Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/305

ONO. 275 When the Eev. Walter Lawry was on his tour, as Superintendent of the Missions, he was requested to call at Ono, on his way from the Friendly Isles, and to bring Mr. Watsford and family away with him. On September 10th, 1847, he has in his journal : — " "We made Ono, and received a note from Mr. "Watsford, but could not anchor the ressel, as the small opening in the reef only admits a boat at certain times of tide, and through this opening there is generally such a rush of the waves from without, meeting the mighty flood from within, that the passage is not merely dangerous, but awfully terrific. The same precisely is the case at Lakemba, where we had to * shoot the gulf in our whale-boat, with four oars, and Captain Buck at the steer-oar, all of which were knocked about as a leaf is tossed by the mountain torrent. In vain was the cry of ' Larboard oars,' and then ' Starboard oars : ' for, when all was done that skill and strength could do, the war of the elements set us at naught. Then Providence sent aid to maritime skill, without which we could not have re-entered the open ocean on our way to the brig. Our work is rendered very trying by these reefs, where no harbour exists for the vessel, and only such rapid gulfs for our boats. But Ono is a little gem in the Christian's eye ; for nearly all the adult population are consistent members of the Christian Church, and all the children are under instruction. The total number of souls is four hundred and seventy-four, and of church-members three hundred and ten." At the next District Meeting it was resolved that Ono needed and should still have special attention, and that a Missionary should be sent for another year. The Rev. David Hazlewood was appointed to go, and the following extracts from his journal are full of interest : — " 0x0, Oct. 25th, 1848. — After calms and foul winds, and calling at Lakemba to land Mr. Calvert and the goods for that Station, we this morning came within sight of Ono. When we approached the entrance of the reef, the natives came off in a canoe to take us and our goods ashore. "We were no sooner with the Ono people, than we felt our- selves safe and at home. They had to work with all their might, as the current was run- ning fearfully out at the entrance. But as love feels no load, the people here think nothing too difficult, or too much, to do for a Missionary. They also gave the Captain as many yams as he could stow away, as their contributions to the work of God ; besides some native curiosities to Mr. Lawry, for the bazaar at New Zealand. Sunday, 80th. — I preached at Ono Levu, the chief town of Ono, from 1 Cor. i. 23, to a deeply interesting and serious congregation. How different even the external appearance of these Chris- tians from that of the Heathen ! These indicate in their countenances the dreadful state of their minds, whilst the Christians as evidently show the change which has taken place within. Nov. 1st. — Having brought sixty copies of the Fijian New Testament, as the share for this place, I this day began folding the first half-sheet. Folding, stitching, and binding, is new and strange work to me ; but I found the advantage of the little instruction I had received from Messrs. "Williams and Calvert on this subject, and did them, not elegantly, but as well as I could, which perhaps would be almost as strong and serviceable as others more engaging to the eye. A few days after I began, four or five of our Native Local Preachers came, and kindly offered their assistance, which was gladly accepted. I taught them to fold and stitch, and they were a very great help to me, so that we finished them in five weeks, which, for us novices, 1 considered a great achievement. Our humble efforts at binding might be laughed at by librarians, but were highly appreciated by the untutored eyes and minds of the natives. They paid for them well in native produce, chiefly in sinnet, which is very needful for Mission pur poses in Fiji. 4th.— I went with my wife and children to Matokana, a village about two