The Day of Resis

Yes, Gip, the great, noble, loyal Gip, had saved Enola. When that great cry of hers had broken out, it had floated through the arches and out to the open stables where Gip had been placed. He had just been raised to his feet preparatory to having his wounds rebandaged, and as the agonized cry reached him, he raised his head and listened, and when the second cry came he pushed the attendants aside who tried to stop him and limping and almost falling he started for the open arches through which the sound came. Such loyalty, such love for a mistress had never before been displayed by the domestic animals of On and Onrai and the attendants looked with astonishment at Gip as he pushed his great head through the arch of Enola’s apartment, and gave that peculiar cry.

Enola a moment before had seemed very close to death’s door, her breath being scarcely perceptible and no movement of the body showing any signs of life. But she had awakened and in her delirium had called on that friend who had shared the danger with her and had suffered in trying to protect her. Her movement had been so quick when she had seen Gip, that those about her had not time to stop her before she had fallen on the floor clasping the great trunk of the animal. But it was well perhaps that they did not, for any hindrance or objection on their part in allowing her to go to that protector, the only one she had recognized, might have resulted seriously to her reason, that reason which was already darkened, but which now gave a glimpse of light.

All looked at her in astonishment as she caressed the elephant, throwing her arms about the great trunk, patting him and calling him by endearing names in the meantime. She now noticed the bandages about his head and said.

“Oh, my poor Gip, and you were wounded? Ah, yes, I remember now, that great, cruel log struck you,” and as she said this she almost fell backwards in her weakness, but Mr. Graham caught her and attempted to bear her to the couch, but she clutched Gip’s trunk and cried so pitifully not to be taken from him, that Mr. Bruce stepped forward and said:

“It will not hurt her and it may do her an inestimable amount of good. Listen, she already remembers a few of the instances of the storm and mad ride.”

“It was terrible, was it not, Gip?” Enola went on, “and you tried so hard to keep me from danger; but it blew so furiously and the air was so thick with stones and sand and sticks, and you were blinded, dear friend. But you are safe now, all but that poor head which the cruel log struck. But where are we now, Gip? The storm is over and we are together; but where?” and Enola looked about her with eyes which began to show some signs of returning reason.

“Ah, I see, they have found us and have taken us back to the Temple; and what are these?” and she looked at her bandaged hands and arms. “And my face, too! Oh, they hurt so,” and the poor girl seeming for the first time to realize her suffering, fell back on the floor.

“Come, Enola,” said Mr. Graham, “you are tired and weak, and must lie down. Gip shall stay near you,” he continued, as Enola again turned toward the elephant.

“Oh, uncle, I am so tired,” said Enola, as Mr. Graham laid her on the couch.

“Thank Heaven!” almost whispered Harry, “her reason is not destroyed.”

“No,” said Mr. Bruce, as he gave her a quieting powder, “Gip has indeed saved her life and her reason, too, for the sight of him has brought from out of the chaos the scenes of last night, and these have brought in their train other thoughts, until reason itself has been restored.”

This news was received with tears of joy. All fears were now allayed regarding Enola, but there were the greater ones awaiting them on the morrow. What was to be the result of the conference of the King with the people to-morrow? Onrai had assured them that it would be all right, that they would abide by his decision in the matter; but was there not a possibility of these people, who were experiencing for the first time the fears which superstition brought out, being swayed by these rather than by the King? Such thoughts had occurred to Mr. Bruce, but he had said nothing of his fears to the others, not wishing to worry them unnecessarily. Indeed, the thought had come to Mr. Bruce to suggest their immediate departure from On, but Enola’s condition forbade this, and again, they could not possibly reach the cave before morning, and if this intended escape was once discovered, they would be stopped and dealt with roughly to say the least.

The news of the coming conference had not been imparted to Mrs. Graham and Nellie and they, happy at Enola’s assured recovery, were quietly dozing in their chairs, the events of the past twenty-four hours having tired them greatly. The watches were now set for the night and the men had retired with the exception of Onrai, who went into the garden and strolled up and down, his arms hanging listlessly by his side and his head bowed as if in deep thought. Was he, too, thinking of that coming conference and of the possibility of the men refusing to heed him, and following their own blind reasoning? Whatever his thoughts were he was completely wrapped up in them and hardly heeded the approaching morn. The eastern heavens grew lighter and lighter, but still Onrai paced the drive, his head bending low and his eyes cast on the ground. The whistle of a bird seemed to rouse him at last, and raising his head and noticing the rosy tints of morn lighting the east, he shook himself and said:

“The battle is fought and I now feel stronger; but it has been cruelly hard.”

