Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/295

 ONO. 265 After having held the District Meeting, Mr. Waterhouse sailed in the " Triton," with several of the Missionaries, to Ono, and on July 28th writes, " Last night we reached Vatoa, distant from Lakemba 110 miles. The natives came after dark in a canoe, in which Messrs. Hunt and Calvert went ashore to make arrangements for our work. This morning we breakfasted soon after day-dawn, and hastened to them, when we were received with a cordial welcome. I was much affected while hearing of the wicked and cruel conduct of the Lakemba Heathen, who, more than twelve months ago, visited this land in thirteen canoes ; and having eaten their yams, nuts, etc., wantonly destroyed what was unripe, leaving the Teachers exposed to famine, and then threatened to bind them, skin them, and dry them in the sun. On hearing this, a Christian Fijian, an important Chief, who had accompanied them, said, ' I can bear with your eating, and wasting all their food ; but I cannot endure to see the servants of God used in that way ; and if it is done, we must make war ! ' The heroism of this man saved them ; and they set sail to Ono to compel a Christian woman to be the King's wife, he having thirty or forty before. They had not, however, proceeded very far, before four canoes were lost, and one hundred of them were drowned. * Verily, there is a reward for the righteous ; verily, there is a God that judgeth in the earth.' We called upon the Teachers, whose persons, houses, and gardens do them the utmost credit. Here is a beautiful chapel : the pulpit is made out of a solid piece of wood, which a native was oiling to make it shine. Our time was now taken up with examining the candidates for baptism, in baptizing them, in addressing them on the importance of the sacred ordinance, and their individual duty, as those who were baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The number now baptized was fifty- three ; one couple was married ; and the whole company who attended the chapel had new native cloth dresses on, — men, women, and children. A more interesting sight I do not expect to see, especially when it is remembered that less than two years ago they were perfect Heathens, and that now they have all renounced Heathenism, and acknowledged God to be the Lord. While we were ashore, the ship had to keep out at sea, on account of the dangerous reefs ; and we used all diligence to get on board as soon as practicable. We had a good supply of whole- some food under a large tree ; our table, the ground ; our plates, the leaves of a banana tree ; our food, boiled fowls, fish, and yams ; our soup-plates, cocoa-nut shells ; our carvers, natives' fingers ; ourselves without knives, but thankful that we could use our hands ; our bev- erage, the milk of cocoa-nuts ; our towels, the green rind of the banana