C7 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I.— The good Ship "Duff" and her Strange Cargo . . . i 
 
 II.— "The Night of Toil" 17 
 
 III. — The Overthrow of Idolatry 26 
 
 IV.— Spreading Out 47 
 
 v.— Carrying the Light to other Groups 69 
 
 VI.— The "Messenger of Peace" and her Useful Work ... 96 
 VII.— The Martyred Missionary and Western Polynesia . . .125 
 
 VIII.— Further Extension .148 
 
 IX.— Teaching and Training Heathen Converts 165 
 
 X.— Joining Hands to save New Guinea . . . . . .183 
 
 XL— Summing up, or Work and Workers in the Older Stations. 202 
 XIL— Other Labourers in the Southern Ocean . . . .233 
 
 KJiTt't flCkfX^ 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 2. 
 
 3- 
 4- 
 5- 
 6. 
 
 7- 
 8. 
 
 9- 
 lo. 
 II. 
 
 12. 
 
 13- 
 
 14. 
 
 16. 
 
 17. 
 18. 
 19. 
 20. 
 
 21. 
 22. 
 23- 
 
 24. 
 
 25- 
 26. 
 27. 
 28. 
 29. 
 
 30 
 31 
 32 
 
 33 
 34 
 35 
 36. 
 
 Captain James Wilson, Com- 
 mander OF THE " Duff " {Frontispiece) 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Haweis ... 2 
 
 Captain Cook 6 
 
 Captain Cook's Vessels at Anchor 8 
 
 The "Duff" in the Pacific . 9 
 
 Ceding Matavai to the Mission 13 
 
 Offering a Human Sacrifice . 22 
 
 A Bride ADORNED for HER Husband 28 
 
 Natives Fishing .... 31 
 
 Polynesian Deities • • • 35 
 
 A Tattooed Warrior . . . 3S 
 
 Polynesian Weapons ... 39 
 
 Polynesian Canoes ... 43 
 
 Pom are's Idols .... 45 
 
 PoMARE n 48 
 
 A Coral Island .... 55 
 
 Pomare's Royal Chapel , . 58 
 
 Fare Harbour, Huahine . . 63 
 
 Interior of Native Hut . . 65 
 
 Rev, John Williams ... 70 
 
 AlTUTAKI 8t 
 
 The Brave Teacher, Papeiha . 87 
 Heathen Ceremonies on the 
 
 Return of the Pleiades . . 92 
 
 The "Messenger of Peace" . 98 
 
 Heathen Revelry .... xo^ 
 
 The Frenzied Old Chief . . 109 
 A Samoan Chief . . . .114 
 
 The Rev. Henry Nott. . . 117 
 Natives of Samoa in Past and 
 
 Present Styles of Dress . . 121 
 A Samoan House . . . .123 
 
 A Native of Western Polynesia 133 
 
 Native Fish-hooks. . . . 139 
 
 A Bee-hive Hut .... 143 
 Rev. A. W. Murray . . .145 
 
 Canoes Going off to a Vessel . 151 
 House of the Rev. John Jones 
 
 at Mar6 155 
 
 37- 
 38. 
 39- 
 40. 
 
 41. 
 42. 
 
 43- 
 
 44- 
 45- 
 
 46. 
 
 47. 
 48. 
 49. 
 
 50- 
 
 51- 
 
 52. 
 53- 
 
 54. 
 55- 
 56. 
 
 57. 
 58. 
 59- 
 
 60. 
 
 61. 
 62. 
 
 63- 
 64. 
 
 A Samoan Girl .... 
 A Western Polynesian Dandy . 
 A Village Chapel in Samoa 
 Solomon Islanders dressed in 
 
 Masks 
 
 Levuka, the Chief Port of Fiji 
 Leulumoega(Upolu) High School 
 
 Boys engaged at Manual Work 
 Chapel at Mari^ built by the 
 
 Rev. John Jones .... 
 Dugongs, a Small Kind of Whale 
 Landward Side of a New Guinea 
 
 Village built into the Sea . 
 South Sea Island Teachers and 
 
 Natives of New Guinea . 
 
 Tauraki 
 
 ruatoka and his wife 
 
 The Barque "John Williams" 
 
 Leaving Sydney on her Last 
 
 Voyage 
 
 The Tahitian Bible : St. John's 
 
 Gospel 
 
 Island Scenery .... 
 A Christian Chief of Rarotonga 
 The New Chapel at Onerua, 
 
 Mangaia : Exterior . 
 Ditto, Ditto : Interior 
 Rarotonga from the Sea . 
 Hervey Island Students and 
 
 Wives 
 
 Tutor's House, Malua. 
 Rev. George Drummond 
 Rev. John Marriott and Samoan 
 
 Recruits for New Guinea 
 Miss Large's Half-caste School, 
 
 Apia 
 
 Rev. F. E. Lawes .... 
 Maori Woman and Child . 
 Bishop Patteson .... 
 King Thakombau . . , . 
 
 PAGE 
 157 
 159 
 167 
 
 172 
 176 
 
 178 
 
 181 
 187 
 
 191 
 
 198 
 
 204 
 205 
 208 
 
 212 
 212 
 215 
 
 218 
 22T 
 222 
 
 224 
 
 227 
 230 
 234 
 237 
 240 
 
 MAPS 
 
 1. Tahiti and Society Islands 
 
 2. Hervey Islands 
 
 3. Samoan Islands . ... 
 
 PAGE 
 
 52 
 
 4. Western Polynesia 
 
 5. New Guinea and 
 
 New Guinea 
 
 South-east 
 
 PAGE 
 129 
 
 185 
 
The Story of the South Seas 
 
 BY 
 
 GEORGE COUSINS 
 
 Editorial Secretary and Assistant Foreign Secretary of the London Missionary Society 
 Author o/ ^' From Island to Island in the South Seas" 
 
 WITH MAPS AND MANY ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 LQfNDON 
 
 LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY 
 
 14, Blomfield Street, E.G. 
 JOHN SNOW & CO., 2, Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, E.G. 
 
 1894 
 
Butler & Tanner, 
 
 The Sei.wood Printing Worics, 
 
 Fkome. and London. 
 
Qctiicatcti io 
 THE MEMORY OF MY ELDEST SISTER 
 
 (the wife of an old fellow-stuuent) 
 
 WHO DIED 
 
 AT Leone, Samoa, July i6th, 1864, 
 
 AFTER A SHORT BUT HAri'Y 
 
 m;issionary career 
 
PREFACE 
 
 This book is the outcome of the revived interest in the South Seas 
 which the effort to build the steamer John Williams has created. In 
 reading old books descriptive of the early days of the mission I came 
 across so many striking facts unknown to the present generation that 
 a desire to put these facts together in a short connected story grew 
 strong within me. 
 
 The first few pages repeat what appears in the opening chapter of 
 ''From Island to Island," but in an altered form. The remainder is 
 newly written. The books to which I am specially indebted are : 
 Ellis's " Polynesian Researches," Williams's " Missionary Enterprises," 
 Buzacott's " Mission Life in the Pacific," Turner's " Nineteen Years in 
 Polynesia," Murray's " Western Polynesia," and " Forty Years' Mission 
 Work," Gill's ''Gems from the Coral Islands," Dr. Steele's "New 
 Hebrides and Christian Missions," " The Night of Toil," by the author 
 of the " Peep of Day," and an article entitled " Christian Work in 
 Polynesia," which appeared in " The Missionary Review of the World." 
 
 I have to thank my friends the Revs. S. J. Whitmee, F.R.G.S., 
 formerly of Samoa, and A. T. Saville, formerly of Huahine, for their 
 valued help in reading through the proofs. 
 
 That the reader may have as much happiness in perusing this 
 wonderful record of God's power and grace as I have had in wanting 
 it is my most earnest wish. 
 
 GEORGE COUSINS. 
 July 14th, 1894. 
 
THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE GOOD SHIP " DUFF " AND HER STRANGE CARGO. 
 
 And He spake to His disciples that a small ship should wait on Hitni' 
 
 N August, 1795, a ship was sailing down 
 the river Thames. As she passed alonir 
 crowds of people were to be seen lining the 
 shores at certain points, who waved their 
 hats and shouted out *'God- speed," while 
 those on board sang hymns, especially one 
 which was then a great favourite : — 
 
 "Jesus, at Thy command, 
 We launch into the deep." 
 
 The sailors in other ships that they passed 
 could not make them out. Had they been singing coarse songs, they 
 would have joined in, but who these hymn-singers were puzzled them 
 much. 
 
 Leaving the river, the ship got out into the channel, and a man- 
 of-war that w^as stationed there hailed them with the usual ques- 
 tions: "What ship is that?" ''The Duff r '' Whither bound? " 
 " Otaheite." " What cargo ? " " Missionaries and provisions." Mis- 
 sionaries and provisions ! what could they be ? Such a cargo had 
 never been heard of before ; so thinking perhaps that this answer was 
 meant to deceive him, the captain of the man-of-war ordered an 
 officer to take a boat, and board the Duff at once. Pulling alongside, 
 the officer clambered up on deck, was met by the Duff's captain, who 
 showed him his papers, and finding nothing more than a party of 
 peaceable men and women on board, w^ho were on their way to a far- 
 
2 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 away island of the Pacific, the king's oflicer could say no more. The 
 ship was allowed to pass as " all right,' and went on her voyage to 
 that distant ocean. 
 
 In those days a missionary ship was quite a new thing, and we 
 must explain how it was that such a vessel was sailing to Otiheite. 
 Twelve months b2fore, a numb2r of earnest ministers and other good 
 Christians had joined together to send the gospel to heathen nations. 
 They founded what at first they called the '' The Missionary Society," 
 but is now known as the London Missionary Societ}', and on the very 
 day that they did so (September 25th, 1795), made up their minds to 
 begin by sending missionaries to OtaJieite or some o'Jier islands of the 
 South Seas. Those were the words they used. A hundred years ago 
 maps were scarce, and what few there were could not tell their owners 
 what our maps tell us. Much less was known abDut the world than 
 is known now. A school-boy to-day can easily learn more geography 
 than grown-up people who were fond of bDoks could then. That 
 accounts for the want of clearness in speaking about the islands. 
 One thing only was certain, and that was that the first place to which 
 
 the newly-formed Society was to 
 send missionaries was an island of 
 the South Seas. But why choose 
 a small island when large conti- 
 nents were without the light ? 
 Partly because those larger lands 
 were closed against them ; partly 
 because the voyages of Captain 
 Wallis, Captain Cook, and others, 
 had aroused much interest in 
 " Otaheite " and " other islands " 
 of the Southern Ocean ; partly 
 because a noble Christian lady, 
 Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, 
 
 THE REV. DK. HAWEIS. ^^.^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^,^ ^^^^ dV^V^T. 
 
 to those islands, and through her chaplain, Dr. Haweis, who was a 
 
THE GOOD S/irP' ''DUFF'' AND HER ST.7ANGE CARGO 3 
 
 director of the new Society, was led to use her influence on their 
 behalf. So it was settled : India, China, Japan, Africa, were not yet 
 open to the servants of Christ, but the islands were open, and to them 
 therefore would they send. 
 
 The next step was to fix upon a plan for doing this. An offer 
 from a gentleman named Captain James Wilson made it easy. 
 Captain Wilson had passed through strange adventures. His father 
 was captain of a Newcastle collier, and he himself grew up a rough 
 and reckless sailor-boy. For a time he served as a soldier in the 
 American war. Then, leaving America, he went to India, became 
 captain of a vessel, and served the East India Company. After a 
 time he was taken prisoner by the French, but managed to make his 
 escape by jumping down from the prison walls, a height not less than 
 forty feet. It is a wonder that he did not break his legs. In his 
 flight he came to a river full of alligators, but not knowing anything 
 about this he plunged in'Vand swam across to the other side. No 
 alligator had seized him, but when he climbed up from the river's 
 bank to some high ground near, he was seen and again taken 
 prisoner! not, as before, by the French, but by Hyder AU's soldiers. 
 Hyder Ali was at that time fighting against the English ; so Wilson 
 was stripped naked, ■ and with his hands tied behind him, and the 
 rope held by one of the soldiers, he was driven into camp. When 
 asked where he had come from he simply told the story of his escape, 
 but at first was not believed. '' No mortal man had ever swum 
 across the Coleroon," said the chief, ''and if he had but dipped his 
 fingers in its waters, he would have been seized by the alligators." 
 Upon learning, however, that Wilson spoke the truth, they looked 
 upon him in wonder, and Hyder said : *' This is God's man." 
 
 Still he was a prisoner of war, and was therefore chained to a 
 common soldier, and driven, naked, barefoot, and wounded, a distance 
 of 500 miles. He was at length loaded with irons of thirty-two 
 pounds w^eight, and thrust into a horrible prison called the Black 
 Hole ; and, while there, so great at times was the raging of hunger, 
 that his jaws snapped together of their ow^n accord when his scanty 
 
4 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 meal was brought to him. Often the dead body of the man who had 
 been chained to him was unchained from his arm in the morning that 
 another living sufferer might take its place to die in the same way. 
 That he should have lived through such misery for twenty-two months 
 was next to a miracle. But at length the monster Hyder Ali was sub- 
 dued, and the doors of the Black Hole were thrown open, when — worn 
 to a skeleton, naked, half-starved, and covered with ulcers — with 
 thirty-one companions, who alone remained to tell the dismal tale of 
 their sufferings. Captain Wilson was set free. 
 
 Having made enough money to live upon, he resolved to return to Eng- 
 land. With this in view he embarked in the same ship in which the 
 excellent Mr. Thomas, one of the Baptist missionaries, was returning to 
 England. Mr. Wilson, who boasted that he did not believe in God, had 
 frequent disputes with Mr. Thomas, who one day remarked to the chief 
 officer of the vessel that he should have much more hope of converting 
 the Lascars to Christianity than Captain Wilson. But what man can- 
 not do God can, and at length, by a series of most interesting incidents, 
 he was induced to abandon his unbelief and became an eminent and 
 devoted Christian. After some years of quiet life at home a copy 
 of the Evangelical Magamne^ announcing the purpose of sending mis- 
 sionaries to the South Seas, fell into his hands and at once set him 
 thinking that here was work God was giving him to do. He resolved 
 that if his services were either needful or acceptable, he would give 
 up ease and embark once more upon the stormy ocean. 
 
 Captain Wilson offered to take charge of any ship that the Society 
 might buy, and in it convey the missionaries to their far distant home. 
 In these days of rapid travel there is neither difficulty nor hardship in 
 reaching the Pacilic. A voyage by steamer to Australia, a second by 
 another steamer to the special group of islands to which he is bound, 
 or a short passage to America, a railway journey across the prairies, 
 followed by a second voyage from San Francisco, and in a few short 
 weeks a missionary is at his work. But a hundred years ago it was 
 very different. The only way in which missionaries could be taken to 
 Otaheite was by buyirg a special vessel, and sending them out in that. 
 
THE GOOD SHIP ''DUFF'' AND HER STRANGE CARGO 5 
 
 Accepting Captain Wilson's noble offer, the directors bought the good 
 ship Diijf^ the first missionary ship that ever sailed the seas, for a sum 
 of £4,800, while a further sum of £5,000 was expended in fitting her 
 out with all needful supplies. That was before the days of Sunday 
 schools. It was to the general public, not to the children, that the 
 directors looked for help in collecting the money ; but so heartily did 
 people take up the scheme, that the money came pouring in from all 
 quarters. The name of Captain Wilson did much to win support ; but 
 besides this, deep interest was felt by many in the novel undertaking. 
 To us, sending missionaries to the heathen has become almost a matter 
 of course, but to our grandfathers and great-grandfathers it was quite 
 a new thing. Most pi^ople laughed at the idea. It seemed to them the 
 veriest "wild-goose chase." " Why trouble oneself about South Sea 
 Island savages ? " said they. '' The chances are that the missionaries 
 will b3 killed and eaten at a cannibal feast, while as for converting 
 such people, the thing is impossible." Others thought it wrong even to 
 attempt this. " If God wishes to convert them," they said, "He will do 
 it without our aid." On the other hand, many were full of hope about 
 the plan ; above all, they felt that the command of Jesus Christ was 
 clear and must be obeyed. " Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
 gospel to ever}^ creature," Christ had said, and yet the greater part of 
 the world had never heard the gospel. " We have neglected them too 
 long," said the earnest ones ; "let us now be up and doing." 
 
 So, on August loth, 1796, a party of thirty missionaries embarked 
 at Gravesend. While Captain Wilson and his friends had been busy 
 preparing the ship, others had been at w^ork all over the country re- 
 ceiving offers of service from those willing to go. There had been a 
 stirring farewell meeting the evening before in the Haberdasher's 
 Hall, in the city of London, at which they were commended to the 
 loving care of the Lord of the Harvest, in whose namic they were 
 setting forth. In that party of missionaries there were men of " all 
 sorts." Four of the thirty w^ere ministers ; the rest belonged to various 
 trades. There were six carpenters, two shoemakers, two bricklayers, 
 two tailors, two smiths, two weavers, a surgeon, a hatter, a shop- 
 
THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 keeper, a e-otton manufacturer, a cabinet maker, a draper, a harness 
 maker, a gentleman's serv^ant who had become a tin-worker, a cooper, 
 and a butcher. Only six. of them were married. There were also 
 three children. 
 
 This was the missionary party that sailed down the Thames as 
 described on the first page. 
 
 Gtaheite, to which they were bound, is the principal island of what 
 
 is sometimes called, after King George 
 the 'Third, in whose reign Captain 
 Wallis of H.M.S. Dolphin landed and 
 hoisted the British flag, the Georgian, 
 but more commonly, the Society group. 
 It was discovered by a Spaniard in 
 1606, and was visited, not only by 
 Captain Wallis but also by Captain 
 131igh in the Bounty^ and also several 
 times by Captain Cook between the 
 years 1769 and 1778. The island lies 
 in i7°45' S. lat., and 149° 30' W. long., 
 is thirty-live miles long, and consists 
 of two peninsulas. Captain Cook 
 called it by its native name Otaheite, 
 cAPiAiN COOK. oj. O Tahiti. The O, however, is no 
 
 real part of the name, and was soon dropped.^ A smaller island^ 
 Moorea, or Eimeo,''^ is situated about ten miles from the mainland. 
 Tahiti is well known now, and is much admired by all who visit it 
 as one of the loveliest spots ever seen. Travellers of all nations join 
 in its praise. Its beauty is most striking. The island is of volcanic 
 origin, and its lofty sharply-cut mountain peaks, its deep thickly 
 
 ^ The O is an article used before proper nouns. For instance, the natives speak 
 of O Beritani = (Great) Britain, and O Viriamu = (John) Williams. When Captain 
 Cook and others asked the name of the island, the reply was " O Tahiti," and this mis- 
 led them. 
 
 ^ So called in all the earlier records, but on what authority is unknown. Its only 
 native name is Moorea. 
 
THE GOOD SHIP ''DUFF'' AND HER STRANGE CARGO 7 
 
 wooded valleys, and its rich fruits and beautiful flowers'make it quite 
 a gem of the ocean. Many additions have been made to what were 
 found in the island when Europeans first settled there, and to-day 
 bananas, oranges, cocoa-nuts, bread-fruit trees, yams, sweet potatoes, 
 sugar-cane, pine-apples, and many other fruits abound. A coral reef 
 serves as a breakwater, and shuts out the swell of the Pacific. Inside 
 the reef the w^ater is as quiet and smooth as a lake. 
 
 The natives belong to the light-skinned branch of the Malayo- 
 Polynesian race, a people who have spread over many parts of the world, 
 and are to be found in the Malayan Archipelago, in many parts 
 of the Pacific, in New Zealand, and, strangest of all, in the far distant 
 island of Madagascar. Visitors to Tahiti are always struck with 
 the merry, light-hearted, laughing, rollicking character of the inhabi- 
 tants. They are an eas3-going, good-tempered folk. This has its 
 pleasant side, but, on the other hand, has made them morally weak and 
 vicious. In the days of their barbarism they were about as corrupt 
 and, impure in thought, speech, and conduct as any nation ever heard 
 of ; and even to-day, in the ports, there is gross vice and wickedness. 
 
 But we are going too fast, and must return to the Duff ^nd her 
 strange cargo. It was not until the 23rd of September that she actually 
 started on her voyage. She had been detained for three weeks at 
 Spithead, waiting for a British man-of-war to see her safely out of the 
 reach of French frigates, for England and France being then at war 
 with each other, it was not safe for a ship to sail alone. A week later 
 she had got far enough away to do this, so she parted from the man- 
 of-war and steered for Rio Janeiro, the capital of Brazil, in South 
 America, which she reached in sevxn Aveeks. After a stay of a week 
 she again set sail. Capliain Wilson intended to take her to the Pacific 
 by the nearer route round Cape Horn. Once round that terrible 
 Cape, he w^ould have steered to the west, and reached Tahiti in three 
 or four weeks ; but so fierce were the gales he met with that his plan 
 had to be given up, and, turning the ship's head, the longer voyage to 
 the east taken instead. This added seven thousand miles to the dis- 
 tance. For ninety-seven days the Duff sailed on over the dreary 
 
8 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 waste of waters, seeing neither land nor ship. How weary all on 
 board became ! How eagerly did they long for the sight of land ! 
 One evening the captain bade them be of good cheer, for if the wind 
 changed a little during the night, he thought they would be near an 
 island the next morning. The captain was right, and as soon as 
 
 CAPTAIN COOK S VESSELS AT ANCHOR. 
 
 it began to grow light the following day there came the welcome cry 
 from the man at the masthead: " Land, O! " The land proved to be 
 Tubuai, one of the , Austral Islands ; so passing it the Duff still 
 sailed northwards until, on Saturday, March 4th, the lofty peaks of 
 Tahiti came in sight, and the hearts of all w^ere made glad. The next 
 morning, which was Sunday, the ship entered Matav^ii Bay, on the 
 
THE GOOD SHIP ''DUFF" AND HER STRANGE CARGO 9 
 
 north side of the island, and dropping her anchor, ended her long and 
 wearying voyage. That was a red-letter day in the history of missions, 
 a day to be held in grateful memory to the end of time. 
 
 As soon as she came to anchor the ship w^as surrounded by natives. 
 
 iiiii "duff in the pacific. 
 
 Some in canoes, some simply swimming, they swarmed about her, and 
 wxre speedily climbing up on to her deck. They were not in the least 
 afraid ; indeed, being now used to the visits of foreign vessels, they 
 had come bringing pigs, fowls, fish, and fruit, which they offered for 
 
lo THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 sale in exchange for knives, axes, and other things they liked. But 
 as it was Sunday no one would buy. Chattering, laughing, and danc- 
 ing, they roamed all over the vessel, seemed to feel quite at home, and 
 took great interest in all they saw. The missionaries held Sunday 
 service on deck. This seemed greatly to surprise and amuse their 
 heathen visitors, who, of course, were quite unable to understand what 
 they were doing. The singing was the only part of the service that 
 seemed to impress them : that they evidetitly enjoyed. The hymn the 
 Englishmen sang was the one that begins with the verse : 
 
 " O'er the gloomy hills of darkness, 
 
 Look, my soul, be still and gaze ; 
 All the promises do travail 
 
 With a glorious day of grace ! 
 Blessed jubilee, 
 Let thy glorious morning dawn." 
 
 The hearts of those Christian men and women were full to overflowirg. 
 For many months they had been looking forward to that day and 
 dail}^ praying for its arrival, whilst slowly sailing more than half- 
 way round the earth. At last they were off Tahiti, face to face 
 with the people they were to teach the way of salvation. With 
 gratitude to their loving Father, who had had them in His safe keep- 
 ing, with a yearning desire to lead these degraded, ignorant islanders 
 to His feet, with inward fears, perhaps, as the difficulties of their task 
 became clearer to their minds, they poured forth both praise and 
 prayer, thanking God for His many mercies, and beseeching Him to 
 bless and *' establish the work of their hands." 
 
 Two Swedish sailors, Peter and Andrew by name, who wxre able 
 to speak both English and Tahitian, coming off in a canoe, it became 
 possible to let the natives know for what purpose the Diijf had come. 
 One of these Swedes had been shipwrecked on Tahiti, the other had 
 been left there by a passing vessel. Though white men, they were 
 living just as the natives liv^ed. Several chiefs had come on board. 
 One of them, an old man to whom the others paid much respect, named 
 Haamanemane, was of high rank and great poAver. He was an aged 
 
THE GOOD SHIP ''DUFF'' AND HER STRANGE CARGO ii 
 
 chief of the neighbouring island of Raiatea, and high priest to the 
 idol gods of Tahiti. In writing home the missionaries often had some- 
 thing to say about this old man. He was very anxious to make 
 Captain Wilson his '* taio," or special friend. This was a custom in 
 Tahiti. People chose one another as friends, made presents to them, 
 and looked for presents in return. Haamanemane thought that the 
 captain of a ship would be a friend of the right sort, from whom he 
 would easily obtain many useful gifts. To humour him. Captain 
 Wilson agreed, and became his " taio." With the help of Peter the 
 Swede and Haamanemane, messages were sent to the king and queen, 
 and arrangements made for a formal landing. This took place on 
 Tuesday, March^ yth, though Captain Wilson and one or two of the 
 missionaries had been on shore the day before. A large crowd awaited 
 the party, the king and queen being among them. As the boat neared 
 the shore some of the natives rushed into the water, seized the boat, 
 and hauled her aground ; then, taking the captain and missionaries 
 on their backs, carried them dry to the beach. The king and queen 
 were riding on men's shoulders, as they always did when out of their 
 own abode. Whenever they left their house they were carried, and in 
 changing from the shoulders of one man to another were not allowed 
 to touch the ground. The reason for that was very simple. All land 
 that they touched became their own, and as their people did not wish 
 to lose their lands or houses, they wxre willing to carry them about. 
 The king welcomed the new comers. He and his people were greatly 
 pleased to learn that these white visitors had come to stay. We 
 may be sure that they hoped themselves to be the gainers, that 
 they would often be able to beg and steal, and their island grow 
 richer at the white men's expense. Then, knowing already how 
 much wiser and more skilful than themselves the white men the}' 
 had seen were, perhaps some of the more thoughtful natives expected 
 to profit by this wisdom, and make it their own. But there was one 
 thing they, at that time, knew nothing about. They did not know 
 that it was from a desire to lead them to God, to bring them " out of 
 darkness into light," and to make them "new creatures in Christ 
 
12 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Jesus," that these strangers had left their homes and come so far. For 
 the present that was hidden from their eyes. 
 
 To show his goodwill and pleasure, the king, through Haamane- 
 mane, the high priest, granted to the missionaries the use of a large 
 and roomy house, and also handed over to them the whole district of 
 Matavai in which they had landed. The house was io8 feet long by 
 48 feet broad. It had been built by the king for Captain Bligh, of the 
 Bounty^ on his visit a few years before, and was called Fare Beritani, 
 i.e. British House. A few days later this grant of land was formally 
 ratified, and the event was afterwards made the subject of a painting, 
 an engraving of which appears on the opposite page. Thus.the mission 
 in Tahiti, the first of many which the London Missionary Society has 
 had the honour and joy of founding, was fairly begun. 
 
 The first week was a busy one, for the house had to be got ready, 
 boxes to be landed, and many things to be done, but by Saturday, 
 March nth, exactly a week from the day they first sighted the island, 
 the missionaries' wives and children were taken on shore to spend 
 their first night in Tahiti. They were rowed to land in the largest 
 boat the ship had, and a very large crowd had gathered on the beach 
 to see them land. For the first time in their lives the natives saw 
 white women and white boys and girls. They were greatly delighted. 
 At first the king and queen were afraid to come near or to speak to 
 the women, but after a time went with them into their house. The 
 crowd remained outside, and every now and then shouted out a request 
 that the ladies and children might be brought to the door Yor them to 
 have another peep at them. 
 
 The king Otu, his wife Idia, and his father, Pomare, went in their 
 canoe to visit the ship nearly every day. Pomare was very fond of 
 eating and drinking. Once when he dined with the captain he ate the 
 whole of a fowl and two pounds of boiled pork, besides drinking a great 
 deal of wine. The wine was poured down his throat by his servants. 
 He was also a very greedy man, and untruthful. When he made 
 presents it was always with the hope of getting larger ones in return. 
 The first day he went to the ship he took with him four large pieces 
 
14 rilE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 of cloth, made of bark, and wrapped them round the captain, also four 
 more as a present from his wife. A few days afterwards he came 
 again with another piece of cloth, but bringing also a large chest* 
 The captain knew that Pomare meant him to fill this chest with pre- 
 sents, but pretending not to know, asked him what it was for. Pomare 
 felt ashamed to tell the truth, so made an excuse, and said that the 
 lock wanted mending. *' Take it back to the shore then," said Captain 
 Wilson, " and one of the missionaries, who is a blacksmith, will mend 
 it for you." Poor Pomare was in a fix, but at length, with a smile, 
 confessed : ^' It is for the presents that you will give to me and my 
 wife. Will you take it to your cabin, that my people may not see 
 what I receive." In the cabin he asked for ten axes, five shirts, eight 
 looking-glasses, six pairs of scissors, six knives, fifty nails, and five 
 combs for himself, and the same number for his wife, besides an iron 
 pot, a razor, and a blanket for his own especial use. The captain gave 
 him all these things, and locked them safely in the box (for there was 
 nothing wrong with the lock), but as he walked about the ship Pomare 
 ^aw many other things that he wanted, nor was he too modest to beg 
 for them. 
 
 Captain Wilson was much cheered by his success, and leaving 
 eighteen missionaries in Tahiti, went on in the Duff to other islands. 
 He was absent three months, during which he visited the Friendly 
 Islands, and landed ten missionaries on Tongatabu, an island of that 
 group. There the islanders laid a plot to seize his ship and murder 
 all on board. One night, when the weather w^as thick, four natives 
 paddled off in a canoe, intending to cut the ship's cable, so that 
 she might be wrecked upon the reef, which was only half a mile 
 astern. But they kept quiet, at a disfance from the Diiff until 
 midnight, no doubt fancying that they had not been observed. 
 Happily, however, in this they w^ere mistaken. Through the gloom 
 the man on w^atch had caught sight of the canoe. The crew there- 
 upon prepared to receive the visitors in a way they did not expect. 
 For this purpose a number of cocoa-nut husks were piled up at the 
 ship's bow, and sentinels with quick eyes and brawny arms were 
 
THE GOOD SHIP ''DUFF'' AND HER STKAXGE CARGO 15 
 
 Stationed there, eagerly awaiting the expected visit. Bending down, 
 and watching in silence, at length they saw the canoe begin to 
 move towards the Dtiff stealthily and softly, like a crouching tiger. 
 On came the savages, nearer and nearer to the ship, thinking all 
 the time that they were unseen, until the canoe was under the bow, 
 and they were within reach of the cable. Instantly the signal was 
 given to the sailors ; up they sprang, and poured down a terrible 
 voile}' of hard husks upon the unshielded heads and naked bodies of 
 the natives. Though more frightened than hurt, the next moment 
 they all jumped overboard, swimming for their lives, and leaving the 
 canoe a prize to the conquerors. The issue was amusing ; but had 
 these men cut the cable, it was Captain Wilson's opinion that nothing 
 could have saved the ship. 
 
 From Tongatabu the Duff went to the Marquesas Isles, which lie 
 to the north-east of Tahiti, and having surveyed several of these, 
 and placed one missionary on shore, returned to Tahiti. Captain 
 Wilson's intention was to leave two missionaries in the Marquesas, 
 but one of them, it is sad to record, lost heart, and refused to 
 stay. Nothing daunted, his companion, a noble young fellow of 
 thorough missionary spirit, resolved to remain alone. He trusted in 
 God, and God was with him. First at Santa Christina in the Mar- 
 quesas group, subsequently in Tahiti, this young man — Mr. Crook — • 
 did good service for his Master, and as the earliest example of a man 
 willing for Christ's sake to live alone among barbarous idolaters in a 
 small island, his name deserves to be held in esteem. 
 
 A nine days' voyage brought the ship back in safety to Matavai 
 Bay, and it was a joy alike to those on board and those on shore to 
 meet once more and report all well. The natives had been friendly, 
 the supply of food ample for all needs, and the health of the entire 
 party all that could be washed. Captain Wilson therefore decided to 
 land the iron, tools, and general supplies for the mission he had 
 brought out with him, and then set sail on his homeward journey. 
 While this work was in progress, his nephew, Mr. W. Wilson, who 
 had come out from England with him, made a tour of the island. A 
 
i5 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 month thus passed, and then bidding one another an affectionate fare- 
 well, the missionaries parted from their kind and honoured friend, the 
 captain, whose face they never saw again. Dr. Graham, the doctor of 
 the mission, made up his mind to return to England. The rest settled 
 down to their new life, and prepared themselves for the serious tasks 
 that awaited them. As the Duff sailed away and slowly faded from 
 their sight, they felt cut off from the outside world, and cast upon the 
 guidance, protection, and support of their Heavenly Father. Captain 
 Wilson first coasted along the picturesque island of Huahine, then 
 made for Tongatabu, where he spent nearly three weeks with the 
 missionaries he had stationed there, and finally sailed for Canton in 
 seaixh of a cargo. Successful in this, he returned in safety to the 
 Thames, in which he came to anchor on July nth, 1798, a little less 
 than two ^xars from the date of his departure for " Otaheite." '' We 
 have not," wTites Mr. W. Wilson, the captain's nephew, who compiled 
 an account of the voyage, '' lost a single individual ; we have hardly 
 ever had a sick-list ; we landed every missionary in perfect health ; 
 and every seaman returned to England as wxll as on the day he em- 
 barked." So ended the first voyage of the first missionary ship.^ 
 
 * "The return of the Diiffw^iS hailed by thousands with gratitude and deHght. In 
 London and elsewhere special services were held to render public thanks to Hini 
 whom wind and waves obey ; and it was immediately resolved again to equip and 
 send forth the good ship upon another errand of mercy to the same promising sphere 
 of labour. Many earnest men offered their service as missionaries; and an appeal 
 from the Directors met with such a response, that money and stores came pouring in 
 upon them from all parts of the country. As good Captain Wilson's health would riot 
 permit him to undertake this second voyage, he was succeeded by one of the officers 
 of the ship, Captain Robson. So prompt and energetic were the preparations, that on 
 the 19th of December, 1798, the Ditff^ with about thirty missionaries for Tongatabu, 
 the Marquesas, the Society, the Samoan, and the Fiji Islands, under the convoy of 
 the Amphion frigate, set sail from Spithead." — Missionary Ships. 
 
 The second voyage proved as disastrous as the first had been prosperous, for on 
 February 19th, 1799, when off the coast of South America, the DuffioW an easy prey 
 to the French privateer, the Buonaparte^ and was taken into Monte Video as a prize. 
 After enduring many privations, the missionaries eventually got back to England. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 **TIIE XIGHT OF TOIL.'* 
 " DarJc places of the earth . . . full of the habitations of cruelty ^^ 
 
 3R a time all went smoothly Avith the 
 missionary party at Matavai. Pomare, 
 the king's father, Otu, the king, Haa- 
 manemane,the high-priest, Paitia, the chief 
 of the district, and other men of island 
 renown, vied with each other in showing 
 friendliness and in liberally supplying 
 them with such food as the island pro- 
 duced. As soon, therefore, as the mis- 
 sionaries had made their house comfort- 
 able, the}^ began in different ways to fulfil 
 their mission, some at the bench and the 
 forge, others by attempts to learn the 
 language. The former could begin at 
 once. When the Tahitians saw them use 
 their carpenters' tools, cut with a saAV eight or ten boards from one 
 tree — two being the largest number they had ever been able to obtain 
 themselves — they Avere loud in their praises of the skill of the work- 
 men. When from these boards they made tables, chests and other 
 articles of furniture, their delight increased, and they hung around 
 AA'atching, and chattering to each other, their faces beaming with, 
 surprise and pleasure. Their pleasure and surprise were greatl}^ 
 increased when to other tasks that of building a boat twenty feet 
 long and of six tons burden was added. Day by day they watched its 
 progress with keen interest. But what amazed them most was the 
 
 »' c 
 
1 8 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 blacksmith's shop, and their first insight hito the mysteries of anvil 
 and forge. They had long" been acquainted with the uses of iron, 
 having procured some from a neighbouring island, where it had been 
 obtained from a Dutch vessel that had b'jen wrecked ; but they had no 
 idea how it was Avorked. When, therefore, the heated iron was ham- 
 mered on the anvil, and the sparks flew among them., they fancied it 
 was spitting at them, and were frightened, as they also were by the 
 hissing caused by plunging it into the water trough ; yet great was 
 their delight to see the bar of iron turned into hatchets, adzes, fishing 
 spears, and hooks. Pomare, entering one day when the blacksmith 
 was busy at the forge, after staring in silent amazement for a time^ 
 was so impressed by what he s,aw, that he caught up the smith in his 
 arms, all dirty and hot as he w^as, hugged him fondly, and rubbed 
 noses with him. 
 
 While some of the missionaries were thus occupied with useful arts 
 which at once won the hearts of the natives, others explored the sur- 
 rounding district, planted the seeds they had brought with them from 
 England, and sought to gain a mastery of the language. This was a 
 difficult thing to do, for they had no books to aid them — even the al- 
 phabet had not yet b^en formed ; nor had they any competent teacher. 
 Peter, the Swede, knew a little, and could interpret their wishes, 
 but he was a man of low education and bad character, and therefore, 
 in some ways, more of a hindrance than a help. The natives them- 
 selves were the most useful teachers, for, being fond of talking, the}' 
 would patiently repeat words, tell the names of things the missionaries 
 touched, correct their mistakes, and try to make themselves under- 
 stood. But, though gradually adding to their knowledge of words 
 and construction, it was not for several years that the missionaries 
 saw their way to settle how to write the language, fix its alphabet, 
 and so, for the first time, reduce to writing one of the many different 
 tongues which South Sea Islanders speak. 
 
 In the meantime important changes had occurred. Friendliness 
 on the part of chiefs, and even on the part of the people, did not check 
 their evil habits. They looked with wonder upon their foreign 
 
''THE NIGHT OF TOIL'' 19 
 
 neighbours, but mingled with wonder were thoughts and feelings of 
 another sort. They were terrible thieves, from the king downwards. 
 His servants were obliged to steal as a part of their daily duty. And 
 others were like them. One day the clothes of a missionary were 
 stolen while he was bathing. The thief was caught, brought to the 
 house, and chained to a pillar with a padlock; but he managed to 
 get away, and, clever rogue that he was, stole the padlock by which 
 he had been made fast. Seeing that the missionaries had so many 
 more things than they had themselves, the people began to carry off 
 all that they could lay hands on, and even went the length of digging 
 holes underneath the walls of their shops, and right through to the 
 dnside, in this way making a passage by which they could " break 
 through and steal." Clothing, tools, anything and everything made of 
 iron, wxre the greatest attraction ; but the culprits were not over-nice 
 in their choice, and it was only by keeping a very strict look-out that 
 the missionaries were able to retain any of their property. There 
 was also a threat to attack them. Even Peter, the Swede, was found 
 plotting against them, and their troubles grew thicker as the days 
 went on. So sad at heart did this make them that in March, 1798, a 
 year from the date of their landing, more than half of them left the 
 island in a passing vessel that called, and on reaching Sydney gave 
 up the work. 
 
 The rest, however, held bravely on, though their faith and patience 
 were sorely tested. It was two years after they left home before they 
 received their first letters. That was but one of many trials they 
 had to undergo. By no means the least of these was found in the 
 terrible nature of Tahitian heathenism. As this became more clear 
 to the missionaries, their hearts were filled with grief and horror. 
 There was one god who was supposed to protect thieves ; and when 
 they were going to steal, they often promised to give him part of 
 what they should get. A man who had b^en stealing a pig in the 
 night would bring a piece of its tail to Hiro next morning and say^ 
 '' Here is a piece of the pig I stole last night ; but don't tell an34:)Dd3'." 
 There was a large stone in the island, behind which they said Hiro 
 
•20 rilE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 hid himself when he was caught stealing, and was ashamed. With 
 such a god, no wonder that the people were thieves. Then the mis- 
 sionaries found out that many cruel customs prevailed, especially the 
 killing of infants, and the offering of human sacrifices to Oro, the 
 chief god of war. War was supposed to be the favourite pursuit of 
 this deity. Nothing gave him such pleasure as the sight and smell 
 of blood. Victims laid at his feet w^ere always besmeared with their 
 own blood, for only when thus presented would Oro accept them. 
 When war was about to be undertaken, the first act was to offer a 
 human sacrifice to Oro. The image of the god w^as brought out, the 
 victim slain and presented, and a red feather taken from the idol 
 given to the offerers, who carried it in triumph to their companions, 
 as the symbol of Oro's favour and sanction to the fight. During the 
 Avar similar sacrifices were made, the number being fixed by the 
 importance of the undertaking in hand, or by the strength of the 
 enemy's forces. Another special ceremony was the building of a 
 house for the gods and spirits, who were supposed to be fighting on 
 their side, to live in. The work was begun and the house completed in 
 a single day, which was sacred to the one task of building it. Nobody 
 was allowed to touch food, no fire was lighted, no canoe launched 
 until the w^ork w^as finished ; and at the foot of the central pillar the 
 body of a man offered in sacrifice was laid. Into this house the 
 images of the spirits and gods were sometimes taken, but more com- 
 monl}^ they were left undisturbed in their " maraes " or temples, and 
 only feathers taken from their images placed in the house. 
 
 And what were these images ? As a rule, the idols of Tahiti, and 
 of the Pacific generally, w^ere shapeless pieces of wood, from one to 
 four or more feet long, covered with cinet of cocoa-nut fibre, and 
 adorned with 3XII0W or scarlet feathers. Oro was a straight log of 
 hard casuarina wood, six feet in length, uncarved, but decorated with 
 feathers. The supreme deity of the island was Taaroa, the creator 
 of the world, the former and father of gods and men. His image, to- 
 gether with many another Polynesian god, has long been a trophy in 
 the museum of the London Missionary Society, and is now exhibited 
 
''THE NIGHT OF TOIL'' 21 
 
 as a permanent loan from that Society in one of the galleries of the 
 British Museum. It is nearly four feet high, and twelve or fifteen 
 inches broad, carved out ot" a solid piece of close, white, hard wood. 
 His face and body are studded with small figures intended to symbol- 
 ise the multitudes of divine and human beings he has made. His 
 body is hollow, the back being in fact a door ; and when the image 
 was taken away from the temple at Rurutu, in which for many 
 generations Taaroa had been worshipped, a number of small idols 
 were found lying in the hollow. Most likely they had been placed 
 there in order to receive supernatural powers before removal to some 
 new shrine. 
 
 The object of man's worship affects the thoughts, feeling, and 
 character of the worshipper, and such gods as those described could 
 not but darken and degrade the Tahitian mind. " Verily the dark 
 places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty ; " and though 
 charming to the eye and marked by beautiful scenery, these jewels of 
 the Southern Seas were the home of gross ignorance and barbarity. 
 Adult murder was sometimes heard of; many were slain in war; 
 others were,. as already stated, offered in sacrifice ; but the sum total 
 of deaths from these causes combined was altogether over-balanced 
 by those who were killed while young. The practice of slaying in- 
 fants was general through the South Seas. A few v/eeks after the 
 missionaries landed Pomare's own wife killed her baby, and was very 
 angry when they let her know that this grieved them. Whether 
 the}^ liked it or not, she said, she should follow the custom of her 
 country. As a matter of course, without shame or any attempt to 
 hide the deed, children were destroyed at the birth. Writing many 
 years later, Mr. Ellis ^ states that the earl^^ missionaries reckoned, and 
 later research had confirmed the correctness of their figures, that not 
 less than two-thirds of the children born were killed by their own 
 parents. In many homes the first three infants were killed. Of 
 twins one was always slain. In the largest families only two or three 
 children were to be found, while the numbers that were made away 
 
 ' " Polynesian Researches," vol. i., p. 251 ff. 
 
''THE NIGHT OF TOIL'' 23 
 
 with were twice or three times as many as those that were spared. 
 At the end of thirty years' service as a missionary Mr. Nott gave as 
 his experience that he had not known a single mother brought up in 
 the old heathen customs who had not bsen guilty of baby killing. 
 But we will not further enlarge upon such horrible and unnatural 
 conduct. It sprang from the evil that belongs to heathenism. The 
 marriage tie was a very loose one, and husbands and wives often left 
 one another ; many men had several wives ; and men and women 
 alike had no rule of life but their own selfish desires. 
 
 Struggling with the difficulties of a language that had never been 
 put into writing, face to face with corrupt and enslaving idolatry, 
 compelled to witness scenes and hear sounds that filled them with 
 sorrow and many misgivings, the band of missionaries faithfully 
 toiled on. In iSoo the building of a chapel was commenced with the 
 king's consent, and Messrs. Nott and Jefferson soon began to give 
 public addresses. This was the first building ever erected on a South 
 Sea Island for the worship of the living God. When it was nearly 
 finished Pomare sent a fish as an offering to Jesus Christ, requesting 
 that it might be hung up in the building, so little did he understand 
 its true character. Two or three small schools were also started. A 
 year or two later some of the missionaries took a tour round the island, 
 and visited all the different villages. They were received with hospi- 
 tality, and Mr. Nott preached to about three thousand people. But 
 fighting batween rival chiefs was frequent, and many of the islanders 
 were in great distress, yet the efforts of missionaries to bring the 
 strife to a peaceful end seemed in vain. 
 
 In the meantime they had been anxiously awaiting the return of 
 the Duff witli letters, supplies, and more missionaries. At the end of 
 1799 a ship called, from which they heard of her capture, and it was 
 not until July, 180 1, that they were cheered by the arrival of the Royal 
 Admiral^ the vessel which the directors had chartered in her place. 
 The same ship that brought them the disappointing tidings about the 
 Diijf carried also a letter telling them that three of their brethren 
 on Tongatabu had been murdered, that the rest had been obliged to 
 
2^ THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 flee, and that the mission there was broken up. In after years the 
 work was begun once more, and under the Wesleyans, carried on with 
 success ; but for a time Tonga seemed closed against the gospel. 
 
 By the year 1805 the brethren in Tahiti knew enough about the 
 language to enable them to settle how to write it, and to prepare 
 a reading primer ; they had also made a small vocabulary. Still 
 they were in the greatest difficulty. None of the natives seemed to 
 care for the message of salvation, Vv^hile, owing to war between 
 Great Britain and France, no letters or boxes of clothes and pro- 
 visions reached them. For five years they had neither I Indeed, it 
 looked as if the first mission of the London Missionary Society were 
 about to end in complete failure. Some catechisms and spelling books 
 had been prepared, and were sent to England to be printed. But in 
 1808 war again broke out between King Pomare and other chiefs, 
 whereupon about half of the remaining missionaries left Tahiti, 
 thinking it useless any longer to stay. To make matters worse, 
 Pomare was defeated, and the rest of the missionaries, who had taken 
 refuge in the camp, fled to the neighbouring island of Moorea for safety. 
 The mission buildings at Matavai were then burnt by the rebels, their 
 gardens and plantations were destroyed, their cattle seized, and all the 
 property which they had been unable to carry away with them was 
 stolen. Some of the brethren left Moorea for Huahine, where others 
 had previously gone, and there carried on work for a time ; but most 
 of them sailed for Sydney on the first opportunity. Several then gave 
 up the work. Mr. Nott, however, remained with Pomare. Mr. Hay- 
 ward also joined him from Huahine. 
 
 The night was at its darkest in 18 10. Seemingly all the efforts put 
 forth had been in vain. But it was not so. "Be not weary in well- 
 doing; for in due season ye shall reap, if ye faint not." So wrote the 
 Apostle Paul, and his words are true for all ages. In 181 1 the first 
 streaks of dawn began to appear. Mr. Bicknell, who had been to 
 England, returned to Australia, bringing a wife with him. He also 
 brought four ladies, three of whom soon married missionaries. These 
 then went back to Moorea, and by the beginning of 18 12 there were in 
 
THE NIGHT OF TOIL'' 
 
 25 
 
 the island Mr. Nott, Mr. and Mrs. Bicknell, Mr. and Mrs. Hay ward, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Davies, Mr. and Mrs. Scott, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, and 
 Mr. Henry. Not only was there a good staff of workers, but the work 
 itself was about to grow greatly. The night of toil was ending ; the 
 dawn of a new day was about to set in. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE OVERTHROW OF IDOLATRY. 
 Ajui the idols He shall utlerly abolishP 
 
 IXG PoMARE, that is Otu, son of- Pomare I., 
 more generally known as Pomare IL, was 
 in trouble. As we have seen, many of his 
 subjects were in open revolt against him, 
 and as an exile from his own island he was 
 living in Moorea. His troubles softened his heart. 
 To begin with, the idols in which he had put his 
 trust had failed him. His enemies had proved 
 stronger than he. Then, as the result of frequent 
 talks with Mr. Nott and other missionaries, he had 
 begun to grasp the real meaning of Christian truth. 
 Their friendship for him had also impressed him. 
 Gradually his mind was receiving light, and he 
 showed in different ways that he was no longer 
 bound by his formxcr regard for the gods of his fathers. 
 
 The Tahitians looked upon turtles as sacred animals, and before a 
 turtle was cooked and eaten, it was taken first to the king and then 
 sent by him to the idol temple to be roasted with sacred fire. In the 
 spring of 18:2 a turtle was caught, and the king's servants were for 
 carrying it to the temple as usual ; but Pomare called them back, and 
 told them to cook it in his own oven, just as they cooked other food, 
 and said that he would have it for his dinner. The servants thought 
 that he was either out of his mind, or was joking ; yet, findirg him to 
 be in earnest, they were obliged to obey. As the king eat the turtle, 
 the servants and others stood round in great terror, expectirg him to 
 be seized with a fit, or to drop down dead. Pomare asked them to join 
 
THE OVERTHROW OF IDOLATRY 27 
 
 him at the feast, boldly telling- them that the gods could do them no 
 harm ; but they were all much too frightened to do so, and still ex- 
 pected to see him punished for his conduct. He was, however, none 
 the worse for what he had done, and his faith in the power of the idols 
 was still further weakened. 
 
 On the i8th of July, 1812, Pomare had a serious talk with the 
 missionaries, which filled their hearts with praise to God. He came 
 to them of his own accord and began in this way: "You do not 
 know the thought of my heart, nor I yours, but God does." He then 
 went on to say that he wished to be baptized, as he had made up his 
 mind to serve Jehovah and to follow the guidance of Jehovah's 
 servants, and he finished with the words : " I want you to pray for me." 
 That Avas welcome news for the missionaries to hear, but they 
 *' rejoiced with trembling." One of them at once made answer : 
 " We have never ceased to pray for you, and it would indeed make us 
 happy to see you give your heart to God. As soon as we feel sure of 
 this we will gladly baptize you." Pomare again fell back upon the 
 thought that God knew what was in his heart : " You do not know 
 my heart, nor I yours ; but he Avho made men, knows their hearts and 
 whether they speak truth or falsehood to each other." When, how- 
 ever, the missionaries pointed out to him that it was not the custom to 
 baptize heathen people until they had first been carefully taught, the 
 king r. greed to Avait and to leave it with them to say when they 
 thought he might be baptized. 
 
 But as a token of his earnestness he begged that if he could not be 
 baptized, he might be allowed to build a large chapel to take the place 
 of the one they were then using, which was certainly too small. He 
 said too that he had b2en speaking to Tamatoa, the king of Raiatea, 
 and to Tapoa, the leading chief of Raiatea, urgirg them also to give 
 up their idols and turn to the living God, but that they had refused, 
 saying : '' You may do as you like ; as for us, we mean to keep to 
 Oro." Pomare seemed to be thoroughly sincere, and the missionaries 
 '' thanked God and took courage." Still they thought it wise to wait 
 for a time and watch for the signs of a true change of heart. The 
 
28 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 new chapel was hardly begun before Pomare was called back to Tahiti. 
 Two chiefs came over and told the king that, if he returned, they 
 would try to get the dispute between him and his people settled, and a 
 lasting peace secured. When the missionaries heard of this, and saw 
 Pomare depart, they feared lest he should yield to evil habits once 
 
 more and forget his 
 promise to obey God. 
 
