| › Preface - THE STORY OF JOHN G. PATON
Or Thirty Years Among South Sea Cannibals
by
REV. JAMES PATON, B.A.
PREFACE
EVER since the story of my brother ...read |
| › Chapter 1 - Our Cottage Home - MY early days were all spent in the beautiful county of Dumfries, which Scotch folks call the Queen of the South. There, in a small cottage, on the fa ...read |
| › Chapter 2 - Our Forebears - A FEW notes had better here be given as to our "Forebears," the kind of stock from which my father and mother sprang. My father's mother, Janet Murray ...read |
| › Chapter 3 - Consecrated Parents - SOMEWHERE in or about his seventeenth year, my father passed through a crisis of religious experience; and from that day he openly and very decidedly ...read |
| › Chapter 4 - School Days - IN my boyhood, Torthorwald had one of the grand old typical Parish Schools of Scotland; where the rich and the poor met together in perfect equality; ...read |
| › Chapter 5 - Leaving the Old Home - BEFORE going to my first harvesting, I had applied for a situation in Glasgow, apparently exactly suited for my case; but I had little or no hope of e ...read |
| › Chapter 6 - Early Struggles - I REACHED Glasgow on the third day, having slept one night at Thornhill, and another at New Cumnock; and having needed, owing to the kindness of acqua ...read |
| › Chapter 7 - A City Missionary - BEFORE undertaking the Maryhill School, I had applied to be taken on as an agent in the Glasgow City Mission; and the night before I had to leave Mary ...read |
| › Chapter 8 - Glasgow Experiences - ON one occasion, it becoming known that we had arranged for a special Saturday afternoon Temperance demonstration, a deputation of Publicans complaine ...read |
| › Chapter 9 - A Foreign Missionary - HAPPY in my work as I felt through these ten years, and successful by the blessing of God, yet I continually heard, and chiefly during my last years i ...read |
| › Chapter 10 - To the New Hebrides - ON the first of December 1857--being then in my thirty-third year--the other Missionary-designate and I were "licensed" as preachers of the Gospel. Th ...read |
| › Chapter 11 - First Impressions of Heathendom - MY first impressions drove me, I must confess, to the verge of utter dismay. On beholding these Natives in their paint and nakedness and misery, my he ...read |
| › Chapter 12 - Breaking Ground on Tanna - OUR small Missionary schooner, the John Knox , having no accommodation for lady passengers, and little for anybody else except the discomfort of lyin ...read |
| › Chapter 13 - Pioneers in the New Hebrides - A GLANCE backwards over the story of the Gospel in the New Hebrides may help to bring my readers into touch with the events that are to follow. The ev ...read |
| › Chapter 14 - The Great Bereavement - MY first house on Tanna was on the old site occupied by Turner and Nisbet, near the shore, for obvious reasons, and only a few feet above tide-mark. S ...read |
| › Chapter 15 - At Home With Cannibals - IN the first letter, sent jointly by Mr. Copeland and myself from Tanna to the Church at home, the following statements occur:--
"We found the Tannes ...read |
| › Chapter 16 - Superstitions and Cruelties - ABOUT the time of my dear wife's death, our brother Missionary, Mr. Mathieson, also became exceedingly unwell. His delicate frame fast gave way, and b ...read |
| › Chapter 17 - Streaks of Dawn Amidst Deeds of Darkness - ANOTHER war-burst, that caused immense consternation, passed over with only two or three deaths; and I succeeded in obtaining the consent of twenty Ch ...read |
| › Chapter 18 - The Visit Of H. M. S. "Cordelia" - ONE morning, the Tannese, rushing towards me in great excitement, cried, "Missi, Missi, there is a God, or a ship on fire, or something of fear, comin ...read |
| › Chapter 19 - "Noble Old Abraham" - FEVER and ague had now attacked me fourteen times severely, with slighter recurring attacks almost continuously after my first three months on the isl ...read |
| › Chapter 20 - A Typical South Sea Trader - THE prejudices and persecutions of Heathens were a sore enough trial, but sorer and more hopeless was the wicked and contaminating influence of, alas, ...read |
| › Chapter 21 - Under Ax And Musket - ABOUT this time, our Sabbath audiences at the Mission numbered forty or so. Nowar and three or four more, and only they, seemed to love and serve Jesu ...read |
| › Chapter 22 - A Native Saint and Martyr - NAMUEI, one of my Aneityumese Teachers, was placed at our nearest village. There he had built a house for himself and his wife, and there he led among ...read |
