The Fugitives: The Tyrant Queen of Madagascar Part 39

She broke down and finished the sentence with prayer for strength and for a submissive spirit.

Meanwhile the war-like expedition, on which Voalavo and his youths were only too ready to enter was rendered needless by the sudden appearance of Ravonino himself, with Rafaravavy and Sarah! After encountering innumerable hardships and dangers those three had at last arrived at their forest stronghold in safety.

"So then," remarked Laihova to Ra-Ruth, after the first enthusiastic reception was over, "I have only over-shot them by a few hours after all!"

"We were just going to sally forth to look for you--and fight if need be," said Voalavo.

"There was no need for that," returned Ravonino, "the Lord was our protector."

"Where is Reni-Mamba? Have you heard, mother, about your son?"

Reni and Ramatoa, who had pressed forward, looked surprised, for their friend did not speak like a man who had bad news to tell.

"Laihova has told me, truly," replied Reni, still whimpering, "that my dear boy is worse than dead."

"Not so, mother," said Ravonino, taking the poor woman's hand, "be of good cheer; Mamba is not dead. I know not indeed where he is at this moment, having been pressed in my own flight, but I know that the Queen has set him free--this much I learned from our white friend, Mark Breezy. More I cannot tell, but is not this cause for joy and grat.i.tude? Come, let us return thanks to our Father."

Most of those present were glad to give vent to their feelings in prayer and praise, though some there were who, having been led to join the band by the mere force of circ.u.mstances, had little heart in the matter.

Certainly Voalavo was not among these last, for the enthusiasm which inclined him to fight with violence also induced him to pray with vigour.

When this appropriate act of worship was over, food was prepared for the wearied travellers, and in a short time the whole party was seated round the cooking-fire, illuminated by the torches on the wall, and listening eagerly to Ravonino as he recounted his adventures.

"I fear much," he said in conclusion, "that another dark season is about to fall on us. It may be like the last--or worse."

Ravonino here referred, (and with bated breath), to the terrible outbreak of persecution which had occurred several years previously, when, at the lowest estimate, about two thousand men and women were severely punished, and many tortured and slain, because they professed or favoured the religion of Jesus.

As, one after another, various members of the party detailed the sad sufferings or deaths of relatives and friends, the feelings of all became deeply affected with grief, those of some with a considerable dash also of indignation. Among the latter of course was Voalavo.

"Why," he cried suddenly, giving his hands the accustomed pistol-shot clap that betrayed his inability to contain himself, "why do we suffer all this? Why not a.s.semble the tribes, go up at once to Antananarivo, take it, cut off the Queen's head, and put Prince Rakota on the throne?"

"Ay, why not?" demanded several of the more fiery young men.

"Because the Lord tells us to overcome evil with good," answered Ravonino, quietly. Then, wishing to draw attention from the subject, he inquired for the messenger who had brought news of his own escape.

All looked round as if expecting the man to answer for himself, but no one replied.

Search was made, and then it was discovered that the messenger had hastily taken his departure from the place.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

DOCTOR BREEZY PRESCRIBES FOR THE QUEEN, AND ATTAINS TO TEMPORARY AND "PERFIK F'LICITY."

While these events were taking place in the forest, Queen Ranavalona was keeping her Court Physician and his comrades in a state of considerable uneasiness, not only with reference to the safety of their own heads, but because of her violent edicts regarding her Christian subjects.

She renewed her commands as to the necessity of every one coming forward, on pain of instant death in the event of disobedience, and accusing themselves, with the reiterated a.s.surance that if they failed to comply and they were afterwards accused by others they should be subjected to the ordeal of the Tangena, and slain or reduced to perpetual slavery if found guilty.

The whole city was in a panic. No one felt safe. Under the influence of fear some accused themselves, expecting, no doubt, that their punishment would be lightened. Others remained quiet, hoping that they might escape detection, while many were accused by false friends as well as by enemies, and fell victims under the poison ordeal. Others, again, stood firm, and boldly proclaimed their faith in the Lord Jesus and their readiness to die if need be for His cause.

After the accusations, trials, and investigations, sentences were read which deprived four hundred officers and n.o.bles of their honours, and levied fines on the remainder to the number of about two thousand. One would have thought that the mere necessity for such widespread punishment would have shown the Queen how deeply the new religion had taken root, and how hopeless it was to attempt its suppression, but she did not see it in that light. On the contrary, she issued a mandate requiring all books to be delivered up to her officers, and threatening death against any who should keep back or hide even a single leaf. She also commanded her subjects never again even to "think of the Christian lessons they had learned, but to blot them from their memories for ever!"

Among those who boldly held to their opinions was the Queen's own son Rakota, who, however, as we have seen, did not run quite so much risk as others, owing to his mother's affection for him. The Prime Minister's son, also, and Prince Ramonja, made no effort to conceal their opinions, though they were wise enough to refrain from exasperating the angry Queen by a.s.serting them openly.

