One Scotchman, who lived there thirty years, had never seen a locomotive or been on board of a steamboat, although numbers of the latter might be seen daily passing his house all summer long,—little tugs2 drawing logs, and the great steamers of the Canadian Pacific Railway, with their powerful engines, and lighted by electricity. He came by way of Hudson's Bay, which accounts for his never[181] having seen a locomotive; and he rather prided himself on never having been on board a steamboat. Like many of the trappers of an early day, he married an Indian woman. Quite a number of the descendants of these old pioneers live on the island. Some of them formed part of Brother Scurr's membership and congregation; one of them was a deacon, and a good one too.
But now for our journey. It was eight miles to our first appointment, and we went by water. Mrs. Scurr and the two children, with a little maid, made up our company, so that our boat was well filled. My hands, not used to rowing, soon gave out, and Brother Scurr had to do nearly all of that work. It was a hot, bright morning in the latter part of June—a lovely day—and we soon passed down the river into Lake George, and after two hours' steady pulling, made a landing opposite a log house just vacated by the settlers for one more convenient.
This was our sanctuary3 for the morning.[182] Here we found a mixed company—settlers from Canada, "the States," Chippewas, etc., men, women, and children. Some of them came four, five, and eight miles; some in boats, some on foot. One old Indian was there who did not know a word of English, but sat listening as intently as if he took it all in.
After the sermon, nearly all present partook of the Lord's Supper. There were not so many there as usual; for one of the friends had just lost a little child by diphtheria, and two more lay sick; and such is the difficulty of communication that it was buried before Brother Scurr had heard of its death. This kept many away.
We now took to our boat again, and, after rowing three miles, thought we espied4 a beautiful place to dine; but we had reckoned without our host. Mosquitoes and their cousins, the black flies, were holding their annual camp-meeting, and about the time we landed were in the midst of a praise service. It was[183] at once broken up on our arrival; and, without even waiting for an invitation, they joined in our repast. This was considerably5 shortened, under the circumstances, and we were glad to take to the water again. A word about the insect world in this region. They are very different from those farther south, being as active in the daytime as in the night. Perhaps, because of shorter seasons, they have to be at it all the time to get in their work.
Another good pull at the oar1 and a little help from the wind brought us to our second stage, the Indian village. On the hillside stood the schoolhouse where we were to preach. The view from this spot was lovely. Lake George lay flashing in the sunshine, and beyond the great hills stretched as far as the eye could reach, and seemed in the distance to fold one over the other, like purple clouds, until both seemed mingled6 into one.
We had a somewhat different audience[184] this time, only four white men being present; but all could understand English, except our old Indian friend of the morning, who was again present, and for whose benefit the chief's son arose after I was through, and interpreted the whole discourse7, save a little part which he said he condensed as the time was short. I was both astonished and delighted. The people told me he could do so with a sermon an hour long, without a break. Most of the company, as a rule, understand both languages, and keep up a keen watch for mistakes. It is a wonderful feat8. The man's gestures were perfect; he was a natural orator9. I asked him if he did not find it much harder to follow some men than others. He said, "Ough! Some go big way round before they come to it; they awful hard to follow."
We took leave of our Indian friends with mingled feelings of hope as to what they might be, and of pity for what they were.
[185]I noticed a lot of new fence-rails around the fields on the Canada side, and remarked that the people were industrious10. "Oh, yes," said our brother; "because they burnt their fences last winter for firing." Sure enough; what is the use of a fence in winter except to burn? And then the wood is well seasoned. One church over there bought nearly all the members of the other with flour and pork; and if you ask an Indian in that region to-day to unite with your church, he says, "How much flour you give me to join?" That's business.
But it was getting late, and we had four miles' rowing yet before us. After a good hour's pull at the oars11 we reached the parsonage, just as the sun was setting in purple and gold behind the blue hills of Algoma. And there, as we sat watching the deepening twilight12, brother Scurr told me some of the trials of missionary13 life in that region.
Often walking miles through the wet grass and low places, in the spring and[186] fall, standing14 in his wet shoes while preaching, and then returning—in the winter on snow-shoes, following the trail (for there are no roads); in the summer, when the weather permits, by boat. When the snow was deep, and the wind was howling around his house, he had to leave his sick wife to keep his appointments miles away, and was almost afraid to enter the house on his return, for fear she had left him alone with his little ones in the wilderness15. It was twelve miles to the nearest doctor on the mainland; and the only congenial companion for his wife was the missionary's wife on the Canadian side, a mile and a half away. This good sister knew something of the shady side of a missionary wife's life, as she lay for weeks hovering16 between life and death.
One touching17 little incident brother Scurr told me that deeply affected18 me. One dark night Deacon John Sebastian came and told him his daughter, a fine girl of some sixteen years of age, was[187] dying, and wished to see him. The mother was a Roman Catholic; but the daughter, who attended our church with her father, had accepted Christ for her Saviour19, and now desired to partake of the Lord's Supper with us ere she departed. There in the farmhouse20 at midnight the little company, with the mother joining, partook of the sacrament. All church distinctions were forgotten, as the Protestant father and Catholic mother sat with clasped hands, and with tear-bedimmed eyes saw their loved one go into the silent land. I left the next morning, promising21 to call again as soon as I could, and some time to hold meetings with them when the men were at home from fishing in the winter.
I attended the dedication22 of a new church at Alba costing a little over $1,000, all paid or provided for, $137 being raised on the night of dedication, in sums from two cents, given by a little girl, up to ten dollars, the highest sum given that night by one person. All our[188] people in the rural districts are very poor, but often generous and self-denying. I know of one good mother in Israel who went without her new print dress for the summer in order to give the dollar to the minister at Conference. Think of that dollar dress, my good sisters, when you are perplexed23 about whether you shall have yours cut bias24, or gored25, or Mother Hubbard style, or—well, I don't know much about styles; but "think on these things."
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1
oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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tugs
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| n.猛拉( tug的名词复数 )；猛拖；拖船v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的第三人称单数 ) | |
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3
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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espied
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| v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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6
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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7
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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8
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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9
orator
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| n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家 | |
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10
industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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12
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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13
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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saviour
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| n.拯救者，救星 | |
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farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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dedication
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| n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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bias
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| n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见 | |
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gored
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| v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破( gore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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