CHAPTER XXV
THE SACRIFICE AFTER THE NEW ORDER
The third day came, the day of sacrifice after the new order. Nothingparticular had happened in the interval: Leonard and Francisco took somewalks through the city, guarded by Peter and the Settlement men; thatwas all.
They did not see much there, except the exteriors of the houses built ofstone and roofed with turves, and the cold stare of curiosity with whichthey were followed by hundreds of eyes gave them a sense of unrest thateffectually checked their efforts at closer examination. Once indeedthey halted in the market-place, which was thronged; whereon allbusiness ceased, and seller, buyer, herdsmen, and presiding priestsflocked around staring at them, half in fear and half in curiosity, forthey had never seen white men before. This they could not bear, so theyreturned to the palace.
Of course Otter and Juanna, being divine, were not allowed to indulge insuch recreations. They were gods and must live up to their reputation.For one day Otter endured it; on the second, in spite of Leonard'swarnings, he sought refuge in the society of the bridge Saga. Thiswas the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his _valet dechambre_, much less can he remain a god for long in the eyes of acurious woman. Here, as in other matters, familiarity breeds contempt.
Leonard saw these dangers and spoke seriously to the dwarf on thesubject. Still he could not conceal from himself that, putting aside thequestion of his _ennui_, which made his conduct natural, at any rate ina savage, Otter's position was a difficult one. So Leonard shruggedhis shoulders and consoled himself as best he could with the reflectionthat, at least, his wife would teach the dwarf something of herlanguage, which, by the way, he himself was practising assiduously underthe tuition of Juanna and Soa.
At noon the party adjourned to the temple, escorted by a bevy of priestsand soldiers, for in obedience to Juanna's commands the feast was tobe celebrated in the daytime and not at night. As before, the vastamphitheatre was crowded with thousands of human beings, but there was adifference in the arrangements.
Juanna and Otter had declined to occupy their lofty thrones, and satin chairs at the feet of the huge and hideous stone idol, almost onthe edge of the pool, Nam alone standing before them, while Leonard,Francisco, and the Settlement men ranged themselves on either side. Theday was cold and miserable, and snow fell from time to time in largeflakes from an ashen sky.
Presently Nam addressed the multitude.
"People of the Mist," he cried, "ye are gathered here to celebrate thefeast of Jal, according to ancient custom, but the gods have comeback to you, as ye know, and the gods in their wisdom have changed thecustom. Fifty women were prepared for the sacrifice; this morning theyrose rejoicing, deeming that they were destined to the Snake, but nowtheir joy is turned to sorrow, since the gods will not accept them,having chosen a new offering for themselves. Let it be brought forward."
At his word lads appeared from behind the idol, driving two lean bulls,and with them a pair of he-goats.
Whether by accident or design, they drove them so unskilfully that theanimals blundered hither and thither over the rocky platform till theywere finally despatched with blows from clubs and axes--that is, exceptone goat, which, escaping its pursuers, rushed down the amphitheatre andscrambled from seat to seat among the audience, uttering a succession ofterrified "baa's." Indeed the scene was so comic that even that sombreand silent people began to laugh, accustomed as they were on theseoccasions to the hideous and impressive ceremonial of the midnightsacrifice of so many human beings.
The ancient feast was a fiasco; this was a fact which could not beconcealed.
"Begone, ye People of the Mist," said Nam presently, pointing to thedead animals. "The sacrifice is sacrificed, the festival of Jal isdone. May the Mother plead with the Snake that the sun may shine andfruitfulness bless the land!"
Now scarcely ten minutes had elapsed since the beginning of theceremony, which in the ordinary course of events lasted through thegreater part of the night, for it was the custom to slaughtereach victim singly and with appropriate solemnities. A murmur ofdisapprobation arose from the far end of the amphitheatre, that swelledgradually to a roar. The people had been thankful to accept Juanna'smessage of peace, but, brutalised as they were by the continual sightof bloodshed, they were not willing to dispense with their carnivalsof human sacrifice. A Roman audience gathered to witness a gladiatorialshow, to find themselves treated instead to a donkey-race and acock-fight, could scarcely have shown more fury.
"Bring out the women! Let the victims be offered up to Jal as of old,"the multitude yelled in their rage, and ten minutes or more elapsedbefore they could be quieted.
Then Nam addressed them cunningly.
"People of the Mist," he said, "the gods have given us a new law, a lawof the sacrifice of oxen and goats in the place of men and maids, and yeyourselves have welcomed that law. No longer shall the blood of victimsflow to Jal beneath the white rays of the moon while the chant of hisservants goes up to heaven. Nay, henceforth this holy place must be ashambles for the kine. So be it, my children; in my old age I hear thegods speaking in an altered voice and I obey them. It is nothing tome who am about to die, yet I tell you that rather would I myself bestretched upon the ancient stone than see the worship of our forefathersthus turned into a mockery. The sacrifice is sacrificed: now may theMaid intercede with the Snake that plenty may bless the land." And hesmiled satirically and turned away.
Those of the audience who were near enough to hear his words cried themout to the ranks behind them, and when all understood there followed ascene of most indescribable tumult.
