GODS FROM THE SEA
Drawn up to the beach were three long canoes, near which were nearly a
score of brown-skinned, almost wholly naked savages, with spears,
shields and war clubs. They were excitedly inspecting the footprints in
the sand. Hugh and Lady Tennys looked down upon this startling picture
in speechless concern.
"Where did they come from?" whispered he.
"I did not see them until they were beaching the boats," replied his
white-faced companion. "Do you think they have seen us?"
"Hardly, but they will begin a search at once. See, they are now
starting to follow those tracks. By Heaven, they'll find us, and what
chance have we against them? Good Lord, this pocket knife is worse than
nothing. We must hide,--and quickly, too."
"Where can we go, Hugh? Where can we go?" she cried, panic-stricken.
"We must climb up among the crags and lie down. They can't see us there,
and they certainly can't track us over that stone plateau. Quick! We
have no time to lose."
He fairly pushed her ahead of him, up to the row, of sharp, jutting
stones. In an instant they were completely obscured from view.
"I'd rather leap off this rock into the sea than be captured by those
horrible things," she half sobbed. "Hugh, do you think they would
eat us?"
"The Lord knows. I can see them down there holding a consultation. Move
over here and you can see the whole valley. Don't be afraid; they can't
see us." She moved over timidly. Crouching side by side they watched the
operations below. The visitors, evidently mystified by the footprints,
were huddled together, gesticulating wildly. They ran hither and thither
like so many ants, minutely examining the mysterious tracks. After a
long time Hugh gave vent to an exclamation.
"By George! I know what's the matter. They can't understand the prints
of our shoes. Our naked footprints are clear enough to them, but I'll
bet my soul they've never seen an impression made by a shoe. They are
your and my footprints, you know, with and without shoes."
"Mine? Why, Hugh Ridgeway, I--never--oh, I never thought!" she
exclaimed, deeply embarrassed after her first expression of wonder and
incredulity. Then she leaned forward and strained her eyes as if
expecting to see the slender little bottoms of her feet in the tell-tale
sand. At that moment the brown band divided into squads, a half dozen
coming toward the mountain, the others remaining with the boats.
"They are after us, Tennys. I have no weapon but this club, but I will
use it as long as I can stand. I'll protect you to the last. If they
kill me, the only thing left for you to do is to crawl to the ledge over
there and jump off. We must not be taken."
She felt a strange sense of confidence and security in the broad back of
the man beside her. His jaw was set. His cheeks pale, his eyes burning
with the intensity that thrilled his whole being. The strong white hand
clutched the club fiercely. He was no longer the light-hearted,
inconsequent youth she had known on board the ship.
The brown figures came into sight again, flitting here and there,
pausing in wonder beside the stone table, inspecting the cracked nuts
critically, and closely examining the ground on all sides. At last four
or five of them sped up the ledge to the cave.
"They have found our hotel," said Hugh grimly. She gulped and could do
no more than nod.
A tall fellow with a long spear and a huge shield, stripped to the
loins, about which was a white cloth, ventured up the slope. Suddenly he
halted and called his companions to his side. He had found a footprint
in a bit of sand on the rocky surface. Without more ado the squad
scattered and began the ascent, each man eyeing the ground eagerly.
Occasionally those nearest the centre would pause and point to a track.
"The good Lord help us!" murmured Ridgeway.
Both were fascinated by the approach of the savages. It was not until
they were within a hundred feet of them that Hugh bethought himself and
drew her back, entirely out of sight. At least, he thought she could not
be seen, but he was mistaken. A portion of her white dress protruded,
and a triumphant yell announced the fact that it had met the eyes of a
searcher. Wondering what had caused the sudden yell, Hugh peered around
the corner of the rock, and to his dismay found the whole band staring
at their hiding place.
"They have seen us," he cried. "Remember, Tennys, what I told you. It's
probably a case of fight on my part. Let 'em come, spears and all!" He
stood erect, his eyes flashing with excitement and eagerness. Taking a
few steps to one side, he stood in full view of the searchers, glaring
down upon them defiantly, his club in his rigid right hand. He expected
a shower of spears. To his utter amazement, however, the fierce-looking
warriors, open mouthed and apparently terror-stricken, slunk backward,
huddling together, all the time staring at him with bulging eyes. His
first thought was that they were surprised to find him so bold, but the
next act on their part caused him to gasp with wonder.
With one accord the entire band cast weapons aside and fell face
downward, beating their heads against the rock, just as he had seen
Arabians and Nubians perform in saluting some mighty potentate. The
brown backs remained in that position for a full minute before he could
call his trembling companion to his side.
