f these foolish notions. Idolatry had not indeed yet
fallen throughout Tanna; but one cruel idol, at least, had to give way
for the erection of God's House on that benighted land.

An ever-memorable event was the printing of my first book in Tannese.
Thomas Binnie, Jun., Glasgow, gave me a printing-press and a font of
type. Printing was one of the things I had never tried, but having now
prepared a booklet in Tannese, I got my printing press into order, and
began fingering the type. But book-printing turned out to be for me a
much more difficult affair than house-building had been. Yet by dogged
perseverance I succeeded at last. My biggest difficulty was how to
arrange the pages properly! After many failures, I folded a piece of
paper into the number of leaves wanted, cut the corners, folding them
back, and numbering as they would be when correctly placed in the book;
then folding all back without cutting up the sheet, I found now by these
numbers how to arrange the pages in the frame or case for printing, as
indicated on each side. And do you think me foolish, when I confess that
I shouted in an ecstasy of joy when the first sheet came from the press
all correct? It was about one o'clock in the morning. I was the only
white man then on the island, and all the Natives had been fast asleep
for hours! Yet I literally pitched my hat into the air, and danced like
a schoolboy round and round that printing-press; till I began to think,
Am I losing my reason? Would it not be like a Missionary to be upon my
knees, adoring God for this first portion of His blessed Word ever
printed in this new language? Friend, bear with me, and believe me--that
was as true worship as ever was David's dancing before the Ark of his
God! Nor think that I did not, over that first sheet of God's Word ever
printed in the Tannese tongue, go upon my knees too, and then, and every
day since, plead with the mighty Lord to carry the light and joy of His
own Holy Bible into every dark heart and benighted home on Tanna!

Yet dangers darkened round me. One day, while toiling away at my house,
the war Chief and his brother, and a large party of armed men,
surrounded the plot where I was working. They all had muskets, besides
their own native weapons. They watched me for some time in silence, and
then every man leveled a musket straight at my head. Escape was
impossible. Speech would only have increased my danger. My eyesight came
and went for a few moments. I