After this sacred transaction the brethren, along with Mikak and her family, returned to the ship, which set sail the same day for Esquimaux Bay. On the dangerous passage, Mikak and her husband were of essential service in directing their course among rocks and islands, and likewise in trading with the Esquimaux they met with on their way, and inducing them to receive the brethren favourably, and attend to their instructions. Notwithstanding, however, the uniform expressions of love with which the savages everywhere hailed them, the missionaries found it necessary always to be upon their guard, and use the utmost circumspection in their intercourse with their new friends, especially on shipboard, where they behaved with a rude intrusion, often extremely troublesome, and not always without showing marks of their natural propensity to thieving; they therefore prohibited more than five from coming on board at one time to trade, and that only during the day; and informed them that if any were found in the ship during the night, they should be treated as thieves; and, to fix the time allowed for trading more exactly, a cannon was fired at six o'clock in the morning, and another at the same time in the evening. Finding that his regulations, however, were not so strictly observed as he could wish, and the natives becoming rather troublesome, Captain Mugford, while lying off the Island Amitok, deemed it necessary to show them that he possessed the power of punishing their misdeeds if he chose to employ it. He fired several shot from his great guns over their heads against a high barren rock at no great distance. When the broken pieces of the rock rolled down threateningly towards them, they raised a mournful howl in their tents, as if they were about to be destroyed; but they afterwards behaved more orderly, and not with the savage wildness they had done before, yet the missionaries were always obliged to act with firmness and decision, in order to prevent all approaches to any transgression that it might have been necessary to punish, or that might have exposed any of the men to danger.
During the voyage, Drachart held a meeting morning and evening, in the cabin, with the young Esquimaux, who seemed to take great pleasure in it, and were highly attentive. Some of their expressions were remarkable. "They wished they had such a desire for the Saviour as a child has for its parents"—"or a man to hunt the rein-deer, and obtain his prey."—"They would not cease to think of Jesus' sufferings and death, but would remember that merciful and generous Saviour who had died from love to them, and learn to know and love him." In the evening of the last day of July they cast anchor in the southernmost corner of Esquimaux Bay, and on the following day entered the harbour of Nanangoak, in which lay fourteen European and two women's boats, and on shore fourty-seven tents were pitched. Here Mikak and her husband had wished to rejoin their countrymen. Before they left the ship Drachart reminded them of what he had taught them, and recommended to them every morning when they rose, and every evening before they went to sleep, to think on the Saviour and his sufferings; and exhorted them, when any wicked thoughts should arise in their minds—theft, adultery, or murder, or any other bad thing they had heard from their youth up from the Angekoks their teachers—that they should pray to him that he would take them away, adding, "if you thus turn to Jesus and diligently seek to him, then you will no more belong to the heathen, but to the Saviour, who will receive you as his own, and write your names among the faithful." Jans Haven accompanied them to their friends, who rejoiced to receive them in safety, and among them Jans found his old acquaintance Seguilliak. Next day Drachart and Jensen went on shore, when they were immediately surrounded by a great crowd, who took the missionaries under the arm, and shook them by the hands, and then conducted them from tent to tent, where they proclaimed to them the unsearchable riches of Christ. Mikak invited them into her large tent, and begged they might hold a meeting in it. Soon upwards of seven hundred Esquimaux were collected within and around it, to whom Drachart, for the first time, preached the gospel, and was heard here, as elsewhere, with the utmost apparent attention. When he had finished, Mikak and her husband began to testify, in their own simple manner, how the Lord in heaven had become man, and died for their sins. Supposing that this alluded to their own murders, some of their countrymen appeared startled, and cried out, "Ah! that is true, we are sinners, and old murderers; but we will never more carry concealed knives, either under our arms or under our clothes; and we shall never have bows and arrows hid in our kaiaks, because the Lord in heaven has said, Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed. If we kill Europeans, as we did three years ago, then we deserve that they should kill us and our countrymen." But they seemed likewise alarmed lest the boats they had then taken should be demanded back; but Mikak and her husband explained that the Europeans did not come to desire them to give back the boats, but that certainly if they did so any more they would be punished. "That is good!" they replied "we believe your words, Mikak; and shall also love the great and powerful chief you saw in London, and his people, and will trade honourably with them;" and renewed their protestations of affection for the missionaries, telling them, "Now we are brethren." Drachart seized the opportunity of explaining what he meant by brethren:—"Ye have heard that many of the Greenlanders are our brethren; now you must learn rightly to understand why we call one another brethren. Hear what the reason is,—our hearts and the Greenlanders are fast bound together by the love of Jesus our Saviour, who died on the cross for our sins, therefore do we call the Greenlanders, and all who are united in the death of Jesus, our brethren. If you will now be converted to Jesus, then shall you be such brethren as the Greenlanders are." At a subsequent meeting, the missionaries informed them that they were desirous of finding a proper place on which to build a house, as it was their intention to return next year and settle among them, and requested their opinion as to where would be the best spot. They told them there were many good places on the continent which they might examine and choose for themselves; or if they would prefer an island, they were welcome to the best; and