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diff --git a/old/56184-0.txt b/old/56184-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6e0532d..0000000 --- a/old/56184-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3775 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Brother Van, by Stella W. Brummitt - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Brother Van - -Author: Stella W. Brummitt - -Release Date: December 16, 2017 [EBook #56184] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BROTHER VAN *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Hulse and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from images made available by the HathiTrust -Digital Library.) - - - - - - - - - - BROTHER VAN - - - - - Illustration: WILLIAM WESLEY VAN ORSDEL - - But the Northwest knows him only as Brother Van - - - ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ - │ │ - │ Transcriber’s Notes │ - │ │ - │ │ - │ Punctuation has been standardized. │ - │ │ - │ Characters in small caps have been replaced by all caps. │ - │ │ - │ Non-printable characteristics have been given the following │ - │ transliteration: │ - │ Italic text: --> _text_ │ - │ │ - │ This book was written in a period when many words had │ - │ not become standardized in their spelling. Words may have │ - │ multiple spelling variations or inconsistent hyphenation in │ - │ the text. These have been left unchanged unless indicated │ - │ with a Transcriber’s Note. │ - │ │ - │ The symbol ‘‡’ indicates the description in parenthesis has │ - │ been added to an illustration. This may be needed if there │ - │ is no caption or if the caption does not describe the image │ - │ adequately. │ - │ │ - └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ - - - - - BROTHER VAN - - - By - - STELLA W. BRUMMITT - - Illustration: (‡ Colophon) - - NEW YORK - MISSIONARY EDUCATION MOVEMENT - OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA - - Copyright, 1919, by - MISSIONARY EDUCATION MOVEMENT - OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA - - - To the Best Known and - Best Loved Man in Montana - - BROTHER VAN - - - - - CONTENTS - - - Foreword - - I A Boy at Gettysburg - - II Explorers of a Continental Purchase - - III Westward - - IV A Sky Pilot’s Race Up the Missouri - - V Brother Van - - VI A Brother to the Blackfoot - - VII The Gospel Team - - VIII Scouting for Uncle Sam - - IX New Trails - - X Great Heart with the Indians - - XI Brother Van and New Montana - - XII Seventy Years Young - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - 1 William Wesley Van Orsdel, known as “Brother Van.” - - 2 The Battle of Gettysburg. - - 3 A statue in honor of Sacajawea in Portland, Oregon. - - 4 Sitting Bull was dressed in full war regalia. - - 5 Historic Fort Benton, where Brother Van ate jerked buffalo - meat. - - 6 Brother Van visiting a Blackfeet medicine lodge. - - 7 The ceremony of adoption into the Blackfeet tribe. - - 8 Indians were terrifying settlers everywhere. - - 9 Brother Van’s dispatch to the Helena _Herald_. - - 10 Chief Joseph, leader of the Nez Percés at Big Hole. - - 11 Dr. Thomas C. Iliff and Brother Van, who had many adventures - together. - - 12 Brother Van was “hail fellow well met” with the people. - - 13 Brother Van shot the herd leader in the head. - - 14 The Van Orsdel Home for Nurses at Helena. - - 15 Great Heart with a Blackfoot brother. - - 16 A copper mine at Butte. - - - - - FOREWORD - - -GRATEFUL acknowledgment is hereby given for the interest and -helpfulness shown by many people in Montana while I was collecting -material for this book. To have known Brother Van better has been a -joy, and to have met his beloved people “out where the west begins” -has been a privilege. - -The readers of this biography owe much to the Rev. George Logan and to -the Rev. A. W. Hammer, both old-time friends of the pioneer missionary. -From them have come stories and tales of adventure which could not have -been forced from the boyishly modest preacher himself. - -The story is sent out with the hope that through it some young people -may add a new name to their list of heroes. - - STELLA W. BRUMMITT. - - - - - CHAPTER I - - A BOY AT GETTYSBURG - - -“NOW, boy, watch and you’ll see one of the sights of the war! Our -troops are going to charge and take that battery.” - -It was the first day of the great battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 1863; -and the Confederate cavalry leader, General Jenkins, at his post on a -sheltered hillside, was pointing out to a rough-clad, barefoot boy from -a near-by farmhouse the movements of the troops on the opposite side. - -As William Wesley Van Orsdel had heard at home of the battles in which -his ancestors had fought, he may have wondered if some time, he, too, -would march away to war. He had never dreamed that while he was still -a boy one of the most important battles in modern history would take -place in the quiet fields and on the wooded hills surrounding the -little farm where he lived. - -The opening of the battle found him ready to take his part whatever -it might be, even though he could not be one of the fighters. He soon -found that there was no lack of opportunity to help. Fearlessly he went -back and forth among the men of both the Northern and Southern armies, -carrying water to the wounded no matter what the color of the uniform -they wore, and relieving the distress of many a stricken soldier. - -In the course of one of his errands of helpfulness he suddenly found -himself at the side of the dreaded Jenkins, whose cavalry raids had -made his name a terror to all of the farmers of the region because of -the heavy toll of horses, cattle, and grain which he took from them. -Jenkins’ present orders were to guard the baggage train and hospital -of the Confederate army commanded by General Ewell, and as he waited -at his post he chatted easily with the bright and attractive farmer lad -who showed himself to be so interested in all the stirring events that -were going on around him. - -William was a loyal Federal at heart and he felt decidedly -uncomfortable in the presence of the Southerner as he followed the -General’s explanation of what was happening on the adjacent hills. It -was a scene of furious struggle and of seemingly wild disorder upon -which they looked. Now the Federals and now the men in gray appeared -to have control. Then suddenly Jenkins shouted, “Now, boy, watch, and -you’ll see one of the sights of the war!” - -A fresh and powerful force of Confederate troops was advancing steadily, -and to his dismay William saw that the blue lines along Seminary Ridge -were giving way. It was one of the brilliant actions of the battle, the -charge of a fiery Southern general, Jubal Early, and the boy’s heart -sank as the Federal positions were overrun and their guns captured. He -could catch glimpses of the men in blue retreating through the streets -of the little town of Gettysburg to the slopes of Cemetery Hill. He hid -from the Confederate general his fear lest the attacking forces might -drive the Northerners even further back, but as the afternoon passed, -the fighting became less violent and when night fell Cemetery Hill was -still in possession of Federal troops. - -The following two days were filled with thrilling adventures for the -boy as he saw thousands of men struggling desperately in the valleys -and on the hills where he knew every path and almost every tree. It -seemed very strange to him that these familiar places――Round Top, -Little Round Top, Seminary Ridge, and the peach orchard should suddenly -become of such importance. From the gossip of the village, however, he -knew in general what the Federal commanders had to do, and to many a -scouting party he was able to give valuable information about trails, -roads, and observation points. - -Everywhere there were wounded men crying for water and all through -the hot days William hurried from point to point, carrying help and -cheer. Often he was in danger from the heavy shell fire, for Gettysburg -saw the greatest artillery engagement that had ever been known. Five -hundred and sixty-nine tons of shells were hurled by the opposing -batteries in the course of three days. The boy had at one time a moment -of breathless suspense when a cannon ball fell near him, but it failed -to explode. Except for some powder marks on his face, he came through -those trying days without injury. - -William’s work was not done when he had spent the daylight hours in -going among the wounded on the field. In the evening, when there was -a lull in the fighting, he went into the village carrying news of the -battle and helping friends whose homes were surrounded by the fury -of the conflict. He was saddened by the death of his friend, Jennie -Wade, a girl of twenty, who had been killed by a chance shot that -came through the door of the house. She was the only resident of -the town killed during the whole battle. The home of another friend, -Josephine Rogers, stood where the thickest of the fight came in the -last two days of the battle. William watched over the safety of this -eighteen-year-old girl, and was able to give assistance and comfort in -the hours of danger. - -On the first day, as General Carroll of the Union forces fell back, he -saw the girl at her door and exclaimed, “What are you doing here? This -house is in the trail of the greatest battle of the war. Seek a place -of safety!” - -“Mother has gone, but I have bread in the oven. As soon as it is baked, -I will go,” replied Josephine. - -When she took the fragrant bread out of the oven, there were so many -hungry soldiers that wanted it that she decided to bake more for the -struggling men. This work she continued for three days, and gave bread -to the troops on both sides. Her home became a refuge for the wounded, -and all the delicacies she could find were placed at the disposal of -the soldiers. On the last day of the battle the house was in the line -of General Pickett’s charge against the Union lines on Cemetery Hill. -From the riddled house the bodies of seventeen men were taken, some in -blue, some in gray; but the nurse and benefactress of both came through -the event without a scratch. - -When at last the Confederates were forced to withdraw, after having -struggled gallantly but in vain to drive the Union forces from Cemetery -Hill, and from the adjoining hills now famous in history――Round Top -and Little Round Top――it was found that rarely if ever had armies -suffered such a high proportion of losses. Meade, the Federal commander, -went into the battle with eighty-two thousand men. He lost in killed, -wounded, and missing twenty-three thousand. General Lee had moved on -Gettysburg with about seventy-three thousand men and his losses were -as large as those of Meade if not larger. - - Illustration: Copyright, Brown Brothers. - - GENERAL HANCOCK AND HIS MEN NEAR ROUND TOP - - The Battle of Gettysburg was fought among the - hills surrounding William Van Orsdel’s home. - -The scenes of daring and of strife in those exciting days of battle -and the talks with the wounded men could not but make a deep impression -on such a thoughtful boy as William Van Orsdel. He saw what men were -given power to accomplish when they held their lives as nothing in the -struggle for the things which they believed to be right. The memory of -those stirring days with the acts of sacrifice and of heroism which he -had witnessed made him long for the time when as a man he could engage -in such deeds of action and of daring as those of the soldiers. With -the thoughtfulness which marked his quiet days on the farm and in the -country school, he now began to look forward to some life task that -would call for hardship and adventure and would make his life of the -largest service to those in need. - -There was a dauntlessness in William which was partly due to the -fact that he had pioneer ancestry. His great-grandfather came over -from Holland to New Jersey with the early settlers. His grandfather -settled in Pennsylvania about the time of the Revolution, and William’s -father was born there. His mother came from England, and in the little -farmhouse near Gettysburg, William was born on March 20, 1848. Hard -work and heavy responsibilities fell to the boy early in life, for when -he was but fourteen years old, his father died. He then had the care -of his mother and sister and the management of the farm. Two strenuous -years followed; then his mother died and the children were separated -and taken into the homes of relatives. - -William was now cared for by an aunt, whose farm was close to -Gettysburg. The change made it possible for him to attend a better -school and he was proud to become a student of Hunterstown Academy. -Eagerly did he grasp this opportunity to prepare himself to render the -greatest service in whatever life-work should open before him. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - EXPLORERS OF A CONTINENTAL PURCHASE - - -AS William pored over his big geography in the firelight of his -Pennsylvania home, that great stretch of territory vaguely called -the “Northwest” filled his mind with interesting visions of possible -adventures. Another name given to it by his elders, and by the books, -was the “Great American Desert,” and the boy could never hear enough of -the tales that came out of it. He always wanted to learn more about the -Indians, with their strange beliefs and customs, and about the great -brown herds of buffalo that roamed over the plains, and that were being -slaughtered wantonly by white man and red man alike. He day-dreamed -of Indian camps, of the long wagon-trains of venturesome pioneers, of -swift, pony express riders, and of the hardy hunters of wild animals in -the mountains. - -“When I am old enough, I am going west,” said the boy to his friends. -“I shall come back to Pennsylvania to live, but I am going to see the -land of Lewis and Clark first.” - -The adventures of these explorers had a great fascination for the -schoolboys of that period even as they have at the present time. The -great western land of which William dreamed became known to the world -principally through the journeys of these daring men. William loved -to hear about every one of their wonderful experiences. The story of -the Louisiana Purchase, by which most of these territories had been -acquired by the United States, was a favorite, too. He liked especially -to read about the day when the Louisiana Purchase had the unique -experience of flying three different flags in twenty-four hours. In -1803 Spain ceded all this unexplored land to France. France sold it to -the United States. So in one day the Spanish flag came down and, for -form’s sake, the French flag was put up; and in turn that was lowered -for the flag that has floated over the Purchase ever since, the Stars -and Stripes. - -President Jefferson made plans at once for the exploration of the new -domain, and chose as the leaders of the expedition two young Virginia -college men of energy, ability, and high character. They were well -fitted for the dangerous enterprise ahead. None but stout hearts could -have completed the venture, of which William Wesley Van Orsdel and -thousands of other boys were to hear and read many years later. Lewis -was President Jefferson’s secretary and a man whom he loved much. -Jefferson has left this fine appreciation of him: “Of courage undaunted, -possessing a firmness and perseverance of purpose which nothing but -impossibilities could divert from its direction, careful as a father of -those committed to his charge, yet steady in the maintenance of order -and discipline, intimate with Indian character, customs and principles, -honest, disinterested, liberal, of sound understanding, and a fidelity -to truth so scrupulous that whatever he should report would be as -certain as if seen by ourselves.” - -The maps showed few cities on the Missouri River when Lewis and Clark -started on their expedition. St. Louis was then forty years old; it -contained less than two hundred houses and about two thousand people, -nearly all of whom were French. These men who started up the Missouri -in the fleet bearing the expedition, little dreamed that from the -territory which they were to explore there would be carved the great -states of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, -Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon――fertile and prosperous states -from which would come the necessities to strengthen nations in need in -the great war more than a hundred years later. Not only wheat, sugar, -and cattle, but timber, and metals to renew the world’s shipping, were -to come from those western fields, forests, and mines. - -The fleet consisted of three craft; the largest was a keel-boat, -fifty-five feet long, drawing three feet of water, carrying a sail, and -propelled by twenty-two oars, eleven on each side. It had a forecastle -and a cabin guarded by breastworks to protect against Indian attacks. -The other two were piroques. These were boats bound together side by -side and floored over; one with seven oars, another with six oars, and -both carried sails. - -Besides Lewis and Clark, the party consisted of three sergeants――Ordney, -Pryor, and Lloyd――twenty-three privates, two interpreters, and a -Negro servant. The interpreters were Charbonneau and his Indian wife, -Sacajawea. The Negro, whose name was York, was Clark’s slave and -body servant. Many heroes were discovered in that company before it -had reached the waters of the Pacific. There is just one heroine, -Charbonneau’s wife, Sacajawea, or the Bird Woman. By birth she belonged -to the Shoshone tribe. When a little girl she had been taken prisoner -in a war between the Minnetarees and Shoshones and sold to a traveling -Frenchman, who was a roving hunter and guide. He brought her up as a -slave and afterward married her. Sacajawea guided the expedition and -acted as interpreter, all the while giving her baby tender and watchful -care. She received no gift when the party disbanded, but to-day she -lives in the grateful memory of the West as one of its real explorers -and a true benefactress. In the city park in Portland there stands a -statue in honor of this brave Indian matron. - - Illustration: A STATUE IN HONOR OF SACAJAWEA IN THE CITY PARK, - PORTLAND, OREGON - -The romantic episode of the return of this woman guide to her own -tribe was one of the strange incidents of the expedition. Over unknown -trails the daring scouts went in the untracked wilderness. It is -hard to realize the suffering they endured from hunger, sickness, and -other dangers. Their advance along the upper Missouri is of particular -interest here. One day Captain Lewis, who was traveling on foot in -order to lighten the canoes, climbed a high cliff and there before his -glad eyes lay the “Land of the Shining Mountains,” for such was the -Indian name for the region which was afterward known as Montana. As -they pressed on, the roaring of water sounded in the distance, and soon -the great falls of the Missouri came into view. Here the river drops -over four hundred feet in a ten-mile stretch. The map that Lewis and -Clark made of this section is so accurate that in 1892, when William -Van Orsdel resided temporarily in the town of Great Falls, it was -reproduced in facsimile with the modern improvements added. It was near -the falls that Sacajawea recognized the spot where she had been taken -prisoner by the Minnetarees. - -Just at that point in their progress the expedition was in need of -horses for the journey across the mountains, and taking Sacajawea, -Captain Clark set out to find her people and to buy horses from them. -Captain Lewis went with another detachment on a different course. After -much journeying he found Chief Cameahwait and gave him an American -flag as an emblem of peace. The chief took them to a leathern lodge, -smoky and ancient, and seated them on green pine boughs covered with -antelope and buffalo skins. A warrior in splendid attire kindled a fire -in the center of the lodge; the chief produced a pipe and tobacco; the -warriors took off their moccasins, showing the white men that they were -expected to remove their shoes. - -When all was in readiness and the circle completed, the chief lit his -pipe. He then made a speech, and at its close he indicated the four -cardinal points with the stem of his pipe, beginning with the east and -ending with the north. He handed the pipe to Lewis, who supposed that -he was to smoke, but the chief drew the pipe back three times, then -pointed to the heavens and to the center of the group. This concluded -the ceremony and Lewis was allowed to smoke. - -After the foregoing reception Lewis was permitted to tell how he and -Captain Clark had separated as they started to find Sacajawea’s people, -and how they had agreed to meet at Three Forks but had missed one -another. He explained his anxiety concerning the safety of his friend -and his party and asked for help. Suddenly some Indians came in crying, -“White man! White man!” Eagerly the group seated around the fire left -the lodge, as from its entrance they saw that Captain Clark’s party -was drawing near. Sacajawea approached the watching Indians sucking her -fingers, signifying that they were of her native tribe. As she advanced, -a woman darted to meet her and weeping and laughing alternately -embraced her. It was then found that they had been childhood friends -and now were meeting for the first time since the day on which the -Minnetarees had taken Sacajawea captive. - -Captain Lewis and Captain Clark embraced also in their joy at meeting, -and the chief called for the ceremony of smoking. The warriors and the -white men arranged themselves in a circle, and the pipe was about to be -smoked when Sacajawea was sent for to act as interpreter. She entered -modestly and shyly, but when her eyes sought the chief, she suddenly -ran to him weeping once more, for the big chief was her own brother, -from whose side she had been snatched on the day of the tribal war. - -After this meeting Charbonneau and Sacajawea were taken to the camp of -the Shoshones. Anything that the white men wanted was easily secured -now. Fifty horses were bartered for and delivered to them, so the -expedition was able to proceed. Sacajawea was eager to go to the coast -to see the “big water” and the “monster fish,” but the time of parting -had come. Charbonneau was paid five hundred dollars and thirty-three -cents for two years’ service, and the little Bird Woman, Sacajawea, was -given nothing but the gratitude and respect of the white man. - -The party proceeded with other guides and finished the hard journey -through the mountains to the Columbia River and to the Pacific. They -brought back to the American public a romantic story of strange animals, -of prairies, of rivers, of waterfalls, of mountains, and, above all, of -Indians with their weird, barbaric customs, their strength, and their -eagerness to learn. - -As a result of the travels of Lewis and Clark, and of other explorers -and early settlers who followed them, a strong interest in the West -sprang up among the people of the East. Many adventure-seeking boys -left