THE WIZARD

by H. Rider Haggard

DEDICATION

To the Memory of the Child

Nada Burnham, who "bound all to her" and, while her father cut his way through thehordes of the Ingobo Regiment, perished of the hardships of warat Buluwayo on 19th May, 1896, I dedicate these tales--and moreparticularly the last, that of a Faith which triumphed over savagery anddeath. 

H. Rider Haggard. 

Ditchingham. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Of the three stories that comprise this volume[*], one, "The Wizard, " atale of victorious faith, first appeared some years ago as a ChristmasAnnual. Another, "Elissa, " is an attempt, difficult enough owing to thescantiness of the material left to us by time, to recreate the life ofthe ancient Poenician Zimbabwe, whose ruins still stand in Rhodesia, and, with the addition of the necessary love story, to suggestcircumstances such as might have brought about or accompanied its fallat the hands of the surrounding savage tribes. The third, "Black Heartand White Heart, " is a story of the courtship, trials and final union ofa pair of Zulu lovers in the time of King Cetywayo. 

 [*] This text was prepared from a volume published in 1900 titled "Black Heart and White Heart, and Other Stories. "-- JB. 

THE WIZARD

CHAPTER I

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 by theMaster of mankind upon the eve of the end--"Whoso that believeth in Me, the works that I do he shall do also . . . And whatsoever ye shall askin My name, that will I do;"--still hold good to such as do ask and dobelieve?

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 theyhad done 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 elected toattend church on this particular Sunday; and of these, three were fastasleep 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, andincidentally 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 and unimaginativein aspect. He preached extemporarily, with the aid of notes; and itcannot be said that his discourse was remarkable for interest, at anyrate in its beginning. Doubtless the sparse congregation, so prone toslumber, discouraged him; for offering exhortations to empty benches isbut weary work. Indeed he was meditating the advisability of bringinghis argument to an abrupt conclusion when, chancing to glance round, hebecame aware that he had at 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 the Causeamongst savage tribes; for he himself was a missionary of many yearsstanding. He told how once he and a companion had been sent to anation, who named themselves the Sons of Fire because their god was thelightning, if indeed they could be said to boast any gods other thanthe Spear and the King. In simple language he narrated his terribleadventures among these savages, the murder of his companion by commandof the Council of Wizards, and his own flight for his life; a taleso interesting and vivid that even the bucolic sleepers awakened andlistened 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. Until thatpeople is conquered--which very likely will not be for generations, seeing that they live in Central Africa, occupying a territory thatwhite men do not desire--no missionary will dare again to 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, the dinnerwas good--so good that the poor broken-down missionary, sipping hisunaccustomed 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, headded: "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, aspiritual Sisyphus. And now I must go back to carry my load and rollmy stone again and again among those hopeless savages till I die ofit--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 of twothousand a year--I see that is what they put it at in Crockford--withits English comforts and easy work, that _you_ might lead that life andattain that death, then you would think differently. But why shouldI bore you with such talk? Thank Heaven that your lines are cast inpleasant places. Yes, please, I will take one more glass; it does megood. "

"Tell me some more about that tribe you were speaking of in your sermon, the 'Sons of Fire' I think you called them, " said Owen, as he passed himthe 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 mindand body, and warriors from generation to generation, butsuperstition-ridden and cruel. They lived in the far interior, somemonths' journey by boat and ox-waggon from the coast, and of white menand their ways they 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 allthe next--or rather my friend did, for I knew very little of thelanguage--and they listened with great interest. At last the chief ofthe wizards and the first prophet to the king rose to question us. Hewas named 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 desire thatwe should take as our God, so that you may become His chief prophets inthe land, was a wizard such as we are, though grater than we are; fornot only did He know the past and the future as we do, but also He couldcure those who were smitten with hopeless sickness, and raise thosewho were dead, which we cannot do. You tell us, moreover, that by faiththose who believe on Him can do works as great as He did, and that youdo believe on Him. Therefore we will put you to the proof. 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 man laystill before us. 

"'Now, followers of the new God, ' said Hokosa, 'raise him from the deadas your Master did!'

"In vain did we offer explanations. 

"'Peace!' said Hokosa at length, 'your words weary us. Look now, eitheryou have preached to us a false god and are liars, or you are traitorsto the King you preach, since, lacking faith in Him, you cannot do suchworks as He gives power to do to those who have faith in Him. Out ofyour own mouths are you judged, White Men. Choose which horn of the bullyou will, you hang to one of them, and it shall pierce you. This isthe sentence of the king, I speak it who am the king's mouth: That you, White Man, who have spoken to us and cheated us these two weary days, be put to death, and that you, his companion who have been silent, bedriven 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 him beforemy face. After it was over, Hokosa spoke to me, saying:--

"'Go back, White Man, to those who sent you, and tell them the words ofthe 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, if itbe true. Tell them that having proved you liars, they dealt with you asall honest men seek that liars should be dealt with. Tell them that theydesire to hear more of this matter, and if one can be sent to them whohas no false tongue; who in all things fulfills the promises of hislips, that they will hearken to him and treat him well, but that forsuch 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 II

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 thebook; "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; at leastI think not. The physical part of our nature prevents it. Or perhaps themiracles still happen, but they are spiritual miracles. "

Then he sat down by the open window, and gazing at the dreamy beauty ofthe summer night, he thought, for his soul was troubled. Once beforeit had been troubled thus; that was nine years ago, for now he was butlittle over thirty. Then a call had come to him, a voice had seemed tospeak to his ears bidding him to lay down great possessions to followwhither Heaven should lead him. Thomas Owen had obeyed the voice;though, owing to circumstances which need not be detailed, to do so hewas obliged to renounce his succession to a very large estate, and tocontent himself with a younger son's portion of thirty thousand poundsand the reversion to the living which he had now held for some fiveyears. 

Then and there, with singular unanimity and despatch, his relations cameto the conclusion that he was mad. To this hour, indeed, those who standin his place and enjoy the wealth and position that were his by right, speak of him as "poor Thomas, " and mark their disapprobation of hispeculiar conduct by refusing with an unvarying steadiness to subscribeeven a single shilling to a missionary society. How "poor Thomas" speaksof them in the place where he is we may wonder, but as yet we cannotknow--probably with the gentle love and charity that marked his everyaction upon earth. But this is by the way. 

He had entered the Church, but what had he done in its shadow? This wasthe question which Owen asked himself as he sat that night by the openwindow, arraigning his past before the judgment-seat of conscience. Forthree years he had worked hard somewhere in the slums; then this livinghad fallen to him. He had taken it, and from that day forward his recordwas very much of a blank. The parish was small and well ordered; therewas little to do in it, and the Salvation Army had seized upon andreclaimed two of the three confirmed drunkards it could 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 thathe were bidden so to do now, this very night, would he indeed "thinkdifferently"? He had become a priest to serve his Maker. How would it bewere that Maker to command that he should serve Him in this extreme andheroic fashion? Would he flinch from the steel, or would he meet it asthe martyrs met it of old?

Physically he was little suited to such an enterprise, for in appearancehe was slight and pale, and in constitution delicate. Also, there wasanother reason against the thing. High Church and somewhat ascetic inhis principles, in the beginning he had admired celibacy, and in secretdedicated himself to that state. But at heart Thomas was very much aman, and of late he had come to see that which is against nature ispresumably not right, though fanatics may not hesitate to pronounceit wrong. Possibly this conversion to more genial views of life wasquickened by the presence in the neighbourhood of a young lady whomhe chanced to admire; at least it is certain that the mere thought ofseeing her no more for ever smote him 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 that summonscame Thomas Owen never told, and we need not inquire. At the least heheard it, and, like the Apostles, he arose and girded his loins to obey. For now, in the hour of trial, it proved that this man's faith partookof the nature of their faith. It was utter and virgin; it was notclogged with nineteenth-century qualifications; it had never dalliedwith strange doctrines, or kissed the feet of pinchbeck substitutes forGod. In his heart he believed that the Almighty, without intermediary, but face to face, had bidden him to go forth into the wilderness thereto perish. So he bowed his head and went. 

On the following morning at breakfast Owen had some talk with his friendthe 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 of Fire. Well, I have been thinking it over, and come to the conclusion that Iwill 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-cartwill not be round for another three-quarters of an hour. Tell me, if itwere offered to you, and on investigation you proved suitable, would youcare 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 it mightsuit you--that is all. You have done your share; your health is broken, and you have many dependent upon you. It seems right, therefore, thatyou should rest, and that I should work. If I do no good yonder, at theleast 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, butfortune brought them together. Hitherto, whilst in reality leading himon, she had seemed to keep him at a distance, with the result that hedid 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 shall executeit, or bring about its execution, but at the ultimate cost of my ownlife. Still, in such a service two are better than one. If you--can careenough--if you----"

But the lady had already turned away, and was murmuring her farewell inaccents that sounded like a sob. Love and faith after this sort were notgiven to her. 

Of all Owen's trials this was the sharpest. Of all his sacrifices thiswas the most complete. 

CHAPTER III

THE TEMPTATION

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, and closeto a gushing stream of water, stands a house, or rather a hut, builtof green brick and thatched with grass. Behind this hut is a fence ofthorns, rough but strong, designed to protect all within it from theattacks of lions and other beasts of prey. At present, save for asolitary mule eating its provender by the wheel of a tented ox-waggon, it is untenanted, for the cattle have not yet been kraaled for thenight. Presently Thomas Owen enters this enclosure by the back door ofthe hut, and having attended to the mule, which whinnies at the sightof him, goes to the gate and watches there till he sees his native boysdriving the cattle up the slope of the hill. At length they arrive, andwhen he has counted them to make sure that none are missing, and in afew kind words commended the herds for their watchfulness, he walksto the front of the house and, seating himself upon a wooden stool setunder a mimosa tree that grows near the door, he looks earnestly towardsthe 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, andtherein the great spiritual eyes shine still more strangely. 

At the foot of the slope runs a wide river, just here broken into rapidswhere the waters make an angry music. Beyond this river stretches avast plain bounded on the horizon by mountain ranges, each line of themrising higher than the other till their topmost and more distant peaksmelt imperceptibly into the tender blue of the heavens. This is the landof the Sons of Fire, and yonder amid the slopes of the nearest hills isthe great kraal of their king, Umsuka, whose name, 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, unless itchances to be in flood, the river can be forded. It is this ford thatOwen watches so intently. 

"John should have been back twelve hours ago, " he mutters to himself. "Ipray 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 them scrutinisesthe 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 hand saluteshim, giving him titles of honour. 

"Praise me not, John, " said Owen; "praise God only, as I have taught youto 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! thosethree were great, the greatest in all the land after the king. They wereHafela, the king that is to come, the prince Nodwengo, his brother, andHokosa the terrible, the chief of the wizards; and I tell you, father, that my blood dried up and my heart shrivelled when they turned theireyes 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 the messagewhich you set between my lips. "

"Repeat the message, John. "

"'O King, ' I said, 'beneath those footfall the whole earth shakes, whosearms stretch round the world and whose breath is the storm, I, whosename is John, am sent by the white man whose name is Messenger'--for bythat title you bade me make you known--'who for a year has dwelt in theland that your spears have wasted beyond the banks of the river. Theseare the words which he spoke to me, O King, that I pass on to you withmy tongue: "To the King Umsuka, lord of the Amasuka, the Sons of Fire, I, Messenger, who am the servant and the ambassador of the King ofHeaven, give greeting. A year ago, King, I sent to you saying that themessage which was brought by that white man whom you drove from yourland had reached the ears of Him whom I serve, the High and Holy One, and that, speaking in my heart, He had commanded me to take up thechallenge of your message. Here am I, therefore, ready to abide by thelaw which you have laid down; for if guile or lies be found in me, thenlet me travel from your land across the bridge of spears. Still, I woulddwell a little while here where I am before I pass into the shadow ofyour rule and speak in the ears of your people as I have been bidden. Know, King, that first I would learn your tongue, and therefore I demandthat one of your people may be sent to dwell with me and to teach methat tongue. King, you heard my words and you sent me a man to dwellwith me, and that man has taught me your tongue, and I also have taughthim, converting him to my faith and giving him a new name, the name ofJohn. King, now I seek your leave to visit you, and to deliver into yourears the words with which I, 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 a wordthere. Then Hokosa, the king's mouth, answered me, telling the thoughtof the king: 'You are a bold man, you whose name is John, but who oncehad another name--you, my servant, who dare to appear before me, and tomake it known to me that you have been turned to a new faith and serveanother king than I. Yet because you are bold, I forgive you. Go backnow to that white man who is named Messenger and who comes upon anembassy to me from the Lord of Heaven, and bid him come in peace. Yetwarn him once again that here also we know something of the Powers thatare not seen, here also we have our wizards who draw wisdom from theair, who tame the thunderbolt and compel the rain, and that he mustshow himself greater than all of these if he would not pass hence by thebridge of spears. Let him, therefore, take counsel with his heart andwith Him he serves, if such a One there is, and let him come or let himstay away as it shall please him. '"

"So be it, " said Owen; "the words of the king are good, and to-morrow wewill 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, itcame into my mind that now is not the time to convert the Sons of Fire. There is trouble brewing at the Great Palace, father. Listen, and I willtell you; as I have heard, so I will tell you. You know well that ourKing Umsuka has two sons, Hafela and Nodwengo; and of these Hafela isthe heir-apparent, the fruit of the chief wife of the king, and Nodwengois sprung from another wife. Now Hafela is proud and cruel, a warrior ofwarriors, a terrible man, and Nodwengo is gentle and mild, like to hismother whom the king loves. Of late it has been discovered that Hafela, weary of waiting for power, has made a plot to depose his father and tokill Nodwengo, his brother, so that the land and those who dwell in itmay become his without question. This plot the king knows--I had it fromone of his women, who is my sister--and he is very wroth, yet he dare dolittle, for he grows old and timid, and seeks rest, not war. Yet he isminded, if he can find the heart, to go back upon the law and toname Nodwengo as his heir before all the army at the feast of thefirst-fruits, which shall be held on the third day from to-night. ThisHafela knows, and Nodwengo knows it also, and each of them has summonedhis following, numbering thousands and tens of thousands of spears, toattend this feast of the first-fruits. That feast may well be a feastof vultures, my father, and when the brothers and their regiments rushtogether fighting for the throne, what will chance to the white man whocomes at such a moment to preach a faith of peace, and to his servant, one John, who led him there?"

"I do not know, " answered Owen, "and it troubles me not at all. I go tocarry out my mission, and in this way or in that it will be carried out. 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, they willkill you. You teach beautiful things, but say, are you a wizard? Whenthe child of a woman yonder lay dead, you could not raise it as did theChrist; when the oxen were sick with the pest, you could not cure them;or at least, my father, you did not, although you wept for the child andwere sorry at the loss of the oxen. Now, my father, if perchancethey ask you to do such things as these yonder, or die, say what willhappen?"

"One of two things, John: either I shall die or I shall do the things. "

"But"--hesitated John--"surely you do not believe that----" and he brokeoff. 

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 can workmiracles Whom everything in heaven and earth obeys, and if there is needHe will work them through me, His instrument. Or perhaps He willnot work them, and I shall die, because thus His ends will best beforwarded. At the least I go in faith, fearing nothing, for what has heto fear who knows the will of God and does it? But to you who doubt, Isay--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, shouldyou reproach me because my ears are not so open as yours, as my hearthas not understanding? I worship that God of Whom you have taught me, but He never speaks to me as He does to you. I never meet Him as I walkat night; He leaves me quite alone. Therefore it is that I fear thatwhen the hour of trial comes He may desert you; and unless He covers youwith His shield, of this I am sure, that the spear is forged which shallblush red in your heart, my father. It is for you that I fear, who areso gentle and tender; not for myself, who am well accustomed to look inthe eyes of Death, and who expect no more than death. "

"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 whither weshall need none. "

*****

That night Owen rose from the task at which he was labouring slowly andpainfully--a translation of passages from the Gospel of St. John intothe language of the Amasuka--and going to the open window-place of thehut, he rested his elbows upon it and thought, staring with empty eyesinto the blackness of the night. Now it was as he sat thus that a greatagony of doubt took possession of his soul. The strength which hithertohad supported him seemed to be withdrawn, and he was left, as Johnhad said, "quite alone. " Strange voices seemed to whisper in his ears, reproaching and reviling him; temptations long ago trampled under footrose again in might, alluring him. 

"Fool, " said the voices, "get you hence before it is too late. You havebeen mad; you who dreamed that for your sake, to satisfy your pride, theAlmighty will break His silence and strain His law. Are you then better, or greater, or purer than millions who have gone before you, that foryou and you alone this thing should be done? Why, were it not that youare mad, you would be among the chief of sinners; you who dare to askthat the Powers of Heaven should be set within your feeble hand, thatthe Angels of Heaven should wait upon your mortal breath. Worm that youare, has God need of such as you? If it is His will to turn the heartof yonder people He will do it, but not by means of _you_. You and theservant whom you are deluding to his death will perish miserably, andthis alone shall be the fruit of your presumptuous sin. Get you back outof this wilderness before the madness takes you afresh. You are stillyoung, you have wealth; look where She stands yonder whom you desire. Get you back, and forget your folly 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, andto hear the mocking voices of their witch-finders commanding him, if hewere a true man and the servant of that God of Whom he prated, togive them a sign, only a little sign; perhaps to move a stone withouttouching it with his hand, or to cause a dead bough to blossom. 

Then he would beseech Heaven with frantic prayers, and in vain, till atlength, amidst a roar of laughter, he, the false prophet and the liar, was led out to his doom. He saw the piteous wondering look of thebeliever whom he had betrayed to death; he saw the fierce faces andthe spears on high. Seeing all this his spirit broke, and, just as thelittle clock in the room behind him struck the first stroke of midnight, with a great and bitter cry to God to give him back the faith andstrength that he had lost, Owen's head fell forward and he sank into aswoon there upon the window-place. 

CHAPTER IV

THE VISION

Was it swoon or sleep?

At least it seemed to Owen that presently once again he was gazing intothe dense intolerable blackness of the night. Then a marvel came topass, for the blackness opened, or rather on it, framed and surroundedby it, there appeared a vision. It was the vision of a native town, having a great bare space in the centre of it encircled by hundreds orthousands of huts. But there was no one stirring about the huts, forit was night--not this his night of trial indeed, since now the sky wasstrewn with innumerable stars. Everything was silent about that town, save that now and again a dog barked or a fretful child wailed withina hut, or the sentries as they passed saluted each other in the name ofthe 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, theskin rugs, the beer gourds, the shields and spears, the roof-tree of redwood, and the dried lizard hanging from the thatch, a charm to ward offevil. In this hut, seated face to face halfway between the centre-postand the door-hole, were two men. The darkness was deep about them, andthey whispered to each other through it; but in his dream this was nobar to Owen's sight. He could discern their faces clearly. 

