THE LEGEND OF MELLENDA.
Monella's anticipations of what would follow the severe lesson they had
given Coryon's followers turned out to be well founded. For when Dakla,
with his arm in a sling, revisited his master, bearing a message from
the king, the conditions offered were accepted.
Dakla had been straightly charged that these terms would have to be
submitted to; if not that his master and all his followers would be
starved into submission. They would be confined to their own colony,
supplies of food refused, and any of their number leaving their retreat
would be killed at sight.
The conditions imposed were that not merely the three strangers, but
all the 'lay' inhabitants were to be free from molestation by Coryon's
people; and that no more 'blood-tax' was to be levied.
After many journeys to and fro, and much delay, Dakla at last announced
that Coryon agreed to the conditions for a time--for four months. After
that, their great festival would be coming on, and--well, time would
show.
"It is only a truce," said Monella, with a sigh, to his two young
friends. "I would it had been permanent; but it will give us time,
and the opportunity of shaping out our course. The people will have a
respite from the terrible fear that now is ever with them; and, short
of engaging in a protracted civil conflict, for which the people are
not yet prepared, I see not what better could have been arranged."
They were thus now able to move about more freely, and without a
guard; their rifles, too, could be left behind when they went abroad;
though Monella had counselled that they should always carry their
revolvers; for he feared they were not altogether safe from treachery,
or from some fanatical outbreak on the part of certain of the priests'
adherents.
Thus Templemore and Elwood were now able to mingle more freely with the
populace and to see more of their social life. And, wherever they went,
they were well received, and treated with both confidence and respect.
They visited the houses of people of all classes, from the palaces of
the nobles to the dwellings of the peasantry, if so the lower classes
might be called. There were, however, no poor in the country, in the
ordinary sense of the word. The crops grown were supplied to all
alike; every one had plenty to eat, and plenty of clothes to wear, and
well-built houses to live in. And, beyond these requisites, there was
little in the land to pine for. There were forests, and from these
all were free to cut wood for fuel; the electric light was laid on
to all alike. The water they required they supplied themselves with
from the lake, or from one or other of the streams that everywhere
gushed forth from the rocks above. Of shops there were none; but
there was a market-place, and a sort of market or exchange was held
there once a week. Even this, however, was falling into disuse. There
was a currency; and there were many kinds of coins; but they were
seldom used. They were of ancient make and were preserved rather as
curiosities, seemingly, than for use. There was so little that the
people wanted, either to buy or sell, that a simple system of barter
sufficed for practically all their needs.
Elwood and Templemore, as they came to know all these things, and
gained experience of the simple good-nature of the people, felt
increased indignation and resentment against the priests. They saw that
the horrible tyranny of these men had turned a land that might have
been a realm of perfect peace and goodwill, into one where constant
dread and hopeless misery and suffering had become so common, that all
seemed helplessly resigned to it.
One day, when the two were in a boat with Ulama and Zonella, Kalaima,
and others, Templemore, who had been talking of these matters, asked
whether the state of things they had seen had been of long duration.
The reply came from Zonella.
"Ever since the time of the great Mellenda. So we are told. It is
the punishment sent by the Great Spirit upon the people for their
ingratitude to him."
"And who was Mellenda?" asked Elwood.
"What! You ask who was Mellenda? But I forgot; of course, you have not
been here very long, and cannot know our history and legends."
"I have been prying about more in your museums than has my friend,"
Jack observed, "and I have learned something of Mellenda. But I know
nothing of any legend. Pray let us hear it."
"Yes, tell us about it," Leonard urged. "I like fine old legends and
tales of wonder."
"Ask the princess to tell you."
"No, no, Zonella," Ulama interposed. "You began it; you finish it.
Besides, you are more learned in such things than I am."
"Very well," Zonella said resignedly. "I can only give it as I know
it. If you want further details, you must go to the museum, or ask
Colenna, the High Chamberlain, who is a very learned man. Only I do
not wish you to ridicule it"--this to the two young men--"for, though
I call it a legend, yet it is history; and all our people implicitly
believe it. You could not offend them more than by treating it lightly
or affecting to disbelieve it. I give _you_ that as a caution, more
particularly," she added, looking mischievously at Jack, "for I know
that you are very much inclined to scepticism in such things."
"I will promise to be very good, and to make no frivolous remarks," was
Jack's laughing answer.
"Then you must know," Zonella began, "that we deem Mellenda the
greatest of our kings; that is, of our later kings. Our ancient line
of kings before him had made Manoa the greatest, the most powerful,
and the richest country of the world. These mountains that you have
seen around us were all islands in a great lake--the lake of Parima.
Its waters extended to the great mountains that we can sometimes see
from the highest points about Manoa--far, far away. But over those, and
over lands in every direction, our nation held sway. These islands were
our chief fastnesses, and this one, Manoa, being the highest and the
most naturally favoured of them all, was the seat of government, and
its city was the capital to which were brought all the wealth and the
most valued productions of the other countries that formed part of its
empire.
