Part 9 (2/2)
”Indeed I am, sir,” replied Will, finding words at last, and bowing to the lady; ”but from what star have _you_ dropt? for, when I left the village, there were none but savages in it!”
”I dropt from the _Star of Hope_,” answered the gentleman, laughing.
”You have hit the mark, young sir, nearer than you think, for that is the name of the vessel that brought me here. I am a missionary; my name is Westwood; and I am thankful to say I have been successful in making a good commencement on this island. This is my wife--allow me to introduce you--and if you will come with me to my cottage--”
”Cottage!” exclaimed Will.
”Ay, 'tis a good and pretty one, too, notwithstanding the short time we took to build it. The islanders are smart fellows when they have a mind to labour, and it is wonderful what an amount can be done when the Lord prospers the work. These good fellows,” added the missionary, casting a glance at the two natives, ”who, as you see, are somewhat confused in their ideas about dress, have already done me much service in the building of the church--”
”Church!” echoed Will.
Again the missionary laughed, and, offering his arm to his wife, turned towards the village, saying--
”Come, Mr Osten--you see I know your name, having heard of you from your friend Buchanan--come, I will show you what we have been about while you were absent; but first--tell me--how fares it with your comrades?”
Will Osten at once entered into a full account of the doings of himself and his friends, and had just concluded, when he was once more rendered speechless by the sight of the missionary's cottage. It was almost the realisation of the waking dream which had captivated him so much on the evening when the storm arose that proved fatal to the _Foam_. He was still gazing at it in silent admiration, listening to an enthusiastic account of the zeal and kindness of the natives who helped to build it, when a young girl, apparently bordering on seventeen or eighteen years of age, with nut-brown curls, rosy cheeks, and hazel eyes, sprang out and hastened to meet them.
”Oh, father,” she exclaimed, while the colour of her face came and went fitfully, ”I'm so glad you have come! The natives have been so--so--”
”Not rude to you, Flora, surely?” interrupted the missionary.
”No, not exactly rude, but, but--”
Flora could not explain! The fact turned out to be that, never having seen any woman so wonderfully and bewitchingly beautiful before, the natives had crowded uninvited into the cottage, and there, seated on their hams round the walls, quietly gazed at her to their hearts'
content--utterly ignorant of the fact that they were violating the rules of polite society!
Will Osten, to his disgrace be it said, violated the same rules in much the same way, for he continued to gaze at Flora in rapt admiration until Mr Westwood turned to introduce her to him.
That same evening Bukaw.a.n.ga, accompanied by Thackombau, went to the mountain-cave, and, having explained to its occupants the altered state of things at the village, brought them down to the mission-house where they took up their abode.
It need scarcely be said that they were hospitably received. Mr Westwood had not met with countrymen for many months, and the mere sight of white faces and the sound of English voices were pleasant to him. He entertained them with innumerable anecdotes of his experiences and adventures as a missionary, and on the following morning took them out to see the church, which had just been begun.
”Already,” said Mr Westwood, as they were about to set forth after breakfast, ”my wife and Flora have got up a cla.s.s of women and girls, to whom they teach needle-work, and we have a large attendance of natives at our meetings on the Sabbath. A school also has been started, which is managed by a native teacher who came with me from the island of Raratonga, and most of the boys in the village attend it.”
”But it does seem to me, sir,” said Captain Dall, as they sauntered along, ”that needle-work and book-learning can be of no use to such people.”
”Not of much just now, captain, but these are only means to a great end.
Already, you see, they are beginning to be clothed--fantastically enough at present, no doubt--and I hope ere long to see them in their right mind, through the blessed influence of the Bible. Look there,” he added, pointing to an open s.p.a.ce in the forest, where the four walls of a large wooden building were beginning to rise; ”there is evidence of what the gospel of Jesus Christ can do. The labourers at that building are, many of them, bitter enemies to each other. Only yesterday we succeeded in getting some of the men of the neighbouring village to come and help us. After much persuasion they agreed, but they work with their weapons in their hands, as you see.”
This was indeed the case. The men who had formerly been enemies were seen a.s.sisting to build the same church. They took care, however, to work as far from each other as possible, and were evidently distrustful, for clubs and spears were either carried in their hands, or placed within reach, while they laboured.
Fortunately, however, they restrained their pa.s.sions at that time, and it is due to them to add that before that church was finished their differences were made up, and they, with all the others, ultimately completed the work in perfect harmony, without thinking it necessary to bring their clubs or spears with them.
The reader must not suppose that all missionary efforts in the South Seas have been as quickly successful as this one. The records of that interesting region tell a very different tale; nevertheless there are many islands in which the prejudices of the natives were overcome almost at the commencement, and where heathen practices seemed to melt away at once before the light of the glorious gospel.
During two months, Wandering Will and the wrecked seamen remained here a.s.sisting the missionary in his building and other operations. Then an event occurred which sent them once more afloat, and broke the spell of their happy and busy life among the islanders.
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