Page 21 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 21
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
He had been in such close contact with all of them that they felt it would be a miracle if others didn't go
down with the disease too. In the end the only one to catch it from George was the small daughter of
the captain of the boat who was travelling with him.
Between Chiangdefu and Hongjiang where the river was full of rapids, most of the party left the boat
and walked along the bank while the three crew members were left on board to navigate the rapids.
George Andrew was too ill to be taken on shore, so he and his devoted `nurse' Adam also remained
on the boat. At one of these places they narrowly escaped losing not only the boat but their lives also
when the men lost control of the boat and it was at the mercy of the floodwaters. It narrowly
escaped being rammed by another boat which came down the rapids behind them and was heading
straight for them. God was caring for them and the rest of the party who had been watching in horror
from the river bank were thankful when they saw the boat once more safely tied up to the shore.
Ten days later they left Hongjiang and travelled about 20 li (7 miles) before tying up for the night.
They made an early start the next morning and before 6 a.m. reached the famous `Snail Rapid' which
was very difficult to negotiate because of the many hidden rocks and an island in the middle of the
stream. The boat struck a rock and, in less than ten minutes, was rapidly filling with water. They
managed to get their goods ashore and to carry George by means of a sheet slung on a bamboo
pole to an inn where they obtained accommodation.
The river was rising rapidly and continued to do so up to 30 or 40 feet. The boat was so badly
smashed that it was going to take at least ten days of fine weather to repair it, so they decided to
continue the journey to Guiyang by land. It would be more expensive but the uncertainty of the river
route and the risk of further rapids made them feel they were justified. They hired a sedan chair for
George to travel in. He was regaining strength quite rapidly but Miss Kerr was continuing to cook him
special food and Adam Dorward tried to save his strength in any way he could.
Miss Kerr's comment on that journey was that "I never saw anything so rich and splendid as some of
the scenes we passed high up on the side of the mountains with valley and glen below in endless
variety. The scenery on the river Yuan was often most lovely, but the land journey quite surpassed
it.”
The beauty of the scenery was mostly lost on George Andrew as he found the whole thing very tiring,
and by nightfall when they had reached their destination for each day he was thankful to lie down and
rest. He was deeply grateful to his companions for their care of him and in writing home about it
added, "I must not forget how they prayed for my recovery and also for freedom from marks, and God
answered both prayers."
Some of the villages through which they passed had never seen foreign women before and people
crowded round the chairs, almost knocking them over in their eagerness to lift the blinds and see
what foreign women looked like. At one place crowds of men lined the streets and at the inn men
pressed into the entrance, climbing in the windows and even trying to break down the door and not till
the two ladies made and appearance at the top of the stairs for a few minutes, were they satisfied and
went off.
At long last on 21 June 1881, they reached Guiyangfu, thankful that their long three month journey
was behind them, and deeply grateful to Adam Dorward and the Chinese evangelist who had helped
them so much right through and now had to turn round and go back to Hunan which was their real
destination.
21
Amy Moore
He had been in such close contact with all of them that they felt it would be a miracle if others didn't go
down with the disease too. In the end the only one to catch it from George was the small daughter of
the captain of the boat who was travelling with him.
Between Chiangdefu and Hongjiang where the river was full of rapids, most of the party left the boat
and walked along the bank while the three crew members were left on board to navigate the rapids.
George Andrew was too ill to be taken on shore, so he and his devoted `nurse' Adam also remained
on the boat. At one of these places they narrowly escaped losing not only the boat but their lives also
when the men lost control of the boat and it was at the mercy of the floodwaters. It narrowly
escaped being rammed by another boat which came down the rapids behind them and was heading
straight for them. God was caring for them and the rest of the party who had been watching in horror
from the river bank were thankful when they saw the boat once more safely tied up to the shore.
Ten days later they left Hongjiang and travelled about 20 li (7 miles) before tying up for the night.
They made an early start the next morning and before 6 a.m. reached the famous `Snail Rapid' which
was very difficult to negotiate because of the many hidden rocks and an island in the middle of the
stream. The boat struck a rock and, in less than ten minutes, was rapidly filling with water. They
managed to get their goods ashore and to carry George by means of a sheet slung on a bamboo
pole to an inn where they obtained accommodation.
The river was rising rapidly and continued to do so up to 30 or 40 feet. The boat was so badly
smashed that it was going to take at least ten days of fine weather to repair it, so they decided to
continue the journey to Guiyang by land. It would be more expensive but the uncertainty of the river
route and the risk of further rapids made them feel they were justified. They hired a sedan chair for
George to travel in. He was regaining strength quite rapidly but Miss Kerr was continuing to cook him
special food and Adam Dorward tried to save his strength in any way he could.
Miss Kerr's comment on that journey was that "I never saw anything so rich and splendid as some of
the scenes we passed high up on the side of the mountains with valley and glen below in endless
variety. The scenery on the river Yuan was often most lovely, but the land journey quite surpassed
it.”
The beauty of the scenery was mostly lost on George Andrew as he found the whole thing very tiring,
and by nightfall when they had reached their destination for each day he was thankful to lie down and
rest. He was deeply grateful to his companions for their care of him and in writing home about it
added, "I must not forget how they prayed for my recovery and also for freedom from marks, and God
answered both prayers."
Some of the villages through which they passed had never seen foreign women before and people
crowded round the chairs, almost knocking them over in their eagerness to lift the blinds and see
what foreign women looked like. At one place crowds of men lined the streets and at the inn men
pressed into the entrance, climbing in the windows and even trying to break down the door and not till
the two ladies made and appearance at the top of the stairs for a few minutes, were they satisfied and
went off.
At long last on 21 June 1881, they reached Guiyangfu, thankful that their long three month journey
was behind them, and deeply grateful to Adam Dorward and the Chinese evangelist who had helped
them so much right through and now had to turn round and go back to Hunan which was their real
destination.
21
