"Our children being on deck, we joined them in their games, and then assembled our large family in their separate steerages; and standing in the doorway between, I was enabled to address them and the helpers—140 in all. Their evening hymn attracted the sailors, and this gave a double gathering on mid-decks. Our portion was Luke x. 38-42, 'The one thing needful.' Jesus the need of each one, ere leaving us. A saddened look fell over every little face, as we referred to parting, while many beamed with joy, as we talked of the meeting by and bye. We closed by singing 'Around the throne of God in heaven.' During this hour Mr. Merry held a solemn meeting among the sailors in the forecastle. May the Lord Jesus scatter His saints to the four quarters of the globe, that His glory may be increased. If those who cannot go would only meet weekly, in twos and threes, and pray for the foreign fields of perishing millions, surely we should see greater results.
"This day ended in one of the most lovely of moonlight nights, and as we walked on deck we were ever and anon led to praise God and admire the beauties of His hand. Venus was resplendent; very large and full of soft lustrous beauty, while an aurora shed some lovely tinges of colour across the sky. Our little group turned once more towards the chart room, and sang a hymn of praise to 'Him who hath loved us.'
"'If so much loveliness is sent
To grace our earthly home,
How beautiful, how beautiful
Must be the world to come!'
"Saturday, May 6.—At early dawn we were awakened from a long brain-refreshing sleep by one of the officers gently tapping at our door, and in a whisper saying, 'A glorious sunrise.' We were soon with him on the bridge, filled with admiration as we gazed upon the scene before us. The sun appeared rising from the ocean, its golden rays shedding a dazzling brilliance on all around. While we watched, the scene changed, and a misty veil beclouded the whole horizon, hiding from our view that which had been so lovely.
"After going down to an early cup of tea we sang our morning hymn of praise, and had a season of prayer; a very hallowed opportunity it was, one which brought us again to feel our deep need of grace, to live one more day to His praise and glory.
"About noon we bad another of those never-ending changes which are to be met with on this great ocean; the sun came out bright and warm, the sky became brilliantly blue, and the sea was one sheet of ice fields as far as the eye could reach.
"Our noble Scotch ironclad rode on her way majestically, leaving a pathway in the frozen fields to be seen for miles behind, and as she struck her boom upon the massive sheets of ice, they seemed to vibrate and cause a movement in huge sheets on before and on either side. Some magnificent pieces, when touched by the ironclad's power, shiver into thousands of fragments, others pass our vessel's side, hard as iron, to be wafted on to the Gulf Stream, there to come under a warmer influence. This Arctic scene causes our captain and his officers to look rather serious, and they mount at times to the fore-topgallant mast. Did we but know the dangers which beset us through yielding to the allurements of the world, how often would we also mount aloft, and get upon, our watch-tower and look out!
"You will naturally ask, How far did the ice reach? We were fourteen hours cutting through it, passing sixty vessels and two steamers (many of them fixtures), signalling those we came near. It was touching to see a barque make efforts to get into our opened-up pathway, but she could not make the short distance to reach the cleared waters. Those who watched throughout that long day as we triumphantly, though slowly, broke our ice-girt way, saw seals between the fields of ice, porpoises and whales spouting and bounding in their glorious freedom, sea-gulls and small red birds flying about.
"Our little fellows were constructing allegories after the fashion of their last course of lessons on Banyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress.' The ice field, they said, was like Satan, and the ship was like Christian; and thus they went on, as they sat looking over the bulwarks at the ice which so hindered our progress. There is not a child who has not had his constitution braced by this most favourable voyage. To-day we passed a steamer in the ice, which had started a week ahead of us from Glasgow. How we realised at this time the comfort and rest of having a captain and officers who were men of prayer.
"The gun was now fired to tell the dwellers at Metis to telegraph the glad news to you that we were safe in sight of land, though there are still Amaleks to be overcome,—narrow straits lined with mountains full of minerals, which are a magnetic attraction to our ironclads, and more ships have been lost here than anywhere else; fogs which come and go, ever keeping the sailor as he nears the shore in anxious trepidation; and shallows that require skill in sounding.