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
Following upon this came another spate of thirst for our blood, which
was increased in the following manner. Miaki the war Chief had an infant
son, who had just died. They told us that four men were slain at the
same time, that their spirits might serve and accompany him in the other
world; and that our death also was again resolved upon. For four days
they surrounded our diminished premises. We locked ourselves all up in
that single bedroom, and armed savages kept prowling about to take our
lives. What but the restraining pity of the Lord kept them from breaking
in upon us? They killed our fowls. They cut down and destroyed all our
remaining bananas. They broke down the fence around the plantation, and
tried to burn it, but failed. They speared and killed some of the few
goats—my sole supply of milk. We were helpless, and kept breathing out
our souls in prayer; and God did preserve us, but, oh, what a trying
time!
The horror grew, when shortly thereafter we learned that our people near
the Harbour had killed four men and presented their bodies to certain
Chiefs who feasted on them; and that they in return had given large fat
hogs to our people, one for each of ten bodies which our people had
formerly presented to them. Within a few months, thirteen or fourteen
persons, nearly all refugees or prisoners of war, were reported to us as
killed and feasted upon. We generally heard nothing of these murders
till all was over, but in any case, I would have been helpless against
their bloodthirst, even had I exposed myself to their savage enmity.
They sent two dead bodies to our nearest village, where still we
conducted Worship every Sabbath when we durst appear amongst them; but
our people refused to receive them, saying, “Now we know that it is
wrong to kill and eat our fellow-creatures.” A Chief from another
village, being present, eagerly received them and carried them off to a
great feast for which he was preparing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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