It was too wet to get about during the afternoon, but we had our usual social meal in the school-house, and in due course, Evensong. This was one of the heartiest and most inspiriting services I have ever known here, and the congregation felt the same, the singing, the responses and all, went with a swing and harmony which shewed that the people’s hearts were in it. I gave a discourse on the Gospel for the day, the story of the widow’s son at Nain, and likened them to the young man, and Christ coming and touching the bier and saying stop! to the powers of evil who were carrying them, dead in trespasses and sins, out to their burial. The young man sat up and began to speak, and our first act, when delivered from the wrath to come, should be to sit up and speak and declare God’s praises for all He has done for us in His dear Son our Saviour. We had singing afterwards, and then dispersed for the night. A great many of the congregation lingered outside, to wish me good-night. Thank God for these real days, how different to the old heathen times, when the people were still lying in the darkness and shadow of death. God grant that they may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and be filled with His fulness and grace.
Monday, October 11th, was much finer, and the sun shone out in rich splendour. The people at this time of the year are very busy planting their yam gardens, and every day they are at work from morning until night. The men do the toiling part, the women the cooking. They work in parties, and many hands make light work. The harmonium being out of order I stayed to try and mend it. I was interrupted in the midst of my work by visitors from Tasmouri and Tasmate, and retired to my house to talk with them. When they left I finished my job, and was far more successful than ever I dared to hope. The bellows had burst, and the wind escaped in such quantities that it was hard to get any music at all out of the instrument. I could only make a patch up affair of it, but it was so far successful that a volume of sound was emitted such as I have never heard from it before, and the addition to the singing in the evening was very marked. I had intended to have made an excursion during the day, but it was too late when I had finished, and I had to content myself at home. After Evensong I took the Catechumens for a lesson, and afterwards joined my own class in the school previous to the Roll Call. The evening was fine, but blustery and raw, and I fancy the people were tired, for there was quietness soon after school.
Tuesday, October 12th.—Very rough, squally morning and a terribly windy night. Sometimes I fancied I was going to be blown over altogether in my frail native hut. However, these little tenements stand a great deal, and here I am safe and sound at the beginning of a new day.
After early Morning Prayer we had our usual school, and breakfast followed. I have no refreshment before this meal, and sometimes I feel a little famished, but am generally ready for the breakfast when it comes. It is not a very sumptuous meal at the best of times, plain rice and a cup of coffee, but it does very well, and stops the craving of the appetite as well as anything else. The strange thing is that at home I scarcely ever touch rice, having a positive aversion to it, but here I make my breakfast on it nine mornings out of ten.
After breakfast I had school with a very earnest Candidate for Baptism who comes from Mandurvat, and wished for special instruction. I hope I managed to explain to him any difficulties he has experienced in the nature and meaning of the service. When he was dismissed I wended my way with some of the boys to Ruosi, where I bathed and washed my clothes. I do not know what it was, but when I got home I was quite exhausted, and somehow I don’t feel as strong as I did at the beginning of the season. We had very hearty Evensong, and a nice class with the Catechumens, who, I think, are very much in earnest, especially the older men. There are about twenty in this class, the last remnant of the heathen population. With their Baptism, Tanrig will cease to have any remains of heathenism, and in name at least will be able to call itself Christian. The usual school was held, and the first two classes were engaged in solving the mysteries of simple addition, one of the girls succeeding in doing a six line sum without a fault. This same girl, Emily by name, is rather a creditable production for this out of the world place. She reads well, answers well, and writes well, besides being quite an adept at figures. A couple of years at Norfolk Island would make a very useful woman of her. There are seven others in her class who all are very fair scholars, and take their turn at teaching.
Wednesday, October 13th.—Very fine morning and very warm. After our morning duties were over there was soon a dead silence over the village, the people all going off to their several occupations in their gardens. I busied myself, and got very hot over a little simple carpentering—but oh! the tools, they were so blunt and so rusty. However, I managed to do fairly well what I wanted to do, viz. to enlarge the Communion table, and generally to give a more Churchy appearance to the East end of our Church. I proposed to myself a bathe after my labours were over, but I was too exhausted, and stayed at home in preference. However, the shades of evening soon stole on, and my little cooks came to get my dinner, which, frugal as it was, I enjoyed with the best of sauce—hunger. The evening was calm and fine, and I sat outside my house and enjoyed myself with a book. In the evening they came to tell me of the death of a poor heathen woman who has lately come here, and has been for years past a confirmed invalid. Poor thing! the women came back in the evening to find her cold and stiff in death, without a soul near her to say a word of comfort or to close her eyes in dying. She was buried in the moonlight, and her memory consigned to oblivion with her body. Her sad story afforded me a fitting text for the Catechumens afterwards, which I trust was not unproductive of seasonable lessons and wholesome and solemn warnings. Our singing school subsequently was very nice, after which everyone seemed glad to turn in for the night.
