The People of the Mist Part 40

"I remember something of it," he replied cautiously; "but tidings were brought to me that this woman of whom you speak was overtaken by the vengeance of the G.o.d, and died on her journey."

"That is not so, lord. I am your daughter, and you are none other than my father. I knew you when I first saw your face, though you did not know me."

"Prove it, and beware how you lie," he said. "Show me the secret sign, and whisper the hidden word into my ear."

Then, glancing suspiciously behind her, Soa came to him, and made some movements with her hands in the shadow of the table. Next bending forward, she whispered awhile into his ear. When she had finished, her father looked up, and there were tears in his aged eyes.

"Welcome, daughter," he said. "I thought that I was alone, and that none of my issue lived anywhere upon the earth. Welcome! Your life is forfeit to the Snake, but, forgetting my vows, I will protect you, ay, even at the cost of my own."

Then the two embraced each other with every sign of tenderness, a spectacle that would have struck anyone acquainted with their characters as both curious and interesting.

Presently Nam left the chamber, and having dismissed the attendant priest and his great-niece, Saga, who were waiting outside, he returned and prayed his daughter to explain the reason of her presence in the train of Aca.

"First, you shall swear an oath to me, my father," said Soa, "and if you swear it not, I will tell you no word of my story. You shall swear by the blood of Aca that you will do nothing against the life of that Queen with whom I journeyed hither. For the others, you may work your will upon them, but her you shall not harm."

"Why should I swear this, daughter?" he asked.

"You shall swear it because I, whom you love, love her, and also because so you shall gain the greater honour."

"Who am I that I should lift my hand against the G.o.ds, daughter? I swear it by the blood of Aca, and if I break my oath, then may Jal deal with me as once he dealt with Aca."

Then Soa went on freely, for she knew that this was a vow that could not be broken. Beginning at its commencement, she told him all the story of her life since, forty years ago, she had fled from among the People of the Mist, pa.s.sing on rapidly, however, to that part of it which had to do with the capture and rescue of Juanna from the slave-traders, and with the promise that she had made to Leonard as the price of his a.s.sistance. This promise, she was careful to explain, she had not intended to fulfil until she was forced to do so by Juanna herself.

Then she gave him a minute history of the object and details of their expedition, down to her final quarrel with Leonard and her mistress on the previous day.

To say that the old priest was thunderstruck at these extraordinary revelations would be too little; he was overwhelmed--so overwhelmed that for a while he could scarcely speak.

"It is fortunate for this jade of a mistress of yours, who dares to make a mockery of our G.o.ddess that she may steal her wealth, that I have sworn to save her from harm, daughter," he gasped at length, "else she had died, and swiftly. At least, the others remain to me," and he sprang to his feet.

"Stay awhile, father," said Soa, catching his cloak, "what is your plan?"

"My plan? To drag them to the temple and denounce them. What else is there to do?"

"And thereby denounce yourself also, who proclaimed them G.o.ds. I think I have a better."

"Tell it then, daughter."

"It is this. Do you pa.s.s in before the G.o.ds this day, speak humbly to the G.o.ds, praying them to change the face of the heavens that the sun may shine; telling them also that strange talk has come to your ears by the mouth of Saga and the other women, of words that have been spoken by the G.o.d Jal, which would seem to show that he is no G.o.d, but that of this you believe nothing as yet. Then say to them that if the face of the heavens remains grey on the morrow, you will know that this talk is true, and that they will be brought to the temple, there to be judged and dealt with according to the finding of the people, who have heard these things also."

"And what if the weather should change, daughter?"

"It will not change yet awhile; but if that should chance, we must make another plan."

"Just now I swore to you that I would not harm her whom you love, and yet, daughter, if she is proved to be a false G.o.ddess in the face of all the mult.i.tude, how shall she escape harm, for then her end must be quick and terrible?"

"She shall escape because she will not be there, father. You have seen the white man with her--not the Deliverer, the other. Were that man dressed in the robes of Aca, and sat on high upon the head of the statue when the light is low, who should say that he was not Aca?"

"Then you would give all the others to death, daughter?"

"Nay, I would save the Deliverer alive, for a while at least."

"And wherefore? You are too subtle for me."

"For this reason, father; he loves her who is named Aca, and trusts to marry her, to marry her fully according to the custom of his people: therefore I would that he should see her given to another."