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, and onhis wrists and ankles were rings of ivory, the royal ornaments. His facewas fierce and powerful; his eyes, which were set far apart, rolledso much that at times they seemed all white; and his fingers playednervously with the handle of a spear that he carried in his right hand. His companion was of a different stamp; a person of more than fiftyyears, he was tall and spare in figure, with delicately shaped handsand feet. His hair and little beard were tinged with grey, his face wasstrikingly handsome, nervous and expressive, and his forehead both broadand high. But more remarkable still were his eyes, which shone with apiercing brightness, almost grey in colour, steady as the flame of awell-trimmed lamp, and so cold that they might have been precious stonesset 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 the darkwaiting for water that will not flow. Listen, Prince; you come to talkto me of the death of a king--is it not so? Nay do not start. Why areyou affrighted when you hear upon the lips of another the plot thatthese 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 with achange of voice. "I came but to ask you for a charm to turn my father'sheart----"

"To dust? Prince, if I am mistaken, why am I the best of wizards, or theworst, and why did your jaw drop and your face change at my words, andwhy do you even now touch your dry lips with your tongue? Yes, I knowthat it is dark here, yet some can see in it, and I am one of them. Ay, Prince, and I can see your mind also. You would be rid of your father:he has lived too long. Moreover his love turns to Nodwengo, the good andgentle; and perhaps--who can say?--it is even in his thought, when allhis regiments are about him two days hence, to declare that you, Prince, are deposed, and that your brother, Nodwengo, shall be king in yourstead. Now, Nodwengo you cannot kill; he is too well loved and too wellguarded. If he died suddenly, his dead lips would call out 'Murder!' inthe ears of all men; and, Prince, all eyes would turn to you, who alonecould profit by his end. But if the king should chance to die--why he isold, is he not? and such things happen to the old. Also he grows feeble, and will not suffer the regiments to be doctored for war, although dayby day they clamour to be led to battle; for he seeks to end his yearsin 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 day tocome shall carry the shield of Nodwengo; for he is good and gentle, andwill spare your life--if I beg it of him. "

Hafela stretched out his hand through the darkness, and caught Hokosa bythe wrist. 

"Stay, " he whispered, "it is true. The king must die; for if he does notdie within three days, I shall cease to be his heir. I know it throughmy spies. He is angry with me; he hates me, and he loves Nodwengoand the mother of Nodwengo. But if he dies before the last day of thefestival, then that decree will never pass his lips, and the regimentswill never roar out the name of Nodwengo as the name of the king tocome. He must die, I tell you, Hokosa, and--by your hand. "

"By _my_ hand, Prince! Nay; what have you to offer me in return for sucha deed as this? Have I not grown up in Umsuka's shadow, and shall I cutdown 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, whoam the chief of wizards; I, the reader of men's hearts; I, the hearerof men's thoughts! I, the lord of the air and the lightning; I, theinvulnerable. If you would murder, Prince, then do the deed; do itknowing that I have your secret, and that henceforth you who rule shallbe my servant. Nay, you forget that I can see in the dark; lay down thatassegai, or, by my spirit, prince as you are, I will blast you with aspell, and your body shall be thrown to the kites, as that of one whowould murder his king and father!"

The prince heard and shook, his cheeks sank in, the muscles of his greatform seemed to collapse, and he grovelled on the floor of the hut. 

"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 the queento 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 her asyour head wife, the queen to be. 

"The king heard and bowed his head; he sent and took her, and placed herin the House of the Royal Women, there to abide till this feast of thefirst-fruits, when she shall be given to you in marriage. Yes, he senther to that guarded house wherein not even I may set my foot. AlthoughI was afar, her spirit warned me, and I returned, but too late; for shewas sealed to you of the blood-royal, and that is a law which may not bebroken. 

"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 conquered all, yet cannot conquer the fire that wastes my heart, nor cease to long bynight and day for a woman who is lost to me. Then it was, Hafela, thatI plotted vengeance against you. I threw my spell over the mind of theking, till he learnt to hate you and your evil deeds; and I, even I, have brought it about that your brother should be preferred before you, and that you shall be the servant in his house. This is the price thatyou must pay for her of whom you have robbed me; and by my spirit andher spirit you shall pay! Yet listen. Hand back the girl, as you maydo--for she is not yet your wife--and choose another for your queen, andI will undo all that I have done, and I will find you a means, Hafela, to carry out your will. Ay, before six suns have set, the regimentsrushing past you shall hail you King of the Nation of the Amasuka, Lordof 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 a servant, and your name shall become a mockery, a name for women to make rhymeson. "

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 on thebacks of hounds stand up! Take her, priest of death and ill; but take mycurse with her! Ah! I also can prophecy; and I tell you that thiswoman whom you have taught, this witch of many spells, whose glance canshrivel the hearts of men, shall give you to drink of your own medicine;ay, she shall dog you to the death, and mock you while you perish by anend 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 you lessons. Yet I counsel you not; for you are flesh, nothing but flesh, and he whowould rule the air must cultivate the spirit. Why, I tell you, Prince, that even the love for her who is my heart, the lady whom we both wouldwed, partaking of the flesh as, alas! it does, has cost me half mypowers. Now let us cease from empty scoldings, and strike our 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, and sheshall pass back to the care of my household. You yourself shall bringher to where I stand, and as I take her from you I will put into yourhand 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 your brother, Nodwengo, is to be set in your seat. But of that decree never a wordshall pass his lips; if it does, recall your saying and take back thelady Noma from where she stands beside me. I tell you that never a wordwill pass his lips; for even as he rises a stroke shall take him, sucha stroke as often falls upon the fat and aged, and he will sink to theground snoring through his nostrils. For a while thereafter--it may besix hours, it may be twelve--he shall lie insensible, and then a crywill 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 are thesymptoms of a natural sickness. But that your safety and mine may beassured, I have made yet another plan, though of this there will belittle need. You were present two days since when a runner came from thewhite man who sojourns beyond our border, he who seeks to teach us, theChildren of Fire, a new faith, and gives out that he is the messenger ofthe King of heaven. This runner asked leave for the white man to visitthe Great Place, and, speaking in the king's name, I gave him leave. ButI warned his servant that if his master came, a sign should be requiredof him to show that he was a true man, and had of the wisdom of the Kingof Heaven; and that if he failed therein, then that he should die asthat white liar died who visited us in bygone years. 

"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 that somethingout of nature has happened to the king, they will surely think also thatthis strange prayer-doctor has wrought the evil. Then also I will callfor a sign from the white man, praying of him to recover the king of hissickness; and when he fails, he shall be slain as a worker of spells andthe false prophet of a false god, and so we shall be rid of him andhis new faith, and you shall be cleared of doubt. 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 at thishour, to seek that which we shall need. One word--think not to playme false, or to cheat me of my price; for whate'er betides, be sure ofthis, that hour shall be the hour of your dooming. Hail to you, Son ofthe King! Hail! and farewell. " Then, removing the door-board, the wizardpassed from the hut and was gone. 

*****

The vision changed. Now there appeared a valley walled in on either sidewith sloping cliffs of granite; a desolate place, sandy and, save for asingle spring, without water, strewn with boulders of rock, some of thempiled fantastically one upon the other. At a certain spot this valleywidened out, and in the mouth of the space thus formed, midway betweenthe curved lines of the receding cliffs, stood a little hill or koppie, also built up of boulders. It was a place of death; for all around thehill, and piled in hundreds between the crevices of its stones, lay thewhite bones of men. 

Nor was this all. Its summit was flat, and in the midst of it stooda huge 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 leprous white;and from its gaunt and spreading rungs rose branches that subdividedthemselves again and again, till at last they terminated in round greenfingers, springing from grey, flat slabs of bark, in shape not unlikethat of a human palm. Indeed, from a little distance this tree, especially if viewed by moonlight, had the appearance of bearing onit 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 of wizards, whereof Hokosa was the chief. There on the Hill of Death stood the Treeof Death; and that in its dank shade, or piled upon the ground beneathit, hung and lay the pitiful remnants of the multitudes who forgenerations 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 tree ispoisonous 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 fro inthe night breeze. 

"Ah! friend, " he muttered, "we strove for many years, but it seems thatI have conquered at the last. Well, it is just; for if you could havehad your way, your end would have been my end. "

Then very leisurely, as one who is sure that he will not be interrupted, Hokosa began to climb the tree, till at length some of the green fingerswere within his reach. Resting his back against a bough, one by one hebroke off several of them, and averting his face so that the fumes ofit might not reach him, he caused the thick milk-white juice that theycontained to trickle into the mouth of a little gourd which was hungabout his neck by a string. When he had collected enough of the poisonand carefully corked the gourd with a plug of wood, he descended thetree again. At the great fork where the main branches sprang from thetrunk, he stood a while contemplating a creeping plant which ran upthem. It was a plant of naked stem, like the tree it grew upon; and, also like the tree, its leaves consisted of bunches of green spikeshaving 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 is ineverything; yes, even in the heart of man. Shall I gather some of thisjuice also? No; for then I might repent and save him, remembering thathe has loved me, and thus lose her I seek, her whom I must win back orbe withered. Let the messenger of the King of Heaven save him, if hecan. This tree lies on his path; perchance he may prevail upon its deadto tell him of the bane and of the antidote. " And once more the wizardlaughed 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 clockwas still 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 "perishingby the sword;" and the way of the wicked had been made clear to him "ina dream, in a vision of the night when deep sleep falleth upon men. "

Not for nothing had he endured that agony, and not for nothing had hestruggled in the grip of doubt. 

CHAPTER V

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 the outerbarrier and defence of the kingdom of the Amasuka. Within five hundredyards of where the waggon stood, however, a sheer cliffed gorge, fire-riven and water-hewn, pierced the range, and looking on it, Owenknew it for the gorge of his dream. Night and day the mouth of it wasguarded by a company of armed soldiers, whose huts were built high onoutlook places in the mountains, whence their keen eyes could scan thevast expanses of plain. A full day before it reached them, they had seenthe white-capped waggon crawling across the veldt, and swift runners hadreported its advent to the king at his Great Place. 

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 speed aswould bring him there in time for him to behold the last ceremony of thefeast of first-fruits; but, for the present, that the waggon itselfand the oxen were to be left at the mouth of the gorge, in charge of aguard, who would be answerable for them. 

Now, on this morning the captain of the guard and his orderlies advancedto the waggon and stood in front of it. They were splendid men, armedwith great spears and shields, and adorned with feather head-dresses andall the wild finery of their regiment. Owen descended from the waggonand came to meet them, and so for a few moments they remained, face toface, in silence. A strange contrast they presented as they stood there;the bare-headed white man frail, delicate, spiritual of countenance, andthe warriors great, grave, powerful, a very embodiment of the essenceof untamed humanity, an incarnate presentation of the spirit of savagewarfare. 

"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 riding thebeast you have brought with you, for the way is rough; but your waggon, your oxen, and your servants, save this man only who is of the Childrenof Fire, must stay here in my keeping. Fear not, Messenger, I will holdthem 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 disciple John, 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, and itstretches a thousand hands to Heaven, praying for mercy that does notcome, 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, nearto the shadow of the dreadful tree, for in that gorge the sun burnedfiercely. John counted the bodies that swung upon it, and again lookedfearfully 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, "it isa place that few seek of their own will, and, because I like you well, Messenger, I pray it may never be my duty to lead you there of theking'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 to beborne. 

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 I amcalled away before my words come true, yet remember my words. I tellyou that this Tree of Death shall become the Tree of Life for all thechildren of your people. Look! there above you is its sign and promise. "

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 the otherbranches, was one straight, dead limb, and from this dead limb twoarms projected at right angles, also dead and snapped off short. Had acarpenter fashioned a cross of wood and set it there, its proportionscould not have been more proper and exact. It was very strange to findthis symbol of the Christian hope towering above that place of humanterror, and stranger still was the purpose which it must serve in a dayto 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 advent ofthe white man. Of this pause Owen took advantage to array himself in thesurplice and hood which he had brought with him in readiness for thathour. 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, whichwas opened to them. Once within it, Owen saw a wonderful sight, such asight as few white men have seen. The ground of the enormous oval beforehim was not flat. Either from natural accident or by design it slopedgently upwards, so that the spectator, standing by the gate or atthe head of it before the house of the king, could take in its wholeexpanse, and, if his sight were keen enough, could see every individualgathered 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 something terrifyingin this numberless multitude of warriors, and the thought of the taskthat he had undertaken crushed his spirit. Then he remembered, andshaking off his fear and doubt, alone, save for his disciple John, holding the crucifix aloft, he walked slowly up the wide road towardsthe place where he guessed that the king must be. His arm was weary ereever he reached it, but at length he found himself standing before athickset old man, who was clad in leopard skins and seated upon a stoolof 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 strange greeting, "he added. "Whence came you, White Man, how are you named, and what isyour mission to me and to my people?"

"King, I come from beyond the sea; I am named Messenger, and my missionis 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 King towhom 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 armed multitudesand this one white-robed man in his loneliness took hold of them, andwith it another sense of something not far removed from fear. 

"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 are calm, therefore a wizard you must be. Well, stand behind me: by-and-by I willhear your message and ask of you to show me your powers; but before thenthere are things which I must do. Are the lads ready? Ho, you, loose thebull!"

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 this gatewas opened, and through it, with a mad bellow, rushed a wild buffalobull. On seeing them the brute halted, and for a few moments stoodpawing the earth and tearing it with its great horns. Then it put downits head and charged. Instead of making way for it, uttering a shrillwhistling sound, the youths rushed at the beast, striking with theirsticks. 

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 boy onits horn, whence presently he fell dead; through and through the ranksof 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 bull goredthem, there they fell. At length, exhausted and terrified, the bruteheaded back straight up the lane where the main body of the youths werewaiting for it. Now it was among them, and, reckless of wounds or death, they swarmed about it like bees, seizing it by legs, nose, horns andtail, till with desperate efforts they dragged it to the ground and beatthe life out of it with their sticks. This done, they formed up beforethe 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 but five. Well, the lads fought him bravely. Let the dead be buried, the hurttended, or, if their harms are hopeless, slain, and to the rest give adouble ration of beer. Ho, now, fall back, men, and make a space for theBees 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. Thensuddenly, from opposite sides, the two regiments, known as the Beesand the Wasps respectively, rushed upon each other, uttering theirwar-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 right toback 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. Theywere armed with kerries only, and not with spears, for the fight wassupposed to be a mimic one; but these weapons they used with such effectthat soon hundreds of them were down dead or with shattered skulls andbruised limbs. Fiercely they fought, while the whole army watched, fortheir rivalry was keen and for many months they had known that they wereto be pitted one against the other on this day. Fiercely they fought, while the captains cried their orders, and the dust rose up in cloudsas they swung to and fro, breast thrusting against breast. At length theend came; the Bees began to give, they fell back ever more quickly tilltheir retreat was a rout, and, leaving many stretched upon the ground, amid the mocking cries of the army they were driven to the fence, bytouching which they obtained peace 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, bringingwith them a man of magnificent appearance and middle age, whose left armhad been broken by a blow from a kerry. With his right hand he salutedfirst 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. "Knowyou that you have cost me ten head of the royal white cattle?"

"King, I have nothing to say, " answered the captain calmly, "except thatmy men are cowards. "

"That is certainly so, " said the king. "Let all the wounded amongthem be 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 with men. "

"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 my friend. "

"A prince should not choose cowards for his friends, " replied the king;"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 have shownnone?"

"Let him be killed!" said the king. 

"King!" cried Owen once more, "do this deed, and I tell you that beforethe sun is down great evil will overtake you. "

"Do you threaten me, Messenger? Well, we will see. Let him be killed, Isay. "

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 VI

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 cup ofthe 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 his headaway, so they were granted or refused. 

When all had done, the Prince Hafela came forward, lifted his spear, andcried:--

"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. She passedinto the House of the Royal Women, and, by your command, King, it wasfixed that I should marry her according to our customs to-morrow, after the feast of the first-fruits is ended. King, my heart is changedtowards that woman; I no longer desire to take her to wife, and I praythat you will order that she shall now be handed back to Hokosa herguardian. "

"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, was simple, but in its way striking. On his shoulders he wore a cloak of shiningsnakeskin; about his loins was a short kilt of the same material; andround his forehead, arms and knees were fillets of snakeskin. At hisside hung his pouch of medicines, and in his hand he held no spear, buta wand of ivory, whereof the top was roughly carved so as to resemblethe 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, my ward, 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 any commonman. With the girl shall be handed over two hundred head of cattle. More, I will do justice: unless she herself consents, she shall not beput 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 royal housethe Lady Noma appeared, attended by women, and stood before the king. She was a tall and lovely girl, and the sunlight flashed upon herbronze-hued breast and her ornaments of ivory. Her black hair wasfastened in a knot upon her neck, her features were fine and small, hergait was delicate and sure as that of an antelope, and her eyes werebeautiful and full of pride. There she stood before the king, lookinground her like a stag. Seeing her thus, Owen understood how it cameabout that she held two men so strangely different in the hollow of herhand, for her charm was of a nature to appeal to both of them--a charmof the spirit as well as of the flesh. And yet the face was haughty, aface 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 have beenpleased to approve of his choice, " she said, lifting her eyebrows. "Whatof it, O King?"

"This, girl: the prince who was pleased to honour you is now pleased todishonour you. Here, in the presence of the council and army, he praysof me to annul his sealing to you, and to send you back to the house ofyour 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 in theeyes of my lord the prince, or that some fairer woman has found it. "

"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 he towhom you were promised in marriage shall take you in marriage, whetherhe wills or wills it not. "

At this speech, the face of Hafela was suddenly lit up as with the fireof hope, while over that of Hokosa there passed another subtle change. The girl glanced at them both and was silent for a while. Her breastheaved and her white teeth bit upon her lip. To Owen, who noted all, itwas clear that rival passions were struggling in her heart: the passionof power and the passion of love, or of some emotion which he did notunderstand. Hokosa fixed his calm eyes upon her with a strange intensityof gaze, and while he gazed his form quivered with a suppressedexcitement, much as a snake quivers that is about to strike its prey. To the careless eye there was nothing remarkable about his lookand attitude; to the observer it was evident that both were full ofextraordinary purpose. He was talking to the girl, not with words, butin some secret language that he and she understood alone. She started asone starts who catches the tone of a well-remembered voice in a crowd ofstrangers, and lifting her eyes from the ground, whither she had turnedthem 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 where hestood and took him by the hand. Here, at some whispered word or sign, she seemed to recover herself, and again resuming the character of aproud offended beauty, she curtseyed to Umsuka, and spoke:--

"O King, as you see, I have made my choice. I will not force myself upona man who scorns me, no, not even to share his place and power, thoughit is true that I love them both. Nay, I will return to Hokosa myguardian, and to his wife, Zinti, who has been as my mother, and withthem 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, take youthe hand of Hokosa and release the girl back to him according to thelaw, promising in the ears of men before the first month of winter topay 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 king again, "for the sun grows low in the heavens, and ere it sinks I have words tosay. "

Now a polished gourd filled with native beer was handed to Nodwengo, thesecond son of the king, and one by one the great councillors approached, and, with appropriate words, let fall into it offerings emblematic offertility and increase. The first cast in a grain of corn; the second, a blade of grass; the third, a shaving from an ox's horn; the fourth, a drop of water; the fifth, a woman's hair; the sixth, a particleof earth; and so on, until every ingredient was added to it that wasnecessary 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, whoseeyes were lightning, and whose voice was thunder, the spirit whom theyworshipped, might increase and multiply to them during the coming yearall those fruits and elements that were present in the cup, and thatevery virtue which they contained might comfort the body of 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 into thebowl, stirring its contents till the iron grew black. Now he threw asidethe spear, and lifting the bowl in both hands, he carried it to hisfather and offered it to him. 

