Oowikapun, or, How the Gospel reached the Nelson River IndiansYoung, Egerton Ryerson
History
Oowikapun, or, How the Gospel reached the Nelson River Indians
Young, Egerton Ryerson
Indians of North America -- Missions -- Fiction
Astumastao reached him as soon as possible, and finding it impossible to
right the canoe, she succeeded in tying a deerskin thong around the
wounded wrist, and then resolved to try to swim with him to the shore.
It was a desperate undertaking, but she knew just what to do to succeed,
if it were possible. The wounded man could do nothing to help himself,
so she placed him so that he could put his unwounded hand upon her back,
and thus keep afloat, then she bravely struck out for the distant shore.
Only those who have tried to rescue a helpless person in the water can
have any correct idea of the fearful task she had to perform; but buoyed
up by hope and her naturally brave, true heart, she persevered, and,
although at times almost exhausted, she succeeded in reaching the
shallow water, out into which her feeble aunt had ventured to come to
assist her. As well as they could, they helped or carried the almost
exhausted man to the wigwam, and immediately made use of every means at
their disposal to stop the wounds from which his life's blood seemed to
be ebbing away.
The poor man was no sooner laid on his bed, weak and exhausted, than he
turned his eyes toward Astumastao and startled her, although he spoke in
a voice that was little above a whisper.
What he said was, "Nikumootah!" ("Sing!")
Astumastao hesitated not; but choking back her emotions she began in
sweet and soothing notes the song we have already heard her sing:
"Jesus, my all, to heaven is gone,
He whom I fix my hopes upon;
His track I see, and I'll pursue
The narrow way, till him I view."
When she had sung two or three verses the sick man said, "Who is this
Jesus?"
Not much was it that was remembered through all the long years that had
passed away since Astumastao had received her last Sabbath school
lesson, but she called up all she could, and in that which still clung
to her memory was the matchless verse: "For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life." The sick man was thrilled and
startled, and said, "Say it again and again!" So over and over again
she repeated it. "Can you remember anything more?" he whispered.
"Not much," she replied, "only I remember that I was taught that this
Jesus, the Son of the Great Spirit, said something like this: `Him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.'"
"Did they say," said the dying man, "that that included the Indian? May
he, too, go in the white man's way?"
"O yes," she answered; "I remember about that very well. The missionary
was constantly telling us that the Great Spirit and his Son loved
everybody--Indians as well as whites--and that we were all welcome to
come to him. Indeed it must be so, for there are the words I have
learned about it out of his great book: `Him that cometh to me I will in
no wise cast out.'"
"Sing again to me," he said. And so she sang:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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