Friday, November 20, 2009

Congo (114) Kinshasa, Congo 11/24/1923 [DCS]

Kinshasa Guest House

November 24, 1923

My own dear homefolks:

We are comfortably settled again in our new home. It's the nicest place I ever lived in, but of course we won't be here long. It may seem long though especially if we have many guests. While I have had no one since the Davis's left still I know it's a job when a crowd comes in. I almost dread it. The cook is not a very experienced one and having had a good cook my whole term at Luebo I have not learned to cook. Therefore I may have some trouble with the meals, but maybe not. There is plenty of help here -- about twelve boys in all so the main thing is to keep them busy, and superintend the work. I will wait to tell you all about it until we come home. The organ here is broken so I won't be in practice when I reach home.

Fortunately for us the Millers have not passed through so I will get my clothes in good time. Everyone dresses up here so expect to use them some before I leave. \Of course, I will take good care of them and as we expect the Millers on the Dec. boat, I'll have only two months to wear them here. All my dark dresses that I brought out with me are most worn out.

I wrote you in one of the letters we are sending in the same mail that I was afraid you had forgotten to address me here. But to my great joy I found four big long letters waiting for me. If you could know how I enjoyed them. Even though we found everything so nice, I felt “sort of” blue when I thought of having to attempt it and also having to let the other people go on home without me. B. M. thinks I'm still a baby to want to go home so bad.

I'm glad Aunt Sarah got to come to see you, but I am sorry I did not get to see her, too. While I don't remember very much about her I know she is a mighty sweet woman. I shall never forget the dear letter she wrote me when I married.

From what you say about Aunt Nennie coming I judge you and she are going to try to hold the school down again this year. I'm sorry, for I'm afraid it will be too hard on you and I do want you well when I get home. If you can stand it, though, it will certainly make the time go faster.

Yes, I remember Mrs. Turner very well. Who is living on Mrs. Bell Turner's place? I'll fill you with questions like that when I reach home. Everything has changed so out there, and while I think of it, I want you to be sure to put on a raincoat when you hear the car and me coming. I didn't get to cry when I left for fear people would say I didn't love my husband, but believe me, I can let loose if I want to this time 'cause everyone ought to know I love him by this time or I would not have stayed with him all this time.

I know I'm going to like all my dresses for you see I have already gotten the velvet dress that you wanted to get for me for five dollars. Almost a new dress and perfectly good style for now. We can make it over when I get home if need be. It's short, so I'm going to get some satin to lengthen it here. If I find I am going to need a kimono very bad, I can get most anything I want here. Prices as a rule though are out of sight. I have put part of your letter away telling about my clothes until they come.

We are rather fortunate in the way of food here. There are plenty of vegetables and fruit in the market and beef and fish downtown; we also brought a lot of chickens and ducks. Eggs are scarce, but we do get a few and our hens lay some.

I saw Mrs. Marrs picture in the "Observer" recently. I always thought her a pretty woman, and Mr. Marrs is so fatherly. I always had the idea that their daughter was of the "Better than thou" class. But she may have outgrown that though. No, I don't remember Miss Lucy Caldwell though I believe she was in the primary schools in Terrell perhaps when I was there. I don't understand why she should be representing C. A. Bryant. If that is Hettie Lee's father, he is a merchant, a big merchant in Dallas.

I hadn't realized I was writing such a long letter. You are going to get three long letters from us if everything goes through tin time. We know just when our letters leave down here and people here seem to think you will get these by Xmas time, but I have my doubts.

I wonder what John went to New York for, but I suppose it was for music or pertaining to that. I know he must have had a nice time. New York is interesting, but we did not get to see much of it. We were kept so busy shopping while we were there. We may spend a day or two there on our way home.

We passed Mr. Martin on the Lapsley in mid-stream on our way down from Luebo. We brought Cisuaka and his wife and baby to Kin with us. It's certainly not a good place to bring natives, but I felt that I could not do without him. You see, they have a different language here and it's hard to make ourselves understood.

No, perhaps you or no one else heard your father speak cross words to his Wives, but that is no sign he didn't do it. Lots of people have bad habits and do things that no one else knows about. I'm not saying your father did fuss at his wives, and he must have been a mighty fine man to have a daughter like my mother is, but he might have spoken cross to them and you or no outsider have known it. Some people have the gift of being able to keep things to themselves. I don't happen to be one of that kind. As Rowena says, if I am happy everyone knows it; if I am sad or mad, people know it. Everything comes out in my face. I had the same trouble in school, if I wanted to do bad, I was afraid, for I knew my teacher would know it the moment I did it. And oftimes if I hadn't done wrong and the teacher looked at me like she thought I had, guilt would be written all over my face. Going back to the subject, no one should fuss and if they do to try to overcome it. Everyone has their faults I find after living among what are supposed to be the pick of our church people, and some have great faults.

