CHAPTER XII
CHALLENGED!
After many hours of profound and dreamless sleep, Allan awokefilled with fresh vigor for the tasks that lay ahead. His splendidvitality, quickly recuperating, calmed his mind; and now the problems,the anxieties and fears of the day before--to call it such, thoughthere was neither night nor day in this strange place--seemednegligible.
Only a certain haunting uneasiness about the girl still clung to him.But, sending her many a thought of love, he reflected that soon heshould be back again with her; and so, resolutely grasping the laborthat now awaited him, he felt fresh confidence and hope.
After a breakfast of the familiar sea-weeds, bulbs, fish and eggs, hebade Vreenya (who seemed devotion incarnate) summon the folk for agreat charweg, or tribal council, at the Place of Skeletons.
Here they gathered, men, women and children, all of fifteen hundred,in close-packed, silent masses, leaving only the inner circle underthe stone posts and iron rods clear for Allan and for Vreenya and somehalf-dozen elders.
The rocky plaza-floor sloping upward somewhat from the dungeon, formeda very shallow natural amphitheater, so that the majority could see aswell as hear.
No platform was there for their Kromno to speak from. He had noteven a block of stone. In the true native style he was expected toaddress them on their own level, pacing back and forth the while.
In his early days among them he had seen one or two such gatherings.His quick wit prompted a close imitation of their ceremonies andancient customs.
First, Vreenya sprinkled the open space between the poles and thedungeon with a kind of sea-weed swab dipped in the waters of theboiling vat, then with a bit of the coarse brown cloth washed Allan'slips--a pledge of truth.
The councillor raised both hands toward the roaring flame back thereby the cliff, and all inclined themselves thereto, the only trace ofany religious ceremony still remaining among them.
Allan likewise saluted the flame; then he faced the multitude.
"O my people," he began, striving to speak clearly above the noise ofthe fire-jet, his voice sounding dull and heavy in that compressedatmosphere, "O Folk of the Merucaans, I greet you! There be manythings to tell that you must know and believe. I have come back to youwith great peril in my flying-boat to tell you of the upper world andall its goodness.
"Easily could I have stayed in those places of light and plenty, butmy heart was warm for my people. I thought of my people night and day.The woman Beatrice thought of you. The ancient man thought of you.Alone, we could not enjoy those happy places. So I returned to tellyou and to show you the way to liberty. Thus have we proved our lovefor you, my folk!"
He paused. Silence overhung the assemblage save for the fretful cry ofchildren here and there, squeezed in the press or clinging to theirmothers' backs after the fashion of the Merucaans.
Afar, on the walls, the faint and raucous quarreling of the sea-birdsdrifted through the fog. Allan drew breath and began again:
"In those places, my people, those far places whence your forefatherscame, are many wonders. Betimes it is dark, as always here. Betimes agreat fire mounts into the upper air and make the whole world brighterthan around your flaming well. In the dark time lesser fires travel inthe air. Of birds there are many kinds, strangely colored. Of beasts,many kinds--I cannot make you understand because none of you have everseen any animal but fish and bird. But I speak truth. There be manyother creatures with good flesh to eat, and the skins of them areproper for soft clothing.
"Here you have only weeds of the sea. There we have tall growingthings, many hundred spedi high, and rich fruit, delicious to thetaste, grows on some kinds. In a few words, it is a place of wondrousplenty, where you can all live more easily than here, and with morepleasure--far--"
Again he ceased his discourse, but still continued to pace up and downthe open space under the swaying skeletons on the poles above.
Through the dense press of the Folk murmurs were wandering. Man spoketo man, and many a new thought was coming now to birth among thosewhite barbarians.
The elders, too, were whispering together: "So runs the ancienttradition. So said the ancient man! Can it be true, indeed?"
Stern continued, more and more earnestly, with the sweat now beginningto dot his brow:
"It were too long, my people, to tell you everything about that landof ours above. Only remember it is richer far and far more beautifulthan this, your place of darkness and of clouds. It is the ancienthome of your fathers in the very long ago. It is waiting for you onceagain, more fertile and more beautiful than ever.
"My errand is to carry you thither--two or three at a time. At last Ishall be able to take you all.
"Then the world will begin to be as it once was, before the greatexplosion destroyed all but a few of your people, who were my peopleonce. Will any of you--any two bold men--believe my words and go withme? Will any be as brave as--the patriarch?"
He flung the veiled taunt loudly at them, with a raising of both arms.
"I have spoken truth! Now answer!"
He ceased, and for a short minute there was silence. Then spokeVreenya:
"O Kromno, master! We would question you!"
"I will answer and say only the thing that is."
