Torrey’s Narrative, Or, The Life and Adventures of William Torrey. Written by Himself.

p. 152, on conflicts between missionaries and Marquesas natives: The Otaheitean and Marquisian languages are so nearly alike they could converse without an interpreter. Mr. Daylia, in one of his meetings, said much about the good land and a bad land, telling them if they would be good and pray they would go to the good land, when they died. This he explained in a manner suited to their understanding. One of the chiefs jumped up and asked if the missionary who died at Nukuhivah (an English missionary who died about two years before) had gone to that good land. Mr. Daylia assured them he had, when, unwilling to believe it, they sent four men to that island, (about fifty miles) to get some of the bones. At the expiration of five or six days they returned, bringing bones with them; and at the next meeting, when Daylia was again telling of the good land, they set up a shouting, calling him a liar and showed him the bones. They told him he had been driven from his own land and had come to live with them, and he might stop preaching about his good land and his bad land, for they would not believe him. In vain were his remonstrances with them. They told him if he would climb a lofty cocoa-nut tree, which stood near, and jump among the rocks unhurt, they would believe him.

p. 155, continued problems for missionaries: Twice since this time have the missionaries attempted to form a station there, and as many times been defeated. Once the French Catholics, with an armed force, attempted to drive them to repentance and religion at the point of the bayonet, but the missionaries and soldiers were massacred, and the sailors driven from the harbor. After the missionaries left the harbor, time passed still more heavily than before. A month or two elapsed without our having much to do.

Rest of chapter on the escape via a British ship, and the lies needed to fool the native leaders. Nothing about books and reading.

p. 162ff. is a chapter describing the whale-fishery, the types of whales, and the manner of capturing them.

p. 190: Often have I read, when a boy, of the kindness of the North American Indian to the weary, wandering white man, even while hostilities were raging between them;nd at the very time we were shown to the paths of civilization, our American Congress were legislating on the best means for their utter annihilation, calling to their aid the Cubian bloodhounds.