Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/569

 NA2JDI. 531 groves. Our new Mission Stations are bj the side of these salt-water rivers, and are only just at high-water mark : having no elevation, and being close to the water, hemmed in hj a dense grove, there is no view, and very little circulation of air ; but heat there is to a very high degree, and swarms of flies and mosquitoes torment the miinitiated. This state of things is very revolting to my mind, because it inflicts an amount of discomfort on the Mission-families, which must be seen and felt to be at all understood. But at present we must suffer it ; for the pastor must lodge with his flock ; and these are the localities the natives have chosen, and on which they have erected the Mission-houses. When these are decayed, new ones may probably be erected on the rising ground by the sea-shore, where the breeze and the open view may be secured. The flocks will then follow their shepherds, especially as there will then be no fear of war, because the ' son of peace ' will be there. It is very remarkable that the health of our Mission-families has been generally good, notwithstanding the local disadvantages under which they are placed. We are therefore warranted in concluding, that, upon the whole, the climate of these tropical isles is merely wasting, not deadly. Poor Mr. Ford is suffering severely from head-ache. He and his family have been one year, save ten days, in passing from Eng- land to Nandi." Many and severe troubles befel the newly arrived Missionaries. Two months afl:er they came, a violent storm blew down many of the frail dwellings of the people ; but the Mission-house stood. Three days after, the hurricane returned with increased fiiry. Who, but the God whom they served and trusted, can tell all that these tv'o families suffered during the occurrences so simply narrated in the following extract from Mr. Watsford's Journal 1 " Sunday, January 16th, 1848. — A day long to be remembered. Never, while memory holds her seat, shall I forget what we have this day passed through. All Saturday night the wind was very high, and it increased towards morn- ing. About ten o'clock it blew a tremendous gale. We had some of the Teachers and people in our house, and they did all they could to keep it up ; but it rocked and shook over our heads, and we expected it to fall every moment. We collected the children near the door, and, wi-apping them up in blankets, we stood ready to rush out, should the house be broken in. About eleven o'clock the wall-plate was broken m two, and one side of the house fell in ; the door was then thrown open, and we attempted to rush out, but were beaten down by the wind and rain. When we recovered from the first shock, we made as fast as we could through the awful storm to our kitchen. It was with