LETTERS AND SKETCHES 
 
 THE NEW HEBRIDES
 
 Dr. Paton, Mrs. Paton, and Family. 
 
 (Circa 1887.;
 
 LETTERS AND SKETCHES 
 
 THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON 
 
 (Mrs, Dr. John G. Paton of Aniwa) 
 
 EDITED BY HER BROTHER-IN-LAW, REV. JAS. PATON, B.A. 
 
 HODDER AND STOUGHTON 
 
 27, PATERNOSTER ROW 
 
 MDCCCXCIV
 
 Printtd by Hasell, Watson & Viney, Ld. t London and Aylfsbury.
 
 PREFACE 
 
 T N the Second Volume of the original edition of 
 * the Autobiography of John G. Paton, the Ninth 
 Chapter consisted of fragments of Letters from " the 
 graphic and gifted pen " of Mrs. John G. Paton. In 
 the Single Volume, or Popular Edition, the exigencies 
 of space demanded the excision of that Chapter 
 altogether. Many have been the regrets that have 
 reached me, from readers far and near, at the loss 
 of what they regarded as " a great enrichment " to 
 the Story ; and still more numerous have been the 
 expressions of a hope that those Letters might 
 appear entire, containing " the full-flowing descrip- 
 tions " which I had ventured to characterize as " one 
 of the most charming pieces of Missionary Literature " 
 with which I was acquainted. 
 
 My opinion thus reinforced, I set myself to gain, 
 and succeeded in gaining, Mrs. Paton's consent to 
 the publication of these Letters and Sketches from 
 the New Hebrides. Alas, they are still only frag-
 
 vi PREFACE 
 
 ments ! Some of the most memorable of these 
 Family Letters have gone astray in the hands of 
 careless or now unknown friends, to whom they 
 were lent in the course of their annual rounds, 
 and can no longer be traced. None of them were 
 originally intended for other eyes than those of 
 our Inner Circle. Hence the spontaneousness, the 
 life-like look and feeling, which distinguish these 
 Letters, and make them, in |my judgment, worthy 
 of being preserved and published. Their literary 
 grace is of the unconscious kind the rarest grace 
 of all. 
 
 A further reason that has made me eager to give 
 these Letters to the world is this : they present 
 another picture of Mission life and experiences in 
 the New Hebrides from that portrayed in the now 
 famous Autobiograpliy of her Husband. No feature 
 will be found in the one contradictory to the features 
 in the other ; but many lovely and thrilling scenes 
 of a supplementary and illuminative kind. Here we 
 have the Woman's delicate touch ; we see with the 
 Woman's eye ; and, above all, we have what has 
 been called "the saving grace of humour," which, 
 while it makes us sometimes smile where the other 
 would make us weep, does not thereby the less but 
 rather the more endear to us those beloved " Darkies " 
 of the Southern Seas.
 
 PREFACE vif 
 
 I do not pretend that my work or my anxiety 
 in preparing this Volume has not been very great. 
 Unlimited powers were, of course, given to me in 
 dealing with the materials put into my hands ; but 
 that only increased my sense of responsibility. From 
 the first word to the last, I have carefully copied 
 out the whole, and prepared and arranged every 
 page for the public eye. But no skilful or cultured 
 reader will need to be told that the Book, as now 
 presented, is solely the product of one pen and of 
 one mind, that of the Authoress herself; and that, 
 beyond the merest Literary setting and arrangement,, 
 no part of the writing is mine. 
 
 It is my hope that the many thousands who have 
 read the Autobiography of John G. Paton will rejoice 
 to see here the other but not less beautiful side of 
 the Shield. 
 
 JAMES PATON, 
 Editor. 
 
 GLASGOW, November, 1894.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 i 
 
 PAGE 
 
 BOUND FOR THE ISLANDS ...... I 
 
 (TO HER BELOVED SISTER AT EDINBURGH) 
 
 II 
 
 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES . . 4 
 
 (TO A FRIEND IN STIRLING) 
 
 III 
 
 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIWA . . . . . 30 
 
 (TO HER BELOVED SISTER AT EDINBURGH) 
 IV 
 
 GLIMPSES OF THE ANIWANS . . . . -59 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 V 
 
 EARLY MISSION DAYS ....... 70 
 
 (TO THE REV. DR. MACDONALD, SOUTH MELBOURNE) 
 VI 
 
 THE CHURCH OF GOD ON ANIWA . . . .84 
 
 (TO A LADY IN AUSTRALIA)
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 VII 
 
 PAGE 
 
 FRAGMENTS: DEATH AND THE "DAYSPRING" . . 94 
 
 (l. TO A LADY IN EDINBURGH) 
 
 (II. TO THE CHILDREN OF THE "DAYSPRING") 
 
 VIII 
 
 A TRIP TO THE COLONIES 104 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 IX 
 
 FAMILY LIFE AND CHURCH LIFE .... . 125 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 X 
 
 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD . . .143. 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 XI 
 HOME, SWEET HOME, ON ANIWA . . . X 6& 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 XII 
 
 THE MISSION FORCES AT WORK Igt 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 XIII 
 
 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 2O? - 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE)
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 XIV 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 244 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 XV 
 SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 303 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 APPENDIX TO XV 325 
 
 (TO HER DEAR SISTER-IN-LAW) 
 
 XVI 
 
 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT AND OF SHADOW . . . -331 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 XVII 
 
 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 . . . 355 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 APPENDIX 
 NOTE BY REV. WILLIAM WATT, MISSIONARY . .381
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 FAMILY GROUP Frontispiece 
 
 WILLIAMS I 
 
 MRS. G. N. GORDON ......... IQ 
 
 REV. G. N. GORDON ......... 19 
 
 MAP OF NEW HEBRIDES . . . .28 
 
 OLD NOWAR OF TANNA 53 
 
 CHRISTIAN ANEITYUMESE CHIEF ....... 6^ 
 
 THE CHIEF AND TEACHERS OF ANIWA ... 75 
 THE CHURCH OF ANIWA ........ 85 
 
 THE FIRST "DAYSPRING'' ........ 98 
 
 CHRISTIAN NATIVES OF ERROMANGA Ill 
 
 REV. I. D. GORDON . . . . . . . . -125 
 
 THE MURDERER OF GORDON, AND HIS CHILD .... 12J 
 
 THE SECOND " DAYSPRING " . . . . . . . 151 
 
 THE MISSION HOUSE ON ANIWA . . . . . . -179 
 
 A SCHOOL HOUSE ON ANIWA 193 
 
 HUTSHI 219 
 
 MISSION STATION AND GROUP OF CHRISTIAN NATIVES, ERROMANGA 239 
 
 YAWACI 242 
 
 MUNGAW 250 
 
 LITSI 25O 
 
 SKETCH OF VOLCANO ON TANNA, BY MRS. PATON .... 339 
 
 SKETCH OF ERROMANGA, BY MRS. PATON 343 
 
 MISSION STATION, DILLON 's BAY, ERROMANGA . . . .361 
 
 THE SCOTCH CHURCH, PORT RESOLUTION . . . . .381
 
 BOUND FOR THE ISLANDS 
 
 (TO HER BELOVED SISTER AT EDINBURGH) 
 
 SYDNEY, January ijth, 1865. 
 
 MY OWN DEAREST ELIZABETH, My heart always 
 fills, when I think of the great distance there is now 
 between us, and how long it may be before we meet 
 again ! I began first actually to realize it, when 
 being towed out, on the Sabbath morning we left 
 Liverpool. I could only bury my face in the pillow, 
 and almost groan your name over and over. By the 
 time we got up, we were out of sight of land, until 
 in the afternoon we sighted the Welsh coast. It was 
 a lovely day, and the villages near the shore shone 
 so, pretty and clean, though the land itself looked 
 rocky and barren. 
 
 ... I think I described to you, ere leaving, our 
 dear little cabin. We found it very comfortable 
 indeed ; the more so, as for convenience Captain Ellis 
 allowed us to get on deck by the " companion " that 
 led up from the bath-room, communicating with his 
 room and ours. He is a fine specimen of the thorough 
 English gentleman, and has been exceedingly kind 
 to us during all the voyage. So has every other 
 
 i
 
 BOUND FOR THE ISLANDS 
 
 Officer, especially Mr. Friend, the first mate, who did 
 everything for our comfort that he could possibly 
 think of. 
 
 ... I have been so engaged, since coming to 
 Sydney, that I could not settle to letter-writing ; and 
 now (January i8th) we are arranging to go off in 
 the Dayspring to Adelaide, passing round, however, 
 by Hobart Town and Launceston. Mother and I 
 are a little timid about sailing again, as we had a 
 month's very severe sickness at the commencement 
 of our late voyage. Indeed, our dear Mother did not 
 quite get over it, all the way. We lived almost entirely 
 on deck, only going down when absolutely necessary ; 
 and we, at least I, got to be very fond of the sea life, 
 though, alas, wofully subject to the dreaded sickness. 
 We had sometimes almost to be carried on deck, and 
 lay there the whole day our meals being brought 
 up to us, when we could face them at all ! 
 
 . . . Having sighted land only twice namely, 
 St. Antonio and Trinidad we reached Sydney on 
 December 27th, 1864, after a very smooth passage of 
 ninety-five days, enlivened by two somewhat severe 
 but very brief gales. We entered the Heads about 
 six o'clock in the evening. The Bay is beyond any- 
 thing 1 had ever imagined, and may truly be said 
 to be one of the finest in the world. I sat perfectly 
 entranced, and wondering how I could give you any 
 idea of it, when Mr. Mitchell (the gentleman about 
 whom J. H. wrote to us, and who has been such a 
 friend) coming up asked what I thought of it. I told
 
 A BEAUTIFUL BAY 
 
 him that I was wondering how I could find language 
 to describe it to my sister at home. He answered : 
 " Tell her, it is indescribable. To attempt it would 
 only be to murder it. It must be seen to be under- 
 stood ! " And I must add, I am quite of that 
 opinion. To me, however, at that moment, it sug- 
 gested only Loch Lomond on a larger and grander 
 scale. But the hills are covered with gum trees ; and 
 magnificent houses and monuments are studded here 
 and there, high among the trees, and far along the 
 shore. It seemed like Fairy Land, with the pure and 
 wondrous atmosphere. We had a lovely peep at 
 Sydney, just as the sun was setting behind the spires ; 
 but, for the time at least, I had no inclination to enter 
 the land of strangers, however fascinating. How 
 different had it been dear old Scotland ! So I opened 
 my locket in a quiet corner, and had a good " cry " 
 as I gazed once more on your beloved likeness. 
 How often have I looked at it, during the voyage ; 
 and two or three times I have caught myself passing 
 my fingers lovingly over it, when too dark to have 
 another look ! 
 
 . . . We have been staying with Dr. and Mrs. 
 Moon, very good and very kind friends. I must tell 
 you what we saw in Sydney by the next mail, but 
 the pleasantest thing I met with there was your 
 precious letter. How I did devour it ! Kiss your 
 darlings. Tell them they are never out of my mind. 
 Your ever affectionate sister, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 II 
 
 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 (TO A FRIEND IN STIRLING) 
 
 MAR, LOYALTY ISLANDS, 
 
 October 17 th, 1865. 
 
 MY DEAR FRIEND, Our visits to the different 
 Colonies we enjoyed very much. The people were 
 exceedingly kind to us, and some of them are now 
 my dear friends. Hobart Town and Launceston are 
 very like Scotland as regards climate and cultivation ; 
 but Sydney is certainly the most beautiful, or rather I 
 should say the surroundings of Sydney, for the town 
 itself is rather unfinished-looking, and the buildings 
 very irregular. The Harbour, however, more than 
 makes up for any defects. 
 
 . . . Mr. Paton's work was so pressing that he was 
 obliged to leave Adelaide the moment his business 
 was finished, and before it was thought prudent for 
 me to accompany him. I joined him at length in 
 Melbourne, a few days only before we had to sail 
 back to Sydney. It was rather an undertaking to go 
 alone thither, with my Baby only five weeks old ; but 
 he is one of those sweet charming little things that 
 
 4
 
 SAILING FOR ANEITYUM 
 
 give no trouble (so his mother thinks !), and we 
 reached Melbourne after a short and pleasant passage 
 of only two days. I enjoyed the short stay there 
 very much ; was out driving a great deal, and saw 
 most of the town and some of the outskirts ; but 
 missed seeing several of the kind friends who called 
 for me. We heard, to our delight, just before leaving 
 Melbourne, that the steamer with Mr. and Mrs. Niven 
 had arrived. We were obliged to go, however, as our 
 passage had been taken ; but Rev. Mr. Ramsay kindly 
 promised to receive them. 
 
 . . . We sailed for Aneityum on May 2Oth, but 
 did not get out to sea for a few days, the wind being 
 contrary. Indeed, our passage altogether was rather 
 disagreeable, as our little vessel was uncomfortably 
 loaded with goods for the Mission families, besides 
 our own and Mr. Niven's furniture. A number of 
 Natives, too, were being taken to their different 
 islands ; but this was all nothing, had the wind been 
 favourable, which it was not for a great part of the 
 way. In fact, we got frightened at last to ask Captain 
 Fraser how the wind was, the answer for so many 
 mornings had been " Dead ahead ! " 
 
 Mrs. Ella and her little son were with us, going to 
 join Mr. Ella at Wea, and we enjoyed her society 
 very much. We encountered a severe gale, and one 
 night we were startled into consciousness by a noise 
 like thunder, and by water rushing in upon us. A 
 sailor called out, immediately after, that Mr. Ella's 
 boat had gone ! - A heavy sea had swept over the
 
 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 deck right in the centre, carrying all before it ; even 
 the davits were wrenched off, and lost with the boat. 
 Had any of the men been in the way, nothing could 
 have saved them. A deal of damage was done to 
 the ship, and we lost two centre tables, two beds, and 
 some other things ; but they never cost us a thought 
 we were so taken up with poor Mr. Ella's loss. 
 The boat was a fine large one, given by a congregation 
 in Sydney. It cost between 4.0 and 50. The 
 whole amount lost, Captain Fraser and Mr. Paton 
 estimated at 150 (or more I forget the exact 
 figure), and all the work of a few moments ! 
 
 It was very providential that no lives were lost, 
 with so many Natives on board ; but they are generally 
 sick, and safe in their berths, when the weather is the 
 least rough. A vessel cannot be manned with a 
 Native crew. Captain Fraser has tried it ; but, had 
 he trusted them, the vessel would have been lost. 
 At the very time they are most required, they are 
 sick and wrapped up in their blankets, and neither 
 promises nor threats will induce them to turn out ! 
 They do very well for pulling a boat, but even then 
 they require a head and guide. 
 
 1 remember seeing a number of Natives assembled 
 on the deck-house one Sabbath for Service, which 
 Mr. Paton conducted in what is here termed Sandal- 
 wood English a sort of peculiar broken English, 
 which traders use with the Natives all over the Islands. 
 I was amazed to see how he had gained the attention 
 of all, when not above two or three of them knew the
 
 A SANDAL-WOOD SERMON 
 
 same language. They were looking earnestly into 
 his face, and evidently drinking in every word. I 
 crept nearer, and, listening attentively, heard such 
 sentences as the following : JeJiovaJi very good. He 
 love Black Man all same White Man. He send Son 
 belonga Him. He die for all Man. I could hardly 
 help smiling at first, but soon got as interested as the 
 Natives. A few of them came to our Service after- 
 wards, but, as might be expected, they could not 
 understand. At the first Native Service Mr. Paton 
 had a coloured audience, speaking eight different 
 languages. 
 
 Three Tanna men were on board, in whom, of course, 
 Mr. Paton was most deeply interested two of them 
 having been " stolen " from him there by a Hobart 
 Town whaler. They were in a vessel in Melbourne, 
 and, hearing that their " Missi " was in Sydney and 
 about to sail for the Islands, they made great efforts 
 to get to him. They got the Mariners' Chaplain to 
 intercede with their Captain, in whose hands they 
 had sufficient money to carry them to Sydney. He 
 allowed them to go. They came by steamer, met 
 him on the street, and, coming up with a bright smile 
 of recognition, exclaimed, " Missi Paton ! " He did 
 not know them at first. They turned sorrowfully to 
 each other, saying in their own language, " Missi does 
 not remember "us." Upon this, he instantly recog- 
 nised them. They were immensely delighted, told 
 their story, and were of course taken on board the 
 Dayspring.
 
 8 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 It was an exciting time for us all, when we came 
 in sight of Aneityum. The Natives all turned out, 
 and went flying about the deck, seizing and hauling 
 ropes with all their might, or doing anything they 
 possibly could to help. The sound of " Land O ! " 
 seemed to inspire them with new life. We had never 
 seen them so animated, and did not indeed know till 
 then that so many were in the vessel. Poor things, 
 they were delighted at getting near their own land. 
 I assure you, it is an interesting sight at any time to 
 watch the first grey speck, hardly distinguishable 
 from a cloud in the horizon, and see it gradually 
 develop into hills and trees and rocks. As we could 
 not get inside the reef before dark, we had to lie off 
 and on till morning, when we sailed into the harbour 
 and feasted our eyes on this interesting island. There 
 was the neat white Church and Mission House and 
 premises, contrasting beautifully with the dark green 
 foliage, surrounding and partly concealing them ; 
 but what I most admired were the tall cocoanut trees, 
 with their feathery leaves, waving along the shore. 
 
 Mr. McCullagh, and Mr. Robertson the cotton agent, 
 soon came on board to welcome us. We found they 
 were all well, and anxiously expecting us, as we were 
 a month past the time. The Dayspring had required 
 to be provisioned for a year, however, and as Mr. 
 Paton needed to raise the money both for that and 
 for some of last year's expenses, it was impossible 
 to sail at the time appointed. He had great success 
 during this last visit also, for above ; 1,700 were given
 
 VISIT TO ANAMI 
 
 to him before we left the Colonies. It will take at 
 least .1,200 per annum to support the Dayspring* It 
 sounds a great deal, but is not so, in comparison with 
 other vessels of the same kind ; and it must always 
 be remembered that, owing to peculiar causes, none 
 of these Mission Ships can be allowed to trade so as 
 to meet the cost of their own maintenance. 
 
 But I am diverging. We went on shore in the 
 afternoon, and were earnestly invited to stay our 
 rooms having been prepared weeks before. Mr. 
 Inglis came next morning, and we accepted his 
 kind invitation to go to Anami. We dined at Mr. 
 McCullagh's, and then went round with Mr. Inglis in 
 the afternoon in his boat a distance of from twelve 
 to fifteen miles. We enjoyed the sail exceedingly, 
 having a fine view of the island so long as it was 
 light. The Native Teachers' houses looked life-like. 
 But for them I should have fancied the place unin- 
 habited. The mountains behind stood out solitary 
 but beautiful. The latter part of our sail was by 
 moonlight, and was extremely pleasant. As we 
 neared Mr. Inglis's Station, a bright fire on the beach 
 guided us to the exact spot. Our boat was sur- 
 rounded by a host of Natives, eager to welcome us. 
 My Baby was carried off in triumph to Mrs. Inglis ! 
 
 We were delighted with everything we saw, as 
 indeed we had good reason to be. It is no light 
 
 * This was the " little ship," the first Dayspring. See Auto- 
 biography of John G. Paton (Popular Edition, p. 229).
 
 io FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 matter to see a benighted and barbarous people so 
 thoroughly enlightened and Christianized. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Inglis are richly repaid for their long and labori- 
 ous toil, in seeing so many devoted followers of Christ 
 amongst those who were once Savages. 
 
 Next day being Sabbath, we had the longed-for 
 pleasure of seeing the Native Worship. All things 
 were really done " decently and in order." When we 
 went into the Church we found it full, the women 
 sitting on the one side and the men on the other 
 all squatted on the floor, while numbers stood outside 
 with their children. I could not help thinking that 
 it was the noblest mission on Earth- to carry the 
 Gospel to those perishing souls, and that Mr. Inglis 
 had honours before which Earth's proudest laurels 
 pale, when I beheld them sitting there with the Word 
 of Life in their mother tongue. 
 
 My meditations were, however, soon put to flight 
 by the singing, and I found it hard to control my 
 risible faculties ! They hold on very tightly to their 
 books, and that with both hands, but they do not by 
 any means stick so fast to the tune. I am told that 
 it is our common Psalm Tunes they sing ; but, like 
 some of our musical composers, their variations are of 
 such a nature that the tune is not easily recognised. 
 They sing " Auld Lang Syne " pretty well, to a nice 
 hymn, which Mr. Inglis composed, or translated, I 
 forget which. 
 
 There are two Services on Sabbaths, with a short 
 interval between. My Baby was baptized after the
 
 TWO NOBLE MISSIONARIES 
 
 second. I felt it a great privilege to have that done 
 by Mr. Inglis, our eldest and most honoured Mis- 
 sionary. I had hoped to have him baptized by my 
 brother-in-law, Mr. Lyall, at Adelaide, but Mr. Paton 
 could not spare the time, greatly to the horror of an 
 Episcopalian, who declared it was " unsafe " ! 
 
 We spent such a pleasant week at Anami, and 
 heard a great deal about Mission Work from Mrs. 
 Inglis, who is delightfully communicative. Both she 
 and her husband were extremely kind. How I wish 
 you could see the Mission Stations on Aneityum ! 
 They are in such exquisite order, and so complete. 
 It takes quite a long time to go into all the different 
 places Stores for all sorts of things, Schools, Work- 
 shops, etc. It entails a great amount of work on the 
 Missionaries, however, as they must personally look 
 after everything. Natives are very willing, but 
 cannot be trusted too much. I was surprised and 
 delighted to see the arrangements at table so very 
 nice, and, above all, so very like what they might be 
 at home. All these things, small in themselves, are 
 of worth, as part of the New Life that has come with 
 Christianity. 
 
 To our vast delight Mr. and Mrs. Inglis accom- 
 panied us in our voyage round the Islands. We 
 joined the Dayspring on Monday, the Captain sending 
 off boats for us as it hove in sight. Mr. Inglis sent 
 two boatloads of oranges and bananas, which were 
 very refreshing during the voyage. The trees in 
 front of his house are beautiful, with large bright
 
 12 FfRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 oranges hanging in thousands among the dark green 
 leaves, " like golden lamps on a green night." 
 
 Next afternoon, we arrived at Lifu, and found Mr. 
 and Mrs. Macfarlane and their children well. The 
 following morning, we met the Governor of New 
 Caledonia, newly arrived. He seemed very agreeable, 
 and tried to repair, as much as possible, the ravages 
 made by the French. 
 
 We next visited Mare", taking Mr. and Mrs. 
 Macfarlane to have a meeting with their brethren 
 there, and then returned with them before proceeding 
 to Wea, where Mrs. Ella had the pleasure of being 
 reunited to her husband. It was a new field, and 
 we left them in apparently favourable circumstances. 
 But it is not right to judge from a mere passing visit ; 
 indeed we need not try, for, in general, only the 
 bright side is then seen, the Natives all turning out 
 quite pleased to see a nice ship, and ready to promise 
 anything. Wea, like the other Loyalty Islands, is 
 flat ; but the beach, for miles along the shore, is most 
 beautiful, and covered with the loveliest little shells, 
 many of which we gathered as we strolled along. 
 A lot of the little Natives followed us, picking up 
 handfuls and holding them out to us, saying, Welly 
 goot ! We chose what we considered welly goot, and 
 off they ran for more. 
 
 Sabbath was spent on Wea, and we had the 
 pleasure of seeing the Church filled. Mr. Ella spoke 
 in Samoan, and the Teacher translated. The people 
 seemed most attentive, and we left next morning, well
 
 A REAL SAVAGE 13 
 
 satisfied that there was at least a good beginning. 
 Romanism was the great drawback. A French 
 Priest is situated a few hundred yards from Mr. Ella, 
 and has, we have since heard, abused him fearfully 
 even sending his servants to thrust Mr. Ella out of 
 Church during Communion Service, which they did 
 with great violence. Poor Mrs. Ella fainted ! I am 
 truly sorry for them both they are such kind and 
 gentle souls, and Mrs. Ella is little fitted to endure 
 these hardships at her age. She was a very mother 
 to us younger wives, and endeared herself to us all. 
 
 I must not forget to say a word about Mare, before 
 leaving the Loyalty group. It was there, if I 
 remember rightly, that I first saw a real Savage. I 
 recollect so well, standing at the head of the Cabin 
 stair with Baby, amusing myself watching the buying 
 and selling going on a-deck, when Baby gave such 
 a crow of surprise that I wheeled to see what was 
 attracting him. A naked Savage was grinning over 
 my shoulder, with scarlet and white paint stuck on 
 his forehead and cheeks, and long white hair stream- 
 ing down over his back ! Instinctively, I rushed half- 
 way down the stair ; but, recalling that I must come 
 into contact with such creatures, I returned, and 
 rather liked the poor soul before I had done with him. 
 In the first place, we tried to be very polite to each 
 other, grinning and nodding and making signs 
 though neither of us, I am sure, guessed what the other 
 meant. He offered to take Baby, who seemed quite 
 delighted ; but I declined that civility, pretending
 
 14 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 to show him that Baby was going to sleep. He 
 seemed satisfied with the encounter, and strutted off 
 with all the majesty of a Prince ! He was, I think, 
 the only Savage we saw on Mare, as they are nearly 
 all civilized, if not Christianized. 
 
 It was Saturday evening when we arrived ; and 
 all the gentlemen, as usual, went on shore immediately 
 after. They found that poor Mrs. Jones had been 
 so dangerously ill, and that she was still too weak, 
 almost, to speak. While they were absent, a number 
 of the Natives came with shells, etc., and with 
 calabashes, which they make into water-bottles. 1 
 wanted one or two, and Mrs. Inglis thought it wise 
 to purchase them, as Mr. Paton had brought two 
 boxes, both to give away among the Natives, and to 
 procure curios for the subscribers to the Mission in 
 Australia. On asking the man what he wanted for 
 his wares, he seized my hat, gave it a tug, and said, 
 All same belonga my wife. I liked the fellow's care 
 for his wife, not too often seen in these Islands ; and 
 I determined he should have a hat, even if I gave 
 my own. So I told him, through the interpreter, to 
 return on Monday morning, and Mr. Paton would 
 give it to him, which he did. 
 
 The Trade (for I suppose it is Trade) with the 
 Natives is most amusing, and goes on from morning 
 till night, the deck often so covered that one can 
 hardly find standing room, while the incessant jabber- 
 ing is deafening ! Often did we wish for a Frith to 
 depict these groups with their varied expressions !
 
 DRESS AND TRADE 15 
 
 Numbers stood round the Captain, with pigs, game, 
 fowls, taro, etc., knowing that he requires many pro- 
 visions for the ship. They contemptuously rejected 
 some things offered in barter, and eagerly pointed 
 to something else, long strips of calico being greatly 
 in favour. Others would surround the Missionaries, 
 offering shells, mats, and all sorts of Native productions ; 
 while one, perhaps, would be strutting up and down 
 the deck, arrayed in some wondrous newly acquired 
 garment, the admired of all ! But the most amusing 
 part was the dressing, which operation Mr. Paton 
 seemed to think quite as necessary as the giving of 
 the clothing. I fancy I see him still, trying almost 
 in vain to stick the great awkward arms of some 
 delighted recipient into the right holes ! This refers 
 more to Tanna and Fate, as trade was most lively 
 there. 
 
 By-the-bye, I had some rather tempting offers for 
 Baby, consisting chiefly of pigs ! Mrs. Fraser told 
 me that one man offered the Captain four last year 
 for their little Maggie a beautiful and darling child, 
 seven months older than mine. No doubt the poor 
 fellow was offering his dearest treasure. They have 
 not the slightest idea of what we call value. They 
 simply take violent fancies for certain things, and, 
 like children, can be pleased with nothing else. On 
 Aneityum, for instance, the Officers of the Curasao. 
 were highly amused by the Natives there taking a 
 penny in preference to a sovereign or crown, offered 
 for a pig which was sold to their ship !
 
 1 6 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 I have, however, been straying far from Mare, and 
 must return to it for a little. Mr. Jones insisted on 
 having us ashore every day, and was extremely kind ; 
 all the more, as we felt how great must have been 
 his trouble to entertain so many while Mrs. Jones 
 was ill. I had an interview with her for a few 
 minutes, with which I was greatly delighted, as I 
 had seen her eldest girl (a very interesting child) at 
 Sydney, on her way to England to be educated. 
 They all say that this is the trial of the Mission field 
 I mean the parting with one's children. I shudder 
 to look forward to it ! Our Sabbath Services at Mare 
 were particularly interesting, being the finest sight I 
 have yet seen in the South Seas, owing, I suppose, 
 to the Natives being so much more intelligent and 
 further advanced than the Aneityumese. Several 
 were even " taking notes " during the sermon ; and 
 the singing, which they took in parts, was most 
 beautiful. 
 
 After returning with Mr. and Mrs. Macfarlane and 
 their dear children to Lifu, and landing Mrs. Ella 
 at Wea, as before mentioned, we again steered our 
 course for the New Hebrides. The first we visited 
 was Ambrim, and a beautiful island it is. The high 
 hills are covered with luxurious vegetation down to 
 the water's edge. Mr. Inglis and Mr. Paton went on 
 shore ; but Mr. Niven had not the nerve to venture ! 
 It was a very anxious time for Mrs. Inglis and myself 
 till they returned safely, for there was no knowing 
 how the Natives might be disposed. They seemed,
 
 THE AMBRIMESE 17 
 
 however, to be friendly, and even restored one or two 
 rowlocks which they had stolen from the Day spring- 
 on her previous visit. 
 
 Next morning the gentlemen again landed (still 
 with the exception of Mr. Niven !), and a number of 
 the Natives came off in their canoes to our ship fine, 
 healthy, lively-looking fellows they were examining 
 everything with intense curiosity, including Captain 
 Fraser and ourselves. They felt his hands and arms, 
 and seemed to " like " him, as do all the Natives ; for 
 I believe that even Savages can appreciate such a 
 truly Christian gentleman as our Captain is. The 
 Babies were objects of extraordinary interest to the 
 Ambrimese, who pleaded so earnestly (by signs, of 
 course) that we could not refuse to allow them to 
 hold them for a little, which they did with a woman's 
 tenderness. They could not make out whether mine 
 was a girl or a boy, and we could not at first make 
 them understand. Mrs. Inglis, however, managed at 
 last to do so, and they received the intelligence with 
 shouts of admiration, calling out Man ! Man I for 
 a girl is looked upon as rather a calamity by all the 
 Blacks. 
 
 I must omit much that is greatly interesting, and 
 go on briefly. Ere leaving Ambrim, the Missionaries 
 tried to induce the Natives to receive the Native 
 Teachers we had brought from Mare, but without 
 success. They would readily have -taken a white 
 Missionary ; but the Chief would not promise pro- 
 tection to the Teachers, who were indeed disappointed 
 
 2
 
 i8 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 at having to be brought off again. We sincerely 
 hope that, after one or two visits of the Dayspring, 
 they will be more favourably inclined. 
 
 Our next place of visitation was Fate, which looked 
 exceedingly fresh and lovely as we approached it 
 in the early morning. It is a very fertile island, and 
 I was struck with the peculiarly brilliant green of the 
 vegetation, which seemed more beautiful than in any 
 island of the group. Mr. Morrison came off to wel- 
 come us, and to invite us all ashore. His home is on 
 a little island off the mainland, where they live at 
 present for the sake of a chance of health ; and it is 
 a lovely spot, with a fine garden in front. The view 
 from the windows, too, is so hopeful ; for, instead of 
 the wide] ocean, which is but suggestive, to me at 
 least, of the enormous distance betwixt us and Home, 
 there is just a little belt of beautiful blue water, and 
 then the richly wooded island beyond. Pine-apples 
 are plentiful there ; and I was in great hope that, if 
 we did not get to Tanna, we might be settled on 
 Fate, as I should feel so privileged to be near Mr. 
 and Mrs. Morrison. 
 
 The Sabbath exercises were extremely enjoyable, 
 and we could hear them singing hymns in their own 
 homes. We had visits, also, from several of the 
 surrounding Heathen ; and one day I played a few 
 simple airs on Mrs. Morrison's harmonium, to which 
 they listened mouths and eyes wide open ! . I was 
 amused, immediately afterwards, to see their mingled 
 terror and admiration for a little vase on a side-table.
 
 THE MARTYR ISLAND 
 
 They seemed thoroughly afraid to approach ; but, at 
 last, one bolder than the others took a very long 
 stride, having one of his feet as near the door 
 
 as possible, 
 the slightest 
 danger. He 
 ever, to touch 
 gave the others 
 go and exam- 
 CD ur next 
 being E rro- 
 the most en- 
 painful interest 
 its previous 
 tory. It was Sabbath afternoon as we drew near, and 
 we were rather alarmed to hear the sound of guns firing. 
 On casting anchor, one of Mrs. Henry's men, Sandal- 
 
 ready to fly on 
 appearance of 
 managed, how- 
 it, and that 
 confidence to 
 ine it. 
 
 resting-place, 
 manga, was of 
 trancing and 
 to us all, from 
 sorrowful his- 
 
 MRS. G. N. GORDON. 
 
 REV. G. N. GORDON. 
 
 wood Traders, came off and told us that they were in 
 great danger, owing to a dispute between Mrs. Henry 
 and the Natives. Soon we had the extreme pleasure
 
 20 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 of welcoming Mr. Gordon on board. Our Mission 
 would sustain a severe loss indeed, were he also to 
 become a victim to this treacherous people, like his 
 noble Martyr-Brother ! On looking round, one could 
 scarcely believe that such murder and bloodshed 
 had ever desecrated the lovely scene which presented 
 itself. The little river, where Williams fell, seemed 
 to flow from a beautiful glen, while the peaceful- 
 looking hills, rising on either side and away into the 
 distance, were bathed in the shadowy light of the 
 setting sun. With the exception of Port Resolution 
 on Tanna, I have never witnessed such a lovely and 
 deeply interesting landscape. 
 
 We remained at Dillon's Bay four or five days, till 
 peace was restored. The murderer of John Williams 
 met, for that purpose, with said Mrs. Henry, on 
 board the Dayspring. We were all assembled on deck, 
 and the negotiation was carried on with grave dignity. 
 Mrs. Henry delivered her speeches to Mr. Inglis, 
 who translated them into Aneityumese to a Native 
 Teacher, who, in turn, translated them to the Erro- 
 mangan in his own tongue, and backward in the 
 same way Mr. Gordon not being able to be present. 
 At last, something was said about payment for the 
 damage done to the Native plantations by Mrs. 
 Henry's cows, which roused that Madame's wrath to a 
 degree. She suddenly dropped her assumed dignity 
 like a cloak, and, clearing the space between herself 
 and her opponent with a bound, she brought her 
 clenched fist within an inch of his nose, shrieking,
 
 THE ISLAND OF TANNA 
 
 " Me pay you ! Me pay you with a stick ! " Which 
 payment the man not seeming to anticipate favour- 
 ably, some altercation ensued ere peace could be 
 finally restored. 
 
 Next day we sailed, bearing away Mr. Gordon, in 
 order to have his presence at the general meeting 
 on Aneityum with the other brethren, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Morrison having come with us from Fate. TANNA, 
 the island I had most wished to see, at last came 
 full in view, and we sailed pretty close to it for a 
 considerable time before anchoring at Black Beach. 
 In passing along, I was struck with the variety as 
 well as majesty of the scenery. One part seemed to 
 be pretty level, near the shore, and covered with fresh 
 green grass only I was rather suspicious if it was 
 grass, as, in all these Islands, truly "Distance lends 
 enchantment to the view." The mountains of the 
 New Hebrides look extremely beautiful, a little way 
 off, with the changeful shadows of the sunlight playing 
 upon them. The beauty, however, in a great measure 
 vanishes, when you set foot on shore, and see broken 
 cocoanut shells and all sorts of rubbish piled about ; 
 while, instead of sheep grazing (if they could graze 
 among such stuff), multitudes of pigs are grunting in 
 every direction, having apparently strayed from their 
 styes, which are stuck here and there all around, but 
 which you find, on closer inquiry, are the habitations, 
 not of the pigs, but of the people ! 
 
 When we came to anchor at Black Beach, we found 
 three Trading Vessels lying there, one of which had
 
 22 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 providentially rescued our Native Teachers there, 
 some months previously, when about to be killed, 
 and carried them to Mr. Gordon's care on Erromanga, 
 where we received them ; so that Tanna was now 
 in a dark state indeed no Missionary, no Teacher ! 
 It was, I think, Saturday afternoon, and the Mission- 
 aries and their wives went all on shore except, once 
 more, Mr. and Mrs. Niven. When we offered to 
 shake hands with the women, they shouted and 
 laughed at us. They wear little grass skirts round 
 their middle, and beads round their necks. A few 
 of them came forward, and seemed pleased with the 
 little things we gave them, such as strips of red calico, 
 etc. But we took care not to trust ourselves too 
 much with them, and did not go many yards from 
 the boat, merely taking a look at the little Church, and 
 the Teachers' houses, which they had been forced to 
 quit. Some of the Tannese were all the while on board, 
 whom Captain Fraser kept as hostages for our return. 
 Next day being Sabbath, Mr. Paton had a Service 
 on shore in the afternoon. As the language on that 
 side of the island is quite different from the language 
 at Port Resolution, a Chief, who knew both, translated 
 very nicely, being an old friend of Mr. Paton's, and 
 making a great fuss over his " Missi." We sang a 
 hymn in Tannese, which Mr. Paton had translated in 
 earlier days he reading the line, and Mr. Morrison 
 leading the tune, Old Hundred, which went bravely. 
 One of their former Teachers prayed, and Mr. Paton 
 addressed them, the Chief interpreting. A few of the
 
 A BURIAL AT SEA 23 
 
 women put in an appearance too, and all listened 
 attentively, till, lo ! three or four boats arrived from 
 the neighbouring vessels to " trade," and off they all 
 scampered as fast as they could, leaving us the 
 Church by the shore all to ourselves ! 
 
 We weighed anchor on Monday, and, on our way 
 to Port Resolution, the vessel lay off and on near 
 Mr. Matheson's old Station, while the Missionaries 
 landed to visit the Natives, and next morning again 
 we lay off and on at Port Resolution. There, how- 
 ever, a solemn Service had to be performed. One of 
 the Tannese lads who came with us had during the 
 previous days sunk rapidly, evidently the result of 
 years of overwork and hard usage in the " Traders," 
 from which great numbers of them die. Mr. Paton 
 was his constant attendant, being able to speak to 
 him in his mother tongue, and fed him with wine, tea, 
 etc. Alas, he died the night before we reached Port 
 Resolution, and we buried him next morning, within 
 sight of his longed-for home ! It was Mr. Inglis's 
 turn to conduct Worship, which was on deck, and he 
 read appropriate passages of Scripture, after which 
 the body was gently lowered into the deep. It was 
 a very solemn scene, and went keenly home to me ; 
 for my youngest brother, the Missionary, although not 
 exactly buried at sea, died on entering Leith Harbour 
 and was thus borne home from Cuba. 
 
 Numbers of Mr. Paton's old friends came off to 
 welcome him very heartily, and Baby and I had a 
 good share. They seemed truly pleased to see us,
 
 24 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 especially Nowar, the old Chief. But he warned him 
 not to go a-shore, nor let the vessel draw near, as the 
 Heathen Party had shot one of his men a-fishing, only 
 a few days before. Indeed, it is a wonder that any 
 of the Friendly Party survive at all, after such in- 
 cessant fighting ! Some of the Heathen Chiefs them- 
 selves also came on board. Fine and vigorous-looking 
 men they are, and such hair ! Their heads have the 
 appearance of being covered with twine, small 
 portions of their hair being twisted from the root 
 to the tips (generally half-way down their backs) 
 with something like thread. They were in a state of 
 great delight about the Baby, and were particular 
 in asking Mr. Paton if both it and the woman 
 " belonga " him ! 
 
 You may imagine how intensely moved I was, as we 
 neared the scene of his former trials and persecutions. 
 A more grandly beautiful spot one could not well 
 conceive. The mountains rise with such a majestic 
 sweep, terminating in sharp peaks, and covered with 
 luxurious vegetation. The beautiful white beach is 
 lined with cocoanut trees, with here and there bold 
 brown crags jutting out and finely contrasting with 
 the dashing spray beneath. Through the glass I 
 could see the gable of Mr. Paton's house, still stand- 
 ing on a rising ground in the centre of the Bay ; and 
 he pointed out to me, by the different colour of the 
 trees, that Sacred Spot, so indelibly photographed on 
 his memory. Oh, how I longed to spend a quiet 
 hour by the grave of her, in whose footsteps I feel so
 
 THE ISLAND OF ANIWA 25 
 
 unfit to follow, and who met her trials so unshrink- 
 ingly and alone alone, so far as regards female 
 companionship and sympathy ! 
 
 On leaving Tanna, we had a view of the Volcano 
 at night, with its red smoke rising and brightening 
 all around ; and we anchored, or rather lay off and 
 on, at Aniwa next day, and were relieved to find the 
 Native Teachers there safe and well. That island is 
 not particular for anything, being a flat little place, 
 but we nearly lost our vessel there, owing to a sudden 
 gale sweeping round, while Mr. Gordon and Mr. 
 Paton were on shore. Captain Eraser saw what was 
 coming, and had a flag put out ; but they not 
 observing it for a few minutes, and having a heavy 
 sea to contend with when they did set off, the 
 Dayspring was almost driven into the reef ; for, had 
 the Captain gone outside before the Missionaries got 
 on board, he could not have returned for them that 
 day, and to have left them on Aniwa might have 
 been to sacrifice them. The moment they were on 
 deck, the boat was hauled up, both " watches " set 
 to work, and the vessel swung round, almost grazing 
 the reef till we passed away from the island. It was 
 a time of painful anxiety to the good Captain, who 
 prudently kept the danger from us ladies till all 
 was over. 
 
 Our last island, before returning to Aneityum, 
 and which we came up to early next morning, was 
 Fotuna. I was greatly taken with it it so much 
 resembled Stirling Castle, but higher in the middle,
 
 26 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDE 
 
 with a tableland extending along one side, and about 
 a fourth part as high. It seemed so home-like and 
 healthy, having no fever and ague, which is more 
 than can be said of any other island of the group. 
 The people, too, were already prepared for a Missionary, 
 whose life would, humanly speaking, be quite safe, as 
 they are not inclined for war, though energetic-looking 
 and healthy, superior, indeed, to any we had seen 
 with the exception of the Tannese. 
 
 This island is supposed to contain about seven 
 hundred inhabitants, and I had serious thoughts of 
 reigning there, as it would be a nice little field for 
 one Missionary and his wife ! My inclinations were 
 divided betwixt it and Pango, the next Station to 
 Mr. Morrison's on Fate. There is no anchorage at 
 Fotuna, so the Dayspring lay off and on, while we 
 spent a very pleasant day on shore. Rhu, one of 
 the Rarotongan Teachers there, had been some time 
 on Aneityum, and was returning with us to his wife 
 and children. On the voyage, he had often urged 
 Mr. Paton to go to Fotuna ; and, before he left the 
 ship, he sat on the deck for more than an hour, 
 pleading most eloquently with " Missi " to remain 
 with them, and every now and again winding up his 
 arguments with a warm grasp of the hand, and the 
 exclamation, Me too mitch love you ! Me do any tiling 
 for you ! I felt I would almost like to go for Rhu's 
 sake alone ; I never in all my life heard such pathetic 
 pleading. 
 
 When we came on shore at Fotuna, we had some
 
 THE FOTUNESE 27 
 
 hard climbing, and were followed as usual by a long 
 train of admirers. The Mission premises are on the 
 raised tableland, and among trees. Great crowds 
 of people came to look at us, as I believe we are the 
 first white women who ever landed on Fotuna. The 
 ladies were, in consequence, very curious to have us 
 examined properly ; and they went about it in a 
 business-like way, as I can testify from the pokes 
 and thumps received. They always felt themselves 
 at the same time, to see how far we were alike ! 
 Poor things, they had yet to learn that we were 
 sisters, resting under the same penalty and equally 
 in need of and entitled to the same Saviour. 
 
 On their examinations becoming rather too minute, 
 I escaped into the house, which, by the way, was a 
 very nice one for a Teacher's. The other Rarotongan 
 Teacher and his wife had been residing with Rhu's 
 wife, during his absence. They are very nice people, 
 and, like most of their class, rather fine-looking, with 
 almost courtly manners, and held in great respect 
 by the Natives on account of their being so much 
 lighter in colour. Their habitation boasted a few 
 dishes ; and they had a nice dinner prepared for us, 
 consisting of young pig, fowls, yam, and capital green 
 cocoanuts. Afterwards there was a service in the 
 Church, when Mr. Inglis baptized Rhu's children. 
 Mrs. Inglis had found, on questioning the Aneityumese 
 Teacher, who came round to see us, that she and her 
 husband were not well used by the Natives, who 
 forced them to work for them, and stole their food,
 
 28 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW HEBRIDES 
 
 etc., for they are great thieves. So Mrs. Inglis 
 instructed her to run home, bring her husband and 
 their goods, and return to Aneityum. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Inglis, Mr. Paton and I, waited while 
 the first boat's load of Missionaries were being taken 
 to the ship, and had a long and delightful walk, and 
 then a seat on the brow of the hill, which we enjoyed 
 so much, it being cool, and the view, though not 
 varied, calm and pretty. On one side and far above 
 us were the lofty grassy rocks, and right beneath the 
 placid-looking water, with the Dayspring in the dis- 
 tance and the little boat wending to and fro. Seeing 
 it return for us, we went down to the landing, and 
 there Mr. Paton got into conversation with a man who 
 knew Tannese pretty well and was urging " Missi " 
 to remain. Mr. Paton asked him why he was so 
 anxious for that, and the man ingenuously replied 
 that when he was over in Tanna he saw him have a 
 number of boxes and that he gave the Natives clothes 
 and other things! But, as Mr. Inglis very wisely 
 remarked, we cannot expect them to long intelligently 
 for Christianity before they know what it is. They 
 see only the outside tokens of its presence. 
 
 We found, on getting into the boat, that the 
 Aneityumese Teachers were waiting at some distance 
 along the shore ; so we steered in that direction, 
 meeting a number of great whales, which fortunately 
 did not pay us any attention. We took up our 
 Teachers ; but, at the same moment, some of the 
 Fotunese jumped into the boat, and would not be
 
 XJeirjton miabnrgK fc-Loui 
 
 Ixjiidon : Hodder and SloughLon
 
 BACK TO ANEITYUM 29 
 
 persuaded to go back, evidently thinking it too good 
 an opportunity to be lost for visiting Aneityum. We 
 knew there would be no time to send them back from 
 the ship ; and if we had pitched them out into the 
 sea, where they would have been perfectly at home, yet 
 they might have taken revenge on the Native Teachers. 
 Mrs. Inglis held up her fingers and counted how 
 many " Moons " it would be ere the ship could 
 return ; but it was all of no use ! They sat grinning 
 at her with the greatest composure, and were taken 
 on to Aneityum. There we arrived next evening, 
 being Saturday, after a six weeks' deeply interesting 
 and very profitable voyage amongst the Islands of our 
 Mission field. . . . 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 Ill 
 
 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIWA 
 (TO HER BELOVED SISTER AT EDINBURGH) 
 
 ANIWA, NEW HEBRIDES, 
 
 November 1867. 
 
 MY OWN DEAREST ELIZABETH. ... I often wish you 
 could all look in upon us in our pretty ISLAND HOME, 
 for we have long since got into our new house. How 
 I did appreciate the doors and windows here, after 
 living two or three months without them ! The 
 Natives gave us, or me rather, so much more of their 
 company than was quite agreeable ; for Mr. Paton 
 was generally away, building the house with the 
 Aneityumese who had come with us for that purpose. 
 I fear I had not too much confidence in the black 
 faces that were always peering over my shoulder, 
 when I was getting Home-letters ready, and eagerly 
 inquiring, What for you make paper about man 
 Aniwat 
 
 Now I am writing in our large airy parlour, free 
 from interruption by the Natives for at least a little 
 while. The house is not, of course, like a Home one ; 
 though I think it a model of simplicity and comfort, 
 
 30
 
 OUR ISLAND HOME 31 
 
 with smooth white walls and broad verandah. The 
 roof is thatched with sugar-cane leaf, and the doors and 
 windows (of French type) were brought from Home. 
 The foundation is raised high, and it is so pleasant to 
 look out on the ground which slopes gently to the gate. 
 There would be fine scope for a landscape gardener 
 here ; but the space is being simply, and, I think, 
 prettily laid out, with an oval patch of beautiful grass 
 just in front, and a broad coral walk winding on 
 either side down to the gate. The sides are planted 
 chiefly with bananas, as much for their useful fruit as 
 for their beauty, and they are pretty, with their great 
 long leaves stirring gently with the slightest wind ! 
 The background is equally nice, though differently 
 laid out from the front ; and the kitchen and similar 
 premises are built to the side. The fence around is 
 made of reeds, and looks like light basket-work. 
 Altogether, you would think mine a lovely and 
 inviting Home, and you see it can't possibly suffer 
 from comparison, as there are only the Native huts 
 all around ! 
 
 Mrs. Inglis provided me with excellent servants, 
 and we have two good Christian men as Native 
 Teachers. The one living beside us is a valuable 
 helper to Mr. Paton, and an enlightened character 
 too, having been about eleven years at Melbourne, 
 working at all sorts of things, making good use of 
 his eyes during that time, and learning to talk 
 English of course. Kanathie, his wife, is one of 
 Mrs. Geddie's trained women, and does everything
 
 32 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIWA 
 
 thoroughly. She too talks a little English, and 
 approaches more to a companion on that account. 
 I am sure Kanathie can never know what a thrill 
 of comfort and hope her presence gave me, that day 
 we landed on Aniwa ! I was eager enough to step 
 out of the Dayspring into the little boat that was to 
 carry us ashore ; but as we neared it, and saw black 
 creatures (for really they hardly looked like human 
 beings) peering at us from among the reefs, with not 
 the flicker of a smile of welcome on their faces, I 
 really began to tremble with a sort of dread, and 
 wondered if they were thirsting for our blood. They 
 seemed such a terrible contrast to everything around, 
 for it was a lovely morning, and the beautiful light- 
 blue waves were sparkling in the sun as they slowly 
 chased each other along the beach. I tried to hum 
 a tune, to keep up at least a cheerful appearance, 
 but it was harder work than I had anticipated ! 
 When Mr. Paton stepped ashore, and began to lead 
 the way with our little Boy in his hand, a nicely 
 dressed woman in a pretty buff jacket and straw hat 
 came forward and took my hand to guide me over 
 the reefs. I stood still, gazing up in very amazement 
 at sight of anything so civilized ; and Mr. Paton had 
 to explain to me that this was the Teacher's wife, 
 whose very existence I had forgotten. I scarcely ever 
 felt such a clinging to any one in all my life as to 
 that poor woman ; and I began to walk with a 
 firmer tread, when I thought how she too had given 
 up home and friends and everything, to come here
 
 FIRST DAY OF MISSION LIFE 33 
 
 for Christ's sake, with her husband, where there was 
 not a soul to cheer and comfort them. These Native 
 Christian Teachers are really the true Pioneers of the 
 Mission, and deserve far more sympathy than we do ! 
 How anxiously did I watch for a smile from any 
 of the women that day ; and really they were very 
 kind and civil, and did not refuse to shake hands, 
 although I rather think I am the first white woman 
 that has landed among them. Indeed, they would 
 certainly have taken my heart by storm with their 
 bright smiles, had I not been already sufficiently 
 inclined to love them. 
 
 We commenced our establishment, as you are 
 aware, in the little Native Church, and a considerable 
 body of the people turned out to stare at us. Just 
 fancy me, perched on the top of several mattresses, 
 holding quite a levee, while Mr. Paton was at the 
 boat-landing, receiving our boxes and getting them 
 sent up to the house. Messrs. Cosh and Neilson were 
 busy putting up a bed ; and I would have preferred 
 some active employment too ; but it was thought 
 necessary for me to keep a sharp look-out, just to 
 prevent our chattels from walking away ! 
 
 The Dayspring left us that afternoon, and we all 
 gathered round for our first meal. We had plenty 
 of provisions, but as yet nothing was unpacked to 
 cook with ; so we made an attack upon a barrel of 
 biscuits, and, thanks to Mrs. Geddie's kind forethought, 
 cooked salt beef and bread ; while Mrs. Inglis, fearing 
 little Bob might have to rough it more than was 
 
 3
 
 34 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIWA 
 
 good for the wee man, had sent a basket of eggs and 
 sponge cake and nice things, to last for a long time. 
 Kanathie brought a huge roasted yam too ; and, one 
 of the Aneityumese having taken off his hat and 
 reverently asked a blessing, we all proceeded with a 
 will ; for our appetites had been sharpening since 
 morning, and all things tasted sweet. Mr. Paton and 
 I made boxes do duty as tables and chairs, and the 
 rest squatted beside us on the ground, there being 
 no separate tables that day ! It is not the way, 
 exactly, that people commence their housekeeping 
 at Home, but I think it far better ; at least, it had all 
 the freshness of novelty, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 
 
 After finishing our repast, we got one end of the 
 building screened off with matting, and made up our 
 own snug little Bed-Room. The other end, where 
 our boxes were piled up, was concealed with bed- 
 covers ; while the middle space was left for a great 
 variety of uses Sitting-Room, sleeping spot for the 
 Aneityumese, and Place of Worship ! Then we set 
 about getting unpacked what we barely required for 
 cooking, etc. ; but, in the thick of our operations, 
 darkness fell, and we had to make the best of our 
 way to our beds, having stupidly forgotten to provide 
 lights while we could still see to find them ! So 
 ended my first day of Mission Life. 
 
 What a protection I felt that little band of Aneityu- 
 mese to be during those early weeks, for I thought the 
 Natives would hardly attempt any harm while they 
 were with us ; and I had always one or other of them
 
 A MORNING HYMN 35 
 
 with me, while Mr. Paton was away building about 
 half a mile distant. Nay, the first morning I awoke 
 on Aniwa, just before daybreak, after listening a 
 moment or two, in terror, for a stealthy footstep or 
 any sort of unwelcome sound, the stillness was broken 
 by a Hymn of Praise from those sable worshippers, 
 who had already begun their morning devotions ! 
 You can imagine how sweetly it sounded in these 
 surroundings, lifting my thoughts upward ; and I 
 soon fell asleep again, feeling the music of those 
 words, " God reigneth." 
 
 A few - weeks served to place us on a more con- 
 fidential footing with each other I mean the Natives 
 and me ; for Mr. Paton seemed to take for granted 
 from the first that they were all his dear friends, 
 though most of them received us with a great deal 
 more sauce than was palatable ! They are shrewd, 
 and a number of them really clever fellows ; but those 
 who have been in Trading Vessels are awfully know- 
 ing, and very impudent. It is really rich to hear 
 them talking in their Sandal-Wood English, pretend- 
 ing to know all about everything, and putting on 
 such a serious face when telling some of their more 
 outrageous lies, invariably adding, with a grave shake 
 of the head, TJiat no gammon ! I used to find it 
 extremely difficult to sit with a solemn face, under 
 these circumstances. 
 
 Indeed, the trial to my risibles I found it hardest to 
 bear was that which befell me especially on Sabbaths. 
 The first of these days, in particular, presented a
 
 36 SETTLING DOWN ON AN1WA 
 
 ludicrous scene in the way of dress ; and it was only 
 by a most desperate effort that I could manage to 
 keep a long face, while watching the Natives coming 
 into the Church. We had arrived on the Tuesday ; 
 a number of garments had been distributed among 
 the people, and from twenty to thirty turned out to 
 the Worship. One man, I remember, came prancing 
 in, looking so delighted with himself in a snow-white 
 vest absolutely nothing else ! Another came stalk- 
 ing majestically, with a woman's skirt pinned round 
 his throat, and the tips of his fingers appearing at the 
 bottom of it. A third had a Native bag done up so 
 as to represent a hat, which he took off with quite 
 the air of a gentleman as he entered the door. One 
 man had on a nice little jacket I had presented to his 
 wife ; and, indeed, every one who wore any clothing 
 at all did so in the absurdest fashion. 
 
 The effort at self-control was fast becoming un- 
 endurable, when the worthy Missi unintentionally 
 proved " the last straw." His face was a picture of 
 adoring thankfulness, and his prophetic soul uncon- 
 scious of anything grotesque saw them already on 
 the way to Glory. He whispered, " O Maggie, 
 shouldn't we be grateful to God to see them all 
 coming out to Church, so nicely dressed!" He was 
 adding something about " jewels " and " trophies," 
 but I was already half-way out of the Church, under 
 cover of a convenient fit of violent coughing, and just 
 managed to slip round a corner before going into 
 prolonged convulsions ! Pray forgive me ; I loved
 
 SAVAGE INDEPENDENCE 37 
 
 them none the less ; but that phrase so nicely 
 dressed was rather more that my woman's soul 
 could withstand. 
 
 The women were not quite so grotesque in their 
 attempts as the men ; though, even yet, they prefer 
 putting on a dress, as they would a shawl, with the 
 sleeves crossing in front. It is to be hoped that soon 
 they will all wear clothes ; but they have made less 
 advance in this respect than in any other, since we 
 came. They do so like to go about in their Native 
 state, though most of them put on something when 
 they come to the Worship. A few, very few, perhaps 
 a score, always wear clothing ; but, oh, it is sickening 
 to see so many of them coming about with nothing 
 but paint stuck all about over their bodies ! The 
 dark colour of their skin softens off the effect a very 
 little, though ; and there really is a look of free in- 
 dependence and dignity about them, as they stalk 
 along so erectly, one after the other, for they never 
 walk two or three abreast ; and they are much better 
 off, in many respects, than your Poor at Home. 
 Properly speaking, they don't know what poverty or 
 labour is ! They have no one to oppress them in any 
 way, each man being his own Master ; and, as for 
 the Chiefs, their power is more nominal than real. 
 Of course, one glance at the Home privileges, which 
 the poorest may enjoy, shows how infinitely superior 
 is their situation, viewed as a whole. 
 
 Aniwa, however, does not seem to have some of 
 the horrid customs practised on Tanna and some of
 
 3? SETTLING DOWN ON ANIIVA 
 
 the other Islands. There are Widoivs here, and the 
 women generally are more kindly treated. Indeed, 
 I was quite delighted to hear one of them scold a 
 man most energetically for some offence, two or three 
 days after arriving ; not that I think it Woman's 
 most beautiful function to be always attempting to 
 bring the lords of creation into subjection, but the 
 fact that she even dared to speak her mind so re- 
 vealed a great deal. 
 
 Life, humanly speaking, is perfectly safe here ; I 
 mean more particularly our life, for the Natives don't 
 scruple much about shooting each other, though no 
 murders have occurred lately. I would not be much 
 afraid to meet almost any of them alone, for really 
 they are a most desirable set of Savages, although it 
 was some little time ere I could feel safe among them, 
 and, about a fortnight or three^weeks after coming 
 to Aniwa, I had a thorough fright. I happened to 
 be alone in the house one day after dinner, and, 
 hearing a noise in the end containing the goods, I 
 lifted the curtain and looked in ; but it was some 
 time before my eyes became accustomed to the dark- 
 ness, as the boxes excluded nearly all the light. At 
 last I saw a pair of eyes glaring at me, and dropped 
 the curtain in terror, wondering whether it could 
 possibly be a wild beast ; but the owner of the eyes 
 soon made his appearance in the shape of a fierce- 
 looking little man, in a great rage ! Kagaru came 
 right behind him, with some tools in his hand which 
 Mr. Paton had sent him to search for ; and this man
 
 YOU PLENTY LIE!" 39 
 
 had been looking on, and evidently thought I was 
 watching lest he stole anything. He exclaimed, in 
 a voice trembling with passion, What for you look 
 me ? " Because I did not know who was there," I 
 replied. You plenty lie ! You 'fraid me se-teal. Me 
 no se-teal, me come worship. What for you look me 
 se-teal? 
 
 I assured him he was mistaken, but he could not 
 understand me well, and strode off in great indigna- 
 tion, coming back again, just after Kagaru had gone 
 to carry his message, and with him a party of about 
 twenty. Of course I made sure I was going to be 
 dispatched at once, but thought I should die first of 
 fright, as they all came in at the door ! I tried to 
 appear as unconcerned as possible, and, Bobby being 
 brought back by his nurse, there was a fine excuse 
 for taking my work outside while he played about, 
 for there I thought I might have some small chance 
 of escape. There was a little cleared space in front 
 of the house, and they all followed me out and sat 
 down right opposite on the verge of the bush, with 
 a dozen yards or so between us ; and there we sat, 
 hour after hour, sewing, and amusing the child, all 
 the while that man never lifting his eyes off me, but 
 shouting every now and again, You plenty lie ! You 
 all same Tiapolo ! etc., etc. I did not mind the com- 
 pliments, but had a wholesome dread of the ugly- 
 looking club that he held. I thought Mr. Paton 
 never would return that day, and, when it began to 
 get dark, I could stand it no longer, but, catching up
 
 40 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIIVA 
 
 the child in my arms, sauntered carelessly along till 
 I had a little of the bush between us ; and then I 
 did make a run for it, never looking round till I 
 landed at my husband's side ! Poor Bobby thought 
 it grand fun, and made the woods ring with laughter. 
 
 I might have saved myself, however, this little 
 escapade. The man, I have since learned, meant no 
 real harm. He is an excitable fellow, though, and 
 very forbidding in appearance, having one side of his 
 face polished black, and the other always daubed 
 with white paint. Have they not strange ideas of 
 beauty, to disfigure themselves with such stuff when 
 they want to look their best ! 
 
 About a week after this, we had an opportunity of 
 seeing them in full dress, at a Heathen Dance which 
 they made in honour of the burning of the coral to 
 make lime for our house. I was along, one day, 
 looking at them building, and we were amazed to see 
 a long procession of men and women coming, with a 
 wild and fantastic appearance. On hearing there was 
 to be a Heathen Dance, I remained till it commenced, 
 anxious to witness the scene; and really it is a blessing 
 one does not see such things just at first coming, for, 
 if I had, I fear I could not have remained on the 
 island five minutes ! It began so very suddenly ; 
 and, though of course very differently carried out, it 
 greatly resembled the principle of a ball or dancing 
 party at Home. The women are painted, though not 
 with rouge. Flowers, too, or rather beautiful varie- 
 gated leaves, are their ornaments ; but they wear
 
 A HEATHEN DANCE 41 
 
 such an enormous quantity, that they look like 
 moving shrubs. The men have long waving plumes, 
 fixed in the top of their hair, with shells, and every- 
 thing they fancy as ornaments stuck all over them. 
 
 When they reached the Imrat, the sacred cleared 
 ground, where they were to perform, close to our 
 house, I waited to see how they would arrange 
 themselves ; but they suddenly commenced with a 
 horrid yell, rushed furiously round the lime-pit for 
 about five minutes, and then stopped as suddenly. 
 After that, they took it more leisurely, three or four 
 of them sitting apart to keep up the singing, which 
 was almost fine, but more like chanting than dance 
 music. They go through the dance in a pretty orderly 
 manner, but with much more energy than grace. They 
 don't " walk " through the figure, but literally beat 
 the ground with their feet, every now and again 
 yelling and rushing round the lime-pit in the way 
 they commenced. I fancy it was kept up till morning, 
 for we heard the shouting all through the night. 
 
 There is always a great feast on these occasions, 
 consisting of pigs and all sorts of Native fruit ; and 
 the whole affair is attended with many evils, for the 
 people get so excited that they don't care what 
 wickedness they commit. A number of them came 
 to ask Mr. Paton if he was very angry, or if it would 
 break the Worship. He thought it best, however, not 
 to interfere too much with their old habits, till he had 
 engaged them with something better. All the same, 
 he faithfully showed them the evils arising from
 
 42 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIWA 
 
 such a thing, and they have given it up long since, 
 being now interested in what is higher ; illustrating 
 Chalmers's famous phrase, " the expulsive power of a 
 new affection." 
 