 Happily, their fears 
 were groundless, for the 
 letters that the king 
 wrote to them showed 
 that the Spirit of God 
 was working in his 
 mind and making him 
 feel that he was a sin- 
 ner needing pardon at 
 the hands of his Maker. 
 He grew anxious also 
 about the things he had 
 to do as king. At one 
 time he had been ready 
 to kill any one who 
 made him angry; now 
 he began to wonder 
 whether it was right to 
 kill even thieves who 
 had been caught steal- 
 ing cloth and books. 
 Nor did he in any way 
 try to hide the fact that he had given up faith in idols, and had be- 
 come a worshipper of Jehovah. Many of his followers laughed at 
 him for becoming a Christian ; others told him in scorn that this was 
 the cause of all the trouble they were having in the island. The gods 
 were an;5ry, they said, because he had ceased to treat them with proper 
 
 A HRIDE ADORNED FOR HER HUSBAND. 
 
THE OVERTHROW OF IDOLATRY 29 
 
 respect. As the missionaries heard of these things they could no 
 longer doubt that Pomare Avas a " a new creature in Christ Jesus," 
 that **old things had passed away and all things become new." The 
 king had lived a very wicked life in the past : he had been a bad man ; 
 but Christ had come to save sinners, and Pomare was feeling the 
 pOAver of His grace and love. Not only so ; others were coming to 
 the light. God's faithful servants had thought that their past labours 
 had all been in vain, but were now learning that they were mistaken. 
 Their words, and more powerfully still their godly lives, had set many 
 a Tahitian thinking. They had '' sown in tears," now they were to 
 " reap in joy." 
 
 The people in Moorea, Avhere they were for the time living, were 
 quite ready to listen to their teaching. Tidings also came over from 
 Tahiti that there too men were beginning to seek after God. This joy- 
 ful news made them decide to send two -of their number across to see 
 whether the report was true. Mr. Scott and Mr. Hayward were 
 chosen for this mission. Landing in Tahiti, they spent the first night 
 in a native hut. Early in the morning they rose and each walked into 
 the bush near to find a quiet spot in ^vhich to pray. Native houses 
 had but one room, and privacy was unknown. As Mr. Scott was thus 
 engaged, to his great surprise he heard the voice of a native speaking 
 as it seemed to him in prayer. Quietly drawing near to listen, he 
 heard a Tahitian lifting up heart and voice in praise to the only living 
 and true God. It was the first time that on Tahiti itself he had heard 
 a native pray, and tears of joy filled his eyes as he listened. At first he 
 wanted torush out and throw his arms around the Tahitian's neck and 
 claim him as a Christian brother ; but checking himself, he allowed him 
 to go away, and then, kneeling down himself, he poured out his soul in 
 adoration and thanksgiving to the great Father above, whose Spirit had 
 at last brought a Tahitian to Himself. Afterwards they found out that 
 this man's name was Oito (subsequently it w^as changed to Petero), and 
 that he and another called Tuahine,^ Avho had acted as his teacher, 
 
 ^ Tuahine became one of the most devoted and useful of native Christians. He 
 helped Mr. Nott in his work of translating the Bible into the Tahitian, and afterwards 
 
30 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 both of whom iit one tim2 had lived with the missionaries as servants, 
 were known to have given Up idols and many evil habits. Several 
 more had joined them, until there was quite a band of them, chiefly 
 lads and young men, who without any missionary to guide them, were 
 Avont to find their way into lonely valleys and woods, and there spend 
 their Sundays in prayer and quiet talk together about God. 
 
 Mr. Scott and Mr. Hayward went round the island of Tahiti preach- 
 ing the gospel to the people. But before they started they wrote to 
 their brethren in Moorea, to tell them the joyful tidings about these 
 young men. " Behold he prayeth " were the words wath which the 
 Lord sought to show Ananias that Saul, the persecutor, w^as a changed 
 man; and this letter telling of young Tahitians who were praying to 
 God sent a thrill of gladness through the hearts of good Mr. Nott and 
 his companions when they received it. For sixteen weary years some 
 of them had been longing for such a token of God's presence and 
 power. Tears of happiness rolled down their cheeks as they read the 
 cheering w^ords. God had heard their cry, and at last w^as sending 
 them the very answer for which they had prayed. After their tour of 
 the island the two missionaries went back to Moorea ; and as Tahiti 
 was a ver}^ wicked place and greatly disturbed with rumours of war, 
 and as they wished to give their newly-found converts fuller teaching 
 and guidance, they asked them to return with them to Moorea and 
 there attend school. Tuahine, Oito and the rest were only too glad to 
 follow this good advice, and so the entire party set sail. 
 
 Very soon after this a great move forward was made. For some 
 time the missionaries had known that there were a good many of the 
 natives who were desirous of turning from ^' dumb idols " to serve the 
 living God, and they thought of a plan by which they might find out 
 who they were. The chapel which Pomare had ordered to be built 
 was ready for opening, and although the king himself w^as in Tahiti 
 and could not join in the opening services, it was set apart for the 
 w^orship of God on Sunday, July 25, 18 13. The missionaries had 
 
 did the same for ISIr. Williams. He was for many years Mr. Williams's right hand at 
 Raiatea. 
 
THE OVERTHROW OF IDOLATRY 
 
 3» 
 
 built n. small chapel for their own use soon after their arrival at Mata- 
 vai, and of course had al\va3's kept up Sunday services, to which some 
 of the natives came, but the chapel at Moorea was the first ever raised 
 in the South Seas for native use. There are hundreds of such chapels 
 all over the Pacific to-day connected with the different missionary 
 societies which are at work there ; but that at Moorea, built by the ex- 
 press desire of Pomare II., was the first ; and althoui^h man}' later ones 
 
 NATIVES FISHING. 
 
 would put it to shame for size, style, and appearance, its honour is all 
 its own. 
 
 On the day of opening, at the close of the evening service, Mr. Da vies 
 gave notice that a meeting would be held the next morning for all who 
 were willing to cast away their idols. These were specially invited to 
 come and have their names written down in a book. Fort}' natives 
 came on the Monday morning. After singing and pra3'er, Mr. Nott 
 gave them an address explaining yet more full}^ what the object of the 
 
32 rilE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 meeting was, and why they wanted them to give up idolatry and 
 baldly show that they had done so. Each native was spoken to per- 
 sonally, and thirty-one of them agreed to have their names recorded. 
 Among the first of these were Tuahine and Oito. Others said ihat 
 they no longer trusted in idols, indeed that they had given them up, 
 but that they did not wish to have their names written down. The 
 thirty-one were asked to come together often, for further teaching, and 
 thus the foundation was laid for a South Sea Island Christian Church. 
 Eleven others soon joined the thirty-one, among them being the young 
 chief of Huahine, and another man, who, as chief priest of Huahine, 
 had Ixen one of the chief pillars of idolatry. 
 
 A few months later, on January i6th, 1814, one of the greatest 
 enemies of the gospel died. This was Idia, the king's mother. She 
 had always been friendly to the missionaries themselves, but was 
 bitterly opposed to their teaching. Heathen thought, heathen worship, 
 heathen customs were her delight, and her power over the people was 
 very great. Her death made a great difference to many. While she 
 lived they had been afraid to confess themselves Christians, but as soon 
 as she was dead they came out boldly. That same year (1814) Mr. 
 Nott and Mr. Hayward paid a second visit to Raiatea, Huahine, and 
 Borabora. They had been there once already, but that was several 
 years before. A change was now manifest. Then they had sown the 
 seed of truth, but the ground was hard, and none of the seed seemed to 
 spring up. They had great difficulty too in getting hearers. On their 
 second -visit they were received with marked- interest and favour. The 
 Raiateans and their neighbours gladly came together to hear them, and 
 listened to. them with.the;great:est' willingness and attention. Indeed 
 it was becoming clearer every day that the islanders at length were 
 beginning to understand and care for that message of mercy and love, 
 of goodness and truth, which the missionaries had come so far to de- 
 liver. Later on in the same year, after Mr. Nott and Mr. Hayward 
 had gone away, a brig, which had on board as one of its passengers 
 another of the missionaries -named Wilson, drifted to Raiatea, Tahaa» 
 and Huahine, and was kept among these islands for three months by 
 
THE OVERTHROW OF IDOLATRY 33 
 
 contrary winds. Mr. Wilson thus had a grand opportunity for preach- 
 ing to the people. Large crowds of people gathered to hear him. 
 Pomare was on board the same vessel and added his influence to that 
 of the missionar}^ in an endeavour to persuade the islanders to become 
 Christians. 
 
 But we must hurry forward. To relate all the incidents of those 
 early days would be a pleasure, if w^e had space in this little book for 
 such a long story. There are, however, two events that must be 
 narrated, namely, the burning of idols in Moorea, and the victory of 
 Pomare over all his foes, followed as this was by his public baptism. 
 
 The people of Moorea were more and more anxious to be taught the 
 Word of God. ^lore than three hundred had now given in their 
 names, and there was a school with three hundred scholars, most of 
 whom were grown-up people. These met every day. None had as 
 yet been baptized ; indeed Pomare was unwilling to have any of them 
 baptized before himself. That was selfisli on his part. After an 
 absence of two years he had returned to ]\Ioorea ; but while in some 
 wa3'S a convert to Christianity, he did not fully satisfy the mission- 
 aries, so they still waited. 
 
 Just then a wonderful thing took place. This was in the year 
 18 15. Coming home one evening along the sea-shore after a visit to 
 a chief, to whom with his people he had been preaching, Mr. Nott was 
 followed by a priest named Patii, who had charge of the idol temple 
 in the district of Moorea in which the missionaries wxre then Hying. 
 This priest had been listening to Mr. Nott's sermon, and now seemed 
 anxious to speak to him about something. To the missionary's great 
 surprise Patii said : " To-morrow evening I shall burn the idols under 
 my care." ^Ir. Nott made answer : ^' I am afraid you are jesting 
 with me. You know that w^e wish to have the idols burned, and you 
 speak thus because you think it will please me. I can scarcely 
 believe what you say." ''Don't be unbelieving," said Patii, " w^ait 
 till to-morrow, and 3^ou shall see." After this they talked all the 
 way home about Jesus Christ and His salvation. When Mr. Nott 
 met his brethren, he told them of what the priest had said. They 
 
 I 
 
34 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 were filled with gladness ; at the same time they doubted whether 
 Patii would dare carry out his purpose, and feared that if he did the 
 heathen might attack both him and the Christians. 
 
 Patii, however, meant what he had said, and the next morning, with 
 the help of some of his friends, was busily occupied collecting wood 
 near the sea-shore. In the afternoon they split the wood up and then 
 piled it in a great heap near the temple in which the idols were kept. 
 
 By evening a large crowd had gathered together, for everybody 
 had heard of what the priest was going to do. Missionaries, native 
 Christians, some of them filled with fear lest the heathen should kill 
 them, idolaters from the whole district round, and Patii himselt 
 — all were assembled near the heaped-up fuel. Just before sunset 
 Patii ordered some of his helpers to light the fire. Then, going into the 
 temple, he brought out the idols. This he had often done before, but 
 for a very different purpose. He had no words of praise for the idols 
 now, nothing to ask in their honour. Spreading them in a row, he 
 stripped off the fine fibre and mats with which they were bound, and 
 tore off the red feathers by which they were adorned. Then taking 
 the idols one by one in his hand and calling out its name, giving a 
 short history of its supposed power, and saying how sorry he was that 
 he had ever worshipped such blocks of wood, he threw them one after 
 another into the flames. Just as the sun went down the last ot 
 Moorea's heathen gods was burnt to ashes by the very man Avho had 
 been their keeper, but had found out what helpless logs they were. 
 
 The heathen were awed. Some of them still thought that the gods 
 would quickly punish Patii for his wickedness, but most of them felt 
 convinced that those gods had no power at all. Others followed the 
 priest's example and burned their own family idols. On the other 
 hand, many of the heathen grew very bitter. They saw that the 
 religion of Jesus was becoming strong, and wanted if possible to check 
 its progress. They began therefore to ill-treat the native Christians, 
 some of whom lost their lives. One young man died most bravely, 
 saying to the crowd of angry idolaters who had resolved to offer him 
 in sacrifice and were thirsting for his blood: "You may be allowed 
 
POLYNESIAN DEITIES. 
 3a 
 
36 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 to kill my body, but I am not afraid to die. My soul you cannot hurt ; 
 Jesus Christ will keep it safely." 
 
 Sunday, November 12, 18 15, for ever broke the power of the old 
 heathen party and ushered in a new and better day. Four months be- 
 fore the Christians in Tahiti who had not already fled to other islands 
 were obliged to do so, for a plot to destroy them had been discovered. 
 At midnight, on July 17, they were all to be killed, their property to 
 be seized, and every Christian in the island got rid of. Neighbouring 
 chiefs were asked to come and help in this foul murder. Until the even- 
 ing of the very day fixed upon for their massacre none of the Christians 
 had the least idea of the danger they were all in ; but a few hours 
 before the slaughter was to begin a friendly word of warning was 
 secretly given them, and they knew what to expect. Through delay 
 on the part of some of the chiefs in not arriving at the right time, 
 and above all through the gracious protection of God, the Christians 
 were able to escape. At eventide they had assembled on the sea-shore. 
 This meeting had been arranged before they knew anything about the 
 plot. Probably it was for prayer, but of this we cannot be quite sure. 
 No time was to be lost. What should they do ? Stay in Tahiti and 
 be murdered, or flee? They quickly decided to try and escape, and 
 as their canoes were lying on the beach close at hand, they were 
 instantly launched; and simply carrying what few things they could 
 lay hands on, the Christians paddled away soon after sunset, and 
 made for Moorea, which they reached in safety the next morning 
 When the heathen chiefs and their followers arrived at the spot agreed 
 upon, and found that the Christians had all fled, they were greatly 
 enraged. Not only so, but they began to quarrel among themselves. 
 For a long time past these chiefs had been jealous of each other, and 
 it was only bacause they alike hated Christians that they had for a 
 brief space joined forces. Now they blamed one another for what had 
 happened, and from words soon came to blows. Those who had pro- 
 posed the slaughter of the Christians were the chief sufferers. Their 
 leader and several others were killed and the rest put to flight. For 
 some weeks after this there was continual fighting between the 
 
THE OVERTHROW OF IDOLATRY yj 
 
 different districts, and Tahiti appeared to be farther from peace than 
 ever. 
 
 Those weeks were like the darkest hour before the dawn. The 
 missionaries in Moorea welcomed the Tahitian Christians who had 
 joined them. Their work had grown. Four hundred people had given 
 in their names as Christians, and there were between six and seven 
 hundred pupils in the school. But for the want of books there would 
 have been man}^ more. Tahiti alas ! was still in darkness, but God 
 had heard their prayers before, and would hear them again. So they 
 set apart a day for fasting and prayer, and besought the Lord to 
 turn the hearts of their enemies. They had often appointed days 
 for the like purpose when there were no natives to join them ; now 
 hundreds of natives gladly spent the day with them. Together they 
 pleaded on behalf of Tahiti, and entreated God to save it from its 
 ignorance and wickedness. 
 
 The answer came sooner than any of them expected. It came first 
 of all from Tahiti itself, for some of the heathen, growing tired of the 
 tumult and disorder, sent across to INIoorea to beg the chiefs to come 
 back. They went ; Pomare went with them ; and a number of Christ- 
 ians from Huahine, Raiatea, and Borabora joined them. There were 
 about eight hundred of them in all. When they reached Tahiti they 
 saw a crowd of people drawn up on shore, armed with spears and guns, 
 who forbade their landing and fired several shots. Pomare would not 
 allow any guns to be fired in return, but instead of this sent a flag on 
 shore with an offer of peace. Messages passed to and fro, and at 
 last the king and those with him were permitted to land. It was at 
 best but a p:itched-up peace that had been arranged. Pomare knew 
 this quite well, and kept careful watch. 
 
 On Sunday morning, November 12, as Pomare and his friends 
 and followers were gathered together for worship, his old enemies 
 once more came forward and attacked him. He was not unprepared for 
 this, for although he did not know that that particular day was fixed 
 upon, he knew that there would be another battle, and that most likely 
 it would be upon a Sunday. He had therefore placed watchmen at 
 
38 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 to rush 
 
 theirs. 
 
 stopped 
 
 begged 
 
 remain 
 
 different points to keep a sharp look-out. Just as they were about to 
 begin the service, shots were heard, and looking out of the building, 
 they saw an army of heathen people approaching, carrying a flag in 
 honour of the idols. " It is war. it is war ! " the Christians exclaimed. 
 
 Some of them had 
 brought their arms 
 with them to the 
 service ; others began 
 off to fetch 
 But Pomare 
 them. He 
 them all to 
 quietly in 
 their places until the 
 service was finished, 
 at the same time 
 assuring them that 
 God, in whose name 
 they were gathered 
 together, w^ould cer- 
 tainly protect them. 
 A teacher named 
 Auna gave out a 
 hymn, which all 
 joined in singing. 
 He then read a pas- 
 sage of Scripture 
 from one of the small 
 books the mission- 
 aries had got printed — that was long before the Tahitian Bible that has 
 since done so much for the islanders was in their hands — and after 
 that a prayer was offered to the King of kings in whom they put their 
 trust. The service over, the people who were unarmed went to their 
 tents for their weapons. 
 
 A TATOOED WARRIOR. 
 
THE OVERTHROW OF IDOLATRY 
 
 39 
 
 The figlit took place on the sand of the sea-shore and among the 
 trees that grew on its edge. Many of Pomare's followers had not yet 
 become Christians, and not knowjng how these might act, he placed 
 them in the centre or at the rear. His trusty men formed the front 
 line and were posted at other points of danger and importance. Con- 
 
 POLYNESIAN WEAPONS. 
 
 jpicuous among the warriors w^as Pomare Vahine, the queen's sister, 
 
 tali strong woman, who w^ore a curious helmet covered with plates 
 
 >f a beautiful spotted cowrie shell, and a kind of armour made of twisted 
 
 'cords of native flax. On one side of her was her faithful Christian 
 
 servant Farefau ; on the other a tall manly chief who was related to her, 
 
 k 
 
40 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 a chief whose wife in her heathen days had killed no less than twelve 
 or thirteen of her own children. Pomare took his station in a canoe 
 with a number of men armed with muskets, who fired into the enemy 
 on the flank. Near the king was another canoe in which was a swivel 
 gun worked by an Englishman called Joe, who had come up from 
 Raiatea specially to help Pomare in this fight. 
 
 The heathen rushed into battle in a perfect fury, and for a time 
 by the force of their onset shook the Christian line, but this, quickly 
 rallying, stood its ground firmly, and finally completely overcame 
 the foe. The trees and bushes were so thick that much of the fighting 
 was of a broken irregular kind, and often two or three Christians 
 finding themselves together in the woods, none of the enemy for the 
 moment being in sight, took the opportunity for a few moments of 
 earnest prayer to God. At length Upufara, the chief captain of the 
 heathen was slain, and from that moment the idolaters lost heart and 
 began to flee to the rocks and mountains. The king's army was about 
 to pursue them and kill as many as they could. But Pomare was 
 wiser than his people. He shouted out : '' It is enough. Pursue none 
 that have fled from the battle, neither burn their houses, nor murder 
 their children." That was a wonderful command, quite unlike any 
 heard in Tahiti before, and was a clear proof that new thoughts and 
 a new spirit had come into Pomare. Even the bodies of the slain 
 were properly buried instead of being left upon the shore as in former 
 days, and the corpse of Upufara was carried to the tomb of his fathers 
 and there laid to rest. 
 
 Instead of ending the day in the slaughter of his foes, Pomare 
 gathered his little army together to offer thanksgiving unto God for 
 His protection, and for the great victory He had granted. Then he 
 sent a chosen band of followers, among them being Farefau, to destroy 
 the idols. They were ordered to go straight to the temple of Oro, and 
 destroy it and all that belonged to it. They did as they were com- 
 manded, and on reaching Oro's temple at Tautira told the keeper for 
 what purpose they had come, and also of the result of the wan No 
 one dared stop them, so first of all firing at the small house in which 
 
THE OVERTHROW OF IDOLATRY 41 
 
 the idols were kept, and shouting out : '' Now, ye gods, if ye be gods, 
 and have any power, come forth and avenge the insults which we 
 offer you," they next pulled the house down, and cast the idols into 
 the fire. Oro himself was not destroyed, but only his trappings. This 
 god, to whom so many victims had been offered, w^as but a pole of 
 hard wood, about as thick as a man's leg, and rather longer than a 
 man's height. The pole was carried in triumph to Pomare and laid 
 at his feet. And what did he do with it ? Why, he had it set up 
 in his kitchen as a post into which he fixed pegs for hanging his baskets 
 of food upon ! Finally, it was chopped up for firewood. In this way 
 did idolatr^^ come to an end in Tahiti and Moorea. 
 
 Pomare's clemency did as much to subdue his enemies as his 
 bravery and skill in battle. The people who had fled to the moun- 
 tains sent secretly at night to see what had been done to their wives 
 and children. They expected, as a matter of course, that they would 
 all be slain, and at first could not believe the news brought back to 
 them that they were alive and unhurt, and that none of their houses 
 had been destro3^ed. Getting bolder, they found their way back to 
 their homes, and were allowed to settle quietly in them. They went 
 to the king and begged for mercy and forgiveness, and they had not 
 to beg in vain. They now saw how good the God that Pomare served 
 must be. " We had done everything to offend the king," they said, 
 " and yet when he had it in his power to destroy us, he freely forgave 
 us." By common consent, and with a heartiness never before shown, 
 the entire island now made Pomare king, and found true pleasure in 
 obeying him. 
 
 As soon as possible after the battle, Pomare sent a messenger in 
 a canoe to tell the missionaries in Moorea of his great victory. The 
 man he chose for this duty was formerly a priest and a great warrior. 
 When his canoe drew near to the shore of Moorea the missionaries 
 and their pupils hurried towards him, hope and fear struggling together 
 in their minds. The chief was seen standing on the prow of his light 
 skiff-like craft, which came dashing through the spray and gliding 
 along upon the crests of the waves until it touched the shore. Leap- 
 
42 THE SrORV OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 ing to the sand, spear in hand, before a question coUld be asked, he 
 exclaimed : " Ua pau ! ua pau ! i te bure anae " ; '' Vanquished ! van- 
 quished ! by prayer alone!" At first his hearers could scarcely 
 believe the news, but as he related at length the story of what had 
 happened they burst into grateful praise to God for this wonderful 
 conquest of His enemies. 
 
 The chief idols had perished ; the smaller ones met with a like fate. 
 A time of great excitement followed. Family gods, gods belonging 
 to special districts, gods of all sorts, were destroyed. '' Maraes," or altars, 
 temples, sacred stones, were pulled down, and in a few months not 
 an idol was to be seen. The very men who had been loudest in their 
 praise set to work to demolish them, and, not content with this, sent 
 messengers to the king and his Christian friends asking for instructors 
 who would teach them to read and how to worship the true God, 
 Schools and chapels were built ; the Lord's Day was kept as a day 
 of rest and worship ; three services were held each Sunday all over 
 the island ; and some of the w^orst heathen customs, such as child- 
 murder, were given up. The preachers w^ere all too few for the work 
 to be done, so at many of the services the people usually only prayed, 
 or listened to passages read from one of the Scripture readers the mis- 
 sionaries had prepared. Some were unable to pray themselves. For 
 their guidance prayers were written out. Here is one which Pomare 
 himself wrote and often read in the different chapels he visited : — 
 
 ^' Jehovah, Thou God of our salvation, hear our prayers, pardon 
 Thou our sins, and save our souls. Our sins are great, and more in 
 number than the fishes in the sea, and our obstinacy has been very 
 great, and not to be equalled. Turn Thou us to Thyself, and enable 
 us to cast off every evil way. Lead us to Jesus Christ, and let our sins 
 be cleansed in His blood. Grant us Thy good Spirit to be our sanctifier. 
 
 "Save us from hypocrisy: suffer us not to come to Thine house 
 with carelessness, and return to our own houses and commit sin. 
 Unless Thou dost have mercy upon us, we perish ; unless Thou dost 
 save us, unless we are prepared and made meet for Thy house in heaven, 
 we are banished to the hre, we die. But let us not be banished to that 
 unknown world of fire. Save Thou us through Jesus Christ, Thy 
 Son, the Prince of life ; yea, let us obtain salvation through Plim. 
 
THE OVERTHROW OF IDOLATRY 
 
 43 
 
 " Bless all the people of these islands, all the families thereof. Let 
 everyone stretch out his hands unto God and say: Lord, save me; 
 Lord, save me. Let all these islands, Tahiti with all the people of 
 Moorea, and of Huahine, and of Raiatea, and of the little islands 
 around, partake of Thy salvation. 
 
 
 By^-^E^^'ISy 
 
 POLYNESIAN CANOES. 
 
 " Bless Britain, and every country in the world. Let Thy word 
 grow with speed in the world, so as to grow faster than evil. Be 
 merciful to us, and bless us, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen." 
 
 That was Pomare's prayer. He had learned both how to pray and 
 what to pray for. Of course he still knew but little about the new re- 
 
44 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 ligion he had accepted, but he did understand that he was a sinner, and 
 that God alone could save him. The missionaries came over from Moorea 
 and went round the island of Tahiti to see with their own eyes what 
 chancres had taken place. Mr. Nott was the first to go. Five years 
 before he had been obliged to flee from the place for his life. Now 
 wherever he went he found the people eager to hear. Of their own 
 accord they came together, and some would stay with him far into 
 the night asking him questions and listening to what he had to tell 
 them about Jesus Christ. Aged chiefs, priests, and warriors were to 
 be seen seated, spelling-book in hand, on the school benches, by the 
 side of some happy-faced boy or girl who was busy teaching them to 
 read. Others were engaged in chapel building. On Sundays there 
 were larger gatherings, not of men alone, as at the old heathen cere- 
 monies, but of women also. Mothers, wives, sisters^ daughters flocked 
 to the house of prayer. In fact, for a time nearly everybody was to 
 be seen there. The difficulty was to find lesson-books and Scripture 
 portions enough for the needs of the crowds who wished to obtain 
 them. There were two thousand seven hundred spelling-books in use, 
 eight hundred copies of Scripture passages, and many 'written copies 
 of the Gospel of Luke ; but what were " these among so many " ? 
 
 Not in Tahiti alone was this glorious change taking place, but in 
 the Society Islands also. Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa and Borabora all 
 followed the good example that had been set. The chiefs from those 
 islands who had fought on Pomare's side either sent messages to their 
 people, or, on their return home, themselves took the work in hand, 
 and thus through the entire group the idols were "utterly abolished." 
 The destruction of idols is but the beginning of the difficult task of 
 bringing heathen nations out of darkness into light; still, it is a 
 beginning, and should therefore beget gratitude to God. 
 
 Pomare sent most of his family idols to the missionaries, giving 
 them liberty either to burn them, or to send them home to England. 
 They decided to ship them to England. With the idols the king sent 
 a letter, of which the following is a translation : — 
 
THE OVERTHROW OF IDOLATRY 
 
 45 
 
 •^ Friends, — 
 
 ''May you be saved by Jehovah and Jesus Christ our 
 Saviour. 
 
 " This is my speech to you, my friends. 
 
 rOMARE'S IDOLS. 
 
 " I wish you to send these idols to Britain for the Missionary 
 Society, that they may know the Hkeness of the gods that Tahiti wor- 
 shipped. These were my own idols, belonging to our family from of 
 old, and when my father died he left them to me. And now, having 
 
46 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 b^en brought to know Jehovah, the true God, He is my God, and when 
 this body of mine shall fall to pieces in death, may the Three-One save 
 me. This is my shelter, my close hiding-place, even from the anger 
 of Jehovah. When He looks upon me, I will hide me at the feet of 
 Jesus Christ, the Saviour, that I may escape. 
 
 '* I feel pleasure and satisfaction in my mind ; I rejoice, I praise 
 Jehovah, that He hath made known His word unto me. I should have 
 gone to destruction if Jehovah had not interposed. Many have died, 
 and are gone to destruction, kings and common people; they died 
 without knowing anything of the true God, and now, when it came 
 to the small remainder of the people, Jehovah hath been pleased to 
 make known His word, and we are acquainted with His good word, 
 made acquainted with the deception of the false gods, with all that 
 is evil and false. The true God Jehovah, it was He that made us 
 acquainted with these things. It was you that taught us ; but the 
 words, the knowledge, was from Jehovah. It is because of this that 
 I rejoice, and I pray to Jehovah that He may increase my abhorrence 
 of every evil way. The Three-One, He it is that can make the love 
 of sin to cease ; we cannot effect it ; it is the work of God to cause 
 evil things to be cast oft", and the love of them to cease. 
 
 '' I am going a journey around Tahiti to acquaint the people with 
 the word of God, and to cause them to be vigilant about good things. 
 The word of God does grow in Tahiti, and the people are diligent about 
 setting up houses for worship; they are also diligent in seeking in- 
 struction, and now it is well with Tahiti. 
 
 '' That principal idol, that has the red feathers of the Otuu, is 
 Temeharo ; that is his name. Look you, you may know it by the red 
 feathers. That was my father's own god, and those feathers were 
 from the ship of Lieutenant Watts ; ^ it was my father that set them 
 about the idol himself. If you think proper, you may burn them all 
 in the fire ; or, if you like, send them to your country for the people 
 of Europe to see them, that they may satisfy their curiosity and know 
 
 Tahiti's foolish gods ! 
 
 ***** 
 
 '' May you be saved, my friends, by Jehovah and Jesus Christ, the 
 only Saviour by whom we sinners can be saved. 
 
 '' POMARE, King of Tahiti, etc., etc 
 *' Tahiti Motu Ta, 
 
 February 19^/2, 18 16." 
 
 ^ The Lady Pe7irhyn^ which visited Tahiti in 17S8. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 SPREADING OUT. 
 
 URING the 3^ear 1817, and at the 
 very time that throughout the 
 entire group there was a willing- 
 ness to listen to the Christian 
 teacher, eight new workers 
 reached Tahiti. It thus became 
 possible to scatter arnong the is- 
 lands and so spread the light of 
 the Gospel. The first to arrive 
 was William Ellis/ then a 3^oung 
 man of twenty-two. With him 
 was his wife, their baby, and the 
 child's nurse. Later in the year 
 came the seven others. Among 
 them were three missionaries 
 who in one case for forty-three, 
 and in the two others for forty-eight years, were spared to labour 
 through a long career in attempting to raise the islanders to a better 
 and higher life. These were David Darling, Charles Barff, and 
 George Piatt. Last, but by no means least, was the large-hearted, 
 
 ^ Mr. Ellis did not long remain in the South Seas. The serious illness of his wife 
 compelled him to return home at the end of seven years. But though his stay in the 
 Pacific was a short one, he has, through his writings, done more than all his brethren 
 to provide us with a record of the early history of the mission. Were it not for his 
 carefulness in observing, inquiring about, and narrating facts, the story would have 
 been almost lost. In later life he rendered like service to the Madagascar mission. 
 
 47 
 
 The isles shall wait for His law. 
 
48 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 enterprising man, John Williams, about whom these pages will have 
 much to relate. 
 
 The ship which brought Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, brought also a horse 
 as a present to Pomare, the landing of which caused great alarm. 
 Many of the people fled in terror, hid behind rocks, or climbed up 
 
 ;-et away from the terrible animal. 
 
 But seeing a sailor go 
 quietly up to the horse 
 and take hold of the 
 halter that was round 
 his neck, they gained 
 courage, and drew near 
 to look at and touch 
 the strange creature. 
 When, after being pro- 
 perly bridled and sad- 
 dled, the horse ran 
 along the beach with 
 the captain on his back 
 the Tahitians were de- 
 lighted, and at once 
 called him " a land- 
 running pig," and '' a 
 man-carrying pig," the 
 pig being the only 
 four-footed animal with 
 which they could com- 
 pare him. Pomare came 
 on board, and Mr. Ellis 
 gives us the following 
 description of him • — '' I was struck with his tall and almost gigantic 
 appearance ; he was upwards of six feet high, and seemed about forty 
 
 * From a portrait taken by an artist attached to two Russian ships of discovery 
 that visited Tahiti shortly before Pomare's death, and excepting a httle undue promi- 
 nency in the forehead, stated by the Rev. W. EUis to be a good hkeness. 
 
 POMARE II. 
 
SPREADING OUT 49 
 
 years of age. His forehead was rather prominent and high, his eye- 
 brows narrow, well defined and nearly straight * his hair, which was 
 combed back from his forehead and the sides of his face, was of a 
 glossy black colour, slightly curled behind ; his eyes were small, some- 
 times appearing remarkably keen, at others rather heavy ; his nose 
 was straight, and the nostrils by no means large ; his lips were thick, 
 and his chin projecting. He was arrayed in a handsome tiputa of 
 native manufacture. His body w^as stout, but not disproportioned to 
 his height ; and his limbs, though well formed, wxre not firm and 
 muscular." 
 
 The ship, having touched at Tahiti, went on to Moorea, where a 
 hearty welcome awaited the new comers. Not the missionaries only, 
 but the chiefs and people also, received them with great gladness, 
 bringing presents of food, which they piled in three heaps, one for 
 Mr. Ellis, one for Mrs. Ellis, and one for the baby ! The school-house 
 was early visited. The first Sunday on shore was much enjoyed. A 
 prayer meeting at sunrise, at which not fewer than four or five hun- 
 dred people were present, began the day ; morning service followed, 
 then English service ; and, later on in the day, a second native ser- 
 vice. All of these were well attended, and the quiet behaviour of the 
 people was everything that one could wish. 
 
 One great need of the mission was a printing press. A few copies 
 of the spelling book, printed in England, had been taken to the island 
 six years before, and others, as already mentioned, together with brief 
 summaries of the Old and New Testament, had been obtained from 
 Sydney since ; but some hundreds of the natives who had learned to 
 read w^ere still without a book of any kind. Many had learned the 
 little books by heart, and could repeat them correctly from beginning 
 to end. These naturally longed for some new specimen of the prin- 
 ter's w^onderful art. In dozens of families, where all were scholars, 
 there was but one book in the house. People living in the other 
 islands ^\;ere even worse off. Some of them wrote out the whole of 
 the spelling book on sheets of writing paper ; and others, unable to get 
 paper, prepared pieces of native cloth with great care, and then, with 
 
 £ 
 
50 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 a reed dipped in red or purple dye, wrote out the alphabet, spelling 
 and reading lessons on these pieces of cloth which had been made 
 from the bark of a tree. In the same way they wrote out texts of 
 Scripture, and carried them about with them. 
 
 In view of this need the directors had sent out a printing press, 
 and one of the first things Mr. Ellis did was to arrange for setting up 
 this press and getting it to work. A site for a printing office was 
 chosen, a building erected without delay, and to secure the firm floor- 
 ing necessary for working the heavy press, one or two '' maraes," or 
 heathen altars, were pulled down, and the great slabs of smooth 
 basaltic rock found in them dragged to the new building, and there 
 laid side by side as a part of the printing-office floor. Pomare was 
 greatly interested in the progress of this building, and specially 
 begged that, when they were ready for making a start with the wonder- 
 ful new machine, he might be sent for. He came from the other side 
 of Moorea, where at the time he was staying, and with him came a 
 crowd of chiefs and their followers. 
 
 When quite ready to commence, Mr. Ellis, seeing how earnestly 
 Pomare was looking at the shining type, asked the king if he 
 would like to set the letters. Yes, it was the very thing he wanted to 
 do. The first book to be printed was the spelling-book, which the Ta- 
 hitians called the Ba-ba. So Pomare, composing-stick in hand, began 
 with the capitals A B, and got through the alphabet ; then set up the 
 same in small letters, taking each letter out of its own compartment 
 in the type case, and finished the first page with a few lines of single 
 syllables. He was delighted with his work, and was eager at once 
 to print the page ; but when it was explained to him that not until the 
 other pages to complete the sheet had been set up could this be done, 
 he arranged that he should again be summoned when the sheet was 
 finished. For nearly three weeks he had to w^ait, but almost every 
 day came to see how things were going on. At last, on June 30, 
 18 17, the first sheet was pulled off. Pomare was attended by only 
 two of his favourite chiefs, but crowds of natives, who had heard of 
 what was to happen, had gathered about the doors. These made way 
 
SPREADING OUT 51 
 
 for him. The door was then closed, and one of the windows darkened, 
 so that he might not be overlooked by the people outside. He care- 
 fully examined the form as it lay on the press, and was told by Mr 
 Ellis exactly how to go to work. The printer's ink-ball was placed 
 in his hands and he struck it two or three times upon the face of the 
 letters ; he then placed a sheet of clean paper upon the parchment ; 
 this was covered down, turned under the press, and Pomare pulled 
 the handle. It was all a mystery to him and his companions. What 
 would that pull do ? All rushed to see, and lo ! there were the letters 
 black, large, and clear. The king was a successful printer ! He was 
 delighted, and repeated the process. In the meantime the first sheet 
 was shown to the crowd outside, who, on seeing it, raised a great 
 shout of surprise and joy. 
 
 This old story is worthy of being re-told, for that was a great day 
 for Tahiti, and indeed for the entire Pacific. The spelling-book printed, 
 a catechism and a book of Scripture extracts followed, and, lastly, 
 a translation of the Gospel of Luke, which Mr. Nott had prepared. 
 Of this, the first complete book of the Scriptures translated into any 
 Polynesian tongue, an edition of 3,000 copies was struck off, the 
 paper for it having been generously presented by that Society which 
 enables missionaries all over the world to furnish their people with the 
 Word of God — the British and Foreign Bible Society. That gift of paper 
 to Tahiti was the first of many a similar gift to the islands in later days. 
 
 The fame of the printing press spread rapidly, and from all parts 
 of Moorea, and even from other islands, strangers flocked as to a fair. 
 The beach was lined with their canoes, the native houses were crowded 
 to excess with visitors from a distance; temporary huts had to be 
 built as the houses were too few for their accommodation, while as for 
 the printing office it was daily crowded. Thronging the doors, climb- 
 ing upon one another's backs, blocking up the windows, there the 
 strangers were, all eager to see with their own eyes the marvellous 
 machine of which they had heard. Book binding w^as a yet more 
 difficult task than book printing, for the missionaries had brought 
 with them onl}^ a small quantity of boards and skins. But an old pro- 
 
52 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 verb says that ** necessity is the mother of invention," which means 
 that when people are in difficulty they think of ways for conquering 
 their difficulty ; and so it was in this case. The bark of a tree, the 
 skins of any and every animal (dogs, goats, cats) to be found in the 
 island, and everything else that could be used, were sought out, and 
 very soon the natives were clever enough to bind their own books. 
 The eagerness of the islanders to obtain copies of the Gospel of 
 Luke was most striking. Often from thirty to forty canoes were to be 
 
 152" 
 
 MAUPITI 
 
 PORAPORA 
 
 ^TAHAA 
 
 RAIATEA\^ ^ 
 
 ^HUAHINE^ 
 
 TAHITI 
 
 AND 
 
 SOCIETY ISLANDS. 
 
 , Scale 
 
 10 liO ;{0 40 50 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 MAIAOITI 
 
 Tetiaroa '^^ 
 MOOREA ^ 
 
 ^^ 1 WTAHITi 
 
 
 17- 
 
 150° 
 
 149' 
 
 seen lying on the beach, each of which had brought five or six per- 
 sons intent on buying a Gospel. It was impossible for a time to keep 
 pace with the demand, and some would-be buyers had to wait 
 patiently for five or six wrecks before they could get their copies. 
 
 One evening, about sunset, Mr. Ellis saw a canoe arrive from 
 Tahiti with five men in her. They landed on the beach, lowered their 
 sail, hauled their canoe up on the sand, and then came straight to- 
 wards him. Meeting them at the door of his house, Mr. Ellis asked 
 
 them what they wanted. 
 
 Ltika, or 
 
 Luke," Te Paraii na Liika^ or 
 
i 
 
 SPREADING OUT 53 
 
 '' The Word of Luke," was their prompt reply, and pointing to some 
 bamboo canes filled with cocoa-nut oil, they said they had brought 
 these as payment for the books. Mr. Ellis told them that he had none 
 ready for them that night, but that if they would come to him in the 
 morning, he would give them as many as they needed. '' Go,'' said 
 he, •' to one of the houses near, and seek shelter for the night, and 
 come back to me to-morrow." Bidding them good-night, he retired, 
 thinking, of course, that they would do as he had suggested ; but on 
 looking out at sunrise the next morning, what was his astonishment 
 to see these five men quietly lying on the ground in front of his 
 house, their only bed being a fe^V cocoa-nut leaves, their only cover- 
 ing their large native cloth. He hastened out and asked them if they 
 had been there all night. Yes, they had, for said they in explanation: 
 *' We were afraid that, had we gone away, some one might have come 
 before us this morning, and have taken what books you had to spare, 
 I and then we should have been obliged to return without an3\" Mr. 
 Ellis at once took them into the printing office, and as soon as he 
 could put the sheets together gave each one a cop}^ They then asked 
 for two copies more, one for a mother, the other for a sister, for 
 which also they had brought payment. He gave these also. Each 
 wrapped his book up in a piece of white native cloth, put it in his 
 bosom, wished Mr. Ellis good-morning, and without, he saj's, either 
 eating or drinking, or calling upon any one in the settlement, hastened 
 to the shore, launched their canoe, hoisted their mat sail, and steered 
 for home. That, he adds, was but one of many such examples of eager 
 desire to become the possessor of the Scriptures. 
 
 For a long time the missionaries in Moorea had been at work 
 building, with Pomare's aid, a seventy-ton fore-and-aft schooner, but 
 until the advent of the party of fresh helpers, especially John Wil- 
 liams, they had not been able to finish it. The iron work had baffled 
 them. The new arrivals set to work with a will, the more so as it 
 was decided that they should not separate to the different islands until 
 the schooner was finished. In a few weeks the vessel was ready for 
 launching. She was named the Hais:eis^ in honour of Dr. Haweis, 
 
54 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 the stead}^ friend of the mission, and one most of all responsible for its 
 establishment. A slight accident made the first attempt to launch her 
 a failure. Pomare, in naming her, so startled the natives on one side 
 of the vessel that they let go of the ropes, and she fell over on her 
 side. She was, however, got into position once more, and was then 
 safely and successfully launched. The Haweis was rigged and used 
 for carrying the missionaries and their families to their stations, but 
 after one or two voyages to Australia she was sold, being altogether 
 too costly for mission purposes, and eventually became a trading ves- 
 sel between Sydney and Tasmania. 
 
 The missionaries were about to scatter. Other islands needed 
 their guidance and presence: they were ready to go and settle in 
 these. But before separating they had one important duty to fulfil. 
 They clearly saw that if the gospel was to spread throughout the 
 Pacific Ocean, the natives who had already heard its joyful sound 
 must themselves be taught to spread it. Unless the islanders could be 
 made to feel that it was as much their duty to share the blessings of 
 salvation with those not yet enjoying them, as it had been the duty of 
 British Christians to share those blessings with themselves, the w^ork 
 would advance but slowly. They therefore wished in some special 
 way to bring this thought home to the hearts and consciences of their 
 converts. In this they were wise. More than that: looking back 
 upon the history of the South Sea Mission, as we are able to do, we can 
 easily see that that band of faithful missionaries were verily ''taught 
 of God," and acted under the direct guidance of God's Spirit. The 
 tree they planted in 1818 has borne the richest fruit, and in no part 
 of the world have Christian people shown a truer missionary spirit, a 
 greater readiness to give to missionary collections, or a more constant 
 desire to hand on to others the good news of salvation than in the 
 mission stations of the Pacific. The Christian natives have freely 
 given themselves, their sons and their daughters, the produce of their 
 plantations, and their money, so that the heathen not yet reached might 
 receive the Word of God. 
 
 After talking the matter over among themselves, the missionaries 
 
SPREADING OUT 
 
 55 
 
 took Pomare into their confidence, and asked him what he thought of 
 starting a native missionary society. The king at once approved, 
 and lost no time in speaking of it to others. This was how he set to 
 work. Among his chiefs was a godly man named Anna. Addressing 
 him one day, Pomare said : 
 
 *' Anna, do you think you could collect five bamboo canes of oil in 
 a year 
 
 > " 
 
 A CORAL ISLAND. 
 
 ** Yes," was the prompt reply. 
 
 " Do you think you could afford to give so much for sending the 
 Word of God to the heathen ? " 
 
 " Yes," was again the answer that Auna gave. 
 
 " Do you think that those of us who value the gospel would think 
 it a great labour to collect so much oil every year ? " 
 
 " No," answered Auna, " I do not think we should."' 
 *' Very well, then," said Pomare, '' think the thing over, and perhaps 
 we can form a society for this purpose." 
 
56 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Shortly after this a private meeting of the king and missionaries 
 was held for drawing up rules for the new society, and on May 13, 
 1818, on the very day that the London Missionary Society was holding 
 its annual meeting in England, a large public assembly gathered at 
 Papetoai in Moorea to found a Tahitian Missionary Society. Two 
 prayer meetings, one in the English language, and one in the native, 
 had been held in the early morning ; these had been followed by an 
 English morning service, at which Mr. Henry preached ; but the chief 
 meeting was held in the afternoon, and was conducted entirely in the 
 Tahitian language. The chapel proving too small, and more than half 
 of the people being unable to get in, it was decided to hold the meeting 
 out of doors in a neighbouring grove. At three o'clock the mission- 
 aries walked down to this grove, and there saw a sight that filled them 
 with delight. The clear bright sky, the calm surface of the sea just 
 ruffled with a gentle breeze, the dense foliage and over-hanging canopy 
 of cocoa-nut and other trees, creepers, and tropical plants, many 
 of them in full bloom, the carpet of ferns, all lent a charm to the 
 scene. Seated on trunks of trees, on blocks of w^ood, or on the 
 ground, were thousands of natives decked out in native or European 
 clothing. Near one of the large cocoa-nut trees, whose fine trunk 
 looked like a pillar supporting the roof of interlacing branches above, 
 was a wooden stand upon which Mr. Nott took his place. Before 
 him, in a large arm-chair, sat Pomare, dressed in a fine yellow 
 tiputa, stamped over the left breast with a rich and elegant scarlet 
 flower instead of a star. A chief sat on the king's right, his sec- 
 retary on his left. A number of the chiefs, with the queen and 
 leading ladies of the court, sat near. Most of them wore native gar- 
 ments, the ladies, however, having added a sort of bonnet made from 
 the leaves of the cocoa-nut, and being ornamented with wreaths of 
 sweet-scented flowers round their necks or garlands of the same in 
 their hair. 
 
 A solemn and earnest service followed, Mr. Nott, the preacher of 
 the day, taking as his text the words of Philip to the eunuch, and the 
 eunuch's reply: '' Understandest thou what thou readest ? " "How 
 
SPREADING OUT 57 
 
 can I, except some man should guide me? " (Acts viii. 30, 31.) Po- 
 mare followed with a vigorous speech, urging the people to form a 
 society for spreading the gospel, but warning them against agreeing 
 to do so unless they were in their hearts convinced that this was right, 
 and were further prepared to give of their own free will. As he drew 
 towards the close of his address he asked those w^ho from their hearts 
 agreed to his proposal to raise their right hand, whereupon between two 
 and three thousand naked brown arms were at once lifted up. The 
 sight of those uplifted arms, raised now on behalf of peace and goodwill 
 as formerly they had been on behalf of war and evil, greatly affected the 
 missionaries, and filled their hearts with thankfulness to God. Indeed 
 as the sun sank to rest that evening and the assembly broke up, 
 missionaries and natives alike were deeply impressed with the day's 
 proceedings, and seemed to realize that a great step forward had been 
 taken. And they were right. The example then set was followed 
 elsewhere, not perhaps in the formal founding of societies on an 
 English model, but in spirit and general aim, and has made South-Sea 
 missions to a large extent self-supporting and self-propagating. 
 
 Before leaving Tahiti for a time to follow the workers in their re- 
 moval to other islands, we had better here refer to one or tAvo incidents 
 of special interest connected with Tahiti itself. For many months 
 Pomare had been bus}" building an immense new- chapel at Papao, 
 which was only four miles from Matavai, where the missionaries first 
 settled. This building, called the Royal Mission Chapel, was so large 
 that the missionaries were sure that it would be of little use, and they did 
 their best to dissuade the king from his purpose to build it. But all in 
 vain. Pomare was ambitious. He had read of King Solomon's temple, 
 and wished to have a house of prayer something like that. Besides, 
 as he argued, their heathen altars and idol temples had cost them much 
 in hard w^ork, time, and self-denial, and why should not a Christian 
 chapel cost the same ? He therefore kept to his plan, made his chiefs 
 and people cut and carry timber, gather and prepare leaves for 
 thatching, coral, pebbles, and other material for the walls, make the 
 doors and windows, and build, thatch, and ornament the building. 
 
58 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Mr. Ellis, in describing it, says that when he remembered how little 
 training in such work the Tahitians had had, how rude their tools 
 were, and how great the quantity of material required was, he could 
 not but be astonished at the result. The chapel was 712 feet long, by 
 54 feet wide, proportions which of course spoiled the effect that the size 
 might otherwise have given. Added to this the roof was low ; so that 
 as regards appearance the chapel was a dismal failure. There were 36 
 large bread-fruit tree trunks supporting the centre of the roof, and 280 
 smaller pillars supporting the wall plates. The walls outside were 
 made from planks of the bread-fruit tree fixed in square frames, and 
 either planed or rubbed smooth with coral and sand. For windows 
 there were 133 openings provided with sliding shutters, and the num- 
 ber of doors was 29. The roof was thatched with pandanus leaves, 
 
 eaiimeBrmneiiBmieirm^^ 
 
 POM are's royal chapel. i^From a modelin the Society's Miisewn.') 
 
 the rafters being bound together with braided cord, coloured with 
 native dyes. The ceiling was covered with fine matting, and the floor 
 with dried grass. From end to end the building was furnished with 
 simple rough forms. Two very strange things were to be seen in this 
 royal chapel : the first, a stream of water five or six feet wide, flowing 
 across it in a slanting direction; the other, three pulpits, placed 
 nearly 260 feet apart. The stream, which flowed down from the 
 mountains to the sea, had not been noticed when the chapel was begun. 
 To have turned it aside in another direction would have given the 
 people so much extra labour and trouble that they left it as it was, 
 contenting themselves with placing a grating at each side under the 
 walls, throligh which it might flow. The three pulpits were required 
 because of the chapefs great length, and on the opening day — Tuesday, 
 May II, 18 19 — were all used at the same time. Great crowds of 
 visitors from all the neighbouring islands had flocked to the ceremony. 
 Their tents lined tJie beach for a distance of four miles. Seven thou- 
 
SPREADING OUT 59 
 
 sand people gathered in the chapel, and these grouped themselves as 
 three distinct congregations around the three pulpits, leaving a space 
 between. A minister stood in each of the pulpits. Mr. Darling, who 
 w^as in the middle pulpit, gave out a hymn in a voice that all could 
 hear, and the three congregations joined in singing it. Then each 
 minister read Luke xiv. to the people around him, and afterwards 
 prayed ; and though three voices were speaking at the same time, the 
 size of the chapel was so great that they did not interfere with one 
 another. The three sermons began at the same time. Mr. Darling's 
 text was, *' I will make them joyful in my house of prayer " (Isa. Ivi. 
 7) ;. Mr. Piatt chose *' And yet there is room" (Luke xiv. 22) ; while 
 Mr. Crook preached from, '^ In all places where I record My name 1 
 will come unto thee and bless thee" (Exod. xx. 24). The three ser- 
 mons ended, the entire congregation joined in another hymn, then 
 a short prayer from each minister brought the service to a close. 
 
 The next day the people met together again to hear three sermons 
 on behalf of their Missionary Society. In the afternoon they heard 
 three more. Gifts of different kinds poured in — pigs, arrow-root, 
 cocoa-nut oil, matting, and fibre. Pomare put his name down as a 
 yearly sttbscriber of eight hogs ! One other meeting in the Royal 
 Chapel was held that week. It was for the purpose of proclaiming the 
 laws by which in future Tahiti was to be governed. The chapel 
 seemed to be the most suitable place for gathering the people together, 
 and as their new laws were intended to be in accordance with the 
 teaching of Scripture, they thought it right to have them proclaimed 
 in the house of prayer. The missionaries were present, but beyond 
 opening the meeting with reading and prayer, took no part in it. 
 Pomare standing in the central pulpit and looking around upon his 
 assembled people, began by putting a question to a chief named Tati, 
 brother and successor of the man who had been the leader of his 
 enemies four years before. 
 
 '' Tati," said the king, " what is your desire ? w^hat can I do for you ?" 
 
