Dads Letters World Journgy BERT WILSON Class Q- 4- 4 - A COHRIGtiT DEPOSm Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/dadslettersonworOOwils Dad's Letters on a World Journey BERT WILSON Published by POWELL & WHITE, Cincinnati, Ohio Gaao COPYRIGHT 1921 POWELL a WHITE PUBLISHERS CINCINNATI. O. WAV !3i32j SCI.A614466 03 THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED To all American boys and girls who are willing to reach out across the world with a neighborly handclasp, to the boys and girls of every land, whenever and wherever a "fellow needs a friend." CONTENTS PAGE A Landlubber at Sea 11 to 22 Yokohoma to Calcutta 25 to 62 Three Months with the Missionaries 65 to 130 A Week in the Jungle 133 to 162 On the Globe Trotter's Trail 165 to 184 From Bombay to Belgrade 187 to 235 The Home Stretch 239 to 257 INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS From Photographs taken by Mr. Wilson PAGE Off to the Jungle Frontispiece Sunder and Her Friend 96 Mr. Wideawake Caught at Last 128 The Boys at Damoh Have Exercises Every Morning.. ..144 "The Boys Began Making Their Little Huts" 160 On the Road to Damoh 192 The Religious Festival at Bandakpur 240 APOLOGY I returned last summer from a nine months' trip around the world, including a full five months' stay in India. I had notes and part manuscript ready for a much needed missionary volume on India. This is not that volume. Its preparation has been deferred by the removal of office and home from Cincinnati to St. Louis. In the meantime some of my friends who had read parts of my travel letters to my children thought them, although not written for publica- tion, of sufficient general interest to be pub- lished. Others of my friends doubted the wis- dom of such a volume on the ground that it would not be primarily a missionary volume. Like the school teacher who was prepared to teach that the world was either flat or round as the case required, I agree with both views. It is true that this can scarcely be con- sidered a missionary volume at all. But they are the real letters of a "Dad" who was trying to write the things of interest from week to week to a wide awake bunch of growing youngsters, who according to their mother devoured them eagerly, and whose interest in the strange peoples of the world was not lessened, because there was the touch of adventure and the thrill of the jungle mixed in. If they are a fair sample of the average family, then this little volume may find a wel- come around many a fireside. If it does not, this is my apology. If it does, this is also my apology for not releasing it sooner. BERT WILSON. A LANDLUBBER AT SEA A LANDLUBBER AT SEA September 18. Dear Star: This is the first day out in the real Pacific but the second day of the journey. I am still going good without any signs of sea-sickness. The fog horn kept blowing all night long and I heard it most of the time. We had a good break- fast, but I don't like the cooking very well. They don't seem to know how to cook eggs and make coffee. We are out of sight of land. It looks queer to see nothing but water, water everywhere. The boat keeps up a continual rocking. It climbs up over the waves and goes down again, and then repeats the process over and over. This morning in order to keep up a good appetite, I made twenty trips around the deck. Mr. Holt and I stepped it and found that it takes twenty trips to make a mile, so we have made several miles today. September 19. Let this day be forgotten and remembered no more forever! [11] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY September 20. Dear Roma: I did about seven miles yesterday on the deck. They call it getting your sea legs. The boat rocks and rolls over the waves, never stop- ping. You wobble around when you try to walk, and your brain unconsciously tries to hold the ship straight in the waves. It sort of pulls down on the top of your head, but I am getting now so I can let go and pay no attention to it. There are a lot of sick folks on board, but most of them are getting better. The air in the state rooms is not very good, especially when they close the port holes to scrub the decks. One old girl opened the port hole after the boy had closed it. When they scrubbed, the water splashed in and spoiled her good dress. The word passed quickly all over the ship and now the ladies don't open the port holes! We are all like a lot of whales, we come up out of these stuffy old state rooms for air. The ocean is very wonderful. It roars, and frets, and raves ceaselessly. Up and down, down and up, over and down, and then all over again, no rest, no let up, never a minute when the boat and the ocean are not raring at and fighting each other. This ship ploughs right into the big waves as well as the little ones, day and night, no stops, just on and on and on. No land in sight, just horizon of water and mist everywhere. I think we owe quite a debt to Columbus, for if those sailors were like some of the people on [12] A LANDLUBBER AT SEA board here, no wonder they wanted to turn back. I saw a great flock of sea gulls yesterday. September 21. My Dear Lenore: Yesterday was very stormy. We ran into the equinoctial storm and believe me, sister, she was some storm. The waves about sundown were dashing twenty or thirty feet high, and the Monteagle was riding them like a cowboy on a bucking broncho. Once the front end dived down so deep that the propeller cleared the water. It shook the whole boat. All night long I could feel the boat rocking over those great angry restless waves. But to- day it is very nice, not much breeze, except the regular ocean wind, and the sun is shining, the first real sun we have had on the trip. The sky is clear and the ocean is as blue as the sky. The sun shining down on it makes it look like a sea of glass. This boat is a regular moving city. It is a train — folks going from one station to another. It is a sleeping car — plenty of old stuffy state rooms. It is an athletic field — we play shuffle board, deck quoits — horse shoes made out of rope, hockey, and several other games. It's a freight train — they have a thousand tons of freight on board. It is a public library — quite a large num- ber of volumes. It's a laundry — you can get work done fairly well. It's a restaurant — the boy will bring you an apple or soup, grapes or other [13] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY food up on deck. There are several other things that it is — but there is one thing that it is not f it is not home. No good home cooking, no trees in the yard, no quiet rest, no good sleeping rooms. There are nearly a thousand people on board including employees. Nearly two hundred men are employed at the various tasks. I heard a Spanish conundrum today: What is it that is full of meat in the day time and is empty at night with its mouth wide open? A shoe. September 22. My dear Violet: Today it is stormy again. When we came down to meals we found that there were board racks on the table to keep the dishes from slid- ing off when the boat tosses over the high waves. A French nurse is the stewardess of the ship. She was talking to some of us last night about how nice the homes were in France. She said: "In America there is no home life. When night comes the children all want to go down town to the picture show. But in France as soon as the lights are on, ali the children come in the house and have a nice time with all the family to- gether." I guess she has only seen one type of American home. It takes about a thousand tons of coal to take this ship across. They burn fifty or sixty tons every day. Daddy, still on the go. [14] A LANDLUBBER AT SEA September 23. My dear Beth: There is a little boy on board who had a birthday on Sunday. Yesterday he was playing on the deck with a tennis ball. He was trying to make it jump under his legs like you girls do. He gave it a hard bounce on the deck and it went overboard and fell in the water. We could see it jumping around on the waves, but there was no way for him to get it, so it is out somewhere on the ocean all alone. I have read two books already and have started on another. The sea gulls are still follow- ing us. Sometimes they light on the waves, sit there and rest awhile, then fly around and up and over and back of the boat continually. If anyone throws a banana peel out on the water, they pounce down on it to see if it is good to eat. They are looking for something to be thrown away all the time. Here's something interesting: They carry seven hundred tons of fresh water on this boat, to cook with, to drink, and to use in their engines. You see they can't use the salt water in their big engines. There are two large en- gines, and both of them work without stopping day or night. Twenty-four Chinese boys fire these engines. Six working at a time, taking turns. They are called stokers. Then there are several tenders who bring the coal up to the fire- men, and four boys, called greasers, who do nothing but oil the engines. Your Daddy. [151 DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY September 25. My Dear Elaine: Now that you are going to school I will ask you some questions. How many legs has your Daddy? Two? No, that is not right. He has four legs, twoland legs and two sea legs. He has grown those two sea legs since he left home. I need my sea legs again today for they know how to act when the boat "dips the dips" as she is doing now. The air is great. It is cool and I have had my overcoat and sweater on every day since I left land. There is a place on this boat that they call the "crow's nest." It is in the front part of the ship on a high mast. It is where the man called the "lookout" stays. He goes up there for two hours and keeps a sharp lookout ahead for any danger, then he comes down and another man goes up for two hours. They keep that up day and night. There is a rope about two blocks long tied on the back of the ship with a sort of rudder- like thing tied on the end of it that revolves in the water. Then there is a little machine on it, where it is fastened to the boat, like a speed- ometer on an automobile, that tells how fast the boat is going per hour. September 26. Lost. This is the day we crossed the 180° meridian and lost a day. We went to bed Thurs- day night and when we woke up it was Saturday [16] A LANDLUBBER AT SEA morning. We have been turning our watches back a half hour or twenty-four minutes, or twenty-nine minutes every day. But now that we have lost a day, we will have to turn our watches back twenty-four hours and twenty-four minutes ! September 27. Dearest little Arlene: We are near a long string of islands called the Aleutian Islands. It has been so stormy that we have only caught one short glimpse of them through the mists. But we saw the most beauti- ful whitei parrots this morning. They are great big fellows and fly in front and on the sides of the boat, but never behind. The sea gulls seem always to fly behind. One big white parrot went with us for several miles this afternoon, and sometimes he would come very close. They are called Aleutian parrots. It has been snowing up in the islands and while it has not snowed here at the boat, it is very cold. I am reading again Mark Twain's "Huckle- berry Finn." If you girls have not read that book you must get it out of the library and read it. It is the first real touch of the United States that I have had on board. I have had to laugh dozens of times reading it. Say, Jodie dear, whom do you think I saw today? When I went back into my room after breakfast I saw the cunningest little girl sitting [17] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY in my room. I said to her, "Who are you?" And she said, "Don't you know who I am?" 1 said: "You look just like a little girl that sits up on my cellar door and doesn't want to have her picture taken." And then she said, "That's who I am. I am that little girl and I am sitting on your cellar door." When I looked more closely I saw it was you, sure enough, out here on the ocean sitting on the cellar door, and Star in a swing, and Violet lying down on the ocean read- ing, and Mamma and Lenore and Roma stand- ing out by a tree in the ocean, and the rest of the kids too. Then I found that the fairy Graflex had made all my family come out here with me. Isn't that a nice story? Daddy. September 29. Would you like to know some of my new vocabulary? Boy. Name for any Chinaman who is an employee on the ship. Room boy, deck boy, bath boy, messenger boy, lookout boy, etc. Boy do this, boy do that, even though some of these chaps are forty years old. Bow. Short o. The front end of the ship. Stern. The rear end of the ship. Fore. Any place forward on the ship from where you happen to be. Aft. Any place rearward on the ship from where you happen to be. [18] A LANDLUBBER AT SEA Star Board Side. The right hand side as you face the bow. Port Side. The left hand side as you face the bow. Bridge. A little bridge just over the bow about twelve feet long. We can go up there on a nice day and watch the boat cut the waves. Only two nice days thus far. Log. The little rope and speedometer on the rear of the ship to measure the speed. Log. The record book where all the records, reports of the ship are kept, including longitude, latitude, miles traveled each day and all other necessary items of information. Quarter Master's Deck. The deck above the main deck where an officer is on duty day and night. It is up towards the bow, and is the part of the ship that every employee salutes when he comes on board. Crow's Nest. The little place on the front mast where the lookout stays. Lookout. The man who stays in the crow's nest and looks ahead for rocks, vessels, and any other danger. Steerage. The deck below where the third class passengers stay. The first class passengers are not allowed to go down there nor see the steerage but we smell it every day. There is no rule against that. Only Asiatics travel in the steerage. Hold. The baggage room two stories down where we go to get our trunks. [19] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY Steward. Man who has entire charge of the kitchen and dining room, food, etc. Stewardess. Woman who is nurse and chief assistant to the ship doctor. Tea. The afternoon time, four thirty, when we drink tea and eat cakes. The tea is always too strong and the coffee is too thin. Beg Pardon? The word everyone uses when he doesn't understand, and wants you to repeat what you said. They sort of bark it at you. Purser. The cashier and bookkeeper of the boat. Dining Saloon. Just the plain dining room, It is raining again today but not so gloomy and foggy. It is interesting to see the raindrops patter down on the water. It looks like little fishes jumping up out of the water. October 1. Dearest Girls: DING-DING-DING-DING!! A sharp bell rings out and you see Chinamen hurrying and scurrying and chattering like monkeys. Here they come carrying big boxes of beef on their shoulders, and others carrying great cans of dog biscuits as large as a garbage can — that is the cans are, not the biscuits. Others have sprung to the life boats, and are standing at attention, the boxes and cans are set down in order and their carriers are at attention. It is the fire alarm, for inspection only. When the gong sounded to go back to work one Chinaman [20] A LANDLUBBER AT SEA grabbed up his garbage can in a hurry, bumped it on his shoulder so hard that the lid flew off and out rolled a dozen dog biscuits. They are big hard crackers about four inches in diameter and an inch thick. We grabbed one up and shot it for a shuffle board. LOOK-LOOK-LOOK! ! Off about a quarter of a mile on the port side an old whale is blow- ing his sperm high in the air. At last I have seen one. He was too far off to see well, only the top of his back now and then, but we could see the water go spraying up in the air ten or fifteen feet high. It was a great sight. LOOK! This way! Quick! Off to the star- board is a fine school of porpoises, about twenty of them, and they are having a high old time. The cry rang out while I was shaving this morn- ing, and out of the port hole I could see them splendidly. They are about four or five feet long, and we could see three or four of them jump out of the water at the same time. The curve of their bodies is like the curve of the body of a salmon trying to go up over the falls in a stream. ZOOM-ZOOM. The morning inspection of the ship is about to take place. The captain and his chief officers meet in the parlor to start. They come to the dining room where the boys are lined up and the head waiter salutes them, and they go nosing around to see if the tables are in order, the silverware polished, floor clean, etc. They pass to the kitchen where the head cook meets them, salutes, and then escorts them [21] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY through. They go up on the promenade deck where the deck steward meets them, salutes, and they take a look all over the deck. They go to the head "room boy" and take a turn looking over the rooms to see that they are properly kept. They go to the engine rooms where the chief engineer meets them, salutes, and they in- spect the engines. And so it goes over the whole ship two or three times a week. We had a new kind of breakfast food this morning. It is pumalo. It is very much like a grapefruit, except larger, and the meaty part not quite so tart and juicy, but sweeter. They serve it by peeling back the outer skin, then separating the sections. Each person is supposed to take about two sections, when really he wants four! The sea is wonderful today. Hardly a breeze. It is as calm as the Ohio when we went up to Coney Island. It is like a crying, feverish child that has thrown itself and worried and fretted for many nights and then the fever going down, it sleeps quietly and peacefully upon its mother's breast. It is such a comfort to have just plain peaceful sailing. My appetite is doing wonders, and if this keeps up I will let out my belt about day after tomorrow. Dad Wilson. [22] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA Tokyo, October 7. Dear Girls: This morning Miss Bertha Clawson showed me through the Girls' School. It is the one that Mr. R. A. Long gave the money for, you remem- ber. It is quite a wonderful school. There are about one hundred girls, a number of them liv- ing in the dormitory. There is not a chair, nor a bed, nor any piece of furniture in the rooms, ex- cept a little low study table just high enough for them to study on, sitting on their heels. They sit on a little thin sofa cushion to study. The mat- tresses for their beds are put away in the closet. One girl brought out her bed and sheets and thick covers and showed me just how it was done. They all have the thick clean heavy matting. Every morning the matron goes into all the rooms to see that they are kept neat, and it would be a fine lesson for a certain double quartet I know to see how scrupulously clean they keep their own rooms. The little dining room has one piece of fur- niture, and that is the little low table. At the en- trance of the school there is a large box or bas- ket where they leave their wooden shoes. Many [25] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY of the girls leave them on the floor at the en- trance, and it is a wonder to me how they ever tell them apart. They say they can tell them apart by the feel of them. At the kindergarten building everything is so nice and well arranged, and in Japanese style. There were about thirty-five little kiddies dressed in their pretty bright kimonos. They all leave their little wooden shoes at the door the same as the older ones. They bowed to me and smiled in their polite Japanese way. Miss Parker's domestic science building is great. They have one room where they teach how all the things should be properly served. Then a guest room where they teach how to serve a meal, or serve an afternoon tea, etc. Then another room where they are taught how to serve a "foreign" or American meal. Here they have American dishes, knives and forks, etc. The kitchen is a beauty. In each building there is a teacher's retir- ing room. It is the room where they go for the ten minutes between classes. It is nicely kept and has a complete tea set, including the little charcoal burner to heat the tea on. They go there and have tea between every class. When you see the little wooden cups I am sending you, you will know that they will not get too much tea even if they do take it several times a day. "I'm hungry" Dad. [26] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA Osaka, October 8. My Darling Kiddies: Well, the ride on the Japanese train was not a huge success. The upper was too short for me, so I had to fix my body in the shape of the letter Z. When I got tired and had to turn over, I had to straighten out my Z, turn him over, and then bend him back again. At Osaka they have a very fine Institute. We had a conference of the workers there, about twelve altogether, and after my talk to them, they served little cakes and tea. One fine old Japanese teacher made me an address of wel- come. At -five o'clock, they had their chapel for the girls, and I spoke to them. At seven o'clock they had the chapel for boys. There were three hundred boys present, and I made another speech to them. They were very attentive. In all I made seven speeches in Japan, all through an interpreter. In the afternoon, Mr. Erskine took me through the famous Tennoji Temple. I had din- ner at Robinson's and supper at Erskine's, and had cooked chestnuts again. I had a good deal of fun with the kiddies, four in each family. They seemed to have a good time after I got them jarred loose from being scared. And now for a lesson on Japanese courtesy. At the Sunday morning communion service, the pastor bows when he hands the plates to the deacons, and the deacons bow when they take them. At each row of seats the deacons bow and [27] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY the members bow when they take the loaf and the cup. When they return with the plates and hand them to the minister, he bows and they bow. When they pass the collection plates the minister bows again as he hands them the plates and they bow as they receive them, and the same series of bows goes on as they are passed. If a man does not wish to put anything in, he makes a bow to the deacon and the deacon passes on. When I was introduced to some of them, they bowed two or three times, and so did I. When I got up to speak, I made a bow and the whole audience bowed to me in return. When I had finished I bowed and they bowed. If a man meets a friend on the street, he takes off his hat and bows two or three times and the other one does the same. A man came to the train to see a friend and they bowed three or four times, and when the train pulled out they each made two or three bows. In the stores the clerks bow when you go up to the counter, they bow when you pay, and bow when they give you back the change. When the school boys meet Mr. McCoy on the streets down town they take off their hats and bow. McCoy's twelve year old boy took me down to the Hongo church and we met one of the school boys and he took off his hat and bowed to the McCoy boy. The girls bow to Miss Clawson. Mr. Erskine took me to a very famous maker of porcelain ware, a man who has won prizes at several World's Fairs. When we went [28] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA in they put little cloth slippers on over our shoes, and we went up stairs. The proprietor bowed and soon the maid came with some tea and cakes, and we ate while they brought us out some very, very, beautiful pieces. Some plates and little bowls were $25.00 each. I think it is the finest work of that kind I have ever seen. If mother had been with me I know she would have deserted me at that shop, for the dishes were so pretty! They were all so high priced that I could not afford to buy any of them. But when we left he bowed just the same and gave me his card and invited me back sometime. Even the old priest at the temple bowed when we asked him a few questions about the worship. It is a polite land, and I like it. October 9. Dear Girls: I had another night ride on a Japanese train. This time I had what they call a "double lower," and had plenty of room. The trains are fairly good, only they have just one wash room and toilet for both men and women. I got up early and shaved before the rest were ready. I passed through a lovely country all day Thursday. The folks were all busy. It is the time of the rice harvest and almost every avail- able acre of ground is planted to rice except what they use for their gardens and orchards. Men and women were in the rice fields cutting it with grass knives like the one we cut grass [29] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY with in the yard. Think of the work it must take to cut the crop all by hand for a land of 60,000,- 000 people. Usually the women were out with the men helping hang it up to dry and cure. October 10. Moji — Aboard the Monteagle Ladies Wilson: It seemed rather good to get back to the boat and see the folks again. I have two new cabin mates, both Englishmen. One of them has a Chinese valet. In the morning the valet comes in to help him dress. The valet hands him his shirt, his socks, and his shoes and collar. When he gets ready to comb his hair the Chinaman hands him his bottle of hair tonic, and then puts the bottle away, and hands him his comb and brush. Helps him on with his coat and vest, and when the old chap goes out, the boy picks up all his things. All night long the coolies were coaling the boat. They brought out big barges of coal in their sail boats, came alongside, formed lines up the ladder and filled little baskets and passed them up the side from one to another, and dumped them in the big bin. October 11. Dearest Eight: Tomorrow we land in Shanghai, and I will set foot for the first time on the soil of China. This morning as soon as breakfast was over, [30] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA some one raised the cry of "whale." On the star board side there were two big fellows sporting around as quietly as you please. They would go under for a minute, then come out and blow water in the air. Soon we saw another a little closer in and within a half hour we had seen ten or fifteen. They seemed to be taking their morn- ing baths. The sea has now become a sort of yellow color. The Yangste pours its yellow dirty water into the sea day after day until it is colored this far out. It must be some river to do such a big job. But then I have heard that the Congo does the same thing, and I presume that if it is per- mitted in Africa, it should be allowed in China also. In one of the meetings in Japan, a new missionary called upon a man to lead in prayer. He was not a member and did not know how to pray, so he said to her, "Please excuse me, for I do not perform." This is the 11th and I have had no news of the World Series except the first game. In Tokyo I went to the newspaper office and climbed three stories. The editor opened all of his new cable messages for me but he did not have further news. October 14. One Day Out of Shanghai. Dearest Kiddies: How do you think I was awakened this morning? Just as I opened the tail end of my [31] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY brain I heard a rooster crowing. I thought I was a boy again on the farm, and I could imagine the green fields and the cows and horses, and the barn full of hay, and the granaries full of corn and wheat. I thought I would get up and go out and milk the cows and do the chores before breakfast. Just then someone called. It was the Chinese boy saying, "Tea is ready, Sir." I was not on the farm at all, but away out on the China Sea, and a Chinaman was bringing me tea and toast to be eaten in bed two hours before breakfast. I wanted to go out and hunt up the rooster and take off my hat to him for at least giving me that good dream of the farm, even if it did not prove to be real. Our little coast steamer is doing very well. The name of it is the "Kwongsang." We are staying in sight of land nearly all the way. If you get out your geography you can follow me down the east coast of China from Shanghai to Hongkong. We are now going South — South- west. They have a direction, "west-south-west," and another, "south-west by west" which is a little more west than "west-south-west." We are now in the good clear ocean water again, so tomorrow we can have our salt water baths. There is no danger of running out of water, as no company has a meter on the Pacific. We had a wonderful sunset last night. What could be more beautiful than a sunset in the China Sea! The sun went down behind a small thin cloud. When it was about a third down, it [32] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA was like a great ball of fire. The atmosphere was such that all the glare was taken away and you could look it squarely in the face. The ball of fire and the cloud seemed to reflect perfectly on the western horizon. The whole west was a wonder- ful golden glow. Farther up in the sky it sort of faded out into a mellow kalsomine gold, but at the horizon and close up to the sun it was the richest yellow imaginable. It seemed that some great painter with an ocean full of golden paint had dipped his brush into the wonderful color, and lavishly but most artistically painted a per- fect sunset for these humble folks of the far east. Off to the side of the sun were several very small clouds just a little in the background. They seemed like little Chinese cloud assistants, who were there to hand the brushes to the wonderful artist. It seemed that these poor folks out here are denied so many of the finest and best things of life, that the Lord is making a little of it up to them in sunsets. October 15. The rooster crowed again this morning and I could hear the sheep bleating for their breakfast, and the chatter of the Chinese in the steerage. Those sheep have rather intelligent looking faces, and long Roman noses that make them look quite distinguised. I read a new book yesterday, out of a small library of the second officer. His library is very interesting, for most of the books are brand new to me. I did not know there were such books. [33] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY Here are some of their titles: "The Law of Storms," Strong's "Nautical Tables," "Sailor's Pocket Book," "Oliver's Shipping Law Manual," "Practical Seamanship," "Davis' Star Azimuth Tables," "Ship Owners and Masters." I have discovered how they feed the coolies in the steerage. They have what they call a "checker," a Chinaman who arranges them in groups of five. Then the Chinese waiters pass around five bowls and five little crock spoons and five pairs of chopsticks. They bring out a large basket of rice, holding a gallon or more. The Chinamen make no move. Soon another waiter brings out a tray with four or five large bowls on it which contain some chopped up vege- tables, pieces of fish and chicken, and other Chinese trimmings. When that fellow appears, they begin to smile and chatter. He sets the tray on the floor, and they all gather around it. The first thing they do is to take their little spoons and dip rice out of the big basket, filling their bowls full. Then they grab their chop sticks and sail in. They start out by taking a big mouthful of rice, then they dip in the other bowls and pick up small pieces of fish with their chopsticks. They lay this on the top of their rice and pitch it with a big helping of rice into their gaping hungry mouths. They eat and chatter until rice, fish and everything else is gone. They get plenty of it, such as it is, and seem to relish it as much as we do our food in the first class cabins, but with much less formality. [34] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA October 16. Dearest Eight. We tied up last night about five at a town named Swatow. The ship had a lot of cargo to unload. Swatow is famous all over China for its drawn work and laces. Men came on board with big grips full of the nicest table covers, doilies, handkerchiefs, sideboard covers, etc. They are great traders out here in the east and none of them have "one price only." They will ask you a certain price and expect you to offer them about half that much. I know if you had been here you would have broken me up in business. I could not resist buying just one piece, and I know you will like it very much. The material is the best quality and is called grass cloth, and very much resembles Chinese silk. It is sup- posed to be very durable and can be laundered without hurting it. I understand there is no other place in China where they make this kind of material, so you can show this to your friends with some degree of pride. Swatow is also famous for what they call the Swatow bear. I walked up town last night, and right on the shore, in the main part of town I saw two great big fellows with several little ones. There were people all around them, but they did not seem to pay any attention. Two big brown fellows had crawled up on the stern of one of those small fishing boats, and were leisurely taking their evening bath. They would take water out of a big bucket with their front paws [35] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY and throw it over their bodies, rubbing as if they really enjoyed it. They took up the bucket in their front paws and poured water over their shoulders and backs. When they stood up on their hind legs, they were about as tall as I am. Finally when they had finished bathing, they took an old dirty towel, dried their bodies, then put on a sort of breech cloth, and went on shore, disappearing in the crowd. It's all a matter of spelling, these are spelled "bare." Poor old China! How she needs every- thing! Disorganized, inefficient, dirty, ignorant, distrusted, unsanitary, victims of poor ancestors, what a mass of conglomerate humanity it is! The church has the whole job before it here. Christianity must not only get these folks to join the church, but must clean up these meat shops, and these dirty restaurants, and put covers on their vegetables; in fact clean up most every- thing about their whole lives, or else the nation some of these days will die of dirt. It seems to me that absolutely everything is yet to be done in China. Yours at sea, Dad. Hong Kong, October 23. Dear Star: Dr. Hardy and I were invited to dinner by a Chinese family. Dr. Jew Hawk was educated in America. I used to hear about him when I was [36] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA younger but had never met him. He is now practicing medicine in Hong Kong. When we went out on the street, the son called the sedan chair men, and they came swarming up to us like bees. He told us to get in, and soon we had a long procession of six chairs going up the steep hill, with my chair behind the others because I was so heavy. We arrived at their home on "breezy point," a very beautiful point overlooking the harbor. The dining room was as wide as ours, but longer, with a nice big long table. They had some of the daintiest little Chinese flowers on the table, in the Chineseiest little vases imaginable. There is a daughter Macy, about twenty-four, a son about twenty, and the father and mother. They all speak fairly good English. The wife and girl have straight black hair, but kept in nice neat fashion. They were dressed in their Chinese costumes, a blouse and trousers, both made of some fine silk material, which looked very pretty. The dinner was great, all served in American style. There were seven courses. First Course: Salad, tomatoes, lettuce, eggs, small pieces of very tender white fish, and dress- ing, all mixed up. Good. Second Course: Noodle soup. Nice and thick, small pieces of toast scattered on top. Third Course: Mutton chops, potato chips, peas. [37] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY Fourth Course: Boiled chicken and gravy, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. Very good. Fifth Course : Cake, peaches and cream, tea. Sixth Course : Fruit. Bananas, and persim- mons. Yum-yum. Seventh Course: Nuts. English walnuts and peanuts. At the end of the last course, the two boys who waited on the table brought hot towels, and stood by our chairs with them. They are to wipe the hands with, and, if desired, the face. In hot weather, they use them on the face. They were nice and clean and perfumed. Macy is a fine bright intelligent girl, well educated and I could wish for you no better companions and friends than girls as refined and ladylike, and full of life as she. They are going on what they call a "walk- ing picnic" on Saturday afternoon. They have invited us to go along. Dear Roma and Lenore: Instead of getting you a pony to keep in the "garage," I have decided to get you a jinricksha and a coolie to take you around. We could feed the coolie cheaper than we could feed the pony. There are five modes of travel here in Hongkong. Walking, automobile — only a few, street car — called the "tram," two stories high; the sedan chair, and the jinricksha. Nearly everybody who wants to ride takes a jinricksha, if they are down on level ground, or a chair if they want [38] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA to go up the hill. The chairmen and the ricksha men are on every corner and about three times in between. You can catch one of them much quicker than a Cincinnati car. In fact, if you even look in their direction they come running to you. When it rains, they have a cover for the chairs which is removed in good weather, as it lightens the load. The rickshas also have a little top like a buggy that can be put up in case of rain. When it rains, the men put on a wide bamboo hat, the original merry widow hat, and a grass coat. They look like sheaves of grain going up the streets with those grass coats on. Yesterday I went down town to get a pair of colored glasses to wear on sunshiny days on the sea. I will need them from here on. I went in one store and they did not have what I wanted, so I started on and pretty soon I became con- scious that I was being followed. I went on and after while I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw a Chinese boy about twenty-five follow- ing me. I went into another store, but did not buy. When I came out he saluted me, and I thought perhaps he was going to shoot me or do something dreadful. He told me that down the street was a store that was cheaper, where I could get good glasses, and that he would show me. Well, the fact was that he was my guide. He had nominated himself, voted for himself, and officially confirmed his own appointment to be my guide. That seems to be a very ordinary [89] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY thing out here, for a man to show up who has been your guide for several blocks and you knew nothing about it. Those fellows can talk some English, and if you go into a place and buy, the store keeper gives them a small commission for having directed you there, which usually they did not. They have a queer way here of taking home meat from the market. They have small grass strings, and a man will buy a fish, tie a string around it and go up the street with his fish un- wrapped hanging from the end of the string. I have seen them carrying small pieces of meat that way, the liver and gizzard of a chicken, a few vegetables, and even two or three bananas. This is the fishiest town you ever saw. The men and women go out early in the morning into the harbor and catch their fish, then take them to the market. The fish markets here are many times more numerous than the Kroger stores are in Cincinnati. From the docks clear up through town, there are fifty-seven different varieties of fish-smell alone, let alone all the other smells. On every street there are little youngsters carrying their baby sisters on their backs. All have straight black braids of hair. Some of them are very cunning. Sometimes as I go along the street, the boys your size and younger look up at me with a good deal of awe. When I see some of them looking that way, I wink at them. Then they think I am a real human being, and you [40] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA ought to see them smile. There is one fellow who recognizes me every time I go down town. How I wish I could take you girls with me around this town! We could certainly have a fine time. There is only one place in town where ice cream can be bought, and it's a poor excuse for ice cream at that. Oh, yes, I must tell you about my bed. Do you remember that Chinese bridechamber up at Columbus? Well, mine is nearly like that. There are four high posts, one on each corner, as tall as I am. There is a double canopy or layer of mosquito net over the top. Then draped down on all four sides are long mosquito bars reaching to the floor. At night the boy comes in and tucks them up under the matting so that when I crawl in bed not a bug or mos- quito could ever get inside. October 26. Dear Violet and Beth: Now I must tell you about our "walking picnic," with my new Chinese friends. It was to be a trip up the mountains back of Hongkong. We all took jinrickshas out to the edge of town where the road began up the side of the moun- tain. We had along three boys to carry the "chow." We began to climb the long slope, and wind round and round the steep paths that kept get- ting higher and higher up the mountain side. There were eighteen of us altogether, about half [41] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY Chinese and half American and English. There was one English girl who wore a white middy with red trimmings. She was born here, and is very dark, but has a lovely English accent. She and I got to be real good chums. I told her all about Star and the rest of you girls. Her name is Constance, but her real name is "Connie." Dr. Hardy got two men with a sedan chair to carry Billy and Molly over the mountain. Mrs. Jew Hawk, and her daughter Macy, were the life of the crowd. Away up the moun- tain side we came to the first reservoir, which furnishes water for the city. The English have built a winding road which is very good, so we kept on until we came to the top of the first range. Then we started down that slope, on the other side. Part way down the slope, we found a nice spot and spread out our lunch. There were sandwiches, cheese, bananas, pears, two roast ducks, cooked a la Chinese with their necks, bills and heads on. Mrs. Jew Hawk started to carve one, and I volunteered to carve the other. Mine was rather tough and with not a very sharp knife, I got his head and neck in the sandy road. I thought the neck was so tough and had so much skin on it that it would not matter, as no one would eat it anyway. Imagine my surprise, when they passed it around, to see one of the Chinese men pick it out from the other good pieces, and go after it in hearty [42] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA fashion. He said he liked to suck the bones in the neck. They had lemon soda in bottles, and candy for sweets to top it all off with. We were all hungry, and everybody ate heartily. After a little rest we started on, as it was then nearing five o'clock. We climbed to the top of the second mountain. By the time we had reached the cross- ing point it was sundown, and we had the long slope to go down on the other side. The whole west was a wonderful golden glow. It was about three miles down the hill, and by this time Connie's Aunt had grown very tired and had to take her shoes off and walk in her stocking feet. To be gallant I had to offer her my shoes, and very much to my satisfaction, she thought she could go it better without them. By the time we got two miles down, it had grown very dark. When we went through the places where the trees touched, overhanging the road it looked like a dark tunnel. As we were going through one of those places, Mrs. Jew Hawk called out, "What if a lion or some pirates jump out at us." They all laughed to keep up their courage. For the last half mile Mrs. J. H. was very tired, also Connie, so I told them to hold on to my arms. They hung on pretty heavily and I carried my Graflex in front of me with both hands. About eight o'clock we reached the bottom of the mountain. A street car runs around the mountain. On one side was the harbor, with all [43] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY kinds of ships coming and going, on the other side the houses and buildings up the hill side all lighted up. It made a wonderful sight. I would not have missed that trip for a good deal. It gave me a new idea of the attitude the Chinese take toward their children. They were all so happy, and so congenial. They really know how to have a good picnic, with all the best things in it, and none of the bad. Dad. October 31, Aboard S. S. Kumsang. Dear Youngsters: We are three days out of Hongkong, and going good. The boat is a very much smaller one than the Monteagle, and the smell is differ- ent. Each boat has its distinctive smell. If a tree is known by its fruits, these boats are known by their smells. We made three hundred and fifty miles yesterday. We have traveled nearly straight south. We reach Singapore, our first stop, some- time Sunday afternoon. Get out a map, and you will see that Singapore is only about one and a half degrees north of the equator. The captain of this ship is a typical English- man; he is a jolly old fellow, about sixty, who has been a sailor for forty-four years. He has not been to England for six years, to see his wife, and he says they have not parted either. He has a cat named Thomas Henry. He calls out every morning: "Thomas Henry, where are [44] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA you?" Accent on the hen fairly strong, and on the ry stronger, and with a rising inflection suddenly chopped off. I bought a Saturday Evening Post in Hong- kong. It cost me twenty cents, so you see the high cost of living is international. Dear Girls: Here is the story of Thomas Henry, The Cat. Once upon a time in the year 1919, there lived a big black cat. This cat had a long black tail of which it was very proud. It had white on all four of its feet. The white feet looked as if they were little booties. Under its neck was a big white spot just the shape of a heart. Its eyes were a sort of whitish green, and it had long white whiskers. The name of this cat was Thomas Henry. Thomas Henry walked one day up the streets of a town called Singapore, all alone. The cat was very lonely and did not have a single friend in all that city. All the other cats and dogs seemed to be grouchy. As Thomas Henry walked along the street, a whistle on an incoming ship blew a long soothing blast. The cat made its way carefully through the crowded streets, dodging in and out among the jinrickshas as it went. Finally it came to the wharf. There, right in front, was a great steam ship just settling along the docks. In a moment, a long ladder called a gangway was let down, [45] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY and people began to get off. Thomas Henry decided that he would find out what kind of a looking place a ship was. So, when no one seemed to be looking, Thomas scrambled up the gangway in a hurry. For awhile he prowled around in the baggage room. Everything was hurry and skurry down there. Then he tried the steerage room, but it did not smell very good to the aristocratic cat. So Thomas Henry ascended the stairway to the upper deck. Everything was nice and clean up there. The cat decided then and there that this should be home, so he gave a quick look at the officers and picked out the man that he wanted as master. With a friendly look in his eye, he walked up to this man and gave a "meow." No answer. He brushed up against the man's leg and gave another "meow." "Well, upon my word," said the man, "here is my cat." Man and cat had never seen each other before, but it was a case of love at first sight. The man was the Captain of the ship, and his wife and family were living in England. He had a lonely feeling the same as the cat, so at once the two became fast friends. "Now," said the Captain, "what shall I call my new cat? I know what I'll call him. His name shall be Thomas Henry." That was the first time that the cat really knew what his name was, but when he heard that name announced he gave a knowing, cattish smile. He knew some- [46] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA thing about himself that the Captain did not know. "Thomas Henry, are you a good sailor? We shall see," said the old gray-haired Captain who had been forty-four years at sea. The ship pulled out into the harbor, and six days later drew up at the wharf in Calcutta, and Thomas Henry's first sea voyage was over. Cargo was unloaded. New cargo and passengers were taken on. Then a long journey to Hongkong was begun. This is a distance of three thousand, two hundred miles. As the long journey began, Thomas Henry made several trips of investiga- tion around the ship. Every now and then, the same knowing, cattish smile would flit across the mouth and disappear at the end of the long white whiskers. Then one day Thomas Henry disappeared. No one knew where. All the decks were searched; all the officers were questioned; all the Chinese room boys and cooks were cross- questioned, but no one had any information as to the whereabouts of Thomas Henry. At last they gave up and decided that he had fallen overboard and had been drowned in the sea. One day as the Captain sat down to his breakfast, he heard a familiar meow at his side. He looked down, and what do you think he saw? Thomas Henry! But strangest of all, by her side were two little Thomas Henrys. You see Thomas Henry was not a father cat, as her name in- dicated. She was a mother cat and had two of the [47] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY tiniest little kittens. Both kittens had white feet just like their mother. And both had the same white spot, like a heart, under their chins. And, young as they were, they had nice white whiskers. How proud Thomas Henry was of those brand new children of hers! "Now, Captain," said the first mate, "you will have to change the name of your cat." "No sir," replied the skipper, "that would bring bad luck both to the ship and the cats. Her name shall still be Thomas Henry." After much patience, the Captain taught her to wag her tail at his command. "Thomas Henry, waggie tail for the ladies. Waggie tail, waggie tail." And Thomas Henry would wave her tail back and forth as grace- fully as you please. The Captain would form a loop of his hands, and say: "Thomas Henry, jump for the ladies. Up, jump!" And up would go Thomas Henry, with a light spring through the Captain's arms. "Ah, she's a marvelous cat is Thomas Henry, a marvelous cat," and the old Captain would give a contented smile. One day a stray dog came on the upper deck from the steerage. Thomas Henry was asleep on the floor. Her sixth sense seemed to feel trouble was near at hand. She opened one cor- ner of an eye and peered out. Then she sat up- right instantly. The hair on her back and tail stood straight up in anger and fear. Then she [48] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA made a flying leap and landed right in the middle of the dog's back. Quick as a flash, the dog turned and gave two leaps to the head of the stairs. The third leap landed him about the fourth step down, with Thomas Henry on his back. Both dog and cat tumbled the rest of the way to the bottom. Then the cat made her way up the stairs, as much as to say, "Let him come out of the steerage again if he dares." The dog did not show up again during the whole voyage. The kittens grew. As they grew, they also learned to wag their tails, and to jump through the Captain's arms. The first trip settled the matter for Thomas Henry. She liked the sea voyage. She also liked her new home. She also liked her new master and his many attentions to her. Then she took her second journey, and her third. And when I saw her she was taking her fifth round trip from Calcutta to Hongkong. That is a total distance traveled of 32,000 miles, more than entirely around the world. She is now called the mascot of the Kum Sang. She is supposed to bring good luck to the boat and to all who travel with her. And she goes about in a stately dignified way. She knows the responsibility resting upon her, and she is trying to bring up her children so that they may carry on her work after she passes on. Ah, she is a marvelous cat is Thomas Henry, Mascot of the Kum Sang. [49] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY Singapore, November 6. My Daughters Eight: The stay in Singapore has been very busy and interesting. I have had a fine trip around the island, in an automobile, driven by one of the natives. Not a Ford, but a Buick. It is perfectly surprising to see how much the British have done to beautify and make this island use- ful. There is an elegant rock and asphalt road clear around the island. It winds in and out among the rubber groves, the cocoanut groves, the banana groves and the pineapple groves. They have some trees here that they call the "Traveler's Palms." They are simply wonderful. We reached Singapore in time to get to church on Sunday night. There was a swarm of ricksha men down at the docks, also some tiny buggies drawn by little ponies. We hired tnese in groups of four, and went to church at a dog trot gait. The preacher had a very good sermon, wore a gown, and told a story about a man in Lexington, Kentucky. He said this man was 131 years old, lived 91 years with his first wife, was the father of 29 children, and married his second wife at the age of 126. My little family of eight looks rather insignificant compared to that 20th century patriarch. One morning an American boat flying the good old Flag pulled into the harbor, passing our boat by a hundred feet. Ten of us Americans lined up and sang the "Star Spangled Banner." The captain said that he thought "Yankee [50] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA Doodle" was our National song. Later, I went over and called upon the crew. They said that song was the best music they had heard in many a day. It was a cargo boat. They were hungry for news. It gave me a feeling of home to see them unloading Quaker Oats and Ford automobiles. One of the very thrilling things about the harbor is that as boats are pulling in, the native boys row out in their little canoes to dive for coins. They will come up close, and the passen- gers toss a coin into the water, and down will go a boy after it, diving like a frog. They never miss. One little fellow about the size of Violet was in a canoe with his father, and we threw several coins out to see him dive. One time a coin fell far out from his boat, and the little fel- low made a jump for it, but the old man thought he might miss, so out he went in a deep slanting dive and went far down below the boy. Soon he came up with the coin, having intercepted it before it got down so deep that it would be en- tirely lost. There is one store in Singapore where ice cream is served, and I think that all in our crowd have been there two or three times. The street cars here are run by native men. The conduc- tor and the motorman both go barefoot. There are two seats on the front of each car, with brown khaki covers, that are called first class seats. Only Americans and Europeans ride in [51] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY them. Ten cents for a ride, Singapore money, five cents of ours. Well, we are ready to start. The little flat tug boat has just come alongside to hitch onto us and pull us away from the wharf. The last piece of red tape has been attended to by the police, the ship has its clearing papers, the whistle has; blown, the gangways have been raised and we are just six inches out, now a foot. Along the deck, are about thirty Hindus bidding some of their friends good-bye. Nearly all the men wear whiskers and dresses, their hair is long, done up in a knot on the back of their heads. They are an emotional race; they are weeping, some of them who are on the shore and others on the boat. We are now ten feet out, now fifteen, and the last act of the Hindus is to get a handful of pennies, one from each fellow on shore, and throw them on board to their friends as a farewell blessing. There was a wild scram- ble for the pennies. We are off. The last tear has been shed; we are through the narrows, and now, out in the open. The small launch has just steamed along- side and taken off the harbor pilot, and we are striking out into the big open sea, known on the map as the Straits of Malacca. Dear folks at home: And the evening and the morning were the first day. Believe me, the evening was certainly a pippin. About eleven