THE FOUR YOUNG MEN 29 



they planted them on the very first day, so as to 

 make the most of the bleak, short summer ; for very 

 soon, we read, the seeds began to grow. But, alas, 

 the night frost came and nipped the tender shoots ; 

 and so the first planting of a garden on the barren 

 Labrador was a failure. 



But this act of faith, this planting of a garden 

 in so unpromising a land, was a good example for 

 later comers. 



Nowadays every mission station has its garden, 

 and you may see, if you have the good fortune to be 

 there, potatoes and cabbages and lettuce and turnips 

 all flourishing with amazing hardihood. True, you 

 might also see the aged Eskimo widows earning an 

 honest wage by covering the potato plants with 

 sacks in the cool of the evening, and uncovering 

 them again when the morning sun begins to shine, 

 you might see the grave and bearded missionary 

 putting empty tins over his cabbage shoots, for the 

 plants must be nursed if they are to escape the 

 frosts . 



But the four young men had set the example, and 

 others have reaped the benefit. My own lot was cast 

 in this village of ours a favoured place, where the 

 gardens are sheltered by steep rocks from the worst 

 of the winds. But even in the far north, where no 

 trees grow, the indefatigable missionary has got a 

 garden. I was walking with the missionary at 

 Chidley, the northernmost tip of Labrador. We 

 came upon a little railed space, not much bigger 

 than a child's cot. In all seriousness I asked, as I 

 pointed to it : "Is this the grave of your favourite 



