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the insistence of his lady visitor. She was momen-
tarily away, so that he could not see her; but her
husband, a most exemplary young man who acted as
catechist to the forlorn Catholics of the place,'® not
only piloted him everywhere, but endeavoured to make
as agreeable as possible his stay on the island on which
was Wrangell.

This stay was rendered longer by the fact that the
priest could never persuade himself to board the river
boat on the occasion of her first trip up. She was
crowded with shouting, singing and apparently half-
intoxicated women who had come he could not guess
whence, and were filling the air with their cries.

On the boat’s return, Father Morice left for
Telegraph Creek,'® but had to pay for the time he had
spent waiting by being kept nine days prisoner at the
foot of a rapid, now too swollen by the late freshets
to allow of the steamer ascending it. This forced delay
was far from pleasant to him for more reasons than one.
Not only did he thus lose time which was precious to
him, but he was constantly annoyed by reports from
people desirous of impressing upon him the uselessness
of his attempt to do good to the Northerners. Un-
certainty is painful enough to anybody: you always
dislike groping in the dark, but when every one assures
you that you are bent on a hopeless undertaking, this
can be much worse for the mind.

Those who knew, or claimed to know, the Indians
he was going to, declared that the priest had no chance
of success. All the Nahanais that the minister had not
gained over to his cause were irretrievably lost to
Christianity, they said. They had become the victims

18 Among whom were a few French Canadians lost in that God-
forsaken land.

16 The place which the workmen stretching the wire for future use
had reached when they heard of the success of the Atlantic cable laying.