"Blood, give us blood!" roared the populace, their fierce faces alightwith rage. "Shall we be mocked with the sacrifice of goats? Offer up theservants of the false gods. Give us blood! Lead forth the victims!"
In the midst of this uproar Juanna, clad in her white robes and with thered stone bound upon her brow, rose from her seat to speak.
"Silence!" cried Nam, "hear the voice of Aca;" and by degrees theshouting died away, and she spoke.
"Do ye dare thus to offer outrages to the gods?" she cried. "Be warnedlest we bring death and famine upon you all. Men shall be offered up tous no more. I have spoken."
For a while there was silence, then the clamour broke out with redoubledviolence, and a portion of the multitude made a rush round the edge ofthe pool towards the rock platform, which was repelled by the soldiersin a very half-hearted way.
"Now," said Olfan, "I think that these will do well to be going," andhe pointed to Leonard, Francisco, and the Settlement men. "Doubtless thegods can defend themselves, but if the others do not fly this is sure,that presently they will be torn to pieces."
"Let us all go," said Juanna, whose nerve began to fail her; and suitingthe action to the word she led the way towards the rock tunnel, followedby the others.
They were not allowed to reach it unmolested, however, for a number ofthe crowd, headed, as Leonard noticed, by two priests, forced their waythrough the cordon of guards and became mixed with the rear of theirlittle party, the members of which they threatened and struck atsavagely. This happened just as they were entering the mouth of thetunnel, behind the statue where the gloom was great.
This tunnel was protected by a door, which, so soon as they thought thatall had passed, Olfan and Leonard made haste to close, leaving the mobhowling without. Then they pressed on to the palace, which they reachedin safety, Olfan remaining behind, however, to watch the movements ofthe mob.
"Oh! why would not you suffer them to sacrifice according to theirwicked custom, Shepherdess?" said Otter. "What does it matter if theykill each other? So shall there be fewer of them. Now the end of it mustbe that the devils will find us out and murder us."
"No, no," said Francisco, "the senora was right. Let us trust inProvidence and keep ourselves clean from such iniquity."
As he spoke the roars of wrath in the distance changed to a shout oftriumph followed by silence.
"What is that?" said Juanna
faintly. At this moment Olfan pushed thecurtains aside and entered, and his face was heavy.
"Speak, Olfan," she said.
"The people sacrifice as of old, Queen," he answered. "All of us did notpass the gate; two of your black servants were mixed up with the crowdand left, and now they offer them to Jal, and others with them."
Leonard ran to the yard and counted the Settlement men, who were huddledtogether in their fear, staring towards the temple through the bars ofthe gate. Two were missing.
As he returned he met Olfan coming out.
"Where is he going?" he asked of Juanna.
"To guard the gates. He says that he cannot be sure of the soldiers. Isit true about the Settlement men?"
"Alas! yes. Two are gone."
She hid her face in her hands and shuddered.
"Poor creatures!" she said presently in a hoarse voice. "Why did weever bring them here? Oh! Leonard, is there no escape from this land ofdemons?"
"I hope so," he answered; then added, "Come, Juanna, do not give way.Things look so bad that they are sure to mend."
"There is need of it," she sobbed.
All that evening and night they watched, hourly expecting to be attackedand dragged forth to sacrifice, but no attack was made. Indeed, onthe morrow they learnt from Olfan that the people had dispersed aftersacrificing about a score of human beings, and that quiet reigned in thecity.
Now began the most dreadful of their trials, and the longest, for itendured five whole weeks. As has been said, the climate of thesevast upland plains, backed by snow-clad mountains, that are thedwelling-place of the People of the Mist, is cold during the wintermonths to the verge of severity. But at a certain period of a year,almost invariably within a day or two of the celebration of the feastof Jal, the mists and frost vanish and warm weather sets in with brightsunshine.
This is the season of the sowing of crops, and upon the climaticconditions of the few following weeks depends the yield of the harvest.Should the spring be delayed even a week or two, a short crop wouldcertainly result, but if its arrival is postponed for a month, it meanssomething like a famine during the following winter. For although thispeople dwell on high lands they cultivate the same sorts of grain whichare common in these latitudes, namely maize and sundry varieties ofKaffir corn, having no knowledge of wheat and the other hardy cereals.Therefore, it is all important to them that the corn should have a fairstart, for if the autumn frosts catch it before it is fit to harvest thegreat proportion of the crop turns black and is rendered useless.
These agricultural details had no small bearing upon the fate of ouradventurers. The feast of Jal was celebrated in order to secure agood seed-bed and springing time for the grain. Juanna and Otter hadabolished the hideous ceremonies of that feast, and the People of theMist watched for the results with a gloomy and superstitious eye. If theseason proved more than ordinarily good, all might go well, but if itchanced to be bad----!
And, as was to be expected, seeing how much depended upon it, thisspring proved the very worst which any living man could remember in thatcountry. Day after day the face of the sun was hidden with mists thatonly yielded to the bitter winds which blew from the mountains at night,so that when the spring should have been a month old, the temperaturewas still that of mid-winter and the corn would not start at all.
