22 ADVENTURES IN THE SOUTH SEAS 
“One would fain hope that a ray of divine light had found 
its way into the dark mind of that poor chief, and that not 
only will this that he hath done be told as a memorial of 
him, wherever the story of the Tongan Mission shall be 
known on earth, but that he has in heaven an everlasting 
memorial. He took the missionaries to his house, after the 
interment of their brethren, showed them all he possessed, 
and told them to take whatever they wished. To their great 
joy they recovered a Bible, and they obtained also some writ- 
ing paper, pens, and ink, and some other useful articles. 
“Their situation continued to be wretched in the extreme. 
They were exposed to constant insult; they were obliged, on 
account of the superstitious fears of the natives, which had 
been wrought upon by foreigners, to discontinue the prac- 
tice of social worship, and their lives were in constant peril. 
Amid all, however, they held fast their integrity, maintain- 
ing unshaken confidence in their divine Protector, and often, 
in seasons of extremity, from want or danger, experiencing 
such marked interpositions of His providence, as caused 
them to feel that, though sorely tried, they were not for- 
saken. 
“And so closed the eighteenth century upon the Tongan 
Mission. Its last year had been a time of dire calamity to 
the natives, as well as to the mission and the missionaries; 
and, alas! the new year brought no alleviation. It seemed 
almost as if an end had come to the Tongan nation. On the 
17th of January, 1800, a violent storm swept over the group, 
accompanied by torrents of rain. The island on which the 
missionaries resided was several times rocked by an earth- 
quake, and the sea rose to an unusual height, overflowing 
all the north side of the island, and destroying what little 
produce the devastation of war had spared. Vast numbers 
of breadfruit and bananas were blown down, and famine 
was added to other calamities. . 
“Under these circumstances, it will not surprise the reader 
to learn that the missionaries were induced to entertain the 
