MALCHON’S GOSPEL
The Professor and the engineer had not had a very pleasant time. With
their companion in prison and no longer able to enliven them with his
rattling talk, with all their future hopes clouded, separated from
their machine, and compelled to work at the most common details of
existence, it was no wonder that they grew somewhat disheartened and
sad. When they went out they found themselves shunned if not actively
disliked, and though they went in fear of no _bodily_ peril, it really
seemed as if the whole population had decided to let them severely
alone and to do nothing to help them.
Tom was always in a condition of latent hostility, and it was well
that he could not speak the native language, considering the number of
times he swore in Anglo-Saxon. The very boys and girls in the streets
and promenades would sometimes hurl opprobrious epithets at each member
of the party; once a child struck Radcliffe as he was passing by; but
this was going too far, and the offending youngster would have been
severely punished if Radcliffe had not gone to the palace himself and
interceded. This act was much talked about in the city, but it did not
have the effect that might have been hoped, although he ended the
hostility of one family.
One day, being seriously uneasy at this state of things, he went to
crave an audience of the Princess Mexitli herself. She received him
urbanely enough, but his pleading for the others was the reverse of
successful.
“You all had no right to come here,” she said, “and you must put
up with what you receive. All I can promise is that when the man
Abercromby is set free, which I will not allow till his time of
punishment has expired, then you shall all travel in your airship to
see the wonders of the southern pole. We shall probably go with you; it
will suit the time when we make our annual progress thither. This will
be a pleasure to you all, and to that you may look forward. And now I
have a command to lay upon you. Will you take us over and explain to us
the different parts of the Asteroid?”
“Whenever your Highness shall direct.”
“Then come with me now. This is the hour when we usually take our
interval of sleep. But it will be all the better, as fewer eyes will be
upon us.”
In a little time the two princesses, each accompanied by an attendant,
repaired to that part of the terrace-square on which the Asteroid was
fixed. Radcliffe conducted them all over it, explaining the meaning of
the different objects, and gave a full account of the mechanism and of
the newly discovered force by which it had been propelled in space.
He had never felt more free since he had alighted upon the planet; he
could forget now that those whom he was addressing could send him by a
word to a doom of terror, he felt rather like a lecturer demonstrating
to a small class of pupils.
The princesses seemed highly delighted with what they had seen, and
declared that they would certainly travel in it. Among the last objects
which they noticed was a book lying open upon one of the cabin tables.
It was a New Testament. Melanitis took it up, turned over a few
pages, and said to Radcliffe, “Why should you not turn this book into
Atalantan? We have no print like this, but we have means of reproducing
copies of our exquisite public handwriting. I could furnish you with
helpers.”
Radcliffe started violently. “Do you know what that book is?” he said.
“How should we, when we speak only our own language?” said Mexitli,
with some tartness. “But let me tell you, I will allow no book from
another planet to be circulated among the people, unless it be, in my
opinion, useful, and not unsettling to their minds.”
“It is the life and teaching of the Saviour Prince, and an account
of how those who were faithful to Him carried on His work after His
ascension,” replied Radcliffe.
“Indeed!” said the princess, much astonished. “Well, you may translate
it for us if you like. My father the King takes a great interest in all
such deep subjects. But only a small part can be suitable for _our_
world, I should say.”
“Leave it to me, I will arrange everything for you,” said Melanitis
quickly.
“I insist upon having my voice in the matter,” Mexitli struck in.
“This is too serious for even my sister to take wholly upon herself.
However, religion is about the only thing I should be at all willing to
accept from outside, because we have practically none of it ourselves.
Sun-worship is ridiculous, but it is perhaps good enough for uncultured
minds.”
“Do the people treat the sun as a divinity, or as only the noblest
representation of God in the visible creation?”
“You must ask the philosophers about that. It is no duty of us
princesses to go about and discover how much or how little the people
believe. But come, the heat is too great here for such serious talk;
we will return. Set about your book, and work at it till the rain-mist
season is over, and then bring it to us.”
The very next day two of the King’s scribes came to their house, much
to the astonishment of both Carmichael and Carysfort. When Tom was
informed, he said he could not see why they should pull the old Book
about; what was good enough for Moses was good enough for him. The
Professor had to break it to him that Moses had not been connected with
either the English or Atalantan versions.
Radcliffe worked hour after hour dictating and receiving hints in
return, until the Gospel of St. Luke and the Acts of the Apostles had
been rendered into very decent Atalantan speech, though, of course,
there was a great lack of elegance and finish.
While thus engaged the rain-mist season came on in its full intensity.
The land was deluged with dew and moisture, fog and rime. The weather
was distinctly chilly. Many of the people took occasion to pass the
time in rest and sleep, and there was a succession of something like
terrestrial mornings and evenings, according as the mist increased or
diminished.