o'clock, we had a thun- [52] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA der and lightning storm; it seemed that all the artillery of the earth and heaven had been turned loose at once. The lightning came in sudden very bright flashes, a wide sharp streak across the sky. It seemed only an instant until the thunder clap came, but it was a different kind from that we have at home. It sounded like a great cannon going off in a loud cracking noise. At times, there would be two or three flashes of lightning at the same time, and when the thunder came it was like several great guns going off at once. One time there was a very close long flash passed over the ship crosswise. The thunder was upon us almost before the flash had gone out, and it actually jarred the ship from stem to stern. And the rain! Say, I never saw anything like it. It came not only in sheets and tubs full and torrents and dashes, but it seemed that the whole Pacific had been lifted up and was being poured out by the lake full upon our boat. I got a new idea of the majesty and glory and power of a thunder storm. This morning it is very pretty outside. There are a lot of feathery blue clouds, and the sun is obscured so that it is an invigorating day. Everybody is talking about the storm. Some of the officers say that this one was just child's play, and that we shall have some real ones be- fore we reach Calcutta. Land is in sight this morning, and will be until we reach the next stop. Great Britain [53] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY guards the Straits so that neither Germany from the west nor Japan from the east could send a fleet of battleships through. Penang, November 8. Dear Kiddies : I got up early to see the ship go into the harbor of Penang. The run is only thirty-six hours, so we are here in the harbor, anchored out several hundred yards, and the British officer who examines the passports is already on board. He always comes aboard while the ship is still out in the harbor. A little launch brings him out and the quarter master lets down a rope ladder, which the officer climbs up like a monkey. The health officer also comes aboard out in the harbor, and he and the ship doctor go over the list of passengers, and if they are all well, and none have contagious diseases, then we are O. K. The passport man and the health officer go back to shore again in their little launches, the proper papers are filed, and the ship is then given official permission to enter. Up goes the anchor, the boys all get busy, the engines begin to chug, and slowly and majes- tically we move into the wharf, and edge up against the side as if we had a cargo of eggs. It is a very delicate task to run one of these big ships up against the cement docks, and do it carefully enough so that the boat is not jammed and damaged. There is an association called the Harbor Pilots. They always send a man out [54] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA to run the ships in, and to steer them out into the open again. Everything is now ready, we are starting. I have my Corona up on a ventilator where I can write standing up. In this way, I can skip to either side of the ship and see what is going on. Through the rain, I can see a lot of sail boats, the sails all down, only the high mast poles stick- ing up. They look like a forest of telephone poles sticking up out of the sea. We are moving off slowly. Off to the left looms up an important looking yellowish brown building. Do I know what it is? I do. It is the English customs house. Wherever you go there is the English customs house. You have heard it said that the first thing the French build in a new colony is a railroad, and the first thing the British build is a customs house. Did I tell you that Penang is an island? Penang Island, and on it the city of Penang. Same with Singapore. Hongkong is also an is- land. England is an island, and she has run true to form and specialized on islands. There are all kinds of little boats rowing out to meet us as we pull slowly in. These little row boats are different from any we have seen before. They have slim, turned-up noses, artistically painted in several colors. Here we are, half way into the wharf, and the Hindus are all excited. They are getting their baggage tied up, their bird-cages ready and [55] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY their mattresses rolled and tied. They are literally taking up their beds and walking. For some reason, we have stopped just half way in, and just to be in style, the rain has stopped also. The gangways have just been let down, and here comes a whole swarm of boats out to us as fast as they can row. Two Chinese women with babies on their backs have just gone down the gangway and gotten into a little sampan. Four other Chinese women and two boys are along. The man is now pushing off, and they will land some minutes before we do. One little boat pulled along the stern, and a big Malay, grabbed hold of one of our anchor ropes hanging in the water, and jumped off. He swam and kicked and splashed, holding the rope. The town clock is clanging out the hour of eight. So you see I have been on deck an hour, and a lot of things have happened and we are still not up to the docks; but we don't worry about that anymore. An hour or so — what's that, to people who are not in a hurry! One old fellow out in the sampan is wearing a khaki coat, evidently discarded by some English soldier; he has on a sari, he is barefoot, has a dirty red turban wound round his head and wears whiskers like you see in the pictures of Moses. He looks like a real Malay patriarch as he stands there, his boat going up and down in the small waves. A little steamer has just passed called The Puffin. * * * * The sampan men have long [56] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA slim oars and stand up in the rear of their boats when they row. * * * * They are putting the big ropes around the crates the ponies are in. • • * # News. We stay where we are. We are anchored out in the harbor for good. * * * * The Puffin turned out to be a tug, and she has pulled two big wide-bottomed boats up against ours, and the cargo is to go in them and then they are to be drawn ashore by the tug. * * * * The ropes are all up, the machinery all ready, the sun is beginning to shine and the work will soon begin. It is 8: 30 and we don't have break- fast till nine. You see, we need tea in bed when we have to wait that long for breakfast. A money changer has come aboard. He will exchange local Penang money for American money, British money or Hongkong money. These money changers come aboard at every stop, but they do not give quite as much as the banks do up town, so I never trade with them. They have spread out great canvasses on the bottoms of the big boats, and are unloading flour made in Australia. My bewhiskered patriarch is sitting down in his sampan waiting for trade. When I get my breakfast, if he is still there, I am going to have him row me ashore. The Puffin has put two more big boats on the other side of the ship, and cargo is now going off in all of them. * * * * A man has just come on board with a box of jewelry to sell. "You wantee lookee? Sail velly cheap." He has [57] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY rings, lockets, breastpins, cuff links, stones, and necklaces. They are all fine, but as usual, three prices too high. The first bell has rung for breakfast. Fifteen minutes yet. * * * * Several queer looking hawks are soaring over the ship. The Puffin has brought us two more boats, we now have six. * * * * Some of the folks say the first place they will aim for when they land is the ice cream stand, if there is one. * * * * Two Chinese sew- ing women have come aboard. "Sew? Sewee clothes?" They will sew on buttons or fix any- thing people may have need of. * * * * A na- tive cloth and lace man is now here. "Any nice lace, gentlemen? Very nice, very cheap?" He has all kinds of things. And now, a post card man has arrived, and I am sending you some of his nice post cards. Nearly every want is an- ticipated in advance by some of these enterpris- ing natives, and they are right here on the spot to supply it with prices to suit — them, not you. Your Dad. November 9. Dear All: I have discovered a peculiar thing about the tide. Here in the Straits, the tide flows through from one side to the other. At Shanghai when we put up at the docks it was low tide, and the gangway was at a very low angle as we got off. When I came back it was high tide, and the ship looked twice as high as it did before. [58] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA The ladder was almost straight up. But here in the Straits, it flows through twice a day as the earth turns on its axis and as the moon goes from one side of the earth to the other. The flow is just like the flow of a river, and I really think it is as swift as the flow of the Ohio at Cincin- nati. When it goes in one direction, it moves the ship clear around as it stands at anchor. When the tide changes, it turns the boat around in the other direction. The sea is different every hour of the day. At times we can see five different colors at once. Each shows the different shades of light. Up close to the ship, there is a very deep sea blue; far out on the horizon, it shows a sea green; about two squares out, there is the shadow of the cloud on the water, and it shows a pale green; out be- yond that, the sun is striking the water and it is more of a pale bluish green; nearer, but be- yond the deep blue, is a sort of shiny blue, like a piece of blue silk behind a glass. We had a very beautiful rainbow this morn- ing. You may remember the old saying: "Rain- bow in the morning is the sailor's warning," and "rainbow at night is the sailor's delight." Last night, a small sea swallow flew on board and some of the men caught it. They got a small cage from a Chinaman and put it in, but this morning, the second officer let it out, for he said: "We will be sure. to have a storm if we keep it on board." Last night I heard a little Hindu baby cry- [59] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY ing. It seemed to be crying in English. At least, it sounded very much like a baby's cry that I have heard before. November 13. Dearest Folks: I saw another shade of color on the sea yesterday afternoon; it was a deep purple. Tomorrow, we land at Calcutta. We will be at the mouth of the Ganges some time today. I have learned what I did not know about Calcutta. I had thought all the time that it was on the coast, but now I find that it is one hundred and twenty miles up the river. We are in the Bay of Bengal. I have not seen any Bengal tigers walking around yet. I have made this trip from Hongkong to Calcutta and have not missed a meal or been sick an hour of the whole trip of 3200 miles. You may smile at the different moods of the letters I have written, but I wrote each day what I had seen and how I felt. I can look back now on what I said about the food on the Monteagle. I know that it was not the food, but the fact that I was upset by the sea. We have had several different kinds of fruit lately. We have the Bombay bananas. They are short and fat like Uncle Bob. They are not more than half as long as the ordinary banana, but are very good. Then we have had from Pen- ang, the papaya melon. It is much like the canta- loupe but not quite so nice and sweet; the meat [60] YOKOHOMA TO CALCUTTA of it looks more like a pumpkin. We also had some mangoes, but they were not good. They say that a real good mango is about the best fruit there is. It has been a long trip. Entirely too long to suit me in point of time. The total has been as follows. Vancouver to Yokohoma .. . 4200 miles Yokohoma to Shanghai. . . . 1130 " Shanghai to Hongkong. . . . 830 " Hongkong to Calcutta 3200 " Total 9360 Cincinnati to Vancouver. . . 3000 Grand Total 12360 miles That is just about half way around the world. But it is not going to take me that long to get back. I can assure you of that in advance. November 14. On the Ganges My Dearest Kidlets: I know already that I am going to like India. The new pilot is on board. When we were about sixty miles from Calcutta we dropped anchor and stayed all night. The river is shifting and sandy and treacherous. This morning we lifted an- chor about five and are now steaming up the mighty sacred Ganges. What is it like? If you did not know you [61] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY were on the Ganges you would think it was the Missouri. It is about as muddy, and about as wide, and the country around looks much like Mis- souri. That is why I am going to like India, it is so much like home. On the bank, to the star board we just saw three men herding hogs. They looked like slim Ozark razor backs. Then a little further we saw five men and a boy wading out in the muddy water with a seine, fishing. On the portside we saw the masts of a ship that had struck a sand bar and gone down. They are now getting the gangways ready to let down. Also getting the big crane ready to begin unloading the cargo as soon as we stop. I have had my last breakfast on the Kum Sang. I can go through the English bill of fare anywhere on earth, land or sea. I don't think it has changed in a hundred years. We must bid good bye to Thomas Henry, the room boys, the Captain and the crew. They have all been good to us on this trip. We are passing boats of every kind and description every few minutes. It seems to be a very busy river. [62] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES Calcutta, November 15. My Kiddies: When I got off the boat, Mr. Alexander was here to meet me. He had with him several letters from you. Star wanted to know the circumstances under which I read your first letters. It was in Calcutta, a modern city of nearly a million and a half, three times the size of Cincinnati. It was at the Lee Memorial mission, in the heart of Cal- cutta. It is a large four story building, used for a dwelling, a school, and a lodging place for travellers. The second story veranda is about twelve feet wide, and I sat out on the veranda, in front of my room, as I opened up the letters. On the right, the modern street cars were booming by with all their noise. On the street below, the two-wheeled carts, drawn by bullocks with humps on their shoulders. Across the way the big park, well kept, that the English laid out for Calcutta many years ago. The third door to my left was a school room for girls. I sat there and read those letters and laughed out loud a dozen times. And some times I cried silently to myself. About every half minute a [65] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY little brown faced girl peeped out of the door to see what the new Sahib was doing. Alexander was very considerate and went down town and left me to read my letters with- out trying to visit with me. I got the cable about Mr. Rains' death, also one about the union of the societies. Mr. Rains has been a great old prophet of the missionary cause in his day. He had a multitude of friends at home and around the world. His good cheer and optimism have helped many a preacher to a larger life. His calls to the churches for in- creased giving and devotion to foreign missions will be felt for years to come. I am writing Mrs. Rains a letter. I got a letter from Mr. Rains here. He told about getting the picture ana of going over to show it to the girls. He seemed very proud of it. I hope I may be as true and steadfast to the cause as was he. Well, this is the afternoon of Saturday. I went this forenoon to the William Carey church. You girls know that he is called the father of modern missions, and that he opened up the first missionary work in Calcutta, over a hundred and ten years ago. I saw his old pulpit and stood in it. I saw, also, the baptistry in the church which he built. It is in the floor of the main part of the church, down in front of the pulpit where everybody can see when baptisms are performed. We went out into the native part of the city, and saw all kinds of native life. Dozens of ox- [66] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES carts, also the sacred cows. They are sleek and well fed, and crowded us off the side walk into the mud at one place. Everybody makes way for the sacred cattle. There were all kinds of shops, and eating places. It is certainly a queer conglomeration of life. Yours actually in India. Daddy. Harda, November 20. Dearest Girlies: "Here comes the bride." If you could see me now I know you would start singing that song. I am just back for breakfast, from a town reception which the folks here in Harda pre- pared for me. It was arranged by the mission- aries and the high school teachers. It was held in the church which is near the high school. The chief magistrate of the village presided and they sang a Hindi song, prepared for the occasion. Then they had recitations in Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Sanskrit, Marathi, and English. After all this I spoke a few words of appre- ciation. They have a very fine custom in India of passing around garlands of flowers. I sat there while a teacher brought out a great big garland of beautiful flowers, of many colors and excep- tional fragrance, and hung it around my neck. The high school boys hung garlands on the missionaries, and the teachers. They passed smaller garlands for the high school boys and others in the audience until all had received one. [67] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY They presented me with the big bouquet of roses on the table. There were Mohammedans and four or five different castes of Hindus present. It was very amusing to hear the boys recite. They had a sing song way of doing it that sounded very funny. Two fellows recited in English. One gave "Tell me not in mournful numbers life is but an empty dream." Another with a mous- tache recited Hamlet's soliloquy "To be or not to be." I wanted to embrace him. Only the papers up to October 2nd have arrived. Miss Jeter cut out all the Mutts and Jeffs and sewed them into a little booklet for me and I carry them with me. Both the Harnar's and Dr. Drummond were eager to see them. I am therefore touring India with your old friends Mutt and Jeff as my traveling companions. We are all three welcome. * * * * This is Thursday night, and I did not know anything about "here comes the bride" when I wrote this morning. I have been visiting schools today. The girls' school, had some recitations, some of their gymnastics, and one of the girls brought out another garland of flowers and hung around my neck. At the boys' school with more than two hundred boys, they had another program. A boy sang about Maharajah Wilson, which means a higher rank than Rajah in their estimation. They hung a great big garland of flowers around my neck also. [68] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES And what do you think? The high school had an all day vacation in honor of my visit! Last night I was invited to a native home for dinner and sat on the floor and ate with my fingers in true native style. Good bye, Daddy. Harda, November 24. Dear Sisters Wilson: Say, sisters, I have had a great time here. I have visited schools, and Sunday schools, and homes, and the bazaar, and the shops. The servants around the house are very much excited over the new Sahib. The cook got up some extra dishes and the "bai" gathered flowers and put them in vases in a half dozen different places. Mrs. Harnar said that it was all in my honor. One night for dinner — they have dinner at seven — just as we were finishing, a sharp toy pistol shot rang out and down came a shower of flower petals all over the table. The cook had fastened a big bell of flower petals in the ceiling, and at the report of the pistol his wife pulled the string and down came the shower. We were surprised, but Mrs. Harnar said that they had asked her if they could do it, and had pledged her not to tell us. * * * * I have had an interruption. Miss Thompson came after me to go with her to see the beggar people at work. They are just now making [69] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY bamboo baskets and they say they do not have to beg. They do not even send their children out to beg. Begging is a regular business here, and if one belongs to a beggar caste, it is considered honorable for him to go out and work at the job. Two of the children were dressed in their birthday clothes and nothing else. If you want to see how they looked, take a look at Elaine and Jodie when they are taking their baths. As we came by the municipal school a boy came out whose picture I had taken, after I had loaned him my shoes. He had told all the other boys about me, and about twenty-five of them came out on the street to shake hands with me. We had to stop the tonga while I was shaking hands. One fellow who evidently wanted to practice his English on me said, "I am very glad to see you, sir." One of these boys has invited me to go out in the country to see his farm. November 26. Dearest Polks: I went out in the country with those boys to see their farm. It was the most miserable old house you can imagine, in which the tenants live. Last night I was invited to a party in my honor, given by the Brahmans of the city. They sent around the official invitation by a runner and asked us to be there by five o'clock sharp. The missionaries were invited also. After hav- ing a photograph taken we went to the house, [70] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES removing our shoes at the door. Our hosts were barefooted to begin with. They had prepared by bringing in some car- pets and getting ready for the affair. We had some high class, scientific singing. There was a harmonium, and two little drum-like affairs with the drum part only on one end. One man played them both, and kept time with both hands. The singer sat on the floor, as did all the rest of us. Then we went into another large long room where the meal was served. It was all on the floor, the plates being banana leaves. The food was all vegetables, as the Brahmans do not eat meat of any kind. There were fourteen different foods and they put most of it on to start with. A man came along and told us how to eat it, what to eat first, etc. They said their prayer of grace, and then called for quiet while I said the Christian grace. Then we fell to, all eating with our fingers, as is the habit of all India. The main course was rice with all kinds of trimmings. As we were eating, the manager of the affair said it was their custom to invite their guests to eat leisurely, to have no care, and be perfectly happy and composed. This is a thing that ought to be written in capital letters all over America. After we had eaten awhile, they had a Hindi solo, and then they asked us if we would give them an American song. We all sang with energy "America." They cheered when we finished. [71] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY After we had eaten they escorted us outside where a man gave us water and soap to wash our hands. We then went back into the sitting room where we sat on the floor, and they asked me what America thought of India, as to her social, and political standing. We had a lengthy discussion about democracy, and I told them that democracy could not flourish anywhere on earth without education. They agreed to this but many of them desire that India shall be given self government in the near future. After this the manager of the affair made an address and thanked me most sincerely for com- ing and then they brought a very beautiful gar- land of flowers and put it around my neck. I then replied telling them of my pleasure in be- ing with them and of the honor they had con- ferred on me; that they were Brahmans and we were Christians, but we were all brothers, and that some day we would have a world brotherhood, and all men would work together for the uplift of the whole human race. It was a very unusual affair. Dr. Drummond says that he never has been to a meeting given entirely by the Brahmans. I am approaching Mahoba where we will have all the Cotner folks at Thanksgiving dinner. Dad. [72] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES November 30. Dear Girls: This is early Sunday morning before tea and toast. I will get a letter started, but do not know when I will get it finished. I got the cable from Mr. Plopper last night that the family "is in excellent health." That did me a world of good. We had a fine Thanksgiving dinner, at the home of Lucy Ford. We had two fine pea fowls. There were five Cotner people at the dinner and we gave the Cotner yell. Last night Lucy brought up an invitation from the girls, teachers, and matron, of the school and orphanage, asking me to go down and eat supper with them. It was served about six and it was almost dark, and there were lanterns standing all over the big yard, or court. All the girls sat in a row around three sides of the court. The small ones like Jodie and Blaine were on one side, and the row gradually got larger up to Star's size at the other end. Each girl had her little brass plate and that was all. When they were ready to eat they all arose and sang a little prayer song with their eyes closed. Then they all sat on the ground, and ate their khanna (food) with their fingers. When I began eating with my fingers and hitting my mouth every time the girls seemed surprised. I told the matron that her khanna was very good, and she said she was glad, that the girls would all be very happy to know that I liked it. [73] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY Some of the big girls asked Miss Ford to have me tell them about my eight daughters in America. The account I gave of you would bear repeating only to your mother. Well, I must tell you a little about these missionary families. The Thompsons keep a buffalo cow. One morning she came and stuck her face up against my screen door. I got out of bed and went over in my pajamas to inspect her. She is a big black one, with horns sticking back over her shoulders. She gives about seven quarts of milk a day. They churn every day, and the butter is whiter than "Churngold." Everybody has buffalo butter out here. The milk is good. All the floors in the bungalow are cement floors. The rainy season can not spoil them. They have rugs of various kinds on the floors. The walls are thick, of stone, brick and cement, and many of them have book shelves made in the cement. They never break. On each side of the house is a bath room. It is off from the bed- room. In one end of the bath room is a ward- robe room where there are a lot of hooks, and where I hang all my clothes. In the bath room is a large stone water jug. The water carrier fills this up every morning. There is a cement stand for the wash pan, soap box, etc., and a string goes across the room where I hang my towels. I use my own Ivory soap. It floats. In the corner of the bath is a hole for a drain, and when I wash my face I simply dump the water [74] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES out on the cement floor, and the powers of nature do the rest. Water never runs up hill, and again, water seeks its own level. I have had tea and toast, been down to take a picture of Miss Ford's girls walking to Sunday- school two by two; have been to the open- ing exercise of the Sunday school; and now they are studying the lesson, and I stole off to write this letter to you. You see how I must chink in the time or you would never get a letter. To continue about the house. There is a cook, a bearer (waiter,) a syce (horseman) a sweeper, a refuse man (garbage man), a bai (woman to look after the children). Each one does his own work only. The bai will not do the sweeping, and the horseman will not do the garbage man's nor the sweeper's work. Bertha looks after the hospital and dispensary, — yester- day she had about fifty patients, — so she has not much time to look after the house and the children. Mahoba is the place where Adelaide Gail Frost wrote that famous song "India, Sad India." Get it out and sing it some Sunday afternoon. She wrote it up in a Rajah's old summer house overlooking the lake in front of the mission property here. From where she wrote that song I counted six suttee pyres where they used to burn widows at the death of their husbands, counted also about twenty temples and shrines. You never saw such a place