great warrior, and gave him food one day, when grown older, to offer to the gods, that he might obtain their blessing. The boy asked to eat some himself, but his father refused, saying that if he did so the gods would kill him. Katu watched his opportunity, nevertheless, and took some on the sly. His father discovered it, and declared the gods would slay him in consequence. The child stoutly replied that he was not afraid, confessing afterwards that he was greatly terrified at the time, and quite expected to fall down dead for a long time after, but as nothing happened, the first suspicion that these were no true gods crossed his mind. At the time this only made him more daring in wickedness, for now he feared neither God nor man. At this time no whisper of Gospel truth had reached him, for Raparahau's district was 500 miles distant from the missionary stations in the north. It was from a cousin, Tippohae, that he first heard even an echo of Bible teaching. This cousin had been to England, and brought back a report that "the English say there is only One God, who lives in heaven, and that He does not like fighting." This seemed incredible, and set Katu longing to know much more than Tippohae was able to tell him ; so that when he found a man named Mata-hau had come to the neighbourhood who had been servant in a white man's family, he went to see him. He heard further that Mata-hau had a book which told of the God of the English, and asked him for it. Mata-hau had not got it himself, but sent them on to the present owner, who refused to give it up, saying he wanted it to make into cartridges. Katu bought it for some mats and some tobacco. It was the Gospel of St. Luke, but not a perfect copy, some leaves had already been torn away by the ruthless hands of the cannibal owner, but the title-page remained, inscribed with a name which gives it a singular interest in our eyes, "Ngakuku." This was the identical book which had been carried off from our convert friend, the night of his child's murder two years before; perhaps it was little Tarore's own-her one earthly treasure! How plainly are we taught, "My Word shall not return unto Me void, it shall accomplish that which I please, it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Katu says, when giving his own account of this, "My heart, and Why-why's (his cousin), and the other young men's longed to have the new talk,' Mata-hau read them some, and Katu exclaimed, "Those words are good words. I believe all." But Mata-hau objected, "This is a bad book. It tells you not to drink too much wine, and not to fight, but to live in peace, and to pray to God." The cousin now insisted upon it, that Mata-hau must teach them to read, that they might judge for themselves, and persuading him to do so, with much difficulty took him with them to a very small island named Kapiti, once used by Raparahau as a prison, that they might be uninterrupted. Katu says, "We gave him food and clothes, and everything. We were in Kapiti with Mata-hau nearly six months. We learnt every day, every night. We did not lie down to sleep. We sat at night in the hut all round the fire in the middle. Why-why had part of the book and I had part." (They seem to have divided it thus, that both might be learning at once.) "Sometimes we went to sleep upon the book, then woke up and read again. After we had been there six months, we could read a little, very slowly." During this retreat Katu's father and uncle came to urge the two youths to come and fight, but they answered, "We fear the Book of God, we will not fight." The old warriors scornfully replied, "Our gods are the true gods. They have made us strong to kill so many people; your gods are not strong."

In about half a year, this grand power of reading for themselves having been acquired, they took Mata-hau back with them to the mainland, and began to teach others, with great acceptance. "These people," says Katu, "liked it very much."

We cannot find it in our hearts to curtail Katu's remarkable history, and shall hope to continue it next month. E. D.

THE NORFOLK LADIES' C.M. UNION.

To the Editor.

IR,-Our Ladies' C.M.S. Union for Norfolk having been lately mentioned in the GLEANER, I venture to send you an account of our latest proceedings. About a month ago invitations were issued to the committee and secretaries all over the county to come here on September 6th, and on the day appointed between forty and fifty assembled, including a few gentlemen. After luncheon we adjourned to the library, and commenced by singing "O Spirit of the living God." Prayer was offered by the Rev. Canon Patteson, and an address was given by the Rev. W. N. Ripley. The gentlemen then withdrew, and the ladies had a conference on the best practical means of helping the work of the Society.

Quarterly meetings were first brought forward, and two plans of collecting were mentioned. In one village an association has been carried on with great success and blessing for sixty years without interruption. Every one is a subscriber, down to the baby in arms. The names are written in a book and called out at the quarterly meeting, which is held in the schoolroom on a Sunday, that being the only day on which it would be possible to get all to come. The subscriptions are always brought or sent, and put in a box which has been used for the purpose for years. (N.B.-People like to see their money carefully locked up.) Missionary information is given at these meetings, and there is a tea to all subscribers once a year, and if a baby cry, the remark is made, "Never mind, he's a subscriber." £5 are given quarterly by the poor people of this little village.

The other plan mentioned was house-to-house visitation, a village being divided into districts for this purpose. It was recommended that notice of the intended visit of the collector should be given through the school children the previous week, and that the special book prepared by the Society for collectors should be used, as it gives the appearance of authorisation. The Quarterly Papers should be taken round, and the pictures talked over and the subjects explained to the people, and then left with them. Very especially it was urged that missionary work should be clearly shown to be one undertaken in obedience to our Lord's last command to teach all nations, and that all should be done for Him.

Another suggestion was that there should be school and Bible-class collections monthly, and that on the appointed day missionary texts should be learned and missionary hymns sung. An instance was given of the willingness of the young men belonging to a Bible-class to help according to their several ability-one bringing shovels and tongs, others bird-cages, a knotted hearth-rug, walking-sticks, mufflers, loaves of bread, a suit of boy's clothes, and one who could do nothing else cut hair, and brought the money he had received. In this class the hymn, "Saviour, Thy dying love Thou gavest me," is invariably sung on the first Sunday in the month, when the missionary box is put on the table.

A proposition was made to have monthly collections amongst the young people employed in drapery establishments, who could be invited to bring their subscriptions to the lady collector's house, where, perhaps, the GLEANER might be read to them.

It need scarcely be said that in a ladies' conference working parties were earnestly discussed. It seemed to be the general opinion that people were quite willing to give their work, but that the difficulty was to dispose of it. Christmas trees were recommended, and instances were given of growth from £30 to £70, and from £3 to nearly £30. Missionary baskets were also mentioned, and the possibility of sending out boxes of warm clothing to the cold stations of N. W. America through the Missionary Leaves Association.

It was agreed that the ladies should meet three times a year, on the days on which the gentlemen have their C.M.S. Union meetings, and that the Hon. Secretary for the county, or some one else, should be asked to give them information. A suggestion was made which met with great approval, that a card should be provided for the ladies of the C.M.S. Union embodying its watchwords, "To pray for the Society, to work for it, to read its publications, and try to get others to do the same," with a few suitable texts; and on the other side a list of the countries in which the Society works, with the days on which prayer should be made for them, according to the cycle of the Society. On this subject an extract from a letter of the young wife of one of our honoured missionaries in China was read by her mother, which touched every heart. It said, "I am much interested I should about the C.M.S. Union amongst ladies. I think it will answer. encourage having meetings for prayer. When you are out here you feel how much both the missionaries and native converts want it. You see we have not the help here of meeting many Christian people, or the stimulus of intercourse with others as at home. It is such a help to know that Christian friends are praying at home."

I have reason to believe that by the blessing of God our meeting helped and encouraged us to go on in the work of the Lord. May He prosper us: then," We, His servants, will arise and build." S. C. E.