 The Aneityumese with us were much interested, 
 as I saw, in the Festival and Dance. No doubt, it 
 brought to mind many things in the former days 
 of their own Heathenism. They were, to the people 
 here, a living epistle of the fruits of Christianity ; and 
 those of them who could speak in Tannese, under- 
 stood by many Aniwans, gave very telling addresses 
 at the Worship, contrasting their present condition 
 with the past. When they left us, at the end of five 
 weeks, I never felt so lonely in all my life. The 
 Dayspring came to pay us her farewell visit for the 
 season, and bear away these voluntary helpers back 
 to their own island. I longed to go on board and see 
 dear Mrs. McNair, who was ill with fever ; but the 
 sea was too rough, and I could only stand on the reef 
 and watch the little vessel, as it rose and fell in the 
 stormy distance. The Aneityumese went off in the 
 little boat that took our letters, and, as we waved 
 our last adieus, I felt for the first time the utter 
 desolation of being the only white woman amongst 
 untried Heathen ; and oh, it is desolate 1 I can't 
 describe the awful feeling. 
 
 I looked at Kanathie, to see how she was bearing 
 up, when her countrymen were all leaving, and I 
 thought that really the woman's heart was made of 
 stone ; she was chewing a stick of sugar-cane, and
 
 OUR OWN HOUSE 43 
 
 laughing heartily ! But, now, I think my own heart 
 must have turned to something of the same sort, for, 
 whoever comes or goes, it creates so little emotion 
 there. I have never known what it was to have a 
 long day, or five minutes, to indulge in melancholy 
 except during the time I was so ill. I never knew, 
 till coming here, what a healthy thing it is for both 
 mind and body to have plenty to do ; especially 
 when, since the dry season, we have not known what 
 it was to feel ill. 
 
 That evening on which the Dayspring left, it had 
 brought us a large mail ; and, I think, letters never 
 were so precious, but they are always precious here. 
 We sat far into the next morning, devouring their 
 contents. A few weeks after that, we got into our 
 NEW HOUSE, and have been so comfortable ; though, 
 as yet, it consists only of two rooms ; but they are 
 large, with a wide lobby between, the kitchen, etc., 
 being outside. I never appreciated a house as I do 
 this one, having seen the labour it cost, and, posi- 
 tively, I felt a compunction about putting down the 
 matting, for then the evenly laid floors could not be 
 seen ! The great drawback is that we have no view, 
 and you know that I admire a good one. But the 
 people were intent upon us buying this ground, 
 instead of any other, it being their Sacred Ground 
 where they performed their Heathen ceremonies, 
 offered sacrifices to the Devil, etc. Kagaru and Mr. 
 Paton have dug up ever so many of the bones of these 
 victims while levelling the ground. The Natives
 
 44 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIIVA 
 
 think it a clever thing to have chased Tiapolo out of 
 his headquarters, and taken possession. Some of the 
 most superstitious are under the impression that he 
 has taken his final departure from Aniwa ; and they 
 dread every affliction as a punishment for sending 
 him off. 
 
 The advent of the little White Chief, when our 
 home was ready for him, caused tremendous re- 
 joicings. It softened me wonderfully to the forbid- 
 ding-looking Savages, when they figured as Baby 
 Worshippers especially when it was my Baby they 
 adored ! They would watch by the house for hours, 
 on the chance of getting a look at him. Every 
 movement of his little hands was a new wonder, and 
 brought down showers of applause for was he not a 
 Man Baby! The Aniwans look upon him as their 
 very own, and call him their White Chief. Bobby's 
 Aneityumese nurse is quite jealous of the compli- 
 ments given to his wee Baby Brother ! 
 
 I got new insight into Native character, during 
 those weary weeks of convalescence, learned many 
 things regarding them, and have come to the conclusion 
 that they are the veriest mixture of contradictions 
 in all creation. One day, you are wound up to a 
 pitch of enthusiasm, feel that they are your mainstay, 
 and that you might learn at their feet (I mean the 
 Aneityumese Teachers and servants) ; the next, that 
 they are as little to be relied on as children, and 
 that you must be at the beginning, middle, and end 
 of everything. Now, for instance, Kagaru gave me
 
 A BLACK MAN'S PRAYERS 45 
 
 more solid comfort through his prayer, on the night 
 I was so near death, than it has ever been my lot to 
 receive from any white Minister. John, feeling he 
 must have some human sympathy, sent to tell him 
 I was fast dying. His wife and he were in the room 
 at once ; and a score or two of Savages trooped in 
 behind, choking up the place almost to suffocation. 
 John instantly manufactured errands, to get a few 
 of them quietly outside, while doing all that mortal 
 man (or indeed the cleverest of Doctors) could do 
 to save me. Amidst all the din and bustle, clearer 
 even than my own husband's frantic appeals, came 
 Kagaru's low and earnest tones as he prayed in 
 Aneityumese ; and the words that he often slowly 
 repeated to the Lord Ammjinatg, Ammjinaig-( = take 
 care of, take care of) Missi Paton the Woman gave 
 me more quietude and comfort than I can ever 
 express. There was One, then, who could and did 
 " take care " of me ! 
 
 But then, weeks after, when I was able to take an 
 intelligent view of my surroundings, this is what I 
 first remember seeing : John, sitting by my bedside, 
 with an old straw hat on the back of his head, and 
 a huge tin basin between his knees half full of what 
 tasted like very sweet thin porridge, with which he 
 was feeding me lovingly from the cook's large iron 
 spoon ! He assured me that it was water gruel ; that 
 he had got into the way of making it nicely now ; 
 but that he could not find a clean dish on the premises 
 to put it in ! He was so proud of his cooking that
 
 46 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIWA 
 
 I asked for the recipe, and you have it here : Equal 
 parts of meal, sugar, and water (a cupful of each for 
 one dose) ; boil all together, till there is a smell of 
 singeing, whereby you know it is sufficiently cooked ! 
 
 We had first-class faithful servants, and my cook 
 could dress and truss a fowl, and make " gravy " fit 
 for any table, as he always does for our own ; but 
 sick-room cookery was beyond him. It never occurred 
 to the others to wash dishes, so long as there were 
 clean ones to be had ; hence they went through 
 the whole stock, leaving an ample dinner set, two 
 breakfast and two tea sets, waiting to be cleaned 
 when I was ready to take command again ! Yet, 
 they were very, very kind in many ways, and would 
 sit fanning me by the hour in the hot sultry weather, 
 when they might have been enjoying themselves 
 outside. My Baby throve splendidly, and we both 
 got a right Royal welcome when we made our first 
 appearance at Church. 
 
 Our fine new Church stands close to our house. 
 The building of it is the most interesting work that 
 has taken place on this island. The very manual 
 labour (which some might think regrettable) was, 
 however, a special means of bringing the people 
 under the influence of the preached Word ; for when 
 Mr. Paton used to go visiting the different villages 
 and urging the people to come to Church, he found 
 them at such variance with each other, that, if a man 
 from one district came, it was sufficient to keep the 
 rest away ; and for a long time our congregation only
 
 A HOUSE FOR JEHOVAH 47 
 
 numbered from about six to twenty. The persons 
 from different Tribes could hardly meet without 
 bloodshed. There was nothing but rumour of wars, 
 though numbers of the Natives seemed willing rather 
 to worship than to fight. 
 
 The feasting and dancing season was drawing 
 near ; and Mr. Paton thought that, if he could get 
 them all actively employed, it might draw them 
 together in a friendly way, and prevent a great deal 
 of wickedness ; so he proposed the building of a new 
 Church. He found it very inconvenient to have the 
 old one at such a distance from our house ; and, 
 besides, it was too small for the number of people 
 that Mr. Paton intended and hoped to see at the 
 Worship. He laid his plans before them, one day, 
 telling them he wished all the people of Aniwa to 
 come and build a House for Jehovah, at their old 
 Sacred Ground, being nearer the centre of the island ; 
 that he wished every man to bring a stick to help to 
 put it up, and every woman to plait some cocoanut 
 leaves for the roof; that it would be a great work, 
 and take many days to finish it ; and to bear in mind 
 that they would receive no payment for this, as they 
 had got for the Printing House and the other houses 
 they had built for him for this House was to belong 
 to all the men of Aniwa, not to the Missi ; but that 
 he himself would work with them, and give all the 
 nails or other things they could not provide. 
 
 They had several pigs killed over the subject ; for 
 two or three of them never meet to talk over any
 
 48 SETTLING \ DOWN ON ANIWA. 
 
 important matter, without discussing a pig at the 
 same time ! The greater part agreed, and soon had 
 a commencement made ; but it might almost be said 
 that, while they wrought with one hand, with the 
 other they held their weapons. Indeed, the most 
 deadly enemies worked at the farthest possible 
 extremes, glaring occasionally across, as if they would 
 dearly like to do something ! 
 
 One man, in particular, owed the safety of his life 
 to taking part in the work of Church-building ; for he 
 was in danger from more quarters than one, being 
 a troublesome and bad fellow. He had been hiding 
 about for some time, but made his appearance when 
 this work began ; and he toiled from morning to 
 night with a will, for, as he triumphantly informed 
 the Missi, they would not dare to kill him while he 
 was building Jehovah's House. One of his enemies 
 came also, and said in Tannese : O Missi, you should 
 not have begun this, till the men of Aniwa had done 
 fighting ; for I wanted to shoot Nelwang, but now I 
 dare not break the Worship. 
 
 As the building of the Church, however, advanced, 
 their interest deepened, till all their jealousies and 
 quarrels were absorbed in the excitement of the work, 
 and the greatest enemies would stand side by side, 
 passing the tools, and talking cheerfully to each other. 
 It was really a treat to see them all, after a hard day's 
 work, gathered around outside the Cook- House, and 
 enjoying a large kettle of tea a thing they are very 
 fond of! When carrying any heavy load, or doing any
 
 JOYFUL WORK 49 
 
 hard work, they always give peculiar shouts. It seems 
 as natural for them, as for sailors to sing out when 
 pulling ropes ; and the most gladsome sound I ever 
 heard was the shouting when they were bringing the 
 pillars to support the roof. We would hear the noise 
 in the distance, gradually waxing louder and louder, 
 till thirty or forty men would appear, hurrying along 
 with an enormous tree on their shoulders, and making 
 a deafening noise as they passed the house lots of 
 them looking out at the corner of their eyes to know 
 if they were seen ! Of course, we always took good 
 care to be at the door, to show our admiration and 
 to cheer them on, and that seemed to please them 
 amazingly. 
 
 The heavy end of all the work, as you may ima- 
 gine, fell to Mr. Paton ; but he was right glad to do 
 his part for such a work, and more. It does not suit 
 him to be encased in a pulpit, so he made a nice 
 platform ; and his desk is covered with crimson 
 velvet and tassels a present from one of the Aus- 
 tralian Congregations. You will be apt to laugh at 
 the incongruity of velvet drapery in a Native build- 
 ing, nevertheless it looks pretty. My seat is made 
 opposite ; and the entrances to the building are on 
 cither side of it. There are eighteen windows, but 
 really I don't know the number of feet. The ground 
 is laid with small white coral, and the Natives sit on 
 plaited cocoanut leaves. 
 
 How proud the people were when the Church was 
 finished ! And we were no less so, I can assure you 
 
 4
 
 50 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIWA 
 
 I think few Home Churches can ever have been 
 opened with such intense feelings of interest and 
 hope ; but, strange to say, instead of the good turn- 
 out we expected, there were fewer even than usual for 
 they are so dreadfully afraid of offending his Satanic 
 Majesty, although they profess to hate Tiapolo. 
 When they saw, however, that he did not wreak 
 his vengeance on those who did come, the first two 
 Sabbaths, the others gained courage ; and since then, 
 the attendance has steadily increased, till now it 
 averages about a hundred and twenty on Sabbath 
 and sixty on Wednesday. Their behaviour, too, at 
 the Worship, is very good, and some of them give 
 nice addresses, for Mr. Paton generally asks one or 
 two of them to speak or engage in prayer. 
 
 Their prayers are usually most reverent. But they 
 might be more polite to each other in their addresses, 
 for the speaker generally begins by telling his 
 brethren that they are like pig's, dogs, serpents, etc., 
 and winds up by asking them, with great indigna- 
 tion, how long they mean to continue their black- 
 hearted conduct. They possess the advantage of 
 knowing all that has been going on ; and, if any 
 flagrant wickedness has been committed during the 
 preceding week, the perpetrators do get the benefit 
 of it ; while, if the speaker happens to have been 
 himself one of the worst, he is conveniently oblivious 
 of the part he acted ! This seldom occurs, though, as 
 it is only the best men who are asked to say a few 
 words.
 
 THE WHITE SHELLS OF NOWAR 51 
 
 One Sabbath, some time after we came, when the 
 people were in a very disturbed state, owing to one 
 or two deaths that had occurred, Mr. Paton asked 
 Pavingin, one of the men that had been on a visit 
 to Tanna just before we came to Aniwa, and whom 
 the Dayspring had picked up and brought on with us. 
 We were much struck with the attention that his 
 speech elicited. We could not tell exactly what he 
 said ; but we noticed him pointing once or twice to 
 the shells he wore on his arm, while talking very im- 
 pressively. We learned, afterwards, that he had been 
 telling them an interesting incident that occurred on 
 Tanna, when the Dayspring called on her way hither. 
 It seems that, when dear old Nowar found he could 
 not have his old Missi back again, he took Pavingin 
 aside and told him that he now gave Missi Paton 
 into his charge, and begged him earnestly to do 
 everything he could to make him comfortable, and 
 to tell the people of Aniwa to be strong to do the 
 Worship of Jehovah ; for the Tannese had treated 
 Missi Paton so badly that, though he and his people 
 wished him back, the other Missis were afraid to let 
 him come alone, and now they were all left without 
 a Missionary. Nowar then finished up by taking the 
 white shells from his own arm,* binding them round 
 Pavingin's, and telling him to wear them, and every 
 time he looked at them to remember his words about 
 being kind to Missi. We did not know of this at 
 
 * See Autobiography of John G. Paton (Popular Edition, p. 344).
 
 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIIVA 
 
 the time ; but the narrative did great good to our 
 impressible Aniwans. 
 
 It occurs to me, however, that I have never told 
 you of that interesting visit to Tanna. We had to 
 go into Port Resolution, on our way here, for shelter 
 over the Sabbath ; and though I enjoyed getting 
 inside the Bay for the first time, it unsettled our 
 
 OLD NOWAR 'OF TANNA. 
 
 minds about coming to Anivva afterwards. I, at least, 
 had got fairly reconciled to it. Nowar was intensely 
 disappointed, when told that the Missionaries would 
 not consent to Mr. Paton's coming alone. He said 
 comparatively little, but his venerable and expressive 
 face showed how he felt it, as he sat mute on the deck 
 with the tears in his eyes. Oh, how I loved and 
 respected him ! this man that risked his life to save 
 my husband. I had read of such devoted love, but
 
 THE PLEADING OF NOIVAR 53 
 
 have never seen another living specimen ; and deeply 
 did I feel for the disappointed old Chief, as he at last 
 silently disappeared over the side of the Dayspring 
 into his canoe, but binding us to be sure and come 
 to see his place that day. 
 
 You may imagine how it stirred Mr. Paton's old 
 memories, especially when we went on shore ; and 
 Nowar, having at last found the use of his tongue, 
 made one grand effort to keep his friend. He must, 
 somehow, have got it into his head that I was the 
 hindrance, for he directed all his eloquence to me. 
 Of course, I did not know more than a few words 
 of the language ; but there was no mistaking the 
 meaning of his earnest and pleading gestures. He 
 took me to see the places where Mr. Paton and he 
 had lain concealed in the bush sometimes for days ; 
 and he showed me the very scars on his body, where 
 he had received the wounds intended for " my Missi." 
 Then, he held up his arms to show how strong they 
 were to protect him still ; but assuring me there would 
 be no more fighting, for he would stay on his own 
 ground ; and he had chosen a lovely spot for our 
 house on the brow of the hill, and commanding a fine 
 view of the Bay. What could I say to the dear old 
 Chief? I got Mr. Paton to explain that I was as 
 anxious as himself to live on Tanna ; but that all the 
 other " Missis " thought it was not good for us to go 
 alone to such a large island, and that Captain Eraser 
 had no orders to land our goods there. Nowar, 
 however, removed that difficulty too, at least to his
 
 54 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIWA 
 
 own satisfaction, by telling us that if we could just 
 get the things pitched overboard, he and his men 
 would land them all ashore in a few minutes ! A 
 number of Nowar's followers, old friends of my 
 husband, backed up all these appeals, and joined 
 earnestly in the entreaty of their Chief. 
 
 Was it not very, very hard to leave them? Mr. 
 Paton, feeling it most keenly, was decidedly of that 
 opinion, and, indeed, had his mind firmly made up 
 to stay, and risk a vote of censure or sentence of 
 excommunication, or whatever else the next Annual 
 Meeting might, in its wisdom, see fit to pronounce ! 
 Experience, however, has proved that it was well that 
 we followed the decision of the meeting. Mr. Inglis, 
 also, in one of his kind letters, has been assuring 
 Mr. Paton that he believes him to be doing more 
 real work for Tanna here, than by labouring unaided 
 amongst the dense masses there. We hope this may 
 truly be the case ; for the Aniwans can nearly talk 
 the language of the Tannese, and have thereby great 
 influence on their neighbouring Islanders. On this 
 account, particularly, Mr. Paton has set himself to 
 get some of the best of them instructed and trained 
 to go thither as Native Teachers. 
 
 The fact that the Aniwans understand Tannese 
 has been an unspeakable advantage to my husband's 
 work, and is, I believe, one main cause of the people 
 here having improved so rapidly. Mind, I don't 
 mean to infer that conversions have taken place 
 already, though the conduct of a few of them is
 
 A GENTLE SAVAGE 55 
 
 almost everything that we could wish. But it is 
 matter of great thankfulness to have so many willing 
 to be instructed, and coming so regularly to Church. 
 The Chief, who lives in the village near, is our firm 
 friend. I regard him as really " one of Nature's 
 gentlemen." He does not know how to be rude. 
 He talks so quietly and gently to everybody, except 
 when any one has been breaking the Missi's word, as 
 he styles it, and then I don't care about being too 
 near him ! He digs his great toe into the coral and 
 sends it flying round him like hail-stones, while he 
 relieves his burdened soul by pouring forth a perfect 
 torrent of abuse on the guilty party. 
 
 Our Chief is an intelligent-looking old man, and 
 often regrets to Mr. Paton that his arms are too weak 
 to let him help in building or anything of that sort. 
 But it is his great delight to go at night and catch 
 the flying-fish, which he brings to the Cook-House 
 early in the morning, giving Kanathie strict orders 
 to have them prepared for our breakfast. His eyes 
 really glisten with delight as he sees us enjoy them, 
 for he makes himself our unfailing guest every 
 morning and evening. He is not strong, and he so 
 much enjoys a cup of tea and the soft bread. He 
 always comes in before the Worship on Sabbath and 
 Wednesday, takes in Mr. Paton's Bible, and lays it 
 on the reading-desk. Every evening, also, he collects 
 the people for Worship, which we have under a large 
 Banyan tree, in the Meeting Ground of the people, 
 just outside our fence. This Service, above all others,
 
 56 SETTLING DOWN ON AN1WA 
 
 I enjoy. The quiet hour, the gorgeous sunsets, re- 
 flecting everything in that brilliant yet mellowed 
 light, and the distant murmur of the waves, make 
 the whole scene most enchanting ; so much so, that, 
 after the Worship, we often sit still and sing all our 
 hymns over and over again till all is dark. 
 
 The Natives, indeed, are extremely fond of singing, 
 and of music of any kind. I was most amused to 
 see the power it had one day over a poor superstitious 
 woman. She had ventured to come and look round 
 the place with her little boy ; but nothing would 
 induce her to come near the door. She always drew 
 back, saying she was frightened ; and, when I patted 
 her little boy on the shoulder, she drew him quickly 
 away. 1 thought to try what effect music would 
 have, and, slipping into the parlour, I began to play 
 very softly the Tyrolese Evening Hymn. In a moment 
 or two she came gliding in, all her superstitious fears 
 forgotten, with a wistful and eager expression in her 
 large black eyes, and she sat down by my side. 
 When I finished, she lifted both hands imploringly, 
 crying in her own language, " O Missi, make it sing 
 more ! " 
 
 I have such a fine large Class of women and girls ; 
 and I never expected it could be such delightful work 
 to teach them they are so amiable and pleasant and 
 willing to learn. There are about fifty of them ; and 
 you can imagine that it is no light work preparing 
 seams for them all, especially as they are so fond of 
 sewing. But I shall soon be able to vary the oc-
 
 TEACHING AND NURSING 57 
 
 cupation, by teaching them reading, for Mr. Paton 
 has finished printing our first Aniwan book, greatly 
 to the delight of the Natives ! I hope my women 
 will learn to read, and will like it as they do the 
 sewing and singing ; for, at present, after sitting for 
 two hours and a half, they would like to go on still 
 longer. Some of the Mothers bring their Babies, and 
 sew and nurse alternately. It is a fine sight to see 
 them all, some of the old ones with their spectacles, 
 sitting in rows round the parlour floor, the spectacles 
 having given them " new eyes " and a new lease 
 of life. 
 
 Mr. Paton had a nice School-Room built, at the 
 first, but we have seldom got into it. It has been 
 very much used as a sort of Hospital ; for, when any 
 one is sick, we find it almost impossible to get the 
 friends to come, even once a day, to carry to them 
 a little nourishment ; and it is often that they want 
 more than medicine, as food is very scarce on this 
 island. Once or twice, having brought a family to 
 live here in which there was an invalid, we found it 
 so much easier to give good food when it was being 
 prepared, at any rate. One dear little girl, who had 
 been reduced to skin and bone when carried here, 
 went away from us fat and strong. A case like this 
 tends much to promote the interests of our work, as 
 every little incident connected with us is noted and 
 talked of over the whole island. 
 
 Much illness might be prevented, if the people 
 would but cultivate more. They don't plant enough
 
 58 SETTLING DOWN ON ANIWA 
 
 to last them more than half the year, and the other 
 half they live almost entirely on cocoanuts. Indeed, 
 we were reduced to something like that ourselves, 
 for two or three week before the Dayspring came 
 from the Colonies this year. Though we had stored 
 a great quantity of provisions, we had an unexpected 
 number of Natives to feed, entirely with our European 
 food, and the Dayspring was two months longer in 
 returning than we expected. It did us no harm, 
 however, and, had it not been for the anxiety about 
 my little ones, I believe I should have rather enjoyed 
 the variety than otherwise. How it used to go to 
 my heart, though, when dear Bobby would ask, every 
 morning, "whether the ' Day- ping* (as he called it) 
 would come to-day, and bring a ' bikkie ' ! " 
 
 The Natives were very frightened that I might not 
 be able to nurse the Baby properly on such hard 
 fare ; for, being a Man of Aniwa, they are under the 
 impression that there is not such a fine child in the 
 whole world and, of course, I quite agree with 
 them ! Their love of children is a beautiful feature 
 of their character, and their own little things are in 
 many cases veiy tenderly nursed. For my part, I 
 almost think them really prettier than white children, 
 with their brown velvet skins and large brilliant black 
 eyes. . . . 
 
 Yours ever affectionately, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 IV 
 
 GLIMPSES OF THE ANIWANS 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 ANIWA, NEW HEBRIDES, 
 December 1868. 
 
 MY DEAREST MOTHER, SISTER, AND ALL FRIENDS. 
 . . . Quite a number of events have happened to us 
 this year ! 
 
 Two rooms have been added to our Island Home : 
 one, a little Study, which John badly needed, and 
 which has to serve also, in the meanwhile, as a 
 Drawing-Room, when we have visitors. Our Native 
 servants get so utterly confused, if strangers are 
 sitting in the dining-room, while they are laying the 
 table. The Aniwans call this the Great House, and 
 are perfectly lost when they get inside four rooms 
 being quite too much for their comprehension ! And, 
 although they saw them being built, they ask in each 
 room, with bewildered faces, whether they are North, 
 South, East, or West ? 
 
 We sometimes have to take them through several 
 times in a day ; and it is genuine fun to watch them 
 a perpetual play, without the wickedness of attend- 
 ing theatres ! Some of the scenes are truly dramatic. 
 
 59
 
 60 GLIMPSES OF THE ANIWANS 
 
 One fellow, the other day, got so fantastically excited, 
 when I set the sewing-machine a-working before him, 
 that he performed a war-dance in the middle of the 
 floor, flung his arms all about, and called lustily for 
 his dead father ! We get the real acting here. 
 
 A skeleton timepiece, under a glass shade, comes in 
 for a very large amount of interest. The path of the 
 Sun was what they called it, after we explained how 
 the hands and figures indicated its course in the 
 heavens. I tried yesterday to explain that it was 
 the Earth, and not the Sun at all, that was going 
 round, but was promptly informed that I was a liar ! ! 
 So I won't trouble them any more with my Physical 
 Geography for a bit. They are just about as unripe 
 for it as were the learned Italians, when Galileo pro- 
 pounded his theory, a couple of centuries ago. They 
 will stand and watch the pendulum go for ever so 
 long, and ask all sorts of questions, exactly like 
 inquisitive children, whose minds are beginning to 
 awake. 
 
 Everything about this house is wonderful to them ; 
 and the more initiated ones give themselves very 
 important airs, when explaining matters to the 
 Ataintahu (= Man Bush}. A helpful young fellow 
 living near us shows off one of the smoothly plastered 
 walls as his " bit of work." He had taken trowel in 
 hand, when the Aneityumese were putting on the 
 second coat, and was ordered to stop and " not dis- 
 figure the Missi's walls." He appealed to John, who 
 declared he was " doing wonderfully " (so he was !) }
 
 HOME IDEALS 61 
 
 and let the poor fellow go on till it was finished. 
 But, at midnight, when all was quiet, he himself took 
 a lantern, and carefully smoothed over again the 
 whole surface of the wall. 
 
 It will be so nice when the building is all complete ; 
 and I am trying my very best to make it the prettiest 
 and most inviting Home I know as refined, as civilised, 
 and as nearly what we have been accustomed to, as 
 our limited resources will permit. We must not let 
 ourselves " down " because we are among Savages, 
 but rather try to lift them up to our Christian level 
 in all things. One's Home has so much influence on 
 one's work, and on life and character ; and it is due 
 to our two wee Boys to make it a bright one. We 
 should do our life-work all the better, for having 
 a Home in harmony with our tastes. At least, it is 
 no part of my creed to believe that there can be any 
 religion in ugly surroundings, or that everything 
 pleasant is sinful ; though one old witch, a regular 
 Mrs. Grundy, did tell me, before leaving Australia, 
 that Missionaries' wives were expected to live and 
 dress in the most primitive way, and to set an 
 example of great gravity and solemnity, else they 
 would get to be talked about. The old Adam in me 
 felt like choking such insolence ; but I controlled 
 myself to retort, that in my Bible there was no 
 separate code of rules for Missionaries' wives, any 
 more than for other Christian gentlewomen ! 
 
 It is an increasing wonder to me that any one can 
 think that Christianity has anything to do with such
 
 62 GLIMPSES OF THE ANIWANS 
 
 fads ; much more, that any one can be blind to the 
 fact that our kind Creator has given us such wealth 
 of beauty in Nature. He might have restricted Him- 
 self and us to useful and nutritious cabbages ; but, 
 on the other hand, He has scattered flowers every- 
 where. The foliage plants here are exquisite, and 
 the scenery is surpassingly beautiful. There is an 
 indescribable charm and softness, too, in the atmo- 
 sphere, which makes one feel, especially on going 
 out in the early morning, that to be, just to exist, 
 is a transcendent joy. 
 
 But what puzzles us excessively is to understand 
 how these poor Natives can be so utterly at variance 
 with their surroundings ! Nature neither raises nor 
 refines them one iota in fact, it seems to take no 
 hold of them whatever. If Nature alone could 
 regenerate us, one would expect to find Nymphs and 
 Fairies inhabiting these " gems of the Pacific " ; 
 instead, the most degraded Savage in war-paint 
 presents himself. I once heard the New Hebrideans 
 uniquely described by their oldest Missionary, who 
 read solemnly the terrible first chapter of the Epistle 
 to the Romans, and then capped the Apostle Paul 
 by adding : " The Heathen here have all that, and 
 they have Cannibalism into the bargain ! " 
 
 To look, however, from our poor Natives, still 
 Heathen, and gaze on the almost saintly faces of 
 the Christian Aneityumese, our assistants, keeps us 
 from dreaming of despair. There you have a grander 
 view of the transforming power of the glorious Gospel
 
 of Jesus Christ, than I think it can ever be possible 
 for any one to feel in a Christian land ! And, oh, 
 how those poor Savages have helped us to realize the 
 meaning of the Incarnation I We have often felt, 
 
 CHRISTIAN ANEITYUMESE CHIEF. 
 
 in living near them, that we might thereby under- 
 stand, in some faint degree, what it must have been 
 for the Lord of Glory to leave His home on high and 
 to dwell with us. The difference betwixt the best
 
 64 GLIMPSES OF THE ANIIVANS 
 
 of us and the Savage is as nothing, compared with 
 such transcendent love ; and yet the bare idea of living 
 with them (not merely near them) is too awful. We 
 do, of course, live with them, in a way ; but not as 
 really one of themselves ; for we can always, at will, 
 shut to the door of our own Home, and retire into the 
 Sanctuary of dear family life an infinite recompense 
 and joy. 
 
 In all this, I am referring to the Aniwan Savages 
 on the whole ; for we have some dear old Pets 
 amongst them already, who are most lovable, and 
 form a kind of outer family circle of Darkies living 
 on the premises. After nearly despairing of getting 
 any of the young folks under our care, a bevy of eight 
 fine bright girls unexpectedly presented themselves 
 one afternoon, and asked where they were to sleep, 
 as they had come to stay ! Some of these were fine- 
 looking, marriageable girls (at a marriageable age 
 here), but I thought it my bounden duty to prevent 
 that till they were older, and their constitutions more 
 confirmed. But they were full of life and animal 
 spirits, ready for any kind of pranks (and pranks 
 here are not always innocent), and years seemed 
 added to my life with care for them. I did indeed 
 wish that I were a wise woman of, say, thirty, instead 
 of an inexperienced girl (that burden has since rolled 
 off, and I am willing to " bide my time "), and I used 
 to lie awake half the night planning how to keep 
 them fully and pleasantly employed. 
 
 I ransacked Female Missionary literature, but found
 
 MARRIAGEABLE GIRLS 65 
 
 little help there. Numbers, as to converts and 
 classes, were brought prominently forward ; but they 
 all seemed to fight shy of practical details for their 
 training, and that was exactly what I wanted. At 
 length, dear Mrs. Inglis of Aneityum came to the 
 rescue with her clear practical wisdom, common sense, 
 and long experience. She and Mr. Inglis paid us a 
 flying visit, as they passed in the Dayspring, and I 
 proudly marshalled my flock, arrayed in their best 
 pink dresses, to alofa her. There was a bright and 
 hearty shaking of hands, with words of encourage- 
 ment which I translated ; but, the moment they were 
 gone, she said : " Mrs. Paton, you do wrong in keeping 
 those big Girls. It is high time they were married, 
 and under the care of their husbands. You have too 
 many, and the responsibility is too much for you. 
 Don't you feel it to be so?" 
 
 How thankfully I told her all my difficulties, but 
 added that I thought I had no business to feel this 
 a burden, when other Missionaries' wives seemed to 
 rejoice in having large numbers. She replied : " It 
 would be a great deal better for the thoroughness of 
 Mission work, in its ultimate success, if they had not 
 such large numbers. They can't possibly do justice 
 to them. And as for our Natives marrying too 
 young, we must to some extent take things as they 
 are, and of two evils we must choose the lesser. If 
 those Girls were in Civilization, and hedged round 
 with its restraints, or even on one of our Christian 
 Islands here, it would be different. But Natives are 
 
 5
 
 66 GLIMPSES OF THE ANIWANS 
 
 adepts at cheating, even while you think you are 
 watching them ! Oh, my dear, I know how you feel, 
 and did exactly the same thing at your age ; only I 
 carried the burden a great deal longer, for want of 
 some kindly and experienced counsel." 
 
 Her wise advice was promptly acted upon. The 
 three eldest were married in the Church to the 
 husbands betrothed to them from infancy. They 
 live near us, and come constantly about us ; so that 
 we can, I hope, still influence them for good. 
 
 The younger Girls are more easily managed, and 
 we are only too thankful to get them young What 
 sharp little monkeys they are ; too observant by half ; 
 and I am just finding out how very careful and 
 guarded I must be, as absolutely nothing escapes 
 them. John has been reading me such long lectures 
 lately, about taking sufficient rest, that for a quiet 
 life I wait till his back is turned, before flying round 
 to do the hundred and one things that only the 
 Mistress can, and then get on the sofa to rest before 
 he re-appears. I never dreamed that this little bye- 
 play was noticed, till, the other day, a dear wee 
 Girlie rushed in excitedly, whispering, Quick ! Quick, 
 Missi ! On to the sofa ! The Missi-tane is coming. 
 
 Of course, everything they say is in their own 
 language, at which we are getting a little bit more 
 fluent, under great difficulties. No Dictionary, no 
 Grammar, to refer to ; nothing but our own ears to 
 instruct us ; and the Natives do gabble at such a 
 rate ! At least we think so ; but they say it is we
 
 THE SIGN OF THE FUTURE 67 
 
 who talk so fast that all our speech runs into " one 
 long word." 
 
 For a very long time, we were puzzled to find tJie 
 sign of the future tense, and were much at a loss in 
 translation work, as you can imagine. We often 
 heard the Natives say Ka, and asked what it meant ; 
 but they declared there was no such word ; and it 
 did not occur to us that it might be a prefix. At 
 last, one day, I was doing something in the Dining 
 Room with my Baby in my arms, when his nurse 
 came forward, saying, Avau Ka-takoia, Mis si. She 
 spoke very distinctly, and I saw that Ka meant 
 " will." I put my Baby in her arms, and flew out by 
 the back, the shortest cut to the Church, where John 
 and some of the Natives were working. I met him, 
 on the way, rushing home, hammer in hand, to make 
 known his discovery, and we both shouted to each 
 other in the same breath, " Ka is the sign of the 
 Future ! " We laughed so heartily, that the joke had 
 to be explained, as well as we could, to the wondering 
 byestanders ; and they were amused and deeply 
 interested. 
 
 The study of the language began to be quite 
 fascinating, after we knew enough to ask questions ; 
 but I shall never forget the half-comical agony I 
 endured, when I first wanted to give some Natives a 
 regular scolding, and not a word of the language 
 would come to my relief! Talk of repression of 
 pent-up feelings ; wait till you have an experience 
 like that.
 
 68 GLIMPSES OF THE ANIIVANS 
 
 We did not go to the Mission Synod this year, as 
 John thought things here far too encouraging to be 
 left even for a little ; but I had a delightful trip 
 (barring the sea-sickness) to Port-de-France, with 
 our dear friends Mr. and Mrs. Sim, who had come 
 down in the Dayspring for a short visit to the Islands. 
 They could only stay one night with us, and it was 
 so delightful to have them, that we sat up the whole 
 of it talking ! It was thought too good an oppor- 
 tunity to be missed, for consulting the French Doctor 
 about little Fred's arm ; so I was off with them, next 
 morning, after a busy packing up in the small hours, 
 and arranging things for John's comfort in my 
 absence. 
 
 This little peep into Civilization again was simply 
 delicious a lovely drive into the beautiful surround- 
 ing country, well named New Caledonia, being more 
 like Scotland than anything I have ever seen (the 
 British were noodles not to take possession), and then 
 back to a sumptuous dinner, which Mr. Sim had 
 ordered at the Hotel. Captain Fraser and Mr. 
 Robertson were with us, and I think a happier party 
 never sat at a table. 
 
 Next day, we were stopping at an English Store, 
 when I suddenly missed Freddie and his nurse. On 
 going outside, I found Mistress Litsi giving character- 
 istic expression to her first impressions of Civilization, 
 to the intense amusement of some French Officers 
 on the opposite pavement. A large cartload of pigs 
 had just passed, and Litsi was letting off a string of
 
 PEEP INTO CIVILIZATION 69 
 
 ejaculations, flipping her fingers in the air, and 
 hopping from one foot to the other. Fred was 
 nowhere to be seen ; and, after rushing up and down, 
 I found him in a Store whirling things from the 
 counter, unceremoniously, and as fast as a child's 
 mischievous fingers could ! The shopman was hast- 
 ing to the rescue ; and I had to apologise and 
 explain, in the best French I could muster, probably 
 not less broken than some of the things now scattered 
 on the floor. . . . 
 
 Your loving daughter and sister, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 V 
 
 EARLY MISSION DAYS 
 (TO THE REV. DR. MACDONALD, SOUTH MELBOURNE) 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, How much I enjoyed your kind 
 letter, which came by the Dayspring last month ! I 
 was delighted, indeed, to hear that your Parish now 
 extends to the New Hebrides, rather a scattered 
 one certainly ; nevertheless you are bound to look 
 after your flock, and we shall soon be expecting a 
 Pastoral visit. 
 
 In the meantime, I shall try to answer your letter 
 as fully as time permits. We were so delighted 
 to hear of all the Victorians are again doing for 
 the Dayspring. The Copelands and we are almost 
 entirely dependent on the Dayspring for communica- 
 tion with the civilized world, as it is but rare that 
 Trading Vessels . call here, there being no proper 
 anchorage either at Fotuna or Aniwa. 
 
 We indeed rejoiced, for we had a little taste of 
 starvation last summer ; not much, but just enough 
 to give variety to our quiet life ! The poor Natives 
 suffered more severely, for they do not plant enough 
 to last them half the year ; but they take it very 
 
 70
 
 GOD DISPOSES 
 
 coolly, subsisting on cocoanuts or anything else that 
 comes their way. Indeed they seemed far more 
 concerned about us, than about themselves. Some 
 of the old people and invalids, whom we had been 
 supplying, absolutely refused to take any more bread 
 to their tea, when they found that our flour was 
 getting done, declaring that they could eat roots and 
 leaves like our nannie nannies (= goats), but that 
 we could not. They will, I think, be better off in 
 future, for they have plenty of good ground lying 
 waste, which Mr. Paton is urging them to cultivate. 
 . . . You were, I daresay, surprised when you 
 heard that we had been sent to Aniwa instead of 
 Tanna. It was a blow which Mr. Paton has hardly 
 got over yet ; but all the Brethren were decidedly 
 opposed to us going there alone, and we feel now 
 that we have been divinely led hither. Mr. Inglis, 
 in his last kind letter, said to Mr. Paton that he 
 believed he was doing " more real work for Tanna," 
 by bringing the Aniwans to a knowledge of the truth 
 and thus fitting them for by-and-bye spreading the 
 Gospel among the Tannese, than if he were now 
 labouring alone among that dense mass of people. 
 We are encouraged, therefore, to hope that there 
 may be many " ambassadors for Christ " from this 
 little island, for the Aniwans are a superior people, 
 and the work has made steady and rapid progress of 
 late. I don't mean that half the people are converted 
 very far from that ! There is a great deal to be 
 done before the soil is prepared even to receive the
 
 72 EARLY MISSION DAYS 
 
 seed ; they cling so to their old prejudices and super- 
 stitions. I believe, to many of them, it is like taking 
 a great leap into the dark to risk the anger of their 
 gods by coming to the Worship. For what proof 
 have they, at first, that we are leading them into the 
 right way ? True, they see we wish to be kind ; but 
 the idea of any one coming among them simply for 
 their good is a doctrine they cannot understand. 
 
 We are very thankful to have so many regularly at 
 Church ; and Mr. Paton possessed a great advantage 
 in being able to address them from the first in Tannese, 
 which some of them speak freely ; hence the double 
 hope of training them as helpers for Tanna. You 
 would be surprised to see with what propriety the 
 Services are conducted. The Native Teachers, two 
 devoted men from Aneityum who have been here for 
 years, try to give short speeches. Then Mr. Paton 
 usually invites one or other of the more enlightened 
 of the Aniwans to speak, which he does by invariably 
 pitching into his brethren in the most energetic terms, 
 comparing them to pigs, dogs, serpents, etc. the 
 speaker not generally including himself and asking 
 how long they mean to continue their " black-hearted 
 conduct" ! 
 
 They are never at a loss for a text, and for a long 
 time after we came, it sounded to me something like 
 Missi Paton and Teapots. I supposed it to be, " Missi 
 Paton versus Teapots " ; but by-and-bye I discovered 
 that it was not Teapots, but Tiapolo ( = Devil), 
 against whom they stormed. Lately they have been
 
 SAVAGE WIT 73 
 
 choosing more sacred subjects, generally a repetition 
 of what they have heard from Mr. Paton before, or 
 been helping him to translate during the week. Last 
 Sabbath, we were much struck with the gentle per- 
 suasive tones of the old Chief who was addressing 
 them. Mr. Paton noted down two words he did not 
 remember having heard before, and asked for the 
 translation after Worship. The man took him by the 
 hand and said in Tannese, Missi, I was only telling 
 them what you have been teaching us all this time, 
 about Jesus pouring out His blood to wash away all 
 our sins ! 
 
 Taia, and Namakei the Chief, two of our firmest 
 friends, give very telling speeches sometimes. The 
 former is a tall and powerful fellow, quite a notoriety 
 on account of his loquacious powers. He has a great 
 deal of ready wit too ; and, though he does little else 
 but talk, it is wonderful what influence he exerts. 
 Some time ago, he prevented a violent quarrel ending 
 in probable bloodshed. The Party who thought 
 themselves insulted ran home, seized their arms, and 
 were rushing past Taia's house, where he was lying 
 outside, basking in the sun and enjoying his pipe. 
 He saw something was wrong, for they don't continue 
 the habit of carrying their arms constantly now, 
 and he called out to them (of course in their own 
 language), Stop ! stop ! let me see what you are carry- 
 ing. Is it the book that Missi has been busy making? 
 His sly hit set them all a-laughing, and they turned 
 into his house ; there he had a long and serious talk
 
 74 EARLY MISSION DAYS 
 
 with them, and got them to give up the idea of 
 fighting, at least for that day. The next being 
 Sabbath, he came to Mr. Paton before the Service 
 to ask him to let him speak ; and, having both the 
 offending Parties present, he didgwe. it them, finishing 
 up by reminding them how difficult it had been to 
 get a Missionary, and how he, Taia, had gone to 
 Aneityum to plead for more Native Teachers after 
 they had murdered Nemeyan and tried to kill Navalak, 
 and how he had always been careful to give them 
 food to do the work of Jehovah ! In that part of 
 the speech referring to his own conduct, there were 
 a few embellishments which in strict regard to truth 
 might have been omitted, but his advice seemed to 
 do good, for we heard no more of that quarrel. 
 
 Taia, however, does not always do as he professes ; 
 and Mr. Paton sometimes feels it incumbent on him 
 to call Taia to account ; but Taia's equanimity is 
 never in the least ruffled. He sits listening with his 
 chin resting upon his knees, looking up now and 
 again with a bland smile and saying, Ah, very good 
 talk that, Missi ! Very good talk that ! 
 
 Namakei, the Chief who lives close beside us, is 
 a very different character a dear old man, one of 
 Nature's gentlemen, who could not do an unkind 
 thing to any one ; and yet his influence is felt more 
 than that of any one else on the island, for every one 
 seems to respect the dignified and pleasant old man, 
 who makes it his special business to attend to Missi, 
 and see as far as he can that his wishes are carried
 
 CHIEF AND TEACHERS 
 
 75 
 
 out. He often complained, when the house was 
 being built, that his arms were too weak to let him 
 
 THE CHIEF AND TEACHtRS OF ANIWA. 
 
 help ; but he did what he could, by being kind to our 
 Aneityumese servants and the men we had helping 
 us to build, and providing them often with Native
 
 76 EARLY MISSION DAYS 
 
 food. He is our guest morning and evening ; and it 
 is a great pleasure to see the old man sipping a cup 
 of tea with such evident relish. Namakei never fails, 
 when well, to take Mr. Paton's Bible and lay it on 
 the desk every Sabbath and Wednesday before the Ser- 
 vice ; and to get the people in the Village assembled 
 for the Worship, which we have every evening under 
 a large Banyan tree in the Imrai, the great place of 
 general rendezvous, which is close behind our house. 
 
 I particularly enjoy this Evening Service, when 
 all Nature is at rest and looks exquisitely beautiful, 
 everything reflecting the gorgeous sunsets, and nothing 
 heard but the soft rustle of the leaves and what 
 Longfellow calls ' the symphony of Ocean.' I think 
 the Natives too are inspired with it, for none of us 
 seem inclined to move off after Worship, and often, 
 but especially on Sabbath evenings, we sit still and 
 sing over all our hymns. They never tire of this, 
 being all of them intensely fond of music. 
 
 I could not but admire the power that music had 
 over a very superstitious woman who came one day 
 to have a look round our premises. No amount of 
 persuasion could induce her to come inside. I was 
 anxious that she should, for I thought I might get 
 her coaxed to come to my Sewing Class ; but she 
 looked towards the door with a kind of horror, saying 
 she was weak with fear ; and, when Mr. Paton 
 
 * See preceding Letter for other aspects of this and the fol- 
 lowing scenes. Editor.
 
 "MAKE HIM BOKIS SING" 77 
 
 patted her little boy on the shoulder, she took fast 
 hold of him and drew him away. I bethought me 
 to try what effect music would have. I went in and 
 played something over softly. I had only played a 
 few notes, when she came gliding in, all her super- 
 stitious fears forgotten, gazing with an intense and 
 eager expression in her large black eyes, and sat 
 down at my side. When I stopped, she held up her 
 hands in an imploring manner and begged for more. 
 
 I was heartily amused the first time I was called 
 upon to perform on Aniwa ! We had just unpacked 
 the harmonium, one day, about a fortnight after our 
 arrival. The news must have spread like wildfire ; 
 for, towards evening, about forty or fifty people came 
 marching towards the Church (the house where we 
 stayed till our new Home was built), the foremost shout- 
 ing in broken English, Missi make him bokis ( = box] 
 sing ! Plenty man come hear you make him bokis sing ! 
 
 I must not omit to tell you about my peculiar 
 charge, and a very pleasant one it is ; I mean my own 
 Sewing Class. Nearly fifty women and girls attend 
 pretty regularly every morning, except Wednesday 
 and Saturday ; and we spend about two hours (often 
 more) together sewing and singing. They are very 
 tractable, and willing to learn, having taken a great 
 fancy for sewing. I never dreamt it would be really 
 such delightful work teaching them, but my heart 
 was drawn to them from the first, and I shall always 
 feel grateful to them for the kindly way they behaved 
 to me, when I landed amongst them, timid, and rather
 
 78 EARLY MISSION DAYS 
 
 frightened at feeling myself the only white woman 
 on these lonely shores ! 
 
 Mr. Paton took the matter much more coolly, 
 seeming to take for granted that they were all his 
 " dear friends " though most of the men, really fine 
 fellows we have since found them, thought it advis- 
 able to receive us with a good deal of impudence, 
 trying how far we could be imposed upon ! Plenty 
 of them talk a little English ; and really it was almost 
 laughable, to hear them telling the most monstrous 
 lies with such a long innocent face that one would 
 suppose they believed them themselves, and then 
 gravely adding, That no gammon ! 
 
 How thankful I felt for the friendly protection ol 
 the Aneityumese, during those first few weeks of 
 uncertainty and fear ! Mr. Paton took care always 
 to leave two or three of them with me while he was 
 away building. Mrs. Inglis, too, provided me with 
 excellent servants ; otherwise, I would not have been 
 able to commence teaching so soon, for a few women 
 came two or three weeks after we landed. Their 
 attendance, however, was very irregular, and for 
 months no more than three or four would come at 
 a time. I was getting almost disheartened, when one 
 day the wife of our oldest Chief came to look at the 
 house, and Mr. Paton whispered to me that if I could 
 get her sympathies enlisted others would be sure to 
 follow. It turned out to be the case ; for, though 
 she laughed heartily at a half-blind old woman like 
 her learning anything, she changed her mind on Mr.
 
 THE GIFT OF TONGUES 79 
 
 Paton fitting her with glass eyes, and she has since 
 come regularly every morning. From that time, I 
 had fresh scholars almost every day, till now about 
 forty-eight attend. 
 
 I feel the sewing, however, to be only a stepping- 
 stone to something far more important. It brings 
 me into contact with them, so as to learn their 
 language. I so long to be able to talk freely to 
 them ; but it is slow work with me ! How the 
 Apostles must have appreciated the gift of tongues 
 on the day of Pentecost ! I wonder if it was accorded 
 to their Wives as well ! It is so provoking, when 
 you think you have mastered enough to venture on 
 a little conversation with them, to see them looking 
 at each other wonderingly. Some time ago, in talking 
 to a girl, I plunged a little deeper than usual, thinking 
 to astonish her with my wisdom, but she looked 
 up innocently and told me she did not savvy talk 
 Biritania \ I must have made awful blunders, at 
 first. But some of the women can talk Tannese, 
 as well as the men ; and I got Mr. Paton's help in any 
 great difficulty though he did not at. all times enjoy 
 the interruption, especially if the point in question 
 turned out to be only about a needle and a thread, 
 while he had been called away when setting up the 
 type for our first An i wan book ! 
 
 The book is almost ready, and would have been 
 long ago, but for the horrid olcfpfess which Mr. 
 Paton got the loan of being completely out of repair. 
 He has got it coopered up so as to do, however, and
 
 8o EARLY MISSION DAYS 
 
 all are eagerly longing for the book myself among 
 the rest, for I shall begin to vary the occupation with 
 my scholars by teaching them to read ; partly for 
 my own benefit, as well as theirs, as I could not long 
 continue this work of sitting up half the night to 
 prepare so many seams. 
 
 One of the women, Kamani, who looked forward to 
 getting a book, has been suddenly removed, and I 
 have missed her sadly. She was such a kind and 
 affectionate creature. She always sat before my seat 
 on Sabbath, and was the first to shake hands. I 
 shall never forget that night she died. When I went 
 to see her after the Worship, she was lying on a mat 
 just outside their house for air, and a little flickering 
 fire lit up the sorrowful faces of the dark group 
 around her. The breeze was low, and there was 
 nothing to break the solemn stillness, but the heavy 
 breathing of the dying woman, and the sobs of her 
 little girl. We sang softly her favourite hymn, one of 
 the first Mr. Paton translated, but with difficulty got 
 through it, for there was not a steady voice that night 
 she was so much beloved. Mr. Paton offered prayer. 
 I never felt any death so much in all my previous life. 
 
 We would have liked more evidence that she was 
 saved. Mr. Paton had been very often talking with 
 her ; and when he asked her if she loved the Saviour 
 she answered in the affirmative. But we must not 
 build too much on that, for almost every one on 
 Aniwa would give the same reply most of them 
 being under an impression that they are very good
 
 WAILING FOR KAMANI 81 
 
 Christians indeed ! I could only feel that it was a 
 terrible warning to be more diligent in the future. 
 When I felt I must go to my little ones, and took her 
 hand before parting, they told her who it was, and 
 she pressed it again and again, and with a dying 
 effort brought her other hand round to close upon 
 mine. I could not have believed her capable of such 
 deep affection ; for I never did anything for her, that 
 I remember of, except ministering a little to her 
 bodily wants when she was ill. 
 
 An hour or so after we came home, we knew that 
 her spirit had passed away by hearing the Wailing 
 begin. That expression of grief is, I think, more real 
 than affected. I saw more of it next day than ever 
 before, as I went to see Kamani buried, at the urgent 
 request of her husband. All her friends were there ; 
 and, though they might have made a little less noise, 
 it seemed to be for the most part sincere. They 
 evidently considered it a duty too, and spurred each 
 other on ; for if there was like to be a calm, a dismal 
 howl was sure to be heard from some far-away corner, 
 which would set them all on with renewed vigour. 
 
 Before closing this long epistle, I want to tell you 
 about our first Christian marriage here, especially as 
 the bride was decked out from your Emerald Hill 
 box, last sent at least partly so. It was a deeply 
 interesting occasion. Kahi, the bride, was one of my 
 scholars, a pretty young widow of about seventeen ; 
 and Ropu, her lover, was such a nice fellow too, a 
 great favourite of Mr. Paton's. They seemed really 
 
 6
 
 82 EARLY MISSION DAYS 
 
 attached ; but Kahi's father-in-law demurred about 
 giving her away, as he considered her still his 
 property, having given a high price (present?) for 
 her, when he bought her for his deceased son. One 
 morning, however, Ropu appeared with such a 
 number of fat pigs, that they quite took the old 
 man's heart by storm, and he declared that he might 
 have her that day, if the Missi thought it was right. 
 The Missi did not object, but advised them to get 
 married in Church ; and I determined to give Kahi 
 a nice present, in order to tempt her young com- 
 panions to follow her Christian example not a very 
 high motive, to be sure, but if the prospect of a good 
 present will induce them to alter their habits in 
 regard to marriage, I have not the slightest objection 
 that it should be so. It's about the highest motive 
 some of them can yet appreciate ; and there is no 
 vital principle, after all, at stake in the mere form. 
 
 We made the event as public as the time would 
 permit, and there was quite a little gathering to 
 witness the ceremony. Poor Kahi was brought to 
 me in tears ; but when we put on her nice skirt and 
 jacket, and she caught sight of the pretty hat, which 
 happened to be trimmed with orange blossom, she 
 seemed to think she had indulged long enough in 
 sentiment, and dried her tears quite briskly, looking 
 out from under her long eyelashes from side to side 
 with great admiration ; and when, at last, I put a 
 flaring red handkerchief into her hand, she fairly 
 laughed aloud ! There was a little trouble with them
 
 THE MARRIAGE OF KAMI 83 
 
 in Church, as they would not come near enough to 
 join hands till they were pushed ; and then the poor 
 girl got her marriage vows repeated to her on the 
 deafest side of her head ; for, being too bashful, or 
 something of the sort, to give the response, it seemed 
 to be the public opinion that Mr. Paton was letting 
 her off too easily ; and the men, taking up the 
 question, thundered it in such a manner as to elicit 
 a pretty quick reply ! 
 
 I suppose Mr. Paton will be telling you all about 
 the building of the Church, and how pretty your 
 pulpit hangings look in it. Velvet drapery in a 
 Native building sounds rather incongruous ; but I 
 like the contrast ; and Mr. Paton thinks his platform 
 desk quite a triumph of joinership. Oh, I earnestly 
 hope that the Saviour's presence may always be felt 
 with the preaching of the Word ; and that, in regard 
 to many, it may be said, " This man and that was 
 born (again) there." 
 
 December 6th. 
 
 Please send the Dayspring quickly down, this 
 season ; for I have found this morning, to my horror, 
 that our whole stock of flour has gone useless ; and 
 not a bit of bread shall we get, till the vessel returns ! 
 I suppose we are indebted to the climate and the 
 weevil together for this. We have plenty of other 
 food so no danger of starving. 
 
 Faithfully yours, 
 MAGGIE WHITECKOSS PATON.
 
 VI 
 
 THE CHURCH OF GOD ON ANIWA 
 (TO A LADY IN AUSTRALIA) 
 
 ANIWA, NEW HEBRIDES, 
 
 November, 1869. 
 
 MY DEAR FRIEND, So far as our work is con- 
 cerned, this last year has been one of the happiest 
 we have spent on Aniwa. Certainly it has been the 
 most encouraging. Formerly we were cheered by 
 our Natives giving up one after another of their 
 grosser Heathen customs, and a very few adopting 
 civilized habits, such as wearing clothing, etc. This 
 year, we have the intense joy of seeing a little band 
 of them come out from all their Heathen superstitions, 
 and declare themselves for Christ. 
 
 . . . To spend such a day as we did a few Sab- 
 baths ago, when our little CHURCH OF GOD ON 
 ANIWA was formally constituted, we felt to be worth 
 more than all the sacrifices connected with our isolated 
 life. We had a very good attendance, one hundred 
 and eighty being present, and an unusual solemnity 
 and interest pervaded the Church throughout the 
 whole Services. The Communicants, twelve in num- 
 ber, were arranged in rows, from the platform to my 
 
 84
 
 seat, so that they occupied the space in the centre ; 
 and, as they stood up to answer the Form of Questions 
 Mr. Paton put to them before receiving Baptism, you 
 could scarcely have conceived of a more intensely 
 interesting group. Vasi, our eldest member, must, 
 we think, be near to ninety; but aged and infirm as 
 he is, he came every day to School with his spectacles 
 on, and is one of Mr. Paton's best writers as well as 
 readers. Our old Chief, Namakei, was there, with 
 his daughter Litsi. She is his only child living, and 
 is almost as great a comfort to me as to her father. 
 She was the first girl who came to live with us ; and, 
 being the eldest on our premises, she sets a good 
 example to the others. Her devotion to Mr. Paton 
 almost amounts to idolatry. She seems as if she 
 never could be grateful enough to him for being the 
 means of her conversion. But the one I felt most 
 interest in was Namakei's sister, a very gentle and 
 delicate-looking woman. I knew what it had cost 
 her to profess her faith in Jesus, and how her husband 
 and son were even then jeering and laughing at her ! 
 
 If I had time, I could tell you something interesting 
 about each of them ; for, of course, it was our knowing 
 all their little histories that made it so intensely a 
 gratifying sight to us. I could remember when one 
 began to wear clothing, when another cut off his long 
 hair, and when one whom we had thought a very 
 hardened character came one day with the last of 
 his idols, saying, Now, Missi, these are the very last. 
 I have no more.
 
 88 THE CHURCH OF GOD ON ANIWA 
 
 It was a beautiful sight to see these all standing 
 up neatly clothed, in the midst of their benighted 
 brethren, to declare themselves on the Lord's side ; 
 and more than we could witness without deep emo- 
 tion. Never did I feel happier in any society on 
 Earth, than when partaking of our Saviour's body and 
 blood with those dark Sisters and Brothers, now 
 united with me in Jesus. It was a day long to be 
 remembered. I trust it will be so even in Eternity, 
 with thanksgiving. Our dear friend and sister Mis- 
 sionary, Mrs. McNair, was with us, paying a long- 
 promised visit ; and I felt so glad she happened to 
 be here at the time, for she says she never witnessed 
 a more beautiful and affecting spectacle.* 
 
 We have every reason to hope that the true work 
 of grace is begun in their hearts. Mr. Paton had 
 much satisfaction in them, while attending his Can- 
 didates' Class ; and their own earnest inquiries were 
 what delighted him most. How often have we had 
 cause to set up our Ebenezer, since coming to this 
 far-off land ; and this is but a small beginning, yet 
 we have most emphatically reason to thank the Lord 
 and take courage. 
 
 Since I wrote last, Bia, my clever and faithful 
 Rarotongan woman, left to go in the new John 
 Williams to her own land. She has been waiting 
 this opportunity ever since her husband died here 
 
 Edition) 
 
 See Autobiography of John G. Paton, p. 375 (Popular 
 ion).
 
 MISSION GIRLS AND BOYS 
 
 about a year and a half ago, and I can't tell you 
 how I miss her. She was so thoroughly perfect in 
 everything that I never saw a white woman to equal 
 her. When she left I was for the first time entirely 
 dependent on our Natives for help ; but my Girls had 
 been so far trained, and I got Mr. Paton to ask a 
 nice Boy to come and be my cook. He agreed, after 
 hearing that he would not be obliged to marry one of 
 the Girls ! I don't know what had put that into his 
 head ; but he seemed very much relieved, when Mr. 
 Paton told him that he did not come here to " make 
 matches " he left that for themselves to look after ! 
 
 . . . Mungaw was so disgusted at having to wear 
 a kilt, that I did not dare to mention about cutting 
 his long hair ; and Mr. Paton does not wish the 
 Natives to be forced to these things ; for he always 
 says that, when their hearts are changed, they will 
 be sure to give up these things of their own accord. 
 I know that this is very true ; but, as I don't see that 
 there would be any harm in having the short hair 
 first, I coaxed Mungaw to cut his, and he looks very 
 much more civilized. 
 
 We have quite a gathering of Boys now on the 
 premises ; for Mungaw had not been installed into 
 his office two days, before a few others came, and 
 asked quite humbly that they might be allowed to 
 do something for the Missi. We were truly amazed 
 as well as gratified at this unexpected proposal ; for 
 the Boys here, as a rule, are the idlest and most 
 impudent set I ever saw. They seem to be the
 
 90 THE CHURCH OF GOD ON ANIWA 
 
 "masters" too, for no one thinks of contradicting 
 a boy. Of course, Mr. Paton told them he was very 
 glad to have them come, as he wanted to teach them 
 a great deal they ought to know. They are really 
 doing tolerably well ; and I feel so thankful to have 
 a man-cook, as there are so many things connected 
 therewith that men or boys require to do, and that 
 they will not do to help a woman for instance, 
 chopping wood and blackleading the stove. 
 
 Their abominable Heathen notions often trouble 
 us, though not more than we might have expected. 
 For the last two days, there has not been a boy on 
 the premises. They all bolted yesterday morning at 
 daylight, on account of something about the Girls. 
 I expect to see them all skulking about again, 
 to-morrow or next day ; for they like best to show 
 face gradually, after absconding in that way. Mean- 
 while, I can hardly regret it, as it has shown what an 
 interest and care our little band of Church Members 
 have over us. The moment those of them who live 
 near us heard of it, they came and told the Girls just 
 to go on with their regular work of doing out the 
 rooms, etc., and they would do the cooking ! So three 
 men presided over the porridge pot, while two old 
 wives infused our tea. And they all managed their 
 work so well, that I knew nothing of our absentees, 
 till I wanted to give our Cook directions about the 
 dinner. Our Church Members seem to think it 
 incumbent on them to come between us and any 
 annoyance that may occur ; and if love and kindness
 
 SOCIAL LIFE 91 
 
 to their Missionary is to be a test of their love to 
 Christ, they already have it ! 
 
 . . . What a rich year this has been for our Mission ! 
 We have had the extreme pleasure of welcoming two 
 new Missionaries ; and, what is of most interest to 
 us ladies, their Wives. How eagerly we look forward 
 to any additions to our limited circle, and how many 
 questions we ask each other about the expected 
 Sisters, which usually cannot be answered till we have 
 the pleasure of seeing them for ourselves ! We like 
 Mrs. Watt and Mrs. Milne so much, and I hope they 
 may find our society pleasant. 
 
 The fact is, however, we have to like each other, 
 for we can't choose our society down here exactly. 
 You Ministers' wives in the Colonies can visit with 
 as many or as few of the Sisterhood as you choose ; 
 but I can tell you, we should feel pretty uncomfortable 
 if we had to wait on board the Dayspring for a 
 formal invitation to " dine," or " spend the evening," 
 when we have the opportunity of visiting each other. 
 We are only too glad to get off in the first boat, 
 leave the mal-de-mer behind us, and get a hearty 
 welcome from the Missionary and his wife on shore ; 
 and as we gather round the well-furnished table (for 
 the very best in the house is produced to grace 
 such occasions), what a social, merry, delightful enter- 
 tainment it is ! We are all so thoroughly delighted 
 to see each other, and have each so much to say and 
 to hear, that the time speeds like lightning ; and we 
 fancy we have hardly been seated five minutes, when
 
 92 THE CHURCH OF GOD ON ANIIVA 
 
 we are assured it is time to go on board. If it is 
 a Harbour Station and we can remain all night, we 
 find that a Mission House is very elastic, and that 
 none of us will be allowed to sleep elsewhere. 
 