for temples ana [75] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY shrines. There are three or four on the church grounds. I gave Lucy Ford a rupee last night, and the girls will buy a lot of Indian beads and fix up some fancy necklaces. She said the girls would be very happy to do it, for the daughters of the big Sahib. I walked out among the rocky hills and valleys the other day. It was a very beautiful place and resembled the Garden of the Gods at Colorado Springs more than any place I have seen. It is a real Garden of the Gods. Big and small, broken and unbroken, hideous and a few otherwise, some stone and some mud, and some of cheap sandy stone. I have already seen a lot of monkeys here. They are great big fellows, as large as the largest ones at the Zoo. I saw one little baby monkey half way up a tree and it gave out a yell. Its mamma came out of another yard, and she jumped up into the tree in a hurry. When we walked up among the hills and rocks I saw about a dozen, and tried to get close enough to get a good picture, but they kept moving on so far ahead that I couldn't get it. I have seen some wild deer, also a jackal, very much like a Nebraska coyote. Also some fine pea fowl, with their big wide pretty tails. They are very shy if they think a man has a gun. [76] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES December 1. This is Monday morning and where do you suppose I am? I am about fourteen miles from Mahoba, sitting in the small side car of Rother- mel's motorcycle. I am in the middle of the road writing this letter, while he is off a half mile to the right, trying to shoot some deer. I got up at three thirty this morning, and Clint Thompson and I started at four, with his little pony and two wheeled cart. He brought me out to the outstation where we called on the native pastor before seven, and then ate our breakfast or rather chota hazri. Rothermel came out from Maudha to meet us, and he is taking me back with him. We are trying to get some deer so I can take some hides home with me. He thought that if I was not used to shooting deer they would get away from me, so I was willing for him to do the job. There are about a dozen of them, and I can see them plainly, but they are moving around, so he may not get close enough to get a shot. Two boys driving the cows out for the day are now by my side, and they are very much in- terested in the big Sahib in the car. Bang — bang — he has just fired two shots, and I see the deer running away, so I think he has missed. If he has, I will tell him he had better let a green horn try it next time. It was a wonderful trip this morning, the stars shine more brilliantly out here than at [77] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY home. The star in the east, I think it is Venus, is very, very large and brilliant here. Rothermel is now coming back and he has no deer. December 5. Eight Wilson Girls: At Maudha I went out one evening with Mr. Rothermel and got two shots at pea fowl and got them both. We gave one to the native mayor of the town which greatly pleased him, so that he came to the C. E. social that night. The cook roasted the other in fine style, and served him for the eleven o'clock breakfast. He was almost as big as a turkey, as he lay there with his fowlish bosom exposed, the supreme sacrifice that a pea fowl can make. I shot them near a small village about two miles away. It is ruled over by a Mohammedan, or a Mussulman, as they are called here. He had a man carry the fowls out to our tonga, and when we started home he thanked me for honoring him and his village by coming out here to shoot. He asked us to come again. There was a baptism service at a nearby lake the last day I was there, and I got a good picture of it. We had to wind in and out a nar- row path through some kaffir corn on our way. There were several women at work in the field. They cut the corn, and carry it in great bunches on their heads to the threshing floor. I saw one man threshing it, and he was driving his [78] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES oxen round and round upon it. He said it would take a week to do the job, and when it was done he would have about ten bushels of grain. Mr. Rothermel took me to Rath in his side car. We had a fine journey, and when half way out Mr. Bierma met us at a village. He had sent his tonga out to get my luggage. I could not get it all in the side car so one tonga took it half way, and the other fellow met him to bring it in. The same thing was done from Rath to Kulpahar. At Rath I had a fine time with Mr. and Mrs. Bierma. They have two fine babies like Jodie and Eunice. It seems very strange to hear them talking Hindi. They can talk Hindi almost as well as English. They rarely ever ask for water, they ask for pani. Now I am at Kulpahar. Rothermel brought me over on his motor. Bierma came out part way on his bicycle. Here at Kulpahar are four single ladies. Misses Thorp, Burgess, Clark and Vance. They took me at sundown to see the spare bed room where I am to sleep. Where do you suppose it is? It is the spare bungalow a quarter of a mile away. It is Davis' home, and they are in America now. It is a large bungalow and I am the sole occupant. An old man, the care- taker around here, slept on the porch all night as watchman. Just why is not yet clear to me. I came down to retire about nine o'clock, and a jackal ran slowly across the yard. My lug- [79] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY gage had just arrived a few minutes before, and the old man carried it in for me. Soon after I retired, my friend Jack decided that company- should have a soothing melody to go to sleep on, so he called for his tenors and his basses, his altos and his sopranos and started up his jackal- ish chorus of the night. It sounded as if there were a hundred of them, but the tenors predom- inated. Such wild weird voices of the night, I never heard before. Star wanted to know what to write about for school. Write about the tiger I did not get, and the deer I did not shoot, and how it feels to be an orphan with Daddy ten thousand miles away. And an imaginary story as to what I am doing as you write, and how the jackals got up their chorus to serenade the new Sahib, etc. This is Monday night, 9: 30 o'clock, and I am again down at the bungalow alone. It has been a busy day. A woman came in five miles today with her fifteen months' old baby on her hip and gave it away to the home here. She said her husband was dead, the baby was nearly starved and she could not feed and care for it any longer. I asked her if she would be sorry to leave it, and she said "yes," but it would have a good home now and she would leave it. She did not kiss it good bye, did not weep when she left it, but went off down the road, and the missionaries said she would perhaps never come back to in- quire about it. Later a little girl about ten, ragged and dirty came up, an old lady from her * [80] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES town escorting her to show her the way. She had walked twelve miles. Her parents both be- ing dead, she had heard of this home and wanted to be taken in, and they took her. Jubbulpore, December 14. Dearest Girls: Now girls, for a real surprise! Listen while I get it off my chest! You know I have always been a little cranky about you youngsters want- ing to wear too many beads and things like that. Well, I am changing my mind, for I have already got some beads for you, and Lucy Ford and her Mahoba girls are fixing up some others. What's more! when I get home I am going to let you wear them, and I am going to bring a string for mamma, and am going to think they are real pretty. Now you see this trip is having its effect on me. Of course I will not expect any of you to get giddy or vain, or too foolish about them, but then you are not that kind of girls. Hatta, December 19. My Girlies: Here I am in Hatta with David Rioch. I was to arrive in time for breakfast about eleven. When I was about two miles out, David came on his bicycle to meet me. You never saw a man as pleased as he was. He shook hands with me three times, and looked at me as if I were his own son. He rode close up to the tonga so he could talk all the way. When we got to his [81] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY bungalow, he shook hands with me again, and when we got in the house he hugged me. He was still excited when we went to the table. And I was just as glad to see him. He had killed a deer the day before, and had a nice big roast for breakfast. He had the cook bring him the long round sharpener for his carv- ing knife, and after he had sharpened it, he used the sharpener for a fork. Stuck it in deep, and cut two slices off before he discovered what he was doing. Then we had a good laugh. He said he could hardly believe that I am here. You see, he lives away out here all alone, and Mrs. Rioch and Janet have not yet arrived. He often goes for weeks without seeing a white person. So you can realize what my com- ing meant to him. We have had a glorious time. We got up real early this morning, had tea, and started out on an evangelistic tour to some vil- lages. The four evangelists were to come later with the oxen, and the two wheeled cart. We went ahead, walking, with the guns, for David said we would get a deer before the time for meeting. It was still dark when we started, but soon dawn came and then sunrise. Soon after sunrise we sighted a herd of deer and we stalked them for several hundred rods but could not get close enough for a shot. Then we saw another bunch of about twenty. David sent me ahead, and he circled around. Finally I got close enough for a shot. I let one big fellow have it. Bing! Down [82] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES he came! My first! Later on we saw two, graz- ing. The ox cart had arrived by that time and I got in and the driver circled around them and David went straight down the road to get them if they came across. Soon we were close enough for another shot, and I said "bus" to the driver. That means "enough," "stop." I sat in my seat, took good aim at the biggest one, and down he came. He had no sooner fallen, than out leaped the driver — gari wallah, and ran as fast as he could go, picked up the deer and carried it back to the gari. Two shots, two deer, 1000 per cent. How is that for the old man who missed four times yesterday? The evangelists and all the natives around will have deer meat. They are happy. When we arrived at the village, the evan- gelists got out their violin, and song books and began singing. Soon we had a good crowd, and two of the men preached. About the middle of the service an old woman came by, driving her goats to the pasture. There were about twenty of them and she could not go around, so they crowded through a space about three feet wide and broke up the meeting for a few minutes. Soon a little black baby goat came bleating down the narrow street, trying to follow its mother. An old woman grabbed it, took it in her arms and lap, and sat there listening to the evangelist preach. The goat seemed perfectly contented, and so did she. Later as we went out, the man was milking the goats in a big brass [83] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY bowl. One fellow holds the goat by the front legs while the other does the milking. We went to the next village and had another service. As the meeting was going on, the women who carry "buffalo chips" went out and in between the evangelists and the audience several times, with great baskets on their heads. They make these into big cakes about the size of a wash pan, let them dry in the sun, then they are used for fuel. Thousands of people have no fuel to cook with, but these. There are places in each village where they have big stacks of them for sale. There is no coal at all in any of these villages, so the only thing they can buy for fuel is these chips. December 20. Dearest Folks: We are up early again. We have already had chota hazri, and it's only seven. We got into Damoh this morning. We have to send our bed- ding on ahead in the ox cart. It takes them ten or eleven hours to make the trip, and if we did not start them early, they would not arrive in time for us to use our bedding to-night. All the folks around here got some of the deer meat and they are all happy. It was my Christmas present to them. I am going to get the hides tanned and bring them home for rugs. I hope to get some more in camp. We had a great visit last night. We sat up and talked around the fireplace with a couple of nice logs in it. [84] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES I must tell you how David lives. He lias his cook — khansama — who also acts as waiter. David is very careful that the food is cooked well and served well. His garden is fine. It is near the well, and his mali (gardener) takes good care of it, under David's supervision. Yesterday, out of the garden we had ripe tomatoes, beans — mark it, girls — beans, red crisp radishes, and very ten- der lettuce. He has pots turned over the lettuce to keep it crisp. He has potatoes ready to dig in about three or four weeks, cabbage, cauliflower, and other vegetables. The bungalow is very nice, mud walls plastered outside and in with cement and then white washed, so that it is as nice as a cement house at home. The yard is well kept, rose bushes and many other flowers in the yard, a hedge well trimmed, and the nicest big trees, more of them and nicer than the ones in our own Norwood yard, and the yard is much larger. In fact, there are three or four acres in it. One banyan tree is a wonder. These trees grow very wide long branches. They don't grow high, but the limbs go out so that they cover much ground. David and I stepped this off at the farthest points in two directions. One way it was 114 feet and the other way it was 145 feet. I am just reminded of several messages that have been sent to you. At Rath the syce who drove Mr. Bierma and me out to some villages was asking about our girls and family. I told him how we all work and you girls help. He [85] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY thought a while, and said "Just think, if you had no girls, the poor Mem Sahib would have to do all that work herself." A little old lady at Kulpahar after my talk, and a visit among the homes, came up to me and said in broken English, "Tell your Mem Sahib our best salaams." The woman who is the ma- tron of the women's and girls' homes, said after she saw your pictures "Sahib, I think you have a very beautiful family. You must give them my salaams." So you see the folks out here know who you are and are thinking about you. I wonder if I have told you how these people do with their cooks and waiters when they visit one another. When Mr. Grainger's or Mr. Mc- Dougall's family visits Alexander's for a meal, they take their cook and waiter along. They all help in the service. That's true of government officials also. Very handy. Bus. We are off. Dad. Damoh, December 22. Dearest Everybody: Half way in to Damoh is a Dak Bungalow. David sent word ahead for the khansama to have breakfast ready at eleven. When we arrived, the old fellow came out, salaamed, and gave us a room where we shaved and got ready to eat. He had rice and curry and other good things. While we were eating, he came round and put a garland of flowers around our necks. We gave him an extra anna for a tip. [86] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES Mrs. Rice ordered us to furnish the turkey for Christmas dinner, so this evening at four David and I took our shot guns and got on bicycles and rode out to a small river eight miles away where there are pea fowl. I saw a large cock with his long tail feathers fly across the river. As I was stealing along, a big fat hen flew up in a tree to the side, and a big cock flew in another. I could see the hen well, and I thought that a hen in the hand was worth two roosters in the tree tops, so I let drive, and down came old lady hen. She is a great big fat one, as large as a turkey, and much better to eat than the rooster. We had a great time here yesterday, Sunday. I went with Mrs. Rice to a village two miles away, where she conducts a Sunday school. We walked, arriving a little after seven thirty. School was held under a tree in front of a little mud house. As we started off through the vil- lage, the whole crowd went along, and one little girl about the size of Violet was not dressed, except for her necklace, and bracelets. She carried her shirt and sari in her hand and dressed as she went. No one paid any attention to her. Eight of the Sunday schools in and around Damoh, came in to the central school at the church. There were 641 present. They had a good program, the different schools each giving one number. One bunch recited scripture verses; one big boy recited that verse in the story of the [87] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY birth of Christ where it says of the shepherds "the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid," and he ended up by saying "God Save the King." On many occasions out here they use that expression, and this chap thought it would be appropriate here. It surely was laughable. I was over at Dr. McGavran's hospital at seven thirty. Big crowd, fifty-six up to eleven o'clock, all kinds of people, and all kinds of diseases. One woman came fifteen miles and her son and three other men came along, relatives perhaps. Doctor told her nothing would cure her but an operation. The men did not want an operation so the whole crowd pulled out. Another woman came, bare foot, who had been in the hospital two years. She was almost dead, but they pulled her through, and she was just finish- ing her treatments. When the Doctor told me about her and told her that I was a Secretary Sahib from America, she came up and showed me her feet and ankles that had been cured, then she pulled her sari up over her bare knees and showed me where her knees had been cured. She almost worships Doctor McGavran. I can't tell you of all the cases, but nearly every one has a history. In the afternoon at two, I went with Miss Franklin to the girls' school. She has sixty high caste girls. There are five grades up to govern- ment requirements. They gave a good Christ- mas program, and they were all dressed up in [88] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES their best jewelry, which is going some out here. I called four of them out and took their pictures ; also took an inventory of their jewelry, with the aid of Miss Franklin, and the old lady who is their servant, who comes to school with them, and returns with them. Here are some items about one girl: Her name is Sunder. Age 12 years. Engaged, and to be married soon. Father a big merchant. Right arm five bracelets. Left arm three. Two anklets, large, silver. One gold nose ring. One gold finger ring. Three neck rings and bracelets, one of them gold. Three head bands, beads of gold over head. Three head ornaments, pearl, in front and on top. Four ear rings, right ear. Six ear rings, left ear. Total : thirty-one pieces of jewelry. Value about 700 rupees. About $325.00. How is that for a girl the age of Lenore? The others were just as bad. One had on four- teen bracelets, some of them solid silver. [89] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY December 26. Dearest Girls: We are about ready to start for camp and I must tell you about yesterday, Christmas. We had hung up our stockings and when we opened them there were lots of funny things in them. A pair of Ray's old gloves in mine, and his whistle, and some of my film rolls. Also the en- closed letter and handkerchief holder from Miss Franklin, also the little thing from Florence Alexander, and a set of beads from Dr. McGarvan which have a history and which I'll bring with me'. At two o'clock in the morning about twenty of the Damoh boys started out over town singing Christmas songs. They got to my room about five and their songs surely were fine. At night we had our big dinner and the pea fowl was the center of attraction. In the afternoon, an old snake charmer came round with a big cobra about five and a half feet long. He blew an old bamboo horn. He took the snake out and it crawled all over the place. On Tuesday night, the boys had their Christ- mas tree and program. They acted out the Bible story of the shepherds at the manger. When the star appeared a boy on the out- side stuck a beautiful fireworks star in the win- dow, and it dazzled up brilliantly for about a minute. Each boy got a little round black topi with a knife tied in it. Yesterday one boy was wearing [90] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES his topi around, still tied up in the paper so he wouldn't get it dirty. We had ripe tomatoes for supper last night from the Damoh farm. Also nice big oranges. December 28. In camp 25 miles from Damoh. My Dearest Girls: I have wished fifty times today that you were here with me. Fay Livengood and his wife, Ray and Merle Rice and I are the only white people here. We are camping near a nice river with sandy banks and clear water. Just back of my tent is a great hill, about four hundred feet high. My tent is under a banyan tree, as is also that of Ray's. Down at the right of our tents are the tents of the helpers; they also are under a big, beautiful banyan tree. We arrived here yesterday about three, and the boys at once began making their little huts. They gathered the branches, the green leaves and the grass. By night, every one of them had a neat little hut, that he had made with his own hands and that he would sooner sleep in than a tent. I went on a tour last night to see them. They were all pleased to see the Secretary Sahib take an interest in their houses. Each boy has a rug and two blankets. He also has his own plate, eats with his fingers, washes his own plate, so you see the bother of a camp for these fellows is small. [91] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY Across from our camping place is a range of large hills, and on top of them are a great many temples. Fay and I climbed up there yesterday. This noon we climbed to the top of the big hill, back of our camp. It is steep and very rocky, but I had a staff, and after awhile we reached the top. There were the ruins of an old temple, and an old suttee pyre. Down in an old basement of ruins, we saw a big rabbit under some grass. Prom the top of the hill we can see for at least twenty-five miles in every direction. The river winds in and out among the green wheat fields like a ribbon of blue. Great stretches of trees and jungle can be seen to the rear of our camp. It is there we are going tomorrow morning to get some game, or at least try. We have permission from the govern- ment to shoot three sambar. We will start at the break of day. Now to go back in the story a little. We started Friday. There were fourteen ox carts which brought our stuff out. Tents, rolls of blankets, bedding, grain for the boys, chiefly rice and wheat. We have about a half ton of rice for the boys. The boys walked. If any of them got too tired, they rode on the carts. We went fifteen miles the first day, and pitched camp in a grove of big trees. Ray had sent a man ahead to secure milk, wood and hay, and some extra big logs for a bonfire. I got two deer the first day and Fay got a wild cat. We sent one of the deer back to the [92] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES sixty little boys in the orphanage who could not come. It will make them two good meals. The second day I got a third deer. I shot it at a long distance and broke its hind leg. Fay and the boys saw it limp and chased after it. It was a sight to behold those boys, about fifteen of them, and Fay chasing that deer. The boys simply yelled, for they knew with two deer we would have enough for the whole camp. When they caught up with it, it dodged back and forth and finally Fay jumped on its back. When we got it killed and strung up on a pole, eight or ten of the boys carried it to the road and put it in an oxcart. When we got into camp, and all the boys heard that another deer had been shot, you should have heard the yell they sent up. They skinned them, cut them up into small pieces and cooked them in the big brass cooking kettles, with the rice. It made a rice-deer curry. We took our plates and sat on the ground with them, and ate out of the same big kettle. It was really good food, and I enjoyed every bite of it. We had church service this morning. Fay preached, then we had communion. The boys all sat on the ground through the entire service. They were very respectful and attentive. Jhansi, January 7. Dearest Girls: I am out of the jungle again, and at my regu- lar work. On the last day a rich man sent his [93] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY elephant over, and we went out hunting on the elephant. Four of us rode on him, and we had a great time. When he came in to camp, the driver who sat upon his neck, had him get down on his knees. When we all got on, he slowly and care- fully got up. When we came to a bad place in the road, we thought he would surely tip over but he went across as smoothly as if he were flying. Well, we got up on top of the hill again, and the men down in the valley honked the jungle for us. Soon we heard some noise in the bushes and a mother sambar and her baby came out within twenty-five or thirty feet of me. She stopped for a half minute and looked around. I could have easily taken her picture, if I had had my camera, but the boy who was carrying it for me was ten feet away, and if he had moved, she would have run away. Soon two mongooses ran out, and a little later two big pea cocks, one right close to me, but I did not shoot as I was hoping for a male sambar, but none came. As we went down the hill, a great big fellow jumped up and stood for a moment behind some bushes. Ray got a fine shot at him and down he came on the first shot. He was a monster big fellow, with horns at least three feet long. The shout that went up in the jungle could have been heard for miles. Ray skinned him, and cut him up, and it took sixteen boys to carry the meat into camp, about four miles away. The [94] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES boys will have meat for several days and they are very happy. We had a great camp fire that night. Told stories and had a program. It was announced that Mrs. Bert Wilson and family had arrived in camp while we were in the jungle, and they would be introduced. Soon in came a tall boy, dressed up in Livengood's suit, and another boy whom Alice and Merle had dressed up in their clothes to represent Mamma. Other boys of various ages had middies, and dresses on, and the one representing Eunice, the "father" carried in his arms. It was killing to see those brown faced boys act like you girls were supposed to act. Then they had two boys make a speech, one in English and the other interpreted it in Hindi. It was great to see them go at it. They called on me to make a speech in Hindi. Will you believe it, if I tell you that I did? I can't explain what I said here, but by using some words that I knew and making signs, I told them of our hunt; that away up in the hills at three o'clock when we had no water and food in our stomachs I was very hungry. Then Ray called upon an old hunter-guide of the village, who had come up to sit by the fire, to make a speech to the boys. He said he could not express himself. But Ray told him to stroke his whiskers and scratch his head, and get up and tell them about that big hill back of the camp. The old man got up. He said that once there were two Rajahs who got into a big war [95] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY over who should have control of the hill, and several men were killed. As he was about to go on, Ray stopped him and told him to wait until he interpreted that. He started out by saying that the "buri Sahib," which was a term of very great honor for the old hunter, had said that once two tur- keys got into a great fight, and all the men in the neighborhood stood around and watched the fight. Finally he said one turkey kicked the other in the eye, and "busted it all to pieces," and the men picked up the pieces and made this great hill. Those hundred and fifty boys fairly split their sides laughing at that interpretation, and so did I. It was a great night. When I bade