Chapter XIII. Oro Speaks and Bastin Argues
The reader of what I have written, should there ever be such a person,may find the record marvelous, and therefore rashly conclude thatbecause it is beyond experience, it could not be. It is not a wisededuction, as I think Bickley would admit today, because without doubtmany things are which surpass our extremely limited experience. However,those who draw the veil from the Unknown and reveal the New, must expectincredulity, and accept it without grumbling. Was that not the fate,for instance, of those who in the Middle Ages, a few hundred yearsago, discovered, or rather rediscovered the mighty movements of thoseconstellations which served Oro for an almanac?
But the point I want to make is that if the sceptic plays a Bickleyanpart as regards what has been written, it seems probable that hisattitude will be accentuated as regards that which it still remains forme to write. If so, I cannot help it, and must decline entirely to waterdown or doctor facts and thus pander to his prejudice and ignorance. Formy part I cannot attempt to explain these occurrences; I only know thatthey happened and that I set down what I saw, heard and felt, neithermore nor less.
Immediately after Oro had triumphantly vindicated his stellarcalculations he turned and departed into the cave, followed by hisdaughter, waving to us to remain where we were. As she passed us,however, the Glittering Lady whispered--this time to Bastin--that hewould see them again in a few hours, adding:
"We have much to learn and I hope that then you who, I understand, are apriest, will begin to teach us of your religion and other matters."
Bastin was so astonished that he could make no reply, but when they hadgone he said:
"Which of you told her that I was a priest?"
We shook our heads for neither of us could remember having done so.
"Well, I did not," continued Bastin, "since at present I have foundno opportunity of saying a word in season. So I suppose she must havegathered it from my attire, though as a matter of fact I haven't beenwearing a collar, and those men who wanted to cook me, pulled off mywhite tie and I didn't think it worth while dirtying a clean one."
"If," said Bickley, "you imagine that you look like the minister ofany religion ancient or modern in a grubby flannel shirt, a batteredsun-helmet, a torn green and white umbrella and a pair of ragged ducktrousers, you are mistaken, Bastin, that is all."
"I admit that the costume is not appropriate, Bickley, but how otherwisecould she have learned the truth?"
"These people seem to have ways of learning a good many things. Butin your case, Bastin, the cause is clear enough. You have been walkingabout with the head of that idol and always keep it close to you. Nodoubt they believe that you are a priest of the worship of the god ofthe Grove--Baal, you know, or something of that sort."
When he heard this Bastin's face became a perfect picture. Never beforedid I see it so full of horror struggling with indignation.
"I must undeceive them without a moment's delay," he said, and wasstarting for the cave when we caught his arms and held him.
"Better wait till they come back, old fellow," I said, laughing. "Ifyou disobey that Lord Oro you may meet with another experience in thesacrifice line."
"Perhaps you are right, Arbuthnot. I will occupy the interval inpreparing a suitable address."
"Much better occupy it in preparing breakfast," said Bickley. "I havealways noticed that you are at your best extempore."
In the end he did prepare breakfast though in a distrait fashion; indeedI found him beginning to make tea in the frying-pan. Bastin feltthat his opportunity had arrived, and was making ready to rise to theoccasion.
Also we felt, all three of us, that we were extremely shabby-lookingobjects, and though none of us said so, each did his best to improvehis personal appearance. First of all Bickley cut Bastin's and my hair,after which I did him the same service. Then Bickley who was normallyclean shaven, set to work to remove a beard of about a week's growth,and I who wore one of the pointed variety, trimmed up mine as best Icould with the help of a hand-glass. Bastin, too, performed on his whichwas of the square and rather ragged type, wisely rejecting Bickley'sadvice to shave it off altogether, offered, I felt convinced, becausehe felt that the result on Bastin would be too hideous for words. Afterthis we cut our nails, cleaned our teeth and bathed; I even caughtBickley applying hair tonic from his dressing case in secret, behind aprojecting rock, and borrowed some myself. He gave it me on conditionthat I did not mention its existence to Bastin who, he remarked, wouldcertainly use the lot and make himself smell horrible.
