Part 4 (2/2)

And Martin, on his side, stared back at the owl, and at last he exclaimed, ”O what a great big owl you are! Please say _Who's that?_ again.”

But before the owl said anything Martin was fast asleep in his mossy bed.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

_Chapter Nine_

_The Black People of the Sky_

Whether or not the great owl went on shouting _O look! look! look!_ and asking _What's that?_ and _Who's that?_ all night, Martin did not know.

He was fast asleep until the morning sun shone on his face and woke him, and as he had no clothes and shoes to put on he was soon up and out.

First he took a drink of water, then, feeling very hungry he went back to the place where he had found the ripe fruit and made a very good breakfast. After that he set out once more through the wood towards sunrise, still following the stream. Before long the wood became still more open, and at last to his great joy he found that he had got clear of it, and was once more on the great open plain. And now the hills were once more in sight--those great blue hills where he wished to be, looking nearer and larger than before, but they still looked blue like great banks of cloud and were a long distance away. But he was determined to get to them, to climb up their steep sides, and by and by when he found the stream bent away to the south, he left it so as to go on straight as he could to the hills. Away from the waterside the ground was higher, and very flat and covered with dry yellow gra.s.s. Over this yellow plain he walked for hours, resting at times, but finding no water and no sweet roots to quench his thirst, until he was too tired to walk any further, and so he sat down on the dry gra.s.s under that wide blue sky. There was not a cloud on it--nothing but the great globe of the sun above him; and there was no wind and no motion in the yellow gra.s.s blades, and no sight or sound of any living creature.

Martin lying on his back gazed up at the blue sky, keeping his eyes from the sun, which was too bright for them, and after a time he did see something moving--a small black spot no bigger than a fly moving in a circle. But he knew it was something big, but at so great a height from the earth as to look like a fly. And then he caught sight of a second black speck, then another and another, until he could make out a dozen or twenty, or more, all moving in wide circles at that vast height.

Martin thought they must be the black people of the sky; he wondered why they were black and not white, like white birds, or blue, and of other brilliant colours like the people of the Mirage.

Now it was impossible for Martin to lie like that, following those small black spots on the hot blue sky as they wheeled round and round continuously, without giving his eyes a little rest by shutting them at intervals. By-and-by he kept them shut a little too long; he fell asleep, and when he woke he didn't wake fully in a moment; he remained lying motionless just as before, with eyes still closed, but the lids just raised enough to enable him to see about him. And the sight that met his eyes was very curious. He was no longer alone in that solitary place. There were people all round him, dozens and scores of little black men about two feet in height, of a very singular appearance. They had bald heads and thin hatchet faces, wrinkled and warty, and long noses; and they all wore black silk clothes--coat, waistcoat and knickerbockers, but without shoes and stockings; their thin black legs and feet were bare; nor did they have anything on their bald heads. They were gathered round Martin in a circle, but a very wide circle quite twenty to thirty feet away from him, and some were walking about, others standing alone or in groups, talking together, and all looking at Martin. Only one who appeared to be the most important person of the company kept inside the circle, and whenever one or more of the others came forward a few steps he held up his hand and begged them to go back a little.

”We must not be in a hurry,” he said. ”We must wait.”

”Wait for what?” asked one.

”For what may happen,” said the important one. ”I must ask you again to leave it to me to decide when it is time to begin.” Then he strutted up and down in the open s.p.a.ce, turning now towards his fellows and again to Martin, moving his head about to get a better sight of his face. Then, putting his hand down between his coat and waistcoat he drew out a knife with a long s.h.i.+ning blade, and holding it from him looked attentively at it. By and by he breathed gently on the bright blade, then pulling out a black silk pocket handkerchief wiped off the stain of his breath, and turning the blade about made it glitter in the sun. Then he put it back under his coat and resumed his walk up and down.

”We are getting very hungry,” said one of the others at length.

”Very hungry indeed!” cried another. ”Some of us have not tasted food these three days.”

”It certainly does seem hard,” said yet another, ”to see our dinner before us and not be allowed to touch it.”

”Not so fast, my friends, I beg,” exclaimed the man with the knife. ”I have already explained the case, and I do think you are a little unfair in pressing me as you do.”

Thus rebuked they consulted together, then one of them spoke. ”If, sir, you consider us unfair, or that we have not full confidence in you, would it not be as well to get some other person to take your place?”

”Yes, I am ready to do that,” returned the important one promptly; and here, drawing forth the knife once more, he held it out towards them.

But instead of coming forward to take it they all recoiled some steps, showing considerable alarm. And then they all began protesting that they were not complaining of him, that they were satisfied with their choice, and could not have put the matter in abler hands.

”I am pleased at your good opinion,” said the important one. ”I may tell you that I am no chicken. I first saw the light in September, 1739, and, as you know, we are now within seven months and thirteen days of the end of the first decade of the second half of the nineteenth century. You may infer from this that I have had a pretty extensive experience, and I promise you that when I come to cut the body up you will not be able to say that I have made an unfair distribution, or that any one has been left without his portion.”

All murmured approval, and then one of the company asked if he would be allowed to bespeak the liver for his share.

”No, sir, certainly not,” replied the other. ”Such matters must be left to my discretion entirely, and I must also remind you that there is such a thing as the _carver's privilege_, and it is possible that in this instance he may think fit to retain the liver for his own consumption.”

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