sions. Such a thing as a Christian Indian throwing out his Bible,
when in an emergency his load had to be lightened, I have never known.
Their work as hunters gives them a good deal of leisure time, which
enables them to be diligent students of the Book. When in the beginning
of the winter, they go to the distant hunting grounds, the hunting lodge
is erected, and the traps and snares and other appliances for capturing
the game are all arranged. Then, especially in the capture of some
kinds of game, they have to allow some days to pass ere they visit the
traps. This is to allow all evidences of their presence to disappear,
as some of the most valuable fur-bearing animals have a wonderful power
of detecting the presence of man, and will not approach either his traps
or trail, until some considerable time after the hunter had finished his
work and retired. During these long waitings in their wigwams, or
hunting lodges, the Indians have not much with which to interest
themselves; the result is, the Bible has come to them as a wonderful
benediction. Its startling incidents and stories, become more prized
than the legends and myths that have come down to them from their
forefathers, and have been repeated over and over in their hearing by
the old story-tellers of the tribe. Then, when the revelation of God's
love in the gift of His Son has been proclaimed to, and received by
them--and here in this Book they can read it for themselves--they are
filled with grateful and adoring love, and the Book is indeed most
precious.

As I journeyed among these wonderful people, I carried as part of my
outfit, a number of these syllabic Bibles, and no gift was more
acceptable to those who had but lately renounced their paganism and
given their hearts to God. In some way or other they had acquired a
knowledge of the syllables, so that the acquisition of a Bible that they
could call their own, was a treasure most prized and used. Amongst
those, who until my visit had never seen a Bible or heard a missionary,
there were conflicting ideas regarding the Book. Some, at first, were
afraid of it. It was "great medicine," and only for the white man. One
old conjurer who boasted of his supernatural powers and of the wonderful
things he could do by the aid of his "medicines," failing signally when
I challenged him to show his power, declared, that it was because of the
Book which I carried in my pocket. Then, I permitted an Indian to take