Red River to Arctic Circle 123 



tents were of a poor description, but some are 

 superior, in the form of marquees. Most of 

 them were dirty. The general clothing of the 

 men is a flannel coat bordered with red with 

 trousers of the same material; some, however, 

 have decent cloth coats and trousers. A part of 

 the women w r ore gowns, others a petticoat with 

 a blanket thrown over their shoulders.&quot; 



The new-comers were fortunate in the fact 

 that with the &quot;neat little church&quot; they found a 

 small band of fellow Christians. The Hudson 

 Bay Company s officer gave them a warm wel 

 come, and, under the teaching of the Wesleyan 

 missionary who preceded them, a few of the 

 Indians had become earnest believers. Al 

 though, as Horden put it, they were &quot;buried in the 

 interminable wilderness, the door of their grave 

 being opened but seldom,&quot; he was able to add: 

 I doubt there being many happier communities 

 than the one to be found where the hand of God 

 has placed me; the wheels of our little Society 

 move smoothly; and with God in our midst we 

 envy none the advantages they possess, and are 

 contented with our diminutive world.&quot; 



When Horden left England it was the intention change of 

 that he should proceed to Red River to be pre- * 

 pared for ordination under the direction of the 

 Bishop. Such, however, was Horden s applica 

 tion to the study of Cree that in eight months he 

 preached his first sermon in that language. 

 Like most missionaries he attained to comparative 

 perfection by treading, fearlessly, the pathway 