Thursday, October 14th.—Fine bright morning, and a most beautiful day with a strong Trade wind blowing. After our morning duties I was left alone, the people being away almost at once to their gardens. They work very hard at this season, and the men do the heaviest part of the labour. At present they are engaged in fence making, usually here with bamboos, and very neatly they make them. It is very hot, fatiguing work for them in the broiling sun, but I suppose habit has so far become second nature with them, that they don’t seem to notice the heat or mind a little extra perspiration. The cool waters of the river always afford a grateful and refreshing anticipation when the work is once over.
I amused myself with making a Cross to surmount the Communion table, and give a little more of a sacred nature to the Chancel of the Church. With my poor tools and limited necessaries at my disposal I flattered myself that I had done fairly well, and I afterwards attempted a picture gallery on the walls of my house, which has attracted all the boys in the village this evening, and they have taken more interest in these pictures than ever I have seen them before display. The launching of a life boat, and the English Bishops have been the chief attractions, and everyone, I think, has counted over the Bishops dozens of times. There being no one here in the afternoon I went alone to the river and enjoyed a refreshing bath. This evening it is blowing heavily, but there is a good moon and it is fine overhead. Instruction to the Catechumens, and the evening school finished a nice day.
Friday, October 15th.—After our morning duties here and breakfast I started with a party of four for Tasmouri. It had rained a little during the night, and the bush was still wet this morning. The sun, however, shone out in Tropical brilliancy, and travelling was very unpleasant. The hottest time is just after a shower, and to-day proved no exception to the native idea on the subject. I don’t know when I have felt so hot and disinclined for exertion. However, the journey had to be made, and on I went somewhat mechanically. We arrived in due course at a rippling brook which the natives call “Na Marou,” and here we refreshed ourselves with its cooling waters and quaffed away our thirst. We rested, too, awhile, and then shouldering our impedimenta on we trudged again. The dense bush afforded a grateful shade generally, but every now and then we came out into the open glade, and we felt by experience for how much we were indebted to the shelter from the sun’s rays. Our next resting place was “Qaruqatu,” and then we were in a very liquid condition, and could gladly have lain down and given up further exertion for the day, but we were not half-way to our destination yet, and when we had cooled a bit we moved on to the village, where we found the “Uta” natives awaiting our arrival. They had prepared food for us and procured a good supply of coconuts, and we stopped for some time with them. However, the day was hastening on to-night, and we were driven to move on when we would willingly have sat on in idleness and inactivity. We started again for “Vanua garaqa” where the school house is, and there I found my friend and teacher “Takele,” whom I was going to Baptize on Sunday, and with whom I was anxious to have some previous conversation. He is a good man, and a staunch, and “Uta” owes him a great deal for his steadfast and consistent upholding of the Truth, and his fearless and bold protestations against evil. He had also food and coconuts ready for us, and I am afraid I went to sleep for a while, as the boys were refreshing the inner man. However, we were not yet at our journey’s end, and shouldering our traps, on we went again.
After leaving Uta there is a very steep descent, really down the face of the cliff, Tasmouri being on the other side of the island to windward. The road, however, is good, if somewhat precipitous, and my poor long shins ached again before I got to the bottom. Yet we did get to the bottom, and there we found a most lovely natural bathing place, the delight and comfort of which we were not long in testing. One can imagine how refreshing it must inevitably be to get off one’s dripping garments, and get under a cool and delicious shower-bath. I felt much more “fit” when I got on my walking garments again and prepared for another advance towards Tasmouri, which I must say has never seemed so far and the journey towards it so fatiguing. We found Samuel and the Tasmouri people waiting from the village, and of course had food and drink in readiness for us. It was very cool and nice there, and being now near our destination we were not in a great hurry to move. Tasmouri, however, was reached towards evening, but oh! how hot the place is! a change of raiment scarcely mended matters, and I was soon almost as liquid as before. My evening meal made matters worse, and didn’t I long for a little grateful coolness? However, that seems an unknown quantity, and I gave up the idea of discovering it more here than anywhere else. Evensong followed in due course, and afterwards I had the Catechumen class for a short instruction. When these duties were over I was fit for bed, and this is the reason of the shortness and scantiness of my account of this day.