With the Pioneers on Erromango 
FoLLowInG the death of that great “Apostle to the South 
Seas,” John Williams, two Samoan native teachers were 
landed on the martyr island from the mission ship “Cam- 
den,’ but many months were to pass away before the Chris- 
tian world should learn their tale of suffering and dangerous 
toil for the cross of Christ. This has been told by Mr. 
J. D. Murray, who was the first visitor to those wild 
shores after their introduction to the island, and it will be 
given here in his words: 
“We approached with very peculiar feelings the land which 
had so recently been the scene of the mournful tragedy, the 
particulars of which were fresh in the recollection of all. 
And there was one thing which contributed much to increase 
the painful interest connected with our visit to Erromango 
on this occasion. We had on board Mrs. Williams, the 
widow of John Williams. She was a passenger with us, 
having bidden a final adieu to all the endeared scenes of 
former happy days, and being now on her way to New South 
Wales, to proceed thence to the land of her fathers. The 
reader will understand how her presence added not a little 
to the feeling of sadness and gloom with which we looked 
upon Erromango. She was a woman of a meek and quiet 
spirit, and though bowed down under a load of grief, her 
deportment was calm and resigned, eminently Christian, 
glorifying to God and encouraging to those of us whose 
life work was yet in the future. 
“It was evening when we drew near the land, and as we 
moved slowly along the coast, the shades of night settled 
down upon the mountains and hills, and seemed to invest 
them with deepening gloom, and it was anything but reliev- 
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