Although he had been unable to see him drop the poison into the cup, a glance at Hafela told Owen that it was there; for though he kept hisface under control, he could not prevent his hands from twitching or thesweat 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 had beenprepared. As the last word left the king's lips, every one of the thirtythousand men present in that great place began to rattle his kerryagainst the surface of his ox-hide shield. At first the sound producedresembled that of the murmur of the sea; but by slow and just degreesit grew louder and ever louder, till the roar of it was like the deepestvoice 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. In theplace itself there was silence, but from the mountains around the echoesstill crashed and volleyed. When the last of them had died away, theking brought the cup to the level of his lips. Owen saw, and knowing itscontents, was almost moved to cry out in warning. Indeed, his arm waslifted and his mouth was open, when by chance he noted Hokosa watchinghim, and remembered. To act now would be madness, his time had not yetcome. 

The cup touched the king's lips, and at the sign from every throatin that 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 whole nationto its ruler, was repeated, each time more loudly than the last. Thenpouring the rest of the liquor on the ground, Umsuka set aside the cup, and in the midst of a silence that seemed deep after the crash of thegreat salute, he began to address the multitude:--

"Hearken, Councillors and Captains, and you, my people, hearken. As youknow, I have two sons, calves of the Black Bull, princes of the land--myson Hafela, the eldest born, and my son Nodwengo, his half-brother----"

At this point the king began to grow confused. He hesitated, passing hishand over his eyes, then slowly and with difficulty repeated those wordswhich 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 VII

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 angrier shoutsof "The king is murdered!" and "He is bewitched, the white wizardhas bewitched the king! He prophesied evil upon him, and now he hasbewitched 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 be dead. This is sure, that one of two things has befallen him: either the heathas caused the blood to boil in his veins and he is smitten with astroke from heaven, such as men who are fat and heavy sometimes die of;or he has been bewitched by a wicked wizard. Yonder stands one, " and hepointed to Owen, "who not an hour ago prophesied that before the sun wasdown great evil should overtake the king. The sun is not yet down, andgreat evil has overtaken him. Perchance, Princes and Councillors, thiswhite 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. Youask me of this matter. Where shall I begin? Shall I begin with the taleof two men seated together some nights ago in a hut so dark that no eyescould see in it, save perchance the eyes of a wizard? What did they talkof in that hut, and who were those men? They talked, I think, of thedeath of a king and of the crowning of a king. They talked of a priceto be paid for a certain medicine; and one of them had a royal air, andone----"

"Will ye hearken to this wild babbler while your king lies dying beforeyour eyes?" broke in Hokosa, in a shrill, unnatural voice; for almostpalsied with fear as he was at Owen's mysterious words, he stillretained his presence of mind. "Listen now: what is he, and what did hesay? He is one who comes hither to preach a new faith to us; he comes, he says, on an embassy from the King of Heaven, who has power overall things, and who, so these white men preach, can give power to Hisservants. Well, let this one cease prating and show us his strength, as he has been warned he would be called upon to do. Let him give us asign. There before you lies your king, and he is past the help of man;even I cannot help him. Therefore, let this messenger cure him, or callupon his God to cure him; that seeing, we may know him to be a truemessenger, and one sent by that King of whom he speaks. Let him do thisnow before our eyes, or let him perish as a wizard who has bewitched theking. Do you hear my words, Messenger, and can you draw this one backfrom 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 may doI cannot hurt him further. Therefore I ask this of you, that you standround and watch, but molest me neither by word nor deed while I attempthis 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 Hokosa staredat 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 faces ofthose about him. Presently his eye fell upon the Prince Nodwengo, and hebeckoned 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. Thisdone, he clasped his hands, and lifting his eyes to heaven, he prayedaloud 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 miracle inthe face of these people, to the end that I may win them to cease fromtheir iniquities, to believe upon Thee, the only true God, and to savetheir 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 rare andstertorous, 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 would reach, Owen poured the fluid it contained into the body of the king, who made aconvulsive 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 the wind. The sun was sinking fast, and Hokosa watched it, counting the seconds. At length he spoke:--

"The half of the hour that you demanded is dead, White Man, as deadas the 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 fewmore instants 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 not believethat it was so; he believed that the Power above him would intervene tosave--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 deep darkness, 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. By nowyou would have been dead, had it not pleased Him Whom I serve, workingthrough me, His messenger, to bring you back to look upon the sun. ThankHim, therefore, and worship Him, for He alone is Master of the 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 truth andgoodness?"

"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 before Isaid words that should set him beneath the feet of Nodwengo. Seize him, 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 man hasrarely run before--his face set towards that fastness in the mountainswhere he could find refuge among his mother's tribesmen and theregiments which he commanded. Of late they had been sent thither by theking that they might be far from the Great Place when their prince wasdisinherited. 

"He is fled, " said one; "I saw him go. "

"Pursue him and bring him back, dead or alive!" thundered the king. "A hundred 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? Leavehim his life who has lost all else. "

"That he may rebel against me? Well, White Man, I owe you much, and forthis time your wisdom shall be my guide, though my heart speaks againstsuch gentleness. Hearken, councillors and people, this is my decree:that Hafela, my son, who would have murdered me, be deposed from hisplace as heir to my throne, and that Nodwengo, his brother, be set inthat 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 all honour;let oxen be given him from the royal herds and corn from the granaries, and girls of noble blood for wives if he wills them. Hokosa, into yourhand I deliver him, and, great though you are, know this, that if buta hair of his head is harmed, with your goods and your life you shallanswer 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-fruitsis ended, and my command is that every regiment should seek itsquarters, taking with it a double gift of cattle from the king, who hasbeen saved alive by the magic of this white man. And now, Messenger, farewell, for my head grows weary. To-morrow I will speak with you. "

Then the king was led away into the royal house, and save those who werequartered in it, the regiments passed one by one through the gates ofthe kraal, singing their war-songs as they went. Darkness fell upon theGreat Place, and through it parties of men might be seen dragging thencethe corpses of those who had fallen in the fight with sticks, or beenput 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 my hourcomes. I am a stranger here and you are a great man; yet, Hokosa, whichof us is the safest this night?"

"Your meaning?" said Hokosa sharply. 

"O man!" answered Owen, "when in a certain hour you crept up the valleyyonder, and climbing the Tree of Death gathered its poison, went I notwith you? When, before that hour, you sat in yonder hut bargaining withthe Prince Hafela--the death of a king for the price of a girl--was Inot with you? Nay, threaten me not--in your own words I say it--'laydown that assegai, or by my spirit your body shall be thrown to thekites, as that of one who would murder the king'--and the 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 from yourown lips he learned the secret of the bane and of the antidote. Hafelamixed the poison as you taught him; I gave the remedy, and saved theking alive. "

Now the knees of Hokosa grew weak beneath him, and he leaned against thefence of the kraal for support. 

"I have skill in the art, " he said hoarsely; "but, Messenger, your magicis more than mine, and my life is forfeit to you. To-morrow morning, you will tell the king all, and to-morrow night I shall hang upon thedreadful Tree. Well, so be it; I am overmatched at my own trade, and itis best that I should die. You have plotted well and you have conquered, and to you belong my place and power. "

"It was you who plotted, and not I, Hokosa. Did you not contrive that Ishould reach the Great Place but a little before the poison was given tothe king, so that upon me might be laid the crime of his bewitching? Didyou not plan also that I should be called upon to cure him--a thingyou deemed impossible--and when I failed that I should be straightwaybutchered?"

"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 your lifeis forfeit, seeing that you dug a pit to snare the innocent feet. ButI come to tell you of a new law, and that which I preach I practise. Hokosa, I pardon you, and if you will put aside your evil-doing, Ipromise you that no word of all your wickedness shall pass my lips. "

"It has not been my fashion to take a boon at the hand of any man, saveof the king only, " said the wizard in a humble voice; "but now it seemsthat I am come to this. Tell me, White Man, what is the payment that youseek 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 all yournation. Also you would do well to put away that fair woman whose pricewas the murder of him that fed you. "

"I cannot do it, " answered the wizard. "I will listen to your teaching, but I will not rob my heart of her it craves alone. White Man, I am notlike the rest of my nation. I have not sought after women; I have butone wife, and she is old and childless. Now, for the first time in mydays, I love this girl--ah, you know not how!--and I will take her, andshe 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 of royaltyand rule, giving her wizardries and your grey hairs in place of them. "

And thus for that night they parted. 

CHAPTER VIII

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 one loseslittle by delay. A great man, they think, is rich in time, and hurriesonly 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; behind himstood councillors and attendants, and by him were Nodwengo the prince, and Hokosa, his mouth and prophet. Although the day was hot, he wore akaross or rug of wild catskins, and his face showed that the effectsof the poisoned draught were still upon him. At the approach of Owen herose with something of an effort, and, shaking him by the hand, thankedhim 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 more thanone, " 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; for therest, the past is the past, and I come to deal with the present and thefuture. "

"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 nests ofsnakes. Now, what is your business with me, and why do you come from thewhite man's countries to visit me? I have heard of those countries, theyare great and far away. I have heard of the white men also--wonderfulmen who have all knowledge; but I do not desire to have anything to dowith them, for whenever they meet black people they eat them up, takingtheir lands and making them slaves. Once, some years ago, two of youwhite people visited us here, but perhaps you 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 with thestory of a new God who could raise the dead and work other miracles, andgave such powers to His servants. So a man was slain and we begged ofhim to bring him back to life; and since he could not, we killed himalso because he was a liar. "

"He was no liar, " said Owen; "since he never told you that he had powerto open the mouth of the grave. Still, Heaven is merciful, and althoughyou murdered him that was sent to you, his Master has chosen me tofollow in his footsteps. Me also you may murder if you will, and thenanother 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 this day?"

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; in thenight we hear the echo of their voices. When they are angry they hauntthe thunder-cloud, and when they are pleased they smile in the sunshine. Sometimes also they appear in the shape of snakes, or visit us indreams, and then we offer them sacrifice. Yonder on the hillside is ahaunted wood; it is full of their spirits, White Man, but they cannottalk, they only mutter, and their footfalls sound like the dropping ofheavy rain, for they are strengthless and unhappy, and in the end theyfade away. "

"So you say, " answered Owen, "who are not altogether withoutunderstanding, yet know little, never having been taught. Now listen tome, " and very earnestly he preached to him and those about him of peace, of forgiveness, and of life everlasting. 

"Why should a God die miserably upon a cross?" asked the king at length. 

"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 a god?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 ascended aslope of the hill that lay beyond it till they reached a flat plain somehundreds of yards in width. On this plain vegetation grew scantily, forhere the bed rock of ironstone, denuded with frequent and heavy rains, was scarcely hidden by a thin crust of earth. On the further side of theplain, however, and separated from it by a little stream, was a greenbank of deep soft soil, beyond which lay a gloomy valley full of greattrees, that for many generations had been the burying-place of the kingsof 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 already thesky 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 such stonesare mere shapeless lumps, but this one bore a peculiar resemblance toa seated human being holding up one arm towards the sky. So strange wasthis likeness that, other reasons apart, it seemed not wonderful thatsavages should regard the thing with awe and veneration. Rather would ithave been wonderful had they not done so. 

"Say now, " said Owen to the king when he had inspected the stone, "whatis the history of this dumb god of yours, and why do you worship him?"

"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 stream Umsukadescended from his litter. 

"Messenger, " he said, "this is the story of the god as it has come downto us. From the beginning our land has been scourged with lightningabove all other lands, and with the floods of rain that accompany thelightning. In the old days the Great Place of the king was out yonderamong the mountains, but every year fire from heaven fell upon it, destroying much people: and at length in a great tempest the house ofthe king of that day was smitten and burned, and his wives and childrenwere turned to ashes. Then that king held a council of his wizardsand fire-doctors, and these having consulted the spirits of theirforefathers, retired into a place apart to fast and pray; yes, it wasin yonder valley, the burying ground of kings, that they hid themselves. Now on the third night the God of Fire appeared to the chief of thedoctors in his sleep, and he was shaped like a burning brand and smokewent up from him. Out of the smoke he spoke to the doctor, saying: 'Forthis reason it is that I torment your people, that they hate me andcurse at me and pay me little honour. '

"In his dream the doctor answered: 'How can the people honour a god thatthey do not see?' Then the god said: 'Rise up now in the night, all thecompany of you, and go take your stand upon the banks of yonder stream, and I will fall down in fire from heaven, and there on the plain youshall find my image. Then let your king move his Great Place into thevalley beneath the plain, and henceforth my bolts shall spare it andhim. Only, month by month you shall make prayers and offerings to me;moreover, the name of the people shall be changed, for it shall becalled 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, and theking'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 men aresometimes killed. But wait a while and you shall see with your eyes. Hokosa, do you, whom the lightning will not touch, take that pole ofdead wood and set it up yonder in the crevice of the rock not far fromthe 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 great awizard, will not be afraid to accompany me. "

Now Owen saw that all those present were looking at him curiously. It was 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 power overthe lightning. It may strike him or it may strike me; but unless my Godso 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 Owen perceivedthat the lightnings struck always along the bank of the stream, 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 these areworth beholding. This I fear, however, that you will never do, seeing itis likely that within some few minutes you will have passed back to thatKing who sent you here, with a hole in your head and a black mark downyour spine. "

"That we shall learn presently, Hokosa, " answered Owen; "for my part, Ipray that no such fate may overtake you. "

Now Hokosa moved himself away, muttering and pointing with his fingers, but Owen remained standing within about thirty yards of the pole. Suddenly there came a glare of light, and the pole was split intofragments; but although the shock was perceptible, they remained unhurt. Almost immediately a second flash leaped from the cloud, and Owen sawHokosa stagger and fall to his knees. "The man is struck, " he thoughtto himself, but it was not so, for recovering his balance, the wizardwalked 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 the flesh. For instance, at this very moment, so far as his body was concerned, he was much afraid, and did not in the least enjoy standing upon anironstone plateau at the imminent risk of being destroyed by lightning. But even if he had not had an end to gain, he would have scorned to giveway to his human frailties; also, now as always, his faith supportedhim. As it happened the storm, which was slight, passed by, and no moreflashes fell. When it was over he walked back to where the king and hiscourt were standing. 

"Messenger, " said Umsuka, "you are not only a great doctor, you are alsoa brave man, and such I honour. There is no one among us here, not beinga lord of the lightning, who would have dared to stand upon that placewith Hokosa while the flashes fell about him. Yet you have done it; itwas Hokosa who was driven away. You have passed the trial by fire, andhenceforth, whether we refuse your message or accept it, you are greatin 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 I shallnot die until my hour comes, and it is not yet. Listen now: your godyonder is nothing but a stone such as I have often seen before, forsometimes in great tempests they come to earth from the clouds. You arenot the first people that have worshipped such a stone, but now we knowbetter. Also this plain before you is full of iron, and iron drawsthe lightning. That is why it never strikes your town below. The ironattracts it more strongly than earth and huts of straw. Again, while thepole stood I was in little danger, for the lightning strikes the highestthing; but after the pole was shattered and Hokosa wisely went away, then I was in some danger, only no flashes fell. I am not a magician, King, but I know some things that you do not know, and I trust in Onewhom I shall lead you to trust also. "

"We will talk of this more hereafter, " said the king hurriedly, "for oneday, I have heard and seen enough. Also I do not believe your words, for I have noted ever that those who are the greatest wizards of all saycontinually that they have no magic power. Hokosa, you have been famousin your day, but it seems that henceforth you who have led must follow. "

"The battle is not yet fought, King, " answered Hokosa. "To-day I met thelightnings 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, though whenceyou have your power I know not. Let us make a bargain. Show me yourmagic and I will show you mine, and we will rule the land between us. You and I are much akin--we are great; we have the spirit sight; weknow that there are things beyond the things we see and hear and feel;whereas, for the rest, they are fools, following the flesh alone. I havespoken. "

"Very gladly will I show you my magic, Hokosa, " answered Owencheerfully, "since, to speak truth, though I know you to be wicked, andguess that you would be glad to be rid of me by fair means or foul; yetI have taken a liking for you, seeing in you one who from a sinner maygrow 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, that soperchance you may grow great in the sight of Heaven and save your soulalive. "

"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 IX

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 at lengthto his infinite joy he also gathered in his first-fruit. One night as hesat in his hut labouring as usual at the work of translation, whereinhe was assisted by John whom he had taught to read and write, the PrinceNodwengo entered and greeted him. For a while he sat silent watching thewhite man at his task, then he said:--

"Messenger, I have a boon to ask of you. Can you teach me to understandthose signs which you set upon the paper, and to make them also as doesJohn 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 his mannerOwen guessed that he had something more upon his mind. At length it cameout. 

"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 am aprince?"

