The People of the Mist

  CHAPTER XXIX

  THE TRIAL OF THE GODS

  Juanna had scarcely restored the remainder of her deadly medicine to itshiding-place, when the curtains were drawn and Nam entered. After hiscustomary salutations, which on this occasion were more copious thanusual, he remarked blandly that the moon had risen in a clear sky.

  "Which means, I suppose, that it is time for us to start," said Leonardgruffly.

  Then they set out, Juanna in her monk-like robe, and Otter in his redfringe and a goat-skin cape which he insisted upon wearing.

  "I may as well die warm as cold, Baas," he explained, "for of cold Ishall know enough when I am dead."

  At the palace gate Olfan and a guard were waiting, but they found noopportunity of speaking with him. Here also were gathered a great numberof priests, who preceded and followed them.

  The procession being formed, they were led solemnly to a different gateof the temple from that by which they had entered it on their previousvisits. On this occasion the secret passages were avoided, and theypassed up a broad avenue though the centre of the amphitheatre, toseats that had been prepared for them on that side of the pool which wasfurthest from the colossal idol. As before, the temple was crowded withhuman beings, and their advance through it was very impressive, for thepriests chanted as they walked, while the multitude preserved an ominoussilence.

  At first Leonard was at a loss to know why they were placed on thehither side of the pool, but presently he saw the reason. In front ofthe chairs to be occupied by Juanna and Otter, an open space of rock wasleft, semicircular in shape, on which were set other seats to the numberof thirty or more. These seats were allotted to elders of the people,who, as Leonard guessed rightly, had been chosen to act as their judges.The position was selected for the convenience of these elders, and inorder that the words they spoke might be heard by a larger proportion oftheir vast audience.

  When Juanna and Otter were seated, and Leonard and Francisco had takentheir places behind them, Nam came forward to address the Council andthe multitude beyond.

  "Elders of the People of the Mist," he said, "I have conveyed yourwishes to the holy gods, who but lately have deigned to put on the fleshof men to visit us their people; namely, that they should meet you hereand talk with you of the trouble which has come upon the land. And nowthe gracious gods have assented to your wish, and behold, they areface to face with you and with this great company of their children. Bepleased therefore to make known what you desire to the gods, that theymay answer you, either with their own mouths or by the voice of me,their servant."

  He ceased, and after a pause, during which the people murmured angrily,an elder rose and said:

  "We would know of you how it is, O Aca and O Jal, that the summer hasdeserted the land. Now our strait is very sorry, for famine will comeupon us with the winter snows. A while ago, O Aca and O Jal, you changedthe worship of this people, forbidding the victims who had been preparedto be offered up at the spring festival, and lo! there has been nospring. Therefore we ask a word of you on this matter, for the peoplehave consulted together, and say by our voice that they will have nogods who kill the spring. Speak, O ye gods, and you, Nam, speak also,for we would learn the reason of these evils; and from you, O Nam, wewould learn how it comes that you have proclaimed gods in the land whosebreath has destroyed the sunshine."

  "Ye ask me, O People of the Mist," answered Juanna, "why it is that thewinter stretches out his hand over the slumber of the spring, forbiddingher to awake, and I will answer you in few words and short. It isbecause of your disobedience and the hardness of your hearts, O yerebellious children. Did ye not do sacrifice when we forbade you to takethe blood of men? Ay, and have not our servants been stolen secretlyaway and put to death to satisfy your lust for slaughter? It is for thisreason, because of your disobedience, that the heavens have grown hardas your own hearts and will not bless you with their sunshine and theirgentle rain. I have answered you."

  Then again the spokesman of the elders rose and said:

  "We have heard your words, O Aca, and they are words of little comfort,for to sacrifice is the custom of the land, and hitherto no evil hasbefallen us because of that ancient custom. Yet if there has beenoffence, it is not we who have offended, but rather the priests in whosehands these matters lie; and as for your servants, we know nothing ofthem, or of their fate. Now, Nam, make answer to the charges of thegods, and to the questions of the people, for you are the chief of theirservants and you have proclaimed them to be true gods and set them overus to rule us."

  Thus adjured, Nam stood forward, and his mien was humble and anxious,for he saw well that his accusers were not to be trifled with, and thathis life, or at least his power, was at stake, together with those ofthe gods.

  "Children of the Mist," he began, "your words are sharp, yet I do notcomplain of them, for, as ye shall learn, my fault has been grievous.Truly, I am the chief of the servants of the gods, and I am also theservant of the people, and now it would seem that I have betrayed bothgods and people, though not of my own will.

  "Listen: ye know the legend that has come down to us, that Aca and Jalshould reappear in the land, wearing the shapes of a fair white maidenand of a black dwarf. Ye know also how they came as had been promised,and how I showed them to you here in this temple, and ye accepted them.Ye remember that then they put away the ancient law and forbade thesacrifices, and by the hand of their servant who is named Deliverer,they destroyed two of the priests, my brethren, in a strange andterrible fashion.

