142 ADVENTURES IN THE SOUTH SEAS 
“It was now unmistakably evident that evil was determined 
against the whole mission party, and that the natives were 
only waiting their opportunity. Hence they determined to 
leave the island as soon as an opportunity might offer, and 
fortunately the very next day after the murder of Vasa a 
vessel anchored in Port Resolution, the captain of which 
kindly received the teachers and their families on board, and 
took them to Aneityum, where they found a safe retreat. 
“Tt is interesting to know that while the people as a body 
were entirely alienated from the teachers and ready to shed 
their blood, there was one exceptional spot where the teacher 
had been well treated through all the troubles and changes 
which had occurred. There was little reason, however, to 
hope that he would have continued to be safe after all the 
others had left; so he decided to join his brethren in their 
flight, and the mission was again suspended, and the dark 
night of heathenism once more closed in upon Tanna.” 
It will be a joy to our readers who are unacquainted with 
the subsequent history of the work on Tanna, to learn that 
notwithstanding these forced abandonments of the mission, 
the work has not been unsuccessful. At least half of the 
island is now Christianized, and though the other portion 
still remains dark and heathen as in the old times, the day 
is not far distant when definite effort is to be put forth to 
uproot the last strength of paganism from this benighted 
land. Let us hope that the men and means for this enter- 
prise will soon be forthcoming, and that at last the reign of 
savagery will be broken from its benighted people! 
