18 
DELATIONS WITH THE PEOPLE 
t,hem, though that was scarcely necessary in a country 
where the idea of buyivg land was quite new. It was ex- 
pected that a request for a suitable spot would have been 
made, and that we should have proceeded to occupy it as 
any othor member of the tribe would. But wo explained 
to them that we wished to avoid any cause of future 
dispute when land bad become more valuable ; or when a 
foolish chief began to reign, and wo had erected large or 
expensive buildings, he might wish to claim the whole. 
These reasons were considered satisfactory. About 
worth of goods were given for a piece of land, and an ar- 
rangement was come to that a similar piece should be 
allotted to any other missionary, at any other place to 
which the tribe might remove. The particulars of the 
sale sounded strangely in the cars of the tribe, but were 
nevertheless readily agreed to. 
In our relations with this people we were simply 
strangers, exorcising no authority or control whatever. 
Our influence depended entirely on persuasion ; and, having 
taught them by kind conversation as well as by pubb° 
instruction, I expected them to do what their own sense 
of right and wrong dictated. Wo never wished them 
do right merely because it would be pleasing to us, not 
thought ourselves to blame when they did wrong, al thong 
we were quite aware of the absurd idea to that effect 
We saw that our teaching did good to the general m ,n 
of the people by bringing new and better motives 
play. Pivo instances are positively known to nl ° 
which, by our influence on public opinion, war was p r ®’ 
vented ; and where, in individual cases, wo failed, tho P 
pie did no worse than they did before wo came into ^ 
country. In general they were slow, like all the A ^ 
people hereafter to be described, in coming to a 
on religious subjects; but in questions aflbeting 1 ^ 
worldly artaira they wore keenly alive to their °"' n . 
rests. They might be called stupid in matters "dm- ^ ^ 
not come within the sphere of their observation, 
into 
in 
