Chapter 4 Summary

Mark faces his first full day in Kingcome and starts with a realistic assessment of the vicarage and the church, both of which need extensive repairs. He is despairing of how to deal with the situation when Chief Eddy delivers a letter from the bishop acknowledging the state of the buildings and offering to send a prefabricated vicarage whenever Mark wants it. Suddenly Mark is horrified of by the vision of trying to haul all the materials for a two-bedroom vicarage up the river on canoes. He immediately writes the bishop asking that no materials be sent until requested. He then spends many hours cleaning both buildings and beginning to repair them. Needing a break, Mark walks around the village, observing and learning about daily life and speaking to a number of the people. The Indians are polite and reserved, but they are...