Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-03-27
THE zULUS OF AFRICA
AND EARLY MISSION WORK
AMONG THEM.

Life in Africa" The writer is Rev Levi,
Grout, a respected resident of West Brat
tleboro well known through all this local.
ty, who was for years a worker in the AZ
rican mission fields. In these papers Mr.
Grout recalls many entertaining incidents,
shows some Of the difficulties that beset the
way of the worker in the then new fields
among the Iulus, and gives II clear and full
idea Of the characteristics and customs OF
these interesting people No doubt many
of Mr.. Grout's friends throughout this sec
tion will he glad to read the following
which we condense somewhat from the I'm
ion not having room for the series entire
The first paper is taken up with view Of
the great continent Africa as the writer
was taught concerning it in his youths
fringe of small states on the coast, the
Desert Of Sahara, the Soudan, and the
great interior supposed to be an elevated
desert y then a look at it today, as explo
ratons have brought to light its untold
riches, with its vast population its remark
able fertility its wonderful resources its
thousands of desirable things which all the
world wants and will have, and above all
its millions in darkness, superstition aud
| ignorance, reaching out their hands for
help. In this land among the Zulu people
the early years Of Mr. CIRCUITS ministry
were spent, aud of his journey thither and
his first experiences there he writes as fol-
lows;
Every true missionary will have his own
way of thinking and working vet all will
strive to follow the lead of the Lord and
in every field, especially a new one, such
as the Iulus were when the writer went
among them, there will be found much to
| encourage, much 10 hinder From first to
last, no live laborer can fail to find in any
field, least Of all in such as were the Zulus,
that Livingstone was right when he said,
The missionary must he something more
than man going round with a Bible under
his arm"
Examined, ordained, married. one dav in
! Vermont, | started in the evening with NV
bride for a wedding tour. Railroads being
scarce in the region at that time, the first
half of our way to Boston was made partly
/ 10y private conveyance, partly by stage
coach. Having passed night in Boston,
we took ship for South Africa. A quick
sail Of two months brought us to Cape
! Town. Waiting here six weeks for an op
! portunity to 20 on to Natal, we finally went
aboard the Rosebud 50 and long pas
/ sage 10y reason OF adverse seas, had made
an end Of nearly all our food ana fresh wa
| ter before we came to the end of our voy-
age, and looked out upon the beautiful
country, Terra de Natal The nautical
Rosebud must now be exchanged for a
] -k. g.. 4
travelling house, the horses of Neptune for
u Dutchman's nag aud dozen African bull
locks. The wagon is fitted up with bed
stead and bedding, cooking utensils. tea
/ dishes, chest of food-all that is deemed
essential for three or four days trave! in
the fields or along the coast wherever a
way can be found over plains, hills, rivers,
10 the station of the missionary who has
come to bring us to his home. Instead of
sailors, we now have native servants, one
Zulu to care for the horse, another to lead
| the team, another to drive, and others to
bring wood and water, do the cooking and
whatever else may be required. The mis-
| slonary must he the captain of all this and
his bride the mate Much of the day now
| spent in getting ready to start, and rain
withal, at hand we leave the few signs of
civilization at Durham and set off for the
station forty miles away to the North
Camping at night, and delayed by swollen
streams, we reach the Umhlali, six miles
from the station we seek on Saturday. the
sun fast sinking in the West
Having got well under way in acquiring
knowledge Of the Zulu language, start
to find and see a certain chieftain, who
had paid me a visit and asked me to come
and be his missionary. The journey was
made on horseback. The first day brings
me to the station of brother missionary
who is TO be my exploring companion
Taking with us two or three guides, who
are to carry our blankets and such other
things as we may need on our journey, we
mount our horses at an early hour and
move on, Toward night, when near our
| journeys end and being instructed by the
guides as to the rest of the way, we allow
them to take short cut through a rocky
ravine, while we, on horses, take more
circuitous way. We suddenly find our
selves enveloped in a dense fog, take the
wrong path and journey on, longing for
| some sign of humanity. At last we come
upon company of men lodging in a field
who offer to lead us over the hill and across
the plain to a kraal where we can find shell
ter and food for ourselves and horses
Arriving at the kraal, wet, tired, and hun
CRY, we are glad to find in Zulu hut, put
in the best of order Tor use, shelter from
the rain-though we must come down on
all fours, as they do, to enter
Having finished our supper, and dried
ourselves 10y the fire on the ground in the
centre of the hut, and finding the people
have gathered, old and young, in large
numbers, some in the hut and many with
out, we told them the news of the day, es-
pecially how we had missed the right wav
and wandered long and far in the fog, the
ram and the dark. And then it occurred
to me that they, too, had missed the right
way, and wandered long and far in the
darkness of error and sin. Reminding
them Of this great fact, | went ON to try
and tell them what a wonderful Deliverer
and Guide our Father in heaven had pro.
vided for them; how God had so loved
them as to give his only, much-loved Son TO
be their light and salvation. They listen
with great interest, and then break forth
into expressions of wonder and thanks,
and tell us how this is just the news they
had always wanted to hear, Just what their
fathers had been always trying to find
some great physician, some mighty medi-
cine, something to cure them of all disease
and make them proof against death ex-
plain 1t to them as best | can, and try TO
tell them the conditions on which this heal
ing may he had. Their enthusiasm is a
little abated they don't quite see how they
can give up any of their practices their
fathers got ON pretty well, after all but
they will think OF it, and are both grateful
and most glad to hear the wonderful story.
I Having chosen a site for a mission sta
tion and secured the approval of the
chleftaiu, | returned TO my temporary home
near the seaport and fitted up the big wag-
on | had provided for mission work with
such things as | might need for life and la
Dor far from all the helps of civilized sur
roundings Reaching the place where we
are TO build, after several days travel, we
had made the team and everything ready
To 90 to the bush and get timber for a
house, when half dozen herder boys, see
ing the big white wagon on the plain, put
their several herds together in the care of
one, and came down from the hills to see
us. Their first words were "Sa ku bona, "
etc; 1. e., Hail, white man, teacher,
king Where is the Book you have come
TO bring us How does it look What
does it say What will it do Z" Such was
the respectful, cheering salutation with
which | was met in entering upon my mis-
sion work among the Zulus.
OF the people among whom he labored
their appearance, traits of character, dress
and manner of living, Mr.. Grout's descrip-
tion is graphic and full, and we quote at
length from his article
The Zulus constitute one Of the largest and
most remarkable Of all the tribes that 70 To make
/ up the great Bantu race "A rnce that extends
east aud west across the continent and from the,
Orange river on the south to about the fifth de-
gree north OF the equator, aud numbers, proba-
bly, not less than nifty millions OF people, or near
~ fourth OF the population Of the entire CONT
htnt The Zulu tribe may be taken as good rep
ftseiitatlVe OF all the more than a hundred aud