Chapter 1 The Deputation
Has the age of miracle quite gone by, or is it still possible to theVoice of Faith calling aloud upon the earth to wring from the dumbheavens an audible answer to its prayer? Does the promise uttered bythe Master of mankind upon the eve of the end--"Whoso that believethin Me, the works that I do he shall do also . . . and whatsoever yeshall ask in My name, that will I do"--still hold good to such as doask and do believe?
　　Let those who care to study the history of the Rev. Thomas Owen, andof that strange man who carried on and completed his work, answer thisquestion according to their judgment.
　　*****The time was a Sunday afternoon in summer, and the place a church inthe Midland counties. It was a beautiful church, ancient and spacious;moreover, it had recently been restored at great cost. Seven or eighthundred people could have found sittings in it, and doubtless they haddone so when Busscombe was a large manufacturing town, before thefailure of the coal supply and other causes drove away its trade. Nowit was much what it had been in the time of the Normans, a littleagricultural village with a population of 300 souls. Out of thispopulation, including the choir boys, exactly thirty-nine had electedto attend church on this particular Sunday; and of these, three werefast asleep and four were dozing.
　　The Rev. Thomas Owen counted them from his seat in the chancel, foranother clergyman was preaching; and, as he counted, bitterness anddisappointment took hold of him. The preacher was a "Deputation," sentby one of the large missionary societies to arouse the indifferent toa sense of duty towards their unconverted black brethren in Africa,and incidentally to collect cash to be spent in the conversion of thesaid brethren. The Rev. Thomas Owen himself suggested the visit of theDeputation, and had laboured hard to secure him a good audience. Butthe beauty of the weather, or terror of the inevitable subscription,prevailed against him. Hence his disappointment.
　　"Well," he thought, with a sigh, "I have done my best, and I must makeit up out of my own pocket."Then he settled himself to listen to the sermon.
　　The preacher, a battered-looking individual of between fifty and sixtyyears of age, was gaunt with recent sickness, patient andunimaginative in aspect. He preached extemporarily, with the aid ofnotes; and it cannot be said that his discourse was remarkable forinterest, at any rate in its beginning. Doubtless the sparsecongregation, so prone to slumber, discouraged him; for offeringexhortations to empty benches is but weary work. Indeed he wasmeditating the advisability of bringing his argument to an abruptconclusion when, chancing to glance round, he became aware that he hadat least one sympathetic listener, his host, the Rev. Thomas Owen.
　　From that moment the sermon improved by degrees, till at length itreached a really high level of excellence. Ceasing from rhetoric, thespeaker began to tell of his own experience and sufferings in theCause amongst savage tribes; for he himself was a missionary of manyyears standing. He told how once he and a companion had been sent to anation, who named themselves the Sons of Fire because their god wasthe lightning, if indeed they could be said to boast any gods otherthan the Spear and the King. In simple language he narrated histerrible adventures among these savages, the murder of his companionby command of the Council of Wizards, and his own flight for his life;a tale so interesting and vivid that even the bucolic sleepersawakened and listened open-mouthed.
　　"But this is by the way," he went on; "for my Society does not ask youto subscribe towards the conversion of the Children of Fire. Untilthat people is conquered--which very likely will not be forgenerations, seeing that they live in Central Africa, occupying aterritory that white men do not desire--no missionary will dare againto visit them."At this moment something caused him to look a second time at ThomasOwen. He was leaning forward in his place listening eagerly, and astrange light filled the large, dark eyes that shone in the pallor ofhis delicate, nervous face.
　　"There is a man who would dare, if he were put to it," thought theDeputation to himself. Then he ended his sermon.
　　That evening the two men sat at dinner in the rectory. It was a veryfine rectory, beautifully furnished; for Owen was a man of taste whichhe had the means to gratify. Also, although they were alone, thedinner was good--so good that the poor broken-down missionary, sippinghis unaccustomed port, a vintage wine, sighed aloud in admiration andinvoluntary envy.
　　"What is the matter?" asked Owen.
　　"Nothing, Mr. Owen;" then, of a sudden thawing into candour, he added:
　　"that is, everything. Heaven forgive me; but I, who enjoy yourhospitality, am envious of you. Don't think too hardly of me; I have alarge family to support, and if only you knew what a struggle my lifeis, and has been for the last twenty years, you would not, I am sure.
　　But you have never experienced it, and could not understand. 'Thelabourer is worthy of his hire.' Well, my hire is under two hundred ayear, and eight of us must live--or starve--on it. And I have worked,ay, until my health is broken. A labourer indeed! I am a very hodman,a spiritual Sisyphus. And now I must go back to carry my load and rollmy stone again and again among those hopeless savages till I die of it--till I die of it!""At least it is a noble life and death!" exclaimed Owen, a sudden fireof enthusiasm burning in his dark eyes.
　　"Yes, viewed from a distance. Were you asked to leave this living oftwo thousand a year--I see that is what they put it at in Crockford--with its English comforts and easy work, that /you/ might lead thatlife and attain that death, then you would think differently. But whyshould I bore you with such talk? Thank Heaven that your lines arecast in pleasant places. Yes, please, I will take one more glass; itdoes me good.""Tell me some more about that tribe you were speaking of in yoursermon, the 'Sons of Fire' I think you called them," said Owen, as hepassed him the decanter.
　　So, with an eloquence induced by the generous wine and a quickenedimagination, the Deputation told him--told him many strange things andterrible. For this people was an awful people: vigorous in mind andbody, and warriors from generation to generation, but superstition-ridden and cruel. They lived in the far interior, some months' journeyby boat and ox-waggon from the coast, and of white men and their waysthey knew but little.
　　"How many of them are there?" asked Owen.
　　"Who can say?" he answered. "Nearly half-a-million, perhaps; at leastthey pretend that they can put sixty thousand men under arms.""And did they treat you badly when you first visited them?""Not at first. They received us civilly enough; and on a given day wewere requested to explain to the king and the Council of Wizards thereligion which we came to teach. All that day we explained and all thenext--or rather my friend did, for I knew very little of the language--and they listened with great interest. At last the chief of thewizards and the first prophet to the king rose to question us. He wasnamed Hokosa, a tall, thin man, with a spiritual face and terriblecalm eyes.
　　"'You speak well, son of a White Man,' he said, 'but let us pass fromwords to deeds. You tell us that this God of yours, whom you desirethat we should take as our God, so that you may become His chiefprophets in the land, was a wizard such as we are, though grater thanwe are; for not only did He know the past and the future as we do, butalso He could cure those who were smitten with hopeless sickness, andraise those who were dead, which we cannot do. You tell us, moreover,that by faith those who believe on Him can do works as great as Hedid, and that you do believe on Him. Therefore we will put you to theproof. Ho! there, lead forth that evil one.'
　　"As he spoke a man was placed before us, one who had been convicted ofwitchcraft or some other crime.
　　"'Kill him!' said Hokosa.
　　"There was a faint cry, a scuffle, a flashing of spears, and the manlay still before us.
　　"'Now, followers of the new God,' said Hokosa, 'raise him from thedead as your Master did!'
　　"In vain did we offer explanations.
　　"'Peace!' said Hokosa at length, 'your words weary us. Look now,either you have preached to us a false god and are liars, or you aretraitors to the King you preach, since, lacking faith in Him, youcannot do such works as He gives power to do to those who have faithin Him. Out of your own mouths are you judged, White Men. Choose whichhorn of the bull you will, you hang to one of them, and it shallpierce you. This is the sentence of the king, I speak it who am theking's mouth: That you, White Man, who have spoken to us and cheatedus these two weary days, be put to death, and that you, his companionwho have been silent, be driven from the land.'
　　"I can hardly bear to tell the rest of it, Mr. Owen. They gave my poorfriend ten minutes to 'talk to his Spirit,' then they speared himbefore my face. After it was over, Hokosa spoke to me, saying:--"'Go back, White Man, to those who sent you, and tell them the wordsof the Sons of Fire: That they have listened to the message of peace,and though they are a people of warriors, yet they thank them for thatmessage, for in itself it sounds good and beautiful in their ears, ifit be true. Tell them that having proved you liars, they dealt withyou as all honest men seek that liars should be dealt with. Tell themthat they desire to hear more of this matter, and if one can be sentto them who has no false tongue; who in all things fulfills thepromises of his lips, that they will hearken to him and treat himwell, but that for such as you they keep a spear.'""And who went after you got back?" asked Owen, who was listening withthe deepest interest.
　　"Who went? Do you suppose that there are many mad clergymen in Africa,Mr. Owen? Nobody went.""And yet," said Owen, speaking more to himself than to his guest, "theman Hokosa was right, and the Christian who of a truth believes thepromises of our religion should trust to them and go.""Then perhaps you would like to undertake the mission, Mr. Owen," saidthe Deputation briskly; for the reflection stung him, unintentional asit was.
　　Owen started.
　　"That is a new idea," he said. "And now perhaps you wish to go to bed;it is past eleven o'clock."
Chapter 2 Thomas Owen
Thomas Owen went to his room, but not to bed. Taking a Bible from thetable, he consulted reference after reference.
　　"The promise is clear," he said aloud presently, as he shut the book;"clear and often repeated. There is no escape from it, and nopossibility of a double meaning. If it is not true, then it would seemthat nothing is true, and that every Christian in the world is trickedand deluded. But if it /is/ true, why do we never hear of miracles?
　　The answer is easy: Because we have not faith enough to work them. TheApostles worked miracles; for they had seen, therefore their faith wasperfect. Since their day nobody's faith has been quite perfect; atleast I think not. The physical part of our nature prevents it. Orperhaps the miracles still happen, but they are spiritual miracles."Then he sat down by the open window, and gazing at the dreamy beautyof the summer night, he thought, for his soul was troubled. Oncebefore it had been troubled thus; that was nine years ago, for now hewas but little over thirty. Then a call had come to him, a voice hadseemed to speak to his ears bidding him to lay down great possessionsto follow whither Heaven should lead him. Thomas Owen had obeyed thevoice; though, owing to circumstances which need not be detailed, todo so he was obliged to renounce his succession to a very largeestate, and to content himself with a younger son's portion of thirtythousand pounds and the reversion to the living which he had now heldfor some five years.
　　Then and there, with singular unanimity and despatch, his relationscame to the conclusion that he was mad. To this hour, indeed, thosewho stand in his place and enjoy the wealth and position that were hisby right, speak of him as "poor Thomas," and mark their disapprobationof his peculiar conduct by refusing with an unvarying steadiness tosubscribe even a single shilling to a missionary society. How "poorThomas" speaks of them in the place where he is we may wonder, but asyet we cannot know--probably with the gentle love and charity thatmarked his every action upon earth. But this is by the way.
　　He had entered the Church, but what had he done in its shadow? Thiswas the question which Owen asked himself as he sat that night by theopen window, arraigning his past before the judgment-seat ofconscience. For three years he had worked hard somewhere in the slums;then this living had fallen to him. He had taken it, and from that dayforward his record was very much of a blank. The parish was small andwell ordered; there was little to do in it, and the Salvation Army hadseized upon and reclaimed two of the three confirmed drunkards itcould boast.
　　His guest's saying echoed in his brain like the catch of a tune--"that/you/ might lead that life and attain that death." Supposing that hewere bidden so to do now, this very night, would he indeed "thinkdifferently"? He had become a priest to serve his Maker. How would itbe were that Maker to command that he should serve Him in this extremeand heroic fashion? Would he flinch from the steel, or would he meetit as the martyrs met it of old?
　　Physically he was little suited to such an enterprise, for inappearance he was slight and pale, and in constitution delicate. Also,there was another reason against the thing. High Church and somewhatascetic in his principles, in the beginning he had admired celibacy,and in secret dedicated himself to that state. But at heart Thomas wasvery much a man, and of late he had come to see that which isagainst nature is presumably not right, though fanatics may nothesitate to pronounce it wrong. Possibly this conversion to moregenial views of life was quickened by the presence in theneighbourhood of a young lady whom he chanced to admire; at least itis certain that the mere thought of seeing her no more for ever smotehim like a sword of sudden pain.
　　*****That very night--or so it seemed to him, and so he believed--the Angelof the Lord stood before him as he was wont to stand before the men ofold, and spoke a summons in his ear. How or in what seeming thatsummons came Thomas Owen never told, and we need not inquire. At theleast he heard it, and, like the Apostles, he arose and girded hisloins to obey. For now, in the hour of trial, it proved that thisman's faith partook of the nature of their faith. It was utter andvirgin; it was not clogged with nineteenth-century qualifications; ithad never dallied with strange doctrines, or kissed the feet ofpinchbeck substitutes for God. In his heart he believed that theAlmighty, without intermediary, but face to face, had bidden him to goforth into the wilderness there to perish. So he bowed his head andwent.
　　On the following morning at breakfast Owen had some talk with hisfriend the Deputation.
　　"You asked me last night," he said quietly, "whether I would undertakea mission to that people of whom you were telling me--the Sons ofFire. Well, I have been thinking it over, and come to the conclusionthat I will do so----"At this point the Deputation, concluding that his host must be mad,moved quietly but decidedly towards the door.
　　"Wait a moment," went on Owen, in a matter-of-fact voice, "the dog-cart will not be round for another three-quarters of an hour. Tell me,if it were offered to you, and on investigation you proved suitable,would you care to take over this living?""Would I care to take over this living?" gasped the astonishedDeputation. "Would I care to walk down that garden and find myself inHeaven? But why are you making fun of me?""I am not making fun of you. If I go to Africa I must give up theliving, of which I own the advowson, and it occurred to me that itmight suit you--that is all. You have done your share; your health isbroken, and you have many dependent upon you. It seems right,therefore, that you should rest, and that I should work. If I do nogood yonder, at the least you and yours will be a little benefited."*****That same day Owen chanced to meet the lady who has been spoken of ashaving caught his heart. He had meant to go away without seeing her,but fortune brought them together. Hitherto, whilst in reality leadinghim on, she had seemed to keep him at a distance, with the result thathe did not know that it was her fixed intention to marry him. To her,with some hesitation, he told his plans. Surprised and frightened intocandour, the lady reasoned with him warmly, and when reason failed tomove him she did more. By some subtle movement, with some sudden word,she lifted the veil of her reserve and suffered him to see her heart.
　　"If you will not stay for aught else," said her troubled eyes, "then,love, stay for me."For a moment he was shaken. Then he answered the look straight out, aswas his nature.
　　"I never guessed," he said. "I did not presume to hope--now it is toolate! Listen! I will tell you what I have told no living soul, thoughthereafter you may think me mad. Weak and humble as I am, I believemyself to have received a Divine mission. I believe that I shallexecute it, or bring about its execution, but at the ultimate cost ofmy own life. Still, in such a service two are better than one. If you--can care enough--if you----"But the lady had already turned away, and was murmuring her farewellin accents that sounded like a sob. Love and faith after this sortwere not given to her.
　　Of all Owen's trials this was the sharpest. Of all his sacrifices thiswas the most complete.
Chapter 3 The Tempiation
Two years have gone by all but a few months, and from the rectory in aquiet English village we pass to a scene in Central, or South Central,Africa.
　　On the brow of a grassy slope dotted over with mimosa thorns, andclose to a gushing stream of water, stands a house, or rather a hut,built of green brick and thatched with grass. Behind this hut is afence of thorns, rough but strong, designed to protect all within itfrom the attacks of lions and other beasts of prey. At present, savefor a solitary mule eating its provender by the wheel of a tented ox-waggon, it is untenanted, for the cattle have not yet been kraaled forthe night. Presently Thomas Owen enters this enclosure by the backdoor of the hut, and having attended to the mule, which whinnies atthe sight of him, goes to the gate and watches there till he sees hisnative boys driving the cattle up the slope of the hill. At lengththey arrive, and when he has counted them to make sure that none aremissing, and in a few kind words commended the herds for theirwatchfulness, he walks to the front of the house and, seating himselfupon a wooden stool set under a mimosa tree that grows near the door,he looks earnestly towards the west.
　　The man has changed somewhat since last we saw him. To begin with, hehas grown a beard, and although the hot African sun has bronzed itinto an appearance of health, his face is even thinner than it was,and therein the great spiritual eyes shine still more strangely.
　　At the foot of the slope runs a wide river, just here broken intorapids where the waters make an angry music. Beyond this riverstretches a vast plain bounded on the horizon by mountain ranges, eachline of them rising higher than the other till their topmost and moredistant peaks melt imperceptibly into the tender blue of the heavens.
　　This is the land of the Sons of Fire, and yonder amid the slopes ofthe nearest hills is the great kraal of their king, Umsuka, whosename, being interpreted, means The Thunderbolt.
　　In the very midst of the foaming rapids, and about a thousand yardsfrom the house lies a space of rippling shallow water, where, unlessit chances to be in flood, the river can be forded. It is this fordthat Owen watches so intently.
　　"John should have been back twelve hours ago," he mutters to himself.
　　"I pray that no harm has befallen him at the Great Place yonder."Just then a tiny speck appears far away on the plain. It is a mantravelling towards the water at a swinging trot. Going into the hut,Owen returns with a pair of field-glasses, and through themscrutinises the figure of the man.
　　"Heaven be praised! It is John," he mutters, with a sigh of relief.
　　"Now, I wonder what answer he brings?"Half an hour later John stands before him, a stalwart native of thetribe of the Amasuka, the People of Fire, and with uplifted handsalutes him, giving him titles of honour.
　　"Praise me not, John," said Owen; "praise God only, as I have taughtyou to do. Tell me, have you seen the king, and what is his word?""Father," he answered, "I journeyed to the great town, as you bade me,and I was admitted before the majesty of the king; yes, he received mein the courtyard of the House of Women. With his guards, who stood ata distance out of hearing, there were present three only; but oh!
　　those three were great, the greatest in all the land after the king.
　　They were Hafela, the king that is to come, the prince Nodwengo, hisbrother, and Hokosa the terrible, the chief of the wizards; and I tellyou, father, that my blood dried up and my heart shrivelled when theyturned their eyes upon me, reading the thoughts of my heart.""Have I not told you, John, to trust in God, and fear nothing at thehands of man?""You told me, father, but still I feared," answered the messengerhumbly. "Yet, being bidden to it, I lifted my forehead from the dustand stood upon my feet before the king, and delivered to him themessage which you set between my lips.""Repeat the message, John.""'O King,' I said, 'beneath those footfall the whole earth shakes,whose arms stretch round the world and whose breath is the storm, I,whose name is John, am sent by the white man whose name is Messenger'
　　--for by that title you bade me make you known--'who for a year hasdwelt in the land that your spears have wasted beyond the banks of theriver. These are the words which he spoke to me, O King, that I passon to you with my tongue: "To the King Umsuka, lord of the Amasuka,the Sons of Fire, I, Messenger, who am the servant and the ambassadorof the King of Heaven, give greeting. A year ago, King, I sent to yousaying that the message which was brought by that white man whom youdrove from your land had reached the ears of Him whom I serve, theHigh and Holy One, and that, speaking in my heart, He had commanded meto take up the challenge of your message. Here am I, therefore, readyto abide by the law which you have laid down; for if guile or lies befound in me, then let me travel from your land across the bridge ofspears. Still, I would dwell a little while here where I am before Ipass into the shadow of your rule and speak in the ears of your peopleas I have been bidden. Know, King, that first I would learn yourtongue, and therefore I demand that one of your people may be sent todwell with me and to teach me that tongue. King, you heard my wordsand you sent me a man to dwell with me, and that man has taught meyour tongue, and I also have taught him, converting him to my faithand giving him a new name, the name of John. King, now I seek yourleave to visit you, and to deliver into your ears the words with whichI, Messenger, am charged. I have spoken."'
　　"Thus I, John, addressed the great ones, my father, and they listenedin silence. When I had done they spoke together, a word here and aword there. Then Hokosa, the king's mouth, answered me, telling thethought of the king: 'You are a bold man, you whose name is John, butwho once had another name--you, my servant, who dare to appear beforeme, and to make it known to me that you have been turned to a newfaith and serve another king than I. Yet because you are bold, Iforgive you. Go back now to that white man who is named Messenger andwho comes upon an embassy to me from the Lord of Heaven, and bid himcome in peace. Yet warn him once again that here also we knowsomething of the Powers that are not seen, here also we have ourwizards who draw wisdom from the air, who tame the thunderbolt andcompel the rain, and that he must show himself greater than all ofthese if he would not pass hence by the bridge of spears. Let him,therefore, take counsel with his heart and with Him he serves, if sucha One there is, and let him come or let him stay away as it shallplease him.'""So be it," said Owen; "the words of the king are good, and to-morrowwe will start for the Great Place."John heard and assented, but without eagerness.
　　"My father," he said, in a doubtful and tentative voice, "would it notperhaps be better to bide here awhile first?""Why?" asked Owen. "We have sown, and now is the hour to reap.""It is so, my father, but as I ran hither, full of the king's words,it came into my mind that now is not the time to convert the Sons ofFire. There is trouble brewing at the Great Palace, father. Listen,and I will tell you; as I have heard, so I will tell you. You knowwell that our King Umsuka has two sons, Hafela and Nodwengo; and ofthese Hafela is the heir-apparent, the fruit of the chief wife of theking, and Nodwengo is sprung from another wife. Now Hafela is proudand cruel, a warrior of warriors, a terrible man, and Nodwengo isgentle and mild, like to his mother whom the king loves. Of late ithas been discovered that Hafela, weary of waiting for power, has madea plot to depose his father and to kill Nodwengo, his brother, so thatthe land and those who dwell in it may become his without question.
　　This plot the king knows--I had it from one of his women, who is mysister--and he is very wroth, yet he dare do little, for he grows oldand timid, and seeks rest, not war. Yet he is minded, if he can findthe heart, to go back upon the law and to name Nodwengo as his heirbefore all the army at the feast of the first-fruits, which shall beheld on the third day from to-night. This Hafela knows, and Nodwengoknows it also, and each of them has summoned his following, numberingthousands and tens of thousands of spears, to attend this feast of thefirst-fruits. That feast may well be a feast of vultures, my father,and when the brothers and their regiments rush together fighting forthe throne, what will chance to the white man who comes at such amoment to preach a faith of peace, and to his servant, one John, wholed him there?""I do not know," answered Owen, "and it troubles me not at all. I goto carry out my mission, and in this way or in that it will be carriedout. John, if you are fearful or unbelieving leave me to go alone.""Nay, father, I am not fearful; yet, father, I would have youunderstand. Yonder there are men who can work wizardry. /Wow!/ I know,for I have seen it, and they will demand from you magic greater thantheir magic.""What of it, John?""Only this, my father, that if they ask and you fail to give, theywill kill you. You teach beautiful things, but say, are you a wizard?
　　When the child of a woman yonder lay dead, you could not raise it asdid the Christ; when the oxen were sick with the pest, you could notcure them; or at least, my father, you did not, although you wept forthe child and were sorry at the loss of the oxen. Now, my father, ifperchance they ask you to do such things as these yonder, or die, saywhat will happen?""One of two things, John: either I shall die or I shall do thethings.""But"--hesitated John--"surely you do not believe that----" and hebroke off.
　　Owen turned round and looked at his disciple with kindling eyes. "I dobelieve, O you of little faith!" he said. "I do believe that yonder Ihave a mission, and that He Whom I serve will give me power to carryout that mission. You are right, I can work no miracles; but He canwork miracles Whom everything in heaven and earth obeys, and if thereis need He will work them through me, His instrument. Or perhaps Hewill not work them, and I shall die, because thus His ends will bestbe forwarded. At the least I go in faith, fearing nothing, for whathas he to fear who knows the will of God and does it? But to you whodoubt, I say--leave me!"The man spread out his hands in deprecation; his thick lips trembled alittle, and something like a tear appeared at the corners of his eyes.
　　"Father," he said, "am I a coward that you should talk to me thus? I,who for twenty years have been a soldier of my king and for ten acaptain in my regiment? These scars show whether or no I am a coward,"and he pointed to his breast, "but of them I will not speak. I am nocoward, else I had not gone upon that errand of yours. Why, then,should you reproach me because my ears are not so open as yours, as myheart has not understanding? I worship that God of Whom you havetaught me, but He never speaks to me as He does to you. I never meetHim as I walk at night; He leaves me quite alone. Therefore it is thatI fear that when the hour of trial comes He may desert you; and unlessHe covers you with His shield, of this I am sure, that the spear isforged which shall blush red in your heart, my father. It is for youthat I fear, who are so gentle and tender; not for myself, who am wellaccustomed to look in the eyes of Death, and who expect no more thandeath.""Forgive me," said Owen hastily, for he was moved; "and be sure thatthe shield will be over us till the time comes for us to pass whitherwe shall need none."*****That night Owen rose from the task at which he was labouring slowlyand painfully--a translation of passages from the Gospel of St. Johninto the language of the Amasuka--and going to the open window-placeof the hut, he rested his elbows upon it and thought, staring withempty eyes into the blackness of the night. Now it was as he sat thusthat a great agony of doubt took possession of his soul. The strengthwhich hitherto had supported him seemed to be withdrawn, and he wasleft, as John had said, "quite alone." Strange voices seemed towhisper in his ears, reproaching and reviling him; temptations longago trampled under foot rose again in might, alluring him.
　　"Fool," said the voices, "get you hence before it is too late. Youhave been mad; you who dreamed that for your sake, to satisfy yourpride, the Almighty will break His silence and strain His law. Are youthen better, or greater, or purer than millions who have gone beforeyou, that for you and you alone this thing should be done? Why, wereit not that you are mad, you would be among the chief of sinners; youwho dare to ask that the Powers of Heaven should be set within yourfeeble hand, that the Angels of Heaven should wait upon your mortalbreath. Worm that you are, has God need of such as you? If it is Hiswill to turn the heart of yonder people He will do it, but not bymeans of /you/. You and the servant whom you are deluding to his deathwill perish miserably, and this alone shall be the fruit of yourpresumptuous sin. Get you back out of this wilderness before themadness takes you afresh. You are still young, you have wealth; lookwhere She stands yonder whom you desire. Get you back, and forget yourfolly in her arms."These thoughts, and many others of like nature, tore Owen's soul inthat hour of strange and terrible temptation. He seemed to see himselfstanding before the thousands of the savage nation he went to save,and to hear the mocking voices of their witch-finders commanding him,if he were a true man and the servant of that God of Whom he prated,to give them a sign, only a little sign; perhaps to move a stonewithout touching it with his hand, or to cause a dead bough toblossom.
　　Then he would beseech Heaven with frantic prayers, and in vain, tillat length, amidst a roar of laughter, he, the false prophet and theliar, was led out to his doom. He saw the piteous wondering look ofthe believer whom he had betrayed to death; he saw the fierce facesand the spears on high. Seeing all this his spirit broke, and, just asthe little clock in the room behind him struck the first stroke ofmidnight, with a great and bitter cry to God to give him back thefaith and strength that he had lost, Owen's head fell forward and hesank into a swoon there upon the window-place.
Chapter 4 The Vision
Was it swoon or sleep?
　　At least it seemed to Owen that presently once again he was gazinginto the dense intolerable blackness of the night. Then a marvel cameto pass, for the blackness opened, or rather on it, framed andsurrounded by it, there appeared a vision. It was the vision of anative town, having a great bare space in the centre of it encircledby hundreds or thousands of huts. But there was no one stirring aboutthe huts, for it was night--not this his night of trial indeed, sincenow the sky was strewn with innumerable stars. Everything was silentabout that town, save that now and again a dog barked or a fretfulchild wailed within a hut, or the sentries as they passed saluted eachother in the name of the king.
　　Among all those hundreds of huts, to Owen it seemed that his attentionwas directed to one which stood apart surrounded with a fence. Now theinterior of the hut opened itself to him. It was not lighted, yet withhis spirit sense he could see its every detail: the polished floor,the skin rugs, the beer gourds, the shields and spears, the roof-treeof red wood, and the dried lizard hanging from the thatch, a charm toward off evil. In this hut, seated face to face halfway between thecentre-post and the door-hole, were two men. The darkness was deepabout them, and they whispered to each other through it; but in hisdream this was no bar to Owen's sight. He could discern their facesclearly.
　　One of them was that of a man of about thirty-five years of age. Instature he was almost a giant. He wore a kaross of leopard skins, andon his wrists and ankles were rings of ivory, the royal ornaments. Hisface was fierce and powerful; his eyes, which were set far apart,rolled so much that at times they seemed all white; and his fingersplayed nervously with the handle of a spear that he carried in hisright hand. His companion was of a different stamp; a person of morethan fifty years, he was tall and spare in figure, with delicatelyshaped hands and feet. His hair and little beard were tinged withgrey, his face was strikingly handsome, nervous and expressive, andhis forehead both broad and high. But more remarkable still were hiseyes, which shone with a piercing brightness, almost grey in colour,steady as the flame of a well-trimmed lamp, and so cold that theymight have been precious stones set in the head of a statue.
　　"Must I then put your thoughts in words?" said this man in a clearquick whisper. "Well, so be it; for I weary of sitting here in thedark waiting for water that will not flow. Listen, Prince; you come totalk to me of the death of a king--is it not so? Nay do not start. Whyare you affrighted when you hear upon the lips of another the plotthat these many months has been familiar to your breast?""Truly, Hokosa, you are the best of wizards, or the worst," answeredthe great man huskily. "Yet this once you are mistaken," he added witha change of voice. "I came but to ask you for a charm to turn myfather's heart----""To dust? Prince, if I am mistaken, why am I the best of wizards, orthe worst, and why did your jaw drop and your face change at my words,and why do you even now touch your dry lips with your tongue? Yes, Iknow that it is dark here, yet some can see in it, and I am one ofthem. Ay, Prince, and I can see your mind also. You would be rid ofyour father: he has lived too long. Moreover his love turns toNodwengo, the good and gentle; and perhaps--who can say?--it is evenin his thought, when all his regiments are about him two days hence,to declare that you, Prince, are deposed, and that your brother,Nodwengo, shall be king in your stead. Now, Nodwengo you cannot kill;he is too well loved and too well guarded. If he died suddenly, hisdead lips would call out 'Murder!' in the ears of all men; and,Prince, all eyes would turn to you, who alone could profit by his end.
　　But if the king should chance to die--why he is old, is he not? andsuch things happen to the old. Also he grows feeble, and will notsuffer the regiments to be doctored for war, although day by day theyclamour to be led to battle; for he seeks to end his years in peace.""I say that you speak folly," answered the prince with vehemence.
　　"Then, Son of the Great One, why should you waste time in listening tome? Farewell, Hafela the Prince, first-born of the king, who in a dayto come shall carry the shield of Nodwengo; for he is good and gentle,and will spare your life--if I beg it of him."Hafela stretched out his hand through the darkness, and caught Hokosaby the wrist.
　　"Stay," he whispered, "it is true. The king must die; for if he doesnot die within three days, I shall cease to be his heir. I know itthrough my spies. He is angry with me; he hates me, and he lovesNodwengo and the mother of Nodwengo. But if he dies before the lastday of the festival, then that decree will never pass his lips, andthe regiments will never roar out the name of Nodwengo as the name ofthe king to come. He must die, I tell you, Hokosa, and--by your hand.""By /my/ hand, Prince! Nay; what have you to offer me in return forsuch a deed as this? Have I not grown up in Umsuka's shadow, and shallI cut down the tree that shades me?""What have I to offer you? This: that next to myself you shall be thegreatest in the land, Hokosa.""That I am already, and whoever rules it, that I must always be. I,who am the chief of wizards; I, the reader of men's hearts; I, thehearer of men's thoughts! I, the lord of the air and the lightning; I,the invulnerable. If you would murder, Prince, then do the deed; do itknowing that I have your secret, and that henceforth you who ruleshall be my servant. Nay, you forget that I can see in the dark; laydown that assegai, or, by my spirit, prince as you are, I will blastyou with a spell, and your body shall be thrown to the kites, as thatof one who would murder his king and father!"The prince heard and shook, his cheeks sank in, the muscles of hisgreat form seemed to collapse, and he grovelled on the floor of thehut.
　　"I know your magic," he groaned; "use it for me, not against me! Whatis there that I can offer you, who have everything except the throne,whereon you cannot sit, seeing that you are not of the blood-royal?""Think," said Hokosa.
　　For a while the prince thought, till presently his form straighteneditself, and with a quick movement he lifted up his head.
