Within a day or two we pulled some little distance down the coast to a small bay, where I heard some white man had been recently buried. We saw his grave, with an inscription, and in time I heard the story of his death. No outrage on labour vessels has been made or attempted in Araga for several years, but in January, as it appeared, when a vessel from Samoa was visiting some place about thirty miles down the coast, one man was shot by a native as he was on shore with several others from the vessel bathing. It must be said that this man, a German, showed a great lack of wisdom in his behaviour. The native had come down some distance from the hills under the impression that his two wives, who had disappeared, were on board the vessel then to be seen lying at anchor, and in his rage the man was shot, while all the time the women were elsewhere. The body was brought up along the coast, and buried near our station. The whole affair had caused much excitement, even at the Northern end of the island. Some time after the place was visited by a German man-of-war, with results that will be spoken of further on.
The great man to the South, Viradoro, expressed his continued desire for us to do something in his part, and we visited him several times, and were well received and listened to always. There is a lad at Norfolk Island who has connections with this place, and when they make a beginning at a school-house we may begin work with him as teacher, but I decline to put him there, as they desire, before this is done. Within a fortnight of my going ashore two labour vessels anchored near us, one from New Caledonia, and the other from Fiji. In the latter there departed a young son, quite a small boy, of Viradoro’s, whom I had hoped to take to Norfolk Island some time or other. His father was greatly put out by his being taken away.
I had decided to remain at Qatvenua until Good Friday, and then to go on to Tanrig in Maewo for Easter. There are several communicants there, and I should have taken the Araga communicants with me that we might have our Easter Communion together. During the whole of Holy Week the weather was bad, and I feared that our voyage would not be practicable. On the Saturday, when we should have left, there was a strong wind blowing from the North, which would have been dead against us, with continuous rain, and there was no possibility of our going. Our Easter, however, was very pleasant, and the joyful hymns told of really joyful Christian hearts.
In Easter week we left for my first visit to Wonor, the village at the Southern end where we had put Rorsal ashore. My intention and arrangements for going there caused much talk. The distance would be nearly forty miles, and I suppose no one had been more than half that distance down the coast, and it was thought to be a very long journey. More talked of even than the distance, however, was the belief that attaches itself to a particular place at the extreme Southern end. To this place were supposed to go all the spirits of the departed, and to remain there in some sort of community. Of all places in Araga, therefore, it is the one of the greatest superstitious interest and fear, and many of my chosen boat’s crew’s relatives did their best to dissuade them from accompanying me, but without effect. We started on the appointed day, and as I knew we could not do the whole distance in one day, as we went along the coast we made several calls at the villages as they appeared, and fixed upon one not quite half-way, known to some of the men, in which to pass the night. Our various stoppages, however, so delayed us, that it became clear that we should not reach our destination before night, and so when, upon rounding a point, we came upon a labour vessel quietly at anchor, and were hospitably invited on board for the night, I thought it wise to take advantage of it. It was a Fijian vessel with a number of men on board, lately recruited, and a Government agent whom I had met before. We passed the night quietly at least, though not comfortably for any of us, and pulled away in the morning, very grateful for the hospitality shown to us, and resumed our journey. The evening found us ashore at Wonor, where there was considerable excitement over our landing. Although the place is quite open to the prevailing Trade wind, a reef and a sand bank that lie off the shore shelter it quite effectually, and make the landing on the shelving beach easy and pleasant. In the fortnight that had elapsed since our calling here only a little had been done towards building the school-house. The site was cleared of all its timber, and some of the posts were ready. During our stay we had therefore to sleep in the men’s common house, which, being much smaller than is usual in the northern part of the island, we found rather inconvenient. On the whole our visit of a week was a great success, and it excited much interest. The house was proceeded with with great vigour, and all the people in the district showed a very friendly spirit, making things look bright and promising for the future. Thomas was doing all he could in the way of teaching, and his Scripture Picture Books were all well thumbed. I confined my doings to the immediate neighbourhood, and saw but little of the adjacent country, though the report of our sojourn caused people to come from a great distance to Wonor, and they were very desirous of being visited. My boat’s crew were thoroughly well treated, and feasted to a great extent, and our entertainers did us the honour of dancing to us one evening. I had not intended to make a long stay this time, and having made some arrangements in the North, which required my presence, we left at the appointed time, in spite of the pressing invitation for a longer stay. Our return journey was accomplished with a little difficulty. The ordinary winds would have taken us back pleasantly in a day, but we fell in with a contrary wind halfway up the coast, and were delayed. Some time after night-fall we decided to land at a village then quite close, but the tide being out the reef was uncovered, and not wishing to have the boat injured we continued on our way, and at last reached our own beach, after very hard pulling, two or three hours before the dawn of the new day. It was not surprising that some of the lads should be knocked up for a time after this, but it was thought to be quite in accordance with the character of the place visited, that they were all, one after the other, laid up for varying periods. It did really seem peculiar that it should so happen at this particular time, when so much was being said about the superstition connected with the southern part.
After this there was a month’s stay at the two Northern schools. At Lamoru a new house was built, larger and in better style than the old one which had seen the beginning of the work, and new arrangements were made concerning the teaching staff. At Qatvenua also repairs were made to the various buildings, and a boat-house, sufficient for the purpose, but not of any great size or beauty, was erected on the beach. The whole of this time was more or less wet, and there was much sickness all through the district. The infants suffered most, and very many died, several being children of our congregations. A girl also died, one of the two belonging to this place who had been to Norfolk Island. She had been declining for about a year, and my attempts to improve her health failed. Her lengthened sickness tried the patience of her friends greatly, and it was suggested once or twice by relatives that her end should be hastened. By these who made this suggestion it was of course believed that the illness was due to some unfriendly person’s charms, who would be rejoicing at seeing her suffering. One of our Catechumens lost his only child, a very engaging little boy, and his account of how he prayed that it might recover, and how he felt when death came, and his prayer seemed to be in vain, was very touching. This child he had been in the habit of bringing frequently for me to see, and when I once gave him some beads for it, he was delighted. These, he told me afterwards, he had buried with him.