  "Then I murmured, though they threatened me with death, but ye overruledmy words and accepted the new law, and from that hour all things havegone ill. Now I took counsel with my heart, for it seemed wonderful tome that the gods should discard their ancient worship, and I said tomy heart: Can these be true gods, or have I perchance been duped?Thenceforward I held my peace, and set myself to watch, and now aftermuch watching--alas! I must say it to my shame--I have discovered thatthey are no true gods, but wicked liars who have sought to usurp theplaces of the gods."

  He paused, and a roar of rage and astonishment went up from theassembled thousands.

  "It has come at last," whispered Leonard into Juanna's ear.

  "Yes, it has come," she answered. "Well, I expected it, and now we mustface it out."

  When the tumult had subsided, the spokesman of the elders addressed Nam,saying:

  "These are heavy words, O Nam, and having uttered them you must provethem, for until they are proved we will not believe readily that thereare human beings so wicked that they dare to name themselves as gods.When you proclaimed these strangers to be Aca and Jal, we accepted them,perhaps too easily and after too short a search. Now you denounce themas liars, but we will not disclaim them whom we have once received tillwe are sure that there is no room for error. It may chance, Nam, that itwould please you well to cast aside those gods who have threatened youwith death and do not love you."

  "I should be bold indeed," answered Nam, "if I dared to speak as I havespoken lacking testimony to establish a charge so dreadful as that whichI bring against these wanderers. Nor should I seek to publish my ownshame and folly were I not forced thereto by knowledge that, did Iconceal it, would make me a partner of their crime. Listen, this is thetale of those whom we have worshipped: the fair woman, as she herselftold us, is named Shepherdess of the Heavens, and she is the wife of thewhite man who is named Deliverer, and the dwarf Dweller in the Waters istheir servant, together with the second white man and the others.

  "Dwelling in a far country, these men and women chanced to learn thestory of our people--how, I shall show you presently--and also that wefind in the earth and use in the ceremonies of our temple certain redand blue stones which among the white people are of priceless value.These they determined to steal, being adventurers who seek after wealth.To this end the Shepherdess learned our language, also she learned howto play the part of Aca, while the dwarf, dog that he is, dared to takethe holy name of Jal. I will be short: they accomplished
their journey,and the rest you know. But, as it happened, none of the stones theycovert have come into their hands, except that gem which the Shepherdesswears upon her forehead, and this she brought with her.

  "Now, People of the Mist, when doubts of these gods had entered intome I made a plan: I set spies to watch them in the palace yonder, thosespies being the wife who was given to the dwarf and her handmaidens.Also, I caused their black servants to be seized and thrown to theSnake, one or two of them at a time, for of this I was sure, that ifthey had the power they would protect their servants. But, as the Snakeknows, those men were not protected. Meanwhile reports came to mefrom the women, and more especially from Saga, the granddaughter of mybrother, who was given as a bride to Jal. And this was their report:that the dwarf behaved himself like a cur of low birth, and that whenhe was in liquor, which was often, he babbled of his doings with theDeliverer in other lands, though all that he said they could not tell mebecause even now he has little knowledge of our tongue.

  "When these tales came to my ears, you may guess, O People of the Mist,that if I had doubted before, now my heart was shaken, and yet I hadno proof. In my darkness I prayed to the gods for light, and lo! lightcame. Among the followers of these wanderers was a woman, and butyesterday this woman visited me and confessed all. Forty years ago shehad fled from among our people--I know not why, but she took with her aknowledge of our secrets. It was she who told them of the gods and thestory of the gods, and she instructed them how they should deceive usand win the red stones which they desired. But now her heart repents herof the evil, and I will summon her before you, that ye may judge betweenme and these liars who have brought me to this shame. Bring forth thewoman."

  There was a silence, and so intense was the interest that no sound camefrom the audience, which watched for the appearance of the witness.Presently Soa advanced from the shadows at the foot of the colossus, andescorted by two priests took her stand in the centre of the semicircleof judges.

  "Speak, woman," said Nam.

  Then Soa spoke. "I am of the People of the Mist," she said, "as ye mayknow by looking on me and hearing me. I was the daughter of a priest,and forty years ago, when I was young and fair, I fled this land for myown reasons, and travelled south for three months' journey, till I cameto a village on a mighty river, where I dwelt for twenty years earning alivelihood as a doctoress of medicine. Then there came into that villagea white man, whose wife gave birth to a daughter and died. I became thenurse of that daughter; she is the woman who sits before you, and hername is Shepherdess.

  "Twenty years more went by, and I desired to return to my own landthat I might die among my people. I told the tale of my land and of itswealth to the Shepherdess and to her husband the Deliverer, for I darednot travel alone. Therefore in my wickedness I showed them how theymight feign to be the gods of the People of the Mist, come backaccording to the legend, for I saw that the dwarf, the Deliverer'sservant, was shaped like to the shape of the statue of Jal, who sits instone above you. Being greedy, they fell into the plan, for above allthings they desired to win the precious stones. But when we were comehither the true gods visited me in a dream so that my heart was troubledbecause of the evil which I had done, and yesterday I escaped to Nam andtold him all the tale which you have heard. That is the story, People ofthe Mist, and now I pray your mercy and your pardon."

