Page 243 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 243
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
the insides of a motor vehicle, and we were often horrified at the risks they took on those dangerous
mountain roads.
Elizabeth described that second day when we hoped to reach Hanzhong by nightfall:
“We enjoyed the scenery of that second day even more than the first.
There was more vegetation and we followed the course of a clear
river. The colours of the stones in the river bed were amazing and
the water itself seemed to change form indigo to pale jade. Here and
there, perched on the top of a steep mountain, was a picturesque little
temple. We could quite understand how people felt they acquired
merit by visiting these shrines.
Just when we were congratulating ourselves that we should be in
Hanzhong by dinner time, our truck ran out of alcohol, so we
thankfully climbed out to stretch our legs. Then we sat by the river
while the driver walked to the next town about four miles away. Three
hours later he returned with a little fuel on the top of another truck to
which most of our passengers transferred. We remained on the first
truck, but a mile further on, ran out of fuel again in a narrow place
where the road was under construction. The second bus was behind
us and there just was not room for it to pass. It would drive alongside,
crash and pull away to crash again. Each time the two met, we would
pass over luggage and, when all was transferred, began to climb over
ourselves
Four of us, Ruth, Elizabeth, Ilma and Mildred were still on the first bus
when the other bus bumped again, began to push past and gradually
pushed our bus (the first one) off the road. We tried to scramble
across but there were warning cries, and a most imposing looking
passenger held up an imperious hand and said, “Wait a minute,
ladies” in English! At last the second bus managed to squeeze past
us and disappeared in a cloud of dust, while we were left sitting. We
sat back to back on a spare tyre and laughed. There was nothing we
could do. If we tried to walk to the town we would probably lose the
others, and something would have to be done about the bus we were
on, so we might as well wait.
So there we sat without luggage, without money, without tickets and
without language, on the top of a temporarily abandoned bus, whose
driver had vanished. After three quarters of an hour, Mrs. Moore
appeared! The imposing passenger had championed our cause, she
said, and contrary to her expectations, the driver had consented to
wait for us in the bus station. This bus (the one which had got ahead
of ours) was a charcoal burner, so slower and the first one after it had
been refuelled, actually passed us before we reached Hanzhong.”
243
Amy Moore
the insides of a motor vehicle, and we were often horrified at the risks they took on those dangerous
mountain roads.
Elizabeth described that second day when we hoped to reach Hanzhong by nightfall:
“We enjoyed the scenery of that second day even more than the first.
There was more vegetation and we followed the course of a clear
river. The colours of the stones in the river bed were amazing and
the water itself seemed to change form indigo to pale jade. Here and
there, perched on the top of a steep mountain, was a picturesque little
temple. We could quite understand how people felt they acquired
merit by visiting these shrines.
Just when we were congratulating ourselves that we should be in
Hanzhong by dinner time, our truck ran out of alcohol, so we
thankfully climbed out to stretch our legs. Then we sat by the river
while the driver walked to the next town about four miles away. Three
hours later he returned with a little fuel on the top of another truck to
which most of our passengers transferred. We remained on the first
truck, but a mile further on, ran out of fuel again in a narrow place
where the road was under construction. The second bus was behind
us and there just was not room for it to pass. It would drive alongside,
crash and pull away to crash again. Each time the two met, we would
pass over luggage and, when all was transferred, began to climb over
ourselves
Four of us, Ruth, Elizabeth, Ilma and Mildred were still on the first bus
when the other bus bumped again, began to push past and gradually
pushed our bus (the first one) off the road. We tried to scramble
across but there were warning cries, and a most imposing looking
passenger held up an imperious hand and said, “Wait a minute,
ladies” in English! At last the second bus managed to squeeze past
us and disappeared in a cloud of dust, while we were left sitting. We
sat back to back on a spare tyre and laughed. There was nothing we
could do. If we tried to walk to the town we would probably lose the
others, and something would have to be done about the bus we were
on, so we might as well wait.
So there we sat without luggage, without money, without tickets and
without language, on the top of a temporarily abandoned bus, whose
driver had vanished. After three quarters of an hour, Mrs. Moore
appeared! The imposing passenger had championed our cause, she
said, and contrary to her expectations, the driver had consented to
wait for us in the bus station. This bus (the one which had got ahead
of ours) was a charcoal burner, so slower and the first one after it had
been refuelled, actually passed us before we reached Hanzhong.”
243
