Experiences of Missionaries in Attempt to Reach Kueiteh Arrival of Troops and Equally, Hurried Departure Prox Oce Pocttow Counts70xDExt Tongshan, Ku., Sept. 28.
Since leaving Pochow on April 8, T have not felt that I had anything to write you worth reporting, though it may now be interesting to report that after these months of waiting, hoping all the time that the next few
[work, we are now back, wit ight mean the return to our miles of Pochow, with condition that we think we cai go southwest from here and reach Pochow with~ lout crossing into Feng Vu-hsiang's territory. But since our party consist of missionaries—Messrs. S. J. Townsend, P.T. Kousterly of Kueiteh fu, Fred Ditmenson, Lu Yi and Wade D, Bostick of Pochow—and. since we have strong word of assurance that within a few (two to five) days we may be able to proceed to Kueiteh by railroad, we are now waiting in the mission here. The Missionaries did not leave here during all the trouble and have not suffered from looting or the antiforeign agitation. The spirit of the people so far as we are able to observe, is well nigh the old time kindly feeling towards us, A Sign of Encouragement"
This makes us hopeful that we fare to have encouragement in our work when we can be back in it. When one thinks of 15 out of 16 of all missionaries having left their tations, it may be that there is pos.
ably the foding that maybe missionaries have lost heart and interest in the work. But if this, our group of four or the larger group, with whom I have been associated the past few months, can be taken a fair sample of the' whole, it can easily be said that the hope and interest still abide. And I find a strong pull on my heartstrings to et back and be associated with the people among whom I have lived and worked for 28 years, And by ters and otherwise we have been ade to hope there fs still to be an interest shown in us and co-opera tion with us, Travel has been quite easy and comfortable between Tsingtao and Tainan, all the time. So that part of our journey was made promptly and comfortably. But at Tsinan we had a delay of 48 hours, and even then it looked as though the delay. might be much longer if we depended only upon a passenger train, However, some of our party thoroughly believe in "if at first you don't succeed try again." So this motto was followed and we found ourselves on a 20-car train, specially for Russian soldiers coming south. As we had our own bedding, et, for seats and what reclining could be allowed, considering the crowded jears, we made a comparatively comfortable and prompt trip to Heuichoufu, and we left that train with heartfelt gratitude toward those Russians for the attitude shown by all the way. To be sure one could not. '8ee them on this trip without being fully impressed that they are given to "suffering hardness."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.