[Evidently the last page of this letter is missing.]

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Congo (113) S.S. Roi Albert, Kasai River 11/16/1923 [BMS]

S. S. "Roi Albert", Kasai River

Nov. 16, 1923

Dear Mother & Daddy:

It has been quite a while since we have begun to prepare for our departure. Having both the work of the station Treasurer and the Printing Department, it took quite a bit of detailed explanation to my successors to leave everything in good order. And especially as the Station Treasurer has not had much experience of this kind. Then too, our personnel at Luebo is very slim now. In June we were twenty adults, and now there are only seven left, which means that every one has a larger burden to carry.

Dorothy has written you something about our difficulty in getting away from Luebo, and our trip to Basongo. It certainly was exasperating, but it looks like the Lord just saved us that many days from waiting at Basongo--one of the worst mosquito resorts I've ever seen in the Congo. As it turned out we stayed there only two days, whereas if we had left according to first expectations we would have had two or three days more.

This is Friday AM. and we have just left a post called Mushie, which is just a little above the junction of the Kasai and Congo rivers, and just at the head of the narrow part of the Kasai River called the "Kwa." We spent two days and a half at Mushie, taking on cargo. This is one of the largest cargo boats on the Congo River, carrying --with a large barge) about 1000 tons. We think the "Lapsley" is a good sized boat, but she only carries 50 tons. (However, she is one of the fastest boats on the river, including all the larger boats, such as this one, of which we are naturally proud.) They took on nearly 400 tons of cargo at Mushie, which is a big job when it has to be done by natives, carrying sacks on board one

at a time. We were due for several days stay. We reached Mushie Tuesday at noon, and last night (Thursday) the Captain kept the men at work all night and we got off this A M. at 8:00. The native workmen began work at 6:00 A M. yesterday and worked till 12:00 ; went back at 2:00 and worked until about 9:00; then went back at 10:00 P. M. and worked until 4:30 A M. today, making about 20 solid hours. Their work was carrying sacks of palm kernels weighing about 110 lbs. each on board; just imagine a man doing this for about 20 hours! ! ! We were certainly glad to get off today, for the Davis' at Kinshasa, whom we are to replace, are anxious to leave on the Steamer for Europe which leaves Matadi Nov. 23d and this is the 16th of Nov., and it takes two days from Kin to Matadi, and then he must give me plenty of information about the work there before he leaves.

Kinshasa, UNION MISSION HOUSE, NOV. 20TH, '23

You will note from the above that we are now in Kinshasa (we always call it "Kin" for short, so remember what KIN means.) We arrived Saturday about 11 :00 AM. and found the Davis' rather anxious as to whether we would get here in time or not to take over the work before they were due to leave. The Davis's and Mr. and Mrs. Byrlee, of the D.C.C.M., left this morning for Matadi, their boat sailing for Europe on Friday AM. (It is a two days trip to Matadi). So we are now alone, and fortunately, I suppose, we have no visitors and time to get things straightened out. We are delighted with the place, although there may be times when we will have somewhat of a rush, still there will be others when we will be practically free. And the house is in excellent shape, everything one needs for their comfort, and I guess a little more-certainly is different from what I found out here my first trip, and far different from what we found at Kin a little less than three years ago, when we could hardly find a place to stay. I'll try to go into more details about the house, work, etc., later, as we naturally have a lot of little things to do just now. The mail for the boat (the one the Davis' are going on, is to close tomorrow. Here we know exactly when the big steamers are due to arrive and leave; in fact, we are really in a CITY. Shops with practically everything one wants; electric lights (we have them too), automobiles (about 200 in Kin, I hear), motorcycles, etc., etc. In 1915 when I first came here there were about 200 white people. and now there are nearly 1000. The Capital is to be moved here from Boma in 1925, and they are already making provision for it in buildings, etc.

There are two families at the Baptist Mission here (this is known as the B. M. S. (Baptist Missionary Society). All the Missions out here are known by their initials; ours being the A. P. C. M. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland, who came out on the Anversville with us are here, and very friendly; also Mr. and Mrs. Hilliard, younger missionaries. So we have some neighbors; they live only a few hundred yards from us; in fact, the ground occupied by the U. M. H. was obtained from the B. M. S.

We will write you more in our next letter (by the next boat). Dorothy will tell you about the Millers not having arrived; they may be here on the next boat, which is due about Dec. 7th or 8th (the schedules of the big boats are very regular, both arrivals and departures, and we can count on them.)