　　"Is it, perchance, my affianced wife?" he whispered; "the lady Noma,whom I love, and who, according to our custom, I shall wed as thequeen to be after the feast of first-fruits? Oh! say it not, Hokosa.""I say it," answered the wizard. "Listen, Prince. The lady Noma is theonly child of my blood-brother, my friend, with whom I was brought up,he who was slain at my side in the great war with the tribes of thenorth. She was my ward: she was more; for through her--ah! you knownot how--I held my converse with the things of earth and air, the veryspirits that watch us now in this darkness, Hafela. Thus it happened,that before ever she was a woman, her mind grew greater than the mindof any other woman, and her thought became my thought, and my thoughtbecame her thought, for I and no other am her master. Still I waitedto wed her till she was fully grown; and while I waited I went upon anembassy to the northern tribes. Then it was that you saw the maid invisiting at my kraal, and her beauty and her wit took hold of you; andin the council of the king, as you have a right to do, you named heras your head wife, the queen to be.
　　"The king heard and bowed his head; he sent and took her, and placedher in the House of the Royal Women, there to abide till this feast ofthe first-fruits, when she shall be given to you in marriage. Yes, hesent her to that guarded house wherein not even I may set my foot.
　　Although I was afar, her spirit warned me, and I returned, but toolate; for she was sealed to you of the blood-royal, and that is a lawwhich may not be broken.
　　"Hafela, I prayed you to return her to me, and you mocked me. I wouldhave brought you to your death, but it could not have availed me: forthen, by that same law, which may not be broken, she who was sealed toyou must die with you; and though thereafter her spirit would sit withme till I died also, it was not enough, since I who have conqueredall, yet cannot conquer the fire that wastes my heart, nor cease tolong by night and day for a woman who is lost to me. Then it was,Hafela, that I plotted vengeance against you. I threw my spell overthe mind of the king, till he learnt to hate you and your evil deeds;and I, even I, have brought it about that your brother should bepreferred before you, and that you shall be the servant in his house.
　　This is the price that you must pay for her of whom you have robbedme; and by my spirit and her spirit you shall pay! Yet listen. Handback the girl, as you may do--for she is not yet your wife--and chooseanother for your queen, and I will undo all that I have done, and Iwill find you a means, Hafela, to carry out your will. Ay, before sixsuns have set, the regiments rushing past you shall hail you King ofthe Nation of the Amasuka, Lord of the ancient House of Fire!""I cannot," groaned the prince; "death were better than this!""Ay, death were better; but you shall not die, you shall live aservant, and your name shall become a mockery, a name for women tomake rhymes on."Now the prince sprang up.
　　"Take her!" he hissed; "take her! you, who are an evil ghost; you,beneath whose eyes children wail, and at whose passing the hairs onthe backs of hounds stand up! Take her, priest of death and ill; buttake my curse with her! Ah! I also can prophecy; and I tell you thatthis woman whom you have taught, this witch of many spells, whoseglance can shrivel the hearts of men, shall give you to drink of yourown medicine; ay, she shall dog you to the death, and mock you whileyou perish by an end of shame!""What," laughed the wizard, "have I a rival in my own arts? Nay,Hafela, if you would learn the trade, pay me well and I will give youlessons. Yet I counsel you not; for you are flesh, nothing but flesh,and he who would rule the air must cultivate the spirit. Why, I tellyou, Prince, that even the love for her who is my heart, the lady whomwe both would wed, partaking of the flesh as, alas! it does, has costme half my powers. Now let us cease from empty scoldings, and strikeour bargain.
　　"Listen. On the last day of the feast, when all the regiments aregathered to salute the king there in his Great Place according tocustom, you shall stand forth before the king and renounce Noma, andshe shall pass back to the care of my household. You yourself shallbring her to where I stand, and as I take her from you I will put intoyour hand a certain powder. Then you shall return to the side of theking, and after our fashion shall give him to drink the bowl of thefirst-fruits; but as you stir the beer, you will let fall into it thatpowder which I have given you. The king will drink, and what he leavesundrunk you will throw out upon the dust.
　　"Now he will rise to give out to the people his royal decree, whereby,Prince, you are to be deposed from your place as heir, and yourbrother, Nodwengo, is to be set in your seat. But of that decree nevera word shall pass his lips; if it does, recall your saying and takeback the lady Noma from where she stands beside me. I tell you thatnever a word will pass his lips; for even as he rises a stroke shalltake him, such a stroke as often falls upon the fat and aged, and hewill sink to the ground snoring through his nostrils. For a whilethereafter--it may be six hours, it may be twelve--he shall lieinsensible, and then a cry will arise that the king is dead!""Ay," said Hafela, "and that I have poisoned him!""Why, Prince? Few know what is in your father's mind, and with those,being king, you will be able to deal. Also this is the virtue of thepoison which I choose, that it is swift, yet the symptoms of it arethe symptoms of a natural sickness. But that your safety and mine maybe assured, I have made yet another plan, though of this there will belittle need. You were present two days since when a runner came fromthe white man who sojourns beyond our border, he who seeks to teachus, the Children of Fire, a new faith, and gives out that he is themessenger of the King of heaven. This runner asked leave for the whiteman to visit the Great Place, and, speaking in the king's name, I gavehim leave. But I warned his servant that if his master came, a signshould be required of him to show that he was a true man, and had ofthe wisdom of the King of Heaven; and that if he failed therein, thenthat he should die as that white liar died who visited us in bygoneyears.
　　"Now I have so ordered that this white man, passing through the Valleyof Death yonder, shall reach the Great Place not long before the kingdrinks of the cup of the first-fruits. Then if any think thatsomething out of nature has happened to the king, they will surelythink also that this strange prayer-doctor has wrought the evil. Thenalso I will call for a sign from the white man, praying of him torecover the king of his sickness; and when he fails, he shall be slainas a worker of spells and the false prophet of a false god, and so weshall be rid of him and his new faith, and you shall be cleared ofdoubt. Is not the plan good, Prince?""It is very good, Hokosa--save for one thing only.""For what thing?""This: the white man who is named Messenger might chance to be a trueprophet of a true God, and to recover the king.""Oho, let him do it, if he can; but to do it, first he must know thepoison and its antidote. There is but one, and it is known to me onlyof all men in this land. When he has done that, then I, yes, even I,Hokosa, will begin to inquire concerning this God of his, who showsHimself so mighty in person of His messenger." And he laughed low andscornfully.
　　"Prince, farewell! I go forth alone, whither you dare not follow atthis hour, to seek that which we shall need. One word--think not toplay me false, or to cheat me of my price; for whate'er betides, besure of this, that hour shall be the hour of your dooming. Hail toyou, Son of the King! Hail! and farewell." Then, removing the door-board, the wizard passed from the hut and was gone.
　　*****The vision changed. Now there appeared a valley walled in on eitherside with sloping cliffs of granite; a desolate place, sandy and, savefor a single spring, without water, strewn with boulders of rock, someof them piled fantastically one upon the other. At a certain spot thisvalley widened out, and in the mouth of the space thus formed, midwaybetween the curved lines of the receding cliffs, stood a little hillor koppie, also built up of boulders. It was a place of death; for allaround the hill, and piled in hundreds between the crevices of itsstones, lay the white bones of men.
　　Nor was this all. Its summit was flat, and in the midst of it stood ahuge tree. Even had it not been for the fruit which hung from itsbranches, the aspect of that tree must have struck the beholder asuncanny, even as horrible. The bark on its great bole was leprouswhite; and from its gaunt and spreading rungs rose branches thatsubdivided themselves again and again, till at last they terminated inround green fingers, springing from grey, flat slabs of bark, in shapenot unlike that of a human palm. Indeed, from a little distance thistree, especially if viewed by moonlight, had the appearance of bearingon it hundreds or thousands of the arms and hands of men, all of themstretched imploringly to Heaven.
　　Well might they seem to do so, seeing that to its naked limbs hung thebodies of at least twenty human beings who had suffered death by orderof the king or his captains, or by the decree of the company ofwizards, whereof Hokosa was the chief. There on the Hill of Deathstood the Tree of Death; and that in its dank shade, or piled upon theground beneath it, hung and lay the pitiful remnants of the multitudeswho for generations had been led thither to their doom.
　　Now, in Owen's vision a man was seen approaching by the little pathwaythat ran up the side of the mount--the Road of Lost Footsteps it wascalled. It was Hokosa the wizard. Outside the circle of the tree hehalted, and drawing a tanned skin from a bundle of medicines which hecarried, he tied it about his mouth; for the very smell of that treeis poisonous and must not be suffered to reach the lungs.
　　Presently he was under the branches, where once again he halted; thistime it was to gaze at the body of an old man which swung to and froin the night breeze.
　　"Ah! friend," he muttered, "we strove for many years, but it seemsthat I have conquered at the last. Well, it is just; for if you couldhave had your way, your end would have been my end."Then very leisurely, as one who is sure that he will not beinterrupted, Hokosa began to climb the tree, till at length some ofthe green fingers were within his reach. Resting his back against abough, one by one he broke off several of them, and averting his faceso that the fumes of it might not reach him, he caused the thick milk-white juice that they contained to trickle into the mouth of a littlegourd which was hung about his neck by a string. When he had collectedenough of the poison and carefully corked the gourd with a plug ofwood, he descended the tree again. At the great fork where the mainbranches sprang from the trunk, he stood a while contemplating acreeping plant which ran up them. It was a plant of naked stem, likethe tree it grew upon; and, also like the tree, its leaves consistedof bunches of green spikes having a milky juice.
　　"Strange," he said aloud, "that Nature should set the bane and theantidote side by side, the one twined about the other. Well, so it isin everything; yes, even in the heart of man. Shall I gather some ofthis juice also? No; for then I might repent and save him, rememberingthat he has loved me, and thus lose her I seek, her whom I must winback or be withered. Let the messenger of the King of Heaven save him,if he can. This tree lies on his path; perchance he may prevail uponits dead to tell him of the bane and of the antidote." And once morethe wizard laughed mockingly.
　　*****The vision passed. At this moment Thomas Owen, recovering from hisswoon, lifted his head from the window-place. The night before him wasas black as it had been, and behind him the little American clock wasstill striking the hour of midnight. Therefore he could not haveremained insensible for longer than a few seconds.
　　A few seconds, yet how much he had seen in them. Truly his want offaith had been reproved--truly he also had been "warned of God in adream,"--truly "his ears had been opened and his instruction sealed."His soul had been "kept back from the pit," and his life from"perishing by the sword"; and the way of the wicked had been madeclear to him "in a dream, in a vision of the night when deep sleepfalleth upon men."Not for nothing had he endured that agony, and not for nothing had hestruggled in the grip of doubt.
Chapter 5 The Feast Of The First-Fruits
On the third morning from this night whereof the strange events havebeen described, an ox-waggon might have been seen outspanned on thehither side of those ranges of hills that were visible from the river.
　　These mountains, which although not high are very steep, form theouter barrier and defence of the kingdom of the Amasuka. Within fivehundred yards of where the waggon stood, however, a sheer cliffedgorge, fire-riven and water-hewn, pierced the range, and looking onit, Owen knew it for the gorge of his dream. Night and day the mouthof it was guarded by a company of armed soldiers, whose huts werebuilt high on outlook places in the mountains, whence their keen eyescould scan the vast expanses of plain. A full day before it reachedthem, they had seen the white-capped waggon crawling across the veldt,and swift runners had reported its advent to the king at his GreatPlace.
　　Back came the word of the king that the white man, with the waggon andhis servant, were to be led on towards the Great Place at such speedas would bring him there in time for him to behold the last ceremonyof the feast of first-fruits; but, for the present, that the waggonitself and the oxen were to be left at the mouth of the gorge, incharge of a guard, who would be answerable for them.
　　Now, on this morning the captain of the guard and his orderliesadvanced to the waggon and stood in front of it. They were splendidmen, armed with great spears and shields, and adorned with featherhead-dresses and all the wild finery of their regiment. Owen descendedfrom the waggon and came to meet them, and so for a few moments theyremained, face to face, in silence. A strange contrast they presentedas they stood there; the bare-headed white man frail, delicate,spiritual of countenance, and the warriors great, grave, powerful, avery embodiment of the essence of untamed humanity, an incarnatepresentation of the spirit of savage warfare.
　　"How are you named, White Man?" asked the captain.
　　"Chief, I am named Messenger.""The peace of the king be with you, Messenger," said the captain,lifting his spear.
　　"The peace of God be with you, Chief," answered Owen, holding up hishands in blessing.
　　"Who is God?" asked the captain.
　　"Chief, He is the King I serve, and His word is between my lips.""Then pass on, Messenger of God, and deliver the word of God your Kinginto the ears of my king, at his Great Place yonder. Pass on ridingthe beast you have brought with you, for the way is rough; but yourwaggon, your oxen, and your servants, save this man only who is of theChildren of Fire, must stay here in my keeping. Fear not, Messenger, Iwill hold them safe.""I do not fear, Chief, there is honour in your eyes."*****Some hours later, Owen, mounted on his mule, was riding through thegorge, a guard in front of and behind him, and with them carriers whohad been sent to bear his baggage. At his side walked his discipleJohn, and his face was sad.
　　"Why are you still afraid?" asked Owen.
　　"Ah! father, because this is a place of fear. Here in this valley menare led to die; presently you will see.""I have seen," answered Owen. "Yonder where we shall halt is a mount,and on that mount stands a tree; it is called the Tree of Death, andit stretches a thousand hands to Heaven, praying for mercy that doesnot come, and from its boughs there hangs fruit, a fruit of dead men--yes, twenty of them hang there this day.""How know you these things, my father," asked the man amazed, "seeingthat I have never spoken to you of them?""Nay," he answered, "God has spoken to me. My God and your God."Another hour passed, and they were resting by the spring of water,near to the shadow of the dreadful tree, for in that gorge the sunburned fiercely. John counted the bodies that swung upon it, and againlooked fearfully at Owen, for there were twenty of them.
　　"I desire to go up to that tree," Owen said to the guard.
　　"As you will, Messenger," answered their leader; "I have no orders toprevent you from so doing. Still," he added with a solemn smile, "itis a place that few seek of their own will, and, because I like youwell, Messenger, I pray it may never be my duty to lead you there ofthe king's will."Then Owen went up to the tree and John with him, only John would notpass beneath the shadow of its branches; but stood by wondering, whilehis master bound a handkerchief about his mouth.
　　"How did he know that the breath of the tree is poisonous?" Johnwondered.
　　Owen walked to the bole of the tree, and breaking off some of thefinger-like leaves of the creeper that twined about it, he pressedtheir milky juice into a little bottle that he had made ready. Then hereturned quickly, for the sights and odours of the place were not tobe borne.
　　Outside the circle of the branches he halted, and removed thehandkerchief from his mouth.
　　"Be of good cheer," he said to John, "and if it should chance that Iam called away before my words come true, yet remember my words. Itell you that this Tree of Death shall become the Tree of Life for allthe children of your people. Look! there above you is its sign andpromise."John lifted his eyes, following the line of Owen's outstretched hand,and saw this. High up upon the tree, and standing clear of all theother branches, was one straight, dead limb, and from this dead limbtwo arms projected at right angles, also dead and snapped off short.
　　Had a carpenter fashioned a cross of wood and set it there, itsproportions could not have been more proper and exact. It was verystrange to find this symbol of the Christian hope towering above thatplace of human terror, and stranger still was the purpose which itmust serve in a day to come.
　　Owen and John returned to the guard in silence, and presently they setforward on their journey. At length, passing beneath a natural arch ofrock, they were out of the Valley of Death, and before them, not fivehundred paces away, appeared the fence of the Great Place.
　　This Great Place stood upon a high plateau, in the lap of thesurrounding hills, all of which were strongly fortified with schanses,pitfalls, and rough walls of stone. That plateau may have measuredfifteen miles in circumference, and the fence of the town itself wasabout four miles in circumference. Within the fence and following itscurve, for it was round, stood thousands of dome-shaped huts carefullyset out in streets. Within these again was a stout stockade of timber,enclosing a vast arena of trodden earth, large enough to contain allthe cattle of the People of Fire in times of danger, and to serve as areview ground for their /impis/ in times of peace or festival.
　　At the outer gate of the kraal there was a halt, while the keepers ofthe gate despatched a messenger to their king to announce the adventof the white man. Of this pause Owen took advantage to array himselfin the surplice and hood which he had brought with him in readinessfor that hour. Then he gave the mule to John to lead behind him.
　　"What do you, Messenger?" asked the leader of the guard, astonished.
　　"I clothe myself in my war-dress," he answered.
　　"Where then is your spear, Messenger?""Here," said Owen, presenting to his eyes a crucifix of ivory, mostbeautifully carved.
　　"I perceive that you are of the family of wizards," said the man, andfell back.
　　Now they entered the kraal and passed for three hundred yards or morethrough rows of huts, till they reached the gate of the stockade,which was opened to them. Once within it, Owen saw a wonderful sight,such a sight as few white men have seen. The ground of the enormousoval before him was not flat. Either from natural accident or bydesign it sloped gently upwards, so that the spectator, standing bythe gate or at the head of it before the house of the king, could takein its whole expanse, and, if his sight were keen enough, could seeevery individual gathered there.
　　On the particular day of Owen's arrival it was crowded with regiments,twelve of them, all dressed in their different uniforms and bearingshields to match, not one of which was less than 2500 strong. At thismoment the regiments were massed in deep lines, each battalion byitself, on either side of the broad roadway that ran straight up thekraal to where the king, his sons, his advisers and guards, togetherwith the company of wizards, were placed in front of the royal house.
　　There they stood in absolute silence, like tens of thousands of bronzestatues, and Owen perceived that either they were resting or that theywere gathered thus to receive him. That the latter was the case soonbecame evident, for as he appeared, a white spot at the foot of theslope, countless heads turned and myriads of eyes fastened themselvesupon him. For an instant he was dismayed; there was somethingterrifying in this numberless multitude of warriors, and the thoughtof the task that he had undertaken crushed his spirit. Then heremembered, and shaking off his fear and doubt, alone, save for hisdisciple John, holding the crucifix aloft, he walked slowly up thewide road towards the place where he guessed that the king must be.
　　His arm was weary ere ever he reached it, but at length he foundhimself standing before a thickset old man, who was clad in leopardskins and seated upon a stool of polished wood.
　　"It is the king," whispered John behind him.
　　"Peace be to you," said Owen, breaking the silence.
　　"The wish is good, may it be fulfilled," answered the king in a deepvoice, sighing as he said the words. "Yet yours is a strangegreeting," he added. "Whence came you, White Man, how are you named,and what is your mission to me and to my people?""King, I come from beyond the sea; I am named Messenger, and mymission is to deliver to you the saying of God, my King and--yours."At these words a gasp of astonishment went up from those who stoodwithin hearing, expecting as they did to see them rewarded by instantdeath. But Umsuka only said:--"'My King and yours'? Bold words, Messenger. Where then is this Kingto whom I, Umsuka, should bow the knee?""He is everywhere--in the heavens, on the earth, and below the earth.""If He is everywhere, then He is here. Show me the likeness of thisKing, Messenger.""Behold it," Owen answered, thrusting forward the crucifix.
　　Now all the great ones about the king stared at this figure of a dyingman crowned with thorns and hanging on a cross, and then drew up theirlips to laugh. But that laugh never left them; a sudden impulse, amysterious wave of feeling choked it in their throats. A sense of thestrangeness of the contrast between themselves in their armedmultitudes and this one white-robed man in his loneliness took hold ofthem, and with it another sense of something not far removed fromfear.
　　"A wizard indeed," they thought in their hearts, and what they thoughtthe king uttered.
　　"I perceive," he said, "that you are either mad, White Man, or you area prince of wizards. Mad you do not seem to be, for your eyes arecalm, therefore a wizard you must be. Well, stand behind me: by-and-byI will hear your message and ask of you to show me your powers; butbefore then there are things which I must do. Are the lads ready? Ho,you, loose the bull!"At the command a line of soldiers moved from the right, forming itselfup in front of the king and his attendants, revealing a number ofyouths, of from sixteen to seventeen years of age, armed with sticksonly, who stood in companies outside a massive gate. Presently thisgate was opened, and through it, with a mad bellow, rushed a wildbuffalo bull. On seeing them the brute halted, and for a few momentsstood pawing the earth and tearing it with its great horns. Then itput down its head and charged. Instead of making way for it, utteringa shrill whistling sound, the youths rushed at the beast, strikingwith their sticks.
　　Another instant, and one of them appeared above the heads of hiscompanions, thrown high into the air, to be followed by a second and athird. Now the animal was through the throng and carrying a poor boyon its horn, whence presently he fell dead; through and through theranks of the regiments it charged furiously backward and forward.
　　Watching it fascinated, Owen noted that it was a point of honour forno man to stir before its rush; there they stood, and if the bullgored them, there they fell. At length, exhausted and terrified, thebrute headed back straight up the lane where the main body of theyouths were waiting for it. Now it was among them, and, reckless ofwounds or death, they swarmed about it like bees, seizing it by legs,nose, horns and tail, till with desperate efforts they dragged it tothe ground and beat the life out of it with their sticks. This done,they formed up before the king and saluted him.
　　"How many are killed?" he asked.
　　"Eight in all," was the answer, "and fifteen gored.""A good bull," he said with a smile; "that of last year killed butfive. Well, the lads fought him bravely. Let the dead be buried, thehurt tended, or, if their harms are hopeless, slain, and to the restgive a double ration of beer. Ho, now, fall back, men, and make aspace for the Bees and the Wasps to fight in."Some orders were given and a great ring was formed, leaving an arenaclear that may have measured a hundred and fifty yards in diameter.
　　Then suddenly, from opposite sides, the two regiments, known as theBees and the Wasps respectively, rushed upon each other, utteringtheir war-cries.
　　"I put ten head of cattle on the Bees; who wagers on the Wasps?" criedthe king.
　　"I, Lord," answered the Prince Hafela, stepping forward.
　　"You, Prince!" said the king with a quick frown. "Well, you are rightto back them, they are your own regiment. Ah! they are at it."By this time the scene was that of a hell broken loose upon the earth.
　　The two regiments, numbering some 5000 men in all, had come together,and the roar of their meeting shields was like the roar of thunder.
　　They were armed with kerries only, and not with spears, for the fightwas supposed to be a mimic one; but these weapons they used with sucheffect that soon hundreds of them were down dead or with shatteredskulls and bruised limbs. Fiercely they fought, while the whole armywatched, for their rivalry was keen and for many months they had knownthat they were to be pitted one against the other on this day.
　　Fiercely they fought, while the captains cried their orders, and thedust rose up in clouds as they swung to and fro, breast thrustingagainst breast. At length the end came; the Bees began to give, theyfell back ever more quickly till their retreat was a rout, and,leaving many stretched upon the ground, amid the mocking cries of thearmy they were driven to the fence, by touching which they obtainedpeace at the hands of their victors.
　　The king saw, and his somewhat heavy, quiet face grew alive with rage.
　　"Search and see," he said, "if the captain of the Bees is alive andunhurt."Messengers went to do his bidding, and presently they returned,bringing with them a man of magnificent appearance and middle age,whose left arm had been broken by a blow from a kerry. With his righthand he saluted first the king, then the Prince Nodwengo, a kindly-faced, mild-eyed man, in whose command he was.
　　"What have you to say?" asked the king, in a cold voice of anger.
　　"Know you that you have cost me ten head of the royal white cattle?""King, I have nothing to say," answered the captain calmly, "exceptthat my men are cowards.""That is certainly so," said the king. "Let all the wounded among thembe carried away; and for you, captain, who turn my soldiers intocowards, you shall die a dog's death, hanging to-morrow on the Tree ofDoom. As for your regiment, I banish it to the fever country, there tohunt elephants for three years, since it is not fit to fight withmen.""It is well," replied the captain, "since death is better than shame.
　　Only King, I have done you good service in the past; I ask that it maybe presently and by the spear.""So be it," said the king.
　　"I crave his life, father," said the Prince Nodwengo; "he is myfriend.""A prince should not choose cowards for his friends," replied theking; "let him be killed, I say."Then Owen, who had been watching and listening, his heart sick withhorror, stood forward and said:--"King, in the name of Him I serve, I conjure you to spare this man andthose others that are hurt, who have done no crime except to be drivenback by soldiers stronger than themselves.""Messenger," answered the king, "I bear with you because you areignorant. Know that, according to our customs, this crime is thegreatest of crimes, for here we show no mercy to the conquered.""Yet you should do so," said Owen, "seeing that you also must ere longbe conquered by death, and then how can you expect mercy who haveshown none?""Let him be killed!" said the king.
　　"King!" cried Owen once more, "do this deed, and I tell you thatbefore the sun is down great evil will overtake you.""Do you threaten me, Messenger? Well, we will see. Let him be killed,I say."Then the man was led away; but, before he went he found time to thankOwen and Nodwengo the prince, and to call down good fortune upon them.
Chapter 6 The Drinking Of The Cup
Now the king's word was done, the anger went out of his eyes, and oncemore his countenance grew weary. A command was issued, and, with themost perfect order, moving like one man, the regiments changed theirarray, forming up battalion upon battalion in face of the king, thatthey might give him the royal salute so soon as he had drunk the cupof the first-fruits.
　　A herald stood forward and cried:--"Hearken, you Sons of Fire! Hearken, you Children of Umsuka, Shaker ofthe Earth! Have any of you a boon to ask of the king?"Men stood forward, and having saluted, one by one asked this thing orthat. The king heard their requests, and as he nodded or turned hishead away, so they were granted or refused.
　　When all had done, the Prince Hafela came forward, lifted his spear,and cried:--"A boon, King!""What is it?" asked his father, eyeing him curiously.
　　"A small matter, King," he replied. "A while ago I named a certainwoman, Noma, the ward of Hokosa the wizard, and she was sealed to meto fill the place of my first wife, the queen that is to be. Shepassed into the House of the Royal Women, and, by your command, King,it was fixed that I should marry her according to our customsto-morrow, after the feast of the first-fruits is ended. King, myheart is changed towards that woman; I no longer desire to take her towife, and I pray that you will order that she shall now be handed backto Hokosa her guardian.""You blow hot and cold with the same mouth, Hafela," said Umsuka, "andin love or war I do not like such men. What have you to say to thisdemand, Hokosa?"Now Hokosa stepped forward from where he stood at the head of thecompany of wizards. His dress, like that of his companions, wassimple, but in its way striking. On his shoulders he wore a cloak ofshining snakeskin; about his loins was a short kilt of the samematerial; and round his forehead, arms and knees were fillets ofsnakeskin. At his side hung his pouch of medicines, and in his hand heheld no spear, but a wand of ivory, whereof the top was roughly carvedso as to resemble the head of a cobra reared up to strike.
　　"King," he said, "I have heard the words of the prince, and I do notthink that this insult should have been put upon the Lady Noma, myward, or upon me, her guardian. Still, let it be, for I would not thatone should pass from under the shadow of my house whither she is notwelcome. Without my leave the prince named this woman as his queen, ashe had the right to do; and without my leave he unnames her, as he hasthe right to do. Were the prince a common man, according to custom heshould pay a fine of cattle to be held by me in trust for her whom hediscards; but this is a matter that I leave to you, King.""You do well, Hokosa," answered Umsuka, "to leave this to me. Prince,you would not wish the fine that you should pay to be that of anycommon man. With the girl shall be handed over two hundred head ofcattle. More, I will do justice: unless she herself consents, sheshall not be put away. Let the Lady Noma be summoned."Now the face of Hafela grew sullen, and watching, Owen saw a swiftchange pass over that of Hokosa. Evidently he was not certain of thewoman. Presently there was a stir, and from the gates of the royalhouse the Lady Noma appeared, attended by women, and stood before theking. She was a tall and lovely girl, and the sunlight flashed uponher bronze-hued breast and her ornaments of ivory. Her black hair wasfastened in a knot upon her neck, her features were fine and small,her gait was delicate and sure as that of an antelope, and her eyeswere beautiful and full of pride. There she stood before the king,looking round her like a stag. Seeing her thus, Owen understood how itcame about that she held two men so strangely different in the hollowof her hand, for her charm was of a nature to appeal to both of them--a charm of the spirit as well as of the flesh. And yet the face washaughty, a face that upon occasion might even become cruel.
　　"You sent for me and I am here, O King," she said, in a slow and quietvoice.
　　"Listen, girl," answered the king. "A while ago the Prince Hafela, myson, named you as her who should be his queen, whereon you were takenand placed in the House of the Royal Women, to abide the day of yourmarriage, which should be to-morrow.""It is true that the prince has honoured me thus, and that you havebeen pleased to approve of his choice," she said, lifting hereyebrows. "What of it, O King?""This, girl: the prince who was pleased to honour you is now pleasedto dishonour you. Here, in the presence of the council and army, heprays of me to annul his sealing to you, and to send you back to thehouse of your guardian, Hokosa the wizard."Noma started, and her face grew hard.
　　"Is it so?" she said. "Then it would seem that I have lost favour inthe eyes of my lord the prince, or that some fairer woman has foundit.""Of these matters I know nothing," replied the king; "but this I know,that if you seek justice you shall have it. Say but the word, and heto whom you were promised in marriage shall take you in marriage,whether he wills or wills it not."At this speech, the face of Hafela was suddenly lit up as with thefire of hope, while over that of Hokosa there passed another subtlechange. The girl glanced at them both and was silent for a while. Herbreast heaved and her white teeth bit upon her lip. To Owen, who notedall, it was clear that rival passions were struggling in her heart:
　　the passion of power and the passion of love, or of some emotion whichhe did not understand. Hokosa fixed his calm eyes upon her with astrange intensity of gaze, and while he gazed his form quivered with asuppressed excitement, much as a snake quivers that is about to strikeits prey. To the careless eye there was nothing remarkable about hislook and attitude; to the observer it was evident that both were fullof extraordinary purpose. He was talking to the girl, not with words,but in some secret language that he and she understood alone. Shestarted as one starts who catches the tone of a well-remembered voicein a crowd of strangers, and lifting her eyes from the ground, whithershe had turned them in meditation, she looked up at Hokosa.
　　Instantly her face began to change. The haughtiness and anger went outof it, it grew troubled, the lips parted in a sigh. First she bent herhead and body towards him, then without more ado she walked to wherehe stood and took him by the hand. Here, at some whispered word orsign, she seemed to recover herself, and again resuming the characterof a proud offended beauty, she curtseyed to Umsuka, and spoke:--"O King, as you see, I have made my choice. I will not force myselfupon a man who scorns me, no, not even to share his place and power,though it is true that I love them both. Nay, I will return to Hokosamy guardian, and to his wife, Zinti, who has been as my mother, andwith them be at peace.""It is well," said the king, "and perhaps, girl, your choice is wise;perhaps your loss is not so great as you have thought. Hafela, takeyou the hand of Hokosa and release the girl back to him according tothe law, promising in the ears of men before the first month of winterto pay him two hundred head of cattle as forfeit, to be held by him intrust for the girl."In a sullen voice, his lips trembling with rage, Hafela did as theking commanded; and when the hands of the conspirators unclasped, Owenperceived that in that of the prince lay a tiny packet.
　　"Mix me the cup of the first-fruits, and swiftly," said the kingagain, "for the sun grows low in the heavens, and ere it sinks I havewords to say."Now a polished gourd filled with native beer was handed to Nodwengo,the second son of the king, and one by one the great councillorsapproached, and, with appropriate words, let fall into it offeringsemblematic of fertility and increase. The first cast in a grain ofcorn; the second, a blade of grass; the third, a shaving from an ox'shorn; the fourth, a drop of water; the fifth, a woman's hair; thesixth, a particle of earth; and so on, until every ingredient wasadded to it that was necessary to the magic brew.
　　Then Hokosa, as chief of the medicine men, blessed the cup accordingto the ancient forms, praying that he whose body was the heavens,whose eyes were lightning, and whose voice was thunder, the spiritwhom they worshipped, might increase and multiply to them during thecoming year all those fruits and elements that were present in thecup, and that every virtue which they contained might comfort the bodyof the king.
　　His prayer finished, it was the turn of Hafela to play his part as theeldest born of the king. Kneeling over the cup which stood upon theground, a spear was handed to him that had been made red hot in thefire. Taking the spear, he stabbed with it towards the four quartersof the horizon; then, muttering some invocation, he plunged it intothe bowl, stirring its contents till the iron grew black. Now he threwaside the spear, and lifting the bowl in both hands, he carried it tohis father and offered it to him.
　　Although he had been unable to see him drop the poison into the cup, aglance at Hafela told Owen that it was there; for though he kept hisface under control, he could not prevent his hands from twitching orthe sweat from starting upon his brow and breast.
　　The king rose, and taking the bowl, held it on high, saying:--"In this cup, which I drink on behalf of the nation, I pledge you, mypeople."It was the signal for the royal salute, for which each regiment hadbeen prepared. As the last word left the king's lips, every one of thethirty thousand men present in that great place began to rattle hiskerry against the surface of his ox-hide shield. At first the soundproduced resembled that of the murmur of the sea; but by slow and justdegrees it grew louder and ever louder, till the roar of it was likethe deepest voice of thunder, a sound awe-inspiring, terrible.
