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LIVES

EMINENT MISSIONARIES.

JOHN CARNE, ESQ.

AUTHOR OF "LETTERS PROM THE EAST."

VOL. 11.

LONDON: FISHER, SON, & CO., NEWGATE STREET.

183S.

iidMKUiAiKf^

CONTENTS.

DAVID ZEISBERGER			Page I.
VANDERKEMP AXD KICHERER	.		8«
Mission to Madagascar . . ,	.		12*
CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN .	.		137
JENS HAVEN			214
Mission at Labrador .	.		252
ANNE HASSELTINE JUDSON .	.		27S
DAVID BRAINERD			338
■WILLIAM MILNE ,	,		?93

37

LIVES

EMINENT MISSIONARIES,

DAVID ZEISBERGER.

David Zeisberger, a native of Zauchtenthal, in Moravia, was born about the year 1725, and went into exile at an early ag;e, with his parents, who sought an asylum at Hernhuth. The family forsook, their home, and the whole of their property, and fled from the persecutors by night. At Hernhuth they had rest, and the free exercise of their faith, which was dearer to them than affluence. The son was distinguished at school by l.is industry and quickness of apprehension, and a facility in acquir- ing foreign languages. When at the age of fifteen, he was taken by Count Zinzeudorf to Holland, and was employed in some commissions by the Princess of Orange, for he spoke the Dutch fluently.

His readiness in transacting business, together with a cheerful temper and agreeable demeanour, made him a general favourite ; and he often re-

II. B

2 DAVID ZKISnEHGER.

ceived considerable presents iVum stran[:;ers. Such a situation offered a fair chance of advancement : but hearing one day, by the accounts read at Her- rendick, tliat General Oglethorpe, governor of Georgia, had assisted the Moravians to establish a colony in that province, he resolved to proceed there without delay, and enil>arked, with a com- panion, on board a vessel bound to London, that they might thence take passage to America. As thev were ignorant of the English language, the master of the vessel conducted them, on arrival, to a German innkeeper, who treated them very kindly, and recommended them to a ship about to sail for Georaia, to which province his parents had previ- ously gone, with a party of colonists.

The two youths had a safe passage to Savannah, where meeting, by chance, with some Moravians, they proceeded straight to the settlement. Here the appear- ance of the wanderers was very unexpected : but the parents of Zeisberger rejoiced to see him again, though they and the other colonists were at a loss what to do with him. The family property had all been forsaken in Moravia, and there was no resource in America, save hard industry and toil. The spirit of the boy would not allow him to be a burden to the settlement. He therefore began to act for himself, and used to go forth alone at night, and make war against the beasts of chase which infested the plan- tations. This exposed him to danger ; and one morning he was found by the Moravians, lying senseless and wounded at the foot of a tree, and the animal he hatl slain lay by his side: in that state he had remained all night.

It was evident that the love of adventure, of a more wild and daring career, had in part led him to forsake his favourable prospects in Hollaiul ; no glimpses of religious zeal were yet visible. A few months afterwards, he met with a missionary,

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 3

whose conversation was very useful to him. One day that verse was sung, " Whom dost thou love," &c. ; the sweetness of the Moravian sjnging, and still more, the import of the words, had such power on his feehngs, that he burst into a flood of tears, and left the apartment. Words can express but faintly, the vakie of those early and affectionate lessons of piety, from the lips of parents, fallmg on the heart and memory of the child. How often do they rise afresh, even in the wilderness, on the deep, as well as in the city or quiet home ! The young Moravian remembered, in this hour, what he had heard in Zauchtenthal, and afterwards in Hernhuth.

According to his own account, he did not live, during some time after this, in the enjoyment of religion. A friend earnestly asking him one day, if he did not desire to possess it, he replied im- petuously, " I shall be devoted to God, and then all of you will perceive, that that great change has taken place, in deed and truth." This was no pre- diction, as his friends afterwards believed it to be — but one of those faithful presentiments, some- times felt by men who are chosen to a remarkable career. There was a boldness and confidence in the words, expressive of the ardour of his mind, that would not, even in religion, be satisfied with anything short of an exalted piety — an entire de- votedness to God.

The two first colonies of the Moravians in this country, were situated ten miles from each other, one of them on the river Lecha, a branch of the Delaware. Bethlehem and Nazareth raised their heads in the midst of the desert ; the re- ligious assemblies of the people were regularly established : and among the dwellers were a few eminent and learned men. The domain of the former was purchased of a merchant. It was wild and woody, at a distance of eighty miles from B 2

4 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

the nearest town ; and only two European house* stood in the ncis^liboiirhoud, about two miles up the river. No other dweUinojs were to be seen in the whole country. The manor of Nazareth was pur- chased of the Rev. Geor<;e Whitefield, who was at this time in America : lie liad here hiid tlie founda- tion of a house, which lie intended for a native school ; but not havini:; perseverance for such a de- sij;n, he ottered the premises and land for sale, to the United Brelinen. They accepted the oH'er finished this dwillin|x, and many others soon fol- lowed.

In the followin;j; year, Zeisberger experienced that chancje which he had so surely anticipated. His conscience was awakened, and his proud and restless nature subdued beneath a sense of sin and misery. The Spirit of (iod wrom^ht powerfully with him, and he knew no rest, till, with sincere repent- ance, he sought salvation at the foot of the Cross. The earnestness of his soul was great ; and, ere long, he felt the inexpressible comfort of his Re- deemer's love. This was a blessing, he believed, too great to be confineil to his own heart, which now overflowed with LTratltude : he looked on the wide and untrodden field of usefidness on every side, among the Canadian tribes, to whom the words of life were as yet unknown. In his own words, " he now felt an intense desire to serve that Lord who had done so much for him, and came to the re- solution to devote himself, soul and body, to hia cause."

At this time, Pyrhrus gave to several young men, instructions in the Mohawk language. Zeisberger soon left his companions behind, seizing with avi- dity evervopportiinity of improvement. He also made acfpiaiutance with some Irocpiois Indians, for the siike of ac(|iiiring their language : in conse(|uence,, the Indians who visited Bethlehem souti began to

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 6

inquire for, and converse with him. He thus be- came so well versed in the speech of the Iroquois, or five nations, as to be chosen, some years after- wards, interpreter in the treaty of peace made be- tween them and the British government.

The first visit to Onondago, the principal resi- dence of this nation, was in company with the bi- shop Spangenberg. The journey was attended with suflTering and hardship, yet he was delighted with it. One day, their stock of provisions being exhausted, they arrived in the evening at a fine green lawn, in the middle of a forest, but it afforded nothing to satisfy the cravings of hunger. They looked mourn- fully at each other ; the daylight was already failing fast, and Spanjenberg implored his companion to try, in some clear shallow water that was near, if he could not find some fish. " It is in vain," said the latter ; " at this season of the year they are only found in deep places." " David," said the former, " whether you succeed or not, do it merely out of obedience." He tried, and with such success, that he not only caught enough for a hearty meal, but laid some by for the next day. A few days after, when they were again in want, they found the half of a bear, which an Indian had hung in a tree near the path.

Another settlement was in the mean time formed by the Moravians, near Wyoming, and was called Gnadenhuetten : being in the very heart .of the Indian territory, it was exposed to many perils and alarms. The hostile tribes frequently passed by, either in flight or with their prisoners, and the Moravians were more than once spectators of the cruelties exercised on the latter. The great chief of the Iroquois, living on the banks of the Susque- hannah, at first mistrusted the Moravians ; but, being at last convinced of their sincerity, he became their firm friend. With the caution of an Indian,

fi DAVID ZEISnERGER.

ho long concealed his real 9entiment>; ; but, in the last year of his life, he received them into his house, and defended them arcfiinst the insults of his people. He had built his dwelling: upon pillars, for safety ; and here Bishop John de Watteville, who afterwards went to Greenland, preached the fxospel to him. It was then that his heart was opened, he listened with g^reat attention, and at last with deep feeling. Some weeks after, he visited Bethlehem : the Moravians were surprised at his demeanour and conversation ; the cold reserve and suUenness of the Indian were softened into mildness, and he spoke of comfort and hope. He said also, and it was a strange confession for an Iroquois, that he could not conceal his feel- ings ; he could no longer lock them in his breast. He shewed them a small idol which he had worn in all his inroads and battles, and destroyed it in their presence. The chieftain returned to his home, where, a few months afterwards, being taken ill, he desired to see Zeisberger. The latter came, and saw him die. He said, that the death of the Iro- quois was a happy one ; that his last words were of the merits of Christ.

Zeisberger had now risen into estimation among the Indians. The qualities which they loved in him, were his undaunted courage, and his still and placid manners. " He was a man," says his friend, " who, having made many journeys alone, and dwelt so much with the Indians, became like them in his manner of speaking and behaving." He was now twenty-five years of age, and in 1750 again tra- velled to Onondago, in company with Bishop Cam- merhof. They passed up the river in canoes, and spent the nights on shore, in huts made of the bark of trees, which they built with their own hands On one occasion, they came to a little Indian vil- lage, and were received by an old chief, eighty- seven years of age, a remarkably intelligent man.

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 7

Tie stood erect to receive them, with his frame un- bowed by years, and accoutred with his weapons of war. He wished to know the object of their visit, and smiled and shook liis head as they related it, and said, that he wanted no novelty, that he would die as his fathers had died. Then he ordered the calumet to be presented, and made them welcome. They were then obliged to leave the river, and pro- ceed by land ; the difficulties were almost insur- mountable.

After being five weeks on the way, they reached Onondago, which was the chief place of the Six Nations. It lay in a pleasant and fruitfid country, and consisted of five small towns or villages, through which the river Zinochsa ran. They were lodged at the house of the chief; the purpose of the journey was to obtain leave for some of the Moravians to reside here. A council was held of twenty-3ix chiefs, of venerable appearance. Many consultations took place. Bishop Cammerhof was the speaker, and his companion interpreted. The conference came to no satisfactoiy conclusion, and, during this sus- pense, Zeisberger and his friends obtained permission from the council to go into the country of the Cajuga and Senecas Indians. About a fortnight was spent on this journey, which was a dangerous and useless one, from the ferocity of the Indians ; so (hat they were obliged to fly, in order to save their lives. On returning to Onondago, they re- newed their petition, which was at last successful ; and, with many ceremonies, the council came to the following decision :

" That the Iroquois and the Moravians, on both sides the great ocean, should regard each other as brothers. That this covenant should be indis- soluble; and that two of the Brethren should have 'eave to live in any part of the territory."

At the end of this year, Seidel and Zeisberger

8 nAVm ZKISBERGEft.

went to Europe, to procure more assistants in tlieir work. At Hernluith, Count Zin7.en(lorfs])okc nuicli with them : he said that he considorctl Zeisberjjer as an instrument in the hands of Heaven. The latter felt f::reat pleasure in heina; once more in tl>e calm and blessed retreat of Hernhuth, where many of his early days were passed ; but he appears to have felt no regret for his early desertion of the service of the princess of Orange, ten years before. Had these years been given to ambition, he might have risen into favour and affluence at the Hague, amidst the dissipations of a court, and the smiles and flatteries of the world. How different a lot t^roin the one he had chosen ! He returned to America, with a full commission to pursue his career, and with tlie solemn sanction of the synod of his church.

In the summer of 1752, he again set out with two companions, for the capital of the Iroquois, with the intention to reside there some time. But on their way they were met by about twenty chiefs of the Oneida nation, who violently insisted oii their going no farther. Zeisberger, not intimidated, de- clared that he was under the protection of the Iroquois, a nation more powerful than their own, and requested they would appoint a council, and hear him. They consented, and formed into a circle on a small eminence, where he addressed them in so powerful a speech, as to entirely change their purpose. Then they contemplated the strings of wampum which the Moravians were carrying to the council in Onondago, and attentively considered their meaning. At last, full liberty to proceed was granted.

On arriving at the latter town, they were well received, and permitted to enter every dwelling, and converse fre(>ly with the people. This was a great privilege, of which fully availing themselves, to recommend Christianity to the Indians, they

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 9

dwelt here some years in prosperity. They earned their bread partly by surgical operations, in which ihcy were skilful, and for which the wars of the tribe gave ample occasion. At other times, they maintained themselves by felling- timber, sharpening axes and other tools, and building cottages for the natives. The three men would leave their dwelling at break of day, and entering one of the neigh- bouring woods, apply for hours to the severest labour, till they had felled and transported to their home some of tiie finest trees. On other days, they were seen surrounded by the carious natives, while they planted the pillars, or laid the roof of a dwelling, for which they were to be paid in pro- visions. These labours helped to gain the good- will of the people.

The chase was often a resource,when other means of subsistence failed. They were also permitted to attend the council, whenever it was held : Zeisberger was always welcome there, on account of his fluency in the language, as well as his friendship with Shikellimus, the chief of their people on the Susquehannah, at whose death he had been present. The council- house was built of bark : on each side, seats were placed : no one was admitted besides the members, save a few who were particularly honoured. In the midst of the council-room a great fire was kept continually burning : for all public business between any nation and the Irequois, must be brought, as they term it, " to the great fire in Onondago."

The Iroquois are the most powerful, brave, and haughty of the Indian nations, and have such an exalted idea of their own greatness, that they affect to admit no equal in rank, but the king of England.

There were few Indian tribes who had not mourn- ed their invasions. The Six Nations of this people formed an inviolable confederacy, well aware that their whole strength was in their union. The En^-

10 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

lish and French vied with each other during: many years, in seeking aUiances with them ; received their deputies with great poinp and solemnity, and made them rich presents.

These Indian assemblies presented a wild and various picture of the human heart — its coldest treachery and most excpiisile cruelty were there, as well as its heroism, tidolity, and honour. The de- bates were on some days a ])t'ri"cct lesson in the art of dissembling; at others, tiicre was the outbreaking of all the furious as well as beautiful emotions of the soul.

The deputies of other nations often came with treaties of peace, or menaces of war ; and here Zeisbergcr gained his perfect acquaintance with the modes of expression and oratory of the savages, us well as with the varieties of their temper and character. In the course of a few years, also, lie became familiar with the dialects of all the prin- cipal tribes.

At last, a war broke out between the Indian tribes, among whom were many who hated the Moravians, and could not bear that they should thus settle in the country. The small settlement on the river Mahony was niarked out for destruction : Zeisberger had some intimation of the design, and instantly set out for the place. He arrived in the evening at a hamlet with his two companions : the latter refused to proceed beyond the river, for it was certain the hostile Indians were near. He wo(dd not thus linger on the way; it was now twilight, and, mount- ing his horse, he wished his companions good night, and njdc ofi".

Seidel, in great alarm for his safety, ran after him, and earnestly besought him to return, but in vain. The intrepid man dashed through the river, and had scarcely reached the opposite shore, when the dis- charge of musketry was heard ; he hastened, in

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 1 1

an5:uisli : the discharges increased, and fearfid cries were mingled with them. The light was so dim, that he could see no objects in the distance, save the flashes, which were evidently around the devoted settlement. Zeisberger hurried on, but came too late to save.

That evening, the lonely settlers were at peace in their dwellings ; some had just sat down to supper, others were at their doors enjoying the beauty of the evening, for it was July. A sudden howling of the dogs was heard, the report of a gun followed ; several ran hastily out, and saw the Indians advancing beneath the trees, and now close at hand. A dis- charge instantly followed : Nitschinan was killed; his wife and some others being wounded, fled to the dwell- ing of the former, and barricaded the door so fast with bedsteads and other articles, that the Indians found it impossible to force it. They then set fire to the house, which was quickly in flames : a few of the unfortunate people, among whom was a young Moravian woman, leaped from the burning roof unob- served by the savages, and rushed into the adjoining wood ; a ball grazed the cheek of the girl, as they fled. The flames had now caught the adjoining trees ; the two missionaries on the other side of the river, saw the horizon fiercely illumined by the glare, and heard the cries. Zeisberger, who was now in the midst of the fatal scene, aided the fugitives, but could not save his friend Fabricius, the chief of the mission, who strove to fly through the assailants, but was instantly despatched with the tomahawk. The others perished in the flame. Sensaman, who had escaped to the wood, had the misery of seeing his wife perish at a short distance.

The Indians next set fire to the stables, and destroy- ed all the corn, hay, and cattle, and laid waste the plantations. The widows and the childless who had fled, paused not for a moment, even to watch the

12 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

ruins of tlicir lovod villasje, but pursued their wav all night. As soon as they were out of dantjer, Zeisberger hastened alone, to ijive notice of the event to a body of r.n^lish militia, who instantly advanced, but did not venture to pursue the enemy in the dark. At three in the morning, he arrived in Bethlehem with the sad detail. The grief of the people was very great: one by one, during the day, the fugitives came in.

After some days had passed, they went from Bethlehem, to collect the ashes of the slain. It was a mournful procession ; they found nothing but a blackened heap of ruins of the little chapel, the dwellings, and store-houses. They solemnly interred the remains of the eleven persons who had jierished, and sung a hymn, that sounded amidst the lone- liness of the place like a funeral wail. Those who sorrowed knew not how long they should be spared, or whether, in their own words, " retiring to rest at night, they should ever again behold the light of day." They adopted the best means of defence in their pov.'er, surrounded the village of Bethlehem with palisades, and kept watch day and night.

The Moravians had purchased atractof land behind the Blue Mountains, of about 1400 acres, and erected a new town there. Against this place, called Wtch- quetank, an attack was planned by the Indians.

On the night when it was to be made, one of the inhal)itants, wandering into the forest, discovered a fire thr(Migh the trees ; he cautiously drew near, and saw that it was an encampment of hostile Indians: some were gathered close round the flame, and their wild gestures and words sufficiently indicated their design ; others, fully armed, were evidently waiting the moment of attack. He hastened home ; the defences were instantly manned ; the Moravians and their people listened to every sound from the forest — for the yell, that makes the blood of the boldest

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 13

run cold — the signal of the onset. At that moment the rain began to fall in torrents, and continued for several hours. Whether from this cause, or the firm preparation to receive them, the Indians deferred the assault, and the next day retired.

The settlements were now six in number. About four years previous, Bishop Spangenberg, whose services were eminent, had visited the more remote congre- gations. At Pickipsi resided the excellent Gottlieb Buettner, whose sorrows, persecutions, and many afflictions in mind and body, hurried him to an untimely grave. There were some beautiful things in the transient career of this youth : when any of his little Indian flock deserted their fidelity, and went far away among other tribes, he followed them, even if it were a hundred miles off. Thus he writes, at the close of the year, to Spangenberg : " Rejoice with me, for I have found the sheep which were lost. Jonathan is again become my brother. My heart followed him wherever he went, and I thought I must go and seek him, though he was hunting in the woods at a great distance." He set out on this message of forgiveness : when the Indian perceived him coming afar off, he stood like one thunderstruck. The former, accosting him in a friendly tone, told him the aim of his visit, and that if he should fly to the dis- tance of two or three hundred miles, he would still seek after him. The Indian only said, in broken sentences, " Does Buettner remember me still ! are you come merely to seek rne ?" and then wept bitterly. The latter, as it is expressed, " received him as the father re- ceived his prodigal son, forgetting, when thus en- gaged, his bodily weakness." Soon after, Buettner finished his course, in the presence of all the Indian assistants, having exhorted them with his dying lips -o abide faithful to the end. " As children over a beloved parent, so did they mourn for him. They dressed his corpse in white, and interred his remaius

14 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

in the burying ground at Shekomeko, watering his iTiave willi numberless tears : tbey even used to go and mourn over it for a long time after."

Gnadenhuctten, on the river Lecha, was one of the most regiilar and pleasant of tlie settlements. The church stood in a valley ; and the Indian houses, on a gently rising ground, formed a crescent round it. On the opposite side were the dwellings of the Moravians and their families, and the burial-ground. They tilled their own grounds, and every Indian family had its plantation ; so that the whole valley was a scene of rich cultivation; the river that flowed near, oH'ered facilities for carriage and commerce. The strict and faithful discipline of Gnadenhuctten was observed in all the other towns. The congre- gation met twice a day, early in the morning, and in the evening after their work, to siu'^ and pray ; and sometimes to hoar a discourse upon the text of scripture appointed for the day. By these discourses, the Moravians endeavoured gradiuiily to make their people better acquainted with the truths of the gospel. Several parts of the scriptures, translated into the Mohican language, were also read and expound- ed. The catechumens having been duly instructed, were publicly interrogated concerning their senti- ments and future views. Ik-ing dressed in white, they were absolved by imposition of hands, baptized, and, after a .solemn prayer and thanksgiving, the blessing of God was pronounced over them.

