How a little girl went to Africa

Introduction

One bright morning in the year 1892, in a little village nestled among the hills of the Green Mountain state, a baby girl opened her wondering blue eyes for the first time to look upon the scenes of this wide world.

This little girl, whom I am introducing to you, is the one who has told in this volume, in her childish way, with the necessary editing, the story of her trip to Africa. I will say that I am personally acquainted with her. She is a child of unusual natural ability, and conceived the idea herself of telling other children the things which interested her most

INTRODUCTION

during her journey to and from the dark continent.

I am sure that all the little folks far and near, who study geography at home or in school, will be pleased with this book. Even the fathers and mothers cannot fail to enjoy looking at foreign scenes through youthful eyes. The story is authentic and the illustrations true to life.

ELIZA H. MOKTON,

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Leaving Home, and a Day in New York . 13

II. My First Sea-voyage . . . . .22

Chapter I Leaving Home, And A Day In New York

Y parents were missionaries to Africa, and spent between two and three years there. While travelling with them I saw many things which I think will be of interest to other girls and boys. Perhaps you would like to take the trip with me in imagination. I will try to help you to see things just as we saw them.

Our home was in the quiet little city of Burlington, Vermont, and as I had never taken a long journey before, I was much interested in getting ready for the trip.

Finally the day came when the last box was nailed; the last trunk was strapped, and all was ready to go. A number of our friends had come from different parts of the state to see us off. The morning we were to leave was a bright, sunny one, on the 13th of September. Our dear old white pony that had drawn us around since I was a baby had been sold. But as we all thought so much of him, papa had arranged with his new master to take him from the railway station. So he merrily trotted us down through the old streets we had passed over so many times, not knowing it was the last time his little mistress would

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LEAVINa HOME

drive him, or that I could no more give him the little love-pats he enjoyed so much.

In spite of all the pleasure of starting, a few tears did come when we had to say the last good-by to the uncles and aunts who had gathered to see us off. Cousin Elsie's papa and mamma had already been in Africa about a year, and now she was to go with us to join them, and teach the little boys and girls in that far-away land. My dearest little friend and playmate, Mildred, I did want so much to take with us, but our train pulled out with our party alone, made up of papa, mamma, my sister Edith, Cousin Elsie, and me.

The train was filled with people coming and going, and I spent many hours that day watching them, and wondering where they were all bound for, and if they, too, were going to some land across the sea. I had plenty of time to think, and as my little cousin Edna had said she did not want us to go "for fear the cannibals would eat us up," I needed to be assured by mamma more than once that day that we should not meet any of those terrible creatures that troubled poor Eobinson Crusoe.

When twilight came on, we were passing down the Hudson Eiver. It was a beautiful sight. Much of the way the train ran near the bank of the river, and I watched the little steamers passing up and down, and tried to imagine ourselves living on one of them during our long voyage. Mamma said it was on this

LEAVING- HOME

same river, in 1807, that the first steamboat, The Clermont, made its first trip as far as Albany.

We were all very tired when we reached New York City, and glad to go at once to a hotel where we had rooms for the night. It was a very large house, where hundreds of people stayed. My sister and I had a little room that opened off from mamma's, and I soon forgot that I was far from home, and slept as sweetly as if I was tucked safely away in my own little bed.

The next day was a busy one for papa, buying the tickets, getting baggage to the wharf, and seeing that nothing was left behind. The great city of New York seemed to me to be in one great whirl.

Everybody was in a hurry. There were cars over our heads, cars on the street, and cars under the ground, running in long tunnels made for them.

We climbed a long stairway to the platform, high over the street, and soon a train came whizzing by. It stopped just long enough for us to step on, then we went flying along high over the heads of the people. Men and w^omen looked like boys and girls as we caught a glimpse of them below us.

When everything was ready, papa took us for a short visit to Central Park. The flowers and trees were very pretty, but I enjoyed most of all watching the birds and animals in their cages. A great many children were playing about. I think many of the big girls, who have no green lawns at home, must bring their

LEAVINQ HOME

baby brothers and sisters to care for them here, for I saw so many tending them in the park.

One thing I forgot to tell you about was the high buildings in many parts of the city. Can you imagine, children, looking up at buildings over twenty stories high ? I could not help wondering if they tried to make them reach up to the sky like the people who built the Tower of Babel after the flood.

I was so tired when the day was over, and we went back to our rooms ! Such crowds of people everywhere ! I shall never forget my first day in a large city. Papa said there were about three and one-half millions of people there.

" Ah, you are so great, and I am so small, I hardly can think of you, world, at all." [19]

I knew now what this little memory gem, which we learned at school, meant, for I felt so small in this wide, wide world.

The next morning we were up very early, ready to go aboard the steamer. In the next chapter I will tell you about our voyage and life at sea.