"First, can our people live in that other, lighter air?"
"They can live. We have prepared caves for you. At first you shall notsee the light. Only little by little you shall see it, and you andyour children will change, till at last you shall be as I am and asyour people were in the old days!"
Vreenya pondered, while tense interest held the elders and the Folk.Then he nodded, for his understanding--like that of all--was keen inspite of his savagery.
"And we can eat, O Kromno? This flesh off beasts you speak of may begood. This strange fruit may be good. I know not. It may also be asthe poison weeds of our sea to us. But, if so, there are fish in thosewaters of the upper world?"
"There are fish, Vreenya, and of the best, and many! Near the cavesruns a river--"
"A what, master?"
"A going of the waters. In those waters live fish without number. Atthe dark times you can catch them with nets, even as here. The darktimes are half of each day. You shall have many hours for the fishing.Even that will suffice to live; but the flesh and fruits will not hurtyou. They are good. There will be food for all, and far more thanenough for all!"
Vreenya pondered again.
"We would talk together, we elders," he said, simply.
"It meets my pleasure," answered Allan. "And when ye have talked, Idesire your answer!"
He crossed his arms, faced the multitude, and waited, while the eldersgathered in a little group by the dungeon and for some minutesconferred in low and earnest tones.
Outwardly, the man seemed calm, but his soul burned within him and hisheart was racing violently.
For on this moment, he well knew, hung the world's destiny. Shouldthey decide to venture forth into the outer world all would be well.If not, the long labor, the plans, the hopes were lost forever.
Well he knew the stubborn nature of the Folk. Once their minds set,nothing on earth could ever stir them.
"Thank God I managed that lie about the patriarch!" thought Allenquickly. "If I'd slipped up on that, and told them he died at the veryminute the sunlight struck him, it would have been all off, worldwithout end. Hope it doesn't make a row later. But if it does, I'llface it. The main and only thing now is to get 'em started. They've_got_ to go, that's all there is about it.
"Gad! After all, it's a terrific proposition I'm putting up to thesesimple fishers of the Abyss. I'm asking them, just on my say-so, toroot up the life, the habits, the traditions of more than a thousandyears and make a leap into the dark--into the light, I mean.
"I'm asking them to leave everything they've ever known for thirtygenerations and take a chance on what to them must be the wildest andmost hare-brained adventure possible to imagine. To risk homes,families, lives, everything, just on my unsupported
word. Jove!Columbus's proposal to his men was a mere afternoon jaunt comparedwith _this!_ If they refuse, how can I blame them? But if theyaccept--God! what stuff I'll know they're made of! With material likethat to work with, the conquest of the world's in sight already."
His eyes, wandering nervously along the front ranks of the waitingFolk, dimly illumined by the dull blue glow of the fire-well thatshone through the mist, suddenly stopped with apprehension. His browscontracted, and on his heart it seemed as though a gripping hand hadsuddenly laid hold.
"H'yemba, the smith, again! Damn him! H'yemba!" he muttered, in suddenanger strongly tinged with fear.
The smith, in fact, was standing there a little to the left of him,huge and sinewed hands loosely clasped in front of him, face sinister,eyes glowing like two malevolent evil fires.
Allan noted the defiant poise of the body, the vast breadth of theshoulders, the heavy hang of the arms, biceped like a gorilla's.
For a minute the two men looked each other steadfastly in the eye,each measuring the other. Then suddenly the voice of Vreenya broke thetension.
"O Kromno, we have spoken. Will you hear us?"
Stern faced him, a strange sinking at his heart, almost as though theforeman of a jury stood before him to announce either freedom orsentence of death.
But, holding himself in check, lest any sign of fear or nervousnessbetray him, he made answer:
"I will hear you. Speak!"
"We have listened to your words. We believe you speak truth. Yet--"
"Yet _what?_ Out with it, man!"
"Yet will we not compel any man to go. All shall be free--"
"Thank God!" breathed Allan, with a mighty sigh.
"--Free to stay or go, as they will. Our village is too full, evennow. We have many children. It were well that some should make roomfor others. Those who dare, have our consent. Now, speak _you_ to thepeople, your people, O Kromno, and see who chooses the upper worldwith you!"
Once more Allan turned toward the assemblage. But before he had foundtime to frame the first question in this unfamiliar speech, adisturbance somewhat to the left interrupted him.
There came a jostling, a pushing, a sound of voices in amazement,anger, approbation, doubt.
Into the clear space stepped H'yemba, the smith. His powerful righthand he raised on high. And boldly, in a loud voice, he cried:
"Folk of the Merucaans, this cannot be!"
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