Meetings were also held separately, with the married people, single brethren and sisters, bachelors and widows ; in which these divisions were in turn exhorted to become partakers of the pr(uiiises, and faithfully to adorn their respective stations. The holy conmiunion was administered to the commu- nicants every month. The Indians called the com- munion day the " great day ;" and such indeed it was, being attended with the most distinguished

DAVID ZklSBERGER. 15

blessing-, and very powerfully streng:thening their faith and hope. The Brethren were, likewise, earnestly engaged in caring for each individual soul, and in leading it forward with gentleness and patience, following the directions of the Spirit of God. The wives of the Missionaries, and also the more intelli- gent and pious Indian sisters, were appointed to be assistants ; and in this view, their presence was required in all conferences relating to the whole con- gregation. It was required of those who were thus intrusted, not only to question each disciple con- cerning the state of the mind, previous to the holy communion, but that they should at other times be ready to hear and consider the complaints and re- marks of every member of the congregation.

But the Moravians could not possibly attend to the spiritual wants of all their people : they, therefore, appointed Indian assistants among the men, to whose care the daily meetings were sometimes committed. The following after those who had strayed, was often a painful work ; for the seductions both of the heathen and the white people were powerful and incessant. Those who, after being warned, refused all reproof, were no longer considered as inhabitants of Gnedanhuetten, or suffered to dwell there. This was a severe expe- dient, yet the missionaries could not act otherwise, unless they had suffered the people to sink into confusion and carelessness. " They feared nothing more than a Laodicean course. When the least symptom of this appeared, they ceased not to cry unto the Lord until a new fire of grace and love was kindled, and, thus strengthened, they proceeded with renewed courage." A continual intercourse was maintaiued with the elders at Bethlehem, whose frequent letters and visits were a great encourage- ment.

As the Indian languages had no words for many

16 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

new ideas and objects, the Moravians were obliged to enrich them wiih several Eni^lish and German names, and, by degrees, use rcntlored these new terms intelligible. This usage had another ad- vantage; for several Indian yovitlis, of both sexes, and particularly the children educated in the schools, learnt German with case, Bethlehem, however, was the chief seminary where the natives sent their children to be educated, and they could not give a stronger testimony of the change in their nature ; for, as it is observed, " the love of the Indians towards their children is so exces- sive, that they cannot bear to be deprived of the sight of them, even for a short time."

In the congregations, love-feasts were occa- sionally held : they began with singing and prayer ; and afterwards, it appears that some of the more experienced addressed the assembly, spoke of tlieir own consolation, and progress in religion, and animated the rest to renewed dili- gence. Thus it is observed, by one of the Mora- vians at Skekomeko, where the faithful Buettner died, " We afterwards held a love-feast with all the baptized, seventy in number ; the presence of the Lord was powerfully felt. I spoke of the happiness granted unto us by virtue of the sacri- fice of Christ, appealing to their own experience; and they affirmed what I said to be true. I then spoke of following our Saviour's steps, and of what we have to observe, as his disciples. After- wards Isaac exhorted them to be humble and low in their own eyes, never to forget the suffer- ings of the Lord, not only in their dwellings, but when in the woods, and when out a hunting, &c. We closed our love-feast with prayer and suppli- cation, and commended these precious souls to God, being greatly comforted by their faith, and firmness under such heavy trials."

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 17

Additional sources of industry were also pro- vided for the people : not having land sufficient, the Moravians bought a neighbouring plantation for their use. A saw-niill being erected, many Indians had the means of earning money by cutting timber, and conveying it in floats down the river. Hunting was the chief support : from fifteen to twenty deer, or bears, being frequently shot in a day. If provisions proved scarce, they got wild honey, chesnuts, and bilberries in the forests. A present of a spinet having been made for the use of the chapel, the singing of the congregation was improv- ed, as one of the Brethren could play well upon it. He also taught a young Indian to play,v;ho succeeded him. The following rules, also, were strictly ad- hered to : " That no begging should be suffered, and no debts incurred, either with heathen or white peo- ple ; but each earn his own bread diligently : That the infirm and aged should carefully be attended to, and their wants relieved." A house was also built for the reception of strangers and wanderers, and was called the Strangers' Inn. How glad was the savage, the hunter, or the wayfarer perhaps from some far tribe, when he saw the spire, the streets, and the caravansary of Gnadenhuetten, and was guided, weary and hungry, to the gate, where neat and clean chambers, a kind greeting, and a com- fortable repast, awaited him !

Zeisberger and Seidel went to Shomokin and Wayomick : in return for this visit, a large embassy was sent by the Nautikoks and Shawanose, to estab- lish a covenant between them. The deputies,- with their attendants, were in all one hundred and seven persons. A messenger was sent ten miles forward, with the words, " We are now coming unto you. Gnadenhuetten is a place which delights us. The heat was great : we subsisted on nothing but bilberries : we rest with you at present." II c

18 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

Thev appeared, a few hours after, slowly moving towards the place, in Indian file; the leader singing a song:. The Strangers' Inn was filled to excess; an ample supper was prepared ; after which the whole ot the assembly met iipon a risinfj ground. A large blue cloth was spread in the middle, and mats placed on it. The Nautikoks and Shawanose gathered around their chiefs, and the inhabitants around the Mora- vians ; the women and children forming a circle bevond tlie whole assembly, at a short distance. What a beautiful picture I — the evening in June; the shadow of the forests gathering darker around ; the sun going down in glory behind the barren ridge of the Blue Mountains ; the rushing of the Lecha beside ' the Tents of Peace,' the name given to the town. Many speeches were made by the Indians, and aii«;wers given in the same style by Spangenberg, and at last the treaty was ratified, and the former passed some days in the place.

The Indian assistants, who were chosen for their superior piety and intelligence, w'ere valuable auxi- liaries to the Moravians, either by their public ad- dresses, or private visitation and counsel to the families. The letters of some of these men are proofs of a reflecting, as well as zealous mind : one of them is thus described — " As his vices were the more seductive, on account of his natural wit and humour, so, as a Christian, he became a most power- ful and persuasive witness among his nation. Few of his counirvmen could vie with him in ])oint of Indian oratory; his discourses were full of animation; whether at home or on a journey, he could not for- bear speaking of the salvation purchased for us. Nor was he less respected as a chief, amonc: the luflians ; no affairs of state being transacted without his advice and consent." Another is thus given, •• Nicodemus.who, for his fidelity, was appointed elder of the congregation at Gnadenhuattar ; as his manner

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 19

of speaking was very figurative, his public testimony and conversation were the more instructive to his countrymen. ' I crossed the Lecha to-day in a boat,' he said, ' being driven into the rapid current, and nearly overset ; but a large tree, whose branches drooped into the water, stayed my course, and saved me. So are we irresistibly hurried away by sin, but as soon as our Mighty One stretches forth his hand, we receive power to withstand the rapid stream of this world,' In his last illness, while they stood around him, he observed, ' I am weary, and wish to rest, for I have finished my work ; my body will sleep in our burying-ground, but it will rise most glorious : corruption and death are near, but only for a time — even as the forest fades before the winter's fury, but lifts its head again in glory. So shall I rise. But if I had no hope, if I had continued the slave of sin, it would be with me as when the flame devours the forest — it perishes for ever. The spring and the summer come, yet there is nothing but blackness and ashes. The oak, and the pine, and the cedar lie withering beside the little trees and the weeds : they are all alike then."

Around this institution, mischief at last gathered: a plot was formed, with the connivance of many of the European settlers, to seduce the converts from their teachers. In a council of the Oneydas with the Mohicans, it was resolved to bring the christian Indians back to their former habits of life ; not by the tomahawk, for that had been tried in vain. Emis- saries were sent to inveigle them, and that so suc- cessfully, that many began to waver at the persua- sions of their ancient friends, who spoke of their war feasts and battles ; they relaxed in their religious duties, as well as in their industry. Some already went to join the other tribes, and the whole settle- ment was in danger of being forsaken.

But, in the month of February, there came from c2

20 DAVID ZRISneUGER.

the various settlements a deputation of the people, among whom were Zeisberger and others. A meet- ing; witli all the Indians was appointed, " that they mi>^ht speak with them," as they expressed it, " as fathers speak to their children." The whole com- pany assembled in the middle of the valley. Having first reminded the natives of the grace they had received from God. the elders declared the deep grief that tilled their own hearts at this change in their conduct, and pointed to the well-tilled fields and homes, and asked, '' if they would find such in the forests and wilds, to which they wished to return. Then, kneeling down with tlie whole assembly, they, ■with many tears, commended them to the mercy and protection of God. This address, and the prayer that followed, produced an immediate effect on most of the Indians, Several who had deviated from religion — others, who had already put on their original war-dress, and resumed the tomahawks — owned their transgression, and begged forgiveness ! The missionaries observed, " that perhaps the influ- ence of Christianity was never more evident than in seeing an Indian, naturally obstinate and inflexible to the last degree, appear before a whole body of people, confess his faults, and ask pardon of God and his fellow-men."

A few days afterwards, Paxonous, a principal chief of the Mohicans, arrived, with a retinue of thirteen persons, to demand what was their resolve. A mild but decisive answer was given by the Mora- vians. The former, instead of being incensed, could not hel[) admiring tlie man whose words and example had such influence over his countrymen. In this visit, which lasted some weeks, he was accom- panied by his wife, a woman of fine presence, as far as Indian beauty went, aiid, what was more rare, of great influence over her husband's mind. They nsed to attend in the chapel on the hill-side, when service

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 21

was held there ; and so effectual were the addresses of the Moravians, that the Indian chieftainess said, " that she felt subdued like a child." The cere- mony of her baptism was performed in the chapel, amidst all the people.

War soon after broke out among the tribes, and continued for several years, during which the efforts of the Christians were greatly impeded. Zeisberger was appointed to the care of the settlement of Litiz, where he compiled a grammar and vocabulary of the Iroquois language ; into the latter, he translated the " Harmony of the Four Gospels." He held many con- ferences with the Indians, and conducted negocia- tions with them on the part of the government. Six years were thus passed, during which he did not cease to penetrate alone into the remote territories of the Indians.

Had it been the aim of this enterprising man to form a community under his own especial care and command, such was his influence with the tribes, that a numerous body would have gathered around him. An ambition of this kind was foreign to the mind of David Zeisberger: two of his companions, Seidel and Ettwein, men of inferior toils and at- tainments, were raised to the rank of bishops among the Brethren ; but these things he heeded not. The tribes among whom he journeyed and dwelt, were untractable, fierce, of wandering habits, and seldom at amity with each other. It was necessary to be often present among them, to seize the most fa- vourable moments to do good : a few months with one nation, and in the ensuing season with a hos- tile one, a hundred leagues distant. His exer- tions were this year eminently blessed, in the conver- sion of the great Indian teacher, Papunhauk. During several years, this man had been zealous in propagating his doctrines of heathen morality ; but

"J^ DAVID ZEISBLRGER.

as both teacher and hearers were addicted to the most abominable vices, several of tlie latter began to doubt whether Papunhauk. were a teacher of truth. Yet the influence was great, which he had nr(|uircd over the minds of his people. When he heard the gospel of Christ preached at Nain, he said, that he had always believed in a Supreme Being, but this was the saving doctrine he wanted. Then, bursting into tears, he exclaimed, " O God, liave mercy on me ! and grant, that the death of my Saviour may be made manifest unto me." Un- der these impressions, he went home, called his people together, and in pathetic terms related what he had felt : " My people," he added, " I have told you many good things, and pointed out a good way ; but 1 have now learnt that it was not the right one. If we wish to be saved, we must

look to that Redeemer whom the Moravians preach."

Desirous as was this man of becoming a christian, his pride recoiled at the idea of losing his influ- ence among the people, who had so long listened to his doctrines : he paused even at the thresh- hold, looking wistfully back on his past reputation ; his words would soon cease to be regarded, and his predictions be as idle dreams : the struggle in his mind was long and violent. In the month of May, Zeisberger went up the Susquehannah as far as Machwihilusing, where Papunhauk resided. As he drew near, he was met by an inhabitant, who told them that they had met six days successively, to consider how they might procure a teacher of the truth. The heart of the missionary glowed at these words. In the evening, the whole town assembled ; in their speech made to him, they said, " We all greatly rejoiced at your arrival," and said to each other, " These are the people we have so long waited for, they will shew us the right way." Zeis-

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 23

berger then spoke, and ihey listened eagerly. Every day they met in the same manner. Papun- hauk, with many others, was so greatly affected at his discourses, that he no longer offered any resist- ance or delay, but embraced the gospel with his whole heart. " A man, naturally vain," it is said, "and high in his own conceit;" yet he now, with deep contrition, cast all his own righteousness aside ; he would hardly eat or drink, and came to Zeis- berger, confessing the gross sins of his former life, and begged earnestly to be baptized. His request was granted : at his baptism, he made a solemn declaration of his faith before all the people.

Soon after, the former returned to Bethlehem, where, after mature deliberation, it was thought that he should again go to Machwihilusing, as a resident missionary ; he gladly accepted of the office, and departed. On the road, he was danger- ously wounded with an axe, and fainted from the loss of blood. But his Indian companion gathered a healing plant, whose virtues were known to him, and applied it ; by which he was not only recovered from his swoon, but, to his great surprise, the wound soon closed and healed. On his arrival, he was again kindly received by all the people, and dwelt some time among them. In Papunhauk he found an intelligent companion, an acute observer of na- ture and of men — as his influence over their minds, by divination and oratory, sufficiently proved. To the missionary, he became a devoted friend and guide, in many a journey.

The various settlements of the United Brethren were, in the mean time, visited with many troubles and mischances. Sometimes they were obliged to fly from one town to another ; the people of Wech- quetank sought refuge in Nazareth. The savages had laid waste the country with fire and sword ; and the town of Nain, one of the earliest settle-

24 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

inents, was blockaded on all sides. Tliese ravasres so increased the fury of the colonists against the Indians, that it extended to the native converts, particularly of the latter town. During four weeks, the inhabitants stood on their defence, watching tlironu:h the lonp:, cold nights; " their joy was every morning renewed, when they met together in the chapel, and strengthened themselves in fellowship, by considering the word of God, and experiencing the consolations of his Spirit. They expected nothing less than a cruel death."

In November, an ex{)ress arrived from Phil- adelphia, with an order from the government, that all the baptized Indians should be conducted thi- ther, and be protected in that city, having first de- livered up their arms. Here they arrived in safety, ind found a refuge from their persecutors in Pro- vince Island ; whence, after a few months, they were conducted by the missionaries to Machwihilusing, on the Susquehannah. The Moravian colonies were thus harassed, during many years, from the hatred of the white people, as well as the malice and cruelties of some of the tribes, and even the burn- ing of their stores and plantations by the hands of those who should have been their protectors.

" Wechquetank was burnt by the white people, and in the night of the 18th of November, they en- deavoured to set fire to Bethlehem. The oil-mill was consumed, and the adjoining water-works were with great difficulty saved from destruction. We heard, with grief and horror, that a party of our people, who lived quietly in the small vilbge of Canestoga, near Lancaster, were attacked l)y fifty-seven (so call- ed) Christians, from Paxton, and fourteen of them murdered in their dwellings. The rest fled to Liin- caster, where the magistrates prottctcd and lodged them in the workhouse, a strong building, and well secured. They were, however, followed by the pur-

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 25

suers, who marched into the town at noon-day, broke into the workhouse, and, though our people begged their lives on their knees, yet these bar- barians cruelly slew them all, throwing their bodies into the street. Then they departed with a shout of victory."

Truly was it said of these patient and enduring men, that peril and death beset them on every side. " As a mariner rejoices," they feelingly ob- serve, " who, after a long and severe storm, has reached his desired haven, so likewise did the con- gregation and her faithful teachers rejoice. They forgot all their former distress, and, with offers of praise and thanksgiving, devoted themselves anew to Him who at last gave them rest."

David Zeisberger, seeing the community at Mach- wihilusing prosper, now longed to extend his labours; he could no longer rest tranquil, but traversed the shores of the river, to discover a favourable scene for new triumphs of his faith. A resolve was taken, that a large settlement should be established on the distant banks of the Susquehannah, where the remoter tribes might come and listen to the mes- sage. It was necessary that many of the Brethren, together with a considerable part of the Indian con- gregations, should leave their homes, and go forth on this journey. Never was a finer instance of Mora- vian obedience and submission : some sold their houses, for they were going to a distant scene, of which they knew but little. Many had grown old beneath the roofs they were for ever leaving, where peace had dwelt with them ; and now war and famine, and miserable anxiety, were to be the companions of their way. Others had been born here, and had reared the gardens, and planted the flowers and fruit-trees, which strangers were to reap. As it is beautifully expressed, " they went in silence, weeping, towards the Lecha." Their guidance was committed to Zeis-

2G DAVID ZKISHERGKR.

bera:or ; a charge that called for all tho bravery and energy of liis nature. It was like the warrior Great- heart giiidinjj; Christiana and Mercy, and the hand of pilirrims, to their place of rest beyond the dark river.

Waiigons were pi-ovided for " the children and the infirm, the old and blind, and the heavy bag- gagc." Tlie journey was rendered more difficult by the circuits they were often obliged to make, to avoid the hostile Indians. Then came stormy weather, and heavy falls of snow; their lodging by night was in the woods, each Himily building a hut, and keeping up lires. In some i)arts, they had to cut their way for miles through the forest, and build canoes to pass the rivers. Their provisions began to fail, till at last the whole stock was con- sumed. It was a moment of great pain, when each family received its last portion ; the mothers, the children, the grey-haired nru, knew not that to- morrow's sun would bring ;inv supply. They made rafts to bear the women over the broad rivers, but the current often carried them away.

One night they had lain down to sleep, overcome with fatigue and want, when the forest took fire, either by their own carelessness, or by the wind raising the lighted embers. The terror of the people was great : all were instantly awoke, but where could they fly, in the heart of a vast forest ? a swift and miserable death was in the air and on the earth, every step they took. The trees burned fiercely all around ; the clouds of smoke, that increased every moment, prevented their seeing each other, save when the fresh volumes of flame burst forth, and threw a momentary and dreadful light: the falling of the branches added to the peril. They at last fled through an opening in the wood, which the tire had not yet caught. The confusion was very great ; the sick and the old were seen feebly hastening from the flames, that spread with strange

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 27

swiftness on every side. Much of the baggage was consumed : several persons were injured, but not one Jife was lost. The conflagration continued till the following day, and then they ventured back to the place of their encampment, to recover what articles might be spared.

They v/ere frequently rejoiced to find wild potatoes, the disagreeable flavour of which, hunger alone could render palatable. To satisfy the children, who cried for want, they peeled ches- nut trees, and made them suck the sweet juice under the bark ; and even the grown people were obliged to do the same. Many died during the journey ; and they made them rude graves in the wilderness. " But all these trials were forgotten," they say, " in our meetings, where the presence of the Lord was most sensibly and comfortably felt. They were always held in the evening, when our journey was done, round a large fire, in the open air. The care of Him who is invisible was over us : we spoke of his mercy and love with joy."

At last they came to the end of their journey, on the banks of the river, where the new town was to be built. They called it Friedenshuetten. It first consisted of a number of huts, and forty houses built of wood in the European manner, covered with shingles, and provided with windows and chimneys. In the middle of this hamlet was the chapel, neatly built. The ground adjoining the buildings was laid out in gardens, and between them and the river about two hundred and fifty acres were divided into regular plantations of Indian corn. Each family had its own boat. The burial-ground was situated at some distance beneath the shadow of the trees. The Moravian system, whereby the dif- fiision of Christianity goes hand in hand with the civilization of the manners, was never more justly exemplified : these people were in a far solitudCj

2S PAVin ZF.isnERr.ER. '

reinoto from all other habitutions, and entirely de- pendent on their own exertions. This is the descrip- tion of their life.

*' In rainy weather, the brethren and sisters assem- ble in small companies in their dwellings, to sing and ])raise the Lord for his mercies. A perfect harmony and concord prevailed amonq: them. It was a pleasure to see how judiciouslv they planned and executed the work of each day. They appeared like a swarm of busy bees. Each knew his proper task, and |)orformed it readily. Some were employed in buildin;^ houses ; others, in clearing the land ; some in fishing, to provide for tliose at work ; others cared for the house-keeping." The same statutes and regulations were adopted here as in the other towns. Papunhauk, the Indian teacher, came from a distance : his extensive acquaintance among the natives, and the rising fiime of Friedenshuetten, drew a great number of visitors from all parts.