 Tati, who sat nearly opposite the pulpit, rose and said : " Those are 
 
 what we want, the papers you hold in your hand, the laws : give them 
 
^o THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 to US, that we may have them in our hands, that we may regard them 
 and do what is right." 
 
 Pomare put a lilve question to a good chief named Utami, and in an 
 affectionate manner said: *' Utami, and what is your desire? " 
 
 *' One thing only is desired by us all," was the reply, '' that which 
 Tati has said — the laws which you hold in your hand." 
 
 After questioning the other chiefs and receiving from each a 
 similar answer, Pomare read eighteen laws against murder, theft, 
 rebellion, and other kinds of wickedness ; and after each law had been 
 distinctly read and explained, he said to the chiefs : ''Do you agree to 
 this law ? " and the chiefs made answer : " We heartily agree to it." 
 The king then asked the people also if they agreed to it, and told them 
 if they did to lift up their right hands They instantly obeyed, and so 
 great was the number, and so prompt the action, that a rushing sound 
 was made by the arms thus suddenly raised. When the king came to the 
 law about people who rebel against the sovereign, he stopped as if he 
 would pass it over, for he remembered all the trouble he had had with 
 his rebellious subjects in days gone by. Yet when he had read the 
 law, Tati, who had been one of the greatest rebels, quite a ringleader 
 among them in fact, jumped up from his seat, and not satisfied with 
 holding up one hand, raised both and asked the people to follow his 
 example which they promptly did. What a change had come over 
 the islanders ! 
 
 On the following Sunday Pomare was baptized. He had long 
 desired this, but in spite of his zeal and evident earnestness he had so 
 many serious faults that the missionaries had hesitated. Now, how- 
 ever, they felt m.ore satisfied about him, and agreed to baptize him. 
 Three sermons were preached that morning from the same text: ''Go 
 ye, therefore, and make disciples of all nations," etc. (Matt, xxviii. i8- 
 20), and after the sermons the eight missionaries present gathered 
 around Pomare who was seated near the middle pulpit. A hymn was 
 sung, special prayer offered, and then Pomare standing up, Mr. Bick- 
 nell, one of the first missionaries brought by the Duff^ mounting the 
 pulpit stairs in the sight of all the people, poured water on his head 
 
SPREADING OUT 6> 
 
 and baptized him. The venerable missionary then addressed the 
 king, and in feeling tones and words urged him to walk worthy of 
 his high calling, and to remember that the eyes of men as well as the 
 eyes of angels and of God were upon him. 
 
 Pomare's example was quickly followed. Throughout Tahiti, 
 Moorea and the rest of the group some hundreds soon sought baptism. 
 These were carefully taught the meaning of the rite, and on giving 
 satisfactory proof of their sincerity were baptized together with their 
 children — parents with their boys and girls, some of whom were old 
 enough to run about, being received together. '' So mightily grew the 
 Word of God and prevailed." 
 
 Two years and a half afterwards Pomare died from dropsy and 
 elephantiasis, at the age of forty-seven, and his death plunged all 
 Tahiti into grief. Missionaries, chiefs, and people alike mourned his 
 loss. He was very far from perfect, indulged in low vices at times, 
 was jealous, exacting, and treacherous, and yet in many ways 
 showed his sincere regard for Christian teaching and his true friend- 
 ship for the missionaries who taught him. He had stood by them in 
 times of great darkness, and to him the mission owed much of its 
 success. God used Pomare, weak and sinful though he was, for 
 bringing great blessing to those picturesque yet degraded islands, and 
 his name will be honoured for many a long day yet to come. 
 
 To return to our story and to retrace our steps to the year 1818, we 
 have now to tell of the progress made in the Leeward or Society 
 Islands — Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, and Borabora. On June 18, the 
 HaweiSy having taken on board the printing press and all belonging 
 to it, the goods of the missionaries w^ho were leaving, and some cattle, 
 finally received as passengers Mr. Davies, Mr. and Mrs. Williams, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Orsmond, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, and a number of the leading 
 chiefs, and then set sail. On the evening of the next day she safely 
 reached Huahine. Some of the party landed, but the rest remained on 
 board. Nine years before, when the times were troublous, some of 
 the missionaries had lived in that island for nearly a v^ear, and since 
 that time idolatry had come to an end, and a native chapel had been 
 
62 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 built by the islanders, who wished to imitate the people of Tahiti, 
 although ignorant of the true nature of Christianity. On the morning 
 of the next day, June 20, the Haweis dropped anchor in Fare 
 Harbour, a beautiful spot which charms all visitors. Lofty mountain 
 peaks in the background, richly wooded valleys and the low-lying 
 ground fringing the shore, rich with groves of stately bread-fruit, 
 graceful cocoa-nut and various flowering trees, the gleaming white 
 coral rock, fine sand and delicate shells upon the beach, the bright 
 blue sky reflected upon the peaceful waters of the bay — who can 
 wonder at the praise freely poured out in Fare's honour by those 
 who have witnessed its loveliness! To-day it contains many good 
 houses, and its inhabitants are civilized men and women, but when 
 the missionaries first landed it was very different. A few native huts 
 were visible ; there were not more than a dozen in the district, and 
 guiding their light canoes, or leisurely strolling beneath the shade of 
 the branching trees, their owners might every now and again be seen. 
 They were still rude and untaught, their only clothing a girdle of 
 cloth loosely bound around the w^aist and a wreath of leaves to protect 
 their heads from the sun. 
 
 The first night on shore was spent in a primitive fashion. Two 
 houses belonging to chiefs were freely placed at the disposal of the 
 missionaries; but as these were simply oval sheds, without either 
 outside walls or inside partitions, consisting indeed of nothing more 
 than a roof resting upon three large pillars in the centre and smaller 
 pillars round the sides, they were open alike to the winds of heaven 
 and to the easy entrance of visitors, both two and four-footed. Boxes 
 had been landed, also some cattle, a young calf, and two or three 
 milch goats. These arrivals were soon quite happy cropping the grass 
 that grew among the rocks ; so too were the children, one of whom 
 Mr. Ellis describes as smiling in the lap of its native nurse, while 
 the other played on the dry grass by the side of the boxes just landed 
 from the ship. Dinner was prepared in a homely way. The chiefs 
 sent a present of bread-fruit and fish. A native youth, fourteen or 
 fifteen years of age, leaving the crowd of spectators who had gathered 
 
H 
 
 tr 
 n 
 
64 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 to sec this novel company of white men, white women, and, more 
 strange still, white children, stepped forward and asked if he should 
 cook them some bread-fruit. His kind offer was gladly accepted. 
 Fixing two large stones in the ground for a fireplace, and bringing a 
 bundle of dry sticks from the bushes near at hand, he made a tire 
 between the two stones, and soon had the tea-kettle boiling, and dishes 
 of fried fish, bread-fruit and plantains ready for the strangers' meal. 
 They were so pleased with his first success as cook that Mr. Ellis 
 asked him to become their servant, to which he agreed, and he faith- 
 fully served them until they left the island. Dinner over, the next 
 thing was to prepare for the night, as the sun was already sinking in 
 the west, and darkness would soon be upon them. Some natives 
 readily cut four stout sticks from neighbouring trees. These were 
 fixed in the earthen floor, and with sheets and native cloth fastened 
 from one to the other formed a bedroom. A couple of sheets were 
 carried inside this enclosure, and the bed spread upon them, a 
 smaller bed for the children being made by the side. With only a 
 twist of cotton fibre fixed in the half of a cocoa-nut, into which some 
 cocoa-nut oil had been poured, for a lamp — and this soon blown out by 
 the breeze from the mountains— it was necessary to retire to rest early. 
 All was strange ; it was like sleeping out of doors ; the surf was 
 moaning on the beach; dogs and pigs came prowling about to see 
 what new kind of household arrangements these foreigners had set up 
 in their midst ; and yet the night was passed in peace and comfort, and 
 the morning light broke upon a grateful party, refreshed and fitted for 
 another day's work. Not a single article had been stolen under cover 
 of the darkness, although so many things were temptingly exposed 
 and might have been easily carried off. 
 
 That first night in Huahine was a good beginning, and helped to 
 cheer the missionaries. But they soon found that although the idols 
 had gone, by far the greater part of the natives were still heathen 
 at heart. Following the example of Pomare in Tahiti and Moorea, 
 Mahine, the king of Huahine, who had fought on Pomare's side, had 
 sent down Vahaivi, one of his leading men, to Huahine with directions 
 

 INTERIOR OF NATIVE HUT. 
 
66 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 to the chiefs to burn the idols, destroy the temples, and put an end to 
 all heathen rites. His commands were obeyed, and not only were the 
 uncouth images in which they had put their trust thrown into the fire, 
 their altars pulled down, the houses in which the idols had been kept 
 burnt to the ground, and idol- worship no longer practised, but the 
 rude stills, in which native rum had been made from sugar-cane 
 and various berries and fruits, were either broken to pieces or care- 
 fully buried. Drunkenness, child-murder, and similar vices were also 
 forbidden. The higher chiefs had taken these steps out of respect to 
 Mahine, but many of lower rank objected, and at first threatened 
 to fight in defence of the old customs and the gods of their forefathers. 
 Gathering themselves together, they made ready to attack the men 
 who had destroyed their idols ; but either from fear of them, or from 
 some faint impression of the power of the new religion which Avas 
 effecting such changes in Tahiti, they did not come to blows. After 
 much talking they broke up, having agreed together to await the 
 arrival of the missionaries, and from them hear what had to be said in 
 favour of the worship of Jehovah. 
 
 The missionaries found the people of Huahine in a very ignorant 
 and uncertain state of mind. With the exception of one or two, they 
 had all given up idolatry, but they knew little or nothing of Chris- 
 tianity, and their hearts were still untouched by its power. Some, 
 including a few who had been in Moorea, had learned to read, or had 
 committed to memory the lessons given in the spelling book, and they 
 had set apart a building for the worship of the true God. But when 
 Sunday came round the missionaries did not find a large congregation 
 gathered together to hear them ; indeed for many weeks they had but 
 a very small number of hearers, and the schools too wxre very thinly 
 attended. All sorts of excuses were made for not coming. They 
 said: "Learning to read makes us feel tired"; *' it is of no use to 
 come to chapel, as we cannot read " ; "we are not scholars " ; and 
 " we are not praying people." The real reason was that they still 
 loved sinful ways and were unwilling to give these up. Gradually, 
 however, a change for the batter began to take place, and this was 
 
SPREADING OUT 67 
 
 much increased by the return to Huahine of a number of chiefs and 
 people, who for several years had been living in Tahiti and had shared 
 in the glorious awakening that had there taken place. These return- 
 ing emigrants came across in three large boats and quite a fleet of 
 smaller canoes. The missionaries knew many of them, and welcomed 
 them as friends, and as these new comers began to tell their neighbours 
 of what their eyes had seen and their ears had heard, and as the power 
 of the Word of God was shown in their own lives and character, the 
 chapel was soon filled with worshippers, while scholars flocked to the 
 schools. A demand for lesson-books sprang up, and the dawn of a 
 brighter day appeared. 
 
 The plan which the missionaries had in view when they reached 
 Huahine was to remain together on that island, making that the one 
 station for the Society or Leeward group. For a while the study of 
 the language would occupy much of their time, and when they had 
 mastered the language they hoped to feel strong enough to manage 
 the mission without further aid from their seniors in Tahiti. But 
 this plan was laid aside. They had not been many weeks at Fare 
 before Tamatoa, the king of Raiatea, with his brother and a number of 
 chiefs from Raiatea, Tahaa, and Borabora, arrived with an earnest 
 request that the missionaries should divide their forces and some of 
 them accompany them back to Raiatea. Mai, the king of Borabora, w^ho 
 was also at Huahine, had before this written a touching letter to the 
 missionaries, in which he reminded them that Jesus Christ and His 
 apostles did not remain in one place, but visited many different cities 
 and countries, so as to give larger numbers an opportunity for re- 
 ceiving the light. The arguments of these chiefs were so forcible that 
 Mr. Williams and Mr. Threlkeld felt it to be their duty to go back to 
 Raiatea with Tamatoa. True, they knew as yet but little of the lan- 
 guage ; but said the chiefs when this was urged: " Never mind that ; 
 you possess enough now to teach us more than we know, and we will 
 make it our business to teach you our language." 
 
 So it was settled, and Raiatea was added to the mission stations 
 of the Pacific. That island is a lovely spot. It is thirty miles dis- 
 tant from Huahine and a hundred miles to the N. W. of Tahiti, is 
 
68 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 the largest of the Leeward Islands, and the cradle and centre of 
 Tahitian mythology. It was sacred as the birthplace and home of 
 Oro, as the spot to w^hich the spirits of the dead took flight when they 
 left the body, as the place at which Oro had to be consulted as an 
 oracle, and as the abode of the priests who had him in charge. Raiatea 
 is famous for its lofty mountain peaks, which, rising abruptly from the 
 sea, tower aloft to a height of 4,500 feet. Between the mountains 
 are beautiful valleys, clothed with luxuriant tropical vegetation. 
 Enclosed with it by the same coral reef, and distant only four 
 miles, is the little island of Tahaa. Fruit is very plentiful. Before 
 Europeans settled on the island there w^as a rich supply, while in 
 these days oranges, limes, mangoes, bananas, papaw^-apples, pine- 
 apples, barbadines, guavas, and cocoa-nuts abound, as do also sweet 
 potatoes, bread-fruit, plantains, taro, and yams. Some of the valleys 
 are nothing but orange groves : the oranges fall in thousands, and are 
 left to rot, or to be eaten by the pigs. In race, language, character, 
 and general habits the people of Raiatea are like the Tahitians. 
 Tamatoa's request for teachers was the outcome of a sincere desire 
 to lead his people forward. He and other chiefs of Raiatea had gone 
 over to Tahiti in 181 1 in order to aid Pomare in his struggle against 
 his rebellious subjects, and while there had learned much concerning 
 Christianity. On returning to Raiatea in the autumn of 18 15 they 
 w^ere welcomed by the heathen priests and idol-keepers. But Tamatoa 
 and his companions declared that they were Christians, and no longer 
 believed in idols. Moreover, they urged others to follow their example. 
 The priests were very angry at this, and stirred up their followers to 
 attack Tamatoa. War broke out, but the victory was with the 
 Christian party. Tamatoa was conqueror. Still, like a wise ruler, 
 he tempered judgment with mercy, and his clemency so impressed his 
 former foes that they readily listened to his counsels. The people 
 generally destroyed their idols and idol temples, and became nominal^ 
 Christians. They knew but little as yet, it is true, and in heart and 
 life were scarcely any better than the heathen ; the only thing they 
 seemed clear about was that their gods were no gods. Hence the need 
 of further teaching and the urgent pleading for missionaries. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 CARRYING THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS. 
 
 *' To whom He luas not spoken of, they shall see?^ 
 
 ULL of promise though the work was, it was 
 still very limited in extent. Twenty years 
 had gone by since the Dujf landed her unique 
 cargo in Matavai Bay, and thus far only the 
 eastern edge of Polynesia had been touched. 
 In two groups of little islands the people had 
 seen " a great light," and were trying to 
 walk in its beams ; they felt the throbbings 
 of a new life, and under its impulse were 
 bent on attempting '' great things for God." 
 They little knew for what they were being 
 prepared. From them was the Word of God 
 to *' sound forth " to other groups, and with 
 their aid island after island w^as to receive 
 the message of salvation and be won from 
 bloodshed, and wickedness to a life of peace, friendli- 
 ness, and in many instances of genuine goodness and virtue. The 
 romance of missions was on the point of being seen on a large scale. 
 Moreover, whilst the distant islanders were being prepared to receive 
 instruction in the ways of God, their Father in heaven, of whose 
 goodness and love they had been so sadly ignorant, had draw^n to 
 Himself, had called to His service, and was about to send forth as their 
 guide and teacher one eminently fitted for this high duty. This was 
 the large-hearted, enterprising, capable man whose name stands en- 
 rolled in the annals of missionary fame as John Williams, the Martyr 
 of Eromanga, and whose arrival in the South Seas and decision to go 
 o Raiatea were mentioned in the last chapter. 
 
 savage darkness. 
 
THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Mr. Williams was still quite young. Born at Tottenham High 
 Cross, near London, on June 29, 1796, he was only a little over twenty 
 when, in company with his young bride and his fellow-missionaries, he 
 sailed down the Thames on his way to the Antipodes. But he cam.e of 
 a good stock, had received excellent training from a godly mother, and 
 
 though for a time 
 thoughtless and even 
 hostile to religion, had, 
 while in his eighteenth 
 year, b2en brought to 
 Christ by a sermon 
 preached in the Moor- 
 fields Tabernacle by the 
 Rev. Timothy East, of 
 Birmingham. John 
 Williams was at that 
 time an apprentice to an 
 ironmonger and founder 
 in the City Road. By 
 the terms of his inden- 
 tures he was to be taught 
 the commercial rather 
 than the mechanical 
 side of his master's 
 business. His work was 
 to be, not at the forge 
 or the bench, but at the 
 counter and the desk. 
 But natural tastes and desires proved stronger than written agree- 
 ments, and rapidly mastering the details of his own special department, 
 *'John" was constantly leaving the counter to loiter near the smiths' 
 shop, where he watched with keen and intelligent interest every 
 movement of their hands, every stroke of their hammers. During 
 the intervals for meals too, and after shop hours, he was often busily 
 
 REV. JOHN WILLIAMS. 
 
CARRYING THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS 71 
 
 engaged at the bellows and anvil. In this way he soon became a 
 skilful workman, and Mr. Tonkin, his master, found it to his own 
 advantage to employ him on any tasks that demanded more than 
 ordinary exactness and delicacy of touch. How little did the young 
 mechanic then realize for what strange exploits in far-off lands he 
 was in this way being trained and qualified. 
 
 A few^ months after he had given his heart to Christ he joined the 
 Moorfields Tabernacle church, of which the venerable Rev. Matthew 
 Wilks was at that time the minister. This step at once gave him 
 opportunities both for self-culture as a member of the Youths' Class, 
 and for entering upon Christian work in connection with the Sunday 
 School, alms-house and poor-house visitation, and tract distribution — 
 all of which forms of service were at that time carried on with great 
 earnestness and vigour. It also brought him into intimate relations 
 with a minister whose whole soul was aflame with missionary ardour 
 and enthusiasm. Mr. Wilks was a prominent member of the Board of 
 directors of the London Missionary Society, one of that Society's most 
 eminent " fathers and founders." He it was who, when the discourag- 
 ing news of the capture of their ship had filled the hearts of not a few 
 with fearfulness, and had made some waver as to the further prosecu- 
 tion of the mission, exclaimed : '' Give it up! I would rather sell my 
 coat from my back than give the mission up." Nor did Mr. Wilks 
 content himself with personal interest in the work, but as the minister 
 of an influential church spared no pains to interest his people also. In 
 this he was most successful. The thoughts of young Williams were 
 thus early directed towards the heathen, and it was not long before he 
 conceived the desire to devote his life to work amongst them. En- 
 couraged by his revered pastor, he oflered himself to the Society ; and 
 an arrangement with his employer having been effected, he was 
 released from his apprenticeship, and after a brief and scanty training, 
 sadly too short as it would seem to many, but all that in the pressing 
 claims of the work could be allowed him, he was set apart as a mis- 
 sionary, and appointed to the South Seas. 
 
 Thus it was that when the work was growing and spreading in 
 
72 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 different directions made possible, God had raised up a man of the 
 right stamp for extending it. Mr. Threlkeld remained in Raiatea 
 for six years only, but for fifteen years this charming island was the 
 home of John Williams. Not that he remained there the whole time. 
 No ; as he himself said, " he could not content himself within the 
 narrow limits of a single reef." But Raiatea was for many years the 
 centre from which he worked and enlarged his sphere of influence. 
 The reception given to him and his colleague was most gratifying, and 
 at once they set to work. They soon found that the Christianity of 
 the Raiateans was only skin-deep. Their moral condition was simply 
 abominable, and their laziness most distressing. It was difficult to 
 get at them ; for, instead of living together in towns or villages, the 
 people were scattered all over the island, each family residing by itself. 
 A change for the better, however, was quickly seen. Good substantial 
 houses for the use of the missionaries and for the chiefs were built> 
 also a large chapel ; and young men began to acquire skill as carpen- 
 ters, smiths, and boat-builders. Two years after their arrival the 
 missionaries had the joy of baptizing the first converts. A code of 
 laws was prepared. Schools were established, and in these schools all 
 classes were gathered, from the king to the little child. Portions 
 of the Scriptures were also translated, and an auxiliary missionary 
 society was started after the example of Tahiti. 
 
 To this they had been moved by the wonderful story of what had 
 happened in Rurutu, a small island lying 350 miles to the south of 
 Raiatea. This island had been visited by a terrible epidemic, which 
 had carried off so many of the people that the rest became alarmed. 
 One of the gods, they thought, must be angry with them, and was 
 punishing them for some wrong thing they had done. Anxious to 
 escape before this angry god had *' devoured" them all, two old chiefs 
 made up their minds to flee. Each of them determined to build a large 
 canoe, and in this, with as many of their people as the canoe would 
 hold, to sail for some happier land. If they failed to reach such a land^ 
 they could but perish at sea, while to remain where they were was to 
 await certain death. Auura was the name of one of these chiefs. His 
 
CARRYING THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS 73 
 
 canoe ready, a^s^ay he sailed with a large party of his friends. They 
 safely reached the island of Tubuai, where, for a time, they stayed. 
 Recruited in strength and spirits, they at length made up their minds to 
 return to Rurutu, thinking that by that time the plague must have 
 stopped ; but scarcely had they lost sight of the mountains of Tubuai, 
 when a violent storm overtook them, swamped one of the canoes, and 
 drove the other out of its course. For three weeks Auura and his 
 followers were tossed about upon the ocean, they knew not whither, 
 while their sufferings for w^ant of food and water wxre dreadful. But 
 God in His mercy preserved them, and guided their storm-beaten craft 
 to Maurua, the most westerly of the Society Islands. Here they were 
 received with much kindness by the natives, who, however, told them 
 that they formerly worshipped the same deities as themselves, and had 
 a like fear of evil spirits ; but that now they prayed to the One living 
 and true God. They also pointed to the overthrown " maracs " as proof 
 of what they had said. 
 
 Hearing that white men had come in ships to bring these good 
 tidings, and that they w^re living quite near, Auura thought it w^ould 
 be wise to go and see them before returning to Rurutu. A westerly 
 wind setting in, he and his friends again set sail in his canoe, intend- 
 ing to stop at Borabora on the way ; but missing the entrance in the 
 reef at that island, they were carried on to Raiatea. Landing there, 
 everything they saw filled them with surprise. The missionaries and 
 their wives, the natives dressed in European fashion and wearing hats 
 and bonnets, the neat w^hite cottages that had been built, the work- 
 shops and other novelties, astonished them beyond measure ; and when 
 on Sunday they were taken to the house of God, saw the immense 
 congregation, heard them sing songs of praise, and listened to the 
 preaching of the gospel, they at once felt convinced that the Christian 
 religion w^as the true one, and were even thankful for the perils and 
 hardships that had brought them to Raiatea. Their one desire was to 
 learn how to read, and the deacons of the church undertook to teach 
 them. Auura especially showxd great zeal and made rapid progress. 
 In a short time he had mastered the spelling-book, could repeat most 
 
74 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 of the catechism, and was able to read in the Gospel of Matthew. 
 These Rurutuans were only in Raiatea for three months, but before 
 they left several of them could read, spell, and write correctly ; and 
 yet until the day they landed there they had never seen a letter. 
 Auura's great wish now was to return as quickly as possible to his 
 native isle that he might tell his relatives and neighbours of the love 
 of God, his only fear being that most of them would be dead before he 
 reached home. 
 
 A ship, having a cargo of cocoa-nut oil, which native Christians 
 were sending as the first of many generous gifts to the London Mission- 
 ary Society, coming into harbour, Mr. Williams had no difficulty in 
 persuading the captain to take them back. Auura, however, was un- 
 willing to go unless he had with him some one who could teach him 
 and his people ; for, said he, '' it will never do to go to the land of dark- 
 ness without a light in my hand." Calling the members of the church- 
 together, the missionaries asked for volunteers for this work, and two ol 
 the deacons, who were among the very best men in the church, readily 
 came forward and said : " Here are we ; send us." They w^ere then set 
 apart to their special mission in a solemn and impressive service. This 
 was the earliest ordination service of South Sea Island missionaries to 
 distant heathen islands of which we have record, and the greater part 
 of the night before they sailed was spent by the people in providing 
 some article for their missionaries to take with them. Every member 
 of the church, says Mr. Williams, from whose " Missionary Enter- 
 prises" we take the story, brought something : one a razor, another a 
 knife, a third a roll of native cloth, a fourth a pair of scissors, and 
 others various useful tools. The English missionaries supplied them 
 with lesson-books and a few copies of Scripture portions in the 
 Tahitian language, which closely resembles their own. 
 
 As Mr. Williams and his native helpers were anxious to hear 
 quickly how these men were received, they sent a boat of their own 
 with a native crew to bring back word ; and after an absence of little 
 more than a month, they had the great joy of seeing this boat return 
 laden with the trophies of victory — the gods of Rurutu, whiqh the 
 
 \ 
 
CARRYI^JG THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS 75 
 
 islanders had readily given up. With the idols there came letters, and 
 as these were read the hearts of God's servants were moved with grati- 
 tude and confidence in His power to overthrow the kingdom of dark- 
 ness. A meeting was called, and the people crowded into the large 
 chapel to hear the letters read and to join in praise to Him who had so 
 signally manifested His power. This meeting was held in the evening, 
 the chapel being lighted up with ten chandeliers made of wood neatly 
 turned, cocoa-nut shells taking the place of lamps, and must have been 
 wonderfully affecting. The rejected idols had been carried into the 
 chapel, and during the meeting were publicly exhibited from the 
 pulpit. One in particular — Aa,* the national god of Rurutu — excited 
 much interest, for besides being covered with little gods outside, it was 
 found that he had a door in his back ; and on opening this door, 
 twenty-four small gods were taken from the inside, and one after 
 another held up to view. He was supposed to be the ancestor from 
 whom the island of Rurutu was peopled, and who after death was 
 regarded as a god. 
 
 Several stirring speeches were made that evening. Tuahine, the 
 deacon, of whom we have heard before, spoke of the idols in these 
 terms : *' Thus the gods made with hands shall perish. There they 
 are, tied with cords ! Yes, their very names are also changed ! 
 Formerly they were called ' Te man Atua^' or the gods ; now they 
 are called ' Te man Varna ino^ or evil spirits. Their glory, look ! it is 
 birds' feathers, soon rotten ; but our God is the same for ever." 
 Tamatoa, the king, also made a striking speech. "Let us," said he, 
 " continue to give our oil and arrowroot to God, that the blind may 
 see, and the deaf hear. Let us not be weary in this good work 
 We behold the great deep : it is full of sea ; it is rough and rugged 
 underneath ; but the water makes a plain, smooth surface, so. that 
 nothing of its ruggedness is seen. Our lands were rugged and 
 rough with wickedness and godless customs. The Word of God alone 
 can make these rough places smooth. Let us all be diligent in this 
 good work, till the rugged world is made smooth by the Word of God, 
 
 * Aa of Rurutu was the same as Taaroa of Tahiti and Tangaroa of Rarotonga. 
 
76 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 as the waters cover the ruggedness of the great deep. Let us, above 
 all, be concerned to have our own hearts washed in Jesus' blood; 
 then God will become our Friend and Jesus our Brother." 
 
 Well might the Raiatean church be stirred with deep emotion as 
 they listened to such words, as they reflected on the great change 
 that had taken place in their own island, and as they pondered this new 
 token of the mighty power of God. Nor must we think that Rurutu 
 had simply given up its idols. No : from that day forth its people 
 began to. live a quiet and sober life. Some time afterwards the master 
 of an American whaler. Captain Benjamin Chase, who often called at 
 Raiatea for provisions, made up his mind to touch at Rurutu on his 
 way back to the States, but in attempting this was unfortunately 
 wrecked. The natives, however, treated him with great friendliness, 
 and before Captain Chase left he handed a paper to the native teacher, 
 signed by himself, in which he had written these words: — 
 
 " The natives gave us all the assistance in their power from the 
 time the ship struck to the present moment. The first day, while land- 
 ing the things from the ship, they were put into the hands of the 
 natives, and carried up to the native mission-house, a distance of half 
 a mile ; and not a single article of clothing was taken from any man 
 belonging to the ship, though they had it in their power to have plun- 
 dered us of everything that was landed, which fully proves the 
 honesty of the natives of this island. Since I have lived on shore, 
 myself, officers, and people have received the kindest treatment from 
 the natives that can be imagined, for which I shall ever be thankful. 
 Myself and officers have lived in the house with Puna, who, together 
 with his wife, have paid every attention to make us comfortable, for 
 which I return my unfeigned thanks, being the only compensation I 
 can make them at present. 
 
 (Signed) '' B. Chase." 
 
 Mr. Williams had already begun to long for greater usefulness, and 
 this story of Rurutu stirred anew his desire to get outside the '' single 
 reef," and visit other islands. His people also were feeling the throb- 
 bings of the missionary spirit. In 182 1, Mrs. Williams being in feeble 
 health, and he himself suffering from a disease common in the Pacific, 
 a voyage to Sydney was thought desirable ; but combining with family 
 
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 Penrhyn I, 
 
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 Pukapuka or 
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 Rakaanga ^ 
 
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 Nassau / 1 
 
 
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 Sauwaroff U 
 
 South Pacific Ocean 
 
 Palmerston I. 
 
 AITUTAKI 
 
 20°- 
 
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 Manual 
 
 Z'.Mitiaro 
 
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 Rurutu J^ 
 
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 160° 
 
 77 
 
78 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 duties his ardent wish to take the Gospel to groups yet un visited, he 
 arranged to commence forthwith the special work upon which his 
 heart w^as set, and utilise his voyage in search of health for visiting, 
 and, if possible, stationing teachers in a fresh centre. 
 
 Six or seven hundred miles to the south-west of Tahiti lies a group 
 of islands, which, discovered by Captain Cook (Rarotonga, the largest 
 of them, excepted), were by him named the Hervey Islands, in honour 
 of the Honourable Captain Hervey, one of the Lords of the Admiralty, 
 and to that group of islands did the Gospel next spread. Aitutaki, the 
 third in size, was the first of the Hervey Islands to be enlightened. 
 Two native Christians, members of the church of Raiatea, had been 
 selected by that church for the new effort. Convened for the solemn 
 purpose of choosing from among themselves those most suitable for 
 taking the news of God's power and love to the regions beyond, the 
 Raiateans, like the mother-church of Antioch in the days of the 
 apostles, were directed by the same all-sufficient Guide to separate 
 Papeiha and Vahapata for the work unto which He had called them. 
 Both were well fitted for the duty, — more especially the former, whose 
 graphic narratives, carefully preserved in the pages of '' Missionary 
 Enterprises," are both deeply interesting in themselves, and at the 
 same time a remarkable evidence of their heroism and consecration. 
 On the arrival of the vessel at Aitutaki, she was immediately sur- 
 rounded by native canoes, the occupiers of which were a noisy, wild 
 set of savages. 
 
 *' Some," says Mr. Williams, '' were tattooed from head to foot ; 
 some were painted most fantastically with pipe-clay and yellow and 
 red ochre ; others were smeared all over with charcoal ; and in this 
 state were dancing, shouting, and exhibiting the most frantic gestures. 
 We invited the chief Tamatoa on board the vessel. A number of his 
 people followed him. Finding that I could converse readily in their 
 langilage, I informed the chief of what had taken place in the Tahitian 
 and Society Islands with respect to the overthrow of idolatry. He 
 asked me very significantly where great Tangaroa was. I told him 
 that he, with all the other gods, were burned. He then inquired where 
 Koro of Raiatea was. I replied that he, too, was consumed with fire ; 
 
CARRYING THE LIGHT 10 OTHER GROUPS 79 
 
 and that I had brought two teachers to instruct him and his people in 
 the word and knowledge of the true God, that he and they also might 
 be induced to abandon and destroy their idols, as others had done. On 
 my introducing the teachers to him, he asked me if they would accom- 
 pany him to the shore. I replied in the affirmative, and proposed that 
 they should remain with him. He seized them with delight, and 
 saluted them most heartily by rubbing noses, which salutation he con- 
 tinued for some time. On the chief promising me that he would treat 
 the teachers with kindness, and afford them protection, taking with 
 them their little store, they got into his large canoe, and the natives 
 paddled off to the land, apparently greatly delighted with their 
 
 In such a simple and primitive manner was the kingdom of God 
 extended. A third evangelist, who took with him a supply of lesson- 
 books and other aids to progress, was soon sent to help Papeiha and 
 Vahapata, so that when in the second year of the new mission's his- 
 tory Mr. Williams (whose stay of eight months in Sydney had greatly 
 refreshed him), accompanied by his fellow missionary, Mr. Bourne, 
 and sailing in the schooner Endeavour (which, while in Sydney, he 
 had bought for such service), again visited them, he found wonderful 
 changes already effected. A large chapel, nearly 200 feet in length 
 and about 30 feet in width, had been built of wattle and plaster, also a 
 neat house for the teacher, containing five rooms ; heathen temples had 
 been destroyed , and their idols gone ; they who only eighteen months 
 before had been sunken in superstition and gross idolatry were now 
 busily occupied chanting the praises of God, singing Christian hymns^ 
 or repeating passages from a catechism, while Sunday was observed 
 by the entire people as a day of rest and worship. Of course the 
 change was, to a large extent, external only ; but making all deduc- 
 tions, it was enough to fill the hearts of native and English mission- 
 aries alike with thankfulness and hope. The next day the ceremony 
 of opening the chapel took place, when a congregation of between 
 1,500 and 2,000 people were present. Mr. Williams preached from the 
 words, "God so loved the world," etc., and as he did so, was much 
 moved by reflecting how different were the Aitutakians on this his 
 
So THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 second visit from what they were on his first — then cannibals, now 
 with one accord bending their knees in prayer to God. 
 
 And how had this been brought about ? By a slow process during 
 the first twelve months, and then very rapidly. On landing Papeiha 
 and Vahapata were taken to the heathen " maraes," or altars, and 
 there given up to the gods. Little did the Aitutakians then think that 
 in a few short months the two strangers they were thus placing under 
 the care of their gods would have turned their little " world upside 
 down," and brought them all to understand that these gods were lifeless 
 blocks of wood and stone. Yet so it was. But not all at once. For a 
 time the teachers had much difficulty, and were badly treated. Fight- 
 ing broke out among the islanders three distinct times, and this led to 
 rioting and robbery of their goods. Still they never lost heart, but 
 were confident that God would soon overthrow the idolatry of the land. 
 
 A tour of the island, which the two teachers made together, was 
 the first thing to make a definite impression upon the heathen. They 
 stayed a few days in each district, and while there took every oppor- 
 tunity that offered for getting into conversation with the natives. 
 They also taught them to repeat the Lord's Prayer and the alphabet. 
 In one district, in the presence of a large crowd of natives, they had a 
 discussion with an old priest, who, by shouting and bluster, did his 
 best to refute their teaching. " Te-erui," said the old man, " made all 
 lands : he made Aitutaki ; and after he had made it, he gave it its 
 present form by moulding it with his hands." " No," answered the 
 teachers, " God alone has power to create, and He made Aitutaki and 
 all other lands." But the old priest would not be silenced, but con- 
 tinued to shout out that Te-erui was great, and that he had bsen the 
 first man. "Indeed! then who was his father?" asked the teachers. 
 ^' Oh, Te-tareva." ''Where did Te-tareva come from?" was their 
 next question. "From Avaiki." "Where is that?" "It is down 
 below the earth : Te-tareva climbed up from it ; and because he reached 
 the top, was called by that name." Quickly seeing that they had the 
 old priest in a corner, the teachers asked : " This land, then, was made 
 before Te-tareva arrived ? " " Most certainly," was the prompt reply. 
 
CARRV/XG THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS 
 
 8i 
 
 '* Then," continued the Raiateans, '' how can Te-erui be the maker of 
 a land which, you say, was made before his parent, Te-tareva, came 
 up from beneath ? " This was a poser for the old man, and he was 
 silent ; but the teachers went on to tell the crowd about the true God, 
 who made heaven and earth and all that is therein, and so interested 
 them, that if any one made the least noise, there was at once a cry of: 
 *' Be still, be still ; let us hear what they say." From that time many 
 began to listen thoughtfully to the new teaching. 
 
 AITUTAKI. 
 
 Two other events helped to deepen the impression. The first was 
 the arrival of a ship which had called at Aitutaki for the express pur- 
 pose of finding out how Papeiha and Vahapata were, and to bring 
 them presents and greetings from their friends. The heathen had 
 spoken of them as ^' two logs of driftwood, washed on shore by the 
 waves of the ocean," and would not believe that any one would come 
 to visit them, w^hen lo ! here was a vessel come for that very purpose! 
 r3esides which the captain made gifts of axes and other things the 
 
 G 
 
82 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Aitutakians were very glad to get, and the teachers presented to the 
 king's grandfather some pigs and goats which had been sent to them. 
 A few days after the ship had sailed away there was a general wish 
 on the part of the people to giv^e up their idols, and seek instruction 
 at the hands of the two teachers. One man stood in the way ; this 
 was the king's grandfather, who declared that he would never give up 
 the gods he had always served. But a great sorrow led him to alter 
 his mind. While he w^as busily engaged in certain heathen customs, 
 a daughter of whom he was very fond was taken ill. The priests at 
 once began to invoke the help of the gods. Offerings were freely laid 
 before them, and from morn to eve, day after day, they were entreated 
 to restore the sick child to health. Instead of getting better she grew 
 worse, and at last died. So enraged was the chief that in wild grief 
 and anger he wreaked his vengeance upon the gods w^ho had been 
 deaf to his cries by sending his son to set fire to the ''marae." Two 
 other ''maraes" near also caught fire and were destroyed. Going to 
 another larger one, before which people Avere at the very moment 
 making offerings, he tried to burn that too, but was held back by the 
 party of worshippers. 
 
 The death of this young princess and the act of her father and 
 mother roused the entire island, and when Sunday came round the 
 people from several districts brought their idols and laid them at the 
 teachers' feet. Many did the same during the following week, and by 
 the next Sunday, just fifteen months after the teachers had landed, 
 not a single person was left in Aitutaki who professed to have any 
 faith in idols. On the Monday a large meeting was held, when it was 
 agreed first that every " marae " in the island should be destroyed, 
 and next that they should at once set to work and build a house of 
 prayer. That very evening several temples were overthrown, and by 
 the Tuesday morning not a single one remained. With equal ardour 
 did the people begin the more difficult task of building the chapel. 
 They were quick to learn, but some things astonished them beyond 
 measure, especially their first experience of lime-burning. The 
 foreigners were "roasting stones," they said. Then when they found 
 
CARRYING THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS 83 
 
 the '' roast stone " turned to a beautiful soft, white powder, they were 
 so pleased with the powder that they whitewashed their clothes and 
 hats, and strutted about the village as proud as peacocks. Their sur- 
 prise reached its highest point when, mixed with sand and carefully 
 plastered over a piece of the wall and protected for the night by mat- 
 ting, by next morning the soft powder had turned to hard cement. 
 That beat everything. They gently touched it, smelt it, scratched 
 it, and finished up by saying : " Wonderful, wonderful ! The ver}^ 
 stones in the sea and the sand on the shore become useful in the 
 liands of those who worship the true God and obey His good word." 
 In these ways had Aitutaki been brought out of the heathen darkness 
 that had hitherto enslaved her. 
 
 Mr. Williams had brought six additional teachers, and their wives, 
 to w^hom, with the three already at work, the task of rescuing the 
 Hervey Islands from idolatry was to be entrusted. Some were in- 
 tended for Rarotonga, of which island reports had often reached the 
 missionaries, and natives from which were then at Aitutaki. These 
 Rarotongans had become Christians during their stay in Aitutaki, 
 and were eager to return home and tell their countrymen of what the 
 Lord had done for them, and to the missionaries this seemed a clear 
 sign of the guiding hand of God. But the exact whereabouts of the 
 island was still unknown, and the first thing to do was to discover it. 
 Taking the Rarotongans on board, and having Papeiha to help them 
 in their efforts to get on friendly terms with the people, who were 
 reputed to be of most fierce character, treacherous, bloodthirsty, and 
 thorough cannibals, the missionaries sailed in search of the island. 
 After more than a week's unsuccessful cruise backwards and for- 
 wards, however, they had to give up the attempt and steer for Man- 
 gaia instead. Their reception there was not encouraging. At first 
 they could not induce the natives to approach them, and when, after 
 repeated failures, one man, by a liberal offer of knives and pearl orna- 
 ments, was persuaded to come on board, the poor fellow, though a 
 very Hercules in build, trembled with terror at finding himself on a 
 white man's ship, and eagerly seizing the first chance to descend to 
 
84 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 his canoe, paddled off to the shore as if for his life. Unwilling to 
 sail away without first landing and trying to make friends with the 
 people, and yet feeling the difficulty of doing so, the missionaries and 
 teachers consulted together as to what should be done. Brave Pa- 
 peiha was equal to the emergency, and at once offered to venture on 
 shore alone. No opening in the reef, available for the entry of a boat 
 into the lagoon, was to be seen, but that was no trouble to Papeiha ; 
 he was ready to leap into the sea and swim through the surf to land. 
 He was taken in a boat to the reef, and getting out upon the coral 
 rock, prepared to dive ; but noticing that the natives were all armed, 
 some with slings in which stones were already placed, others with 
 spears which were poised for hurling at him, he began to address 
 them. He told them that he wanted to come on shore, that he came 
 unarmed, that he was a man of peace and not of w^ar, and begged 
 them to tie their spears in bundles with the slings, for unless they 
 \^'ould do this he could not venture. The Mangaians readily agreed 
 to do as he asked, w^hen, diving into the surf, he was borne on the 
 crest of a wave to the beach. He was so well received that he at 
 once explained to the chiefs what the missionaries wished to do, and 
 arranged with them for the landing of the teachers. Swimming back 
 to the boat, he reported his success, and gave as his opinion that the 
 people w^ould prove quiet and were to be trusted. In this, unfortu- 
 nately, he was mistaken, for on their landing they met with gross 
 ill-treatment. Both they and their property were forthwith seized. A 
 saw which one of them carried was pounced upon, broken into three 
 pieces, and then hung from the savages' ears as ornaments. A box of 
 bonnets was dragged through the water. Bamboos of oil were tapped, 
 and the oil poured over their naked bodies till the skin shone as they 
 stood in the sunbeams. Strangest of all, two pigs, an animal which had 
 never before been seen in Mangaia, wxre seized by a chief, dressed by 
 him in his own royal feathers and decorations, and sent in procession 
 to the temple of the island gods. The teachers' wives were carried 
 off bodily into the woods, and there treated with great brutality 
 and cruelty, their clothes being torn into shreds, and they themselves 
 
CARRYING THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS 85 
 
 dragged through mire and water, while their poor husbands, being 
 bound hand and foot, were powerless to help them. Papeiha himself 
 was marked for slaughter, and but for his presence of mind would 
 have suffered death from strangling. A tiputa was thrown over his 
 head for this purpose, but managing to get his hand into the opening, 
 he saved his neck from the tightening pressure. Happily these pro- 
 ceedings could be seen from the vessel, so a small cannon was fired 
 to frighten the natives, and at the sound of its report they fled to the 
 bush in great haste. Their flight made it possible to send a boat on 
 shore and effect a speedy rescue. The teachers returned in a most 
 bedraggled and woe-begone condition. In such disastrous fashion 
 did the first attempt to win over Mangaia end. 
 
 But less than two years later (1825), when Messrs. Tyerman and 
 Bennet, who, as a deputation from the Directors, were going the round 
 of the missions, were returning from Tahiti to Australia, the attempt 
 was renewed, and with thorough success. Two young men, Davida 
 and Tiera, both of them members of the church at Tahaa, were on 
 board, ready to land on any island that might be found prepared to 
 receive them. Reaching Mangaia, friendly intercourse was easily 
 opened with the people, w^ho had come to a better frame of mind, and 
 were now quite willing to receive teachers. This was chiefly due to 
 the terrible sufferings the islanders had been called to endure. Very 
 soon after the visit of Mr. Williams and their harsh treatment of the 
 teachers disease had broken out among them, and, spreading rapidly, 
 had killed many. Men of rank and the poor, grown-up people and 
 children, were alike its victims, and the hearts of the people " became 
 as water," while the one thought that fixed itself in their minds was 
 that the plague was a punishment to them for their own misdeeds. 
 Having nothing with them but the light calico shirts which they 
 wore, and a portion of the Tahitian New Testament tied tightly across 
 their foreheads, these two devoted missionary pioneers, leaping into 
 the sea from the canoe, swam to the shore, and became the honoured 
 instruments of overthrowing the idolatry of the island, and of laying 
 the foundations of the kingdom of Christ. 
 
86 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Atiu, Mauke, Mitiaro, and other islands were also welcoming the 
 light, and at last Rarotonga was added to the number. Once again 
 John Williams set out to look for it, and w^hen provisions w^ere failing, 
 the captain's patience almost worn out, and a promise made that if 
 not found within an hour the search should be given up, lo, there 
 came a shout from the masthead: ''Here, here is the land we have 
 been seeking." The morning clouds had lifted with the rising sun, 
 and Rarotonga lay within sight. Though previously observed and 
 even visited by one or two passing vessels, in a sense it was dis- 
 covered by Mr. Williams. Papeiha and one of the Rarotongans, who 
 had been brought away from Aitutaki, landed in a canoe, and easily 
 persuaded Makea, the king, a light-skinned, handsome man, six feet 
 high, whose stout body was beautifully tattooed and slightly tinged 
 with orange by the use of a mixture of turmeric and ginger, to return 
 with them to the vessel. There he met with a most hearty welcome. 
 He was much rejoiced to see his people back again, and especially to 
 find his own cousin among them. Teachers with their wives, Pa- 
 peiha, and all the Rarotongans were taken ashore, and it was hoped 
 that all would go well. But, as at Mangaia, appearances were de- 
 ceitful. The licentious habits of a powerful chief led to sad trouble. 
 This man was already the husband of nineteen wives, but wishing to 
 add a twentieth, came with a number of his followers to seize a 
 teacher's wife and carry her away by force. This he would certainly 
 have done but for the courage of one of the Christian Rarotongans 
 who had come in the Endeavour from Aitutaki. This Christian 
 woman — Tapairu by name — who was a cousin of Makea's, and had 
 been welcomed home by him an hour or two before with much nose- 
 rubbing and like tokens of delight, a woman of influence and of great 
 bravery, defended her friend from the wicked chief. She argued, 
 wept, and fought to save her from disgrace, and to her alone, under 
 God, the woman's rescue was due. Early the next morning the entire 
 party came off to the ship, their garments tattered and torn, and with 
 a truly piteous tale of woe to tell. 
 
 What was to be done ? Again did the courage of Papeiha solve 
 
CARRYING THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS 
 
 87 
 
 Li difficult problem. "Let me remain aloPxe," said he, "at any rate 
 until 3'ou can send me a colleague from Raiatea," naming one of like 
 spirit with himself. " Let the savages spare me or kill me, I will 
 
 Till-, ERAVIi TEACHER, rAl'EIIlA. 
 
 land among them ; Jehovah is my shield, I am in His hand." So it 
 Avas settled. Leaving his little property on board, and bidding fare- 
 well to his friends, this devoted Pol3mesian apostle got into a canoe 
 
88 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 and made for the shore, carrying nothing with him but the clothes 
 he wore, his native Testament, and a bundle of elementary lesson- 
 books. With the six Rarotongans who, while still in Aitutaki, had 
 become Christians, as his sympathisers and helpers, Papeiha was 
 about to commence a work of real magnitude. Earnest prayer was 
 offered on his behalf — prayer that was heard and answered — and four 
 months later, when Tiberio, the chosen colleague, arrived, many ad- 
 ditions to the little flock had been made. A year later Messrs. Tycr- 
 man and Bennet found the Avhole population nominally Christian. 
 They had renounced their idols, feathers, hideous images, poles 
 swathed in endless coils of native cloth, and similar emblems of igno- 
 rance and superstition, and were busily engaged erecting a place of 
 w^orship six hundred feet long. Some fifteen hundred wild, almost 
 naked people, gathered together to listen to the preacher. They were 
 not Christians in any true sense of the word. Their hearts w^ere un- 
 changed. But they wxre quite sure of one thing, and that was that 
 the God of the Christians was mightier than their own gods. It was 
 indeed a marvellous thing. Two native teachers, themselves born 
 heathen in an island seven hundred miles away, landed on Raro tonga, 
 and in less than two years and a half the worship of idols was at 
 an end ! 
 
 A heathen woman had prepared the w^ay. Her story is so strange 
 that it must be told once more. She had been brought either by a 
 canoe or in some passing vessel from Tahiti to Rarotonga, and proud 
 of her travels and knowledge of other lands, lost no time in telling 
 the natives of all she had seen. '^ Don't think that you are the only 
 people in the world," she said, " for there are many others, and some 
 of them are white all over. They are called Cookies." ^ She then 
 told of Captain Cook's visit to Tahiti, and that after he left some 
 *' servants of Jehovah and Jesus Christ, the white man's God," 
 came and were now living in the island. These white men, she 
 said, had brought many new things. The people no longer used 
 
 ^ A name, derived from that of Captain Cook, at that time given by the natives 
 of the South Seas to all EngHsh people. 
 
 I 
 
CARRYING THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS 89 
 
 Stone axes for hewing trees, but sharp things with which they could 
 cut down timber with the greatest ease; they no longer used 
 tools made of men's bones for scraping out their canoes, or when 
 making posts for their houses, for the same foreign teachers . had 
 brought sharp hard things, made of iron, with which one could do 
 the work much more quickly and better ; the children did not now 
 cry and scream when they had their hair cut, as they formerly did 
 when it was sawn off with sharks' teeth, for the Cookies had brought 
 them bright things w^hich were so sharp that they cut the hair with- 
 out hurting ; and they had no need now to go down to the w^ater's 
 edge if they wanted to see what their faces looked like, for these 
 wonderful visitors had brought with them some small shining things, 
 which they could carry about with them, and in which they could see 
 themselves as plainly as they could see each other. So impressed w^ere 
 the Rarotongans with all that this heathen Tahitian woman told 
 them that the king, Makea, called one of his children "Tehovah" 
 (Jehovah) and another " Jetu Terai " (Jesus Christ). An uncle of the 
 king built an altar to Jehovah and Jesus Christ, to which sick people 
 were taken to be healed, and so famous had this "marae" or altar 
 become that the power of Jehovah and Jesus Christ was already 
 famous. 
 
 But Papeiha for a time had an uphill struggle and very little to 
 cheer his heart. On reaching the shore to which he had so bravely 
 swum, he was at once taken to the house of the old chief Makea, 
 father of the one then in power. He was followed by a great crowd 
 of natives who threatened to steal his clothes. "I'll have his hat," 
 said one; '' I'll have his jacket," said another; " Til have his shirt," 
 said a third. But they did not carry out their threats, for the chief 
 called out : " Speak to us, O man, that we may know the business on 
 which you have come." Papeiha told them that he had come to tell 
 them about the true God and the way of salvation through Jesus 
 Christ, so that they, like the people of Tahiti and other islands, might 
 burn the idols of wood, of cloth, and of birds' feathers which they had 
 made with their own hands, and ignorantly called gods. These bold 
 
90 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 words Startled the crowd, who burst out in horror and surprise: 
 *' What ! burn the gods ! what gods shall we then have, and what 
 shall we do without the gods?" The wonder is that Papeiha's blunt 
 outspokenness did not cost him his life. But God graciously protected 
 him. 
 
