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Updated: May 13, 2025
Egede's hope had been that Greenland might be once more colonized by Christian people.
Dangers and partial disasters greeted them on their arrival, in July, at Baal's River, latitude 64 degrees, where they established the colony of Godhaab. It would require a volume to tell of Hans Egede's difficulties, doings, and sufferings in the new land.
A friend in Bergen who had made several voyages to Greenland aroused Egede's pity for his lost countrymen, some of whom, it was supposed, had sunk back into paganism for want of teachers. His thoughts and his desires grew, and the first difficulty presented itself in the form of a doubt as to whether it was allowable to forsake his congregation.
For instance, to catch one kind of fish was expressed by one word, to catch another kind in quite different terms. They had one word for catching a young seal, another for catching an old one. When it came to matters of moral and spiritual import, the language was poor to desperation. Egede's instruction began when he caught the word "kine" what is it?
Children the Eskimos were in their idolatry, and children they remained as Christians. By Egede's prayers they set great store. "You ask for us," they told him. "God does not hear us; He does not understand Eskimo." Of God they spoke as "Him up there."
An Eskimo might have as many wives as he saw fit; they were his, and it was nobody's business. But adultery was unknown. The seventh commandment in Egede's translation came to read, "One wife alone you shall have and love." The birth of a girl was greeted with wailing. When grown, she was often wooed by violence.
He does not belong to my party, I found him on the mainland and brought him here just before the storm burst on us, intending to take him on to Godhaab. He stands more in need of food than sleep, I think." "Come, then, we will go to him at once," said Rooney, tying up the remains of Egede's breakfast.
In the strength of these feelings he immediately drew up a memorial to the worthy College of Missions, and again entreated the help of the bishops of Bergen and Drontheim. But bishops then, as now, were not to be unduly hurried. They recommended patience till more favourable and peaceful times! Thus Egede's plans were postponed from year to year, for peaceful times seemed very far off.
"That is my opinion, too, sir," said Rooney, throwing down the bundle he had been carrying. As the invitation to feed seldom comes amiss to a healthy Eskimo, Egede's proposal was at once agreed to, and in a few minutes they were all busily engaged. It was a pretty spot, that on which they dined.
They nursed the warlike brethren through their illness with loving ministrations and gave them back to life, let us hope, wiser and better men. At Christmas, 1735, Egede's faithful wife, Gertrude, closed her eyes. She had gone out with him from home and kin to a hard and heathen land, and she had been his loyal helpmeet in all his trials. Now it was all over.
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