 How these little yearly visits, on our way to and 
 from the Annual Synod, animate and cheer us, as 
 well as our pleasant and more lengthened stay at the 
 Station where the meeting is held ! And we all come 
 back to our posts with new life and vigour. I never 
 was, I think, so benefited by anything as by my 
 short visit this season to Aneityum. Mr. Paton was 
 delighted to see me so much fresher-looking, when 
 he came back from Santo, and I have been feeling 
 stronger ever since. 
 
 . . . The dayspring is a great blessing to us all. 
 There is little fear of any Missionary now, on the 
 most savage island, being ill-treated, if they see that 
 he is well looked after. Of course, I mean " humanly 
 speaking " the fear is nil; and, if we be kept in safety 
 and our work in the end begins to prosper, that dear 
 little Vessel and her supporters have more to do with 
 it all than might by some be imagined. Two of our 
 Natives, one of them the wildest character on Aniwa, 
 were engaged by Captain Eraser to go as boat's crew, 
 the trip before last ; and they came back in ecstasies, 
 declaring there never was such a Captain as the one 
 on board the Dayspring. He was so kind and good 
 to them ; for when they came to any island without 
 a Missionary, he would not let them go on shore for 
 fear of being killed, and that would have damaged
 
 NATIVES ON THE " DA YSPRING " 93 
 
 our work on Aniwa. Then they counted on their 
 finger ends, with great glee, the things they had 
 received in payment ; and as these are good and 
 useful articles, it engenders a love for such things 
 instead of the paint and stuffs they get from the 
 Traders, while their huge ambition for sailing and 
 sight-seeing is gratified. 
 
 I trust you will excuse this hurried epistle. My 
 little ones are continually bothering me to explain 
 about the pictures, which I gave them in the hope 
 of keeping them amused and allowing me to have a 
 little quiet, so I find it hard to write at all. . . . 
 Ever yours affectionately, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 VII 
 
 FRAGMENTS : DEATH AND THE " DAYSPRING " 
 (I. TO A LADY IN EDINBURGH) 
 
 NEW HEBRIDES, SOUTH SEAS, 
 
 HAVANNAH HARBOUR, FATE, 
 
 December yh, 1870. 
 
 MY DEAR MRS. H., I cannot express to you how 
 much I valued your dear kind letter ; and what a 
 relief it was in the bitter grief of hearing about my pre- 
 cious sister Elizabeth's death, to know the particulars 
 of her latest hours. But for yours, I should have been 
 left in dreadful suspense ; for, in her dear husband's 
 last letter, there was no particular account of her 
 fatal illness, as he wrote in the full belief that the 
 letters sent to Adelaide had already reached me, 
 while they only came to hand as we came on board. 
 Yours came the day after Frank Hume was born, 
 along with her husband's and others ; but Mr. Paton 
 kept the sad tidings from me for ten weeks, till I was 
 better able to bear the awful trial. And it is only, 
 as you said in your letter, when we have a hold 
 of Jesus' hand that we can breast the billows that 
 surge over and threaten to drown us. I had to lay 
 
 94
 
 A SIFTER'S DEATH 
 
 down the letter, attain and again, and pray for 
 strength to read on to the end -yon brought the 
 closing scenes all so vividly and so really before my 
 mind. May God bless you for what you have been 
 to her! Fervently have I uttered this prayer, v. hen 
 reading your letter, in very bitterness of grief at the 
 idea of her having died so far away from us all. Hut 
 I felt so glad, also, to learn that you and our darling 
 Elizabeth had become so clear to each other, my 
 ever beloved Sister ! 
 
 . . . Will you please give my kind love to B., as 
 I shall not be able to write at this time ? \Ye have 
 had, unexpectedly, to take a voyage at the end of this 
 Season, the time usually set apart for writing our 
 Annual Letters, and making up our orders for the 
 ^'olonics. For our little Frank's sake, we have asked 
 Captain Frascr to run the Dayspriug over to Lifu, 
 that we may consult the French Doctors there. We 
 have come round the whole voyage, however, as it 
 was thought advisable to go fiiv.t to Santo, on account 
 of our Missionary, Mr. Goodwill, who, we heard, was 
 dangerously ill ; and we are now, on our way back, 
 locked in here by head winds. In the first place, 
 we were driven in by a rough gale ; and I have such 
 a horror of sea-sickness that I am very glad ; though 
 I grudge the time, which is specially precious at this 
 season ; and it is not much writing one can do on 
 board, with Natives constantly coming and going, 
 and, in the circumstances, you will excu-e this 
 disconnected epistle.
 
 96 DEATH AND THE " DAY SPRING" 
 
 . . . We go to Lifu, as soon as the wind changes, 
 where we fondly hope to get good help for our little 
 one; as I really would not like to have to take him to 
 the Colonies, even although the Dayspring is going 
 to Adelaide this year. I feel I could not stand much 
 more parting, and would much rather forego the 
 intense joy of meeting than endure another farewell ; 
 and Mr. Paton does not see it to be his duty to 
 accompany me, and leave our beloved work for a 
 season. Then I have another little thought in the 
 background, and that is that they might take my 
 Bairns from me ! My judgment says, the sooner 
 they are in a civilized country the better ; but I don't 
 think, more than I can help, of this heart-rending 
 trial time enough when I have to face it in the 
 swiftly coming days. 
 
 . . . How often my mind reverts to that happy 
 time, the year I spent in Edinburgh, with which you 
 all are in memory so closely associated ! I think it 
 must have been the tenderness of your nature that 
 mainly revealed itself to me ; for once or twice I have 
 indulged in a guid greet* when looking at your name 
 and that of your dear husband, in the book you kindly 
 gave me. The tenderness, however, would not be 
 worth much without the firmness which forms its 
 solid background, and makes the other stand out in 
 beautiful relief on the pages of memory and love. 
 
 . . . My four Bairns are all thriving, despite those 
 
 * Scottice for weeping heartily. Ed.
 
 AY THE DARK VALLEY 97 
 
 little ailments, and I think we all shall be much bene- 
 fited by this short voyage. Captain Frascr says that 
 I look like another woman already ; for I had got so 
 weak and thin, after the tidings of Kli/.abeth's death, 
 that my husband became seriously alarmed. It 
 seemed as if I could never get over the shock ; and 
 the one thought always stood out before me, like a 
 great blackness, whichever way I turned, that my 
 precious Elizabeth was gone ! I cannot tell you 
 what a Sister she has been to me, nor how I loved 
 and admired her she was so noble and true and 
 unselfish. If ever woman was sincerely mourned, she 
 is ; and not by me only, but by many hearts. I feel 
 as if death would not be so terrible, now that she has 
 gone before ; and that helps me to understand what 
 happy Christians mean by not being afraid to follow 
 Jesus through the Dark Valley. Oil that I may be 
 prepared for the call of my God, and, meantime, may 
 reap the full benefit, that this sore affliction is intended 
 and is fitted to draw forth, within my soul ! 
 
 ... I ought not to trouble you with my feelings, 
 but you write so kindly, and you were so dear to her, 
 that I could go on telling you everything ; still 1 
 must reluctantly close, as this is among the first of 
 my replies, and 1 have many letters still to overtake. 
 
 Believe me, 
 
 Ever gratefully and affectionately yours, 
 
 MAGGIE WIIITKCKOSS PATOX.
 
 98 DEATH AND THE "DAYSPRING" 
 
 (ll. TO THE CHILDREN OF THE "DAYSPRING") 
 
 ANIWA, NEW HEBRIDES, 
 
 July, 1871. 
 
 MY DEAR LITTLE FRIENDS, Grown people, as well as 
 Children, have to do as they are bid, sometimes ; and 
 that is the reason why /am writing this letter, instead 
 of some one abler, and more accustomed to the task. 
 
 THE FIRST "DAYSPRING." 
 
 It is about your beautiful Mission Vessel, called 
 the Dayspring, that I am to say something ; and 
 I will do with you, as our friends in the civilized 
 world do with us. They do not fill the Dayspring 
 with letters of wise advice, telling us how diligent we 
 ought to be, and how little we are doing compared 
 with what we might do ; else, we might turn round
 
 'A LITTLE SHIP" 
 
 indignantly, and want to know what business it is 
 of theirs to preach to us, from their safe and com- 
 fortable homes ! But they take a far more effectual 
 plan to make us feel how diligent we ought to be ; 
 for the little Vessel comes to us every year, full of 
 precious and loving messages from kind friends who 
 do all they can to help us, and tell us how much they 
 sympathize with us and pray for us ; till we really 
 feel humbled, and begin to think, What Jiave we been 
 doing to deserve all this; and how have wj been 
 attending to our sJiare in this labour of love ? 
 
 Now, if I tell you how really grateful all the 
 Missionaries are to the Children, who give their money 
 so willingly to keep the Dayspring in nice order, and 
 how the little Vessel actually helps to keep the Mis- 
 sionaries alive, as well as those so dear to them, 
 by bringing them food and medicine and all they 
 require, I am sure you will not grudge having denied 
 yourselves many little gratifications to help in so 
 important a work. 
 
 No ship in the world has been more highly prized or 
 more eagerly longed for than the Dayspring ; and we 
 feel very much like Children bounding out of School, 
 to have unrestrained freedom with their companions, 
 when it arrives and we meet with our Missionary 
 friends ; for, then, we can talk in our own language, 
 saying whatever comes uppermost, without fear of 
 being misunderstood or of setting a- bad example 
 as you can easily understand, we are in the habit of 
 acting so carefully before the Natives, who might so
 
 DEATH AND THE "DAYSPRING" 
 
 easily take wrong meanings out of what we say or 
 do. The visits of the Mission Vessel are bright days 
 in our lonely existence, which we think and talk about 
 afterwards, as you do regarding holiday pleasures 
 after you return to School. 
 
 But, if the Dayspring has been prized by the 
 Missionaries, when things went well with them, oh 
 how their hearts have gone out in gratitude to God, 
 when the little white-winged Messenger of Mercy 
 has been seen approaching at a time of sickness or 
 danger ! I know of at least two mothers, in this 
 Mission, who have gone to the shores of their lonely 
 islands day after day with aching hearts, and eyes 
 strained to catch the least little speck of hope on the 
 horizon for their Babies were lying so sick that they 
 feared they might die, ere the Dayspring came to 
 carry them away to see the Doctor. 
 
 Further, last year, when the Vessel was too long in 
 leaving Australia, our dear Missionary, Mr. McNair, 
 used to pace the shores of Erromanga, looking for 
 her in vain ! He was reduced to greatest weakness 
 by the fever and ague of the climate ; and, the 
 Natives having been unusually sick also, the store of 
 medicine was exhausted ; so that their only hope was 
 in the return of the Vessel, with the medicines they 
 so much needed. Sometimes, after returning from 
 the beach, he would throw himself on the chair and 
 say, " I think 1 shall be in my grave, before the 
 Dayspring comes ! " And he did die, as you have 
 heard one of the most godly and devoted Mis-
 
 PLANTING A MISSION HOUSE 
 
 sionaries that ever came to tell the Heathen about 
 Jesus not, however, before the Vessel arrived with 
 all fresh supplies, but then it was too late to do him 
 any real good. 
 
 It would be easy to talk for hours about what the 
 Day spring does for the Mission ; and, if you had been 
 on board last year on the return from the Annual 
 Meeting of the Missionaries, you would have seen 
 some brisk work going on in the way of house- 
 building. I was very much amused with the little 
 I saw at Erromanga. The Day spring had to wait 
 there for two days ; and all the Missionaries united 
 to improve the time, to the utmost, by putting up 
 a cottage for Mr. McNair in a healthier situation. 
 Captain Fraser himself wrought like a common sailor, 
 and spared a couple of men to help ; so, the moment 
 the anchor dropped in Dillon's Bay, we were ordered 
 into the boat. The eager Missionaries dispensed with 
 the ceremony of paying their respects at the Mission 
 House, first of all, and, leaping out of the boat, as we 
 passed the site at the entrance of the river where the 
 new house was to be erected, they threw off their 
 coats, turned back their shirt-wrists, and, in less than 
 five minutes, were making brushwood and trees fall 
 before them in their zeal to prepare for the foundation. 
 They worked like that for two days, and managed 
 to get up the wooden framework of the house little 
 dreaming that their beloved Brother was never to 
 enter it ; for, in less than a fortnight, he was taken 
 home to the Beautiful Mansions above ! The last we
 
 102 DEATH AND THE " DA YSPRING " 
 
 saw of him was at the Boat Landing, where he stood 
 looking so bright and pleasant, wishing us, as we 
 shoved off, a hearty " God-speed ! " 
 
 I have told you a little of what the Dayspring does 
 for the Missionaries ; but just think of what it has 
 done for the Heathen, by bringing these Missionaries 
 to them. I have not time to dwell on this ; but there 
 will be ages and ages in Eternity for these redeemed 
 Ethiopians to show forth their praise and gratitude 
 to God for sending us to tell them of Him who died 
 for them. Remember, however, that it is the Mis- 
 sionary, and not the Mission Ship, that brings souls 
 to the Saviour ; for important as the Dayspring is, 
 and it is of vital importance, it cannot make known 
 to a single individual the way of salvation through 
 Christ. We must have Missionaries, who will go and 
 live among the Darkies, learn their language, teach 
 them to read, and show them what it is to live as 
 Christians. Will not some of you, who have done 
 so well in giving your money to the Mission, do 
 infinitely better by giving yourselves some day? 
 
 May I close this letter with one little word of 
 advice ? and it is this : whatever you do, let it be 
 done " for Jesus," who values even a cup of cold 
 water, when given " for His sake." You might 
 possibly be disappointed in your Mission Vessel, if 
 you saw her ; and if you came to be Missionaries, 
 you would find it uphill work indeed, to be sacrificing 
 your whole life merely for the sake of those who could 
 not understand your motives, and who know not what
 
 "FOR HIS DEAR SAKE" 103 
 
 it cost you to give up home and friends. But Jesus 
 regards every sigh, and whatever is done for Him will 
 meet with a sweet reward even in this life ; for He 
 who has promised can never disappoint ! 
 
 You may not be able to come and teach the 
 Heathen, or even to give money to help them, but 
 every one of you can pray for them and for us. Do 
 this always, like dear Children, and believe me to be 
 
 Your loving friend, 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 VIII 
 
 A TRIP TO THE COLONIES 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 ANIWA, NEW HEBRIDES, 1871. 
 
 DEAREST FRIENDS, ONE AND ALL, How utterly 
 helpless one feels here in a case of sudden emer- 
 gency ! We fancy we are getting on independently 
 of all the machinery of Civilization, when, some little 
 hitch occurring, we realize what we owe to it Not 
 for ourselves so much do we feel it, but it cuts deep 
 to see our little ones suffer. A severe cough and 
 influenza epidemic having swept over the island last 
 September, our little three-weeks-old Baby caught it, 
 and, after his severe tussle with the cough, needed 
 special skill. Hence our trip to Lifu in the Day- 
 spring, only to find that the French, to our most 
 bitter disappointment, had cleared out, just one week 
 before, leaving only a resident official. They don't 
 want to. be scattered, in case the Prussians come 
 down on them at Port-de-France ! 
 
 It was thought by all that I ought to take Baby to 
 the Colonies, but a more inconvenient time could 
 hardly have presented itself. The Annual Mis- 
 
 104
 
 "A CLOUD OF WHITE" 105 
 
 sionary Conference was to be held at Anivva, after the 
 hot season, for the first time (it has always been held 
 on Aneityum hitherto), and I had all sorts of pre- 
 parations to make for it. John could not possibly 
 leave his work, now so successful and so intensely 
 interesting ; and the thought of being away from him 
 three or four months without hearing was unbearable. 
 The want of postal communication makes us feel so 
 completely shut off from the civilized world only 
 getting letters once a year by the Dayspring ! There 
 are stray chances ; but they are so very rare, especi- 
 ally on Aniwa, where there is no harbour, that we 
 cannot count upon them. 
 
 Our dear Baby, however, dispelled all hesitancy, by 
 a violent return of his complaint ; and, in five days 
 thereafter, we were on our way to Australia in the 
 Dayspring, John accompanying us on board to put 
 us under Captain Eraser's kind care. I had my own 
 way about bringing our Boys with me ; but our pet 
 Lassie, the ex-Baby, not quite two years of age, John 
 determinedly refused to part with, imagining all sorts 
 of evil would befall her by the way. Her nurse is an 
 experienced Aneityumese Teacher's wife, who won't 
 let the sun light upon her to hurt her. The little 
 cloud of white was the last thing my eyes rested 
 upon, as the shores of Aniwa receded from view ; and 
 the first, on our return four months later, as her 
 father held her high in the air to let me see that she 
 was all right ! 
 
 I don't think I ever told you of the tremendous
 
 io6 A TRIP TO THE COLONIES 
 
 sympathy of the wrong kind that I received at the 
 birth of my Baby Girl. It was on a Sunday morn- 
 ing. I was in perfect ecstasies that my long-cherished 
 wish had been realized I had now a daughter of my 
 own ! John joyfully announced the advent, after the 
 Morning Service was over ; with a gentle prohibition 
 against any one visiting me for a fortnight at least. 
 A white Congregation might be rather scandalized 
 at such personal and domestic references. But the 
 Mission is altogether a Family concern ; and Family 
 life on Christian lines is quite its most conspicuous 
 feature. In Church, you must be prepared to hear 
 your full name popping out, right in the middle of 
 a Native's prayer,, and then each name of all your 
 Family, and Heaven's richest blessing invoked on 
 them and you, especially when there is any sickness 
 or trouble. Is this, after all, not more sensible than 
 a Minister in Civilization petitioning " for Thine 
 afflicted handmaiden " losing for you all sense of 
 worship in the immediate speculation as to who the 
 handmaiden may be ? 
 
 Well, on that delightful Sabbath evening, John 
 and I had a lovely and quiet little chat about " our 
 many mercies." Indeed, we had more to be thankful 
 for than may at first appear, as, though a digression, I 
 may here record. Four months before, I had inad- 
 vertently partaken of a very poisonous fish, which dear 
 old Namakei the Chief had unwittingly brought to 
 us. (And didn't he have to stand a storm of abuse 
 from his Heathen brethren ! They had not taken tJie
 
 POISONED BY A FISH 107 
 
 Worship ; but, then, they did not try to kill Missi's 
 wife /) The poison got a terrible hold upon my 
 system. The two Natives who partook of the same 
 fish after it left our supper-table (what a merciful 
 Providence that John took no supper, and that the 
 Bairns were in bed !) both got sick, immediately 
 came out in a rash, and were quite better in a few 
 days. I was almost dead before the emetic took 
 any effect ; the brandy I drained seemed of no more 
 consequence than water ; and, indeed, I have never 
 properly rallied. We did not dare show the Natives 
 that I was ill so long, lest they superstitiously thought 
 the Worship was bringing a new disease amongst 
 them. So I managed to get through the teaching 
 and the outward duties in a kind of way ; and John 
 shortened our Services, whenever he saw me getting 
 very faint, without the Natives knowing why. No 
 watches here ! 
 
 Well, as I was remarking, before being interrupted 
 by this fish-digression, on that glorious Sabbath 
 evening my dear Husband poured out his heart in a 
 prayer of thanksgiving, before going to his Study to 
 mount guard and keep out intruders, leaving the 
 door open between my room and it. Several times 
 he heard a slight rustling, but, when he listened 
 again, all was still. It turned out to be two dear 
 elderly Native women, creeping on their hands and 
 knees, determined to get close to me by fair means 
 or foul, in order to console me in what they thought 
 my misery ! They seized my hand sympathetically,
 
 io8 A TRIP TO THE COLONIES 
 
 and said, O Missi, Mz'sst, you are young, and will 
 live to forget this day ! A panic seized me, as I 
 heard their words, about my Husband and my Boys, 
 though I had seen them only a few minutes ago ; 
 but their next remarks re-assured me " You must 
 not fret about having only a Girl this time ; you 
 know you have had two Sons already, and will have 
 many more before you die. We have all had to bear 
 the same disappointment. We cannot always have 
 Sons ! " I used the most forcible language which I 
 knew, in their vocabulary, to make it very clear to 
 them that their sympathy was entirely wasted. I 
 made them exclaim with delight at the fat dimpled 
 face and hands ; and they left the room comforting 
 themselves that they had seen " a real white little 
 Woman of Aniwa." 
 
 That same Little Woman of Aniwa has done more 
 to reconcile those poor unfortunates here, who have 
 obtained only daughters, than a hundred sermons 
 could have done. They see what a treasured pet she 
 is to us, as God's precious gift, and our actions speak 
 louder than any words. All little Girls of Aniwa 
 will be more lovingly treated in the days to come, for 
 the love we showed to this Little Woman of Aniwa. 
 
 Fools, who have had no experience of the many- 
 sided influences of Christianity in saving and in 
 civilizing the Heathen, may chatter against Mission- 
 aries marrying, and shake their heads about the 
 distractions of a family. We who are in the thick of 
 the work, and know all sides to the question, feel
 
 THE GOSPEL OF FAMILY-LIFE 109 
 
 overwhelmingly thankful that God has given us 
 these children, not only for our own happiness, but 
 even for our work's sake. How often are those 
 wonderful words suggested to us, A little Child 
 shall lead them \ Our Bairns are little Missionaries, 
 every one. They have called forth in the Natives a 
 softened feeling towards us, and in us towards the 
 Natives and their Children. Strange to say, too, 
 they have given us material help in mastering the 
 language. They do not, of course, know nearly as 
 much of it as we, who study it grammatically ; but 
 they seem to imbibe the idiom with their very breath. 
 Their language is Polyglot. They speak to us in 
 English. I strove hard to keep them from learning 
 Aniwan, for the sake of their morals, but could not 
 manage it, with Native servants all about. So they 
 always talk Aniwan in their play ; and the Natives 
 are so proud to hear them lisping " the language of 
 Aniwa." 
 
 The life of the Christian Home is the best treatise 
 on Christianity a daily object-lesson, which all can 
 understand, can " read, mark, learn, and inwardly 
 digest " ; in fact, it is the only Bible which many of 
 them shall ever read ! It wakens a terrible feeling of 
 responsibility to see how they sometimes look up to 
 us ; not that many of them appreciate in the very 
 least our motives for coming to live amongst them. 
 They cannot rise to the feelings engendered by the 
 Cross ; and, as " every man imputes himself," they 
 take for granted that we must have in view some
 
 A TRIP TO THE COLONIES 
 
 ulterior and selfish object. We were struck with this 
 very specially, one day, when a brazen-faced embodi- 
 ment of the Evil Spirit, the wildest Savage on Aniwa, 
 came to demand something or other, and John gave 
 him a lecture on his evil ways instead. Rangi tossed 
 his head, and threatened to go to Hell if he might 
 not get doing as he liked. John rebuked and 
 appealed to him. But I, not being the Missionary 
 exactly, felt free to express my mind, hinting pretty 
 broadly that that was the place for him, that he 
 would find suitable company there, and that it need 
 not affect us whether he went upstairs or down ! 
 Whereon he turned in amazement, and asked, " If 
 it doesn't make any great difference to you then, 
 for what did you leave your own land and come to 
 us?" 
 
 It is hard to believe sometimes that they can get 
 any good, proportionate to the sacrifice made for 
 them ; and it is at this stage that one's faith and 
 obedience are put to the test. We have got to 
 believe that the Lord meant what He said, when He 
 commanded that the Gospel should be given to 
 " every creature " ; and I can understand now why 
 Paul, the greatest Apostle, was not kept as a sort 
 of splendid figure-head at Jerusalem, but sent " far 
 hence" among the Gentiles to assault the strongholds 
 of Satan. The Lord showed what He thought of the 
 importance of Foreign Missions by sending His best 
 man to be the first Missionary to the Heathen ; but 
 I think He gets precious few, even of His own
 
 CHRISTIAN NATIVES OF ERROMANGA.
 
 QUALIFICATIONS OF MISSIONARIES 113 
 
 followers, to agree with Him in this. They say (and 
 I was often met with the remark on our late visit to 
 Australia), Any one will do for these Heathens ; and 
 seem to grudge a man of burning enthusiasm and 
 magnetic eloquence going to the Foreign Field, as if 
 it were so much power and genius being wasted. 
 We, from our point of view, think that it is here, in 
 the Foreign Mission Field, that such a man finds 
 warfare worthy of his steel, in trying to break off the 
 time-riveted fetters of Idolatry. Undoubtedly it is 
 the very men who are most needed and best qualified, 
 to fill the higher posts in Civilization, who are also 
 wanted, indeed, who only are fit to be trusted with 
 the overthrow of Satan- Worship in the darkest places 
 of the earth. 
 
 One hears and is asked so much about the qualifi- 
 cations needed for Missionaries, by people who can't 
 be got to understand that all that tends to make 
 a good and true Man anywhere tends to make a 
 good Missionary for the Foreign Field ; and ditto, 
 with double emphasis, for the Missionary's wife ! 
 Sanctified Common-Sense, and high Culture, are 
 Means of Grace among Savages, as among others, 
 when they are laid upon the Altar to God. Though 
 they have not such gifts themselves, they are capable 
 of detecting the want of them in others. But, highest 
 reason of all is this : No Missionary can have too 
 many resources within himself, or accomplishments, 
 to bear up against the down-dragging influences of 
 Heathen surroundings. If one had only time, there 
 
 8
 
 114 A TRIP TO THE COLONIES 
 
 is splendid scope here for certain branches of study. 
 The beauties of Nature are such that Artist cannot 
 capture nor Poet depict them. The brilliance and 
 the colouring of sky and of water would drive a painter 
 to despair. Conchologists, Botanists, and Naturalists 
 would find food for endless and delightful specula- 
 tions. 
 
 The Natives have a rudimentary knowledge of 
 Botany, and their own names for every tree and plant 
 on the island. One morning, as John was setting out 
 to a distance with some of his lads, he saw a pretty 
 little fern which he thought I might like for the 
 Rockery, and, cutting it out by the roots, he sent one 
 of them back with it. Farther on there was another 
 beauty, which he examined, but remarked that, as it 
 was exactly the same, he would not uproot it. "It 
 looks the same, Missi," they replied, " but is not " ; 
 and they indicated its minute points of distinction, 
 which ranked it in an altogether different family 
 of ferns ! 
 
 They have also names for many of the Stars, but 
 don't attempt to number them as they can count 
 only up to ten ! When they want to impress you 
 numerically, for instance, with any person's great age, 
 they say he has lived more yams, i.e. years, than all 
 their fingers, counting them, then their toes, pointing 
 to each ; then impressively pointing to their heads, 
 they add they are like their hairs and more than can 
 be numbered ! John makes them count in English, 
 and simple addition and subtraction are to them the
 
 WISEACRES ASTRAY 115 
 
 deepest mysteries of learning, to which only the most 
 advanced can hope to attain. The strain of having 
 to exercise their minds to think in Foreign words is 
 too much for them. It would be dreadful to risk 
 their soul's salvation on the chance of their under- 
 standing the little smattering they might get of 
 English ; though many well-intentioned Wiseacres 
 gave us brilliant advice about teaching them the 
 English language, giving them the English Bible, 
 and throwing open to them the glorious treasures of 
 English Literature ! ! 
 
 If they could only show us how to throw open their 
 minds to receive it, they would indeed be doing us a 
 service. They seem to think that our Islanders have 
 no Mother-Tongue of their own, and that they are 
 standing all agape, ready to drink in instruction. 
 Would people only exercise a little common-sense, 
 and consider whether they would thus eagerly learn 
 a Foreign language from longing to be instructed 
 about a new God ! Or, even, how would we like to 
 go back only to pre-Reformation days, and have our 
 Bible practically a sealed book, by seeing it exclusively 
 in the Latin tongue ! If a Chinaman wanted to come 
 and instruct us in the doctrines of Confucius, he would 
 certainly begin by learning our language, and adapting 
 himself to our modes of thought, not by trying to 
 teach us Chinese and throwing open to us the treasures 
 of Chinese Literature. Of course, it would be very 
 nice for that Chinese Missionary, if we would learn 
 his language and save him the trouble of learning
 
 ii6 A TRIP TO THE COLONIES 
 
 ours ! But, then, we wouldn't ; and no more will the 
 South Sea Islander, who can date his beloved Mother- 
 Tongue as far back as any of us. The Tower of Babel ! 
 They say the New Hebrideans came directly from that 
 scene of confusion of tongues, and 1 verily believe it. 
 
 All the same, it would be splendid if our Islanders 
 could speak English, and we heartily teach them all 
 we can. Mr. Inglis says the only way to bring it 
 about would be to take all the Children and Babies 
 away from their Mothers, and to bring them up 
 entirely with English-speaking people ! Many a good 
 laugh they must have had at our expense, in our 
 efforts to speak Aniwan. It is so difficult at once 
 to think and to speak fluently in a Foreign tongue, 
 to say nothing of speaking idiomatically ; and I can 
 tell you, my sympathy now flows out to Foreigners. 
 Although we can gabble away to the Natives, and 
 understand pretty well what they say, they could easily 
 cheat us ; indeed, they might be plotting our destruc- 
 tion, by our side and in our hearing, by simply 
 concealing all the meaning in a well-known parabolic 
 style of their own. They have borne with us very 
 politely, and not laughed at us half so much as they 
 might have done ; for they do enjoy a joke, as children 
 do, and are a merry-hearted race often laughing 
 so heartily that they work it off by rolling on the 
 ground ! 
 
 These cheery Natives were not long in finding out 
 my provoking sense of the ludicrous, which has been 
 a great trouble to me in my Missionary life here
 
 A LAUGHABLE MARRIAGE 117 
 
 there is so much to evoke laughter. By desperate 
 efforts, even in Church, I had kept my risibles under 
 some sort of control ; but I lost any reputation that 
 way achieved, on the celebration of a most comical 
 wedding. The Bride was rather an old girl, say 
 fifty odd years, and as she had gone through the 
 same ordeal three or four times before, a la Native, 
 she could not see the use of making an exhibition 
 of herself this time in the Church. At any rate, she 
 would not " rise " to the occasion, when her young 
 Bridegroom stood ready to take upon himself the 
 vows of Matrimony. After sundry whispered admoni- 
 tions, and more vigorous kicks from those around, 
 she was at length got on her feet ; but, on finding 
 that she was expected to take her partner by the 
 hand, she flopped down again determinedly ; and 
 the Missi, with a helpless and puzzled look on his 
 face, had to go on with the Ceremony, on these 
 conditions. I confess I heard nothing more, being 
 obliged to duck my head and give in, almost audibly 
 pleading that the number of times I had successfully 
 resisted should be counted in my favour ! It was 
 noised abroad, immediately after the Service, the 
 Happy Pair having at once bolted out at different 
 doors and in opposite directions, as if they never 
 meant to meet again, that the Missi fint had been 
 dead (i.e. gone into fits) in the Church ! 
 
 I have rued that day ever since, as they have made 
 it impossible for me to reform. Of course, there are 
 no more scenes like the above, as we arc now getting
 
 n8 A TRIP TO THE COLONIES 
 
 too " civilized." But if anything out of the way, or 
 the least bit comical, takes place in the Church, a 
 hundred pairs of merry twinkling black eyes and 
 mischievously expectant faces are in an instant turned 
 eagerly towards my seat sufficient of itself to upset 
 my not too heavily weighted gravity. 
 
 -.'. . How charming it was to be in a Civilized 
 Church again, and to listen to an excellent sermon 
 in one's own language, after nearly five years among 
 the Darkies ! Geelong was our first destination, 
 which we reached on a Sabbath afternoon, and went 
 to the Evening Service at St. George's. We were 
 quite a large party Dr. and Miss Geddie, Captain 
 and Mrs. Eraser, Mrs. McNair and I, besides some 
 of the Dayspring crew, looking so respectable in 
 their Sunday " rig." The Church, internally, looked 
 chaste and beautiful ; the pulpit artistically so, of 
 light grey stone, draped with coloured velvet ; and 
 the rails were bluish green. Mr. Campbell's subject 
 was Jesus and His Disciples talking of Heaven, and 
 one could easily imagine the scene on that lovely 
 Summer evening. The second last hymn was " O'er 
 these gloomy hills of darkness," and it came home to 
 me with such power that I could not venture to sing 
 a line my thoughts were all on Aniwa ! When the 
 collection was being taken, they passed our seats 
 (doubtless thinking we had done fairly well in giving 
 ourselves !) ; but Louis, one of our Sailors, made a 
 very decided flourish of his arm in the air, so the 
 plate had to be brought back. How kind everybody
 
 LITSI IN SHOES 119 
 
 was, and what a cordial invitation we had to the 
 Manse Boys, Nurse, and all ! 
 
 I had often, while on the island, pictured what my 
 sensations would be, if ever I again trod the streets 
 of Civilization ; but I had none at all ! It all came 
 so natural, that I quite forgot I had ever been away, 
 as we flew 'round "shopping" all next day a very 
 necessary pre-requisite to our appearing anywhere. 
 It was great fun getting Litsi into shoes, for the 
 first time, before we all went on shore to stay ; and 
 she was so unsteady on her unaccustomed leather 
 feet, that I had to carry the Baby, for she needed her 
 outstretched arms to balance herself, as she went 
 clamping along and squealing, Mt'ssi, Missi, Fll 
 fall I I'll fall! The Native Language quite inter- 
 ested the genteel crowd that began to gather around, 
 while I felt disposed to register an inward vow that 
 the next walk I took with Litsi would be " a moon- 
 light flitting." 
 
 It was, however, an abiding joy to me that, during 
 all our stay, every one was so kind to poor dear 
 warm-hearted Litsi. The servants, at the different 
 houses of our friends, made quite a pet of her ; and, 
 in the Coasting Steamers, the ladies made no objec- 
 tion to her sleeping in their Cabin. Litsi had exalted 
 and very exaggerated expectations in going to the 
 White Man's Land, the land of the Missionary, 
 where she would see only what was pure and good 
 and holy ; but, to the credit of those with whom 
 she met, and her not being able to read the Daily
 
 120 A TRIP TO THE COLONIES 
 
 Newspapers, she was not disillusionized. When we 
 arrived at Adelaide, and she saw the Royal Welcome 
 I got from my own Mother and Sister and all the 
 dear ones there, it struck her in a peculiar way, which 
 she could never get over. I was, of course, wild with 
 delight, and flew from room to room, all talking 
 merrily, as we were being shown over the pretty new 
 Manse, and the Cousins making friends with each 
 other. When, at last, I went upstairs to my room, 
 there I found Litsi sitting on the floor, and sobbing 
 like to break her heart ! As I anxiously inquired 
 the cause, she burst out : " Missi, I never knew what 
 you had given up to come to our Dark Land ! I 
 never knew you had given up a Mother like that, or 
 such a Sister and Brother-in-law. We did not know 
 you lived in such beautiful homes. I fear, I fear, you 
 will never go back to our Dark Land again" 
 
 In truth, Litsi's remarks about Civilization showed 
 more wide-awake intelligence, than did as a rule the 
 White folks' remarks about Heathendom. She once 
 asked me if the Adelaideans had all quarrelled, as 
 hardly any of them alofa-ed each other in passing ; 
 and, when told that they had to wait for " introduc- 
 tions" before speaking, said, "Was it not enough 
 that they knew each other as Christians ? " At one 
 Minister's house, she came to me in great consterna- 
 tion, and said, " Didn't you say that Mr. Blank was a 
 Missi ? " " Yes ; why ? " " Oh, you must be mistaken. 
 Look, he has a pipe in his mouth ! " There, sure 
 enough, was the worthy Divine, enjoying a quiet whiff
 
 THE TOBACCO QUESTION 
 
 in his garden. I knew that tobacco was tabooed, 
 and for strong reasons, as an evil by the Missionaries ; 
 but, not being at the moment ready to explain how 
 it was wicked for a Black man and not wicked for 
 a White man to smoke, I mumbled something about 
 people having sometimes to smoke " for toothache ! " 
 And what an amount of needless sympathy poor 
 Litsi, from day to day, lavished upon that sorely- 
 afflicted man ! 
 
 To prevent misapprehension, I may here add that 
 the Tobacco Question was brought up at the Synod 
 by-and-bye, by the Younger Missionaries. They 
 urged that it was setting up a false standard of 
 Christian living to forbid smoking, when that was 
 the first thing the Natives would see among professed 
 Christians whenever they visited Civilized Countries. 
 The embargo was accordingly removed from the 
 Dayspring, and the " weed " may be used as an article 
 of barter. The elder Missionaries had, in their more 
 trying conditions, good and sufficient reasons for 
 prohibiting tobacco, specially owing to Trading asso- 
 ciations of a demoralizing character. But a time had 
 come, when most were agreed that the prohibition 
 was to a certain extent a hindrance to the Gospel. 
 It may, possibly at least, be reduced to harmlessness ; 
 and really, there is so much of crying and unquestioned 
 Sin around us which must, at all hazards, be forbidden 
 and denounced, that what is not in itself sinful may 
 well, in regard to practice, be relegated to the category 
 of open questions ! I gave in, long before John (if he
 
 122 A TRIP TO THE COLONIES 
 
 has really given in yet !) and it has occasioned a 
 great deal of innocent pleasure for me to make a very 
 modest weekly gift to my Cook and Herd, all the 
 while renewing the strict injunction, " No Smoking 
 on the Premises." 
 
 What a lot Litsi had to tell of the wonders of 
 Missi's Land, when she returned ! And all so different 
 from the Savages who had gone up with the Slavers, 
 and seen only the evils, which they are quick to 
 imitate for they understand, as with lightning flash, 
 what appeals to their lower nature. Litsi has, like 
 her father, dear old Namakei, a refined and gentle 
 nature ; so much so, that her sweet and intelligent 
 face won all hearts. I can never be grateful enough 
 for the ever kind and ever respectful way in which 
 she was treated by our generous friends in the Colonies. 
 Helen's servants used to teach her Hymns, and sing 
 them with her in the evenings in the kitchen, so that 
 she felt quite at home. How instinctively she at once 
 detected the difference between an intelligent interest 
 in her, and that of those who petted her like a 
 favourite pup that can appreciate nothing but food ! 
 
 Litsi's Mistress, also, experienced a mighty differ- 
 ence in the numerous and varied inquiries into Mission 
 life. Some such stupid questions were asked by people 
 still more stupid. My patient and praiseworthy 
 Husband set himself unweariedly to enlighten every 
 one, worthy and unworthy alike ; and, in reply to the 
 most outrageous questions, poured forth his soul on 
 his beloved Mission and his dear Islanders. No one
 
 WELCOME HOME AGAIN 123 
 
 could imagine what may be encountered even amongst 
 the friends of Mission ; once and again I heard blood- 
 thirsty females soliloquizing thus : " Only four Mis- 
 sionaries murdered on Erromanga? I quite thought 
 it was more. But they were cooked and eaten I- 
 weren't they ? " 
 
 . . . The Home-Coming was just delicious. Every- 
 thing that John and the Darkies could think of was 
 done to welcome us. The word WELCOME shone 
 in great letters over the front gate. The lawn and 
 all the grounds were in perfect order ; and several 
 alterations beautifully carried through, which I had 
 long desired among the rest, a Day Nursery and 
 extra bedroom had been built. And withal, there 
 was on everything that flavour of originality which 
 only the Natives can bestow for instance, sheets 
 spread out for table-cloths, and vice versa, toilet covers 
 for towels, etc., etc. ! 
 
 I had six weeks to prepare for the Mission Synod 
 here. It passed off splendidly ; for, in truth, the good 
 men, one and all, were easily pleased and easily enter- 
 tained. Seven Missionaries, including the Captain, 
 came as guests ; and my cooks and servants were up 
 to the mark. Mr. Inglis wrote playfully afterwards, 
 to one of his friends, that " they were like to die the 
 death of Dickens hard work and high living!" 
 They did a great deal of solemn and important 
 business, and needed to be well sustained, which we 
 did to our modest best. Their meetings were held 
 in the Study, and all went happily.
 
 124 A TRIP TO THE COLONIES 
 
 My Baby's baptism was, to us, the most interesting 
 event, of course. Dear Mr. Inglis, who has baptized 
 all our Children, baptized him at the close of the 
 first Sunday Service. The Natives were intensely 
 interested in seeing the first White Baby baptized on 
 their island (the others were baptized at Aneityum). 
 But, if the stark truth must be told, the killing of 
 a Bull, next morning, carried away the palm for 
 interest. Half the island turned out before daylight 
 to be in at the death which, alas, they made as 
 tragical as possible by firing six shots at the poor 
 animal, and then scampering off after each, with the 
 animal tearing after them ! Mr. Nelson fired the last, 
 and the only effectual shot. 
 
 . . . Dayspring in sight ! Goodbye ! 
 
 Ever yours affectionately, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 IX 
 
 FAMILY LIFE AND CHURCH LIFE 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 ANIWA, NEW HEBRIDES, 1872. 
 
 DEAREST HOME-FRIENDS, AND OTHERS, In the 
 end of March last, we were greeted with awful tidings 
 poor Gordon killed on Erromanga ! We had got 
 
 REV. J. D. GORDON. 
 
 over the Hot Season, and were eagerly preparing for 
 the arrival of the Dayspring, with our yearly Mail 
 and supplies, when a boat brought over the shocking 
 news, with a pathetic letter to John from the Christian 
 Natives there. Ataulo, Mackie, Naleen, and some 
 other poor fellows, came in the boat, broken-hearted, 
 and wanted to stay here altogether. 
 
 125
 
 126 FAMILY LIFE AND CHURCH LIFE 
 
 Sad to say, dear Gordon was tomahawked by a 
 superstitious Native, who regarded him as bringing 
 disease amongst them, though they were indebted 
 to a Trading Vessel for that. A confederate went 
 along with the murderer, to give him his moral 
 support ! And that noble fellow, whom we knew 
 and loved, has been cut down in his prime. I cannot 
 enter upon the horrid details. A certain type of 
 so-called Religious paper will dilate on these. For 
 us, it is all too near, and too real, and he was our 
 Brother Missionary ! What a difference it makes 
 to hear of such an event from a safe distance in 
 Civilization, and to have the tragedy enacted close 
 to your Home, and by the very people, or their 
 kindred, with whom you are every day surrounded. 
 It begets such an eerie feeling ; and, for the time, 
 it bred a distrust of black faces in general. 
 
 A few evenings thereafter, John having occasion 
 to go to the Boat Harbour, I was too frightened to 
 stay behind (Nurses and Bairns had gone on before, 
 always in the thick of everything !) ; and, as we 
 strolled home arm-in-arm in the quiet moonlight, 
 John tried to persuade me how nice it would be to 
 take a little time for the same thing every evening, 
 how it would do me good, etc. He was astonished, 
 when I informed him that he was indebted to poor 
 Gordon for this quiet walk and talk! We have 
 since heard that the dear Missi Gordon was just 
 translating the Acts of the Apostles at the stoning 
 of Stephen, and that, when his murderers smilingly
 
 THE MURDERER OF GORDON, AND HIS CHILD.
 
 RULES OF LIFE AND WORK 129 
 
 called him out and sent him to join the Noble Army 
 of the Martyrs, the ink was still wet on the page at 
 these heartbreakingly tender words, Lord, lay not 
 tJiis sin to tJieir charge. 
 
 . . . Our work jogs along pleasantly here ; none 
 the less so, that we I, rather have made a very 
 few stern rules that must be kept. The Natives 
 about have got into our ways. I have not to chase 
 round, as I used to do, to prevent them plucking the 
 fowls for table before they are killed. This they 
 were very fond of doing for the mere pleasure of 
 hearing them scream ! From almost the first day, I 
 made rules about not allowing the Natives generally 
 to come into the house during our meals ; or ever to 
 go into the Cook-House, under any pretence what- 
 ever, as I don't care to have suggestions of their 
 personality in our food. If they want to see the 
 Cook, he goes out to them. By the way, he is quite 
 a character, that Cook of ours ; knows a few words 
 of English, which he is fond of airing, and says, 
 "Yes, Sir," and " No, Sir," to me. I can't feel in 
 my heart to bring him down from his pedestal of 
 politeness, by correcting his mistake, and John won't, 
 pleading that the fellow shows great penetration 
 and knows exactly who rules the roast ! One nice 
 old man, eager to imitate the Missi in everything, 
 began addressing me as " Maggie, dear ! " but his 
 Reverence promptly interfered, and put a stop to 
 that. 
 
 Our Natives are very amusing in many of their 
 
 9
 
 I jo FAMILY LIFE AND CHURCH LIFE 
 
 ways ; and, though often provoking and disappointing 
 we do not lose heart, as we might do with white 
 people, remembering that in these respects they are 
 only children after all. We manage to keep our 
 Bairns, in a large measure, separate from the Native 
 children, for weighty reasons, but it requires a little 
 engineering to prevent them from feeling it. The 
 front of our house is quite fenced off, and the side 
 gates are locked, so that they play about by them- 
 selves, or with their nurses ; and, on Sundays, we are 
 entirely free of visitors. On this latter subject I had 
 more bother with the Missi than with the Natives. 
 He maintained, of course, that we are here for their 
 benefit, which I heartily agree to, and for six days 
 in the week I am their devoted servant in Christ, at 
 their beck and call ; but, in His name, I claim this 
 one day, so far as its domestic life is concerned, to be 
 unreservedly given up to our little ones. 
 
 We, thus, can preserve Our Family Life even in the 
 midst of Heathendom. After Church Services and 
 Sunday Schools are over, and the Natives who prefer 
 to remain are supplied with piles of Picture Books, 
 which they immensely enjoy sprawling at full length 
 on the grass, the Paton Family have a sweet and 
 blessed time under our shady front verandah. Books 
 for our Bairns are read aloud, followed by question 
 and Hymn and happy talks; and we ourselves, bathing 
 in these fountains of love Human and Divine, are 
 rested and refreshed for the duties of an approaching 
 week.
 
 THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL 131 
 
 In fact, we keep far better friends with our Natives, 
 by getting rid of them occasionally, and doing so 
 without hurting their feelings. We explained tenderly 
 how much we enjoyed their company, sometimes ; 
 but asked them to think, if they were in a Foreign 
 land and had to talk incessantly in a Foreign language, 
 whether they wouldn't like to have part of one day in 
 the week to themselves, with their own Family, and 
 speaking their Mother-Tongue ; and to this they 
 heartily agree. I fear I am regarded rather as a Law 
 unto these poor people around us ; but then, you see, 
 John is the embodiment of a glorious Gospel] so 
 their theological surroundings are tolerably com- 
 plete ! 
 
 Another rule I fought for, after being three years 
 on Aniwa, was that no one should enter the Church, 
 without what appeared to me a decent covering. 
 John was unfeignedly thankful to get them there 
 to hear the Gospel, in almost any condition ; but 
 I maintained that we too had a right to Church 
 privileges, as well as the Natives ; and that I could 
 not worship the Lord in His Sanctuary, with prac- 
 tically naked people stuck right in front of us, nor 
 was it good for our Children. So the Missi was at 
 last induced to fire off another of my bullets amongst 
 his " beloved Flock." He solemnly announced in 
 the Church Assembly, that the few who still came 
 unclothed would, in future, have to put on something, 
 were it only a fathom of calico, which they all had, 
 or could easily secure by doing a little work ; that,
 
 132 FAMILY LIFE AND CHURCH LIFE 
 
 a month's warning being given, thereafter no naked 
 or painted person would be allowed to enter the 
 Church. There were only three or four Natives who 
 were in the habit of coming unclothed, and it wasn't 
 fair to the others to let them ride off in that way, 
 and defy our Christian custom. 
 
 When the month was up, and we were assembling 
 in the Church, there slipped in a Heathen, clothed in 
 nothing but the most startling war-paint ! I spotted 
 our friend, and vowed he should not escape the 
 Missionary's notice either ; so, when John had finished 
 reading the Hymn, and looked across for me to begin, 
 he found his Harmoniumist leaning calmly back 
 with folded arms. His amazed face said as plainly 
 as possible, " What's the row ? " I gave a slight 
 inclination of the head in the direction of the painted 
 individual ; and John at once took action by request- 
 ing him to leave the Church, since he had had full 
 notice to quit this Heathenism in the House of God. 
 The gentleman, however, had no more intention of 
 leaving the Church than I had of beginning the 
 Hymn. It was a question of which would win, and 
 soon began to be exciting. Had I been "given to 
 betting," as they say, I would have backed " our side " 
 to any amount ! 
 
 John repeated his request firmly, but very kindly, 
 setting forth the reasonableness of such a regulation ; 
 this was enforced by earnest whisperings all around, 
 while our young hero sat complacently grinning, with 
 his chin resting on his knees ! The Missi then began
 
 "HIS DIRTY NAKEDNESS" 133 
 
 quietly to collect his books, saying that he never 
 made a rule that he did not mean to be obeyed, and 
 would therefore now leave the Church, and worship 
 with his Family in the Mission House. That, how- 
 ever, would not be tolerated, as the young man 
 gathered from the ferocious looks directed against 
 him ; and, on the Chief of his district being seen to 
 move with serious intentions of ejectment, the big 
 fellow swung out of the building like lightning, carry- 
 ing his dirty nakedness with him, and the Service 
 went on with something of Christian seemliness. 
 
 That same afternoon, John being at a preaching 
 in this man's Village, the poor Savage had got one 
 side of his face washed, and turned it to the Mis- 
 sionary ; but he was told to sit right round and make 
 himself quite comfortable, as there were no rules to 
 exclude any one from Open-Air Services. To do 
 him justice, he joined heartily in the laughter that 
 greeted this sally ; and he has become one of the 
 very best fellows we have, since coming off second 
 best in this little tussle. 
 
 I have my Sewing and Singing Classes on our 
 front verandah, which is a vast improvement for me, 
 there being a constant current of air, which wafts 
 away the odour of Ethiopia. It is quite pronounced 
 enough in the open air, and was overpowering in the 
 School Room. I have used more Eau-de-Cologne 
 here, than I did before in all my life (I disliked scent 
 in Civilization), and would have ruined my poor 
 Husband if I'd had to buy it ; but kind friends, who
 
 134 FAMILY LIFE AND CHURCH LIFE 
 
 evidently knew better what I was coming to than I 
 did myself, loaded me with gifts and have kept me 
 supplied ever since. 
 
 We have had a rare influx of Missionaries this 
 year, actually four new ones, three from Nova Scotia, 
 and one from Melbourne, who made a romantic 
 marriage with Dr. Geddie's daughter on Aneityum. 
 They had plenty to do, at the Mission Conference, 
 locating them ; and the Children and I spent the 
 time with dear Mrs. Watt at Kwamera ; Mrs. Milne, 
 a gem of a Missionary's wife, being also one of the 
 visitors. She and Mr. Milne happened to be on a 
 visit to us, when she came of age ; and there was 
 great joking about being independent of her husband 
 now ! 
 
 The three weeks at Kwamera just flew past. Every- 
 thing was so charming, the perfection of a Mission 
 Station in all its workings. And what a magnificent 
 island is Tanna, with its majestic mountains, rich 
 vegetation, fine rivers, and last, but not least, its grand 
 old Volcano a huge pillar of cloud by day and of 
 fire by night (the best Lighthouse in the world, the 
 sailors say), and as restless as the Ocean, sending up 
 tons of lava into the air about every ten minutes, with 
 a rumble that often shakes our house even on Aniwa! 
 The sea-scape here is a perpetual study Kwamera 
 being on the weather side of Tanna, the breakers are 
 the grandest I have ever seen. I wish I could describe 
 them as we saw them. W T e used to sit for hours 
 (mind, we were on Holiday !) watching the majestic
 
 THE SPIRIT OF GIRLHOOD 135 
 
 progress of the mountainous waves, as they rolled 
 obliquely along the reefs, the pale green deepening 
 into shadow as they curved round before breaking 
 with mighty roar into a sea of boiling surf. 
 
 We made a charming visit, one day, to a Village 
 three miles inland. The scenery was romantic ; and 
 we chose to go a part of our way right through the 
 river, which flows swiftly and gently down its broad 
 bed, forming a lovely vale between towering heights, 
 covered with luxuriant creepers, ferns, and foliage 
 down to the water's edge. It was such fun to leap 
 from one great flat stone to another, with the clear 
 water flowing all around us ; but we often paused 
 to look up at the grand heights above, and drink 
 in the beauty of the scene ; there was strange power, 
 too, in the silence over all ! Here and there, where 
 the Glen narrowed, were beautiful waterfalls. Mrs. 
 Watt and I got through all, springing over the ground 
 like wild-cats ; but Mrs. Blank kept us in great merri- 
 ment, accompanying her slower progress with a suc- 
 cession of shrieks, and frantic appeals to the Natives 
 for help ; and, finally, she capped the events of the 
 day by tumbling off a Tanna man's back flat into the 
 river ! The spirit of girlhood was on us, and Mrs. 
 Watt and I sank helpless on the nearest stone, and 
 went off into fits of mischievous laughter. 
 
 A scene of a very different kind was being enacted, 
 that very afternoon, on the same island, as we heard 
 a few days later by letters from Port Resolution. A 
 Traders' Vessel had anchored there ; and the notorious
 
 136 FAMILY LIFE AND CHURCH LIFE 
 
 Captain H. went tipsy to Mrs. N.'s, knowing her 
 husband to be absent at the Mission Conference, and 
 tried his best to insult her. The Aneityumese servants 
 were away cutting wood, and she fled to the Imrai 
 a Christian lady seeking the protection of the Savages 
 against her own degraded Countryman ! They 
 guarded her well, and drove the wretch back to his 
 boat. In rage, he declared that he would return at 
 midnight. But the house, and the Boat Landing, 
 were loyally watched by night and by day ; though 
 that did not prevent Mrs. N., and her young Sister, 
 the bride, from being kept in misery and terror, till, 
 three days after, the Vessel and its hateful Captain 
 cleared out to sea. 
 
 Our return to Aniwa was a sad one, owing to dear 
 Namakei's death, while away at the Mission Confer- 
 ence on Aneityum. There was hardly a dry eye, 
 when John preached his Funeral Sermon next Sun- 
 day ; and his was, I suppose, the largest Mission 
 Funeral on record in the New Hebrides, the Captain 
 and the whole Synod having followed the remains 
 of the Grand Old Man to their last resting-place. 
 We do so miss him here ; he was such a lovable 
 friend ; and his passionate devotion to the " little 
 white Chief" was really pathetic. 
 
 The Mission settlement that stirred our hearts 
 most was that on Erromanga. It is very brave of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Robertson to tackle that Martyr Island, 
 all alone. We had a delightful visit from them in 
 September. They came in their boat, a distance
 
 ANGELS' VISITS 137 
 
 of over forty miles, and had a stormy and perilous 
 passage ; they lost their rudder, and, when they should 
 have been landing at the Mission Station toward 
 evening, they found themselves on the wrong side, 
 the weather side, of Aniwa, and had to battle with the 
 breakers the live-long night, rudderless and tempest- 
 tossed. Right thankful were they to reach this, next 
 morning, as it was all that Mr. Robertson could do 
 to keep up the courage of the Natives, and prevent 
 the boat from being smashed among the reefs. They 
 say here that " a special Providence watches over 
 fools and Missionaries" and we have often much 
 reason to think it true ! 
 
 Those visits of our Brother Missionaries are truly 
 like Angels' visits, in more than in their rarity. It 
 is so delightful to have intercourse with kindred 
 spirits (by the way, does that suggest that we are 
 Angels ? Well, let it !), and with whom we have so 
 much in common. We do not by any means " talk 
 shop " all the time ; but it is so uplifting to have 
 enlightened converse about our work, get the benefit 
 of each other's experience, and compare the tradi- 
 tions and legends of our respective Islands. During 
 one of these visits, from the Watts, I think, we 
 were comparing notes, and I called in our Girls for 
 further information. To my intense delight, the 
 younger Girls, who had grown up mostly with us, 
 knew nothing at all about them ; showing that our 
 teaching had really taken the place of their Heathen 
 superstitions. So we called in some elderly Aniwans
 
 138 FAMILY LIFE AND CHURCH LIFE 
 
 who immediately waxed eloquent, and greatly 
 interested us in their traditions. They have, for 
 instance, one about the Flood ; and this not only 
 tallies strangely in some details with the Biblical 
 account, but, what is more striking, it points exactly 
 the same moral, or nearly so. 
 
 You can have no idea how companionable the 
 Natives are, when once you can talk to them freely. 
 Their faces light up with such intelligence ; and they 
 are eager both to hear and to communicate. Pictures 
 they are wonderfully fond of; we spend many an 
 hour explaining them, and can get a good deal of 
 Gospel truth into them, in that way, without seeming 
 to preach. But they don't, by any means, take 
 everything on trust. They must be convinced, before 
 believing all you say. Once I described to a lot 
 of women how water got so cold in Britain that it 
 froze, and became so solid and hard that the people 
 ran about on the top of it. I saw. perfectly in their 
 looks that they did not believe it, though too respectful 
 to say so. It so happened that the Dayspring called 
 the very next day ; and what should Dr. Geddie 
 bring on shore, but a huge block of ice ! Some kind 
 friends in Melbourne had put a refrigerating machine 
 on board ; and Dr. Geddie had some ice prepared 
 for each Mission Station, well knowing what a treat 
 it would be to us, as well as an interest to the Natives. 
 What crowds came to. examine it ! They touched 
 it ; they howled wildly over their first experience of 
 real freezing cold; and they eagerly yet sorrowfully
 
 CROOKED PATHS 139 
 
 marked it melting away. I made the women confess 
 their unbelief of the evening before ; but they added, 
 with pawky grace worthy of a Scot, We did not believe 
 you would lie, Mis si ! We just thought that somebody 
 else had told yon crooked. 
 
 John has been trying to make the " crooked " paths 
 of the Aniwans straight, shortening the distance 
 betwixt us and the Boat Harbour by clearing a 
 direct road for the Hand Cart, instead of the very 
 circuitous one they had been accustomed to travel. 
 When, however, it was finished, they simply howled 
 with disgust at the awful length of it ! It was in 
 reality one-third shorter ; but simply because they 
 could now see it all at once, they persistently argued 
 that it was ever so much longer, nor could be con- 
 vinced till Missi tested it by a walking match. He 
 preached a good practical sermon to them, next 
 Sunday, about God's tender wisdom in hiding so 
 much of our earthly future from our view we see 
 not all the road we have to travel in dust and pain ! 
 
 Nearly all the Natives wear clothing now. This 
 is a great index of change ; for, in the Heathen state, 
 they arc positively as ashamed at the idea of wearing 
 anything, as we would be at the idea of proposing 
 to go naked. But the men have not yet donned the 
 " nether " garments, as they say they are frightened 
 for them ! There is nothing they so much covet as 
 a warm blanket or bedquilt, for they feel chilly at 
 night (I wish we could, instead of feverish !), and they 
 love to roll themselves up before going to sleep.
 
 140 FAMILY LIFE AND CHURCH LIFE 
 
 One day, a dear child was brought to us, evidently 
 in the last stages of croup. There was not a moment 
 to be lost, in getting her into the hottest bath. In 
 my eagerness, I snatched the blanket off my own 
 bed, to keep in the steam and to wrap round the 
 sufferer. This, in a cooler moment, I would not have 
 done, as it was my very best, and one of the fine 
 downy ones bound with ribbon that Aunt E. gave 
 me as a wedding gift. I would not undertake to 
 say, whether these parents were more pleased about 
 the care of the child, or the possession of the blanket. 
 The sequel was characteristic. A greedy old fellow, 
 over six feet, with shoulders to match, presented 
 himself spontaneously as a patient, and demanded 
 a hot bath from the W\ss\-fine. We laughed, and 
 assured Taia that there wasn't a vessel big enough 
 to hold him, unless he went into one of the tanks. 
 As he still insisted on a bath, we began to fear he 
 had gone crazy ; but light dawned on the method 
 of his madness, when he ingenuously added, " Well, 
 if you won't give me the bath, the same kind of 
 blanket you gave the child the other day will do ! " 
 
 You would laugh to see that great huge-framed 
 Taia our Native orator, and right glad of any decent 
 excuse for wagging his beloved tongue. He rolls out 
 the sentences in a grandiose style. He has just to let 
 himself go in delivering an oration, and you imme- 
 diately see that the Aniwan language can give scope 
 for elocution and relief to pent-up feelings. Our own 
 little Boys seem to take after Taia, for they grow
 
 CHILDHOOD'S BIBLE 141 
 
 amazingly eloquent, gesticulate at a great rate, and 
 act out everything they narrate helping their English 
 talk with an Aniwan or Aneityumese word, to enforce 
 their meaning, which certainly colours brilliantly what 
 they say. 
 
 We were talking, the other evening, about the Last 
 Judgment, and what the Bible says about the world's 
 being " burnt up." Our little Frank interjected, 
 " And won't it Kopuko, Mamma ? " That means to 
 "go off like a cannon." In these circumstances, his 
 main concern turned out to be this, whether his 
 favourite wheel-barrow would "go off" in the general 
 conflagration ; and he argued, very decidedly, that 
 in such a case it was only fair that he should " get 
 a new one in Heaven ! " 
 
 But you will see that I am as weak as Mothers 
 elsewhere, when I assure you that it charms me to 
 hear the Bible stories we have taught them re-presented 
 to us in the language and in the ideas of childhood. 
 One day, after talking about our Lord's death and 
 burial, little F. said so earnestly, " But He rised again, 
 Mamma ; 'cause He said to Thomson (? Thomas), 
 Look what the naughty peoples did to Me ! " and 
 he pointed to his hands, with a suggestive expression 
 in his eyes. 
 
 They have decided ideas of their own on Theology ; 
 and our little Three-Year-Old flatly refuses to be 
 charged with Adam's transgression. I was, for 
 example, reading Peep 6" Day, and trying to explain 
 how that sin of our first parent had made us all
 
 142 FAMILY LIFE AND CHURCH LIFE 
 
 wicked ; but it would not go down in any form I could 
 present it, and the child ended the lecture at that time 
 by a positive protest, 1 se not naughty ! I did never 
 eat de fruit I 
 
 I fear I could go on about these things ad libitum ; 
 but, fortunately for you, my time is not inexhaustible, 
 though your loving patience may be. And so, as 
 our Natives would say, My word is ended. 
 Ever affectionately yours, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 X 
 
 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 PORT JACKSON, SYDNEY HARBOUR, 
 
 September 2<)tli, 1873. 
 
 MY DEAREST MOTHER, BROTHERS, AND SISTERS, 
 I address you all, as this is to be the " big " letter, 
 and to go the rounds from Adelaide. 
 
 We arrived here last night, have all packed, and are 
 ready to go ashore. John is much better, and every- 
 body declares he will soon be able to dispense with 
 both his crutches, or rather sticks ! 
 
 I suppose I had better go back and narrate things 
 in order ; but I hardly know where to begin ; 
 especially as I did not get letters written for last 
 December, when the dear old Dayspring left us, and 
 got wrecked on Aneityum, four or five days after- 
 wards. John and the boys, Bob and Fred, had been 
 with her in the trip North, never dreaming it was to 
 be her last voyage round our Islands. 
 
 While they were away from us, we had quite an 
 exciting time, one way and another. For one thing, 
 there was a welcome visit from Mr. F. A. Campbell
 
 144 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 (son of the Minister at Geelong), who came down in 
 the Dayspring for his health, and stayed with us a 
 fortnight, before going to the Watts at the beginning 
 of the Season ; and, as John had to go in the Vessel 
 on " Deputation work," we begged of the Watts to 
 accompany him over here, since the Natives would 
 not have thought it proper for me to receive him 
 alone ! So they all came in Mr. Watt's boat, towed 
 across by a wee Trading Steamer, which was subse- 
 quently smashed to pieces in the hurricane. We all 
 enjoyed ourselves so much ; rather too much, for my 
 correspondence fell behind. I was so tempted to chat 
 endlessly with dear Mrs. Watt, knowing that I had 
 the whole year round to write letters, and so seldom 
 a lady visitor to enliven our solitude. Mr. Campbell 
 is fond of music ; and so we had the old harmonium 
 in from the Church, and he brought music out of it 
 indeed. He copied also my painting of the Day- 
 spring, and made some fine drawings of island 
 scenery, to be reproduced in illustrating a volume of 
 his tour, which he intends to publish on his return. 
 Altogether, we spent a very pleasant fortnight, which 
 would indeed have been perfect, if only John had 
 been at home. 
 
