CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
DESCRIBES A MOST AMAZING SURPRISE, AND TREATS OF HANS EGEDE.
When the starving missionary had taken the edge off his appetite, heclosed the clasp-knife with which he had been eating.
"Now, my friend," he said, looking at Rooney, "I have eaten quite enoughto do me good in my present condition,--perhaps more than enough. Youknow it is not safe for starving men to eat heartily. Besides, I amanxious to give some food to the poor fellows who are with me. One ofthem has met with a severe accident and is dying I fear. He does notbelong to my party, I found him on the mainland and brought him herejust before the storm burst on us, intending to take him on to Godhaab.He stands more in need of food than sleep, I think."
"Come, then, we will go to him at once," said Rooney, tying up theremains of Egede's breakfast. "How did he come by his accident?"continued the sailor, as the party walked up towards the bushes.
"The girl who takes care of him--his daughter, I think--says he wasinjured by a bear."
"If it is a case of broken bones, perhaps I may be of use to him," saidRooney, "for I've had some experience in that way."
Egede shook his head, "I fear it is too late," he replied. "Besides,his mind seems to give him more trouble even than his wasted frame. Hehas come, he says, from the far north, and would certainly have perishedafter his accident if it had not been for the care and kindness of thewomen who are with him--especially the younger woman. See, there shecomes. Her father must have awakened, for she rests near him at nightand never leaves him in the morning till he wakes up."
The missionary was startled at that moment by a loud shout from hiscompanion. Next instant Angut rushed past him, and, catching the girlin his arms, gave her a most fervent and lover-like embrace, to whichshe seemed in no ways averse.
It soon became obvious to the missionary that a most unexpected andpleasant meeting of friends was taking place; but the surprise expressedon his grave visage had barely given place to a benignant smile ofsympathy, when a female shriek was heard, and Sigokow was seen runningtowards her sister Kabelaw. These two did not leap into each other'sarms. The feelings of Eskimo females do not usually find vent in thatway; but they waltzed round each other, and grinned, and smoothed eachother's hair, and when Kabelaw observed that her sister had a huge blackeye and a yet unhealed cut across the bridge of her rather flat nose,she clapped her hands, and went into fits of laughter, which helped hersomewhat to relieve her feelings.
The surprise and pleasure of this meeting was still at its height whentwo shrill cries were heard. These were instantly followed by thebursting of Pussi and Tumbler on the scene, the former of whom rushedinto the ready arms of Pussimek, while the latter plunged into the bosomof Nuna. Ippegoo, unable to contain himself for joy, began an impromptuand original waltz round his own mother.
Of course it was some time before the party calmed down sufficiently togive or receive explanations. When this state, however, was arrived at,a feeling of sadness was cast over, them all by the re-announcement ofthe fact that Ujarak was certainly dying. He had been carried out ofthe hole in the snow in which Egede and his party had taken refuge fromthe storm, and laid on a dry spot among the bushes where he could enjoythe sunshine, so that he became visible to his former friends theinstant they entered the cleared space where he lay.
Any feelings of revenge that may have lingered in the breast of Angutwere dissipated like a summer cloud when he saw the thin worn frame, andthe pale haggard countenance, of the poor wizard. He went forward atonce, and, kneeling beside him, took hold of one of his hands.
"You--you--forgive me, I _see_?" said Ujarak, anxiously.
"Yes, I forgive you," replied Angut, with fervour, for his heart wastouched at the sight of the once strong and self-reliant man, who in soshort a time had been reduced to such utter helplessness.
"I am glad--glad," continued Ujarak, "that you have come before I die.I thank God for sending you. I have prayed for this."
"You thank God! you have prayed!" exclaimed Angut in surprise. "Is itthe Kablunets' God you thank and pray to?"
"Yes; Jesus--not only the Kablunets' God, but the God and Saviour of theInnuit also--the Saviour of the whole world. I have found Him--orrather, He has found _me_, the wicked angekok, since I came here."
The dying man turned a grateful look on Egede as he spoke.
"It is true," said the missionary, coming forward. "I believe that God,who brings about all good things, sent me here, and sent this man here,so that we should meet for the purpose of bringing about his salvation.The Almighty is confined to no such plans, yet it pleases Him to work bymeans, and often with poor tools."
