en, the lawmakers and law-enforcers of our island. There were thirty
or more church members, a deacon, and many candidates, most of them
among our most promising young men. They were at once welcomed on
board, and treated with great attention. Suddenly the white crew rushed
in among them with clubs, knocked down all on deck, and then they fired
their guns at those attempting to escape in their canoes. Several of
the people in them were shot or drowned when the canoes were destroyed.
The people in most of the canoes were so astonished that they did not
even attempt to escape. Instantly they were ordered on board the
strange ship, which continued firing at the retreating canoes. Three
only of these got away, and one of them conveyed the corpse of Simeon, a
church member, shot through the head. The stranger, finding that no
other canoes would go off from this part of our island, sailed away,
with our fathers and brothers, and our other Christian friends, on
board. Our hearts were bowed down with grief; but we prayed earnestly
that we might forgive our enemies, and that God, in His great mercy,
would change their hearts. (A fact.) We would not curse them, we would
not pray that God would wreak His vengeance on their heads; for are we
not told that, as we forgive our enemies, so alone can we ask God to
forgive us?"

The slaver, it appeared, had sailed along the coast, the natives being
decoyed on board wherever met with, and then she had gone off to other
islands to pursue the same nefarious system. Captain Bertram went on
shore to make further inquiries. He found that all the inhabitants had
professed Christianity, and that, though not so advanced as the natives
of Raratonga, who have been so much longer tinder instruction, they were
making fair progress in Christian, as well as in secular, knowledge and
civilisation. As no time was to be lost, the Ajax again sailed in
pursuit of the slaver. She first stood across to Samoa, in the
direction of which the slaver had been seen to steer. She looked in at
several of the ports of that fine group of islands, and here also gained
information of the transactions of the slavers, for several had
appeared, and succeeded in kidnapping many natives. It was supposed
that some of these slave-ships had sailed to the north-east, purposing
to visit the groups of islands lying on either side of the equator.
Many islands were touched at, and inquiries made. A sharp look-out too