178

UNBELIEF OF THE NATIVES.

bone was bent, and it was very remarkable that when the bone was bent much, the person began to recover, though he remained a cripple all his life. Once the natives brought a great many of these poor objects, and laid them before the missionaries while they were preaching, to show them what harm their God had done. Sometimes, when the missionaries entreated the natives to come and hear them, they said to each other in a mocking tone, "Come let us go, that we may be cured of all our diseases to-day." They often said to the missionaries, "You talk to us of salvation, and we are dying. We want no other salvation, than to be cured of our diseases, and to live here always, and to eat, and talk."

When the missionaries told them that their bodies would be raised after death, they would not believe them; they said it was impossible, for that dead bodies turned to dust, and that no dead person had yet been raised. In vain the brethren assured them, that one had risen from the dead; they laughed the whole history to scorn, saying, "Has Pomare believed? Or any of the chiefs?"

It was too true that the chiefs were the greatest enemies of Christ, and discouraged the natives from attending to the gospel. Once when a missionary was preaching about Christ having atoned for our sins, a man

THEIR GROSS DARKNESS.

179

cried out to the rest, (as if he liked what he had heard,) "Do you hear that?" Immediately a chief who was present threw something at the man.

Sometimes persons asked questions seriously during the sermons, and acknowledged that they were fools, and knew nothing: but these hopeful signs were of short continuance. Once a man said to the brethren, "You offer no sacrifices to your God, but say that Jesus was sacrificed. Is it because Jesus was sacrificed, that you offer nothing?" The missionaries replied that was the reason. The man seemed pleased, and to think the way of salvation very easy. But, alas! though he could understand it a little, he could not believe it. The missionaries felt the truth of God's declaration, "Darkness hath covered the earth, and gross darkness the people;" but they were comforted with the promise, "My sheep shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."

It was wonderful to see what trust these people placed in their dumb idols. One day some natives caught seven large fish, and they thought that they had caught so many, because there were some red feathers on their canoes. They often said the English were very unkind not to send them more red feathers, that they might please their gods. They could scarcely be

180

FEMALE IMPOSTORS.

made to understand what the soul was; they fancied their souls lived in the land of darkness, and that they only came to them sometimes at night when they dreamed. All these foolish notions were taught to the people by their priests, and also by others who pretended to be inspired by the gods. Even women, who were so much despised in Tahiti, sometimes professed to have the spirit of the gods in them. I will give you an instance of the manner in which they they tried to impose on the people.

On one occasion the brethren saw a girl coming towards them, leading a woman, whose head was muffled up. These persons pretended to have the spirit of the gods in them. When they saw the brethren they appeared confused, fell upon their knees, and mumbled some words. Their reason for doing so was, that they might appear to put the spirit of the gods from them. They then rose, and coming towards the missionaries, quietly spoke to them by their names. The brethren, seeing their hypocrisy, rebuked them sharply, and entreated the people standing by, not to be deceived by such tricks. The people laughed, and some said they knew the whole was a pretence; but others still believed in it, being blinded by Satan.

Thus these people, who were so unbelieving towards God, were willing to be deceived by

MURDER OF A GUEST.

181

the most foolish impostors. It is often found, even in christian countries, that those who will not believe the word of God, will place their trust in fortune-tellers, dreams, and signs of good and ill luck. It is easy to discover the cause of this difference,-it is the love of sin; God's word forbids all evil, and therefore it is despised and rejected.

Accustomed as the missionaries were to the wicked ways of the people, they were filled with dismay at the deed which I shall now relate.

Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Scott, while travelling in Tahiti, came to the house of a chief, who had often been desired to find a sacrifice, and who had just received a message from Pomare, threatening him with banishment, if he did not kill a man immediately.

The chief was sitting in his house, surrounded by his friends and attendants, and was secretly intending to kill one of them, when the brethren entered. Knowing how they hated such deeds, the chief durst not do it in their presence. Soon the brethren lay down to rest. The chief then invited his companions to accompany him to the sea-shore. The man, whom the chief intended to kill, was one of his relations, who was come to visit him. This man, with several others, consented to go to the beach. When arrived there, the chief and his

182

THE KING'S GRANDFATHER.

servants killed him with stones, and put his body in a long basket of cocoa-nut leaves, ready to be sent to Pomare. The chief then returned to the house, quite as calm and unconcerned, as if he had only killed a hog. The two brethren knew nothing of the dreadful deed, till after they had left the house. Who can express the horror they then felt? In such a country it might well be said, (as it once was said in Israel,) "Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother. Their tongue is, as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in his heart he layeth his wait: shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord." Jer. ix. 4, 8, 9.

CHAPTER XXI.

1802-1803.

THE DEATHS OF THREE OF THE ROYAL

FAMILY.

HAVE you forgotten Ote-u, the king's grandfather? This old man had been introduced five years before, to Captain Wilson, when he brought the first missionaries in the Duff. The missionaries had sometimes tried to lead