leaving tahiti under the order op banishment—supply of provisions exhausted—caught in a calm—suffering from lack of food—reach tubuoi—go ashore upon invitation of the queen—sail for raivavai—meet elder pratt there—left alone on the island—savage character of the natives—the governor a friend—visit from house to house—people generally unwilling to receive the gospel—council decides that i must leave the island or be killed—a time of excitement—storm passes for awhile—baptize twenty persons—noted chief and the heiress to the throne join the church—more bitterness and excitement—two parties of natives meet to engage in battle—manage to reconcile them and prevent bloodshed—further threats against the mormons—some church members feel to retaliate, but are restrained—passengers arrive with false and scandalous stories about the mormons—persecution increases—the few saints on the island become sorrowful and discouraged—protestant ministers advise expulsion of the saints—renewal of the faith and zeal of the church members.
as we were leaving the tahitian harbor we encountered a strong headwind, and beat our way against wind and waves until our little schooner became somewhat disabled. provisions began to be scarce, and everything seemed to be against us. finally we changed our course, heading for tubuoi. when we got within about eighty miles of that island, our food supply became exhausted; we had not one mouthful on board, and were in a dead calm for some time. then a gentle breeze sprang up and wafted us to port, where we arrived on november 29th. before this relief, however, we suffered considerably from lack of food.
i supposed that i had to remain on board the schooner until it was ready to sail for raivavai; but when pitamai vehene, the queen, heard that i had been banished she came off in her own canoe and invited me to go ashore with her, saying, "this is my island, and the french have no right here. i will be responsible for all the trouble that may arise." as the brethren and general authorities of the island thought it was safe to do so, i accepted the invitation, going ashore in the queen's canoe, and remained on the island till december 8th. then i boarded the little schooner again, and we started for raivavai, where we landed on the 9th, and found president pratt in good health.
on december 10th, elder pratt sailed away in the schooner, leaving me to take his place in presiding over the interests of the church on the island. brother pratt's friends became my friends, and gave me food and shelter. there were eight church members on the island; all the rest of the inhabitants, three hundred and eighty-three in number, opposed us, many of them being the most savage and rudest i had met—in fact, they were scarce removed from cannibalism. some of them did not hesitate to tell of their experiences in eating human flesh, and that they had sacrificed infant children to their idols. they showed the coals before their heathen gods, where they had roasted their babes. some of them felt proud to relate these things, saying it was in their heathenish days, before the gospel had come to their land, but now they thought it very bad, and they had no disposition to repeat their evil deeds.
i was shown to the house of governor fate, who received me very kindly. he and his wife had received the gospel on anaa, and although he was the legal heir to the throne, as they called it, through his joining the church he had lost much of his influence. but he was a very good man, rendering me all the assistance in his power, while i visited from house to house, trying to make the acquaintance of the people. i went to every home on the island, endeavoring to inform the people on the gospel, but they were unwilling to give heed, and treated me with marked indifference, often passing by and looking as surly as mad bulls.
the island was not to exceed fourteen miles in circumference, its high and very rugged peaks penetrating the clouds, which nearly always were hanging over and about. the mountains were so steep as to defy all but the wild goats, of which there were some hundreds among the cragged rocks. it was said that the beginning of the existence of these animals on the island was that a sea captain had turned three or four pairs of them loose some years before, and they had increased to hundreds.
having satisfied my curiosity by traveling over and around the island, visiting the ancient places of worship and seeing the heathen gods and places of skulls and sacrifice, i again called at every house, trying to become more friendly and sociable with the people; but the same stolid feelings still prevailed. i attended their meetings, told them my business in the land, and asked the privilege of preaching to them. part were favorable, and part were not. i baptized a few, and that caused much excitement.
a council was called to adopt some way by which the islanders could get rid of mormonism and the american plant, as they called me. some proposed to fasten the "plant" on a log, and tow it out to sea, where the sharks would eat it, while others suggested burning or making a roast of me.
at last the matter was carried so far that it was decided that i must leave the island or be killed. i learned that they had just about decided on the latter course, so i hastened to go before the council to try and allay their feelings, if possible, and appease their wrath, but i found it utterly impossible to reason with them. my presence, instead of having a conciliatory effect, created the wildest confusion. i was confronted by a native called tabate, who was a very stout, heavy set man, and who exclaimed, "i will slay you!" at that moment my friend, governor fate, stepped between us, and some of the more peaceably disposed took hold of tabate, while my friends insisted that i leave the house to save bloodshed, saying that tabate was a very desperate man, but if i left the room they thought the council could restrain him. accordingly i withdrew with my friends. the council had a hot time of it for awhile, but finally the more consistent party prevailed, so that the matter passed over for the time being. still, a bad feeling rankled in their bosoms, and i could hear threats that the more rabid party was going to have a fat missionary for a roast.
