Perhaps you will be interested in an account of one of these mission tours taken by Dr. House and myself.
One fine December morning, after seeing our books, clothing, bedding, provisions, dishes, cooking utensils, and even our table, all snugly stowed away in the little boat, we left our quiet home in Bangkok, the capital city.
MISSIONARY-BOAT FOR TOURING IN SIAM.
Ascending the beautiful Menam River, we made our way among numerous boats of every size and description, ships displaying the flags of several different nations, and gayly-painted, clumsy Chinese junks that were moored by their huge cables in the stream, and on, on we went, leaving the busy, idolatrous city behind us. At five o’clock we stopped at a pleasant Buddhist temple by the river-side for our evening meal. This finished, we moved on for an hour or two after dark, and then moored our boat for the night by fastening it to two bamboo poles which our men had planted in the soft mud near the bank.
Here let me tell you what our sleeping arrangements were for each night. What had been our dining- and sitting-room through the day was soon converted into a bedroom, and in a very simple way too. The seats of our boat were arranged along the sides, omnibus-fashion, and, filling up the space between these with boards made for the purpose, we had our bedstead, and our boat-cushions made our bed. Having spread our bedding and hung up the indispensable mosquito-net by strings from the four corners of the roof, we were ready to commend ourselves to the kind care of Him who never slumbers, and lay us down for a good night’s sleep.
The boatmen spread their mats on the deck outside the cabin, and, putting up a kind of temporary roof made of leaves fastened together, they were protected from the dew, and were contented and happy.
Generally at daylight every morning the men would move on a while before breakfast. We always preferred to stop for meals or for the night near some temple or village.
While taking our dinner one day the two windows of our boat on the side of the river-bank being open, the people who were collected there seemed much pleased to see us use knives, forks and spoons. It was a novel sight to them, as they use the fingers instead. An aged couple watched us with much seeming interest for some time, and then the husband said to his wife, “Kin yark nuk” (They eat with great difficulty).