 Morning and evening worship, and Sunday services, which about 
 a score of persons, more or less friendly, attended, were regularly 
 carried on. Among those who came was a young man, the eldest 
 son of the chief, who was afterwards baptized with the name Davida, 
 and became a true friend and a sincere Christian. Up in the moun- 
 tains of Rarotonga there lived a chief, called Tinomana, where with 
 his clan he was forced to live by the more powerful chiefs, who dwelt 
 near the shore. Weaker than his neighbours, Tinomana had to 
 endure unfair and cruel treatment. He was not allowed to come 
 down to the sea to fish : all the fishing his people could do had to be 
 done by stealth at night. His plantations were often robbed; and, 
 worse still, when the gods were supposed to w^ant a victim, or a large 
 offering of food, it was one of his followers who had to be slain, or it 
 was from him the present for the gods had to be obtained. Now 
 Tinomana was the first chief to burn his idols. He sent for Papeiha, 
 and the zealous Raiatean teacher at once obeyed the call, and went to 
 see him. He had a long talk with the chief, and fully convinced him 
 that the idols were powerless. He also pointed out to him the great 
 blessings which the Gospel would bring. Fighting would cease. 
 Instead of being driven up into the mountains, he would be allowed 
 peacefully to settle near the shore, and both he and others would gain 
 greatly. At nightfall, when Papeiha was about to lie down to rest, 
 Tinomana brought his native mat, the only bed he used, and spreading 
 it by Papeiha's side, begged him to teach him how to pray to Jehovah. 
 Papeiha commenced a short prayer, which the chief repeated after him. 
 Wearied with his journey and the long talk, the teacher dropped off 
 to sleep ; but scarcely had he closed his eyes before Tinomana in great 
 distress awoke him, saying : '' I've forgotten it ; go over it again." 
 After making him repeat it many times, he again fell asleep ; but once 
 
CARRYING THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS 91 
 
 more was he aroused with the same touching plea: '' I've forgotten 
 it; go over it again"; and this occurred several times during the 
 night. As he was leaving the next morning, the chief accompanied 
 Papeiha part of the way, repeating his prayer as he went, and 
 thanking him again and again for what he had told him. A few 
 months afterwards, as w^e shall find, Tinomana went a step further 
 and burnt his gods. 
 
 In private and in public alike Papeiha spoke out boldly. Numbers 
 did not in the least terrify him. Soon after his visit to the mountains 
 he attended a large gathering held at a heathen " marae." Hundreds 
 had come together to make a specially great offering to the idols. 
 Many priests w^ere moving about among the crowd shouting like 
 madmen. This was to show that they were inspired. Some of these 
 priests had one side of their face and body blackened with charcoal ; 
 others were painted with stripes of all the colours they could find ; 
 while others were arrayed as warriors with large head-dresses, white 
 cowrie shells and feathers. Without a trace of fear, the teacher 
 walked into the midst of these frenzied men and began to point out 
 the folly of bringing presents of food to mere pieces of wood which 
 their own hands had carved and ornamented, and were only gods 
 because they who made them gave them that name. A priest stood 
 up to defend their customs, and a long discussion followed. Papeiha 
 told the crowd that the day would soon come when their gods w^ould 
 be "fuel for the fire," and though his hearers seemed to be struck 
 with horror as he said this, they allowed him to go on and preach to 
 them at great length. He did not, however, make any new converts 
 that day. His New Testament w^as a puzzle to the Rarotongans. He 
 always carried it with him, and as he walked about the people would 
 say: "There! there's the god of that man! What a funny god it 
 is; he carries it about with him, but we leave ours at the"marae." 
 When they saw him reading, they would say that he and his god 
 were talking together. 
 
 After working for five months alone, Papeiha was cheered by the 
 arrival of Tiberio, for w^hom, as a co-w^orker, he had specially asked. 
 
' M 
 
 i3 *' ?«'l'ilirfli 
 
 02 
 
 ili''li|'i'i''' 5 
 . ,|,;::.... ^ 
 
CARRYING THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS 93 
 
 The two men soon decided to go all over the island, and whether 
 treated ill or well, to speak out fearlessly. Shortly after this a priest 
 came to say that he meant to burn his idol, and also to place his son, 
 a boy about ten years old, under their care, lest the gods in their 
 anger should kill him. Leaving his boy, he returned home, and the next 
 morning came bending under the w^eight of the heavy rudely shaped 
 image he was bringing to be burned. A crowd followed him, saying 
 that he was mad. He threw the idol down before the teachers, and 
 one of them, fetching a saw, sawed off its head. The people fled in 
 terror, but coming back saw the god rapidly turning to ashes, while 
 some bananas were being cooked over the fire its burning body made. 
 Papeiha and Tiberio ate of the bananas, but none of the Rarotongans 
 could be induced to touch one. Thus perished the first of Rarotonga's 
 idols. Others quickly followed. Within three days fourteen of them 
 met with a like fate. Then came Tinomana's decisive act. Sending for 
 the two brethren, he told them that after careful thought he had made 
 up his mind to become" a Christian, begged them to be his teachers, 
 and inquired what was the first step for him to take. To this they 
 answered that he must destroy his "maraes," and burn his idols. "Come 
 with me," said the chief, " and see them destroyed." A man was 
 bidden to set fire to the temple, and two great wooden figures w^ere 
 then stripped of their wrappings and cast to the flames. This deed 
 of Tinomana's made some of his clan very angry. They said he was 
 out of his mind. The women especially seemed mad with rage and 
 grief. They cut their heads with sharp shells and sharks' teeth, then 
 ran about smeared with the blood which flowed from their wounds, 
 dolefully crying out: "Alas! alas! the gods of the madman Tino- 
 mana, the gods of the insane chief, are given to the flames." Others 
 blackened themselves with charcoal and joined in the same wild cries. 
 But all to no purpose. Very soon all through Rarotonga the work of 
 destruction was going on, and every idol had either perished in the 
 fire or had been handed over to the teachers to be sent to Raiatea. 
 
 A few of the heathen for a time tried to stem the torrent. One 
 man, a priest, who pretended to be inspired by the god Tangaroa, 
 
94 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 came to the house of a chief named Pa, where the two teachers were 
 seated talking to him about the true God. He spoke in a gruff un- 
 natural voice, twisted himself about, and made hideous grimaces just 
 to frighten those w^ho saw him and to show that Tangaroa had indeed 
 entered into him. Coming close to the house, he shouted out : ''Pa, 
 Pa, give me those two men! Why do you keep two rotten sticks 
 driven on shore by the waves ? Why do you listen to the froth of 
 the sea ? I am the great Tangaroa ! give them to me, and I'll eat 
 them." This greatly amused Papeiha and Tiberio, who, taking out 
 their knives, jokingly said that when he entered the house they would 
 make a hole in his body and look for the great Tangaroa, who he 
 said was inside him. Overhearing this. Pa went out and told the priest 
 what they were going to do. That was enough. Away the silly man 
 ran, as fast as his legs could carry him, and no more was heard of 
 him or his nonsense. 
 
 Papeiha tells another amusing story about a cat, an animal never 
 seen in Rarotonga before. A favourite cat had been taken on shore 
 by one of the teachers' wives, but not'feeling at home, had fled to the 
 mountains. There it lived a wild life of its own for a time. One 
 night, the wife of a priest, who had that day destroyed his idol, was 
 sitting on her mat by her husband's side, he being fast asleep. She 
 was thinking of the strange things that had happened, when, looking 
 up, she saw near the doorway two bright, sparkling lights, and heard 
 a mysterious voice. In great alarm, and thinking that the burnt god 
 had come back to torment them, she aroused her husband, crying : 
 " Get up and pray, get up and pray." Opening his eyes, the man 
 looked up, and saw the same glaring jets of fire and heard the same 
 unearthly sound. (It was only pussy's eyes and friendly mew, but 
 this he then knew nothing about.) Not knowing what to do, the poor 
 fellow began repeating the alphabet as loud as he possibly could, 
 using this as a sort of prayer to God ; and such a noise did he make, 
 that the cat became frightened and ran away. On another occasion 
 Tom took up his abode in a ''marae" which was in a quiet spot sur- 
 rounded by trees. Approaching this ''marae" with a number of 
 
CARRYING THE LIGHT TO OTHER GROUPS 95 
 
 people to bring an offering, what was the astonishment of the priest 
 on opening the door to see a living creature come walking towards 
 him, mewing as it came! "Here's a monster from the deep," he 
 shouted, and rushed away in terror, the whole party close at his heels. 
 Reaching his house, the priest summoned his neighbours to come and 
 help him slay the monster. Several hundred men came together, 
 war-caps on head, sling, or club, or spear in hand, face and body 
 blackened with charcoal, and marching in a body, made ready for the 
 attack. Hearing the noise, and himself thoroughly frightened, poor 
 Tom awaited the opening of the door, then darting forward, nimbly 
 slipped through the warriors' legs and fled to the bush. They, in 
 turn, terrified out of their wits, turned in dismay and hurried pell-mell 
 m all directions. Later the same da}^, the cat gave them a second 
 fright and again escaped ; but at night, trusting foolishly to man's 
 good nature, he stole into a house, and nestling himself under a man's 
 coverlet, began to pur. That pur cost him his life ; for it awoke the 
 man, who, closing the door, roused all in the house, and then, aided 
 by their clubs and spears, set upon the wretched cat and killed him. 
 And these warriors felt quite proud of themselves for putting an end 
 to " the monster from the deep ! " 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE ''messenger OF PEACE" AND HER USEFUL WORK. 
 He hath filled him with the spirit of God , . . i7i all manner of workmanship?^ 
 
 \ Alay, 1827, John Williams himself landed 
 in Rarotonga for the first time. His wife 
 and children were with him, also two new 
 helpers — the Rev. Charles Pitman and Mrs. 
 Pitman, who had come out from England 
 two or three years before, and after gain- 
 ing a little experience in Tahiti, Raiatea, 
 and Tahaa, were now appointed to settle in 
 Rarotonga. For thirty-one years that 
 island became their home. Once they were 
 absent for a few months, and at another 
 time for two years ; but with these ex- 
 ceptions, though often far from strong, they 
 faithfully kept at their post and did noble 
 work in training the rough Rarotongan 
 people, in building them up in Christian 
 knowledge, and in leading them forward in newness of life. It was no 
 easy duty. The chiefs and their subjects had got rid of their idols, it is 
 true, but that was about all they had done, and the much more difficult 
 task of inducing them to give their hearts to God had yet to be under- 
 taken. 
 
 Mr. Williams intended to remain three or four months only, but 
 was detained there, through lack of a vessel, for a whole year, during 
 which time he rendered invaluable service to the mission. Among 
 other things was the work of chapel-building. The ambition of the 
 
THE '-MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AND HER USEFUL WORK 97 
 
 native teachers had over-shot the mark, and their absurdly large 
 chapel proved both inconvenient and frail. Mr. Williams came to 
 their aid, and helped them to build a really handsome edifice, 150 feet 
 long by 56 feet wide, with a thatched roof, supported on either side 
 by seven iron-wood pillars twenty-five feet high, and containing well- 
 made doors and windows, the latter fitted with Venetian blinds.^ He 
 further assisted the chiefs to frame and put into writing laws for the 
 future government of the island, and in that way sought to get rid 
 of cruel and corrupt practices, and secure a wise and merciful ad- 
 ministration of justice. 
 
 But the one great event of that year's detention in Rarotonga was 
 the building of the Messenger of Peace^ a vessel of from seventy to 
 eighty tons, unlike in appearance any other afloat. Nothing showed 
 the real greatness of John Williams more clearly than the building of 
 this vessel. Pluck, cleverness in overcoming difficulties, mechanical 
 skill were alike seen. With sleeves turned up and wearing a 
 curious apron made of native cloth he worked with his own hands, 
 and managed to make other people work too. The project of making 
 a ship of his own had been maturing in his mind for some time. 
 Whilst still in Raiatea he had thought of it, hoping thus to extend the 
 mission to the Navigators (Samoan) and New Hebrides Islands, but 
 had laid the plan aside because of the strong opposition of his wife. 
 She not unnaturally objected to a proposal which would take her 
 husband a voyage of 1,800 or 2,000 miles, keep him absent from her 
 for six months, and expose him to frequent danger among rude and 
 savage islanders. But a serious illness she had in Rarotonga led Mrs. 
 Williams to think that she had been selfish in her thoughts. She 
 evxn urged her husband to undertake the work. Nothing loth, though 
 surprised at the change in her views, he decided to begin without 
 delay. His first purpose was to build the keel only in Rarotonga, and 
 then complete the vessel on his return to Raiatea ; but finding Makea 
 and the other chiefs — indeed, the whole people — eager to aid him, and 
 
 ^ It was during the erection of this chapel that the oft-quoted incident of the 
 talking chip occurred. 
 
98 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 prepared to give time and strength to the task, he modified his plan 
 and determined to finish the work in Rarotonga. In less than four 
 rhonths from the date of her commencement, the Messenger of Peace 
 was afloat. Timber was cut in the mountains, dragged to the shore 
 by hundreds of strong arms, and there, large saws being wanting, 
 split in halves by wedges, adzed doAvn to the requisite thinness with 
 small hatchets, and then pinned together by means of great wooden 
 
 
 THE "MESSENGER OF PEACE." 
 
 pegs driven through auger-holes. Bent planks were obtained from 
 crooked trees, and by like devices every difficulty was conquered. 
 For iron Mr. Williams was chiefly dependent upon a rusty chain 
 cable. This had been left on the island by a ship whose crew had 
 hastily fled in terror from the wild natives they found there. For 
 oakum he used cocoa-nut fibre, for ropes the bark of the hibiscus, 
 for sails the mats on which the islanders slept, simply quilting them 
 to make them strong enough to resist the force of the wind. His 
 
THE ''MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AND HER USEFUL WORK 99 
 
 bellows being destroyed by rats, who held high carnival one night 
 and devoured the goat-skin of which its leather sides had been made^ 
 he was for a time in dire straits ; but, nothing daunted, set to work 
 and devised a wonderful wind-making box as a substitute, and this, 
 whatever its defects, accomplished its special purpose. The natives 
 were deeply impressed with all this mechanical ingenuity and skill, 
 especially with the pumps. Indeed, the king was so much interested 
 in them that he frequently had his favourite stool carried on board, 
 and amused himself for hours in pumping out the bilge- water. The 
 hanging of the rudder gave some difficulty, for, having no iron suffi- 
 ciently large for pintles, Mr. Williams had to make these from a piece 
 of a pick-axe, a cooper's adze, and a large hoe. 
 
 Before this wonderful schooner w^as quite finished, her builder was 
 greatly cheered by the arrival in Rarotonga of another fellow-w^orker, 
 the Rev. Aaron Buzacott, a missionary whose name will ever stand 
 high in the annals of the South Seas. Mr. Buzacott was a native of 
 South Molton, Devonshire, in which town his father was in business as 
 an ironmonger and whitesmith. After three years spent in learning 
 farming, to which out-of-door life he had been sent on account of his 
 poor health, the son learned his father's trade, and on reaching Raro- 
 tonga was at once glad to turn his know^ledge of the smith's craft to 
 good account. While on the farm he had given his heart to Christ, 
 and when sixteen years of age a visit to South Devon from the Rev. 
 Richard Knill set him longing to be a missionary. Relating his own 
 story first of all, Mr. Knill turned to the gallery and exclaimed : " There 
 is a young man in that gallery who is now saying : * Here am I, send 
 me.'" The words were but **abow drawn at a venture," but they 
 went straight to the mark; for young Buzacott was at that very 
 moment using these words in the silence of his own heart. Indeed, so 
 startled was he, that he could hardly refrain from calling out from that 
 gallery seat: "Yes, I am that young man." Not for three or four 
 years, however, was the way opened for him to obey the prompting of 
 God's Spirit ; but at length God made it plain to parents, ministers, 
 and other friends that He had called this young man to serve Him in 
 
loo THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 the mission field. A full course of study followed, and then, in his 
 twenty-seventh year, well prepared for his life's work, he set sail for 
 Rarotonga. Before sailing he had married a Miss Hitchcock, a lady 
 belonging to a remarkable family. She was one of three sisters who 
 married missionaries, one becoming the wife of the Rev. Charles Hardie, 
 of Samoa, the other the wife of the Rev. James Sewell, Bangalore, 
 South India, while her brother was none other than the late widely 
 known and highly respected Mr. George Hitchcock, of St. Paul's 
 Churchyard, London. Mr. and Mrs. Buzacott's voyage to the Pacific 
 was a most trying one, thanks to the coarse, harsh behaviour of the 
 ship's captain and crew. Among their fellow-passengers was Mr. Nott, 
 of Tahiti, who after twenty-eight years in the islands had been home 
 for a short change. On reaching Matavai Bay, canoes in great 
 number put off from shore, and seeing their old friend on board, their 
 owners raised loud shouts of joy : '' Noti has come ! " " Noti has come ! " 
 The excitement became intense. Yet, as the people looked at him, they 
 were much puzzled. When he left them to go home, he was quite 
 bald ; now he had a fine crop of hair on his head. How had that 
 come to pass ? was the question everybody was asking. So to satisfy 
 their curiosity Mr. Nott inquired in the Tahitian language : " When the 
 thatch of your houses is worn out what do you do?" "We thatch 
 them again," they replied. " Just so," said he ; "I have had my head 
 re-thatched in England." With that answer they had to be content. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Buzacott spent five months in Tahiti before they were 
 able to go on to Rarotonga. Most of the time they spent at Taiarapu, 
 Mr. Crook's station, where their first child was born, and so pleased 
 were the Tahitian people with their new visitors that they actually 
 tried to steal them ! There was a district on the east side of the island) 
 that had no missionary, the chief of Avhich, who was Pomare's unclej 
 had long wished to have a teacher all to himself. Trying briberyl 
 first, he made large promises. *' If you will only consent, the Avhole of | 
 the people shall be your servants ; we will build you a chapel, a school- 
 house, and a dwelling. We will fence in a garden without payment, 
 and do everything else you require. All the bread-fruit and cocoa- 
 
THE ''MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AND HER USEFUL WORK ici 
 
 nut trees shall be 3'Ours. All the pigs and poultry you may want 
 shall b3 given. Indeed, 3^ou shall be our king and our priest." Very 
 tempting ; but Mr. Buzacott was firm : *' I came for Rarotonga, and to 
 Rarotonga I must go." Then they tried to prey upon his fears by 
 telling him that the Rarotongans were cannibals and might eat him. 
 Finding those attempts also useless, they next laid a clever plot to 
 airry the missionary off by force. He was to return in a boat from 
 one station to another. Knowing this, these strangers contrived to 
 secure places as boatmen ; others were hidden away in the bush armed 
 with stones to prevent a rescue ; and when Mr. Buzacott took his seat 
 the boatmen tried to row him off in the direction of their own village. 
 But their plot was quickly seen through, and although stones began to 
 fly about and the rowers did their best to get away, they did not suc- 
 ceed. After a while the chief, seeing that his plan Avas a failure, 
 himself came off in a canoe and told his men to row the boat back to 
 shore. It might be Avrong to steal other things, but that it would be 
 wrong to steal a missionary, the chief and his companions were quite 
 unable to see. The next plan was to steal the baby; ^'for," said 
 these Tahitians, " if we can carry off the baby, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Buzacott will soon come after it." It was only by constant watchful- 
 ness that they were able to defeat such wild schemes and get safely 
 back to Matavai Bay. 
 
 While there they gathered together as many useful things as they 
 could. Among other articles Mr. Buzacott bought at an auction sale 
 a quantity of old iron which proved of more value than gold, for with 
 it, on reaching Rarotonga, they w^ere able to complete the Messenger of 
 Peace and build a new mission house. After long delay a vessel called 
 on her way to the Hervey Islands, and on January 22, 1828, they 
 sailed in her. Eight months had passed since Mr. and Mrs. Williams 
 and Mr. and Mrs. Pitman had landed there, and nothing had been 
 heard of them since. The new comers naturally felt anxious, but on 
 arriving found alt well. The ship's boat was lowered, and the captain 
 took Mrs. Buzacott and her infant on shore w^hile her husband stayed 
 behind to see their goods sent off. On nearing the beach, and seeing 
 
102 
 
THE ''MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AND HER USEFUL WORK 103 
 
 crowds of men wearing long hair and having their faces, arms, legs, 
 and even the entire body in some cases tattooed, men and women alike 
 only half-clothed and the children perfectly naked, the missionary's 
 wife may be forgiven for being a little alarmed, the more so as 
 the natives pressed around the boat as it grounded. But Mr. Williams 
 came hurrying down, and soon set her mind at rest by assuring her 
 that there was no danger. For thirty years Rarotonga was to be the 
 home of Mr. and Mrs. Buzacott, and his work there, especially in 
 translating and printing the Rarotongan Bible, in which he took a 
 leading part, bears fruit still. 
 
 From the first day of meeting Mr. Williams and Mr. Buzacott 
 were drawn to one another, and their friendship only ended with 
 death. As soon as boxes had been opsned and the house put a little 
 straight, the young missionary came to the older one's aid. Appearing, 
 the A^ery first morning after landing, with his sleeves already rolled 
 up, and wearing a proper English workman's apron, he surprised the 
 latter by asking what he should do. Handing him some tools, Mr. 
 Williams said : " Make me a few nails." With ease his young colleague 
 forged nails and bolts in a neat and practised style. The eyes of the 
 older man filled with joy, for he could not do the work batter himself, 
 and, turning to the chief, who was looking on in mute astonishment, he 
 said, putting his hand on Buzacott' s shoulder as he said so : " This is 
 the man for us ; this is the man for us " ; to which Makea said Amen. 
 
 Successfully built, launched, and fitted up, the Messenger of Peace 
 made her trial trip to Aitutaki, w^hich was only 170 miles away. Her 
 arrival there caused immense excitement. She returned in safety to 
 Rarotonga, and then, in April, 1828, sailed to Tahiti, a distance of 
 from 600 to 700 miles. *' There can be little doubt," says Mr. Buza- 
 cott, when telling the story years afterwards, ''that they owed their 
 safe voyage quite as much to the special care of the Lord of winds and 
 waves as to the sea-worthiness of the schooner. God gave them a fair 
 and moderate wind until they cast anchor. Had the weather been 
 rough, she must have foundered ; for when they reached safe anchor- 
 age, the caulking was hanging from the sides of the ship in long 
 
IO+ THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Strips The straining caused by rough weather would have released 
 the caulking completely, and the vessel must have filled rapidly and 
 sunk to the bottom." Her strange uncanny build and rig greatly 
 puzzled the crews of the ships that happened to be in Papeete harbour 
 at the time. " Some," says Mr. Williams, " took us for South 
 American patriots ; others for pirates ; and others could not tell what 
 to make of us." From Tahiti the vessel went on to Raiatea, where, 
 after a year's absence, a most cordial w^elcome awaited Mr. and 
 Mrs. Williams. Postponing for a time his projected voyage to Samoa, 
 he remained among his own people, doing his utmost to counteract 
 the evil effects of their old heathen habits, and to strengthen their 
 Christian principle and practice. In the meantime the temporary rig 
 of his " yacht," as her builder called her, had been replaced by proper 
 masts and sails, and when she was thus properly equipped, Mr. Piatt 
 accompanied Messrs. Pritchard and Simpson to the Marquesas in 
 her, afterwards visiting the Herv^ey Islands. The ship thus gave 
 ample evidence of her usefulness. 
 
 At length she set out on that mission of extension for which she 
 had been specially built. On the 24th of May, 1830, Messrs. Williams 
 andBarff^ sailed for the distant Navigators, or, as we generally call 
 them now, the Samoan Islands. On their way they called at several 
 of the islands in which the gospel was already gaining ground. First 
 Mangaia, then Atiu, whose beautiful green hills always delight the 
 eye, Mauke, a low-lying little islet some fifteen miles round, Mitiaro, 
 which is even smaller, and lastly Rarotonga and Aitutaki, were visited 
 one after the other, and at every station but Rarotonga there was much 
 to fill the heart with gladness. The new converts, though still very 
 backward, were making good progress. In dress, in behaviour, in 
 knowledge, in their treatment of women, and in missionary zeal they 
 
 ^ From Captain Turpie we learn that Mr. Barff had many an amusing story to tell 
 about this and other trips. The Afesse/i^i^er 0/ Peace, he said, sailed faster on one tack 
 than she did on the other, and it was very difficult to get the anchor to hold, and no 
 wonder, for it was nothing 
 the ship were not alike. 
 
THE ''MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AND HER USEFUL WORK 105 
 
 were showing pleasing signs of real advance. Aitutaki especially was 
 doing nobly. The natives of this island, only recently rescued from 
 idolatry, had already begun to exercise a spirit of liberality towards 
 others, and a longing to extend the kingdom of Christ. To Mr. 
 Williams's great surprise and joy, the native church brought him 
 the sum of £103 as an offering to the London Missionary Society. 
 They had ^'bought" this money from the captains of passing ships, 
 they said, with pigs and other island produce. " This was the first 
 money they ever possessed," says Mr. Williams, " and every farthing 
 of it was dedicated to the cause of Christ ! '' Nor did they give their 
 money alone ; they gave themselves also. Four embarked as mission- 
 aries to distant islands. 
 
 The visit to Rarotonga was a sad one, for the people of that island 
 were in sore trouble. Mr. and Mrs. Pitman, at Ngatangia, on one side of 
 it, i\Ir. and jNlrs. Buzacott, at Avarua, on the other, and faithful Papeiha, 
 at the third station of Arorangi, were one and all plunged in sorrow. 
 For several months an outbreak of ague and dysentery had raged all 
 over Rarotonga, and had carried off about nine hundred of the natives. 
 The island was turned into a house of mourning. The few natives 
 who had strength to come and see Mr. Williams had piteous stories to 
 tell him. An enquiry after any one whom he did not see was almost 
 always followed by the answer: "He is dead." Some who w^ere too 
 weak to walk were carried on mats to their doors just to take a last 
 look at their good friend before they died. It was a truly painful 
 experience. Nor were disease and death the only trials of God's 
 servants in Rarotonga. In one sense these proved a means of blessing, 
 for they had brought to an end the wicked plots and purposes of a 
 number of reckless men who had almost ruined the mission by their 
 bitterness and violence. As related in the last chapter, the Rarotongan 
 idols had all been swept away. Perhaps Papeiha had been too eager 
 to get this done and would have been wiser if he had not urged it so 
 strongly, but had waited for the truth to sink more deeply into the 
 minds of the natives. At any rate, it soon became clear that many 
 were longing for the old days and the old customs. Not the chiefs. 
 
io6 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 They were tired of eonstant fighting and of the famines which fighting 
 always caused, and they longed for quieter times. They therefore did 
 their best to persuade the people to obey the new teaching. But a 
 band of thoroughly bad men, angry at finding themselves checked in 
 their evil practices by the laws which that new teaching gave rise to, 
 set to work to crush both laws and teaching, and, sad to say, Papeiha's 
 fellow teacher yielded to temptation and Avas guilty of a great sin 
 which made the heathen more bitter than ever. That was a terrible 
 grief to the missionaries. '' Seventy of them vowed a vow over their 
 sacred fires," we read, " and in the names of their dethroned gods, to 
 die rather than submit" to the religion of Jesus. First they tried to 
 stir up the tribes to another war. As this failed, they next took to 
 setting fire to buildings. They burnt down the chapel, the school-house, 
 and no less than twenty-eight houses of people favourable to the new 
 religion. One stormy night Mr. Buzacott was roused at dead of night 
 by a messenger bringing the following note from Mr. Pitman : 
 
 '' Dear Brother, — Our chief judge's house is burnt to ashes ; the 
 chapel is now in a blaze, and if the wind shift a point, our own house 
 must go too. 
 
 *' I remain, etc., 
 
 " Charles Pitman.' 
 
 So cleverly was this work of house-burning done that it was most 
 difficult to find out who did it. ''A piece of native cloth, twisted into 
 the shape of a small rope, with a live coal inserted in the bend of it, 
 was thrown upon the thatch, on the windward side of the house. This 
 cloth is like tinder, and once alight and fanned by the wind, the spark 
 would soon burst into a flame, and before the inmates could be well aware 
 of their danger the whole roof would be in a blaze. Glad to escape with 
 their lives, they often abandoned their little property to the fury of the 
 flames. The one thing people seemed most anxious to save was any book 
 they possessed. One man rushed into a blazing chapel, at the risk of his 
 life, to save the pulpit Bible from destruction and got out again in 
 safety, bearing the valued prize, amidst the shouts of those who were 
 
THE ''MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AND HER USEFUL WORK 107 
 
 Standing by." ^ There was even a plot to kill all the Christian chiefs 
 and missionaries, but as no one chosen by lot to make an attack upon 
 Makea could be persuaded to undertake this serious business, the plot 
 fell through. A flood, followed by the outbreak of disease, however, 
 put a stop to all this wickedness, and everybody was struck with the 
 fact that most of the rebels were victims of its ravages, and saw in 
 this fresh evidence of the power of the Christians' God. 
 
 Midway between the Hervey Islands and Samoa lies the low, rock- 
 bound, unromantic-looking island called by the natives Niue, but 
 named by Captain Cook Savage Island, so fierce did its inhabitants 
 appear to him to be. To this spot the Messenger of Peace next sailed. 
 
 Two young Aitutakians and their wives, who had been specially 
 set apart for missionary work, were on board, and these it was hoped 
 would settle on Niue. Seeing a break in the cliffs, with a stretch of 
 sandy beach, and some natives moving about, they waved a white 
 flag as a sign of friendliness. In the usual way that would have led 
 the islanders to launch their canoes and paddle off to the vessel, but 
 instead of doing this, they waved a flag in return. A boat was therefore 
 lowered and rowed ashore. No white man was in the boat, as it was 
 thought wiser for none but Polynesians like themselves to go in the 
 first instance. The natives were all armed, and when the boat drew 
 near to the beach they were seen ranged in line as if to repel invaders, 
 each man holding three or four spears and carrying a sling and a belt- 
 ful of stones. Resting on their oars for a few moments, the boatmen 
 lifted up their hearts to God in prayer, and then, advancing slowly, made 
 signs to the natives to put down their w^eapons. This at length they 
 did, and coming to the edge of the reef, made an offering of bread-fruit, a 
 piece of cloth, and the sacred cocoa-nut leaf, at that time the common 
 token in the South Seas of goodwill and peaceful purpose. A small 
 present was made in return, after which a few launched their canoes 
 and paddled towards the ship, yet cautiously keeping at a distance. 
 
 After much coaxing an aged chief was persuaded to go on board. 
 He was a terrible-looking old man. About sixty years of age, tall in 
 ^" Mission Life in the Pacific Islands." 
 
io8 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 person, with high cheek bones and a forbidding face, he was enough 
 to startle any one, the more so as his whole body was smeared with 
 charcoal. His head and beard were long and grey, and the beard was 
 plaited and twisted together and made to hang from his mouth like so 
 many rats' tails. He wore no clothing except a small band of cloth 
 round his waist, wiiich he used as a sling for his spear or anything he 
 wanted to carry. The moment this strange-looking creature got on 
 deck he began to dance about and shout at everything he saw. It w^as 
 useless trying to get him to talk, for he would not stay still for a single 
 moment, but moved from place to place. Some of the native Christians 
 tried to wrap a little clothing round him, but in a towering passion the 
 old savage tore it off, threw it upon the deck, and stamped upon it with 
 his foot, saying as he did so: "Am I a woman, that I should be 
 covered up with that stuff? " He then set to work to show them what 
 a brave fellow he was, by dancing a wild war dance, poising and 
 shaking his spears, running to and fro, leaping up, and yelling like a 
 madman. Next he made the most horrible grimaces, stretching open 
 his mouth, gnashing his teeth, staring until his eyes seemed as if they 
 w^ould come out of their sockets, and finishing up by thrusting the 
 whole of his long grey beard into his mouth and gnawing it with all 
 the ferocity of a wild beast. Through the whole of this performance, 
 he kept up a loud and hideous howl. 
 
 This wretched heathen was kept on board for a time while some of 
 the Messenger of Peace's people went on shore. They were allowed to 
 land and had food given them, but the islanders were far from friendly, 
 and kept their weapons within easy reach. After a time a man who 
 seemed to be a leader came and told the teacher that he must take the 
 ship round to another part of the island. They therefore got into the 
 boat and rowed back to the vessel. Before the wild old chief left the 
 ship he was presented Vv^ith a hatchet, a knife, a looking-glass, and a 
 pair of scissors, for none of which, however, did he care, as he knew 
 nothing of their use ; but a mother-of-pearl ornament he saw took his 
 fancy, so seizing this, he became almost frantic with delight. Much to 
 his own relief, he soon found himself back on land. 
 
THE ''MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AND HER USEFUL WORK 109 
 DisappDintcd, the vessel drew off for the night. The next day a 
 
 THE FRENZIED OLD CHIEF. 
 
 second landing was made at another part of the island. There the 
 teachers and the natives from the ship who had gone with them were 
 
no THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 handled, smelt, and all but tasted by the people. Presently a large 
 crowd, armed for fighting", coming in sight, the ship's party returned 
 to the vessel. Another chief came on board. He, and in fact all the 
 men, were quite naked, and did not seem to have the slightest sense of 
 shame. The women kept out of sight in the woods. To station 
 teachers among such unfriendl}^ savages hardly seemed right ; indeed, 
 the Aitutakian teachers were afraid to stay and begged to be taken on 
 to Samoa. This request w^as granted. Before sailing away, the 
 missionaries tried another plan, and that was to induce a couple of 
 young Niueans to go with them to Raiatea. After great difficulty they 
 managed to do this. But as soon as the two youths saw that they 
 were passing out of sight of their home, they tore their hair and 
 howled with grief. This performance they kept up for three or four 
 days, during which time nothing would induce them to eat, drink, or 
 sleep. When meat was offered them, they turned away from it in dis- 
 gust, thinking that it was human flesh, and that they themselves w^ould 
 soon be killed and served up in the same way. So things continued 
 until one day a pig was slaughtered. Seeing piggy cut up into joints, 
 they began to understand that the meat brought to them was the flesh 
 of hogs and not of men, and from that time grew quiet and reconciled 
 to their lot. 
 
 From Niue the Messenger of Peace made for Tongatabu, in which 
 island the Wesleyan Missionary Society had been labouring since 1822. 
 Two missionaries of that Society — Messrs. Turner and Cross — who, 
 with their wives, were living there, received Mr. Williams and Mr. 
 Barff with great heartiness as their guests. These four brethren, repre- 
 senting two great Societies, spent a very pleasant fortnight together at 
 Tongatabu, talking over plans of work and arranging which islands 
 each Society should take charge of. In this way they hoped to prevent 
 clashing. The visitors were much pleased with all they saw and 
 heard. One thing greatly cheered them. They learned that the station 
 at which they had happened to call was commenced by some of their 
 own Society's native missionaries, who, sent from Tahiti to open a 
 mission in Fiji, had in some way been detained in Tongatabu. There 
 
THE ''MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AND HER USEFUL WORK iii 
 
 one of them had succeeded in winning over a chief with about four 
 hundred of his people, and had built a chapel. Hearing that there 
 were white missionaries on the opposite side of the island, and know- 
 ing nothing of differences between one Society and another, this 
 teacher had invited Mr. Turner to come over to his station, which he 
 readily did. It was gratifying to find that the Wesleyan missionary 
 had nothing but praise for the devotedness and consistent character of 
 the Tahitian teacher. The friendly division of labour agreed upon 
 was that the London Missionary Society should take charge of the 
 Samoan Islands, whilst Fiji should be left to the Wesleyans as soon as 
 they were able to settle there. For the present, however, until 
 missionaries should arrive from England, the two native teachers who 
 had been brought from the Society Islands for the express purpose of 
 being settled in Fiji were to be sent on there to commence the work. 
 Wesleyan missionaries might follow them and take it up as soon as 
 they were ready to do so. This was carried out. In due time the 
 Wesleyan missionaries came out, and the story of Gospel triumph over 
 cannibalism and heathenism among the Fijians, as told by the Rev. 
 James Calvert and many others, is one of the most wonderful in the 
 history of the Christian Church. Samoa too, as we shall now learn, 
 yielded a rich harvest to the London Missionary Society. 
 
 During their stay at Tongatabu Mr. Williams and Mr. Barff found 
 a Samoan chief, named Fauea, who gladly joined them, and proved 
 a valuable ally when they reached Savaii, a lofty mountainous island, 
 the largest of the Samoan group. On the voyage Fauea had been 
 greatly exercised in mind about a native named Tamafainga, a man 
 in whom the spirit of the gods was supposed to dwell, and whose in- 
 fluence among the people was very strong. Were that man to oppose, 
 urged Fauea, no Samoan would dare to become a Christian. To Fauea' s 
 intense delight, one of the first things he learned from the Samoans 
 who came out in their canoes to meet the ship was that Tamafainga 
 had been killed some ten or twelve days before. Greatly relieved by 
 this news, he came bounding along the deck towards the missionaries, 
 shouting as he came : " The devil is dead, the devil is dead ! Our work 
 
112 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 is done." As the naked Samoans crowded around their visitors, star- 
 ing at them in wonder and curiosity, Fauea began to harangue them 
 in true native style. '' Can the religion of these w^onderful foreigners 
 be anything but wise or good ? " he asked. " Let us look at them, and 
 then look at ourselves. Their heads are covered, while ours are ex- 
 posed to the heat of the sun and the w^et of the rain ; their bodies are 
 clothed all over with beautiful cloth, while we have nothing but a 
 bandage of leaves around our waists ; they have clothes upon their 
 very feet, while ours are like the dogs' ; and then look at their axes, 
 
 GILBERT GROUP 
 
 ,.TOKELAU 
 ELUCE '-[CROUP l\GROUP 
 
 GAMOAN ISLANDS 
 
 Mntautii 
 
 14^ 
 
 
 172''\Y 
 
 170° 
 I 
 
 13- 
 
 SAMOAN" ISLANDS. 
 
 Scale 
 
 30 20 30 40 50 
 
 13^ 
 
 Leone 
 
 TUTU/LA 
 
 Pagopago 
 
 -14°1 
 
 MANUA 
 
 170' 
 
 their scissors, and their other property, how rich they are! " Fauea 
 did not use the very highest arguments, but he used those which the 
 Samoans easily understood and felt the power of. Noticing the mis- 
 sionaries' shoes, one man knelt down and pulled a shoe off to see what 
 a white man's foot was like ; but w^hen he saw the stockinged foot he 
 
 these foreigners are ; 
 *'did I not tell 
 
 people 
 
 whispered to Fauea : '' What w^onderful 
 
 they have no toes as Ave have ! " " Oh ! " said Fauea, 
 
 you that they had clothes upon their feet? Feel them, and you will 
 
 find that they have toes as well as ourselves." The man felt, and, 
 
THE ''MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AND HER USEFUL WORK 113 
 
 on finding that the toes were indeed there, was quite proud of his clever 
 discover}^ Others then came round, and very soon both Mr. Williams 
 and Mr. Barif were sitting with bare feet, while the natives handled 
 and examined them wath the greatest interest. 
 
 None of the Samoans seemed in the least shy or afraid. They climbed 
 up on deck, peeped here and there, and made themselves quite at home. 
 A good impression w^as produced, and all seemed glad to hear that 
 some lotit (or religion) teachers w^ere to land and settle on their islands. 
 The work of God in Samoa w^as in this w^ay begun. Eight Tahitians, 
 with their waves, w^ere taken on shore. As the canoes in which they 
 and their goods wxre being placed lay alongside the ship the moun- 
 tains of Upolu, the island next in size to Savaii, were seen to be 
 •wreathed in smoke and flames. Wondering what this could mean, the 
 missionaries asked the Samoans what the fire was. To their sorrow 
 they learned that a battle had been fought that very morning, and 
 that the conquerors wxn*e busy burning the houses, plantations, and — 
 will it be believed ? — the women, children, and old people w-ho had 
 ibeen taken prisoners ! That was the usual practice in Samoa after 
 a fight, and nobody seemed in the least surprised or troubled. They 
 took it as a matter of course. Thus, as Mr. Williams forcibly puts it, 
 at the very moment that the messengers of peace were being landed 
 on one island of the group, a cruel heathen custom was being followed 
 on another a few miles distant. Later the same day Malietoa, one of 
 two leading chiefs or kings of Samoa, came on board the Messenger 
 'Of Peace, and was received with due respect and kindness. Though 
 a king, and a really handsome man of about sixty-five years of age, 
 he wore no clothes beyond a girdle of leaves, and his body w^as cold 
 and w^et with rain that was falling ; still Fauea bent and kissed his 
 feet with deep reverence, and also bade his little son stoop down and 
 kiss the soles of the great chiefs foot. Malietoa was glad to receive a 
 ipresent of a roll of Tahitian cloth, which he at once wrapped around 
 his naked body. When questioned about the w^ar and its cruel w-ays, 
 he proudly told of his success that day, and said that he was obliged 
 to fight, and that unless he did so, and burned his enemies, his followers 
 
 I 
 
114 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 would not respect him ; but he added that he would take care that 
 there should be no more fighting in Samoa, once the war then on hand 
 (which the death of Tamafainga had occasioned) was over. Alas ! 
 
 
 A SAMOAN CHIEF. 
 
 how often since that August afternoon in 1830 has turbulent Samoa 
 been troubled with war and bloodshed, and how hard has it been to 
 teach her sons to live at peace with one another ! 
 
 After a few days' stay, during which they saw a great deal of the 
 
THE ''MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AND HER USEFUL WORK 115 
 
 king, paying him a visit, and being erer}' where treated with marked 
 favour, even dances and feasts in their honour being got up, the mis- 
 sionaries prepared for the return voyage to Tahiti. The teachers were 
 comfortably settled, four of them being at Malietoa's own village, and 
 four under the care of his brother. Their property, though sent on 
 shore in different canoes, had all come safely to hand, not a single 
 article having been stolen. The only missing things were some of 
 the Tahitian children, who did not reach their parents for several hours 
 after landing. Though anxious at the time, the parents afterwards 
 found out that it w^as the kindness of the Samoans that explained the 
 children's absence. Each Samoan who had had the good fortune of 
 bringing a child to land had felt so proud of this honour that he first 
 carried the little one to his own house, and there killed a pig, ^^ made 
 an oven," and gave the youngster a good '' feed" before handing him 
 over to the anxious father and mother. The prospects of the new 
 mission were bright, and it was with thankful hearts that the tw^o 
 missionaries sailed away. The Tahitians were sorry to part with 
 them, for they had known them for eight or ten years. Indeed, some 
 of the women and children shed tears when the moment for parting 
 came. But commending them to God in special prayer, and with 
 strong assurance that the new venture would be greatly blessed, 
 Mr. Williams and Mr. Barff bade them and their Samoan friends 
 farewell. 
 
 Only for a time, however. To teachers and people alike they 
 promised soon to return. A stalwart chief, whose name was Matetau, 
 one of the largest and most powerful men Mr. Williams had ever seen, 
 was very eager to obtain a teacher for Manono, the island on which 
 he lived. For the present that could not be, but both on the ground 
 of his rank, which was equal to that of Malietoa, as well as on that 
 of his great longing for a teacher, a promise was given that w^hen the 
 ship came back one should be sent to him. With that promise, and 
 a present of axes, knives, looking-glass, scissors and beads, Matetau 
 went off in his canoe quite happy. Leaving the Samoan group, the 
 Messenger of Peace steered for Savage Island, with the intention of 
 
m6 the story of the SOUTH SEAS 
 
 landing the two youths who had been brought away. But the wind 
 failing, this plan had to be given up, and it was not for some months 
 after the vessel's return to Raiatea, when she was on her way to 
 Sydney with Mr. and Mrs. Crook, of Tahiti, on board, that they could 
 be taken back. Poor j^oung fellows ! they had learned much during 
 their absence, and hoped to be the means of doing good to their savage 
 countrymen ; but shortly after their landing they were attacked, their 
 property was all stolen, and they themselves were both brutally mur- 
 dered. Not for some years yet was Niue to be conquered by the grace 
 of God. 
 
 With a fair wind to speed her on the way, the ship made a quick 
 passage back to Tahiti, covering 1,700 or 1,800 miles in fifteen days. 
 She called at Rarotonga and Rurutu on the way. The former island 
 was once more free from special disease. ^' You carried it away with 
 you," said the people, when asked what had become of it, '' for we 
 began to recover as soon as you had gone, and now Rarotonga is again 
 Rarotonga." The old chief Tinomana, who, it will be remembered, 
 was the first chief to burn his idols, sent a pressing message begging 
 Mr. Williams to visit him, which, though anxious to reach home, he 
 did. Papeiha and Tinomana together had made a beautiful settlement 
 a mile long, with a good wide road down the centre, regularly built 
 cottages and well-arranged plantations at the side, and a large chapel 
 and school-house in the middle of the settlement. A sight more 
 pleasing to a missionary's eye it would have been hard to find. Mr. 
 Williams was simply delighted. Rurutu, too, was growing. Tuna, 
 the teacher, had left for Tajiiti six months before in a large boat, but 
 Auura,^ the chief, carried on the services. During the year these 
 simple islanders had given seven hundred and fifty bamboos of cocoa- 
 nut oil to the London Missionary Society. Reaching Moorea, the two 
 pioneer missionaries, like Paul and Barnabas at Antioch, " gathered 
 the church together and rehearsed all that God had gone with them, 
 and how He had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles " (Samoans). 
 During the past few years Tahiti had been making steady progress 
 
 ^ See page 72. 
 
THE ''MESSENGER OF PEACE" AND HER USEFUL WORK \vj 
 
 On the death of Pomare II. his infant son, then only four years olcl, 
 was made king with the title Pomare III. ; but at the age of seven he 
 died, and his sister Aimata, who was fourteen, became queen. She 
 had a long, and at first a very troubled reign, yet throughout her 
 long life showed herself to be a true Christian and a sturdy 
 Protestant. In stating that, however, we are anticipating what 
 in 1827, when she came to the throne, was still the distant future. 
 The missionaries in Tahiti were busy preparing a dictionary, trans- 
 lating the Bible (at which Mr. Nott 
 was the chief worker), teaching, 
 preaching, training native teachers, 
 building, printing, and doing other 
 mission work. They were full of 
 hope and joy. Not that all went 
 smoothly, or that heathenism died 
 easily. There were several attempts 
 to revive idolatrous customs. The 
 evil influence of foreign sailors was 
 often a serious hindrance, and vice 
 and drunkenness a constant source 
 of trouble. Many professing Chris- 
 tians yielded to the temptations that 
 assailed them. Still there was de- 
 
 cided advance in the right direc- 
 tion. 
 
 THE REV. HENRY NOTT. 
 
 After an absence of nearly four months, Messrs. Williams anfi 
 Barff reached Raiatea, and found their wives and families in health 
 and safety. The greater part of the next year — 183 1 — spent at Raia- 
 tea, was an anxious and trying time. Tamatoa, the aged chief, of 
 whom there has been frequent mention, a remarkably fine man, six 
 feet eleven inches high, formerly addicted to drink, but for many 
 years an abstainer, and a diligent scholar at the adult school, passed 
 away, and in consequence of his death war broke out. The outbreak 
 of this war, together with the delicate state of Mrs. Williams's health. 
 
ii8 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 made her husband decide to go for a time to Rarotonga. Two other 
 reasons moved him to this step : the one being that the Messenger of 
 Peace needed thorough repair ; the other, that the Rarotongan mission- 
 aries and he had been at work on a translation of the New Testament, 
 and found it desirable to meet in order to revise it together. Mr. Pitman 
 had translated Mark^ Liike^ The Acts, and from Ephesians to Philemon ; 
 Mr. Williams, John, Romans, Galatians, and from Hebvews to Revela- 
 tion ; while Mr. Buzacott, who was newer to the work than the others, 
 had translated Matthew and ist and 2nd Corinthians. (In translating 
 the Old Testament he took a much larger share of the burden, dividing 
 it wath Mr. Pitman.) A warm w^elcome aw^aited them, and a start 
 was made without delay. The vessel was hauled up on the beach to b£ 
 lengthened six feet arid repaired. Half the day was given to ship- 
 building, half to Bible translation. In the month of December a fear- 
 ful hurricane sw^ept across Rarotonga, the sea rose to a great height, 
 and flooded the low land on the coast, whilst rain fell in torrents.' 
 Chapels, school-buildings, mission dwellings, the houses of the chiefs,' 
 and the ordinary huts of the people were swept away, trees were blown 
 down, and plantations laid waste. Only after great peril and effort in 
 wading through swamps and climbing hills did the missionaries and 
 their families escape. The Messenger of Peace was lifted up and down 
 by advancing and receding waves, and at last was carried bodily many 
 yards inland, yet, marvellous to say, did not suffer an}^ serious injury. 
 A famine quickly followed the hurricane, as the food supply w^as de- 
 stroyed, and for months the Rarotongans did not know what it w^as to 
 have a good meal. 
 
 The repairs completed, and one or two shorter trips over, on Thurs- 
 day evening, October ii, 1832, the second voyage to Samoa was be- 
 gun. Two years had not yet passed since his first visit, but Mr. 
 Williams was to find that in the interval great changes had taken 
 place. He had on board with him a godly Rarotongan, named Teava, 
 specially intended as teacher for the giant chief of Manono, and Makea, 
 the chief of Rarotonga, was also with him. Approaching from the 
 eastward, Mr. Williams determined to call at each island of the group 
 
THE ''MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AXD ITER USEFUL WORK 119 
 
 one after the other, and, if possible, make friends in them all. Five 
 days from that of leaving, and without having once shifted sailg, he 
 reached Manua, the most easterly islands, on October 17. Manua, 
 which consists of three small islands — Tau, Olosenga, and Ofu — is 
 two hundred and fifty miles from where the teachers had been placed, 
 yet, as the ship drew near, what was the missionary's joy and surprise 
 to hear the natives, who quickly paddled out in their canoes to meet 
 him, shout out as they got within hail : '* We are Christians, we are 
 Christians " — at least, that is what they meant, though what they 
 actually said was : '' We are sons of the Word, we are sons of the 
 Word " — " we are waiting for a religion ship to bring us some people 
 they call missionaries to tell us about Jesus Christ. Is yours the ship 
 we are waiting for ? " A fine, strapping fellow then clambared up on 
 deck. He begged hard for a teacher, and on being told that the ship 
 had brought only one, and that he was already promised to Matetau, 
 of Manono, seemed much disappointed. A few lesson books and a 
 promise to send a teacher as early as possible were all that could be 
 given, and with this the man had to be satisfied. Just as the ship was 
 leaving, a young man stepped on board and begged for a passage to 
 Tutuila. He said that he was a Christian, and that he wished to take 
 the good news he had heard to his own island. 
 
 More wonderful still were the surprises in store at Tutuila. Olo- 
 senga and Ofu had been called at before reaching Tutuila, but an old 
 chief who came off from there in his canoe knew nothing about the 
 new religion. Still he listened with great astonishment to all that 
 was told him, and, like him of Manua, begged for a teacher. Off 
 Tutuila the ship was beset with canoes, in one of which was an 
 Englishman, who gave his name as William Gray, and said that he 
 had been m the island about three years. The request of these visitors 
 was not for missionaries, but for muskets and gunpowder: a 
 struggle between two rival chiefs was about to break out, and they 
 wished to be ready for the fight. In reply to questions, Gray said 
 that many people on Savaii had given up idolatry, but that on Tutuila 
 onl}^ a few had followed their example. Coasting along, and admiring 
 
I20 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 the beauties of the scenery as he passed, Mr. Williams reached Leone, 
 where the young man he had taken on board at Manua lived. A 
 beautiful bay here opened out to view, into which the vessel was 
 steered. In a very short time, a man came out in his canoe. He an- 
 nounced himself as ''a son of the Word," and said that there were 
 about fifty others in the district, and that they had built themselves a 
 chapel. This touched the heart of the missionary, and made him de- 
 cide to land. A boat was lowered, and pulled towards the shore. 
 When still about twenty yards from land, Mr. Williams, thinking that 
 the natives who lined the beach looked formidable, ordered the oars- 
 men to stop rowing for a moment, that they might join in prayer to 
 God, this being his usual practice when landing among unknown 
 heathen. Seeing the boat stop, and concluding that the visitors were 
 afraid to land, the chief bade his people sit down under the fruit trees, 
 while he himself waded into the sea nearly up to his neck, and clutch- 
 ing Mr. Williams's hand, said : " Son, will you not come on shore ? 
 will you not land amongst us? " To this the missionary replied: " I 
 have heard a very sad account of you in this bay, that you have seized 
 two boats, and are very savage ; and perhaps when you get me into 
 your power you will either do me hurt or demand a ransom before 
 setting me free again." '' Oh ! " he shouted, '' we are not savage now ; 
 we are sons of the Word." '' You sons of the Word ! " Mr. Williams 
 said; "where did you hear of the Word?" ''Oh!" he exclaimed, 
 *' a great chief from the white man's country, named Williams, came 
 to wSavaii, about twenty moons ago, and placed some ' workers of re- 
 ligion ' there, and several of our people who were there began on their 
 return to teach their friends. There they are," he said, pointing to a 
 group of about fifty seated by themselves (not those he had ordered to sit 
 down), each of whom had a piece of white cloth tied round the arm, 
 as a badge to show that they were Christians. " I am the Mr. Williams 
 of whom you speak," said the missionary. That was enough. At a 
 signal, the natives rushed into the sea, and carried boat and all to land. 
 The Christians received Mr. Williams with great delight, and showed 
 him their chapel, a neat little building that would hold about eighty or 
 
JSAUVES OF SAMOA IN PAST AND PRESENT STYLES OF DRESS. 
 V4l 
 
122 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 a hundred worshippers. All this was very strange. Yet more strange 
 was the story the chief had to tell about his way of instructing these 
 ** sons of the Word." Pointing to his small canoe, he explained that 
 every now and again he started away in that frail bark, and rovving 
 himself down to Savaii, there ''got some religion " from the Tahitian 
 teachers, and, returning, retailed it to others. "But now that you 
 have come," said Amoamo (that was the Samoan's name), " give me a 
 man full of religion, so that I may not expose my life to danger by 
 having to go so far to obtain it." Imagine the real grief of the mission- 
 ary when he had to tell that eager petitioner that he had no man " full 
 of religion " to spare ! Yes, and how many thousands, myriads— even 
 millions, — are there in the world who are waiting, like Amoamo, for 
 some one to tell them the message of God's love ! " How shall they 
 hear without a preacher ? and how shall they preach except they be 
 sent?" 
 
