The Fugitives: The Tyrant Queen of Madagascar Part 33

"For is it not true," he said, "that `with G.o.d all things are possible?'"

"My friend," said Mark in reply, and with a burst of enthusiasm, "I will save you _somehow_! Keep a good heart."

Mamba smiled faintly, yet gratefully, as he shook his head, gathered up the superfluous links of his chain, and resumed his toil.

"How will you save him?" asked the Secretary, with a peculiar half-amused look, as they walked away.

"I know not," answered Mark. "But we have a proverb, `Where there's a will there's a way,' and I have a determined will to save my poor friend from this slavery. I will not cease to try--as we say in England, `I will leave no stone unturned,'--till I have accomplished this thing.

Moreover I will not cease to pray for this end. Mamba's trust in G.o.d puts me to shame. Up to this time I have only recognised by name that Saviour whom this man worships. G.o.d helping me, I will henceforth follow the Lord!"

To the surprise of the young man the Secretary turned suddenly on him and grasped his hand, and said in a low voice, as he looked cautiously round--"It gives me joy to hear you speak so. I too am a follower of Jesus. I tell you this because I know, now, that you will not betray me. There are many of us in the palace besides Prince Rakota, but we dare not speak out, for the Queen is very angry, as you know. Hush!

Tell it not even to our companions. Little birds have ears. If the Queen suspects any of us, in her present state of mind, she will either ruin or kill us."

"I have heard something of this," said Mark, "from the friend who guided us to the capital--"

"I know," interrupted the Secretary, with an intelligent nod. "It was Ravoninohitriniony. He is well-known to us. He loves Rafaravavy, and is now in the neighbourhood of the capital, hoping to induce her to fly with him to the forests. You are surprised, but you would not be so if you knew the number of spies that Ranavalona has out everywhere."

"Has my friend Ravonino," (we call him so for brevity), "been seen in-- in--I mean _near_ the city lately?" asked Mark, anxiously.

"Not _in_ the city, certainly," returned the Secretary. "Bold and daring though he is, he would scarcely venture that; but he has been seen and heard of more than once lately."

Mark felt relieved. It was evident the Secretary neither knew of nor suspected the fact that Ravonino had actually attended the garden party and met Rafaravavy almost under the Queen's eyes! Remembering, however, that the Prime Minister had sent Soa to pretend to be a Christian, in order that he might discover the secrets of the Christians, and not having yet had much experience of the Secretary's character, he resolved to be very cautious in his reference to Ravonino,--indeed to any one with whom he had to do. Acting on this resolve he changed the subject by asking questions about the extensive rice-grounds around the capital.

The Secretary was of a communicative disposition, and evidently fond of airing his English. He willingly followed in conversation wherever the young doctor chose to lead, and gave him and his friends a great deal of interesting information as to the manners and customs of the Malagasy people--their habits, beliefs, and laws.

Among the latter he spoke of a curious fact in regard to criminals which gave Mark a sudden inspiration! Hockins afterwards styled it a "wrinkle." Ebony called it a "dodge." But, whatever might be said on that head, it had the effect of very materially altering the conditions of some of the personages of this tale, as the following chapters will show.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

THE COURT PHYSICIAN PRESCRIBES FOR THE QUEEN--A BLOW-UP, AND MYSTERIOUS PREPARATIONS FOR TREMENDOUS SURPRISES.

About this time the anger of Queen Ranavalona against the Christians was so great that she made herself quite ill, and more than once had to send for her Court Physician, Mark Breezy, to prescribe for her.

Our youthful medico understood her complaint, which was a simple one.

He prescribed much exercise, change of air, and amus.e.m.e.nt, so as to distract her mind from the cares of State, and the evil pa.s.sions to which she was giving way. He hoped thus to serve the Christians indirectly, for he saw clearly that the mere mention of their existence made her ill. Some slight administrations of physic, also, coupled with judicious alterations of diet, put her Majesty in a state of such excellent health and spirits that she began to entertain quite a warm regard for her Court Physician, and congratulated herself not a little on the good fortune which had sent him to the capital.

Thus Mark was enabled to disperse, for a time, the dark cloud which had been lowering over the land--not, however, in time to prevent many Christians from being slain, and some even of the officers and ladies of the palace from being degraded, their honours taken from them, and themselves and children sold as slaves.

Among the ladies, Rafaravavy had a narrow escape. For a time her life seemed to hang by a hair, for she was rebellious as well as fearless, and _would_ sing her favourite hymns in spite of orders to the contrary!

Love prevailed, however, as in the case of Prince Rakota, and she was tolerated as a sort of spoilt child.

Being a favourite, Mark of course became a man of power in the capital.

This fact would have raised him a host of enemies had it not been for the kindness of his disposition and the urbanity of his manners. When a strapping powerful young fellow treats every one with respectful deference, keeps in the background, and neither by word nor look a.s.serts himself, but, on the contrary, seems to entertain kindly thoughts about every one, it argues such an absence of selfishness that most people are irresistibly attracted to him. Thus, unwittingly, he escaped jealousy and enmity in a palace where both were rife, and, holding in his hands as he did, the power to alleviate many of the "ills that flesh is heir to," he secured a good deal of warm friendship.