The Indians, who now dwelt here in peace and safety, sent a messenger, with a string of wampum to the chief of Cajuga, who, as plenipotentiary of the Iroquois, claimed a lordship over all the neighbouring lands. They informed him and his people, that they had settled on the banks of the river, where they intended to live with their teachers, if he approved of it.

He returned an answer, "That the place they had chosen for a settlement was not proper, because all the country had been stained with blood ; therefore he would take them to the Cajuga lake."

This was an unwelcome projjosal ; Zeis^erger was therefore chosen to go, with four deputies, to inter- cede with this man, for he was powerful. The latter received them beneath his roof; but he spoke contemptuously of the Moravians and their exertions. The companions of Zeisberger were intimidated at this, and shrunk from |)roposing their message in the council. The latter, however, " assured them, that

DAVID ZKISBERGliR. 29

God would be present also in this assembly, and Avould direct every thing according: to his pleasure." He spoke the Cajuga tongue fluently, and, on the morrow, the council being assembled, he rose, and addressed them in the following words : —

" Brethren, you have heard the request made by your cousins; you see that their cause is good, and you love what is just. You have received them into your anus : they are thankful for it. Their feet were weary, they had suffered much by the way, but you have refreshed their souls. You have land enough ; therefore give a small piece to your cousins, who believe in God, that they may live among you in rest and peace. I am of the Delawares, who know that the Cajugas are generous. Do not send me away in sorrow." The request was granted, and a tract of land was given them, larger even than they had de- sired, extending beyond Tiaogee.

The deputies rejoiced greatly, and spent some days at this place. Zeisberger hastened back with the news of his success, and it was resolved to take immediate possession of the new grant. But this exultation was soon damped, by an Indian from Yaninga, who gave a circumstantial account of a great council, held by the Iroquois in Yaninga, at which he was present, and where the chief of Cajiiga was severely reprimanded for having given land to the Moravians without their consent. At this news, Zeisberirer resolved to go in person to Onoudago, to learn the truth, and renew his covenant of friendship willi the Iroquois.

After enduring nnich bv the wav, he arrived, and lodged in the same house that had formerly fur many years been his home. IIow beautiful is the remembrance of our first dedication \o God ! of the Hrst sincere and happy outset in the career of immortality I Once more he was in the place of his earliest mission, in Onoudago, the stern vet

30 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

indelible source of experience — whose simple, yet solemn usages, mingled grandeur and ferocity of character — wild virtues, and wilder vices, first acquainted him with the native human heart ; while his own severe conflicts and trials, gave him the golden knowledge of himself. It was a place full of fear and warning to the timid spirit — of success and power to the bold. And, now, all its associa- tions ag;iin gathered round his heart. Who is tliere, on revisiting the wild scene where ho has long struggled with his fate, and prevailed, but feels the very aspects of nature to be unto him like familiar friends? even the aged tree, the rock, the stream, once the only witnesses of his hope and despair, his pravers and tears !

The river Zinochsa, on whose banks he had often wandered, the valley full of armed men, the forest whose trees he had often felled, beneath whose sliadow he had rested at noon, even the dwellings built with his own hands — all told more expressively than words, of the ricli mercies of his God, who had here been his stay, and, for his sake, had arrested "the arm of the mighty, the fury of the oppressor." With deep emotion, he saw the people gather round him. Cold, haughty, and perfidious, the dread of the other nations, the lroc|iiois had been to him mild and merciful; and now they received him even as a brother. The morrow was ap|)ointed for the great council, ar.d the flag was already flying there in honour of the guest. The hour came, when Zeisberger enter- ed the assembly of " the great fire of Oiiondago," where ihty had often listened to his wortls. Th.e prophet and the preacher arc said to be sometimes indebted, for the kindling of the fancy and the spirit, t(j the inspiring scenes of nature ; but surely no scenes could l)e more exciting than that of the hushed assembly of warriors, among whom were the most aged, and celebrated of the nation. No ferocity or

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 31

treachery of look, no stifled or murderous passion, was there ; grave in their aspect, free and noble in their attitude, the Iroquois waited for the speech. And Zeisberger spoke well ; he painted feelingly the labours of the Brethren among the heathen ; then dwelt on the future state of the Indian congregations; appealed to their former intimacy with himself; and finally, requested them explicitly to declare, whether they would ratify what passed between him and the Cajuga chief. The principal men then inquired minutely concerning the establishment and constitu- tions at Friedenshuetten, and, according to custom, said that they could not decide hastily.

After mature deliberation, during which some weeks elapsed, a full consent was given by the Iroquois. But this powerful people seemed to have little inclination at present to receive the gospel : they would have been glad to see Zeisberger dwell again among them, but, as one of them told him, " A minister from New England lately came and offered to live among, and preach to them ; but they replied, that, as soon as they chose it, they would let him know ; for the present, he might return to his osvn home."

Friedenshuetten, in the mean time, increased rapidly. The Indians, who came in numbers from all parts, were struck with the regular appearance of the place ; declaring, it was the most beautiful and regular Indian town they had ever seen. They paid great attention to the preaching of the gospel, and its power on their hearts was often remarkably evident. They consisted of various nations, chiefly Mohawks, Senecas, Tutelas, Mohicans. In 1767, a more spacious church v/as erected. Previous to this period, Zeisberger had been adopted into the Delaware nation, as one of their brethren, which privilege was often of great service, and more tlian once was a barrier between him and death.

32 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

As a proof of tlie esteem in which he was heUl amon;^ tlie natives, the missionary Schmidt, journey- iig once to a peat distance, asked some of the Indians, whether they knew Zeisberg:er. As soon as they heard his name, they expressed ^reat joy, and, piacinj; two finirers totrether, said, " We are one with that man : are you also one with him ? ' Schmidt answered, " We are brethren." " Then," said they, " you must come to us, and build your house in our town." In tiie autunui of this year, accompanied by Papunhauk, he made a journey to the Ohio, haviui::^ heard tliat Indians dwelt there, who were desirous to hear of Christianity. He passed over extensive plains, covered with j^rass of such height, that sometimes the horse and rider could hardly be seen above it. In the morning dew, his clothes were thoroughly soaked, and he travelled on through places, where, according to the account of the Indians, no white man had ever been seen.

After many days, sleeping always at night in the open air, exposed to almost incessant rain, he came to a forsaken Indian town. He was greatly struck with its appearance ; for it stood in a situation of singular loneliness and beauty. " Here," he observed, " was the first grove of silver fir he had ever seen in North America. Near by, was one of the sources of the river Ohio; it gushed forth in a narrow stream, and wound its way into the vast plain. Whether war or famine had desolated the town, he could not tell, but it was utterly forsaken ; the dwellings were all entire, nor was there any hand of ravage apjjarent. He entered one of them, and ma»le it his home for the night, and partook of a simple meal, and drank of the fountain of the Oliio, whose vicinity had probably induced the Indians to settle here. The farther lie penetrated, the more drear the wildcrnes? trew, and it cost him immense labour to work iiia way through the thickets.

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 33

" Having thus proceeded," it is said, " four days, through a country of so dreadful and uncouth an appearance, he came at length, for the first time, to a hut in the midst of the forest, in which he took up his night's lodging." It was inhabited by an Indian hunter, who lived here with his family, apart from all his tribe. So thick was the ibrest at this place, and the gloom of the overhanging trees, that the rays of the sun could never penetrate to the dwelling. Surely the hunter and his guests must have felt like brothers, meeting thus in so utter a solitude ! A human face had long been strange to the savage, Avhose love of independence had for years estranged him from all his people. On the arrival of Zeisberger at the first Senecas town, the appearance of a white man caused so much alarm, that one of the Indians mounted his horse, and rode off to a village, thirty miles distant, to repeat the wonderful story to the chief. From the latter, Zeisberger received the next day a very rough reception : his firm, yet mild demeanour, liad, however, so much eftect upon the Indian, that he conducted him to his house, and invited him to eat. A conversation of two hours ensued, at the close of which, the chief said he would not prevent his proceeding to Gosgoschuenk ; but warned him not to trust to its inhabitants, who had not their equals in wickedness and thirst for blood. Zeisberger answered, " that if they were so wicked a people as he described, they stood so much more in need of the gospel of their Redeemer; but that, at all events, he did not fear them." It was now the time of celebrating a great festival by the Senecas, and he was obliged to stay and partake of two sump- tuous me&ls.

These were held in a spacious dwelling, in the middle of which a large oven was built: the guests sat in solemn silence upon bear-skins, in rows, according to their families. The young men had for

11. D

34 DAVID ZEISUERGER.

some days previous been sent into the woods, to procure the requisite number of deer and bears: the women had prepared fire-wood for roasting and boiling, and lony; dry reed and grass, to cover the lloor. The boiled meat was first served up in large kettles, with bread made of Indian corn. The oven was heated with twelve large stones made red-hot ; then twelve men crept into it; and an old man threw twelve pipes full of tobacco upon the hot stones, which occasioned such a smoke, that the persons confined were nearly sullbcated, and, on being taken out, fell down in a swoon. The feast passed almost in silence; the meats being followed by a dessert of sugar, eggs, butter, and fruits. But as soon as the drinking-bout and the smoking com- menced, the tongues of the guests were unsealed. Then four men went out before the door of the house, and howled in a mournful strain : as soon as they returned, the whole company, consisting of about one hundred persons, joined in a song. Speedily after, an old man began to pronounce short oracular sen- tences, which were heard with great attention. In the evening, the dancing was kept up by both sexes till a late hour.

If it be believed that the souls of the dead are enraged, both meat and drink offerings are made, to pacify them; the fire and candles are put out; an old man addresses the spirits of the departed, and begs them to be pacitied. Every woman, whose child dies among a distant tribe, travels, if possible, once a year, to the place of its burial, and ofi>rs a drink- offering upon its grave. Often had Zeisberger, in his career, to observe these ceremonies. The soul of a warrior or companion, who has met with an unfair or untimely end, is supposed to be in a state of rage and disquiet : a procession, headed by the iamily of the departed, passes on to the place of tombs beneath the precipice, or in the forei-t. The

liAVID ZEISBEEGER, 35

oldest man spoaks sadly to the soul, and pours rum, as a (Jrink-ofiierinj^, upon the grave : it is indispensa- ble that they must drink up the rest of the rum, till not a drop be left : so that, sitting down on the graves, the dark circle of mourners quaff the deli- cious draught in silent emotion, and soon drown all the bitterness of grief, and sometimes get outrageously merry. Another of their feasts of sacrifice, offered to their gods, is of a more awful kind, being per- formed in a lonely place, where, as night draws on, they repeat their dreams and visions, in which thev put great faith, and sometimes work themselves up to an agony of distress.

When a widow is newly bereaved, she sits down in the ashes near the fiie, weeping most bitterly ; she then rises, and runs to the grave, where she makes loud lamentations, and returns again to her seat in the ashes. She will neither eat, drink, nor sleep, and refuses all consolation : the image of the man she has lost, is ever present, she says, to her mind. But a widow's grief has rarely any despair about it. After some time, she suffers herself to be persuaded to rise, drink some rum, and receive comfort. For one whole year she is to dress with- out any ornaments, and wash herself but seldom : afterwards she anoints her hair, which is a sign that she wishes to marry again.

But Zeisberger was bound to a scene, where no festival or gaiety awaited his coming. A few days after, he drew near the village of Gosgoschuenk, that had been described to him as full of cruelty. Here they found a relation of Papunhauk, who received him into his house. This domain con- sisted of three villages on the banks of the Ohio ; he resided in the middle village, and sent word to the inhabitants to request they would assemble and hear the " great words" he had to tell them. All Gos- goschuenk seemed to rejoice at the novelty of this d2

36 DAM I) ZEISniiRGER.

visit : it was ni^ht wlien Zeisbcrger addressed the asseniblv ; the huge (Iwelling rhoscn for the purpose was ilhimiued by the great fires wliich tlie Indians always burn, and which were hirger tluin usual on this occasion. The looks of the people wore tierce and cruel ; and tliev stciod round the stranger, as if thev already marked him for their victim. Such, however, was the force of his address, that several times they involuntarily exclaimed, "Yes! that is certainly true ; that is the way to happiness." No weapon was lifted against him : and, at the close of the discourse, they remained silent for some time, with a stern and sullen demeanour, like men who were awed by some sudden power, and yet would fain strive against it. He found that the warning of the Seneca chief was fulfilled ; never having yet witnessed liie darkness ofheathenism carried to such excess.

The women, l)oth old and young, gathered cu- riously to hear him : being excluded from the coun- cils and other assemblies of the nation, it was a luxury to them to listen to the earnest eloquence of the stranger, who placed their soul and its future destiny on a level with that of the proudest warrior. But some of them soon became his ene- mies, because he denounced the torture of their captives, and the diabolical skill and exultation in prolonging their agonies, in which even the softer sex delighted.

This cruelty is, however, more the result of habit than of feeling: on one occasion, a voung Shawa- nose Indian was taken, and condenincd to die. He was already tied to the stake, and each fearful pre- paration njadc, when a widow rushed forward from the eager crowd of the victors, and phu ed herself be- tween the captive and death. The love of life, that he had nuustered, rushed once more to the heart of tiic Shawanose. The generous widow then

DAVID ZEISBERGER, 37

laid her goods and valuables at the feet of the warrior to whom he belonged : the ransom was ac- cepted ; her entreaty was granted ; and on the same day, the captive walked up and down the village, well dressed. His protectress relied so mucti upon his fidelity, as to allow him to visit his family and friends in his own country ; and no persuasions or entreaties of the latter could prevail upon him to forsake her. This was more than Roman fortitude : the poor youth heroically left home and parents, and his loved tribe, listened to their laments, that died upon his ear as he threaded his way alone through brake and wood, to the land of his ene- mies, among whom he must live and die.

But Zeisberger soon became a marked and hated man ; he continued beneath the roof of the rela- tion of Papunhauk, but could not restrain the atro- cious deeds which these savages loved, or rescue one captive from his fate. Often he turned away from the dreadful scene, from the bafHed fury, the fiendish howl, the gnashing of teeth, of the vic- tor— and the mournful heroism, the laughter of wo, of the sufferer ! The latter was painted black, and his head ornamented with raven feathers : then the former cried, " The bones of our murdered countrymen lie uncovered ; their spirits loudly call on us ! revenge their blood ! — let us torture and devour." The victim scorned them, as he died in unutterable anguish : " I will fall like a valiant man : great are your torments ; but what are your deeds in war ? I go to those heroes who have driven you like chaff before them."

The missionary sought his own home, and praved that the hearts of these men might be chan^-ed. On every side the very ground was accursed. It was like the hold of Despair, where the very courts were paved with the skulls of the lost and wretched, and a restless horror prevailed day and night.

38 DAVID ZKIS15ERGKR.

Was tliis 11 rep;ioii for tlie ;j:osp(.'l of mercy and love ? Aiul could he hope that the torrent of blood-thirstniess would be stayed at his solitary words ? He did hope and believe this, and God recompensed his faith.

" The prince of darkness has here great power," says Zoisberger, " he even seems to have estab- lished his throne in tliis place, and to be adored by the heathen, workinjr uncontrolled in the chil- dren of disobedience." Scenes of an alfectint^, as well as harrowinir nature, could not fail to occur, where life was so cheaply held, and men knew not how to spare.

Amonj::^ the prisoners was once an old man, of venerable appearance, and two youths. A larg;e sum was of}'ere(l to the warriors fur their release, bu*. in vain. When they arrived at the place, the two young men were tortured, and burnt alive. The old man was condemned to suHer the same treat- ment, but, being informed of it by a child, he con- trived to escape — was fortunate enough to seize a horse, and fled into the woods. The savages pur- sued him for several days, but their most prac- tised hunters were baftled by the adroitness of the aged man, who clung thus dearly to life. During ten days and nights he fled, or concealed himself among the thickets, or in some friendly cave, often in danger from the wild beasts, which were his only neighbours. He could hear at times the shrill cries of his pursuers, sometimes near, sometimes afar ofi'; at last he arrived safe at a place not far from one of the Brethren's settlements, having eaten nothing but grass for ten days. A friendly Indian found him Ivinu: in a wood, more like a corpse than a living creature.

At last Zeisberger tiiought it tune to depart, but only for a s('asf)ii : he had luiivkcfl this i)laco as his own chusun scene, and resolved that neither

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 3?

the powers of earth or hell should cause him to desist. Once more the missionary and the sor- cerer went on their way into the wilderness, and came again to tlie fountain of the Ohio, and the solitary hunter's home. The quondam teacher and diviner, like others of the more intelligent Indians, was skilled in the knowledge of plants and herbs, and the rich natural productions of his country, and still more in its superstitions. Strongly at- tached to Zeisberger, he made the troubles of the way lighter by his sagacity and foresight : he had now become entirely a Christian, yet so deeply rooted were the mental habits and delusions of his former life, that he often strangely blended them with his new and purer belief. Like other heathen teachers, be had believed that " the road to a bet- ter world lies close by the gates of hell : that the devil lies in ambush, and snatches at every one who is going to God. Now, those who have passed by this dangerous place unhurt, come first to the liappier land : none had actually arrived, though some had approached near enough to hear the cocks crow, and see the smoke of the chimneys in heaven." The flight of the large birds of prey, the shriek of the owl by night, and dreams, con- tinued to startle his mind ; the visions and phan- toms with which he had held others in awe, now awoke at times, to his own disquiet. Many of his countrymen, to whom he was formerly as a god, now hated him mortally ; some even accused him of giving poison to the people, who had died of an epidemic disease, whereby numbers were car- ried off: so strong was the accusation, that the Moravians could scarcely save his life. Calum- niated, forsaken, he had an only daughter, whom he dearly loved, and who cleaved to her father in all his troubles. To his great joy, she also became a Christian.

40 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

They arrived in safety at Friedeiishuetten ; here the missionary rested but a short lime : throus^h his representations, it was delerniined by the chief brethren at Bethlehem, that he should p;o a^ain to the scene of his recent enterprise. With Ettwein and Senscman, and a few Indian families, he again set out. His companions were unused to the mishaps of this journey : they were olili;j:ed to pass through many tires in the forest, which filled the air with sutfocating vajxjurs ; and at ni;j,ht their rest was broken by the howlinj^s and boKl attacks of the wolves, which ventured so near the fires, that they were compelled to stand on their defence, and drive them away by castiiii; firebrands. In the middle of Jime,they arrived atGosgoschuenk. Zeisberger did not come on a transient visit ; but to abide, and subdue the wickedness and ferocity of the people, or else yield his life in the attempt.

He preached every day, held morning and even- ing meetings, and sung hymns in the Delaware language, of his own translation, which were per- fectly new to his audience. All his meetings were attended by great numbers. " It was curious," he says, " to see so many assemble to hear the gospel, with faces painted black and vermilion, and heads decorated with clusters of feathers and fox-tails, which are much in use among the young people." The dress of the Delaware women was somewhat picturesque ; the best array of the upper classes was a fine white linen shirt, that reached to the knees, decorated at the breast with silver buttons ; their long hair folded and tied round the head with a piece of cloth : others wore a ribbon, or the skin of a serpent, round the hair. The richest adorned their heads with a number of silver trinkets of con- siderable weight, and their ears and necks with coral, and small crosses of silver.

The enmity of some of the leading people, as

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 41

well as the secret instig-ations of other tribes, soon raised a violent opposition. The old women of the place were formidable enemies; they went about, publicly complainiiiEC, that the Indian corn was blasted, that the deer and other game began to retire from the woods, that no chesnuts or bilberries would grow any more, because Zeisberger preached a strange doctrine. In consequence, " they saw themselves encompassed with bitter enemies, who wished daily to take awav their lives. Even manv of those that had shewn the greatest joy upon their arrival, were so far changed, that they were ready to stone them. Two Indians even entered into a covenant to kill Zeisberger."

The Moravians now built a block-house, as a place of safety and defence, at a small distance from the town. Here they retreated, and kept guard, havingsome of the baptized Indianswith them : but the latter dared not venture a few yards from the door, without being armed with a hatchet or 2:un. When the cold se ison drew near, they built a small winter-house, where they might administer the Lord's supper to the Indian Christians, who consisted of a few families. This is an impressive picture : the little forlorn band, in their poor fortress, keeping their wintry watch by night, and listening to each passing sound and cry, lest a foe might be near, or an ambush lurk unseen ; for thev knew that the tomahawk thirsted for their blood.

