of
Erromanga, who once came down and saw a great feast on the shore. When
he saw so much food and so many different kinds of it, he asked, 'What
is this made of?' and was answered, 'Cocoanuts and yams.' 'And this?'
'Cocoanuts and bananas.' 'And this?' 'Cocoanuts and taro.' 'And this?'
'Cocoanuts and chestnuts,' etc. etc. The Chief was immensely astonished
at the host of dishes that could be prepared from the cocoanuts. On
returning, he carried home a great load of them to his people, that they
might see and taste the excellent food of the shore-people. One day, all
being assembled, he told them the wonders of that feast; and, having
roasted the cocoanuts, he took out the kernels, all charred and spoiled,
and distributed them, amongst his people. They tasted the cocoanut, they
began to chew it, and then spat it out, crying, 'Our own food is better
than that!' The Chief was confused, and only got laughed at for all his
trouble. Was the fault in the cocoanuts? No; but they were spoiled in
the cooking! So your attempts to explain Christianity will only spoil
it. Tell them that a man must live as a Christian, before he can show
others what Christianity is."

On their return to Fotuna they exhibited Jehovah's yam, given in answer
to prayer and labor; they told what Christianity had done for Aniwa; but
did not fail to qualify all their accounts with the story of the
Erromangan Chief and the cocoanuts.

CHAPTER LXXX.
NERWA'S BEAUTIFUL FAREWELL.

THE Chief of next importance on Aniwa was Nerwa, a keen debater, all
whose thoughts ran in the channels of logic. When I could speak a little
of their language I visited and preached at his village; but the moment
he discovered that the teaching about Jehovah was opposed to their
Heathen customs, he sternly forbade us. One day, during my address, he
blossomed out into a full-fledged and pronounced Agnostic (with as much
reason at his back as the European type!), and angrily interrupted me:

"It's all lies you come here to teach us, and you call it worship! You
say your Jehovah God dwells in Heaven. Who ever went up there to hear
Him or see Him? You talk of Jehovah as if you had visited His Heaven.
Why, you cannot climb even to the top of one of our cocoanut trees,
though we can and that with ease! In going up to the roof of your own
Mission House you require the help of a ladder to carry you. And even if
you could make your ladder higher than our highest cocoanut tree, on
what