ion-house, was followed by
farewell words and some commendatory hymns in German. Then we "parting
guests" went on board the "Harmony," accompanied by most of our hosts,
who lingered long with us. As we got into the boat, the Eskimoes bade
us an affectionate good-bye, "Aksunai, aksuse." (Aksunai, Be thou
strong, or its plural, Aksuse, Be ye strong, are used both for "How do
you do?" and "Good-bye.")
FROM NAIN TO OKAK.
_Monday, August 27th, 1888._--When I rose, our ship was being slowly
towed by her boats out of the bay in search of a fair breeze. About
eleven we had to put down the anchor, as wind and current forbade our
attempting to pass between "the Turnpikes," two rocks in the narrow
channel before us. Here we lay all the day among islands. Barth, to
our left, is so called in honour of Dr. Barth of Calw, the compiler of
a Bible history translated by our missionaries into Eskimo, as well as
into the languages of several other people evangelized by our church.
Rhodes, to our right, is named after James Rhodes, a native of
Gomersal, Yorkshire, who was a missionary here for twenty-six years,
1771-1797. Lister, the snowy hill beyond, perpetuates the memory of
Christian Lister, another Yorkshireman, who crowned seventeen years of
service in Labrador by thirteen in Jamaica. It is well to be thus
reminded that the British Province of four missionary Unitas Fratrum
had several representatives in this mission field a hundred years ago.
William Turner (twenty-two years' service, 1771-93) was a native of
Halifax; and James Bramagin (1775-94) of Lurgan in the north of
Ireland; Samuel Towle (1782-91) came from the neighbourhood of
Ockbrook, Derbyshire, and Henry Shaw (1806-13) was again a
Yorkshireman. Further, Mary Butterworth (1771-84), of Birstal in
Yorkshire, gave herself to this mission as the wife of Jens Haven, its
founder; and later Mary Waters (1812-31), of Dukinfield in Lancashire,
married George Kmoch for similar service.
Yonder fjord running far inland is the _Nunaingoak_ Bay, which,
conveniently for the natives, embodies the foreign name given to their
station. Nain itself is behind that neck of land, on which our friends
have lit a fire as a signal that they perceive our vessel has not as
yet been able to leave them very far behind.
What a study of colour this evening effect would make! The sun has
just set and the sky to the north and west is orange, shading off into
yellow along the horizon. Betwee
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