HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE EAST POINT BAPTIST CHURCH

and brae and rugged mountain peak was engraved upon their memory. They loved the mist and the moor-land. The torrents that leaped from the hills had crooned them to sleep amid the evening shadows. They had breathed the fragrant breath of the moors and the glens, and their feet had trod the heather when it sparkled with the dew of the morning. And now they were facing the tragedy of leaving it all, perhaps forever; and taking up the burden of life beyond the trackless seas, and in a for- eign land! As they gathered at the point of departure, and mingled with the friends and relatives whom they would never see again the oc- casion was pathetic in the extreme. But when the old piper flung upon the air the wailing lament of "Lac/mlmr—No. No More". the cries and sobs were indescribable.

The voyage across the Atlantic lasted nearly three months, amid discomfort, danger and death—two babes having died during the voy- age. But new hope took possession of them when they saw the rugged outline of Cape Breton rise above the western horizon, and a little later, the low-lying coast of Prince Edward Island, their future home, appear above the sea. The Indians called the island Abegweit, meaning Hrest— ing on the wave,” from its almost uniform flatness, when seen at a dis- tance.

Adventure and achievement never fail to stir the spirit of the Scot, and yonder beyond the rim of the sea the weary emigrants saw the hand of opportunity beckoning them, and they took heart of hope. In a few hours their sea-battered ship cast anchor off the sand dunes that skirt the shores of the Island from East Point to Red Point. The contrast be- tween the rugged hills of Scotland and the level, densely-wooded country stretching to the east and west before them, for many a mile, aroused in the weary emigrants new expectations and ambitions. The dense grove of virgin forest that grew close to the river bank gave promise of abundance of fuel and building material, while the river, at the foot of the bank, assured them of abundance of fish at the proper season. With fervent thanks to the Giver of All Good, they proceeded to disembark and encamp on the sand—beach until a more permanent location could be decided upon. Later on they established temporary quarters across the river under shelter of the forest. These camps were hastily con- structed of poles and boughs and covered with birch bark. Into these primitive quarters they carried their belongings until mor: substantial homes could be built. After each family had been assigned their own farm, then log cabins were built with such tools as they possessed, and

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