246 The Trimnphs of the Gospel in Fiji, 
please this new, powerful God, and procure from Him the 
healing blessing which they so earnestly desired. They had 
proved that their own gods could not deliver them, so now 
they resolved to make trial of the Christian's God. They 
assembled in a serious, orderly manner for worship, but no 
on^ among them could pray to the unknown God. They 
then applied to their old priest, desiring him to come and 
intercede for them to the best of his power. This he did, 
offering up a petition which deserves to be recorded for its 
simplicity and unparalleled character. Standing in the midst 
of the bowed down worshippers, he prayed thus : " Lord 
Jehovah ! here are the people ! They worship Thee ! I 
myself turn my back on them for the present, and am on 
another tack, worshipping another god. But do Thou 
bless these Thy people; keep them from harm, and do 
them good.^' This was the first public prayer offered in 
Ono ; the first public service held there in honour of the 
Lord of Hosts ; but it inaugurated a day of Christian light, 
service, and blessing. 
After this service was concluded, the people returned to 
their homes for the rest of the day, and endeavoured by 
more righteous practices to serve the Lord Jehovah. But 
the light they possessed only made them long for more ; so 
a passage was engaged in a whaling ship bound for Tonga, 
for two Ono people, in order that they might plead with the 
missionaries stationed at Tonga, for a teacher. With many 
good wishes and prayers for success, the two messengers 
departed upon their errand. But help came to them in 
their perplexities, much sooner than their messengers could 
possibly have returned from Tonga. In May of the follow- 
ing year, a canoe-ful of converted Tongans left Lakemba, 
bound for their homes in Tonga. By contrary winds, how- 
ever, they were blown about, and He who causeth the 