Being also an ingenious youth, he devised many little plans for amusing Ranavalona and preventing her mind from dwelling on dangerous memories.

Among other things, he induced her to go in for a series of garden parties, and encouraged the people to practise their national games at these gatherings in a systematic way.

What all this was ultimately to lead to he did not know--indeed at first he had no particular end in view save the great one of preventing the Queen from ordering any more of the horrible scenes of bloodshed which he and his friends had so recently witnessed. But as time ran on his ideas became more definite and concentrated. It occurred to him that Ravonino would inevitably venture to attend the garden parties in the hope of again meeting Rafaravavy, and now that the Secretary had avowed himself on the side of the Christians, he felt that through him he might influence her to agree to her lover's proposal.

Then his plan to effect the rescue of Mamba was gradually matured.

"Ebony," he exclaimed, suddenly, one afternoon when sitting at his table preparing some villainous compound for the Queen, "go down to the laboratory, boy, and fetch me some gunpowder, sulphur, saltpetre, and charcoal."

Mark's laboratory, by the way, contained not only the medicines which chanced to be in the capital at that time, but also a vast collection of miscellaneous articles and substances which, in the opinion of palace officials, could be cla.s.sed, however remotely, with "doctor's stuffs."

"Them stuffs," remarked Hockins, who sat luxuriously in an arm-chair smoking a short pipe--for he had unfortunately obtained tobacco since arriving at the capital!--"Them stuffs are apt to cause surprisin'

effects w'en properly mixed."

"Just so. That is my reason for sending for them. I shall create some surprising effects if my old cunning in pyrotechny has not forsaken me.

When I was a school-boy, you must know, I was fond of dabbling in fireworks, and it strikes me that I could compound some things that would charm the Queen and astonish the natives."

"Ma.s.sa," asked Ebony, powerful surprise expressed in his sable visage, while Mark spooned large quant.i.ties of the ingredients referred to into an earthenware dish, "is dem powders to be took inside arter bein' well shooken, or rubbed outside?"

"Whichever way you please, Ebony. Would you like to try?"

"No thankee, ma.s.sa."

"Now, then, look here," said Mark, making some pencil notes on a sheet of paper, after arranging several plates in a row. "You and Hockins set to work and mix these in the exact proportions set down on this paper.

I'd do it myself, but I'm due at the palace, and you know the Queen does not like to be kept waiting. Stick to the paper, exactly, and here you have an egg-cup, a table-spoon, and a tea-spoon to measure with. Put your pipe out, I advise you, Hockins, before beginning. If Rainiharo should call, tell him he will find me with the Queen. I don't like that Prime Minister. He's a prime rascal, I think, and eggs the Queen on when she would probably let things drop. He's always brooding and pondering, too, as if hatching mischief."

"If that's a sign of hatching mischief," said Hockins, with a short laugh, "the same thing may be said of yourself, doctor, for you've done little but brood and ponder for more nor a week past."

"True, I have been plotting; but many a man plots much without much resulting."

Hurrying away, Mark found the Secretary waiting for him to act as interpreter, for the Queen understood little or no English.

After the preliminary ceremonial salutations, the young doctor asked if her Majesty would honour the gardens with her presence the following day, hold a grand reception, and make arrangements to remain in Anosy till after dark.

Yes, the Queen was quite ready to do so, but why did her Court Physician make such a proposal? Had he some new surprise in store for her?

"I have," answered Mark. "In my country we make very grand displays with fire. But I have various little surprises and plots in store, which cannot be properly wrought out unless Ranavalona will consent to go to the gardens privately--that is to say, without public announcement, for that has much to do with the success of my scheme."

"It shall be done, though it is against my custom," said the Queen, with a good-natured nod, for she had begun to regard her young physician as an eccentric creature who needed and deserved encouragement in his amusing and harmless fancies.

Immediately after the audience, Mark and his sympathetic interpreter, the Secretary, obtained an interview with Rafaravavy. The doctor began abruptly.

"I am well acquainted with your lover, dear young lady." At this she pouted a little, blushed terribly, and drew her pretty figure to its full height--which was not great! "And," continued Mark, "I have been very deeply indebted to him."

Rafaravavy relaxed a little, and fixed her fine dark eyes on the youth searchingly, but said nothing.

"Now I know," Mark went on, pretending not to observe the maiden's varying moods, "that my friend loves you so profoundly--so deeply--that he will risk his life to see you, and if he is caught, you are well aware that in the present state of the Queen's mind the result would be his death--almost certainly, and perhaps you would die along with him.

Therefore, if you get an opportunity soon you should agree to fly with him."

During the first part of this speech the young girl's face glowed with evident pleasure, but the last part was unfortunate. It did not suit the temper of one who was brave as she was beautiful.

"I know not, sir," she said, with flashing eyes, while the little figure drew up again, "what English girls may think or do, but Malagasy women are not afraid to die with those whom they love. Your advice may be kindly meant, but I doubt if it is wise. Besides, I am a servant of my Queen, and owe allegiance to her."