12 



however, incapacitated Brother Weinland much of the time 

 from active work, and it soon became evident that the 

 cUmate would prove fatal to him if he remained. There 

 was no other way than for him to return with his family, 

 who had also experienced severe sickness, in the Summer 

 of 1887. A specially unfortunate feature was, that it would 

 be impossible to communicate with the authorities before 

 his arrival in San Francisco, and too late therefore to send 

 out re-enforcements before Winter to Brother and Sister 

 Kilbuck. Hard though it would be for the latter couple, 

 the inevitable had to be recognized. 



Nevertheless, some progress had been made. During the 

 Summer of 1886, a second house 28x24 feet had been con- 

 structed out of logs rafted at four different times down the 

 river, the last lot from a very great distance. The scholars, 

 too, had made surprising progress, and by his constantly 

 increasing knowledge of the Eskimo Brother Kilbuck had 

 been preparing the ground for harvests of souls. Except 

 on but few Sabbaths natives had always taken part in the 

 services, and several had expressed a desire to know more 

 of the teachings of the missionaries and were looking for- 

 ward to the time when their tongues should be "light." 

 The Christmas celebration with its lighted tree had made a 

 great sensation throughout the whole district. 



At length, however, there came the day of sad parting, 

 when the ship of the Alaska Commercial Company, weigh- 

 ing anchor at the mouth of the Kuskokwim, bore away 

 from the Kilbucks their only helpers, shattered in health, 

 the hearty explorer of a few years ago broken down, it 

 might be, for life.^ 



A weary, weary time must the early part of the Winter 

 of 1887 to 1888 have been at the lonely out-post of civil- 



3 It is a satisfaction at this date, February, 1890, to be able 

 to write that Brother Weinland and his family gradually 

 regained soundness of health on their return to the States, in 

 i88g were sent to labor amongst the Indians of Southern Cali- 

 fornia, and are now beginning to reap a harvest of converts 

 in the Ramona Valley rendered famous by Helen Hunt Jack- 

 son, their work at Potraro and Saboba having promise of a 

 very hopeful future. 



