Page 237 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 237
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
Inns were found where we could stay the night, not the most comfortable accommodation as most of
us had to sleep on the floor, but we were too tired to care. Food of a kind was prepared for us and
next morning, as we walked the mile or so down to the river to hire boats, we found a guard of honour
drawn up to farewell us. Percy, marching on ahead with Frankie perched astride his shoulders, was
taken completely by surprise when the soldiers suddenly sprang to attention and presented arms as
he came abreast of them. All he could think to do was to bow as deeply as possible, but with Frank on
his shoulders, this was not easy. We caught up with him in time to see Percy looking embarrassed
and rather foolish as the soldiers prepared to march away. The other two men, who had not been
caught up in this little drama, were splitting their sides laughing at Percy’s dilemma.
The men had spoken for four boats to take us down river and over the wide spread flood waters,
which were the result of the Generalissimo breaking the Huang He (Yellow River) dykes to keep back
the Japanese and hinder their advance into China. We allotted the biggest boat to the Rowes with
their two children and five of the new workers. They had Ilma, Elizabeth and Ruth, our three Aussies,
who had travelled with us from Melbourne, and also Jessie and Mildred who were both English. We
had the two New Zealanders, Ina and Marjorie, whom we had brought from Sydney, and also three
Britishers, Olive Lothian, Marjorie Sykes (nicknamed ‘Bill’ for obvious reasons) and Ina McLachlan
from Scotland. The Terry family had a small boat to themselves, and we were given the remaining
two, one small boat for our family and the bigger one for the girls. Because there was so little room on
our boat, we spent most of the daylight hours on the bigger one with our girls. That gave Alan and
Frankie room to move round and play, and sometimes if we were near a bank, we were able to get out
and walk while the boatmen pulled upstream singing songs which often sounded very like ‘The Volga
Boatman’.
At night we usually anchored somewhere near the shore, and our family would then return to our own
small boat for the night. Our sleeping area was about five feet square, with the roof some three feet
above our heads. We slept with our heads near the entrance to get some air and, since we couldn’t
stretch straight out comfortably, Percy and I stretched across from corner to corner with a child filling
the gaps each side of us. It was a tight squeeze and we were never sorry when morning came and
we could stretch our legs.
Alan’s constant companion was a little lunch case which my cousin Wally Tassell had given him before
we left Perth. He kept all his ‘luggage’ in it and packed and unpacked it a dozen times a day. It never
left him, and kept him happy and contented all through that long journey. Both the boys were
marvellous little travellers and I was so thankful that they kept well and good all the way along.
As we proceeded the flood waters increased on all sides, dirty yellow water which was our only
drinking water of course. We saw dead bodies floating past at times, people as well as animals. The
boatman’s wife hauled up a bucket of water when it was needed, and as she swished a lump of alum
round in it, the sediment settled at the bottom. Then we boiled the clear water remaining at the top
before we dared drink it. It was probably full of germs, but at least they were cooked germs before we
ate them!
The Rowe party kept us amused with their antics. Christopher, in a playful mood, decided to throw
one of his best shoes overboard, much to his mother’s disgust. On another day Stanley, who was
quietly sitting on deck, suddenly decided he would go on shore. He was very short sighted, and
whether he misjudged the distance or not we never knew, but instead of landing on the bank, he
jumped with a loud splash into the deep water between it and the boat. Norah, instead of rushing to
save her spouse from drowning, was so overcome with mirth, that she just stood on the deck with both
hands on her hips and laughed and laughed, while Stanley called in vain for somebody to help him.
237
Amy Moore
Inns were found where we could stay the night, not the most comfortable accommodation as most of
us had to sleep on the floor, but we were too tired to care. Food of a kind was prepared for us and
next morning, as we walked the mile or so down to the river to hire boats, we found a guard of honour
drawn up to farewell us. Percy, marching on ahead with Frankie perched astride his shoulders, was
taken completely by surprise when the soldiers suddenly sprang to attention and presented arms as
he came abreast of them. All he could think to do was to bow as deeply as possible, but with Frank on
his shoulders, this was not easy. We caught up with him in time to see Percy looking embarrassed
and rather foolish as the soldiers prepared to march away. The other two men, who had not been
caught up in this little drama, were splitting their sides laughing at Percy’s dilemma.
The men had spoken for four boats to take us down river and over the wide spread flood waters,
which were the result of the Generalissimo breaking the Huang He (Yellow River) dykes to keep back
the Japanese and hinder their advance into China. We allotted the biggest boat to the Rowes with
their two children and five of the new workers. They had Ilma, Elizabeth and Ruth, our three Aussies,
who had travelled with us from Melbourne, and also Jessie and Mildred who were both English. We
had the two New Zealanders, Ina and Marjorie, whom we had brought from Sydney, and also three
Britishers, Olive Lothian, Marjorie Sykes (nicknamed ‘Bill’ for obvious reasons) and Ina McLachlan
from Scotland. The Terry family had a small boat to themselves, and we were given the remaining
two, one small boat for our family and the bigger one for the girls. Because there was so little room on
our boat, we spent most of the daylight hours on the bigger one with our girls. That gave Alan and
Frankie room to move round and play, and sometimes if we were near a bank, we were able to get out
and walk while the boatmen pulled upstream singing songs which often sounded very like ‘The Volga
Boatman’.
At night we usually anchored somewhere near the shore, and our family would then return to our own
small boat for the night. Our sleeping area was about five feet square, with the roof some three feet
above our heads. We slept with our heads near the entrance to get some air and, since we couldn’t
stretch straight out comfortably, Percy and I stretched across from corner to corner with a child filling
the gaps each side of us. It was a tight squeeze and we were never sorry when morning came and
we could stretch our legs.
Alan’s constant companion was a little lunch case which my cousin Wally Tassell had given him before
we left Perth. He kept all his ‘luggage’ in it and packed and unpacked it a dozen times a day. It never
left him, and kept him happy and contented all through that long journey. Both the boys were
marvellous little travellers and I was so thankful that they kept well and good all the way along.
As we proceeded the flood waters increased on all sides, dirty yellow water which was our only
drinking water of course. We saw dead bodies floating past at times, people as well as animals. The
boatman’s wife hauled up a bucket of water when it was needed, and as she swished a lump of alum
round in it, the sediment settled at the bottom. Then we boiled the clear water remaining at the top
before we dared drink it. It was probably full of germs, but at least they were cooked germs before we
ate them!
The Rowe party kept us amused with their antics. Christopher, in a playful mood, decided to throw
one of his best shoes overboard, much to his mother’s disgust. On another day Stanley, who was
quietly sitting on deck, suddenly decided he would go on shore. He was very short sighted, and
whether he misjudged the distance or not we never knew, but instead of landing on the bank, he
jumped with a loud splash into the deep water between it and the boat. Norah, instead of rushing to
save her spouse from drowning, was so overcome with mirth, that she just stood on the deck with both
hands on her hips and laughed and laughed, while Stanley called in vain for somebody to help him.
237
