but nothing happened. The islanders then began to wonder whether,
after all, the God of Papeiha was not the true God. Within a year they
had got together hundreds of their wooden idols, and had burned them
in enormous bonfires which flamed on the beach and lighted up the dark
background of trees. Those bonfires could be seen far out across the
Pacific Ocean, like a beacon light.

To-day the flames of love which Papeiha bravely lighted, through
perils by water and club and cannibal feast, have shone right across
the ocean, and some of the grandchildren of those very Rarotongans who
were cannibals when Papeiha went there, have sailed away, as we shall
see later on, to preach Papeiha's gospel of the love of God to the
far-off cannibal Papuans on the steaming shores of New Guinea.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 16: P[)a]-pay-ee-h[)a].]

[Footnote 17: Tay-ee-ay: ta-oo-a: fay-noo-[)a]: nay-ee.]

[Footnote 18: Va-hee-nay-ee-n[=o].]

[Footnote 19: M[)a]-kay-[)a].]

[Footnote 20: T[)a]-p[=a]-ee-roo.]




CHAPTER VII