The Editor desires very gratefully to acknowledge his joy in receiving, not only through Press Notices, but from Correspondents in every rank, most ample confirmation of the assurance expressed by him in the last sentence of the Original Preface—“There is a blessing in it.”
He has been urging his Brother to complete, as soon as he possibly can, Part Second of the Autobiography; and he hopes that the call for this Second Edition of Part First at so early a date will successfully enforce his appeal.
February, 1889.
CONTENTS.
| CHAPTER I. | ||
| EARLIER DAYS. | ||
| PAGE | ||
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Note | [3] | |
| Kirkmahoe | [4] | |
| Torthorwald Village | [5] | |
| Our Villagers | [6] | |
| Nithsdale Scenes | [7] | |
| Our Cottage Home | [9] | |
| Our Forebears | [12] | |
| An Idyll of the Heart | [16] | |
| A Consecrated Father | [19] | |
| Accepted Vows | [21] | |
| Happy Sabbath Days | [22] | |
| Golden Autumn of Life | [26] | |
| CHAPTER II. | ||
| AT SCHOOL AND COLLEGE. | ||
| A Typical Scottish School | [31] | |
| An Unacknowledged Prize | [32] | |
| A Wayward Master | [33] | |
| Learning a Trade | [33] | |
| My Father’s Prayers | [34] | |
| “Jehovah Jireh” | [34] | |
| With Sappers and Miners | [36] | |
| The Harvest Field | [38] | |
| On the Road to Glasgow | [39] | |
| A Memorable Parting | [40] | |
| Before the Examiners | [42] | |
| Killing Work | [43] | |
| Deep Waters | [44] | |
| Maryhill School | [45] | |
| Rough School Scenes | [46] | |
| “Aut Cæsar Aut Nullus” | [48] | |
| My Wages | [49] | |
| CHAPTER III. | ||
| IN GLASGOW CITY MISSION. | ||
| “He Leadeth Me” | [53] | |
| A Degraded District | [55] | |
| The Gospel in a Hay-Loft | [56] | |
| New Mission Premises | [58] | |
| At Work for Jesus | [59] | |
| At War with Hell | [62] | |
| Sowing Gospel Seed | [64] | |
| Publicans on the War Path | [65] | |
| Marched to the Police Office | [67] | |
| Papists and Infidels | [69] | |
| An Infidel Saved | [70] | |
| An Infidel in Despair | [71] | |
| A Brand from the Burning | [72] | |
| A Saintly Child | [75] | |
| Papists in Arms | [77] | |
| Elder and Student | [81] | |
| CHAPTER IV. | ||
| FOREIGN MISSION CLAIMS. | ||
| The Wail of the Heathen | [85] | |
| A Missionary Wanted | [85] | |
| Two Souls on the Altar | [87] | |
| Lions in the Path | [89] | |
| The Old Folks at Home | [92] | |
| Successors in Green Street Mission | [95] | |
| Old Green Street Hands | [97] | |
| A Father in God | [97] | |
| CHAPTER V. | ||
| THE NEW HEBRIDES. | ||
| License and Ordination | [101] | |
| At Sea | [102] | |
| From Melbourne to Aneityum | [102] | |
| Settlement on Tanna | [105] | |
| Our Mission Stations | [106] | |
| Diplomatic Chiefs | [107] | |
| Painful First Impressions | [108] | |
| Bloody Scenes | [109] | |
| The Widow’s Doom | [111] | |
| CHAPTER VI. | ||
| LIFE AND DEATH ON TANNA. | ||
| Our Island Home | [115] | |
| Learning the Language | [116] | |
| A Religion of Fear | [118] | |
| With or Without a God | [119] | |
| Ideas of the Invisible | [120] | |
| Gods and Demons | [121] | |
| My Companion Missionary | [122] | |
| Pioneers in New Hebrides | [123] | |
| Missionaries of Aneityum | [125] | |
| The Lord’s Arrowroot | [126] | |
| Unhealthy Sites | [127] | |
| The Great Bereavement | [129] | |
| Memorial Tributes | [131] | |
| Selwyn and Patteson at a Tanna Grave | [133] | |
| Her Last Letter | [134] | |
| Last Words | [137] | |
| Presentiment and Mystery | [138] | |
| CHAPTER VII. | ||
| MISSION LEAVES FROM TANNA. | ||
| Tannese Natives | [141] | |
| “Tabooed” | [142] | |
| Jehovah’s Rain | [143] | |
| “Big Hays” | [144] | |
| War and Cannibalism | [145] | |
| The Lot of Woman | [146] | |
| Sacred Days | [148] | |
| Preaching in Villages | [149] | |
| Native Teachers | [150] | |
| The War Shell | [151] | |
| Deadly Superstitions | [152] | |
