Highly valuing all the blessings they enjoyed, they heard that there were some islands lying far away to the west, the inhabitants of which were still ignorant savages.  Some of their people had occasionally visited them in trading-vessels, and some of their canoes had, it was said, formerly gone there occasionally.  At all events, they believed that the inhabitants understood their language.  If, then, some of their people had ventured so far for the sake of gain, much more did it behove them to go there for an object inestimably more important--the salvation of the souls of a number of their fellow-creatures.  A daring chief undertook to head an expedition, and six native preachers volunteered to go and settle with their wives and families among the heathen islanders, and to convey to them faithfully the gospel of salvation.