by Frank Aubrey
CHAPTER XV.
MARVELS OF MANOA.
During the following days Elwood and Templemore learned much of thestrange land in which they found themselves; of its people, of theircondition, and other details. But, since to give every separateconversation, incident, or other means by which they gained theirinformation, would be tedious, it will suffice to cite some extractsfrom Templemore's diary that summarise the knowledge then andsubsequently obtained.
* * * * *
"I am able now to jot down some account of this strange place and itsinhabitants, so far, at least, as my limited knowledge of its languageand other means of information go.
"The people seem to be amiable, fairly intelligent--considering,of course, that they know nothing of the great world outside--andgenerally well disposed. Although they maintain a small force of'soldiers' or 'guards,' and drill and discipline them with as muchassiduity as though they might be called upon to engage in warfare,yet, as a matter of course, there are no people with whom they can goto war; nor is there any likelihood of their having to fight, exceptamongst themselves. And this, unfortunately, has not been unknown;moreover, there are 'signs in the air' that it may not be unknownagain.
"An unexpected discovery we have made is, that this mountain isconnected with another close to it and called 'Myrlanda.' Theconnection is underground, and was made originally in the course ofmining operations.
"Undoubtedly, _once_ these people were a great nation. Their artsand sciences, their buildings, their engineering works, and theirknowledge of mechanics, all give evidence of this; but, since a nation,isolated as this has been for ages, must necessarily either progressor retrogress, the Manoans slowly, gradually, but surely, have donethe latter. They have numerous museums which are full of wonders ofall sorts, pointing to lost arts, lost sciences, lost inventions, lostknowledge of all kinds. The fact that the demand has fallen off withdiminishing population has led to the discontinuance of manufactures;though, in the museums, there are evidences that they once existed.
"This is the case as regards chronometric instruments. Theiroccupations being desultory, they have little need to know the time ofday; so the use of clocks and watches has 'gone out of fashion,' andthere does not now exist a person in the two 'islands'--as they stillcall these two inaccessible mountains--who can make a clock or a watch.Yet, in their museums they have many ancient specimens of clocks andwatches of various kinds.
"Like remarks apply to many other arts and sciences andmanufactures. The cause is likely to be found in the fact of theirnon-intercommunication with other nations.
"But the most wonderful thing of all, in this land of marvels, is aplant or herb they call the 'Plant of Life.' This, I am assured (thoughit seems hardly credible), if taken from time to time in certainforms, combined with other plants found here, induces great longevityin the recipients. The king, for instance, who looks between fifty andsixty years of age, I am seriously told is three hundred and forty! Yetthat, even, is nothing out of the way here; for--assuming that theyspeak the truth--there are among the priesthood a few who have livedin the land one thousand, fifteen hundred, and two thousand years andmore! I should scarcely take the trouble to write this down, were itnot that I find it a matter of such common belief on all sides thatit is impossible to avoid regarding it seriously. When first thesestatements were made to me I sought Monella and reported to him whathad been told me, remarking that I thought it somewhat in bad tasteon the part of my informants to combine together--as it seemed to methey must have--to palm off such tales upon a stranger. To my utterastonishment, he replied that he had reason to believe that therewas truth in what I had been told! He had doubtless heard the samething--and he is so quick to probe to the very root of whatever exciteshis interest, and a man so difficult to deceive, that, on receiving hissolemn assurance (I asked for it) that he was not jesting, I felt boundto regard the matter attentively. I, therefore, set to work to get atall the facts as well as I could, and to see and examine the wonderfulplant for myself. In this way I have arrived at the following data:--
"The plant, which is called 'karina' in the language of the country,is of a curious delicate, clear, blue tint--almost transparent inappearance, and in texture smooth and glassy-looking as to theleaves. It grows to a height of two or three feet, and is succulentin character; exuding freely, when squeezed, a juice which has a verystrong bitter-sweet taste. It is prepared in several ways--manyhaving, it is believed, secret recipes which have been handed downfrom father to son from generation to generation; but they all relatemore or less to a tea or infusion of the leaves, with or without theadmixture of other herbs or drugs. To have the full effect it must betaken regularly, almost from infancy; indeed, it is so powerful thatthose not accustomed to it must take but very weak doses at first fora long time, till the system learns to assimilate it; otherwise, itmay even act as a poison. Taken, however, regularly from childhood,it produces and maintains perfect health, defying all those usualfevers and diseases that afflict humanity in other parts of the world,and carrying the body unimpaired in all its functions--accidents,of course, excepted--into extreme age, without loss of vitality orstrength.
