Then the damsels floated on.
"Was ever queen more enigmatical?" cried Media--"Love,--death,--joy,--fly to me? But what says Taji?"
"That I turn not back for Hautia; whoe'er she be, that wild witch Icontemn."
"Then spread our pinions wide! a breeze! up sails! ply paddles all!Come, Flora's flute, float forth a song."
To pieces picking the thorny roses culled from Hautia's gifts, andholding up their blighted cores, thus plumed and turbaned Yoomy sang,leaning against the mast:--
Oh! royal is the rose, But barbed with many a dart; Beware, beware the rose, 'Tis cankered at the heart.
Sweet, sweet the sunny down, Oh! lily, lily, lily down! Sweet, sweet, Verbena's bloom! Oh! pleasant, gentle, musky bloom!
Dread, dread the sunny down; Lo! lily-hooded asp; Blooms, blooms no more Verbena; White-withered in your clasp.
CHAPTER LXXXIXBraid-Beard Rehearses The Origin Of The Isle Of Rogues
Judge not things by their names. This, the maxim illustratedrespecting the isle toward which we were sailing.
Ohonoo was its designation, in other words the Land of Rogues. Sowhat but a nest of villains and pirates could one fancy it to be: adownright Tortuga, swarming with "Brethren of the coast,"--such asMontbars, L'Ollonais, Bartolomeo, Peter of Dieppe, and desperadoes ofthat kidney. But not so. The men of Ohonoo were as honest as any inMardi. They had a suspicious appellative for their island, true; butnot thus seemed it to them. For, upon nothing did they so much plumethemselves as upon this very name. Why? Its origin went back to oldtimes; and being venerable they gloried therein; though theydisclaimed its present applicability to any of their race; showing,that words are but algebraic signs, conveying no meaning except whatyou please. And to be called one thing, is oftentimes to be another.
But how came the Ohonoose by their name?
Listen, and Braid-Beard, our Herodotus, will tell.
Long and long ago, there were banished to Ohonoo all the bucaniers,flibustiers, thieves, and malefactors of the neighboring islands;who, becoming at last quite a numerous community, resolved to make astand for their dignity, and number one among the nations of Mardi.And even as before they had been weeded out of the surroundingcountries; so now, they went to weeding out themselves; banishing allobjectionable persons to still another island.
These events happened at a period so remote, that at present it wasuncertain whether those twice banished, were thrust into their secondexile by reason of their superlative knavery, or because of theircomparative honesty. If the latter, then must the residue have been aprecious enough set of scoundrels.
However it was, the commonwealth of knaves now mustered togethertheir gray-beards, and wise-pates, and knowing-ones, of which lastthere was a plenty, chose a king to rule over them, and went topolitical housekeeping for themselves.
And in the fullness of time, this people became numerous and mighty.And the more numerous and mighty they waxed, by so much the more didthey take pride and glory in their origin, frequently reverting to itwith manifold boastings. The proud device of their monarch was a handwith the forefinger crooked, emblematic of the peculatorypropensities of his ancestors.
And all this, at greater length, said Mohi.
"It would seem, then, my lord," said Babbalanja, reclining, "as ifthese men of Ohonoo had canonized the derelictions of theirprogenitors, though the same traits are deemed scandalous amongthemselves. But it is time that makes the difference. The knave of athousand years ago seems a fine old fellow full of spirit and fun,little malice in his soul; whereas, the knave of to-day seems a sour-visaged wight, with nothing to redeem him. Many great scoundrels ofour Chronicler's chronicles are heroes to us:--witness, Marjora theusurper. Ay, time truly works wonders. It sublimates wine; itsublimates fame; nay, is the creator thereof; it enriches and darkensour spears of the Palm; enriches and enlightens the mind; it ripenscherries and young lips; festoons old ruins, and ivies old heads;imparts a relish to old yams, and a pungency to the Ponderings of oldBardianna; of fables distills truths; and finally, smooths, levels,glosses, softens, melts, and meliorates all things. Why, mylord, round Mardi itself is all the better for its antiquity, and themore to be revered; to the cozy-minded, more comfortable to dwell in.Ah! if ever it lay in embryo like a green seed in the pod, what adamp, shapeless thing it must have been, and how unpleasant from thetraces of its recent creation. The first man, quoth old Bardianna,must have felt like one going into a new habitation, where thebamboos are green. Is there not a legend in Maramma, that his familywere long troubled with influenzas and catarrhs?"