them good night, they gave three times three cheers for me. We left early the next morning, to look at the great group of temples on those hills, and then to eat New Year's dinner at the native police commissioner's house in the village three miles away. Pay and I went down to the river, took off our shoes and walked across, and later Merle, Ray, and Alice came over on the elephant. We had a regular Indian dinner, curry and rice, and we ate with our fingers. Then Fay and I rode in the twenty-five miles on the bicycles, and as you can imagine, I was ready for supper when we got into Mr. Benlehr's. But Mrs. Ben- lehr has good sense, for she had a big kettle of hot water ready, and I dumped it into the big bath tub, and had a glorious swim. [96] T3 C 'u to OS C CO THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES Robert Benlehr had just come down from the hills from school, the same place where Janet Rioch will go. He told about killing a big bear *up there. He can tan hides. He has just shot a big gray monkey, and said he would finish its hide and let me take it home with me. I would not have the heart to kill one myself. I next went to Bina, where Tom Hill and wife, of the College of Missions, are located. Tom is the fellow who courted his wife through the key hole at the C. of M. when she had the German measels. I had a fine time there, and visited some of the homes with Misses Russell and Gar- ton. One old woman took a shine to me because I counted her bracelets, and brought out a lot more of her jewelry for me to see. She actually had a gold nose ring as large around as the bottom of a saucer. I got her to put it on, and I took her photo. So that's the end of my doings up to Jhansi, where Ernest Gordon, and wife, Ada McNeill Gordon, are at work. He has a school of 240 boys, and I was there all forenoon today. I visited all the classes, heard them in their Eng- lish, their geometry, their geography, etc. The class in physiology was trying to recite in English, and they had to use very simple sentences to express themselves. The teacher would say "where is your heart?" and the boy would reply "here is my heart" pointing to it. I asked permission to ask questions, and after several I asked one chap, [971 DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY pointing to my nose "what is this?" He said "that is your nose." I said "is it a long nose or a short nose?" He replied without a moment's hesitation "It is a very long nose, sir." Gordon and I played tennis tonight. He says that he had not intended to tell me he played tennis, as he supposed that a Secretary was too dignified to play games. When he took me to the native preacher's home this forenoon, I saw a checker board on the table, and told the preacher to get out his checkers, and we had a game then and there. His wife came in and looked on, and a door full of curious people peered in to see what the American Sahib was doing. I beat the preacher, so he has full respect for my position as Secretary. When you get this it will be the middle of February, and that will be only two months until I will be starting home. I am going to try and come home by way of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, and stop off for a week and run over to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and if possi- ble, up to the Sea of Galilee. There is a railroad now that goes from Port Said on the Suez Canal to Jerusalem in one night. Pendra Road, January 13. My Dearest Miss Sahibs: Now that you have made your appearance at the Damoh camp, I can give you the Indian des- ignation. On my way down here I had to stop at Katni, the junction point, from about five [98] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES in the morning, till four in the afternoon. I went up to the Dak Bungalow. When I routed out the old long whiskered khansamma, he began to say that the place was full. But I told him I was the same Secretary Sahib from America that stayed with him before. He peered at me through the darkness, told the coolies it was Secretary Sahib, and to bring my stuff right into the din- ing room. He fixed up a bed for me, I unrolled my hold- all, and was soon "in the hay" "sawing wood." I had had to change trains at midnight, so you can guess I was sleepy. He closed the doors, and when I dozed off it was beginning to get light. When I awoke and looked at my watch it was ten thirty. He got breakfast for me, and I got out my typewriter, established my office and went to work. I reached Pendra Road about eleven at night. Mr. Madsen and three of the evangelists met me at the depot in their oxcart. Madsen's twelve year old daughter was along. Her name is Neilsine, she is red headed, about the size of Lenore, and just as wide awake. The evangelists lighted Japanese lanterns, one went ahead of the oxen, and two followed behind the cart. It was quite a procession in the dark. When we got up to the mission bungalow, we found Mrs. Bessie Farrar Madsen still up, a fire in the fire place, with some steaming hot cocoa already made, and some good bread and butter. [99] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY When I had finished my cocoa, Mrs. Madsen said there was mail for me. It was your letters of November 23. I read all of your letters near midnight. Roma, the reason you got a U. S. stamp on that letter, is that it was mailed in Shanghai. Shanghai has been internationalized ; that is, the port part of it has, and there is an English post office, where English mail is sent with their own stamps, and an Uncle Sam post office where our stamps can be bought and letters mailed, and also a Chinese office. I am not sure if there are others. You asked about sea gulls. Some sea gulls are white and some brown. Sea gulls are like people, they vary in colors, I suppose to add var- iety to the color scheme. Madsens have three daughters. The oldest was eighteen yesterday. They put a wreath of rose petals around her plate, and gave her several presents. She is red headed also. The other is fifteen. I played three games of chess with her last night. She won two of them. They are a fine bunch of girls, and are the only white children here. The next nearest white children are at Bilaspur, 64 miles away. So you see that Pendra Road is a real jungly place. It is real jungle in every sense of the word. For it was two miles from here where Mr. Cunningham shot his big tiger. There are pan- thers or leopards all around here. Only today, up at Dr. Mary Longdon's tuberculosis sanitar- [100] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES' ium, where I am sitting out on the porch while I write this letter, I saw two big jackals trot across the front yard. They were not more than a half block away. Dr. Longdon was severely bitten by a pan- ther in October. She heard a noise in her chicken coop just in the rear of her bungalow. She went out about four in the morning to see what the trouble was, and the panther attacked her, threw her on the ground, bit her arm at the elbow, scratched her chest and back with its great claws, and stood over her with its paw on her back for a half minute or more, while she screamed for help. She was all alone, but when the servants came he ran away. She was very ill, and had to go to the Damoh hospital for Dr. McGavran's treatment. She can only use her left arm and hand a very little. Well, two weeks ago the same old leopard, evidently, killed a small buffalo. The District Commissioner sat up over the kill for two nights, but the pan- ther did not return to finish his feast. The night I arrived they told me that they had heard him again before they started to the train. He has a sort of "woof" call that the natives all recognize. What was our surprise the next morning to hear that in a small village of only a few houses near Madsens' bungalow he had killed a bul- lock. It was not more than fifty feet from the little native house where the owner of the bullock lived. There was a big tree near by and I wanted to sit up that night to get a shot [101] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY at him, but there was no moon. They said if we tied a lantern so it would shine on the bullock, the panther would not come. But it does seem a shame to have to go away tonight, without getting a shot at the impudent robber. Last night at Madsens we had a guest for dinner. He was a real English lord. A titled lord, alive, sitting right across the table from me, laughing and joking, and conversing like the rest of us ordinary mortals. And just think, his table manners were no better than mine! He is out here in the government forest service, finding out which trees in the government forests have qualities for varnish and shellac. He has killed several tigers and panthers in his journeys, and had some very interesting stories to tell. He did not suggest that he might have King George make me a lord or a duke so I may have to come home just a private citizen after all. He was a comparatively young man, spent the years of the war in the service in Mesopotamia, and told us many things of interest about the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and the ruins of ancient Babylon. There is a very interesting thing here at Pendra Road. Madsens have developed a real Christian village. That is a rare thing in India. There is so much paganism in all these villages that it was surely refreshing to see one where no one is allowed to build a house who is not a Christian. They took me around the village. I went into the houses, and saw their little stoves [102] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES on the floor, their cooking pots, their grain grinders, two big stones you will remember, and the women showed me their babies. I held two or three of them in my arms, and withal I had a big time. They have a "palaver" house, or what they call here a "panchaiat" house. It is a place where the men of the village meet to decide on any and all questions. Last night they had such a meeting, and I was invited. They had some music, two instruments that correspond to a violin, and a bamboo flute about four feet long. After the music, a man made a speech to me in behalf of the village. Madsen interpreted for him. He said that they were all glad to see me, and that they thanked me for coming all the way to Pendra Road to see them, and for taking an interest in their homes, their church, their children, and their school. Also for bringing to them the salaams of the American Christians. To take back with me to America their salaams to my family — my Mem Sahib — and to all the churches there. Then they had prayer. The men have a prayer service here every night of the week. This morning I went with Mrs. Madsen to the women's meeting in the same place. They have a short Bible reading, song and prayer ser- vice every morning. Twenty-one women were there, and three of them prayed, and all could read from the Bible but two. Here at Dr. Longdon's bungalow, a mile or more from the other, is the tuberculosis sani- [103] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY tarium. It is the only one of its kind in all the central provinces. They give the patients plenty of good milk, eggs, and fresh air. Last year they dismissed twenty-five as having the disease per- manently arrested. The missions are surely bringing in life, and light, and hope, to these poor people of India. Miss Andrus is the nurse, and these two live up here alone. They had duck for breakfast, and it was good. I stayed for tea. Miss Andrus today received a five pound box of candy from America, and they were very happy over it. So was I. Still happier when I had devoured four big fat chocolates. India is a wonderful country, and I am see- ing new things every day. The trees, how won- derful they are. And the rocks, and rivers, and lakes are as natural as if they had just been turned out of nature's big shop. And the people, how full of interest every one of them is. The boys and girls are so full of inquisitiveness and curiosity, that I want to stay at every station I visit. There are ten different jobs I would like to do out here. Bilaspur, January 20. My Girlies: I have been here a week. Have been out in the country in three directions, north seventeen miles, south twenty miles, west today eight miles with Miss Kingsbury. You may not know it but Mary Kingsbury came to India on the same boat [104] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES with G. L. Wharton, and she has been a mis- sionary here for thirty-seven years. She is now sixty-three. I had breakfast at her home this morning. She knows all the missionaries from the beginning, and has seen all our stations established. They have had a big fair here, the first in the history of the Bilaspur District. Mr. Moody got first prize on tomatoes, celery, and lettuce. Dr. Jennie Crozier got first on her milk buffalo, and on her fern. The Girls' School got first on its nice map of India. The Commissioner — English — was here. He corresponds to the Governor. I had tea with him. He was very friendly. The D. C. which, being interpreted, means District Commissioner was in charge of the fair. He is likewise English, and I sat with him at the wrest- ling match of Indian wrestlers. He said he had to go after the first match. There were seven altogether. He was a good sport, and I kept asking him about the matches, guessing against him as to who would win, and he stayed for four of them. There were some Indian dances, folk dances, I guess they would be called. There was a band of two or three pieces, and about twenty dancers. They were all men and they danced quite gracefully. Each kept the time with his feet and hands, and all of course danced separately. No woman in India dances, except women with immoral characters. It is absolutely against the social custom here! I played tennis one night. I played doubles [105] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY and won, and then an English official took me on for singles, and walloped the life out of me. Thus America bowed her head before English superi- ority. We start for camp in the morning to be gone three days. It is out in a section where evangelists are at work. I am to visit all their villages, hear them preach, see the Christians and try to encourage them. Our tent went ahead tonight in an oxcart. It will be set up and ready for us when we arrive. The other day out in a village we stopped to talk to some men. They salaamed sitting down, and Moody told them I was the big Sahib from America. Up jumped the chief man, salaamed to me three times, walked up close to me and looked me all over. I had on my khaki suit, my big colored glasses I wear to keep the dirt out of my eyes from the motor cycle wheels, and my big topi. After he looked me over for about a minute he said to Moody: "Yes, it's the truth, I see it is the big Sahib now." Moody laughed right in his face, and I did too after he interpreted to me what had been said. In one village two of the men had gone back into caste who were once Christians. Moody talked to them. Finally I asked him to let me take a whack at them. I showed them the lens of the camera. I told them that whatever a man was doing, good or bad, it took a picture of him, just as he was ; that God's eye was just like that, that [106] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES He saw them no matter what they did. That God would hold them responsible for all they did. They might deceive the Sahib, and deceive the evangelists, but they could never deceive God. Well, today one of them came in about twelve miles with two or three others with him, and said that they were ready to repent, and come back into the church. Tonight since I have been writing this letter a young fellow came up in the yard, broke, no friends, both parents dead, Hindus had refused to care for him, and told him to come to the Christians. He said he wanted to be a Christian, and would work at masonry, carpentry, or do coolie work if necessary. Moody called me out to see what was best to do. They are going to try him out for a week to discover if he is in earnest. Yesterday three women walked in here about nine miles and brought two girls about like Roma and Lenore, and wanted to put them in the girls' school. Neither could read or write, had never been to school a day in their lives. They stopped Miss Ennis and me on the street as we were going from one school to another. Things like these are happening every day out here. A man stopped me today, and wanted to know if I was Mr. Wilson from America. He wanted to have an interview with me about something. He has been educated in English, learned somehow who I am, and when I return next Saturday Moody is to send him word, and he will come to see me. Another man, a wealthy [107] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY fellow who owns several villages, wants me to help him see the sugar making process when he comes to America next year. Another chap, a teacher and lawyer, who is now in the hospital, sent word that he wanted to have a conference with me for two hours. So along with all the other things I am try- ing to do, interviews with these men, and many others, you can readily see that every hour of my time is taken. * * * * Somewhere in the country. January 22. Out from Bilaspur. My Own Girls: I wrote you yesterday that your letters did not arrive. We came out here to visit the vil- lages, starting early. When we planned this trip we were to come in the motorcycle, but it broke down, so we rode on one horse — a white fine fellow named Ajax, belonging to Dr. Jennie Crozier — and on Moody's bicycle. We took turns on the horse and the wheel. When we arrived at camp the men had the tent up, with everything in good shape. We visited several villages today. Tonight when we got in we discovered mail. Mrs. Moody knew I wanted letters from you. It arrived an hour after we left. When she saw one marked Norwood, she sent a man who walked the seventeen miles. He also brought some magazines. [108] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES January 26. Things have happened so fast and my time was so full that I could not write any more in the country. We went into one village where there are Christians, had a meeting on the veranda of the evangelist's house. About a hundred people came, among them the Malgazar — the owner of the village. They asked me all about America, my family, if my girls were all married. Moody and the men preached to them, and we stayed for over an hour. One of the men sat down at Moody's feet, and began to massage his legs, as he knew we had traveled a long distance that day. Then he came over and massaged mine. He said he was very happy to do this for us. The Indian people are expert in that. This man, with some other men, over thirty years ago took a vow that they would kill Mr. Adams who was camping out here. They were to go up that night, when he was asleep. This man seemed to hear something say to him that they should not do it, so he informed the crowd that he would not help. He slept all night in front of the tent to see that no harm came to Adams. Later Adams taught him, bap- tized him, and he is still faithful to the church, although he has never had any chance of educa- tion. He is now too old to learn. He brought us a big bowl of fresh buffalo milk to drink. It was rich and sweet. One of the evangelists is a great honey hunter. The other night he climbed a big tree [109] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY while the bees were asleep, brushed them off with a bamboo broom, and got about three quarts of honey. He sent us a quart, and it was great. We went into many villages, had meet- ings at 8:45, 11:00, 3:00 and sometimes at sun- down. In one village they took up a Thanks- giving offering. While the meeting was going on two men went away, but soon came back carrying two baskets of rice on their heads. One morning about eleven-thirty we were going over to our tent for breakfast, when some men came out of a small village and said there was a wild boar in a nearby field. We went that way, I was walking with the rifle, and Moody was riding Ajax. Soon we heard a yell, and out came a big savage looking wild boar, his bristles sticking straight up. Moody yelled at me to fol- low and he would try and turn him with the horse so I could get a shot. Away he went at breakneck speed. The old boar saw him, turned away from me, but Moody got him half turned. I was running in their direction over the rough ground as fast as I could. Finally they ran back past the vil- lage, and half the village had turned out to see the chase. When he came into a nearby field there was an old woman upon a bed which she kept there to sleep on at night while she was guard- ing her field. When she saw the boar coming, in- stead of staying on her bed where she was safe, she jumped down and began to cry. The boar [110] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES charged her, and knocked her over, but did not hurt her. Moody was on the spot in an instant with Ajax, so the boar turned and charged them in- stead of stopping to hurt the woman. Finally they went over a hill and I lost sight of them but was still running with my tongue almost hang- ing out. As I came to a big tree there were a half dozen boys in it watching the chase from a place of safety. They pointed over the hill, and told me to hurry and I would get a shot. That gave me new wind and courage, so away I sprinted again. As I was going through a field, back came Moody on the horse lickety split, and yelled "Give me the gun, quick." He had the old fellow about run down, so he told a man in the field to watch him, while he hurried back after the gun. I followed on, but the old scamp had not kept an eye on the pig, so we had to search for him. We searched everywhere, in all the fields, bushes etc., but got no more trace of him. We were both sick over it, but we had a great chase just the same. When we started back to Bilaspur, we got into the last village about sundown where we were to camp. We called on the Malgazar. We found him out in the street, a big crowd around him, with a phonograph, all the pieces in Hindi. It was not working well, so Moody — who is a fixer of things — fixed it so it worked. Then we got to talking to them. One old man said the [111] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY earth was flat. I took my hat and explained how I had started west, was now in India, and would keep on going west and get back home again. You see, I was right there, and it was all so plain that he threw up his hands and said, "You white folks know everything." We asked the Malgazar to let us put our beds on the veranda of the school house, to save pitching our tent. He gave us permission. We went down soon after dark, but the cart had not yet arrived. We waited and waited, finally a man came across the fields with a lantern, and said the cart wheel had broken down two miles out. So we walked back two miles, helped the men un- load the tent, put it up, got our supper about nine o'clock, and camped there in the country for the night. It was a great night, nothing to bother us, but the noise of the jackals. The next morning the cook had breakfast ready at sun up — we ate and started to Bilaspur. Now sisters, listen to my story. When about five miles from Bilaspur we stopped at a village where we have a school. The master said that over in the field a short distance was a talau — (lake,) and a crocodile lived there, and that he lay out every day in the sun to sleep. We went across and peeked over the bank. There he lay on a little island about as big as the top of our dining room table. We backed down and went around to the nearest spot. I was a little nervous, so I stood by a tree and took perfect aim. Bang! He curved up in a quarter [112] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES moon and fell off in the water. Moody swam out to the little island, took a long bamboo pole, tied a hook on it, fished the bottom of the lake, and finally he pulled the old fellow to the top. He tied a rope around the top jaw, and swam back to shore towing the crocodile after him. When we examined him we found the shot had gone absolutely perfect. It almost has to, for a crocodile, as there are not more than two or three inches of space to shoot him. Moody skinned him, and I have sent the hide to a tannery. Bandakpur, January 26. My Dearest Star: It is not yet sunup. I am sitting out in front of my tent, about twelve miles from Damoh, where I arrived yesterday, to attend a big Hindu mela, or religious festival. Whom do you think I am camping with? Mr. and Mrs. Rioch and Janet. They are in camp here with their evange- lists, preaching to the crowds of people who have come to pay their respects to some of their numerous gods. There is a great crowd here. Some came in ox carts, on foot, on the train. It is just a small town, no hotels, no place for the people to stay except on the ground. I guess they prefer no other, for they arrive, unroll their cooking pots, and grain, get together a few pieces of wood or "buffalo chips" and begin cooking their meal. When night comes they roll up in their blankets, and go to sleep. I got up early and [113] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY went down through the camp, and saw them lying on the ground like cats and dogs, among their cattle and goats, and wagons. Little child- ren, boys and girls curled up right out in the open, not even under a tree. Why did they not go under a tree? Well, most of the near by trees are occupied by earlier arrivals. It would be too much trouble to go out a block or two to other trees. I suppose ten thousand people slept on the ground that way last night. I heard them singing their monotonous songs far into the night. Early this morning I heard them singing as they went up the slope of the hill past our tent to the little lake about two blocks square. I dressed and went with my lan- tern to the lake to see what was going on. There must have been a thousand people there, and it was just getting light. They were bathing, and getting water for their morning meal. I asked one of them if it was "penicke pani" — drinking water, and he said "jee" (yes). Imagine a lake of that size, with water about like that in the Ohio, and no outlet, no rain since I have been here, and perhaps five thousand bathed in it yesterday, another thousand already this morning, and then having Lenore go up, and get a nice pitcher full for lemonade! But this, you see, is India! There is a holy man down in the bazaar, sitting on a bed of spikes. I saw him there last night about sundown. He had powdered his face with white wood ashes. His hair had been dyed. [114] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES I went down just before sunup to see if lie was still there, and found him already up, but sitting on the ground by his little fire. When I was going over I passed Rioch's tent, and found Janet still in bed. Her cot was out under the front awning of her tent, and her head was sticking out from under the covers. I told her to get up. Dear Star: I did get up, pretty quickly too, and shortly after we went up on the talau (lake) bank to watch the people bathing. It was very cold, at least for India, and it made me shiver to watch them go down into the water and come up dripping wet with a vessel full and pour it over their poor little stone gods. After '"chota-hazri," (little break- fast,) I went out for a ride on Dr. McGavran's horse. The roads were inches deep in dust and I met numbers of "bail-garries," (bullock-carts,) all going to Bandakpur. We went into the bazaar later and on the way we saw two women measuring themselves on the ground, one after the other, toward the temple. Your father had them stop and got a good picture of them lying flat on their faces. There are rows and rows of little shops in the bazaar. Some have dozens of glass bracelets for sale, others have charms to wear around the neck, and they do have wonder- ful charms! If you wear one you won't become faint or upset, if you wear another the evil eye won't fall on you. If it does, the charm, a large seed, cracks, but you can mend it again if you drop it in milk. One wonders how much these people really do believe and how much they think they do. Janet Rioch. Well, as I was saying, when I arrived here, there was a button off my vest, so I had Janet sew