With love to all. As ever,

B. M.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Congo (112) S.S. Roi Albert, 11/10/1923 [

On board the "Roi Albert"

November 10,1923

Dear homefolks:

We are at last on our way to Kinshasa after quite a little trouble in getting started and quite a little discomfort the first three days of our journey. We had to leave Luebo on a very small, dirty boat, where our cabin was down among the noise, smells and filth of the natives, and trying to prepare our own food at the same time. It was dreadful, but after only two days wait at a little place, Basonga, a mosquito hole and a place where most people have to wait a week or two for a boat, we came on board this boat last night and will likely reach Kin in five or six days. I did not know there was as nice a boat as this on the river. We have nice cabins, well ventilated and clean, electric lights and shower bath equipments. I dreaded the trip on a state boat, and some of them are bad, but this one is a lot more pleasant than the Lapsley. The hard part, of course, is the trip and wait at Basongo. One good fortune too is that we have a very agreeable Captain. The food so far has been fair.

My! I do hope you have remembered to change the address on our letters for I am hungry for news from you. We may have mail when we reach the Pool. We expect any day to meet the Lapsley going up to Luebo with Dr., Mr. Martin, and perhaps the Millers on board. I think it's a shame that we may have to meet in mid stream and not be able even to speak to them, but this is luckily what we will do. I left a letter to Mrs. Miller in Luebo asking her to get out our things there and send them straight to Kin for we were afraid if they waited until they reached Mutoto to send them we might be delayed on account of them.

I wish I could describe the scenery on this river to you in such a way that you could enjoy it as we do, but as I am very poor in description I don't feel that I can do it justice in a letter. B. M. and I certainly do enjoy it especially in the early morning and late afternoon.

From time to time I cannot help thinking, even if we do have to stay a while in Kinshasa, that we are getting nearer and nearer you each day. I wish you would mention in your letters to Terrell that I have changed my plans. I intend to write to them, but it may be some time until I write. I expect to be pretty hard at work for a while after I reach Kin trying to get settled in our new work. I imagine I would dread it very much if it wasn't that I had such good husband, and he knows how and will help me in every way. Other people besides myself have said this so you must know it is true.

There are only two other passengers on board besides ourselves, a man and his wife. They speak only French, so I have quite a tiresome time at the table listening to the others "jabber." I understand a Word now and then, but not enough to hardly keep me awake. But this is something one who does not understand French has to undergo many times out here. My hardest time though is when I'm left to try to entertain them. Then I nearly die.

Well, the boat has stopped for the evening and night and it's always very hot, so I must go on shore. We happened today to stop at a village; this does not always happen, though.

Be sure to write me whenever you can, for as we come nearer we will want news.

Love to you both,

Dorothy

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Congo (111) Luebo, Congo 11/4/1923 [DCS]

"Luebo" Sun.

Nov. 4, 1923

Dearest homefolks:

Here we are still in Luebo, have been packed for a week waiting for a boat to carry us to Kin. If we had gone on the Lapsley it would have put us in Kinshasa a month ahead of time; therefore we planned to go on a company or state boat. The state boat came in last Thursday, but owing to a palaver the Captain had with the State for striking a native soldier, our going was delayed. However, they sent us word that they would leave yesterday morning at seven o'clock, so we all bestirred ourselves and when we got across the river with all our possessions, they told us the Captain's trouble was not finished, so we all had to come back leaving our baggage down on the beach. Later B. M. went down to arrange everything for overnight and they have promised to leave at ten in the morning, but we are beginning to wonder if we ever will leave. I was so tired last night, just as if I had packed all day long. You see we thought clear up until 3 or 4 o'clock that we might get off. These are some real hardships one has to endure in Congo.

I should have been trying to catch up with my letter writing but it is almost impossible to do anything like that when you are so excited over going. You see I have not yet gotten over being a kid in that respect and many others I guess.

Everyone has certainly been lovely to us since we began to pack. We are taking our meals at Rowena's and have been for a week. The women on our station fixed us up a splendid lunch, so we had a picnic supper at Rowena's last night to keep it from spoiling. I haven't eaten my cake yet though. Miss Black made me a fruit cake and iced it. She is a splendid cook and she made me a dear little combing jacket as a parting gift, Rowena a sewing bag and Georgia some curios that I had been trying to get and failed. They also have given me some books to read going down river. I'm going to miss all my good friends at Kin. We will be near the Baptist Mission there but they are all English and the couple I know, the Kirklands who came out on the Anversville with us, are old people, and I fear won't be much real company for me. Though we were all crazy about them.

