diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-0.txt | 7128 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-0.zip | bin | 164714 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h.zip | bin | 748118 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/60066-h.htm | 9921 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 34841 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus1.jpg | bin | 27650 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus10.jpg | bin | 42239 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus11.jpg | bin | 15703 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus12.jpg | bin | 11340 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus13.jpg | bin | 25313 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus14.jpg | bin | 24139 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus15.jpg | bin | 29465 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus16.jpg | bin | 30009 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus17.jpg | bin | 28760 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus18.jpg | bin | 27402 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus19.jpg | bin | 30055 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus2.jpg | bin | 5041 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus3.jpg | bin | 45519 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus4.jpg | bin | 29060 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus5.jpg | bin | 68752 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus6.jpg | bin | 27521 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus7.jpg | bin | 26261 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus8.jpg | bin | 13371 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-h/images/illus9.jpg | bin | 34798 -> 0 bytes |
27 files changed, 17 insertions, 17049 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ebaaa46 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60066 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60066) diff --git a/old/60066-0.txt b/old/60066-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index fa4f1a9..0000000 --- a/old/60066-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7128 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Kiana: a Tradition of Hawaii, by James -Jackson Jarves - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Kiana: a Tradition of Hawaii - - -Author: James Jackson Jarves - - - -Release Date: August 6, 2019 [eBook #60066] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KIANA: A TRADITION OF HAWAII*** - - -E-text prepared by Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 60066-h.htm or 60066-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/60066/60066-h/60066-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/60066/60066-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/kianatradition00jarvrich - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). - - - - - -[Illustration: _J. Webber del._ _I. Andrews. Sc._ - -_A Hawaiian Chief._] - - -KIANA: -A TRADITION OF HAWAII. - -by - -JAMES J. JARVES, - -Author of “History of the Hawaiian Islands,” “Parisian” and -“Italian Sights,” “Art-Hints,” &c., &c. - - - - - - -Boston and Cambridge: -James Munroe and Company. - -London: -S. Low, Son, and Company, -Ludgate Hill. -M DCCC LVII. - -Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by -James Munroe and Company, -In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of -Massachusetts. - -Cambridge: -Thurston and Torry, Printers. - - - - -TO HIS MAJESTY ALEXANDER LIHOLIHO, WHO NOW SO WORTHILY FILLS THE THRONE -OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, AS KAMEHAMEHA IV., THIS TRADITION OF HIS KINGDOM -IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as Fiction. Every emotion, -thought, or action embodied into literature has been human experience at -some time. We can imagine nothing within the laws of nature, but what has -had or may have an actual existence. A novel, therefore, but personifies -the Truth. In giving a local interest to its actors, it introduces them -to the reader through the medium of sympathies and passions, common -to his own heart, of reason intelligible to his own mind, or of moral -sentiments that find an echo in his own soul. Its success depends upon -the skill and feeling with which the author works out his characters into -a consistent whole—creating a simple and effective unity out of his plot, -locality, and motive. Still every reader likes to feel that the persons -whose fates warm his interest in the pages of a romance, actually lived -and were as tangibly human as himself, and his degree of interest is apt -to be in ratio to his belief that they were real personages. I am glad, -therefore, to be able to assure my readers of the following facts. - -In my youth I spent several years in different parts of the Pacific -Ocean, but chiefly at the Sandwich or Hawaiian Islands. While engaged -in procuring materials for their history,—first published in 1843,—I was -much struck with a tradition relating to their history by Europeans, two -and a half centuries before Cook so accidentally stumbled upon them. -Briefly it was this— - -Eighteen generations of kings previous to Kamehameha I., during the reign -of Kahoukapa, or Kiana, there arrived at Hawaii, a white priest, bringing -with him an idol, which, by his persuasion, was enrolled in the calendar -of the Hawaiian gods, and a temple erected for its service. The stranger -priest acquired great influence, and left a reputation for goodness that -was green in the memories of the people of Hawaii three centuries later. -Another statement adds that a vessel was wrecked on the island, and the -captain and his sister reached the shore, where they were kindly received -and adopted into the families of the chiefs. - -Without enlarging here upon the tradition, and the light my subsequent -researches threw upon it, I will simply state that I became convinced -that a Spanish priest, woman, and several men were rescued from a wreck, -landed and lived in Hawaii, and acquired power and consideration from -their superior knowledge, and for a while were even regarded as gods. -Some of them intermarried with the aborigines, and their blood still -exists (or did recently) among certain families, who pride themselves -greatly upon their foreign origin. - -Other traces of their existence are perceptible in the customs, ideas, -and even the language of the natives, which last has a number of words -strikingly analogous to the Spanish of the same meaning. Captain Cook -found among them a remnant of a sword-blade and another bit of iron. They -were not strangers to this metal, and as no ores exist in their soil, -they could have derived their knowledge solely from foreign intercourse. - -Soon after the conquest of Mexico, Cortez sent three vessels upon an -exploring expedition to California. After sailing as far as 29° north, -one was sent back to report progress. The other two held on and were -never heard from. Why may not one of these be the vessel that was wrecked -on Hawaii? The winds would naturally drive her in that direction, and the -date of the expedition agrees, so far as can be made out from Hawaiian -chronology, with the time of the first arrival of white men on that -island. Indeed, at that period of maritime discovery, white men could -come from no other quarter. For my part, I believe that a port of Mexico -was the starting point of the wrecked party; a conjecture which derives -some plausibility from the fact, that, when the natives offered the -whites bananas and other tropical fruits, they were familiar with them, -which would be the case, if they came from Tehuantepec, from whence -Cortez fitted out his vessel. - -To absolutely identify the white strangers of Hawaii with the missing -ships of Cortez, is not now possible. But the interest in them, left -thus isolated from civilization amid savages, upon an island in the -centre of the then unknown ocean, is peculiar. Especially have I always -been curious to trace the fate of the solitary white woman,—a waif of -refinement cast thus on a barbarous shore,—and of the priest too,—to -learn how far their joint influence tempered the heathenism into which -they were thrown, or whether they were finally overcome by paganism. - -Twelve years ago, while amid the scenery described in this volume, and -the customs and traditions of the natives were fresh in my mind, I began -to pen their history; but other objects prevented my going on, until -the past winter, when leisure and the advice of friends, pleased with -the subject, prompted its completion. The descriptions of the natural -features of this remarkable island, of the religion, customs, government, -and conditions of its aborigines, as well as the events in general, -are as faithful transcripts, in words, of the actual, to my personal -knowledge, as it is in my power to give. - -In saying thus much for the facts, I am in duty bound to add a word for -the ideas. Prefaces, some say, are never read. It may be so. But for -myself, I like the good old custom, by which as author, or reader, I can -talk or be talked directly to. It is the only way of familiar intercourse -between two parties so essential to each other. I shall therefore speak -on. - -Every tale is based upon certain ideas, which are its life-blood. Of -late, fiction has become the channel by which the topics most in the -thought of the age, or which bear directly upon its welfare, reach most -readily the popular mind. But few authors, however, can count upon -many readers, and I am not one of them. Still what a man has to say to -the public, should be his earnest thought frankly told. No one has a -monopoly of wisdom. The most gifted author cannot fill the measure of the -understanding. The humblest may give utterance to ideas, that, however -plain to most thinkers, may through him be the means of first reaching -some minds, or at least suggesting thoughts that shall leave them wiser -and happier. If what he say, has in it no substance of truth, it will -speedily come to naught. But on the contrary, if it contain simply the -seeds of truth, they will be sure to find a ripening soil somewhere in -human hearts, and bud and blossom into peace and progress. With this -motive I have spoken freely such views as have been prompted by my -experience and reflections. They are not much to read, nor much to skip. -Whichever the reader does, he carries with him my warmest wishes for his -welfare, and the hope that if he find in the Story nothing to instruct, -it may still be not without the power “to amuse.” - - CASA DAUPHINÉ, - Piazza Maria Antonia, - _Florence_, 1857. - - - - -KIANA: A TRADITION OF HAWAII. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - “They that sail on the sea tell of the danger thereof; and when - we hear it with our ears, we marvel thereat.”—_Ecclesiasticus_, - xliii. 24. - - “The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, - The furrow followed free; - We were the first that ever burst - Into that silent sea.” - - _Ancient Mariner._ - - -To be alone on the great ocean, to feel besides the ship that bears you, -nothing human floats within your world’s horizon, begets in a thoughtful -mind a deep solemnity. The voyager is, as it were, at once brought before -the material image of eternity. Sky and sea, each recedes without limit -from his view; a circle above, a circle around, a circle underneath, no -beginning, no ending, no repose for the sight, no boundary on which to -fix the thought, but growing higher and higher, wider and wider, deeper -and deeper, as the eye gazes and finds no resting point,—both sea and -sky suggest, with overpowering force, that condition of soul which, -knowing neither time nor space, forever mounts Godward. In no mood does -Nature speak louder to the heart than in her silence. When her thunders -roll through the atmosphere and the hills tremble, the ocean surges and -the wind wails; when she laughs through her thousand notes from bird or -blossom, the heart either exults at the strife, or grows tender with -sympathy in the universal joy. But place man alone on the ocean, shrouded -in silence, with no living thing beyond his own tiny, wooden world for -companionship, he begins to realize in the mighty expanse which engulfs -his vision his own physical insignificancy. The very stars that look -down upon him, with light twinkling and faint, from the rapidity with -which they have sent their rays through distant firmaments to greet his -vision and tell him there are countless worlds of greater beauty and -higher perfection for his spirit to explore; even they deepen his feeling -of littleness, till, finally, his soul recovers its dignity in the very -magnitude of the scenery spread for its exploration. It knows that all -this is but a portion of its heritage; that earth, air and water, the -very planets that mock its curiosity, are ministering spirits, given with -all their mysteries to be finally absorbed into its own all-penetrating -nature. - -Few, however, can so realize their own spirit-power, as to be calm in -a calm. A motionless ship upon a silent ocean has a phantom look. The -tall, tapering spars, the symmetrical tracery of ropes, the useless sails -in white drooping folds, the black body in sharp relief in the white -light, added to the ghost-ship,—the twin of the one in the air,—in -dimly-shadowed companionship, hull uppermost and her masts pointing -downwards in the blue water, make up a spectral picture. As day after day -passes, overhead a hot burning sun whose rays blind without rejoicing, no -ripple upon the water, no life, because neither fish nor bird can bear -the heat; the very garbage thrown overboard floating untouched, as if -destruction rejected her own; the night mantling all in darkness, making -silence still more oppressive,—for even the blocks refuse their wonted -creaking;—all this consumes the body like rust slowly eating into iron. -Nature faints and man sinks into her lassitude. He feels deserted of -his own mother. She that bore him mocks him. Perchance a cold grey sky, -pregnant with gloom, shuts down all around him, reflecting itself in the -ocean which looks even greyer and colder. The atmosphere grows barren of -light. No wind comes. Silent, motionless, and despairing, the vessel lies -upon the waters; not slumbering, for every nerve within is quickened to -unnatural keenness to catch a sign of change. It comes not. The seamen’s -hearts, too worn to pray or curse, daily sink deeper within them, like -masses of lead slowly finding their way through the fathomless depths of -the ocean. A sail, a floating spar, a shark or devil fish, anything that -were of man or beast, a shrub, the tiniest sea-snail or wildest bird, -would be welcomed as Columbus hailed the floating signs that told to his -mutinous crew a coming shore. - -But none come. Weeks go by thus. Is man a god that his soul cannot fail -within him! Must he not sympathize with the surrounding inanition! -Welcome battle, welcome storm, welcome all that excites his energies, -though it consume blood and muscle; be the mind racked and the body -tortured; still man marches triumphantly on to his object. But take away -opposition, reduce him to nothingness, convince him that action begets no -result, that will is powerless, and he is no longer man. Not to act is -conscious annihilation. But Nature never wholly deserts. She leaves hope -to cheer humanity with promises that sooner or later must be fulfilled. -There is, however, no condition so destitute of all that makes man _Man_ -as helpless solitude, when mind and body alike without action, stagnate -and forget their origin. - -Such was the condition of the crew of a vessel about the year 1530, lying -motionless on the waters of the Pacific, not far from 25° north latitude -and 140° west longitude. The bark was of that frail class, called -caravel, scarcely fitted to navigate a small lake, much less to explore -unknown seas. Yet, in those days European navigators did not hesitate -to trust their lives and fortunes, on voyages of years’ duration, to -craft which would now be condemned even for river navigation. The one of -which we speak was of about seventy tons burden, with a high poop, which -gave a comfortable cabin, a half deck and a forecastle, raised like the -poop, sufficient to give partial shelter to the numerous crew. One mast -with a large lateen sail rose from the centre of the vessel, but her -progress was aided as much by oars as by canvas. At the masthead was a -castle-shaped box, in which the seamen could comfortably remain, either -as lookouts, or for defence. This gave to the spar a clumsy, top-heavy -look, wholly inconsistent with our modern ideas of nautical symmetry. - -It was plain that the caravel had been long from port, and had suffered -much from stress of weather. Her sides were rusty grey; barnacles clung -so thickly below and above the water line, as to greatly interfere with -her sailing qualities; the seams were open, and as the hot sun poured -upon them, pitch oozed out. A tattered and threadbare sail hung loosely -from the long yard which swayed from the masthead. The cordage appeared -strained and worn to its last tension. Iron rust had eaten through and -stained the wood in all parts of the hull. If paint had ever existed, the -elements had long since eaten it up. Everything indicated long and hard -usage. Yet amid all there were signs of seamanship and discipline; for -bad and shattered as were rope, spar, and sail, everything was in its -place and in the best order its condition permitted. - -Within the cabin was a weather-beaten young man, well made, of a strong -and active frame, features bronzed by long exposure to varied climates, -and fine soft hair, somewhat light in color, which even now would have -curled gracefully, had it been properly cared for. He lay ill and panting -on the transom, with his face close to the open port, gasping for air; -not that he was seriously reduced, for it was readily seen that fatigue, -anxiety and scanty fare had more to do with his weak condition than -actual disease. Near him was a rude chart of the coasts of Mexico and -adjacent sea, which he had long and carefully, and, to all appearance, -fruitlessly studied. It was covered with a labyrinth of pencil marks, -indicating a confused idea both of navigation and his present position. -He had been recently poring over it, and at last had thrown it aside as -utterly worthless, or at all events as affording him no clue by which to -extricate himself from his present situation in a sea wholly unknown to -the navigators of his day. - -Near him sat a priest, whose thoughtful, benevolent face was far from -expressing despair even under their present circumstances. He talked to -the young man of the necessity of trusting themselves to the guidance -of Providence, and sought to cheer him by his own hopeful serenity and -untiring action. - -Around the deck and under such shelter from the heat as they could -contrive, the crew reclined in mournful groups; some with faces hardened -into despair, and others careless or indifferent. A few only manifested -a spirit of pious resignation. The strongest seldom spoke. Their looks -were as sullen as their tempers were fierce, and if they opened their -mouths, it was to mutter or curse, daring Nature to do her worst. Nothing -but their physical debility prevented frequent violent explosions of the -pent-up irritability arising from their helpless state. Disease and -starvation were rapidly adding fresh horrors to their situation. One -seaman lay on the hard deck with a broken thigh, in which mortification -had already begun, groaning and piteously asking for water. In his thirst -he would have drank more in one hour than was allowanced to the entire -crew for a day’s consumption. Several others, whose fevered tongues -rattled from dryness, were also tossing and moaning on the rough planks, -too weak or hopeless to join in the fruitless appeal of their dying -comrade. Such water as they had was clotted with slime, and impregnated -with foul odors. Their meat was all gone, and the little bread left, -musty and worm-eaten. - -All wore the look of having long struggled with adverse fortune. They -were men whose element was made up of hardship and adventure; men, who, -forgetting in one hour’s better fortune all that had brought them to -their present condition, would not hesitate to embark again on a similar -errand. Here they were, bowed in spirit, haggard in features, their -hardy limbs lying torpidly about, indifferent to death itself, but worn -to worse than death by drifting for weeks about under a pitiless sun on -an unknown sea, which the oldest of them had never heard of, and which -seemed to them as if they had arrived within the confines of stagnant -matter, where they were doomed to rot in body and decay in mind, coffined -in their vessel, whose slow destruction kept even pace with their own. - -Five of their number had already died and been cast overboard. Gladly -would they have seen sharks gorge themselves on their late shipmates, as -that would have shown them that the water still contained life. But no -carrion fishes came near them. With faces upturned and glassy eyes fixed -upon the caravel, those corpses floated about them so long that the crew -were at last afraid to look over the bulwarks for fear of seeing what -they desired so much to forget. - -But humanity had not altogether abandoned them. The frailest in body -among that vessel’s company proved the strongest in faith and action. A -woman was of their number. Consuming even less of their provisions than -the others, she reserved herself, and in great measure her allowance of -food, for those whose necessity she considered as greater than her own. -At all hours was she to be seen moving quietly about, speaking hope and -courage to one, giving to eat or drink to another, or fanning the hot -brow of a half delirious sufferer, while she talked to him of a home into -which no suffering could enter, if the heart once were right. Especially -was she devoted to the young man in the cabin. He evidently relied even -more upon her than upon the priest, and imbibed fresh strength and hope -from her voice and example. The priest was equally unwearied with his -bodily aid and spiritual counsel to the crew. Thus it was that amid the -most trying of the experiences of ocean-life, despair did not altogether -quench hope. - -Yet what situation could be more cheerless! One altogether similar in -the history of navigation had never occurred before, and by the hurried -course of discovery and civilization, would not again occur. They were -literally ALONE, drifting on an unknown, motionless sea. No winds stirred -its surface; no birds flew by; no fishes came up from beneath their keel; -there was no change except from the burning day to the feverish night, -which brought with it no cooling dew, nor any sign to excite a sailor’s -hope. Although they could not know the fact, not a vessel beside theirs -for thousands of miles east or west, north or south, floated on that -ocean. Driven thither against their wills, they were the first to explore -its solitude. It was true that continents and archipelagoes thickly -peopled were around them, but for all they knew, they were being carried -by an irresistible fate to the boundary of nature, whence they would drop -into a fathomless void. They were therefore literally ALONE. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - “Suddaine they see from midst of all the maine, - The surging waters like a Mountain rise, - And the great Sea, puft up with proud Disdaine, - To swell above the measure of his guise, - Threatening to devoure all that his Powre despise.” - - SPENSER. - - -The caravel in question was more than ordinarily frail, having been -hastily equipped with two others from the port of Tehuantepec in Mexico, -at the order of Cortez for the exploration of the continent about and -above the gulf of California. It is true, an experienced seaman named -Grijalva had been put in command, and he had been so far successful as -to have reached the twenty-ninth degree of north latitude. Thence one -vessel had been sent back with an account of his progress. The other -two continued their explorations northward, with the hope of arriving -at that kingdom so rich in precious metals, of which they had heard so -many rumors from the recently conquered Mexicans. Creeping coastwise -slowly upward, many fine bays with shores rich in verdure met their -view, but of gold they found no traces, and of inhabitants, with the -exception of an occasional glimpse of a naked savage, who ran terrified -away, they were equally unsuccessful. Yet they were navigating waters, -the tributary streams of which were literally bedded in gold. But -neither the time nor people to which this treasure was to be disclosed -had arrived. Consequently, Grijalva, with his eyes blinded to what was -constantly within his reach, saw nothing but a vast wilderness, which -promised neither wealth nor honor as the reward of further exploration. -Reluctantly, therefore, he turned his course southward. That night a -severe gale came on, and both caravels were driven far from their course -towards the southwest. It was in vain with such unseaworthy vessels that -Grijalva sought to regain the coast. The wind blew him still farther -into unknown seas, which daily became more tempestuous, until his -storm-shattered vessel sank in sight of her scarcely better conditioned -consort, engulfing all on board. - -This sight for the moment chilled the hearts of the surviving crew, -and paralyzed their exertions. But Spanish seamen and the soldiers of -Cortez were too accustomed to death in every form, to long despair. They -redoubled their efforts, and by bailing and cautious steering, keeping -the vessel directly before the wind, weathered the gale, which the next -day was succeeded by the fatal calm, already described. - -There were on board some twenty persons, veterans in the hardships and -conflicts of the new world. Their commander was the young man that lay -exhausted in the cabin. He spoke to the woman who now sat with his head -on her lap, while she gave him such meagre refreshment as their famished -bark afforded. His name was Juan Alvirez. Hers was Beatriz. They were -brother and sister. He had been a volunteer with Narvaez, and after his -defeat enlisted under Cortez, and was present at the siege of Mexico, and -all the subsequent expeditions of his commander, to whom he was greatly -attached. This attachment was founded in a congeniality of temperament, -which led him to emulate the heroic daring and unflinching perseverance -of Cortez, while his more powerful intellect was equally an object of -his profound admiration. With the same thirst for adventure, the same -chivalric courage, the same devotion to the Catholic worship, the same -contempt for the rights, feelings or sufferings of others so that his own -desire was gained, devout and loyal, with deep affections, easily moved -to anger or kindness, childlike in his impulses, yet strong in action, -Alvirez in most points, except judgment, might be considered a Cortez -on a small scale. Indeed, his intimacy with him, begun when Alvirez was -not twenty years of age, had, by strengthening the natural traits of -character so similar to his own, quite merged him into his commander. His -individuality was shown chiefly in executing what Cortez ordered, and in -blind though gallant acts of devotion, upon the spur of emergency, in -which prudence or generalship were not often considered. - -Alvirez was frank and social. These qualities joined to his tried -bravery made him the favorite of all. Even the Mexicans who had so -often suffered from his arm, learned to distinguish and admire in him -that generous fearlessness to all danger, which pitiless to them, was -self-devoted to his own cause, and stooping to no artifice in action, -went direct to its mark, like the swoop of a hawk upon its quarry. With -them he was known as Tonatiuh, ‘the child of the sun,’ from his burning -glance and stroke as quick as light. His thirst for adventure keeping him -in continual action, he gladly volunteered to command the soldiery in the -expeditions which Cortez sent to explore and subdue the unknown regions -to the north of Mexico. - -Not yet in the prime of life, we find this Spanish cavalier, faint from -exertions which had wearied out all on board, lying half helpless, -grieving over the fate of the brave seamen who had so long and skilfully -kept the little squadron afloat. - -His sister Beatriz shared many of these traits with her brother. She was -as brave, self-devoted, ardent, and impulsive as he, but true womanhood -and a benevolence of heart which instinctively led her to seek the -happiness of those with whom she was, made her in conduct an altogether -different being. Deeply imbued with the Roman Catholic faith, while -she sedulously conformed to the demands of its ritual, its principles -tempered by her own native goodness and purity, reflected through her -peace and good will towards all men. Juan was all energy and action. -His will flowed from desire like a torrent, rending asunder its natural -barriers, and spreading mingled ruin and fertility in its course. Her -will was deep, calm, and sure, without noise, with no sudden movement, -but like the quiet uprising of an ocean-tide, it steadily rose, floating -all things safely higher and still higher on its bosom, until they -attained its own level. All about her felt its movement, wondered at the -effect, and welcomed the cause. - -Her influence over rude men was not the result of charms that most -attract the common eye. The oval of her head was faultless. Her hair -was of ethereal softness, and seemed to take its hue and character from -her mind rather than from nature’s pigments. Considering her race, her -complexion was rare, being blonde. Warmth, firmness, decision, and much -heart-suffering, were denoted by her mouth. Her eyes spoke at will the -language of her soul, or kept its emotions as a sealed book. Yet they -were not beautiful in the strictly physical sense, being in repose -somewhat lifeless in color, but when they talked, an illumination as if -from another sphere overspread her countenance, and surrounded her entire -person with an atmosphere radiant with spirit emotion. So gentle, yet so -penetrating was her speech, that it seemed as though she breathed her -language. To the listener it was as if some delicious strain of music -had passed through him, harmonizing his whole nature. This, no doubt, -was owing rather to her purity and earnestness, as they found language -and a responsive echo and all that was true and good in others, than to -any wonderful endowment of voice. Her vital organization being acute -and generous, she was extremely susceptible to all life emotions, yet -so well-balanced was her character, which was the result of a varied -experience, garnered into wisdom, that came more from intuition than out -of the cold processes of reason, that rarely was she otherwise than the -same quiet high-toned woman, as persuasive to good by her presence, as -faithful to it by her example. None, therefore, asked her age, debated -her beauty, or questioned her motives. All, even the mercenary soldier, -the profane seamen, and the untutored Indian, felt themselves better, -happier and safer, for having her among them. Her sad, sympathizing face, -her winning speech, generous action, and noiseless, graceful carriage, -were to them more of the Madonna than of the earth-woman. Yet she was -strictly human, differing from others of her sex only in being a larger -type of God’s handiwork, with fuller capacities both to receive and give, -whether of suffering or joy. The key to her character was her invariably -following her own noble instincts, sanctioned and aided as they were -by the principles of her faith. In this respect, she was fortunate in -possessing for her confessor the priest who was with them. He was a -Dominican monk, Olmedo by name, and although attached by education to -his theology, was of enlarged and humane mind, and felt that love rather -than force was the only sure principle of conversion of the heathen to -Christianity. - -Olmedo had come from Spain with the father of Alvirez, who held a post -of trust in Cuba. Thence he followed Cortez to Mexico, and on repeated -occasions had done much to soften his fanaticism, and inspire him with -a more humane policy towards the unhappy Indians. When Alvirez set out -on the present expedition, his sister and Olmedo determined to accompany -him; the former from her love for Juan, and the latter from attachment to -both, and the hope that he might find a field for missionary labor, in -which the principles that animated him and Beatriz might have free scope, -unneutralized by the brutality and excesses of the miscalled soldiers of -the Cross. - -The other members of the caravel’s company need just now no special -mention, except that although bred in the Cortez school of blood and -rapine, they were, almost unconsciously to themselves, influenced much -not only by the high toned courage and unflinching perseverance of -their commander, but still more by the purer examples and earnest faith -of Beatriz and Olmedo; each of whom, as opportunity offered, sought -to deepen this impression, and to persuade them that there was truer -treasure on earth than even the gold for which they lavished their -blood, and better enjoyment to be found than in the brutal indulgence -of base passions. There was, in consequence, in most of them a devotion -to their leader and confessor, loftier and more sincere than the force -of discipline, or the ordinary inspiration of their religion, because -founded on an appeal to their hearts. For Beatriz the rudest one among -them would willingly have shed all his blood to save a drop of hers. - -“May the Holy Mother receive their souls,” somewhat abruptly exclaimed -Juan, who had been musing upon the fate of Grijalva. His sister did not -reply, except by a deep sigh, feeling that silence best expressed her -sympathy with her brother’s ejaculation. - -Juan and those of the crew who now remained alive, exhausted by their -sufferings and labors, soon sunk into a sound sleep. Olmedo and Beatriz -were alone left awake, and avoiding by a common instinct the past, they -talked only of their present situation and probable future. There was -nothing in their external conditions to authorize hope for maiden or -priest; yet a reliance on divine care so completely filled their hearts, -that although no light penetrated their ocean-horizon, each felt and -spoke words of encouragement to the other. - -While they talked, light breezes began in variable puffs to stir the -sails. As the wind increased, it grew contrary to the course for Mexico, -yet it was balmy, and as the sea under its influence began to rise and -fall in gentle swells, the air became cooler, and the sky was gradually -interspersed with fleecy clouds which occasionally shed a little rain. - -Awakening Juan and the crew, Olmedo pointed to the clouds, which, -driving before them, seemed to beckon to some unknown haven beyond. “Our -deliverance has come,” exclaimed he; “let us lose no time in welcoming -the breeze.” - -“We cannot reach Mexico with this wind,” said Juan glancing aloft; then, -as his spirits revived with the brightening prospect, he gaily added, -“Let us follow whither it blows; new fields of adventure may repay us for -those we have lost.” - -“My son,” solemnly replied Olmedo, “we are a feeble band, but trusting in -Him who ordereth all things, we may accept with gratitude the auspicious -breeze; not to carry us to new scenes of slaughter, but in the hope that -He who has preserved us alike from the storm and calm, reserves us for a -more noble mission.” - -“What say you, Beatriz, is father Olmedo right?” asked Juan, more to hear -her voice than as desiring her opinion, which he knew would conform to -her confessor’s. - -“Dear brother, our father is right. Orphans that we are, let us abandon -ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Virgin and the saints. They will -lead us to the work they have for us to do.” - -To the followers of Alvirez, any course which promised a new excitement -or conquest was welcome. They therefore bestirred themselves with such -alacrity as their famished condition permitted. In a short time the -caravel was going before the wind with all the speed she was capable of, -while the crew, excepting the necessary watch, again betook themselves to -the repose they so greatly needed, and which, sustained as it now was by -hope, did much to revive their strength. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - “My dream is of an island place - Which distant seas keep lonely; - A noble island, in whose face - The stars are watchers only. - Those bright still stars! they need not seem - Brighter or stiller in my dream.” - - ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING. - - -In the nineteenth degree of north latitude, and one hundred and -fifty-five degrees west, lies a large and important island, one of -a group stretching for several hundred miles in a north-westerly -direction. At the date of this tale, it was wholly unknown, except to its -aborigines. Situated in the centre of the vast North Pacific, not another -inhabitable land within thousands of miles, it was quietly biding its -destiny, when in the circumnavigating advance of civilization westward -to its original seat in the Orient, it should become a new centre of -commerce and Christianity; and, as it were, an INN of nature’s own -building on the great highway of nations. - -Up to this time, however, not a sail had ever been seen from its shores. -Nothing had ever reached them within the memories of its population, to -disprove to them that their horizon was not the limits of the world, and -that they were not its sole possessors. It is true, that in the songs of -their bards, there were faint traces of a more extended knowledge, but -so faint as to have lost all meaning to the masses, who in themselves saw -the entire human race. - -Hawaii, for such was the aboriginal name of the largest and easternmost -island, was a fitting ocean-beacon to guide the mariner to hospitable -shores. Rising as it does fourteen thousand feet above the level of the -sea, snow-capped in places, in others shooting up thick masses of fire -and smoke from active volcanoes, it could be seen for a great distance -on the water, except, as was often the case, it was shrouded in dense -clouds. Generally, either the gigantic dome of Mauna Loa, which embosomed -an active crater of twenty-seven miles in circumference on its summit, -which was more than two and a half miles high, or the still loftier, -craggy and frost-clad peaks of Mauna Kea, met the sight long before -its picturesque coast-line came into view. As usually seen at a long -distance, these two mountain summits, so nigh each other and yet so -unlike in outline, seemingly repose on a bed of clouds, like celestial -islands floating in ether. This illusion is the more complete from their -great elevation, and coming as they do with their lower drapery of vapor, -so suddenly upon the sight of the voyager, after weeks, and, as it often -happens, months of ocean solitude. - -Nowhere does nature display a more active laboratory or on a grander -scale. At her bidding, fire and water here meet, and, amid throes, -explosions, upheavings and submergings, the outpourings of liquid rock, -the roars of a burning ocean, hissing, recoiling and steaming at the base -of fiery mountains, which amid quakings and thunders shoot up high into -air, not only flame and smoke, but give birth to other mountains, which -run in fluid masses to the shore forming new coast-lines, she gradually -creates to herself fresh domains out of the fathomless sea, destined by -a slower and more peaceful process to be finally fitted for the abode of -man. For ages before the human race appeared, this fierce labor had been -going on. Slowly decreasing in violence as the solid fabric arose from -the sea, the vegetable and animal kingdom at last successively claimed -their right to colonize the land thus prepared for them. Nature, however, -had not yet finished the substructure; for although she had extinguished -a portion of her fires and allowed the forests to grow in some spots in -undisturbed luxuriance, yet there were others still active and on a scale -to be seen nowhere else on the globe. At intervals, rarer as they became -older, they belched forth ruin, to add in time greater stability and more -fertility to the new-formed earth. - -Even to this day, Hawaii continues in a transition state. The vast -agencies to which the island owes its origin, not unfrequently shake it -to its centre, giving a new impetus to its geological growth. Sometimes -it rocks, so it seems, on its centre, and alternately rising and falling, -the ocean invades the land, sweeping from the coast by its fast rushing -tide,—piled up by its velocity into such a wall of water as in its recoil -overwhelmed Pharaoh’s host in the Red Sea,—whole villages, and carrying -off numbers of their struggling population to perish in its vortex. So -rapid is its reflux and over so vast a space, that it often leaves bare -its own bed, with the finny tribes stranded amid its coral forests, or -flapping helplessly on its sandy bottom. When this phenomenon occurs it -is generally in quick successive waves, without previous warning, and so -rapidly, that were it not for the amphibious habits of the islanders, the -destruction of life would be great. - -The sister islands further to the west have long since ceased to fear -earthquake or volcanic eruption. Their surfaces are covered with extinct -craters, lined in general with verdure and melodious with the notes of -birds. Around each of the group, by the labors of the tiniest of her -creatures, as if to show how the feeblest agencies at her bidding can -control the strongest, Nature is slowly but surely constructing a coral -frame, a fit setting to her sunny picture. The busy little zoöphyte, by -its minute industry sets that bound to the ocean, which Canute in all his -power was unable to do. Over its barriers and through its vegetable-like -forms, trees and shrubs, blossoms and flowers, rich in every hue which -gives beauty to the land, the rushing wave can pass only by giving toll -to these water bees. They have not to seek their food, but they make the -everlasting waters bring it to their door, and pour over them, in their -struggle to reach the shore, a glad symphony of power and praise. - -On the northeast of Hawaii lies a deep bay, fringed with coral reefs, -but in many places presenting high cliffs, precipitous masses of volcanic -rock, rent by deep chasms, or forming valleys through which pour streams -of fresh water along banks of surpassing fertility. Everywhere the -soil is good and the vegetation profuse. Numerous cascades tumble from -the hills in all directions, giving life and music to the scene. Some -are mere threads of water lost in spray amid rainbow arches, before -reaching the rocky basins underneath. Others shoot from precipices, -waving, foaming torrents, which thunder over stream-worn rocks, far -away beneath in sunless and almost inaccessible dells. Emerging from -these into placid rivers, they flow quietly on till meeting the incoming -surges of the ocean, which, as they struggle over the coral bars at -their mouths, whiten their surfaces with foam and break into eddies and -uncertain currents, creating trying navigation for the frail canoes of -the islanders. - -The vegetation was unequal in luxuriance. In some spots it pushed its -verdure quite into the brine, which not unfrequently watered the roots -of trees that overhung it. In others, broad belts of sand came between -the grasses and the water. These glistened in the sun’s rays in contrast -with the back ground of dense green, like burnished metal. Earth, the -provident mother, had not, however, so overdone her good works, as in -some of the more southern groups to provide a meal without other labor -than plucking. There were fine groves of the different species of -food-bearing palms,—orchards of bread-fruit and other kinds of trees, -from which man could derive both sustenance and material to clothe and -house him; but for these purposes and the culture of the taro plant, -which was his main resource, no little labor and skill were necessary. - -Metals were unknown. The animal and feathered creature were scanty -in species and numbers, and much of the island surface was still a -wilderness of basaltic rock or fields of lava and cinders. But such -was the salubrity of the climate and the activity of nature, that -its resources for the comfort, and to a considerable degree of the -civilization of man, were making rapid development; not sufficient as yet -to release him from the active exercise of his faculties, and thus induce -a sensual repose, but just enough to reward him for exertion, while -indolence was sure to beget actual want. - -The little caravel with her famished and sickly crew that we left in -the midst of the North Pacific, rolling before a fresh breeze from the -northeast, which proved to be the regular trade-wind, had continued her -course for several days in the same direction. During this time, several -others of the ship’s company had died and been cast overboard. Frequent -showers, and the occasional catching of flying-fish, and now and then a -dolphin or porpoise, did somewhat to restore the physical energies of -the survivors, while the balmy condition of the air, the exhilaration of -rapid motion, and the prospect of novel adventure, had much weight in -raising the spirits of all. - -Still there were no indications of land. The sun had set for the tenth -time behind the same purple canopy of clouds; the same birds screamed -and flew overhead; the waves rose and toppled after them with gushing -foam, just so high and no higher; the sails bellied out with monotonous -fulness; not a rope was stirred nor oar moved; on, on, rolled the -caravel, now dipping this bulwark, now that, surging aside the water and -trailing it in her wake with the noise of a mill-course; no variety, -except that the north-star sank lower each night, until the very evenness -of their way, hour answering to hour and day to day, began to beget -in them a feeling of doubt as to the actual existence of land in the -direction they were heading. This, combined with the weariness which -inevitably steals over the senses when long at sea without change, led -to greater carelessness in the night-watches. They fancied themselves -borne onward by a fate which their own precautions could neither alter -nor avert. Hence it was, that having worn out conjecture and argument as -to their positive and probable destiny, they had on the tenth evening -more than ordinarily abandoned themselves to chance. The day had been -thicker than usual, and there was no light at night except the uncertain -twinkling of stars through driving masses of clouds. - -All except the helmsman slept. He dozed. Habit kept him sufficiently -awake to keep the caravel to her course, but nothing more. Suddenly a -dull, weighty sound was heard, like the roll of heavy waters, dying -slowly away in the distance. Another; then another; quicker and quicker, -each louder and nearer. The caravel was lifted high on one sea and fell -heavily into the trough of another, rolling so uneasily as to start up -all on board. At this moment the pilot, catching the gleam of a long line -of breakers, hoarsely shouted “all hands, quick, or by the saints we are -lost,” at the same moment putting the helm hard down to bring her into -the wind. He was too late. The craft fell broadside into the rollers and -became unmanageable. The mast snapped off close to the deck, and was -pitched into the water to the leeward. At the same instant a grinding, -crushing sound was heard underneath, as the caravel was lifted and thrown -heavily upon the reef, breaking in the floor timbers and flooding her -hold with water. It was too dark to distinguish anything but the white -crest of the breakers all around, while their noise prevented any orders -being distinctly heard. Indeed so sudden and complete was the disaster, -that there was nothing to be done by the crew but to cling to the wreck -and passively await their fate. Death came soon to a number, who were -washed overboard and taken by the undertow seaward, where sharks fed -upon them. Waves washed over the vessel in quick succession, gradually -breaking her up. The after cabin held together longest, affording some -shelter to its occupants. In a little while, however, even this was gone. -All left on board were floated off, they knew not whither, clinging -to whatever they could grasp, and rolled over in the surf until most -of them became insensible. Beatriz, however, retained her presence of -mind, and aided by the almost superhuman efforts of Tolta, a Mexican -captive, was finally cast upon a soft beach, without other injury than a -few skin bruises and the swallowing of a little water, of which she was -soon relieved. It was too dark to learn the fate of the others. Dragging -themselves beyond the wash of the breakers, in anxious suspense they -awaited daybreak to disclose more fully their situation. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - “Obedient to the light - That shone within his soul, he went, pursuing - The windings of the dell. The rivulet, - Wanton and wild, through many a green ravine - Beneath the forest flowed.” - - SHELLEY. - - -Within the tropics the sun lights up the earth or leaves it, with -scarcely any of the mysterious greeting or farewell, with which in more -northern climates he loiters on his way, dyeing the landscape with subtle -gradations of colors, from the fullest display of his mingled glories -in a yellow and purple blaze, to the faintest hues of every shade, -delicate and aerial, like the gossamer robes of spirit land. His coming -is punctual and his welcome hearty. Objects take their hue and shape from -out of the night almost instantaneously, changing from black to golden -brightness, as by the touch of magic. There is loss of beauty to the eye -in this, though the earth may gain in fertility from not having to wait -so long for the fruitful warmth. - -It was well nigh morning when the caravel broke up in the reef. The air -was warm, and although the surf roared as loudly as ever, the wind had -gone down. Soon the sun began to appear above the horizon. Beatriz, -availing herself of its earliest light, began to search for her brother -and his company. Tolta was active also. Bits of the wreck strewed the -beach, with here and there articles that might still be of service, but -she paid no attention to them. Hurriedly looking about her, hoping yet -fearful, she espied a body half-buried in the sand. In an instant she was -beside it, but it was one of the crew, stiff and cold. There was no time -to spare for a corpse, so she continued her search for the living. An -object half hidden amid low shrubbery caught her eye. Hastening thither, -she saw the well known white robe of Olmedo. With a cry of joy she -rushed to it, and then breathlessly knelt at his side, placing her hand -upon Olmedo’s heart and her mouth close to his, to detect any signs of -life. He was warm and breathing. His eyes slowly opened, and recognizing -Beatriz, for a moment he seemed to have forgotten the wreck, and to -imagine himself still at sea. As he stretched out his hand with a smile, -to give her his wonted welcome, she seized it passionately, kissed it and -burst into tears. - -The good father, surprised at this feeling in one usually so calm, yet -carried away by it without knowing why, pressed her hand warmly in -return, while a tear found its way also to his eye. Instantly recovering -her usual manner, Beatriz asked if he could give her tidings of Juan. - -The question recalled to Olmedo the disaster of the night. He had himself -been thrown ashore, on top of a plank to which he had clung at the -breaking up of the caravel, and had scrambled up the beach, until he -reached the bushes, where he had been found half gone in faintness and -sleep. - -At the name of Juan he started to his feet and said, “Let us lose no time -in looking for him. The wreck was so sudden that human efforts could not -have availed to save any one. God may have brought him safely to shore as -he has us.” - -They had not gone far before a well known voice was heard calling loudly -upon Beatriz. In an instant, she was clasped in the embrace of her -brother. He had rushed from a neighboring grove, as he caught sight of -his sister, and now the two in their sudden joy clung to each other with -mingled sobs and laughter; for being twins their active affections had -been formed together in one maternal mould. - -Juan led the party to the spot from which he had emerged, where they -found three of the seamen. It seems that Juan had reached the land, -somewhat bruised, in company with them, and the four had spent their -time in searching for Beatriz and others of the crew, but owing to the -darkness of the night and the loudness of the surf, they were neither -seen nor heard. Farther search assured them that they were the sole -survivors of the wreck. Accordingly having secured the few objects of -utility that had been thrown ashore from it, they began to explore their -new home in reference to their future wants. - -The land was much broken and thickly covered with vegetation, some of -which was familiar to them from being common to the “tierra caliente” -of Mexico. As they wandered inland they came to cultivated patches -of yam and the sweet potato. Many of the fields were enclosed in well -constructed stone walls. They were therefore in an inhabited land, and, -as they thought, must soon meet the tillers of the soil. Bananas and -other fruit hung within their reach. Numerous paths intersected grounds, -which were divided into square or oblong lots, surrounded by dykes, -planted with the broad leafed, nutritious taro, and irrigated by so -admirable a network of water-courses as to extort from all exclamations -of surprise. Following up the most trodden of these paths, they came to -a retired valley embosomed amid forest-clad hills, with a quiet stream -flowing through its centre, and cultivated as far up as the eye could -see, in the same manner as the fields through which they had passed. Soon -houses came into view. They were in clusters, low, of thatch, raised -on embankments, with stone pavements around them, or fenced in by rude -palisades. - -Expecting each minute to meet the owners, they proceeded cautiously -towards them. They were disappointed, however, for not a human being -appeared; not even a dog or domestic animal of any kind; the air was -still and the sun hot; there was no hum of insects or song of birds; -the sole life that met their view was now and then a stray lizard, that -glided so quickly and silently away as but to make the surrounding -stillness still more sensible. - -They began to distrust their senses. Were they in an enchanted land? Was -their shipwreck real, or were they dreaming? Their very voices seemed to -die out in the universal silence. They gathered fruit and eat, and this -reassured them of the reality of their appetites at least, but their own -shadows as they lengthened before them seemed unreal, while those of tree -and rock cast spectral forms about their path. - -Terrible and oppressive grew upon them the ambiguity of their position. -Were they watched and being led by enchantment into the power of savage -foes, or were they tantalized by illusions, like the dreams of starving -men who rave of dainties ever within their reach? What meant this life -without life, harvest without reapers, houses without owners, this -atmosphere without insect-hum or bird-song? The very waters enclosed in -rocky basins, or overshadowed by motionless foliage, were unrippled by -current or wave, and repeating the landscape in their still depths, made -it even more unreal. The gracefully shaped canoes which floated upon them -without moving, looked as if painted upon the surface of the stream. - -Juan’s impatient spirit chafed for want of action. “By the Holy Mass, -father Olmedo,” he cried, “this silence beats that which made us hold -our breaths on the night when we marched out of Mexico, thinking we -were stealing away unseen from those red devils, when tens of thousands -of their impish eyes were glaring upon us, awaiting the signal to drag -us to their damnable temples. Well must you remember it, and how sad a -night they made of it to us, after the silence was once broken by their -infernal yells, as they dragged away so many of our companions to have -their hearts torn from their living bodies, as offerings to their hideous -war-god. Jesu Maria! I like not this awful stillness. Give me rather a -hundred foes and my own trusty horse, that I might dash among them with -our old battle-cry;”—and in the excitement of the moment, he sprang -forward, waved his sword and shouted at the top of his voice, “At them, -cavaliers; Santiago for Spain.” - -“Ah! I have started you at last,” he exultingly exclaimed. “Hark! By the -Holy Virgin, they reply in our blessed language. A dozen wax candles -for our Lady’s shrine for this, as soon as I can get them,—we are among -friends, Beatriz.” - -“You mistake, Juan,” replied Beatriz. “The words you hear are only your -own sent back from the hills.” - -Juan, distrusting her more acute senses, again shouted, and convinced -himself that it was only the rocks that mockingly echoed the shout. It -was the first time since their creation, that they had given back a sound -foreign to their own shores, and it seemed to linger long among them as -if they relished its notes. Then the silence brooded over the scene more -ominously than before, as no foes appeared, and no human voice sent back -the defiance. Tolta’s eyes, however, glared furiously on Juan at his -ill-timed allusion to “La Noche Triste,” but it was only for a moment. -Beatriz had observed the look, and in a low whisper said to Juan, “Nay, -brother, forbear, that night was a sad one to many besides ourselves. -Why provoke Tolta to revengeful thoughts? He has done us both faithful -service. For my sake respect his feelings.” - -Chafed as he was at the mysterious silence, which only angered him, -while it awed, not through fear, but from the depths of its repose, the -hearts of Olmedo and Beatriz, who found something in it kindred to their -own position, Juan’s hasty impulse would have been to have vented his -irritation upon the Mexican, but a second look from his sister restored -his better nature, and he frankly held out his hand to him, exclaiming, -“Pardon my hastiness, Tolta, I meant not to vex you.” - -The Mexican’s features resumed their usual apathy, and no one would have -supposed from them, that an emotion had ever touched his heart. Yet among -them all, no eye or ear was keener than his, no nature more sensitive, -none so quick in its perceptions when touched in its own interests or -passions, and none more patient, outwardly forbearing, and inwardly -revengeful, for he was faithful to self-immolation in his friendship, and -equally so in his enmity. - -In him love to the individual and hate to the Spanish race were so -interwoven, that it would have been impossible for himself to foresee -how he should act on any occasion which might afford scope for either -passion. He was an Aztec by birth, of the race of the priesthood, young, -accustomed to arms, and learned in the lore of his race; at heart a -worshipper of their idols, though a forced baptism, and the necessities -of a captive, made him nominally a Christian. Manuel was the name -bestowed in baptism, but I prefer to retain that of his birth. In him -lay dormant all those qualities which marked the downfall of his nation. -He was both subtle and open, gentle and fierce; in his domestic relations -inclined to love and peace, refined and courteous; in his faith believing -in one God of “perfection and purity,” yet delighting in smearing the -altars of terrible deities with human gore; a tiger in rage, and a lamb -in sentiment; in short, combining in his own breast the instincts of -brute and man, with no harmonizing principle to keep him in permanent -peaceful relations with himself or his kind. He believed in peace and -purity, and delighted in war and cruelty, displaying to his enemies -either open and irreconcilable hatred, or concealing revenge under the -mask of courtesy and kindness, nay, almost servility, at the same time -recognizing no principles of humanity or religion which interfered with -his desires. As a conqueror, he was imperious; as a captive, abject. -But the native pride and fierceness of his race, so long dominant among -servile tribes, ill adapted him to his present anomalous state, in which, -while feeling himself partly treated as a friend, he could not forget the -events so recent in the history of his race which had made him in reality -a slave. Although he brooded much over his own altered destinies and his -country’s fall, yet, while with Beatriz, the gentle principle in his -nature became active, and he felt soothed and grateful. - -Concord being restored, the little party footed their way towards a -cluster of houses of more pretension than the others, built upon a -slight eminence, terraced on all sides with stone work, and having a -flight of steps to the summit. This was walled in, and gave sufficient -area to enclose quite a hamlet. Indeed it might be considered a -fortification of no slight strength, where fire-arms were unknown. - -They proceeded cautiously up the steps, stimulated by curiosity, and -thinking it better to brave openly and promptly any danger that might -threaten, as from experience they knew that no demeanor imposes more -powerfully upon barbarians than courage. To this course Tolta advised -them. He was the least affected by the singularity of their position, -and seemed in many things to recognize a similarity in the degree of -civilization and manner of cultivation, as well as in the articles -themselves, to the habits and productions of tribes on the southern -frontiers of his own country, though the entire absence of precious -metals, and any altars or edifices which indicated the worship of -sanguinary deities, puzzled him not a little. - -Immediately within the wall, and bordering the main avenue, leading to a -large and commodious house, were many rudely carved wooden images, with -round staring eyes and grinning mouths. Before them were the remains of -fruit, and about them were hung wreaths of flowers, indicating that they -were held in reverence. Passing between them, Juan felt disposed to try -the temper of his sword upon their awkwardly shaped legs and arms for -practice, and to express his abhorrence of what he termed blasphemy, -quite forgetful that in his own land images of the Virgin and saints, -some scarcely better executed, were common to every street and by -every roadside, and that before them were lamps constantly burning and -offerings of flowers placed. - -Olmedo’s better judgment checked him. “This indeed may be, my son, as -you say, a device of Satan to turn their hearts from the true worship; -but let us learn more before we act. These very offerings and idols -prove the necessity of worship to the darkened minds of their makers, -and from these false symbols we may by persuasion turn them to the holy -ones of our religion. Remember the Master’s charge to Peter, when he -would have taken the sword. We have had too much of that, and too many -of your brothers in arms have already perished by the sword. We have -been led hither for some wise purpose. Be peaceful and patient. God will -disclose his design in due season. In the meantime, let us respect all -that we see, and if the people of this silent valley show themselves, -meet them with the cross aloft and open hands. We are too few to contend -against a multitude, though not to persuade them by courtesy and our very -helplessness to peace and kindness. If none appear, let us use these good -gifts, as provided by Him who has led us thither.” - -Juan replied: “By my troth, father, I would clip off the heads of a few -of these ugly monsters, if for no other motive than to call up a host -of the evil spirits that possess them, that I might do them battle. You -speak truth, however, and I will be patient. Hurry on, my men, let us -explore this sanctuary, and see if we can start out any one to give us -the hospitality we so sorely need.” - -Beatriz, who feared his hasty mood, stopped him as he was about to enter -the large house. “No, Juan, let me go in first. The inmates, if any -there be, may slumber; the presence of a maiden,” said she, “will create -neither alarm nor fear. I will enter first.” - -So saying, she drew aside the heavy cloth which hung at the door and went -in. Olmedo not heeding her request to Juan, entered immediately after, -but not soon enough to anticipate Tolta, who glided in before him as -noiselessly as a shadow. Juan and the others without further question -followed after. - -They found themselves in a spacious room formed by white posts driven -into the ground, with rafters springing from them, making a lofty roof, -covered throughout with thatch, fastened on in the neatest manner with -neatly braided cord. The floor was spread with white mats. Every part -was scrupulously clean. There were raised divans of fine mats variously -colored, and as pliable as the coarser cloths of Europe. These invited -repose, though the pillows being of wood covered with matting, indicated -no effeminacy in the slumbers of their owners. Several of these divans -were curtained by gaily painted cloths, differing in texture from -anything they had seen before. It was something between paper and the -cotton fabrics of Mexico. Garments of the same material, but of softer -and finer quality hung about the walls. There were also wooden bowls -of beautiful grain, highly polished and indicating no slight degree of -mechanical skill; also vessels for water, formed from the gourd plant -and prettily ornamented; fans, graceful plumes of crimson and golden -feathers, protective armor of net or basket work, war clubs, spears and -other weapons. In fine, they found themselves within a house, which -afforded all that was necessary to their wants in that climate, and much -that showed no inconsiderable degree of refinement and taste, but no one -to challenge their intrusion. - -The other houses presented a similar sight. They ransacked everywhere -to find some one to explain the unaccountable desertion. There had been -no haste. The inhabitants had not fled in fear. Everything was in its -natural place and condition, just as were the household effects of the -Pompeiians, when Vesuvius buried them in lava and ashes. But here the -mystery was inexplicable. Evidently the desertion had not been very -recent. Some weeks must have passed. Their own appearance, therefore, -could not be connected with it. There was not an article that could -properly belong to such domestic circles that was wanting, and all in the -best condition and ready for use. Everything, however, that had life had -been carefully removed. Even the usual tenants of deserted habitations, -rats, were missing. The awe that almost mastered them in the silence of -the open valley, no longer clung to them in the confined walls of human -make. Curiosity was now uppermost. They talked freely and loudly, and -busied themselves with conjectures to solve the wonder, but with no other -result than to weary their minds without any satisfactory answer. - -“At all events,” said Juan, “all but drowned in the morning, with our -brave caravel ground to pieces on the rocks, and most of our poor seamen -a prey to the fishes, here we are at night well housed, with food at -hand, and no greedy innkeeper’s face to suggest a long bill. For my part -let’s to sleep. This is much more comfortable than campaigning amid the -rocks of Tlascalla, with the prospect of a copper-headed lance finding -its way between the ribs before one could sleep out his first nap.” - -“You counsel rightly,” replied the priest, “but first let us unite in the -Ave Maria.” So saying, he motioned to them to come into the open air, -and holding up his crucifix he led the chant, while the others knelt -and joined in. Then in the silence of the setting sun, there arose, for -the first time in that unknown land, the hymn of praise to the mother -of Jesus, woman deified and restored to her true nature as the hope and -purifier of man, the type of God’s love to his own image. Softly and -gently as Beatriz breathed the words “Ave purissima,” they seemed to fill -all space, and borne on the air of the fast coming night, stole through -the valley, along the waters, up the hill-sides and amid the trees, with -a melody which made all Nature listen and repeat in notes still more -penetrating, that thrilling symphony of peace and purity. The evening -stars looked down gladly upon the little band, and shedding a harmonious -radiance around the singers, their hearts grew quiet and strong. Even -Tolta felt its influence. As the seamen looked at the hideous idols -about them, they fancied they saw them move in the night air as if they -too bowed in worship to a spirit mightier than their own. It was indeed -mightier; for it was the spirit of Love. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - “See man from Nature rising slow to Art.”