e was ever very eager to communicate to his
people all that he learned. In Heathen days he was a Cannibal and a
great warrior; but from the first, as shown in the preceding chapter he
took a warm interest in us and our work,--a little selfish, no doubt, at
the beginning, but soon becoming purified, as his eyes and heart were
opened to the Gospel of Jesus.

On the birth of a son to us on the Island, the old Chief was in
ecstasies. He claimed the child as his heir, his own son being dead, and
brought nearly the whole inhabitants in relays to see the _white_ Chief
of Aniwa! He would have him called Namakei the Younger, an honor which I
fear we did not too highly appreciate. As the child grew, he took his
hand and walked about with him freely amongst the people, learning to
speak their language like a Native, and not only greatly interesting
them in himself, but even in us and in the work of the Lord. This, too,
was one of the bonds, however purely human, that drew them all nearer
and nearer to Jesus.

It was this same child, who, in the moment of our greatest peril, when
the Mission House was once surrounded by savages who had resolved to
murder us, managed in some incredible way to escape, and appeared, to
our horror and amazement, dancing with glee amongst the armed warriors.
He threw his arms around the neck of one after another, and kissed them,
to their great surprise,--at last, he settled down like a bird upon the
ringleader's knee, and therefrom prattled to them all, while we from
within gazed on in speechless and helpless terror! He roundly scolded
them for being "Naughty! Naughty!" The frowning faces began to relax
into broad grins, another spirit came over them, and, one after another,
they rapidly slipt away. The Council of Death was broken up; and we had
a new illustration of the Lord's precious work,--"A little Child shall
lead them."

The death of Namakei had in it many streaks of Christian romance. He had
heard about the Missionaries annually meeting on one or other of the
Islands, and consulting about the work of Jehovah. What ideas he had
formed of a Mission Synod one cannot easily imagine; but in his old age,
and when very frail, he formed an impassioned desire to attend our next
meeting on Aneityum, and see and hear all the Missionaries of Jesus
gathered together from the New Hebrides. Terrified that he would die
away from home, and that that might bring great reverses to the good
work on Aniwa, where