CHAPTER XX
THE MOTHER OF THE TREES
When Eddo understood these words he lifted his head and stared at Rachelamazed.
"This is thy doing, Bastard," he said savagely, addressing Noie, who hadtranslated them. "I have felt thee fighting against me for long, and nowthou causest this Inkosazana to defy me. It was thou who didst work uponthat old woman, thine aunt, to command that the white witch should bebrought hither, and because as yet I dared not disobey, I made a terriblejourney to bring her. Yes, and I did this gladly, for when my eyes fellupon her, there in the town of Dingaan, I saw that she was great andbeautiful, but that her Spirit had gone, and I knew that I could make hermouth to speak my words, and her pure eyes to see things that are deniedto mine, even the future as, when I bade her, she saw it yonder in thecourt of Dingaan. But now it seems that her Spirit has returned to her, sothat there is no room for mine in her heart, and she speaks her own words,not my words. And thou hast done this thing, O Bastard."
"Perhaps," answered Noie unconcernedly.
"Thou thinkest," went on Eddo, in his fury beating the bole on which hesat, "thou thinkest to protect that old hag, Nya, because her blood runsin thee. But, fool, it is in vain, for her tree is down, her tree is down,and as its leaves wither, and its sap dries up, so must she wither and herblood dry up until she dies, she who thought to live on for many years."
"What does that matter?" asked Noie, "seeing that then she will only jointhe great company of the ghosts with whom she longs to be, and return withthem to torment thee, Eddo, until thou, too, art one of them, and lookeston the face of Judgment."
"Thou thinkest," screamed the dwarf, ignoring this ominous suggestion,"thou thinkest, when she is gone, to be queen in her place, or to rule ashigh priestess through this White One."
"If I do, that will be a bad hour for thee, Eddo," replied Noie.
"It shall not be, woman. No bastard shall reign here as Mother of theTrees while the nations round cringe before her feet. I have spells; Ihave poisons; I have slaves who can shoot with arrows."
"Then use them if thou canst, thou evil-doer," said "Noie contemptuously.
"Aye, I will use them all, and not on thee only, but on that white witchwhom thou lovest. She shall never pass living from this land that isringed in by the desert and the forest. She shall choose me to reignthrough her as her high priest, or she shall die--die miserably. For alittle while that old hag, Nya, may protect her with her wisdom, but whenshe passes, as she must, and quickly, for I will light fires beneath thisfallen tree of hers, then I tell thee the Beautiful One shall choosebetween my rule and doom."
Now Noie would hear no more.
"Dog," she cried, "filthy night-bird, darest thou speak thus of theInkosazana? Another word and I will offer that heart of thine to the sunthou hatest," and snatching the spear from Rachel's hand, she charged athim, holding it aloft.
Eddo saw her come. With a scream of fear he leapt to his feet, and ranswiftly along the bole till he reached the mass of the fallen branches.Into these he sprang, swinging himself from bough to bough like an apeuntil he vanished amongst the dark green foliage. Then, having quite lostsight of him, Noie returned laughing to Rachel, by whom stood the oldMother of the Trees who had slid from her arms, and gave her back thespear, saying in the dwarf language:
"This Eddo speaks great words, but he is also a great coward."
"Yes, yes," answered the old woman, "he is a great coward, because likeall our folk he fears the Red Death; but, child, I tell thee he isterrible. He hates me because I rule through the white art, not the black,but while my tree stood he must obey me, and I was safe. Now it is down,and he may kill me if he can, according to the custom of my land, and setup another to be queen, she at whose feet my tree bowed itself and fell bythe will of the Heavens, and whom, therefore, the people will accept.Through her he will wield all the power of the Ghost-kings, over whom noman may rule, but a woman only. Come, Child, and thou, White One, comealso. I know where we may hide. Lady, the power that was mine is thine;protect me till I die, and in payment I will give thee whatever thy heartdesires."
"I ask no payment," Rachel answered wearily, when she understood thewords; "and I think that it is I who need protection from that wickeddwarf."
Then, guided by Nya, who clung to Rachel's hand, they walked down the boleof the tree and along a great branch, till at length they reached a placewhence they could climb to the ground. Before they were clear of theboughs the dethroned Mother, from whose round eyes the tears fell, turnedand kissed the bark of one of them, wailing aloud.
