At length the obstacles in the way of a new settlement began to dissipate; and in the mean time, to secure possession of the bounds allotted to them by the British Government, the missionaries, Kmoch and Sturman, in 1828, erected a block-house twelve feet long and eight broad, which the summer before had been prepared at Okkak, and sent to Kangertluksoak by some Esquimaux returning to the north. They completed the journey on sledges in fifteen hours, of which they transmitted the following notes—"May 19th, at eight in the evening we arrived at Apparnaviarsak, in the neighbourhood of Kangertluksoak; here we found four tents of our Esquimaux, and in three, others of the Nain people who had resolved the next summer to go to Okkak: all expressed the greatest joy at our coming, and all frankly reached out their hands to welcome us. Immediately a tent was erected for us, and the floor covered with bears' skins. As we had not tasted any thing warm the whole day, we got some coffee, after which we put our beds in order—these consist of a sack of rein-deers' skin with the hair inmost, and a sack of seals' skin drawn over it—it is just large enough to admit one person, who first slips in his feet, and gradually inserts the whole body, which, when fairly in, soon gets comfortably warm. The day after, we invited the Esquimaux to a meeting, when, after singing a hymn, brother Sturman saluted them in the most affectionate manner; assured them of our constant remembrance and prayers; then begged them to consider their present happy circumstances, and reminded them that but a few years since they were heathens, living in deplorable ignorance of their Creator and Redeemer, and without hope of that eternal happiness which he hath purchased for us. The tears of many shewed the joy of their hearts in believing. We intimated to them that, during our stay, we would have prayers morning and evening."
The promontory of Apparnaviarsak, where our Esquimaux were, is joined to the continent of Kangertluksoak, on which their winter houses were built. Between the rocks, the ground is everywhere covered with grass, the snow was already melted, and the young grass began most beautifully to shoot up. The spring appeared to be much earlier here than at Okkak, where, at present, every thing was covered with deep snow; the mountains are not so steep, the land lies lower and nearer the open sea: but the flat where the houses of the Esquimaux are, is surrounded by numerous small islands. From the declivity behind, in many places the open sea can be seen, with the promontory of Saeglak, the distance to which is only about 5 or 6 hours, with a good sledge path; consequently, it appeared admirably adapted for a mission station. Saeglak would afford excellent fishing ground for our people, should the heathen leave it, which must very soon happen, as within these last few years, the inhabitants of these parts have greatly diminished, many of them coming to reside among us. Upon the whole, from all that we have heard or seen, Kangertluksoak is one of the best fishing places, and as some remain here the whole year, we can have the Esquimaux more with us than at any of the other settlements. There are, however, many other advantages we must give up here; the nearest forest lies to the south of Nappartok, and is about eighteen or twenty miles distant, the nearest road by land; by water it is greater. While we sent the Esquimaux for the frame of our little house, which lay about half an hour's journey from this, we went to take a view of the place, near the winter houses of the Esquimaux. Adjoining these, at a little distance from the beach, we found a plain sufficiently large for buildings, gardens, &c.; and after we had examined all the country round the river, we resolved to erect our little dwelling here, and our Esquimaux having brought the wood, it was soon erected. All the natives who were present willingly assisted in laying the foundation with stones, and filling it up with sand—part of the boards were nailed on the same day. The house stands on an eminence, in the neighbourhood of a small lake, which the Esquimaux assured us had water in it during the greater part of the summer, and probably, by a little labour, it may be formed into a good reservoir. We continued our building, without intermission, till the 21st, when we finished. On the 22nd we floored the house, prepared the bed-rooms, fixed a table and bench between two windows, and set up a little oven. In the evening, brother Kmoch held a meeting to take leave, and affectionately exhorted our Esquimaux to approve themselves the children of God under every circumstance, to give themselves up at all times to be led by the Spirit of the Lord, and faithfully to follow his admonitions. On the 25th inst. at 3 o'clock, A.M., we set out on our return, but the newly fallen snow mixing with the water on the ice, so obstructed our path, that we were nine hours longer on the way than we were before, but we reached Okkak on the 26th, at three in the morning, full of gratitude to the Saviour, whose presence had so comforted us on this visit, and filled us with the joyful conviction, that he also had left a blessed impression on the Esquimaux.