 Again, just before these visitors came, Litsi had her 
 first-born son and heir, which put us all here into a 
 fever of excitement, she being such a universal 
 favourite, and having been too weak to walk for 
 months before. I was, of course, apprehensive of the 
 consequences. It proved to be a very lingering affair ;
 
 DOMESTIC HUMOURS 145 
 
 and there was a good deal of extemporized tele- 
 graphing betwixt her house and ours, a five minutes' 
 walk ; and not a little dodging to keep all quiet from 
 the Native Boys, and yet get the Cook to keep up 
 the fire and hot water after tea. When I told him 
 that I expected the boat (Mr. Watt's) would come 
 over in such fine moonlight, though I really did 
 expect it, the Girls rushed out to the verandah to let 
 off steam ! Of course, it would be enough to tell a 
 civilized servant that you required hot water kept, 
 but our Natives would open their eyes very wide and 
 ask, WJiat for? And as, in the circumstances, I 
 could not say what it was for you know it would 
 ruin any fellow's character here for life to be thought 
 so weak as to help a woman the boat served as a 
 good excuse and a true one, for we had all been 
 looking for it the evening before. But during my 
 Writing Class, which I have in the evenings for those 
 Natives on the Mission Premises who can't go to 
 John's morning School, I had very hard work to keep 
 grave, while the Girls kept on asking, every now and 
 again, with a mischievous twinkle in their black eyes, 
 if the boat had arrived ! 
 
 I kept away from the seat of war, though sundry 
 hints reached me that my presence there would be 
 very acceptable ; and I contented myself with sending 
 warm drinks. But, in the middle of the prayer at 
 Worship, when one of the Head Boys was praying, 
 poor Litsi's husband, a great fellow of over six feet, 
 came tapping at the window of the next room, and 
 
 IO
 
 146 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 pled with me to go to Litsi or she would die ! There 
 was nothing for it but to slip off with him, though 
 I would rather have gone ten miles the other way. 
 I found Litsi well looked after by her female friends, 
 and bantered her about having a fine young son when 
 she said she was going to die, adding, for her encour- 
 agement, that I said the same thing myself before 
 Bob was born. Suddenly, a man's voice close by me 
 said in very interested tones, "Did you, Missi?" I 
 could have annihilated the fellow, and, you may 
 depend on it, I was rather more scarce of my experi- 
 ences, with a male audience so unexpectedly near. 
 I saw there was nothing which I could really do for 
 Litsi ; and, being a little nervous, I suddenly remem- 
 bered that no one else could be trusted to make the 
 gruel at the Mission House for her. But she persisted, 
 Pray first, Missi! and, seizing my hand, affection- 
 ately held it all the time. 
 
 Walking back in the clear moonlight, thinking 
 anxiously and praying for dear Litsi, I heard shouts of 
 merriment from our half-open windows, and some one 
 stalking out to the back, as if he would knock the 
 floor through at every step. I hastened in, and found 
 Telmonoutha, the Boy who had prayed at Worship, 
 disappearing through the pantry-door and the Girls 
 leaning over the table in fits of laughter. They told 
 me that he had uttered a very long and a very 
 beautiful prayer (oh, how those Boys' prayers during 
 John's absence used to bring the tears to my eyes, 
 the way they asked God to let nothing in the seas
 
 LITSI'S SON 147 
 
 hurt their Missi, and nothing on the land hurt him, 
 etc., etc. !), but that Telmonoutha was awfully enraged 
 for having made it all for " these black-hearted Girls," 
 as he contemptuously called them, and for not letting 
 him know that I had gone ! They demanded, in 
 turn, how they could have let him know while he was 
 praying ; and, having no answer ready, he strode out 
 in bursting indignation. 
 
 After another visit or t\vo to Litsi, her uncle and 
 aunt came rushing to tell me that her baby was born, 
 and was a Boy ! I uttered a very fervent " Thank 
 God," to which Kalangi, the uncle, responded so 
 earnestly, " O Missi, that's the very thing I said 
 myself for, you know, it might have been a Girl!" 
 I let them know pretty roundly that it was not the 
 gender I was thankful for ; and then ran back to Litsi 
 whom I found sitting clasping her first-born, as if she 
 would never let him go ; and greeting* indignantly 
 at the remembrance of her sorrows, like a bairn after 
 a thrashing. Poor Litsi, she had to lay her Child in 
 the grave, three months after, as sweet and lovely 
 a Child as mother ever loved ; and, next Sabbath 
 thereafter, at the Communion, the father looked so 
 broken-hearted, and wore so pale a face, that I can 
 never forget him. 
 
 This was in the middle of February ; but I have 
 not told you of the Hurricane on January 6th. Of 
 course, you have all heard about the dear little Day- 
 
 * Scottice for -weeping.
 
 148 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 spring having been lost in it ; and some Missionary 
 will explain to you all about the atmosphere, the 
 barometer, etc., so I shall limit myself to how we got 
 on in Aniwa. John and the Boys had just returned. 
 The Dayspring had taken off our visitors a few days 
 before, along with our yearly order and mail, and we 
 had enjoyed a quiet Sabbath all together again. The 
 Boys and Girls had been looking over all sorts of 
 British Workman, Pictorial News, etc., while John 
 and I explained them, and all went off to bed, thinking 
 of anything but hurricanes, our barometer having 
 been broken some time before, and had left books 
 and everything lying about. We generally make 
 special preparation for threatened hurricanes, by 
 tying down thatch, propping walls, and so forth ; but 
 we had not begun this year, as hurricanes were never 
 known before January I2th, and so we hoped for 
 secure and peaceful sleep. 
 
 Shortly after we had retired, the wind began to rise, 
 and continued to rise very high ; and, by midnight, 
 we resolved to escape from the Mission House. It 
 was shaking ominously, the roof gave signs of falling 
 in, and so we all took refuge in the Cellar, the Girls 
 carrying blankets with them, and a large mattress for 
 the Children. What an exciting journey that was, 
 out at the Study door and down the steps to the 
 Cellar, for we expected to be crushed to pieces by 
 something or other falling, and we had to shout into 
 each other's ears, the noise of the wind was so 
 deafening ! But we felt comparatively snug, when
 
 A GRAND HURRICANE 149 
 
 we got into the Cellar and had a lamp lit and placed 
 in a sheltered corner, hearing the wind roaring 
 outside like distant thunder. Litsi with her Baby, 
 then three weeks old, and a lot of people took refuge 
 with us ; while John kept me in painful suspense, 
 taking down pictures, securing doors and windows, 
 and trying to cover his precious bookcases with 
 blankets ; but even he was forced to desist, at the 
 risk of life. The Children, realizing no danger, were 
 delighted at the novelty ; and I myself felt rather 
 jolly too, when we got John safely beside us ; and 
 then the Natives began spinning yarns about the 
 last hurricane they remembered, while the door was 
 being opened, now and again, to admit some poor 
 drenched character, with his head buried between his 
 shoulders, and a roaring gust of wind that deafened 
 us all for the moment, or letting some one out to 
 reconnoitre. 
 
 About four o'clock, John took me up from the 
 Cellar to have a look at the hurricane, and really it 
 was appallingly grand ! The spray dashed blindingly 
 in our faces, a quarter of a mile distant from the sea. 
 Trees and branches were lying around, piled up in 
 mountains, and the tall cocoanuts were swinging like 
 slender willows before the awful gale. But the most 
 disagreeable experience of all was in the cold grey 
 morning light, when we put out the Cellar lamps, and 
 crawled up to our house. The wind had spent its 
 fury, but its work had been effectually accomplished. 
 Everything in our dear Home was soaking wet, and
 
 150 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 covered inches thick with thatch and all imaginable 
 rubbish. Windows were smashed in with branches 
 of trees, hurled against them ; and there was not 
 one spot within the whole premises on which you 
 could sit. 
 
 I set to work, at once, with my Girls, and got the 
 Dining-Room made habitable. We said to Cook 
 that we would not mind for breakfast ; and that, if 
 they could only manage to milk the goats, we would 
 just take bread and milk ; as the Cook-House door 
 had been blockaded, and not a bit of dry wood could 
 be found anywhere. But hardly had we finished this 
 apology when the good soul appeared with the coffee- 
 pot steaming ; so we had a hot breakfast after all, 
 and were all greatly comforted. 
 
 After this, I went on to the front verandah to have 
 a look at the debris outside, and never had I witnessed 
 such a scene of devastation, great trees torn up by 
 the roots ; bananas and fences laid level with the 
 ground ; hardly a green leaf anywhere to be seen, 
 the salt spray having browned everything, and caused 
 them to droop ; and scarcely a yard of clear space 
 anywhere to walk upon. One sight, however, made 
 me clap my hands with delight ; for there, in the 
 near distance, the tremendous waves were dashing on 
 the reef, and I had a Sea- View at last ! 
 
 We had got an apology for one before, but it was 
 soon hidden again. I got it enlarged afterwards, 
 by appealing to the owners of that spot to continue 
 the work of the hurricane by levelling a few more
 
 THE "PARAGON" 
 
 trees, and so giving me a sight of the Dayspring when 
 she passed; for I was always so busy, getting food 
 ready for the expected visitors, that I had no time 
 to run with the rest to see the Ship, when the cry 
 Sail O ! gladdened our ears. I made my appeal to 
 the man whom I considered the softest ; but he was 
 rather obtuse, until I hinted that 
 there would be good pay for every 
 tree cut down. Then he under- 
 stood all my sentiments thoroughly, 
 and loudly declared that it was a 
 shame that Missi the Woman could 
 not see her own Vessel, when she 
 was working for them all the year 
 round ; but that it would not be 
 his fault, if she did not get a sight 
 of it very soon ! Others followed, 
 when they saw what Taia got. 
 About forty trees, 1 think, were 
 cut down. So that we had the 
 first view of the Paragon from our 
 own verandah ; and we see the 
 sun setting there in glory, from April till the end 
 of July. 
 
 John was not at all ambitious of the view of the 
 Paragon, and had often assured us that, if the 
 Dayspring were in Aneityum Harbour during that 
 hurricane, we need never expect to see her, as nothing 
 could save her (which, alas, proved to be the case !), 
 but that if she were in the open sea there might be 
 
 THE SECOND " DAY- 
 SPRING."
 
 152 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 a chance. The Natives, however, all had the firm 
 idea that the Vessel of the Worship could never go 
 down ; and I too hoped with them, till we heard by 
 Mr. Watt's boat, on the last day of February, that 
 it had during the hurricane gone on the reef in 
 Aneityum Harbour. Our Natives all cried about it 
 like children for weeks on end, and they often take 
 fits of doing so since ; while my Girls went to the 
 Study and wailed for a whole evening before the 
 photo of it hanging there, and this they have kept 
 up, going periodically. I had great difficulty in 
 taking in the sad news, and John was distressingly 
 sad. The Dayspring had become part and parcel of 
 ourselves, and none of us could imagine the New 
 Hebrides Mission without its little Ship " to wait on 
 Him," and do His work still as of old. Still, even 
 in this " severity " there mingled " goodness " ; for it 
 could never have been wrecked at a better place or 
 time. All were saved, and our mail too ; besides, she 
 was going for provisions, instead of returning full of 
 them, which would have made a mighty difference to 
 us all. 
 
 By the way, we had our first appearance of a Home 
 Spring, after the hurricane ; for, when all the dead 
 leaves and branches were cleared away and pruned, 
 everything began to bud so refreshing and Home- 
 like, after the perpetual green of these Isles. I do 
 not know, also, whether the greater exposure from 
 the want of trees made us more susceptible of cold ; 
 but, certain it is, we have since all suffered severely
 
 A TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE 153 
 
 from ague and fever, before comparatively unknown 
 here. Several times, before his attack of sciatica, 
 dear John was raving with delirium, while the hot fit 
 of the ague was on him. Nearly all the Natives, too, 
 were ill, and our Quinine went " like snow off a 
 dyke." 
 
 But our experiences are not exhausted yet. We 
 had a terrible Earthquake on the first evening of 
 February, nearly a month after the hurricane. 
 There can be no upturn in Nature so awful as an 
 earthquake. The hurricane was nothing to it, in the 
 feeling, though in our case much more serious in the 
 consequences ; for the earthquake did nothing worse 
 that I heard of than knock down the chimney of 
 Mr. Inglis's Cook-House, though it shook all our 
 Islands. We had just retired to bed, very exhausted, 
 and leaving the Boys and Girls to finish their copies 
 in the Dining-Room ; when, suddenly, the whole 
 house began swaying from side to side, and the floor 
 heaved below us for fully two minutes. John sprang 
 out of bed at the first movement, but I, brave woman 
 that I \vas, held on to him like a vice, so that he could 
 not move to do anything ! The Natives rushed in 
 upon us without ceremony, and we could hear others 
 shouting from their houses. One of the Boys, who 
 was in the act of writing, determined to finish his 
 letter, but the motion sent the pen sprawling across 
 all his copy. Little Litsi, big Litsi's cousin, and a 
 dear child, had the presence of mind to seize the lamp 
 as it was falling. John, as he was held a prisoner
 
 154 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 himself, directed the Natives to open the windows 
 always the first thing to be done, for fear of them 
 being jammed up and we unable to escape ! We 
 really expected the Judgment Day to follow ; but our 
 little lambs slept calmly through it all. 
 
 Oh, how often, in our last Hot Season's experiences, 
 have I thought of Elijah and the great wind, but the 
 Lord was not in the wind, and the earthquake, but the 
 I ,ord was not in the earthquake, for \ve too were to 
 hear the still small voice in another way ! This brings 
 me to the subject that is ever uppermost in my heart, 
 and which I felt ought to be written about first of all 
 when I sat down ; but I would fain pass over it now, 
 for it opens the wound afresh, which seems as if it 
 never would quite heal here below. 
 
 Our Angel-Child was given to us on March 28th, 
 and oh, what joy she brought to the whole household ! 
 We thought Frank would have kissed her to pieces in 
 his delight, and none of us ever saw such a beautiful 
 Child. I so wish you could all have seen her, for 
 anything I can say now will very naturally be attri- 
 buted to our sacred remembrances. And yet we 
 wondered at her beauty, when no one dreamt of her 
 being taken, as she seemed the strongest of them all. 
 We had great joking about who she got it from ; 
 and bantering each other about her very wee mouth, 
 which seemed buried in her fat cheeks. Everything 
 seemed to go on nicely ; and though we were both 
 very weak, I had arranged accordingly, and got a 
 Teacher's wife to come for a month, and had everything
 
 STRUCK DOWN IN AGONY 155 
 
 in order, not omitting, of course, many lectures to our 
 Girls, as to keeping true to their posts, etc. 
 
 On that Saturday forenoon the last, I fear, of 
 our bright days on Anivva we were congratulating 
 ourselves on the quiet rest we were having, after the 
 advent and the excitement of the previous day. John 
 was lying on the sofa, with blankets round him, trying 
 to stave off the fever and ague, and getting a rest 
 after all his trotting about and anxiety ; and the cause 
 of it all was lying peacefully in her nurse's arms, being 
 told what a wonderful little woman she was. The 
 house itself looked like a new pin, as I had stopped 
 my Sewing Class nearly a fortnight before to get 
 through with the great annual cleaning ; and what 
 a cleaning that was ! 1 was not allowed to do any- 
 thing in it, having suffered from haemorrhage all the 
 Hot Season ; so I sat, and tatted, and directed only 
 putting to my hand when my careful little man was 
 out of the way. 
 
 He himself, indeed, had far more to do than he 
 ought ; and, that very Saturday night, he was struck 
 down in the most awful agony, in an instant ; but, 
 as I got a fright about something a few minutes after 
 or, just let me explain what the something was. 
 A great ugly rat fell on the top of my bed, from the 
 thatch, and, knowing that that was enough at any time 
 to drive me frantic, he sprang up and killed it. That 
 was his last action for weeks not a very sublime 
 effort, if he had died in the succeeding illness ; and 
 the exertion did him very great harm, for he was
 
 156 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 unable to get back to his couch for several minutes, 
 and stood holding on to the corner of my bed, his 
 face perfectly livid with excruciating agony. He did 
 get to the sofa, somehow ; but the groans, which he 
 could not suppress, were heart-rending ; and there he 
 lay, without daring to move one inch, for two full 
 days. At the end of that time, one of the Native 
 Teachers tried to get him undressed ; but, though he 
 was kindness itself, his movements suggested the idea 
 of a bull in a China Shop, so I did not press him into 
 service again ! 
 
 What we would have done without Bob, I know 
 not ; for he was a perfect treasure for attentiveness 
 to his Papa, till I was able to be up again. That 
 night he took ill, I thought we were all going to die ; 
 for I got into such a fever of nervous excitement, 
 I really felt the blood coursing along my veins, while 
 my heart beat so wildly that I thought it must soon 
 burst in twain. I would have given anything for 
 some white person to come and take care of us. But, 
 in the midst of all, I felt that God would watch over 
 us ; and I prayed for a quiet mind. I resolutely set 
 myself to look at the bright side only ; and, to aid me 
 in this, I counted over my blessings, one by one, like 
 a child, and, as I remember, Lena (Helena Elizabeth 
 Whitecross, but Lena was the pet name) came in as 
 one of the biggest and sweetest ! 
 
 Next morning, Sabbath, I felt delightfully calm, 
 and was enabled to become comforter to my dear 
 Husband, who was still in awful suffering. The
 
 A FATAL CHILL 157 
 
 Native Teachers conducted the Worship that being 
 the first Sunday that John had been absent from 
 Church, on Aniwa, unless when from Home altogether ; 
 and he did not get back to it for ten long weary weeks. 
 So I set myself to what appeared to me then a most 
 formidable undertaking, the washing and dressing 
 of my Baby ; and, propped up with pillows, I got 
 through with the help of the Natives, without the 
 little lamb crying at all, which was considered quite 
 a triumph ! My Girls too were very kind and atten- 
 tive, and seemed suddenly transformed into old 
 women ; they brought in our meals, and super- 
 intended our Children in the Dining-Room so nicely, 
 making Bob sit in his Papa's chair and " ask the 
 blessing." Truly God "staycth His rough wind in 
 the day of His east wind" ; but the worst was yet 
 to come, and we had to part from our newly-found 
 treasure, on the sixth day after she was born. 
 
 On the day before that, the Tuesday, I fainted 
 while washing the dear Baby ; and we think she must 
 have then caught her fatal cold, for she was exposed, 
 while poor John from his helpless couch was directing 
 the Natives how to bring me round ; and that night 
 she refused the breast. I thought her mouth was 
 sore ; and, after a great deal of bungling with the 
 Natives, they brought me the borax and honey, with 
 which I rubbed her mouth. I thought my heart 
 would have broken, about a fortnight after, when 
 I found the paper of borax as I was tidying up the 
 room !
 
 158 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 Towards morning, we heard a stifled sound through 
 her nose ; and John, forgetting his pain, struggled 
 on to his elbow, and heated water in the spirit lamp, 
 while I roused the Natives to prepare a hot bath. I 
 wrapped her in flannel after it, and did everything 
 we could think of, fondly hoping she would soon be 
 all right, as it evidently was not croup, being all in 
 the head. John feared greatly from the first, though 
 he did not tell me, alarmed by her stoutness. I got 
 her to take her natural nourishment, and felt so 
 delighted, the last time I fed her in the afternoon, 
 that she took more than she had done that day. 
 She looked about her so peacefully, and opened her 
 dark blue eyes wider than ever I had seen them ; but 
 I told her Papa that her features were getting a 
 pinched look. He said that was not to be wondered 
 at, as she had taken so little food during the last 
 twenty- four hours. I just thought that might be so, 
 as I could not see plainly in the darkened room ; and 
 I sat with her a while on my knee, before giving her 
 to the nurse. 
 
 About half an hour afterwards, they brought in 
 our tea ; but I put mine to a side, saying, " I'll feed 
 my Baby first." I took her from Nurse Williang's 
 arms, who had her in a snug corner at the side of 
 my bed ; but, oh, the cold chill that went to my heart 
 the first look I got at her face ! There is a look 
 about death, that is not to be mistaken ; and it 
 almost made my own heart stand still, before I could 
 believe it true. The eyes were shut, and the little
 
 A DEATH-KNELL 159 
 
 mouth open, and no sound when I put my ear close. 
 In an agony, I felt for the little heart, for the skin 
 was burning hot, and I could not believe that the 
 life had gone ; but all was so still ! I looked twice 
 at Williang, being unable to utter a word ; but she 
 was watching me with such mournful eyes ; and, 
 when I clutched her arm, she sank down on her 
 knees, crying, / know it, Mis si, I know it ! She gave 
 two siglis and died just before you took her. 
 
 What a death-knell that sounded in my heart 
 But, even then, I could not give up hope, and tried her 
 with a few drops of milk. That was enough it was 
 like dropping it into an empty cup. How the sounds 
 around me struck on my ear, even in that anguished 
 moment, as being so unlike such a time ! The 
 Children were shouting and laughing on the verandah, 
 the Girls singing about the house ; and John, feeling 
 a little relieved, was talking carelessly to a Native 
 Teacher ; while I was trying to realize, and all in 
 one dread moment, that my Child was actually dead. 
 I took a few instants to follow her little Spirit into 
 the Unknown Land, gave an inward cry for strength, 
 and then began to break the news to John, in his 
 helplessness, as gently as I could. It was truly a 
 night of anguish. I could have borne it better, could 
 I have had a clasp of my dear Husband's hand. But 
 it was a blessing that he was at least in the same 
 room ; for his prayers, and his words of comfort, 
 were most precious to my soul. 
 
 The Children cried themselves sick ; and I envied
 
 160 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 them, poor things, for I could get no tears to come ! 
 I thought not then of my own loss ; but felt as if 
 I had let my Child go away alone, out into the Dark, 
 where I could not follow her. Perhaps it was as well 
 that I had no time to indulge such thoughts ; for I 
 had to rack my brain to find out how, in the circum- 
 stances, we could get her decently buried. We might 
 as well have asked any of the Natives to make a Ship, 
 as to make a Coffin. So, at grey daylight, Bob took 
 one of the Teachers away to the empty box-house, to 
 look for one suitable ; but Fred brought his clothes 
 box that his Papa had made him ; and, as it was the 
 thing above all others that he valued, I liked to see 
 him give it up to his little silent Sister. Bob had 
 given his before for her little outfit. 
 
 The Church Members and the Natives around all 
 came to the funeral, dressed in their best, and were 
 let in to near the Grave by a side gate, as we sent 
 word that we were both too weak to speak to them. 
 We had prayers in our room, before the precious 
 remains were carried out. And then, for the first 
 time, after all my matter-of-fact planning and arrang- 
 ing even to telling the man how to dig the Grave 
 my natural feelings would assert themselves, and I 
 had to get back the little Coffin into my bed ! The 
 Native Teacher laid it at my side, and fell down on 
 his knees sobbing; while I got nearer to my God 
 over my Child's lifeless body than ever I had done 
 before in all my life. 
 
 Poor Fred was exhausted with sheer grief; and
 
 OPENING THE GATES 161 
 
 when I begged him to go with Bob to his little Sister's 
 funeral, that some of her own might be there, he 
 sobbed out, " Mamma, my knees won't carry me ! " 
 He brightened up, however, and went, when he heard 
 it was in our own premises a lovely quiet corner, 
 not seen from any approach to the house, nor indeed 
 till you go up to it. We distinctly heard the Singing 
 at the Service over the Grave, the Hymns being our 
 translations of " There is a Happy Land " and " Oh, 
 may we stand before the Lamb." 
 
 What a desolate Home, and what desolate Hearts, 
 the little unconscious Lamb left behind her, and how 
 effectually she had established herself in our love, 
 without ever trying to do it ! I kept thinking about 
 the German Pastor, and that story of the Parents who 
 would not go into the fold, till their Lamb was taken 
 and put there first ; and, though I hope I have been 
 there already, yet our Lena constrained us to think of 
 the World Unseen, in a way that I, at least, had 
 never done before. It all came on us so suddenly, 
 illness and death ; and oh, it is truly the King of 
 Terrors that mighty Power, so silently doing its 
 awful work by our very side, and we knowing it not 
 till our little treasure was gone ! 
 
 I felt sometimes as if I did not know where she 
 had gone for awful doubts assailed me in regard 
 to Infant Salvation, and I came nigh to losing my 
 reason over it. I never doubted, till I was tried 
 myself; and it is not so easy to take things for granted 
 with one's own. John managed, somehow, to get me 
 
 II
 
 162 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 Logan's book out of the Study ; but I felt like smiling 
 at the bare idea of any mortal satisfying me on such 
 a momentous subject. It was a question that I must 
 settle with my God and my Bible ; and at last I got 
 perfect relief by resting it all on the Compassion of 
 my Saviour. He loved her, and loves her, infinitely 
 better than I ; and He could not be unkind. I mean 
 to read Logan, however, too; as it will really be a 
 comfort to know how other Christians felt in like 
 circumstances ; or, in like bereavements rather, for 
 \ hope not very many have been situated as we were. 
 
 We used to long so for some kind Christian friend 
 to look in upon us ; for, in time of affliction, the 
 Natives are exactly the opposite of white people ; 
 and, instead of sympathizing and helping in trouble, 
 they shy off, and fear that Jehovah or Tiapolo is 
 fighting with you, if they happen to be advanced 
 enough to have lost faith in Witchcraft, and that it 
 is therefore prudent to look on Irom a safe distance ! 
 I do not say that this is the way our Natives acted 
 by any means, for they were truly kind ; still it is 
 their pervading feeling, and we felt that through all 
 our troubles there was a damper on the Worship. 
 
 Hitherto, there had been everything to commend 
 it, in .the eyes of a Native. The Missi had been 
 strong. His Family were thriving. The Missi's wife 
 had had more Children in her time than any other 
 woman in Aniwa, and most of them Boys too ! 
 Then, there was no comparison in regard to his and 
 their wisdom and worldly possessions. Now, all was
 
 THE POWER OF SYMPATHY 16-, 
 
 different. The Missi was laid low ; and his Tavai 
 Biritania that is, British Water ( = Medicine) could 
 not save him. Death had entered his Family, and he 
 was powerless to prevent it. Even the very elements 
 seemed to conspire against him, to prevent his being 
 able to send for a Brother Missionary from Tanna. 
 And, at a feast, one of the darkest-hearted fellows, 
 one of the very few who didn't come to Church, got 
 up and proposed they should throw off the Worship, 
 as it was only bringing sickness and death among 
 them, after all they had given up for it. Fortunately, 
 however, the Gospel had now too good a footing, and 
 his motion was not even seconded. Nay, if our 
 Church Members could have shown their indignation 
 by bringing fire down from Heaven, Tupaia, for that 
 was his name, would have had small chance of escape. 
 They were truly kind to us, and would come in 
 and say, " Missi, we are crying about you, and 
 praying all the time ! " One day, a dear old woman, 
 one of our first Church Members, came into the 
 bedroom, with the tears streaming down her withered 
 cheeks, just a day or two after I had got up, and 
 held John's hand, taking no notice of me for a while, 
 though I was sitting on the bed ; and I hoped she 
 would not speak to me, for my heart was fluttering 
 at the sight of her, being one of my Sewing Class 
 that I had given up to attend to the little Lamb that 
 was gone. At last, she turned right round to me 
 and said, in Aniwan, " And your Baby died, Missi!" 
 There was such motherlike sorrow in her voice, that
 
 164 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 I burst into a great flood of tears, and the dear old 
 body clasped her arms around me and held me to 
 her heart. 
 
 Dear John got back to his own bed, when I got 
 up on the tenth day. But the fatigue of being 
 moved the Natives were awkward about it, and I 
 had no strength even to stand upright did him no 
 good. Still, what a blessing I felt it, to be able to 
 do even ever so little to nurse my own Husband, and 
 relieve poor little Bob, who was worn out with his 
 exertions ! My first effort was to crawl into the 
 Study for a medical book. It had been most tanta- 
 lizing, during our illness, to see the Study door 
 standing wide open, with the bookcases almost in 
 sight, and no one able to fetch us the right volume. 
 John got rapidly worse ; and, a fortnight after he 
 took ill, when I was in great anxiety to get word to 
 Tanna, the Natives rushed in to say there was a 
 white man in the pantry ! 
 
 Like Rhoda, I could not believe at first for glad- 
 ness : but wrapped a shawl round, and went to 
 welcome him, as never white man was welcomed. 
 He was a known murderer ; but that mattered 
 nothing just then, for he was a Countryman, and 
 spoke our tongue ! He subsequently, indeed, shifted 
 his birthplace over to America, when a Man-of-war 
 came to inquire into his misdeeds. Besides, he had 
 just come from Tanna in his boat, and would be 
 delighted to take letters back from us and was he 
 not as the messenger from God to us ?
 
 John would not let me ask either of the Mission- 
 aries there to come, in case it might be difficult for 
 them to get away ; but I knew I had only to tell 
 them how we were situated, and that one or the other 
 would surely come. The day after this Trader left, 
 my dear Husband seemed to be sinking. For two 
 days, he was unable to speak ; and I had to listen 
 very intently even to hear him breathe. He could 
 get no sleep, though I made the Children all go 
 barefooted to their intense delight. He lay with 
 his features sunken, and his eyes wide open. He 
 had not got ten minutes' sleep since he took ill ; and 
 he heard the most faint and distant sounds. 
 
 I remember the Wednesday, when he was lowest 
 of all. It was literally a day of watching and prayer. 
 I kept guard on my knees, at the door most likely to 
 be invaded. All the Children were away from the 
 house, and I had planted sentinels to watch the 
 approaches ; and, oh, how thankful I felt, as I slipt 
 in on tiptoe now and again, to observe that at last 
 the Lord had given His beloved sleep ! He slept 
 for four hours, and woke greatly refreshed. 
 
 A few days later, we had the extreme pleasure of 
 welcoming dear Mr. and Mrs. Watt from Tanna. I 
 will leave you to imagine, for I cannot express, the 
 joy and gratitude their presence gave us ; and to 
 estimate their kindness in coming off at once, in an 
 open boat, at a time when they could ill leave their 
 Station; Further, they made arrangements to be 
 entirely at our service, and stay if necessary till the
 
 166 THE SHIPWRECK AND THE ANGEL-CHILD 
 
 Mission Vessel arrived, and take us back with them. 
 They brought all sorts of good things with them ; 
 and Mrs. Neilson actually robbed their own home of 
 sugar, when she heard that we were like to run short. 
 They stayed with us a month. John was again able 
 to come into the Dining-Room for two or three 
 minutes, the day before they left. How thankful we 
 were ! but oh, how different he looked from what he 
 had done the last time I had seen him there ! He 
 was full twenty years older in appearance, very 
 emaciated, and leaning heavily upon a crutch, which 
 Mr. Watt had manufactured, and a staff of his own, 
 and his steps were about an inch long. Yet we were 
 thankful to the Giver of all good. 
 
 The Paragon came about six weeks later. John 
 was then able to meet friends in the Drawing-Room, 
 but with great difficulty ; still, when she called on her 
 return journey, a month after, he went off with her 
 to the Synod ! He was carried, part of the way, to 
 the Boat Harbour ; and there was some Missionary 
 or another attending to him, the whole time. In 
 fact, he was really greatly the better for his little 
 voyage. The Children and I were dropped at Mrs. 
 Watt's ; and the other Missionary Sisters stayed with 
 one another. John was to have remained on at 
 Kwamera, for a little change, after the Synod ; but 
 it was there decided that he ought to go to the 
 Colonies, and it took us all our time to prepare for 
 joining the Paragon, a month afterwards. 
 
 That was a sad, sad day, when we left Aniwa,
 
 A SAD PARTING 167 
 
 even for a six months' absence. I believe neither 
 the Natives nor we knew how much attached we 
 were to each other till then ; and there is one little 
 spot that is very sacred now and for ever ! I cannot 
 tell you what a trial it was to leave to strangers the 
 care of that small white coral Grave, that I have so 
 often watered with my tears. 
 
 We were a few days on Aneityum, and saw the 
 wreck of the dear old Day spring. It lies on its beam 
 ends, exactly as Mr. Campbell sketched it ; and it 
 looks so melancholy to see it always before one's 
 eyes. We are delighted with the Paragon, but the 
 accommodation at present is wretched, and must be 
 altered to suit the Mission. Captain Jenkins very 
 kindly gave up to us his State-Room, as John was 
 so delicate, and it was a great comfort indeed. . . . 
 Yours ever affectionately, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 XI 
 
 HOME, SWEET HOME, ON ANIWA 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 ANIWA, NEW HEBRIDES, June, 1874. 
 
 MY DEAREST MOTHER, SISTERS, AND BROTHERS, 
 I really feel as if I could scarcely have the hardihood 
 to date this letter from Aniwa, after the terrible letters 
 of warning our last Home-mail brought us as we 
 were leaving Sydney. I think, however, I will leave 
 John to defend himself a thing he's not altogether 
 incapable of doing ! I merely beg that you will not, 
 any of you, look upon our return to the island as 
 foolhardiness ; for we have come, in the meantime, 
 only until December, and do not even require to 
 remain till then if I should feel worse, for the Paragon 
 makes two trips this season. And, to crown all, here 
 we are in our beautiful Island Home, feeling stronger 
 and better than even in the Colonies amongst all 
 the kindness that was heaped upon us ! 
 
 I must, however, arrive at Aniwa more by degrees, 
 as this is to be the journalistic Family Epistle, 
 and you have heard nothing of us since we left 
 Sydney on the 4th of April, with dear Dr. Steele 
 
 1 68
 
 TWELVE DAYS AT SEA 169 
 
 on board, who seemed like a link between us and 
 civilization. I felt " strong to go," as our Natives 
 would express it, for I realized as I never before had 
 done the " Lo, I am with you," and some of God's 
 dear ones with whom we have had such precious 
 Christian fellowship were with us till the last. Dr. 
 Steele was very near the truth too, when he said to 
 some one who was bantering me about keeping so 
 cool, " Ah, the bitterness of her grief was past, when 
 she left Adelaide." 
 
 We had a roughish passage of twelve days, sighted 
 numbers of vessels on first setting out, and " Ball's 
 Pyramid " five days thereafter, and lastly, but for 
 the first time in my experience, " Walpole Island," 
 two days before arriving at Aneityum. We passed it 
 on a fine star-lit night, and could see the dark outline 
 and the water breaking on the shore. It seemed like 
 Aniwa in appearance, but higher and smaller, with no 
 vegetation and of course no inhabitants. 
 
 The usual amount of things blew overboard, I 
 losing a good hat ; and John had to bewail the 
 destruction of his boxes and pots of flowers on deck, 
 for there was a goat on board which unfortunately 
 had as great a taste for them as himself, and ate up 
 nearly every one of them ! 
 
 You were hoping, Helen, that Bishop Patteson's 
 Life would be put on board, and it was, along with 
 a number of other new Missionary works, which the 
 Missionaries eagerly perused on the voyage down. 
 I devoured Jones on tJie Trinity, a precious little book
 
 170 HOME, SWEET HOME, ON AN1WA 
 
 given to me by a dear friend in Sydney, and which 
 it took me the whole voyage to get thoroughly read 
 and digested. I was too sick, and weak in consequence, 
 to do anything but lie and read on deck, not being 
 able to go down even to Worship or meals till a day 
 or two before we landed at Aneityum. . . . 
 
 We were all heartily thankful, when we cast anchor 
 in Anelqauhat Harbour (Dr. Geddie's old Station), 
 but were so sorry on Dr. Steele's account that it was 
 such a dull drizzly wet morning. Everything looked 
 its worst, and not a Native was to be seen. Even 
 the beautiful mountains were half enveloped in mist, 
 and the Doctor was evidently disappointed, though 
 he took care not to express it in words. He missed, 
 exactly as I did on first seeing the Islands, the sight 
 of Native houses along the shore, for they all live 
 a little in through the bush. It is so nice to watch 
 somebody I mean somebody worth watching 
 coming fresh to the Islands, and to see one's own first 
 impressions reproduced ! 
 
 After an early breakfast, we got into the boat, and 
 had such a warm welcome from our kind friends Mr. 
 and Mrs. Murray, who would not hear of our return 
 to the vessel again. . . . We planned to go round to 
 Mr. Inglis's Station next day, being Friday, as I knew 
 it would be my only opportunity of seeing Mrs. 
 Inglis, and they had urgent letters of invitation 
 awaiting us. The Murrays were determined that we 
 should remain ; and the wind seemed to favour them, 
 for it blew almost a hurricane during the night, so
 
 FACING THE STORM 171 
 
 that we were rather amazed to see the Captain come 
 ashore for us after breakfast. He was obliged to see 
 Mr. Inglis on business, and Dr. Steele was also 
 anxious to get round, so we thought we might 
 venture. When we went on board, however, before 
 finally starting, we were met with a perfect chorus 
 of objections from all the Missionaries for setting 
 out in such weather ! " Every man to his trade," 
 thought I, and placed my confidence in nautical 
 affairs on the Captain rather than on the Mission- 
 aries. John felt he must go, if possible, he had so 
 much to say to Mr. Inglis ; and, as I was quite as 
 full of news for Mrs. Inglis " gossip," the wise it 
 call and certainly more able to rough it than he, I 
 hastily reduced our luggage to very small compass, 
 as there was some probability of our having to walk 
 part of the way, and the Natives would have enough to 
 do in carrying the youngsters, Minn and Frank. Dr. 
 Steele had been fairly frightened out of going, but I 
 felt sure he could not hesitate if I went. The worthy 
 Doctor, however, had too much respect for his taber- 
 nacle to be led into danger, even by a woman, and 
 contented himself with looking wistfully over the stern 
 of the vessel till we sailed out of sight. It was with 
 fear and trembling that we committed ourselves to 
 that little shell of a thing, jumping up and down on 
 the great waves and I envied the bairns their high 
 spirits. But we were most agreeably disappointed. 
 The wind died off, as the Captain had predicted, and 
 we never had a pleasanter sail round to A name.
 
 172 HOME, SWEET HOME, ON ANIWA 
 
 We got there in about four hours, in time for a late 
 dinner, which we did full justice to ; and had such a 
 fine quiet time with Mr. and Mrs. Inglis, who have 
 been truly as father and mother to us. It so happened 
 that I had not been to Aname since before Frank 
 was born ; so I had to go through all the rooms and 
 premises, just to make sure they were still in the 
 same place after all the earthquakes and hurricanes. 
 The damage that had been done during the " Day- 
 spring Hurricane " was frightful, though there is little 
 trace of it now. Mrs. Inglis showed me a great 
 wooden safe, or press, which had been carried bodily 
 some miles up the river, but the door was fastened so 
 well that nothing inside was broken or spoiled ! The 
 Orangery of twenty years' growth was in its most 
 tempting beauty, and we did pay attention to the 
 fine large oranges Minn and Frank were never to be 
 seen without them. 
 
 The weather continued wet while we were there, 
 and the Missionaries had a dreadful day for landing 
 when the vessel brought them round on the following 
 Tuesday. It really was with danger to life and limb 
 that the boat cleared from the Vessel and brought 
 them off. Mr. Inglis's goods could not be landed, 
 and we had anything but comfortable sensations at 
 the prospect of going on board that afternoon. The 
 Vessel could not be kept waiting, however, so we 
 packed and bade adieu, and got a few yards from the 
 gate, when one of those tropical pours came on, and 
 John felt, as we all did, that it was as much as his life
 
 THE GUIDING HAND 173 
 
 was worth to go out in it, so we turned in to the 
 Institution to wait till it was over. It was agreed, 
 however, after some consultation, to send a letter to 
 the Captain in name of the Missionaries, asking him 
 to send in a boat for us next day. And right glad 
 were we to turn in again, and gather round Mrs. 
 Inglis's comfortable tea-table which little Minn 
 evidently regarded as a foolish proceeding, for she 
 demanded indignantly why we didn't go right off 
 after she had kissed all the people ! 
 
 Next day was worse, and when Mr. Arthur, the 
 mate, presented himself on the verandah with only 
 his nose and eyes visible from his oilskins, there was 
 no thought of attempting to get drowned that day. 
 So stormy was it that the usual Wednesday prayer- 
 meeting for the Natives could not be held. We won- 
 dered what God was detaining us for, as nothing of 
 the kind exactly had occurred before, but it was all 
 explained in the evening. As we were sitting at tea, 
 a Native came overland with a mail from the other side, 
 where Mrs. Goodwill and her two children had been 
 left with Mrs. Murray. The letter was from Mrs. 
 Goodwill to Mrs. Inglis, telling her that little Tommy 
 was dying and bewailing her husband's absence, 
 little dreaming he was still on the same island and 
 would himself read her sorrowful epistle. We had a 
 silent perusal of it round the table, as it entered so 
 much into the detail of the darling child's sufferings 
 that it could not be read aloud. How clearly then 
 we saw the guiding Hand in the storm ! Mr. Inglis
 
 174 HOME, SWEET HOME, ON ANIWA 
 
 at once looked out a crew for next morning, as it 
 was impracticable to go that night, and proposed that 
 instead of the sermon usually read on Wednesday 
 evenings there should be a meeting for prayer on 
 behalf of the dear child. He conducted it, and each 
 of the Missionaries except Mr. Goodwill, and Dr. 
 Steele made earnest supplication that the child might 
 be spared. (I am happy to be able to say that the 
 little fellow is alive and kicking !) I don't believe 
 there was a dry eye in the room, and poor Goodwill 
 seemed prostrate, his tears dropping the whole 
 evening. It was really "the strong man bowed 
 down " ; and he quite took our hearts by storm, as I 
 believe we did his (for once !), for after the closing 
 prayer he said, in as steady a voice as he could com- 
 mand, " I thank all you dear brethren for your kind 
 sympathy and prayers," and bidding us Good-night 
 he walked off to his room. . . . 
 
 The vessel merely showed herself in the distance, 
 not being able to send in a boat ; but next day, 
 Friday, when Mrs. Inglis was assuring us that we 
 would have another Sabbath at Aname, in came the 
 boat with a message from the Captain, to the effect 
 that he could not keep dodging about any longer 
 (there is no anchorage at Aname), and must make for 
 Tanna now without us if we could not come. The 
 Missionaries thoroughly sympathized with the Cap- 
 tain, and also with the other Mission families, who 
 might be in sickness or starvation while waiting so 
 long for the vessel ; so we had to bundle and go, in
 
 FAINT WITH TERROR 175 
 
 the drenching rain and high wind, with the sky all 
 black and the waves all white. It was a dreadful 
 sail. A squall came up and we lost sight of the 
 vessel, while the tremendous waves threatened every 
 moment to swamp us, and we were literally soaked 
 with sea and rain. I never felt so faint with terror, 
 except once at Fate, when we lost our rudder just as 
 we got in among the boiling reefs ; and I made the 
 most solemn resolutions to end my days on Aniwa 
 (should I be fortunate enough to get there ! ) rather 
 than risk my nervous system in a boat again. 
 
 When we got on board, however, we found that 
 others had been in more imminent peril than our- 
 selves, for one of the sailors, a young boy, had been 
 pitched overboard in the storm that morning, while 
 the vessel was tearing along at ull speed, so that she 
 was three miles away ere they could pull her up. A 
 boat was of course lowered and sent in pursuit, 
 though with but slender hope of success ; but the 
 poor boy battled bravely with the waves, and being a 
 good swimmer kept up till he was rescued, feeling 
 none the worse after a short sleep for his prolonged 
 bath. 
 
 We anticipated, however, more serious consequences 
 for John with his rheumatism, and for Dr. Steele, who 
 is subject to fever ; but one and all of us jumped out 
 of our wet clothes and went right off to bed, leaving 
 Hutshi and the Steward to wring and dry them as 
 best they might. The next day was a lovely one, 
 and we lay off Kwamera, Mr. Watt's Station, before
 
 176 HOME, SWEET HOME, ON ANIWA 
 
 dinner, which we were all determined to have on 
 shore, notwithstanding the previous day's experience. 
 So, when the boat was lowered, we were all ready to 
 jump into it, not one whit the worse, except our hats, 
 which were rather in a battered condition ! The sail 
 was really pleasant, all but the narrow passage through 
 the reef, when one has to hold one's breath for a 
 minute, and we had a most hearty welcome from 
 our dear friends Mr. and Mrs. Watt. I can never 
 forget their intense loving-kindness, when they came 
 over to Aniwa in the time of our distress last year. . . . 
 
 The notorious " Ross Lewin " has met with his 
 long-predicted fate at last, having been shot by the 
 Tannese after a quarrel about land. His widow and 
 brother had to make their escape in a little boat, 
 taking the dead body with them, and were picked 
 up at sea next day by a Trading Vessel. The body 
 had to be buried at sea, along with Mrs. Lewin's dead 
 baby, still-born in the vessel. How many of these 
 Traders die by violence, and yet they will not take 
 warning ! . . . 
 
 We had finished up at Fotuna soon after breakfast, 
 and how intensely delighted we were to hear the 
 Captain's cheery voice shouting out that we would 
 be able to have a drink of milk at Aniwa to-morrow 
 morning, as the wind was fair. We had all packed 
 up in the afternoon, and the first sight which greeted 
 me, on looking out at my port-hole next morning, 
 was the trees and rocks of dear old Aniwa ! The 
 first boat was sent ashore with eight or nine Fotunese
 
 A ROYAL WELCOME 177 
 
 and their cumbrous baggage, who had insisted on 
 coming to visit our island, rather to the disgust of 
 the Captain. Meantime we were having our break- 
 fast, and Mr. Arthur, the mate, brought back word 
 that our Natives were in a state of great delight and 
 excitement dear Yawaci making the younger girls 
 fly round their work also that our six cows had 
 increased to ten, and that our goats no man could 
 number ! He had also heard that a number of our 
 Natives had died, and some had been taken away by 
 Traders. 
 
 When we neared the shore, we could see that the 
 great majority of the people had turned out, and 
 even the very cattle and goats had been brought 
 to meet us ! There were my Girls, standing in a 
 group, in bright pink dresses sewed and shaped by 
 themselves, and turkey-red turbans ; and, in short, by 
 one and another of the Natives, the colours of the 
 rainbow were well represented. Not one person, I 
 am thankful to say, was without clothing. True, some 
 of their garments were ragged and scanty enough ; 
 still, they had them, and it was almost more than we 
 expected from some of them, after being away from 
 them so long. They do so love to run naked ! 
 
 What a shaking of hands and alofa-ing there was ! 
 Two or three little groups were sitting apart sobbing 
 for their dead ; indeed, they firmly believed that if 
 we had been on the island to attend to them they 
 would not have died. When we reached the house, 
 everything looked beautiful and the ground so well 
 
 12
 
 178 HOME, SWEET HOME, ON ANIWA 
 
 kept, new coral on the walks, a fine new mat on 
 the Dining-Room floor and another in the lobby, and 
 last, but not least, in the estimation of weary sea- 
 voyagers, a great jug of new goats' milk ! When Dr. 
 Steele and Mr. Robertson made playful speeches 
 about our Home-coming before drinking it, I could 
 most truly say, even after all the enjoyment and 
 kindness of the Colonies, and delightful Christian 
 fellowship with kindred spirits there, Home, sweet 
 Home, no place like home. There was great lamenta- 
 tion among the Natives over the absence of our dear 
 Bob and Fred, and John had not got further with his 
 dinner than the first mouthful when he began to 
 think of them. " Why didn't you bring them back ? " 
 was the first question we were greeted with on landing ; 
 but I had no time just then to indulge in sentiment, 
 having to rush about and see after the dinner. 
 Masitaia, my cook and little Litsi's intended husband 
 (a very fine fellow), had, most thoughtfully, the kettle 
 boiling, the yams cooked, and a couple of fowls plucked 
 when we arrived ; but, Native-like, he waited for me 
 to give him things to stuff them as if I were going 
 to manufacture stuffing the moment I arrived ! We 
 had a jolly dinner, however, for we had only one 
 spoon at large, and 1 had seized a bed sheet for 
 a tablecloth, not being able in my excitement to 
 remember where the right articles were packed away. 
 Amidst all my hurry, however, I had five minutes 
 alone by my little Lena's grave. The beautiful white 
 coral was blackened, but the grass and shrubs had
 
 "ANOTHER SOUL" 181 
 
 grown, and the lemon branches with their bright fruit 
 were bending over and shading it beautifully. How 
 naturally one looks up to the blue sky above, and 
 wonders where the spirit is, or if she can see the 
 mourning hearts below. She would have been running 
 on her own little feet now, had she been on Earth ; 
 but though my heart aches for her still, I would not 
 have it otherwise, for she was not sent in vain, and 
 oh, what a little teacher she has been ! When John 
 took Dr. Steele to see the grave, he said, " You have 
 thus taken possession " ; and I felt we had taken 
 possession of more through her than that little spot 
 of ground on Aniwa. 
 
 Our visitors and vessel left us in the afternoon, 
 and on my return from seeing them off (John 
 was too exhausted to go), I met a very nice 
 man, one of the Church members, who stopped me 
 and said, Missi, I've given my boy up to you and 
 Missi the man, and you re to feed and clothe and teacli 
 him, as you do the other children. I could hardly 
 believe my ears, and you would need to know how 
 boys are prized here to appreciate as we did the 
 sacrifice made ; at least, as John did, for I must 
 confess that the thought of their bodily sustenance 
 comes between me and the fervent thanksgiving of 
 my earnest little man for " another soul being added to 
 our care !" We've got ten of these souls, with bodies 
 attached, at the present time, besides several out- 
 siders who come during the day, and it taxes all my 
 ingenuity to keep them in work and " Kai-kai "
 
 iS2 HOME, SWEET HOME, ON AN1WA 
 
 their capacity for the latter being of no mean order. 
 Their clothes are no concern beyond the making of 
 them, and that they soon learn to do for themselves ; 
 for we have always been abundantly supplied from 
 kind Mission friends. 
 
 Our Victorian Committee too offered some years 
 ago to be at the expense of their support, but John 
 would not hear of it ; for he said it would only keep 
 me worrying to run up numbers and so forth, when 
 really there are but few children to educate, and I 
 would require to make out what they call an "en- 
 couraging " report to please subscribers and all that 
 sort of nonsense. Now we are thoroughly indepen- 
 dent to work for our Lord and for our fellow-creatures, 
 as He Himself leads us ; and John very cheerfully 
 puts his donation to the Mission and other good 
 causes (which we have little chance of giving to here) 
 in the form of casks of biscuit and bags of rice for 
 our Natives. Although I do sometimes think how 
 nice it would be to be in Civilization with a small 
 house of our own and with the care of only one or 
 two servants at most, yet we are more than repaid 
 for all our love to these dear Darkies. They are just 
 like our very children, and such we always call them, 
 and they are so confiding and loving with us, and tell 
 us everything especially the three elder girls, who 
 have lived with us now for more than five years. 
 
 By the way, we have just had an affaire de cceur 
 amongst them, and as Hutshi is the young lady you 
 will be interested to hear. You know she was given
 
 NELWANG AND HUTSHI 183 
 
 away, when an infant, by her parents, to Nelwang, 
 another infant about the same age, but who is now 
 one of the best and most intelligent boys on the 
 island the only drawback being that his limbs are 
 rather diseased, and he is so fearfully timid that he 
 won't let John apply anything to cure them. Well, 
 when we were in Sydney, a middle-aged man, a 
 returned labourer, whose betrothed wife is yet a baby, 
 came trying to curry favour with Hutshi's guardians 
 (her parents are dead long ago) by bringing them 
 large presents, and finally got them talked over to 
 give him Hutshi when she returned with us so it 
 was settled, only awaiting her and our consent. 
 Now, her guardian has always been most honour- 
 able with us. He gave up Hutshi to us, when she 
 was of the greatest use in his village (but I took 
 care to let her go and help them pretty often), and 
 when we asked if she might go with us to the 
 Colonies, he and his wife said, " She is more your 
 child than ours, Missi ; do as you like." So, when 
 they explained matters to John one evening in the 
 Study, and said that both Hutshi and Nelwang were 
 agreeable to the change, he felt he could not inter- 
 fere much, but warned them not to be too rash, and 
 to ask God about it. 
 
 Hutshi, the mischief, flirted with her new admirer 
 when she could get a chance, and I felt it would be a 
 great relief to have her married ; but we could see, 
 from Nelwang's looks (he is one of our Boys), that 
 there was a pain at his heart I set him a piece of
 
 184 HOME, SWEET HOME, ON ANIWA 
 
 work in the Dining-Room one day, and, sitting down 
 to help him, got all his confidence. The poor boy's 
 heart was breaking, and he wound up by saying, " I 
 can't tell t/tem my heart, Missi, for they would but 
 laugh, and I am only one ; but if my father had been 
 alive, they would not have dared to give Hutshi away 
 before my eyes." Seeing his lady-love, however, who 
 at that moment came in at the open window and 
 evidently comprehended matters, he tossed his head 
 proudly and said, Ifs very good tJiat she takes him ! 
 
 John and I espoused Nelwang's cause from that 
 moment, and he soon found an opportunity for saying 
 a word on his behalf. I also got Hutshi alone, and 
 told her what Nelwang had said. She replied that 
 she did not know what to do, as they were all urging 
 her to take Sarra (the new lover), but she said, " I 
 would cry more to give up Nelwang than that old 
 fellow ! " 
 
 She came to me the other day, and said she had 
 finally made up her mind to keep by Nelwang. I 
 answered, " But I thought, Hutshi, you seemed for 
 the while to prefer the other?" "Yes, Missi," she 
 replied, " when everybody was praising him and 
 telling me to take him, I thought it would be nice ; 
 but Nelwang and I have had a talk. We told each 
 other what our dead parents said about our being 
 married when we were big, and then we both cried, 
 and we are going to be true to each other ! " So you 
 see there is sentiment in Blacks as well as Whites ! 
 
 W 7 e had such a nice quiet month, after landing, to
 
 KALANGI'S BULL 185 
 
 put things straight and to hear all the Natives had to 
 tell us. One man came grinning from ear to ear to 
 tell us that his wife had twins ; and as that is of the 
 rarest occurrence here, we had to make a great 
 waho-ing over it, and get out a nursing bottle, which 
 the devoted father carried backwards and forwards to 
 our house for fresh goats' milk daily till he got tired 
 of it! 
 
 Then we had, I think, about fourteen death-beds 
 to hear of. Kalangi, little Litsi's father, a strong, 
 middle-aged man and earnest Christian, died after a 
 few days' illness, and has been very much lamented 
 by the Natives around. They have testified their 
 respect to his memory by stuffing one of our young 
 bulls, which Kalangi had named for himself, with sugar- 
 cane and all sorts of niceties, till the animal's sides 
 stuck out ! So devoted were they, and especially his 
 widow, to this creature that John felt he must ask 
 their leave before giving it to another Missionary. 
 They gave a reluctant consent ; but begged John to 
 make Mr. Milne promise not to change the name- 
 and oh, what a scene there was at the parting ! 
 
 Here I am at the end of my fourth sheet, and have 
 not even begun to tell you of the nice Ladies' Meeting 
 we had at Aniwa, or the lively time we have had with 
 visitors ever since the vessel returned with the 
 Missionaries on board for the Annual Synod. . . . We 
 are all so well ourselves too, and the effect of our 
 delightful Colonial visit has told wonderfully upon us, 
 now that we are clear of the sea-sickness and excite-
 
 1 86 HOME, SIVEET HOME, ON ANIWA 
 
 ment of travelling and got quietly nestled down 
 among our Darkies. John, but for that vicious rheu- 
 matism, would be his old self again ; and as for me, 
 I was never better in all my life, or ever stouter ; and 
 that day the Annands and Milncs were left here, we 
 were overpowered with compliments upon our healthy 
 looks from Dr. Steele and the other gentlemen who 
 came off to dinner. After enjoying the week's re- 
 freshing intercourse with all these dear friends, the 
 vessel came again from Tanna, picked up all our 
 husbands for the Synod, but left dear Mrs. Watt with 
 us. We four wives had then a most delightful time ; 
 and there was no gossip, no small scandal talk, which 
 our lords and masters ungallantly predicted there 
 would be when our four heads got close together ! 
 
 Seriously, it was an improving time, for we had 
 precious Christian fellowship, and we divided the day 
 methodically, thus : In the morning, when I looked 
 after my many household duties, the others generally 
 wrote letters, but sometimes helped me. In the after- 
 noon, we all gathered to the Study, to which Mrs. Watt 
 and Mrs. Milne had given quite the air of a Studio, 
 with their drawing boards and paint boxes, for they 
 were copying one of my paintings. Mrs. Annand 
 and I brought our work-baskets, and one or other of 
 us read aloud. After tea, we generally devoted the 
 whole evening to music, all being so fond of it ; so the 
 little harmonium was brought in from the Church 
 and made to do duty. We invariably began with 
 There is a Name, to the music dear Mrs. Macdonald
 
 A GOOD OLD BOOK 187 
 
 gave me ; and nearly always wound up with the Te 
 Deuni, at Mrs. Annand's request, as she said it re- 
 minded her of old times she having been brought 
 up in the English Church. Ruth and Naomi, and 
 other nice pieces, we took in parts. I did so enjoy 
 those Evenings, for I seldom get in the harmonium 
 unless we have visitors, for the Natives suddenly 
 take pains in their backs the moment I propose it ! 
 
 If we got too tired singing we would continue our 
 reading or chat, and the books we read were well 
 worth talking about. Mrs. Milne brought us all the 
 accounts about " Moody and Sankey," and we were 
 stirred up to long and pray for a revival here. We 
 read also TJie Higher Christian Life, with preface by 
 Miss Marsh, Jo/ics, and some of Goulbourn, and that 
 precious old book Trail on the Lord's Prayer. A kind 
 friend in Sydney gave me the loan of it, but I had to 
 skip the latter part for want of time ; so, when I got 
 to Aneityum, Mr. Inglis hunted for it in his library 
 and lent it to me. There seems to be less philoso- 
 phizing, and splitting up of the Trinity, with these 
 old Divines than in more modern writers. He (Trail) 
 presents the Lord Jesus Christ to his readers in all 
 His majesty and glory, not only as the Saviour of 
 the world and the second Person of the Trinity, but 
 as the great Triune Jehovah, in whom dwelleth all 
 the fulness of the Godhead bodily. He says we can 
 never find God till we are content to see Him in 
 Christ. I cannot forbear from quoting one wee 
 paragraph, exactly as he has it in his fifth Sermon :
 
 188 HOME, SWEET HOME, ON AN1WA 
 
 " By virtue of this interest in Christ, Believers have all 
 Christ's fulness for their supply. He is all in all to .them 
 (Col. iii. n). 'It pleased the Father that in Him should all 
 fulness dwell' (Col. i. 19). And surely, this longing of all 
 Fulness should please, and doth highly please, all Believers. 
 John i. 16 : 'And of (or out of) His fulness have all we 
 received, and grace for grace.' Eph. iv. 7 : ' Unto every one 
 of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of 
 Christ.' Whence had Paul and John all their grace, but of 
 Christ's fulness ? Whence was it that they received so much 
 grace beyond others ? It was according to the measure of 
 the gift of Christ. But the stock and treasure is common to 
 all Believers. They are partakers of Christ (Heb. iii. 14), 
 and called to the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our 
 Lord (i Cor. i. 9). The Apostle (Col. ii. 8-10) giveth a 
 needful warning, ' Beware lest any man spoil you through 
 philosophy and vain deceit.' But how shall we know and 
 discern the snare ? It is after the tradition of man, after 
 the rudiments or elements or principles of the world, and 
 not after Christ. His argument to enforce this warning is 
 deep and strong. Verse 9 : ' For in Him dwelleth all the 
 fulness of the Godhead bodily.' It dwelleth really, sub- 
 stantially in this ONE MAN JESUS CHRIST. So that 
 they do deceive you, that direct you to any for supply but 
 to Him. If ye would be filled with all the fulness of God 
 (Eph. iii. 19), ye must seek it and find it in Him in whom 
 dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And this 
 shall not be in vain, for ' ye are complete in Him ' (verse 
 10). Never did, never could, a Believer use this Fulness, 
 suitably to all its worth in itself and to the gracious right 
 he hath to use it." 
 
 I was telling Mr. Inglis, when they all called here 
 after the Synod, that I went to Trail next to my
 
 BLESSED MEETINGS 189 
 
 Bible, when I wanted " the finest of the wheat," and 
 he said I was to keep it to myself and wrote my name 
 on it. 
 
 That was a refreshing visit, on the return of the 
 vessel from the Synod ; and we had a cheery house- 
 ful, for in addition to our four husbands, whom, as 
 canny Scots say, " we were not sorry " to see after a 
 three weeks' absence, Mr. and Mrs. Inglis and Dr. 
 Steele (the latter to remain with us) came and stayed 
 from the Saturday till the Monday, the vessel going 
 out to sea with the rest of the Missionaries, who 
 declared it would kill me outright to have any more ! 
 Those who came tried to make me promise just to 
 give them a pillow and a blanket on the floor, but we 
 got them snugly stowed away in beds and on sofas, 
 and we so enjoyed their society. It is especially 
 delightful to hear their voices mingling in the Psalm 
 at Family Worship. It makes one think of the great 
 company of the redeemed, singing the " New Song." 
 
 The Sabbath was such a blessed day too, and it 
 was quite an event in the Church history of Aniwa to 
 see six Missionaries on the platform, and five ladies 
 in the Missionary's pew. Mr. Inglis preached at the 
 first service, Mr. Annand at the second (John of 
 course translating), good Gospel truth ; and Dr. 
 Steele gave us a White sermon in the evening in 
 the Drawing-Room, upon the Prayer of Jabez. The 
 language was very beautiful, and the Doctor suited 
 himself to his audience, leaving out his appeal to 
 unconverted sinners ! .
 
 HOME, SWEET HOME, ON ANIWA 
 
 I had nearly forgotten to tell you that the Synod 
 were unanimous in sanctioning John's return to 
 Australia, at the end of the year, in accordance with 
 the Victorian invitation. He is bound to keep his 
 mouth shut for six months ; then, if he is able, to visit 
 the Churches, and not come back to the Islands till 
 after the next hot season. The Mission Vessel is 
 not to be sent to Victoria till then to tempt him to 
 speechify, so it goes to Sydney this year as usual, 
 and next to Melbourne, Adelaide, and Tasmania. Our 
 hearts beat at the prospect of seeing our boys again ; 
 but still I would prefer to remain here for many 
 reasons. I believe in the inclination of people, as 
 well as things, to rest ; for I shrank from leaving 
 Australia when we were there, and now it seems such 
 a pity to turn out of our home again. If John feels 
 much better, he says he will remain ; but our God 
 will lead and guide us as He would have us go. 
 
 Every one in the house is asleep, and my eyes will 
 hardly keep open ; so I must say Good-night to you 
 all. With heart's love from your ever loving daughter 
 and sister, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 XII 
 
 THE MISSION FORCES AT WORK 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 ANIWA, NEW HEBRIDES, 
 
 November 2nd, 1874. 
 
 MY DEAREST SISTERS AND BROTHERS, About 
 half an hour ago, we decided finally, after much 
 earnest prayer, that it was our duty to remain on 
 Aniwa, instead of going to the Colonies a fortnight 
 hence in the Dayspring (the Paragon re-christened), 
 as we had fondly anticipated. So John and I are 
 both in the Study, setting to work vigorously with 
 our pens, instead of packing boxes. 
 
 I felt strongly tempted not to write the Family 
 Epistle this time. It does seem so hard to leave out 
 my precious Mother's name ! But, in one way, she 
 is nearer us than ever ; indeed, I cannot divest 
 myself of the feeling that she sees and knows all 
 about us, with joy, instead of the anxiety she used to 
 feel on our account while here on Earth. 
 
 You are waiting patiently, I suppose, to hear the 
 reasons for our non-appearance ; and, oh, how I wish 
 I could make you see them as we do ! The path of 
 
 191
 
 192 THE MISSION FORCES AT WORK 
 
 Duty to us both now seems so plain, for we have 
 asked the Lord for direction, and conferred not with 
 flesh and blood (there isn't any flesh and blood of our 
 own kind here to confer with !), but gave our wills to 
 Him. Certainly, we do not follow our own inclina- 
 tions, which would lead us to Australia, and right on 
 to our boys and God only knows the gnawing at 
 our hearts sometimes for one sight of them ! But 
 they could not be better cared for, or have more 
 privileges, than where they are ; and, were we to 
 leave our Darkies, they would have literally no one to 
 care for their souls. Of course, I know, God cares 
 for them ; but we could not ask Him to work a 
 special miracle on their behalf, when He has removed 
 to a great extent the one grand objection to our 
 remaining here I mean John's ill health. He is not, 
 indeed, in perfect health, as the Children and I are ; 
 but his rheumatism is in abeyance, owing, we believe, 
 under God, to the acetic acid ; and the faint, breath- 
 less fits now seldom come. Every other way he is 
 strong and well, and, as usual, going through a vast 
 amount of work. 
 
 Ever since the Dayspring left, with Dr. Steele and 
 our mail for Sydney, four months ago, Mission 
 work has been going on like steam here ; and we arc 
 both as busy and as happy as the day is long, having 
 almost more teaching than we can manage, as the 
 Natives are turning out better than they have ever 
 done since we came to Aniwa. The Young Men 
 too, whom we might reasonably have expected to be
 
 193 
 
 our pests, have now become the most eager to learn, 
 to John's immense delight ! 
 
 Besides the little Village Schools, we have School 
 three times a day at the Mission Station. The first is 
 at daybreak, which one of ,the Teachers conducts, 
 specially for Reading, which the Natives are awfully 
 slow to learn. Then, after breakfast, comes my 
 
 A SCHOOL HOUSE ON ANIWA. 
 
 Sewing Class, twice a week, which continues for 
 about three hours, and the average attendance is 
 thirty, which is good for this time of the year, when 
 they are busy yam-planting. Our fine broad verandah 
 has been my School-Room now for years, as I used 
 to get so faint, when we crowded inside. I carry it 
 on in the old way, and give each woman or girl a 
 dress, or print to make one, who has attended three 
 
 '3
 
 194 THE MISSION FORCES AT WORK 
 
 months without missing a day ; and this, for a long 
 time, they firmly believed to be payment for helping 
 me to sew ! John's School comes on after dinner, 
 and continues about two hours. He commenced it 
 for the improvement of Teachers and their wives 
 and those who could already read fluently. It has 
 increased to forty-seven Scholars ; so that he is glad 
 to let me take the Writing Class entirely off his 
 hands, which are full enough with reading, ciphering, 
 and giving out next day's lessons. 
 
 By far the most interesting, as well as laborious 
 part of the work, however, is with our own Native 
 Boys and Girls, who live with us. They now number 
 fourteen. I think we had only ten or eleven when I 
 wrote last. Besides all their other duties, they each 
 bring an Essay, twice a week, neatly written on a sheet 
 of paper with a lead pencil. They give them in, after 
 evening Native Worship, which we have in the Dining- 
 Room ; and John reads them aloud, corrects the 
 spelling, etc., and furnishes them with fresh paper, 
 and pencils if need be. The little ones, and some big 
 ones too, who are not the length of writing Essays, 
 fill theirs with small words or rows of letters. I don't 
 know that I am right in calling them Essays, for 
 there are no particular subjects given out as yet. 
 But they certainly are compositions after a sort, and 
 their own too ; for, the literature of Aniwa being so 
 very circumscribed, they can't cheat us by copying 
 out of books ! They are never at any loss, however, 
 except sometimes to get all crushed into one sheet ;
 
 ESSAYS 195 
 
 and it is, of all others, the exercise they like best, and 
 are most careful to prepare. 
 
 We thoroughly enjoy those Essay Evenings ; for 
 some of them are really racy, and supply in a small 
 degree the want of a local newspaper. They catch 
 at any little exciting incident which happens, and if 
 there is bad talk going on, we are sure to get it, with 
 their decidedly-expressed opinions about it and the 
 authors thereof. We were greatly amused, one 
 evening, by the subject of one of those effusions 
 walking in at rather an awkward moment. He was 
 a decent man, too, one of our Church Members, 
 who happened to be staying over the night at 
 the next Village, and looked in upon us. I 
 gathered from little Litsi's (cousin of Litsi the 
 greater) alarmed looks, and the suppressed merriment 
 of the other Girls, that she had been making free with 
 his name in her Essay, which John was just beginning 
 to read. So we telegraphed that it would be neces- 
 sary to look before reading and to skip personal 
 allusions. These were that " Simonia (the gentleman 
 in question) had scolded some of the women for not 
 dressing properly ; while Nabowsi, his own wife, had 
 been seen with a mere apology for a garment thrown 
 across her shoulders." And Litsi was strongly of 
 opinion that " Simonia should have seen to his own 
 wife, before attacking other people's ! " 
 
 John occasionally gives out the subject. Once he 
 told them to write all they knew of the Stars ; and it 
 was wonderful how many of them they could name
 
 196 THE MISSION FORCES AT WORK 
 
 Native names, of course far more than I ever knew. 
 But you will form a better idea of their style by my 
 enclosing an ordinary specimen ; and, if time permit, 
 a translation. This has been a means of improvement 
 to us all, as well as to the Natives ; for it is wonderful 
 how many new words we have got, especially little 
 ones, as well as prefixes and affixes, which in their 
 rapid utterance, as to us it seems, we had never 
 observed. 
 
 I dare say this earnest fit will wear off them by- 
 and-bye ; but, meanwhile, they are hardly ever to be 
 seen on Tuesdays and Fridays without paper and 
 pencil, to which every spare moment is devoted. 
 They allow almost nothing to interfere with that 
 duty, ingenious as they are sometimes in finding 
 excuses for others. For instance, when the Dayspring 
 returned from her last Colonial trip, we got a sight of 
 her well-known sail the afternoon before she arrived ; 
 and, immediately after tea, the whole fourteen of them 
 were squeezed round the Dining-Room table, hard at 
 work writing. I asked what in the world they meant, 
 as the Essays were not to be given in till to-morrow, 
 and they could write them in the daylight. They 
 replied, " O Missi, just let us sit here with the lamp 
 till the Worship, for there will be no time to-morrow 
 when the Vessel is here, and we must have our books 
 written." 
 
 I truly envied them, that they could compose 
 themselves at all ; for our hearts were beating at the 
 thought of the Dayspring lying so near, with mails
 
 A WELCOME DELAY 197 
 
 from Home on board ! No one, in your Civilization, 
 can ever realize what a thing of hope and life the 
 sight of a Vessel is to us away here. To admire, 
 with the feelings we had that evening, from the 
 verandah, and through the opening made in the trees 
 by the hurricane, our beautiful new Dayspring the 
 one visible link between us and the Christian world 
 lying almost becalmed in the distance, with her 
 sails spread, and a gorgeous sunset behind her, you 
 would need to have gone through our experience in 
 this lonely island. We stood and watched her till it 
 was dark, little dreaming she contained the sad tidings 
 of my beloved Mother's death. 
 
 Next morning, we were up with the earliest day- 
 break to receive our visitors, who, however, did not 
 arrive till the afternoon there was so little wind. 
 We had such a refreshing visit from the Watts and 
 Murrays the former on their return from their 
 fortnight's visit to Sydney, and the latter going round 
 the Islands on Deputation work ; also from our old 
 friend Mr. McArthur, the mate of the Vessel. But, by 
 far the most important visitors, in Minn and Frank's 
 estimations, were little Georgie Murray and two cats, 
 brought for them all the way from Sydney by one of 
 the Sailors ! 
 
 After tea, the Captain made his appearance, and 
 was besieged with entreaties to allow his passengers 
 a quiet night on shore, but he only laughed at the 
 idea. It was our turn, however, to laugh, when we 
 stood at the Boat Wharf an hour afterwards, among
 
 198 THE MISSION FORCES AT WORK 
 
 the flaming torches of the Natives (we had a torch- 
 light procession, for it was pitch dark, no moon), 
 gazing out into the darkness for the Vessel's lights, 
 which were nowhere to be seen ; nothing visible but 
 the glare of torches, lighting up the dark faces of 
 the Natives and reflected on the black water at our 
 feet, with the grand old Volcano over at Tanna a 
 magnificent sight, in the blackness of darkness, 
 through its bright red smoke, and every few minutes 
 bursts of flame and great fiery sparks shooting far 
 into the heavens. 
 
 One of the Sailors ashore, an old Man-o'-War's 
 man and the donor of the pussies, seemed to think 
 it rather a wild-goose chase, not to say a dangerous 
 one, to set out in search of a Vessel in the dark ; so 
 we had our way after all, and were not sorry to have 
 had the walk, which we all so thoroughly enjoyed. 
 The Captain, of course, was fidgety about his Ship ; 
 but McArthur had gone on board, in whom he had 
 the fullest confidence ; and we did so enjoy the 
 evening's conversation with our dear friends not 
 going, you may be sure, to rest any earlier than usual ! 
 
 My Girls did splendidly, and got beds made up for 
 our Guests, nine in all, with not very much help from 
 me. Next morning dawned so bright ; the Vessel 
 sailed close in ; and all got comfortably off after 
 breakfast, with half a cow, killed in honour of the 
 visit, and which they got more good of, on board, 
 than the whole cow which John gave them at the 
 Synod, for it jumped overboard and was drowned !
 
 A MOTHER'S DEATH 199 
 
 We had three days' hard reading at. our mail, for 
 it was a large one ; the great Adelaide packets being 
 speedily devoured first, and those precious pages 
 from Mother, forty-six in all, telling about our Boys 
 and their Cousins, her Gaol-visiting, the Revival work, 
 etc. I little knew of the sad Telegram that John 
 had hidden away so carefully ; for people had been 
 very thoughtful about us at least, about me and 
 Dr. Steele's letter of sympathy, which contained it, 
 was kept separate from the rest of our mail ; and 
 McArthur was instructed to give it to John, when he 
 saw him alone, which he did at the Boat Wharf on 
 landing. Poor John's thoughts flew to Bob and Fred, 
 when he was told the letter contained bad news, and 
 he began to show signs of fainting. But dear Mr. 
 Watt, divining his thoughts, assured him of their 
 welfare, and told him what had happened. All the 
 news that reached my ears when we met at the gate, 
 where I was waiting to welcome my visitors, was 
 the hearty Peggy, your Boys are well! and it was a 
 glad heart I lifted silently to God, dreaming not that 
 anything else sorrowful could have happened, when 
 they were all right. 
 
 I felt, however, through it all, that mute sympathy 
 was being shown to me by our visitors, and there 
 was no mistaking its drift and presence in the Family 
 prayers. And, at length, the truth came upon me 
 suddenly enough, two days later, notwithstanding all 
 dear John's thoughtful care. Mrs. Neilson had written 
 me a note of sympathy, and that had been overlooked,
 
 200 THE MISSION FORCES AT WORK 
 
 till I fell upon it unawares. The Natives, poor things, 
 were so kind ; and when John told some women who 
 wanted me that I could not be seen, and explained the 
 reason, one of our little Girls slipped into the Bed- 
 Roorn and said, with the tears in her eyes, " Missi, was 
 it the Mother who gave you birth ? " A real Native 
 question ! Mother has such a wide meaning here, and 
 may include an Aunt, or other near friend. 
 
 How we long for the particulars of our dear 
 Mother's last days ! We can hardly realize, even 
 yet, that she is now with her Lord, to whom her 
 whole soul was so devoted. It is so hard to part 
 with such a Mother ; but my first thought, dear 
 Helen, was for you, with your beloved husband so far 
 away. Litsi and Hutshi cried sorely ; and even 
 some of the Natives who never saw her, for they 
 heard the others speak of her so often. We both 
 feel thankful that our Boys were privileged to be 
 with her all these months. 
 
 I must not, however, fill this paper with my own 
 feelings alone, when I have so many things to write 
 to you. I think the next event of importance, after 
 the visit of the Dayspring, was Hutshi's marriage, 
 a few weeks after, with Nelwang, her first love. It 
 was quite an exciting time, as it is years since any 
 of my Girls were married before ; or, to use the Native 
 description, Got up in Church. Both Bride and 
 Bridegroom were dressed out of the Adelaide Mission 
 Box, which came safely in the Dayspring, along with 
 our mail, and another box from Miss Glen in Scot-
 
 THE MARRIAGE OF HUTSHI 
 
 land, so that we felt quite prepared for any number 
 of weddings ! 
 
 Hutshi chose one of those bright purple skirts and 
 jackets, and one of the little white hats I trimmed 
 with purple and yellow silk, mixed with white tulle, 
 which Fanny sent in Miss Glen's box. Nelwang 
 chose a very nice, quiet, grey suit. My other Girls 
 all got new hats and dresses for the occasion, so the 
 Church was quite gay, that Wednesday afternoon, 
 when they were married at the close of the Prayer 
 Meeting ; and they behaved very well during the 
 ceremony, which was a terrible ordeal to the Bride- 
 groom. He had been living in terror of it for weeks 
 before, afraid, as he told me confidentially, that the 
 people would laugh at him ! 
 
 We feared, rather, that some of the Young Men 
 would do more than laugh ; for a marriage on these 
 Islands, even on Aneityum, where women are so 
 very scarce, creates a deal of rage and ill-feeling. 
 We killed a large cow, however, to be divided over 
 the whole island, and ostensibly in honour of one of 
 our Girls being married, but really to sweeten the 
 hearts of some of the disappointed suitors, who, we 
 hoped, would hardly feel inclined for deeds of revenge 
 upon the fortunate Bridegroom, while smacking their 
 lips over roast beef, which they are quite as fond of 
 as any Englishman. 
 
 For many days before, poor Hutshi's heart was 
 full, and she could hardly keep back the tears when 
 we spoke to her. She protested that she could not
 
 THE MISSION FORCES AT WORK 
 
 leave us. We reminded her that it was only three 
 minutes' walk from our gate to her future Home ; 
 and I provided her with a few things " to set up 
 house with," such as a tin washing-basin, bar of 
 soap, looking-glass, couple of tin plates, spoons, jugs, 
 saucepan, etc., with which she was much delighted. 
 But she cried bitterly, the day before the wedding, 
 when one of the neighbours came to carry away 
 her box and things from the Girls' house ; and, the 
 same evening, she brought me a nicely written and 
 most touching little letter, thanking us for all we 
 had done and for taking her to Australia ; and, after 
 saying how sad she was to leave us, she gave her 
 love to each one of us by name, and said Iier heart 
 remembered Bob and Fred this night and loved them 
 and cried about them, and also that she remembered 
 Captain Jenkins' kindness to her on board. John 
 and I were so touched and gratified, that our eyes 
 were rather misty by the time we came to the last 
 lines. Hutshi has been with us about six years now ; 
 and we told her that our fondest wishes for her would 
 be realized if she would but begin her married life 
 with God. 
 
 My other Girls are all doing well ; and two more 
 have been added to our care, since I last wrote. I 
 can't say, though, that they always come from the 
 purest motives. Nagitshi, one of the two little Girls, 
 came to us suffering greatly from a loathsome disease, 
 which I must not name, and I instantly shrunk back 
 from having her near us. But, after a few moments'
 
 "NATIVES HAVE HEARTS" 203 
 
 reflection, we took her as from God, though I was 
 in perfect terror of infection, for my own Children's 
 sake, as well as for the Natives. John at once set 
 to work anointing her carefully ; and the elder Girls 
 and I made warm clothing, as the cold then was 
 intense for Aniwa, and she was shivering. I gave 
 her a warm blanket to sleep in, and plenty of nourish- 
 ing food, managing to keep her from touching things 
 about the house or the Children, without hurting 
 her feelings, as in that case she would have bolted. 
 So, after a few weeks of great care, she perfectly 
 recovered ; about which time, her worthy father, a 
 returned Queensland labourer, came and demanded 
 payment for the use we had had of his little daughter ! 
 He was made thoroughly to comprehend how matters 
 stood, however, and has made no more demands since, 
 while the little Girl is getting on fast, though only 
 about seven years of age, being naturally quick. 
 
 It is these dear Girls and Boys, under our own 
 especial charge, to whom our hearts cling the most. 
 They regard us with such true affection, the elder 
 ones especially, and how could we turn them adrift ? 
 People may say of Natives what they will ; but, give 
 them a proper chance, and they'll show they've got 
 hearts. I could wish, though, they had a more 
 judicious way of showing it just at present ; for, 
 every time they think of the parting with our 
 Children, my Girls take them away and stuff them 
 with cocoanuts and Native puddings, till they are 
 sick ! Bob and Fred are fondly remembered too ;
 
 204 THE MISSION FORCES AT WORK 
 
 and, the other day, an old woman, who brought two 
 finely plaited baskets to be sent to Fred, just managed 
 to steady her voice to say who they were for, and 
 then burst into tears. As we have only now decided, 
 ourselves, about staying, the Natives do not yet know, 
 and I so long to tell them ; but John thinks it will be 
 nicer to announce it after the Communion, which we 
 are to have on Sabbath, first. 
 
 Oh, how we long to be able to tell you of a still 
 deeper work among our Natives, a thirsting, not after 
 knowledge only, but after the Lord Jesus Christ ! 
 There is none of that very apparent yet ; and I was 
 writing dear Mrs. Inglis lately, that it was perhaps 
 only the prospect of our leaving that drew the 
 Natives out, but she answers me that it is nothing 
 of the sort, but the Lord Jesus Himself working in 
 them, and drawing them to us first and then to Him- 
 self through us. And Mr. Inglis writes to John that 
 he believes we are already feeling the effects of the 
 blessed work at Home and the prayers of God's 
 people ; for they are much encouraged on Aneityum 
 just now, having admitted fifty-six new Members to 
 the Church, a few weeks ago. We confidently look 
 to the Lord to manifest Himself to the hearts of 
 these benighted ones, as He has done to so many in 
 the Old Country. 
 
 Oh, how intensely we are interested in all accounts 
 of the blessed work going on at Home ! Dear Mrs. 
 Milne was writing me, that it seems to her that a 
 great deal of the Revival has been in the hearts of
 
 "DIG IN CHRIST" 205 
 
 God's own people, getting a more exalted view of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and seeing everything in Him all 
 the fulness of the Godhead, all their Salvation and 
 all their desire. We are both so delighted with 
 Philip Phillips's Song Life, and indignant enough to 
 see it sneered at in one of the Home papers, because 
 it gives the worship to Christ instead of God ! As if 
 Christ were not very God, God Manifest ; or as if 
 there were any other God to worship, but the God 
 who is " in " Christ reconciling the world unto Him- 
 self. Oh, if people would but take the Lord's own 
 words, since they won't take the other parts of the 
 Bible " He that receiveth Me receiveth Him that 
 sent Me." 
 
 It is pitiable to read of " a tendency to that Uni- 
 tarianism which virtually excludes the Father and 
 the Holy Spirit." It has been the joy of my life, 
 since I found that it was impossible to have Christ 
 without having the Father and the Spirit, for " in 
 Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." 
 A sinner can't even come to Christ without the 
 Father and the Spirit being engaged in it : " No man 
 can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent 
 Me draw him." ... " No man can say Jesus Christ 
 is Lord but by the Holy Ghost." How I wish I had 
 known, or felt, all this years ago ; for it is just in 
 proportion as I dig in Christ, as Trail puts it, that I 
 can know anything of God ; and it is only when I 
 speak of that Name which is above every name that 
 my lips are unsealed to the Natives. John and I
 
 206 THE MISSION FORCES AT WORK 
 
 were reading such a precious sermon lately, showing 
 that it is only when the glory of God is revealed " in 
 the face of Christ Jesus" that Satan is up in arms. 
 He'll let you alone as long as you talk vaguely about 
 God or good works ; he'll even let you denounce 
 " Sin," and talk about the " Church " or the " Bible " 
 anything but the Lord Jesus Christ, for therein lies 
 danger ! 
 
 It is getting very late, and I have been so often 
 interrupted to-day that I fear this can't be very 
 coherent ; but I well know you would rather have 
 anything than nothing ; so I send it as it is, with all 
 heart's love, 
 
 From your loving sister, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON. 
 
 P.S. Forgot to say that we have got up a fine 
 new Aniwa Printing Office, and John has printed 
 a new edition of our Aniwan Catechism. Also a 
 " Smiddy," or Smith's Shop ! ! M. W. P.
 
 XIII 
 
 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 EMERALD HILL, MELBOURNE, 
 
 November yd, 1875. 
 
 MY DEAREST SISTERS AND BROTHERS, If I could 
 only put one of the earthquakes we've had into this 
 journal it would produce a sensation descriptions 
 seem so very tame after one has experienced the 
 awful feelings they produce ! But I must begin and 
 go forward as best I can, there being no possibility of 
 gratifying you in that direction. 
 
 You know, it was not till very near the time of the 
 Vessel's sailing that we decided last year to remain ; 
 and I sent my last " Journal " on board with an aching 
 heart. We had been so nearly going to see our 
 precious Boys, and till I saw the Dayspring slowly 
 disappear in the distance I did not know how intensely 
 my heart had been set upon seeing them ! And 
 instead, we were left with the tidings of their illness, 
 which reached us in the letters left behind for us on 
 that day. Our work too that evening was rather sad, 
 for not being able to purchase nearly enough biscuits 
 
 207
 
 208 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 and rice from the Vessel for our Natives (some three 
 or four casks was all the Captain could spare), we 
 had to dismiss a lot of our Boys. They offered to 
 stay without food, but we knew that could not be, 
 and, not having the heart to say who were to go, we 
 left it to themselves to settle, saying we could only 
 keep three. So, after some consultation, they told us 
 that the newest comers had the best right and the 
 most need to remain. 
 
 To crown all, John got very ill and sank so low 
 that we feared he might not live to see the return of 
 the Dayspring. But all the time I had an inward 
 conviction that God had not kept him on Aniwa just 
 to die, after giving us such encouragement to remain, 
 and we had waited so confidingly upon Him just to 
 show us the way. And He did not keep us long in 
 suspense, for one event transpired after another to 
 show how wisely we had been guided. 
 
 The first of these happened about a month after 
 the Vessel left and as John was slowly recovering 
 from his illness. We heard, one lovely day, as I was 
 setting the copies for afternoon School (I managed 
 to keep .it going all the time), a cry of Sail O ! which 
 set us all into a fine pitch of excitement. School was 
 the last thing to, be thought of, and the Natives 
 scampered off towards the other end of the island, 
 where the Vessel lay. John was unable to walk so 
 far ; but you may be sure we were quite on the 
 qui vive for news, and I waylaid the first returning 
 Native, who shouted to me in Aniwan : " Missi, what
 
 THE TANNESE REFUGEES 209 
 
 do you think has happened ? A whole shipload of 
 Tannese, men, women, and children, have been driven 
 off their own island by war, and have come over to 
 live on this little island, because the Worship is 
 strong and they know they are safe. They are many 
 in number for the people of Aniwa ; and where are 
 we to get food for them, Missi, for they had to 
 escape at night with what little baggage they could 
 bring in the Vessel ? " 
 
 Another Native soon after arrived with letters from 
 Mr. and Mrs. Neilson, confirming the report, and we 
 were rather dumfoundered at this turn of events ; 
 but, like most of the other Missionaries, when they 
 heard of it, we were also deeply impressed with God's 
 mysterious ways. Tanna was the island upon which 
 John's whole heart was set ; and it was one of the 
 bitterest disappointments of his life when the Mission 
 Synod would not allow him to return there, instead 
 of coming to Aniwa, nine years ago ; but we both 
 felt we were following God here, and now He had 
 brought the Tannese to Aniwa, for those who had 
 come were from around Port Resolution, and some 
 of them were John's old friends ! 
 
 Some of the Islanders themselves were as much 
 struck with the event as we were. And at last 
 Mission Synod, Mr. Neilson amused all the Mission- 
 aries by giving the outline of a speech made upon 
 the occasion by one of the Aneityumese Teachers 
 on Tanna, apt as all Natives are in drawing illus- 
 trations from daily life to point their addresses on 
 
 14
 
 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 Sabbath. He took the story of Joseph for his 
 subject, and made out Missi Paton to be Joseph driven 
 from Tanna by his wicked brethren, the Tanna men ; 
 but that God had gone with him to Egypt, alias 
 Aniwa, and prospered him and the land for his sake, 
 and prepared it for them to go and live upon and 
 thus save much people alive ! 
 
 Our Natives behaved admirably. The Chiefs and 
 Church Members came to consult John about it that 
 evening, and they agreed to meet next morning and 
 go in a body and offer among their different villages 
 homes and lands for the refugees. They just pled 
 with John to accompany them, offering to carry him 
 on their backs (no cabs, you know) ; but he doesn't 
 care for that mode of conveyance, and being unable 
 to walk so far, he sent me in his place. I did not 
 like the business, and tried hard to get out of it ; but 
 John and the Natives insisted they were so anxious 
 to let the poor things see that they were welcome. 
 I got through the performance, grinning and shaking 
 hands with all the women, and patting every child on 
 the head, some of whom set up frightened screams 
 at sight of a white woman, which made me feel 
 rather awkward, though my heart did go out to those 
 bonnie little curly brown pates and their poor mothers 
 sitting nursing their babies in a strange land. Most 
 of the men I skipped (there were exactly a hundred 
 of them altogether, men, women, and children, a big 
 proportion of the population of Aniwa) they looked 
 so thoroughly bold and impudent, and, what John has
 
 NOWAR AND THE HEATHEN 
 
 so often described the New Hebrideans in Heathenism 
 to be, "naked painted Savages," whom I never do 
 pretend to admire. I must except two or three ot 
 the men, however, and dear old Nowar at their head, 
 who looked like a gentleman, with his short hair 
 i-o gray now no ear-rings, and respectable clothing. 
 His fine old face just beamed when he saw me, and 
 he told me to tell John that he had come to live and 
 die with his own dear Missi. 
 
 Nowar applied vigorously for Baptism, which 
 John however would not consent to without first 
 consulting his Missionary, Mr. Neilson ; and besides, 
 the rule on Aniwa is that Candidates for Baptism 
 first attend the Communicants' Class for twelve 
 months. His conduct on Aniwa has been that of a 
 Christian ; but as for the others, instead of getting 
 good themselves, their influence upon our Natives 
 has been down-dragging, especially upon some of our 
 wilder rogues, who have only given in to the changed 
 state of Aniwa because they are obliged to, Chris- 
 tianity having become the law of the land. You can 
 easily understand how a lot of vigorous fellows, with 
 nothing to do, away from their own island and their 
 own Missionary's influence, and full of Heathen super- 
 stition, never having attempted to learn either reading 
 or writing, could influence those whose hearts are 
 not changed and who are impatient of the outward 
 restraints imposed by Christianity upon their Heathen 
 practices. 
 
 John immediately set to work revising his Tanncse,
 
 212 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 which he had well-nigh forgotten, so that when the 
 Tanna gentry declined to come to Church he was 
 soon able to go to them and first read his addresses 
 and then preach to them in Tannese. How it did 
 remind us of the early Anivvan days, when our 
 worthy Parishioners used to enjoy a pipe or a nap, 
 as they lay on their backs listening to the sermon ! 
 
 Their curiosity led them to make a fine turn out, 
 the first Sabbath after they came. I was touched to 
 see the marks of care and pains bestowed upon the 
 women by Mrs. Neilson, for some of them had dresses 
 put on so neatly. I know from experience how much 
 has to be done ere one can get them to wear clothing 
 even to Church ; and it must have been so trying to 
 have them run off just when labour and instruction 
 were beginning to tell. 
 
 We took good care to make work for them 
 weeding waste ground, getting reeds for fences, etc. 
 so that they might earn clothing ; and several of 
 them took advantage of it. John also urged the men 
 to make banana plantations, as it was past the yam- 
 planting season and they were likely to remain a 
 while. He gave them all the young bananas which 
 he could spare, for them to plant. And, meanwhile 1 , 
 all the Aniwans contributed to their support, which 
 was no light matter for this barren little island. But 
 it is wonderful how they have all managed to subsist, 
 for a month after they came we had the most terrific 
 hurricane that ever swept over Aniwa. 
 
 The Hurricane began in earnest about noon on
 
 FLIGHT TO THE CELLAR 213 
 
 January I4th, after a heavy thunderstorm which had 
 blackened the air all the morning. As we sat at 
 dinner the wind suddenly became furious ; we had 
 to jump up and make preparations, as the house was 
 shaking and creaking, the thatch standing on end, 
 and the rain pouring in. Immediately trees, fences, 
 etc., began to occupy a horizontal position ; so the 
 Children and I took refuge in the Study, which 
 seemed to stand firmer than the rest of the house, 
 and from the windows watched the progress of the 
 storm a magnificent sight, tall trees bending and 
 falling before the awful force of the wind. John 
 came in greatly dejected, saying that if it continued 
 much longer the Church would go, as it was already 
 bending, notwithstanding its being so strongly 
 propped. There was a lull just then in the storm, 
 which cheered me ; but his more experienced eye 
 led him to pronounce it the stillness that precedes 
 a great storm, it was still so black and ominous. 
 And sure enough, just before dark, a terrific blast sent 
 us flying down to the Cellar, our usual place of 
 refuge. 
 
 John and a couple of the Girls made a final attempt 
 to get into the house for one or two loaves and 
 whatever else they could grab we were now awfully 
 hungry, having been so unceremoniously interrupted 
 at our dinner. My faithful little Cook was precipitated 
 into the cellar before a great blast, puffing and panting 
 and holding on to a kettle of boiling water, which 
 was an unexpected luxury in the circumstances. So
 
 214 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 we managed to make a very jolly meal off the top 
 of a box ; and all our stores being in the cellar, we 
 got hold of a tin of salmon the Girls had thought- 
 fully brought a great basin of milk for the Children 
 and when Frank found we were all to eat the salmon 
 out of one plate, his joy knew no bounds, and he 
 stuck his fork into the biggest bit in the dish which 
 proved too large for his wee mouth, causing great 
 merriment. 
 
 The storm raged till midnight, when we were 
 thankful to get up to our beds, and found our own 
 room, fortunately, the only habitable part of the 
 house. But oh, what utter desolation the morning 
 light revealed ! Our fine large Church a mass of 
 ruins, with one great pillar standing solitary and 
 upright through the rubbish, against the clear blue 
 sky. The School-House in the same condition, at 
 the other side of the Imrai(= public meeting ground). 
 With the exception of our Cook-House and Printing 
 Office, not an outhouse was left standing on the 
 Mission Premises ; but oh, how thankful we felt that 
 our dwelling-house stood secure, as John was in no 
 condition to have attempted building another. Not 
 even a pane of glass was broken, though, of course, 
 the roof could not escape, and consequently every- 
 thing was soaked. The day proved fortunately very 
 hot, and we got all the mats lifted, and mattresses, 
 blankets, etc., washed and dried. The pigs were in 
 their glory, running riot over all the plantations, and 
 I am sure if they could have spoken they would have
 
 WORSHIP AMID RUINS 215 
 
 said in Scotch, " It's an ill wind that blaws naebody 
 guid ! " 
 
 Almost every Native on the island was at work 
 before daylight at his fences dwelling-houses, and 
 there were not a dozen standing uninjured on the 
 island, being left till the plantations were secured. 
 School duties were not even thought of. Tt was so 
 sad to see the destruction of food fine large bread- 
 fruit and cocoanut trees torn up by the roots, and 
 bananas with the fruit half-formed lying useless on 
 the ground. But the greatest lamentation seemed 
 to be about the Tafari More ( = House of Worship), 
 though the general public were complacently viewing 
 it as a judgment from Tiapolo (= His Satanic Majesty, 
 in Anisvan), for their being so strong for the Worship. 
 This is a popular error ; and John guarded them 
 against it next Sabbath, preaching an impressive 
 sermon from the text, " Labour not for the meat 
 which perisJieth " rather apropos to the occasion ! 
 
 We worshipped under a very widespreading Banyan 
 Tree which however was no shade, the hurricane 
 having left the trees leafless with the ruins of the 
 Church on the one side, and of the School on the 
 other. John told them at the close that we would 
 not speak of a new Church for a week or two, till 
 they had got their own plantations, etc., in order ; but 
 after that they did set to work with a will ; and oh, 
 I wish you could have seen sometimes forty or fifty 
 of them bending under the weight of a huge tree, 
 which they had carried two or three miles over a
 
 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 precipitous path, and drenched in perspiration. We 
 could hear the joyous noise a long way off, and it 
 ended in a triumphant shout as they laid it down 
 at the Church. I could not settle to anything for 
 running out to watch the progress ; and as for John, 
 he had to be everywhere at once, directing and 
 working as hard as any of them. The Villages all 
 took it in turns to provide a feast for the workers 
 at the close of each day ; and as the food was brought 
 in the morning, the women came to cook it, and those 
 who could be spared were busy plaiting sugar-cane 
 leaf to thatch the roof. So you may imagine what 
 a bee-hive appearance . the Imrai, or Public Square, 
 presented ; and how sometimes great roars of laughter 
 burst forth, at some woman indignantly pitching a 
 cocoanut shell at a man who was slily running off 
 with a choice morsel ! My Girls used to get through 
 their work in the morning, and ^un to help ; and I 
 often contributed to the entertainment with an enor- 
 mous bucket of tea. One day, when a lot of Tannesc 
 were helping, they had as many as fourteen pigs 
 cooked and eaten. 
 
 They wrought so hard that, after five Sabbaths in 
 the open air, we again assembled in a new building 
 where the old one had been ; and, though by no 
 means finished, it was rendered sufficiently comfort- 
 able to worship in the roof nicely thatched, and 
 the framework of the walls covered in with plaited 
 cocoanut leaves, until they could make lime, as they 
 resolved to have a wood and plaster building this
 
 ANIWAN TRAGEDY 217 
 
 time. Of course the whole of the work and material 
 was given gratis ; but John promised them a large 
 cow for a feast when all was finished an induce- 
 ment to the lazy ones to work ! 
 
 After a week's rest, they began again to collect 
 coral to burn for lime, which is heavy labour, as the 
 coral has all to be dug out of the sea with crowbars, 
 three miles off at Tiara, and boated round. Tiara 
 is a lovely little island, adjoining Aniwa, where the 
 Children and I took advantage of the boat to do 
 a little picnicing, their Papa being always with us, as 
 he had to superintend a good deal, and see that they 
 did not smash his boat right up amongst the reefs. 
 
 All were getting on with great glee, when a sudden 
 stop was put to everything and the whole island 
 thrown into a ferment by two wilful and cold-blooded 
 murders, which took place on the morning of March 
 2nd. No one had any suspicion of what was going 
 to happen, and the murdered man was one of the 
 most active on the day before, diving for coral for 
 the Church. He was the son of such good, respect- 
 able Church Members, though not one himself a 
 fine fellow, attending Church regularly with his 
 children and young Tannese wife, whom he had lately 
 married, and who was murdered along with him. It 
 is supposed that she was the ground of jealousy that 
 led to these awful deeds. 
 
 Poor Patesa and his wife went to bed as usual ; 
 and, just as the day began to dawn, the two murderers, 
 an Aniwan and a Tanna man, crept quietly to their
 
 2i8 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 house and removed the cocoanut leaves at the door. 
 Patesa stirred in his sleep at the sound, but he was 
 shot through the heart before he awoke to conscious- 
 ness. His poor wife tried to hide, but was shot down 
 by the other villain, and hardly spoke during the 
 few moments she lived. Patesa called to his brother 
 and mother, and told who the murderers were, while 
 the blood was spouting out at his heart, and then 
 died ; and both were buried in the grave before the 
 breakfast hour. The news spread like wild-fire, but 
 not correctly at first, and. we were in hopes the 
 wounds were not mortal ; so John hurried off to the 
 Village with bandages and everything he could need, 
 but was met half-way by a Native Teacher, who told 
 him they had just been buried. 
 
 The Chiefs and people assembled in the fmrai, full 
 of consternation, to consider what was to be done. 
 The scoundrels were hidden, of course, and the punish- 
 ment they got (the destruction of all their property, 
 except food, which was divided among the people) 
 was no more than they could afford to laugh at, as 
 any one can pick up a living of some sort, either in 
 the bush or in the sea. Oh, how an event of this 
 kind teaches one to prize and admire British law ! 
 The injured party were afraid to stay in their own 
 Village, not knowing what might happen next, and 
 one of the murderers being a Tanna man, the whole 
 of the Tannese were ready to back him up. I sent 
 for the friends and collected every scrap of black 
 I could find for mourning, for which they were very
 
 HUTSHI THE VIXEN 219 
 
 anxious ; and John, in consideration of his speedy 
 return to the Colonies, parted with his scuffy blacks. 
 The old mother looked twenty years older ; her hair 
 had turned quite grey with the shock, and she was 
 perfectly outworn with grief. 
 
 It was altogether a sad time, that, for we had been 
 so tried with Hutshi, the girl I had last time with 
 mo in Australia, and whohas turned out a complete 
 
 vixen the 'first of my Girls, 'I am thankful to say 
 who has notl turned out well. She was married to 
 one of our best young lads, and went quite gracefully 
 through the whole affair I think I wrote you 'all 
 about it before but all the while she was dying for 
 my handsome young Cook, who is engaged to the 
 little table-maid. She began, soon after the marriage, 
 to persecute ;her husband and flirt with the other, 
 going from bad to worse, notwithstanding all we could
 
 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 say to her ; and one day she behaved so frightfully, 
 that, when we were told of her guilt, John and I sank 
 down on the nearest seats, perfectly overpowered with 
 disappointment and horror. I could hardly have 
 believed that any woman, either black or white, could 
 have so deliberately planned to lead others so young 
 and innocent into sin. 
 
 The young Chief came to ask John how she ought 
 to be punished, as something would have to be done ; 
 but he hesitated to give advice, never having been 
 called upon to legislate in a similar case, being indeed 
 too vexed to collect his thoughts ; only he strongly 
 forbade them to shoot her, as one or two of the 
 enraged fathers proposed, and advised them to be 
 guided by the Aneityumesc Teachers, two wise 
 Christian men from Mr. Inglis's Station. They said 
 that the punishment inflicted on Aneityum by the 
 Chiefs was to tie up the guilty parties, collect all the 
 goods of those most deeply involved, and distribute 
 them among the people at the other side of the island 
 so as not to tempt those around to bring false 
 accusations against neighbours for the sake of their 
 property. 
 
 This was accordingly done in the case of Hutshi ; 
 and we had an invitation to be present at the cere- 
 mony, which we declined, as John told them it was 
 better he should not be too much mixed up in these 
 things. The only way in which he did interfere was 
 to shorten the time to three hours, instead of the 
 twenty-four they were determined to keep her tied
 
 IMPUDENCE OUTWITTED 221 
 
 and which, in my opinion, she richly deserved ! Two 
 or three Tannese happened to arrive at her Village 
 before she was unloosed, and expressed their disgust 
 at the consequences entailed by the Worship, saying 
 they could have as much " fun " on Tanna as they 
 liked without being punished for it. But one of our 
 Aniwans answered, with a sly wink at his neighbours, 
 that, bad as the Worship might be, it had at least not 
 driven them from their own land ! 
 
 We were awfully vexed about this happening with 
 one of our Girls, as everything connected with the 
 Mission Station is so talked about, and the worst 
 characters are generally the most censorious. The 
 father of one of my little Girls, a wild and greedy 
 fellow who wanted to be paid for letting me attend 
 and nurse her through an illness (!), came with a 
 grand face, expressing his horror of Hutshi's conduct, 
 and saying he must take away his little Girl, as he 
 could not think of letting her remain to follow such 
 an example. I was both amused and indignant, but 
 took care to show neither feeling, and jumped up 
 pleasantly, saying I would let her go at once and give 
 her one or two of her dresses home with her (I took 
 care to make no mention of her blanket-box, which 
 they most value), as she had been an attentive Girl. 
 The man looked rather dismayed at being taken so 
 sharply at his word, and muttered something to the 
 effect that his daughter might not wish to leave, 
 whereupon I expressed my horror at allowing the Girl 
 to disobey her father for a single moment ! The fact
 
 222 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 is, that it suited me to make an example of her, for I 
 knew that owing to her mother's health she would 
 soon have been taken away at any rate, and besides 
 she was the boldest and least grateful of all my Girls. 
 My heart smote me, however, when she looked up at 
 me with the big tears in her eyes, as I was taking her 
 hand in mine to say Good-bye after giving her the 
 little bundle. Yet I felt I could not rightly do any- 
 thing else ; and I comforted the little woman by 
 telling her I would always look upon her as one of 
 my own Girls, and that she was not to hesitate to ask 
 me for anything she wanted a piece of advice which 
 I have since found to be quite unnecessary ! 
 
 I did not take time to consult John, as I had them 
 off in less than ten minutes ; but he said afterwards 
 that I had acted perfectly right. We heard the 
 Natives tease the poor man most unmercifully as 
 he crossed the Imrai on his way home, shouting out 
 they were glad to see he was able to set up his Village 
 as a pattern even to the Missi's (it never before was 
 distinguished for morality), and that if he would 
 inform them when the change took place they would 
 send their children to him ! A few minutes after- 
 wards, the guardian of my next youngest Girl appeared 
 at the window with a rueful face, and asked if his 
 child might be allowed to remain ? I told him I was 
 too glad to keep them all, and had not asked the 
 other Girl to go ; and reminded him, besides, that so 
 long as Hutshi lived on the Mission Station her 
 conduct was irreproachable.
 
 HUTSHI'S FALL 223 
 
 I wish I could say that was the last of the trouble 
 we had with Mistress Hutshi ; for she professed great 
 repentance, and sent one of the Girls two or three 
 weeks afterwards to say she wanted to tell me all 
 her badness, as that would make her feel better. She 
 had not been allowed to come near the Mission 
 Premises, nor had we since taken any notice of her. 
 We had very little faith in the young lady's repent- 
 ance, but feared to crush any yearning after amend- 
 ment, if it did exist, and I thought that God might 
 give me a word for her. So we had a long interview ; 
 but I felt, all the time, there was no change in her, 
 as was immediately proved, for she went back tossing 
 her head and telling the others they might talk as 
 much as they liked, she didn't care, for the Missi was 
 quite satisfied with her now ! 
 
 She did not improve, but the Church Members 
 round kept such a watch upon her that she did not 
 do anything very flagrant. She did, however, lead 
 her husband a miserable life, and I never believed 
 that a Native could have , borne with patience what 
 he did ; at last, being able to stand it no longer, he 
 came to bid me Good-bye, saying he was going to 
 live about three miles distant (it was as far away 
 almost as he could get on Aniwa, either in one direc- 
 tion or the other, as his lady-Jove lived close to us 
 in the centre of the island), and that he freely bestowed 
 her upon any man who might be fool enough to take 
 her, as henceforth he would have nothing to do with 
 her.
 
 324 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 She had, out of pure bravado, professed to elude 
 their vigilance and implicated a Tanna man, as well 
 as Rangi (the wildest man on Aniwa), who both 
 proved their innocence. Perhaps Rangi agreed with 
 me that he had enough sins of his own to account 
 for without being blamed for what he really did not 
 do ; and being an out-and-out Savage in his dis- 
 position, we feared trouble when he came with all 
 the Tanna men at his heels to inquire about it one 
 morning after her husband had left her. We little 
 expected, however, the scene there really was, right 
 outside our gate too, for it was there Rangi caught 
 hold of her. She gave one spring to John for pro- 
 tection, but the gate was between them, and Rangi 
 wrenched her from it, and the savage yells that got 
 up nearly sent me frantic with terror. 
 
 John stood leaning carelessly against the gate, 
 viewing it all the calmest person there ! He felt 
 that his presence would be a sufficient check, though 
 it would have been folly to interfere. My Girls were 
 groaning and crying ; and Yawaci (the Girl I have 
 here) was unconsciously doing her best to wrench 
 the handles off the Diriing-Room door in her despair, 
 groaning out, " Missi, blood will be spilt ! " while I 
 was on my knees in the middle of the floor calling 
 upon God to interfere. But my little Frank stopped 
 me, saying, " Mamma, Mamma, I don't like to sec 
 you look up and talk like that ! Are you ill ? " So 
 I tried to be myself again to the wee man, and felt 
 comforted in having left the case with the Lord.
 
 RANGI'S REPUTATION 225 
 
 Only I must see Rangi, though I had very slender 
 hope of influencing him ; and I put my careful hus- 
 band into a fine consternation, as he would rather 
 have seen an apparition than me coming on such 
 a scene. I had only a very dim notion, then, of his 
 gestures and entreaties, being deaf and blind to every- 
 thing except Rangi, who came nearest my idea of 
 a demon of anything I had ever seen ! 
 
 The poor Girl was tied, with her arms backward, 
 to a cocoanut tree, pale with terror, and a hundred 
 muskets bristling round her. The Tannese were in 
 full Heatlien costume, which means paint instead of 
 clothing ; and the Church Members stood calmly, 
 like John, looking on, except two or three of them 
 who kept guard around her with loaded muskets for 
 her defence from murder if necessary. Her life was 
 all they or we wished to see spared, for she richly 
 deserved any punishment short of death. I caught 
 Rangi's eye at last. At a sign he came quietly 
 forward, and I began to tell him he should not dare 
 to shoot my Girl, but being too excited I ended in 
 sobs and was marched off but not before Rangi 
 earnestly assured me that he would not touch a hair 
 of her head or let any one else do it, only he said she 
 deserved to be tied and ought to be well beaten for 
 blackening his character ! We could not keep from 
 smiling, even in the excitement, at Rangi's care for 
 his reputation, which was truly as black as it well 
 could be. 
 
 Well, here was Mistress Hutshi practically put up 
 
 15
 
 226 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 for public sale ; for, according to Native law, whoever 
 dared to unloose her from that tree had to take her 
 for his wife, her husband having renounced all claim 
 to her. Rangi reminded them of this when he tied 
 her up, saying that the Missi only could alter that 
 law if he wished. The Missi did not feel inclined to 
 do any such thing, having devoutly wished her at 
 Jericho ever since she commenced her pranks, as she 
 was proving a curse to the place, and now only hoped 
 that the most tyrannical unmarried man on the island 
 would take her off bodily as far away as the limited 
 circumference of Aniwa would permit (so did the 
 .Church Members) ; but for John to say so would only 
 be the beginning of mischief. He was so anxious 
 .they would not appeal to him for advice, for we both 
 felt that for her Native law was the best. But though 
 .a score of young men would have gone down on their 
 knees for her before she was married, there she stood 
 .for about three hours without a single bidder ! 
 
 John had got the whole crowd dispersed to go and 
 cut wood for the lime-pits (you know he is of a rather 
 practical turn of mind and likes to utilize the most 
 unlikely occasions), which they did with great energy, 
 having the steam up ; so she was left alone, as the 
 .women had all to run and cook food. I had a grand 
 donation for the labourers besides the tea, that day, 
 as we had a calf killed the evening before, and I was 
 giving orders about it when I saw John waving me to 
 the Study with such an amused face. It seems that 
 Hutshi's old sweetheart had rushed to him in eager
 
 SARRA WINS A WIFE 227 
 
 haste, saying, " Missi, I never will have such a chance 
 for a wife ! Will you marry me to Hutshi, if I untie 
 her ? " John said he certainly could not, and that if 
 he took her it must be a la Native, and that he would 
 have to discontinue his attendance at the Candidates' 
 Class, of which he was a member. He explained, at 
 the same time, that it was not like running away with 
 another man's wife, as her behaviour (which in Britain 
 would have divorced her) had led her husband to give 
 her up ; only that, for the sake of example, he could 
 not countenance such proceedings on the part of 
 intending Communicants. Sarra said in that case 
 he would have nothing to do with her. But, alas, 
 female influence prevailed, and he unloosed her an 
 hour or two after amid the hurrahs of the passers-by 
 and our intense though secret delight ; for though 
 Sarra is obliged to confess he has " caught a tartar," 
 yet he manages to keep her in tolerable check, being 
 a determined fellow. , 
 
 We heartily re-echoed the sentiments of one of our 
 Church Members, when speaking of Hutshi viz., 
 that " it was awful what a woman could do, when 
 she was bent upon mischief !" Indeed,, according to 
 the Natives, we have her along with the two murderers 
 to thank for those awful earthquakes which nearly 
 frightened us out of our senses, though on Aniwa 
 very little damage accrued from them. 
 
 The first, at least the first to speak of, occurred 
 near midnight on March 28th (the second anni- 
 versary of our Lena's birth), and woke us up with a
 
 228 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 vengeance, being the worst we ever had, the Earth 
 heaving so awfully that we expected every moment 
 to be swallowed up, and were almost paralyzed with 
 terror, but Minn and Frank slept through it all. 
 After it a tremendous rush of the sea seemed to take 
 place, from the noise it made, and which we found 
 next morning was the case, carrying our boat from 
 where it lay high and dry about one hundred yards 
 inland, also canoes, two of which were smashed. 
 
 I lay in awful terror after the earthquake till three 
 o'clock, and was dropping off to sleep, when another 
 terrible one sent us flying out of the house in our 
 nightgowns John dragging the Children out of 
 their beds, and the Girls rushing out of their house. 
 There was not a breath of wind, and it was awful to 
 see in the bright moonlight the great trunks of the 
 trees swaying back and forward, and to feel the 
 ground going to and fro with such force. We had 
 one or two slight ones after that, and then just at 
 daybreak an awful repetition every one of us 
 simultaneously rushing out of doors ! This was 
 number five ; and before breakfast we went to see 
 the damage done to the boat (but it was uninjured) ; 
 and we had two more violent shocks ere we got home, 
 making seven in all before breakfast, after which we 
 had a commotion of another kind. 
 
 John felt so exhausted, and had just got fast asleep 
 on the Study sofa (a most unusual occurrence with 
 him), when I heard high words between Taia, one of 
 our Church Members, and Nalihi, an Erromangan
 
 NALIHI AND TAIA 229 
 
 I knew not what to do, for Natives never waste time 
 on high words they at once rush to arms ; and I 
 was unwilling to wake John to more excitement, as 
 it was exactly that day two years since he had been 
 seized with that awful fever, and I had been in fear 
 of its return, as people predicted it would, about the 
 same time of the year. Well, I actually made up my 
 mind to show my wifely devotion and it was a good 
 test for me, I beg leave to say ; I always had such 
 a foolish terror of a loaded musket anywhere, and 
 infinitely more so in the hands of an enraged Savage 
 by going between the combatants myself. To 
 make matters worse, all the men about had gone that 
 morning to bring lime- coral, and only a few women 
 had collected, and one or two timid fellows who stood 
 at a safe distance. 
 
 Nalihi was flourishing his musket in Taia's face, as 
 an accompaniment to an eloquent harangue he was 
 delivering in Erromangan, not being able to speak 
 Aniwan ; and Taia, who understood and could speak 
 it perfectly, seemed to be paying him back with 
 interest. They subsided for a few moments, when 
 it was whispered the Missi was there ; but on finding 
 that it was only the Mtsst-fine, they went at it with 
 renewed vigour. I took no notice of the Erromangan, 
 knowing my only chance was with Taia ; so I went 
 over to him, and implored him not to utter another 
 word, whatever provocation he might receive ; and 
 though reluctant at first, he behaved nobly and stood 
 what I think few white men would have done in the
 
 230 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 circumstances. I kept close beside him all the time ; 
 and though for three-quarters of an hour that villain 
 stood heaping insults upon him, and at last in his rage 
 cut down his bananas and fences before his eyes, he 
 never spoke, though his muscles twitched and he 
 clutched at his great club sometimes one that I 
 knew had done good (?) service in Heathen days 
 under the great brawny arms that wielded it, for Taia 
 is a perfect Hercules, and such a contrast to the little 
 treacherous sharp-nosed Erromangan who was dying 
 for an excuse to get a shot at him. When I thought 
 Taia was going to give way I put my cold white paw 
 (it did feel so cold) on his black arm, and every time 
 I did so he turned and looked down at me with a 
 grim smile, saying, Don't fear, Missi ; /'// not speak. 
 
 Now I maintain that though John sometimes fears 
 Taia's Christianity is not of the highest type, yet he 
 is undoubtedly a perfect gentleman, or he would not 
 have stood there, the greatest living orator on Aniwa, 
 silent at the bidding of any woman ! When I saw the 
 good food being destroyed, and so little left from the 
 hurricane, indignation mastered every other feeling, 
 and I felt it was high time for John to interfere with 
 Nalihi ; as no one else dared to speak to him, except 
 Master Frank, who had by the way found us out just 
 then and proceeded without hesitation to deal with 
 him in plain terms. His little figure heaved with 
 indignation, and he drew such a long breath before 
 calling out, You naughty, naughty man ! You're a 
 wicked man ! Jehovah so angry at you ! Every one
 
 TEN EARTHQUAKES 23! 
 
 was so amused, and a general titter went round, while 
 Nalihi, with whom Frank had been a favourite, began 
 vigorously lo defend himself to the child in broken 
 English, at the same time wielding his axe to some 
 purpose amongst Taia's bananas. So, feeling my 
 own strength would not hold out much longer, I sped 
 off and brought John, who quietly went up to Nalihi 
 and relieved him of his musket and axe (oh, I was 
 glad to see that musket in dear old John's trusty 
 paws, for Nalihi held it in a horizontal position, and 
 it always would point at me the whole time I stood 
 there !), clapped him on the shoulder, and had him 
 sobbing like a child in a minute and offering payment 
 to Taia for the damage done which, however, Taia 
 was too seriously offended to receive, and I do not 
 wonder at it. 
 
 The crowd began to disperse, and John was taking 
 Nalihi off for a day's work under his own eye, in case 
 of him coming in contact with Taia again, when I put 
 a graceful finish to the proceedings by going off into 
 a fainting fit under the cocoanut trees ! John said I 
 managed bravely, all except that ; but I do think that 
 after seven earthquakes and such a scene I had a good 
 right to get up some demonstration, and it was the 
 first I ever perpetrated for the public benefit ! 
 
 We had three more earthquakes that day, but 
 slight, making ten in all ; and I took care at night 
 to provide for emergencies by putting a supply of 
 blankets on the verandah, as there is not a moment 
 to snatch clothes when they come and we had felt
 
 232 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 . _ . . 
 
 chilly the night before. I got laughed at for what 
 was termed my needless precaution ; but we had 
 hardly got into our first sleep, when another violent 
 earthquake turned us out and we were thankful for 
 them. It was not so bad as some, however, and we 
 got a sleep till morning without further disturbance, as 
 the grand performance did not come off till next 
 evening at nine o'clock. 
 
 John was busy in the Bath-room, with the Girls, 
 damping paper for next day's printing, and I was in 
 the Dining-Room, jotting in my Journal the events of 
 the day, when we all had to rush out with the most 
 frightful earthquake that had yet taken place. The 
 house danced, the windows rattled awfully, and Frank 
 woke up with the first of it screaming in terror, but 
 Minn took it more gently, telling him it was nice. It 
 might have been nice to feel ourselves rocked on the 
 bosom of Mother Earth (we lay down on the ground 
 at a safe distance from the house, which we expected to 
 fall every moment), could we have been sure she would 
 not open up and receive us into a closer embrace ! 
 
 The heaving must, I think, have continued nearly 
 five minutes, and we had just got into the house again, 
 still trembling with agitation, when a terrible gust of 
 wind and roar of the sea half prepared us for the 
 shouting- of the Natives, who called to us that the sea 
 had actually come close to our gate ! We went out 
 and found Natives up to the waist in water, where it 
 had been bush two or three minutes before. We 
 heard something flapping, and Yawaci picked up a
 
 THE EARTH HEAVING 233 
 
 large fish about twelve feet from our gate ; and as the 
 tidal wave receded they were left in hundreds, which 
 the Natives spent most of that night and next day in 
 gathering. An enormous turtle was found too amongst 
 a lot of debris Jehovah's turtle, the Natives called it, 
 owing to the way in which it was found. 
 
 No serious accident occurred from the wave on our 
 island, as in most of the others, though some Natives 
 fishing at Tiara were nearly carried away, and our 
 boat, which lay at anchor there, was lifted, anchor and 
 all, and carried a long way inland, but to a sandy place 
 where it got no damage ; yet not a canoe, if I remem- 
 ber rightly, was left whole. 
 
 From that time we had a constant succession of 
 earthquakes and were kept in continual dread, though 
 none of them so violent as those I have mentioned. 
 We had to sleep with our doors open, and at last John 
 went to bed in his clothes to be ready to run ! I 
 suppose you have heard that the tidal wave swept 
 right through Mr. Inglis's, doing terrible damage 
 and half drowning them, and the earthquakes kept 
 knocking down his walls and chimneys as fast as he 
 could rebuild them. Dr. Geddie's fine Church too is 
 all but destroyed. But I think the greatest damage 
 done is to the nerves of the poor Missionaries' wives 
 (the Missionaries themselves would be indignant if 
 you accused them of having any!). It is such an 
 awful sensation to feel the very Earth trembling and 
 heaving beneath one, and such an eerie feeling comes 
 on at ni<rht.
 
 234 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 I was thankful to bid Good-bye to Anivva for a 
 while, though vexed to part with the Natives, poor 
 things. I am so proud of their progress (the women 
 and girls) in hat-making, which has been quite a 
 success this year ; and now they are entirely in^ 
 dependent in this respect of the outer world, and 
 begin to take them on board the Day spring and 
 Trading Vessels for sale. They are just simple round 
 straw hats, with narrow brims for the men and broader 
 for the women, neatly plaited all in one, like Leghorns, 
 with the pandanas leaf, which grows plentifully on 
 the Islands. Minn and Frank are wearing them to 
 School in fashionable Melbourne, and don't look a bit 
 outlandish ; indeed the Islands are not so far behind 
 the age after all, for neither the Children nor I have 
 needed to go near a dressmaker or get a single new 
 garment since we came (John hasn't either), and we 
 look just like our neighbours, and a great deal better 
 than some I have seen ! . . . Nearly two hundred hats 
 were plaited at School, and I trimmed them for the 
 women with bright calico, and the men's with a 
 narrow band of Turkey red. While they plaited, we 
 got through the singing of thirteen new Hymns which 
 John printed and added to the little Hymn-book, two 
 or three of them being translations from Sankey's 
 Collection, which the Natives sing so heartily, often 
 attracting a poor Tanna invalid we had, who would 
 come slipping round the verandah to listen. 
 
 Nisei's was a sad history, poor man. He was out 
 one day fishing in his canoe, about five' years ago,
 
 THE CRUEL SLAVERS 235 
 
 and was run down by a Trader's boat (he had no 
 idea they were chasing him, or he could have escaped), 
 dragged out of his canoe, which was sent adrift, taken 
 on board and put in irons till he became " reasonable," 
 and soon found himself in a Fiji plantation ; there he 
 was not badly treated and had plenty of food, till he 
 got ill (he was brought to us in the last stage of 
 consumption), and then they kicked him to make 
 him work, but as he could not, and neither would he 
 die which was so inconsiderate of him ! they were 
 obliged to bring him home, at least as near home as 
 suited their convenience. They landed him on Tanna 
 at Port Resolution, thirty miles or so from his own 
 Village, and amongst the most deadly enemies of his 
 tribe, who began to smack their lips over the prospect 
 of a Cannibal feast the moment he was landed. But 
 our old friend Nowar came to the rescue, and showed 
 them how very little picking they could get off 
 his bones, and offered them a fine fat pig in his 
 stead which they were gracious enough to accept ! 
 Curiously, this was the means of saving Nowar's life 
 afterwards, for the poor man gave him his box as a 
 little return for his kindness, being all he had, and it 
 was this box which received the bullet intended for 
 Nowar during the late war which sent them to Aniwa, 
 when he happened to be carrying it on his shoulder 
 from his own house. 
 
 Nisei, the sick man, came over with the refugees 
 in December, and was brought to us one day for 
 medicine, and we kept him altogether as he was
 
 236 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 unable to walk back. He was evidently dying, 
 reduced to a perfect skeleton, and in agony some- 
 times from his breathing. It made our hearts ache 
 to see him, and he clung so to John, telling him all 
 his story at intervals as his cough would allow. His 
 tears fell thick when he saw Minn and Frank playing 
 and tumbling over their Papa, for his own two were 
 about the same age when he left them. He said if 
 the white men had only let him say Good-bye to 
 them before he left, he would not have felt it so 
 much ; and he was very anxious to be kept alive till 
 the Dayspring came, John having promised to try 
 and get her to land him at his own Village, about ten 
 minutes from Mr. Watt's Station. I gave him the 
 most nourishing food I could think of, but it was so 
 little he either could or would take that it was a 
 difficult matter to sustain him. He was very fond of 
 sponge-cake, and I charged John and the Natives not 
 to let him know it was made of eggs, but he found it 
 out one day and would eat no more. 
 
 He felt that the Natives were tired of him, and he 
 was so grateful to us, for we always took care, either 
 John or I, to take his meals to him ourselves. His 
 mind was so dark, but he was yearning to know 
 something of that world to which he was hastening, 
 and I felt it so hard to be tongue-tied, for I can't 
 speak a word of Tannese, and it was impossible, 
 with all the multiplicity of work which John had to 
 attend to, that he could be much with him. I could 
 do little more than mention that blessed Name which
 
 SAD STORY OF NISEI 237 
 
 is above every name, and point upward ; and oh, 
 how eagerly he would look up with his great wistful 
 eyes, and then at me, as if he would fain drink in 
 more ! He had a violent attack of haemorrhage one 
 evening, and after that was afraid he might die in the 
 night, and wanted John to go and sleep in his house, 
 which was rather awkward ; but we decided to give 
 him the Study a great privation for John but he 
 was not put to the test, as Nisei could not think of 
 dwelling in a big /touse, though he was told that John 
 would sleep in the same room on the sofa ; but he 
 insisted on lying on the verandah (I had given him 
 warm blankets and clothing) outside our bed-room 
 window, which opened on to it, and John went to him 
 two or three times every night. We were amused 
 at his calling him Cap'ain, evidently intending it as 
 a great compliment to John, who would scorn to 
 put even the title of King on a par with that of 
 MISSIONARY ! 
 
 Nisei was still alive when we were ready to go to 
 the Mission Synod, and was put ashore at Mr. Watt's, 
 who promised to have him sent round in his boat to 
 his own Village. He heard, when he got there, how- 
 ever, that his wife was married to another man and 
 his children either dead or stolen away ; so he lost 
 heart, and said he would die where he was, as he had 
 friends in a Village five minutes' walk from Mr. Watt's. 
 I stayed to keep Mrs. Watt company, when our 
 husbands went on to the Mission Synod, and we 
 visited him to the end, Mrs. W T att speaking and pray-
 
 238 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 ing with him every time. (John always managed to 
 have a little worship with him once a day, and he 
 used to cling so to that poor man, and he, on the 
 other hand, would send for John when late in going.) 
 The last day he was in life, Mrs. Watt asked him if 
 he knew the Lord Jesus, and he said so sadly and 
 earnestly, / don't know Him> Mz'ssi, and then listened 
 so intently as she spake of the Saviour's love. When 
 we went back next day with more little comforts in 
 the shape of tea, etc., Nisei was in his grave. 
 