"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 a witness, he baptised the prince, giving him the new name of Constantine, afterthe 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 to us, I fear that you have come hither to bring, 'not peace but a sword. ' Nowwhen the witch-doctors and the priests of fire learn this, that he whomI have chosen to succeed me has become the servant of another faith, they will stir up the soldiers and there will be civil war. I pray you, therefore, keep the matter secret, at any rate for a while, seeing thatthe 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 succession andcall 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, yourbrother Hafela will come from the northern mountains, and the spears ofhis _impis_ shall be countless as the stars of the sky. Messenger, youdesire to draw us to the arms of your God--and myself, I am attimes minded to follow the path of my son Nodwengo and seek a refugethere--but say, will they be strong enough to protect us from Hafela andthe warriors of the north? Already he gathers his clans, and alreadymy captains desert to him. By-and-by, in the spring-time--may I be deadbefore the day--he will roll down upon us like a flood of water----"

"To fall back like waters from a wall of rock, " answered Owen. "'Let notyour heart be troubled, ' for my Master can protect His servants, and Hewill protect you. But first you must confess Him openly, as your son hasdone. "

"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 against you. "

"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 leaked out. 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 to betheir future ruler had become a servant of the unknown God. That he hadforsworn war and all the delights of men; that he would take but onewife and appear before the army, not in the uniform of a general, butclad in a white robe, and carry, not the broad spear, but a cross ofwood. Swiftly the strange story flew from mouth to mouth, yet it was notaltogether believed till it chanced that one day when he was reviewing aregiment, a soldier who was drunk with beer openly insulted the prince, calling him "a coward who worshipped a coward. "

Now men held their breaths, waiting to see this fool led away to die bytorture of the ant-heap or some other dreadful doom. But the prince onlyanswered:

"Soldier, you are drunk, therefore I forgive you your words. Whether HeWhom 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 bya lion 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, andyet this Spirit Whom the Messenger preached was one of Whom it seemedwisest 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? Of theheads of kraals, how they would grow wealthy when their daughters ceasedto be worth cattle? Of the councillors and generals, how the land couldbe protected from its foes when they were commanded to lay down thespear? Of the soldiers, whose only trade was war, how it would pleasethem to till the fields like girls? Dismay took hold of the nation, andalthough they were much loved, there was open talk of killing or drivingaway the king and Nodwengo who favoured the white man, and of setting upHafela 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 of death, but must be allowed to share with the human occupants any hut thatit might select. As a result of this enforced hospitality deaths fromsnake-bite were numerous among the people; but when they happened ina kraal its owners met with little sympathy, for the doctors explainedthat the real cause of them was the anger of some ancestral spirittowards his descendants. Now, before John was despatched to instructOwen in the language of the Amasuka a certain girl was sealed to himas his future wife, and this girl, who during his absence had beenorphaned, he had married recently with the approval of Owen, who atthis time was preparing her for baptism. On the third morning after hismarriage John appeared before his master in the last extremity of griefand terror. 

"Help me, Messenger!" he cried, "for my ancestral spirit has entered ourhut and bitten my wife as she lay asleep. "

"Are you mad?" asked Owen. "What is an ancestral spirit, and how can ithave 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. As ithappened, he was fortunately in time with his remedies and succeededin saving the woman's life, whereby his reputation as a doctor and amagician, 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 rug whichlay in the corner. 

"Have you killed it?"

"No, Messenger, " answered the man, "I dare not. Alas! we must live withthe thing here in the hut till it chooses to go away. "

"Truly, " said Owen, "I am ashamed to think that you who are a Christianshould still believe so horrible a superstition. Does your faith teachyou 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 still superstitious. "Then his countenance fell and he added: "Yet my life must pay for thisdeed, for it is an ancient law among us that to harm one of these snakesis 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 going tosee what was the matter, he found a party of the witch-doctors draggingJohn towards the place of judgment, which was by the king's house. Thither he followed to discover that the case was already in course ofbeing opened before the king, his council, and a vast audience ofthe people. Hokosa was the accuser. In brief and pregnant sentences, producing the dead snake in proof of his argument, he pointed out theenormity of the offence against the laws of the Amasuka wherewith theprisoner was charged, demanding that the man who had killed the house ofhis ancestral spirit should instantly be put to 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 we mayjudge of this matter. "

Umsuka looked at Owen, but made no reply. 

"I will answer you, Hokosa, " said Owen, "for I am the spring of all thistrouble, and at my command that man, my disciple, killed yonder snake. What is it? It is nothing but a reptile; no human spirit ever dweltwithin it as you imagine in your superstition. You ask to hear thetruth; day by day I have preached it in your ears and you have notlistened, though many among you have listened and understood. What is itthat you seek?"

"We seek, Messenger, to be rid of you, your fantasies and your religion;and we demand that our king should expel you and restore the ancientlaws, or failing this, that you should prove your power openly before usall. Your word, O King!"

Umsuka thought for a while and answered:--

"This is my word, Hokosa: I will not drive the Messenger from the land, for he is a good man; he saved my life, and there is virtue in histeaching, towards which I myself incline. Yet it is just that he shouldbe asked to prove his power, so that an end may be put to doubt and allof 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--the falseagainst 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, let usbecome wholly Christian or rest wholly heathen, for to be divided is tobe destroyed. The magic of the Messenger is great; once and for all letus learn if it is more than our magic. Let us put him and his doctrinesto 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 you havenamed John, if they dare to go. Over against you, around the symbol ofthe god by which we swear, will stand I and my company, and we will prayour god and you shall pray your God. Then the storm will break upon us, and when it is ended we shall learn which of us remain alive. If you andyour 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 the trialunharmed, and the fire-doctors are swept away, your creed shall be mycreed and the creed of the land; but if the fire-doctors prevail againstyou, then it shall be death or banishment to any who profess that 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 cannot say. "

"We will come with you, " said Nodwengo and John, with one voice; "whereyou go, Messenger, we will surely follow. "

CHAPTER X

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 natives weregathered beneath it gesticulating and talking excitedly. 

"See the work of Hokosa, " he thought to himself. "Moses set up a serpentto save the people; yonder wizard sets up one to destroy them. "

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 cared forhis own life, for of this he scarcely thought; it was the prospects ofhis cause which troubled him. It seemed much to expect that Heaven againshould throw over him the mantle of its especial protection, and yetif it did not do so there was an end of his mission among the People ofFire. Well, he did not seek this trial--he would have avoided it ifhe could, but it had been thrust upon him, and he was forced to choosebetween it and the abandonment of the work which he had undertaken withsuch high hopes and pushed so far toward success. He did not choose thepath, it had been pointed out to him to walk upon; and if it ended in aprecipice, at least he would have done his 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 they wouldhave 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 can domany 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 turn alightning flash by the breadth of a single hair. God alone can turn it, and for the sake of His cause among these people I believe that He willdo 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 mind toreturn 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 and aminimum of 101 degrees. Now, in the early morning, it stood at 108. 

"Will the storm break to-day?" asked Owen of Nodwengo, who came to visithim. 

"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 carry it. Oh! Messenger, I am not afraid--and yet, have you no medicine? If not, I fear that the lightning will fall upon the cross as it fell upon thepole 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 of thecross, we could live out the fiercest storm in safety. But I say thatI will not use it. Are we witch doctors that we should take refuge intricks? No, let faith be our shield, and if it fail us, then let 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. Nor hadthey need to fear disappointment, for already the sky was half hiddenby dense thunder-clouds piled ridge on ridge, and the hush of the comingtempest lay upon the earth. Round about the meteor stone which theycalled a god, each of them stirring a little gourd of medicine that wasplaced upon the ground before him, but uttering no word, were gatheredHokosa and his followers to the number of twenty. They were all of themarrayed in their snakeskin dresses and other wizard finery. Also eachman held in his hand a wand fashioned from a human thigh-bone. In frontof the stone burned a little fire, which now and again Hokosa fed witharomatic leaves, at the same time pouring medicine from his bowl uponthe holy stone. Opposite the symbol of the god, but at a good distancefrom it, a great cross of white wood was set up in the rock by a spotwhich the witch-doctors themselves had chosen. Upon the banks of thestream, in the place apart, were the king, his councillors and theregiment on guard, and with 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, and callingOwen and the prince to him, said: "Messenger, my son tells me that yourwisdom knows a plan whereby you may be preserved from the fury of thetempest. Use it, I pray of you, Messenger, that your life may 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 through thistrial. Let him stay here, and I alone will stand beneath the cross. "

"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 the ground, formed themselves in a treble line, and marching to where the kingstood, they saluted him. Then they sang the praises of their god, and ina song that had been prepared, heaped insult upon the God of thewhite man and upon the messenger who preached Him. To all of this Owenlistened 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. Let himgo forth and stand by his piece of wood. He dare not go! He thinks thehillside safer. Come out, little White Man, and we will show you howwe manage the lightnings. Ah! they shall fly about you like spears inbattle. You shall throw yourself upon the ground and shriek in terror, and then they will lick you up and you shall be no more, and there willbe an end of you and the symbol of your God. "

"Cease your boastings, " said the king shortly, "and get you back to yourplace, knowing that if it should chance that the white man conquers youwill 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 a glowingstove. Suddenly the quietude was broken by a moaning sound of wind;the grass stirred, the leaves of the trees began to shiver, and an icybreath 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 for theirmirth, that the three men indeed seemed clothed with a curious dignity. Perhaps it was their slow and quiet gait, perhaps a sense of the errandupon which they were bound; or it may have been the strange unearthlylight that fell upon them from over the edge of the storm cloud; at theleast, as the multitude became aware, their appearance was impressive. They reached the cross and took up their stations there, Owen in frontof it, Nodwengo to the right, and John to the left. 

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 been mutteringand growling in the distance began to burst. The great clouds seemed togrow and swell, and from the breast of them swift lightnings leapt, tobe met by other lightnings rushing upwards from the earth. The air wasfilled with a tumult of uncertain wind and a hiss as of distant rain. Then the batteries of thunder were opened, and the world shook withtheir volume. Down from on high the flashes fell blinding and incessant, and by the light of them the fire-doctors could be seen running to andfro, pointing now here and now there with their wands of human bones, and pouring the medicines from their gourds upon the ground and uponeach other. Owen and his two companions could be seen also, standingquietly with clasped hands, while above them towered the tall whitecross. 

At length the storm was straight over head. Slowly it advanced inits awe-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 the cross, but--_it never reached the cross_. 

One flash struck indeed within fifty paces of where Owen stood. Then ofa sudden a marvel happened, or something which to this day the People ofFire talk of as a marvel, for in an instant the rain began to pour likea wall of water stretching from earth to heaven, and the wind changed. It had been blowing from the west, now it blew from the east with theforce 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 it hadbeen drawn with a rule. The thunder-clouds that were pressed forward metthe clouds that were pressed back, and together they seemed to cometo earth, filling the air with a gloom so dense that the eye could notpierce it. To the west was a wall of blackness towering to the heavens;to the east, light, blue and unholy, gleamed upon the white cross andthe figures of its watchers. 

For some seconds--twenty or more--there was a lull, and then itseemed as 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 thought thathe saw the figures of men falling this way and that, then he staggeredagainst 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, and heheard 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 as agod, lay upon the plain in fused and shattered fragments. 

The people saw, and a sound as of a hollow groan of terror went up fromthem. Then they were silent. For a while Owen and his companions weresilent also, since their hearts were too full for speech. Then hesaid:--

"As the snake fell harmless from the hand of Paul, so has the lightningturned back from me, who strive to follow in his footsteps, workingdeath and dismay among those who would have harmed us. May forgivenessbe theirs who were without understanding. Brethren, let us return andmake report to the king. "

Now, as they had come, so they went back; first Owen with the crucifix, next to him Nodwengo, and last of the three John. They drew near to theking, when suddenly, moved by a common impulse, the thousands of thepeople upon the banks of the stream with one accord threw themselvesupon their knees before Owen, calling him God and offering him worship. Infected by the contagion, Umsuka, his guard and his councillorsfollowed their example, so that of all the multitude Hokosa aloneremained upon his feet, standing by his dishonoured and riven deity. 

"Rise!" cried Owen aghast. "Would you do sacrilege, and offer worship toa 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 the SpiritWhom I serve has made His power manifest in me His servant, and youridols are smitten with the sword of His power, O ye Sons of Fire! Hokosastill 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 our magic. By his command the tempest was stayed, and the boasts we hurled fellback upon our heads and the head of our god to destroy us. "

"Yes, " said the king, "victory is to the Cross, and henceforth the Crossshall be worshipped in this land, or at least no other god shall beworshipped. Let us be going. Come with me, Messenger, Lord of theLightning. "

CHAPTER XI

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 the bishopand others with his marvellous success, and praying that missionariesmight 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 Owen toiled, preaching, exhorting, confessing, gathering in his harvest; and fromdark to midnight he pored over his translation of the Scriptures, teaching Nodwengo and a few others how to read and write them. Butalthough his efforts were crowned with so signal and extraordinary atriumph, he was well aware of the dangers that threatened the life ofthe infant Church. Many accepted it indeed, and still more toleratedit; but there remained multitudes who regarded the new religion withsuspicion and veiled hatred. Nor was this strange, seeing that thehearts of men are not changed in an hour or their ancient customs easilyoverset. 

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 both aChristian and a polygamist; therefore among the followers of that customthe missionary Church makes but little progress. Not without many qualmsand hesitations, Owen, having only the Scriptures to consult, came to acompromise with his converts. If a man already married to more than onewife wished to become a Christian, he permitted him to do so upon thecondition that he took no more wives; while a man unmarried at the timeof his conversion might take one wife only. This decree, liberal as itwas, caused great dissatisfaction among both men and women. But it wasas nothing compared to the feeling that was evoked by Owen's preachingagainst all war not undertaken in self-defence, and against the strictlaws which he prevailed upon the king to pass, suppressing the practiceof wizardry, and declaring the chief or doctor who caused a man tobe "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 work miracles, which, after his exploits with the lightning, they were well persuadedthat he could do if he chose. But he worked no more miracles; he onlypreached to them a doctrine adverse to their customs and foreign totheir 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 expression invarious ways, and in none more markedly than by the constant desertionsfrom the ranks of the king's regiments. At first, by Owen's advice, the king tolerated these desertions; but at length, having obtainedinformation that an entire regiment purposed absconding at dawn, he caused it to be surrounded and seized by night. Next morning headdressed that regiment, saying:--

"Soldiers, you think that because I have become a Christian and will notpermit unnecessary bloodshed, I am also become a fool. I will teachyou otherwise. One man in every twenty of you shall be killed, andhenceforth any soldier who attempts to desert will be killed also!"

The order was carried out, for Owen could not find a word to say againstit, with the result that desertions almost ceased, though not before theking had lost some eight or nine thousand of his best soldiers. Worst ofall, these soldiers had gone to join Hafela in his mountain fastnesses;and the rumour grew that ere long they would appear again, to claim thecrown for him or to take it by force of arms. 

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; to takeNodwengo 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 face ofthe people and of all the army that remained to him. One captain raiseda cry for Hafela his brother. Nodwengo caused him to be seized andbrought before him. 

"Man, " he said, "on this my coronation day I will not stain my hand withblood. Listen. You cry upon Hafela, and to Hafela you shall go, takinghim this message. Tell him that I, Nodwengo, have succeeded to the crownof Umsuka, my father, by his will and the will of the people. Tell himit is true that I have become a Christian, and that Christians follownot after war but peace. Tell him, however, that though I am a ChristianI have not forgotten how to fight or how to rule. It has reached myears that it is his purpose to attack me with a great force which he isgathering, and to possess himself of my throne. If he should choose tocome, I shall be ready to meet him; but I counsel him against coming, for it will be to find his death. Let him stay where he is in peace, andbe my subject; or let him go afar with those that cleave to him, and setup a kingdom of his own, for then I shall not follow him; but let himnot dare to lift a spear against me, his sovereign, since if he does sohe shall be treated as a rebel and find the doom of a rebel. Begone, andshow your face here no more!"

The man crept away crestfallen; but all who heard that speech broke intocheering, which, as its purport was repeated from rank to rank, spreadfar and wide; for now the army learned that in becoming a Christian, Nodwengo had not become a woman. Of this indeed he soon gave them ampleproof. The old king's grip upon things had been lax, that of Nodwengowas like iron. He practised no cruelties, and did injustice to none;but his discipline was severe, and soon the regiments were brought to agreater pitch of proficiency than they had ever reached before, althoughthey were now allowed to marry when they pleased, a boon that hithertohad been denied to them. Moreover, by Owen's help, he designed anentirely new system of fortification of the kraal and surrounding hills, which would, it was thought, make the place impregnable. These and manyother acts, equally vigorous and far-seeing, put new heart into thenation. Also the report of them put fear into Hafela, who, it wasrumoured, had now given up all idea of attack. 

Some there were, however, who looked upon these changes with littlelove, and Hokosa was one of them. After his defeat in the duel by fire, for a while his spirit was crushed. Hitherto he had more or less beena believer in the protecting influence of his own god or fetish, whowould, as he thought, hold his priests scatheless from the lightning. Often and often had he stood in past days upon that plain while thegreat tempests broke around his head, and returned thence unharmed, attributing to sorcery a safety that was really due to chance. From timeto time indeed a priest was killed; but, so his companions held, themisfortune resulted invariably from the man's neglect of some rite, orwas a mark of the anger of the heavens. 

Now Hokosa had lived to see all these convictions shattered: he had seenthe lightning, which he pretended to be able to control, roll backupon him from the foot of the Christian cross, reducing his god tonothingness and his companions to corpses. 

At first Hokosa was dismayed, but as time went on hope came back to him. Stripped of his offices and power, and from the greatest in the nation, after the king, become one of small account, still no harm or violencewas attempted towards him. He was left wealthy and in peace, and livingthus he watched and listened with open eyes and ears, waiting till thetide should turn. It seemed that he would not have long to wait, forreasons 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. Althoughhe was a Christian, to his surprise Nodwengo showed that he was also astrong ruler, and that there was little chance of the sceptre slippingfrom his hand--none indeed while the white teacher was there to guidehim. 

"What will you do now, Hokosa?" asked Noma his wife upon a certain day. "Will you turn to Hafela after all?"

"No, " answered Hokosa; "I will consult my ancient lore. Listen. Whateverelse is false, this is true: that magic exists, and I am its master. Fora while it seemed to me that the white man was greater at the art than Iam; but of late I have watched him and listened to his doctrines, and Ibelieve that this is not so. It is true that in the beginning he read myplans in a dream, or otherwise; it is true that he hurled the lightningback upon my head; but I hold that these things were accidents. Againand again he has told us that he is not a wizard; and if this be so, hecan be overcome. "

"How, husband?"

"How? By wizardry. This very night, Noma, with your help I will consultthe dead, as I have done in bygone time, and learn the future from theirlips which cannot lie. "

"So be it; though the task is hateful to me, and I hate you who force meto 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-ground ofthe kings of the Amasuka. Before Owen came upon his mission it was deathto visit this spot except upon the occasion of the laying to rest of oneof the royal blood, or to offer the annual sacrifice to the spiritsof the dead. Even beneath the bright moon that shone upon it the placeseemed terrible. Here in the bosom of the hills was an amphitheatre, surrounded by walls of rock varying from five hundred to a thousand feetin height. In this amphitheatre grew great mimosa thorns, and abovethem towered pillars of granite, set there not by the hand of man but bynature. It would seem that the Amasuka, led by some fine instinct, hadchosen these columns as fitting memorials of their kings, at the least adeparted monarch lay at the foot of each of them. 