it on, and when she returned it, she said, "Here is your waistcoat." Then I found that a button was off one of my soft collars — I wear them all the time — so I had her sew that on too. [115] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY She may be a very valuable and useful person yet if she keeps on. There are perhaps 20,000 people here, but not an automobile, nor a four wheeled wagon nor buggy. There are hundreds of oxcarts. While up in the crowd I interviewed two men who had been nine days in coming here. They had carried holy water from a certain river all the way, walking. They poured it on the gods this morning. They got some water from the sacred well here, and will carry it all the way back. Another crowd of about twenty-five came three days in oxcarts. They are camping with- in half a block of our tent. "Your father says that I am to leave a line or two for him to say Amen. So I have all the rest of the room. It was ever so good of you to write a letter to me so that I would get it when I got here. I got it when we arrived in Hatta on the 11th of January. That was certainly a great day for us. I know you must be looking forward to seeing your father again. You must miss him dread- fully. Give my love to your mother and the girls and keep lots for yourself." Lovingly, Janet. Amen, Star: Your letter to me in appreciation of mine did me a lot of good. It was so kind and thought- ful of you to write that kind of a letter. Your whole letter was great. I love you bahut — big. Dad. [H6] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES Mungeli, February 2. Dearest Girls: I had two very interesting experiences on my way back to Bilaspur. When I arrived at Katni, the junction point, I only had fifteen min- utes to change. I went in the dining room of the depot and asked them to sell me a lunch. They told me to get on the train and they would send it over. Soon along came a chap with a big pile of something as tall as a bushel basket, all tied up in nice white cloth. He put it under my seat, told me he would have to ride third class. I was riding second class. That fellow went down the line until six. When the train stopped he came in my compartment, opened up the food, served! me soup, about four other courses, and rode to the next station while I ate, serving me on the way. He then got off and caught the next train back. And all for the regular price of the meal at the station! How's that for India! ! Here's the reverse of it. I was due in Bila- spur at 1:30 A. M. The train stays there the re- mainder of the night. We arrived at two. Moody was not there, so I concluded that it was planned for me to sleep in my compartment till morning, so I lay down and went to sleep again, with my nice big Norwood rug over me. At five o'clock someone stuck a lantern in the door, and said: "Sahib, Sahib, it's Sidney." Sidney, one of the evangelists was there with a tonga after me, as Moody's motorcycle was out of commission. I went to the bungalow and got to bed for the third [117] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY time, at half past five. They had told the watch- man to call the syce and evangelist at midnight, so they would be sure to meet me. But he over- slept, called the syce in a hurry, forgot the evan- gelist, came to the depot about three, did not see me, went back again, called the evangelist, and got back at the said hour of five. How's that! ! Here is another. Moody started out here to Mungeli with me last night about seven, on his motor cycle, thirty-two miles. We had wired them we would arrive about nine or ten. The machine went well until we were within six miles of Mungeli, and then it stopped. We had no lamp, nor matches, so when a buffalo cart came along, we got some matches from the man, also some oil for a torch, and we fooled with that bloomin' car until 11: 30 and it still would not go. A man said he would push the car into town, and we rolled up our trousers to keep them out of the dust, and started in on foot. The moon was almost directly over head, in fact a little north of us so that our shadows fell slightly on the south side. We met a policeman on the way, who guards six miles of road at night. He told us that Mr. Saum and some of the Indians were about two miles out of town waiting to give us a welcome. We walked on, and on, and on, every mile seemed to be made of India rubber. We finally reached the bungalow at one o'clock. Saum had stayed out till twelve and had given us up. He said he spent the last hour try- ing to explain to his men about ice and snow, [118] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES and how we can cross a river on ice with a team. They have never seen ice nor snow here, and can hardly understand it at all. It has not rained since the first week I was here, the wind has not blown enough to run a windmill in all that time. It is good that the wind does not blow as it would be awful with all this dust and no rain. I am to be at Mungeli for nearly two weeks, and then comes the convention. This is the last station. When I see this I will be clear round the circle. I will have been full three months at it, and I think I have seen most everything that has been going on. I know the missionaries, the evangelists, the teachers, the Bible women, the cooks, the syces, the sweepers, the personal his- tory of every cat, dog, horse, buffalo, ox, and cow in the whole mission. I also know several crocodiles on sight that I have been unable to get a shot at. One fel- low about as tall as Lenore, stays in a little lake four miles west of Bilaspur. It happens that I have passed there several times and I have seen him every time, but he is a shy and wily boy. His hide would make fine handbags. Then there is "old Stubby" who lay out in the sun on the edge of the bank sound asleep until I had taken off my shoes and walked up a block and a half in my socks so as not to disturb him. I got right close, peeked around a great tree, finally saw where his eye was, cocked my gun, slipped it around the tree craftily, without a bit of noise, [119] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY slipped my head around still more carefully, and just as I was beginning to get aim, he splashed off into the water. He has a stubby tail. Then there is old "Wideawake" who lies out with one eye open. On Saturday as we were coming in, I went over there again and finally saw him on the shallow side of the lake, out in the grass where the water is about six inches deep. The only way I could get close to him was to wade out. There was an old horse eating out there so I pulled off my shoes and socks, pulled my trousers up to my knees, and started for him with the horse directly between us. I went down in mud and water half knee deep, but kept on, and when I was two thirds of the way the fool horse ran off and woke him up.***** This is evening of February 2d. I have been around all day with Miss Stella Franklin, sister of Josepha. She is in charge of the schools here. When I arrived at the school, I found a big "Welcome" sign over the gate. Little bamboo poles stuck up about every ten feet from the gate to the building. On them were little pennants of tissue paper. They were put up in my honor. I examined the school, the five classes, heard them sing and recite some Bible stories. Later. ***** As I was writing I was called out in the front yard at the request of the Indians. It was dark, and I saw a big crowd with torches and banners. All along the front part of the lawn little lights [120] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES were burning, and on the fence between our bungalow and the church were also lights. They are made of earthern cups, burned like brick. These cups are about an inch deep and about as large around as a tea cup. In these cups they put a raw Indian oil and a short wick, and light it. At a distance they look much like small electric lights. So all these lights were going in honor of my presence, about one hundred and fifty of them. When all was ready, the crowd started down the walk singing "On- ward Christian Soldiers" in Hindi. When they came up in front of the porch they stopped and sang several other songs. It was an interesting crowd. All the school boys and girls, the native Christians, the evangelists, the hospital assistants, etc. One of the men had a baby on his head, another baby was astride his mother's shoulder, holding on to her head, another was astride its little sister's hip, the typical Indian way. Then Hira Lai, the chief assistant at the hospital, who is the leading Christian in the Mungeli work, made an address of welcome to me in Hindi, and Mr. Saum interpreted to me. It made me feel good to have such a wel- come. This town is away out in the country so far that not many travelers venture out here, so it is a big occasion to them to have any one of "prominence" come to see them. This is Tuesday morning after chota-hazri. Last night in the middle of the night I heard a [121] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY dog barking. It was the dog of this house, Kalu by name. Mr. Saum has a rule that Kalu shall not bark by night. I soon heard him after the dog, and an unearthly yell broke in upon my ear, and ascended to heaven. He was giving the dog a few lessons in dog etiquette and pressing the lesson home with a bamboo stick. Kalu's mother's name was Trixie. She was owned by Mr. Sherman, a missionary who is now in America. When little Kalu arrived she was given to Hazel Cunningham. When the Cun- ninghams went to America, little Elizabeth Moody inherited Kalu. Kalu was a rather in- corrigible dog, so Mr. Moody became im- patient of ever having her take on a Christian education, and threatened to shoot her. Mrs. Moody therefore, being tender hearted, gave her to Edith Saum who is eleven, and Kalu made the long trip to Mungeli. Kalu is a black and white and reddish brown dog. Her tail from the dog part, and half way to the end is coal black, and the last half is white. Her dogly bosom and up to half way on both sides is white, and then on top there are streaks of black intermittently, like the stripes on a tiger. Her nose is white on the end, and part way back the reddish brown begins and runs off around her eyes, and ears and the top of her head. Some dog! But her bark I cannot describe. Tomorrow I am to take to the woods. There are villages in every direction where there are Christians and we are to visit them all in the [122] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES next two weeks. The roads are not good out here, so most of the trips will be on horseback. Dr. Crozier said if I wanted Ajax she would send him out. I sent word by Moody to have him sent on Thursday, so I will have a decent horse to ride anyway. The Indian gentlemen of Mungeli have just sent over a letter inviting Mr. Saum and me to play tennis at their club at five this afternoon. The advanced Indian gentlemen are refined and cultured and as polite as any men to be found in America. One man Moody and I called on, on Sunday afternoon, has studied law for four years in England, and another has written several books. He has also figured out a plan for finding out any day of the week as far back as 1793. He explained the plan to us, and gave us each a copy of it. If you want to know on what day you were born, or Abraham Lincoln, follow those directions, and you can get it without fail. This man had us stay for tea, his son served us, and put the cream and sugar in his father's cup for him. The women folks did not appear. That would have been out of place. This man was at Bilaspur when Miss Kingsbury arrived and called on her and gave her greeting. He has been a constant friend of the mission ever since, although he has never become a Christian. [123] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY Bilaspur, February 12. Dearest Eight: I will have to put the last part of this letter first. It might well be entitled "How I Snared Mr. Widewake." I wrote you in my last letter about my crafty friend, Mr. Crocodile. When I started from Mungeli on Ajax, I began to plan my campaign on old Mr. Widewake. The two coolies had started early in the morning with my baggage, as that was the best way for me to get it back to Bilaspur. You will remember that I have been chasing old Widewake on five different occasions. Once he slipped off when he saw me, once he slipped off when he heard me, another time when I came out from behind the tree, he sensed me and away he went. I knew it was my last chance to get him. After a three hours' ride I reached the vil- lage. I took my gun, walked over to the lake, and peeped over the bank. Sure enough, there he lay on the north bank. They always lie on the north bank of a river or lake, where the warm sun can shine directly on them. They lie with their tails up on the bank and their heads right at the water's edge. In this way they can slip in in an instant. There old Widewake lay, true to form in every respect, with his long tail stretched up the side of the bank. I walked on tip toe around to the corner of the lake about one hundred yards below him. There I removed my shoes, and my coat. I then [124] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES went fifty yards out to get to the opposite tree be- yond him. While out there I cocked my gun, so that the noise would not waken him. As I walked along I took my fountain pen and pencil out of my left hand vest pocket, and put them in my right hand pocket, so they would not in any way interfere with my gun. As I approached the tree making no more noise than a cat would make slipping up on its prey, I wanted to cough and sneeze and scratch my back and my nose. But I kept right on. When I stuck my head up over the bank I did it so that I could see his tail only. In this way he could not see me for the tree, and I could guide my foot- steps by keeping an eye on his tail. At last I was behind the tree. I was a trifle excited. I stood by the tree in perfect silence while my nerves had time to calm down to normal. Prom my hiding place I could see about twenty boys sitting on the high bank at the end of the lake, about one hundred and fifty yards away, their necks craned, watching the proceed- ings. I knew then that these Indian boys would be greatly disappointed if I missed. I gave myself a little lecture. I told myself not to shoot in a hurry, not to make a noise as I got around where I could shoot, and not to flinch just as I pulled the trigger. Having gotten the acknowledgment of my own mind that I would not do any of these things, I was ready for the next step. You see up to this point every step of the way was exactly as I had anticipated. I very [125] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY carefully stepped around to the side of the tree. I poked the gun around the tree and tried to take aim. But the tree was so large that I could only- see the middle part of his body. So I had to back up, flatten myself against the tree with my back in, and my face out, and take thus two steps for- ward. It took some time to do that without any noise but finally I was far enough forward, with nothing sticking out except the tip of my nose. I again poked my gun very carefully around the corner of the tree, and took aim. It looked as if I had perfect aim, but I lifted the gun up to see if I was aiming too low, then down to see if I was too high, and I had it exactly on the right spot. The next step was to hold steady and pull the trigger. So I said, "Star will not get that grip if I jerk quickly, and pull off my aim. Moody will not approve if I miss after getting in such a good position. And furthermore the old croco- dile will laugh at me if he gets away for the sixth time." With all these thoughts in mind I said to myself that I believed I could shoot the eye out of a mosquito at forty yards. The time had come therefore to press the trigger. As gently as it could be done, yet firmly I kept the bead right on his neck and pulled. Bang! Thud! Old Mr. Wideawake threw his upper jaw wide open, bowed his back, flopped around with his head away from the water, his tail down in the lake. Having made this last final effort he gave up the ghost. By the time he was turned around, that crowd of men and boys was there, [126] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES jumping and pointing and keeping shy lest the old fellow should open his mouth in a farewell gasp. So ladies, your Dad has snared his second crocodile. He measured eight feet long, and Mr. Moody thinks his hide will make a grip all right. If it will, Star shall have it to take to college when she is ready. Now having given you a lesson in crocodile psychology I will go back to the earlier part of my past week. I visited the hospital and leper asylum. I made a speech to the lepers. They seemed very glad to see me. They got out their musical instruments when the meeting was over, and sang and played for me. One song was the singing of the Ten Commandments. They are nearly all Christians and have Sun- day school and communion every Sunday. One of the lepers has been a teacher and preacher. He acts as the head man in the leper church. Some of them had made the confession and one afternoon they took fifteen of them down to the river near by and they were baptized. They have a custom out here of cheering for Christ and the church. They say, "Victory to Jesus." When the baptising was done and the prayer over, all the lepers joined and gave a loud cheer, "Victory to Jesus." Eight boys from the boarding school also were baptized the same day. I took a long tour with Mr. Saum into the villages. One night we stayed in a church, where he had sent the coolies ahead with our bedding. [127] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY We rode over the fields and across the country about seventeen miles beyond Mungeli. Ajax certainly was a great blessing to me, as he is sure of foot, pretty, and gallops easily. One night we stayed in a school house. Early the next morning when I was ready to shave, a crowd of school children gathering for the early morning school wanted to see the show. I had my mirror hung in the door to get the light, and they sat down a short distance away to watch me. I had the cook bring me some warm water. Then I said to the kids, "Dekko, dekko." Which means, "See, see." I showed them the little piece of shaving cream that comes out. I let them see me rub it on until my face was all white, and you should have seen their faces and eyes. They watched me strop my razor and shave. Then they watched with wonder as I washed my face with soap, and dried it with a clean towel. I showed them my tooth brush, the paste as I squeezed it out, and how I brushed my teeth, and how white they were when I had finished. I never saw a crowd take in a lecture on cleanli- ness with more interest than they did. I took my mirror out in the sun and made the reflection jump on the side of the house, the ground, and on their faces. Also let them look at themselves. By the time I had finished there were twenty-five school children present, several men, and a half dozen women in the neighboring yards looking on. Let me try to make you understand a little [128] THREE MONTHS WITH THE MISSIONARIES as to how these children live. Begin at night when they go to bed. They do not put on any "nightie," as they have none. They lie down to sleep in the same clothes or lack of clothes that they wear during the day. Most of them do not have a bed, so they roll up in a blanket on the floor. They do not wash their feet when they go to bed, as the floor and the blankets are as dirty as they. It is a dirt floor. When they get up in the morning, they do not wash their faces, at least most of these had not. Nor had they combed their hair. Their mothers do not seem to care how they look. They go to school without any breakfast. I asked nineteen of them if they ate before coming to school, and only two had had any food. They get only two meals a day. There is no public library, no movie, no wide street, no green grass, no yards, no stores, in these small villages, noth- ing but mud houses, and narrow dirty streets. It is a good thing to have the women go to the fields to do much of their work. I should think they would go crazy in those little low houses. In most of the small villages there are no schools at all, so the boys and girls grow up with- out ever seeing a book, or learning anything that would elevate their minds and hearts. But you would be able to tell the difference with your eyes shut, between the Christians and the Hindus. It is manifest on every hand. Saum and I met a woman on the road, with a basket on her head. As soon as I looked into her face, I [129] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY said to Saum, "I'll bet five dollars that woman is a Christian." He told me that she is, and that she is the wife of a certain man three miles away, and that they are both faithful. There is a great job yet to be done in India. [130] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE Jungle Camp March 7. My Dearest Star, Roma, Lenore, Violet, Beth, Elaine, Arlene, and Eunice: You cannot imagine where I am sitting as I write this letter. Away out in the jungle ten miles from Damoh, on the banks of a little stream, with rocky bottom, and big overhanging trees almost touching each other. My tent is pitched under two big trees. Alexander said I ought to take a week off, while he gets ready to go with me to see other missions. So here I am, and I will try and give you the atmosphere of this wonderful spot, and of the surrounding country. Come, travel with me for a week in jungle land. First you must meet my jungle companions: Mr. Benlehr, missionary from Damoh. He has in charge the Damoh farm, and the workshop. He is said to be the craftiest hunter in the India Mis- sion. We all call him Ben for short. Mrs. Ben- lehr, Cora by name, is one of the homiest women we have in India. She is a good cook, good-natured, and does everything she can to make our trip happy and successful. She knows [133] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY birds, and animals, and loves to be out in the open. Robert Benlehr, about seventeen, a chip off the old block, tall and strong, a good hunter who loves the sport. Helen, eleven, a sweet little girl, bright and keen as a new rupee. That's the whole family, and they are in a big tent, about fifty yards from mine. We have a cook, water carrier, guard, and four boys from the orphanage — all big boys about eighteen — two yoke of oxen, Robert's horse, and two bicycles. Also the rifles, and shot guns. Robert and I got an early start on Thursday morning. We were on the road soon after sunup to get out here, and do some hunting before breakfast. The rest of the family came later, put up the tents, got breakfast about 11:30. Robert and I stopped at some great hills about two miles from camp, staked out his horse, and my bicycle, and took to the hills for big game, the sambar. I have already told you that the sambar is the king of that kind of game in India. When you talk of shooting deer, black buck, and chital out here, before you are through someone will say, "Have you gotten a sambar yet?" If you say "no," they put you down as one who has not yet had the greatest experience in jungle shooting. The sambar is much like a great reindeer, with long sprangly horns. He is a tall stately fellow, walks like a king, and has a fine coat of brown. The female has no horns, but she is a [134] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE beauty, nevertheless. The sambar goes to the valleys at night to eat and drink, but in the day time he takes to the hills to lie up in safety. The bigger the hill, and the more rocky the ledges, the surer you are of finding him. So you see the man who goes to hunt down the sambar, match wits with him, has a rocky road to travel. When we started into the jungle, it was planned for me to keep up on the hill about two thirds of the way so I could see everything to the top, and about half way down. Robert took the bottom so he could see the rest of the way up the hill. In this way we could pretty thoroughly cover the whole hillside. We were to whistle a long low whistle now and then, so we could keep even, as it was impossible to see each other except occasionally. We were to hunt that whole hill to a point about two miles further down. We had just gone round the first great curve, when I heard a loud clatter before me, and several sambar went thundering over the rocks, rustling through the dead leaves, and bumping their horns against the limbs. It is a wonderful noise, like the rush of a mighty army. I whistled to Robert, and up over the hill he went after them. Soon he saw a big fellow with long horns, and shot at him. You should hear the sound of a gun in the forest. It rings out in a clear loud tone almost like a bell. Then you soon hear the echo, and now and then a re-echo. But Robert missed, and there was more thunderous clatter, [135] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY as they hustled out. We went back to our program again, and covered two thirds of the way, stopping every now and then, and listening intently, to see if we could hear them walking, or moving. Soon I heard some below me, and I got behind a tree, and sure enough, they were moving away from Robert, and coming up in my direction. I didn't move a hair, and at last out came two does right near me. They were large stately ones, tall and graceful. They passed, and I heard others coming up, so I stood waiting breathlessly in the hope that one of the others would be a male. But two calves came up, and another female, and that was all. We hunted to the end of the hill, and back on the other side, but all I saw was several large peacocks, and some birds called "Seven Sisters." When we got back to our bicycle and horse it was nearly twelve, and we had covered about six miles of hill country, both rocky and jungly. That means that we had to crawl through some places, go stooped over in others, pull through the briery places in others. Just when you want to hurry through, the briers stick to your topi, jerk it off if you don't have the chin strap down, and usually stick you in two or three places. We both came out with bloody places on our hands. On a little bush about two feet high, near the bicycle, was a little slip of paper in a split place. It said, "Sa- laam, hunters, if you are hungry, come to camp for breakfast." Ben had ridden over, saw our [136] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE wheel, and went on, leaving the note. When we got to camp Mrs. Ben and the cook had a fine breakfast and we certainly did it justice. After breakfast, I heard that there was a crocodile down stream about two miles, so I went down to try my luck on him. Ben and Robert went along, and sure enough we heard the splash of the old crocodile, but did not get to see him. Robert and I kept along the stream and farther down some boys herding told us that two wild dogs had just gone into the bushes. We hurried in and finally saw them. They kept going, and we following, but we could not get a shot, as they went in and out among the trees. Finally we separated, and kept hurrying so we could see them. I, at last, saw one lying down under a bush. I was so ner- vous and excited and hot that I shot too soon and missed. We went back on the other side to find the crocodile. I slipped up and peeked over and saw his tail, so I knew he was out. I backed up, to go around to a big tree where I could get a shot at him. When I was about half way there, an im- pudent monkey ran out of some bushes, made a face at me, and skipped over to the edge of the bank. He found another monkey and they jumped into a small tree and began to fight, when splash! The crocodile heard the noise and off he went. I felt like shooting both of those monkeys. Robert threw some rocks at them, and they went skipping from tree to tree. Back to camp for tea. Tea is a great institu- te] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY tion out here. It is really a necessity. The dry warm climate sort of bakes a person out, so that it takes a lot of food and drink to keep up. We drink about four to six cups of tea at each meal. After tea we went up some hills and valleys nearer camp and hunted till dark, but saw nothing. As we came back, the great gray Indian moon had risen, and