homes of comfort in the older states during the next fifty years -in search of larger opportunities in the opening West. But these -glowing tales of Indian tribes, and of wealth easily gained, had -another effect besides that of luring high-spirited boys to seek -new fortunes beyond the Mississippi; there was also kindled a flame -of missionary endeavor in the churches of the East. Some of the -great chapters of American history are written about the men who gave -their lives to the task of carrying the gospel to the Indians, and to -establishing churches in the new settlements scattered over almost half -a continent. - -Growing up as he did in a Christian home, William Van Orsdel heard -the stories of the brave pioneers of the Cross as well as those of -explorers and hunters. It is not strange that as a young man he should -respond with enthusiasm to the calls that were being made throughout -the churches of the East for strong, energetic, and devoted men to -enlist for Christian service in these new and difficult fields. - -William had already proved the depth and earnestness of his Christian -faith. When a boy on the farm he had given his life fully into God’s -guidance and keeping. That he had caught the spirit of his Master he -showed to all about him by his many acts of neighborly service to those -who were in need. Although he had to work very hard on the farm even -while attending school, he found time on Saturdays and Sundays to visit -the sick and the unfortunate and to help and encourage them. Thus the -boy who had carried the news of the battle of Gettysburg to the village -people now became the bearer of news of another battle――of the battle -against all that is mean and unworthy in life――and of the Great Captain -of our salvation who gives the victory to those who in loyalty of heart -place themselves under his leadership. The people came to love his -simple telling of the old message and crowded the little churches and -schoolhouses whenever he would speak to them. Soon they began to call -him the “boy evangelist” which was only the first of many honors that -his friends and neighbors were to pay him in the long years of useful -service that lay ahead. - -Thus young manhood brought to William the firm conviction that in -the missionary service of his church in those distant regions of the -Northwest, where there was such need for young men who could be at once -both pioneers and Christian leaders, he would find the life-work which -would allow him to be of the largest service to his country and to his -God. Each year brought him a stronger sense of beckoning Indian hands. -To these people of the western plains and forests, he must go and -preach; his decision was clear and firm. His small savings were far -from sufficient to cover the cost of the long and expensive journey, -for he found that the money which he could scrape together would carry -him only as far as Champaign, Illinois. He had faith, however, that if -he made the start, the way would be opened for him to reach his final -destination in Montana. He knew how to do hard work; he could earn his -fare for the remainder of the journey. - -So William started on his eagerly anticipated travels. No mother was -there to give a farewell blessing, but he carried with him an abundance -of good wishes from the people in the neighborhood of Gettysburg, -for they had known him since childhood and loved him for his helpful, -friendly ways, and for his sincere character. Tucked away in a safe -pocket was his most highly prized possession, an exhorter’s license -granted him in recognition of his work as an evangelist, a high honor -for a boy of seventeen. Alone and unafraid he pressed on toward the -western land of his dreams. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - WESTWARD - - -THE first task that William Van Orsdel found, as he journeyed westward, -was at Oil City, Pennsylvania. He had a cousin at that place whom -he visited, and who urged him to remain and run an oil-pump. He was -offered more money for the work weekly than the country lad had ever -seen at one time; so in April of the year 1870, and while on his way -to a thrilling career in the West, the boy became a day-laborer. At the -end of the first week in his new occupation, William was surprised to -learn from the foreman that he was expected to run the pump on Sunday. -When he protested against this use of the day of rest, he was told that -it would be all right if he would hire a substitute. - -“I’d as soon do it myself as to cause another to work on the Lord’s Day. -I’ll do neither,” was the courageous reply. - -William worked through the summer and into the autumn. When he -announced his intention of quitting he was offered an increase in -wages, although he had never worked on Sunday as his co-workers had -done. Instead of earning on that day, he had used his time for the -organization of a Sunday-school, and with true missionary spirit, had -talked of sacred things with his fellow workmen. Just before the time -that William was to leave the pumping job, the “bush meetings” were -announced. Woodmen would go into the forests and cut a road as they -went. When they reached a place fitted by nature for an auditorium, a -rough pulpit would be erected, slab benches put in place, and all would -be in readiness for a meeting. - -The first night came and a large crowd, which was both serious and -curious, gathered at the place of meeting, but no preacher arrived. The -young oil-pumper who had organized the Sunday-school, and had talked -with thoughtless workmen, was sought for and urged to preach. Modestly -he assumed the role of evangelist to the waiting people, and three -persons were led to know the saving power of God on that night. - -For ten days the meetings continued; many people having their interest -in religion rekindled, and many others made to feel the obligation -of right living for the first time. From these inspiring gatherings -William Van Orsdel went to Walnut Bend, an old settlement where, with -the exception of funeral sermons, no religious services had been held -for six years. Here a great revival occurred which lasted three weeks, -and forty citizens set to work to make their community life mean more -for faith and goodness than ever before. - -Then followed meetings for three weeks at Oleopolis, where twenty-five -people renewed their faith and endeavors. Meetings were held at Pit -Hole, and continued for as long a period, and with the same encouraging -result. The three places where successful meetings had been held were -put into a circuit. One hundred and thirty-five members were received, -and the Presiding Elder asked William to take the charge at a good -salary for those days, and it included the privilege of boarding around. - -The school-teachers and preachers in former times accepted “boarding -around” as one of the compensations of their calling. They recognized -its social value, even though dreading some of its privations. It -meant that the homes of the community were opened in succession to -the itinerant, who usually spent a week in the shelter of each home, -sharing its luxuries and difficulties as a member of the family. He was -then passed on to the next nearest neighbor until the round of homes -had been made, when the process was started all over again. - -But the boy evangelist turned his back on the joys of boarding around, -for again came tidings from the West. The need of reinforcements for -the missionaries in the Oregon territory was related to him, and tales -of the settlers’ needs and of their privations. Stories reached him, -too, of the brave freighters serving the people of the wilderness; so -again the call of the West made the days of the boy preacher restless. -That map of the Louisiana Purchase became very real in those days of -decision. - -Many years earlier Wilbur Fisk, who had been stirred by a strange story -of the Indians, had made an appeal in the columns of _The Christian -Advocate_. The incident which had come to the knowledge of Wilbur Fisk -would stir the heart of any eager young Christian. In these days when -all churches are giving to home missions as never before the story -must be retold, for it brought the beginning of Christian work in the -section where the quest was made. - -Four Indians garbed in their odd dress appeared on the streets of -St. Louis in the year 1832. All through the summer and fall they had -traveled, for they had come two thousand miles in search of the “White -Man’s Book of Heaven,” and to ask that teachers would be sent to Oregon. -General Clark, the distinguished explorer, was then superintendent -of Indian affairs. He had charge of all Indians in the far West, with -headquarters at St. Louis. The Indians were received hospitably by -General Clark and cared for through the winter. He was a Roman Catholic -and they attended the church services regularly. During their visit to -St. Louis two of the Indians died, and the other two decided to return -to their people. A farewell banquet was given to these well-entertained -guests and at which one of them made the following speech: - -“I came to you over the trail of many moons from the setting sun. You -were the friends of my fathers, who have all gone the long way. I came -with an eye partly open for my people who sit in darkness. I go back -with both eyes closed. How can I go back blind to my blind people! I -made my way to you with strong arms through many enemies and strange -lands that I might carry much back to them. I go back with both arms -broken and empty. Two fathers came with us. They were the braves of -many winters and wars. We leave them asleep here by your great water -and wigwams. They were tried in many moons and their moccasins wore out. - -“My people sent me to get the white man’s Book of Heaven. You took -me to where they worship the Great Spirit with candles, but the book -was not there. You showed me the images of the Great Spirit and the -pictures of the good land beyond, but the book was not among them to -tell us the way. I am going back the long trail to my people in the -dark land. You make my feet heavy with gifts and my moccasins will grow -old with carrying them and yet the book is not among them. When I tell -my poor blind people, after the more snow, in the Big Council that I -did not bring the book, no word will be spoken by our old men or by -our young braves. One by one they will rise up and go out in silence. -My people will die in darkness and they will go a long path to other -hunting grounds. No white man will go with them, and no white man’s -Book of Heaven will make the way plain. I have no more words.” - -Among the early missionaries, who became inspired by a knowledge of -the quest for the “White Man’s Book of Heaven,” were Francis McCormick, -known as the “man with the fist and the ax,” and John Kobler, the -first Methodist preacher north and west of the Ohio River. Another -of these leaders was Thomas Hall Pearne, a young man of great culture. -He practically received his commission from Bishop Janes in 1851. -“Go to Oregon; live there; work there and die there for Jesus,” said -the bishop. Young Pearne went west by way of Panama and landed in San -Francisco. William Taylor was then leading the religious forces of the -sunset city, and Pearne preached in the streets of San Francisco for -Taylor; then he sailed to the mouth of the Columbia River and finally -reached Portland. - -On the first Sabbath day the new missionary appeared in his wedding -finery, for he had brought a wife to share in his labors, and the -stalwart pioneers looked askance at the silk hat, kid gloves, silk -necktie, and morocco shoes of the new preacher. “You do not look like -the fortieth cousin of a Methodist,” said one of the men frankly. The -young man asked to be given a hearing and preached with such spiritual -power that the people gladly accepted him as their leader. Pearne -erected the first Protestant house of worship on the Pacific coast -from Cape Horn to the Straits of Juan de Fuca. When later this pioneer -became presiding elder, his district included all of the United States -from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean, the total area being -1,170,000 square miles, and it covered all that part now known as -Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota. The -population was 13,294 white people and 100,000 Indians. - -It was toward this vast territory that William Van Orsdel was working -his way. He left Oil City with only enough money to carry him to -Chicago. He stopped at Champaign to see a relative, and then went to -Chicago, where he met with a man who made clear to him just what his -future field was to be. This man was Chaplain McCabe, who was thrilling -thousands by his lectures on the bright side of Libby Prison, and by -his singing of such songs as “The Sword of Bunker Hill.” McCabe was -secretary of the Board of Church Extension of the Methodist Episcopal -Church, and had taken for his slogan, “A church a day,” as he sought -funds for the building of churches in the south and west. To this -man William confided his dreams and desires, and leading him to the -South Park Avenue Church, his new friend invited him to preach. The -Chaplain’s keen eyes twinkled as he listened, and visions came to him -of the churches which this youth would help him to build. - -From Chaplain McCabe William learned much of the work to be done in -the west. “You are on the right track, young man,” he said. “Go west to -Montana, and help to build the kingdom in the western wilds.” He backed -his advice with some money and added, “You will realize what Paul -meant when he rejoiced that he did not build on any man’s foundation. -You will not find many foundations out there.” William Van Orsdel did -not feel that he was yet justified in having aid from the Missionary -Society, but he accepted the money as a personal gift from his new -friend. He set out again on his journey for the unexplored land of his -dreams. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - A SKY PILOT’S RACE UP THE MISSOURI - - -IT was a penniless but hopeful youth who came into Sioux City in the -spring of 1872 and made a straight path to the Methodist parsonage. -Pastor Crozier was the minister who received the traveler, and who -found a congenial spirit in him. There was much work at hand, and under -his new friend’s direction, William gave himself eagerly to new, and -yet familiar tasks. Sunday-schools were organized in schoolhouses, and -the religious interest of the community was revived as the happy boy -evangelist sang his songs and preached his earnest message. He was not -idle for a day. - -Early in June a minister named Bennett Mitchell returned from New York, -where the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church had been -held, with the news that a Conference of North Iowa had been organized. -Mr. Mitchell had been appointed as its presiding elder and he offered -Van Orsdel a charge in this new field. - -“Take the night to consider it,” he said. “Pray about it, and give me -your answer in the morning.” - -It was settled long before morning, for William had learned that the -same General Conference had formed a Rocky Mountain Conference to -embrace the territories of Washington, Idaho, Montana, and a part of -Wyoming. - -“The line of duty is very clear to me. I must go to the mountains.” -Such was the young pioneer’s firm reply on the morrow. - -That very day a boat was starting up the Missouri for the Northwest. -The captain was hastily sought and interviewed. The fare was found to -be one hundred dollars. - -“I haven’t that much money,” was the missionary’s frank reply to the -statement concerning the sum required. - -“Well, I have no through passenger, so I’ll take you for seventy-five.” - -“I’m sorry, but I haven’t got it.” - -“Well, what in the world are you going to Montana for?” - -“Oh, to sing and pray, and to encourage people to be good.” - -The captain eyed the would-be passenger wonderingly. “Well, I have been -running this boat for a good many years, but I have never known of a -person going to Montana for that purpose,” he exclaimed. “If you will -sing and preach for us, I’ll take you for fifty dollars.” - -The embarrassed young man was forced to admit that he did not have even -five dollars; then he made a venture of faith. - -“If you will take me to Fort Benton, you will find fifty dollars -waiting for you here in care of Pastor Crozier when you return,” he -said. - -The good-natured captain agreed. When the boat came into Sioux City -again many weeks later, he promptly received the fifty dollars. So much -was he impressed by the incident, that he sent the greater part of the -money to Montana for the missionary’s work――to help “encourage people -to be good.” The debt was paid in a curious manner. A group of friends -back in the oil region of Pennsylvania had been following the western -journey of the young missionary with deep interest but with no real -knowledge of his exact circumstances. They realized, however, that some -money would “come in handy,” and without previous notice or arrangement -had forwarded to Pastor Crozier, at Sioux City, a sum which made it -possible for him to keep the promise which the dauntless Van Orsdel had -made to the captain. - -It was on June 12, 1872, that the boat, the _Far West_, started on its -twelve-hundred-mile trip up the Missouri River carrying the missionary -to his new work. This proved to be a notable run, the quickest made -by any boat to Fort Benton. The reason for the unusual speed was the -fact that a rival boat, the _Nellie Peck_, had left Sioux City two days -before, and the captain was eager to pass her. In spite of insufficient -fuel, hostile Indians, and difficult channels, the _Far West_ came to -Fort Benton one hour before the _Nellie Peck_. - -On the second day out from Sioux City the tenderfoot missionary on the -boat saw a battle between hostile Indians on the banks of the river, -and the question came to him, “If we are in hostile country so soon, -what will it be when we get to Montana?” - -Coming to the Upper Missouri, they found that the woodchoppers had -been either killed or driven away. No coal was used on the river boats -in those days; so whenever fresh supplies of cut wood were not ready -at the usual supply points, the boat roustabouts would rush into the -cottonwood groves near the bank, chop down trees and carry the logs on -deck to be cut into lengths as the steamer proceeded. The pilot-house -and other parts of the _Far West_ showed that the aim of the Indians -was far from perfect as they pursued the frantic workers, for the men -escaped unhurt, while the boat was frequently struck by the shots of -the attacking party. - -At one time when the boat was nearly out of wood a landing was made -close to a large cottonwood flat. The plank had scarcely touched the -shore when from all directions there advanced parties of Sioux warriors -in full war-regalia. Two braves with a great following came on board. -One of them was a splendid specimen of Indian manhood. He stood over -six feet high and wore a brilliant bead war-bonnet, decorated with many -eagle feathers; each feather represented a scalp taken in the terrible -warfare which these tribes practised. In one hand he held a tomahawk, -and with the other grasped the folds of his gorgeous robe. It was a -critical moment. If these chiefs should be angered, the boat would be -at the mercy of the band. The captain made gifts of pipes, beads, and -jewelry, and without showing too much anxiety, tactfully persuaded them -to depart. - -When the Indians had taken their leave, the boat proceeded as far as it -could go with its scanty supply of wood. Again a stop was made for fuel, -and as the roustabouts were loading it, a remarkable personage suddenly -appeared. He was a tall, athletic, white man, with long black hair -flung back on his shoulders from beneath a wide-brimmed hat. His suit -was of buckskin and he wore a cartridge belt, while on his arm there -rested a fine rifle. As he came on board the vessel, the missionary -watched him wonderingly. It was his first meeting with a man who was to -become world famous for his exploits in the far West, William F. Cody, -known more commonly as Buffalo Bill. - -These are not the only names by which this interesting man was called -in the course of his long and thrilling career among cowboys and -Indians. First he was little Billy Cody, the western messenger; then -Wild Bill, the pony express rider, and as a grown man he was known as -Bill Cody, the wagon master. Finally, to the heart’s delight of boys -and girls the world over, he became Buffalo Bill. For many years before -his death in 1917, he was generally spoken of as Colonel William F. -Cody; but to the Indians he will always be their beloved “Pa-has-ka,” -or “Long Hair.” - -When Cody was told about the braves having boarded the boat dressed -in full war-regalia, he marveled. “That was the band of Sitting -Bull and Rain-in-the-Face, two Sioux Indian chiefs,” he exclaimed. -“They have five hundred men with them and are out for a lark. It is -miraculous that you escaped, for you have in the boat just what they -most want――food and ammunition.” - - Illustration: Courtesy of the American Bureau of Ethnology. - - SITTING BULL WAS DRESSED IN FULL WAR REGALIA - -Sitting Bull’s life story has been the theme of many writers. This -great warrior was a medicine-man, who preached of a happy day to come -when the palefaces should all be wiped out, and the land which they -had occupied should be restored to the Indians. To this end he greatly -incited his people to murder and devastation, but one thing must be -remembered, Sitting Bull believed firmly that the Indians were unfairly -treated. He sternly declared, “God Almighty made me――God Almighty -did not make me an agency Indian. I’ll fight and die fighting before -any white man can make me an agency Indian.” And he did. He defied -the government up to the very moment of his death in 1890; and his -resistance did not end until he fell pierced by the bullets of the -soldiers sent to take his person dead or alive. - -Rain-in-the-Face was a warrior who had met all the tests of the -exacting medicine-man, Sitting Bull. His breast had been slashed, -and rawhide strips passed through it by which he was to hang until -the flesh gave way. Sitting Bull was not satisfied with the test and -maintained that the flesh had torn away too soon. Rain-in-the-Face -thereupon demanded another trial, lest he spend the rest of his life -despised as a squaw. So the strips were passed through the muscles of -his back, and for two days he hung, taunting his torturers, jeering, -and singing war songs. At last Sitting Bull was satisfied, and buffalo -skulls were hung on the feet of the tortured brave so that the folds of -flesh might tear away and release him. After that rather terrible test, -he was counted worthy of the title of warrior. Rain-in-the-Face died at -Standing Rock Agency in 1905. - -The voyage in the _Far West_ became more and more exciting as the boat -proceeded. Indian camps came into view peopled so entirely by squaws -and children, that it was evident that the men were out on hostile -business. Great herds of buffalo and numberless droves of deer and -antelope were to be seen roaming on the prairie. - -Young Van Orsdel was fascinated by the novelty of it all. His high -spirits, his friendliness, and his willingness to help in every way -made him a general favorite, and he soon won the complete confidence -of the captain and the roustabouts. He gave a hand at any odd job -that offered, singing as he worked, and daily living out his religion -of happiness and trust. When the woodchoppers were at work, he would -climb to some high point where he could watch the wide prairie for the -approach of Indians. In leisure moments as the boat forged ahead he -sang for the crew, much to their enjoyment, for his voice was of fine -quality and persuasive in tone. He became a fast friend of Jack, the -cabin boy, for he helped him to wash the dishes and arrange the tables. -Many were the intimate talks they had about their distant homes and -friends. As a result of this new friendship Jack became a Christian, -and later abandoned the river to take up the varied life of a frontier -preacher. So helpful was the missionary, that by the time the journey -came to its close, he was called the Sky Pilot of the expedition. He -was a friend to every one, from the captain to the lowest laborer. - -The voyage contained one other interesting experience. At a landing -near Fort Benton, a typical plainsman clad entirely in buckskin boarded -the boat, saying, “I can’t stay in this place any longer. There are too -many hostile Indians.” This was Jim Dexter, who became one of Montana’s -great landholders and one of its well-known pioneers. From the first -moment of meeting there sprang up a warm friendship between him and -William Van Orsdel. This tie grew stronger in the long years following, -as in their different fields of effort they threw themselves into the -task of building a commonwealth in the wilderness. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - BROTHER VAN - - -ABOUT seven o’clock on the first day of July, 1872, a gloomy, clouded -Sunday morning, the _Far West_ drew up to the landing at Fort Benton -and established the record for an up-river trip on the Missouri, -seventeen days and twenty hours from Sioux City. That was an exciting -Sabbath day for the settlement. The _Nellie Peck_ arrived an hour later; -while from St. Louis came the _Josephine_ after a sixty-days’ trip. - -A number of ox-trains were waiting to take the incoming freight to -the towns and settlements beyond; some of these were many days distant. -Wagons drawn by mules and horses were crowded around the landing, eager -for what business might turn up. Cowboys, Indians, and soldiers from -the Fort mixed in the crowd, making the motley assembly which greeted -our Sky Pilot as he stepped on shore. All the white families came from -the tiny shacks of the new town to join in the curious throng as it -welcomed this unusual stir in the monotony of frontier life. - -The tenderfoot did not know the terror of “gumbo,” but as he made his -way through the streets in the rain, he found the soil sticking to his -shoes in such quantities as to make walking difficult. It was God’s -day, and in spite of the dismal weather, the missionary trudged through -the town seeking a place to hold services. He was told that he could -use the courthouse. This sounded encouraging and he turned toward the -building eagerly. Disappointment was awaiting him, for it was only an -adobe structure, and the rain had washed holes in the roof and walls -through which muddy streams of water were pouring. - -In continuing his search for a place in which to hold worship, William -learned that a Roman Catholic priest, Father Van Gorp, was conducting -a service in a saloon near by. He sought him out and was received -cordially. On hearing the desire of the newcomer, the priest assured -him that he could have the room as soon as his service was concluded, -for he intended to take passage on a boat which was to leave the Fort -in a few hours. - -It was at that afternoon meeting of his first day in Fort Benton -that William Van Orsdel received the name of Brother Van. There -was a frankness and kindness in the young man’s manner toward these -strangers before him. The years of unselfish service for others, and -his conviction regarding the work he must do in the West had developed -a magnetic personality. The rough and hearty frontier people were keen -judges of character. They saw at once in the stranger, who had come -among them so naturally and courageously, a sincere, helpful spirit. -“Brother” was just the word that described him. “Van” was as much of -that lengthy and dignified name of his as they felt that they could -take the trouble to say. So, with the good-natured bluntness of the -West, “Brother Van” he became. It now rarely occurs to any of his -friends and neighbors that he has any other name. They would probably -assure you, if you were to raise the question with them, that he was -christened “Brother Van.” - -Crowded in the saloon on that afternoon were the steamboat officers, -roustabouts, freighters, cowboys, Indians, and settlers, making a -strange audience for the young missionary’s first Montana sermon. He -would talk for a while, and then, when the attention wavered, he would -sing the songs that some of them had heard back East before they had -come under the hardening influences of the rough western life. Brother -Van asked if they would like an evening service and received an eager -request for one. The news of the arrival of this tenderfoot and of -his message and singing had traveled fast; so in the evening a larger -congregation gathered. Again he gave the message that many of them -had been missing in a long period of separation from church life, and -again hearts were stirred, as for the first time in years the uncertain -voices tried to follow the singing of the gospel songs which had been -sung “back home.” - -There is no written record of the sermons of that day; but the simple, -straightforward manner of the preacher made a lasting impression on -the hearts of that strange crowd. The missionary spirit of the zealous -youth so won the respect of the cowboys that they withheld from this -tenderfoot the “initiation” which they were accustomed to give to -strangers. Brother Van was a vigorous youth with a florid complexion -and light hair. The simple directness of his manner and the good humor -showing in his blue eyes, so ready to twinkle with fun, gained fast -friends for him in the odd mixture of peoples. - -While the _Far West_ was in port, Captain Coulson extended the -hospitality of the boat to his missionary passenger, though his -obligations had really ceased when he reached the town. When the boat -started back down the river, carrying the only people whom he knew, -pangs of homesickness came to the lonely youth; now he felt himself -truly a stranger in a strange land. But a new friend appeared. A good -woman who had been at the service on Sunday opened her home to him, -and established that night an “institution” which gradually extended -throughout the state of Montana, “Brother Van’s room.” Even in the -newest town where a beginning was just being made, there was always -some home in which a place was set apart to receive the welcome -traveler whenever he could come that way. - - Illustration: RUINS OF HISTORIC FORT BENTON, WHERE BROTHER VAN - ATE JERKED BUFFALO MEAT AND HEARD TALES OF INDIAN - WARFARE - -On the Monday following that eventful Sabbath, Brother Van set -out to explore the town. The central interest of Fort Benton was its -fur trading. This industry was developed in the United States by the -enterprise of John Jacob Astor. He saw that Canada was profiting by -this trade, and in 1812 he petitioned Congress to establish fur trading -posts within the boundaries of the United States, and to introduce such -goods as were necessary for bartering with the Indians. - -Trading posts soon began to dot the vast wilderness of the North and -West. They were all built on the same general plan. A heavy stockade -was made by driving tree trunks into the earth so close together as to -make a wall, the only opening left being a massive double gate. In one -of the sections of this gate was a small door through which in times of -danger the trader could admit a single person at a time. He could open -it and talk with any Indian who came, without allowing the visitor to -enter. Within the outer stockade was an open space; then in the center -was a strongly built log or adobe structure containing the trader’s -quarters, storeroom, and the fort. In the wall of the storeroom was -an opening about eighteen inches square. This was called the “trading -hole” and was protected by heavy shutters controlled from the inside. - -When the Indians came with their packs of furs the trader’s men met -them outside the stockade, and took from them all guns, bows, arrows, -tomahawks, and any other dangerous weapons which they might be carrying. -Then, in a group at a time, they were admitted to the stockade and -the heavy gates locked behind them. They were virtually prisoners, and -advancing across the open space between the stockade and the fort, they -would come to the trading hole, where the agent of the fur merchant’s -company was waiting to barter with them. - -One by one the Indians would offer to the trader, who was often an -unscrupulous cheat, the beautiful soft furs which had been secured by -trapping and shooting amid the dangers and the hardships of the cold -and lonely North. Gaudy calico, cheap blankets, or the bad combination -of bullets and whisky, were given in exchange for the valuable pelts. -To such traders, to certain selfish and designing settlers, and to some -of the government agents, who have steadily driven the Indians back and -back from wide prairie to a hunting ground, and then to a reservation, -the red man owes much of the degradation and humiliation which overtook -him. - -As we look curiously at the straggling herds of buffalo, deer, and -antelope in our parks and preserves to-day, we can scarcely realize -how abundant was the game which the early hunters and trappers found -roaming over the “Great American Desert.” There is evidence of one -herd of buffalo that made the earth brown for a stretch of country -seventy miles long by thirty miles wide. On one of the first railroads -to be laid across the plains of Kansas, a train was once held up for -nine hours while a herd crossed the tracks. Both whites and Indians -slaughtered these vast herds carelessly and wantonly, using a variety -of methods. A government report of 1875 speaks of one hundred thousand -buffalo that were killed near Dodge City, Kansas. Only the saddles were -used for food. The same report says: “It is known that south of the -Arkansas River, west of Wichita, there were from one to two thousand -men killing buffalo for hides alone.” At one place on the south forks -of the Republican River in 1874, there were six thousand and five -hundred carcases from which the hides had been stripped. - -Towers for religious purposes, or medicine lodges, were built by the -Indians with the horns of buffalo, antelope, and deer. Some of these -towers were so high that they could be seen for many miles. Father -De Smet speaks of seeing one of them from the Missouri River as he -made his way westward in the year 1846. As a result of this enormous -destruction of the herds, the hide markets became so glutted that -the skins of bulls brought only one dollar, and the hides of cows and -calves from forty to sixty cents each. - -Just outside of the city of Fort Benton there was pointed out to -Brother Van a famous cliff about one hundred and twenty feet high and -rising sheer from the river. There the Indians were in the habit of -killing buffalo by a method that is interesting if brutal. A fleet, -active young man of the tribe would disguise himself as a buffalo by -wearing a buffalo skin with the head attached. He was possessed also of -a “Iuis Kini” (i uis-ki ni) or buffalo stone, which gave power to call -buffalo. Before a run to a “falling place,” he spent the night invoking -the aid of the gods by burning sweet grass and sweet pine to draw the -spirits. He purified himself by passing through the smoke of this fire. - -When all was ready the buffalo hunter would attract the -attention of the herd by strange antics, and then begin to call: -“Hoo-hoo-hoo-ini-uh-ini-uh.” Men and women concealed behind rocks began -to yell; and the buffalo, terrified, ran with ever increasing speed -toward the decoy, who led them toward the precipice. The herd, which -might vary in number from one hundred and fifty to ten thousand, would -rush blindly forward and plunge over the wall to death in the shallow -water beneath. The decoy would dodge into a crevice previously chosen -in the edge of the cliff. - -Brother Van had arrived in this interesting country of Indian exploits -just before an eventful day, the Fourth of July. He was invited to the -Fort as a guest of the non-commissioned officers. The Stars and Stripes -fluttered over the rude barracks every day, but in the town the flag -was displayed to show that it was a holiday. Wild scenes were enacted -in the saloons, and Indians, who were waiting with their hard-earned -furs, learned of the white man’s “fire-water,” which was used freely -in the celebration. - -Out in the stockade of the fort a feast was spread. The boat had -brought bread and dried fruit, both of which were great delicacies. -These, combined with the usual western fare, made a sumptuous repast. -The western fare consisted of “jerked buffalo,” which is simply -dried buffalo meat, fresh antelope meat, a great delicacy even to the -westerner, and the best dish of all, dried buffalo tongue. - -Speeches were made and weird stories told of the warfare with the -Indians. The eastern youth listened and wondered, and on that day he -pondered over the subject of the red man’s condition. Later he decided -the matter in his own mind; he knew that the Indian had been more -sinned against than sinning, and that the original American had been -greatly misunderstood. - -Those days of tarrying were fruitful days for William Van Orsdel. Not -only were the cowboys and freighters won to friendship by his sympathy, -but the Indians’ confidence was gained. Friends, whose helpfulness -was to last through his busy lifetime, became interested in him. Young -Tatton, a tall, vigorous, fighting scout, a member of Company B of the -Seventh Infantry, was one of the men who became one of Brother Van’s -fast friends in those days. He knew the West and understood its joys -and privations thoroughly. He had noticed the new preacher as he faced -the motley crowd that first day in Fort Benton. Though Tatton was a -Roman Catholic, he admired the zeal which had found a way and a place -for religious services on the very day on which the missionary had set -foot on the new soil. With leveled eyes the soldier scout had watched -the crowd as they listened to that first earnest sermon of the eager -newcomer, and to Brother Van he gave his support and a loyal and -lasting friendship. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - A BROTHER TO THE BLACKFOOT - - -THE first strenuous days in Fort Benton, and the welcome he received -there, might have convinced Brother Van that he had found a good place -in which to settle. It was plain that his ministry was much needed -and the prospects for a growing and useful work were bright. But he -never forgot for a moment that he had taken the long journey from his -Gettysburg home for the sake of serving among the Indians. Hence it is -not surprising that within a week from that exciting morning when he -had begun his Montana preaching career in the crowded barroom, we find -him pushing on toward one of the agencies where he could more readily -get in touch with the tribes. Again his attractive manner and his -earnestness of purpose won for him a lift on his way, only this time he -was to jolt over the rough prairie roads in a heavy wagon, instead of -gliding smoothly along the Missouri. - -The Regimental Adjutant from Fort Shaw had brought his wife into -Fort Benton so that she might take passage on the return trip of the -_Far West_. The Adjutant had met Brother Van, and learning of the -missionary’s desire to continue his journey to the West, had invited -him to share the army wagon for the ride back to the post. The eager -young traveler grasped this opportunity without delay. It did not -take him long to stow away his baggage in the army conveyance, for his -scanty wardrobe made only a small bundle. He took his place beside the -Adjutant, and soon they were rumbling over the prairie toward Sun River -settlement and Fort Shaw. - -The gumbo was still sticky and tough from the rains of the previous -days, and it was apparent from the first that there was to be a hard -journey ahead. The five army mules drawing the wagon objected to the -heavy traveling of the unbroken roads, and caused delays by their -“objections.” The driver’s patience at last was exhausted, and in true -western style he spoke to the errant beasts. Then he remembered that -there was a preacher in the wagon, and apologized for the language he -had used. Brother Van showed himself to be a very human missionary, for -he laughingly replied, “Why, bless your soul, you express my sentiments -exactly, though I can’t approve of your language.” - -Before dark a severe thunderstorm overtook the travelers, and the -only shelter they could find was a lonely, deserted cabin. Here they -spent the night, making the best of such comforts as were found in the -government wagon. The coyotes sang a lonely song, and the prairie-dogs, -their only neighbors, made vigorous protests against the intruders. -This was the initiation of the tenderfoot preacher into the joys of -overland journeying. - -On the next day they reached Sun River where no church or schoolhouse -existed; so again a place for Sunday service was sought, and a -Christian home was found which was opened gladly for this unaccustomed -use. Riders were sent out to all the settlements within reach, with -the result that on the following day a fine congregation gathered in -the frontier cabin. Carelessness about habits of prayer and worship -was common among these lonely people of the opening West. Brother Van’s -tender songs and warning words brought a genuine response from them. - -After the service the travelers pushed on so that they might reach -Fort Shaw by evening. At this place also, Brother Van immediately set -about making arrangements to preach; and within a short time he had the -soldiers of the garrison gathered about him, talking to them in a manly, -helpful way that won their interest and their respect. - -Tarrying but a day at Fort Shaw, he traveled with several companions -north to the town of Chouteau, which was on the Teton River, and -fifteen miles from the base of the Rocky Mountains. He hastened then -to the Indian agency near there where the Blackfeet were settled. This -tribe had migrated from Canada to the prairies of Montana, and it is -interesting to know that they had been first called “Blackfeet” by the -Flatheads and Shoshones, for when they had come to the end of their -long journey, their moccasins were travel-stained and black. - -On arriving at the agency, the missionary first made himself known to -the officials and clerks and spoke to a group of them. They received -him cordially and from the beginning of his stay he was given fresh -confidence for his new work by the good will that they showed him. In -his first meetings with the Indians the Blackfeet tribesmen listened -to him stolidly and were apparently unmoved; but they caught the spirit -of brotherhood in this paleface preacher, and they soon began to show -signs of their approval of him. Brother Van was happy indeed in the -new opportunities opening before him, and in the increasing evidence -that the Indians gave of their affection for him. He was fascinated -by the strange life and mysterious customs which he found all about -him. During his stay with the Blackfeet, and through later years, the -missionary loved to study their ceremonies and legends. - -One of the oldest institutions of the tribe was the building of the -medicine lodge, a celebration which Brother Van followed with the -keenest interest. It took place at the time of the ripening of berries -in the summer, and lasted through four days and nights. The lodge was -always erected in fulfilment of a vow made by some woman of the tribe -who was in trouble and who wished the help of the gods, perhaps to -bring back in safety a husband or son away at war, or to restore a -sick child to health. Her pledge was made publicly, so that all the -tribe would know that she would build the lodge in case her prayer -was granted. At the proper time the whole tribe would assemble and -set up their lodges in a circle in the middle of which the medicine -lodge was erected. The woman who had made the vow neither ate nor drank -throughout the four days, except once only, and that in sacrifice. -The other members of the tribe gave themselves over to visiting and -feasting with their friends, and, also, to a strange kind of worship in -which they tried to prove the sincerity of their prayers by torturing -themselves in various painful ways. - -The lodge was built in accordance with a plan which the Sun himself was -supposed to have given to one of the young men of the tribe in ancient -times. It represented the world, and was made by placing small trees -of uniform size in a circle, and bending the branches toward the center -to form the roof. One half of it was painted red for the Sun, and the -other half black to represent night. In recent years the medicine lodge -is seldom used owing to the effect of modern education in destroying -the superstitious beliefs of the Indians, and within another generation -the ceremony will probably be extinct. - - Illustration: Board of Home Missions and Church Extension - Methodist Episcopal Church. - - BROTHER VAN VISITING A MEDICINE LODGE ERECTED AS - A TRIBAL CEREMONY BY THE BLACKFEET INDIANS - -Brother Van also discovered that the tribal dances were not as simple -as they had appeared to be, but that they were filled with hidden -meanings, and that each had a history of its own. The story of the -Pigeon Dance, which was one of those witnessed by the new missionary, -shows the background of folk tales, dreams, and of the imitation of -animal and bird life from which these dances grew. It is believed by -the people that all of their dances originated in the dream of a seer -of the tribe many generations ago. The custom was for some old man -to go off into absolute seclusion out of sound of any human voice. He -then subjected himself to various ceremonials, and becoming at last -exhausted sought sleep and dreams. The process was continued until -something new and unheard of was dreamed. The seeker for “something new -under the sun” would then come back to the waiting tribe, and patiently -wait and watch for his dream to come true. Not until he