| A League of Blood | [154] | |
| Chiefs in Council | [155] | |
| Defence of Women | [157] | |
| A League of Peace | [157] | |
| Secret Disciples | [159] | |
| A Christo-Heathen Funeral | [159] | |
| Clever Thieves | [160] | |
| Ships of Fire | [164] | |
| H.M.S. Cordelia | [166] | |
| Captain Vernon and Miaki | [167] | |
| The Captain and the Chiefs | [168] | |
| The John Williams | [169] | |
| Evanescent Impressions | [170] | |
| A House on the Hill | [171] | |
| In Fever Grips | [171] | |
| “Noble Old Abraham” | [172] | |
| Critics in Easy Chairs | [174] | |
| CHAPTER VIII. | ||
| MORE MISSION LEAVES FROM TANNA. | ||
| The Blood-Fiend Unleashed | [179] | |
| In the Camp of the Enemy | [180] | |
| A Typical South Sea Trader | [182] | |
| Young Rarip’s Death | [183] | |
| The Trader’s Retribution | [185] | |
| Worship and War | [186] | |
| Saved from Strangling | [187] | |
| Wrath Restrained | [188] | |
| Under the Axe | [191] | |
| The Clubbing of Namuri | [193] | |
| A Native Saint and Martyr | [195] | |
| Bribes Refused | [197] | |
| Widows Rescued | [197] | |
| The Sinking of a Well | [198] | |
| Church-Building on Tanna | [199] | |
| Ancient Stone God | [201] | |
| Printing First Tannese Book | [201] | |
| A Christian Captain | [203] | |
| Levelled Muskets | [204] | |
| A French Refugee | [205] | |
| A Villainous Captain | [208] | |
| Like Master—Like Men | [209] | |
| Wrecked on Purpose | [212] | |
| The Kanaka Traffic | [213] | |
| A Heathen Festival | [215] | |
| Sacrifices to Idols | [218] | |
| Heathen Dance and Sham Fight | [219] | |
| Six Native Teachers | [221] | |
| A Homeric Episode | [222] | |
| Victims for Cannibal Feast | [223] | |
| The Jaws of Death | [224] | |
| Nahak or Sorcery | [226] | |
| Killing me by Nahak | [227] | |
| Nahak Defied | [229] | |
| Protected by Jehovah | [230] | |
| “Almost Persuaded” | [231] | |
| Escorted to the Battle-Field | [232] | |
| Praying for Enemies | [233] | |
| Our Canoe on the Reef | [233] | |
| A Perilous Pilgrimage | [236] | |
| Rocks and Waters | [237] | |
| CHAPTER IX. | ||
| DEEPENING SHADOWS. | ||
| Welcome Guests | [243] | |
| A Fiendish Deed | [244] | |
| The Plague of Measles | [245] | |
| A Heroic Soul | [246] | |
| Horrors of Epidemic | [247] | |
| A Memorable New Year | [248] | |
| A Missionary Attacked | [249] | |
| In the Valley of the Shadow | [251] | |
| Blow from an Adze | [252] | |
| A Missionary’s Death | [253] | |
| Mrs. Johnston’s Letter | [255] | |
| A Heavy Loss | [256] | |
| The Story of Kowia | [256] | |
| Kowia’s Soliloquy | [258] | |
| The Passing of Kowia | [259] | |
| Mortality of Measles | [261] | |
| Fuel to the Fire | [262] | |
| Hurricanes | [262] | |
| A Spate of Blood and Terror | [263] | |
| Nowar Vacillates | [265] | |
| The Anger of the Gods | [265] | |
| Not Afraid to Die | [266] | |
| Martyrs of Erromanga | [267] | |
| Visit to the Gordons | [268] | |
| Their Martyrdom | [269] | |
| Vindication of the Gordons | [270] | |
| Gordon’s Last Letter | [272] | |
| Plots of Murder | [273] | |
| Death by Nahak | [275] | |
| Nowar Halting Again | [275] | |
| Old Abraham’s Prayer | [277] | |
| Miaki and the Mission House | [278] | |
| Satanic Influences | [280] | |
| Perplexity Deepening | [280] | |
| Bishop Selwyn’s Testimony | [281] | |
| Rotten Tracts | [283] | |
| Captain and Mate of Blue Bell | [285] | |
| My Precious Dog | [287] | |
| Fishing Nets and Kawases | [288] | |
| The Taro Plant | [290] | |
| The Kava Drink | [290] | |
| Katasian and the Club Scene | [291] | |
| The Yams | [292] | |
| Sunshine and Shadow | [292] | |
| Teachers Demoralized | [293] | |
| The Chief’s Alphabet | [294] | |
| Our Evil Genius | [295] | |
| Ships of Fire Again | [295] | |
| Commodore Seymour’s Visit | [296] | |
| Nouka and Queen ’Toria | [297] | |
| The Dog to his Vomit Again | [298] | |
| CHAPTER X. | ||
