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

A Dauntless Captain in the Land of Fire

The Conquest for Tierra del Fuego Part 1

December 17, 1850. A captain and his men land on a small, rocky island. It is located within a frigid, desolate archipelago. It is called Tierra del Fuego, the Land of Fire. At this moment, no name could have been more unsuitable. It was cold and dreary, whereas fire makes things warm, bright and colorful. Everything in sight looked bleak. It was as if it had all been turned to stone. The shore was rocky, the sky and water steel gray. Breakers monotonously crashed on the shore, and seagulls screeched ominously overhead. The captain and his men clearly were not pleasure-seeking in such a remote isle as this. They had a mission - a hard, desperate mission. They would spread the enlivening gospel of Jesus Christ here, or perish in the attempt. But why was this location chosen over all others? Why choose a barren island inhabited only by cruel, greedy cannibals? Presently, we do not know, but if we travel with them from the beginning, we may gain some insight.

The leader of this determined expedition, Captain Allen Gardiner, was born in Berkshire, England, in 1794. Of course, he was not a captain from birth, but he did seem to be endowed with a desire to become a seafaring man while still very young. When he became thirteen, he entered the naval academy in Portsmouth. Two years later, he set out to sea. While traveling around the world on ship, he considered various religions. He realized that the God of the Bible was the only true God. But he was destined to be more than just a travelling sailor. In 1812, a war broke out, and in 1814, the ship in which Gardiner was a crew member engaged in a battle with an American man-of-war. They soundly defeated the man-of-war, and Gardiner was promoted to the rank of captain for his valiant, dauntless fighting. He would later show that he was dauntless in much more difficult situations than this one. He remained a captain in the British Navy until he turned the age of forty, when he decided to retire and become a missionary. Like any bold soldier, or at least like any tough sea captain, he chose the most demanding locations, where no one else would venture. He went to South Africa, Papua New Guinea, and various parts of South America. Unfortunately, war broke out in South Africa, interest and support was negligible in Papua New Guinea, and Catholic priests thwarted his every move in South America. Captain Gardiner was indomitable. These unfortunate events would not stop him at all. He would just choose a different location. He thought back on his voyages as a sailor, to see where he should go next. One place seemed to plead for the gospel in his mind. He could not refuse its pitiful cries. He would venture to go to Tierra del Fuego at all costs. That is, if he could find any way to get there.

He did not have money, or a ship to reach his destination. So, he put the idea forward to every missionary society he could find. But they were all either too busy, or too disinterested to support him. Of course, that was no trouble to Captain Gardiner. He just started his own missionary society¹, and went around to people to obtain money for the project. He was able to gather just enough money to start him off. Now he had to face another dilemma.  No one was very interested in taking a missionary down to a barren island within a cape that could not be much worsened with whatever else you could imagine into it. The sea was very turbulent, the coasts were rocky, and the weather would be stormy, perhaps treacherously so. Taking a long voyage to transport a few people to a place where finding the shore might be as hard as landing on it for just a little money did not sound glamorous or appealing to anyone. Nonetheless, Gardiner kept trying to find a ship. Finally, he secured a run-down, washed-up, rickety, old schooner to make the journey. Surprisingly, both the ship and the men made it safely to shore in March of 1842. This was an amazing feat considering how flimsy the schooner was. But by the hand of God and the experience of the captain, they had done it. They were enthusiastically greeted by a chief and his followers when they saw provisions being unloaded. Wissale, the chief, knew that no provisions would last forever, so he graciously made it his business to always be available at mealtimes. Thanks to the chief, the provisions were eaten long before they even had the potential to go bad. The stores were demolished so quickly that Captain Gardiner had to go back to England much sooner than planned.

When he returned, he decided he would work in another location, at least for a while. He chose Bolivia. He worked vigorously in Bolivia until a revolution broke out, when he deemed it prudent to evacuate. When he returned, he determined he would try Tierra del Fuego again. It still cried out for the gospel. This time he would meticulously plan out every step. He hired another ship to take him to Tierra del Fuego, where he planned to establish a small station to house himself and his men. He acquired four men and one carpenter to come along on his quest. They reached their destination while a gale was raging. Sleet and hail was coming down heavily, and to make matters worse, a war party decided to camp out on the beach where Gardiner wished to land. He only had time to survey the island to decide the best location to land next time. He returned to England, but he was not disappointed. He just set himself to work on obtaining a ship of his own. Without it, he might never even be able to land. His friends were nervous about his idea. John C. Lambert put it this way in his book, The Adventure of Missionary Heroism², “Though his new idea filled him with fresh enthusiasm, his enthusiasm was not widely shared. At this we can hardly wonder. There are not many persons who possess a hero’s indomitable courage together with the perseverance of Bruce’s spider. Some of the Captain’s best friends advised him to give the whole thing up. ‘Only with my life,’ was his reply.” So, they stopped begging him to terminate his plan. It was clear to them that nothing in this world could dissuade him.

