to
him. He knew little or nothing at that time of Labrador or
Newfoundland. He had never seen an Eskimo nor an American Indian,
unless he had chanced to visit a "wild west" show. He had no other
expectation than that he should make a single winter cruise with the
mission schooner, and then return to England and settle in some
promising locality to the practice of his profession, there to rise to
success or fade into hum-drum obscurity, as Providence might will.

The fishermen of the North Sea fleet were as rough and ready as the
old buccaneers. They were constantly risking their lives and they had
not much regard for their own lives or the lives of others. With them
life was cheap. Night and day they faced the dangers of the sea as
they worked at the trawls, and when they were not sleeping or working
there was no amusement for them. Then they were prone to resort to the
grog ships, which hovered around them, and they too often drank a
great deal more rum than was good for them. They were reared to a
rough and cruel life, these fishermen. Hard punishments were dealt the
men by the skippers. It was the way of the sea, as they knew it.

There were more than twenty thousand of these men in the North Sea
fleets. Grenfell must have been overwhelmed with the thought that he
was to be the only doctor within reach of that great number of men.
"Heal the sick"--that was his job!

But he resolved to do much more than that! He was going to "Preach the
Word" in smiles and cheering words, and was going to help the men in
other ways than with his pill box and surgical bandages. As a doctor
he realized how harmful liquor was to them, and he was going to fight
the grog ships and do his best to put them out of business. In a
word, he was not only going to doctor the men but he was going to help
them to live straight, clean lives. He was going to play the game as
he had played foot ball or pulled his oar with the winning crew at
college. He was going to put into it the best that was in him!

That was the way Grenfell always did everything he undertook. When he
had to pummel the "old boy" at Marlborough College he did it the best
he knew how. Now he had a big job on his hands. He resolved,
figuratively, to pummel the rum ships, and he was already planning and
inventing ways that would make the men's lives easier. He went into
the thing with his characteristic zeal, determined to make good. It is
a mighty fine thing to make good. Any of