Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/372

 342 FIJI ANB THE FIJIANS. yaqona drinking. During his exile Eatu Nggara had promised valuable offerings to the priest at ReYa, if the god would bring about his return home. But the feelings of the Chief had changed. He felt much the efforts of the Missionaries on his behalf, and was better dis- posed towards the religion which he had been accustomed to per- secute. On his re-establishment at Rewa no offerings were sent to the god ; and Ratu Nggara said, on hearing that the priest had been making inquiry about them, " Well, let us go and lie to him. Let us tell him that we expect the. King will come quickly upon us, and kill us all ; and that, on this account only, we are delaying the promised offering. If he be a god really, he will know it to be a lie." A mes- senger was accordingly dispatched to the priest, with the secret under- standing that, while he was delivering his message, the Chief would bring a party to feign an attack on the priest's house. The mes- senger found the priest highly charged with divine influence, and regardless alike of the message and of all sublunary things. But presently shouts were heard coming nearer and nearer ; and, before long, the blows of clubs on the ground and the house-fence, sounded like mischief, mingled as they were with furious cries of " Kill him ! Kill him ! " Even a god-filled priest could not help feeling alarmed ; so, greatly to the amusement of his mock enemies, he made a sudden bolt from the house, plunged into the river close by, diving to dodge the musket-balls which were not sent after him, and in very quick time landed frightened and panting on the opposite bank. The Chief was delighted, and said, " It is true what the Christians say, that our priests tell us lies ; for, had there been a god, he would have known the report to have been false, and would have sat still in his house ; whereas, he made all haste away." In September a converted priest died " in the Lord," and received a Christian burial, his wife being spared, in spite of the most determined efforts on the part of the Heathens to have her strangled. Eighteen adults, who had been under instruction, were baptized, together with six infants. Teachers were sent to the large and important island of Kandavu, and all the schools were re-modelled and carried on with fresh vigour, the scholars increasing in diligence as the supply of books became larger. Among the church-members there was an evident spread of earnest and spiritual religion. One man, a Chief, who had been negligent, came to the Missionary • in great distress, weeping because of his guilt and danger, and went away determined to confess all his sins to God, and to plead for forgiveness through Jesus Christ.