"Farewell, thou mighty one, under whose shade I, and the queens of my racebefore me, have dreamed for centuries. Thou art fallen beneath the strokeof Heaven, and great was thy fall, and I am fallen with thee. Save me fromthe Red Death, O Spirit of my tree, that in the land of ghosts I still maysleep beneath thy shade for ever."
Then she ran to the very point of the tree and broke off its topmost twig,which was covered with narrow and shining green leaves, and holding it inher hand, returned to Rachel.
"I will plant it," she said, "and perchance it will grow to be the houseof queens unborn. Come, now, come," and she turned her face towards theforest.
The thunder had rolled away, and from time to time the sun shone fiercely,so fiercely that, unable to bear its rays, all the dwarfs who weregathered about the fallen tree had retreated into the shadow of the othertrees around the open space. There they stood and sat watching the threeof them go by. Men, women and children, they all watched, and Rachel theysaluted with their raised hands; but to her who had been their mother forunknown years they did no reverence. Only one hideous little man ran up toher and called out:
"Thou didst punish me once, old woman, now why should I not kill thee inpayment? Thy tree is down at last."
Nya looked at him sadly, and answered:
"I remember. Thou shouldst have died, for thy sin was great, but I laid alesser burden on thee. Man, thou canst not kill me yet; my tree is down,but it is not dead."
She held up the green bough in her hand and looked at him from beneath it,then went on slowly: "Man, my wisdom remains within me, and I tell theethat before I die thou shalt die, and not as thou desirest. Remember mywords, people of the Ghosts."
Then she walked on with the others, leaving the dwarf staring after herwith a face wherein hate struggled with fear.
"Thou liest," he screamed after her; "thy power is gone with thy tree."
Scarcely were the words out of his mouth when they heard a crash whichcaused them to look round. A bough, broken by the storm, had fallen fromon high. It had fallen on to the head of the dwarf, and there he laycrushed and dead.
"Ah!" piped the other dwarfs, pointing towards the corpse with theirfingers, and closing their eyes to shut out the sight of blood, "ah! Nyais right; she still has power. Those who would kill her must wait till hertree dies."
Taking no heed of what had happened, Nya walked on into the forest. For awhile Rachel noted the little huts built, each of them, at the foot of atree. There were hundreds of these huts that they could see, showing thatthe people were many, but by degrees they grew fewer, only one was visiblehere and there, set beneath some particularly vigorous and handsometimber. At last they ceased altogether; they had passed through that city,the strangest city in the world.
Trees--everywhere trees, hundreds of trees, tens of thousands of treessoaring up to heaven, making a canopy of their interlacing boughs,shutting out the light so that beneath them was a deep oppressive gloom.There was silence also, for if any beasts or birds dwelt there thehurricane had scared them away, silence only broken from time to time bythe crash of some giant of the forest that, its length of days fulfilledat last, sank suddenly to ruin, to be buried in a tomb of brushwood whencein due course its successor would arise.
"Another life gone," said the old woman, Nya, flitting before them like alittle grey ghost, every time that this weird sound struck upon theirears; "whose was it, I wonder? I will look in
my bowl, I will look in mybowl."
For, as Rachel discovered afterwards, these people believed that thespirit of each tree of the forest is attached to the spirit of a humanbeing, although that being may dwell in other lands, far away, which dieswhen the tree dies, sometimes slowly by disease, and sometimes in swiftcollapse, so that they pass together into the world of ghosts.
On they flitted through the gloom, on for mile after mile. Although theleaf-strewn ground showed no traces of it, evidently they were followingsome kind of path, for no fallen trunks barred their progress, nor werethere any creepers or brushwood, although to right and left of them allthese could be seen in plenty. At last, quite of a sudden, for the bole ofa tree at the end of the path had hidden it from them, they came upon aclearing in the forest. It seemed to be a natural, or, at any rate, a veryancient clearing, since in it no stumps were visible, nor any scrub, orcreepers, only tall grass and flowering plants. In the centre of thisplace, covering a quarter of it, perhaps, was a vast circular wall, fiftyfeet or more in height, and clothed with ferns. This wall, they noted, wasbuilt of huge blocks of stone, so huge indeed that it seemed wonderfulthat they could have been moved by human beings. At the sight of thatmarvellous wall Rachel and Noie halted involuntarily, and Noie asked:
"Who made it, Mother?"
