Page 199 - The Diary of A. H. W. Behrens

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1901
had bullet holes everywhere, even some of the windows. However, we got through well without being shot at. In Umtalumi on the South Coast Br. Deppe’s son fetched us with an ox wagon and took us to cousin Heinrich Albers in Port Shepstone where we stayed for about three months before we moved to Br. Deppe in Marburg, where we were given a small room and food against payment.
It was good to be at the sea and to swim in the sea. Also catching herring by the hundreds with a bag. We could see the ships travelling between Cape Town and Durban and there were pineapples and bananas aplenty. We could also visit
all relatives and friends, especially all Albers, songmaster Ringers, Backeberg, Wichmann, Rössler etc. I could go
where I wanted without a passport. But I used my time well for written work for the Mission. During the 1 1⁄2 years in Natal I managed to print the book of hymns as well as the book of chorales. On an ongoing basis, my work went to Hermannsburg in Germany where both books were printed. And when the war ended at the end of 1902, thousands of the printed books arrived in Transvaal where there was lots of stock. At the time, I was chairperson of the books commission. I had free hand to work and Aunt Christine often helped me with linguistic expressions. Only now,