ckly sent messengers and
presents to the Inikahimini and Kaserumini districts, to assemble all
their people and help him "to fight Missi and the Tannese who were
friends of the Worship." He said, "Let us cook his body and Abraham's,
and distribute them to every village on this side of the island!"

Yet all the while Miaki assured me that he had sent a friendly message.
The war went on, and poor Nowar the Chief protected us, till he had a
spear broken into his right knee. The enemy would have carried him off
to feast on his body; but his young men, shouting wildly his name and
battle-cry, rushed in with great impetuosity and carried their wounded
Chief home in triumph. The Inland people now discharged muskets at my
house and beat against the walls with their clubs. They smashed in the
door and window of our storeroom, broke open boxes and casks, tore my
books to pieces and scattered them about, and carried off everything for
which they cared, including my boat, mast, oars, and sails. They broke
into Abraham's house and plundered it; after which they made a rush at
the bedroom, into which we were locked, firing muskets, yelling, and
trying to break it in. A Chief, professing to be sorry for us, called me
to the window, but on seeing me he sent a tomahawk through it crying,
"Come on, let us kill him now!"

I replied, "My Jehovah God will punish you; a Man-of-war will come and
punish you, if you kill Abraham, his wife, or me."

He retorted, "It's all lies about a Man-of-war! They did not punish the
Erromangans. They are afraid of us. Come on, let us kill them!"

He raised his tomahawk and aimed to strike my forehead, many muskets
were uplifted as if to shoot, so I raised a revolver in my right hand
and pointed it at them. The Rev. Joseph Copeland had left it with me on
a former visit. I did not wish it, but he insisted upon leaving it,
saying that the very knowledge that I had such a weapon might save my
life. Truly, on this occasion it did so. Though it was harmless they
fell back quickly. My immediate assailant dropped to the ground, crying,
"Missi has got a short musket! He will shoot you all!"

After lying flat on the ground for a little, they all got up and ran to
the nearest bush, where they continued yelling about and showing their
muskets. Towards nightfall they left, loaded with the plunder of the
store and of Abraham's house. So God once more graciously protected us
from falling into their cruel hands.

In t