 While Mr. Williams was absent on shore, Makea and those on 
 board had been busy with some natives from another part of Tutuila, 
 who also said they were Christians. On the missionary's return, the 
 chief saluted him with great respect, and told him that he had lately 
 come from the teachers and had built a large chapel, in which he 
 taught his people. Finding the missionary a little doubtful as to the 
 correctness of what he said, the man soon showed that he was speak- 
 ing the truth ; for, placing his hands before him, as if they were an 
 open book, he repeated from memory a chapter out of the Tahitian 
 primer, partly in the Tahitian dialect, and partly in the Samoan ; then, 
 to crown all, he said, " Let us pray," and kneeling down upon the 
 quarter-deck of the missionary schooner, repeated the Lord's Prayer 
 in broken Tahitian. There was a simplicity about the poor fellow 
 which won all hearts. 
 
 Many pages might be filled with such incidents. Manua and 
 Tutuila were the outposts, Savaii and Upolu the citadel, and in these, 
 the chief islands of the group, the most striking progress had been 
 made. When missionary and teachers met, their feelings were deeply 
 moved : the one had so much to hear, the others so much to tell. 
 
THE "MESSENGER OF PEACE'' AND HER USEFUL WORK 123 
 
 A chapel capable of holding a congregation of six or seven hun- 
 dred people had been built, and was always full when services were 
 held ; the Gospel had already been introduced into more than thirty 
 villages; better still, the natives were only awaiting the return of the 
 missionary ship openly to renounce idolatry. The power of their 
 
 
 
 A SAMOAN HOUSE. 
 
 superstitions had been put to the test by the Tahitian evangelists, and 
 the principal idol pronounced impotent and sentenced to destruction 
 by drowning ; but, at the urgent request of the teacher, it had been 
 allowed to remain until Mr. Williams should arrive. To him it was 
 
124 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 handed ov^er, and by him was carried to England and placed in the 
 Missionary Museum.^ Not that the teachers had been without difh- 
 culty. The Samoan women were not only themselves im willing to 
 cover the upper parts of their bodies, but had also done their utmost to 
 persuade the teachers' wives to go half naked too. Many of the natives 
 laughed at the Tahitians for thinking that the ship would ever come 
 back to visit them. Worst of all, two ignorant and thoroughly bad 
 Englishmen, who had settled in Samoa, taught the people wicked ways, 
 and yet, just because Christianity was in favour, had had the impu- 
 dence to pretend to baptise them, by rubbing a little water on their 
 foreheads in the form of a cross, reading at the same time an English 
 prayer, not a w^ord of which could the natives understand. These were 
 the trials and difficulties. The encouragements were many and great. 
 The second visit of Mr. Williams added to them. Makea's presence 
 and speeches made a very favourable impression. Tall and stalwart, 
 dressed, too, in European clothing, he was a striking figure, and his 
 words were both wise and earnest. Malietoa was most friendly, and 
 publicly declared that he meant to give his " whole soul to the Word 
 of Jehovah." Matetau was delighted beyond measure with Teava and 
 his wife, wiio lost no time in getting to work. Indeed, there was a 
 movement throughout the entire group, and the way was now open 
 for the settlement of European missionaries in Samoa, and for evan- 
 gelizing and instructing its many thousands of inhabitants. With a 
 very full heart, therefore, did Mr. Williams close his second visit to 
 the Samoan Islands. 
 
 * See the author's articles on "The Past and Present of Samoa" in the Sunday at 
 Home for June, 1889. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE MARTYRED MISSIONARY AND WESTERN POLYNESIA. 
 " Neither coiuit I my life dear tmto myself.^'* 
 
 ROM the islands of the great 
 Southern Ocean we must now 
 turn our eyes for a short time 
 to our own side of the globe. 
 In 1834, after an absence of 
 nearly eighteen years, Mr. and 
 INIrs. Williams revisited Eng- 
 land. The missionary's wife 
 needed a complete change of 
 air and scenery, to restore her 
 worn and weary frame to health and strength ; the missionary had 
 nobly earned a little rest. This he obtained on the voyage home, 
 which in those days took much longer than now ; but once back in 
 the old country, Mr. Williams, like many another missionary return- 
 ing to Great Britain after a long term of service abroad, quickly 
 learned that in change of work alone would he be able to find any 
 rest. One duty he came ready to undertake. He brought with 
 him in manuscript the New Testament in the Rarotongan tongue, and 
 this, with the liberal aid of the Bible Society, he helped to carry 
 through the press. But other duties soon began to crowd in upon him, 
 and he became a very busy man. He was little known when he 
 arrived. The directors of the Society of course had watched his 
 career with deep interest, and highly valued his practical energy and 
 his far-seeing and large-hearted plans ; to the outside public, however, 
 he was still a stranger. Not so when, after a stay of almost four 
 
 123 
 
126 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 years, he went back to his station. During that time he travelled far 
 and wide, in all parts of the United Kingdom, as a missionary deputa- 
 tion, and by the subtle charm which a man who believes " through 
 and through " in what he is saying exerts over others and by the fresh- 
 ness of his stories, was everywhere welcomed. The wonderful things 
 he had to relate, the power of his speeches, the influence of the letters 
 he wrote to men of all ranks and classes, and still further the publi- 
 cation of his book ^'Missionary Enterprises," which was at once 
 well received and eagerly read, as a book of thrilling interest like a 
 new chapter of the Acts of the Apostles (to quote the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury), made John Williams one of the most popular Englishmen 
 of his day. The recital of his adventures and the issue of his book, 
 followed so soon by the news of his murder, produced a deep and lasting 
 impression upon the British public. 
 
 Ever intent on advancing the work, on entering new fields, and on 
 bringing the entire Pacific and even distant New Guinea under the 
 influence of the Gospel, he determined, if possible, to obtain a new 
 missionary ship. First he tried to raise the funds by securing thirty 
 subscribers of £ioo each. Failing in this, he next applied to the Bri- 
 tish Government for the loan of a vessel ; but though his application 
 received the support of the Duke of Devonshire, of Lord Minto, Lord 
 Glenelg, and other leading statesmen and gentlemen, it was wisely 
 declined. Finally, an appeal was made to the general public, and 
 £4,000 was soon forthcoming. With this he purchased a two hun- 
 dred ton brig, called the Camden^ and procured needful stores. Among 
 other contributors to the fund was the Corporation of London, which 
 voted a sum of £500. The donations of the rich .were generous, those 
 of the poor not less so. Some of these greatly pleased Mr. Williams. 
 '' He often spoke of a cabman who drove him home from Clapham 
 after a public meeting at which he had pleaded for the ship, but 
 would not receive his fare, and when it was pressed upon him, 
 sprang upon his box and rattled away. And few things pleased him 
 more than the offer of the pilot to take him out of port free of charge, 
 and the refusal of a pious man, who supplied her with filtered water 
 
THE MARTYRED MISSIONARY AND WESTERN POLYNESIA 127 
 
 for the vo3^age, to receive a penny, though entitled to more than 
 £20." 1 
 
 On April 11, 1838, the Camden set sail. Captain Morgan was in 
 charge of her. Mr. and Mrs. Williams and a large party of new 
 missionaries were on board, among them Mr. and Mrs. Royle, who for 
 a long course of 3xars were to do a most unselfish and noble work upon 
 Aitutaki. ^Mr. and Mrs. William Gill wxre also passengers. They were 
 the first bearing the honoured family name of Gill, whose service to the 
 Hervey Islanders can never be forgotten. ^lany friends were present 
 on the day of sailing to say good-bye. After a touching farewell 
 service, the parting took place at Gravesend, and the Camden unfurled 
 her sails and made for the Channel. She soon showed her good sailing 
 qualities by passing every vessel she saw, even though twice her size. 
 At the end of ten weeks she was at anchor at Cape Town, and seven 
 weeks later had reached Sydney. Good news from the Hervey and 
 Samoan Islands there awaited ^Ir. Williams, and it was with a joyous 
 heart that at the end of a month he again set sail. By the 24th of 
 November they were off the island of Tutuila, one of the Samoan group. 
 
 Samoa was entering upon the second stage of progress. Native 
 teachers had led the way and been the means of overthrowing ido- 
 latry and some of the grossest customs of heathenism. Missionaries 
 were now following this up by earnest Christian teaching and so lay- 
 ing the foundation for the spiritual building they hoped to raise in 
 their place. These brethren and sisters had been sent out the very 
 year after Mr. Williams's return home. Two of them deserve special 
 mention. One of the party was Charles Hardie (already referred to 
 as marrying one of the sisters of INlrs. Buzacott). His twenty years' 
 work in Samoa, especially in connection with the Training Institution 
 for native pastors at Malua, of which large and useful '' school of the 
 prophets " he and Dr. George Turner were the founders and first 
 tutors, was work of a wide-reaching and most fruitful kind. His 
 widow, the sole survivor of that earliest group of Samoan missionaries, 
 is still living in Sydney. The last man of the party died two years 
 
 ^ '* From Island to Island." 
 
128 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 ago. This was the Rev. A. W. Murray, — ''old Mr. Murray" as he 
 was often in his later days called. For forty years he had rendered 
 active and varied service, chiefly in Samoa, but finally in New Guinea, 
 and by many and long missionary voyages, and by the free use of the 
 pen, had done much to advance the cause he loved so well. When 
 no longer equal to the strain of duty in the mission field he devoted 
 the seventeen years of his retirement to efforts of different kinds for 
 deepening and extending interest in missions. In July, 1892, the vene- 
 rable and godly man was laid to rest by a large gathering of sorrow- 
 ing friends. 
 
 But to return to the past. On the arrival of the Camden^ bringing 
 more helpers, the hearts of the missionaries were greatly cheered. 
 They sorely needed reinforcements, for the entire people of Samoa, about 
 fifty thousand in number they thought, but afterwards found to be 
 much less, were willing to be taught. Island chiefs, districts, and 
 single villages were vieing with one another in eager desire to possess 
 a missionary of their own, and all were ready to advance. The new 
 •comers landed and were soon settled at chosen stations on the larger 
 islands. Mr. Williams also intended to make Samoa his head-quarters. 
 Both for size and for central position this group seemed marked out as 
 more suitable for that pioneering work which he hoped to carry on 
 than his old station Raiatea in the Society Islands, or Rarotonga in 
 the Hervey group. His first duty therefore was to build a house in 
 which his wife might reside, while he was away in distant parts of the 
 Pacific. That done, he lost no time in sailing to Rarotonga. He took 
 with him a consignment of 5,000 New Testaments in the language of 
 the people. Had he been a prince, he could not have received a more 
 •enthusiastic welcome. Whilst in Rarotonga he founded the institution 
 in which ever since a succession of young men have been trained for 
 pastoral and missionary service. He also visited the other stations 
 •of the Hervey and Society groups before returning to his new home 
 in Samoa. 
 
 The time had now come for fulfilling his long-cherished purpose of 
 visiting the New Hebrides. Little dreaming of the tragic end that 
 
129 
 
I30 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 awaited him, he bade wife and child, fellow-labourers and native friends 
 good-bye, and hoping shortly to see them again and to have glorious 
 news of fresh conquests for Christ to announce, departed on his last 
 and fatal voyage. The Camden started on November 5, 1839. Touch- 
 ing first at Rotuma, where vessels were constantly calling, they next 
 made for Futuna, which they reached on November 17. The day 
 before, in a letter to a friend, Mr. Williams had written the following 
 significant words : " I have just heard dear Captain Morgan say that 
 we are sixty miles off the Hebrides, so that we shall be there early 
 to-morrow morning. This evening we are to have a special prayer 
 meeting. Oh! how much depends upon the efforts of to-morrow. 
 Will tJie savages receive us or not ? Perhaps at this moment you or 
 some other kind friend may be wrestling with God for us. I am all 
 anxiety; but desire prudence and faithfulness in the management 
 of the attempt to impart the Gospel to these benighted people, and 
 leave the event with God. I brought twelve missionaries with me ; 
 two have settled at a beautiful island called Rotuma; the ten I 
 have are for the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. The approaching 
 week is to me the most important of my life." The savages of Futuna 
 at any rate would not receive him. They manifested such a fierce 
 and forbidding character that it was found quite impossible to enter 
 into friendly relations with them. The ship therefore proceeded to 
 Tanna, where she arrived next day, and the reception being favour- 
 able, three teachers w^ere landed. The same evening Eromanga was 
 sighted, but the Camden hove to for the night on the south side of the 
 island. Next morning she drew in towards shore, and lowering a 
 boat. Captain Morgan, Mr. Williams, a young missionary named 
 Harris, and a Mr. Cunningham, with four sailors to row, pulled to- 
 wards the land. The natives seemed shy and very reserved, but at 
 length were persuaded to receive beads, and also to bring cocoa-nuts 
 and water from the shore to the boat. Mr. Harris asking permission 
 to land, Mr. Williams made no objection. The natives at once ran 
 away when he did land, but upon his sitting down returned and brought 
 him cocoa-nuts. After a time the others landed (the boat's crew 
 
THE MARTYR MISSIONARY AND WESTERN POLYNESIA 131 
 
 excepted) and walked along the beach. A few minutes later there was 
 a yell, and Mr. Harris, who was farthest off, was seen running, pursued 
 by natives. These catching him, felled him to the ground with their 
 clubs. Mr. Williams and Mr. Cunningham also ran, the latter escap- 
 ing with Captain Morgan to the boat ; but the former stumbling when 
 he reached the water, was immediately clubbed to death and pierced 
 with arrows. It was all the work of a few moments. The bodies of the 
 dead missionaries lay upon Eromanga's beach ; the missionary ship 
 was turned into a place of sorrow and mourning. Unable to secure 
 the bodies, which the natives dragged off into the bush. Captain Mor- 
 gan reluctantly withdrew from the island and made sail for Sydney. 
 The intelligence he conveyed caused the deepest distress. We will 
 however draw a veil over the next few sad months, over the sorrow 
 of the bereaved widow, of the mission circle, of the native Christians, 
 of the directors and thousands of British friends. The work of God 
 in the South Seas had received a terrible blow, under which for a long 
 time it staggered ; and yet perhaps nothing in the history of tliat 
 mission bore richer fruit or had more glorious results than that mar- 
 tyrdom upon savage Eromanga of the noble pioneer missionary whose 
 name became inseparably connected with it. 
 
 *' The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." In all ages 
 that proverb holds good. The death of ''the martyr of Eromanga" 
 in bravely attempting to enlighten Western Polynesia only served to 
 arouse others to follow in his footsteps. From that sad day in 
 November downwards, for more than half a century, devoted men and 
 women, Europeans and natives alike, have freely, joyously conse- 
 crated their lives, yea, have many of them laid down their lives in 
 such attempts. Nor have they laboured in vain. But their work 
 has been full of peril, difficulty, and trial. To a large extent this 
 has arisen from the character of the people, who are much more 
 savage than those of the East, from whom in many ways they differ. 
 In the shape of the head and nose, in height and build, in their hair, 
 and in many of their customs they are quite unlike them. There is 
 a difference also in language, but this is much less marked ; indeed the 
 
132 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 differences lie on the surface chiefly, and some scholars think that 
 in reality the language is one. This, however, is doubtful. Eastern 
 Polynesians belong to the light-skinned Malayan family. Whilst 
 given to stealing, terribly impure, fond of quarrelling, and at times 
 very cruel, they were, even in their heathen days, a mild, easy- 
 tempered race as compared with those in the West. But these latter 
 — Melanesians ^ as they are now generally called — are a dark, 
 treacherous, murderous people, great cannibals and skull hunters, 
 scarcely owning any chief, and ready at any moment to fight against 
 their neighbours. Mixed up with them here and there are a few small 
 colonies of Eastern Polynesians, the descendants of people who have 
 lost their way at sea, or been driven by adverse winds away from 
 their own part of the ocean ; but from Fiji westwards the islanders 
 are Melanesians. This must be borne in mind if we would under- 
 stand the story of work among them. 
 
 Six months after the death of John Williams,^ the brig Camden 
 returned to the scene of his murder. The Rev. Thomas Heath, one of 
 the earliest band of Samoan missionaries, who had been living on the 
 island of Manono for five years, was on board. Tanna was his first 
 place of call. The Tannese were a very fierce people. Fighting was 
 their constant occupation, and a land without war was quite beyond 
 the grasp of their mind ; they could not understand how such a land 
 could exist. Captain Cook says of them : '* The women of Tanna are 
 not very beautiful, yet they are certainly handsome enough for the 
 
 * Melanesia!! means the black island, or black oceanic, race. They are also 
 called Papuans, or woolly-haired. 
 
 ^ The Governor of New South Wales had in the meantime sent a ship of war to 
 Eromanga, Mr. Cunningham being on board, and recovered some of the bones and 
 the skulls of the murdered missionaries. Their bodies had been eaten by the 
 wretched natives. Later on the very club by which Mr. Williams had been felled 
 was handed over to a missionary by the chief who had wielded it and dealt the fatal 
 blow. This chiefs own son, it was found, had been killed by foreign sailors a short 
 time before, and he was resolved to have liis revenge on the first white man that he 
 came across. Mr. Harris's pocket-handkerchief, marked with his initials, was at the 
 same time given up by the chief's wife. 
 
THE MARTYR MISSIONARY AXD WESTERN POLYNESIA 133 
 
 men, who put them to all manner of drudgery. Though both men 
 and women are dark-coloured, they are not black, nor do they bear 
 
 A NATIVE OF WESTERN POLYNESIA. 
 
 any resemblance to negroes. They make themselves blacker than 
 they really are by painting their faces the colour of blacklead. They 
 use a sort of pigment, which is red, and a third sort which is 
 
134 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 brown ; all these, especially the first, they lay on with a liberal 
 hand, not only on the face, but on the neck, shoulders, and breast. 
 The women wear a petticoat made of leaves, the men nothing but a 
 belt and wrapper." They pay great attention to their hair. They 
 part it into small locks, which they wind round with the rind of a 
 small plant to within about an inch of the ends. Each of these is 
 about the thickness of whip cord ; they are bound together, and hang 
 down behind like a parcel of small string. Mr. Heath found the 
 three Samoan teachers — Lalolangi, Salamea, and Mose — all well. 
 They were trying to learn the language, and to win the goodwill and 
 confidence of the natives, but could not tell of any success. Two 
 rnore Samoans — Pomare and Vaiofainga — were taken on shore to 
 join them, and then the ship sailed for a little island called Niua, or 
 Niwa, now so well known, through the '' Life of John G. Paton," as 
 the scene of that missionary's labours. It was to this island — Aniwa, 
 as Dr. Paton calls it — he went after his withdrawal from Tanna.. 
 Sorrow and suffering only were his portion on Tanna, but on Aniwa, 
 after first '' sowing in tears," he soon began to " reap in joy." Two 
 teachers were landed there by Mr. Heath, and for several years 
 remained at their post, others also joining them. But they could 
 make no impression upon the wild, godless natives, and after a time 
 were w^ithdrawn. Others from Aneityum followed them, and at last, 
 Dr. Paton had the joy of seeing the island with its four or five hun- 
 dred savage people brought to Christ. 
 
 From Niwa the Camden made for the Isle of Pines, which lies to 
 the east of the important island called New Caledonia. There also 
 Mr. Heath was able to station teachers. Lastly a visit was paid to 
 Eromanga, and the same was done there, not, however, at Dillon's 
 Bay, where the murder took place, but on the opposite side of the 
 island. Rejoicing in the good beginnings thus made, the missionary 
 returned to his station in Samoa. 
 
 To make the after history of the work in the New Hebrides clear, 
 it may be well to point out here that by a friendly arrangement others 
 interested in missions were coming to the help of the London Mis- 
 
THE MARTYR MISSIONARY AND WESTERN POLYNESIA 135 
 
 sionary Society. When Mr. Williams was at home, he entered into 
 an agreement with the United Secession Church in Scotland (now 
 merged in the United Presbyterian Church). It was settled that the 
 London Missionary Society, by means of native Christian teachers 
 from Eastern Polynesia, should try and open the door and gain an 
 entrance to the New Hebrides group, and that done hand over the work 
 to Presbyterian missionaries who were to follow Mr. Williams to the 
 Pacific. Money for helping Mr. Williams to carry out this plan was 
 placed in the Society's hands by these Scotch friends. For forty-six 
 years now the New Hebrides mission has been under the care of 
 Presbyterian missionaries, the first of w^hom, though born in Scotland, 
 came from Nova Scotia, and all their native teachers are now trained 
 by themselves. But long after the missionaries had settled in the 
 group they were thankful to receive the help of native teachers from 
 the islands under the care of the earlier Society, which help it was 
 glad to supply. 
 
 The year following Mr. Pleath's visit to the west Mr. Murray set 
 out in the Camden on the same round, and after calling at the stations 
 already occupied was able to start work on fresh islands. But he 
 found some of the teachers in great distress. On Tanna there had 
 bsen sorrow upon sorrow. At first the arrival of the new workers, 
 making five in all, set the islanders thinking, and there seemed to be 
 a willingness to listen to them. For a time all went well. Then a 
 change took place. All the Samoans became ill, so ill that no one 
 was able to help his brother. Some natives, who had shown much 
 friendliness before their illness commenced, still acted with wonderful 
 kindness, and did all in their power to befriend them. When wx re- 
 member what these natives were their conduct is all the more striking. 
 At the end of six weeks, Pomare and Salamea died. Poor fellows ! 
 their death was a sad one. To the last the friendly Tannese were 
 good to them ; and as their companions were still too weak to do any- 
 thing, buried their dead bodies. But they Avould no longer pay any 
 attention to what the Samoans had to tell them, even though they 
 had recovered their health. They concluded that the anger of their 
 
136 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 chief god, whom they named Alema, must have caused the illness to 
 come ; and as the God, about whom the Samoans talked, was not able 
 to cure them, clearly Alema was stronger than He. They also kept 
 away from them, lest Alema should kill them too, so that for several 
 months the teachers were left in great straits for want of food. They 
 just managed to struggle along, had planted yams and taro them- 
 selves so as to be able to supply their own wants, and by the time 
 that Mr. Murray arrived had got over the worst of their troubles. 
 Besides which a few of the Tannese had again begun to come and 
 listen to what they had to say. 
 
 At Eromanga things were much worse. Reaching that island on 
 the morning of the 5th April, the brig stood in close to the bay where 
 the teachers had been left by Mr. Heath the year before, yet no sign 
 of them was to be seen. A few canoes put off from the shore, but 
 would not come near, and their shy manner made those on board 
 growingly anxious. Finding that no one would approach the vessel, 
 the captain lowered a boat, and pulled towards the beach. In a few 
 moments a canoe was seen coming off, in which sat Lasalo, one of 
 the teachers. With him was the chief under whose care and pro- 
 tection he had been placed. Both chief and teacher came into the 
 ship's boat. This seemed to promise well, but when a request that 
 Taniela, the second teacher, should also be allowed to come out from 
 the land, the natives would not agree. " No," said they, " 3'ou must 
 come on shore." To have done this would have been madness, for 
 the entrance to the landing-place was a narrow inlet between two 
 high cliffs which were covered with crowds of armed savages. The 
 boat's crew would have been completely at their mercy, and it looked 
 as if they meant mischief. All efforts to persuade them either to 
 bring Taniela or to let him come alone were in vain. The chief had 
 become uncomfortable at this deadlock, so watching his opportunity, 
 he sprang into the sea, and began to swim to shore. But that 
 would not do so long as Taniela was in their power. Immediate 
 chase was given, and soon the chief was overtaken and again came on 
 board. He trembled for his life, poor fellow ! Kind treatment and 
 
THE MARTYR MISSIONARY AND WESTERN POLYNESIA 137 
 
 gentle words having put him a little more at ease, and finding himself 
 a prisoner, he joined his voice to that of the visitors in asking for 
 Taniela. After a long time of weary waiting, a canoe was seen 
 with the Samoan seated in it. Still unwilling to give him up, how- 
 ever, the natives would not bring the canoe near. They kept it at a 
 distance, and when the boat rowed towards them paddled away them- 
 selves. By a bold stroke Taniela brought this tantalizing game to an 
 end. Suddenly springing into the sea, he swam towards the boat, on 
 seeing which the crew pulled swiftly to him, and got him on board 
 before he could be captured by the Eromangans. He fainted as soon 
 as he reached the boat. The chief was then allowed to go. Before 
 he left presents were given to him, but for the time the door of hope 
 for blood-stained Eromanga was closed, and the light which had 
 feebly flickered on that dreadful island was put out. 
 
 The teachers had a doleful tale to tell. The chief who had pro- 
 mised to supply their needs had sadly neglected them, and his people 
 only too closely imitated his own example. Had it not been for a party 
 of Niwans, who, having relations on Eromanga, were there on a long 
 visit, the Samoans must have died of starvation. These strangers 
 took pity on them, and gave them food. But after they left, the 
 teachers were in great destitution. They were ill, were without food, 
 yet no one was allowed to go near them. The chiefs aim clearly was 
 to starve them to death, and it looked as if he would succeed in his 
 cruel plot. But God was better to them than their fears, and in a 
 most unlikely quarter raised up a friend for them. Who would have 
 thought that among such a savage set of beings there would be a 
 kindly soul that, moved by pity, would come to the help of these 
 suffering strangers from afar? Yet so it was. A man named 
 Vorevore, a native of the island, took compassion on them. Day 
 after day, week after week, for five months, did this Eromangan bring 
 them a daily supply of food. He was obliged to do it secretly, for, 
 had the chief got to know it, his kindness might have cost him his 
 life ; so, creeping quietly down to the hut in which the teachers lived, 
 he used to lift up the thatch, and hand in their *' daily bread." In 
 
138 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 some way which we cannot explain, God touched Vorevore's heart 
 and prompted him to that merciful conduct. That is all we can say, 
 but the story is one of the most marvellous we have ever read. 
 
 At other islands during the voyage Mr. Murray had more success. 
 Futuna, the first to be called at, is the most easterly of the New 
 Hebrides group. It is peopled by a race speaking indeed the language 
 of Eastern Polynesia, yet resembling in all other respects their Mela- 
 nesian neighbours. They are a fierce, savage-looking people, and, ' 
 like the islanders round about them, treacherous and cruel. The visit 
 of Mr. Williams to this island in 1839 had paved the way for the 
 landing of teachers. He had given presents to the natives, and to a 
 certain degree had won their favour. They were therefore willing to 
 receive two Samoans — Apolo from Tutuila and Samuela from Upolu. 
 At first these men were well treated ; indeed, for tw^o years the pro- 
 spects of the Futuna mission were bright. They then suddenly 
 changed, and a foul crime brought it to a mournful ending, as we 
 shall have to narrate further on. 
 
 Leaving Futuna, the Camden called the next day at Aneityum., a 
 beautiful island with lofty hills and mountains of all shapes and sizes. 
 It possesses also a fine harbour. The Aneityumese are a mixed race, 
 small in stature, and not at all good-looking. Some of them are 
 woolly-haired, some straight-haired. According to their own tradi- 
 tions, in the remote past a canoe from Savaii in Samoa brought 
 people to their island, and these strangers had stayed with them and 
 married natives. The men wore no clothing, but had long hair ; the 
 women, on the other hand, were decently dressed, but wore their hair 
 cropped short. Many of their heathen customs w^ere awfully cruel. 
 War and murder were very common, and the slain were eaten at 
 cannibal feasts. When a man died his widow was strangled, and 
 children left orphans were brutally killed. One chief god and a host 
 of lesser ones were worshipped by these people, and to them offerings 
 of cooked food, of the fat of pigs, and sometimes of human beings, 
 were often made. Kotiama, a Futuna chief, had offered to go to 
 Aneityum in the mission brig to help them in settling teachers. As 
 
139 
 
I40 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 the vessel drew near canoes came off towards her, but no natives would 
 come on board. This arose from fear, as the last time a vessel had 
 called there had been a fight between themselves and the crew. Find- 
 ing all attempts to get them on board useless. Captain Morgan lowered 
 a boat, and he and Mr. Murray rowed towards the shore. Beads were 
 held up to entice the natives near, and at last one, bolder than the 
 rest, snatched this prize, and then at once began to back away from 
 the boat. Coming a second time, he grew more confident, and, learn- 
 ing from Kotiama the purpose for which the ship had come, agreed to 
 receive and protect the teachers. A more bloodthirsty looking savage 
 the missionaries had never seen, and yet this man became guardian of 
 the messengers of peace. The teachers were taken on shore, and large 
 numbers of people gathered together to welcome them. This they did 
 by waving green boughs. Another beginning was thus made among 
 the degraded Melanesians. 
 
 To the south-west of the New Hebrides lies a group of three larger 
 and several smaller islands, called the Loyalty Islands. They form a 
 natural line of outposts to New Caledonia, from which they are dis- 
 tant some sixty or seventy miles. To one of these islands — Mare or 
 Nengone, to give it its native name — did the mission brig now make 
 its way. Mare is an island of coral formation, somewhat uninviting 
 in appearance as seen from the sea. The vessel lay off the coast 
 the whole morning, on the watch for canoes or some other sign of 
 natives, but in vain. No one was to be seen. Lowering a boat, Capt. 
 Morgan and Mr. Murray were pulled towards the shore, which was 
 rugged and bare, and seemed to be without villages or people. At 
 length, however, a canoe was noticed, and as it rapidly drew near the 
 missionaries began to feel hopeful. Coming within hail, the man who 
 was in it astonished the party in the boat by shouting out : " I know 
 the true God." Who could this stranger be, and how could one 
 knowing the true God have found his way to a heathen region like 
 that ? His name was Taufa, and he was a native of one of the Tonga 
 or Friendly Islands, who with seven companions had lost his way at 
 sea and been carried to Mar6. There they had been living for seven 
 
THE MARTYR MISSIONARY AND WESTERN POLYNESIA 141 
 
 years. In this wonderful way did God provide His servants with a 
 ready helper, who took them on shore, acted as their interpreter with 
 one of the chiefs, and easily persuaded him and his people to receive 
 two Samoan teachers, Tataio and Taniela by name. The chief, Jeiue, 
 went on board, and showed a thoroughly friendly spjrit. But he and 
 his people were the slaves of gross darkness, and it was a long time 
 before they yielded to the light of truth. They had a dim notion of a 
 superior Being. No carved images were to be found in the island, but 
 sacred stones, and sacred w^ooden posts and pillars, were common ; 
 the relics of dead relatives or famous natives were also greatly prized. 
 When a priest, or a warrior, or a clever canoe paddler died, the hair 
 of his head and his eyelashes were carefully cut off, and stored up as 
 a precious treasure. The body w^as then buried, and for ten days 
 allowed to rest in the ground. At the end of that time, the priest of 
 the district, accompanied by the family of the dead man, went to the 
 grave, and, with much ceremony, removed the finger-nails, toe-nails, 
 and certain bones of the arms and legs. These were religiously 
 guarded, and passed down to the next generation as a sacred heirloom, 
 by means of which the blessing of the unseen God was secured. In 
 the same w^ay skulls were preserved, and the woman who had her 
 mother's skull to place in the centre of her yam or taro plantation 
 regarded herself as a very fortunate being. Before beginning to 
 plant she w^ould make an offering to this skull, then casting herself on 
 the ground before it say: '' O mother, let thy power be seen, and pity 
 us thy children ; see thou that the rains descend, and that the sun 
 shines on this our work. Let our food be abundant, and thy fame, and 
 the fame of thy family, shall be great in the land." In times of 
 drought the entire skeleton of some one recently buried would be 
 carefully put together, "bone to his bone," until the skeleton was 
 complete, and this skeleton was relied upon for bringing down the 
 much needed rain. With such illustrations to guide us, we can easily 
 understand how terribly degraded the people of Mare must have been. 
 They were born thieves too. As the teachers w^ere being landed, one 
 after another of the natives tried to steal. This man walked off with 
 
142 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 a sailor's jacket, that with a boat-hook ; but when told to bring them 
 back, the rogues brought them with their ov/n hands, as if neither 
 ashamed of the theft nor afraid of punishment. 
 
 New Caledonia was the last island visited. It was discovered by 
 Captain Cook, in 1774, when returning to New Zealand after his sur- 
 vey of the New Hebrides ; and being the last link in the long chain 
 of islands that stretches across nearly five thousand miles of ocean, 
 occupies a position of great strength and importance. Indeed, in 
 many respects New Caledonia is without a rival among the isles of 
 the Pacific. Two hundred miles long by twenty-five miles broad, it 
 excels them all for size. The centre of the island is formed by a lofty 
 rocky ridge ; the low-lying flat land near the coast contains many 
 woods and plantation grounds watered by streams from the hills; 
 while girdling the shore, but distant from it some ten or twelve miles, 
 is a barrier coral reef, through which there are numerous entrances to 
 the inner channel, and to a splendid anchorage for the largest vessels. 
 Since 1853 New Caledonia has been under French control, and become 
 a place of greater importance than ever. But when the Camden paid 
 her first visit in 184 1 it was but little known. The natives, who are 
 a mixed race, had been described by Captain Cook as strong, active, 
 well-made people, very similar in colour to the Tannese, but better 
 looking, taller, and stouter. They lived in a sort of bee-hive hut (such 
 as our missionaries have since found used on Darnley Island, New 
 Guinea) very much like a hay-rick to look at, with a low door which 
 could only be entered by stooping, but without window or outlet for 
 the smoke. They did not tattoo their bodies, nor colour themselves 
 with ochre, as some islanders did ; but instead of these ways of 
 making themselves look grand, daubed their bodies over with white 
 sand, and so became a kind of dark drab or grey. By means of 
 washes and dyes they also contrived to change the colour of their 
 black woolly hair to different shades of brown, and even to white. 
 Some of them painted their faces jet-black, so that what with grey 
 body, white hair, and black face they were very strange-looking 
 gentlemen. Their ornaments were made from shells, especially pearl 
 
THE MARTYR MISSIONARY AND WESTERN POLYNESIA 143 
 
 shell. As in many heathen lands, the women were the slaves of the 
 men, and were made to do all the hard work. Their lot was to drudge 
 and toil from morn to night, while their lords and masters loafed about, 
 did a little fishing perhaps, or went to a big dance or feast. The 
 canoes of the New Caledonians were much larger than those usually 
 found in the South Seas, more like some that are seen to-day on the 
 southern shores of New Guinea. They were in fact two canoes, thirty 
 or forty feet long, lashed 
 and fixed together by 
 means of cross spars, 
 with planks laid upon 
 these to form a plat- 
 form or deck. On this 
 platform a house was 
 built, with fireplace for 
 cooking purposes, and 
 space for weapons or 
 for articles for barter. 
 A mast, with a large 
 mat sail, being rigged 
 up upon the platform, 
 the canoes, when fa- 
 voured with a good 
 breeze and a calm sea, 
 managed to sail well, 
 but in rough weather 
 they were awkward and dangerous. 
 
 As already mentioned, Mr. Heath, when he called the j^ear before, 
 had landed teachers at the Isle of Pines, near to the south-east coast 
 of New^ Caledonia. Mr. IMurray arranged to call at this small island 
 before proceeding to New Caledonia, in order that the heathen might 
 be visited. One of them was taken on board, together with a young 
 man, a native of the larger island, whom the missionaries found 
 staying at the Isle of Pines. Both of them were of great use in 
 
 A EEE-IIIVE HUT. 
 
144 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 gaining the goodwill of the New Caledonians. But Matuku, the 
 chief of the Isle of Pines, was jealous and angry at the thought of 
 sending teachers to his neighbours, and did his utmost to prevent 
 this being done. Of course Mr. Murray could not yield to such 
 unworthy suggestions, but with guide and teacher on board, made 
 for the great island, and in a few hours was off its shore. 
 
 Crowds of natives were seen gathering together on the beach, 
 excited and wondering at the sight of the white man's ship. Seeing 
 no opening in the reef, the boat was lowered and pulled towards 
 this barrier, alongside which the boat lay to. At first no one would 
 venture near, but after a time, and by dint of friendly signs and coax- 
 ing, one after another was induced to wade and swim towards the 
 reef; and very soon the boat was surrounded with a crowd of noisy 
 visitors, who, seeing one of their own kith and kin on board, quickly 
 became eager to join him — so bent, indeed, on doing so, that it was 
 hard work to keep them from swamping or capsizing the boat. 
 Happily among those who had swum out was the very man they 
 wished to get hold of— the son of the chief on that part of the island, 
 who had lately been in the Isle of Pines and had there seen and talked 
 with the teachers. He was got into the boat, and with his help, and 
 a rather free distribution of presents, all but three or four were per- 
 suaded to return to the land, the boat with these three or four being 
 then rowed back to the brig for the night. The next morning the 
 boat went in again and brought off the chief himself. This man, 
 Nathotha by name, on hearing of what the missionaries wished to do, 
 readily agreed to their plans, and promised that he would treat the 
 teachers kindly, provide them with food, and protect them from harm 
 to the best of his power. All being arranged, the landing of the 
 teachers followed. A crowd of islanders lined the beach all of whom 
 seemed to be immensely pleased at the thought of having teachers 
 settling in their midst. This was on 15th April, 184 1. 
 
 A good beginning was thus made, and for a time all went well ; 
 but a year or two later the sky became overcast, and first on the Isle 
 of Pines and then on New Caledonia, bloodshed and cruelty took the 
 
THE MARTYR MISSIONARY AND WESTERN POLYNESIA 145 
 
 place of kindly treatment. Matuku, the jealous yet powerful chief, 
 foully murdered his own teachers, then, handing the very hatchet 
 
 REV. A. W. MURRAY. 
 
 with which he had slain them to Nathotha, told his partner chief 
 with shameless brutality of what he had done, and charged him 
 to kill all the Samoans and Rarotongans he had living on his island. 
 
 L 
 
146 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Nathotha did not obey the charge, whereupon the enraged old 
 savage sent word that if he did not kill the teachers he would come 
 across and kill and eat him. Neither this threat nor the command 
 given was executed, but the poor teachers had a terrible time of it. 
 Like the Apostle Paul, they were ^' in deaths oft." Six or seven 
 times attempts were made to get them killed ; but deterred by fear, 
 by the calm courage of these Christian men, and, must we not add, 
 by the unseen yet ever-active power and protection of God, their 
 lives were spared. Two striking examples of the spirit which ani- 
 mated these teachers may be quoted from Mr. Murray's '* Western 
 Polynesia." A party came upon them one day evidently bent upon 
 mischief. Instead of attempting to flee or resist, Taunga said to his 
 crafty visitors : " Come, kill us ; you may stop our mouths in death, 
 but you cannot hinder the Word of God : that will continue to live 
 and grow." The heathen were amazed, and said one to another : ^' See, 
 :hat man is not afraid ; it is because their God is powerful ; let them 
 alone." On another occasion some of Matuku's sons and followers, 
 nine or X,q,vl in all, crossed over to New Caledonia for the express 
 purpose of killing the two teachers. Beginning with an argument 
 about the folly of thinking that dead men could ever live again, they 
 at last gave the sign to commit the murder for which they had come. 
 Four men instantly rushed into the house, where by the polite invita- 
 tion of the teachers the others were seated. One of them took up his 
 position in front of Noa, the other behind Taunga. Noa's right arm 
 was seized, and the hatchet raised to strike the fatal blow. . Over 
 Taunga's head the other hatchet was poised. The signal from one of 
 Matuku's sons alone was awaited. Meekly the teachers bowed their 
 heads in prayer, and, like Stephen, the first Christian martyr, com- 
 mitted their spirits to the keeping of their Lord. But in their case 
 the weapons did not strike. The sign given was the very opposite of 
 what was looked for. "Don't strike," was its meaning, and shortly 
 afterwards the savages dispersed, leaving the two teachers almost 
 speechless with wonder at their escape. God's ways are " past finding 
 out." In many an instance He has permitted the murderous blow to 
 
 A 
 
THE MARTYR MISSIONARY AND WESTERN POLYNESIA 147 
 
 fall ; in many has stayed the murderer's hand. Mission work in the 
 Pacific abounds with illustrations of both the one experience and the 
 other. White and dark-faced missionaries alike have been " taken," 
 alike have been ''left." Yes, difficult though it is to understand why 
 one devoted servant of the Lord escapes while another is laid low, 
 we may rest assured that in each case the will of God has been done, 
 and that that will has been guided by wisdom and love. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FURTHER EXTENSION. 
 
 " Them also I imtst bt'in^.^^ 
 
 FOLLOWING the course of the sun, the light of 
 truth in the Pacific has spread from east 
 /\ to west, but slowly. In 1841 its first rays 
 / / were beginning to touch the peaks of the 
 / / islands that fringe the Australasian side 
 of the great Southern Ocean. Those rays 
 have grown stronger year by year, and 
 in places have shone with marvellous 
 brightness; but even to-day, after more 
 than fifty years, in not a few of those 
 western lands gross darkness still reigns. 
 The missionary's task has proved a hard 
 one : the demands upon his faith, courage, 
 endurance, and that love which " sufifereth 
 long and is kind," have been terribly 
 severe. Still the footing once gained has never been yielded to the foe. 
 Tried, baffled, and for a time perhaps forced to retire, the servants of 
 Christ have refused to be beaten, and, returning to the attack, have, in 
 the end, conquered again and again. 
 
 Annual voyages were made by the mission vessels, but to describe 
 these in detail would occupy more space than this volume affords. A 
 selection of incidents only can be given. The story of Lifu and its native 
 apostle is one which we must find room for. Lifu is the largest and 
 most populous of the Loyalty Islands. In 1842 the Rev. A. Buzacott — 
 " that model missionary," as he has often been described — who that 
 year was on board when the ship Camden went her round, left two 
 
 148 
 
FURTHER EXTENSION 149 
 
 Rarotongans on Marc^, another island of the same group, already 
 occupied, arranging that after spending a time with the teachers 
 there, they should be taken on to Lifu. One of the two was a 
 young unmarried man, who, having made several voyages on board 
 a whaling ship, had seen a little of the Avorld and knew something of 
 white men's ways. After his last voyage, Pao, for that was the 
 Rarotongan youth's name, began seriously to think about the deeper 
 things of life ; and, giving his heart to God, became a member of the 
 native church, and offered to go forth as a pioneer teacher to the 
 heathen. A few months' study in the institution at Rarotonga was 
 the only special training he received. He was then appointed to 
 labour in Lifu, but was first of all landed at Mare. 
 
 Lifu, not IVIare, was written upon Pao's heart, and to Lifu he 
 was eager to sail with as little delay as possible. He was a young 
 man of brave spirit, of earnest character, and blessed with a fund of 
 common sense. With these to help him, and with strong confidence 
 in God, Pao decided at once to proceed to Lifu. What a picture he 
 presents ! Seated in his little canoe, with one or two Mare teachers 
 and friends as companions, his Bible and a few clothes carefully 
 wrapped in a bundle, his tiny mat sail spread to the breeze, the bold 
 young fellow steered for the island he had fixed upon as his future 
 home. A mere speck upon the ocean at first, the land gradually rose 
 higher and higher, loomed more largely upon the horizon, and at last 
 grew distinct and clear to his view. As his frail bark drew nearer 
 he could make out villages, houses, natives — yes, and natives who 
 were rushing about in search of weapons, and who soon drew them- 
 selves up in armed array upon the beach. Did Pao's heart fail him ? 
 Did he haul down his sail and hang about the reef waiting for some 
 friendly signal before venturing to land ? Not at all. Taking his life 
 in his hand, he skilfully guided his canoe ovxr the surging breakers of 
 the reef, and on the crest of a wave dashed right on to the shore and 
 placed himself at the mercy of the islanders. 
 
 His bravery so impressed the natives that no one attempted to kill 
 him. Another thing worked in his favour. On Lifu, as on many 
 
ISO THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Other islands of the South Seas, the pooplc were in the habit of choos- 
 ing special friends whom they called ejismus. An ''enemu" feels 
 that it is his duty to provide his friend with food and lodging when 
 he comes to see him ; he must also protect him, and in every way 
 possible try to assist him. The chosen friend has to do the same in 
 return. Now it so happened that Bula, the old chief of Lifu, was so 
 much taken with Pao that there and then he made him his ^'enemu." 
 His life was thus made secure, and he at once became a popular man. 
 Not that the people were willing to listen to his teaching : that they 
 had no desire to do ; but they were glad to have him in their midst. 
 
 Pao's conduct is worthy of all praise, but what shall we say of a 
 young Englishman, boasting of the name ''Cannibal Charley," whom 
 Pao found living on Lifu and who also was an " enemu " of the chief 
 Bula ? About the very time that the heathen-born Rarotongan youth 
 had been " coming to himself " and was finding his way to the Saviour, 
 this Christian-born lad was deliberately stripping himself of all 
 decency, and of his own free will becoming a heathen. There he 
 was on Lifu, living as a native, delighting in bestiality, going to 
 greater lengths in wickedness than the heathen themselves, and even 
 boasting to his fellow-countrymen, as he afterwards did, of his liking for 
 human flesh. This young Englishman, the son of respsctable parents, 
 was for a time the greatest hindrance to Pao's missionary work. As 
 long as the Lifuans continued heathen, " Cannibal Charley " not only 
 remained on this island, but by word and by deed, by evil speaking 
 and by open persecution, sought to check the good man's influence. 
 It was only when the Gospel was winning its way, and heathenism 
 on the decline, that this godless Englishman, whose " glory was in his 
 shame," got tired of his former friends, and left them for Fiji, where 
 he died. Many sad tales of wicked conduct on the part of Europeans 
 in the Pacific are on record, but we know of none so painful or so 
 disgraceful to our country as that of this young man. 
 
 Bula had a rival chief on the other side of the island, and between 
 the two there was constant fighting. Pao had to accompany Bula 
 wherever he went — even to battle. He had no home of his own, but 
 
FURTHER EXTENSION 
 
 151 
 
 lived with the chief. They ate, slept, worked, and played together, 
 and while fishing, planting, or engaged in native games, Pao found 
 many a chance for speaking ''a word in season," which he eagerly 
 seized. By making himself a thorough friend of the people, he soon 
 acquired great power over them; for he was quick-witted and 
 thoroughly intent upon leading them to the knowledge of God. His 
 presence with Bula's party at a fight in which they came off victors 
 
 CANOES GOING OFF TO A VESSEL. 
 
 seemed to convince them that Pao's God must be powerful. They 
 therefore chose Him to be their own God, and in doing so thought that 
 they would be able to keep Him to themselves, and turn His power 
 against their enemies. This was the fruit of sheer ignorance, selfishness, 
 and hypocrisy. To yield to the moral restraints of Pao's religion was 
 far enough from their thoughts. Such things they left to him alone. 
 Their liking for human flesh was terribly keen. Indeed, it w^as no 
 uncommon thing for them to stay aw^ay from evening worship which 
 the teacher had started, and whilst Pao was praying, go to a hut and 
 
152 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 quietly indulge in a cannibal feast. In heart the Lifuans were still 
 what they always had been, and at last they let this be clearly seen. 
 Old Bula became blind ! Now to a heathen mind every such calamity 
 means either that some ill-natured person has brought it about by the 
 use of witchcraft or charms, or that the gods are angry and have sent 
 it as a punishment. The wretched cannibals on Lifu quickly made 
 up their minds that Pao's God was angry with them because He knew 
 of their misdeeds, yet instead of turning to Him in penitence and 
 asking forgiveness, they decided to kill Pao. Five men were chosen 
 to carry out this murderous scheme. The teacher was busily engaged 
 mending his canoe upon the beach. The men arranged to join him, 
 get into conversation with him, and then at a given signal brain him 
 with their tomahawks. They went towards him, closed around him, 
 began their talk, and gave the signal; but not a single hand was 
 raised ! As described by one of the men himself in after years, their 
 arms were paralysed. Fear, or some batter feeling, seized them, and 
 they could not strike the blow. 
 
 Other teachers came to Pao's help, but none of them gained much 
 power ; but he did, and his name will ever be held in grateful memory.* 
 Not that he had an easy task in Lifu. On the contrary, for years 
 the issue rem.ained doubtful. His first genuine converts were some 
 Tongan settlers, children of people who had been carried away in 
 their canoe by adverse winds. Of kindred origin with the teacher, 
 and hearing that Tonga had '' received the word," these colonists from 
 afar gladly listened to the gospel message, and two of them eventually 
 became teachers. A few natives joined them, but Bula and the people 
 generally were as yet untouched. After five years the old chief died, 
 a heathen and a cannibal to the last. War at once broke out between 
 rival claimants for his place. Disease also appeared and rapidly 
 spread through the island. This gave the heathen the opportunity for 
 which they had been longing. Blaming the teachers as the cause of 
 both epidemic and war, they drove them from their island. Again 
 Pao was to be seen in his canoe, this time sailing from, not to, Lifu. 
 
 * An obelisk has been raised in his honour. 
 
FURTHER EXTENSION 153 
 
 He was returning to Mare, sad at heart, as he thought of his scattered 
 flock and of the troubles that had ov^ertaken them, but hopeful still 
 and already looking forward to the day when he could go back. 
 
 That day quickly came. Once before he had returned on a short 
 visit, but finding party feeling still strong, had not thought it wise 
 to stay. The seed he had sown, however, had taken root and was 
 springing up; in one and another it was beginning to bring forth 
 fruit. These spoke boldly to their neighbours and sought to convince 
 them that bloodshed, cannibalism, idolatry, and heathen practices 
 were wrong, while what Pao had taught was indeed the truth. The 
 example of Mare was also quoted. INIare had given up its idols and 
 was rapidly becoming a land of light and peace ; when would Lifu 
 do the same? Such earnest words were not without effect; besides 
 which, it was now seen that Pao's consistent life and character had 
 produced a much deeper impression than either he or the Lifuans had 
 been aware of. All at once, just as with the walls of Jericho centuries 
 before, to employ an illustration used by those on the spot, the opposi- 
 tion to Christian teaching gave way, a desire for guidance and know- 
 ledge took its place, and messengers were despatched to Mare to beg 
 Pao and his companions to return. With what alacrity and joy 
 did the Rarotongan once more embark ! Launching his canoe, and 
 spreading his mat sail, he again made for the shore of Lifu, where he 
 was welcomed with every sign of rejoicing. Food in abundance was 
 presented to him and his fellow-teachers, and from that day down- 
 wards their work rapidly grew. Chapels sprang up, schools were 
 started, and before long there were natives who astonished themselves 
 and their neighbours alike by learning to pick out from Pao's Bible 
 the letters of the alphabet. This fact seemed to the Lifuans to be the 
 most signal of all ; and many, coming from distant villages to see 
 and hear this wonderful thing for themselves, were so struck with 
 the proof thus given of the power of the new religion that they there 
 and then made up their minds to accept it. Happy in the possession 
 of the alphabet carefully written out on a piece of paper and pasted 
 on a board, these visitors returned to their homes eager to learn more 
 
154 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Pao was equal to the fresh demands upon his strength, and passing 
 from village to village, preached with great point and fervour. The 
 Gospel spread to the western side of the island, and there, at a place 
 called Amelewet, the first Christian station was formed. 
 