"What does it mean?" whispered she at last. "Are they dead?"
"They are really there, then? By George, I thought I was dreaming.
Tennys, they are actually doing us homage."
"Then they are harmless," she cried joyously.
"I believe I could go down and cut off their ears without hearing a
protest."
"But you won't, will you?"
"It would be barbarous, totally uncalled for, I'm sure. I can't
understand their warlike appearance, though. Those fellows look as if
they were out for blood."
"Perhaps they are at war with some other tribe and not with the white
people. My hus--Lord Huntingford says they fight among themselves
incessantly."
"That's it. It is a band of foragers, no doubt. But what are we going to
do about it?" Hugh was nonplussed. The brown backs and bobbing heads
still stretched before them in almost comical humbleness.
"It may be a trick."
"It stands us in hand to remain where we are until we know what they
intend to do next."
"I hope they'll get up and go away."
"I guess I'll yell down and ask them what they want."
"I wouldn't, Hugh," she entreated. "If we leave them alone, they may go
away presently." He looked at her and laughed, for he was growing less
uneasy with each passing moment.
"Hey, there!" he yelled. "How are you?"
Slowly the head-bobbing ceased and dark faces were lifted toward the
elevation. For the first time the newcomers saw the beautiful face of
Lady Tennyson. They struggled to their feet, the tall chief stepping
forward with outstretched arms. Then in some wild gibberish he began to
speak, half to the white witnesses, half to the sky and sun.
"What the dickens is he talking about?" murmured the mystified American.
"Perhaps he's asking us to surrender."
"He is either appealing to the sun or praying to the sky," said his
companion.
"I have it!" cried Hugh. "He thinks we are angels." Despite the gravity
of the moment she giggled delightedly.
"Then we may as well sit down and await developments," she said a moment
later, as they observed the whole band go face downward on the sand
again--all save the chief. The white people seated themselves on the
ledge and watched the impassioned jabberer. Presently the prostrate
figures arose and in mute submission spread forth their arms and bent
their heads, standing like bronze statues in the glaring sunlight, all
to the increased astonishment of those who had expected to become
victims of their torture.
"This beats all I ever knew," exclaimed Ridgeway. "It begins to look as
though they are either friendly or afraid of us. What shall we do?"
"I will follow you, Hugh, if you think it best to go down to them. I do
not believe they will harm us."
"We will go down to them, but we must not let them think we are in the
least afraid of them."
With some anxiety and a decided feeling of insecurity they arose to take
the risk. Putting into use all the composure he could command, he
deliberately began the descent, turning to assist her Ladyship.
"They are on the ground again, bobbing worse than ever," she whispered,
for his back was toward them. In a few minutes, after a descent made
more tortuous by the uncertainty of its ending, they found themselves on
a level with the huddled natives. Taking her hand in his left and
clutching his club nervously in his right, Hugh advanced slowly toward
the band. Every nerve in his body was quivering under the strain which
his apparent coolness cost. When within fifteen feet of the prostrate
figures they halted and Hugh cried out boldly:
"Get up!"
Instead of obeying the command instantly, the little band peeped slyly
at the strangers. Then they struggled to their feet, crowding into a
bunch, the picture of bewilderment.
"By George, they look at us as if they never had seen white people
before," said Hugh. With stately tread he approached the now trembling,
shrinking natives, holding his left hand aloft to signify graciousness.
Lady Tennys walked beside him, a smile playing on her exceedingly pale
face. "My good friends, be not afraid," said he. The brown men looked at
each other in deeper wonder than before.
The leader, a perfect giant, stepped forward hesitatingly, fairly
pushed on by his comrades. In an awed voice he gave utterance to a most
outlandish rattle of sound, the like of which his hearers never had
heard. In conclusion he touched his mouth and ears and shook his head
solemnly. Hugh, taking the cue, repeated the performance.
"That signifies that we don't understand each other. He sha'n't beat me
on the sign language," he said. "I believe this is a great time to work
in something dramatic. We can make a hit by simply going among them and
laying our hands on their heads. It will be graceful and fetching, I'm
sure. First, I am going to see if they are afraid of us." He suddenly
threw up both hands and cried "Boo!" in a loud tone. The eyes of the
watchers hung out and they jumped like so many mice at the sound. It was
so laughable that she was compelled to place her handkerchief over her
mouth and turn her head away. "I guess we've got 'em pretty well
paralyzed," grinned Hugh. Then he went among them, placing his hands
gently upon their woolly heads, Lady Tennys doing likewise. The flesh of
the savages fairly quivered at the touch, yet all seemed delighted that
the visitors had condescended to lay hands of kindness upon them. They
began to chatter and chant softly, all the time eyeing Hugh and his
companion with reverence.