—POPE. - - -Mauna Kea, the highest mountain of Hawaii, occupies the northern portion -of the island. In some places it descends in grassy slopes, sufficiently -gentle to form plains, dotted here and there with the many armed pandanus -and the thickly leaved kukui trees. From the resinous nuts of the latter -the natives obtained their torches, while its rich foliage and grand -proportions made it equally valuable for timber or shade. - -At the distance of some twenty miles from the bay where the caravel was -wrecked, there was a level and extensive plain fringed with forests of -the above named trees, and backed by the snow-topped mountains. The -front afforded a wide-spread view of the ocean, the breezes from which, -added to an elevation of several thousand feet, gave it a climate much -cooler and more bracing than that of the coast. On this account, and -from its natural beauties, it had from time immemorial been used by -the Hawaiians as a spot on which to celebrate public games or sacred -festivals. Its verdant and carefully irrigated soil afforded food for the -numerous priests who belonged to the different “heiaus” or temples to -be seen within its limits. These were built of basaltic stones, some of -which were of great size, and nicely adjusted together without cement, -according to their natural fractures. Within the walls, which were -massive and high, were the houses of the priests and the shrines where -were deposited the most sacred images. Each chief of importance had his -family temple, around which had grown up villages, to accommodate himself -and retainers in their periodical visits to this upland region. - -[Illustration] - -For a month previous to the wreck, many thousands of the islanders had -been gathered under their chiefs to engage in their annual athletic -games. Their principal object was, however, to celebrate the festival -of Lono. Now Lono was one of those mythic beings so common in America -and Polynesia, who in ages long gone by, after having done many notable -things for the benefit of their fellow men, disappear like Moses in some -inexplicable manner, leaving behind them a memory always green, and a -sort of implied promise to return with greater benefits in store. Indeed, -heroes of this character appear amid much traditionary fog, in the youth -of almost all nations. In this instance, Lono had killed his wife in a -fit of jealousy, instigated by a Hawaiian Iago out of malice equal to -the Venetian’s. Love’s reaction and contrition drove him frantic. After -founding games in honor of his victim, he put out to sea in an oddly -shaped canoe,—so the tradition runs,—promising to return some future day -with many good things to enhance his welcome. Whether it was from love to -him, or from faith in the expected increase of comforts and riches, that -they so venerated his memory, I am at this day unable to say, but certain -it is that a more popular god did not exist in Hawaii. His festival was -therefore celebrated with peculiar unction. - -On this occasion it had been honored with unusual solemnity, on account -of the presence of the most powerful and best beloved chief of this -island, whose territory embraced the fertile bay where the caravel went -ashore. - -It was the custom on the most sacred festivals to enforce perfect silence -from man and beast during certain rites. While the festival lasted, peace -was universal, property respected, and under the solemn influence of the -magic “tabu,” human law and police seemed unnecessary; for there was -implied in this simple word, if but its spirit were infringed, all the -awful judgments, both temporal and supernatural, that the imagination -could conceive, and even more, for the very uncertainty of the fate -which was to attend its violation, added ten-fold force to its terrors. -The simple symbol, therefore, which denoted the application of the tabu -to any object, carried with it a power such as no civilized code ever -exercised, and which the tortures of the Inquisition failed to establish. - -The word tabu, as applied to religious matters, was a ritual in itself. -Hence when the high-priest set apart a certain time as tabu to Lono, the -entire population knew what ceremonies were to be performed, and what -was expected of each of them. During the present holidays it had been -specially enjoined that the valley in which Kiana, a descendant of Lono -and the supreme chief of more than half of Hawaii, resided, should be -tabu from man and all domestic animals. For one month, profound silence -was to rest upon it. Consequently, the inhabitants left for the uplands, -taking with them every animal and fowl which they owned. It was owing -to this tabu that Alvirez, when he explored the valley, met with such -complete stillness amid all the outward signs of active life. - -The very day, therefore, that Alvirez had so freely taken possession -of the chief’s own quarters, Kiana with his people were on their march -homeward. This chief, as is the aristocracy in general of Hawaii, was -of commanding stature, some six feet six inches in height, finely -proportioned, with round elastic limbs, not over muscular or too sinewy, -like the North American Indian, but full, with a soft smooth skin and -a bright olive complexion, which was not so dark, but that the blood -at times deepened the color thereon. His face was strikingly handsome, -being, like his body, of that happy medium between womanly softness and -the more rugged development of manly strength, which indicates a well -harmonized physical structure. In repose, one feared to see him move, -lest the beauty of outline would be destroyed; but when in action, -with his muscles quivering with a hidden fire, his dark eyes flashing -light, the full nostril of his race and rich sensual lip expanded -with excitement, there was about him much that recalled the Apollo, -particularly in the light step and eager haughty expression. His strength -was prodigious. He had been known in battle, having broken his javelin, -to seize an enemy by the leg and neck, and break his spine by a blow -across his knees. Fierce he undoubtedly was to his foes, but there were -in all his actions a pervading manliness and generosity, joined to a -winning demeanor, which stamped him as one of nature’s gentlemen. No -rival of his tribe disputed his authority, because all felt safer and -better under his rule. By moral influence, rather than by force, all the -other chiefs of this portion of Hawaii looked to him as their leader -and umpire; so that without any of the dubious treaties and forms of a -confederated government, they had all the advantages of one, while each -remained free within his own territorial confines. - -By nature humane, Kiana had infused into their general policy and -domestic life a more liberal spirit towards inferiors, and a less -servile feeling towards the priesthood. He held the latter, in general, -in small esteem, perceiving how much they were disposed to corrupt the -simplest power of nature into a hideous mythology, based upon fear and -superstition, to the intent to enrich themselves at the expense of the -people. As he also inherited the office of high-priest, his influence -was the more effective, inasmuch as he set the example of neglecting all -the requirements of their pagan ritual which were cruel or oppressive, -while the games and festivals, which tended to develop their physical -powers and give them amusements, or to lighten their general labors, were -sedulously cared for. His people were therefore happy and prosperous, -and, at the date of this tale, exhibited an agreeable picture of a race -blessed with a salubrious climate, a soil ample for all their simple -wants, living almost patriarchally under a beloved chief, whose more -intelligent mind, by example rather than argument, had influenced them to -a form of idolatry which in its offerings of only fruits of the earth, to -its symbolized phenomena or the images of departed men once venerated for -their moral worth, in some degree connected their souls through refining -influences with the Great Maker. - -In closing the festival, the procession was formed with great state and -solemnity, preparatory to its final departure from the sacred plain. -First came a thousand men in regular files, armed with swords of sharks’ -teeth and slings. Each had a laurel wreath on his head, and a tapa mantle -of bright red thrown loosely over his shoulders. This corps led the way -to the noise of rude drums and other barbarous music. Behind them marched -a more numerous body in detached companies, armed with javelins and -spears, and a species of wooden mace, which, dexterously used, becomes -a formidable weapon. In addition, each man carried a dagger of the same -material, from sixteen inches to two feet long. All wore helmets of -wicker work, shaped like the Grecian casque and covered with various -colored feathers. These helmets in connection with their bright war -cloaks, gave to the whole array a classical look not unworthy of the -heroic days of Greece. The appearance of the men was martial, and their -step firm and regular. - -In the centre of their array there was a selected corps of one hundred -young chiefs, armed with still better weapons. Their costume was also -much richer than that of the common men. They wore scarlet feather cloaks -and helmets. Conspicuous amid them, borne upon a litter hung about with -crimson drapery, sat Kiana. His helmet was surmounted by a graceful crest -from which lightly floated a plume taken from the long and beautiful -feathers of the tropic bird. Both the helmet and his war cloak were made -of brilliant yellow feathers, so small and delicate as to appear like -scales of gold. These two articles were the richest treasures in the -regalia of Hawaii. The birds from which the feathers are obtained,—one -only from under each wing,—are found solely in the most inaccessible -parts of the mountains and ensnared with great difficulty. Nearly one -hundred and fifty years, or nine generations of Kiana’s ancestors had -been occupied in collecting a sufficient number to make this truly regal -helmet and cloak. This was the first occasion he had had to display them. -He bore himself in consequence even more royally than ever before; for -savage though he was, the pride of ancestry and the trappings of power -warmed his blood as fully as if he had been a civilized ruler. - -Immediately behind him was borne a colossal image of Lono. It was -carved with greater skill than common, and surrounded by a company of -white-robed priests, chanting the “mele” or hymn, which had been composed -upon his disappearance. At particular parts the whole people joined -with a melancholy refrain, that gave a living interest to the story, -and showed how forcible was the hold it had upon their imaginations. -On either side of Kiana, were twelve men of immense size and strength, -naked to their waist-cloths, two by two, bearing the “_kahilis_,” as were -called the insignia of his rank. These were formed of scarlet feathers, -thickly set, in the shape of a plume, of eighteen inches diameter, about -ten feet high, and tipped to the depth of a foot with yellow feathers. -With the handles, which were encircled with alternate rings of ivory or -tortoise-shell, their entire height was twenty feet. As they towered and -waved above the multitude, they conveyed an idea of state and grandeur -inferior to nothing of the kind that has ever graced the ceremonies of -the white man. - -The women of his household followed close to the chief. Their -aristocratic birth and breeding were manifest in their corpulency and -haughty bearing. To exaggerate their size,—which was partly a criterion -of noble blood—they had swelled their waists with voluminous folds of -gaudy cloths, under the pressure of which, added to their own bulk, -they waddled rather than walked. Helped by young and active attendants, -their pace was, however, equal to the slow progress of the procession. -A numerous retinue of their own sex, bearing their tokens of rank, fans, -fly-brushes, spittoons, sunscreens, and lighter articles of clothing, -waited upon them. Some of these young women were gracefully formed, fair -and voluptuous, with pleasant features, without any excess of flesh. -In contrast with their mistresses, they might have been considered as -beauties, as, indeed, they were the belles of Hawaii. Small, soft hands, -delicate and tapering fingers, satin-like in their touch and gentle and -pleasant to the shake, were common among all. - -[Illustration] - -The women in general were a laughing, merry set, prone to affection, -finery, and sensuous enjoyment. But the lower orders were workers in the -fullest sense, the men being their task-masters, treating them as an -inferior caste by imposing upon their sex arbitrary distinctions in their -food, domestic privileges, duties, and even religious rites, so that -their social condition was wantonly degraded. Yet females were admitted -to power and often held the highest rank. - -Besides this state there was a vast throng of attendants carrying -burdens, or driving before them their domestic animals. The families of -the soldiery followed the procession, in irregular masses, as it defiled -from the plain into the valleys that led towards the coast. In advancing, -its numbers gradually lessened by the departure of warriors, and minor -chiefs with their retainers, for their respective destinations. With -the exception of those immediately about Kiana, all order of march soon -ceased, and the crowd spread themselves over hill and valley shouting -and jeering, in their good-natured hurry to reach their homes. The fowls -cackled, the dogs barked. The swine with ominous grunts charged in all -directions, upsetting impartially owners and neighbors, amid the laughter -and cheers of the lookers on. Children grew doubly mischievous in the -turmoil, running hither and thither, with frantic cries, pushing and -crowding each other over rocks into the rapid streams, in which they -were as much at home as the fishes. They tripped up their heavily laden -parents in their gambols about their footsteps, dodging the quick blow -in return with the slipperiness of eels, or repaying with equally noisy -coin the threats of future floggings, which they well knew would be -forgotten over the first meal. The more sedate vented their enthusiasm -in deep toned songs, which, as they swelled into full chorus, filled the -air with a wild music, in keeping with the scene. In forest and grove the -birds listened and replied in musical notes that thrilled sweetly on the -ear amid the medley of sounds. Nature was awake to the scene. From every -tree and rock, out of each dell and off each hill-top, there came voices -to mingle in the general jubilee. The mountain breezes poured their -anthems in joyous harmony through branch and leaf. Buds and blossoms -bowing before balmy airs, shook out their fragrance. Cascades sparkled -and leaped, foamed and roared in the bright sun. Rivulets, looking in -the distance like silver threads, stole with soothing murmurs along the -plains, while the startled wild fowl with defiant note fled deeper into -the forest or skulked closer in the thicket as the living current swept -by. - -While all was thus life and motion in the uplands, the solitude of -the sea coast remained as described in the last chapter. Alvirez and -his party had disposed themselves for the night as best suited their -individual convenience. There was no lack of accommodation or retirement. -Each might have selected a village to himself, but they all remained -within the enclosure where we left them. Juan and Beatriz occupied the -principal house. Olmedo chose one near, and the good man was soon -dreaming of his early Castilian cell. Tolta watched long and late, -and then stretched himself, mastiff-like, upon a mat at the threshold -of the house in which Beatriz slept. The three seamen, after sundry -explorations, which seemed to give them small satisfaction, cursed their -luck in being wrecked on a land which had not even copper, much less gold -or silver, in short, anything whatever which came up to their ideas of -spoil, and closing their eyes, muttered their discontent even in their -sleep. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - “How often events, by chance and unexpectedly come to pass, - which you had not dared even to hope for.”—TERENCE. - - -Night came and went; when morning broke, the same stillness rested on the -valley. All of its guests still slept the deep sleep of fatigue, except -Tolta, who had thought he heard at intervals distant sounds that fell -mockingly upon his ear for a moment, and then died away into profound -silence. Cautiously he had listened and peered into the deep shadows of -hill and forest, but had detected nothing. As often, however, as he had -sunk again into restless slumber, the same strange sounds came to him. -The air seemed filled with them; voices and laughter, the tramp of feet -and cries of animals, yet so vague and intermingled, that at last he -fancied there was a spell upon the valley; that its inhabitants had all -perished by demoniacal violence, and unseen by mortal eyes, during the -night, came back to haunt their late homes. - -This solution of the mystery was not calculated to reassure him, and he -became more restless than before. Visions of his native land mingled -themselves with the phantom forms and sounds which disturbed his -slumbers. His imagination vibrated between joy and fear, without a -moment’s pause to give him rest. Gradually, however, as morning twilight -came up over the hill tops, he fancied he detected shadowy outlines of -men, sharp against the horizon, passing rapidly into the gloom further -down. His terrors were then realized. He saw the ghosts that had so -disturbed his slumbers fleeing before the coming day, and he shuddered as -with a grave-chill. - -A cock suddenly crowed afar off. Tolta started as if the trumpet of -Cortez had sounded in his ears. His blood tingled once more in his -veins. Another and another crow, nearer and nearer; the morning air is -suddenly filled with their rival notes. A dog barks! Scores of dogs’ -throats open in reply. Human voices are now distinctly heard. Groups of -men, women, and children, can be plainly seen descending into the valley -from the wooded uplands. He watches their motions, half doubting his own -senses. A band orderly marching approaches the enclosure. He sees among -them the sharp array of lances, and the brilliant colors of feathered -casques and cloaks. They recall to him the warriors of Mexico, and he -exults in their martial tread and warlike aspect. His first impulse is -to rush forward and greet them. “Now shall Spanish blood again be shed, -and their false hearts quiver on the altars of Mexico’s war-god! Here in -this teocalli, shall the incense so sweet to Huitzilpotcli’s nostrils -once more ascend;” and in his dreamy excitement he rushed forward as if -to strike the serpent-skin drum, whose terrible signal had so often been -the death-warrant to his country’s invaders. - -Shall Beatriz die this death? No sooner did she occur to him, than his -fierceness passed away like a spent surge. All other emotions were lost -in the desire to protect her. Stepping quietly inside the house, he woke -Juan and motioned him to follow. - -As they passed out and looked over the parapet, they saw considerable -stir among the warriors. They were coming towards them at great speed, -and evidently with no friendly intent. Their leader had caught sight -of Tolta as he left the wall to awaken Juan, and indignant at what he -supposed a violation of the tabu, by one of his people, ordered them to -surround the enclosure, so as to prevent the possibility of escape, while -he with a few followers ascended by the narrow stone steps, that he might -slay the sacrilegious wretch with his own hand. - -By the time Kiana—for it was he—had nearly reached the platform, Juan had -arrived at the gate-way, and at a glance took in his whole position. - -“Tonatiuh can now strike the infidel,” said Tolta with sarcastic -emphasis, as he recalled Juan’s unwise speech of the day before, at the -same time pointing to Kiana, whose rapid strides would in another instant -bring him in front of Alvirez. The Mexican then re-entered the house to -warn Beatriz of their new danger. - -Juan had too often encountered as fearful odds, in his Mexican -campaigns, to lose his presence of mind in a crisis like this. He called -to his men to come to his succor, as he prepared to hold the gate-way -against his foes, and shouting his accustomed battle-cry, drew his long -Toledo blade, and advanced it in guard to await Kiana’s onset. - -This chief in his rush up the steps had not fairly lifted his eyes until -the shout of “Santiago for Spain” reached his ears. His astonishment at -the apparition of the white man,—the gleaming steel, fierce eyes, thick -red beard and strange tongue, the costume so unlike his people’s,—instead -of the expected tawny hue of his own race, brought him to a sudden stop. -It was but for a moment, for, excited by his previous fury at a crime so -uncommon among his people, he saw only an offender who seemed aided by -sorcery, and rushed at him with uplifted javelin, reserving his force -to strike and not to throw. So sudden and powerful was his spring, that -although Juan’s sword parried the blow, he was borne backward, and Kiana -found himself on the platform. - -Both paused as they now better saw each other’s strength and strangeness. -Kiana’s surprise was increased as Juan’s men, followed by Olmedo with -crucifix in hand, came hastily up and ranged themselves at his side. His -own soldiers were fast crowding upon the platform, filled with wonder -rather than fear, at so unexpected a sight. At his command they were -filing off to surround Juan’s little band, and close in upon them, while -he upraised his javelin, prepared once more to tempt the skill of his -strange enemy. His right foot was advanced, his broad chest thrown out -and weapon poised to try again the thrust, which had never before failed -him, when a new cry was heard and a new figure came forward and sprung -between him and Alvirez. - -It was Beatriz. Her long flowing robes, dishevelled hair, her pallor and -the impulsive energy with which she pushed aside Juan’s sword, and turned -her eager eyes towards Kiana, fearlessly fronting his javelin, amazed the -red-men. Their weapons dropped silently by their sides, as their chief -gazed in astonishment with powerless arm upon the new apparition. - -Kiana’s indecision was, however, only momentary. A sudden thought had -seized him. Turning to his followers he said, “Behold Lono and his wife! -they have returned with their faces brightened, and their speech changed, -from their abode in the sun. They have come as Lono promised, with new -teachers and good gifts. Let us honor them and make them welcome.” As he -spoke every weapon was laid upon the earth, and every head was bowed. -Kiana alone stood erect, asserting his dignity even in the presence of a -returned god. - -Whatever his native sense might have suggested in regard to the origin -of the group before him, his sagacity in turning the ideas of his people -into their present channel, was safety to the one side, and direct -benefit to himself. He recognized at once a superiority in their armor -and habiliments, which evinced a knowledge far beyond that of his own -people. They could be useful to him in many ways. Naturally humane and -generous, after his first anger had cooled, he would not have harmed a -hair of their heads. On the contrary, he and his people, had they found -them helpless on the shore, would have tenderly received them. Now that -he saw the tabu had not been violated, but that so far from sacrilege, an -event had occurred that appeared to all miraculous, and confirmatory of -the traditions of his ancestry, he determined to receive the strangers as -his own kin, while he confirmed in the minds of his people the belief in -their divinity. As the common Hawaiian’s idea of a god was of a being not -more removed from him in power and intelligence than was the white man, -this was an easy affair. - -Accordingly he gave orders that they should be provided with suitable -retinues and lands, and servants assigned to them as of his own family. - -His decision was proclaimed by the public heralds. Great were the -rejoicings and shouts throughout the valley, that Lono and his wife had -come back and were to protect them from their enemies, and enrich them by -new arts and gifts. The simple people believed and prostrated themselves -deferentially before Juan and Beatriz. Their persons and those of the -others were tabued or made sacred. No follower of Kiana’s dared lift his -hand toward them, except to do them service or honor. The change from the -peril of immediate massacre, to being worshipped as divine personages, -was so striking, that while they realized its advantages, they could -not, before they had acquired the easy tongue of Hawaii, fully comprehend -its cause. The seamen, however, readily domesticated themselves, taking -wives, and were soon placed on the footing of petty chiefs. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - “In countless upward-stirring waves - The moon-drawn tide-wave strives: - In thousand far-transplanted grafts - The parent fruit survives; - So in the new-born millions, - The perfect Adam lies. - Not less are Summer mornings dear - To every child they wake, - And each with novel-life his sphere - Fills for his proper sake.” - - EMERSON. - - -A year had passed. There was no iron on the island, consequently no means -of building a vessel, which could carry the exiles back to Mexico. Their -only hope lay in the possibility that some caravel, equipped as theirs -had been for discovery, might sight Hawaii and explore its coasts. But -this hope was so faint as rarely to form a theme of discussion; so they -wisely identified themselves with the interests and welfare of their -generous host, whose kindness and confidence grew with their stay. - -Kiana and Juan became firm friends. The former had long since learned -the origin and history of the shipwrecked party, as indeed had the more -intelligent among his chiefs, but their superior knowledge, and the -polite deference of the nobles towards them, continued to keep them in -the same sacred relation to the common people as at first. This was the -more useful, that it gave to their efforts to instruct them the sanction -of religion. - -To properly understand the condition of the people under the government -of Kiana, it will be necessary to go more into detail. I have already -observed, that their climate and soil combined that happy medium of -salubrity and fertility, which gave ample returns in health and harvests, -but did not dispense with care and labor. Hence, they were an active -and industrious race. Nature was indeed a loving, considerate mother to -them. As yet no noxious reptiles or insects infested the land; ferocious -animals were equally unknown; storms were so rare as scarcely to be ever -thought of, while the temperature was so even, that their language had no -term to express the various changes and conditions of physical comfort -or discomfort, we combine into the word weather. This, of course, was a -sad loss to conversation, but no doubt a compensation for lack of this -prolific topic existed somehow in their domestic circles. - -[Illustration] - -The households of the chiefs were in one sense almost patriarchally -constructed. “My people” had a meaning as significant as upon a slave -plantation in America, with the difference that here they were only -transferred with the soil. They were literally “my people;” and as with -all purely despotic institutions, their welfare depended mainly upon the -character of their lords. - -In some respects there existed a latitude of deportment between the -chiefs and their serfs, which gave rise to a certain degree of social -equality. This freedom of manner is common to that state of society in -which the actual gulf between the different classes is irrevocably fixed. -It grows out of protection on the one hand and dependence on the other. -On Hawaii there existed a partial community of property; for although -all that the serf possessed belonged to his lord, yet he had the use and -improvement of the property in his charge, and besides certain direct -interests in it, was protected by what might be termed their “common -law.” The chief was both executive and judiciary, as obtains in all rude -society. Self-interest became a powerful incentive to humanity, because -cruelty or injustice towards his tenantry was a direct injury to his -own property, and a provocation to desert his lands. There was also the -family bond, derived from direct intermingling of blood, the perpetuity -of estates and the familiarity of personal intercourse between the chiefs -and their dependents, fortified by a condition of society that knew no -contrasts to this state. The lack of other commerce than barter and a -partial feudal system, which required the people not only to furnish -their own arms, but upon all occasions to follow their lords to the -field, helped to develop this social union of extremes. - -All lands were in reality held in fief of the supreme chief. His will -was in the main the code of law, and indeed the religious creed; that -is, the ultimate appeal in all questions was vested in him. But public -opinion, based upon old habits and certain intuitive convictions of right -and justice common to all mankind, held even him in check; so that while -rarely attempting any forcible violation of what was understood to be -the universal custom, he had it in his power indirectly to modify the -laws and belief of his people. While to some extent the spirit of the -clan existed, giving rise to devotion and attachments similar to those -recorded of the Highlanders of Scotland, there prevailed more extensively -the servile feeling common to Oriental despotism. Numerous retainers -of every grade and rank surrounded each chief, forming courts with as -varied and as positive an etiquette as those of Europe or Asia. The most -trivial necessity was dignified into an office. Thus there were “pipe -lighters,” masters of the pipe as they might be called, masters of the -spittoon, of the plumes or “kahilis,” and so on, while there was no lack -of idle clients, the “bosom friends” of the chief, his boon companions, -buffoons, pimps and every other parasitical condition in which the -individual merges his own identity into the caprices or policy of his -ruler, or by deceit, flattery, or superior address, seeks to advance his -own selfishness at the general expense. - -In this arrangement the analogy to the courts of Europe is so evident -as to form a striking satire upon them. Here we find amid petty, -semi-naked tribes, the same masters and mistresses of royal robes -and other useless paraphernalia; the same abject crowd of parasites -quarrelling and intriguing for honors and riches they are too lazy or -dishonest rightfully to earn; the same degrading etiquette which exalts -a knowledge of its absurdities above all morality, and imposes penalties -upon its infringement, not bestowed upon crime itself: in fine, a parody -of all that in European monarchies tends to make human nature base and -contemptible. - -Justice, however, requires me to state, that while the vices of the -systems were allied, their virtues were no less in common. Despotism -corrupts the many, but there are a choice few in all aristocracies who -receive power and homage only as in deposit for the public good. Its -conditions are favorable to their moral growth, when perhaps the rugged -necessities of life, in conflicts of equality, would dwarf their souls -to the common level of material wants or selfish interests. Besides -these exceptions, as familiar to savage as to civilized life, because -founded not upon acquired knowledge, but upon natural instincts, the very -superiority of position begets desire for superior manners and external -advantages. Thus we find in not a few of the privileged orders, rare -politeness and outward polish, and a chivalric loyalty to the institution -of titled aristocracy, as if in partaking of its birthright, it brought -with it a loftier and more refined standard of feeling and action than -that of the masses. - -[Illustration: A SACRIFICIAL FEAST.] - -The best of food was reserved for the nobles. Their houses, bathing -places, and domestic utensils, were tabu from vulgar use. They even used -a language or courtly dialect unintelligible to their subjects. Their -deportment was based upon the innate consciousness of mental superiority -and long inherited authority. Rank was derived from the mother as the -only certain fountain of ancestry. In size and dignity of personal -carriage they were conspicuous from the crowd. In short, the difference -was so marked in Hawaii between the chief and his serf, as to suggest to -a superficial observer the idea of two distinct races. - -Hospitality was a common virtue. There was no beggary, as there was -no need of begging, for the simple wants of the natives were easily -supplied. The poorest man never refused food to his worst enemy, should -he enter his house and demand it. Indeed so freely were presents made, -that the absolute law of “meum and tuum,” as it exists among commercial -races, with its progeny of judges and gaols, locks and fetters, had -with them scarcely a defined meaning. Where there was so much trust and -generosity, any violation of them met with prompt and severe retribution. -Theft was visited upon the offender by the injured party, even if the -weaker, by the seizure of every movable article belonging to him. In this -wild justice they were sustained by the whole population. If the property -of a high chief suffered, the thief was sometimes placed in an old canoe, -bound hand and foot, and set adrift upon the ocean. - -Kiana’s people were wealthy in their simple way. His reign was the golden -age of Hawaii. This was owing mainly to his own character, which took -delight in the happiness and prosperity of his subjects. No lands were so -well cultivated as his. No rents were more ample or more cheerfully paid. -His people had easy access to him. In their labors as in their sports he -often mingled. If at times he was hasty or severe, it was owing rather to -the quickened indignation of offended justice than to selfish passion. - -A very striking reform in the rites if not in the principles of their -religion had been peacefully brought about by him. In general, the savage -mind is more influenced by fear than by love; that is, it seeks by -worship to avoid harm from natural objects, which from ignorance of their -laws he considers to be evil spirits, rather than to do homage to those -whose direct beneficence is readily recognized. But Kiana, like Manco -Capac with the Peruvians, taught them a less slavish ritual. Instead of -sacrifices of animals to deities whose attributes solely inspired dread, -he led them to rejoice in the bounteous seasons, the vivifying sun, the -winds that refreshed their bodies, and the clouds that watered their -thirsty soil. He taught them that the waters that bore them so pleasantly -from island to island, were much more to be regarded lovingly, than the -devouring shark with superstitious fear. Thus without fully, or perhaps -in any degree recognizing the principles of the One God, the people were -led more into harmony with those of his works, which were suggestive of -good and kind attributes, which they symbolized in idols, to which they -offered chiefly the fruits of the earth. They were indeed idolaters, -because their minds seldom, if ever, separated the image from the ideas, -but it was an idolatry that made them cheerful and truthful, and not -gloomy and cruel. - -Contented under their government, reposing on their religion, these -islanders presented a picture of happiness, which, if we consider only -the peaceful, joyous flow of the material life, we might well envy. -They had no money to beget avarice, or to excite to the rivalries and -dishonesties of trade. There were no more prosperous territories and -bounteous soils for them to covet by arms; none of superior force to -make them afraid. Their diet was simple, and their diseases few. They -had nothing to fear from famine, weather, noxious animals, or poisonous -insects. Their unbounded hospitality kept want from even the idler,—their -agricultural games and fisheries gave ample scope for their physical -energies, while their numerous festivals, the songs of the bards, and -traditions and speeches of their historians and orators kept alive a -national spirit, which made them proud of their origin and their country. - -[Illustration] - -All their myths were connected with the great phenomena of nature, with -which their island was so pregnant. Hence in their minds there was a -certain grandeur of sentiment, as well as loftiness of expression and -suggestive imagery, that imbued them with the more elevating influences -of the great nature around them. Then their joyous dances, particularly -graceful and spirited among the children, though too expressive, perhaps, -in action and words of the sensual instincts with the adults, caused -the gayety of their sunny skies and the passionate enjoyments of their -rare climate to come home to them with a fulness of sympathy that made -them truly the children of material Nature. They danced, they sang, they -sported, and they feasted, as if the present hour had had no predecessor, -and was to see no successor. If they labored, it was that they might -enjoy. In all their exercises, whether of amusement, religion or work, -the requirements of the chiefs, or the necessities of their families, -there was a renunciation of all but the present moment, mingled with -so full a sense of sportive humor, that no civilized spectator could -have looked unmoved upon their sensuous happiness, however much he might -moralize upon its affinity to mere animal life. - -If they ever thought of death, it was merely as a change to a world -where their enjoyments would be still more complete. At the worst their -spirits would only wander about their earthly abodes, vexed at the sight -of pleasures which they could no longer participate in. The general -idea the serfs had of heaven, was of some place specially given to the -chiefs, into which if they entered at all, it was in the same servile and -distinct relation to them as on earth. Perhaps one great cause of their -contentment sprung from their implicit acquiescence in the power and -privileges of their rulers, as of beings too vastly their superiors to -admit even for a moment of any equality of fate or aspirations in either -life. - -Such in brief were the character and condition of the race among which -Alvirez and his party were now domesticated, and to all appearance for -life. There was much to reconcile them to their new position, as will -be shown, and especially in the peaceful contrast their present homes -presented to the crime and devastation which had been their experience -in Mexico. True, there was no gold. But what need of gold, when all it -represents was provided without price? After their long experience of -perils and hardships, to the seamen their present lives seemed planted -in Eden. An occasional affray with some distant tribe that sought to -spoil their more fortunate countryman under Kiana’s rule, gave them -opportunities to exercise their courage for the benefit of their new -friends. The reputation which they soon established, and the supernatural -character with which they continued in some degree, still to be regarded, -especially at a distance, contributed much towards keeping the frontiers -quiet. Juan and Kiana, according to Hawaiian custom, exchanged names, by -which in friendship, power and property, they were viewed as one. But the -better to appreciate the true position of each in reference to their new -life, we must trace their individual experiences. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - “Earth, our bright home its mountains and its waters, - And the ethereal shapes which are suspended - O’er its expanse, and those fair daughters, - The clouds, of Sun and Ocean who have blended - The colors of the air since first extended, - It cradled the young world....” - - SHELLEY. - - -Olmedo had not been idle during the year in his labors to convert the -islanders to his faith. Nor was he without a certain degree of success, -though very far from having instilled into them any definite ideas of -Christianity. Indeed, strange as it may appear at the first statement, -there was in the rites he wished to supersede so much analogy with those -he wished to introduce, that the substitution was not easily effected. -Juan, in his martial zeal for the Roman Catholic faith, would gladly have -used the same arguments here as in Mexico; that is, have destroyed the -idols, purified the temples, and set up crucifixes and new images, which -only they should worship, whether persuaded or not of their religious -efficacy. For once, however, Spanish zeal was obliged to be tempered -with a respect for the force which was not now on their side. It must -be confessed, also, that the easy, seductive life he had led, the -absence of the worst features of heathenism, and the generous character -and shrewdness of Kiana, had not a little weakened Juan’s fanaticism; -so that, although conforming sufficiently to the ritual of his faith -to keep himself within the pale of his church’s salvation, he had -almost unconsciously imbibed the idea that some even of the virtues of -Christianity might exist among pagans. - -Within the walled enclosure in which Juan and his sister resided, -overlooking the sea, Olmedo had built a small chapel. The rude images -which native ingenuity under his direction had carved to represent the -Virgin and her Son, were not so unlike their own wooden deities, as to -require anything more than an enlargement of their mythology, for the -simple natives to have accepted them as their own. This of course would -have been only adding to the sin which Olmedo wished to eradicate. The -good man, however, persevered in his rites and doctrines, and had the -satisfaction to have numbers of the chiefs and their attendants come -to witness his worship. Among them most frequently was Kiana, but as -his eyes were oftener directed towards kneeling Beatriz, than the holy -symbols of the altar, it is to be presumed that another motive beside -religious conviction swayed his heart. He saw that the crucifix and the -images of the gods of the white man, as he regarded them, were very -dear to them. Out of respect, therefore, to his guests, in unconscious -philosophical imitation of Alexander Severus, when he placed statues -of Abraham and Christ among his revered images, Kiana had set up the -crucifix in his domestic pantheon. How far he understood the teachings of -Olmedo may be gathered from one of their not unfrequent colloquies upon -religion. - -[Illustration] - -Mass had just been said. Olmedo had trained some of the more tractable -youths to assist him in the service, which they did the more willingly, -from perceiving that it gave them a personal importance to be considered -of the household of Lono. The solemn chant of the priest in a strange -and sonorous tongue, the regular responses of the Spaniards, and their -thorough devotion, the simple exhortations to a good life, which all -present could comprehend, followed by the earnest eloquence of Olmedo, -as he sought to expound in the Hawaiian tongue the mysteries of a faith -which it had no terms correctly to render, all made an impressive scene. -Their hearts were touched even when their minds were not enlightened. - -It was the decline of day. The sun was pouring a flood of soft light over -the sea, which sparkled as with the radiance of an opal. Kiana, Olmedo, -and Beatriz, came out of the chapel, and reclined upon a pile of mats -which their attendants had spread for them on a green knoll just beyond -the reach of the waves. The trade wind fanned them with its cool breath, -and sang an evening hymn amid the waving palms, high above their heads. A -group of fishermen were hauling their nets, heavy with the meshed fishes, -to the music of a wild chant. Numbers of both sexes were sporting in -the surf. The line of breakers commenced far seaward, in long, lofty, -curling swells, that came in regular succession thundering onward to the -shore, which trembled under the mighty reverberation. It was not a sound -of anger, nor of merriment, but the pealing forth of Nature’s mightiest -organ, in deep-toned notes of praise. There was much in the commingled -glories of sound and color, the beauty of the shore, and the expanse of -the ocean, to suggest an Infinite Author to the most thoughtless mind. - -Human life and happiness mingle largely with the scene. The bathers shout -and gambol in the water as if in their native element. The maidens and -boys,—with their parents, who in the frolic become children also,—dive -under the huge combers as one after another they break and foam on their -way to the shore. Heads with flowing tresses and laughing eyes are -continually shooting up through the yeast of waters with merry cries, -then ducking again to escape the quick coming wave. Rising beyond it, -each plunge carries them further seaward, till with their surf-boards -they reach the line of deep water. Then poising their boards on the very -crests of the heaviest rollers, they throw themselves flat upon them, and -skilfully keeping their position just on its edge before it topples and -breaks, they are borne with the speed of race horses towards the shore. -Now is their highest glee. In revelry they scream and toss their dark -arms, which strikingly contrast with the silvery gleaming wave, urging -their ocean steeds to still more headlong haste. They near the rocks. -Another instant, and of their gaysome forms nothing will remain but -mangled flesh and broken bones. But no: the wave passes from under them, -and dashes its salt spray upon the land barrier, and far away among the -green bushes; the surf board is cast with violence upon the shore, but -the active swimmers avoid the shock, by sliding at the latest moment from -their boards and diving seaward, again emerge, challenging each other -once more to mount Neptune’s car. - -[Illustration] - -A more quiet scene is at the left. Here flows a gentle stream, overhung -with deep foliage. On its banks, to the beating of drums and the quick -chants of the musicians, young children are dancing. They wear wreaths -of white or scarlet flowers, intermingled with deep green leaves, on -their heads; and on their bosoms are necklaces of bright shells or finely -braided hair, and feather mantles about their waists. They are yet too -young to feel other instincts than the gladsome and chaste impulses which -are shown in light and graceful motions. Even the groups of adults seated -on the grass, watching with interest their sports, reflect their innocent -gayety, and become for the moment young and innocent themselves. - -[Illustration] - -In the stream itself, mothers are teaching their infants to swim. Their -love for the water is apparent in every struggle. They take to it like -ducklings, and almost as soon as they can walk they can be trusted alone -in that element. Now they turn their smiling faces towards their parents, -and kick and cry for one more plash and still another; the delighted -mother encouraging its attempts with soothing voice and tender care. - -Such was the spectacle on which Kiana and his friends were gazing, after -leaving the chapel and seating themselves by the sea-shore. - -That day Olmedo had in his discourse dwelt more earnestly than usual upon -the doctrines of his creed, with the hope finally to induce Kiana to cast -aside his mythology and accept the Roman Catholic Trinity. Here, indeed, -was the stumbling-block. How could Olmedo hope to make an idea, which -was in a great degree contradictory and incomprehensible even to many -of the cultivated and theological minds of Europe, intelligible to the -simple reason of the Polynesian, when by the former it was at least only -received as a great mystery! - -“You tell me,” said Kiana, “that there is one great God, who made heaven -and earth, an all-wise, all-perfect, all-powerful Being. He has created -the Hawaiian, the Spaniard, the Mexican, and all the races of men. I know -this to be true. My people worship the wooden images of deities, and -think they supply their wants. But those of us who have been taught the -true meaning of our sacred songs, know full well that these senseless -idols cannot make the taro grow,—they do not send us rain,—neither do -they bestow life, nor health. My thought has always been, there is one -only Great God dwelling in the heavens.” - -“Your thought is indeed right,” replied Olmedo; “but God many years ago, -seeing how wicked the world was, sent his only-begotten Son to teach it -true religion. He was cruelly crucified by the people to whom he was -sent, and he went up to heaven, where he remains to be the judge and -Saviour of all men. After his ascension, he sent to his disciples, to -comfort them, the Holy Ghost. Now these three persons are one God,—the -God whom we Christians worship. All your images are vain idols; cast them -aside, and set up in their places the image of the Son, Jesus Christ, and -his holy mother, of whom he was born in the flesh, by the will of God, -without a human father. Then shall you and your people be saved.” - -Had Olmedo been content to have acquiesced in the simple conception of -the One God, he would have had little difficulty in persuading Kiana and -his people to renounce the direct worship of idols, and to trust in and -pray to the Great Father. There was something in their minds that made -this idea seem not wholly new to them. This was derived in part from the -mystic expressions of their bards, who had dimly felt this sublime truth, -and in the testimony of the universal heart of the human race, which -ultimately resolves all things into One Great Cause, however much it -may overshadow his glory and pervert his attributes, by multiplying the -symbols of natural powers, and make to itself “graven images” of earthly -passions and foibles. But when Olmedo talked dogmatically of the “Three -in One,” he left only a vague impression, that he worshipped either -“three male gods and one female, which made four,” or that there were -absolutely three equal gods, which in time they called “Kane, Kaneloa, -and Maui.” - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - “The rounded world is fair to see, - Nine times folded in mystery, - Though baffled seers cannot impart - The secret of its laboring heart, - Throbs thine with Nature’s throbbing breast, - And all is clear from east to west, - Spirit that lurks each form within, - Beckons to spirit of its kin. - Self-kindled every atom glows, - And hints the future which it owes.” - - EMERSON. - - -The good missionary, for such in truth was Olmedo, was met at every step -of his argument with answers, which from their truth and good sense, he -found no little difficulty in refuting, while he drew his weapons solely -from the polemic armory of Rome. It matters little in what theological -crucible the doctrines of Jesus may have been melted, they all become, -after the process, perverted from their simplicity. They then require -schools to sustain them and scholars to explain. Whereas in the few -earnest and loving words of their Author, before they are petrified -into creeds, they find their way readily into the hearts and minds of -even children. Indeed properly to receive them we must become as little -children. The polemical subtleties of REASON are wholly foreign to him -who did WORKS in his Father’s name, that they might bear witness of Him. - -As often, therefore, as Olmedo sought merely to indoctrinate Kiana, he -was met with replies founded on assumptions of the same character as -his own, or on the admission of similar ideas and ceremonies among the -Hawaiians, which from their analogy to the rites and thoughts of his own -church, a more bigoted Roman Catholic missionary of that day would have -accounted for, only by the blinding devices of the devil. But Olmedo’s -mind was so largely imbued with true charity, that recognizing a common -brotherhood in man, he was prepared to admit that even the heathen were -not left wholly without some spiritual light, which was the seed in due -time destined to grow up into Christianity. His mildness and firmness -were proportionate to the strength of his own convictions. He was patient -also, and disclaimed forced conversions, which he well knew would only -recoil into deeper error, through the avenging power of wounded liberty -and reason. Moreover, he had no wish to substitute a new idol for an -old one. In Mexico, humanity demanded the prompt abolition of human -sacrifices and other cruel rites. Here he had no fanatical and crafty -priesthood to oppose him; no barbarous customs openly to denounce; the -people looked upon him as a messenger from some divinity, and listened -deferentially to his exhortations. He saw plainly that the evils which -he had to encounter lay deep in the temperament of the Hawaiian, and -could only be eradicated by presenting to his mind moral truths, which -might gradually so operate upon his sensuous character, as to give him -higher motives of action, from convincing him that better results and -increased happiness would be his reward both here and hereafter. Perhaps -no obstacle was more fatal to his success than the easy and hospitable -nature of the Hawaiian himself. Based as it was, upon the generous -spontaneity of his climate, modified or directed by the individual -character of the rulers and priests, it found no difficulty in adding to -its mythology at the will of the latter, or in being courteous and kind -to all. But this quality, dependent as it was mainly upon the healthful -action of their animal natures, could not be permanently counted upon. -Their passions, like the limbs of the tiger in repose, were beautiful to -look at, but rouse them and they were equally fearful. In the exercise -of hospitality, they freely proffered their wives and daughters to their -guests, but excite their hate or jealousy, and their revenge became -demoniacal. With all their external peace and happiness, there was but -faint moral principle. This Olmedo saw, and endeavored to inculcate -virtue as the only basis of religious reform. - -On the other hand, they had often expressed much good-natured wonder at -his refusal to take a wife from the most beautiful girls, which partly -from pity at his continence, and partly to test its strength, they had -offered him under the most seductive circumstances. His explanation of -the vow of chastity required by his religion, did not aid to render -it the more acceptable to them. It was beyond their comprehension that -any deity should require such a mortification of the instincts he had -himself created. Olmedo’s abstinence was therefore the more marvellous, -but perceiving how scrupulously he fulfilled the obligations of his tabu, -they gave him that respect which every sincere action, proceeding from -a good motive, never fails to inspire. By degrees they began to feel in -Olmedo’s life a purity and benevolence, which, overlooking his own bodily -ease or enjoyment, was untiring in its efforts to do them all good. In -sickness, he watched at their bedsides with herbs to heal and words to -cheer. In strife he was ever active to make peace. Their children he -fondled, and upon their plastic minds he was better able to impress -the idea of a One Great God and his Son’s love. He told them beautiful -stories of that sinless woman and mother of Judea, the Madonna, who -centered in herself all the human and divine strength of her sex, and -who, as the spouse of God, was ever nigh to pity, soothe, and protect. -He taught them that to forgive was better than to revenge; that the law -not to steal sprang from a better principle than fear of retaliation; -in short, that virtue brought a peace and joy far beyond all that the -fullest gratifications of their merely selfish desires could produce. - -Much of this instruction fell among choking weeds. Still they were all -better for having Olmedo among them; and, indeed, the very fact of their -being able in any degree to appreciate his life, showed the dawnings of a -new light to their minds. - -Without this detail of the relative moral positions of the priest and his -semi-flock, the reader would not appreciate the force of Kiana’s reply -to Olmedo’s appeal, in which the latter had given a brief history of the -Christian religion as derived from the Holy Scriptures and interpreted by -the Roman church. - -I give merely the substance of Kiana’s words, as it would be too tedious -to follow them literally through the web of conversation which led to -so full an enunciation of his own belief. The reader will perceive a -sufficient coincidence, to suggest either a common source of knowledge -in the earliest ages of human history or certain religious instincts in -the human mind, that make isolated races come to practically the same -religious conclusions. - -“Some things that you tell me,” said Kiana, “are like our own traditions. -From them we learn that there was a time when there was no land nor -water, but everywhere darkness and confusion. It was then that the Great -God made Hawaii. Soon after he created a man and woman to dwell on it. -These two were our progenitors. - -“Ages afterwards a flood came and drowned all the land, except the top -of Mauna Kea, which you see yonder,” continued the chief, pointing to -its snowy summit. “A few only of the people were saved in a great canoe, -which floated a long while on the waters, until it rested there, and the -people went forth and again built houses and dwelt in the land. - -“One of our Gods also stopped the sun, as you say Joshua did, not to slay -his enemies, but to give light to his wife to finish her work. - -“We have a hell, but it is not one of torturing flames, but of darkness, -where bad men wander about in misery, having for food only lizards and -butterflies. Our heaven is bright like yours, and those who are admitted -are forever happy. You tell me of a Purgatory, where the souls of those -who go not directly to heaven or hell, remain in temporary punishment. -Our priests tell us that the spirits of those who have been not very good -or bad, remain about the earth, and that they visit mortals to protect or -harm according to their dispositions. - -“We pray with our faces and arms extended towards heaven, as you do. We -have our fasts and our feasts, in memory of our good men, who have gone -before us to happiness. We venerate their relics and the people worship -them. - -“You believe in One Great God and worship many. We do the same. What -matters it by what names they are called. You declare a man whom you -call Pope, to be the representative of God on earth; that he can bind or -loose for hell or heaven; that only through belief in his church can any -one be saved; that his authority is derived from dreams and visions, and -prophesies and traditions written in a Holy Book. - -“Our priests too have visions and dreams. Their gods visit them. They -claim authority from the same sources of inspiration. Your Pope is no -doubt right to govern you as he does. His book is a good book for you -white men; but we red men have no need of a book, while our priests still -talk with their gods, as you say yours once did. - -“If no one can be saved except in believing in the Pope, what becomes of -all the races you tell me of who have never heard of him? Would a good -God punish his creatures for not knowing what they cannot know? No! I do -not believe in this! The Great Spirit has given us Hawaiians some truth. -Perhaps he has given you white men more. This I can believe, as I see you -are so superior to us in knowledge, but that he created those only who -acknowledge the Pope, to be saved, I do not believe! - -“Our priests when they quarrel talk in the same way. Each claims to be -the favorite and inspired of his God, but it is because they are selfish -and ambitious. They wish to control men by pretending to hold the gate -of Heaven. My thought is, that God hears and sees all men, whether they -pray through priests or not. I am the Pope of my people, but I know that -I cannot shut or open heaven to any one. I have no right to give away the -lands of other people, because they do not believe as I do. Some prefer -one God and some another. - -“You have what you call an Inquisition to punish those who do not -assent to your faith. We too have our ‘tabus’ which permit the same, -when sacrilege is done or our laws broken. If we adopted your laws and -customs, how should we be better off than now, when they are so alike? - -“If your Jesus was the Supreme God, how could his creatures put him to -death? How could he have been a man like us? If he were only a great -prophet, then I can understand how these things happened and why he has -since been worshiped as a God? - -“Have you not heard our priests say, that among the doctrines that have -come down to us from the earliest time, is one almost the same as you -tell us of Jesus, ‘to love our neighbor as ourself, to do to him what we -wish done to us?’ They also tell us to keep peace with all. God who sees -will avenge, the same as you say, only that you constantly preach and -practise it, which our priests have long since forgotten to.” - -After this manner did Kiana reply to Olmedo. The words of the pagan were -a prolific theme of reflection to him. In some things he found himself a -scholar where he would have been a teacher. There was then a light even -to the Gentiles. How vain was force, how wicked compulsion in matters of -faith! Mankind all sought one common end, happiness here and hereafter. -God had left none so blind as not to have glimmerings of truth. He would -adjudge them according to their gifts, and not by an arbitrary rule of -priestcraft. God’s laws were uniform and universal. All creation was -penetrated with their essence. Sin brought its own punishment, and virtue -its own reward, whether within or without the pale of the church. Was -the Roman Church, after all, but _one_ form of religious expression? -An imperfect one, too! At this thought he shuddered as the force of -theological dogmas recoiled upon him. It was but a transient emotion. -Truth was not so easily subdued. The idea flashed through his mind, “Does -not pure religion diminish in proportion as a stony theology flourishes? -Is not that a science of words and forms of man’s creation, destined -gradually to pass away, as the kingdom of God, which is only of the -Spirit, shall increase until all men are baptized into it through Love -and not through Fear?” - -Olmedo’s heart swelled at these thoughts. As he gazed upon the scene -before him, so in harmony with the joyousness of nature, so penetrated -with her beauty, so choral with her melodies, the mere scholastic -theologian died from within him. His face lighted into a glow of -thankfulness, that God had created Beauty, and given man senses to enjoy -it. Was there any good thing of his to be refused? Was not every gift to -be accepted with gratitude, and used to increase his enjoyment? Was not -the rule _Use_, and the denial _Abuse_? Was not the immolation of correct -instincts a sacrifice of self to Belial? Were not the heathen themselves -reading a lesson to him from Nature’s Bible, wiser than those he had -studied from the Law and the Prophets? There was opened to him a new -revelation. Not of Rome! Not from Geneva! God’s world in all its fulness -flowed in upon him. He was inspired with the thought. Out from his eyes -as he stood erect and felt himself for once _wholly_ a man, there, shone -a light that made those who looked upon him feel what it was for man to -have been created in HIS IMAGE. But beware monk! Beware priest! There is -either salvation or ruin in this! Salvation, if Duty holds the helm,—ruin -if Desire seizes the post. - -Kiana regarded Olmedo in amazement. His was not the soul to enter into -such a sanctuary. There was one, however, whose nature penetrated his -inmost thoughts. Nay, more, it instinctively infused itself into his and -the two made One Heart; intuitively praising Him. Their eyes met. One -deep soul-searching gaze, and these two were for ever joined. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - “So Love doth raine - In stoutest minds and maketh monstrous Warre: - He maketh warre: he maketh Peace again. - And yet his Peace is but continual Jarre. - Oh miserable men that to him subject arre.” - - SPENSER. - - -The situation of Beatriz alone, so far as companionship of her sex -was concerned, was peculiar. She was not one readily to give or seek -confidence. Were she surrounded with her equals in race and cultivation, -she would not have disclosed her inmost self, and least of all to a -female. This was instinct rather than reason. Those about her thought -they knew her in all points, because they saw how good and true she -was to them. They loved her, because her vast capacity of love drew -all lesser loves towards it. They came readily to her with their -trials, because in her large heart and womanly perceptions there was an -inexhaustible fountain of sympathy and a foresight truer than a sybil’s. -Thus daily, wherever she was, whoever among, she received a constant -tribute of devotion and confidence. The character of those about her grew -better by her presence. But with all this power, of which each word or -look could not but make her conscious, she was often inexpressibly sad. - -Whence this sadness? Beatriz had never analyzed her own heart. While all -others were open to her, her own had remained a mystery. She felt within -it deep, broad currents of emotion, which led, she scarcely knew whither. -That their waters flowed from a clear spring was self-evident, because -her desires were pure and high. She loved her brother warmly, and he -returned her love; still there was a wide gulf between them. With other -men the gulf was wider. With women she had never been intimate. Hence, -while she seemed so easily read by all about her, there still remained a -mystery of which none had been able to lift the veil. - -Her sympathy, self-sacrificing spirit and generosity; her indignation at -the mean or base; her approving glance at the noble and true; her quiet -courage and patient endurance; her piety, her quick perception, which -so often anticipated man’s slower judgment; her passions even, for she -had shown, when roused, a force and decision, that awed armed men and -controlled rude hearts; all this was intelligible to her companions, and -commanded their love and esteem. But there still remained a depth to her -nature, that theirs could never have sounded, and would have remained -fathomless to herself, unless stirred by a depth answering to her own. - -All God-filled souls experience this. With all that rank, position -and the ordinary affections of kindred can confer, with, as it were, -every earthly wish gratified, there still remains, underlying the calm -exterior of social cultivation, a gnawing and restlessness, that unmasks -the skeleton at the feast. Something is ever wanting. - -What is this want? - -It is not Reason. The book of Nature is ever open, and the mind has but -to look thereon to find always something new,—truths to lead it upward -and onward, daily convincing it that its heritage is Infinity. - -What is it then? - -It is Love! - -Yes, with all the resources of Reason, without Love, we are indeed -widowed. Like Rachel we refuse to be comforted. No love will satisfy -our hearts, however much we may cling to the phantoms of sentiment or -passion, however strong may be the demands of duty, however implicit our -obedience, unless the _measure_ of our hearts is filled. We must have all -that we can contain of all that we are and all that we are not. Then only -dual souls become _One_. - -It is right that it should be thus. The very misery arising from -uncongenial unions or unsatisfied desires, springs from a benevolent law, -which says, like pain to the diseased limb, “you are wrong.” Be dutiful -but not satisfied. Although you now see through a glass darkly, in time -light and harmony will be your portion. Cultivate your soul so as to -receive a better inheritance. - -Beatriz had never married. Her nature had kept her from the great error -of mistaking a little for the whole. She who had so much to give, was -too wise to fling herself away upon a single impulse. Her love for all -was the result of an unconscious superiority of soul, which increased by -what it gave. It was, more properly speaking, kindness or benevolence, -and flowed from her as naturally and as sweetly as fragrance from the -rose. - -All great natures have in them a vein of sadness. This springs from the -consciousness of the little they are, in contrast with the much they -would be. With man it is an active want. He would know all things. He -grasps the reins of the chariot of the sun, and falls headlong because -he tries to fly before his wings are unfolded. Woman is more patient. -She passively awaits her destiny. If it be long in coming, she may find -solace in apathy, but she rarely, wilfully commits a wrong to hasten her -right. Yet when her moral nature does become disordered, as the foulest -decay springs from the richest soil, so she becomes so wanton as to cause -even fallen man to shudder. - -Love had remained passive in the soul of Beatriz. Its might was all -there, but the torch that was to kindle the flame had not yet reached it. -She only knew its power for joy by the pleasure she felt in seeing its -effects in others. Thus she welcomed within herself all that she saw in -another that was noble and lovable, while she shrank instinctively from -every base action or degrading thought. - -Kiana’s ardent, generous nature, had from the first been her captive. -This she saw; but it inspired in her no deeper sentiment than the respect -due his qualities. He, however, unlike most men, did not fancy that -to love, implied of necessity to be loved. His passion was open and -honorable. To the praise of the Hawaiian race, be it recorded, that no -white woman ever received other than courtesy at their hands. Rich or -poor, alone among thousands of natives, they and theirs with no other -protection than their own virtue, have ever been, not only respected, -but cared for, and to a certain extent venerated. White men, it is true, -have in general been as hospitably received. But by their passions they -speedily place themselves upon the level of the native. The white woman, -on the contrary, from the first went among them as a missionary,—a being -superior in virtue as in knowledge to themselves,—and by the affinity of -respect which human nature everywhere shows for the truly good, she has -ever maintained over this semi-barbarian race an ascendancy more real -than hostile fleets have ever effected.