The Minute Man on the FrontierPuddefoot, William George
History
The Minute Man on the Frontier
Puddefoot, William George
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.); Missions -- West (U.S.)
Another good pull at the oar 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 mingled into one.
We had a somewhat different audience 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
discourse, 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 feat. The man's gestures were
perfect; he was a natural orator. 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.
I noticed a lot of new fence-rails around the fields on the Canada
side, and remarked that the people were industrious. "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 oars 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 twilight, brother
Scurr told me some of the trials of missionary life in that region.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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