　　Suddenly, when its volume was most, four spears were thrown into theair, and at this signal every man ceased to beat upon his shield. Inthe place itself there was silence, but from the mountains around theechoes still crashed and volleyed. When the last of them had diedaway, the king brought the cup to the level of his lips. Owen saw, andknowing its contents, was almost moved to cry out in warning. Indeed,his arm was lifted and his mouth was open, when by chance he notedHokosa watching him, and remembered. To act now would be madness, histime had not yet come.
　　The cup touched the king's lips, and at the sign from every throat inthat countless multitude sprang the word "/King!/" and every footstamped upon the ground, shaking the solid earth. Thrice the monarchdrank, and thrice this tremendous salute, the salute of the wholenation to its ruler, was repeated, each time more loudly than thelast. Then pouring the rest of the liquor on the ground, Umsuka setaside the cup, and in the midst of a silence that seemed deep afterthe crash of the great salute, he began to address the multitude:--"Hearken, Councillors and Captains, and you, my people, hearken. Asyou know, I have two sons, calves of the Black Bull, princes of theland--my son Hafela, the eldest born, and my son Nodwengo, his half-brother----"At this point the king began to grow confused. He hesitated, passinghis hand over his eyes, then slowly and with difficulty repeated thosewords which he had already said.
　　"We hear you, Father," cried the councillors in encouragement, as forthe second time he paused. While they still spoke, the veins in theking's neck were seen to swell suddenly, foam flecked with blood burstfrom his lips, and he fell headlong to the ground.
Chapter 7 The Recovery Of The King
For a moment there was silence, then a great cry arose--a cry of "Ourfather is dead!" Presently with it were mingled other and angriershouts of "The king is murdered!" and "He is bewitched, the whitewizard has bewitched the king! He prophesied evil upon him, and now hehas bewitched him!"Meanwhile the captains and councillors formed a ring about Umsuka, andHokosa bending over him examined him.
　　"Princes and Councillors," he said presently, "your father yet lives,but his life is like the life of a dying fire and soon he must bedead. This is sure, that one of two things has befallen him: eitherthe heat has caused the blood to boil in his veins and he is smittenwith a stroke from heaven, such as men who are fat and heavy sometimesdie of; or he has been bewitched by a wicked wizard. Yonder standsone," and he pointed to Owen, "who not an hour ago prophesied thatbefore the sun was down great evil should overtake the king. The sunis not yet down, and great evil has overtaken him. Perchance, Princesand Councillors, this white prophet can tell us of the matter.""Perchance I can," answered Owen calmly.
　　"He admits it!" cried some. "Away with him!""Peace!" said Owen, holding the crucifix towards those whose spearsthreatened his life.
　　They shrank back, for this symbol of a dying man terrified them whocould not guess its significance.
　　"Peace," went on Owen, "and listen. Be sure of this, Councillors, thatif I die, your king will die; whereas if I live, your king may live.
　　You ask me of this matter. Where shall I begin? Shall I begin with thetale of two men seated together some nights ago in a hut so dark thatno eyes could see in it, save perchance the eyes of a wizard? What didthey talk of in that hut, and who were those men? They talked, Ithink, of the death of a king and of the crowning of a king. Theytalked of a price to be paid for a certain medicine; and one of themhad a royal air, and one----""Will ye hearken to this wild babbler while your king lies dyingbefore your eyes?" broke in Hokosa, in a shrill, unnatural voice; foralmost palsied with fear as he was at Owen's mysterious words, hestill retained his presence of mind. "Listen now: what is he, and whatdid he say? He is one who comes hither to preach a new faith to us; hecomes, he says, on an embassy from the King of Heaven, who has powerover all things, and who, so these white men preach, can give power toHis servants. Well, let this one cease prating and show us hisstrength, as he has been warned he would be called upon to do. Let himgive us a sign. There before you lies your king, and he is past thehelp of man; even I cannot help him. Therefore, let this messengercure him, or call upon his God to cure him; that seeing, we may knowhim to be a true messenger, and one sent by that King of whom hespeaks. Let him do this now before our eyes, or let him perish as awizard who has bewitched the king. Do you hear my words, Messenger,and can you draw this one back from between the Gates of Death?""I hear them," answered Owen quietly; "and I can--or if I cannot, thenI am willing to pay the penalty with my life. You who are a doctor saythat your king is as one who is already dead, so that whatever I maydo I cannot hurt him further. Therefore I ask this of you, that youstand round and watch, but molest me neither by word nor deed while Iattempt his cure. Do you consent?""It is just; we consent," said the councillors. "Let us see what thewhite man can do, and by the issue let him be judged." But Hokosastared at Owen wondering, and made no answer.
　　"Bring some clean water to me in a gourd," said Owen.
　　It was brought and given to him. He looked round, searching the facesof those about him. Presently his eye fell upon the Prince Nodwengo,and he beckoned to him, saying:--"Come hither, Prince, for you are honest, and I would have you to helpme, and no other man."The prince stepped forward and Owen gave him the gourd of water. Thenhe drew out the little bottle wherein he had stored the juice of thecreeper, and uncorking it, he bade Nodwengo fill it up with water.
　　This done, he clasped his hands, and lifting his eyes to heaven, heprayed aloud in the language of the Amasuka.
　　"O God," he prayed, "upon whose business I am here, grant, I beseechThee, that by Thy Grace power may be given to me to work this miraclein the face of these people, to the end that I may win them to ceasefrom their iniquities, to believe upon Thee, the only true God, and tosave their souls alive. Amen."Having finished his prayer, he took the bottle and shook it; then hecommanded Nodwengo to sit upon the ground and hold his father's headupon his knee. Now, as all might see by many signs, the king was uponthe verge of death, for his lips were purple, his breathing was rareand stertorous, and his heart stood well-nigh still.
　　"Open his mouth and hold down the tongue," said Owen.
　　The prince obeyed, pressing down the tongue with a snuff spoon. Thenplacing the neck of the bottle as far into the throat as it wouldreach, Owen poured the fluid it contained into the body of the king,who made a convulsive movement and instantly seemed to die.
　　"He is dead," said one; "away with the false prophet!""It may be so, or it may not be so," answered Owen. "Wait for the halfof an hour; then, if he shows no sign of life, do what you will withme.""It is well," they said; "so be it."Slowly the minutes slipped by, while the king lay like a corpse beforethem, and outside of that silent ring the soldiers murmured as thewind. The sun was sinking fast, and Hokosa watched it, counting theseconds. At length he spoke:--"The half of the hour that you demanded is dead, White Man, as dead asthe king; and now the time has come for you to die also," and hestretched out his hand to take him.
　　Owen looked at his watch and replied:--"There is still another minute; and you, Hokosa, who are skilled inmedicines, may know that this antidote does not work so swiftly as thebane."The shot was a random one, but it told, for Hokosa fell back and wassilent.
　　The seconds passed on as the minute hand of the watch went round fromten to twenty, from twenty to thirty, from thirty to forty. A few moreinstants and the game was played. Had that dream of his been vainimagining, and was all his faith nothing but a dream wondered Owen?
　　Well, if so, it would be best that he should die. But he did notbelieve that it was so; he believed that the Power above him wouldintervene to save--not him, indeed, but all this people.
　　"Let us make an end," said Hokosa, "the time is done.""Yes," said Owen, "the time is done--and /the king lives!/"Even as he spoke the pulses in the old man's forehead were seen tothrob, and the veins in his neck to swell as they had swollen after hehad swallowed the poison; then once more they shrank to their naturalsize. Umsuka stirred a hand, groaned, sat up, and spoke:--"What has chanced to me?" he said. "I have descended into deepdarkness, now once again I see light."No one answered, for all were staring, terrified and amazed, at theMessenger--the white wizard to whom had been given power to bring menback from the gate of death. At length Owen said:--"This has chanced to you, King: that evil which I prophesied to you ifyou refused to listen to the voice of mercy has fallen upon you. Bynow you would have been dead, had it not pleased Him Whom I serve,working through me, His messenger, to bring you back to look upon thesun. Thank Him, therefore, and worship Him, for He alone is Master ofthe Earth," and he held the crucifix before his eyes.
　　The humbled monarch lifted his hand--he who for many years had madeobeisance to none--and saluted the symbol, saying:--"Messenger, I thank Him and I worship Him, though I know Him not. Saynow, how did His magic work upon me to make me sick to death and torecover me?""By the hand of man, King, and by the virtues that lie hid in Nature.
　　Did you not drink of a cup, and were not many things mixed in thedraught? Was it not but now in your mind to speak words that shouldbring down the head of pride and evil, and lift up the head of truthand goodness?""O White Man, how know you these things?" gasped the king.
　　"I know them, it is enough. Say, who was it that stirred the bowl,King, and who gave you to drink?"Now Umsuka staggered to his feet, and cried aloud in a voice that wasthick with rage:--"By my head and the heads of my fathers I smell the plot! My son, thePrince Hafela, has learned my counsel, and would have slain me beforeI said words that should set him beneath the feet of Nodwengo. Seizehim, captains, and let him be brought before me for judgment!"Men looked this way and that to carry out the command of the king, butHafela was gone. Already he was upon the hillside, running as a manhas rarely run before--his face set towards that fastness in themountains where he could find refuge among his mother's tribesmen andthe regiments which he commanded. Of late they had been sent thitherby the king that they might be far from the Great Place when theirprince was disinherited.
　　"He is fled," said one; "I saw him go.""Pursue him and bring him back, dead or alive!" thundered the king. "Ahundred head of cattle to the man who lays hand upon him before hereaches the /impi/ of the North, for they will fight for him!""Stay!" broke in Owen. "Once before this day I prayed of you, King, toshow mercy, and you refused it. Will you refuse me a second time?
　　Leave him his life who has lost all else.""That he may rebel against me? Well, White Man, I owe you much, andfor this time your wisdom shall be my guide, though my heart speaksagainst such gentleness. Hearken, councillors and people, this is mydecree: that Hafela, my son, who would have murdered me, be deposedfrom his place as heir to my throne, and that Nodwengo, his brother,be set in that place, to rule the People of Fire after me when I die.""It is good, it is just!" said the council. "Let the king's word bedone.""Hearken again," said Umsuka. "Let this white man, who is namedMessenger, be placed in the House of Guests and treated with allhonour; let oxen be given him from the royal herds and corn from thegranaries, and girls of noble blood for wives if he wills them.
　　Hokosa, into your hand I deliver him, and, great though you are, knowthis, that if but a hair of his head is harmed, with your goods andyour life you shall answer for it, you and all your house.""Let the king's word be done," said the councillors again.
　　"Heralds," went on Umsuka, "proclaim that the feast of the first-fruits is ended, and my command is that every regiment should seek itsquarters, taking with it a double gift of cattle from the king, whohas been saved alive by the magic of this white man. And now,Messenger, farewell, for my head grows weary. To-morrow I will speakwith you."Then the king was led away into the royal house, and save those whowere quartered in it, the regiments passed one by one through thegates of the kraal, singing their war-songs as they went. Darknessfell upon the Great Place, and through it parties of men might be seendragging thence the corpses of those who had fallen in the fight withsticks, or been put to death thereafter by order of the king.
　　"Messenger," said Hokosa, bowing before Owen, "be pleased to followme." Then he led him to a little kraal numbering five or six large andbeautifully made huts, which stood by itself, within its own fence, atthe north end of the Great Place, not far from the house of the king.
　　In front of the centre hut a fire was burning, and by its light womenappeared cleaning out the huts and bringing food and water.
　　"Here you may rest in safety, Messenger," said Hokosa, "seeing thatnight and day a guard from the king's own regiment will stand beforeyour doors.""I do not need them," answered Owen, "for none can harm me till myhour comes. I am a stranger here and you are a great man; yet, Hokosa,which of us is the safest this night?""Your meaning?" said Hokosa sharply.
　　"O man!" answered Owen, "when in a certain hour you crept up thevalley yonder, and climbing the Tree of Death gathered its poison,went I not with you? When, before that hour, you sat in yonder hutbargaining with the Prince Hafela--the death of a king for the priceof a girl--was I not with you? Nay, threaten me not--in your own wordsI say it--'lay down that assegai, or by my spirit your body shall bethrown to the kites, as that of one who would murder the king'--andthe king's guest!""White Man," whispered Hokosa throwing down the spear, "how can thesethings be? I was alone in the hut with the prince, I was alone beneaththe Tree of Doom, and you, as I know well, were beyond the river. Yourspies must be good, White Man.""My spirit is my only spy, Hokosa. My spirit watched you, and fromyour own lips he learned the secret of the bane and of the antidote.
　　Hafela mixed the poison as you taught him; I gave the remedy, andsaved the king alive."Now the knees of Hokosa grew weak beneath him, and he leaned againstthe fence of the kraal for support.
　　"I have skill in the art," he said hoarsely; "but, Messenger, yourmagic is more than mine, and my life is forfeit to you. To-morrowmorning, you will tell the king all, and to-morrow night I shall hangupon the dreadful Tree. Well, so be it; I am overmatched at my owntrade, and it is best that I should die. You have plotted well and youhave conquered, and to you belong my place and power.""It was you who plotted, and not I, Hokosa. Did you not contrive thatI should reach the Great Place but a little before the poison wasgiven to the king, so that upon me might be laid the crime of hisbewitching? Did you not plan also that I should be called upon to curehim--a thing you deemed impossible--and when I failed that I should bestraightway butchered?""Seeing that it is useless to lie to you, I confess that it was so,"answered Hokosa boldly.
　　"It was so," repeated Owen; "therefore, according to your law yourlife is forfeit, seeing that you dug a pit to snare the innocent feet.
　　But I come to tell you of a new law, and that which I preach Ipractise. Hokosa, I pardon you, and if you will put aside your evil-doing, I promise you that no word of all your wickedness shall pass mylips.""It has not been my fashion to take a boon at the hand of any man,save of the king only," said the wizard in a humble voice; "but now itseems that I am come to this. Tell me, White Man, what is the paymentthat you seek of me?""None, Hokosa, except that you cease from evil and listen with an openheart to that message which I am sworn to deliver to you and to allyour nation. Also you would do well to put away that fair woman whoseprice was the murder of him that fed you.""I cannot do it," answered the wizard. "I will listen to yourteaching, but I will not rob my heart of her it craves alone. WhiteMan, I am not like the rest of my nation. I have not sought afterwomen; I have but one wife, and she is old and childless. Now, for thefirst time in my days, I love this girl--ah, you know not how!--and Iwill take her, and she shall be the mother of my children.""Then, Hokosa, you will take her to your sorrow," answered Owensolemnly, "for she will learn to hate you who have robbed her ofroyalty and rule, giving her wizardries and your grey hairs in placeof them."And thus for that night they parted.
Chapter 8 The First Trial By Fire
On the following day, while Owen sat eating his morning meal with athankful heart, a messenger arrived saying that the king would receivehim whenever it pleased him to come. He answered that he would be withhim before noon, for already he had learned that among natives oneloses little by delay. A great man, they think, is rich in time, andhurries only to wait upon his superiors.
　　At the appointed hour a guard came to lead him to the royal house, andthither Owen went, followed by John bearing a Bible. Umsuka was seatedbeneath a reed roof supported by poles and open on all sides; behindhim stood councillors and attendants, and by him were Nodwengo theprince, and Hokosa, his mouth and prophet. Although the day was hot,he wore a kaross or rug of wild catskins, and his face showed that theeffects of the poisoned draught were still upon him. At the approachof Owen he rose with something of an effort, and, shaking him by thehand, thanked him for his life, calling him "doctor of doctors.""Tell me, Messenger," he added, "how it was that you were able to cureme, and who were in the plot to kill me? There must have been morethan one," and he rolled his eyes round with angry suspicion.
　　"King," answered Owen, "if I knew anything of this matter, the Powerthat wrote it on my mind has wiped it out again, or, at the least, hasforbidden me to speak of its secret. I saved you, it is enough; forthe rest, the past is the past, and I come to deal with the presentand the future.""This white man keeps his word," thought Hokosa to himself, and helooked at him thanking him with his eyes.
　　"So be it," answered the king; "after all, it is wise not to stir adung-heap, for there we find little beside evil odours and the nestsof snakes. Now, what is your business with me, and why do you comefrom the white man's countries to visit me? I have heard of thosecountries, they are great and far away. I have heard of the white menalso--wonderful men who have all knowledge; but I do not desire tohave anything to do with them, for whenever they meet black peoplethey eat them up, taking their lands and making them slaves. Once,some years ago, two of you white people visited us here, but perhapsyou know that story.""I know it," answered Owen; "one of those men you murdered, and theother you sent back with a message which he delivered into my earsacross the waters; thousands of miles away.""Nay," answered the king, "we did not murder him; he came to us withthe story of a new God who could raise the dead and work othermiracles, and gave such powers to His servants. So a man was slain andwe begged of him to bring him back to life; and since he could not, wekilled him also because he was a liar.""He was no liar," said Owen; "since he never told you that he hadpower to open the mouth of the grave. Still, Heaven is merciful, andalthough you murdered him that was sent to you, his Master has chosenme to follow in his footsteps. Me also you may murder if you will, andthen another and another; but still the messengers shall come, till atlast your ears are opened and you listen. Only, for such deeds yourpunishment must be heavy.""What is the message, White Man?""A message of peace, of forgiveness, and of life beyond the grave, oflife everlasting. Listen, King. Yesterday you were near to death; saynow, had you stepped over the edge of it, where would you be thisday?"Umsuka shrugged his shoulders. "With my fathers, White Man.""And where are your fathers?""Nay, I know not--nowhere, everywhere: the night is full of them; inthe night we hear the echo of their voices. When they are angry theyhaunt the thunder-cloud, and when they are pleased they smile in thesunshine. Sometimes also they appear in the shape of snakes, or visitus in dreams, and then we offer them sacrifice. Yonder on the hillsideis a haunted wood; it is full of their spirits, White Man, but theycannot talk, they only mutter, and their footfalls sound like thedropping of heavy rain, for they are strengthless and unhappy, and inthe end they fade away.""So you say," answered Owen, "who are not altogether withoutunderstanding, yet know little, never having been taught. Now listento me," and very earnestly he preached to him and those about him ofpeace, of forgiveness, and of life everlasting.
　　"Why should a God die miserably upon a cross?" asked the king atlength.
　　"That through His sacrifice men might become as gods," answered Owen.
　　"Believe in Him and He will save you.""How can we do that," asked the king again, "when already we have agod? Can we desert one god and set up another?""What god, King?""I will show him to you, White Man. Let my litter be brought."The litter was brought and the king entered it with labouring breath.
　　Passing through the north gate of the Great Place, the party ascendeda slope of the hill that lay beyond it till they reached a flat plainsome hundreds of yards in width. On this plain vegetation grewscantily, for here the bed rock of ironstone, denuded with frequentand heavy rains, was scarcely hidden by a thin crust of earth. On thefurther side of the plain, however, and separated from it by a littlestream, was a green bank of deep soft soil, beyond which lay a gloomyvalley full of great trees, that for many generations had been theburying-place of the kings of the Amasuka.
　　"This is the house of the god," said the king.
　　"A strange house," answered Owen, "and where is he that dwells in it?""Follow me and I will show you, Messenger; but be swift, for alreadythe sky grows dark with coming tempest."Now at the king's command the bearers bore him across the sere plateautowards a stone that lay almost in its centre. Presently they halted,and, pointing to this mass, the king said:--"Behold the god!"Owen advanced and examined the object. A glance told him that this godof the Amasuka was a meteoric stone of unusual size. Most of suchstones are mere shapeless lumps, but this one bore a peculiarresemblance to a seated human being holding up one arm towards thesky. So strange was this likeness that, other reasons apart, it seemednot wonderful that savages should regard the thing with awe andveneration. Rather would it have been wonderful had they not done so.
　　"Say now," said Owen to the king when he had inspected the stone,"what is the history of this dumb god of yours, and why do you worshiphim?""Follow me across the stream and I will tell you, Messenger," answeredthe king, again glancing at the sky. "The storm gathers, and when itbreaks none are safe upon this plain except the heaven doctors such asHokosa and his companions who can bind the lightning."So they went and when they reached the further side of the streamUmsuka descended from his litter.
　　"Messenger," he said, "this is the story of the god as it has comedown to us. From the beginning our land has been scourged withlightning above all other lands, and with the floods of rain thataccompany the lightning. In the old days the Great Place of the kingwas out yonder among the mountains, but every year fire from heavenfell upon it, destroying much people: and at length in a great tempestthe house of the king of that day was smitten and burned, and hiswives and children were turned to ashes. Then that king held a councilof his wizards and fire-doctors, and these having consulted thespirits of their forefathers, retired into a place apart to fast andpray; yes, it was in yonder valley, the burying ground of kings, thatthey hid themselves. Now on the third night the God of Fire appearedto the chief of the doctors in his sleep, and he was shaped like aburning brand and smoke went up from him. Out of the smoke he spoke tothe doctor, saying: 'For this reason it is that I torment your people,that they hate me and curse at me and pay me little honour.'
　　"In his dream the doctor answered: 'How can the people honour a godthat they do not see?' Then the god said: 'Rise up now in the night,all the company of you, and go take your stand upon the banks ofyonder stream, and I will fall down in fire from heaven, and there onthe plain you shall find my image. Then let your king move his GreatPlace into the valley beneath the plain, and henceforth my bolts shallspare it and him. Only, month by month you shall make prayers andofferings to me; moreover, the name of the people shall be changed,for it shall be called the People of Fire.'
　　"Now the doctor rose, and having awakened his companions, he told themof his vision. Then they all of them went down to the banks of thisstream where we now stand. And as they waited there a great tempestburst over them, and in the midst of that tempest they saw the flamingfigure of a man descend from heaven, and when he touched the earth itshook. The morning came and there upon the plain before them, wherethere had been nothing, sat the likeness of the god as it sits to-dayand shall sit for ever. So the name of this people was changed, andthe king's Great Place was built where it now is.
　　"Since that day, Messenger, no hut has been burned and no man killedin or about the Great Place by fire from heaven, which falls only herewhere the god is, though away among the mountains and elsewhere menare sometimes killed. But wait a while and you shall see with youreyes. Hokosa, do you, whom the lightning will not touch, take thatpole of dead wood and set it up yonder in the crevice of the rock notfar from the figure of the god.""I obey," said Hokosa, "although I have brought no medicines with me.
　　Perhaps," he added with a faint sneer, "the white man, who is so greata wizard, will not be afraid to accompany me."Now Owen saw that all those present were looking at him curiously. Itwas evident they believed that he would not dare to accept thechallenge. Therefore he answered at once and without hesitation:--"Certainly I will come; the pole is heavy for one man to carry, andwhere Hokosa goes, there I can go also.""Nay, nay, Messenger," said the king, "the lightning knows Hokosa andwill turn from him, but you are a stranger to it and it will eat youup.""King," answered Owen, "I do not believe that Hokosa has any powerover the lightning. It may strike him or it may strike me; but unlessmy God so commands, it will strike neither of us.""On your head be it, White Man," said Hokosa, with cold anger. "Come,aid me with the pole."Then they lifted the dead tree, and between them carried it into themiddle of the plain, where they set it up in a crevice of the rock. Bythis time the storm was almost over them, and watching it Owenperceived that the lightnings struck always along the bank of thestream, doubtless following a hidden line of the bed of ironstone.
　　"It is but a very little storm," said Hokosa contemptuously, "such asvisit us almost every afternoon at this period of the year. Ah! WhiteMan, I would that you could see one of our great tempests, for theseare worth beholding. This I fear, however, that you will never do,seeing it is likely that within some few minutes you will have passedback to that King who sent you here, with a hole in your head and ablack mark down your spine.""That we shall learn presently, Hokosa," answered Owen; "for my part,I pray that no such fate may overtake you."Now Hokosa moved himself away, muttering and pointing with hisfingers, but Owen remained standing within about thirty yards of thepole. Suddenly there came a glare of light, and the pole was splitinto fragments; but although the shock was perceptible, they remainedunhurt. Almost immediately a second flash leaped from the cloud, andOwen saw Hokosa stagger and fall to his knees. "The man is struck," hethought to himself, but it was not so, for recovering his balance, thewizard walked back to the stream.
　　Owen never stirred. From boyhood courage had been one of his goodqualities, but it was a courage of the spirit rather than of theflesh. For instance, at this very moment, so far as his body wasconcerned, he was much afraid, and did not in the least enjoy standingupon an ironstone plateau at the imminent risk of being destroyed bylightning. But even if he had not had an end to gain, he would havescorned to give way to his human frailties; also, now as always, hisfaith supported him. As it happened the storm, which was slight,passed by, and no more flashes fell. When it was over he walked backto where the king and his court were standing.
　　"Messenger," said Umsuka, "you are not only a great doctor, you arealso a brave man, and such I honour. There is no one among us here,not being a lord of the lightning, who would have dared to stand uponthat place with Hokosa while the flashes fell about him. Yet you havedone it; it was Hokosa who was driven away. You have passed the trialby fire, and henceforth, whether we refuse your message or accept it,you are great in this land.""There is no need to praise me, King," answered Owen. "The risk issomething; but I knew that I was protected from it, seeing that Ishall not die until my hour comes, and it is not yet. Listen now: yourgod yonder is nothing but a stone such as I have often seen before,for sometimes in great tempests they come to earth from the clouds.
　　You are not the first people that have worshipped such a stone, butnow we know better. Also this plain before you is full of iron, andiron draws the lightning. That is why it never strikes your townbelow. The iron attracts it more strongly than earth and huts ofstraw. Again, while the pole stood I was in little danger, for thelightning strikes the highest thing; but after the pole was shatteredand Hokosa wisely went away, then I was in some danger, only noflashes fell. I am not a magician, King, but I know some things thatyou do not know, and I trust in One whom I shall lead you to trustalso.""We will talk of this more hereafter," said the king hurriedly, "forone day, I have heard and seen enough. Also I do not believe yourwords, for I have noted ever that those who are the greatest wizardsof all say continually that they have no magic power. Hokosa, you havebeen famous in your day, but it seems that henceforth you who have ledmust follow.""The battle is not yet fought, King," answered Hokosa. "To-day I metthe lightnings without my medicines, and it was a little storm; when Iam prepared with my medicines and the tempest is great, then I willchallenge this white man to face me yonder, and then in that hour /my/god shall show his strength and /his/ God shall not be able to savehim.""That we shall see when the time comes," answered Owen, with a smile.
　　That night as Owen sat in his hut working at the translation of St.
　　John, the door was opened and Hokosa entered.
　　"White Man," said the wizard, "you are too strong for me, thoughwhence you have your power I know not. Let us make a bargain. Show meyour magic and I will show you mine, and we will rule the land betweenus. You and I are much akin--we are great; we have the spirit sight;we know that there are things beyond the things we see and hear andfeel; whereas, for the rest, they are fools, following the fleshalone. I have spoken.""Very gladly will I show you my magic, Hokosa," answered Owencheerfully, "since, to speak truth, though I know you to be wicked,and guess that you would be glad to be rid of me by fair means orfoul; yet I have taken a liking for you, seeing in you one who from asinner may grow into a saint.
　　"This then is my magic: To love God and serve man; to eschew wizardry,wealth, and power; to seek after holiness, poverty and humility; todeny your flesh, and to make yourself small in the sight of men, thatso perchance you may grow great in the sight of Heaven and save yoursoul alive.""I have no stomach for that lesson," said Hokosa.
　　"Yet you shall live to hunger for it," answered Owen. And the wizardwent away angered but wondering.
Chapter 9 The Crisis
Now, day by day for something over a month Owen preached the Gospelbefore the king, his councillors, and hundreds of the head men of thenation. They listened to him attentively, debating the new doctrinepoint by point; for although they might be savages, these people werevery keen-witted and subtle. Very patiently did Owen sow, and atlength to his infinite joy he also gathered in his first-fruit. Onenight as he sat in his hut labouring as usual at the work oftranslation, wherein he was assisted by John whom he had taught toread and write, the Prince Nodwengo entered and greeted him. For awhile he sat silent watching the white man at his task, then hesaid:--"Messenger, I have a boon to ask of you. Can you teach me tounderstand those signs which you set upon the paper, and to make themalso as does John your servant?""Certainly," answered Owen; "if you will come to me at noon to-morrow,we will begin."The prince thanked him, but he did not go away. Indeed, from hismanner Owen guessed that he had something more upon his mind. Atlength it came out.
　　"Messenger," he said, "you have told us of baptism whereby we areadmitted into the army of your King; say, have you the power of thisrite?""I have.""And is your servant here baptised?""He is.""Then if he who is a common man can be baptised, why may not I who ama prince?""In baptism," answered Owen, "there is no distinction between thehighest and the lowest; but if you believe, then the door is open andthrough it you can join the company of Heaven.""Messenger, I do believe," answered the prince humbly.
　　Then Owen was very joyful, and that same night, with John for awitness, he baptised the prince, giving him the new name ofConstantine, after the first Christian emperor.
　　On the following day Nodwengo, in the presence of Owen, who on thispoint would suffer no concealment, announced to the king that he hadbecome a Christian. Umsuka heard, and for a while sat silent. Then hesaid in a troubled voice:--"Truly, Messenger, in the words of that Book from which you read tous, I fear that you have come hither to bring, 'not peace but asword.' Now when the witch-doctors and the priests of fire learn this,that he whom I have chosen to succeed me has become the servant ofanother faith, they will stir up the soldiers and there will be civilwar. I pray you, therefore, keep the matter secret, at any rate for awhile, seeing that the lives of many are at stake.""In this, my father," answered the prince, "I must do as the Messengerbids me; but if you desire it, take from me the right of successionand call back my brother from the northern mountains.""That by poison or the spear he may put all of us to death, Nodwengo!
　　Be not afraid; ere long when he learns all that is happening here,your brother Hafela will come from the northern mountains, and thespears of his /impis/ shall be countless as the stars of the sky.
　　Messenger, you desire to draw us to the arms of your God--and myself,I am at times minded to follow the path of my son Nodwengo and seek arefuge there--but say, will they be strong enough to protect us fromHafela and the warriors of the north? Already he gathers his clans,and already my captains desert to him. By-and-by, in the spring-time--may I be dead before the day--he will roll down upon us like a floodof water----""To fall back like waters from a wall of rock," answered Owen. "'Letnot your heart be troubled,' for my Master can protect His servants,and He will protect you. But first you must confess Him openly, asyour son has done.""Nay, I am too old to hurry," said the king with a sigh. "Your taleseems full of promise to one who is near the grave; but how can I knowthat it is more than a dream? And shall I abandon the worship of myfathers and change, or strive to change, the customs of my people tofollow after dreams? Nodwengo has chosen his part, and I do not blamehim; yet, for the present I beseech you both to keep silence on thismatter, lest to save bloodshed I should be driven to side againstyou.""So be it, King," said Owen; "but I warn you that Truth has a loudvoice, and that it is hard to hide the shining of a light in a darkplace, nor does it please my Lord to be denied by those who confessHim.""I am weary," replied the old king, and they saluted him and went.
　　In obedience to the wish of Umsuka his father, the conversion ofNodwengo was kept secret, and yet--none knew how--the thing leakedout. Soon the women in their huts, and the soldiers by their watch-fires, whispered it in each other's ears that he who was appointed tobe their future ruler had become a servant of the unknown God. That hehad forsworn war and all the delights of men; that he would take butone wife and appear before the army, not in the uniform of a general,but clad in a white robe, and carry, not the broad spear, but a crossof wood. Swiftly the strange story flew from mouth to mouth, yet itwas not altogether believed till it chanced that one day when he wasreviewing a regiment, a soldier who was drunk with beer openlyinsulted the prince, calling him "a coward who worshipped a coward."Now men held their breaths, waiting to see this fool led away to dieby torture of the ant-heap or some other dreadful doom. But the princeonly answered:
　　"Soldier, you are drunk, therefore I forgive you your words. WhetherHe Whom you blaspheme will forgive you, I know not. Get you gone!"The warriors stared and murmured, for by those words, wittingly orunwittingly, their general had confessed his faith, and that day theymade ribald songs about him in the camp. But on the morrow when theylearned how that the man whom the prince spared had been seized by alion and taken away as he sat at night with his companions in thebivouac, his mouth full of boasting of his own courage in offeringinsult to the prince and the new faith, then they looked at each otheraskance and said little more of the matter. Doubtless it was chance,and yet this Spirit Whom the Messenger preached was one of Whom itseemed wisest not to speak lightly.
　　But still the trouble grew, for by now the witch-doctors, with Hokosaat the head of them, were frightened for their place and power, andfomented it both openly and in secret. Of the women they asked whatwould become of them when men were allowed to take but one wife? Ofthe heads of kraals, how they would grow wealthy when their daughtersceased to be worth cattle? Of the councillors and generals, how theland could be protected from its foes when they were commanded to laydown the spear? Of the soldiers, whose only trade was war, how itwould please them to till the fields like girls? Dismay took hold ofthe nation, and although they were much loved, there was open talk ofkilling or driving away the king and Nodwengo who favoured the whiteman, and of setting up Hafela in their place.
