dered by a party from a tribe located at a short distance, his friends and dependants immediately prepared for hostilities. The missionaries forthwith hastened to the front, in the hope of preventing a collision, but were soon persuaded of the impracticability of such a task. By the time they reached the dead man's village, all who were capable of bearing arms had already gone off into the bush, while their wives and children were uttering loud cries of lamentation over the corpse. So, after kneeling down among the trees, and praying to God to inspire the savages with feelings of brotherly love towards one another, they returned home anxious and depressed.

For four months this wretched bush-fighting was carried on, though probably without much bloodshed, and it was accompanied, or followed, by a worse calamity in the form of dysentery, which carried off many of the natives. The missionaries naturally exerted themselves to check the ravages of the epidemic by distributing medicine to the sick, and oftentimes with success. This gratuitous ministration, however, brought down upon them the resentment of the professional disease-makers, who found their gains thereby much diminished, and were consequently determined to get rid of such troublesome rivals. On visiting a certain village, Mr Turner twice narrowly escaped death at the hands of a young ruffian, being saved on one occasion by the presence of mind of Mr Nisbet, and on the other by the interference of some women. A Sunday or two after this occurrence Mr Nisbet himself was in danger of being clubbed, one of his two companions, an assistant printer and a Christian, being actually struck on the temple, and dangerously wounded.

The ill-feeling of the priesthood was further inflamed by

the fact that, while dysentery raged with great virulence among the enemies of the Christians, the latter were exempt from the malady. To make matters worse, the people dwelling on the mountain opposite the mission, who had hitherto remained neutral, though also suffering from dysentery, at last joined the hostile party, and avowed their resolution to destroy the foreigners and their adherents. The position of the missionaries had become extremely critical. The country to the right and left, and the mountain on the opposite side of the bay, were occupied by savages thirsting for their blood. Their only friends dwelt in a Few villages behind the mission-house, but were quite inable to cope with their adversaries. One day a band of wo thousand armed men poured into the district bent pon their massacre, but were dispersed by a furious ropical squall of wind, thunder, lightning, and rain, before hey could decide upon their plan of action. As the evil roject was only adjourned, and not abandoned, Messrs urner and Nisbet set about packing up their things, and tting their whale-boat ready for launching.

On the following Sunday their enemies beat one of their ys to death with their clubs, as a declaration of war ainst the district which still afforded them a shelter. The hting began on the Tuesday, when several of the misnaries' friends were wounded; and on the following day illage was burnt to the ground. A fowling-piece, left by Heath at the mission-house, was thereupon clamorously nanded by their protectors, but resolutely refused. It v seemed that nothing remained but to seek safety in ht in two open boats, through a dark, squally night. A e before midnight the moon shone out, and the wind lerated. Commending themselves to God, the little

268 Missionary Life in the Southe

band moved down to the beach, nineteen four children. Ten were placed in the w nine in the canoe, Mr Turner and Mr Ni an oar. As they neared the mouth of the a heavy swell came rolling in, the wind squall, blowing right in their teeth, and down in torrents. In vain the one crew oars, while the others strenuously plied th storm was too much for them, and welln upon the breakers. Presently they los another, and in despair each made for t they happily reached about 3 A.M., "all and reeling after such a struggle agains rain and sea."

A few hours later their neighbours cr house demanding the gun. This the mis declined to give up, and shortly afterwa forced to hurry down to their boats, rapidly gaining ground, and driving the friends before them in confusion. A valu hatchets, knives, and calico, had been sent stay their hand, but the answer was read i another village. That night, however, pass hurt, and on the morrow a whaler from came to anchor close to the beach, and the m teachers two days afterwards were on board movable goods, and on their way to Samo wretched Tannese to butcher one another pretext for bloodshed that might occur to minds.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE NEW HEBRIDES.

Tanna in 1845-"Satan" in the flesh-Infamous conduct of the sandalwood-traders-Ravages of the smallpox-First missionary settlement-Never too old to learn-Niua-A venErromanga-Murder of Mr John Williams and Mr James Harris-Mr Heath's courage-Murder of Mr and Mrs Gordon-Realities of missionary life.

detta

Ir was in January 1843 that Messrs Turner and Nisbet were constrained to flee for their lives from Tanna; but by the 22d April 1845 a marked change had been wrought in the disposition of the Tannese. On that day the former gentleman, accompanied by the Rev. A. W. Murray, found himself once more in Port Resolution, on board the new missionary barque, the John Williams. The fighting, he was informed, lasted for upwards of a month after his hurried departure, dysentery, meanwhile, making fearful ravages among the enemy. Since then both parties had lived on mutual good terms, and all were anxious to receive instruction. Two Samoan teachers were actually occupying the old mission-house, having fled thither from Niua, where they had been accused of creating disease, and threatened with death. These faithful converts had laboured assiduously, and not unsuccessfully, among the Tannese, and had kindled a desire to know something more about this new religion, which was making such a stir in the neighbouring islands, as well as in their own.

Mr Turner was also surprised to find in the mission-house a broken-down English gentleman, whose name the natives pronounced as Satan. He was lying "on a sort of bedstead made of some sticks lashed together, and raised a little off the ground. A mat and a blanket formed his scanty bedding. A loaded gun lay at his right side, another stood up in the corner, at his left. He had an old number of the Times newspaper in his hand, and a little fire smouldered in a hole in the earth at the foot of the bed. There he lay, with a long black beard, pale, pensive, and emaciated." The poor waif stated that his name was S-t—n, his initials being R. M. S., and that he came originally from Essex, whence he had emigrated to New Zealand.

Disappointed in his expectations, he had taken to the sandalwood trade, and would have been killed at Mare, one of the Loyalty Islands, but for the interposition of the native teachers. He was afterwards at Aneiteum, and crossed over to Tanna for the sake of the hot springs; for he had been covered with sores, and was still far from well. It was his wish, he said, to visit all the neighbouring islands, and then return home; but the latter intention was never fulfilled, for he lost his life in New Caledonia, about two years after his meeting with Mr Turner.

Quite undue importance seems to have been attached to the circumstance that a half-converted chief of secondary rank had kept a correct reckoning of the Sabbaths— as Sunday is invariably called by the missionaries. Whenever any savages could be persuaded to abstain from work on the seventh day, it was thought that the first step had been taken towards their conversion, as though utter idleness were more desirable than such simple occupations as fishing, or the easy culture of their fields. These "Sabba