Page:The Chinese Empire. A General & Missionary Survey.djvu/440

 In 1875 Rev. Henry D. Porter, M.D., being temporarily in Kalgan, translated into English Schmidt's German Grammar of the Mongolian language—a work which was most helpful to the other missionaries, but unfortunately was destroyed by the Boxers in 1900.

Meantime "James Gilmour of Mongolia" was living in Peking, and spending his summers in Mongolia. His visits in Kalgan, going to and from his great field, kept alive in other missionaries a love for the tent-dwellers in "the regions beyond."

1885 was an eventful year. In January a Mongol named Boyinto, of Shipartai, made a noble confession of faith in Christ, showing a good knowledge of the Gospel and love for the Saviour, and was baptized and received as a member of the Kalgan Church. His father, who had recently died, had not worshipped idols in the last ten years of his life. Whether this was the fruit of Mr. Gilmour's work or of Mr. Gulick's was never known.

In February or March Mr. Gilmour made his celebrated tour on foot to Hara Oso, and there heard a confession of faith from another Boyinto. It is necessary to distinguish carefully between these two men of the same name, living in two different localities, one in Shipartai, 33 miles north of Kalgan, and the other 50 miles north-west of Kalgan. Mr. Gilmour, bereaved by the death of his wife and youngest child, and footsore from his long journey, was cheered beyond measure at seeing this first-fruit of the labours of many years. A discussion having arisen in England and America as to the delimitation of the field, Mr. Gilmour, to our great regret, "changed his base of operations" to Chaoyang, in South-Eastern Mongolia,—and the sheep at Hara Oso were left without a shepherd.

This emergency led Rev. James H. Roberts, of Kalgan, to visit Shipartai and Hara Oso occasionally, and to study the Mongolian language, in order to preach the Gospel to the Mongols, and at least conserve the impressions made by Mr. Gilmour and others, until some one else should come