[1] - -Beatriz had nothing to fear from Kiana. It was not in her power to refuse -his gifts for they reached her indirectly, through the thousand channels -ever open to a despotic will. Kiana’s passion, like his nature, was -princely. The rarest flowers, fresh every morning, were placed by unseen -hands about her house. All that Hawaii could produce that was beautiful -or delicate, found its way thither; she could not tell how, though she -felt from whom it came. The choicest fruits were served to her by the -fairest and best of Hawaii’s maidens. No wanton curiosity was allowed to -intrude upon her retirement. If she walked out, not an eye gazed rudely -upon her, not a glance questioned her motives. Amid a populous district, -she was as retired, at her own choice, as if it were her pleasure -grounds. The gallantry of Kiana had even provided for her a bathing place -in a crystalline pool, so nicely shaded by nature and screened by art, as -to form a retreat that Diana might have coveted. When he visited her, it -was with the state of a Hawaiian noble. Rarely, unless specially invited -by Juan, did he approach her in an informal manner. Savage though he -was, he possessed a tact and an intuitive perception of the delicacy of -Beatriz’s character, which led him to adopt the only course that could in -any wise make him personally acceptable to her. - -One day not long after the scene described in the last chapter, Beatriz, -sadder than usual, was alone in her garden, looking at the ocean without -seeing it, when Kiana came up to her and in a low voice said, “Does the -white maiden mourn her Spanish home?” - -“No, chief,” said Beatriz, “my home is with my brother. We are orphans.” - -“Juan loves Hawaii,” replied Kiana, “and will stay with us. He is my -brother, my Hoapili, ‘close adhering companion,’ my people now call him. -But my heart is lonely. Will not his sister be my wife?” - -The abruptness of the proposal, although so long foreshadowed by -attentions that only an honorable love could have suggested, at first -startled Beatriz, and for a moment she was at a loss for a suitable -reply. Decided in her own feelings, she wished to spare him unnecessary -pain, and at the same time preserve a friendship so important to the -welfare of her brother. Perhaps she thought too of Olmedo. Her hesitation -encouraged Kiana to plead his suit still farther. - -“Kiana loves only the white maiden. Since his eyes first saw her, all -other loves have left him. His heart grows feeble when she speaks. He -trembles at her voice, but it is music to his ears. When she smiles the -sun looks brighter, the birds sing more sweetly and the flowers grow more -fragrant. My people see in her a deity. To me, she is my soul, my life. -Be mine, maiden, and rule Hawaii, as you now rule me,” and the haughty -chief, who had never before bent the knee in prayer to God or mortal, -knelt to Beatriz. - -Her resolution was at once taken. With a nature like his, frankness and -firmness would, she felt, be appreciated. - -“Rise, chieftain,” said she, “this must not be. White maidens give their -hands only with their hearts. You are generous, noble, proud. Would you -wed one who cannot return your love? No! Kiana could not stoop to that.” - -“But thou wilt love. Thou art formed for love. Does not each bird seek a -mate? Wilt thou, of all thy sex, be always alone? Look around. All nature -smiles; thou only art ever sad. Let my love be thy smile, and Hawaii -shall ever rejoice that ‘the pearl of the sea-wave,’ for so thou art -called among us, was found upon her shore.” - -“You speak truly, chief, when you call me sad, but were I to wed you -without love, you too would soon grow sad. The white maiden respects -you,—is grateful to you,—would serve you all in her feeble power, but she -cannot do so great a wrong to herself and to you, as to say yes, when her -heart speaks no.” - -Kiana shook like an aspen leaf. His voice grew tremulous, but the pride -and passion of his race were subdued before the truth and beauty of -Beatriz. There had always been something in her deportment, which as -decisively forbade hope where hope was not to be, as it would have -invited love where love was to be. So he turned from her more in sorrow -than in anger, but had gone but a few steps, when returning, he said, -“Kiana loves you, and ever will. He seeks a companion, not a captive. You -are right not to say yes, when you feel no; fear not. Kiana can love, -even if not loved. All that he possesses is yours. Never shall it be said -of Kiana that his love changed to dishonor, because he could not win the -white maiden.” - -Tears started to her eyes as she gave him her hand. She dared not trust -her speech to express the gratitude she really felt, for fear it might -revive his passion. And so they parted, each remaining true to their last -words. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - “I never saw a vessel of like Sorrow, - So filled and so becoming.” - ... - “Give Sorrow words: the Grief that does not speak - Whispers the overfraught heart and bids it break.” - - SHAKESPEARE. - - -No woman of true sensibility rejects a lover without feeling herself a -sympathy in the pang she inflicts. It often happens that in her artless -attempts to mitigate the disappointment, her motives are mistaken, and -she subjects herself again to a siege so much more pressing than the -former, that she yields against her conviction, a captive to a stronger -will, but not to love. It was not so with a woman of Beatriz’s mould. She -knew that in no way could she be so true to others as in being true to -herself. When Kiana turned from her, although she was sadder than before -he spoke, she felt that her sincerity had been her safety. - -As she prolonged her walk farther from her house to where the trees -thickened into a forest, she thought she saw a pair of piercing eyes, not -unfamiliar, watching her at times, through the thick vines and ferns that -clustered about her path. She was, however, too abstracted by her own -reflections to be curious about them, and so she slowly wandered on. - -“Holy Mother, has it come to this,” said she to herself, stopping -occasionally, and pressing her hands over her heart as if to still its -throbs, “do I love this man? Whence this fever here, if it be not love? -Why was it that when I found him lying, as I thought, dead on the sand, -my pulses ceased to beat, and for the instant I was dead myself? Could he -have seen my emotion when he came to? The Chaste Virgin forbid! Yet when -our eyes met on that holy evening in which we gazed so long upon the sea, -I read my soul in his. But can he know what I do not know myself? I would -say I do not love him, yet something within chokes me when I would utter -the words. What I, a Catholic maiden, love a priest? ’tis not so! it -would be sacrilege. May the Mother of God forgive the thought,” and she -paused with eyes uplifted and hands clasped in silent prayer. - -For an instant she became quieter, but it was only the gathering of the -coming storm. Every instinct of her warm nature cried, “you love him.” -Each accepted doctrine of her faith as firmly forbade it. She felt -she was on the brink of a gulf. Destruction of soul and body or their -martyrdom, seemed the only choice. - -“Yet,” thought she, “if it be a crime, why is it that his voice ever -soothes me,—that his words ever make me stronger and truer to my better -self,—that he upholds me in all that is good? When with him, nature has a -more loving aspect; the very stones look kindly on me. It has ever been -thus. Before I suspected myself,—yes, now I see it all,—years, years ago, -my heart flowed out the same to Olmedo,—his presence was my want. Away -from him I was contented, it is true, but I was sad. With him, my sadness -became a quiet joy. I was doubly myself. Has the good God given me all -this for a torment? To ruin my soul through the source of its virtue and -its highest happiness?” - -She shuddered. Her whole frame was convulsed with agony. She did not -fear that Olmedo did not love her, because she thought that feelings so -deep and long tried as hers had been in relation to him, could not exist -without the answering sympathy of his. - -It was not then the fear that she was not loved that troubled her. It -was rather the fear that Olmedo might be tempted even as she was. He, -a priest, vowed to chastity: his wife was the Holy Church; if it were -sacrilege in her to love, it were blasphemy in him. Again all the terrors -of a stricken conscience smote her, and she was overwhelmed at the -thought that he might be equally guilty with herself. - -Thus it often is. God gives man his instincts and desires. Having made -him after his own image, that image must be vital with the eternal -principles of God-nature. If the author of all has inseparably connected -cause and effect in the physical world, He has carried the law no less -positively into the moral world. There can be, therefore, no instinct -without its proper function, and no aspiration that may not be realized -progressively towards Him. Duty is the password to heaven, which, in the -rightly balanced mind begins on earth. Finding all things good according -to their kind, it is not afraid to honor God by the right use of his -gifts. Man begins his hell here also, by the bars to his progress, -which his misunderstood organization, selfish passions, and the foolish -learning or spiritual tyranny of his merely human theology fabricate for -him. He fears, and seeks to compromise or deceive. If the spirit of God -be upon him, then he enjoys all things of God, each in its due degree, -with a peace that passeth understanding. - -Beatriz, therefore, was right in feeling that the Being who had made the -human heart and given it the capacity of loving, intended that it should -love; that he had not given affections and the affinities of soul to -either sex, to be a torment from want of the very object which He had -made that man might not be _Alone_. And alone must be man or woman into -whose heart enter no sympathies, responding to their own. If Adam had his -mate, so has each son of his, by the same great law of Nature. God chose -for Adam, but he gave to his children a delicate heritage of instincts -and emotions of commingled matter and spirit, which were to be their -guides towards finding the other being who is to complete their unity. -That Olmedo was to her that being and she to him, Beatriz now knew full -well. Her past life, with all that she had gained in character through -him, and all she had enjoyed in feeling, the repose of perfect trust in -his truth, the delicacy of his deportment, which, whether as confessor -or friend, had always sought her highest good, all came back to her as a -new revelation. Not that a single word of love had ever passed between -them, or a single action, which angels might not have witnessed, escaped -him. Both had been in too full enjoyment of that calm but unconscious -love that springs from a mutual, mental and spiritual adaptation, without -the suggestion of a more intimate relation, until to her the pang of his -supposed death, and to him the reawakening of his physical life, amid the -allurements of a tropical climate, disclosed to both the full extent of -their attachment. - -From that moment Beatriz was wretched, because however calm her exterior, -within love and conscience were in conflict. Her misery was the greater, -that she must hide her secret within her own bosom. Hitherto, every -doubt or struggle had been disclosed to her confessor, and in his advice -or consolation she had found repose. Now, the duties of her religion -required her to confess this great sin to her confessor, and seek -absolution for her soul’s sake; but that confessor was the man she loved, -and the confession itself, besides being forbidden by every principle of -womanly feeling, might, if made to him, precipitate both into the gulf -their faith told them to avoid. - -“Sinning woman that I am, how can I pray to the Holy Virgin with such a -stain on my soul! Aid me, thou Chaste Mother, purest and best of women. -Must I ever carry this sorrow, known to him and seen to God, yet dare not -confess it, for fear of a greater sin? Would that I had drowned at the -wreck,” and the tears dropped fast upon her pale cheeks. For a moment her -body swayed to and fro with anguish, till faint and worn she sank upon -the ground. - -Woman! thine hour of trial has come; as the good or evil principle -succeeds within thee, so wilt thou be saved or lost! - -Every soul is born into the kingdom of Heaven only through spirit throes, -such as thou now feelest test thy power! Much has been given thee, and -much is required in _this_ hour. Conquer, and eye hath not seen nor ear -heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the joy -reserved for thee! - -“God knows I love Olmedo. Were I to force my tongue to perjure my soul to -man, He sees my heart and its secret sin. Father in heaven, can it be sin -to love this man! Thou art all-wise, all-good, all-merciful. Thou hast -told us that imperfect mortals cannot look on Thee and live, but through -him, thy likeness so shines, that I can dimly see Thee. Do I not then -in loving him, love Thee?” And she mused for an instant with a dubious -smile, as if hope had began to dawn on her mind. - -It was but for a short moment. Again her features darkened, and the cold -shudder came back upon her. Life seemed struggling to escape from so -bitter a trial. But her vital organization was so exquisite, that as she -could enjoy, so must she also suffer. - -“Oh! my God! my God!” broke passionately from her lips, “what blasphemy -is this! Save me, Holy Mother! intercede for me with thy Son! the Evil -One seeks to snare my soul,” and she knelt in prayer. - -There in the forest, no leaf stirring, all nature hushed, that lone -woman, her soul racked with doubt, fearing equally to violate her own -pure impulses and the faith which bade her crucify them, plead piteously -to her Father in heaven for strength to calm her soul, and to know the -right. Never before, in that land, had a truthful, earnest woman’s heart -poured forth its passionate griefs in words of childlike simplicity, -seeking sympathy and aid direct from its Maker. Well might we call that -spot hallowed through all after time. Long and deeply she prayed, with -her sad, sorrow-convulsed face upturned to heaven, into the vault of -which her full mild eyes seemed to pierce with a bright light, as if -like Stephen, she saw the crucified one amid his angels. Gradually her -features softened, a tear stood in either eye, the spirit she sought -entered her soul, and she rose from her forest altar, if not a happier, -for the time a calmer woman. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - “’Tis one thing to be tempted, - Another thing to fall.” - - SHAKESPEARE. - - -Since the evening by the seaside so eventful to each, Olmedo had not seen -Beatriz. Indeed he had avoided it, because with his present feelings -he dared not trust himself alone with her. His profession having been -chosen for him by his parents, he had been subjected when so young to -the discipline of his order, that he had been screened from the usual -temptations and experiences of ordinary life. Under any circumstances -he would have been an upright man. In his convent he had early acquired -an excellent character for strict compliance with the ritual of his -faith, benevolence, and study. Some of his brethren, jealous perhaps -of his greater influence among their flock, had hinted occasionally to -their superior, that his opinions were somewhat liberal, and that he -had displayed at times an independence and energy that betokened a more -active mind than was consistent with their order. Whatever truth there -may have been in these insinuations, such was the general respect in -which he was held, that no harm came to him or even notice of them, -except now and then a good-natured suggestion to be cautious in his -expressions before certain of the brethren. - -Olmedo was born for a wider sphere than a monastic life. His passions -were active, but pure. There had always existed within him a silent -protest to forced celibacy, for he felt that the family was an -institution of God, while the convent was only of man. His mind, in all -questions that affected the welfare of the human race, naturally took -a broad and correct view, but so thoroughly grounded had he been in -the faith and practices of his church, that when his opinions really -differed, he preferred outwardly to submit to what he considered the -highest authority. Whenever, however, his good sense could consistently -be active in opposition to the narrow or fanatical views of other members -of his order, he had invariably spoken, and in general with effect; -and on all occasions which required self-devotion or the exercise of a -stricter rule of conduct, he had been the most prompt among them. - -He was eminently qualified to be a missionary. His sincerity of faith -had not cramped his sympathies of human action. Active and thoughtful, -self-denying, yet charitable, firm to his convictions while obedient -to lawful discipline, with a winning, quiet manner, that commanded -respect and confidence, he was just the man to go forth to the world as -an example and preacher of the pure tenets of Christianity. The newly -discovered continent of America, with its novel races, greatly interested -him. There he could be freer than in Spain. Accordingly he had obtained -permission to embark for this new field of religious enterprise. - -Although Olmedo had come from Spain with her father, it so happened that -it was in Cuba that he had first made the acquaintance of Beatriz. From -that moment he found himself strongly drawn towards her by their mutual -comprehension of each other’s character, which to each filled their -want of sympathy in the deeper aspirations of their natures. To either -their friendship was a new and sweet experience. Olmedo’s heart finding -refreshment in the ingenuous feelings and impulses of Beatriz, while her -mind expanded and strengthened in the intellectual resources of his. -Their intercourse, or mental confidence it would be more proper to term -it, as it related so exclusively to their minds, was the more complete, -that while each was actually governed by the real affinities from which -true love must spring, both were unconscious of any alloy of passion. -Such an intimacy as existed between them, could not have been between -brother and sister, neither between lovers, for while it was undoubtedly -warmed by an undercurrent of feeling unknown to the former, it was free -from all the embarrassments or dangers growing out of its recognized -existence with the latter. Olmedo was her spiritual father, and -something more; the magnet of her soul. She was his spiritual daughter, -and filled to his then well disciplined nature the void which lack of -female communion had ever caused. Hence both were free, unreserved, and -affectionate. Theirs was of its kind a perfect love, because it had no -fear, but now the time had come when the eyes of both were opened. - -The effect on Olmedo of this sudden disclosure of his passion, was no -less a source of acute misery to him than the same self-confession of -Beatriz had been to her. Perhaps his sufferings were even greater. Hers -were impulsive and passive. An intuitive perception disclosed all at -once the joys a complete union of hearts like theirs might realize, -while faith forbade the banns. With her, therefore, it was simply a -struggle, not against reason, for that sided with her, but a conscience -educated in opposition to nature. There is no source of mental misery -more poignant than this, because it is the actual right struggling -against the conventional wrong, which by a false view of the laws of -God has been made to appear the right. It is God’s conscience against -man’s conscience, claiming to be of God. And although the latter may -not be right in itself, yet from having been chosen as a moral guide, -circumstances may have woven so strong a web around it, that to suddenly -break the woof would be a wrong. Hence, the eternal wrong having become -the present right, nothing remains but to obey duty and leave the -justification of God’s ways to his own good time. - -[Illustration] - -Olmedo now saw plainly that God had as fully constituted him for marriage -as any other man; that even his partial intercourse with woman had been -the means of his greater soul-awakening; that it was an error to view God -as a being who delighted in asceticism. On the contrary he rejoiced, and -all nature showed it, in man’s innocent appropriation of all the sources -of enjoyment and knowledge, created expressly for him. The feasting -and sociality of Christ, his love for women and children and constant -intercourse with them, his generous disregard of the letter of the law, -all spoke to him as they never had before. He was satisfied that man was -right only, in the degree that he exercised all his faculties in the -direction for which they were created; that to deny some to the intent -to exalt others, was a fatal mistake. Harmony proceeded solely from the -mutual and free action of all, in accordance with general principles -which all nature except man instinctively recognized, but which to -man were often perverted by the wantonness of Reason. In demanding to -be his sole guide, Reason claimed too much. There were lessons to be -learned through his affection as well as through his intellect. The -more childlike he became, the more direct was his intercourse with God. -Nature, children, and, above all, the heart of woman had become to him -new sources of inspiration. There was then a Holy Book in all created -things. Words of life could be read alike in the phenomena of nature, the -sports of innocence, and the warm affections of humanity. Revelation was -not confined to the printed page. - -Such thoughts as these would have brought him to the stake in Spain. -In the dull routine of convent-life, they probably would never have -been awakened. Here he was in a new world. The church, as a human -institution, was himself. There was no official authority superior to -his own; no guide above his own reason or conscience. Naturally free -and inquiring, how could it be otherwise than that the lessons of his -new life should be felt in his soul. He saw that hierarchies were not -indispensable roads to heaven. He even dimly imagined the time when each -man should be again his own priest, and the intercourse between God and -his children be direct as it once was. But I cannot follow him through -all the foreshowings of his newly aroused religious aspirations. The -Age and his education still had deep hold upon him. Fain would he now, -however, redeem himself a man. - -“Why should I not?” thought he. “Am I always to obey a vow taught me by -others before able to judge for myself? Is the scope of another’s mind to -be the measure for mine? Here Beatriz and myself must pass our days, away -from our native lands, with no bars between our loves except such as have -been made for other places and circumstances. Must we obey them and deny -ourselves all that God appoints for our union, because man has put us -asunder?” - -His heart rebelled at this thought, and his passions grew clamorous. -They were none the less forcible from long restraint. He loved Beatriz -truly, but he loved her as a man; his whole nature panted for hers, but -with his intensity of feeling there was perfect chastity, for he could -as soon have warmed towards a vegetable as towards one he did not love. -His passion was begotten of his love. He felt its impulses, but neither -analyzed nor thought of them, except in relation to their object. Did -this monk sin? - -His thoughts now reverted to her. “She is my spiritual child. Her soul is -in my keeping. Should I not be false to my charge to permit a union which -the Church anathematizes? I may risk my own soul, but not hers. No! No! -Be quiet, heart! She is pure and artless, the child of heaven; she must -remain so,” and he sighed as if his last breath was parting, as he strove -to bring his will to this self-renunciation. - -With him, passion, opportunity, reason, and even his new views of -religion plead for the union. Greater temptation of circumstance and -argument never assailed a man. On the other hand, arose the still, small -voice, “You are her spiritual father; love you may and must, but to -confess that love, to tempt her, would be a sin against the Holy Ghost; -for has she not been confided to thy charge? Was ever such a crime known -to one, who has vowed to God for his better service here, and for higher -reward hereafter, to renounce the honors and pleasures of this life,—to -know no wife, or child; to crucify alike passions and affections for the -love of Heaven. Have a care, priest! the devil baits his hook temptingly -for thee!” - -The full tide of a broken faith swept over his soul with retributory -energy. He trembled with horror. Clasping his crucifix tightly to -his breast, and frantically kissing it, he rushed from the house, -exclaiming, “Save me, Jesus, save me from myself; save her, at least, -whatsoever thou wilt do with me.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - “The world and men are just reciprocal, - Yet contrary. Spirit invadeth sense - And carries captive Nature. Be this true, - All good is Heaven, and all ill is Hell.” - - BAILEY. - - -The southern and most eastern portion of Hawaii was, at the period of -this tale, in great part, a sterile, volcanic region, with but scanty -vegetation and a scanty supply of water. Mauna Loa occupied the larger -part, with its immense dome and volcano. It threw off on its flanks, vast -rivers formed by the flow from its summit of torrents of lava, which, in -cooling, broke up into a myriad of fantastic forms. In some places they -presented large tracks of volcanic rock, in easy slopes, as smooth as if -a sluggish stream of oil had been suddenly changed to stone,—in others, -the sharp vitrified edges, broken, basaltic masses, and savage look -of the whole, suggested the thought of a black ocean petrified at the -instant when a typhoon begins to subside, and the waves running steeple -high toss and tumble, break and foam, into a thousand wild currents and -irregular shapes. No verdure of any kind found root in these wastes. The -sole nourishment they offered was an occasional supply of rain-water, -left in the hollows of the rocks. It was impossible to traverse them, -unless the feet were protected by sandals, impenetrable to the heat -which was reflected from the glassy surfaces of the smooth rock, or the -knife-like edges of the jagged lava, which formed a path as unpleasant -as if it had been freshly macadamized with broken beer bottles. Fresh -currents of lava yearly flowed over the old, adding to the blackness of -its desolation. The fumes of sulphur and other poisonous gases, the lurid -glare of liquid rock, explosions and mutterings, belchings and heavings, -the quaking and trembling of the fire-eaten ground and jets of mingled -earth and water,—the very elements fuzed into whirlpools and fountains -of nature’s gore, redder and more clotted than human blood, while fiery -ashes obscured the sky, and heavy rocks shot up as if from hell’s -mortars, burst high in the air, or fell far away from their discharging -craters with the crash and roar of thunderbolts,—such at times were the -scenes and atmosphere of much of this district. - -Still the coasts and many of the valleys afforded sufficient arable -ground to support quite a numerous population. The climate was as -variable as the variety of altitudes it covered. On the seaside, to the -leeward of the fire-mountains, it was burning with the heat of Sahara, -and all but rainless, while the highest portions were almost continually -enveloped in clouds and dense vapors. The natives were familiar with both -the tropical palm and the frigid lichens, perpetual heat and perpetual -cold, boiling springs and never melting ice, the precocious luxuriance -and the utter sterility of nature, all within a circuit of not over one -hundred and fifty miles. - -I doubt if the earth’s surface affords elsewhere more rapid transitions -of zones within a more limited territory than Hawaii. Her phenomena -of all kinds, and even her productions, though limited in variety, -are on no niggard scale. The active and extinct volcanoes are the -largest known,—her mountains, not in chains, but isolated, are the more -impressive to the eye, from their solitary grandeur, rising as they do -directly from the ocean, which encircling them leads off the view into -immensity. Thus the grandeur of this wonderful island becomes complete. - -In the middle-ground between the hot country of the coast and the cold of -the highest region, there is a neutral spot or belt, where the creative -and destructive agencies of nature are in intimate contact. Here we find -heavy forests with trees of immense size, growing upon a soil so thin, -that earthquakes frequently tilted them to the ground, throwing roots and -the clinging earth into the air, and leaving bare the rock beneath. Amid -seas of cold lava arise islets of shrubbery; verdant spots, where the -strawberry, raspberry, and other fruits grow, planted in ages past by the -provident agency of birds, that have here rested in their flights from -more prolific soils. Now they yield welcome harvests to the colonies of -their first sowers and to man. Although fire so often lays them waste, -they speedily recover their fertility, and, indeed, are gradually -pushing vegetation into the increasing soil on all sides, thus adding -slowly to the area of habitable earth. - -The inhabitants of this region partook of its character. They were brave, -hardy, fierce, and cruel; as uncertain as their volcanoes, and as savage -as their soil. The sybaritic life of their more favored neighbors had no -attractions for them, except as a temptation for foray. They loved to -seize upon the luxuries they were too ignorant to create for themselves, -and indeed which nature almost denied them. But the superior arms and -discipline of Kiana’s people in general prevailed, and they were confined -within their own borders, although sometimes a successful expedition -supplied them with both slaves and victims for sacrifice to the gods of -their terrible mythology. For they saw in the mighty agencies of nature -around them, only malignant and sanguinary deities, whom they feared and -sought to appease by rites as horrible as their own imagination. - -[Illustration] - -The great crater of Mauna Loa was their Olympus. Amid its glowing -fires, or high up in the perpetual snows of the mountain, resided -their awful goddess Pele, with her sister train and attendants of the -other sex, whose names best express their terrific attributes. It -will be noticed that like the Grecian, their mythology had its origin -in their elementary conceptions of the facts of natural philosophy, -which in time, by their darker imaginations, were personified into a -family of monsters, instead of the poetical fancies of the sensuous -Greek. “Hiaka-wawahi-lani,” the heaven dwelling cloud-holder, and -“Makole-inawahi-waa,” the fiery-eyed cave breaker, were the sisters -of Pele, and with the brothers “Kamoho-alii,” the king of steam and -vapor, “Kapoha-ikahi-ala,” the explosion in the palace of life, -“Kenakepo,” the rain of night, “Kanekekili,” thundering god, and -“Keoahi-kama-kana,” fire-thrusting child of war; the latter two were like -Vulcan deformed,—made up her court. Their favorite sporting place was -the volcano of Kilauea, where they were always to be seen, revelling in -its flames, or bathing in its red surges, to the chorus of its terrific -thunderings or frightful mutterings. - -My readers will, I trust, forgive me the insertion of these sentence-long -names for the poetry there is in them, and if they will pronounce them -with the soft accent of Southern Europe, they will find them as melodious -as their definitions are expressive. - -But it was not alone to these deities these savages paid homage. They -worshipped a mammoth shark, and fed him with human victims, casting -them alive within the enclosed water in which they kept their ferocious -pet. This was not quite so bad as feeding lampreys on slaves, for their -sin was done under a mistaken idea of religion, while the other was to -glut revenge, and fatten eels for their owner’s dinner. If we condemn -the unintellectual Indian for his sacrifices and his tabus, how much -more must we pass under condemnation the Roman for his inhumanity, and -the Catholic for his Inquisition; the one sinning in the full light of -knowledge, and the other of both knowledge and revelation. - -[Illustration] - -As Kiana had partially succeeded in placing the rites of worship among -his sensuous people upon a cheerful and in a material view, an elevated -footing, so the priests of these tribes had in every conceivable way -augmented the terrors and demoniacal attributes of theirs, and shaped -them into the likeness of a devil, called “Kalaipahoa,” which combined -all the ugliness their imaginations were capable of conceiving in a -wooden idol, sufficiently hideous to have sent a thrill of horror even -through Dante’s Inferno. It was the poison god, and was made of a wood, -which the priests gave out to be deadly poisonous. Its huge, grinning -mouth was filled with rows of sharks’ teeth, human hair in brutish curls -covered its head, while its extended arms and spread fingers continually -cried, “give, give,” to the poor victims of its fears. - -Such, in brief, were the chief objects of worship among these Hawaiians, -whose habits in other respects offered a strong contrast to those of -Kiana’s people. Cannibalism, though not very common, was not rare among -the most ferocious of the clans, but was restricted chiefly to feasts of -revenge after contests in which all their cruel propensities had been -fully aroused. They were given to the worst forms of sorcery, and their -worship embraced such rites as might be supposed to be pleasing to their -demon-idols. Always at war, either among themselves, or with their more -favored neighbors of the north, their selfish passions were ever active, -and their religion, based upon fear and the most abject superstition, -but confirmed them in the vices most congenial to their natures. Kiana’s -subjects presented the aborigines of Polynesia under their most favorable -aspect, but these tribes the other extreme of savage life. With both -there were exceptions to the general character. There was, however, -sufficient similarity between their traits to prove not only a common -parentage, but that a change of circumstances would, in time, produce -an alteration in the most prominent qualities of each. This actually -occurred, nearly three centuries later, when the first Kamehameha united -the islands under one sovereign. But even now the traveller perceives in -the sparse inhabitants of these regions a less genial disposition than -in those on the sea-coast, while it is among them that still linger most -pertinaciously the traces of their former fearful worship. - -Among their chiefs was one named Pohaku, who had acquired by his -superior courage and fierceness an ascendency over all the others. He was -dark even for a native; his hair short and crispy; his eyes blood-shot; -nostrils thick and wide spread, and his lips heavy and full, showing, -when open, a mouth in which great milky white teeth appeared like -scattered tomb-stones in a graveyard; many having been knocked out in -the various fights in which he had been engaged. His frame and muscles -were those of a bull, and his strength prodigious. Brute force was his -tenure of power, for with all the respect of the Hawaiians for inherited -rank, he was so bad a tyrant, that nothing but a convenient opportunity -had been wanting for them long before to have rid themselves of him. So -malicious was his vanity, that he had been known to cut off the leg of -a man more richly tattooed than his own. To mangle faces, whose beauty -inspired him with jealousy, was a common pastime. Thankful were the -possessors if their entire heads were spared. Even a handsome head of -hair was sufficient provocation to cause the owner to be beheaded. To -this malevolence he joined a mania for building. What with his wars, -cruelties and constant consumption of time in his rude works, his -immediate tenants had a hard service, so that it was not surprising that -they took every occasion to desert to the territories of Kiana, who -kindly received all who claimed his protection. Others retreated farther -into the savage wilderness, and there became petty robbers, a further -pest to the little industry that could exist under such a ruler, and on -so precarious a soil. The whole population, therefore, bred to hardihood -and tyranny, were ever ripe for every opportunity which would unite them -in any enterprise that savored of danger and plunder. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - “He that studieth revenge, keepeth his own wounds green.”—BACON. - - -Tolta had not been idle since the shipwreck. The restraint which the -presence of the Spaniards had hitherto imposed upon him, was now removed. -He was rarely seen with them, and indeed often disappeared for weeks at a -time. - -Kiana had never liked him. Tolta felt it at heart and resented it. At the -bottom of this feeling was no doubt the attachment both had for Beatriz. -We have seen the nature of Kiana’s; generous and profound, more from deep -respect than from positive love, because in reality, while her character -compelled, it at the same time repelled his passion. He had striven to -win her, for he could not help it. In one sense, he was not disappointed -at the result, because his reason told him it could not be otherwise. -Having therefore obeyed both his own and her will, he now, in continuing -his kindness, left her as free to act as himself. - -It was different with Tolta. The Aztec saw even deeper into the -impassable gulf between their two natures, but he was drawn to her with -the tenacity of the bloodhound to his scent. In her presence he was -gentle and serviceable. The passions which excited him when apart from -her, became with her like those of a little child. He would gaze upon -her for hours with eyes intense with his fiery emotions, but the moment -she spoke to him the fire left them, and the good in him illumined his -countenance. - -Beatriz read his character, and while from sympathy in his misfortunes -she exerted herself to soothe, she never could so overcome her repugnance -as to trust in him as she did in Kiana. With the latter she felt safe; -with Tolta never. The very fierceness which he was ever ready to display -in her defence, might at any moment be turned upon her. It was well -that her instincts prompted her to distrust him as much as she did, for -often the only barrier between them was her own moral superiority. Tolta -felt this to be indeed a far stronger obstacle than would have been the -jealous precautions of lock or duenna. The possibility of Beatriz loving -him as he did her never deluded him. He knew that was hopeless. Still his -passion rather grew than abated, especially in the freedom of his new -life, which brought back the pride and ambition of his race. So long, -however, as he saw that Beatriz did not love another, he was reconciled. -She had so wisely avoided the subject whenever he sought to suggest -his feelings, that he had all but persuaded himself that she was of a -different mould from other women. She might be worshipped, but not sought -in love. - -He hated Juan and the seamen with all the intensity of an Aztec’s -revenge, for their share in the conquest of his country. Olmedo he had -ever respected for his virtues, and would have exempted from the fate -he cherished at heart for the others. In his excursions about Hawaii, -he had come in contact with some of Pohaku’s warriors. Gradually their -intercourse had ripened into an intimacy with their chief, with whom he -now conspired to overthrow Kiana and get possession of the Spaniards. -So adroitly had he concealed his designs, that he had retained the -friendship and confidence of all except a few individuals about him, for -his manner was the same it had ever been. Their own consciousness of the -opportunities he now had, and the provocation they had often given him, -were more the causes of their secret distrust than anything they saw. His -frequent absences were a relief rather than a cause of suspicion, for he -was then forgotten. - -He had no difficulty in obtaining a willing auditory to his plans in -Pohaku, and the chiefs leagued with him. His inmost desire was to -sacrifice the Spaniards to the war-god of Mexico, under any name his -allies might choose from their mythology, and to gloat over their dying -agonies, while taunting them with their fate as due their crimes against -his countrymen. Besides this, seeing the brutal nature of Pohaku and the -easy confidence of Kiana, he conceived the design of eventually disposing -of both, by turning their arms against each other, while he gradually -united all Hawaii under his own sway and forced Beatriz to become his -wife. As hopeless as seemed such a plot, it was within the range of -probability could the wily Aztec dispose of the chief actors. To this end -he now bent all the resources of his cunning. - -Pohaku listened eagerly to his seductive eloquence as he promised him -the wealth of Kiana’s people, if he would unite his warriors under his -direction. He excited his fears also, as he narrated the career of the -white man in Mexico, insinuating that they were spies, to be followed by -numbers sufficient for the conquest of Hawaii, as soon as their report -should reach their countrymen in the ports whence they came. - -At the suggestion of Tolta, some days before the declaration of Kiana -to Beatriz, Pohaku had sent his heralds to summon the friendly chiefs -to a grand council, at which the plot was to be finally discussed. They -assembled at one of his principal fortresses on the southwestern bank of -the crater of Kilauea, and there in silence and secrecy prepared their -plans. Tolta knew too well the valor of the Spaniards, not to impress -upon the chiefs the importance of securing them before marching in -force upon Kiana. So artfully did he mingle his own revenge with their -superstition, that they with one accord decided to seize upon them by a -secret expedition entrusted to Tolta, who agreed to put them into their -hands for a solemn sacrifice to Pele, on condition only that the white -woman was to be his own prize. Accordingly, some of the most active and -trusty warriors were placed at his command. By slow marches and secret -paths he led them without discovery to the borders of the valley where -the Spaniards dwelt, dividing them into different ambushes, with orders -to seize each one and bear him off at once to Pohaku’s fortress, without -taking his life, while he was to decoy the white men to them, and on each -occasion make his own escape as if equally endangered. So successful was -he, that the three seamen were abducted as arranged, without any alarm -being given. Tolta then, with a select party lay in wait in the vicinity -of Juan’s dwelling, watching his opportunity to seize the main prize. -Alvirez, he soon ascertained, was for the present out of his reach, being -in a distant part of the valley. - -While watching for Olmedo and Beatriz, he had been witness to the scene -between Kiana and the latter. Without overhearing their discourse, he saw -in their parting, as simple as it was, food for his jealousy, for he well -knew that her hand and tear had never been given him. His tiger blood -was stirred, and he ground his teeth in rage. “What,” said he, “does she -frown upon the Aztec noble, that she may smile upon this hind of Hawaii. -Once in my power, and she shall be taught to love me or none.” - -He watched her after movements more in amazement than anger, for they -were to him contradictory and unintelligible. Besides, until she was -sufficiently far from her people, he dared not give the signal to seize -her for fear of a general alarm; but not for one minute did he let her -get out of his sight, following her movements under cover of the thick -undergrowth of the forest, with the silence and subtlety of a serpent. -While thus engaged, a scene occurred which so astonished and fascinated -him, that until he had seen it out, he seemed to have forgotten the -object of his expedition. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - “Exalted souls - Have passions in proportion, violent, - Resistless and tormenting: they’re a tax - Imposed by nature in preëminence, - And Fortitude, and Wisdom must support them.” - - LILLO. - - -When Olmedo left his house under such excited feelings, he unconsciously -followed the path which led to the grove where Beatriz was, and which he -knew to be her favorite retreat. In his present condition of mind, she -was the last person his reason would have counselled him to meet, but led -by an inward attraction, without seeking the meeting, his steps took him -towards where she had just risen from prayer. So distracted, however, -was he with his conflicting emotions, that she saw him the first. It was -too late to avoid him, which she would not have done had she been able. -Conscious of the rectitude of her own desires, and pacified by her late -appeal to heaven, she obeyed her impulse and advanced towards him. As he -suddenly looked up and saw her within a few steps, a faintness came over -him, and he was well nigh falling, but with a great effort recovering -himself, he took her hand as frankly as it was offered. - -Both were silent. Each felt the crisis of their fate had arrived. Nature, -when her mightiest agencies are about to go forth in the hurricane, the -earthquake, or the volcanic eruption, is for the moment breathless. So -the human soul anticipates its most direful trials by utter stillness. - -They walked on side by side, going deeper into the wood, as if to screen -themselves from all the world. Yet neither knew why they did so, only it -was a relief to be together and to be apart from every one else. Though -not a word had been spoken, each felt the confession had been made, and -they began to tremble, as did the guilty pair in Paradise when they first -heard the voice of the Creator. Why should they tremble? - -To love surely was no crime. That hearts like theirs should in meeting -mingle, God had ordained when he first created man and woman. Whence, -then, the thrill too deep for utterance that paralyzed their tongues? -Beatriz was not a woman to shrink from the display of her own feelings. -She was one rather to avow them, and meet the consequences fearless in -her honesty. Olmedo had never before shrunk from speaking directly from -his heart words of truth or admonition. Why, then, did these innocent -ones act as if guilt was upon them? Because the Church had said to him, -“thou shalt not love her whom God gave thee for a companion, and to her, -thou shalt not be a companion to him.” Thus man’s forgery of God’s will, -making Him to say, “it is good for man to be alone,” had given to each of -these sufferers, who by his laws were mated in love and sympathy in body -and soul, for time and eternity, a false conscience which perverted their -good into their evil. Much of theology is indeed a cunningly contrived -system of man’s to make himself miserable, despite the broad ordinances -of the Creator, to be read in all his works, “to go forth and enjoy the -world, to be fruitful and multiply, to love Him with all thy heart, with -all thy soul, and with all thy mind,” and “thy neighbor as thyself.” Man -will not be in his proper relation to his Maker, until he escapes from -the dogmas and creeds of a conventional Christianity and walks with Him, -as did Enoch, in the faith of that perfect love which casteth out all -fear. - -But man in his soul-progress can keep pace only with his age and -opportunity. The duties he voluntarily assumes are still duties, though -more light may have widened his own prospect. He is but a link in the -vast chain of humanity, no one of which can be ruptured without affecting -it through its entire extent. He is, therefore, to consider well before -he acts whether in seeking his own personal gratification, or even in -obeying the right instincts of his heart, he may not offend others, -or do a general injury for a particular good. In all doubtful moral -emergencies, duty says obey the higher law, or that which shows that thou -lovest thy neighbor as thyself. - -There is a blessing in the principle of obedience, springing from -self-sacrificing motives, which, whatever may be the result in this life, -is sure of its final reward. Duties, whether artificial or not, are the -moral diamond dust, by which our souls are polished. As we free ourselves -from all selfish considerations in our relations with others, so shall -our hope be converted into joy in the next life. It is well, therefore, -to bear our burdens meekly and with courage here, that we may travel the -lighter hereafter. - -Olmedo was distracted between his vows and his desire. How could he to -the simple natives recall his teachings and example as a monk, upon the -one point of celibacy, which in him was now in such peril! Could they -comprehend his recantation? Would not the little truth that had already -begun to be understood among them, based as it was more upon their -respect for one who showed himself superior to their ordinary passions, -than to an intellectual appreciation of his doctrines, would not this -seed even be lost, and the priest, tabued to women, be hereafter esteemed -only as one of themselves? Besides, the doctrine of self-abnegation, or -the crucifying of his natural instincts, which although his now more -enlightened reason showed him could not be an acceptable sacrifice -to their author, except in refraining from their abuse, still had a -deep hold upon him, particularly as it was his own love that had just -stimulated his mind to the full exercise of its freedom. He who had -already sacrificed so much to an erroneous idea, could he not now -complete the sacrifice for the sake of the good to others? Would not such -a sacrifice to the principle of love to his neighbor, and of duty to his -vows, be bread upon the waters, to be returned to him at the end of -time? Each heart had its schooling for eternity. The struggle to decide -his future—his salvation had come. What was once right for him as a free -man, was now wrong as pledged to a religion whose tenets had ever been -his love and admiration. - -Such had been his reflections. They had flashed through his mind and -ten-fold more, with piercing throbs of conscience, as in silence he -walked by the side of Beatriz with his eyes fixed on the ground, while -his blood was beating time to passion’s marches, and his affections -yearned, nay, clamored to take Beatriz to wife. They had come to him -with all the quickness and vividness with which the entire previous life -crowds itself into the brief struggle of the drowning man. Speak he could -not. His tongue was rooted to his mouth. - -With Beatriz the struggle was different. She made no pretence to conceal -what was longer impossible, but waited with quickened pulse and tremulous -feeling, to hear him break the silence. His mental agony was perfectly -intelligible to her. Without analyzing as he did the circumstances of -their position, they flooded her heart like a spring freshet. It might -break, but she would give no sigh that should tempt him from his holy -allegiance. Once his decision made, her heart was wholly his, either to -sustain him in duty, or to share his lot. With Ruth she would have said, -“Entreat me not to leave thee, nor to return from following after thee, -for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge.” -How long they wandered thus, or how far, neither could realize, for -every step was as if a millstone were tied to their heels. In their doubt -and conflict the landscape, so joyous in itself, seemed overspread with -gloom. The very sun, as it stole through the thick verdure overhead, -shot upon them cold and mocking rays—light without warmth. Heaven was -darkened, and the earth gave them no rest. - -At last they sat down; Beatriz on a log, and Olmedo at her feet. -Around and over them rose a rural bower, carpeted with soft mosses and -canopied with vines, fragrant in blossoms and flowers. The birds warbled -melodiously even at noon-day in this shady retreat. Near by, flowed a -little brook with gentle murmurings, a vein of life coursing through the -green sward, on its way to a torrent stream that thundered far below. -Through an opening in the trees, mountain-ward in the far distance could -be seen the glassy curve of the cataract which fed both. Rising from its -mist, enclosing in its hollow the entire gorge from which it issued, -was a perfect rainbow, forming a frame of wondrous beauty to nature’s -painting. On the opposite side, glimmering through the forests like a -silver horizon, was the ocean, its waves sparkling and dancing in the -bright sun as the fresh trade-wind swept over it, and, cooled by its -breath, came stealing with soft notes and reviving breeze through every -leafy cranny of the dense jungle. The quick darting, bright eyed lizards, -crept out of their holes and played about their human friends, sure that -they had nothing to fear from them. Adam and Eve when they slept in -Paradise, were not more alone with the communings of nature than were -apparently this pair. A scene more soothing, since its gates were closed -upon our race, the earth had never offered to mankind. Yet for a while -it was unheeded, for the eyes of both were turned within; gradually, -however, its beauties dawned upon them. They looked around. Beatriz first -spoke. “Olmedo,” she said, “does not God reign here? How beautiful is -this landscape? how filled with repose; all nature is hushed in harmony. -Why is it we alone are unhappy?” - -As she said this her face lighted up with its wonted smile for him. She -wished to chase away the gloom that darkened his brow. The appeal was -irresistible. There was before him the rainbow, God’s sign of hope and -protection for man; there was her smile which for so many years, and -through so many trials, had been the rainbow to his heart. Why should it -be less now? Could he not learn to accept its spirit, without coveting -her possession? - -His heart melted. He laid his head upon her knees, and for an instant -wept aloud. Their hands soon met, and were entwined; then their eyes—long -and earnestly they searched each other’s souls. All the tenderness and -truth of natures, warm like theirs with humanity’s deepest sympathies, -poured forth responsive in that gaze. From her face, lighted with love’s -softest smile, bending over him with an angel look, as if it would pour -into his torn heart all the peace, purity, and sacrifice hers contained, -there shone a celestial glow, which savored more of heaven than earth. -Bright spirits were communing with them; spirits of love and joy. Alas! -their lips meet, and in one lingering kiss, the first of love’s passion -either had known, was concentrated all the long pent-up affection of -their two lives. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - “It is with certain Good Qualities as with the Senses; those - who are entirely deprived of them, can neither appreciate nor - comprehend them.”—LA ROCHEFOUCAULD. - - -There are some natures like the orange-tree, upon which the blossom and -fruit meet at the same time. In their capacity for joy they receive -more from one glowing, self-forgetting impulse, than colder and more -calculating persons are able to gather in a lifetime. With such are -generally permitted on earth only glimpses of ecstatic happiness, far-off -sights of their promised land, the eternal future, through the never -ending ages of which their affections and intellect shall steadily -advance towards infinite Love and Wisdom, each emotion a new bliss, and -each thought a deeper current from the infinitude of divine knowledge. - -Who are those that realize their hopes on earth; here find their homes, -content with the present and its material gifts, without heart-yearnings -for deeper, truer, and more satisfying affections; without soul-strivings -to penetrate the mysterious Beyond? Who are such? Through the length and -breadth of every land myriads respond, “Give us a sufficiency of treasure -on earth, and we will not seek to scale heaven. Our loves, our lands, -our gold and our silver, our mistresses, our wives and our children; -our well-garnished tables and our fine houses; the riches for which our -hands and minds labor, and which our hearts covet; all that we can see, -feel, weigh and compare; the honors by which we are exalted above our -neighbors, the fame by which our names are in the world’s mouths; these -are our desires. Give us abundantly of these that we may eat, drink, and -be merry, and we ask not for more. This earth is good enough for us.” - -Do they have their reward? Yea, verily! as they sow, so they reap. Few -there are who steadily give themselves to the pursuit of these desires, -but receive houses and lands, honor and fame, meats and drinks, handsome -women or fine men, such children as such parentage can give birth to, -stocks in all banks but that of Eternity. There is no lack of wealth like -this to the earnest seeker. - -God is a provident father. He has created everything good of its kind, -and bestowed self-will upon man that he might himself elect his manner of -life. The standard of enjoyment for his own soul is at his own option, -whether he will discipline it here for its higher good hereafter, or -whether he will enjoy here without reference to that hereafter, the -knowledge of which is suggested in some way or other to all men. Man is -highly distinguished. For is not creation made for him? There is neither -gift nor discipline but can be made subservient to his moral growth; -to his conquest of the kingdom of heaven. There is nothing, also, but -may be transformed by sensual, selfish, short sighted desire, by his -weaknesses or passions; by his false logic or falser ambition, into a -morass of error, into which he will ever plunge deeper and deeper, unless -he resolutely bends his steps towards the firm land of hope and faith -that is never wholly shut out of the gloomiest horizon. - -Just in proportion to the quality of the treasure we seek, is the degree -of enjoyment that springs from its realization. All that belongs solely -to earth has incorporated with it change, decay, satiety, fear, and care. -These are warning angels, to urge the spirit to temperance, that it may -not mar its capacity for nobler enjoyments. As they are disregarded, and -man seeks only that which is perishable, he finds his pleasures pall and -his appetites wane. Abuse extinguishes gratification. Want of aspiration -towards the perfect development of all man’s faculties leaves him a -monotonous, abdominal animal, content with husks wherewith to fill his -belly. There is no increase in store for him, because he can conceive -of nothing better than what his feeble hands or vainglorious mind have -gathered around him. Nature reads to him no moral lesson, because he uses -her only as a slave, to administer to his material wants. He sees not -that there is in all things a deeper principle than mere use for the body. - - “A primrose by a river’s brim— - A yellow primrose is to him, - And it is nothing more.” - -The vital element that pervades all nature, uniting it in a chain of -harmonious progression, the eternal laws of which even his stolid spirit -cannot ultimately avoid, however much he now seeks to bury it beneath -the grosser particles of matter, escapes his perception. Guided only by -his finite, perishable sensorium, in vain attempt to grasp at once the -entire treasure, he often plunges his suicidal knife into the ovary which -daily laid him a golden egg. Thus man destroys his own birthright through -brutal ignorance and sensual impatience. The truly wise count all things -at their right worth, and find a sympathy in every natural object, in -varied degree, according as it speaks to them the thought of a common -Creator, and connects them in one common end. They have, therefore, a -double enjoyment. First, that which springs from the right material -use of every object or sense; secondly, the language which both speak -to them of hope and faith in more refined enjoyments and more perfect -conditions of existence. The very trials and incompleteness of present -experiences are so many testimonies of future and nobler realizations. -Thus God speaks as kindly through the so-called evils and disappointments -of life, as through the more readily distinguished blessings; for if they -see in the latter hope and happiness, so in the former they distinguish -that chastening which, through paternal discipline, seeks to guide and -strengthen. - -Few situations could be more trying to moral firmness than the -circumstances under which we left Olmedo and Beatriz. Free from all -external restraint of church discipline, with no censorship beyond their -own consciences; reason and passion both pleading their right to be -united; their past by its friendship casting a bright light upon their -future and closer union; doomed to pass their lives, while still in the -flush of life, away from all that had made other homes dear; twin exiles, -each sustaining the other and now alone, amid a joyous seductive nature, -every motion and aspect of which was pleading for love;—was there not -in all this sufficient temptation to have overcome them? Neither were -ascetic by nature nor principle. No two human beings, by organization, -were better fitted to enjoy lawfully all the indulgences wholesome -instincts and the tenderness of united hearts craved. The very restraint -which former circumstances and the absence of love had produced, now -that both were removed, but made them more susceptible to the reaction. -We must not, therefore, judge that kiss too harshly. Less passion would -have removed them from our sympathies. Now they have vindicated their -humanity, will they be able to vindicate their duty? Duty as their -religion taught them! - -Olmedo’s heart beat wildly. His face was flushed and fevered. He would -have repeated the embrace, but something instinctively alarmed Beatriz, -and she sadly whispered, putting her hand on his forehead, and looking -directly at him, with an expression of affection and alarm, “You do not -love me, Olmedo!” - -Had the voice of the Almighty called to him, as it did to Adam in the -garden, a greater change could not have come over Olmedo. It was the -voice of the Almighty in the pure soul of Beatriz, and it spoke to an -answering conscience. He became breathless, pale, and faint, as the full -meaning of those soft words pierced through his soul. They spoke volumes. -His passion was quenched, and true wisdom descended upon him. In an -instant he was another being, loving not less, but less selfishly—able -to sacrifice indulgence to Duty, to her and to his faith; for he would -not peril her soul through the entreaties of passion, or the pleadings of -what might be selfish reason. - -Holding her hand tenderly as might a father, he said, “Beatriz, my -daughter in faith, thou art my saviour in action. Love thee! let me -prove how I do love thee. I dare not think of what we might be to each -other, were not I wedded to the Holy Church. No blessing will follow -vows broken, because circumstances tempt. Help me to be true to my -religion and to thee! Forgive my passion thou wilt, because thou knowest -the strength of passion. Be to me sister, spirit-bride—all of woman in -tenderness, love and friendship thou canst, and as I am true to thy -confiding faith, so God deal with me. In his own wise providence and good -time will he recompense our faith in Him and our love to each other. -Had my passions overpowered us both, however much our union might have -brought us pleasure, we should have sought to hide our heads in shame and -confusion, as the conviction that we had purchased it by the violated -faith of a soul, consecrated to heaven, grew upon us. Heaven spoke -through thee, Beatriz; angel woman hast thou ever proved to me.” - -Kneeling upon the ground, with Beatriz besides him, every passion -harmonized by gratitude and hope and faith, Olmedo lifted up his head and -said, “Father, I thank thee, that thou hast spared me this crime. Thine -be the praise, and not to my own feeble will, which without thee, in the -hour of temptation, thou hast permitted me to see is as a broken reed. -I praise thee, I thank thee, Father, that thou hast pitied thy servant, -and in saving him from error hast given him further opportunity for thy -service and of getting wisdom. In creating man, thou has bestowed upon -him affections for wise purposes, and I now see that thou delightest no -more in their sacrifice than in innocent blood. I thank thee that I am -a man; that I possess from thee the desires and aspirations for love -eternal as the heavens, and that thou hast permitted me to find, even in -my solitary profession, a heart which makes mine beat warmer, truer and -better. May it ever be a strength and a support, and this love, which I -now confess before thee, our Father, be a bond of stricter service and -accountability for every thought and action, and finally unite us in -spirit among the just made perfect.” - -Thus plead the Man with his Maker. In his aroused emotions, the formal -language of priestly prayer was forgotten, and the genuine, sincere -thought of the heart ascended freely and welcome to God, with nature’s -true eloquence. Does the Great Heart not hear such prayers? Heart to -heart and soul to soul make answer! When man conquers himself and ascends -in spirit to his eternal home in the heavens, asking from God direct, -life and light to guide and keep him through his earthly trials, the -sympathetic voice of the entire heavens echoes his prayer, and repeats to -him the assurance of aid. Prayer is to the soul what the plough is to the -soil. It opens it to vivifying rays. As the disturbed water sends circle -after circle, wider and wider over its surface, so in the moral world, -each thought or action for good or evil, spreads likewise, and awakes -throughout its infinity its circle of affinities. Angels rejoice with -man in his rise, and fiends exult in his fall. Be cautious, therefore, -fellow-man, for thou canst not calculate the extent of thy influence in -either life. - -Beatriz felt her power and her responsibility, and was troubled. -Silently, but with deep earnestness, she followed Olmedo in his prayer. -Both rose from that forest sanctuary dearer to each other, because there -was now no secret thought between them. Each felt that the salvation of -the other was a solemn charge from heaven. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - “How now? - A foe? What means this most unwelcome visit?” - - KEMBLE. - - -By the time Olmedo and Beatriz had begun to retrace their steps to their -homes, Tolta’s hesitation had vanished, and he prepared to seize them. -If his anger had been aroused by the scene between Kiana and the maiden, -he was now furious with rage and jealousy at the discovery of the mutual -love of Olmedo and Beatriz. Of their motives and resolves he could -appreciate nothing. He saw only that they loved. Their devout prayer had -astonished him, but that over, his imagination acted as a slow-match to -explode his passions. - -At a sign from him, his warriors stealthily encircled the two, and -stepping out suddenly from their retreat, seized and bound them before -they could either resist or effectually cry out. Tolta, unable to repress -his satisfaction, walked up to Olmedo and hissed in his ear, “Catholic -maidens are not kept solely for the dalliance of Catholic priests. -You shall soon see her fonder of an Aztec priest than she has been of -you, most chaste monk,” and he leered upon him with such a demoniacal -meaning, as for an instant to paralyze the speech of Olmedo, who almost -fancied the devil himself had bodily entrapped him. - -Soon recognizing Tolta, he exclaimed, “What means this violence? Are you -mad? Release us, or evil will come upon you.” - -“Not so fast, monk, we have a journey to make first. I wish to introduce -you to one who is as fond of Spanish blood as your countrymen are of -Mexican.” - -“Do with me as you will, but send back Beatriz to her brother. She has -never injured you,” urged Olmedo. - -“Beatriz is my prize, you are another’s,” said Tolta, with a look so full -of dark insinuation that his captive shuddered,—not for himself, but for -the maiden. - -He would have again entreated, but Tolta fearing to lose time, ordered -his men to gag him and drive him before them, while he whispered to -Beatriz, “If you attempt an outcry, these infidels will kill Olmedo. -His sole hope is in your keeping quiet.” This he said with cunning -forethought, and it had the immediate effect he wished, to keep her -silent, for he dreaded the influence of her voice quite as much as he -feared any alarm she could give. - -Compelling her to walk before him, the party passed in single file -through the forest in the direction of the mountain, till they reached -its outskirts, and came to the more scantily wooded uplands. Here they -were joined by another and larger band, bearing a “manele,” a sort -of palanquin, into which Beatriz was placed, and borne rapidly on by -four stout warriors, who were relieved each hour by others. In this -way allowing no intercourse between the captives, but hurrying on at a -dog trot by a circuitous course that took them away from the inhabited -portions of the country, they made rapid progress for several hours -without a halt or seeing any one. - -Their course lay along the eastern and southern flank of Mauna Kea, -which was then a wilderness, much broken up by precipitous ravines and -irregular plains, dotted with groves of a beautiful species of laurel, -whose pendant branches, with small dark green leaves intermingled with -delicate white blossoms, all but swept the ground, affording by day a -shade impervious to the sun, and by night not an unwelcome shelter. -Not a word had been uttered by which either of the captives could get -a clue to their probable fate. Each was most anxious for the other. At -the same time both felt a certain degree of relief and even pleasure in -their mutual presence, and had the choice to be free and apart been given -to either, while thus uncertain as to their future, neither would have -accepted it. Beatriz alone had some suspicion as to the object of Tolta -in their abduction. Olmedo on the contrary, notwithstanding the dark -hints of the Mexican, could not persuade himself that any real danger -awaited either. Calm in his own soul-peace, he patiently bided a solution -of the mystery. - -As night approached, Tolta gave orders to encamp under one of the -laurel groves. Being now beyond immediate danger of a recapture, -Olmedo’s gag was removed, and he was permitted to warm himself by the -fire, which, at that altitude, was agreeable even in July. He was kept -apart from Beatriz, each being under the charge of a distinct company -of warriors. They were fierce, athletic men, quite capable of executing -any orders their chief,—for such by the command of Pohaku, they now -considered the Mexican,—might give, but at the same time they regarded -their captives, especially Beatriz, more with curiosity than hostility. -Her quiet, resigned demeanor, had made some impression upon them, and -involuntarily they treated her with a degree of respect, that did not -pass unnoticed by their crafty leader. He was not at all satisfied with -himself, although his expedition promised such complete success. While -away from Beatriz, he could plot against her honor and her brother’s life -without compunction, but it was quite a different thing when she was -an unresisting captive in his power. Her apparent feebleness and moral -security were more formidable barriers than an armed defence. She had not -once appealed to him by voice, but her mournful look, excited rather at -his treachery than her danger, recalled to him those moments which, under -other auspices, had impelled him to peril his life for hers. Besides, he -thought of Pohaku, and feared the effect of her beauty on his sensual -appetite. He might claim the woman as well as the man, and how could he -resist. - -Having fully embarked in his career of deceit and revenge, Tolta saw at -a glance he had gone too far to withdraw, for the fiery Juan would never -forgive the insult to his sister, however lenient she might prove. The -future began already to wear a different and more problematical aspect -than it did when he first meditated his treachery. The apparent ease with -which he had done so much, but magnified what remained to be done. In -fact, his conflicting emotions all but paralyzed his evil energies, which -threatened to leave him midway in his career an imbecile villain, sure -to die like a torpid serpent from the blows of the first that discovered -him. This hesitation arose from the influence Beatriz exercised over him, -despite his jealousy, which at intervals somewhat cooled from having his -rival in his power. He was therefore, restless, suspicious and wavering. -While his captives slept peacefully on the rude couches of tapa and dried -leaves their guards had prepared for them, he sat apart gloomily brooding -over his projects. - -It was clear star-light. Through the thick foliage an occasional bright -ray at times found its way, as if to hint to his troubled soul there -still was light for it if he would but look upward. But his eyes were -either bent upon the ground, or peered out between the pendulous branches -into the mysterious horizon around, out of which grew strange, spectral -shapes, with long arms sweeping the night-air. In the daytime they were -but common trees, like those under which he sat, but to him they now -became demon ambassadors from his terrible war-god to arouse him to -vengeance. Through the overhanging branches, the chill breeze sent hoarse -sounds as they chafed against each other, at times grinding heavily -with a dismal noise like the crushing of bones, while the more distant -trees responded with fitful shrieks or deep sighings as the winds by -turns rose or sunk in varying gusts; now wholly silent, then swelling -into a diapason that thrilled Tolta’s heart with horrible fancies. Owls -flapped their white wings, and lighted near by, hooting, with their great -staring eyes fixed on him. Then gathered about him a chorus of furies -that excited every passion to avenge his father, massacred by Cortez -at the foot of the altar, on which still reeked a human sacrifice; his -mother violated and slain by the savage allies of the inhuman Christian; -himself, wounded and senseless in her defence, mangled and taunted by -his Tezcucan foes,—but, but what? that _but_ for the instant exorcised -the vision, for it recalled to him that Juan, indignant at the wanton -barbarity, had rescued him from their hands, and that Beatriz had bound -up his wounds, and spoken to him the first words of kindness he had ever -heard from the lips of a Spaniard. - -Could he have forgotten this, he would have gone straight on to his -revenge without a single soul-qualm. As it was, fortified by his -jealousy, and impelled by the gathering force of reawakened passions, -the struggle of personal gratitude became gradually weaker, until there -was nothing between him and his victims, except the love which he felt -for Beatriz, and which jealousy had now all but turned into hate. From -out of the gloom of nature around him, there spoke voices and issued -shapes, kindred to all the darker purposes of his soul. Guatimotzin, -his butchered sovereign, whose blood was in his own veins, called to -him from his bed of hot coals, not to forget his martyrdom. The spirits -of myriads of Mexicans slain by famine were waving their gaunt arms, -and clawing with feeble fingers at him, while hollow voices muttered, -“Avenge us, art thou not our kin?” and they pointed to the sleeping -Spaniards, and wound their dark limbs over them in a death embrace. The -flames of Mexico, once the pride and glory of the Aztec empire, now in -ashes, burst upon his vision. He once more saw her towers and palaces -glowing with heat and crumbling to the ground, while fire and smoke shut -out the bright heaven above, and settled like a hellish pall upon his -native city. His eye-balls became blood-shot as he strove to penetrate -the darkness to gainsay his vision. It was in vain. Far into the deep -shadow beyond, and high above him, there glowed a bright red spot growing -larger each minute, with flames and smoke intermingled, and ever and anon -there faintly reached him a crashing sound like the fall of heavy bodies -from a great elevation. There was a reality in the sight he could not -dissipate by reason, or by gazing. The longer he looked, the more true it -became. At last, tired out by his watchings, he too sunk into an uneasy -slumber, saying to himself as his original purpose, with renewed craft -returned to him, “Away with doubt; I will obey your call, my countrymen, -or join you in the dark abodes whence you urge me to vengeance,”—then -mingling with his patriotic frenzy his personal desires, he added, “I -will circumvent them all. The Spaniards shall be sacrificed, and Juan -slain. Kiana and Pohaku must perish in the coming war. Olmedo and Beatriz -shall believe that I have taken them away to save them. He shall die in -attempting to escape, and she shall be rescued by me. It will then be -time enough to use my opportunity, if she still resists my love. Alone! -whom else can she look to? Chiefs and people all curse Pohaku, brute that -he is. Many already hail me as their deliverer from his tyranny. Yes, -love and revenge are both sweet to an Aztec. My parents’ slaughter shall -be avenged, and these sacrilegious Spaniards shall learn that an Aztec’s -hate never dies.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - “The spirits I have raised abandon me— - The spells which I have studied baffle me— - The remedy I recked of tortures me.” - - BYRON. - - -As soon as day broke, Tolta recommenced his march. The route was -difficult, but he hoped to reach Pohaku’s fortress the coming night. -They had camped well up Mauna Kea, and as the sun slowly lighted the -landscape, sending his rays into the depths of that mysterious space -which lay between them and Mauna Loa, it disclosed a scene that might -literally be taken for the valley of the shadow of death. - -Its mean elevation above the sea was about four thousand feet, gradually -rising as it approaches the mountains on either side. Numerous streams of -lava, now black and vitreous, and of great extent, having their source in -the huge volcano opposite, glistened in the morning sun. Several of these -lay in their direction, and they would be obliged to make their way as -they best could over their jagged and distorted surfaces. At the distance -they were from them, they looked like cataracts of ink. Amid them, and -scattered thickly over the plain, were small conical craters, regular -in shape, and composed of clay and ashes. These gave to the region the -appearance of being pock-marked on a leviathan scale. Whirlwinds swept -frequently over the plain, taking up high into the air columns of fine -sand, and dispersing it with furious and blinding gusts. There was -neither water nor vegetation, except in the immediate vicinity of Mauna -Kea, or a long way to the eastward. In their rear, but far above, was -perpetual snow, though not in sufficient masses to make a conspicuous -land-mark. Immediately beneath them were piles of basaltic rocks and -loose stones, thrown together in abrupt heaps on slippery beds of gravel, -with now and then soil enough to grow coarse grasses, and stunted cassia -trees, whose yellow blossoms were the sole bits of bright color permitted -by nature to enliven the general dreariness. Far away to the left the -horizon was lined with forests, that rose on its verge like great green -billows. Before them, somewhat to the right, was the gigantic outline of -the lofty crater of Mauna Loa, whose immense base occupied nearly one -third of the island, rising so gradually to its summit, as to appear in -the distance like a huge dome, up whose sides a carriage might easily be -drawn. The vast scale of its desolation may be judged of from its having -on its summit, as already remarked, an active crater of nearly thirty -miles in circuit. - -As Tolta turned his eyes towards this mountain, he saw the bright -red spot that had glowed so fiery in his late vision was not without -foundation in fact. The edge of the crater was to be clearly seen with -not much more than its usual volume of smoke. At some distance below, -however, there was a great rent in the mountain, out of which poured a -stream of melted lava, rapidly making its way in an oblique direction -between them and Kilauea. - -His warriors saw it at the same time, and comprehending from their long -experience in this region, the necessity of despatch, if they would not -be cut off from the territories of Pohaku beyond, they set forward on -their march at the top of their speed. - -In compliance with his resolution of the previous night, to regain if -possible the confidence of his captive, Tolta approached Olmedo and said, -“We have far to go to-day. Forget my words of yesterday; I was angered to -see the white priest embrace Beatriz. Had you remained where you were, -you would have both been slain. More I cannot now say; but with Tolta -you are safe, he will restore you to your homes when the storm is over. -Confide in him. You are now free to talk with your daughter; but be -cautious before your guards, for though they serve me well now, it is at -the bidding of a greater chief than Kiana.” - -This artful speech confused Olmedo. He distrusted Tolta; but he knew -enough of the artifice of Indian character, not to give himself blindly -to the Mexican, and at the same time not to reject him outright; for -whatever might be his motives, on him alone to all appearance depended -the fate of Beatriz. Besides, he saw that he had him at disadvantage, -from having witnessed his interview with her. This gave the wily Aztec an -opportunity of injuring both in their most sensitive points, for he had -learned enough of the sacred responsibility of a Catholic confessor to -his female flock, to see at once his power over the priest. Whatever else -Juan might forgive, he would be relentless towards the dishonorer of his -sister. - -Olmedo, therefore, coolly thanked Tolta, saying, “I trust, my son, no -injury will befall us or our friends. Why not seek Juan? He is needed -more than either of us to protect his sister, if there be the danger you -imply?” - -“Ask no questions now, priest. Later you will know all; Juan will be with -you soon. I have provided also for him. He would have been here now, had -he not been absent yesterday from his house. Go and aid Beatriz. Inspire -her with courage. You will have need of all your forces this day. See how -that lava gains upon the plain below us,” and Tolta pointed to its red -current which was rapidly flowing towards their intended track. - -Olmedo parleyed no longer with the Mexican, but hastened to Beatriz, and -related their brief conversation. “I much fear he is false to us all,” -added he, “but we have no alternative now but to follow his directions. -We shall have enough to do to-day, to contend with the obstacles in -nature that threaten us, for it is plain that he fears more the dangers -behind him, than those in front. He will not retrace his steps,—we must -trust in God and go on.” - -The voice of Olmedo was soothing to Beatriz, and with his presence she -forgot her fears. Her anxiety for Juan was almost lost in her present -joy in finding Olmedo free to be by her side, and she looked forward -hopefully to meeting her brother as Tolta had promised. “I am strong, -Olmedo, thanks to my rough journeys with the army. Never fear for me. Be -Tolta true or false, our fates are bound up together, and the Holy Virgin -will protect us;” and she smiled so trustingly upon him, that he felt she -was indeed protected by the Mother of God. - -They had little opportunity to talk, because the way was so rough as -to require constant care and great exertion to prevent the warriors -who bore the “manele” from falling. As their own lives were to be the -forfeit should harm befall their prisoners before they were delivered to -Pohaku, they were most cautious to preserve them from injury from the -stones which frequently came rolling down the mountain, set in motion by -the haste with which they clambered over them. Their activity, however, -prevented any accident, and in a few hours they arrived at the less -rugged plain, where they halted near a spring of water, from which they -replenished their stock, as it was the last they could hope to fall in -with during the day. - -But little rest was allowed. Tolta was afraid of pursuit, while his men -were even more fearful of the volcanic eruption. The immediate outbreak -was now hid from them by an intervening ridge, but the smoke and -explosions continued to increase very perceptibly. Their course was for -the present more rapid, as it was on comparatively level ground. The soil -being of loose ashes, was, however, fatiguing to the step, except where -the smooth lava rock cropped out. Over that they could go at a quick -pace, and thus make up for their previous slower progress. Such scanty -vegetation as this district afforded was soon passed, and they came upon -the region of dead streams of lava, emphatically known as clinkers. Some -of them were several miles in width, and tried the endurance of the party -greatly. As it was impossible to carry Beatriz farther on the “manele,” -it was abandoned. They had now to climb over huge fragments of lava, -of obsidian hardness, and as sharp and brittle as glass, continually -breaking into minute pieces that frequently cut through their sandals, -and wounded their feet, so that their course might have been tracked -for some distance by blood. Tolta had provided against this contingency -by spare sandals, otherwise his expedition would have been crippled -midway—equally unable to advance or retreat. Olmedo lifted Beatriz over -the roughest passages, assisted by the stoutest warriors, who, on several -occasions, caught him and his burden just in time to save them from -severe bruises. None escaped some injuries, for it was often necessary to -crawl for short distances over steep masses so slippery and friable, as -to cause many a slide and fracture, ending in cut limbs. Imagine all the -slag from all the forges and glass factories, that have ever existed, -thrown confusedly on the ground, in pieces from the size of hillocks -to that of peas, shivered into every variety of pointed and cragged -fragments, and an idea of the highway over which they were now making -their way may be formed. - -To add to their delays it began to rain, and by the time they had got -to the smoother ground beyond, a fog set in, so dense as to obscure -the landmarks by which they had hitherto been guided. The oldest -warriors were now at fault. After wandering for some time at random, the -fruitlessness of such exertions compelled them to stop. So many hours -had been consumed in disentangling themselves from the clinkers, that it -was nigh dark. There was no remedy but to seek the best camping spot the -locality offered. Tolta ordered several couples of the men to explore -about them in different directions, keeping within hail of the main -party. In a half hour they returned, and reported having found a cave on -the edge of a dwarf Ohia wood. To this they went, and with a fire made -themselves tolerably comfortable. With the refinement, in which the Aztec -nobility were bred, Tolta screened a portion of the cave for the sole use -of Beatriz, and with tapa mantles made for her not an unwelcome retreat -from the storm without and the rude men within. Olmedo was permitted to -remain near by, but Tolta kept beside him. The rain poured in torrents -and made its way through the roof, wetting the floor, while the smoke -from the fire with difficulty escaped into the open air. Yet, amid all -this discomfort, Olmedo offered up his evening prayer, Beatriz joining -in the usual hymn, with a voice that seemed to the stilled warriors to -come from another world, so melodious was it even to their dull ears, in -contrast with the barbarous chants of their own women. - -The captives found it difficult to sleep in the confined air of the cave, -which grew more hot and stifling as the fire died out. Occasionally -fatigue overpowered them and they dozed; but they were oftener awake, -from a restlessness they could not account for, and which kept their -senses in that dreamy, vague condition, which neither admits of perfect -consciousness nor salutary rest. At intervals a hoarse blast, and a -dull heavy roar, like the sudden escape of vast volumes of ignited -gases, startled their ears. Several times the cave trembled as if in an -ague fit; once so violently that a loosened rock fell near the guards -and caused them all to start up. For a few seconds they staggered like -sea-sick men, but recognizing the breathings of the volcano, with which -they were familiar, they merely ejaculated, “Pele is sporting to-night in -the fire-surf,” and laid themselves down again to sleep. - -At the earliest light all were on foot for a fresh start. The rain had -ceased, but the atmosphere was lurid and heavy, and respiration more -or less difficult. They found themselves upon a knoll of considerable -dimensions, lightly wooded, and surrounded by a sea of lava, over which -they could not see far on account of the smoke and steam arising from -it in all directions. During the night a fresh flow had spread itself -over the clinkers they had passed the day before. It was now so hot and -vaporous as to cut off all retreat in that direction. - -As the wind at times dispersed the smoke, they caught glimpses of the -fountain-head of the stream, apparently some fifteen miles from them, -and about half way up the mountain. It was not a violent eruption, but -poured out at short intervals, with roarings and tremblings of the -earth, huge masses of molten rock of the hue of blood, which descended -rapidly towards them. In spots it suddenly disappeared, emerging at some -distance, and continuing its course with renewed rapidity. This was -caused by its meeting with an obstacle it had not sufficient volume to -overwhelm, but was driven to eat its way underground, forming galleries, -which, when cooled and emptied of the lava, leave caves sometimes of -great extent and intricacy. This alternate appearing and disappearing of -the crimson fluid amid the surrounding blackness, gave it the look of the -glaring eyes of huge basilisks watching in desert caverns for their prey. -At times it leaped precipices with a furious, fiery plunge, scattering -its hot spray on all sides, rock and forest alike recoiling from its -destructive touch, shivering into a thousand fragments, or melting with -the fervent heat, and swelling the consuming tide. - -The progress of the torrent towards them was so rapid, as to leave but -little time for reflection. It was gradually rising all around, and -threatened to submerge the knoll, which as yet had escaped. Many of the -trees on its skirts had already been crisped and blackened with the heat; -some had fallen, the trunks being burned off near the ground, while the -branches lay unconsumed, on the lava stream, which cools and hardens very -rapidly, presenting a surface often sufficiently strong to bear a man’s -weight, even while the crimson current is flowing underneath. This fact -was suggested to Tolta by his men as the most likely means of escape. -Indeed none other seemed to offer. - -Accordingly, they sought the stream in the direction in which it was -narrowest and firmest. Ten of the warriors spread themselves out in the -form of a fan, sounding their way with their spears as if on ice, for -fear of air-holes, and to test the strength of its surface. The remainder -of the party followed, more or less apart, with great caution, holding -their breaths to lighten their weights. Their feet were protected by -rough sandals, and bits of wood strapped to them, from the lava, which -was in spots still so warm as frequently to raise blisters. Where it -had suddenly cooled it had split up into deep chasms, raised cones, and -twisted and cracked into every variety of shape. It was therefore with -the greatest difficulty that any progress could be made. They persevered, -however, when a sudden crack was heard, and at the same instant a shriek -of agony. The foremost of the warriors had trodden upon the thin crust -where it had been puffed up by the air, and, being as brittle as glass, -it had broken and let him down into the liquid lava beneath. - -Appalled by his fate, the whole party halted. To go on was impossible, -as it was evident they had reached the extreme verge of solid lava. All -beyond was either fluid, or so densely covered with sulphurous vapor, -that it was sure death to advance. They retraced their steps without a -minute’s delay, and it was none too soon. A fresh wave of lava was fast -descending towards them, and setting the crust on which they were all in -motion. Suddenly a vein of red lava showed itself in a narrow chasm, over -which several of the warriors had already leaped. At the same moment, -detonating gases were heard near by, and then louder explosions, from -which the air was fast becoming impregnated with deadly vapors. Beatriz, -sinking from their suffocating effects, faintly said to Olmedo, “My -father, I can go no farther,—my strength is all gone.” - -He had been sustaining her for some time past, and felt himself scarcely -stronger, but roused by her danger he seized her in his arms and was -about to leap the fiery chasm, when he stumbled and partially fell, with -both their weights overhanging its brink. Quicker than thought the men -nearest seized them, and, before a word could be uttered, by a violent -effort they had cleared the chasm, but not before all were slightly -scorched by the heat which flickered above it. They had scarcely time -to leave the spot before it discharged a stream of viscid lava, which -pursued them coiling and twisting after their footsteps like a wounded -snake. As it was an easy matter to outrun this, they soon got back to the -knoll, which now rose like an island above the molten flood. - -[Illustration] - -The Hawaiians, breathless with their efforts, sat down and gazed -hopelessly upon the rising lava. A dense poisonous smoke was gradually -narrowing their horizon all around and slowly approaching, leaving no -hope of escaping suffocation, even if they were spared a more immediate -and violent death. Their position was far worse than to be on a burning -prairie, for fire can then be made to fight fire as the ally of man. -Here all nature was melting before the heat of the eruption. At any -instant the solid rock on which they sat might surge and toss like the -waves of the ocean, in blazing, gory-hued billows, while of themselves -not one particle of matter would survive to disclose their fate. The -fast increasing heat soon drove them to the centre of the hill, where -sheltered by a pile of stones they had a moment’s respite. - -Tolta, leaving his men, searched everywhere for another chance to cross -the lava, but was driven back, scorched and faint, to the knoll. “Am I -to die here like a scorpion encircled by fire?” said he, in a rage at -his futile efforts. “Was it for this that I have plotted vengeance, and -to possess Beatriz? Juan to escape, and she to die with me the death of -a dog; curses upon Pele and her demon crew! Great god of Mexico, if thou -art not thyself become a slave to the Christian’s God, save thy servant!” -and he shook his fist at the hot lava in the fury of his despair. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - - “This inhuman cavern— - It were too bad a prison-house for goblins. - —— —— —— no place safe but this!” - - COLERIDGE. - - -Mutual terror forces hostile animals into peaceful companionship. Under -its influence the wolf lies down as quietly beside the lamb as if in -the kingdom of love. The extremes of faith and education produce in man -under threatened, speedy death, much the same outward result. Pohaku’s -warriors, bred in cruelty, and believing only in malignant deities, -viewed their fast coming fate with sullen indifference. So long as there -was hope in their exertions they were ready to show themselves men, -but when death looked them right in the face, they were equally ready -to proffer their breasts to his stroke without further struggle. Their -instincts taught them that as life was beyond their control, so was -death. He was a foe they could not conquer, neither should he triumph in -their fear. Thus in his ignorance and unbelief the savage meets the great -change with an insensibility, which, in its outward calm, rivals the -faith of the Christian. - -Having abandoned hope, they sat stoically regarding the rising tide -of lava,—seldom speaking, for it was a scene in which nature, uniting -them by a common feeling, made speech useless. The air grew hotter each -second. Puffs of steam issued from the rocks near by. At times a thick -cloud of suffocating vapor swept so close to them, that they were obliged -to hold their breaths until it passed. - -Olmedo and Beatriz, with their hands joined, calmly awaited their end. -As the danger drew nigher they shrunk closer together, each impulsively -seeking to shield the other. - -“How terrible this is, Olmedo, to see earth and air on fire,” said -Beatriz to him, in a voice scarce above a whisper. “Look, it will soon -reach us.” She shuddered and was silent for a minute, but recovering -herself, added, with her eyes seeing only him, “it will be sweet to enter -heaven together, will it not, my more than father?” She thought of him -now only as the being who had awakened in her faith and feelings, which -made her look forward with joy to celestial freedom. - -“Yes, my daughter, this is indeed a terrible sight. Nature perishes -like a scroll in the flames. The last day has indeed come upon us, and -we shall soon see the Holy One and his Saints. Have no fear. As we have -fought the good fight, so shall we be welcomed into the joy of our Lord. -But my soul faints for these poor heathen, who await their death with -such unconcern. Would that I could even now baptize them into the true -faith.” - -In the meantime Tolta had returned from his fruitless endeavor to find an -avenue for escape. In his anger, he had cursed the gods of Hawaii and -denied his own, from whom no succor came. More enlightened and cultivated -than the Hawaiians, with a moral conviction of the superior truths of -the Catholic faith, yet hating it for the injuries it had brought upon -him and his country, Tolta was filled with distracting emotions. The -Spaniard’s deity might even now save them, as he had ever shown himself -so much more powerful than his own, but he disdained to call upon him, -and the very sight of the crucifix which Olmedo wore filled him with -fresh anger. - -He felt that his treachery had brought this awful fate upon those of -all the Spanish race, who had never done him evil. This was a source of -misery to him, but far weaker than that which sprung from having his -hopes baffled by so unexpected and lingering a death, which in releasing -his victims, consigned himself to the accumulated horrors of his own -and the Christian’s hell. Oppressed by these thoughts, believing but -contemning repentance; seeing that just retribution was seeking him out, -yet bidding it defiance; sorrowing, not for his selfish passions, but for -their defeat, he crept back despairing, and laying himself down close -to the feet of Beatriz, said to her, “We shall all burn together. You -will go to the Virgin Mother and I to darkness,—to despair,—to any hell -that shall release me from the sight of the hated white man—curses upon -them all,” and covering his head with his mantle he shut out all outward -objects, and remained as motionless as if turned to stone. - -Olmedo made no appeal to him, comprehending its uselessness, but turning -to the warriors, spoke to them of a brighter world which awaited them if -they would trust in the Christian’s God and be baptized. “Renounce your -demon idols and call upon the Saviour this represents,” said he, holding -up his crucifix, and pointing to a calabash of water, added, “you can be -baptized and saved even at the last hour.” - -“We have offended Pele,” one of them replied, “and she dooms us. No one -can escape her anger. More powerful is she than your deity. You and your -god will soon be but ashes. See how she rides the air, spouting fire -in her anger! She comes, she comes!” “_auwe!_ _auwe!_” and a mournful -and prolonged wail, like the death-song of the Indian, burst from their -united lips, as a shower of hot cinders began to fall so thick and fast -as to obscure the little light that had reached them through the smoke, -which the wind had hitherto in a considerable degree kept off. - -“The cave, Olmedo, the cave,—quick, quick!” cried Beatriz, grasping -his hand to urge him forward. Tolta started up at the call, like one -retouched with life, and the three were soon under its shelter. - -The warriors remained as Olmedo last spoke to them, either not hearing -the cry of Beatriz, or preferring to meet their death like soldiers at -their posts in the open air. Their wail continued to be heard to the -latest moment, rising from a low monotonous, tremulous note of suppressed -suffering into a prolonged chorus of muffled shrieks, that fell upon the -ears of Beatriz and Olmedo like the last despairing cry of humanity, and -thrilled their hearts with horror. For an instant it made them regardless -of their own safety, and they turned back a step or two, calling upon the -warriors to follow, but the burning ashes fell so fast that they were -immediately driven still farther into the recesses of the cave. Their -ears were ringing with the dismal wail; the effect of which from sheer -sympathetic force, is to enhance the bitterness of grief and paralyze -joyous emotion, so that the listener is changed into the mourner, despite -his own indifference to the cause. In this case, the sensibilities of the -priest and maiden were the more acute from their own participation in -the dangers which were bringing a lingering death upon so many of their -number, added to their inability to render any assistance. Doubtless the -stupefaction from the poisonous gases, with which the atmosphere was -laden, added to their own exhaustion from previous efforts, aided to make -the warriors so indifferent to their fate. No one replied to the call -of Olmedo, or even to the authoritative voice of Tolta, who had at last -roused himself at the clearer perception of their situation, and with -reawakened energies was prepared to continue his exertions to escape. - -It was impossible for them to remain near the mouth of the cave, so they -lighted some torches of the kukui nut, and proceeded to explore it. “We -may find it deep enough to screen us from the lava and fatal air,” said -Olmedo. “Here are the remains too of our last night’s provisions, which -those poor heathen left here this morning. Alas! for their souls! Come, -Beatriz, you shall yet see Juan. Eat a morsel to sustain your strength,” -and he gave the example, more to persuade her than to appease his own -hunger. - -Tolta scowled at the confiding smile Beatriz gave to the priest as she -complied with his advice, but he ate also, and the three found in the -short respite from the sights and sounds of the outer air, helped as it -was by much needed food, a renewal of mental and physical energies which -surprised them. It seemed as if they were aroused from some oppressive -dream. - -The extent of the cave tempted them on. It descended at first somewhat -abruptly. At the distance of a hundred rods from the entrance the passage -grew narrow, and was partially choked with stones, which had fallen -from overhead. By some labor the two men cleared the way for Beatriz -to follow, and they found themselves in a large chamber, where the air -was quite fresh in contrast with what they had been breathing for hours -past. This revived them still more. The roof was covered with stalactites -of great size, and had the appearance of having been long undisturbed. -Occasionally a slight jar was perceptible in the ground, and a low -warning sound of disturbed elements was heard. They were encouraged to go -on by finding both decreased as they advanced. Once, only, there was a -shock so severe that they paused in stupor, fancying that the rock above -them was being crushed in. But, with the exception of a few loose stones -that rattled down, no harm was done. Evidently the eruption was either -abating, or they were get-away from it. Still to wander at random in an -intricate cave, which might at any moment bury them in its ruins, or -become a living sepulchre by tempting them away from one danger to meet -the still more horrible fate of starvation in utter darkness, for their -food and lights could not last much longer, were not thoughts at all -calculated to raise their courage. - -Something, however, tempted them to keep on. So long as they were in -action, hope buoyed them up. Owing to the frequent turnings of the -cave, it was impossible to have a clue as to their real direction. It -was a series of halls or rooms, some of which were lofty and spacious, -joined by long, tortuous and low passages, at times so barricaded by -rocky debris as to almost arrest further progress. Tolta, however, was -indefatigable in clearing a way through them, as he was the first to -explore, while Olmedo and Beatriz waited his report. - -Upon emerging into a larger hall than the others, they thought they heard -the noise of running water. It grew louder as they approached the farther -end, where the torches showed to them a stream, which directly crossed -their path. It appeared to issue from the solid rock, but their light was -so faint it was impossible to discern anything clearly, except the quick -flow of the black waters before them, while not far below they heard a -roar and dash as of a cascade or a rapid descent among rocks and chasms. - -Here, indeed, was an obstacle undreamed of. Fire cut off their retreat on -one side, and water their progress on the other. Beatriz, already well -nigh exhausted, said to Olmedo, “We can go no farther. Tell Tolta to save -himself if it be possible. He can swim and may find his way out, but we -must remain here and await our fate. Let us by prayer prepare to resign -ourselves to what must now soon come. With you I shall have no fear of -death in any shape.” - -Beatriz no more thought of the possibility of Olmedo’s leaving her, even -if he could escape, than she would have consented to have left him to -perish by himself. It never occurred to her, therefore, to urge him to an -effort without her. - -“Beatriz, my long loved one, my more than daughter in faith, if die we -now must, we will be one in death as we have ever been in our lives. But -take courage, we are not to perish so. God has not brought us thus far, -to abandon us. I hail this water as a happy omen. What say you, Tolta?” - -“When water comes it must go. Rivers do not long flow underground. They -love light as do the trees and flowers. I will see how the other side -looks,” replied the Mexican. - -Holding his torch above his head, he waded in. The water was warm and -sulphurous and refreshed him; but it soon became so rapid and deep as -to require all his skill as a swimmer to prevent being drawn too near -the gulf, whose warning roar was heard not far below. Beatriz and Olmedo -watched his progress anxiously, for fear he might be drifted into the -rapids, but his light soon showed by its steadiness that he had reached -ground on the farther side. A few minutes of suspense ensued, when -suddenly he shouted, “We are saved! we shall soon see daylight!” and -plunging into the water again, pushing something before him, he was -quickly back. “See,” said he, “here is a log hollowed out into a rough -canoe. This cave must have an outlet near by, for I see that the natives -come here to bath and sport by torch-light. Hurry, and you shall see for -yourselves the traces of their presence.” - -Beatriz, at the direction of Olmedo, who could swim, placed herself on -the log with her feet in the water. It had scarcely buoyancy enough to -support her weight, but with Tolta on one side and the priest on the -other keeping it upright, she was ferried safely over. - -It was as Tolta had said. Fragments of food and other tokens of a recent -visit were strewed about. The air also was purer. With lighter spirits -they went on, over an easier path than the one they had traversed, and in -about twenty minutes began to see glimmerings of light. After climbing a -steep and narrow ascent, the mouth of the cave came in sight, and they -shortly found themselves in the open air. - -For a few minutes they were unable to discern objects distinctly, but as -they became able to look about, they saw that they were some distance -from the line of the eruption which was still active, but the wind now -blew its smoke and gases from them. The country was wooded, and for -this region fertile. It had suffered much from the vicinity of the lava -stream, the vegetation being either killed or wilted by the heat. - -[Illustration: _Hawaiian Girl._] - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - - “A smile amid dark frowns! A gentle tone - Amid rude voices—a beloved light, - A solitude, a refuge, a delight!” - - SHELLEY. - - -Night being close at hand, the rescued party lost no time in leaving the -vicinity of the torrent of lava, hoping to find a path which would bring -them to the food and shelter which they so greatly needed. Tolta knew he -was within the immediate territory of Pohaku, and was desirous to meet -some of his people, to make sure of his captives, who were now quite -as able to exert their wills as to the course they should take, as he -his. But they were wholly ignorant of their position, while he began to -discern familiar landmarks. The recent danger which they had all incurred -and escaped together, occupied the thoughts of Beatriz and Olmedo, more -than the outrage which had led them into it, so they made no opposition -to the direction he prepared to take. - -This led them at first obliquely towards a stream of lava, which was -still running at about two miles from them to the northeast. For some -time their path was comparatively smooth. But at intervals it was -crossed by crevices in the earth, some of which were so wide that they -were compelled to make long circuits to get round them. The air from -them was quivering with heat, and filled with noxious gases. Tolta was -frequently obliged to leave his companions in order to explore the -ground, which became, as they advanced, more and more cut up with chasms, -whose depths the eye often could not reach. Had it not been daylight -these fissures would have made their present position scarcely less -hazardous than their confinement in the cave, for at every throe of the -crater they threw out jets of steam, and filled the atmosphere with -poisonous fumes. Once or twice they came upon them so suddenly, that they -were obliged to cover their heads with their mantles, and rush through -the vapor at full speed. Fortunately they proved to be but puffs, which -required but an instant’s exertion to emerge from. - -Beatriz had grown so faint and fatigued as to be forced often to stop -to gather breath and strength. On one of these occasions Tolta had gone -farther from them than usual, in search of the path which he hoped to -strike, and which led direct to Pohaku’s fortress. Not finding it, he -was returning in another direction, when his progress was stopped by a -broad chasm, which poured forth so hot a blast as to singe his clothes -and crisp his hair, as he heedlessly looked into it. Jumping quickly -back, he followed its edge in search of a spot narrow enough for him to -leap across. In doing this he came upon the path he had been looking for. -It led through low bushes which partly hid it. He was about taking the -shortest track back to where he had left Olmedo and Beatriz, when his -eye was caught by a human form stretched lifeless upon the ground. Going -towards it, to his surprise he recognized one of the warriors whom he had -sent to capture the three Spaniards. It was plain that he had been stiff -and cold for some hours. Not far from him he found the entire party, -with the three Spaniards bound and lying on their backs, in the centre -of their guards. One by one he felt of them to detect life. There were -no signs of external violence on their bodies. Each lay apparently as he -had fallen asleep. The faces and limbs of some were slightly contracted, -showing that they had become conscious of their danger, when powerless to -escape. All were dead. They had encamped too near the chasm, and, during -the night, by a change of wind, the fatal air had been blown upon them, -and they had perished in their dreams to a man.[2] - -“Pele balks me every way—the foul goddess! may she be blasted in her -own fires,” muttered Tolta, as he turned in angry mood from the scene. -“She leaves me only those I would not sacrifice. I hate the priest, -yet I would he might die by other hands than mine. Pshaw! why should I -feel tenderness towards that puling monk! Who so stands between me and -Beatriz as he? But while Juan lives I have much to do. This is no sight -for Beatriz and Olmedo to see. I will send and get the heads of the -Spaniards. In death even they shall be present at the feast which was to -have been their sacrifice. May their souls rot in everlasting darkness.” - -Joining Olmedo and Beatriz, he led them into the path by a course which -kept their eyes from the fatal spot. “Hasten,” said he, “we shall shortly -find succor.” - -“Beatriz needs it much,” replied Olmedo; “see with what effort she -sustains herself.” - -“Oh! say not so, Olmedo. I am still equal to any exertion. The hot air -made me giddy for a moment, but now the fresh breeze revives me.” But her -action belied her words, and she would have fallen that moment if Olmedo -had not caught her. - -“Tolta, you have greatly erred in exposing this maiden to these dangers. -What tempted you to such a wrong to one who never gave you offence. The -blood, too, of those heathen warriors, does it not lie heavy on your -soul? You have made a sad day of it?” said Olmedo to the Mexican, more -in grief than in anger, as he helped Beatriz to reach a grassy slope on -which she could recline. - -“Ha, priest! you reproach me with this day’s work! Am I a god to control -the volcano? Come with me a few steps, and you shall see from what you -have been saved.” He grasped Olmedo’s arm, and led him to the group of -the dead. “You and the maiden you love, chaste monk,” continued he with -artful sarcasm, “have escaped this. Had I not borne you off, these -soldiers would have seized you, and if they had spared Beatriz outrage, -it would have been for you all either to have died together, like dogs, -poisoned by the gases of the volcano, or they would have carried you as -prisoners to their chief, who awaits your arrival even now, to offer you -in solemn sacrifice to Pele. He has sworn to exterminate you Spaniards, -and Kiana’s power will be but smoke before the wind in contact with his. -All of you I could not save! Have I reason to love a Spaniard?” - -Pointing to the corpses of the three seamen, he added in a seemingly -friendly tone, “They have been spared such torture as even we Mexicans, -skilled as we are in tormenting our enemies, never learned; for Pele’s -worshippers are fiends. Reproach me not with their deaths, for it was -given to them in mercy. You and the maiden are my benefactors; for your -sakes I will save Juan also, if it be possible. You must go with me. -Follow my directions, and you will be safe. No more words now. If you -would keep Beatriz from further harm, cease to chafe me.” - -Returning to where she sat, they again slowly pursued their journey. As -Tolta hurried on in advance, Olmedo whispered to Beatriz, “I much fear -the Mexican intends evil. I would not wrong him, but I do not like his -words, and his eye often gleams as if the evil spirit of his race were -aroused within him.” - -He did not tell her what he had seen, but merely added, “Watch, and -beware of him. He can do us much good or ill. Now we can do but little -for ourselves. The blessed mother of God will not desert you, rest -assured, my beloved daughter.” Even with his arm about her waist she -walked with difficulty, while her head frequently drooped heavily upon -his shoulder. - -“I have no fear, Olmedo, for myself,” she faintly replied. “We have -together too often looked upon death to shrink from it now as a stranger. -To leave you, would make me indeed sad, but with you,—God forgive me if -my heart sins in saying so,—it would be most welcome? But look, who comes -here?” - -[Illustration] - -As she spoke, a crowd of natives, of both sexes, drew nigh from a cross -path. They did not see the party until they were close upon them. Tolta -was at once recognized, and giving him the customary _“Aloha kealii_” -‘love to you chief,’ they turned in surprise towards the white strangers. -They had heard of the Spaniards, but knowing nothing of Tolta’s -expedition, were amazed to find these strange beings in their midst. -Forming a circle around them, they gazed curiously and timidly at Olmedo -and Beatriz, now and then venturing to touch their clothes and feel of -their persons, but evidently with no unfriendly intent. - -The party was composed chiefly of women and children, who had been -enjoying themselves in wild dances. A few young men, hardly beyond -boyhood, were with them, but no warriors. - -Tolta ordered some to lead the way to their village, while others were -sent on in advance to prepare food and lodging for the strangers, who he -said would be their guests for the night. As they began with alacrity -to fulfil his orders, a maiden of not above fourteen years, accompanied -by a train of her own sex, of more mature age, and who showed her -great deference, came up. As soon as the crowd saw her, they made way -submissively for her to approach the whites. - -No fawn could tread lighter than she trod. Every motion was lithe and -elastic. Her limbs were full and tapering, beautifully proportioned, and -her flesh soft yet springy. With so few summers she was mature in person, -having in this climate attained thus early that perfection of physical -development, which marks the most seductive period of woman. The fineness -of her hands; the tapering fingers and nicely adjusted wrists; the velvet -softness of her clear olive skin, and through which the blood could -be distinctly seen underlying it with richer color; and her proud, yet -graceful carriage, showed that she belonged to the highest rank. - -She was indeed one of Nature’s pets. Her face was open and sunny. To -one who rigidly exacted the fineness of Grecian outline in each feature -of the face, some fault might be found with the fulness of the lip and -nostril. But this was so slight that it was lost in the generous loving -smile, laughing, sensuous eye,—sympathy in the joyful and beautiful -which sparkled in her countenance. This, with a consciousness of rank, -and a dignity which had never suffered from the passions of rivalry and -ambition, made Liliha,—for such was the name of the maiden,—a specimen -of natural loveliness, which the salons of civilization might not excel, -except in the acquired refinements of intellectual life. - -She wore on her neck a wreath of rich yellow feathers. Another of -gossamer lightness, the effect of which was increased by alternate rows -of crimson feathers, was interwoven with her long dark wavy hair. Over -her delicately moulded bosom was thrown a loose white mantle, which hid -her form as the foam conceals the wave, but to heighten its beauty. - -She was no less surprised than her people at the apparition of the -whites. Tolta she had heard of as the companion of Pohaku, but had -never seen him. “Who is it that gives orders in my presence,” she asked -somewhat haughtily, as she stepped forward. - -Tolta advanced to greet her, and made himself known. Acknowledging his -claim to her aid by the tie of allegiance to the supreme chief, she -coolly repeated his orders, as if through her only they should be given, -and then with courteous manner turned to Beatriz, took her hand and said, -“You are welcome. Come with me; the daughter of Hewahewa will be the -friend of the pale maiden.” - -Beatriz looked her thanks, and simply said, “My father needs your -hospitality too. We will gladly make your home ours until we can return -to our own.” - -Tolta kept silent. It was dark before the party arrived at the abode of -Liliha, which was in a considerable village, pleasantly situated in the -centre of one of the few verdant spots to be found in that region. Olmedo -was allowed to occupy one of the best houses, where every attention -was shown him. Liliha led Beatriz to her own habitation, where she -was received with true Hawaiian hospitality. At a signal from their -mistress, her waiting women made her up a couch of the finest mats, -and before retiring they so refreshed her by their gentle, soothing -manipulations,[3] by which the pain was drawn out from her wearied -limbs, that she was soon able to sleep soundly. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - - “Give her but a least excuse to love me!”—R. BROWNING. - - “But he - Can visit thee with dreader woe than death’s.”—E. B. BROWNING. - - -As soon as Tolta had seen his captives disposed of for the night, he -despatched a messenger to Pohaku, requesting a few warriors to be sent -him. The fortress was but twelve miles distant, so that before daybreak -the men had arrived. Taking every precaution not to let his movements -be seen by any one who would communicate them to Liliha, he entered the -house where Olmedo was still sleeping, and told him he must rise and -follow him. - -“Nay, Tolta, I will not leave Beatriz,” said Olmedo, firmly. - -“She will join you immediately,” replied Tolta. “Up, priest, if you would -save yourself and her.” - -“Whence this untimely haste, Tolta? The poor child now rests. To you -we owe the perils and fatigues of our abduction. I will trust you no -further, but remain amid these friendly natives until Juan can learn -where we are.” - -“Ha! do you brave me? It is time then to throw off the mask! Have you -forgotten, monk, that you are in the power of the son of an Aztec -priest, slain by the sacrilegious hands of your countrymen? Priest for -priest,—life for life,—my father’s blood cries for thine,—to-morrow’s -sun will set on your sacrifice. No more shall you hold fond dalliance -with the white maiden. She is my spoil.” - -“What mean you, Mexican? What words are these? You rave! You cannot,—you -dare not injure Beatriz! Nay,—you seek to alarm me. It is a jest,—is it -not, Tolta? Your heart will not let you ruin that pure being, whose life -has been a good gift to you as well as me.” - -“Silence! I can listen no longer to this babble. We must be off. A -Mexican is not wont to be moved by the tongue of a Spaniard.” - -Olmedo started up and looked around for some means of defence, but before -he could even call for help, Tolta’s men, at a signal from him, had -seized and bound him. Taking him upon their shoulders in silence, they -left the house and rapidly bore him towards Pohaku’s quarters. His mouth -and eyes being bandaged, he was unable to cry out or to obtain any clue -to his route. They hurried him on, and early in the morning, bruised by -their rough handling, he found himself deposited on the ground apparently -in a house, and there left by himself. - -Tolta had now obtained one great object, which was to secure Olmedo in -the fortress, while Beatriz, equally in his power, was removed from the -immediate presence of Pohaku. - -Hewahewa, the father of Liliha, was the high-priest of Pele. Second -only to Pohaku in authority, he was his superior in influence, from -his position as the chief minister of the goddess. Himself a skeptic, -believing in none of the grosser superstitions of the people, and using -them merely as a source of power, he was indifferent to everything but -his own ambition. His lands were the best cultivated, and his tenantry -the most favored of all this portion of Hawaii, because being tabu, the -wars and anarchy which so generally prevailed spared them. Rigorous in -conforming to all the rites of his fearful worship, he expiated his -external hypocrisy by inward contempt. But his mind, though intelligent, -had never conceived any purer system, and only busied itself in scheming -to turn the national mythology to his individual profit. He was the -rival of Pohaku, but for the present coalesced with him. Not being of -the highest blood, he was obliged to rely for his influence mainly upon -his increasing importance as a priest, but was slowly making his way to -supreme rule, aided much by the tyranny of Pohaku, to whose capricious -cruelties his studied suavity and mildness afforded a contrast greatly -to his advantage. Liliha was his only child. He loved her tenderly, and -by this tie only was he connected with true humanity. No other being -had sufficient influence to move him to any action not calculated from -selfish policy. She at times made him susceptible to feeling by her -impulsive nature, so prone to joy and kindly emotions, from her affinity -with all she found fair and good. This was little at the best, but she -kept that little fresh and active from her own fountain of affections, -and it appeared brighter and more winsome from the dark shadows about her. - -She was the idol of her immediate attendants, and though capricious from -unregulated authority, yet they had nothing to fear. Her father, so far -from seeking to instil into her mind the vulgar faith, left her free to -her own intuitions. She believed in the beautiful and sublime nature -she so loved to look upon, and felt there had been given her in it a -varied and limitless source of enjoyment. Not that she reasoned much upon -anything, but she was so quick to recognize all that was innocent and -virtuous, under the circumstances of her life, that her heart and mind -were ever developing in the right direction. Her religion, therefore, was -not the result of thought, but the spontaneous action of an untrammelled -soul, that instinctively attracting to itself good in preference to evil, -spoke the faith in actions which it was powerless to frame in words. -She knew nothing of a personal God, yet, had any one explained to her -his existence, she would have listened as if it were nothing new, and -rejoiced in a higher mental satisfaction than she had before realized. -Quick to perceive, she had acquired from her father, almost without his -will, his disbelief in the demon origin of the terrific phenomena of -nature in their vicinity, and looked upon them as fearlessly as upon the -placid ocean or the tiny sea shell. Why should she fear? Had she not been -born among them? Like herself, they were the creation of some unseen -power, who ruled all! So her few years had gone by kindly and lovingly, -with health coursing in every vein, and happiness overflowing her heart. - -As soon as Tolta had secured Olmedo, he hastened to announce to Pohaku -his success. That grim chief was not in the best humor upon learning the -death of so many of his warriors, by the new flow of the crater. “A poor -exchange this, is it not, Hewahewa,” said he turning to that person; “so -many of our fighting men for this foreign priest and his woman. But let -us see the prize that has cost so much.” - -The three passed to the hut in which Olmedo was confined. His bandages -were removed, and he found himself in their presence. Pohaku looked at -him as he would have at a strange animal, and marvelling at his long -robes and the effeminate air they gave him, said to Tolta, “You Mexicans -must have been less than women to have been conquered by such a race as -this. Would you have my warriors fight them? I have a mind to tie you to -him and toss you both into the crater. Kiana would have been a prey worth -a legion of such as this long-robed, pale-faced she.” - -Tolta’s hand nervously sought the dagger he wore, but prudence restrained -him, and he quietly replied, “The Spanish chief has for the while -escaped. He will soon enough give you a chance to feel his stroke in -battle. Till then spare your taunts. Their priests are women in looks, -but devils in deeds. If you would see the faces of their soldiers, look -there,” and he tossed out of a bag before him the ghastly heads of the -three Spaniards. - -Even Pohaku was surprised at their long grisly beards and fierce faces, -scarred by wounds, and bronzed by a score or more of years of constant -adventure and warfare. “These may have been men,” said he, “but my -soldiers would have soon rolled their heads in the dust,” at the same -time kicking them scornfully, not choosing to remember that some of his -best warriors had within the past year fallen by their blades. “Guards,” -he added, “take this carrion away, and put it up over the eastern gate -of the fortress,—’twill be a fit target for our boys. As for you, puny -priest, you are destined for Pele. Thank your gods you are to be so -honored.” - -“Chieftain,” replied Olmedo, “the God I serve will protect me living or -dying. I am indeed a man of peace, but fear not the sword. Death has no -terrors, for it opens to me a heaven, such as your idolatry can never -know. In your delusion and ignorance you are to be pitied—not me. You -shall see how calmly a Christian can die. Perhaps it will lead you to ask -what it is to be a Christian.” - -“I will tell you what it is to be a Christian, Pohaku, for none know -better than my countrymen,” broke in Tolta. “It is to rob, to murder, -to burn, to ravish, to lie, to torture, to destroy the sacred images -and break down the altars of the gods; to demolish towns and to waste -fields; to breed famine and pestilence. All this, for gold and conquest, -have the Spaniards, cursed be their mothers, brought upon Mexico in the -name of their god, and this will they bring to you, O chief! Even if you -welcome them to your bosom, as did our sovereign, Montezuma, they will -imprison and spurn you to your death, or they will broil you on hot coals -as they did the emperor Guatimotzin, to make you confess riches that you -have not. Yet they say their god is merciful and full of love. See, here -is the lying image,” and snatching the crucifix from Olmedo’s neck, he -handed it contemptuously to Pohaku, who, putting it curiously to his ear, -said, “It does not talk. How does it give you power to do all this? Pele -thunders and destroys. She speaks, and we listen. She is silent, and we -fill her with gifts to buy her good will. But this bit of wood is dumb. -Pele eats the ocean and the earth,—mountains and rivers she swallows. She -is a dread goddess, and must be worshipped or we perish. Here, take your -god,” added he, disdainfully flinging it towards Olmedo, “to-morrow we -will give Pele a rare meal. You and your god shall she feast upon.” - -“Hold, chief!” cried Olmedo, excited by his sacrilegious act, “the mercy -you refuse you may shortly need. This image is no God, but it represents -the Son of God; his words of peace and love will fill my heart and -rejoice my spirit, when your false Pele, with all her thunderings, is -dumb in my ears. God made the volcano, and at his bidding it sleeps or -overflows. Cease to bow the knee to Pele, and pray to Him, and you shall -learn such truths as shall make you live on earth in peace, and welcome -death with joy.” - -“Ha! white priest, do you despise Pele?” replied Pohaku fiercely, and -seizing Olmedo by the arm, he dragged him outside the house to the verge -of the precipice, which looked down upon the crater of Kilauea. - -That immense circle of dead lava, now known as the black ledge, which -contracts the active portion of the crater to a circuit of a few miles, -was not then in existence. The whole pit, embracing an area sufficient to -contain the city of New York, was in commotion. From where Olmedo looked, -the height above the fiery mass was about five hundred feet. It had -undermined the wall of the crater, so that it overhung the sea of lava, -as the Table Rock does the cataract of Niagara. Immediately beneath him, -therefore, lay the lurid cauldron. Its heavy, sluggish waves, of deep -crimson, surged against the banks with a muffled roar, as unlike the glad -sound of surf, as a groan to laughter. Occasionally a thick black crust -formed over the surface, like a huge scab. Then this would break asunder, -and bright red currents of liquid rock appear underneath; whirlpools of -boiling blood fusing everything they touched into their own gore-hued -flood. Huge masses of solid stone were vomited high into the air, and -fell hissing and sputtering back again into the depths of the fiery gulf, -to be again cast forth, or melt like wax in a ten-fold heated furnace. -Lighter jets of lava were being thrown up, sometimes in rapid succession, -and sometimes at long intervals, which filled the atmosphere with red hot -spray and steam, and gases, blown hither and thither, and whirled about -like the sands of the desert before a simoom, by the furious blasts of -wind that swept with mingled moans and shrieks across that lake of hell, -and through its glowing caverns and out of its black pits. Overhead hung -a dense cloud, gradually spreading as it rose, until it enveloped all the -region of the crater. The smoke of its torment, like a pall, covered the -cancerous earth, to screen its throes from the light of the sun. - -Coming so unexpectedly upon a spectacle of which he had heard only vague -accounts, Olmedo, at first sight, forgot both himself and his enemies in -awe. It was indeed a fearful spectacle, beautiful even in its terror, -exciting all that was appalling in the imagination, and fascinating the -eye as by a spell. The solid earth was passing away in a flame, and -would soon be as a vapor. Olmedo felt as if he were the sole spectator. -The wreck of matter lay before the last man. Such was his immediate -sensation, from which he was rudely roused by Pohaku’s hoarse voice -crying, “How like you this lake to swim in? You shall bathe in it before -to-morrow’s sun sinks behind yonder forest. My people shall see if your -god will carry you unharmed over Pele’s billows of fire. Meantime, feast -and be merry, for the goddess likes a full stomach,” and thrusting him -back into the house he left him. - -Tolta lingered behind. Approaching Olmedo, he whispered in Spanish, -“Would you save yourself from this death?” - -“My life is the gift of my God,” he replied. “His will and not that -cruel chief’s will determine my fate.” - -“Have you forgotten Beatriz so soon? How would she feel to see your form -shrivelling and writhing as it plunged into that boiling lava? Think of -her, priest.” - -“Wretch, you dare not tell her this, much less make her witness such a -horror!” - -“I dare not! Know that Tolta dares anything for his revenge, and to glut -his desires. With you it lays to save yourself and her from this fate. -Pohaku has summoned his people to a solemn festival, before he strikes at -Kiana. He is furious that the three Spaniards should have escaped their -intended sacrifice. Think you he will spare Beatriz when he sees her? She -either dies on the altar or by his lust.” - -Olmedo for the instant was dumb with anguish at the threatened fate -of Beatriz. But clinging to the slightest hope of rescuing her, as he -recovered his voice, with hands clasped in an appealing gesture towards -Tolta, he eagerly asked, “How can I save her? Oh, gladly would I ransom -her life with mine. Tell me, good Tolta; by the love you bore your -mother, by your hope of heaven, tell me, Mexican, and the prayers of -gratitude, and all that a chaste maiden and a Christian priest may do, -shall be forever yours. She saved your life amid the ruin of your native -city—you rescued her from drowning, but not for this fate. Let her not -perish now, and thus”—Olmedo paused for an instant, as his imagination -pictured to him with the force of reality, all the horrors that -encompassed her for whom he plead; big drops of agony came upon his brow -as he met the cold, fierce, lustful eye of the Aztec fixed unmoved upon -his, while the same wily, implacable look, born of his deepest passions, -overspread his pitiless features which he had noticed once before, and -now, as then, involuntarily shuddered to see; but the stake at issue was -the honor and life of his daughter in Christ, and so he plead on. “No! -you cannot—you will not suffer this; the hand that has fed you, nursed -you, the heart that has cared for you and your eternal welfare, when all -others were cold; the tongue that never spoke to you but in love and -kindness,—surely you will not harm them? Look, Tolta, Olmedo the priest, -the friend of the Mexican,—your father was a priest,—Olmedo on his knees -beseeches you to save the white maiden, to restore her in all honor to -her brother; take my life as a ransom for hers, if your vengeance must -have life,—will you not, Tolta?” - -Olmedo became silent, and dropped his eyes to the ground, then raising -them for a second towards heaven, he ejaculated in Spanish, as he met the -relentless gaze of Tolta still fixed upon him, “Mother of Christ, soften -the heart of this heathen,—save thy lamb from the wolves that beset her. -If there be no escape prepared, sustain and fortify our spirits until -their hour of final deliverance has come.” - -As he finished his prayer, Tolta grasped his arm and said to him, “Now -listen to me, Olmedo. I would save Beatriz, for I love her—start -not—yes, the Mexican dog dares love the Castilian maid, loves her with -all the fiery, quenchless passion of his race, as noble and proud as her -own, and, till the Spaniards came, as victorious. I saved her from the -ocean because I loved her. I have borne insult, oppression, slavery, the -fierce words of Juan, and even a Christian baptism from you because of -this love. I have been faithful to the Spaniard when revenge was offered -me until now, because I love Beatriz. Would you know how much I _love_ -her?—as deeply as I _hate_ her nation. She must become mine. It is in -your power to accomplish this. You are her confessor, and you will she -obey. Persuade her to be mine, and you shall be free, Juan warned, and -even Kiana be spared the slaughter now ready to fall upon him. I can -easily fool this brute Pohaku, and lead him into the destruction he -richly deserves. Speak, priest, will you not make her my wife to save -her, yourself, and all you love, from destruction?” - -More in sorrow than in anger at his blindness and confessed villany -did Olmedo reply to him. “Life is dear to all of us, but our souls are -dearer. Willingly would I do all but violate my conscience and her truth -to save her a single pang. You know not a Christian woman’s heart. She -mate with you! the dove seek the nest of the hawk! Never! Beatriz would -die a thousand deaths first. Oh! Tolta, is it for this you have played -the traitor? Were I to name the price of my safety, she would spurn me, -as I do you, for the thought. Tempt me no further. Repent of this wrong -before it be too late, or you will learn that though you may imprison -the body, the spirit escapes your bondage. Destroy her you may, but you -cannot dishonor a Christian maiden. Her soul will defy your wiles, and we -shall meet in Paradise. No more! I will hear no more of this.” - -Tolta could as little comprehend the lofty motive of Olmedo in refusing -to abase Beatriz’s purity, by merely hinting at its sacrifice, as a door -of escape from bodily torment for either himself or her, as could Pohaku -the spiritual strength of his faith in contrast with the thunder and -lightnings of Pele. Unmoved by his reply, he sneeringly said, “I give you -till night to think of this. After the moon rises it will be too late,” -and left him. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - - “Be just and fear not. - Let all the ends thou aim’st at be - Thy God’s, and Truth’s; then, when thou fall’st, - Thou fall’st a blessed Martyr.” - - SHAKESPEARE. - - -Hewahewa had been a silent witness of the two interviews. His curiosity -was excited by what Olmedo had said of his religion to Pohaku, and he -desired to know more of a faith so new to him. From the first, Tolta had -been an object of jealousy and suspicion, as likely to cross his own -ambition; but the wily Mexican in winning the confidence of Pohaku, had -also paid such court to him, in his character of high-priest, that he -could find no positive cause of distrust. He had supported his schemes, -therefore, because they enlarged his own field, relying upon his own -cautious and calculating policy to reap the harvest of which the other -two would sow the seeds. Without comprehending a word of what had passed -between the Mexican and Spaniard, the deportment of the latter, as he -rejected Tolta’s double treachery, attracted his attention, and he -determined to know for himself the actual relations between them. - -When Tolta left Olmedo, Hewahewa went out also, saying to his associate, -“Thanks, Mexican; a rare festival you have provided for us to-morrow. An -offering like this is a new event in Hawaii. Sweet will be your revenge. -May Pele prosper you,” and touching noses, according to the national mode -of salutation, they parted. - -No sooner, however, was Tolta fairly out of sight, than Hewahewa retraced -his steps to Olmedo’s prison. The guards were his own men, because the -prisoner was in his custody, preparatory to the solemn rites of the next -day. He alone, besides Tolta, had the right of access at any hour, for -the victim once consecrated to the gods was tabu, but permitted to feast, -if he could, in view of his terrible destiny. - -Olmedo was on his knees, with crucifix uplifted, praying for strength for -himself, and that Beatriz might be spared the fate to which she seemed -doomed. “Not our will, but thine be done, our Saviour and our God; yet -if this trial and death be necessary that we may enter Paradise, O grant -that I, the enlisted soldier of the cross, may alone bear the torment. -Accept my sacrifice, Queen of Heaven, pity and save thy daughter. Let -not these heathens triumph in her agony, but take her peacefully to thy -bosom, Virgin Mother,” and his eyes overflowed with grief as he thought -of his utter helplessness to aid her. With his prayer, however, a calm -gradually came to his spirit. It could not be called hope, but it brought -peace, and renewed his trust in divine aid. A demeanor so unlike the -dogged despair, or frantic fear to which he had been accustomed in his -victims for the altar, surprised the high-priest, and imbued him with -a respect for his prisoner, that he had never before felt for any one. -Olmedo was so wrapped in his own emotions, that his entrance had been -unnoticed. Tapping him on the shoulder as he still knelt, Hewahewa said -to him, “You pray then, brother priest. Who to?” - -“I am an unworthy servant of the Holy Church. Have you heard of the -Christian’s God? I pray to Him.” - -“Nothing but what Tolta tells. He must be more fiendish than is our Pele -in her anger, if he delights in such deeds as your countrymen have done -in Mexico. But I believe in neither. There is no God but what we make for -ourselves. Tell me your thought. I would know what makes you so calm, in -sight of a death so terrible?” - -“Willingly. First tell me, who created Hawaii?” - -“I know not. It sprang from night or chaos, so our bards say,” replied -Hewahewa. - -“Something from nothing. Do you believe this? Where does a man go when he -dies?” - -“Back to night, or everlasting sleep.” - -“Then, you think, that man and the earth came by chance out of nothing, -and return to nothing?” - -“That is my thought. We must make the most of life. There is no other. -I believe in what I have, in what I feel and see, but in nothing more. -Death finishes all. Do you not fear to go back to nothing?” - -“If I thought as you think, I should. But the earth you love, and the -life you covet teach differently. Can the canoe live on the ocean without -a pilot? Does the taro ripen without the sun? Think you that this earth -drifts at random in space, without a hand to guide it? No! the Supreme -Being made this world and man to dwell therein. He has made also a heaven -for the good, and a hell for the evil. He governs all, and sent his Son -ages gone by to tell us there was eternal life, and we should be happy or -miserable as we obeyed the commands he left. Among other things, he told -us white men to go abroad over the earth and tell to all nations the glad -tidings. I am one of his soldiers. But we carry no arms. We fight not, -we teach as he taught, and if we are put to death, we pray for those who -kill our bodies, that they may believe as we do. Then will they see that -death is but a portal to a more glorious life. There are bad men among us -white as among you, who love evil and commit the crimes Tolta tells of. -Our mission is as much to them as to you. We preach love and faith in the -Great God to all, and it is because we know that he will receive us into -Paradise that we dread not death.” - -Much after this manner did Olmedo talk to Hewahewa, who listed -attentively to words which opened to him new trains of thought. He felt a -desire to save him from his impending fate, that he might hear more. But -the whole population were assembling to witness a sacrifice such as had -never before been offered in Hawaii, and he dared not disappoint them. -Besides, Tolta and Pohaku were not to be easily balked. Musing for a few -moments he abruptly said to Olmedo, “I would see more of you. You must -not die. I will provide a substitute; give me your garments for him and -you shall be secreted, while the howling mob will think you have been -thrown to Pele.” - -“Not so! I would not purchase my life at the expense of an innocent -victim. I thank you for your intended kindness to me, but this must not -be.” - -“Are you mad? What is the life of a slave to you! He will be but too much -honored to take your place. Refuse me not. I am determined on this.” - -“Never! My religion forbids even evil thoughts, much more deeds. Free -me if you will, for that I would be most grateful. But you know not the -spirit of a Christian, if you think him so base as to purchase his safety -by a crime.” - -“Strange being, what means this? Soon the sacred drums will sound, and -the criers announce that the solemn festival has begun. Then it will be -beyond my power to make the exchange. Yield before it be too late. Hast -thou no daughter, no wife to live for?” - -“Daughter! alas I have a daughter. Think of me no longer. Take her from -the toils of that Mexican, and I will even bless you, and pray the Son -for you in heaven to which I am going. She would despise me, more if -possible than I should myself, could I accept my life on your terms. -Mention not that again. Have you a daughter? I see by your face you -have. By the love you bear her, as you would not have her dishonored by a -villain, or see her a mangled corpse, save her. You can: will you not?” -and he grasped the hand of Hewahewa and wrung it in his anguish. - -He had struck the only chord of feeling in his gaoler. “Where is this -woman,” he asked; “for your sake I will see her.” - -Olmedo then detailed their capture and subsequent history up to the time -he was violently separated from Beatriz, and finally the offer of Tolta -to redeem them both, and his contemplated treason to Pohaku, provided -he would assent to his designs upon her. Hewahewa listened eagerly to -every word by which the thread of his rival’s projects was unravelled to -him. He now saw clearly the game he was pursuing, and without betraying -his intention, simply said, “If not too late, I will do as you wish. She -shall be a sister to my daughter. Courage. Farewell.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - - “And priests rushed through their ranks, some counterfeiting - The rage they did inspire, some mad indeed - With their own lies. They said their god was waiting - To see his enemies writh and burn and bleed, - And that —— Hell had need of human souls.” - - THE REVOLT OF ISLAM. - - -We left Beatriz sleeping, watched over by Liliha, who with true kindness -had forborne to ask any questions, but had confined her hospitality to -administering to the bodily needs of her guest. As she believed Olmedo -to be equally attended to, and both now in comparative safety, it is not -surprising that her slumbers, after the excessive fatigue and excitement -of the few past days, should have been long and deep. Liliha herself -came often to her, to see that she was comfortable, and to be the first -to greet her when she woke. After it was light and her household had -begun their daily employments, she sat constantly by her side, watching -her with mingled curiosity and love, for she was attracted to her by a -feeling she had never before experienced. Beatriz now stirred frequently, -and her lips moved, but she did not open her eyes. She seemed agitated by -distressing emotions, and often spoke as if to some one she loved, but in -a language strange to her watcher. At times, however, there came words -of earnest pleading, succeeded by a resolute and defiant tone, as if she -struggled with an enemy. - -To calm her inquietude, Liliha gently took her hand, pressing it for a -while with soothing caresses, and then softly whispered in her ear, “Have -no fear, dear stranger, much love Liliha bears to you.” - -Beatriz slowly opened her eyes, looking at first with surprise upon the -young girl, but as her memory brought back the scene of the preceding -night and her young host, she smiled and said to her, “I cannot thank you -enough, kind maiden. You have aroused me from a painful dream. Forgive me -if my recollection was somewhat confused.” - -Liliha returned her smile, with a look full of gladness, saying, “You -will now be better. Your sleep was long and deep until the day dawned. -Liliha is your near companion; will you not be hers?” - -“Most gladly,” replied Beatriz. “You can indeed be to me a friend. I have -sad need of one.” She then briefly related her history to Liliha, who -listened in amazement at the narrative, which carried her ideas so far -beyond the horizon of her own little world. - -“You then are the pearl of Hawaii, of whom I have heard my father speak; -the beautiful, pale-faced woman whom Kiana was to wed; Lono’s sister. -Glad is my heart to welcome you,” and she jumped up and beat her little -hands with joy at the thought that she had at last met with such a -companion and friend. “But,” added she, “tell me what fate brought you -here with that dark stranger. He comes often to see my father. Much I -fear him, and hate him too. His presence portends trouble, I am sure, for -since he has known him my father leaves me more than ever. He goes to -that ugly fortress, but never takes me with him. But he will be glad to -know that I have found a sister. May I call you so?” and the bright-eyed, -affectionate girl seized both Beatriz’s hands in hers and looked up so -winningly and hopefully, that Beatriz felt she must take her at once to -her heart; a singing bird ever there to nestle and cheer her with sweet -song. - -Beatriz continued her narrative, at least all but what her heart held -as too sacred for human confidence, and which indeed would have been -unintelligible to the untutored forest-girl, whose bosom as yet had known -only her own simple impulses, which to her nature were like the sweeping -of the summer breeze over a lake, gently stirring its surface, but -leaving its crystalline depths unmoved. - -She comprehended that Beatriz felt like herself towards Tolta, and loved -Olmedo, who was a priest, as she did her father. Her active sympathies -were therefore at once enlisted in her new friendship by a common bond -of feeling. As Beatriz concluded, she said, referring to Tolta, “He -is a bird of evil, but no harm shall reach you with me. My father is -high-priest, and will protect you from him. Let us send for Olmedo, and -talk together.” - -Beatriz had been longing to see Olmedo, but delicacy had prevented her -from expressing her desire. She therefore joyfully acquiesced in the -proposition of Liliha. Calling one of her attendants, the chief bade her -request the presence of the white priest. She soon returned with the -information that he had disappeared. - -“And Tolta,” demanded Liliha, “where is he?” - -“Gone also,” replied the messenger. - -“Then he is upon some evil errand. Hasten and inquire of my people what -this means. Who knows about it! Send out runners in all directions to -seek the strange priest. Off, off,” said Liliha, enforcing her order with -an imperious gesture to all her train. - -Beatriz’s heart sank within her. But controlling her emotions, she calmly -awaited farther intelligence. Meanwhile Liliha comforted her with the -assurance of her friendship and her father’s assistance. - -They had not long to wait before several of her people returned with the -tidings, that a sacred festival had been proclaimed for the morrow at the -temple at Kilauea, and all the people invited to witness a new and solemn -sacrifice to Pele. Every chief also had been summoned to attend with his -warriors in readiness for war. Some important event was in preparation, -which the heralds would announce before the sacrifice. But the news that -most touched them was, that a boy in returning home at an early hour of -the morning, had passed on the road to Pohaku’s fortress, a band of armed -men carrying a prisoner, clad in a strange costume. - -“It is Olmedo,” said Beatriz, as the truth flashed across her mind, -“they are bearing him away to be sacrificed. My friend, my sister, cannot -we save him? I will go to him and share his fate. Aid me as you would act -for your own father.” - -Dismissing her attendants, Liliha replied, “My father charged me not to -follow him to the fortress without his express orders, and never has he -permitted me to witness the offices of religion. But we will go there and -appeal to him. I am sure he will grant my wish. Kind he is ever to me. -But you must not be known by my people. In disguise we will go together.” -So saying, she summoned four of her “bosom companions,” as were called -the most attached and trusty of a chief’s retinue, and confided her -intention to them. With their assistance the needful disguises were soon -arranged, and the little party, taking a by-path to avoid observation, -began their journey to the fortress. - -With an object so dear in view, Beatriz felt equal to any emergency. -Eager to serve her new sister, Liliha entered fully into her zeal. As -they drew near the fortress, they met parties of women and children and -bands of warriors, hurrying forward in the same direction. All were -so bent on arriving early at their destination, that our travellers -attracted but the customary salutations, with now and then the inquiry, -“Have you seen the strange priest Hewahewa is to offer to Pele to-morrow? -It will be a novel sight.” At these ominous inquiries, Beatriz shuddered -and drew closer to Liliha, who at times barely refrained from indignantly -bidding them cease their exultation, for her father would be guilty of -no such breach of hospitality. “Has not Olmedo eaten beneath his roof;” -she would say to Beatriz, “how then can he slay him? The laws of Hawaii -forbid. Believe them not. Take courage.” As they passed one group of -decrepit women to whose bony hands young children clung, scarcely old -enough to totter along, but yet able to keep pace with the faltering -steps of the hags who led them, Liliha could restrain herself no longer, -and in her usual tone of authority, bade them “begone to their homes, and -not leave them to glut their dim sight with the agonies of a horrible -death. Their own would soon enough be upon them.” Not recognizing the -young chiefess, they shook their lank arms menacingly at her, and croaked -out, “So, so, my gay bird, you would look on it alone! Old eyes love new -sights as well as young eyes. You go fast enough now, but your bones will -crack and your flesh will wither like ours before many suns. You’ll know -then what a treat ’tis to see Pele fed. Come, come, don’t keep us back,” -and they twitched the little ones at their sides in impotent effort to -make them go faster. - -Luckily Liliha was out of hearing before they had finished their -sentence, and thus was spared the temptation to reply. In company with -a motley crowd, her party arrived at dusk at the western gate of the -fortress, and entered unnoticed amid the throng. Numerous companies -of warriors, with their arms and provisions, and headed by their -hereditary chiefs, had assembled and were encamped apart from each other, -both within and without the stronghold. Knots of these fierce men, -intermingled with women and children, were gathered around orators, who -were exciting their passions to war and plunder, and to whose eloquence -they replied by shouts and yells and thrilling chants, brandishing their -weapons and deriding their foes. There were many fighting women among -them, the most ferocious of Amazons, whose cries and gestures were the -wildest of all, as they indulged in imaginary triumphs, and danced and -raved by torch light in maniac groups, or flying hither and thither -with dishevelled hair and distorted countenances, sought to inspire the -spectators with their own savage emotions. Priests were discussing their -singular good fortune in the propitiatory offering they had secured for -Pele in the white man, and promising the people her aid and that of her -terrible sisters in the nefarious designs of Pohaku, whose heralds just -before night-fall, had proclaimed war, and invited all the population -to join in the feast, or more properly speaking the saturnalia, in -anticipation of the solemn sacrifice of the morrow, and the subsequent -march towards the territories of Kiana, whom they hoped to surprise. The -non-combatants were to remain within the fortress. This was more than -seven hundred feet wide. Its walls were fifteen feet thick and twelve -high, making it for Hawaii impregnable, if resolutely defended. Along -its whole extent at short intervals, were hideous images of stone or -wood, which stood as sentinels over their worshippers. Now in the dusky -light they looked like real demons, silently watching the noise and -revelry below. The maddest of the priests were rushing about with smaller -idols, lifting them above their heads with fearful screams and grimaces, -pretending that they came from the images, which were to be borne in -the ranks as consecrated banners. Feasting had already commenced, and -various parties were to be seen seated on mats on the ground, both inside -and outside of the houses, banqueting on wild boar, dog, live fishes, -and other luxuries of the region, which they washed down with copious -draughts of the intoxicating arva, amid rude jeers, jests, shouts and -uproarious laughter. Slaves of both sexes, naked to their waist-cloths -despite the chill air, gaunt and feeble, from famine and ill-usage, stood -in the rear of their masters, eager to clutch the thrown aside morsel, -while tremblingly obeying their capricious orders. Canine and swinish -pets, barked and grunted, fought and rooted in unrebuked proximity to -their owners, adding their stirring noises to the general chorus of -discordant sounds. - -Such was the spectacle into which Beatriz was introduced, as following -Liliha they quietly made their way in search of Hewahewa. Fortunately, -the deepening shadows of night favored their disguise, and Beatriz was -too intent on finding Olmedo, to notice what otherwise would have alarmed -her, for there were scenes of debauchery going on which it is not for the -pen to describe. - -As they passed the open door of a house larger than the rest, Liliha saw -the gloomy features of Pohaku, intently gazing into a smothered fire, in -which something was slowly consuming. Around him were a party of the high -chiefs, who stood deferentially, while he reclined on a divan. On either -hand were two priests, who were uttering a dismal chant with their hands -extended towards heaven, but frequently stopping to throw a substance, -the nature of which they could not discern, upon the fire. If it flashed -into a quick bright flame, all hailed it with cries of satisfaction; but -as it oftener seemed to half extinguish the fire, or to puff out thick -wreaths of smoke, Pohaku’s face became fearfully moody, and he growled -curses upon the priests, who evidently were more in awe of him than their -deities. Tolta stood in the back-ground, regarding the scene with a look -of mingled contempt and impatience. - -Making a sign to her companions to remain where they were, Liliha -thinking her father might be within, cautiously approached where she -could see the interior. Hewahewa was not there. But before she could -retire, Tolta passed out so close to her that she could have touched -him, saying to himself, “Fools, do they think by drunkenness and frantic -shouts to beat Kiana’s men, or by incantations to waste the flesh from -his bones? Rightly that brute is named stone,”—referring to the meaning -of the word Pohaku,—“his head and heart are made of nothing else. His -stupid sorcery will lose me my game. He says he will not budge until he -omens are auspicious. Would he were to be cast to Pele with Olmedo. But -I must see that priest and get his final answer.” Seeing the group of -women, he roughly said to them as he passed, “Away with you, hags, to -your feasting; leave such foolery to your betters; you’ll have enough -to wail for to-morrow,” little perceiving to whom his bitter words were -spoken. - -Liliha motioned to them to follow her as she stole after him. He walked -fast, but they dogged him as noiselessly as shadows. Olmedo had been -removed into the heiau, or temple, outside of the fortress, upon a cliff -overhanging the lake of fire. Inside were a few houses devoted to the -priests and the idols. As they passed under the eastern gate of the -fortress, Liliha saw the three heads of the Spaniards set upon poles. In -the dim light their features could not be distinguished. Supposing them -to be some of the common victims of the priests, she put her finger upon -her lips for Beatriz to keep silent, fearing the effect upon her of so -sudden and ghastly a sight. Beatriz knew too well to whom they belonged, -but she restrained her emotions, and passed them quickly, though not -without an inward prayer for the repose of their souls. - -They arrived at the entrance of the heiau as Tolta disappeared within. -It had been made tabu to females, and was now deserted by all but the -guards appointed by Hewahewa to watch over Olmedo. Death, under the most -appalling forms, would be the penalty if they were detected within the -sacred precincts. As little as Liliha knew of the rites of the popular -religion, she was quite aware of the terrible punishment awarded to -any breach of priestly tabus, though without any superstitious dread -of infringing them. It was natural, therefore, for her to pause before -she crossed the fatal barrier. Beatriz, either not perceiving or not -understanding her hesitation, entered at once. Liliha stopped no longer, -but impulsively followed, as did her faithful women, who, if it had been -her will, would have leaped after her into the crater, so attached were -they to their young mistress. - -The heiau was reeking with foul odors, that arose from the putrefying -masses of animal offerings upon the numerous altars. Some human -sacrifices had been recently made. These corpses, in which decay had -already begun, were stretched out before images so foul in features -and postures, as to be unlike anything earthly. To a savage they might -well appear to be fiends, but to an educated mind they were absurd and -disgusting, exciting horror only from the blind devotion paid them. They -saw also the secret access to the principal idols, by means of which -the priests, like those of Isis at Pompeii, were able to utter oracles -through their mouths, as if the god spoke, and to perform the usual -ritual jugglery which, among all ignorant races, designing priestcraft -passes off as miracles. - -Although faint and soul-sick at these evidences of a faith so false, so -pitiless to the doomed, and so suggestive of what might be her own fate, -and unless they succeeded in rescuing Olmedo, would be his, Beatriz did -not for a second falter. For a little while they were bewildered in the -intricacies in the interior of the heiau, as they had lost sight of -Tolta, and knew not in what direction to seek for the prison of Olmedo. -As they cautiously groped their way from one house to another, listening -to catch signs of life, they heard voices from one near by. Being of -thatch, there was no difficulty in observing the interior through a hole -made in the straw. They saw Olmedo lying on mats, with several guards -about him, whom Liliha recognized to be her own men. Indeed they were -husbands of the women with her. Tolta had just gone in, and was speaking -to Olmedo in Spanish. - -[Illustration] - -“I have come, monk,” said he, “according to promise, to hear your final -answer. For the last time I ask, will you assist me to wed Beatriz, and -live? Methinks the sights and odors about you must have quickened your -reflections. Remember, yes is still in time, but shortly no power can -save you from your doom.” - -“Leave me, Mexican,” replied Olmedo, “my few remaining hours in peace. My -answer has been already given. I will not join in your treachery to save -myself. Beatriz may die, but she never will be dishonored.” - -“Even now her life and honor depend upon your answer. Make her my wife, -and she shall be queen of Hawaii. Hear me! No other faith but yours shall -exist in Hawaii. This I swear, and you shall be its chief minister. My -plans are ripe. I have but to lift my finger and they turn either way, as -you decide,” urged Tolta, in his eagerness, forgetting the doubts that -but shortly before clouded his mind and angered him. - -“Your offers and your threats are alike useless, Tolta. I have not the -power, if I had the will, to make Beatriz love you. I may perish, and she -too, but we both will die with souls unsullied by falsehood,” answered -Olmedo. “Even now He to whom I pray, upholds me and gives me peace. Go, -and tempt me no further.” And he turned his face from him in sadness, -firmly refusing to listen to him any more. - -“Then perish, you and yours; all in whom flows Spanish blood. I doom -you all.” Saying this, Tolta left the house, and returned towards -the fortress, at each step venting his anger in execrations upon the -obstinacy, as he called it, of the monk. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - - “There is no danger to a man that knows - What life and death is.” - - CHAPMAN. - - -It may be readily imagined that Beatriz listened eagerly to a -conversation which gave her the clue to all the tortuous actions of -Tolta in regard to herself and Olmedo. He had no sooner gone than she -entered, throwing back the covering to her face, which, amid the general -excitement, had enabled her to pass unobserved among her companions, -who, immediately coming after, imitated her example. Notwithstanding the -suddenness of her appearance, and the obscure light, Olmedo knew her -at once, and greeted her with an exclamation of joyful surprise. The -guards, challenging the intruders, were about to take them into custody, -but perceiving their young chiefess, and two of them recognizing their -wives, they were at a loss what to do; whether to give an alarm, which -would be their death-warrant, or by acquiescing in the sacrilege, run -the risk of being themselves involved in their crime. Their attachment -to Liliha proved stronger than their fears, as she partly appealed to -their personal fealty, and partly commanded their services, seconded -by her women, who, having now irrevocably committed themselves, had -no other resource than to bribe or cajole them to silence. Still they -were incurring, as they well knew, a fearful hazard, and they heartily -wished themselves out of the net into which they had been led by their -inexperienced mistress. She herself did not reflect how the adventure -might terminate, now that she had missed her father, but was so absorbed -in her desire to save Beatriz, that she thought of nothing else. Indeed -she entered as impulsively into every act that had that in view, as -she would have into any scheme of pleasure. It was the first time she -had ever taken any serious responsibility upon herself, unknown to -or unadvised by her father. Up to this moment she had fully expected -to meet him, not doubting but that, as usual, he would accede to her -wishes. Could she have read in his calm exterior the closely weighed -policy which decided every question solely in reference to his ambition, -and made him patient or impetuous, kind or cruel, priest or infidel, -selfish or generous, only as interest swayed, she would have hesitated to -approach him on such an errand. When he proposed to Olmedo to save him by -substituting another victim, he was sincere. Not that he desired to spare -him the pangs of the sacrifice, but that he might reserve him to gratify -his inquisitive mind, after which he would have consigned him, with -equal indifference, to death, or sent him back to Kiana, as his policy -prompted. The refusal of Olmedo had perplexed him. It was an exhibition -of character not within his calculation. He would not risk his popularity -with the expectant multitude, by refusing to sacrifice Olmedo, as had -been solemnly proclaimed; but, true to his promise to aid Beatriz, and -hoping from her to obtain further disclosures of the acts of Tolta, he -had set off soon after for his own residence. By taking the main road -he missed Liliha, who arrived at the fortress at the same time that he -reached his own house. Thus it was that the maiden was left solely to her -own resources, as she was told by the guards her father had returned to -his home, and would not be back before early morning. - -When she heard this her heart failed her, and she wrung her hands, -exclaiming, “What can be done? By morning it will be too late. I will go -to Pohaku. He will not refuse the daughter of Hewahewa her petition.” - -“Nay, nay, our chiefess, you would bring ruin to us all, and to your -father also. Think not of this. He is as merciless as death. Like a -maddened boar, he will rend us all,” both women and guards exclaimed in -one breath, as each began to discuss how to escape from their present -perilous position. - -While this was going on, Beatriz had explained to Olmedo all that had -occurred since they parted, and he had told her his history. His first -idea in seeing her was that she had been brought to share his fate, but -finding that she was comparatively free and with friends, hope began to -revive in each for the other. Overhearing the discussion between the -women and the guards, Olmedo said, “These friendly natives must not be -put to death for me. We must either all depart, or you must go as you -came, and leave me to my destiny. Some other mode of escape may offer, -which shall not risk so many lives for one.” - -“I will never again leave you, Olmedo. If you remain, I remain; if you -go, I go. Whatever your fate may be, I am here to share it,” said Beatriz. - -“Say not so, my daughter, my Beatriz. Go with those who brought you here. -They can guard you safely back to Juan. If you remain with me, they are -lost. Surely you would not cost them their lives. Go while there is yet -time. God will guard you. As for me, I am a soldier of the cross, and -it is meet that I should offer up my life rather than violate its holy -principles. There,” said Olmedo, tenderly taking her hand and putting it -into that of Liliha, “depart with her. She will rescue you and restore -you to your brother.” - -Withdrawing her hand from Liliha’s, Beatriz took Olmedo’s, and fixing -her expressive eyes on his, firmly and slowly said, “My resolution is -formed. Did you ever know me to swerve from my decision? Go, I pray -you,” said she, turning to Liliha. “May the Holy Virgin reward you for -your kindness, dear sister. Embrace me. Your father, should he come to -know this, would not be cruel to his daughter for her love to the white -maiden.” - -But Liliha clung convulsively to her and refused to part. “I cannot give -you up,” said she. “I am your sister. If you stay, I will stay. You shall -not die so cruel a death,” and she sobbed like an infant, while her -women, terrified at her words, urged her to delay no longer. The guards -added their entreaties, for at any moment some of the priests might -return, and then all would be lost. - -Olmedo, seeing the unfortunate turn Beatrix’s endeavor to save him was -taking, here interposed, as a new idea suggested itself, saying, “Calm -yourselves and listen to me. If these good men,” speaking of his guards, -“will consent, we can be all saved.” - -“How! What do you propose? I will answer for my people,” eagerly -exclaimed Liliha. - -“Then let us all fly at once, taking the shortest and safest route to -Kiana’s territory. Some of you must know the country well. He will reward -you all to the extent of your desires, and protect you from the vengeance -of your chief.” - -“And leave my father! What will he think of me? I must not forsake him,” -said Liliha, with a filial firmness that threatened to extinguish the -last hope of rescue for Beatriz. - -“It will be but for a short time, noble maiden,” urged Olmedo. “He will -pardon you for an act of mercy—for saving the life of your friend and -sister. You have gone so far that there is safety in no other course. -Finish your merciful work, my daughter, and the blessings of the God of -the Christian will ever attend you, and his holy saints have you always -in their keeping. The Great God wills it. Your heart is too tender to -leave her to suffer so cruelly from the malice of a stranger to your race -and ours. Your women, too; think of them; their visit here cannot long -be concealed. As soon as it is known, they will be inhumanly tortured, -and sacrificed to demons. Would you have the blood of all these upon your -head? No. Your father will not blame you.” - -“The stranger priest speaks well,” interposed Umi, the captain of the -guards, glad of an opportunity to desert the service of Pohaku for that -of Kiana, and seeing in this affair an occasion to recommend himself to -that chieftain. “By sunrise we can reach the territories of Kiana if we -start now. I know a city of refuge near the frontier, where we can be in -safety until he comes to our rescue. Let us go at once.” - -“For my sake, for the love you bear your father, save mine,” pleaded -Beatriz, embracing her. - -The women and guards added their entreaties, so that Liliha hesitated -no longer. “Be it so,” said she, “I yield for your sakes, but my heart -misgives me for deserting my father.” But there was no time for further -indecision, so they bore her half-reluctantly forward, leaving the heiau -by the gate farthest from the fortress, fortunately meeting no one. It -wanted an hour and a half of midnight. The moon rose as they reached a -path that skirted the crater on its northern side. By its light they made -tolerably quick progress over the rough country, in the direction of the -eastern shore of Hawaii. - -They had been gone about three hours, when Tolta walked once more towards -the heiau, desirous of seeing his captive again before he was wholly -given up to Hewahewa, for the terrible rites of the dawning festival. -Surprised and angry at finding the temple wholly deserted, his first -thought was, that the guards and priests, whose duty required them to -have been there at that hour, had left their captive and gone to indulge -in the orgies at the fort. He searched everywhere without finding a trace -of Olmedo, and was on the point of going back to seek Hewahewa, and -demand why the prisoner had been removed, when he saw something bright -lying on the ground, close by the gate farthest from Pohaku’s quarters. -Picking it up he recognized the well-known rosary of Beatriz. Immediately -the misgiving crossed his mind that by some means he was unable to -account for, she had been able to release Olmedo, and they had fled. -Alone and unassisted, such a deed was impossible. She must, therefore, -have secured aid from some one, able either to overawe or bribe those who -had the custody of Olmedo. His suspicion fell at once upon Hewahewa. “He -seeks to ingratiate himself with Kiana,” thought he, “by revealing the -plot and restoring the prisoners. But why? What motive can there be for -such a step, when our joint plans were so nigh success?” Confiding his -discovery to no one, he went back to the fortress, hoping that he might -find Hewahewa, and learn from him that he was wrong in his conjecture. -He was as unsuccessful in getting tidings of him as of Olmedo. Doubt -now ripened into certainty, and he felt sure that Hewahewa had not only -released the prisoners, but accompanied them in their flight. “The -traitor, does he think to foil me thus? I will have his head and one -rival the less. I never liked his ominous silence,—his thought is as -secret as the grave. But they cannot have gone far. I must pursue and -capture them before this gets to the ears of Pohaku. Caught in the act, -he will then be sure not to spare even his favorite priest. Beatriz must -still be kept from his sight. The war once begun, he will hence have -enough to glut his passions without thinking of the white woman. It will -go hard with me if some lucky blow may not put an end to him. Then, -Tolta, you are supreme.” - -So musing, pleased at the opportunity that offered for catching Hewahewa -in the same net which he had been spreading, and not doubting but that -in a few hours he should return successful from the pursuit, he apprised -his most trusty partisans that he had need of their services, and without -letting them know his object until fairly upon the road, he made all -possible haste to come up with the fugitives. Trained to forest warfare, -his men once upon the route found no difficulty in tracking, even by -the uncertain light of the moon, the party in advance, whose progress, -encumbered as it was with women, was necessarily much slower than their -own. - -While Tolta was pursuing Olmedo, Hewahewa, surprised at not finding his -daughter and Beatriz at his own house, was on his return to the fortress -to learn further tidings of them. His people knew only that they were -missing, and that a party of women had left quite early in the day in -that direction. They supposed that their mistress, curious to witness the -spectacle, had secretly gone for that purpose. The high-priest arrived -at the stronghold in about an hour after Tolta had left, presuming he -should have no difficulty in detecting Liliha through any disguise. He -anxiously sought for her among the different groups that were prolonging -their carousings into the morning, and searched every house, but equally -in vain. At last he went to the temple, though believing it impossible -that she could have braved the terrors of the tabu, either from curiosity -or to gratify the white woman. He was more astonished than even Tolta -at its desertion, and could scarcely credit his sight. The heiau was a -complete solitude. Its foul offerings polluted the night air, and sent up -their reeking incense to impish idols, unwatched by human eyes. Excited -as his feelings were for the safety of the only being he loved, never had -the gloomy precincts of the sacred enclosure and its disgusting rites -appeared to him as they did now. He was repelled and disgusted, and as he -recalled the words and resolute self-denial of Olmedo, he felt disposed -to proclaim the whole a delusion. But the thought was only momentary. As -he discovered the absence of Olmedo, he remembered what the white priest -had told him of the proffered treachery of Tolta, and he suspected that -Olmedo might have relented at the last moment and consented to his plans. -Liliha no doubt had been seduced to conduct Beatriz to the fortress -in disguise, and the whole party had fled with the guards. Instead, -therefore, of surprising Kiana, that chieftain, led by Tolta, would -shortly be down upon them with all his force. Enraged at the abduction -of his daughter, which he attributed to the Mexican, and hoping to defeat -his intentions, he hurried to Pohaku, and related the circumstances and -his conclusions. - -That chief was still engaged with the sorcerers, and as the auguries had -not improved, his temper was in its most savage mood. He heard, however, -without interrupting, the story through. - -Starting up, he roared rather than spoke, “The lying hound, the whelp of -a wild dog—no marvel that the sacred signs failed before his false eyes. -Arm ye, all, and pursue the traitor. My richest valley shall be the prize -of his capturer—off men to the hunt, but leave him to be dealt with by -me. He who lags behind shall feel my spear.” - -Clutching his weapons he rushed out, followed by the fiercest and most -resolute of his retainers, who, eager to win the reward, tumultuously -pushed forward; but Pohaku, maddened by his abortive witchcraft, and -the deceit of his tempter, soon outstripped them all, and intent upon -revenge, went on at a pace to which few of his men were equal. - -Hewahewa perceived that Tolta had not gone alone, as many able fighting -men were missing. He concluded, therefore, that he had partisans, and -would make fight, should he be overtaken before joining Kiana. The fury -of Pohaku might defeat its object, unless sustained by his regular -force. So calling together as many companies of the warriors under their -chiefs, as the debauch had left fit for immediate service, he led them in -military array after Pohaku. Thus it happened that within a few hours, -these different parties, actuated by such conflicting emotions, in wild -chase of or from each other, were on the road to Kiana’s territories. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - - “When Anger rushes unrestrained to action, - Like a hot steed, it stumbles in its way. - The Man of Thought strikes deepest and strikes safely.” - - SAVAGE. - - -The reason why Tolta missed entrapping Juan at the same time with -Beatriz, was this. Early on that very morning he had set out with Kiana -to hunt wild boars in a forest in the district, now known as Puna, but -which at that date was about equally divided between the territories -of Kiana and Pohaku. It would be impossible for the traveller of the -present day to recognize the localities of the events of this chapter, -on account of the repeated changes in the features of the country, -occasioned by the successive eruptions of Kilauea since that period. Even -the coast line has been greatly extended and altered. When the Spaniards -first arrived at Hawaii, the volcano had for a long period been quiet -in this direction. Consequently, the country had become overgrown with -vegetation, which mantling the abrupt mountain spurs, and numerous lava -raised hills, and wide extended plains gave it a highly picturesque -appearance. Cultivation was spread over its surface but very slightly. -In general, it was a fertile wilderness, sparsely peopled, but prolific -with the game of the country. On this account it was much frequented -by the sporting warriors of both the chieftains, whose followers, in -pursuing the chase, not unseldom met in deadly conflict. There was, -therefore, a double risk to the adventurer in exploring its wilds. In -escaping the tusks of an infuriated animal, he might fall upon the spear -of an ambushed foe. - -The very dangers of this territory were the origin of its most redeeming -feature. Abounding in wild forests, it naturally became a refuge to -the escaped slave, or oppressed tenant, and even the fugitive from -justice, who without the intervention of an institution, which I will now -describe, would, from their common perils, have banded together, and made -themselves formidable as robbers or assassins. - -I refer to the Pahonua, or to adopt the phraseology of the Israelities, -in a kindred institution, the ‘city of refuge.’ The analogy between the -two is very striking. With both, it was a necessity as a check upon the -prevalent laws of retaliation, the barbarous character of their warfare, -and their system of justice, so liable to perversion from the caprices -or tyranny of their rulers. It affords also consoling evidence of the -disposition of mankind, even in the least improved condition, to correct -evil. It is true, that like the sanctuaries of the Roman Catholic Church, -they were liable to abuse, and were available to the criminal, as well -as the innocent, but in a rude society, they afforded a wholesome check -upon revenge, whether private, or under judicial forms, and served in a -considerable degree to mitigate the otherwise unendurable ferocity of war. - -A river, having its source in Mauna Kea, flowed through this region. It -was a rapid, impetuous stream, much broken by rocks and whirlpools, and -fed by numerous cascades and torrents from the neighboring hills. As it -rained a great deal in this vicinity, it was generally swollen. Near the -sea the river forced its way between precipitous banks, with much roaring -and many abrupt leaps, at times quieted by the depth of its waters, as -it reached some rocky dell, and at others spreading out into a quick, -broad current, until it finally expanded itself into the sea, amid the -thundering of breakers, over a treacherous bottom of moving sands. Only -in the calmest weather could canoes venture to cross its bar. There were -a few spots where sufficient land had been gained from the river, higher -up the valley by dykings, so as to repay careful cultivation with rich -crops. Here the banana and taro grew most luxuriantly, ripened into a -luscious flavor by the sun’s rays, caught and retained between the steep, -verdure-clad banks. Dams were partly thrown across the river in several -places near its mouth, diverting portions of it into artificial ponds, -well stocked with fish, particularly the delicious mullet, which being -reared in brackish water, acquired a flavor and fatness unknown to the -species bred elsewhere. - -Besides these signs, there were many others of peace and abundance in -the immediate vicinity. They were due to the presence of a spacious -Pahonua built of stone, situated upon the river’s left bank, which there -formed an easy precipice, affording a pleasing contrast to the lofty and -jetting crag opposite. The juncture of the fresh water with the salt tide -of the ocean, took place almost under the walls of the city of refuge, -occasioning eddies, admitting of a ford, though at no time safe, because -of quicksands. - -The tutelar deity of this Pahonua was Keave, now worshipped, or more -properly speaking, sainted; for the formula of the Roman Catholic Church -is in this respect as applicable to the paganism of Hawaii, as to its -own more enlightened ritual. Keave was simply the benevolent founder -of this particular institution, the building of which was, considering -its purpose, solidity and extent, as creditable to his sanctity and -enterprise, as have been any of the numerous monasteries of the papal -church, to their canonized founders. Canonization is indeed but another -form of heathen deification. The creation of this Pahonua, the natives -being destitute of machinery for raising large masses of stone, was in -truth a prodigious feat. In its walls were blocks weighing upwards of -two tons, elevated six feet or more above the ground. Around it were the -sacred images, usually placed upon such structures. Within, there were -several pyramidal temples, besides a sufficient number of houses for -the people likely to take refuge therein. The limits of the sanctuary -extended to a certain distance outside the walls, marked by white -flags, while its charge devolved upon a class of priests,—monks they -might aptly be called, if we set aside the vow of chastity—who with -their servants were permitted to slay any one that transgressed their -privileges. Like themselves, their property was sacred, which accounts -for the oasis they had created amid the otherwise forbidding scenery and -its pertinent perils. Whoever once got safely within their precincts, -became inviolable. This personal security extended to a certain time -after the refugee had returned to his home, as the protecting spirit was -supposed to still abide with him, though guilty of the foulest crimes, -or even of violating the most solemn tabus. Before a fight, the women -and children of both the belligerents, assembled in the Pahonua for -security. After the battle was won, the vanquished also fled to it to -secure that mercy which the conqueror rarely granted. All made offerings -to the deified founder, as does the Roman Catholic to his patron saint, -in gratitude for favors vouchsafed. - -Olmedo and his party arrived soon after sunrise, without interruption, at -the base of a sharp mountain ridge, which intervened between the river -and the more level ground over which they had passed. It was not lofty, -but, owing to its dense vegetation, extremely difficult to scale, except -at one point where the natives had, by frequent traversing, worn a rude -passage. Path it could not be called, for the jungle was so thick, and -the branches of the trees so interlocked, that it offered much of the way -a series of climbing and leaps, more suited to the habits of a monkey -than a human being. There were other points of access to the river, but -Umi had selected this as much the shortest, though it involved greater -fatigue. For a considerable distance the party was obliged to go in -Indian file up a rapid ascent, which formed the backbone of the spur, and -was so narrow, that to unpractised feet it was safer to sit upon it, as -on a saddle, and to hitch themselves along by the help afforded by the -coarse grasses and ferns. On either side was a steep precipice, covered -with a slippery coating of rank verdure. Before arriving at the summit -the path became so obstructed with trees of a large growth, imbedded in a -tangled network of shrubs and vines, that the utmost caution was required -to prevent the weaker members of the party from becoming inextricably -involved therein. Often they were obliged to find a foothold on branches -elevated twenty feet and even more, from the soil, and clinging to the -limbs above them, slowly work their way through the vegetable barrier. -The sun’s rays never penetrated the leafy canopy overhead, though to -the almost constant rains they were a slight obstacle. These had caused -a luxuriant growth of mosses which encircled every limb, making them -appear double their real size, and frequently hiding their decay. In -grasping the seemingly stout branch it would prove to be a flexible twig -or a rotten stick, and giving way, precipitate the climber into beds of -oozy vegetation, which, sponge-like, not only showered their chilling -contents upon the wayfarers at every step, but, from their slimy coating, -rendered both foothold and grasp very uncertain. Nothing short of the -previous rough experiences of Beatriz, in the wild campaigns of Mexico, -could have prepared her for an effort like the one she was now making. -Her companions were indefatigable in their exertions to aid her. After -two hours of excessive labor they had the satisfaction to stand upon -the summit, and look down upon the river which separated them from the -territories of Kiana. - -“Look,” said Umi, “our toils are almost at an end. There is the Pahonua, -and the priests will give us food and rest while we send for Kiana.” - -“But what comes there?” exclaimed Olmedo, pointing to some objects moving -along the narrow ridge they had just traversed, and which were hardly -perceptible from their point of view. - -All looked anxiously to the spot indicated, and were not long in -perceiving Tolta, followed by several score of warriors, rapidly -advancing towards them. At the same instant the Mexican caught sight -of them, and they saw him pointing their party out to his followers, -and urging them forward with impatient gestures. A wild shout of -triumph broke from his men at the discovery, and they dashed forward in -expectation of speedily seizing the fugitives. The difficulties of the -ascent, however, so impeded their progress, as to give ample time to Umi -to put into execution his plan of escape. Tolta had taken this difficult -pass to the river, thinking to arrive on its banks in advance of those -he pursued, and intercept them as they came by the longer but more easy -route. He was therefore taken by surprise on discovering them ahead -of him. His hope now lay solely in the greater speed of his men. With -promises and threats he excited them to redoubled exertions, himself -leading the way. - -Fortunately for Beatriz and Olmedo, the descent towards the river was -comparatively facile. Sending two of his men forward to aid the women, -Umi with the others took post just at the crest of the mountain, where -the path was so narrow that they could easily hold it against great odds. -With their spears poised they awaited the onset of Tolta’s men. - -While these incidents were in progress, Kiana and Juan, accompanied by a -mixed train of not above one hundred men, warriors and servants included, -were occupied in the chase. They were unaware of the abduction of the -Spaniards and the subsequent events, having had no communication with -their homes for several days. Indeed, although many of their people had -missed their guests of late, as they were accustomed to their retirement -at not unfrequent intervals, few besides their immediate attendants had -manifested either curiosity or anxiety at their absence. But when three -days had gone by without news of them, their retainers prepared to notify -Kiana of the fact. Some had gone in pursuit of him on the very morning -of the escape. But the hunters at early daylight had crossed the river -at some distance above the Pahonua, and had been beating the forest at -the foot of the mountain in pursuit of their game, with, however, but -indifferent success. Wearied with their exertions, they were reposing -in the shade of a grove about half way between its base and the river, -when their attention was attracted by shouts proceeding apparently from -the mountain. Soon several women were seen issuing from the forest, and -running at full speed towards the river, followed by armed men, a few -of whom, every now and then, faced about and stood on the defensive -against others who were pursuing them. By this means the women made some -progress, but evidently their strength was failing, and they must quickly -be captured, especially as the foremost of their pursuers had overthrown -his antagonist, and was gaining rapidly upon them. - -It seems that Umi and his men had been unable to retard the progress of -Tolta for a much shorter time than he anticipated. The followers of the -Mexican had rushed fiercely upon them, and although beaten back, returned -again and again to the charge, throwing their spears, and yelling -frightfully to intimidate their foes. But Umi was too well practised -in native warfare to be driven from his post by menaces, while he was -sufficiently protected as to avoid much risk from the missiles of his -assailants. Chafing at this delay, Tolta was himself preparing to close -with Umi, when his quick eye caught sight of a vine overhanging the rock -which effectually screened his enemy. With the spring of a wild cat he -caught at it, and almost as quick as the thought had been formed, he had -scrambled to the summit, whence he could look down upon Umi. Another leap -would have brought him into his rear. Umi seeing this retreated, but, as -he turned, dealt a quick blow to a careless assailant, which stretched -him lifeless right in the way of his companions, who stumbled over him as -they pursued him down the mountain. His men, taking somewhat different -directions, followed, occasionally stopping to arrest the progress of -their pursuers, that the women might have a chance to reach the river. - -Kiana, surprised at this scene, called his men to stand by their arms, -saying to Juan, “We must be on our guard. Pohaku, I suspect, is about to -pay us the compliment of a visit. If so we shall find him fiercer game -than we have yet seen this morning.” - -Juan was too intently gazing upon the flying group to heed the remark. -Suddenly he exclaimed, “That headmost warrior is Tolta. There is no -mistaking his tiger spring. But what is the Mexican doing here? Jesus -Maria! That robe belongs to no Hawaiian. By the holy saints it is our -worthy priest. He must have strangely changed his nature to be marauding -with that wily Aztec. But, no! the villain! he throws his javelin at him. -There is foul work going on here. At them, Kiana, or they will slay the -monk.” So saying, he rushed towards the assailant, calling upon Olmedo to -turn towards him. Kiana and his men added their shouts to his, and ran -quickly after him. - -Their apparition seemed to paralyze both the pursuer and the pursued. -With the latter, however, the hesitation was but brief. Recognizing her -brother, Beatriz gave a cry of joyful surprise, and hastily bidding -Liliha follow her, turned towards him. Juan knew her voice, though -he could scarcely credit his senses on finding his sister in such a -position. Both he and Kiana were immediately at her side. Overcome by -her exertions, she fainted as she fell into Juan’s arms. Olmedo and the -rest of the party were soon surrounded by the friendly warriors, eagerly -inquiring the cause of their appearance and flight. Their story was told -in a few words. A cry of vengeance upon the Mexican rose from every -throat as his men called upon Kiana to lead them against the traitor. - -Meantime Beatriz slowly came to. Both Juan and Kiana, in their anxiety -for her, thought of nothing else, until she was able to confirm by her -own lips the narrative of her faithful friends. Her weakness made her -tale short, but the little she spoke, stopping at each broken sentence to -gain strength, told much to her listeners. Olmedo was almost as feeble -as she. Juan gave a look of grateful surprise at Liliha, as his sister, -embracing her, presented her as her rescuer. His thanks were hearty and -brief, but all other feeling was speedily lost in his desire to revenge -the treachery towards Beatriz. Without stopping to count his foes, he -sprang towards them, calling upon Tolta to prove himself a man by facing -one. - -Kiana was prompt to sustain him, but not before he had charged a portion -of his retinue to escort the rescued party across the river, and place -them in safety in the Pahonua, while he with the remainder would cover -their passage. Less fiery than Juan, his first impulse was to see to -their safety, then to look to their own, for he felt certain Tolta -would not have undertaken an enterprise of so much danger, without -being sustained by the whole power of Pohaku. That chief, therefore, he -believed, would soon appear upon the field. As it was, Tolta had the -superiority in numbers, and it would not be prudent to exhaust their -strength before they knew what fresh dangers might be in store. - -The Mexican, calling his men about him, determined to act solely on the -defensive. It might have fared ill with Juan, had Tolta with his whole -force made a rush upon him as he came towards them. Several of the most -eager of his men did indeed sally from their ranks, to make a combined -assault upon the white man. Their commander recalled them, but not -before the foremost having struck at Juan with his mace a blow which he -easily parried, was run through by his sword before he could recover his -guard. This experience of the fatal skill and power of the weapon of the -Spaniard made them more cautious, and they kept their ranks retreating -slowly towards the rocky promontory directly facing the Pahonua. It was -not far from this point that the road usually traversed from Kilauea, -and leading to the somewhat dangerous ford before spoken of, joined the -river. Tolta knew too much of Juan’s prowess to venture himself in combat -with him, especially with inferior weapons. He noticed the fewness of -Kiana’s men, and hoped before long Pohaku might join him, when their -combined force would easily slay or capture their opponents. - -Kiana and his men had now come up, and without making a direct assault -were gradually pressing Tolta’s party back to the highest part of the -precipice, which here overlooked the deepest waters of the river, though -a little way below they became shallower as they approached the ford. -Olmedo and his companions were already preparing to cross, having availed -themselves of some canoes belonging to the priests of the Pahonua, which -Kiana had borrowed early in the day for his own passage. The rising -ground on which they now found themselves, gave Tolta’s men a decided -advantage in resisting any attack. Their flank was protected by a dense -thicket, which bordered the road that led from Kilauea, while the river -effectually sheltered them on the right. Thus they were in a position -either to retreat or to await a reinforcement. A messenger had been -despatched by Tolta to Pohaku, as soon as he had made the discovery of -the presence of Juan and Kiana. In the meantime he had determined to -remain where he was. Should Kiana attempt to recross the river, he could -sally down upon him at advantage. - -Juan, irritated at Kiana’s prudence, demanded that they should attack -Tolta at once, and drive his men into the river. But that chief would not -waver from his surer policy, for he had also sent to summon his warriors -to join him. By keeping his foes in their present situation, they would, -before long, be enabled to assault them, certain of success; whereas -now, a defeat or even a repulse would endanger the lives of those they -had just rescued. Until Beatriz and Olmedo were within the Pahonua, it -would be risking too much. Juan acquiesced in these measures, but swore -he would not lose sight of Tolta while he lived. - -Pohaku, as we know, had pursued Tolta, deceived by the report of -Hewahewa. But few of his warriors had been able to keep up with him. -The messenger that Tolta had sent, and who might have explained their -position, had missed him. The enraged chief came in sight on the main -road, soon after the hostile parties had assumed their present positions. -Perceiving Kiana and his warriors, he was still more confirmed in his -belief of Tolta’s treachery; believing that he had fled to rejoin that -chief and surprise him. Without stopping to parley or to ascertain the -truth, he roared out to Tolta’s men to make way, and sprang forward -with a ferocious look towards the Mexican. The warriors, surprised and -confused, for they had supposed he had come to their assistance, parted -before him like water before a strong swimmer. Straight on towards -Tolta he came foaming and cursing, and bidding him await his fate. The -Mexican, at a loss to account for his sudden hate, supposed him gone mad -and ordered his men to seize him, but they would have sooner, unarmed, -crossed the tusks of the fiercest wild boar of the mountains, than have -now put themselves in his path. With his spear poised, he stopped a few -feet from Tolta, glaring upon him with blood-shot eyes. In another -second he would have driven it clean through him, but Tolta’s instinct -of life was quicker than even his rage. Seeing his hopeless position, he -sprang aside and the spear glanced on the turf, tearing up the ground, -and finally burying itself deep into it, remained with its haft quivering -in the air. Pohaku, uttering a fearful howl of disappointed rage, ran -towards him, intending to seize him with his naked arms, and to twist -his spine. The Mexican, whose movements were quick and subtle, again -dodged him, and sprang upon the cliff. As Pohaku rushed after, he aimed -a stroke at him with his dagger, which would have reached his heart had -it not struck upon an ivory ornament, which he wore upon his breast. The -steel broke, and Tolta was left defenceless. The river was now his only -chance. A precipice ninety feet high lay between him and it. With one -bound he cleared its edge. So sudden was this movement and so desperate -the leap, that all for the moment supposed him dashed to pieces on the -rocks beneath. Striking the water, however, with his feet pointed like a -wedge, and his arms clinging to his sides, he disappeared, but soon rose -and struck out towards the Pahonua. The rapid current bore him towards -the shallower waters. Here his feet touching the sand, he was obliged to -walk now and then, sinking as the water deepened and compelled him again -to swim. Suddenly he was seen to throw his arms wildly in the air, and -to shriek for help to the priests who were watching him from the walls -of the Pahonua. They ran hastily towards the water’s edge to rescue -him, but perceiving his position they dared not trust themselves on the -treacherous sands. His exertions to reach them were desperate, but every -struggle sank him deeper. He had touched a quicksand, and its vortex was -slowly sucking him down. Inch by inch he disappeared, each moment to him -an eternity. His entire life of baffled ambition and revenge, with all -the deeds of horror he had witnessed or participated in; all the better -desires he had cherished and affections he had indulged; all of his dark -and troublous career became legible in letters of fire to his quickened -memory, and mingling with an obscure and despairing future, the terrible -mythology of his earliest belief conflicting with the hated creed of the -Spaniard, harrowed his soul. Fiercely he struggled for a while with his -fate. The water became discolored by the sand his frantic exertions to -release himself stirred up. But nothing could now save him. Conscious of -this he became more quiet. As the waters covered his face its latest look -was towards a group of females just landing at no great distance above -him. One among them had seen the leap and after struggle. Shuddering she -covered her head with her mantle, and was then praying for the soul of -her enemy, whose hands, even after his head had sunk out of sight, were -seen for an instant turned imploringly towards her. - -This sight sobered even the rage of Pohaku, and arrested the attention -of all. No sooner, however, was it over, than Juan, unable longer to -restrain himself, called upon Kiana to avail himself of the confusion -of their enemy and attack him. Setting the example, he sprung among -them dealing fatal wounds at every stroke. Kiana and his men seconded -him well, and the melée, it could scarcely be called battle, soon -became general and bloody. Pohaku, who had regained his arms, rallied -his men and fought with courage, but in skill he was not a match for -his assailants, whose better discipline compensated for their inferior -number. Three times, however, he foiled the desperate attack of the -bravest of Kiana’s men, slaying several of them, and might at last have -repulsed his foes had it not been for the impetuosity of Juan, who, -calling to him to beware, closed upon the chief. Twice Pohaku succeeded -in casting his javelin at him. The first blow he avoided by an active -movement of his body, but the weapon whizzed so near as to bruise his -left arm. The second javelin pierced his helmet, as he fortunately -stumbled over a corpse, otherwise it would have brained him. Before -he could recover himself, Pohaku had sprung forward with an uplifted -war-club, which, with terrible force, was about descending on his head, -when Kiana intercepted the blow by his mace. The warriors on both side -sprang to the rescue of their chiefs, and in the rush Kiana’s men were -borne back a few paces. He, however, held his ground, beating off his -assailants, thus giving time to Juan to rise. “Leave this chief to me, -he is my foe,” he cried to Kiana, and advancing once more upon him -he easily parried his furious blows, and at every thrust drew blood, -until watching a moment when Pohaku from sheer exhaustion struck less -quickly and forcibly, Juan plunged his sword through his breast. His fall -disheartened his men, and they began to recoil before the renewed efforts -of their foes, when loud shouts were heard from the road, and soon after -a regular body of warriors, outnumbering greatly all on both sides -engaged in the present fray, marched upon the field. - -It was Hewahewa with the warriors he had assembled after the hasty -departure of Pohaku, whose soldiers recognizing them, re-formed in their -rear, and awaited the orders of the high-priest. - -Kiana drew his men off from the pursuit and arrayed them into a -wedge-shaped phalanx, with its rear towards the stream. Juan and himself -occupied the _welau_, or point which must receive the brunt of the onset, -should an attack be made. On the other side of the river his followers -who had escorted Beatriz over, seeing his danger, came back with the -canoes and joined him. Thus he had it in his power to retreat, presenting -the while a formidable front to his enemy. - -Hewahewa, having learned the state of affairs, was not desirous of -pushing him to extremity. His own immediate rivals, Tolta and Pohaku, -were dead,—no small gain to him,—but his daughter was virtually in the -power of Kiana. He was therefore disposed to terms. Sending a herald -bearing a branch of the _ti_ plant used as a flag of truce, he proposed -a parley. To this Kiana assented, and it was finally agreed that Kiana -should return to his own territories unmolested, Liliha remaining as a -hostage, until he was on equal terms with his antagonist, after which -they would treat for a general peace. Upon those terms, Kiana withdrew to -his own side, while Hewahewa encamped where he was. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - - “Sudden arose - Ianthe’s soul; it stood - All beautiful in naked purity, - The perfect semblance of its bodily frame. - Instinct with inexpressible beauty and grace, - Each stain of earthliness - Had passed away; it reassumed - Its native dignity, and stood - Immortal.” - - QUEEN MAB. - - -Beatriz was once more at her home by the seaside. Liliha was always -near her. Since their first meeting the loving forest-girl had grown -still dearer to her. When her father claimed her, she pleaded so hard -and showed so much distress at the thought of leaving her white sister -that he consented she should remain for the time being. Kiana and the -high-priest were at peace. The latter had more than once visited Olmedo, -for the double purpose of talking with him and seeing his daughter. By -this interchange of civilities and the impression which the superior -condition of Kiana’s people made upon him, added to the more enlarged -views derived from his intercourse with the Spaniards, Hewahewa became, -if not a believer in any creed, a more humane and wiser man. By his -influence, backed as it always was when necessary with the arms of Kiana, -his people partially gave up their predatory habits, and paid more -attention to their fisheries and the culture of their soil. It was great -gain also to establish an amicable intercourse between tribes so long -bitterly hostile to each other. Instead of warlike expeditions to secure -prisoners for sacrifice and to plunder, Hewahewa’s people now came often -to trade. A commerce was growing up, which later led to the establishment -of regular fairs, the principal of which was held at stated intervals -on the banks of the Wailuku river, in the territory of Kiana. Here the -products of the soil and the manufactures of the several districts of -Hawaii, each of which from peculiarity of soil or climate, or from the -skill and industry of its inhabitants, could claim some local advantage, -were brought and interchanged. A paid police preserved order, and public -inspectors decided upon the qualities of the merchandise, or acted as -arbitrators in case of dispute, while the numerous pedlars by their cries -and importunity would not have discredited their brethren of Europe. - -[Illustration] - -But this fact is foreign to my story, except so far as showing how soon -and rapidly commercial industry supplants the fighting principle, if -it be allowed a fair chance, even among the passionate and sensuous -aborigines of Polynesia. - -Beatriz looked wan and feeble. More than a month had gone by since her -rescue. Before her capture she had been gradually failing, but almost -imperceptibly and with such an increased delicacy of outline and purity -of complexion, that while Olmedo and Juan had praised her increasing -beauty, neither had noticed that it was sapping her life. The exposure -and excitement consequent upon the violence of Tolta, acting upon an -already enfeebled frame, had at last brought her very low. Daily since -her return had she been compelled to shorten her walks. At the same time -her voice grew weaker, but gained ever in sweetness, and the flush upon -her face became deeper. Still so long as she could go out she went, -leaning upon Liliha or Olmedo, to look upon the scenery she so loved, -and to breathe the balmy sea air beneath the palms. Juan clung to her as -to a life-buoy. Careless and impetuous as he had always been, he loved -his sister fervently. To see her pine day by day, her flesh wasting -as disease claimed it, the rich blood fading from her cheek never to -return, each embrace growing more languid as life ebbed, well nigh drove -him mad. Bitterly he blamed himself for his absence on that fatal day. -Even the horror of Tolta’s death did not check his curses upon him. To -Olmedo he would listen in deference as he talked of the consolations of -religion, but escaping to the woods, he would there sit hours in silent -agony brooding over his coming loneliness, and fiercely resenting any -intrusion. Liliha alone could quiet his grief. Knowing his habits, she -would sometimes steal from the side of Beatriz and go after him. Taking -his hand, without speaking, she would lead him to his sister, and the two -would sit by her in sympathetic sadness, watching her every motion, and -endeavoring to anticipate every want. While thus occupied he was in some -degree soothed. His sister was still with him. The Blessed Mother of God -might yet restore her. He would be so lonely when she was gone. Never -until now had he felt how large a portion of his happiness was derived -from her presence; how much he needed her calm sustaining spirit, her -untiring kindness, and above all her exhaustless fountain of forgiveness. -Was all this so soon to be taken away? Cold shudders passed through his -heart as the gloom of certainty shut down upon him, and starting up -abruptly he would go back to the forest. Giving time for the paroxysm -to subside, Liliha at a sign from Beatriz would again bring him back. -“My dear brother,” she would say, “sorrow not so, I may yet live; I feel -stronger to-day. Take my hand; see! it is not very thin; and my face, is -it not a little fuller? It seems so to me. Once you know, before we left -Spain, I was as ill, but I got well. Kiss me and stay by me while I sleep -a little. When I wake we will talk more. I have much to say, and yet I -cannot speak it, when you are so sad. Another kiss, dear Juan; you have -ever been a kind brother to me.” Thus she would cheer him with a hope -that at times dawned upon herself, in spite of her rapid decline. - -Often Kiana came in, and sat gazing at her until the big tears followed -one another down his cheeks. Seemingly unconscious of them, he would -remain without uttering a word for hours, striving only to give some -order which he thought might promote her comfort. To him the fading away -of the maiden was like the loss of sunlight to the landscape. The earth -was all there, but its joy and glory were alike gone. - -How was Olmedo? Calm. Never had Beatriz appeared to him so lovely as now. -He had seen too many death-beds not to know that she was shortly to pass -away. Every change in her aspect was closely watched, and all that his -experience could suggest done to postpone, if it could not avert, her -death. But he neither sought to deceive himself nor her. If Juan felt -himself alone, how much more must he whose soul was so interwoven with -the dying woman’s! Tenderly and truly had their love and faith kept pace -in all the eventful scenes they had passed through. Tempted, they had -conquered. Their hearts had recognized their inalienable birthright—to -love—yet they had not sinned. Now the spiritual was triumphing over -the material. As the body grew more helpless, the spirit became indeed -stronger. This he saw. How could he then sorrow; when, with the eye of -faith, he beheld infinite joy expanding in her soul? Mourn for himself, -left so solitary in his earthly pilgrimage, he must, and did, but he -rejoiced for her. At no time had he been more earnest in his religious -duties than during her illness. A solemn responsibility rested upon him -to be even more faithful to her pure aspirations and gentle faith. He -was with her also more than ever. As she drew nigh her departure, every -trace of the harsher doctrines of her church passed from her mind, as -the dead leaves of autumn give way to the living growth of spring. Fed -by the vital currents of faith and love that flowed into her soul from -that world her spirit was now piercing, his mind grew likewise, and he -perceived how that separation in body could prove union in spirit. Thus -he was comforted and sustained. He now felt that divine wisdom and love -were given in some degree to all men; that all nature was imbued with -their principles; that both nature and man were working out the great -problem of happiness, through a slow and laborious progress, governed by -universal laws existing from a beneficent and impartial deity. Polemical -creeds were the shackles of intellect and the graves of the soul. There -was but one creed, viz., that God made all men, and none had a right to -arrogate to themselves the way of salvation. Of him to whom much was -given, it was true that much would be required. God was always revealing -himself to the inquiring soul. No age or race had a right to claim a -final revelation or a monopoly of inspiration. Truth was as free as the -air to all who could or would receive it, but it was like gold in the -mine, dark and hidden until labor brought it to the sunlight, stamped -it with the die of reason, and put it into circulation. All new coin -was looked on with suspicion, but when made familiar became as current -as the old. All truth was partial, because its degree depended upon -the quality and capacity of the individual mind. Perfect truth is the -divine atmosphere. No man can breathe that now, but might hope to attain -it through infinite progress. Hence among men universal toleration -of opinions should prevail. The best minds here were but infants in -knowledge. Striving there should be, but it should consist in mutual -charity and forbearance; the patient waiting of each soul, and patient -working out of its duties in faith, for individual and general life were -linked together for a harmonious end. If disappointment to him were -needful for another’s good, he was ready to bid it welcome, and from out -of self-sacrifice to rise the stronger man. He saw in Beatriz’s death -her spiritual promotion. In strengthening her to meet it, he was best -preparing himself for those consolations which as necessarily result -from moral laws as does gravitation from the physical. Therefore Olmedo -looked upon the present trial as the beautiful working out of the final -happiness of Beatriz and himself. To him she was the divine messenger -through whom life and light had come. Talk not of the power of passionate -love! Its selfish flame burns itself out, leaving nothing but ashes. -Olmedo loved Beatriz, but it was now with a love in which passion was -sublimated into purity; strengthened by self-sacrifice and made immortal -by faith. What, then, were a few years of time to him who already saw -into eternity! - -One day Beatriz felt so much stronger that she asked to be carried to the -spot in the forest, where she and Olmedo had met when they were taken off -by Tolta. Besides her litter-bearers and women, who retired a little way -after making up for her an easy couch, she was alone with him. It was -the loveliest hour of the twenty-four, drawing towards sunset, just as -the sun’s rays, becoming mellow, were casting a veil of soft and purple -light, tinged with golden radiance, over sea and land. The air was as -warm and healthful as an infant’s breath. - -Beautiful as was the place, it had never looked so beautiful to her as -now. The birds were twittering in their leafy homes, and, coming close to -her as to an old friend, warbled a welcome before they bade good night -to the sinking sun, or from the topmost branches sang their vespers. -All old memories came back to her, save only the sad one connected with -Tolta, which she seemed now to have forgotten. She thought only of the -many talks they had had here, on subjects dear to both; their mutually -expressed longings for the familiar faces and scenes of their native -land, and their plans and hopes when forced to feel that they would no -more see them; the sadness that stole over her spirit as she realized -that she must live and die upon the island without one of her sex, born -of her race, to share her solitude; how the good father comforted her -with holy words, and finally her love spoke and his spoke, and they -each knew the heart’s secret of the other, and both trembled, but grew -stronger from prayer and faith, and now could look back upon their past -without a blush, and forward with hope in an eternal union; all this, -and much else that was endeared to her, came bright and joyful to her -recollection. She recalled to Olmedo scenes and words full of gladness -to both. Her voice was much clearer and stronger, and her manner so -cheerful, that he was borne away on the pleasant tide, and thought only -of their present happiness, without heeding that it was the illumination -of a mortal on the confines of the spirit-world. - -Suddenly a shadow passed over her features, and she told Olmedo that she -would rest awhile. Closing her eyes, she sank into a gentle slumber that -lasted for half an hour. Bright smiles chased each other in such quick -succession on her face, that she seemed to her watcher to be already -living in another sphere. As he gazed almost in awe upon a happiness that -gave him a closer insight into the joys of a soul communing with its God, -Beatriz awoke. Turning her eyes vacantly upon him, then looking around -upon the scenery still lovely, for the brief twilight was in its prime, -she was for a moment bewildered. “Where am I; is this earth,—am I back -again? How dark it seems,” said she. “Give me your hand, Olmedo,—I see -you now. I have had such a dream,—shall I tell it to you?” - -Olmedo begged her not to exhaust herself, but to wait until she was more -equal to talking. “No, Olmedo, I must tell it now. I am quite strong. -Indeed a new life is in my veins, but something bids me be quick. When I -closed my eyes it seemed to me I was dead. My spirit slowly left my body, -and rested in the air above you, who were watching it so tenderly. How I -wanted to embrace you and speak my love, but I could not. Soon a bright -form came, so bright that my eyes were at first too dazzled to be able to -look upon it. But as that wore off, I knew my sister Domitila, who you -remember, died before we left Spain. She welcomed me to my new home, as -she called it, and took me away with her. How we went I could not tell, -but we were borne on without effort on our own part, by an unseen power, -and yet it seemed to come from ourselves. Such scenery, such beauty, -those loving faces crying, ‘welcome, dear sister.’ Would that I could -describe them. Joy filled my heart. I was amid all things loveliest and -best, such as of late you and I have so often faintly conceived as we -talked of heaven. Oh! how real they now were! I was a spirit, yet I had a -body and senses that gave me exquisite pleasure. Every emotion and effort -was increasing happiness. How clearly my soul saw into divine wisdom and -love. I thought it strange at first that I did not see the Holy Virgin -and the Saints, and asked where they were. ‘Such as we are now they -were,’ replied my sister; ‘they have passed on to greater glory through -the sure operation of the laws of progress. Ye do wrong on earth to -worship those who once were but human beings like yourselves,—whose sole -claim to honor is, that they were obedient to the divine will, diligent -to understand, and quick to practise. It is because you have lived on -earth a blameless life, charitable and useful, enjoying existence, -cultivating purity, seeking truth, actively good, and ever aspiring to -know the divine will, patient and sincere, through doubt and ignorance -trusting in the great good, that you now witness these mysteries. Soon -they will be as much yours as mine. Go back to earth and tell your -companion what you have seen. He will understand the message. Bid him -be patient and zealous, for he has much earthly work yet to do, but for -you, my sister, I shall soon return. I have watched over you as you will -over Olmedo since we parted in form, striving to impress your heart with -the love of our world. It was an easy task, and now it is finished, and -we will kneel in future together at the feet of older spirits, to learn -of them still further the way of truth and life.’ So saying, she floated -away like a sunbeam, and I awoke. - -“What think you of it, Olmedo? Was it not sweet? There is no death; -joy! joy! Ever shall I watch over you with my sister until you too -pass through the gate of heaven. Look! look! there she comes. Oh! how -beautiful. Many others are with her now. I see their rainbow robes. I -hear their voices,—they call me; oh! listen to the music. Seraphs are -striking their harps,—the air is filled with harmony,—do you not hear -it too? Where are you, Olmedo? Touch me. I do not see you, but I see -them,—that white light,—how glorious all appears; how melodious their -speech! I am here, dear sister,—quick,—take me,”—and thus her sweet -spirit went home. - -Olmedo was stupefied. Not a word had he lost, feebly and brokenly as the -last words had been uttered. Yet to see her go from him as her spirit -became so ravishingly beautiful, was more than even he could well bear. -There she lay in death’s stillness. The sun had gone down, the wind was -hushed, her maidens looked on in speechless grief, not a leaf stirred, -all was silent,—silent as the grave! No! there is no silence in the grave -to the believer. - -Before him it is true was the form by which he had known Beatriz, soon -to be dust. The eloquent eye, the laughing lip, the blushing cheek were -never again in flesh to speak to him. Must we not allow him a moment’s -anguish as he _heard_ their silence? Mourn, monk;—thou art still human! -Grief is permitted thee. Many and lonely must thy days of pilgrimage yet -be! - -He shed no tears, but leaned his face on the bosom of the corpse, and -there groaned. A light seemed to pass before his eyes. He looked up. -“Merciful God, am I too a Spirit?” burst from his lips as he gazed. -There, floating in the air, and almost touching him, he saw her he had -just lost. She was an angel now. As she smiled upon him, he thought he -heard a voice say, “Farewell for a little while,”—and then the stars only -were twinkling above him. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - - “Yet human spirit! bravely hold thy course, - Let virtue teach these faintly to pursue - The gradual paths of an aspiring change: - For birth and life and death, and that strange state - Before the naked soul has formed its home, - All tend to perfect happiness.” - - QUEEN MAB. - - -In my opinion, I should stop here. Each reader, so it seems to me, can -readily conjecture the subsequent fate of the survivors. But a voice over -my shoulder whispers, No. We are still curious and quite unable to trace -their after history without your aid. Recollect, you are familiar with -the locality, customs, and above all the traditions which first brought -the actors to your notice. Where everything varies so greatly from our -experiences, the result must be more or less of an enigma. - -And why should it not be? Mystery will give the story a charm beyond the -power of my pen. Beatriz has gone up to heaven, not in chariots of fire, -but in the arms of love. Well would it be if we could there follow her -and partake of her felicity. “A little while,”—yes, in a little while the -call of each of us will be heard. May our welcome be like hers. - -As I cannot follow her into the scenes of her new duties and joys, I -leave them to the imagination. To gratify any lurking curiosity as to the -others, I will briefly relate all that came to my knowledge after that—to -her—great gain. - -[Illustration] - -Kiana proved a sincere mourner. The character of Beatriz had so impressed -him that he never after sought companionship among the females of his -race. He grew to be a silent, reserved man, kind to all, but indisposed -to interest himself in the usual duties of his station. Much of his time -he passed alone, so that his people, in their poetical fancy, in speaking -of him among themselves, called him Kamehameha, “the lonely one.” To -Olmedo he particularly attached himself, and as he soon neglected the -religion of his ancestors more than ever, it was supposed that he -had imbibed many of his views. When he died, which took place at the -expiration of ten years, there was a wailing over all Hawaii, such as -had never been heard before. The people all grieved for him as for one -they deeply loved. At his dying request they abstained from the usual -barbarous demonstrations, by which they were wont to mark their sorrow. -There were no sacrifice of property, no shaving of heads, no knocking out -of teeth, or self-inflicted wounds. Above all, his memory was honored -by a strict abstinence from the usual saturnalia, allowed on the death -of a chief of the highest rank, during which sensuality and the darkest -passions were permitted to riot unchecked. A decorous funeral took place, -at which all the people assisted, with a solemn state heretofore unknown -in their annals. - -Hewahewa became a powerful and sagacious ruler. By the influence of -Olmedo he was induced to mitigate many of the cruel rites of his -mythology, though the belief of his people in Pele remained unshaken. -The good monk had therefore the satisfaction to see that humanity gained -by his presence in Hawaii, though his opinions affected but a few of the -most intelligent minds. Indeed, so satisfied had he himself become of the -inefficiency of strictly dogmatic teachings, that he seldom attempted to -expound the mysteries of the Roman creed, but confined his discourses to -such general ideas of the nature of divinity and the absurdity of idol -worship, as might be comprehended by the simplest mind. The seed which -he thus sowed was not without fruit. It slowly ripened during rather -more than two centuries, gradually weaning the masses from their belief -in demonology, until a short time before the advent of the American -missionaries, in 1820, the nation discarded paganism and destroyed -their idols. Hewahewa, the then high-priest, had inherited much of the -inquiring, skeptical spirit of his ancestor. Publicly resigning his -office, he was the first to apply the torch to the temples and their -sacred contents. The accumulated gifts of national piety through the -long centuries of heathenism were consumed in a day, while he and others -proclaimed their belief in “one only Great God, dwelling in the heavens.” - -Juan’s grief was violent, but he recovered before long his natural tone. -As he could not recall the dead, he interested himself in the living, and -was ever the same adventurous, impetuous being, admired for his gallantry -and beloved for his generosity. Before his sister died, Liliha’s artless -sympathy had touched his heart. After that event, he was more than ever -drawn to her, and she to him. There was something in her youth and -character so different from the wanton beauty and unrefined minds of -Hawaiian women in general, that it commanded his respect. He must have -some one to love, now his sister was gone, and he loved her. She returned -his love as freely, and truly as the wood-dove returns its mate’s. There -was no coyness or affected reserve. His manly qualities had now won her -heart, still warm with its devotion to Beatriz, and she told him so, and -gave it to him with her all. Juan asked of Olmedo the Roman Catholic -rite to sanctify their union. Liliha assented, much wondering at first -why the words of another were requisite to bind them closer together. -They loved each other faithfully. How then could the bond be made dearer -or truer? It was difficult to make her understand the necessity of the -ceremonies and pledges with which Christians wed. With or without it, -however, she was the same faithful, sincere, joyous creature, right in -her instincts and quick in her perceptions. From their mingled blood -descended several noted chiefs. - -What of Olmedo? He lived long and usefully. The dying vision of Beatriz -was never absent from his thoughts. It had become a holy message to -him. Never did the good man let go by an opportunity for a kind act or -comforting word. His counsels and instruction were freely given to all -who applied. He lived apart from all others as he had always done, the -same solitary chaste man of God. So wrapt was he ever in his reflections, -inwardly conversing with his spirit-bride, that among the natives he was -known as Kapiolani, “the captive of heaven.” - -Beatriz was buried on the spot where she died. Olmedo erected a cross -over her remains with the simple inscription in Spanish, “_She is not -here._” He had consigned her dust to its mother earth, but the spirit -had gone back to the God who gave it. Daily at sunset he prayed over the -grave. Often that dear face came back to greet and cheer him, and as he -gazed, the same lowly whispered words, “for a little while,” fell on his -ear. He would then go back with fresh courage and hope to his earthly -home, fulfilling its duties as a sacred trust. When he died the tradition -does not tell. The last it says of the strange priest is, that he was -“the captive of heaven.” - -THE END. - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] An exception in one instance to this fact, so creditable to the -Hawaiians, is said to have occurred to one of the American missionary -ladies, to whom a native behaved with so much rudeness that the king, -Liholiho, only spared his life at the intercession of her husband. The -contemplated punishment for a breach of their national hospitality, shows -in what abhorrence they regarded a wanton insult to a white woman! - -[2] This is not fiction. A large party of warriors once met their death -in this way, while others of their company, encamped not far off, escaped. - -[3] _Lomilomi_, as this process is called, is peculiar to Polynesia, -for the Asiatic shampooing is but a rough substitute. In Hawaii it was -an art, and as much a necessary rite of hospitality to the fatigued -traveller, or even of luxurious pleasure, as the wine cup in Europe. -By it, commencing with almost imperceptible pressure, from the softest -hands, every part of the body was gradually submitted to gently -increasing force, until each muscle was kneaded and each joint stretched -and cracked, and the whole frame, with fatigue removed and endowed with -fresh vitality, was lulled into slumber or recruited for fresh exercise. -The Hawaiian Sybarites had invented a pleasure unknown to the Roman. The -latter, to have the greater capacity for gorging at their feasts, were -wont to prepare themselves by emetics, but the more ingeniously sensual -savage first eat his fill, and then resigned himself into the hands of -skilled and meretricious women, who, by their ingenious substitute of -artificial action of the muscles for natural exercise, hastened digestion -without the trouble of locomotion to the effeminate Hawaiian, and by a -most deliciously sense-exciting and restoring process, prepared him for -fresh gratification of his appetites. In this respect we need not regret -that the refinement of the art has departed from Hawaii, but the voyager -who has once experienced it in its genuineness, cannot but prize its -virtues. - - - - -CONVERSATION: ITS FAULTS AND ITS GRACES; - -OR, THE BEST MANNER OF SPEAKING, WRITING, AND PRONOUNCING THE ENGLISH -LANGUAGE CORRECTLY. - -COMPILED BY - -REV. ANDREW P. PEABODY, D.D. - -NEW EDITION: REVISED, WITH ADDITIONS. - -16mo, cloth stamped, marble edge, pp. 150. 50 cts. - -PUBLISHED BY - -JAMES MUNROE & CO., BOSTON AND CAMBRIDGE. - - -OPINIONS OF THE PRESS ON THE PREVIOUS EDITION OF THIS WORK. - -“This is an exceedingly interesting little volume, and one which deserves -to be carefully read and studied. It is not only a very interesting -publication, but a very timely one. There is a tendency, even with people -who know better, to use phrases which are far from correct, at first by -way of fun, but gradually they come to be incorporated into general use. -Dr. Peabody’s Address is very beautiful and sensible, and treats of the -principle and sentiment of conversation from a high point of view. It is -a very valuable compilation, and should have a wide circulation.”—_Boston -Daily Advertiser._ - -“This little volume is dedicated to American teachers, but it has words -of wisdom worthy the attention of all classes in the community. We -commend the work not only to those who have but little acquaintance with -grammatical rule, but even to scholars, for even they sometimes are -guilty of great enormities in English syntax. The name of Dr. Peabody is -a full and sufficient voucher and authority in this case, and this little -work deserves extensive circulation.”—_Boston Evening Transcript._ - -“A pure and graceful style of conversation cannot be learned from books; -but much may be done in the way of suggestion, which is well done in this -volume. It deserves to be studied.”—_Watchman and Reflector._ - -“The design and execution of this work are alike felicitous. It is -intended to secure the legitimate end of conversation, by correcting -what is amiss, and elevating its general tone and character. It consists -of several lectures and brief treatises, partly American, and partly -English, which, taken together, form as good a manual on the subject as -could be desired.”—_Puritan Recorder._ - -“CONVERSATION: ITS FAULTS AND ITS GRACES.—A little volume, but -instructive and highly valuable.”—_Christian Register._ - -“We welcome this volume as a timely and valuable auxiliary in the cause -of polite learning—a branch of the education of the present day which -does not receive sufficient attention from our authors and teachers of -grammar and rhetoric. It is not, however, a book for teachers alone, -but one that is happily adapted to general use. It should be read and -consulted by all persons who desire to speak the English language with -that elegance which adorns the conversation of ladies and gentlemen of -genuine cultivation, of taste, and true refinement of mind.”—_Christian -Examiner._ - -“This is a very useful little work, pointing out the true ends of -conversation, and exposing a number of current improprieties in writing -and speaking.”—_Methodist Quarterly Review._ - -“One of the most useful books the season has produced. It should be in -every family.”—_Boston Mercantile Advertiser._ - -“It is a work of great use, and should be in every family. The hints here -given would tend more to purity of language than a year’s study otherwise -devoted.”—_Portsmouth Journal._ - -“The greatest faults in our conversational habits do indeed require a -more deep and vital cure than is to be found in simple external omissions -or improvements; and these are admirably treated by the compiler in the -address delivered by him before the Newburyport Female High School, which -introduces this little volume. We cannot too earnestly commend this -Address to the consideration of readers of all ages. The compilation is -most judiciously made, and should be widely circulated. We welcome this -little volume as indicating the gravest dangers which threaten sometimes -to make conversation more of a hindrance than a help, and also as one -which in a lively manner will suggest to young people the absurd errors -into which so many unconsciously fall.”—_Salem Gazette._ - -“This neat little work is made up of a lecture by Rev. A. P. Peabody, and -several English essays. Its aim is not only to direct us in conversation, -so as to make it entertaining and morally pure, but also to furnish -rules against the most common verbal faults. It carries out its purpose -admirably.”—_Portland Advertiser._ - - - - -WORKS OF JAMES J. JARVES, - -PUBLISHED BY - -HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK; and SAMPSON LOW, SON & Co., LONDON. - - -=Art-Hints: Architecture, Sculpture, and Painting.= By JAMES JACKSON -JARVES, Esq., author of “Parisian Sights and French Principles,” “History -of the Sandwich Islands,” &c. Post 8vo. Cloth, $1.25; half-calf, $1.75. - - “There are few subjects connected with art in relation to its - history, to matter, and to mind, which Mr. Jarves does not - touch upon, and with so much freshness of thought, enthusiasm - tempered with judgment, and sensibility to the beautiful, as - to render his remarks no less pleasant to read than they are - instructive.... His remarks evince sound discrimination and - good taste. It is when we have such a book as this under our - notice, that we find most occasion to regret our inability, - from want of space, to quote from it.”—_Art-Union, London._ - - “Fervent and useful—clever and well-written. Mr. Jarves’s - language displays a strong nervous structure, that indicates - a strong thinker.” “America has at last produced a writer - who may help to educate her in art, guide her infant steps, - and to point out the pitfalls that surround the pilgrim of - Art.”—_London Athenæum._ - - “This is the only way in which it is worth while to write about - art, and Mr. Jarves founding on high principles, and honest and - acute in applying them, will be found, without at all rivalling - such a man as Ruskin in depth or originality, well worth the - hearing.”—_London Spectator._ - - “ ... We have seldom indeed read a book which excited more - respect for the author and sympathy for his opinions—his - criticism is in general at once refined and elevated in - spirit, animated by a thorough and patient knowledge of what - he is describing, and for the most part singularly just and - sound.”—_London Guardian._ - - “The work is one that may render good service to students in - this country as well as in America. It is a suggestive as well - as instructive volume, and deals with the philosophy as well as - the facts of the history of art.”—_London Literary Gazette._ - - “We commend the volume for its pleasant style, its varied - historical facts, its fresh and honest criticisms, its rare - good sense, its interesting analysis of Art in different - countries, its hopeful and healthy tone, and the importance of - the theme to which it relates.”—_Boston Transcript._ - - “It does one good to fall in with such a book as this, one that - shows intimate knowledge of the subject it handles, and is - yet free from pedantry or pretence; one in which the author’s - glowing enthusiasm is tempered by judgment and discretion. From - its earnestness and loving tone, you might suppose it the work - of a tyro; from its moderation and respect for the opinion - of others, it impresses you with the belief that the writer - has pondered much, ere he gave his opinions to the world. - Not that he is deficient in boldness; very far from it, he - sometimes runs counter to the general voice; and—what is a far - better token of moral courage—he does not minister to national - self-love.”—_Albion, New York._ - - “Gracefully and elegantly written, this work is destined to - take rank with those masterly criticisms which have given the - name of Ruskin such a world-wide reputation.”—_New York Herald._ - - “Hardly a page of this book but abounds with thoughtful comment - and valuable suggestion.”—_New York Churchman._ - - “Next after Ruskin we are disposed to rank the author of - Art-Hints.”—_North American Review._ - - “Mr. Jarves has written upon a subject with which thought and - taste, education and travel, enthusiasm and observation, have - made him most familiar. He has written well, because with - fulness of knowledge and clearness of expression. At times, his - language rises into eloquence but it is always lucid, nervous, - and harmonious.”—_New York Times._ - - “Mr. Jarves’s views on Art are as remarkable for their calmness - and good sense, as for their requisite appreciation of every - form of genuine beauty.”—_Courier and Inquirer, N. Y._ - - “A work which every American tourist in Europe should read - carefully before setting out, and consult frequently while - among the art-collections of the old world.”—_Godey’s Ladies - Magazine._ - - “A noble sermon on Art.”—_Christian Examiner._ - -=Parisian Sights and French Principles=, seen through AMERICAN -SPECTACLES. First and Second Series. 12mo., with numerous illustrations. -Price, $1.00 each. - - “A better picture of Paris, in so narrow a compass, we have - never seen.”—_N. Y. Courier and Enquirer._ - - “As a shrewd observer, a stinging critic of society, and - a lively narrator, we have not seen his superior for many - a day,—one of the most amusing books of the time.”—_N. Y. - Tribune._ - - “Without question one of the raciest books ever written upon - Parisian life and manners.”—_Boston Post._ - -=Italian Sights and Papal Principles.= With numerous illustrations. 12mo. -Muslin, $1.00. - - “In variety of style, truth of description, and piquancy of - criticism, Mr. Jarves has few competitors among tourists.”—_New - York Independent._ - - “Mr. Jarves combines many important qualities which are - essential to the character of an intelligent tourist. He is, - evidently, a person of education and refinement, conversant - with the principles of art, as well as familiar with its chief - productions; cherishing an interest in religious systems, - apart from their external ceremonies, and accustomed to carry - a critical spirit into his observations of nature and society. - Hence, the sketches, of which this volume is composed, are not - only spirited, but informing. They furnish an impressive idea - of the grandeur and the glory, and the degradation and shame of - modern Italy. They are not merely brilliantly colored pictures - addressed to the eye, but pregnant illustrations of profound - social truths. As a writer on art, Mr. Jarves will well sustain - his reputation in this volume; while his description of - ecclesiastical ceremonies, local scenery, and popular customs, - will place him in the front rank of recent travellers.”—_Home - Journal._ - -⁂ _HARPER AND BROTHER will send either of the above works by mail, -postage paid, (for any distance in the United States under 3000 miles,) -on receipt of the price._ - - - - -IN PRESS. - -PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO., Winter Street, Boston, - -WILL PUBLISH, OCTOBER FIRST, - -“WHY AND WHAT AM I:” - -THE CONFESSIONS OF AN INQUIRER, - -In Three Parts. - -PART FIRST, HEART EXPERIENCE; OR, THE EDUCATION OF THE EMOTIONS. - -BY JAMES J. JARVES. - - -This is a _resumé_ of life-experiences in the spheres of the affections, -art, and religion. The first part is a narrative of educational -experiments and conclusions, embracing a wide and varied field of -adventure, erratic, and often at war with commonly received opinions, -but earnest, sincere, and thoughtful. Whatever judgment may be formed of -the author’s philosophy of life, no one will question the frankness of -his Confessions or withhold sympathy from feelings that touch and try -all hearts alike, and make us sensible of our common brotherhood. The -descriptive portion of society and manners in Polynesia, with particular -reference to the great question of the capacity of the Indian and Negro -races for civilization and Christianity, is of particular interest. There -are, too, not a little of the spirit and savor of Sterne, Rabelais, and -Montaigne, in its pages; an audacity of revelation and reflection, and an -unshrinking probing into the issues of humanity, with an individuality of -style, not common in modern literature, which will make the book either a -decided success or the reverse. - - - - -IN PRESS. - -PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO., - -WILL PUBLISH, NOVEMBER FIRST, - -Part Second of the preceding Work, - -NAMELY, - -ÆSTHETIC CULTURE; OR, THE ART-IDEA, - -BY JAMES JACKSON JARVES. - - -This portion of the work is intended to show the importance of -Art-culture individually and nationally, and treats of Art in relation -to principles, religions, races, climate, artists, and science, with -particular reference to its quality and prospects in America, embracing a -critical review of the works of many of our living artists, as compared -with European artists of the present and past ages, and a historical -review of Art-motives of ancient and modern times. A competent critic who -has examined the MS., pronounces it “an original and vigorous Æsthetic -Treatise, evincing a profound study of the subject, and a rare insight -into the principles of Art.” - - - - -KIANA: A TRADITION OF HAWAII. - -BY JAMES JACKSON JARVES, - -Author of “History of the Hawaiian Islands,” “Parisian” and “Italian -Sights,” “Art-Hints,” &c., &c. - -WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. - -Price $1.00. - -Published by JAMES MUNROE & Co., No. 134 Washington Street, BOSTON. - -⁂ _Copies sent by mail for above price._ - - -_Extracts from the Preface._ - - “In my youth I spent several years in different parts of the - Pacific Ocean, but chiefly at the Sandwich or Hawaiian Islands. - While engaged in procuring materials for their history,—first - published in 1843,—I was much struck with a tradition relating - to their discovery by Europeans, two and a half centuries - before Cook so accidentally stumbled upon them. Briefly it was - this— - - “Eighteen generations of kings previous to Kamehameha I., - during the reign of Kahoukapa, or Kiana, there arrived at - Hawaii, a white priest, bringing with him an idol, which by - his persuasion, was enrolled in the calendar of the Hawaiian - gods, and a temple erected for its service. The stranger priest - acquired great influence, and left a reputation for goodness - that was green in the memories of the people of Hawaii three - centuries later. Another statement adds that a vessel was - wrecked on the island, and the captain and his sister reached - the shore, where they were kindly received and adopted into the - families of the chiefs. - - “Without enlarging here upon the tradition, and the light my - subsequent researches threw upon it, I will simply state that I - became convinced that a Spanish priest, woman, and several men - were rescued from a wreck, landed and lived on Hawaii, acquired - power and consideration from their superior knowledge, and for - a while were even regarded as gods. Some of them intermarried - with the aborigines, and their blood still exists (or did - recently) among certain families, who pride themselves greatly - upon their foreign origin. - - “Other traces of their existence are perceptible in the - customs, ideas, and even the language of the natives, which - last has a number of words strikingly analogous to the Spanish - of the same meaning. Captain Cook found among them a remnant of - a sword-blade and another bit of iron. They were not strangers - to this metal, and as no ores exist in their soil, they could - have derived their knowledge solely from foreign intercourse. - - “Soon after the conquest of Mexico, Cortez sent three vessels - upon an exploring expedition to California. After sailing as - far as 29° north, one was sent back to report progress. The - other two held on and were never heard from. Why may not one - of these be the vessel that was wrecked on Hawaii? The winds - would naturally drive her in that direction, and the date of - the expedition agrees, so far as can be made out from Hawaiian - chronology, with the time of the first arrival of white men - on that island. Indeed, at that period of maritime discovery, - white men could come from no other quarter. For my part, I - believe that a port of Mexico was the starting point of the - wrecked party; a conjecture which derives some plausibility - from the fact, that, when the natives offered the whites - bananas and other tropical fruits, they were familiar with - them, which would be the case, if they came from Tehuantepec, - whence Cortez fitted out his vessel. - - “To absolutely identify the white strangers of Hawaii with - the missing ships of Cortez, it is not now possible. But the - interest in them, left thus isolated from civilization amid - savages, upon an island in the centre of the then unknown ocean - is peculiar. Especially have I always been curious to trace the - fate of the solitary white woman,—a waif of refinement cast - thus on a barbarous shore,—and of the priest too,—to learn how - far their joint influence tempered the heathenism into which - they were thrown, or whether they were finally overcome by - paganism. - - “Twelve years ago while amid the scenery described in this - volume, and the customs and traditions of the natives were - fresh in my mind, I began to pen their history; but other - objects prevented my going on, until the past winter, when - leisure and the advice of friends, pleased with the subject, - prompted its completion. The descriptions of the natural - features of this remarkable island, of the religion, customs, - government, and conditions of its aborigines, as well as the - events in general, are as faithful transcripts, in words, of - the actual, to my personal knowledge, as it is in my power to - give.” - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KIANA: A TRADITION OF HAWAII*** - - -******* This file should be named 60066-0.txt or 60066-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/0/0/6/60066 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/60066-0.zip b/old/60066-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 69edf91..0000000 --- a/old/60066-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h.zip b/old/60066-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2864787..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/60066-h.htm b/old/60066-h/60066-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 8a3ddf2..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/60066-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9921 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> - -<head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> -<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Kiana: a Tradition of Hawaii, by James Jackson Jarves</title><link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> -<style type="text/css"> - -a { - text-decoration: none; -} - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -h1,h2,h3,h4 { - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -hr { - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - clear: both; - width: 65%; - margin-left: 17.5%; - margin-right: 17.5%; -} - -p { - margin-top: 0.5em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: 0.5em; - text-indent: 1em; -} - -.ads { - margin: auto; - max-width: 35em; -} - -.blockquote { - margin: 1.5em 10%; -} - -.caption { - text-align: center; - margin-bottom: 1em; - font-size: 90%; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.center { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.dedication { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - line-height: 1.5em; - margin-top: 3em; - margin-bottom: 3em; - font-size: 120%; -} - -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.figleft { - float: left; - clear: left; - margin-left: 0; - margin-bottom: 1em; - margin-top: 1em; - margin-right: 1em; - padding: 0; - text-align: center; -} - -.figright { - float: right; - clear: right; - margin-left: 1em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - margin-top: 1em; - margin-right: 0; - padding: 0; - text-align: center; -} - -.footnotes { - margin-top: 1em; - border: dashed 1px; -} - -.footnote { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; - font-size: 0.9em; -} - -.footnote .label { - position: absolute; - right: 84%; - text-align: right; -} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: none; -} - -.hanging { - padding-left: 2em; - text-indent: -2em; -} - -.larger { - font-size: 150%; -} - -.pagenum { - position: absolute; - right: 4%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; - font-style: normal; -} - -.poetry-container { - text-align: center; - margin: 1em; -} - -.poetry { - display: inline-block; - text-align: left; -} - -.poetry .stanza { - margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em; -} - -.poetry .verse { - text-indent: -3em; - padding-left: 3em; -} - -.poetry .indent1 { - text-indent: -2em; -} - -.poetry .indent2 { - text-indent: -1em; -} - -.poetry .indent3 { - text-indent: 0em; -} - -.poetry .indent8 { - text-indent: 5em; -} - -.poetry .indent10 { - text-indent: 7em; -} - -.right { - text-align: right; -} - -.smaller { - font-size: 80%; -} - -.smcap { - font-variant: small-caps; - font-style: normal; -} - -.titlepage { - text-align: center; - margin-top: 3em; - text-indent: 0em; -} - -@media handheld { - -img { - max-width: 100%; - width: auto; - height: auto; -} - -.poetry { - display: block; - margin-left: 1.5em; -} - -.blockquote { - margin: 1.5em 5%; -} -} - - - hr.full { width: 100%; - margin-top: 3em; - margin-bottom: 0em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - height: 4px; - border-width: 4px 0 0 0; /* remove all borders except the top one */ - border-style: solid; - border-color: #000000; - clear: both; } - </style> -</head> -<body> -<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Kiana: a Tradition of Hawaii, by James -Jackson Jarves</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: Kiana: a Tradition of Hawaii</p> -<p>Author: James Jackson Jarves</p> -<p>Release Date: August 6, 2019 [eBook #60066]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KIANA: A TRADITION OF HAWAII***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4>E-text prepared by Tim Lindell<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (<a href="https://archive.org">https://archive.org</a>)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - <a href="https://archive.org/details/kianatradition00jarvrich"> - https://archive.org/details/kianatradition00jarvrich</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="400" height="500" alt="" /> -<p class="caption"><i>J. Webber del.</i> <i>I. Andrews. Sc.</i></p> -<p class="caption"><i>A Hawaiian Chief.</i></p> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span></p> - -<p class="titlepage larger">KIANA:<br /> -<span class="smaller">A TRADITION OF HAWAII.</span></p> - -<p class="titlepage"><span class="smaller">BY</span><br /> -JAMES J. JARVES,</p> - -<p class="center smaller">Author of “History of the Hawaiian Islands,” “Parisian” and “Italian Sights,”<br /> -“Art-Hints,” &c., &c.</p> - -<p class="titlepage">BOSTON AND CAMBRIDGE:<br /> -JAMES MUNROE AND COMPANY.</p> - -<p class="center">LONDON:<br /> -S. LOW, SON, AND COMPANY,<br /> -Ludgate Hill.</p> - -<p class="center smaller">M DCCC LVII.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller">Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by<br /> -<span class="smcap">James Munroe and Company</span>,<br /> -In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.</p> - -<p class="titlepage smaller">CAMBRIDGE:<br /> -THURSTON AND TORRY, PRINTERS.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span></p> - -<p class="dedication"><span class="smaller">TO<br /> -HIS MAJESTY</span><br /> -<b>ALEXANDER LIHOLIHO,</b><br /> -<span class="smaller">WHO NOW SO WORTHILY FILLS THE THRONE OF THE</span><br /> -HAWAIIAN ISLANDS,<br /> -<span class="smaller">AS</span><br /> -KAMEHAMEHA IV.,<br /> -<span class="smaller">THIS TRADITION OF HIS KINGDOM IS</span><br /> -RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p> - -<h2>PREFACE.</h2> - -<p>Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as Fiction. -Every emotion, thought, or action embodied into literature -has been human experience at some time. We can -imagine nothing within the laws of nature, but what has -had or may have an actual existence. A novel, therefore, -but personifies the Truth. In giving a local interest to -its actors, it introduces them to the reader through the -medium of sympathies and passions, common to his own -heart, of reason intelligible to his own mind, or of moral -sentiments that find an echo in his own soul. Its success -depends upon the skill and feeling with which the author -works out his characters into a consistent whole—creating -a simple and effective unity out of his plot, locality, -and motive. Still every reader likes to feel that the persons -whose fates warm his interest in the pages of a -romance, actually lived and were as tangibly human as -himself, and his degree of interest is apt to be in ratio to -his belief that they were real personages. I am glad, -therefore, to be able to assure my readers of the following -facts.</p> - -<p>In my youth I spent several years in different parts of -the Pacific Ocean, but chiefly at the Sandwich or Hawaiian<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> -Islands. While engaged in procuring materials for -their history,—first published in 1843,—I was much -struck with a tradition relating to their history by Europeans, -two and a half centuries before Cook so accidentally -stumbled upon them. Briefly it was this—</p> - -<p>Eighteen generations of kings previous to Kamehameha -I., during the reign of Kahoukapa, or Kiana, there arrived -at Hawaii, a white priest, bringing with him an idol, which, -by his persuasion, was enrolled in the calendar of the -Hawaiian gods, and a temple erected for its service. -The stranger priest acquired great influence, and left a -reputation for goodness that was green in the memories -of the people of Hawaii three centuries later. Another -statement adds that a vessel was wrecked on the island, -and the captain and his sister reached the shore, where -they were kindly received and adopted into the families of -the chiefs.</p> - -<p>Without enlarging here upon the tradition, and the -light my subsequent researches threw upon it, I will simply -state that I became convinced that a Spanish priest, -woman, and several men were rescued from a wreck, -landed and lived in Hawaii, and acquired power and -consideration from their superior knowledge, and for a -while were even regarded as gods. Some of them intermarried -with the aborigines, and their blood still exists -(or did recently) among certain families, who pride themselves -greatly upon their foreign origin.</p> - -<p>Other traces of their existence are perceptible in the -customs, ideas, and even the language of the natives,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span> -which last has a number of words strikingly analogous to -the Spanish of the same meaning. Captain Cook found -among them a remnant of a sword-blade and another bit -of iron. They were not strangers to this metal, and as -no ores exist in their soil, they could have derived their -knowledge solely from foreign intercourse.</p> - -<p>Soon after the conquest of Mexico, Cortez sent three -vessels upon an exploring expedition to California. After -sailing as far as 29° north, one was sent back to report -progress. The other two held on and were never heard -from. Why may not one of these be the vessel that was -wrecked on Hawaii? The winds would naturally drive -her in that direction, and the date of the expedition -agrees, so far as can be made out from Hawaiian chronology, -with the time of the first arrival of white men on -that island. Indeed, at that period of maritime discovery, -white men could come from no other quarter. For my -part, I believe that a port of Mexico was the starting -point of the wrecked party; a conjecture which derives -some plausibility from the fact, that, when the natives -offered the whites bananas and other tropical fruits, they -were familiar with them, which would be the case, if they -came from Tehuantepec, from whence Cortez fitted out -his vessel.</p> - -<p>To absolutely identify the white strangers of Hawaii -with the missing ships of Cortez, is not now possible. -But the interest in them, left thus isolated from civilization -amid savages, upon an island in the centre of the -then unknown ocean, is peculiar. Especially have I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> -always been curious to trace the fate of the solitary -white woman,—a waif of refinement cast thus on a -barbarous shore,—and of the priest too,—to learn how -far their joint influence tempered the heathenism into -which they were thrown, or whether they were finally -overcome by paganism.</p> - -<p>Twelve years ago, while amid the scenery described in -this volume, and the customs and traditions of the natives -were fresh in my mind, I began to pen their history; but -other objects prevented my going on, until the past winter, -when leisure and the advice of friends, pleased with -the subject, prompted its completion. The descriptions -of the natural features of this remarkable island, of the -religion, customs, government, and conditions of its aborigines, -as well as the events in general, are as faithful -transcripts, in words, of the actual, to my personal knowledge, -as it is in my power to give.</p> - -<p>In saying thus much for the facts, I am in duty bound -to add a word for the ideas. Prefaces, some say, are -never read. It may be so. But for myself, I like the -good old custom, by which as author, or reader, I can talk -or be talked directly to. It is the only way of familiar -intercourse between two parties so essential to each other. -I shall therefore speak on.</p> - -<p>Every tale is based upon certain ideas, which are its -life-blood. Of late, fiction has become the channel by -which the topics most in the thought of the age, or which -bear directly upon its welfare, reach most readily the -popular mind. But few authors, however, can count<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> -upon many readers, and I am not one of them. Still -what a man has to say to the public, should be his earnest -thought frankly told. No one has a monopoly of wisdom. -The most gifted author cannot fill the measure of the -understanding. The humblest may give utterance to -ideas, that, however plain to most thinkers, may through -him be the means of first reaching some minds, or at -least suggesting thoughts that shall leave them wiser and -happier. If what he say, has in it no substance of -truth, it will speedily come to naught. But on the -contrary, if it contain simply the seeds of truth, they -will be sure to find a ripening soil somewhere in human -hearts, and bud and blossom into peace and progress. -With this motive I have spoken freely such views as -have been prompted by my experience and reflections. -They are not much to read, nor much to skip. Whichever -the reader does, he carries with him my warmest -wishes for his welfare, and the hope that if he find in -the Story nothing to instruct, it may still be not -without the power “to amuse.”</p> - -<p class="smaller hanging"><span class="smcap">Casa Dauphiné</span>,<br /> -Piazza Maria Antonia,<br /> -<i>Florence</i>, 1857.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p> - -<h1>KIANA:<br /> -A TRADITION OF HAWAII.</h1> - -<h2>CHAPTER I.</h2> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“They that sail on the sea tell of the danger thereof; and when -we hear it with our ears, we marvel thereat.”—<i>Ecclesiasticus</i>, -xliii. 24.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">The furrow followed free;</div> -<div class="verse">We were the first that ever burst</div> -<div class="verse indent1">Into that silent sea.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><i>Ancient Mariner.</i></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>To be alone on the great ocean, to feel besides -the ship that bears you, nothing human floats -within your world’s horizon, begets in a thoughtful -mind a deep solemnity. The voyager is, as it -were, at once brought before the material image -of eternity. Sky and sea, each recedes without -limit from his view; a circle above, a circle around, -a circle underneath, no beginning, no ending, no -repose for the sight, no boundary on which to fix -the thought, but growing higher and higher, wider -and wider, deeper and deeper, as the eye gazes and -finds no resting point,—both sea and sky suggest, -with overpowering force, that condition of soul -which, knowing neither time nor space, forever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> -mounts Godward. In no mood does Nature speak -louder to the heart than in her silence. When her -thunders roll through the atmosphere and the hills -tremble, the ocean surges and the wind wails; -when she laughs through her thousand notes from -bird or blossom, the heart either exults at the strife, -or grows tender with sympathy in the universal -joy. But place man alone on the ocean, shrouded -in silence, with no living thing beyond his own -tiny, wooden world for companionship, he begins -to realize in the mighty expanse which engulfs -his vision his own physical insignificancy. The -very stars that look down upon him, with light -twinkling and faint, from the rapidity with which -they have sent their rays through distant firmaments -to greet his vision and tell him there are -countless worlds of greater beauty and higher perfection -for his spirit to explore; even they deepen -his feeling of littleness, till, finally, his soul recovers -its dignity in the very magnitude of the scenery -spread for its exploration. It knows that all this -is but a portion of its heritage; that earth, air and -water, the very planets that mock its curiosity, are -ministering spirits, given with all their mysteries -to be finally absorbed into its own all-penetrating -nature.</p> - -<p>Few, however, can so realize their own spirit-power, -as to be calm in a calm. A motionless -ship upon a silent ocean has a phantom look. -The tall, tapering spars, the symmetrical tracery of -ropes, the useless sails in white drooping folds, the -black body in sharp relief in the white light, added<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> -to the ghost-ship,—the twin of the one in the -air,—in dimly-shadowed companionship, hull uppermost -and her masts pointing downwards in the -blue water, make up a spectral picture. As day -after day passes, overhead a hot burning sun whose -rays blind without rejoicing, no ripple upon the -water, no life, because neither fish nor bird can -bear the heat; the very garbage thrown overboard -floating untouched, as if destruction rejected her -own; the night mantling all in darkness, making -silence still more oppressive,—for even the blocks -refuse their wonted creaking;—all this consumes -the body like rust slowly eating into iron. Nature -faints and man sinks into her lassitude. He feels -deserted of his own mother. She that bore him -mocks him. Perchance a cold grey sky, pregnant -with gloom, shuts down all around him, reflecting -itself in the ocean which looks even greyer and -colder. The atmosphere grows barren of light. -No wind comes. Silent, motionless, and despairing, -the vessel lies upon the waters; not slumbering, -for every nerve within is quickened to unnatural -keenness to catch a sign of change. It comes not. -The seamen’s hearts, too worn to pray or curse, -daily sink deeper within them, like masses of lead -slowly finding their way through the fathomless -depths of the ocean. A sail, a floating spar, a -shark or devil fish, anything that were of man or -beast, a shrub, the tiniest sea-snail or wildest bird, -would be welcomed as Columbus hailed the floating -signs that told to his mutinous crew a coming -shore.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span></p> - -<p>But none come. Weeks go by thus. Is man a -god that his soul cannot fail within him! Must -he not sympathize with the surrounding inanition! -Welcome battle, welcome storm, welcome all that -excites his energies, though it consume blood and -muscle; be the mind racked and the body tortured; -still man marches triumphantly on to his object. -But take away opposition, reduce him to nothingness, -convince him that action begets no result, -that will is powerless, and he is no longer man. -Not to act is conscious annihilation. But Nature -never wholly deserts. She leaves hope to cheer -humanity with promises that sooner or later must -be fulfilled. There is, however, no condition so -destitute of all that makes man <i>Man</i> as helpless -solitude, when mind and body alike without action, -stagnate and forget their origin.</p> - -<p>Such was the condition of the crew of a vessel -about the year 1530, lying motionless on the waters -of the Pacific, not far from 25° north latitude and -140° west longitude. The bark was of that frail -class, called caravel, scarcely fitted to navigate a -small lake, much less to explore unknown seas. -Yet, in those days European navigators did not -hesitate to trust their lives and fortunes, on voyages -of years’ duration, to craft which would now be condemned -even for river navigation. The one of -which we speak was of about seventy tons burden, -with a high poop, which gave a comfortable cabin, -a half deck and a forecastle, raised like the poop, -sufficient to give partial shelter to the numerous -crew. One mast with a large lateen sail rose from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> -the centre of the vessel, but her progress was aided -as much by oars as by canvas. At the masthead -was a castle-shaped box, in which the seamen -could comfortably remain, either as lookouts, or for -defence. This gave to the spar a clumsy, top-heavy -look, wholly inconsistent with our modern -ideas of nautical symmetry.</p> - -<p>It was plain that the caravel had been long from -port, and had suffered much from stress of weather. -Her sides were rusty grey; barnacles clung so -thickly below and above the water line, as to -greatly interfere with her sailing qualities; the -seams were open, and as the hot sun poured upon -them, pitch oozed out. A tattered and threadbare -sail hung loosely from the long yard which swayed -from the masthead. The cordage appeared -strained and worn to its last tension. Iron rust -had eaten through and stained the wood in all -parts of the hull. If paint had ever existed, the -elements had long since eaten it up. Everything -indicated long and hard usage. Yet amid all there -were signs of seamanship and discipline; for bad -and shattered as were rope, spar, and sail, everything -was in its place and in the best order its condition -permitted.</p> - -<p>Within the cabin was a weather-beaten young -man, well made, of a strong and active frame, -features bronzed by long exposure to varied climates, -and fine soft hair, somewhat light in color, -which even now would have curled gracefully, had -it been properly cared for. He lay ill and panting -on the transom, with his face close to the open<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> -port, gasping for air; not that he was seriously reduced, -for it was readily seen that fatigue, anxiety -and scanty fare had more to do with his weak condition -than actual disease. Near him was a rude -chart of the coasts of Mexico and adjacent sea, -which he had long and carefully, and, to all appearance, -fruitlessly studied. It was covered with a labyrinth -of pencil marks, indicating a confused idea both -of navigation and his present position. He had been -recently poring over it, and at last had thrown it -aside as utterly worthless, or at all events as affording -him no clue by which to extricate himself from -his present situation in a sea wholly unknown to -the navigators of his day.</p> - -<p>Near him sat a priest, whose thoughtful, benevolent -face was far from expressing despair even -under their present circumstances. He talked to the -young man of the necessity of trusting themselves -to the guidance of Providence, and sought to cheer -him by his own hopeful serenity and untiring -action.</p> - -<p>Around the deck and under such shelter from -the heat as they could contrive, the crew reclined -in mournful groups; some with faces hardened -into despair, and others careless or indifferent. A -few only manifested a spirit of pious resignation. -The strongest seldom spoke. Their looks were as -sullen as their tempers were fierce, and if they -opened their mouths, it was to mutter or curse, -daring Nature to do her worst. Nothing but their -physical debility prevented frequent violent explosions -of the pent-up irritability arising from their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -helpless state. Disease and starvation were rapidly -adding fresh horrors to their situation. One -seaman lay on the hard deck with a broken thigh, -in which mortification had already begun, groaning -and piteously asking for water. In his thirst he -would have drank more in one hour than was allowanced -to the entire crew for a day’s consumption. -Several others, whose fevered tongues rattled from -dryness, were also tossing and moaning on the rough -planks, too weak or hopeless to join in the fruitless -appeal of their dying comrade. Such water as they -had was clotted with slime, and impregnated with -foul odors. Their meat was all gone, and the little -bread left, musty and worm-eaten.</p> - -<p>All wore the look of having long struggled with -adverse fortune. They were men whose element -was made up of hardship and adventure; men, -who, forgetting in one hour’s better fortune all -that had brought them to their present condition, -would not hesitate to embark again on a similar -errand. Here they were, bowed in spirit, haggard -in features, their hardy limbs lying torpidly about, -indifferent to death itself, but worn to worse than -death by drifting for weeks about under a pitiless -sun on an unknown sea, which the oldest of them -had never heard of, and which seemed to them as if -they had arrived within the confines of stagnant -matter, where they were doomed to rot in body -and decay in mind, coffined in their vessel, whose -slow destruction kept even pace with their own.</p> - -<p>Five of their number had already died and been -cast overboard. Gladly would they have seen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> -sharks gorge themselves on their late shipmates, as -that would have shown them that the water still -contained life. But no carrion fishes came near -them. With faces upturned and glassy eyes fixed -upon the caravel, those corpses floated about them -so long that the crew were at last afraid to look -over the bulwarks for fear of seeing what they -desired so much to forget.