From the walls of their block-house, they could survey the three villages around. How welcome, oftentimes, came the breaking of the morn ! yet this desolation was cheered by intervals of exquisite comfort and blessedness. If we follow them in fancy to the winter-house, or chamber where the Lord's supper was administered ; in the stillness of the night, and in the very bosom of cruelty and horror, the Moravians and the converts knelt side

42 DAvin ZKisnKn(;F.R.

by side, and cominonioratod tlip sftirows of tlioir \jOy(i. Iluw li'^lu was evoiv four! how weak everv arm that was raised aijainst them ! Th'ey losf, exiiltiDij ill that Redeemer, wliose Uive was " stronp;ei than (h'ath, more jealous than tlie c^rave ;" and their hymn of praise and thanksg;ivin<; rose into the air, like that of tlie con(|uerinc: messengers of God — not of abandoned and despairin;j; men.

" In the mean time," it is oljscrved, " Zeisber<jer did not omit |ircachini; to the people, relying^ on the l^ord alone for safety : at tins trying juncture, no dangers could depress his confidence." Such faith and labour could not be in vain : his fervent ad- dresses were attended with a Divine inHuence, tct which the depraved hearts of his hearers ere long gave testimony. " Lisrht an'! darkness," it is said, " began now to separate from each other:" the inhabitants were at lenijjth divided into two parties, one of which, and by far the more numerous, opposed the gospel with all their might ; the other declared they would depart and dwell elsewhere, rather than be deprived of it. The chief, AUemewi, who had attained the age of 120 years, was at the head of the latter. So inveterate and furious be- came the adverse party, that the Moravians believed it was now time to depart, and began to build boats for the voyage. While they were thus employed, three of the leading men prohibited Zeisberger from leaving the town ; presenting, at the same time, a black belt of wampum, which always signifies some fatal omen. The latter sternly withsl(>od them ; bore testimony to the truth of the religion he had preached, and said that they should certainly depart, and that (piickly. " The sorcerers app)inted sacrifices, to appease the wrath of those spirits who were offended by the presence of the Brethren, and offered hogs by way of atonenu-nt. Young people were forbidden, by their parents, to visit the

DAVID ZKISIIKRGER. 43

latter; arid parents wore prevented by tlicir children. Some were driven from their own houses : the words of our Saviour were here Hterally fulfilled — ' I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and tlie daughter against her mother.' " The Brethren seemed to live in a close and pernicious atmos- phere. Many demanded that they should be thrown into the Ohio, or murdered in the night."

One of the most striking scenes, was that of the conversion of the chief Allmewi. This man had attained the age of 120 years, with every inveterate habic and feeling of the savage. He had given his protection and countenance to the missionaries; but at such an age, in the second century of life, it is a hard and almost impossible thing for the heart to be softened. At last the venerable warrior yielded to the resistless influence of mercy; and, in spite of many scruples of mind, and much opposition from others, resolved to embrace the gospel. He desired to be conducted to the assembly. He seemed full of grief, and strongly agitated, and at length broke out in these words, " 1 can bear it no longer ; my heart is full within me, and I have no rest night nor day. Unless I shall soon receive comfort, I must die." His wife and nearest relations were there, who, as well as his friends, were bitterly opposed to this step. But there is something in the concen- trated energy of a strong mind, in the gush of feeling, and impassioned appeal of the aged, that awes even the boldest. In this fine and renowned old man, it was like a voice speaking from eternity. He was baptized on the Christmas-day, and afterwards could not sufficiently express the peace he felt ; even the frame seemed to borrow new vigour, " Not only," he said, " my heart is at ease, but my body is even restored to health. I could not have Ijelieved that I should enjoy such happiness."

At length the day of separation came : the canoes

44 HAN ID ZKlsnKR(;KR. *

ULie ready, the Muiavians and tlio families of the roiiverts patliered on the shore ; cai^fily the hitter Kfi their homes and friends, ratlier than yield tlieir salvation. The rest of the i)eo|)Ie regarded the em- harkaiion in silence, but no liand was lifted against it. They eanie to a place many miles distant, on the opposite i)ank, and lived at first in hunting huts, and sowed the land : but many months must pass, ire their harvest ,siiouId be gathered.

In the mean time, their old stock of Indian corn was spoiled and half rotten ; which, however, they ate thankfully. When that was consumed, they could buy no more throughout the whole country. Absence often softens the darkest malice: the people of Gosgoschuenk began to relent: and, some time after their departure, a solemn assembly was held in the town, to consider whether they should receive the gospel. The assembly was divided in opinion ; but, contrary to expectation, a majority agreed to receive it: the following was the decision: — " Every one has full liberty to hear, or not to hear it. AV'hoever has no mind to hear, may stay away. For the Indians are a free people, and will never be slaves." They even sent to beg Zeisberger to forget all former injuries, and the dangers he had been exj)Osed to in their town ; owning, that a band of nuirderers had long sworn to take his life.

At these welcome tidings, the spirit of Zeisherger was lifted in gratitude to God, who could so change the demoniac fierceness of this people, that their council entreated forgiveness of an expelled and helpless man. Although hatred and vengeance, and even death, often met him face to face, he had not to sav with the prophet, '* I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought." The good that had been done, was often secret and remote, like seed borne l)y the wind into the wilder-

DAVID ZKISBKRGER. 45

ness, tliat takes root there, but no eye sees it. The savage often Ustened, with an nntroubled heart, and even with tlie menace on his lips : but when, after the hipse of months and years, the stranger came again, he found that his words had been treasured, as it was expressed, " in the cavern of the spirit," that they were earnestly remembered. Even on the Ininting parties with the Iroquois and Delaware, he did not forget his message; and when they rested at night from their toils round the fire, in the midst of the waste, he would tell of the things of salvation, for this was the hour when the Indians loved to con- verse. The facility he possessed of addressing almost every people and tribe in their own dialect, was of inexpressible use. It might justly be said, that he had no home or hearth that he could call his own ; the rank grass of the plain, the shore of the lake or river, or the canoe, was often his resting- place at night. No field was too vast or arduous to his hope.

Around the lakes Erie and Huron, the rivers Delaware and Ohio, and even to the falls of Niagara, he had wandered, in search of fresh successes. Troubles and sorrows only added wings to his career, whose restless activity and energy, among the fierce and idolatrous tribes, was like that of the flame on the forest, withering as it passed, and before which the noble oak and pine go down, as well as the feeble and aged trees. Great was his self-abandonment to God and to his mission ; for he was a man of many mercies. Of these he often speaks freely: it is easy to perceive that he was eminently happy, but surely not " in the things of this world." Thus he ob- serves : —

" In our new place of refuge, we had the inex- pressible pleasure to baptize several Indians, the first- fruits of this territory. To us, it was a festival without an equal, and attended with so poweitui i*

46 DAVID ZKISBERUER.

sensation of the presence of Goil, that we were richly comforUd for all our aflliclions."

A few cheerless huts; a little wooden chapel, hastily erected ; and sonic cornfields scattered over the waste, and reaped eie tlioy were ripe, — were now the only refii'jfc of the exiles, who thoiij^ht, with a sigrh, of the Ivatitiful order and comfort of Fricdens and Gnaden-hiutten, wliich (iiey h;»d forever left behind. But ere Zeisber^er led his bund to found a fresh town afar oft", another and a parting event came, that shed a priory round their lone and wretched hovels : he might have said with the prophet, " I was desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro: yet the prey of the lerril)le is taken away : they bow down to nriC, even to the dust."

Numbers of the people of Gosgoschucnk, even of those who had ])lotted their destruction, who had never spared the captive, or known kindness or pity, came to lay tlieir ferocity and savage hatred at the foot of the cross. The " place of cruelty" was changed, witii a hiL;li liand : the heart of the miofhty was withered before the Lord: the noble Allemewi had gained the ascendancy: the father and the mother, the sister and the brother, were no longer the prey of each other's wrath. These fierce men stood around Zeisberger, and said, that his (iod should be their God, and that ihev would go with him wherever he went.

.And now he prepared to depart: already the walls and goodly dwellings, the groves and gardens, of another colony in the wild, were present to his sanguine hope; and, in the spring, they endiarked on the Ohio. Had the stranger then iooketl on the broad river, down which the group of canoes was rapidly passing, — in some of whieli were the warrior converts, armed to the teeth, and the crest of black |)lumes on their heads — in others, the dauntless missionary and his people, — he would

DAVID ZEISDERGER. -iT

have said the enterprise was a forlorn and desperate one.

At times the Moravian hymn passed over the waters, and for the first time broke on their soli- tude—sweet, inspiring, full of hope and love to God : one of his own translations into the Delaware, for his powerful and melodious voice was greatly ad- mired by the savages.

After many days, they came to the Beaver falls, and landing, carried their canoes and bairgage over hills and through savannas, and, at the end of three weeks, halted in the waste, and founded Friedenstadt. As the town arose, the exiles looked around witli joy : they had once more a home and a hearth of their own ; no blockhouse or rampart, no midnight watch, were in Friedenstadt. Even here, in spite of the distance, the dreaded people of Gos- goschuenk continued to follow, that they might be near the man they now loved and venerated, and listen to his words.

In the spring of this year, Zeisberger became ac- quainted with the most sincere and powerful of all his friends, Netawatwees, prince of the Dela- wares. During a journey, he was received and lodged in his house, when " he had suffered much in wading through tracts of deep snow." He soon perceived that he was in the presence of a man of strong mind and commanding character : he adapt- ed himself to the usages of the family, gave way to their long fits of silence and abstraction,, or spoke in oracular and descriptive sentences.

This nation being divided into three tribes, has three principal chiefs, of whom the Unami is es- teemed the first in rank. Such was Netawatwees, who, by his judgment and address, had acquired the reverence of the whole nation : he used to lay all affairs of state before his counsellors for their con- sideration, without telling them his own sentiments.

48 DAVID ZCISBERGER.

When tlioy luul ^iveii their opiiiiun, he cither calmly approved of it, or stated his objectiotis and anieiid- vnents, always aM('i;iii'^ tlie reasons of his disap- probation. Tims lie kept them active, and main- tained liis inHnenee over their minds.

Tlie friendship of this man was a shield and buckler to Zcisberger, who was invited to form a new settlement, on the river Muskingum, near to the territory of the former. He accordingly set out to examine the place, which was about seventy miles from Lake Erie, and seventy-tive from rriedenstadt. It was a place of many attractions: a small lake, from which the river, that ran through the jilaiii, took its source ; its shores were verdant ; there were good plant- ing grounds, plenty of game, and every other conve- nience for a colony. Formerly, a large fortified Indian town had stood on the spot; and even now, the ruins of ramparts and forts were visible. In the plain were numerous groups of walnut, locust, and other trees, with wild a|)ple and plum trees. There was something peculiarly wild in the scene — the extensive ruinsof the ancient Indians, partly shaded by trees, and near the water-side, gave an interest to the extreme lone- liness. It seemed as if a people had once dwelt and flourished here, and either perished by an inroad of their enemies, or else wandered to another land. The former fate was the more probable, for the site was too advantatreous to be willingly for- saken : and the Indian might be seen passing by, looking earnestly, vet with awe, at the ruins; for they are averse to dwell amid the desolation of other homes.

Zeisberger took sclemn possession of the country, in the name of the United Brethren. By the influence of the Unami, this extensive grant, of all the lands from the river Muskingum to Tuscarori, was made to hinj ; and it was decreed, that all Indians living on the borders of this country, should be directed tc be-

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 49

have peaceably to the Moravians and their con- verts.

But he had not long quitted the roof of his host, when a renowned heathen preacher arrived, and declared his doctrines to be false, and said that he had enticed many natives over the great ocean. The minds of the people were troubled, and a com- motion was raised, when Netawatwees called a council, and stilled the storm in an instant. He described Zeisberger as a man of God, that he had held converse witli him by night and day, and that his words were still sweet in his ear. He even sent many of his people to assist in the building of Schoenbrunn, or " The Beautiful Spring," as the new town was called — where the adventurous mis- sionary had once more arrived from Friedenstadt, with several families, consisting of about thirty per- sons. This was the loveliest of all his settlements, and the one that lay nearest to his heart. It was now May, in the year 1772.

In the mean while, he found time to continue his translations into the Delaware and Mohican lan- guages, consisting of many portions of the scrip- tures, hymns, and short religious treatises. When the township of Schoenbrunn was completed, and its environs brought into good cultivation, tlie teaching and improvement of the people became more regular and rapid. During the erection of a place of worship, the congregation gathered in the open air, beside the shores of the little lake : but the spacious chapel was no sooner finished, than it was filled by a numerous assembly, among whom was often the prince of the Delawares. A school- house also rose, and was attended by a goodly num- ber of scholars, where Zeisberger introduced his Delaware reading and spelling-book.

Among those who came to look and admire, was the chief, Assiningk, who, about nineteen years before,

11. E

CO DAVID ZEISBERGER.

had taken prisoner a beautiful child of a white family, in Viri^inia. The parents had either perished or taken flight : but Assinintjk brought the orphan to his home, treated her with kindness, and, as she grew up to womanhood, he began to regard her with affection. So lone, so lovely a being, dependent on his care alone, awoke all the tenderness of the savage. She had been long separated from her Virginian home: her captor was powerful, and loved her ; he was still in the prime of life, and the world had no other refuge than his roof. They were married, and lived happily : but when she came to the morn- ing meeting at the settlement, and listened to the hymn, and the discourse that followed — all the long- buried ties and memories of home broke forth afresh ; she burst into tears, as she recalled the time when, with her lost parents, she had gone to the worship of God, near her once-loved roof : " This morning is the happiest of my life," she said, in her Indian dialect.

And had Zeisberger no remembrance of departed scenes, and moments never to return, in Hernhuth and Moravia ? He recalled them with emotion, but not with regret; for his Indian homes, barren as they might be to the eye and the fancy, were not so to his heart.

It is sometimes observable, that with men who make their home " in the wild places of the earth," to whose burning zeal many nations seem too narrow a limit, there is little susceptibility to the warm affec- tions of our nature, which are quenched in a loftier enthusiasm. Howard traversed all Europe to bring comfort to its dungeons, but was a stern father to his only son. The angelic Lopez left his illus- trious family in Spain, and went to Mexico, to the valley of Amajac, to devote his life to the Indians ; but never after inquired for his parents or his brothers, because he wished to die to each earthly

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 51

attachment. It was not thus with Zeisberger, whose way was strewed with many a friendship, deep, ro- mantic, and faithful, as was ever felt by man, and the more enduring because it was formed in sorrow and persecution. The son of Saul had not so cleaved unto David with " a love passing that of woman," but that the latter, encompassed by treachery and death, was thrown helplessly on his protection. And it was not the calumet of peace, his skill in the chase, or the welcome of the night, that knit the soul of the warrior to the Moravian : — he came a fugitive and friendless ; his heart-felt appeal was heard — and the chieftain who, had he met him armed in the woods, would have thirsted for his blood, admired his suffer- ings and endurance ; stood in the breach against his adversaries; and, after a time, he loved him! But many had now fallen from his side ; some he had followed to the wild burial-place in the forest ; others had perished in battle, or at the stake. Of his European companions, several had passed the Atlantic to calmer scenes. Frederic Camerhoff, Pyrloeus, and others, already rested from their labours. His parents slept in the burial-ground at Bethlehem ; but ere their eyes were closed by their only son, they had felt the inexpressible joy of seeing him devoted, in his own words, " soul and body unto the Lord." His intimacy with Spangenberg, and the admirable Camerhoff, had been cemented in many a pilgrimage : others came in their place, but they were not the same, in affection or companion- ship. Men who live in towns and cities, amidst all the stirring excitements and changes of life, find it easy to form fresh intimacies and friendships; but to one who was a denizen of the wild, far from Euro- pean society, this was a difficult task.

But a constant intelligence by letter was main- tained with Europe, and the most distant station's of the heathen; and these tidings were as " a well of e2

52 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

water in a thirsty land." Thus, it is observed, " A chief concern ot" the Brethren was to keep the unity of the Spirit in all the congreg:ations in the various parts of the world. Though their outward situations were ever so different and remote from each other in the islands and wildernesses, care was taken that they might not be strangers to each other, or igno- rant of the inward and outward circumstances of other congregations. This end was promoted by a stated correspondence."

The career of Louis Count Zinzendorf had drawn to a close; his daughter had married the bishop, John de Watteville, the descendant of the baron of that name, of Montmirail, in Switzerland. At the chateau of Montmirail, Louis had often paused in his wanderings, but his feet were sometimes ac- quainted with strange resting-places : in one part of Germany several offers of residences were made him ; but he chose an old ruinous castle on the top of a hill, the ancient feudal hold of Ronneburg, whose apartments were decayed and desolate. When he closed at last his most useful life, the funeral ceremony was splendid : the imperial guards followed the remains ; the nobility and gentry came from the surrounding cities, to the number of two thousand, to Hernhuth, which he so loved in life, and where he desired to rest in death. The Moravians, of both sexes, walked in procession, with the choristers, and a band of music : and ere the body was committed to the vault, thev prayed solemnly, that they also might rest from their labours, as he, their leader and head, now rested. He had been the early patron of Zeisberger.

Of his native land of Moravia, the latter some- times heard. Anna Nitschman, a young woman of opulent family, had been a fugitive thence some years before, being among those who learned at Hernhuth, as it is said, " to forget by degrees,

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 53

and be content without, their great and rich farms." The lot fell upon Anna, " whose youth was supplied by a rich measure of grace imparted to her, to be elderess of the congregation." She soon after en- tered into a covenant with seventeen single women, who were of the same mind with her, to give no attention to any thoughts or overtures of marriage, but to devote themselves entirely to religion. There was, however, a clause, that if any offers of mar- riage were brought to them through the elders of the congregation, they might be allowed a consi- deration : but the eye was not to be pleased, nor the fancy idly followed. Such wa.s the origin of the single sisters' choirs, as they are termed, in the Moravian establishments.

Julius de Seidlitz, a Silesian nobleman, lord of Upper Peilau, who had been cast into prison for his attachment to the United Brethren, was at last set free, and received them into his castle : he super- intended several of the congregations, and preached in his own castle, where the spacious hall could scarcely contain the hearers. Singular and im- pressive must have been the scene, of the powerful nobleman preaching to the assembly of exiles, in his ancient and gloomy hall, where knights and barons had feasted, where the harp and the song had chased away the hours of night. Count Julius no longer mingled in the gaieties of the court, or even in the hunting parties and carousals of the neighbouring lords ; the building of Gnadenfrey, a Moravian settlement, was begun under his direc- tion, on one of his estates. To a man resident on the Muskingum, these details from Europe were most welcome, as well as from the missions in various parts of the world. But this troubled mission to the savage, had fewer candidates from Hernhuth than that of Greenland : few single sisters seemed to be disposed to leave their calm

54 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

home, and be the companions of so adventurous a life. They had lately built themselves spacious choir-houses : weary of living in contiguous or separate dwellings, the single sisters had erected a new home, or choir-house, where, contrary to general experience, Protestant or Catholic, they dwelt in excellent harmony and kindliness. The widows, *' who were growing too numerous for their habitations," also had an excellent dwelling erected.

One youthful woman, who crossed the Atlantic at this time, S. Ohneberg, set out, with two compa- nions, to visit the settlements on the Muskingum : they passed over the Allegany and Laurel moun- tains ; the way was long and weary, no home to welcome, no shelter from the rain and storm ! An English officer made them a present of a travelling- tent, which was a great comfort. Soon afterwards, they fell in with an ambush of three natives, who were seeking to get scalps; and the fair Moravian was in imminent danger of having her long hair and brow made the ornament of a savage's hut, the musket- balls passing through the midst of the party. At last, they saw the dwelling and groves of Schoen- brunn before them, " where their arrival gave inex- pressible pleasure to the congregations." S. Ohne- berg returned no more to Germany : such enterprise proved her to possess the best qualifications for the wife of an Indian Missionary : she was soon after married to Heckenwalder, the friend of Zeisberger.