Next we found clean ducks among our store of spare clothes, for theOrofenans had brought these with our other possessions, and put them on,even adding silk cumberbunds and neckties. My tie I fastened with a pinthat I had obtained in Egypt. It was a tiny gold statuette of very fineand early workmanship, of the god Osiris, wearing the crown of the UpperLand with the uraeus crest, and holding in his hands, which projectedfrom the mummy wrappings, the emblems of the crook, the scourge and thecrux ansata, or Sign of Life.
Bastin, for his part, arrayed himself in full clerical costume, blackcoat and trousers, white tie and stick-up clergyman's collar which,as he remarked, made him feel extremely hot in that climate, and wereunsuitable to domestic duties, such as washing-up. I offered to hold hiscoat while he did this office and told him he looked very nice indeed.
"Beautiful!" remarked Bickley, "but why don't you put on your surpliceand biretta?" (Being very High-Church Bastin did wear a biretta onfestival Sundays at home.) "There would be no mistake about you then."
"I do not think it would be suitable," replied Bastin whose sense ofhumour was undeveloped. "There is no service to be performed at presentand no church, though perhaps that cave--" and he stopped.
When we had finished these vain adornments and Bastin had put away thethings and tidied up, we sat down, rather at a loose end. We should haveliked to walk but refrained from doing so for fear lest we might dirtyour clean clothes. So we just sat and thought. At least Bickley thought,and so did I for a while until I gave it up. What was the use ofthinking, seeing that we were face to face with circumstances whichbaffled reason and beggared all recorded human experience? What Bastindid I am sure I do not know, but I think from the expression of hiscountenance that he was engaged in composing sermons for the benefit ofOro and the Glittering Lady.
One diversion we did have. About eleven o'clock a canoe came from themain island laden with provisions and paddled by Marama and two of hispeople. We seized our weapons, remembering our experiences of the night,but Marama waved a bough in token of peace. So, carrying our revolvers,we went to the rock edge to meet him. He crept ashore and, chief thoughhe was, prostrated himself upon his face before us, which told me thathe had heard of the fate of the sorcerers. His apologies were abject. Heexplained that he had no part in the outrage of the attack, and besoughtus to intercede on behalf of him and his people with the awakened god ofthe Mountain whom he looked for with a terrified air.
We consoled him as well as we could, and told him that he had best begone before the god of the Mountain appeared, and perhaps treated him ashe had done the sorcerers. In his name, however, we commanded Marama tobring materials and build us a proper house upon the rock, also to besure to keep up a regular and ample supply of provisions. If he didthese things, and anything else we might from time to time command,we said that perhaps his life and those of his people would be spared.This, however, after the evil behaviour of some of them of course wecould not guarantee.
Marama departed so thoroughly frightened that he even forgot to make anyinquiries as to who this god of the Mountain might be, or where he camefrom, or whither he was going. Of course, the place had been sacredamong his people from the beginning, whenever that may have been, butthat its sacredness should materialise into an active god who broughtsorcerers of the highest reputation to a most unpleasant end, justbecause they wished to translate their preaching into practice, wasanother matter. It was not to be explained even by the fac
t of which hehimself had informed me, that during the dreadful storm of some monthsbefore, the cave mouth which previously was not visible on the volcano,had suddenly been lifted up above the level of the Rock of Offerings,although, of course, all religious and instructed persons would haveexpected something peculiar to happen after this event.
Such I knew were his thoughts, but, as I have said, he was toofrightened and too hurried to express them in questions that I shouldhave found it extremely difficult to answer. As it was he departedquite uncertain as to whether one of us was not the real "god of theMountain," who had power to bring hideous death upon his molesters.After all, what had he to go on to the contrary, except the word ofthree priests who were so terrified that they could give no coherentaccount of what had happened? Of these events, it was true, there wasevidence in the twisted carcass of their lamented high sorcerer, and,for the matter of that, of certain corpses which he had seen, that layin shallow water at the bottom of the lake. Beyond all was vague, and inhis heart I am sure that Marama believed that Bastin was the real "godof the Mountain." Naturally, he would desire to work vengeance on thosewho tried to sacrifice and eat him. Moreover, had he not destroyed theimage of the god of the Grove and borne away its head whence he hadsucked magic and power?
