“An infant crying for the light, And with no language but a cry.” In the year 1835, just before the first white missionaries came to Fiji, many events conspired to depress these poor people. An unusual number had been slain in their incessant wars, when an epidemic disease broke out which carried off many more. The survivors, much alarmed, thronged the temples of their gods, bringing large offerings of food, and such things as they possessed, and all rites of worship were diligently observed, but to no purpose. Just then a chief named Wai returned from Lakemba, where he had met a Fijian chief called Takei, who had been in the Friendly Islands, and had learnt something about Christianity. It amounted to little more than that there was but one God, whom all must serve continually, and that one day in seven was to be devoted to His worship. It was but a faint glimmer of light, but they determined to act on it. So on the sixth day they prepared their food for the seventh, on the morning of which they dressed, as for a festival, and assembled to worship this unknown God. But here a difficulty arose, as to how to set about it. In their dilemma they sent for the heathen priest, whose god they were now forsaking, and requested him to officiate for them. This he did, to the best of his power, offering a short and simple prayer for the blessing of the Christian’s God, but intimating that he himself was merely spokesman for his neighbours, being himself a worshipper of another God! This was the first act of Christian worship in the far-away isle of Ono. A great longing now arose for fuller knowledge of the truth; so when a whaling ship chanced to touch here for provisions on her way to Tonga, a passage was engaged on board of her for two men who were sent as messengers to ask for a teacher. But several months elapsed ere an answer could reach them, and meanwhile Christianity was spreading at Lakemba, and many Tongan converts (whose chief attraction to Fiji had been the wildly licentious life which they might there lead without let or hindrance), now decided to return to their own homes. A canoe-load of these started from Lakemba in May 1836, but were driven by contrary winds to the isle of Vatoa (the Turtle), about fifty miles from Ono. Here they heard of what had happened there, and one of their number (who at his baptism had taken the name of Josiah, and who had acted as their chaplain during the voyage), determined to go to Ono and teach the people all he knew. Great was their joy at his coming, and day by day he thenceforth led their devotions. Soon they built a chapel, which would hold 100 persons. All this was done ere the messengers from Tonga returned to tell that white teachers had gone to Lakemba, and that to them they must apply for help. Another long delay.