Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/492

 458 FIJI Aim THE FIJIANS.' One evening Mr. Calvert proposed to fetch his naagic-lantern, for the amusement of the people, and accepted Mara's offer to take him to Viwa in a canoe, as he thought that, on the way, he might get a chance of more closely talking to this remarkable man. The Missionary, was no stranger to Mara, but had long proved his earnest concern for his salvation, and could now say what he liked to him. On this occasion, he complained, " Mara, I pity myself in not being made useful to you. There are very few persons in England who have such opportunities as you. People generally are not so faithfully dealt with as you have been, and laboured for year after year ; and yet you remain in your sins, and I am afraid will be tormented body and soul in hell for ever." Mara put on a look of astonishment. " Ah, Mr. Calvert, you speak too strongly ! Why, I am persecuted for my Christianity ! " This was, to some extent, true. He discountenanced the heathen ceremonies, and bade his people pray when they were in danger at sea. Even this light was troublesome to the dark souls at Mbau ; and Mara made no friends by his religion. Still he was far from living well, and Mr. Calvert went on : " The fact is, Mara, you are not saved from your sins ; and if you live and die as you are, you will be lost for ever.'* Putting o'n the injured look again, he rejoined : " "Well, you should not speak thus to me. I confess I often feel discouraged myself: my Christianity is not much — not more than that : " and he held his finger in his hand so as to show only the tip. " It sinks down and down," — looking hard at his finger-tip, as it almost disappeared, — " and sometimes I think it is going away altogether : but I say to myself," — looking still harder at his finger — " ' No, there it is ! the little morsel is still left ! ' And then war rises or affliction comes, and it is increased, and, little as it is, it keeps me from killing people. When I get angry, and feel prompted to kill, then I am afraid of the future and am restrained." It was often a cause of wonder to the Missionaries that this man should espouse the cause of religion in any way ; for he had been notoriously wicked, and still remained in sin. Yet, it was quite true, that his " little morsel " of religion had kept him from killing hundreds ; for, in his past life, no one's club struck more quickly or with less provocation than Mara's. Once when a canoe-party vexed him, he ran them down at sea with his larger canoe and killed seven. For such a man to be restrained at all, was a cause of thankfulness ; but he was far from right, and gave the Missionaries great anxiety and trouble. Their recent reverses had but led the people at Mbau to the more eager pursuit of war, and to this everything had to yield. While heathen temples were being rebuilt with new zeal, in the hope of pro-