Neglected to go to old mother beyond; wonder if!

This evening two girls came to ask for candle; great misery no light; gave half a candle; visited this evening Van der Walt; sorrowful; three children ill; saw my candle burning.  What if I had not been able to give!  Other sick children; sent brandy and Benger’s food.

Mr. Becker service afternoon; same old dust.

Heard there were some of the Ladies’ Commission present; good!  May God bless their work and give them His Spirit in their work.  May they see all.

Nice singing at our Church this evening; Miss Dussels; new doctor sick; “ipperkonders” gave him cocoa.

Weinanda dead; thank God! another burden of suffering ended.

Woman I prayed with in hospital this afternoon, dead this evening.

Girlie (35) Ackerman also dying.

Mrs. De Wet called me to her bedside (hospital), and asked me to pray that she might sleep.  May God’s angels guard over those hospital tents this night.

* * * * *

Monday, September 9.—­Ladies’ Commission; one of them, Dr. Jane Waterston.  Glorious rain.  How nice it will be to sleep with the soothing music of falling showers.

Our new kitchen getting on famously.  What a comfort it will be when finished.  It takes 800 bricks to build a kitchen here, and few there be that possess such a luxury.  Spent half an hour in kitchen of hospital after visits; delighted with the sight of walls again; more determined than ever to go and do likewise.  Am sure won’t need more than 3,000 bricks to build a regular palace, and won’t it be glorious!  Besides, one does not know in the least, how long we are still to remain here, and even were it only a month longer it would be worth while.

Doctor gave up 71; went and found woman dead; child very sick; found Mr. Becker there.

Just after dinner was called to see one of the little orphans of few days ago; went at 2.30; too late; bad of me; should have gone immediately.

To-day saw the thinnest, boniest woman imaginable; Mrs. Booysen; just a skeleton; husband Ceylon; daughter here; son and daughter still at the front.

Saw also the most emaciated baby imaginable; puny; nine months; mother dead; lives on “genade” (mercy) of other mothers whose babies are dead; a regular “kannie dood” (literally, a “won’t die").

Got the Van Huysteen girls to undertake case of outside tent with old grandmother; opened bottom to-day to ventilate; foul.

Visited old Mr. Van Heerde; very bad; wife “praat soos een boek” (talks like a book); quite a change to do a bit of listening on points of Theology!

Found the Fouries of first day; daughter much better.

The quack doctor deserves to be kicked; found bottle of medicine on table somewhere; pure water; five shillings.  He is coining money and fleecing people most scandalously; child now luckily in hospital; spoke strongly to parents on the point.