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 oneloses little by delay. A great man, they think, is rich in time, andhurries only 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; behindhim stood councillors and attendants, and by him were Nodwengo theprince, and Hokosa, his mouth and prophet. Although the day was hot,he wore a kaross or rug of wild catskins, and his face showed that theeffects of the poisoned draught were still upon him. At the approachof Owen he rose with something of an effort, and, shaking him by thehand, thanked him 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 morethan one," 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; forthe rest, the past is the past, and I come to deal with the presentand the future.""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 nestsof snakes. Now, what is your business with me, and why do you comefrom the white man's countries to visit me? I have heard of thosecountries, they are great and far away. I have heard of the white menalso--wonderful men who have all knowledge; but I do not desire tohave anything to do with them, for whenever they meet black peoplethey eat them up, taking their lands and making them slaves. Once,some years ago, two of you white people visited us here, but perhapsyou 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 withthe story of a new God who could raise the dead and work othermiracles, and gave such powers to His servants. So a man was slain andwe begged of him to bring him back to life; and since he could not, wekilled him also because he was a liar.""He was no liar," said Owen; "since he never told you that he hadpower to open the mouth of the grave. Still, Heaven is merciful, andalthough you murdered him that was sent to you, his Master has chosenme to follow in his footsteps. Me also you may murder if you will, andthen another 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 thisday?"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; inthe night we hear the echo of their voices. When they are angry theyhaunt the thunder-cloud, and when they are pleased they smile in thesunshine. Sometimes also they appear in the shape of snakes, or visitus in dreams, and then we offer them sacrifice. Yonder on the hillsideis a haunted wood; it is full of their spirits, White Man, but theycannot talk, they only mutter, and their footfalls sound like thedropping of heavy rain, for they are strengthless and unhappy, and inthe end they fade away.""So you say," answered Owen, "who are not altogether withoutunderstanding, yet know little, never having been taught. Now listento me," and very earnestly he preached to him and those about him ofpeace, of forgiveness, and of life everlasting.
"Why should a God die miserably upon a cross?" asked the king atlength.
"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 agod? 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 ascendeda slope of the hill that lay beyond it till they reached a flat plainsome hundreds of yards in width. On this plain vegetation grewscantily, for here the bed rock of ironstone, denuded with frequentand heavy rains, was scarcely hidden by a thin crust of earth. On thefurther side of the plain, however, and separated from it by a littlestream, was a green bank of deep soft soil, beyond which lay a gloomyvalley full of great trees, that for many generations had been theburying-place of the kings of 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 alreadythe sky 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 suchstones are mere shapeless lumps, but this one bore a peculiarresemblance to a seated human being holding up one arm towards thesky. So strange was this likeness that, other reasons apart, it seemednot wonderful that savages should regard the thing with awe andveneration. Rather would it have been wonderful had they not done so.
"Say now," said Owen to the king when he had inspected the stone,"what is the history of this dumb god of yours, and why do you worshiphim?""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 streamUmsuka descended from his litter.
"Messenger," he said, "this is the story of the god as it has comedown to us. From the beginning our land has been scourged withlightning above all other lands, and with the floods of rain thataccompany the lightning. In the old days the Great Place of the kingwas out yonder among the mountains, but every year fire from heavenfell upon it, destroying much people: and at length in a great tempestthe house of the king of that day was smitten and burned, and hiswives and children were turned to ashes. Then that king held a councilof his wizards and fire-doctors, and these having consulted thespirits of their forefathers, retired into a place apart to fast andpray; yes, it was in yonder valley, the burying ground of kings, thatthey hid themselves. Now on the third night the God of Fire appearedto the chief of the doctors in his sleep, and he was shaped like aburning brand and smoke went up from him. Out of the smoke he spoke tothe doctor, saying: 'For this reason it is that I torment your people,that they hate me and curse at me and pay me little honour.'
"In his dream the doctor answered: 'How can the people honour a godthat they............