From all we can hear of our new work and home, we think we shall like it, especially since we have only three months there. I am so afraid that you have forgotten to address our letters there, for in the last mail we got two letters from you and in neither one you spoke of changing the address and we cannot get another mail before we leave here. We will be continually moving now, so try to count up and mail our letters ahead of us. Our plans are to leave Matadi March 8. Even then we will be a month ahead of the Hobsons and the others who came out with us. Of course the Andersons from Bibanga who are to take our place at Kin may not get there in time, then we may have to stay over a few weeks, but we are writing them to please be on time.

Nothing of any especial interest to you happened this year at Mission Meeting, but the thing that made us happy was that B. M. was made manager of the printing office and advised to take up work along that line while at home. This is something I have hoped for ever since we reached Luebo. I have wondered if it would not be possible for B. M. to get in with Mr. in Terrell, then we could all be together there. Of course, this won't be the whole time he is at home. I believe you can see that B. M. could ,stay out home the whole year with nothing to do, but we hope to take you and Daddy with us wherever he works. However, we are going to spend as much time as possible at home.

I'll try to write you another letter on board the boat. Love to you and Daddy.

Dorothy

Monday, November 16, 2009

Congo (110) Luebo, Congo 10/19/1923 [DCS]

"Luebo"

Oct. 19,1923

My own dear homefolks:

This is Fri. afternoon and B. M. is hunting so I am going to write you to keep from getting lonesome. Sat. is generally B. M. 's day to hunt but he decided to go today instead. Luebo is a small station this week, as part are at Mutoto at the Mission Meeting and part at Bulape Lake House for a vacation. Our plans to go to Mission Meeting fell through as it's too close to time to leave for the Pool. We leave in about two or three weeks, and I am getting very anxious to start. From Vinson and McKinnon Parties we have gotten very favorable accounts of the "Guest house." I am sure that the two and a half or three months we have there will pass quickly. At least, I'm hoping they will.

Your letters of July 30 and Aug. 10 reached us yesterday. The first written in Kerrville, the latter back at home. I'm so glad you had your nice trip there and got to meet so many nice people. Did you get to see Miss Louise (Evans)? It's a shame the way I have done her. She has written me two letters since I came to Congo, and I have answered neither one. Do people speak to you again when you do them that way? I love Miss Louise, but I just hate to write letters. I have written several but they didn't suit me so I never mailed them. That's another of my failings, but of course that's my middle name, "Failure."

I hope you did not mention Guss Gribbel's name to Miss Williamson. I never thought of your meeting any of Rowena's people when I mentioned his name. Rowena and Guss went together for years and they were engaged. This must not be told. I have forgotten what I told you or if I told you anything, but be very careful what you say.

From what you tell me I'm sure I shall be pleased with the things you bought me. I will be so dressed up I won't know myself. I'm going to tell you right now that if you don't keep a list of things and prices of the things you get me, I fear you and B. M. will have a fight when we get home. How do you think you make me feel when you talk of sending money for curios to me while you are at home making and sending me things and I more able to buy things than you, unless you are the "get rich quick" kind.

By the time you get this it will be along in December and we will have something over a month longer in Congo. Time is getting mighty short now. I hope to get home about the first or middle of April, but I don't know just how much time we will have to spend in Europe. B. M. has to see about buying some type and other things for the printing office here, in London. I am glad to go through London again, for it's so different from any other city I ever saw, but my! it's going to be so cold there and they don't hardly know what a fire is, especially in the hotels. I imagine we won't want to stay any longer than we have to. I don't think you need worry about me and cold weather much for besides our heavy wraps we are going to take one or two heavy woolen blankets along with us, and I can keep a hot water bottle to my feet most all the time on the boat.

You spoke of making a blue voile for hot evenings on the boat. There is no such thing as a hot day on the boat. In fact it's nearly always cold on deck no matter what time of year you go home. It's likely I'll have to wear a wrap all the time unless they have more fire than they did when we were coming out. We nearly froze the first three or four days on the Anversville. They had practically no heat. There was a rod as big as my thumb running through our cabin that was hot part of the time.

Talking about cold weather, we are not free from it out here. Of course it never freezes nor comes near it, but this morning I am sitting in the swing on our porch with my sweater on and I am shivering and my hands almost stiff.

B. M. just read in the "Observer" of the death of Frank Wright, Indian Evangelist. He was certainly a fine man. I shall never forget the influence he had over the girls the day he spoke at T. P. C.

Don't seem like I can find anything interesting to say, so I am going to try to get some letters off that should have been written months ago.

Love to you all,

Dorothy

P. S. I'm so glad Hickman and Nettie will be so near us. Wish you would tie a string to him

until I get there.

Dot