"The giants who lived when the world was young. Can our hands lift suchstones?" Nya answered, as, bending down, she thrust the top shoot from herfallen tree deep into the humid soil, then added: "On, child; there isdanger here."
As she spoke something hissed through the air just above her head, andstuck fast in the bark of a sapling. Noie sprang forward and plucked itout. It was a little reed, feathered with grasses, and having a sharpivory point, smeared with some green substance.
"Touch it not," cried Nya, "it is deadly poison. Eddo's work, Eddo's work!but my hour is not yet. Into the open before another comes."
So they ran forward, all three of them, seeing and bearing nothing of theshooter of the arrow. As they approached the titanic wall they saw that itenclosed a mound, on the top of which mound grew a cedar-like tree withbranches so wide that they seemed to overshadow half of the enclosure.There were no gates to this wall, but while they wondered how it could beentered, Nya led them to a kind of cleft in its stones, not more than twofeet in width, across which cleft were stretched strings of plaited grass.She pressed herself against them, breaking them, and walked forward,followed by Rachel and Noie. Suddenly they heard a noise above them, and,looking up, saw white-robed dwarfs perched upon the stones of the cleft,holding bent bows in their hands, whereof the arrows were pointed at theirbreasts. Nya halted, beckoning to them, whereon, recognising her, theydropped the arrows into the little quivers which they wore, and scrambledoff, whither Rachel could not see.
"These are the guardians of the Temple that cannot either speak or hear,who were summoned by the breaking of the thread," said Nya, and wentforward again.
Now to the right, and now to the left, ran the narrow path that wound itsway in the thickness of the mighty wall, which towered so high above themthat they walked almost in darkness, and at each turn of it were recesses;and above these projecting stones, where archers could stand for itsdefence. At length this path ended in a _cul-de-sac_, for in front of themwas nothing but blank masonry. Whilst Rachel and Noie stared at itwondering whither they should go now, a large stone in this wall turned,leaving a narrow doorway through which they passed, whereon it shut againbehind them, though by what machinery they could not see.
Thus they passed through the wall, emerging, however, at a different pointin its circumference to that at which they had entered. In the centre ofthe enclosure rose the hill of earth that they had seen from without,which evidently was kept free from weeds and swept, and on its crest grewthe huge cedar-like tree, the Tree of the Tribe. Between the base of thishill and the foot of the wall was a wide ring of level ground, also sweptand weeded, and on this space, neatly arranged in lines, were hundreds oflittle hillocks that resembled ant-heaps.
"The burying-place of the Ghost-priests, Lady," said Nya, nodding at thehillocks. "Soon my bones will be added to them."
Walking across this strange cemetery, they came to the foot of the moundthat was entirely overshadowed by the cedar above, from the outspreadlimbs of which hung long grey moss, that swayed ceaselessly in the wind.Here dwarfs appeared from right and left, the same whom they had seenwithin the thickness of the wall, or others like to them, some male andsome female; melancholy-eyed little creatures who bowed to Nya, and lookedwith fear and wonder at the tall while Rachel. Evidently they were all ofthem deaf mutes, for they made signs to Nya, who answered them with othersigns, the purport of which seemed to sadden and disturb them greatly.
"They have seen the fall of my tree in their bowls," explained Nya toNoie, "and ask me if it is a true vision. I tell them that I am come hereto die and that is why they are sad. This is the place of dying of all theGhost-priests, whence they pass into the world of spirits, and here noblood may be shed, no, not that of the most wicked evil-doer. If any oneof the family of the priests reaches this place living, the glory of theWhite Death is won. Follow and see."
So they followed her up the mound, past what looked like the entrance to acave, until they reached a low fence of reeds whereof the gate stood open.
"The gate is open, but enter not there," whispered the old Mother of theTrees, "for those who enter there live not long. Look, Lady, look."
Rachel peered through the gate, but so dense was the gloom in that holyspot that at first she could only see the enormous red bole of the cedar,and the ghostly, moss-clad branches which sprang from it at no greatheight above the ground. Presently, however, her eyes, grown accustomed tothe light, distinguished several little white-robed figures seated uponthe earth at some distance from the trunk staring into vessels of woodwhich were placed before them. These figures appeared to be those of bothmen and women, while one was that of a child. Even as they watched, thefigure nearest to them fell forward over its bowl and lay quite still,whereon those around it set up a feeble, piping cry, that yet had in it anote of gladness. The dwarf-mutes who had accompanied them, and who aloneseemed to have a right of entry into this sad place, ran forward andlooked. Then very gently they lifted up the fallen figure and bore it out.As it was carried past them Rachel noted that it was the body of quite ayoung woman, whose little face, wasted to nothing, still looked sweet andgentle.
