Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/297

ONO. 267 persed to their homes, but were still at the chief town. Mr. Water- house says, " On reaching the place, we found all the Chiefs seated under the wide-spread branches of large trees, waiting to receive us. I requested Mr. Calvert to make known to them my object m coming with the brethren Hunt, Lyth, and himself. The leading Chief then replied, expressing his pleasure at seeing us, and said, addressing Mr. Calvert, * After you left us on your former visit, we continued to sit, until our heathen neighbours began to plunder and to fight us. We were then compelled to war : but ten nights since they all came over to us, and we are now all living in peace together in this place. As we expected the ship coming, we remained here, and shall continue until you leave us, and then all will go to our own places as before ! ' As there was a great space of ground, I requested the lali to be beat for service, seeing the large chapel could by no means contain them. At the sound of the drum, men, women, and children came and formed a large circle ; the Chiefs, many of them venerable through age, sitting in front of us. I preached on the nature and importance of true re- ligion, showing that it was God's free gift, but must be sought by gen- uine repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Mr. Calvert interpreted with great readiness, while every eye seemed fixed upon us, and every ear open. After preaching I met the Teachers, to inquire into the cause of the war, the manner in which it was conducted, etc. On hearing the whole, we were led to the conclusion, that the Christian party manifested the utmost forbearance, and that such mildness in war was never before known in Fiji. That the Heathen, who were at least one half of the population, should be all spared on their surrender, and treated, not as slaves, but with the utmost kindness, is a conquest which Christianity alone could achieve. Many of the Heathen had long wished to embrace the Christian religion, and all of them seemed to consider the Christian's God the true God, or the victory would not have been so singularly given them, and such unparelleled mercy shown. We continued, every man, employed in one way or other, till late in the evening, with the exceptions of a few moments spent in eating baked fowl, yam, etc., as at Vatoa. We then had a mat placed on the ground, and tried (but on my part in vain) to sleep. " After examining (on the 30th) the candidates for baptism, the lali was beat, and the chapel was soon filled. I baptized twenty-two adults and twenty-two children, giving an address before and after, upon the solemn engagement upon which they were entering. This service oc- cupied nearly two hours ; at the close of which we held service under the trees, as before. The entire population attended. I preached from 18 h