Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/450

 418 FIJI AOT) THE FIJIANS. Though Verani refused, on behalf of himself and the Christians, to engage in war, saying, " I have already fought too much : 1 have done now ; " yet his was too earnest and active a nature to remain idle. But he had now espoused another cause. One day, less than two months after his conversion, Verani ordered his great war-canoe to be launched ; but not to go on its old work of bloodshed and crime. A dark day was it, in time past, for some town or island, when the great sail of that canoe went up to the wild shouts of the painted warriors who thronged the deck ; but it was far otherwise now. Verani, with his energy of soul directed by the new power of love to God and man, was setting sail to carry the Missionary to the distant islands under his charge; and wherever the war-canoe of the dreaded Chieftain touched, it brought " the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of peace.' The sound conversion of this man was a great help to the Mission. His decision for God, his marriage to one wife, his willingness to be poor and despised, formed the subject of wonder and inquiry through- out Fiji. And, wherever he went, his simple zeal and earnestness increased the wonder, and drew more fixed attention to the religion which had wrought so marvellous a change. Shortly after Mr. Hunt's voyage, Verani conveyed another Mission- ary to Ovalau, who wrote as follows, on the 5th of July, 1845 : " I have visited the Christians at Ovalau. Verani took me, and behaved in a very becoming manner during the time we were absent. He strongly recommended the lotu to all the people with whom we had intercourse. In fact, he made it his busines-, and went for the express purpose of persuading the Ovalau people to throw up their Heathenism. He persuaded some, and got the promise of others to join before long. He visited a town or two by himself, to teach them what he knew. I quite admired his untiring efforts, and felt quite ashamed of myself. During the seven days we were together, I heard no unbecoming expression from his lips. When not engaged with the Heathen or Christians in conversing on religion, he was constantly reading his book, and asking the meaning of what he read. He also kept all his men closely to their reading, day by day, and persuaded some heathen Chiefs who came to see him to learn the alphabet, which was accomplished by two young men in two hours, much to our satis- faction. They would probably return again to their owti town, and think no more of it ; but we cannot but admire Verani's earnest desire for the welfare of others." At his baptism, Verani chose the name of Elijah, and when he