Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-06-27
JACK, THE BOY MISSIONARY.

/ a DaDy VINO survived the IeTllS Oh Con-
traI Africa TO Die at Last in London.
A tablet to the memory of Little Jack
the boy missionary, as he was called,
erected by Sunday school children, was
unveiled over his grave in London Lit
tie Jack was only years old when he
died. Though he was born in England,
nearly all his brief life was spent in Cen
trail Africa. He was famous as the only
white baby ever seen in the region of the
great lakes; and after passing unscathed
through all the dangers of Equatorial
Africa, he fell u victim at last to measles
in his native land.
Jack was the son of the well known
missionary, Capt Hore, who has given
us the best map of Lake Tanganyika
that has yet been made. He started for
Africa with his parents when he was
only II weeks old, and the story of the
baby's trip to Lake Tanganyika, which
was written by his mother, made Jack
very well known. When the party
started inland from Zanzibar they trun-
died Jack in wheelbarrow. The soft
est possible bed was made for him in a
wicker basket, whose sides were padded
so that he could not hurt himself The
basket was placed in u steel wheelbar,
row frame, and in this conveyance Jack
made very comfortable journey to
Mamboia, a hundred miles inland. There
were reasons, however, why it was not
thought best for Jack and his mother to
go any further that year, and so the
baby was wheeled back to the coast
again, and he returned to England none
the worse for his novel journey.
The year following Jack and his mo-
ther started for Africa once more. and
his father rugged up another sort Of con-
veyance for the baby passenger. This
time bamboo poles were fastened to the
sides of the basket and four porters were
detailed to carry Jack. AS they swung
along the path the supple poles gave to
the basket springy motion which was
very pleasing to the little fellow. Along
the bamboos was stretched a canvas avn
ing, impervious alike to sun or rain, with
movable sides, that could be fastened up
or down at pleasure. His mother was
carried in a bath chair rugged up in a
similar fashion.
After Jack had been carried far inland
African fever tackled the little fellow,
and then he insisted much of the time
upon being carried in his mothers lap,
but happily he did not suffer long from
the formidable foe Of white men in Afri-
ca. When the caravan halted for the
MONDAY lunch, the first duty Of the men
was to pitch tent to shelter Jack and
his mother from the scorching sun.
One day 1t porter ran away with can
vas bag containing nearly all of Jacks
wardrobe The calamity, however, was
easily remedied, for lIr Hore had lot
of cotton cloth to pay his way through
the country, and Jack soon had a new
wardrobe Many of the marches were
very wearisome, and Mrs. Hore wrote
that she and Jack often presented a very
draggled appearance when the halt was
made for the day
The journey lasted ninety days. At
last Jack and his parents embarked on
the beautiful waters of Lake Tangan-
yika, and negro boatmen, singing at
their paddles, took them to the Island of
Kavala, which was Jacks homo during
all his babyhood in Central Africa.
Friends in England sent him many play
things, which he shared with his Wa
guha playmates, and he never knew that
Equatorial Africa was not the pleasant
est place in the world for white boy to
grow up in.-New York Sun.