It will not surprise the reader to be told that the savage with the red
flannel petticoat tied round his neck was received with shouts of
laughter by the inmates of the cave, and that his costume filled them
with mingled feelings of astonishment and curiosity. The information
obtained from him by signs did not enlighten them much, but it was
sufficient to convince them that something unusual had occurred at the
native village, and to induce Will Osten to act in accordance with his
favourite motto.
"I tell you what, comrades," said he, after a few minutes' deliberation,
"I have made up my mind to go back to the village with this red-coated
gentleman, and see whether they are all decked out in the same fashion.
To tell the truth, I have been thinking for some time back that we have
been living here to no purpose--"
"Only hear that, now," said Larry O'Hale, interrupting; "haven't we bin
livin' like fightin' cocks, an' gettin' as fat as pigs? Why, Mr
Cupples hisself begins to throw a shadow on the ground whin the sun's
pretty strong; an' as for Muggins there--"
"You let Muggins alone," growled the seaman; "if we _are_ fatterer,
p'raps it'll only be for the good o' the niggers when they come to eat
us."
"Well, well," said Will; "at all events we shall never escape from this
place by remaining here--(`True for ye,' said Larry)--therefore I shall
go to the village, as I have said. If they receive me, well and good; I
will return to you. If not--why, that's the end of me, and you'll have
to look out for yourselves."
As usual an energetic discussion followed this announcement. The
captain said it was madness, Mr Cupples shook his head and groaned,
Muggins thought that they should all go together and take their chance,
and Larry protested that he would sooner be eaten alive than allow his
comrade to go without him; but in time Will Osten convinced them all
that his plan was best.
What would be the good of the whole of them being killed together, he
said--better that the risk should fall on one, and that the rest should
have a chance of escape. Besides, he was the best runner of the party,
and, if he should manage to wriggle out of the clutches of the savages,
would be quite able to outrun them and regain the cave. At length the
youth's arguments and determination prevailed, and in the afternoon he
set off accompanied by his sable friend in female attire.
On nearing the village, the first thing that greeted the eyes of our
hero was a savage clothed in a yellow cotton vest and a blue jacket,
both of which were much too small for him; he also had the leg of a
chair hung round his neck by way of ornament.
This turned out to be the principal chief of the village, Thackombau,
and a very proud man he obviously was on that occasion. To refrain from
smiling, and embrace this fellow by rubbing noses with him, was no easy
matter, but Will Osten did it nevertheless. While they were
endeavouring to converse by signs, Will was suddenly bereft of speech
and motion by the unexpected appearance of a white man--a gentleman
clothed in sombre costume--on whose arm leaned a pleasant-faced lady!
The gentleman smiled on observing the young man's gaze of astonishment,
and advancing, held out his hand.
Will Osten grasped and shook it, but still remained speechless.
"Doubtless you are one of the party who escaped into the hills lately?"
said the gentleman.
"Indeed I am, sir," replied Will, finding words at last, and bowing to
the lady; "but from what star have _you_ dropt? for, when I left the
village, there were none but savages in it!"
"I dropt from the _Star of Hope_," answered the gentleman, laughing.
"You have hit the mark, young sir, nearer than you think, for that is
the name of the vessel that brought me here. I am a missionary; my name
is Westwood; and I am thankful to say I have been successful in making a
good commencement on this island. This is my wife--allow me to
introduce you--and if you will come with me to my cottage--"
"Cottage!" exclaimed Will.
"Ay, 'tis a good and pretty one, too, notwithstanding the short time we
took to build it. The islanders are smart fellows when they have a mind
to labour, and it is wonderful what an amount can be done when the Lord
prospers the work. These good fellows," added the missionary, casting a
glance at the two natives, "who, as you see, are somewhat confused in
their ideas about dress, have already done me much service in the
building of the church--"
"Church!" echoed Will.
