Narok,
Masai Reserve, B.E.Africa. Dec. 3, 1918.
Dear
Folks:
Tomorrow
is mail day so I must get this off to you as I promised you I
would
write when we got back. I sent your card last, no I mean a
week ago
last Sunday and then we left on Mon. to meet the boys at the
Quarantine camp. We left here early, about 5:30 and got to
Ndulele
about ten and there a good Masai woman friend made some tea
for us
and we bot a few things and by 1 P.M. we started on and after
walking
an hour or so got caught in a heavy rain, but we really almost
enjoyed getting soaked as we had not seen a decent rain for so
long. I had taken an umbrella as a walking stick so we had
that and sat
under a bush for about two hours then Tagi came along and the
men
made a fire and all dried out a bit and pushed on to a certain
camp
just on the top of the hill. From there we went in the next
morning
by 9 A.M. but found no boys there but expected them in by ox
wagon by
evening. Our friend Mr. Taylor was away but his boy always
comes and
asks if we want tea. We put up our tent and decided that if
the
wagons didn’t come we would start very early next morning for
Kijabe, making the 25 miles in one day. Well they didn’t come.
There were a lot of Gov’t transports there and they started
for
here while we were waiting and it was a sight. First was a
long
wagon with a tent covered back in which the white man was,
that had 8
teams of oxen on it, and there was another like it and then
about 4
four-wheeled wagons with 8 donkey teams hitched to them then 2
with 3
teams of oxen and 6 two wheeled carts with 2 teams of oxen and
then 4
or no, 6 with a team each of mules and then a small drove of
extra
oxen tagging along behind. All those wagons were bringing food
here
to camp. It was a sight, and I was glad to have seen it tho I
would
like to have seen some ox wagons with the boys on come in too.
However,
we started out the next morning about 5. and walked for 3 and
a half
hours without stopping, rather expecting to meet them along
the way
some place. After another hour we stopped and had a lunch and
rested
a little then pushed on again and finally after many stops
toward the
last, we got to the Academy about 1:30 expecting to see the
boys run
out to meet us, when the first one we saw was Eddie Ellson and
he
told us the boys had left that morning by motor car. The motor
road
is a little further around and we had come the ox road.
I
was tired enough to drop and that news put the finish on - I
cried. But after the disappointment was over we were very glad
that they had
the chance to go that way for what takes us two days by ox
wagon they
had done in less than two hours. I never can eat when we walk,
I
just drink so I was sort of faint but as soon as I had some
tea and
Miss Slater fried us each an egg and we had some nice bread
and
butter, I soon felt fine and somehow the nearer we got the
better
John could walk and repeatedly said he felt just as fresh as
when we
started from camp. Agnes got some hot water and I bathed my
feet and
put on her stockings and shoes and even her skirt so I felt
very fine
and Mrs. Hurlburt came to see me after we rested and then we
went to
Kendalls, the newest house on the station, for supper and just
before
prayermeeting time Miss Slater informed us that arrangements
had been
made for us to go back next morning by motor and she had
ordered all
our things from the shops and that they would come by the
wagons. John lead prayermeeting and Mrs. Downing just called
in to see us and early next morning I got up and went to the
hospital for
medicines I wanted to bring along and by 8:30 we were on our
way to
the station where we would find the cars. Mr. McKenrick was at
the
Academy too as two of his girls were sick so we had a visit
with him
too. We got to the station and found that the wagons had gone
the
night before and had left our things so we just left word to
send
them the next time and we brot any perishables and boarded our
motors. They were nothing but rattly old Fords but they looked
mighty good to us. The gov’t runs them across there with water
for
their camp at quarantine. There were native drivers but I
didn’t
care as I wanted to get there as soon as possible. The
officers were
very nice and said I shouldn’t be nervous as the chauffeurs
knew
how to run them very well. We had to stop several times and
John’s
driver could never get the machine cranked, mine would have to
get
out and do it. We found the boys looking for us when we got
there
[quarantine camp, near Suswa] and they seemed about as glad to
see us
as we them. Mr. Taylor took them over in his car and took care
of
them - giving them their meals and we had left the tent up and
our
beds made and everything as tho we were just gone for a walk
and that
was what they thot we had done when they couldn’t find us,
course
Tagi had left the oxen and the man to take care of them and
when he
came in they asked him and he said we had gone to Kijabe. They
looked under the pillows and found John’s night clothes under
one
and mine under the other and guessed whose place each was
sleeping
in. Mr. Taylor also had us eat with him when we came, and
seemed
quite disappointed when he couldn’t get our breakfast next
morning
when we said we would be on the march before he was around.
Tagi
walked back again from Kijabe, making 25 miles each day. He
was
tired too for he wasn’t really over the Influenza yet and felt
weak. Next morning we were up before three and on the road by
4:15
and had gone most ten miles by the time the sun came up. Then
we ate
some sandwiches and Tagi passed us but said where we would
stop for a
better feed. So we went on and it kept getting harder and
hotter all
the time and we were so thirsty, especially the boys, and when
we got
to the very top and thot we would find Tagi we found some one
else
was camping there and Tagi had gone on. The boys did very well
and
we marched on. Then when we did finally reach him and wanted
the
nice water Mr. Taylor had put into our bottle we found it had
tipped
and half had run out so we had less than a cup apiece. There
was a
little still in the drum and we boiled that and made tea and
then ate
some roasted potatoes and corn and Mrs. Downing had sent us
some cape
tomatoes and we went at them and that helped our thirst. We
rested
about 4 hours and the rest of the way the boys rode - twas
only an
hour or so to Ndulele and there an Indian friend got tea ready
for us
right away, and the man went to the water hole and got some
but
course it had to be boiled and made into tea and Raymond was
thirsty
for just plain water. We camped there. When we went there on
our
way over there were some sick ones but not many and when we
came back
all the shops were closed but one because the Indians had all
died. We got a good start on Sat. morning and were here by 8
A.M. Miss S
wasn’t up yet. We were glad to get back again and it seemed
especially nice to have the boys here again. Most of the sick
ones
are either better or dead. The camp lost more than 10 percent
of
their soldiers and porters. All are out of the hospital now
and
there are not many deaths and not apt to be any more now, but
one day
they had as high as 131. The officers are getting over it too.