Several novel guests had come to the settlements in America, to Bethlehem and other places, where their presence excited great interest : these were three natives of Greenland, who came with Matthew Stach. Among them was the youthful and devoted Judith, already spoken of in the history of the Greenland mission. After travelling through part of Europe with her companions, she had crossed

n.AVin ZKISBERGER. 55

file Atlantic, to observe the state cf the missions. Tiie son of Kaiarnac, the first u.seful convert in the frozen zone, was one of tiic number: but Judith Issck, as she is termed, looked curiously on the dwelling's and habits of the Indian converts, so different from those of her own land : she wore the European dress, and possessed an agreeable person and manners.

This life, so wild, so remote from the smiles and endearments of the world, on which every morrow mi<:ht gather " clouds and blackness," Zeisberger but loved the rnore as his years increased. No expression of desire for a more fixed or peaceful condition, is ever visible in his letters: it was well that his frame was of iron, and his heart knew not fear. The hours also must have been well hus- banded, and stolen from the night-watches, as well as the early morn, else the many and jarring avoca- tions would have made as great a confusion as that of the tower of Babel. Yet it is inconceivable, how he could find time for his translations: sometimes he would occupy the day in the chase of the bear, the panther, or the elk, which latter abounded on the Muskingum, or Elk's Eye, as it was called : return- ing at eve to Schoenl)runn, he would survey the progress in building and planting, as well as in the schools ; examine the pupils ; hold a meeting at nig'.it, or deliver an address to the assembly ; and then, repairing to his lonely dwelling, pass several hours in the study of his Indian literature. There were also other calls upon his time: it is observed, that " Zeisberger received, every day, visits from people who came to salute him as their father; and some, who were ill, were much pleased bv his willingness and dexterity in granting them relief." The Indian physician observes many mysterious ceremonies, and rc(|uires an enormous fee. In mixing up his roots and herbs, he pretends to drive

56 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

the evil spirit into the desert, and there to bind him fast. Sometimes he creeps into the oven, where he sweats, howls, and roars, and now and then grins horribly at his patient, who is laid before the open- ing, till both of them are half baked. On one occa- sion, an Indian physician put on a large bear-skin, so that his arms were covered with the fore-legs, his feet with the hind, and his head entirely concealed in the bear's head, with the addition of glass eyes. He came on, with a calabash in his hand, singing, and dancing, and scattering hot ashes in the air, entered the patient's hut, to contend with the devil, whom he pretty closely resembled.

The simple and efficacious remedies of Zeisberger took away many patients, as well as gains, from these native physicians, who were as furious as the people of Ephesus, at the passing away of idolatry. They heaped on his head all manner of maledictions and incantations, and the invoking the demons to destroy him was not spared ; for the forsaken doctors began to go about, looking lank and discon- solate, instead of wallowing in plenty, and imposing upon all their patients. Instead of being half roasted, and frightened to death, and held over the pit of heil, the sick Indians gazed with delight on Zeisberger, who stood by their bed-side with a mild and encouraging aspect, and spoke of mercy and peace, even while he put the simples to their lips. Had the medical men dared to poison him, the deed was easy ; for the Delawares were instructed by the Nantikoks to prepare a peculiar kind of poison, which was capable of infecting whole townships and tribes : it was the favourite Indian means of suicide, as it kills in a few hours. The Nantikoks, who were the wretched inventors of this art, nearly destroyed their wliole nation by it. This people had an infernal skill in extracting the noxious qualities of herbs and trees : they had one kind of poison, that brought on

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 57

certain death in three or four months ; another, that caused a slow decay, without pain, for a year or longer, but admitted of no cure. A Mohican mother lost her eldest son by one of these poisons ; a few months after, her youngest son was despatched in the same way, by a noted sorcerer. She seldom quit- ted the grave, but mourned over it without ceasing, making her lament — "The sorcerer has murdered my son, has murdered my son, my eldest born ; and then the sorcerer slew the youngest, the widow's only child was slain."

Such was now the report of the colony of " The Beautiful Spring," that a number of families from Friedenshuetten, and other places, emigrated there. In 1776, it was resolved to form another settle- ment still higher up the Muskingum river, on its very banks. Zeisberger and Heckenwalder, with eight families, went from Schoenbrunn to the spot proposed for the building ot Lichtenau. They built one street, north and south, with the chapel in the centre ; for many came to help them. The spot was wisely chosen, for the savages came here from the most distant parts, and heard the gospel with an abiding blessing. Among them were a few who came from the river Illinois, a distance of a thousand miles. Many of the converts were in the habit of visiting the nearest European settlements. The following sketch is given of their behaviour and manners by one who then resided in the country.

'* The new converts sometimes came to Albany, to partake of the sacrament, before a place of worship was erected for them. They always spent a night, or oftener two nighis, here, before join- ing in this holy rite. This place was their gene- ral rendezvous from different quarters. They were cordially received by my relations, who always met together at this time, to have a conference with them. These devout Indians seemed all impressed

')H DAVID ZEISBERGER.

with the same feelings, and moved by the same spirit. They vfeve accommodated in a manner quite conformable to their habits, in the passage, porch, and oliices ; and so deeply impressed were they with a sense of the awful duty that brought them there, and the rights of friendship and hos- pitality, that though two hundred communicants, with many of their children, were used to assemble on these occasions, the smallest instance of riot or impropriety was not known amongst them. They brought little presents of game, or of curious handi- crafts, and were liberally and kindly entertained by their good brother Philip, as they familiarly call- ed him. In the evening, they all went apart to secret prayer ; and in the morning, by dawn of day, they assembled before the portico. Their en- tertainers, who rose early to enjoy unobserved a view of their devotion, beheld them, with their mantles drawn over their heads, prostrate on the earth, offering praises and fervent supplications to their Maker. After some time spent in this man- ner, they arose, and, seated in a circle on the ground, with their heads veiled as formerly, they sang a hymn, which it was delightful to hear, from the strength, richness, and sweet concord of their uncommonly fine voices. Every one that ever heard this sacred chorus, however indifferent to the purport of it, felt it strongly.

" The voices of the female Indians are particularly sweet and powerful. I have often heard my friend dwell with singular pleasure on the recollection of these scenes, and of the conversations she and the Colonel used to hold with the Indians, whom she described as possessed of very superior powers of understanding; and, in their religious views and conversations, uniting the ardour of proselytes with the firm decision and inflexible steadiness of their national character."

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 59

In 1776, the believing Indians in Schoeubrunn and Lichtenau consisted of three hundred persons, and tlie greatest harmony subsisted among them. Netawatwees was a frequent guest at Zeisberger's dwelling; and, in return, the latter visited the home of this noble chieftain, where he was al- ways kindly welcomed. Slowly, yet without ceasing, he sought to lead the mind of his friend to the love of Christianity — not by ardent appeals, for he saw they were not suitable to his calm and reflecting mind. In their conversations, which were often prolonged to a late hour in the night, beside the dying embers of the fire, while the rest of the family were sleeping around, he mingled frequent allusions to the gos|)el of Christ, its truth, its dig- nity, its everlasting value. The host would pause at times, as if lost in tliought. The first convert at Lichtenau was a mpheu- of the prince. Struck by this event, he became yet mure thoughtful about his own salvation. He related to Zcisberger, that he had been thirteen Sundays to I.iclitenau to hear the truth, and that wh.en lie returned, he had cut thir- teen notches in the bark of the trees as he passed along, so that whenever he went through the woods to hunt, or with his warriors, these notches met his eye at every turn ; and he frequently paused, and wept to think how often he had heard of his Redeemer, without embracing his salvation. This was a humble and beautiful confession, from so powerful a man. Soon after, he received a message from the Hurons, that " The Delawares should keep their shoes in readiness to join the warriors." He returned an answer of defiance ; and warned them to sit still in their homes.

This was the golden period of Zeisberger's career : of the various settlements he had rescued from the desert, none could equal in loveliness or prosperity those of Schoenbrunn and Lichtenau. At last the

60 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

sole and dominant ambition of his heart was grati- fied— to found a colony, that might be like an infant city in the wilderness, prosperous, fast increas- ing-, with a thriving commerce, an extensive agricul- ture, a devoted church, to which the nations should gather from far and wide. In every former settle- ment he had felt, after a time, a restlessness of mind, a persuasion that he must yet seek a nobler home — and now, when he cast his eyes on " the Beautiful Spring," he felt that his soul could fold her wings, and take her rest at last. If we esti- mate the lot of this man by its troubles and diffi- culties, we shall surely judge wrongly — the excite- ments of the way were indelible — the retrospect was full of victory — on the future was no fear or mis- giving : a deathless energy, a glorious hope, were ever in his heart. Oh how beautiful, how welcome, when the desires of our heart, and the rewards of our hands, are given us, and when with these also is given the fulness of the blessings of God ! House was added to house, street to street, the chapels were the largest he had ever built, and would not contain the people. The prince of the Delawares was devotedly attached to him, and the whole nation received with attention the words of truth : embassies also came from other and distant tribes, declaring their readiness to receive the gos- pel, and their personal regard for the teacher. He could not but feel how powerful was his influence among many of the nations : this influence was preserved by the perfect simplicity of his manners and tastes, and his skill in their favourite exercises : he could handle the spear, hurl the tomahawk, or bring down the deer with a successful aim.

External troubles, however, were not wanting. The Cherokees had declared war against one of the smaller tribes, and destroyed a whole town, not very far from the settlements, and put all the in-

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 61

habitants to the sword. Netawatwees sent an em- bassy to the former, and commanded them not to injure the Moravians. The Cherokees, not likina: to be staved in their bloody career, received the depu- ties sullenly, yet were obliged to consent, out of fear of the Delaware*. A few months after, Zeis- bero;er, being on a journey, met a great man of the Cherokees in the way : the latter looked fiercely on him for a few moments, then suddenly stretched out his hand, saying in a loud voice, " This day God hath so ordered, that we should see and speak with each other face to face." The Senecas soon after broke into the country ; many of the converts, as well as white traders, fled to the home of Neta- watwees, where they were safe from harm. Thi>5 conduct at last brought on him the hatred of some of the other tribes, whose threats he treated with scorn. The loss of this chieftain, that happened at the close of the following year, was the heaviest calam- ity that could have befallen the mission. " He was," says Zeisberger, "the ablest Indian ruler of his time ; of great prudence in governing. Of late years, his good management has amazingly increased the reputation of his people : he spared no pains to conciliate the affections of all his neighbours " His death was a memorable one : calling his war- riors and counsellors around him, he uttered his last will and testament : " That the Delawares should hear and believe the word of God, preached by the Moravians." They bound themselves by a cove- nant to use their utmost exertions to fulfil the last will of their loved Unami. He then called Zeis- berger near to him, and entreated to hear more of the things of God ; while the latter spoke in strong emotion, the chieftain breathed his last. While th»y all stood in silence around, the first warrior of the Delawares, called, from his very bright and piercing look, " White Eye," holding the bible iu

62 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

his hand, while his tears fell fast, thus addressed them, " My friends, you have now heard the last will of our departed chief. Let us obey it. Let us tell it to our young men, and to our children, and speak of it when we hunt in the forest, or go to meet our enemies face to face. We will kneel down before that God who created us, and pray that he will have mercy upon us, and reveal his will unto us. And as we cannot declare it to those who are yet unborn, we will pray unto the Lord our God, to make it known to our children, and chil- dren's children."

The day after his deceo.se, a formal and numer- ous embassy of the Cherokees arrived, to renew their alliance with the Delawares. The ambassa- dors halted about two miles below the town, and sent word that they had arrived thus far. The day after, some captains went down, to bid them wel- come. As they drew near the town, they were sur- rounded by a large number of Indians, and con- ducted to the council-honse. All being seated, the first ambassador of the Cherokees expressed his sorrow for the death of the Delaware chief, and the share he felt in the general mourning : he said, " I wrap up his remains in cloth, I bury them, and cover the grave with bark. I wipe the tears off the eyes of the weeping nation, and take away all sorrow from their hearts." He then drew near the corpse, which was laid out in the council-room, wrapped in a large piece of fine linen, and laid a long string of wampum, with a present of linen and silk, beside it. Then the successor of the departed rose to reply, and said, " We are thankful that you sorrow with us ; you have heard by the way what has entered into our hearts. Our whole nation weeps for our chief ; he was a rock, and we had rest in his shadow. When the sun goes down, we bury his remains, and cover the grave with bark,

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that neithe-' the dew of heaven, nor rain, may fall upon it. Then we will put your heart in g-ood order, and make it cheerful."

The burial place, as is usual, was at some dis- tance from the dwellings. The vast assemblage of mourners, and the love and respect in which they all held the deceased, made the in.tcrment a solemn and impressive scene. The corpse, wrapped in a white linen cloth, with the favourite arms laid be- side, was borne slowly : each morn and eve, while it lay in state, the female relations and friends had assembled round, and mourned over it. But now there was silence, as the deep files of brave and sorrowing men, each face wrapped in gloom, and fixed on the earth, passed on : the deadly hatred of rival tribes was forgotten in this hour — the Chero- kee and the Huron walked side by side with the Delaware. Tlie coffin was j)laccd in the grave, and as the body, according to custom, was let down into it, and the grave filled with earth, the women set up a dreadful howl. It is deemed a shame to a man to weep ; yet, in silence and apart, many strove to hide their emotion. A tall post, neatly carved, on which his glorious deeds were portrayed, was erected at the head of the corpse. In the midst of the funeral throng, and among the foremost warriors, walked Zeisberger, in his Delaware dress, but little distinguishable from the others — save that he wept bitterly. And when tlie earth closed over his friend and protector, he felt a foreboding that a dark change was at hand.

The loss of the prince was quickly felt. A fierce war broke out between the Hurons and the Senecas. The Delawares, who were the nearest neighbours to the settlements, resolved to join the former : the destruction of the mission seemed inevitable, for parties of the combatants were perpetually passing by. In the dead of night troops were seen steal-

64 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

ing through the woods, to surprise their enemies. The Moravians were several times driven from their plantations at noon-day. An extract from th^ narrative of Heckenwalder gives a picture of the time.

" When in April, 1778, after long absence, I again saw Zeisberger at Lichtenau, I immediately perceived that he was in a very distressed state of mind. Grief and anxiety have also had an ema- ciating effect on his body. About this time, a large sealed letter, signed by the governor of Detroit, was brought to him by some Wyondat Indians. It contained a positive command, accompanied by threats, that the teachers of the Christian Indians should, without delay, march against the rebels on the other side of the Ohio, kill them, and send him their scalps. The threats added to it were as dreadful as the command itself. ' Here,' exclaimed Zeisberger, ' we have it under their own hand and seal, that the destruction of the mission is what the enemy aims at, and whenever I think of it, I suffer something like the pangs of death.' "

About this time died Papunhauk, the celebrated teacher and convert; he was stedfast to the last in the faith which he had embraced; greatly respected by his friends, and persecuted by his enemies; and highly useful to the Christians, by his influence and sagacity. During many years, the affairs of Schoen- brunn were committed to his charge, as warden of the congregation. Zeisberger had no time to mourn for the dead; all his thoughts were given to the safety of the livmg. Disasters thickened every hour, and the whole country was a scene of wanton ravage: the founder of Schoenbrunn and Lich- tenau already foreboded their destruction. The anticipation was bitter: no man can calmly forsake the home he has loved, the familiar scenes, the very chambers where many a happy moment has passed,

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 65

and leave them to an enemy ! And his heart cleaved to " The Beautiful Spring," and its brother colonv : he had believed they would flourish long, fair and prosperous towns, as well as enduring con- gregations unto God. His hand had marked out the dwellings, the fields, the gardens ; two goodlv chapels also, each of which could contain five hun- dred persons. Must the people go forth again into the desert, without a home ? Whenever he laid down to snatch a hurried slumber, he dreaded to hear the war-whoop, iuid see the flames kindle, ere the morning light. Well accpiainted, from his long residence among the Iroquois, with the various modes of savage warfare, he passed great part of the nights, anxiously traversing the plain and the woods, where the foe might be steallhily advancing through the gloom. Alone, he watched every alarm, each beacon fire, and distant shout, for he knew the war-cry of every tril)e : treachery also was abroad, for several of the people had already been surprised and slain. Nothing escaped his vigilance; even the rust- ling of the leaves, where some savage might be trail- ing his body along, or the sudden flashes of flame in the forest, by the discovery of which, Bethlehem was once preserved.

All was not melancholy : there were some noble and consoling passages. The first warrior of the Delawares, White Eye, who had sworn, beside the death-bed of the Unami, to adhere to the gospel, was faithful to his word. He declared to the Indian deputies, as well as the commissioners of the con- gress, that the Delawares had resolved to embrace Christianity ; in many a peril, he stood in the breach, and rendered essential services: his courage, and his fame in war, with his fidelity to God, made his friendship invaluable. But a few months had scarcely elapsed, ere he followed his prince to the grave. Then the enemies of Zeisberger grew more

66 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

bold and relentless : he was personally hated by the Mingoes, who were a tribe of thieves and murderers; h^ knew that a plot was laid against his life : the great danger he was in, being mentioned to him by letter, his answer was, " If 1 am in danger, I cannot prevent it, and will not fly from it : but I commit my work, my fate, my future course, to my gracious Lord and Master, whom I serve. I remain cheer- ful and confident." One day, as he was wandering alone, he met eight Mingoes : "There," exclaimed the leader, as soon as he saw him, " is the man whom we have long wished to see, and to secure ; do now as you think proper." The savages looked fixedly at him — he was wholly in their power : a single blow of the tomahawk, or a rifle ball, was sufhcient for their revenge, and no other eye could have seen the deed : — in a few moments, they turned from the spot, and walked swiftly away.

The war had broken out between England and her colonies : the Hurons, who took part with the former, sent the Delawares the large war-belt three times successively, demanding their assistance in the war. The latter returned the war-belt, being firmly resolved to maintain peace. The Americans advised the Moravians to take care of themselves. On a sudden, intelligence was brought that two hundred Hur.on warriors, headed by their leader, called Half-king, were on their march against them. It was resolved to shew no signs of fear, but, u possible, to disarm the invaders by a kind recep- tion. Numerous oxen were killed, and sent, with abundance of other food, to the village where the Hurons had halted. The Half-king was a person- age not to be trifled with : in an action with a body of Americans, who soon after marched against him, he entirely defeated, and killed the greatest part of them. An embassy was also sent with a string of wampum, several fathoms in length.

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 67

There was great alarm at the settlements : a guard was kept day and night.

The Huron leader was gratified, and said that the gifts were pleasant to his eye, and that the words had penetrated his heart. " God," said Zeisberger, before he heard of the result, " who has preserved us through so many dangers, will shelter us beneath the shadow of his wings." The I'ollowing day the Half-king and eii^hty-two of his warriors came to Lichtenau. Thev were first shewn into the school-house ; he shook hands with Zeis- berger, and then spoke as follows : " We rejoice to soe our father, and to take him by the hand ; nor shall any thing henceforth disturb your minds, but our covenant shall remain firm for ever. We ■will acquaint the other nations with the proceed- ings of this day, and they will doubtless rejoice." He returned a suitable answer ; after which, the missionaries and the Huron and his officers dined under a hut made of green boughs ; the other warriors seated themselves in the shade in front of the place, and were so richly provided for, that they were full of kindness and courtesy.

Could treachery lurk beneath all this fair shew ? Even now, while they sat together beneath the shade of the boughs, their eves, full of the thirst of rapine, were turned 'eagerly on the rich town- ships. Not long after, a plan was formed for the expulsion of the Moravians, as well as their con- verts, to which the governor of Fort Detroit lent himself. The English agent of Indian afl'airs went to Niagara, to attend the great council of the Iro- quois, to incite them to the deed. This was held by the river side, not far from the falls : the scene must have been a wild and strange one, — of the multitude of Iroquois, completely armed ; their deep silence and solemn array; the distant rushing ef the waters, that came on the ear like the din of f2

68 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

battle afar off. Perhaps there was a feeling oif superstition in the choice of such a scene for their council ; for the Indians believe the great Spirit has his dwelling beside the mighty fall of waters. An old traveller relates, that an Indian chief, who accompanied him to the falls of St. Anthony, offered up his pipe, tobacco-pouch, bracelets, and ear-rings, and prayed with great emotion to the Spirit to protect him. There were many speakers in the assembly, but the Iroquois, after hearing the arguments on both sides, decidedly refused to expel the Christians.

The Chippaways and the Ottawas, who were next applied to, said that they had no reason for such an action. The same message was sent to the Half-king of the Hurons, who did not scruple to break the covenant he had made at Lichtenau ; he set out with his people, and proceeded straight to Gnadenhuetten, a settlement that had been formed some miles from the former place. They came on like a torrent ; and the Delawares, divided in their councils, did not oppose them. They shot all the cattle on the plantations, and the women and children began to be afraid of death. Zeisberger, Sensaman, and Heckenwalder arrived a few days after, and soon perceived how matters stood. They were summoned before a council of war ; they spoke boldly to the Huron leader, and the assembly broke up without any results.

