ay immediately, promising never again to come near the settlement.
This he was allowed to do on condition of his returning directly home
without committing further damage on the way, and he was compelled to
leave two hostages as a guarantee that he would perform his promise.
All this was told in a few words, and John now introduced me to his
devoted wife; and as I heard of some of the many trials and dangers they
had gone through, and how calmly she had endured them, I felt how
admirably she was fitted to be the helpmate of a missionary. The
captain of the frigate was, I discovered, an old family friend--one who,
convinced of the importance of missionary labour, was zealous in aiding
and supporting missionaries of the gospel wherever he met them engaged
in their Master's work. He had found John suffering from hard work and
anxiety, and had persuaded him and his wife to take a trip among several
of the Polynesian groups, to visit as many of the missionary stations as
could be reached, in the hopes that he might return home with renewed
strength for his work. One of the ladies was his wife's sister, who had
come out to assist her in her labours--not the only example of
self-devotion to a glorious and thrice blessed cause. The other
gentleman in plain clothes was the chaplain of the ship. While
conversing with him an idea occurred to me which I took an early
opportunity of communicating to John, who highly approved of it, and
undertook to broach the subject to Mr Bent while I mentioned it to
Mary. It was one which concerned us both very nearly, for it was a
proposal to take the opportunity of marrying while a legally authorised
person was present to perform the ceremony, with my own brother and our
naval friend as witnesses. Mary had no objections to offer, and we soon
overcame those Mr Bent suggested.

The benefit of the visit of the ship-of-war to the different missionary
stations was very great, besides having preserved ours from almost
certain destruction. The admirable discipline of the crew had a great
influence on the minds of the heathen natives, so different from what
they had been accustomed to witness on board many whalers; the perfect
order of everything on board the ship, and the mighty power of her guns,
awed them still more, and showed them the folly of offending people who
had in their possession such instruments of punishment. I will not say
that the appearance of any ship of war would do good. Un