We
had four of them up here Sun. P.M. for tea and I am again
baking
cakes for them. Some of our workers at Kijabe had it and were
very
sick. Lucille Downing and Harry Hurlburt and Mrs. Guilding
were all
very sick, others had some trouble but not serious. At the
native
girls home there were 48 down at one time, and some died but I
don’t
know how many.
Since
I am home I have been going some. Started with getting
breakfast for
us all and then unpacking and getting dinner and I baked both
for
ourselves and the camp and bathed all around etc etc, so
Sunday was
very acceptable as a rest day. Yesterday Nyakeiru was not able
to
help wash so R- and I did it and I baked again for both places
and
tried to get some of the many buttons replaced on the boys
clothes. Today ironed and other innumerable jobs and tomorrow
John wants to
root everything out of here and put in the floor made of half
common
dirt and other half of cow manure. Last week when he was
working at
the floor in the bed room I said what do you think Elmer would
say to
living in a room with such a floor and he said “Elmer is
usually
living in one worse than this - I’d rather live in a cow barn
than
in a pig pen”. That floor is nice and dry now and needs only
the
varnish finish on it to make it right. That is fresh cow
manure
rubbed on the top which makes it hard and one can sweep it and
keep
it clean. I have been almost eaten up today with fleas and I
certainly hope it will be better when we get a floor put in
here. Miss S. has been in the tent and never swept or dampened
it down and
the dust got so deep and the fleas so bad that she was spotted
like
measles. and then one night she wore a wool night gown and the
next
day we caught 44 fleas in it and the second night 52, then she
decided to change and wear muslin. Now since we are back she
has the
tent at a different place and has rest. Her house is getting
on. It
is hard to find anything for a roof as the camp has cleared
out
everything pretty well. The Major has gone to Nairobi to get
the
releases for the whole outfit of blacks and whites but we
don’t
know when he will be back and whether he can get them at all.
The
officers are rather anxious to move on. There was one good
shower
while we were away but that was all and it is getting very
dusty all
around the camp. Guess I told you they were setting gun traps.
They
have killed 9 leopards and about 20 hyenas and jackals I don’t
know
how many. But they haven’t yet gotten the buck that comes into
the
garden for he has been eating at things again. We will have
plenty
of brush to fix a fence with when the camp moves. Since so
many were
well again we had a meeting on Sun. evening and are having
them again
every night and Miss S has started up school again.
She
was to go on her vacation now while the boys are home but
there was
too much sickness around. Agnes and her husband may come over
for
part of the vacation but I don’t think anyone else will. After
Christmas we want to go for a fishing trip and to see where
some of
our Masai are.
Mulungit’s
George is two day after tomorrow, I guess I will fix up a
little bag
of peanuts and dates. There are so many of them that what you
do for
one must be done for all so we don’t do very much for any.
There
are no letters to answer, but I suppose when the boy takes
these he
will bring others back. Haven’t had anything form China in a
long
time. I remember there were some things in Lora’s last that I
didn’t answer but I wont tonight as it is ten already. You see
we
had meeting first and then put the boys to bed. They have
their
spring in a corner of our bedroom, makes it very crowded but
when
Miss S moves into her house they will sleep in the tent.
Here
is something most good enough for the Journal. One of these
soldiers
was asked what his religion was and answered that he used to
be a
Christian and when asked, wasn’t he a christian now said, no,
now
he was a soldier.
Mama
I have written Aunt Annie about Mulungits Bible and told her
perhaps
you would like to help get one for him. His burned when the
houses
did and he misses it so much and ours haven’t come down from
the
Congo so we haven’t more than we need so I told Aunt Annie
about
what he would like and between you I wish you would send him
one. He
uses only the English one, and I wish you could see how nicely
he
does it. He reads from the English and translates it just as
he
reads it into Masai or Kikuyu or Swahili, whichever one he
needs. Now I must stop and get to bed for we have a busy day
before us
tomorrow. We are going to put the table under the fly of the
tent
and move the boxes all out too. I do hope we can have a board
floor
in the next house we put up. Perhaps iron will get cheap again
and
we can have an iron roof that would be nicest then we would
not need
to have any thot of fire and could have fireplaces too. Now
goodnight one and all. This isn’t much for this time but will
do
better next mail. Will write one more this year and then it
will be
1919. We do so wonder what Warren will do now and if he had
gone
home from camp yet. Wonder too whether you will have the “Flu”
as some call it, hope you all come off as easy as we did. None
of we
three had even a touch of it.
John
worked hard to get the other room done so that if any of us
had had
it we would have been able to move the bed there. It made me
think
of the times before the children were born how I would hurry
to get
certain things done.
Lots
& lots of love from the whole united family of
Stauffachers.
[from
margins] How we wonder how you are. There’s sure to be letters
tomorrow. Here I was watching for those paint books &
intended
keeping them for Xmas & they have them. You put R’s name
on &
of course they went to him at Kijabe. Thanks so much. They’ll
write next time.
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