"People do not, however, live for ever; there is one disease and onlyone that the 'karina' cannot cure. This is called the 'falloa'; thereis also another name for it signifying the 'don't care sickness.'Those attacked with it gradually sink, and die painlessly and easily.This disease, no doubt, must come to all sooner or later; but it isgenerally believed that the priests--and they alone--are aware of someway of so preparing the 'karina,' that they can either cure even the'falloa,' or keep it at bay for very much longer periods than otherpeople succeed in doing.
"It is certainly a remarkable fact that throughout the land disease,in the sense in which we understand it, is unknown. Consequently,physical pain is almost absent, save in case of physical injury. Nor isit necessary to be continually taking the preparation of the 'karina.'When once the system becomes inoculated with it, as it were, it issufficient, afterwards, to repeat the doses at long intervals; and atraveller, as I gather, might take sufficient of the dried plant withhim on his travels to keep him in perfect health for many years in anypart of the world.
"And when, at last, the 'falloa' attacks its victim, it causes neitherpain nor suffering of any kind; only melancholy, and a distaste forlife in general; while its approach is so gradual as often to beunnoticed.
"There is little doubt that the absence of ordinary diseases exertsa corresponding effect upon the physical development; and this aloneis sufficient to account for a fact that is very noticeable here,viz., the beauty of the inhabitants. Both the women and the men areremarkable in this respect; and probably not in all the rest of theworld put together could so many beautiful women and handsome men befound as one sees in this small, but strange country; and this appliesto the old, in a measure, as well as to the young generally. Whether italso applies to the old amongst the priests, one cannot say, for theyseem to keep entirely to themselves.
"As regards these 'priests,' there are two sects in the country, calledrespectively the 'Dark,' or 'Black,' and the 'White.'
"The religion of the 'White' priests, or 'Brotherhood,' resembles,in many respects, that of the Hebrews, save that for 'God' they usethe term 'Great Spirit,' or 'Good,' or 'Almighty' Spirit. These have,however, now no influence in the country, and have been exiled toMyrlanda, where they confine themselves to a small 'domain,' have fewfollowers and very little communication with the general inhabitants.The chief of these is named Sanaima.
"The chief of the 'Dark Brotherhood'--as they denominate themselves,and well they deserve their name, from all I hear--is called Coryon;and he and Sanaima are both popularly supposed to be more than twothousand years old! But, since both these millenarian gentlemen keepthemselves shut up amongst their own immediate adherents, and seldomshow themselves to the people, it would not be very difficult to keepup a tradition of this sort without a word of truth to back it. It may
be urged in support of it, however, that we see many going about who,we are assured, are three, four, or five hundred years old; and theseassert that they have not the true secret of preparing the 'karina';this being known only to the priests.
"But whatever be the truth as to their longevity, the 'DarkBrotherhood' seem to be a set of bloodthirsty, licentious tyrants,ruling the people with a rod of iron, for the king, though nominallyan autocrat, has but little real power; but his rule, so far as itextends, is mild, and his people appear loyal and well disposed towardshim.
"The real ruler of the land is Coryon, the High Priest of the 'DarkBrotherhood'; a man who, though never seen beyond the limits of hisown domain, makes his power felt everywhere. What I have heard of himand his chosen band sounds too atrocious to be true; yet I am assuredI have heard only a part; the whole truth is of such a nature that menshrink from speaking of it to one another.
