Page 232 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 232
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
“Just a line to let you know how good and
happy Raymond is. The ship left punctually
The “Shengking”
near Shanghai (top picture) and at 10 and we are having a very good trip.
docked in Tientsin (bottom Raymond shares a cabin with me and
shows unmistakeable signs of making a
picture)
splendid little schoolboy. He says he likes
this ship better than the one you came on
from Australia. Wishing you as good and
safe a journey as possible and always the
best of news from Chefoo. Ailsa.”
We found that the Stanley Rowe party and the Ernie Davis
party had all gone through ahead of us to Bengbu where we
were all hoping to get through to free China. We decided to
give them a few days start so that we would not attract too
much attention by having so many ‘foreigners’ together.
From Qingdao we had to go by train to Bengbu with a
change of trains at the junction Jinan. We were reasonably
comfortable on the first train, though not able to sit together
as it was fairly crowded. I found myself with Frank on my
knee sitting next to a Japanese officer, while Percy, with
Alan was further along next to another Japanese officer. He
seemed to be getting along well as he managed to make
conversation by writing in Chinese characters what he
wanted to say. They are very similar to the Japanese, and he could understand.
I could not get through to mine in the same way with a wriggly little boy on my lap, but to my relief he
seemed to like children and quickly made friends with Frank. To my horror, Frank was not content
with smiling and making pleasant noises, but wanted to stand on my knee and reach over to pull the
Japanese beard! Knowing how touchy the Japanese can be with foreigners, I hastened to look and
sound apologetic. We didn’t seem to have rocked the boat too badly as he took Frank on his knee
and went on playing with him.
From Jinan on it was another story, as the second train was absolutely crammed with people and we
could hardly get in, much less find a place to sit or sleep for the night, or even stand. Percy found a
first class compartment with nobody occupying it, so we all crowded into that and stayed there till the
conductor came to make up the beds for the night and turned us all out. We stood in the corridor then,
while Percy vainly tried to find a vacant seat where we could spend the night. A guard finally gave us
his own seat in a corner which was so narrow that five of us managed to squeeze onto it, but only with
our knees pressing against the wall. Most uncomfortable! It looked like a long night ahead and with
two tired little children, I was not looking forward to it.
Dr. Adolph of our Mission was on the train, and after a few hours, he came along to see how we were
faring. When he saw how uncomfortable we were, he insisted that I go back with him to his first class
sleeper, where the two children and I could have his bunk and he would get in with his wife in the
other one. This was marvellous and while I would not say it was the most comfortable night I have
spent, it was one hundred percent better than sitting up all night.
Meanwhile the five girls occupied the seat I had been on with the children, and Percy sat on our
luggage at the end of the corridor. At 12:30 all the Japanese guards were replaced by Chinese ones
and the officials were all well asleep, so a little Chinese attendant came quietly to Percy and took him
232
Amy Moore
“Just a line to let you know how good and
happy Raymond is. The ship left punctually
The “Shengking”
near Shanghai (top picture) and at 10 and we are having a very good trip.
docked in Tientsin (bottom Raymond shares a cabin with me and
shows unmistakeable signs of making a
picture)
splendid little schoolboy. He says he likes
this ship better than the one you came on
from Australia. Wishing you as good and
safe a journey as possible and always the
best of news from Chefoo. Ailsa.”
We found that the Stanley Rowe party and the Ernie Davis
party had all gone through ahead of us to Bengbu where we
were all hoping to get through to free China. We decided to
give them a few days start so that we would not attract too
much attention by having so many ‘foreigners’ together.
From Qingdao we had to go by train to Bengbu with a
change of trains at the junction Jinan. We were reasonably
comfortable on the first train, though not able to sit together
as it was fairly crowded. I found myself with Frank on my
knee sitting next to a Japanese officer, while Percy, with
Alan was further along next to another Japanese officer. He
seemed to be getting along well as he managed to make
conversation by writing in Chinese characters what he
wanted to say. They are very similar to the Japanese, and he could understand.
I could not get through to mine in the same way with a wriggly little boy on my lap, but to my relief he
seemed to like children and quickly made friends with Frank. To my horror, Frank was not content
with smiling and making pleasant noises, but wanted to stand on my knee and reach over to pull the
Japanese beard! Knowing how touchy the Japanese can be with foreigners, I hastened to look and
sound apologetic. We didn’t seem to have rocked the boat too badly as he took Frank on his knee
and went on playing with him.
From Jinan on it was another story, as the second train was absolutely crammed with people and we
could hardly get in, much less find a place to sit or sleep for the night, or even stand. Percy found a
first class compartment with nobody occupying it, so we all crowded into that and stayed there till the
conductor came to make up the beds for the night and turned us all out. We stood in the corridor then,
while Percy vainly tried to find a vacant seat where we could spend the night. A guard finally gave us
his own seat in a corner which was so narrow that five of us managed to squeeze onto it, but only with
our knees pressing against the wall. Most uncomfortable! It looked like a long night ahead and with
two tired little children, I was not looking forward to it.
Dr. Adolph of our Mission was on the train, and after a few hours, he came along to see how we were
faring. When he saw how uncomfortable we were, he insisted that I go back with him to his first class
sleeper, where the two children and I could have his bunk and he would get in with his wife in the
other one. This was marvellous and while I would not say it was the most comfortable night I have
spent, it was one hundred percent better than sitting up all night.
Meanwhile the five girls occupied the seat I had been on with the children, and Percy sat on our
luggage at the end of the corridor. At 12:30 all the Japanese guards were replaced by Chinese ones
and the officials were all well asleep, so a little Chinese attendant came quietly to Percy and took him
232
