Part 11 (1/2)
I replied, ”As he has got the blankets which I saved to keepleft now but the clothes I have on, surely you will give e, friends gave ot other three Now Arkurat started up, and refused to let us go A Chief and one of his men, who lived on the other side of the island near to where ere going, and as hired bythe canoe, drew back also and refused to go
Again I offered to leave the canoe, and walk overland if possible, when Faio with us, ca you! The sea is so rough, you cannot go by it; and if you should get round the weather point, Miaki has men appointed to shoot you as you pass the Black Rocks, while by land all the paths are guarded by ar heard all their talk Miaki and Karewick say they hate the Worshi+p, and will kill you They killed your goats, and stole all your property yesterday Farewell!”
The Teachers, the boy, and I now resolved to enter the canoe and atteleam of hope left to us My party of five embarked in our frail canoe; Abraha paddle, and Abrahaht hold on while it continued to float For a ot away nicely under the lee of the island, but e turned to go south for Mr Mathieson's Station, weover and al our canoe The Native lad at the hel, ”Missi, this is the conduct of the sea! It ss up all who seek its help”
I answered, ”We do not seek help froreat, as the sea broke over and lashed around us My faithful Aneityumese, overcome with terror, thren their paddles, and Abraham said, ”Missi, we are all drowned now! We are food for the sharks We ht as well be eaten by the Tannese as by fishes; but God will give us life with Jesus in heaven!”
I seized the paddle nearest me; I ordered Abraham to seize another within his reach; I enjoined Matthew to bail the canoe for life, and the lad to keep firm in his seat, and I cried, ”Stand to your post, and let us return! Abraham, where is now your faith in Jesus? Remember, He is Ruler on sea as on land Abraham, pray and ply your paddle! Keep up stroke for stroke with me, as our lives depend on it Our God can protect us Matthew, bail with all your ht Don't look round on the sea and fear Let us pray to God and ply our paddles, and He will save us yet!”
Dear old Abraha I pray to God and ply my paddle God will save us!”
With ot the canoe turned; and after four hours of a terrible struggle, we succeeded, towards daylight as the tide turned, in again reaching s we at last reached the shore, exactly where we had left it five hours ago!
Now drenched and weary, with the skin of our hands sticking to the paddles, we left the canoe on the reef and waded ashore Many Natives were there, and looked sullen and disappointed at our return Katasian, the lad who had been with us, instantly fled for his own land; and the Natives reported that he was murdered soon after Utterly exhausted, I lay down on the sand and immediately fell into a deep sleep By and by I felt so in which I carried my Bible and the Tannese translations--the all that had been saved bytoknife, a useless revolver, and a fowling-piece, the sight of which, though they had been under the salt water for hours, God used to restrain the savages
Callingon the sands, co prepared for the last and worst
CHAPTER xxxVIII
A RACE FOR LIFE
As I sat o, the friendly Inland Chief, again appeared to warn us of our danger, now very greatly increased by our being driven back from the sea All Nowar'sthe shore; while Miaki was holding ato fall upon us Fai home I don't wish to see the work and the ”
He was Nowar's son-in-law He had always been truthful and kindly with me His home was about half-way across the island, on the road that anted to go, and under sudden io, will you let us follow you? Will you show us the path? When the Mission shi+p arrives, I will give you three good axes, blankets, knives, fish-hooks, and s you prize”
The late hurricanes had so destroyed and altered the paths, that only Natives who knew them well could follow them He trembled much and said, ”Missi, you will be killed Miaki and Kareill shoot you I dare not let you follow I have only about twenty ed him to leave at once, and ould follow of our own accord I would not ask him to protect us; but if he betrayed us and helped the enemy to kill us, I assured him that our God would punish him If he spared us, he would be rewarded well; and if ere killed against his wishes, God would not be angry at him He said, ”Seven men are with me now, and thirteen are to folloill not now send for theo; but if you follow, you will be killed on the way You may follow ot a large load of my stolen property, blankets, sheets, etc, which had fallen to his lot He called his seven men, who had also shared in the plunder, and, to avoid Miaki'sthe shore, calling, ”Be quick! Follow and keep as near to us as you can”
Though Nowar had got a box of s frooods entrusted to his care, and got two of oats killed and cooked for hiive a particle of food to , ”I will eat all your rice and keep all that has been left withfor you!”
My three Aneityuo and histhat ere in the Lord's hands, it appeared to be our only hope of escaping instant death
We got away unobserved by the enemies We met several slad to see us trying to get away But about four e party of Miaki'sas outposts So us, but others hesitated Every o poised his great spear and said, ”No, you shall not kill Missi to-day
He is withmade this flourish, he strode off after his ownof leveled muskets
Siraas in command of this party, and who once, like Nowar, had been my friend, said to me, Judas like, ”My love to you, Missi” But he also shouted after Fai the Missi away; leave hi, ”Sirawia, I love you all You ave youunderyou wear Aether in my house? Can you stand there and see your friend shot? If you do, my God will punish you severely”
He then whispered soh their muskets were still raised, I saw in their eyes that he had restrained theradually tomy eyes fixed on them, till the bush hid them from my viehereon I turned and ran afterWe trusted in Jehovah Jesus, and pressed on in flight
A second hostile party encountered us, and with great difficulty we also got away from them Soon thereafter a friendly company crossed our path
We learned frohtered other two of Manues with fire Another party of the eneer for our lives But this tio withstood them firmly, his men encircled us, and he said, ”I aer near my own land!”