Thus argued Marama, disbelieving the tale of the frightened sorcerers,for he admitted as much to me in after days.
Marama departed in a great hurry, fearing lest the "god of theMountain," or Bastin, whose new and splendid garb he regarded with muchsuspicion, might develop some evil energy against him. Then we went backto our camp, leaving the industrious Bastin, animated by a suggestionfrom Bickley that the fruit and food might spoil if left in the sun,to carry it into the shade of the cave. Owing to the terrors of theOrofenans the supply was so large that to do this he must make no fewerthan seven journeys, which he did with great good will since Bastinloved physical exercise. The result on his clerical garments, however,was disastrous. His white tie went awry, squashed fruit and roast piggravy ran down his waistcoat and trousers, and his high collar meltedinto limp crinkles in the moisture engendered by the tropical heat. Onlyhis long coat escaped, since that Bickley kindly carried for him.
It was just as he arrived with the seventh load in this extremelydishevelled condition that Oro and his daughter emerged from the cave.Indeed Bastin, who, being shortsighted, always wore spectacles that,owing to his heated state were covered with mist, not seeing thatdignitary, dumped down the last basket on to his toes, exclaiming:
"There, you lazy beggar, I told you I would bring it all, and I have."
In fact he thought he was addressing Bickley and playing off on him atroglodytic practical joke.
Oro, however, who at his age did not appreciate jokes, resented it andwas about to do something unpleasant when with extraordinary tact hisdaughter remarked:
"Bastin the priest makes you offerings. Thank him, O Lord my father."
So Oro thanked him, not too cordially for evidently he still had feelingin his toes, and once more Bastin escaped. Becoming aware of his error,he began to apologise profusely in English, while the lady Yva studiedhim carefully.
"Is that the costume of the priests of your religion, O Bastin?" sheasked, surveying his dishevelled form. "If so, you were better withoutit."
Then Bastin retired to straighten his tie, and grabbing his coatfrom Bickley, who handed it to him with a malicious smile, forced hisperspiring arms into it in a peculiarly awkward and elephantine fashion.
Meanwhile Bickley and I produced two camp chairs which we had madeready, and on these the wondrous pair seated themselves side by side.
"We have come to learn," said Oro. "Teach!"
"Not so, Father," interrupted Yva, who, I noted, was clothed in yet athird costume, though whence these came I could not imagine. "First Iwould ask a question. Whence are you, Strangers, and how came you here?"
"We are from the country called England and a great storm shipwrecked ushere; that, I think, which raised the mouth of the cave above the levelof this rock," I answered.
"The time appointed having come when it should be raised," said Oro asthough to himself.
"Where is England?" asked Yva.
Now among the books we had with us was a pocket atlas, quite a good oneof its sort. By way of answer I opened it at the map of the world andshowed her England. Also I showed, to within a thousand miles or so,that spot on the earth's surface where we spoke together.
The sight of this atlas excited the pair greatly. They had not theslightest difficulty in understanding everything about it and the shapeof the world with its division into hemispheres seemed to be quitefamiliar to them. What appeared chiefly to interest them, and especiallyOro, were the relative areas and positions of land and sea.
"Of this, Strangers," he said, pointing to the map, "I shall have muchto say to you when I have studied the pictures of your book and comparedthem with others of my own."
"So he has got maps," said Bickley in English, "as well as star charts.I wonder where he keeps them."
"With his clothes, I expect," suggested Bastin.
Meanwhile Oro had hidden the atlas in his ample robe and motioned to hisdaughter to proceed.
"Why do you come here from England so far away?" the Lady Yva asked, aquestion to which each of us had an answer.
"To see new countries," I said.
"Because the cyclone brought us," said Bickley.
"To convert the heathen to my own Christian religion," said Bastin,which was not strictly true.
It was on this last reply that she fixed.
"What does your religion teach?" she asked.
"It teaches that those who accept it and obey its commands will liveagain after death for ever in a better world where is neither sorrow norsin," he answered.
When he heard this saying I saw Oro start as though struck by a newthought and look at Bastin with a curious intentness.
