UNGAVA 159 



a sudden thaw, and part of the journey was through 

 melting snow and flowing water, instead of over the. 

 frozen surface of land and river and sea. The men 

 and dogs and sledge often sank deep into the soft 

 snow, and some of the streams they came to were 

 well-nigh impassable. 



Arrived at length at Kangiva, Mr. Stecker found 

 that there was a real awakening, and that it is to 

 be traced to the Divine blessing on your own work 

 at Ungava. From thence it has spread northward 

 to Kangiva, the Island of Akpatok, and even to the 

 other side of Hudson's Straits. It was soon plain 

 to him and he says it would be plain to every one 

 that the work is of God. No doubt some of the 

 Eskimos are going on with the stream, but its flow 

 is towards Christianity. The Eskimos have fully 

 broken with heathen practices and sorcery, and their 

 countenances showed the cheerful character of the 

 change. They were quite candid and open with 

 Mr. Stecker. They are eager to observe the Sabbath, 

 counting the days week by week to the seventh day, 

 when they rest from work. All the Eskimos, even 

 the old people, are learning to read and write in the 

 Syllabic character, and your extracts from the Bible 

 and the Catechism are highly prized. It is astonish- 

 ing what progress the Kangiva people have made in 

 one year, since they began to learn from those of 

 Ungava. They are diligently instructing their 

 children to the best of their ability. They are hungry 