 ... I must pass over everything else that happened 
 until we turned up in Civilization, as it is close upon mail 
 time. I would have liked to tell you about our pretty 
 new Church with its snow-white walls, which was 
 finished just before our beloved friends Mr. and Mrs. 
 Inglis paid us their farewell visit -which was like to 
 break our hearts, for they have been a father and 
 mother to us and to the Mission. Our parting too 
 with our Darkies was intensely trying, as we are to 
 be away from them a longer visit than the last ; but 
 the society of our dear friends the Murrays was an 
 unexpected treat, and made the voyage so pleasant, 
 notwithstanding the sea-sickness. 
 
 And now I have our grand joy to tell you of, and 
 which I often feared was too good to be realized. Our 
 precious- sons Bob and Fred have been given back to 
 us again after an absence of nearly two years: From 
 the time we got the telegram saying they had left 
 Adelaide, till we folded them in our arms, our hearts 
 thumped most unmercifully, and all was fever and
 
 THE LIGHTNING MESSAGE" 241 
 
 preparation. Even Yawaci, who always goes on in 
 the even tenor of her way however others may be 
 burning with impatience, got so excited when the 
 " lightning message " came that she kept tramping up 
 and down stairs without in the least knowing what she 
 was going for ! The Shipping Office people must 
 have come to the conclusion that people of note were 
 in their vessel, from the many inquiries made regard- 
 ing it ! The three days did pass, however ; and on 
 Saturday night, after seeing the Children's room as 
 pretty as flowers, books, and their little Home-box 
 presents could make it, I went through the ceremony 
 of going to bed myself, though not to sleep ; for our 
 Boys were to arrive on Sabbath morning, and long 
 before daybreak I was up and dressed with such 
 fastidious care that John came to the sage conclusion 
 that a mother's love was the most intense feeling 
 human nature was capable of, as he had never known 
 me get up in the night and spend as much time over 
 my own and the bairns' appearance for any living 
 being ! He had to submit to a thorough inspection 
 himself before I sent him off at daybreak, for I didn't 
 see why our little men should not see us looking our 
 best. 
 
 He steadily refused to let me go with him, fearing 
 the result of over-excitement ; but was glad to change 
 his mind on finding that the steamer would not be at 
 the wharf till after ten o'clock, and that he could not 
 bring them here and be back at East Melbourne to 
 preach at eleven ; so he came tearing back in a cab 
 
 16
 
 242 THE YEAR OF THE HURRICANE 
 
 or me, and we got to the wharf a quarter of an hour 
 before the steamer. As it came in sight I learned, if 
 I did not know it before, that grief can be more 
 calmly borne sometimes than joy ; for I parted from 
 them without a tear, feeling as sensible of God's 
 presence carrying us through it as if I had seen His 
 glorious Person in the room. I can't say that about 
 the meeting. The dear Boys broke down at the sight 
 
 of their Papa (he had to cross another steamer to get 
 to theirs), and sprang into his arms sobbing, unable to 
 utter a word. They were a great deal taller and much 
 the better for their stay in Adelaide, but the same 
 dear old fellows still. Their Papa came a bit in the 
 cab with us, and then turned off to his pulpit duties 
 (he must have given the people a grand sermon !), 
 leaving us to encounter the meeting with Minn and 
 Frank, who were as excited as two little mortals could
 
 AFFECTION OF YAW AC I 243 
 
 be, but Yawaci's black face was decidedly the best of 
 the whole affair. It was perfectly radiant with joy ; 
 and with what a loving voice she said Fareddy and 
 kissed him a tremendous demonstration of affection 
 for a Native ! They have been with us over a fort- 
 night now, and how delightful it is to tuck them all 
 under the clothes with my own hand at night ! All 
 four are at School, and like it. The Home mail closes 
 in the morning ; and I must close, with fondest love, 
 
 From your loving sister, 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 XIV 
 
 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 ANIWA. NEW HEBRIDES, 
 
 July 8(fi, 1878. 
 
 MY DEAREST SISTERS AND BROTHERS, Sons and 
 Daughter, I should almost have added, as the biggest 
 half of our little flock are separated from Anivva, and 
 will as eagerly look for the family billet now as the 
 rest of you. . . . 
 
 Now that I have sat down to write, so much comes 
 crowding upon me that I hardly know where to begin ; 
 but I cannot put down a word of news before testify- 
 ing of the Lord's goodness to us, which has just been 
 vouchsafed during this last hot season. He has 
 encompassed us round as with a shield, and preserved 
 us safe and well, though from the day after the 
 Day spring left for the Colonies on November I4th 
 last until March 3Oth we have lived in daily I 
 might almost say hourly terror of our lives. We 
 have seen especially John has the rage of the 
 Heathen, and passed through earthquake and hurri- 
 cane ; but all seems as nothing compared with coming 
 
 244
 
 A TERROR- TO THE ISLAND 245 
 
 into constant contact with an unrestrained madman ; 
 and this we have had to do with poor Mungaw, who 
 from the time he was with us in Melbourne began to 
 show symptoms of insanity, which increased until 
 he was a terror to the whole island, and attempted 
 so many lives that at last he was shot down himself 
 on March 3Oth, almost at our very gate, close to 
 which was his house. We deplored the murder, but 
 when I tell you of some of his on-goings you will 
 wonder with us that he was spared so long. It is 
 amazing what an amount of mischief one man can 
 do ; otherwise everything would have prospered so 
 far as we could see. 
 
 The Natives were all so thankful to have us back, 
 and so willing to be taught ; and we got a welcome 
 worth coming for from those of the Missionaries we 
 saw on our way Home. We were both in better 
 health than we could have expected, after the first 
 prostration on a return to the tropics. Frank declared 
 there was no place in the world half so good as 
 Aniwa ; and little Jay took quite naturally to the 
 black faces, being so accustomed to Yawaci's. There 
 was abundance of work to do, and we were able to 
 get through a great amount John as usual doing 
 the lion's share. Indeed I feared it was going to 
 kill him at first there was so much that no one else 
 but he could do. It takes so much manual labour 
 here just to live, besides the multifarious duties falling 
 to the lot of a Missionary. I'll give you just one 
 day as a specimen ; and though, of course, the same
 
 246 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 incidents did not occur daily, yet other things demand- 
 ing as instant attention seemed always starting up. 
 
 After our usual breakfast at half-past six, he went 
 off to visit the little Schools conducted by the Teachers 
 at the other end of the island, and did some visiting 
 at the same time ; then Home and to work (I think, 
 roofing an outhouse with zinc, as we were anxiously 
 looking for rain to fill the tanks) ; then dinner, and 
 off to a distance to settle some Native quarrel he had 
 just heard of, and returned pale and trembling with 
 weakness. He threw himself on the sofa, declaring 
 he must give in, arid asked if I could manage the 
 afternoon School myself. I strongly urged him to 
 go right off to bed, when a messenger came to say 
 that one of my scholars, a fine young woman, had been 
 bled too deeply in her leg to ease some pain (bleeding 
 is the panacea for all aches and pains here, and a 
 broken bottle is the favourite instrument), and that 
 she was fast dying, as they could not get it to stop. 
 I flew to get bandages, etc., and John had to set off 
 to a distance of three miles as fast as he was able to 
 run, and found the poor woman in the last stage of 
 exhaustion. He bound up the wound tightly ; gave 
 her a little brandy and water, which revived her so 
 that she opened her eyes, saying, " That puts life into 
 me " ; and in less than a week she was going about 
 her ordinary work. How Natives do get over a thing 
 of that kind ! The women just shout with laughter 
 when I warn against bathing in the sea, the day after 
 their babies are born. They pay for their recklessness
 
 NOT DEAD YET! 247 
 
 some time or other, though, for they don't as a rule 
 live nearly so long as white people ; and they give 
 as much heed to warnings as does your venerable 
 brother, who declares he has been threatened with 
 death from overwork ever since he was the age of 
 sixteen, and as he's not dead yet he thinks he has 
 abundantly proved to all concerned that they have 
 been false prophets, and he's " not going to change 
 his tactics now ! " 
 
 He was forced to take a week's rest, sorely against 
 his will, after the Dayspring left us for the Colonies. . . . 
 He was much fevered all the time, and we had serious 
 apprehensions. ... I felt myself a very important 
 member of Society keeping Schools going, giving 
 out medicine to the Natives, etc., besides house- 
 keeping and I asked John rather triumphantly what 
 he would have done without his nurse, had I stayed 
 in Melbourne, as he insisted ? To which he rather 
 profanely retorted, that he would just have died and 
 got a far better rest in Heaven, while I would have 
 been comforted among kind friends and had my 
 Bairns around me ! That would have been rather 
 too great a price to pay even for my Children, 
 though how terribly we miss them God only knows ! 
 
 A more beautiful spot than we have here, it would 
 be difficult to get ; a pretty commodious house (for, 
 you know, it's " the house that Jack built " !), with 
 large grounds tastefully laid out, and the smooth grass 
 dotted with choicest shrubs. But " Ichabod " seems 
 written on everything ; and when I pass the day-
 
 248 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 nursery, with its bright prints on the walls, and Minn's 
 old stumps of dolls, now converted into most precious 
 relics, my heart fills and yearns so for just one sight 
 of them ; and I envy the people in Melbourne who 
 will be passing every day with unconcern the dear 
 faces we would give so much to see ! How precious 
 the most trivial incidents connected with them become 
 when they are absent, and even things that were an 
 annoyance at the time, treasured up and viewed so 
 lovingly when they are gone. I remember, when we 
 first left Bob and Fred in Adelaide, we found on 
 coming Home a large grotesque picture drawn in 
 pencil on the Study wall, which we knew to be theirs, 
 as it was the only room in the house locked up from 
 the Natives John not wishing his books and papers 
 disturbed. Now I am perfectly certain they would 
 get a thorough scolding for it at the time ; but now 
 not a picture in the house was lingered over with the 
 peculiar fascination of that one, and it was actually 
 a question with us at the next annual cleaning whether 
 we would have that part of the wall washed at all ! 
 
 It has always been a poser to me, since parting with 
 my own, how for any earthly consideration whatever 
 people can live away from their little ones ; for 
 instance, those in the Civil Service in India and else- 
 where, whose Children must be sent away at such an 
 early age. Only, in the most direct \va.y,for the Lord 
 Jesus, does it seem to me justifiable or indeed possible 
 and only His strength could have carried us through 
 the trial ; for we firmly believe He will be true to His
 
 MISSIONARY SPIRIT 249 
 
 word and watch over those so left with special care. 
 Even with it all, the separation is hard, Jiard, to bear ; 
 and I dare not speak of the absent ones at meals, for 
 not another bite can their Papa swallow. 
 
 You will be apt to say, it serves him right, after all 
 your repeated advice to him about leaving the Mission 
 and doing a parent's duty to his Children ; but I must 
 vindicate my old man even to his relatives, and most 
 emphatically deny that it is mere obstinacy that 
 makes him stick to Mission life. You know, his 
 whole spirit is saturated with it ; and it's just as 
 impossible to take the Missionary spirit out of a man, 
 as it is to put it into him. Besides, he does not feel 
 that God has given him a direct call to leave it ; and 
 until that is the case, you may be sure he will not 
 make the first move ! Even I, who have never 
 indulged in Missionary sentiment (believing that John 
 had enough for the pair of us !), would not leave one 
 hour sooner, even for my Children, than God would 
 have us ; but if He does give the call, won't I spring 
 with alacrity to obey ! 
 
 You must not think of us as pining in solitude, 
 however. Indeed poor Mungaw took care to keep us 
 all in lively exercise, and acted his first scene the day 
 after the Day spring left for Sydney with our mails. 
 You know that he married Litsi, one of my best Girls 
 (and how delighted we were at the time that she was 
 getting such a good young man !), who was with me 
 on my first visit to Australia from Aniwa, and you 
 remember how pleased you all were with her. Well,
 
 250 
 
 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 he spent the night beating that gentle Girl (who was 
 near her confinement) and their little boy about two 
 years of age ; and when John met him in the Imrai 
 and quietly remonstrated with him, he stalked off in 
 high dudgeon ; and in two minutes more, a tremendous 
 crackling and roar of fire made us rush to the window, 
 where we saw his nice house and all that was in it 
 one mass of flame. Not content with setting it on 
 
 fire, tie, tore off Litsi's jacket and flung it in too. We 
 quite expected that our own house would go, as there 
 were only two light fences betwixt some of our out- 
 houses and his, but providentially the wind carried 
 everything the other way. 
 
 He then took Litsi and Namakei, their little boy, to 
 a distant Village, and oh ! how we hoped he would 
 remain, as Litsi had friends there ; but back he dragged 
 them, terror-stricken and breathless from having to
 
 MEMBERS' MEETING 251 
 
 keep pace with his tremendous strides. I sent Litsi 
 an old jacket (she begged me not to send a good one, 
 as it might go the same way), and a blanket to sleep 
 or rather to roll herself in for there was no sleep for 
 any one near that night. He had threatened to 
 murder some of the villagers, and was stalking round 
 and round our premises with his loaded musket, but 
 an Aneityumese Teacher kept watch over our house 
 all the night. 
 
 It so happened that next day had been appointed 
 for a " Members' Meeting." These meetings are 
 held monthly, for John to appoint them their work 
 and change it from one to another, so that it might 
 not always devolve upon a few. You know there 
 is no paid door-keeper or paid service of any kind 
 connected with the Church, so the women take it in 
 turns, two by two, every Saturday morning, to clean 
 the Church and enclosure. One man is appointed bell- 
 ringer, another to take off and on the pulpit coverings 
 and carry in the Bible, etc., two to stand at the doors 
 and see there are no loiterers outside, and so forth. 
 Cases of sickness or wickedness are also reported, and 
 Church matters generally talked over. At this meet- 
 ing one woman was scored off for absconding from 
 her lawful husband and living with another ; and 
 Mungaw, who came in with the greatest boldness, as 
 if nothing had happened, got a thorough " talking to," 
 and was suspended till it should be proved whether 
 he was more rogue or fool for at that time we could 
 scarcely tell. That he had become decidedly cracked,
 
 252 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 and his mind to a certain extent unhinged, no one 
 who saw and heard him could doubt especially 
 knowing what a dear good fellow he was before ; 
 still he seemed sane enough at times ; and when he 
 did break out, it was more like being possessed with 
 evil spirits. All his madness took the form of wicked- 
 ness, and when he saw people afraid of him he was 
 the more emboldened. It was very difficult to know 
 how to treat him. He was rather cowed at the 
 meeting, though, and kept pretty quiet till the full 
 moon, while meantime we had peace to get all our 
 machinery into working order again. 
 
 I was most anxious to have as few Natives living 
 with us as possible, there having been no rain here for 
 many months, and not a particle of Native food pro- 
 curable to feed them with. We had brought several 
 casks of biscuit and bags of rice, and Mr. Robertson 
 had kindly exerted himself to buy two casks of beans 
 for us from the Erromangans. We were all secure in 
 that way, having laid in a large stock of comforts, 
 our bills as well as our full-stored Cellar testifying to 
 the fact ! Kind friends, too, seemed to have made 
 it their study to furnish us with choicest luxuries. 
 Dear Yawaci was married and out of my care ; but 
 my three small Girls came back, the day we landed. 
 I hardly expected to get them, as their intended 
 husbands are waiting impatiently for them Girls 
 marry so very young here. Then we managed to 
 engage four Boys two as cooks (I require two 
 where the cook has to be butcher, baker, and wood-
 
 NATIVE BREADFRUIT 253 
 
 cutter as well), and two as herds. Along with four 
 washerwomen, and my married Girls to come about 
 twice a week to do the harder work, I felt well 
 enough supplied ; but three little Boys, one a deaf- 
 mute, the only one on the island and a dear wee 
 fellow, and two little Girls applied to be taken in, 
 one after another. We could not refuse, though the 
 idea of feeding twelve Natives during the whole hot 
 season was rather appalling ; but we took them as 
 from God, firmly believing that in some way or other 
 He would send food for them, and He did ! 
 
 Notwithstanding the want of rain, we never had 
 such a fine crop of breadfruit, and it extended over 
 two months (we never knew it to last more than one 
 before), so that for that time I had more brought for 
 sale than the whole of them could devour, which 
 saved our foreign food. It was a great boon for the 
 Natives generally, as they have a way of preserving 
 it, soaking it so long in the sea in baskets, and 
 then burying it in the ground. How they can eat it 
 I can't imagine, for the smell is frightful ; but they 
 insist it is no worse than our cheese, which they 
 abominate. When biscuits, etc., were done, I fed 
 them on bread (the cooks growled a little at having 
 so many loaves to fire every day) ; and we had still 
 a quarter of a cask of flour left when the Dayspring, 
 always punctual in leaving Sydney, arrived with 
 fresh stores for the season. 
 
 These Girls and Boys are the hardest part of our 
 Missionary work, there is such a responsibility and
 
 254 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 care connected with them. One Girl, the latest 
 comer, I had to pack off she made such mischief 
 among the older ones, who threatened to leave if she 
 stayed. Her friends have since applied to have her 
 taken back, as they can't do with her, and I have 
 promised to let her return in a couple of months, if 
 spared. I suppose you can guess what is the pre- 
 vailing sin on these Islands, and it is this keeps us 
 in such constant anxiety with our flock. John has 
 often to be up in the night to see that all is propriety. 
 He has had great comfort with his big Boys, however, 
 especially the one we were most averse to take in 
 a great ugly-looking fellow of about eighteen, couldn't 
 speak without a growl, and scowled at everybody 
 from under his black wool, which hung down over 
 his eyebrows. To crown all, he had been with the 
 Slavers and that is no recommendation! 
 
 After keeping with our Boys a day or two and 
 coming to Evening Class, on the third evening he 
 sent in for a blanket, as he was " going to stay." We 
 looked aghast. John was for receiving him ; but I 
 was at the crying point, and declared I could not feed 
 more Natives or make food go further than other 
 people. John said, " Then am I to send him away ? " 
 Well, no ! I was hardly prepared to do that either; 
 so, after talking over it a few minutes, we felt sure 
 the Lord had sent him ; and though I did not feel 
 particularly grateful at the time, I have often thanked 
 Him since. We went to the blanket box, got a nice 
 warm blanket (the Natives feel chilly at night), called
 
 CARPENTER AND JOINER 255 
 
 him in, and John had a talk with him about certain 
 rules, after which he took his gift with a very pleasant 
 grin. He looked like a different creature with his 
 hair cut ; and a more faithful, helpful, warm-hearted 
 Native lad we never had. In times of danger from 
 Mungaw, he stuck by John like his shadow no 
 ostentation with it, but quietly getting some pretext 
 for keeping close to him when there was any fear. 
 A capital worker too for John does not approve of 
 keeping his Boys idle, and they help him with what- 
 ever he is at, fencing, roofing, gardening, house 
 building, etc. 
 
 One day he and another big Boy (a great wag 
 keeps the others in roars of laughter, and himself the 
 picture of solemnity) had been planing wood very 
 nicely, and John praised them, calling them his 
 Carpenter and Joiner. In the afternoon a slate full 
 of writing was sent in, informing us that they wished 
 from henceforth to drop their old names and be 
 called "Carpenter" and "Joiner." Nor would they 
 answer to any other. We often forgot, at first, but 
 were reminded by their paying not the slightest 
 attention, till we came out with the new name when 
 they would instantly wheel round with a smile and 
 be at our service ! 
 
 Besides their food, and 4 each yearly which 
 we give our cooks, herds, and aayJad really doing 
 hard work, we have no other expense, as we clothe 
 them entirely out of the Missionary boxes with which 
 kind friends have always kept us well supplied ; and
 
 256 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 we keep to the old rule of making the Natives 
 generally do something for every bit of clothing they 
 get except the old and the sick. Always abundance 
 of work about a Mission Station ; if not we make 
 some, by setting them to weed a piece of waste 
 ground, or the like. I keep twelve or thirteen women 
 clothed for keeping all our grounds clear of weeds, 
 etc. ; and School prizes are given in clothing. 
 
 Their progress is most provokingly slow for the 
 amount of teaching expended on them. There are 
 morning Schools for reading, all over the island, at 
 daybreak, conducted by Native Teachers. Then I 
 have my Sewing Class, twice a week, after breakfast. 
 They last about two and a half hours altogether, 
 with reading and singing. Some of them sew beauti- 
 fully, and the attendance averages thirty. John has 
 his afternoon School daily, from three till five o'clock, 
 for the more advanced, for writing and figures ; but it 
 takes us both hard work to get over them, our own 
 Boys and Girls attending as well. After tea and 
 Worship (English), all on the premises and any of 
 the villagers who choose to come assemble for Native 
 Worship and Evening Class in the Dining-Room. 
 They have reading and spelling, and twice a week 
 they bring neatly written essays on given subjects, and 
 those unable for essays write letters or words. This 
 is about the most interesting Class John has, but I'm 
 too exhausted to remain up, and as soon as the girl 
 has bathed Frank and Jay I slip off to have my wee 
 while with them, and then to bed.
 
 FLOURISHING AN AXE 257 
 
 I give Frank his reading lesson, etc., during the 
 day, and also teach English to a half-caste " Johnnie," 
 son of an Aniwan woman, his father some white slaver. 
 He made great progress and could read the Bible a 
 little before going in the Dayspring, and John got 
 one of the sailors to promise to help him while on 
 board. He has led a wandering life among slavers, 
 and this is the first opportunity he has had of learning. 
 He is coming back here, when the Dayspring goes to 
 Sydney again, being anxious for further instruction. 
 He attended John's afternoon School, and made 
 progress far beyond the Aniwans, though he did not 
 know how to hold the pen a few months ago. He 
 sat next to Mungaw, and they were a contrast ! 
 Johnnie perseveringly trying to imitate every letter, 
 and Mungaw, though a capital penman, writing the 
 greatest nonsense. 
 
 One day, before John was quite recovered, Mungaw 
 put a lot of impudence on his copy for my special 
 benefit. I took no notice he looked so wild but 
 pointed out a mis-spelled word, wrote a fresh line, 
 and telling him to follow it closely passed quickly 
 on to the next writer. I told John, when I went in, 
 I was sure he would do some mischief ere long ; and 
 just an evening or two after, we heard him shouting 
 and scolding from his house in an awful voice. John 
 limped off, in spite of my entreaties to let them fight 
 it out, and found Mungaw flourishing an axe over 
 a poor woman, whose husband was from home and 
 who had been helping Litsi to cook his fish, but 
 
 17
 
 258 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAIV 
 
 had been unfortunate enough not to divine that on 
 that particular evening he wanted it wrapped in a 
 different kind of leaf from what was usual. He had 
 brought the axe within a few inches of her shoulder, 
 when two or three Natives, attracted to the spot just 
 before John, stayed his arm and wrenched it from 
 him. He got his musket next, but poor Sibo and 
 Litsi both ran to our house for protection, while John 
 and the Natives tried to calm him down. They got 
 his musket from him, and I saw a Teacher slip it 
 behind a tree in our lawn ; but Mungaw was sharp 
 enough to notice, and got it away again when the 
 affray was over, and ordered poor Litsi back to her 
 cooking. Sibo went to a distant Village to be out 
 of his way, declaring she was half-dead with fright ; 
 and I would very much have liked to get away 
 from the island altogether ! John's spirit always rises 
 equal to the emergency, but I get perfectly faint with 
 terror, and the longer the worse. This was merely 
 a little prelude, however, to what followed. 
 
 Next morning, he had the audacity to appear at 
 one of the Dining-Room windows, as the Girls were 
 clearing away the breakfast things, and he demanded 
 the keys from John, as he wanted to sharpen his axe 
 at the grindstone. John said, " No, Mungaw, you'll 
 learn to put your axe to a better use first ; and I 
 want you to return the two you have of mine." He 
 looked the picture of innocent wonder, and replied, 
 What do you mean, Missi? John replied, "I just 
 mean that I want you to give up your bad conduct."
 
 A DELIBERATE AIM 259 
 
 My bad conduct ! Wliat have I done ? protested 
 Mungaw. John said pointedly, " Do you not know, 
 Mungaw ? " That was all the provocation he got ; 
 but he went off for his musket, muttering, " I'll let 
 you know who you're talking to ! " 
 
 When he was gone, John went out to his Printing 
 Office for something, and on leaving it saw Mungaw 
 just inside our fence taking deliberate aim at him 
 with his musket. John turned round to lock the 
 door, showing no signs of fear, but feeling that all 
 was over, and that he was to be shot down so near 
 us all, and yet none near enough to save ; but God 
 was watching ! The next instant he heard a rush 
 of feet, a scuffle, and looked round to see the musket 
 pointed high in the air and four strong arms grappling 
 with the intended murderer. Two men had been 
 accidentally (?) coming up the path, took in the 
 scene at a glance, and my Husband was saved. 
 
 I knew nothing of what was passing, but, feeling 
 restless after Mungaw's parting look, went out to 
 hurry John in for Worship. I met him coming in. 
 and stopped short at sight of his pale face to ask if 
 he were ill, and he told me all. We had just begun to 
 sing at Worship, when Mungaw reappeared flourishing 
 his musket, trying the doors and windows (you may 
 believe, I had them securely fastened by this time), 
 and demanding entrance. We went on, taking no 
 notice, but the celestial quaver was plentifully in- 
 troduced into the music, and the Girls rushed into 
 the Dining-Room in great fear. Meanwhile, the news
 
 260 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 had spread like wild-fire, and the Church Members 
 near came running to order him out of the premises, 
 which only made him wilder ; so they seized him, 
 took him to the Iinrai, and bound him hand and 
 foot with ropes. It was a terrible noise and scuffle, 
 for he had the strength of ten men, and yelled like 
 a demon. 
 
 Two of his brothers so-called (not real ones) 
 arriving on the spot, he thought to get up some sym- 
 pathy, changed his voice to a whine, and bewailed 
 his hard fate bound and persecuted for doing notJiing 
 at all! Litsi, gentle Litsi, took her boy in her arms, 
 and walked up to him before the crowd, saying in 
 a loud voice, " Look at the marks of your brutality 
 on me and my helpless child, and say whether you 
 deserve to be tied or not ! " It was an imprudent 
 speech for her to make, poor girl, for which he did 
 not forget to repay her. It was a terrible day for 
 us all poor little Frank white to the lips with fear, 
 I lying in a fainting state, and John walking up and 
 down the room, trying to keep up our spirits, and 
 wee Jay oh ! how we envied him running about, 
 playing " Peep-bo " in happy unconsciousness of all. 
 The Church Members feared that some of the wilder 
 young fellows, whom he had been favouring of late, 
 would come to his aid ; but when it was known he 
 had attacked the Missi, not a finger was lifted in his 
 defence. 
 
 They did not know what to do with him, now they 
 had him bound nothing in the shape of a prison or
 
 SENTINELS 261 
 
 secure place on all the island ! They proposed our 
 Cellar, but we didn't want him quite so near as that ; 
 so they let him off at the end of four hours, and Litsi 
 and little Namakei took refuge with us. Mungaw got 
 a little boy to tell him where they hid his musket ; 
 and, once more possessed of it, he flew all round the 
 island till towards sunset, when he divested himself 
 entirely of his clothing, stuck on paint, and with 
 musket shouldered walked sentry before our front 
 gate for more than an hour. He seemed to be 
 imitating the sentinels he had seen before Govern- 
 ment House in Melbourne a slight difference in 
 the circumstances ! But it was thought necessary 
 to have a counter-guard over our premises that night. 
 The only good thing he did was to send his gracious 
 permission to Litsi to stay in our house for the night, 
 which she thankfully accepted. 
 
 Next morning (Sunday) he met her pleasantly, 
 called her to speak to him (our fence was between 
 them), and threw a large stone at her head, 
 informing her that was the price of her yesterday's 
 speech. We bound up the deep wound and advised 
 her to lie quiet, but she preferred going to Church 
 with us as the safest plan, for he had been caught 
 several times during the night stealthily approaching 
 our house to burn it, as they thought. None of the 
 villagers slept, two of their lives being in danger. It 
 was a most anxious Sabbath, and we had Worship 
 under difficulties guards being placed at our house 
 and the principal approaches to the Church. Ob,
 
 262 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 how regretfully I thought of the peaceful Sabbaths 
 and quiet walks to Church in Melbourne, none making 
 us afraid ! But we tried to realize that the Lord 
 Jesus was encompassing us around, and that He stood 
 between us and Mungaw. The people begged John 
 to be short, as they were in terror, so \ve had only one 
 service in Church, and, instead of Sunday School, a 
 prayer-meeting on the Imrai. Mungaw employed the 
 time during Church service in ransacking the villagers' 
 boxes for ammunition, but they had it hid away ; and 
 at the prayer-meeting he was reclining, with folded 
 arms, eyeing us from our back verandah ! After the 
 prayer-meeting, John urged the different villagers to 
 take it in turns to sleep near Mungaw's house for the 
 protection of Litsi, who was being killed by inches, 
 and at last they agreed ; but as soon as we were in 
 the house, he went and patched up a sort of peace a 
 sham to get the people away and then abused the 
 people near for tying him, and dragged Litsi home. 
 We were half the night praying for the helpless girl, 
 so completely at the mercy of that madman. 
 
 Next morning, he came into the Imrai in grand 
 style musket in hand, of course and scolded the 
 people, working himself up into a frenzy and keeping 
 us all on the rack, for we could see from one of the 
 Study windows when, to our great joy, Sail O ! rang 
 out, and it was comical to see how quickly he had to 
 subside before this counter-excitement and slink away ! 
 We felt it was in answer to prayer, more especially 
 when a little afterwards he stood before our gate
 
 CALL OF THE "DAPHNE" 263 
 
 painted frightfully, and told our herd boys that he 
 was going in the Vessel if she called here. How 
 earnestly we asked the Lord to let him go, if it were 
 His will, but prayed above all for submission to bear 
 what was appointed us, for we had the feeling he 
 would stay. Poor fellow, he drove us closer into the 
 Saviour's arms than all Dr. Somerville's meetings in 
 Australia, for we had Him alone to look to. Natives 
 were kind, but not capable of giving much help they 
 rather look to us for it and, poor things, we did pity 
 them, when it was known he had bought a large stock 
 of ammunition, including balls, and that he stayed 
 behind ! 
 
 It turned out to be the schooner DapJine for Fiji ; 
 and the Government agent sent half a sovereign in a 
 note, begging for opium, as he had seventy-five people 
 on board, and one case of "assured sickness." John, 
 of course, retuined the money, but sent opium pills, 
 laudanum, and chlorodyne, having no opium. We 
 were glad of the opportunity of sending a few hurried 
 notes, bearing a month's later date than the Dayspring, 
 which left on November I4th. This is the only other 
 vessel that has called at our island, since we returned, 
 except the Dayspring. 
 
 A few days after this we had a wedding excitement, 
 the fifth since we returned. The bride I can't say 
 " fair, fat, and forty," she being black, of course but 
 I can vouch for the two latter qualifications ; a 
 comely dame, withal, with a pair of brilliant eyes 
 and an cvcner little set of ivory than ever came out
 
 264 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 of the dentist's. She was the widow of one of our 
 best Church Members just suddenly dead and she 
 had the whole fraternity of bachelors (of whom I 
 think there are about thirty without the slightest 
 hope of getting wives, women being so scarce here) 
 at her feet. She discarded them all but the two 
 most determined, and came to us in desperation to 
 decide which she was to take. We told her she 
 alone was the judge of that, asking, Which did she 
 like best? She could not say, and did not know 
 what to do, for whichever she took the other would 
 be in a towering rage and inclined to take her life ! 
 We told her to ask direction about it, and think she 
 has chosen the better husband of the two, though he 
 had to carry off his lady-love, musket in hand, for 
 fear of an attack from some of the disappointed 
 suitors ! Indeed, several of his friends were keeping 
 watch round the Church, while the ceremony was 
 being performed. It struck me as being rather 
 comical, to see her arrayed in her wedding attire, 
 while the mourning dress of black print she had 
 been making for her late husband was not quite 
 finished ! 
 
 Christmas came next in order. The little stockings 
 had been duly filled the night before, as Frank took 
 care to have Jay's and his hung up, with dim eyes at 
 the thought of the other three which had been filled 
 the year before. It turned out to be a bright day ; 
 the Bairns were jubilant over their gifts ; and there 
 was a general rejoicing over dear Litsi's reappearance
 
 A HOAX 265 
 
 at the Evening Class her lord and master having 
 gone out in a canoe with some Boys for a night's 
 fishing by torch-light. Litsi's face beamed at having 
 an hour or two with us all, for Mungaw did not allow 
 her over her own fence or any one to go near her ; 
 and, as all the women were frightened, his commands 
 were obeyed to the letter, except by us, and for her 
 sake even I had to go stealthily with food (he starved 
 her), as he beat her when he found it out. Our Girls 
 did not require two biddings to put a plentiful supper 
 before her, and were cheering her under breath with 
 the hope that his canoe might turn bottom up and he 
 get eaten with a shark, when the most unearthly yells 
 from the shore turned us all pale with terror, and 
 " Mungaw ! " was gasped from every lip. Litsi flew 
 home, in terror he should find her out. The villagers 
 seized their muskets and ran to protect their Boys, 
 and John and I to our knees in the Study. 
 
 But the whole turned out to be a hoax ! The 
 Boys' canoe had upset among the reefs, and though 
 they could swim like corks and were in no danger, 
 it was their pleasure thus to exercise their lungs while 
 splashing about. They got paid out a day or two 
 after. John had given our Boys leave to go for a 
 day's fishing with the others, and they were about 
 half a mile from the shore when they saw a great 
 smoke issuing from the direction of our house, and, 
 concluding Mungaw had at last carried out his 
 threat of burning it, they paddled back with all their 
 might and rushed panting to the Mission Station, to
 
 266 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 find the old women who had charge of the banana 
 plantation quietly burning some rubbish in the corner 
 of it. The poor fellow kept our nerves so constantly 
 on the strain, that all was put down in the first 
 instance to his account whether he was guilty or not. 
 Mungaw made rather a sad New Year for us, 
 though. The Natives had been looking forward to 
 it with such pleasure, as John had promised them 
 the large bull to be killed and divided over the 
 island ; but at the early morning meeting, with which 
 we always commence the year, only about forty 
 were present ; and they looked so suspiciously at 
 each other, that we felt sure there was something 
 underneath it. After Worship, one or two of the 
 men told John that they would rather not kill the 
 animal that day, and all the explanation he could 
 get out of them was that they "were frightened." 
 
 While we were at breakfast, more people assembled 
 in the Imrai, and high words ensued. John went 
 out to them, determined to sift the matter to the 
 bottom ; and at last it came out that Mungaw had 
 gone the day before to the Village of Towleka, and 
 said that the people of Inahutshi were going to shoot 
 them on the morrow, and then he deliberately walked 
 to Inahutshi and told them the same thing about 
 the people of Towleka. He was bent upon war ; 
 wanted, in his own words, " to see blood run." 
 Burning houses, and he had burnt several, was be- 
 coming rather tame work ; and he wanted something 
 more exciting. He boastfully acknowledged the part
 
 A RELIGIOUS TACK 267 
 
 he had acted the day before, declaring that if they 
 had not said they were going to fight they meant 
 it, which was worse better to have it out and done 
 with why else were they carrying their muskets ? 
 This was a little too much for their patience, and 
 they did lay about him with their tongues, saying 
 it was he and he alone who had introduced this 
 carrying of muskets by flying about with his own 
 and threatening to kill everybody. He then said, 
 that if they were not going to fight they ought to 
 come out boldly for the Worship (he certainly did 
 not approve of doing things by halves), singling out 
 by name those whom he knew to have little differences 
 with each other, and ordering them to shake hands 
 and exchange pigs there and then ! 
 
 When John thought they'd had enough of it, for 
 Mungaw was getting excited with his nonsense, he 
 suggested that one of them should engage in prayer, 
 and let them then get home. A fine old Chief stood 
 up under the banyan tree, and, waving his hand with 
 a majesty a Native can assume at times, offered a 
 simple, earnest prayer, and the people quietly dis- 
 persed. But Mungaw tried hard to get them together 
 again, and insisted upon everybody being converted 
 on the spot. He kept on this religious tack for about 
 a fortnight, which was very pleasant, as it allowed us 
 to sit with open windows and doors and get fresh air 
 and freedom. 
 
 One day, when he was unusually gushing and had 
 presented a pig and food to the very men he had
 
 268 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 sought to murder his speech indicating that the 
 Millennial Reign was about to commence on Aniwa 
 under his auspices a Church Member said, " I 
 think, Mungaw, the people will understand us better, 
 if we burn our muskets and show that we'll not fight, 
 whatever they may do ; here goes mine ! " And 
 suiting the action to the word, he broke and flung 
 his musket into the flames. Mungaw immediately 
 followed suit, with a grand flourish, to the intense 
 relief of all around, for he was a much less formidable 
 personage without the musket, though he still fancied 
 himself a great King. He sent in for a black suit, 
 and permission to conduct the Worship next Sunday, 
 which of course he did not get. 
 
 John sent for him and had long talks with him, 
 but saw it was little use he was so crazed, and 
 thought every one in the wrong but himself. His 
 standing grievance against John was, that he kept 
 all the Collections (!) taken at the close of Mission 
 addresses (he insisted they went into his private 
 pocket), and did not halve them with him, though he 
 helped him to speak. 
 
 He never forgot the scenes he saw in that den of 
 drink and iniquity, to which some wretches took him 
 in Melbourne under pretence of kindness, when John 
 was unable from my sudden illness in the country to 
 take him home.* It bamboozled his then simple mind, 
 how in a land of Gospel light such appliances could 
 
 * Autobiography of John G. Paton, Popular Edition, p. 408.
 
 " THE GOOD LAND " 269 
 
 be deliberately and systematically set on foot for the 
 on-carrying of evil. I do think, that for their light 
 mind, I say for their light our black Christianity 
 is superior to the wJiite. The Natives often said, 
 " How is it, Missi, that he was so good and strong 
 for the Worship before he went to your good Land, 
 and has been nothing but a plague since he re- 
 turned ? " John, of course, emphatically cleared the 
 " Good Land " from all blame, adding that he would 
 take care not to give any of the rest of them a chance 
 of going daft by a trip to Australia ! They don't 
 pursue the argument after that, as all are eager to go, 
 and perfectly willing, they say, to accept the risk. 
 
 It was a blessing the Natives were so kind, and oh, 
 how truly we experienced that " God stayeth His 
 rough wind in the day of His east wind " ; for, except 
 the trouble with Mungaw, we had no other serious 
 ones to contend with, and He gave us to realize, as I 
 at least never did in the same way, how entirely the 
 work was His. It looked so mysterious, that after 
 we had come down at such a sacrifice to health and 
 family ties to devote our whole time to the work, it 
 should be so retarded by one individual ; for often, at 
 his worst, only eight or ten had courage to come to 
 School, and we could as well have taught fifty. But 
 we could leave it trustingly to the Lord, feeling that 
 all we had to do was the work He laid to our hands 
 from day to day. What a restful feeling it gives one 
 to be " only an instrument in His hand " ! 
 
 Even the great hurricane, which swept these
 
 270 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 Islands and did such damage on January loth, was 
 comparatively little felt here. It certainly was a 
 great storm, and we lay awake the whole night 
 expecting every moment to have to fly ; and next 
 morning, we prepared for a hurricane, taking down 
 pictures and curtains, lifting mats, etc., as it still 
 looked dark Fences, etc., were lying flat ; but, 
 towards afternoon, the wind died off, leaving us with 
 the refreshing rain so earnestly desired. We were 
 soon in a mass of greenery again, but didn't the 
 weeds grow too ! My women had to make up now 
 for the easy times they had had with their bits of 
 ground ; and the people set to work planting their 
 yams two months later than usual. Our tanks began 
 to fill, and we had refreshing cups of tea, though John 
 had actually to put a little salt in his, it tasted so 
 strange after the brackish water of the well ! 
 
 We found that it had been a very different story 
 upon Tanna. Mr. Watt's boat came over with 
 letters. ... It was a delightful break in the dull 
 season to get news from our next neighbours, and 
 our chicks appreciated the fine oranges sent them. 
 Their account of January loth was frightful. Along 
 with the hurricane they had an awful earthquake, 
 causing the land to fall and the mouth of the Harbour 
 to be blocked up. A heavy tidal wave also rushed 
 in, rising forty feet above highest tide mark, while 
 both at Kwamcra and here, each only fourteen miles 
 distant, the earthquake was not felt. 
 
 The month of February was furiously ushered in
 
 A MAGNIFICENT WAVE 271 
 
 here, with a great thunderstorm wind and rain all 
 night, and at early morning the most magnificent 
 tidal wave I ever saw came rolling over land and 
 bush, smashing canoes and everything in its course 
 up to near our gate. I never saw the sea in such 
 majestic grandeur those great mountain waves going 
 into deep shadow as they arched round, and then 
 breaking in one huge mass of whitest foam. No life 
 was lost, but every canoe, save one, on the island 
 was broken to pieces, and a few plantations were 
 destroyed. We were kept anxious for a while, having 
 two very dear invalids, who could not have exerted 
 themselves, had escape been necessary ; but oh ! 
 how precious these words in our circumstances, 
 " Hitherto shalt thou come and no further, and here 
 shall thy proud waves be stayed." 
 
 We felt them indeed that morning. Litsi was the 
 most in danger, her house standing a little below 
 ours, and I having been roused at three o'clock to 
 attend her only the morning before. John was very 
 averse to my going, in the circumstances ; and I 
 would fain have contented myself with sending her 
 comforts, but could not think to leave her with her 
 mad husband, who had still sternly refused to let 
 any one go near her ; so I hurriedly dressed, roused 
 the cook to boil the kettle, and took one of my Girls 
 with a lamp. We found to my intense relief the 
 baby already born, and Mungaw so delighted at 
 having another Son that he was inclined to be toler- 
 ably kind. I took advantage of his mood as it
 
 272 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 was only through him I could reach Litsi praised 
 him for being such a clever doctor (by the way, I 
 believe I'll write a book some day upon " Midwifery 
 in the South Seas," just to horrify the Faculty !), and 
 advised him to get her into the house out of the raw 
 cold air, and offered him the services of my Girl to 
 light a fire, which he graciously condescended to 
 accept ! When I went back in a few minutes with 
 some tea and things for the baby, they looked much 
 more comfortable, Litsi sitting in the house by a 
 bright fire, with the lamp beside her. Urging her 
 to lie down, I returned home and looked into the 
 Girls' house to see how it was faring with my other 
 invalid for dear Yawaci had been carried to us at 
 her own request the evening before in a dying state. 
 About six weeks after her marriage Yawaci had 
 a serious illness, from which she did not rally suffi- 
 ciently, and she gradually got weaker, though we did 
 everything we could, and I sent her food from our 
 own table at every meal, as she did not care for 
 Native things. It was such comfort when she was 
 brought here, and I could be constantly near her 
 and have her properly nursed ; but I had no idea 
 she was so near her end, though John suspected it. 
 It was her breathing alone that troubled her now, 
 and for the last six days she could not lie down for 
 a moment's rest. When I told her about Litsi's 
 baby she smiled and sent her congratulations, saying 
 she wished she could go and see it. She had no 
 rest the whole night, but said she felt so much more
 
 "OUR COUNSELLOR" 273 
 
 comfortable in the nice airy room, propped up with 
 pillows, and having a light all night. 
 
 All that day was spent running betwixt the in- 
 valids. Dangerous symptoms ensued with Litsi. 
 Mungaw got fearfully excited at a lot of women 
 coming to see her, and stood over her with his loaded 
 musket (he had stolen another, as the pious fit didn't 
 last long), appealing to me whether his word as Chief 
 should be obeyed or not. I seconded his efforts, as 
 they were doing no good, and got them cleared to 
 a little distance at hand if they were needed and 
 by deferential behaviour got him to let me come 
 and go with food, etc. He attributed her illness to 
 an absurd crotchet of his own, and held to it that 
 she would be better at sundown. Meanwhile, the 
 time was being wasted, and we had so many anxious 
 thoughts. Was it right that her life should be sacri- 
 ficed to a madman's freaks ? Was it right to give in 
 to him, or how far was it right to risk his wrath ? We 
 took it all to our ever-present Counsellor ; and then 
 John decided that if I found her no better he would 
 go himself, whatever the consequences. 
 
 On my way I met Mungaw coming in at the gate 
 with the empty dishes, and he said quite humbly 
 that he was wrong in his supposition, and would like 
 exceedingly if the Missi-tanc (= man Missi) would 
 go and see her, for he did not know what to do. 
 John soon put matters all right, telling them there 
 was no cause for alarm, gave directions about one 
 or two things that had been neglected, and ordered 
 
 18
 
 274 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 fomentations. She had no more relapses, and he 
 really seemed grateful the next morning when he 
 came for her breakfast, as I could not go to her 
 very early on account of the tidal wave. 
 
 Poor Yawaci was our chief care after that. It 
 seemed strange that Litsi, who so longed for death, 
 should survive so much ill usage, for I could not pen 
 a fiftieth part of the cruelty the refinement of cruelty 
 with which he treated her. One instance will suffice. 
 We missed him from Church one Sabbath, and found 
 that he had spent the time skinning the lower part of 
 her face and pinching little bits of flesh out of her 
 chest from shoulder to shoulder, threatening her with 
 his club if she dared to cry out. You will wonder 
 that the Natives did not interfere. We began to lose 
 all patience with them. I remember Mr. Inglis once 
 saying, "It was worth living twenty years on the 
 Islands just to know what we owed to Christianity," 
 and how I thought they were stupid who did not find 
 out all that in six months or less ! I myself have had 
 to live twelve years on Aniwa, however, to know what 
 we owe to Lunatic Asylums, and also to learn how 
 exclusively a man's wife is regarded as his own peculiar 
 property that is to be used exactly as he likes. They 
 would as soon think of interfering with a man's con- 
 duct to his wife, as we would if in Civilization a man 
 chose to burn his own carpet or smash his own time- 
 piece. They would break out into the most amused 
 smile, when John was begging them to protect her, 
 and say, But, Missi, its his own wife ! Of course, they
 
 DEAR LIFE 275 
 
 were mad enough at him, Litsi being a general favou- 
 rite, but could not well see their right to interfere. 
 
 Yawaci, on the other hand, was devotedly loved by 
 
 her husband and his friends, and she clung to life. 
 
 She said, " Say I'll get better soon, Missi." She cried 
 
 for Dr. McMillan, saying she was sure he could do 
 
 her good, adding, " I would not mind a broken arm 
 
 or pain of any kind, Missi, but this breathlessness is 
 
 awful." A ship appeared in the distance that evening 
 
 (how it lived in the morning's sea we could not 
 
 imagine), and I cheered her with the hope that Dr. 
 
 McMillan might be on board, as he had often spoken 
 
 of taking a trip to the Islands. She did not take 
 
 much comfort from that, but said, " If it should be 
 
 a Man-of-war, there will be a doctor of some kind on 
 
 board, and perhaps he'll have a new kind of medicine 
 
 that will make me well." I felt so disheartened when 
 
 she said, " I've been ill so long, Missi, and I have 
 
 not done very bad conduct." I replied that, first of 
 
 all, if our hearts had not been desperately wicked the 
 
 Lord of Glory would not have left His throne above 
 
 to suffer and save us from our sins ; and then further, 
 
 I spoke of His love in sending trouble for high and 
 
 holy uses even to those He loved best, however hard 
 
 to bear. She acquiesced in all, and seemed cheered 
 
 when I added that it was the gold not the common 
 
 stone that was tried in the fire. The vessel, though 
 
 still seen in the horizon next morning, faded quickly 
 
 out of sight, and she was not so disappointed as we 
 
 expected.
 
 276 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 One of our Aneityumese Teachers, a godly man 
 breathed his last that morning, while John, who had 
 been constantly attending him during his illness, was 
 praying by his bedside ; and his poor widow, after 
 following his remains to the grave, lay down prostrate 
 with grief. I trimmed a hat with black for her next 
 day being Sunday and put some on my own as well, 
 to show my respect for him, little dreaming that 
 Yawaci also would be in her grave ere we entered 
 Church. She kept stout, but on sponging her I 
 noticed her chest rather spent. I did everything for 
 her, as she preferred me, and hardly left her that day. 
 Her friends were kind in helping, and sat up with 
 her every night. Yawaci's breathing was rather 
 easier, and about eight o'clock, after getting all she 
 could want for the night, we were so thankful to see 
 her lie down for the first time, and fondly hoped she 
 was beginning to recover. She called the Girls round 
 her, telling them to sing ; and, after beginning the 
 translation of Nearer, my God, to Thee, I slipped away 
 leaving them singing it, and got to my bed thoroughly 
 exhausted. 
 
 During the night, her husband knocked at our 
 Bed-Room window, saying she was dying. John 
 sprang up and went to her side, offering a short 
 prayer, but her spirit fled before he had done, and 
 she was buried amid heartfelt lamentations before 
 Church Service on Sabbath, February 3rd. Our 
 hearts were like to break, for she had been a faithful 
 attached servant daughter, rather to us for ten
 
 LOVE FOR YAWACI 277 
 
 years ; a sweet little thing about eight or nine when 
 she first came, and every year we liked her better. 
 She had a great lump of heart, and I can never 
 forget her devoted care of us all at that time when 
 we were both laid up and our precious baby died. 
 It was she I trusted to put the little form in its last 
 resting-place, myself too weak to move ! It was so 
 sad to see her friends going about the next few days, 
 their eyes red and swollen with weeping. Weeks 
 after, on putting her photo into the hands of one of 
 the sewing women, her head sank lower over it till 
 the heavy sobs welled up ; and as it was passed 
 from one to another, there was hardly a dry eye 
 so generally was she beloved. You have all the 
 same likeness, a true one, taken in Melbourne. 
 Mungaw's was not so good at least it did not do 
 him justice in his best days ; but it is charming to 
 what he looked like in his last few months his face 
 was so wild and ghastly. 
 
 Poor fellow, I would fain pass over his sad end ; 
 but I must hasten on and have done with him, as 
 I daresay you are as tired of the subject as I. The 
 last open break-out with his wife was on the day 
 that her baby was three weeks old. He was in a 
 very excited state in the morning, threw off his 
 clothing, stuck on paint (he supplied himself with 
 balls of blue from our washing-house !), and seizing 
 his musket said he was going to shoot some one ere 
 he returned. The alarm spread, and John came to me 
 at the Sewing Class to warn the women ; but Mungaw
 
 278 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 soon came back and I dismissed the School, feeling 
 anxious to get the Children into the house (John 
 would not budge from his usual work, but he had 
 always Natives with him), and get doors and windows 
 shut. They had hardly gone when terrible screams 
 came from his house, and I flew to implore our cooks 
 to protect Litsi. Just then John rushed past me, 
 telling me I must not hinder him, as he could not 
 hear that poor girl being killed. Our Boys ran with 
 him, and they met Litsi running from her house 
 covered with blood streaming from the back of her 
 head. John caught her as she fell forward in a faint- 
 ing fit, and a woman caught up her baby ; they were 
 carried to the Imrai, where John bound up her head 
 and revived her with brandy and water. I sent her 
 some fresh clothes, as John would not let me see her 
 till she was revived and doctored, and I followed with 
 some dinner. Her tormentor was coming too, but 
 John gave him a look which made him disappear 
 into the bush in quick style. He reappeared with 
 the utmost coolness in a nice clean shirt about half 
 an hour afterwards, and walked right into the Mission 
 Premises, helping about a score of men to carry a 
 huge log of wood which John had asked them to 
 bring for some purpose I forget what. During the 
 afternoon School he sat eyeing Litsi and grinning 
 from the opposite side of the Imrai> and chatting 
 with the passers-by as if he had done no wrong. 
 
 Poor Litsi sat leaning against the Church fence, 
 too weak to notice anything, but thought she was
 
 THROUGH BLOOD AND FIRE 279 
 
 safer there when John had to be in School. He told 
 the Natives that she must not be left to her husband's 
 tender mercies any longer, but that they must take 
 her to one of their distant Villages, and if need be 
 protect her with their muskets. Our house was too 
 near ; and besides, if he burnt it to get her, it would 
 simply mean death to us all our food was in it, and 
 neither of us being extra strong we could not exist 
 on roots and leaves like Natives whereas any of 
 their houses could be replaced in a few days. He 
 said also that it would never do for him to use arms 
 his work was to teach, theirs to protect each other 
 when necessary. They all saw the force of his words, 
 and heartily agreed with him, but all managed to 
 back out of it one after another, Litsi being too 
 high-spirited to ask protection from any of them. 
 
 When we heard that she was left with only a few 
 women we both felt it our duty to shelter her, regard- 
 less of consequences, and ran out to fetch her ; but 
 the poor girl had fled with her two little ones to hide 
 for the night in a plantation, one or two women keep- 
 ing her company. 
 
 Amid all her own danger, she was mindful of us, 
 and sent a messenger to warn us that Mungaw would 
 be sure to burn the house that night if he could. We 
 had a few necessaries selected, a cask of flour, hops 
 for yeast, changes of clothing, etc., to put into the 
 Printing Office, which would not burn so easily with 
 its zinc roof ; but when our Aneityumese Teacher 
 came after dark for their quiet removal, Mungaw
 
 280 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 accompanied him as far as the door ! We all 
 laughed. It was no use, with such a vigilant spy 
 upon all our movements. But we were specially 
 reminded of Some One watching over us. 
 
 It began to pour torrents of rain, as it so often did 
 when there was imminent danger, and I sent cover- 
 ings for the wanderers, hot tea, etc., by a circuitous 
 path with orders to take them to another invalid 
 should Mungaw meet them. Our Girls entered 
 eagerly into it, and poor Litsi was made tolerably 
 comfortable in body for the night, there being an 
 old deserted hut in the plantation. Next morning, 
 her cousin whispered to me that two men had taken 
 her under protection to Touleka, a Village a mile off, 
 and that Mungaw had no idea of her whereabouts, 
 supposing her to be with us, as he had sent word the 
 evening before that he would kill her if she went 
 anywhere else. 
 
 He got fearfully roused at not finding her by the 
 afternoon, and sprang up after writing a line or two 
 of his copy (he insisted on attending School) to go in 
 search, beginning at the nearest Villages, armed with 
 club and killing stone, and nearly frightening the life 
 out of a dumpy little virago who was in the habit of 
 henpecking her own husband. It was capital to see 
 her thoroughly cowed for once ! His wrath grew 
 with his want of success ; and, returning after School, 
 he told our Boys in a voice of suppressed rage that he 
 was now going to Touleka to kill Litsi if he found 
 her there. One of them flew through the bush to
 
 IN THE LION'S DEN 281 
 
 warn her of his approach, and John and I went to the 
 Study to commit her to God. 1 think I should have 
 gone mad myself, if we had not had our never-failing 
 Refuge in these troublous times ! 
 
 We heard after retiring for the night an infant's 
 piteous wail, and found that, failing to get the mother 
 (for the Natives would not let him finish her quite, 
 though he dragged her out of the house by her hair, 
 wool rather), he had torn the baby from her and 
 rushed home with it, knowing that she would follow 
 it at any risk. It was awfully hard to keep John in 
 the house, but I felt there was not the slightest use in 
 going. We heard other voices remonstrating, and by 
 the cries ceasing we knew that Litsi had come. 
 About midnight, what seemed to be the death-wail 
 in Litsi's voice made us think he had murdered the 
 baby. It continued for about three hours, and rose 
 to a perfect agony of distress before stopping. On 
 inquiry at daybreak, for which we anxiously waited, 
 it turned out that he had tied her arms and legs in 
 the most savage manner, only loosing her when two 
 or three Natives went to the rescue. It was at the 
 risk of their lives they did it, and all warned us not 
 to go to their house that morning, as he was raving 
 mad and would not hesitate to kill any one coming 
 near. 
 
 We just felt that poor Litsi had all the more right 
 to our sympathy, when no one else would go. They 
 insisted she was dead, and the baby too ; there was 
 such silence round all the place. John would not let
 
 282 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 me go alone, and I would not let him go alone, so we 
 compromised the matter by going together, and took 
 a plentiful breakfast as an excuse for intruding on 
 his lordship's privacy, the Natives looking after with 
 wistful eyes, but not one offering to accompany us 
 to the lion's den ! I trembled violently, though I felt 
 that the Lord was with us, and was almost relieved 
 when we found the house deserted ; but John called 
 aloud for Litsi several times, and at last she came 
 staggering from an enclosure opposite, from which 
 the occupant had fled when Mungaw first went mad. 
 She was trembling with pain and weakness, and when 
 we were going over the stile she looked back alarmed 
 and said, You'd better not, Missi ; so we spoke a few 
 cheering words as we stood, and told her again that 
 our house was open to her, night or day, whenever she 
 needed shelter. 
 
 Some of the Church Members came to ask what 
 was to be done with him. Tying only made him 
 worse ; confining and shooting were the only other 
 alternatives. To confine him was impossible. Were 
 they to shoot him ? John, of course, would not hear 
 of that, and they asked if there was no sort of medicine 
 to cure madness ! A near friend got him away to his 
 Village, where they had a long talk, and warned him 
 of the consequences. The moment he went, I ran off 
 to sit awhile with Litsi. We feared she would sink 
 under her trials, and wished she had access to the rich 
 consolations with which we were upheld eveiy day 
 in our little readings both of the Bible and other
 
 D Ay ID'S PSALMS 283 
 
 books. It seemed as if the words were printed for 
 our express circumstances and comfort. My own 
 morning Reading was in the Psalms, and I never felt 
 them so suitable. The very ones I used to think 
 David had written in a fit of indigestion were fraught 
 with the deepest comfort and meaning, and favourite 
 passages were more precious than ever. I never 
 noticed before that the passage, " Lead me to the rock 
 that is higher than I," begins with " From the end of 
 the EartJi will I cry unto Thee " so applicable to us ! 
 John and I have often remarked to each other that 
 we had to come all the way to the South Seas to 
 understand some bits of the Bible ; and 1 see Bowen 
 in his Daily Meditations says the same in refer- 
 ence to India, where he laboured so devotedly as a 
 Missionary. We had another precious book which 
 we were reading aloud and enjoyed next to the Bible 
 Board man's In the Power of the Spirit, given us 
 also before leaving Australia. 
 
 How we wished poor Litsi could share all these 
 privileges, and wondered if her faith were keeping 
 alive at all ; but her spirit was beautifully submissive. 
 When I told her that, however difficult it might be 
 for her to believe it, her Saviour God was tenderly 
 caring for her every moment and would not let her 
 have one more trial than she could bear, and that it 
 would relieve her to take all her sorrows to Him, she 
 replied, " Oh, I know it, Missi ; my whole words now 
 are prayer ; for I have no one else to speak to, and 
 would have gone mad if I could not have told my
 
 284 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 Saviour ! I tell Him everything, and know that it's 
 all right even if Mungaw should kill me, for he can't 
 harm me beyond the grave." I told her not a single 
 night passed that we were not engaging in prayer 
 for her, and she said, "These prayers have been 
 answered ; for he has had the wish to kill me and 
 burn your house, and he could easily have done both 
 had not God prevented." 
 
 The whole provocation (I forgot to say) he had for 
 laying her head open at this time was her saying, 
 Oh, dont do that ! when he got up to burn the fine 
 new house he had recently completed. She learned 
 never again to contradict him, even when he made 
 the wildest proposals. The next house he burnt, a 
 neighbour's, he told her with a diabolical grin (he had 
 such a beautiful smile in his sane days !) of his purpose, 
 and she merely said, Are you? and slipped round to 
 take everything valuable out of it, as the owners were 
 living a week or two on a lovely little islet adjoining 
 this, where the Natives often go for a change and 
 fishing. Of course, they said nothing about it on 
 their return ; no one in the island was prepared to 
 tackle such a character, and he presumed accordingly, 
 turning his attentions more to the general public after 
 this, and dividing his favours pretty equally over the 
 whole island. He plundered the plantations in rotation, 
 and shot all the pigs which came in his way, bringing 
 Litsi part of the spoil ; but she suddenly seemed 
 possessed of the spirit of half a dozen, sternly refused 
 to touch one morsel of stolen food, and took their
 
 TEMPTATION TO POISON 285 
 
 eldest little boy to the farthest Village, begging the 
 people to keep him, as he was too young to refuse 
 what was stolen. 
 
 She then came to beg of me for a dose of poison 
 she thought the stuff we killed the rats with would 
 do as he was too wicked to live and would bring; 
 
 . > 
 
 a judgment on the whole island. She had such a 
 chance through the night when he fell into a deep 
 sleep (the first time he was known to sleep for many 
 weeks), and she had a great wish to take his life, but 
 was afraid God would not like it. 
 
 I confirmed her fears, and counselled patience a 
 little longer, as the Missi was getting the boat repaired 
 to go to Tanna, and it was well known Mungaw 
 wanted to go there and stay a while. This was the 
 last hope of the whole island, and all were eager to 
 see the boat finished none more so than I, having 
 an additional reason, viz., that it took John away to 
 a distance nearly the whole day, and though he always 
 left me with a bodyguard, he was not so careful of 
 himself. I must say, the Natives were very thoughtful 
 about him, however, and would not let him continue 
 to take his nightly turns in watching our house. They 
 begged him to arm himself, but that of course he 
 would not do. He and our Aneityumese Teacher 
 were the only ones who would not carry a weapon 
 of any kind, or give in to him when it was right to 
 be firm, and they were the only two Mungaw had 
 the slightest fear of ; but he kept prowling about our 
 premises day and night, for what intent he best knew.
 
 286 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 When he used to set off on his peregrinations, it was 
 such a relief to throw windows and doors open for air ; 
 but back he would come, with the rapidity of a race- 
 horse. Many a fainting fit he gave me ; and Frank 
 used to get white to the lips when he appeared. Even 
 little Jay began to lisp, I frightened Mungaw ! 
 
 About the only time I was thankful to see him 
 come was after he had been tracking John's footsteps 
 closer than I liked. I was watching him from our 
 front verandah as he went off to his boat, the two 
 lads a little before, when Mungaw suddenly appeared 
 close behind him axe in hand. I could see a long 
 way, and when John stooped to examine a bush or 
 fern Mungaw stopped too, always keeping right at 
 his back. Visions of the murdered Gordons rose 
 vividly before me, and I felt distracted. I knew that 
 John and the Boys were on their guard, and plenty 
 of Natives were about, but a blow could be so easily 
 struck ! I went indoors and told my God and then 
 our Aneityumese Teacher (we showed as little fear 
 as possible before our Natives), so that if he thought 
 there was real danger he would go to him. He looked 
 anxious and questioned me minutely, but went on 
 quietly with his work, and I tried to follow his 
 example ; but my feet would carry me to the verandah, 
 till the welcome sight of that usually dreaded form, 
 tossing his axe in the air and catching it by the 
 handle, allayed all fears, for I knew that had he done 
 any harm he would have rushed into hiding. 
 
 His last days were spent pulling up the people's
 
 HEART SINGS" 287 
 
 bananas and sugar-cane, destroying what he could 
 not devour. He took our Boys' blankets and boxes, 
 and walked off with the looking-glass from the Girls' 
 house. Just the Sunday morning before he was shot, 
 he turned out all the Girls' boxes while we were at 
 breakfast, and pranced up and down our front verandah. 
 We had just finished our own Family Worship, and 
 John was going off for a little quiet to his Study, when 
 we heard the Church bell being furiously rung a full 
 hour before the time ! The Natives already gathered 
 stood staring at each other in consternation, others 
 hurried forward thinking they were late, and the usual 
 bell-ringer came panting to know why the work was 
 so unceremoniously taken out of his hands ! The 
 more they begged Mungaw to leave off, the quicker 
 he rang, till John ran out and ordered him to stop 
 instantly, which he did. 
 
 He did not trouble us another Sunday, poor fellow ; 
 but he gave me two or three thorough frights through 
 the week once surprising me suddenly on the 
 verandah, when mounted on a high box and oil- 
 painting the woodwork of the house. On the follow- 
 ing Saturday morning, as we were in the garden, Litsi 
 passed the fence, and I ran to her. She said, " When 
 will the boat be ready, Missi ? " I told her that there 
 was just a little painting to finish to-day, and it would 
 sail on Monday, so she would only have two days 
 more of endurance. She jumped and clapped her 
 hands, saying, My heart sings, for he's sure to go ! 
 
