Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-20
A MISSIONARY EPISODE.
How the Good Work in HiIo Was Interru,
by the Queens Sacred HOG

How the Good Work in HfIo Was Interested
by the Queens Sacred Hog.
Prom Paradise of the Pacific
Shortly after the arrival Of the FIRST mission
aries at the Hawaiian Islands a small party Of
them landed from q 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 village over
Sunday they appointed morning and afternoon
services. 1t SO happened that the only build
ing large enough for the proposed meetings
was a canoe house situated on the beach.
Thither the congregation assembled at the APP
pointed time in the forenoon, filing the house
to its utmost capacity. There we're old
Scared and white-headed warriors, who had
fought In the wars of Kamehameha. sitting in
their kappa kiheis, through whose quiet dignity
OF manner there shone certain expression Of
expectation; there were dried-up old crones
to whom the emancipation 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 or within or wealth of each
individual The posts which supported the
roof of the house we're appropriated by some
OF the more agile boys to elevate themselves
above the crowd. where, clinging on like
monkeys, they awaited proceedings with coun-
tenances expressive of the greatest triumph
and delight. Others with equal ingenuity and
greater comfort, climbed on TO the outside Of
the roof, and by stealthily enlarging small
holes which they found through the thatch, or
making new ones, had an unobstructed view Of
the inside. and the enormous size Of their eyes,
visible from below, showed how they appre-
ciated it. Under these favorable circumstances
the meeting commenced; the preaching was
listened to with great attention by the audience
and the missionaries felt that they were making
an impression.
through, there ensued scene of the widest
confusion; men and women rushed out of the
building through the uncovered sides or where
ever there was an aperture large enough. roll
ing over each other in the attempt and scream
ing most unaccountably. Babies screeched as
they were tossed around in the panic, little
boys dropped from the posts and rolled from
the roof. In less than a minute the house was
empty. excepting the missionaries and an i'm
mense hog, which quietly made its bed on the
straw on the middle of the floor.
At the beginning of the disturbance the mis-
sionaries supposed that il was a sudden attack
from hostile tribe or uprising against
themselves, but they soon ascertained that the
black hog which lay grunting in comfort on the
straw. ''puaa anana' IA 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 accus-
toned resort in the heat of the day. and its
abrupt entrance among the crowd, swinging
Its sharp tus1s from side to side with perfect
contempt of the common people. was sufficient
to cause the exodus described.
There is no reliable authority that the mis-
slonarles made any satisfactory progress at
hllo TIL haahumanus pig died