Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-03-01
FROM THE SOUTH SEAS.
Elders Visit a Number of the Islands-Forbidden
to Preach Somebody Ship.

II we o desired. During the afternoon
we informed the people we would hold
meeting that evening at 7 O'Clock When
the time arrived, we we're on hand as
usual, but there were only a few present.
We commenced meeting, and while
singing the house was filled, and many
gathered around outside The spirit OF
the Lord rested upon us as had never
felt it before. and the people sat almost
spel.bound for one hour and a quarter.
Many whom we learned afterwards had
come to make fun, and Try to break up
the meeting were the most attentive
listeners After the dismissal OF the
meeting, we had a long Gospel CONVEX
sation with some OF the people that
stayed to ask questions regarding some
OF the principles we had been preaching
about. And before we left them there
were few who said they wished 10 lie
baptized before we LEI, the island.
Thursday the 29th, while visiting
among the people, the man in whose
house we had been holding meetings,
! came to us and said he and five OF his
friends wished TO be baptized, and want.
ed us to appoint time TO perform the
| ordinence. We told him 10 tell all of
his friends that wished TO be baptized to
gather at his house in the evening, and
we would have a talk with them, that
they might more fully understand the
responsible step that they were about to
take. In the evening we called at his
house as agreed, and found some of
them there waiting Tor us, but they
seemed to treat us much cooler than
they had previously done. We asked
the meaning OF it, and they said the
/ Chiqig and m nj their rhtrr h ..r
had been making iun OF them, and cali
ing them Mormons. Alter talking with
them Tor some time, they began to feel
better, and we appointed O'Clock the
next morning as the time to perform the
ordinance OF baptism. Still we had our
doubts from the tenor of their conversa-
ton, whether they would be able to
carry out their resolutions. as the oppo
site power was so strong against them
Inc Iongan people are very proud and
! but very lew oil them are willing to sacri.
hce their worldly praise, and stand the
mockings and ridicule that they would
receive from their friends for the Gospel
| sake.
Friday the goth, we were at the waters
edge at the appointed time ready to
bapiize those who applied Tor baptism
the evening before, but they did not
! appear. There are three churches on
tins island, namely: the Free church or
the Kings church, the Wesleyan and the
| Catholic. The latter has but few follow
| efs The Free church is the most popu
lar throughout the Tongan kingdom.
Tuesday, November ord, we said
| good.bye to our kind friends Mr.. and
| Mrs. Kiesewettie, whom we had been
making headquarters with during our
stay on the island, and again boarded
the schooner, and were soon sailing in
the mighty deep towards NIuaioou,
which lies loo miles west OF Nluatobu-
tabu.
| Thursday the 5th, we arrived at Niu-
ioou. kaWe were iorty-eight hours on the
voyage, as the wind was very light.
p, This island is OF volcanic origin, and has
an iron bound coast, There are only
| two places where boats can land cargo
Skilled boatmen have all they can do to
Keep their boats from being smashed on
the rocks, as the sea is always rough,
having heavy swells dashing against he
rocks. Cargo and passengers are taken
ashore in small boats. Elder Smith aud
| were landed safely at Agatha, and the
boat went to Futu and anchored There
! are nine villages ON the island, and
y,
favored with three trading stations. We
ate dinner with Mr. lie Yarinton, one OF
the traders, and then started out can.
vassing some OF the villages. We FIRST
called on the governor, and were priyil-
| eyed to explain to him some OF the first
| principles OF the Gospel. We gave
some tracts to him and others that were
in his house, but they did not seem to
care much about the Gospel as we
taught II. We visited four villages dur.
ing the afternoon. Although we were
the only Mormon Elders who had visited
the island the people seemingly cared to
have but very little to do with us. We
asked Bulekolo (mayor OF village) If
he could entertain us over night. He
! said we could sleep in his house, but
there was such a famine in the land that
they could not give us anything to eat.
He said his family was living on roots,
and It kept them all their time chewing
10 satisfy their appetites. We told him
we could chew roots II they could. He
said, mo you Can not, and YOU had
better 10 to another village" Although
!, we had walked but few miles we were
quite tired. Having eaten but very little
while on board ship we were quite weak.
and did not feel like walking much
farther. However, we trudged on until
we came to the village where the chief
of the island lives, and called on the
Nobel, as he is called by the natives,
and asked him II we could get to stay
with him over night. lie answered
"yes, but we have no food to offer you 4"
We however, accepted his hospitality.
After brief conversation with him re-
garding our labors, etc, he sent a pirl
out to one OF the ueighbors to get some
rice, and in few minutes we sat down
to rice and fried chicken. We had
neither salt nor sugar, but relished il all
the same, Alter supper Elder Smith
proposed to give us some music on the
harmonica, knowing it would please the
natives The playing OF the music filed
the house with people, who sang few
songs, and then we distributed mum
Der OF tracts, They asked us to explain
our form OF belief, to which we cheer
FULLY responded They were very atten-
tive, and asked some questions respect.
Ing baptism. We were then shown to a
room where we were to repose Tor the
night.
Thursday the 9th, we took breakfast
with the Nobel, and then went to Futu
10 get some more tracts There were
natives gathered there from all paris OF
the island buyiug provisions, as the
schooner had just brought in new
supply here was a scarcity ui the
native food there owing TO the long
drouth they had had but the rainy sea.
son had btp;iu ami they would econ