Part 8 (2/2)
I spoke ords of consolation and cheer I could muster, but he answered, ”Missi, since you became ill my dear wife and children are dead and buried Most of our Aneityu If I remain on the hill, and die here at the Mission House, there are none left to help Abraharave where my wife and children are laid I wish to lie beside theether in the Great Day when Jesus corievesus all away frohted as before, for they hate Jesus and the Worshi+p of Jehovah O Missi, pray for theo!”
He knelt down at my side, and we prayed for each other and for Tanna I then urged him to remain at the Mission House, but he replied, ”O Missi, you do not kno near to death I a, and will soon be with Jesus, and see th is left, I will lean on Abraharaves ofa quiet bed and lay me beside theain in Jesus and with Jesus!”
With s seemed all tied round that noble si one by one as he left me there onto the place of graves; there he lay down, and ihost and slept in Jesus; and there the faithful Abraham buried him beside his wife and children Thus died a race of God and the love of Jesus, changed, transfigured into a character of light and beauty I lost, in losing hieous helpers; but I knew that day, and I kno, that there is one soul at least frolories of Jesus in Heaven--and, oh, the rapture when I meet him there!
CHAPTER xxxI
MARTYRDOM OF THE GORDONS
MAY 1861 brought with it a sorrowful and tragic event, which fell as the very shadow of doom across our path; I a Rev G N Gordon was a native of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and was born in 1822 He was educated at the Free Church College, Halifax, and placed as Missionary on Erroa in June 1857
Much troubled and opposed by the Sandal-wooders, he had yet acquired the language and was ress by inroads on Heathenis men and women embraced the Christian Faith, lived at the Mission House, and devotedly helped him and his excellent wife in all their work But the hurricanes and the reat raded Traders, who had introduced the plague, in order to save thee, stied the Missionaries there too with causing sickness and all other calamities
The Sandal-wooders hated hi their hideous atrocities
When Mr Copeland and I placed the Native Teachers at Black Beach, Tanna, we ran across to Erro a harmonium to Mrs Gordon, just come by their order from Sydney When it was opened out at the Mission House, and Mrs Gordon began playing on it and singing sweet hymns, the native woo off to the bush and cut each a burden of long grass, to thatch the printing-office which Mr Gordon was building in order to print the Scriptures in their own tongue, if only Mrs Gordon would play to the God's praises They joyfully did so, and then spent a happy evening singing those hyhtful season there, about thirty attending Church and listening eagerly The youngtrained to becouage, telling them the story of Joseph; and the work every way seemed most hopeful The Mission House had been removed a mile or so up a hill, partly for Mrs Gordon's health, and partly to escape the annoying and conta influence of the Sandal-wooders on the Christian Natives
On the 20th May 1861 he was still working at the roofing of the printing-office, and had sent his lads to bring each a load of the long grass to finish the thatching Meantians from a district called Bunk-Hill, under a Chief na hi and they had seen him send away his Christian lads They then hid in the bush and sent two of their men to the Missionary to ask for calico On a piece of wood he wrote a note to Mrs Gordon to give theo with them to the Mission House, as they needed medicine for a sick boy, and Lovu their Chief wanted to see hiht to hio with theo on before with his co in front In crossing a streamlet, which I visited shortly afterwards, his foot slipped A bloas aiht; the other ht One of the torasp Next moment a blow on the spine laid the dear Missionary low, and a second on the neck almost severed the head from the body The other Natives then rushed fro round hi the noise, ca in the direction of her husband's working place, and wondering what had happened Ouben, one of the party, who had run towards the Station the moment that Mr Gordon fell, now approached her A merciful clump of trees had hid from her eyes all that had occurred, and she said to Ouben, ”What's the cause of that noise?”
He replied, ”Oh, nothing! only the boys a, ”Where are the boys?” she turned round Ouben slipped stealthily behind her, sank his tomahawk into her back, and with another blow almost severed her head!
Such was the fate of those two devoted servants of the Lord; loving in their lives, and in their deaths not divided--their spirits, wearing the crown of ether to be welcomed by Williams and Harris, whose blood was shed near the same now hallowed spot for the naa, aersin the Lord's work Never more earnest or devoted Missionaries lived and died in the Heathen field
CHAPTER xxxII
SHADOWS DEEPENING ON TANNA
IMMEDIATELY thereafter, a Sandal-wood Trader brought in his boat a party of Erroht to Tanna They asseed them to kill us and Mr and Mrs Mathieson and the Teachers, or allow them to do so, as they had killed Mr and Mrs
Gordon Then they proposed to go to Aneityum and kill the Missionaries there, as the Aneityumese Natives had burned their Church, and thus they would sweep away the Worshi+p and the servants of Jehovah from all the New Hebrides Our Chiefs, however, refused, restrained by the Merciful One, and the Erroans returned to their own island in a sulkythis refusal, as if they wished to reserve the murder and plunder for theed with armed men, some from Inland, others froans! The leader said again and again inago We killed the Rarotongan and Saht Missi Turner and Missi Nisbet, and drove them from our island We killed the Aneityumese Teachers on Aniwa, and one of Missi Paton's Teachers too We killed several white men, and no Man-of-war punished us Let us talk over this, about killing Missi Paton and the Aneityumese, till we see if any Man-of-war coans If not, let us unite, let us kill these Missionaries, let us drive the Worshi+p of Jehovah from our land!”
An Inland Chief said or rather shouted inand brave ans They have killed their Missi and his wife, while we only talk about it They have destroyed the Worshi+p and driven away Jehovah!”
I stood aans for such wicked deeds God has heard all your bad talk, and will punish it in His own tireat exciteans! Our love to the Erroans!”
After I left them, Abrahae, and talk with each other Let us all agree to kill Missi and the Aneityumese for the first of our Chiefs that dies”