The  chiefs,  however,  refused  to  obey,  and  the
Protestant  missionaries  were  soon  established
in  a  house  owned  by  one  of  the  tribes,  and  the
work  has  been  carried  on  in  spite  of  the  oppo-
sition of  the  French  and  the  Romanists,  and
through  many  difficulties  of  all  kinds.  The  na-
tive teachers  have  proved  themselves  capable
and  faithful,  and  have  won  honor  outside  of
their  place  of  labor  as  well  as  within  it.
Peruvian  pirates  had  carried  away  so  many
of  the  people  for  slaves  that  the  savage  chief  of
one  clan  vowed  that  he  would  kill  and  eat  the
first  white  man  that  fell  in  his  way.  This  man
happened  to  be  the  mate  of  an  American
whaler ;  but  he  was  saved  from  the  horrible
death  designed  for  him  by  the  gallantry  of  Ke-
kela,  one  of  the  Hawaiian  teachers,  who  rescued
him  by  offering  the  natives,  in  exchange  for
their  victim,  a  six-oared  boat  just  received  from
Boston.
Abraham  Lincoln  heard  of  this  action,  and
sent  Kekela  a  valuable  present  in  token  of  the
gratitude  of  the  United  States.  In  his  note  of
reply  Kekela  said  :  "  As  to  this  friendly  deed  of
mine,  its  seed  was  brought  from  your  own  land
by  some  of  your  own  people  who  had  received
the  love  of  God.  It  was  planted  in  Hawaii,  and
I  brought  it  here  that  these  dark  regions  might


180  HEROES  OF  THE  SOUTH   SEAS.
