THE SINKING OF THE WELL.
BUT I must here record the story of the Sinking of the Well, which broke
the back of Heathenism on Aniwa. Being a flat coral island, with no
hills to attract the clouds, rain is scarce there as compared with the
adjoining mountainous islands; and even when it does fall heavily, with
tropical profusion, it disappears, as said before, through the light
soil and porous rock, and drains itself directly into the sea. The rainy
season is from December to April, and then the disease most
characteristic of all these regions is apt to prevail, viz., fever and
ague.
At certain seasons, the Natives drink very unwholesome water; and,
indeed, the best water they had at any time for drinking purposes was
from the precious cocoanut, a kind of Apple of Paradise for all these
Southern Isles! They also cultivate the sugar-cane very extensively, and
in great variety; and they chew it, when we would fly to water for
thirst; so it is to them both food and drink. The black fellow carries
with him to the field, when he goes off for a day's work, four or five
sticks of sugar-cane, and puts in his time comfortably enough on these.
Besides, the sea being their universal bathing-place, in which they
swattle like fish, and little water, almost none, being required for
cooking purposes, and none whatever for washing clothes, the lack of
fresh-springing water was not the dreadful trial to them that it would
be to us. Yet they appreciate and rejoice in it immensely too; though
the water of the green cocoanut is refreshing, and in appearance, taste,
and color not unlike lemonade--one nut filling a tumbler; and though
when mothers die they feed the babies on it and on the soft white pith,
and they flourish on the same, yet the Natives themselves show their
delight in preferring, when they can get it, the water from the well.
Aniwa, having therefore no permanent supply of fresh water, in spring or
stream or lake, and my own household also suffering sadly for lack of
the same, I resolved by the help of God to sink a well near the Mission
Premises, hoping that a wisdom higher than my own would guide me to the
source of some blessed spring. Of the scientific conditions of such an
experiment I was comparatively ignorant; but I counted on having to dig
through earth and coral above thirty feet, and my constant fear was,
that owing to our environment, the water, if water I found, could only
be salt water after all my toils! Still I resolved to sink that shaft in
hope, and in faith that the Son of God would be glorified thereby.
One morning I said to the old Chief and his fellow-Chief, both now
earnestly inquiring about the religion of Jehovah and of Jesus, "I am
going to sink a deep well down into the earth, to see if our God will
send us fresh water up from below."
They looked at me with astonishment, and said in a tone of sympathy
approaching to pity, "O Missi! Wait till the rain comes down, and we
will save all we possibly can for you."
I replied, "We may all die for lack of water. If no fresh water can be
got, we may be forced to leave you."
The old Chief looked imploringly, and said "O Missi! you must not leave
us for that. Rain comes only from above. How could you expect our Island
to send up showers of rain from below?"
I told him, "Fresh water does come up springing from the earth in my
Land at home, and I hope to see it here also."
The old Chief grew more tender in his tones, and cried, "O Missi, your
head is going wrong; you are losing something, or you would not talk
wild like that! Don't let our people hear you talking about going down
into the earth for rain, or they will never listen to your word or
believe you again."
But I started upon my hazardous job, selecting a spot near the Mission
Station and close to the public path, that my prospective well might be
useful to all. I began to dig, with pick and spade and bucket at hand,
an American axe for a hammer and crowbar, and a ladder for service by
and bye. The good old Chief now told off his men in relays to watch me,
lest I should attempt to take my own life, or do anything outrageous,
saying, "Poor Missi! That's the way with all who go mad. There's no
driving of a notion out of their heads. We must just watch him now. He
will find it harder to work with pick and spade than with his pen, and
when he's tired we'll persuade him to give it up."
I did get exhausted sooner than I expected, toiling under that tropical
sun; but we never own before the Natives that we are beaten; so I went
into the house and filled my vest pocket with large, beautiful
English-made fish-hooks. These are very tempting to the young men as
compared with their own,--skilfully made though they be out of shell,
and serving their purposes wonderfully. Holding up a large hook, I
cried, "One of these to every man who fills and turns over three buckets
out of this hole!"
A rush was made to get the first turn, and back again for another and
another. I kept those on one side who had got a turn, till all the rest
in order had a chance, and bucket after bucket was filled and emptied
rapidly. Still the shaft seemed to lower very slowly, while my
fish-hooks were disappearing very quickly. I was constantly there, and
took the heavy share of everything, and was thankful one evening to find
that we had cleared more than twelve feet deep,--when lo! next morning,
one side had rushed in, and our work was all undone.
The old Chief and his best men now came around me more earnestly than
ever. He remonstrated with me very gravely. He assured me for the
fiftieth time that rain would never be seen coming up through the earth
on Aniwa!
"Now," said he, "had you been in that hole last night, you would have
been buried, and a Man-of-war would have come from Queen 'Toria to ask
for the Missi that lived here. We would have to say, 'He is down in that
hole.' The Captain would ask, 'Who killed him and put him down there?'
We would have to say, 'He went down there himself!' The Captain would
answer, 'Nonsense! Who ever heard of a white man going down into the
earth to bury himself? You killed him, you put him there; don't hide
your bad conduct with lies!' Then he would bring out his big guns and
shoot us, and destroy our Island in revenge. You are making your own
grave, Missi, and you will make ours too. Give up this mad freak, for no
rain will be found by going downwards on Aniwa. Besides, all your
fish-hooks cannot tempt my men again to enter that hole; they don't want
to be buried with you. Will you not give it up now?"
I said all that I could to quiet his fears, explained to them that this
falling in had happened by my neglect of precautions, and finally made
known that by the help of my God, even without all other help, I meant
to persevere.
Steeping my poor brains over the problem, I became an extemporized
engineer. Two trees were searched for, with branches on opposite sides,
capable of sustaining a cross tree betwixt them. I sank them on each
side firmly into the ground, passed the beam across them over the center
of the shaft, fastened thereon a rude home-made pulley and block, passed
a rope over the wheel, and swung my largest bucket to the end of it.
Thus equipped, I began once more sinking away at the well, but at so
great an angle that the sides might not again fall in. Not a Native,
however, would enter that hole, and I had to pick and dig away till I
was utterly exhausted. But a Native Teacher, in whom I had confidence,
took charge above, managing to hire them with axes, knives, etc., to
seize the end of the rope and walk along the ground, pulling it till the
bucket rose to the surface, and then he himself swung it aside, emptied
it, and lowered it down again. I rang a little bell which I had with me,
when the bucket was loaded, and that was the signal for my brave helpers
to pull their rope. And thus I toiled on from day to day, my heart
almost sinking sometimes with the sinking of the well, till we reached a
depth of about thirty feet. And the phrase, "living water," "living
water," kept chiming through my soul like music from God, as I dug and
hammered away!