"It is said that they have many wives, whom they choose at willfrom amongst the daughters of the people; but what becomes of themafterwards no one knows, for they are never seen again when once theydisappear behind the gates that shut in the domain 'sacred' to the'Brotherhood.' Further, they lay a 'blood-tax' upon the populationfor 'religious sacrifices'; at certain intervals these victims areselected, it is _said_, by a sort of ballot, and from that momentvanish like the others, and their fate is never known; or at least noone professes to know. It is, indeed hinted, that it is too terribleto be published. One or two who have escaped back to their homeshave, it is averred, died raving mad; their ravings being of so dreada nature that it could not be determined whether they referred toscenes actually witnessed, or were the offspring of their madness.What becomes of the children of these 'priests'--or at least of alarge proportion of them--is also a matter for conjecture. They cannotwell all live, or they would probably overrun the land. It is darklywhispered that all but a certain definite proportion are sacrificed. Atany rate they are seldom heard of. Zelus, the one Elwood killed, wasan exception, it would appear. He is described as the 'only remaining'son of Coryon; but what has become of his other children, if any, isnot known. Zelus had set his mind upon taking Ulama from her fatherto make her, against her will, his wife--or one of them. Now it isgenerally understood that the king and his family, and the membersof his household, are safe from molestation by the 'Brotherhood.'Therefore, in seeking to force Ulama, Zelus was offending against thestrict law; yet, such was his insolent contempt for all law but hisown will, that he not only designed to bear her off, but, in his rageat her resistance and the scathing disdain and scorn she showed in herrefusal, he would have killed her. And it is quite certain that, hadhe succeeded, he would have been protected by his father, so that nopunishment would have fallen on him.
"If, however, as appears from this, even the king's only child isnot safe from these atrocious wretches, what must be the position ofthe common people? As a matter of fact, though they are by naturecheerful, contented and unselfish, yet over all there seems to hang theshadow of an ever-present dread, the overpowering, constant fear thatto-morrow or the next day--this day, even, they or some of those theylove, without the slightest warning, may be seized and borne off to anunknown fate. All the information vouchsafed in such a case is thatthe victim has been chosen by the so-called ballot; but it is hinted,and no doubt believed, that, if one of the priests, or one of theirfavourite adherents, happen to cast an approving eye upon a daughter ofthe people--be she maiden or wife--the 'ballot' is pretty sure to fallupon her before very long.
"This is the awful despotism wielded by these 'priests' in the nameof religion. Needless to say, it is not confined to the particularsstated. If the priests themselves are not much seen in public, someof their emissaries and followers are continually about, and theydomineer over the people and perpetrate many shameful acts of crueltyand injustice, in almost all of which they are supported and protectedby those they serve. For, though these wretches are nominally amenableto the civil law, or to be brought before the king, few, even of theboldest of their victims, care to risk the after vengeance that theyknow would overtake them as the consequence.
"It was these miscreants that the king had in his mind when he insistedupon giving us an escort during our sojourn here. And, though ourfirearms are undoubtedly our best protection, still, as has beenpointed out to us, we have made enemies who are treacherous andrelentless, with fanatical adherents, who mingle with the people andmight stab one of us in the back without warning, were they allowed theopportunity of coming near us in the guise of ordinary well-disposed orcurious citizens. We have thought it, therefore, only prudent to acceptthe proffered guard.
"Of the 'White Brotherhood' one hears little. Sanaima, their chief, isreputed to be an upright, well-disposed man, who would, if he had hisway, assist the king to put an end to the domination of the other sectand its human sacrifices and other evils and abominations; but they donot seem to have the power, or, if they have, they lack the resolutionto take any decided or practical steps to shake off the tyranny ofCoryon. Nor could it be done without plunging the country into a civilconflict that might last indefinitely and be productive of almostendless suffering; and the king, as a kind-hearted man, shrinks fromprecipitating such a calamity. So Sanaima shuts himself up in his owndomain and gives himself up, it is understood, to abstruse study.