"Oh Time, Time, Time!" cried Yoomy--"it is Time, old midsummer Time,that has made the old world what it is. Time hoared the oldmountains, and balded their old summits, and spread the old prairies,and built the old forests, and molded the old vales. It is Time thathas worn glorious old channels for the glorious old rivers, androunded the old lakes, and deepened the old sea! It is Time--"
"Ay, full time to cease," cried Media. "What have you to do withcogitations not in verse, minstrel? Leave prose to Babbalanja, who isprosy enough."
"Even so," said Babbalanja, "Yoomy, you have overstepped yourprovince. My lord Media well knows, that your business is to make themetal in you jingle in tags, not ring in the ingot."
CHAPTER XCRare Sport At Ohonoo
Approached from the northward, Ohonoo, midway cloven down to the sea,one half a level plain; the other, three mountain terraces--Ohonoolooks like the first steps of a gigantic way to the sun. And such, ifBraid-Beard spoke truth, it had formerly been.
"Ere Mardi was made," said that true old chronicler, "Vivo, one ofthe genii, built a ladder of mountains whereby to go up and go down.And of this ladder, the island of Ohonoo was the base. But wanderinghere and there, incognito in a vapor, so much wickedness did Vivo spyout, that in high dudgeon he hurried up his ladder, knocking themountains from under him as he went. These here and there fell intothe lagoon, forming many isles, now green and luxuriant; which, withthose sprouting from seeds dropped by a bird from the moon, compriseall the groups in the reef."
Surely, oh, surely, if I live till Mardi be forgotten by Mardi, Ishall not forget the sight that greeted us, as we drew nigh theshores of this same island of Ohonoo; for was not all Ohonoo bathingin the surf of the sea?
But let the picture be painted.
Where eastward the ocean rolls surging against the outer reef ofMardi, there, facing a flood-gate in the barrier, stands clovenOhonoo; her plains sloping outward to the sea, her mountains abulwark behind. As at Juam, where the wild billows from seaward rollin upon its cliffs; much more at Ohonoo, in billowy battalions chargethey hotly into the lagoon, and fall on the isle like an armyfrom the deep. But charge they never so boldly, and charge theyforever, old Ohonoo gallantly throws them back till all before her isone scud and rack. So charged the bright billows of cuirassiers atWaterloo: so hurled them off the long line of living walls, whosebase was as the sea-beach, wreck-strown, in a gale.
Without the break in the reef wide banks of coral shelve off,creating the bar, where the waves muster for the onset, thundering inwater-bolts, that shake the whole reef, till its very spray trembles.And then is it, that the swimmers of Ohonoo most delight to gambol inthe surf.
For this sport, a surf-board is indispensable: some five feet inlength; the width of a man's body; convex on both sides; highlypolished; and rounded at the ends. It is held in high estimation;invariably oiled after use; and hung up conspicuously in the dwellingof the owner.
Ranged on the beach, the bathers, by hundreds dash in; and divingunder the swells, make straight for the outer sea, pausing not tillthe comparatively smooth expanse beyond has been gained. Here,throwing themselves upon their boards, tranquilly they wait for abillow that suits. Snatching them up, it hurries them landward,volume and speed both increasing, till it races along a watery wall,like the smooth, awful verge of Niagara. Hanging over this scroll,looking down from it as from a precipice, the b
athers halloo; everylimb in motion to preserve their place on the very crest of the wave.Should they fall behind, the squadrons that follow would whelm them;dismounted, and thrown forward, as certainly would they be run overby the steed they ride. 'Tis like charging at the head of cavalry:you must on.
An expert swimmer shifts his position on his plank; now half stridingit; and anon, like a rider in the ring, poising himself upright inthe scud, coming on like a man in the air.
At last all is lost in scud and vapor, as the overgrown billow burstslike a bomb. Adroitly emerging, the swimmers thread their way out;and like seals at the Orkneys, stand dripping upon the shore.
Landing in smooth water, some distance from the scene, we strolledforward; and meeting a group resting, inquired for Uhia, their king.He was pointed out in the foam. But presently drawing nigh, heembraced Media, bidding all welcome.
