The difficulty of establishing the first missions among the negroes can scarcely now be conceived. This difficulty was neither blindly contemned, nor timidly feared. With a zeal which Christ knows how to reward, "two of the Brethren at Hernhutth offered to sell themselves as slaves, should they find no other way of obtaining an opportunity of instructing the negroes." In almost every instance some ignorant or viciously disposed persons chose to misunderstand and misrepresent the object and tendency of this missionary labour; and thus at first opposition was frequently violent. But in every case this hostility was found to be unreasonable and died away. Thus in St. Thomas through the bitterness of some, of whom better things might have been expected, the missionaries were at one time imprisoned for fifteen weeks; but soon after the governor and most of the planters on the island were convinced, by experience, that the instruction of the negroes in the principles of religion, instead of impairing, promoted the interests of their masters; and therefore they were pleased to see their slaves attend on the preaching of the gospel. Thus also in St. Croix, when a dangerous plot was discovered among the slaves, who had bound themselves to murder all the white people on the island in one night, certain malicious persons reported, that some of the negroes baptised by the missionaries were concerned in this conspiracy; but their ignorance was soon vindicated by the criminals themselves. As long as the disturbances lasted, the Brethren by the governor's advice, omitted the large meetings of the negroes; and when he authorized them to begin them again, he and some other gentlemen were present and encouraged the negroes in their attendance. On another occasion when an order was issued that no negro should be seen on the streets or roads after seven o'clock in the evening, he made a regulation that such negroes as had attended the meetings of the Brethren, and could produce a certificate to that effect, signed by their teacher, should pass unmolested by the watch. Such was the confidence the governor placed in the missionaries, and the slaves under their care.