saw it in -reality could he call the tribe together and proclaim the glad news. - -Once upon a time an old man went away to a quiet spot and after the -proper ceremonials fell asleep and the much desired dream came to him. -He saw a flock of beautiful, many-colored pigeons and as they circled -and whirled, he perceived that they were in truth executing a rythmic -dance. With grace and perfection of motion they performed wonderful -and intricate figures. Their soft cooing made a weird and strange -music which added to the charm of the mystical dances. The old man had -dreamed the dream for which he longed. He came back to the tribe and -said nothing, but he watched for the realization of the vision. - -Eagerly he sought the nesting and feeding places of pigeons. One day -he actually saw the birds dancing as he had seen them in his dream. -Immediately runners were sent forth to call the people together. A -great feast was prepared at which the seer announced the vision that -he had seen, and the manner in which the dance was conducted. On the -American nation’s birthday in the year 1917, this strange but beautiful -dance was a part of the celebration at the Blackfeet Indian agency, and -Brother Van, so long a friend of the Indians, was the guest of honor. - -The missionary found that through their love of beauty and heroism -the Indians had a peculiar understanding and appreciation of Bible -history. There was much in their simple, wandering life that made them -feel a close kinship with those shepherds, hunters, and warriors of the -ancient East. They had passed through the same great human experiences, -and they shared many of the same beliefs. In their crude and faltering -way they, too, looked up to a Great Spirit who made all things and -upon whose bounty all men depend. As they told Brother Van their tribal -legends, he was struck by the remarkable resemblance which many of -these bore to some of the stories of the Bible. The Blackfeet story of -the forming of the world is peculiarly interesting because it shows the -belief which they have in a Creator. - -“In the beginning there was water everywhere. A raft was floating on -which Old Man (the Sun) and all the animals were gathered. Old Man -wished to make land. He sent the beaver to the bottom of the water to -bring up mud. The beaver never reached the bottom. The loon was tried -and he failed. The otter made the perilous journey and failed. At last -the muskrat was sent down. He was gone so long that Old Man thought he -was drowned. Finally he came up and floated almost dead. He was pulled -on top of the raft, and as they looked at his paws, they found a little -mud on them. Old Man dried this mud and scattered it over the water, -and land was formed. - -“Old Man then began to make the earth to suit him. He marked places -for rivers to run. Sometimes the rivers ran smoothly and sometimes -with falls. He made mountains, prairies, and timber. He carried a lot -of rocks around with him, and of these he made mountains. He caused -grass to grow on the plains for the animals to feed upon. He marked -certain pieces of land where berries should grow; others where camas -should grow; others for wild carrots and turnips, and others for -service-berries, bull-berries, and rosebuds. - -“He made the Big Horn sheep and put it on the prairie, but it was -awkward and slow; so he put it on the rough hills, and it skipped about. -While Old Man was in the mountains he made the antelope. It ran so fast -that it hurt itself; so he put it on the plains and said, ‘This is the -place that will suit you.’ - -“At last he decided to make a woman and a child. He modeled clay in -human shape and laid the forms on the ground and said, ‘You shall be -people.’ After four days they were changed and he said, ‘Stand up and -walk.’ They walked to the river and the woman said, ‘Shall we live -forever?’ Old Man said, ‘I had not thought of that. We must decide. -I’ll throw this buffalo chip in the water. If it floats, people shall -live after being dead for four days. If it sinks, that shall be the end -of them.’ - -“He threw the chip. It floated. The woman said, ‘No, I will throw this -stone into the water. If it floats, we shall live always; if it sinks, -people must die.’ The rock sank. Old Man said, ‘You have chosen. That -will be an end to them.’ By and by the child died and the woman wanted -to change the law, but Old Man answered, ‘What is made law must be law.’ - -“At first people had claws like bears so that they might gather roots -and berries. There were buffalo which killed and ate people. Old Man -said, ‘I’ll change this. From this day on the people shall eat buffalo.’ -So he cut some service-berry shoots and peeled them; then he took a -flat piece of wood and tied strips of green hide to it and made a bow. -On one end of each light, straight shoot, he tied a chip of hard stone, -and on the other end he put a feather. He gave them to the men, saying, -‘Take these the next time you go among buffalo. Shoot as I have taught -you.’ - -“When the arrows first struck the buffalo, it called out, ‘Oh, my -friends, a great fly is biting me.’ After the buffalo had been killed, -Old Man saw his people eat the raw flesh. ‘I will show you something -better,’ said he. He gathered soft, dried, rotten wood. He took another -piece of wood and rapidly drilled a hole in it with an arrow-head. A -tiny flame soon sprang up from which he kindled a big fire and showed -his children how to roast the meat.” - -The history of the forming of the Blackfeet Indian tribe is also very -quaint, and it could not but have an especial appeal to Brother Van, -for from his early youth his life had been one to encourage clean -living. The story tells how one brave looked with disfavor upon the -tribal vices and misdemeanors, and strove to bring the members into a -finer, cleaner way of living. His own life was pure and good, and his -people recognized this, but they would not heed his pleadings. Finally, -he went off into the silence of the plains to communicate with the -Great Spirit. He told of his desire for his people: that they should -all be pure and strong; that the maidens should be contented; that they -should dwell in a land where game abounded, and where wars should never -come. From this great spiritual leader the Blackfeet tribe was said to -have descended. - -As Brother Van pursued his work among his beloved Indians, they became -more and more attached to him. Like the white residents, they, too, -accepted their kind-hearted visitor as a brother. This tie deepened -with the years in which he was known to them, and in time a great honor -came to him. He was adopted into the tribe, and with a picturesque -ceremony he was received into their circle and given a new name, -Amahk-Us-Ki-Tsi-Pahk-Pa, which means “Great Heart” or “Big Heart.” -There was a tribute in the meaning of those queer syllables which any -man might be proud to win――especially from people of a different race. -At the same time he received a gift of a new and beautiful tribal -costume from them. It is Brother Van’s custom to visit the Blackfeet -every year on the Fourth of July when he wears his Indian costume and -celebrates the nation’s birthday with his Indian brothers. - - Illustration: Board of Home Missions and Church Extension - Methodist Episcopal Church. - - THE PICTURESQUE CEREMONY OF ADOPTION INTO THE - BLACKFEET TRIBE - -With the progress of his work on the agency, Brother Van’s indignation -was aroused by the injustice and oppression dealt to the red man. -As he witnessed the system of trading, he came to see with ever -increasing clearness, that the Indians would never have the necessary -opportunities for progress and development unless the white man, and -the white man’s government, could be brought to deal fairly and justly -with these original inhabitants of the plains. The very future of the -Indian race he saw to be at stake. “What is the use,” he asked himself, -“of teaching and training these people when diseases caused by contact -with the white man’s civilization are threatening their existence, and -when their living is being taken from them by the settlement of their -lands?” - -The problem which confronted the missionary has been put briefly in a -more recent time by Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the Hon. Cato Sells, -who says, “Before you educate the Indian you must save his life.” As -Brother Van faced the misery, the disease, and the ignorance among them, -he decided that even to save the Indians’ lives, to say nothing of -winning them to Christ, it would be necessary to lead the white people -to change their ways. How could he continue to try to convert and -educate the Indians, when the Indians could see very plainly that the -white preacher’s brothers were very much in need of the same kind of -teaching? - -Gradually Brother Van’s resolution was formed――he must give his first -attention to establishing churches in the new towns that the white -settlers were building. It meant giving up the life among the people -he had come to serve, and who already had shown many encouraging signs -of response to his preaching. His decision led him away from his new -friends and back among his own race, but he continued to come into -contact with the Indians from time to time. His sympathy with them and -his understanding of their habits helped him to teach them successfully. -Through the years he proved himself to be “Great Heart,” a brother to -the Blackfoot. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - THE GOSPEL TEAM - - -THE unfriendly conditions which Brother Van found growing between the -Indians and the whites led later to the Custer Massacre. While in the -missionary’s mind there was no expectation of such a serious climax, -yet he saw that the idea of a real brotherhood of man must be given -as quickly as possible to the traders, miners, ranchmen, and settlers. -Through their better understanding of Christ’s religion the Indian -through example would be led to know the white man’s God. - -It was a fresh quest that made Brother Van set out for Helena, -which was then a comparatively large settlement. The town was in the -proximity of the gold mine called Last Chance Gulch. This mine has an -interesting history. Prospectors had been for long, weary months at -Silver Creek, which was twelve or thirteen miles from where Helena now -stands. Luck had been against them, and they packed their horses and -came down the trail disheartened and “broke.” They resolved to give up -the search and go home. Coming into Helena in the evening, they made -camp close to the tiny town, intending to leave early on the following -day. - -On the next morning the horses were loaded, and everything was in -readiness for the start, when the unquenchable faith of the prospector -moved John Cowan to take up a pick and to make one more attempt to find -ore. - -“Well, boys, here’s our last chance,” he said, carelessly, as he drove -his pick into the ground. - -He struck gold. From that mine fifty to eighty million dollars’ worth -of gold was taken. The words of the lucky prospector always stuck to -the section, and it was called Last Chance Gulch. The mine was five -miles long and the vein two hundred feet wide. One nugget was free -from quartz, and was worth two thousand and seventy-three dollars. Last -Chance Gulch has a thrilling record. Scenes of adventure and death took -place there. Men made vast fortunes. Other men lost all that they had -and went away broken in spirit. Gamblers won and lost; prospectors -failed; but always Last Chance paid in gold. - -Entering Helena to-day, you will find a thriving, bustling city, proud -of one of the finest hotels in the Northwest. The hotel stands on the -spot where the miner stuck in his pick. Enough gold was found in the -soil to pay for the excavation, and this was taken from the “tailings,” -or discarded earth handled by the early miners. But Helena was a -typical mining town when the Eastern tenderfoot came. He was at the -mercy of the hard element. Only the rare good judgment and a sense of -the fitness of things saved the preacher and made his ministrations -possible. - -Brother Van made a short stay there, and then, as a missionary -to “everywhere,” he pressed on to Bozeman. There he found the only -Methodist Church building in Montana Territory. It was a brick church -and it had been built through the enterprise of the Rev. Thomas C. -Iliff. This missionary was a great force in the new West. He brought a -dainty, cultured, Eastern bride to the unsettled territory. Through the -inspiration of her companionship and tactful assistance, together with -his own natural courage and ability, he became a notable power for good -in the development of the West. - -Dr. Iliff had come to Helena in Eastern finery, and appeared on -the streets adorned with an immaculate linen frock coat, fancy vest, -striped trousers, and silk hat. As he came along the streets, cries of -“Fresh fish! Fresh fish!” greeted him. The silk hat seemed particularly -to annoy the deriding miners who closed in around the preacher. -His fighting blood was up, and the new preacher continued his way, -apparently undaunted by the jeers of the crowd. But early next morning -he stole forth to a hatter’s and purchased a wide-brimmed hat, which -style of hat, by the way, he wore to the day of his death. With the -aid of the obliging haberdasher, the silk hat was wrapped to resemble a -joint of stove-pipe and it afterward became a relic of by-gone splendor. -Brother Van and the hero of the tall hat story became fast friends, -and had many an adventure together in the years of roughing it that -followed. - -A pony had been given to Brother Van during his visit at Helena. He -was now in reality a circuit-rider, and as he became familiar on the -plains, he and his steed began to be known everywhere as the “Gospel -Team.” They traveled through a large section of the state and when -the anniversary of Brother Van’s arrival in Montana came, it was -an experienced preacher who celebrated it. Such a wonderful year it -had been! Hardships were forgotten in the triumphs, for many “first -services” had been conducted, and scores of “first members” had been -received. The year had brought friends, and his faithful pony seemed to -be a real partner in service. Into the preacher’s pocketbook had gone -exactly seventy-five dollars as the year’s salary, but there was no -thought of quitting because of the lack of stipend. The West had called -him and had claimed him. - -On the day that marked the end of his first year in Montana, Brother -Van received from the Conference an appointment as Junior Preacher -to the Rev. F. A. Riggin. The appointment read: “To Beaver Head and -Jefferson District.” - -Virginia City in the southwest corner of the state was the center of -this circuit. Beaver Head, Madison River, and Salmon City, one hundred -and fifty miles away, were its three points. Montana had been set -off from Idaho and erected into a separate territory in May, 1864. -Brother Van’s circuit, therefore, extended across the Rocky Mountains -into Idaho as far as Salmon City. The region provided variety in its -characteristics. There were lonely trails to travel over for the pony -and Brother Van, and for his co-worker, Mr. Riggin. There were only -eighteen members of the church in all that large region. The junior and -senior preachers so arranged their work that one man took care of the -regular appointments while the other did the evangelistic work. By this -plan a continuous series of evangelistic meetings was held for seven -months. At the end of their first year in the district, seven new -societies had been organized, and one hundred and fifty new members -received into the church. - -Among the long rides which the Gospel Team took was one to the town of -Butte. In describing the occasion Brother Van remarked dryly: “We had -all but ten of the whole town in our congregation on that first night.” -This would be a remarkable statement if it were made to-day; but at -that time the population of Butte was exactly fifty people. The city is -now the most important railway center in the state. It has been called -the “greatest mining camp in the world.” Brother Van’s visit was at the -very beginning of the history of what is now a city of great interest -to America. - -When the snow cleared away the Gospel Team penetrated to the National -Park, and one day on coming into the Upper Yellowstone Valley, Brother -Van found a large congregation waiting. One man said: “If a herd of -wild buffalo had run through the streets of St. Louis it could not have -caused more comment than that a preacher had come to the Yellowstone.” -The National Park was then but a year old, and the grandeur of the -“Wonderland of America” was beginning to be appreciated. It was in the -famous place of geysers, deep canyons, and waterfalls, where nature had -combined many influences to produce the beauty of the surrounding scene, -that Brother Van conducted the first Protestant religious service held -in the new park. The missionary continued to go about steadily from -section to section and at the close of his five years of work in -Montana as missionary to everywhere, he received the appointment of -local deacon. It was just about the date of this recognition, that the -trouble brewing between the Indians and the white men developed into -the Indian wars. - -The settlers lived in small isolated communities. Some of the pioneers -had seized the opportunity to return east to visit their old homes -while the Centennial Exhibition was in progress in Philadelphia in the -year 1876. In the spring of that year gold had been discovered in the -Black Hills of Dakota, an almost unknown region girt around by what is -known as Bad Lands, or “Medicine Country,” as the Indians called it. At -once there was a rush of miners out of Montana to the new fields. This -move helped to reduce the white population. A spirit of rebellion had -been steadily rising in the minds of the red men until it reached the -open hostility soon to give to American history the fearful story of -the Custer Massacre. - - Illustration: Copyright, W. T. Ridgely Calendar Co. - Painting by Charles M. Russell. - - INDIANS WERE EVERYWHERE STEALING HORSES AND - TERRIFYING SETTLERS - -The Indians objected so strongly to the intrusion of prospectors and -others into their territory, that they sent Red Cloud and Spotted Tail -to Washington to protest, because the coming of the white men into -that region was a clear violation of existing treaties. The government -promised to keep prospectors out, but failed to do so. The Indians -then demanded payment for their lands. The government sent a commission -which reported that force would be the only way to settle the dispute. -The Indians also decided that this was their only method of protest. -It had been seen that the first meetings worked no advantage to either -side, but served only to anger both Indians and whites. A message was -sent by the United States government to Sitting Bull, who had gathered -all the warriors around him in the Big Horn country. He was ordered -to return to the Reservation, or the United States would make war on -his people. He sent this reply: “When you come for me you need bring no -guides. You will easily find me. I shall be right here. I shall not run -away.” - -He kept his promise. The Indians took their allowance from the United -States government and bought bullets and guns. They gathered along -the Rosebud and Little Big Horn rivers and among the hills and valleys -between. They were led by Rain-in-the-Face while their real leader, -Sitting Bull, was absent making medicine. - -The United States troops in the western States had concentrated in -their efforts to check the rebellion. General Custer was in command -of the cavalry under General Terry. Scouts brought word that a band of -Indians were riding rapidly to join the main body. They were supposed -to be Pawnees, and numbering not more than twelve hundred. General -Custer was sent to surround the camp. He divided his men into three -companies as he prepared a well-planned attack. Major Reno was to ride -directly across, but was to wait one hour to allow Major Benteen’s -detachment to go up the river, cross it, and so be above the camp. The -tactics did not allow for the hard traveling which Major Benteen found, -nor for the great force of hostile Indians. - -At the end of the hour of waiting, Major Reno attacked and was so -completely overcome and dismayed at the strength of the Indians, that -he fled to the bluffs. Major Benteen arrived at last, but saw that he -could do nothing, so he joined the retreat. This left General Custer -at the place which he had selected with two hundred men to face an -infuriated band of Indians numbering five thousand. When Custer saw the -size of the Indian army, he sent a scout to the retreating men in the -hills, saying, “Come on, big village, be quick, bring packs.” He meant -by packs the extra powder and bullets. With their horrible war-cry the -Indians bore down on the little handful of men, who soon saw that there -was nothing to do but to fight and die. - -General Custer saw every one of his men mutilated and scalped, and -he stood at last alone. He received seven wounds before he fell. The -onrushing Indians were abashed and astonished at such bravery; not -a rough hand was laid on Custer’s body, and no tomahawk tore into -the hero’s scalp. On the next day Major Reno and Major Benteen were -followed by the Indians and attacked as they prepared to make their -last stand. But these enemies saw the rest of the white men approaching -under Generals Terry and Gibbon and quickly fled. - -On the twenty-seventh day of June, the bodies of General Custer and -his brave men were buried. A monument marks the spot where they fell, -and all America honors the courage that the handful of men displayed -on that summer day. Another people honor those dead. The Sioux Indians -look upon General Custer as a god because of his bravery. His memory is -honored and loved among them, and they call him the “Evening Star.” - -In _Lives of Famous Indian Chiefs_, N. B. Wood says that there were two -survivors of Custer’s last stand, Curley, the Crow scout, who put on a -Sioux blanket and escaped, and the horse Comanche, the famous war horse -of Captain Keogh. He was found bleeding from seven wounds, and was -carried back by soldiers on a litter of blankets and poles. Comanche -recovered and lived to the age of forty-five, while few horses reach -the age of thirty-five. His skin was stuffed and is now in the museum -of the Kansas State University. - -This massacre at Little Big Horn, now so memorable a part of American -history, threw a gloom over the whole nation. The New York _Tribune_ on -July 3, 1876, said: “It is the eve of Independence Day, the Centennial -Fourth. All the land is ablaze with enthusiasm. Alas! if the tidings -of General Custer’s terrible disaster could be borne on the wings of -the four winds, dirges, not anthems would be heard in the streets of -Philadelphia, New York, and San Francisco. - -“A great shadow has fallen on the valley of the Big Horn. The youngest -of our guard, the _beau sabreur_ of the Army of the Potomac, the -golden-haired chief whom the Sioux had learned to love, has fought his -last fight. Surrounded by over two hundred and fifty brothers in arms, -Custer lies buried in the field where he fought, and fought until he -could fight no longer.” - -But this serious situation of the Indian uprisings did not end with -this calamity which is referred to commonly as the Custer Massacre, and -Brother Van had a full share of the dangers. Later the wars came into -his territory. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - SCOUTING FOR UNCLE SAM - - -GREAT excitement prevailed throughout the West over the rebellion -of the Indians. The effect of the disturbances was felt increasingly -severely in the district between Bannack and Sheridan. The Nez Percés -Indians had long dwelt in the beautiful and fertile Wallowa Valley in -Oregon. They resented the new treaty and fled into Montana from the -soldiers sent to force them into the reservations. They were accustomed -to the trails through Idaho and over the mountains as they had often -come to Montana to camp and to hunt buffalo. This tribe had become -known as the Nez Percés (nose pinched) Indians because they wore rings -in their noses when Lewis and Clark found them during their western -explorations. It is claimed by some members of the tribe that this was -a mistake and that wearing nose rings had never been a custom of theirs. - -The Nez Percés were a peaceful people and it was this tribe that had -sent the delegation to find the “White Man’s Book of Heaven.” They had -remembered the white man’s religion during the twenty-five years after -the visit of those early explorers and the time of the pilgrimage of -their leaders to St. Louis. They were eager to know the true religion -and had often disputed about it among themselves. Some members of the -tribe held that the white man worshiped the sun, as he had pointed to -the sky when he spoke to them of God. They knew that the book would -tell them the truth. - -One of the religious ceremonies of the Nez Percés was the sun-dance. -A pole was set up in the center and the people circled about it. The -priest stood in the center of the circle and held up a fish, berries, -or some other food and said, “Oh! Father bless the fish. Oh! Father -bless us.” The phrase varied, of course, with the food thus held to the -sun. Every one would chant the words after him with their heads bowed -to the ground. - -The resentment of these peaceful and worshipful, but now rebellious -Indians showed itself in their acts of defiance. The settlements -were greatly disturbed. Stories of wanton raids on the settlers were -borne back and forth as the swift riders galloped over the prairies. -Stockades were made for the protection of the women and children. -Miners, ranchmen, and settlers were all engrossed in the one big object -of protecting the lives of the scattered whites, and of saving the -property so dearly bought by their daring and toil. - -Thus Brother Van found a new job. He gave his services to his country, -and, still preaching, singing, and cheering sad hearts, he became -war scout for General O. O. Howard, who had been put in command of -the troops sent to quell the Indian uprising. Only indecisive battles -were fought. The Indians were not quieted, but were fired to further -violence. Still resenting the presence of the whites on the plains, and -still failing to appreciate the protection of the Great White Father -at Washington, they were moved to many acts of violence under such -indomitable leaders as Chief Joseph, Looking Glass, and White Bird to -command their movements. - -The town of Bannack was built on Grasshopper Creek where gold was -discovered in 1862. It was the first capital after the region became -a territory and it was there in December, 1864, that the first -legislature met and divided the new territory into counties. - -Fear of the Indians was so intense in Bannack that the town was -picketed, and volunteers were on the lookout at night. Brother Van was -preaching to a large congregation in the courthouse and guards watched -the building in which he spoke. - -“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide -under the shadow of the Almighty. - -“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in -him will I trust. - -“Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from -the noisome pestilence.” - -These were the words with which the preacher sought to quiet the alarm -in the hearts of the waiting people. At daybreak a swift rider came -into town and one arm dangled as he rode. Then came another rider who -brought the message, “Indians are devastating and killing as they come -and many of the settlers are being killed.” - -A quick consultation followed in the grey dawn. Fifteen men volunteered -and the missionary scout was among them. Melvin Trask was elected -captain of the volunteer band. When all were ready a woman came and -asked to be allowed to accompany them, for her husband, Mr. Winter, -was on the plains at the mercy of the invaders. The company absolutely -refused to allow her to go, and she was put under the guard of some -neighbors that she might be protected. - -The party set forth with grim, set faces and had proceeded about twelve -miles when they heard a rider approaching from the rear. On guard and -alert against possible surprise, they were astonished on looking back -to see Mrs. Winter, who soon rode into their circle. Declaring that -no power on earth could keep her from her husband, she had mounted the -splendid horse which was her own particular property, and now joined -the party of volunteers. They rode until they reached her home. At the -front door lay the body of a man with four bullet wounds in his head, -and on opening the door, Mrs. Winter found the body of her husband’s -partner, Mr. Montague. Mr. Winter could not be found in the house, so -the party started to search the grounds. By the side of the house they -found the body of a Mr. Smith, and further on discovered a ranchman -named Farnsworth and to him were able to give comfort in his dying -moments. - -Two scouts now set out to find Mr. Winter. As they departed, the Nez -Percés warriors returned to the scene of devastation, and the little -band of volunteers was forced to ride rapidly toward Bannack, firing -as they went. This left the scouts alone at the mercy of the Indians. -Crawling when they must, running when they could, they evaded the -Indians and came at last to a protected section, where they were able -to make real progress. Here they met the retreating party and the -glad meeting was just over, when to their wondering eyes appeared -a blood-stained, disheveled, white man. Mrs. Winter recognized her -husband, and their joyous reunion took place on the sheltered road. - -Cautiously the anxious riders turned back to the Winter ranch. The -Indians had again departed. A wagon was found that could be used, -though the devastating hands of the Indians had touched, not only -the house, but all the property of the ranchman. The four bodies were -tenderly lifted and taken to Bannack for Christian burial. That funeral -is a sacred hour in Montana history. General Howard’s scout, Brother -Van, was the preacher. The terrified people gathered in a great sobbing -congregation. The isolation of the settlers gave them a feeling of -desolation that was disheartening. These four bodies were evidences of -the murderous intent of the red men; surely a large task was set for -Brother Van in helping the terror-stricken on that day. - -The services began and the preacher in his own quieting way talked to -the living, for hope was his vital breath. Comfort began to steal over -the waiting throng, when lo, a messenger appeared at the church door. - -He said, “The Indians are again approaching Bannack.” - -The service came to an abrupt close, for those in attendance hastened -home to protect children and property. All was in confusion. The men -gathered in consultation. They decided that word of the new attack must -be taken to General Howard, who was coming toward the scene and was -even then but twelve miles away. - -Again volunteers were called for. Once more Brother Van offered -his services and with John Poindexter set out for help. They rode -through Indian country, and evading every danger, came at last to -the detachment of the regular army. They found the soldiers in sore -straits, for the long march through Idaho had been most disheartening. -Communications with the East were cut, and they were compelled to live -on such scant forage as the country provided. The infantry was without -shoes and the cavalry was tired out with long marches in a mountainous -country. On hearing of the danger that threatened Bannack, General -Howard dispatched a company of cavalry for the town’s protection. He -then spoke to the two hardy, seasoned scouts who had come to him for -help, and asked of them a great service. He told them of the scantiness -of his supplies. He explained the importance of sending information to -Washington concerning the serious situation, and asked them if they -would be his messengers to the nearest point of communication with the -government. - -“We are at our country’s service,” was their instant reply. - -So, in the lonely watches of the night, John Poindexter and Brother Van -started on another errand of mercy. As they left the camp they could -hear the hoot of the owl and the yelp of the coyote――sounds that were -plaintive and saddening at any time, but to these two scouts they were -now full of deadly meaning. They knew that the hoot and the yelp were -signals given by watching Indians. - -As silently as possible they moved, going directly to the south, and -as they journeyed the calls grew indistinct, and at last were heard no -more. The scouts relaxed slightly, for their confidence was somewhat -regained. Suddenly in the dim dawn twelve warriors loomed up before -them. No shots could be fired. The party was small and a shot would but -call other waiting Indians to their assistance. General Howard must not -be drawn into needless battle, for his men and horses were suffering -for lack of rest. The horses which the scouts were riding were fresh -and spirited; so, giving spur and riding in furious haste, the two -messengers outdistanced the Indians, leaving them and the immediate -danger far behind. - -At last the scouts reached the stage road, and rode without -interruption to a station. Here the precious message to Washington was -put in the hands of Uncle Sam’s postmen, who drove the stage-coaches -amid such peril and hardship, carrying passengers and letters across -the “Great American Desert.” Their duty accomplished, Brother Van and -his companion returned to the seat of war. They found Bannack ready -for a siege. Captain Bell was in charge of the company of regulars, and -there were also two companies of Montana Volunteers from Butte under -the command of Major W. A. Clark. - -When the excitement over their safe return had subsided, Brother Van -again turned his attention toward the church. The town was full of -people and their need of solace was great. A church building had been -started but the Indian wars had halted the work. The missionary scout -determined to finish the church and he found that everybody wanted to -help; soldiers, settlers, and cowboys went at the building with hearty -good will. The little church was thus very speedily completed, and on -a beautiful Sabbath Day another of Brother Van’s first enterprises was -dedicated to the Lord. - - Illustration: BROTHER VAN’S DISPATCH TO THE HELENA HERALD, - AUGUST 13, 1877, DESCRIBES CONDITIONS AT BANNACK - -What the helpful presence of the preacher-scout meant to the -distressed townspeople in those trying days is shown by a dispatch sent -from Bannack to the Helena _Herald_, August, 1877. The correspondent -reported: “Word also has just arrived that there is a load of guns and -ammunition within fifteen miles of us; an escort has just gone out to -meet it. News also comes that Joe Metlin is on his way from Glendale -with a company of volunteers for our protection, and that he will -arrive in a few hours. It is now midnight, and every now and then some -one keeps coming in, so that if we get the guns here by morning we -will be in better shape. The Rev. Van Orsdel is here doing duty as a -volunteer. He is a whole man. God bless all good men of whatever creed.” - -A successful work in this community seemed ahead of the -scout-missionary. A common fear had drawn the people closely together -and nearer to their knowledge of a protecting God. But another work was -given to Brother Van and fresh adventures shortly presented themselves. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - NEW TRAILS - - -WHILE danger of the Indian attacks was still hanging over Bannack -and the other settlements, new orders came to William Van Orsdel. A -Conference in session at St. Louis had heard an account of the young -missionary’s work; and these wise men seeing how rapidly Montana was -developing made plans for the extension of the work of the church in -new fields. Their maps showed them a great unsettled section beyond the -mountains known as the Bitter Root Valley. It would be a hard piece of -work and no tenderfoot could be sent to open up that section. There was -but one man for the new frontier, and obediently, Brother Van took a -last look at the tiny church just dedicated and bade farewell to the -people of Bannack. - -The ride before the missionary covered a distance of about one hundred -and fifty miles through the country where the Indians were carrying -on their warfare with the soldiers. The trail which he followed was -the very one taken by Lewis and Clark in September, 1805, on their way -to the Pacific Coast. The explorers had been most hospitably received -by the Indians, whom they found encamped at Ross Hole. They greeted -the “white gods” with all the awe of their simple natures and a feast -and formal council was held in their honor. They called the newcomers -“So-Yap-Po,” meaning “the crowned ones,” because they wore round hats -or caps. - -As Brother Van and his pony traveled through the historic country, -sometimes the long grass would reach to the horse’s head on each side -of the trail; then stretches of barren and rocky ground with patches -of sage brush would be reached, and again they would come suddenly to -steep-banked creeks hidden in the tall grass. The road led up through -the pass, now called Gibbon Pass, but the tragic encounter which gave -it that name had but recently taken place. - -When Chief Joseph, the leader of the Nez Percés Indians, fully realized -that the United States troops had been sent to drive him and his band -from their valley, he determined to migrate to Canada. The troops were -in hot pursuit, and finding all direct routes cut off, the Indians came -east through Lo Lo Pass into Montana. At Stevensville they paid for all -supplies purchased and gave notice that all that they wanted was to go -on their journey unmolested. When the soldiers in search of assembled -Indians heard at Stevensville about Chief Joseph’s party, they gave -chase and a number of residents of the place joined them. - -The Indians camped at Big Hole and the soldiers, under command of -General Gibbon, suddenly found themselves close to the camp one night. -They could hear the sound of Indian voices; so one of the soldiers -climbed a tree and was horrified to see a great many camp-fires -burning. Precautions were taken at once and no camp-fires were kindled -by the white troops. Hard bread had to be their only fare, a not very -substantial food for their need in the fighting on the following -eventful day, August 9, 1877. - -When dawn was beginning to push back the shadows of the night, an -Indian herder came out to look after the ponies; he stumbled over the -waiting soldiers. The alarm was given immediately and the herder was -shot and killed. Instantly all was in confusion. Braves forgot their -guns and fled; ponies broke bounds and ran wild; dogs barked; but the -Indians reformed rapidly and the battle was on. It lasted all day and -the Indians fought like demons. They captured the only cannon and two -thousand rounds of ammunition. They set fire to the grass in which the -troops had hid so that the soldiers were nearly suffocated at first, -but the wind changed and the smoke blew in the red men’s faces. The -troops were cheered by this turn in their favor, and fought bravely -and desperately, although they had been so long without proper food -or sleep. - -Suddenly the firing ceased. A captured man had told the Indians that -more “walking soldiers” were coming. Fearing to be utterly destroyed -the Indians fled, leaving eighty-nine dead men on the battle-field. -Chief Joseph was compelled to surrender when only eighty miles from -the Dominion line where strategic measures were used. In his desperate -attempt for freedom, and by the record of his later life, he gained the -high esteem of the United States government for his lofty character. -His people had honorable intentions but they found it hard to submit -to the conquering white man. - - Illustration: Courtesy of the American Bureau of Ethnology. - - CHIEF JOSEPH, LEADER OF THE NEZ PERCÉS AT THE - BATTLE OF BIG HOLE - -As Brother Van reached Big Hole on his way to Missoula a scene of -horror greeted his eyes. The bodies of the lately fallen heroes had -been hurriedly buried, for another Indian attack was impending. A -storm had followed which made the earth so soft that the prowling -wild beasts of the plains had exhumed the bodies of the brave men and -were devouring them. The missionary halted in his journey and sent a -messenger to Fort Missoula, which was then in course of erection. From -there a company of men was sent immediately to care for the bodies, -which were taken back to the church for a public funeral. So Brother -Van came for his first service in the new district into a scene of -sorrow and distress. Hearts were tender over the loss of these men and -to the waiting people he spoke words of comfort as he committed the -bodies to the earth. After scenes of terror and bereavement it is not -surprising that a great revival followed, and the new preacher was -again able to find “first members” for “first churches” in that great -section where the dread of the Indians’ fury was always present. - -Missoula was the center chosen for the frontier district where Brother -Van was to preach and teach the people. Its name in the Indian language -means “a place of fear” or “at the stream of surprise or ambush.” -The town, which is near the mouth of Hell Gate Canyon, is now a great -distributing point for a farming region and is the site of the State -university. The little church in the settlement of Missoula had been -built by Brother Van’s friend, Dr. Iliff, who had been stationed there -previously for a short period. - -Through the busy years spent at Virginia City and Bannack, these two -friends had met and labored frequently together. The experiences of -one holiday journey which they took make a story well worth repeating. -Dr. Iliff, his young bride, and Brother Van drove to Salt Lake City, -where the Rocky Mountain Conference was held in 1875. Although -attendance at the Conference was necessary, their journey was an outing -for them and gave them an opportunity to see civilization once more. -The Presiding Elder had a buggy, and in this the three friends made the -memorable trip. They drove through the wide, dusty prairie and over the -mountains, for they had to cross the main range of the Rockies. Each -night camp was made, and the little wife officiated at the jolly supper -which effaced all memory of the weary traveling. - -The twilight hours were the moments when the ties of friendship were -strengthened, and the youthful spirits of the campers prompted many -pranks and contests. As they camped near Idaho Falls one evening the -sport was to determine which could catch the largest trout. This story -will never have a satisfactory ending, for, being a fish story, each -caught the largest, and, of course, no bride could decide against her -husband. The Sabbath days of the outing were taken by the travelers as -rest days for the horses, and as refreshing times for their own souls. -They reached Salt Lake City in good season, and found Bishop Haven -presiding over the Conference, and Brother Van’s old friend, Chaplain -McCabe, singing his way into the hearts of the people. - -Conference Sunday came with a rousing sermon by the Bishop. The sermon -over, these two friends felt a longing to explore. Like culprits they -stole away in the afternoon and sought the great Mormon tabernacle. -They gazed in wonder at the huge building with its queer arched roof -which gave the whole structure the appearance of an inverted soup -tureen; then they ventured farther to see how it looked on the inside. -As usual the Mormons were gathering for their great Sunday service, -and the two guests from Montana sat down to listen to the famous Mormon -leader, Brigham Young. The building seats twelve thousand people and -every seat was filled. - -After hearing a sermon sharply in contrast with what they had heard -from their own bishop, the curiosity of these Westerners was not -satisfied, so they tarried to examine the building and its surroundings. -When deepening twilight warned them that the time for departure was at -hand, they sought the entrance gate, but lo, the bars were down and no -watchful attendant was there, either to punish the intruders or to let -them out. - -Brother Van and Dr. Iliff stood and looked at each other and then at -the high iron fence. Had they come from scenes of Indian troubles and -the hardships of the wide plains to be daunted by such an obstacle -as an iron gate? Off came preachers’ coats. Hats were flung high over -the fence and two agile pioneer ministers climbed over that formidable -barrier and dropped down to earth. Then coats and hats were donned, and -again these inquisitive friends continued their investigating tour. - -They found themselves walking along Brigham Street on which stood -Amelia Palace, the residence erected for Young’s favorite wife. As -they looked at the building interestedly, they saw the Mormon leader -himself pacing the walk and followed by two wives. Again the spirit -of adventure prompted them and they dared each other to cross the -street, speak to, and shake hands with the august leader of Mormonism. -No sooner said than done. In a moment the two men were bowing and -introducing themselves as Methodist preachers from the West, and -proffering eager hands. Brigham Young looked at them with an amused -twinkle in his eyes, and cordially shook hands, saying, “I certainly -am glad to shake hands with you. I was a Methodist once myself!” - -The friendship of these two young missionaries in the new West grew -deeper and sweeter with the passing days in their work in Montana. At -one time they held united revival services at Virginia City. They rode -into the town unannounced and proceeded to seek a place where they -might hold meetings. The