The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-05-16
ALETTER FROM INDIA.
On Tour, Feb. 9th, 1902.

interest, | am in tent about oxIS
feet and about feet high in the
center. At my right hand is table
with my Telugu books and English
Bible on it. A small lamp doesnot
make sufficient light to read by so
have a candle stuck on a piece OF
brown paper, as | have no candle STICK
with me. The candle is an attraction
to the numerous flying insects that
abound in this tropical cline One
Just cremated itself and made such
blaze that l had to remove its burning
body to save my candle from burning
all out of shape. The rest OF my FUR
niture consists of steamer chair ana
camp cot. My tent is pitched un.
der huge mango tree ABOUT nail
mile from one village and trlhe ais
lance from another. A short distance
to the front stands rocky MIL Win a
Hindu temple on it's top-a silent Wit
ness TO the curse of idolatry that is
blighting the temporal as we'll as the
spiritual interests of the people.
Before going on to describe our work
here | had better go back to describe
| the trip thus far. For some weeks
have been contemplating this tour
but one thing after another occasioned
DELAY until this week. Having ar
ranged for country cart drawn by
two bullocks proceeded to get ready.
Sara and servant helped put things
| in readiness for a start on Tuesday
morning. The cart came on Monday
night about o'clock. also the workers
and the cook who were to accompany
me, so as to be ready for an early
start. At 3 a. m l got up, ate chota
haziri, packed things on the cart and
set out for a trip to cover the rest OF
| the week Our direction was west
| ward with many turn and twist.
About miles out we passed the
famous Golconda mot famous for dla-
monds as sometimes supposed but MS
torically). On our right was an en-
closure containing ancient Mahomme-
dan tombs-massive structures, some
of which are nearly or quite cubical
| with dimensions of perhaps 80 to lOO
| feet. surmounted with dome OF
nearly or quite the same height and of
| proportionate extent. On our left and
at some distance was the fort that
bears the same name. 1t is fortified
| hill standing out boldly among the
almost numberless rocky hills that
surround Hyderabad At about 10
miles from Hyderabad we pitched the
tent in mango grove about one
fourth of a mile from village and
made ready for the work. The middle
of the day was spent quietly in read
ing, study and little sleep. Towards
evening we went up to the village
near which we Ia big scorpion just
ran across my pillow and back.
Fortunately did not go to bed early.
Hope he is satisfied with his tour OF
Investigation and won't return. were
encamped and gave a couple of hours
to preaching and trying to sell scrip
ture portions. We then returned to
the tent, ate dinner and went to bed
early preparatory to an early start on
the next day.
Before 4 O. clock was up and after
chota haziri we started out in the cart
and by sunrise were at least miles
away. Our first stop was in the out
skirts of a village. The people were
enjoying such a quarrel as Indian
villages can serve up. The chief
element is talk. In the slums of an
American city before there had been
half as many words there would be
blows and the hair would fly, but they
seldom come to blows and the hair
lonly flies because the vigorous shaking
phasize the abusive words uttered,
lforbids that their uncombed hair
should keep quiet. After some preach
ling under such unfavorable circum-
stances we went on mile further to
town on a hill that boasted of 9
tolerably. strong wall in the fighting
days of the time long ago. We passed
through the strong and high gateway
and stopped near a big building in the
center of the town. 1t had a SECOND
story an had evidently been intended
as q kind of inner stockade in case thu
ienemy broke through the outer wall
1t is never used as police headquar
tiers. We had pretty good oppor
j tunity here for preaching and sold L
portions of scripture. After q yer.
pleasant and satisfactory morning
work we started on our return trip o
: 6 miles. One man urged one of tn
workers to remain for the day an
r. promised to give him a midday meal
On our return trip we fell in wit
| two carts loaded with tody. Tod
/ is an intoxicating drink prepared fror
!! the sap of various varieties of tn
!. palm. 1t quickly ferments and
i then capable of making the poo
Il village people forget for a little tim
!, the discomforts and burdens of thei
!; hard lot, but allows them to come BAG
I, to them with an intensified realizatio
4 of their hardship, when they face til
y new day of toll with bodies an
Il minds weakened by their evening II
toxication. The tody was being COZ
3 veyed to Hyderabad in huge skinI
The skins had doubtless been take
from the very largest size of buffalo,
: and looked as though they woul
hold hogshead or more. There WI
an aperture at the top that was tic
~ up but as the fermentation went {
and the skin became pulled out needle
to be opened from time to time to r
- lieve the pressure We got back b
tween 10 and II o'clock. The mi
day was spent as the preceding Of
had been. Towards evening we we
Al to village ~ or 2 miles away whe
to we had very favorable opportuni
'at of preaching and sold B scripture pc
tions. In all the villages where !
Fl can find people able to read we d
tribute tracts literally. Last year
distributed nearly %, 600 and sold
tween 1900 and 1, 400 portions
Il scripture with few complete Bib
and New Testaments.
On consultation in the evening
decided to move our tent further sol
. this morning. At 4 o'clock I was
after a night in which I had seen
to wake up three or four times
hour. After chota haziri we t,
down the tent and before light W
on our way over rough and st,
road. We had difficulty before
had gone far finding any road at
on account of the washout on W
had once been the road We fin
found place wide and levels emo
to pass over by steadying the ,
- over the more stony places and pr