Also he preached to the adults, and here again was very successful in a way, especially after he became more familiar with the language.They listened; to a certain extent they understood; they argued and put to poor Bastin the most awful questions such as the whole Bench of Bishops could not have answered.Still he did answer them somehow, and they politely accepted his interpretation of their theological riddles.Iobserved that he got on best when he was telling them stories out of the Old Testament, such as the account of the creation of the world and of human beings, also of the Deluge, etc.Indeed one of their elders said--Yes, this was quite true.They had heard it all before from their fathers, and that once the Deluge had taken place round Orofena, swallowing up great countries, but sparing them because they were so good.
Bastin, surprised, asked them who had caused the deluge.They replied, Oro which was the name of their god, Oro who dwelt yonder on the mountain in the lake, and whose representation they worshipped in idols.He said that God dwelt in Heaven, to which they replied with calm certainty:
"No, no, he dwells on the mountain in the lake," which was why they never dared to approach that mountain.
Indeed it was only by giving the name Oro to the Divinity and admitting that He might dwell in the mountain as well as everywhere else, that Bastin was able to make progress.Having conceded this, not without scruples, however, he did make considerable progress, so much, in fact, that I perceived that the priests of Oro were beginning to grow very jealous of him and of his increasing authority with the people.Bastin was naturally triumphant, and even exclaimed exultingly that within a year he would have half of the population baptised.
"Within a year, my dear fellow," said Bickley, "you will have your throat cut as a sacrifice, and probably ours also.It is a pity, too, as within that time I should have stamped out ophthalmia and some other diseases in the island."Here, leaving Bastin and his good work aside for a while, Iwill say a little about the country.From information which Igathered on some journeys that I made and by inquiries from the chief Marama, who had become devoted to us, I found that Orofena was quite a large place.In shape the island was circular, a broad band of territory surrounding the great lake of which Ihave spoken, that in its turn surrounded a smaller island from which rose the mountain top.No other land was known to be near the shores of Orofena, which had never been visited by anyone except the strangers a hundred years ago or so, who were sacrificed and eaten.Most of the island was covered with forest which the inhabitants lacked the energy, and indeed had no tools, to fell.They were an extremely lazy people and would only cultivate enough bananas and other food to satisfy their immediate needs.In truth they lived mostly upon breadfruit and other products of the wild trees.
Thus it came about that in years of scarcity through drought or climatic causes, which prevented the forest trees from bearing, they suffered very much from hunger.In such years hundreds of them would perish and the remainder resorted to the dreadful expedient of cannibalism.Sometimes, too, the shoals of fish avoided their shores, reducing them to great misery.Their only domestic animal was the pig which roamed about half wild and in no great numbers, for they had never taken the trouble to breed it in captivity.Their resources, therefore, were limited, which accounted for the comparative smallness of the population, further reduced as it was by a wicked habit of infanticide practised in order to lighten the burden of bringing up children.
