South and South Central Africa: A record of fifteen years' missionary labors among primitive peoplesDavidson, Hannah Frances
History
South and South Central Africa: A record of fifteen years' missionary labors among primitive peoples
Davidson, Hannah Frances
Brethren in Christ Church -- Missions; Missions -- Rhodesia; Ndebele (African people); Tsonga (African people)
This was the condition of affairs when Matopo Mission was located. We
had, however, no intimation that a mistake might have been made in the
location, until informed by the two Europeans previously mentioned. One
of them desired to collect hut tax for the company owning the land, but
this he could not do, as he was not certain of the boundaries, and the
company, at the time, was not willing to bear the expense of having a
surveyor come out to locate the land. It is needless to say that it was
a dark and trying time for the missionaries. If we were on surveyed
land, we might have to change the mission site and much of the work
already accomplished would be lost. Again, how were we to find out where
we were? If a wealthy company did not care to bear the expense of
locating their land, how much less able were missionaries, whose
purses, at the best, are never too full! Should we go to the expense of
sending for a surveyor to locate us, we might be forced to move the
mission, and the outlay incurred would benefit the company alone. We
were in these wilds; could we succeed in locating ourselves?
As usual, when difficulties thus confronted us, we looked to Him who
never fails. Any one in the mission field has often reasons to be
thankful for the varied training and experiences of the home land; for
no knowledge or previous experience of whatever sort comes amiss when he
is out where there is little outside help. We had studied, hence had a
little knowledge of surveying. Would that knowledge help us here in
these fastnesses?
Mr. Jackson, the magistrate at Fort Usher, who had always been a friend
in need, was appealed to. He did not know the boundaries of the farms in
the immediate vicinity, but he knew the location of one important beacon
several miles north, for he had had occasion to settle a difficulty in
reference to it some time previous. So, with this knowledge to begin
with, we went to the government surveyor and secured a diagram of all
the farms in the vicinity of the mission. Thus equipped, and securing a
compass, we started for home. Brother Lehman made a temporary chain, and
together with some of the boys we went to the beacon pointed out by Mr.
Jackson. From this a survey was made south, and it was discovered that
the mission was on a tract of land known as "Matopo Block," owned by the
Bulawayo Syndicate. This was a farm of 25,000 acres, and it was about
twelve miles long. As there were no beacons for a distance of seven
miles on the south of the mission, it was not difficult to understand
how the mistake was made in the location. By further survey we
discovered that we were on the extreme east end of this farm, and a line
drawn nearly southeast from the beacon north of us would give the
mission the required 3,000 acres. Another surveyed farm lay adjoining
this on the east.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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