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