Egede spoke now in the language of the Eskimos, having long before thattime learned to speak it sufficiently well to be understood.
"Angut," said Ujarak, after a few moments, "listen to me. I cannot livelong. Before I go, let me tell you that Nunaga is good--good--good!She is true to you, and she has been very, very good to _me_. Sheforgives me, though I meant to take her from you and from her home forever. But for her, I should have been left to die on the ice. She musthave had the Spirit of Jesus in her before she heard His name. Takecare of her, Angut. She will serve you well. Listen to her, and shewill teach you to be wise--"
He ceased abruptly. The energy with which he spoke proved to be thelast flare of the mysterious lamp of life. Next moment only theworn-out tenement of the angekok lay before his people, for his spirithad "returned to God who gave it."
The joy which had been so suddenly created by this unexpected union offriends and kindred was damped, not only by the sad though happy deathof the wizard, but by the recurrence of the storm which had alreadyproved almost fatal to them all. The recent clearing up of the weatherwas only a lull in the gale. Soon the sky overclouded again, snow beganto fall so thickly that they could not see more than a few yards in anydirection, and the wind drove them back into the hole or cave in thesnow out of which the short-lived sunshine had drawn them.
The body of Ujarak was buried under a heap of stones, for they had noimplements with which to dig a grave. Then Okiok and his party hastilyconstructed a rude snow-hut to protect them from the storm. Here fortwo more days and nights they were imprisoned, and much of that timethey passed in listening to the pleasant discourse of Hans Egede, as hetold the northern natives the wonderful story of redemption throughJesus Christ, or recounted some of his own difficulties in getting outto Greenland.
Few missionaries, we should imagine, have experienced or overcomegreater difficulties in getting to their field of labour than this sameearnest Norwegian, Hans Egede, though doubtless many may have equalledhim in their experience of dangers and difficulties after the fightbegan.
Even after having made up his mind to go to Greenland out of pure desirefor the salvation of souls--for his knowledge of that inhospitable landprecluded the possibility of his having been _tempted_ to go to it fromany other motive--he had to spend over ten years of his life inovercoming objections and obstructions to his starting.
At first his friends gave him credit for being mad, for people aresomewhat slow to believe in disinterested self-sacrifice; and the ideaof a clergyman with a comfortable living in Norway, who had, besides, awife and four small children, voluntarily resolving to go to a region inwhich men could be barely said to live, merely for the purpose ofpreaching Christ to uncivilised savages, seemed to them absurd. Theylittle knew the power of the missionary spirit, or rather, the power ofthe Holy Spirit, by which some great men are actuated! But, after all,if in the world's experience many men are found ready to take theirlives in their hands, and cheerfully go to the coldest, hottest, andwildest regions of earth at the call of duty, or "glory," or gold, is itstrange that some men should be found willing to do the same thing forthe love of God and the souls of men?
Be this as it may, it is certain that the soul of good Hans Egede becameinflamed with a burning desire to go as a missionary to Greenland, andfrom the time tha
t the desire arose, he never ceased to pray and strivetowards the accomplishment of his purpose. His thoughts were firstturned in that direction by reading of Christian men from his owncountry, who, centuries before, had gone to Greenland, establishedcolonies, been decimated by sickness, and then almost exterminated bythe natives--at least so it was thought, but all knowledge of them hadlong been lost. A friend in Bergen who had made several voyages toGreenland aroused Egede's pity for his lost countrymen, some of whom, itwas supposed, had sunk back into paganism for want of teachers. Histhoughts and his desires grew, and the first difficulty presented itselfin the form of a doubt as to whether it was allowable to forsake hiscongregation. Besides, several near relations as well as wife andchildren were dependent on him for sustenance, which increased theinitial difficulty.
But "where there's a will there's a way" is a proverb, the truth ofwhich Hans Egede very soon began to exemplify. Not least among thisgood man's difficulties seemed to be his modesty, for he was troubledwith "extreme diffidence and the fear of being charged withpresumption."
