Missionary Adventures, Perils, and Escapes. MISSIONARY ADVENTURES, PERILS, AND ESCAPES; BY DESERTS, SAVAGES, AND SEAS. BY MRS. E. R. PITMAN, Author of "Heroines of the Mission Field," "Mission Work in Greece and Palestine," " Vestina's Martyrdom," &c. after his settle ment there, war broke out between the natives and neighbouring a to 313 strate with the leader of the enemy, and persuade him if possible to return to his own district peacea strong force of armed savages, yelling, and brandishing their clubs. He called out, "I am your missionary. Why do you attack the people?" For answer, the men called to one another, "Stab! Stab him!" Hearing this, and feeling sure that mischief was intended, Mr. Thomas said to the native tribe. Mr.Thomas endeavoured make peace, but in vain, for the warlike Pondas flocked into the district, intending to kill and steal. Blood was finally shed on each side, and matters became more dark than ever. One night, just at the darkest hour, came the hideous war-cries of the Pondas; and the alarmed shouts of the natives, as they cried out, Meeting a Missionary ship. "We are attacked!" aroused Mr. Thomas and his family. On going out into the darkness, he was met by some of his people, who told him that the enemy was down at the cattle kraal, some distance from the station. Returning to his house, Mr. Thomas encountered a number of native women and children who flocked to him for protection; and after making arrangements for their safety, as well as for that of his wife and family, he returned to the cattle kraal in order to remon but Christian who accompanied him, "Let us return; they will do us mischief!" scarcely had they turned, than one of the foremost Kaffirs threw a spear at Mr. Thomas with such fatal precision, that it entered his back, inflicting what would have probably turned out to be a deadly wound, even had the attack on his life ended here. But, immediately he fell, pierced by the spear, several of the attacking force rushed upon him, and despatched him with clubs. The yells of the Kaffirs reached the mission house, and Mrs. Thomas, fearing for the safety of her husband, handed her babe to a native girl, and ventured out towards the cattle kraal, to persuade her husband to return home from this scene of danger, but on her way thither, was met by a party of friendly natives, bearing the lifeless andmutilated form of her dead husband. He was committed. to a lonely grave in the wilderness, while she, with her little ones, turned her face homeward, desolate and bereft. The Rev. J. Whitely was a zealous and active young missionary in New Zealand, in the early days. of its mission-history. He laboured amid much difficulty, and with varying success, for more than thirty-six years. He had passed safely through war, tumult, and native disputes, but after this long period of service, fell a victim to the war spirit. One evening in April, 1869, he set out on horseback for a preaching-station, some distance off, where he had to keep an appointment; for, although war and bloodshed raged around, he could not endure the idea of neglecting any duty in order to secure safety for himself. However, he was destined to meet his end during that journey, for when about threefourths of the journey had been accomplished, a band of hostile Maories met him and ordered him to return to his home. He refused to do this, thinking that possibly he might succeed in preventing bloodshed in the district to which he was journeying. Upon receiving this refusal, the natives shot both him and his horse dead, and then departed to seek other victims, leaving his corpse by the wayside. After some days search was made for him, and his body was then discovered where it had fallen, pierced by five bullets. In 1871, Bishop Patterson fell by the savage hands of the natives of Melanesia. The memory of this good and self-denying servant of the Lord is still fragrant in those islands, and preserved with loving reverence by the churches at home. He had relinquished brilliant prospects in England to become missionary-bishop of far-off savage isles; and seemed, with his firm, yet gentle words, wise teaching and discretion, to be destined to accomplish much for the people of those scattered island homes. Probably he would have done all that he hoped and anticipated had it not been for the results of the brutal greed of lawless and wicked Englishmen, who, by their foul conduct, laid the foundation of the illfeeling which culminated in the Bishop's death. For some years it had been a growing custom for captains of small swift vessels, to visit the islands of the South Seas, and after alluring natives on board, or capturing them from the small fishing-boats which they encountered, to carry them off to Queensland as slaves. These wretches, knew the loving confidence with which Bishop Patterson had inspired the natives, and in order to carry out their nefarious schemes the better, had represented to the natives of some of the islands that their ship was the one in which the Bishop sailed. Further than this, they dressed up one of their