"They don't seem to thaw out or show any signs of friendship," said
Hugh, very much puzzled. He and his companion walked over to the shade
of the rock and calmly sat down to await the next move. They now had no
fear of harm at the hands of the simple though savage-looking men, who
watched them from a distance jabbering excitedly.
"Hugh, I am firmly convinced that they have never seen white people
before. They don't know what we are."
For five minutes they sat and discussed possibilities and probabilities,
fully realizing that they were objects of awe to the savages. Finally
the tall one left the group and drew near the couple, approaching in
fine humility. When he was a dozen feet from them, they arose, extending
friendly hands toward him. He dropped to his knees and fairly ground his
head upon the rock. Then he arose and came directly to them. Hugh
marvelled at his size. Tremendous muscles, cords, knots and ridges
stood, out all over his symmetrical body. He peered intently at the
white man's flesh and then dubiously at his own. When he turned his
inspection to Tennys, his eyes riveted themselves upon her clear white
face, the most gorgeously beautiful flower he ever had seen. He could
not grasp the full glory of that dazzling flower; he was stupefied,
helpless before the blue eyes and dazzling smile. In mute idolatry he at
last lifted his puzzled gaze to the sun and then, extending his great
arms upward, uttered a few low, guttural appeals to the King of the sky.
"He thinks we are from the sun," said she, keenly ingenious.
"This fellow really seems quite willing to worship us. The best we can
do for the present is to set ourselves up as idols. I think I can be a
very clever idol with precious little practice. You can be one without
an effort. Shall we set up a worship shop among these decidedly willing
subjects?"
"But, Hugh, if we go away from the coast we cannot hope to see a white
man again; these poor fellows are now, for the first time, looking upon
one. Should we not stay here?" she asked, full of fear and perplexity.
"If a white man ever finds this land he will discover us. Besides, we
cannot live on this rock forever. It would only be a question of time
until we should starve or be killed by wild beasts. I am in favor of
retaining the very evident monopoly we have established in this land
of nowhere."
"But if they should prove treacherous?"
"There's no mistaking the honesty of their wonder. We are real
curiosities, and we have only to follow up the advantage to become
regular despots." He was enthused by the possibilities that thronged his
imagination.
"I will leave it all to you, Hugh. Do what you think best," she said
softly and resumed her seat on the rock.
With his heart quickened by the inspiration in that trusting face, Hugh
boldly stepped to the side of the brown giant, deliberately taking his
hand to lead him to the edge of the precipice.
There, by signs and gesticulations, he endeavored to tell him that they
came from over the sea. From the awed expression on the face of the
savage he guessed that he had increased the mystery. It was quite
evident that his auditor now believed them to be from the bottom of the
sea instead of from the sun. To Hugh it mattered little as long as he
could have the wand of power over their heads. He delighted the chief by
making him understand that he and his companion would accompany them in
the boats. The word was conveyed to his warriors, and a wild chatter of
joy went up from among them. They fell upon their faces and groaned in
mighty discord.
Within a quarter of an hour the light bark canoes were speeding toward
the harbor mouth, big brown arms manning the paddles vigorously.
Ridgeway and Tennys sat facing each other in the foremost boat, the
chief steering. Their turtle shell was in another boat, and Hugh did not
forget the good old spar that lay on the beach below. Hour after hour
passed, the oarsmen paddling the same stroke, never tiring, never
faltering. The passengers at last began to lose interest in the gorgeous
scenery along the coast they were skirting. Where would this startling
journey end? When would the indefatigable oarsmen lay down their paddles
to rest? When would they be able to procure food and drink?
The sun was sinking toward the water line, the forest along the uneven
coast was merging into one vast green shadow, the waters were growing
blacker and blacker, and yet the row of canoes continued its wearisome
glide toward a seemingly unattainable end. Lady Tennys became so tired
and sleepy that her long lashes could not be restrained from caressing
her cheeks, nor could her dreamy eyes bear the strain of wakefulness.
Hugh, observing her fatigue, persuaded her to turn about in the boat and
lie back against his shoulder. Soon she was sleeping soundly, her face
protected from the dying sun by a readjustment of her palm-leaf bonnet.
Ridgeway was beginning to fight against the effects of an ungovernable
drowsiness when the boat in which they sat suddenly turned toward the
beach. Long, powerful strokes sent the little craft whizzing in the new
direction. Just as the sun's last rays lost themselves in the night, the
prow glided upon the sand and the oarsmen sprang out to carry him and
the fair sleeper ashore.