were
many copies of the Book of books, the blessed Bible. Carpenters' and
smiths' tools were also brought to them, so that they not only carried
on their house-building and other operations with greater ease than
heretofore, but even essayed the building of small boats with
considerable success.
On the occasion of these visits, supplies of clothing were also left for
the use of those converts who could be persuaded to put them on. But in
these matters of taste Waroonga was not so successful as he had been in
spiritual things. After his first disastrous landing, he had found no
difficulty in persuading the natives to burn their false gods, and put
away their too numerous wives--reserving only one to each man;--but when
it was suggested that the usual bit of cloth round the loins was not
quite sufficient for Christians, and that additional clothing was
desirable, they betrayed decided symptoms of a tendency to rebel.
Savages in all parts of the world are usually much influenced for good
or evil by the example of their chiefs. Those of Ratinga were no
exception to the general rule, and the chiefs Tomeo and Buttchee did not
encourage the putting on of clothes. In the matter of head-dress they
had indeed given in; but when one day, Waroonga presented Tomeo with a
pair of what are called slop-made trousers, and advised him to put them
on, slapping his own at the same time, and asserting (we trust
truthfully) that they were comfortable, Tomeo looked at them with an air
of contempt and Buttchee, who was irreverent, laughed.
After much persuasion, however, and being good-natured, he consented to
try. He got one leg in easily enough, but when he attempted to put in
the other, not being accustomed to the feat, he staggered and had to let
the leg down. Raising it a second time, he made a successful plunge,
got the foot in, lost his balance, made a frantic effort to disengage
his foot, and fell to the ground.
"Sit down, my friend, and try it again," said Waroonga, encouragingly.
Our missionary was of a gentle, loving disposition. His successes were
in every case the result of suasion. He never sought to coerce men.
Tomeo with childlike simplicity rebuked his own awkwardness, and humbly
seated his huge body on a bank for another effort. In this position he
got his legs easily into the trousers and drew them on, but when he
stood up to complete the operation, it was found that they were very
much too small for him,
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