Through lands that were dark: Being a record of a year's missionary journey in Africa and Madagascar

In Short

This 1914 travelogue records a year-long secretarial inspection of the London Missionary Society’s outposts in South Africa, Central Africa, and Madagascar. Traveling by motor car, ox-wagon, bush-car, and palanquin, F. H. Hawkins documents the daily operation, physical infrastructure, and human element of Christian missions. The narrative progresses from long-established South African settlements through the raw interior of Northern Rhodesia to the densely organized native churches of Madagascar. The text remains a vivid historical document of early twentieth-century African transit, colonial administration, and evangelical expansion.

The Story

The narrative begins in South Africa, where Hawkins surveys long-standing mission stations. Moving along primitive roads by early motor car and ox-wagon, he navigates dry riverbeds, dense brush, and livestock blockades to inspect sites like Pacaltsdorp and Hankey. He observes the tangible results of decades-old projects, such as irrigation tunnels that transformed arid valleys, and visits historical locations connected to David Moffat and David Livingstone. At the Tiger Kloof Institution, he records how industrial and academic instruction aims to produce self-sufficient native craftsmen, teachers, and pastors to support regional Christian communities.

Transitioning to Central Africa, the journey becomes physically demanding. Crossing Northern Rhodesia on foot and by single-wheeled bush-car along narrow footpaths, the party negotiates rough terrain marked by deep elephant footprints. Evenings feature communal services around massive watchfires, where indigenous carriers and villagers join in familiar hymns sung from memory. Hawkins visits remote outstations, inspecting dispensaries, schools, and expansive agricultural gardens growing imported fruits and crops. He meets local rulers, including Paramount Chief Kazembe, observing the juxtaposition between traditional chieftaincy and the overarching enforcement of British colonial order.

The final leg of the tour takes Hawkins to Madagascar, presenting a stark contrast in scale and organization. Unlike the fledgling outposts of the African interior, Madagascar features hundreds of brick and stone churches, a massive native membership, thousands of local preachers, and highly structured educational institutions. In Tananarive, Hawkins inspects boarding homes for girls that balance domestic skills with formal education. He visits the French-run Leper Settlement, documenting its strict sanitary regime and the devoted management of its director, Mlle. Sapino.

Traveling south to the Betsileo province via modern French motor roads, Hawkins observes work among less developed tribal populations. Returning to the capital, he participates in joint conferences, attends native church assemblies, and celebrates the fifty-year career of veteran missionary architect Dr. James Sibree. Hawkins concludes his account by assessing the future of the mission. He argues that the ultimate measure of European missionary success is making European presence unnecessary by training a strong, educated native leadership capable of governing and evangelizing the island independently.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Hawkins sets out across South Africa, navigating execrable roads in an early motor car to visit established stations like Pacaltsdorp and Hankey. He records both the scenic landscapes and the practical engineering triumphs of early mission settlements.

Visiting historic outposts At Ganyesa, crowded services overflow into the outdoors, and Hawkins speaks with elderly residents who remember David Livingstone and Mary Moffat. He inspects remote churches before moving north through Rhodesia to view the Victoria Falls and Cecil Rhodes's grave.

Governance at Serowe Arriving at Chief Khama’s capital, Hawkins observes the benevolent despotism of a Christian chief who manages civic affairs in the Kgotla. Thousands assemble in the open air for early morning prayer meetings and Sunday services.

Into the Central African forest The expedition journeys into Northern Rhodesia using bush-cars along narrow paths. Daily travel ends around large campfires where carriers and local villagers join in devotional services and hymn singing.

Encounters with native rulers At Mbereshi, Hawkins visits Chief Kazembe, viewing his traditional regalia, drums, and charms. Shortly after, the chief pays a formal return visit to the mission station, borne on a platform by thirty men.

The established churches of Madagascar Arriving in Madagascar, Hawkins notes the dramatic contrast between small African outposts and the vast Malagasy church network, which boasts hundreds of brick churches, extensive schools, and thousands of native preachers.

Inspecting community institutions In Tananarive, Hawkins tours Miss Craven's Girls' Home and visits the government-run Leper Settlement directed by Mlle. Sapino. He then travels along modern mountain roads to inspect the southern stations of Betsileo.

The goal of self-reliance After celebrating the jubilee of missionary architect Dr. James Sibree, Hawkins closes his record by calling for the gradual transfer of authority to educated native pastors so foreign workers can eventually withdraw.

The People

• F. H. Hawkins — The Foreign Secretary of the London Missionary Society and author of the travelogue. He wants to inspect, evaluate, and report on the society’s far-flung stations to ensure effective administration. Through his travels across varied terrains, his perspective shifts from observing historical foundations to advocating for native leadership.
• Chief Khama — The ruler of the Bamangwato tribe at Serowe. He wants to maintain strict order and spiritual guidance over his 26,000 subjects while embracing modern Christian practices. He sits in the open-air Kgotla daily, serving as judge, chief administrator, and lay church leader.
• Chief Kazembe — The paramount chief near Mbereshi, ruling over tens of thousands. He wants to maintain traditional prestige, display his tribal treasures, and engage with visiting Europeans. Though formerly a warrior chief, he now lives under the quiet constraints of colonial peace.
• Mlle. Sapino — A former missionary turned director of the Malagasy Leper Settlement. She wants to maintain order, cleanliness, and compassionate care for 1,500 lepers while sheltering untainted children. She manages the entire institution on a meager stipend despite tense relations with colonial authorities.
• Dr. James Sibree — A veteran missionary architect and educator in Madagascar. He dedicated fifty years to designing over forty churches, including historic memorial buildings in Tananarive, embodying the long-term institutional investment of the society.

In Its Own Voice

"The South African roads are not constructed for motor car traffic. They defy description and I shall not soon forget this journey." — Hawkins describes the rugged reality of early vehicular travel between old mission stations in Cape Colony.

"There is only one brick Church in the Central Africa Mission, the rest being wattle-and-daub. In Madagascar there are many hundreds of spacious well-built brick Churches, and some handsome stone ones." — Hawkins highlights the sharp contrast in development between the nascent African interior missions and the established Malagasy church.

"The test of the success of their work will be that they have made themselves unnecessary." — Hawkins articulates the ultimate goal of European missionary work regarding the transition to indigenous leadership.

What It's Really About

Underneath the itinerary of inspections and geographic observations, the book explores the mechanics of early twentieth-century institutional expansion and cultural change. Hawkins presents a detailed study of how Western evangelical organizations established physical footprints through schools, hospitals, agricultural furrows, and printing presses. The text wrestles with the complex relationship between British missionary work, local indigenous governance, and European colonial authorities. Ultimately, it poses fundamental questions about sustainability: how a foreign movement transforms into an indigenous institution, and whether Western administrators possess the foresight to step aside as local leadership takes ownership.

Why Read It Today

This text appeals to readers interested in African colonial history, early travel literature, and the historical development of global Christianity. It offers a detailed, eyewitness portrait of southern and central Africa and Madagascar in the final months before World War I. Readers experience the raw physical realities of early twentieth-century travel, from single-wheel bush-cars bumping over elephant tracks to early automobile runs along precipitous mountain passes.

Modern readers will easily spot the period attitudes, paternalistic tone, and unquestioned assumptions regarding European imperial influence that run throughout the text. Yet Hawkins’s writing remains clear, observant, and free from grandstanding. His account is particularly valuable for its candid documentation of native agency—capturing powerful figures like Chief Khama and documenting the extensive network of Malagasy pastors, teachers, and masons who built and sustained their own institutions. What stays with the reader is a vivid historical snapshot of a world in transition, recorded by a meticulous administrative observer.