118 ADVENTURES IN THE SOUTH SEAS 
of their offended deities, they truly were, through fear of 
death, all their lifetime subject to bondage. 
The first European missionaries were Mr. and Mrs. Geddie 
and Mr. and Mrs. Powell. The people of the district where 
they settled, wished their chief, Nohoat, to oppose their land- 
ing. This he refused to do, but gave his people full license 
to steal from the missionaries without restraint. “Only,” 
said he, “don’t kill them, for if you do that, you will get 
me into trouble.” 
“Strange to say, the natives did not, for a time, take ad- 
vantage of their chief’s permission to steal. They attended 
the services and listened to the preaching, and generally con- 
ducted themselves very well. All at once, however, their 
attitude completely changed, and they left off coming to the 
services. Their looks were dark and sullen. The mission- 
aries were at a loss to explain this change on the part of 
the natives, till, upon making inqquiry, they learned that 
the savages were much enraged with them, and were contem- 
plating burning their houses and driving them from the 
island. 
“This opened up rather a gloomy prospect for the defense- 
less strangers, who, of course, were quite in the power of 
the dark-minded savages among whom they dwelt. They 
lost no time in inquiring into the cause of the people’s dis- 
pleasure, and the following grave misdemeanors were laid to 
their charge: First, they had taken coconuts from trees on 
their own land, whereas the coconuts were all under taboo 
for a great feast which was to come off shortly. The mis- 
sionaries pleaded ignorance of the taboo, but agreed to re- 
spect it for the future, though it seemed rather hard that it 
should be extended to trees growing upon land which they 
had purchased and paid for. Missionaries, however, must 
not stand stiffly upon their rights in such circumstances; let 
them just have patience and work quietly on, and all will 
come right after a while. 
