allowed spot for the
name and cause of Jesus. They had labored four years on Erromanga,
amidst trials and dangers manifold, and had not been without tokens of
blessing in the Lord's work. Never more earnest or devoted Missionaries
lived and died in the Heathen field.

CHAPTER XXXII.
SHADOWS DEEPENING ON TANNA.

IMMEDIATELY thereafter, a Sandal-wood Trader brought in his boat a party
of Erromangans by night to Tanna. They assembled our Harbor Chiefs and
people, and urged them to kill us and Mr. and Mrs. Mathieson and the
Teachers, or allow them to do so, as they had killed Mr. and Mrs.
Gordon. Then they proposed to go to Aneityum and kill the Missionaries
there, as the Aneityumese Natives had burned their Church, and thus they
would sweep away the Worship and the servants of Jehovah from all the
New Hebrides. Our Chiefs, however, refused, restrained by the Merciful
One, and the Erromangans returned to their own island in a sulky mood.

Notwithstanding this refusal, as if they wished to reserve the murder
and plunder for themselves, our Mission House was next day thronged with
armed men, some from Inland, others from Mr. Mathieson's Station. They
loudly praised the Erromangans! The leader said again and again in my
hearing, "The men of Erromanga killed Missi Williams long ago. We killed
the Rarotongan and Samoan Teachers. We fought Missi Turner and Missi
Nisbet, and drove them from our island. We killed the Aneityumese
Teachers on Aniwa, and one of Missi Paton's Teachers too. We killed
several white men, and no Man-of-war punished us. Let us talk over this,
about killing Missi Paton and the Aneityumese, till we see if any
Man-of-war comes to punish the Erromangans. If not, let us unite, let us
kill these Missionaries, let us drive the Worship of Jehovah from our
land!"

An Inland Chief said or rather shouted in my hearing, "My love to the
Erromangans! They are strong and brave men, the Erromangans. They have
killed their Missi and his wife, while we only talk about it. They have
destroyed the Worship and driven away Jehovah!"

I stood amongst them and protested, "God will yet punish the Erromangans
for such wicked deeds. God has heard all your bad talk, and will punish
it in His own time and way."

But they shouted me down, amidst great excitement, with the cry, "Our
love to the Erromangans! Our love to the Erromangans!"

After I left them, Abraham heard them say, "Miaki is lazy. Let us meet
in every village,