At last, in the year 1710, he determined to make a humble proposal toBishop Randulph of Bergen, and to Bishop Krog of Drontheim, entreatingthem to support at court his plans for the conversion of theGreenlanders. Both bishops replied favourably; but when his friends sawthat he was in earnest, they set up vehement opposition to what theystyled his preposterous enterprise. Even his wife and family were atfirst among his foes, so that the poor man was greatly perplexed, andwell-nigh gave up in despair. Happily, his wife at the time becameinvolved in a series of troubles and persecutions, which so affected herthat she left the enemy, and ever afterwards supported her husbandloyally, heart and soul.
That Egede regarded his wife's opposition as more formidable than thatof all the rest of his kith and kin put together, may be gathered fromthe fact that he says, on her coming over, that his "joy was complete,"and that he "believed every obstacle to have been vanquished." In thestrength of these feelings he immediately drew up a memorial to theworthy College of Missions, and again entreated the help of the bishopsof Bergen and Drontheim. But bishops then, as now, were not to beunduly hurried. They recommended patience till more favourable andpeaceful times!
Thus Egede's plans were postponed from year to year, for peaceful timesseemed very far off. Moreover, he was assailed with all kinds ofreproaches and misunderstandings as to motives, so that in the year 1715he thought it necessary to draw up a vindication of his conductentitled, "A Scriptural and Rational Solution and Explanation of theDifficulties and Objections raised against the Design of converting theHeathen Greenlanders."
Then people tried to divert Egede from his purpose by picturing to himthe dangers of his enterprise; the miseries he must endure; the crueltyof endangering the lives of his wife and children; and lastly, bypointing out the madness of relinquishing a certain for an uncertainlivelihood. They even went so far as to insinuate that, under a cloakof religious motive, he wished to "aggrandise his reputation;" but Egedewas heroically firm--some folk would say obstinate.
Wearied with delays, and having reason to believe that his memorial wasnot properly supported, he resolved at last to go himself to thefountain-head. Resigning his office in 1718, he went to Bergen, fromwhich port there had been in time past considerable trade withGreenland. Here he received little or no encouragement, but the suddendeath at this time of King Charles the Twelfth, giving hopes of thespeedy restoration of peace, Egede thought it advisable to go toCopenhagen and personally present his memorial to the College ofMissions. He did so, and received the encouraging answer that the Kingwould "consider his matter."
Kings have a wonderful capacity for taking time to "consider matters"--sometimes to the extent of passing out of time altogether, and leavingthe consideration to successors. But the King on this occasion was trueto his word. He gave Egede a private audience, and in 1719 sent ordersto the magistrates of Bergen to collect all the opinions and informationthat could be gathered in regard to the trade with Greenland and thepropriety of establishing a colony there, with a statement of theprivileges that might be desired by adventurers wishing to settle in thenew land. But, alas! no adventurers wished to settle there; the royalefforts failed, and poor Egede was left to fall back on his ownexertions and private enterprise.
For another year this indefatigable man vainly importuned the King andthe College of Missions. At last he prevailed on a number ofsympathisers to hold a conference. These, under his persuasive powers,subscribed forty pounds a-piece towards a mission fund. Egede set agood example by giving sixty pounds. Then, by begging from the bishopand people of Bergen, he raised the fund to about two thousand pounds.With this sum he bought a ship, and called it the _Hope_. Two othervessels were chartered and freighted--one for the whale fishery, theother to take home news of the colony. The King, although unable tostart the enterprise, appointed Egede missionary to the colony with asalary of sixty pounds a year, besides a present of a hundred pounds forimmediate expenses, and finally, on the 12th May 1721, the indomitableHans, with his heroic wife and four children, set sail for "Greenland'sicy mountains," after an unprecedented ten years' conflict.
Dangers and partial disasters greeted them on their arrival, in July, atBaal's River, latitude 64 degrees, where they established the colony ofGodhaab.
It would require a volume to tell of Hans Egede's difficulties, doings,and sufferings in the new land. Suffice it to say that they were_tremendous_, and that he acted as the pioneer to the interestingmissions of the Moravian Brethren to the same neighbourhood.
Hans Egede had been several years at his post when the meeting alreadydescribed took place between him and the northern Eskimos.