The Dangerous Escapades of Dr. Chamberlain

This article will take a slightly different turn than most of my others. Rather than writing a short biography or mission, I will just highlight a few of the numerous adventures that Dr. Chamberlain experienced while a missionary to the Telugus in India during his 48 years of service from 1860 to his death in 1908. I will post them one at a time, so stay tuned for more!

The Snake Killers

After his long walk through the forest to reach the village, Dr. Chamberlain was weary. A short – or perhaps even a long break would be much appreciated.  He asked the leaders of the village if there was some secluded spot of the village where he would be allowed to set up his tent to rest for a while. They not only had a spot for him on the outskirts of the village, but they gave Dr. Chamberlain free use of a newly constructed hut. It was quite roomy, and in a quiet, peaceful vicinity. Dr. Chamberlain would have time to rest his aching limbs for a while. 

Well pleased with this arrangement, he lay down on his back on the floor and began reading his Bible. Once he had read for a little while, he set his Bible down on the floor contentedly, refreshed at least in spirit if not in body yet. However, he soon became aware that he had not been alone in the hut. In fact, the other occupant of the hut was still there, dangling from the rafters with its long tail. The snake was now only a few inches away from Dr. Chamberlain’s head, and was about to strike. In an incredible feat of agility he jumped sideways while still on his back, a maneuver which Chamberlain did not know was even anatomically possible. He was not a moment too soon. As it was, he only escaped being bitten by a hair’s breadth. Quickly, he ran outside and snatched up the spit that he used for roasting meat in the jungle from the cart where it laid. Charging back into the hut, he speared the snake onto the rafter that it grasped. Chamberlain had to struggle to hold the spit in place to keep the thrashing snake from freeing itself and biting him. Realizing that the snake would soon overpower him and escape if he did not act promptly, he called for his servant to bring him a bamboo cane, which was hastily brought. With vigorous, heavy strokes, he soon succeeded in killing the snake. Glancing out of the doorway he noticed the village watchman standing outside, who quickly ran toward the center of the village to notify the authorities. 

Dr. Chamberlain knew that this could not be good since snakes were worshiped here, and he had killed a large one, over ten feet long. While he was considering what his best course of action to take would be, the village leaders approached his doorway. But, the greeting he received was quite unexpected. They carried platters of their most exquisite and delectable meals. Once they reached the hut, they bowed low to Dr. Chamberlain and presented their gifts to him, sincerely thanking him for killing the snake. It had been oppressing them for a long time, killing many of their cattle, and even one of their children. They had been afraid of killing the snake, afraid that wrath would be poured out upon them by other snakes if they did. 

Dr. Chamberlain recognized that this was a great opportunity to share the story of Christ with them. He then told them about a snake that was more wicked than this snake, or any other snake there had ever been. It had kept many people in bondage, but Jesus Christ, the Son of God came and died to defeat the snake and set men free, then rose again to show that he had defeated all evil, and even death itself. The snake was the devil, and had them all in bondage, but all who would believe in Christ would be set free from him, and would not be enslaved to sin any longer. After hearing this, many of the people in the village believed in Christ, and devoted themselves to him. 

Dr. Chamberlain was pleased. This mission had been successful, since through God he had killed one snake and helped in a small way at least to defeat another more terrible snake that oppressed this village.

"Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God." ~William Carey

Tireless Men Conquering the Land of Fire

The Conquest for Tierra del Fuego Part 3

Mr. Despard was becoming quite anxious. Weeks had passed since he had sent some of his fellow missionaries on the Allen Gardiner to Woollya, one of the main islands of Tierra del Fuego. Not a word had been heard from them since then. It was an ill wind which seemed to bode nothing good for the mission. He engaged Captain Smyley, the same captain who had been the first to discover the fate of Allen Gardiner, to investigate.

It was not long before Captain Smyley returned on his ship the Nancy. Behind him sailed the Allen Gardiner. Well, at least they knew that the schooner had not been shipwrecked. But what had happened, and why they had not heard from the missionaries, time would soon tell. Once the ships docked, the Allen Gardiner’s cook came and told Mr. Despard the whole story. He was the only survivor of the schooner.