"Turning to another noteworthy and surprising thing--the fact thatthese people are acquainted with electricity and the electriclight--it seems that they collect and store it underground in someway I do not yet understand. But upon all high rocks are placed metalrods--lightning rods, in fact--and it is asserted that at all times,day and night, but more particularly when there are clouds aroundthe mountain, a constant stream of electricity passes down the rodsand is retained and stored in insulated receptacles constructed forthe purpose underground. The effect of this arrangement is thatthunderstorms are unknown here. The armature of lightning rods drawsoff all the electricity from the surrounding atmosphere; and, thoughthunderstorms are often witnessed in the distance--playing round othermountains, for instance--yet they never burst over Manoa or Myrlanda.
"On this mountain--Roraima, as we call it--a name, by the way, entirelyunknown to the inhabitants--the city of Manoa and its lake stand atone end of the great basin that lies within the summit. All around areterraces of rock rising, one behind the other, till they end in highwooded crags that form, in fact, the edge of the summit as seen fromoutside. Down these crags or cliffs pour numerous cascades that findtheir way, eventually, into the lake; whence they issue again as thegreat waterfalls that tumble from the summit--or near it--to the baseof the mountain. For though, from a distance, these falls seem to startfrom almost the very summit, they, in reality, burst out from the levelof the lake, more than a hundred feet lower than the highest rocks uponthe top of the mountain.
"The rest of the top--apart from the lake and city--is a country ofhill and dale, rocks and woods, very picturesque, and forming, inplaces, minor basins, or vales, of considerable extent and beauty,quite shut off from one another. I estimate the total extent roughlyat a hundred square miles; but I believe Myrlanda covers nearly twohundred.
"None of the land in Manoa is given up to cultivation, save in theform of gardens, or orchards, and groves of fruit-bearing trees. Thelower rocky terraces around the lake are beautifully laid out in thisway. Here, are cultivated fruits of every kind. The trees are plantedin such a way as to form shady walks and resting-places; beneath themare seats and fountains that are always playing, fed by the streamsthat rush down at intervals towards the lake. And across these streamsare numerous bridges; some, where the torrents open out on approachingthe lake, are necessarily of considerable width; those on the terracesabove are small rustic structures--but all are ornamental, and some ofexquisite design. Around the terraces flowers grow in profusion, partlywild and partly cultivated. Wonderful orchids, gloxinias, begonias;orange-groves covered with flowers and fruit; and gardenias with theirdeliciously scented blossoms; with many others that I have
never seenbefore and have not yet learned the names of.
"The cereal and other crops required are grown in Myrlanda, which isprincipally devoted to agriculture; there also there are numbers ofgoats, and a kind of sheep, and large quantities of fowls. Pumas, whichare kept as pets in Manoa, are not allowed in Myrlanda, for they wouldplay sad havoc amongst the flocks and poultry; though, probably, theylive upon them all the same; for the Manoans, being vegetarians, nevereat meat, but give the flesh of their animals to their pets. The latterinclude cats, of which there are large numbers; some of most curiouskinds. These two animals, between them, it is said--the puma and thecat--have cleared the land of all wild animals, including serpents; forthere is no more deadly enemy of serpents--even venomous ones--than thecat; and the puma will attack and overcome larger non-venomous snakes.
"No one, to see these latter great animals playing continually withthe children of their masters--as may be witnessed here all daylong--would think they were naturally of such bloodthirsty instincts.It has been said of pumas that, with the possible exception of somekinds of monkeys, they are the most playful animals in existence. Onecan certainly see ample evidence of this in Manoa, for the creatures,whether large or small, old or young, seem ever ready to start a gameof romps with whomever they can get to indulge them--whether littlefolk or their grown-up elders.
