Volume II Part 4 (1/2)
”Well, I suppose it must be permitted,” sighed Father Higgins. ”Go on wid yer sacrifice, me dear felly. I presume, av coorse, that it will be in ordher for me to ate some av it. Let the fishes be well cooked, by-the-way, and sarved wid some kind av sauce. I'd almost as lave be devoured meself as devour raw fishes.”
”Really, I have some scruples,” smiled the mischievous professor. ”You might shock the devotional feelings of your new wors.h.i.+ppers.”
”I insist upon it, h.e.l.ler. I tell ye I won't ate raw fishes to convart a continent av haythins, much less a little bit island av 'um.”
The fish being promptly broiled on the coals of the altar, were handed up to Father Higgins on a large leaf, together with one of the cocoa-nuts and a bread-fruit. The worthy man immediately proceeded to make a hearty meal, vastly to the delight and confirmation in the faith of his wors.h.i.+ppers, they having never before been blessed with a G.o.d who could fairly and squarely eat his dinner. After another brief speech from the chief, and a benediction from the padre, the mult.i.tude dispersed.
”Is it me unavoidable duty to live on this perch, h.e.l.ler?” demanded Father Higgins. ”Me opinion is that in that case I shall get mightily tired av me mission. I'd about as lave be a parrot, an' sit in a tin ring.”
”My dear Father, remember that blessed saint who roosted for twenty years on the top of a pillar,” urged the professor. ”Stay where you are until you have got a firm grip on the faith of these cannibals.”
”Very good,” a.s.sented Higgins, with a yawn. ”But get me a bucket of wather, me dear felly. Sure I must have some blessed an' ready for use.
The next time sarvice is conducted here I propose to sprinkle the wors.h.i.+ppers. It'll benefit um in more ways nor wan, if I'm a judge of ayther sowl or body.”
Such was the installation of Bishop Higgins, or, as the Feejeeans insisted upon considering him, Divinity Higgins, over the diocese of the Pacific.
There was something mysterious about the Cannibal Islands. Time flew like a bird there; the days seemed no more than minutes; they were coming, and they were gone. Events, emotions, changes of belief, transformations of character, succeeded each other with magical rapidity. Every thing was transacted at the wildest speed of dreams; and yet, what was strangest of all, every thing went smoothly and naturally; nothing excited astonishment. In a few days, or a few seconds, whatever the period of time might have been, Father Higgins enjoyed being Divinity Higgins.
”I think it best for the eventual spiritual interests av me paple that they should continue to wors.h.i.+p me for a while longer,” he said to h.e.l.ler. ”Human nature in a savage state, ye see, wont go at wan jump from a log av wood to the thrue Deity. I'm playin' the part av a steppin'-stone betwixt the two. Afther they've larned to lift their sowls to Higgins, they'll be able to go a bit higher, say to the saints first, an' thin to the blissid Vargin, an' so on, wan step at a time, till they've got the whole av it. But it'll be mortial slow, I'm doubtin'. I may have to bear an' forbear as I am for an intire gineration av the poor crachurs.”
”Certainly,” a.s.sented the professor. ”Nothing so injurious to weak eyes as too much light.”
”Y' 'ave put it in a nutsh.e.l.l,” replied the priest. ”Sure an' that's the rason we're opposed to gineral schoolin', an' to readin' the Bible to the children. Y' are a masther mind, h.e.l.ler, an' ought to been in howly ordhers. An' that brings me to another idee av high importince.
There should be somebody to run about with howly wather an' exthrame unction, an' the like. Now that business wouldn't shuit me pheesical conformation, an' nayther would it shuit the character I have to bear.
It's betther that you should do the outside trampin', h.e.l.ler. Ye know the tradditions an' docthrines av the Church well enough, an' y' are a dab at Latin. As for yer not bein' av the prastely office, I'll jist lay hands on ye an' qualify ye for the same. If it happens to be a bit irregular, why, the ind justifies the manes, ye remimber, or the ancient Fathers are all wrong, which is onpossible. An' now, h.e.l.ler, do tell these poor, benighted, lazy loons that I must have me c.o.ky-nuts fresh, an' as great a variety av fish as can be procured in these wathers. The chap that preshumes to bring me an owld c.o.ky-nut I'll curse his basket an' his shtore.”
After a brief missionary effort, h.e.l.ler reported that the whole population of the island, barring a few obstinate seniors, had been baptized.
”That's well, me son,” replied Father Higgins. ”I s'pose y' 'ave done it rather on the wholesale, sprinklin' a hundred or so at a fling, but I've no doubt y' 'ave done it the best ye could in the time y' 'ave had; and surely it's a great work, no matter how done. As for the apostates--I mane the fellows that stick to their owld haythinism--it might be well to make an example av a few av thim, jist for the encouragemint av the faithful. Suppose ye should organize an inquisition, or howly office, h.e.l.ler, an' conduct the proceedin's yerself intirely, be way av seein'
that they are regular an' effective? Y' are parfectly able for it, wid your knowledge av Church history.”
It was not long before h.e.l.ler was able to state that all the old fogies and silver-grays who remained alive had been converted.
”Ah, but isn't that blissid news!” responded Father Higgins, joyfully.
”An' wouldn't me brethren, the other bis.h.i.+ps, be glad to hear that same concernin' their dioceses! That's betther nor c.o.ky-nuts--of which, be-the-way, I'm gettin' a bit tired. I wondher, h.e.l.ler, if some av these other islands wouldn't furnish us a change of diet? If we could find pataties an' grapes, it ud be a blessin' to body an' sowl. Surely it ud be a good deed to bring all this archypilago into the thrue faith.
Couldn't the chafe, now, take an army out in his doubled-barrelled canoes, an' commince the work av convarsion? Tell him if he'll do that same, I'll grant him all the indulgences he can think av.”
Another magical moment of these lightning-like days brought about important events. With an armament of scores of canoes and hundreds of warriors the chief invaded a large island, and was beaten in a b.l.o.o.d.y battle by its painim inhabitants, escaping with but a remnant of his followers. Then came a counter invasion. The wors.h.i.+ppers of Father Higgins fought for their deity under his eye; the unbelievers were defeated and driven with great slaughter to their dug-outs. But as the hostile fleet still held command of the sea and hovered menacingly off the coast, keeping the faithful under arms and preventing them from fis.h.i.+ng, the good Father decided that peace was necessary.
”This livin' on c.o.ky-nuts and bread-fruits intirely is bad for the stomich, h.e.l.ler,” he observed. ”We must come to an ondherstandin' wid these raskilly infidels an' idolaters. See if ye can't make tarms wid um.”
The adroit h.e.l.ler soon arranged a secret treaty with the enemy to the following effect: Their chief, Umbaho, was to be universal king and his orthodox rival, Patoo-patoo, was to be beheaded; polygamy, cannibalism, and the use of the sacred poison were to continue in force; both islands were to adore Father Higgins and bring him sacrifices.
”Seems to me they're mighty sevare tarms,” commented the Father. ”I'd 'a been glad to get howld av a bit av timporal sovereighnty, don't you see?
Moreover, I'm sorry about that poor divil, Patoo-patoo; he was my first convart. Annyway, I'll give um full absolution, so that death can't hurt um sariously, an' I'll canonize him as a martyr. Saint Patoo-patoo! If that don't satisfy um, an' if he ain't willin' to die for the extinsion av the faith, he's no thrue belayver, and desarves no pity. So jist see to gettin' um off aisy.”
After another brief period of time, such as periods of time were in these mysterious islands, Father Higgins found himself the acknowledged divinity of the whole archipelago.