"To another! To whom then?"

"To Olfan the king, who also loves her."

Now Nam held up his hands in perplexity, saying:

"Oh! my daughter, be plain, I pray of you, for I cannot understand your counsels. Were it not better to give to these people the red stones which they desire, and send them secretly from the land, saying that they had vanished into the earth again, for so it seems to me we should be rid of much shame and trouble?"

"Listen, my father, and I will tell you. Were she whom I love to leave this land, I should see her face no more, and this madness has come upon me that I cannot live without the sight of her. Also, how can these people escape the dangers of the road? But four of them are left alive, and even were they without our borders, they must journey for three months before they come to any place where white men live, pa.s.sing through swamps and deserts and tribes of wild men. This they could hardly do with arms such as those whereby the Deliverer slew the priests, and now their arms are gone, you alone know where, my father."

"The instruments of which you speak lie in the deep waters of the temple pool, daughter, for there I caused them to be cast."

"Their arms are gone," said Soa, "they are alone, here they must live or die. Three of them I will give to death, and the fourth I would make the wife of the King, seeing that nothing better can be done for her. Let her be hidden awhile, and then let Olfan take her. As for the tale that we shall tell of the matter to the ears of the people, doubtless time will show it. I say that Olfan loves her and will buy her with a great price, and the price which you must ask shall be that henceforth he obeys you in everything."

"The scheme is good, daughter; at the least, bearing my oath in mind, I have none better, though were it not for my oath, either I should kill them all or set them free. Yet who can say that it shall succeed? It is in the hands of fate, let it go as fate wills. And now follow me, that I may place you where you shall dwell in comfort, then after we have eaten I will speak with these G.o.ds whom you have let loose upon us."

That morning pa.s.sed heavily enough to the four wretched prisoners in the palace. For some hours they sat together in the throne-room almost silent, for they were crushed by misfortune and fear; the toils were closing on them, and they knew it, nor could they lift a finger to save themselves.

Francisco knelt and prayed, Leonard and Juanna sat hand in hand listening to him, while Otter wandered to and fro like an unquiet spirit, cursing Soa, Saga, and all women in many languages and with a resource and vigour that struck his hearers as unparalleled. At length he vanished through the curtains, to get drunk probably, Leonard reflected.

However, the dwarf sought not drink, but vengeance. A few minutes later, hearing screams in the courtyard, Leonard ran out to find himself witness to a curious scene. There on the ground, surrounded by a group of other women, her companions, who were laughing at her discomfiture, lay the stately Saga, bride of the Snake. Over her stood her lord and master, the G.o.d Jal, his left hand twisted in her long hair, while with his right, in which he grasped a leather thong, despite her screams and entreaties, he administered to her one of the soundest and, be it added, best deserved thrashings that ever fell to the lot of erring woman.

"What are you doing?" said Leonard.

"I am teaching this wife of mine that it is not well to drug a G.o.d, Baas," gasped Otter; then added with a final and most ferocious cut, "There, get you gone, witch, and let me see your ugly face no more."

The woman rose and went, cursing and weeping, while the dwarf followed Leonard back into the throne-room.

"You have done it now, Otter," said Leonard. "Well, it does not much matter. I fancy she is gone for good, any way."

"Yes, Baas, she has gone, and she has gone sore," replied Otter with a faint grin.

At that moment a messenger arrived announcing that Nam was without waiting for an audience.

"Let him be admitted," said Juanna with a sigh, and seated herself on one of the thrones, Otter clambering into the other.

They had scarcely taken their places when the curtains were thrown back and the ancient priest entered, attended by about a score of his fellows. He bowed himself humbly before Juanna and the dwarf and then spoke.

"Oh! ye G.o.ds," he said, "I come in the name of the People of the Mist to take counsel with you. Why it is we do not know, but things have gone amiss in the land: the sun does not shine as in past years before you came to bless us, neither does the grain spring. Therefore your people are threatened with a famine, and they pray that you may comfort them out of the store of your wisdom."

"And if we have no comfort to give, Nam?"

"Then, Queen, the people ask that you will be pleased to meet them to-morrow in the temple at the moon-rise, when the night is one hour old, that they may talk with you there through the mouth of me, your servant."

"And if we weary of your temple and will not come, Nam?" asked Juanna.