They practice that every afternoone Mr. Frank has been
in Africe 6 years. I have not seen a man yet who lives
in Africa except a few Missionaries who does not drink
wine or gin with bitters. They say it is needful, but
with God's help I am going to abstain from it. But all
say "You'll come to it. The water is so bad you must
drink something." We were invited over to "chop" with
Mr. Frank and his fellow workers tomorrow at noon. So
I guess we will go. Now, I'll say good-night with
blessings to all.

Saturday, Jan. 9 - 97

A very nice cool cloudy asm. Feeling well, thank God.
Morrison is on his head to get to Matadi in order to
find out about going to Tumba. He is the most impatient
fellow I ever saw, at times, and when it seems to me to
be foolishness to fret or think of things that can't be
done at the time. He is a good sensible man and a
learned man and a splendid preacher, but in practical
things, sometimes, I almost feel like chastising him.

He has his ideas and thinks things ought to go that

way regardless of all other things or people. He don't
look at things only at his own side and therefore things
go wrong. We sit around until 11 o'clock and I propose
going over to our friends to dinner, and he takes a
notion at that time that he must write some as he had
fooled away all the morning expecting every moment that
Mr. Lagerin would summon him to go up to Matadi to see
about the same thing that he saw about yesterday. I go
over and request him to come at once and he said he
would in about $ an hour so I announce to my friends
that Bro. M. would be over presently and at the proper
time he came. We had quite a time looking at the goats,
sheep (sheep have no wool in this country) trees flowers,
&. After dinner where only 5 were at the table and

all new, it took us something like an hour and a half to
get through dinner, regular Europeon style. I think

we had 5 or 6 courses and of course the plates had to

be cleared off and fresh ones after every course. We
had roasting ears for dinner, and they were very fine
but almost a little too ripe to be the best. After
dinner we looked through the store and saw the ivory
that they had bought by barter and saw the enormous
quantity of rum that they had in 5 Gal. dimajohns for
which they said the natives were very fond. Oh! what

a curse to the poor natives but as long as it is allowed
to be brought and sold to them they will drink it just