"Was she ill?" asked Rachel in an awed voice.
"Perhaps," answered the Mother, shaking her grey head, "or perhaps she wasvery unhappy, and came here to die. What does it matter? She is happynow."
"Ask her, Noie, if all must die who sit beneath that tree," said Rachel.
"Aye," answered Nya, "all save these dumb people who have been priests ofthe Tree from generation to generation. To touch its stem is to perishsoon or late, for it is the Tree of Life and Death, and in it dwells theSpirit of the whole race."
"What then would happen if it fell down, or was destroyed like your tree,Mother?"
"Then the race would perish also," answered Nya, "since their Spirit wouldlack a home and depart to the world of Ghosts, whither they must follow.When it dies of old age, if it should ever die, then the race will diewith it."
"And if someone should cut it down, Mother, what then?"
Now when Noie translated these words to her, the face of the old queen wasfilled with horror, and as her face was, so was Noie's face.
"White Maiden," she gasped, "speak not such wickedness lest the verythought of it should bring the curse upon us all. He who destroyed thattree would bring ruin upon this people. They would fly away, every one ofthem, far into the heart of the forest, and be seen no more by man.Moreover, he who did this evil thing would perish and pass down tovengeance among the ghosts, such vengeance as may not be spoken. Put thatthought from thy mind, I pray thee, and let it never pass thy lips again."
"Do you believe all this, Noie?" asked Rachel in English with a smil
e.
"Yes, Zoola," answered Noie, shuddering, "for it is true. My father toldme of it, and of what happened once to some wild men who broke into thesanctuary, and shot arrows at the Tree. No, no, I will not tell the story;it is dreadful."
"Yet it must be foolishness, Noie, for how can a tree have power over thelives of men?"
"I do not know, but it has, it has! If I were but to cast a stone at it, Ishould be dead in a day, and so would you--yes, even you--nothing couldsave you. Oh!" she went on earnestly, "swear to me, Sister, that you willnever so much as touch that tree; I pray you, swear."
So Rachel swore, to please her, for she was tired of this tree and itspowers.
Then they went down the hill again, till they came to the mouth of thecave.
"Enter, Lady," Nya said, "for this must be thy home a while until thougoest to rule as Mother of the Trees after me, or, if it pleases theebetter, up yonder to die."
They went into the cave, having no choice. It was a great place lit dimlyby the outer light, and farther down its length with lamps. Looking roundher, Rachel saw that its roof was supported by white columns which sheknew to be stalactites, for as a child she had seen their like. At the endof it, where the lamps burned and a fountain bubbled from the ground, rosea very large column shaped like the trunk of a tree, with branches at thetop that looked like the boughs of a tree. Gazing at it Rachel understoodwhy these dwarfs, or some ancient people before them, had chosen this caveas their temple.
"The ghost Tree of my race," said old Nya, pointing to it, "the only treethat never falls, the Tree that lives and grows for ever. Yes, it grows,for it is larger now than when my mother was a child."
As they drew near to this wondrous and ghostly looking object Rachel sawpiled around and beyond it many precious things. There was gold in dustand heaps, and rings and nuggets; there were shining stones, red and greenand white, that she knew were jewels; there were tusks of ivory andcarvings in ivory; there were karosses and furs mouldering to decay; therewere grotesque gods, fetishes of wood and stone.
"Offerings," said Nya, "which all the nations that live in darkness bringto the Mother of the Trees, and the priests of the Cave. Costly thingswhich they value, but we value them not, who prize power and wisdom only.Yes, yes, costly things which they give to the Mother of the Trees, thefools without a spirit, when they come here to ask her oracle. Look, thereare some of the gifts which were sent by Dingaan of the Zulus in paymentfor the oracle of his death. Thou broughtest them, Noie, my child."
"Yes," answered Noie, "I brought them, and the Inkosazana here, shedelivered the oracle. Eddo gave her the bowl, and she saw pictures in thebowl and showed them to Dingaan."
