AND KAYAK 201 



and those who were unable even to nudge 

 their way into places on the floor stayed in 

 the passage or sat on the stairs, and we left 

 the door open so that they might join in the 

 singing. 



Among the people on the floor between the 

 benches I saw big Josef, the mightiest hunter 

 (and therefore the richest man) in Okak ; in 

 heathen times he would have been a sort of 

 king among the people because he was so tall 

 and because he was the best hunter, but he 

 seemed quite happy on the floor. 



We sang a well-known hymn, and the place 

 shook with the delightful noise. I like to look 

 back upon that morning ; I seem to see again 

 the crowd of faces, all wrinkling with pleasure 

 and perspiring with the warmth, and I seem 

 to hear again the tremendous harmony that 

 filled the room. 



That was the first of many happy morn 

 ings ; and though the novelty of the thing 

 was a great attraction in the beginning, the 

 people still came when the novelty had long 

 worn off, and morning by morning, when nine 

 o clock struck, our benches were packed with 

 an eager crowd. 



There was a catastrophe at one of our nine 

 o clock meetings, in which one of our little 

 benches played the leading part. When four 



