A riUNCE AS HE WAS BORN. 103 



replied the missionary, " your bride is not a Christian." 

 Danford felt this refusal very deeply. Many a long 

 year had he waited to free himself from the reproach of 

 not living in matrimony, and when at last a fair chance 

 seemed to present itself, he met with disappointment. 

 The Wesleyans have shown a strict adherence to a 

 similar policy, and they may be right from their point 

 of view ; but in consequence many of the whites have 

 been obliged to ask the Catholic priests to discharge 

 those duties which their Protestant brethren refused. 

 The Catholic priests, asking few questions, have invari- 

 ably christened such children, and, remembering the 

 full significance of the formula, that in marrying we take 

 each other " for better, for worse," united in matrimony 

 all loving couples presenting themselves for the purpose. 

 We were struck with the fact, that all the young 

 lads were in a state of absolute nudity ; and, on inquiry, 

 learned that preparations were being made to celebrate 

 the introduction of Kuruduadua's eldest son into man- 

 hood; and that, until then, neither the young chieftain 

 nor his playmates could assume the scanty clothing pe- 

 culiar to the Fijians. Suvana. a rebellious town, consist- 

 ing of about five hundred people, was destined to be 

 sacrificed on the occasion. When the preparations for 

 the feast were concluded, the day for the ceremony ap- 

 pointed, Kuruduadua and his warriors were to make a 

 rush upon the town, and club the inhabitants indis- 

 criminately. The bodies were to be piled into one 

 heap, and on the top of all a living slave would lie on 

 his back. The young chief would then mount the 

 horrid scaffold, and scanding upright on the chest of 