 Two or three years later, when the Revs. A. W. Murray and J. P. 
 Sunderland visited Lifu, they were greatly cheered by the progress 
 made. Pao and his fiock were busy building a coral stone church 
 100 feet long by 40 feet wide, the walls of w^hich were already about 
 nine or ten feet high. . The church contained a good pulpit and read- 
 ing-desk, was supplied with windows and Venetian blinds, and was 
 being furnished with seats. The boards used in its erection had been 
 sawn and prepared by the natives of Mare, which is distant thirty 
 miles, and brought over in canoes. Near to the church, and in keep- 
 ing with it, was a neatly plastered house for the teachers to dwell 
 in. Idolatry was given up ; so too were cannibalism and by many 
 polygamy also. There was a class of three hundred people who were 
 being taught the real meaning of the religion of Jesus, and on Sun- 
 days more than double that number came together for Christian wor- 
 ship. Many were already able to read. Very many more were 
 learning — those who had themselves mastered the difficulties of this 
 new art readily becoming the instructors of their neighbours and 
 friends. All was ripe for the settlement of a white missionary, and 
 the uppermost desire of the people was to secure one. Most earnestly 
 did they plead for such a helper, but it was not until seven years 
 afterwards that their request could be granted. Then the Rev., now 
 Dr., S. McFarlane, went to take up the work. Truly this is a wonder- 
 ful story. It reads more hke poetry than history, and is a South Sea 
 Island illustration of the saying that '' truth is stranger than fiction." 
 Added to which, when we remember that the change effected in Lifu 
 was the fruit of the devoted life and practical wisdom of a native 
 teacher, himself only lately brought out of heathenism, we cannot but 
 see in that fact a fresh proof of the power of Christ's Gospel. 
 
 We must now retrace our steps a little to narrate other events 
 that marked the passing years. On the same voyage as that on which 
 
FURTHER EXTENSION 
 
 155 
 
 she conveyed Pao to Mare, as a stepping-stone to Lifu, the Camden 
 carried the Rev. George Turner and the Rev. Henry Nisbet, ^vith their 
 Avives, to Tanna. These missionaries had recently come out from 
 England for the express purpose of settling upon that island, where^ 
 the reader will remember, teachers had been living for several years^ 
 but without as yet any sign of real success. The new arrivals were 
 entering upon a dangerous work. They were aware of this, though 
 
 
 '- 1 
 
 c.j.Mofrficu'^ 
 
 
 HOUSE OF THE REV. JOHN JONES AT MARE. 
 
 the worst was mercifully hidden from their eyes. The Tannese were 
 a savage race, whose hearts were hardened against the new teaching, 
 and who were ready to turn against their visitors at very short notice. 
 In no island of the Pacific have the servants of Christ had to wait 
 longer or with greater patience for fruit than upon Tanna. At first 
 all went well. The ship sailed away, leaving the missionaries upon 
 the island, and with much zeal they gave themselves to their w^ork. 
 
156 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 For three or four months the prospect looked bright, but after that 
 clouds began to gather. Faith in the power of their " gods many and 
 lords many " has ever been a strong point in the character of the 
 people of Tanna, and their priests were very skilful in tracing the 
 origin of all disease, death, and other woes to the ill-will of some one 
 or other of these deities. Quickly seeing that, should the Christian 
 teachers gain ground, their own greedy trade would be at an end, 
 they set to work to combat their influence, and an epidemic breaking 
 out, seized that as a favourable opportunity for getting them killed, or 
 driven out of the island. But the missionaries were not without friends 
 who for a time were able to avert the danger that threatened them. 
 They were, howev^er, too few, and, themselves attacked, could no 
 longer protect their visitors. 
 
 So bitter did the priests and the ignorant natives under their con- 
 trol become, that, after much anxious thought and prayer for guid- 
 ance, the missionaries decided to attempt an escape in an open boat. 
 To do this was most dangerous; still there seemed to be no other 
 way ; so on a dark and stormy night they committed themselves to 
 the gracious care of their Heavenly Father and started on their 
 voyage. For the moment God's hand seemed to be against them, for He 
 did not suffer them to get away. By a strong head wind the boat was 
 driven back, and wet, cold, weary, the sad fugitives had to land once 
 more. What a night of misery and disappointment that must have 
 been! But though " weeping may endure for a night, joy cometh in 
 the morning." With the dawn a ship appsared in the bay, and in this 
 vessel the entire party escaped to Samoa. 
 
 In after years two fresh beginnings were made upon Tanna, but 
 with the same result. The first of these attempts was in 1842. Dis- 
 ease among children breaking out, the teachers were accused of being 
 the cause. Their dwelling-house was burnt to the ground, and one of 
 them was foully murdered when returning from the bush whither he 
 had gone for evening prayer. The others were removed. Similar 
 treatment befel those who for the third time sought to conquer these 
 stony-hearted people. Then followed the Rev. John G. Paton and his 
 
FURTHER EXTENSION 
 
 157 
 
 colleagues, who fell one after another, till at last Mr. Paton, worn out 
 
 with sorrow, illness, and the 
 
 treachery of the natives, had 
 
 also to flee for his life. Not 
 
 until 1 868 was it found possible 
 
 to secure a permanent footing 
 
 upon Tanna, and even then it 
 
 was years before any converts 
 
 were made. 
 
 Another painful story is that 
 of the massacre of all the 
 teachers upon the island of 
 Futuna (see page 138). When 
 after an unusually long inter- 
 val the mission vessel revisited 
 Futuna in the year 1845, sad 
 tidings awaited those on board. 
 They were anxious to know 
 how their native brethren and 
 sisters had fared, and were pre- 
 pared to hear of trial and loss, 
 but did not in the least expect 
 to find that the little light that 
 had been burning was quenched 
 in blood. Yet so it was. An 
 outbreak of disease which ra- ^ 
 pidly spread among the island- M 
 ers was in this as in many 
 other cases the cause. Some "^_^ 
 one must have brought this 
 disease into their midst, argued 
 the people, and who so likely 
 to have done this as the Samoans ? On the morning of the massacre, 
 the two teachers, with the little daughter of one of them, had gone 
 
 A SAMOAN GIRL. 
 
J58 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 to work in the plantation grounds. Samuela's wife remained at home 
 alone. A party of savages waylaid them on their way back, and 
 killed Apolo and Samuela's little girl. Finding that Samuela was 
 still at work in the plantation, they hurried to the spot and murdered 
 him also. They then made their way to the mission house and sur- 
 rounded the sole survivor, Samuela's wife, now a widow, though igno- 
 rant of the fact. The leader of the band entered the house and asked 
 the Samoan woman to become his wife. The poor creature was horri- 
 fied at the proposal, and to buy him off offered him some of her 
 property ; but instead of taking it he raised a shout, the murderers 
 rushed into the house, and soon Samuela's wife had followed her hus- 
 band and child to the unseen world. The wretches then divided 
 among themselves whatever they could lay their hands on. They 
 also burnt the house to the ground, handed over two bodies to be 
 cooked and eaten, and cut the two others into pieces, the child's 
 being one of these, and threw them into the sea as an offering to the 
 angry gods. So ended the first attempt to win Futuna for Christ. 
 Another attempt was made ten years after, and now, through the 
 Presbyterian Mission, steady work is carried on in the island. 
 
 The same year that saw Tanna re-occupied added Vate, or Fat^, 
 to the list of islands upon which teachers were stationed. This lovely 
 and fertile spot, w^hich lies about sixty miles to the north-west of 
 Eromanga, was discovered by Captain Cook, and called by him Sand- 
 wich in honour of the Earl of Sandwich, then First Lord of the 
 Admiralty. Possessing spacious land-locked harbours, an indented 
 coast with many bays, a rich soil, and abundance of native fruits, 
 Europeans now think highly of it. But half a century ago no white . 
 settler would have been allowed to live there. Indeed, the island was 
 most carefully shunned, the natives being notorious cannibals. Ship- 
 wrecked sailors landing on Fat^ were ruthlessly killed and eaten. A 
 whole boat-load on one occasion met with this awful fate. Ten were 
 cooked on the spot, and the bodies of the rest distributed among the 
 villages near. Another horrible custom prevailed on Fate, namely, 
 the constant slaughter of new-born children. The women were 
 
FURTHER EXTENSION 
 
 159 
 
 treated as slaves, and as the care of infants interfered with their 
 work in the plantations, they were not allowed to nurse them. Some 
 women were only permitted to keep one child alive ; very few could 
 save more than two. As soon as a baby was born it was cruelly 
 buried alive. In the same way old men and women, feeble folk, and 
 all whose minds were affected, were got rid of. Such were the ways 
 of the '' innocent children of nature " that some writers talk of! 
 
 As described by Captain 
 Erskine, who visited them in 
 1849, the Fatese were black like 
 the natives of Tanna, but larger 
 and finer in stature, with more 
 regular features, good fore- 
 heads, and heads of a moderate 
 size. In dress, too, they were 
 more decent. The men wore a 
 broad belt of matting, seven or 
 eight inches wide, very neatly 
 worked in a diamond pattern 
 of red, white, and black colours. 
 Many had their skins covered 
 with raised figures, especially 
 the arms and chest. This was 
 done by a special kind of tattoo- 
 ing. Then the cartilage of the 
 nose was pierced and filled 
 with a round piece of stone, 
 
 while from the lobes of the ears large shell ornaments hung. Armlets, 
 bracelets, anklets, made of small rings like chain-armour, neatly 
 strung together in black and white rows, together with garters of 
 green leaves, served further to adorn these New Hebrides dandies. 
 The women, says Captain Erskine, were generally tall and thin, their 
 hair cropped close to the head, and the skin occasionally marked with 
 figures, as on the men's bodies. Their dress did not differ much from 
 
 A WESTERN POLYNESIAN DANDY, 
 
i6o THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 that of the males. The waist-belt they wore was broader than that 
 worn by the men, but they added a square mat in front, and a curious 
 loose fringe of grass or matting behind, about a foot and a half long, 
 which looked exactly like a tail. They wore no girdle of leaves, and 
 the upper part of the body was left bare. The Fatese women were 
 clever in paddling canoes, and clambered up the side of a ship without 
 difficulty or fear. 
 
 For many years now Presbyterian missionaries have been living 
 upon Fate and other islands of the same group, and the number and 
 power of the native Christians been growing. But for a long and 
 wearisome time it was a trying field, and the brave Samoan, Raro- 
 tongan, and other evangelists who laboured there, together with 
 Fatese youths taken to Samoa for teaching, and then carried back to 
 their own island, had to endure all kinds of hardships, and in many 
 cases had to seal their life's work with their blood. At first there 
 was success. Sickness and death followed. One of the earliest party 
 of four teachers died, and a chief wishing to make the widow his own 
 wife, the poor woman became so excited that she rushed into the sea 
 and was drowned. Two other teachers were taken ill, one of whom 
 died. The other, becoming delirious with fever, was killed, that being 
 the custom of the country. Then followed the massacre of ship- 
 wrecked sailors mentioned a page or two back. In justice to the 
 natives it must be said that the cruelties of sandal-wood traders were 
 the chief cause of this massacre. The Fatese were simply taking 
 revenge upon white men for the evil deeds of other white men. A 
 British man-of-war visited Fate after this savage and wholesale 
 murder, and for a while the work of teachers made good progress. 
 Chapels were built, and at one place about two hundred people 
 attended worship, while at another village even more were found 
 gathered together by the visiting missionaries, and from these people 
 came an earnest request for a resident European missionary. Yet 
 shortly after this, when a fresh party of native workers and the 
 Fatese youths who had been in Samoa were landed, the unchanged 
 wickedness of the islanders quickly showed itself, for within nineteen 
 
FURTHER EXTENSION i6i 
 
 days of their arrival the whole band of new teachers and their wives 
 had been brutally murdered. Two others died, and for about three 
 years the mission was given up. 
 
 As elsewhere, however, the seed sown had taken root, and a good 
 many of the people kept up the forms of Christian worship and were 
 anxious to have teachers settled among them once more. Their 
 request was granted, and another start made, but it was sixteen years 
 after the first landing before Messrs. Murray and Geddie, who called 
 at Fate in the John Williams^ had the joy of baptizing ten natives, 
 eight men and two women, and of forming a Christian church upon 
 that island of bloodthirsty and awful notoriety. All honour to the 
 brave and faithful pioneers, the Christian native teachers, who at such 
 terrible cost of trial and suffering, won that and many another spot 
 in the Pacific for humanity and Christian light and liberty. We at 
 home only faintly realize the debt the w^orld owes to these noble men 
 and women. 
 
 The stories here recorded are but samples of many that might be 
 given : the history of one island was the history of many others. In 
 the face of fearful ignorance, savagery, and treachery the messengers 
 of the Gospel held on their way, and island after island was brought 
 under the power of the truth. To one other only, however, can we 
 refer. Savage Island, or Nine — an island now so dear to the friends of 
 the London Missionary Society — was still without the light. John 
 Williams' visit in 1830 w^e have already described : the sullen groups 
 of armed men on the beach, the violent conduct of that naked, giant- 
 like, aged heathen chief, the terror of the two youths w^hom Mr. 
 Williams persuaded to go with him on board the Messenger of Peace ^ 
 and the terrible fate that overtook those youths when they returned 
 home, are not likely to be forgotten by those who have read of them. 
 But Savage Island could not be left to perish in its barbarism and 
 darkness. It must be rescued. That was the settled conviction of the 
 servants of Christ living in eastern Polynesia. 
 
 Why were the Savage Islanders so unwilling to receive teachers ? 
 For a long time it was thought that their only reason was dislike to 
 
 M 
 
i62 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 them and their teaching ; but the real cause was fear. They had a 
 perfect horror of disease, and with some past facts in their history to 
 guide them, had come to believe that if they allowed strangers to settle 
 in their midst, whether white strangers or nativ^es of other islands 
 made no difference, they would bring some new disease which would 
 kill them all off. The missionaries longed to gain an entrance among 
 them, that they might confer great blessings upon them ; but the 
 people thought they would introduce nothing but evil. Besides which 
 they were of a very proul and haughty spirit. Rather than submit 
 to an insult or to anything that wounded their pride they would put 
 an end to their lives." A deformed person would do this rather than 
 bear the disgrace of being imperfectly formed. Lovers who could 
 not gain their heart's chosen one, people who had the worst of it in 
 a quarrel, and others who thought that a laugh might be raised at 
 their expense, killed themselves to escape shame. The people of 
 other islands have done such things, but not to the same extent. 
 In the same way they sought to rid themselves of all who were ill. 
 These were treated in a very barbarous fashion. They were hurried 
 off to a hastily built hut, and there left to get better or to die. Food 
 was taken to them, but relatives would not stay with them lest they 
 too should become ill. Children born to people not properly married 
 were killed. Their way of disposing of the dead was also strange. 
 Instead of burying them, or throwing them into the sea, as was the 
 custom in other islands, they placed them in caves which are found in 
 the centre of the island. A like custom prevailed in Lifu. 
 
 Ten years after the visit of Mr. Williams a missionary sailed to 
 Niu6 in a small schooner of about twenty tons burden. He went from 
 Samoa, and had a number of Samoans with him on board. On nearing 
 the shore, armed natives came off in their canoes in large numbers, 
 and could easily have seized the vessel and murdered passengers and 
 crew. But its smallness seemed to make them regard it without 
 alarm. The missionary was not allowed to land teachers, but the 
 people showed themselves to be a little more friendly than before, and 
 readily sold their weapons of war. Better still, three natives were 
 
FURTHER EXTENSION 163 
 
 willing to go back to Samoa, one of whom afterwards helped to make 
 it possible for Christian teachers to settle on Niu6. 
 
 It was not until 1846, six years later, however, that a real hold was 
 gained. In the October of that year the Revs. William Gill, of Raro- 
 tonga, and Henry Nisbet, of Samoa, visited the island and placed on it 
 a native named Peniamina (Benjamin), who several years before, at 
 his own urgent request, had been taken to Samoa by the captain of an 
 American whaler, and there placed under the care of the missionaries. 
 While in Samoa Peniamina had joined a Christian church and had 
 been for a time in the training institution at Malua, and it was hoped 
 that he w^ould prove a sincere and faithful teacher. But he disap- 
 pointed these hopes. For a time he was in great peril. When he 
 landed the cry was at once raised: *' Let us kill him." Some objected, 
 and he escaped, but w^as left to w^ander about in the rain all the first 
 night without shelter or food. The next day his goods were stolen. 
 Still his life was spared, and two years later, when the missionary ship 
 called, he was well, but did not seem to be doing any Christian work. 
 The following year, a man of a different spirit — Paulo, a Samoan 
 Paul — whose wife was a devoted Christian like himself, joined him, 
 and from that day solid progress w^as made. Not without difficulty 
 of course. The heathen at times became restless, and wondered to 
 what this new doctrine would grow; but the tact, patience, and 
 Christian conduct of the teachers gradually overcame their feelings of 
 hostility ; and when in 1852 another visit was paid, there were between 
 two and three hundred natives who had given up their heathen prac- 
 tices, and were trying to walk in the light of the Gospel. They had 
 family prayer, began to clothe themselves, ceased to steal, shook them- 
 selves free from the fear of invading sacred places, and, last but not 
 least, had built a chapel and a house for their teacher. 
 
 The work of building that chapel was heavy, the more so as the 
 heathen party tried to prevent its being erected on the plea that it 
 would offend their island gods. As no trouble came upon Paulo and 
 his friends after the building was finished, a change of feeling in their 
 favour took place, and the power of Christianity was recognised. 
 
i64 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 More natives who had been living in Samoa for several years, and 
 had become used to Christian teaching, were now brought back to 
 help on the good work. At the end of ten years a great change had 
 taken place ; the native pioneers had carried the people as far forward 
 as they could, and the time had come when a white missionary with 
 fuller knowledge and wider outlook was needed to take them yet 
 farther still. The Revs. George Stallworthy and George Gill then 
 came to visit the five Samoan teachers, who at five different villages 
 were carrying on work, and were greatly pleased with all they saw. 
 With the exception of some thirty or forty people, the entire popu- 
 lation of Niu6 had renounced heathenism and regularly attended 
 Christian worship. A new chapel with room for six hundred hearers 
 had been built, and in this the teachers conducted service. A number 
 of natives who had been previously taught were carefully examined 
 by the two visiting missionaries and baptized. The first Christian 
 church on Niu^ was thus formed. Including the Samoans and their 
 wives, there were sixty-five members, their names all being duly 
 enrolled in a book which was left in the teachers' hands. 
 
 Savage Island was thus conquered by the power of Christ's 
 grace and truth. Much prayer had been offered on her behalf, and 
 that prayer was being answered. The later history and glorious 
 advance of the island under the guidance of the two brothers W. 
 G. and F. E. Lawes are well known. That Niu^ should have pro- 
 gressed so much, furnishes another wonderful example of the value 
 of the help rendered by native missionaries. They deserve to be 
 held in high esteem both for their own and for their work's sake, and 
 it is a pleasure to record one's grateful thanks for their faithfulness 
 and zeal. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 TEACHING AND TRAINING HEATHEN CONVERTS. 
 
 Aftd He gave some to be . . . pastors and teachers^ 
 
 3?'] HE kingdom of heaven," said Jesus Christ, 
 '''' '^ is Hke unto a grain of mustard seed": 
 from small beginnings it grows into some- 
 thing large, something that every one can 
 see, that is useful to the world. Such 
 growth in the Southern Ocean we have 
 been tracing in the previous chapters. But 
 our Lord has also taught us that " the king- 
 dom of heaven is like unto leaven " : it is a 
 power that works within, and by virtue of 
 a wonderful inner change alters character, 
 life, and habit. It takes much longer, how- 
 ever, and is far more difficult to effect the 
 change within than to produce that which is 
 merely outward. This we need to remember 
 when we think of the South Sea Islands. To 
 destroy false gods is much easier than to gain right thoughts about the 
 only true God ; to build Christian chapels instead of heathen " maraes " 
 is a much simpler task than to allow one's heart to become " a temple 
 of the Holy Ghost " ; to give up planting, weaving, or fishing on 
 Sundays and spend the day in the worship of God than to yield one- 
 self, body, soul, and spirit, to serve the Lord ; to refrain from terrible 
 customs, such as eating human flesh, killing little children as soon as 
 they are born, leaving old and sick persons to die uncared for and 
 
 165 
 
i66 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 alone, and similar cruelties. described in this book, than to cease from 
 the evil thoughts, emotions and desires that prompted them. 
 
 And yet all true and lasting work for God m.ust touch the sources 
 of life within. Men's minds, men's hearts, men's wills must be moved, 
 or the progress they seem to be making will prove worthless. The 
 English missionaries in the Pacific have fully understood this. For 
 many years now they have prayed and toiled and striven to make the 
 islanders clear and sound in knowledge, robust in faith, earnest in 
 purpose, and consistent in life. In some groups two, in others three 
 generations of ^'pastors and teachers" sent out from the old country 
 for this very purpose have been engaged in building up the native 
 churches and leading them forward in " the way of life." They have 
 shown marvellous patience in this work, have spared no pains to make 
 it successful, and, speaking generally, have had a rich reward. Being in 
 many ways so far above the natives and so different in race, character, 
 knowledge, experience and custom, they have sometimes seemed almost 
 too strong and in danger of over-topping and overpowering the 
 natives. Indeed there was a time when the wonders which a white man 
 had at command — his ships, his clothes, his tools, his furniture, his 
 books, his medicines, his watches and clocks — made him a sort of demi- 
 god to the people. That day is now past and gone as regards most of 
 the Pacific, but the European missionaries are still needed, and are 
 regarded with esteem and affection. 
 
 Their efforts on behalf of the islanders have been most varied. 
 Anything and everything that would uplift or benefit them has been 
 cheerfully undertaken, and all-round usefulness been aimed at. 
 Perhaps an illustration of this will serve to make the point clearer. 
 In the second volume of his '' Gems from the Coral Islands " the Rev. 
 William Gill gives the following extracts from his diary : 
 
 '' August 3, Lord's Day, Morning, preached in Oneroa chapel. 
 2,000 persons present. Text Deut. xxxiii. 25, ' Shoes of iron and of 
 brass, or Divine grace appropriate and sufiicient to daily labour and 
 trial.' Afternoon, public administration of the ordinance of the Lord's 
 Supper to more than 300 church members in the midst of the great 
 
 I 
 
i68 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 congregation. Evening^ united prayer meeting with native preachers, 
 and their families, in the class-room of our house. 
 
 '^ August 4. Morning^ at adult early school. Forenoon^ at the 
 children's school. Held a meeting with some of the principal people 
 of the station, who are desirous to build a stone chapel. Noon^ assisting 
 in making some alteration in mission house, the new missionaries having 
 brought from England some glass windows. This was the first glass 
 the natives had ever seen, and it caused no little wonder to them. 
 Afternoon^ visited one or two sick persons. 
 
 "August 5. Morning^ held missionary prayer meeting in the 
 chapel ; read to the people letters just received from two of their own 
 countrymen, who are native teachers on the distant island of Tanna. 
 Afternoon^ met the teachers of the adult classes. Evening^ Bible class 
 with young men. 
 
 " August 6. Forenoon^ at the children's school. Afternoon^ a public 
 service — preached John iii. 8, " The influence of the Holy Spirit in 
 conversion." Evening^ a meeting with the visitors of the Christian 
 Instruction Society. Increased their number for that village from 
 twelve to twenty. 
 
 " August 7. This morning a monthly prayer meeting of the 
 teachers of the Oneroa schools: 48 male teachers and 51 female 
 teachers present. Noon^ assisting natives in mission-house work and 
 preparing books for inland stations. Evening^ church members' Bible 
 class. 
 
 *' August 8. Attended the teachers' class this forenoon. At noon 
 a schooner arrived off the. island from Tahiti — brought information of 
 the surrender of the Queen [to the French], which occasioned much 
 remark and sadness among the people. Afternoon^ went to the village 
 of Tamarua ; 5 p.m. held public service in the chapel there. 
 
 " August 9. Morning^ attending to the sick ; met candidates for 
 baptism, and had private conversation with the deacons of the village. 
 Native teachers' labours had been blessed to the people — schools were 
 well attended — and upwards of fifty candidates for church communion." 
 
 * -K- -jf -jf * 
 
 " August 17. Lord's Day. Public services were well attended. 
 Sermons from Job xlii. 5, 6, ' Knowledge of God necessary to true 
 repentance ' ; and from Isa. v. 20, " Delusions and punishment of 
 sinners.' The young missionary made his first attempt to speak in 
 native language publicly by reading the Scriptures and offering 
 prayer. 
 
f 
 
 TEACHING AND TRAINING HEATHEN CONVERTS 169 
 
 " August 18. Attended children's school, and took our return 
 journey to the settlement of Oneroa. 
 
 '* August 19. Forenoon^ had private conversation with Maretu 
 [native minister] about texts he had selected for sermons. Noon^ a 
 little girl having fallen from a precipice, was brought with fractured 
 limbs to be dressed. Afternoon^ church prayer-meeting. Evening^ 
 young men's Bible class. At nighty a little boy was brought, whose 
 stomach, while he was asleep, had been dreadfully mutilated by a 
 savage pig. It was dressed, but the poor fellow died. 
 
 " August 20. Drawing plans for proposed new stone chapel. After- 
 noon^ married Tangiia, the native teacher, to Miriama. Evening^ 
 preached from Genesis xxviii., ' Jacob's journey, trust and vow.' 
 
 '' August 21. After attending to children's school was with natives 
 marking out the foundation of new chapel, 90 feet long by 62 feet 
 wide, which was partly dug out in the afternoon. Evening^ church- 
 members' Bible class. 
 
 '* August 22. Teachers' classes in arithmetic and geography. Noon^ 
 conversation with candidates. Afternoon^ with carpenters who have 
 commenced window and door frames for new chapel. Evening^ public 
 service. Niglit^ conversation with one of the native teachers. 
 
 " August 23. Preparation for Sabbath services." 
 
 A constant round of duty thus kept the missionary fully occupied 
 from Sunday morning to Saturday night. Preaching from the pulpit 
 took the first place, and, as shown by the above quotations, closely 
 resembled the like work here at home. Far too closely, some say, 
 especially as the example set by the missionaries has been slavishly 
 copied by native pastors and pioneer teachers. As a consequence, 
 sermons with divisions into firstly^ secondly^ and thirdly have become 
 the rule throughout the islands. Sometimes indeed we hear of men 
 sent to out-stations, or to New Guinea, who seem unable to preach even 
 to the heathen in any other way than by long sermons carefully 
 arranged on the regular model. At the same time we must bear in 
 mind that this faithful setting forth of Scripture teaching Sunday by 
 Sunday, and at week-day afternoon or evening services, has done much 
 to make Polynesian Christians thoroughly familiar with Bible truth 
 and well able to give an account of the hope that is in them. They are 
 
I70 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 firmly grounded in knowledge of the Word of God, and their fondness 
 for sermons has borne rich fruit both in strengthening and clearing 
 their minds, and in educating and guiding their consciences. 
 
 Pulpit instruction was followed up by adult Bible class teaching, 
 a most helpful agency wherever used. In these classes different 
 methods were adopted. Some were held immediately after the sermon 
 and took the form of an earnest talk over its different points. Con- 
 ducted by natives, one class being for men, another for women, an 
 attempt w^as made by means of question and answer to find out how 
 much of what had been heard in the chapel was really understood. 
 Difficulties were cleared up and good impressions deepened by these 
 after-sermon talks. Other classes w^re held during the week and 
 were relied upon for giving connected Scripture teaching, chapter by 
 chapter. Others again were for the instruction of church members, 
 and others for those who wished to be baptized and to enter into 
 Christian fellowship. Sometimes the members of the class would 
 relate to one another their own personal history, and tell of what God had 
 done for them. Many interesting things were as a matter of course 
 referred to in such gatherings. Native ideas about the sky and the 
 earth, about eclipses and storms, about disease and death, and a 
 hundred similar matters, furnished topics for discussion. 
 
 Eclipses, for example, filled the people with terror. In many islands 
 they thought that their gods were angry for not baing properly fed and 
 had therefore come forth to make a meal of the sun, or the moon, as 
 the case might be. The first time there was a total eclipse of the sun 
 after the settlement of missionaries upon Rarotonga, the natives came 
 running to them in wild excitement. Tangaroa had been destroyed, and 
 they had taken for granted that he would not trouble them any more ; 
 but there he was at his old tricks again, they said. Mr. Buzacott was 
 called out to see him in the act of devouring the sun. The eclipse had 
 just begun. A.small part of the sun's disc was gone. ^' Look," said 
 the Rarotongans, " that is the first bite ; and he will not be content till 
 he has swallowed the whole." " But," replied Mr. Buzacott, " if the sun 
 had been eaten before by Tangaroa, how did they manage to get it 
 
TEACHING AND TRAINING HEATHEN CONVERTS 171 
 
 back again? " The answer was : '' By giving him so much food that 
 he was made sick and had to vomit the sun up again." Seeing the 
 missionary smile at this, they asked him if he could explain the 
 mystery, and were greatly surprised to hear that the eclipse was caused 
 by the moon. A simple illustration as to how this was brought about 
 was given them by placing the heads of three of them of equal height 
 in a row, to represent the earth, the moon, and the sun. On moving 
 the middle one (the moon) to and fro they were made to see how it 
 covered the outer one (the sun) when viewed from the third (the earth), 
 and their fears ended in a hearty laugh at their own ignorance. One 
 of the old priests was so struck with the superior knowledge of Mr. 
 Buzacott that he asked him in all seriousness and simplicity if he had 
 ever been up to the moon and seen with his own eyes how she per- 
 formed the operation. 
 
 The work of preaching and teaching was in many cases carried on 
 for years before the missionaries could feel satisfied that the islanders, 
 who had given up their idols and become nominally Christian, were 
 men and women whose hearts had been truly changed ; but as soon as 
 signs of such a change appeared, even if in only a few of them, they 
 gladly banded them together in Christian fellowship. In a former 
 chapter we told about the baptism of Pomare and others in Moorea and 
 Tahiti. The same sort of thing took place elsewhere. In Rarotonga, 
 twelve years after the first teachers landed, there were four natives who 
 seemed to be truly on the Lord's side and became the nucleus of the 
 church. So in other islands. But once founded, native churches as a 
 rule quickly grew. The entire congregation would stay to watch the 
 baptismal and communion services ; and a general interest being ex- 
 cited, many began to express a desire to join the first few. Indeed the 
 missionaries had to exercise great caution lest, with little understand- 
 ing of what they vrere doing, people should come forward and seek 
 admission to the church. When chiefs set such an example, their 
 followers were apt to imitate them as much perhaps from an unworthy 
 desire to curry favour with them as from a nobler wish to be like 
 them in well-doing; while chiefs, on the other hand, seeing their 
 
172 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 people eagerly accepting the new teaching, were tempted to fear the 
 
 s. 
 loss of their own power, if they did not do the same. Mixed motives 
 
 SOLOMOxN ISLANDERS DRESSED IN MASKS. 
 
TEACHING AND TRAINING HEATHEN CONVERTS 173 
 
 influenced the natives and made constant pastoral oversight necessary. 
 Added to this, the old heathen spirit and vices frequently burst out 
 anew. Like the Hydra — the fabulous monster of the ancient world, 
 which was said to dwell in the marshes near a certain part of the 
 Grecian coast — heathenism had many heads, which grew up again 
 as quickly as they were cut off. An outbreak of disease or any similar 
 trouble served to frighten some, and gave others the opportunity they 
 were only too glad to have for saying that the old ways were better 
 than the new, and the gods of their forefathers more to be trusted than 
 the God of the white man. Many too longed for the heathen dances, 
 drinking festivals, and midnight revelries, and now and again broke 
 through all restraints, and gave themselves up to all manner of 
 license and impurity. 
 
 One great trouble the missionaries had was in reference to amuse- 
 ments. All of us, and especially young people, need amusements. But 
 there was hardly a single native game or sport that was not so bound up 
 with wickedness as to make it quite unfit for modest or pure-minded 
 men and women to countenance or take part in. The native Christ- 
 ians themselves felt this. They knew too their own weakness, and 
 feared to expose themselves to the temptation which indulgence in 
 the frolic of former days would surely offer. They therefore joined with 
 the missionaries in trying to put an entire stop to native games, and afte^ 
 a time succeeded. Heathen amusements died out. But, unfortunately, 
 others did not take their place ; and as " all work and no play " — and 
 much more, as was the case in the South Seas, where life is taken easily, 
 little work and no play — " makes Jack a dull boy," the missionaries 
 now in the Pacific often regret the loss of those old amusements. By 
 introducing cricket and other games of our own they try to supply tht 
 lack, but they cannot help wishing that some more native to the soil 
 could, after wise pruning, have been retained. In some groups this has 
 been done to the advantage of all concerned. 
 
 Another difficulty the missionaries had to deal with was caused by 
 their own fellow-countrymen. In the early days runaway sailors and 
 escaped convicts from Sydney gave much trouble. Several of these 
 
174 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 men set up business on their own account as religious teachers. This 
 they did in islands on which native teachers only had been landed. 
 Being Englishmen, they could of course astonish the ignorant islanders 
 by a show of knowledge and power which left the teacher at a disad- 
 vantage. Some of these sailors settled in Samoa, one of whom erected 
 a rough pulpit in a native hut, and upon this placed and kept some old 
 books he had with him. He called them '* sacred books," and would 
 not allow them to be uncovered except on Sundays, on which day he 
 gathered the people of the district together. The service consisted of 
 bowing to the sacred books on the part of the people, and listening to 
 a paragraph read by the sailor out of one of them. He read in 
 English, without attempting to explain what he had read, so that no 
 one but himself, and perhaps not even himself, was a bit the wiser. Yet 
 by his impudence and knavery he established a reputation as the high 
 priest of his lotii^ or religion, and received from his followers a liberal 
 supply of food. To this man's credit, however, it must be mentioned 
 that on the arrival of English missionaries he yielded to their arguments 
 and counsel, and not only frankly confessed his errors, but even went 
 round among the villagers with them, informing them that his lotii 
 was nothing but a sham and that these were the true teachers. Then 
 as the islands have been gradually brought into touch with the outside 
 world, traders and merchants have spread all over the Pacific. China- 
 men are found in most of the islands. White men also abound. In 
 some instances traders have proved good friends, who have helped the 
 people to advance. A respectable, honest, industrious European, in 
 sympathy with efforts to raise the natives, can greatly aid the teacher 
 and the missionary in their work, and happily men of this type are no 
 longer rare, a fact for which all lovers of the Polynesians should be 
 most thankful. For the opposite has too often been the case, the trade 
 carried on being of questionable character, and the trader, the same, 
 '* only more so." Instead of proving a help, he has been a hindrance, 
 and by his personal life, and sometimes by his open antagonism, he 
 has done his best to make Christianity a thing of contempt. ''In perils 
 from my own countrymen," wrote the great Apostle of the Gentiles, 
 
TEACHING AND TRAINING HEATHEN CONVERTS 175 
 
 and his successors in the great Southern Ocean have had to encounter 
 the same. 
 
 In some respects a sadder and more serious trial has overtaken the 
 islands and their infant Christian communities. This has arisen from 
 the deliberate intrusion of Roman Catholic missionaries into islands 
 that were well cared for, and attempts to turn the natives aside from 
 their simple faith in the Bible. No friendly arrangement with Roman 
 Catholics seems possible. They on their part are trained to think 
 of their own church as the only church, to discredit all teaching but 
 their own, to regard other Christians as people in the dark and objects 
 of pity. We, again, on our part are apt to look upon Romanists as 
 Christians who have no loyalty to Jesus Christ, as haters of the Bible, 
 and as preachers of another gospel than that which Christ and His 
 Apostles have given us. Consequently there is no common ground upon 
 which to meet and make a division of territory. Seemingly there is 
 no remedy for this state of things. But the influence of the feud has 
 been a serious hindrance in the South Seas. Wherever the Protestant 
 missionary has found his way, and particularly where he has suc- 
 ceeded in bringing an island or a group of islands out of heathen dark- 
 ness into Christian light, there the Roman Catholic priest is nearly 
 sure to follow. In Tahiti, and later in the Lo3^alty Islands, not to men- 
 tion Samoa and others, the work has been hampered and thrown back 
 for years in consequence of such tactics. The attempt has been, not 
 to win fresh converts from heathenism — for of heathen there were 
 next to none — but to induce the islanders to desert their first teachers 
 and accept the new comers instead ; to forsake the Scriptures for the 
 missal. Mean and contemptible methods have been employed. Long and 
 severe was the struggle in Tahiti, but God stood by His servants, and 
 thanks to His grace and to the heroic, simple-minded character of Queen 
 Pomare and her subjects of like spirit, to their love of the open Bible 
 and an unfettered church life, these attempts to turn Protestant South 
 Sea Islanders to Romanism have thus far signally failed. There 
 is a Roman Catholic Chapel in every village in Tahiti, and a fine 
 stone cathedral in Papeete, the chief port. A few only have 
 
1 
 
 mi. 
 
 mm! 
 
 
 176 
 
TEACHING AND TRAINING HEATHEN CONVERTS 177 
 
 yielded to the various inducements held out; the great majority of 
 the people have stood firm. The attachment of the Tahitians to the 
 Scriptures is so great that the priests have been obliged to adopt and 
 use the Protestant Bible in the schools belonging to the Romish 
 Church. Still the waste of strength, the trouble, the anxiety, and 
 the crop of discord, suspicion, and other ills that such experiences 
 produce might all have been spared, if only the spirit which moved 
 the ilpostle Paul had prevailed, and men had refrained from building 
 on " another man's foundation." 
 
 Difficulties have to be reckoned with. They cannot be ignored, 
 but they can be overcome ; and though obliged to record them, we 
 must not allow our readers to imagine that the workers lost heart. By 
 no means. With unfailing courage, tact, patience, and perseverance, 
 they pursued their great task, and, no matter from what source their 
 difficulties arose, bravely grappled with them. As in larger things so 
 too in smaller. For example, the want of slates in Rarotonga was a great 
 drawback. Quite unexpectedly a source of supply was found. One day 
 a bright intelligent boy came to school carr3'ing in his hand a large flat 
 stone which he had found in the mountains and had ground smooth on 
 one side. For a pencil he had brought a spike from a sea-urchin's shell 
 which he had picked up on the beach. The other boys laughed at him, 
 but the monitor took him to Mr. Buzacott, who quickly saw that both 
 *' pencil " and '^ slate " would serve the purpose. Holding them up to the 
 whole school, the missionary urged the children to provide themselves 
 with the same kind of stones and spikes, and in a very short time the 
 school was amply provided with as many as it required, and hundreds 
 of scholars learned both to read and to write on these primitive slates. 
 
 From the earliest days of the mission downwards, schools have 
 formed an 'important branch of the work. Until recently the teaching 
 was entirely carried on in the native language, but a knowledge of 
 English is in these days found to be so valuable that in a few instances 
 it is now also taught. For subjects, reading, writing, and simple 
 arithmetic for a time sufficed, but geograpliy, grammar, and other 
 things were added. Scripture knowledge always took a prominent 
 
 N 
 
TEACHING AND TRAINING HEATHEN CONVERTS 179 
 
 place in the school programme, and many a little Polynesian would 
 compare favourably in that branch of study with those of like age 
 here at home. Primers, catechisms, and lesson books of different 
 kinds were provided from time to time, partly by means of mission 
 presses on the islands, partly through editions printed in England and 
 sent out by ship. A change is taking place in the Pacific to-day, and 
 in the future much more attention will probably be paid to sound ele- 
 mentary education, and to the use of the English language. Books 
 too in much greater variety will have to be prepared and circulated. 
 It is by such methods alone that the rising generation of islanders can 
 be fitted to hold their own against the new forces that are coming into 
 contact with them. 
 
 Again and again in these pages we have had the joy of describing 
 the labours of the devoted native teachers to whom the Pacific owes so 
 much. We must now briefly refer to the plans adopted for securing 
 and training a constant supply of these teachers, and of others of like 
 spirit and capacity, able to undertake the charge of native churches. 
 A succession of faithful pastors for ministerial duties in the Christian^ 
 ized islands, and of pioneer teachers for heathen islands, was needed, 
 and the missionaries set themselves to work to try and secure such a 
 supply. This they did by establishing training institutions or colleges 
 in which young men and their wives could be gathered together and 
 taught. The plan usually adopted was to build a central class-room 
 or class-rooms for teaching purposes, and surround this with rows or 
 squares of cottages in which the students lived, each married couple 
 having a cottage to themselves. By a judicious admixture of manual 
 and mental labour the students have been able to build the cottages 
 and keep them in repair, make desks and other furniture, and grow 
 enough yams, taro, bread-fruit, and cocoa-nuts to keep themselves 
 well supplied with food. In this way the cost of maintaining an insti- 
 tution is kept at a low figure, and the young men have an opportunity 
 of acquiring other knowledge than that to be gathered from books. 
 Many of them become skilful in the use of tools, in raising fruit and 
 vegetables, and in managing a boat. 
 
i8o THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 House and chapel building necessarily occupies much of a mission- 
 ary's thought and time, but in all such work he is willingly assisted by 
 native helpers. Under his guidance many large and handsome places 
 of worship have been erected all over the Pacific. At first, rush or 
 wood and plaster sheds served as chapels, but these soon gave way to 
 others made from coral stone, Avith proper windows and doors. Pulpits 
 in some instances were added. One striking feature of a South Sea 
 church is the tasteful fibre-plaiting by which pillars and roof timbers 
 are lashed fast together. By means of coloured fibres worked in curious 
 geometrical patterns, very pleasing effects are produced. A chapel 
 opening or dedication is a grand gala time with the natives, and 
 usually associated with a big feed. On one such occasion no less than 
 four hundred pigs were killed and cooked, an immense quantity of 
 fruit and vegetables was provided, and some five thousand guests sat 
 down to the feast. The pigs were served whole. Amazed at the 
 number of pigs, a man who was present greatly amused the missionary 
 by vainly trying to count them. Determined not to be beaten, the man 
 at length hit upon the device of cutting off the tip of each pig's tail ; 
 then arranging these, he made out that there were four hundred. 
 Immense puddings also graced the feast in some islands. 
 
 The islanders enjoy such gatherings and have them at least once a 
 3' ear, not exactly for setting apart a new chapel, but for what they 
 call their '' Me " (May meeting). Following the lead of the Society at 
 headquarters, an annual meeting for receiving contributions for 
 missionary purposes, and for stirring one another up to greater 
 interest in missionary service, is held. No matter in what month the 
 meeting takes place it goes by the name of " Me," and a most useful 
 institution it is. Polynesian Christians are wonderfully generous. 
 Each one gives — husbands, wives, children, even down to the baby in 
 arms, who is often carried up to the table holding a coin or some 
 article in its chubby little hand as its contribution to the collection. 
 If English Christians gave as generally and as liberally as the swarthy 
 sons and daughters of the Pacific Islands, there would be no lack of 
 funds in the missionary treasury, and by giving money they would 
 
TEACHING AND TRAINING HEATHEN CONVERTS 
 
 i8i 
 
 learn how also to give themselves to the work. In this respect also 
 they are quite out-distanced by many a little island, more than one per 
 thousand of whose population goes out into the Oceanic world as a 
 missionary to islanders still lying in darkness. 
 
 There was a time when it was necessary for missionaries to help 
 the natives to frame codes of laws and advise them in political as wxll 
 
 c. J. Mc VTA cue 
 
 CHAPEL AT MARE BUILT BY THE REV. JOHN JONES. 
 
 as religious questions, but that da}^ is now past. Official representatives 
 of European Governments were then rarely seen. In 1S37 the visit of 
 the Co;rtcm', the first British man-of-war that had been seen in Samoa, 
 created quite a sensation. But visits of the kind are a common occur- 
 rence now. Consuls also and residents abound, and to them naturally 
 and rightly political matters are left ; but it was not alwa^^s so, and by 
 the force of circumstances those who would gladly have kept themselves 
 
lS2 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 to Strictly religious teaching, of necessity became the guides of the 
 chiefs as they sought to bring their rule into harmony with Christian 
 principle and practice. • Medical work also engaged and still engages 
 the attention of not a few. This is unavoidable in lonely islands. 
 Either the missionary or his wife, whichever has the greater fitness for 
 it, is bound to listen to the appeal for help from suffering islanders, 
 and to the best of his or her skill to minister to their needs. They 
 must also doctor one another and attend to the ailments of their child- 
 ren. One room in a South Sea mission house, therefore, is sure to 
 look something like a small druggist's shop, with a row of bottles 
 and jars, " pills and potions," remedies for the various " ills that flesh 
 is heir to." 
 
 By these and similar methods, one generation of labourers after 
 another has been seeking to establish South Sea Island Christianity 
 upon a safe and solid foundation. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 JOINING HANDS TO SAVE NEW GUINEA. 
 " To turn them from darkness to lightT 
 
 the north of Australia, and brooding over it like 
 some huge bird, lies the island of New Guinea. It is 
 the largest island in the world, unless we include 
 
 T 
 
 ■ Australia itself among the islands. But to do that 
 m^ would be to rob that great country of her dig- 
 
 nity. Though an island in reality, Australia 
 now ranks among the continents, and to her 
 northern neighbour graciously yields the 
 leading place as an island of the sea. New 
 Guinea was discovered and named by Portu- 
 guese and Spanish sailors nearly four 
 hundred years ago. The natives of other 
 islands called it Tanna Papua, or the land 
 of the woolly-haired people, but its European 
 visitors, thinking they saw some resemblance 
 to the Guinea coast of West Africa, sought to indicate this by calling 
 it Neuva (New^) Guinea. For many years the Dutch have had trading 
 stations on its north-west coast. Dutch missionaries have also done 
 a little for the natives on that side of the island, but to all intents and 
 purposes Papua ana its people were unknown to Europe until the year 
 187 1, when the London Missionary Society decided to commence work 
 upon its south-eastern shores. Since then our knowledge of it has in- 
 creased, and we have learned that it contains snow-clad peaks 17,000 
 feet high, noble rivers, immense forests, and dense tropical vegetation, 
 and that its inhabitants belong to different races, speaking a great 
 
 183 
 
i84 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 variety of dialects and distinct languages. The savage character of the 
 natives was found out by their earliest visitors, and to a large extent 
 remains unchanged to day. Indeed, although we are adding to our 
 knowledge of New Guinea and the New Guineans day by day, we 
 must even now confess that most of it is still unknown. The Western 
 half of the island belongs to the Dutch, and ten years ago an 
 arrangement was made by Germany and Great Britain, by which the 
 south-eastern portion came under the control of the latter power, the 
 north-eastern under that of the former. For the purposes of this 
 volume we shall have to content ourselves with the British side of New 
 Guinea. 
 
 As far back as 1837, w^hen John Williams was planning the evange- 
 lisation of the entire Pacific Ocean, he thought of this great island as 
 the goal to which his efforts should be directed. That fact helps us to 
 understand the wide sweep of his mind, for thirty-five years went past 
 before it was possible to carry out his scheme. But at length the day 
 came when the attempt must be made. As already stated, that was in 
 the 3^ear 1871, five or six years before the British Government turned its 
 attention to New Guinea. A new method of working was determined 
 on. Readers of this ^' Story" will easily remember that one method 
 adopted was first of all to send European missionaries, and then 
 for native converts gradually to become their helpers in the work. 
 Another method, and one the most often tried, was to station pioneer 
 native missionaries who led the way, but were followed in a few years 
 by European missionaries. New Guinea seemed to require special 
 treatment. Its size gave the promise of a long line of stations, at 
 each of which a teacher might be placed, while the number of posts to 
 be occupied, their distance from one another, the wild and barbarous 
 character of the people, the difficulty of finding food supply, and 
 similar considerations, all showed that the work must be a joint work. 
 White and coloured missionaries must undertake it together : a few 
 carefully chosen English missionaries to guide, to care for, and to 
 encourage their native brethren and sisters, and with them as many 
 of these native workers under their superintendence as they could, 
 
JOINING HANDS TO SAVE NEW GUINEA 
 
 185 
 
 possibly find suitable stations for. Not only so, but all the Christianized 
 islands, from Tahiti on the east to the Lo3^alty group on the west, were 
 to share in the arduous yet glorious task of trying to win this strong- 
 hold of heathenism for the Lord. That was the special method and 
 plan agreed upon for attacking and conquering New Guinea. 
 
 3£«s< Capi 
 \ Milne Bay 
 South Cane <=>'<"'"to 
 
 Thus it was that twent^-ihree j^ears ago a schooner named the 
 Surprise was found coasting along its southern shores. On board were 
 the Revs. A. W. Murray and S. IMcFar lane, with eight native teachers 
 from Lifu and the other Loyalty Islands. As the vessel passed along 
 they were examining with anxious eyes the islands, bays, and creeks. 
 
i86 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 and wondering where a beginning should be made. The proposal to start 
 the new mission had been received with great enthusiasm all through 
 the islands. Lifu, which led the way, was full of eager zeal. The 
 band of missionaries was sent forth with many benedictions. Earnest 
 prayers were offered on their behalf and stirring parting words 
 were spoken in their hearing. One popular and powerful speaker, 
 using an illustration from whale-fishing, which many of the Lifuans 
 take part in year by year, exhorted them in the following graphic 
 manner : " New Guinea is the whale. It is sighted. We are going to 
 chase it. You are the first boat, remember. Take care and make 
 fast" (that is drive the harpoon well into the whale so that it will 
 remain fixed and firm) ; " and we will follow and help to tow in. The 
 consequences of any mismanagement on your part may be very 
 serious. You may only wound and irritate the whale, and drive it 
 away." Only by living as true Christians, he urged, would this " first 
 boat " be able to '' make fast." Looking back upon those days, one sees 
 that they did indeed '' make fast," and reflecting upon the noble spirit 
 manifested not only by them, the forerunners, but by their successors 
 after them, one's heart rejoices greatly. The first station occupied was 
 Darnley Island, in the Papuan Gulf, and Mr. Murray tells us that, 
 speaking of another island, the Darnley natives tried to alarm the 
 teachers and prevent them from going there. '' There are alligators 
 
 there, and snakes, and centipedes " '' Ho'd," said one of the Lifuans, 
 
 whose name was Tepeso; "are there men there?" ''Oh, yes," was 
 the reply, " there are men ; but they are such dreadful savages that 
 it is no use your thinking of living among them." " That will do," 
 responded Tepeso ; " wherever there are men, missionaries are bound to 
 go." A truly Christian answer, worthy of a disciple of Him who 
 commands His followers to "go into all the world and preach the Gospel 
 to every creature." Tepeso was a strong, healthy, young fellow when 
 he thus spoke, but his work sooii ended, and he was the first of the 
 party — yes, and the first of a long roll — to succumb to the fever which 
 has proved so fatal to the Polynesians. 
 
 On that first voyage, besides Darnley Island, two other islands — 
 
i88 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Tauan or Dauan and Saibai — were occupied, but by the Lifuans only, 
 no English missionary being then able to remain. Next year Mr. 
 Murray returned in the missionary ship JoJm Williams^ having with 
 him thirteen more native teachers. He himself settled at Cape York, 
 at the extreme north of Queensland, and from that point for the next 
 two years superintended their efforts. Early in 1874 he w^as joined by 
 tlie Revs, S. McFarlane and W. G. Lawes, who had been appointed to 
 take permanent charge of the new mission, Mr. Mc Farlane on the 
 western side, Mr. Lawes on the eastern. At the same time, through 
 the generosity of Miss Baxter, of Dundee, a small steamer, the Ellen- 
 gowan^ was placed at their service. Three years later the Rev. James 
 Chalmers, a host in himself, was added to the staff; and with such a 
 trio of tried men as McFarlane, Lawes, and Chalmers, each of whom 
 had shown marked ability and influence in dealing with natives, the 
 first on Lifu, the second on Niue, the third on Rarotonga, the new 
 mission had a group of leaders second to none anywhere. Moving 
 from Cape York to Murray Island, Mr. McFarlane made that island 
 his head-quarters for superintending the western branch of the w^ork. 
 He relied chiefly upon an institution and an industrial school, hoping to 
 touch the mainland through the young people trained in these. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Lawes were the first white missionaries to settle on New Guinea 
 itself. Port Moresby was their station, and in a frame house put to- 
 gether by the united crews of the Jolm Williams and Ellengovcaii^ 
 and on that ground christened '' the house that Jack built," they under- 
 went some remarkable experiences. The New Guineans greatly 
 admired the house and its many strange contents. To admire was 
 to covet ; to covet to steal. Theft became the order of the day. The 
 clever rogues hooked things out of the windows, and by other ingenious 
 devices sought to possess themselves of everything that pleased their 
 fancy. How different is the Port Moresby of to-day from the Port 
 Moresby of 1874, when Mr. and Mrs. Lawes landed ! The curious 
 native huts raised on piles on the shore and at high tide surrounded 
 by the sea, the picturesque little island of Elevara, with houses of 
 the same build, the native canoes passing to and fro between the shore 
 
JOINING HANDS TO SAVE NEW GUINEA 
 
 [89 
 
 and this island — these are still there. Cut added to them the risitor 
 now sees substantial houses belonging to the mission, imposing 
 government buildings, the stores of different traders, first-class whale 
 boats and gigs ; while lying at anchor a British gun-boat, the 
 governor's steam yacht, or perhaps the mission barque John Williams^ 
 furnishes a further proof of change and progress. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Chalmers went eastward to South Cape, where they 
 underwent terrible hardships. So severe were these that Mrs. Chal- 
 
 LANDWARD SIDE OF A NEW GUINEA VILLAGE BUILT INTO THE SEA. 
 
 mers sank beneath them, and in 1S79 was laid to rest. Joining Mr. 
 Lawes at Port Moresby, for many years Mr. Chalmers shared the 
 work with him, the one remaining at his station busily engaged in 
 translating the New Testament, preparing books, training teachers, 
 and looking after Port Moresby itself, while the other gave himself 
 chiefly to exploration and visitation of the tribes along the coast. 
 Under his native name of Tamate (the nearest approach they can 
 make to the pronunciation of Chalmers) he is better known along the 
 south-east coast of New Guinea than any living man, native or 
 
I90 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 foreigner. By his happy, fearless spirit, his quick prompt ways, his 
 real love for men, however degraded, and by a subtle personal influence 
 which all who know him quickly feel, he has done wonders. 
 