　　At length the crisis came, and in this fashion. The Amasuka, like manyother African tribes, had a strange veneration for certain varietiesof snakes which they declared to be possessed by the spirits of theirancestors. It was a law among them that if one of these snakes entereda kraal it must not be killed, or even driven away, under pain ofdeath, but must be allowed to share with the human occupants any hutthat it might select. As a result of this enforced hospitality deathsfrom snake-bite were numerous among the people; but when they happenedin a kraal its owners met with little sympathy, for the doctorsexplained that the real cause of them was the anger of some ancestralspirit towards his descendants. Now, before John was despatched toinstruct Owen in the language of the Amasuka a certain girl was sealedto him as his future wife, and this girl, who during his absence hadbeen orphaned, he had married recently with the approval of Owen, whoat this time was preparing her for baptism. On the third morning afterhis marriage John appeared before his master in the last extremity ofgrief and terror.
　　"Help me, Messenger!" he cried, "for my ancestral spirit has enteredour hut and bitten my wife as she lay asleep.""Are you mad?" asked Owen. "What is an ancestral spirit, and how canit have bitten your wife?""A snake," gasped John, "a green snake of the worst sort."Then Owen remembered the superstition, and snatching blue-stone andspirits of wine from his medicine chest, he rushed to John's hut. Asit happened, he was fortunately in time with his remedies andsucceeded in saving the woman's life, whereby his reputation as adoctor and a magician, already great, was considerably enlarged.
　　"Where is the snake?" he asked when at length she was out of danger.
　　"Yonder, under the kaross," answered John, pointing to a skin rugwhich lay in the corner.
　　"Have you killed it?""No, Messenger," answered the man, "I dare not. Alas! we must livewith the thing here in the hut till it chooses to go away.""Truly," said Owen, "I am ashamed to think that you who are aChristian should still believe so horrible a superstition. Does yourfaith teach you that the souls of men enter into snakes?"Now John hung his head; then snatching a kerry, he threw aside thekaross, revealing a great green serpent seven or eight feet long. Withfury he fell upon the reptile, killed it by repeated blows, and hurledit into the courtyard outside the house.
　　"Behold, father," he said, "and judge whether I am stillsuperstitious." Then his countenance fell and he added: "Yet my lifemust pay for this deed, for it is an ancient law among us that to harmone of these snakes is death.""Have no fear," said Owen, "a way will be found out of this trouble."That afternoon Owen heard a great hubbub outside his kraal, and goingto see what was the matter, he found a party of the witch-doctorsdragging John towards the place of judgment, which was by the king'shouse. Thither he followed to discover that the case was already incourse of being opened before the king, his council, and a vastaudience of the people. Hokosa was the accuser. In brief and pregnantsentences, producing the dead snake in proof of his argument, hepointed out the enormity of the offence against the laws of theAmasuka wherewith the prisoner was charged, demanding that the man whohad killed the house of his ancestral spirit should instantly be putto death.
　　"What have you to say?" asked the king of John.
　　"This, O King," replied John, "that I am a Christian, and to me thatsnake is nothing but a noxious reptile. It bit my wife, and had it notbeen for the medicine of the Messenger, she would have perished of thepoison. Therefore I killed it before it could harm others.""It is a fair answer," said the king. "Hokosa, I think that this manshould go free.""The king's will is the law," replied Hokosa bitterly; "but if the lawwere the king's will, the decision would be otherwise. This man hasslain, not a snake, but that which held the spirit of an ancestor, andfor the deed he deserves to die. Hearken, O King, for the business islarger than it seems. How are we to be governed henceforth? Are we tofollow our ancient rules and customs, or must we submit ourselves to anew rule and a new custom? I tell you, O King, that the people murmur;they are without light, they wander in the darkness, they cannotunderstand. Play with us no more, but let us hear the truth that wemay judge of this matter."Umsuka looked at Owen, but made no reply.
　　"I will answer you, Hokosa," said Owen, "for I am the spring of allthis trouble, and at my command that man, my disciple, killed yondersnake. What is it? It is nothing but a reptile; no human spirit everdwelt within it as you imagine in your superstition. You ask to hearthe truth; day by day I have preached it in your ears and you have notlistened, though many among you have listened and understood. What isit that you seek?""We seek, Messenger, to be rid of you, your fantasies and yourreligion; and we demand that our king should expel you and restore theancient laws, or failing this, that you should prove your power openlybefore us all. Your word, O King!"Umsuka thought for a while and answered:--"This is my word, Hokosa: I will not drive the Messenger from theland, for he is a good man; he saved my life, and there is virtue inhis teaching, towards which I myself incline. Yet it is just that heshould be asked to prove his power, so that an end may be put to doubtand all of us may learn what god we are to worship.""How can I prove my power," asked Owen, "further than I have proved italready? Does Hokosa desire to set up his god against my God--thefalse against the true?""I do," answered the wizard with passion, "and according to the issuelet the judgment be. Let us halt no longer between two opinions, letus become wholly Christian or rest wholly heathen, for to be dividedis to be destroyed. The magic of the Messenger is great; once and forall let us learn if it is more than our magic. Let us put him and hisdoctrines to the trial by fire.""What is the trial by fire?" asked Owen.
　　"You have seen something of it, White Man, but not much. This is thetrial by fire: to stand yonder before the face of the god of thunderwhen a great tempest rages--not such a storm as you saw, but a stormthat splits the heavens--and to come thence unscathed. Listen: I whoam a 'heaven-herd,' I who know the signs of the weather, tell you thatwithin two days such a tempest as this will break upon us. Then WhiteMan, I and my companions will be ready to meet you on the plain. Takethe cross by which you swear and set it up yonder and stand by it, andwith you your converts, Nodwengo the prince, and this man whom youhave named John, if they dare to go. Over against you, around thesymbol of the god by which we swear, will stand I and my company, andwe will pray our god and you shall pray your God. Then the storm willbreak upon us, and when it is ended we shall learn which of us remainalive. If you and your cross are shattered, to us will be the victory;if we are laid low, take it for your own. Your judgment, King!"Again Umsuka thought and answered:--"So be it. Messenger, hear me. There is no need for you to accept thischallenge; but if you will not accept it, then go from my country inpeace, taking with you those who cleave to you. If on the other handyou do accept it, these shall be the stakes: that if you pass thetrial unharmed, and the fire-doctors are swept away, your creed shallbe my creed and the creed of the land; but if the fire-doctors prevailagainst you, then it shall be death or banishment to any who professthat creed. Now choose!""I have chosen," said Owen. "I will meet Hokosa and his company on thePlace of fire whenever he may appoint, but for the others I cannotsay.""We will come with you," said Nodwengo and John, with one voice;"where you go, Messenger, we will surely follow."
Chapter 10 The Second Trial By Fire
When this momentous discussion was finished, as usual Owen preachedbefore the king, expounding the Scriptures and taking for his subjectthe duty of faith. As he went back to his hut he saw that the snakewhich John had killed had been set upon a pole in that part of theGreat Place which served as a market, and that hundreds of nativeswere gathered beneath it gesticulating and talking excitedly.
　　"See the work of Hokosa," he thought to himself. "Moses set up aserpent to save the people; yonder wizard sets up one to destroythem."That evening Owen had no heart for his labours, for his mind was heavyat the prospect of the trial which lay before him. Not that he caredfor his own life, for of this he scarcely thought; it was theprospects of his cause which troubled him. It seemed much to expectthat Heaven again should throw over him the mantle of its especialprotection, and yet if it did not do so there was an end of hismission among the People of Fire. Well, he did not seek this trial--hewould have avoided it if he could, but it had been thrust upon him,and he was forced to choose between it and the abandonment of the workwhich he had undertaken with such high hopes and pushed so far towardsuccess. He did not choose the path, it had been pointed out to him towalk upon; and if it ended in a precipice, at least he would have donehis best.
　　As he thought thus John entered the hut, panting.
　　"What is the matter?" Owen asked.
　　"Father, the people saw and pursued me because of the death of thataccursed snake. Had I not run fast and escaped them, I think theywould have killed me.""At least you have escaped, John; so be comforted and return thanks.""Father," said the man presently, "I know that you are great, and cando many wonderful things, but have you in truth power over lightning?""Why do you ask?""Because a great tempest is brewing, and if you have not we shallcertainly be killed when we stand yonder on the Place of Fire.""John," he said, "I cannot speak to the lightning in a voice which itcan hear. I cannot say to it 'go yonder,' or 'come hither,' but He Whomade it can do so. Why do you tempt me with your doubts? Have I nottold you the story of Elijah the prophet and the priests of Baal? DidElijah's Master forsake him, and shall He forsake us? Also this iscertain, that all the medicine of Hokosa and his wizards will not turna lightning flash by the breadth of a single hair. God alone can turnit, and for the sake of His cause among these people I believe that Hewill do so."Thus Owen spoke on till, in reproving the weakness of another, he felthis own faith come back to him and, remembering the past and how hehad been preserved in it, the doubt and trouble went out of his mindto return no more.
　　The third day--the day of trial--came. For sixty hours or more theheat of the weather had been intense; indeed, during all that time thethermometer in Owen's hut, notwithstanding the protection of a thickhatch, had shown the temperature to vary between a maximum of 113 anda minimum of 101 degrees. Now, in the early morning, it stood at 108.
　　"Will the storm break to-day?" asked Owen of Nodwengo, who came tovisit him.
　　"They say so, Messenger, and I think it by the feel of the air. If so,it will be a very great storm, for the heaven is full of fire. AlreadyHokosa and the doctors are at their rites upon the plain yonder, butthere will be no need to join them till two hours after midday.""Is the cross ready?" asked Owen.
　　"Yes, and set up. It is a heavy cross; six men could scarcely carryit. Oh! Messenger, I am not afraid--and yet, have you no medicine? Ifnot, I fear that the lightning will fall upon the cross as it fellupon the pole and then----""Listen, Nodwengo," said Owen, "I know a medicine, but I will not useit. You see that waggon chain? Were one end of it buried in the groundand the other with a spear blade made fast to it hung to the top ofthe cross, we could live out the fiercest storm in safety. But I saythat I will not use it. Are we witch doctors that we should takerefuge in tricks? No, let faith be our shield, and if it fail us, thenlet us die. Pray now with me that it may not fail us."*****It was afternoon. All round the Field of Fire were gathered thousandsupon thousands of the people of the Amasuka. The news of this duelbetween the God of the white man and their god had travelled far andwide, and even the very aged who could scarcely crawl and the littleones who must be carried were collected there to see the issue. Norhad they need to fear disappointment, for already the sky was halfhidden by dense thunder-clouds piled ridge on ridge, and the hush ofthe coming tempest lay upon the earth. Round about the meteor stonewhich they called a god, each of them stirring a little gourd ofmedicine that was placed upon the ground before him, but uttering noword, were gathered Hokosa and his followers to the number of twenty.
　　They were all of them arrayed in their snakeskin dresses and otherwizard finery. Also each man held in his hand a wand fashioned from ahuman thigh-bone. In front of the stone burned a little fire, whichnow and again Hokosa fed with aromatic leaves, at the same timepouring medicine from his bowl upon the holy stone. Opposite thesymbol of the god, but at a good distance from it, a great cross ofwhite wood was set up in the rock by a spot which the witch-doctorsthemselves had chosen. Upon the banks of the stream, in the placeapart, were the king, his councillors and the regiment on guard, andwith them Owen, the Prince Nodwengo and John.
　　"The storm will be fierce," said the king uneasily, glancing at thewestern sky, upon whose bosom the blue lightnings played with anincessant flicker. Then he bade those about him stand back, andcalling Owen and the prince to him, said: "Messenger, my son tells methat your wisdom knows a plan whereby you may be preserved from thefury of the tempest. Use it, I pray of you, Messenger, that your lifemay be saved, and with it the life of the only son who is left to me.""I cannot," answered Owen, "for thus by doubting Him I should tempt myMaster. Still, it is not laid upon the prince to accompany throughthis trial. Let him stay here, and I alone will stand beneath thecross.""Stay, Nodwengo," implored the old man.
　　"I did not think to live to hear my father bid me, one of the royalblood of the Amasuka, to desert my captain in the hour of battle andhide myself in the grass like a woman," answered the prince with abitter smile. "Nay, it may be that death awaits me yonder, but nothingexcept death shall keep me back from the venture.""It is well spoken," said the king; "be it as you will."Now the company of wizards, leaving their medicine-pots upon theground, formed themselves in a treble line, and marching to where theking stood, they saluted him. Then they sang the praises of their god,and in a song that had been prepared, heaped insult upon the God ofthe white man and upon the messenger who preached Him. To all of thisOwen listened in silence.
　　"He is a coward!" cried their spokesman; "he has not a word to say. Heskulks there in his white robes behind the majesty of the king. Lethim go forth and stand by his piece of wood. He dare not go! He thinksthe hillside safer. Come out, little White Man, and we will show youhow we manage the lightnings. Ah! they shall fly about you like spearsin battle. You shall throw yourself upon the ground and shriek interror, and then they will lick you up and you shall be no more, andthere will be an end of you and the symbol of your God.""Cease your boastings," said the king shortly, "and get you back toyour place, knowing that if it should chance that the white manconquers you will be called upon to answer for these words.""We shall be ready, O King," they cried; and amidst the cheers of thevast audience they marched back to their station, still singing theblasphemous mocking song.
　　Now to the west all the heavens were black as night, though theeastern sky still showed blue and cloudless. Nature lay oppressed withsilence--silence intense and unnatural; and so great was the heat thatthe air danced visibly above the ironstone as it dances about aglowing stove. Suddenly the quietude was broken by a moaning sound ofwind; the grass stirred, the leaves of the trees began to shiver, andan icy breath beat upon Owen's brow.
　　"Let us be going," he said, and lifting the ivory crucifix above hishead, he passed the stream and walked towards the wooden cross. Afterhim came the Prince Nodwengo, wearing his royal dress of leopard skin,and after him, John, arrayed in a linen robe.
　　As the little procession appeared to their view some of the soldiersbegan to mock, but almost instantly the laughter died away. Rude asthey were, these savages understood that here was no occasion fortheir mirth, that the three men indeed seemed clothed with a curiousdignity. Perhaps it was their slow and quiet gait, perhaps a sense ofthe errand upon which they were bound; or it may have been the strangeunearthly light that fell upon them from over the edge of the stormcloud; at the least, as the multitude became aware, their appearancewas impressive. They reached the cross and took up their stationsthere, Owen in front of it, Nodwengo to the right, and John to theleft.
　　Now a sharp squall of strong wind swept across the space, and with itcame a flaw of rain. It passed by, and the storm that had beenmuttering and growling in the distance began to burst. The greatclouds seemed to grow and swell, and from the breast of them swiftlightnings leapt, to be met by other lightnings rushing upwards fromthe earth. The air was filled with a tumult of uncertain wind and ahiss as of distant rain. Then the batteries of thunder were opened,and the world shook with their volume. Down from on high the flashesfell blinding and incessant, and by the light of them the fire-doctorscould be seen running to and fro, pointing now here and now there withtheir wands of human bones, and pouring the medicines from theirgourds upon the ground and upon each other. Owen and his twocompanions could be seen also, standing quietly with clasped hands,while above them towered the tall white cross.
　　At length the storm was straight over head. Slowly it advanced in itsawe-inspiring might as flash after flash, each more fantastic andhorrible than the last, smote upon the floor of ironstone. It playedabout the shapes of the doctors, who in the midst of it looked likedevils in an inferno. It crept onwards towards the station of thecross, but--/it never reached the cross/.
　　One flash struck indeed within fifty paces of where Owen stood. Thenof a sudden a marvel happened, or something which to this day thePeople of Fire talk of as a marvel, for in an instant the rain beganto pour like a wall of water stretching from earth to heaven, and thewind changed. It had been blowing from the west, now it blew from theeast with the force of a gale.
　　It blew and rolled the tempest back upon itself, causing it to returnto the regions whence it had gathered. At the very foot of the crossits march was stayed; there was the water-line, as straight as if ithad been drawn with a rule. The thunder-clouds that were pressedforward met the clouds that were pressed back, and together theyseemed to come to earth, filling the air with a gloom so dense thatthe eye could not pierce it. To the west was a wall of blacknesstowering to the heavens; to the east, light, blue and unholy, gleamedupon the white cross and the figures of its watchers.
　　For some seconds--twenty or more--there was a lull, and then it seemedas though all hell had broken loose upon the world. The wall ofblackness became a wall of flame, in which strange and ardent shapesappeared ascending and descending; the thunder bellowed till themountains rocked, and in one last blaze, awful and indescribable, theskies melted into a deluge of fire. In the flare of it Owen thoughtthat he saw the figures of men falling this way and that, then hestaggered against the cross for support and his senses failed him.
　　*****When they returned again, he perceived the storm being drawn back fromthe face of the pale earth like a pall from the face of the dead, andhe heard a murmur of fear and wonder rising from ten thousand throats.
　　*****Well might they fear and wonder, for of the twenty and one wizardseleven were dead, four were paralysed by shock, five were flying intheir terror, and one, Hokosa himself, stood staring at the fallen, avery picture of despair. Nor was this all, for the meteor stone with ahuman shape which for generations the People of Fire had worshipped asa god, lay upon the plain in fused and shattered fragments.
　　The people saw, and a sound as of a hollow groan of terror went upfrom them. Then they were silent. For a while Owen and his companionswere silent also, since their hearts were too full for speech. Then hesaid:--"As the snake fell harmless from the hand of Paul, so has thelightning turned back from me, who strive to follow in his footsteps,working death and dismay among those who would have harmed us. Mayforgiveness be theirs who were without understanding. Brethren, let usreturn and make report to the king."Now, as they had come, so they went back; first Owen with thecrucifix, next to him Nodwengo, and last of the three John. They drewnear to the king, when suddenly, moved by a common impulse, thethousands of the people upon the banks of the stream with one accordthrew themselves upon their knees before Owen, calling him God andoffering him worship. Infected by the contagion, Umsuka, his guard andhis councillors followed their example, so that of all the multitudeHokosa alone remained upon his feet, standing by his dishonoured andriven deity.
　　"Rise!" cried Owen aghast. "Would you do sacrilege, and offer worshipto a man? Rise, I command you!"Then the king rose, saying:--"You are no man, Messenger, you are a spirit.""He is a spirit," repeated the multitude after him.
　　"I am /not/ a spirit, I am yet a man," cried Owen again, "but theSpirit Whom I serve has made His power manifest in me His servant, andyour idols are smitten with the sword of His power, O ye Sons of Fire!
　　Hokosa still lives, let him be brought hither."They fetched Hokosa, and he stood before them.
　　"You have seen, Wizard," said the king. "What have you to say?""Nothing," answered Hokosa, "save that victory is to the Cross, and tothe white man who preaches it, for his magic is greater than ourmagic. By his command the tempest was stayed, and the boasts we hurledfell back upon our heads and the head of our god to destroy us.""Yes," said the king, "victory is to the Cross, and henceforth theCross shall be worshipped in this land, or at least no other god shallbe worshipped. Let us be going. Come with me, Messenger, Lord of theLightning."
Chapter 11 The Wisdom Of The Dead
On the morrow Owen baptised the king, many of his councillors, andsome twenty others whom he considered fit to receive the rite. Also hedespatched his first convert John, with other messengers, on a threemonths' journey to the coast, giving them letters acquainting thebishop and others with his marvellous success, and praying thatmissionaries might be sent to assist him in his labours.
　　Now day by day the Church grew till it numbered hundreds of souls, andthousands more hovered on its threshold. From dawn to dark Owentoiled, preaching, exhorting, confessing, gathering in his harvest;and from dark to midnight he pored over his translation of theScriptures, teaching Nodwengo and a few others how to read and writethem. But although his efforts were crowned with so signal andextraordinary a triumph, he was well aware of the dangers thatthreatened the life of the infant Church. Many accepted it indeed, andstill more tolerated it; but there remained multitudes who regardedthe new religion with suspicion and veiled hatred. Nor was thisstrange, seeing that the hearts of men are not changed in an hour ortheir ancient customs easily overset.
　　On one point, indeed, Owen had to give way. The Amasuka were apolygamous people; all their law and traditions were interwoven withpolygamy, and to abolish that institution suddenly and with violencewould have brought their social fabric to the ground. Now, as he knewwell, the missionary Church declares in effect that no man can be botha Christian and a polygamist; therefore among the followers of thatcustom the missionary Church makes but little progress. Not withoutmany qualms and hesitations, Owen, having only the Scriptures toconsult, came to a compromise with his converts. If a man alreadymarried to more than one wife wished to become a Christian, hepermitted him to do so upon the condition that he took no more wives;while a man unmarried at the time of his conversion might take onewife only. This decree, liberal as it was, caused greatdissatisfaction among both men and women. But it was as nothingcompared to the feeling that was evoked by Owen's preaching againstall war not undertaken in self-defence, and against the strict lawswhich he prevailed upon the king to pass, suppressing the practice ofwizardry, and declaring the chief or doctor who caused a man to be"smelt out" and killed upon charges of witchcraft to be guilty ofmurder.
　　At first whenever Owen went abroad he was surrounded by thousands ofpeople who followed him in the expectation that he would workmiracles, which, after his exploits with the lightning, they were wellpersuaded that he could do if he chose. But he worked no moremiracles; he only preached to them a doctrine adverse to their customsand foreign to their thoughts.
　　So it came about that in time, when the novelty was gone off and thestory of his victory over the Fire-god had grown stale, although thework of conversion went on steadily, many of the people grew weary ofthe white man and his doctrines. Soon this weariness found expressionin various ways, and in none more markedly than by the constantdesertions from the ranks of the king's regiments. At first, by Owen'sadvice, the king tolerated these desertions; but at length, havingobtained information that an entire regiment purposed absconding atdawn, he caused it to be surrounded and seized by night. Next morninghe addressed that regiment, saying:--"Soldiers, you think that because I have become a Christian and willnot permit unnecessary bloodshed, I am also become a fool. I willteach you otherwise. One man in every twenty of you shall be killed,and henceforth any soldier who attempts to desert will be killedalso!"The order was carried out, for Owen could not find a word to sayagainst it, with the result that desertions almost ceased, though notbefore the king had lost some eight or nine thousand of his bestsoldiers. Worst of all, these soldiers had gone to join Hafela in hismountain fastnesses; and the rumour grew that ere long they wouldappear again, to claim the crown for him or to take it by force ofarms.
　　Now too a fresh complication arose. The old king sickened of his lastillness, and soon it became known that he must die. A month later diehe did, passing away peacefully in Owen's arms, and with his lastbreath exhorting his people to cling to the Christian religion; totake Nodwengo for their king and to be faithful to him.
　　The king died, and that same day was buried by Owen in the gloomyresting-place of the blood-royal of the People of Fire, where aChristian priest now set foot for the first time.
　　On the morrow Nodwengo was proclaimed king with much ceremony in faceof the people and of all the army that remained to him. One captainraised a cry for Hafela his brother. Nodwengo caused him to be seizedand brought before him.
　　"Man," he said, "on this my coronation day I will not stain my handwith blood. Listen. You cry upon Hafela, and to Hafela you shall go,taking him this message. Tell him that I, Nodwengo, have succeeded tothe crown of Umsuka, my father, by his will and the will of thepeople. Tell him it is true that I have become a Christian, and thatChristians follow not after war but peace. Tell him, however, thatthough I am a Christian I have not forgotten how to fight or how torule. It has reached my ears that it is his purpose to attack me witha great force which he is gathering, and to possess himself of mythrone. If he should choose to come, I shall be ready to meet him; butI counsel him against coming, for it will be to find his death. Lethim stay where he is in peace, and be my subject; or let him go afarwith those that cleave to him, and set up a kingdom of his own, forthen I shall not follow him; but let him not dare to lift a spearagainst me, his sovereign, since if he does so he shall be treated asa rebel and find the doom of a rebel. Begone, and show your face hereno more!"The man crept away crestfallen; but all who heard that speech brokeinto cheering, which, as its purport was repeated from rank to rank,spread far and wide; for now the army learned that in becoming aChristian, Nodwengo had not become a woman. Of this indeed he soongave them ample proof. The old king's grip upon things had been lax,that of Nodwengo was like iron. He practised no cruelties, and didinjustice to none; but his discipline was severe, and soon theregiments were brought to a greater pitch of proficiency than they hadever reached before, although they were now allowed to marry when theypleased, a boon that hitherto had been denied to them. Moreover, byOwen's help, he designed an entirely new system of fortification ofthe kraal and surrounding hills, which would, it was thought, make theplace impregnable. These and many other acts, equally vigorous andfar-seeing, put new heart into the nation. Also the report of them putfear into Hafela, who, it was rumoured, had now given up all idea ofattack.
　　Some there were, however, who looked upon these changes with littlelove, and Hokosa was one of them. After his defeat in the duel byfire, for a while his spirit was crushed. Hitherto he had more or lessbeen a believer in the protecting influence of his own god or fetish,who would, as he thought, hold his priests scatheless from thelightning. Often and often had he stood in past days upon that plainwhile the great tempests broke around his head, and returned thenceunharmed, attributing to sorcery a safety that was really due tochance. From time to time indeed a priest was killed; but, so hiscompanions held, the misfortune resulted invariably from the man'sneglect of some rite, or was a mark of the anger of the heavens.
　　Now Hokosa had lived to see all these convictions shattered: he hadseen the lightning, which he pretended to be able to control, rollback upon him from the foot of the Christian cross, reducing his godto nothingness and his companions to corpses.
　　At first Hokosa was dismayed, but as time went on hope came back tohim. Stripped of his offices and power, and from the greatest in thenation, after the king, become one of small account, still no harm orviolence was attempted towards him. He was left wealthy and in peace,and living thus he watched and listened with open eyes and ears,waiting till the tide should turn. It seemed that he would not havelong to wait, for reasons that have been told.
　　"Why do you sit here like a vulture on a rock," asked the girl Noma,whom he had taken to wife, "when you might be yonder with Hafela,preparing him by your wisdom for the coming war?""Because I am a king-vulture, and I wait for the sick bull to die," heanswered, pointing to the Great Place beneath him. "Say, why should Ibring Hafela to prey upon a carcase I have marked down for my own?""Now you speak well," said Noma; "the bull suffers from a strangedisease, and when he is dead another must lead the herd.""That is so," answered her husband, "and, therefore, I am patient."It was shortly after this conversation that the old king died, withresults very different from those which Hokosa had anticipated.
　　Although he was a Christian, to his surprise Nodwengo showed that hewas also a strong ruler, and that there was little chance of thesceptre slipping from his hand--none indeed while the white teacherwas there to guide him.
　　"What will you do now, Hokosa?" asked Noma his wife upon a certainday. "Will you turn to Hafela after all?""No," answered Hokosa; "I will consult my ancient lore. Listen.
　　Whatever else is false, this is true: that magic exists, and I am itsmaster. For a while it seemed to me that the white man was greater atthe art than I am; but of late I have watched him and listened to hisdoctrines, and I believe that this is not so. It is true that in thebeginning he read my plans in a dream, or otherwise; it is true thathe hurled the lightning back upon my head; but I hold that thesethings were accidents. Again and again he has told us that he is not awizard; and if this be so, he can be overcome.""How, husband?""How? By wizardry. This very night, Noma, with your help I willconsult the dead, as I have done in bygone time, and learn the futurefrom their lips which cannot lie.""So be it; though the task is hateful to me, and I hate you who forceme to it."Noma answered thus with passion, but her eyes shone as she spoke: forthose who have once tasted the cup of magic are ever drawn to drink ofit again, even when they fear the draught.
　　****It was midnight, and Hokosa with his wife stood in the burying-groundof the kings of the Amasuka. Before Owen came upon his mission it wasdeath to visit this spot except upon the occasion of the laying torest of one of the royal blood, or to offer the annual sacrifice tothe spirits of the dead. Even beneath the bright moon that shone uponit the place seemed terrible. Here in the bosom of the hills was anamphitheatre, surrounded by walls of rock varying from five hundred toa thousand feet in height. In this amphitheatre grew great mimosathorns, and above them towered pillars of granite, set there not bythe hand of man but by nature. It would seem that the Amasuka, led bysome fine instinct, had chosen these columns as fitting memorials oftheir kings, at the least a departed monarch lay at the foot of eachof them.
　　The smallest of these unhewn obelisks--it was about fifty feet high--marked the resting-place of Umsuka; and deep into its granite Owenwith his own hand had cut the dead king's name and date of death,surmounting his inscription with a symbol of the cross.
　　Towards this pillar Hokosa made his way through the wet grass,followed by Noma his wife. Presently they were there, standing oneupon each side of a little mound of earth more like an ant-heap than agrave; for, after the custom of his people, Umsuka had been buriedsitting. At the foot of each of the pillars rose a heap of similarshape, but many times as large. The kings who slept there wereaccompanied to their resting-places by numbers of their wives andservants, who had been slain in solemn sacrifice that they mightattend their Lord whithersoever he should wander.
　　"What is that you desire and would do?" asked Noma, in a hushed voice.
　　Bold as she was, the place and the occasion awed her.
　　"I desire wisdom from the dead!" he answered. "Have I not already toldyou, and can I not win it with your help?""What dead, husband?""Umsuka the king. Ah! I served him living, and at the last he drove meaway from his side. Now he shall serve me, and out of the nowhere Iwill call him back to mine.""Will not this symbol defeat you?" and Noma pointed at the cross hewnin the granite.
　　At her words a sudden gust of rage seemed to shake the wizard. Hisstill eyes flashed, his lips turned livid, and with them he spat uponthe cross.
　　"It has no power," he said. "May it be accursed, and may he whobelieves therein hang thereon! It has no power; but even if it had,according to the tale of that white liar, such things as I would dohave been done beneath its shadow. By it the dead have been raised--ay! dead kings have been dragged from death and forced to tell thesecrets of the grave. Come, come, let us to the work.""What must I do, husband?""You shall sit you there, even as a corpse sits, and there for alittle while you shall die--yes, your spirit shall leave you--and Iwill fill your body with the soul of him who sleeps beneath;; andthrough your lips I will learn his wisdom, to whom all things areknown.""It is terrible! I am afraid!" she said. "Cannot this be doneotherwise?""It cannot," he answered. "The spirits of the dead have no shape orform; they are invisible, and can speak only in dreams or through thelips of one in whose pulses life still lingers, though soul and bodybe already parted. Have no fear. Ere his ghost leaves you it shallrecall your own, which till the corpse is cold stays ever close athand. I did not think to find a coward in you, Noma.""I am not a coward, as you know well," she answered passionately, "formany a deed of magic have we dared together in past days. But this isfearsome, to die that my body may become the home of the ghost of adead man, who perchance, having entered it, will abide there, leavingmy spirit houseless, or perchance will shut up the doors of my heartin such fashion that they never can be opened. Can it not be done bytrance as aforetime? Tell me, Hokosa, how often have you thus talkedwith the dead?""Thrice, Noma.""And what chanced to them through whom you talked?""Two lived and took no harm; the third died, because the awakeningmedicine lacked power. Yet fear nothing; that which I have with me isof the best. Noma, you know my plight: I must win wisdom or fall forever, and you alone can help me; for under this new rule, I can nolonger buy a youth or maid for purposes of witchcraft, even if onecould be found fitted to the work. Choose then: shall we go back orforward? Here trance will not help us; for those entranced cannot readthe future, nor can they hold communion with the dead, being butasleep. Choose, Noma.""I have chosen," she answered. "Never yet have I turned my back upon aventure, nor will I do so now. Come life, come death, I will submit meto your wish, though there are few women who would dare as much forany man. Nor in truth do I do this for you, Hokosa; I do it because Iseek power, and thus only can we win it who are fallen. Also I loveall things strange, and desire to commune with the dead and to knowthat, if for some few minutes only, at least my woman's breast hasheld the spirit of a king. Yet, I warn you, make no fault in yourmagic; for should I die beneath it, then I, who desire to live on andto be great, will haunt you and be avenged upon you!""Oh! Noma," he said, "if I believed that there was any danger for you,should I ask you to suffer this thing?--I, who love you more even thanyou love power, more than my life, more than anything that is or evercan be.""I know it, and it is to that I trust," the woman answered. "Nowbegin, before my courage leaves me.""Good," he said. "Seat yourself there upon the mound, resting yourhead against the stone."She obeyed; and taking thongs of hide which he had made ready, Hokosabound her wrists and ankles, as these people bind the wrists andankles of corpses. Then he knelt before her, staring into her facewith his solemn eyes and muttering: "Obey and sleep."Presently her limbs relaxed, and her head fell forward.