| FAREWELL SCENES. | ||
| The War Fever | [303] | |
| Forced to the War Council | [305] | |
| A Truce Among the Chiefs | [306] | |
| Chiefs and People | [308] | |
| The Kiss of Judas | [309] | |
| The Death of Ian | [309] | |
| The Quivering Knife | [310] | |
| A War of Revenge | [312] | |
| In the Thick of the Battle | [313] | |
| Tender Mercies of the Wicked | [315] | |
| Escape for Life | [316] | |
| The Loss of All | [317] | |
| Under the Tomahawk | [318] | |
| Jehovah is Hearing | [318] | |
| The Host Turned Back | [320] | |
| The War Against Manuman | [320] | |
| Traps Laid | [321] | |
| House Broken Up | [322] | |
| War Against Our Friends | [322] | |
| A Treacherous Murderer | [323] | |
| On the Chestnut Tree | [324] | |
| Bargaining for Life | [325] | |
| Five Hours in a Canoe | [328] | |
| Kneeling on the Sands | [329] | |
| Faimungo’s Farewell | [330] | |
| “Follow! Follow!” | [331] | |
| A Race for Life | [332] | |
| Ringed Round with Death | [334] | |
| Faint yet Pursuing | [336] | |
| Out of the Lion’s Jaws | [337] | |
| Brothers in Distress | [339] | |
| Intervening Events | [341] | |
| A Cannibal’s Taste | [341] | |
| Pillars of Cloud and Fire | [342] | |
| Passing by on the Other Side | [344] | |
| Kapuku and the Idol Gods | [344] | |
| A Devil Chief | [344] | |
| “In Perils Oft” | [345] | |
| Through Fire and Water | [345] | |
| “Sail O! Sail O!” | [349] | |
| “Let Me Die” | [350] | |
| In Perils on the Sea | [351] | |
| Tannese Visitors | [352] | |
| The Devil Chief Again | [353] | |
| Speckled and Spotted | [354] | |
| Their Desired Haven | [355] | |
| “I am Left Alone” | [355] | |
| My Earthly All | [356] | |
| Eternal Hope | [356] | |
| Australia to the Rescue | [357] | |
| For My Brethren’s Sake | [358] | |
| A New Holy League | [358] | |
| The Uses of Adversity | [359] | |
| Arm-chair Critics Again | [360] | |
| Concluding Note | [361] | |
| Prospectus of Part Second | [362] | |
| APPENDIX. | ||
| A. The Prayer of the Chiefs of Tanna | [367] | |
| B. Notes on the New Hebrides | [371] | |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
| Portrait of John G. Paton | [Frontispiece]. | |
| “The Man That Kills Missi Must First Kill Me” | To face p. | [156] |
| Natives Stealing Property | „ | [160] |
| Natives Returning Stolen Property | „ | [164] |
| “There They Lay Me on Cocoa-nut Leaves on the Ground” | „ | [172] |
| “At Daybreak I Found My House Surrounded” | „ | [188] |
| The Dangerous Landing Through the Surf | „ | [234] |
| “Suddenly He Drew A Large Butcher-Like Knife” | „ | [310] |
| Springing Forward He Caught The Club | „ | [342] |
| Map of the New Hebrides | „ | [100] |
CHAPTER I.
EARLIER DAYS.
Introductory Note.—Kirkmahoe.—Torthorwald Village.—Our Villagers.—Nithsdale Scenes.—Our Cottage Home.—Our Forebears.—An Idyll of the Heart.—A Consecrated Father.—Accepted Vows.—Happy Sabbath Days.—Golden Autumn of Life.
What I write here is for the glory of God. For more than twenty years have I been urged to record my story as a missionary of the Cross; but always till now, in my sixty-fourth year, my heart has shrunk from the task, as savouring too much of self. Latterly the conviction has been borne home to me that if there be much in my experience which the Church of God ought to know, it would be pride on my part, and not humility, to let it die with me. I lift my pen, therefore, with that motive supreme in my heart; and, so far as memory and entries in my note-books and letters of my own and of other friends serve or help my sincere desire to be truthful and fair, the following chapters will present a faithful picture of the life through which the Lord has led me. If it bows any of my readers under as deep and certain a confidence as mine, that in “God’s hand our breath is, and His are all our ways,” my task will not be fruitless in the Great Day.