Page 236 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 236
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
it too. In the end they all got away and Percy and Mr. Terry heaved a sigh of relief as they came back
to us to prepare for our own departure.
On the next morning Percy took two of the girls with him to help the Terry party get away. He felt they
could be helping Mrs. Terry and their children repack boxes while he and Mr. Terry did the roping and
unroping. Our own turn came the following day, but this time there was only one man, and by the time
we finished at the railway station, Percys hands were sore and swollen but we were through it all at
last and safely on our way to Guide.
GUIDE
We only had one change of trains and an overnight stay in an inn at Xuzhou where there was a
railway junction, and the next day we found ourselves arriving at Guide. There we were given a warm
welcome by Mr. White of the Southern Baptist Mission. He was kindness itself and did all he could to
help us. To save congestion, the Rowe party had gone on to Bozhou, another three hours by road,
but near enough for Stanley to spend a lot of time with Percy and Mr. Terry trying to get permits for us
to move on.
Our problems were by no means over even though we were now in a non military zone. Although Mr.
White knew the officials well and they were all very friendly, there was always some reason why we
could not have permits to leave ‘today’ or ‘tomorrow’. Finally we came to the conclusion that we were
probably not going to get them at all. This was confirmed one day when the men were told we must
all go back to Qingdao. This we were determined not to do, so we quietly decided to walk out on the
authorities and pray for the eyes of all guards and soldiers to be kept shut as we passed through.
FREE CHINA
It was a strange feeling to be creeping out of a sleeping city early in the morning with our forty cart
loads of baggage, twenty two foreigners all trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. As truck after
truck passed us loaded with Japanese soldiers, we walked on quietly, but expecting every minute to
be challenged to show our passes. The Bozhou party only had their hand luggage as we had all their
heavy luggage with ours. The sentries at the Bozhou city gates challenged them as they came
through, but let them pass.
What a day that was! Apart from our fears of being stopped and sent back while we crossed ‘no
man’s land’ to Chinese occupied territory, we found that the Chinese had cut ditches across the roads
to prevent Japanese vehicles getting through. Every few hundred yards we had to stop, unload our
carts, carry everything across the ditch and reload on the other side. I lost count of how many times
we did this. I only know it was quite late in the afternoon when we found ourselves approaching a
small village and read with amusement and thankfulness a big sign in Chinese characters on the
building facing us, ‘Down with the Japanese devils!’ We had done it!! We were in ‘free China’ at last.
By nightfall all parties had gathered in the little Chinese village. We had safely negotiated the
Japanese occupied territory between Guide and ‘no mans land’, and then ‘no mans land’ itself,
which both sides had tried to make as difficult as possible to pass through. The village people stared
at us as if they had never seen foreigners before. There was a large Chinese garrison stationed in the
village, so Percy and Stanley and Mr. Terry went together to interview the Commanding Officer. The
result was that we were given every courtesy and all the help we needed.
236
Amy Moore
it too. In the end they all got away and Percy and Mr. Terry heaved a sigh of relief as they came back
to us to prepare for our own departure.
On the next morning Percy took two of the girls with him to help the Terry party get away. He felt they
could be helping Mrs. Terry and their children repack boxes while he and Mr. Terry did the roping and
unroping. Our own turn came the following day, but this time there was only one man, and by the time
we finished at the railway station, Percys hands were sore and swollen but we were through it all at
last and safely on our way to Guide.
GUIDE
We only had one change of trains and an overnight stay in an inn at Xuzhou where there was a
railway junction, and the next day we found ourselves arriving at Guide. There we were given a warm
welcome by Mr. White of the Southern Baptist Mission. He was kindness itself and did all he could to
help us. To save congestion, the Rowe party had gone on to Bozhou, another three hours by road,
but near enough for Stanley to spend a lot of time with Percy and Mr. Terry trying to get permits for us
to move on.
Our problems were by no means over even though we were now in a non military zone. Although Mr.
White knew the officials well and they were all very friendly, there was always some reason why we
could not have permits to leave ‘today’ or ‘tomorrow’. Finally we came to the conclusion that we were
probably not going to get them at all. This was confirmed one day when the men were told we must
all go back to Qingdao. This we were determined not to do, so we quietly decided to walk out on the
authorities and pray for the eyes of all guards and soldiers to be kept shut as we passed through.
FREE CHINA
It was a strange feeling to be creeping out of a sleeping city early in the morning with our forty cart
loads of baggage, twenty two foreigners all trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. As truck after
truck passed us loaded with Japanese soldiers, we walked on quietly, but expecting every minute to
be challenged to show our passes. The Bozhou party only had their hand luggage as we had all their
heavy luggage with ours. The sentries at the Bozhou city gates challenged them as they came
through, but let them pass.
What a day that was! Apart from our fears of being stopped and sent back while we crossed ‘no
man’s land’ to Chinese occupied territory, we found that the Chinese had cut ditches across the roads
to prevent Japanese vehicles getting through. Every few hundred yards we had to stop, unload our
carts, carry everything across the ditch and reload on the other side. I lost count of how many times
we did this. I only know it was quite late in the afternoon when we found ourselves approaching a
small village and read with amusement and thankfulness a big sign in Chinese characters on the
building facing us, ‘Down with the Japanese devils!’ We had done it!! We were in ‘free China’ at last.
By nightfall all parties had gathered in the little Chinese village. We had safely negotiated the
Japanese occupied territory between Guide and ‘no mans land’, and then ‘no mans land’ itself,
which both sides had tried to make as difficult as possible to pass through. The village people stared
at us as if they had never seen foreigners before. There was a large Chinese garrison stationed in the
village, so Percy and Stanley and Mr. Terry went together to interview the Commanding Officer. The
result was that we were given every courtesy and all the help we needed.
236