The smallest of these unhewn obelisks--it was about fifty feethigh--marked the resting-place of Umsuka; and deep into its graniteOwen with 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, followedby Noma his wife. Presently they were there, standing one upon eachside of a little mound of earth more like an ant-heap than a grave; for, after the custom of his people, Umsuka had been buried sitting. At thefoot of each of the pillars rose a heap of similar shape, but manytimes as large. The kings who slept there were accompanied to theirresting-places by numbers of their wives and servants, who hadbeen slain in solemn sacrifice that they might attend their Lordwhithersoever 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 I willcall him back to mine. "

"Will not this symbol defeat you?" and Noma pointed at the cross hewn inthe granite. 

At her words a sudden gust of rage seemed to shake the wizard. His stilleyes flashed, his lips turned livid, and with them he spat upon thecross. 

"It has no power, " he said. "May it be accursed, and may he who believestherein hang thereon! It has no power; but even if it had, according tothe tale of that white liar, such things as I would do have been donebeneath its shadow. By it the dead have been raised--ay! dead kings havebeen dragged from death and forced to tell the secrets 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 a littlewhile you shall die--yes, your spirit shall leave you--and I will fillyour body with the soul of him who sleeps beneath; and through yourlips I will learn his wisdom, to whom all things are known. "

"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 body bealready parted. Have no fear. Ere his ghost leaves you it shall recallyour own, which till the corpse is cold stays ever close at hand. I didnot 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 heart insuch fashion that they never can be opened. Can it not be done by tranceas aforetime? Tell me, Hokosa, how often have you thus talked with thedead?"

"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 is ofthe best. Noma, you know my plight: I must win wisdom or fall for ever, and you alone can help me; for under this new rule, I can no longer buya youth or maid for purposes of witchcraft, even if one could be foundfitted to the work. Choose then: shall we go back or forward? Heretrance will not help us; for those entranced cannot read the future, norcan they hold communion with the dead, being but asleep. 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 for anyman. Nor in truth do I do this for you, Hokosa; I do it because I seekpower, and thus only can we win it who are fallen. Also I love allthings strange, and desire to commune with the dead and to know that, if for some few minutes only, at least my woman's breast has held thespirit of a king. Yet, I warn you, make no fault in your magic; forshould I die beneath it, then I, who desire to live on and to 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. "Now begin, before my courage leaves me. "

"Good, " he said. "Seat yourself there upon the mound, resting your headagainst 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 and anklesof corpses. Then he knelt before her, staring into her face with hissolemn 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 more thanlove. Oh! call me back I cannot stay; a Presence guards him, and thrustsme thence. "

"Return, " said Hokosa starting. "Pass through the earth beneath you andtell 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 must beemptied 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 be donebefore a man can count three hundred; for should the blood begin to clotabout 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 besevered, 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, theother a fluid in a gourd. Taking of the paste he knelt upon the gravebefore the entranced woman and swiftly smeared it upon the mucousmembrane of the mouth and throat. Also he thrust pellets of it into theears, 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. Thewizard saw it all by the bright moonlight. Then he took up his part inthis 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 so didHokosa the wizard. But he buried his face in the grey dust of the grave, he blew with his lips into the dust, he clutched at the dust with hishands, and when he raised his face again, lo! it was grey like thedust. Now began the marvel; for, though the woman before him remained acorpse, from the lips of that corpse a voice issued, and its soundwas horrible, for the accent and tone of it were masculine, and theinstrument through which it spoke--Noma's throat--was feminine. Yet itcould be recognised as the voice of Umsuka the dead king. 

"Why have you summoned me from my rest, Hokosa?" muttered the voice fromthe 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 command youto show me what you see therein concerning myself, and to point out tome the path that I should follow to attain my ends and the ends of herin 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 your handhe shall perish, passing to his appointed place where you must meetagain. By that to which you cling you shall be betrayed, ah! you shalllose that which you love and follow after that which you do not desire. In the grave of error you shall find truth, from the deeps of sin youshall pluck righteousness. When these words fall upon your ears again, then, Wizard, take them for a sign and let your heart be turned. Thatwhich you deem accursed shall lift you up on high. High shall you beset above the nation and its king, and from age to age the voice of thepeople shall praise you. Yet in the end comes judgment; and there shallthe sin and the atonement strive together, and in that hour, Wizard, youshall----"

Thus the voice spoke, strongly at first, but growing ever more feeble asthe sparks of life departed from the body of the woman, till at lengthit 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 wife backfrom the door of death he must delay no longer. Dashing the sweat fromhis eyes with one hand, with the other he seized the gourd of fluidthat he had placed ready, and thrusting back her head, he poured of itscontents down her throat and waited a while. She did not move. In anextremity of terror he snatched a knife, and with a single cut severeda vein in her arm, then taking some of the fluid that remained in thegourd in his hand, he rubbed it roughly upon her brow and throat andheart. Now Noma's fingers stirred, and now, with horrible contortionsand every symptom of agony, life returned to her. The blood flowed fromher wounded arm, slowly at first, then more fast, and lifting her headshe 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 thongs whichbound 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 was theking, and he lay cold within me, speaking to my heart; and as he passedfrom me he looked upon the child which I shall bear and cursed it, andsurely accursed it shall be. Take me hence, O you most evil man, for ofyour magic I have had enough, and from this day forth I am haunted!"

"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 and thedawn of power--and the mists of death and of disgrace roll back beforeus. Now the path is clear, the dead have shown it to me, and of wizardryI 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 fly fromthis dread home of ghosts, this habitation of the spirit-folk which wehave 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 XII

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, he washeard to speak well of the new faith, and to acknowledge that the god offire which he had worshipped was a false god. He was humble also towardsthe king, but he craved to withdraw himself from all matters of theState, saying that now he had but one desire--to tend his herds andgarden, and to grow old in peace with the new wife whom he had chosenand whom he loved. Owen, too, he greeted courteously when he met him, sending him gifts of corn and cattle for the service of his church. Moreover, when a messenger came from Hafela, making proposals to him, hedrove him away and laid the matter before the council of the king. Yetthat messenger, who was hunted from the kraal, took back a secret wordfor 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 behind theclouds 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 bornhe groaned 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 the swayof his, had never loved him over much, hated her husband Hokosa. Yet hehad this power over her that she could not leave him. But he loved hermore and more, and she had this power over him that she could alwaysdraw him to her. Great as her beauty had ever been, after the birth ofthe child it grew greater day by day, but it was an evil beauty, thebeauty of a witch; and this fate fell upon her, that she feared the darkand would never be alone after the sun had set. 

When she was recovered from her illness, Noma sat one night in her hut, and Hokosa sat there also watching her. The evening was warm, but abright 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?" he asked. 

"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 those shadowsthat you bade me seek, which now will never leave me. Nor, is this all. You swore to me that if I would do your will I should become great, ay!and you took me from one who would have made me great and whom I shouldhave pushed on to victory. But now it seems that for nothing I made thatawful voyage into the deeps of death; and for nothing, yet living, amI become the sport of those that dwell there. How am I greater than Iwas--I who am but the second wife of a fallen witch-doctor, who sitsin the sun, day by day, while age gathers on his head like frost upon abush? Where are all your high schemes now? Where is the fruit of wisdomthat 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 only isleft to me, that you dare not take my life lest another should be addedto those shadows who companion you, and what I bid you, that you muststill do. Ay, you fear the dark, Noma; yet did I command you to riseand go stand alone through the long night yonder in the burying-place ofkings, 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 a fiercedog, wherewith alone he can gain his livelihood, he tries to tame thatdog by love, does he not? And if it will not become gentle, then, thebrute being necessary to him, he tames it by fear. I am the hunter and, Noma, you are the hound; and since this curse is on me that I cannotlive 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 me that you shouldbe haunted by these sick fancies, for they are nothing more. I have seensuch cases before to-day, and I have noted that they can be cured bymixing with fresh faces and travelling in new countries. Noma, I thinkit would be well that, after your late sickness, according to the customof the women of our people, you should part from me a while, and go upona 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 to thePrince 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 as youwould have had me to believe. The price you paid for me must have beengood, Hokosa, and mayhap it had to do with the death of a king. "

"I am not afraid, " he answered, setting his teeth, "because I know thatwhatever your heart may desire, my will follows you, and while I livethat is a cord you cannot break unless I choose to loose it, Noma. Icommand you to be faithful to me and to return to me, and these commandsyou must obey. Hearken: you taunted me just now, saying that I sat likea dotard in the sun and advanced you nothing. Well, I will advance you, for both our sakes, but mostly for your own, since you desire it, and itmust be done through the Prince Hafela. I cannot leave this kraal, forday and night I am watched, and before I had gone an hour's journeyI should be seized; also here I have work to do. But the Place ofPurification is secret, and when you reach it you need not bide there, you can travel on into the mountains till you come to the town of thePrince Hafela. He will receive you gladly, and you shall whisper thismessage 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 you cometo victory: That after you, the king, he, Hokosa, shall be the first manin our land, the general of the armies, the captain of the council, thehead of the doctors, and that to him shall be given half the cattle ofNodwengo, who now is king. Also to him shall be given power to stamp outthe new faith which overruns the land like a foreign weed, and to dealas he thinks fit with those who cling thereto. '

"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 that Hokosaset in my mouth: "Know, O Prince, that the king, your brother, growsvery strong, for he is a great soldier, who learned his art in bygonewars; also the white man that is named Messenger has taught him manythings as to the building of forts and walls and the drilling anddiscipline of men. So strong is he that you can scarcely hope to conquerhim in open war--yet snakes may crawl where men cannot walk. Therefore, Prince, let your part be that of a snake. Do you send an embassy to theking, your brother and say to him:--

"'My brother, you have been preferred before me and set up to be king inmy place, and because of this my heart is bitter, so bitter that I havegathered my strength to make war upon you. Yet, at the last, I havetaken another council, bethinking me that, if we fight, in the end itmay chance that neither of us will be left alive to rule, and that thepeople also will be brought to nothing. To the north there lies a goodcountry and a wide, where but few men live, and thither I would go, setting the mountains and the river between us; for there, far beyondyour borders, I also can be a king. Now, to reach this country, I musttravel by the pass that is not far from your Great Place, and I prayyou that you will not attack my _impis_ or the women and children that Ishall send, and a guard before them, to await me in the plain beyond themountains, seeing that these can only journey slowly. Let us pass by inpeace, my brother, for so shall our quarrel be ended; but if you do somuch as lift a single spear against me, then I will give you battle, setting my fortune against your fortune and 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 carriers mustbear their fighting shields in bundles and their stabbing spears shallbe rolled up in mats. Now, on the sixth day of your journey you shallcamp at the mouth of the pass which the cattle and the women havealready travelled, and his outposts and spies will bring it to the earsof the king that your force is sleeping there, purposing to climb thepass on the morrow. 

"But on that night, so soon as the darkness falls, you must rise up withyour captains and your regiments, leaving your fires burning and menabout your fires, and shall travel very swiftly across the valley, sothat an hour before the dawn you reach the second range of mountains, and pass it by the gorge which is the burying-place of kings. Here youshall light a fire, which those who watch will believe to be but thefire of a herdsman who is acold. But I, Hokosa, also shall be watching, and when I see that fire I will creep, with some whom I can trust, tothe little northern gate of the outer wall, and we will spear thosethat guard it and open the gate, that your army may pass through. Then, before the regiments can stand to their arms or those within it areawakened, you must storm the inner walls and by the light of the burninghuts, put the dwellers in the Great Place to the spear, and the rays ofthe 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 you needfear--it is the magic of the Messenger, to whom it is given to read thesecret thoughts of men. But of him take no account, for he is my charge, and before ever you set a foot within the Great Place he shall havetaken 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 the plan, 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 too cleverfor you, for as you say, he is a reader of the thoughts of men. "

"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 Messenger shallsleep sound? I have a medicine, Noma, a slow medicine that none cantrace. "

"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 the blowfall where it will. "

CHAPTER XIII

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 yonder atthe town of the Prince Hafela, and the Mount of Purification is on theroad 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 to seektheir lords. But perchance, Hokosa, there are some in this town who mayuse them as messengers to the prince"--and he looked at him keenly. 

"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 of kings, where it is not lawful that you should set your foot? Nay, deny it not. You were seen to enter the valley after midnight and to return thenceat the dawn, and it was seen also that as she came homewards your wifewalked as one who is drunken, and she, whom it is not easy to frighten, wore a face of fear. Man, I do not trust you, and were I wise I shouldhunt you hence, or keep you so close that you could scarcely movewithout 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 you couldplan with my brother to poison him, your king. Nay, be silent; I knowit, though I have said nothing of it because one that is dear to me hasinterceded for you. You were the priest of the false god, and with thatgod are fallen from your place, yet you have not renounced him. You sitstill in your kraal and pretend to be asleep, but your slumber is thatof the serpent which watches his time to strike. How do I know thatyou will not poison me as you would have poisoned my father, or stir uprebellion against me, or bring my brother's _impis_ on my head?"

"If the King thinks any of these things of his servant, " answered Hokosain a humble voice, but with dignity, "his path is plain: let him put meto death and sleep in peace. Who am I that I should full the ears ofa king with my defence against these charges, or dare to wrangle withhim?"

"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 who noware an axe to cut down my throne, in time to come shall be a roof-treefor its support. Also, the law that I obey does not allow me to takethe blood of men save upon full proof, and against you as yet I haveno proof. Still, Hokosa, be warned in time and let your heart be turnedbefore the grave claims your body and the Wicked One your soul. "

"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 hate orfear me, than live on in safety, owing my life to a new law and a newmercy that do not befit the great ones of the world. King, I am yourservant, " and giving him the royal salute, Hokosa rose and left hispresence. 

"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 entered theroyal 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; yetI hold that I have done wrong to listen to your pleading and to sparehim, for I am certain that he will bring bloodshed upon me and troubleon the Faith. Think now, Messenger, how full must be that man's heart ofsecret rage and hatred, he who was so great and is now so little! Willhe not certainly strive to grow great again? Will he not strive to beavenged upon those who humbled him and the religion they 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 this man'sheart, and that I shall yet find a rod wherewith to cause it to gush outand 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 that whenthey come, for my sake and for the sake of the truth that I have taughtyou, you will treat them kindly and protect them, remembering that atfirst 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 but amemory? Do you purpose to leave us?"

"No, King, but I believe that ere long I shall be recalled. I have givenmy message, my task is well-nigh ended and I must be turning home. Savefor your sakes I do not sorrow at this, for to speak truth I grow veryweary, " 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 plot tomurder the late King Umsuka, though how he came to know of that matterwas beyond guessing. He had watched him, or caused him to be watched, when he went forth to consult spirits in the place of the dead; he hadwarned Nodwengo against him. Worst of all, he had dared to treat himwith contempt; had pleaded for his life and safety, so that he wasspared as men spare a snake from which the charmer has drawn the fangs. When they met in the gate of the king's house yonder this white thief, who had stolen his place and power, had even smiled upon him and greetedhim kindly, and doubtless while he smiled, by aid of the magic hepossessed, had read him through and gone on to tell the story to theking. Well, of this there should be an end; he would kill the Messenger, or himself be killed. 

When Hokosa reached his kraal he found Noma sitting beneath a fruit treethat grew in it, idly employed in stringing beads, for the work of thehousehold she left to his other wife, Zinti, an old and homely woman whothought more of the brewing of the beer and the boiling of the porridgethan of religions or politics or of the will of kings. Of late Noma hadhaunted the shadow of this tree, for beneath it lay that child which hadbeen 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, " andshe glanced 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 had passedbetween 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 too cleverfor you, did I not? It does not matter to me, for to-morrow I go upon myjourney, and you can settle it as you will. "

"Ay!" answered Hokosa, grinding his teeth, "it is true that he has readme; but this I promise you, that all books shall soon be closed to him. Yet how is it to be done without suspicion or discovery? I know manypoisons, but all of them must be administered, and let him work never socunningly, he who gives a poison can be traced. "

"Then cause some other to give it and let him bear the blame, " suggestedNoma 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 wait uponthe Messenger in his huts, or rather in his house, for by now he hadbuilt himself a small house, and near it a chapel. This woman saw Hokosaalso and looked at him sideways, as though she would like to stop andspeak 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 younger andmore attractive. At the question the woman's lips began to tremble, andher eyes swam with tears. 

"Ah! great doctor, " she said, "why do you ask me of my husband? Have younot heard that he has driven me away and that another takes my place?"

"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 help you, 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, " repliedNoma 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 seenme enter 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 this wayand that, regarding them curiously. "Yes, it is so. Last night you creptto your husband's hut--do you remember, a dog growled at you as youpassed the gate?--and there in front of the hut he sat with his newwife. She saw you coming, but pretending not to see, she threw her armsabout his neck, kissing and fondling him before your eyes, till youcould bear it no longer, and revealed yourself, upbraiding them. Thenyour rival taunted you and stirred up the man with bitter words, till atlength he took a stick and beat you from the door, and there is a markof 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 to drawhis 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 a potionto 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 had nomedicine for such cases, and that the Great Man in the sky alone couldsoften the breast of my husband and cause my sister to cease from herwickedness. Last night I went to see whether He would do it, and youknow 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 which youseek?"

"Alas, master, I am poor. I have nothing to offer you, for when I wouldnot stay in my husband's kraal to be a servant to his new wife, he tookthe cow and the five goats that belonged to me, as, I being childless, 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, I willbe content with very little. Give me that basket of fruit, for my wifehas 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 of itafter he has made prayer to-day. Did I not give it to him, it would bediscovered 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, Iknow 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 XIV

THE EATING OF THE FRUIT

The woman slipped away secretly. When she had gone Hokosa bade his wifebring 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 the toolof a wizard, and won little joy therefrom. The tool of a murderer I willnot 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 hangs toyour 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? Cut theknot, 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 medicines andtook from them some powder fine as dust and two tiny crowquills. Placinga fruit before him, he inserted one of these quills into its substance, and filling the second with the powder, he shook its contents into itand withdrew the tube. This process he repeated four times on each ofthe fruits, replacing them one by one in the basket. So deftly did hework upon them, that however closely they were scanned none could guessthat 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 is thebest of poisons, for it works through nature and can be traced by none. "

"Except, perchance, by that Spirit Whom the white man worships, and Whoalso works through nature, as you learned, Hokosa, when He rolled thelightning back upon your head, shattering your god and beating down yourcompany. "

Then of a sudden terror seized the wizard, and springing to his feet, hecursed 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 to come?Had it not been for you, I should have let this business lie; I shouldhave taken my fate and been content. But day by day you have taunted mewith my fall and grieved over the greatness that you have lost, tillat length you have driven me to this. Why cannot you be all good or allwicked, or at the least, through righteousness and sin, faithful to myinterest 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 urged youto the deed. "

"Truly you are great-hearted!" he answered, with cold contempt; "one forwhom I did well to enter into treachery and sin! So be it: having goneso far upon it, come what may, I will not turn back from this journey. 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 to winthem 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, someof 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 is sure, that if a tree grows up before the house of a man, shutting it off fromthe sunlight, when that tree is cut down the sun shines upon his houseagain. "

"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 your rival. "

"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 will theynot be of my own blood?"

