rd a noise like quarrelling. On
looking out, I saw the natives very excited, and many of them running
with spears and clubs towards the house where Mrs. Chalmers, about five
minutes before, had left the teachers rising from breakfast. I hastened
over, and pushed my way amongst the natives till I got to the front,
when, to my horror, I was right in front of a gun aimed by one of the
_Mayri's_ crew (who had been helping us with the house) at a young man
brandishing a spear. The aim was perfect: had the gun been fired--as it
would have been had I not arrived in time--the native would have been
shot dead. I pushed the native aside, and ordered the gun to be put
down, and turned to the natives, shouting, _Besi_, _besi_! (Enough,
enough!). Some of them returned their spears and clubs, but others
remained threatening. I spoke to our party against using firearms, and
then I caught the youth who was flourishing his spear, and with
difficulty got it from him. Poor fellow, he cried with rage, yet he did
me no harm. I clapped him, and got him to go away. All day he sat under
a tree, which we had frequently to pass, but he would have nothing to say
to us. It seems a knife had been stolen, and he being the only one about
the house when it was missed, was accused of taking it. One of the
teachers was winding line, and he caught the young fellow by the arm to
inquire about the knife. The lad thought he was going to be tied up with
the line; he struggled, got free, and raised the alarm.

Only the night before I had to warn the teachers against using firearms
to alarm or threaten the natives. An axe was stolen; every place about
was searched for it, and for some time without its being found. At last,
a native found it buried in the sand near where it was last used. It had
evidently been hidden there till a favourable opportunity should occur of
taking it away. During the search, the owner of the axe (one of the
teachers) ran off for his gun, and came rushing over with it. I ordered
him to take it back, and in the evening told them it was only in New
Guinea that guns were used by missionaries. It was not so in any other
mission I knew of, and if we could not live amongst the natives without
arms, we had better remain at home; and if I saw arms used again by them
for anything, except birds, or the like, I should have the whole of them
thrown into the sea.

In the afternoon of the 14th, I went over to the house in which we