  Soa ceased, and Leonard, who had been watching the multitude, whisperedto Juanna:

  "Speak quickly if you can think of anything to say. They are silent nowbecause of their astonishment, but in another minute they will breakout, and then----"

  "People of the Mist," cried Juanna, taking the hint, "you have heard thewords of Nam and the words of her who was my servant. They dare to tellyou that we are no gods. So be it: on this matter we will not reasonwith you, for can the gods descend to prove their godhead? We will notreason, but I will say this in warning: put us away if you wish,--and itmay well chance that we shall suffer ourselves to be put away, since thegods do not desire to rule over those who reject them, but would chooserather to return to their own place.

  "Yet for you it shall be a sad and an unlucky day when ye lift a handagainst our majesty, for in going we will leave you that by which weshall be remembered. Ay, we will bequeath to you three things: famineand pestilence and civil war, which shall rage among you and destroyyou till ye are no more a people. Ye have suffered our servants to bemurdered, and disobeyed our commands, and it is for this reason, as Ihave told you, that the sun shines no more and the summer will not come.Complete your wickedness if ye will, and let the gods follow by the paththat their servants trod. Then, People of the Mist, ye shall reap as yehave sown, and death and desolation shall be your harvest.

  "Now for that base slave who has borne false witness against us. Amongthe many things she has told you, one thing she has left untold: thatshe is daughter to Nam the priest; that she fled the land because shewas chosen bride to the Snake, and is therefore an apostate worthy ofdeath. One word also as to Nam, her father; if his tale be true, then hehimself is condemned by it, for doubtless he knew all at the beginning,from the lips of his daughter Soa.

  "Yes, knowing the truth he dared to set up gods in the land whom hebelieved to be false, trusting thereby to increase his own power andglory, and when these failed him because of his wickedness, then he didnot scruple to cry aloud his shame. I have spoken, People of the Mist.Now judge between us and let fate follow judgment, for we renounce you."

  She ended, her face alight with anger and her eyes flashing withexcitement, and so great was the power of her eloquence and beauty thatit seemed to throw a spell of silence over the hearts of her fierce andturbulent audience, while Soa slunk back into the shadow and Nam coweredvisibly.

  "It is false, O people," he cried in a voice that trembled with rage andfear. "My daughter told me the tale for the first time at dawn to-day."

  His words awoke the audience as it were, and instantly there arose ababel of sounds that rent the very skies. "His daughter! He says thatshe is his daughter! Nam owns his crimes!" yelled some.

  "Away with the false gods!" shouted others.

  "Touch them not, they are true gods and will bring a curse upon us!"answered a third party, among whom Leonard recognised the voice ofOlfan.

  And so the clamour went on. For full ten minutes it raged, till theexhaustion of those that made it brought it to its end, and Juanna, whoall this while sat silent as some lovely marble statue, became awarethat the spokesman of the elders was once more addressing the multitude.

  "People of the Mist," he said, "hold your peace, and hearken to me.We have been chosen judges of this matter, and now, having consultedtogether, we will give judgment, and you shall be bound by it. As towhether these strangers who are named Aca and Jal are true gods orfalse, we say no word. But if they are false gods, then surely Nam isguilty with them."

  Here a shout of assent burst from the audience, and Leonard watching thehigh priest saw him tremble.

  "Yet," he went on, "they have told us by the mouth of her who sitsbefore you, that it is because of our offences that the sun has ceasedto shine at their command. Therefore at their command it can be made toshine. Then let them give us a sign or let them die, if indeed they aremortal, for if they are not mortal we cannot kill them. And this shallbe the sign which they must give: If to-morrow at the dawn the mistshave vanished and the sun shines red and clear on the snows of yondermountain, then it is well and we will worship them. But if the morningis cold and mist-laden, then, true gods or false, we will hurl them fromthe head of the statue into the pit of the Snake, there to be dealtwith by the Snake, or to deal with him as it may chance. That is ourjudgment, People of the Mist, and Nam shall carry it out if need be, forhe shall keep his power and his place until all these wonders are madeclear, and then himself he shall be judged according to their issue."

  Now the great mass of the people cried aloud that this was a wise andjust saying, but others were silent, for though they did not agree withit they
dared not dispute the sentence. Then Juanna rose and said:

  "We have heard your words and we will withdraw to consider them, and bydawn ye shall see us seated on the Black One yonder. But whether we willcause the sun to shine or choose to pass to our own place by the pathof boiling waters, we do not know, though it seems to me that the lastthing is better than the first, for we weary of your company, People ofthe Mist, and it is not fitting that we should bless you longer with ourpresence. Nevertheless, should we choose that path, those evils which Ihave foretold shall fall upon you. Olfan, lead us hence."

  The king stepped forward with his guards and the procession passed backtowards the palace solemnly and in silence, for none attempted to bartheir way. They reached it safely at exactly ten o'clock by Leonard'swatch.

  "Now let us eat and drink," said Leonard when they stood alone in thethrone-room, "for we shall need all our strength to-night."

  "Yes," answered Juanna with a sad smile, "let us eat and drink, forto-morrow we die."