St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-19
A MISSIONARY EPISODE.
How the Good Work in HiIo Was
Interrupted by the Queens Sac
red Hog.


Interrupted by the Queens Sac
red Hog.
Paradise of the Pacific.
Shortly after the arrival of the first
missionaries at the Hawaiian Islands a
small party of them landed from a
schooner at Hilo on their way to visit
the volcano of Kilauea. At that time
no missionary had been stationed at
Hilo, and consequently but few of the
people of the place had ever had the
opportunity of hearing preaching.
As the party were detained in the viii
lage over Sunday they appointed morn
ing and evening services. 1t so hap
pened that the only building large
enough for the proposed meetings was
a canoe house situated on the beach.
Ihlther the congregation assembled at
the appointed time in the forenoon, fill
ing the house to its utmost capacity.
There were old, Scared and whitehead
ed warriors who had fought in the wars
of Kamehameha, sitting in their kappa
kiheiS, through whose quiet dignity of
manner there shown a certain express
sion of expectation; there were dried
up old croneS, to whom the emancipa-
ton from the kapu had come almost too
late; and there were younger people
and children and babies, more or less
dressed, according to the convenience
of Whim or wealth of each individual.
The posts which supported the roof of
the house were appropriated by some of
the more agile boys TO elevate them
selves above the crowd, where, clinging
on like monkeys. they awaited proceed
lngS with countenanceS expressive of
the greatest triumph and delight. 9th
ers, with equal ingenuity and greater
comfort, climbed onto the outside of
the roof, and by steadily charging small
holes, which they found through the
thatch, or making new ones, had an un-
Obstructed view of the inside, and the
enormous size of their eyes, visible from
below, showed how they appreciated it.
Under these favorable circumstances
the meeting commenced. The preacher
was listened to with great attention by
the audience, and the missionaries felt
that they were making an impression.
Suddenly, when the meeting was
ABOUT half through, there enSued a
scene of the widest confusion; men and
women rushed out of the building
through the uncovered sides, or wher-
ever there was an aperture large
enough, rolling over each other in the
attempt. and screaming most unac-
c0untaOly. Babies Screeched as they
were tossed around IN the panic, little
boys dropped from the posts and rolled
from the roof. In less than minute
the house was empty, excepting the
missionaries and an immense hog,
which quietly made its bed Oh the straw
on the middle of the floor.
At the beginning of the disturbance
the missionaries supposed that it was
sudden attack from a hostile tribe or an
uprising against themselves; but they
soon ascertained that the black hog
which lay granting in comfort on the
straw, ''puaa anana" "a siX-foot hog,
as the natives call those Of that size,
belonged to Queen Kaahumanu, and
was held sacred by the natives that the
canoe house was its accustomed resort
in the heat of the day, and its abrupt
entrance among the crowd, swinging
its sharp tusks from side to side with
perfect contempt of the common peo-
pie, was sufficient to cause the exodus
described.
There is no reliable authority that
the missionaries made any satisfactory
progress at Hilo till Kaahumanu'S pig
died.