Preparations were now commenced at the different stations for forwarding the erection of the new settlement, and early in the year 1829, rafters, boards, and shingles, were transported to Kangertluksoak from Okkak by sledges, which performed no less than one hundred and five journies, and seldom spent more than a day upon the road, the tract having been extraordinarily fine, beyond what the oldest inhabitant remembered to have seen, and which the brethren considered as the mark of a kind providence smiling on their new undertaking. When the frame work of the mission-house was finished, on the 13th of April brother Mentzel and Beck, with six young Esquimaux, set out for the spot. On the 8th of July the frame was set up, and on the 21st it was covered with weather boarding on three sides.
The Society in London in the meantime had not been idle; they had, in addition to the ordinary vessel, hired a consort, the Oliver, which they sent out with materials, to enable the missionaries to go on with their new settlement, named Hebron, and which opportunely arrived, just when the house was made ready to receive, and place the stores under cover. Another missionary, Ferdinand, arrived with the Harmony to assist brother Beck. Immediately they commenced unloading the Oliver, in which they were stoutly assisted by about thirty Esquimaux, with their wives and children. In less than a week, the whole was landed, and after consulting with the brethren at Okkak, the resident missionaries proceeded with their labour: notwithstanding several interruptions, first by the loss of their assistants for a time, who went to the rein-deer hunt, and afterwards by a violent storm, which carried away the scaffolding, and part of their materials, they got so far finished, that on the 18th of September, one room was habitable, and they could quit the small and uncomfortable hut, in which they had hitherto lived. During the winter months their work was suspended, but in spring, 1831, they recommenced with fresh diligence, and on the 7th of May, the second story of their house was floored, and likewise habitable. They had constructed besides some outhouses as cellars and store houses; and when the vessels from Europe again visited the settlement in July, bringing a further supply of building materials, brother Mentzel, who had gone to England and returned in her, was much surprised to see the premises so far advanced, and thus reported: "Our dear brethren," says he, "must have laboured diligently to effect what they have done. It is true every thing is in a rude and unfinished state; chairs, tables, bedsteads, and the like, have still to be made. Our fellow traveller, brother Freytag has his bed at present upon a heap of shavings. The reading table in the temporary church, is a box set on end, upon which a flat board has been nailed, and the whole is covered with a piece of coarse cloth, but in due time we hope all will be in order."
In the course of the winter, nine persons came to reside at the settlement, professing to enquire for rest to their souls; the missionaries gladly received them, and directed their attention to our Saviour's invitation to the weary and heavy laden. Among them an Esquimaux woman came from Saeglak, and requested leave to reside at the station; the missionaries informed her that she was welcome to do so, but that she must give up all heathenish practices. She replied that for some time past, both her husband and herself had discontinued these things, and had been long thinking about their conversion, and therefore they had come to them. About a week after, the husband himself came, and confirmed what his wife had said. On the 12th of July three boats' companies arrived from the north, and several of the Esquimaux paid the brethren a visit, but seemed little disposed to listen to the gospel. Only one young man remained with his mother. Many Esquimaux arrived in the following year [1832] for the sake of trade; but when the brethren advised them to make the salvation of their soul their chief concern, they all began to offer excuses, yet on being spoken to about the consequences of death, they did not, as formerly, treat it with levity; some even appeared thoughtful after such conversations, and five persons removed from the heathen to the settlement. Of those who had resided with them for some time, they had the pleasure, on Easter Sunday, to baptize four adults and one child, being the first accession to the church at Hebron from among the heathen. The number of their congregation in August, the date of their latest accounts, amounted in all, to 162 persons, of whom 72 had joined from Okkak, and 10 from Nain.