Page 206 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 206
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
around with in China. Too many missionaries and their children had
died of it. We did seven miles before stopping for breakfast, and had
just started off again when I saw Percy coming towards us on his
bike. He said, “We will have to go back. The Reds are coming and
we all have to get out again.” It did seem like waste of time and
money and energy to have got so far and then have to turn back, but
Percy had medicine with him and I gave Raymond a dose there and
then, so he did get it two days earlier than he could have done if we
had stayed at home. Dr. Xiao also told Percy that though I had done
right not to give him fresh milk, it was all right to give him powdered
milk if I had a good brand. We turned back and stayed that night in
an inn nearer home than Wutiaomen. Raymond seemed worse than
ever that night and we really faced the fact that we might lose our little
son, but by next night when we arrived back in Xixiang, he was
beginning to show the effects of the medicine, and we felt much
happier about him.
Then what a rush it was! We arrived home about four in the
afternoon and had to get ready for the Stranges from Chenggu and
the Hanzhong folk to stay with us that night and all be off again next
morning. We had to decide what we needed to take in the way of
winter clothes so that, if we were away a long time, we would not be
without clothes for the cold weather as we were last time. All this of
course, in the intervals of looking after a sick little boy who wanted to
be nursed most of the time.
Percy’s father decided we would only go as far as Ankang where we
could stay with the Lutheran missionaries until we saw how things
would go. It was only a year since our return from Henan and none of
us wanted to be away again for another year unless we absolutely
had to.”
We were away a month. The Reds were reported to have got as far as Baocheng, 13 miles from
Hanzhong, but the military beat them back and everything seemed to be peaceful once more. It took
us five days to get from Ankang to Xixiang, 11 missionaries and three children and all the Xiao family,
including Dr. Xiao’s mother. She was so ill that the huagan had to be flattened out to make it into a
bed for her and she looked so ill with what could have been pneumonia, that we were sometimes
afraid she would never get to Xixiang or home to Hanzhong at all. The weather, while we were
travelling, was mild and sunny and when we reached Xixiang on the Friday night, I suggested they
had all better stay and rest over the weekend before going on. The Xiaos were to stay anyway until
the old lady was very much better. There was plenty of room for them down in the school buildings
and they were able to manage for themselves. The Hanzhong folk decided to stay the weekend. But
the Stranges wanted to push on as they would have the rest of the party there in a couple of nights,
and Winnie felt she wanted a chance to prepare.
On Saturday morning we got up to hear the rain coming down, and knew it had set in for the day, so
everybody stayed and we enjoyed having them. They all departed again on Monday morning, leaving
only the Xiaos and Helen Dalton who was a nurse, and stayed to help nurse old Mrs. Xiao. A week
later the doctor and Percy’s father cycled together to Hanzhong, leaving the rest of the Xiaos with us.
Percy left too, as he had a Bible School at Yang Xian which had had to be postponed when we
206
Amy Moore
around with in China. Too many missionaries and their children had
died of it. We did seven miles before stopping for breakfast, and had
just started off again when I saw Percy coming towards us on his
bike. He said, “We will have to go back. The Reds are coming and
we all have to get out again.” It did seem like waste of time and
money and energy to have got so far and then have to turn back, but
Percy had medicine with him and I gave Raymond a dose there and
then, so he did get it two days earlier than he could have done if we
had stayed at home. Dr. Xiao also told Percy that though I had done
right not to give him fresh milk, it was all right to give him powdered
milk if I had a good brand. We turned back and stayed that night in
an inn nearer home than Wutiaomen. Raymond seemed worse than
ever that night and we really faced the fact that we might lose our little
son, but by next night when we arrived back in Xixiang, he was
beginning to show the effects of the medicine, and we felt much
happier about him.
Then what a rush it was! We arrived home about four in the
afternoon and had to get ready for the Stranges from Chenggu and
the Hanzhong folk to stay with us that night and all be off again next
morning. We had to decide what we needed to take in the way of
winter clothes so that, if we were away a long time, we would not be
without clothes for the cold weather as we were last time. All this of
course, in the intervals of looking after a sick little boy who wanted to
be nursed most of the time.
Percy’s father decided we would only go as far as Ankang where we
could stay with the Lutheran missionaries until we saw how things
would go. It was only a year since our return from Henan and none of
us wanted to be away again for another year unless we absolutely
had to.”
We were away a month. The Reds were reported to have got as far as Baocheng, 13 miles from
Hanzhong, but the military beat them back and everything seemed to be peaceful once more. It took
us five days to get from Ankang to Xixiang, 11 missionaries and three children and all the Xiao family,
including Dr. Xiao’s mother. She was so ill that the huagan had to be flattened out to make it into a
bed for her and she looked so ill with what could have been pneumonia, that we were sometimes
afraid she would never get to Xixiang or home to Hanzhong at all. The weather, while we were
travelling, was mild and sunny and when we reached Xixiang on the Friday night, I suggested they
had all better stay and rest over the weekend before going on. The Xiaos were to stay anyway until
the old lady was very much better. There was plenty of room for them down in the school buildings
and they were able to manage for themselves. The Hanzhong folk decided to stay the weekend. But
the Stranges wanted to push on as they would have the rest of the party there in a couple of nights,
and Winnie felt she wanted a chance to prepare.
On Saturday morning we got up to hear the rain coming down, and knew it had set in for the day, so
everybody stayed and we enjoyed having them. They all departed again on Monday morning, leaving
only the Xiaos and Helen Dalton who was a nurse, and stayed to help nurse old Mrs. Xiao. A week
later the doctor and Percy’s father cycled together to Hanzhong, leaving the rest of the Xiaos with us.
Percy left too, as he had a Bible School at Yang Xian which had had to be postponed when we
206