</p> - -<p>But humanity had not altogether abandoned -them. The frailest in body among that vessel’s -company proved the strongest in faith and action. -A woman was of their number. Consuming even -less of their provisions than the others, she reserved -herself, and in great measure her allowance of food, -for those whose necessity she considered as greater -than her own. At all hours was she to be seen -moving quietly about, speaking hope and courage to -one, giving to eat or drink to another, or fanning -the hot brow of a half delirious sufferer, while -she talked to him of a home into which no suffering -could enter, if the heart once were right. Especially -was she devoted to the young man in the -cabin. He evidently relied even more upon her -than upon the priest, and imbibed fresh strength -and hope from her voice and example. The priest -was equally unwearied with his bodily aid and -spiritual counsel to the crew. Thus it was that -amid the most trying of the experiences of ocean-life, -despair did not altogether quench hope.</p> - -<p>Yet what situation could be more cheerless! -One altogether similar in the history of navigation -had never occurred before, and by the hurried course<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -of discovery and civilization, would not again occur. -They were literally <span class="smcap">alone</span>, drifting on an -unknown, motionless sea. No winds stirred its -surface; no birds flew by; no fishes came up from -beneath their keel; there was no change except -from the burning day to the feverish night, which -brought with it no cooling dew, nor any sign to -excite a sailor’s hope. Although they could not -know the fact, not a vessel beside theirs for thousands -of miles east or west, north or south, floated -on that ocean. Driven thither against their wills, -they were the first to explore its solitude. It was -true that continents and archipelagoes thickly -peopled were around them, but for all they knew, -they were being carried by an irresistible fate to -the boundary of nature, whence they would drop -into a fathomless void. They were therefore literally -<span class="smcap">alone</span>.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER II.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“Suddaine they see from midst of all the maine,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">The surging waters like a Mountain rise,</div> -<div class="verse">And the great Sea, puft up with proud Disdaine,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">To swell above the measure of his guise,</div> -<div class="verse">Threatening to devoure all that his Powre despise.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Spenser.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The caravel in question was more than ordinarily -frail, having been hastily equipped with two others -from the port of Tehuantepec in Mexico, at the -order of Cortez for the exploration of the continent -about and above the gulf of California. It is true, -an experienced seaman named Grijalva had been -put in command, and he had been so far successful -as to have reached the twenty-ninth degree of north -latitude. Thence one vessel had been sent back -with an account of his progress. The other two -continued their explorations northward, with the -hope of arriving at that kingdom so rich in precious -metals, of which they had heard so many rumors -from the recently conquered Mexicans. Creeping -coastwise slowly upward, many fine bays with -shores rich in verdure met their view, but of gold -they found no traces, and of inhabitants, with the -exception of an occasional glimpse of a naked -savage, who ran terrified away, they were equally<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> -unsuccessful. Yet they were navigating waters, -the tributary streams of which were literally bedded -in gold. But neither the time nor people to which -this treasure was to be disclosed had arrived. -Consequently, Grijalva, with his eyes blinded to -what was constantly within his reach, saw nothing -but a vast wilderness, which promised neither -wealth nor honor as the reward of further exploration. -Reluctantly, therefore, he turned his course -southward. That night a severe gale came on, -and both caravels were driven far from their course -towards the southwest. It was in vain with -such unseaworthy vessels that Grijalva sought to -regain the coast. The wind blew him still farther -into unknown seas, which daily became more tempestuous, -until his storm-shattered vessel sank in -sight of her scarcely better conditioned consort, -engulfing all on board.</p> - -<p>This sight for the moment chilled the hearts of -the surviving crew, and paralyzed their exertions. -But Spanish seamen and the soldiers of Cortez -were too accustomed to death in every form, to -long despair. They redoubled their efforts, and by -bailing and cautious steering, keeping the vessel -directly before the wind, weathered the gale, which -the next day was succeeded by the fatal calm, -already described.</p> - -<p>There were on board some twenty persons, veterans -in the hardships and conflicts of the new -world. Their commander was the young man that -lay exhausted in the cabin. He spoke to the -woman who now sat with his head on her lap,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> -while she gave him such meagre refreshment as -their famished bark afforded. His name was Juan -Alvirez. Hers was Beatriz. They were brother -and sister. He had been a volunteer with Narvaez, -and after his defeat enlisted under Cortez, and was -present at the siege of Mexico, and all the subsequent -expeditions of his commander, to whom -he was greatly attached. This attachment was -founded in a congeniality of temperament, which -led him to emulate the heroic daring and unflinching -perseverance of Cortez, while his more powerful -intellect was equally an object of his profound admiration. -With the same thirst for adventure, the -same chivalric courage, the same devotion to the -Catholic worship, the same contempt for the rights, -feelings or sufferings of others so that his own -desire was gained, devout and loyal, with deep -affections, easily moved to anger or kindness, childlike -in his impulses, yet strong in action, Alvirez in -most points, except judgment, might be considered -a Cortez on a small scale. Indeed, his intimacy -with him, begun when Alvirez was not twenty -years of age, had, by strengthening the natural traits -of character so similar to his own, quite merged -him into his commander. His individuality was -shown chiefly in executing what Cortez ordered, -and in blind though gallant acts of devotion, upon -the spur of emergency, in which prudence or generalship -were not often considered.</p> - -<p>Alvirez was frank and social. These qualities -joined to his tried bravery made him the favorite of -all. Even the Mexicans who had so often suffered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> -from his arm, learned to distinguish and admire in -him that generous fearlessness to all danger, which -pitiless to them, was self-devoted to his own cause, -and stooping to no artifice in action, went direct to -its mark, like the swoop of a hawk upon its quarry. -With them he was known as Tonatiuh, ‘the child -of the sun,’ from his burning glance and stroke as -quick as light. His thirst for adventure keeping -him in continual action, he gladly volunteered to -command the soldiery in the expeditions which -Cortez sent to explore and subdue the unknown -regions to the north of Mexico.</p> - -<p>Not yet in the prime of life, we find this Spanish -cavalier, faint from exertions which had wearied -out all on board, lying half helpless, grieving over -the fate of the brave seamen who had so long and -skilfully kept the little squadron afloat.</p> - -<p>His sister Beatriz shared many of these traits -with her brother. She was as brave, self-devoted, -ardent, and impulsive as he, but true womanhood -and a benevolence of heart which instinctively led -her to seek the happiness of those with whom she -was, made her in conduct an altogether different -being. Deeply imbued with the Roman Catholic -faith, while she sedulously conformed to the demands -of its ritual, its principles tempered by her -own native goodness and purity, reflected through -her peace and good will towards all men. Juan -was all energy and action. His will flowed from -desire like a torrent, rending asunder its natural -barriers, and spreading mingled ruin and fertility in -its course. Her will was deep, calm, and sure,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -without noise, with no sudden movement, but like -the quiet uprising of an ocean-tide, it steadily rose, -floating all things safely higher and still higher on -its bosom, until they attained its own level. All -about her felt its movement, wondered at the effect, -and welcomed the cause.</p> - -<p>Her influence over rude men was not the result -of charms that most attract the common eye. The -oval of her head was faultless. Her hair was of -ethereal softness, and seemed to take its hue and -character from her mind rather than from nature’s -pigments. Considering her race, her complexion -was rare, being blonde. Warmth, firmness, decision, -and much heart-suffering, were denoted by her -mouth. Her eyes spoke at will the language of her -soul, or kept its emotions as a sealed book. Yet -they were not beautiful in the strictly physical -sense, being in repose somewhat lifeless in color, -but when they talked, an illumination as if from -another sphere overspread her countenance, and -surrounded her entire person with an atmosphere -radiant with spirit emotion. So gentle, yet so penetrating -was her speech, that it seemed as though -she breathed her language. To the listener it was -as if some delicious strain of music had passed -through him, harmonizing his whole nature. This, -no doubt, was owing rather to her purity and earnestness, -as they found language and a responsive -echo and all that was true and good in others, than -to any wonderful endowment of voice. Her vital -organization being acute and generous, she was -extremely susceptible to all life emotions, yet so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> -well-balanced was her character, which was the -result of a varied experience, garnered into wisdom, -that came more from intuition than out of the cold -processes of reason, that rarely was she otherwise -than the same quiet high-toned woman, as persuasive -to good by her presence, as faithful to it by her -example. None, therefore, asked her age, debated -her beauty, or questioned her motives. All, even -the mercenary soldier, the profane seamen, and the -untutored Indian, felt themselves better, happier -and safer, for having her among them. Her sad, -sympathizing face, her winning speech, generous -action, and noiseless, graceful carriage, were to them -more of the Madonna than of the earth-woman. -Yet she was strictly human, differing from others of -her sex only in being a larger type of God’s handiwork, -with fuller capacities both to receive and -give, whether of suffering or joy. The key to her -character was her invariably following her own -noble instincts, sanctioned and aided as they were -by the principles of her faith. In this respect, she -was fortunate in possessing for her confessor the -priest who was with them. He was a Dominican -monk, Olmedo by name, and although attached by -education to his theology, was of enlarged and -humane mind, and felt that love rather than force -was the only sure principle of conversion of the -heathen to Christianity.</p> - -<p>Olmedo had come from Spain with the father -of Alvirez, who held a post of trust in Cuba. -Thence he followed Cortez to Mexico, and on repeated -occasions had done much to soften his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -fanaticism, and inspire him with a more humane -policy towards the unhappy Indians. When Alvirez -set out on the present expedition, his sister -and Olmedo determined to accompany him; the -former from her love for Juan, and the latter from -attachment to both, and the hope that he might -find a field for missionary labor, in which the -principles that animated him and Beatriz might -have free scope, unneutralized by the brutality -and excesses of the miscalled soldiers of the Cross.</p> - -<p>The other members of the caravel’s company -need just now no special mention, except that -although bred in the Cortez school of blood and -rapine, they were, almost unconsciously to themselves, -influenced much not only by the high toned -courage and unflinching perseverance of their commander, -but still more by the purer examples and -earnest faith of Beatriz and Olmedo; each of whom, -as opportunity offered, sought to deepen this impression, -and to persuade them that there was -truer treasure on earth than even the gold for which -they lavished their blood, and better enjoyment to -be found than in the brutal indulgence of base passions. -There was, in consequence, in most of them -a devotion to their leader and confessor, loftier and -more sincere than the force of discipline, or the -ordinary inspiration of their religion, because -founded on an appeal to their hearts. For Beatriz -the rudest one among them would willingly have -shed all his blood to save a drop of hers.</p> - -<p>“May the Holy Mother receive their souls,” -somewhat abruptly exclaimed Juan, who had been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> -musing upon the fate of Grijalva. His sister did -not reply, except by a deep sigh, feeling that silence -best expressed her sympathy with her brother’s -ejaculation.</p> - -<p>Juan and those of the crew who now remained -alive, exhausted by their sufferings and labors, soon -sunk into a sound sleep. Olmedo and Beatriz -were alone left awake, and avoiding by a common -instinct the past, they talked only of their present -situation and probable future. There was nothing -in their external conditions to authorize hope for -maiden or priest; yet a reliance on divine care so -completely filled their hearts, that although no -light penetrated their ocean-horizon, each felt and -spoke words of encouragement to the other.</p> - -<p>While they talked, light breezes began in variable -puffs to stir the sails. As the wind increased, it -grew contrary to the course for Mexico, yet it was -balmy, and as the sea under its influence began to -rise and fall in gentle swells, the air became cooler, -and the sky was gradually interspersed with fleecy -clouds which occasionally shed a little rain.</p> - -<p>Awakening Juan and the crew, Olmedo pointed -to the clouds, which, driving before them, seemed to -beckon to some unknown haven beyond. “Our -deliverance has come,” exclaimed he; “let us lose -no time in welcoming the breeze.”</p> - -<p>“We cannot reach Mexico with this wind,” said -Juan glancing aloft; then, as his spirits revived with -the brightening prospect, he gaily added, “Let us -follow whither it blows; new fields of adventure -may repay us for those we have lost.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span></p> - -<p>“My son,” solemnly replied Olmedo, “we are a -feeble band, but trusting in Him who ordereth all -things, we may accept with gratitude the auspicious -breeze; not to carry us to new scenes of -slaughter, but in the hope that He who has preserved -us alike from the storm and calm, reserves -us for a more noble mission.”</p> - -<p>“What say you, Beatriz, is father Olmedo -right?” asked Juan, more to hear her voice than as -desiring her opinion, which he knew would conform -to her confessor’s.</p> - -<p>“Dear brother, our father is right. Orphans that -we are, let us abandon ourselves to the guidance -of the Holy Virgin and the saints. They will lead -us to the work they have for us to do.”</p> - -<p>To the followers of Alvirez, any course which -promised a new excitement or conquest was welcome. -They therefore bestirred themselves with -such alacrity as their famished condition permitted. -In a short time the caravel was going before the -wind with all the speed she was capable of, while -the crew, excepting the necessary watch, again -betook themselves to the repose they so greatly -needed, and which, sustained as it now was by -hope, did much to revive their strength.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER III.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“My dream is of an island place</div> -<div class="verse">Which distant seas keep lonely;</div> -<div class="verse">A noble island, in whose face</div> -<div class="verse">The stars are watchers only.</div> -<div class="verse">Those bright still stars! they need not seem</div> -<div class="verse">Brighter or stiller in my dream.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Elizabeth Barrett Browning.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>In the nineteenth degree of north latitude, and -one hundred and fifty-five degrees west, lies a large -and important island, one of a group stretching for -several hundred miles in a north-westerly direction. -At the date of this tale, it was wholly unknown, -except to its aborigines. Situated in the centre of -the vast North Pacific, not another inhabitable land -within thousands of miles, it was quietly biding its -destiny, when in the circumnavigating advance of -civilization westward to its original seat in the -Orient, it should become a new centre of commerce -and Christianity; and, as it were, an <span class="smcap">Inn</span> of nature’s -own building on the great highway of nations.</p> - -<p>Up to this time, however, not a sail had ever -been seen from its shores. Nothing had ever reached -them within the memories of its population, to -disprove to them that their horizon was not the -limits of the world, and that they were not its sole -possessors. It is true, that in the songs of their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -bards, there were faint traces of a more extended -knowledge, but so faint as to have lost all meaning -to the masses, who in themselves saw the entire -human race.</p> - -<p>Hawaii, for such was the aboriginal name of the -largest and easternmost island, was a fitting ocean-beacon -to guide the mariner to hospitable shores. -Rising as it does fourteen thousand feet above the -level of the sea, snow-capped in places, in others -shooting up thick masses of fire and smoke from -active volcanoes, it could be seen for a great distance -on the water, except, as was often the case, it was -shrouded in dense clouds. Generally, either the -gigantic dome of Mauna Loa, which embosomed -an active crater of twenty-seven miles in circumference -on its summit, which was more than two -and a half miles high, or the still loftier, craggy -and frost-clad peaks of Mauna Kea, met the sight -long before its picturesque coast-line came into -view. As usually seen at a long distance, these -two mountain summits, so nigh each other and yet -so unlike in outline, seemingly repose on a bed of -clouds, like celestial islands floating in ether. This -illusion is the more complete from their great -elevation, and coming as they do with their lower -drapery of vapor, so suddenly upon the sight of the -voyager, after weeks, and, as it often happens, -months of ocean solitude.</p> - -<p>Nowhere does nature display a more active laboratory -or on a grander scale. At her bidding, fire -and water here meet, and, amid throes, explosions, -upheavings and submergings, the outpourings of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -liquid rock, the roars of a burning ocean, hissing, -recoiling and steaming at the base of fiery mountains, -which amid quakings and thunders shoot up -high into air, not only flame and smoke, but give -birth to other mountains, which run in fluid masses -to the shore forming new coast-lines, she gradually -creates to herself fresh domains out of the fathomless -sea, destined by a slower and more peaceful -process to be finally fitted for the abode of man. -For ages before the human race appeared, this -fierce labor had been going on. Slowly decreasing -in violence as the solid fabric arose from the sea, -the vegetable and animal kingdom at last successively -claimed their right to colonize the land thus -prepared for them. Nature, however, had not yet -finished the substructure; for although she had -extinguished a portion of her fires and allowed the -forests to grow in some spots in undisturbed luxuriance, -yet there were others still active and on a -scale to be seen nowhere else on the globe. At -intervals, rarer as they became older, they belched -forth ruin, to add in time greater stability and more -fertility to the new-formed earth.</p> - -<p>Even to this day, Hawaii continues in a transition -state. The vast agencies to which the island owes -its origin, not unfrequently shake it to its centre, -giving a new impetus to its geological growth. -Sometimes it rocks, so it seems, on its centre, and -alternately rising and falling, the ocean invades the -land, sweeping from the coast by its fast rushing -tide,—piled up by its velocity into such a wall of -water as in its recoil overwhelmed Pharaoh’s host<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -in the Red Sea,—whole villages, and carrying off -numbers of their struggling population to perish in -its vortex. So rapid is its reflux and over so vast a -space, that it often leaves bare its own bed, with -the finny tribes stranded amid its coral forests, or -flapping helplessly on its sandy bottom. When -this phenomenon occurs it is generally in quick -successive waves, without previous warning, and so -rapidly, that were it not for the amphibious habits -of the islanders, the destruction of life would be -great.</p> - -<p>The sister islands further to the west have long -since ceased to fear earthquake or volcanic eruption. -Their surfaces are covered with extinct craters, lined -in general with verdure and melodious with the -notes of birds. Around each of the group, by the -labors of the tiniest of her creatures, as if to show -how the feeblest agencies at her bidding can control -the strongest, Nature is slowly but surely constructing -a coral frame, a fit setting to her sunny -picture. The busy little zoöphyte, by its minute -industry sets that bound to the ocean, which -Canute in all his power was unable to do. Over -its barriers and through its vegetable-like forms, -trees and shrubs, blossoms and flowers, rich in every -hue which gives beauty to the land, the rushing -wave can pass only by giving toll to these water -bees. They have not to seek their food, but they -make the everlasting waters bring it to their door, -and pour over them, in their struggle to reach the -shore, a glad symphony of power and praise.</p> - -<p>On the northeast of Hawaii lies a deep bay,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -fringed with coral reefs, but in many places presenting -high cliffs, precipitous masses of volcanic -rock, rent by deep chasms, or forming valleys through -which pour streams of fresh water along banks of -surpassing fertility. Everywhere the soil is good -and the vegetation profuse. Numerous cascades -tumble from the hills in all directions, giving life -and music to the scene. Some are mere threads of -water lost in spray amid rainbow arches, before -reaching the rocky basins underneath. Others -shoot from precipices, waving, foaming torrents, -which thunder over stream-worn rocks, far away -beneath in sunless and almost inaccessible dells. -Emerging from these into placid rivers, they flow -quietly on till meeting the incoming surges of the -ocean, which, as they struggle over the coral bars -at their mouths, whiten their surfaces with foam -and break into eddies and uncertain currents, creating -trying navigation for the frail canoes of the -islanders.</p> - -<p>The vegetation was unequal in luxuriance. In -some spots it pushed its verdure quite into the -brine, which not unfrequently watered the roots of -trees that overhung it. In others, broad belts of -sand came between the grasses and the water. -These glistened in the sun’s rays in contrast with -the back ground of dense green, like burnished -metal. Earth, the provident mother, had not, however, -so overdone her good works, as in some of the -more southern groups to provide a meal without -other labor than plucking. There were fine groves -of the different species of food-bearing palms,—orchards<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> -of bread-fruit and other kinds of trees, from -which man could derive both sustenance and material -to clothe and house him; but for these purposes -and the culture of the taro plant, which was his -main resource, no little labor and skill were necessary.</p> - -<p>Metals were unknown. The animal and feathered -creature were scanty in species and numbers, -and much of the island surface was still a wilderness -of basaltic rock or fields of lava and cinders. -But such was the salubrity of the climate and the -activity of nature, that its resources for the comfort, -and to a considerable degree of the civilization of -man, were making rapid development; not sufficient -as yet to release him from the active exercise -of his faculties, and thus induce a sensual repose, -but just enough to reward him for exertion, while -indolence was sure to beget actual want.</p> - -<p>The little caravel with her famished and sickly -crew that we left in the midst of the North Pacific, -rolling before a fresh breeze from the northeast, -which proved to be the regular trade-wind, had -continued her course for several days in the same -direction. During this time, several others of the -ship’s company had died and been cast overboard. -Frequent showers, and the occasional catching of -flying-fish, and now and then a dolphin or porpoise, -did somewhat to restore the physical energies of the -survivors, while the balmy condition of the air, the -exhilaration of rapid motion, and the prospect of -novel adventure, had much weight in raising the -spirits of all.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p> - -<p>Still there were no indications of land. The sun -had set for the tenth time behind the same purple -canopy of clouds; the same birds screamed and -flew overhead; the waves rose and toppled after -them with gushing foam, just so high and no -higher; the sails bellied out with monotonous fulness; -not a rope was stirred nor oar moved; on, -on, rolled the caravel, now dipping this bulwark, -now that, surging aside the water and trailing it in -her wake with the noise of a mill-course; no variety, -except that the north-star sank lower each -night, until the very evenness of their way, hour -answering to hour and day to day, began to beget -in them a feeling of doubt as to the actual existence -of land in the direction they were heading. -This, combined with the weariness which inevitably -steals over the senses when long at sea without -change, led to greater carelessness in the night-watches. -They fancied themselves borne onward -by a fate which their own precautions could neither -alter nor avert. Hence it was, that having worn -out conjecture and argument as to their positive -and probable destiny, they had on the tenth evening -more than ordinarily abandoned themselves to -chance. The day had been thicker than usual, and -there was no light at night except the uncertain -twinkling of stars through driving masses of -clouds.</p> - -<p>All except the helmsman slept. He dozed. -Habit kept him sufficiently awake to keep the caravel -to her course, but nothing more. Suddenly a -dull, weighty sound was heard, like the roll of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -heavy waters, dying slowly away in the distance. -Another; then another; quicker and quicker, each -louder and nearer. The caravel was lifted high on -one sea and fell heavily into the trough of another, -rolling so uneasily as to start up all on board. At -this moment the pilot, catching the gleam of a long -line of breakers, hoarsely shouted “all hands, quick, -or by the saints we are lost,” at the same moment -putting the helm hard down to bring her into the -wind. He was too late. The craft fell broadside -into the rollers and became unmanageable. The -mast snapped off close to the deck, and was pitched -into the water to the leeward. At the same instant -a grinding, crushing sound was heard underneath, -as the caravel was lifted and thrown heavily -upon the reef, breaking in the floor timbers and -flooding her hold with water. It was too dark to -distinguish anything but the white crest of the -breakers all around, while their noise prevented any -orders being distinctly heard. Indeed so sudden -and complete was the disaster, that there was -nothing to be done by the crew but to cling to the -wreck and passively await their fate. Death came -soon to a number, who were washed overboard -and taken by the undertow seaward, where sharks -fed upon them. Waves washed over the vessel in -quick succession, gradually breaking her up. The -after cabin held together longest, affording some -shelter to its occupants. In a little while, however, -even this was gone. All left on board were floated -off, they knew not whither, clinging to whatever -they could grasp, and rolled over in the surf until<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -most of them became insensible. Beatriz, however, -retained her presence of mind, and aided by the -almost superhuman efforts of Tolta, a Mexican -captive, was finally cast upon a soft beach, without -other injury than a few skin bruises and the swallowing -of a little water, of which she was soon -relieved. It was too dark to learn the fate of the -others. Dragging themselves beyond the wash of -the breakers, in anxious suspense they awaited daybreak -to disclose more fully their situation.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse indent3">“Obedient to the light</div> -<div class="verse">That shone within his soul, he went, pursuing</div> -<div class="verse">The windings of the dell. The rivulet,</div> -<div class="verse">Wanton and wild, through many a green ravine</div> -<div class="verse">Beneath the forest flowed.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Shelley.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Within the tropics the sun lights up the earth -or leaves it, with scarcely any of the mysterious -greeting or farewell, with which in more northern -climates he loiters on his way, dyeing the landscape -with subtle gradations of colors, from the fullest -display of his mingled glories in a yellow and purple -blaze, to the faintest hues of every shade, delicate -and aerial, like the gossamer robes of spirit land. -His coming is punctual and his welcome hearty. -Objects take their hue and shape from out of the -night almost instantaneously, changing from black -to golden brightness, as by the touch of magic. -There is loss of beauty to the eye in this, though -the earth may gain in fertility from not having to -wait so long for the fruitful warmth.</p> - -<p>It was well nigh morning when the caravel broke -up in the reef. The air was warm, and although -the surf roared as loudly as ever, the wind had -gone down. Soon the sun began to appear above<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -the horizon. Beatriz, availing herself of its earliest -light, began to search for her brother and his company. -Tolta was active also. Bits of the wreck -strewed the beach, with here and there articles that -might still be of service, but she paid no attention -to them. Hurriedly looking about her, hoping yet -fearful, she espied a body half-buried in the sand. -In an instant she was beside it, but it was one of the -crew, stiff and cold. There was no time to spare -for a corpse, so she continued her search for the -living. An object half hidden amid low shrubbery -caught her eye. Hastening thither, she saw the -well known white robe of Olmedo. With a cry of -joy she rushed to it, and then breathlessly knelt at -his side, placing her hand upon Olmedo’s heart -and her mouth close to his, to detect any signs of -life. He was warm and breathing. His eyes slowly -opened, and recognizing Beatriz, for a moment -he seemed to have forgotten the wreck, and to -imagine himself still at sea. As he stretched out -his hand with a smile, to give her his wonted welcome, -she seized it passionately, kissed it and burst -into tears.</p> - -<p>The good father, surprised at this feeling in one -usually so calm, yet carried away by it without -knowing why, pressed her hand warmly in return, -while a tear found its way also to his eye. Instantly -recovering her usual manner, Beatriz asked -if he could give her tidings of Juan.</p> - -<p>The question recalled to Olmedo the disaster of -the night. He had himself been thrown ashore, on -top of a plank to which he had clung at the breaking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -up of the caravel, and had scrambled up the beach, -until he reached the bushes, where he had been -found half gone in faintness and sleep.</p> - -<p>At the name of Juan he started to his feet and -said, “Let us lose no time in looking for him. The -wreck was so sudden that human efforts could not -have availed to save any one. God may have -brought him safely to shore as he has us.”</p> - -<p>They had not gone far before a well known voice -was heard calling loudly upon Beatriz. In an instant, -she was clasped in the embrace of her brother. -He had rushed from a neighboring grove, as he -caught sight of his sister, and now the two in their -sudden joy clung to each other with mingled sobs -and laughter; for being twins their active affections -had been formed together in one maternal mould.</p> - -<p>Juan led the party to the spot from which he had -emerged, where they found three of the seamen. -It seems that Juan had reached the land, somewhat -bruised, in company with them, and the four had -spent their time in searching for Beatriz and others of -the crew, but owing to the darkness of the night and -the loudness of the surf, they were neither seen nor -heard. Farther search assured them that they were -the sole survivors of the wreck. Accordingly having -secured the few objects of utility that had been -thrown ashore from it, they began to explore their -new home in reference to their future wants.</p> - -<p>The land was much broken and thickly covered -with vegetation, some of which was familiar to -them from being common to the “tierra caliente” -of Mexico. As they wandered inland they came<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -to cultivated patches of yam and the sweet potato. -Many of the fields were enclosed in well constructed -stone walls. They were therefore in an inhabited -land, and, as they thought, must soon meet -the tillers of the soil. Bananas and other fruit -hung within their reach. Numerous paths intersected -grounds, which were divided into square or -oblong lots, surrounded by dykes, planted with the -broad leafed, nutritious taro, and irrigated by so -admirable a network of water-courses as to extort -from all exclamations of surprise. Following -up the most trodden of these paths, they came to a -retired valley embosomed amid forest-clad hills, -with a quiet stream flowing through its centre, and -cultivated as far up as the eye could see, in the -same manner as the fields through which they had -passed. Soon houses came into view. They were -in clusters, low, of thatch, raised on embankments, -with stone pavements around them, or fenced in -by rude palisades.</p> - -<p>Expecting each minute to meet the owners, -they proceeded cautiously towards them. They -were disappointed, however, for not a human being -appeared; not even a dog or domestic animal of -any kind; the air was still and the sun hot; there -was no hum of insects or song of birds; the sole -life that met their view was now and then a stray -lizard, that glided so quickly and silently away as -but to make the surrounding stillness still more -sensible.</p> - -<p>They began to distrust their senses. Were they -in an enchanted land? Was their shipwreck real,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -or were they dreaming? Their very voices seemed -to die out in the universal silence. They gathered -fruit and eat, and this reassured them of the reality -of their appetites at least, but their own shadows -as they lengthened before them seemed unreal, -while those of tree and rock cast spectral forms -about their path.</p> - -<p>Terrible and oppressive grew upon them the ambiguity -of their position. Were they watched and -being led by enchantment into the power of savage -foes, or were they tantalized by illusions, like the -dreams of starving men who rave of dainties ever -within their reach? What meant this life without -life, harvest without reapers, houses without owners, -this atmosphere without insect-hum or bird-song? -The very waters enclosed in rocky basins, -or overshadowed by motionless foliage, were unrippled -by current or wave, and repeating the landscape -in their still depths, made it even more unreal. -The gracefully shaped canoes which floated upon -them without moving, looked as if painted upon -the surface of the stream.</p> - -<p>Juan’s impatient spirit chafed for want of action. -“By the Holy Mass, father Olmedo,” he cried, “this -silence beats that which made us hold our breaths -on the night when we marched out of Mexico, -thinking we were stealing away unseen from those -red devils, when tens of thousands of their impish -eyes were glaring upon us, awaiting the signal to -drag us to their damnable temples. Well must -you remember it, and how sad a night they made -of it to us, after the silence was once broken by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> -their infernal yells, as they dragged away so many -of our companions to have their hearts torn from -their living bodies, as offerings to their hideous -war-god. Jesu Maria! I like not this awful stillness. -Give me rather a hundred foes and my own -trusty horse, that I might dash among them with -our old battle-cry;”—and in the excitement of the -moment, he sprang forward, waved his sword and -shouted at the top of his voice, “At them, cavaliers; -Santiago for Spain.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! I have started you at last,” he exultingly -exclaimed. “Hark! By the Holy Virgin, they reply -in our blessed language. A dozen wax candles -for our Lady’s shrine for this, as soon as I can get -them,—we are among friends, Beatriz.”</p> - -<p>“You mistake, Juan,” replied Beatriz. “The -words you hear are only your own sent back from -the hills.”</p> - -<p>Juan, distrusting her more acute senses, again -shouted, and convinced himself that it was only the -rocks that mockingly echoed the shout. It was -the first time since their creation, that they had -given back a sound foreign to their own shores, -and it seemed to linger long among them as if they -relished its notes. Then the silence brooded over -the scene more ominously than before, as no foes -appeared, and no human voice sent back the defiance. -Tolta’s eyes, however, glared furiously on -Juan at his ill-timed allusion to “La Noche Triste,” -but it was only for a moment. Beatriz had observed -the look, and in a low whisper said to Juan, -“Nay, brother, forbear, that night was a sad one to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -many besides ourselves. Why provoke Tolta to -revengeful thoughts? He has done us both faithful -service. For my sake respect his feelings.”</p> - -<p>Chafed as he was at the mysterious silence, -which only angered him, while it awed, not through -fear, but from the depths of its repose, the hearts of -Olmedo and Beatriz, who found something in it -kindred to their own position, Juan’s hasty impulse -would have been to have vented his irritation upon -the Mexican, but a second look from his sister -restored his better nature, and he frankly held out -his hand to him, exclaiming, “Pardon my hastiness, -Tolta, I meant not to vex you.”</p> - -<p>The Mexican’s features resumed their usual apathy, -and no one would have supposed from them, -that an emotion had ever touched his heart. Yet -among them all, no eye or ear was keener than his, -no nature more sensitive, none so quick in its perceptions -when touched in its own interests or passions, -and none more patient, outwardly forbearing, and -inwardly revengeful, for he was faithful to self-immolation -in his friendship, and equally so in his enmity.</p> - -<p>In him love to the individual and hate to the -Spanish race were so interwoven, that it would -have been impossible for himself to foresee how he -should act on any occasion which might afford -scope for either passion. He was an Aztec by -birth, of the race of the priesthood, young, accustomed -to arms, and learned in the lore of his race; -at heart a worshipper of their idols, though a forced -baptism, and the necessities of a captive, made him -nominally a Christian. Manuel was the name bestowed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -in baptism, but I prefer to retain that of his -birth. In him lay dormant all those qualities -which marked the downfall of his nation. He was -both subtle and open, gentle and fierce; in his -domestic relations inclined to love and peace, refined -and courteous; in his faith believing in one -God of “perfection and purity,” yet delighting in -smearing the altars of terrible deities with human -gore; a tiger in rage, and a lamb in sentiment; in -short, combining in his own breast the instincts of -brute and man, with no harmonizing principle to -keep him in permanent peaceful relations with -himself or his kind. He believed in peace and -purity, and delighted in war and cruelty, displaying -to his enemies either open and irreconcilable -hatred, or concealing revenge under the mask of -courtesy and kindness, nay, almost servility, at the -same time recognizing no principles of humanity or -religion which interfered with his desires. As a -conqueror, he was imperious; as a captive, abject. -But the native pride and fierceness of his race, so -long dominant among servile tribes, ill adapted -him to his present anomalous state, in which, while -feeling himself partly treated as a friend, he could -not forget the events so recent in the history of his -race which had made him in reality a slave. Although -he brooded much over his own altered -destinies and his country’s fall, yet, while with -Beatriz, the gentle principle in his nature became -active, and he felt soothed and grateful.</p> - -<p>Concord being restored, the little party footed -their way towards a cluster of houses of more pretension<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -than the others, built upon a slight eminence, -terraced on all sides with stone work, and -having a flight of steps to the summit. This was -walled in, and gave sufficient area to enclose quite -a hamlet. Indeed it might be considered a fortification -of no slight strength, where fire-arms were -unknown.</p> - -<p>They proceeded cautiously up the steps, stimulated -by curiosity, and thinking it better to brave -openly and promptly any danger that might threaten, -as from experience they knew that no demeanor -imposes more powerfully upon barbarians than -courage. To this course Tolta advised them. He -was the least affected by the singularity of their -position, and seemed in many things to recognize -a similarity in the degree of civilization and manner -of cultivation, as well as in the articles themselves, -to the habits and productions of tribes on the -southern frontiers of his own country, though the -entire absence of precious metals, and any altars -or edifices which indicated the worship of sanguinary -deities, puzzled him not a little.</p> - -<p>Immediately within the wall, and bordering the -main avenue, leading to a large and commodious -house, were many rudely carved wooden images, -with round staring eyes and grinning mouths. Before -them were the remains of fruit, and about them -were hung wreaths of flowers, indicating that they -were held in reverence. Passing between them, -Juan felt disposed to try the temper of his sword -upon their awkwardly shaped legs and arms for -practice, and to express his abhorrence of what he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -termed blasphemy, quite forgetful that in his own -land images of the Virgin and saints, some scarcely -better executed, were common to every street and -by every roadside, and that before them were lamps -constantly burning and offerings of flowers placed.</p> - -<p>Olmedo’s better judgment checked him. “This -indeed may be, my son, as you say, a device of -Satan to turn their hearts from the true worship; -but let us learn more before we act. These very -offerings and idols prove the necessity of worship -to the darkened minds of their makers, and from -these false symbols we may by persuasion turn -them to the holy ones of our religion. Remember -the Master’s charge to Peter, when he would have -taken the sword. We have had too much of that, -and too many of your brothers in arms have already -perished by the sword. We have been led hither -for some wise purpose. Be peaceful and patient. -God will disclose his design in due season. In the -meantime, let us respect all that we see, and if the -people of this silent valley show themselves, meet -them with the cross aloft and open hands. We are -too few to contend against a multitude, though -not to persuade them by courtesy and our very -helplessness to peace and kindness. If none appear, -let us use these good gifts, as provided by -Him who has led us thither.”</p> - -<p>Juan replied: “By my troth, father, I would clip -off the heads of a few of these ugly monsters, if for -no other motive than to call up a host of the evil -spirits that possess them, that I might do them -battle. You speak truth, however, and I will be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> -patient. Hurry on, my men, let us explore this -sanctuary, and see if we can start out any one to -give us the hospitality we so sorely need.”</p> - -<p>Beatriz, who feared his hasty mood, stopped him -as he was about to enter the large house. “No, -Juan, let me go in first. The inmates, if any there -be, may slumber; the presence of a maiden,” said -she, “will create neither alarm nor fear. I will -enter first.”</p> - -<p>So saying, she drew aside the heavy cloth which -hung at the door and went in. Olmedo not heeding -her request to Juan, entered immediately after, -but not soon enough to anticipate Tolta, who glided -in before him as noiselessly as a shadow. Juan -and the others without further question followed -after.</p> - -<p>They found themselves in a spacious room formed -by white posts driven into the ground, with rafters -springing from them, making a lofty roof, covered -throughout with thatch, fastened on in the neatest -manner with neatly braided cord. The floor was -spread with white mats. Every part was scrupulously -clean. There were raised divans of fine -mats variously colored, and as pliable as the coarser -cloths of Europe. These invited repose, though the -pillows being of wood covered with matting, indicated -no effeminacy in the slumbers of their owners. -Several of these divans were curtained by gaily -painted cloths, differing in texture from anything -they had seen before. It was something between -paper and the cotton fabrics of Mexico. Garments -of the same material, but of softer and finer quality<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -hung about the walls. There were also wooden -bowls of beautiful grain, highly polished and indicating -no slight degree of mechanical skill; also -vessels for water, formed from the gourd plant and -prettily ornamented; fans, graceful plumes of crimson -and golden feathers, protective armor of net or -basket work, war clubs, spears and other weapons. -In fine, they found themselves within a house, -which afforded all that was necessary to their wants -in that climate, and much that showed no inconsiderable -degree of refinement and taste, but no one -to challenge their intrusion.</p> - -<p>The other houses presented a similar sight. They -ransacked everywhere to find some one to explain -the unaccountable desertion. There had been no -haste. The inhabitants had not fled in fear. Everything -was in its natural place and condition, just -as were the household effects of the Pompeiians, -when Vesuvius buried them in lava and ashes. -But here the mystery was inexplicable. Evidently -the desertion had not been very recent. Some -weeks must have passed. Their own appearance, -therefore, could not be connected with it. There -was not an article that could properly belong to -such domestic circles that was wanting, and all in -the best condition and ready for use. Everything, -however, that had life had been carefully removed. -Even the usual tenants of deserted habitations, rats, -were missing. The awe that almost mastered them -in the silence of the open valley, no longer clung to -them in the confined walls of human make. Curiosity -was now uppermost. They talked freely and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -loudly, and busied themselves with conjectures to -solve the wonder, but with no other result than to -weary their minds without any satisfactory answer.</p> - -<p>“At all events,” said Juan, “all but drowned in -the morning, with our brave caravel ground to -pieces on the rocks, and most of our poor seamen a -prey to the fishes, here we are at night well housed, -with food at hand, and no greedy innkeeper’s face -to suggest a long bill. For my part let’s to sleep. -This is much more comfortable than campaigning -amid the rocks of Tlascalla, with the prospect of a -copper-headed lance finding its way between the -ribs before one could sleep out his first nap.”</p> - -<p>“You counsel rightly,” replied the priest, “but -first let us unite in the Ave Maria.” So saying, he -motioned to them to come into the open air, and -holding up his crucifix he led the chant, while the -others knelt and joined in. Then in the silence of -the setting sun, there arose, for the first time in that -unknown land, the hymn of praise to the mother of -Jesus, woman deified and restored to her true -nature as the hope and purifier of man, the type of -God’s love to his own image. Softly and gently -as Beatriz breathed the words “Ave purissima,” -they seemed to fill all space, and borne on the air of -the fast coming night, stole through the valley, -along the waters, up the hill-sides and amid the -trees, with a melody which made all Nature listen -and repeat in notes still more penetrating, that -thrilling symphony of peace and purity. The evening -stars looked down gladly upon the little band, -and shedding a harmonious radiance around the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> -singers, their hearts grew quiet and strong. Even -Tolta felt its influence. As the seamen looked at -the hideous idols about them, they fancied they -saw them move in the night air as if they too -bowed in worship to a spirit mightier than their -own. It was indeed mightier; for it was the spirit -of Love.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER V.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“See man from Nature rising slow to Art.”—<span class="smcap">Pope.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Mauna Kea, the highest mountain of Hawaii, -occupies the northern portion of the island. In -some places it descends in grassy slopes, sufficiently -gentle to form plains, dotted here and there with -the many armed pandanus and the thickly leaved -kukui trees. From the resinous nuts of the latter -the natives obtained their torches, while its rich -foliage and grand proportions made it equally -valuable for timber or shade.</p> - -<p>At the distance of some twenty miles from the -bay where the caravel was wrecked, there was -a level and extensive plain fringed with forests -of the above named trees, and backed by the snow-topped -mountains. The front afforded a wide-spread -view of the ocean, the breezes from which, -added to an elevation of several thousand feet, gave -it a climate much cooler and more bracing than -that of the coast. On this account, and from its -natural beauties, it had from time immemorial been -used by the Hawaiians as a spot on which to celebrate -public games or sacred festivals. Its verdant -and carefully irrigated soil afforded food for the -numerous priests who belonged to the different<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> -“heiaus” or temples to be seen within its limits. -These were built of basaltic stones, some of which -were of great size, and nicely adjusted together -without cement, according to their natural fractures. -Within the walls, which were massive and high, -were the houses of the priests and the shrines where -were deposited the most sacred images. Each -chief of importance had his family temple, around -which had grown up villages, to accommodate himself -and retainers in their periodical visits -to this upland region.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 80px;"> -<img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="80" height="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>For a month previous to the wreck, -many thousands of the islanders had been -gathered under their chiefs to engage in -their annual athletic games. Their principal -object was, however, to celebrate the -festival of Lono. Now Lono was one of -those mythic beings so common in America -and Polynesia, who in ages long gone -by, after having done many notable things -for the benefit of their fellow men, disappear -like Moses in some inexplicable manner, -leaving behind them a memory always -green, and a sort of implied promise -to return with greater benefits in store. -Indeed, heroes of this character appear -amid much traditionary fog, in the youth -of almost all nations. In this instance, -Lono had killed his wife in a fit of jealousy, -instigated by a Hawaiian Iago out -of malice equal to the Venetian’s. Love’s -reaction and contrition drove him frantic.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> -After founding games in honor of his victim, he put -out to sea in an oddly shaped canoe,—so the tradition -runs,—promising to return some future day -with many good things to enhance his welcome. -Whether it was from love to him, or from faith in -the expected increase of comforts and riches, that -they so venerated his memory, I am at this day -unable to say, but certain it is that a more popular -god did not exist in Hawaii. His festival was -therefore celebrated with peculiar unction.</p> - -<p>On this occasion it had been honored with unusual -solemnity, on account of the presence of the -most powerful and best beloved chief of this island, -whose territory embraced the fertile bay where the -caravel went ashore.</p> - -<p>It was the custom on the most sacred festivals to -enforce perfect silence from man and beast during -certain rites. While the festival lasted, peace was -universal, property respected, and under the solemn -influence of the magic “tabu,” human law and -police seemed unnecessary; for there was implied -in this simple word, if but its spirit were infringed, -all the awful judgments, both temporal and -supernatural, that the imagination could conceive, -and even more, for the very uncertainty of the fate -which was to attend its violation, added ten-fold -force to its terrors. The simple symbol, therefore, -which denoted the application of the tabu to any -object, carried with it a power such as no civilized -code ever exercised, and which the tortures of the -Inquisition failed to establish.</p> - -<p>The word tabu, as applied to religious matters,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -was a ritual in itself. Hence when the high-priest -set apart a certain time as tabu to Lono, the entire -population knew what ceremonies were to be performed, -and what was expected of each of them. -During the present holidays it had been specially -enjoined that the valley in which Kiana, a descendant -of Lono and the supreme chief of more than -half of Hawaii, resided, should be tabu from man -and all domestic animals. For one month, profound -silence was to rest upon it. Consequently, -the inhabitants left for the uplands, taking with -them every animal and fowl which they owned. -It was owing to this tabu that Alvirez, when he -explored the valley, met with such complete stillness -amid all the outward signs of active life.</p> - -<p>The very day, therefore, that Alvirez had so freely -taken possession of the chief’s own quarters, Kiana -with his people were on their march homeward. -This chief, as is the aristocracy in general of Hawaii, -was of commanding stature, some six feet six inches -in height, finely proportioned, with round elastic -limbs, not over muscular or too sinewy, like the -North American Indian, but full, with a soft smooth -skin and a bright olive complexion, which was not -so dark, but that the blood at times deepened the -color thereon. His face was strikingly handsome, -being, like his body, of that happy medium between -womanly softness and the more rugged development -of manly strength, which indicates a well harmonized -physical structure. In repose, one feared to see -him move, lest the beauty of outline would be destroyed; -but when in action, with his muscles quivering<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -with a hidden fire, his dark eyes flashing light, -the full nostril of his race and rich sensual lip expanded -with excitement, there was about him much -that recalled the Apollo, particularly in the light -step and eager haughty expression. His strength -was prodigious. He had been known in battle, -having broken his javelin, to seize an enemy by the -leg and neck, and break his spine by a blow across -his knees. Fierce he undoubtedly was to his foes, -but there were in all his actions a pervading manliness -and generosity, joined to a winning demeanor, -which stamped him as one of nature’s gentlemen. -No rival of his tribe disputed his authority, because -all felt safer and better under his rule. By moral -influence, rather than by force, all the other chiefs -of this portion of Hawaii looked to him as their -leader and umpire; so that without any of the dubious -treaties and forms of a confederated government, -they had all the advantages of one, while each -remained free within his own territorial confines.</p> - -<p>By nature humane, Kiana had infused into their -general policy and domestic life a more liberal -spirit towards inferiors, and a less servile feeling -towards the priesthood. He held the latter, in -general, in small esteem, perceiving how much they -were disposed to corrupt the simplest power of -nature into a hideous mythology, based upon fear -and superstition, to the intent to enrich themselves -at the expense of the people. As he also inherited -the office of high-priest, his influence was the more -effective, inasmuch as he set the example of neglecting -all the requirements of their pagan ritual which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> -were cruel or oppressive, while the games and festivals, -which tended to develop their physical powers -and give them amusements, or to lighten their -general labors, were sedulously cared for. His people -were therefore happy and prosperous, and, at the -date of this tale, exhibited an agreeable picture of -a race blessed with a salubrious climate, a soil -ample for all their simple wants, living almost -patriarchally under a beloved chief, whose more intelligent -mind, by example rather than argument, -had influenced them to a form of idolatry which in -its offerings of only fruits of the earth, to its symbolized -phenomena or the images of departed men -once venerated for their moral worth, in some degree -connected their souls through refining influences -with the Great Maker.</p> - -<p>In closing the festival, the procession was formed -with great state and solemnity, preparatory to its -final departure from the sacred plain. First came -a thousand men in regular files, armed with swords -of sharks’ teeth and slings. Each had a laurel -wreath on his head, and a tapa mantle of bright red -thrown loosely over his shoulders. This corps led -the way to the noise of rude drums and other barbarous -music. Behind them marched a more numerous -body in detached companies, armed with -javelins and spears, and a species of wooden mace, -which, dexterously used, becomes a formidable -weapon. In addition, each man carried a dagger -of the same material, from sixteen inches to two -feet long. All wore helmets of wicker work, -shaped like the Grecian casque and covered with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> -various colored feathers. These helmets in connection -with their bright war cloaks, gave to the whole -array a classical look not unworthy of the heroic -days of Greece. The appearance of the men was -martial, and their step firm and regular.</p> - -<p>In the centre of their array there was a selected -corps of one hundred young chiefs, armed with still -better weapons. Their costume was also much -richer than that of the common men. They wore -scarlet feather cloaks and helmets. Conspicuous -amid them, borne upon a litter hung about with -crimson drapery, sat Kiana. His helmet was surmounted -by a graceful crest from which lightly -floated a plume taken from the long and beautiful -feathers of the tropic bird. Both the helmet and -his war cloak were made of brilliant yellow feathers, -so small and delicate as to appear like scales of -gold. These two articles were the richest treasures -in the regalia of Hawaii. The birds from which -the feathers are obtained,—one only from under -each wing,—are found solely in the most inaccessible -parts of the mountains and ensnared with -great difficulty. Nearly one hundred and fifty -years, or nine generations of Kiana’s ancestors had -been occupied in collecting a sufficient number to -make this truly regal helmet and cloak. This was -the first occasion he had had to display them. He -bore himself in consequence even more royally than -ever before; for savage though he was, the pride of -ancestry and the trappings of power warmed his -blood as fully as if he had been a civilized ruler.</p> - -<p>Immediately behind him was borne a colossal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -image of Lono. It was carved with greater skill -than common, and surrounded by a company of -white-robed priests, chanting the “mele” or hymn, -which had been composed upon his disappearance. -At particular parts the whole people joined with a -melancholy refrain, that gave a living interest to -the story, and showed how forcible was the hold it -had upon their imaginations. On either side of -Kiana, were twelve men of immense size and -strength, naked to their waist-cloths, two by two, -bearing the “<i>kahilis</i>,” as were called the insignia -of his rank. These were formed of scarlet feathers, -thickly set, in the shape of a plume, of eighteen -inches diameter, about ten feet high, and tipped to -the depth of a foot with yellow feathers. With -the handles, which were encircled with alternate -rings of ivory or tortoise-shell, their entire height -was twenty feet. As they towered and waved -above the multitude, they conveyed an idea of -state and grandeur inferior to nothing of the kind -that has ever graced the ceremonies of the white -man.</p> - -<p>The women of his household followed close to -the chief. Their aristocratic birth and breeding -were manifest in their corpulency and haughty -bearing. To exaggerate their size,—which was -partly a criterion of noble blood—they had swelled -their waists with voluminous folds of gaudy cloths, -under the pressure of which, added to their own -bulk, they waddled rather than walked. Helped by -young and active attendants, their pace was, however, -equal to the slow progress of the procession.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -A numerous retinue of their own sex, bearing their -tokens of rank, fans, fly-brushes, spittoons, sunscreens, -and lighter articles of clothing, waited upon -them. Some of these young women were gracefully -formed, fair and voluptuous, with pleasant -features, without any excess of flesh. In contrast -with their mistresses, they might have been considered -as beauties, as, indeed, they were the belles -of Hawaii. Small, soft hands, delicate and tapering -fingers, satin-like in their touch and gentle and -pleasant to the shake, were common among all.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/illus3.jpg" width="400" height="400" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>The women in general were a laughing, merry<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -set, prone to affection, finery, and sensuous enjoyment. -But the lower orders were workers in the -fullest sense, the men being their task-masters, -treating them as an inferior caste by imposing -upon their sex arbitrary distinctions in their food, -domestic privileges, duties, and even religious rites, -so that their social condition was wantonly degraded. -Yet females were admitted to power and -often held the highest rank.</p> - -<p>Besides this state there was a vast throng of -attendants carrying burdens, or driving before them -their domestic animals. The families of the soldiery -followed the procession, in irregular masses, -as it defiled from the plain into the valleys that -led towards the coast. In advancing, its numbers -gradually lessened by the departure of warriors, and -minor chiefs with their retainers, for their respective -destinations. With the exception of those immediately -about Kiana, all order of march soon ceased, -and the crowd spread themselves over hill and -valley shouting and jeering, in their good-natured -hurry to reach their homes. The fowls cackled, the -dogs barked. The swine with ominous grunts -charged in all directions, upsetting impartially owners -and neighbors, amid the laughter and cheers of -the lookers on. Children grew doubly mischievous -in the turmoil, running hither and thither, with -frantic cries, pushing and crowding each other over -rocks into the rapid streams, in which they were as -much at home as the fishes. They tripped up -their heavily laden parents in their gambols about -their footsteps, dodging the quick blow in return<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> -with the slipperiness of eels, or repaying with -equally noisy coin the threats of future floggings, -which they well knew would be forgotten -over the first meal. The more sedate vented -their enthusiasm in deep toned songs, which, as -they swelled into full chorus, filled the air with a -wild music, in keeping with the scene. In forest -and grove the birds listened and replied in musical -notes that thrilled sweetly on the ear amid the -medley of sounds. Nature was awake to the scene. -From every tree and rock, out of each dell and off -each hill-top, there came voices to mingle in the -general jubilee. The mountain breezes poured -their anthems in joyous harmony through branch -and leaf. Buds and blossoms bowing before balmy -airs, shook out their fragrance. Cascades sparkled -and leaped, foamed and roared in the bright sun. -Rivulets, looking in the distance like silver threads, -stole with soothing murmurs along the plains, -while the startled wild fowl with defiant note fled -deeper into the forest or skulked closer in the -thicket as the living current swept by.</p> - -<p>While all was thus life and motion in the uplands, -the solitude of the sea coast remained as -described in the last chapter. Alvirez and his -party had disposed themselves for the night as best -suited their individual convenience. There was -no lack of accommodation or retirement. Each -might have selected a village to himself, but they -all remained within the enclosure where we left -them. Juan and Beatriz occupied the principal -house. Olmedo chose one near, and the good<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> -man was soon dreaming of his early Castilian cell. -Tolta watched long and late, and then stretched -himself, mastiff-like, upon a mat at the threshold of -the house in which Beatriz slept. The three seamen, -after sundry explorations, which seemed to -give them small satisfaction, cursed their luck in -being wrecked on a land which had not even -copper, much less gold or silver, in short, anything -whatever which came up to their ideas of spoil, and -closing their eyes, muttered their discontent even in -their sleep.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“How often events, by chance and unexpectedly come to pass, -which you had not dared even to hope for.”—<span class="smcap">Terence.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p>Night came and went; when morning broke, -the same stillness rested on the valley. All of its -guests still slept the deep sleep of fatigue, except -Tolta, who had thought he heard at intervals distant -sounds that fell mockingly upon his ear for a -moment, and then died away into profound silence. -Cautiously he had listened and peered into the -deep shadows of hill and forest, but had detected -nothing. As often, however, as he had sunk again -into restless slumber, the same strange sounds came -to him. The air seemed filled with them; voices -and laughter, the tramp of feet and cries of animals, -yet so vague and intermingled, that at last he -fancied there was a spell upon the valley; that its -inhabitants had all perished by demoniacal violence, -and unseen by mortal eyes, during the night, came -back to haunt their late homes.</p> - -<p>This solution of the mystery was not calculated -to reassure him, and he became more restless than -before. Visions of his native land mingled themselves -with the phantom forms and sounds which -disturbed his slumbers. His imagination vibrated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> -between joy and fear, without a moment’s pause to -give him rest. Gradually, however, as morning -twilight came up over the hill tops, he fancied he -detected shadowy outlines of men, sharp against the -horizon, passing rapidly into the gloom further down. -His terrors were then realized. He saw the ghosts -that had so disturbed his slumbers fleeing before -the coming day, and he shuddered as with a grave-chill.