Again the missionary laughed, and, offering his arm to his wife, turned
towards the village, saying--
"Come, Mr Osten--you see I know your name, having heard of you from
your friend Buchanan--come, I will show you what we have been about
while you were absent; but first--tell me--how fares it with your
comrades?"
Will Osten at once entered into a full account of the doings of himself
and his friends, and had just concluded, when he was once more rendered
speechless by the sight of the missionary's cottage. It was almost the
realisation of the waking dream which had captivated him so much on the
evening when the storm arose that proved fatal to the _Foam_. He was
still gazing at it in silent admiration, listening to an enthusiastic
account of the zeal and kindness of the natives who helped to build it,
when a young girl, apparently bordering on seventeen or eighteen years
of age, with nut-brown curls, rosy cheeks, and hazel eyes, sprang out
and hastened to meet them.
"Oh, father," she exclaimed, while the colour of her face came and went
fitfully, "I'm so glad you have come! The natives have been so--so--"
"Not rude to you, Flora, surely?" interrupted the missionary.
"No, not exactly rude, but, but--"
Flora could not explain! The fact turned out to be that, never having
seen any woman so wonderfully and bewitchingly beautiful before, the
natives had crowded uninvited into the cottage, and there, seated on
their hams round the walls, quietly gazed at her to their hearts'
content--utterly ignorant of the fact that they were violating the rules
of polite society!
Will Osten, to his disgrace be it said, violated the same rules in much
the same way, for he continued to gaze at Flora in rapt admiration until
Mr Westwood turned to introduce her to him.
That same evening Bukawanga, accompanied by Thackombau, went to the
mountain-cave, and, having explained to its occupants the altered state
of things at the village, brought them down to the mission-house where
they took up their abode.
It need scarcely be said that they were hospitably received. Mr
Westwood had not met with countrymen for many months, and the mere sight
of white faces and the sound of English voices were pleasant to him. He
entertained them with innumerable anecdotes of his experiences and
adventures as a missionary, and on the following morning took them out
to see the church, which had just been begun.
"Already," said Mr Westwood, as they were about to set forth after
breakfast, "my wife and Flora have got up a class of women and girls, to
whom they teach needle-work, and we have a large attendance of natives
at our meetings on the Sabbath. A school also has been started, which
is managed by a native teacher who came with me from the island of
Raratonga, and most of the boys in the village attend it."
"But it does seem to me, sir," said Captain Dall, as they sauntered
along, "that needle-work and book-learning can be of no use to such
people."
"Not of much just now, captain, but these are only means to a great end.
Already, you see, they are beginning to be clothed--fantastically
enough at present, no doubt--and I hope ere long to see them in their
right mind, through the blessed influence of the Bible. Look there," he
added, pointing to an open space in the forest, where the four walls of
a large wooden building were beginning to rise; "there is evidence of
what the gospel of Jesus Christ can do. The labourers at that building
are, many of them, bitter enemies to each other. Only yesterday we
succeeded in getting some of the men of the neighbouring village to come
and help us. After much persuasion they agreed, but they work with
their weapons in their hands, as you see."
This was indeed the case. The men who had formerly been enemies were
seen assisting to build the same church. They took care, however, to
work as far from each other as possible, and were evidently distrustful,
for clubs and spears were either carried in their hands, or placed
within reach, while they laboured.
Fortunately, however, they restrained their passions at that time, and
it is due to them to add that before that church was finished their
differences were made up, and they, with all the others, ultimately
completed the work in perfect harmony, without thinking it necessary to
bring their clubs or spears with them.
The reader must not suppose that all missionary efforts in the South
Seas have been as quickly successful as this one. The records of that
interesting region tell a very different tale; nevertheless there are
many islands in which the prejudices of the natives were overcome almost
at the commencement, and where heathen practices seemed to melt away at
once before the light of the glorious gospel.
During two months, Wandering Will and the wrecked seamen remained here
assisting the missionary in his building and other operations. Then an
event occurred which sent them once more afloat, and broke the spell of
their happy and busy life among the islanders.