"But, after many mighty kings had lived and died, a weakness seemed to
fall upon the people. They were defeated in battle; provinces revolted,
and many distant parts of the empire were lost, passing under other
kings. At that time, it is said, our kings and nobles and chiefs among
the nation were too much given to feasting and enjoyment; and, it is
declared, they began cruelly to oppress the weaker of the people. And a
change came over the religion. Up to then all had worshipped only one
Great Spirit, who was said to be a good Spirit--the great ruler of all
spirits, in fact, and his priests were called 'Children of the Light.'
Their rule--what they taught--was gentle; it is recorded that they
were men of peace and of great--very, very great--wisdom. But another
religion had been introduced, coming, it is believed, from some of the
lands that had been conquered; and this was the exact opposite of the
old one. Its votaries and high priests called themselves 'Children of
the Night'; they worshipped, not one God, but many strange and terrible
gods; their priests, also, were thought to possess great wisdom, but
of an evil kind. They taught that there was but one way to escape the
power of the Spirits of Darkness, and that was by propitiating them by
constant sacrifices; and they killed many people at their festivals to
give them to their gods.
"Then Mellenda came to the throne. He was the only son of the last of
the ancient line of kings. While young he had travelled far and gained
much knowledge in strange countries; and he had already, as general
of some of his father's armies, defeated the enemies of the country,
and regained some of the lost provinces. His father was killed in
battle, and Mellenda immediately set about plans for reviving the old
power and recovering the former empire of the nation. He taught, too,
that the White religion was the true religion, and he made endeavours
to put down the other. But he was absent for long periods at a time,
upon distant expeditions, from which, it is true, he always returned
victorious; but, while he was away, establishing peace and order
in some distant province, the Dark Priests were craftily at work
undermining his authority at home. However, for a long time, nothing
came of their plottings, and Mellenda reigned for several hundred
years----"
"That's a long time," Jack interrupted, regardless of his promise.
"For several hundred years," repeated Zonella with a reproving look
at the interrupter, "which was not very long, considering that his
father had reigned for fifteen hundred years, and was then cut off,
in the flower of his age, by an accident in battle. He (Mellenda)
had restored peace at last throughout the whole empire; reformed the
style of living, himself setting an example of great simplicity; and
his wisdom and justice and kindness of heart had made him revered and
loved wherever the name of Manoa was known. Then, finally, he married
a princess he was passionately fond of, named Elmonta, and had four
children, upon whom, they say, he lavished the most tender love. But
some occasion arose for him to leave Manoa once more, to visit a
distant part of his great empire. There was a treaty of alliance to be
made with another monarch, or some such matter of importance. He sailed
away and returned after a long absence, to find that Coryon----"
"Coryon!" exclaimed Jack, once more forgetful of his promises.
"Yes, Coryon, the same Coryon, as is believed, that we have here in the
land to-day. He had seized upon the government and gained over a vast
number of the most dissolute and discontented spirits to his side. He
was then, as now, the chief of the Dark Brotherhood, or Children of the
Night. All the crowd of idle, self-indulgent nobles and men of wealth,
but of loose life, among the people, whom Mellenda had rebuked and
curbed, broke out and joined Coryon's revolt; and they actually seized
upon Elmonta, Mellenda's queen, and his children, and offered them as
sacrifices to their gods. Coryon set up a king of his own choosing;
and, when Mellenda returned, he found his wife and children dead, and
the government in the hands of a puppet king controlled by Coryon, who
threatened him with death if he landed and fell into his hands. Such
was the message sent out to Mellenda when he arrived in sight of our
island on his return, successful in the mission that had called him
away, and impatient to get back to his wife and children. He had with
him a great fleet of vessels; and, though the revolt had spread to
the other islands, he could, perhaps, have found followers enough in
other parts of the empire to have regained his throne, had he been so
minded. But he was broken-hearted, and said that, since his wife and
children were no longer living, he had nothing left to fight for, and
cared not to take part in a civil war with his own people. Instead, he
decreed that their punishment should be that he (Mellenda) would go
away and leave them for many ages to suffer under the lash of the foul
religion they had supported; till all who had sinned against him saw
their wicked error, when he would return to punish finally the Dark
Priests and those who still wilfully supported them. Then, and for ever
afterwards, there should be peace and happiness and justice throughout
the land for all his people.
"So Mellenda sailed away, and was never seen or heard of more. Not long
after his departure came the great sinking of the waters, and the lake
of Parima disappeared. This the better-disposed inhabitants left here
regarded as a special punishment for their allowing Coryon to usurp
the government and drive away the great, good, and wise Mellenda. And
they rose up against Coryon and the king he had set up. But the crafty
priest had obtained too strong a position for the movement to succeed.
Moreover, he managed to pacify a part of his opponents in a strange
way. He declared he had not put to death all Mellenda's children, and
produced a boy, who, it is said, was recognised by those who ought to
know as one of Mellenda's children. This child he promised to place
upon the throne; and afterwards he did so.
