out proportionate means, and it is a fact that I have nothing assured; all my hope is in Providence and in my friends' zeal; I hope that they will not fail me. I know that you take much interest in this deserving work; this is why I take the liberty of recommending it to your generosity and to that of your friends; the smallest contribution will be a material help.
I commend myself, as well as my dear neophytes, to your fervent and holy sacrifices, and am, etc.
is The name of this missionary and his brother Adrien, constantly recurring throughout this work, was sometimes spelled " Hoeken " by Father De Smet and his associates, and sometimes " Hoecken." The present editors have preferred to adopt the briefer form, though aware that Father Adrien Hoeken, at least, used the longer in his signature.