"Who are the heathen?" Yva asked again after a pause, for she alsoseemed to be impressed.
"All who do not agree with Bastin's spiritual views," answered Bickley.
"Those who, whether from lack of instruction or from hardness of heart,do not follow the true faith. For instance, I suppose that your fatherand you are heathen," replied Bastin stoutly.
This seemed to astonish them, but presently Yva caught his meaning andsmiled, while Oro said:
"Of this great matter of faith we will talk later. It is an old questionin the world."
"Why," went on Yva, "if you wished to travel so far did you come in aship that so easily is wrecked? Why did you not journey through the air,or better still, pass through space, leaving your bodies asleep, as,being instructed, doubtless you can do?"
"As regards your first question," I answered, "there are no aircraftknown that can make so long a journey."
"And as regards the second," broke in Bickley, "we did not do so becauseit is impossible for men to transfer themselves to other places throughspace either with or without their bodies."
At this information the Glittering Lady lifted her arched eyebrows andsmiled a little, while Oro said:
"I perceive that the new world has advanced but a little way on the roadof knowledge."
Fearing that Bastin was about to commence an argument, I began to askquestions in my turn.
"Lord Oro and Lady Yva," I said, "we have told you something ofourselves and will tell you more when you desire it. But pardon us iffirst we pray you to tell us what we burn to know. Who are you? Of whatrace and country? And how came it that we found you sleeping yonder?"
"If it be your pleasure, answer, my Father," said Yva.
Oro thought a moment, then replied in a calm voice:
"I am a king who once ruled most of the world as it was in my day,though it is true that much of it rebelled against me, my councillorsand servants. Therefore I destroyed the world as it was then, save onlycertain portions whence life might spread to the new countries that Iraised up. Having done this I put myself and my dau
ghter to sleep for aspace of two hundred and fifty thousand years, that there might be timefor fresh civilisations to arise. Now I begin to think that I did notallot a sufficiency of ages, since I perceive from what you tell me,that the learning of the new races is as yet but small."
Bickley and I looked at each other and were silent. Mentally we hadcollapsed. Who could begin to discuss statements built upon such afoundation of gigantic and paralysing falsehoods?
Well, Bastin could for one. With no more surprise in his voice than ifhe were talking about last night's dinner, he said:
"There must be a mistake somewhere, or perhaps I misunderstand you. Itis obvious that you, being a man, could not have destroyed the world.That could only be done by the Power which made it and you."
I trembled for the results of Bastin's methods of setting out the truth.To my astonishment, however, Oro replied:
"You speak wisely, Priest, but the Power you name may use instruments toaccomplish its decrees. I am such an instrument."
"Quite so," said Bastin, "just like anybody else. You have moreknowledge of the truth than I thought. But pray, how did you destroy theworld?"
"Using my wisdom to direct the forces that are at work in the heart ofthis great globe, I drowned it with a deluge, causing one part to sinkand another to rise, also changes of climate which completed the work."
"That's quite right," exclaimed Bastin delightedly. "We know all aboutthe Deluge, only you are not mentioned in connection with the matter. Aman, Noah, had to do with it when he was six hundred years old."
"Six hundred?" said Oro. "That is not very old. I myself had seen morethan a thousand years when I lay down to sleep."
"A thousand!" remarked Bastin, mildly interested. "That is unusual,though some of these mighty men of renown we know lived over ninehundred."
Here Bickley snorted and exclaimed:
"Nine hundred moons, he means."
"I did not know Noah," went on Oro. "Perhaps he lived after my time andcaused some other local deluge. Is there anything else you wish to askme before I leave you that I may study this map writing?"
"Yes," said Bastin. "Why were you allowed to drown your world?"
"Because it was evil, Priest, and disobeyed me and the Power I serve."
"Oh! thank you," said Bastin, "that fits in exactly. It was just thesame in Noah's time."
"I pray that it is not just the same now," said Oro, rising. "To-morrowwe will return, or if I do not who have much that I must do, the lady mydaughter will return and speak with you further."
He departed into the cave, Yva following at a little distance.