lighted our way through the jungle. We heard the call of the leopard several times, a call like the jungle call you have heard them give at the Zoo, only it sounds more wild and creepy to hear him after night in the jungle, when you know he is not behind iron bars! Totals for the day: Got no game at all. Saw several sambar. Saw two crocodiles. Ben saw two black buck. Saw two wild dogs. Plenty of pea fowl. Rode on bicycle about twelve, and walked altogether about twenty miles, and had a lot of good experience. Friday. Got up at five, had chota hazri, and were on our way to the jungle soon after sunup. Robert and I went ahead to sit by the road where the animals cross, while Ben and the boys came up from the river in a wide path to drive them along. As we sat there waiting, it seemed to me that there were a thousand different kinds of birds singing their morning hymns of praise. We were not in the places where the sambar crossed. One long horned fellow crossed above me, and [138] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE about ten below me, and at least ten or a dozen on each side of Robert too far to shoot That meant that we had to roll up our sleeves again, plunge into the jungle, and hunt them out. We hunted up one long hill. About ten does came out, but no bucks. We hunted another hill. A doe came out right close to me. We hunted down another hill, but no game. Then we started down the last hill on our way back to the road, and home. Robert was on top, I was half way down, Ben and the boys at the bottom. When we were near the end, out ran a big buck, thunder, clatter, down towards Ben. He stopped within fifty yards of Ben and bang went the gun. In a moment another shot rang out. Then Ben's "yo- ho," and we knew that sambar number 1 was accounted for. He had fine big horns. Ben said he would give his hide and horns to me. I told him "nothing doing," that I would take only what I had killed myself. There is another day coming. After getting him ready, and send- ing a boy after the oxcart to bring him in, we started to finish the hill. We saw a herd of twenty or thirty wild pigs, but could get no shot at them. We took a rest, had tea about four, and went out to a different jungle to hunt again. Ben and I were sneaking along when we heard a noise in some bushes. We stooped over and saw a lot of wild hogs going out. I sat down, and one old fellow stopped, turned around, and looked right at us. His big ears were spread out, and he cer- [139] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY tainly looked ferocious. I took good aim, and let him have it. Over he went "like he had been shot with a gun." He had. When Ben was stick- ing him he saw two bullet holes, and then we discovered that we both had shot at exactly the same time, neither of us knowing the other had fired. So credit me up with one half of a wild boar. Totals for the day. One sambar for Ben, and a wild pig between us. It was my only shot of the day. Walked about fifteen miles, and rode about twelve on the bicycle. Saturday. An old Rajah lives off about eight miles from our camp. Ben had asked permission to go over into his jungle and shoot chital. He sent us word to come, but that his elephant was out of commission and he could not send for us. So we went on our wheels, partly on good roads, partly on bad, partly on high rough paths through the fields where it was hard to walk, let alone ride. But we went. When we got to the river, a boy in a hollow log canoe rowed us over, pushing the canoe with a long bamboo pole. We took along some sandwiches and raw tomatoes, thinking we might not get back for breakfast. We had not been in the jungle five minutes before up jumped a herd of twenty or more chital. The chital is the spotted deer. He has spots much like a leopard. He is bigger than the [140] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE ordinary black buck. He is also much shyer. The black buck goes into the wheat fields in the day time, and you often get him there and just in the edge of the jungle. The chital goes into the wheatfields at night and back into the heavier jungle in the day time. His horns are large and sprangly and when it comes to beauty, he takes the blue ribbon. Well, we stalked those chital for about an hour, and finally we saw an open space where it looked as if they were going to cross. I sat down where I could cover the space with my gun, and waited. Several does went across, and then a big buck, but he did not stop. Then came a large long-horned buck. He walked out in the middle of the open space, and as luck would have it, stopped and began scratching himself with his horns. I took good aim and let him have it. Hurrah! Down he came. My bullet had gone absolutely true, and my first chital in forty-two years came tumbling down. Ben skinned him, his hide is already sent off to be cured, and I am having his horns removed to bring home with me. They are thirty and a half inches long. When we started home it was dark. We got a man with one of those little Bible lamps with a rag wick in it, to show us the path. We walked, and walked, and walked, and walked, over all kinds of paths, and at last came to a path which led to the good road. But it had dirt five or six inches deep. It had not rained for nearly six months, and the travel of oxen and [141] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY carts on the road makes the dust dreadful. But the redeeming thing about it is that it does not blow. We would ride a hundred yards in deep dust, have to get off, walk, ride again. The moon came up and after a long time we struck the good road, and got home about a quarter of ten. Supper was ready. Robert had gone into Damoh instead of going with us. When he came back h^ had killed two pea fowls. We had one for our supper, and there was not much left of him, when we finished. Totals: One chital, and nearly a hundred seen. A lot of monkeys seen, and several pea fowls. Walked at least fifteen miles, and rode on bicycles about fifteen or twenty. Great appe- tite, and fully appeased. Sunday. I have told you of our camp. It is now afternoon. Several boys have been chasing monkeys around the stream nearly all day. The Indian boy and the monkey are mortal enemies. The boys grind their teeth at the monkeys, which makes them very angry, and they will sometimes jump at the boys. The little baby monkeys cling to their mother's breast with all four feet and tail, and the mothers jump from limb to limb, and those little babies never fall off. It is a great sight to see them jumping from one tree to another. This has been a quiet, restful day. We took an inventory of the birds we saw this morning, [142] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE and for the last three days. It seems hardly- possible, but here is the list. If I had had no shooting at all, to have sensed the jungle, to have seen the animals, and to have heard the birds sing, and seen their many colors, would have been worth the trip here. It has been very help- ful and restful even though I have walked seventy-five miles the last four days. But to come back to the birds. I wish I could take their pictures with their colors, but that of course is impossible. But use your imagination, and maybe you can see some of them. 1. Vul- tures, black, white, brown. 2. Pea fowl. 3. Black partridge, like a quail, but three times as large and good. 4. Crow. 5. Raven. 6. Sarus crane, six feet tall, and very large. 7. Water hen. 8. Ducks, three kinds. 9. Green pigeons, three vari- eties. 10. Kingfisher. 11. Magpie. 12. Water wagtails. 13. Purple honeysucker. 14. Mina, with black and white wings. 15. Seven sisters. 16. Green bee eater. 17. Minavets, rose colored breast. 18. Shrike, butcher bird. 19. Red Start, red breast and brown tail. 20. Munia. 21. Para- keet, green all over and a variety of parrot. 22. Owls. 23. Hawks. 24. Fan-Tailed Fly Catcher. 25. Lark. 26. Roller, Indian Blue Jay. 27. Crow Pheasant. 28. Hoopoe. It says in the Bible some- where "The hoopoe shall make her nest there," when it speaks of the destruction of Nineveh. Look it up. 29. Bulbul, black head and brown body. 30. Woodpecker, three varieties. 31. King crow, with boat shaped tail. 32. Snake [143] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY bird, sometimes called the Phoenix bird. He stays in the water, has a very slim beak and neck, and walks or swims under the water, with just his head and neck out, and looks almost exactly like a snake. 33. Night Jar, whippoorwill. 34. Swallows. 35. Tailor bird, a bronze green. 36. Golden Oriole. 37. Quails. 38. Big Snipes. 39. Water Heron, big white birds. 40. Lapwing, white short wing. When they sing it sounds like "Did you do it," "did you do it." Some folks call them the "did you do its." 41. Starlings, salmon colored breasts. Do you wonder that the jungle has a call to a fellow, who every now and then has the "urge" of the wanderlust come upon him? I know it is going to do me good as long as I am in India, and for a long time after I leave. It is hardening me up in great shape. Salaam, for a new day and some new experiences. Monday. And now for a great story. Ben blew the whistle at five, and I was up and shaved and had chota-hazri a little after six. It was to be another day for hunting sambar. We got on our bikes, and went up to the same place where we had watched before. I took my station. Ben to my right, and Robert to my left, each a couple of hundred yards away. I sat down in a ditch by the side of the road, facing the jungle. When I rested on my knees, my head was up over the edge so my eyes could see the whole line. I [144] bJO C '3 > x W > X O a Q CO O m 0) H A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE supposed it would be a half hour before they would come up, as the boys had just started in a mile below. I sat down on the ground, with both ears open, and waited. It was just a few minutes after seven. The air was nice and cool, and no wind was blowing. The birds were all singing, it seemed at least a hundred of them. The bugs were also singing, the crickets going strong. Every now and then a leaf would fall, or the slightest wind would stir the dead leaves. It was then my imagination worked over time, and I peopled the jungle in front of me with all kinds of animals. It seemed that every noise was a sambar coming up to me. The imagination, I find, is a wonderful thing in the jungle. When you really see no actual animals, you can con- jure up a thousand of them, and have all kinds of exciting chases. As I was doing all this, I suddenly heard a noise in front. My gun was cocked and ready, up went my head slowly behind the small bush about eighteen inches high. As my head came up, I saw a large sambar doe coming down through the thick trees, at the very spot where I was hiding. But she saw me, for they are keen eyed as any man dare to be. I did not move a muscle after I got my head up, nor did I take my head down. By keeping it there without moving, it looked like a brown stone, with my topi on. But she scooted back up the hill a few yards, turned and looked, and looked. I stayed right there, never moving. And [145] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY as my eyes searched the trees, I saw ten or twelve moving about. There were four big bucks among them, all with long antlers. One old fellow had taken the alarm from the doe, and had his head up in the air, his ears out to hear the slightest sound. He stood three quarters to me, behind three trees, and I knew that a shot at him would be too risky. The other bucks were in the bushes, none of them plain enough so I could get a square shot. So the only thing I could do was to wait. And when you sit there with nothing to do but wait and watch, it is about the hardest thing going. Several of them looked, but I did not move my head, so they at last concluded that they might have been mistaken, and began moving around quietly, but not coming any closer. I could see a pair of horns through the bushes and trees, and maybe a hind leg. Question? Should I risk a shot? Or should I wait for a surer chance? And if I waited, and they ran away, would I not kick myself for not having taken a chance? And would not Ben and Robert be dis- appointed if I let them get away? You see what a sort of nervous strain it puts on a fellow, when he is not sure what is the right thing to do. One false move would spoil the whole thing. A shot missed would destroy all chance, for they would never wait for another. After all this, which took at least five min- utes, I found that the way I was sitting was im- possible, as my legs were getting very tired. I [146] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE had to change from sitting on my toes, to get down on my knees, and still keep my head at the same level without moving. So I moved one leg, then the other, but my toes were still bent under. When I got on my knees, I took one hand and slipped it back, and straightened out one foot. Then with the other hand, the other foot. By the time this was done, one old buck had moved down among the bushes nearer my right, but still only partly visible. Then he turned to the left and crossed in front of me, and at the point exactly in front he stopped for an instant. I had my gun on the spot right behind his shoulder, and waited another instant to make sure my aim was right, and that I was not nervous, and pulled the trigger. Hip! Hip! Hurrah! Down came old Mr. Sambar, the stateliest, craftiest, and strongest animal to be found in the jungles of Hindustan. That is, of the deer or elk variety. He is the acme of perfection, the one consummation "devoutly to be wished" by every hunter who goes into the jungle for big game. I gave the call, and up came Ben and Robert, and when Ben saw the great animal on the ground, he gave out four yells that went rumbling down the hillsides for miles. It was just 7:30 in the morning. Not so bad for an early morning hunt! The boys came up, and they gave another yell. It was a great sight there on the hillside. The brown boys, the sambar, the great hills and trees and rocks, and we three Americans. And it was Roma's birthday! So when I bring the big [147] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY horns home, they shall belong to her and me. "Have you got a sambar yet?" "Oh, yes, I got a big fellow, with horns nearly three feet long!" When we got back Mrs. Ben and the cook had dinner ready, and we fell to and ate ravishly. Totals for the day: Walked about eighteen miles, rode on the bicycle about five miles. One great Sambar. We saw a four horned antelope, and a chinkara — small deer. Also several other doe sambars in the big jungle. Oh yes, I forgot to say that we lost our bearings in the big jungle, and Ben climbed a tall tree to dis- cover some land mark. He saw a lake that we knew, and then found our way back easily. We also saw several other birds that I did not have in the other list. Here they are: 1. Harewa, green as the greenest leaves. 2. Snippet, a wader who bores in the mud for his food. White near his tail. 3. Sand grouse, like a prairie chicken. 4. Pish Owl. 5. Iora, yellow and green. 6. Pond Heron. 7. Bandicoot, half duck. Not good to eat, not pretty. 8. Rail, water hen. 9. Doves. Ring dove, mottled dove, little gray dove, rose ringed dove. 10. Coppersmith. 11. Black Partridge. 12. Finch, or ground lark. 13. Sheitpoak, like a big heron, large bill. 14. Weaver bird. He makes the most wonderful nest. A long hallway like the neck of a bottle about a foot long, then makes a bay window in it for his nest. 15. Bengal pitta. Has nine colors. Item: Mrs. Ben's cook is a Mohammedan. Therefore he will not touch pork She had bacon [148] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE for breakfast yesterday morning, so she had to cook it, serve it, and wash the dishes that had the pork on. He wears black whiskers. Item: We had chital steak for dinner, also chital brains. Wednesday. Jungle Camp, March 10. Dearest Folks at Home: I told you in my last that we saw two nilgai, or blue bull. They are a very rare animal, and not all the folks who are in India, or who come to India, get to see them. Well, Ben figured out a little nilgai psy- chology. That if they were on that side of the road, they had probably gone across into the fields about four or five miles beyond, and were just returning to lie up on the hills for the day. Also that if they went there one night, and crossed the road at a certain place, it was possible that they would do the same thing again. I have heard there is a peculiar psychology of wrong- doing, that a thief or a murderer, will often re- turn near the scene, just to see how it looks again. Police have learned that, and often catch a lawbreaker where they otherwise would not. Anyway Ben said that Robert and I should go down along the road, and the three or four boys could go into the jungle and make some noise. Where only a few boys go in, it is not called a "honk." I insisted on Robert staying at [149] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY the best place, as I had bagged more game than he had, and was anxious for him to get some- thing. He is just a fine big seventeen year old boy, and if my heart leaps with joy when I bring down a fine big animal, what must it be for a boy? I sat behind some small bushes, cocked my gun, laid it down by my left hand side where I could get it at a moment's warning. It was seven thirty, and another great morning. 1 waited until eight and nothing came out, when I began to think that nothing would come out. But I had read a pamphlet on tiger shooting, which said that many a tiger gets away, because the hunter relaxes his vigil and the tiger comes when he is not looking. So I decided to watch as carefully as if I had just arrived. Five minutes more, then a noise in the thick bushes out in front of me. I peered through, and saw the legs of an animal, then two more. They started to my left and as the front one passed a little open spot I saw it was a nilgai. I quickly cast my eyes in front of the animal, and saw an open space about six feet wide near the road. In front of that open space were some big bushes, and I figured that it would stop there an instant to look, before it ran across the road. How my mind worked all that out, is a marvel to me, for I had not anticipated that move. A few days in the jungle seems to make a person's mind work like lightning. It needs to, if you outwit and bring down these wary inhabitants. [150] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE So I left the animal, and turned my gun and got good aim at that spot. Here came the nilgai at a fast trot. As I had thought, it suddenly stopped behind those bushes, and then started. Just as it started, I pulled the trigger. Down it came in a heap. The bullet was fleeter than the blue bull, and it struck him within two inches of exactly the right spot. The other two plunged back into the jungle, and as I listened I heard them running towards the left where Robert was stationed. They rarely turn back, but go to the right or left and cross. Within a minute, Bang! went Robert's gun, and he got one also. When the boys came up, and Robert and I got together, there was great rejoicing. When we got back into camp, Mrs. Ben had packed up, and gone six miles farther, to the junction of two larger streams, where we are to stay the rest of the time. As was to be expected, when Mrs. Ben left, the men forgot the lamps and several other things, which should have been on the first load. After tea, we went into our new jungle to explore what was there, and get ready for a real hunt tomorrow. The river is about half as wide as the Ohio, but very clear water, rocky and sandy bottom. There is no bridge here, no boat, but there is a crossing of shallow water about knee deep at a narrow place. We had to take off our shoes and wade across. We saw tracks, and other signs of chital, and sambar in the jungle. I saw two doe sambar but that was all. [151] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY We did not get back until after dark, and had to wade the stream again. The boys made two fires, one on each side of the table, and kept putting wood on so we could see to eat our sup- per. They came up and made a little fire in front of my tent, so I could see to get into bed. Great sleep, tent all open, cool nights, blue sky and silent stars. Thursday. An old fellow, boatman and guide, brought up a hollow log canoe this morning, and took us across the river. It is a very skittish thing, the boatman and but one man can ride in it. If you shift your chewing gum from one side to the other, it almost upsets the thing. We went into some places where the animals are likely to cross, and let the men go through and make the usual noises. Nothing came out. Another try, and nothing came out. At the third try I was under a great tree, and in front of the tree, and on each side there were some bushes about like that bush in the back yard where we hid the watermelon, only denser and thicker. I sat there, turning my head from one side to the other to watch both sides of the open space. It is very peculiar how my ears have become so acute, that the least noise can be heard. A bird flying near your head stirs up the air and you can hear the rush of his wings. After a while, I heard a noise down a little dip, which leads into a deep ravine. I could [152] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE hear something coming closer and closer up that dip, very quietly, but I was sure it was get- ting nearer the top, from the rustle of the leaves. The top of the dip was about sixty yards away from me, and soon I saw the long brown red- dish hair on the back of a wild boar come into view. How my heart leaped! Ben and I got one together, you remember, but that did not satisfy me. And here was an old fellow's back just in view. Then out he came, then another, then three more. The one in front was a big fellow, and they started in a fast trot across the space in front of me. I already had my gun on him, just about to shoot, when he stopped and sniffed at a little tuft of grass. That was my chance. I got the aim right over his heart, and as he started I fired. "It's great to see them fall." He tumbled over in his tracks, gave a few quivers and that was the last he knew. The others, strange to say, turned and charged back into the bushes. When one of their number is killed, they often get vicious. So I reloaded and sat breathless, waiting for them to emerge again. Soon I heard what I thought were two animals, walking very cau- tiously on the other side of my big tree. I did not dare to move, lest they run away, and I did not dare to sit there if they happened to be wild boars. For they could come from behind the tree, and be within ten feet of me. At last I heard the one in front, coming around to the [153] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY left, so I knew the other would follow. That eased me up, .for I knew if I got the first one, the other would run. So I pointed my gun at the only spot where he could come. Closer, and closer he came, until I could hear him right be- hind the tree. My heart was pumping forty miles an hour, but my nerves were absolutely steady. Pit, pat, pat pit, went the feet on the dry leaves. Suddenly I saw a blue black body, and had my finger pressing gently on the trigger, when he stuck his head around the bush and saw me. Flutter! he went up over the bushes, his big long beautiful tail spreading in the air as he went. It was a peacock! Just then the hen stuck her head around, and up she went over the trees likewise. Well, as I relaxed, I wanted to roll over and yell. But there was no time for that as another pig might come out. But no more pigs came. The boys tied the legs of the boar together, and carried him into camp with the assistance of two or three forest guides. The guides wanted some meat, and we gave them the two shoulders and one of the sides, and they went away very happy After tea, Ben said that we must try for a chinkara. The chinkara, or gazelle, is the nifti- est little animal to be found in India. It is smaller than the deer, looks much like a deer, but is more skittish, and harder to shoot. It moves around all the time much like Beth does, only with quicker movements. It switches its [154] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE tail all the time. The horns do not branch like those of the chital or sambar. We got our bicycles, and rode out along the road, for they very often are to be found along the road instead of in the dense jungle. We rode three miles along the main road, and saw nothing. Then we went into a side road that leads through a very beautiful stretch of forest, almost as beautiful as Eden Park, only natural trees and forests. We watched both sides of the road, riding slowly. Nearly sundown, and we had seen nothing. But Ben is a wise old scout, and : he said that it was bad luck to turn back before you saw what you were looking for. So we ploughed on. Finally at sundown we saw a bunch of eight or ten on the right hand side of the road. And now, I record the queerest item of animal psy- chology that I have ever seen anywhere. We stopped, got off, but they ran on ahead of us too far away to shoot. They crossed over to the left side of the road, and we got on our wheels and started after them. Question? Should we ride fast enough to catch up or ride slowly so we would not frighten them? We decided on the latter, although they kept far ahead of us. We rode on, and they ran on. At last we got fairly close, got off again, and I tried to get a shot. But they shied off, quietly switching their tails. We stood perfectly still, as they skitted about. Then the strange thing happened. [155] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY The buck, or rather one of them, for there were two, turned and galloped back toward us, about sixty yards from the road. I got my aim on him as he came along. As he walked through an open space between some trees I fired, and down he came. Ben said, "Sahib, you are a first rate hunter, you get everything that comes along." It was getting dusk, and we were six miles from camp with a chinkara on our hands. Ben cleaned him. Then we took ropes and tied him on the handle-bars of my bicycle. By the time we were ready to start, it was just dark. The moon was not up, so away we went up the road, I ahead, with my eyes feeling out the road, and pumping as fast as I could to get out of this side road before it got pitch dark. I kept right on and on, although I could not hear Ben behind me. I bumped into a stone and nearly went off. I got into the deep dust, and was nearly thrown two or three times. But finally I reached the big road and rang my bell, but no answer. I waited, and after ten minutes Ben showed up. He had left his knife where we had cleaned the animal, and had to go back. When we got into camp, Mrs. Ben had supper ready, steak from the nilgai. It was great. They say that the head of this gazelle is so rare that I should have it mounted. So I am going to bring both its hide and its head. Item: Our camp is a wonderful place. My tent is under a great mango tree, which is in full [156] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE bloom. The fragrance is delightful. In front of my tent is a tamarind tree, that Ben thinks is 800 years old. They grow very slowly. He thinks the mango tree is over a hundred years old. Item: Robert has been in swimming, in March, what do you think of that? Helen brought her turtle over from the other camp in a little bag. She took it down to the river, and made a sand box for it, and carried up water and filled it. The turtle had the time of his life. But he was always gearing off towards the river. Once when she sat down to take off her shoes to go wading, the turtle digged and scratched until he went "over the top." Away he skidded into the water with Helen after him. But she was too late. Friday. This afternoon when the men came up to get their pay, the leader said, "Don't charge the Sahib too much, as he has helped us by killing these pests." It was a treat to see Ben paying them. They all sat down under a big tree in front of him. He asked each man his name and wrote it down. Then he called the roll, and they answered "here." As he paid them, they all said they would be glad to take less if they could have some meat. They were told they could have