"I am going to have Kennedy harness up my dogs, and drive me up the
river to Playgreen point to see how that old sick woman is getting on
and take her the warm blanket I promised her. I will also stop to see
how those sick babies are, and how Nancy's little twins are prospering.
In the afternoon I want to drive over to York village and see
Oosememou's sick wife--What is your day's programme?"
To my good wife's question, my answer would be after this fashion:
"Well, first of all, as word has come that the wolves have been visiting
our fish-cache, Martin Papanekis and I have arranged to drive over there
with the dogs to see the extent of the damage. We may be detained some
hours making the place so strong, that if they visit it again, which is
likely, they will be unable to reach the fish. Then we will spend the
rest of the day in that vicinity, visiting and praying with the
neighbours."
Having taken our tea, we had prayers, and soon after began to carry out
the programmes of the day.
For several winters we kept for our varied duties, a number of dogs.
Mrs Young and I each had our favourite dog-trains. So widely scattered
were the Indians, and for such diverse reasons did they look to us and
claim our attention, that our lives were full, not only of solicitude
for their welfare, but we were, sometimes for days together kept on the
"go," often travelling many miles each day in visiting the sick and
afflicted, and in looking after the interests of those who needed our
personal help.
On that particular day in which the conversation above recorded was
held, it was after dark ere our work was accomplished and we met in our
little dining-room for our evening meal. It was really the first meal
of the day; for we had a tacit understanding that when these times
arrived that we could not really enjoy our fish diet, we would
resolutely put in the whole days work without tasting food. The result
was, that when we drew up to the table after having refused the morning
breakfast, and ignored the midday meal, we found that our appetite, even
for fish, had returned, and we enjoyed them greatly. And what was more,
the appetite for them remained with us for some considerable time
thereafter.
Hunger is still a good sauce; and we found--and others also have made
the same discovery--that when the appetite fails and there is a tendency
to criticise, or find fault with the food, or even with the cook, a
voluntary abstinence for two or three meals will be most beneficial for
mind and body, and bring back a very decided appreciation of some of
God's good gifts which hitherto had been little esteemed.
Of course the great and prominent work was the preaching of the Gospel
and the teaching of the people to read the Word of God. To this latter
work we devote a full chapter and so need not refer to it here. Next
perhaps to the direct results obtained by the preaching of the Word, we
accomplished the most good by the medical work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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