"Woman, " answered Hokosa impatiently, "you weary me with your talk. DidI say that the charm would hurt her? I said that it would cause yourhusband to hate the sight of her. Now begone, taking or leaving it, andlet me rest. If your mind is troubled, throw aside that medicine, and gosoothe 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 as shehad entered it. 

"Why did you give her death-medicine?" asked Noma of Hokosa, as he stoodstaring after her. "Have you a hate to satisfy against the husband orthe 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 which inthe end she must die. She may be discovered or she may not, but it iscertain that she will be suspected, seeing that the bitterness of thequarrel 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, dare notown that she has visited a witch-doctor. Secondly, the fruit she broughtin payment was stolen, therefore she will say nothing of it. Thirdly, to admit that she had medicine from me would be to admit her guilt, andthat she will scarcely do even under torture, which by the new law it isnot lawful to apply. Moreover, none saw her come here, and I should denyher 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 on themountain, whither I went after I had bowed the knee in the house of theking. "

*****

Two hours later, Hokosa, having made a wide detour and talked to sundryof his acquaintances about the condition of his cattle, might have beenseen walking slowly along the north side of the Great Place towards hisown kraal. His path lay past the chapel and the little house that Owenhad built to dwell in. This house was furnished with a broad verandah, and upon it sat the Messenger himself, eating his evening meal. Hokosasaw him, and a great desire entered his heart to learn whether or nohe had partaken of the poisoned fruit. Also it occurred to him that itwould be wise if, before the end came, he could contrive to divert allpossible suspicion from himself, by giving the impression that he wasnow upon friendly terms with the great white teacher and not disinclinedeven to become a convert to his doctrine. 

For a moment he hesitated, seeking an excuse. One soon suggested itselfto his ready mind. That very morning the king had told him not obscurelythat Owen had pleaded for his safety and saved him from being put uponhis trial on charges of witchcraft and murder. He would go to him, nowat once, playing the part of a grateful penitent, and the White Man'smagic must be keen indeed if it availed to pierce the armour of hispractised craft. 

So Hokosa went up and squatted himself down native fashion among alittle group of converts who were waiting to see their teacher upon onebusiness or another. He was not more than ten paces from the verandah, and sitting thus he saw a sight that interested him strangely. Havingeaten a little of a dish of roasted meat, Owen put out his hand andtook a fruit from a basket that the wizard knew well. At this moment helooked 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, butit is ill to stand between a hungry man and his food. "

"I care little for my food, " answered Owen; "at the least it can wait, "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 man wasabout to partake of what would cause his death--of what he, Hokosa, hadprepared in order that it should cause his death. He was good, he waskindly, none could allege a wrong deed against him; and, foolishnessthough it might be, so was the doctrine that he taught. Why should hekill him? It was true that never till that moment had he hesitated, byfair means or foul, to remove an enemy or rival from his path. Hehad been brought up in this teaching; it was part of the education ofwizards to be merciless, for they reigned by terror and evil craft. Their magic lay chiefly in clairvoyance and powers of observationdeveloped to a pitch that was almost superhuman, and the best oftheir weapons was poison in infinite variety, whereof the guild aloneunderstood the properties and preparation. Therefore there was nothingstrange, nothing unusual in this deed of devilish and cunning murderthat the sight of its doing should stir him thus, and yet it did stirhim. He was minded to stop the plot, to let things take 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, andthen--that end. Within twenty years, or ten, or mayhap even one, whatwould this present victory or defeat mean to him? Nothing so far ashe was concerned; that is, nothing so far as his life of to-day wasconcerned. Yet, if he had another life, it might mean everything. Therewas another life; he knew it, who had dragged back from its borders thespirits of the dead, though what might be the state and occupations ofthose dead he did not know. Yet he believed--why he could not tell--thatthey were affected vitally by their acts and behaviour here; and hisintelligence warned him that good must always flow from good, and evilfrom evil. To kill this man was evil, and of it 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 the hour oftrial. Now that he thought of it, he much preferred Nodwengo to Hafela, for the one was a just man and the other a tyrant; and he himself wasmore comfortable as a wealthy private person than he had been as a headmedicine-man and a chief of wizards. He would let things stand; he wouldprevent the Messenger from eating of that fruit. A word could do it; hehad but to suggest that it was unripe or not wholesome at this season ofthe 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 tothe verandah 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 dayshe taunted 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 contemplate suchconcealment, of which their relations were too peculiar and too intimateto permit. She hated him, and he worshipped her with a half-inhumanpassion--a passion so unnatural, indeed, that it suggested the horridand insatiable longings of the damned--and yet their souls were nakedto each other. It was their fate that they could hide nothing each fromeach--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 policy forher to cloak or soften, would gush from her lips at the sight of him;nor, in the depth of his rage and torment, could he, on the other hand, control the ill-timed utterance of his continual and overmasteringpassion. It came to this, then: he must go forward, and against hisbetter judgment, because he was afraid to go back, for the whip ofa woman's tongue drove him on remorselessly. It was better that theMessenger should die, and the land run red with blood, than that heshould be forced to endure this scourge. 

So with a sigh Hokosa sank back to the ground and watched while Owen atethree of the poisoned fruits. After a pause, he took a fourth and bitinto it, but not seeming to find it to his taste, he threw it to a childthat was waiting by the verandah for any scraps which might be left overfrom 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 XV

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 have sufferedfrom that sickness, and I think that another bout of it would kill me. In future I will avoid them. But what do you seek with me, Hokosa? Enterand 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 his graciousness, he spoke to me sharp and bitter words. He told me that he had beenminded to put me on trial for my life because of various misdoings whichare alleged against me in the past, but that you had pleaded for meand that for this cause he spared me. I come to thank you for yourgentleness, Messenger, for I think that had I been in your place Ishould 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 to dragthem into the light of day and clamour for their punishment. It is trueI know that you plotted with the Prince Hafela to poison Umsuka theKing, for it was revealed to me. It chanced, however, that I was ableto recover Umsuka from his sickness, and Hafela is fled, so why shouldI bring up the deed against you? It is true that you still practisewitchcraft, and that you hate and strive against the holy Faith which Ipreach; but you were brought up to wizardry and have been the priest ofanother creed, and these things plead for you. 

"Also, Hokosa, I can see the good and evil struggling in your soul, andI pray and I believe that in the end the good will master the evil;that you who have been pre-eminent in sin will come to be pre-eminentin righteousness. Oh! be not stubborn, but listen with your ear, andlet your heart be softened. The gate stands open, and I am the guideappointed to show you the way without reward or fee. Follow them ere itbe too late, that in time to come when my voice is stilled you also maybe able to direct the feet of wanderers into the paths of peace. It isthe hour of prayer; come with me, I beg of you, and listen to some fewwords of the message of my lips, and let your spirit be nurtured withthem, and the Sun of Truth arise upon its darkness. "

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 could producesuch men as this. He made no answer, but waiting while Owen robedhimself, 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, readaloud from a manuscript a portion of the Scripture which his master hadtranslated. It was St. Paul's exposition of the resurrection from thedead, and the grandeur of its thoughts and language were by no meanslost upon Hokosa, who, savage and heathen though he might be, was also aman of intellect. 

The reading over, Owen addressed the congregation, taking for his text, "Thy sin shall find thee out. " Being now a master of the language, he preached very well and earnestly, and indeed the subject was notdifficult to deal with in the presence of an audience many of whosepasts had been stepped in iniquities of no common kind. As he talked ofjudgment to come for the unrepentant, some of his hearers groaned andeven wept; and when, changing his note, he dwelt upon the blessed futurestate of those who earned forgiveness, their faces were lighted up withjoy. 

But perhaps among all those gathered before him there were none moredeeply interested than Hokosa and one other, that woman to whom hehad sold 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 beforehim--that gentle and yet impassioned man--bore in his vitals the seedof death 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 which hithertohe had followed with exactness, it was not wrong. That code taughtthe necessity of self-aggrandisement, or at least and at all costs thenecessity of self-preservation. This white preacher stood in his path;he had humiliated him, Hokosa, and in the end, either of himself orthrough his influences, it was probable that he would destroy him. Therefore he must strike before in his own person he received a mortalblow, and having no other means at his command, he struck throughtreachery and poison. 

That was his law which for many generations had been followed andrespected by his class with the tacit assent of the nation. According tothis law, then, he had done no wrong. But now the victim by the altar, who did not know that already he was bound upon the altar, preached anew and a very different doctrine under which, were it to be believed, he, Hokosa, was one of the worst of sinners. The matter, then, resolveditself to this: which of these two rules of life was the right rule?Which of them should a man follow to satisfy his conscience and tosecure his abiding welfare? Apart from the motives that swayed him, as amere matter of ethics, this problem interested Hokosa not a little, andhe went homewards determined to solve it if he might. That could be donein one way only--by a close examination of both systems. The first heknew well; he had practised it for nearly forty years. Of the secondhe had but an inkling. Also, if he would learn more of it he must makehaste, seeing that its exponent in some short while would cease to be ina position to set it out. 

"I trust that you will come again, " said Owen to Hokosa as they left thechapel. 

"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 given birthto a stillborn child. For amongst savage peoples such an accident isapt to be looked upon as little short of a crime, or, at the least, asindicating that the woman concerned is the object of the indignationof spirits who need to be appeased. To this Mount, Noma went, and thereperformed 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 Hafela hadestablished himself. The town and its surroundings were of extraordinarystrength, and so well guarded that it was only after considerabledifficulty and delay that the women were admitted. Hearing of herarrival and that she had words for him, Hafela sent for Noma at once, receiving her by night and alone in his principal hut. She came andstood before him, and he looked at her beauty with admiring eyes, for hecould not forget the woman whom the cunning of Hokosa had forced him toput 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 cannot understand, 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 than thatof a woman's love, and if you deal thus by me and my husband, then of asurety 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 his spieswhy I do not return, will warn the king, and by many means bring allyour plans to nothing. Listen now to the words of Hokosa that he hasset between my lips to deliver to you"--and she repeated to him all themessage 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, hewill be too clever a man to keep upon the threshold of my throne. Hewho sets one snare may set twain, and he who sits by the threshold maydesire to enter the house of kings wherein there is no space for two todwell. "

"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 you dareto speak it to me who am his wife. "

"I dare to speak it to you, Noma, because, although you be his wife, allwives do not love their lords; and I think that, perchance in days tocome, you would choose rather to hold the hand of a young king than thatof a witch-doctor sinking into eld. Thus shall you answer Hokosa: Youshall say to him that I have heard his words and that I find them verygood, and will walk along the path which he has made. Here before you Iswear by the oath that may not be broken--the sacred oath, calling downruin upon my head should I break one word of it--that if by his aid Isucceed in this great venture, I will pay him the price he asks. Aftermyself, the king, he shall be the greatest man among the people; heshall be general of the armies; he shall be captain of the counciland head of the doctors, and to him shall be given half the cattle ofNodwengo. Also, into his hand I will deliver all those who cling to thisfaith of the Christians, and, if it pleases him, he shall offer them asa sacrifice to his god. This I swear, and you, Noma, are witness to theoath. Yet it may chance that after he, Hokosa, has gathered up allthis pomp and greatness, he himself shall be gathered up by Death, thatharvest-man whom soon or late will garner every ear;" and he looked ather 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 till then. Nay, touch me not, for were he to command me, Hokosa has this power overme that I must show him all that you have done, keeping nothing back. Let me go now to the place that is made ready for me, and afterwards youshall tell me again and more fully the words that I must say to Hokosamy 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 lipsof the prince. Twenty days later the embassy returned saying that itpleased the king to grant the prayer of his brother Hafela, and bringingwith it the tidings that the white man, Messenger, had fallen sick, andit was thought that he would die. 

So in due course the women and children of the people of Hafela startedupon their journey towards the new land where it was given out that theyshould live, and with them went Noma, purposing to leave them as theydrew near the gates of the Great Place of the king. A while after, Hafela and his _impis_ followed with carriers bearing their fightingshields in bundles, and having their stabbing spears rolled up in mats. 

CHAPTER XVI

THE REPENTANCE OF HOKOSA

Hokosa kept his promise. On the morrow of his first attendance there hewas again to be seen in the chapel, and after the service was over hewaited on Owen at his house and listened to his private teaching. Dayby day he appeared thus, till at length he became master of the wholedoctrine of Christianity, and discovered that that which at first hadstruck him as childish and even monstrous, now presented itself to himin a new and very different light. The conversion of Hokosa came uponhim through the gate of reason, not as is usual among savages--and somewho are not savage--by that of the emotions. Given the position of auniverse torn and groaning beneath the dual rule of Good and Evil, two powers of well-nigh equal potency, he found no great difficulty inaccepting this tale of the self-sacrifice of the God of Good that Hemight wring the race He loved out of the conquering grasp of the god ofIll. There was a simple majesty about this scheme of redemption whichappealed to one side of his nature. Indeed, Hokosa felt that undercertain conditions and in a more limited fashion he would have beencapable of attempting as much himself. 

Once his reason was satisfied, the rest followed in a natural sequence. Within three weeks from the hour of his first attendance at the chapelHokosa 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 not beyondforgiveness. Yet high above them all towered one colossal crime which, as he believed, could never be pardoned to him in this world or thenext. He was the treacherous murderer of the Messenger of God; he wasin the very act of silencing the Voice that had proclaimed truth in thedark 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, thenthe dysentery had seized him which slowly but surely was wasting outhis life. Yet he, the murderer, was helpless, for with this form of thedisease no medicine could cope. With agony in his heart, an agony thatwas shared by thousands of the people, Hokosa watched the decrease ofthe white man's strength, and reckoned the days that would elapse beforethe end. Having such sin as thus upon his soul, though Owen entreatedhim earnestly, he would not permit himself to be baptised. Twice hewent near to consenting, but on each occasion an ominous and terribleincident drove him from the door of mercy. 

Once, when the words "I will" were almost on his lips, a woman broke inupon their conference bearing a dying boy in her arms. 

"Save him, " she implored, "save him, Messenger, for he is my only son!"

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 mindthe incident of the throwing of a fruit to the child, which she hadwitnessed. 

"I remember, " said Owen. "It is strange, but I also have been sick fromthe day that I ate of those fruits; yes, and you, Hokosa, warned meagainst 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 had gone. 

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 should confessall my sins to you? If so, I can never be baptised, for there iswickedness 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 thatyou should 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 of theMessenger, if he were well enough to attend, upon a matter connectedwith the trial of a woman for murder. Thinking that he might be ofservice, Owen, leaning on the shoulder of Hokosa, for already he was tooweak to walk far, crept to the litter which was waiting for him, and wasborne to the place of judgment that was before the house of the king. Hokosa followed, more from curiosity than for any other reason, forhe had heard of no murder being committed, and his old desire to beacquainted with everything that passed was still strong on him. Thepeople made way for him, and he seated himself in the first line ofspectators immediately opposite to the king and three other captainswho were judges in the case. So soon as Owen had joined the judges, the prisoner was brought before them, and to his secret horror Hokosarecognised in her that woman to whom he had given the poison in exchangefor 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 was asgood as hers. With the prisoner came an accuser, her husband, who seemedsick, 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 drive heraway. After that she came to my house, and though they said nothingof it at the time, she was seen by two servants of mine to sprinklesomething in the bowl wherein our food was cooking. Subsequently mywife, this woman's half-sister, was taken ill with dysentery. I alsowas taken ill with dysentery, but I still live to tell this story beforeyou, O King, and your judges, though I know not for how long I live. Mywife died yesterday, and I buried her this morning. I accuse the womanof having murdered her, either by witchcraft or by means of a medicinewhich 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 she toldit to Hokosa. "I am guilty, " she added, "and may the Great Man in thesky, of Whom the Messenger has taught us, forgive me. My sister's bloodis upon my hands, and for aught I know the blood of my husband yonderwill also be on my hands. I seek no mercy; indeed, it is better that Ishould die; but I would say this in self-defence, that I did not thinkto kill my sister. I believed that I was giving to her a potion whichwould 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 in theold 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 consulted together. 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 that law. So be it. Go in peace. To-morrow you must die, and may forgiveness awaityou 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 she wasexecuted, 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 buta harmless drug, that as I hope to be forgiven, so I forgive him, believing that my silence may win for him time for repentance, before hefollows 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 intolerable didit become, that at length he determined to be done with it. He couldlive no more. He would die, and by his own hand, before he was calledupon to witness the death of the man whom he had murdered. To this endhe made his preparations. For Noma he left no message; for though hisheart still hungered after her, he knew well that she hated him andwould 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 would bewell if he could die with a clean heart. Why should he not tell all tothe 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. Sohe 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 of late?Have you been ill?"

"No, Messenger, " answered Hokosa, "that is, not in my body. I have beensick 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 them atrest for ever. Man, let me hear the trouble, and swiftly, for cannot youwho are a doctor see that I shall not be here for long to talk with you?My days are numbered, Hokosa, and my work is almost done. "

"I know it, " answered Hokosa. "And, Messenger, _my_ days are alsonumbered. "

"How is this?" asked Owen, "seeing that you are well and strong. Does anenemy 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, youare doomed, are you not? Well, it was I who doomed you. That fruit whichyou ate a while ago was poisoned, and by my hand, for I am a master ofsuch arts. From the beginning I hated you, as well I might, for had younot worsted me and torn power from my grasp, and placed the people andthe king under the rule of another God? Therefore, when all else failed, I determined to murder you, and I did the deed by means of that womanwho not long ago was hung for the killing of her sister, though in truthshe was innocent. " And he told him what had passed between himself andthe woman, and told him also of the plot which he had hatched to killNodwengo and the Christians, and to set Hafela 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, howafter it I accompanied you to the church yonder and listened to yourpreaching? 'Your sin shall find you out, ' you said, and of a surety minehas found me out. For, Messenger, it came about that in listening toyou then and afterwards, I grew to love you and to believe the words youtaught, and therefore am I of all men the most miserable, and thereforemust I, who have been great and the councillor of kings, perishmiserably by the death of a dog. 