number in full canonicals, and went through a mock religious service on board, bringing these services to a close by sailing off with a party of captured natives on board. In consequence of this heartless deception, when next the bishop paid his annual visit, the enraged natives refused to credit the statement that he was really the person he claimed to be. Acting under the impulse of revenge, they brutally murdered Bishop Patterson, Rev. Mr. Atkin, his chaplain, and a native teacher, while endeavouring to land. Strictly speaking, this threefold murder was not the result of antagonism to the Gospel, so much as of the kidnapping and deceit of our own wicked countrymen: these three good men were the victims of their sin. In 1875, Commodore Goodenough, a brave and Christian naval officer, was murdered by the natives of Santa Cruz, an island in the same group in which Bishop Patterson was slain. In revenge for sundry acts of kidnapping practised on the natives by bad white men, the natives shot the commodore and four of his young sailors with poisoned arrows. At first, it was hoped that the wounds were not serious, but very soon lockjaw set in, and within eight days, the commodore and two of his men died. They were buried at Sydney with public honours. Theodore, King of Abyssinia, was noted for his cruel conduct to missionaries. The Rev. Mr. Stern, missionary to the Falashas in that land, gives us a dreadful story of his sufferings at the hands of the royal monster. It seems that Theodore indulged constantly in intoxicants, and while under their influence inflicted the most terrible cruelties upon all the victims within his reach. Any foreigner or missionary became at such times an object of deadly hatred and murderous treatment. Mr. Stern waited upon the tyrant one day, in order to secure permission and a safe conduct to travel to Massorah in the work of the Society which had sent him there. When he drew near to Theodore, Mr. Stern saw at once that the king was flushed and excited with drink, and feared the result of the interview, although he little dreamt of the atrocities which would really take place. The narrative goes on to say: "What do you want?' was the insolent question. I saw your Majesty's tent,' was the response, 'and came hither to offer my humble respects and salutations to your Majesty.' 'Where are you going?' I am, with your Majesty's sanction, about to proceed to Massorah.' 'And why did you come to Abyssinia?' 'A desire to circulate the Word of God among your Majesty's subjects prompted the enterprise, I rejoined. 'Can you make cannons?' 'No,' was my reply. 'You lie,' was the laconic response; and then turning with a withering glance towards Negusee, my companion, he imperatively demanded the name of his province. I am of Tigre,' tremulously responded the poor man. 'You are the servant or interpreter of this white man?' 'No, your Majesty; I am in the employ of Consul Cameron, and only accompanied him down to Adowah, whither I am bound to see my family.' 'You vile carcase! you base dog! you rotten donkey! you dare to band words with your king! Down with the villain, and beat him till there is not a breath in his worthless carcase!' The order was promptly obeyed, and the poor inoffensive man, without a struggle, ejaculation, or groan, was dashed on the ground, where. amidst the shouts of the savage monarch, that the executioners should vigorously ply their sticks, the animated and robust frame was in a minute a torn and mangled corpse. 'There is another man yonder,' vociferated the savage king; 'kill him also.' The poor fellow, who stood at a considerable distance, was immediately dragged to the side of his motionless companion, and without having breathed a word or a syllable that could possibly have irritated the sanguinary tyrant, was doomed to share the same terrible fate. I was amazed, bewildered, and surprised. In my agitation, I might unconsciously have put my hand or finger to my lips. This, the cruel tyrant construed into an act of defiance, and without one warning or reproof, he rushed upon me with a pistol, like a lion baulked of his prey. an instant, I saw the glittering weapon sparkling in the rays of the sun, and then, as if checked in his fell design by some invisible power, it disappeared again in the case suspended round his waist. Knock him down! brain him! kill him!' were For Missionary Adventures, Perils, and Escapes. 