THE WONDERFUL WORLD

Great, wide, wonderful, beautiful world, With the beautiful water above you

curled, And the wonderful grass upon your

breast — World, you are beautifully dressed.

The wonderful air is over me, And the wonderful wind is shaking the tree;

" You are niore than the earth, though you're such a dot You can love and think, and the world cannot."

LEAVINa HOME

It walks on the water and whirls the

mills, And talks to itself on the top of the hills.

You friendly earth, how far do you go, With wheat fields that nod, and rivers

that flow, And cities and gardens, and oceans and

isles, And people upon you for thousands of

miles ?

Ah, you are so great, and I am so small, I hardly can think of you, world, at all ; And yet when I said my prayers to-day, A whisper within me seemed to say : "You are more than the earth, though

you're such a dot: You can love and think, and the world

cannot."

CHAPTEE II

MY FIBST SEA-VOYAGE

OME with me to-day as we go down to the large docks and get our first view of the great steamer, St Paul, which is to carry us across the wide ocean. Now I had never seen a large ocean steamer before, and had no idea of their size. I supposed they were about like those I had been in on Lake Champlain and seen on the Hudson River.

Imagine my surprise after walking down the dock a long way, by the side of what I thought was a large building,

MY FIRST SJEA-VOYAGE

to have papa say, "This is our boat, and

here is where we get on." I looked, but

I could scarcely see from one end of the

boat to the other. Papa afterward told

me it was nearly an eighth of a mile long,

and many feet wide. There were three

main decks for the passengers, and these

were filled with people, hurrying to and

fro. Many visitors were on board to see

their friends settled in their cabins. A

good-natured lady, with a white cap and

apron on, asked us the number of our

stateroom, and then took us through the

narrow passage-ways till we came to the

little cabin which for the next week we

were to call home. I wonder how many

of my little readers have ever been in

the cabin of an ocean steamer.

Ours was arranged for four passengers, [23]

ROW A LITTLE GIRL WENT TO AFRICA

so it just held our family. It was about seven feet high, six feet long, and six feet wide. There were four beds, each about two feet wide. There were two on each side, one above the other. It made me think of trying to sleep on mamma's pantry shelves. I was sure I should fall out of such a narrow bed, but our kind stewardess told me that many little girls had slept there, and that I could imagine I was a little bird on the bough, being rocked by the wind when our boat was tossed by the waves.

After putting our hand-luggage in place, we went out on deck again, for we wished to be where we could catch the last glimpse of our native land when our boat should go out of the harbor. At last the great bell sounded, and three

MY FIRST SEA-VOYAGE

times a man went all through the boat, calling out, " All visitors ashore ! " Once more the great bell sounded, and the bridge which reached from the boat to the wharf was taken up, and we could see that our boat was slowly moving away. A little tug-boat with a pilot guided us safely in and out among the many boats in the harbor.

Standing on a small island in the harbor we saw the statue of " Liberty enlightening the World." She is holding a torch high up in her hand. This statue was given to our country by France, and is very large. You can get a little idea of its size by remembering that its nose is over four feet long.

For a number of hours we passed in sight of land, then on and on we went

HOW A LITTLE GIBL WENT TO AFRICA

till all was water, water everywhere. We watched the sun as it set in the far west, and it looked as if it went down into the great ocean. We stayed out on deck until it was quite late, then we went to our room to try our funny little beds, and spend our first night at sea.

In the morning I was anxious to be up early again, but as soon as I stood on my feet, I was — oh, so sick. If you have never been seasick, I cannot make you know how I felt. I was dizzy, and everything seemed to be whirling round and round. Papa lifted me back, and I was glad to lie still all that day. The next morning I felt better, and papa carried me out on deck in the nice fresh air. At first it seemed to me, when I

tried to walk, that the deck was always

MY FIRST SEA-VOYAGE

tipping and falling out from under my feet, but I soon got over it, and could run about as well as on shore.

The fourth day out you can see with me a large white body moving toward us. It looks like a great church with many towers and high steeples. It may be you have guessed already what it is. It is an iceberg many times larger than our boat, and looks very beautiful in the sunshine. You can see all the colors of the rainbow there.

I must not forget to tell you what a fright I had one day. The fire-alarm began to ring, and all the sailors left their work. Some hurried to get out the hose, and others lowered the life-boats. We all supposed the boat was on fire and that we should have to get out into the little life-boats; but just then the captain told the people it was only a firedrill for the crew. They did not warn the people before, for they wanted all to act just as they would if there was really a fire. They have this drill once on each voyage. The time passed very quickly, and in just one week we were nearing the chalky cliffs of England. Every one wanted to be the first to catch a glimpse of land. At last we saw what looked like a bank of clouds low in the sky, but as we came nearer, we saw it was beautiful green fields, and we knew we should soon be in the harbor of Southhampton, where we were to land. We had our choice of going from here to London by boat or by train. We were glad to change to the cars.