 Until the year 1886 the welfare of New Guinea mainly depended upon 
 these men. Others joined them, but unable to bear the strain of the 
 climate or the work, had to retire. In 1886 Mr. McFarlane withdrew, 
 but Messrs. Lawes and Chalmers are still in harness, and reinforced 
 by the Rev. Albert Pearse, formerly of Borabora and Raiatea, and a 
 band of recruits from the old country, the mission is now well manned 
 with strong and earnest workers. 
 
 The natives of the great island belong to many races, some of them 
 resembling the aborigines of Australia, others the people of Western 
 Polynesia, and others again the Malayo-Polynesians of the eastern 
 side of the Pacific. Driven out of their course by the wind, or forced 
 by war or by hunger to flee, parties of islanders from all quarters of 
 the great Southern Ocean appear to have found a dwelling-place in 
 New Guinea. This increases the difficulty of teaching them, for 
 every district seems to have its own peculiar language, and to be un- 
 able to understand the speech of its near neighbours. Cut off from 
 others, always ready to attack the next district, or to defend itself 
 against attack, each little clan lived its own wild, rough life. Fight- 
 ing was, and in many parts still is, constant, and skull hunting a 
 favourite pastime. Every man had to be prepared at any moment to 
 rush to arms, to seize his club, his bow and arrows, his darts and 
 spears ; and at night, instead of peacefully resting in their own huts, 
 the able-bodied warriors used to huddle together in large houses, dubiis 
 (as some of the houses which had a semi-sacred character were called), 
 and other convenient spots, so as to be able at the first alarm to hurry 
 out and repel the foe. The fear of treachery, or of being repaid by 
 enemies for his own misdeeds, robs the savage of his rest, and makes 
 him long for the morning light. At the same time, so great is his 
 temptation to attack those weaker than himself, or any who can be 
 caught napping, so keen, too, the appetite for human flesh among all 
 man-eating races, that nothing in heathenism itself can check the 
 
191 
 
£92 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 tendency to perpetual strife. Only missionaries, or others who come 
 into close contact with savages, who learn their language, gain their 
 confidence, and so obtain some insight into their thoughts and feelings, 
 can have any idea how wretched their lot is. Always on the watch, 
 always afraid, suspicious, and expecting evil; or constantly indulging 
 in cunning, devising mischief, planning murder and bloodshed — for the 
 savage there is no security, no rest of mind, no peace or quietness. 
 No wonder that w^hen they find all this changed by the power of the 
 Gospel, they should burst forth into praise and thanksgiving at its 
 wonder-working power. 
 
 We have no room in this short chapter to describe the villages, 
 houses, canoes, pottery, weapons, and native life of the New Guineans, 
 nor to trace the history of the different stations formed along its coast. 
 For these details the reader can turn to the books written by Mr. 
 Chalmers and Dr. McFarlane. There is, however, one thing we must 
 find space for, and that is to raise a memorial in honour of the noble 
 army of South Sea island missionaries and martyrs, who have given 
 their lives for the salvation of its people. During the past twenty- 
 three years nearly three hundred Christian teachers and their wives 
 from the Society, the Hervey, the Samoan, and the Loyalty Islands, 
 or from noble little Nine, have willingly, even eagerly, gone forth to 
 labour there. Some have been spared to work on for many years — con- 
 spicuous among them Ruatoka, the greatly respected teacher of Port 
 Moresby, who has been at that station since its commencement ; but 
 others have been obliged to leave broken in health, aged before their 
 time ; and, sadder still, no less than a hundred and twenty of them have 
 died of fever, or have been poisoned, or brutally killed. Well may a 
 missionary express his conviction that though perhaps lacking the 
 polish and culture of Europeans, these faithful native teachers will 
 bear comparison with Christians anywhere for strong, sincere, and 
 whole-hearted devotion to Christ. 
 
 At times the hearts of some of them failed them for a moment. 
 Dr. McFarlane relates an incident that occurred in the earliest days 
 of the mission. Standing near the door of a grass hut one morning 
 
JOINING HANDS TO SAVE NEW GUINEA 193 
 
 where the teachers' bundles and boxes had been landed, and all was 
 ready for him to leave them and start for the next spot at which 
 teachers were to be stationed, he heard one of the w^omen crying 
 most piteously. She was the wife of a man named Gucheng, and 
 was to stay behind with her husband while the ship wxnt on. '* Oh, 
 my country ! " she sobbed, '' why did w^e leave our happy home ? 
 Would that I were back in Lifu again ! I told you I did not want 
 to come to New Guinea ! These people will kill us when the mission 
 vessel leaves, or they will steal all we possess." To this her husband 
 gently replied : " We must remember for what we have come here. 
 Not to get pearl shell, or trepang, or any earthly riches ; but to tell 
 these people about the true God and the loving Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 We must think of what He suffered for us. If they kill us, or steal 
 our goods, whatever we have to suffer, it will be very little compared 
 with what He suffered for us." Unknown to the speakers, the mis- 
 sionary overheard this conversation, which so touched his heart that 
 he had to move away to hide his emotion. After a few minutes he 
 entered their hut, and talked, and prayed, and wept with them, seek- 
 ing in this way to strengthen their hearts. Shortly after the moment 
 for parting came, and as Dr. McFarlane pulled off to the ship, and 
 saw the weeping little group upon the beach, surrounded by naked, 
 noisy savages, he could not help thinking how little the world knows 
 of its truest heroes. That happened when the work in New Guinea was 
 just beginning. But the same spirit is shown still. Only last year a 
 Samoan teacher named Toma, who reached Kwato, the station at the 
 eastern extremity of the island, two years ago, lost his wife. She had 
 been ill for a long time, but had borne her sickness bravely. Had she 
 been spared, she would have done good work for Christ ; but He has 
 seen fit to call her home early in her day of service. Sad to say, too, 
 one of the new men, named Telini, who had only recently gone from 
 Samoa, died of sunstroke on December 27th, another lost his little 
 girl, and another a new-born infant. This made four deaths in as 
 many weeks. Mr. Walker, the missionary in charge, was absent at 
 the time, but on his return Immediately sought out the teachers, and 
 
 o 
 
194 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 endeavoured to revive their drooping hearts. He v^as greatly struck 
 with the noble spirit they evinced. In conversation with Maanaima, 
 when he was trying to find from him how they all felt in the face of 
 these terrible losses, Maanaima said to him in a quiet, unassuming 
 way : *' We are not afraid to die for Christ. If it is His will that we 
 should live, it is good ; if it is His will that we should die, that also is 
 good. We have come to New Guinea to do His work, and we give 
 ourselves to Him." 
 
 Change of food and climate have caused the death of some, but 
 most of the losses have been due to fever. The coast is low and 
 swampy, the vegetation dense, the heat tropical, and these things 
 always breed fever. Still, not a few have fallen victims to the 
 cruelty, treachery, and greed of the natives. In 1881 there was a 
 terrible massacre at a place called Kalo, a village at the head of Hood 
 Bay, near the mouth of the Kemp Welch river. The people killed 
 their own teacher, his wife, and two children, also two other teachers, 
 the wife and three children of one of them, and two boys who were 
 with them — a party of twelve in all. It is a sad story, and for a time 
 filled the minds of the workers with misgiving. As related in the 
 Chronicle of the Society, it seems that Taria, the Hula teacher, and 
 Matatuhi, a fine young Society Islander, who w^as teacher at an inland 
 station, left Port Moresby together to visit the Kalo teacher, Anedrea 
 by name, from whom they hoped to obtain some native medicine. 
 Reaching Hula the same evening, they heard a rumour that the Kalo 
 people intended to murder their teacher and his family. This made 
 them hasten to Kalo the next day, but Anedrea would not credit the 
 rumour, and the chief, when questioned, declared that there was not 
 the slightest truth in it. Two days afterwards, however, Taria, having 
 with him five Hula boys, went by boat to Kerepunu, intending to bring 
 the teachers and their families to Hula, on account of their ill-health. 
 He called at Kalo on the way, and promised to look in again on his re- 
 turn journey. At Kerepunu he took on board Materua, the teacher, his 
 wife, two children, and a native youth. The party then rowed back to 
 Kalo. While waiting there the chief and pretended friend of the teacher 
 
JOINING HANDS TO SAVE NEW GUINEA 
 
 195 
 
 got into the boat for a chat. When Matatuhi and Anedrea, with his wife 
 and two children, came down the bank and stepped into the boat, the 
 
 TAURAKI. 
 
 chief stepped out. That act was the signal arranged with his followers, 
 who at once attacked the party. Four of the boys who were with 
 them jumped overboard, and swam across the river ; but the mission 
 
 I 
 
196 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 party were so cooped up in the boat, and the spears flew so thick and 
 fast, that escape was impossible. Taria resisted for a time, but a 
 fourth spear killed him. The others were easily despatched. A single 
 spear pierced both mother and babe in the case of the two women. 
 The only bodies recovered were those of the Kerepunu teacher's wife 
 and her babe. The rest became a prey to the alligators that infest the 
 coast. 
 
 This massacre seems to have arisen from jealousy, the chief think- 
 ing that he and his people got fewer presents than some of the other 
 tribes. As a second instance, we cannot do better than tell the story 
 of Tauraki, who, with his wife and child, was killed in 1887. 
 
 Tauraki was a young Rarotongan. Mr. Chalmers knew him as a 
 little boy. Mrs. Chalmers trained him, and with her husband had the 
 joy of seeing the boy grow into an earnest Christian man and faithful 
 missionary. The son of a savage, this young Rarotongan was a 
 striking example of the power of the Gospel to uplift and ennoble. A 
 glance at his portrait, given on the previous page, will show what his 
 face was like. He was not content to remain in his small native island, 
 but longed to be of as much use in the world as possible ; and when his 
 old friends and teachers — Mr. and Mrs. Chalmers — went to New Guinea, 
 Tauraki set his heart upon going too. He joined the Eastern branch 
 of the mission. He was bright and intelligent, could read and speak 
 English well, and was full of energy and tact. Mr. Lawes says that 
 he was in many respects their best teacher, and that he had great 
 . influence over the wild, rowdy natives ; while Mr. Chalmers loved him 
 as if he had been his own child. 
 
 He was teacher at a place on the south-east coast, called Motu- 
 motu. Some of the Motumotuans had killed some Moviavians — that 
 is, people from a large inland village called Moviavi ; and one day as 
 Tauraki, his wife, his child, and five Motumotuans were making 
 arrowroot on an island about half-way to Moviavi, a number of 
 Moviavians suddenly attacked them. They did not wish to kill 
 Tauraki. Indeed, they liked him, and would have spared him. They 
 only wanted to kill the Motumotuans ; and they pressed the teacher 
 
JOINING HANDS TO SAVE NEW GUINEA 197 
 
 to take his wife and child out of the canoe, and leave the Motumotuans 
 to be slain in revenge. But he refused to do this. He felt that it 
 would be a mean and cowardly act, and would not hear of it. The 
 enemy then began shooting arrows. 
 
 The wife, says Mr. Chalmers, wished to fire off a shot, but the 
 husband said : " No ; you must not ; you have not yet been wounded." 
 She was, however, soon wounded in the side, and so was the child. 
 She fired, frightened the natives near her, and got overboard with the 
 child, and in between the double canoe. (There is generally a space 
 left between canoes when lashed together.) Tauraki, standing up, 
 severely wounded, tore his shirt down the middle, a mark of distress 
 amongst savages, and then began firing his rifle to frighten them. 
 They were frightened, and sprang into the water, when those who 
 were hiding between the canoes got on board, and they then paddled 
 away. Five were dead — the three women and two of the men. The 
 child was dangerously wounded ; so also were Tauraki and his wife. 
 Getting to one of the creeks, they were met by friends who had 
 come to look for them. The water in the creek was salt, and terrible 
 was the thirst they had to endure. The poor child cried bitterly for 
 water, and all that could be done was to wet its mouth with salt 
 water. When they reached the landing-place at the village of Motu- 
 motu, the child died. The teacher and his wife were very weak from 
 loss of blood, and were taken to the house of a white man, who had 
 been at Motumotu for some months, with his wife, an English 
 woman. There they were kindly treated, and it was hoped the teacher 
 would live, but on the Saturday he died. The woman lived and was 
 soon well. Tauraki died because he Avould not forsake the crew, and 
 it was of that Mr. Chalmers wrote : '' 'Twas nobly done, and I am 
 proud of it. Such an act by one of us Britons, and the Empire would 
 echo and re-echo with it ! Grand deed ! and by a native whose father 
 and mother were savages in my life-time." 
 
 The South Sea Island teachers can bravely die ; they can show 
 equal courage in living simple Christian lives. What more striking 
 testimony could be borne rhan the following account of Ruatoka, of 
 
198 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Port Moresby, already mentioned ? Of him Mr. Lawes, his daily co- 
 worker and friend, said, nine years ago, and would repeat with 
 yet greater emphasis to-day : — 
 
 '* One of these teachers at Port Moresby may be regarded as a very 
 fair specimen of these South Sea Island people. He was taken to Port 
 Moresby by Mr. Murray a year before my own arrival, and he has 
 been there eleven years steadily w^orking. He has an amazing in- 
 lluence over the people, and has proved himself not only the friend of 
 the natives, but of the white man also. About seven years ago there 
 
 RUATOKA AND IIIS WllE, 
 
 was an influx of diggers to Port Moresby, and some of them were 
 stricken with sickness. This native teacher attended to these diggers, 
 and watched over them most tenderly, and he carried one on his back 
 from the place in which he was stricken down, and took him to his 
 own home. 
 
 *' About that time a German had a store at Port Moresby, and a 
 Scotchman was associated with him in the business. One Sunday, 
 the Scotchman was hammering away and working while the native 
 teacher was conducting service close by. The teacher got his Bible, 
 and opened it at the twentieth chapter of Exodus, and going to the 
 
I 
 
 JOINING HANDS TO SAVE NEW GUINEA 199 
 
 Sabbath-breaker, put the BiWe before him, and pointing to the fourth 
 commandment, said : ' See that.' The white face from the land of 
 Bibles looked up at the face of his dark visitor and saw he was not 
 to be trifled with ; for this native teacher was not only a Christian, 
 but a very muscular Christian. Then the white man looked, and saw 
 the long-forgotten words: 'Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it 
 holy.' And the native said : ' What for you make me liar ? You send 
 me the Bible, and the Bible tells me not to work on Sunday. But you 
 come here and w^ork all day. What for you make me liar ? ' So the 
 white man has learned to fear, respect, and honour the native teacher 
 as much as the natives of the place do." 
 
 The connection between Christianized Polynesia and heathen New 
 Guinea is kept up by means of the missionary ship John Williams. 
 Four vessels have borne this name. The Camden, in which Mr. and Mrs. 
 Williams returned to the Pacific after their sojourn in England, proved 
 too small for her work ; so in 1843, after five years' useful service, she 
 was sold, and a barque that was almost ready for sea bought in her 
 place. The new ship was called the John Williams^ was paid for by 
 money raised by Sunday School children, and for twenty years sailed 
 to and fro among the islands. Crossing and re-crossing the South 
 Seas in all directions, and returning to the Thames four different times, 
 this missionary barque sailed in all nearly half a million miles. But in 
 1864 she was wrecked on Pukapuka or Danger Island. A new and yet 
 finer vessel was forthwith built to carry on her work, the children again 
 raising the money ; but she soon came to grief, being wrecked off Niue 
 on her first and only voyage. That was the second John Williams. 
 The third, which closely resembles her, was sent out in October, 1868, 
 and for more than a quarter of a century has continued her useful 
 mission. But she is no longer young ; and, now that the number of 
 out-stations to be visited is so great, and yet more, because" of the 
 growing demands of the mission in New Guinea, she is about to retire 
 and make way for the steamer John Williams^ which the young 
 readers of this book have had built and sent forth, and will have paid 
 for before the book is in their hands. For many years to come New 
 Guinea will need South Sea Island teachers, and this, together with 
 
soo 
 
JOINING HANDS TO SAVE NEW GUINEA 201 
 
 her rounds among the smaller islands, will keep the steamer con- 
 stantly on the move. Samoans, Mangaians, Rarotongans, Aitutakians, 
 Niueans, who have broken down in health, or who need a change and 
 a year's rest among their friends, will be taken home ; others who 
 have been home, or new ones going to the great island for the first 
 time, will be carried to their work. Supplies of all kinds also will be 
 conveyed to them and to the missionaries. By means of the steamer 
 the links of connection wull be kept, and New Guinea and all who 
 labour for her be the gainers. 
 
 Much yet remains to be done before that home of savage tribes is 
 Christian, but a good beginning has been made. Four central stations 
 and about a hundred out-stations have been opened. From these the 
 light is spreading. Many villages on the coast have given up their 
 idols and their most heathen customs, and are undergoing the same 
 change as that described in the earlier chapters of this *' Story." 
 There are more than a thousand natives who have been baptized, and 
 some hundreds of children are being taught in the schools. Still it is, 
 as yet, but the day of small things, and we may have to pra^^, work, 
 and give for a long time before we see the island rescued from its 
 barbarism and brought to God. Our hope is in Him. He has wrought 
 mighty changes in other islands ; indeed. He has already done wonders 
 in New Guinea itself, and in past victories we see the pledge of the 
 greater and moi*e signal triumph yet to come. 
 
 ► 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 SUMMING UP, OR WORK AND WORKERS IN THE OLDER STATIONS. 
 
 " Diversities of gifts ^ but the same Spirits 
 
 wy^N drawing to a close we must retrace our steps 
 ""''^^ a little, and briefly glance at the later history 
 of each group of islands about which we 
 have been writing. At the same time we 
 shall do well to pass in review its most dis- 
 tinguished workers. Beginning with Tahiti 
 and the neighbouring Society Islands, we 
 have to record a time of dire confusion and 
 distress issuing in the establishment of 
 French rule and annexation by the Republic. 
 As far back as 1836 two French priests 
 landed at Tahiti without having first ob- 
 tained permission to do so, an act that was 
 contrary to native law, and therefore natu- 
 rally resented by Queen Pomare. This 
 youthful sovereign, though only twenty- two 
 years of age, had already been on the throne eight years. She would 
 not allow the two priests to remain, but compelled them to leave. 
 Naturally they were angry, and in the injury done to them found a 
 good excuse for enlisting the sympathies of France. They were bent 
 upon an attempt to reap where Protestant missionaries had sown, and 
 even had they been permitted to stay, would soon have found some 
 other ground of complaint. But "they had been driven from the island. 
 That was enough. The Tahitians should pay dearly for their rash- 
 ness in taking such a step." In those days it took much longer to send 
 
SUMMING UP 203 
 
 letters or to move from one part of the world to another than it dees 
 now, so that it was not until two years later that Pomaie and her 
 people found out what their treatment of the two French priests had 
 led to. A French frigate named Venus then sailed into Papeete harbour. 
 Her commander at once sent a boat on shore with a letter to the 
 Queen, telling her that she must write to the King' of France 
 apologising for what she had done, must pay 2,000 dollars in money, 
 and must salute the French flag with twenty-one guns. All this must 
 be done within twenty-four hours. Pomare was powerless, and had 
 to yield. Next she was forced to sign a treaty of lasting friendship 
 with France, and to promise that Frenchmen should come and go as 
 they chose. That was the commencement of a struggle of the strong 
 against the weak. On its political side it ended in a victory for the 
 strong. Bit by bit Pomare had to yield. For several years she was 
 treated with marked insolence and cruelty by the French officials, 
 but finding that policy futile, they changed it, and for the last thirty 
 years of her reign showed the Queen much deference and respect. 
 But the power of government passed from her hands to that of her 
 *' protector," and at her death France arranged with her successor 
 for annexation. Tahiti is now a French colony. 
 
 On the religious side of the struggle, however, it was the weak who 
 proved the stronger of the two. For upwards of twenty years the 
 French did their utmost to force the Tahitians to accept Roman Catholic 
 teaching. Threats, bribes, ridicule, arguments were alike tried in turn, 
 but tried in vain. The English missionaries who remained on the 
 island had to work with tied hands. They were not allowed to preach 
 without a permit, nor to collect money for sending teachers to other 
 islands. An attempt was made to place all the schools in the hands 
 of Roman Catholic schoolmasters. Seemingly the rjiight of France 
 was to prevail. But it was not. The sound Scripture training which 
 the natives had received gave them an intelligence fully equal to the 
 occasion. In 1840 copies of the completed translation of the Bible 
 which Mr. Nott and his colleagues had prepared were in the hands of 
 the people, who readily paid eight shillings a copy for it ! and furnished 
 
204 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 with this powerful weapon, the Tahitian ministers were more than a 
 match for priest and sceptical officer alike. And the more the mis- 
 sionaries were hindered in their movements, the more did those native 
 pastors learn the lesson of self-help. Good thus came out of evil. 
 Still the work was greatly checked, and in many ways Tahiti suffered 
 severely. After a long struggle, the French Government retraced its 
 steps and ceased its attempts to coerce the people to accept a form of 
 religion to which they were opposed. On the other hand, it became 
 
 r:::::^rr...."iiK.-. — l 
 
 ^5=::;:=''==!s;;^^:::nnr5t'==r::^^ 
 
 TE 
 
 "1 
 
 EVANELIA A lOANE EA. 
 
 U 
 
 pi 
 
 No le Logo i U riroraa mai ei taala nei. 
 
 1 VAI na te Logo i te matamua ra, i 
 te Atua ra hoi te Logo, e o te Atua 
 lioi te Logo. 2 I te Atua ra hoi oia i te 
 matamua ra. 3 Na'na i liamani i te mau 
 mea atoa iiei, aore roa Q, e ere oia i te 
 hoe mea i liamanihia. 4 Tei roto ia'na 
 te ora, e taua ora re, to te taata la mara- 
 mararaa. 5 I ariaana mai na te mara- 
 marama i te pouri, aita ra te pouri i 
 farii atu. < 
 
 6 1 tonohia mai te hoe taata mai o mai 
 i te Atua ra, o loane te i'oa. 7 I haere 
 mai taua taata ra ei ite, e faaite i taua 
 inaramararaa ra, ia faaroo te taata atoa 
 ia'na. 8 E ere ra oia iho i taua mara- 
 marama ra, i haere mai ra e faaite i taua 
 maramarama ra. 9. Oia te maiamarama 
 mau, o te haamaraniarama mai i te taata 
 atoa i to'na haerea mai 1 te ao nei. 10 I 
 te ao nei oia, e na'na i hamani i teie nei 
 ao • e aita to te ao i ite atu ia'na. H I 
 r-::"^- '>»^>-W!h-r^rgK ><^"^r- 
 
 14 I riro mai nei te Logo ei taata e ua 
 tiahapa mai i 6 tatou nei, (e ua ite ma- 
 tou i to'na hanaliana, mai te hanahana 
 e au i te Tamaiti fanau tahi a te Metua 
 ra,) ua i i te maitai e te parau mau. ^ 
 15 No'na ta loaue i faaite mai, ia'na i (• 
 pii ra, i te na oraa e, Oia teie ta'u i pa- ^ 
 rau ra e, O te haere mai i muri iho ia'u * 
 nei, ua riro ia i mua ia'u, o mua u lioi i 
 oia ia'u. IG Ua noaa ia tatou atoa nei 
 te maitai e au atoa i tuna ra maitai, no 
 to'na ra i. 17 Na Moso lioi i tuu mai 
 te tare, area te maitai e te parau mau. 
 na lesu Mesia ia. 18 Aore e taata i ito •' 
 i te Atua; o to Tamaiti fanau ia.\n ra i 
 nia i te ouma o te Metua ra, oia te faaita 
 mai ia'na. 
 
 19 Teie ta loane parau, i te tonoraa 
 mai te ati Iiida i te feia tahu'a e te mai 
 ati Levi mai lerusaleraa mai e ui ia'mi 
 e, O vai oe ? 20 Ua i'a'i atura oia, aore 
 roa i liuna, ftiaite hua atura, E ere au i ^^ 
 te Mesia. 21 Ua na 6 maira ratou ia'na • 
 
 
 •A ^ 
 
 THE TAHITIAN BIBLE t ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL. 
 
 growingly evident to the English missionaries that French Protes- 
 tants would enjoy much greater liberty than they could ever secure 
 for themselves; and at the urgent request of Mr. Howe the Paris 
 Missionary Society was asked to send out agents to take up the work. 
 This request was complied with, French missionaries reached the island, 
 and step by step these French brethren extended their control of the 
 native churches until in 1886 they assumed the sole responsibility. 
 Three or four years later the same course was followed in the Society 
 
SUMMING UP 
 
 205 
 
 Islands. Thus the first and oldest mission the London Missionary 
 Society established passed into other hands. But the workers only 
 have changed ; the work still goes on, and remains Scriptural in 
 foundation and evangelical in spirit and aim. May it thriv^e and 
 prosper abundantly ! 
 
 Many noble souls have found in Tahiti and the neighbouring 
 
 islands a pleasant home and a scene of joyous work for the Master. 
 
 Some of them had a long and honoured career. Henry Nott, the one 
 
 ^ strong spirit of the original Duff party, whose twenty years' pains- 
 
 
 ISLAND SCENERY, 
 
 taking toil on the Tahitian Bible still bears rich fruit, and who for 
 forty-eight years was permitted to live amongst the people he loved 
 so deeply, deservedly takes the first place. With him in the first 
 generation of missionaries were associated : William Henry, another 
 Duff man, who, like Mr. Nott, lived and died in Tahiti in a ripe old 
 age ; John Da vies, one of the first reinforcing party sent out in 1800, a 
 valued helper in Bible translation, who saw fifty-five years' service 
 before being laid to rest in his lovely island home ; Charles Barff, 
 for nearly half a century the resident missionary upon Huahine, and 
 the first to shape and guide its course; and his life-long colleague, 
 George Piatt, who reached Tahiti in the same vessel, outlived him 
 
2o6 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 twelve months, did work of lasting worth, first on Tahiti, then on 
 Borabora, finally for thirty years on Raiatea, and left behind him 
 three sons, who have been invaluable helpers to the mission ever since. 
 Following them came the men who had to bear the brunt of the political 
 storm then raging, and to fight for the simplicity of the Gospel: 
 George Pritchard, missionary in Tahiti for thirteen years, then British 
 consul whose harsh treatment by the French brought our country to 
 the verge of war with France ; Alexander Simpson, tutor of an educa- 
 tional institution at Moorea called the South Sea Academy ; George 
 Stallworthy, afterwards transferred to Samoa ; William Howe, a stout- 
 hearted, firm Christian man, who, in spite of failing health, sturdily 
 held the fort in the face of strong opposition, and by his courage, grit, 
 and fidelity, did much to preserve liberty of conscience for the Tahi- 
 tians ; Thomas Joseph, who, in conjunction with Howe, carefully revised 
 the entire Tahitian Bible and carried a new edition through the press, 
 but then had to retire in broken health ; John Barff', or young Barfif, 
 as he was familiarly called, who assisted his father in Huahine, carried 
 on the institution at Tahaa, and, dying at forty, was greatly mourned ; 
 Alexander Chisholm, Avhose twenty years' service first on Tahiti, then 
 at Raiatea, were fruitful of much good, to whom also was entrusted 
 the duty of taking another edition of the Scriptures through the press, 
 having completed which, he died while in England ; and Ernest Rudolph 
 William Krause, one of the honoured German missionaries whom the 
 Society has been privileged to send to its different fields, Avho, first at 
 Tahaa and Borabora, and subsequently at Raro tonga, took a prominent 
 place in training native agents and in perfecting the translation of 
 Scripture. Lastly come the men of our own time, who had the delicate 
 and difficult task of bringing the Society's work in the group to an end. 
 Among these, James Lampard Green, by seniority and length of 
 service, naturally comes first. His steady work at Tahaa, his re- 
 sponsible duties at Tahiti, extending in all over a period of twenty- 
 seven years, his wisdom and tact in maintaining amicable relations 
 with French governors and officers, and in preparing the minds of the 
 natives for the inevitable change, entitle Mr. Green to lasting lionour. 
 
 I 
 
SUMMING UP 2C7 
 
 From Tahiti he eventually removed to British Guiana, where, though 
 often in much bodily weariness and weakness, he manifests the siime 
 amiability, prudence, and practical power in dealing with difficulties. 
 As his colleagues he had James Clark Vivian, ever robust, and of great 
 fervour of spirit, but suddenly called home when at sea near Moorea 
 after only thirteen years' labour. Mr. Vivian paid great attention 
 to the training of native students and to mission work, and, as 
 recorded in the last chapter, one of his students, Matatuhi, will long 
 be remembered as a ^'faithful martyr" for Christ at Kalo in distant 
 New Guinea. His bosom friend, Alfred Thomas Saville, for nine years 
 the happy, useful pastor, the devoted teacher and unfailing friend 
 of the people of Huahine, forced by physical weakness to retire from 
 his dearly loved island charge, but fondly cherishing its memory and 
 wishing himself back again ; Albert Pearse, Mr. Vivian's successor at 
 the Institution, a conscientious, indefatigable w^orker, never '' w-eary 
 in well-doing," leaving his mark upon all that he does, a successful 
 teacher of those who become teachers of others, wiio now at Kerepunu, 
 in south-east New Guinea, is showing the same admirable qualities 
 that marked his w^ork at Borabora and Raiatea ; William Edward 
 Richards, capable, consecrated, and earnest, but cut off in the flower 
 of his young manhood ; and Ebenezer Vicessimus Cooper, wiio 
 followed Mr. Saville at Huahine, and the last missionary of the Society 
 to leave the group, has since removed to Tutuila in Samoa: these 
 w^ere the trusted leaders of the native Christians, the helpers of their 
 joy, the ministers of Christ through whom they believed, by w^hom they 
 were enriched and strengthened. Their work has passed to other hands 
 now^ Where they sowed others reap, but in the great harvest festival 
 that awaits the Churches of Christ in the better land, sower and reaper 
 will rejoice together. 
 
 The Hervey Islands, 
 
 to w^hich we must now turn, have had. a much more peaceful history 
 than Tahiti and her companions. Trouble and difficulty have of 
 course often threatened the work, but these have been chiefly due to 
 
2o8 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 the natives themselves and to the conditions of life in the group, not 
 to pressure from the outside world. Such pressure has not been lack- 
 ing. In recent years, indeed, it has steadily increased. Traders have 
 come and settled in the islands ; British gun-boats have paid them 
 
 A CHRISTIAN CHIEF OF RAROTONGA. 
 
 friendly visits ; business relations with New Zealand have sprung up ; 
 ship-building and other commercial progress have tended to widen 
 the people's outlook ; and as the result of this varied influence, quietly, 
 naturally, and by the desire of the islanders, the group has now passed 
 under British rule. In the people themselves, on the other hand, 
 
SUMMING UP 209 
 
 serious hindrances to moral and spiritual advance have been found. 
 By disposition and character, whilst cheerful and fond of fun, they are 
 at times headstrong and turbulent. They are easily led astray by greed 
 and lust, by gluttony and intemperance, by love of strife and false- 
 hood. And yet, in spite of these serious drawbacks, there is much in 
 the Rarotongans, Mangaians and Aitutakians that wins the affection 
 of those who know them, and in a soil confessedly poor and unpromis- 
 ing not 'a few bright flowers of Christian modesty and grace have 
 flourished, and not a little rich fruit of regenerated life and conduct 
 has come to maturity under the care of the Divine Husbandman. 
 
 Sad to say the Hervey Islanders are growing fewer in number. In 
 many parts of the Paciflc the natives seem to be dying out. It is so 
 in this group. When John Williams first visited Rarotonga he found 
 some 6,000 or 7,000 people there ; now they are less than 2,000, while 
 in the entire group there are only 8,500. Many causes help to bring 
 this decrease about. Hurricanes, which from time to time sweep plan- 
 tations bare of trees, destroy crops, and occasion great scarcity of food ; 
 terrible epidemics of fatal disease, brought in some instances by foreign 
 ships and sailors ; weakness of constitution and the injurious effects of 
 vicious habits, all have a share in it. Nor must we overlook the 
 removal of many Hervey islanders to other islands. In Tahiti there 
 is quite a colony of Atiuans. Many of the men become sailors. 
 Most of the crew of the barque John Williams are natives of 
 Aitutaki. Still the steady decline of the population is a painful fact 
 to record. Possibly, when the people become more used to the con- 
 ditions of civilized life, a change may come and a rise in population 
 take place. For the present it is altogether otherwise. 
 
 The early triumphs of the Gospel in these islands when Papeiha 
 and Vahapata began the good work, and the first settlement of mission- 
 aries on them, were related in a former chapter. From those days 
 downwards we can trace much cheering progress. For eighteen years 
 
 Aitutaki 
 remained without a white missionary, being left to the care of the 
 native teachers ; but in 1839 the Rev. Henry Royle settled there. 
 
 p 
 
2IO THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 He was a man of simple and unselfish nature. Captain Turpie, 
 commander of the missionary ship John Williams^ who knew him 
 well, says that " self was neither in his vocabulary nor in his 
 heart," and adds that Mr. Royle so " successfully impressed his own 
 character upon the islanders that to-day the Aitutakians are more 
 ready than any others to do work for the ship without thought of pay- 
 ment or reward." Certain it is that as the fruit of his own and his 
 devoted wife's thirty-eight years' residence and labours in Aitutaki, he 
 gained wonderful power over the people. He won it by his own faith- 
 fulness, goodness, and kindliness of nature. For some years he had to 
 struggle against bitter opposition. His life was sought by wicked 
 men, and his' efforts to do good were constantly thwarted. But he 
 lived down all hostility, had the joy of seeing former opponents peni- 
 tent for their sins, and gradually became a veritable patriarch, trusted 
 and obeyed by all. The men who had tried to kill him were fond of 
 telling of the marvellous way in which God checked them and pro- 
 tected His servant. By constant preaching and teaching, by means 
 of a school and classes for native helpers, Mr. Royle carried on the 
 work through a long and useful career, and when, in 1876, two years 
 before his death, he and Mrs. Royle retired from active labour, and left 
 for Sydney, there was universal sorrow in Aitutaki : cries of lamenta- 
 tion filled the air, tears flowed freely, chiefs and people, pastors and 
 Church members, adults and children alike mourned as for the loss 
 of revered and honoured parents. 
 
 For some years after Mr. Royle's retirement the island was again 
 left without a resident missionary. That was a mistake. It was. 
 hoped that the natives were so well grounded in Christian knowledge 
 and so far advanced in spiritual experience as to be able to walk alone. 
 Acquaintance with the letter of Scripture they certainly did possess,, 
 and in the quiet and orderly observance of the Sunday, in regular 
 attendance at the house of prayer, and in all outward forms of Chris- 
 tian living they were most exemplary. But underlying this there 
 was still much of the old corruption, which began to reappear. Like 
 the seeds or the roots of noxious plants, evil tendencies that could only 
 
SUMMING UP 211 
 
 be kept in check by constant weeding were again to be seen thrusting 
 forth their shoots and threatening to ruin the garden of the Lord. 
 The missionaries, who from time to time paid visits to Aitutaki, grew 
 anxious as they saw such signs, and at last, in 1885, the Rev. W. N. 
 Lawrence, who had been living on Mangaia for a year, was appointed 
 to settle on Aitutaki. Since then there has been improvement, and 
 both he and his wife have been cheered. By paying great attention 
 to work amongst the young they have sought to mould the rising race, 
 w^hilst by faithful and earnest preaching and pastoral oversight Mr. 
 Lawrence has aimed at making the native Church both purer and 
 stronger. In both directions he feels that he has to some extent suc- 
 ceeded. The low moral tone in family and social life is his greatest 
 difficulty, but by degrees this also is showing signs of improvement, 
 and the outlook is brighter. 
 
 Mangaia, 
 at first unwilling to receive teachers, but afterwards becoming eager 
 to obtain them, was, like Aitutaki, for some years in the hands of 
 pioneer native workers. Davida and Tiera, the two young men from 
 Tahaa, whose heroism we have already mentioned, led the way, but 
 Maretu, an intelligent Rarotongan pastor, a man of true godliness and 
 of much common sense, was sent there in 1839, and to him Mangaia 
 owes a lasting debt of gratitude. Davida was still living when Maretu 
 arrived, but he was growing old, and, cut off from other islands, as he 
 had been for fifteen years, he sadly needed a helper. He had been a 
 consistent Christian all those years, and had used his slender stock of 
 knowledge to the best of his power, but it was high time that a change 
 was made. Maretu did excellent work on the island. Among other 
 things, he rescued the speech of the people from decay. Imitating 
 their teachers, who spoke Tahitian and used the Tahitian translation 
 of the Scriptures, the Mangaians had begun to give up their own dialect 
 and speak Tahitian too. Maretu soon made up his mind to put a stop 
 to that, and had little difficulty in showing them that they were making 
 a great mistake. '' Every man " should hear teachers and preachers 
 *' speaking in his own language w^herein he was born." 
 
2 12 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 For several years the people of Mangaia had been longing and 
 biigging for a missionary of their own. They wanted to be equal to 
 
 IHE iNEW CH\IKL Ai ONLkUA, MANG AlA— H-XiLRlOR. 
 
 THE NEW CHAPEL AT UAERUA, MANGAIA. — INTERIOR. 
 
 Aitutaki and Rarotonga. They knew also that a white teacher could 
 do more for them than the best native. In this desire they were quite 
 
SUMMING UP 213 
 
 right. A time always comes when fuller knowledge and more 
 experienced guidance are needed. Thus it came to pass that on 
 July 19th, 1845, twenty-one years after the landing of the first 
 teachers, the new missionary ship John Williams was for the "first 
 time seen off Mangaia, having on board the Rev. George Gill and his 
 wife, who had recently come out from England to settle there, and with 
 him his brother, the Rca^ William Gill and ]Mrs. Gill, of Rarotonga. 
 The latter came to introduce him to the people and help him over his 
 earliest difficulties. There is no harbour or anchorage at Mangaia, 
 and in landing, a reef has to be crossed. Describing the scene, the 
 Rev. William Gill says: — '' It was a lovely South Pacific day, and the 
 sea so calm that the waves broke with more than ordinary gentleness on 
 the reef. We embarked in the ship's boat, and on approaching the land, 
 we heard the shouts of the joyous people, echoed from the coral rocks 
 which form the background of the settlement : ^ Ko te Pal Oroniedtia 
 tela ! Ko nga tavini te Atua tela ! Kaii tae inai ! Kate tae inai 
 'ia! !^ ('It is the missionary ship! Here are the servants of God! 
 They are come ! They are truly come ! ') Rowing the boat near to 
 the reef, it was seized by a number of natives, who bore it and us in 
 it to the teacher's house. At a meeting held about two weeks after 
 our landing for the purpose of giving public welcome to their mis- 
 sionary, the following characteristic speech was delivered by one of 
 the natives. Addressing the people, he said : * Brethren, God is truly 
 a hearer and answerer of prayer. We have prayed to see what we 
 now see this day. God has heard us, and here is our missionary in 
 our midst. He is going to live with us. But, brethren, do not let us 
 leave off praying. Let us ask God to assist him in learning our 
 language ; that is the first thing ; and then to assist him to do His 
 work, and then let us seek to be prepared ourselves to receive in- 
 struction. Pray also for his wife, and for their child, now so young ; 
 and ask that he may live and become a missionary to our children. 
 We all rejoice that our teacher has come. Now, this is my thought : 
 let us see to it that not one lock of his hair be ruflled— I do not mean 
 b}^ the winds of heaven, but that his heart be not grieved by any evil 
 conduct on the land, or in the church. Let us go to his house 
 frequently, and inquire of him about things of which we are ignorant, 
 and about the Word of God. Remember he is neither an angel nor a 
 spirit merely, that you should not go near him. He is come to live 
 
214 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 with US, as our brother, companion, and friend. If you see his face 
 and hear his voice on the Sabbath only, you will not receive much 
 good. You must be " mat ait, ^'' accustomed to him daily, and he to 
 you. Let us praise God for His love to us ! May we remember what 
 I have said ! And may the Holy Spirit prosper our missionary in our 
 midst !"'^ 
 
 That was the beginning of a happy career for Mr. Gill. He 
 remained on Mangaia for twelve years, living at Onerua. For the first 
 eight years he was the only missionary, but in 1852 he was joined 
 by the Rev. William Wyatt Gill, B.A., a gentleman with the same 
 surname, but not otherwise related, who settled at Tamarua. Mr. 
 George Gill laboured with much success. His bright sunny disposition, 
 his practical tact and his constant activity made him a great favourite 
 among the people. On Mr. Buzacott's retirement, he was removed to 
 Rarotonga to take charge of the Institution, and while there joined 
 Mr. Krause in a careful revision of the Rarotongan Bible in prepara- 
 tion for a third edition. Greatly to the regret of colleagues and 
 natives alike, Mr. Gill left the Pacific in 1861 and settled in England 
 as pastor of the Congregational Church at Burnley. His namesake, 
 colleague and successor, whose literary work, especially his '* Myths 
 and Songs from the South Pacific," is so well known here at home, 
 remained at Mangaia for more than twenty years, and did much to 
 enlighten and uplift the people. Subsequently he also was transferred 
 to Rarotonga. In the meantime the Rev. George Alfred Harris had 
 joined him, and on his retirement remained in sole charge, a responsi- 
 bility he retained until the present year, when, weakened by long resi- 
 dence in the Pacific, he gave up the work. Thanks to Mr. Harris' 
 watchful oversight, the people are still loyal to the Gospel they long 
 since received, and in the presence of much political and social change 
 have grown in goodness, liberality and Christian zeal. They pay their 
 pastors' salaries, build and keep in repair the chapels, school-houses and 
 teachers' and pastors' dwellings, besides sending home to the London. 
 Missionary Society annual contributions amounting to between £200 
 * "Gems from the Coral Islands," vol. ii., pp. 175, 176. 
 
SUMMING UP 
 
 215 
 
 and £300. Mangaia has also sent forth several of its choicest young 
 Christian men and women to labour in New Guinea. In that distant 
 and fever-stricken island some have nobly toiled, some have nobly laid 
 down their lives, and "whether living or dying " have proved true 
 heroes and heroines of the cross. 
 
 Rarotoxga, 
 the chief of the Hervey Islands, was the third in order of time to re- 
 ceive the light, and therefore comes last in this historical summary. 
 
 RAROTONGA FROM THE SEA. 
 
 But the interest attaching to Rarotonga is exceptional. What mem- 
 ories crowd around its name ! John Williams sailing to and fro, trying 
 in vain to find it, and then, just before turning the vessel's prow to sail 
 away defeated, hearing the jubilant cry of " Land O ! " from the man at 
 the masthead ; brave Papeiha volunteering to land alone and swimming 
 ashore, undertaking single-handed the contest with idolatry ; the joy of 
 the missionaries at their next visit to find the idols already *' abolished " ; 
 the building of the Messenger of Peace ^ its trial trip, and useful career ; 
 
2i6 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 the names of honoured faithful men who have lived and laboured 
 there ; — these crown Rarotonga with a special halo of glory to which 
 few spots even in the Pacific can lay claim. The references to it in 
 this book have been many, but we must come back to it once more, 
 and try and combine into a few brief paragraphs its later history. 
 
 As far back as 1827, the Rev. Charles Pitman, after a two years' 
 stay in Tahiti, arrived and settled at Ngatangia, at the eastern 
 extremity of the island, and there remained for twenty-eight years, 
 never physically strong, but alwa3^s intent on doing his utmost for the 
 people. Withdrawing to Sydney, Mr. Pitman was spared to a ripe old 
 age, dying in his eighty-eighth year. Following him to Rarotonga, in 
 1828, came one of w^hom we have made frequent mention, the Rev. 
 Aaron Buzacott, who settled at Avarua, and for thirty years ungrudg- 
 ingly gave himself with all his endowments to the work. He was 
 prominent in every branch of missionary service, but bore a special 
 share of responsibility in preparing Christian books for use in the 
 schools and churches, and, in joint labour with Mr. Williams, who 
 often visited Rarotonga, and Mr. Pitman, translated the Old and New 
 Testament into Rarotongan. Bible revision also occupied much of his 
 time in later years, and to him was given the joy of seeing most of the 
 prophetical books of the Old Testament put into type for the first time. 
 That was during a visit he paid to England in 1847 to 1851. With 
 the arrival of the Rev. William Gill in 1839, a third missionary was 
 added to the Rarotongan staff. Mr. Gill settled at Arorangi, on the 
 western end of the island. He too, in addition to the daily demands 
 made upon his time and strength by his school and congregation, saw 
 the need of Christian books, and busied himself in writing and trans- 
 lating them, also in revising the Scriptures. Three men for a small 
 island may seem a liberal supply — in these days, indee:!, we have to be 
 content with one — but they were greatly wanted at the time, and their 
 presence produced a deep impression, and resulted in lasting good. 
 They were able to persuade the Rarotongans to gather themselves 
 together in villages, instead of settling on separate plantations, to 
 build strong stone cottages to live in, and to erect good churches, 
 
SUMMING UP 217 
 
 school premises and houses for native teachers and pastors. They 
 introduced the orange and the coffee tree, cotton and other useful 
 plants, and spared no pains to add to the material welfare of the 
 islanders. But chiefly and unceasingly they strove to establish them 
 in righteousness and purity, and by diligent training in the Word of 
 God to equip them for the trials and temptations of life. As the 
 seniors passed away, younger men took theif place, and in succession 
 George Gill, Mr. Krause, Wyatt Gill, and James Chalmers, better 
 known in connection with New Guinea, but who won his spurs in 
 eleven fruitful years on Rarotonga, took their place. Since 1882 the 
 Rev. J. J. K. Hutchin has been the missionary in charge. His colleagues 
 in the group have come to his aid and taken his place during absence 
 on furlough, but the burden of responsibility has been mainly his. A 
 great desire to learn English has grown up in the minds of the natives, 
 and Mr. Hutchin is trying to satisfy it. Last year Miss Ardill, a lady 
 from New South Wales, who for ten years filled the post of public 
 school teacher in the colony, joined the mission for the express purpose 
 of starting a Boys' Boarding School, in which project she is meeting 
 with encouragement and success. 
 
 Probably no branch of mission work in Rarotonga has borne richer 
 fruit than the institution for the training of native teachers. Upwards 
 of 500 young men and young women, gathered from all the islands 
 of the group, have passed through it since its commencement in 1839. 
 Samoa, the Loyalty Islands, the New Hebrides, and, later, South- 
 east New Guinea, all received the Gospel in the first instance from 
 Hervey Islanders trained in this valuable seminary. New Guinea 
 especially is its debtor. Writing a year ago, Mr. Hutchin reports that 
 from 1872 to 189 1 fifty-two couples had been sent to that island, of whom 
 seventeen men and twenty-three women died of fever, three men and 
 three women returned home, four men and three women were murdered 
 by savages, while thirty men and twenty-five women were still work- 
 ing for Christ. What a noble record for a small island, which seventy 
 years ago was itself in gross darkness ! and what a large proportion 
 of its population to send into the mission field ! 
 
SUMMLVG UP , 219 
 
 The lesser islands of the group — Atiu, Mauke, Mitiaro, and Manuae 
 — upon none of which has a white missionary ever resided, also the 
 more distant out-stations which the mission has charge of, we must 
 pass over. Cut off from their more favoured neighbours, and thinly 
 peopled, they have not the same opportunity for advance as they, but 
 they are not standing still. Some of the greatest blessings of the 
 Gospel are already theirs, and will be yet more so, we may hope, in the 
 days to come. 
 
 We will now direct our thoughts to 
 
 The Samoan Islands. 
 Six years only were allowed to elapse between the first visit of Messrs. 
 Williams and Barff and the settlement of missionaries in Samoa. Then 
 the size and importance of the islands, together Avith the number of 
 their inhabitants (35,000, though then reckoned at nearly double that 
 figure), made it necessary to send a large staff of workers. Conse- 
 quently, since 1836 there has always been a strong and compact body 
 of missionaries living upon Upolu, Savaii, Tutuila, and for a time 
 on Manono. In the early days each district, each petty chief, wished 
 to have a missionary for himself. This was partly due to tribal and 
 l^^rsonal jealousy, partly to a desire to know more of the new religion 
 that was carrying all before it. Many requests had to be set aside, 
 and the missionary force divided as fairly and wisely as possible. The 
 islands were partitioned, mission houses built at suitable centres, and 
 a missionary placed in charge of each division. Some of these were 
 large, and included villages stretching along some sixty or seventy 
 miles of coast. 
 
 As in other parts of Polynesia, so in Samoa, the difficulty of the 
 missionary was not in showing the vast superiority of Christianity to 
 the feeble and degraded heathenism of the past, nor in securing large 
 congregations, people eager to learn how to read, or crowds ready to 
 be baptized. No, the difficulty was to set them longing for a cleaner^ 
 sweeter, better life, to strengthen them to resist the evil customs, to set 
 aside the misleading traditions, habits of thought, and usages which 
 had come down to them from remote ages, and to free them from the 
 
220 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 chains in which they had so long been bound. The Samoan is 
 naturally indolent. With short spells of work now and then — one 
 day, or at the most, two days a week — he can meet all needs ; for food 
 is plentiful, of clothing he requires but little, and native houses, canoes, 
 fishing tackle, and implements for use in digging, paddling, or shooting, 
 are easily made. Idols in the ordinary sense of the word were hardly 
 known in Samoa, but birds, beasts, fishes, and reptiles took the place of 
 ''graven images," and were treated with the same reverence, and 
 honoured as gods. The number of Samoan deities was very large. 
 Every part of the island, every village, every family, every member of 
 it, was under the special protection of some god, whilst one and all were 
 guarded by the '' god of war." Samoa ns delighted in fighting. They 
 do so still, and to this day their readiness to take offence, the strong 
 party spirit that prevails, and the subtle rivalries of difi'erent chiefs 
 are a serious hindrance to progress. No one was expected to tell the 
 truth. Filthy language was indulged in by young and old alike. 
 The tie by Avhich husbands and wives were joined could at any 
 moment be broken ; chiefs and rich men had two, three, or even more 
 wives ; night dances and other social customs were attended with 
 terrible wickedness. To lead people out of such things is indeed a 
 hard task, and even when they seem to have got rid of them out- 
 wardly, the effects are still felt inwardly. 
 
 To this task did the missionaries give themselves. With much 
 tact, tenderness, yet with firmness and fidelity, did they labour to 
 mould some two hundred congregations of Samoan people into a 
 healthy, vigorous, and intelligent Christian community. Since 1836 
 some forty different missionaries and as many wives have taken part in 
 it. In a tropical climate changes in the staff are frequent ; but, making 
 allowance for breakdowns through the failure of health and similar 
 causes, the effective strength has usually numbered from ten to twxlve, 
 though it has at times reached fourteen. Most of the missionaries 
 have had charge of districts. At first untrained preachers whose 
 elementary knowledge of Christianity was supplemented by special 
 teaching once or twice a week, but afterwards pastors who had gone 
 
SUMMING UP 
 
 221 
 
 throug:h a full course of instruction, were placed in charge of each 
 separate village, the missionary taking the oversight of a score or more 
 of these. His chief work, in addition to his own constant preaching, 
 has been through these native ministers to lead and instruct the in- 
 dividual congregations and day schools connected with them. By 
 method, personal influence, and effective superintendence he becomes 
 a teacher of teachers, to whom a group of pastors, schoolmasters, 
 
 TUTOR S HOUSE, MALUA. 
 
 deacons and other workers, local chiefs and ordinary village folk look 
 for guidance, inspiration and aid of varied kind. 
 
