“It is hard to know, Missi. The water does come and go quickly. If you paid them well, they might bring the rain, and let us fill our casks!”
I told them that, as followers of Jehovah, we must despise all Heathen mummeries, and trust in Him and in the laws of His Creation to help us.
Aniwa, having therefore no permanent supply of fresh water, in spring or stream or lake, I resolved by the help of God to sink a well near the Mission Premises, hoping that a wisdom higher than my own would guide me to the source of some blessed spring. Of the scientific conditions of such an experiment I was completely ignorant; but I counted on having to dig through earth and coral above thirty feet, and my constant fear was, that owing to our environment, the water, if water I found, could only be salt water after all my toils! Still I resolved to sink that shaft in hope, and in faith that the Son of God would be glorified thereby.
One morning I said to the old Chief and his fellow-Chief, both now earnestly inquiring about the religion of Jehovah and of Jesus,—
“I am going to sink a deep well down into the earth, to see if our God will send us fresh water up from below.”
They looked at me with astonishment, and said in a tone of sympathy approaching to pity,—
“O Missi! Wait till the rain comes down, and we will save all we possibly can for you.”
I replied, “We may all die for lack of water. If no fresh water can be got, we may be forced to leave you.”
The old Chief looked imploringly, and said: “O Missi! you must not leave us for that. Rain comes only from above. How could you expect our Island to send up showers of rain from below?”
I told him: “Fresh water does come up springing from the earth in my Land at home, and I hope to see it here also.”
The old Chief grew more tender in his tones, and cried: “O Missi, your head is going wrong; you are losing something, or you would not talk wild like that! Don’t let our people hear you talking about going down into the earth for rain, or they will never listen to your word or believe you again.”
But I started upon my hazardous job, selecting a spot near the Mission Station and close to the public path, that my prospective well might be useful to all. I began to dig, with pick and spade and bucket at hand, an American axe for a hammer and crowbar, and a ladder for service by-and-bye. The good old Chief now told off his men in relays to watch me, lest I should attempt to take my own life, or do anything outrageous, saying,—
“Poor Missi! That’s the way with all who go mad. There’s no driving of a notion out of their heads. We must just watch him now. He will find it harder to work with pick and spade than with his pen, and when he’s tired we’ll persuade him to give it up.”
I did get exhausted sooner than I expected, toiling under that tropical sun; but we never own before the Natives that we are beaten, so I went into the house and filled my vest pocket with large beautiful English-made fish-hooks. These are very tempting to the young men, as compared with their own,—skilfully made though _they_ be out of shell, and serving their purposes wonderfully. Holding up a large hook, I cried,—“One of these to every man who fills and turns over three buckets out of this hole!”
A rush was made to get the first turn, and back again for another and another. I kept those on one side who had got a turn, till all the rest in order had a chance, and bucket after bucket was filled and emptied rapidly. Still the shaft seemed to lower very slowly, while my fish-hooks were disappearing very quickly. I was constantly there, and took the heavy share of everything, and was thankful one evening to find that we had cleared more than twelve feet deep,—when lo! next morning, one side had rushed in, and our work was all undone.