56 ADVENTURES IN THE SOUTH SEAS 
not come here to tempt. They wish this land to be pros- 
pered. No evil arises from their purposes. We are enriched 
by the property they bring.” 
To this the priest answered: “It is not good. How is it 
that you do not accept the offering I bring?” 
“Because,” said the king, “the speech of Fijians is con- 
trary. You say it is good not to war; and then you will 
go to my brother and tell him that it is good to fight. If 
you say one thing to me, you will say quite different at 
Mbau.” 
In the course of time the counsel of both chiefs and mis- 
sionaries prevailed with the king, and he consented to be- 
come completely reconciled to his brother. Then it was 
discovered that a change of feelings had come to the king’s 
brother. He had learned of the missionaries’ effort to make 
peace for him with the king, and he was now much more 
kindly disposed toward the religion that he had previously 
persecuted so cruelly. It was noticeable, too, that on his re- 
establishment at Rewa, he sent no offerings to the gods, and 
erelong he was heard to confess that he had become con- 
vinced that the god whom he had formerly revered was 
false. 
In later years, after his brother the king had been killed, 
and he had been driven into exile by his powerful neighbors 
of Mbau, this chief came to be the ruler of Rewa. He was 
proud and overbearing in his place of power, and as he 
gained influence and strength, he essayed to overthrow the 
mighty Thakombau, king of Mbau, whose influence he con- 
sidered had been weakened by his growing friendship for 
the missionaries; but just on the eve of his great attempt 
he was smitten by dysentery and died. Following his death, 
a remarkable change in the attitude of the people took place, 
and soon a large number were converted. Mr. Moore, the 
missionary who had been driven from his station by the con- 
stantly warring people, had returned, and was able to send 
a most cheering report of this change as it developed. 