A Delaware captain took Zeisberger aside, and told him in secret, that as he was adopted one of their nation, and consequently one flesh and bone with them, the Delaware warriors were willing to protect him. But as ihis protection was only to extend to himself, and not to his companions, he instantly refused the offer ; on which they were immediately seized by a party of Hurons, and dragged off. Some blows were aimed at them with spears.

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 69

but without any fatal effect : they were stripped to their shirts, closely bound and guarded, and com- pelled to sit upon the bare ground all night, with nothing to screen them from the cold. The dwell- ings were plundered, and set on fire : and the death- song was raised by the Hurons ; its burden was an awful one. Justly did Zeisberger say, that the anguish of soul he suffered, was " worse than the pangs of death."

The flames of his loved towns were awfully visible ; and their progress was accompanied by the shouts of the victors, and the mourning of the captives, who could not behold the quick, destruc- tion without irrepressible sorrow. Ere the morn- ing dawned, all for which he had so yearned and toiled, would be no better than the ruined Indian town on the shore, whose ramparts were now red- dened with the glare. The chapels, the school- houses, where masters had been appointed for the classes of young men, and mistresses for the young women, were burning to ashes — and with them were consumed the manuscripts, the books, the Indian trans- lations, on which he had laboured so many years. All the beautiful order of his regulations, the prosperity of his people, was like a dream of the night, that " when one waketh, it is even as if it had never been." Bound hand and foot, stretched on the bare earth, his helpless companions lying around him, the death-song in his ears — what a night of misery and horror passed slowly by !

Daring four days and nights they were treated in this cruel manner, and at last called before the Half- king, who declared them free, but ordered them to prepare instantly for their emigration. It is de- scribed as follows : —

" But they never forsook any country with more regret. They were now obliged to forsake three beautiful settlements, Gnadenhuetten, Salem, and

70 DAVIlJ ZEISBERGER.

Schoenbrunn, and t'ne greatest part of their posses- sions in them. They had already lost above four hundred head of cattle. Besides this, they left a great quantity of Indian corn in store, above three hundred acres of corn land, where the harvest was just ripening, besides potatoes, cabbage, and other roots and garden fruits. According to a moderate cal- culation, their loss was computed at twelve thousand dollars, about two thousand pounds. But what gave them most pain was the total loss of all books and writings, compiled with great trouble, for the instruc- tion of their youth. These were all burnt by the savages. Added to this they had nothing before them but distress, misery, and danger. However, they could do noUiing but possess their souls in patience, and go forward, even whither they would not."

Never was there a farewell more full of mourning: they lifted up their voices, and wept aloud : on every side were the smoking ashes of their happy homes : it was like the going forth from " the Deserted Village," that could hardly have been more dear to its exiles, than the " Beautiful Spring" was to this people. Their families were numerous, and those of the Indian converts far more so, A troop of Hurons guarded them on the way ; and the dark phalanx enclosed them on every side: as they passed on into the wilderness, they often turned, and looked back.

In a few short months only, how fearfully all was changed ! the Moravians might look on the founder of Lichtenau, and say, in the words of old, " Alas! my brother ! — alas, his glory !" Had his ambition been of this world, in his despair he would perhaps have cheered his people to the onset, and broke sword in hand through the captors. But he saw that they looked up to him for hope and relief; and, although his heart was almost broken, he preserved a serene countenance, and spoke bright words of the

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 71

future. They travelled on, partly by water, and partly by land, along the banks of the Muskingum, to Sandusky creek. Many died, and were buried in the solitudes, and their friends did not stay to mourn over them. At last, the Hurons departed, and marched into their own country, leaving them in a wilderness, where there was neither game nor any other means of subsistence. Many parts were infested with rattlesnakes and other serpents. It was a hundred and thirty miles distant from their forsaken towns. They roved to and fro for some time, not knowing where to go. Ere the Hurons left them, an instance of devotedness, worthy of the warrior, was given by a young Indian woman: unseen, she found means to mount a swift horse, and rode oti' full speed to Pittsburgh, in order to bring succours. As soon as her departure was known, she was instantly pur- sued. At full speed, over the vast and level plain, the Indian girl gallantly rode : neither morass nor thicket stayed her course. Her enraged pursuers were on the track; if taken, she knew that her life would be the sacrifice, and that by a slow and cruel torment. Yet, urged by a fearless zeal, she baffled all the swiftness of the Hurons; "who, when they saw that she could not be taken, were enraged in the highest degree, and charged the missionaries with having sent this woman to call the Americans to their deliverance."

The mournful band still held on their way: as the day-light failed, they sought anxiously for a place of rest. In such a scene, in such an hour, with what inexpressible hope and comfort do the promises of God come on the soul. Their trust in earth was slain utterly : homes they could rear, fields they could plant — but never more such as were swept away by the wrath of the savage. Stretched round the embers of their camp-fires, or looking sadly on their perishing children, these noble Moravians

72 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

Strove with their despair — " believed even against hope;" and while their hearts bled for all they loved, they blest the hand that chastened them.

In no situation does man seem so utterly helpless, as in the bosom of a mighty desert; in no situa- tion can the soul so freely disengage itself from earth, and enter within the veil of the spiritual and eternal world. The sands, the boundless plain, the everlasting precipice, even as when fresh from their Creator's hand, — were they not the scenes where He loved to reveal himself, in Mamre, in Sinai, in Padan-aram ? And as Israel in the wilderness, when no help was nigh — so felt the Moravians, when, having halted for the night, they looked around, "and all was nought:" then they worshipped together, and having sung, knelt down and prayed. How solemn and resistless must those sounds of melody have passed over the waste !• — like those of many martyred spirits appealing unto God, and asking why he had forsaken them ?

At last, they pitched upon the best spot they could find in this dreary wild. They built small huts of logs and bark, as a shelter from the cold, having neither beds nor blankets, and being re- duced to the greatest poverty and want. The savages had stolen their beds, and every kind of covering. Zeisberger and three of his companions resolved to travel to Fort Detroit. They passed along the banks of the great lake of Erie, and arrived at last at Detroit, and had an audience of the governor, Arend Schuyler. Their details and remonstrances made such an impression on his mind, that he said he had been deceived by false reports, and that he had believed them to be in the American interest. They were then kindly dis- missed, and were well lodged and provided for : and a day of trial was appointed. Many English, German, and French officers visited them, and were

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 73

filled with compassion ; their clothes were torn and tattered, their frames enfeebled with fatigue and the cruel treatment they had received. The day of trial arrived ; they were confronted with two of the Irxlian chiefs, their oppressors; and the result was, that they were solemnly declared innocent by the governor. He offered them the use of his own house, conferred with them on the state of the mission, and, at last, dismissed them in peace, with many presents.

The joy of their families and congregation was very great, when they returned in safety. They afterwards went on, and settled for some time, close to the lake Erie : but the vast and cheerless prairies around, bore little resemblance to the rich planta- tions and pastures they had forsaken.

Zeisberger could not resist the desire to visit the ruins of Lichtenau, for he longed to bring his people back to that place. A faithful native brought him word that a troop of Indians were out, with a commission to bring him alive or dead. His friends used every persuasion to induce him to stay ; but he replied, '* My destinies are in the hands of God. He neither slumbereth nor sleepeth. I will go." The Moravians then engaged some courageous Indians to accompany him, but as they could not get ready immediately, their horses being in the field, he set out by himself. They watched his progress over the plain, till he was lost in the distance ; he kept on his way, till the approach of evening : and he was still alone. No sound was heard in the waste, but the tread of his horse's steps. He had arrived within two leagues of Lichtenau, when he beheld at no great distance, the troop of bandits who were in search of him. At that moment, two Delawares, men of tried courage, returning from hunting, saw Zeisberger at a distance, and hastened to join him

74 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

one of them uttered a cry of joy. They all seized their weapons, to defend themselves to the last, if attacked. The enemy surveyed them some time ; but, thinking it a case of doubtful issue, they at last went reluctantly away. The Delawares would not part from him : so they went on together to the ruins of Lichtenau. He surveyed them in sadness, yet with an interest more deep than any new colony could have given : walls, and in some places, roofs, were yet entire — but all was desolate ; even in the groves many a half-consumed tree, and prostrate trunk, told of the fury of the flame : in some of the gardens there was a beauty still left, the flowers, and plants, and fruit-trees were there, all uncared for. The dead silence of the plSce was perhaps more oppressive than the ravage : the river rolled on through the plain, and no one re- joiced in its course. No blessings of the basket and the store were there : already the grass grew wild and rank amidst the ruins of the dwellings and the chapels, where he had hoped to breathe his last, to rest from his toils, and sleep, while a faithful people should be his memorial, and wit- ness how he had served his God. The evening had set in, and the sun was going down in glory on the little lake, and the ramparts of the ruined Indian town on the shore : could he have believed, when he raised the homes and streets of " the Beautiful Spring," that yet a little while, and it should be even as the things of old ? — blackening, forsaken, a shelter for the wild beasts, for the eagle, and the vulture ! Perhaps it is not easy to sympathize with the full bitterness of his feelings. Eliot had a loved hearth and circle, to whose tenderness he could turn when all was dark without : the daughter and the son spoke words of comfort in the father's ear, and wiped the tears from his eyes. But Zeisberger had none of these silver cords wound round his heart :

DAVID ZEISEERGER. 75

to his settlements he gave his love, his care, his thoughts by day, his visions by night ; and Lich- tenau and Schoenbrunn were unto him as two lone and beautiful orphans, whom he had reared, over whom he had watched ; and when ripening into strength and glory — behold ! they were slain at his feet, and he would that he had died also. Not Marius amidst the ruins of Carthage, or the exile by the waters of Babylon, when he thought of his lost Palestine, felt more intensely than the lonely man, as the night gathered over his fallen settle- ments. "While Zeisberger slept, the two Indians kept Avatch all night amidst the ruins, or couched in the rank grass, to guard against the enemy's sur- prise ; for they knew the latter could not be fur off.

Governor Schuyler now oflc-red them a place on the river Huron, and furnished them with provisions, boats, and the necessary articles from the royal stores. His lady presented them with a valuable assortment of seeds and roots. They took their departure, passed over the lake St. Clair, and arrived, on the 21st of July, in the evening, at the place destined for their future residence. It was a fine site, situated midway betAveen the lakes Huron and Erie, and close to the beautiful lake St. Clair. The river Huron flowed in front of their dwellings ; the soil was excellent, and well wooded with sycamore, beech, lime, oak, and poplar trees. Wild hemp grew in abundance. The making of sugar from the maple-tree, which they had pursued in all their settlements, turned out very abundant. In hunting they had great success, and bartered venison and skins for corn and other necessaries of life. They also made canoes, and other articles, for which they found a market at Detroit. And here the dispersed Indian converts, who had been scattered into various parts, flocked again eagerly. General Haldimand, at Quebec, became their

t6 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

friend. The vast lake was often explored by them : Zeisberger, and a few of his friends, in a voyage, were once confined for some weeks on a solitary island ; the wind being so contrary and tempes- tuous, that they could not return : what with the great expanse of waters, and the height of the billows, it seemed as if they were in the middle of the ocean. They lived by hunting and fishing, and found wild potatoes and onions, and other herbs, in abundance. They pitched their tents in a kind of meadow, covered with verdure, and were the only inhabitants of the isle.

On another occasion they came to the celebrated rocks on the south coast of Lake Erie, that rise per- pendicularly out of the water, and are so much undermined by the waves, that they project fearfully, and in some places caverns and arches are formed. In a tempest, the force of the surf here is such, that no vessel scarcely can escape being dashed to pieces. A party set out, headed by Zeisberger : but before they had left the Cayahaga creek, a dreadful storm arose ; the waves beat with such violence against these rocks, that they thanked God they were yet in safety in the creek, and, being in want of provisions, spent the time in fishing. One night they fished with torches, and pierced above three hundred large fish, of a good flavour, resembling pikes. Afterwards they had to ascend high precipices, and cut their way through the thickets to the summit, where they had scarcely pitched their camp, when a party of Ottawas, hunting in the neighbourhood, rode to- wards them, and expressed their astonishment to find such a number of people in the pathless waste.

Again the spirit of activity and improvement was triumphant — again did this unconquerable people devote all their time and strength, " to make the desert blossom as the rose." Since the days of Sparta, and the earlier ones of Rome, there surely

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 77

never was greater endurance and confidence ; obe- dience also, even to destruction. This beautiful commonwealth of United Brethren seems to have something deathless — something that must ulti- mately prevail, in its spirit and discipline. How simple also, yet expressive, are the words, " the Elders in Bethlehem sought direction from heaven, and consulted the promises," and resolved that the mis- sionaries should go to the Lake Erie, or to the Ohio, or the Hurons — and they went ! It brings before the mind the primeval and indelible days of the scripture, when the elders sat in the gate at morn and eve, and took counsel together, and redressed grievances, and spoke of the glory of their people, so favoured of God.

Amidst all these toils and vicissitudes, time had passed rapidly away, and the missionary had become stricken in years, ere any infirmity gave him warning. Such was the vigour of his frame and constitution, hardened by long habits of temperance and labour, that sickness or disease had rarely arrested his pro- gress ; although wounds, imprisonment, and famine, were often his companions. Like the Indian, among whom his life had passed, he to the last loved enter- prise and change. The term assigned to man in the scripture, he had already attained : was it not wiser now to take rest ? to look back calmly and thankfully on all he had endured ; to live on the past, rather than on the future ? What could the future be to a man of seventy-eight ? but he felt that his spirit was firm, his strength little abated, and his mind unim- paired. The last of his settlements, being the twelfth he had formed in the Indian territories, was on the river Muskingum ; the distance was great ; yet some of the people desired to go there, and besought him to accompany them : the place was in the vicinity of the ruined settlements ; and this circumstance decided him to depart. It was like the goin^-

78 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

forth of one of the patriarchs of old, when he went on his way, with his servants, and children, and cattle, and the princes of the land spoke kindly to him. Or, as when Israel journeyed to the last of his homes, bowed with years and troubles, yet sur- rounded with his people, and with a heart full of faith and strength in God. This noble Moravian was now eighty years of age : and he left his home at St. Clair, and issued forth again to plant and to build, and to gain new converts. The numerous cattle were driven in front, by some of the natives ; the Brethren and their families came after; the women and chil- dren on horseback, the men on foot : the Christian Indians marched on each side, many of them armed.

In this settlement of Goshen, he spent the last eight years of his life. If ever man deserved to taste of rest, it was he. He loved to talk of the years he had spent among the Iroquois at Onondago : and when any of the chiefs, which was not seldom, came to see him, his eye was brighter, and his talk more animated. His constitutional activity never forsook him : and during the fine season, he would wander forth at times to the nearest encampments, or to the plains, to see some of the friends of his earlier days.

One of his dearest triumphs was reserved for the close of his career. He was seated one day at the door of his dvvelling, when a band of Hurons was descried, advancing towards the village. They had been his greatest persecutors : the alarm was given : his faithful Indians gathered round. But the Hurons, though armed, shewed no signs of hostility. The person whom they had lately elected to be the chief of their people, drew nigh, and bowed his head, and placed his hands on his breast, before the man whom he had formerly bound and made captive. He said that he had been two years seeking in vain for something better than worldly honour : then he

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used these remarkable words, " Now I seek, rest for niy soul, and believe that I sliall find it here : I come, that I may enjoy the good which you possess." Grateful as was this event, David Zeisberger felt that the golden days of his missirn were passed, never to return ; he often spoke of them with strong emotion, and prayed that heaven would renew them once more. He mij;ht be truly called " a man of the wilderness :" long experience and success in his undertakings, had given him great confi- dence : his companions, both Moravian and Indian, looked up to him for advice and example in every case of danger, and it was sufficient if he only comforted and encouraged them. His discourses had few pretensions to genius : but they were full of energy and feeling, and often clothed in the garb of the desert: they were burning words and thoughts, and the heart of the savage was broken in pieces before them. He lived sixty years among the Indians, and, during the last forty, visited his Brethren in the United States but three times. In him, the fearlessness and hardihood of the Indian warrior were united with the faith and simplicity of the Christian. When he began to feel the infirmities of age coming upon him, he strove to complete his translations of portions of the scriptures, and other writings, into the Delaware language. He finished the hymn-book now in use; it consists of hymns of his own translating, and forms a large volume ; he left also a valuable Delaware grammar.

Gently, and almost unconsciously, old age came on : when he could no longer travel, he visited every home in the settlement, from day to day, wiih unremitting diligence and affection. But, being visited with total blindness, he rested within his home, and went forth no more. His friends often read to him ; and he instructed the younger missionaries. The calamity that had fallen on him,

80 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

he bore without a murmur : it was a terrible one, even to a man so near the grave. Oh, bitter, bitter is the loss of all the dear and living scenes of nature ! the mountain, the lake, the stream, the glorious forest — to see them no more for ever — to see no more the sun rise or set, and his changing hues pass away on the plain. Zeisberger felt the loss above all men : during seventy years, his home had been among these scenes — his bed by night, his pilgrimage by day, so that " they were graven on his heart." We can fancy how he would love, like the patriarch of old, to sit beside his door at evening, and listen to the rising wind among the woods, and the breaking of the waves on the shore, and feel the last sunbeams on his withered cheek.

It is said, that, in blindness, the memory is pecu- liarly vivid, and the imagination embodies the things of the past, as if they lived afresh. What a tri- umphant vision thus rose, perhaps, before the man of God ! what forms of glory and consolation, flit- ting around his sightless hours ! " thy dead shall live again !" Shikellimus, his earliest friend, prince of the Iroquois, to whom he had pointed the way to heaven ; the noble Unami of the Delawares, whose dying hours he had comforted ; AUemewi, chief of that " place of cruelty," brought to God even beyond the eleventh hour, at 120 years ; Papunhauk, and the famous warrior White-Eye : these were all fruits of his prayers and faith, and were gone before to that holier world, whose gates were now open to receive him !

In October, 1808, in his eighty-eighth year, he perceived that his end was approaching : his illness was short, without pain or suffering : the lamp of life burned mildly away. " The only thing that troubled him," he said, " was the present spiritual state of his Indian people." These expressions having been told to them, they all gathered round

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the dwellins:, and, in different ofronps, entered the chamber of the dying; man. " My father," they said, " forgive us all we have done to grieve yoii. We will surrender our hearts to our Saviour, and live alone for him in the world." The venerable man, totally blind, the moment of dissoluticn close at hand, was supported in his bed, while his face was turned earnestly towards the penitents, though he saw them no more. He blessed them fervently ; then, with that kindness and seriousness which he knew so well how to combine in his converse with the Indians, he warned them against the dangers to which they were exposed, the vices in which they had indulged. " 1 am going, my people," he con- tinued, " to rest from all my labour, and be at home with the Lord : He has never forsaken me in dis- tress, and will not forsake me now. I have reviewed my whole course of life, and found that there is much to be forgiven." The Indians saw that his life was departing, and they would not forsake the chamber. When he ceased to breathe, the whole company knelt down and prayed. He had attained the age of eighty-eight years. No other man, perhaps, ever existed, who knew so much of the manners, usages, and minds of the Indian tribes. His usefulness was exceeding great : had he sought power for himself, his ascendancy with the Iroquois and the Delawares would soon have insured its possession ; but the only glory he loved was that of his Redeemer.

Of the congregations formed by Zeisberger and his friends, a few have been dispersed in the wars of the tribes, but many still flourish — Bethlehem, Nazareth, Lititz, of the ancient; Salem, Goshen, the town on the Huron, and others, of the more recent ones ; even at tlie Beautiful Spring, dwellings are gathered once more. There are places in the wilderness, where the ruins alone tell what the

II G

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Brethren dared and suffered. Thus, in one journey, they say, " All the ground where Gnadenhuetten stood, was covered with briars, hazel bushes, and thorn trees, like a low impenetrable forest, where the bears, deer, and other wild animals, have made themselves a path. Some of the chimneys appeared in their rows. The place where our Christian In- dians were slain was strongly marked : part of their bones were still to be seen among the ashes. Nu- merous snakes and serpents had now taken possession of the ground."

