Il6 VIKINGS OF TO-DAY 



means of which he still hoped to end the year out 

 of debt. He was the class leader for the neighbour- 

 hood, and had many years been standing on the 

 Lord's side, and, indeed, after the Wesleyan Mission- 

 ary for the Straits, he was the backbone of the 

 religious life of the place. Such an one, where 

 every detail of one's life is known, must indeed be 

 an " Epistle read of all men," of which fact he was 

 well aware, as also, that his neighbours, while unable 

 or undesirous to read God's word for themselves, 

 measured the claims of God on their own life very 

 largely by his actions. This we found to obtain 

 more or less along the whole coast, especially among 

 these scattered communities, where little or no pro- 

 vision is made for their spiritual needs. When 

 therefore Sunday morning broke, and a large iceberg 

 was noticed drifting towards his cod-trap, threaten- 

 ing to deprive him of his means of earning his daily 

 bread, he at first decided to go and spend the day 

 working to save his net. But soon he came back, 

 saying, "I've decided not to go, doctor; there are 

 those in this harbour that only want a pretext for 

 working on the Lord's Day, and I'll not be the one 

 to give it them." As we climbed the hill to the 

 little wooden chapel I noticed him standing and 

 greeting the people as they came along, according 

 to his custom, as if forgetful of the fact that the 

 mass of ice was at that moment probably robbing 

 him of his all. We had three such services that 

 day ; the Wesleyan missionary, the Rev. John Sidey, 



