History of the Wyandot Mission at Upper Sandusky, Ohio

              WYANDOTT  MISSION. 115
CHAPTER IV.
The author in August, 1821, appointed missionary—Want of missionary funds and resources—Preparations for his journey— Arrives at the mission—Cordially received—Lives in a cold, open cabin—Builds a new one—Works very hard, and prepares materials for building the mission house—Sufferings during the winter—Stew¬ art teaches Indian school at Big Spring—Happy death of Monon- cue's aunt—His speech at her funeral—Unformed state of the Church—prganization of a class at Big Spring, and one at the mission—Opposition to this course by the luke-warm and irrelig¬ ious—Unprincipled conduct of the traders—Heads of a sermon at the mission—Between-thc-logs exhorts—Indian woman's dream— Indians repair to their hunting ground, to hunt and make sugar— Author visits their camps to hold a two day's meeting—Eats boiled raccoon and molasses—The hunting camp—The houses, heds, and fixtures—Mode of hunting raccoons—Bears—Their habitudes— Mode of hunting them in winter—Young bears—Bear robbed of her cubs—Bear's flesh and oil—Bear's oil, venison, sugar, and parched corn—Account of the meeting—Return to the mission house—Meeting among the whites on Tyamochte creek—Monon- cue's address to them on drinking—Difficulties of regulating classes and explaining Discipline*
The Indians, in their council, having officially ad¬ dressed the conference, and made application for a resi¬ dent missionary and school, designated definitely the place and section of land chosen by them for that pur¬ pose, according to the stipulations of the treaty of Fort Meigs, in 1817. The conference accepted the proposal, an answer was sent to the chiefs and nation, and I was appointed to this work.
There was no plan of operation furnished me, no pro¬ vision made for the mission family, no house to shelter them, nor supplies for the winter; and there was only a small sum of money, amounting to two hundred dollars, appropriated for the benefit of the mission. However, I set about the work of preparation to move.    I had a suit-