When the Allen Gardiner landed on Woollya, the natives had been quite friendly. In fact, they were all so amiable that the missionaries decided to have a church service on the very next Sunday right on the island for all who wished to attend. Accordingly, when Sunday arrived, the missionaries came onto the island and prepared for the service which would soon begin. Many natives gathered around them. But, as the missionaries were about to start the service, the natives charged forward and murdered all of them. When the cook who was still on the Allen Gardiner saw this, realized that they would come on board the schooner to kill him next. Quickly, he concocted a risky and unusual plan, although it was probably the best to be had under the circumstances. He swiftly lowered a rowboat, jumped into it, and rowed to the island. Upon reaching it, he clambered out of the rowboat and charged into the dense forest as fast as his legs could carry him.

After a few days, he decided to leave his hiding place and risk coming out into the village. He might die at the hands of the natives, but he might die anyhow if he stayed in the forest without much to eat. Fortunately, he was not killed by them, although some of them treated him rather roughly. A few of them were nice enough to give him food and let him stay in the village until a ship came. The wait was not very long, because Captain Smyley and the Nancy soon arrived. The cook was glad to be able to leave the island, and came on board the ship. A native boarded the ship along with him. He had been appalled by the conduct of the other islanders in murdering the missionaries in cold blood. His name was Okokko, one of the natives they had used when establishing their mission station. He was a Christian along with his wife, and they both decided to leave the heathen island of Woollya for the mission station at Keppel Island.

The mission had received a stunning blow by the death of their comrades. Now was not the time to keep pushing forward, but rather it was the time to slow down and regroup – again. William Bartlett and Mr. Bridges along with Okokko and his wife Camilenna would stay on the island to study languages. Mr. Despard would go with the Allen Gardiner back to England for repair and renovation.

While in England, Mr. Despard procured the assistance of Mr. Stirling, who would later become Bishop Stirling. Mr. Stirling had work to do as soon as he reached Keppel Island with Mr. Despard. His task was to go back to Woollya and attempt to reopen communication with the natives. This would be hard to do, since the natives had murdered the missionaries, and they probably would not want any more to come to them. Nevertheless, he would try, even if he would have to be yet another man to sacrifice his life. Mr. Bridges and Okokko both knew how to speak English and Fuegian quite well, so Mr. Stirling decided to bring them along to help him with interpretation. When Mr. Stirling arrived at Woollya, all of the islanders were apprehensive. They were afraid that it was a mission of revenge, and that Mr. Stirling and his friends would kill them. But, when Mr. Stirling explained that they were here peacefully, and wished to talk with them, the natives were satisfied. In fact, they were even excited about helping now that they saw that the missionaries were kind and had even forgiven their murder. Many of the natives volunteered to come to the mission station. There were so many volunteering, that Mr. Stirling could choose only a small fraction of them. It looked like there was hope for the mission after all. He chose a few of them, and returned to Keppel Island to report on the success of his expedition to Mr. Despard.

The missionaries were busy now that they had natives on the Island. In addition to their normal work, they would have to train the natives and teach them about the Bible. Once each native had been at the station for a few months, they would take them back to the island from which they came, and bring new natives with them. The progress that they were making was amazing, but Mr. Stirling’s part was interrupted by needing to return to England to be dubbed Bishop of the Falkland Islands. He left to receive the office, and when he returned, Tierra del Fuego had changed completely. The natives were kind, and many of them had become Christians. The maps were soon revised to state that anyone within forty miles of the mission station should not need to worry about having any treatment other than kindness in Tierra del Fuego and surrounding islands. Everyone was glad, happy to have finally accomplished the mission that Captain Allen Gardiner had dreamed of so many years before. The change in the natives on Tierra del Fuego was so amazing that even Charles Darwin became a regular supporter of the mission society, and had to admit that he was wrong in saying that all the missionaries in the whole world could not have made the Fuegians honest. God had moved an incredibly large mountain through the faith of just a few people.

"Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God." ~William Carey

Determined Men near the Land of Fire

The Conquest for Tierra del Fuego Part 2

It is 1855. Four years earlier Captain Allen Gardiner had died, and many thought that his dream of evangelizing Tierra del Fuego had died with him. But, that was not the case. Reverend G.P. Despard was tenaciously determined that Allen Gardiner’s quest would be completed. “With God’s help, the Mission shall be maintained,” he declared. Others heard his battle cry, and joined him in the fray. Among them was Captain Gardiner’s only son, Allen W. Gardiner.

