Part 20 (1/2)
I protested, ”That is not the Devil; it is only the body of a serpent.”
The man quickly answered, ”Well? but it is all the game! He is Teapolo.
He makes us bad, and causes all our troubles.”
Following up this hint by many inquiries, then and afterwards, I found that they clearly a.s.sociated man's troubles and sufferings somehow with the serpent. They wors.h.i.+ped the Serpent, as a spirit of evil, under the name of Mats.h.i.+kts.h.i.+ki; that is to say, they lived in abject terror of his influence, and all their wors.h.i.+p was directed towards propitiating his rage against man.
Their story of Creation, at least of the origin of their own Aniwa and the adjacent Islands, is much more an outcome of the unaided Native mind. They say that Mats.h.i.+kts.h.i.+ki fished up these lands out of the sea.
And they show the deep print of his foot on the coral rocks, opposite each island, whereon he stood as he strained and lifted them up above the waters. He then threw his great fis.h.i.+ng-line round Fotuna, thirty-six miles distant, to draw it close to Aniwa and make them one land; but, as he pulled, the line broke and he fell, where his mark may still be seen upon the rock--so the Islands remain separated unto this day.
Mats.h.i.+kts.h.i.+ki placed men and women on Aniwa. On the southern end of the Island there was a beautiful spring and a freshwater river, with rich land all around, for plantations. But the people would not do what Mats.h.i.+kts.h.i.+ki wanted them; so he got angry, and split off the richer part of Aniwa, with the spring and river, and sailed with them across to Aneityum, leaving them where Dr. Inglis has since built his beautiful Mission Station. To this day, the river there is called ”the water of Aniwa” by the inhabitants of both islands; and it is the ambition of all Aniwans to visit Aneityum and drink of that spring and river, as they sigh to each other, ”Alas, for the waters of Aniwa!”
Their picture of the Flood is equally grotesque. Far back, when the volcano now on Tanna was part of Aniwa, the rain fell and fell from day to day, and the sea rose till it threatened to cover everything. All were drowned except the few who climbed up on the volcano mountain. The sea had already put out the volcano at the southern end of Aniwa; and Mats.h.i.+kts.h.i.+ki, who dwelt in the greater volcano, becoming afraid of the extinction of his big fire too, split it off from Aniwa with all the land on the southeastern side, and sailed it across to Tanna on the top of the flood. There, by his mighty strength, he heaved the volcano to the top of a high mountain in Tanna, where it remains to this day. For, on the subsiding of the sea, he was unable to transfer his big fire to Aniwa; and so it was reduced to a very small island, without a volcano, and without a river, for the sins of the people long ago.
Even where there are no snakes they apply the superst.i.tions about the serpent to a large, black, poisonous lizard called _Kekvau_. They call it Teapolo, and women or children scream wildly at the sight of one.
One of the darkest and most hideous blots on Heathenism is the practice of Infanticide. Only three cases came to our knowledge on Aniwa; but we publicly denounced them at all hazards, and awoke not only natural feeling, but the selfish interests of the community for the protection of the children. These three were the last that died there by parents'
hands. A young husband, who had been jealous of his wife, buried their male child alive as soon as born. An old Tanna woman, who had no children living, having at last a fine healthy boy born to her, threw him into the sea before any one could interfere to save. And a savage, in anger with his wife, s.n.a.t.c.hed her baby from her arms, hid himself in the bush till night, and returned without the child, refusing to give any explanation, except that he was dead and buried. Praise be to G.o.d, these three murderers of their own children were by and by touched with the story of Jesus, became members of the Church, and each adopted little orphan children, towards whom they continued to show the most tender affection and care.
Wife-murder was also considered quite legitimate. In one of our inland villages dwelt a young couple, happy in every respect except that they had no children. The man, being a Heathen, resolved to take home another wife, a widow with two children. This was naturally opposed by his young wife. And, without the slightest warning, while she sat plaiting a basket, he discharged a ball into her from his loaded musket. It crashed through her arm and lodged in her side. Everything was done that was in my power to save her life; but on the tenth day teta.n.u.s came on, and she soon after pa.s.sed away. The man appeared very attentive to her all the time; but, being a Heathen, he insisted that she had no right to oppose his wishes! He was not in any way punished or disrespected by the people of his village, but went out and in amongst them as usual, and took home the other woman as his wife a few weeks thereafter. His second wife began to attend Church and School regularly with her children; and at last he also came along with them, changing very manifestly from his sullen and savage former self. They have a large family; they are avowedly trying to train them all for the Lord Jesus, and they take their places meekly at the Lord's Table.
It would give a wonderful shock, I suppose, to many namby-pamby Christians to whom the t.i.tle ”Mighty to Save” conveys no ideas of reality, to be told that nine or ten converted murderers were partaking with them the Holy Communion of Jesus! But the Lord who reads the heart, and weighs every motive and circ.u.mstance, has perhaps much more reason to be shocked by the presence of some of themselves. Penitence opens all the heart of G.o.d--”To-day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.”
CHAPTER LXIV.
NELw.a.n.g'S ELOPEMENT.
SOME most absurd and preposterous experiences were forced upon us by the habits and notions of the people. Amongst these I recall very vividly the story of Nelw.a.n.g's elopement with his bride. I had begun, in spare hours, to lay the foundation of two additional rooms for our house, and felt rather uneasy to see a well-known savage hanging around every day with his tomahawk, and eagerly watching me at work. He had killed a man, before our arrival on Aniwa; and had also startled my wife by suddenly appearing from amongst the boxes, and causing her to run for life. On seeing him hovering so alarmingly near, tomahawk in hand, I saluted him, ”Nelw.a.n.g, do you want to speak to me?”
”Yes, Missi,” he replied; ”if you will help me now, I will be your friend forever.”
I answered, ”I am your friend. That brought me here and keeps me here.”
”Yes,” said he very earnestly, ”but I want you to be strong as my friend, and I will be strong for you!”
I replied, ”Well, how can I help you?”
He quickly answered, ”I want to get married, and I need your help.”
I protested,--”Nelw.a.n.g, you know that marriages here are all made in infancy, by children being bought and betrothed to their future husbands. How can I interfere? You don't want to bring evil on me and my wife and child? It might cost us our lives.”
”No! no! Missi,” earnestly retorted Nelw.a.n.g. ”No one hears of this, or can hear. Only help me now. You tell me, if you were my circ.u.mstances, how would you act?”
”That's surely very simple,” I answered. ”Every man knows how to go about that business, if he wants to be honest! Look out for your intended, find out if she loves you and the rest will follow naturally,--you will marry her.”
”Yes,” argued Nelw.a.n.g, ”but just there my trouble comes in!”
”Do you know the woman you would like to get?” I asked, wis.h.i.+ng to bring him to some closer issue.
”Yes,” replied he very frankly, ”I want to marry Yakin, the Chiefs'