Hair-Breadth Escapes Part 23

After some further discussion, it was so arranged. Chuma was informed that his terms were accepted; and on the following day the doctor, having taken an affectionate farewell of his young companions, set out for Cape Town with Kama and another Bechuana for his guides; while the others prepared themselves to endure, as patiently as they could, the long weeks of waiting which must inevitably ensue.

"Are these Kaffirs utterly without the idea of G.o.d, as people say they are?" asked Ernest one day of Mr De Walden, about a week after their friends, departure. "I was talking one day to a gentleman on board the _Hooghly_, who seemed to be well acquainted with them, and he declared that they had positively no religion at all. But another gentleman differed from him, and was going on, I believe, to produce some proofs to the contrary, but the conversation was broken off. I should like to know what you would say on the subject."

"They have no _religion_ in the proper sense of the word," answered the elder man. "No sense of connection, that is to say, with a Being infinitely powerful and good, who made and sustains them, and to whom they are accountable. It is this that const.i.tutes a religion, and of this they know nothing. But they are extremely _superst.i.tious_. They believe in the existence of Evil Spirits, who have alike the power and the will to afflict and torment them. To these they attribute every disaster or suffering which may befall them."

"A creed of fear, in fact, without love," suggested Ernest.

"Precisely. They have no idea of pleasing the Unseen Powers by duty and affection, but are keenly alive to the necessity of propitiating them by continual sacrifices. They believe also, that it is possible to obtain from their Evil Spirits the power of benefiting or afflicting others; and those who are presumed to be in possession of these powers are held in as great--practically in greater--reverence than the Spirits themselves."

"These persons are, of course, impostors."

"In the main, yes. But there are some who are half impostors and half fanatics--really thinking they possess some of the gifts attributed to them, though how much, they themselves hardly know. This is the common case with false prophets. Their heaviest punishment ever is, that they partially credit their own lie."

"And this chief, Chuma, supposes you to be one of these prophets?"

"He does, and nothing I can say will disabuse his mind of the idea. It is not uncommon with these pretenders, to appear to deny the possession of supernatural powers, until they have obtained their price from the chiefs! Chuma will not be persuaded that my disclaimers have no deeper meaning than this. And I have given up the point in despair."

"Are there any of these pretended prophets among the tribe?"

"There is one--a man named Maomo. He was once in great favour with Chuma; but a long drought, some two years ago, which he failed to relieve, forfeited his prestige in the chief's eyes. He has been labouring for a long time past to regain his power; and he regards me, I know, with especial dislike, because he views me as the chief obstacle to the attainment of his wishes."

"He is not likely, I suppose, to succeed in his design. The chief seems to regard you with the deepest awe, if not affection."

"Ernest," said the missionary, "that is all delusive. His awe of me is founded on an unreal basis, which _will_ some day, and _may_ any day, crumble into nothing. And the moment Chuma ceases to fear me, his hate will burst out in all its deadly fury. Maomo has already (as I know quite well) so far worked upon the chief's prejudices, that he views me as an enemy, though one whom it is not safe to attack. He has persuaded him that the Spirits are angry at my attempts to draw away his people from their ancient belief, and the consequence, he has a.s.sured him, will be some heavy visitation of disease, or famine, or drought. Chuma has, in consequence, positively forbidden me to attempt to make any converts, or even offer prayers to our G.o.d, under penalty of his heaviest displeasure. This very day he has told me so."

"And you, sir?" asked Ernest, anxiously.

"I, Ernest," answered the missionary, somewhat reproachfully, "I told him, of course, that I should obey G.o.d rather than him, and strive to bring any soul among his people to the knowledge of Christ. I left him somewhat subdued, as determined language always subdues him; but the moment any trouble befalls him, I know well what what will follow."

"Let me help you," said Ernest, deeply moved.

"Give me some of your work to do. I will do it to the best of my power."

"Notwithstanding the consequences?" asked De Walden.

"Notwithstanding the consequences," answered Warley resolutely. And the two shook hands with a warmth neither had before felt towards the other.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

MISSION TALK--IMPENDING DANGERS--AN UNEXPECTED FRIEND--KOBO'S STORY-- MAOMO'S DESIGNS--DE WALDEN'S RESOLVE--A NIGHT EXPEDITION.

Time pa.s.sed on: the summer heats gradually gave way to the cooler temperature of autumn, and that too began to pa.s.s into winter, and nothing had been heard of Lavie or his guide. It had been calculated that it would take them fully two months to reach Cape Town; but there they would be able to obtain horses, which would so greatly shorten the return journey, that ten or eleven weeks might be regarded as the probable period of their entire absence. But March was exchanged for April, April for May; June succeeded May, and July, June; and still there came no tidings of the travellers. The boys grew anxious, and might have become seriously alarmed, if it had not been that they found so much to interest and employ them, that they had no time for indulging morbid fancies.

All the four whites occupied one large hut, some five and twenty feet in circ.u.mference, and provided with mats, karosses, and all the other furniture of a Kaffir dwelling-house, so as to render it a very comfortable residence. They also took all their meals together, which were provided at the cost of the whole tribe, and prepared for them by Kobo and Gaike, the two attendants chosen for them by Chuma. But before many weeks had pa.s.sed, they had separated, by common consent, into two pairs; De Walden and Ernest being almost continually together, and Frank and Nick Gilbert taking up with one another, as a matter of necessity.

