Mary Moffat Travels to the Colony
Early in 1S33 Mary Moffat started for the Colony. It was more than two years since she had seen the daughters who were at school. Her heart was naturally drawn to them. They had of course friends, but not of their own kindred. Even for the sake of visiting them she did not feel that it would be right of her to take her husband away from his work. She brought her mind to undertake the journey alone. It involved an absence of five months. Her escort through the wilderness for a good part of that time was to consist of Bechwanas who a few years before were mere barbarians, not to say savages.
It was an additional comfort to her to be able to do good service to the mission by her journey. She brought up from the coast a large quantity of printing material which otherwise would have probably been many months finding its way from Port Elizabeth to Kuruman.
Mary Moffat to Mrs. Roby of Manchester.
“LiTAKo, Oct. I, 1833.” You would heai that I had visited the Colony to see our dear children. It ;Yas of course no pleasing task to take such a journey alone, but it appeared to us that we were bound in duty to separate for that time. It was necessary to know how the children were getting on and to attend to their wants; and it could not be Moffat’s duty to leave the station again so soon, and therefore we determined to part. I was more than five months absent, having arrived on the 7th of last month, nearly a month later than was my intention, having taken with me a waggon expressly to bring type and printing paper for the Society, and having to await the arrival of the same. We have, however, satisfaction in the step, Moffat’s presence having been exceedingly requisite on the station, and much has been accomplished both in the spiritual work and in the temporal, and all has been well.
“The maids also, whom I left to manage domestic matters, have far exceeded my expectations, so that he had very little to trouble him in that respect, and I see that my labour in instructing them in these matters is not lost. Every member of the mission family enjoyed uninterrupted health the whole time. My journey was exceedingly prosperous, nothing worthy the name of an accident having taken place, though the waggons had extraordinary weight upon them. My travelling company of servants consisted of five Bechwana men and one Hottentot as drivers, leaders, and loose cattle-drivers, and a girl to nurse my baby. In one of these men, Paul, one of the first converts, I had great comfort. Not having my husband with me I had occasion to put the more confidence in him, and truly it was not misplaced. He has proved himself faithful, did everything in his power to make me comfortable, and managed the rest of them admirably. I assure you that I had continual joy in him as a brother in our Lord Jesus Christ. Ever since his conversion, nearly five years ago, we have esteemed him highly, but now justly more than ever. I know, my dear Mrs. Roby, you will bless God for His goodness to us in this transaction of our lives. I am a poor weak creature, mentally and bodily, but He has graciously supported me through the whole of it. I found it particularly pleasant to be constantly feeling my dependence on Him, having no earthly protector near me, and in numerous instances had occasion to admire His providential care over us. He was indeed to me better than all my fears, for I am too ready to suspect that the rod of correction is about to be used. By this you may guess what a wayward child I am.
“I left the three elder children at school. The two girls have I think made as much progress as could be expected in the time. We have been desirous of making Mary acquainted with the Infant School system before her return home; but she is still rather too young to leave school, unless she could have been placed with a person who would have attended to her education, such as Miss Tyndall — but the dear woman has been obliged to retire from labour on account of bad health. Should she recover her strength the good people at Grahamstown are anxious to secure her future labours for their children, and this would be the very thing for us. Should there be no probability of accomplishing this object, we shall most likely soon get Mary home by some opportunity.
“And now, my dear Mrs. Roby, I must conclude. Will you forgive all my neglect of you? I know you will. Surely I need not say how happy I shall be to hear from you at any time; and whilst you live do not forget to pray for us. I trust the church at Grosvenor Street will never lose the missionary zeal which has so long characterized it, and into which our late beloved friend so warmly entered. I suppose you do not often see my poor old father. I fear his health is declining, but he appears to be happy and resigned; but my anxieties about him can only cease with his life.”
“LiTAKO, March 20, 1834.” Do, my dear father, write as often as you can, and forgive us that we are not more attentive to you. Robert is in a perpetual bustle; the printing is a wonderful addition to the work here, and the extreme anxiety of his mind to give evetything as correctly as possible causes him incessant mental labour. Whatever he is doing or however engaged we are sure to find that his mind is occupied with some knotty passage of Scripture about which commentators and critics cannot agree. Besides this, the care of the whole station spiritual and temporal is upon him. Mr. Hamilton is an excellent and laborious man, and his labours on the place are invaluable, but he has not an ability for managing the affairs of a mission, neither have the Directors ever thought proper to invest him with that office. Mr. Edwards is a laborious and active schoolmaster, and the rest of his time is filled up with work in connection with the press. If my dear Robert had not had an iron constitution he must long ago have sunk under his manifold labours, so that I really feel delicate about pressing him even to write a letter....
