. We reached Sipirok, the home of Brother Siregar, on the afternoon of the sixth day, having covered a distance of over three hundred miles.
Girls in India at Their Midday Meal
I was surprised to find an educated people. Nearly all can read and write. At one time, these people were the worst of cannibals. When parents were unable to work, the children would trade them off to be eaten. Sixteen of the Batak people are reported ready for baptism. One man and his son walked from their home, forty miles away, to meet with us. It is evident that something more must be done to bring the truth to these dear souls and develop the work in that field.
