218 ADVENTURES IN THE SOUTH SEAS 
the early morning the anchor was lifted and the boat stole 
quietly out from the anchorage, to visit an important chief 
in yet another district. Toward evening the anchor. was 
dropped once more, and Mr. Brown went ashore. The chief 
was very friendly and received him gladly. After a few 
presents had been given, a great crowd of people gathered, 
and as they sat on the ground before the chief’s house, Mr. 
Brown tried to tell Hen of the one God and Father of all, 
of the heaven where God dwells, and of the glorious gospel 
of our Saviour Jesus. The people were very attentive, and 
the chief decided to receive a teacher. 
Next day the missionary turned his boat back toward his 
home station, where he landed at last, weary but thankful 
that his first visit to savage New Ireland shores had ended 
so successfully. 
Soon after his return from New Ireland, Mr. Brown re- 
solved to start for Matupit, a small but very populous island 
in Blanche Bay, which from its central position was well 
suited to be the headquarters of the mission in that part 
of the group. Much opposition to this visit was offered 
by the natives at Port Hunter, where Mr. Brown still had 
his headquarters; but notwithstanding this he determined to 
make the visit. But he was to learn what fear in his own 
natives’ hearts would lead them to do. Of this adventurous 
voyage he wrote in after years in words that show how im- 
portant he considered it to have been in opening up commu- 
nication with those populous villages, and in proving that 
by exercising proper care such peoples might be visited with 
a reasonable degree of safety. 
“As we steamed up Blanche Bay,” said Mr. Boe “there 
was considerable excitement on board the launch. All the 
natives and one of our company objected to calling at Ma- 
tupit, and positively refused to go round the bay, stating 
that we should all be murdered if we went near any of the 
villages on the opposite shore. They were clamorous for 
an immediate return to Port Hunter. 