　　"Do you sleep?" he asked.
　　"I sleep. Whither shall I go? It is the true sleep--test me.""Pass to the house of the white man, my rival. Are you with him?""I am with him.""What does he?""He lies in slumber on his bed, and in his slumber he mutters the nameof a woman, and tells her that he loves her, but that duty is morethan love. Oh! call me back I cannot stay; a Presence guards him, andthrusts me thence.""Return," said Hokosa starting. "Pass through the earth beneath youand tell me what you see.""I see the body of the king; but were it not for his royal ornamentsnone would know him now.""Return," said Hokosa, "and let the eyes of your spirit be open. Lookaround you and tell me what you see.""I see the shadows of the dead," she answered; "they stand about you,gazing at you with angry eyes; but when they come near you, somethingdrives them back, and I cannot understand what it is they say.""Is the ghost of Umsuka among them?""It is among them.""Bid him prophesy the future to me.""I have bidden him, but he does not answer. If you would hear himspeak, it must be through the lips of my body; and first my body mustbe emptied of my ghost, that his may find a place therein.""Say, can his spirit be compelled?""It can be compelled, or that part of it which still hover near thisspot, if you dare to speak the words you know. But first its housemust be made ready. Then the words must be spoken, and all must bedone before a man can count three hundred; for should the blood beginto clot about my heart, it will be still for ever.""Hearken," said Hokosa. "When the medicine that I shall give does itswork, and the spirit is loosened from your body, let it not go afar,no, whatever tempts or threatens it, and suffer not that the death-cord be severed, lest flesh and ghost be parted for ever.""I hear, and I obey. Be swift, for I grow weary."Then Hokosa took from his pouch two medicines: one a paste in a box,the other a fluid in a gourd. Taking of the paste he knelt upon thegrave before the entranced woman and swiftly smeared it upon themucous membrane of the mouth and throat. Also he thrust pellets of itinto the ears, the nostrils, and the corners of the eyes.
　　The effect was almost instantaneous. A change came over the girl'slovely face, the last awful change of death. Her cheeks fell in, herchin dropped, her eyes opened, and her flesh quivered convulsively.
　　The wizard saw it all by the bright moonlight. Then he took up hispart in this unholy drama.
　　All that he did cannot be described, because it is indescribable. TheWitch of Endor repeated no formula, but she raised the dead; and sodid Hokosa the wizard. But he buried his face in the grey dust of thegrave, he blew with his lips into the dust, he clutched at the dustwith his hands, and when he raised his face again, lo! it was greylike the dust. Now began the marvel; for, though the woman before himremained a corpse, from the lips of that corpse a voice issued, andits sound was horrible, for the accent and tone of it were masculine,and the instrument through which it spoke--Noma's throat--wasfeminine. Yet it could be recognised as the voice of Umsuka the deadking.
　　"Why have you summoned me from my rest, Hokosa?" muttered the voicefrom the lips of the huddled corpse.
　　"Because I would learn the future, Spirit of the king," answered thewizard boldly, but saluting as he spoke. "You are dead, and to yoursight all the Gates are opened. By the power that I have, I commandyou to show me what you see therein concerning myself, and to pointout to me the path that I should follow to attain my ends and the endsof her in whose breast you dwell."At once the answer came, always in the same horrible voice:--"Hearken to your fate for this world, Hokosa the wizard. You shalltriumph over your rival, the white man, the messenger; and by yourhand he shall perish, passing to his appointed place where you mustmeet again. By that to which you cling you shall be betrayed, ah! youshall lose that which you love and follow after that which you do notdesire. In the grave of error you shall find truth, from the deeps ofsin you shall pluck righteousness. When these words fall upon yourears again, then, Wizard, take them for a sign and let your heart beturned. That which you deem accursed shall lift you up on high. Highshall you be set above the nation and its king, and from age to agethe voice of the people shall praise you. Yet in the end comesjudgment; and there shall the sin and the atonement strive together,and in that hour, Wizard, you shall----"Thus the voice spoke, strongly at first, but growing ever more feebleas the sparks of life departed from the body of the woman, till atlength it ceased altogether.
　　"What shall chance to me in that hour?" Hokosa asked eagerly, placinghis ears against Noma's lips.
　　No answer came; and the wizard knew that if he would drag his wifeback from the door of death he must delay no longer. Dashing the sweatfrom his eyes with one hand, with the other he seized the gourd offluid that he had placed ready, and thrusting back her head, he pouredof its contents down her throat and waited a while. She did not move.
　　In an extremity of terror he snatched a knife, and with a single cutsevered a vein in her arm, then taking some of the fluid that remainedin the gourd in his hand, he rubbed it roughly upon her brow andthroat and heart. Now Noma's fingers stirred, and now, with horriblecontortions and every symptom of agony, life returned to her. Theblood flowed from her wounded arm, slowly at first, then more fast,and lifting her head she spoke.
　　"Take me hence," she cried, "or I shall go mad; for I have seen andheard things too terrible to be spoken!""What have you seen and heard?" he asked, while he cut the thongswhich bound her wrists and feet.
　　"I do not know," Noma answered weeping; "the vision of them passesfrom me; but all the distances of death were open to my sight; yes, Itravelled through the distances of death. In them I met him who wasthe king, and he lay cold within me, speaking to my heart; and as hepassed from me he looked upon the child which I shall bear and cursedit, and surely accursed it shall be. Take me hence, O you most evilman, for of your magic I have had enough, and from this day forth I amhaunted!""Have no fear," answered Hokosa; "you have made the journey whence butfew return; and yet, as I promised you, you have returned to wear thegreatness you desire and that I sent you forth to win; for henceforthwe shall be great. Look, the dawn is breaking--the dawn of life andthe dawn of power--and the mists of death and of disgrace roll backbefore us. Now the path is clear, the dead have shown it to me, and ofwizardry I shall need no more.""Ay!" answered Noma, "but night follows dawn as the dawn followsnight; and through the darkness and the daylight, I tell you, Wizard,henceforth I am haunted! Also, be not so sure, for though I know notwhat the dead have spoken to you, yet it lingers on my mind that theirwords have many meanings. Nay, speak to me no more, but let us flyfrom this dread home of ghosts, this habitation of the spirit-folkwhich we have violated."So the wizard and his wife crept from that solemn place, and as theywent they saw the dawn-beams lighting upon the white cross that wasreared in the Plain of Fire.
Chapter 12 The Message Of Hokosa
The weeks passed by, and Hokosa sat in his kraal weaving a great plot.
　　None suspected him any more, for though he did not belong to it, hewas heard to speak well of the new faith, and to acknowledge that thegod of fire which he had worshipped was a false god. He was humblealso towards the king, but he craved to withdraw himself from allmatters of the State, saying that now he had but one desire--to tendhis herds and garden, and to grow old in peace with the new wife whomhe had chosen and whom he loved. Owen, too, he greeted courteouslywhen he met him, sending him gifts of corn and cattle for the serviceof his church. Moreover, when a messenger came from Hafela, makingproposals to him, he drove him away and laid the matter before thecouncil of the king. Yet that messenger, who was hunted from thekraal, took back a secret word for Hafela's ear.
　　"It is not always winter," was the word, "and it may chance that inthe springtime you shall hear from me." And again, "Say to the PrinceHafela, that though my face towards him is like a storm, yet behindthe clouds the sun shines ever."At length there came a day when Noma, his wife, was brought to bed.
　　Hokosa, her husband, tended her alone, and when the child was born hegroaned aloud and would not suffer her to look upon its face. Yet,lifting herself, she saw.
　　"Did I not tell you it was accursed?" she wailed. "Take it away!" andshe sank back in a swoon. So he took the child, and buried it deep inthe cattle-yard by night.
　　After this it came about that Noma, who, though her mind owned thesway of his, had never loved him over much, hated her husband Hokosa.
　　Yet he had this power over her that she could not leave him. But heloved her more and more, and she had this power over him that shecould always draw him to her. Great as her beauty had ever been, afterthe birth of the child it grew greater day by day, but it was an evilbeauty, the beauty of a witch; and this fate fell upon her, that shefeared the dark and would never be alone after the sun had set.
　　When she was recovered from her illness, Noma sat one night in herhut, and Hokosa sat there also watching her. The evening was warm, buta bright fire burned in the hut, and she crouched upon a stool by thefire, glancing continually over her shoulder.
　　"Why do you bide by the fire, seeing that it is so hot, Noma?" heasked.
　　"Because I fear to be away from the light," she answered; adding, "Oh,accursed man! for your own ends you have caused me to be bewitched,ah! and that which was born of me also, and bewitched I am by thoseshadows that you bade me seek, which now will never leave me. Nor, isthis all. You swore to me that if I would do your will I should becomegreat, ay! and you took me from one who would have made me great andwhom I should have pushed on to victory. But now it seems that fornothing I made that awful voyage into the deeps of death; and fornothing, yet living, am I become the sport of those that dwell there.
　　How am I greater than I was--I who am but the second wife of a fallenwitch-doctor, who sits in the sun, day by day, while age gathers onhis head like frost upon a bush? Where are all your high schemes now?
　　Where is the fruit of wisdom that I gathered for you? Answer, Wizard,whom I have learned to hate, but from whom I cannot escape!""Truly," said Hokosa in a bitter voice, "for all my sins against themthe heavens have laid a heavy fate upon my head, that thus with fleshand spirit I should worship a woman who loathes me. One comfort onlyis left to me, that you dare not take my life lest another should beadded to those shadows who companion you, and what I bid you, that youmust still do. Ay, you fear the dark, Noma; yet did I command you torise and go stand alone through the long night yonder in the burying-place of kings, why, you must obey. Come, I command you--go!""Nay, nay!" she wailed in an extremity of terror. Yet she rose andwent towards the door sideways, for her hands were outstretched insupplication to him.
　　"Come back," he said, "and listen: If a hunter has nurtured up afierce dog, wherewith alone he can gain his livelihood, he tries totame that dog by love, does he not? And if it will not become gentle,then, the brute being necessary to him, he tames it by fear. I am thehunter and, Noma, you are the hound; and since this curse is on methat I cannot live without you, why I must master you as best I may.
　　Yet, believe me, I would not cause you fear or pain, and it saddens methat you should be haunted by these sick fancies, for they are nothingmore. I have seen such cases before to-day, and I have noted that theycan be cured by mixing with fresh faces and travelling in newcountries. Noma, I think it would be well that, after your latesickness, according to the custom of the women of our people, youshould part from me a while, and go upon a journey of purification.""Whither shall I go and who will go with me?" she asked sullenly.
　　"I will find you companions, women discreet and skilled. And as towhere you shall go, I will tell you. You shall go upon an embassy tothe Prince Hafela.""Are you not afraid that I should stop there?" she asked again, with aflash of her eyes. "It is true that I never learned all the story, yetI thought that the prince was not so glad to hand me back to you asyou would have had me to believe. The price you paid for me must havebeen good, Hokosa, and mayhap it had to do with the death of a king.""I am not afraid," he answered, setting his teeth, "because I knowthat whatever your heart may desire, my will follows you, and while Ilive that is a cord you cannot break unless I choose to loose it,Noma. I command you to be faithful to me and to return to me, andthese commands you must obey. Hearken: you taunted me just now, sayingthat I sat like a dotard in the sun and advanced you nothing. Well, Iwill advance you, for both our sakes, but mostly for your own, sinceyou desire it, and it must be done through the Prince Hafela. I cannotleave this kraal, for day and night I am watched, and before I hadgone an hour's journey I should be seized; also here I have work todo. But the Place of Purification is secret, and when you reach it youneed not bide there, you can travel on into the mountains till youcome to the town of the Prince Hafela. He will receive you gladly, andyou shall whisper this message in his ear:--"'These are the words of Hokosa, my husband, which he has set in mymouth to deliver to you, O Prince. Be guided by them and grow great;reject them and die a wanderer, a little man of no account. But first,this is the price that you shall swear by the sacred oath to pay toHokosa, if his wisdom finds favour in your sight and through it youcome to victory: That after you, the king, he, Hokosa, shall be thefirst man in our land, the general of the armies, the captain of thecouncil, the head of the doctors, and that to him shall be given halfthe cattle of Nodwengo, who now is king. Also to him shall be givenpower to stamp out the new faith which overruns the land like aforeign weed, and to deal as he thinks fit with those who clingthereto.'
　　"Now, Noma, when he has sworn this oath in your ear, calling down ruinupon his own head, should he break one word of it, and not before, youshall continue the message thus: 'These are the other words thatHokosa set in my mouth: "Know, O Prince, that the king, your brother,grows very strong, for he is a great soldier, who learned his art inbygone wars; also the white man that is named Messenger has taught himmany things as to the building of forts and walls and the drilling anddiscipline of men. So strong is he that you can scarcely hope toconquer him in open war--yet snakes may crawl where men cannot walk.
　　Therefore, Prince, let your part be that of a snake. Do you send anembassy to the king, your brother and say to him:--"'My brother, you have been preferred before me and set up to be kingin my place, and because of this my heart is bitter, so bitter that Ihave gathered my strength to make war upon you. Yet, at the last, Ihave taken another council, bethinking me that, if we fight, in theend it may chance that neither of us will be left alive to rule, andthat the people also will be brought to nothing. To the north therelies a good country and a wide, where but few men live, and thither Iwould go, setting the mountains and the river between us; for there,far beyond your borders, I also can be a king. Now, to reach thiscountry, I must travel by the pass that is not far from your GreatPlace, and I pray you that you will not attack my /impis/ or the womenand children that I shall send, and a guard before them, to await mein the plain beyond the mountains, seeing that these can only journeyslowly. Let us pass by in peace, my brother, for so shall our quarrelbe ended; but if you do so much as lift a single spear against me,then I will give you battle, setting my fortune against your fortuneand my god against your God!'
　　"Such are the words that the embassy shall deliver into the ears ofthe king, Nodwengo, and it shall come about that when he hears them,Nodwengo, whose heart is gentle and who seeks not war, shall answersoftly, saying:--"'Go in peace, my brother, and live in peace in that land which youwould win.'
　　"Then shall you, Hafela, send on the most of your cattle and the womenand the children through that pass in the mountains, bidding them toawait you in the plain, and after a while you shall follow them withyour /impis/. But these shall not travel in war array, for carriersmust bear their fighting shields in bundles and their stabbing spearsshall be rolled up in mats. Now, on the sixth day of your journey youshall camp at the mouth of the pass which the cattle and the womenhave already travelled, and his outposts and spies will bring it tothe ears of the king that your force is sleeping there, purposing toclimb the pass on the morrow.
　　"But on that night, so soon as the darkness falls, you must rise upwith your captains and your regiments, leaving your fires burning andmen about your fires, and shall travel very swiftly across the valley,so that an hour before the dawn you reach the second range ofmountains, and pass it by the gorge which is the burying-place ofkings. Here you shall light a fire, which those who watch will believeto be but the fire of a herdsman who is acold. But I, Hokosa, alsoshall be watching, and when I see that fire I will creep, with somewhom I can trust, to the little northern gate of the outer wall, andwe will spear those that guard it and open the gate, that your armymay pass through. Then, before the regiments can stand to their armsor those within it are awakened, you must storm the inner walls and bythe light of the burning huts, put the dwellers in the Great Place tothe spear, and the rays of the rising sun shall crown you king.
　　"Follow this counsel of mine, O Prince Hafela, and all will go wellwith you. Neglect it and be lost. There is but one thing which youneed fear--it is the magic of the Messenger, to whom it is given toread the secret thoughts of men. But of him take no account, for he ismy charge, and before ever you set a foot within the Great Place heshall have taken his answer back to Him Who sent him."Hokosa finished speaking.
　　"Have you heard?" he said to Noma.
　　"I have heard.""Then speak the message."She repeated it word for word, making no fault. "Have no fear," sheadded, "I shall forget nothing when I stand before the prince.""You are a woman, but your counsel is good. What think you of theplan, Noma?""It is deep and well laid," she answered, "and surely it would succeedwere it not for one thing. The white man, Messenger, will be tooclever for you, for as you say, he is a reader of the thoughts ofmen.""Can the dead read men's thoughts, or if they can, do they cry them onthe market-place or into the ears of kings?" asked Hokosa. "Have I nottold you that, before I see the signal-fire yonder, the Messengershall sleep sound? I have a medicine, Noma, a slow medicine that nonecan trace.""The Messenger may sleep sound, Hokosa, and yet perchance he may passon his message to another and, with it, his magic. Who can say? Still,husband, strike on for power and greatness and revenge, letting theblow fall where it will."
Chapter 13 The Basket Of Fruit
Three days later it was announced that according to the custom of thewomen of the People of Fire, Noma having given birth to a still-bornchild, was about to start upon a journey to the Mount of Purification.
　　Here she would abide awhile and make sacrifice to the spirits of herancestors, that they might cease to be angry with her and in futureprotect her from such misfortunes. This not unusual domestic incidentexcited little comment, although it was remarked that the four matronsby whom she was to be accompanied, in accordance with the tribaletiquette, were all of them the wives of soldiers who had deserted toHafela. Indeed, the king himself noticed as much when Hokosa made thecustomary formal application to him to sanction the expedition.
　　"So be it," he said, "though myself I have lost faith in such rites.
　　Also, Hokosa, I think it likely that although your wife goes out withcompany, she will return alone.""Why, King?" asked Hokosa.
　　"For this reason--that those who travel with her have husbands yonderat the town of the Prince Hafela, and the Mount of Purification is onthe road thither. Having gone so far, they may go farther. Well, letthem go, for I desire to have none among my people whose hearts turnotherwhere, and it would not be wonderful if they should choose toseek their lords. But perchance, Hokosa, there are some in this townwho may use them as messengers to the prince"--and he looked at himkeenly.
　　"I think not, King," said Hokosa. "None but a fool would make use ofwomen to carry secret words or tidings. Their tongues are too long andtheir memories too bad, or too uncertain.""Yet I have heard, Hokosa, that you have made use of women in many astrange work. Say now, what were you doing upon a night a while agowith that fair witch-wife if yours yonder in the burying-place ofkings, where it is not lawful that you should set your foot? Nay, denyit not. You were seen to enter the valley after midnight and to returnthence at the dawn, and it was seen also that as she came homewardsyour wife walked as one who is drunken, and she, whom it is not easyto frighten, wore a face of fear. Man, I do not trust you, and were Iwise I should hunt you hence, or keep you so close that you couldscarcely move without my knowledge.
　　"Why should I trust you?" Nodwengo went on vehemently. "Can a wizardcease from wizardry, or a plotter from his plots? No, not until thewaters run upward and the sun shines at night; not until repentancetouches you and your heart is changed, which I should hold as much amarvel. You were my father's friend and he made you great; yet youcould plan with my brother to poison him, your king. Nay, be silent; Iknow it, though I have said nothing of it because one that is dear tome has interceded for you. You were the priest of the false god, andwith that god are fallen from your place, yet you have not renouncedhim. You sit still in your kraal and pretend to be asleep, but yourslumber is that of the serpent which watches his time to strike. Howdo I know that you will not poison me as you would have poisoned myfather, or stir up rebellion against me, or bring my brother's /impis/on my head?""If the King thinks any of these things of his servant," answeredHokosa in a humble voice, but with dignity, "his path is plain: lethim put me to death and sleep in peace. Who am I that I should fullthe ears of a king with my defence against these charges, or dare towrangle with him?""Long ago I should have put you to death, Hokosa," answered Nodwengosternly, "had it not been that one has pleaded for you, declaring thatin you there is good which will overcome the evil, and that you whonow are an axe to cut down my throne, in time to come shall be a roof-tree for its support. Also, the law that I obey does not allow me totake the blood of men save upon full proof, and against you as yet Ihave no proof. Still, Hokosa, be warned in time and let your heart beturned before the grave claims your body and the Wicked One yoursoul.""I thank you, King, for your gentle words and your tender care for mywell-being both on earth and after I shall leave it. But I tell you,King, that I had rather die as your father would have killed me in theold days, or your brother would kill me now, did either of them hateor fear me, than live on in safety, owing my life to a new law and anew mercy that do not befit the great ones of the world. King, I amyour servant," and giving him the royal salute, Hokosa rose and lefthis presence.
　　"At the least there goes a man," said Nodwengo, as he watched himdepart.
　　"Of whom do you speak, King?" asked Owen, who at that moment enteredthe royal house.
　　"Of him whom you must have touched in the door-way, Messenger, Hokosathe wizard," answered the king, and he told him of what had passedbetween them. "I said," he added, "that he was a man, and so he is;yet I hold that I have done wrong to listen to your pleading and tospare him, for I am certain that he will bring bloodshed upon me andtrouble on the Faith. Think now, Messenger, how full must be thatman's heart of secret rage and hatred, he who was so great and is nowso little! Will he not certainly strive to grow great again? Will henot strive to be avenged upon those who humbled him and the religionthey have chosen?""It may be," answered Owen, "but if so, he will not conquer. I tellyou, King, that like water hidden in a rock there is good in thisman's heart, and that I shall yet find a rod wherewith to cause it togush out and refresh the desert.""It is more likely that he will find a spear wherewith to cause yourblood to gush out and refresh the jackals," answered the king grimly;"but be it as you will. And now, what of your business?""This, King: John, my servant, has returned from the coast countries,and he brings me a letter saying that before long three white teacherswill follow him to take up the work which I have begun. I pray thatwhen they come, for my sake and for the sake of the truth that I havetaught you, you will treat them kindly and protect them, rememberingthat at first they can know little of your language or your customs.""I will indeed," said the king, with much concern. "But tell me,Messenger, why do you speak of yourself as of one who soon will be buta memory? Do you purpose to leave us?""No, King, but I believe that ere long I shall be recalled. I havegiven my message, my task is well-nigh ended and I must be turninghome. Save for your sakes I do not sorrow at this, for to speak truthI grow very weary," and he smiled sadly.
　　*****Hokosa went home alarmed and full of bitterness, for he had neverguessed that the "servant of the Messenger," as he called Nodwengo theKing, knew so much about him and his plans. His fall was hard to him,but to be thus measured up, weighed, and contemptuously forgiven wasalmost more than he could bear. It was the white prophet who had donethis thing; he had told Nodwengo of his, Hokosa's, share in the plotto murder the late King Umsuka, though how he came to know of thatmatter was beyond guessing. He had watched him, or caused him to bewatched, when he went forth to consult spirits in the place of thedead; he had warned Nodwengo against him. Worst of all, he had daredto treat him with contempt; had pleaded for his life and safety, sothat he was spared as men spare a snake from which the charmer hasdrawn the fangs. When they met in the gate of the king's house yonderthis white thief, who had stolen his place and power, had even smiledupon him and greeted him kindly, and doubtless while he smiled, by aidof the magic he possessed, had read him through and gone on to tellthe story to the king. Well, of this there should be an end; he wouldkill the Messenger, or himself be killed.
　　When Hokosa reached his kraal he found Noma sitting beneath a fruittree that grew in it, idly employed in stringing beads, for the workof the household she left to his other wife, Zinti, an old and homelywoman who thought more of the brewing of the beer and the boiling ofthe porridge than of religions or politics or of the will of kings. Oflate Noma had haunted the shadow of this tree, for beneath it lay thatchild which had been born to her.
　　"Does it please the king to grant leave for my journey?" she asked,looking up.
　　"Yes, it pleases him.""I am thankful," she answered, "for I think that if I bide here muchlonger, with ghosts and memories for company, I shall go mad," and sheglanced at a spot near by, where the earth showed signs of recentdisturbance.
　　"He gives leave," Hokosa went on, taking no notice of her speech, "buthe suspects us. Listen----" and he told her of the talk that hadpassed between himself and the king.
　　"The white man has read you as he reads in his written books," sheanswered, with a little laugh. "Well, I said that he would be tooclever for you, did I not? It does not matter to me, for to-morrow Igo upon my journey, and you can settle it as you will.""Ay!" answered Hokosa, grinding his teeth, "it is true that he hasread me; but this I promise you, that all books shall soon be closedto him. Yet how is it to be done without suspicion or discovery? Iknow many poisons, but all of them must be administered, and let himwork never so cunningly, he who gives a poison can be traced.""Then cause some other to give it and let him bear the blame,"suggested Noma languidly.
　　Hokosa made no answer, but walking to the gate of the kraal, which wasopen, he leaned against it lost in thought. As he stood thus he saw awoman advancing towards him, who carried on her head a small basket offruit, and knew her for one of those whose business it was to waitupon the Messenger in his huts, or rather in his house, for by now hehad built himself a small house, and near it a chapel. This woman sawHokosa also and looked at him sideways, as though she would like tostop and speak to him, but feared to do so.
　　"Good morrow to you, friend," he said. "How goes it with your husbandand your house?"Now Hokosa knew well that this woman's husband had taken a dislike toher and driven her from his home, filling her place with one youngerand more attractive. At the question the woman's lips began totremble, and her eyes swam with tears.
　　"Ah! great doctor," she said, "why do you ask me of my husband? Haveyou not heard that he has driven me away and that another takes myplace?""Do I hear all the gossip of this town?" asked Hokosa, with a smile.
　　"But come in and tell me the story; perchance I may be able to helpyou, for I have charms to compel the fancy of such faithless ones."The woman looked round, and seeing that there was no one in sight, sheslipped swiftly through the gate of the kraal, which he closed behindher.
　　"Noma," said Hokosa, "here is one who tells me that her husband hasdeserted her, and who comes to seek my counsel. Bring her milk todrink.""There are some wives who would not find that so great an evil,"replied Noma mockingly, as she rose to do his bidding.
　　Hokosa winced at the sarcasm, and turning to his visitor, said:--"Now tell me your tale; but say first, why are you so frightened?""I am frightened, master," she answered, "lest any should have seen meenter here, for I have become a Christian, and the Christians areforbidden to consult the witch-doctors, as we were wont to do. For mycase, it is----""No need to set it out," broke in Hokosa, waving his hand. "I see itwritten on your face; your husband has put you away and loves anotherwoman, your own half-sister whom you brought up from a child.""Ah! master, you have heard aright.""I have not heard, I look upon you and I see. Fool, am I not a wizard?
　　Tell me----" and taking dust into his hand, he blew the grains thisway and that, regarding them curiously. "Yes, it is so. Last night youcrept to your husband's hut--do you remember, a dog growled at you asyou passed the gate?--and there in front of the hut he sat with hisnew wife. She saw you coming, but pretending not to see, she threw herarms about his neck, kissing and fondling him before your eyes, tillyou could bear it no longer, and revealed yourself, upbraiding them.
　　Then your rival taunted you and stirred up the man with bitter words,till at length he took a stick and beat you from the door, and thereis a mark of it upon your shoulder.""It is true, it is too true!" she groaned.
　　"Yes, it is true. And now, what do you wish from me?""Master, I wish a medicine to make my husband hate my rival and todraw his heart back to me.""That must be a strong medicine," said Hokosa, "which will turn a manfrom one who is young and beautiful to one who is past her youth andugly.""I am as I am," answered the poor woman, with a touch of naturaldignity, "but at least I have loved him and worked for him for fifteenlong years.""And that is why he would now be rid of you, for who cumbers his kraalwith old cattle?""And yet at times they are the best, Master. Wrinkles and smooth skinseem strange upon one pillow," she added, glancing at Noma, who camefrom the hut carrying a bowl of milk in her hand.
　　"If you seek counsel," said Hokosa quickly, "why do you not go to thewhite man, that Messenger in whom you believe, and ask him for apotion to turn your husband's heart?""Master, I have been to him, and he is very good to me, for when I wasdriven out he gave me work to do and food. But he told me that he hadno medicine for such cases, and that the Great Man in the sky alonecould soften the breast of my husband and cause my sister to ceasefrom her wickedness. Last night I went to see whether He would do it,and you know what befell me there.""That befell you which befalls all fools who put their trust in wordsalone. What will you pay me, woman, if I give you the medicine whichyou seek?""Alas, master, I am poor. I have nothing to offer you, for when Iwould not stay in my husband's kraal to be a servant to his new wife,he took the cow and the five goats that belonged to me, as, I beingchildless, according to our ancient law he had the right to do.""You are bold who come to ask a doctor to minister to you, bearing nofee in your hand," said Hokosa. "Yet, because I have pity on you, Iwill be content with very little. Give me that basket of fruit, for mywife has been sick and loves its taste.""I cannot do that, Master," answered the woman, "for it is sent by myhand as a present to the Messenger, and he knows this and will eat ofit after he has made prayer to-day. Did I not give it to him, it wouldbe discovered that I had left it here with you.""Then begone without your medicine," said Hokosa, "for I need suchfruit."The woman rose and said, looking at him wistfully:--"Master, if you will be satisfied with other fruits of this same sort,I know where I can get them for you.""When will you get them?""Now, within an hour. And till I return I will leave these in pledgewith you; but these and no other I must give to the Messenger, for hehas already seen them and might discover the difference; also I havepromised so to do.""As you will," said Hokosa. "If you are with the fruit within an hour,the medicine will be ready for you, a medicine that shall not fail."
Chapter 14 The Eating Of The Fruit
The woman slipped away secretly. When she had gone Hokosa bade hiswife bring the basket of fruit into the hut.
　　"It is best that the butcher should kill the ox himself," she answeredmeaningly.
　　He carried in the basket and set it on the floor.
　　"Why do you speak thus, Noma?" he asked.
　　"Because I will have no hand in the matter, Hokosa. I have been thetool of a wizard, and won little joy therefrom. The tool of a murdererI will not be!""If I kill, it is for the sake of both of us," he said passionately.
　　"It may be so, Hokosa, or for the sake of the people, or for the sakeof Heaven above--I do not know and do not care; but I say, do your ownkilling, for I am sure that even less luck will hang to it than hangsto your witchcraft.""Of all women you are the most perverse!" he said, stamping his footupon the ground.
　　"Thus you may say again before everything is done, husband; but if itbe so, why do you love me and tie me to you with your wizardry? Cutthe knot, and let me go my way while you go yours.""Woman, I cannot; but still I bid you beware, for, strive as you will,my path must be your path. Moreover, till I free you, you cannot liftvoice or hand against me."Then, while she watched him curiously, Hokosa fetched his medicinesand took from them some powder fine as dust and two tiny crowquills.
　　Placing a fruit before him, he inserted one of these quills into itssubstance, and filling the second with the powder, he shook itscontents into it and withdrew the tube. This process he repeated fourtimes on each of the fruits, replacing them one by one in the basket.
　　So deftly did he work upon them, that however closely they werescanned none could guess that they had been tampered with.
　　"Will it kill at once?" asked Noma.
　　"No, indeed; but he who eats these fruits will be seized on the thirdday with dysentery and fever, and these will cling to him till withinseven weeks--or if he is very strong, three months--he dies. This isthe best of poisons, for it works through nature and can be traced bynone.""Except, perchance, by that Spirit Whom the white man worships, andWho also works through nature, as you learned, Hokosa, when He rolledthe lightning back upon your head, shattering your god and beatingdown your company."Then of a sudden terror seized the wizard, and springing to his feet,he cursed his wife till she trembled before him.
　　"Vile woman, and double-faced!" he said, "why do you push me forwardwith one hand and with the other drag me back? Why do you whisper evilcounsel into one ear and into the other prophesy of misfortunes tocome? Had it not been for you, I should have let this business lie; Ishould have taken my fate and been content. But day by day you havetaunted me with my fall and grieved over the greatness that you havelost, till at length you have driven me to this. Why cannot you be allgood or all wicked, or at the least, through righteousness and sin,faithful to my interest and your own?""Because I hate you, Hokosa, and yet can strike you only through mytongue and your mad love for me. I am fast in your power, but thus atleast I can make you feel something of my own pain. Hark! I hear thatwoman at the gate. Will you give her back the basket, or will you not?
　　Whatever you may choose to do, do not say in after days that I urgedyou to the deed.""Truly you are great-hearted!" he answered, with cold contempt; "onefor whom I did well to enter into treachery and sin! So be it: havinggone so far upon it, come what may, I will not turn back from thisjourney. Let in that fool!"Presently the woman stood before them, bearing with her another basketof fruit.
　　"These are what you seek, Master," she said, "though I was forced towin them by theft. Now give me my own and the medicine and let me go."He gave her the basket, and with it, wrapped in a piece of kidskin,some of the same powder with which he had doctored the fruits.
　　"What shall I do with this?" she asked.
　　"You must find means to sprinkle it upon your sister's food, andthereafter your husband shall come to hate even the sight of her.""But will he come to love me again?"Hokosa shrugged his shoulders.
　　"I know not," he answered; "that is for you to see to. Yet this issure, that if a tree grows up before the house of a man, shutting itoff from the sunlight, when that tree is cut down the sun shines uponhis house again.""It is nothing to the sun on what he shines," said the woman.