"Now curse me, and let me go. "

CHAPTER XVII

THE LOOSING OF NOMA

When Owen heard that it was Hokosa who had poisoned him, he groaned andhid his face in his hands, and thus he remained till the evil tale wasfinished. 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 of Righteousness, and to save alive those whom Thou hast sent me to gather 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 all yourevil 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 should takevengeance upon one who has repented? Hokosa, freely do I forgive youall, even as in some few days I hope to be forgiven. Freely and fullyfrom my heart do I forgive you, nor shall my lips tell one word of thesin 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, youhave indeed lost that which you loved, and henceforth you must followafter that which you did not desire. In the very grave of error you havefound truth, and from the depths of sin you shall pluck righteousness. Ay, that Cross which you deemed accursed shall lift you up on high, forby 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 them before;I have heard them from the lips of the dead, and with them went thiscommand: that when they fell upon my ears again I should 'take them fora 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, whenhe had finished; "yet it would seem that it was permitted to you to findtruth in the pit of sorcery. Obey, obey, and let your heart be turned. The dead told you that you should be set high above the nation and itsking, and that saying I cannot read, though it may be fulfilled in somefashion of which to-day you do not think. At the least, the other sayingis true, that in the end comes judgment, and that there shall thesin and the atonement strive together; therefore for judgment prepareyourself. And now depart, for I must talk with the king as to thismatter 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 you go, swear to me that you will work no evil on yourself. "

"I swear it, Messenger, since now I desire to live, if only for awhile, 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 to falltreacherously upon me and put me and my people to the spear. How youcome 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 should cometo you, seeing that you have repented and confessed. This is certain, that Hafela has listened to your evil counsels, for I gave my consent tohis flight from this land with all his people, and already his womenand children have crossed the mountain path in thousands. Well, thisI swear, that their feet shall tread it no more, for where they arethither he shall go to join them, should he chance to live to do so. Hokosa, begone, and know that day and night you will be watched. Shouldyou so much as dare to approach one of the gates of the 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. For thefuture, while it pleases you to spare me, I am the most loyal of yourservants. "

"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 ago Ispared you at the prayer of the Messenger; and now at his prayer I spareyou again, yet in doing so I think that I am foolish. "

"Nay, I will answer for him, " broke in Owen. "Let him stay here with me, 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 is turnedfrom evil to good; also, there is little need to murder a dying man. "

"Nay, speak not so, " said the king hastily; "and as for this man, be itas you will. Come, I must take counsel with my captains, for our dangeris 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, andby dawn of the following day an _impi_ of some seventeen thousand spearshad started to ambush Hafela and his force in a certain wooded defilethrough which he must pass on his way to the mountain pass where hiswomen and children were gathered. The army was not large, at least inthe eyes of the People of Fire who, before the death of Umsuka and thebreak up of the nation, counted their warriors by tens of thousands. But after those events the most of the regiments had deserted to Hafela, leaving to Nodwengo not more than two-and-twenty thousand spears uponwhich he could rely. Of these he kept less than a third to defend theGreat Place against possible attacks, and all the rest he sent to fallupon Hafela far away, hoping there to make an end of him once and forall. This counsel the king took against the better judgment of many ofhis captains, and as the issue proved, it was mistaken. 

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 chance thatthe _impi_ will miss that of Hafela, and then how can the king defendthis place with a handful, should the prince burst upon him at the headof forty thousand men? But who am I that I should give counsel for whichnone seek?"

"As God wills, so shall it befall, " answered Owen wearily; "but oh! thethought of all this bloodshed breaks my heart. I trust that its beatingsmay be stilled before my eyes behold the evil hour. "

On the evening of that day Hokosa was baptised. The ceremony took place, not in the church, for Owen was too weak to go there, but in thelargest room of his house and before some few witnesses chosen from thecongregation. Even as he was being signed with the sign of the cross, a strange and familiar attraction caused the convert to look up, andbehold, before him, watching all with mocking eyes, stood Noma his wife. At length the rite was finished, and the little audience melted away, all save Noma, who stood silent and beautiful as a statue, the light ofmockery still gleaming in her eyes. Then she spoke, 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, Iwould 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 that youripened 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 it truethat you have become a Christian, or would you but fool the white manand his following?"

"It is true. "

At the words her graceful shape was shaken with a little gust of silentlaughter. 

"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, that youmust ask the leave of another man as to whether or no you should keepyour own wife! There is no other thing that I could not have thought ofyou, but this I would never have believed had I not heard it from yourlips. Say now, do you still love me, Hokosa?"

"You know well that I love you, now and always, " he answered, in a voicethat sounded like a groan; "as you know that for love of you I have donemany sins from which otherwise I should have turned aside. "

"Grieve not over them, Hokosa; after all, in such a count as yours theywill make but little show. Well, if you love me, I hate you, thoughthrough your witchcraft your will yet has the mastery of mine. I demandof you now that you should loose that bond, for I do not desire tobecome a Christian; and surely, O most good and holy man, having onewife already, it will not please you henceforth to live in sin with aheathen 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 prophet ofHeaven, 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 a woman, a woman who hates you, can work you no good. Moreover, since she is asecond wife, you being a Christian, are bound to free her should she sodesire. "

"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. If Iloose 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 and spoke:--

"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 from me. In obedience to that white fool whom you have murdered, you have loosedme; but you I will not loose and could not if I would. Listen now, Hokosa: you love me, do you not?--next to this new creed of yours, I ammost of all to you. Well, since you have divorced me, I will tell you, Igo straight to another man. Now, look your last on me; for you love me, do you not?" and she slipped the mantle from her shoulders and exceptfor her girdle stood before him naked, and smiled. 

"Well, " she went on, resuming her robe, "the last words of those we loveare always dear to us; therefore, Hokosa, you who were my husband, Ileave mine with you. You are a coward and a traitor, and your doom shallbe that of a coward and a traitor. For my sake you betrayed Umsuka, yourking and benefactor; for your own sake you betrayed Nodwengo, who sparedyou; and now, for the sake of your miserable soul, you have betrayedHafela to Nodwengo. Nay, I know the tale, do not answer me, but the endof it--ah! that is yet to learn. Lie there, snake, and lick the handthat you have bitten, but I, the bird whom you have loosed, I flyafar--taking your heart with me!" and suddenly 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 XVIII

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 of Hafela, of his conversion to the faith of the Christians, and of the marchof the _impi_ to ambush the prince. Here she took a little spear, androlling up in a skin blanket as much dried meat as she could carry, she slipped unnoticed from the kraal. Her object was to escape from theGreat Place, but this she did not try to do by any of the gates, knowingthem to be guarded. Some months ago, before she started on her embassy, she had noted a weak spot in the fence, where dogs had torn a holethrough which they passed out to hunt at night. To this spot she madeher way under cover of the darkness--for though she still greatly fearedto be alone at night, her pressing need conquered her fears--and foundthat the hole was yet there, for a tall weed growing in its mouth hadcaused it to be overlooked by those whose duty it was to mend the fence. With her assegai she widened it a little, then drew her lithe shapethrough it, and lying hidden till the guard had passed, climbed the twostone walls beyond. Once she was free of the town, she set her course bythe stars and started forward at a steady run. 

"If my strength holds I shall yet be in time to warn him, " she mutteredto herself. "Ah! friend Hokosa, this new madness of yours has bluntedyour wits that once were sharp enough. You have set me free, and now youshall learn how I can use my freedom. Not for nothing have I been yourpupil, 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 day shestood among mountains. To her right stretched a great defile, a ruggedplace of rocks and bush, wherein she knew that the regiments of the kingwere hid in ambush. Perchance she was too late, perchance the _impi_ ofHafela had already passed to its doom in yonder gorge. Swiftly she ranforward on to the trail which led to the gorge, to find that it had beentrodden by many feet and recently. Moving to and fro she searched thespoor with her eyes, then rose with a sigh of joy. It was old, andmarked the passage of the great company of women and children and theirthousands of cattle which, in execution of the plot, had travelled thispath some days before. Either the _impi_ had not yet arrived, or it hadgone by some other road. Weary as she was, Noma followed the old spoorbackwards. A mile or more away it crossed the crest of a hog-backedmountain, from whose summit she searched the plain beyond, and not invain, for there far beneath her twinkled the watch-fires of the army ofHafela. 

Three hours later a woman, footsore and utterly exhausted, staggeredinto the camp, and waving aside the spears that were lifted to stab her, 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 for wholenights and days I have journeyed as no woman ever journeyed before, totell you of the treachery of Hokosa and to save you from your doom. "

"What treachery and what doom?" asked the prince. 

"Before I answer you that question, Hafela, you must pay me the price ofmy 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 People ofFire 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 mind isgreat as your body is beautiful. If through your help I should becomeKing of the People of Fire, you shall be their Queen, I swear it by thespirits of my fathers and by my own head. And now--your tidings. "

"These are they, Hafela. Hokosa has turned Christian and betrayed theplot to Nodwengo; and the great gorge yonder but three hours march awayis ambushed. To-morrow you and your people would have been cut off therehad I not run so fast and far to warn you, after which the _impis_of Nodwengo were commanded to follow your women and cattle over themountain pass and capture them. "

"This is news indeed, " said the prince. "Say now, how many regiments arehidden 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, they willbelieve that the ambush is discovered, and, after waiting one day orperhaps two, will move out to give battle, thinking that before them isall your strength. But command your regiments to run and not to fight, drawing the army of Nodwengo after them. Meanwhile, yes, this verynight, you yourself with all the men that are left to you must marchupon the Great Place, which, though it be strong, can be stormed, for itis defended by less than five thousand soldiers. There, having taken it, you shall slay Nodwengo, proclaiming yourself king, and afterwards, bythe help of the _impi_ that you leave here which will march onward toyour succour, you can deal with yonder army. "

"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, "and youwill see whether or no I have spoken falsely. For the rest, I am in yourhands, 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 too wearyto 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 of somethingover twenty thousand men, was journeying swiftly but by a circuitousroute towards the Great Place of the king. On the crest of the hillfacing the gorge, as Noma had suggested, he left six regiments withinstructions to fly before Nodwengo's generals, and when they had ledthem far enough, to follow him as swiftly as they were able. Theseorders, or rather the first part of them, they carried out, for as itchanced after two days' flight, the king's soldiers got behind them bya night march, and falling on them at dawn, killed half of them anddispersed the rest. Then it was that Nodwengo's generals learned forthe first time that they were following one wing of Hafela's army only, while the main body was striking at the heart of the kingdom, and turnedtheir faces homewards in fear and haste. 

*****

On the morning after the flight of Noma, Owen passed into the last stageof his sickness, and it became evident, both to himself and to thosewho watched him, that at the most he could not live for more than a fewdays. For his part, he accepted his doom joyfully, spending the timewhich was left to him in writing letters that were to be forwarded toEngland whenever an opportunity should arise. Also he set down on papera statement of the principal events of his strange mission, and otherinformation for the guidance of his white successors, who by now shouldbe drawing near to the land of the Amasuka. In the intervals of theselast labours, from time to time he summoned the king and the wisest andtrustiest of them whom he had baptised to his bedside, teaching themwhat they should do when he was gone, and exhorting them to cling to theFaith. 

On the afternoon of the fourth day from that of the baptism of Hokosa hefell into a quiet sleep, from which he did not wake till sundown. 

"Am I still here?" he asked wondering, of John and Hokosa who watched athis bedside. "From my dreams I thought that it was otherwise. John, senda messenger to the king and ask of him to assemble the people, all whocare to come, in the open place before my house. I am about to die, andfirst 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 upon you. "

"Fret not, my brother, " answered Owen, "for this and other things youdid in the days of your blindness, and it was permitted that you shoulddo them to an end. Kneel down now, that I may absolve you from your sinsbefore I pass away; for I tell you, Hokosa, I believe that ere many daysare over you must walk on the same path which I travel to-night. "

"Is it so?" Hokosa answered. "Well, I am glad, for I have no longer anylust 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 I wouldspeak 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 church wouldcontain. On this platform he took his seat. The moon was bright abovehim, and by it he could see that already his audience numbered somethousands of men, women and children. The news had spread that thewonderful 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, hespoke 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, andhither I journeyed across sea and land, though how this thing might bedone I could not guess. But to Him Who sent me all things are possible, and while yet I lingered upon the threshold of your country, in a dreamwere revealed to me events that were to come. So I appeared before youboldly, and knowing that he had been poisoned and that I could curehim, I drew back your king from the mouth of death, and you said toyourselves: 'Behold a wizard indeed! Let us hear him. ' Then I gavebattle to your sorcerers yonder upon the plain, and from the foot of theCross I teach, the lightnings were rolled back upon them and they werenot. Look now, their chief stands at my side, among my disciples oneof the foremost and most faithful. Afterwards troubles arose: your kingdied a Christian, and many of the people fell away; but still a remnantremained, and he who became king was converted to the truth. Now Ihave sown the seed, and the corn is ripe before my eyes, but it is notpermitted that I should reap the harvest. My work is ended, my task isdone, and I, the Messenger, return to make report to Him Who sent themessage. 

"Hear me yet a little while, for soon shall my voice be silent. 'I comenot to bring peace, but a sword, '--so said the Master Whom I preach, andso say I, the most unworthy of His servants. Salvation cannot be boughtat a little price; it must be paid for by the blood and griefs ofmen, and in blood and griefs must you pay, O my children. Through muchtribulation must you also enter the kingdom of God. Even now the heathenis at your gates, and many of you shall perish on his spears, but I tellyou that he shall not conquer. Be faithful, cling to the Cross, and donot dare to doubt your Lord, for He will be your Captain and you shallbe His people. Cleave to your king, for he is good; and in the day oftrial listen to the counsel of this Hokosa who once was the first ofevil-doers, for with him goes my spirit, and he is my son in the spirit. 

"My children, fare you well! Forget me not, for I have loved you; or ifyou will, forget me, but remember my teaching and hearken to those whoshall tread upon the path I made. The peace of God be with you, theblessing of God be upon you, and the salvation of God await you, as itawaits me to-night! Friends, lead me hence to die. "

They turned to him, but before their hands touched him Thomas Owen fellforward upon the breast of Hokosa and lay there a while. Then suddenly, for the last time, he lifted himself and cried aloud:--

"I have fought a good fight! I have finished my course! I have kept thefaith! 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 XIX

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 and Hokosalowering him into the grave, while John, his first disciple, read overhim the burial service of the Christians, which it had been one of thedead man's last labours to translate into the language of the 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. Nodwengo started, and, with a last look of farewell at the face of his friend, left thechapel, accompanied by some of his generals who were present, mutteringto Hokosa that he was to follow when all was done. Accordingly, somefew minutes later, he went and was admitted into the Council Hut, where captains and messengers were to be seen arriving and departingcontinuously. 

"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 outposts havesighted an _impi_ of many regiments advancing towards the Great Place, though whether or no it be my own _impi_ returning victorious from thewar with my brother, I cannot say. There is this against it, however, that a messenger has but just arrived reporting that the generals haveperceived the host of Hafela encamped upon a ridge over against thegorge where they awaited him. If that be so, they can scarcely havegiven him battle, for the messenger is swift of foot and has travellednight and day. Yet how can this be the _impi_ of Hafela, who, say thegenerals, 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 main bodyof 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 against somany?"

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 search ofthe 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 able tohold it till the army returns to relieve us, to seek which messengersmust 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 the livesof 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 in person. 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 they liftedtheir spears like one man, giving him the royal salute of "King!" Heheld 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 you willfight 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, Childrenof Fire!" and shaking his great spear, he led the way towards thatportion 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 clearing thenumberless huts of their occupants, and collecting women, children andoxen in thousands, preparatory to driving them into the defile. Panichad seized many of these poor creatures, who, in imagination, alreadysaw themselves impaled upon the cruel spears of Hafela's troops, andindeed in not a few instances believed those who were urging themforward to be the enemy. Women shrieked and wrung their hands, childrenwailed piteously, oxen lowed, and the infirm and aged vented theirgrief in groans and cries to Heaven, or their ancient god, for mercy. In truth, so difficult was the task of marshalling this motley arrayat night, numbering as it did ten or twelve thousand souls, that a fullhour went by before the mob even began to move, slowly and uncertainly, towards the place of refuge, whereof the opening was so narrow that butfew of them could pass it at a time. 

Meanwhile Hafela was developing the attack. Forming his great army intothe shape of a wedge he raised his battle-cry and rushed down on thefirst 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 it wasthat the fray began in earnest, for here Nodwengo was waiting for him. Thrice the thousands rolled on in the face of a storm of spears, andthrice they fell back from the wide fence of thorns and the wall ofstone behind it. By now the battle had raged for about an hour and ahalf, and it was reported to the king that the first of the women andchildren had passed the archway into the valley, and that nearly all ofthem 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 will becomea rout and soon there will be none left to follow. Let one company, " andhe named it, "hold the fence for a while to give us time to 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 lives ordies 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 off theregiments, keeping in the shadow of the huts, Hokosa and his hundredmen posted themselves behind the weakened fence and wall. Now, for thefourth time the attacking regiment came forward grimly, on this occasionled by the prince himself. As they drew near, Hokosa leapt upon thewall, and standing there in the bright moonlight where all could seehim, he called to them to halt. Instinctively they obeyed him. 

"Is it Hafela whom I see yonder?" he asked. 

"Ah! it is I, " answered the prince. "What would you with me, wizard andtraitor?"

"This only, Hafela: I would ask you what you seek here?"

"That which you promised me, Hokosa, the crown of my father and certainother 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, " and withall 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, forI am guarded by that which you cannot see. My wife you have, and sheshall 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 is passedaway, but his power has fallen upon me and I speak the truth to you, OPrince 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 terribly afraid. 

"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, of themall, 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 fought atonce, Hafela would be hard upon his heels, for we are few, and who canhold a buffalo with a rope of grass? Yet I think that I spoke truthwhen I told him that the garment of the Messenger has fallen upon myshoulders, and that death awaits him and his companions, as it awaitsme also and many of us. Now, friends, be ready, for the bull chargesand soon we must feel his horns. This at least is left to you, to diegloriously. "

While he was still speaking the first files of the regiment rushed uponthe fence, tearing aside the thorns with their hands till a passage wasmade through them. Then they sprang upon the wall, there to be metby the spears of Hokosa and his men thrusting upward from beneath itsshelter. Time after time they sprang, and time after time they fell backdead or wounded, till at last, dashing forward in one dense column, theypoured over the stones as the rising tide pours over the rocks on thesea-shore, driving the defenders before them by the sheer weight ofnumbers. 

"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 of hutswere afire, and the flames spread swiftly, lighting up the country farand wide. In the glare of them, Hokosa could see that already a fulltwo-thirds of the crowd of fugitives had passed the narrow arch; whileNodwengo and the soldiers were drawn up in companies upon the steep androcky slope that led to it, protecting their 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, forI knew when and how to go. Be ready, king, for the foe press us close, and that mob behind us crawls onward like a snail. "

As he spoke the pursuers broke through the fence and gate of the burningtown, and once more the fight began. They had the advantage of numbers;but Nodwengo and his troops stood in a wide road upon higher groundprotected on either side by walls, and were, moreover, rested, notbreathless 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 force followedon the path of the fugitives, till at length amidst a roar of rage anddisappointment, the last of them vanished through the arch, Hokosa amongthem, and the place was blocked with stones, above which shone a hedgeof spears. 