In a letter, at the close of 1825, from the mission at Spring Place, among the Cherokees, they write, " Our meeting is numerously attended : notwith- standing the long drought, the produce of the fields and gardens is great. The Cherokee nation have resolved to establish an academy and a printing- press at Newtown, their principal town. For this purpose, they have appropriated a sum of money; and also resolved to send two of their nation to the principal cities and towns of the United States, to solicit donations. The accounts from the mission to the year 1830, represent the different settlements as tranquil and prosperous. " The Christmas festi- val," they write, " was a season of abundant bless- ing at Salem ; the church was crowded : the communion-table was surrounded by twenty Che- rokees, some of whom were distinguished warriors. Jt is impossible to behold, without emotion, the earnest desire of this people to partake of the salva- tion of God. The Delaware congregation remains undisturbed at New Fairfield, in Canada ; and old and young are actively employed in building a new church."

Seventy years have now elapsed, since the com- mencement of this North American and Canadian mission. From a register of the Indian congrega- tions, dated 1772, it appears that the number of

DAVID ZEISBERGER. 83

heathens, baptized by the Moravians, from the commencement of the mission to that time, amounted to seven hundred and twenty ; but the church-books and other writings being destroyed in the burning of the towns on the Muskingum, it is difficult to ascer- tain the subsequent numbers. Besides the settle- ments, or colonies, there are regular congregations of the United Brethren in the towns of New York, Philadelphia, Lancaster, Newport in Rhode Island, Yorktown, and other places. The recent accounts, to the end of 1831, from Salem and Spring Place, represent the native congregations as reduced in number, from the many difficulties and disquiets of the times. From Fairfield, the detail is more encouraging.

The memoir of this devoted and memorable man cannot be more usefuUv closed, than with the last letter he ever wrote to England, dated Goshen, in the wilderness, August 6th, 1807, in the 87th year of his age. It was addressed to a friend,* who allowed me to copy it : the handwriting is tirm and clear.

" I have perceived, with great pleasure, that you take a near share in the welfare of our mission, for which I pray God to bless you. I now write to assure you of the love and regard I have long felt for you. I carried on an edifying corre- spondence with your late dear father. His first letter to me was after our captivity in Canada, when he sent ns considerable assistance, and I shall never forget his kindness. At that time, it appeared as if our mission was at an end ; but, by the grace and help of our Lord, it revived : many of the scattered

• The Rev. C. J. La Trobe, the nephew of Antes, the Egyptian traveller and mi^isionary. Tliis eminent and ex- cellent man, now nearly eighty years of age, is well known by his travels in South Africa, and his long and zealous ex- ertions in the cause of Moravian missions. g2

84 DAVID ZEISBERGER.

sheep were brought back to their teachers. Many were the difficulties we had to encounter : we again crossed the Lake Erie to Petquottink, where, during our fo-ur years' abode, we had a considerable increase. This, however, was the last abundant draught of fishess for, when the new Indian war broke out, we were a second time obliged to cross the lake, and take refuge in the British territory, where we were kindly received. But the mission got into the territory of the white people, the consequences of which were evil. As long as we are surrounded by them, we cannot prevent all disorder and seduction. We pray that God may grant the hinderances in our way to be removed, and bless us with such another period of peace and grace as we then enjoyed !

" I myself am now of little use, and am no longer able to travel about ; but can only pray that the Lord may help us, and prepare many faithful labourers and witnesses, burning with desire to lead the heathen to their Saviour. We live here in harmony with each other."

VANDERKEMP AND KICHERER. S5

VANDERKEMP AND KICHERER.

John Theodore Vanderkemp was the son of a minister of the Dutch church at Rotterdam, At an early period of life, he became a student in the university of Leyden, in which his brother was afterwards professor of divinity. His acquirements in the learned languages, in philosophy, divinity, medicine, and in military studies, were rapid and extensive. On leaving the university, he entered into the army, in which he rose to the rank of captain of horse. Here he deeply imbibed the principles of infidelity, and cast off the restraints of a religious education ; on which account the feelings of his father were so painful, that they are said to have hastened his death.

He at last quitted the army, in wliith he had spent fifteen years, and resolved to enter on the practice of medicine. In pursuance of this design, he spent some years at the university of Edinburgh, where he composed a Latin work on Cosmology, entitled * Parmenides.' Having obtained the de- gree of Doctor of Medicine, he commenced his practice as a physician at Middleburgh, in Hol- land, where he acquired great reputation. After some years, being in possession of a competence, he retired to Dort, intending to devote the rest of his days to literary pursuits. But the time was at hand, when such a revolution was to take place in

86 VANDERKEMP AND KICHERER.

his domestic relations, and in the disposition of his heart, as to introduce him, as it were, into a new world.

One day in the month of June, while he was sailing on the river near Dort with his wife and daughter, a violent storm suddenly arose, and a waterspout broke on the boat, by which it was instantly overset. Mrs. and Miss Vanderkemp were immediately drowned ; and the survivor, clinging to the boat, was carried down the stream nearly a mile ; no one daring, in so dreadful a squall, to venture from the shore to his assistance. A vessel then lying in the port of Dort, was, by the violence of the storm, driven from, her moorings, and floated towards the part of the river in which he was just ready to perish ; and the sailors took him from the wreck. Thus remarkably was preserved, a life, which was henceforth to be employed for the advantage of mankind, and for the propagation of that faith which he had once laboured to destroy. The sudden ruin of his earthly comforts, the long struggle with a painful death, broke the hardness of his heart, and gave the first shock to its infidel principles.

On the following Sunday he repaired to church, perhaps to acknowledge the providence that had saved him. It happened that the sacrament of the Lord's supper was then to be administered, but no one expected to see an infidel at the table. He felt that to receive the elements would be incon- sistent with his avowed principles ; yet ashamed to withdraw, he placed himself among the communi- cants. The agitation of his mind was excessive. Alas ! the earth was now to him as a wilderness, and he felt bowed to the dust before the sovereign will of God, which had in a moment made him desolate. The pride of reason still struggled for mastery ; he was aware that if he yielded to his

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rjreseat feelinscs, he must necessarily embrace tlie Christiuii svstem, which hitherto he had rejected as absurd. The prevaiUng impression on his mind was — examine it once more, and you will judge otherwise ; " but eat now of this bread, and remember your new Master."

In the afternoon of the same day, recovering his composure, he sat down to reflect calmly and closely on the leading doctrines of the gospel. By free grace, he perceived that the justice of God is not only uninjured, but exalted, and placed in the brightest lustre, through justification by faith. He the proceeded to search the scriptures, and was astonished to find his sentiments so fully confirmed by St. Paul's epistle to the Romans. From this moment he revered the scriptures, and determined to make them the rule both of his faith and practice. His leisure was henceforth earnestly employed in the pursuit of sacred knowledge, particularly in the study of Oriental literature.

In this state of retirement, the formation of the London Missionary Society, that has since been the source of such extensive good, first engaged his attention. A printed address from that Society was circulated in Germany, together with the ser- mons preached at its commencement : as he per- used tliese discourses, he was filled with delight at this noble scheme of benevolence, first cherished in the hearts of the English. Meeting with this passage, " Curse ye Meroz," said the angel, " curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty," he was so deeply affected, that he resolved to devote himself wholly to the advancement of this work. He wrote to the Directors of the Society in London, and stated the prevailing wish of his heart. Deeply impressed by such a communication, they lost no time in replying to his letter. In con-

88 VANDERKEMP AND KICHERER.

sequence of an invitation, Dr. Vanderkemp came to London, and the Directors had an opportunity, during several months, of enjoying his company and conversation. He appeared to be the very man, qualified by the most appropriate talents, to commence and superintend the mission to South Africa, which he had himself first projected. He returned to Holland to settle his affairs, and met with an eminent assistant, the young Kicherer, whose mind had been filled, some years previous, with the most ardent desire of visiting distant lands, in con- sequence of reading the voyages and discoveries of Captain Cook. The zeal of a missionary, that was never after quenched, had also been long cherished in secret. Returning to London, Dr. Vanderkemp was publicly set apart for the ministry at the Scotch Church in Crown Court; a number of minis- ters of various denomkiations being present on the occasion.

In December, 1798, he sailed with Kicherer, and two other missionaries, for the Cape of Good Hope, where they arrived in safety. Letters from the governor to subordinate magistrates in the country, were kindly furnished, waggons were purchased, and Bruntjie, the famous elephant hunter, was sent from the Moravian Brethren of Baviankloof, and engaged as guide and interpreter. In the end of May he commenced his journey towards CafFraria : after passing the valley of Modezand, they entered upon a perilous road between ridges of perpendicu- lar mountains. In the last house on this side the wilderness, they were sheltered from a heavy ram, and the next day advanced until night, pitching their tents amidst a thick shower of snow. On- wards they passed through a trackless waste, in- fested with lions, tigers, wolves, and other beasts of prey ; often they could not sleep for the terrific sounds. The wolves frequently approached their

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tents ; and one ni^^ht a lion broke into the midst, and killed several sheep.

As it was now the depth of winter in that quarter of the globe, the cold was very severe. At last they arrived at the house of Mr. De Beer, of whose family Vaillant, in his Travels, speaks so highly. And, afterwards, proceeding thence, they arrived at GrafF Reinet, where the landrost and others took pains to persuade them from going among the CafFres, urging the e.xtreme danger of the enter- prise. At length Bruntjie, who had been sent to Geika, to request his permission to enter his terri- tories, returned witli a favourable answer. After a tedious journey, they arrived at the residence ot this potentate, to whom Vanderkemp was at length introduced. After waiting about ten minutes, the former approached in a solemn manner, attended by two of his chief men, one on each side; he was covered with a long robe of panthers' skins, and wore a diadem of copper, and another of beads, round his head. He had in his hand an iron club, and his cheeks and lips were painted red. He reached out his right hand, but spoke not a word. The Doctor then delivered him his tobacco-box, which he had filled with buttons ; at a distance behind, stood his captains and women, in the form of a half-moon, and at a great distance, the rest of the people.

Geika then desired to know, by an interpreter, what was requested of him : he said, that we had come at a very unfavourable time, and that all the country was in confusion ; that he was in perpetual danger from his enemies. The situa- tion of Vanderkemp was not an enviable one, and one of his assistants departed from him. By degrees, however, the unfavourable impres- sions concerning the missionaries "I'ere effaced from the mind of the kins:, anc .ne assigned

90 VANDERKEMP AND KICHERER.

tlieia some land on the other side of the river Keiskamma.

The place allotted was a beautiful field of grass, in the middle of an amphitheatre of high moun- tains, inhabited by diiferent kraals of Caffres: round the foot of the mountains ran a river of excellent water; the ascent was covered by thick woods, con- taining trees of every description. Beyond, were meads of vast extent, and of beautiful verdure ; and on the adjacent summits was an inaccessible forest.

In consequence of the want of salt, the Doctor set off on horseback to the sea-shore, to seek for a convenient place for a salt-pan, and returned in the evening of the fourth day. But, as in this excursion he had neither shoes nor stockings, his head and feet were severely wounded by the stones and thorn-bushes. Such, it is said, is a specimen of the hardships which he cheerfully endured. It is certainly a savage specimen : but where was the necessity of his wanting the common articles of clothing ? a little industry and foresight would surely have supplied them.

Even in after years, he went about the wilds, with as much of the savage as the minister, in his dress and appearance, and he loved this discreditable dishabille. But, though his wardrobe was scant, and the taste and cleanliness of his garb were questionable, his time and talents were unremit- tingly given to the object of his enterprise. He had early opened a school, in which he instructed a number of young people in the Dutch and Caffie languages, and in the principles of the Christian religion. He also preached, as often as he had opportunity, to a few who understood the Dutch language.

Althouo^h Caffre-land did not offer a favourable soil for the mission, it was not without interest to

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the observing mind : the people were brave and independent, possessing greater personal advan- tages than the rest of the African nations ; and the country, dreary as was the greater part, aftbrded many scenes of redeeming richness and beauty. It is a pity that Vanderkemp, who was a man of education and taste, followed the example of too many missionaries, and neglected to investigate the various and novel productions, as well as strange aspects of nature, in this region. But the Caffres were not numerous, and the manners and usages of the people, farther in the interior, had few attractions.

" After supper," says a later missionary, " we heard the sound of music near the king's house ; we walked over to the place, and found a large party dancing, and in this way expressing their joy at the late fertilizing and refreshing rains. About fifteen men were dancing in a circle, each holding and blowing a reed. The king directed the dance, leaping, and playing on a reed, like the others. Many women ran forward from the crowd of spec- tators, and leaped fantastically around the dancers, singing and clapping their hands : at other times, they rushed towards the men, and pushed against them, like bulls, with their heads. I3eing observed to take up my snuff-box, I was instantly surrounded by women and girls, and as many as could thrust their fingers into the box, which was quickly emptied of its contents. On another evening, during the journey, being surrounded by plenty of fire-wood from the decayed trees of other times, a venerable mimosa protected us from a cool east wind. An extensive plain was before us, to which there was no visible end, covered with long grass, and pools of white water, and low bushes ; the summit of a low hill gradually rose into view, as we advanced next day ; the whole scene had a sad dull appear-

92 VANDERKEMP AND KICHERER.

ance, except when flocks of quachas, striped black and white like the zebra, ostriches, and other ani- mals, presented themselves : the elephant and the rhinoceros were seen, at times, afar off.

" The heat was intense : our sugar was as hard as a brick; the ink was dried up in the inkstand; the board I used for a writin2:-table was split ; the water in all our vessels was as hot as it is generally drank in Briton : and one day during this heat, we had come to a dry lake, four miles in circumference, whose bottom was covered with a crust of dry sand." This desolation was different from the neighbourhood of the Hex river, where Vanderkemp had been so kindly entertained, after many days' dreary journey, at the home of De Beer. The latter was mourn- ing for his child, whom he had buried that day : if she resembled the other daughters of the house, the loss must have been great. But Vaillant has omitted a beautiful trait in the character of this family, namely, their simple and admirable piety.

When the host learned the errand of Vander- kemp, he called his family together, and, falling on his knees, uttered this prayer : — " O Lord, thou hast afflicted me with inexpressible grief in taking my child from me, whom I buried this day ; but now thou rejoicest my soul with joy greater than all my grief, in showing me that thou hast heard my prayers for the conversion of the Caffres, and giving me to see the fulfilment of thy promises."

" On the confines of a wretched desert," says Vanderkemp, " we were rejoiced by coming to the house of Mr. de Beer, where we found a family who knew and served the Lord. He afterwards accom- panied us through the narrow Kloof." The dwellings of this aflfluent colonist, the last hold of civilization, were substantial and clean ; with numerous do- mestics and dependants, and the daily cares of extensive farms, corn, and grazing grounds : an

VANDERKEMP AND KirHERER. 93

excellent order, and plenty, prevailed. Each morn- ing and eve, the whole household joined in devo- tion, that was led by the master. To come from the desert to such a roof, brought to mind the patriarchal days, when the traveller came over the weary plains at the close of day, and saw the tents pitched, and the flocks feeding beside, and the rich man seated in the door, who besought him to enter and rest, for he saw that he fainted by the way.

in the long stupendous dertle of the Hex river Kloof, through which De Beer and his guest went on their way, the scenery was extremely grand* between bold clitfs, rugged rocks, and spiral-topped mountains of great elevation : their bases were covered with mimosa trees, the flowers of which appeared like innumerable golden balU ■suspended from the branches. The Hex river, witii a loud noise, was heard forcing its way along the jungle. The nations of the interior had certainly few qualities or virtues to interest the missionaries. " The king cares not," says one of the latter, " how much he troubles or begs from the missionaries himself, but he is sometimes enraged when he sees them too much troubled by others. On such an occasion, he once laid hold of a stick, and knocked down captains, servants, women, and children, indeed, all who came in his way, without making any distinction. In the evening the people were in such high spirits, that their combined vociferations were like the uproar that prevailed in the streets of Paris during the revolutionary massacres. Many of them appeared so full of rage, as if they would cleave one another down with their battle-axes. Wishing to be informed respecting the history of those with whom we travelled, we invited Munameets, and Sedras the interpreter, into the tent. The feebleness of their intellects was most evidently exemplified : they could frequently say only yes or

94 VANDERKEMP AND KICHERER.

no, to the simplest question — for example, if asked whether Mallayabang commanded on such and such an expedition ; or is as great in action as the Malapeetze. — Any one who is not painted red ap- peal's frightful to them : my own person was sadly bedaubed by paint from their cloaks. Some of these people, by way of ornament, wear a plaster of cow-dung upon their foreheads. Having greedily feasted till nine at night on the entrails of the quacha, and having still a large potful of flesh on the fire, we asked if they intended to eat that before our departure in the morning : they laughed, and said they intended to eat it now, after which they should all sleep as sound as wolves. The rain having lasted the whole night, the space round the wagons was a complete puddle : and pouring down upon the tent where we were assembled, the king seriously asked us to bewitch the rain, that it might cease. We had a meeting with the principal men after breakfast, at which we learned that the king's name was Leebe ; his second son Mooruanzee, (or rich in flies) ; another, Mahalalewhey (or, scrapings of skin) : his daughter Tata (or string). The king appeared to be above sixty years of age, very black, with a white beard, and much wrinkled ; he spoke with a tone of decision. Had the Malapeetze only killed the catile, said he, he would not have minded it so much ; but killing his brother, who was a man, and who, when dead, could not be made alive again ! He therefore demanded eight oxen, seven for those taken, and one for his brother who was killed. On giving him a white night-cap, he inquired the use of it; when it was immediately put upon his head, and he wore it till the meeting broke up. He could not conceive the use of the scissors, till I clipped ofl" part of his beard. The whole company were amazed to see how soon a gimlet made a hole through a stick. Reflecting on the demand of

VANDERKKMP AND KICHERER. 95

Mahalalewhey for a handkerchief, I thought it miycht be as well to comply. Having seen a clasp- knife among the presents made to the king, Munameets quietly informed me he had no knife to eat with ; though I had no doubt he had one among (he things formerly given him. Though one of tho most amiable of his countrymen, none exceeded him in covetousness : he was also intent upon a fat cow, which the king harl presented to us for slaughter. Mahalalewhey presented his son to us, who had just returned from paying his addresses to a young woman at a distance; but whether he had been successful or not, his father did not state : however, he had the impudence to ask for a third red handkerchief"

These people were rather discouraging subjects for the missionary : if he could feel an interest in such spirits, he should have settled down among the tribe, and not left them so soon to the native raciness of their own manners and tastes. On another occasion, while dining in his tent, in the midst of a great concourse, the brother of the king, a more powerful potentate than Leebe, harassed him with incessant demands for food. Tlie whole repast would have vanished like a morning dream ; for the cold beef, &c. stood little chance with a man who would revel over the carcase of a quacha or an ox : so the missionary covered a sandwich thickly with cayenne, and gave it to the prince, and soon after loud outcries were heard without the tent; when the savage was dancing in the wildest terror, with antics like those of a demon, exclaiming that he was burned alive, and should never be cool again.

In January, 1801, Dr. Vanderkemp resolved, after a stay of fifteen months, to leave Caffraria : he had received orders from Geika to ([uit the pleasant retreat of Keiskamma, and remove to the river Debe. Jealousy of his designs haunted the mind of the latter : under the pretence

96 VANDERKEMP AND KICHERER.

of going on a hunting expedition, the former set out with a number of colonists, and numerous cattle, "wagons, and horses. Soon after their departure, they were attacked by the Boshmen. Their situation was very alarming, as, from the dread of the fresh assaults of these marauders, they dared not light fires by night, and were exposed to the numerous beasts of prey.

Thus situated, and turning his back on Caffraria for ever, the past full of disappointment, the future of uncertainty, did the mind of Vanderkemp not revert to his loved retirement at Dort ; where the pursuits of literature, the society of intellectual men, made life pass happily away ? The Hottentots, or the dismal and dwarfish Boshmen, were henceforth to be his companions ; and the attacks of the latter were perilous, because of the deadlv poison in which all their weapons were steeped. They extract this poison from the jawbone of the serpent, and insert it in the point of their arrow or harping iron. They then creep behind the bushes, where they conceal themselves, and attack the beast at about the dis- tance of a hundred steps. If the dart wounds it in the slightest degree, they are sure of their prey. Even the noblest beast of the forest often falls down dead immediately; if it has yet strength to fly, they pursue and overtake it, cut out the wounded part, and eat the rest of the carcase without injury. It is said that they can run for several days together, and are able to hold out as long as a horse. If, how- ever, they are unsuccessful in the chase, they make a shift to live upon snakes, mice, and such other crea- tures as they can find. They form their huts by digging a hole in the earth about three feet deep, and then covering it with reeds; which are not sufficient, however, to keep out the rain. Here they lie close together, rolled up like a ball. When they are obliged to iiy from their enemies, they often cast their chil-

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dren away in the desert, or bury tliem alive. Tlieir aged relations are also forsaken ; they leave them a piece of meat and an ostrich e<xg-shell full of water ; when this little stock is exhausted, they must perish with hunger.