A song sung by a thousand male voices, now arose on the morning air, and Onrai, turning toward the lake, exclaimed:

“Oh, I had forgotten. I must meet the people this morning at the lake,” and he started off in that direction.

Mr. Bruce came running from the villa, and hurrying up to the retreating figure of Onrai, said:

“Onrai, you are about to go to your people. They have a grievance with us. Is it not best that we also accompany you, and plead our own defense?”

“No,” said Onrai, “I can better do this myself. I am dealing with a new phase in their character to-day, and I do not know just how I will handle them, but, at any rate, it is best that I should go alone.”

“I would ask one favor of you before you leave,” said Mr. Bruce. “We came to your land uninvited, and it is not right that we should create any disturbance, or destroy the peace of mind which your people have always known. If they demand our departure, and you feel that their demand is just, and this decree is irrevocable, do not hesitate to tell us, and we will leave immediately, although it would grieve us greatly to be compelled to do so, just when we have fully experienced the full delights of your beautiful country, and tasted the pleasures of your hospitality. We cannot understand why they have learned to fear us, but we do not question their motive, in wishing us to leave, if this be so.”

“Fear not,” said Onrai, “Some question of difference has come up probably, which has led them to fear that if you should remain here long, established customs might be changed. By talking on this subject and expatiating on it, it has assumed great proportions, and has seemed of greater importance because of the mystery which surrounds you. They have never been able to understand how you came to our country. They found you on the side of the cliff one morning in the heart of our wild beast range; you had been there overnight, and had been unmolested by the ferocious beasts. This alone made them look on you with awe, and they have never forgotten it. As I have said, it is superstitious fear, which is now urging them on, and we will have to first destroy this.”

“I hope that you may be able to do this completely,” said Mr. Bruce, “for we wish to be friends with your people, and remain a long time with them.”

“I would have it so,” answered Onrai, as he turned and again started for the shore. “I can understand now, I think, why these people have turned on their guests. In some way they have learned of my love for Enola, and a fear has taken possession of them that I would give myself up to the fascinations of this fair woman. And they have attributed a supernatural power to her, for they could not believe that any other could make me so far forget my laws and people as to love; and I do not know just how I am going to deny their charges and still ask them to allow the strangers to remain with us. This they must do, however, for I would have them with us until they have fully learned our customs and ways. They will not fully know these until they have seen the ceremony of the Day of Resis. And, am I still weak? May be so; but I cannot now see Enola leave me. I will be strong, I will bury the love, which, if mentioned, will ruin my whole life and that life to come. But I must see her; I must have her with me yet awhile. Ah, I am approaching the appointed place. Now for the struggle.”

The party had seen him coming and were now drawn up before a large rock, which was intended for a platform, from which Onrai was to speak; Onrai approached and took his stand on the rock; the men stood in a semicircle about him, their heads uncovered and as Onrai took his position on the rock they bent their bodies respectfully, and then stood waiting for him to speak.

“My people,” he commenced, “you came to me last night with a strange complaint. For a short time we have had in the Land of On a number of strange people, the first which has ever visited our world since we can remember. If at any previous time such visitors came to the Land of On, we know not, for the events of the past ages are not made known to us. But we are concerned only with these strangers from a distant planet. When we stop to consider, we cannot wonder that these enlightened people, of another world, seeing our world as we see theirs, should wish to visit it and learn, if here was a race of people like unto themselves. We cannot fully understand, perhaps, the curiosity which should prompt this desire, for we have been taught to be contented with the good land which God has given us and not to seek anything which we have not here given us. We have certain laws to follow, and these laws are life and death. But it is not so with the people who are now here as our guests; they have certain political and moral laws, as they call them, which they must adhere to, but they have no laws restricting their research into the unknown. They may invent new contrivances for making their labor easier, they may advance new theories on great subjects, even their religion, not being altogether as ours is, but a number of different beliefs, these beliefs being subdivided, each advancing different theories, which in the end are widely varying. And they are allowed to study the heavens and learn the different stars and to name them; and they learned that there was a world similar to theirs and they determined to visit it, and immediately devised new means to do so; and they came and found that another race was here, a race much like themselves in many respects but different in others, principally in physique; but they worshiped the same God, the great God, and this makes them brothers, and now you would destroy them, or send them back to that world from whence they came, even before they have fully learned the world or people which they traveled so far to find. You have an imaginary complaint to make against them; it cannot be a genuine complaint for I have been with them almost constantly since they came to our land and I know that they are as pure in heart and deed as any among us. Accept your King’s word for this, for he knows of what he speaks. I have done.”