315 endeavoured to regain the boat, seeing that mischief" was intended. There was not a moment to lose if they would save their lives. Mr. Williams ran into shallow water, intending, doubtless, to swim to the boat, which lay out some little distance, but was pursued by a savage. On reaching deeper water, he fell forward, seemingly too exhausted to swim, and the native dealt him some terrible blows with his club. Soon the number of assailants was increased to a dozen, and in less time than it takes to write this, Mr. Williams was dead. The savages then dragged the body on the beach and beat it with stones until it was mangled almost out of human likeness, and the water was stained with his blood. None of the party possessed firearms; and, although the boat had now taken off the survivors, they were in imminent danger from the poisoned arrows of the natives. Once and again, the captain and his men endeavoured to rescue the dead bodies of the two missionaries from the cannibals, but in vain; and, with full hearts and tearful eyes, they sailed away. The Camden returned to Sydney, bearing the terrible news; and, on application being made to the governor, Sir G. Gipps, H.M.S. Favourite, under Captain Croker, sailed for Erromanga, to recover, if possible, the murdered remains, and bestow on them Christian burial On arriving at the island, communications were opened, and, at length, in answer to many questions, the savages confessed that they had eaten Messrs. Williams and Harris, and that nothing remained but the skulls and bones. These were given up after hours of delay, and then the Favourite sailed off to Samoa to convey the fearful news to Mrs. Williams. The grief of the widow in her desolation cannot be pictured, and that of the Christian populations of Samoa and Raratonga was intense. Stone and coral monuments were erected to the memory of the martyred missionaries at different places, and still exist in good preservation. Mr. Williams, at the time of his death, was only forty-three years of age. the words that rung appallingly upon my ear. In the twinkling of an eye, I was stripped, on the ground and insensible. Stunned and unconscious, and almost lifeless, with the blood oozing out of scores of gashes, I was dragged into the camp-not as my guards were commanded, to bind me in fetters, but. as they thought, to bury me. A stifling sensation, I well remember, roused me to something approaching consciousness. The kind soldier to whom I was fastened, and whose shaura, my bleeding wounds had thoroughly saturated, got me a cup of cold water, which roused me to a sense of my misery and wretchedness." Mr. Stern suffered from this date a long period of cruel torture and imprisonment, which would in all probability have culminated in death had not the British army visited the tyrant with condign punishment, and set the missionaries free. On the morning of November 20th, 1839, the Rev. John Williams, one of the bravest missionaries in the South Sea Mission of the London Missionary Society. passed to his reward by the swift path of martyrdom, and with him a gentleman named Harris, who was intending to enter upon mission work. Mr. Williams was engaged in a voyage of inspection and goodwill, intending to open doors o usefulness among the New Hebrides group, and to arrange for the settlement of teachers at various points. After paying some visits to different islands, and receiving kind treatment at Tanna, the Camden bore up towards Erromanga. Very shortly a boat containing four natives came out to the vessel; but although Mr. Williams made them sundry presents, and invited them to go on board, he could not succeed in establishing any communication. They spoke a different language from that of the islanders with whom Mr. Williams was acquainted; and, finding that they could not understand their English visitors, they rowed off again very quickly, doubtless to alarm their fellow-natives. Nothing then remained but to effect a landing and endeavour to find some mode of peaceful communication with the natives who began to crowd around the shore and make various signs. About the year 1800, two missionaries, named Messrs. Williams and Harris gave the natives beads, Edwards and Kok, entered South Africa, in order to fishhooks, pieces of print, and other little articles, engage in mission labour among the people there. intending to make a good impression on them, but It seems that, at that early date, they were not could not conquer their evident shyness. They properly provided with support, and were, in conseattributed this to the ill-treatment which they had quence, compelled to depend largely upon their own probably received from foreigners visiting the island exertions for maintenance. In course of time Mr. on some former occasion. Captain Morgan asked Edwards left mission work altogether, and devoted Mr. Williams whether, in view of the conduct of the himself to a life of trade and agriculture; but Mr. islanders, he dared venture on shore, to which Kok appears to have devoted himself partially to the question the missionary replied, "Captain, we like work for which he was sent into the country. It was to take possession of land, as you know; and if we his custom, in common with Mr. Edwards, to visit can only leave good impressions on the minds of the Capetown occasionally, for purposes of trade and natives we can come again another day and leave barter, taking with him the ivory and cattle which he teachers. We must be content to do a little. You desired to dispose of. These journeys were attended know, Babel was not built in a day." Presently, with much danger, for the fierce and treacherous however, on seeing some boys playing about, the Bushmen lay in wait, eager to kill all not belonging mission