They christened a schooner the Allen Gardiner after their society’s fearless founder. After boarding the boat, they set sail in the direction of Tierra del Fuego. This time, though, they were not going to land directly on one of the islands in Tierra del Fuego itself, but rather on a neighboring island. That way they could get their bearings and plan their mission without having to be bothered with hunting for food all the time, and dodging natives that wished to murder them. They chose Keppel Island as their location. When they arrived, they set to work building a mission station, and small huts to live in. It was hard work for everyone. They would dig peat moss to fuel their fires until breakfast. After breakfast they would do a hundred different chores until their next meal. Another hundred chores would need to be finished before the sun went down. Then when the sun went down they would go into their huts to study various languages for a few hours. Finally they would drop to sleep to begin again in the morning. Their job was already strenuous, and they were only preparing! Finally they became fairly settled on Keppel Island, and finished building their mission station. Since they were settled down and did not have as much to do, they decided to tour various nearby islands to become acquainted with their surroundings.

They visited many islands, including some in Tierra del Fuego itself. Allen W. Gardiner rowed alone to the very same rocky shoreline on Picton Island where his father had landed and died a few years earlier. He walked around the small island, and found his father’s grave. After a while, he returned to the ship. A few more islands were visited, and then they travelled back to Keppel Island. Their next mission was to find someone who knew both English and Fuegian. After considering who might know both languages, they remembered the famous man named Jemmy Button. He would do perfectly.

Now, they just needed to find him. As always, that was easier said than done. Most likely, he was on Button Island, which had been named after him, but they could not be sure. It was winter and very cold since they were near Antarctica, but they decided to search for him anyhow, rather than waiting until it became warmer. They boarded their trustworthy schooner, and set sail for Button Island. It was not cold enough for the ocean to freeze, but there was snow encrusting the islands and the ship. Icy winds howled across the deck, throwing frozen snow into their teeth. Their hands quickly became numb, and their breath was like a cloud of smoke. Sometimes they were almost too cold to shiver. Just then, an island came in sight. Natives in canoes were just rounding the cove. “Hillo, hoy, hoy!” one the natives called out to the ship. Excitedly, the men shouted, “Jemmy Button!” but the native pointed to the island. Jemmy Button was not found yet, but it seemed that they were very near to finding him. They stayed on their boat to wait until the weather was nice enough for them to go onto the island in search of him.

Two days later, the temperature warmed up a little. The sun shone down brightly, and made the snow dazzle. Its rays warmed them. Early that morning they saw four canoes rounding the island again, as they had seen earlier. Hopeful, Allen W. Gardiner called out, “Jemmy Button!” “Yes, sir,” the man in the foremost canoe replied. Soon, he was on board their schooner. They had found their man without even going onto the island. On invitation he went into the cabin to have a breakfast of buttered bread and coffee. While eating, they talked over their plans, and asked if he was willing to stay with them for a few months at Keppel Island to help them with the work there. He answered that he was quite willing. Accordingly, Jemmy Button brought his family the next time he came to the schooner, and they set forth to return to Keppel Island.

When they arrived, everyone set to work. Jemmy Button worked very doggedly. He would do all the tasks they gave him, and often would catch fish for them in his spare time. The missionaries were quite glad that they had the help of the Button family. The missionaries were only disappointed that the Buttons did not like to speak their native language in front of others. Even so, the Buttons were still an invaluable help to the mission. After a while, the time had come for Jemmy Button and his family to return to Button Island. Everyone was sorry to have his family leave since they had been such a great help and enjoyment to all of them, but they knew that the Buttons had to go back to their normal life.

After placing the Button family back on the island, they secured the help of a few more natives. All of the natives that they had met had been quite friendly. Mr. Despard thought that everyone had overstated the cruelty of the natives on Tierra del Fuego. If the people on neighboring islands were so friendly, why would the people in one little archipelago be unfriendly? He decided that now was the time to send missionaries. The mission was put into the hands of Mr. Phillips, one of his most trusted coworkers. In October of 1859, Mr. Phillips and a few others set out to Woollya Island in Tierra del Fuego. Everyone was excited, but also slightly nervous. What if they had misjudged the temperament of the natives? Only time could tell.

"Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God." ~William Carey