Part 12 (1/2)

The Hillmen had stopped about two hundred yards off, and were drawn up in two lines, shouting, and dancing, and hurling taunting remarks at their few adversaries. The stolen cattle were bunched together back of the King. As Stedman walked steadily forward with his handkerchief fluttering, and howling out something in their own tongue, they stopped and listened. As he advanced, his three companions followed him at about fifty yards in the rear. He was one hundred and fifty yards from the Hillmen, before they made out what he said, and then one of the young braves, resenting it as an insult to his chief, shot an arrow at him.

Stedman dodged the arrow, and stood his ground without even taking a step backwards, only turning slightly to put his hands to his mouth, and to shout something which sounded to his companions like, ”About time to begin on the goats.” But the instant the young man had fired, King Messenwah swung his club and knocked him down, and none of the others moved. Then Messenwah advanced before his men to meet Stedman, and on Stedman's opening and shutting his hands to show that he was unarmed, the King threw down his club and spears, and came forward as empty-handed as himself.

”Ah,” gasped Bradley, Jr., with his finger trembling on his lever, ”let me take a shot at him now.” Gordon struck the man's gun up, and walked forward in all the glory of his gold and blue uniform; for both he and Stedman saw now that Messenwah was more impressed by their appearance, and in the fact that they were white men, than with any threats of immediate war. So when he saluted Gordon haughtily, that young man gave him a haughty nod in return, and bade Stedman tell the King that he would permit him to sit down. The King did not quite appear to like this, but he sat down, nevertheless, and nodded his head gravely.

”Now tell him,” said Gordon, ”that I come from the ruler of the greatest nation on earth, and that I recognize Ollypybus as the only King of this island, and that I come to this little three-penny King with either peace and presents, or bullets and war.”

”Have I got to tell him he's a little three-penny King?” said Stedman, plaintively.

”No; you needn't give a literal translation; it can be as free as you please.”

”Thanks,” said the secretary, humbly.

”And tell him,” continued Gordon, ”that we will give presents to him and his warriors if he keeps away from Ollypybus, and agrees to keep away always. If he won't do that, try to get him to agree to stay away for three months at least, and by that time we can get word to San Francisco, and have a dozen muskets over here in two months; and when our time of probation is up, and he and his merry men come dancing down the hillside, we will blow them up as high as his mountains. But you needn't tell him that, either. And if he is proud and haughty, and would rather fight, ask him to restrain himself until we show what we can do with our weapons at two hundred yards.”

Stedman seated himself in the long gra.s.s in front of the King, and with many revolving gestures of his arms, and much pointing at Gordon, and profound nods and bows, retold what Gordon had dictated. When he had finished, the King looked at the bundle of presents, and at the guns, of which Stedman had given a very wonderful account, but answered nothing.

”I guess,” said Stedman, with a sigh, ”that we will have to give him a little practical demonstration to help matters. I am sorry, but I think one of those goats has got to die. It's like vivisection. The lower order of animals have to suffer for the good of the higher.”

”Oh,” said Bradley, Jr., cheerfully, ”I'd just as soon shoot one of those n.i.g.g.e.rs as one of the goats.”

So Stedman bade the King tell his men to drive a goat towards them, and the King did so, and one of the men struck one of the goats with his spear, and it ran clumsily across the plain.

”Take your time, Bradley,” said Gordon. ”Aim low, and if you hit it, you can have it for supper.”

”And if you miss it,” said Stedman, gloomily, ”Messenwah may have us for supper.”

The Hillmen had seated themselves a hundred yards off, while the leaders were debating, and they now rose curiously and watched Bradley, as he sank upon one knee, and covered the goat with his rifle. When it was about one hundred and fifty yards off, he fired, and the goat fell over dead.

And then all the Hillmen, with the King himself, broke away on a run, towards the dead animal, with much shouting. The King came back alone, leaving his people standing about and examining the goat. He was much excited, and talked and gesticulated violently.

”He says--” said Stedman; ”he says--”

”What? yes; go on.”

”He says--goodness me!--what do you think he says?”

”Well, what does he say?” cried Gordon, in great excitement. ”Don't keep it all to yourself.”

”He says,” said Stedman, ”that we are deceived. That he is no longer King of the Island of Opeki, that he is in great fear of us, and that he has got himself into no end of trouble. He says he sees that we are indeed mighty men, that to us he is as helpless as the wild boar before the javelin of the hunter.”

”Well, he's right,” said Gordon. ”Go on.”

”But that which we ask is no longer his to give. He has sold his kings.h.i.+p and his right to this island to another king, who came to him two days ago in a great canoe, and who made noises as we do,--with guns, I suppose he means,--and to whom he sold the island for a watch that he has in a bag around his neck. And that he signed a paper, and made marks on a piece of bark, to show that he gave up the island freely and forever.”

”What does he mean?” said Gordon. ”How can he give up the island?

Ollypybus is the king of half of it, anyway, and he knows it.”

”That's just it,” said Stedman. ”That's what frightens him. He said he didn't care about Ollypybus, and didn't count him in when he made the treaty, because he is such a peaceful chap that he knew he could thrash him into doing anything he wanted him to do. And now that you have turned up and taken Ollypybus's part, he wishes he hadn't sold the island, and wishes to know if you are angry.”

”Angry? of course I'm angry,” said Gordon, glaring as grimly at the frightened monarch as he thought was safe. ”Who wouldn't be angry? Who do you think these people were who made a fool of him, Stedman? Ask him to let us see this watch.”