4 
262 The Triuviphs of the Gospel in Fiji, 
informed him, they should bid his people good-bye, and 
go to labour among others who would welcome them, and 
their message. Then they bade him farewell. 
Soon after the departure of the missionaries, two Catholic 
priests went to Somo Somo to teach the natives. Many 
other priests had endeavoured to effect conversions in other 
parts of the group, but their success had been only partial, 
and they themselves were held in little esteem anywhere ; 
for the natives were shrewd enough to see that these people, 
unlike the Wesley an missionaries, kept the key of knowledge 
from the Fijians, and refused to give them any Bible. 
After a very short stay on Somo Somo, the two priests left, 
utterly discouraged and disappointed. They laboured to 
little purpose in other parts of the group, afterwards. 
Indeed, the Catholic mission to Fiji must be pronounced a 
failure. It never took any real hold on the people. 
Tuikilakila, however, came to an untimely end. He 
continued to the end of his days the same fierce, implacable 
savage ; and even when speaking to the missionaries peace- 
ably, encouraged his sons to persecute, injure, and annoy 
all who were within their power, and who were suspected of 
being friendly to the Christians. But one night in 1854, he 
was murdered by one of his sons. This son was murdered 
in return by another brother, in order to avenge his father's 
death ; and shortly after, the avenger was himself killed. 
These events led to civil war, and so it came to pass that 
in time the populous province of Somo Somo became 
almost depopulated, and rendered waste. 
4. Rewa. 
Mr. Cross and his family settled at Rewa in Januar}^, 
1838, under the protection of the king, who had offered 
land whereupon to build a mission-housei. Almost as soon. 
