Burial ground; about 120 graves; weeping mothers; visit dying child;
fool of myself, broke down in prayer; the helplessness in presence of
Death!
Throat hoarse; dead off; return tent; meditate; convinced this work
the very hardest in whole world.
Avoid taking guide next time (handicapped).
Neglected to visit 486 and mothers of yesterday's dying children.
Stienie[5]; down measles; jelly.
Mr. Otto's dear loving daughter[6] died hospital.
Fourteen corpses (in morgue tents).
Very many old friends all about of Papa's and Oom Jacob's[7].
One man disappointed; had expected Oom Jacob.
Night: Strains of Psalm-singing; calm and fresh after shower of
rain; follow ear; Snyman; short conversation.
* * * * *
Saturday, August 24.--Evening: Coughing; wailing; crying; groaning.
Exhausting day; pure, clear air after refreshing rain.
The misery in our Camp heart-rending; hopeless to cope with work.
Up early; coffee in hospital kitchen; work.
235a; six orphans; baby; dirt; sad!
241; mother died to-day suddenly.
239; boy 12, Ignatius; malignant growth shoulder; hopeless; pining
away.
249; child; measles.
468; Venter; motherless infants; all sick; food scarce; despair;
powerful grandmother (arms!); daughter; all measles; "Ziet, minheer,
die dochter is nog'n lady: sij is nie getrouwd nie" ('This daughter,
sir, is still a lady; she is not yet married'); Bengers; beef tea.[8]
485; Van Heerde; mother and tentful of sick children; pitiable;
camphor; brandy.
487; Engelbrecht; Mrs. P. de Lint[9]; wonderful discovery; yet withal
sad; father India; children ill; wife broken-hearted; great
rejoicing; thanksgiving for change.
321; Old Mr. De Villiers, grand old man; great cheer to myself.
268; Mrs. De Villiers; five children sick.
383; mother died last week; daughter this morning; "Minheer, dit was
de prachtigste sterfbed wat ik ooit gezien het" ('Sir, it was the
most beautiful deathbed I have ever seen'); "Dag, tante, ik gaat naar
die Heere Jesus toe" ('Good-bye, Aunt, I am going to the Lord
Jesus'); remaining daughter very, very bad; "Minheer, moet assemblief
bid dat ik kan gezond word" ('Sir, you must pray, please, that I may
recover'); little hope; inflammation.
292; Van der Berg; wife died last night.
81; casual visit; Mrs. Van Staden; Mrs. Otto; sick children.
80; Mrs. Van der Merwe died to-day; old lady, Mrs. Pienaar, ill in
bed; when I repeated some verses Gezang 65[10], old lady forestalled
me line for line.
612; "Ach mij lieve ou Pappie"; better.
Five hours' incessant work; wearisome; thank God when twilight comes.
Work here for ten men; no chance alone; no show; the helplessness of
it all! and there are hundreds sick and dying that I know not of, and
that I could not visit even should I know.
My brothers-elders must help me more.
Had I not seen body of 80 removed I should never have known.
Funerals this morning; twelve; rude coffins; rough and ready biers
(six); young Hugo; "Gelijk een bloem des velds" ("As for man his days
are as grass; as a flower of the field so he flourisheth")[11]
Visit Mrs. Liebenberg, whose girlie was buried; prostrate; never saw
glimpse of Mr. Becker.
Great concern because of the difficulty of cleanliness amid such dire
straits; point determined; to warn and exhort one and all to the
strictest cleanliness[12]; for "cleanliness is next to godliness."
Saw long convoy travelling past.
Eighteen corpses in morgue tents.
* * * * *
Sunday, August 25.--Longish day.
235a; six orphans[13]; nice and clean; very satisfactory; boy bad.
383; still same; poor girl.
113; death; child; much misery; Olivier.
Church 1.30; open air; glorious weather; attentive congregation;
singing impressive; majority stand; grand pulpit(!); regular rostrum.
Afternoon work begins 2 p.m., ends 7 p.m.; incessant, wearying.
Twenty-eight visits.
Our Camp one large hospital, with hundreds wrestling with measles,
pneumonia, fever. The sorrow of it that I never can sit down and say,
"Now I have visited all the sick." There are hundreds of whom I know
nothing.
Horrible whistle that! It signals the morgue tent people to come and
remove the dead. It is Death's shrill, harsh, jarring, triumphant
shout! It shivers one through.
176; great misery.
235b; child died; food needed.
375; dead child.
175; a most harrowing spectacle; Badenhorst; old father; old mother;
bedridden 15-year-old boy; water head; simple; old mother feeds it
mouth to mouth[14]; "Die kind, leeraart, het ik nou al lang afgege
aan de Heere Jesus!" (This child, Pastor, I have given to the Lord
Jesus long ago.") She dotes on this imbecile, poor mother. Such a
simple, homely, gladsome, believing old heart. "Ik ben velen een
wonder geweest" ("I am a wonder unto many"); me certainly; daughter
with sick girlie; "De Heere het haar ver ons terug gege" ("The Lord
has given her back to us"); there was a fire in their tent, and this
young mother was badly burnt to the bone (wrist).
169; Heever; four children; all sick.
450; great distress; Du Toit; child sick; no nourishment; young
mother sick; only child dead.
526; De Wet; daughter delirious; dying; two others sick on the floor;
pathetic.
372; Kotze; baby dying; two others sick; great friends Oom Jacob.
156; Joubert (or Ackerman); daughter; floor; dying; measles and
pneumonia.
15; Barnard; two daughters; one dangerously sick; poor anxious
mother! While hurrying to relieve with some beef tea and Benger's
Food stopped on way by desperate mother.
471; Marais; eight children; all sick; no nourishment; two very bad.
To think of it!
After tea called to 235; orphans; boy very bad; sisters' tears.
Also 211; Roux; daughter; pneumonia.
Again 383; much drawn to that child; large, soft, trustful brown
eyes; asked yesterday that I pray she might get well; to-day
otherwise; trusting.
Distributed beef tea and Benger's food to some very urgent cases; the
thankfulness melts one's heart.
Funerals; fourteen.
Found on getting home plate food on box; enjoyed same at tea; great
cheer to be with the Van As's.
Closed Sunday School; children sing "Dat's Heeren Zegen!" ("The
blessing of the Lord descend on thee.")
* * * * *
Monday, August 26.--That imbecile boy died to-day; the old mother
sent for me, but I found no time to go.
Don't think 526 will last long; gave candles, beef tea and Benger's
Food this evening.