| › Chapter 23 - Building and Printing for God - FOR fully three months, all our available time, with all the native help which I could hire, was spent in erecting a building to serve for Church and ...read |
| › Chapter 24 - Heathen Dance and Sham Fight - THE Chief, Nowar Noukamara, usually known as Nowar, was my best and most-to-be-trusted friend. He influenced the Harbor Chiefs and their people for ei ...read |
| › Chapter 25 - Cannibals at Work - EARLY one morning, the savage yells of warring Tribes woke me from sleep. They had broken into a quarrel about a woman, and were fiercely engaged with ...read |
| › Chapter 26 - The Defying of Nahak - SHORTLY thereafter war was again declared, by the Inland people attacking our Harbor people. It was an old quarrel; and the war was renewed and contin ...read |
| › Chapter 27 - A Perilous Pilgrimage - THE other Mission Station, on the southwest side of Tanna, had to be visited by me from time to time. Mr. and Mrs. Mathieson, there, were both in a we ...read |
| › Chapter 28 - The Plague of Measles - ABOUT this time I had a never-to-be-forgotten illustration of the infernal spirit that possessed some of the Traders towards these poor Natives. One m ...read |
| › Chapter 29 - Attacked with Clubs - THE 1st January 1861 was a New Year's Day ever to be remembered. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, Abraham, and I, had spent nearly the whole time in a kind of s ...read |
| › Chapter 30 - Kowia - ANOTHER tragedy followed, with, however, much of the light of Heaven amid its blackness, in the story of Kowia, a Tannese Chief of the highest rank. G ...read |
| › Chapter 31 - Martyrdom of the Gordons - MAY 1861 brought with it a sorrowful and tragic event, which fell as the very shadow of doom across our path; I mean the martyrdom of the Gordons on E ...read |
| › Chapter 32 - Shadows Deepening on Tanna - IMMEDIATELY thereafter, a Sandal-wood Trader brought in his boat a party of Erromangans by night to Tanna. They assembled our Harbor Chiefs and people ...read |
| › Chapter 33 - The Visit of the Commodore - AT that time, though my life was daily attempted, a dear lad, named Katasian, was coming six miles regularly to the Worship and to receive frequent in ...read |
| › Chapter 34 - The War Chiefs in Council - A TIME of great excitement amongst the Natives now prevailed. War, war, nothing but war was spoken of! Preparations for war were being made in all the ...read |
| › Chapter 35 - Under Knife and Tomahawk - CHAFED at the upsetting of all their plans and full of revenge, Nouka and Miaki and their allies declared publicly that they were now going to kill Ia ...read |
| › Chapter 36 - The Beginning of the End - I SENT Abraham to consult Nowar, who had defended us till disabled by a spear in the right knee. He sent a canoe by Abraham, advising me to take some ...read |
| › Chapter 37 - Five Hours in a Canoe - GLADLY would I have lingered there for one night of comparative peace! But Nowar sent his son to call me down from the tree, and to guide me to the sh ...read |
| › Chapter 38 - A Race for Life - As I sat meditating on the issues, Faimungo, the friendly Inland Chief, again appeared to warn us of our danger, now very greatly increased by our bei ...read |
| › Chapter 39 - Faint Yet Pursuing - HURRYING still onwards, we came to that village on their high ground called Aneai, i. e. Heaven. The sun was oppressively hot, the path almost unsha ...read |
| › Chapter 40 - Waiting at Kwamera - BEFORE I left the Harbor I wrote and left with Nowar letters to be given to the Captains of any vessels which called, for the first, and the next, and ...read |
| › Chapter 41 - The Last Awful Night - WORN out with long watching and many fatigues, I lay down that night early, and fell into a deep sleep. About ten o'clock the savages again surrounded ...read |
| › Chapter 42 - "Sail O! Sail O!" - ALL through the remainder of that night I lay wide awake keeping watch, my noble little dog lying near me with ears alert. Early in the morning friend ...read |
| › Chapter 43 - Farewell to Tanna - ABOUT five o'clock in the evening the vessel hove in sight. Before dark we were all on board, and were sailing for Aneityum. Though both Mr. and Mrs. ...read |
| › Chapter 44 - The Floating of the "Dayspring" - RESCUED from Tanna by the Blue Bell in the Spring of 1869, I was landed on Aneityum, leaving behind me all that I owned on Earth, save the clothes u ...read |
| › Chapter 45 - A Shipping Company for Jesus - THE kindly minister of Chalmers church, now very deeply interested, offered to spend the next day in introducing me to his clerical brethren. For his ...read |
