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How the Gospel was First Carried. 263 
however, as Mr. Cross had entered upon his new work here, 
he sickened, first with intermittent fever, then with cholera, 
and lastly with typhus fever. In this extremity, an American 
settler carefully and unremittingly assisted Mrs. Cross to 
nurse her husband until he was able to perform his duties 
again. Prospects seemed encouraging, and the king, eager 
to keep his word, built a comfortable house for the mis- 
sionary. Very shortly, a chief of high rank, together with 
his wife, became Christians, and as there was no chapel, 
they opened their house for the services. But the wor- 
shippers were not always exempt from persecution and 
treachery. Once, a stone was thrown in, which placed the 
missionary's life in danger; while on another occasion the 
place of meeting was set on fire. Fortunately, the attempt 
did not succeed ; but the path was uphill, even here, amidst 
encouragements, and full of trials and difficulties of various 
kinds. 
5. VlWA. 
At the end of 1838, the chief of Viwa, a small island 
south of the Fijian mainland, sent a pressing request for a 
teacher. Namosimalua, the chief of Viwa, was a depraved 
savage, and possessed a bloodthirsty disposition : yet having 
regard to the fact that he had begged for a teacher, while 
at the same time Viwa was near enough to Mbau for the 
missionary to be able to influence the people of the latter 
place, the members of the Wesleyan mission could not 
bring themselves to refuse the request. A native teacher 
was sent, and was received kindly. Very soon, a large 
chapel was built, where chief and people bowed together in 
Christian worship. So matters stood, when, in 1842, Mr. 
Hunt was appointed to Viwa. He then found about one 
hundred and twenty persons under religious instruction^ of 
