A NEW HEBRIDES MISSIONARY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1549, 10 February 1874, Page 110

A NEW HEBRIDES MISSIONARY.

One of the New Hebrides missionaries, appropriately . named " Goodwill," lias passed through somewhat serious peril in the island of Espiritu Santo. We quote from the annual report of the mission, which has just been published :—To the Goodwills the past year has been a very trying _ and perilous one. While Mrs Goodwill had to be absent at Sydney for the benefit of her health and for medical advice, Mr Goodwill himself was twice brought to the gates of death through sickness, with no one to attend him or his child, but one Mare woman, the widow of one of the teachers who had previously died. He had also two very narrow escapes from being murdered by the bushmen, or inland people. First, two men came by day to effect it by treachery, as the Eromangans killed Mr Gordon, but their courage failed them. Next, and not long after, be found his house surrounded at midnight by no fewer than 30 cannibals of the same tribe as the former two, and these were only a detachment from a larger number who were encamped on the beach. When Mr Goodwill accosted them, and asked them what they wanted, they returned no answer, but suddenly disappeared in the bush. About an hour after, however, they again returned, and on Mr Goodwill's going; out, one of them bent his bow to shoot him, but Mr Goodwill seized a stone an.d threw it at him, which made him miss his aim. He shot, but the arrow did not hit. Mr Goodwill then went inside and secured the door, and the savages commenced a regular bombardment of the housw with all sorts of missiles ; the windows were smashed and volleys of arrows and stones poured in, by which many things in the house were broken to pieces, among which was the baby's cot, at that time very providentially empty, as her father had that night, for other reasons, without the least suspicion of danger, put her to sleep in another bed. As it was now very clear, that they meant to kill him if they could, he was obliged to have recourse to his musket, or fowlingpiece, which he loaded with blank shot; the enemy then retreated to the ends of the house where there arc no windows, and began to break: into the store beneath, but Mr Goodwill took a heavy hammer and endeavored to knock cut one of; the end boards, which, when they perceived, they took to flight and did not again return. On the morrow, when Mir Goodwill's own chief heard of what had taken place, he was very angry, and, having collected his people, set out in pursuit; he overtook them, but no fighting ens ued. . They made a league together, one of the conditions of which was that the inland people should bring the shore people food; which they did, and brought some .for Mr Goodwill also. It was not on account of any illwill to Mr Goodwill personally, or as being a missionary, that they sought his life, but simply that they might get possession of his property. The same people, about the same time, attacked, burned, and plundered two neighboring villages, and massacred all the inhabitants, with the exception of three or four, who escaped by flight.