84 THE LIFE OF E. J. PECK 



" He was hundreds of miles away from civilization ; 

 very little indeed had he with which to work. Yet, 

 with him, there was no such word as failure. 

 Obtaining, as a great favour, the thin sheets of lead 

 that were around the tea-chests of the fur-traders, 

 he melted these down into little bars, and from 

 them cut out his first types. His ink was made out 

 of the soot of the chimneys, and his first paper was 

 birch bark. 



" After a great deal of effort and the exercise 

 of much ingenuity, he made a press, and then 

 the work began. 



" Great indeed was the amazement and delight 

 of the Indians. The fact that the bark ' could 

 talk,' was to them most wonderful. Portions 

 of the Gospels were first printed, and then some 

 of the beautiful hymns. 



" The story of this invention reached the Wes- 

 leyan Home Society. Generous help was afforded. 

 A good supply of these types was cast in London, 

 and, with a good press and all the essential requi- 

 sites, including a large quantity of paper, was sent 

 out to that mission, and for years it was the great 

 centre from which considerable portions of the Word 

 of God were scattered among the wandering tribes, 

 conferring unnumbered blessings upon them." 



In later years, the noble British and Foreign 

 Bible Society has taken charge of the work ; and 

 now, thanks to their generosity, the Indians have 