I accompanied her as far as the mouth of the cave, as did Tommy, whoall this time had been sitting contentedly upon the hem of her gorgeousrobe, quite careless of its immemorial age, if it was immemorial and notwoven yesterday, a point on which I had no information.
"Lady Yva," I said, "did I rightly understand the Lord Oro to say thathe was a thousand years old?"
"Yes, O Humphrey, and really he is more, or so I think."
"Then are you a thousand years old also?" I asked, aghast.
"No, no," she replied, shaking her head, "I am young, quite young, for Ido not count my time of sleep."
"Certainly you look it," I said. "But what, Lady Yva, do you mean byyoung?"
She answered my question by another.
"What age are your women when they are as I am?"
"None of our women were ever quite like you, Lady Yva. Yet, say fromtwenty-five to thirty years of age."
"Ah! I have been counting and now I remember. When my father sent me tosleep I was twenty-seven years old. No, I will not deceive you, I wastwenty-seven years and three moons." Then, saying something to theeffect that she would return, she departed, laughing a little in amischievous way, and, although I did not observe this till afterwards,Tommy departed with her.
When I repeated what she had said to Bastin and Bickley, who werestanding at a distance straining their ears and somewhat aggrieved, theformer remarked:
"If she is twenty-seven her father must have married late in life,though of course it may have been a long while before he had children."
Then Bickley, who had been suppressing himself all this while, went offlike a bomb.
"Do you tell us, Bastin," he asked, "that you believe one word ofall this ghastly rubbish? I mean as to that antique charlatan being athousand years old and having caused the Flood and the rest?"
"If you ask me, Bickley, I see no particular reason to doubt it atpresent. A person who can go to sleep in a glass coffin kept warm bya pocketful of radium together with very accurate maps of theconstellations at the time he wakes up, can, I imagine, do most things."
"Even cause the Deluge," jeered Bickley.
"I don't know about the Deluge, but perhaps he may have been permittedto cause a deluge. Why not? You can't look at things from far enoughoff, Bickley. And if something seems big to you, you conclude thattherefore it is impossible. The same Power which gives you skill tosucceed in an operation, that hitherto was held impracticable, as I knowyou have done once or twice, may have given that old fellow power tocause a deluge. You should measure the universe and its possibilities byworlds and not by acres, Bickley."
"And believe, I suppose, that a man can live a thousand years, whereaswe know well that he cannot live more than about a hundred."
"You don't know anything of the sort, Bickley. All you know is thatover the brief period of history with which we are acquainted, say tenthousand years at most, men have only lived to about a hundred. But thevery rocks which you are so fond of talking about, tell us that eventhis planet is millions upon millions of years of age. Who knows thenbut that at some time in its history, men did not live for a thousandyears, and that lost civilisations did not exist of which this Oro andhis daughter may be two survivors?"
"There is no proof of anything of the sort," said Bickley.
"I don't know about proof, as you understand it, though I have read inPlato of a continent called Atlantis that was submerged, according tothe story of old Egyptian priests. But personally I have every proof,for it is all written down in the Bible at which you turn tip your nose,and I am very glad that I have been lucky enough to come across thisunexpected confirmation of the story. Not that it matters much, since Ishould have learned all about it when it pleases Providence to remove meto a better world, which in our circumstances may happen any day. Now Imust change my clothes before I see to the cooking and other things."
"I am bound to admit," said Bickley, looking after him, "that old Bastinis not so stupid as he seems. From his point of view the arguments headvances are quite logical. Moreover I think he is right when he saysthat we look at things through the wrong end of the telescope. After allthe universe is very big and who knows what may happen there? Who knowseven what may have happened on this little earth during the aeons of itsexistence, whenever its balance chanced to shift, as the Ice Ages showus it has often done? Still I believe that old Oro to be a Prince ofLiars."
"That remains to be proved," I answered cautiously. "All I know is thathe is a wonderfully learned person of most remarkable appearance, andthat his daughter is the loveliest creature I ever saw."
"There I agree," said Bickley decidedly, "and as brilliant as she islovely. If she belongs to a past civilisation, it is a pity that it everbecame extinct. Now let's go and have a nap. Bastin will call us whensupper is ready."
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