Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/261

 BEGINNIN-GS — ^LAKEMBA AND EEWA. 231 cholera, and then with typhus fever, until his strength was all gone, and his poor wife saw closely threatening her the hard lot of being left alone with her little ones among cannibals. At this distressing time, Mr. Da^dd "Whippy, an American settler at Ovalau, went to Rewa, and gave invaluable help to the sufferer and his family. By God's mercy, Mr. Cross recovered to a great extent from his sickness, and the King forthwith set about building a house for him in good earnest ; so that he soon had a large and comfortable dwelling on a raised foundation. By this time the Mission at Rewa was thoroughly set on foot ; but the services were held out of doors, until a Chief of some rank and his wife became Christians, when their house was opened for worship, and as many as a hundred hearers would sometimes meet there to listen to the Missionary. A school was formed, and a successful prospect seemed opening up ; but here also persecution arose, and Mr. Cross was once nearly losing his life by one of the stones which were now often thrown among the Christians. An attempt was also made to burn the house where they assembled. In the person of the King the Missionary had a protector, who, together with his wife, helped the work, and reproved his own brother for taking part in the persecution. Near the end of 1838, the Chief of Viwa — another of the small isl- ands off the coast of Great Fiji, a few miles north of Mbau — requested Mr. Cross to send him a Teacher. This Chief, Na-mosi-malua, — The pang hereafter, — was a most remarkable man. At the request of a Mbau Chief who had headed the rebellion against Tanoa, Namosimalua, with his nephew Verani, had captured the French brig, " L'aimable Josephine," and killed the Captain M. Bureau, and most of the crew, in 1834. Two French ships of war, under the command of M. d'Urville, were sent to Fiji, in 1838, to be revenged for this outrage. On the ap- proach of the vessels, the Chief, with most of his people, fled to the mainland, while a few remained concealed, and watched a body of armed men land on Viwa, who, finding the town deserted, set fire to the houses, and took away such property as could be found. M. d'Urville says, that " the behaviour of the savages in this affair was treacherous and detestable ; " but he did not know till afterwards that M. Bureau had allowed his vessel to be used in native wars, " during which he even suffered the body of an enemy to be cooked and eaten on board." On the departure of the ships, the Chief and his people returned to Viwa, and found their town destroyed, their crops spoiled, and many things which were valuable to them taken away. This calamity brought Namosimalua to consideration, and made him look anxiously towards the lotu, which, as yet, he had neglected. Mr. Cross hesitated to com-