The bathing over, and evening at hand, Uhia and his subjects repairedto their canoes; and we to ours.
Landing at another quarter of the island, we journeyed up a valleycalled Monlova, and were soon housed in a very pleasant retreat ofour host.
Soon supper was spread. But though the viands were rare, and the redwine went round and round like a foaming bay horse in the ring; yetwe marked, that despite the stimulus of his day's good sport, and thestimulus of his brave good cheer, Uhia our host was moody and still.
Said Babbalanja "My lord, he fills wine cups for others to quaff."
But whispered King Media, "Though Uhia be sad, be we merry, merry men."
And merry some were, and merrily went to their mats.
CHAPTER XCIOf King Uhia And His Subjects
As beseemed him, Uhia was royally lodged. Ample his roof. Beneath ita hundred attendants nightly laying their heads. But long since, hehad disbanded his damsels.
Springing from syren embrace--"They shall sap and mine me no more" hecried "my destiny commands me. I will don my manhood. By Keevi! nomore will I clasp a waist."
"From that time forth," said Braid-Beard, "young Uhia spread like thetufted top of the Palm; his thigh grew brawny as the limb of theBanian; his arm waxed strong as the back bone of the shark; yea, hisvoice grew sonorous as a conch."
"And now he bent his whole soul to the accomplishment of the destinybelieved to be his. Nothing less than bodily to remove Ohonoo to thecenter of the lagoon, in fulfillment of an old prophecy running thus--When a certain island shall stir from its foundations and stand inthe middle of the still water, then shall the ruler of that island beruler of all Mardi."
The task was hard, but how glorious the reward! So at it he went, andall Ohonoo helped him. Not by hands, but by calling in the magicians.Thus far, nevertheless, in vain. But Uhia had hopes.
Now, informed of all this, said Babbalanja to Media, "My lord, if thecontinual looking-forward to something greater, be better than anacquiescence in things present; then, wild as it is, this belief ofUhia's he should hug to his heart, as erewhile his wives. Butmy lord, this faith it is, that robs his days of peace; his nights ofsweet unconsciousness. For holding himself foreordained to thedominion of the entire Archipelago, he upbraids the gods forlaggards, and curses himself as deprived of his rights; nay, ashaving had wrested from him, what he never possessed. Discontentdwarfs his horizon till he spans it with his hand. 'Most miserable ofdemi-gods,' he cries, 'here am I cooped up in this insignificantislet, only one hundred leagues by fifty, when scores of broadempires own me not for their lord.' Yet Uhia himself is envied. 'Ah!'cries Karrolono, one of his chieftains, master of a snug little glen,'Here am I cabined in this paltry cell among the mountains, when thatgreat King Uhia is lord of the whole island, and every cubic mile ofmatter therein.' But this same Karrolono is envied. 'Hard, ohbeggarly lot is mine,' cries Donno, one of his retainers. 'Here am Ifixed and screwed down to this paltry plantation, when my lordKarrolono owns the whole glen, ten long parasangs from cliff to sea.'But Donno too is envied. 'Alas, cursed fate!' cries his servitorFlavona. 'Here am I made to trudge, sweat, and labor all day, whenDonno my master does nothing but command.' But others envy Flavona;and those who envy him are envied in turn; even down to poor bed-ridden Manta, who dying of want, groans forth, 'Abandoned wretch thatI am! here I miserably perish, while so many beggars gad about andlive!' But surely; none envy Manta! Yes; great Uhia himself. 'Ah!'cries the king. 'Here am I vexed and tormented by ambition; no peacenight nor day; my temples chafed sore by this cursed crown that Iwear; while that ignoble wight Manta, gives up the ghost with none tomolest him.'"
In vain we wandered up and down in this isle, and peered into itsinnermost recesses: no Yillah was there.
CHAPTER XCIIThe God Keevi And The Precipice Op Mondo
One object of interest in Ohonoo was the original image of Keevithe god of Thieves; hence, from time immemorial, the tutelar deityof the isle.
His shrine was a natural niche in a cliff, walling in the valleyof Monlova And here stood Keevi, with his five eyes, ten hands, andthree pair of legs, equipped at all points for the vocation overwhich he presided. Of mighty girth, his arms terminated in hands,every finger a limb, spreading in multiplied digits: palms twicefive, and fifty fingers.