 But that same evening, as we sat at a late tea, our
 
 288 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAIV 
 
 spirits brighter than usual, feeling that relief was near 
 (though it came not in the way we expected), for the 
 Dayspring was to leave Sydney on Monday, and 
 would be getting nearer us every day, we heard the 
 fatal shot go off close beside us ! We have heard as 
 loud reports and even nearer, when they were killing 
 flying foxes or birds, which caused us nothing more 
 than a start and a laugh ; but there was something 
 in that which made us spring simultaneously from 
 our seats and stand in awe. John said, " Some one 
 is shot ! Either Mungaw, or some one by his hand." 
 He had barely uttered the words, when the awful 
 death-wail in Litsi's voice confirmed our fears. Our 
 Girls rushed in from the Bath-Room, where they had 
 been filling baths and getting all ready for Sunday, 
 and said, " That's Mungaw, Missi, for the Inahutshi 
 people told us not to be alarmed if we heard a shot 
 after dark, as we would know it was Mungaw killed." 
 
 It had all been deliberately arranged, and we knew 
 not a word about it. John said, " Then I must run 
 and see what I can do for the poor fellow," and was 
 off; but another loud report made me implore him 
 to come back, till we ascertained certainly what the 
 matter was, as he might be shot in the dark without 
 any one meaning it, and Frank decided the matter 
 by saying in a faint voice, " Papa, will you stay and 
 take care of us?" His Papa put his arm round him 
 and said, " Yes, my boy, I'll not leave the room 
 again." 
 
 Two or three Natives came to tell us that Mungaw
 
 BLASTED HOPES 
 
 was shot dead, and that John's going would be no use 
 now. He engaged in prayer, and oh, how our hearts 
 bled for the poor fellow ! Now that his sad end had 
 come, we could only think of him as he once was ; as, 
 for instance, we saw him one evening years before 
 stand calm and tranquil, with three enraged men 
 pointing their muskets at him for spoiling some 
 Heathen performance, and telling them he would not 
 fight and that the worst they could do would only 
 send him to Heaven. Or again, as he used to go 
 about pleading with the young Boys (a mere boy 
 himself) not to follow the footsteps of their fathers, 
 but come out decidedly for the Lord Jesus. Or again, 
 we thought of the time when he was John's right-hand 
 man, and would almost have laid down his life to 
 serve him. His two nearest friends, on coming to ask 
 if they should bury him at once, laid down their heads 
 and sobbed aloud, though like all the An i wans they 
 had wished for his death. It was a sad, sad night ; 
 the hurried midnight burial, the suppressed excite- 
 ment, the fear and uncertainty about the real murderers 
 and what would follow next, and, last of all, that young 
 and once noble fellow cut down in the midst of his 
 days. 
 
 He had just left our premises and gone home for 
 supper, and then had Worship (!) with Litsi after 
 which she told him not to go outside, as two or three 
 men had been watching for three nights to get a good 
 aim at him. He courted death, and would go out, 
 saying to Litsi, You come witJi me. She went out first 
 
 19
 
 290 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 and thought she saw a man standing ; but next 
 moment the attention of both was suddenly directed 
 to a meteor in its transit, and while gazing at it the 
 musket went off, going through Mungaw's body from 
 arm to arm. He fell down by his own door crying, 
 Await (Alas!), and died immediately, the murderers 
 making their escape as they shot the other musket 
 into the air. 
 
 It has at last been traced to a Tanna man, who 
 some years ago along with his adopted brother 
 murdered a nice man and his wife in cold blood ; so 
 it may stand hard with him yet, as their friends seem 
 to be egging on Mungaw's to revenge. 
 
 You may be sure, after these trying times and seven 
 months' utter silence regarding our absent ones, we 
 were intensely delighted to welcome the dear old 
 Dayspring once more. But, strange as it may seem, 
 this is our most trying time ; for all the anxiety of 
 the past months seems to accumulate into an agony 
 of suspense, from the time her sails are discovered 
 till we have opened the most-desired-for letters of our 
 mail and found all well. She arrived at Anivva just 
 two days after we calculated upon seeing her, April 
 24th. The first announcement of her approach came 
 as we were assembled in Church at three o'clock for 
 the prayer-meeting ; and I'm afraid the Services had 
 not their usual interest for me ! How John could 
 proceed quietly with the address, under the excite- 
 ment, was a puzzle ; for I saw him start, and we ex- 
 changed earnest looks, as the well-known cry greeted
 
 TUMBLING WITH JOY 291 
 
 our ears, and then two Natives came panting in with 
 beaming faces, darting intelligent looks all around. 
 
 The Service did come to an end at last, and then 
 everyone's tongue was loosed. It was the Day spring 
 without doubt ; but was there wind enough to bring 
 her in that day ? I made an agreement with the herd 
 who went for the goats to shout again if it were very 
 near, and soon a dozen voices yelled back the answer. 
 I flew to give orders for all sorts of preparations, but 
 not a girl was to be found all having rushed up the 
 hill to see for themselves ; and when they came they 
 were so mad with joyful excitement, that instead of 
 their usual respectful demeanour they tumbled heels 
 over head on the verandah two or three times before 
 they could compose themselves to work and so 
 many little things waiting to be done. There was 
 the verandah mat to put down, a substantial tea to 
 be laid out, the Drawing-Room dusted, fresh flowers 
 cut, and the Children dressed to go to the boat land- 
 ing with their Papa. We were going on like steam 
 at high pressure, when the Dayspring came slowly 
 into view at the opening in the trees, and we all 
 rushed out to wave handkerchiefs (the Girls waved 
 towels and dusters !) at a furious rate till she passed 
 out of sight, and we were again at liberty to go on 
 with our work. My Cook had stuck to his post ; and, 
 all being satisfactorily arranged, at last I had a little 
 time to let gloomy thoughts get the better of me, and 
 to make up my mind that one of the Children would 
 be dead at any rate !
 
 292 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 It began to grow dusk, and the Girls had set the 
 house in a blaze with lamps to give as cheery a 
 welcome as possible, when white faces were seen 
 among the trees. My teeth really chattered with 
 apprehension, but trying to hide it I ran down to 
 the gate and welcomed my visitors. There were the 
 Robertsons and McDonalds, and a new Missionary 
 was introduced whose looks I liked but oh ! if some 
 one would only tell me about my Children. I inquired 
 of Mrs. Robertson, as we walked slowly up to the 
 house ; and she, naturally supposing I meant hers, 
 told me all about their leaving Gordon behind till 
 next trip of the Dayspring. I listened patiently, 
 and then asked when she saw mine. She quietly 
 replied, " Oh, we did not go on to Melbourne, but 
 the McDonalds were there all the time," and then 
 went on to praise our premises ! Just as I tliougJit, 
 I bitterly commented within myself, and she's 
 changing the subject to hide the bad news. I heard 
 her admire this shrub and that, as if her voice were 
 a long way off, while the little bits of coral at our 
 feet were photographing themselves on my mind 
 with the greatest minuteness. Isn't it strange that 
 such little things should occupy one's observation, 
 when the mind is strung to the highest pitch about 
 something momentous ? 
 
 Faintness coming on, I turned abruptly to Mr. 
 McDonald close behind, and said, " What about 
 the Children ? " " Well, we had rather an anxious 
 time with little Alexander in Melbourne " (their own
 
 TIDINGS FROM AFAR 293 
 
 Children again !) ; " he had a slight attack of inflam- 
 mation on the lungs, and has not been well since." 
 I tried to stammer out some expression of sympathy, 
 before saying, " Did you see our Children, Mr. 
 McDonald ? " " Oh yes ! " he answered in a hearty 
 voice ; "we met them all three at Mrs. Beattie's, before 
 \vc left, looking so well and happy ! " How the whole 
 scene in a moment was changed ! I was quite ready 
 to admit now that the premises did look lovely, and 
 to sympathize heartily with my neighbours' bairns ! 
 
 We gathered round such a happy tea-table ; for 
 it is the most exquisite treat to have intercourse 
 with kindred spirits in our own tongue, after jabber- 
 ing so many months to the Darkies, and to get all 
 the news from the civilized world. Such a mail too ! 
 Over one hundred letters, and no end of papers. We 
 simply looked at all your different handwritings, but 
 devoured our bairns' monthly budgets that night 
 after our visitors had retired to their rooms. Fancy 
 us having ten, including the babies, but not their 
 nurses, after not seeing a single white face for such 
 an age ! . . . 
 
 The Vessel was five weeks away among the Islands, 
 and during that time we had the pleasure of Mrs. 
 Captain Braithwaite's company, which was a delight- 
 ful change for me. . . . We had one or two little 
 excursions, and she was quite delighted with our 
 little island especially with one romantic glen, 
 abounding in ferns. I gave me School a holiday, 
 and enjoying the rest tried to persuade John to do
 
 294 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 likewise ; but he said there was time enough for 
 rest when he went to the Synod. 
 
 The second Communion since our return also 
 took place at this time, and was a season of great 
 refreshing and comfort ; but the sight of that little 
 group of Communicants is always too much for me, 
 especially when they stand up to sing so heartily ! 
 I could fain lay down my head and sob, were it not 
 that I have the harmonium to attend to and must 
 crush my heart down as best I can. All our trials 
 and privations, looked at in the light of that little 
 sable band (glancing back at what they once were) 
 now sitting at their Lord's Table, seem as nothing 
 as less than nothing. 
 
 A stranger might simply have his risibles excited 
 by the somewhat grotesque costume of the con- 
 gregation. Indeed I had to turn away my own 
 head, as our two worthy Elders came in for the 
 ' Elements' before the Service, with the most imposing 
 gravity, with manifest devotion in their looks, but 
 in all the dignity of their office and with special hats 
 to grace the occasion. The one had his white shirt 
 done up round his hat so as to represent a puggaree, 
 and, as it hung a long way behind, he had to keep 
 his head well-balanced for fear of it falling back. 
 As for the other, who or what his hat had been 
 originally intended for, we were at a loss to divine ! 
 It has always been our difficulty to get them large 
 enough to include their wool, but this, a light grey 
 chimney-pot, overtopped wool and all, till it rested
 
 295 
 
 on the tip of his nose, which fortunately being a 
 very large one prevented his face from disappearing 
 altogether. . . . 
 
 It being the weather side of the island, the Day- 
 spring couldn't stand in close to Tanna (en route for 
 Synod meeting on Aneityum), so we had a seven 
 miles' pull in the boat before breakfast, sick to the 
 last and thankful beyond measure to get into dear 
 Mrs. Watt's bright little Paradise of a house, ourselves 
 and bairns bathed, and then to sit down with such 
 an appetite and feel we had no further voyaging 
 meantime. . . . How intensely pleasant was the time 
 passed with these two beloved friends, Mrs. Milne 
 and Mrs. Watt ! There were no untoward circum- 
 stances to mar the enjoyment, though the Tannese 
 did get up a slight demonstration, next morning, on 
 the beach in front of the Mission House, but no one 
 was shot, only a few broken arms and heads, and 
 Mrs. Milne and I did not know till all was over. 
 Mrs. Watt has the sweetest wee harmonium, so we 
 had music in abundance all the best of Sankey's 
 Hymns and very sweet fellowship ; but it came to 
 an end all too soon, for the Dayspring returned in 
 a fortnight, and I did so want three weeks of a 
 holiday. 
 
 It was announced on Saturday morning at day- 
 break, and we had our husbands and the other 
 Missionaries on shore to breakfast. They were in 
 fine spirits, enjoying the little while on shore ; and 
 we all gathered round the harmonium ere setting
 
 off, and sang Past me n0t t O gentle Saviour* and 
 Waiting and Watching. The weather was again 
 beautifully calm in going as it bad been in coming, 
 which was so pleasant. On remarking this to the 
 Captain, after getting comfortably on board, he said, 
 "Ah, you see the weather was bespoke!" They 
 had been praying earnestly for a favourable day. 
 
 There were thousands of oranges on board (and 
 John had two huge boxes for us) from Aneityum, 
 where the Missionaries had been luxuriating on them 
 during the Synod. This time they had only one long 
 sitting daily, leaving the afternoon and evening free 
 for botanizing and enjoyment. They all declare that 
 they got through as much work, as when they used 
 to have three sittings, and went back to their Stations 
 jaded instead of refreshed by the change. John, 
 along with Mr. Watt and two or three others, were 
 the Annands* guests on shore, and enjoyed the visit 
 so much. The}* all had the Communion together 
 (a white Service, nof with the Natives^ and were 
 refreshed in soul as well as body. 
 
 John missed Mr. Inglis sadly, however, at the 
 Synod ; and more when they went round to his old 
 Station, where the Natives mourn his and Mrs. Inglis's 
 absence daily, and are keeping everything in apple-pie 
 order. When Mr. Robertson asked Esther (Mrs, 
 Inglis's head servant) if she still missed Mrs. Inglis, 
 she burst into tears and replied, Just demt speak about 
 Arr, Missi! They all say they are kft e>rfkams 9 and 
 were bitterly disappointed at Mr. Watt not being
 
 HOLY PRAISE 297 
 
 appointed their Missionary. \Ye are sorry too, for 
 they richly deserve our best Missionary, having given 
 ample proof of their true Christianity by themselves 
 going forth as Teachers to Heathen islands, and 
 freely shedding their blood for Christ's sake and the 
 Gospel's. . . . 
 
 The Captain's plan was to land us on Sunday 
 morning, lie off and on till Monday to land our 
 luggage and some wood John had bought on 
 Aneityum, and then return for the McDonalds at 
 Port Resolution on his way northward. Mrs. Milne 
 and I lay pillowed on deck, enjoying the moonlight 
 till quite late, and having such a musical treat from 
 Mr. Michelsen, who sings and accompanies himself 
 on the guitar with such taste. He had been playing 
 it on deck in the afternoon, and we begged him to 
 bring it up again after tea. The moon was brilliantly 
 reflected on the water, and the ship lying so still, 
 when he began with exquisite guitar accompaniment 
 to sing Jesus, Lover of my 'Son/- the Missionaries 
 standing round and joining softly in parts, while we 
 were quietly crying. I have heard Oratorios in the 
 old country rendered so that they almost took one 
 out of the body, but never anything that went to my 
 heart like this ! You would need to take in the 
 whole circumstances to know how we felt it. The 
 Vessel, with her little band of Missionaries so far from 
 kindred and country, and about to separate for their 
 lonely homes, and we knew not how much trial 
 awaiting them !
 
 298 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 Ours met us, as we put foot on shore next day, 
 and found that instead of the usual Sabbath Services 
 there had been almost a fight. We saw the house 
 and garden looking so pretty as we sailed past the 
 opening, but no one about ; so we gave them credit 
 for being in Sunday School, as it was afternoon, till 
 we reached the boat landing and found only a few 
 women and our Aneityumese Teacher, and then two 
 or three men emerged from the bush with muskets, 
 which made John exclaim, " War must have broken 
 out on Aniwa." The men apologized for carrying 
 them on Sunday by telling us that while the Church 
 bell was ringing for Morning Service, and most of 
 the people had assembled, three of Mungaw's re- 
 lations tried to shoot his murderers as they were 
 hurrying on to Church, but missed fire. The people 
 in Church were alarmed at hearing shots on Sunday, 
 and the Church Members rushed in that direction, 
 and succeeded in putting a stop to further fighting. 
 But high words were bandied about; until the Vessel 
 was announced, which the people declared that God 
 had sent just at the right time ; so I felt He had His 
 own all-wise purposes in cutting short our holiday. . . . 
 
 Our earnest prayers have been answered so far, 
 for there has been no more fighting, though most of 
 the people carry their muskets, feeling still a little 
 alarmed. They have been kept as busy as bees ever 
 since, making arrowroot to pay for their own Gospels 
 being printed in Melbourne, and are trying which 
 Village will make the most better work than fight-
 
 JEHOVAH'S ARROWROOT 299 
 
 ing ! The want of suitable water is the great drawback 
 here, and I have to let them draw upon my precious 
 tanks for the last watering, to make it white. We 
 have already 600 Ib. put up, mostly in 10 Ib. bags ; 
 and as there is a good deal of work connected with 
 it, from beginning to end, I hope it will realize at 
 least is. 6d. per Ib. I know, when I was in Melbourne, 
 a chemist in Ballarat was selling our arrowroot 
 (Aneityumese) at $s. 6d. per Ib. Now, though I have 
 no ill-will to the worthy man, seeing I don't even 
 know him, I would rather see the Mission get the 
 3.$-. 6^/., if the arrowroot should rise so high again ! 
 
 The Natives are still making more, and the de- 
 mands upon me for calico have been endless. After 
 ransacking boxes for every inch that could be got 
 to dry it upon and to make bags, I had to sacrifice 
 all my common sheets and tablecloths ; and, while 
 trying to bear up under this calamity with Christian 
 fortitude, John roused all the old Adam in me, by 
 coolly bidding me be quick and get out my linen ones 
 and best tablecloths, as it was a splendid day for 
 drying ! I emphatically declared that my few best 
 things should remain untouched, though the Natives 
 should never get their books ; and, by a little man- 
 agement in making the others do, I have kept to my 
 wicked vow. 
 
 This is the first donation from our Natives in money, 
 or what can be converted into money ; and John 
 thinks that in a very few years the Mission may 
 be self-supporting. For my part, I think that our
 
 300 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 Natives have done pretty well so far, it never having 
 cost the Church one penny either for the erection or 
 up -keep of Church and School buildings, which is 
 more than can be said of most Missions. But it will 
 be grand, if this little island, with its limited re- 
 sources and inhabitants, can learn to support its own 
 Missionary. . . . 
 
 It is now the first of August, though I see that I 
 began this on the eighth of July, and I have not 
 begun to write a single private letter, and so many 
 to answer ; and the huge piles which made our eyes 
 dance with joy on receiving them, are regarded 
 rather ruefully now that we have got to reply to 
 them ! I must leave out, therefore, all other items 
 of interest which I intended writing, as this is already 
 far too long and close with warmest love from 
 Your ever loving sister, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON. 
 
 P.S. September %tJi. As I've kept my grand 
 item of family news till now, I'll verify the saying 
 that a woman puts what most interests her into the 
 postscript, in here introducing by far the most im- 
 portant personage in the house viz., " Walter Watt 
 Paton " the finest little fellow that ever was, and 
 a fortnight old yesterday ! He introduced himself 
 on August 2ist, was exhibited to his admiring 
 fellow-islanders in the Dining-Room on the 25th, 
 between the Services, and the " Wahaws ! " and " Kai 
 Missis ! " that resounded through the room as Mr.
 
 "NOBLEST WORK ON EARTH" 301 
 
 Watt lifted the shawl to let each one take a peep 
 would have convinced you that the boy is something 
 beyond the common ! He was baptized last Sabbath 
 by our dear brother-Missionary Mr. Watt, Mrs. Watt 
 taking him into Church, as I was unable to go. We 
 can never forget all their kindness, in coming over 
 to be with us at this time, when it was anything 
 but convenient for them to leave Tanna ; and we 
 don't know what could have been done without their 
 thoughtful care and help, for John has been going 
 about with his left arm in a sling, having smashed 
 two of his fingers. . . . 
 
 I think I have got over the disappointment of its 
 not being a girl, as I wished ; and John is in the 
 seventh heaven of gratification at having another 
 "little Missionary" to devote to "the noblest work 
 on Earth ! " He tried hard to bring me up to the 
 scratch, and said that surely I would not withhold 
 my fifth son from the Mission field; but I maintain 
 that I take higher ground still, in dedicating this 
 little lamb like all the others to my Lord, and letting 
 Him choose their life-work. He shall have them all 
 for the Mission field, if He calls them to it, for I 
 know that in that case He will give me the necessary 
 well, I hardly like to come out with it, resignation ! 
 
 That word makes John groan in spirit ; but I 
 find that those very noble -women whom he holds 
 up as examples to me, in devoting all their sons from 
 infancy to be Missionaries, and whose only regret 
 is that they have not another dozen to dedicate,
 
 302 THE MADNESS OF MUNGAW 
 
 have never been in the Mission field tJietnselves. I 
 once met a lady, whose only son, she told me with 
 kindling eyes, had been dedicated to the Mission 
 field, and her greatest earthly wish was to see him 
 ready to go. I looked at the woman with a respect 
 amounting to awe ; but the bump of reverence not 
 being too largely developed, it soon gave way to 
 curiosity as to what her ideas of the Mission field 
 really were. I found that she laboured under the 
 impression that her boy had only to get on to a 
 Heathen island, and hold up the Bible amongst 
 an interesting group of Ethiopians, who with out- 
 stretched arms had been crying in vain, " Come over 
 and help us ! " Now, having been behind the scenes, 
 and knowing what it actually costs, my dedication 
 of them will be worth something when it comes ! 
 
 M. W. P.
 
 XV 
 
 SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 ANIWA, NEW HEBRIDES, 
 
 July \C)th, 1879. 
 
 MY DEAREST SISTERS AND BROTHERS, As Bob 
 thought my last journal too much of a murder story, 
 I promise that nothing of that kind shall occur here, 
 and I begin with something more in his and Fred's 
 line what they would call rather a " sell " that we 
 had, and on Minn's birthday too, so it will interest all 
 the three. 
 
 It was a few days after the Day spring left us for 
 Sydney last December, and we were feeling the 
 loneliness that always comes over us for a little, 
 when we are left for the season by our only link 
 to the outer world. Papa was late in the evening 
 finishing some out-door work with the Natives, and 
 I was sitting alone with an intense yearning to know 
 what our " wee wifie " was doing on her birthday. 
 Being unable to battle with the fevered longing for 
 one sight of them all, I took Baby up and began to 
 pace the verandah in the quiet starlight, giving a 
 
 33
 
 304 SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 passing glance down the opening to the sea. The 
 vision of a great ship seemed to rise before my eyes, 
 as I withdrew them, and I stared again, when to my 
 amazement there loomed out in the dim light a large 
 schooner in full sail, close in to the land, and framed 
 like a picture by the trees on either side. Not a soul 
 had seen her approach, and I eagerly shouted " Sail 
 O ! " which set the whole place ablaze with excite- 
 ment in a twinkling. John and his Blackies came 
 rushjng to the side gate, and the Girls tumbled out 
 on the verandah from different windows howling 
 that it might be the French ! 
 
 We thought it might be one of the English " gun- 
 boats," and feared they might have landed with no 
 one to receive them ; so John flew to his room, made 
 a spring into his clerical suit, and dashed out at the 
 front gate, with all his black " gentlemen-in-waiting " 
 flying helter-skelter at his heels, and they did not 
 slacken speed till they went full tilt into their visitors 
 about half-way from the house, and nearly succeeded 
 in knocking them over ! I had delivered little Walter 
 into his nurse's charge, and making a dive into the 
 Drawing-Room had barely got it lighted up and the 
 antimacassars arranged, when the Girls rushed in 
 to announce that the Missi was bringing in a lot of 
 " great Chiefs as tall as trees ! " So I whisked into 
 the Dining-Room, fast filling with excited blackies, 
 eager to know if it was a Man-of-War. I was as 
 eager to be informed as they, and waited impatiently 
 for John to come out and tell me who our visitors
 
 "A SELL" 305 
 
 were ; but never a foot did he stir in my direction 
 (perhaps too tired with his race), and I was left in a 
 most distressing state of perplexity in regard to my 
 costume ! 
 
 I considered myself perfectly well-dressed for a 
 Trader, having on a pretty clean print, but then it was 
 slightly old-fashioned and hardly the thing for Her 
 Majesty's representatives ! For them, I wouldn't 
 grudge to wear my best muslin, with black velvet 
 bows, though the hot night might fit it for the wash- 
 tub. Then I had not a moment to lose, in case they 
 thought I was getting myself " up " for them, and 
 that would be the worst calamity of all ! Just fancy 
 what conflicting emotions were rending my bosom. 
 1 dispatched a girl to ' keek ' and tell me if she saw 
 uniform, but as she began to smother a laugh, I 
 pulled her, and down she fell on the lobby oil-cloth 
 like a clap of thunder ! She told us afterwards that 
 she expected the Men-of-War would be out on her, 
 and she made such violent efforts to regain her 
 footing, that she brought down a shower of hats, 
 sticks, and umbrellas clattering on the top of her, 
 while the rest of us were gasping with suppressed 
 merriment. When that " to-do " subsided, I slipped 
 along myself, and, concluding from their speech that 
 they were gentlemen, I determined to be " genteel " 
 at all risks. So, on went the muslin and bows, and 
 after giving strict directions to the two best-looking 
 Girls to follo\y in five minutes with the salver and 
 cake-basket (nothing on the salver but milk !), I gave 
 
 2O
 
 306 SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 the last pull to the dress, straightened myself up, and 
 entered the Drawing-Room with a pleasant smile, to 
 behold two villainous Slavers, with nothing on but 
 old nether garments and woollen shirts ! 
 
 Our next bit of excitement was on New Year's 
 Day, when the usual shooting match came off, and 
 prizes were awarded to the winners. The most 
 amusing part to us was the racing amongst younger 
 Boys and Girls. The Chief, whom John had placed 
 in charge of the prizes, would put a belt, necktie, or 
 bit of red calico on a post at a certain distance off, 
 and then the word of command was given to the 
 eager little monkeys, and they made such a scramble 
 as they neared it ! The grand entertainment, how- 
 ever, the Magic Lantern, was reserved for the evening, 
 and was quite a success. Everybody on the island 
 that was able to crawl at all put in an appearance, 
 including two old bed-ridden women, who set out in 
 the early morning and managed a journey of two 
 miles by the time it got dark ! John had all Mr. 
 Watt's slides, as well as his own, and the Natives 
 were in perfect ecstasies of delight the whole evening ; 
 but when he finished off with "the revolving light," 
 they fairly yelled with delight and amazement, 
 declaring it must be " Tetovas " (=gods) who made 
 that! 
 
 We had even a more exciting time that night week, 
 though by no means so pleasant, as it came in the 
 shape of a violent hurricane, which has certainly left 
 John a ticket of remembrance, for he has never been
 
 VIOLENT HURRICANE 307 
 
 well since. It began on the evening of January 8th, 
 and raged till next morning. I was never so little 
 able to battle with an event of that kind, being ill 
 at the time, and when we had to turn out of bed 
 (John never went to his) to face the blast I was too 
 weak to stand. But out we must go ; the house was 
 creaking and shaking as if it would -fall any moment, 
 the thatch was standing on end, and the rain coming 
 down in bucketfuls. The lamp was the occupant of 
 Walter's little bed, protected round with curtains 
 from the wind. Frank was woke up to get dressed ; 
 and John rushed out with Jay rolled in blankets to 
 leave him in charge of the Girls at a safe distance, 
 but not one was to be found on the premises. They 
 had fled into some cave for shelter, so he had to lay 
 the child down asleep and fly back to hurry out the 
 rest of us. He got Baby and me enveloped in a 
 pair of thick blankets, but the moment we reached 
 the door they flew into space ! Frank was got out, 
 and Jay found again with difficulty in the pitchy 
 darkness, still uninjured though trees were flying 
 like hailstones but frantic with terror, poor wee man. 
 We were all soaked to the skin, ere we had gone two 
 steps all except Baby, as I bent nearly double over 
 him, remembering poor Baby McKenzie in the Fate 
 hurricane and glad we were to reach the Cellar door 
 in safety. 
 
 You've had hurricanes described often enough, and 
 this one proceeded in the usual style ; only I vowed 
 to put down a pair of speaking-trumpets in our next
 
 3 o8 SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 Colonial order, the wind made such a deafening roar. 
 Worse than the storm, and night refuge in the Cellar, 
 is the return to the, desolate, miserable-looking house, 
 picking our way over fallen trees, branches, bits of 
 thatch, etc. walks that were trim and neat the day 
 before nowhere- to be seen.- When we got into the 
 house, our clothes still wet and clinging around us, 
 the first thing John did .was to shovel out the water ! 
 Broken windows greeted us on every hand blankets, 
 mattresses, curtains, mats, everything soaking, and 
 all covered inches thick with nasty black debris from 
 the thatch boxes, drawers, and their contents, all 
 managing to come in' for a share of the rain. No 
 house's were blown down, at least not at the Mission 
 Premises, and it was not the most violent hurricane 
 we've had ; but owing to the week of incessant rain 
 which followed, when we could get nothing dried, 
 and, I suppose, our being less able to endure it, it 
 told more upon us than any previous storm. 
 
 I managed to keep up for an hour that weary 
 morning, making a desperate effort to get things a 
 little tidy; and then, yielding to John's entreaties, I 
 sank into bed. He had got mattresses brought to a 
 dry corner in one of the rooms, putting dry things 
 over all, and there I lay for a week between death 
 and life. Rain, rain, incessant rain, the whole time ; 
 and John at last left without a dry change ! Splendid 
 for his rheumatism ! But fortunately he did not feel 
 it at the time ; it is bad enough for the mistress of 
 a house to be laid aside at such a season. It was a.
 
 MISCHIEVOUS GIRLS 309 
 
 great blessing that Baby had such a splendid nurse ; 
 but all the other Girls had been married off, except 
 little smitchets who were too young to be useful. 
 They were adepts in mischief though. The two newest 
 comers distinguished themselves by emptying sugar- 
 basins, etc., as fast as they were filled, spiriting away 
 whatever took their fancy, and cheating poor John 
 right and left almost under his very nose, helping 
 him to look for the missing articles with the most 
 innocent faces imaginable ! They danced out in the 
 rain to their hearts' content, lay down at night in 
 their wet clothes, and took midnight rambles on the 
 beach. Altogether, they managed to make the time 
 pass most agreeably, till I got an inkling of things 
 from one of the washerwomen, and dispatched them 
 home instantly with a message to their parents to 
 take charge of them till I was able. 
 
 After that dismal week, things grew brighter ; the 
 sun burst forth, and the house was turned inside out 
 to get dried, but some of the matting was ruined. 
 What tremendous washings we had ! The tanks had 
 been filled, and the whole island now shone verdant 
 after the long-continued drought. There was a 
 " needs be " for all the dark rainy days we had gone 
 through. The whole house was re-thatched ; and 
 then I determined to inaugurate the great annual 
 cleaning to save another turn up, though two months 
 before the usual time. 
 
 Just as we were in the middle of it, however, and 
 had set all hands to work so as to whitewash the
 
 310 SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 whole house in one day, there was a cry of Sail O ! 
 A Man-of-War, they declared, even to the very 
 smoke. I sank down panic-struck. Not a hole 
 ready for their reception ! Our own room and the 
 Dining-Room were nearest completion, but would not 
 be habitable till evening ; and there were all the old 
 sticks, exposed to view in the midday blazing sun, 
 a very different thing from seeing them in cool shady 
 rooms dressed up in bright chintz and fancy work ! 
 John had no such concern, and only grudged having 
 to leave his precious Study to our tender mercies 
 while he went off to the boat landing. 
 
 The vessel turned out to be a Slaver, and sent 
 in a boat with Native crew and two white men in 
 search of Natives. The boat kept in deep water 
 just outside the reef, and some Aniwans waded out 
 and were shouted to in Sandal-wood English. They 
 wanted men or boys, and would give a musket 
 for every one they got. Our Natives shouted back 
 that they were Missis worshipping people, and did not 
 want to go with Traders. One of the white men 
 stupidly (it must have been in fun) levelled a musket 
 at one of our Natives, when the cap snapped and 
 set the Natives in a great rage, believing that he 
 tried to kill some of them. The man levelled at, a 
 fiery fellow, a returned labourer, flew for his musket, 
 and would have made short work with the white 
 man, had not John and the Church Members inter- 
 fered, John actually standing right between him and 
 the boat to prevent shots being fired. He waved the
 
 TRADERS' LIES 311 
 
 boat off with his hat, pointing to the armed man, 
 which they seemed to comprehend, and after return- 
 ing hats they made for the ship, which soon disappeared 
 in the horizon. 
 
 I was annoyed enough at John exposing himself, 
 not that a person on Anivva now would harm him, 
 for I often wish that they loved their Saviour as 
 much as they do their Missionary, but it is seldom 
 one's duty to stand in the way of loaded muskets ! 
 You would hardly believe, though, the kind of thanks 
 he got from the wretches he tried to save. They 
 went to Fate, and wrote out a paper to the effect that 
 they "had called at Aniwa for labourers, but that 
 the Missionary, Mr. Paton, had come out to attack 
 them at the head of an armed party. The man in 
 charge of the boat, however, had Mr. Paton covered 
 with his rifle, so that had a single shot been fired 
 into it he would have fallen in revenge." And the 
 paper has been posted up on the door of the principal 
 store in Havannah Harbour ! Those are the sort of 
 men authorized by our British Government to scour 
 these Islands. We were perfectly thunderstruck 
 when Mr. McDonald happened to mention it to 
 John, after he had decided to go North, in case he 
 should see it himself. Mr. McDonald sees enough 
 of the Traders and their doings, and treated it with 
 amused contempt, as it deserved. 
 
 It is nearly as bad as the Nguna case, where the 
 chief mate of the Jason swore in a Queensland law- 
 court that the Rev. P. Milne caused the Natives to
 
 312 SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 fire into his boat. A Man-of-War was dispatched to 
 inquire into the proceedings of this dreadful Mis- 
 sionary, and it was proved that poor Mr. Milne was 
 sound asleep in his bed (it was early morning), and 
 did not even know of the affray till months after it 
 happened. It was the two husbands of two Native 
 women, that this honest mate was trying to make off 
 with (and did make off with), that owned to having 
 fired the shots ! It is not the first time that John has 
 interfered to save the worthless lives of these Slavers ; 
 but the whole fraternity may be riddled with bullets 
 before I consent to his stirring his finger again in their 
 miserable quarrels. 
 
 Notwithstanding the hurricane, this last hot season 
 was a most charming one compared to the previous, 
 when poor, poor Mungaw kept us in such constant 
 terror. It was strange that the anniversary of his 
 murder should be ushered in with the most tremen- 
 dous thunderbolt conceivable, causing everybody on 
 the island to spring out of bed in terror, supposing 
 'in the first moments of consciousness that some one 
 had fired a cannon right into their ears. The loud- 
 ness of the report, however, and the roars of thunder, 
 proclaimed it to be Heaven's artillery. It occurred 
 a few seconds after midnight, and we thought the 
 island must have been split in two, but no real 
 damage was done. The Natives were greatly im- 
 pressed with the coincidence, and did not fail to 
 inform Mungaw's murderer of it in the deafest side 
 of his head adding that Jehovah was showing .His
 
 DESPAIRING LOVERS 313 
 
 strength now, and letting him see what he would get 
 if he did not repent of his conduct, both he and his 
 accomplice ! 
 
 Litsi has since consoled herself with another 
 husband, related to poor Mungaw, and a real love- 
 match, as they both freely confessed. Litsi was as 
 playful and coy over it as a young lassie ; though, 
 when she stood up for the ceremony, she whisperingly 
 informed the by-standers with a giggle that she didn't 
 want to get married ! I suppose she thought some 
 pretence of an apology necessary for her third 
 appearance in that Church as a bride. We felt 
 thankful when the marriage was past, for there had 
 been the usual scramble to get her, and consequent 
 bitterness of feeling by the rejected ones some of 
 them far handsomer and better men than the prize- 
 winner. But then Noopooraw had shown the depth 
 of his affection by threatening to kill her if she did 
 not have him, which according to Native ideas is the 
 strongest expression of devotion, and is precisely the 
 same as a wildly enthusiastic admirer threatening to 
 kill himself in similar circumstances amongst you. 
 The despairing lover in these Seas never dreams of 
 taking his own life, but hers instead, rinding that pro- 
 bably the more powerful argument of the two ! 
 
 We had another marriage among my Girls, some 
 time before this, which made us very sad. It was 
 dear little Kawiwi, who used to be Bob's playmate 
 when he was a baby. She has the softest and most 
 beautiful gazelle-like eyes I ever saw in a Native, and
 
 3 H SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 has been with us since she was quite a little thing, 
 so her wedding was a great affair. There was no 
 " bad talk " about it, as she had been promised by her 
 parents some years previously only our herd, Joiner, 
 a handsome boy, decidedly objected to her being 
 given away to a man who had two dead wives already, 
 and opened his heart to John one evening upon the 
 subject, pleading with him to get the match broken 
 off more than a year ago. John referred him to her 
 father, but he seemed to lack courage, so the old 
 engagement was adhered to and the wedding finery 
 finished. 
 
 The evening before the ceremony, Kawiwi slipped 
 into the Study and sat down on the floor rather an 
 unusual proceeding with the great tears dropping 
 from her eyes. That drew forth John's whole 
 sympathies ; and, finding that it was about her 
 wedding, he sent for her father at once, and we had 
 a long talk with him. In his first surprise and 
 indignation, he spluttered out that he would shoot 
 her if she dared to say a word against it ; but, being 
 really a tender-hearted father (and in the presence 
 of the Missi moreover !), he calmed down quickly 
 and apologized for his rough words, saying they came 
 from his mouth only, not his heart. We begged her 
 to speak out her mind freely, if she would rather have 
 "Joiner" (John was secretly attached to "Joiner's" 
 cause), but all that could be got out of her was, 
 " Let the wedding be delayed for a while." Her 
 father alluded pathetically to the pigs that had been
 
 MARRIAGE AND LOVE 315 
 
 killed for them by the bridegroom, and showed how 
 awkwardly it placed him after receiving them she 
 should have spoken out sooner, etc., etc. But we 
 persuaded him to do as the poor girl wished. He 
 got her away for a while next morning, however, 
 and reappeared triumphant, declaring she was perfectly 
 reconciled to the wedding, and that it was sorrow 
 about leaving us which caused her tears ! They had 
 just talked her into it, and perhaps frightened her 
 too, for she returned with red eyes, only crying 
 bitterly when we asked if she were willing. 
 
 John sent again for her father, and before her 
 dared him to risk the girl's happiness for life ; so they 
 got her outside again and had another long talk with 
 her. The principal argument would have caused 
 great amusement in a white community, for I over- 
 heard her step-mother saying very earnestly : " I can 
 assure you, there's not a Chief, or a creature on the 
 island, has any objection to this wedding except 
 yourself, and how can you object when everybody else 
 is pleased ! " We had our turn at her after that, 
 though privately (poor lassie, how her ears were 
 dinned that day !), and besought her to be true to her 
 own heart ere it was too late, and we would protect 
 and care for her as our own girl and she could still 
 live with us. She seemed by this time determined to 
 go through with it, and said it was good she should 
 marry Kafoi ; so she was brought up to the stake, a 
 sweet young lassie of sixteen ! Not that Kafoi was 
 a Bluebeard by any means ; for a kinder, nicer-
 
 316 SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 looking little man, there is not on Aniwa ; but then 
 she did not at all love him and John said, as he 
 stamped indignantly along to Church, that he would 
 sooner follow her to her grave. To crown all, she 
 turned round and gave John such an imploring look 
 at the Church door as sent him nearly frantic, and he 
 looked pale during the Service. I had a lump in my 
 throat, but it changed to palpitation and alarm when 
 it came to Kawiwi's turn (there were also two other 
 couples being married), and John would not take the 
 muffled sound she gave for answer to the momentous 
 question as to whether or not she would have the 
 fellow at her right in his new white vest to be her 
 lawful spouse, etc., etc. He repeated the question 
 very gently (as if to encourage her to say No], but 
 out came the affirmative low and clear, and she was 
 done for. 
 
 Her revenge, however, was now to be taken. She 
 came to bid us Goodbye in the evening, sobbing 
 bitterly. She then went to her father's Village, where 
 Kafoi had made a nice new house for them both ; but 
 into it she never has entered, and we firmly believe 
 she never will. She is gentle and sweet to them all as 
 ever, but just meekly dour. Kafoi bore most patiently 
 thinking she might change in a few months, but by 
 that time the young lady had brighter prospects. 
 Her old flame, " Joiner," had gone a voyage in the 
 Day spring as one of the boat's crew, when his year's 
 engagement with us was up, and had learnt to sing 
 Jn the S'Meet By-and-Bye from the sailors. He came
 
 ELOPEMENT OF KAWIWI 317 
 
 back full of it, and begged John to translate it 
 which he did, chorus and all and we had a fine large 
 Singing Class every evening, with the piano wheeled 
 into the Dining-Room. I took the bass with the Boys, 
 as the Girls, who have decidedly the best voices, 
 needed no help with the air. I never saw them enter 
 so heartily into any hymn, and they manage the 
 parts well. They would have sung the whole night 
 if they might, and would go into the Cook-House after 
 I dismissed them and have a rehearsal there. 
 
 We now fear, however, that it was at these meetings 
 that " Joiner " and Kawiwi resumed their former 
 intimacy ; at any rate, not very long afterwards she 
 eloped with her " true true love," in broad daylight, 
 under cover of attending a little Bible Reading which 
 I have with my Girls every Sunday afternoon ! It 
 was an awful blow to us all, and there was little sleep 
 that night. Next morning, the Islanders rose to a 
 man except, of course, the offenders and came to 
 ask John what was to be done, as some course must 
 be taken to punish the desperadoes in that Village, who 
 had long kept the whole island in disquiet by their 
 wicked deeds from time to time and were only getting 
 the more emboldened by forbearance. They said that 
 " Joiner " would never have dared to act thus, if he 
 were not thoroughly backed up. John frankly told 
 them that it was easier for him to say what was right, 
 than to advise them as to what was expedient, as the two 
 villains (Mungaw's murderers) in that Village would 
 think no more of shooting a few of them than of
 
 318 SLAYERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 breathing, in fact would enjoy the excitement, and he 
 told them to pray for and expect guidance before 
 deciding. 
 
 They did so I think, with their minds made up 
 beforehand to go in a body and demand them to 
 deliver up Kawiwi or take the consequences. Poor 
 " Joiner " and his friends didn't wait for consequences, 
 but made clean heels into the Bush, the moment they 
 caught sight of the two armed Chiefs heading the 
 large party, and left poor Kawiwi to entertain her 
 visitors alone. She was soon marched back to her 
 Village by a guard of honour ; and then the business 
 of the day commenced, and the ringleaders were 
 rewarded for all their evil deeds. Houses were burnt, 
 plantations demolished, and the food divided among 
 the warriors. Their next effort was to secure the 
 pigs ; but they, like their owners, took to their heels 
 and hid in the Bush so they contented themselves 
 with what they had done, and left a message for the 
 delinquents to the effect that they had only attacked 
 their property this time, but if they ever again tried 
 to set the Worship at defiance they would attack 
 themselves. The Chief of that Village, himself a good 
 man, stood by and concurred in all that was done, 
 saying, as he had often done before, that he was 
 broken-hearted with them. John also approved of 
 all that was done, and was relieved beyond measure 
 that it was accomplished without bloodshed. The 
 Chiefs finished up to him the recital of the day's 
 work, triumphantly declaring, And, Mzssi, they'll
 
 JOY ON ERROMANGA 319 
 
 never dare call us Women after tJiis. That Village 
 has certainly kept a "calm sough" ever since, and 
 " Joiner " has found it convenient to pay a visit to 
 Aneityum. 
 
 It is getting very late, and I must pass over all else 
 and tell you what a charming time we had at 
 Erromanga, where the Mission Synod was held this 
 year. Mrs. McDonald and I were the only ladies to 
 keep Mrs. Robertson company ; and I was compli- 
 mented upon now being the " Mother " of the Mission, 
 and carrying my honours quite becomingly having 
 become plump and vigorous since the hurricane. . . . 
 It seemed like fairy-land to enter dear Mrs. Robert- 
 son's pretty, shady, cool house after enduring two 
 days' suffocation with the horrid bilge water on board 
 the Dayspring. . . . Every day brought us fresh 
 pleasure, afternoon rambles on the mountains and 
 walks by the river-course up that beautiful valley, 
 when " the brethren " were at liberty to dance attend- 
 ance on us, having all their Synod business over before 
 dinner. . . . How pleasantly those days flew past, 
 only they can understand who have been shut off from 
 kindred spirits as we are ! We three ladies were, of 
 course, all that could be wished for ; and every one 
 of the Missionaries was kinder than another. Even 
 in Synod, where Ministers are apt to indulge in the 
 grace of candour to an uncalled-for degree, there was 
 not a jarring word owing perhaps to that bilge water 
 having taken all the bile out of them on the 
 voyage ! . . .
 
 320 SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 The house is charmingly situated on terraced 
 ground at the foot of a high mountain, near the 
 centre of the .Bay, with that- lovely river to the right 
 flowing past within a few yards of the enclosure. . . r 
 Our eyes were constantly wandering off to the lovely 
 scene before us and one with a history too ! That 
 very river was once reddened with the blood of 
 Williams and of Harris, and the grass-covered moun- 
 tain towering up from it was the scene of the Gordon 
 tragedy while their gravestones gleam white through 
 the greenery on its opposite banks. Dear Mr. 
 McNair's grave is close beside them. All looked so 
 peaceful now, with the Day spring lying quietly at 
 anchor in the Bay, and canoes manned by Christian 
 Natives paddling about in its blue waters ! 
 
 What a contrast to those former days of blood ; and 
 even a contrast, as the Robertsons told us, to what 
 they had to suffer only in January last. The Heathen 
 Chiefs were getting fierce at the rapid strides Chris- 
 tianity was making all round the island, and laid a 
 deep plot to take the Missionaries' lives. They chose 
 their time well, when nearly all Mr. Robertson's young 
 men were away at Cook's Bay ; and you may imagine 
 his and Mrs. Robertson's feelings, when the alarm got 
 up one night as they sat quietly reading. They went 
 into their bedroom and took their stand beside their 
 three sleeping Children. Escape by sea was impossible, 
 even could they get to their boat the night being 
 stormy. Mrs. Robertson turned to her husband and 
 said, " Do you think they could touch those sleeping
 
 THE COURAGE OF YOMIT 321 
 
 lambs ? " He smiled bitterly, " What do they care 
 for our sleeping lambs ? " Yomit, a devoted Erro- 
 mangan Teacher, came' in to them, and she turned 
 to him saying, " O Yomit, do you think they could 
 have the heart to kill those little sleeping darlings ? " 
 He raised his arm and said, Missi, tJieyll Jiave to cut 
 this body of mine in pieces ere ever they get near them / 
 He started off and collected all the available help 
 necessary, sending secret messages overland in different 
 directions to their friends, so that before morning the 
 Mission House was surrounded by two hundred 
 warriors ready to give their liv.es in defence of their 
 Missionary. And these were the very men who 
 murdered the Gordons explain the change ! Jesus 
 has been amongst them.! . . . 
 
 Our visit there was all too short, as the Synod lasted 
 only a week. We commemorated the Lord's Supper 
 together, on the Sabbath evening before we "broke 
 up. One evening 'too there was an interesting Bible 
 Society meeting, at which John Was Chairman ; and, 
 in response to an urgent appeal from London, Mr. 
 Copeland proposed that Missionaries and seamen 
 should all add a day's wages to their usual subscrip- 
 tion which was most willingly agreed to. ... 
 
 We tore across from Erromanga with a good wind, 
 landing about sun-down, and got a warm welcome 
 from our dear old Darkies, who had all turned out 
 in their best garments to meet us though it was 
 pouring rain. John went on in the Dayspring to be 
 left on Tanna for a fortnight at Kwamera, to make 
 
 21
 
 322 SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 some small return for the Watts' great kindness to 
 our Natives while we were in Melbourne. . . . He 
 enjoyed his fortnight there intensely. The Mission 
 Premises were like a new pin, and the Tannese 
 longing for Mr. and Mrs. Watt's return with their 
 whole hearts. Their little Boys and Girls at the 
 Station attended to John so faithfully, and continually 
 followed him about, asking daily and often in a day 
 the same question, When will our Missis be back ? 
 There are more than the Tannese longing for their 
 return, and it will be a glad day when we see their 
 dear faces again. . . . 
 
 John has decided not to make any .change for 
 another year, if at all able to hold on. It is no use 
 now for me to pretend I'm delicate, as appearances 
 so tell against me ! But I insist that I've got heart 
 disease, and that only the sight of my bairns can 
 cure it Frank and I have been begging and plead- 
 ing with Papa night and day to agree to a plan I've 
 set my heart on viz., to get all the three down by 
 the Dayspring next trip, as she will only be a month 
 on the Islands before returning to Sydney, and that 
 would not lose them much schooling. I should not 
 care a straw if it did ! It all seems so feasible ; for 
 the Dayspring lies a month in Sydney this time, and 
 there would be time to prepare. I know that dear 
 Mrs. McGregor, and Mr. too, would fully sympathize 
 with me in this plan, and not set me down as daft. 
 The bairns would go back all the better for the change, 
 arriving in Melbourne again a little after New Year.
 
 A NATIVE OVATION 323 
 
 Oh, how it would set me up to have one look at them ; 
 but I fear it's building castles in the air ! 
 
 It is only a week yesterday since John returned 
 from Kwamcra, and was overwhelmed with such an 
 ovation as he never yet got from our Natives. They 
 opened their hearts to the most unheard-of generosity, 
 and actually parted with their precious pigs to show 
 their love for him, besides a great quantity of yam. 
 They also gave a present about half the size of ours 
 to the Captain of the Dayspring pigs, yams, cocoa- 
 nuts, and bananas. His were laid on the centre patch 
 of grass before the house, and John's to the side in 
 front of the Study door. The pigs (13 in number!) 
 all tied and laid out to be seen to the best advantage 
 (they were heard too), so that when Captain and Mrs. 
 Braithwaite and John arrived they were greeted with 
 
 Pigs to right of them, 
 Pigs to left of them, 
 Pigs in front of them, 
 
 Guzzling and grunting ! 
 
 How they did grunt ! The Captain growled out 
 his thanks in sailor's phraseology, which having trans- 
 lated John walked round to the side, followed by 
 his grinning Parishioners, and politely thanked them 
 for their kind gifts to us, telling them that it was 
 the feeling which prompted it more than the gift 
 itself which he valued. I feel that he was telling 
 the truth in all sincerity, for he hates the very sight 
 of pork, and whispered aside to me, " What on earth 
 are we to do with all these beasts ? " . . .
 
 324 SLAVERS AND FRIENDS 
 
 We expect the Dayspring in about a fortnight to 
 call for our Mail, and as I have a very large one to 
 answer it is time it were begun, for we'll be very much 
 interrupted by the arrowroot making. The whole 
 of the Natives are busy digging it up at present, 
 and the premises will be like a beehive in a few 
 days when they begin to grate it. We were so 
 pleased to be able to tell them that the last sold so 
 very well, through the great kindness of Melbourne 
 friends. The calico in the South Yarra boxes- 
 worth its weight in gold is being sewed up into 
 sheets and bags for drying and packing it, as fast as 
 ever we can ; but we hardly expect it to be ready to 
 go till the December trip of the Vessel. They are to 
 have another book of the Bible printed in the Aniwan 
 language. 
 
 Ever with warmest love, 
 Your loving sister, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 APPENDIX TO XV 
 
 (TO HER DEAR SISTER-IN-LAW) 
 
 ANIWA, NEW HEBRIDES, 
 
 July, 1879. 
 
 MY DEAREST LIZZIE, I wrote a long general 
 Epistle yesterday, but have reserved the best' news 
 for you. 
 
 Your most welcome letters of August last arrived 
 by the Dayspring in April, and were greedily 
 devoured. The February packet came a month 
 later, just as we were leaving for Erromanga; so 
 we did not get them looked at, till we arrived 
 there. 
 
 As soon as we got on board, Mr. Laurie gave us 
 the parcel from Home, and how am I to thank you ? 
 We are just ashamed of all your kindness from time 
 to time, and have never yet sent you a curio in 
 return ; but I'm really going to get up a box of 
 shells, etc. There are not many very valuable 
 specimens here, but we'll send the best we can get. 
 
 We were two days going across to Erromanga, 
 as it was a head wind ; and I was dead sick. But 
 my curiosity and Frank's eagerness to see 'the knife 
 which Fanny wrote about rose to such a pitch that 
 
 325
 
 326 APPENDIX TO XV 
 
 the parcel had to be brought on deck, the second 
 morning ; and even their Reverences gathered round 
 to behold and admire, as the things of delight were 
 passed from hand to hand. John and dear Copeland, 
 sitting on the deck and their backs against the 
 Companion near me, had the first look. The House 
 that Jack Built and John Gilpin, illustrated, were 
 heartily laughed over. I was badly teased about 
 the dash I was going to cut at Erromanga, in my 
 new lace, which is very handsome, and far too kind 
 of your dear Mother to give me ! . . . 
 
 It is queer that both James and she should have 
 been guided to the very things I most need ; for, 
 do you know, that my entire stock of good collars 
 and handkerchiefs were ruined by the great hurricane 
 in January. The japanned box, in which they were, 
 was quite forgotten till some weeks later ; and then, 
 on raising the lid, I had to lift them out in bits, just 
 to be thrown away. Thank James heartily from me 
 for the dozen fine new handkerchiefs, as I forgot to 
 mention that in his letter. . . . 
 
 Minn's heart will be fairly uplifted with her beauti- 
 ful brooch ; which, they all said, was the prettiest 
 in silver they had ever seen. I'm just vexed at all 
 your kindness and then that handsome dress for 
 Baby, a real boy's costume ! I must admit, though, 
 that he admired the ball most of all, and went 
 sprawling after it all over the deck. As for Frank's 
 knife, it is like to come between him and his wits ; 
 for, boy-like, it is the thing he most covets. If the
 
 THE SLAVERS 327 
 
 Bairns come to us from the Colonies, as I want them, 
 the next trip, the brooch is to be put on Minn's plate 
 on her birthday, December I3th, which she will in 
 that case pass here at Home. 
 
 By the way, we had quite a little stir here on her 
 last birthday, just a few days after the Dayspring left 
 us. I was waiting on John for tea, which was very 
 late, as he was at some out-of-door work with" the 
 Natives ; and, Baby being restless, I strolled out to 
 the verandah, giving a careless look towards the Sea, 
 as I moved along. What was my amazement to 
 behold, in the dim light, a Vessel in full sail, and 
 close in to the shore ! I thought I must be dreaming, 
 and stared again to make quite sure ; but there she 
 was as large as life, a two-masted schooner, sailing 
 slowly past, and didn't I shout Sail O ! John and his 
 Niggers came running to the side-gate to see ; and 
 the Girls tumbled out of all sorts of odd corners, 
 trying to get up a whimper about a French invasion, 
 though they were dancing with excitement over this 
 new sensation. 
 
 John thought it might be one of the English 
 Gunboats, and sprang into his most respectable 
 "blacks " to rush out and receive worthily the repre- 
 sentative of Her Majesty. He had a most picturesque 
 train of the Darkies flying at his heels ; and they 
 were all in full gallop down the " brae " leading from 
 our gate, when they came bump up against their 
 visitors, emerging out of the shadows of the night. 
 Meanwhile I had been making- frantic exertions to
 
 APPENDIX TO XV 
 
 "put my best foot foremost" in the Mission House 
 had got out my Silver Salver (" cabbaged " out of 
 my housekeeping in the Colonies), and had arranged 
 on it the tumblers, and my precious frosted crystal 
 jug filled with milk ; had cut fresh cake for the 
 cake-basket, lighted up the Drawing-Room, and 
 placed out all my best "tidies," and all this barely 
 in time to welcome two half-naked Slavers! They 
 made, however, ample apologies for their attire, and 
 enjoyed without any apology the milk and cake as 
 only sailors could. John and I could hardly drink 
 bur tea for laughing, after they left the laughter 
 would recur in irrepressible bursts ; and the Natives, 
 who have instinctively a very keen sense of the 
 ludicrous, yelled and shouted and jabbered till after 
 ten o'clock at night. . . . 
 
 Frank has had a grand laugh at my expense just 
 now. I was praising up Baby for all the darlings 
 and Mother's pets for creeping to me under the 
 table, and put down my hands to protect his wee 
 head, when, instead, Master Jim's (or Jay, as he styles 
 himself) curly pate bobbed up ! He is a sturdy 
 specimen, with golden brown curls, and the most 
 comical speeches. Last Sunday I was reading his 
 little "Peep o' Day" about Adam's fall, and explained 
 that it had made 'us all naughty; but Jay had no 
 notion of being responsible for his forefather's trans- 
 gression, and said, Pse not naughty, I didn't eat de 
 fruit '! What theology for a Missionary's son ! 
 
 I think, though, that our wee Walter is going to
 
 THE MOTHER-HEART 329 
 
 be " the flower of the flock." He is desperately 
 interesting at present ; full of fun and dimples ; a 
 very pale clear complexion, and magnificent dark 
 eyes, speaking ones. But, a few months ago, I 
 thought they were too beautiful for this world ; and 
 I used constantly to say, if James saw them (your 
 James), he could not choose but sit down and write a 
 screed of poetry about them on the spot ! They had 
 no settled colour, and varied from slate colour to 
 purple and blue, with such liquid depths. Now, don't 
 you think I'm daftl Frank decidedly says I am; and 
 one day, while chattering some outrageous nonsense 
 to my Baby, telling him I never knew what true 
 love was till I laid eyes on- hirri, etc., etc., Frank said 
 gravely, What fibs you do tell, Mamma! Did you go 
 on like tJiat to all your Babies ? I said, " Yes ; I 
 suppose they all got it in turns," and the rogue 
 replied with mock solemnity, "Oh, what an example 
 to set before your, children ! It's a wonder we didn't 
 all grow up story-tellers." . . . 
 
 We had a charming time at the Synod, and the 
 Robertsons had all their arrangements made to 
 perfection ; but John insists that I shall write my 
 Journal Letter as usual (I didn't mean to, having 
 nothing sensational enough !), so I needn't tell you 
 about it here. It was there we read your February 
 letters they had been stuffed into our hands as we 
 went aboard and how we did laugh, Lizzie, at your 
 description of the Country Managers' and Elders' 
 party ! We could just fancy that chap's " recitation."
 
 330 APPENDIX TO XV 
 
 John laughed till I had to order him to be quiet, 
 for fear of waking the Baby. You'll have to order 
 Bob or Fred home for the next "cookie shine," as 
 they've both made their debut as public performers. 
 Fred was first, the young monkey, reciting some 
 story at a Band of Hope meeting ; and Bob followed 
 suit, next night, with a parody on " Sir John Moore," 
 a laughable piece about mosquitoes ! . . . 
 
 O Lizzie, my heart's just like to break, when I think 
 of all their little ways, and I can't be with them ! It 
 was always such a delight just to open the door for 
 them, on their return from School, so full of spirits, 
 and nearly always some news to tell, or some good- 
 humoured bit of mimicry ; and then, if they had got 
 an unexpected holiday, their hurrahs were deafening. 
 Fred used to let off his steam by lifting me clean off 
 my feet (weak arm and all), before I knew what I 
 was about. It's more than he could do now, for 
 I've got so strong and fat, plumper than I have been 
 since our marriage. I'm very thankful to be so well, 
 and praise God for this and all our family joys. . . . 
 
 I'll not dare read over this, else I would be 
 ashamed to send it so far. 
 
 Ever with best love, 
 
 Your loving sister, 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 XVI 
 
 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT AND OF SHADOW 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 ANIWA, NEW HEBRIDES, 
 
 July, 1880. 
 
 EVER DEAR ONES," The fierce light that beats 
 upon a throne " is just nothing to the way that 
 Missionaries are watched and commented upon in 
 public ! Have seen some lovely criticisms in an old 
 paper that came in the Dayspring, making John out 
 an accomplished scoundrel, for selfishly wishing to 
 keep the Natives from the grand benefits which the 
 Slavers can offer them in Civilization, and all for his 
 own gain. Now, between those brave white men 
 (I believe they call themselves men), who wax valiant 
 against the Missionary when he is too far away to 
 see or reply to their attacks, and the Natives who 
 look up to him as a sort of demi-god, he might be 
 tempted to wonder what sort of man he really is ! 
 
 One poor over-worked skeleton, who was brought 
 back from the Sugar Plantations to die lately, had 
 such unbounded faith in the Missionary, that he was 
 perfectly willing he should negotiate matters for him
 
 332 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT AND OF SHADOW 
 
 in the other world. He did not know where he was 
 going ; he had never heard the name of Jesus, all the 
 years he was in Queensland ; but he trusted in the 
 Missi that he had only known and loved for a short 
 three weeks, because he cared for him like a human 
 being, and ministered to his dying wants. It is not 
 the work we object to ; labour is to them and to us 
 a blessing ; and I often wish the Natives had less 
 time for idling, and " bad talk " about witchcraft 
 and the like. Still, Providence has neither made 
 them, nor meant them, for such toils as white men ; 
 and they are quite of this mind, having the means of 
 subsistence all easily within their reach. They have 
 not the stamina we have, and otight not to be forced 
 to exercise what they have not got. It only "kills 
 them. The worst of all is that, so far as facts under 
 our observation seem to go^ no man cares for their 
 souls. They are too often treated as mere beasts 
 of burden. 
 
 I must admit, however, that they may look rather 
 like wild animals to the Planters, if they are Heathen 
 Natives ; and their expressions won't be any the 
 more Angelic, when they know they are there simply 
 for what can be got out of them. They feel things 
 of that kind more than some would imagine. On 
 our last visit to Australia, for instance, when Yawaci 
 was with us as Nurse, and treated in the kindest 
 manner, she had many a good cry over the way that 
 people stared at her. I did not know of this till, one 
 day, she was called in to shake hands with a worthy
 
 THE BLUSHES OF A BLACK 333 
 
 friend of Missions, who settled her specs properly to 
 take an inquiring look from head to foot. Yawaci 
 slipped out of the room ; and, later in the evening, 
 she sent in a note by one of the Children (they write 
 it, even when staying under your roof, if they have 
 anything special or disagreeable to say), saying : 
 "Our Father in Heaven made us all, both Black and 
 White ; and why should the white Children stare 
 and stare at the black ones, as if they were wild 
 beasts ? " I flew to comfort her, and reminded lier 
 of how -the Aniwans not only stared at .us, when we 
 first arrived, but even felt us all over. SHe rejoined : 
 "But I don't think you would feel it as I do. You 
 were above us, and you knew it, and did not expect 
 anything better from Savages ! " 
 
 Yawaci's perception and penetration often astonished 
 us. She was, indeed, civilized to a degree, and fairly 
 blushed (I can tell when a Native blushes, from the 
 soft warm glow that suffuses the dark skin), when 
 she saw the nude Statues in the Fitzroy Gardens, 
 asking if they were put there " to show how dark- 
 hearted the People had been here, before they took 
 the Worship" There was a small-pox scare in 
 Melbourne at that time, which resulted in a decree 
 going forth that all the world should be vaccinated, 
 and she was in a perfect " stew," for days beforehand, 
 at the idea of having to take her arm out of her 
 dress in presence of the Doctor ! I was so very 
 pleased at this delicate bashfulness in one who, a few 
 years before, had come to us as an untutored Savage.
 
 334 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT AND OF SHADOW 
 
 While I write, we have had a prolonged earthquake, 
 which always leaves me like a piece of animated 
 jelly. The first time I ever experienced the sensation, 
 shortly after landing on Aniwa, I imagined, as we 
 were roused out of sleep, that it was the Natives 
 under the house trying to kill us ; and when John 
 said, "Earthquake!" the sense of relief was heavenly. 
 I never before felt so intensely the meaning of the 
 Psalmist's words, " Let me fall into the hands of 
 God, and not of men." 
 
 Polygamy on Aniwa is now a thing of the past, 
 as Waiwai, the only man who clung to it, lost both 
 his wives last year. They were both exceptionally 
 fine women, and he an affectionate husband, and one, 
 moreover, who loved plenty of attention and good 
 living. When the second one died, he came very 
 desolate-looking for a spade to dig her grave, and 
 said, " Missi, there's a great void here." But, instead 
 of laying his hand upon his heart, which in the 
 circumstances might have been supposed to illustrate 
 the vacuum, he significantly clapped his stomach, 
 saying he had no food, and, Could we give him 
 some tea ? No doubt, the poor fellow's heart was 
 legitimately sore, when he thought of the purris, the 
 tamamotas, the takeifis, and other dainties that would 
 be cooked for him no more! 
 
