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