286 KEHOBOTH MESSRS. KLEINSCHMIDT AND VOLOIER. 



On the loth of March we reached Rehoboth, where, as 

 already said, there is a missionary station pertaining to the 

 llhenish Society. Here I had the pleasure of making the 

 acquaintance of the Eev. Messrs. Kleinschmidt and Yollmer. 

 They resided in substantial clay houses thatched with reeds. 

 The church, in the erection of which Mr. Kleinschmidt had 

 taken a very active part, is a handsome and roomy structure, 

 capable of holding several hundred people. From the dis- 

 proportionate breadth of the building, however, the roof 

 could not sustain its own weight, and some time previously 

 to my visit the greater part had fallen down. Divine serv- 

 ice, nevertheless, continued to be performed in that portion 

 of the building which remained uninjured. 



At this period the station was in a most flourishing con- 

 dition. But, alas ! circumstances have since changed, and 

 it is now a question whether the mission can continue to ex- 

 ist. Should it be. abandoned, ten years of unremitted labor 

 and exertion will be entirely lost, and I sadly fear it will 

 break the heart of its founder — the worthy and venerable 

 Kleinschmidt. 



Rehoboth is well supplied with good and clear water from 

 a fountain hard by. There is also a copious warm spring 

 flowing from a limestone rock ; but the water is looked upon 

 as unwholesome, and only made use of for cattle, washing of 

 clothes, and the seasoning of timber. 



The warm spring in question is situated on rising ground, 

 and consequently affords facilities for irrigation, though, un- 

 fortunately, the soil is scanty and unfavorable for gardening. 

 The missionaries and a few natives have by perseverance 

 succeeded in fertilizing patches of ground which are tolerably 

 productive. Indeed, I have known a fig-tree — certainly not 

 above five or six feet in height — in Mr. Klein Schmidt's gar- 

 den to produce a dish of fruit every day for a space of more 

 than three months. The garden vegetables which thrive best 

 are pumpkins, calabashes, watermelons, &c. The wild gourd, 