On June 5 the Southern Cross returned to me again from the Northern islands, and I went on board to be put on shore at Wonor. It was my intention to go there to stay until the vessel’s return again from the South, which would be in about six weeks’ time. Two boys were to accompany me for the stay, and I took my boat. We could not land until the next day, after spending an unpleasant night on board. On pulling in, the school-house appeared well on to completion, showing that they had been working well at it since my last visit. It was not possible yet to sleep in it, so I spread my rug again in the men’s house, but we assembled the people together in the school-house for such instruction and talking as were found possible. A large party of Ambrym men was weather-bound here. Their home was plainly visible, about seven or eight miles distant, but across a very disturbed passage. They had already been here ten days, and were anxious to return. They had a sorrowful tale to tell. A short time before they had come over from Ambrym to go on an ordinary bartering expedition along our coast, and when the German man-of-war, the Albatross, mentioned above, arrived to avenge the death of the man who was killed in the beginning of the year, they happened to be at the very place. Naturally they thought themselves quite safe from any attack, and sat quietly on the beach awaiting the arrival of the boat. They all knew that the culprit was in a village two or three miles away on the hills, and they were prepared to assist in punishing him. Suddenly however, without any warning, they were fired upon more than once from some of the big guns of the ship. They at once fled in great fear, and did not know until the evening, when they ventured out of the bush again, what had been the result of the firing. One poor fellow had part of one leg blown away, and was found lying in great agony. A day or two after he died. Having thus fired and cleared the place of all people, a large number of men went ashore from the man-of-war, and succeeded in killing a few pigs, and in burning down the large men’s house of the place, which belonged to perfectly innocent and unconcerned people. Such a proceeding is not calculated to induce in the people any thoughts either of the justice or of the courage of the white man. It was a very weary time for them while waiting at Wonor, before reaching home to tell of their missing brother, and it was not pleasant for the people of Wonor, as the vessel had picked up two lads of the place as guides, and they were on board when the firing occurred.
Instead of spending six weeks at this place we spent only ten days. They were busy days, as we all worked at the house, and as I could not get about very much to the neighbouring villages, I had to content myself with talking to the people as they came about us. It soon became evident that my two boys from the North were very home-sick. One I discovered sitting in the dark one evening crying, and although they said nothing I could see what they wished. I therefore decided to return with them, and after some little difficulty got a crew together. We started on a not very promising morning, but did not go far before the hearts of the Wonor men failed them entirely. There was a good breeze blowing, and some sea on, and the prospect of a long journey before them, and they formally requested to be allowed to return. It would have been very awkward to get back in the boat, as both wind and sea were dead against us, so I decided to put them ashore at a convenient spot, and continued the journey with the two boys. We had a fair wind, but rain commenced and continued at intervals all through the day. At last we reached our destination as evening came on, and never was home more welcome. Our wonderful journey, as it was thought, with only three in the boat, caused much talk. Had the wind failed us we should have been in a great difficulty, but as it was we did the forty miles without much labour. I hoped to be able to get a crew together, and to go South again to complete my stay, but we were over-ruled. Three or four days after reaching Qatvenua the place was greatly disturbed on hearing that a large canoe, which had left Maewo with Araga people in it more than a week before, had not been seen or heard of. They were either drowned or had been blown over to Opa. After a day or two more of suspense I decided to go to Opa to enquire. It was a relief to everybody when we started, and the people at home rejoiced greatly when they saw our signal fires in the evening to let them know that we had found the missing ones. It was so—they had been blown away from Araga, and could do nothing but steer for Opa. We remained there one night, and a Trader who lives there kindly gave the hospitality, and next day we started on our return with some of the canoe crew. A night had to be spent on the way at Maewo, but early the next morning we reached home. This was on Friday, and on the evening of the next day I commenced to be unwell, and continued so for three weeks. All plans came to nought, as I found it impossible to get rid of the ague and consequent fever, and only now and then could I manage to rise at all. The arrival of the Southern Cross on July 17 was therefore very welcome, and I went on board at once. All plans as regards the Bank’s Islands had to be given up, and instead of my staying for a time in Mr. Palmer’s district at Mota and Motalav, as I had anticipated with great pleasure, I was forced to see the wisdom of remaining on board for the voyage up to the Solomon Islands. Much of great interest occurred during the voyage, but the greatest event was a visit we paid to Nukapu, where the Memorial cross for Bishop Patteson had been erected two years previously. It was found to be well cared for, the people were more than friendly, were most hospitable, and there are bright hopes of something being done ere long in the place where the Martyr’s death occurred.
I improved so much during the trip that on our arrival in the New Hebrides again, I decided to continue my stay in Araga. I was on shore therefore again from September 14 to November 12, and all the places were visited, and I was no more hindered by bad health. Wonor advanced most satisfactorily: my later visit found the house completed and quite fit to sleep in, and I saw much of the surrounding districts and people. At Lamoru we had the only adult Baptism of the year—five men were Baptized after much preparation and a long time of trial. November 18 found us again off Norfolk Island, and the Island Voyages were a thing of the past for 1886.
NETHERTON AND WORTH, PRINTERS, TRURO.