old opera house was secured and there they -began their preaching and singing. The people attended out of curiosity -at first, but a real earnestness came with the passing days, and many -were started on the way toward living a new, clean life. - -Billy Blay was one of the men who left off his evil habits. The -evangelists had heard of this notorious drunkard. They went to his -hut with its dirt roof and floor where the poor sot was huddled in his -blankets. They talked with him about other ways of living, and prayed -with him. He promised to come to church, and to the amazement of the -townspeople, Billy Blay not only kept his promise, but he came sober. -During the services he was saved from his sins and took a fresh start -in life. After realizing that his sins would be forgiven, he said, -“Give me pen and paper. I want to write to my wife and children in -Wisconsin.” - -That Billy Blay could write was astonishing to the people of the -town, who knew him only as a notorious drunkard. Now he wrote like an -educated man. While he waited for an answer to the letter which broke -a twelve years’ silence, he gave himself into the care of Brother Van -and Dr. Iliff. He had great natural ability, and he spoke to others -about his new experience so effectively that he was at last given an -exhorter’s license and made a third member of the evangelistic group. - -After a little time Billy Blay heard from his wife. She was ill, and -had believed him to be dead. Money for his journey back home was raised -in the two institutions of the town that knew him, the church and the -saloon, and the family was reunited. This new preacher gave his life to -missionary work in a logging-camp in Wisconsin, making another link in -the chain of missionary endeavor which will some day bind the world in -a great Christian fellowship. - -This first evangelistic trip made by Brother Van and Dr. Iliff -meant much to the new territory of Montana. To-day in making a trip -through the same section, you would travel by rail or automobile, but -everywhere you would find living monuments of the wise pioneering of -these comrade missionaries. Not only new churches, new congregations, -and new members, but in many cases new towns have sprung up where the -partners held a first service. - -The two men have always loved to recount the experiences of those -days, and especially to tell about their adventure in crossing Madison -River. After the meetings at Virginia City, the two evangelists had -an itinerary planned ahead. One appointment was at Madison River -schoolhouse. By the mail to Virginia City had come a precious package -from the East for Dr. Iliff’s wife. This little woman had come to the -West gladly with her earnest young husband, but the people at home -had distressing thoughts about the frontier hardships that she had -to endure. There were hardships certainly but of these she never -complained. Now, here was a package from home! - -When the evangelists got into the buggy which was to carry them to -the schoolhouse, the precious bundle was carefully stowed away. They -traveled to Madison River, which they had to cross, and found it in -flood with the melted snow from the mountains. The old bridge had been -washed away. So the two young men sat on the edge of the ruins and -talked things over. - -“Shall we give up the trip?” asked Dr. Iliff. - -“No, we can’t do that. The people are expecting us,” said Brother Van. - -“Well, let’s try to cross,” replied his chum. - -In they plunged, driving the horses toward the nearest point on the -opposite bank. When they were about one third of the distance across -the river the buggy began to float and the horses began to swim. - -“Van, can you swim?” - -“Not a lick!” - -“Well, you get up on the seat, take that package and keep it dry,” -shouted Dr. Iliff as he jumped out. - -He unfastened the horses and they swam to an island in the stream. Then -he began to guide the floating buggy toward the bank. In the meantime -Brother Van sat still, holding the bundle aloft that it might not be -soaked. When they reached the edge of the flood in safety he deposited -the bundle on the seat and climbed out into the water to help push -the buggy up the steep bank. Valiantly they pushed. The buggy went up -slowly and then slid back. Again they boosted and again the slippery -banks failed to hold the load. - -“Van, you aren’t pushing!” - -“Yes, I am!” - -“Well, I’m all played out. Now let us try once more. Now all together!” - -They gave a mighty push and the buggy went over. But, alas! the bundle -had slipped out into the water, and as they looked, it was being -rapidly carried down-stream. Iliff, who was standing on the high bank, -called out, “Van, you’d better get that package. It belongs to my wife.” - -In the dismay of the moment, Brother Van forgot that he didn’t know -how to swim. Out he struck. With mighty splashes and flounderings, he -overtook the package and brought it to shore. Then those two preachers -stood and looked at each other, wet to the skin, hatless and disheveled, -hands torn and bleeding, sermons no longer dry, and the package -seemingly ruined. In a moment they burst into boyish laughter, and -all was well. While they consulted as to the next move, a ranchman -came along and took them home with him. From a promiscuous jumble -of clothing the preachers were outfitted. When they were dressed and -came into the light of the room and beheld each other, they laughed -again like truant schoolboys. They were comical figures enough in the -makeshift garments of that frontier home. They went to church in those -clothes, and began a revival which meant a great deal to the life of -that community. - -The bundle? Oh, that was a fine black silk dress. When the preachers -returned to the ranchman’s home, they found their own clothes dry and -in condition for wearing. The beautiful, lustrous silk found in the -package was hung in rich folds about the room to dry. The water in -Madison River was crystal clear and did not injure the silk, which was -of good grade. - -An amazing thing about this evangelistic team was that though of the -East eastern, yet they won immediate favor with the people among whom -they labored. The shrewd Westerners would have detected any insincerity -in the missionaries, and the cowboy’s mission in life seemed to be to -“shoot up” anything not genuine. It is hard for us to-day to imagine -the wild and lawless life on those lonely plains of the great West. -These two men, and many other pioneers for the church, carried on their -ministry in the face of severe handicaps in a frontier region. The -principal difficulties grew out of the isolation of the settlements, -and the slow means of communication with the older parts of the country. - -The Missouri River provided the natural means of access to the -Northwest, and as early as 1851 fire-boats began to reach Fort Benton. -For a long period only one boat a year made this hard passage; then -gold was discovered, and there followed a rush of new settlers, so that -in 1866, forty steamers came into the old fur-trading post. For a third -of a century the stage-coach had no rival as the means of travel for -passengers. One of the most famous stage lines was over Mullen’s Trail, -which ran west from Fort Benton for hundreds of miles. This trail was -opened through government land by Captain Mullen and his company of -soldiers for the use of miners. Holliday’s Overland Stage Line played -an important part in the development of the West. It ran from Atchison, -Kansas, to Denver, Colorado, and to Salt Lake City, Utah, where other -lines connected with it. One of these lines extended to Virginia City -in what had been Brother Van’s district, and from there to Helena, -a distance altogether of nineteen hundred miles, usually covered in -twenty-two days. - -In order to secure rapid transportation for the mails, the Pony -Express was established in 1861 and maintained for three years. A -band of swift riders, eighty in number, would cover the vast distances -of the prairie in an incredibly short space of time. One rider, for -instance, would leave Sacramento, while another rider started from -St. Joseph, Missouri, at the eastern end of the route. Each would ride -swiftly and as silently as possible, guarding the precious mail at all -hazards, and would come, after fifteen to twenty miles of riding, to a -station where a fresh horse, saddled and bridled, was held by a waiting -agent. The riders were allowed two minutes for the change of horses; -then on they went over the ever-widening prairie to the next station. -The fastest time in which a piece of mail was ever carried was seven -days and seventeen minutes. - -Sometimes the station was found to be but a smoking pile of ruins, -and sometimes, alas, the station-keeper would be discovered scalped -by wandering Indians. It is said that only one package was lost in the -three years that the Pony Express was operated. This happened when the -rider was killed after being robbed. Another time, the faithful pony -came in along with the package bound safely to the saddle; his rider -had been killed as he rode. - -Omaha was the nearest railroad station, and to reach this distant city -meant a hard journey for the miner who had made his “pile” and wished -to go back home. Gold dust was the only money and it was weighed and -taken at its weight’s value. The traveler could go on horseback or -wagon to Fort Benton and then take passage on a steamboat to Sioux City, -Iowa. Another method of travel was to follow the trail on horseback to -Salt Lake City, and take the train or the stage-coach from there. The -cost of the latter mode of travel can be estimated when it is known -that the sending of a letter in that way cost two dollars and a half. -All travel was dangerous, for with the finding of gold, desperate men -had come west, who robbed and killed for the wealth so hazardously -secured by the miners. Hold-ups were regular occurrences, particularly -between Bannack and Virginia City, a distance of seventy miles. - -Miners who had spent months of hard labor in the accumulation of a -few hundred dollars were never heard of again after starting from a -mine to a distant home eastward. Men were robbed in camp, daily and -nightly. Gambling and all forms of evil abounded. Many of the men who -disappeared were found to have been shot ruthlessly. The nature of the -country, with its canyons, gulches, and mountain passes, was especially -adapted to this means of highway robbery. The unpeopled distances -between the mining camps also helped the lawless element to do their -bloody work. Nowhere else on the face of the earth, nor at any period -since men became civilized, have murder, robbery, and social vice -presented such an organized front. - -The young territory determined to stop this trade of stage-robbing -and formed a protecting band called the “Vigilantes.” The name is -associated with some of the bloodiest episodes of frontier days. In the -absence of any other protection, the Vigilantes took law into their own -hands, and dealt sternly with the highway robber and murderer. Between -December, 1863, and February, 1864, twenty-four “road agents” were -hanged by the Vigilantes for their crimes against the miners. Two years -later, one million and five hundred thousand dollars’ worth of gold was -taken from Helena to Fort Benton unmolested. - -The early Vigilantes were the best and most intelligent men in the -mining section. They saw that in the absence of all law they must -become a law unto themselves, or submit to the bloody code of the -desperadoes by whom they were surrounded. They entered on their work -without knowing how soon they might have to encounter a force greater -than their own. They did their work swiftly and efficiently as -relentlessly they followed the offender. Little mercy was meted out -to the guilty men, and many a lonely tree on the plains held ghastly -reminders of the swift vengeance which overtook the robbers. The -Vigilantes hung many a hardened sinner, giving him first an opportunity -to make his peace with God. - -Little by little a change was being wrought in the territory, and the -missionaries were helping to bring about a condition of law and order. -In this period of transformation, Brother Van was “hail fellow well -met” with the people. One gambler said, “I like that old scout, he -plays fair.” His singing helped him to win them, for he would stand -on the hillside and sing, “Shall we Gather at the River,” or “Over and -Over,” and the miners, gamblers, and settlers would come to the service. - - Illustration: DR. THOMAS C. ILIFF AND BROTHER VAN, WHO HAD MANY - ADVENTURES TOGETHER IN THE OPENING WEST - -Arriving at a typical mining camp one day, the scout-preacher took -possession of a new building for a service. It proved to be a saloon -such as he had borrowed before. It was an ordinary occurrence for -lights to be snuffed out by bullets in a meeting that did not meet with -approval from the men, but they did not put out the lights when Brother -Van spoke. They liked his simple, sweet message, and, above all, they -liked his singing. The song “The Gospel Train is coming” particularly -pleased them, for the railroad language held new and fascinating words -in a community which was just growing accustomed to the railroad. One -of the men said to the preacher, “If you will sing that song to-morrow -night, I’ll bring forty men to hear you.” - -“All right, that’s a bargain,” said the singer. - -This man was a leader of the gang. He had a hurdy-gurdy which made -his saloon especially attractive. On the next night forty grizzled men -marched in and took their seats. No lights were put out. No disturbance -was made by the forty who had reserved seats, but something did happen: -that “hurdy-gurdy” man got on board of the “Gospel Train” and brought -along a number of his comrades. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - GREAT HEART WITH THE INDIANS - - -MANY acts of service rendered to his new brothers on his frequent -visits to them had made the Blackfeet Indians know that Brother Van -was truly their friend. One incident in particular is now of interest -to illustrate the character of the red men and the manner in which the -missionary won their liking. - -One day when White Plume was chief of the Blackfeet and Piegan tribes, -camp was made and the evening meal was prepared. Into this busy and -picturesque scene came the preacher, and with the aid of an interpreter, -he started to speak the good tidings to these people of the plains. -The Indians were interested and listened respectfully. Suddenly a -runner came quietly but swiftly into the group and uttered an Indian -word. Instantly the audience dissolved. They went so quickly that the -astonished preacher inquired of the interpreter as to the reason of -their going. There was reason enough. While these people were listening -to Brother Van, the Crow Indians, a rival tribe, had come and driven -off the ponies which had been turned out to graze for the night. - -When the preacher understood the plight of the Blackfeet, he offered -his own fleet pony to them that they might overtake the raiders. -Brother Van always had a good horse. The herd was easily overtaken and -turned back to the camp. Then, much to the surprise of Brother Van, the -Indians returned to the place of meeting and indicated that they wished -the service to proceed. - -Early on the following morning a messenger came to Brother Van -telling him that the Blackfeet were going on a buffalo hunt, and a -formal invitation was delivered requesting him to accompany them. -Taking his sure-footed pony, Brother Van joined the riders, and soon -the excitement of their hunt was on. An Indian honor was then conferred -on this, their well-loved guest. After the herd of buffalo was sighted -and had been started on the run, the Indians signified that the white -man was to have the distinction of killing the magnificent specimen -which was leading the herd. Riding toward the front of the stampeding -beasts, the unskilled marksman picked out the herd leader and shot him -in the head. It was a great shot. An Indian could have done no better. -The herd was a large one, containing nearly one thousand of the great, -brown giants of the plains. Once more the preacher by his prowess had -won the favor of the Blackfeet. - -With such experiences as the buffalo hunt, an Indian feast, a hurried -visit to the bed of the sick or dying, and the preaching of the gospel, -the years passed. After serving five years as a missionary at large -without ordination, Brother Van consented to become a Conference Member, -that is to say, a regularly ordained traveling-preacher according -to Conference rules. The first missionary appropriation ever made -to Montana Conference was given to Brother Van when he became the -first regular supply. That allowance was three hundred and twenty-five -dollars. He was given the Sun River and Smith River charge as his first -aggressive work in North Montana. - -So the Methodist circuit-rider started out once more on his pony with -his little all in his saddle-bags. A journey was still one of many -hazards, for Indians were everywhere and any sign of fear would have -been fatal, while any weakness would have met with scorn from the -cowboys. Brother Van visited Sun River, a settlement on the overland -freight trail between Helena and Fort Benton, where he organized the -first Methodist church north of the mountains. First, Brother Van -held a meeting in this settlement and then started a church building. -Afterward, he had to rescue the church from the sheriff’s hammer, but, -finally, he completed the building――assuming responsibility for the -rest of the debt. By and by there came a great day when he preached the -dedication sermon of a church free from debt. - -To this very settlement at Sun River, the tenderfoot Easterner had come -with the Adjutant from Fort Shaw shortly after his arrival in Montana -several years before, and had announced his desire to hold a service. -The service had been held in the cabin home of Mr. Charles A. Bull. Now, -as an experienced plainsman and missionary, Brother Van came again and -built a church, over which through the busy years since then, he has -kept loving watch. - -In Philbrook, Judith Basin, Brother Van found that Indians were -stealing horses and terrifying settlers. Prowling bands of raiders -were scattered all through the region. Again the scout-preacher was -frequently in danger as he went about his ministry. Riding one day -along the bank of the Cut Bank River, he saw a powerful Indian in full -war-regalia, making rapidly toward the crossing to which he, too, was -going. Believing that discretion was the better part of valor, Brother -Van turned his horse into a coulee, and rode hastily into the deep -shelter of the ravine. From that vantage ground an approaching enemy -was at the mercy of the watcher. - -The Indian pursued him to the entrance and then gave up the chase. Had -he known that the white man was unarmed, this history might never have -been written, for the Indian was out to get revenge upon the whites, -and the story of his pursuit afterward created nation-wide interest. It -is a gruesome story, but has much of value as it reveals some reasons -for the Indian traits which our government has not always understood in -the past. - -The first scene was enacted when a troop of United States soldiers -under Colonel Baker who were quelling Indian troubles, came into an -Indian village while the braves were out raiding. They laid waste -the camp and killed some three hundred women and children. When the -Indian men returned they found desolation, and, of course, could not -understand the reason. All that they could think of doing was to set -forth again on a raid of devastation. One big brave, Spoo Pee, made a -vow to kill the first white man he met, for had not the white men taken -the life of his aged mother? - -The other scene was enacted when a Canadian prospector having seen -enough of western life came down from the North on his way to the -nearest railway station that he might return to his home in the East. -He drove a fine team hitched to a good wagon. As he journeyed he met -two Indians, one a big brave, the other a stripling of a boy. The -Canadian asked his way. The Indian offered himself as a guide to the -wealthy traveler and as such was accepted. - -A friendship seemed to spring up between the white man and his red -companions as they proceeded. The first camp was made and on the next -day they were setting forth again when the boy, Good Rider, spied some -deer in the distance and asked the loan of a gun that he might bring -fresh meat for their evening meal. Walmesley, the Canadian traveler, -promptly loaned him his gun and the boy went on his quest for meat. -Spoo Pee, the Indian brave, now took his own gun and shot the white man. -He threw the body on the muddy bank of the Cut Bank River along which -they had been riding. - -With the fine horses in their possession, the two Indians came to Fort -Shaw, a Piegan Agency, where Major Young was in charge. They remained -over night and then went on. These visitors caused much comment at -the agency. Curiosity was aroused because the horses which they were -driving were much finer than red men usually had. They were well kept -and well fed. The second cause for speculation was that the dog which -had come with them stayed behind after the departure of the Indians. An -Indian’s dog is most faithful. He follows in spite of hunger, distance, -or hardships, but here was a dog which preferred the agency to the -master. - -One day a traveler appeared who reported finding the body of a white -man on the bank of the Cut Bank River. The Major sent a party to -investigate. Among them was the agency doctor. As the body was examined, -the doctor noticed a peculiar scar on the heel of the victim, and he -exclaimed, “I went swimming with a man once who had a scar exactly -like that one. The man’s name was Walmesley.” Detectives were put on -the case; Spoo Pee was overtaken, and with the boy, Good Rider, was put -into jail. The agency doctor, Major Young, and his daughter became the -chief witnesses. - -Miss Young describes the journey to court in the thirty-below-zero -weather. As she was almost ready to start for Helena, an old, dirty -squaw came to see her, and throwing her arms around Miss Young’s neck, -implored her to save her boy. This was Good Rider’s mother. The woman -was unwashed and disheveled, because it was the custom of the tribe -that no ordinary practise of cleanliness should be observed when -an individual was in trouble. Miss Young brought Good Rider back to -his mother but Spoo Pee was committed to prison. From the day of his -sentence to jail no word or sound passed Spoo Pee’s lips for twenty -years. After a few years he was considered a harmless lunatic and moved, -first to Michigan, and then to an asylum in Washington. - -One day a party of western visitors came into the corridors of the -asylum. A woman of the party, Mrs. Ella Clark, observed the pathetic, -blank face of Spoo Pee, and began to speak in an Indian language. -The