THEIR JOYFUL WELCOME.

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friends in it were delighted to hear how well they had been received.

Very early on Tuesday, Mane-mane came in a canoe with three hogs, fowls, and fruit, as a present to his friend the captain. This food was very acceptable to people who had been on a long voyage, and had tasted no fruit or fresh meat for a long time.

Mane-mane, when he came on board, made a long speech, which Peter explained, in praise of the idol gods, and ended it by praising the God of the English above all, saying he should persuade the king to worship him; but he did not speak sincerely, and only wanted to get in favour with the captain. He afterwards tried to persuade the captain that the king of Tahiti would not give him things, and advised him to go with him to another island; but the captain did not attend to him, for he saw he was covetous, and wanted everything for himself.

At eleven o'clock that morning the captain and a few missionaries went in their boats with Mane-mane and Peter to Tahiti. The natives who had crowded on the beach to look at them, when they saw them approaching, ran into the sea to meet them, dragged the boats towards the shore, and taking the captain and missionaries on their shoulders, carried them to land: so great was their delight at their arrival.

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THE KING AND QUEEN.

On the beach the king and queen of Tahiti were waiting. They were both riding on men's shoulders, for it was the custom of the country that the king and queen should never touch the ground, except when they were at home in their own houses and lands: and as there were no animals larger than pigs in the island, they could only be carried by men. It was reckoned a great honour to ride in this manner, and which none of the natives but the king and queen were allowed to have. When the king and queen made a journey, men came with them to help those who carried them, when they were tired; and in changing from one to another, the king and queen never let their feet touch the ground, but jumped over the head of one man on to the shoulders of the other. The reason they never touched the ground when on a journey was, that whatever land they touched became their own, and their people would have been angry if they had taken away their lands or houses.

The king's name was Otu. He was about twenty years old. He had a dull and grave look, and did not seem so amiable as the Tahitians in general. The queen was only fifteen, and like her husband.

not grave

The captain told the king (and Peter interpreted what he said) that the missionaries were come to instruct his people in what would

THE ROYAL GIFT.

15

do them good, and that this had been their only reason for leaving England; he then asked the king to give them a large piece of land, full of fruit-trees, where they might live and build houses. He told him also that the missionaries would never fight either for him or against him, but would always be friendly to him, and only wanted him to promise not to hurt them.

The king promised to do as the captain wished. He said that the large house they had belonged to him, and that he would give it to them, as well as a large piece of land. Otu (without dismounting) took the captain by the hand, and led him to the house, and then back to the beach, and so from one place to another, till the captain was tired, and said he should return to the ship. Before they parted, Otu asked him to let the guns he had brought with him be fired. The captain ordered them all four to be fired twice, and then went back with the missionaries to the ship.

The same evening the king and queen came each in a small canoe to the ship, each accompanied by a servant. They refused to come on deck, saying that if they touched the ship it would be theirs, and none but their own servants might eat or dwell there afterwards. As the captain could not spare his ship, he did not press them to come.

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THE ROYAL REQUEST.

Wishing to please them, he offered to have the great guns fired; but the king said he was afraid of so loud a noise, and that it would hurt his ears. The king and queen then told the captain that they had heard there were some white women and children in the ship, and that they wished very much to see them, as they had never seen any. I suppose that

this was their reason for coming that evening to the ship. The women and little children came to the ship's side, where they could be seen by the king and queen. Little Sammy Hassel was a babe in arms. At the sight of these white faces the royal pair cried out with wonder and pleasure.

The visitors could not, however, stay longer, for the sky was darkening, and they had only just time to get to shore before a storm of thunder and lightning came on.

On Wednesday morning it rained so hard that the missionaries could not leave the ship till nine o'clock. They were anxious to get early on shore, because they wanted to begin to get their house ready. They went in a large boat, and took their beds and some of their chests with them, but left the women and children in the ship. The captain and some sailors accompanied them. Numbers of natives were waiting on the shore, anxious to see them land. The king and

THE MISSIONARIES' HOUse.

17

queen also were there riding in state as before.

The natives helped to carry the chests and beds to the house, and were ready to assist the missionaries as much as they pleased..

The great work to be done was to divide the house into rooms. The natives went into the woods to gather hollow sticks, called bamboos, which placed close together made walls for the rooms. A bed-room was made for each of the eighteen missionaries, besides a room for books, another for stores, and another for medicines. A large room at one end was to be used as a chapel. It served also as a hall, for people passed through it to the other rooms.

About noon Mane-mane brought three hogs ready dressed for dinner. He spread a great cloth on the ground: the captain and missionaries sat around it, and, after asking God's blessing, ate thankfully, without either knife, fork, spoon, table, or chair. It seemed as if they would not soon be in want of food, for they received a quantity of provisions as presents from the natives. The natives had also dressed their visitors in cloth made of the bark of trees, to show them that they were welcome.

The missionaries, when they received these gifts, blessed the gracious Giver of every

comfort.

C