| › Chapter 46 - Australian Incidents - HERE let me turn aside from the current of Missionary toils, and record a few wayside incidents that marked some of my wanderings to and fro in connec ...read |
| › Chapter 47 - Amongst Squatters and Diggers - AFTER this, I made a Mission tour, in a somewhat mixed and original fashion, right across the Colony of Victoria, from Albury in New South Wales to Mo ...read |
| › Chapter 48 - John Gilpin in the Bush - THE crowning adventure of my tour in Australia came about in the following manner. I was advertised to conduct Services at Narracoort on Sabbath, and ...read |
| › Chapter 49 - The Aborigines of Australia - DETAINED for nearly a week at Balmoral by the breakdown of the coach on these dreadful roads, I telegraphed to Hamilton for a conveyance; and the Supe ...read |
| › Chapter 50 - Nora - WHILE I was pondering over Kingsley's words,--about the blacks of Australia being "poor brutes in human shape," and too low to take in the Gospel,--th ...read |
| › Chapter 51 - Back to Scotland - EACH of my Australian Committees strongly urged my return to Scotland, chiefly to secure, if possible, more Missionaries for the New Hebrides. Dr. Ing ...read |
| › Chapter 52 - Tour Through the Old Country - My tour through Scotland brought me into contact with every Minister, Congregation, and Sabbath School in the Church of my fathers. They were never at ...read |
| › Chapter 53 - Marriage and Farewell - BUT I did not return alone. The dear Lord had brought to me one prepared, all unknown to either of us, by special culture, by godly training, by many ...read |
| › Chapter 54 - First Peep at the "Dayspring" - WE embarked at Liverpool for Australia in The Crest o' the Wave , Captain Ellis; and, after what was then considered a fast passage of ninety-five da ...read |
| › Chapter 55 - The French in the Pacific - We went down to the Islands with the Dayspring in 1865. The full story of the years that had passed was laid before my Missionary brethren at their ...read |
| › Chapter 56 - The Gospel and Gunpowder - Arriving at Sydney, I was at once plunged into a whirlpool of horrors. H. M. S. Curacoa had just returned from her official trip to the Islands, in ...read |
| › Chapter 57 - A Plea for Tanna - EVERYTHING having been at length arranged for in the Colonies, in connection with the Mission and Dayspring , as far as could possibly be,--and I hav ...read |
| › Chapter 58 - Our New Home on Aniwa - ANIWA became my Mission Home in November, 1866; and for the next fifteen years it was the heart and center of my personal labors in the Heathen World. ...read |
| › Chapter 59 - House-Building for God - THE site being now cleared, we questioned whether to build only a temporary home, hoping to return to dear old Tanna as soon as possible, or, though t ...read |
| › Chapter 60 - A City of God - When, in the course of years, everything had been completed to our taste, we lived practically in the midst of a beautiful village,--the Church, the S ...read |
| › Chapter 61 - The Religion of Revenge - ON landing in November, 1866, we found the Natives of Aniwa, some very shy and distrustful, and others forward and imperious. No clothing was worn; bu ...read |
| › Chapter 62 - First Fruits on Aniwa - THE two Teachers and their wives on Aniwa were little better than slaves when we landed there, toiling in the service of their masters and living in c ...read |
| › Chapter 63 - Traditions and Customs - WHAT a suggestive tradition of the Fall came to me in one of those early days on Aniwa! Upon our leaving the hut and removing to our new house, it was ...read |
| › Chapter 64 - Nelwang'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 sto ...read |
| › Chapter 65 - The Christ-Spirit at Work - THE progress of God's work was most conspicuous in, relation to wars and revenges among the Natives. The two high Chiefs, Namakei and Naswai, frequent ...read |
| › Chapter 66 - The Sinking of the Well - BUT I must here record the story of the Sinking of the Well, which broke the back of Heathenism on Aniwa. Being a flat coral island, with no hills to ...read |
| › Chapter 67 - Rain from Below - AT this depth the earth and coral began to be soaked with damp. I felt that we were nearing water. My soul had a faith that God would open a spring fo ...read |
| › Chapter 68 - The Old Chief's Sermon - THE well was now finished. The place was neatly fenced in. And the old Chief said, "Missi, I think I could help you next Sabbath. Will you let me prea ...read |
