Lord to spare me, or if my time was come to take me home to Glory with
Himself. There passed a few moments of awful suspense. My sight went and
came. Not a word had been spoken, except to Jesus; and then Ian wheeled
the knife around, thrust it into the sugar-cane leaf, and cried to me,
"Go, go quickly!"

Next moment I was on the road. Not a living soul was to be seen about
the village. I understood then that it had been agreed that Ian was to
kill me, and that they had all withdrawn so as not to witness it, that
when the Man-of-war came to inquire about me, Ian would be dead, and no
punishment could overtake the murderer. I walked quietly till quite free
of the village, lest some hid in their houses might observe me.
Thereafter, fearing that they, finding I had escaped, might overtake and
murder me, I ran for my life a weary four miles till I reached the
Mission House, faint yet praising God for such a deliverance. Poor Ian
died soon after, and his people strangled one of his wives and hanged
another, and took out the three bodies together in a canoe and sank them
in the sea.

Miaki was jubilant over having killed his enemy by Nahak; but the Inland
people now assembled in thousands to help Sirawia and his brother to
avenge that death on Miaki, Nouka, and Karewick. These, on the other
hand, boasted that they would kill all their enemies by Nahak-sorcery,
and would call up a hurricane to destroy their houses, fruit-trees, and
plantations. Immediately after Miaki's threat about bringing a storm,
one of their great hurricanes actually smote that side of the island and
laid everything waste. His enemies were greatly enraged, and many of the
injured people united with them in demanding revenge on Miaki. Hitherto
I had done everything in my power to prevent war, but now it seemed
inevitable, and both parties sent word that if Abraham and I kept to the
Mission House no one would harm us. We had little faith in any of their
promises, but there was no alternative for us.

On the following Saturday, 18th January 1862, the war began. Musket
after musket was discharged quite near us, and the bush all around rang
with the yell of their war-cry, which if once heard will never be
forgotten. It came nearer and nearer, for Miaki fled, and his people
took shelter behind and around our house. We were placed in the heart of
danger, and the balls flew thick all around us. In the afternoon Ian's
brother and his party retired, and Miaki qui