“MY DEAREST MOTHER, SISTERS, AND BROTHERS,— ... I must, however, arrive at Aniwa more by degrees, as this is to be the journalistic Family Epistle, and you have heard nothing of us since we left Sydney on the 4th April, with dear Dr. Steele on board, who seemed like a link between us and Civilization. I felt ‘strong to go,’ as our Natives would express it, for I realized as I never before had done the ‘Lo, I am with you,’ and some of God’s dear ones with whom we had had such precious Christian fellowship were with us till the last....
“We had finished up at Fotuna soon after breakfast; and how intensely delighted we were to hear the Captain’s cheery voice shouting out that we would be able to have a drink of milk at Aniwa to-morrow morning, as the wind was fair. We had all packed up in the afternoon, and the first sight which greeted me, on looking out at my port-hole next morning, was the trees and rocks of dear old Aniwa! The first boat was sent ashore with eight or nine Fotunese and their cumbrous baggage, who had insisted on coming to visit our Island, rather to the disgust of the Captain. Meantime we were having our breakfast, and Mr. Arthur, the mate, brought back word that our Natives were in a-state of great delight and excitement,—dear Yawaci making the younger girls fly round their work,—also that our six cows had increased to ten, and that our goats no man could number! He had also heard that a number of our Natives had died, and some had been taken away by Traders.
“When we neared the shore, we could see that the great majority of the people had turned out, and even the very cattle and goats been brought to meet us! There were my girls, standing in a group in bright pink dresses, sewed and shaped by themselves, and turkey-red turbans, and in short, by one and another of the Natives all the colours of the rainbow were well represented. Not one person, I am thankful to say, was _without clothing_. True, some of their garments were ragged and scanty enough,—still they had them, and it was almost more than we expected from some of them, after being away from them so long. They do _so_ love to run naked!
“What a shaking of hands, and ‘Alofa’-ing there was! Two or three little groups were sitting apart sobbing for their dead; indeed, they firmly believed that if we had been on the Island to attend to them they would not have died. When we reached the house, everything looked beautiful and the ground so well kept, new coral on the walks, a fine new mat on the dining-room floor and another on the lobby, and last, but not least in the estimation of weary sea-voyagers,—a great jug of new goat’s milk! When Dr. Steele and Mr. Robertson made playful speeches about our Home-coming before drinking it, I could most truly say, even after all the enjoyment and kindness of the Colonies and delightful Christian fellowship with kindred spirits there,—‘Home, sweet Home, no place like Home.’...
“Amidst all my hurry, however, I had five minutes alone by my little Lena’s grave. The beautiful white coral was blackened, but the grass and shrubs had grown, and the lemon branches with their bright fruit were bending over and shading it beautifully. How naturally one looks _up_ to the blue sky above, and wonders where the spirit is, or if she can see the mourning hearts below. She would have been running on her own little feet now, had she been on Earth; but though my heart aches for her still, I would not have it otherwise, for she was not sent in vain, and oh, what a little _teacher_ she has been! When John took Dr. Steele to see the grave, he said,—‘You have thus taken possession’; and I felt we had taken possession of more through her than that little spot of ground on Aniwa....