　　"If the saying does not please you, then forget it. I promise you thisand no more, that very soon the man shall cease to turn to yourrival.""The medicine will not harm her?" asked the woman doubtfully. "She hasworked me bitter wrong indeed, yet she is my sister, whom I nursedwhen she was little, and I do not wish to do her hurt. If only he willwelcome me back and treat me kindly, I am willing even that she shoulddwell on beneath my husband's roof, bearing his children, for willthey not be of my own blood?""Woman," answered Hokosa impatiently, "you weary me with your talk.
　　Did I say that the charm would hurt her? I said that it would causeyour husband to hate the sight of her. Now begone, taking or leavingit, and let me rest. If your mind is troubled, throw aside thatmedicine, and go soothe it with such sights as you saw last night."On hearing this the woman sprang up, hid away the poison in her hair,and taking her basket of fruit, passed from the kraal as secretly asshe had entered it.
　　"Why did you give her death-medicine?" asked Noma of Hokosa, as hestood staring after her. "Have you a hate to satisfy against thehusband or the girl who is her rival?""None," he answered, "for they have never crossed my path. Oh, foolishwoman! cannot you read my plan?""Not altogether, Husband.""Listen then: this woman will give to her sister a medicine of whichin the end she must die. She may be discovered or she may not, but itis certain that she will be suspected, seeing that the bitterness ofthe quarrel between them is known. Also she will give to the Messengercertain fruits, after eating of which he will be taken sick and in duetime die, of just such a disease as that which carries off the woman'srival. Now, if any think that he is poisoned, which I trust none will,whom will they suppose to have poisoned him, though indeed they cannever prove the crime?""The plan is clever," said Noma with admiration, "but in it I see aflaw. The woman will say that she had the drug from you, or, at theleast, will babble of her visit to you.""Not so," answered Hokosa, "for on this matter the greatest talker inthe world would keep silence. Firstly, she, being a Christian, darenot own that she has visited a witch-doctor. Secondly, the fruit shebrought in payment was stolen, therefore she will say nothing of it.
　　Thirdly, to admit that she had medicine from me would be to admit herguilt, and that she will scarcely do even under torture, which by thenew law it is not lawful to apply. Moreover, none saw her come here,and I should deny her visit.""The plan is very clever," said Noma again.
　　"It is very clever," he repeated complacently; "never have I made abetter one. Now throw those fruits to the she goats that are in thekraal, and burn the basket, while I go and talk to some in the GreatPlace, telling them that I have returned from counting my cattle onthe mountain, whither I went after I had bowed the knee in the houseof the king."*****Two hours later, Hokosa, having made a wide detour and talked tosundry of his acquaintances about the condition of his cattle, mighthave been seen walking slowly along the north side of the Great Placetowards his own kraal. His path lay past the chapel and the littlehouse that Owen had built to dwell in. This house was furnished with abroad verandah, and upon it sat the Messenger himself, eating hisevening meal. Hokosa saw him, and a great desire entered his heart tolearn whether or no he had partaken of the poisoned fruit. Also itoccurred to him that it would be wise if, before the end came, hecould contrive to divert all possible suspicion from himself, bygiving the impression that he was now upon friendly terms with thegreat white teacher and not disinclined even to become a convert tohis doctrine.
　　For a moment he hesitated, seeking an excuse. One soon suggesteditself to his ready mind. That very morning the king had told him notobscurely that Owen had pleaded for his safety and saved him frombeing put upon his trial on charges of witchcraft and murder. He wouldgo to him, now at once, playing the part of a grateful penitent, andthe White Man's magic must be keen indeed if it availed to pierce thearmour of his practised craft.
　　So Hokosa went up and squatted himself down native fashion among alittle group of converts who were waiting to see their teacher uponone business or another. He was not more than ten paces from theverandah, and sitting thus he saw a sight that interested himstrangely. Having eaten a little of a dish of roasted meat, Owen putout his hand and took a fruit from a basket that the wizard knew well.
　　At this moment he looked up and recognised Hokosa.
　　"Do you desire speech with me, Hokosa?" he asked in his gentle voice.
　　"If so, be pleased to come hither.""Nay, Messenger," answered Hokosa, "I desire speech with you indeed,but it is ill to stand between a hungry man and his food.""I care little for my food," answered Owen; "at the least it canwait," and he put down the fruit.
　　Then suddenly a feeling to which the wizard had been for many years astranger took possession of him--a feeling of compunction. That manwas about to partake of what would cause his death--of what he,Hokosa, had prepared in order that it should cause his death. He wasgood, he was kindly, none could allege a wrong deed against him; and,foolishness though it might be, so was the doctrine that he taught.
　　Why should he kill him? It was true that never till that moment had hehesitated, by fair means or foul, to remove an enemy or rival from hispath. He had been brought up in this teaching; it was part of theeducation of wizards to be merciless, for they reigned by terror andevil craft. Their magic lay chiefly in clairvoyance and powers ofobservation developed to a pitch that was almost superhuman, and thebest of their weapons was poison in infinite variety, whereof theguild alone understood the properties and preparation. Therefore therewas nothing strange, nothing unusual in this deed of devilish andcunning murder that the sight of its doing should stir him thus, andyet it did stir him. He was minded to stop the plot, to let thingstake their course.
　　Some sense of the futility of all such strivings came home to him, andas in a glass, for Hokosa was a man of imagination, he foresaw theirend. A little success, a little failure, it scarcely mattered which,and then--that end. Within twenty years, or ten, or mayhap even one,what would this present victory or defeat mean to him? Nothing so faras he was concerned; that is, nothing so far as his life of to-day wasconcerned. Yet, if he had another life, it might mean everything.
　　There was another life; he knew it, who had dragged back from itsborders the spirits of the dead, though what might be the state andoccupations of those dead he did not know. Yet he believed--why hecould not tell--that they were affected vitally by their acts andbehaviour here; and his intelligence warned him that good must alwaysflow from good, and evil from evil. To kill this man was evil, and ofit only evil could come.
　　What did he care whether Hafela ruled the nation or Nodwengo, andwhether it worshipped the God of the Christians or the god of Fire--who, by the way, had proved himself so singularly inefficient in thehour of trial. Now that he thought of it, he much preferred Nodwengoto Hafela, for the one was a just man and the other a tyrant; and hehimself was more comfortable as a wealthy private person than he hadbeen as a head medicine-man and a chief of wizards. He would letthings stand; he would prevent the Messenger from eating of thatfruit. A word could do it; he had but to suggest that it was unripe ornot wholesome at this season of the year, and it would be cast aside.
　　All these reflections, or their substance, passed through Hokosa'smind in a few instants of time, and already he was rising to go to theverandah and translate their moral into acts, when another thoughtoccurred to him--How should he face Noma with this tale? He could giveup his own ambitions, but could he bear her mockery, as day by day shetaunted him with his faint-heartedness and reproached him with hisfailure to regain greatness and to make her great? He forgot that hemight conceal the truth from her; or rather, he did not contemplatesuch concealment, of which their relations were too peculiar and toointimate to permit. She hated him, and he worshipped her with a half-inhuman passion--a passion so unnatural, indeed, that it suggested thehorrid and insatiable longings of the damned--and yet their souls werenaked to each other. It was their fate that they could hide nothingeach from each--they were cursed with the awful necessity of candour.
　　It would be impossible that he should keep from Noma anything that hedid or did not do; it would be still more impossible that she shouldconceal from him even such imaginings and things as it is common forwomen to hold secret. Her very bitterness, which it had been policyfor her to cloak or soften, would gush from her lips at the sight ofhim; nor, in the depth of his rage and torment, could he, on the otherhand, control the ill-timed utterance of his continual andovermastering passion. It came to this, then: he must go forward, andagainst his better judgment, because he was afraid to go back, for thewhip of a woman's tongue drove him on remorselessly. It was betterthat the Messenger should die, and the land run red with blood, thanthat he should be forced to endure this scourge.
　　So with a sigh Hokosa sank back to the ground and watched while Owenate three of the poisoned fruits. After a pause, he took a fourth andbit into it, but not seeming to find it to his taste, he threw it to achild that was waiting by the verandah for any scraps which might beleft over from his meal. The child caught it, and devoured it eagerly.
　　Then, smiling at the little boy's delight, the Messenger called toHokosa to come up and speak with him.
Chapter 15 Noma Comes To Hafela
Hokosa advanced to the verandah and bowed to the white man with gravedignity.
　　"Be seated," said Owen. "Will you not eat? though I have nothing tooffer you but these," and he pushed the basket of fruits towards him,adding, "The best of them, I fear, are already gone.""I thank you, no, Messenger; such fruits are not always wholesome atthis season of the year. I have known them to breed dysentery.""Indeed," said Owen. "If so, I trust that I may escape. I havesuffered from that sickness, and I think that another bout of it wouldkill me. In future I will avoid them. But what do you seek with me,Hokosa? Enter and tell me," and he led the way into a little sitting-room.
　　"Messenger," said the wizard, with deep humility, "I am a proud man; Ihave been a great man, and it is no light thing to me to humble myselfbefore the face of my conqueror. Yet I am come to this. To-day when Iwas in audience with the king, craving a small boon of hisgraciousness, he spoke to me sharp and bitter words. He told me thathe had been minded to put me on trial for my life because of variousmisdoings which are alleged against me in the past, but that you hadpleaded for me and that for this cause he spared me. I come to thankyou for your gentleness, Messenger, for I think that had I been inyour place I should have whispered otherwise in the ear of the king.""Say no more of it, friend," said Owen kindly, "We are all of ussinners, and it is my place to push back your ancient sins, not todrag them into the light of day and clamour for their punishment. Itis true I know that you plotted with the Prince Hafela to poisonUmsuka the King, for it was revealed to me. It chanced, however, thatI was able to recover Umsuka from his sickness, and Hafela is fled, sowhy should I bring up the deed against you? It is true that you stillpractise witchcraft, and that you hate and strive against the holyFaith which I preach; but you were brought up to wizardry and havebeen the priest of another creed, and these things plead for you.
　　"Also, Hokosa, I can see the good and evil struggling in your soul,and I pray and I believe that in the end the good will master theevil; that you who have been pre-eminent in sin will come to be pre-eminent in righteousness. Oh! be not stubborn, but listen with yourear, and let your heart be softened. The gate stands open, and I amthe guide appointed to show you the way without reward or fee. Followthem ere it be too late, that in time to come when my voice is stilledyou also may be able to direct the feet of wanderers into the paths ofpeace. It is the hour of prayer; come with me, I beg of you, andlisten to some few words of the message of my lips, and let yourspirit be nurtured with them, and the Sun of Truth arise upon itsdarkness."Hokosa heard, and before this simple eloquence his wisdom sankconfounded. More, his intelligence was stirred, and a desire came uponhim to investigate and examine the canons of a creed that couldproduce such men as this. He made no answer, but waiting while Owenrobed himself, he followed him to the chapel. It was full of new-madeChristians who crowded even the doorways, but they gave place to him,wondering. Then the service began--a short and simple service. FirstOwen offered up some prayer for the welfare of the infant Church, forthe conversion of the unbelieving, for the safety of the king and thehappiness of the people. Then John, the Messenger's first disciple,read aloud from a manuscript a portion of the Scripture which hismaster had translated. It was St. Paul's exposition of theresurrection from the dead, and the grandeur of its thoughts andlanguage were by no means lost upon Hokosa, who, savage and heathenthough he might be, was also a man of intellect.
　　The reading over, Owen addressed the congregation, taking for histext, "Thy sin shall find thee out." Being now a master of thelanguage, he preached very well and earnestly, and indeed the subjectwas not difficult to deal with in the presence of an audience many ofwhose pasts had been stepped in iniquities of no common kind. As hetalked of judgment to come for the unrepentant, some of his hearersgroaned and even wept; and when, changing his note, he dwelt upon theblessed future state of those who earned forgiveness, their faces werelighted up with joy.
　　But perhaps among all those gathered before him there were none moredeeply interested than Hokosa and one other, that woman to whom he hadsold the poison, and who, as it chanced, sat next to him. Hokosa,watching her face as he was skilled to do, saw the thrusts of thepreacher go home, and grew sure that already in her jealous haste shehad found opportunity to sprinkle the medicine upon her rival's food.
　　She believed it to be but a charm indeed, yet knowing that in usingsuch charms she had done wickedly, she trembled beneath the words ofdenunciation, and rising at length, crept from the chapel.
　　"Truly, her sin will find her out," thought Hokosa to himself, andthen in a strange half-impersonal fashion he turned his thoughts tothe consideration of his own case. Would /his/ sin find him out? hewondered. Before he could answer that question, it was necessary firstto determine whether or no he had committed a sin. The man before him--that gentle and yet impassioned man--bore in his vitals the seed ofdeath which he, Hokosa, had planted there. Was it wrong to have donethis? It depended by which standard the deed was judged. According tohis own code, the code on which he had been educated and whichhitherto he had followed with exactness, it was not wrong. That codetaught the necessity of self-aggrandisement, or at least and at allcosts the necessity of self-preservation. This white preacher stood inhis path; he had humiliated him, Hokosa, and in the end, either ofhimself or through his influences, it was probable that he woulddestroy him. Therefore he must strike before in his own person hereceived a mortal blow, and having no other means at his command, hestruck through treachery and poison.
　　That was his law which for many generations had been followed andrespected by his class with the tacit assent of the nation. Accordingto this law, then, he had done no wrong. But now the victim by thealtar, who did not know that already he was bound upon the altar,preached a new and a very different doctrine under which, were it tobe believed, he, Hokosa, was one of the worst of sinners. The matter,then, resolved itself to this: which of these two rules of life wasthe right rule? Which of them should a man follow to satisfy hisconscience and to secure his abiding welfare? Apart from the motivesthat swayed him, as a mere matter of ethics, this problem interestedHokosa not a little, and he went homewards determined to solve it ifhe might. That could be done in one way only--by a close examinationof both systems. The first he knew well; he had practised it fornearly forty years. Of the second he had but an inkling. Also, if hewould learn more of it he must make haste, seeing that its exponent insome short while would cease to be in a position to set it out.
　　"I trust that you will come again," said Owen to Hokosa as they leftthe chapel.
　　"Yes, indeed, Messenger," answered the wizard; "I will come every day,and if you permit it, I will attend your private teachings also, for Iaccept nothing without examination, and I greatly desire to study thisnew doctrine of yours, root and flower and fruit."*****On the morrow Noma started upon her journey. As the matrons whoaccompanied her gave out with a somewhat suspicious persistency, itsostensible object was to visit the Mount of Purification, and there byfastings and solitude to purge herself of the sin of having givenbirth to a stillborn child. For amongst savage peoples such anaccident is apt to be looked upon as little short of a crime, or, atthe least, as indicating that the woman concerned is the object of theindignation of spirits who need to be appeased. To this Mount, Nomawent, and there performed the customary rites.
　　"Little wonder," she thought to herself, "that the spirits were angrywith her, seeing that yonder in the burying-ground of kings she haddared to break in upon their rest."From the Place of Purification she travelled on ten days' journey withher companions till they reached the mountain fastness where Hafelahad established himself. The town and its surroundings were ofextraordinary strength, and so well guarded that it was only afterconsiderable difficulty and delay that the women were admitted.
　　Hearing of her arrival and that she had words for him, Hafela sent forNoma at once, receiving her by night and alone in his principal hut.
　　She came and stood before him, and he looked at her beauty withadmiring eyes, for he could not forget the woman whom the cunning ofHokosa had forced him to put away.
　　"Whence come you, pretty one?" he asked, "and wherefore come you? Areyou weary of your husband, that you fly back to me? If so, you arewelcome indeed; for know, Noma, that I still love you.""Ay, Prince, I am weary of my husband sure enough; but I do not fly toyou, for he holds me fast to him with bonds that you cannotunderstand, and fast to him while he lives I must remain.""What hinders, Noma, that having got you here I should keep you here?
　　The cunning and magic of Hokosa may be great, but they will need to bestill greater to win you from my arms.""This hinders, Prince, that you are playing for a higher stake thanthat of a woman's love, and if you deal thus by me and my husband,then of a surety you will lose the game.""What stake, Noma?""The stake of the crown of the People of Fire.""And why should I lose if I take you as a wife?""Because Hokosa, seeing that I do not return and learning from hisspies why I do not return, will warn the king, and by many means bringall your plans to nothing. Listen now to the words of Hokosa that hehas set between my lips to deliver to you"--and she repeated to himall the message without fault or fail.
　　"Say it again," he said, and she obeyed.
　　Then he answered:--"Truly the skill of Hokosa is great, and well he knows how to set asnare; but I think that if by his counsel I should springe the bird,he will be too clever a man to keep upon the threshold of my throne.
　　He who sets one snare may set twain, and he who sits by the thresholdmay desire to enter the house of kings wherein there is no space fortwo to dwell.""Is this the answer that I am to take back to Hokosa?" asked Noma. "Itwill scarcely bind him to your cause, Prince, and I wonder that youdare to speak it to me who am his wife.""I dare to speak it to you, Noma, because, although you be his wife,all wives do not love their lords; and I think that, perchance in daysto come, you would choose rather to hold the hand of a young king thanthat of a witch-doctor sinking into eld. Thus shall you answer Hokosa:
　　You shall say to him that I have heard his words and that I find themvery good, and will walk along the path which he has made. Here beforeyou I swear by the oath that may not be broken--the sacred oath,calling down ruin upon my head should I break one word of it--that ifby his aid I succeed in this great venture, I will pay him the pricehe asks. After myself, the king, he shall be the greatest man amongthe people; he shall be general of the armies; he shall be captain ofthe council and head of the doctors, and to him shall be given halfthe cattle of Nodwengo. Also, into his hand I will deliver all thosewho cling to this faith of the Christians, and, if it pleases him, heshall offer them as a sacrifice to his god. This I swear, and you,Noma, are witness to the oath. Yet it may chance that after he,Hokosa, has gathered up all this pomp and greatness, he himself shallbe gathered up by Death, that harvest-man whom soon or late willgarner every ear;" and he looked at her meaningly.
　　"It may be so, Prince," she answered.
　　"It may be so," he repeated, "and when----""When it is so, then, Prince, we will talk together, but not tillthen. Nay, touch me not, for were he to command me, Hokosa has thispower over me that I must show him all that you have done, keepingnothing back. Let me go now to the place that is made ready for me,and afterwards you shall tell me again and more fully the words that Imust say to Hokosa my husband."*****On the morrow Hafela held a secret council of his great men, and thenext day an embassy departed to Nodwengo the king, taking to him thatmessage which Hokosa, through Noma his wife, had put into the lips ofthe prince. Twenty days later the embassy returned saying that itpleased the king to grant the prayer of his brother Hafela, andbringing with it the tidings that the white man, Messenger, had fallensick, and it was thought that he would die.
　　So in due course the women and children of the people of Hafelastarted upon their journey towards the new land where it was given outthat they should live, and with them went Noma, purposing to leavethem as they drew near the gates of the Great Place of the king. Awhile after, Hafela and his /impis/ followed with carriers bearingtheir fighting shields in bundles, and having their stabbing spearsrolled up in mats.
Chapter 16 The Repentance Of Hokosa
Hokosa kept his promise. On the morrow of his first attendance therehe was again to be seen in the chapel, and after the service was overhe waited on Owen at his house and listened to his private teaching.
　　Day by day he appeared thus, till at length he became master of thewhole doctrine of Christianity, and discovered that that which atfirst had struck him as childish and even monstrous, now presenteditself to him in a new and very different light. The conversion ofHokosa came upon him through the gate of reason, not as is usual amongsavages--and some who are not savage--by that of the emotions. Giventhe position of a universe torn and groaning beneath the dual rule ofGood and Evil, two powers of well-nigh equal potency, he found nogreat difficulty in accepting this tale of the self-sacrifice of theGod of Good that He might wring the race He loved out of theconquering grasp of the god of Ill. There was a simple majesty aboutthis scheme of redemption which appealed to one side of his nature.
　　Indeed, Hokosa felt that under certain conditions and in a morelimited fashion he would have been capable of attempting as muchhimself.
　　Once his reason was satisfied, the rest followed in a naturalsequence. Within three weeks from the hour of his first attendance atthe chapel Hokosa was at heart a Christian.
　　He was a Christian, although as yet he did not confess it; but he wasalso the most miserable man among the nation of the Sons of Fire. Theiniquities of his past life had become abominable to him; but he hadcommitted them in ignorance, and he understood that they were notbeyond forgiveness. Yet high above them all towered one colossal crimewhich, as he believed, could never be pardoned to him in this world orthe next. He was the treacherous murderer of the Messenger of God; hewas in the very act of silencing the Voice that had proclaimed truthin the dark places of his soul and the dull ears of his countrymen.
　　The deed was done; no power on earth could save his victim. Within aweek from the day of eating that fatal fruit Owen began to sicken,then the dysentery had seized him which slowly but surely was wastingout his life. Yet he, the murderer, was helpless, for with this formof the disease no medicine could cope. With agony in his heart, anagony that was shared by thousands of the people, Hokosa watched thedecrease of the white man's strength, and reckoned the days that wouldelapse before the end. Having such sin as thus upon his soul, thoughOwen entreated him earnestly, he would not permit himself to bebaptised. Twice he went near to consenting, but on each occasion anominous and terrible incident drove him from the door of mercy.
　　Once, when the words "I will" were almost on his lips, a woman brokein upon their conference bearing a dying boy in her arms.
　　"Save him," she implored, "save him, Messenger, for he is my onlyson!"Owen looked at him and shook his head.
　　"How came he like this?" he asked.
　　"I know not, Messenger, but he has been sick ever since he ate of acertain fruit which you gave to him;" and she recalled to his mind theincident of the throwing of a fruit to the child, which she hadwitnessed.
　　"I remember," said Owen. "It is strange, but I also have been sickfrom the day that I ate of those fruits; yes, and you, Hokosa, warnedme against them."Then he blessed the boy and prayed over him till he died; but whenafterwards he looked round for Hokosa, it was to find that he hadgone.
　　Some eight days later, having to a certain extent recovered from thisshock, Hokosa went one morning to Owen's house and talked to him.
　　"Messenger," he said, "is it necessary to baptism that I shouldconfess all my sins to you? If so, I can never be baptised, for thereis wickedness upon my hands which I am unable to tell into the ear ofliving man."Owen thought and answered:--"It is necessary that you should repent all of your sins, and that youshould confess them to heaven; it is not necessary that you shouldconfess them to me, who am but a man like yourself.""Then I will be baptised," said Hokosa with a sigh of relief.
　　At this moment, as it chanced, their interview was again interrupted,for runners came from the king requesting the immediate presence ofthe Messenger, if he were well enough to attend, upon a matterconnected with the trial of a woman for murder. Thinking that he mightbe of service, Owen, leaning on the shoulder of Hokosa, for already hewas too weak to walk far, crept to the litter which was waiting forhim, and was borne to the place of judgment that was before the houseof the king. Hokosa followed, more from curiosity than for any otherreason, for he had heard of no murder being committed, and his olddesire to be acquainted with everything that passed was still strongon him. The people made way for him, and he seated himself in thefirst line of spectators immediately opposite to the king and threeother captains who were judges in the case. So soon as Owen had joinedthe judges, the prisoner was brought before them, and to his secrethorror Hokosa recognised in her that woman to whom he had given thepoison in exchange for the basket of fruit.
　　Now it seemed to Hokosa that his doom was on him, for she wouldcertainly confess that she had the drug from him. He thought of flightonly to reject the thought, for to fly would be to acknowledge himselfan accessory. No, he would brazen it out, for after all his word wasas good as hers. With the prisoner came an accuser, her husband, whoseemed sick, and he it was who opened the case against her.
　　"This woman," he said, "was my wife. I divorced her for barrenness, asI have a right to do according to our ancient law, and I took anotherwoman to wife, her half-sister. This woman was jealous; she plagued mecontinually, and insulted her sister, so that I was forced to driveher away. After that she came to my house, and though they saidnothing of it at the time, she was seen by two servants of mine tosprinkle something in the bowl wherein our food was cooking.
　　Subsequently my wife, this woman's half-sister, was taken ill withdysentery. I also was taken ill with dysentery, but I still live totell this story before you, O King, and your judges, though I know notfor how long I live. My wife died yesterday, and I buried her thismorning. I accuse the woman of having murdered her, either bywitchcraft or by means of a medicine which she sprinkled on the food,or by both. I have spoken.""Have you anything to say?" asked the king of the prisoner. "Are youguilty of the crime whereof this man who was your husband charges you,or does he lie?"Then the woman answered in a low and broken voice:--"I am guilty, King. Listen to my story:" and she told it all as shetold it to Hokosa. "I am guilty," she added, "and may the Great Man inthe sky, of Whom the Messenger has taught us, forgive me. My sister'sblood is upon my hands, and for aught I know the blood of my husbandyonder will also be on my hands. I seek no mercy; indeed, it is betterthat I should die; but I would say this in self-defence, that I didnot think to kill my sister. I believed that I was giving to her apotion which would cause her husband to hate her and no more."Here she looked round and her eyes met those of Hokosa.
　　"Who told you that this was so?" asked one of the judges.
　　"A witch-doctor," she answered, "from whom I bought the medicine inthe old days, long ago, when Umsuka was king."Hokosa gasped. Why should this woman have spared him?
　　No further question was asked of her, and the judges consultedtogether. At length the king spoke.
　　"Woman," he said, "you are condemned to die. You will be taken to theDoom Tree, and there be hanged. Out of those who are assembled to tryyou, two, the Messenger and myself, have given their vote in favour ofmercy, but the majority think otherwise. They say that a law has beenpassed against murder by means of witchcraft and secret medicine, andthat should we let you go free, the people will make a mock of thatlaw. So be it. Go in peace. To-morrow you must die, and mayforgiveness await you elsewhere.""I ask nothing else," said the woman. "It is best that I should die."Then they led her away. As she passed Hokosa she turned and looked himfull in the eyes, till he dropped his head abashed. Next morning shewas executed, and he learned that her last words were: "Let it come tothe ears of him who sold me the poison, telling me that it was but aharmless drug, that as I hope to be forgiven, so I forgive him,believing that my silence may win for him time for repentance, beforehe follows on the road I tread."Now, when Hokosa heard these words he shut himself up in his house forthree days, giving out that he was sick. Nor would he go near to Owen,being altogether without hope, and not believing that baptism or anyother rite could avail to purge such crimes as his. Truly his sin hadfound him out, and the burden of it was intolerable. So intolerabledid it become, that at length he determined to be done with it. Hecould live no more. He would die, and by his own hand, before he wascalled upon to witness the death of the man whom he had murdered. Tothis end he made his preparations. For Noma he left no message; forthough his heart still hungered after her, he knew well that she hatedhim and would rejoice at his death.
　　When all was ready he sat down to think a while, and as he thought, aman entered his hut saying that the Messenger desired to see him. Atfirst he was minded not to go, then it occurred to him that it wouldbe well if he could die with a clean heart. Why should he not tell allto the white man, and before he could be delivered up to justice takethat poison which he had prepared? It was impossible that he should beforgiven, yet he desired that his victim should learn how deep was hissorrow and repentance, before he proved it by preceding him to death.
　　So he rose and went.
　　He found Owen in his house, lying in a rude chair and propped up bypillows of bark. Now he was wasted almost to a shadow, and in the palepinched face his dark eyes, always large and spiritual, shone withunnatural lustre, while his delicate hands were so thin that when heheld them up in blessing the light showed through them.
　　"Welcome, friend," he said. "Tell me, why have you deserted me oflate? Have you been ill?""No, Messenger," answered Hokosa, "that is, not in my body. I havebeen sick at heart, and therefore I have not come.""What, Hokosa, do your doubts still torment you? I thought that myprayers had been heard, and that power had been given me to set themat rest for ever. Man, let me hear the trouble, and swiftly, forcannot you who are a doctor see that I shall not be here for long totalk with you? My days are numbered, Hokosa, and my work is almostdone.""I know it," answered Hokosa. "And, Messenger, /my/ days are alsonumbered.""How is this?" asked Owen, "seeing that you are well and strong. Doesan enemy put you in danger of your life?""Yes, Messenger, and I myself am that enemy; for to-day I, who am nolonger fit to live, must die by my own hand. Nay, listen and you willsay that I do well, for before I go I would tell you all. Messenger,you are doomed, are you not? Well, it was I who doomed you. That fruitwhich you ate a while ago was poisoned, and by my hand, for I am amaster of such arts. From the beginning I hated you, as well I might,for had you not worsted me and torn power from my grasp, and placedthe people and the king under the rule of another God? Therefore, whenall else failed, I determined to murder you, and I did the deed bymeans of that woman who not long ago was hung for the killing of hersister, though in truth she was innocent." And he told him what hadpassed between himself and the woman, and told him also of the plotwhich he had hatched to kill Nodwengo and the Christians, and to setHafela on the throne"She was innocent," he went on, "but I am guilty. How guilty you and Iknow alone. Do you remember that day when you ate the fruit, how afterit I accompanied you to the church yonder and listened to yourpreaching? 'Your sin shall find you out,' you said, and of a suretymine has found me out. For, Messenger, it came about that in listeningto you then and afterwards, I grew to love you and to believe thewords you taught, and therefore am I of all men the most miserable,and therefore must I, who have been great and the councillor of kings,perish miserably by the death of a dog.
　　"Now curse me, and let me go."
Chapter 17 The Loosing Of Noma
When Owen heard that it was Hokosa who had poisoned him, he groanedand hid his face in his hands, and thus he remained till the evil talewas finished. Now he lifted his head and spoke, but not to Hokosa.
　　"O God," he said, "I thank Thee that at the cost of my poor life Thouhast been pleased to lead this sinner towards the Gate ofRighteousness, and to save alive those whom Thou hast sent me togather to Thy Fold."Then he looked at Hokosa and said:--"Unhappy man, is not your cup full enough of crime, and have you notsufficiently tempted the mercy of Heaven, that you would add to allyour evil deeds that of self-murder?""It is better to die to-day by my own hand," answered Hokosa, "thanto-morrow among the mockery of the people to fall a victim to yourvengeance, Messenger.""Vengeance! Did I speak to you of vengeance? Who am I that I shouldtake vengeance upon one who has repented? Hokosa, freely do I forgiveyou all, even as in some few days I hope to be forgiven. Freely andfully from my heart do I forgive you, nor shall my lips tell one wordof the sin that you have worked against me."Now, when Hokosa heard those words, for a moment he stared stupefied;then he fell upon his knees before Owen, and bowing his head till ittouched the teacher's feet, he burst into bitter weeping.
　　"Rise and hearken," said Owen gently. "Weep not because I have shownkindness to you, for that is my duty and no more, but for your sins inyour own heart weep now and ever. Yet for your comfort I tell you thatif you do this, of a surety they shall be forgiven to you. /Hokosa,you have indeed lost that which you loved, and henceforth you mustfollow after that which you did not desire. In the very grave of erroryou have found truth, and from the depths of sin you shall pluckrighteousness. Ay, that Cross which you deemed accursed shall lift youup on high, for by it you shall be saved./"Hokosa heard and shivered.
　　"Who set those words between your lips, Messenger?" he whispered.
　　"Who set them, Hokosa? Nay, I know not--or rather, I know well. He setthem Who teaches us to speak all things that are good.""It must be so, indeed," replied Hokosa. "Yet I have heard thembefore; I have heard them from the lips of the dead, and with themwent this command: that when they fell upon my ears again I should'take them for a sign, and let my heart be turned.'""Tell me that tale," said Owen.
　　So he told him, and this time it was the white man who trembled.
　　"Horrible has been your witchcraft, O Son of Darkness!" said Owen,when he had finished; "yet it would seem that it was permitted to youto find truth in the pit of sorcery. Obey, obey, and let your heart beturned. The dead told you that you should be set high above the nationand its king, and that saying I cannot read, though it may befulfilled in some fashion of which to-day you do not think. At theleast, the other saying is true, that in the end comes judgment, andthat there shall the sin and the atonement strive together; thereforefor judgment prepare yourself. And now depart, for I must talk withthe king as to this matter of the onslaught of Hafela.""Then, that will be the signal for my death, for what king can forgiveone who has plotted such treachery against him?" said Hokosa.
　　"Fear not," answered Owen, "I will soften his heart. Go you into thechurch and pray, for there you shall be less tempted; but before yougo, swear to me that you will work no evil on yourself.""I swear it, Messenger, since now I desire to live, if only forawhile, seeing that death shuts every door."Then he went to the church and waited there. An hour later he wassummoned, and found the king seated with Owen.