"The large swans that swim about on the lake, though very tame,can scarcely be regarded as pets, though they are frequently to beseen docilely drawing a small boat about; or a team of them will beharnessed to a vessel of larger size. They get their own livingamong the fish in the lake, and seem able to hold their own with thepumas. I am told that this comes about from the fact that the youngpumas, being often foolish enough to attack them in the water, meetwith such treatment that--if they succeed in escaping drowning--theyever afterward leave the birds alone. These swans make their nests andrear their young on some islands that lie out near the centre of thelake. Often, towards night, when the sun has perhaps set for the dayon the lake and the country surrounding it, these birds may be seen insmall flocks circling and whirling in the air, and presenting a verybeautiful sight as they rise out of the shadow, and the rays of thesetting sun light up their plumage. These are undoubtedly the 'whiteeagles' that are asserted by the Indians to be the 'guardians of thelake' on the top of Roraima.
"Myrlanda is honeycombed with mines, but hardly any are at presentworked, the demand for their products having practically ceased; andsuch large stocks have accumulated from former workings that I am toldthey are not likely to be reopened for many years. So far, I have onlypartially inspected the museums. They are more surprising than eventhe people, for they speak plainly of a wonderful past history. Hereare many strange inventions and machines, the very meaning and use ofwhich are now but a matter of conjecture. They contain, too, standsof arms--spears, javelins, swords, daggers, shields, bows and arrows,etc., as well as suits of beautifully wrought chain armour--sufficientto fit out a small army. Most of these are mounted in gold, and manyare ornamented with jewels. All are kept bright and in admirable order.
"The statues are surprising specimens of art, as are the bas-reliefswith which most of the buildings are embellished. Yet there are now nosculptors here, nor any painters. There are potters, but their work isinferior to specimens preserved in the museums. In many other branchesof manufacture, also, the artificers of to-day are evidently unskilfulas compared with those of former times.
"In the museums are also preserved manuscripts of great antiquity,and interesting as throwing light on the past history of the nation.Many of the nobles and chief people can write and read; but, printingbeing unknown, their opportunities of keeping up such accomplishmentsare necessarily very limited. The materials used for dress are mostlysilk--obtained from silkworms--wool, and linen; the last being obtainedfrom a fibre resembling flax. In the manufacture of these materialsinto fabrics the Manoans are particularly skilful; especially inworking or embroidering upon them all kinds of new and quaint designs.Their boats, too, that float about the lake, are exquisite models; sothat one can quite believe that the nation was once, as they declare, amaritime people, with fleets of ships, or, at least, large vessels ofsome kind. In the museums, by way of confirmation, are pictures--verycleverly executed works--of naval battles; and, in these, large vesselswith two and three masts are represented.
"It is worthy of remark that in all these pictures representingbattle-pieces--and these are many--none but white people are depicted.That different races intermingled in the fighting is indubitable; butthe difference consists in dress and other details; not in the colourof their skins.
"It is a tradition of the Manoans that they formerly ruled over 'thewhole world.' This may be taken to imply either the whole continent ofAmerica, or a large portion of it; but they knew nothing, formerly, ofblack or red races; and their archives bear this out--their pictures,perhaps, more forcibly than anything else.
"As regards the buildings, their architectural magnificence isundeniable--almost, indeed, defies description. On many structures goldhas been freely employed in the roofing, and for other purposes wherewe should employ lead or iron. They say the gold came chiefly fromMyrlanda, and certain neighbouring 'islands'--_i.e._, mountains--fromwhich they are now isolated. Gold cornices, and embellishments, ofevery conceivable shape and form, are commonly used for outsidedecorations; the very conduits to carry off water being often of goldor an amalgam consisting largely of that metal, and wrought intoelaborate designs. Indeed, both iron and tin--and lead also--seem tohave been much more sparingly employed than gold and silver. Iron seemsto have been used only where extra strength and weight were required,and, in the form of steel, for weapons, or for common utensils, tools,etc.; and of copper there is very little anywhere to be seen. Silver,even, is less common in heavy decorative metal work than is solid gold.
"Thus the tales that Sir Walter Raleigh heard of the splendours of theancient city of Manoa--or El Dorado--and that for many hundreds ofyears since have been regarded as fables, appear to have been based,after all, upon actual fact."