Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/442

 410 FIJI AJSD THE FIJIANS. 18th.— This morning we had a light breeze, and did not expect to see home to-day. About ten o'clock, however, a fine breeze sprung up, which brought us safe to Viwa by four. I found my dear wife well. Mr. and Mrs. Jaggar had remained at Viwa the whole of the time I had been away : this was exceedingly kind, and is, indeed, characteristic of them both. Namosimalua was gone in search of me to Rakiraki, and all were much alarmed, lest some evil had happened me. Praised be God, I am now safe at home again, in better health, both in body and soul, than when I set out. " How wonderful are the ways of Providence with respect to Fiji ! Mr. Spinney was appointed to labour here, but died before he entered the field : then Mr. Waterhouse was sent to us, and we received him as a messenger from God, and rejoiced in him as in a father ; but how soon was our Elijah taken from us ! Our eyes were then fixed on Mr. Cross, to whom we were all united in strong afiection, and whose wisdom and experience seemed a stay to us ; but, alas ! he too is taken from us. What can we do ? "We look at one another, and sigh, and pray, * Lord, help us ! ' We have now no head, we are all alike young and inexperienced. We are but five in number, and three of us have been much afflicted at times during the past year or two. Surely the Committee will pity us, and send us out a Chairman, and an additional helper. " We cannot think that the determination of the Committee to send out no more Missionaries at present applies to us. Nay, dear fathers and brethren, remember that the Lord has taken three from us (nay, I may say four, for Mr. Waterhouse was as one) since the commencement of the Mission, and you have only sent us out one since we came. We have not yet seven, our old specified number." On May 15th, 1844, Mr. Hunt again writes .• — " I am happy to say that, during the past year, our health, as a family, has been better than usual. Mrs. Hunt, in particular, has much improved, for which we are, I trust, truly thankful to God. " I have had abundance of employment, especially with the sick, who have been very numerous during the year ; so that Yiwa has been like an hospital. They have come from various places, but principally from Mbau. Two of my principal patients have been a daughter of Thakombau's, and the son of a Chief of rank. Both of them have recovered, and have embraced Christianity. The only way of obtaining access to Mbau appears to be by giving medicine ; and this means has been evidently owned of God during the past year. Besides the two above mentioned, several others, principally the wives and children of Chiefs, have become Christians by profession, on account ot the benefits they have derived from medicine. We have now our regular services in Mbau twice on the Sabbath ; and those who have renounced Heathenism attend regu- larly, and are very attentive to the preached word. This is cause of great thankfulness to Almighty God. Many are favourable to Christianity in Mbau, and none oppose it openly that we know of; nevertheless, we have no prospect of having a Mission-house built in Mbau. In answer to a question proposed to Thakombau on the subject, a short time since, he said, * We are at war, and cannot attend to Christianity at present.' I mentioned Ovalau as a place we thought of for a Mission Station : he said, ' Ovalau and Koro are our lands : you can go to them ; but we shall not become Christians at Mbau at present.' The old King is agreeable to almost any thing in appearance ; but he is not so sincere as his son, nor has he so much influence in an affair of that kind. the whole of the past year. Most people consider that Rewa is the aggressor, and that Mbau could not have maintained its national honour without coming to hostilities. Both parties are determined to continue the war until some of the Chiefs are killed. It may be years before peace is restored : such is the determination on both sides to conquer or die, that to talk of coming to terms seems quite out of the question. The Mbau people
 * ' Mbau and Rewa have been involved in a most bloody and malignant war during