the old men added, "You may build and dwell in our country, and do what you will, either on land or sea—you shall have the same liberty as we have, for you are Innuit, as we are, and not such Kablunat as the other wicked Europeans." "Well," replied Drachart, "you and we and the Greenlanders are also as one family." "Yes," returned the old men, "we are friends and brethren." "Then, dear men, when you speak thus, do you in your hearts really think so?" "Yes! yes! you may firmly believe that." The brethren then proceeded from tent to tent, and distributed gifts, and obtained the marks of the old men, to the number of sixty-seven, to an agreement similar to that which they had made with the other Esquimaux, and the land from Monenguak to Kangerlack being marked out with four great stones, was given to the brethren for a possession. The ceremony being concluded, Drachart addressed them thus: "These signatures will shew to your children, and your children's children, that you have received us as friends and countrymen, and have given us the piece of land marked out by these stones, and then your children, and your children's children, will remember this transaction after your death, as if you spoke to them, and said, We, your fathers and grandfathers, called the brethren here for our sakes, and your sakes, and they have built a good house to meet daily with you, in that you may hear of the Lord in heaven. Do not forget that we your parents have given this piece of land for an inheritance to our brethren that came to us from the east of Greenland; and when you are converted to Jesus, you must live near the meeting house, love your teachers, and follow them as the Greenlanders do. Will you," continued he, "tell your families what you have now heard, as well as what you have now said? that your wives and children may know." They answered, "That we will,—and we have already begun to spread it through our country, and shall continue to do so." The missionary proceeded:—"The Lord, your and our Saviour, is over all. He is truly here with us—I feel his presence in my heart; he knoweth all things, and hath heard your words and mine; he is calling for your hearts—will you now give them to him? And will you keep to the words you have now said to me?" "Yes!" cried all the men, and gave him their hands, and some kissed him.
Having concluded the solemn transactions of the day, the missionaries, towards evening, returned to the ship, and the next day the Esquimaux began to set out for their hunting stations. But Tuglavina and his wife remained some days longer to assist the brethren in seeking out an island, and then parted with tears on both sides. The missionaries rewarded them liberally for their services; and they were not forgetful of the favours they had now and formerly received. Mikak begged the brethren would take charge of two white fox skins for the Dowager Princess of Wales, of a black one for the Princess of Glocester, and two red ones for the Governor Palliser, as acknowledgments for their kindness.
The place pitched upon by the brethren for their settlement was 56 deg. 36 m. N.L., well supplied with good wood for building, and numerous rivulets of excellent water, and where ships could conveniently find an excellent anchorage. The stones they erected were placed, one on King's point, marked G R III. 1770, the other marked U F (unitas fratrum,) 1770, and the land was taken possession of in the name of King George, for behoof of the United Brethren—a very important process, as it secured the protection of the British government for the new settlements; the other two stones were marked and placed in the interior merely as boundary stones. This first sacred spot was consecrated by thanksgiving and prayer. Amid the heathen tribes and their rude rocks, the missionaries kneeled down, and with the deepest expressions of humility, thanked the Lord that he had thus so far prospered them in their undertaking, had guarded them through the perils of their journey, and graciously granted them a resting place. Having thus accomplished the object of their mission, they returned to England, and reached London 16th November 1770, blessing and praising the Lord that no evil had befallen them.
CHAPTER III[ToC]
Preparations for establishing a settlement in Labrador.—A love feast.—Missionaries leave London—erect a mission-house at Nain—regulations for their intercourse with the natives—visited by great numbers—manner of instruction—they retire in winter, are visited by the Brethren in their houses.—Death of Anauke.—An incantation.—Adventures in search of a dead whale.—P.E. Lauritz deputed by the conference—visits the missions—his excursion along the coast.—A sloop of war arrives to examine the settlement—the Captain's report.—Jans Haven's voyage to the north—interesting occurrences.—Lauritz leaves Nain—his concluding address.—The Brethren propose new settlements—disastrous voyage in search of a situation.—Liebisch appointed Superintendant.—An Angekok baptized—his address to the natives.—Jans Haven commences a new station at Okkak—received joyfully by the natives—six Esquimaux baptized—proceedings at Nain.—Missionary accompanies the Esquimaux to a rein-deer hunt.—Third settlement—Hopedale founded.—Remarkable preservation of the Missionaries.
Every thing being now settled for establishing a missionary station among the Esquimaux, the Brethren were occupied during the winter in making the necessary preparations for carrying their object into effect. In this they were essentially aided by the same society who had sent out the vessel on the previous year, and who, knowing the difficulty Europeans lay under of procuring the necessaries of life in that climate, resolved to send out one annually with supplies, and to preserve the communication, notwithstanding the previous voyage had been but a losing concern. The number of persons destined for this arduous undertaking was fourteen, among whom were three married brethren, Brazen Schneider and Jans Haven, accompanied by Drachart and seven unmarried missionaries. Brazen, who had gone as a surgeon to Greenland in 1767, and remained during the winter at one of the settlements, was appointed superintendant of this mission. Before leaving London, on May 5th, these devoted men had a meeting in the Brethren's chapel with the congregation, and a number of other Christians who felt interested in the undertaking, and with the most delightful feelings they sat down together to a love feast, at which the following letter from Mr Drachart to the church was read: