Many of the school-children wrote to the bishop whilst he was in England letters, that might favourably compare with those of children possessing far greater advantages than they. All spoke of deepest attachment to him, all longed for his return amongst them. ‘We shall be so happy to see you again,’ was the refrain of every letter. The elder sister of one of the girls had become the wife of the Rev. J. Saunders, native pastor of Matawakumma. Her letter addressed to Mrs. Horden is full of interest. It is dated August 13, 1881. She says:
‘We are pretty dull up here, but we enjoy good health, and we must feel thankful to Him who gives us health and life. Of course you know that we spent the first winter you were away at Moose, and I must say your absence was very much felt, and when, the bishop went away the following summer, Moose was quite deserted.
‘I think the people at Moose will be very glad to see you back again. Sometimes I wish to see Moose and my friends living there, but, knowing the difficulty and expense of travelling, I put the subject out of my mind, and try to feel contented. If this place was not such a poor one for living I should certainly feel more settled. In the winter we do very well in the way of food, but my husband is obliged to occupy a good deal of his time in hunting; but in the summer we depend altogether on our nets, and if fish fails, then there is nothing at all; but I am glad to say that it is only sometimes that we get only enough for breakfast. I feel happy to say that our Heavenly Father never allows us to be without food altogether, and we bless the Bounteous Hand which can give us food even in this bleak and lonely wilderness. Many times while I was at Moose I thought it would be impossible to exist on fish alone, but experience teaches me that we can exist on fish, and fish alone. Many times I think how nice and helpful it would be if we had a cow.
‘I feel rather surprised that my husband did not arrange with the bishop before this to have a cow; to my mind that should have been considered before now. The other missionaries have cattle, and I think we could keep a cow very nicely here. I am afraid I shall be tiring you, so I must conclude my letter, wishing you and yours every blessing.
‘I remain yours very gratefully,
‘Frances Saunders.’
The bishop did not return to Moose in the summer of 1881. He found much to do in England, and so the annual ship by which he was expected arrived without him. The Rev. Thomas Vincent visited Moose, taking the place of the Rev. J. Keen, in the course of the winter, which was a mild one. The summer had been dry, and there had been many forest fires—hundreds of young rabbits and partridges must have been roasted alive. A sad loss for the Indians, who largely depend on these for food.
CHAPTER XIV
THE RETURN TO MOOSE
In the spring of 1882, the good folk at Moose became more and more pressing for their beloved bishop’s return. They were looking eagerly forward to his presence amongst them again; and he went, but he went alone, Mrs. Horden remaining in England with their children. A fortnight after his arrival in Moose he wrote: