The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1921-01-06
BYERLEES TELL OF
TRIP TO AFRICA

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Mr.. and Mrs. David Byerlee. the
former a brother of Mrs. Geo. III,
Lynn, who spent his boyhood days
here, have just completed a journey Il
Belgium Congo. where they will spend
the next three years engaged in mis-.
sionary work. The two, both former
students of the Eugene Bible Univer.
sity tell of some of their experiences
en- route in an interesting letter to
home folks. A portion of the letter
follows:
Aboard Anversville, Oct. IS, 1920.
! There are so many things to write
about, it is difficult to know where to
| begin. England was a great disap-
pointment to US. 1t is so far behind
the United States that there is no
comparison. If | had to live in Lon
don ] would be tempted to take some
thing to end it all. Perhaps there is
some reason for everyone drinking as
they do there. OF course, | do not
mean that there are not even ten
righteous people in England" but the
eater majority frequent the saloon or
the public house as they term them, -
men, women and children as young as
seven or eight years old can be seen in
these places at any time of the day.
And America smokes comparatively
little, from the English viewpoint.
One cannot SIT in bus. tram or under
ground without inhaling second hand
smoke. If you go to moving picture
show. you are unable to see the screen
for the barrage of smoke.
The London department stores re-
mind one of our second hand and pawn
shops. Even Regium has her bested
in this respect. Her stores and trade
centers look to be much more up to
date. Her use of liquor is even more
pronounced than that of the Isles.
On our way to Antwerp to take pass
age for Congo, we crossed the channel
from Dover to Ostend and went from
there to Brussels, then to Antwerp, so
we got to see a great part of that
country as we went all the way by
day. However, we saw more of the
war devastations while in London than
we did going through Belgium.
We began our day on board with a
salt water bath at s AS. However,
from now on it is to be from 6 as to z
in the morning. Breakfast is served
at then we study Lonkundo. the
native language, until 10, at which
time we have our lesson. This lasts
until IL, after which we usually play
shuttle board, deck croqueD, until
lunch at l p. m. At one we have
six-course lunch, composed mostly of
fish and meat. 1t takes an hour to 90
through it. Sometimes you enjoy the
meal, but more often your stomach
revoIts at the stale fish, rare meat and
strong cheese.
There are flying fish to watch, and |
at times we get into school of large |
fish that jump way up out of the |
water. They somtimes swim right |
alongside the boat tor some distance. |
Many of them are six feet long and |
will swim SO near the surface they can
be plainly seen. One day we saw a |
school of these fish that easily covered |
a place in the ocean as large as a 10 |
acre field
At 7.o'clock we have dinner. We
must dress in our evening clothes for
this. The meal begins with three
kinds of pickles and bread and butter,
by soup. Then comes fish,
then roast beef and potatoes, succeeded
by tough old hen called pullet, served
alone. Bread, butter and celery fol-
low, win plaLe OF Two isissds or cold !
meat and vegetable salad coming after.
Fruit, tea, coffee or cocoa and little
sweet cakes end the agony. / forgot
TO mention that bottles of liquor appear
at each plate. except at those of the
first thing before the
neal begins and as the last course is
served. all the Belgians produce cigars
md cigarets. Even women and priests
moke.
We sighted land the first time after
eaving the English channel, nine days {
lfter leaving port. At 5 80, when we
we're just getting up, big rugged
mountain was seen Just to our right
IS we looked through the port hole.
t was a beautiful sight. 1t is impos-
ible to describe it as it really APP
,eared. This rugged mountain rose
traight up from the water, a sea so
lue you would imagine it colored with
ye. On the mountains side and at
he waters edge nestled a good sized
own with buildings of bright blue, '
elbow and salmon colors made of /
rick and cement. Far up on the right s
vas a regular castle, which later 6
urned out to be big hotel. 1t was a
urrounded with palm trees and beau t
iful Towering vines which covered the t
,alls and side of structure, as well as r
ig trees ablOom with great red lilies. 4
his was Teneriffe, on one of the Can g
ry Islands, Spanish possession.
We went ashore in a gasoline launch. 3
he city which had appeared so beauti- p
ql was now transformed into tumble n
dirty, unkept, narrow streets z
warming with heggars and cripples n
18th all sorts of sores and diseases,
long the sides of the streets are
mall shops where you can buy what
on want for what you wish to pay.
hey always expect to come down Il
iom third to half of their prices. 2,
hey have their first and last price, il
1en il that doesn't catch you, they a.
SIX you to make an offer and try TO T
Dlit the difference with you. How E
yer. if you hold out, you will get the b,
rticle for just what you offered. b,
The horses are so poor they look like el
bunch of bones tied I'D in some horse
ide. We hired a funny. battered-up 81
pen carriage pulled by horse and a lc
alf", David says, but really there Il
ere three animals somewhat resem al
ing the horse family. With this mode ei
travel we took in the town. We Y
-0ve up the hillside, through winding "
| It