Part 5 (1/2)
CHAPTER XVIII
THE VISIT OF H M S ”CORDELIA”
ONE reat excitement, cried, ”Missi, Missi, there is a God, or a shi+p on fire, or so over the sea! We see no flames, but it smokes like a volcano Is it a Spirit, a God, or a shi+p on fire? What is it? what is it?”
One party after another followed in quick succession, shouting the sao at once; I must dress first in my best clothes; it will likely be one of Queen Victoria's Men-of-war, coood or bad, if you are stealingo and see it; but I reat Chief on the vessel, and would not go with the and asked, ”Missi, will it be a shi+p of war?”
I called to them, ”I think it will; but I have no tiet on my best clothes!”
They said, ”Missi, only tell us, will he ask you if we have been stealing your things?”
I answered, ”I expect he will”
They asked, ”And will you tell him?”
I said, ”I must tell him the truth; if he asks, I will tell him”
They then cried out, ”Oh, Missi, tell hiht back to you at once, and no one will be allowed again to steal fro must be returned before he coreat Chief on the Man-of-war”
Hitherto, no thief could ever be found, and no Chief had power to cause anything to be restored to me; but now, in an incredibly brief space of ti to the Mission House with a pot, another with a pan, another with a blanket, others with knives, forks, plates, and all sorts of stolen property The Chiefs called s, but I replied, ”Lay theether quickly; I have no tivessel thatin breathless haste, called out to me, ”Missi, Missi, do tell us, is the stolen property all here?”
Of course I could not tell, but, running out, I looked on the pros, and said, ”I don't see the lid of the kettle there yet!”
One Chief said, ”No, Missi, for it is on the other side of the island; but tell him not, I have sent for it, and it will be here to-ht back so much; and now, if you three Chiefs, Nauka, Miaki, and Nowar, do not run ahen he comes, he will not likely punish you; but, if you and your people run away, he will ask me why you are afraid, and I will be forced to tell him! Keep nearfrom me”
They said, ”We are in black fear, but ill keep near you, and our bad conduct to you is done”
The char are fresh to me still, when H M S
_Cordelia_, Captain Vernon, stea heard ruers on Tanna, kindly came on shore as soon as the shi+p cast anchor, with two boats, and a number of his officers anda tall and handso show On seeing Captain Vernon's boat nearing the shore, and the old lace and arms, Miaki the Chief left e I concluded that he had run for it through terror, but he had other andobtained, from some trader or visitor in previous days, a soldier's old red coat, he had resolved to rise to the occasion and appear in his best before the Captain and histhem to Tanna, Miaki returned with the short red coat on, buttoned tightly round his otherwise naked body; and, sur whipcords of twisted hair, it coht otherwise have had of savage freedonificant creature
The Captain was talking to me, his limpse of Home life!--when Miaki marched up and took his place most consequentially at e in the scene, and with an attean to survey the visitors All eyes were fixed on the impudent little man, and the Captain asked, ”What sort of a character is this?”
I replied, ”This is Miaki, our great war Chief?”; and whispered to the Captain to be on his guard, as this ht understand or erous to me
The Captain only muttered, ”The conteh beyond Miaki's vocabulary, so he looked on and grinned coreat Chief whom Queen Victoria has sent to visit you in her Man-of-war, cannot go over the whole of this island so as to be seen by all our people; and I wish you to ask him if he will stand by a tree, and allow round at his heel, and ill make a nick in it at the top of his head, and the spear will be sent round the island to let all the people see how tall this greatto their simple request; and that spear was exhibited to thousands, as the vessel, her Commander, officers, and men, were afterwards talked of round and round the island
Captain Vernon was extre in his power for es; but, as my st the up their cruel prejudices, I did not see his kindness could effectually interpose At his suggestion, however, I sent a general invitation to all the Chiefs within reach, toat my house True to their instincts of suspicion and fear, they despatched all their women and and children to the beach on the opposite side of the island, beyond reach of danger, and nextmy house was croith armed men, manifestly much afraid Punctually at the hour appointed, 10 AM, the Captain came on shore; and soon thereafter twenty Chiefs were seated with hi theers, all calculated to secure our safety and advance the interests of our Mission work He then invited all the Chiefs to go on board and see his vessel They were taken to see the Ar so easily on rails vastly astonished them He then placed theed towards the ocean, at which, as they burst and fell far off, splash--splashi+ng into the water, the terror of the Natives visibly increased But, when he sent a large ball crashi+ng through a cocoanut grove, breaking the trees like straws and cutting its way clear and swift, they were quite duain set safely on shore After receiving each soift, however, they were reconciled to the situation, and returned immensely interested in all that they had seen Doubtlessto describe and hand down to others the wonders of the fire-God of the sea, and the Captain of the great white Queen
How easily it all lends itself to the service of poetry and myth!