HUDSON'S BAY 79 



a little Eskimo boy about ten years old to come and 

 live with him. This step, in his own words, proved 

 an " incalculable blessing " to himself in the ac- 

 quisition of the language, and the sequel shows 

 that it was no less fraught with blessing to the boy. 

 It is not difficult in imagination to paint a pic- 

 ture of some scenes that must have taken place in 

 that lonely hut. We see the wonder of the boy 

 overcoming his shyness as he gazes upon each 

 object of furniture or ornament new and strange to 

 his native eyes. We see the missionary and the 

 boy beginning to school each other by the only 

 means in their power. Mr. Peck points to some 

 article familiar to the lad and speaks its English 

 name ; the boy, with a nod of his head and a smile 

 upon his broad Mongolian face, repeats the English 

 after him, and then in turn tells the Eskimo word 

 for the same thing. We seem to hear the merry 

 peal of laughter that breaks forth as the mutual 

 teacher and scholar discover that they have been 

 playing at cross questions and crooked answers 

 laughter bringing a ray of sunshine into the dark, 

 lone, icy dwelling. But best of all we seem to see 

 a holier light breaking in upon the dark, hopeless 

 soul of the lad as he hears, and at last is able to 

 understand, that he is the heir to a great inheritance, 

 that there is an abiding city in which is prepared 

 a mansion for him where there is no need of the sun, 

 neither of the moon, to shine in it : for the glory of 



