, on which stood several of
the savages, brandishing their spears. His heart did not falter; he
swam on bravely. He had true faith. He followed your rule, Ben; he was
determined to do right, whatever was to come of it. He knew that it was
right to carry the gospel to these poor savages; he would succeed, or
perish in the attempt. Tapaeru from the first protected him, and
obtained for him the support of her relations. This enabled him to
speak openly to the people, who soon became eager to listen to the
wonderful things he had to narrate. Still, he had much opposition to
contend with. Tinomana, a powerful chief, was the first man of
influence to give up his idols.

"Another native teacher afterwards joined Papehia; and in two years and
a half, under the superintendence of these two native teachers,--
themselves born heathens, and brought up in the darkness of idolatry,
till called into the marvellous light of the gospel,--the whole of the
population of that large island became professedly Christian. It was
here that, soon after this, Mr Williams built his vessel, the Messenger
of Peace, in which he sailed over so large a part of the Pacific. There
are now numerous churches, schools, and a training college, from which
many native missionaries have gone forth to preach the gospel in far
distant islands.

"The conversion of the inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands was still
more extraordinary. From the time that Captain Cook was killed on their
shores, they had been looked on as among the most savage of the people
of the Pacific. The Sandwich Islands, the largest of which is Hawaii,
were ruled by a chief of great talent, who had made himself king of the
whole group, and was called Tamehameha the First. He had entreated
Captain Vancouver, who visited his territories in 1793, to send him
Christian missionaries. No attention, however, was paid to this
request. His son Rihoriho, who became king in 1820, seeing the utter
folly of the religion of his ancestors, without being even urged to do
so by foreigners, of his own accord threw off the gods of his people,
burnt the idols and their temples, and upset the priesthood, and the
whole system connected with it. In this extraordinary proceeding he was
supported by the high priest himself, who acknowledged, when appealed
to, that the gods they had hitherto worshipped were of no power, and
that there was but one God in heaven, the same whom the white men
worshipped.