WINNING THE WILD REWANS 53 
Under the severe strain which these conditions imposed, 
the health of Mrs. Cargill failed, and she died on June 2, 
1840. The next day she was buried with her babe only five 
days old, and left a sorrowing husband with four children. 
Of her it was written after her death: 
“Mrs. Cargill was a woman of rare and excellent spirit, 
filled with devoted love, and warmly attached to the mission 
work; ... and as she passed away, they who listened felt 
that their loss was great indeed. Her memory is blessed in 
Fiji. In that dark, wild land, and among those savage people, 
the winning gentleness and piety of the missionary’s wife are 
yet borne in mind, and the remembrance still serves to rec- 
ommend the religion which adorned her with such loveliness. 
“When near death she requested her husband to take the 
children to England at once, that they might be educated, 
and trained in the way of the Lord. As soon as the news 
of her death reached Mr. Hunt at Somo Somo, he sailed 
nearly two hundred miles to visit the mourners, and urge 
Mr. Cargill to move to his own station. But Fiji was not 
the place for a man whose wife was gone, leaving four lit- 
tle ones to his care, and Mr. Cargill resolved to go as soon 
as possible to the colonies [Australia], where he arrived 
with his children on the second of September.” 
While these events were occurring, a young chief whose 
name was Matanambamba, came to Rewa, fleeing from the 
wrath of Thakombau, the fierce and warlike son of Tanoa, 
king of Mbau, against whose rule Matanambamba had re- 
belled. This young man, nursing deadly hatred for his en- 
emies, stirred up Ratu Nggara, the brother of the Rewan 
king, to have the Christians stoned, and himself led a party 
to waylay and kill the missionaries. 
Unsuccessful in his efforts to destroy God’s servants, he 
became desperate in his opposition to the worship till at last 
sickness came upon him, and though all Fijian modes of cure 
were tried, he grew worse. In his extremity he turned to 
the Christians whom he had persecuted so cruelly. 