"Nay, nay," said the old woman testily, "it was I who saw the pictures,and I showed them to Eddo and to this white virgin. You cannot understand,but it was so, it was so. Eddo's gift of vision is small, mine is great.None have ever had it as I have it, and that is why Eddo and the othershave suffered my tree to live so long, because the light of my wisdom hasshone about their heads and spoken through their tongues, and when I amgone they will seek and find it not. In thee they might have found it,Maiden, had thy heart remained empty, but now, it is full again and whatroom is there for wisdom such as ours?--the wisdom of the ghosts, not thewisdom of life and love and beating hearts."
Noie translated the words, but Rachel seemed to take no heed of them.
"Dingaan?" she asked. "Is Dingaan dead? He was well enough when--whenRichard came to Zululand, and since then I have seen nothing of him. Howdid he die?"
"He did not die, Zoola," answered Noie, "though I think that ere long hewill die, for you told him so. It was you who died for a while, notDingaan. By-and-bye you shall learn all that story. Now you are very wearyand must rest."
"Yes," said Rachel with a sob, "I think I died when Richard died, but nowI seem to have come to life again--that is the worst of it. Oh!! Noie,Noie, why did you not let me remain dead, instead of bringing me to lifeagain in this dreadful place?"
"Because it was otherwise fated, Sister," replied Noie. "No, do not beginto laugh and cry; it was otherwise fated," and bending down she whisperedsomething into Nya's ear.
The old dwarf nodded, then, taking Rachel by the hand, led her to wheresome skins were spread upon the floor.
"Lie down," she said, "and rest. Rest, beautiful White One, and wake up toeat and be strong again," and she gazed into Rachel's eyes as Eddo haddone when the fits of wild laughter were on her, singing something as shegazed.
While she sang the madness that was gathering there again went out ofRachel's eyes, the lids closed over them, and presently they were fastshut in sleep, nor did she open them again for many hours.
Rachel awoke and sat up looking round her wonderingly. Then by the dimlight of the lamps she saw Noie seated at her side, and the olddwarf-woman, who was called Mother of the Trees, squatted at a littledistance watching them both--and remembered.
"Thou hast had happy dreams, Lady, and thou art well again, is it not so?"queried Nya.
"Aye, Mother," she answered, "too happy, for they make my waking the moresad. And I am well, I who desire to die."
"Then go up through the open gate which thou sawest not so long ago, andsatisfy thy desire, as it is easy to do," replied Nya grimly. "Nay," sheadded in a changed voice, "go not up, thou art too young and fair, theblood runs too red in those blue veins of thine. What hast thou to do withghosts and death, and the darkness of the trees, thou child of the air andsunshine? Death for the dwarf-folk, death for the dealers in dreams, deathfor the death-lovers, but for thee life--life."
"Tell her, Noie," said Rachel, "that my mother, who was fore-sighted,always said that I should live out my days, and I fear that it is true,who must live them out alone."
"Yes, yes, she was right, that mother of thine," answered Nya, "and forthe rest, who knows? But thou art hungry, eat; afterwards we will talk,"and she pointed to a stool upon which was food.
Rachel tasted and found it very good, a kind of porridge, made of she knewnot what, and with it forest fruits, but no flesh. So she ate heartily,and Noie ate with her. Nya ate also, but only a very little.
"Why should I trouble to eat?" she said, "I to whom death draws near?"
When they had finished eating, at some signal which Rachel did notperceive, mutes came in who bore away the fragments of the meal. Afterthey had gone the three women washed themselves in the water of thefountain. Then Noie combed out Rachel's golden hair, and clothed her againin her robe of silken fur that she had cleansed, throwing over it a mantleof snowy white fibre, such as the dwarfs wove into cloth, which she andNya had made ready while Rachel slept.
As Noie put it about her mistress and stepped back to see how it becameher beauty, two of the dwarf-mutes appeared creeping up the cave, andsquatting down before Nya began to make signs to her.
"What is it?" asked Rachel nervously.
"Eddo is without," answered the Mother, "and would speak with us."
"I fear Eddo and will not go," exclaimed Rachel.
"Nay, have no fear, Maiden, for here he can not harm thee or any of us; itis the place of sanctuary. Come, let us see this priest; perhaps we maylearn something from him."