Arriving at Graaf Reinct, tlie Doctor was cheered bv meeting with his colleague Mr. Read, who was more faithful than the companion who deserted him in Caft'raria. A body of insurgents soon after sur- rounded the place; in spite of the guns of the redoubts, and the efforts of the Pandours, and some English dragoons, the fighting continued till sunset. A sure place of refuge was soon after found. His Excellency, the Governor Dundas, aware of the im- portance of missionary exertions in civilizint; the natives, offered a tract of land near Alsfoa bay in the vicinity of Fort Fucherie. He made them a present of large quantities of provisions, two hundred sheep, numerous oxen, and cows, and a corn mill. Many huts were soon erected, and wheat and rice sown.

About two hundred persons statedly assembled for divine worship. But the settlement was attacked in the middle of a dark night by a furious banditti, and they were obliged to resist force by force ; after a smart contest, in which the leader of the party was mortally wounded, and died on the field, the bandits retired. The colony being ceded to the Dutch governor, Jansen paid a \isit to the settle- ment, and recommended a more eligible situation. In compliance with this advice, they removed to the west of Algoa bay, near the mouth of Zwarts river, and here founded their abiding home, which they called Bethelsdorff. A church, the roof and walls of which were composed of reeds, as well as a school, was erected. Since the Caffres were given up, the Hottentots became the objects of the mis- sionaries' care ; but the boors, or small farmers, sorely opposed the work. The village was two hun-

H. II

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dred and fifty paces in length, and a hundred and fifty in breadth, and was divided by a brook into two parts. A Mrs. Smith, who, in her zeal, had quitted a comfortable home at the Cape, opened a school, to teach the Hottentot girls to knit, &c.

In the year 1808, Bethelsdorf had arrived at some degree of prosperity, consisting of about seventy houses, each having, on an average, about ten in- habitants. But while its temporal affairs flourished, its spiritual interests did not keep pace with them. In the following year, its people amounted to nearly a thousand ; but it must not be supposed that all these were considered, even by the missionaries, as Christian converts. Most of them were merely inhabitants of the place, who, of course, enjoyed the means of instruction. Since the commence- ment of the mission, the converts did not exceed two hundred, and even of these about one half were children. But it was an excellent thing to make this weak and indolent people industrious, and able to gain a handsome support by the produce of their labour. The demand for the articles of knitting, &c. at Port Patrick was greater than they were able to supply. Mats and Caffre baskets were also made in great quantities, and sold to the country. A considerable traffic was carried on in salt, which the people bartered with the colonists for clothing, wheat, flour, &c. Even the farmers now brought their goods to Bethelsdorf in wagons, as to a mar- ket place. Soap- boiling, cutting and sawing of wood, were carried on to a large extent. Mr. Read at one time speaks of a number of these people having gone to Graaf Reinet, with six thousand feet of boards for sale, which would bring them about £•200 ; a large sura, certainly, to be gained by Ho!- tentots on one adventure !

Their fields, too, were covered with cattle, sheep, and goats ; and such was the abundance of milk

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and butter, that they employed the latter article in the manufacture ofsoap. According to the accounts ai this ti"ne, they had no fewer than '2000 horned cattle, including calves; 1,200 sheep and goats; 174 horses; and great numbers of pigs and poultry ; together with twenty waggons, besides curts. Not- withstanding the very unfavourable nature of the soil, even agriculture had begun to flourish among them. The Hottentots had become diligent in cleaning and tilling the ground ; and lately, be- sides other kinds of grain and vegetables, they sowed in one year upwards of a hundred sacks of wheat, which they expected would yield fifteen hundred. Even more than this would have been sown, but some had no plough, and others no seed. It is said, that among the inhabitants of Bethelsdorp, there were no fewer than eighteen trades, (smiths, carpenters, tailors, <!i.'c.) likewise an auctioneer and a miller. The founder of Bethelsdorp had the plea- sure to behold the increasing fruits of his laliour. Another scheme of beneficence was to erect an orphan school, but it did not come to maturity. Of what avail was his knowledge of the classics, of Oriental literature, of philosophy, and divinity, in such a scene as this ? A familiar ac(|uaintance with the dialects of the nations, would have been far more useful. Surely, he must have groaned beneath the misery of striving to convey ideas to beings so utterly defective in intellect, imagination, or reflection. Lichtenstein, in his Travels through Southern Africa, gives the following sketch of his appearance at this time : —

" On our arrival at Algoa Bay, we received a visit from Dr. Vande-kemp. In the very hottest part of the morning, we saw a waggon, such as is used in husbandry, drawn liv four meagre oxen, coming slowly along the sandy downs. Vander- kemp sat upon a plank laid across it, without a hat, u9

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his venerable bald head exposed to the burning rays of the sun. He was dressed in a threadbare black coat, waistcoat, and breeches, without shirt, neck- cloth, or stockings, and leathern sandals bound upon his feet — the same as are worn by the Hottentots. The commissary-general hastened to meet and re- ceive him with the greatest kindness. He descended from his car, and approached with slow and mea- sured steps, presenting to our view a tall, meagre, yet venerable figure. In his serene countenance might be traced remains of former beauty ; and in his eye, still full of fire, was plainly to be disco- vered the powers of mind which had distinguished his early years. Instead of the usual salutations, he uttered a short prayer, in which he begged a blessing on our chief and his company. He then accompanied us into the house, when he entered into conversation freely upon many subjects, with- . out superciliousness, or affected solemnity."

Anxious to lessen, as far as possible, during his labours in Africa, the expenses of the mission, he generally supported himself v/ith little or no cost to the Society. It is still more to the credit of his benevolence, that he at various times purchased the li!)ertv of slaves in the colony out of his own private fortune. In the course of three years he redeemed seven of these unfortunate beings at no less expense than £800. Notwithstanding his ad- vanced age, and many infirmities, he resolved to undertake a new mission to some other part of the world, and fixed on the island of Madagascar. No persuasions of his friends could shake this re- solution. That populous and long-neglected island floated before his fancy continually ; he could think of nothing else by day or night. Perhaps it was that restless love of change, that hankering after some brilliant and ideally happy scene, that is often a presentiment of dissolution. He had already been

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Struck with apoplexy. One morning, after ensra- gin'^ in the services of religion, he was taken ill, and never rose from his bed again. His disorde"- rapidly increased, till a lethargic heaviness suppressed his mental powers. A day or two before his de- parture, a friend askfd him what was the state of his mind : the s{)irit seemed to rally its powers once more, and with a smile on his countenance he ffave this short, but emphatic reply, ' All is well.' He died in the sixty-fourth year of his age, and the tliirteenth of his labours as a missionary.

It will be necessary to go back a few years, to trace the progress of the oxctllent Kicherer, the youth who accompanied Dr. Vanderkemp fiom Holland. A!)Out the year 1800, at the time that his friend was y\ Catfraria, he went in company wit'.i Rd wards to the Zak river. After beinir detained at Modezand, they .«et off for the house of Florus Fischar, who ])Ossessecl the last farm in the Carioor. This is a vast tract of land, of many days' journey, so dry in the summer as not to produce a blade of grass. A gloom, and even a horror, creeps on the feelings in such a desolate wild, on which the curse of heaven seems to have fallen ; there is no tree, not even a lonely one ; even the shadow of the rock is a lux- ury, where the wanderer flies for refuge, till the burning hour is past. The words of old might here be applied : " And the brook of defence shall be dried up ; the reeds and flags shall wither ; and every thing sown be driven away, and be no more." And when a storm comes on this scene, it is in truth the whirlwind of the desert, that over- turns the tent in an instant ; even the beasts of chase are seen flying fast to their retreats. Amidst such flatness, without end, without hope, like the vast sea in a sick and dreadful calm, a mountain or a hill would be welcome as a friend, but days

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pass ere one breaks on the sight. At length they arrived at the Zak river, and fixed on a spot for a settlement, which they called, " Happy Prospect Fountain;" a suitable name. With what powerful beauty, in a country like this, do the passages of scripture rise to the memory, where the blessings of the rushing waters are painted as among the choicest on earth : where Aksah, the daughter of Caleb, when about to be wedded to the valiant Othniel, prayed to her father to give her "a bless- ing, even the upper springs and the nether springs." Here the missionaries began to prepare a plot for a garden, and to build themselves a hut of reeds, the only materials they could find for that pur- pose, as not a tree grew in the country. After a few days, Fischar and other friends left them, and returned home : this was a severe trial.

" I well remember," says Kicherer, " how deeply my spirits were depressed about this time, and how insupportable my situation would have been, sepa- rated from all I loved in this world, had not the Lord, whom I serve, condescended to pacify my doubting heart when I spread my complaint before him. This was particularly the case one evening, when, sitting on a stone, surrounded by a circle of Boshmen, I attempted to convey the first religious instructions to their untutored minds." What a disconsolate work was this ! These sad, unhappy creatures were enough to drive a man mad : they have a superstitious reverence for a little insect, known by the name of the creeping leaf. They have also some notion of an evil spirit; in order to counteract whose malicious purposes, they blow and make a humming noise over the sick. Not more than four feet high, they live by plunder and murder, and are guilty of the most horrid and atrocious crimes. The number of Boshmen who came to them now increased considerably. Kicherer observes, that he

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frequenllv began his work sighing, and could not but observe how amazed they were when he told them of God, and of the resurrection of the dead. Many of them at last began to pray, and in iheir prayers actually discovered gleams of sense and feel- ing. Several, it is said, gave tokens of a work of _iace in their hearts.

As the Boshmen now flocked in considerable numbers, the missionaries were obliged, for the sake of distinguishing one from another, to give ihem names, which they wrote with chalk on their backs. Accordingly, when any one approached them, the first thing he did was to shew them his shoulders. They strove to excite a spirit of industry among them ; Kicherer's own garden began to as- sume a flourishing aspect ; but these people have no great relish for vegetables, they would have pre- ferred a dish of snakes, mice, &c.; indeed, they would scarcely eat the vegetables when matured, unless saved the trouble of cooking them. Soon after, he found it necessary to take a journey to Ciipe Town. A number of the Boshmcii, who had never been at the Cape, offered to accompany him ; after a journey of about a month, they arrived there. He had anticipated with delight, the pleas- ing impressions that would be made on their minds, but he perceived they were struck with in- expressible horror and dismay. The first oi)jects presented to their view were several malefactors hung in chains for their crimes, and many of the Boshmen were conscious they deserved a similar punishment. A few days after, their terror was fetill further increased by beholding the execution of another criminal. Kicherer was called to preach in the Calvinist church, a very capacious building, nnd crowded with a very genteel auditory. His Boshmen, who accompanied him, were much struck ivith the sight of so great a number of well-dressed

104 VANDERKEM? AND KICHERER.

people, whom they compared to a nest of ants . the said ants being a meal of which they were extremely fond ; and the sound of the organ was at first mistaken by them for the humming noise of a great bee-hive. From this time they entertained a higher idea of their minister, for before they had been tempted to consider him as a beggarly fel- low, who had come among them only to obtain a livelihood.

Once more they returned to the Happy Prospect Fountain; but though they increased in numbers, it is observed they did not appear to increase also in grace; and, indeed, Mr. Kicherer had often cause to fear that no lasting impression had been made on these fickle people ; a circumstance which occa- sioned him great heaviness of heart. On one oc- sion, as he was sitting in the evening near an open window, a party of Boshmen, who could hardly have belonged to the converts, and who had con- cealed themselves in the neighbourhood, were just about to discharge a volley of poisoned arrows at him, but being detected by the same girl who saved the life of Mr. Kramer from the dagger of Vigilant, they made oft" in haste. Several of the nation of the Corunnas from the Orange river, arriving about this time, invited the missionaries to remove to that part of the country, and to preach the word of life among them. Having agreed to this proposal, the whole congregation left Zak river in May, 1801, and journeyed towards the Orange river. The way lay over immense plains, bounded only by the horizon, over which the ostrich was seen hurrying with a step fleet as the wind, and the spring bucks and zebras peacefully feeding beside the springs of water; while the smoke from the dens of the wild Boshmen was seen rising into the air.

The great Orange river offered a splendid site for a settlement. Superior in breadth and depth

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to all the other rivers of South Africa ; with what joy they gazed on the mighty forests extending for many hundred miles along its banks : the rushing . torrent of its waters, which defied the fiercest drought; for ever they rolled on ; and not only, in- numerable animals daily came to alhu' their thirst, but many of mighti r size lived in their very depths, or basked on its shores; for all living beings, within a vast circuit around, rejoiced in the glorious river. Corannas, Namaquas, and other tribes, testified their pleasure at the arrival of the missionaries, and began to build a long shed, of timber, weeds, and clay; the middle part of it was their church, and at each end was a chamber. They were here often in innninent danger from the wild beasts : on one occasion, a lion was in the act of entering the wooden dwelling ; on another occa- sion, Kicherer walking, about mitlnight, in the open air, perceived a p.iii of eyes shining like two burn- ing candles; he instantiy struck a light, and set the grass in a blaze, when he discovered a noble lion, with his mane erect, and just in the very act of springing upon them ; at this very moment, the Hottentot fired his piece, and the animal, deeply wounded, slunk away : on that night, eighteen of their oxen were destroyed.

The greatest stumbling-block in their way was a man called .Stephanos, a Greek by birth, who, after pretending to be a convert, had attempted the life of Kicherer, and, finally, went to a kraal of Hottentots, and set up for a missionary and a prophet. He had established his power so firmly, that his will had all the authority of law among the people ; atrocious crimes were committed by him with impunity, and, whoever murmured against his acts of rapine and cruelty, were sure to be- come the victims of his vengeance. He had even erected a kind of temple, with an altar, on which his

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followers offered their sacrifices. He had a number of select disciples, who, like himself, feigned trances, iii which tliey lay for many hours, and out of which they pretended to awake with messages from the angel Ga- briel, or even from God himself. Kicherer resolved to go and stop these diabolical proceedings; but, as there was danger in the measure, he took all the armed men of the congregation with him. Being apprised of his designs, Stephanos called a meeting of his followers, and exhorted them, in this moment of trial, to prove their fidelity. When Kicherer ap- proached the house, the latter stepped forward, and oflfered him his hand. This he refused, but desired him to walk with him under a tree, where they might converse together. The followers of each stood round, earnestly observing them.

With the bible in his hand, the missionary disputed with Stephanos for several hours, and was enabled clearly to refute his arguments. The impostor insisted chiefly on the prophecy of Joel, concerning the dreams and visions of the latter days : he also introduced many passages from the book of Revela- tion. Stephanos and his deluded followers^ as may easily be supposed, remained unconvinced, or, at least, they would not acknowledge their error. The impostor himself presented a striking emblem of the prince of darkness. His eyes rolled and flashed with rage ; he was the prey of the furious passions of revenge, despair, and blasted ambition, and he strove to vindicate all his atrocities.

Kicherer now thought himself fully justified in ordering his people to seize him : the order was instantly obeyed — Stephanos was made a prisoner in his own temple. In a moment his confidence fell ; and he requested the missionary, in the French language, which the people did not under- stand, to set him at liberty, promising, in that case, to leave the country. The former replied, that if

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he proved his repentance by a frank confession of his guilt, he might, perhaps, let him go. He complied, and the people, passing from the extreme of credulity to hatred, wished to send him av.av naked into the desert ; but Mr. Kicherer procured for him a supply of provisions, and a guide into the Namaqua country, towards the sea-coast, where he hoped he might meet with a European vessel. In this, however, he was mistaken. Engelbrecht, a farmer, and an officer of the militia, having recog- nized him on his journey, attempted to arrest him, but fell in the scuffle by the hand of Stephanos. The latter made his escape, and joined the noted robber, Africaner.

Having continued at the Orange river about a year, the missionaries agreed to divide the congre- gation, and separate. In March, 1802, Messrs. Kicherer and Scholtze set out for the Zak river, to their ancient place, the Happy Prospect Foun- tain, with part of the people ; while Anderson and Kramer remained with the rest. The former travelled till the third day, without finding a drop of water. The numerous cattle then began to be in the utmost distress ; their look.^ indicated ex- treme anguish, and their piteous cries seemed to forebode the destruction of the whole party in the wilderness. The travellers at length found a small pool of water, and were just going to drink, when they perceived it had been poisoned by the Bosh- men. Oh, agony of disappointment, of hopeless, inexpressible sorrow. ""

Vaillant, on his journey among the Namaquas, thus describes a similar scene. " We had climbed the mountain, and its top was a vast parched plain, exposed to the scorching heat of the sun ; we still suffered from its rays, become nearly horizontal, without finding so much as a tree to shelter. The piercing eyes of my Hottentots scrutinized passes,

108 VANDERKEMP AND KICHERER.

Valleys, plains, and mountains; but alas ! the very exactness of their research served but to afflict us the more : we beheld on all sides nothing but the discouraging presence of a frightful solitude; neither man nor beast was to be seen, and we appeared to be left alone in the world. The plaintive cry of the Dama antelopes was the only sound that met our ears. The sun disappeared from the mountain ; we kindled a fire behind the large rock, that we might not be discovered by robbers. I gave myself up to the alarming reflections which my horrible situation naturally induced. About an hour after midnight, Klaas drew near of a sudden, and informed me that he had perceived flashes of lightning in the horizon towards the west, and that we should infallibly have a storm. It was not long before I heard the sound of some large drops of water. All my senses again unclosed themselves to life. I then threw off my covering, and, with my mouth wide open, caught with delight the drops that happened to fall into it. What a balm to my parched tongue and burning gullet ! I can safely aver, that the purest pleasure I ever tasted was at that delicious moment, purchased by so m.any sighs and such continued suffering. For three hours the rain fell in torrents, its noise contending with that of the thunder, which ceased not to roll over our heads. All my people, running to and fro in the storm, congratulated one another with an air of triumph. When the day broke, each found himself a very dif- ferent man ; we were completely revived : some of the first effects we experienced from this change was a devouring hunger."

Kicherer looked sadly round on his perishing companions, among whom were many of the Co- rannas and Namaquas, and then he retired apart with his companion Scholtze, and knelt down in fervent prayer that God would help them in this time of

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need. Their petitions were not in vain, and hope broke upon their minds. A few hours more of an- ^vkh passed away, and then such plentiful showers fell as put an end to their thirst.

After two days' rest at this place, they travelled on with an elated spirit, and Kicherer, leaving the people imder the care of his assistant, hastened forward to the residence of the nearest farmers, that he miglit gratify his extreme longing for a morsel of bread, as he had not tasted any for four montlis. lie pro- ceeded forward with all possible despatch, and having at length come within sight of the first fainier's house, his joy on approaching it was indescril)able. His first request was for a piece of bread, which he immediately devoured with the keenest appetite, and with a relish which no other can conceive. Shortly after, he arrived at his favourite spot on the Zak river. He had received two offers of easy and af- fluent ministerial situations near the Cape ; but he declined them, for the sake of this poor people. Having received a present of a hundred pounds from Governor Dundas, he began to erect a commodious building for a church. Besides this edifice, which was capable of containingeight hundred people, he erected in tliis place a good dwelling-house which was built of stone in front; the Christian Hottentots, also, Iniilt themselves decent hal)it itions, in the style of the farmers ; and at the back of it the heathen lived in small huts. Near the church, the missionaries had an excellent garden for raising vegetables, and on the north side of the river were their corn fields. The whole number of inhabitants amounted to six hundred, of whom eighty-three were Christians.

Some time afterwards, he set out for Europe for the restoration of his health ; and, at the end of two years, returning to t^e Cape, he hastened to the Zak river, where he found the people had Suffered greatly from the excessive drought, so that

110 VANDERKEMP AND KICHERER.

many had taken ref-ige in a different part of the country. Mr. Kicherer was subsequently sohcited to take the charge of one of the vacant churches at the Cape Town. But, with the approbation of Sir David Baird, he chose the situation of Graaf- Reinet, the church of which was nearest to the settlement of