　　"Man," said Nodwengo, "I am told by the Messenger here that you haveknowledge of a plot which my brother the Prince Hafela has made tofall treacherously upon me and put me and my people to the spear. Howyou come to be acquainted with the plot, and what part you have playedin it, I will not now inquire, for so much have I promised to theMessenger. Yet I warn you it will be well that you should tell me allyou know, and that should you lie to me or attempt to deceive me, thenyou shall surely die.""King, hear all the truth," answered Hokosa in a voice of desperatecalm. "I have knowledge of the plot, for it was I who wove it; butwhether or not Hafela will carry it out altogether I cannot say, foras yet no word has reached me from him. King, this was the plan that Imade." And he told him everything.
　　"It is fortunate for you, Hokosa," said Nodwengo grimly when he hadfinished, "that I gave my word to the Messenger that no harm shouldcome to you, seeing that you have repented and confessed. This iscertain, that Hafela has listened to your evil counsels, for I gave myconsent to his flight from this land with all his people, and alreadyhis women and children have crossed the mountain path in thousands.
　　Well, this I swear, that their feet shall tread it no more, for wherethey are thither he shall go to join them, should he chance to live todo so. Hokosa, begone, and know that day and night you will bewatched. Should you so much as dare to approach one of the gates ofthe Great Place, that moment you shall die.""Have no fear, O King," said Hokosa humbly, "for I have emptied all myheart before you. The past is the past, and cannot be recalled. Forthe future, while it pleases you to spare me, I am the most loyal ofyour servants.""Can a man empty a spring with a pitcher?" asked the kingcontemptuously. "By to-morrow this heart of yours may be full againwith the blackest treachery, O master of sin and lies. Many months agoI spared you at the prayer of the Messenger; and now at his prayer Ispare you again, yet in doing so I think that I am foolish.""Nay, I will answer for him," broke in Owen. "Let him stay here withme, and set your guard without my gates.""How do I know that he will not murder you, friend?" asked the king.
　　"This man is a snake whom few can nurse with safety.""He will not murder me," said Owen smiling, "because his heart isturned from evil to good; also, there is little need to murder a dyingman.""Nay, speak not so," said the king hastily; "and as for this man, beit as you will. Come, I must take counsel with my captains, for ourdanger is near and great."So it came about that Hokosa stayed in the house of Owen.
　　On the morrow the Great Place was full of the bustle of preparation,and by dawn of the following day an /impi/ of some seventeen thousandspears had started to ambush Hafela and his force in a certain woodeddefile through which he must pass on his way to the mountain passwhere his women and children were gathered. The army was not large, atleast in the eyes of the People of Fire who, before the death ofUmsuka and the break up of the nation, counted their warriors by tensof thousands. But after those events the most of the regiments haddeserted to Hafela, leaving to Nodwengo not more than two-and-twentythousand spears upon which he could rely. Of these he kept less than athird to defend the Great Place against possible attacks, and all therest he sent to fall upon Hafela far away, hoping there to make an endof him once and for all. This counsel the king took against the betterjudgment of many of his captains, and as the issue proved, it wasmistaken.
　　When Owen told Hokosa of it, that old general shrugged his shoulders.
　　"The king would have done better to keep his regiments at home," hesaid, "and fight it out with Hafela here, where he is well prepared.
　　Yonder the country is very wide, and broken, and it may well chancethat the /impi/ will miss that of Hafela, and then how can the kingdefend this place with a handful, should the prince burst upon him atthe head of forty thousand men? But who am I that I should givecounsel for which none seek?""As God wills, so shall it befall," answered Owen wearily; "but oh!
　　the thought of all this bloodshed breaks my heart. I trust that itsbeatings may be stilled before my eyes behold the evil hour."On the evening of that day Hokosa was baptised. The ceremony tookplace, not in the church, for Owen was too weak to go there, but inthe largest room of his house and before some few witnesses chosenfrom the congregation. Even as he was being signed with the sign ofthe cross, a strange and familiar attraction caused the convert tolook up, and behold, before him, watching all with mocking eyes, stoodNoma his wife. At length the rite was finished, and the littleaudience melted away, all save Noma, who stood silent and beautiful asa statue, the light of mockery still gleaming in her eyes. Then shespoke, saying:--"I greet you, Husband. I have returned from doing your business afar,and if this foolishness is finished, and the white man can spare you,I would talk with you alone.""I greet you, Wife," answered Hokosa. "Say out your say, for none arepresent save us three, and from the Messenger here I have no secrets.""What, Husband, none? Do you ever talk to him of certain fruit thatyou ripened in a garden yonder?""From the Messenger I have no secrets," repeated Hokosa in a heavyvoice.
　　"Then his heart must be full of them indeed, and it is little wonderthat he seems sick," replied Noma, gibing. "Tell me, Hokosa, is ittrue that you have become a Christian, or would you but fool the whiteman and his following?""It is true."At the words her graceful shape was shaken with a little gust ofsilent laughter.
　　"The wizard has turned saint," she said. "Well, then, what of thewizard's wife?""You were my wife before I became Christian; if the Messenger permitsit, you can still abide with me.""If the Messenger permits it! So you have come to this, Hokosa, thatyou must ask the leave of another man as to whether or no you shouldkeep your own wife! There is no other thing that I could not havethought of you, but this I would never have believed had I not heardit from your lips. Say now, do you still love me, Hokosa?""You know well that I love you, now and always," he answered, in avoice that sounded like a groan; "as you know that for love of you Ihave done many sins from which otherwise I should have turned aside.""Grieve not over them, Hokosa; after all, in such a count as yoursthey will make but little show. Well, if you love me, I hate you,though through your witchcraft your will yet has the mastery of mine.
　　I demand of you now that you should loose that bond, for I do notdesire to become a Christian; and surely, O most good and holy man,having one wife already, it will not please you henceforth to live insin with a heathen woman."Now Hokosa turned to Owen:--"In the old days," he said, "I could have answered her; but now I amfallen; or raised up--at the least I am changed and cannot. O prophetof Heaven, tell me what I shall do.""Sever the bond that you have upon her and let her go," answered Owen.
　　"This love of yours is unnatural, unholy and born of witchcraft; havedone with it, or if you cannot, at the least deny it, for such awoman, a woman who hates you, can work you no good. Moreover, sinceshe is a second wife, you being a Christian, are bound to free hershould she so desire.""She can work me no good, Messenger, that I know; but I know also thatwhile she struggles in the net of my will she can work me no evil. IfI loose the net and the fish swims free, it may be otherwise.""Loose it," answered Owen, "and leave the rest to Providence.
　　Henceforth, Hokosa, do right, and take no thought for the morrow, forthe morrow is with God, and what He decrees, that shall befall.""I hear you," said Hokosa, "and I obey." For a while he rocked himselfto and fro, staring at the ground, then he lifted his head andspoke:--"Woman," he said, "the knot is untied and the spell is broken. Begone,for I release you and I divorce you. Flesh of my flesh have you been,and soul of my soul, for in the web of sorceries are we knit together.
　　Yet be warned and presume not too far, for remember that which I havelaid down I can take up, and that should I choose to command, you muststill obey. Farewell, you are free."Noma heard, and with a sigh of ecstasy she sprang into the air as aslave might do from whom the fetters have been struck off.
　　"Ay," she cried, "I am free! I feel it in my blood, I who have lain inbondage, and the voice of freedom speaks in my heart and the breath offreedom blows in my nostrils. I am free from you, O dark and accursedman; but herein lies my triumph and revenge--/you/ are not free fromme. In obedience to that white fool whom you have murdered, you haveloosed me; but you I will not loose and could not if I would. Listennow, Hokosa: you love me, do you not?--next to this new creed ofyours, I am most of all to you. Well, since you have divorced me, Iwill tell you, I go straight to another man. Now, look your last onme; for you love me, do you not?" and she slipped the mantle from hershoulders and except for her girdle stood before him naked, andsmiled.
　　"Well," she went on, resuming her robe, "the last words of those welove are always dear to us; therefore, Hokosa, you who were myhusband, I leave mine with you. You are a coward and a traitor, andyour doom shall be that of a coward and a traitor. For my sake youbetrayed Umsuka, your king and benefactor; for your own sake youbetrayed Nodwengo, who spared you; and now, for the sake of yourmiserable soul, you have betrayed Hafela to Nodwengo. Nay, I know thetale, do not answer me, but the end of it--ah! that is yet to learn.
　　Lie there, snake, and lick the hand that you have bitten, but I, thebird whom you have loosed, I fly afar--taking your heart with me!" andsuddenly she turned and was gone.
　　Presently Hokosa spoke in a thick voice:--"Messenger," he said, "this cross that you have given me to bear isheavy indeed.""Yes, Hokosa," answered Owen, "for to it your sins are nailed."
Chapter 18 The Passing Of Owen
Once she was outside of Owen's house, Noma did not tarry. First shereturned to Hokosa's kraal, where she had already learnt from his headwife, Zinti, and others the news of his betrayal of the plot ofHafela, of his conversion to the faith of the Christians, and of themarch of the /impi/ to ambush the prince. Here she took a littlespear, and rolling up in a skin blanket as much dried meat as shecould carry, she slipped unnoticed from the kraal. Her object was toescape from the Great Place, but this she did not try to do by any ofthe gates, knowing them to be guarded. Some months ago, before shestarted on her embassy, she had noted a weak spot in the fence, wheredogs had torn a hole through which they passed out to hunt at night.
　　To this spot she made her way under cover of the darkness--for thoughshe still greatly feared to be alone at night, her pressing needconquered her fears--and found that the hole was yet there, for a tallweed growing in its mouth had caused it to be overlooked by thosewhose duty it was to mend the fence. With her assegai she widened it alittle, then drew her lithe shape through it, and lying hidden tillthe guard had passed, climbed the two stone walls beyond. Once she wasfree of the town, she set her course by the stars and started forwardat a steady run.
　　"If my strength holds I shall yet be in time to warn him," shemuttered to herself. "Ah! friend Hokosa, this new madness of yours hasblunted your wits that once were sharp enough. You have set me free,and now you shall learn how I can use my freedom. Not for nothing haveI been your pupil, Hokosa the fox."Before the dawn broke Noma was thirty miles from the Great Place, andbefore the next dawn she was a hundred. At sunset on that second dayshe stood among mountains. To her right stretched a great defile, arugged place of rocks and bush, wherein she knew that the regiments ofthe king were hid in ambush. Perchance she was too late, perchance the/impi/ of Hafela had already passed to its doom in yonder gorge.
　　Swiftly she ran forward on to the trail which led to the gorge, tofind that it had been trodden by many feet and recently. Moving to andfro she searched the spoor with her eyes, then rose with a sigh ofjoy. It was old, and marked the passage of the great company of womenand children and their thousands of cattle which, in execution of theplot, had travelled this path some days before. Either the /impi/ hadnot yet arrived, or it had gone by some other road. Weary as she was,Noma followed the old spoor backwards. A mile or more away it crossedthe crest of a hog-backed mountain, from whose summit she searched theplain beyond, and not in vain, for there far beneath her twinkled thewatch-fires of the army of Hafela.
　　Three hours later a woman, footsore and utterly exhausted, staggeredinto the camp, and waving aside the spears that were lifted to stabher, demanded to be led to the prince. Presently she was there.
　　"Who is this woman?" asked the great warrior; for, haggard as she waswith travel, exhaustion, and the terror of her haunted loneliness, hedid not know her in the uncertain firelight.
　　"Hafela," she said, "I am Noma who was the wife of Hokosa, and forwhole nights and days I have journeyed as no woman ever journeyedbefore, to tell you of the treachery of Hokosa and to save you fromyour doom.""What treachery and what doom?" asked the prince.
　　"Before I answer you that question, Hafela, you must pay me the priceof my news.""Let me hear the price, Noma.""It is this, Prince: First, the head of Hokosa, who has divorced me,when you have caught him.""That I promise readily. What more?""Secondly, the place of your chief wife to-day; and a week hence, whenI shall have made you king, the name and state of Queen of the Peopleof Fire with all that hangs thereto.""You are ambitious, woman, and know well how to drive a bargain. Well,if you can ask, I can give, for I have ever loved you, and your mindis great as your body is beautiful. If through your help I shouldbecome King of the People of Fire, you shall be their Queen, I swearit by the spirits of my fathers and by my own head. And now--yourtidings.""These are they, Hafela. Hokosa has turned Christian and betrayed theplot to Nodwengo; and the great gorge yonder but three hours marchaway is ambushed. To-morrow you and your people would have been cutoff there had I not run so fast and far to warn you, after which the/impis/ of Nodwengo were commanded to follow your women and cattleover the mountain pass and capture them.""This is news indeed," said the prince. "Say now, how many regimentsare hidden in the gorge?""Eight.""Well, I have fourteen; so, being warned, there is little to fear. Iwill catch these rats in their own hole.""I have a better plan," said Noma; "it is this: leave six regimentsposted upon the brow of yonder hill and let them stay there. Then whenthe generals of Nodwengo see that they do not enter the gorge, theywill believe that the ambush is discovered, and, after waiting one dayor perhaps two, will move out to give battle, thinking that beforethem is all your strength. But command your regiments to run and notto fight, drawing the army of Nodwengo after them. Meanwhile, yes,this very night, you yourself with all the men that are left to youmust march upon the Great Place, which, though it be strong, can bestormed, for it is defended by less than five thousand soldiers.
　　There, having taken it, you shall slay Nodwengo, proclaiming yourselfking, and afterwards, by the help of the /impi/ that you leave herewhich will march onward to your succour, you can deal with yonderarmy.""A great scheme truly," said Hafela in admiration; "but how do I knowwhether all this tale is true, or whether you do but set a snare forme?""Bid scouts go out and creep into yonder gully," answered Noma, "andyou will see whether or no I have spoken falsely. For the rest, I amin your hands, and if I lie you can take my life in payment.""If I march upon the Great Place, it must be at midnight when none seeme go," said Hafela, "and what will you do then, Noma, who are tooweary to travel again so soon?""I will be borne in a litter till my strength comes back to me," sheanswered. "And now give me to eat and let me rest while I may."*****Five hours later, Hafela with the most of his army, a force ofsomething over twenty thousand men, was journeying swiftly but by acircuitous route towards the Great Place of the king. On the crest ofthe hill facing the gorge, as Noma had suggested, he left sixregiments with instructions to fly before Nodwengo's generals, andwhen they had led them far enough, to follow him as swiftly as theywere able. These orders, or rather the first part of them, theycarried out, for as it chanced after two days' flight, the king'ssoldiers got behind them by a night march, and falling on them atdawn, killed half of them and dispersed the rest. Then it was thatNodwengo's generals learned for the first time that they werefollowing one wing of Hafela's army only, while the main body wasstriking at the heart of the kingdom, and turned their faces homewardsin fear and haste.
　　*****On the morning after the flight of Noma, Owen passed into the laststage of his sickness, and it became evident, both to himself and tothose who watched him, that at the most he could not live for morethan a few days. For his part, he accepted his doom joyfully, spendingthe time which was left to him in writing letters that were to beforwarded to England whenever an opportunity should arise. Also he setdown on paper a statement of the principal events of his strangemission, and other information for the guidance of his whitesuccessors, who by now should be drawing near to the land of theAmasuka. In the intervals of these last labours, from time to time hesummoned the king and the wisest and trustiest of them whom he hadbaptised to his bedside, teaching them what they should do when he wasgone, and exhorting them to cling to the Faith.
　　On the afternoon of the fourth day from that of the baptism of Hokosahe fell into a quiet sleep, from which he did not wake till sundown.
　　"Am I still here?" he asked wondering, of John and Hokosa who watchedat his bedside. "From my dreams I thought that it was otherwise. John,send a messenger to the king and ask of him to assemble the people,all who care to come, in the open place before my house. I am about todie, and first I would speak with them."John went weeping upon his errand, leaving Owen and Hokosa alone.
　　"Tell me know what shall I do?" said Hokosa in a voice of despair,"seeing that it is I and no other who have brought this death uponyou.""Fret not, my brother," answered Owen, "for this and other things youdid in the days of your blindness, and it was permitted that youshould do them to an end. Kneel down now, that I may absolve you fromyour sins before I pass away; for I tell you, Hokosa, I believe thatere many days are over you must walk on the same path which I travelto-night.""Is it so?" Hokosa answered. "Well, I am glad, for I have no longerany lust of life."Then he knelt down and received the absolution.
　　Now John returned and Nodwengo with him, who told him that the peoplewere gathering in hundreds according to his wish.
　　"Then clothe me in my robes and let us go forth," he said, "for Iwould speak my last words in the ears of men."So they put the surplice and hood upon his wasted form and went out,John preceding him holding on high the ivory crucifix, while the kingand Hokosa supported him, one on either side.
　　Without his gate stood a low wooden platform, whence at times Owen hadbeen accustomed to address any congregation larger than the churchwould contain. On this platform he took his seat. The moon was brightabove him, and by it he could see that already his audience numberedsome thousands of men, women and children. The news had spread thatthe wonderful white man, Messenger, wished to take his farewell of thenation, though even now many did not understand that he was dying, butimagined that he was about to leave the country, or, for aught theyknew, to vanish from their sight into Heaven. For a moment Owen lookedat the sea of dusky faces, then in the midst of an intense stillness,he spoke in a voice low indeed but clear and steady:--"My children," he said, "hear my last words to you. More than threeyears ago, in a far, far land and upon such a night as this, a Voicespoke to me from above commanding me to seek you out, to turn you fromyour idolatry and to lighten your darkness. I listened to the Voice,and hither I journeyed across sea and land, though how this thingmight be done I could not guess. But to Him Who sent me all things arepossible, and while yet I lingered upon the threshold of your country,in a dream were revealed to me events that were to come. So I appearedbefore you boldly, and knowing that he had been poisoned and that Icould cure him, I drew back your king from the mouth of death, and yousaid to yourselves: 'Behold a wizard indeed! Let us hear him.' Then Igave battle to your sorcerers yonder upon the plain, and from the footof the Cross I teach, the lightnings were rolled back upon them andthey were not. Look now, their chief stands at my side, among mydisciples one of the foremost and most faithful. Afterwards troublesarose: your king died a Christian, and many of the people fell away;but still a remnant remained, and he who became king was converted tothe truth. Now I have sown the seed, and the corn is ripe before myeyes, but it is not permitted that I should reap the harvest. My workis ended, my task is done, and I, the Messenger, return to make reportto Him Who sent the message.
　　"Hear me yet a little while, for soon shall my voice be silent. 'Icome not to bring peace, but a sword,'--so said the Master Whom Ipreach, and so say I, the most unworthy of His servants. Salvationcannot be bought at a little price; it must be paid for by the bloodand griefs of men, and in blood and griefs must you pay, O mychildren. Through much tribulation must you also enter the kingdom ofGod. Even now the heathen is at your gates, and many of you shallperish on his spears, but I tell you that he shall not conquer. Befaithful, cling to the Cross, and do not dare to doubt your Lord, forHe will be your Captain and you shall be His people. Cleave to yourking, for he is good; and in the day of trial listen to the counsel ofthis Hokosa who once was the first of evil-doers, for with him goes myspirit, and he is my son in the spirit.
　　"My children, fare you well! Forget me not, for I have loved you; orif you will, forget me, but remember my teaching and hearken to thosewho shall tread upon the path I made. The peace of God be with you,the blessing of God be upon you, and the salvation of God await you,as it awaits me to-night! Friends, lead me hence to die."They turned to him, but before their hands touched him Thomas Owenfell forward upon the breast of Hokosa and lay there a while. Thensuddenly, for the last time, he lifted himself and cried aloud:--"I have fought a good fight! I have finished my course! I have keptthe faith! Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. . . and not to me only, but to all those who love His appearing."Then his head fell back, his dark eyes closed, and the Messenger wasdead.
　　Hokosa, the man who had murdered him, having lifted him up to show himto the people, amidst a sound of mighty weeping, took the body in hisarms and bore it thence to make it ready for burial.
Chapter 19 The Fall Of The Great Place
On the morrow at sundown all that remained of Thomas Owen was laid torest before the altar of the little church, Nodwengo the king andHokosa lowering him into the grave, while John, his first disciple,read over him the burial service of the Christians, which it had beenone of the dead man's last labours to translate into the language ofthe Amasuka.
　　Before the ceremony was finished, a soldier, carrying a spear in hishand, pushed his way through the dense and weeping crowd, and havingsaluted, whispered something into the ear of the king. Nodwengostarted, and, with a last look of farewell at the face of his friend,left the chapel, accompanied by some of his generals who were present,muttering to Hokosa that he was to follow when all was done.
　　Accordingly, some few minutes later, he went and was admitted into theCouncil Hut, where captains and messengers were to be seen arrivingand departing continuously.
　　"Hokosa," said the king, "you have dealt treacherously with me in thepast, but I believe now that your heart is true; at the least I followthe commands of our dead master and trust you. Listen: the outpostshave sighted an /impi/ of many regiments advancing towards the GreatPlace, though whether or no it be my own /impi/ returning victoriousfrom the war with my brother, I cannot say. There is this against it,however, that a messenger has but just arrived reporting that thegenerals have perceived the host of Hafela encamped upon a ridge overagainst the gorge where they awaited him. If that be so, they canscarcely have given him battle, for the messenger is swift of foot andhas travelled night and day. Yet how can this be the /impi/ of Hafela,who, say the generals, is encamped upon the ridge?""He may have left the ridge, King, having been warned of the ambush.""It cannot be, for when the runner started his fires burned there andhis soldiers were gathered round them.""Then perhaps his captains sit upon the ridge with some portion of hisstrength to deceive those who await him in the gorge; while, knowingthat here men are few, he himself swoops down on you with the mainbody of his /impi/.""At least we shall learn presently," answered the king; "but if it beas I fear and we are outwitted, what is there that we can do againstso many?"Now one of the captains proposed that they should stay where they wereand hold the place.
　　"It is too large," answered the king, "they will burst the fences andbreak our line."Another suggested that they should fly and, avoiding the regiments ofHafela in the darkness of the night, should travel swiftly in searchof the main army that had been sent to lie in ambush.
　　"What," said Nodwengo, "leaving the aged and the women and children toperish, for how can we take such a multitude? No, I will have none ofthis plan."Then Hokosa spoke. "King," he said, "listen to my counsel: Command nowthat all the women and the old men, taking with them such cattle andfood as are in the town, depart at once into the Valley of Death andcollect in the open space that lies beyond the Tree of Doom, near thespring of water that is there. The valley is narrow and the cliffs aresteep, and it may chance that by the help of Heaven we shall be ableto hold it till the army returns to relieve us, to seek whichmessengers must be sent at once with these tidings.""The plan is good," said the king, though none had thought of it; "butso we shall lose the town.""Towns can be rebuilt," answered Hokosa, "but who may restore thelives of men?"As the words left his lips, a runner burst into the council, crying:
　　"King, the /impi/ is that of Hafela, and the prince heads it inperson. Already his outposts rest upon the Plain of Fire."Then Nodwengo rose and issued his orders, commanding that all theineffective population of the town, together with such food and cattleas could be gathered, should retreat at once into the Valley of Death.
　　By this time the four or five thousand soldiers who were left in theGreat Place had been paraded on the open ground in front of the king'shouse, where they stood, still and silent, in the moonlight. Nodwengoand the captains went out to them, and as they saw him come theylifted their spears like one man, giving him the royal salute of"King!" He held up his hand and addressed them.
　　"Soldiers," he said, "we have been outwitted. My /impi/ is afar, andthat of Hafela is at our gates. Yonder in the valley, though we befew, we can defend ourselves till succour reaches us, which alreadymessengers have gone out to seek. But first we must give time for thewomen and children, the sick and the aged, to withdraw with food andcattle; and this we can do in one way only, by keeping Hafela at baytill they have passed the archway, all of them. Now, soldiers, for thesake of your own lives, of your honour and of those you love, swear tome, in the holy Name which we have been taught to worship, that youwill fight out this great fight without fear or faltering.""We swear it in the holy Name, and by your head, King," roared theregiments.
　　"Then victory is already ours," answered Nodwengo. "Follow me,Children of Fire!" and shaking his great spear, he led the way towardsthat portion of the outer fence upon which Hafela was advancing.
　　By now the town behind them was a scene of almost indescribable tumultand confusion, for the companies detailed to the task were clearingthe numberless huts of their occupants, and collecting women, childrenand oxen in thousands, preparatory to driving them into the defile.
　　Panic had seized many of these poor creatures, who, in imagination,already saw themselves impaled upon the cruel spears of Hafela'stroops, and indeed in not a few instances believed those who wereurging them forward to be the enemy. Women shrieked and wrung theirhands, children wailed piteously, oxen lowed, and the infirm and agedvented their grief in groans and cries to Heaven, or their ancientgod, for mercy. In truth, so difficult was the task of marshallingthis motley array at night, numbering as it did ten or twelve thousandsouls, that a full hour went by before the mob even began to move,slowly and uncertainly, towards the place of refuge, whereof theopening was so narrow that but few of them could pass it at a time.
　　Meanwhile Hafela was developing the attack. Forming his great armyinto the shape of a wedge he raised his battle-cry and rushed down onthe first line of fortifications, which he stormed without difficulty,for they were defended by a few skirmishers only. Next he attacked thesecond line, and carried it after heavy fighting, then hurled himselfupon the weakest point of the main fence of the vast kraal. Here itwas that the fray began in earnest, for here Nodwengo was waiting forhim. Thrice the thousands rolled on in the face of a storm of spears,and thrice they fell back from the wide fence of thorns and the wallof stone behind it. By now the battle had raged for about an hour anda half, and it was reported to the king that the first of the womenand children had passed the archway into the valley, and that nearlyall of them were clear of the eastern gate of the town.
　　"Then it is time that we follow them," said the king, "for if we waithere until the warriors of Hafela are among us, our retreat willbecome a rout and soon there will be none left to follow. Let onecompany," and he named it, "hold the fence for a while to give us timeto withdraw, taking the wounded with us.""We hear you, king," said one of that company, "but our captain iskilled.""Who among you will take over the command of these men and hold thebreach?" asked Nodwengo of the group of officers about him.
　　"I, King," answered old Hokosa, lifting his spear, "for I care notwhether I live or die.""Go to, boaster!" cried another. "Who among us cares whether he livesor dies when the king commands?""That we shall know to-morrow," said Hokosa quietly, and the soldierslaughed at the retort.
　　"So be it," said the king, and while silently and swiftly he led offthe regiments, keeping in the shadow of the huts, Hokosa and hishundred men posted themselves behind the weakened fence and wall. Now,for the fourth time the attacking regiment came forward grimly, onthis occasion led by the prince himself. As they drew near, Hokosaleapt upon the wall, and standing there in the bright moonlight whereall could see him, he called to them to halt. Instinctively theyobeyed him.
　　"Is it Hafela whom I see yonder?" he asked.
　　"Ah! it is I," answered the prince. "What would you with me, wizardand traitor?""This only, Hafela: I would ask you what you seek here?""That which you promised me, Hokosa, the crown of my father andcertain other things.""Then get you back, Hafela, for you shall never win them.. Have Iprophesied falsely to you at any time? Not so--neither do I prophesyfalsely now. Get you back whence you came, and your wolves with you,else shall you bide here for ever.""Do you dare to call down evil on me, Wizard?" shouted the princefuriously. "Your wife is mine, and now I take your life also," andwith all his strength he hurled at him the great spear he held.
　　It hissed past Hokosa's head, touching his ear, but he never flinchedfrom the steel.
　　"A poor cast, Prince," he said laughing; "but so it must have been,for I am guarded by that which you cannot see. My wife you have, andshe shall be your ruin; my life you may take, but ere it leaves me,Hafela, I shall see you dead and your army scattered. The Messenger ispassed away, but his power has fallen upon me and I speak the truth toyou, O Prince and warriors, who are--already dead."Now a shriek of dismay and fury rose from the hundreds who heard thisprophesy of ill, for of Hokosa and his magic they were terriblyafraid.
　　"Kill him! Kill the wizard!" they shouted, and a rain of spears rushedtowards him on the wall.
　　They rushed towards him, they passed above, below, around; but, ofthem all, not one touched him.
　　"Did I not tell you that I was guarded by That which you cannot see?"Hokosa asked contemptuously. Then slowly he descended from the wallamidst a great silence.
　　"When men are scarce the tongue must play a part," he explained to hiscompanions, who stared at him wondering. "By now the king and thosewith him should have reached the eastern gate; whereas, had we foughtat once, Hafela would be hard upon his heels, for we are few, and whocan hold a buffalo with a rope of grass? Yet I think that I spoketruth when I told him that the garment of the Messenger has fallenupon my shoulders, and that death awaits him and his companions, as itawaits me also and many of us. Now, friends, be ready, for the bullcharges and soon we must feel his horns. This at least is left to you,to die gloriously."While he was still speaking the first files of the regiment rushedupon the fence, tearing aside the thorns with their hands till apassage was made through them. Then they sprang upon the wall, thereto be met by the spears of Hokosa and his men thrusting upward frombeneath its shelter. Time after time they sprang, and time after timethey fell back dead or wounded, till at last, dashing forward in onedense column, they poured over the stones as the rising tide poursover the rocks on the sea-shore, driving the defenders before them bythe sheer weight of numbers.
　　"This game is played!" cried Hokosa. "Fly now to the eastern gate, forhere we can do nothing more."So they fled, those who survived of them, and after them came thethousands of the foe, sacking and firing the deserted town as theyadvanced.
　　Hokosa and his men, or rather the half of them, reached the gate andpassed it in safety, barring it after them, and thereby delaying theattackers till they could burst their way through. Now hundreds ofhuts were afire, and the flames spread swiftly, lighting up thecountry far and wide. In the glare of them, Hokosa could see thatalready a full two-thirds of the crowd of fugitives had passed thenarrow arch; while Nodwengo and the soldiers were drawn up incompanies upon the steep and rocky slope that led to it, protectingtheir retreat.
　　He advanced to the king and reported himself.
　　"So you have lived through it," said Nodwengo.
　　"I shall die when my hour comes, and not before," Hokosa answered. "Wedid well yonder, and yet the most of us are alive to tell the tale,for I knew when and how to go. Be ready, king, for the foe press usclose, and that mob behind us crawls onward like a snail."As he spoke the pursuers broke through the fence and gate of theburning town, and once more the fight began. They had the advantage ofnumbers; but Nodwengo and his troops stood in a wide road upon higherground protected on either side by walls, and were, moreover, rested,not breathless and weary with travel like the men of Hafela. Slowly,fighting, every inch of the way, Nodwengo was pushed back, and slowlythe long ant-like line of women and sick and cattle crept through theopening in the rock, till at length all of them were gone.
　　"It is time," said Nodwengo, glancing behind him, "for our arms growweary."Then he gave orders, and company by company the defending forcefollowed on the path of the fugitives, till at length amidst a roar ofrage and disappointment, the last of them vanished through the arch,Hokosa among them, and the place was blocked with stones, above whichshone a hedge of spears.
Chapter 20 Noma Sets A Snare
Thus ended the first night's battle, since for this time the enemy hadfought enough. Nodwengo and his men had also had enough, for out ofthe five thousand of them some eleven hundred were killed or wounded.
　　Yet they might not rest, for all that night, assisted by the women,they laboured, building stone walls across the narrowest parts of thevalley. Also the cattle, women and children were moved along thegorge, which in shape may be compared to a bottle with two necks, oneat either end, and encamped in the opening of the second neck, wherewas the spring of water. This spot was chosen both because here alonewater could be obtained, without which they could not hold out morethan a single day, and because the koppie whereon grew the strange-looking euphorbia known as the Tree of Doom afforded a natural rampartagainst attack.
　　Shortly after dawn, while the soldiers were resting and eating of suchfood as could be procured--for the most part strips of raw or half-cooked meat cut from hastily killed cattle--the onslaught was renewedwith vigour, Hafela directing his efforts to the forcing of thenatural archway. But, strive as he would, this he could not do, for itwas choked with stones and thorns and guarded by brave men.
　　"You do but waste your labour, Hafela," said Noma, who stood by himwatching the assault.
　　"What then is to be done?" he asked, "for unless we come at them wecannot kill them. It was clever of them to take refuge in this hole. Ithought surely that they would fight it out yonder, beneath the fencesof the Great Place.""Ah!" she answered, "you forgot that they had Hokosa on their side.
