Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/538

 500 FIJI Am) THE FIJIANS.' sensible during niost of the day. The last word uttered by him was, I have no man left equal to Solomon Eandawa. " We know you feel for, and sympathize with, your Missionaries in Fiji. You would do so much more, could you see us now, and contrast us with our work. We are now reduced to six in number, and none of us strong : our work is great and diversified, and is daily increasing. To be solitary on a Station in a heathen district is bad. The man is cramped. The demands of his charge, and of his family, prevent him from going far from home." The successor of Mbati Namu seemed to be a young man of very different character, and gave the Missionary reason to hope that he would not only treat the Christians more kindly, but himself eventually join them. Further encouragement was given in the fact that a way began to open for religious teaching in the Yasawa Group, to the west of Fiji, where five villages sought instruction, to which Mr. Williams resolved to send the Teacher who helped him at Tiliva, and without whom his own labour would be much increased. "June 11th, 1849. — On the 2nd of April I had a special prayer- meeting, to entreat for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this land, which is large, and abounds with misery and crime. " On the 3rd, I sailed for the back of the land, taking with me Ra Hezekiah A^unindanga, the Christian Chief of Tiliva. A few years ago, he was a bitter and scornful hater of Christianity ; but, for the past two years, he has been a consistent professor of religion, and wishes to persuade others to share with him in the blessings he enjoys. After an agreeable voyage, we anchored in the afternoon at Vatu Kea : but the Chief, Line, whom we wished to see, was away. We endeavoured to be useful to some visitors from the Yasawa Islands, who appeared to be of a more teachable disposition than any tribe of Fijians with which I am acquainted. I passed the night in a god-house, — the best in the place, — which the old priest invited me to use. I spent most of the night in speaking to the priest and another old man on the things of God. " On the morning of the 4th Line arrived. To appearance, he was convinced of the truth of Christianity ; but business of a public nature, with which the gods were concerned, was pleaded as an obstacle to his then becoming a professor of the religion of Jesus. His scruples on this head were overcome, and he bowed the knee with us in the temple, and worshipped the God of the universe. Ra Hezekiah was so delighted to see his friend thus worship God, that he roared aloud for joy.
 * Peace.' He fell asleep in Jesus during the night of November 22nd.