The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1859-04-14
rua xAoxxIc
Commercial Advertiser.
rom the London Missionary Magazine for January, 1852
v. Mr.. Ellis and n S~hipwrecked Hawaiian.

The following extract, from a recent work
Rev. Mr.. Ellis, is descriptive of a singular
l delightful incident which occurred on
homeward voyage after his last visit to
ldagascar. Our friend embarked in the
gland steamer from Mauritius on the 18th
luary, 1857. On the 21st of the same
nth, after the subsistence of a severe gale,
vessel fell in with a floating raft, and was
providential instrument in saving from a
terv grave two individuals, one of them
American Captain and the other a Sand
h Islander but the sequel shall be told
Nh. Ellis =
In a few moments | heard the cry "A
,ck! a wreck p and fastening to the poop,
' on the Iarboard bow a small flag or sig
Of blue cloth, distinct among the tops of
waves, and about two miles off. In a
minutes more | discerned a sort of raft,
b two figures, a white man and a nan of
Dr., sitting upon it, up TO the waist in the
The flag of the England had been hoisted
iymbol of help and deliverence-to signal
he castaways that they were seen, and the
os course was altered. Meanwhile one of
boats was lowered, and manned by five
1t, willing hands, was pushed off towards
raft. While the oars ratified with each
Ike, and the light boat seemed to spring
the waves, with our tall, stout, second
,er, Mr. Peters, standing with the steer
in the stern, every eye on board was
tched towards the same point ; the sailors
hing over forecastle and f~orerigging the
:ers and passengers straining over the bull
ks of the poop ladies with their children
gazing with the most intense interest as
boat approached the raft. No one moved
a word was uttered even breathing
ned difficult but when the first man, and
the second-stif, benumbed, and swollen
4 the water-had been safely lifted into
boat, the pent-up feeling found utterance
the almost Simultaneous exclamation,
,eu are sared - which was heard from stem
tern along the side of our ship. Some
sons near me wept, others seemed ready
faint under emotions of sympathy and
Our boat was soon alongside, and, swol-
bruised and bleeding, the men were helped
. the ships side into the cabin. Not wish
to add TO the pressing crowd, | remained
ieck. A few moments afterwards l heard
captain call, Mr.. Ellis here is a Sand
1 Islander. Come and speak to him. |
into the cabin, where the two men were
no on the deck. The white man was the
ain of a ship which had been upset in the
,nt gale two days before, when every one
oard, twenty-five in number, except the
Just rescued, had persisted. The islander,
Jung man, was one of the crew and,
no made no answer to the questions adj
sed to him by our humane captain, / had
called down.
The man was sitting on the deck, his
| bent down. and his long, black, and
ping hair hanging over his eyes and
n his face. Looking at him, | said,
oha ~earohaino, aroha'-salutation, dear
nd, affection. The man lifted up his
l, swept with his hand his long, black
to one side of his forehead, and looking
estly at me. like one to whom conscious
was but Just returning, and startled by
sound of his native language, returned
sa!utation. In answer to a few inquiries,
old me he was a native Of Oahu, the
I'd on which | had at one time resided.
aid he was up aloft furling sail, when
ship suddenly went over, and all in an
mi were plunged into the deep; thai
: were other islanders on board, but they
sank. The doctor of our ship then gave
men n little suitable refreshment, and
were wrapped in hannels and put TO
Captain Dundas took the raft, n very
lie affair, and brought it to England,
1ding to deposit it in the Crystal Palace.
The next day | went down to the berth
re the Sandwich Islander was lying, and
d him very much revived. After con-
ing with him about the wreck, and the
Of all his shipmates, | said, God has
mercifully preserved you. You must
,mber His goodness and pray to Him.
said, Il did pray TO Him in the night,
n I was in the sea. did pray to God
ne morning, when I saw the captain; |
ed that we might be saved. And God
away death, and sent your ship, and we
lere.' | said, Il am glad you prayed TO
You must be thankful to God, and
. him, and love Him. You must try to
e God in your future life
then repeated the first two lines of n
n, among the first ever composed in the
uage of the Sandwich Islands, when |
a Missionary in that country. The lines
lie Akua hemolele,
he Akua no kakou-'
God of perfection or goodness is our God
mans countenance frightened as | re-
I'd these lines, and as soon as | had
I'd he took mp the strain where had left
repeating the two concluding lines and
emaining verses with evident s~atiSfac-
/ said, Where did you learn that
nr He replied, In the school Of the
ionaries at Oahu That was the island
which I had resided. | then said, Il
e that hymn many years ago., when |
in the Sandwich Islands, He looked
lie with still greater establishment, and
who are your Isaid, Il am "Mika
i" (the native pronunciation of my
~ and I was a Missionary at Oahu,
Mr.. Bingham, Mr.. Thurston, and
s. He seemed surprised and pleased;
he knew the Missionaries who were
at the islands, that his brother was a
we Teacher in the Sandwich Islands,