ood and kind" Europeans; they had quarrelled with their friends, who
had seized their wives, and afterwards maltreated and threatened to
shoot themselves; while they, probably, had not altogether refrained
from their old thievish practices. The year before, they said, the
people in the south are better than you, they give us plenty to
eat;--now they said, "You are the _Innuit_, our true friends, we will
never leave you more."
The following year, 1784, Tuglavina arrived at Nain on the 6th of
September with three boats, on his return from Chateau Bay--the
accounts which he and others gave of their residence there pierced the
missionaries to their inmost souls. Of the nineteen baptized who went
south five had perished, David, Abraham, Moses, Timothy, and Deborah;
the latter, there was ground to hope, had a blessed departure. David
was drowned in a kaiak on the sea, and on this account, by the counsel
of old Nerkingoak, his sister Killatsiak was ordered to be burnt to
death. Abraham, while striking fire for this purpose, slightly wounded
his finger; but trifling as the hurt appeared, it brought him to his
miserable end. Moses was shot by Tuglavina. Timothy was likewise
assassinated. When Tuglavina touched at Hopedale, being asked, "Where
is Moses?" he coolly answered, "He is lost." "Where is he lost? is he
gone over the sea?" was next asked. "No! I have killed him," answered
the savage. "And wherefore did you kill him?" said they. "Because he
was good for nothing," was the careless reply. It was apparent,
however, that they had been murdered for the sake of their women.
Moses had three baptized wives, who were given or sold to three
northern men; Kathmina was purchased by her brother, Kekluana of
Pitteklaluk, for a great coat, a hatchet, a folding knife, and a
spoon. These conjugal bargains Tuglavina related to brother Lister,
quite unasked and without emotion; indeed his whole appearance was as
if he had been possessed by an evil spirit. The brethren slept none
that night for grief.
By such horrible occurrences the desire of the baptized to travel to
the south was somewhat checked, and the following year only a single
boat went thither. But the colony possessed particular attractions for
the natives; as there they could be supplied with muskets, powder, and
ball, which having learned the use of, had now become absolutely
necessary for them in hunting. The missionaries had, hitherto, doubted
the propriety of arming them
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