which enabled them to travel very easily by
canoe in almost any direction.

Thus, when obliged to travel on the short stretches of the so-called,
"Indian trail," it is not to be wondered at if the missionary sometimes
lost his way, and had to be sought after and found, much to the
amusement of the Indians who constituted the hunting party.

"Good missionary, but him lost the trail." More than once was I so
addressed by my clever and experienced Indian canoeman, with whom every
summer I used to journey hundreds of miles into remote regions, to find
the poor sheep of the wilderness to whom to preach the glorious Gospel
of the Son of God. These summer routes lay through many lakes, and up
and down rushing rivers full of rapids and cataracts. Generally two
skilful Indian canoemen were my companions, one of whom was called, "the
guide."

The Indians, for whom we were seeking, drifted naturally from their
hunting grounds in the forests, to the shores of the lakes and rivers,
for the sake of the fish, which, daring the summer months, could be
easily obtained and which then constituted their principal food. The
result was, that while in winter, with our dog-trains, we could go
anywhere--the terrible ice-king freezing everything solid from the lakes
and rivers to the great quaking bogs--in summer, we were confined to
those trips which could be only made by the birch-bark canoe: in no
other way could the Gospel he carried to these people. After we became
accustomed to the canoe and dog-train, we rejoiced that we were counted
worthy to be the Messengers of Good Tidings'to these neglected ones,
who, having lost faith in their old paganism, were longing for something
better.

One summer in the early years of my missionary life, when I had had but
little experience in the northern methods of travel and was a novice at
finding my way on an obscure trail, I took a trip which I remember very
distinctly; partly, because of the difficulty I had in keeping the trail
when alone and partly because of the dangers to which I was exposed when
I lost it.

My birch canoe was a good one. It was made especially for running
rapids, and was so light that one man could easily carry it on his head
when necessary. I had as my companions two very capable Indian
canoemen. One of them had never been over that route before and the
other, whom by courtesy, we called, "our guide," had only once travelled
that way--and that, several years before