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$2 Papo igs 
“ A TRAMP WITH REDSKINS.” 279 
Quite lately, it may be added, I have heard news from 
my Red-skinned friends at Konkarmo that the one of 
their number who had been the most prominent in first 
bringing the new fashion to the village, and had in con- 
sequence ever since usurped the leadership of the 
villagers, had been found dead under the raised floor of 
the church, killed, it was said, by Kenaimas. It may 
have been Kenaimas who did the deed, but there seems 
a chance that it was the work of some of the villagers 
who were at last thoroughly wearied out by the preten- 
sions of their shamanistic leader. 
It must not be thought that this story of how the 
church came to Konkarmo has been told in any spirit of 
depreciation of missionary efforts. The touching of the 
essentially admirable and happy original state of red- 
skinned societies by the hand of the white man is, as the 
world goes on, inevitable; and, as things now go on in 
Guiana, is there immediately inevitable. But it is cer- 
tainly sad that the very first touch, however delicately 
contrived, leaves marks as of the finger on the bloom of 
fruit; and it is still sadder that these first touches how- 
ever excellent in intention, are not always, or even 
generally, wisely contrived. To anyone knowing these 
Redfolk in something like their natural state, it is one of 
the saddest of sad thoughts that the tide of industry ever 
advancing into the secluded parts of the world must 
either annihilate or vulgarize the Nature-folk over whom 
it sweeps. To be a true missionary, the essence of 
which must be the finding of ways of softening this 
rough contaét of advanced with primitive civilization, 
must be to aspire to one of the most heroic and least 
commonplace of heroic lives. The pity of it is that the 
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