Part 18 (1/2)

”For Heaven's sake!” said Bickley, ”keep your theology to yourself at present. If you upset the old fellow and put him in a temper he may die.”

”If a man tells me that he is a G.o.d it is my duty to tell him that he is a liar,” replied Bastin obstinately.

”Which you did, Bastin, only fortunately he did not understand you. But for your own sake I advise you not to take liberties. He is not one, I think, with whom it is wise to trifle. I think he seems thirsty. Go and get some water from the rain pool, not from the lake.”

Bastin departed and presently returned with an aluminum jug full of pure water and a gla.s.s. Bickley poured some of it into a gla.s.s and handed it to Yva who bent her head in thanks. Then she did a curious thing. Having first lifted the gla.s.s with both hands to the sky and held it so for a few seconds, she turned and with an obeisance poured a little of it on the ground before her father's feet.

A libation, thought I to myself, and evidently Bastin agreed with me, for I heard him mutter,

”I believe she is making a heathen offering.”

Doubtless we were right, for Oro accepted the homage by a little motion of the head. After this, at a sign from him she drank the water. Then the gla.s.s was refilled and handed to Oro who also held it towards the sky. He, however, made no libation but drank at once, two tumblers of it in rapid succession.

By now the direct sunlight was pa.s.sing from the mouth of the cave, and though it was hot enough, both of them s.h.i.+vered a little. They spoke together in some language of which we could not understand a word, as though they were debating what their course of action should be. The dispute was long and earnest. Had we known what was pa.s.sing, which I learned afterwards, it would have made us sufficiently anxious, for the point at issue was nothing less than whether we should or should not be forthwith destroyed--an end, it appears, that Oro was quite capable of bringing about if he so pleased. Yva, however, had very clear views of her own on the matter and, as I gather, even dared to threaten that she would protect us by the use of certain powers at her command, though what these were I do not know.

While the event hung doubtful Tommy, who was growing bored with these long proceedings, picked up a bough still covered with flowers which, after their pretty fas.h.i.+on, the Orofenans had placed on the top of one of the baskets of food. This small bough he brought and laid at the feet of Oro, no doubt in the hope that he would throw it for him to fetch, a game in which the dog delighted. For some reason Oro saw an omen in this simple canine performance, or he may have thought that the dog was making an offering to him, for he put his thin hand to his brow and thought a while, then motioned to Bastin to pick up the bough and give it to him.

Next he spoke to his daughter as though a.s.senting to something, for I saw her sigh in relief. No wonder, for he was conveying his decision to spare our lives and admit us to their fellows.h.i.+p.

After this again they talked, but in quite a different tone and manner.

Then the Glittering Lady said to me in her slow and archaic Orofenan:

”We go to rest. You must not follow. We come back perhaps tonight, perhaps next night. We are quite safe. You are quite safe under the beard of Oro. Spirit of Oro watch you. You understand?”

I said I understood, whereon she answered:

”Good-bye, O Humfe-ry.”

”Good-bye, O Yva,” I replied, bowing.

Thereon they turned and refusing all a.s.sistance from us, vanished into the darkness of the cave leaning upon each other and walking slowly.

Chapter XII. Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Years!

”You seem to have made the best of your time, old fellow,” said Bickley in rather a sour voice.

”I never knew people begin to call each other by their Christian names so soon,” added Bastin, looking at me with a suspicious eye.

”I know no other,” I said.

”Perhaps not, but at any rate you have another, though you don't seem to have told it to her. Anyway, I am glad they are gone, for I was getting tired of being ordered by everybody to carry about wood and water for them. Also I am terribly hungry as I can't eat before it is light. They have taken most of the best fruit to which I was looking forward, but thank goodness they do not seem to care for pork.”

”So am I,” said Bickley, who really looked exhausted. ”Get the food, there's a good fellow. We'll talk afterwards.”

When we had eaten, somewhat silently, I asked Bickley what he made of the business; also whither he thought the sleepers had gone.

”I think I can answer the last question,” interrupted Bastin. ”I expect it is to a place well known to students of the Bible which even Bickley mentions sometimes when he is angry. At any rate, they seem to be very fond of heat, for they wouldn't part from it even in their coffins, and you will admit that they are not quite natural, although that Glittering Lady is so attractive as regards her exterior.”