Ingwenya Mission, Bembesi, September 23rd, 1925.— My dear Mr Cameron, In my last letter I told you of our purpose to visit the Shangani Station this month. The distance is 88 miles towards the north-west. As the district is a “Big Game” Reserve, the road or track leads through dense jungle lands and forests. The part is sparsely populated as yet, the native kraals often being as far apart as 20 miles from each other. As I am a stranger to bush travel I had some fears in setting forth and these were somewhat strengthened on account of early rains beginning to fall. I think that I told you before that the Reserve is within the “fly belt,” and consequently travel by horse conveyance is not considered advisable. The ordinary means of transport is by ox waggon. To use this regularly is expensive, as two men and sixteen oxen have to be hired for a fortnight. It has also the drawback of being so very slow that we would be forced to spend four nights in the bush each way. As we hope to visit this outstation as often as possible in the future I thought it best both for the present occasion and the future to purchase a car.*
* This seems to me the only way to carry on the duties devolving on Mr Tallach, and therefore I hope friends will help him to pay at least a part of the price of it. He has not asked the Church to pay for it, so he must have paid for it himself.—Neil Cameron.
We left Ingwenya on Wednesday, 11th. The ground onwards towards Shangani is very different from that which you may have observed at Ingwenya. The fertility of the soil, combined with the greater heat, causes all vegetation to grow in greater luxuriance. The bush is thicker and covers wider areas, while large plains of tall thick grass stretch as far as the eye can see. We were thankful that because of the car it was unnecessary to camp in these during the night. Wild animals of different kinds inhabit these parts and make encamping during night exceedingly unsafe to the unarmed. We arrived on Saturday evening and received a warm welcome from the missionary, the chief, and the people. Our arrival was totally unexpected, but they immediately set about to make us as comfortable as possible. Demobonbo (the missionary) and his family placed his hut at our disposal while he resorted to a grass shelter during our stay with them. While we appreciated their kindness we felt for them, as during one of these typical tropical thunderstorms which burst over our kraal on the second night, their hut (being roofed with grass only) was flooded out. When we had worship on the night of our arrival we were pleased to notice a number of boys present. They sang the Psalms from memory and after the custom you are acquainted with out here, repeated the Lord’s Prayer at conclusion. On the Sabbath I preached twice (Acts xvii. 30-31, and Phil. iv. 1). The services were well attended, 70 being present, and as the people showed great interest and behaved most orderly, it was a pleasure to speak to them. It was previously brought before my notice that a number desired the privilege of baptism. We examined eight adults, and these having given satisfaction, they were baptised along with six children. I intimated my intention of meeting any sick people and dispensing medicine on the morrow. A good number came along on both Monday and Tuesday, and I trust that I was able to be of some use in most of the cases. The school work in the mission also proceeds very favourably. At the inauguration of the station last year there were 27 pupils, these now number 57. A few of them have passed the primer, while seven of the older children are able to read the Xosa Bible. A large number have committed some of the Psalms and the Lord’s Prayer to memory. The other parts of their education are on the same lines as in the schools at Ingwenya and, on the whole, the secular part of our work there reflects the highest credit on our young teacher and his work. When it is remembered that this station was opened only a year last August among absolute heathen, one must admit that in both spheres, the spiritual and the secular, the hand of the Most High is evidently working. We were indeed sorry that we could not wait longer than Tuesday among the people, as there were indications of early rains, but we came away encouraged with what we had seen. We determined (D.V.) to visit this station as often as possible, not only on account of the large number of heathen already there and their encouraging reception of the truth, but also since Shangani is a native reserve it is being continually filled up with heathen from the surrounding parts. Ethiopia is indeed stretching out her hands to God, and she looks to the Church as God’s representative on earth, to give the knowledge of that God to her.
We left for home on Tuesday. The return journey was not so pleasant as the outgoing, on account of rain during the week-end. You will understand that the way which leads through the jungle is a mere track which becomes soft and muddy and in the drifts sometimes impassable after rain. But on our arrival on Wednesday we felt thankful for the Lord’s preserving care over the 176 miles of the somewhat precarious travel we had experienced.
I trust that Shangani will have a place with our friends in Scotland at a throne of grace, and that they will be specially mindful of both missionary and teacher there, who in loneliness and under great disadvantages, seek to make known the Saviour of that Blessed Name which to us all is above every other name. We felt something like Paul when meeting saints in an unexpected quarter. He thanked God and took courage. “The Lord of us has mindful been and He will bless us still.” Yours very sincerely, JOHN TALLACH.