Brother Parks was at the docks to meet us when our ship pulled in, and Brother Scott came later with Brother and Sister Sedres. Sister Sedres took the children and me out to Scotts’ in the car, leaving Dewitt and Brother Scott to come later on the bus. What a blessing to have friends in the Lord!
After spending several days in Cape Town at Grassy Park with the Scotts, we eventually succeeded in getting the car and trailer through the customs. While there, Sister Scott took us to the museum, where we saw a very interesting and educational display of things representative of Africa. As Scotts had a meeting going on, Dewitt was asked to speak several nights and on Sunday. One evening was spent in the Parks’ home, and there were several others whom we wanted to see and greet but never found time nor the opportunity.
It was noon, July 3, before we finally found our way out of Cape Town, and started climbing through the mountains. As it rained on us most of the time all afternoon, we did not get to view all the beautiful scenery along the mountain road. On account of the heavily-loaded luggage trailer, we had to travel very slowly, making it to Lainsburg — 173 miles —around eight o’clock. The only hotel in town was full but we found rooms at a boarding house.
July 4. After breakfast, while Dewitt shifted the load to the back of the trailer in order to make it carry better, I scouted around and bought some things for our lunch. Tea, butter, and cheese were rationed, and the bread was black and hard. Ate our lunch while traveling, and around three in the afternoon, we stopped two hours at Beaufort West, to get the car greased. Made it on to Richmond, 240 miles from Lainsburg, where we found comfortable accommodations, for which we were indeed thankful. A good night’s rest does wonders. Anna Marie had a headache and a bit of fever. The mornings are cold, but by noon we shed our heavy coats; and by four in the afternoon, we begin putting them on again. The roads are very corrugated and dusty.
July 5. There were several detours —deviations, they call them here —which slowed us down a lot. We drove into Bloemfontein at dark, but after spending an hour looking for rooms and finding none, we went to Brandfort, 35 miles away, where there is a hotel Found the beds and rooms to be very undesirable and of higher price than the good rooms, with comfortable beds and hot and cold water, of the night before. But of course, we could not be choicy as it was 10:30 and the next town was another 39 miles away.
July 6. It was about 9 o’clock when we left Brandfort, and we drove hard all day, eating our lunch as we drove. The country is changing now, and we see cattle and a few horses instead of sheep and donkeys. As vegetation is so scarce, one wonders how they sub sist. About seven in the evening, we could see the blue, red, and orange lights of Pretoria as we approached it on the mountainside. “Sorry, we’re just booked up,” was the common reply as we inquired for rooms at every hotel in town. On we drove to the next town, 58 miles away, where there was a hot mineral spring and a hotel with warm baths. Here, too, nothing was available, so we drove 17 miles to Nylstroom and found everything “full up” and guests being directed on to the next town, 26 miles farther on. We had been pulling steep grades all evening, so it was eleven o’clock when we drove into Naboomspruit. Here the hotel-manager said he felt like someone else would come along so he just stayed up and read the paper. We were too tired to remember that we had not eaten since one o’clock.
July 7. At 7:15, on our fifth day, we were wakened by the waiter’s knock on our door as he brought us tea which refreshed us and made us feel like preparing for breakfast. As Carolyn was not feeling well, we doctored her and rested until eleven o’clock. Then, as she said she felt like traveling, we started on our way and drove until we came to a shade tree where we stopped and had our communion service. Late in the afternoon, sixty miles from the border line between Union of South Africa and Southern Rhodesia, we stopped at Louis Trichardt for tea and the children had ice cream. Then came the long climb over the mountain pass to a thousand feet increase in elevation before the long descent down to Masinna, which is on the border line. It was eight o’clock just as we drove up to the hotel. The manager said, “Every room is taken but we will fix you up somehow,” So they took all the furniture out of the drawing room upstairs and put in five single beds. As the dust is bad and we were tired, the beds and bath were truly appreciated.
July 8. In getting our Union money changed for Rhodesian and going through both the Union and Southern Rhodesia customs, we were delayed in Masinna until 11:30. While passing through the bush country, we saw a few baobab trees, known as cream o’ tartar trees because of the very tart taste of the fruit. Some of them are ten feet in diameter. Dewitt took a color picture of three of them in a group with our family in the foreground. The scenery is becoming more rugged, with outcrops of granite showing up now; large boulders, piled one upon another, and hills of solid granite are seen. Only a very little wildlife has been seen: dieker, rabbits, quail, guinne fowl, and just an occasional stembuck. About 1:30, we stopped for lunch at a homestead where teas are served to travelers, and at 2:30 were on our way again. Late in the afternoon the left side of the trailer started rubbing the tire. A steel block on top of the spring had broken and lost off, but by nailing a piece of wood to the trailer bed just above the spring the difficulty was overcome.
About eight o’clock we drove into Fort Victoria, and all they could offer us at the hotel was the privilege of sitting up in the lobby chairs after everyone else had gone to bed. This did not appeal to us, so we drove on. Stopped at three other towns and, finding everything taken, we continued to travel. Dewitt pulled out beside the road two times and took a nap.
July 9. The sun was just coming up when we drove into Salisbury. We waited for the cafes to open so we could get some breakfast as we had eaten nothing since 1:30 yesterday except some Cadbury’s chocolate and a cup of tea. We were all excited, and wondering whether our house would be rented or empty. Dewitt called up the agent who looked after things while we were in the States and found that the family who had lived in it for five years had moved out the first of May. Two ex-service men, who were unable to find a place to live, had then rented it with the understanding that they were to give possession as soon as we wanted it. As they were not using the back bedroom nor the sleeping porch, we unloaded the trailer and left what things we did not want on our trip to Northern Rhodesia. They had promise of a place the last of the month, so that just suited us, as it would take some time to make the rounds among the missionaries whom we needed to see before we settled down.
Our wood cookstove is the only thing we have with which to start housekeeping, except the cooking utensils, silverware, bedding, linens, and the like which we brought with us from home.
By borrowing a bed and making one on the floor, an old friend was able to take us in, for which we were indeed thankful. The housing situation is very bad, with immigrants coming in all the time. We thank the Lord for our home and praise His holy name for His tender watch care over us throughout our journey across the ocean and the 1637 miles inland from the Cape to Salisbury.
Dollie Garrett-Missionary Messenger, January 1947