The Henson Journals

[5]

10th Sunday after Trinity, August 11th, 1901.

The mosquitoes penetrated by an unguarded place in the circle of my fortification, & attacked me with energy & alas! success. I slew two but it was only to stain the coverlid with my own blood, for they were in a sated condition, while I was rising in protest.

In duty bound we sought out the English Church & attended the service. There was a small congregation. The chaplain was an old man, plainly little educated & very Evangelical. He read the service passably, but the sermon was an intolerable performance, which reduced us both to desperation. The preacher began with an extremely superfluous & under–bred reference to the late Empress Frederick. After lunch we took the steam–boat on the canal, & got some air & a good view of the dikes & the country. We returned in time to get away comfortably by the afternoon train to Utrecht, which we reached in about 3/4 of an hour. Here we put up at the Hotel Chateau d'Angers, & dined immediately on arrival, as table d'hote was at the awkward hour 5.30 p.m. i.e. 5 p.m. by railway time.

We noticed that the engines on the Dutch line were English made – Manchester. It may be noted that the steam–boats on the canal bore the names of Boer generals – de Wet & Botha. We were astonished by the number of Jews & Jewesses, who frequented the Café & Restaurant Krasnapolsky, & crowded the canal steamer. They are curiously repulsive. After dinner we strolled in Utrecht for awhile & then returned to our hotel.

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