Barotseland Mission, South Africa
By R. C. Porter
A Visit to the Out-Stations
OUR time was limited, as Pastor W. H. Anderson wished me to go on north of the Kafue; so he sent word to the teacher of the next out-station we were to visit, who met us at the camp the next morning, and gave us the information we desired about his school work, thus saving us from going farther. The teacher reported thirty-eight students in his school at present, ten having been drawn away by a labor agent to work in the mines. This is one contingency with which the missions often meet. We have two hundred acres of land at this out-school, and the work is self-supporting, although the drought has made the funds short this year. This school is located in the heart of the lion district; herds of reedbuck, hartbeest, buffalo, hundreds of wildebeest, leche, zebra, eland, and small game may be seen within two hours' ride of the school. The roar of the lions after having devoured their prey is of almost nightly occurrence in this place. The teacher of this school recently found himself surrounded by five leopards one day while crossing the veld. By shouting lustily and clashing his assagais together, he frightened them away, and passed on. It was here that Brother J. R. Campbell met two lions in his path, but they turned and walked away and left him unharmed. God's care for his workers is continually manifested. It was here also that Brother E. C. Silsbee trekked with sixteen oxen nearly all night, in order to reach the out-school before camping, as he was stalked by lions and did not consider it safe to camp. We returned to the mission on Friday. The students, who had been away on vacation, had all returned, and were ready to enter upon their school work for the next term. In the Friday evening social service they were each ready to testify of God's love and goodness. There was the same promptness in the service I had seen at Solusi. Several were on their feet waiting to speak during the whole service. On Sabbath the house was filled with Christian students who but a few years ago knew not God nor the saving power of the gospel. It was inspiring to see with what eagerness they listened to every word spoken. At the close of the Sabbath we in-spanned and trekked to Monza, where, about two o'clock the next morning, we took the train for Lusakas, north of the Kafue River. The Kafue is fully as large as the Zambesi at their point of intersection. The Kafue Valley is a very fertile section, and is being settled by English colonists. Reaching Lusakas about 10 A. M., Monday, Elder Anderson and I traveled on foot seven miles into the country to look at a farm, thinking it might be a suitable place for our headquarters for this section. Lusakas is about seventy-five miles from the main station. After looking it over, we decided that the land was not so good as the water, and we therefore decided to leave the question of the location of our headquarters for this section to a later time, giving the mission superintendent time to secure a more suitable farm. Before leaving, we learned that our native teacher in our out-school four miles from Lusakas had just lost two head of cattle by lions. Major Gordon, operating a ranch a few miles farther out, had attempted to put up a hundred miles of fence to enclose his farm; but before he had completed ten miles of it, herds of game, pursued by lions and leopards, had stampeded, and carried off large sections of the fence on their heads. He concluded to surrender his cherished plan until there were fewer lions and less game. He is reported to have killed ten lions during the last few months. The day before our arrival, a lion was seen coming out of the bush after the cattle within a half-mile of the Lusakas station. We were weary after our fifteen-mile tramp in the heat of the day, and greatly appreciated the hospitality of a shopkeeper, who entertained us for the night in a mud hut. The next morning Elder Anderson took the train for the mission, having sold enough produce from the farm on this trip to insure the self-support of the Barotseland Mission for 1912. I took the same train for the Somabula Mission at Gwelo, by way of Bulawayo, where Brother and Sister W. C. Walston met us, and we spent the forenoon very pleasantly while waiting for the train to Gwelo. Here we were joined by Brother and Sister J. N. de Beer, who were returning from the Cape, where they had spent several weeks recovering from a serious attack of fever.