The party of men had stood perfectly still during this speech of the King, but it would be impossible to tell from their mobile features whether they were being convinced or not. They stood stolidly silent, not a muscle moving, leaning against their zebras. They made a grand sight, these thousand men in their beautiful tunics, holding their bright helmets. A body of men which would make the armies of the civilized world look like pigmies and which would make the eyes of a general open wide with admiration. But that stolidity; not one among them betrayed an emotion in the face. As Onrai finished they did not even change the position which they had held while he was speaking.

Onrai now stepped to one side of the rock and the leader, who had spoken the night before, came forward and mounting the rock, bowed to Onrai and then proceeded with his explanation.

“Oh, King, I was chosen by the people, who sent us here to make the charge against the strangers last night, but you ordered us away, and we have always learned to obey our King before all else, so we have waited until this morning. The decision reached by the people was caused by a report which was brought to the city by one, who has been a member of your expedition since you left the city and was for some time before attached to the woman Enola before she left the Temple. She was alarmed by certain things which transpired, and no longer being able to keep them to herself, rode to the city yesterday morning, arriving even before you did, oh, King. She tells of the King of On, being in the company of the woman Enola most of the time, and that certain expressions passed between the King and this woman, which could mean but one thing; the King had become infatuated with the woman. This news could hardly be credited and would not have been believed probably, if one of our men, who was also in the party, had not rushed madly into the city yesterday, giving out that the King was mad; that he had stood on the terrace of the villa, occupied by Onrai and his party on the night of the storm, and had heard the King accuse the woman Enola of having bewitched him; of her having known before the laws and customs of the people of On, even before she had come here; but notwithstanding this she had thrown a spell over him, the King. The King told her that she had been balked in her machinations before it was forever too late, by the warning of God. This warning was the storm. The man had not stopped to listen longer; the storm causing him to seek shelter. The people had seen the King come to the city, where he should be in the time of great trouble, but that word had come from the woman Enola and he had forgotten his people and had rushed off quickly, even killing the zebra which he had ridden. This latter, we learned afterwards. The people love their King, oh, Onrai; they feel that he has not sinned but that he is in the meshes of one who would ruin him, and they have decided that the woman and her party should die, and we have come to fulfill this mission.” And the man, as if this declaration ended the matter, stepped down from the rock and commanded the men to don their helmets and again mount.

“Hold,” cried Onrai, “what would you do? Consider well the step which you would take. Have you forgotten that these people are our guests and as such demand our protection? The stories which you bring are true, but they are the results of my own blindness and are not due to any supernatural influence, which Enola has had over me. She is innocent and even now lies at the point of death, and, will you not at least wait and see if her injuries are fatal? Oh, heed your King and do not this thing which hurts him. Let them be escorted to the place where they were found, and let them from there return to their own world. Do not kill them,” and Onrai wrung his hands in despair.

The only answer the leader made him was, “We must save our King, for we love him and this is the only way,” and he ordered the men to march. Onrai jumped from the rock and ran like a deer ahead of the riders, and reaching the villa, met Mr. Bruce, Mr. Graham and Harry on the terrace awaiting his return. The hurrying figure of Onrai coming toward them told them that something was wrong, and stepping up quickly toward him, Mr. Bruce asked, “What is it?”

“It is settled,” said Onrai; “they are coming to kill you; I tried to dissuade them, but it was useless. Rush to the rear and take zebras and make all possible speed to where you were found. I will try to keep them back for a while; it will mean my death, but that matters little.”

The three men turned white, but did not move.

“But what of Enola?” asked Mr. Bruce.

“She must be taken too,” said Onrai, “but it is too late.”

The riders had now reached the terrace and dismounting, a number of them stepped forward and laid hands on the strangers. Others prepared to enter the villa, for the women. Onrai stood with bowed head, overcome with emotion. This then was to be the miserable end of the expedition.