"Why, sir, I goes about and talks to the people, and tells 'em that our God is good, and theirs is bad; and when they listens to me, I makes 'em religion, and baptizes 'em." On the missionary expressing some astonishment at their venturing to administer that holy rite, the poor fellow replied, "Why, sir, I takes water and dips my hands in it, and crosses them on their foreheads and on their breasts, and then I reads a bit of prayer to 'em in English." He acknowledged that they did not understand him, but added, "They says they knows it does 'em good." These two seamen were not, however, wholly disinterested in their efforts to "turn the people religion," for they pretended to heal the sick by reading "a bit of prayer" over them, for which they took care to exact a fee proportioned to the credulity and apparent means of their patients.

The six missionaries-Messrs Bicknell, Eyre, Harris, Jefferson, Lewis, and Nott-who had resolved, at the hazard of their lives, to prosecute the good work they had taken in hand, addressed a letter to the Missionary Society, on the departure of their brethren for New South Wales, which is the best possible illustration of their Christian zeal and singleness of purpose. "Experience has taught us," they say, "the more we are encumbered about worldly things, the less concern we have for the conversion of the heathen; and the more we are detached from secular employments, the more, we trust, our minds will be attached to the propagation of the gospel. Otaheite affords food and raiment suitable to the climate, and sufficient to answer the great end of Providence in granting us these blessings; and having these things, we hope the Lord will teach us to be content. We deem it needful to inform the directors that it appears to us at present a reinforcement of

Critical Position of the Mission.

47

this island with a body of missionaries, consisting of men, women, and children, and furnished after the manner of ourselves when we quitted our native country in the ship Duff, would nothing forward the work of God on Otaheite or the adjacent islands; but if four or six Christian men, void of worldly encumbrances, will be willing to hazard their lives for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ in the conversion of the heathen, and, led by the Eternal Spirit, forsake all and follow us, we shall glory if spared to give them the right hand of fellowship."

The position of the six missionaries remaining in the Matavai district was extremely critical. The people of Pare having taken up arms against Pomare to avenge the fate of the two men he put to death for their ruffianly assault upon the four missionaries, that chief applied to Mr Nott to know how far he might rely upon the aid of himself and his companions, and was answered explicitly that they knew nothing of war, and would have nothing to do with it. As it happened, he was successful without their aid, and slew fourteen of his enemies, besides burning forty or fifty of their houses. The ill-will previously borne by the people of Pare towards their European instructors was naturally increased by these disasters, while Pomare himself somewhat cooled in his friendship for men who seemed likely to entangle him in hostilities, from which they would do nothing to extricate him.

About five months after the departure of the Nautilus, two London whalers anchored for three days in Matavai Bay, when one of the captains presented a large quantity of gunpowder to Oripaia, a rival of Pomare. Fancying from the coarseness of the grain that it was not genuine, Oripaia desired one of his attendants to load a pistol and

try it. The stupid fellow did as he was bid, but fired across the heap of gunpowder, into which a spark fell, and an explosion ensued. The chief and five of his people were dreadfully scorched, and the remedies applied by one of the missionaries failed to allay their torment. Recourse was then had to native skill, beneath which Oripaia and another of the sufferers died in agony. The missionary's failure was attributed to the anger of his God, who now sought to avenge the insult offered to his worshippers, and even Otu became greatly exasperated, and soon found an excuse for carrying fire and sword into the Matavai district, which more particularly belonged to his father.

The missionary settlement was, however, spared on this occasion, though surrounded by fierce warriors brandishing spears and clubs. The king's principal ally on this expedition was the high priest Haamanemane, who was likewise a chief of considerable influence, and a man of a crafty, intriguing disposition. Unable to make head against him in the field, Pomare sent a message to his consort Idia to have him assassinated. Won by the solicitations of his mother, the young king consented to the death of his faithful friend, who was accordingly murdered by one of Idia's people, while on his way from Matavai to Pare. This tragical event occurred in December 1798, and was followed by a period of comparative tranquillity, during which the missionaries devoted themselves to the acquisition of the language, and to conversations with the natives upon religious topics, though apparently without making the slightest impression upon either their understanding or their heart.

The following year was marked by the death of Mr

Lewis, under peculiarly distressing circumstances. Not quite four months after the departure of the Nautilus, he had acquainted the brethren with his intention of taking to wife a native woman, who was still an idolatress. After vainly endeavouring to dissuade him from such a deplorable connection, the missionaries declined to hold any further intercourse with their backsliding brother. He was, nevertheless, a regular attendant at public worship, and appears to have otherwise conducted himself with propriety and decorum. Towards the latter end of November, however, they were startled by the intelligence of his death. Hastening to his house, they found his dead body laid upon the bed, the face and forehead exhibiting wounds inflicted by a stone or sharp instrument. The natives declared that he had beaten his face against the pavement in front of his house, as if under an access of delirium; but it afterwards came to the knowledge of the missionaries that he had been murdered, and that his mistress must have been privy, if not actually consenting, to his death.

D

CHAPTER IV.

Erection of the first Christian chapel in the South Seas-Pomare's offering-Reinforcement of missionaries-First preaching tour -The Atehuru rebellion-The mission-house turned into a fortalice-Suspension of hostilities-Perversity of the natives -Death of Pomare I.—King's letter to the London Missionary Society-Letters from home-Renewal of hostilities-Defeat of Pomare II.-Break-up of the South Sea Mission.

THINGS now began to go from bad to worse. The little missionary band had not yet recovered from the shock of Mr Lewis's melancholy secession and death, when they were further discouraged by Mr Harris's announcement of his intention to proceed to New South Wales in an English vessel which put into Matavai Bay about that time. The loss of this member of their party was, however, soon made good by the return of Mr and Mrs Henry from Port Jackson; but the captain who brought this welcome addition to their society somewhat marred the gratification of the poor missionaries by leaving on the island three of his crew, whose influence with the natives was exercised greatly to their disadvantage. Undaunted by the manifold misfortunes and annoyances that had hitherto befallen them since their arrival in Tahiti, they set about the erection of a place of worship easy of access for the inhabitants of the district, and selected as a site a spot close to Mr Lewis's untimely grave. This was the first building solely devoted to the service of the Creator in which the South Sea