party ventured to land, some by means of a to their tribe. Mr. Kok had engaged two Griqua boat, and others wading through the shallow water. brothers named Bergover to assist him in his farmMr. Williams tried to open conversation with the ing operations, and found in them valuable servants boys by repeating the Samoan numerals to them, and trustworthy friends. On one occasion Mr. Kok and getting them to repeat these after him. The went to Capetown, according to his custom, to disparty then began to walk a little distance inland, pose of portions of his produce, leaving the Griquas followed by the natives. Before many minutes, behind to take care of his premises. Very shortly, however, a yell was heard, and one of the savages however, they were enabled to obtain a quantity of attacked Mr. Harris with his club. That gentleman elephants' teeth, and cattle, by barter, and decided to fell, and was quickly despatched by the clubs of a make a journey to Capetown on their own account. group of fierce assailants. At this, all the party! They therefore set out, together with their mother, wives, and children, making a family party of nineteen souls. Of these, only the two men were able to bear arms, in order to defend the rest; and as the Bushmen were deadly haters of both Griquas and Bechuanas, the perils of the journey promised to be many. On the third day of their journey to Capetown a few scattered Bushmen joined them, and begged food. This was given to them, and care taken not to excite their anger in any way. The sight of so many oxen, however, excited the covetous ness of the Bushmen, and they began to plot the murder of the whole party. They at first endeavoured, by provocation and insult, to excite a quarrel, and thus commence a fray; but the Bergovers, skilfully and peacefully, warded off any disturbance. Nothing but treachery remained to secure the desired end, and this was not long in forthcoming. One morning, as the brothers were repairing the waggons, and preparing to commence the day's journey, a Bush man thrust one of them through, as he was stooping at work, with a His little spear. daughter, of eight years of age, seeing her father thus murdered, gave a piercing shriek, when she too was immediately killed. The other brother, hearing the screams, rushed forward and hurled a hatchet which he held in his hand at the foreincst of the eight Bushmen who stood round; he also seized his gun and fired, but only succeeded in wounding one of them. All the Bushmen then fled, but only to renew the attack, according to their custom, at a favourable opportunity. The bereaved travellers, seeing that their possessions were the cause of this attack, removed the ivory from the waggon and buried it in the wilderness. They then carried off the corpses of the father and daughter, and buried them during the succeeding night, in order to avoid the indignities which Bushmen were wont to show to the corpses of their victims. Next day they continued their journey amid woe and danger, for on every hill forms of Bushmen could be discerned. Nothing but death seemed before them; and the darkness of night was dreaded by all. Night passed, however, and found them still alive; but on passing a small thicket a shower of poisoned arrows warned them that their enemies were still haunting their footsteps. Bergover fired his gun, and for a time the assailants fled, only to return again and renew the attack, whenever occasion or shelter offered. Several of the oxen fell beneath the poisoned arrows; while both the father and son were severely wounded. The second night came on, and all, save the young infants, watched fearfully for the attack which should end the struggle. Morning The attack on Mr. Stern. came again, however, to the anxious watchers, and revealed the fact that numbers of savages were surrounding the waggon on all sides. They discharged volleys of arrows at the father, and in a very little while he staggered back to the waggon, Overcome wounds. with Seeing this, the Bushmen seized the oxen and drove them off, leaving the waggon, women, children, and dying man. In an hour Bergover had passed away, and widows and orphans, in addition to the anguish of losing husbands and fathers, felt that nothing could save them from a terrible death. In this fearful position, amid sighs and groans of terror and despair, they lifted up their voices to that God of whom their master and teacher had told them. Singular to say, Mr. Kok, together another missionary traveller, was at that very time with returning to the station, and must have been at the other side of the nearest range of hills when the final tragedy took place. Just at this juncture, his waggon came in sight; and he, with his companion, immediately sighted the fugitives. They, together with their servants, hastened toward the waggon, and came full upon the terrible scene. Amid tears, sobs, lamentations, and cries, the widows told Dr. Lichenstein and Mr. Kok the dreadful story. One of the widows, rushing forward, clasped Mr. Kok around the knees, and burst into the most touching lamenta |