One morning the Prime Minister sent a message to the Court Physician, requiring his immediate attendance at the palace. Mark was seated in his own room at the time, talking with Hockins and Ebony about the gloomy state of affairs. A slight feeling of dismay fluttered the heart of each when the message came, for death-warrants were much in the air at that time.

"Oh, ma.s.sa, p'r'aps dey're a-goin' to kill you!" was the negro's comforting suggestion.

"More likely they want him to cure the Queen," said Hockins.

"Couldn't you, ma.s.sa," whispered Ebony, with a terribly solemn countenance, "mix a spoonful--a bery small spoonful--ob prussic acid, or creosote, or suffin ob dat sort, wid 'er physic?"

Mark laughed, and shook his head as he went out.

He found Rainiharo, with a tremendous frown on his face and deep lines of care on his brow, seated in front of our friend the Secretary, who had an open book on his knee. Three other officers of the palace sat beside them. These const.i.tuted a court of inquiry into the contents of the suspected books, and the Secretary, being the only literary character among them, was the appointed reader.

"Come here. Sit down," said Rainiharo, sternly pointing to a seat; "we want you to explain your books. The Queen commands us to examine them, and, if we find anything contrary to her wishes in them, to condemn them to the flames. But it seems to us that there is nothing in them but rubbish which we cannot understand."

Strange, is it not, that in barbaric as well as in civilised lands, people are apt to regard as rubbish that which they do not understand?

So thought the Court Physician, but he wisely held his tongue and sat down.

"This book," said the Prime Minister, pointing with a look of mingled contempt and exasperation to the volume on the Secretary's knee, "is worse than the last. The one we condemned yesterday was what you call your Bible. We began with it because it was the biggest book. Being practical men we began at the beginning, intending to go straight through and give it a fair hearing. We began at Gen--Gen--what was it?"

"Genesis," answered the Secretary.

"Genzis--yes. Well, we found nothing to object to in the first verse, but in the second--the very second--we found the word `darkness.' This was sufficient! Queen Ranavalona does not like darkness, so we condemned it at once--unanimously--for we could not for a moment tolerate anything with _darkness_ in it."

Mark felt an almost irresistible desire to laugh outright, but as the gratification of that desire might have cost him his head he did resist it successfully.

"Now," continued the Prime Minister, with a darker frown, "we have got to the Pil--Pil--what is it?"

"_Pilgrim's Progress_," answered the Secretary. "Just so--the _Pilgim's Progress_. Well, we agreed that we would give the _Pil--Pilgim's Progress_ a better chance, so we opened it, as it were, anyhow, and what do we come on--the very first thing--but a man named Obstinate! Now, if there is one thing that the Queen hates more than another it is an obstinate man. She cannot abide obstinate men. In fact, she has none such about her, for the few men of that sort that have turned up now and then have invariably lost their heads. But we wanted to be fair, so we read on, and what do we find as one of the first things that Obstinate says? He says, `Tush! away with your book!' Now, if the man himself condemns the book, is our Queen likely to spare it? But there are some things in the book which we cannot understand, so we have sent for you to explain it. Now," added Rainiharo, turning to the Secretary, "translate all that to the maker of physic and tell me what he has to answer."

It was a strange and difficult duty that our young student was thus unexpectedly and suddenly called to perform, and never before had he felt so deeply the difference between knowing a subject and expounding it. There was no escape, however, from the situation. He was not only bound by fear of his life, but by Scripture itself, "to give a reason of the hope that was in him," and he rose to the occasion with vigour, praying, mentally, for guidance, and also blessing his mother for having subjected him in childhood--much against his will!--to a pretty stiff and systematic training in the truths of Scripture as well as in the story of the _Pilgrim's Progress_.

But no exposition that he could give sufficed to affect the foregone conclusion that both the Bible and the Pilgrim, containing as they did matter that was offensive to the Queen, were worthy of condemnation, and, therefore, doomed to the flames.

Having settled this knotty point in a statesmanlike manner, Rainiharo bade Mark and the Secretary remain with him, and dismissed his three colleagues.

"You see," he said, after some moments of anxious thought, "although I agree with the Queen in her desire to stamp out the Christian religion, I have no desire that my son and my nephew should be stamped out along with it; therefore I wish to have your a.s.sistance, doctor, in turning the mind of Ranavalona away from persecution to some extent for in her present mood she is dangerous alike to friend and foe. Indeed I would not give much for your own life if she becomes more violent. How is this to be done, think you?"

The question was indeed a puzzler, for it amounted to this--

"How are we to manage a furious, blood-thirsty woman with the reins loose on her neck and the bit fast in her teeth?"

"I know not," said Mark at last, "but I will think the matter over and talk with you again."