Warley was deeply impressed by the character of the new friend he had found. De Walden's devoted self-surrender, his resolute and uncomplaining spirit under the most trying hardships, his cheerfulness, and even joyousness, while enduring what would have broken most men's spirits altogether, were the very ideal of which Ernest had dreamed, but never expected to realise.

"Did you make many converts among the Hottentots?" he asked one day. "I remember hearing you say your mission, as a whole, had not succeeded; but I suppose you made converts here and there?"

"I cannot say I ever made one."

"Not one! And yet you were going back to them again!"

"Certainly. Why not?"

"Rather, 'Why?' I should have been inclined to ask."

"Why? because G.o.d has commanded that the Gospel should be preached to all nations, and that command stands good, whether they will hear, or whether they forbear. It is our business to do His work, and His to look after the result."

"And you would not consider that a man's life was wasted, if he pa.s.sed his whole life as a missionary, without making one convert?"

"No more wasted than if he had made ten thousand. Look here, Ernest.

You have never seen a coral island, I suppose?"

"No," said Warley; "I have read about them, but I have never seen one."

"You have read about them? Then you know that the coral insects labour on, generation after generation, under the water, raising the reef always higher and higher, till it reaches the high-tide level at last."

"Yes, that is what I have read, certainly."

"For generations, then, upon generations, the work of the insect was wholly out of human sight. Ernest, was their work in vain? Did not they help to build up the island as much as those whose labours could be clearly discerned?"

"You are right," said Warley. "One soweth, and another reapeth."

"Yes, and both will rejoice hereafter together; claiming, under G.o.d, the work between them. The work of the missionary--of the early missionary--may seem to man's eyes as nothing, but it is merely out of man's sight. He is building up Christ's kingdom, as the coral insect, far down below, builds up the reef; and will, unknown though he be now, have equal honour hereafter with those whom the world now accounts its greatest benefactors."

Many such conversations as these were held between the two friends--as, notwithstanding the disparity of their years, De Walden and Ernest might be called--and every day the bond between them grew stronger. Together they visited the Kaffir huts, and held long talks with the occupants; who were never unwilling to discourse on the subject nearest to De Walden's heart, little as they might be inclined to hearken to his teaching. He was, however, not without hope that he had succeeded in making some impression. More than one man resorted secretly to him to ask explanations of difficulties, which, it was plain, had been weighing on their minds; more than one woman attended the prayers, which were daily offered to the G.o.d of the Christians in the white man's hut, in spite of Chuma's interdict Maomo heard of it, and it roused still more fiercely his jealousy and alarm. He was, as has already been intimated, partly a deceiver, and partly a dupe. He knew that many of his pretensions were simply impostures; but he did believe in the existence of Evil Spirits, and their power to injure men. Such doctrines as those propounded by De Walden, must needs, he thought, be in the highest degree distasteful to them; and they would visit the land with the most terrible plagues, if the people fell away from the faith of their fathers.

He continually beset Chuma, therefore, with entreaties to put down the evil, before it reached any greater height. He reminded the chief that he had already forbidden De Walden, or the "White Lie-maker," as he was wont to call him, to teach the people his new and dangerous creed. His commands had been openly disobeyed, and he must now enforce severe penalties against him, or suffer the most terrible consequences himself.

Chuma listened, but made evasive replies. His own mind was in a state of doubt on the subject. He was incensed by the Englishman's obstinate refusals to comply with his orders, and had begun to doubt whether he really did possess the presumed supernatural powers. If that should indeed be the case, he would make short work with him. At present, however, he was not convinced that this was the case, and he had resolved to defer any action until his mind was made up.

Meanwhile Frank and Nick went out almost every day with their guns, under the tutelage of Kobo, a middle-aged, strongly built Bechuana, into whose charge Chuma had consigned them. The missionary was jealously watched, not only by the chief's servants, but by those of Maomo also.

He was never allowed to leave his hut, unless accompanied by at least one man, and never to leave the village at all, except by the chief's express permission, and under the escort of three armed men. But the boys were not so carefully looked after. Chuma contented himself with warning Kobo, that if at any time they were not forthcoming, he would have to pay the penalty with his own life. The boys knew this as well as Kobo, and promised him that they would make no attempt at escape, even if a favourable opportunity should offer; and the Bechuana, strange to say, seemed quite contented with their a.s.surance. He went out with them into the bush, sometimes to a considerable distance, allowing them to take their firearms, and carrying no weapon himself, but a light hatchet, which would have been of no service to him at all, in event of any hostile movement on their part, nor did he ever seem to entertain a suspicion that could mean treachery towards him.

"He's a good fellow, this blacky," remarked Nick one day, as they halted under the shade of a large oomahaama, to rest an hour or two before returning home from one of their shooting excursions. "He's a good fellow, not suspicious of every word one says, or of the meaning of every act one does. He really has some notion of honesty. More's the wonder!"

"Yes," answered Frank; "I should like to ask him where he got it from, only I suppose he wouldn't understand one."

"Oh yes, Kobo would--understand very well," said Kobo, joining in the lads' conversation, in broken, but very intelligible English.

"Hallo, hey, what!" exclaimed both the boys, half starting up with surprise. "What! you understand English, Kobo?" added Frank. "How in the world did you learn it?"

"And why in the world didn't you tell us long ago that you understood it?" subjoined Gilbert.

"Kobo keep it secret--chief not know--prophet not know," answered Kobo.

"Kobo tell white boys, not black man."