| › Chapter 69 - The First Book and the New Eyes - THE printing of my first Aniwan book was a great event, not so much for the toil and worry which it cost me, though that was enough to have broken the ...read |
| › Chapter 70 - A Roof-Tree for Jesus - AT first we moved about amongst the Natives from village to village, acquired their language, and taught them everywhere,--by the roadside, under the ...read |
| › Chapter 71 - "Knock The Tevil Out!" - ONE of the last attempts ever made on my life resulted, by God's blessing, in great good to us all and to the work of the Lord. It was when Nourai, on ...read |
| › Chapter 72 - The Conversion of Youwili - THESE events suggest to me another incident of those days, full at once of trial and of joy. It pertains to the story of our young Chief Youwili. From ...read |
| › Chapter 73 - First Communion on Aniwa - AND this leads me to relate the story of our First Communion on Aniwa. It was Sabbath, 24th October 1869; and surely the Angels of God and the Church ...read |
| › Chapter 74 - The New Social Order - THE new Social Order, referred to already in its dim beginnings, rose around us like a sweet-scented flower. I never interfered directly, unless expre ...read |
| › Chapter 75 - The Orphans and Their Biscuits - THE habits of morning and evening Family Prayer and of Grace at Meat took a very wonderful hold upon the people; and became, as I have shown elsewhere ...read |
| › Chapter 76 - The Finger-Posts of God - I HAD often said that I would not again leave my beloved work on the Islands unless compelled to do so either by the breakdown of health, or by the lo ...read |
| › Chapter 77 - The Gospel in Living Capitals - IN Heathendom every true convert becomes at once a Missionary. The changed life, shining out amid the surrounding darkness, is a Gospel in largest Cap ...read |
| › Chapter 78 - The Death Of Namakei - IN claiming Aniwa for Christ, and winning it as a small jewel for His crown, we had the experience which has ever marked God's path through history,-- ...read |
| › Chapter 79 - Christianity and Cocoanuts - NASWAI, the friend and companion of Namakei, was an inland Chief. He had, as his followers, by far the largest number of men in any village on Aniwa. ...read |
| › Chapter 80 - Nerwa's Beautiful Farewell - THE Chief of next importance on Aniwa was Nerwa, a keen debater, all whose thoughts ran in the channels of logic. When I could speak a little of their ...read |
| › Chapter 81 - Ruwawa - His great friend, Ruwawa the Chief, had waited by Nerwa like a brother till within a few days of the latter's death, when he also was smitten down app ...read |
| › Chapter 82 - Litsi Sore and Mungaw - LITSI, the only daughter of Namakei, had both in her own career and in her connection with poor dear Mungaw, an almost unparalleled experience. She wa ...read |
| › Chapter 83 - The Conversion of Nasi - NASI, the Tanna-man, was a bad and dangerous character, though some readers may condone his putting an end to Mungaw in the terrible circumstances of ...read |
| › Chapter 84 - The Appeal of Lamu - MY first Sabbath on Aniwa, after this tour in Great Britain and the Colonies, gave me a blessed surprise. Before daybreak I lay awake thinking of all ...read |
| › Chapter 85 - Wanted! A Steam Auxiliary - IN December 1883 I brought a pressing and vital matter before the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria. It pertained to the New Heb ...read |
| › Chapter 86 - My Campaign in Ireland - MY steps were next directed towards Ireland, immediately after the Church meetings at Edinburgh; first to 'Derry, where the Presbyterian Assembly was ...read |
| › Chapter 87 - Scotland's Free-Will Offerings - RETURNING to Scotland, I settled down at my headquarters, the house of my brother James in Glasgow; and thence began to open up the main line of my op ...read |
| › Chapter 88 - England's Open Book - THE time now arrived for my attempting something amongst the Presbyterians of England. But my heart sank within me; I was a stranger to all except Dr. ...read |
| › Chapter 89 - Farewell Scenes - ON returning to Scotland, every day was crowded with engagements for the weeks that remained, and almost every mail brought me contributions from all ...read |
| › Chapter 90 - Welcome to Victoria and Aniwa - ON the 28th October, 1885, I sailed for Melbourne, and in due course safely arrived there by the goodness of God. The Church and people of my own belo ...read |
| › Chapter 91 - Good News From Tanna, 1891 - (By the Editor)
WHILST this page of manuscript passes through my hands, there is laid before me a brilliant letter from Mrs. Watt of Tanna, which, I ...read |
