ed to the
island of Somosomo, till lately one of the strongholds of idolatry and
cannibalism. Golea, the king, was a heathen, but his chief wife,
Eleanor, was a Christian, and they believed a sincere one, judging from
the almost frantic manner in which she endeavoured to obtain a Fijian
Bible seen in their possession. She exhausted every argument to get it,
and her joy was indescribable when her wishes were acceded to.

Dr Seemann writes: "If the Wesleyan Society had more funds at its
disposal, so as to be able to send out a greater number of efficient
teachers, a very few years would see the whole of Fiji Christianised, as
all the real difficulties now in the way of the mission have been
removed. On my representing the case in this light, his Majesty the
King of Hanover was graciously pleased to subscribe his first gift of
100 pounds towards so desirable an object, at the same time expressing
his admiration for the labours of the individual missionaries I named."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

FROM DARKNESS TO DAYLIGHT.

"My dear young friend," said Mr Bent, addressing me, in continuation of
the subject on which he had before been speaking, "we should never
despair while God is with us of the success of our labours among the
heathen. In my experience I have known numerous instances in which,
when it appeared that profound darkness rested on the land, light has
burst forth and spread far and wide around.

"I believe that thirteen years had passed after the _Duff_ had made her
most successful voyage to these seas in 1796, and landed a large body of
missionaries at Tahiti, before one single acknowledged convert to
Christianity was made. Still the diminished band of missionaries
laboured on. They obeyed God's express command to preach the word to
all creatures, and they knew that His word would not return to Him void.
God works through human agency, and it must be confessed that many of
these missionaries were not fitted by education for the work they had
undertaken. It may be said with justice that therefore they did not
succeed. Still they laboured on, teaching many the principles of
Christianity although none turned to the truth.

"Pomare, the king of Tahiti, although he was friendly to the
missionaries, for long remained as determined a heathen as any of his
people. At length, however, attacked by his own subjects, he could not
protect the missionaries, and the larger number were compelled to retire
to the isl