prisoner observed her with something akin to interest. Failing to -secure a clearer response from him, the woman began to croon an Indian -lullaby. She sang as a mother to a child. A look of dazed intelligence -appeared on the face of the prisoner. Eagerly Mrs. Clark ceased -her singing and began to speak to him. She told of tribal wars and -conquests. She repeated traditions held most sacred. The attendants and -keepers watched her efforts interestedly. At last from Spoo Pee’s long -sealed lips there broke an Indian word. The kindly woman’s victory was -complete, and with tears flowing unchecked, Mrs. Clark told the Indian -of his people. - -She explained to the keeper the reason that the deed had been committed; -how Spoo Pee had returned to his village on that dreadful day and had -found the women all slain. The prisoner told of his strange vow and -of the long silent years. Spoo Pee was pardoned and he returned to his -tribe but only sorrow was his lot. New and strange customs had arisen -since he had gone away. His family had become scattered. He could not -learn the new ways, and he pined for the friends who had gone. In two -years the broken spirit of the red man went to its long rest. - -It was this revengeful warrior that Brother Van had met at the river -crossing, but danger held no terrors for him, and that night in the -coulee, near the scene of the tragic murder of the Canadian prospector, -he took the saddle from his pony, pillowed his head on it, and slept -peacefully with the stars smiling down on him. God’s protection was -with the man who had a vision of the life of peace and righteousness -which could come to the West only through the gospel that it was his -privilege to preach. - -The Epworth Piegan Mission is ministering to these Indians to-day -under the leadership of one of Brother Van’s “boys,” Rev. A. W. Hammer, -who, with his talented wife, is continuing the service begun many years -ago. Mr. Hammer is peculiarly fitted for this task because he knows the -habits and language of the people. He was but a youth when he went west -to the plains of Texas as a cowboy in 1877. Later he came to Montana -and worked on a ranch not far from Chinook. He craved the opportunity -to enjoy the finer pleasures of life, and when a literary society was -started at Chinook, he rode in from the ranch to attend it. - -One night the meeting place was deserted. Everybody was at the revival -meeting. Taking his pal with him, Hammer went to have some fun. They -sat on the back seat and made flippant remarks about the meeting, but -confessed to each other that they liked the preacher’s singing. The -next night found them on that same back seat. A change came to young -Hammer in this meeting and he altered his manner of life. He joined -the church and took charge of the Sunday-school. He was later given a -preacher’s license. Then he began to want an education that he might -work for his Master more acceptably. He attended school and college and -went back to the range to ride and to serve as a shepherd of people, -instead of as a cowboy. His life exemplifies the ideal missionary to -the Indians. - -In Brother Van’s new district were the famous great falls of the -Missouri, which Lewis and Clarke had heard roaring in the distance as -they pushed across the plains. Perplexed as to the cause of the strange -sound that rolled to them over the lifeless prairies, they traveled -seven miles before they reached the spot where the great river takes -its tremendous plunge. The magnitude of the falls astonished them -beyond measure. The largest falls were given separate names later and -became known as Great Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Crooked Falls. It is -claimed by local residents that the water in Crooked Falls runs in -every direction, even upstream. Great power-plants are built along the -river at this point, and they produce power second only to Niagara. - -When Brother Van reached the settlement of Great Falls on his first -visit, it was nothing but a great undeveloped possibility. “Here we -must have a church,” said this apostle of first things. An ambitious, -far-seeing group of men constituting the Townsite Company was -interviewed. They gave several lots to the enthusiastic dreamer of a -greater day for Montana. With the assured membership of two devoted -souls and the gift of land, a church was started. - -Is this record of “first things” beginning to make you dizzy? Does -the recounting make you weary? But suppose you were the missionary! -Through heat and cold, through drought and rain, over green prairie and -bleak desert, you would have to travel. You would have met plainsmen -and Indians, friends and foes. You would have endured hunger and -thirst. You would have rested under the stars on the open prairie and -in the rude shelter afforded by the ranchmen’s bunks. You would have -been obliged to be the leader in the building of first churches and -first parsonages. All this costs energy and vitality, as Brother Van, -seemingly tireless though he was, once discovered. - - Illustration: BROTHER VAN WAS “HAIL FELLOW WELL MET” WITH THE - PEOPLE - -One day death seemed about to claim the scout-missionary. He was very -weary and very ill, for mountain fever had him in its firm hold. Then -how the little churches rallied to their friend! After much praying and -after careful nursing, he was sent on a vacation that he might get well. -This was the only sick leave that he has ever had. Forty-five years -Brother Van has spent with his “shoulder against the horizon.” He has -pushed the frontier back and back, and in all those years he has never -been ill but once; then nature demanded a rest. - -Leaving his friends greatly concerned over his condition, Brother Van -went to Seattle, Washington, to recuperate. That rest period turned -out to be something of a joke. In an old record of the Battery Street -Church in Seattle, there is an entry showing that certain meetings were -held in the church at this time, and noting that the evangelist was -W. W. Van Orsdel. He had gone away in October. In December he was back -in Montana holding revival meetings from Helena to Glendive, a distance -of two hundred and forty miles. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - BROTHER VAN AND NEW MONTANA - - -THE building of railroads through the state of Montana brought a rapid -development. The section around Great Falls became a prosperous farming -country. The settlement, therefore, formed a new center for the church, -and Brother Van came to this district, not as a missionary at large, -nor junior preacher, nor circuit-rider this time, he came now as a -presiding elder, or district superintendent for all of that part of -Montana east of the Rocky Mountains and north of the Musselshell River. -It was known as the North Montana Mission and was about five twelfths -of the total area of the state. Let us get some idea concerning this -new work with which Brother Van was busy by making a comparison. -The whole of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, -Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and the District of -Columbia could be placed within the bounds of the district and still -leave four thousand square miles of territory. - -In all this area there were three hundred and fifty-five members of -Brother Van’s church and fifty-three probationers. There were ten -church buildings altogether. This property was valued at twenty-five -thousand dollars. There were four parsonages valued at four thousand -dollars. The twenty Sunday-schools had a membership of nine hundred -and twenty-five. The ten preachers received five thousand, six hundred -and fifty-one dollars a year, or an average of five hundred and sixty -dollars each. The churches gave four hundred and seventy-six dollars to -benevolences. - -Many of the people whom Brother Van now served came from Eastern homes -and were familiar with ideals of culture and refinement. They had cut -loose from the East with its old associations and conventionalities, -and had come to face a new life on the frontier so full of promise. -Imagine a town of two thousand inhabitants composed of people from -every state in the Union, and from every civilized country in the world, -of every color, race, and creed, speaking fifteen or twenty languages, -and clinging to varying religious beliefs, and you will then have an -idea of a mining town such as Brother Van found as he traveled through -his district. The West was still, however, the easy prey for evil, -and at every crossroad and station could be seen the sign, “Saloon and -Licensed Gambling.” The gamblers and saloon men were leading citizens, -and they had to be reckoned with. Brother Van had been a prohibitionist -always. He had seen the effect of alcohol in his boyhood days, -especially in the oil regions. As he grew all too familiar with the -dreadful fire-water which demoralized and beggared the Indians whom he -sought to emancipate, a new hatred of the vile stuff took possession -of him. - -The Rev. George Logan tells a story of Brother Van as district -superintendent which illustrates the spirit of comradeship that he -shares with all men, even the saloon men and gamblers. On one Sunday -morning Mr. Logan asked for a good collection to make up the district -superintendent’s salary, saying, “If I don’t get it this morning, I’ll -come again tonight.” The collection was not big enough, and true to his -word the second collection was asked for. One man put a stack of six -silver dollars on the plate and so the amount received was sufficient -to make up the sum required for the unpaid salary. - -Going down town next day Mr. Logan met the man of the silver dollars, -who with a grin asked, “Did you raise Brother Van’s money last night?” - -“I did,” was the pastor’s reply. - -“Did you notice that stack of silver dollars on the plate?” - -“I did,” said Mr. Logan again. - -“Well, I’ll tell you a story if you’ll promise not to get angry about -it.” - -“I promise,” said the preacher. - -“Two men at the service on Sunday morning remembered afterward that -Brother Van’s salary was short, and they agreed to play for the money -in the afternoon. If A. won, the money was to be Brother Van’s; if B. -did, Brother Van lost. Word went around and the saloon filled with -sports to watch the game. If A. won, the crowd yelled, ‘The Lord gets -that!’ and if B. was lucky, ‘That goes to the devil!’” - -A. had won, and the unsuspecting District Superintendent’s salary was -paid by the successful gambler. Mr. Logan looked the narrator in the -eye, and said, “I’m so glad I got that money; it has been in the hands -of the devil long enough. Brother Van will put it to a better use.” - -It was through many unique incidents and strange experiences that -Brother Van’s work was built up. Steadily the character of the country -changed and another generation was growing up. Stalwart sons and -daughters of the settlers began to try to win a means of education in -the desert. They looked beyond the shining mountains to college and to -seminary. As Brother Van traveled from place to place he pondered over -this problem. No children of his own will look to him for education, -but had he not claimed spirituality in this wide land for the children? -He saw that the boys and girls were eager for larger social privileges -and for a higher intellectual life; so he decided that Montana should -have a Christian school. For thirteen years he toiled to secure one; -other men’s names appeared on the committee formed for the enterprise -and in time disappeared, but the name of William Wesley Van Orsdel -always headed the list. He was not an educated man as far as the study -of books was concerned. Only in the School of Experience and in the -Seminary of Hard Knocks had he taken postgraduate courses. But he was -now determined that the young people of Montana should have first, a -Christian influence, and, second, an education. - -Because of that thinking, planning, and praying of the missionary, -there came a day when the capital city, Helena, had a new asset. Five -miles from the center of the town stood a fifty-thousand-dollar brick -building dedicated to the young people of Montana. The campus of -two hundred and thirty-five acres was beautified, and the school was -opened. The distance from town, the newness of the undertaking, the -indifference of the people, all proved insurmountable difficulties -to every one but Brother Van. For ten years the school struggled to -succeed while the trustees felt almost constantly that they must close -it, but Brother Van would not consent. Then a radical measure was -adopted. The school was moved to Helena, where to-day Montana Wesleyan -University stands in friendly neighborliness to the capitol building. -Montana Wesleyan antedated all state schools in Montana for higher -education. - -Brother Van watched those two buildings on Capitol Hill with a -peculiar yearning. He remembered the town of Helena as it had looked -when he reached it on that summer day in 1872. He remembered the -first capitol building in Bannack, where it was his lot to bury the -four plainsmen who had lost their lives because the Indians could not -understand the coming of the white man into their hunting ground. The -first legislature was held in two rooms in a log cabin. Tallow candles -emphasized the gloom. Sheet-iron stoves made the pent-up air seem -stifling. One desk and a bench in each room completed the furnishing of -this first capitol. The library was composed of one copy of the Idaho -Statutes. - -On February 22, 1889, Montana became a state and Helena became the -capital. Helena of Last Chance Gulch fame had grown rapidly, as its -eastern seekers of gold became housed in cabins, wickiups, shacks, and -tents. Helena became a wicked city, where Sunday was the wildest day of -the wild week. Then came a period of reconstruction. Schools were built, -imposing sites were sought for churches; the dugout school disappeared -from the prairie, and in its place came the little red schoolhouse. The -first public school had been opened on March 5, 1866, in Virginia City. -There were no text-books. Every child brought any book he might possess. -Now schools were becoming common in Montana. Daily papers were needed -and in place of the Montana _Post_ which had been published in the -cellar of a log cabin in Virginia City and dates from May, 1868, came -the Montana _Record Herald_. - -Montana had a state pride and no man could surpass Brother Van as -he sang the praises of his adopted state. As civilization progressed -the new State-house now standing on Capitol Hill was needed. This -was a thrilling time in the life of the young state. When the -imposing building was completed and ready to be dedicated, Montana’s -representatives gathered and stood with bared heads as Brother Van -offered this prayer: - -“O thou God of our fathers, we draw near to thee in the name of thy -Son, our Saviour, to acknowledge the many blessings of which we are -the recipients, on this our nation’s birthday; the day when this was -declared to be a free and independent nation, and which now stands -out among the nations as a star of the first magnitude. O God, may -thy presence ever abide with our nation. We invoke thy blessing on our -President, and those associated with him in directing the affairs of -the nation. - -“We are here in this great new commonwealth, pioneer men and women, -who came here in the earlier settlements and opened up the way for -success; we are here to-day with our children and associates to -honor the state and thee. We are here to dedicate and set apart this -magnificent building, this capitol building, to the purpose for which -it was built. Let thy blessing rest on the exercises of this hour. May -thy blessing rest on the government of the state, the officers, the -capitol commission, and all who have been associated with the planning -and completing of the building. - -“Let thy blessing be upon our representatives, on both houses of -congress, on state senators and legislators, who shall meet in this -house from time to time. May we all realize that great is that people -whose God is the Lord. May we flee evil. Amen.” - -The walls of the Senate Chamber of that great building are adorned with -paintings done by Mr. Charles Russell, who came to Montana in 1881 and -achieved fame as the cowboy artist. No creation of his brain or brush -ever exploits any theme but Montana and the West. The modern home of -Mr. Russell is at Great Falls and in the spacious grounds surrounding -it stands a log cabin. Let us visit it with Brother Van, who is an -old-time friend of the owner. - - Illustration: Painting by Charles M. Russell. - - RIDING TOWARD THE FRONT OF THE STAMPEDING BEASTS, - BROTHER VAN SHOT THE HERD LEADER IN THE HEAD - -The porch has no board floor and is low, so we can see the roof strewn -with buffalo horns and skulls. On the stockade-door the latch-string -hangs out, and it means just that, a true Western hospitality. We pull -the string, the latch lifts, and we stand in the presence of the cowboy -artist. He looks both cowboy and artist. His long hair is thrown back -from a strong and sun-browned face, and this suggests the artist; so -does the scarlet sash that he wears. His flannel shirt is open at the -throat, and his Khaki trousers are thrust into high boots, showing the -habit of the cowboy. - -Around that interesting room is a record of the history of Montana. -War-bonnets and tomahawks hang from pegs. In a rack are rifles -which tell the story of firearm progress from the flintlock to the -Springfield, and then to the Winchester. Indian beads, rugs, baskets, -and blankets form a wealth of color on the walls, and before a great -fireplace stands an easel, and lo, the artist is telling our story in -a finer way. There are the figures of Lewis and Clarke on the canvas. -An Indian village is in the background, and in the center we recognize -the woman guide, Sacajawea. She is meeting her childhood friend who had -been taken prisoner when she was. - -As he watched Montana develop with the anxiety that a father gives -to the growth of an awkward, beloved boy, Brother Van saw a new need. -Always had he ministered to sick and dying miners, cowboys, and -settlers. But as the years passed he saw that it would be a great -advantage to the state if the sick and dying could be cared for with -all the help that modern medical science affords. He realized the -necessity of placing patients under religious influence and teaching. -The cure of souls was to him even more important than the cure of -bodies; so he began to talk and to pray for a Christian hospital. -Probably fifty thousand dollars has passed through Brother Van’s hands -in the time he has served Montana, but he owns no home or cattle. Even -the pony is no more and a Ford is not its successor. The salary for his -first year’s work was nothing, and for the second it was seventy-five -dollars. In later years he received seventeen hundred dollars. Yet -every Protestant enterprise has had an impetus from Brother Van’s -pocketbook. - -He interested his church in the need of a hospital, and deaconesses -were brought west and a hospital was started. Every one but the prime -mover became discouraged by the hardships that the project encountered, -but he continued to sing, to pray, to praise Montana, and to work -for Montana. In Great Falls now stands a beautiful hospital, entirely -fireproof and modern in every convenience. In the hall of the building -hangs a painting. It is a western scene, and shows a man riding -furiously toward the leader of a herd of buffalo; Indians ride behind -as interested spectators to the shooting of the large beast. The -inscription below is “Brother Van shooting buffalo,” and it illustrates -the story already told. The artist is Charles M. Russell. - -Across the street is the Van Orsdel Home where white-capped and -swift-footed nurses reside, and this is the story of the building. -Once upon a time some gamblers, cowboys, and saloon men decided that -they, too, wanted to tell Brother Van that they wished him well. He -had fought the saloon with a zeal that could not be misunderstood, but -he fought fairly. He hated the business and told its supporters so in -no mincing language; but he didn’t hate the men and they knew that. -They decided to raise one thousand dollars and give it to him that -he might buy a home of his own, or that he might have the money to do -as he wished. The fund was started. At first it grew slowly and then -by bounds. It was put in a bank and as time went by the deposit was -forgotten. A gambler, who was on his death-bed, wanted to see Brother -Van. He answered the call at once, and was able to help the dying -man hear from the Master, “Thy sins are forgiven thee.” In his last -moments the man told about the money that was lying in the bank and -accumulating interest. Brother Van drew it out and soon a nurses’ home -was started. - -Within the walls of the Van Orsdel Home is a home life of rare culture -and beauty. Many girls are sheltered and trained there who were brought -to the pioneer preacher as infants twenty years earlier that he might -lay hands on them in baptism. At the beginning of each school year -of the Nurses’ Training School, Brother Van greets those uniformed -students with encouraging words and with a tender appeal for loyalty -to the Master whom he serves. - -One of Brother Van’s enterprises seemed not to be of God’s planning. -That was the original home of Montana Wesleyan, five miles from -Helena. People spoke of the neglected building as a mistake and an -expensive failure. Boys threw stones through every pane of glass in -the three-story building. A family of lively coyotes occupied the big -dining-room; bats took up their abode in the dark corners; spiders spun -their webs unhindered over the ceiling, and owls seemingly joined the -scoffers in their derision of the enterprise. Occasionally a solitary -figure would come into the building and kneeling in the dust, would -implore God to give him a reason against the prevalent unbelief. He -would ask God to use these buildings for his own service, and for the -Christian uplift of young people. Surely there was some use for them. -The years passed, and this solitary figure began to see another need -for his cherished Montana. The young people had long since been coming -to the university on Capitol Hill, but in the wide expanses of the -state there were yet many children unschooled. There were orphans to -be protected, and other children too far from the district school for -daily attendance. These became a new and dear care to Brother Van. - - Illustration: THE VAN ORSDEL HOME FOR NURSES IS ONE OF THE MANY - INSTITUTIONS FOUNDED BY BROTHER VAN - -Again the old pocketbook made a beginning. As the hard-earned money -went for the house-cleaning a gift came to Brother Van; a grateful -ranchman presented him with a cow. It was driven promptly to the two -hundred-and-thirty-five-acre campus which surrounded the neglected -building out by Helena, so that the few children he might gather there -should be fed. The building, so recently the home of the bats and the -coyotes, was cleaned and repaired and put in readiness for its first -pupil, a child whom a dying mother committed to the care of Brother Van. -Others needing school advantages were found and placed in the renovated -building. The title page of the first _Annual_ published by the -students of this school of faith is inscribed: “To Brother Van as an -expression of love from the class of 1915.” - -Not all the time was Brother Van building churches. There are one -hundred churches in Montana built by him, and about fifty parsonages -due to his labors, besides six hospitals and two large institutions of -learning, but there is another piece of work which he has been doing -between times for the church he loves. Since 1876 he has represented -the Methodist Church of Montana in the denomination’s great governing -body, the General Conference. At the meeting at Saratoga Springs in -1916, one evening was given over to the two friends, Dr. Thomas C. -Iliff and Brother Van. They recounted the struggles and triumphs -of their western life, and sang the old songs which had carried -inspiration to the people of the west. - -A few years ago Brother Van made a long trip across the country and -came again to Gettysburg, where, as a boy, fifty-four years before, -he had witnessed that great battle. A large part of the land where the -battle was fought has been bought by the United States government, and -the government and the states spent seven million dollars in erecting -the memorials that do honor to the men who fell in those July days of -1863. Brother Van saw again the house in which President Lincoln was -entertained when he made that memorable address familiar to-day to -every schoolboy and schoolgirl. He recalled how he had gone to seek -the sad-faced man. He had come into his presence a towsled, barefoot, -awkward boy, and with new appreciation he remembered how that great -man had shaken hands with him. Since then other presidents have shaken -hands with the boy grown into a missionary. Grant, Roosevelt, and Taft -have all done honor to the man so well loved in Montana. