and talk with each other. Let us all agree to kill
Missi and the Aneityumese for the first of our Chiefs that dies."

The night after the visit of the Erromangan boat, and the sad news of
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon's death, the Tannese met on their village
dancing-grounds and held high festival in praise of the Erromangans. Our
best friend, old Nowar the Chief, who had worn shirt and kilt for some
time and had come regularly to the Worship, relapsed once more; he
painted his face, threw off his clothing, resumed his bow and arrows and
his tomahawk, of which he boasted that it had killed very many men and
at least one woman! On my shaming him for professing to worship Jehovah
and yet uniting with the Heathen in rejoicing over the murder of His
servants on Erromanga, he replied to this effect, "Truly, Missi, they
have done well. If the people of Erromanga are severely punished for
this by the Man-of-war, we will all hear of it; and our people will then
fear to kill you and the other Missionaries, so as to destroy the
Worship of Jehovah. Now, they say, the Erromangans killed Missi Williams
and the Samoan, Rarotongan, and Aneityumese Teachers, besides other
white men, and no Man-of-war has punished either them or us. If they are
not punished for what has been done on Erromanga, nothing else can keep
them here from killing you and me and all who worship at the Mission
House!"

I answered, "Nowar, let us all be strong to love and serve Jehovah
Jesus. If it be for our good and His glory, He will protect us; if not,
He will take us to be with Himself. We will not be killed by their bad
talk. Besides, what avails it to us, when dead and gone, if even a
Man-of-war should come and punish our murderers?"

He shrugged his shoulders, answering, "Missi, by and by you will see.
Mind, I tell you the truth. I know our Tannese people. How is it that
Jehovah did not protect the Gordons and the Erromangan worshipers? If
the Erromangans are not punished, neither will our Tannese be punished,
though they murder all Jehovah's people!"

I felt for Nowar's struggling faith, just trembling on the verge of
Cannibalism yet, and knowing so little of the true Jehovah.

Groups of Natives assembled suspiciously near us and sat whispering
together. They urged old Abraham to return to Aneityum by the very first
opportunity, as our lives were certain to be taken, but he replied, "I
will not leave Missi."

Abraham and I were thrown much into each other's c