Before he could leave, he needed his own boat, and before he could get it, he needed money. Germany liked his story, but declined his plea for support. They just did not have the funds. Scotland also could not supply him with money. As he was about to leave Scotland, a lady from Cheltenham came to him, and gave him a substantial donation. At the same time, a few people offered their services to his missionary society. Everything was set in order now. They purchased two double-decked launches, and had obtained seven men to go on the expedition. Commanding was Captain Allen Gardiner, the stalwart seaman. Accompanying him was Mr. Williams, an experienced surgeon. Mr. Maidment, who formerly was a Sunday school teacher, also came along. There were also three fishermen who could nearly flawlessly row the boats. And last of all, there was the ship’s carpenter, a veteran of the previous expedition, who was there to fix the boats and keep them afloat. He had the right men, all of them perfect to support him in his arduous task. They embarked on the Ocean Queen, which they were using for the bulk of the journey, so as to reach Tierra del Fuego more rapidly, and to keep their launches in pristine condition, which they stored in the ship. Who knows what they might run into when they landed. They did not need to start off with damaged vessels. Even with all the dangers that might lie ahead, they were prepared for anything, even to lay down their lives if need be. They would be faithful to the end.

December 17, 1850. Captain Gardiner and his men land on a small, rocky island, located within a frigid, desolate archipelago. It is Tierra del Fuego, the Land of Fire. They might have wondered why such an unsuitable name had been chosen. At least, it was very unsuitable now.  It was cold and dreary, whereas fire makes things warm, bright and colorful. Everything in sight looked bleak. It was as if it had all been turned to stone. The shore was rocky, the sky and water steel gray. Breakers monotonously crashed on the shore, and seagulls screeched ominously overhead. They had a hard, desperate mission ahead. They would spread the gospel here, or die attempting it. They landed in Banner Cove, thus named by Captain Gardiner on one of his previous expeditions. A gale sprang up as soon as they landed, so they quickly unloaded their stores into a secluded location, without any hungry chiefs spotting the stores this time. The provisions would only last for six months. But they were prepared for that dilemma as well. A ship would arrive with more provisions before six months were up. No sooner had they packed away the last of the provisions, than a Fuegian war party sailed out toward them in their canoes. They wanted very badly to attack, but they also wanted very badly not to fight against anyone with a gun. Therefore they bided their time, and just kept Captain Gardiner’s troop hemmed in. They stayed right in their positions for a while. But then, the natives were so bored with nothing to do but be out in bad weather that they just left.

A few days later, a hurricane blew in. One of their boats was wrecked on the beach, and their stores were severely damaged. They retrieved what little was left, and stuffed it into a small, dank cave. They soon got sick, and decided to move to a better location: inside the one small boat that was left. Food was scarce, since their provisions were on another part of the island. All they had to eat were the few birds they could catch. They went back to Banner Cove and gathered the last of the food that they had. All that was left was two casks of biscuits. Now they knew that unless the ship arrived very early, they would not survive. The ship never came until almost a year after their arrival on the island. Nevertheless, they trusted in God, and that he knew what was best for all of them. Sadly, men began to die. Captain Gardiner stood bravely to the end. We have a fragment of his last letter. In it he says that he trusts in God, and is singing his praises. He states that he had been without food for five days, but he neither hungers, nor thirsts. He was gladly anticipating going to heaven. He may have been the last one to die. His letter is dated September 6, 1851, and he went to heaven shortly after that. This story has a sad ending, but God would use it for much good. Everyone had been rather disinterested in his mission earlier, but when they heard that he had died because of his great dedication to it, they rallied together, and took up the task which he had so bravely begun. I will relate the story of the accomplishment of this mission in my next article.

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

¹Captain Allen Gardiner’s mission society was founded in 1844, and was originally known as the Patagonian Mission, but was renamed twenty years later as the South American Mission Society. To read further about what this society has done and is doing, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_American_Mission_Society

²John C. Lambert’s book entitled, The Adventure of Missionary Heroism, is a very useful, interesting work, and is what I mostly use when researching for these articles. I would highly recommend reading it.