 A long list of men, in many instances ably seconded by their wives, 
 year in, year out, through long periods of missionary service, have 
 been engaged in this district work. For forty years ^Ir. Murray, whose 
 name is quite familiar to our readers in connection with his numerous 
 voyages to distant islands and his interesting records of the same, 
 was so occupied, chiefly on the island of Tutuila. The Rev. William 
 
 r 
 
THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Harbutt L^ave twenty-three years of his life to it, and then, broken in 
 health, returned home, and after a short pastorate at Ullesthorpe, in 
 Leicestershire, died. At four successive stations the Rev. George 
 Drummond, who last year, at the age of 85, passed to the heavenly home, 
 spent thirty-four years in the same work, and through that long stretch 
 of time was " instant in season and out of season," a true friend of the 
 Samoans, a faithful minister of Jesus Christ. Next in seniority comes 
 
 one hardly known here at home> 
 but worthy of the highest regard 
 and honour, the Rev. George 
 Pratt, who for forty-one years 
 (1838-1879) in the district of Ma- 
 taut u, on the island of Savaii, did 
 a work of lasting worth in shap- 
 ing the Christian thought and life 
 of his flock. In addition to this, 
 Mr. Pratt stands pre-eminent as a 
 student and master of the Samoan 
 language, a grammar and dic- 
 tionary of which he prepared for 
 his old colleagues and successors, 
 and more than any other man was 
 the instrument in God's hands for 
 making the Samoan Bible a stan- 
 dard of clear, accurate and noble 
 diction. Then for the greater part 
 of his forty-three years' service 
 the Rev. Thos. Powell, an enthusiast for missions in general and for 
 Samoa in particular, was also an indefatigable district superintendent, 
 varying his duties in that respect with special studies and literary 
 work, especially in connection with the native hymn-book. Others. 
 for shorter terms had a like responsibility : the Rev. George Stall- 
 worthy, who died w^hile acting as tutor at Malua, had been in charge 
 of a district for fifteen years ; the Rev. James Povey Sunderland,. 
 
 REV. GEORGE DRUMMOND. 
 
SUMMING UP 223 
 
 who afterwards took a pastorate in Australia and later still became 
 Australian agent for the London Missionary Society, for twelve ; the 
 Rev. Henry Gee, for nine ; the Rev. Joseph King, Avhp subsequently 
 took a pastorate in Australia and then succeeded Mr. Sunderland in 
 the agency, for eleven ; the Rev. Samuel James Whitmee, for four- 
 teen, district work in his case being conjoined with contributions to 
 native literature, medical work, and help in the revision of the Bible. 
 
 Besides the more general efforts for the welfare of the Samoans 
 which the superintendence of groups of congregations involved, efforts 
 of a more special kind were early attempted, particularly in two 
 directions. The first was in providing the converts Avith a reliable 
 yet idiomatic version of the Word of God. As soon as the missionaries 
 had acquired sufficient knowledge of the vernacular, it was reduced to 
 writing by means of the Roman alphabet. Reading and other lesson 
 books were prepared and printed. Then with as little delay as possible 
 the duty of translating the Scriptures was faced. Only those Avho 
 have had a share in such work can understand its difficulty. A 
 beginning was made with the New Testament. Book by book this was 
 put into the Samoan language and issued to the people, who from the 
 A^ery first were trained to purchase their books with their own money. 
 The New Testament completed, the Psalms followed, and at intervals 
 the rest of the Old Testament. Afterwards the first translations were 
 carefully gone over word by word three or four different times, and 
 numerous corrections made, so as to make the translation as perfect as 
 possible, and in this work Dr. Nisbet, Dr. Turner, Mr. Whitmee, and 
 most of all, as stated above, Mr. Pratt took the lead, though nearly 
 every missionary and many of the more intelligent Samoans had some 
 small share in securing the result. All thought of further revision 
 has now been laid aside, the present translation being regarded as 
 practically as perfect as it can be made. 
 
 The second direction in which special effort was made was in raising 
 an educated native ministry, and in 1844 the Revs. Charles Hardie and 
 George Turner were chosen to begin a training institution at Malua, a 
 pretty, wooded spot, near the sea, quite in the country, but not too far 
 
224 
 
SUMMING UP 225 
 
 removed from Apia, the chief port of Samoa. After eleven years Mr. 
 Hardie left the South Seas and settled as a minister in England. His 
 place was eventually filled by the Rev. Henry Nisbet. Drs. Turner 
 and Nisbet (to give them in advance the titles by which they are now 
 known) we have read about in the story of Tanna, on which island the 
 reader will remember they underwent terrible privations, and at length 
 had to flee for their lives. They now became joined in a work of 
 striking efficiency and success, for Malua is one of the most remark- 
 able missionary seminaries in the world. Both men did much to make 
 it such, but the chief honour undoubtedly belongs to Dr. Turner, who 
 had been the leading spirit in giving it shape and substance when first 
 started. Malua is an improvement upon the institution at Rarotonga. 
 It consists of an estate of three hundred acres, on wiiich there are 
 twenty-two stone cottages arranged on two sides of a large square, 
 also twenty-five other cottages, two spacious stone houses for the tutors 
 and class-rooms. Around the cottages are food plantations, cocoa- 
 nuts, and bread fruit trees, which are kept in order by the students, 
 who usually number about a hundred. By this means Malua supplies 
 all its inmates with plenty of food, and is kept up with only a trifling 
 outlay. One day in each week is set apart as an '' industrial day," for 
 house-building, repairing, and carpentering. The cottages were all 
 built by the students, who also keep them in repair and make all 
 requisite furniture. Malua is now a valuable property, and, embowered 
 in trees, is a picturesque and delightful place. Many of the students 
 are married men and have their wives with them, classes for the wives 
 being conducted by the tutors' wives. Admirably arranged in its early 
 days, ably managed since, this institution has proved a great power 
 for good. It is now under the management of the Revs. John Marriott 
 and James Edward Newell, and from it there still issues an unbroken 
 line of native ministers to supply vacancies in two hundred Samoan 
 home churches, teachers for the north-west out-stations, in the Ellice, 
 Tokelau, and Gilbert groups, and latterly pioneer missionaries for New 
 Guinea. Samoans have many weaknesses, and on some sides of their 
 character appear to be far from perfect — in this, however, closely 
 
 Q 
 
226 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 resembling other nations, our own not excepted ; but for readiness to 
 support the Gospel, and for a zeal in taking it to others, they are to be 
 warmly commended. More than one in every thousand of the popula- 
 tion is a foreign missionary, and their gifts to the missionary treasury 
 are large and constant. 
 
 In connection with Malua, and as one of the direct results of the 
 work there done, many useful books have been wTitten, for the students 
 in the first place, but eventually for all Samoa. Drs. Turner and 
 Nisbet took the lead in preparing them, but others shared the task with 
 them. For many years a printing press did useful service in bringing 
 out these books, though larger and better editions were printed in 
 England. The Rev. Samuel Ella had charge of this press for many 
 years, adding to his management of the printing office general mission 
 ■work. Through ill-health he had to leave Samoa in 1862, but two 
 years later settled on Uvea, one of the Loyalty Islands. The care of 
 the press then passed into the already well-filled hands of Dr. Nisbet. 
 Afterwards^ first Mr. Mills and then Mr. Whitmee had charge of it. 
 For thirteen years the mission had a medical branch, carried on by 
 George Turner, M.D., one of the sons of the tutor at Malua. On his 
 retirement there was a break for several years, but in the meantime 
 the Rev. Samuel Hickman Da vies, who had been engaged in district 
 superintendence, gave himself to the study of medicine, and when 
 qualified, returned to Samoa as a medical missionary. The latest 
 development of w^ork is due to a visit paid to the islands by Mr. and 
 Mrs. Albert Spicer a few years ago. These visitors were so struck 
 with the backward condition of the women as compared with that of 
 the men that they urged that greater attention should be paid to the 
 education and moral training of girls. Since then two ladies have been 
 sent out to commence a boarding school, and a good start has been 
 made. A third lady is at work at a half-caste school in Apia. 
 
 The present staff of workers in Samoa have many difficulties to 
 encounter, and should have the sympathy and prayers of all who care 
 for the kingdom of Christ. Samoa is in a state of unrest, and this 
 unfortunately is chronic. In the olden times the rival claims of the 
 
SUMMING UP 
 
 227 
 
 chiefs led to constant fighting. The same thing goes on still, and thus 
 far no remedy for it has been found. The niceties of court etiquette, 
 the divisions and degrees of kingly power, and the strong, not to say 
 violent, party spirit, beget endless strife ; and when once the war demon 
 is roused, barbarous habits are revived, and the fair name of Samoa 
 
 MISS LARGE'S HALF-CASTE SCHOOL, APIA. 
 
 thereby disgraced. Foreign influence seems pow^erless to check this. 
 Great Britain, mainly through the missionaries, Avas the first outside 
 nation to enter into friendly relations with Samoa ; Germany and 
 America, chiefly by means of commerce, followed suit. To secure 
 peace and quietness an arrangement was made in 1890, by which these 
 three powers were to exercise joint control over the group. But the 
 
228 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 Berlin treaty then drawn up has been a failure. Trouble is for ever 
 brewing. The native government is weak ; triple foreign rule seems 
 hardly any stronger. A change is greatly desired, and cannot be 
 long delayed. 
 
 Political and social disquiet seriously hinder the work of the mission- 
 ary. Yet in spite of all obstacles this prospers. Most of the mission- 
 aries liv^e upon the island of Upolu. We can think of Mr. Clarke at 
 the chief town ministering to native churches and to the English church, 
 busily engaged in all kinds of general mission service, and more than 
 usually active when the John Williams is in harbour ; we can think 
 of Miss Large and her school for half-castes, her boys' club, and her 
 interesting efforts on behalf of sailors; of Miss Schultze and Miss 
 Moore with their thriving girls' boarding-school at Papauta ; of Messrs. 
 Marriott and Newell and their large colony of students, students' wives, 
 and boy-boarders at Malua ; of Mr. Hills and his very successful high 
 school for boys at Leulumoega, where some seventy lads are receiving 
 as good an education with as large a proportion of English as they are 
 capable of; and of the all-round and varied efforts for the young and 
 for adults alike of Mr. and Mrs. Goward in the Falealili district. Then 
 on Savaii Dr. Davies, who is both doctor and bishop, at one station, 
 and Mr. Hunt at another, are doing similar work ; as also is Mr. Cooper 
 upon more remote Tutuila. In this way the men and women of to-day 
 enter into the labours of a generation that has gone, and past and 
 present are linked together in one long-continued attempt to make the 
 Samoans, in deed and in truth, a Christian people. 
 
 Before passing westward to the Loyalty Islands, we may drop 
 anchor for a few minutes off 
 
 NlUE, 
 
 and briefly sum up its history from the time that a mission on it was 
 begun. For years, as the reader will remember, God's servants had 
 prayed that Nine might be brought into the light, but it was not until 
 sixteen years after John Williams's first visit in 1830 that an entrance 
 was affected. Samoan teachers, as previously narrated, led the way, 
 
SUMMING UP 229 
 
 one of whom, Paulo by name, and a Paul in spirit and aim, exerted 
 immense influence, and is gratefully spoken of by natives and by his 
 English successors to this day. Two missionaries only have been 
 permanently stationed on Nine — the brothers Lawes — and the mark 
 they have left on it is deep and clear. When, in 186 1, the Rev. W. G. 
 Lawes landed, there were but eight avowed heathen left, but fuller 
 teaching and wise guidance were greatly needed. Very little had been 
 done in the way of Bible translation. Native pastors and missionary 
 teachers for heathen islands had still to be trained, school and other 
 books to be prepared. It was to such duties Mr. Lawes gave his time 
 and strength. Six or seven years later the Rev. F. E. Lawes joined 
 him, and for four years they were together. Then came the call to 
 the elder brother to go forth to a new and trying post in New Guinea 
 The New Testament, the Psalms, and Genesis had been translated into 
 Niuean, and a goodly number of men had been educated. Since then 
 Mr. Frank Lawes has been alone, and, quoting his ow^n words, we may 
 say: 
 
 " There are now eleven villages, each with a well-built chapel, 
 presided over by a teacher trained on the island. These men are 
 pastors, schoolmasters, and general helpers and advisers to the people 
 They make mistakes, as w^e all do, but, on the whole, work wisely and 
 well, and God is blessing their labours. There are eighteen married 
 students in course of training for work either at home or abroad, and 
 a school with about thirty boys who board with the students, from 
 whose ranks Ave hope by-and-by to get good men for teachers. In 
 translation of the Scriptures, we have the remainder of the Old Testa- 
 ment in manuscript, with the exception of six books. From the 
 beginning of the mission up to the present date between three and four 
 thousand have been received into the Church. Of this number not a 
 few have disappointed and grieved us, but of many we think with 
 joy as now at home with the Lord. There are now 1,557 in fellowship 
 with the Church. The average attendance at the Sunday-school is 
 1,687, and at the day schools 1,504. Twenty-two married teachers 
 have gone from the island to New Guinea, and of these eleven men 
 and thirteen women have died, some of them in New Guinea and 
 others shortly after their return home. Yet there is no disposition to 
 give up the work. Of the students now in course of training, most of 
 
230 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 them desire to go to New Guinea. The Niueans are liberal in their 
 offerings to God. Besides paying their own pastors, they have during 
 the last nine years given upon an average £318 per annum to the 
 London Missionary Society. They do not give out of their abundance, 
 for they are not a rich people. Neither do they give to the Lord that 
 which costs them nothing. As their contributions are mostly made in 
 cotton, fungus, arrowroot, and dried cocoa-nut, it costs them a good 
 deal in hard, continuous Avork during the year." 
 
 Among other generous deeds of the Niu^ people there is one of unique 
 interest. They have presented a beautiful 
 lugger to the New Guinea mission. Ttis 
 bonny little craft, which fittingly bears the 
 name of the island home of her donors, is 
 stationed at Kwato, on the eastern extremity 
 of New Guinea. She is meeting the needs of 
 the work, and is showing herself in every 
 way worthy of confidence. Being small 
 herself, the Nine easily gets in and out 
 among the small bays, creeks, and rivers, 
 and behaves equally well on longer voyages 
 across the Papuan Gulf. 
 
 We will conclude this long chapter with 
 a brief account of 
 
 The Loyalty Islands' 
 
 REV. F. E. LAWES, 
 
 mission, the early days of which were so full of stirring incident and 
 promise. In some respects we must repeat what was said about Tahiti. 
 The story is a sad and shameful one. New Caledonia coming under 
 French sway and being turned into a convict settlement, the Loyalty 
 Islands, which form an outer barrier to the larger island, were 
 naturally looked upon as belonging to it. To this no one could offer 
 much objection, provided the people were willing. But Roman Catholic 
 priests came upon the scene, and the French officials were short- 
 sighted enough to listen to them and regard the interests of France 
 and those of Romish missionaries as identical. The priests w^ere 
 
SUMMING UP 231 
 
 allowed to stir up bad feeling and strife, to set tribe against tribe, to 
 persecute all who would not accept their teaching ; and the repre- 
 sentatives of France, instead of trying to secure the goodwill of 
 the natives and so effect a peaceable union, adopted the most unjust, 
 harsh, and, one may add, utterly stupid policy. Again did they 
 attempt to compel South Sea Islanders to give up their Protestantism 
 and become Catholics, and again did the great French nation fail in the 
 attempt. Churches were destroyed, congregations and schools broken 
 up, Protestant chiefs and pastors put in chains, carried off into exile, 
 and robbed of their rights. English missionaries had to leave ; one 
 was deported. But all this was bravely borne, and France has at 
 length found out that there is one thing altogether beyond her power . 
 she cannot compel these people to turn aside from the simple yet 
 saving faith which their first teachers brought them. 
 
 The worst is now past, and a change for the better has begun. 
 Slowl}^ the lesson of these events is being learned. The power of the 
 priests is still much too great, but it is no longer what it was, and it 
 is only here and there that a native now has to suffer for being a 
 Protestant. The two English missionaries who first settled after the 
 native pioneers had prepared the ground — the Revs. John Jones and 
 Stephen Mark Creagh — are still living, as, indeed, are all the mis- 
 sionaries who have laboured in the group. Both of them were per- 
 mitted to see wonderful changes. For nearly twenty years they 
 worked together on Mare, and had the great joy of seeing the entire 
 population lay aside their cannibalism and pass from heathen ignor- 
 ance and darkness to Christian intelligence and knowledge. Together 
 they translated the New Testament into the Mare tongue. This was 
 finished in 1864. Mr. Jones paid great attention to a bo^^s' boarding- 
 school, and also founded an institution for training native pastors, 
 while Mr. Creagh engaged in all kinds of missionary activity ; and as 
 pastor, schoolmaster, evangelist, author, and translator, his influence 
 Avas felt in every direction. In 1871 he was removed to Lifu, and Mr. 
 Jones was left at Mare alone. There he remained until 1887, doing 
 his utmost for the defence of his persecuted flock, who at that time 
 
232 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 were being treated with the greatest injustice; but in 1887, after 
 thirty-four years' service, with only half an hour's notice, he was 
 carried off by a French man-of-war, and was not allowed to return. 
 
 Six years after the settlement of Messrs. Jones and Creagh upon 
 Mare, the Rev. Samuel (now Dr.) McFarlane was sent to Pao's aid 
 upon Lifu, and three years later the Rev. James Sleigh joined him. 
 In forming and guiding the native Church, in founding an institution 
 for training pastors and teachers, in organizing day schools, and in 
 translating the New Testament into the Lifu tongue, Mr. McFarlane 
 found full employment. Unfortunately, his work was much hindered 
 by the troubles with the French already referred to, and after twelve 
 years' residence upon Lifu, Mr. McFarlane was chosen by the 
 directors as one of the leaders of the mission to New Guinea. But 
 Mr. Sleigh remained at his post. He had taken his share of duty and 
 responsibility before his colleague left, and had assisted him in revis- 
 ing the New Testament translation. After that colleague's departure, 
 he had to bear the burden alone. For twenty-six years he had this 
 honour, and by quiet, patient labour, did much to confirm and strengthen 
 the faith of the people. Uvea, the third island of the group, upon which 
 missionaries have lived, was first of all under the care of the Rev. 
 Samuel Ella, who settled there after his removal from Samoa. For 
 twelve years (1864-1876), though much harassed by the French, Mr. 
 Ella bravely held on. For many years now he has lived in retire- 
 ment in Sydney. His place — indeed, one may say the place of all the 
 Loyalty Islands missionaries — is filled to-day by the Rev. James Had- 
 field, now the only missionary of the Society in the group. For sixteen 
 years — first at Lifu, then at Uvea, now at Lifu again — Mr. Hadfield 
 held, and still holds, the fort. He is on good terms Avith the rulers, 
 and is the trusted friend of the native pastors and churches, while 
 from his training classes a number of young men are from time to 
 time coming forth to take up the work. Ably seconded in his efforts 
 by his wife, Mr. Hadfield finds much to cheer him. Renewed in 
 health and strength by a visit to England, he recently went back to 
 the islands, and since his return has been able to write in a cheerful, 
 hopeful spirit. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 OTHER LABOURERS IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN. 
 " Each as the Lord f^ave to htmj^ 
 
 HIS " Story of the South Seas" might easily be 
 enlarged. Not half of what might be told 
 has found its way into these pages. There 
 is room for a second volume, recounting the 
 adventures, the trials, the sufferings, and the 
 successes of other missionaries, who, follow- 
 ing those of the London Missionary Society^ 
 have been honoured to do a like work in 
 different parts of the Pacific. A few pages 
 onl}^ can be given to such a record here^ 
 yet this book would mislead, and would be 
 sadly incomplete, were it to close without 
 frank and grateful recognition of the 
 labours of other societies. The fruits of a 
 hundred years' toil are more than enough 
 to convince any candid mind that the religion of Jesus Christ is suited 
 to the most degraded races and tribes ; and as these fruits have grown 
 upon different trees, they further show that in no one way, and by no 
 single set of men, does God carry forward His gracious plans, but that 
 a Paul, an ApoUos, and a Cephas, alike has his own special share, both 
 of duty and of reward. 
 
 First, in order of time, came the mission to the Maoris of New Zea- 
 land. A Church of England chaplain, stationed at Paramatta, in the 
 infant colony of New South Wales, the Rev. Samuel Marsden by 
 name, became greatly interested in these brave, intelligent, but savage 
 
 2S3 
 
MAORI WOMAN AND CHILD- 
 
OTHER LABOURERS IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN 235 
 
 people, and encouraged their chiefs to visit him. The Maoris belong 
 to the Malayo-Polynesian race. Mr. Marsden hoped that, by means 
 of a colony of emigrant artisans, he might tame and civilize the un- 
 couth and ferocious natives, and so prepare them to receive Christian 
 teaching ; but in this he made a serious mistake, as he himself after- 
 wards found out. He was beginning at the wrong end. A Maori 
 sailor, to whom he was kind on board ship when returning from 
 England to Sydney, became the instrument in God's hands for opening 
 the door to New Zealand. This man, whose name was Tuatara, 
 remained with Mr. Marsden for six months, and was so touched by 
 the chaplain's goodness and gentleness that his heart was completely 
 won. On his return home he took such delight in repeating the 
 story of Mr. Marsden's helpful friendliness that that clergyman's 
 name was soon widely known as '' the friend of the Maoris." Shortly 
 after, at the invitation of Tuatara and six chiefs, who came over to 
 visit him, the convict chaplain himself sailed to New Zealand. A 
 band of naked warriors, armed with clubs and spears, awaited him on 
 the beach, and with wild but genuine heartiness welcomed him. By 
 yells, war dances, the brandishing of clubs and spears, terrible con- 
 tortions of the face, and violent movements of the body, the savage 
 fellows tried to show him how glad they were to see him. Even 
 Tuatara was alarmed at their fierceness, and urged his friend not to 
 land ; but Marsden was as full of courage as of gentleness. Without 
 fear he stepped on shore and placed himself at the mercy of the 
 barbarous throng. He spent a. few days with them, one of which, 
 being Christmas Da}^, was marked by a special gathering for 
 Christian worship. A large number of chiefs and warriors assembled. 
 They did not understand what it all meant, but Tuatara did his best 
 to explain. That was in 18 14, and from that time onwards for a 
 quarter of a century Samuel Marsden lovingly watched over "his 
 beloved Maoris." Seven different times did he visit them, and on 
 each occasion he either opened a new station, arranged tribal disputes, 
 compiled a grammar, or in some other way conferred fresh blessings 
 upon the people. In 1819, for the first time, an ordained missionary 
 
236 , THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 went out from England to take up the work. Others joined him, and 
 fresh districts were from time to time occupied. For some years no 
 converts were made, though large congregations gathered. Then a 
 change took place, and the missionaries had the joy of seeing Maori 
 Christians walking in the way of the Lord. After a time New Zea- 
 land became a British colony, and with this came many changes, 
 among them the appointment of Bishop Selwyn to organize and guide 
 the native church. This bishop ranks second only to Marsden as a 
 Christian worker on behalf of New Zealand. A clergyman of noble 
 type, cultured, earnest. Christian to the very core, apostolic in zeal and 
 fervour, a man, too, of strong muscles and of fearless spirit, he was 
 well fitted for the task he was called to undertake. To that task he 
 gave himself without reserve. Maoris and Englishmen alike held him 
 in the highest esteem and affection. The Maoris are dying out, but 
 no less than 18,000 of them are in fellowship with the Church, and 
 some fifteen or sixteen Maori clergymen are at work as fellow- 
 labourers with English clergymen. The Wesleyan ^Methodists also 
 have a mission among the Maoris, nearly all of whom are now under 
 Christian instruction. 
 
 One outcome of Bishop Selwyn's work is what is generally known 
 as the Melanesian mission, a mission to the black oceanic races 
 found in the Northern New Hebrides and the Banks, Torres, Solomon, 
 and Santa Cruz groups of islands. Going first himself, he made 
 friends with the islanders, and induced a number of youths to go with 
 him to New Zealand. There he educated and trained them. Next he 
 secured a man of like spirit with himself to become the missionary- 
 bishop of these hitherto neglected islands. Bishop Patteson was the 
 man of his choice, and was a true hero of the cross, who laid down his 
 life as a martyr. He was killed in revenge for the slaughter of five 
 of their own number by the natives of Nukapu, one of a cluster of 
 small islands twenty miles north of Santa Cruz, which had recently 
 been visited by a labour vessel. Previous to his death. Bishop 
 Patteson had made Norfolk Island the headquarters of his work. A 
 steamer called the Southern Cross passes from island to island, and 
 
OTHER LABOURERS IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN 
 
 237 
 
 renders similar service to that rendered by the John Williams. 
 Patteson was succeeded by Bishop John Selwyn, a son of the founder 
 of the mission, but he has recently had to retire on account of his 
 liealth. There are about 9,000 Melanesian Christians, and nearly 5,000 
 scholars are under the care of Christian teachers. 
 
 On the northern side of the Pacific lies a cluster of islands called 
 Hawaii, or the Sandwich Islands. In 1820 a band of American 
 Congregationalists, sent out 
 by the American Board of 
 Commissioners for Foreign 
 Missions, a Society very 
 much the same in basis and 
 history as the London Mis- 
 sionary Society, began work 
 in these islands. At first 
 they received cool, not to say 
 hostile, treatment from the 
 king, who was under the in- 
 fluence of some godless white 
 settlers; but after a few 
 years' faithful labours, the 
 American missionaries began 
 to reap a rich harvest. They 
 reduced the language to writ- 
 ing, prepared lesson books, and 
 gathered both children and 
 adults into schools. Among 
 
 the scholars was the king himself. On the conversion of the king, 
 a law was passed insisting on the strict observance of the Lord's 
 Day. This naturally led to a large increase in places of worship 
 and the number of those attending them. The Bible was as quickly 
 as possible translated into the Hawaiian tongue. One striking feature 
 in mission work in the Sandwich Islands were the religious revivals 
 which from time to time occurred. From 1836 to 1838 one of these 
 
 BISHOP PATTESON. 
 
238 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 brought in large accessions. Immense crowds of nati\^es came to- 
 gether to hear the Word of God. Dr. Titus Coan was especially 
 blessed at that time. 'In one year he baptized 5,000 converts, and 
 1,700 of them in a single day ! Altogether this w\arm-hearted mis- 
 sionary baptized no less than 13,000 people. Books were written, 
 native ministers trained, useful agencies of all kinds started. Indeed, 
 in no part of the world has a more thorough-going work been done 
 than in the Sandwich Islands. The entire life of the natives has been 
 changed, and these islands are both civilized and Christianized. 
 Happily, too, they have thus far retained their independence. 
 
 From Hawaii the light has spread to some of the Gilbert Islands, 
 on others of which same group Samoan teachers are stationed. In 
 1857 the Rev. Hiram Bingham, son of one of the Hawaiian mission- 
 aries, settled among the Gilbert Islanders and reduced their language 
 to writing. For thirty-four years this devoted missionary and his no 
 less devoted wife gave time and strength to the translation first of the 
 New and then of the Old Testament. Together, we are told, they went 
 over '^ every letter, every word, every point, in writing, transcribing, 
 proof-reading, and it was a joyous occasion on April nth, 1893, to 
 add the finishing touch to their labours. It is not often that one man 
 has done all in translating the Scriptures ; but in Mr. Bingham's case 
 it has been accomplished." 
 
 In many respects the Wesleyan Mission in Tonga and Fiji is the 
 most wonderful of all. These islands were the home of savage can- 
 nibalism, and of everything bad in South Sea island heathenism. 
 We referred in a former chapter to the friendly arrangement entered 
 into by John Williams and the Wesleyan brethren. At the risk of 
 their lives Messrs. Cargill and Cross settled in Fiji. To quote a 
 summary written by the late Dr. Steel, they "• had a painful struggle 
 amid a people with such reckless disregard for human life and its 
 tenderest ties, and with an appetite for human flesh never excelled 
 even among the Maoris. The Gospel at length gained influence, 
 natives were converted, and women were saved from strangling on 
 the death of their husbands. In 1857 Thakombau, the great cannibal 
 
OTHER LABOURERS IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN 239 
 
 chief and conqueror, was baptized before a congregation, many of 
 whose wives he had dishonoured, widows whose husbands he had 
 eaten, women whose brothers he had murdered. He learned to read, 
 he learned to rule, he protected the missionaries, he aided the advanc- 
 ing cause of Christianity, and when white settlers were pressing into 
 the islands, he voluntarily offered them, with full consent of all the 
 chiefs, to the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. The Scriptures 
 were translated partially at first in fifteen dialects, and finally in one, 
 now known and read by all Fijians. Mr. Calvert, who went to Fiji 
 in 1838, three years after the mission began, lived to see a glorious 
 result in the jubilee of the Fijian Church in 1885. The Rev. John 
 Watsford, his colleague, still alive in a green old age of faith and 
 holiness, witnessed alike the horrors of heathenism, the strangling of 
 widows, and the marvellous triumph of the Gospel of Christ in Fiji. 
 In 1835 there was no Christian native there, and in 1885 there was 
 not an avowed heathen Fijian in eighty inhabited islands. There are 
 only 10 white missionaries, but there are 65 native ordained ministers, 
 41 catechists, 1,016 head teachers and preachers, 1,889 local preachers^ 
 28,147 accredited communicants, and 4,112 on trial, 3,206 class leaders^ 
 1,824 schools, with 40,000 pupils, and 106,000 people attending public 
 worship. There is a college at Navuloa with 100 students in the 
 higher departments of education. Governors, naval officers, travellers, 
 and colonists, have all testified to the thorough work of transforma- 
 tion wrought by means of the Wesleyan Methodist mission. Miss 
 Gordon Gumming, after two years in Fiji, says : " You may pass from 
 ^ isle to isle, certain everywhere to find the same cordial reception by 
 ^ kindly men and women. Every village in the eighty inhabited islands 
 has built for itself a tidy church, and a good house for its teacher or 
 native minister, for whom the village also provides food and clothing. 
 * Can you realize,' she asks, ' that there are 900 ' (she might have said 
 1,100) ^ Wesleyan churches in Fiji, at every one of which the frequent 
 services are crowded by devout congregations ; that the schools are 
 well attended ; that the first sound which greets your ear at dawn 
 and the last at night is that of hymn-singing, and the most fervent 
 
240 
 
 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 worship rising from each dwelling at the hour of family prayer ? * 
 Well may we exclaim, ' What hath God wrought ! ' The Scriptures in 
 Fijian have been largely circulated — 10,000 of the whole Bible and 
 50,000 of the New Testament. The Pilgrim's Progress^ Christian 
 theology, catechisms, and hymns have been printed for the people 
 
 KlAw IHAKv^AlBAU. 
 
 !Many have been the triumphs of the Wesleyan Methodist missions, but 
 Fiji is the gem of their crown. The sphere of missions has been ex- 
 tended thence to New Britain and New Guinea. To the former the 
 Rev. George Brown, now D.D., led a band of self-denying native 
 teachers among desperate cannibals. The wife of one of these 
 teachers, when warned of the perils, said : ' The outrigger must go 
 with the canoe ; I go with my husband ! ' In the face of difficulties, 
 
OTHER LABOURERS IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN 241 
 
 bloodshed and trials, the missionaries persevered, and now* there are 
 in New Britain 3 European missionaries, 2 native ministers, 45 local 
 preachers, 900 communicants, 1,300 Sabbath scholars, and 6,000 people 
 worshipping in 41 churches they have built. In New Guinea, more 
 recently commenced, there are 4 ordained missionaries, i lay and i 
 lady missionary, 26 teachers, 44 communicants, 8 schools, 240 scholars, 
 and 5,790 attendants at public worship in 8 churches." 
 
 The earliest attempts to take the Gospel to the New Hebrides have 
 been described at great length in these pages, and also the agreement 
 entered into with the Presbyterians. Native teachers in the first 
 instance, and afterwards European missionaries, had to bear great 
 privations, and in many instances to lose their lives, in gaining an 
 entrance among these treacherous and cruel islanders. Where could 
 one find a more pathetic inscription than the following, which is to 
 be seen on a wooden tablet in the native church at Dillon's Bay, 
 Eromanga? 
 
 Sacred to the memory 
 
 of Christian Missionaries, who died on this Island. 
 
 John Williams, 
 
 James Harris, 
 
 Killed at Dillon's Bay by the natives, 
 
 30 November^ 1839. 
 
 George N. Gordon, 
 
 Ellen C. Gordon, 
 
 Killed on 20 May\ 1861. 
 
 James McNair, 
 
 Who died at Dillon's Bay 16 Jidy^ 1870; and 
 
 James D. Gordon, 
 
 Killed at Portmia Bay, 7 March ^ 1872. 
 
 The death of his brother George served only as a call to James 
 
 Gordon to take his place, and, as the sequel proved, to meet the same 
 
 fate. But in spite of all opposition and difficulty, amid many perils 
 
 and hardships, John Geddie held on bravely on the island of Aneityum 
 
 for twenty-four years, and his colleague, John Inglis, for twenty-five 
 
242 THE STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS 
 
 years, and through the blessing of God won the entire island for 
 Christ. John G. Paton, and others, joined in the work, and now in 
 thirty islands of the group there are stations, and twelve of the islands 
 are Christian. 
 
 Thus *' the little one" becomes ''a thousand, and the small one a 
 strong nation " ; thus ** mightily grows the word of the Lord and 
 prevails." Savagism, cannibalism, barbarism, are not yet at an end ; 
 the Pacific is not yet wholly Christian. But the promises of God and 
 the history of the past hundred years alike assure us that the day 
 will surely come when this shall verily come to pass, and the isles with 
 their dusky inhabitants all be gathered into the Kingdom of Christ. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Aitutaki, arrival of Rev. J. Williams and 
 
 native teachers at, 78 ; second visit of Mr. 
 
 Williams in the Endeavour, and opening of 
 
 new chapel, 79; idolatry overthrown, 80; 
 
 noble contribution to the L.M.S., 105; 
 
 review of religious work and workers in 
 
 the island, 209. 
 American Boai'd of Commissioners for Foreign 
 
 Missions' work in Hawaii, 206. 
 Amusements, banishment of heathen, 173. 
 Aneityum, Island of, native teachers landed, 
 
 139- 
 
 Auura, a chief of Rurutu, driven to the Society 
 Islands and converted to Christianity, 73 ; 
 return to his home witli native teachers, 74. 
 
 Baxter, Miss, of Dundee, gift of Ellengoivan 
 steamer by, 188. 
 
 Camden brig, purchase of, 126, and departure 
 for the wSouth Seas, 127 ; sale of, 199. 
 
 Chase, Captain, testimony to kindness of Ru- 
 rutuans when he was shipwrecked, 76. 
 
 Dnff, the, purchase of, 5 ; departure witli 
 first party of missionaries, i, 5 ; detention 
 at Spithead and final departure, 7; arrival 
 at Tahiti, 8 ; attempted seizure at Tonga- 
 tabu, 14; visit to the Marquesas Isles, 15 ; 
 return to Tahiti, 15 ; second visit to Tonga- 
 tabu, 16 ; homeward bound, and arrival in 
 London, 16 ; capture by French privateer, 
 16. 
 
 Ellengowan steamer, gift of, 188. 
 
 Endeavour schooner, purchase of, and arrival 
 at Aitutaki, 79. 
 
 Eromanga, island of, murder of Messrs. Wil- 
 liams and Harris, 131 ; teachers stationed, 
 134, and witlidrawn, 136 ; kindness of a 
 native to the teachers, 137 ; tablet to the 
 
 memory of Christian missionaries who died 
 
 on the island, 210 
 Erskine, Captain, description of the Fatese 
 
 by, 159- 
 Fauea, a Samoan chief, accompanies Rev. J. 
 
 Williams to Samoa, in. 
 Fiji, commencement of work in, in; work 
 
 of Wesleyan Mission in, 207. 
 Futuna, Island of, Samoan teachers landed, 
 
 138, and massacred, 157 ; further attempt 
 
 to introduce Christianity, 158. 
 Gilbert Islands, mission work in, 207. 
 Gordon-Cumming, Miss, testimony to success 
 
 of mission work in Fiji, 208. 
 Haamanemane, high -priest to the idol gods of 
 
 Tahiti, friendliness to Captain Wilson, ii. 
 Hawaii' (Sandwich Islands), work of American 
 
 missionaries in, 206. 
 Ilaweis, Rev. Dr., chaplain to Countess of 
 
 Huntingdon, and one of first directors of 
 
 L.M.S., 2. 
 Haiveis schooner, building and disposal of, 
 
 53- 
 
 Ilervey (Cook) Islands, review of religious 
 work in, 207 ; decrease of population, 209. 
 
 House and chapel building, 180. 
 
 Iluahine, arrival of missionaries at, 24; ar- 
 rival of the Haweis with missionaries, 61 ; 
 idolatry prohibited, 64. 
 
 Idia, mother of King Pomare II., death of, 
 
 32. 
 
 Idolatry, overthrow of, 26. 
 
 John Williains barque, and her three succes- 
 sors, 199. 
 
 Lifu, Island of, landing of Pao, 149 ; " Can- 
 nibal Charley," 150; teachers driven from 
 the island, 152, but asked to return, 153; 
 
244 
 
 INDEX 
 
 rapid growth of Christian work, 153; zeal 
 of Lifuans for pioneer work in New Guinea, 
 185. 
 
 London Missionary Society, foundation of, 2 ; 
 farewell to first missionaries at Haber- 
 dashers' Hall, 5. 
 
 Loyalty Islands, review of religious work in, 
 230. 
 
 Malietoa, a Samoan chief, visits Messenger of 
 Peace, 1 13. 
 
 Mangaia, discouraging reception of missionaries 
 at, ^1 ; Papeiha's bravery, 84 ; native 
 teachers landed in 1825, 85 ; review of 
 religious work and workers in the island, 
 211. 
 
 Maoris of New Zealand, mission to the, 202. 
 
 Mare, Island of, how the way was prepared 
 by God, 141 ; native teachers landed, 141 ; 
 native customs, 141. 
 
 Marquesas Isles, arrival of Mr. Crook at, 15. 
 
 Matetau, a Samoan chief, anxiety for a teacher, 
 
 115- 
 
 Medical Mission work, 182, 
 
 Melanesia, mission work in, 205. 
 
 *• Me " (May) meetings, 180. 
 
 Messeiigcr of Peace built, 97, and launched, 
 103 ; voyage to the Hervey Islands and 
 Samoa, 104. 
 
 Missionaries referred to in **The Story": — 
 Miss Ardill, 217; H. Bicknell, 24, 60; C. 
 Barff, 47, 104, 205 ; A. Buzacott, 99, 105, 
 118, 148, 170, 216 ; H. Bingham, 207 ; Dr. 
 George Brown, 209 ; J. Barff, 206 ; W. P. 
 Crook, 15, 59 ; Mr. Cross (Wesleyan), no, 
 ^ 207; Mr. Cunningham, 131 ; J. Chalmers, 
 188, 217; Dr. Titus Coan, 207; Mr. Car- 
 gill, 207 ; J. Calvert, 208 ; A. Chisholm, 
 206; E. V. Cooper, 207; W. E. Clarke, 22S; 
 S. M. Creagh, 231 ; J. Davies, 25, 61, 205 ; 
 D. Darling, 47, 59 ; G. Drummond, 222 ; 
 S. H. Davies, 226; W. Ellis, 47, 49, 53, 
 58, 61 ; S. Ella, 226, 232 ; Dr. Graham, 
 16 ; W. Gill, 127, 163, 213, 216; Mr. 
 Geddie, 161 ; G. Gill, 164, 213, 214, 217 ; 
 G. N. Gordon, 2IO ; Ellen C. Gordon, 210 ; 
 J. D. Gordon, 210; J. L. Green, 206; W. 
 
 W. Gill, 214, 217 ; II. Gee, 223 ; W. E_ 
 Goward, 228 ; J. Hayvvard, 24, 25, 29 ; W. 
 Henry, 25, 205; C. Hardie, 127, 223; J. 
 Harris (Murder of), 131, 210; T. Heath, 
 132 ; ^V. Howe, 206; G. A. Harris, 214;. 
 J. J. K. IIutchin,2i7 ; W. Harbutt, 222 ; J. 
 W. Hills, 228 ; A. E. Hunt, 228 ; J. Iladfiekl, 
 232 ; J. Jefferson, 23 ; T. Joseph, 206 ; J. 
 Jones, 231 ; W. Krause, 206, 217 ; J. King,. 
 223 ; W. G. Lawes, 164, 188, 229 ; F. E. 
 Lawes, 164, 229 ; \V. N. Lawrence, 211 ; 
 Miss Large, 228; A. W. Murray, 128, 135, 
 154, 161, 185, 221; S. McFarlane, 154,. 
 185, 188, 190, 232 ; S. Marsden, 202 ; J. 
 McNair, 210 ; J, Marriott, 225 ; W. Mills, 
 226 ; Miss Moore, 228 ; H. Nott, 23, 25,. 
 33, 56, 100, 205 ; H. Nisbet, 155, 163, 
 223-226; J. E. Newell, 225; J. M. Orsmond, 
 61 ; G. Plait, 47, 59, 205 ; C. Pitman, 96, 
 105, 118, 216; J. G. Paton, 156, 211; A. 
 Pearse, 190, 207 ; Bishop Patteson, 205 ; G. 
 Pritchard, 206 ; G. Pratt, 222 ; T. Powell, 
 222 ; H. Royle, 127, 209 ; E. Rudolph, 
 206 ; W. E, Richards, 207 ; W. Scott, 25, 
 29; J. P. Sunderland, 154, 222; G. Stall- 
 worthy, 164, 206, 222 ; Bishop Selwyn,. 
 205 ; A. Simpson, 206 ; A. T. Saville, 207 ; 
 Miss Scbultze, 228 ; J. Sleigh, 232; L. E. 
 Threlkeld, 67,72; Mr. Turner (Wesleyan), 
 no ; Dr. George Turner, 127, 155, 223-226; 
 G. Turner, M.D., 226; J. C. Vivian, 207 ; 
 C. Wilson, 25, 32 ; J. Williams (see fuller 
 record); J. Watsford, 2oS ; S. J. Whitmee^ 
 223, 226. 
 
 Moorea, flight of missionaries to, 24 ; opening 
 of Pom are's chapel, 30 ; burning of idols by 
 Patii the priest, 33 ; the first native martyrs, 
 34 ; refugee Christians from Tahiti, 36 ; 
 printing press established, 49 ; formation of 
 a missionary society, 54. 
 
 Native teachers and pastors, institutions and 
 colleges for the training of, 179. 
 
 New Britain, mission work in, 209. 
 
 New Caledonia, discovery of, 142 ; native cus- 
 toms, 142 ; teachers landed, 144, and their 
 perils, 145, 146. 
 
INDEX 
 
 24S 
 
 New Guinea, discovery of, 1S3 ; joining hands 
 to save, 183 ; commencement of mission 
 work, 183 ; description of natives, 190 ; 
 noble army of South Sea Island missionaries 
 and martyi's, 192 ; massacre of teachers at 
 Kalo, 194 ; murder of Tauraki, 196 ; pro- 
 gress of the work, 201. 
 
 New Hebrides Islands, work in, 134. 
 
 Night of toil, 26. 
 
 Niue (Savage Island) visited by the Messen<^er 
 of Peace, 107 ; a frenzied old chief, 107 ; 
 murder of native youths who had sailed in 
 Messenger of Peace, 116; further attempts to 
 establish Christianity, 161 ; solid progress, 
 163 ; review of religious work on the island, 
 227 ; presentation of lugger Niw: to the 
 New Guinea Mission, 230. 
 
 Oito (Petero), conversion of, 29. 
 
 Other labourers in the Southern Ocean, 202. 
 
 Otu (Pomare II.) and Idia, king and queen of 
 Tahiti, cession of land to the missionaries, 
 and visits to the Duff, 12 ; death of the 
 king's motlier, 32 ; the king seeks baptism, 
 27 ; his clemency to his enemies and election 
 as king, 41 ; prayer composed by him, 42 ; 
 gift of his family idols to the missionaries, 
 and letter accompanying them, 44 ; gift of a 
 horse to the king, 48 ; Mr. Ellis' description 
 of Pomare, 48 ; baptism of Pomare, 60 ; his 
 death, 61. 
 
 Pao, a Rarotongan teacher, lands at Lifu, 149 ; 
 his apostolic work, 152; departure from, 
 152, and return to Lifu, 153. 
 
 Papeiha, native teacher, arrival at Aitutaki, 
 78 ; bravely landed at Mangaia, 84, and at 
 Rarotonga, 86 ; first interview with Tino- 
 mana, 90 ; boldness among the heathen, 91. 
 
 Patteson, Bishop, martyrdom at Nukapu, 205. 
 
 Pines, Isle of, teachers landed, 134, and mur- 
 dered, 144. 
 
 Politics, missionaries and, 18 r. 
 
 Pomare, father of King Otu, visits to the 
 Duff, 12. 
 
 Pomare II. {see Otu). 
 
 Pomare III. made king, 117; death of, I17. 
 
 Raiatea, missionaries invited to, by King 
 
 Tamatoa, d^ ; description of the island, 67 ; 
 baptism of first converts, . 72 ; first native 
 contributions to L.M.S., 72 ; native teachers 
 ordained for work in Rurutu, 72 ; receiving 
 surrendered idols from Rurutu, 74 ; death of 
 Chief Tamatoa, 117. 
 
 Rarotonga, discovery by Rev. J.Williams, 86 ; 
 ill-treatment of native teachers, 86 ; Papeiha's 
 bravery, 86 ; a heathen woman prepares the 
 way, 88 ; boldness of Papeiha, 91 ; first idol 
 burned, 93 ; opposition by heathen, 93 ; 
 frightened by a cat, 94 ; new chapel, 97 ; a 
 church erected, 97 ; Messetiger of Peace built, 
 97, and launched, 103; scourge of ague, 105 ; 
 bitter opposition of heathen, 106 ; progress 
 of Christianity, 116; hurricane and famine, 
 118; New Testament printed, 125; review 
 of religious work and workers, 215 ; suc- 
 cess of the Institution for training native 
 teachers, 217. 
 
 Robson, Captain, succeeds Captain Wilson on 
 the Duff, 16. 
 
 Roman Catholics, intrusion into the mission 
 field of, 175. 
 
 Royal Admiral, arrival at Tahiti, 23. ■ 
 
 Ruatoka, native teacher at Port Moresby, faith- 
 ful work of, 198. 
 
 Rurutu, how the Gospel was brought to, 72 ; 
 surrender of idols, 74 ; kindness of natives 
 to a shipwrecked crew, 76. 
 
 Samoa, arrival of Messenger of Peace, 1 1 1 , 
 and visit of King Malietoa, 113; burning 
 of prisoners, 113; second visit of Rev. J. 
 Williams, 118; pleasing surprises, 119; 
 second stage of progress, 127, 128 ; reviev/ 
 of religious work and workers in the group, 
 219 ; success of the Malua Training Institu- 
 tion, 223 ; political and social unrest, 226. 
 
 Schools, importance in the mission field of, 177. 
 
 Society Islands, destruction of idols through- 
 out the group, 44 ; annexation by France, 
 202 ; review of workers, 205- 
 
 South Sea Island missionaries and martyrs in 
 New Guinea, noble army of, 192. 
 
 Superstitions about the sky and earth among 
 South Sea Islanders, 170. 
 
246 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Tahiti (Otaheite), discovery of, and descrip- 
 tion, 6; decision to commence mission in, 
 2 ; departure of first missionaries for, 5, 
 and arrival there, 8 ; the first landing, 1 1 ; 
 Matavai ceded to the missionaries, 12; 
 early days of the mission, 17 ; retirement 
 of missionaries to Sydney, '19 ; terrible nature 
 of heathenism, 19; sacrifices to Oro, 20; 
 other idols, 20; slaying of infants, 21 ; 
 erection of first chapel, 23 ; arrival of the 
 Royal Admiral, 23 ; preparation of lesson- 
 books, 24 ; five years without supplies for 
 missionaries, 24 ; war and flight of mission- 
 aries to Moorea, 24 ; the darkest night and 
 the first streaks of dawn, 24 ; staff of 
 workers in 1812, 24 ; return of Messrs. 
 Scott and liayward, 29 ; casting away of 
 idols, 31 ; death of Idia, the king's mother, 
 32 ; plot to massacre Christians, 36 ; chiefs 
 invited back, 37 ; war, 37 ; destruction of 
 Oro and his temple, 40 ; clemency of 
 Pomare to his enemies and his election as 
 king, 41 ; further destruction of idols, 42 ; 
 prayer composed by Pomare, 42 ; arrival of 
 new workers in 1817, including Revs. W. 
 Ellis and J. Williams, 47 ; erection of 
 Royal Mission Chapel, 57, and opening 
 services, 58; proclamation of laws, 59; bap- 
 tism of Pomare, 60 ; death of Pomare, 61 ; 
 advance, 116, 117; political and religious 
 results of annexation by France, 202 ; 
 transference to Paris Missionary Society, 
 204; review of workers, 205. 
 
 Tamatoa, Chief of Raiatea, death of, 117. 
 
 Tanna, Island of, visit of Rev. T. Heath to, 
 132; description of Tannese, 132; death 
 of Samoan teachers, 136; arrival of Messrs. 
 Turner and Nisbet, 155, and their escape, 
 156 ; further attempts to introduce Christi- 
 anity, 156. 
 
 Tauraki, a Rarotongan teacher in New Guinea, 
 murder of, 196. 
 
 Teaching and training heathen converts, 165. 
 
 Thakombau, a great cannibal chief of Fiji, 
 baptism of, 207. 
 
 Tinomana taught to pray by Papeiha, 90 ; 
 he burns his idols, 93. 
 
 Tongatabu, landing of first missionaries on, 
 14 ; attempt by natives to seize the Dttff^ 
 14 ; second visit of the Duff, 16 ; 
 murder and flight of missionaries, 23 ; 
 work resumed by Wesleyans, 24, 207 ; 
 visited by Messenger of Peace, 110. 
 
 Tuahine, conversion of, and services to the 
 mission, 29. 
 
 Vate (or Fate), Island of, teachers landed, 158; 
 description of Fatese, 159 ; a trying field, 
 160; teachers murdered, 161 ; a fresh start 
 and first baptisms, 161, 
 
 Wesleyan Missionary Society, work in Ton- 
 gatabu, 24, and in Fiji, 207. 
 
 White men, difficulties in the mission field 
 caused by, 173. 
 
 Wilks, Rev, Matthew, one of the fathers and 
 founders of L.M.S., his relations with John 
 Williams, 71. 
 
 W^illiams, Rev. J., arrival in Tahiti, 47 ; his 
 offer of service, 69 ; brief history of his 
 earlier years, 70 ; work in Raiatea, 72 ; 
 departure for Aitutaki, 76, and description 
 of that island, ^2i ; second visit in the 
 Endeavour to Aitutaki, and opening of new 
 chapel there, 79 ; residence on Rarotonga, 
 96 ; church erection and building of Mes- 
 senger of Peace, 97, 103 ; voyage to the 
 Hervey Islands, Nine, Tongatabu, and 
 Samoa, 104; removal to Rarotonga, n8 ; 
 second voyage to Samoa, 118 ; visit to Eng- 
 land, 125, and departure in the Camden, 
 127 ; founds Rarotonga Training Institu- 
 tion, 128; departure for New Hebrides, 
 130, and murder at Eromanga, 131. 
 
 Wilson, Captain James, strange adventures 
 of, 3 ; offer to take charge of Dtiff", 4 ; 
 arrival at Tahiti, 8 ; visit to Tongatabu, 
 14, and Marquesas Isles, 15; departure for 
 and arrival in England, 16. 
 
 Wilson, Mr. C, detention in Raiatea, etc., 32. 
 
 Wilson, Mr. W., nephew of Captain Wilson, 
 survey of Tahiti by, 15. 
 
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