Towards the end of the period the King sent for Radcliffe and had a
long conversation with him. He praised his diligence, and said that he
would do all in his power to further his wishes. But he advised him
as a friend not to be too hasty in setting himself up as a teacher
of the people. It would be better to induce the Atalantans to teach
themselves. “You desire to incline my people to become disciples of
Jesus Christ, as you terrestrials appear to call Him. Of course, this
is but natural, for every disciple, worthy of the name, seeks to enlist
other disciples for the teacher whom he admires. My poor Melanitis
seems much disposed to enter into your plans, and you cannot do better
than work through her. My other daughter will have probably greater
influence than she, when I am gone to the Mansions of the Blest, and
you have done well to conciliate her in every way that your conscience
allows. I have not much direct power; it may be that Mexitli is
impatient for my too prolonged life to end. I blame her not; but I
would give much to be sure that my darling Melanitis loves me as she
did in the olden days. But a truce to this, though sometimes I feel I
can talk more freely to you than to my own people. We are swathed in
forms and ceremonies, in pride and social prejudice, and I long to be
able to converse freely, even with a stranger.”
“Would your Majesty tell me the story I have desired so much to know:
how, and under what circumstances, He, who is the Master whom I serve,
came to Atalanta?”
The King paused a moment. Then, inviting Radcliffe to be seated,
he said, “This is the pith of a sad and shameful story, the most
disgraceful in the whole history of my race. My people lived in much
the same place as now, though on the northern shores of the lake of
Meloria. Atalanta was not built as a city. We were but few in number
then, about twenty thousand maybe. A stranger of noble and gracious
aspect came over the Keraunian Hills. We had suffered much from
sickness and calamity, flood and fire. He came and nursed our sick back
to life; He taught us many useful things; He benefited us in every
possible way; He did menial services for us; but He told us that He
was the Son of the Mighty God, and that, if we put our trust in Him,
He would make us noble and happy and wise while we lived, and then
take us to His own Home beyond the stars where we should be His angels
and serve Him for ever. But the people of Atalanta would not accept
Him; they believed that He came from some other planet, but not that
He was the Prince of Heaven. He gave them many proofs of His divine
greatness, but very few accepted Him or became His disciples. This went
on for some time, and at last the men of Atalanta got exasperated; they
accused Him of saying that they were sinners against God, whereas
they committed no crimes but were just and upright. At last they
arrested Him, and the Council of Elders, for we had no kings and queens
then, sentenced Him to work for Atalanta by building a road over the
Keraunian Hills. He toiled at this work for a whole year, some of those
who loved Him working with Him.
“At last this cursed road was built, and when it was finished they
said, ‘We will not hurt You nor ill-treat You; we bid You depart and
leave us in peace.’ Then He said, ‘I am going to Karamandra to suffer
there for the sins of its people and to proclaim to them the true
way of salvation. But as for you, ye shall increase and wax mighty,
and have great riches and prosperity, and dwell for many centuries
unmolested and unvisited. Ye shall mourn during those days that ye have
no sure knowledge of eternal things, but no knowledge shall be given
you till the hour comes that, as a people, ye shall humble yourselves.
And in the end of the ages I will come again, first to the guiltier
world and then to this which is less guilty, and from both take to
Myself an elect assembly of those who are My true disciples. Meantime
love and serve one another, as I have served you, and the work which I
go to do upon Karamandra shall avail for this world also. Believe in Me
and My words, and wait, be the time never so long, for the Return of
the Light which you now despise.’
“Then He went away, and was seen no more. This is the sum of what I
have to tell you, my friend; seek to make the best use of it that you
can, and go forward wisely and prudently.”
Radcliffe encountered Melanitis as he left the King’s private cabinet.
She smiled upon him, but her eyes showed that she had been weeping
intensely. He more than suspected that she must have known of what had
passed, but he did not question her.
That same evening Radcliffe was wending his way to the house as well
as he could; the mist had lifted somewhat, but showed evident signs of
swooping down again. He had just turned into the Grand Avenue when a
voice was heard from behind a tree, “Will you oblige, sir, by telling
me the way to Professor Carmichael’s house?”
Radcliffe stopped aghast! Here was some one in Venus accosting him in
English! For a moment he stood petrified, then a hand was laid on his
shoulder. It was Frank Abercromby!
The latest joke had pretty well used him up. He was more like a
scarecrow than a man.
“What have they been doing to you?” said Radcliffe, his growing
admiration of things Atalantan sinking down to zero.
“Teaching me to love princesses. But come, old man, will there be a
good meat tea ready for us when we get back?”
“The Professor and the engineer and Tom scarcely know how to live. We
have had to grow our own vegetables and fruits, and Tom, the other day,
found he had planted some the wrong end uppermost.”
“Everything seems upside down in this beastly planet. Whatever did we
come here for? Why didn’t we pull up half-way and start back? How are
the boss and the engineer going to manage?”
“We shall be allowed to travel in the Asteroid to the southern pole
when the weather changes.”
“That’s something. I shall vote for going further.”
“But we shall not be allowed to go alone.”
“Not _alone_!” shrieked Frank.
“No; the princesses are going with us.”
“The deuce they are! And did you invite them?”
“Certainly not: they invited themselves.”
Abercromby swore steadily. “Well, we can drop one at either pole and
then make off for earth. I am sick of the whole business. So are the
others too, I fancy.”
They walked on silent. Then Abercromby said, “How are you getting on
about Melanitis?”
“I love her as a sister.”
“Does she love you as a brother?”
“Look here, Frank, all frivolity must end. I am going to give the New
Testament to Atalanta; the Royal House have practically settled it.”
“Take care they don’t practically settle you.”
“I believe this whole nation is on the eve of a change.”
“Great Scott!” was all that Abercromby could say.