CHAPTER XX

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 of thefive thousand of them some eleven hundred were killed or wounded. Yetthey might not rest, for all that night, assisted by the women, theylaboured, building stone walls across the narrowest parts of the valley. Also the cattle, women and children were moved along the gorge, which inshape may be compared to a bottle with two necks, one at either end, and encamped in the opening of the second neck, where was the springof water. This spot was chosen both because here alone water could beobtained, without which they could not hold out more than a single day, and because the koppie whereon grew the strange-looking euphorbia knownas the Tree of Doom afforded a natural rampart against attack. 

Shortly after dawn, while the soldiers were resting and eating ofsuch food as could be procured--for the most part strips of raw orhalf-cooked meat cut from hastily killed cattle--the onslaught wasrenewed with 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. Didyou then think to catch him sleeping? This retreat was Hokosa's counsel. I learned it from the lips of that wounded captain before they killedhim. Now, it seems that there are but two paths to follow, and you canchoose between them. The one is to send a regiment a day and a half'sjourney across the cliff top to guard the further mouth of the valleyand to wait till these jackals starve in their hole, for certainly theycan never come out. "

"It has started six hours since, " said Hafela, "and though theprecipices are steep, having the moon to travel by, it should reach theriver mouth of the valley before dawn to-morrow, cutting Nodwengo offfrom the plains, if indeed he should dare to venture out upon them, which, with so small a force, he will not do. Yet this first planof yours must fail, Noma, seeing that before they starve within, thegenerals of Nodwengo will be back upon us from the mountains, catchingus between the hammer and the anvil, and I know not how that fight wouldgo. "

"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, whoam 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-handside, facing the archway, was a flat ledge overhanging the valley, at aheight of about a hundred feet. 

"If you can come yonder, " she said, "it will be easy to storm this gate, for there lie rocks in plenty, and men cannot fight when stones aredropping 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 stand uponit. "

With her eye Noma measured the distance from the brink of the precipiceto the broad ledge commanding the valley. 

"Sixty paces, not more, " she said. "Well, yonder are oxen in plenty, andout of their hides ropes can be made, and out of ropes a ladder, downwhich men may pass; ten, or even five, would be enough. "

"Well thought of Noma, " said Hafela. "Hokosa told us last night that tohim had passed the wisdom of the Messenger; but if this be so, I thinkthat 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 toiling atit, within two hours the ladder was ready, its staves, set twenty inchesapart, being formed of knob-kerries, or the broken shafts of stabbingspears. Now they lowered it from the top of the precipice so that itsend rested upon the ledge, and down it came several men, who swung uponits giddy length like spiders on a web. Reaching this great shelf insafety and advancing to the edge of it, these men started a boulder, which, although as it chanced it hurt no one, fell in the midst of agroup 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's weapon, and would have none of it. "

As he spoke another stone fell, crushing the life out of a man who stoodnext to him. Then they retreated to the first wall, which had been piledup during the night, where it was not possible to roll rocks upon themfrom the cliffs above. This wall, and others reared at intervals behindit, they set to work to strengthen as much as they could, making themost of the time that was left to them before the enemy could clear theway and march on to attack. 

Presently Hafela's men were through and sweeping down upon them witha roar, 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 that atlength 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, a quarterof a mile or more away, and here the fight began again. And so it wenton for hour after hour, as one by one the fortifications were carriedby the weight of numbers, for the attackers fought desperately under theeye of their prince, caring nothing for the terrible loss they sufferedin men. Twice the force of the defenders was changed by order ofNodwengo, fresh men being sent from the companies held in reserve totake the places of those who had borne the brunt of the battle. Thisindeed it was necessary to do, seeing that it was impossible to carrywater to so many, and in that burning valley men could not fight forlong athirst. Only Hokosa stayed on, for they brought him drink ina gourd, and wherever the fray was fiercest there he was always; noralthough spears were rained upon him by hundreds, was he touched by oneof 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 the greatstone scherm or wall that ran from side to side of the further neck ofthe valley, whereon thousands of women and such men as could be sparedhad been working incessantly during the past night and day. 

It was as he retreated among the last upon this wall that Hokosa caughtsight of Noma for the first time since they parted in the house of theMessenger. In the forefront of his troops, directing the attack, wasHafela the prince, and at his side stood Noma, carrying in her hand alittle shield and a spear. At this moment also she saw him and calledaloud to him:--

"You have fought well, Wizard, but to-morrow all your magic shall availyou 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 shelter ofthe wall upon the attackers driving them back to the koppie and killingseveral, so that in the confusion and gathering darkness Hokosa lostsight of her, though a man at his side declared that he saw her fallbeneath the thrust of an assegai. Thus ended the second day. 

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 thousand havebeen killed and a thousand lie among us wounded. Hark to the groaning ofthem! Also we have with us women and children and sick to the number oftwelve thousand, and between us and those who would butcher them everyone there stands but a single wall. Nor is this the worst of it: thespring cannot supply the wants of so great a multitude in this hotplace, and it is feared that presently the water will be done. Whatway shall we turn? If we surrender to Hafela, perhaps he will spare thelives of the women and children; but whatever he may promise, the mostof us he will surely slay. If we fight and are defeated, then oncehis regiments are among us, all will be slain according to the ancientcustom of our people. I have bethought me that we might retreat throughthe valley, but the river beyond is in flood; also it is certain thatbefore this multitude could reach it, the prince will have sent a forceto cut us off while he himself harasses our rear. Now let him who hascounsel 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: 'Be faithful, cling to the Cross, and do not dare to doubt your Lord, for He willprotect you, and your children after you, and He will be your Captainand you shall be His people'? Did he not bid you also to listen to mycounsel? Then listen to it, for it is his: Your case seems desperate, but have no fear, and take no thought for the morrow, for all shall yetbe well. Let us now pray to Him that the Messenger has revealed to us, and Whom now he implores on our behalf in that place where he is toguide us and to save us, for then surely He will hearken to our prayer. "

"So be it, " said Nodwengo, and going out he stood upon a pillar of stonein the moonlight and offered up his supplication in the hearing of themultitude. 

Meanwhile, those of the camp of Hafela were also taking counsel. Theyhad fought bravely indeed, and carried the schanses; but at great cost, since for every man that Nodwengo had lost, three of theirs had fallen. Moreover, they were in evil case with weariness and the want of water, as each drop they drank must be carried to them from the Great Place inbags made of raw hide, which caused it to stink, for they had but fewgourds 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, andof what will befall us then I scarcely like to think. "

"Ill-fortune will befall you while Hokosa lives, " broke in Noma. "Had itnot been for him, this trouble would have been done with by now; buthe is a wizard, and by his wizardries he defeats us and puts heart intoNodwengo and the warriors. You, yourself, have seen him this day defyingus, not once but many times, for upon his flesh steel has no power. Ay!and this is but the beginning of evil, for I am sure that he leads youinto some deep trap where you shall perish everlastingly. Did he nothimself declare that the power of that dead white worker of miracles hasfallen upon him, and who can fight against magic?"

"Who, indeed?" said Hafela humbly; for like all savages he wasvery superstitious, 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 of menand can suck wisdom from the dead, while to his eyes the darkness is noblind. "

"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 this wayand that, as though they were also numbered with the slain. This done, you shall despatch a herald to call in the ears of the king that youdesire to treat with him of peace. Then he will answer that if this beso you can come beneath the walls of his camp, and your herald shallrefuse, saying that you fear treachery. But he must add that if Nodwengowill bid Hokosa to advance alone to the flat rock, you will bid me, Noma, whom none can fear, to do likewise, and that there we can talk insight of both armies, and returning thence, make report to you and toNodwengo. Afterwards, so soon as Hokosa has set his foot upon the rock, those men who seem to be dead shall spring upon him and drag him toour camp, where we can deal with him; for once the wizard is taken, thecause of Nodwengo is lost. "

"A good pitfall, " said the prince; "but will Hokosa walk into the trap?"

"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, and bringingour 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 the flatrock 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 XXI

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 goes on, though victory must be his at last, many more will fall. Therefore, ifany 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? Werethe prince to come here it might chance that your spears would talk withhim. Let Nodwengo follow me to the camp yonder, where we promise himsafe conduct. "

"Not so, " answered Hokosa. "'Does a buck walk into an open pit?' Set outyour message, and we will consider it. "

"Nay, I am but a common man without authority; but I am charged to makeyou another offer, and if you will not hear it then there is an end. Let Hokosa advance alone to that flat rock you see yonder, and there heshall be met, also alone, by one having power to talk with him, namely, by the Lady Noma, who was once his wife. Thus they can confer togethermidway between the camps and in full sight of both of them, nor, no manbeing near, can he find cause to be afraid of an unarmed girl. What sayyou?"

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 if Ido it not, that may be the cause of the death of all of us to-morrow. At the worst, I am but one man, and it matters little what may chance tome; nor shall I come to any harm unless it is the will of Heaven that itshould be so; and be sure of this, that out of the harm will arise good, for where I go there the spirit of the Messenger goes with me. Rememberthat he bade you listen to my counsel while I remain with you, seeingthat I do not speak of my own wisdom. Therefore let me go, and if itshould chance that I am taken, trouble not about the matter, for thus itwill be fated to some great end. Above all, though often enough I havebeen a traitor in the past, do not dream that I betray you, keeping inmind that so to do would be to betray my own soul, which very soon mustrender its account on high. "

"As you will, Hokosa, " answered the king. "And now tell those rebel dogsthat on these terms only will I make peace with them--that they withdrawacross the mountains by the path which their women and children havetaken, leaving this land for ever without lifting another spear againstus. If they will do this, notwithstanding all the wickedness andslaughter that they have worked, I will send command to my _impi_ to letthem go unharmed. If they will not do this, I put my trust in the God Iworship and will fight this fray out to the end, knowing that if I andmy people perish, they shall perish also. "

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 meet herwho was his wife upon the flat stone and talk with her in the sight ofboth armies, bearing my word with him. At the sound of the blowing of ahorn shall each of them advance unarmed and alone from either camp. Sayto my brother also that it will indeed be ill for him if he attemptstreachery upon Hokosa, for the man who causes his blood to flow willsurely 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 last time, because whatever chances, in the end I shall make my report to youyonder"--and he pointed upwards. "Reign on for long years, King--reignwell and wisely, clinging to the Faith, for thus at the last shall youreap 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 in hisfolly he still loved; and thus it came about that he never saw sundry ofthe dead bodies, which lay in the shadow of the stone, begin to quickeninto life, and inch by inch to arise, first to their knees and next totheir feet. He never saw or heard them, yet, as the words left his lips, they sprang upon him from every side, holding him so that he could notmove. 

"Away with him!" cried Noma with a laugh of triumph; and at her commandhe was half-dragged and half-carried across the open space and thrustviolently over a stone wall into the camp of Hafela. 

Now Nodwengo and his soldiers saw what had happened, and with a shout of"Treachery!" some hundreds of them leapt into the plain and began to runtowards 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 of Nodwengo, and leave me to my fate, for the foe waits for you by thousands behindthe 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 andof every rock and stone soldiers jumped up by companies and charged, driving them back to their own schanse. But the king's men had the startof them, and had taken shelter behind it, whence they greeted them witha volley of spears, killing ten and wounding twice as many more. 

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 and agingman. But since I am here among you, captured with so much pain and 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 counsel willprevail against our might; whereas, when once we hold you fast, Nodwengowill wander to his ruin like a blind and moonstruck man, for you were tohim 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 chosento do 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 that heoffers to you--namely, to turn this very night and begone from the landwithout 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. Ithink--but who can be quite sure of the future, Hafela?--that you andthe most 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 sleep withjackals, 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 when itlies within your grasp, and in place of a great king become a fugitivewhom all men mock at, an outcast to be hunted down at leisure by thatbrother against whom you dared to rebel, but on whom you did not dareto shut your hand when he lay in its hollow? Silence the tongue of thiscaptive rogue for ever and become a man again, with the heart 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. ThatI married 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 I heldher, although I could not thrust her memory from my heart. Yet I haveearned it all, for I made her the tool of my witchcraft, and thereforeit is just that she should turn and rend me. Well, if you like it, takeher counsel, Prince, and let mine go, for I care nothing which you take;only, forgive me if I prophesy once more and for the last time--I amsure that Nodwengo yonder spoke truth when he bade your herald tellme that he who causes my blood to flow shall surely die and for it becalled to a strict account. Prince, I am a Christian now, and believeme, whatever you may do, I seek no revenge upon you; having been myselfforgiven so much, in my turn I have learned to forgive. Yet it may beill 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, foryou should know best how to deal with him. "

"Let me think, " she answered, and she looked first at the ground beneathher, next around her, then upwards toward the skies. 

Now they stood at the foot of the koppie, on the flat top of which grewthe great Tree of Doom, that for generations had served the People ofFire as a place of execution of their criminals, or of those who fellunder the ban of the king or of the witch-doctors. Among and above thefinger-like fronds of this strange and dreadful-looking tree toweredthat white dead limb shaped like a cross, which Owen had pointed outto his disciple John, taking it to be a sign and a promise. This crossstood out clear against the sinking moon. It caught Noma's eye, and adevilish thought entered into her heart. 

"You would keep this fellow alive?" she said, "and yet you wouldnot suffer 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 was bound, 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 down amongthe dwellers in Death, causing me to interpret their words for him. Idid so, but the dwellers came back out of Death with me, and from thathour they have not left me, nor will they ever leave me; for night bynight they sojourn at my side, tormenting me with terrors. He hastold me that through my mouth that spirit whom he drew into my bodyprophesied that he should be 'lifted up above the people. ' Let theprophecy be fulfilled, let him be lifted up, for then perchance theghosts will depart from me and I shall win peace and sleep. Also, thusalone 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 a little. 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 to climbthe tree, taking with them strips of raw hide. They reached the top ofit, four of them, and seating themselves upon the arms of the cross, they let down a rope, the noose of which was placed about the body ofHokosa. As it tightened upon him, he turned his calm and dreadful eyeson 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 may choose. "

Now, when she heard these words Noma shrieked aloud, for of a sudden shefelt that the power of the will of Hokosa, from which she had been freedby him, had once more fallen upon her, and that come what might she wasdoomed to obey his last commands. 

Little by little the soldiers drew him up and in the darkness they boundhim fast there upon the lofty cross. Then they descended and left him, and would have led Noma with them from the tree. But this they couldnot do, for always she broke from them screaming, and fled back to itsshadow. 

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 poisonous toman. Also they believed the place to be haunted by evil spirits. 

CHAPTER XXII

THE VICTORY OF THE CROSS

The sun rose suddenly over the edge of the cliffs, and while it was yetdeep shadow in the valley, its red light struck upon the white cross ofperished wood that towered above the Tree of Doom and on the blackshape of Hokosa crucified to it living. The camp of the king saw andunderstood, and from every throat of the thousands of men, women andchildren gathered there, went up a roar of rage and horror. The kinglifted his hand, and silence fell upon the place; then he mounted on thewall 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 fighting began. Desperately the regiments of Hafela rushing across the open space, hurled themselves upon the fortifications, which, during the night, hadbeen strengthened by the building of two inner walls. Nor was this all, for suddenly a cry told those in front that the regiment which Hafelahad despatched across the mountains had travelled up the eastern neck ofthe valley, and were attacking the position in their rear. Well was itfor Nodwengo now that he had listened to the counsel of Hokosa, and, wearied as his soldiers were, had commanded that here also a great wallshould 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 of Nodwengothere went up a moan of pain to Heaven, for since the evening ofyesterday the spring had given out, and they had found no waterwherewith to wet their lips. During the night they bore it; but now thesun beating down on the black rocks with fearful force scorched them tothe marrow, till they began to wither like fallen leaves, and alreadywounded men and children died, while the warriors cut the throats ofoxen 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 the springbeing 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 to youraid, 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 those whoremained alive of them, into the third entrenchment, and paused to restawhile. 

"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, andyour 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 and rear. Twice they nearly carried it, but each time the wild scream of Hokosaon high was heard above the din, conjuring its defenders to fight on andfear not, for Heaven had sent them help. They fought as men have seldomfought before, and with them fought the women and even the children. They were few and the foe was still many, but they listened to theurging of him whom they believed to be inspired in his death-agony uponthe cross above them, and still they held their own. Twice portions ofthe wall were torn down, but they filled the breach with the corpses ofthe dead, ay! and with the bodies of the living, for the wounded, the old men and the very women piled themselves there in the place ofstones. No such fray was told of in the annals of the People of Fire asthis, the last stand of Nodwengo against the thousands of Hafela. Nowall the shouting had died away, for men had no breath left wherewith toshout, only from the gloomy place of battle came low groans and the deepsobbing sighs of warriors gripped in the death-hug. 

"_Fight on! Fight on!_" shrilled the voice of Hokosa on high. "Lo!the skies 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 ofmany-shafted light, they saw, not the legions of Heaven indeed, but theregiments of Nodwengo rushing round the bend of the valley, as dogs rushupon 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, theyran to the koppie and formed themselves upon it, ring above ring, andhere the soldiers of Nodwengo closed in upon them. 

Again and for the last time the voice of Hokosa rang out above the fray. 

"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 the precipices, came to the ears of each. All men heard him, and, even in that fiercehour of vengeance, all obeyed. The spear that was poised was not thrown, and the kerry lifted over the fallen did not descend to dash away hislife. 

"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 Cross Igive peace. All who surrender shall dwell henceforth in my shadow, norshall the head or the heel of one of them be harmed, although their sinis great. One life only will I take, the life of that witch whobrought your armies down upon me to burn my town and slay my peopleby thousands, and who but last night betrayed Hokosa to his death oftorment. All shall go free, I say, save the witch; and for you, youshall be given cattle and such servants as will cling to you to thenumber of a hundred, and driven from the land. Now, what say you? Willyou yield or be slain? Swift with your answer; for the sun sinks, andere 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 now wetake 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 servants withme. 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 who followedhim and fought for him, fearing nothing, and give over to me the witchthat 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 she wentwhile all men watched, higher and higher yet, till passing out of thefinger-like foliage she reached the cross of dead wood whereto Hokosahung, and placing her feet upon one arm of it, stood there, supportingherself 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 soldiers ofHafela, naming them cowards, calling down upon them the malison of theirancestors. 

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!"and drawing 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 opposite tothe cross and its burden, they rendered to it the royal salute of kings. 

*****

Then the night fell, and thus through the power of Faith that now, as ofold, is the only true and efficient magic, was accomplished the missionto the Sons of Fire of the Saint and Martyr, Thomas Owen, and of hismurderer and disciple, the Wizard Hokosa.