A WELCOME ACCESSION--THE REVEREND JOHN SEMMENS--A DEVOTED YOUNG
MISSIONARY--FIRST TO RESIDE AT NELSON RIVER--IN LABOURS AND IN PERILS
OFT--IN JOURNEYINGS OFT BY DOG-TRAINS TOGETHER--THE CENTENARIAN OLD
CHRISTIAN--WILLIAM PAPANEKIS--HIS GODLY LIFE AND WONDROUS TRANSLATION.
One cold wintry morning we were gladdened by the arrival of a dear
brother and colleague in the work, the Reverend John Semmens, who had
left a comfortable charge in Ontario, and had come out to help me in the
prosecution of the blessed work. Brother Semmens had to taste, early in
his missionary work among the Indians, some of the dangers incident to
such a life. He came to us at Norway House in the depth of the winter,
and suffered much from the intense cold and blizzard storms. One night,
while trying to rest in the camp in the woods on his way out, a fierce
storm blew down a large tree, which fell very close to him.
Providentially no one was hurt.
He soon became very popular among the Indians, for whom he subsequently
gave many years of successful, self-denying toil. His presence with us
in our home was a great joy. None but those who have been deprived of
the pleasure of the society and fellowship of kindred spirits can
realise what a benediction this sweet-spirited and devoted young brother
was in our home. With one great object before us, that of doing the
greatest possible good we could to the Indians among whom we were called
to labour, and fortunately seeing "eye to eye" as to the methods of our
work, we spent some months and broken years in harmony in doing what we
could.
Brother Semmens' name will ever be associated with the Nelson River
Mission, as he was the first missionary to go and live in that region of
country and among those wandering Aborigines, who had received me with
such expressions of joy when on my visits, so few, alas! and far
between. Very many indeed were Mr Semmens' hardships. Their wandering
life made his work slow and at times discouraging. He had not at first
a knowledge of their language, and could not always get an interpreter.
However, as the love of Christ was the constraining motive, he
persevered, and great indeed was his success among them.
We will not here insert any of the many thrilling incidents of his
romantic pioneer work among them. We hope that from his fluent pen will
come his own record, which will be a very valuable addition to
missionary literature. Often did we, like the early ones sent out by
the Master in pairs, go together on some long and difficult exploring
tours. At many a camp-fire and in many a wigwam have we talked and
pleaded with the wandering Indians, and have besought them to be
reconciled to God. Hundreds of miles have we tramped on together, until
our limbs were cramped and our feet were bleeding; and then, in the cold
camp after supper and prayers, have we crowded in close together under
the same robes and tried to sleep. Will either of us ever forget the
trip in to District Meeting at Winnipeg, where on the great Lake we got
separated from the rest of our party, but by rapid travelling reached
the comfortable home and cordial welcome of our beloved Chairman, the
Reverend George Young, thus escaping the terrible blizzard in which so
many suffered? Then the return trip was equally exciting and perilous.
We left Winnipeg on the Saturday afternoon with our heavily loaded dog
sleds. At Mr Sifton's, near Selkirk, we were cordially welcomed, and
here we remained in quiet rest and joyous worship during the Sabbath
day. When the clock struck the hour of midnight, we exchanged our black
clothes for our leather suits. We harnessed up our dogs, and then,
after eating a midnight meal, we bade our host and hostess farewell, and
pushed out under the stars on our long journey to the far North. Mr
Semmens' journey would not be finished until he was six or seven hundred
miles nearer the North Pole.
Mr Sifton told me in after years, that they could only sit there and
weep as they thought of our starting off in the bitter cold and gloom of
that midnight hour on such a journey. Missionary work to them from that
hour took on itself additional interest, and ever after much greater, if
possible, was their love for those who for His sake were willing to
endure hardness in extending the knowledge of His Name.
Ere the sun rose, we were near the Willow Islands, and there we had our
breakfast. It was getting late in the winter season, and so the
reflection of the brilliant rays of the sun on the dazzlingly white
snowy waste of Winnipeg gave us both a touch of snow-blindness. Still,
as we could see a little, we only stopped when it was necessary, and
rapidly hurried on. When about twenty miles from Beren's River night
came down upon us; but I could not bear the idea of having again to
sleep in a miserable camp when home was so near, for at this time I was
in charge of the new work among the Saulteaux. So I said to Brother
Semmens, and to our two well-disciplined dog-drivers, "Courage, men, a
little longer; let us not stop here in the bitter cold when our homes
are so near." The Indians responded with a will, and rejoiced that we
were to go on. But my beloved Brother Semmens was completely tired out,
and my heart was filled with sorrow as I saw how utterly exhausted he
was. Throwing himself down on the cold, icy surface of the lake, he
said, "Throw me out a blanket and a piece of pemmican, and leave me
here. I cannot go a step further. The rest of you have wives and
children to lure you on to your homes; I have none. I can go no
farther. My feet are bleeding from the straps of my snowshoes. I will
stay here. Never mind me."
Thus the dear fellow talked, for he was exhausted and discouraged. I
did not feel much better, but I tried to put a bold face on the matter,
and I said, "No, indeed, we will not leave you here. We are going on,
and we are going to take you with us; and a good supper under a roof,
and then a warm bed, are to be yours before morning comes."
One of my dogs, called Muff, a magnificent but over-ambitious St.
Bernard, the gift of Mrs Andrew Allen, of Montreal, had broken her
collar-bone during this trip. The plan generally adopted, when such an
accident happens to one of the dogs, was to kill it at once, and then
push on with the diminished train. However, as Muff was such a valuable
dog, and there was a possibility of her recovering, I decided to carry
her home, although we were a long distance from it. I so arranged my
sled that she could ride upon it, and she soon became quite reconciled
to her place. But it meant a good deal of hard running for me. Before
the accident occurred, I could ride a great part of the time, although
we had over six hundred pounds weight upon the sled. However, as Jack
was one of the train, I was able to ride when the ice was good. Now,
however, with one dog less in the train, and that one as so much
additional weight on the sled, it meant the end of my riding for that
trip.
Very quickly did I decide how to act in order to help my dear companion
in tribulation. With our axes my Indians and myself chopped a hole in
the solidly packed snow and ice near the shore of the lake. In this we
spread out a buffalo robe, and on it we placed the injured dog. Then
around her we placed the greater part of the load of the dog-sled, and
then covered all up as well as we could with the large deer-skin sleigh
wrapper. Giving the dog orders to guard well the supplies from prowling
wild animals, and making a large number of tracks as an additional
precaution, we left Muff there with her goods.
Then we drove the dogs over to the spot where Mr Semmens lay, and,
wrapping him well up in robes and putting a little pillow under his
head, we tied him on the sled, and started off on the last stage of our
journey. We were all so weary that we made but slow progress, and it
was after midnight ere the welcome Mission House was reached, and we
were within the walls of home.
Mr Semmens had fortunately slept most of the way. A good supper, after
a warm bath, and then a long, sweet, dreamless sleep, that lasted until
nearly noon of the next day, wonderfully refreshed his spirits, and as
he came down and greeted us, his first words were, "O Egerton, I am so
glad you did not leave me there to perish on the ice!"
Still in his prime, with a noble wife and precious children around him,
he is in that land doing good service for the Master. From him we yet
expect to hear good tidings, for in physical strength and mental
equipment and thorough consecration to his work he is the peer of any
who there toil.