Leonard and Juanna soon discovered what this meant for them, and neverwas the aspect of weather more anxiously scanned than by these two fromday to day. In vain; every morning the blanket of cold mist fell like acloud, blotting out the background of the mountains, and every night thebiting wind swept down upon them from the fields of snow, chilling themto the marrow.
This state of things--wretched enough it itself--was only one of manymiseries which afflicted them. Otter and Juanna were still treatedas gods indeed, and considerable respect was shown to Leonard andFrancisco, that is, within the walls of the palace. But if, wearied withthe monotony of their life, they went out, which they did twice onlyduring these five dreadful weeks, matters were different. Then theyfound themselves followed by a mob of men, women, and children, whoglared at them ferociously and cursed them aloud, asking what they hadtheir gods had done with the sunshine.
On the second occasion indeed they were forced to fly for their lives,and after this they gave up making the attempt to walk abroad, and satin the palace with Juanna and Otter, who of course never dared to leaveit.
It was a terrible life; there was nothing to do, nothing to read, andonly anxieties to think on. The greater part of the day Leonard andJuanna occupied in talking, for practice, in the language of the Peopleof the Mist. When their conversation was exhausted they told each othertales of their adventures in past years, or even invented stories likechildren and prisoners; indeed they were prisoners--prisoners, as theyfeared, under sentence of death.
They grew to know each other very well during those five weeks, so wellindeed that each could almost guess the other's thoughts. But no tenderword ever passed their lips. On this subject, whatever their heartsmight feel, their tongues were sealed, and in their curious perversitythe chief object of each was to disguise the truth from the other.Moreover, Leonard never for one moment forgot that Juanna was his ward,a fact that in itself would have sufficed to cause him to conceal anytender emotions he might have felt towards her.
So they lived side by side, lovers at heart, yet talking and acting asbrother and sister might, and through it all were still happy after afashion because they were together.
But Soa was not happy. She felt that her mistress no longer trusted her,and was at no loss to guess the cause. Day by day she stood behind themlike a mummy at an Egyptian feast, and watched Leonard with ever-growingjealousy.
Francisco for his part did not attempt to conceal his fears. He wascertain that they were about to perish and sought consolation in theconstant practice of religion, which was edifying but scarcely improvedhim as a companion. As for Otter, he also believed that the hour ofdeath was nigh, but being a fatalist this did not trouble him much. Onthe contrary, in spite of Leonard's remonstrances he began to live hard,betaking himself freely to the beer-pot. When Leonard remonstrated withhim he turned somewhat sulky.
"To-day I am a god, Baas," he answered, "to-morrow I may be carrion.While I am a god, let me drink and be merry. All my days also womenhave cursed me because I am ugly, but now my wife holds me great andbeautiful. What is the good of thinking and looking sad? The end willcome soon enough. Already Nam sharpens the knife for our hearts. Comeand be merry with me, Baas, if the Shepherdess will let you."
"Do you take me for a pig like yourself?" said Leonard angrily. "Well,go your own way, foolish that you are, but beware of the beer and thespirits. Now you are beginning to know this language, and when you aredrunk you talk, and do you think that there are no spies here? Thatgirl, Saga, is great-niece to Nam, and you are besotted with her. Becareful lest you bring us all to death."
"Thither we shall come any way, so let us laugh before we weep, Baas,"Otter replied sullenly. "Must I then sit here and do nothing till Idie?"
Leonard shrugged his shoulders and went. He could not blame the dwarf,who after all was a savage and looked at things as a savage would,notwithstanding Francisco's earnest efforts to convert him. He sometimeswished, so deep was his depression, that he also was a savage and coulddo likewise.
But the worst of their trials is still to be told. For the first weekthe Settlement men stayed in the palace, their fears and the rumoursthat had reached them of the terrible fate of their two lost companionskeeping them quiet. By degrees, however, this dread wore off, and oneafternoon, wearied with the sameness of their life, they yielded tothe solicitations of some men who spoke to them through the bars ofthe great gate, and went out in a body without obtaining Leonard'spermission. That night they returned drunk--at least ten of themdead; the other two were missing. When they were sober again, Leonardquestioned them as to the whereabouts of their companions, but theycould give him no satisfactory information. They had bee
n into varioushouses in the city, they said, where the people had plied them withbeer, and they remembered nothing more.
These two men never reappeared, but the rest of them, now thoroughlyfrightened, obeyed Leonard's orders and stayed in the palace, althoughthe decoy men still came frequently to the gates and called them. Theypassed the days in wandering about and drinking to drown their fears,and the nights huddled together for protection from an unseen foe, moreterrible and craftier than the leopard of their native rocks. But theseprecautions were all in vain.
One morning, hearing a tumult among them, Leonard went to see what wasthe matter. Three more of the Settlement men were missing; they hadvanished in the night, none could say how, vanished though the doorswere barred and guarded. There where they had slept lay their guns andlittle possessions, but the men were gone, leaving no trace. When hewas consulted Olfan looked very grave, but could throw no light upon themystery beyond suggesting that there were many secret passages in thepalace, of which the openings were known only to the priests, and thatpossibly the men had been let down them--terrible information enough forpeople in their position.
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