 Not another chance of a wife for poor Waiwai, 
 either women of all sorts at a premium on Aniwa ! 
 How scarce they are you may better understand, 
 when I tell you that one was married lately without
 
 NATIVE SENTIMENT 335 
 
 a nose ! It had been lost in a conflict with her late 
 lamented husband, and she has great moral courage 
 to tackle another. She is, however, such a con- 
 scientious good woman, with a sweet disposition ; and 
 yet I always feel nervous about meeting her, wishing 
 oftentimes that she would not insist on coming to the 
 Mission House, as she does most religiously. 
 
 Natives indulge very little in what you call senti- 
 ment ; and when you naturally look for something of 
 the kind, you are often met by hard matter of fact. 
 One day, I was trying to reproduce a grand sermon 
 I had heard in Melbourne, on the text, " He saved 
 others, Himself He cannot save," and explained how 
 the Lord could not, because He would not. After 
 entering fully into the subject, and trying to impress 
 upon my audience the wonderful love of God in 
 voluntarily giving Himself a ransom for us, I asked, 
 why He stood the jeers and taunts of wicked men, 
 the agony of the Cross, and didn't come down and 
 save Himself? The staggering answer came back, 
 " Why, Missi, because He was nailed! " 
 
 Waiwai gave a telling address, that day, over the 
 open grave, urging the young men especially never 
 to keep anything back from the Lord, as he had done 
 in clinging to his two wives. Barring that little weak- 
 ness, Waiwai has been a great help to us from the first, 
 a truly lovable man, and one that could enter into your 
 feelings. It was he, and the first great hurricane 
 together, that gave us our lovely Sea View. He 
 owned the thick belt of trees that stood between our
 
 336 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT AND OF SHADOW 
 
 house and the shore ; and when the hurricane 
 destroyed so many on that terrible night, that we 
 could actually see a shimmer of water between the 
 fallen " ones, next morning, from our verandah, I 
 determined with Waiwai's assistance to complete the 
 havoc so auspiciously begun. I had some long chats 
 with him, .and told him how insupportable life had 
 bee : n without a view of the Sea, that no landscape was 
 to me complete without water, and that I was born 
 beside the Sea, which perhaps explained the fascina- 
 tion it ever had for me, etc., etc. The result was that 
 scores of great trees were levelled to the ground, and 
 gradually cleared away, grass being planted in the 
 vacant space. I paid, of course, for the trees and the 
 labour, and would not grudge ten times the amount 
 for the lovely view of the Pacific, which mirrors the 
 most glorious sunsets you ever saw. 
 
 As the Sun approaches and recedes from the Winter 
 Solstice, it sets exactly opposite our Aniwan Home, 
 and we can see it sink into the Ocean. One evening 
 I can never forget, when John and I stepped on to 
 the verandah, as the Sun began to decline. Sea and 
 Sky gave us a new revelation of the Creator's glory. 
 The Sky was an outpour of colour, of glorified radiance 
 and mellowed light, every shade and tint reflected 
 back from the liquid depths of the Pacific. One 
 could hardly breathe for delight ; and John voiced our 
 mutual thoughts when he chanted in a low and 
 adoring tone, " All Thy Works praise Thee ! " I 
 forgot, for the moment, that the context is, "And
 
 A HUGE JOKE 337 
 
 Thy Saints shall bless Thee!" Well, we were un- 
 consciously doing this ; and, if we can't take to 
 ourselves the appellation of " Saints," we were, at 
 any rate, two very appreciative Sinners. 
 
 I often think John a perfect Saint, indeed, in his 
 whole-hearted consecration, and singleness of aim for 
 God's glory in the Conversion of the Heathen; and. 
 yet he is delightfully human, if you rub him up the 
 wrong way. There are more scenes witnessed from 
 that verandah than brilliant sunsets ; and, before 
 daylight, a few mornings later on, we saw or thought 
 we saw what turned out to be a huge joke. I had 
 gone out for a look round in the fresh morning air, 
 and thought I saw an enormous fish, stranded on the 
 reef and wriggling to get free. Muhow was sweeping 
 the verandah ; and, on calling her attention, she 
 cried excitedly, Taffra ! Taffra ! ( whale). John 
 was called out ; and, after one look, he set up in the 
 still morning air what he conceived to be the Fish- 
 Cry, to rouse the Natives. They failed to recognize 
 it as such, but sprang from their beds, thinking it 
 was either murder, or the Mission House on fire 
 and he met a number of men rushing to the rescue ! 
 
 Hurried explanations thereon followed, and eager 
 excitement ; then the real genuine Fish-Cry rent the 
 air ; and, in less time than it takes to tell it, every 
 man and boy within earshot, with whatever weapon 
 had come nearest to hand clubs, spears, muskets, 
 sticks, bows and arrows was flying helter-skelter at 
 the Missi's heels, soon leaving him in the rear, clearing 
 
 22
 
 338 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT AND OF SHADOW 
 
 fences, ditches, fallen trees, everything, in the chase, 
 with women and bairns following hard in the train. 
 All this we saw, from our vantage ground on the 
 verandah ; and we also saw, what in the brightening 
 light they didn't see, that the whale turned out to be 
 the huge leafy branch of a tree, stuck in for shade 
 to the arrowroot workers of the previous day, with 
 an arrowroot cloth hanging on it and flapping in 
 the wind. In the dim haze of the dawning light, it 
 had indeed looked " very like a whale ! " 
 
 I really thought Muhow would have gone into 
 hysterics. She lay down, and shrieked with laughter, 
 and had difficulty in keeping her face straight for 
 more than a week. To this day, our cheery Natives 
 will still go off into roars, at the faintest suggestion 
 of whales being seen about ; and even Missi has had 
 to stand no end of twitting on the subject ! 'He 
 admitted to having calculated, during the race, how 
 much oil he might secure for the Mission, never wait- 
 ing to reflect that there was not a single appliance 
 for extracting it ! 
 
 He might have managed that, somehow ; for he is 
 a, perfect " Jack of all Trades," and tries his hand 
 at anything. Once, when he had been urging me 
 strongly to paint some of the beautiful scenery 
 around, and would not take as an excuse the want of 
 time, I brought forward the want of an easel, as mine 
 had been left behind, and declared I couldn't paint in 
 the open air without one. Nothing more was said, 
 and I felt relieved ; as the Mother of a family, and
 
 z 
 
 k > 
 
 x - 
 
 i' a
 
 PICNICING AND PAINTING 341 
 
 a Missionary's wife to boot, feels she must lay aside 
 some of her accomplishments and give her time to 
 " the trivial round, the common task." Not that the 
 accomplishments have been superfluous ; she gets the 
 benefit of them every day. A knowledge of Drawing 
 makes one admire Nature the more a sunlight, a 
 shadow, a reflection, having meaning and beauty, 
 not likely otherwise to be perceived. To my astonish- 
 ment, however, John triumphantly presented me with 
 a properly made easel one morning, saying, " Now, 
 go ahead ! You have no excuse." I did not imagine 
 that he even knew what an easel meant ; and here 
 was a perfect though rough specimen a door hinge 
 being used for the back support. 
 
 We had some delightful picn icing after that, as 
 I had to go to a distance for a view of the Volcano 
 on Tanna from our shores ; and then, from the same 
 point, but in the opposite direction, I took Erromanga 
 in the dim distance, with some canoes that happened 
 to be on the water, to the great delight of their owners. 
 I painted them in water-colours, and they make nice 
 companion pictures ; but oh, what gems they would 
 be, if only I could have got the atmospheric effects 
 reproduced a real Artist could, but they are lacking 
 in mine ! The Natives are prouder of these pictures, 
 than any others we have ; and I have got no end of 
 praise from them, besides a huge Turtle which they 
 presented to me not long after whereon we had 
 quite an Aldermanic dinner, "with real Turtle 
 soup." It is considered "Chiefs' food" here, and
 
 342 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT AND OF SHADOW 
 
 the women are not allowed to cook it, but only the 
 men. 
 
 John has been translating another Gospel ; and we 
 have had such interest for days, hunting for the word 
 tempt. He wanted to give a good rendering of that 
 passage, where our Saviour was answering the Jews, 
 when they asked whether it was lawful to give tribute 
 to Caesar " Why tempt ye Me ? Show Me a penny. 
 Whose image and superscription is this ? " Neither 
 of us knew a word in Aniwan for tempt ; and John's 
 Pundit seemed to think there was none, or couldn't 
 be got to understand what was wanted. It is so 
 difficult in a Foreign Tongue to put just such 
 questions as may elicit the word you want. 
 
 After consulting several of the most intellectual 
 Natives, to no purpose, we sent for Litsi Sore, who 
 had been with me once in Australia. I reminded her 
 of all the pretty things she used to gaze at in the 
 shop windows of Melbourne, and how she often wished 
 she could have them. " Now, Litsi," I continued, 
 " what did those people try to do to us, by exhibiting 
 all those pretty things ? " She replied, " They were 
 trying to make us buy them, of course ! " We 
 explained that we wanted to know if there was an 
 Aniwan word which would express what the Shop- 
 keepers were doing, in making us wish to buy. Her 
 answer was : " Missi, I see what you mean ; but 
 there is no one word for it in our language, as in 
 yours. We can only say, they cause us to covet." 
 So, with that, John felt he must be content.
 
 2 s
 
 WORDS AND WAILING 345 
 
 We happened to sit up later than usual that 
 evening ; and, on retiring about midnight, we were 
 surprised to see our Cook come stealing into the 
 room, in manifest excitement. He said, " Missi, 
 would you mind breakfast being a little late to- 
 morrow morning ? " I said, " Certainly not. But 
 why?" "Oh, I've been thinking about that word 
 the Missi wants, and I remembered that Lopu (a 
 man in a distant Village) is half Aniwan and half 
 Erromangan (the Cook himself was Erromangan), 
 and that he knows both languages thoroughly. I 
 will go to his house, before daybreak, with my 
 Erromangan Gospel, and catch him before going off 
 to his Plantation. He will read the passage in 
 Erromangan ; and he will be sure to know if there is 
 an equal word in Aniwan." He did so ; but Lopu only 
 confirmed Litsi's version to tempt is to cause to covet. 
 
 As I write, I hear the wild weird music of the 
 Death-Wail, for an old man who was a great favourite ; 
 and they are recounting all his good deeds in a Native 
 chant. The Wailing, of course, is not all sorrow ; 
 they set about it as deliberately as we would order 
 Mournings ; and, in either case, the louder the howling, 
 the deeper the crape, there is too much that is 
 mechanical. Besides, they always count on a Great 
 Feast after the burial, to reward them for all their 
 exertions. I was struck with their cool way, when 
 a sudden death occurred here on Sunday. At the 
 close of Service, the women asked me not to have 
 my usual Bible Class, as they had to go and wail.
 
 346 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT AND OF SHADOW 
 
 I willingly consented, being glad of a rest through 
 that hot afternoon, and was trying hard to get my 
 Husband to follow my example and stay at Home, 
 when a dear old woman flattened her smiling face 
 against the window. I said that I was sorry not to 
 have had the Bible Class, if any of theni were waiting, 
 but she replied : " They have all gone but me, Missi. 
 My throat is a little sore ; and, you see, I could not 
 yell loud enough ! " 
 
 The old man in question used to be called, good- 
 humouredly, " the Missing Link." It is convenient 
 to have a pet name for some of our best-known 
 Natives, that we may talk of them without arousing 
 their suspicions. He was, in appearance, the nearest 
 approach to an ape of any man we had ever seen, 
 and would have delighted the heart of old Darwin. 
 You may be sure, the Darwinian theory is not among 
 the doctrines taught to our Natives. It does seem 
 a preposterous one, even here among the lower, if 
 not lowest, types of Humanity. It's not the absence 
 of the tail that bothers me. Science may explain 
 that away, and a dozen other points of difference ; 
 though I remember hearing an interesting lecture 
 from Dr. S., after he brought his Gorillas to Britain, 
 proving that the points even of physical difference 
 were too great to be explained away. It's the 
 presence of the Soul that is what I never can get 
 over. There certainly is an unbridgeable gulf between 
 the noblest animal, a sagacious dog for instance, 
 without this soul, and the lowest specimen of Human
 
 A THICK AND BLACK CLOUD 347 
 
 Nature, say a Savage Cannibal, with one. One can 
 receive the Gospel ; the other can't ! 
 
 New Years Day, 1881. How little I dreamed, 
 when penning the last entry in my Journal, six 
 months ago, what terrible suffering I was to undergo 
 before I wrote again ! God in mercy hides such 
 scenes from our eyes. It seems truly a miracle that 
 I live, after five months of great agony night and 
 day with rheumatism, and unable to lift my hand 
 to my head ; then, for variation, diphtheria, and 
 grievous bed-sores. The oppression and prostration 
 were very hard to bear; and the intolerable dis- 
 comforts, for want of the alleviations of Civilization, 
 were no less so. I was struck down, just as I had 
 planned a hurried visit to Australia, by the short 
 trip of the Dayspring (she goes twice a year now, 
 which is a great improvement), to have a week with my 
 precious Children ; and, oh, it was hard to be resigned ! 
 
 I have since thought that it was not an unmitigated 
 evil, in the afflictions of poor Job, that his wife used 
 strong language. My better-half was too good for 
 that ; and I fear I did a little " bad talk " myself, 
 just at the first. It seemed as if we were forsaken, 
 both of God and Man, vvrien the Dayspring spread 
 her sails, and disappeared to the Colonies, leaving 
 us in such awful plight. It was, indeed, a very thick 
 and black cloud into which I had entered, and which 
 I cannot bear to look back upon even yet why then 
 should I inflict it upon you ?
 
 348 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT AND OF SHADOW 
 
 Yet there were rays of light that pierced even that 
 darkness, and shone all the brighter as the Night 
 fell deeper ; and the Lord had lessons for me to 
 learn there, that could not be taught in the sunshine. 
 The first thing that comforted me, when battling with 
 the physical pain, and the heart-pain of prolonged 
 absence from my Children, was a text I had never 
 noticed before : '' He knoweth what is in the Dark- 
 ness ; for the Light dvvelleth with Him." What a 
 glow of trust and comfort that brought me He 
 knoweth ! Again, months after, when I was taking 
 myself to task for my over-keen appreciation of the 
 discomforts of the sick-room, instead of counting my 
 blessings, which were many the kindest Husband 
 in the world, and three darling Children round me, 
 etc. Hutshi, the Girl I had had most trouble with 
 on the island, came into my room, burst into tears, 
 and cried passionately : " My heart is breaking for 
 you, Missi ! I can't think of you lying there, month 
 after month, with not a white woman to look after 
 you. We can't turn ourselves into white people, or 
 cook things to make you eat ; but keep up, Missi ; 
 you don't know how much we love you, and we 
 are all praying for you. I pray for you often in 
 the day ; and I am going home to pray for you 
 now." 
 
 How overwhelmingly sweet was such sympathy ! 
 I told Hutshi, that it was worth being ill to get it, 
 and that I felt strong now to bear anything. Not a 
 bit more brave was I, though, when a heavy footfall
 
 CHANCES TO DIE 349 
 
 sent a shiver of agony through me, or my medicine 
 was presented to me in a dirty glass. That glass 
 was a real trial ! Every kind of medicine would be 
 put into it, without being rinsed. You will 'think, 
 surely it was easy enough to get the glass washed. 
 Nothing easier, if you look at it apart from the 
 surrounding circumstances ; or had there been any 
 one to perceive that it was needed, as well as the 
 hundred-and-one little attentions that make acute 
 illness bearable. John had always a dozen things 
 to do at once ; and I can't think how he got the 
 time for his patient nursing of me, as he never missed 
 a single Service all the time. 
 
 It is bad taste to praise one's own, and I wouldn't 
 indulge in it for the world ; only, I must say, I 
 have had some rare chances to die, if John had been 
 less lovingly vigilant. Three times over, he, along 
 with the Natives who kindly took the night watching, 
 knelt round my bed, thinking the end had come. It 
 was, on all hands, feared I could not live to see our 
 dear Bob, who was sent for to come in the Dayspring. 
 When she appeared, on a Sunday, the excitement was 
 intense, till we were sure that he was on board. John 
 dared not leave me, even to go to the gate, though 
 he often ran to the window. He was in an agony 
 of suspense, for he knew I had not strength to bear 
 a disappointment. At last, glimpses of the visitors 
 were seen through the cocoanut grove ; then the 
 Captain's figure was made out ; then a tall slim 
 young fellow by his side, towering inches above
 
 350 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT AND OF SHADOW 
 
 him. My heart fell at the description, for I knew 
 my Boy was not quite sixteen ! 
 
 When their footsteps could actually be heard on 
 the coral walk, by our strained ears, John left me 
 to welcome them ; and Litsi Sisi (= the Little), a 
 dear faithful Girl, rushed in saying, " Rejoice, Missi, 
 and live ! It is your own Child, your first-born Son ! " 
 and then she burst into a flood of happy tears. A 
 few seconds more, and my heart had the sight it had 
 been longing for three years and more. One of our 
 sable Elders crept in along with them, and stood 
 sobbing like a child over the meeting of the Mother 
 and her Son. From that moment, new life came 
 to me every hour; and when Captain Braithwaite, 
 the kindest-hearted and truest Tar that ever walked 
 the deck, offered to leave his wife with us, John felt 
 the load lifting from his shoulders, and praised the 
 Lord. Dear Mrs. Braithwaite is one of a thousand 
 in kind care and gentleness ; and, oh, what a comfort 
 to have a refined woman's hand about everything ! 
 
 Captain Braithwaite has told us since, that when 
 he saw what a skeleton I was reduced to, he thought 
 there was no hope, and left her to perform the last 
 offices for me ; instead of which, she welcomed your 
 new Nephew, the bonnie little John Whitecross, and 
 mothered him till the dear Watts came, who are 
 always, next to the Lord, our mainstay in every 
 trouble. Mrs. Watt is with us now, and Mr. Watt 
 is coming over for her in his boat, when he will also 
 baptise our Baby.
 
 THROUGH MUCH TRIBULATION 351 
 
 We hope to rejoin our two other Dear Ones in 
 Australia, some time this year. John makes such a 
 capital Missionary Beggar, that the Victorians have 
 commanded his services in that capacity for a season ; 
 so I emphatically beg you to understand that it is 
 not his Wife's health that is taking him away from 
 the Mission Field ! The " dear wives " sometimes 
 are trotted out as a very touching excuse, but I 
 won't serve the purpose. On the contrary, I have 
 kept him a year longer, for we were to have gone 
 last year had I been able to be moved ! 
 
 February 2Qt/i, 1881. It is said that we shall enter 
 the Kingdom through much tribulation ; and our Lord 
 has seen fit to make us sound the very depths in His 
 dealings with us. Since penning the last lines, death 
 has been in our cup. Our darling wee Walter, whom 
 we loved as our own lives, and who brightened these 
 lives as with an Angel's ministry for two years and 
 a half, has been taken away in the midst of health 
 and glee. Short and sharp was the way to the 
 Shepherd's Fold, dear Lamb ; and the circumstances 
 surrounding his death make the tide of anguish swell 
 so high that I have sometimes feared it would sweep 
 away our reason. 
 
 The whole place is teeming with associations of 
 him ; and to-day, when I went to Church again, the 
 first time for seven months, the little empty space, 
 where he used to sit with his Nurse, close to his 
 Father's platform (" Papa's wee shadow " he was
 
 352 
 
 called, for he never would keep away from him), 
 was too much for me ! It was hard to keep one's 
 heart down, and see the tokens of sympathy all 
 around my poor Girls and the Women with bits 
 of black sewed into their hats with white thread 
 and when a wee fellow, about Walter's own age, came 
 trotting up with one of his dear familiar dresses on, 
 and a black sash his Mother had tied round him, 
 the floodgates burst open at last, and with a 
 vengeance. 
 
 I fear most of all for dear John. He has scarcely 
 eaten or slept, since the dear Lamb was taken, as he 
 suspects by an accident about the medicine, though 
 God only fully knows. All through the day, he 
 braces himself, and neglects no duty or call ; but his 
 interest in everything else seems dead, and he paces 
 the Study floor for hours every night. The Lord 
 sustain, and the Lord heal ! 
 
 August, 1 88 1. Left dear old Aniwa ; and I hope 
 to God that I may never again have to go through 
 such a parting. How our hearts were stirred to the 
 depths, in leaving the beloved and familiar associations 
 of so many years ! I had no idea how much I truly 
 loved our dear old Darkies, nor how intensely they 
 were attached to us, till we came to say farewell. 
 When we had fairly quitted the Mission House at 
 last, I felt like one walking in a dream, as we passed, 
 one after another, the shrubs and flowers we had 
 planted, on our way to the gate. I thought the
 
 CHILDLIKE SYMPATHY 353 
 
 bitterness was past, when we took leave of the 
 precious Graves ; but the scene at the Boat Harbour 
 was such as I cannot bear to recall ! 
 
 How our Aniwans walked right into my inmost 
 heart, by their genuine sympathy, at little Walter's 
 death! I have strongly recoiled from the formal 
 visits of condolence, in Civilization, and have often 
 wished to smite dumb a certain type of Ministers, 
 who glory in turning a Mother's heart round and 
 round in the Pulpit, and cutting into it, apparently 
 for no higher purpose than intensifying the pathos 
 of a Sermon. It has been my wicked wish that they 
 themselves might have, at least, as much sorrow as 
 would make them " keep their tongues between their 
 teeth," as the Scotch say. Some of us have been " so 
 built by God," that, while grateful for the throb 
 and glance of silent sympathy, and answering to it 
 as the barometer to the pressure of the air, we quiver 
 and suffer when people try to put it into blundering 
 words. 
 
 With our Natives, somehow, things were not so. 
 Whether it is that they are so much like little 
 Children, and a Child's touch upon your spirit is 
 never hard or coarse, I cannot tell ; but sympathy 
 from them never pained, but always soothed me. 
 They would come before us, sit down on the floor 
 and cry, and bring to mind all "the little sayings and 
 doings of the Dear One just like a Bairn chattering 
 sweetly about an absent playmate. The very night 
 before we left Aniwa, the loving Hutshi said almost 
 
 23
 
 354 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT AND OF SHADOW 
 
 in a frenzy of exultation : " You yourselves may go 
 away, Missi, and leave us ; but you can't rob us of 
 the Little Ones in the Graves. These two are ours 1 
 they belong to the people of Aniwa ; and they will 
 rise with the Aniwans in the great Resurrection Day, 
 and they will go with us to meet with Jesus in His 
 Glory!" . . . 
 
 Ever faithfully and affectionately yours, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 XVII 
 
 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 (TO THE FAMILY CIRCLE) 
 
 MELBOURNE, November, 1889. 
 
 DEAR SISTERS, BROTHERS, AND FRIENDS, Our 
 six months' visit to the New Hebrides has been most 
 joyful and refreshing. We three, John and Minn and 
 I, set out from Melbourne on March 26th, and found 
 our faithful friend, Captain Braithwaite, waiting us at 
 Sydney, with the Dayspring boat manned by Natives 
 to carry our luggage straight to the old familiar Ship. 
 It looked like a good-sized Canoe, after leaving the 
 S.S. Adelaide ! 
 
 Two days thereafter we cleared out for the New 
 Hebrides ; but, owing to head winds, we took exactly 
 three \veeks to do what would easily have been done 
 by steam in six or seven days. We were dreadfully 
 sea-sick, and the Dayspring felt very small and stuffy. 
 The bunks are so narrow, that you have to make up 
 your mind on which side you are going to sleep, 
 before getting in, owing to the difficulty of turning ! 
 
 Yet we enjoyed the voyage and the company 
 all having so much in common. There were eight of 
 
 355
 
 356 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 us, including the young Missionaries, and the Rev. 
 Mr. Bannerman and Mrs., besides Captain and Mrs. 
 Braithwaite. Mr. Bannerman is Convener of the 
 Heathen Missions Committee in Otago, and we 
 rejoiced in his and dear Mrs. Bannerman's society 
 immensely. We had nice readings aloud on deck, 
 from " Rudder Grange " to Shakespeare's plays and 
 Byron's Hebrew Melodies ; and the young Mission- 
 aries delighted us with their fine voices for singing. 
 
 When we had been a fortnight at sea, we passed 
 close by Norfolk Island, the seat of Bishop Selwyn's 
 Mission. The little island adjacent, Pitt's Island, 
 was the loveliest patch I had seen on the Ocean for 
 many a day a magnificent rock, furrowed and dotted 
 all over with rich crimson tints, showing exquisitely 
 in the slight haze of the morning sun. 
 
 There was an exciting time, when we approached 
 Aneityum. We were all on deck, by six in the morn- 
 ing, to see the Vessel go into Anelquahat Harbour, 
 and were in the midst of our joy at ihe prospect of 
 landing, when all at once a grate-grating was felt and 
 a quivering of the Vessel from stem to stern. The 
 Dayspring was on the reef. There we stuck for 
 nearly four hours, with consternation on every face. 
 I felt most of all for the Captain, who had been up 
 at duty the whole night, and is always so very 
 cautious ; but the narrow entrances between those 
 hidden reefs are both deceptive and dangerous. He 
 gave his orders calmly and promptly. The Sailors 
 worked as one man, got out the anchors and tow
 
 SAVED FROM SHIPWRECK 357 
 
 ropes in their boats, and tried to draw the Vessel off. 
 Most fortunately, the tide was rising, and this gave 
 them hope. The Missionaries, having given all the 
 help they possibly could, assembled in the Cabin, 
 and kept praying, in turn, to the Lord for our relief. 
 Blessed was the sound to us all, when the Captain 
 shouted, in a voice falsetto with excitement, " Halle- 
 lujah ! She's off ! She's off ! " He admitted, how- 
 ever, that John was the very first to feel the delightful 
 " lifting," and to praise the Lord for answer to His 
 servants' prayers. It was but another illustration 
 of how, in all God's dealings with His children, 
 " prayers and pains " go hand in hand to bring us 
 the blessing. 
 
 It was now about nine o'clock, and we began to 
 realize that we had been hungry. What a joy at the 
 Breakfast Table ! The Captain asked such a fervent 
 blessing, with both hands raised, and spoke so touch- 
 ingly about the loving Providence watching over us, 
 that all were visibly moved. We had, of course, put 
 out again to Sea ; but we got safely into the Harbour 
 in the afternoon. The place looked so lonely without 
 a Missionary. But we got a most cordial invitation 
 to dinner with the Martins of the Saw Mills, to which 
 we did ample justice, enjoying it as only sea-sick 
 voyagers can, when they get ashore. 
 
 To me it was most refreshing to see my own first 
 impressions of the Tropics reproduced in the Banner- 
 mans and the young Missionaries. It was, also, all 
 new to Minn she was such a young child when she
 
 358 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 left Anivva. I had been wondering, further, if my 
 own vivid imagination would be borne out by this 
 visit in maturer years. But, when we entered the 
 bay, and set eyes again on those lovely shores, that 
 seemed to float on a sea of melted jewels, with the 
 grand old mountains towering up behind, I felt that 
 I had never half realized how gorgeous was the 
 beauty of these Islands. The changeful tints on the 
 water, from the palest transparent green to the deepest 
 purple, baffle description. 
 
 The Captain had to water the Day spring there ; 
 and, as I had brought my painting materials, I 
 picniced on the brow of a hill, and painted the 
 Harbour, with Dr. Geddie's Church in the fore- 
 ground. The result was, of course, disappointing. 
 One would want a month of close study, to secure 
 even a faint resemblance of the lovely scene, instead 
 of only three short sittings. But Mrs. Bannerman 
 was very pleased to have it as a memento of their 
 visit ; and she writes me since that Mr. Bannerman 
 has sent it to the Otago Exhibition. It was great 
 fun, as they had never the option of refusing it as a 
 work of Art, for it is placed in the New Hebridean 
 Court among the other Curios I 
 
 Our next stopping-place was Fotuna. But, on 
 approaching the Mission Station, and eagerly looking 
 through the glass, we found, to our dismay, that Dr. 
 Gunn's house was nowhere to be seen. It had been 
 levelled to the ground by the hurricane, all except 
 a room or two at the back, and there they were
 
 A RUSH OF MEMORIES 359 
 
 living. It seems hard that such able and devoted 
 Missionaries should suffer so ! They were most kind 
 and hospitable, and appeared to take joyfully the 
 spoiling of their goods, for Christ's sake. 
 
 Our next halt was at dear old Anivva, and we had 
 a heart-stirring day there, after eight years of absence. 
 We were welcomed by a crowd of our old Parishioners, 
 many of whom had grown out of my recollection 
 (John had seen them more recently), but I did not 
 dare to show that to them ! One of my old Girls 
 understood the dilemma, and kept close beside me, 
 whispering the names without almost moving her 
 lips. They had all the Mission Premises in apple- 
 pie order the loveliest and dearest place I have seen, 
 since the day we left it. 
 
 The Natives were charmed to see Minn again, and 
 asked eagerly for our Boys. We had taken " the 
 sinews of war " from the Day spring for a picnic in the 
 dear old familiar Dining-Room, as our goods were 
 only landed, not unpacked, till our return from the 
 Mission Synod. It was nice to have dear friends with 
 us ashore, and to hear the Aniwans eagerly inquiring 
 for our Children ; but, just at first, if it must be con- 
 fessed, I would have given the world to be left alone. 
 The flood of memories was too overpowering. Every 
 room, every spot of ground teemed with recollections, 
 and my heart was like to burst, sometimes in gladness, 
 sometimes in sorrow, as the past rose to view. We 
 had a little Service in the Church, after lunch ; and 
 then, all our stores being landed safely, we, in the
 
 360 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 
 
 prospect of an early return after the Synod, bade 
 them all a cheerful Goodbye. 
 
 : We called next at Kvvamera, after . three days of 
 most disagreeable head winds. This visit meant 
 a great deal, especially to John and to me, for the 
 Watts have always been true Brother and Sister 
 to us. We were greatly shocked with Mrs. Watt's 
 haggard appearance. She had been dangerously ill, 
 and I never saw such a change in any one may God 
 soon restore her ! She did not know Minn, but 
 thought she was a very young Missionary's wife, and 
 was wasting much sympathy upon her for leaving her 
 Mother so soon ! Had to rush off, after a hasty 
 repast ; but with the hope of soon meeting again 
 at the Synod. 
 
 We had a pleasant trip, next day, to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Gray on the other side of Tanna, who hospitably 
 entertained us all at lunch, which was as long as we 
 were allowed on shore. And there I met with my 
 dear old faithful Litsi Sore (= the Great), who cried so 
 when she saw me, and would like us to -come back to 
 them. But she and her husband are usefully and 
 happily employed, as Teachers and Helps to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Gray. 
 
 We next spread sail for Erromanga, which we could 
 have reached in a couple of hours by steam, but it 
 was two days later when we cast anchor in Dillon's 
 Bay. It was beautiful as ever, and I got a nice paint- 
 ing of it and the Mission Station from the deck ; but 
 we missed our usual warm reception from the
 
 :,_,.
 
 THE BEAUTIFUL FILA 363 
 
 Robertsons, who are on a short visit to Australia 
 for much needed rest and change. We made free 
 use of their good servants, though, and got some 
 Laundry work done. The Sabbath Services were 
 very interesting. Morning Worship for the Natives 
 in the Martyrs' Memorial Church Mr. Bannerman 
 giving a good address, which Yomat translated into 
 Erromangan. 
 
 Our next stopping-place was Erakor, Efate, and 
 we had a charming day with our dear friends Mr. 
 and Mrs. Mackenzie. We all look on the Mackenzies 
 as Ideal Missionaries ; and the Native Teachers of 
 their training are sure to prove satisfactory, wherever 
 they go. They too have had to part from their 
 Children for the sake of the work, and have only 
 little Alice left. They took us in their boat up the 
 Lagoon the loveliest sail one could imagine ; we 
 were so closely walled in on either side by the richly 
 clad hills and tropical foliage. We crossed the 
 Isthmus, where the Dayspring boats were waiting 
 us on the other side ; and had another lovely sail 
 through Fila Harbour, where the Dayspring went 
 round to anchor, after we left her in the morning. 
 
 You will think we 'do nothing but entJiuse over the 
 Fairy-like scenery here. Well, we can't help our- 
 selves ; and I have not properly begun yet ; for, on 
 entering Fila Harbour La Belle Fila, the French 
 call it I felt that if there were any place more 
 beautiful on God's Earth, I would require enlarged 
 capacity to do it justice ! It was a day-dream of
 
 364 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 delight, with its burst of colour, tropical foliage, and 
 greenery down to the water's edge, reflected back 
 in wondrous beauty ; bluest mountains in the back- 
 ground ; sunlights, hazes, and gorgeous skies ; a Sea 
 of Glass, clear to the very depths, and revealing the 
 grandest Aquarium in the world. Three round rocks 
 rise abruptly from the water, with tufts of greenery 
 on their top, standing out for all the world like huge 
 flower-pots ! The people who invented the proverb, 
 See Naples and die, had never seen the beautiful 
 Fila in these Pacific Seas. 
 
 We had a pleasant few days next at Havannah 
 Harbour, which one could almost imagine to be a 
 Highland Loch ; and there we were the guests of 
 the Rev. D. and Mrs. McDonald. It charmed us to 
 see, not only the results of their long and devoted 
 labours, but also their darling Children. They are 
 the most lovable, bright little pets you ever saw, and 
 the two eldest Boys in Melbourne are great chums 
 of our Jay's. We heard there the astonishing news 
 of the wreck of the S.S. Fijian, off the coast of Tanna, 
 last Monday, the very time we left Erromanga They 
 must surely all have been asleep, else they never 
 could have succeeded in performing that feat in the 
 beautiful moonlight. 
 
 Our next resting-place was Nguna. It was a real 
 joy to meet once more my dear friend Mrs. Milne 
 and her beloved ones ; and, as we stayed over the 
 Sunday, we had the pleasure of worshipping there 
 in the "Cathedral," which we call St. Peters, after
 
 MONTHLY THOUGHTS 365 
 
 the Reverend Peter Milne, the best architect among 
 our Missionaries. It is by far the finest Church in 
 the New Hebrides ; and, what was best of all, we 
 saw many hundreds of well-dressed people assembled 
 therein to worship the true and living God Mr. 
 Bannerman and John giving addresses, and Mr. Milne 
 translating. Mrs. Milne conducts Sunday School in 
 the afternoon, while Mr. Milne is holding Worship 
 on an adjacent island ; and she gave them an address 
 on part of the Pilgrim's Progress, which she has been 
 translating into Ngunese, and to which they listened 
 with rapt attention. The work on Nguna has taken 
 gigantic strides, and very much of the success is due 
 under God to the spirit of Mrs. Milne. 
 
 What sweet intercourse I had with her, when living 
 on Aniwa ! We used to write a " Monthly Thought " 
 to each other, on the first Monday of every month. 
 It might be a Text, and our thoughts about it ; or it 
 mightn't be a Text at all, just any subject, and the 
 Lord's dealings with us. It did seem as if He guided 
 our pens what to say to each other, the " thoughts " so 
 frequently bore upon our own peculiar circumstances, 
 and how often we thought alike ! Those " Monthlies," 
 though we didn't of course receive them every month, 
 came to me with far more freshness and power, and 
 did me more good than any sermon ; and the opening 
 of the budget was more delightful than even cutting 
 up the leaves of a new publication. 
 
 One of the new Missionaries mended Mrs. Milne's 
 harmonium, and we had a little music. The house
 
 366 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 was immediately surrounded by eager listeners ; so 
 Mrs. Milne had it taken into the Church at the urgent 
 request of the Natives, and we had a rare Concert ! 
 Not altogether a Sacred one, I fear ; rather a medley 
 of all sorts, every one contributing what he or she 
 could. During intervals in the singing, I rattled off 
 things from Stephen Heller's Tarentellel It was so 
 jolly to give such pleasure to an enthusiastically appre- 
 ciative and uncritical audience. Natives generally 
 are so fond of music ; you have only to play a few 
 bars to gather a crowd. We got lovely views at 
 Nguna, from which fourteen islands can be seen from 
 a hill behind the Mission House. I got a good 
 sketch of these, but had no time to paint. 
 
 At Tongoa, our next place of call, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Michelsen kindly entertained us all on shore for the 
 night, which we enjoyed exceedingly. Next day we 
 witnessed a grand sight, when Mr. Michelsen assembled 
 his people from all parts of the island, and we had 
 Open-Air Worship on the grassy brow of a hill, 
 outside the Mission Premises, there being assembled 
 about six hundred Natives in every colour and 
 description of costume. All the Missionaries addressed 
 them, Mr. Michelsen translating ; and then, what a 
 volume of praise ascended to Heaven from that sable 
 throng ! They were too many to shake hands with ; 
 so Mr. Michelsen announced at the close of the 
 Service, that the Chiefs and Church Members alone 
 were to come forward. Three of the Chiefs happened 
 to be Church Members; but instead of coming first
 
 THE NORTHERN STATIONS 367 
 
 with the other Chiefs, they waited and came as 
 Members of the Church, which we thought beautiful. 
 
 Next day, we arrived at Api ; and the few hours we 
 had with Mr. and Mrs. Fraser did us real good they 
 are so devoted and so bright. It was now all calm 
 and pleasant sailing, through the Northern Islands. 
 We passed Lopevi, a high mountain peak and an 
 extinct volcano, 4,000 feet above the level of the Sea. 
 The following day, being May 24th, was remarkable 
 for birthday celebrities being the Queen's, and 
 John's, and the Cook's ! and we had Mrs. Banner- 
 man's shortbread in honour of the occasion. 
 
 Ambrim was reached the morning after, and most 
 of the Mission Party went ashore to encourage the 
 Native Teachers ; then we steered our course for 
 Malekula. The wind died off, and we feared deadly 
 delay ; but up it came again, and off we flew, sighting 
 three vessels in our way, and were anchored in Sasoon 
 Bay by four o'clock. A Roman Catholic Priest has 
 the site, the ground, at the anchorage, and Mr. 
 Leggatt's Station is much farther on. So we had 
 a bit to go by boat ; but we got a right hearty 
 and cheery welcome, when we arrived at their pretty 
 and hospitable Home. We had only ten minutes to 
 stay ; but we three Patons were not allowed to return 
 to the Vessel. 
 
 Next day being Sunday, Mr. Leggatt, John, and 
 I had a charming walk to the anchorage, partly by 
 shore, and partly through the Bush, to have Service 
 at a Village en the way. There were twenty-one
 
 368 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 naked Darkies at the Worship, Malekula having been 
 only recently occupied ; and finely carved wooden 
 Idols and Drums were all around ! We looked in at 
 the Priest's gate, intending to pay our respects to 
 Monsieur le Pere ; but he had gone off to a distant 
 Village, and we had only the satisfaction of seeing his 
 little footprints on the sand. On getting opposite the 
 Dayspring, Mr. Leggatt signalled, and a boat was sent 
 for us to get on board for English Service, after which 
 we were rowed to land again, and walked back to the 
 Mission House. 
 
 After dinner, there was a Native Service in Church, 
 and Tookaro, a devoted Native Teacher, was asked 
 by Mr. Leggatt to add a few words ; whereupon he 
 gave- us a rather mixed address in Sandal-Wood 
 English, and on the story of Moses. We were all 
 feeling so much for the Rev. A. H. McDonald, who 
 was staying with the Mortons, as we had brought 
 the news of his good Father's death. Mr. Leggatt 
 managed to get the Mail sent over early next morning, 
 along with letters of sympathy to prepare him for the 
 tidings. Dr. McDonald was a lifelong and highly 
 valued kind friend to us and the New Hebrides 
 Mission, and was for many years Convener of the 
 Committee at Melbourne. 
 
 Two days thereafter, we anchored at Pangkumu, 
 where we had a very warm reception from the 
 Missionaries, and from the weather! The Mission 
 House is charming, but ought decidedly to be higher 
 up to get into the sweep. of the air currents. We
 
 KNOCKING OUT FRONT TEETH 369 
 
 enjoyed our stay there very much, but for the awful 
 heat. Being detained several days, for lack of wind, 
 we saw a lot of the Natives. 
 
 One horrible practice on Malekula is knocking out 
 the two upper front teeth of every Girl, as she reaches 
 womanhood. The fine white teeth of the Natives 
 being one great point of beauty, to think of the 
 Malekulan women being so disfigured suggests to 
 some that they had proved vicious to their husbands 
 in former generations and so had come to be disabled. 
 One or two Girls escaped to Mr. Morton's, as they 
 were about to be operated upon ; but the old women, 
 who themselves had suffered in like manner, were the 
 first to seize and carry them back to torture. 
 
 The Malekulans were greatly taken with Minn's 
 abundant hair, but argued that the thick coils could 
 not all be her own ! Mrs. Morton translated what 
 they were saying, and begged her to gratify them by 
 taking it down. She unwound it at the window, all 
 the black faces gazing on intently, and when it 
 showered like a cloud around her, they gesticulated 
 and shouted with delight, declaring it was as fine as a 
 pig's tail! Mr. Morton assured Minn that that was 
 their highest possible form of praise they think so 
 much of those interesting brutes ! 
 
 We got wind enough at last to take us out of 
 Pangkumu ; but we soon represented vividly " a 
 painted Ship upon a painted Ocean." Ample time 
 was at our disposal to admire the scenery ; and we 
 sat watching the stars at night, especially Saturn, 
 
 24
 
 370 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 with his brilliant diamond flashes, the only Planet 
 that twinkles. Venus was on show at 4 a.m., but 
 I for one was too lazy to get up and admire. 
 
 Malo was reached on the following Sunday, and 
 the younger Missionaries went ashore ; but it was not 
 fit for ladies at low tide. Captain and Mrs. Braith- 
 waite and we three went after tea ; but there was such 
 a mighty roll on the reef, we had to turn back to 
 the Dayspring waving our handkerchiefs to Mr. 
 Landells, as he rushed to the Landing to meet us. 
 He looked rather " had," as they say in Australia, 
 and we felt no less so ; but the Evening Service with 
 the Sailors on board was very pleasant, and the 
 Landells' kind and hearty welcome was only delayed 
 till next morning, as the Captain landed us before 
 seven o'clock, and Mrs. Braithwaite followed in time 
 for breakfast. 
 
 The view from the Landells' verandah is most 
 exquisite ; the spreading Bay, the great Santo Moun- 
 tains beyond, draped in blue purple hazes and sunlights, 
 and the little Islets between. We had a walk with 
 Mr. and Mrs. Landells, through the Malo Bush, and 
 passed a Village, where they were wailing for a man 
 who had died that morning. There were Heathen 
 ceremonies connected with it ; but the earnest labours 
 of these devoted Missionaries will bear fruit, in due 
 time, by the blessing of the Lord. 
 
 In the afternoon, Mr. Annand's boat was descried, . 
 and soon there was another meeting of friends. It 
 was delightful to meet with our old fellow-workers ;
 
 A BEAUTIFUL LILY" 371 
 
 and Mr. Annand informed us he had strict orders 
 from Mrs. Annand to bring us right back with him 
 that very afternoon. It was too tempting to be re- 
 fused ; and Mr. Annand called with us on board to 
 get a few things together ; and then we had a lovely 
 sail of two hours enjoying a gorgeous sunset by 
 the way, the side of the high Santo Mountain being 
 enveloped in the radiance as if itself a part of the 
 glory. We had a delicious welcome from dear Mrs. 
 Annand on her mountain Home on Tangoa a small 
 island, off the mainland of Santo. 
 
 I shall never forget my earliest sight of Mrs. Annand, 
 when she entered the Mission, and first came ashore 
 at Aniwa. She suggested to me a beautiful lily, 
 with her tall slim figure, fair hair and complexion, 
 and finely cut features ; dressed in a loose double- 
 breasted Rob-Roy jacket, and black hat with feathers. 
 As she bowed and smiled, while still at a little distance, 
 I just wondered if a fairer Girl had ever entered a 
 Mission ; and I was greatly pleased, afterwards, to 
 learn that her Mother was dead, and had been spared 
 the pain of parting. I watched her husband very 
 closely, to see if he were worthy of such a wife, and 
 was speedily more than satisfied which is the highest 
 praise I can give him ! 
 
 This is a new field to them. They laboured for 
 years on Dr. Geddie's old Station on Aneityum. But 
 when it was thought, owing to the scarcity of 
 Missionaries, that one ought to serve that island, 
 they nobly volunteered to move, and tackle a new
 
 372 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 language and another people building on no man's 
 foundation. We had two or three delightful days 
 with them ; and, such are their illusions, Minn (and 
 I were duly admired, by some of the Native women, 
 as John's two wives ! 
 
 Having reached the most Northerly Island, and 
 the last of the Mission Stations, we began to wind 
 Southwards again, picking up the Missionaries by the 
 way for their Annual Synod, till we were packed like 
 sardines in the little Dayspring. It was a good thing 
 that all the Missionaries didn't come ! Several, as 
 it was, had to sleep on the floor ; and there were 
 always two relays at meals. 
 
 We had a fine view of Monument Island, passing 
 close to it in the moonlight a great Rock, full of 
 arches and dark caves, rising sheer out of the water 
 to a height of five hundred feet, exactly like a sugar- 
 loaf. We passed our Silver Wedding Day, on that 
 return voyage, very quietly, as nobody knew but 
 we three and dear Mrs. Bannerman. It seemed be- 
 fitting that we should spend that day on the dear 
 old Day spring^ and in the New Hebrides. There 
 was food for many varied emotions in looking back 
 over all the way God had led us during the five-and- 
 twenty years of our married life. The next day, we. 
 got a huge Mail on calling at Havannah Harbour; 
 and there was eager and merry excitement, as we 
 all rushed down to the Cabin after the Captain, who 
 shouted out the names and handed the letters, being 
 playfully answered by each in University style, Adsum.
 
 MISSION SYNOD ON TANNA 373 
 
 On June 26th, there was a fine fair wind for 
 Kwamera, and we joyfully did our packing, as the 
 Captain gave us hope of taking our tea on shore. 
 But " there's mony a slip ''tween the cup and the 
 lip " ; and we had barely finished, when black clouds 
 came, then squalls and torrents of rain ; and we were 
 battened down below, and parboiled for the next 
 two days. It was charming to get to Kwamera at 
 last, in the early morning, with ravenous appetites 
 for breakfast ; and what a glorious time we had, all 
 together, at the Mission Synod. 
 
 All Mrs. Watt's arrangements were simply perfect, 
 could not have been more so at a first-class Hotel, 
 and everything planned so as to avoid the least 
 confusion even cards, with our names, at our table 
 seats, and on the bed each was to occupy. The 
 servants and helpers had each certain duties to perform, 
 for which they were responsible : one to attend to 
 the Punkahs at meals, etc. a new luxury, and a very 
 desirable one, since we were in the Mission field ; one 
 to fill and empty the baths, as they were used, etc. 
 The appointments at table were precisely what you 
 would use in such Homes as ours in Civilization ; but 
 the Bedrooms showed, as well as taxed, the ingenuity 
 of our Host and Hostess. Bright chintz and muslin 
 gave a very inviting appearance to what had been 
 General Store, Mangle Room, or Printing Office, and 
 hid some rather unpromising looking materials in 
 the way of old boxes, for beds, tables, etc. Twenty- 
 three guests were sumptuously entertained on the
 
 374 ^ TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 fat of the land for fully a fortnight, to the praise of 
 the management and energy of dear Mrs. Watt. 
 
 Much interesting work was accomplished during 
 the sittings of this Synod. It was the Jubilee of the 
 New Hebrides Mission, if we date it, as we well may, 
 from the Martyrdom of Williams and Harris on 
 Erromanga. There were twelve Missionaries, count- 
 ing Mr. Bannerman, and we nicknamed them The 
 Twelve Apostles. They arranged for a new distinctive 
 flag for the Mission, for which Mr. Watt asked me 
 to paint the design. It is Presbyterian Blue, with a 
 white St. Andrew's Cross (The Whitecross Banner /), 
 and the letters N.H.P.M. in red, for New Hebrides 
 Presbyterian Mission. We made a flag for Mr. Watt, 
 after the new pattern, which was hoisted on the Flag 
 Staff amidst the cheers of the Missionary party. Out 
 of Synod hours, Croquet was the order of the day 
 Tennis being too heating for the climate ; then there 
 was walking, and music, and getting photographed, 
 of course. There was also a Magic Lantern Exhibition 
 and a Concert (I think it was Sacred) for the Natives. 
 And I should not have failed to mention that, the 
 first Sunday after our arrival, at the English Service 
 we all partook together the Holy Supper of our Lord. 
 The settlement of the two new Missionaries was 
 very interesting. Mr. and Mrs. Gillan go to Port 
 Stanley on Malekula, and Mr. Smaill to Api. They 
 will make splendid Missionaries, and John devoutly 
 wishes we had twenty more like them. The sittings 
 were formally closed, after ten days' work, by a very
 
 FROM KIVAMERA TO ANIWA 375 
 
 fine address from the Moderator, Mr. Gray. Then we 
 had a few bright and pleasant days of leisure, till 
 the Dayspring came for us. Some of the Missionaries 
 got up for the general amusement a neat little daily 
 Newspaper on the cyclostyle, called TJie Kwamera 
 Morning Herald, and a copy was laid on each plate 
 at breakfast. It caused great merriment, most of 
 the jokes, latest news, etc., being good-humourcdly 
 personal. 
 
 We left Kwamera, with the bright hope of a speedy 
 reunion with the Watts, who are to go with us to 
 Australia on their way to the Old Country. But it 
 was hard to see the others setting out for their isolated 
 homes. I do not know how it is, and can't account 
 for such feelings, as my own Mission life was decidedly 
 happy ; but it is always like to break my heart, to 
 sec any other Missionary and his wife left on a 
 lonely island. 
 
 We had a swift run across to Anivva, only a few 
 hours ; and we three had barely time to land before 
 dark on the Saturday evening. How thankful we 
 were, not to have another night of sea-sickness and 
 close packing ! The Missionaries on board must 
 have been right glad of our room instead of our 
 company ; and our large airy house looked a Palace 
 after the wee overcrowded Dayspring. The Natives 
 had all our belongings out of the boat in a twinkling ; 
 and Litsi Sisi (Litsi the Little] had the lamps lit and 
 the kettle boiling for tea when we arrived. 
 
 The two months we spent on dear old Aniwa were
 
 376 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 hallowed and busy ones. The delicious calmness 
 and quietude of that first Sunday, I felt I could not 
 sufficiently drink in. I had time to live the old 
 associations ; could go round all the familiar spots ; 
 stand in the empty rooms ; remember what had 
 happened in each ; and let my heart surge up, if it 
 wanted to ! Never before had I felt, in such a degree, 
 the charm of being alone that is, so far as the outside 
 world is concerned, for John and Minn are part of 
 my very Self, and if only our five Laddies had been 
 there too, the bliss would have been complete. 
 
 On the Monday morning, we discovered to our 
 dismay that the box of kerosene had been left on 
 board and we had no more oil than was in the lamps ! 
 Our Aniwans own a boat of their own, of which they 
 are very proud, and eagerly offered to go across to 
 Tanna, and get a supply from the Rev. Mr. Gray, who 
 was our nearest neighbour ; and kind, kind friends 
 Mrs. Gray and he proved, always sending us needful 
 things ; for the boat went back two or three times, 
 and their boat came to Aniwa. There was nothing 
 we enjoyed more than the bottles of milk which Mrs. 
 Gray so kindly remembered. 
 
 I had no Household cares, having elected four 
 Natives to attend to our daily wants. Eight of them, 
 however, insisted on coming ; and we had not the 
 heart to put them away, poor things, so loving were 
 they. But if I had no Household duties, the Natives 
 took good care to provide plenty of other work ; for 
 they were eager to be taught and to take all the good
 
 IMPORTUNITY OF NALOUSI 377 
 
 out of us they possibly could. The tables were 
 turned ! Instead of us urging them on, as we used to, 
 it was now the other way, with a vengeance. They 
 knew we were not to be long with them, and would 
 come, especially the Native Teachers, and ask John 
 the meaning of different passages in their Gospels. 
 In the evenings, after Native Worship in the Dining- 
 Room, always packed to overflowing, and long Bible 
 talks, we could hardly get them to leave us. 
 
 One day, after hard work in visiting, ministering to 
 the wants of the sick, teaching and talking without 
 a moment to ourselves, I got the room thoroughly 
 aired after they had all gone, and felt fairly entitled 
 to a good long read. Minn was trimming Native 
 hats. John had gone off with his Pundit to the 
 Study. So I got on to the sofa with the fourth 
 volume of Carlyle's Cromwell ; when, to my discom- 
 fiture, Nalousi, one of our young Native Teachers, 
 made his appearance and promptly announced his 
 business. He wanted a new Hymn translated, Who 
 is He in yonder Stall, into Aniwan, as Mr. Watt had 
 done into Tannese. I told him the Missi was engaged, 
 and didn't want to be disturbed any more to-night. 
 He said that didn't matter a bit, as I would do it. 
 I told him that I couldn't, but he informed me with 
 certainty that I could ! I explained that I was very 
 tired, and wanted to rest, besides wanting to read, as 
 the books were lent by a Missionary and had to be 
 returned. Nalousi showed a serene contempt for my 
 reasoning, and stood waiting. I sat back, with my
 
 3?8 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 book up, to signify that the interview had terminated ; 
 but Nalousi coolly drew out a chair, and sat down, to 
 signify that it had not ! I could hardly help grinning 
 behind my book, but soon tossed it aside, rather 
 ashamed of myself. Before midnight, with Xalousi's 
 help, we had the whole Hymn translated. 
 
 He was triumphant ; and, on rising to leave, he 
 said, " Now, Missi, if you will teach us to sing it to- 
 morrow morning, we will come and take the organette 
 into the Church for you and your daughter." I 
 said, " Why, how can the people know to come ? 
 They don't even know that a new Hymn has been 
 translated." " Leave that to me, Missi ! " said the 
 worthy fellow, not destitute of resources. And, sure 
 enough, we heard the Church Bell next morning, as 
 we were lingering over breakfast. So Minn and I 
 hurried into Church, to find quite a large Congregation 
 waiting for their singing lesson ! 
 
 A few Sundays before, as we all walked to a distant 
 Village for Afternoon Service, I was reading a trans- 
 lation John had just made of Take the Name of Jesus 
 with you, and humming the tune under breath to see 
 how the words would fit, when the Native lads pricked 
 up their ears and asked what it was. They became 
 enthusiastic, and would have us teach them there and 
 then ; so we went singing along the road ; and, by 
 the time of our return home, they knew both the air 
 and the words. Later on, they learned the bass, and 
 they can sing the Hymn very nicely in parts. 
 
 The Aniwans are exceedingly fond of Mr. and Mrs.
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART 379 
 
 Watt, as well they may be ; for they have superin- 
 tended the Mission on Aniwa, ever since we were 
 withdrawn, and done everything for them that we 
 could have done. By their yearly visits, they have kept 
 everything in vigorous action, at a great self-sacrifice 
 on their part, and we never can feel too deeply grate- 
 ful to them. It might reasonably have been supposed, 
 that things would have gone back a bit in the absence 
 of their Missionary ; without exactly taking Mrs. 
 Peyser's view in reference to Converts, that " they 
 could no more be expected, when left, to keep on in 
 their religious ways, than a dog would continue to 
 stand on his hind legs with nobody to look at him ! " 
 With them it was far otherwise. 
 
 It did us great good to be with our Darkies once 
 again. I understood them better than before, and 
 had more real sympathy with them in many respects. 
 A conversation I had with a dear old woman deeply 
 touched me. Her daughter is married to one of our old 
 Mission Boys, and both are off to Tanna as Native 
 Teachers. She cries for her daughter ; and she says 
 she now knows what my heart suffered, when our 
 Children had to be sent away. She said : " Missi, 
 you did not think we felt like you. You never told 
 us your troubles. You used to smile, when you spoke 
 of your Children in the far-off Land, when we knew 
 your heart was crying out for them. We kneiu the 
 language of your heart, Missi, though you tried to 
 hide it from us ; and we Mothers often cried about 
 you ! "
 
 380 A TOUR ROUND THE ISLANDS IN 1889 
 
 They were all very proud of Minn, and of her efforts 
 to learn their language. They told her a hundred 
 times a day that she was a real Woman of Aniwa 
 thinking her worthy even of such an honour. She 
 took special care of all the Invalids ; and two dear 
 old men, lying at the gate like Lazarus, and as poor, 
 wept bitterly when we left, saying she had never 
 missed taking tea to them night and morning, and 
 " that her bright young face did them good." 
 
 The loveliest Child by far on this island is a little 
 John Paton, whom his venerable namesake would 
 dearly like to bring up with his own family, and 
 educate as a Missionary. But don't you think we 
 have enough of our own, with a blessing ? . . . 
 Ever affectionately yours, 
 
 MAGGIE WHITECROSS PATON.
 
 THE SCOTCH CHURCH, PORT RESOLUTION. 
 
 Memorial of Workers and Work on Tanna. Dedicated Oct. 2&t/i, 1891. 
 
 APPENDIX 
 (NOTE BY REV. WILLIAM WATT, MISSIONARY) 
 
 THE accompanying is a photo of the " Scotch Church " at 
 Port Resolution, Tanna, the first place in the New Hebrides 
 at which John Williams landed. As the tablet which 
 hangs over the main entrance states, the money for the 
 building was raised in Scotland,* and it was erected as " A 
 Memorial of Workers and Work on Tanna." The bell 
 (Sf. Paul} was the gift of St. Paul's Established Church, 
 Glasgow, and the honour of floating our scheme for a 
 Church for Port Resolution belongs to the gifted Pastor of 
 
 * By Mr. and Mrs. Watt. Alas ! she now sleeps beside it, having 
 gone to her reward on April 26th, 1894. EDITOR.
 
 382 APPENDIX 
 
 the said congregation, the Rev. James Paton, B.A., the 
 Editor of the Autobiography of John G. Paton, his brother. 
 
 The building was framed by our fast friends Messrs. A. 
 Dean & Sons, Sydney, and was erected here by the two 
 Tanna Missionaries, with the help of two Aneityumese and 
 the people of Port Resolution. No skilled labour was em- 
 ployed. It was forty days in building, and has proved a 
 source of blessing to Tanna. The building can be seen for 
 miles around, and is a silent witness for the Truth, as well 
 as a memorial of the many workers who have laboured on 
 Tanna. It is forty feet by twenty-two feet, has four stained 
 glass windows on each side, and two in the one gable. Its 
 seats are fitted with movable backs, as it is used as a School- 
 house as well as a Church. On each side of it at one end 
 there are writing desks, and it has a platform with reading 
 desk. 
 
 The building is " a thing of beauty and a joy for ever " ; 
 it is also a very useful building. Pray that it may be the 
 birthplace of many souls ! 
 
 PORT RESOLUTION, TANNA, 
 
 December 2<)th, 1892. 
 
 Printed by Hazell, Watson, &* Viney, Ld,, London and Aylesbvry,
 
 POPULAR EDITION. COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME. 
 
 Seventeenth Thousand. Crown Svo, Cloth, 6s. 
 
 JOHN G. PATON, D.D., 
 
 MISSIONARY TO THE NEW HEBRIDES. 
 AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 
 
 Edited by his Brother, the Rev. JAMES PATON, B.A. 
 With Portrait and Map. 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM PRESS NOTICES. 
 
 " Dr. Paton's book is one of the best autobiographies we have ever read." 
 Daily Chronicle. 
 
 "A popular edition in one volume of the autobiography of John G. Paton, 
 D.D., is sure of an eager welcome from a very large class of readers. The 
 popularity of the book has been remarkable, and in its new and handy form 
 it is a handsome, well-bound volume its circulation will doubtless be largely 
 extended. " Scotsman. 
 
 "Dr. Paton has proved himself to be a beau-ideal missionary. Ardently 
 devoted to the work, strong in faith, possessing presence of mind and un- 
 flinching courage on many occasions when his life has been in peril at the 
 hands of the cannibal islanders, he is a man the record of whose life and work 
 is eminently worth preserving. His autobiography is fascinating and inspir- 
 ing. "--Manchester Examiner. 
 
 " We have never had the pleasure of turning over the pages of any work, 
 since we were privileged in early boyhood to read of Robert Moffat's early 
 efforts among the Bechuanas, which has seemed to us more full of inspiration 
 for all who desire to see the Kingdom of God established upon earth. Every 
 missionary speaker would do well to acquaint himself with the incidents of this 
 wonderful life. " Review of the Churches. 
 
 "This deeply interesting autobiography." N.B. Daily Mail. 
 
 "For lyric flow of feeling and graphic narrative, as well as for thrilling 
 incident and the natural unfolding ot a little segment of the great Divine plan, 
 infinitely transcending the subhmest plot of any literary artist, this autobio- 
 graphy stands unrivalled." United Presbyterian Missionary A'ecord. 
 
 "A book which will bring lasting pleasure to many homes." Methodist 
 Recorder. 
 
 Dr. T. L. CUYLER says : " I have just laid down the most robust and the 
 most fascinating piece of autobiography that I have met with in many a day. 
 It is the story of the wonderful work wrought by John G. Paton, the famous 
 missionary to the New Hebrides ; he is made of the same stuff with Living- 
 stone. A book which is as thrilling as any romance." 
 
 The Rev. Dr. PIERSON, author of The Crisis of Missions, says : " I consider 
 it unsurpassed in missionary biography. In the whole course of my extensive 
 reading on these topics, a more stimulating, inspiring, and every way first-class 
 book has not fallen into my hands. Everybody ought to read it." 
 
 LONDON : HODDER & STOUGHTON, 27, PATERNOSTER Row.
 
 YOUNG FOLKS' ILLUSTRATED EDITION. 
 
 With Map. Svo, cloth, 55. Ninth Thousand. 
 
 THE STORY OF JOHN G. PATON. 
 
 TOLD FOR YOUNG FOLKS. 
 
 ' "With Forty-five full-page Illustrations by J. FINNEMORE. 
 BY THE REV. JAMES PATON, B.A. 
 
 " In the record of thirty years' good work amongst the South 
 Sea cannibals, we have before us one of those missionary enter- 
 prises which read almost more strangely than fiction itself. . . . 
 There are enough hairbreadth escapes and deeds of cool if 
 unostentatious courage in these pages to stock half-a-dozen 
 ordinary books, and the forty-five graphic illustrations add much 
 to the attraction of the text." Daily Telegraph. 
 
 " The book of the year for young folks." British Weekly. 
 
 " In all the history of missionary work, there is no finer 
 narrative than the story of John G. Paton, which is told by his 
 brother in the handsome volume before us. It is a great romance 
 of the South Seas, as well as a record of a noble life." World. 
 
 " Paton's autobiography is one of the most notable records 
 we have of missionary enterprise, and it was, decidedly, a happy 
 thought to bring out this version of it for the benefit of young 
 readers." St. James's Gazette. 
 
 " A handsome volume. The remarkable and interesting auto- 
 biography of an earnest Presbyterian Scotch missionary. A boy 
 can hardly read the book through without being the better for 
 it. " Guardia n . 
 
 " Here is a book of adventure ad venture in real life which 
 it would not be easy to match in fiction. ' Thirty Years Among 
 South Sea Cannibals ' is the descriptive sub-title ; but what the 
 story really is, how full of thrilling incident, and what sort of 
 man the hero, can only be realized by actual acquaintance. It 
 would be difficult to find as admirable a present for a young 
 reader as this volume. A boy must be better for reading of such 
 courage and devotion." Spectator. 
 
 LONDON : HODDER & STOUGHTON, 27, PATERNOSTER Row.