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - SEVENTY YEARS YOUNG - - -THE haze of Indian summer hangs over the prairies of Montana as they -flaunt their golden flowers. There could be no more perfect days than -these for a journey with Brother Van through the great state. One might -almost call it his parish, so closely has he been associated with the -settlement and growth of vast stretches of its territory. He shall be -our guide as we visit the widely scattered villages and thriving towns, -where he is eagerly welcomed by men, women, and children of all faiths -and of none. There are no strangers to Great Heart of the Indians. -Brother Van greets every one he meets with the Indians’ guttural -“Oi-Oi-Oi,” meaning “How do you do!” When we ask why he always uses the -expression, he replies, “Oh, just to show that I’m a friendly Indian.” - -We start our trip at Fort Benton, where, in a well kept park, stand -the ruins of the old fort, a crumbling relic of days forever past. -The stockade is gone and only a blockhouse remains. It is carefully -guarded, for inside are precious relics of the past. Let us stand on -the very spot where Brother Van celebrated his first Fourth of July -in Montana by eating a dinner of jerked buffalo meat. Our eyes sweep -the horizon and we try to imagine the scenes of former days when over -those flashing waters of the Missouri came bull-boats or birch canoes, -bringing precious furs to the Northwest Fur Company’s post. - -In the town itself we pass the site of the old mud saloon where, on -that far-away Sunday, the tenderfoot missionary preached to a curious -throng. What of the church life of to-day? We spend a Sabbath in the -historic town and go to the old mother church. It is a small building, -simple in style, but we enter it in a spirit of reverence. Repairs are -in progress; with his own hands the minister, a college and seminary -graduate, has painted the woodwork and papered the walls. He has been -aided in the evenings by the earnest men of his congregation. - -The days of the Northwest Fur Company seem very remote when the new -generation, with a small group from the older one, kneel to receive -Holy Communion. The life of the trapper and trader, starved and godless, -seems a haunting and an impossible dream. Yet the pastor has his -problems. His church must be enlarged and modernized to meet the social -demands of the little city. He must find means for providing recreation -and wholesome entertainment in connection with the church, so that the -people of the community may not have to depend for their amusement on -the cheap “movie” theater with its sensuous appeals. He must travel -far out on the wide prairie to care for the ranchers who are setting up -homes in these lands that under new methods of cultivation are proving -to be far more fruitful than it was once considered possible for them -to be. - -The scout-missionary is still keen about first churches, and we -accompany him on a visit to a little town near Fort Benton. We go to -the schoolhouse. We are early; so we will play janitor. The bell is -to be rung. The songbooks are to be distributed. Brother Van does not -preach this time, but his influence is felt all through the service. He -stands in the closing moments and urges upon the people a new loyalty -to Jesus Christ and a new loyalty to the church as the center of their -common life. All who will so pledge are asked to come and take him by -the hand, and every man, woman, and child in the little group comes -forward. Among them are three soldiers, guards in the uncertain days -of war of the big bridge which swings over the Teton River at the -outskirts of the town. - -One of Brother Van’s churches is in process of building in this town. -You may smile at its dimensions. It has one main room and a basement -which is to be cut up into smaller social rooms. - -“Well, Brother Van, when is it to be finished?” he is asked. - -“Don’t know, Sister!” - -“Why not finish it right away?” - -“I’d love to, but not one cent of debt is to be placed on this or on -any other church I have anything to do with.” - -“But, can these few people build this church?” - -“They can and will, with the help of the Board of Home Missions.” - -“Ah, if people only knew the need of home missions, we would not have -to see these churches which we try to put in the new centers struggle -and languish as they do,” he adds. - -“Why try to have a church so soon, then?” - -“Ah, Sister, that is the point. We must claim these new towns for our -Christ. The devil has his agents at work in the saloon and dance halls. -Why should we give up to him?” - -In that distant time when Brother Van made his first visit to the -Indian agency, he traveled in an army post wagon. As we seek the -Blackfeet Indians, we travel with him on a railroad train. His vivid -stories of the towns through which we pass make us realize how much the -frontier owes to missionary influence. Brother Van gets off at every -station to look around. - -“See that church house,” he exclaims proudly, for he always calls it -that. “Isn’t it beautiful?” - -It is small and in need of paint. Compared, however, to the saloon -building in which he had probably held the first service, it is -beautiful. - - Illustration: GREAT HEART WITH A BLACKFOOT BROTHER AND HIS FAMILY - -“Browning! Browning!” calls the conductor. Nothing here but a small -station. - -“This way, Brother Van,” calls a voice from the starlit darkness, and -soon we are on our way to the Indian reservation and the parsonage home -of Rev. A. W. Hammer, the cowboy preacher. A cheerful welcome awaits -us in the little prairie home. Here in the shadow of the snow-clad -mountains is symbolized the Montana dreamed about by the boy from -Gettysburg. A home has been established. A trained preacher ministers -to the Indians. - -On the following morning we find spread out before us a scene of -rich beauty as we look across the fields from which the grain has been -harvested. All the members of the household gather in front of the -cottage where there stands a straight mountain pine, carefully trimmed -and braced. From a home-made cabinet the oldest daughter has taken a -carefully folded bundle, and now at her bidding it is fastened to the -ropes swaying from the pine tree. A steady pull brings Old Glory up -to catch the breeze while the shining mountains seem to smile approval. -The son places his hat over his heart, while Brother Van, his head -bared, his face transfigured, sings, “O say can you see by the dawn’s -early light” and girlish voices catch up the refrain. No flag raising -in the presence of statesmen and of armies could be more impressive. -Here one sees the loyal soul of the west laid bare. This is the America -that the forces of the Christian church, the Christian home, and the -Christian school are building on the vast plains and through the -mountain valleys of the younger states. - -The drive to the church in a lumber wagon is a novel experience, and we -understand why fur overcoats are called “life preservers,” for the air -gives a foretaste of the winter’s cold. The congregation of Indians, -plainsmen, business men, and college graduates gathers. The Indians -interest us the most. These are the adopted brothers of Great Heart. -These are the people whom William Van Orsdel loved before he had seen -them and whom he had left the old Gettysburg home to serve. He has seen -disease, ignorance, and intemperance threatening to wipe out the race, -and he has had to give a large part of his energy to teaching a better -way of life to the white man who is so largely responsible for the -conditions that exist; but he has persevered in finding ways to help -his red brothers. - -In the United States there are now three hundred and thirty-six -thousand Indians; nearly one third of these are unchurched. There are -many who have no opportunity to know the living God, yet they were -the first Americans. Their loyalty was proved when nine thousand young -braves entered the army and navy to fight for a world democracy, and -one third of those entered the service through enlistment. These wards -of the nation, though driven back from wide prairie to reservations, -have been taught trades and agriculture. Twenty million dollars -worth of Liberty Bonds were bought by Indians. The war has given the -Indian an opportunity to show his fine qualities of manhood, and to -demonstrate his fitness for those privileges of citizenship which have -been denied him. Hereafter, too, this native American will be a citizen -of the world. “They have learned to step to the drum-beat of democracy,” -says Hon. Cato Sells, “and they will come out of the conflict an -element of real and progressive strength in our National life.” Like -many others who have fought abroad, they will ask the churches and -schools to put into practise the principles that they defended “over -there.” - -The teachers to succeed Brother Van, Mr. Hammer, and all of that host -of devoted workers who have given their whole lives for the building of -a Christian civilization in the west must come from the young people of -the church. Young men and young women of the new generation must have -a vision clear enough to see the beckoning hands that point the way -to great unfinished tasks. The high purpose of the boy from Gettysburg -must fill other lives that will take up the new tasks, as hard as the -old, perhaps harder, which the changing times have brought to Montana. - -Leaving the Indians, we find ourselves on the railroad and bound -for the new frontier. The monotony of the prairie is only relieved -by homes and schoolhouses but these appear at intervals as we travel. -Occasionally we pass small towns clustering around grain elevators, -which show the new day of agriculture. We come at last to the end of -our journey to the new section and from the small station we drive to -a settler’s shack on a claim. Surely tales of frontier life have been -exaggerated, for here are warmth, blooming plants, books, and papers. -The homesteader is a retired preacher. - -“We must get the surveyor while you are here, Brother Van, and mark up -that lot for the church,” says our host. - -“A church out on this prairie!” we exclaim. - -“Yes, do you see yonder that grain elevator and a few buildings? -That is a new town starting and we must have a church. A saloon and a -pool-room are there already. The storekeeper has given us a lot for the -church,” he explains. - -This is a wise merchant who realized that the new town would not be fit -for his family unless the church was the central interest. With pick -and compass we go; Brother Van steps off the distance, and the faithful -pick finds the marker. - -“The corner-stone will be right here,” says the master of ceremonies. -The spade is stuck into the rich soil while the people cheer; but -Brother Van is silent; his latest church is being started. He is -anxious that the children of the new town shall have a chance of a -Christian education. The government will see to the schoolhouses, but -the responsibility of the churches rests on Brother Van and his aids, -even on you and me. - -We continue our sight-seeing tour of Montana and reach Helena at a -time when the city is thronged with visitors to the Fair. Yonder is -the Capitol, and in friendly nearness is a smaller building; it is -Montana Wesleyan University where college is opening. Brother Van has -a tumultuous greeting. The Board of Trustees has just declared for a -fifty-thousand-dollar enlargement of the institution. The students and -President Sweetland are riotously happy. Visitors make speeches in the -chapel. One man does not need the well-chosen introductory speech from -the new president. He is not allowed to finish it. - -“Who’s all right?” sings out a yell-leader. - -“Brother Van! Brother Van!” comes roaring back from the eager crowd. - -No mention is made by the pioneer of his part in the enterprise which -has made the Christian education of these eager students possible. When -he finishes speaking, a demand is made: “A song! A song!” So he sings -“Diamonds in the Rough” for them. Then we hasten to a meeting of the -Board of Trustees, and arrive in time, for Brother Van is never late -for an engagement. - -“Now, let’s go to the Fair!” he says. To go to the Montana State Fair -with Brother Van is to become almost as much a center of interest as -the prize pumpkin or the heaviest sheaf of wheat. The hold the man has -on the people of the state begins to dawn on you. - -“Hello, Van, old scout.” - -“Why, Brother Van, how is the church at ――――?” - -“Isn’t this Brother Van?” ask children, shyly, as we pass. - -Out in the enclosure a flag is to be raised. They send a messenger to -Brother Van to say that he is wanted to offer the prayer. After the -prayer, Governor Stewart is introduced, and the heart of the Eastern -visitor is stirred to hear from him how great a part this new state -took in the great world struggle for democracy; how great an outpouring -of its wealth there was for the needs of the government and for the -relief of suffering; and how large a number of the boys from these -thinly peopled plains left their homes to take their places in the -ranks of the armies of freedom. - -It is a short drive over to the once owl-haunted, coyote-inhabited -building, which for a time seemed to be Brother Van’s mistake. -Children’s voices call a glad greeting, for now it is the Montana -Deaconess School. Out on the campus is an old building which the boys -have fitted up, and which they dignify by the name of “gym.” Class -work which meets the regular school standards is done in this home, -but that is only a part of its work. The development of strong, helpful -Christian character is the great task to which the earnest teachers who -labor here are devoting themselves. - -Now we visit the Capitol, a beautiful building of which the young -state is justly proud. We go directly to the Governor’s suite and find -a delegation of citizens there waiting to consult him. The attendant -smiles on one member of our party and then disappears. We resign -ourselves for a long wait, but immediately the messenger returns. -“The Governor will see you, Brother Van,” he says. We then have the -privilege of listening to a conference between the pioneer missionary -and modern Montana’s chief man of affairs. - -It is near Helena that Last Chance Gulch is situated and the city still -presents the problems of a mining center. In the old days the miners -came without families. They lived the hard, rough life of the pioneers. -Many were only adventurers. They gambled, and even killed for the lure -of gold. Yet it was they who found and developed the mines which have -furnished so large a share of Montana’s wealth――and that of the nation. - -Not only gold, but silver, copper, lead, coal, and iron are found. -Especially rich are the fields of copper, and since 1892, Montana has -been the leading state in the production of this metal. Great smelting -and refining plants costing millions of dollars have been established -around which thriving cities have quickly grown. In the maze of -stacks, mills, ore-dumps, tracks, and surrounding streets filled with -the cottages of the laborers, the visitor who has been to the new -settlements on the plains and to the reservations sees a different -Montana――not that of the rancher and the Indians but that of the -industrial worker. - -We have an enthusiastic guide when we travel through the mining regions -with Brother Van. He keeps the spirit of the pioneer. While his work -has led him more among the Indians and the plainsmen, he sees the great -needs that have arisen with the growth of the industrial centers. He -is eager that the Christian forces of America undertake new tasks of -helpfulness for the men who toil underground and in the mills, and for -their families. - - Illustration: Copyright, Brown Brothers. - - A COPPER MINE AT BUTTE - - A new America must be won in the restless, throbbing - centers of industrial life. - -It is in Butte that we find the heart of the great copper region of -Montana. From the hill north of the city, ore to the value of a million -and a half dollars has been taken. When Brother Van made his first -visit there he found but fifty residents. Not only is it now a busy -city of forty thousand inhabitants, but the character of the community -has entirely changed. The settlers of that period were of American -birth and parentage. To-day the great majority of the miners are from -distant countries. The pioneers of the days of Brother Van’s young -manhood lived the hearty open life of the wind-swept plains; the -newcomers from Europe must toil in the dark mine shafts or amid the -dust and roar of the mills and smelters. - -Coming as these workers do for the most part from southern and -eastern Europe, differing greatly in customs and in language from the -older population, they must be given special guidance, if they are to -find the real America of their dreams. They will attain the kind of -citizenship which will make them able to take a really helpful place in -the life of the country only as we interpret Christian ideals for them. -It was for these ideals of democratic brotherhood that the young men of -America went abroad and for which thousands of them gave their lives. -Is America now to show to those who have come as strangers to us, and -who do such a large share of the hard work of our country, that these -ideals of democratic brotherhood are being put into practise for the -benefit of all? - -Brother Van found a frontier region when he stepped ashore from the -river boat at Fort Benton on that July morning in 1872. He threw -himself into the life about him, and his years of service have brought -friendship and hope and courage to lonely men and women and to aspiring -young people all over a great commonwealth. Cowboy, Indian, and miner -have welcomed his help, for, as they put it, he “prayed lucky.” There -is need to-day――there will always be a need――for the same ministry that -Brother Van has been carrying on in his founding of new churches, and -in his friendly visiting in lonely homes, and in his preaching anywhere -and everywhere the word of cheer and of faith that his whole life -taught. And as a part of the same great task to which he has devoted -all his years, Brother Van will tell you that there is need for another -kind of scouting to-day in the land of the shining mountains. - -This vast development of modern industry calls for new and varied -kinds of service. The thrill of adventure is there, although it may be -different from that which was found in the early days of the frontier, -and the joy of conquest remains. The winning of a new America is yet to -be achieved in many of those restless, throbbing centers of industrial -life where men have not yet learned how to bring the spirit of Christ -into their daily toil; where home life is narrow and harsh; where -growing boys and girls are shut out from the opportunities for -recreation and for training, that a preparation for healthy, capable -citizenship demands. - -As we leave Brother Van looking out over the wide plains of his beloved -Montana and gazing at the great black masses of the mills and mines -with the dismal clusters of miners’ cottages around them, we know what -he is thinking about. It is of the new scouts who will come to occupy -these frontiers of modern industrial and community life for the Master. -And we know that only those who are worthy to be called Great Heart -will be able to carry on in the new age of world democracy the tasks -that have been so well begun in the old days of the opening West. - - - - - Other books for all boys and girls who love - tales of heroic adventure - - PATHFINDER SERIES - - - Livingstone the Pathfinder - By BASIL MATHEWS - This story of the life of the great missionary explorer is - told in a thrilling manner. Every one should know the work - of this well-known hero. - Cloth, 60 cents; paper, 40 cents, prepaid - - The Black Bearded Barbarian - By MARIAN KEITH - The life story of George Leslie Mackay, of Formosa. - _American Youth_ says of it: “All workers with boys should - welcome this little volume. It has camp-fire stuff in it.” - Cloth, 60 cents; paper, 40 cents, prepaid - - Uganda’s White Man of Work - By SOPHIA LYON FAHS - The story of Alexander Mackay, an engineer, who answered - Stanley’s call to go to “Darkest Africa.” His adventures and - the life of the people are vividly told. - Cloth, 60 cents; paper, 40 cents, prepaid - - Martin of Mansfield - By MARGARET R. SEEBACH - This book tells many interesting things about the great - reformer, Martin Luther, but chiefly about his family, - friends, and school days. - Cloth, 60 cents; paper, 40 cents, prepaid - - Brother Van - By STELLA W. BRUMMITT - The fascinating story of the life of Dr. W. W. Van Orsdel, - who has had a long and adventurous career as a home - missionary in Montana. - Cloth, 75 cents; paper, 50 cents, prepaid - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Brother Van, by Stella W. 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