Part 40 (1/2)
”I res were brought to eance of the God, and died on her journey”
”That is not so, lord I ahter, and you are none other than h you did not know me”
”Prove it, and beware how you lie,” he said ”Show n, and whisper the hidden word intosuspiciously behind her, Soa came to him, and made some move forward, she whispered awhile into his ear When she had finished, her father looked up, and there were tears in his aged eyes
”Welcoht that I was alone, and that none of my issue lived anywhere upon the earth Welco my vows, I will protect you, ay, even at the cost of n of tenderness, a spectacle that would have struck anyone acquainted with their characters as both curious and interesting
Presently Na disa, aiting outside, he returned and prayed his daughter to explain the reason of her presence in the train of Aca
”First, you shall swear an oath to me, my father,” said Soa, ”and if you swear it not, I will tell you no word of my story You shall swear by the blood of Aca that you will do nothing against the life of that Queen hom I journeyed hither For the others, you may work your will upon them, but her you shall not harhter?” he asked
”You shall swear it because I, whoreater honour”
”Who ahter? I swear it by the blood of Aca, and if I break my oath, then may Jal deal with me as once he dealt with Aca”
Then Soa went on freely, for she knew that this was a vow that could not be broken Beginning at its commencement, she told hio, she had fled fro on rapidly, however, to that part of it which had to do with the capture and rescue of Juanna from the slave-traders, and with the promise that she had made to Leonard as the price of his assistance This promise, she was careful to explain, she had not intended to fulfil until she was forced to do so by Juanna herself
Then she gave him a minute history of the object and details of their expedition, down to her final quarrel with Leonard and her mistress on the previous day
To say that the old priest was thunderstruck at these extraordinary revelations would be too little; he was overwhelmed--so overwhelmed that for a while he could scarcely speak
”It is fortunate for this jade of a mistress of yours, who dares to make a mockery of our Goddess that she may steal her wealth, that I have sworn to save her froth, ”else she had died, and swiftly At least, the others re to his feet
”Stay awhile, father,” said Soa, catching his cloak, ”what is your plan?”
”My plan? To drag them to the temple and denounce them What else is there to do?”
”And thereby denounce yourself also, who proclaimed thehter”
”It is this Do you pass in before the Gods this day, speak hue the face of the heavens that the sun e talk has coa and the other women, of words that have been spoken by the God Jal, which would seem to show that he is no God, but that of this you believe nothing as yet Then say to therey on the morrow, you will know that this talk is true, and that they will be brought to the te to the finding of the people, who have heard these things also”
”And what if the weather should change, daughter?”
”It will not change yet awhile; but if that should chance, we must make another plan”
”Just noore to you that I would not harhter, if she is proved to be a false Goddess in the face of all the multitude, how shall she escape harm, for then her end must be quick and terrible?”
”She shall escape because she will not be there, father You have seen the white man with her--not the Deliverer, the other Were that h upon the head of the statue when the light is loho should say that he was not Aca?”