"The nation, shut off from all the world, has much decreased in
numbers, and is now unknown where it was once all-powerful. For
centuries, it is said, the surrounding country was but a chaos of swamp
and mud. By degrees there grew up vegetation, and finally trees that,
in time, became thick, tangled forests that could not be penetrated.
Thus, for long ages, we have been cut off from all the other peoples
of the world. Some parties were sent out, hundreds of years ago, to
explore the surrounding country; but some never returned, and those
who did brought back such terrible accounts of awful woods haunted
by fearful creatures, and of deserts beyond, inhabited only by black
demons, that it was considered better to keep the country here entirely
to ourselves. So I believe the only known way that led out into the
woods was sealed up for good; and thus ended the last attempt to
communicate with the outside world.
"Many of the White Priests fled to Mellenda's vessels, and were taken
away with him when he departed; but the others, including their chief,
Sanaima, retired to Myrlanda, where they have ever since maintained
themselves.
"That is the story of Mellenda, and of how he left us, and of what
befell the proud city of Manoa after his departure. When he will come
back we know not; but some old prophecies obtain amongst the people
according to which the time of his return is very near, if it is not
indeed overpast."
"His return!" said Jack. "You surely would not have us understand
that you expect this venerable old fossil to return, in the flesh,
to trouble himself about the present state of the descendants of his
ungrateful people?"
Zonella stared.
"Why, _of course_ we do!" she answered. "There is not a man or a
woman--scarcely a child of a few years old--that has not been taught to
believe in it."
"I should think so," Ulama exclaimed, almost indignantly. "We all
_know_ it will be so; we believe it absolutely."
"But," said Jack, "how long ago do you reckon all this took place?"
"About two thousand years," Zonella replied, after a brief, but
apparently careful, calculation, counting up on her fingers.
"Two thousand years! And you--you two sensible young people--tell us
you expect to see this badly-treated, but respectable, old gentleman
turn up again, just much as usual, I suppose, after two thousand years!"
"Why not?" Ulama asked. "We have Coryon and Sanaima, both said to be
older than that."
"Yes--but"--looking at Leonard--"I fancy that is like the Pharoahs of
old, you know, where there was always a Pharoah on the throne, though
kings were born and died. It would be easy to keep up a farce of that
sort where, as here, the 'High Priest,' black or white, is so seldom
visible--always in the background."
"But if the king is three hundred and forty, may it not be possible to
live to two thousand, or more? I can point out many men of more than
five hundred in the king's palace," observed Zonella.
The gentle Ulama, even, looked somewhat offended.
"We do not question the wonderful things you tell us about the world
outside," she said. "Why should you question what we know to be true?"
"It seems to me," said Leonard, "that it all depends upon the virtues
of the 'Plant of Life.' Now, if that herb, or plant, or whatever it
is, really has the qualities attributed to it, why, the rest is easy
enough."
"I admit that," Jack said, laughing. "When once that is conceded, a
man may just as easily live to five thousand years. Only, even in that
case, I see a difficulty. How would Mellenda get the necessary 'Plant
of Life' away from here?"
"The White Priests who went away with him would not be likely to leave
their secret behind," explained Zonella. "Besides, it is specially
stated in our historical manuscripts--so Colenna has told me--that
those who went out from the island for long periods--governors of
distant provinces and the like--not only took a large supply of the
dried plant with them, but seeds that they might grow it; and in some
places they found the plant do well; though they kept its virtues a
secret from the peoples they went amongst. These things would be known
to Mellenda and to the White Priests who went away with him; and,
probably, they settled in a place where they knew the plant was being
grown."
"Were that so, it would explain something of the former far-reaching
fame and power of a small nation of islanders like these," said
Leonard. "The secret of such a plant--the rapid increase of population
when there were so few deaths in proportion--would of course give them
a long pull over other nations."
"As to the question whether we seriously expect Mellenda to return
to us," resumed Zonella, "in the large museum you will see one of
his suits of armour, his banner, and a celebrated sword of his, all
kept bright and ready for use and well preserved. They are kept there
waiting for him."
"I saw them," Jack remarked. "He must have been a big fine man, if that
suit fitted him. But, to go back to the son of this great king, said to
have been saved after all, and then put on the throne; did he have any
descendants?"
Zonella nodded.
"There have been five kings in the direct line since."
"I see. So that the present king is----"
"A great-great-great-grandson of the great Mellenda," put in Ulama.
"I think it was rather fortunate you managed as you did when you came
here," Zonella said after a pause; "for, if Coryon had been the first
to know of you strangers being in the country, he would have striven
in every way to have killed or captured you. They say he is a firm
believer in the early coming of Mellenda, and is in mortal terror about
it."
Jack was silent awhile, and then he observed drily,
"Well, all I can say is that I should very much like to see the good
gentleman, if he is still about; and I only hope and wish he will
arrive while we are here. If he has been travelling around all these
years, by this time he must know a thing or two! I wonder whether he
will come in a balloon!"