some, and as I am writing under another big mango tree, Ben and the men are dividing up the pigs. [157] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY They take the long bristles from the top of their backs, and make brushes for sale. Bach pig is completely shaved along the back as far as there are bristles. Since I have been writing, a dozen of the men have been to see the type- writer work. They thought it was a wonder, as I showed them the different parts. We had pork steak for breakfast today about two o'clock. It was from the pig I killed yesterday. We all agreed that the best meat we had had in camp was this pork. It was simply scrumptious. But Mrs. Ben had to cook it, and serve it, as the cook would not touch it. He poured the water, and passed the bread, pota- toes, and other things. Ben has taken the lard out of the biggest pigs, and they will have lard for sometime to come. The men are now ready to start with their meat, and they are like a pack of small boys, each wanting to get the biggest piece. Ben has just given them a lecture, and lined them up, and is getting it divided fairly. One fellow just tried to slip away with a whole ham, but had to divide it with another. Now they are off. Some to wade the river, and get home in an hour. Some to go off through the jungle to their villages. Some, no doubt after they get home, will go into their fields to watch all night to keep the animals out of their grain. You see we are really rendering these poor folks a service when we kill off some of these animals, and also give them some of the meat. [158] A WEEK IN THE JUNGLE Item: The wheat harvest has begun. The people from the hills are traveling down to the valleys to help harvest the grain. The roads are full of them. The whole family goes, father, mother, and all the youngsters. All the grain of India is cut by hand. These folks cut twenty bundles of grain, and then they get one. Twenty more, and get one. They are paid entirely in grain. As they go and come, they sleep under the trees along the road. They cook their food over an open fire, get their water from the river or the big public wells, and go on their way. To- morrow we break camp, and my hunting days are over. Saturday. When we had had our "little breakfast," Robert and I rode about two miles to the top of a great hill, and left our wheel and horse there. We struck off to the right over a long ridge which leads in the general direction of where we were to have breakfast. We followed that hill for about four miles and saw doe chinkara, and two black buck. We arrived at the creek about three miles below the camp, in the vicinity of the place where I had tried five times before to get that crocodile ; the one where the monkeys threw pods and leaves down on me. I had it all figured out just how I would slip up on him. You have to know these crocodiles and their habits before you can get them. This was my last [159] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY chance. We walked out from the bank of the river, so he could not possibly hear us. Robert stayed back and I slipped up with- out a bit of noise, and peering through, I saw him. He was not lying with his tail up the bank, as they generally do. He was lying with his whole body right along the edge of the water. That meant that unless I got him exactly right, he could, with two swishes of his tail get off in the deep water, and even if I killed him, we could not get him. So I looked carefully for the right spot behind his eye. I had to stand and take an off hand shot, as there was no place to get a rest. I took good steady aim, and pulled the trigger. The gun snapped! It had never snapped before. It is a great gun, and I have gotten practically everything at which I have shot. The snap, of course, was not loud, and the crocodile did not hear it. So I backed away, re- loaded as quietly as I could, and slipped up again, like an Indian slipping up on his prey. As the shot rang out, we heard the old fellow's tail begin to lash the water. Three or four heavy lashes, and as the smoke cleared away, I saw that his tail lashes had driven him farther up on the bank. Robert ran like a deer up the stream about a hundred yards where there was a shal- low crossing, and waded it with his shoes and clothes on, and came bounding down the other side. By the time Robert arrived, he had quit moving and was lying with his head and one [160] i^KMaaMH^HB M 0) H c bJO v PQ en O PQ 8 w o ■a H THE HOME STRETCH his long bony arms high in the air as if he would reach to the very top of the Matterhorn, with mouth extended as if in holy awe and admira- tion of the grandeur before him. Without Smith I would never have gotten the full benefit of the Matterhorn. He rather personified and glorified the thing for me. How can I make you understand Paris, and the spirit of Paris? Take for instance, the clean- liness. It is a very clean city, and nearly all of the stores, shops, and offices, are closed on Mon- day for cleaning. The great art galleries are open every day to the public, except on Monday, "cleaning day." The streets are clean, the taxis clean, the great buildings are clean, even the beautiful Seine, which flows through the heart of the city is clean. It is not muddy along the banks, but walled up with rocks, with green grass and trees and beautiful walks. And strange wonder of cities, it has a plan. The Arc de Triompe or Arch of Triumph stands in the center of a very wide street on a high elevation of ground. Into that center run twelve streets, so that that most beautiful arch in all Europe can be seen from every direction. And the art with which it is constructed! Great scenes in groups of statuary on every side. One shows the triumph of Napoleon after the peace of Vienna. Another the taking of Alexandria. It is 160 feet high, it cost about $2,000,000. On May 5, the anniversary of Napoleon's death, crowds of people assemble here to watch the set- [241] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY ting of the sun through the arch whose great opening exactly frames the sun as it sinks below the horizon. What people but the French could have dreamed, and constructed such an arch of beauty and grandeur? Then there is the Place de la Concorde. It is said to be the most elegant place or open court of any city in existence. It is a great open square of nearly four blocks, with wide tree-lined streets running into it. In the very center rises the Obelisk of Luxor, 76 feet high and weighing 240 tons. It was brought here from Egypt by Louis Phillippe, during his reign. It is the sister or brother monolith of Cleopatra's needle at Alexandria. It stands on the spot where Marie Antoniette, Louis XVI, and about two thousand others were beheaded by the guillotine during the French revolution and the Reign of Terror. On each side of the Obelisk is a great foun- tain of bronze, with bronze sculptoring. At the outer edge of the place on the corner stand rep- resentations of eight cities of France. Lyons, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rouen, Brest, Lille and Strasbourg, which is in Alsace Lorrain and just recovered from the Germans. Streams of traffic go to and fro through the Place de la Con- corde, and well dressed men and women hurry through this wonderful place day and night. I visited the Louvre, the most famous place of art in Europe and perhaps in the whole world. What marvelous sculptoring, and what famous paintings are lodged there. And how the people [242] THE HOME STRETCH of Paris and France love it, and flock there by the thousands daily to see it, and how the rising young artists come there, to study and brood and dream of the day when some new creation from their own hands and brain will have the recogni- tion of the nation, and have a place in this artist's hall of fame. Strange to say the govern- ment recognizes these artists as servants of the public good. I visited the famous cathedral of Notre Dame. It is impossible to describe it. I had a picture in my mind of this old cathedral from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. It tells of Jean Valjean in trying to escape from his pursuers getting up on the high towers of Notre Dame and hanging over the side with his seemingly super- human strength while his pursuers passed by. That part of the story made my blood run cold, so vividly did Hugo picture the man hanging hundreds of feet in the air where a slip of the hand would have dashed him to death on the streets below. Notre Dame was founded in 1163, but is on the site of a church that dates back to the fourth century. The two great towers were built in the thirteenth century. The carvings on the outside of the entrance represent the last judgment. Above these is a row of niches in which are the statues of twenty-eight Kings of Israel and Judah. There are three great "rose windows" 42 feet in diameter, with costly stained glass. The cathedral when full will hold twenty thous- [243] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY and people. There are chapels small and great in different parts of the great building. There is one place called the treasury, which contains fragments of the crown of thorns, which some Frenchman long ago claimed to have brought from Jerusalem. Also the true cross of Christ, and a nail from the cross. Also Napoleon's coronation robe, and other precious relics. It was during the first Revolution, that this great and sacred cathedral was turned into a "Temple of Reason" and Paris went mad with her revulsion against religion and the hypocrisy of the state, and the state church. So they brought dancing girls into Notre Dame, and thousands assembled to see these girls do the modern dances in the very sanctuary of the church. But Napoleon restored it in 1802, and was crowned here by the Pope in 1804. And what shall I say of the rest of Paris. Of the library, the largest in the world? The Eiffel tower, the highest structure built by man, nearly twice as high as Washington's monu- ment? Of the Opera House, the largest and finest in the world? Of the church of St. Mary Mag- deleine, which Napoleon intended to erect as a Temple of Victory, which cost when complete about $2,500,000? And the Musee de Luxem- bourg, where the work of the sculptors is kept for twenty years after their death before it is allowed to go into the Louvre? And the Ven- dome Column, statue of Napoleon, 142 feet high [244] THE HOME STRETCH molded out of cannon which he captured in his wars? Oh I tell you Paris is a wonder. Seven miles away is Versailles. I saw the palace of mirrors, where the peace treaty was signed. In the same building where the Kaiser was crowned Emperor of all Germany after they conquered France in 1871, the German delegates had to eat crow, and sign a treaty drawn up by the Allies. And in another room of the same building, was signed the treaty with England in 1783, that recognized the independence of the United States. In this palace Marie Antoinette lived, also other French rulers just and unjust. What marvelous gardens, and fountains that only play once a week. The whole thing, palace, gardens, fountains, sculptoring, took fifty years in the building. And the French cooking! The same artistic elegance that produced the Louvre and Notre Dame is put also into the biscuits, and rolls, and the coffee, and fried eggs. A French meal is a work of art, served by artists, clean as can be, seasoned to a queen's taste, or better to a Nebras- kan's taste. I have had nothing like it on the whole trip. Do you hear me, Paris is a wonder? And the French people are artists, and when I stood with uncovered head at the tomb of Lafay- ette, I was glad that he had not only made known to us the French fighting spirit, but the fine elegance, and the gentlemanly courtesy which he embodied as a true representative of the finest and best of the French nation. You [245] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY can't imagine a man like Lafayette being raised on weenie wursts and sauerkraut! London, May 24. No, I did not come on the daily aeroplane that flies between Paris and London. In spite of weather conditions, it makes the trip nearly every day. Only the other day a London fruit dealer advertised in the afternoon, fresh straw- berries for sale that had been brought from Paris that morning by aeroplane. Arriving at Havre, we took a British boat with a sleeper, and the next morning woke up in Southampton. Would you believe it, the pass- port department, and the customs department had system, and order. None of the wild mad scramble that I have seen at every other customs inspection around the world. The officials were all gentlemen, the porters were gentlemanly and respectful, the railroad conductors were pleasant, and helpful. It seemed like getting among my own folks again to get in quiet, courteous, orderly England. A fine run of two and a half hours without stop brought us to the metropolis of the world. What a crowd there was, which went flowing out of Waterloo station. We came upon traffic going in all directions, in every conceivable way that a modern city could produce. Taxis, automobiles, great motor buses, street cars on the ground, above the ground, and under the ground. Car- riages drawn by one horse, and two horses, with [246] THE HOME STRETCH drivers with red breeches and stove pipe hats, trucks, two wheeled carts drawn by large bony horses. The streets were jammed full of this kind of traffic, and one walking found it almost impossible to cross without the aid of a police- man. I wondered how so much traffic kept on the move without accident, but that wonder was soon satisfied. At every street corner and in the middle of many streets stand the traffic police- men, directing the drivers with the nod of their head, and a crook of their finger. There was no loud yelling, and scolding, and brutal bulldozing, but a quiet brainy direction of traffic, in which the drivers co-operated as well as policemen. Four or five streams of traffic flowed up and down those crowded streets like little rivers, two flow- ing in each direction, with sometimes one in the middle. Having spent a week in London, and seen the work of these men in Piccadily, the Strand, Trafalgar square, Leicester Square, and the other busy centers, I take off my hat to the London policeman, the real traffic artist of the world. I went to see St. Paul's, the noted cathedral. It has its great hall and many chapels, but the chief place of interest is in the basement, which is a graveyard where many of the notables of England are buried. Chiefest of these are Lord Nelson, the great naval hero of England, and the Duke of Wellington. The tomb of Nelson is directly under the great dome, hence the place of [247] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY prominence. But when they buried the Duke later, so great was his place in the hearts of the English, they took the next most prominent place in the building and put up a much better tomb in his memory. At the far end of the building was the great bronze funeral car that carried the Duke ol Wel- lington to the church. It is made of cannon captured by him in his wars. He lay in state for about two or three weeks while they were mold- ing this great car. Up in the top the coffin was placed. The huge car was drawn, I think by twelve horses to the church. Perhaps no such funeral has ever been held in all Europe before or since. For Napoleon had struck terror into the hearts of Europe, and the Duke of Welling- ton was the conqueror of Napoleon, so they idolized the great warrior. You may remember the little couplet: The Duke of Wellington had a large nose, So large that it scared away all his foes, Even to the wicked old Bonaparte. Excuse me, that's triplets, isn't it? Anyway, on top of the tomb is a large bronze, or is it marble statue, of him. I took particular notice of his nose, and it is a beauty, a very large per- fect Roman nose. I felt like climbing up and shaking hands with the old boy. The other men buried here are mostly mili- tary heroes also. [248] THE HOME STRETCH Up in the dome is the whispering gallery, where a whisper can be heard for one hundred and eight feet across or rather around the dome on the inside. Large paintings in one dome rep- resent Biblical scenes, like St. Paul's conversion, etc. It is well done throughout. After St. Paul's one turns to the most famous of all English cathedrals, Westminster Abbey. It is the blue ribbon place of them all. It dates back to the seventh century. It has been changed from time to time until the present marvelous structure was completed. I have never seen anything like it. The inside, and what it stands for is the thing of supreme interest. It also is a burial ground, but mostly on the main floor, and not in the basement as at St. Paul's. Many of the famous statesmen and literary men are buried here. One transept, or wing has what they call the poet's corner. In the floor is a marble slab telling the name and date. Here lie the remains of Chaucer, Spenser, with Browning and Tenny- son side by side. Also Samuel Johnson, Lord Macauly, and Dickens. In the statesmen's corner are William Pitt, and Charles James Fox, rivals in politics. The couplet in "Marmion" says: "Drop upon Fox's grave the tear, 'Twill trickle to his rival's bier." Gladstone is also buried here. [249] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY These chapels are crowded with all kinds of monuments of famous men. A person may sit in the pew to hear the sermon, and on either side he can see a score of monuments of great men of the past, and under his feet he may be tramp- ling on the mortal remains of kings. Not so bad, is it, to have a king's grave for a foot stool, while you listen, or sleep in church as the case may be? You are no sooner in the great building and see these graves and monuments, than you begin to ask where the grave of Livingstone is. The rector guide said that more people ask where the grave of Livingstone is, than about that of any other person buried there. In the middle of the large room, is a plain marble slab, telling a few simple facts about the life of the famous missionary and explorer. It must have been a great day, when they brought his body from over the seas, to rest in that world renowned burial place. Not so much pomp and ceremony as when the Duke of Wellington was taken into St. Paul's, but no doubt as wonderful a service as the world ever saw. You have read in English history about the "Tower." I had always supposed that it was some kind of a high tower where they kept and beheaded prisoners. Imagine my surprise then, when I arrived to find a large high stone wall en- closure, with several buildings inside. All this is called the Tower. In the old days there used to be a moat around it, but now that is removed, and the bottom of the moat is a fine gravel walk. [250] THE HOME STRETCH In those days this Tower was a fortress and palace of the kings. Inside the walls is one tower called the White Tower. This one is where the old kings lodged until the day of their coronation, when they rode in a great procession through the streets to Westminster Abbey, where they were crowned. The kings are still crowned at West- minister, in the old Coronation chair made by Edward I; for the coronation of his son. The chair looks rather seedy, but all the kings have been crowned in it from that day to this. In the Tower is a room containing the crown jewels of England. I saw the crowns of the king and queen and prince of Wales, all set with diamonds and precious stones. They are enclosed in glass surrounded by an iron railing, which is charged with electricity, so that it is impossible for anyone to steal them. The crown of King Edward, father of the present King George, contains 2818 diamonds, and the crown of King George worn at Delhi, India, where he went to be crowned Emperor of India in 1911, contains emeralds and sapphires and 6170 dia- monds. There is also a gold Anointing spoon, dating back to the 12th century, used for the anointing of the king. It is a huge spoon. The Royal Salt cellar is there also, made of gold and set with precious stones, used at the royal banquet after the coronation. It is some salt cellar, a big thing also set in diamonds, and cost about $15,000, [251] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY made in the 17th century. There is some style when they crown a king in old England! In an open court is the place where they used to execute their political prisoners. Lord Hastings was executed here 1483, Queen Ann Boleyn also 1536, Queen Katherine fifth, wife of Henry VIII, who established the church of Eng- land. Also Lady Jane Grey, 1554. No wonder one of the towers is called the Bloody tower. The history of the tower is almost the history of England itself. Another place of unusual interest is the British Museum. Here are the relics of many of the ancient places of the world. The great stone horses with heads of men, that were excavated in Assyria. Many Egyptian mummies. A number of the pieces of the Parthenon of Athens. Roman relics of all descriptions. All kinds of an- tiques, and vases, busts and statues of men, ancient and modern. You can imagine a little of it by the names of the rooms. Roman Gallery, Room of Greek Sculpture, Ephesus room, Nereid room, Phigaleian room, Egyptian Galleries, Assyrian room, Nineveh gallery, Department of Printed books room, where hun- dreds of very old and valuable manuscripts are kept. It would take a person a full week to see all of the Museum, let alone taking time to care- fully study it. The National Gallery is a close rival to the Louvre. I had an afternoon there, studying the paintings of artists, old and new. I saw the [252] THE HOME STRETCH much talked of "Madonna" by Raphael, which cost the gallery $350,000. Also the "Duchess of Milan" by Holbein for which they paid $360,000. Amidst all this, and a thousand other places of beauty and interest, the people of London live. Many of them know nothing of these wonderful places of culture and refinement. All they know is the race course, the movie, their broad A's and their afternoon tea. On the other hand, thous- ands visit these places every week, and thus build "more stately mansions" for their souls. And in the midst of it all, and possibly the center, is the modern prison of the king namely, Buckingham Palace. I could not get away from the feeling that to all intents and purposes the king is a sort of useful prisoner, with certain liberties allowed him. Buckingham Palace is surrounded by a high iron fence, and at every gate, corner, and between gates and corners, are soldiers with their guns, parading up and down. A policeman told me that the king was to go out at eleven thirty to lay a corner stone for some public building, and if I was there about an hour before hand I might get a good place to stand. I was there. During that hour of wait- ing, they changed guards. The band marched down from somewhere, into one of the gates that had been opened. Then came the new guard, about twenty of them. They stood for a while before the palace, while the band played, and two officers walked up and down in front as [253] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY if to make certain that the King did not get away before the appointed time. Then an officer took a squad of the new guard, marched them around to where one of the old guard was standing. One man left the ranks and stood at attention beside the old guard. Then the officer picked up an old piece of thick card board and read off in an impossible-to-under- stand monotonous voice, the instructions printed thereon. The new guard paid no attention to what was being read, and when I winked at him, he winked his off eye, and suddenly discovered that the officer had finished. He gave a quick nod of the head and the squad moved on to the next, where the same process was repeated. After a half hour of such manuevering, they got the new guard installed for the day. About eleven fifteen, thirty horsemen, with tall hats, and gaily colored coats, some with red breeches, rode up, and entered the big middle gate of the palace, and disappeared through the opening in the center court. A little later the king's carriage drove from the royal stables in the rear, around to the front, and disappeared through the same opening. The crowd by this time had grown to three or four thousand. The policeman had moved us four different times. One man would tell us where to stand. Later he moved on, other policemen drifted in, and each new set had to show a little authority, so moved the crowd over to some more incon- venient spot. That seemed to be the chief [254] THE HOME STRETCH business of the policemen, to keep the crowd as uncomfortable as possible. Finally a fellow with a tall hat, red breeches, and a pompous air, took his place just on the out- side of the entrance, and stood with his hand at salute. The next moment out came about twenty of the mounted policemen, and following them was the king's carriage, and behind that were ten more mounted policemen. The king's carriage was drawn by four horses, two abreast, with a rider in red breches on each of the two left hand horses. The carriage contained two seats facing each other. In the rear seat was the king and queen, and in the other Princess Mary. The king wore a stove pipe hat, and lifted it from time to time, but he does not do it nearly so well as does President Wilson. The Queen's hat was rather unbecoming. It looked as if some department store milliner had made her take it against her will, simply because it was the fashion. Princess Mary was rather prim, and a bright looking girl. So these prisoners came forth, at the appointed time, escorted in state, and went down town, and bowed, and did as they were told to do, and then came back and the gates were locked, and they were allowed their peace until the next occasion requires their royal presence. If you read Roosevelt's letters about the kings of Europe in the March and April Scrib- ner's you will get a good idea of how these men are mere figureheads. He says that no one who has a real ambition to be an indepen- [255] DAD'S LETTERS ON A WORLD JOURNEY dent citizen, would want to be a king. But thus it has been in England, and it seems that the Englishman does not object to being taxed to keep up this show of royalty. As long as they like it, and are willing to pay the bills, why should we Americans object? Selah, Dad. On the Atlantic Today I bid farewell to London and sunny England. Farewell Thames, with your innum- erable docks and boats of every kind and descrip- tion, without doubt the busiest river in the world. Farewell old world, and now my face is turned toward the new. Oh, for the speed of an aeroplane. We have made great time on the good ship Port Bowen for several days. But yesterday a great storm was raging. Far into the night I could hear the roaring of the wind, and feel the quiver of the ship as the huge waves dashed against it. We're now in the Gulf Stream. Its flow puts the ship back about thirty miles a day. We have met several large steamers bound for France and England. News has come over the wireless that Harding has been nominated for President. We get wireless reports every day of the baseball games. [256] THE HOME STRETCH How slowly we travel! It seems a month since leaving London. Just over the hill is New York and home. New York is in sight at last. How good it looks even on the far off horizon. Inspection is over, quarantine is past, and we are approaching the Goddess of Liberty. How wonderful the statue looks. American flags are streaming from the top and the flags of all nations are much in evidence. It is Flag Day — June 14th. About 5,000 school children have crossed over to the statue and are participating in the Flag Day celebration. The cannon are booming out their salutes. What a wonderful welcome home. And here's the sky line. Noth- ing quite like it anywhere else on the globe. An Englishman wants to know how high the Wool- worth Building is. Brother, ask the girl in the first ten cent store. Hudson river, tug boats, the Battery, New York, America, Home! And now for the fastest Pennsylvania train! New York, June 14th. Telegram — Hurrah for Uncle Sam and the U. S. A. Just landed safe and sound. Home for dinner tomorrow. Kill the calf. I'm hungry for some home cooking. DAD. [257] HH LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 021 648 964