According to the legend, Keevi fell from a golden cloud, buryinghimself to the thighs in the earth, tearing up the soil all round.Three meditative mortals, strolling by at the time, had a narrowescape.
A wonderful recital; but none of us voyagers durst flout it. Did theynot show us the identical spot where the idol fell? We descended intothe hollow, now verdant. Questionless, Keevi himself would havevouched for the truth of the miracle, had he not been unfortunatelydumb. But by far the most cogent, and pointed argument advanced insupport of this story, is a spear which the priests of Keevi broughtforth, for Babbalanja to view.
"Let me look at it closer," said Babbalanja.
And turning it over and over and curiously inspecting it, "Wonderfulspear," he cried. "Doubtless, my reverends, this self-same spear musthave persuaded many recusants!"
"Nay, the most stubborn," they answered.
"And all afterward quoted as additional authority for the truth ofthe legend?"
"Assuredly."
From the sea to the shrine of this god, the fine valley of Monlovaascends with a gentle gradation, hardly perceptible; but upon turninground toward the water, one is surprised to find himself highelevated above its surface. Pass on, and the same silent ascentdeceives you; and the valley contracts; and on both sides the cliffsadvance; till at last you come to a narrow space, shouldered bybuttresses of rock. Beyond, through this cleft, all is blue sky. Ifthe Trades blow high, and you came unawares upon the spot, you wouldthink Keevi himself pushing you forward with all his hands; sopowerful is the current of air rushing through this elevated defile.But expostulate not with the tornado that blows you along; sail on;but soft; look down; the land breaks off in one sheer descent of athousand feet, right down to the wide plain below. So sudden andprofound this precipice, that you seem to look off from one world toanother. In a dreamy, sunny day, the spangled plain beneath assumesan uncertain fleeting aspect. Had you a deep-sea-lead you wouldalmost be tempted to sound the ocean-haze at your feet.
This, mortal! is the precipice of Mondo.
From this brink, spear in hand, sprang fifty rebel warriors, drivenback into the vale by a superior force. Finding no spot to stand atbay, with a fierce shout they took the fatal leap.
Said Mohi, "Their souls ascended, ere their bodies touched."
This tragical event took place many generations gone by, and now adizzy, devious way conducts one, firm of foot, from the verge to theplain. But none ever ascended. So perilous, indeed, is the descentitself, that the islanders venture not the feat, without invokingsupernatural aid. Flanking the precipice beneath beetling rocks,stand the guardian deities of Mondo; and on altars beforethem, are placed the propitiatory offerings of the traveler.
To the right of the brink of the precipice, and far over it, projectsa narrow ledge. The test of legitimacy in the Ohonoo monarchs is tost
and hereon, arms folded, and javelins darting by.
And there in his youth Uhia stood.
"How felt you, cousin?" asked Media.
"Like the King of Ohonoo," he replied. "As I _shall_ again feel; whenKing of all Mardi."
CHAPTER XCIIIBabbalanja Steps In Between Mohi And Yoomy; And Yoomy Relates ALegend
Embarking from Ohonoo, we at length found ourselves gliding by thepleasant shores of Tupia, an islet which according to Braid-Beard hadfor ages remained uninhabited by man. Much curiosity being expressedto know more of the isle, Mohi was about to turn over his chronicles,when, with modesty, the minstrel Yoomy interposed; saying, that if myLord Media permitted, he himself would relate the legend. From itsnature, deeming the same pertaining to his province as poet; though,as yet, it had not been versified. But he added, that true pearlshells rang musically, though not strung upon a cord.
Upon this presumptuous interference, Mohi looked highly offended; andnervously twitching his beard, uttered something invidious aboutfrippery young poetasters being too full of silly imaginings to tella plain tale.
Said Yoomy, in reply, adjusting his turban, "Old Mohi, let us notclash. I honor your calling; but, with submission, your chroniclesare more wild than my cantos. I deal in pure conceits of my own;which have a shapeliness and a unity, however unsubstantial; but you,Braid-Beard, deal in mangled realities. In all your chapters, youyourself grope in the dark. Much truth is not in thee, historian.Besides, Mohi: my songs perpetuate many things which you sage scribesentirely overlook. Have you not oftentimes come to me, and my everdewy ballads for information, in which you and your musty oldchronicles were deficient?"