“I have the happiness to inform you that our dear Rolland has married Miss Tyndall, and we expect them daily, when Moffat and all who can be spared from this place are to set off for the Bahurutse for roof timber for the chapel, as they could not get away last winter. Mosilikatse has full possession of that country, and gives no rest till Tvloffat goes to see him. We have at present a messenger of his in the house who came out with Hume, two months ago. Mr. Millen was out about two months before that, having got into a district of country where a stinging fly abounds, lost all his oxen, and actually left his waggon in care of another trader in the same predicament, and came hither on foot, a distance of four or five hundred miles from the north-east. He mustered oxen, took another waggon, and set off again in a fortnight to fetch his property and add more to it. With him, also, we had two messengers from Mosilikatse, and with him they returned. He professes the most unbounded confidence in Moftat, and we hope it will be useful in the establishment of a mission there.”
Robert Moffat to his brother Richard.
•’ July 28, 1834.
“Much of my time has been taken up in acquiring the language under innumerable trying circumstances, and now that I am able to translate I view every moment as doubly precious. I am trying to redeem much precious time which has been lost. I see nothing in the world worth looking after if it has not a direct reference to the glory and extension of the Redeemer’s kingdom; and were we always able to have a lively view of the myriads who are descending to the horrible pit, our zeal would be proportionate. Much depends on us who have received the ministry of reconciliation, assured that God our Saviour willeth the salvation of all.
“A short time ago we mustered a number of men and waggons, and Mr. Hamilton and I set off to the Bahurutse country to bring timber for the roof of our new church, leaving Mr. Edwards on the station. We had just reached within little more than two days of Mosilikatse’s residence, near which the timber stood, when a messenger overtook us with the information that Jan Bloom with a command was gone to attack Mosilikatse. This obliged us to return, for had we proceeded we should in all probability have been placed in a most distressing dilemma, as the scene of conflict was within sight of the spot where we should have encamped. As we could have neither conscientiously helped the one nor fought against the other, the event would likely have been fatal to some if not to all of us.
“Mosilikatse’s messenger, who had been with me for some months, I sent forward from the place at which we returned. Jan Bloom, it is said, shot a great number of the younger soldiery, but he and his party, who were all on horseback, were entirely defeated, and narrowly escaped with a handful of cattle, losing some men and horses. It is said he will go again next month. If so I fear it will be never to return. Mr. Millen passed us by another road coming out, and died in the desert beyond old Lattakoo. He seems to have died of a bilious fever. Two of his men died before him on the road. We were much affected to hear of it. He had almost become like one of our family. He has done much for this station. INIosilikatse sent with him two messengers to me, who are still here. He may yet be exasperated to do dreadful things on this side. None of the Bechwana tribes in this part of the country have ever yet done him any injury, and he professes friendship on that account, but the professed friendship of a savage monarch is little to be trusted.”
Mary Moffat to her Father.
August 20, 1834.
“I forget whether I told you that Mr. Millen, our mason, was away in the interior, seeking ivory. We were daily expecting him, and mdeed he was not far from us, but never arrived here! His waggons and those of this place passed each other in the desert, about a halfday’s journey apart. Had they been upon the same road they would just have seen him to close his eyes in death, but this privilege was denied to poor Millen. He had none but Bechwana attendants, and they, worn out with fatigue with travelling night and day to bring him home, had slept while he breathed his last. They afterwards did their best to bring him to Motito for burial, but it was impossible, and they reluctantly committed his remains to the dust in the desert. The grave is on a plain, but in a clump of bushes — rather a pretty spot. It is remarkable that all those who came out on foot are dead, and we suppose the effects were latent for some months. To the north of the Zulu country a bilious fever attacked several of his people, and he feelingly laments in his journal that he has no medicine to give them. Before they reached Mosilikatse’s one of them died. The day they left Mosilikatse’s he himself sickened; two days after another man died, and three or four days after, he himself. He said nothing in his illness, but one day told his people to drive on without regard to oxen 01 anything else, as he thought more of their number would die.
“There is great obscurity on his eternal state. He possessed much knowledge on religious subjects; he loved the cause and people ot God, but never decided. He was the child of pious parents, who died when he was very young, and his reverence for sacred things was great. His Bible was found in his bed, and his driver testifies that he read much in it. He was much respected, and every heart was melancholy, not only Europeans, but natives. I think you knoli that he finished the walls of our church last winter — the last labour of his hands, for which he charged nothing but his board.
“We have for some months been expecting the expedition for Central Africa, which is not yet arrived; nor have we had any news whatever from the Colony for two months.”