although this bitterness continued with many of the people, i baptized some twenty souls, and blessed several infants. i also administered to the sick, and, as i can now remember, all were healed but one child, which died of hip disease, it being a mere skeleton when i was called.
other councils were held to see what could be done to get rid of the "plant mormonism, from america," before it spread over the island and became master. but the friends and relatives of those who belonged to the church would oppose any harsh measures, saying, "wait until our missionaries of the english church come and we hear what they say."
now, elder pratt had baptized one man who was seventy-five or eighty years of age. he was one of the first born, and his feet had never been wet in salt water. his name was tauteni (thousand), because he had slain so many people in war, and he could count skulls in his mori or place of skulls, with the best of them. he was well acquainted with the taste of human flesh; had been a great high priest of the natives in their heathenish days, and was supposed to have great influence with the spirits of men. he had a grand-daughter who was said to be the heir to the throne. this girl was brought forward by the old man for baptism. he had reared her, and her parents being willing, i baptized her. this created great excitement and another council was held, where feelings ran so high that it was very hard to conciliate our opponents. but the old man told them that it was his and her father's fault, and not the missionary's, that she was baptized. the girl, whose name was teraa, also declared that it was by her wish and not mine that she became a member of the church. this cooled them down a little, but occasionally local difficulties would arise, and the natives would take sides and arm themselves for war. one time i heard the shrieks of the women, and the warwhoops of and commands given among the men.
although, one day when i was stopping at a village called tatake, i had heard that there was going to be a battle fought, such rumors were so frequent that i did not pay much attention thereto till i heard the warwhoops and shouts. then i jumped up, ran out, and beheld thirty to forty men coming from the upper village, anatomu. they were armed with muskets, and were in their war costumes, dancing and going through the manoeuvres peculiar to the natives just before going into an action. at the same time another party was approaching from the inland village of atibona. these, too, were ready, and with their drums, whistles and shrieks made quite a showing. still there were some among them inclined to conciliation rather than war.
with my friends, i went out and plead with the two parties to be reconciled, and finally we prevailed so that both bodies of men retired without fighting, and a few of each party met and shook hands, some of both parties seeming friendly to us for a time.
for a short time after this we had comparative quiet, yet threats came about the mormons, and there was talk of taxing us for the support of the protestant church. our brethren claimed rights in the school and meeting houses, but were refused these; then they threatened to burst open the houses, and came to me to get my sanction to do so; but i could not consent to being a party to such a movement, knowing that would give the enemy the pretext they wanted, in order to carry out their threats. my party was not pleased with my position, and threatened to break in the houses anyway, and assert their rights to occupancy. i told them that if they did i would disown them; that they could not be my brethren if they indulged in anything of the kind, as it was for us to be on the side of peace and defense, and not to be aggressors. finally they said they would obey my counsel. then things passed along more smoothly for a time.
soon a schooner came from the island of ruruta, with about one hundred passengers on board. they brought the alleged news that all the american elders had left tubuoi, and were going home. these passengers also seemed to have been well posted in all the old slanders about the church, and with many new ones about the elders. these slanders were industriously circulated by the new comers, who said that the people of tubuoi were glad that the mormons had left their land. from these stories, and the persecutions the saints had endured on the island, the few church members grew sorrowful and discouraged. when i went from anatomu to tatake, i found two of the native brethren and two sisters very sad, and as soon as we met they gave vent to their pent-up feelings, wept bitterly, and said that i had to leave the island, and they intended to follow me, no matter where i went. i told them not to fear, and tried to pacify them as best i could.
at our next appointment for a meeting there were but five out of thirty attended. this seemed strange, for there always had been a full attendance; but now everyone was sad and gloomy. the spirit of mobocracy seemed to thrive on the filthy slanders that had come by the ruruta schooner. meetings were called and threats made. clouds of darkness lowered and filled the atmosphere; the spirit of death seemed to hover around, for the boisterousness of the people had given way to a sullen, murderous disposition, more to be dreaded than when there was abundance of noise and threats.
at this time two young protestant ministers came and made three or four inflammatory speeches, telling the people that they had admitted a wolf into the fold, and if they did not get rid of him the ministers would not call again. "drive him off, and pluck up that american plant, or it will overshadow your land, and control you," said they. thus the wild and heathenish passion was fanned into a lively flame of renewed persecution. yet, strange to say, when the spirit of death seemed to rest most heavily upon us, the brethren and sisters returned to me with renewed zeal, and all but two men stood firm thereafter.
