, when the boat was sent in haste to fetch
them away, the clothes of both men and women were torn nearly off their
backs.

"Two years after this the vessel visited them again, and I, being in her,
volunteered to land alone, without any goods whatever; begging that my
wife might be brought to me the following year,--that is, _this_ year;
and, as you see, she is with me. But the surf was so high that the boat
could not land me; so with nothing on but my trousers and shirt, and with
a few catechisms and a Bible, besides some portions of the Scripture
translated into the Mango tongue, I sprang into the sea, and swam ashore
on the crest of a breaker. I was instantly dragged up the beach by the
natives; who, on finding I had nothing worth having upon me, let me
alone. I then made signs to my friends in the ship to leave me; which
they did. At fist the natives listened to me in silence, but laughed at
what I said while I preached the gospel of our blessed Saviour Jesus
Christ to them. Afterwards they treated me ill sometimes; but I
persevered, and continued to dwell among them, and dispute, and exhort
them to give up their sinful ways of life, burn their idols, and come to
Jesus.

"About a month after I landed, I heard that the chief was dead. He was
the father of the present chief, who is now a most consistent member of
the church. It is a custom here that, when a chief dies, his wives are
strangled and buried with him. Knowing this, I hastened to his house to
endeavour to prevent such cruelty if possible. When I arrived, I found
two of the wives had already been killed, while another was in the act of
being strangled. I pleaded hard for her, but it was too late; she was
already dead. I then entreated the son to spare the fourth wife; and,
after much hesitation, my prayer was granted: but, in half an hour
afterwards, this poor woman repented of being unfaithful, as she termed
it, to her husband, and insisted on being strangled; which was
accordingly done.

"All this time the chief's son was walking up and down before his
father's house with a brow black as thunder. When he entered, I went in
with him, and found, to my surprise, that his father was not dead! The
old man was sitting on a mat in a corner, with an expression of placid
resignation on his face.

"'Why,' said I, 'have you strangled your father's wives before he is
dead?'

"To this the son replied, 'He is dead. That is no longer my father. He
is