　　Did you then think to catch him sleeping? This retreat was Hokosa'scounsel. I learned it from the lips of that wounded captain beforethey killed him. Now, it seems that there are but two paths to follow,and you can choose between them. The one is to send a regiment a dayand a half's journey across the cliff top to guard the further mouthof the valley and to wait till these jackals starve in their hole, forcertainly they can never come out.""It has started six hours since," said Hafela, "and though theprecipices are steep, having the moon to travel by, it should reachthe river mouth of the valley before dawn to-morrow, cutting Nodwengooff from the plains, if indeed he should dare to venture out uponthem, which, with so small a force, he will not do. Yet this firstplan of yours must fail, Noma, seeing that before they starve within,the generals of Nodwengo will be back upon us from the mountains,catching us between the hammer and the anvil, and I know not how thatfight would go.""Yet, soon or late, it must be fought.""Nay," he answered, "for my hope is that should the /impi/ return tofind Nodwengo dead, they will surrender and acknowledge me as king,who am the first of the blood royal. But what is your second plan?"By way of answer, she pointed to the cliff above them. On the right-hand side, facing the archway, was a flat ledge overhanging thevalley, at a height of about a hundred feet.
　　"If you can come yonder," she said, "it will be easy to storm thisgate, for there lie rocks in plenty, and men cannot fight when stonesare dropping on their heads.""But how can we come to that home of vultures, where never man has seta foot? Look, the cliff above is sheer; no rock-rabbit could standupon it."With her eye Noma measured the distance from the brink of theprecipice to the broad ledge commanding the valley.
　　"Sixty paces, not more," she said. "Well, yonder are oxen in plenty,and out of their hides ropes can be made, and out of ropes a ladder,down which men may pass; ten, or even five, would be enough.""Well thought of Noma," said Hafela. "Hokosa told us last night thatto him had passed the wisdom of the Messenger; but if this be so, Ithink that to you has passed the guile of Hokosa.""It seems to me that some of it abides with him," answered Nomalaughing.
　　Then the prince gave orders, and, with many workers of hides toilingat it, within two hours the ladder was ready, its staves, set twentyinches apart, being formed of knob-kerries, or the broken shafts ofstabbing spears. Now they lowered it from the top of the precipice sothat its end rested upon the ledge, and down it came several men, whoswung upon its giddy length like spiders on a web. Reaching this greatshelf in safety and advancing to the edge of it, these men started aboulder, which, although as it chanced it hurt no one, fell in themidst of a group of the defenders and bounded away through them.
　　"Now we must be going," said Hokosa, looking up, "for no man can fightagainst rocks, and our spears cannot reach those birds. Had the armybeen taught the use of the bow, as I counselled in the past days, wemight still have held the archway; but they called it a woman'sweapon, and would have none of it."As he spoke another stone fell, crushing the life out of a man whostood next to him. Then they retreated to the first wall, which hadbeen piled up during the night, where it was not possible to rollrocks upon them from the cliffs above. This wall, and others reared atintervals behind it, they set to work to strengthen as much as theycould, making the most of the time that was left to them before theenemy could clear the way and march on to attack.
　　Presently Hafela's men were through and sweeping down upon them with aroar, thinking to carry the wall at a single rush. But in this theyfailed; indeed, it as only after an hour's hard fighting and by theexpedient of continually attacking the work with fresh companies thatat length they stormed the wall.
　　When Hokosa saw that he could no longer hold the place, but before thefoe was upon him, he drew off his soldiers to the second wall, aquarter of a mile or more away, and here the fight began again. And soit went on for hour after hour, as one by one the fortifications werecarried by the weight of numbers, for the attackers fought desperatelyunder the eye of their prince, caring nothing for the terrible lossthey suffered in men. Twice the force of the defenders was changed byorder of Nodwengo, fresh men being sent from the companies held inreserve to take the places of those who had borne the brunt of thebattle. This indeed it was necessary to do, seeing that it wasimpossible to carry water to so many, and in that burning valley mencould not fight for long athirst. Only Hokosa stayed on, for theybrought him drink in a gourd, and wherever the fray was fiercest therehe was always; nor although spears were rained upon him by hundreds,was he touched by one of them.
　　At length as the night fell the king's men were driven back from theirlast scherm in the western half of the valley, across the open spaceback upon the koppie where stood the Tree of Doom. Here they stayed awhile till, overmatched and outworn, they were pushed from its rocksacross the narrow stretch of broken ground into the shelter of thegreat stone scherm or wall that ran from side to side of the furtherneck of the valley, whereon thousands of women and such men as couldbe spared had been working incessantly during the past night and day.
　　It was as he retreated among the last upon this wall that Hokosacaught sight of Noma for the first time since they parted in the houseof the Messenger. In the forefront of his troops, directing theattack, was Hafela the prince, and at his side stood Noma, carrying inher hand a little shield and a spear. At this moment also she saw himand called aloud to him:--"You have fought well, Wizard, but to-morrow all your magic shallavail you nothing, for it will be your last day upon this earth.""Ay, Noma," he answered, "and yours also."Then of a sudden a company of the king's men rushed from the shelterof the wall upon the attackers driving them back to the koppie andkilling several, so that in the confusion and gathering darknessHokosa lost sight of her, though a man at his side declared that hesaw her fall beneath the thrust of an assegai. Thus ended the secondday.
　　Now when the watch had been set the king and his captains took counseltogether, for their hearts were heavy.
　　"Listen," said Nodwengo: "out of five thousand soldiers a thousandhave been killed and a thousand lie among us wounded. Hark to thegroaning of them! Also we have with us women and children and sick tothe number of twelve thousand, and between us and those who wouldbutcher them every one there stands but a single wall. Nor is this theworst of it: the spring cannot supply the wants of so great amultitude in this hot place, and it is feared that presently the waterwill be done. What way shall we turn? If we surrender to Hafela,perhaps he will spare the lives of the women and children; butwhatever he may promise, the most of us he will surely slay. If wefight and are defeated, then once his regiments are among us, all willbe slain according to the ancient custom of our people. I havebethought me that we might retreat through the valley, but the riverbeyond is in flood; also it is certain that before this multitudecould reach it, the prince will have sent a force to cut us off whilehe himself harasses our rear. Now let him who has counsel speak.""King, I have counsel," said Hokosa. "What were the words that theMessenger spoke to us before he died? Did he not say: 'Even now theheathen is at your gates, and many of you shall perish on his spears;but I tell you that he shall not conquer'? Did he not say: 'Befaithful, cling to the Cross, and do not dare to doubt your Lord, forHe will protect you, and your children after you, and He will be yourCaptain and you shall be His people'? Did he not bid you also tolisten to my counsel? Then listen to it, for it is his: Your caseseems desperate, but have no fear, and take no thought for the morrow,for all shall yet be well. Let us now pray to Him that the Messengerhas revealed to us, and Whom now he implores on our behalf in thatplace where he is to guide us and to save us, for then surely He willhearken to our prayer.""So be it," said Nodwengo, and going out he stood upon a pillar ofstone in the moonlight and offered up his supplication in the hearingof the multitude.
　　Meanwhile, those of the camp of Hafela were also taking counsel. Theyhad fought bravely indeed, and carried the schanses; but at greatcost, since for every man that Nodwengo had lost, three of theirs hadfallen. Moreover, they were in evil case with weariness and the wantof water, as each drop they drank must be carried to them from theGreat Place in bags made of raw hide, which caused it to stink, forthey had but few gourds with them.
　　"Now it is strange," said Hafela, "that these men should fight sobravely, seeing that they are but a handful. There can be scarce threethousand of them left, and yet I doubt not that before we carry thoselast walls of theirs as many of us or more will be done. Ay! and afterthey are done with, we must meet their great /impi/ when it returns,and of what will befall us then I scarcely like to think.""Ill-fortune will befall you while Hokosa lives," broke in Noma. "Hadit not been for him, this trouble would have been done with by now;but he is a wizard, and by his wizardries he defeats us and puts heartinto Nodwengo and the warriors. You, yourself, have seen him this daydefying us, not once but many times, for upon his flesh steel has nopower. Ay! and this is but the beginning of evil, for I am sure thathe leads you into some deep trap where you shall perish everlastingly.
　　Did he not himself declare that the power of that dead white worker ofmiracles has fallen upon him, and who can fight against magic?""Who, indeed?" said Hafela humbly; for like all savages he was verysuperstitious, and, moreover, a sincere believer in Hokosa'ssupernatural capacities. "This wizard is too strong for us; he isinvulnerable, and as I know well he can read the secret thoughts ofmen and can suck wisdom from the dead, while to his eyes the darknessis no blind.""Nay, Hafela," answered Noma, "there is one crack in his shield. Hearme: if we can but catch him and hold him fast we shall have no need tofear him more, and I think that I know how to bait the trap.""How will you bait it?" asked Hafela.
　　"Thus. Midway between the koppie and the wall behind which lie the menof the king stands a flat rock, and all about that rock are stretchedthe bodies of dead soldiers. Now, this is my plan: that when next oneof those dark storm-clouds passes over the face of the moon six of thestrongest of our warriors should creep upon their bellies down thisway and that, as though they were also numbered with the slain. Thisdone, you shall despatch a herald to call in the ears of the king thatyou desire to treat with him of peace. Then he will answer that ifthis be so you can come beneath the walls of his camp, and your heraldshall refuse, saying that you fear treachery. But he must add that ifNodwengo will bid Hokosa to advance alone to the flat rock, you willbid me, Noma, whom none can fear, to do likewise, and that there wecan talk in sight of both armies, and returning thence, make report toyou and to Nodwengo. Afterwards, so soon as Hokosa has set his footupon the rock, those men who seem to be dead shall spring upon him anddrag him to our camp, where we can deal with him; for once the wizardis taken, the cause of Nodwengo is lost.""A good pitfall," said the prince; "but will Hokosa walk into thetrap?""I think so, Hafela, for three reasons. He is altogether without fear;he will desire, if may be, to make peace on behalf of the king; and hehas this strange weakness, that he still loves me, and will scarcelysuffer an occasion of speaking with me to go past, although he hasdivorced me.""So be it," said the prince; "the game can be tried, and if it fails,why we lose nothing, whereas if it succeeds we gain Hokosa, which ismuch; for with you I think that our arms will never prosper while thataccursed wizard sits yonder weaving his spells against us, andbringing our men to death by hundreds and by thousands."Then he gave his orders, and presently, when a cloud passed over theface of the moon, six chosen men crept forward under the lee of theflat rock and threw themselves down here and there amongst the dead.
　　Soon the cloud passed, and the herald advanced across the open spaceblowing a horn, and waving a branch in his hand to show that he cameupon a mission of peace.
Chapter 21 Hokosa Is Lifted Up
"What would you?" asked Hokosa of the herald as he halted a shortspear-cast from the wall.
　　"My master, the Prince Hafela, desires to treat with your master,Nodwengo. Many men have fallen on either side, and if this war goeson, though victory must be his at last, many more will fall.
　　Therefore, if any plan can be found, he desires to spare their lives."Now Hokosa spoke with the king, and answered:--"Then let Hafela come beneath the wall and we will talk with him.""Not so," answered the herald. "Does a buck walk into an open pit?
　　Were the prince to come here it might chance that your spears wouldtalk with him. Let Nodwengo follow me to the camp yonder, where wepromise him safe conduct.""Not so," answered Hokosa. "'Does a buck walk into an open pit?' Setout your message, and we will consider it.""Nay, I am but a common man without authority; but I am charged tomake you another offer, and if you will not hear it then there is anend. Let Hokosa advance alone to that flat rock you see yonder, andthere he shall be met, also alone, by one having power to talk withhim, namely, by the Lady Noma, who was once his wife. Thus they canconfer together midway between the camps and in full sight of both ofthem, nor, no man being near, can he find cause to be afraid of anunarmed girl. What say you?"Hokosa turned and talked with the king.
　　"I think it well that you should not go," said Nodwengo. "The offerseems fair, and the stone is out of reach of their spears; still,behind it may lurk a scheme to kill or capture you, for Hafela is verycunning.""It may be so, King," answered Hokosa; "still, my heart tells me it iswisest that I should do this thing, for our case is desperate, and ifI do it not, that may be the cause of the death of all of usto-morrow. At the worst, I am but one man, and it matters little whatmay chance to me; nor shall I come to any harm unless it is the willof Heaven that it should be so; and be sure of this, that out of theharm will arise good, for where I go there the spirit of the Messengergoes with me. Remember that he bade you listen to my counsel while Iremain with you, seeing that I do not speak of my own wisdom.
　　Therefore let me go, and if it should chance that I am taken, troublenot about the matter, for thus it will be fated to some great end.
　　Above all, though often enough I have been a traitor in the past, donot dream that I betray you, keeping in mind that so to do would be tobetray my own soul, which very soon must render its account on high.""As you will, Hokosa," answered the king. "And now tell those rebeldogs that on these terms only will I make peace with them--that theywithdraw across the mountains by the path which their women andchildren have taken, leaving this land for ever without liftinganother spear against us. If they will do this, notwithstanding allthe wickedness and slaughter that they have worked, I will sendcommand to my /impi/ to let them go unharmed. If they will not dothis, I put my trust in the God I worship and will fight this fray outto the end, knowing that if I and my people perish, they shall perishalso."Now Nodwengo himself spoke to the herald who was waiting beyond thewall.
　　"Go back to him you serve," he said, "and say that Hokosa will meether who was his wife upon the flat stone and talk with her in thesight of both armies, bearing my word with him. At the sound of theblowing of a horn shall each of them advance unarmed and alone fromeither camp. Say to my brother also that it will indeed be ill for himif he attempts treachery upon Hokosa, for the man who causes his bloodto flow will surely die, and after death shall be accursed for ever."The herald went, and presently a horn was blown.
　　"Now it comes into my mind that we part for the last time," saidNodwengo in a troubled voice as he took the hand of Hokosa.
　　"It may be so, King; in my heart I think that it is so; yet I do notaltogether grieve thereat, for the burden of my past sins crushes me,and I am weary and seek for rest. Yet we do not part for the lasttime, because whatever chances, in the end I shall make my report toyou yonder"--and he pointed upwards. "Reign on for long years, King--reign well and wisely, clinging to the Faith, for thus at the lastshall you reap your reward. Farewell!"Now again the horn blew, and in the bright moonlight the slight figureof Noma could be seen advancing towards the stone.
　　Then Hokosa sprang from the wall and advanced also, till at the samemoment they climbed upon the stone.
　　"Greeting, Hokosa," said Noma, and she stretched out her hand to him.
　　By way of answer he placed his own behind his back, saying: "To yourbusiness, woman." Yet his eyes searched her face--the face which inhis folly he still loved; and thus it came about that he never sawsundry of the dead bodies, which lay in the shadow of the stone, beginto quicken into life, and inch by inch to arise, first to their kneesand next to their feet. He never saw or heard them, yet, as the wordsleft his lips, they sprang upon him from every side, holding him sothat he could not move.
　　"Away with him!" cried Noma with a laugh of triumph; and at hercommand he was half-dragged and half-carried across the open space andthrust violently over a stone wall into the camp of Hafela.
　　Now Nodwengo and his soldiers saw what had happened, and with a shoutof "Treachery!" some hundreds of them leapt into the plain and beganto run towards the koppie to rescue their envoy.
　　Hokosa heard the shout, and wrenching himself round, beheld them.
　　"Back!" he cried in a clear, shrill voice. "Back! children ofNodwengo, and leave me to my fate, for the foe waits for you bythousands behind the wall!"A soldier struck him across the mouth, bidding him be silent; but hiswarning had come to the ears of Nodwengo, causing him and his warriorsto halt and begin a retreat. It was well that they did so, for seeingthat they would not come on, from under the shelter of the wall and ofevery rock and stone soldiers jumped up by companies and charged,driving them back to their own schanse. But the king's men had thestart of them, and had taken shelter behind it, whence they greetedthem with a volley of spears, killing ten and wounding twice as manymore.
　　Now it was Hokosa's turn to laugh, and laugh he did, saying:--"My taking is well paid for already, Prince. A score of your bestwarriors is a heavy price to give for the carcase of one weary andaging man. But since I am here among you, captured with so much painand loss, tell me of your courtesy why I have been brought."Then the prince shook his spear at him and cursed him.
　　"Would you learn, wizard and traitor?" he cried. "We have caught youbecause we know well that while you stay yonder your magic counselwill prevail against our might; whereas, when once we hold you fast,Nodwengo will wander to his ruin like a blind and moonstruck man, foryou were to him both eyes and brain.""I understand," said Hokosa calmly. "But, Prince, how if I left mywisdom behind me?""That may not be," answered Hafela, "since even a wizard cannot throwhis thoughts into the heart of another from afar.""Ah! you think so, Prince. Well, ask Noma yonder if I cannot throw mythoughts into her heart from afar: though of late I have not chosen todo so, having put aside such spells. But let it pass, and tell me,having taken me, what is it you propose to do with me? First, however,I will give you for nothing some of that wisdom which you grudge toNodwengo the king. Be advised by me, Prince, and take the terms thathe offers to you--namely, to turn this very night and begone from theland without harm or hindrance. Will you receive my gift, Hafela?""What will happen if I refuse it?" asked the prince slowly.
　　Now Hokosa looked at the dust at his feet, then he gazed upwardssearching the heavens, and answered:--"Did not I tell you yesterday? I think that this will happen. I think--but who can be quite sure of the future, Hafela?--that you and themost of your army by this hour to-morrow night will be lying fastasleep about this place, with jackals for your bedfellows."The prince heard and trembled at his words, for he believed that if hewilled it, Hokosa could prophesy the truth.
　　"Accursed dog!" he said. "I am minded to be guided by your saying; butbe sure of this, that if I follow it, you shall stay here to sleepwith jackals, yes, this very night."Then Noma broke in.
　　"Be not mad, Hafela!" she said. "Will you listen to the lies that thisrenegade tells to work upon your fears? Will you abandon victory whenit lies within your grasp, and in place of a great king become afugitive whom all men mock at, an outcast to be hunted down at leisureby that brother against whom you dared to rebel, but on whom you didnot dare to shut your hand when he lay in its hollow? Silence thetongue of this captive rogue for ever and become a man again, with theheart of a man.""Now," said Hokosa gently; "many would find it hard to believe that Ireared this woman from childhood, nursing her with my own hands whenshe was sick and giving her of the best I had; that afterwards, whenyou stole her from me, Prince, I sinned deeply to win her back. That Imarried her and sinned yet more deeply to give her the greatness shedesired; and at last, of my own will, I loosed the bonds by which Iheld her, although I could not thrust her memory from my heart. Yet Ihave earned it all, for I made her the tool of my witchcraft, andtherefore it is just that she should turn and rend me. Well, if youlike it, take her counsel, Prince, and let mine go, for I care nothingwhich you take; only, forgive me if I prophesy once more and for thelast time--I am sure that Nodwengo yonder spoke truth when he badeyour herald tell me that he who causes my blood to flow shall surelydie and for it be called to a strict account. Prince, I am a Christiannow, and believe me, whatever you may do, I seek no revenge upon you;having been myself forgiven so much, in my turn I have learned toforgive. Yet it may be ill for that man who causes my blood to flow.""Let him be strangled," said a captain who stood near by, "and thenthere will be no blood in the matter.""Friend," answered Hokosa, "you should have been not a soldier but apleader of causes. True it is then that the prince will only cause mylife to fly, but whether that is a smaller sin I leave you to judge.""Keep him prisoner," said another, "till we learn how these mattersend.""Nay," answered Hafela, "for then he will surely outwit us and escape.
　　Noma, what shall we do with this man who was your husband? Tell us,for you should know best how to deal with him.""Let me think," she answered, and she looked first at the groundbeneath her, next around her, then upwards toward the skies.
　　Now they stood at the foot of the koppie, on the flat top of whichgrew the great Tree of Doom, that for generations had served thePeople of Fire as a place of execution of their criminals, or of thosewho fell under the ban of the king or of the witch-doctors. Among andabove the finger-like fronds of this strange and dreadful-looking treetowered that white dead limb shaped like a cross, which Owen hadpointed out to his disciple John, taking it to be a sign and apromise. This cross stood out clear against the sinking moon. Itcaught Noma's eye, and a devilish thought entered into her heart.
　　"You would keep this fellow alive?" she said, "and yet you would notsuffer him to escape. See, there above you is a cross such as heworships. Bind him to it as he says the Man whom he worships wasbound, and let that dead Man help him if he may."The prince and those about Noma shrank back a little in horror. Theywere cruel men rendered more cruel by their superstitious fear of onewhom they believed to be uncanny; one to whom they attributed inhumanpowers which he was exercising to their destruction, but still thisdoom seemed dreadful to them. Noma read their minds and went onpassionately:--"You deem me unmerciful, but you do not know what I have suffered atthis wizard's hands. For his sake and because of him I am haunted. Forhis own purposes he opened the gates of Distance, he sent me downamong the dwellers in Death, causing me to interpret their words forhim. I did so, but the dwellers came back out of Death with me, andfrom that hour they have not left me, nor will they ever leave me; fornight by night they sojourn at my side, tormenting me with terrors. Hehas told me that through my mouth that spirit whom he drew into mybody prophesied that he should be 'lifted up above the people.' Letthe prophecy be fulfilled, let him be lifted up, for then perchancethe ghosts will depart from me and I shall win peace and sleep. Also,thus alone can you hold him safe and yet shed no blood.""Be it so," said the prince. "When we plotted together of the death ofthe king, and as your price, Hokosa, you bargained for the girl whom Ihad chosen to wife, did I not warn you that this witch of many spells,who holds both our hearts in her little hands, should yet hound you todeath and mock you while you perished by an end of shame? What did Itell you, Hokosa?"Now when he heard his fate, Hokosa bowed his head and trembled alittle. Then he lifted it, and exclaimed in a clear voice:--"It is true, Prince, but I will add to your words. She shall bring/both/ of us to death. For me, I am honoured indeed in that there hasbeen allotted to me that same end which my Master chose. To that crosslet my sins be fastened and with them my body."Now the moon sank, but in the darkness men were found who dared toclimb the tree, taking with them strips of raw hide. They reached thetop of it, four of them, and seating themselves upon the arms of thecross, they let down a rope, the noose of which was placed about thebody of Hokosa. As it tightened upon him, he turned his calm anddreadful eyes on to the eyes of Noma and said to her:--"Woman, I do not reproach you; but I lay this fate upon you, that youshall watch me die. Thereafter, let God deal with you as He maychoose."Now, when she heard these words Noma shrieked aloud, for of a suddenshe felt that the power of the will of Hokosa, from which she had beenfreed by him, had once more fallen upon her, and that come what mightshe was doomed to obey his last commands.
　　Little by little the soldiers drew him up and in the darkness theybound him fast there upon the lofty cross. Then they descended andleft him, and would have led Noma with them from the tree. But thisthey could not do, for always she broke from them screaming, and fledback to its shadow.
　　Then, seeing that she was bewitched, Hafela commanded that they shouldbind a cloth about her mouth and leave her there till her sensesreturned to her in the sunlight--for none of them dared to stop withher in the shadow of that tree, since the odours of it were poisonousto man. Also they believed the place to be haunted by evil spirits.
Chapter 22 The Victory Of The Cross
The sun rose suddenly over the edge of the cliffs, and while it wasyet deep shadow in the valley, its red light struck upon the whitecross of perished wood that towered above the Tree of Doom and on theblack shape of Hokosa crucified to it living. The camp of the king sawand understood, and from every throat of the thousands of men, womenand children gathered there, went up a roar of rage and horror. Theking lifted his hand, and silence fell upon the place; then he mountedon the wall and cried aloud:--"Do you yet live, Hokosa, or is it your body only that those traitorshave fastened to the tree?"Back came the answer through the clear still air:--"I live, O King!""Endure then a little while," called Nodwengo, "and we will storm thetree and save you.""Nay," answered Hokosa, "you cannot save me; yet before I die I shallsee you saved."Then his words were lost in tumult, for the third day's fightingbegan. Desperately the regiments of Hafela rushing across the openspace, hurled themselves upon the fortifications, which, during thenight, had been strengthened by the building of two inner walls. Norwas this all, for suddenly a cry told those in front that the regimentwhich Hafela had despatched across the mountains had travelled up theeastern neck of the valley, and were attacking the position in theirrear. Well was it for Nodwengo now that he had listened to the counselof Hokosa, and, wearied as his soldiers were, had commanded that herealso a great wall should be built.
　　For two hours the fight raged, and then on either side the foe fellback, not beaten indeed, though their dead were many, but to rest andtake counsel. But now a new trouble arose: from all the camp ofNodwengo there went up a moan of pain to Heaven, for since the eveningof yesterday the spring had given out, and they had found no waterwherewith to wet their lips. During the night they bore it; but nowthe sun beating down on the black rocks with fearful force scorchedthem to the marrow, till they began to wither like fallen leaves, andalready wounded men and children died, while the warriors cut thethroats of oxen and drank their blood.
　　Hokosa hanging on his cross heard this moaning and divined its cause.
　　"Be of good comfort, children of Nodwengo," he cried; "for I will praythat rain be sent upon you." And he lifted his head and prayed.
　　Now, whether it was by chance or whether his prayer was heard, who cansay? At least it happened that immediately thereafter clouds began togather and to thicken in the blue of Heaven, and within two hours rainfell in torrents, so that every one could drink his fill, and thespring being replenished at its sources, flowed again strongly.
　　After the rain came cold and moaning winds, and after the wind a greatgloom and thunder.
　　Now, taking advantage of the shadow, the regiments of Hafela renewedtheir attack, and this time they carried the first of the three walls,for its defenders grew feeble and few in number. There they paused awhile, and save for the cries of the wounded and of frightened women,the silence was great.
　　"Let your hearts be filled up!" cried the voice of Hokosa through thesilence; "for the sunlight shines upon the plain of the Great Placeyonder, and in it I see the sheen of spears. The /impi/ travels toyour aid, O children of Nodwengo."Now, at this tidings the people of the king shouted for joy; butHafela called to his regiments to make an end of them, and they hurledthemselves upon the second wall, fighting desperately. Again and againthey were beaten back, and again and again they came on, till atlength they carried this wall also, driving its defenders, or thosewho remained alive of them, into the third entrenchment, and paused torest awhile.
　　"Pray for us, O Prophet who are set on high!" cried a voice from thecamp, "for if succour do not reach us speedily, we are sped."Before the echoes of the voice had died away, a flash of lightningflared through the gloom, and in the light of it Hokosa saw that theking's /impi/ was rushing up the gorge.
　　"Fight on! Fight on!" he called in answer. "I have prayed to Heaven,and your succour is at hand."Then, with a howl of rage, Hafela's regiments hurled themselves uponthe third and last entrenchment, attacking it at once in front andrear. Twice they nearly carried it, but each time the wild scream ofHokosa on high was heard above the din, conjuring its defenders tofight on and fear not, for Heaven had sent them help. They fought asmen have seldom fought before, and with them fought the women and eventhe children. They were few and the foe was still many, but theylistened to the urging of him whom they believed to be inspired in hisdeath-agony upon the cross above them, and still they held their own.
　　Twice portions of the wall were torn down, but they filled the breachwith the corpses of the dead, ay! and with the bodies of the living,for the wounded, the old men and the very women piled themselves therein the place of stones. No such fray was told of in the annals of thePeople of Fire as this, the last stand of Nodwengo against thethousands of Hafela. Now all the shouting had died away, for men hadno breath left wherewith to shout, only from the gloomy place ofbattle came low groans and the deep sobbing sighs of warriors grippedin the death-hug.
　　"/Fight on! Fight on!/" shrilled the voice of Hokosa on high. "Lo! theskies are open to my dying sight, and I see the /impis/ of Heavensweeping to succour you. /Behold!/"They dashed the sweat from their eyes and looked forth, and as theylooked, the pall of gloom was lifted, and in the golden glow of many-shafted light, they saw, not the legions of Heaven indeed, but theregiments of Nodwengo rushing round the bend of the valley, as dogsrush upon a scent, with heads held low and spears outstretched.
　　Hafela saw them also.
　　"Back to the koppie," he cried, "there to die like men, for thewizardries of Hokosa have been too strong for us, and lost is this mylast battle and the crown I came to seek!"They obeyed, and all that were left of them, some ten thousand men,they ran to the koppie and formed themselves upon it, ring above ring,and here the soldiers of Nodwengo closed in upon them.
　　Again and for the last time the voice of Hokosa rang out above thefray.
　　"Nodwengo," he cried, "with my passing breath I charge you have mercyand spare these men, so many of them as will surrender. The day ofbloodshed has gone by, the fray is finished, the Cross has conquered.
　　Let there be peace in the land."All men heard him, for his piercing scream, echoed from theprecipices, came to the ears of each. All men heard him, and, even inthat fierce hour of vengeance, all obeyed. The spear that was poisedwas not thrown, and the kerry lifted over the fallen did not descendto dash away his life.
　　"Hearken, Hafela!" called the king, stepping forward from the ranks ofthe attackers. "He whom you have set on high to bring defeat upon youcharges me to give you peace, and in the name of the conquering CrossI give peace. All who surrender shall dwell henceforth in my shadow,nor shall the head or the heel of one of them be harmed, althoughtheir sin is great. One life only will I take, the life of that witchwho brought your armies down upon me to burn my town and slay mypeople by thousands, and who but last night betrayed Hokosa to hisdeath of torment. All shall go free, I say, save the witch; and foryou, you shall be given cattle and such servants as will cling to youto the number of a hundred, and driven from the land. Now, what sayyou? Will you yield or be slain? Swift with your answer; for the sunsinks, and ere it is set there must be an end in this way or in that."The regiments of Hafela heard, and shouted in answer as with onevoice:--"We take your mercy, King! We fought bravely while we could, and nowwe take your mercy, King!""What say you, Hafela?" repeated Nodwengo, addressing the prince, whostood upon a point of rock above him in full sight of both armies.
　　Hafela turned and looked at Hokosa hanging high in mid-air.
　　"What say I?" he answered in a slow and quiet voice. "I say that theCross and its Prophet have been too strong for me, and that I shouldhave done well to follow the one and to listen to the counsel of theother. My brother, you tell me that I may go free, taking servantswith me. I thank you and I will go--alone."And setting the handle of his spear upon the rock, with a suddenmovement he fell forward, transfixing his heart with its broad blade,and lay still.
　　"At least he died like one of the blood-royal of the Sons of Fire!"cried Nodwengo, while the armies stood silent and awestruck, "and withthe blood-royal he shall be buried. Lay down your arms, you whofollowed him and fought for him, fearing nothing, and give over to methe witch that she may be slain.""She hides under the tree yonder!" cried a voice.
　　"Go up and take her," said Nodwengo to some of his captains.
　　Now Noma, crouched on the ground beneath the tree, had seen and heardall that passed. Perceiving the captains making their way towards herthrough the lines of the soldiers, who opened out a path for them, sherose and for a moment stood bewildered. Then, as though drawn by somestrange attraction, she turned, and seizing hold of the creeper thatclung about it, she began to climb the Tree of Doom swiftly. Up shewent while all men watched, higher and higher yet, till passing out ofthe finger-like foliage she reached the cross of dead wood wheretoHokosa hung, and placing her feet upon one arm of it, stood there,supporting herself by the broken top of the upright.
　　Hokosa was not yet dead, though he was very near to death. Lifting hisglazing eyes, he knew her and said, speaking thickly:--"What do you here, Noma, and wherefore have you come?""I come because you draw me," she answered, "and because they seek mylife below.""Repent, repent!" he whispered, "there is yet time and Heaven is verymerciful."She heard, and a fury seized her.
　　"Be silent, dog!" she cried. "Having defied your God so long, shall Igrovel to Him at the last? Having hated you so much, shall I seek yourforgiveness now? At least of one thing I am glad--it was I who broughtyou here, and with me and through me you shall die."Then, placing one foot upon his bent head as if in scorn, she leanedforward, her long hair flying to the wind, and cursed Nodwengo and hispeople, naming them renegades and apostates, and cursed the soldiersof Hafela, naming them cowards, calling down upon them the malison oftheir ancestors.
　　Hokosa heard and muttered:--"For your soul's sake, woman, repent! repent, ere it be too late!""Repent!" she screamed, catching at his words. "Thus do I repent!" anddrawing the knife from her girdle, she leant over him and drove ithilt-deep into his breast.
　　Then with a sudden movement she sprang upwards and outwards into theair, and rushing down through a hundred feet of space, was struck deadupon that very rock where the corpse of Hafela lay.
　　Now, beneath the agony of the life Hokosa lifted his head for the lasttime, crying in a great voice:--"Messenger, I come, be you my guide," and with the words his soulpassed.
　　"All is over and ended," said a voice. "Soldiers, salute the king withthe royal salute.""Nay," answered Nodwengo. "Salute me not, salute the Cross and him whohangs thereon."So, while the rays of the setting sun shone about it, regiment byregiment that great army rushed past the koppie, and pausing oppositeto the cross and its burden, they rendered to it the royal salute ofkings.
　　*****Then the night fell, and thus through the power of Faith that now, asof old, is the only true and efficient magic, was accomplished themission to the Sons of Fire of the Saint and Martyr, Thomas Owen, andof his murderer and disciple, the Wizard Hokosa.
The End