John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 2 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brotherPaton, John Gibson
Religion
John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 2 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brother
Paton, John Gibson
Missionaries -- Vanuatu -- Biography; Paton, John Gibson, 1824-1907
“All that day was spent running betwixt the invalids. Dangerous
symptoms ensued with Litsi. Mungaw got fearfully excited at a lot of
women coming to see her, and stood over her with his loaded musket (he
had stolen another, as the pious fit did not last long), appealing to
me whether his word as Chief should be obeyed or not. I seconded his
efforts, as they were doing no good, and got them cleared to a little
distance—at hand if they were needed, and by deferential behaviour got
him to let me come and go with food, etc. He attributed her illness to
an absurd crotchet of his own, and held to it that she would be better
at sundown. Meanwhile, the time was being wasted, and we had so many
anxious thoughts. Was it right that her life should be sacrificed to
a madman’s freaks? Was it right to give in to him, or how far was it
right to risk his wrath? We took it all to our ever-present Counsellor;
and then John decided that if I found her no better he would go
himself, whatever the consequences.
“On my way I met Mungaw coming in at the gate with the empty dishes,
and he said quite humbly that he was wrong in his supposition, and
would like exceedingly if the Missi tané (= man Missi) would go and see
her, for he did not know what to do. John soon put matters all right,
telling them there was no cause for alarm,—gave directions about one
or two things that had been neglected, and ordered fomentations. She
had no more relapses, and he really seemed grateful the next morning
when he came for her breakfast, as I could not go to her very early on
account of the tidal wave.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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