John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 1 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brotherPaton, John Gibson
Religion
John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 1 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brother
Paton, John Gibson
Missionaries -- Vanuatu -- Biography; Paton, John Gibson, 1824-1907
It was such conduct as this, that made the Islanders suspect all
foreigners and hate the white man and seek revenge in robbery and
murder. One Trader, for instance, a sandal-wooder and collector of
Kanakas, living at Port Resolution, abominably ill-used a party of
Natives. They determined in revenge to plunder his store. The cellar was
underneath his house, and he himself slept above the trap-door by which
alone it could be entered. Night and day he was guarded by armed men,
Natives of adjoining islands, and all approaches to his premises were
watched by savage dogs that gave timely warning. He felt himself secure.
But the Tannese actually constructed a tunnel underground from the bush,
through which they rolled away tobacco, ammunition, etc., and nearly
emptied his cellar! My heart bled to see men so capable and clever thus
brutally abused and demoralized and swept away. By the Gospel, and the
civilization which it brings, they were capable of learning anything and
being trained to a useful and even noble manhood. But all influence that
ever I witnessed from these Traders was degrading, and dead against the
work of our Missions.
The Chief, Nowar Noukamara, usually known as Nowar, was my best and
most-to-be-trusted friend He was one of the nine or ten who were most
favourable to the Mission work, attending the Worship pretty regularly,
conducting it also in their own houses and villages, and making
generally a somewhat unstable profession of Christianity. One or more of
them often accompanied me on Sabbath, when going to conduct the Worship
at inland villages, and sometimes they protected me from personal
injury. This Nowar influenced the Harbour Chiefs and their people for
eight or ten miles around to get up a great feast in favour of the
Worship of Jehovah. All were personally and specially invited, and it
was the largest Assembly of any kind that I ever witnessed on the
Islands.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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