</p> - -<p>A cock suddenly crowed afar off. Tolta started -as if the trumpet of Cortez had sounded in his ears. -His blood tingled once more in his veins. Another -and another crow, nearer and nearer; the morning -air is suddenly filled with their rival notes. A dog -barks! Scores of dogs’ throats open in reply. -Human voices are now distinctly heard. Groups -of men, women, and children, can be plainly seen -descending into the valley from the wooded uplands. -He watches their motions, half doubting -his own senses. A band orderly marching approaches -the enclosure. He sees among them the -sharp array of lances, and the brilliant colors of -feathered casques and cloaks. They recall to him -the warriors of Mexico, and he exults in their martial -tread and warlike aspect. His first impulse is -to rush forward and greet them. “Now shall -Spanish blood again be shed, and their false hearts -quiver on the altars of Mexico’s war-god! Here in -this teocalli, shall the incense so sweet to Huitzilpotcli’s -nostrils once more ascend;” and in his -dreamy excitement he rushed forward as if to strike -the serpent-skin drum, whose terrible signal had so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -often been the death-warrant to his country’s invaders.</p> - -<p>Shall Beatriz die this death? No sooner did -she occur to him, than his fierceness passed away -like a spent surge. All other emotions were lost -in the desire to protect her. Stepping quietly inside -the house, he woke Juan and motioned him to -follow.</p> - -<p>As they passed out and looked over the parapet, -they saw considerable stir among the warriors. -They were coming towards them at great speed, -and evidently with no friendly intent. Their leader -had caught sight of Tolta as he left the wall to -awaken Juan, and indignant at what he supposed -a violation of the tabu, by one of his people, -ordered them to surround the enclosure, so as to -prevent the possibility of escape, while he with a -few followers ascended by the narrow stone steps, -that he might slay the sacrilegious wretch with his -own hand.</p> - -<p>By the time Kiana—for it was he—had nearly -reached the platform, Juan had arrived at the -gate-way, and at a glance took in his whole position.</p> - -<p>“Tonatiuh can now strike the infidel,” said -Tolta with sarcastic emphasis, as he recalled Juan’s -unwise speech of the day before, at the same time -pointing to Kiana, whose rapid strides would in -another instant bring him in front of Alvirez. The -Mexican then re-entered the house to warn Beatriz -of their new danger.</p> - -<p>Juan had too often encountered as fearful odds,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> -in his Mexican campaigns, to lose his presence of -mind in a crisis like this. He called to his men to -come to his succor, as he prepared to hold the gate-way -against his foes, and shouting his accustomed -battle-cry, drew his long Toledo blade, and advanced -it in guard to await Kiana’s onset.</p> - -<p>This chief in his rush up the steps had not fairly -lifted his eyes until the shout of “Santiago for -Spain” reached his ears. His astonishment at the -apparition of the white man,—the gleaming steel, -fierce eyes, thick red beard and strange tongue, the -costume so unlike his people’s,—instead of the expected -tawny hue of his own race, brought him to -a sudden stop. It was but for a moment, for, excited -by his previous fury at a crime so uncommon -among his people, he saw only an offender who -seemed aided by sorcery, and rushed at him with -uplifted javelin, reserving his force to strike and not -to throw. So sudden and powerful was his spring, -that although Juan’s sword parried the blow, he -was borne backward, and Kiana found himself on -the platform.</p> - -<p>Both paused as they now better saw each other’s -strength and strangeness. Kiana’s surprise was increased -as Juan’s men, followed by Olmedo with -crucifix in hand, came hastily up and ranged themselves -at his side. His own soldiers were fast -crowding upon the platform, filled with wonder -rather than fear, at so unexpected a sight. At his -command they were filing off to surround Juan’s -little band, and close in upon them, while he upraised -his javelin, prepared once more to tempt the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -skill of his strange enemy. His right foot was -advanced, his broad chest thrown out and weapon -poised to try again the thrust, which had never -before failed him, when a new cry was heard and a -new figure came forward and sprung between him -and Alvirez.</p> - -<p>It was Beatriz. Her long flowing robes, dishevelled -hair, her pallor and the impulsive energy -with which she pushed aside Juan’s sword, and -turned her eager eyes towards Kiana, fearlessly -fronting his javelin, amazed the red-men. Their -weapons dropped silently by their sides, as their -chief gazed in astonishment with powerless arm -upon the new apparition.</p> - -<p>Kiana’s indecision was, however, only momentary. -A sudden thought had seized him. Turning -to his followers he said, “Behold Lono and his -wife! they have returned with their faces brightened, -and their speech changed, from their abode in -the sun. They have come as Lono promised, with -new teachers and good gifts. Let us honor them -and make them welcome.” As he spoke every -weapon was laid upon the earth, and every head -was bowed. Kiana alone stood erect, asserting his -dignity even in the presence of a returned god.</p> - -<p>Whatever his native sense might have suggested -in regard to the origin of the group before him, his -sagacity in turning the ideas of his people into their -present channel, was safety to the one side, and -direct benefit to himself. He recognized at once -a superiority in their armor and habiliments, which -evinced a knowledge far beyond that of his own<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> -people. They could be useful to him in many -ways. Naturally humane and generous, after his -first anger had cooled, he would not have harmed a -hair of their heads. On the contrary, he and his -people, had they found them helpless on the shore, -would have tenderly received them. Now that he -saw the tabu had not been violated, but that so far -from sacrilege, an event had occurred that appeared -to all miraculous, and confirmatory of the traditions -of his ancestry, he determined to receive the -strangers as his own kin, while he confirmed in the -minds of his people the belief in their divinity. As -the common Hawaiian’s idea of a god was of a -being not more removed from him in power and -intelligence than was the white man, this was an -easy affair.</p> - -<p>Accordingly he gave orders that they should be -provided with suitable retinues and lands, and servants -assigned to them as of his own family.</p> - -<p>His decision was proclaimed by the public heralds. -Great were the rejoicings and shouts throughout -the valley, that Lono and his wife had come -back and were to protect them from their enemies, -and enrich them by new arts and gifts. The simple -people believed and prostrated themselves -deferentially before Juan and Beatriz. Their persons -and those of the others were tabued or made -sacred. No follower of Kiana’s dared lift his hand -toward them, except to do them service or honor. -The change from the peril of immediate massacre, -to being worshipped as divine personages, was so -striking, that while they realized its advantages,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -they could not, before they had acquired the easy -tongue of Hawaii, fully comprehend its cause. The -seamen, however, readily domesticated themselves, -taking wives, and were soon placed on the footing -of petty chiefs.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“In countless upward-stirring waves</div> -<div class="verse indent1">The moon-drawn tide-wave strives:</div> -<div class="verse">In thousand far-transplanted grafts</div> -<div class="verse indent1">The parent fruit survives;</div> -<div class="verse">So in the new-born millions,</div> -<div class="verse indent1">The perfect Adam lies.</div> -<div class="verse">Not less are Summer mornings dear</div> -<div class="verse indent1">To every child they wake,</div> -<div class="verse">And each with novel-life his sphere</div> -<div class="verse indent1">Fills for his proper sake.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Emerson.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>A year had passed. There was no iron on the -island, consequently no means of building a vessel, -which could carry the exiles back to Mexico. Their -only hope lay in the possibility that some caravel, -equipped as theirs had been for discovery, might -sight Hawaii and explore its coasts. But this hope -was so faint as rarely to form a theme of discussion; -so they wisely identified themselves with the -interests and welfare of their generous host, whose -kindness and confidence grew with their stay.</p> - -<p>Kiana and Juan became firm friends. The former -had long since learned the origin and history of -the shipwrecked party, as indeed had the more intelligent -among his chiefs, but their superior knowledge, -and the polite deference of the nobles towards -them, continued to keep them in the same sacred -relation to the common people as at first. This -was the more useful, that it gave to their efforts to -instruct them the sanction of religion.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span></p> - -<p>To properly understand the condition of the -people under the government of Kiana, it will be -necessary to go more into detail. I have already -observed, that their climate and soil combined that -happy medium of salubrity and fertility, which gave -ample returns in health and harvests, but did not -dispense with care and labor. Hence, they were an -active and industrious race. Nature was indeed -a loving, considerate mother to them. As yet -no noxious reptiles or insects infested the land; -ferocious animals were equally unknown; storms -were so rare as scarcely to be ever thought of, while -the temperature was so even, that their language -had no term to express the various changes and -conditions of physical comfort or discomfort, we -combine into the word weather. This, of course, -was a sad loss to conversation, but no doubt a -compensation for lack of this prolific topic existed -somehow in their domestic circles.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/illus4.jpg" width="400" height="275" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p> - -<p>The households of the chiefs were in one sense -almost patriarchally constructed. “My people” -had a meaning as significant as upon a slave plantation -in America, with the difference that here -they were only transferred with the soil. They -were literally “my people;” and as with all purely -despotic institutions, their welfare depended mainly -upon the character of their lords.</p> - -<p>In some respects there existed a latitude of deportment -between the chiefs and their serfs, which -gave rise to a certain degree of social equality. -This freedom of manner is common to that state of -society in which the actual gulf between the different -classes is irrevocably fixed. It grows out of -protection on the one hand and dependence on the -other. On Hawaii there existed a partial community -of property; for although all that the serf possessed -belonged to his lord, yet he had the use and -improvement of the property in his charge, and -besides certain direct interests in it, was protected -by what might be termed their “common law.” -The chief was both executive and judiciary, as obtains -in all rude society. Self-interest became a -powerful incentive to humanity, because cruelty or -injustice towards his tenantry was a direct injury to -his own property, and a provocation to desert his -lands. There was also the family bond, derived -from direct intermingling of blood, the perpetuity of -estates and the familiarity of personal intercourse -between the chiefs and their dependents, fortified -by a condition of society that knew no contrasts to -this state. The lack of other commerce than barter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> -and a partial feudal system, which required the -people not only to furnish their own arms, but upon -all occasions to follow their lords to the field, helped -to develop this social union of extremes.</p> - -<p>All lands were in reality held in fief of the supreme -chief. His will was in the main the code of -law, and indeed the religious creed; that is, the -ultimate appeal in all questions was vested in him. -But public opinion, based upon old habits and certain -intuitive convictions of right and justice common -to all mankind, held even him in check; so -that while rarely attempting any forcible violation -of what was understood to be the universal custom, -he had it in his power indirectly to modify the laws -and belief of his people. While to some extent the -spirit of the clan existed, giving rise to devotion and -attachments similar to those recorded of the Highlanders -of Scotland, there prevailed more extensively -the servile feeling common to Oriental despotism. -Numerous retainers of every grade and rank surrounded -each chief, forming courts with as varied -and as positive an etiquette as those of Europe or -Asia. The most trivial necessity was dignified into -an office. Thus there were “pipe lighters,” masters -of the pipe as they might be called, masters of -the spittoon, of the plumes or “kahilis,” and so on, -while there was no lack of idle clients, the “bosom -friends” of the chief, his boon companions, buffoons, -pimps and every other parasitical condition in which -the individual merges his own identity into the caprices -or policy of his ruler, or by deceit, flattery, or -superior address, seeks to advance his own selfishness -at the general expense.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p> - -<p>In this arrangement the analogy to the courts of -Europe is so evident as to form a striking satire -upon them. Here we find amid petty, semi-naked -tribes, the same masters and mistresses of royal -robes and other useless paraphernalia; the same -abject crowd of parasites quarrelling and intriguing -for honors and riches they are too lazy or dishonest -rightfully to earn; the same degrading etiquette -which exalts a knowledge of its absurdities above -all morality, and imposes penalties upon its infringement, -not bestowed upon crime itself: in fine, a -parody of all that in European monarchies tends to -make human nature base and contemptible.</p> - -<p>Justice, however, requires me to state, that while -the vices of the systems were allied, their virtues -were no less in common. Despotism corrupts the -many, but there are a choice few in all aristocracies -who receive power and homage only as in deposit -for the public good. Its conditions are favorable to -their moral growth, when perhaps the rugged necessities -of life, in conflicts of equality, would dwarf -their souls to the common level of material wants or -selfish interests. Besides these exceptions, as familiar -to savage as to civilized life, because founded -not upon acquired knowledge, but upon natural -instincts, the very superiority of position begets -desire for superior manners and external advantages. -Thus we find in not a few of the privileged orders, -rare politeness and outward polish, and a chivalric -loyalty to the institution of titled aristocracy, as if -in partaking of its birthright, it brought with it a -loftier and more refined standard of feeling and -action than that of the masses.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/illus5.jpg" width="600" height="400" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">A SACRIFICIAL FEAST.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span></p> - -<p>The best of food was reserved for the nobles. -Their houses, bathing places, and domestic utensils, -were tabu from vulgar use. They even used a language -or courtly dialect unintelligible to their subjects. -Their deportment was based upon the innate -consciousness of mental superiority and long inherited -authority. Rank was derived from the mother -as the only certain fountain of ancestry. In size -and dignity of personal carriage they were conspicuous -from the crowd. In short, the difference was -so marked in Hawaii between the chief and his -serf, as to suggest to a superficial observer the idea -of two distinct races.</p> - -<p>Hospitality was a common virtue. There was -no beggary, as there was no need of begging, for the -simple wants of the natives were easily supplied. -The poorest man never refused food to his worst -enemy, should he enter his house and demand it. -Indeed so freely were presents made, that the absolute -law of “meum and tuum,” as it exists among -commercial races, with its progeny of judges and -gaols, locks and fetters, had with them scarcely a -defined meaning. Where there was so much trust -and generosity, any violation of them met with -prompt and severe retribution. Theft was visited -upon the offender by the injured party, even if the -weaker, by the seizure of every movable article -belonging to him. In this wild justice they were -sustained by the whole population. If the property -of a high chief suffered, the thief was sometimes -placed in an old canoe, bound hand and foot, and -set adrift upon the ocean.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span></p> - -<p>Kiana’s people were wealthy in their simple way. -His reign was the golden age of Hawaii. This -was owing mainly to his own character, which took -delight in the happiness and prosperity of his subjects. -No lands were so well cultivated as his. -No rents were more ample or more cheerfully paid. -His people had easy access to him. In their labors -as in their sports he often mingled. If at times he -was hasty or severe, it was owing rather to the -quickened indignation of offended justice than to -selfish passion.</p> - -<p>A very striking reform in the rites if not in the -principles of their religion had been peacefully -brought about by him. In general, the savage -mind is more influenced by fear than by love; that -is, it seeks by worship to avoid harm from natural -objects, which from ignorance of their laws he considers -to be evil spirits, rather than to do homage -to those whose direct beneficence is readily recognized. -But Kiana, like Manco Capac with the Peruvians, -taught them a less slavish ritual. Instead of -sacrifices of animals to deities whose attributes -solely inspired dread, he led them to rejoice in the -bounteous seasons, the vivifying sun, the winds -that refreshed their bodies, and the clouds that -watered their thirsty soil. He taught them that -the waters that bore them so pleasantly from island -to island, were much more to be regarded lovingly, -than the devouring shark with superstitious fear. -Thus without fully, or perhaps in any degree recognizing -the principles of the One God, the people -were led more into harmony with those of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> -works, which were suggestive of good and kind -attributes, which they symbolized in idols, to which -they offered chiefly the fruits of the earth. They -were indeed idolaters, because their minds seldom, -if ever, separated the image from the ideas, but it -was an idolatry that made them cheerful and truthful, -and not gloomy and cruel.</p> - -<p>Contented under their government, reposing on -their religion, these islanders presented a picture of -happiness, which, if we consider only the peaceful, -joyous flow of the material life, we might well envy. -They had no money to beget avarice, or to excite -to the rivalries and dishonesties of trade. There -were no more prosperous territories and bounteous -soils for them to covet by arms; none of superior -force to make them afraid. Their diet was simple, -and their diseases few. They had nothing to fear -from famine, weather, noxious animals, or poisonous -insects. Their unbounded hospitality kept want -from even the idler,—their agricultural games -and fisheries gave ample scope for their physical -energies, while their numerous festivals, the songs -of the bards, and traditions and speeches of their -historians and orators kept alive a national spirit, -which made them proud of their origin and their -country.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;"> -<img src="images/illus6.jpg" width="300" height="350" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>All their myths were connected with the great -phenomena of nature, with which their island was -so pregnant. Hence in their minds there was a -certain grandeur of sentiment, as well as loftiness -of expression and suggestive imagery, that imbued -them with the more elevating influences of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -great nature around them. Then their joyous -dances, particularly graceful and spirited among -the children, though too expressive, perhaps, in action -and words of the sensual instincts with the -adults, caused the gayety of their sunny skies and -the passionate enjoyments of their rare climate to -come home to them with a fulness of sympathy -that made them truly the children of material Nature. -They danced, they sang, they sported, and -they feasted, as if the present hour had had no -predecessor, and was to see no successor. If they -labored, it was that they might enjoy. In all their -exercises, whether of amusement, religion or work, -the requirements of the chiefs, or the necessities of -their families, there was a renunciation of all but -the present moment, mingled with so full a sense -of sportive humor, that no civilized spectator<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -could have looked unmoved upon their sensuous -happiness, however much he might moralize upon -its affinity to mere animal life.</p> - -<p>If they ever thought of death, it was merely as a -change to a world where their enjoyments would -be still more complete. At the worst their spirits -would only wander about their earthly abodes, -vexed at the sight of pleasures which they could no -longer participate in. The general idea the serfs -had of heaven, was of some place specially given to -the chiefs, into which if they entered at all, it was -in the same servile and distinct relation to them -as on earth. Perhaps one great cause of their contentment -sprung from their implicit acquiescence -in the power and privileges of their rulers, as of -beings too vastly their superiors to admit even for -a moment of any equality of fate or aspirations in -either life.</p> - -<p>Such in brief were the character and condition of -the race among which Alvirez and his party were -now domesticated, and to all appearance for life. -There was much to reconcile them to their new -position, as will be shown, and especially in the -peaceful contrast their present homes presented to -the crime and devastation which had been their -experience in Mexico. True, there was no gold. -But what need of gold, when all it represents was -provided without price? After their long experience -of perils and hardships, to the seamen their -present lives seemed planted in Eden. An occasional -affray with some distant tribe that sought to -spoil their more fortunate countryman under Kiana’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> -rule, gave them opportunities to exercise their -courage for the benefit of their new friends. The -reputation which they soon established, and the -supernatural character with which they continued -in some degree, still to be regarded, especially at a -distance, contributed much towards keeping the -frontiers quiet. Juan and Kiana, according to Hawaiian -custom, exchanged names, by which in -friendship, power and property, they were viewed as -one. But the better to appreciate the true position -of each in reference to their new life, we must trace -their individual experiences.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“Earth, our bright home its mountains and its waters,</div> -<div class="verse">And the ethereal shapes which are suspended</div> -<div class="verse">O’er its expanse, and those fair daughters,</div> -<div class="verse">The clouds, of Sun and Ocean who have blended</div> -<div class="verse">The colors of the air since first extended,</div> -<div class="verse">It cradled the young world....”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Shelley.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Olmedo had not been idle during the year in his -labors to convert the islanders to his faith. Nor -was he without a certain degree of success, though -very far from having instilled into them any definite -ideas of Christianity. Indeed, strange as it may -appear at the first statement, there was in the rites -he wished to supersede so much analogy with -those he wished to introduce, that the substitution -was not easily effected. Juan, in his martial zeal -for the Roman Catholic faith, would gladly have -used the same arguments here as in Mexico; that -is, have destroyed the idols, purified the temples, and -set up crucifixes and new images, which only they -should worship, whether persuaded or not of their -religious efficacy. For once, however, Spanish -zeal was obliged to be tempered with a respect for -the force which was not now on their side. It -must be confessed, also, that the easy, seductive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> -life he had led, the absence of the worst features of -heathenism, and the generous character and shrewdness -of Kiana, had not a little weakened Juan’s -fanaticism; so that, although conforming sufficiently -to the ritual of his faith to keep himself within -the pale of his church’s salvation, he had almost -unconsciously imbibed the idea that some even -of the virtues of Christianity might exist among -pagans.</p> - -<p>Within the walled enclosure in which Juan and -his sister resided, overlooking the sea, Olmedo had -built a small chapel. The rude images which -native ingenuity under his direction had carved to -represent the Virgin and her Son, were not so unlike -their own wooden deities, as to require anything -more than an enlargement of their mythology, -for the simple natives to have accepted them as -their own. This of course would have been only -adding to the sin which Olmedo wished to eradicate. -The good man, however, persevered in his -rites and doctrines, and had the satisfaction to have -numbers of the chiefs and their attendants come to -witness his worship. Among them most frequently -was Kiana, but as his eyes were oftener directed -towards kneeling Beatriz, than the holy symbols of -the altar, it is to be presumed that another motive -beside religious conviction swayed his heart. He -saw that the crucifix and the images of the gods of -the white man, as he regarded them, were very -dear to them. Out of respect, therefore, to his -guests, in unconscious philosophical imitation of -Alexander Severus, when he placed statues of Abraham<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> -and Christ among his revered images, Kiana -had set up the crucifix in his domestic pantheon. -How far he understood the teachings of Olmedo -may be gathered from one of their not unfrequent -colloquies upon religion.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/illus7.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>Mass had just been said. Olmedo had trained -some of the more tractable youths to assist him in -the service, which they did the more willingly, from -perceiving that it gave them a personal importance -to be considered of the household of Lono. The -solemn chant of the priest in a strange and sonorous -tongue, the regular responses of the Spaniards, -and their thorough devotion, the simple exhortations -to a good life, which all present could comprehend, -followed by the earnest eloquence of Olmedo, as he -sought to expound in the Hawaiian tongue the -mysteries of a faith which it had no terms correctly -to render, all made an impressive scene. Their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> -hearts were touched even when their minds were -not enlightened.</p> - -<p>It was the decline of day. The sun was pouring -a flood of soft light over the sea, which sparkled as -with the radiance of an opal. Kiana, Olmedo, and -Beatriz, came out of the chapel, and reclined upon a -pile of mats which their attendants had spread for -them on a green knoll just beyond the reach of the -waves. The trade wind fanned them with its cool -breath, and sang an evening hymn amid the waving -palms, high above their heads. A group of fishermen -were hauling their nets, heavy with the meshed -fishes, to the music of a wild chant. Numbers of -both sexes were sporting in the surf. The line of -breakers commenced far seaward, in long, lofty, -curling swells, that came in regular succession -thundering onward to the shore, which trembled -under the mighty reverberation. It was not a -sound of anger, nor of merriment, but the pealing -forth of Nature’s mightiest organ, in deep-toned -notes of praise. There was much in the commingled -glories of sound and color, the beauty of -the shore, and the expanse of the ocean, to suggest -an Infinite Author to the most thoughtless mind.</p> - -<p>Human life and happiness mingle largely with -the scene. The bathers shout and gambol in the -water as if in their native element. The maidens -and boys,—with their parents, who in the -frolic become children also,—dive under the huge -combers as one after another they break and foam -on their way to the shore. Heads with flowing -tresses and laughing eyes are continually shooting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -up through the yeast of waters with merry cries, -then ducking again to escape the quick coming -wave. Rising beyond it, each plunge carries them -further seaward, till with their surf-boards they -reach the line of deep water. Then poising their -boards on the very crests of the heaviest rollers, -they throw themselves flat upon them, and skilfully -keeping their position just on its edge before it -topples and breaks, they are borne with the speed -of race horses towards the shore. Now is their -highest glee. In revelry they scream and toss their -dark arms, which strikingly contrast with the silvery -gleaming wave, urging their ocean steeds to still -more headlong haste. They near the rocks. Another -instant, and of their gaysome forms nothing -will remain but mangled flesh and broken bones. -But no: the wave passes from under them, and -dashes its salt spray upon the land barrier, and far -away among the green bushes; the surf board is -cast with violence upon the shore, but the active -swimmers avoid the shock, by sliding at the latest -moment from their boards -and diving seaward, again -emerge, challenging each -other once more to mount -Neptune’s car.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 200px;"> -<img src="images/illus8.jpg" width="200" height="225" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>A more quiet scene is -at the left. Here flows a -gentle stream, overhung -with deep foliage. On its -banks, to the beating -of drums and the quick<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -chants of the musicians, young children are dancing. -They wear wreaths of white or scarlet flowers, -intermingled with deep green leaves, on their -heads; and on their bosoms are necklaces of bright -shells or finely braided hair, and feather mantles -about their waists. They are yet too young to feel -other instincts than the gladsome and chaste -impulses which are shown in light and graceful -motions. Even the groups of adults seated on the -grass, watching with interest their sports, reflect -their innocent gayety, and become for the moment -young and innocent themselves.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/illus9.jpg" width="400" height="350" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>In the stream itself, mothers are teaching their -infants to swim. Their love for the water is apparent -in every struggle. They take to it like ducklings, -and almost as soon as they can walk they -can be trusted alone in that element. Now they -turn their smiling faces towards their parents, and -kick and cry for one more plash and still another; -the delighted mother encouraging its attempts with -soothing voice and tender care.</p> - -<p>Such was the spectacle on which Kiana and his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> -friends were gazing, after leaving the chapel and -seating themselves by the sea-shore.</p> - -<p>That day Olmedo had in his discourse dwelt -more earnestly than usual upon the doctrines of his -creed, with the hope finally to induce Kiana to cast -aside his mythology and accept the Roman Catholic -Trinity. Here, indeed, was the stumbling-block. -How could Olmedo hope to make an idea, which -was in a great degree contradictory and incomprehensible -even to many of the cultivated and theological -minds of Europe, intelligible to the simple -reason of the Polynesian, when by the former it was -at least only received as a great mystery!</p> - -<p>“You tell me,” said Kiana, “that there is one -great God, who made heaven and earth, an all-wise, -all-perfect, all-powerful Being. He has created -the Hawaiian, the Spaniard, the Mexican, and -all the races of men. I know this to be true. My -people worship the wooden images of deities, and -think they supply their wants. But those of us -who have been taught the true meaning of our -sacred songs, know full well that these senseless -idols cannot make the taro grow,—they do not -send us rain,—neither do they bestow life, nor -health. My thought has always been, there is one -only Great God dwelling in the heavens.”</p> - -<p>“Your thought is indeed right,” replied Olmedo; -“but God many years ago, seeing how wicked the -world was, sent his only-begotten Son to teach it -true religion. He was cruelly crucified by the -people to whom he was sent, and he went up to -heaven, where he remains to be the judge and Saviour<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -of all men. After his ascension, he sent to -his disciples, to comfort them, the Holy Ghost. -Now these three persons are one God,—the God -whom we Christians worship. All your images -are vain idols; cast them aside, and set up in their -places the image of the Son, Jesus Christ, and his -holy mother, of whom he was born in the flesh, by -the will of God, without a human father. Then -shall you and your people be saved.”</p> - -<p>Had Olmedo been content to have acquiesced in -the simple conception of the One God, he would -have had little difficulty in persuading Kiana and -his people to renounce the direct worship of idols, -and to trust in and pray to the Great Father. -There was something in their minds that made this -idea seem not wholly new to them. This was -derived in part from the mystic expressions of their -bards, who had dimly felt this sublime truth, and in -the testimony of the universal heart of the human -race, which ultimately resolves all things into One -Great Cause, however much it may overshadow -his glory and pervert his attributes, by multiplying -the symbols of natural powers, and make to itself -“graven images” of earthly passions and foibles. -But when Olmedo talked dogmatically of the -“Three in One,” he left only a vague impression, -that he worshipped either “three male gods and one -female, which made four,” or that there were absolutely -three equal gods, which in time they called -“Kane, Kaneloa, and Maui.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER IX.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“The rounded world is fair to see,</div> -<div class="verse">Nine times folded in mystery,</div> -<div class="verse">Though baffled seers cannot impart</div> -<div class="verse">The secret of its laboring heart,</div> -<div class="verse">Throbs thine with Nature’s throbbing breast,</div> -<div class="verse">And all is clear from east to west,</div> -<div class="verse">Spirit that lurks each form within,</div> -<div class="verse">Beckons to spirit of its kin.</div> -<div class="verse">Self-kindled every atom glows,</div> -<div class="verse">And hints the future which it owes.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Emerson.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The good missionary, for such in truth was -Olmedo, was met at every step of his argument -with answers, which from their truth and good -sense, he found no little difficulty in refuting, -while he drew his weapons solely from the polemic -armory of Rome. It matters little in what theological -crucible the doctrines of Jesus may have been -melted, they all become, after the process, perverted -from their simplicity. They then require schools to -sustain them and scholars to explain. Whereas in -the few earnest and loving words of their Author, -before they are petrified into creeds, they find their -way readily into the hearts and minds of even children. -Indeed properly to receive them we must -become as little children. The polemical subtleties<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -of <span class="smcap">Reason</span> are wholly foreign to him who did -<span class="smcap">Works</span> in his Father’s name, that they might bear -witness of Him.</p> - -<p>As often, therefore, as Olmedo sought merely -to indoctrinate Kiana, he was met with replies -founded on assumptions of the same character as -his own, or on the admission of similar ideas and -ceremonies among the Hawaiians, which from their -analogy to the rites and thoughts of his own -church, a more bigoted Roman Catholic missionary -of that day would have accounted for, only by the -blinding devices of the devil. But Olmedo’s mind -was so largely imbued with true charity, that recognizing -a common brotherhood in man, he was prepared -to admit that even the heathen were not left -wholly without some spiritual light, which was the -seed in due time destined to grow up into Christianity. -His mildness and firmness were proportionate -to the strength of his own convictions. He was patient -also, and disclaimed forced conversions, which -he well knew would only recoil into deeper error, -through the avenging power of wounded liberty -and reason. Moreover, he had no wish to substitute -a new idol for an old one. In Mexico, humanity -demanded the prompt abolition of human -sacrifices and other cruel rites. Here he had no -fanatical and crafty priesthood to oppose him; no -barbarous customs openly to denounce; the people -looked upon him as a messenger from some divinity, -and listened deferentially to his exhortations. -He saw plainly that the evils which he had to -encounter lay deep in the temperament of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> -Hawaiian, and could only be eradicated by presenting -to his mind moral truths, which might gradually -so operate upon his sensuous character, as to give -him higher motives of action, from convincing him -that better results and increased happiness would -be his reward both here and hereafter. Perhaps no -obstacle was more fatal to his success than the -easy and hospitable nature of the Hawaiian himself. -Based as it was, upon the generous spontaneity -of his climate, modified or directed by the -individual character of the rulers and priests, it -found no difficulty in adding to its mythology at -the will of the latter, or in being courteous and kind -to all. But this quality, dependent as it was mainly -upon the healthful action of their animal natures, -could not be permanently counted upon. Their -passions, like the limbs of the tiger in repose, were -beautiful to look at, but rouse them and they were -equally fearful. In the exercise of hospitality, they -freely proffered their wives and daughters to their -guests, but excite their hate or jealousy, and their -revenge became demoniacal. With all their external -peace and happiness, there was but faint moral -principle. This Olmedo saw, and endeavored to -inculcate virtue as the only basis of religious -reform.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, they had often expressed -much good-natured wonder at his refusal to take a -wife from the most beautiful girls, which partly -from pity at his continence, and partly to test its -strength, they had offered him under the most seductive -circumstances. His explanation of the vow<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> -of chastity required by his religion, did not aid to -render it the more acceptable to them. It was -beyond their comprehension that any deity should -require such a mortification of the instincts he had -himself created. Olmedo’s abstinence was therefore -the more marvellous, but perceiving how scrupulously -he fulfilled the obligations of his tabu, they -gave him that respect which every sincere action, -proceeding from a good motive, never fails to inspire. -By degrees they began to feel in Olmedo’s -life a purity and benevolence, which, overlooking -his own bodily ease or enjoyment, was untiring in -its efforts to do them all good. In sickness, he -watched at their bedsides with herbs to heal and -words to cheer. In strife he was ever active to -make peace. Their children he fondled, and upon -their plastic minds he was better able to impress -the idea of a One Great God and his Son’s love. -He told them beautiful stories of that sinless -woman and mother of Judea, the Madonna, who -centered in herself all the human and divine -strength of her sex, and who, as the spouse of God, -was ever nigh to pity, soothe, and protect. He -taught them that to forgive was better than to -revenge; that the law not to steal sprang from a -better principle than fear of retaliation; in short, -that virtue brought a peace and joy far beyond all -that the fullest gratifications of their merely selfish -desires could produce.</p> - -<p>Much of this instruction fell among choking -weeds. Still they were all better for having Olmedo -among them; and, indeed, the very fact of their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -being able in any degree to appreciate his life, -showed the dawnings of a new light to their minds.</p> - -<p>Without this detail of the relative moral positions -of the priest and his semi-flock, the reader -would not appreciate the force of Kiana’s reply to -Olmedo’s appeal, in which the latter had given a -brief history of the Christian religion as derived -from the Holy Scriptures and interpreted by the -Roman church.</p> - -<p>I give merely the substance of Kiana’s words, as -it would be too tedious to follow them literally -through the web of conversation which led to so -full an enunciation of his own belief. The reader -will perceive a sufficient coincidence, to suggest -either a common source of knowledge in the earliest -ages of human history or certain religious instincts -in the human mind, that make isolated -races come to practically the same religious conclusions.</p> - -<p>“Some things that you tell me,” said Kiana, -“are like our own traditions. From them we learn -that there was a time when there was no land nor -water, but everywhere darkness and confusion. It -was then that the Great God made Hawaii. Soon -after he created a man and woman to dwell on it. -These two were our progenitors.</p> - -<p>“Ages afterwards a flood came and drowned all -the land, except the top of Mauna Kea, which you -see yonder,” continued the chief, pointing to its -snowy summit. “A few only of the people were -saved in a great canoe, which floated a long while -on the waters, until it rested there, and the people<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -went forth and again built houses and dwelt in the -land.</p> - -<p>“One of our Gods also stopped the sun, as you -say Joshua did, not to slay his enemies, but to give -light to his wife to finish her work.</p> - -<p>“We have a hell, but it is not one of torturing -flames, but of darkness, where bad men wander -about in misery, having for food only lizards and -butterflies. Our heaven is bright like yours, and -those who are admitted are forever happy. You -tell me of a Purgatory, where the souls of those -who go not directly to heaven or hell, remain in -temporary punishment. Our priests tell us that -the spirits of those who have been not very good or -bad, remain about the earth, and that they visit -mortals to protect or harm according to their dispositions.</p> - -<p>“We pray with our faces and arms extended -towards heaven, as you do. We have our fasts -and our feasts, in memory of our good men, who -have gone before us to happiness. We venerate -their relics and the people worship them.</p> - -<p>“You believe in One Great God and worship -many. We do the same. What matters it by -what names they are called. You declare a man -whom you call Pope, to be the representative of -God on earth; that he can bind or loose for hell or -heaven; that only through belief in his church -can any one be saved; that his authority is -derived from dreams and visions, and prophesies -and traditions written in a Holy Book.</p> - -<p>“Our priests too have visions and dreams. Their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -gods visit them. They claim authority from the -same sources of inspiration. Your Pope is no -doubt right to govern you as he does. His book -is a good book for you white men; but we red men -have no need of a book, while our priests still talk -with their gods, as you say yours once did.</p> - -<p>“If no one can be saved except in believing in the -Pope, what becomes of all the races you tell me of -who have never heard of him? Would a good -God punish his creatures for not knowing what -they cannot know? No! I do not believe in this! -The Great Spirit has given us Hawaiians some -truth. Perhaps he has given you white men more. -This I can believe, as I see you are so superior to -us in knowledge, but that he created those only -who acknowledge the Pope, to be saved, I do not -believe!</p> - -<p>“Our priests when they quarrel talk in the same -way. Each claims to be the favorite and inspired -of his God, but it is because they are selfish and -ambitious. They wish to control men by pretending -to hold the gate of Heaven. My thought is, -that God hears and sees all men, whether they -pray through priests or not. I am the Pope of my -people, but I know that I cannot shut or open -heaven to any one. I have no right to give away -the lands of other people, because they do not believe -as I do. Some prefer one God and some -another.</p> - -<p>“You have what you call an Inquisition to punish -those who do not assent to your faith. We -too have our ‘tabus’ which permit the same, when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -sacrilege is done or our laws broken. If we adopted -your laws and customs, how should we be better -off than now, when they are so alike?</p> - -<p>“If your Jesus was the Supreme God, how -could his creatures put him to death? How could -he have been a man like us? If he were only a -great prophet, then I can understand how these -things happened and why he has since been worshiped -as a God?</p> - -<p>“Have you not heard our priests say, that among -the doctrines that have come down to us from the -earliest time, is one almost the same as you tell -us of Jesus, ‘to love our neighbor as ourself, to do -to him what we wish done to us?’ They also tell -us to keep peace with all. God who sees will -avenge, the same as you say, only that you constantly -preach and practise it, which our priests -have long since forgotten to.”</p> - -<p>After this manner did Kiana reply to Olmedo. -The words of the pagan were a prolific theme of -reflection to him. In some things he found himself -a scholar where he would have been a teacher. -There was then a light even to the Gentiles. How -vain was force, how wicked compulsion in matters -of faith! Mankind all sought one common end, -happiness here and hereafter. God had left none so -blind as not to have glimmerings of truth. He would -adjudge them according to their gifts, and not by -an arbitrary rule of priestcraft. God’s laws were -uniform and universal. All creation was penetrated -with their essence. Sin brought its own punishment, -and virtue its own reward, whether within or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -without the pale of the church. Was the Roman -Church, after all, but <i>one</i> form of religious expression? -An imperfect one, too! At this thought he shuddered -as the force of theological dogmas recoiled upon -him. It was but a transient emotion. Truth was -not so easily subdued. The idea flashed through -his mind, “Does not pure religion diminish in proportion -as a stony theology flourishes? Is not that -a science of words and forms of man’s creation, -destined gradually to pass away, as the kingdom -of God, which is only of the Spirit, shall increase -until all men are baptized into it through Love -and not through Fear?”</p> - -<p>Olmedo’s heart swelled at these thoughts. As -he gazed upon the scene before him, so in harmony -with the joyousness of nature, so penetrated with -her beauty, so choral with her melodies, the mere -scholastic theologian died from within him. His -face lighted into a glow of thankfulness, that God -had created Beauty, and given man senses to enjoy -it. Was there any good thing of his to be -refused? Was not every gift to be accepted with -gratitude, and used to increase his enjoyment? -Was not the rule <i>Use</i>, and the denial <i>Abuse</i>? Was -not the immolation of correct instincts a sacrifice -of self to Belial? Were not the heathen themselves -reading a lesson to him from Nature’s Bible, -wiser than those he had studied from the Law -and the Prophets? There was opened to him a -new revelation. Not of Rome! Not from Geneva! -God’s world in all its fulness flowed in upon him. -He was inspired with the thought. Out from his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -eyes as he stood erect and felt himself for once -<i>wholly</i> a man, there, shone a light that made those -who looked upon him feel what it was for man to -have been created in <span class="smcap">His Image</span>. But beware monk! -Beware priest! There is either salvation or ruin in -this! Salvation, if Duty holds the helm,—ruin if -Desire seizes the post.</p> - -<p>Kiana regarded Olmedo in amazement. His -was not the soul to enter into such a sanctuary. -There was one, however, whose nature penetrated -his inmost thoughts. Nay, more, it instinctively -infused itself into his and the two made One Heart; -intuitively praising Him. Their eyes met. One -deep soul-searching gaze, and these two were for -ever joined.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER X.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse indent1">“So Love doth raine</div> -<div class="verse">In stoutest minds and maketh monstrous Warre:</div> -<div class="verse indent1">He maketh warre: he maketh Peace again.</div> -<div class="verse">And yet his Peace is but continual Jarre.</div> -<div class="verse indent1">Oh miserable men that to him subject arre.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Spenser.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The situation of Beatriz alone, so far as companionship -of her sex was concerned, was peculiar. -She was not one readily to give or seek confidence. -Were she surrounded with her equals in race and -cultivation, she would not have disclosed her inmost -self, and least of all to a female. This was -instinct rather than reason. Those about her -thought they knew her in all points, because they -saw how good and true she was to them. They -loved her, because her vast capacity of love drew -all lesser loves towards it. They came readily to -her with their trials, because in her large heart and -womanly perceptions there was an inexhaustible -fountain of sympathy and a foresight truer than a -sybil’s. Thus daily, wherever she was, whoever -among, she received a constant tribute of devotion -and confidence. The character of those about her -grew better by her presence. But with all this -power, of which each word or look could not but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -make her conscious, she was often inexpressibly -sad.</p> - -<p>Whence this sadness? Beatriz had never analyzed -her own heart. While all others were -open to her, her own had remained a mystery. -She felt within it deep, broad currents of emotion, -which led, she scarcely knew whither. That their -waters flowed from a clear spring was self-evident, -because her desires were pure and high. She loved -her brother warmly, and he returned her love; still -there was a wide gulf between them. With other -men the gulf was wider. With women she had -never been intimate. Hence, while she seemed so -easily read by all about her, there still remained a -mystery of which none had been able to lift the -veil.</p> - -<p>Her sympathy, self-sacrificing spirit and generosity; -her indignation at the mean or base; her -approving glance at the noble and true; her quiet -courage and patient endurance; her piety, her quick -perception, which so often anticipated man’s slower -judgment; her passions even, for she had shown, -when roused, a force and decision, that awed armed -men and controlled rude hearts; all this was intelligible -to her companions, and commanded their -love and esteem. But there still remained a depth -to her nature, that theirs could never have sounded, -and would have remained fathomless to herself, -unless stirred by a depth answering to her own.</p> - -<p>All God-filled souls experience this. With all -that rank, position and the ordinary affections of -kindred can confer, with, as it were, every earthly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span> -wish gratified, there still remains, underlying the -calm exterior of social cultivation, a gnawing and -restlessness, that unmasks the skeleton at the feast. -Something is ever wanting.</p> - -<p>What is this want?</p> - -<p>It is not Reason. The book of Nature is ever -open, and the mind has but to look thereon to find -always something new,—truths to lead it upward -and onward, daily convincing it that its heritage is -Infinity.</p> - -<p>What is it then?</p> - -<p>It is Love!</p> - -<p>Yes, with all the resources of Reason, without -Love, we are indeed widowed. Like Rachel we -refuse to be comforted. No love will satisfy our -hearts, however much we may cling to the phantoms -of sentiment or passion, however strong may -be the demands of duty, however implicit our obedience, -unless the <i>measure</i> of our hearts is filled. -We must have all that we can contain of all that -we are and all that we are not. Then only dual -souls become <i>One</i>.</p> - -<p>It is right that it should be thus. The very -misery arising from uncongenial unions or unsatisfied -desires, springs from a benevolent law, which -says, like pain to the diseased limb, “you are -wrong.” Be dutiful but not satisfied. Although -you now see through a glass darkly, in time light -and harmony will be your portion. Cultivate your -soul so as to receive a better inheritance.</p> - -<p>Beatriz had never married. Her nature had kept -her from the great error of mistaking a little for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> -whole. She who had so much to give, was too -wise to fling herself away upon a single impulse. -Her love for all was the result of an unconscious -superiority of soul, which increased by what it -gave. It was, more properly speaking, kindness or -benevolence, and flowed from her as naturally and -as sweetly as fragrance from the rose.</p> - -<p>All great natures have in them a vein of sadness. -This springs from the consciousness of the little -they are, in contrast with the much they would be. -With man it is an active want. He would know -all things. He grasps the reins of the chariot of -the sun, and falls headlong because he tries to fly -before his wings are unfolded. Woman is more -patient. She passively awaits her destiny. If it -be long in coming, she may find solace in apathy, -but she rarely, wilfully commits a wrong to hasten -her right. Yet when her moral nature does become -disordered, as the foulest decay springs from the -richest soil, so she becomes so wanton as to cause -even fallen man to shudder.</p> - -<p>Love had remained passive in the soul of Beatriz. -Its might was all there, but the torch that was to -kindle the flame had not yet reached it. She only -knew its power for joy by the pleasure she felt in -seeing its effects in others. Thus she welcomed -within herself all that she saw in another that was -noble and lovable, while she shrank instinctively -from every base action or degrading thought.</p> - -<p>Kiana’s ardent, generous nature, had from the -first been her captive. This she saw; but it inspired -in her no deeper sentiment than the respect due his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> -qualities. He, however, unlike most men, did -not fancy that to love, implied of necessity to be -loved. His passion was open and honorable. To -the praise of the Hawaiian race, be it recorded, that -no white woman ever received other than courtesy at -their hands. Rich or poor, alone among thousands -of natives, they and theirs with no other protection -than their own virtue, have ever been, not only respected, -but cared for, and to a certain extent venerated. -White men, it is true, have in general been -as hospitably received. But by their passions they -speedily place themselves upon the level of the native. -The white woman, on the contrary, from the -first went among them as a missionary,—a being -superior in virtue as in knowledge to themselves,—and -by the affinity of respect which human -nature everywhere shows for the truly good, she -has ever maintained over this semi-barbarian race -an ascendancy more real than hostile fleets have -ever effected.<a name="FNanchor_1" id="FNanchor_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>Beatriz had nothing to fear from Kiana. It was -not in her power to refuse his gifts for they reached -her indirectly, through the thousand channels ever -open to a despotic will. Kiana’s passion, like his -nature, was princely. The rarest flowers, fresh<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> -every morning, were placed by unseen hands about -her house. All that Hawaii could produce that -was beautiful or delicate, found its way thither; she -could not tell how, though she felt from whom it -came. The choicest fruits were served to her by -the fairest and best of Hawaii’s maidens. No -wanton curiosity was allowed to intrude upon her -retirement. If she walked out, not an eye gazed -rudely upon her, not a glance questioned her motives. -Amid a populous district, she was as retired, -at her own choice, as if it were her pleasure grounds. -The gallantry of Kiana had even provided for her -a bathing place in a crystalline pool, so nicely -shaded by nature and screened by art, as to form -a retreat that Diana might have coveted. When -he visited her, it was with the state of a Hawaiian -noble. Rarely, unless specially invited by Juan, -did he approach her in an informal manner. -Savage though he was, he possessed a tact and an -intuitive perception of the delicacy of Beatriz’s -character, which led him to adopt the only course -that could in any wise make him personally acceptable -to her.</p> - -<p>One day not long after the scene described in -the last chapter, Beatriz, sadder than usual, was -alone in her garden, looking at the ocean without -seeing it, when Kiana came up to her and in a low -voice said, “Does the white maiden mourn her -Spanish home?”</p> - -<p>“No, chief,” said Beatriz, “my home is with my -brother. We are orphans.”</p> - -<p>“Juan loves Hawaii,” replied Kiana, “and will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> -stay with us. He is my brother, my Hoapili, -‘close adhering companion,’ my people now call -him. But my heart is lonely. Will not his sister -be my wife?”</p> - -<p>The abruptness of the proposal, although so long -foreshadowed by attentions that only an honorable -love could have suggested, at first startled Beatriz, -and for a moment she was at a loss for a suitable -reply. Decided in her own feelings, she wished to -spare him unnecessary pain, and at the same time -preserve a friendship so important to the welfare of -her brother. Perhaps she thought too of Olmedo. -Her hesitation encouraged Kiana to plead his suit -still farther.</p> - -<p>“Kiana loves only the white maiden. Since his -eyes first saw her, all other loves have left him. -His heart grows feeble when she speaks. He trembles -at her voice, but it is music to his ears. When -she smiles the sun looks brighter, the birds sing -more sweetly and the flowers grow more fragrant. -My people see in her a deity. To me, she is my -soul, my life. Be mine, maiden, and rule Hawaii, -as you now rule me,” and the haughty chief, who -had never before bent the knee in prayer to God or -mortal, knelt to Beatriz.</p> - -<p>Her resolution was at once taken. With a nature -like his, frankness and firmness would, she felt, -be appreciated.</p> - -<p>“Rise, chieftain,” said she, “this must not be. -White maidens give their hands only with their -hearts. You are generous, noble, proud. Would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -you wed one who cannot return your love? No! -Kiana could not stoop to that.”</p> - -<p>“But thou wilt love. Thou art formed for love. -Does not each bird seek a mate? Wilt thou, of all -thy sex, be always alone? Look around. All -nature smiles; thou only art ever sad. Let my -love be thy smile, and Hawaii shall ever rejoice that -‘the pearl of the sea-wave,’ for so thou art called -among us, was found upon her shore.”</p> - -<p>“You speak truly, chief, when you call me sad, -but were I to wed you without love, you too would -soon grow sad. The white maiden respects you,—is -grateful to you,—would serve you all in her -feeble power, but she cannot do so great a wrong to -herself and to you, as to say yes, when her heart -speaks no.”</p> - -<p>Kiana shook like an aspen leaf. His voice grew -tremulous, but the pride and passion of his race -were subdued before the truth and beauty of Beatriz. -There had always been something in her deportment, -which as decisively forbade hope where -hope was not to be, as it would have invited love -where love was to be. So he turned from her more -in sorrow than in anger, but had gone but a few -steps, when returning, he said, “Kiana loves you, -and ever will. He seeks a companion, not a captive. -You are right not to say yes, when you feel -no; fear not. Kiana can love, even if not loved. -All that he possesses is yours. Never shall it be -said of Kiana that his love changed to dishonor, -because he could not win the white maiden.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span></p> - -<p>Tears started to her eyes as she gave him her -hand. She dared not trust her speech to express -the gratitude she really felt, for fear it might revive -his passion. And so they parted, each remaining -true to their last words.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XI.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“I never saw a vessel of like Sorrow,</div> -<div class="verse">So filled and so becoming.”</div> -<div class="verse">...</div> -<div class="verse">“Give Sorrow words: the Grief that does not speak</div> -<div class="verse">Whispers the overfraught heart and bids it break.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Shakespeare.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>No woman of true sensibility rejects a lover without -feeling herself a sympathy in the pang she inflicts. -It often happens that in her artless attempts -to mitigate the disappointment, her motives are -mistaken, and she subjects herself again to a siege -so much more pressing than the former, that she -yields against her conviction, a captive to a stronger -will, but not to love. It was not so with a woman -of Beatriz’s mould. She knew that in no way -could she be so true to others as in being true to -herself. When Kiana turned from her, although -she was sadder than before he spoke, she felt that -her sincerity had been her safety.</p> - -<p>As she prolonged her walk farther from her house -to where the trees thickened into a forest, she -thought she saw a pair of piercing eyes, not unfamiliar, -watching her at times, through the thick -vines and ferns that clustered about her path. She -was, however, too abstracted by her own reflections<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> -to be curious about them, and so she slowly wandered -on.</p> - -<p>“Holy Mother, has it come to this,” said she to -herself, stopping occasionally, and pressing her -hands over her heart as if to still its throbs, “do I -love this man? Whence this fever here, if it be not -love? Why was it that when I found him lying, as -I thought, dead on the sand, my pulses ceased to -beat, and for the instant I was dead myself? Could -he have seen my emotion when he came to? The -Chaste Virgin forbid! Yet when our eyes met on -that holy evening in which we gazed so long upon -the sea, I read my soul in his. But can he know -what I do not know myself? I would say I do not -love him, yet something within chokes me when I -would utter the words. What I, a Catholic maiden, -love a priest? ’tis not so! it would be sacrilege. -May the Mother of God forgive the thought,” and -she paused with eyes uplifted and hands clasped in -silent prayer.</p> - -<p>For an instant she became quieter, but it was -only the gathering of the coming storm. Every -instinct of her warm nature cried, “you love him.” -Each accepted doctrine of her faith as firmly forbade -it. She felt she was on the brink of a gulf. -Destruction of soul and body or their martyrdom, -seemed the only choice.</p> - -<p>“Yet,” thought she, “if it be a crime, why is it -that his voice ever soothes me,—that his words -ever make me stronger and truer to my better self,—that -he upholds me in all that is good? When -with him, nature has a more loving aspect; the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> -very stones look kindly on me. It has ever been -thus. Before I suspected myself,—yes, now I see -it all,—years, years ago, my heart flowed out the -same to Olmedo,—his presence was my want. -Away from him I was contented, it is true, but I -was sad. With him, my sadness became a quiet -joy. I was doubly myself. Has the good God -given me all this for a torment? To ruin my soul -through the source of its virtue and its highest -happiness?”</p> - -<p>She shuddered. Her whole frame was convulsed -with agony. She did not fear that Olmedo did not -love her, because she thought that feelings so deep -and long tried as hers had been in relation to him, -could not exist without the answering sympathy of -his.</p> - -<p>It was not then the fear that she was not loved -that troubled her. It was rather the fear that -Olmedo might be tempted even as she was. He, a -priest, vowed to chastity: his wife was the Holy -Church; if it were sacrilege in her to love, it were -blasphemy in him. Again all the terrors of a -stricken conscience smote her, and she was overwhelmed -at the thought that he might be equally -guilty with herself.</p> - -<p>Thus it often is. God gives man his instincts -and desires. Having made him after his own -image, that image must be vital with the eternal -principles of God-nature. If the author of all has -inseparably connected cause and effect in the physical -world, He has carried the law no less positively -into the moral world. There can be, therefore, no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span> -instinct without its proper function, and no aspiration -that may not be realized progressively towards -Him. Duty is the password to heaven, which, in -the rightly balanced mind begins on earth. Finding -all things good according to their kind, it is not -afraid to honor God by the right use of his gifts. -Man begins his hell here also, by the bars to his -progress, which his misunderstood organization, selfish -passions, and the foolish learning or spiritual -tyranny of his merely human theology fabricate for -him. He fears, and seeks to compromise or deceive. -If the spirit of God be upon him, then he enjoys all -things of God, each in its due degree, with a peace -that passeth understanding.</p> - -<p>Beatriz, therefore, was right in feeling that the -Being who had made the human heart and given it -the capacity of loving, intended that it should love; -that he had not given affections and the affinities of -soul to either sex, to be a torment from want of the -very object which He had made that man might -not be <i>Alone</i>. And alone must be man or woman -into whose heart enter no sympathies, responding to -their own. If Adam had his mate, so has each son -of his, by the same great law of Nature. God -chose for Adam, but he gave to his children a delicate -heritage of instincts and emotions of commingled -matter and spirit, which were to be their guides -towards finding the other being who is to complete -their unity. That Olmedo was to her that being -and she to him, Beatriz now knew full well. Her -past life, with all that she had gained in character -through him, and all she had enjoyed in feeling, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> -repose of perfect trust in his truth, the delicacy -of his deportment, which, whether as confessor or -friend, had always sought her highest good, all -came back to her as a new revelation. Not that -a single word of love had ever passed between -them, or a single action, which angels might not -have witnessed, escaped him. Both had been in -too full enjoyment of that calm but unconscious -love that springs from a mutual, mental and spiritual -adaptation, without the suggestion of a more -intimate relation, until to her the pang of his supposed -death, and to him the reawakening of his -physical life, amid the allurements of a tropical -climate, disclosed to both the full extent of their -attachment.</p> - -<p>From that moment Beatriz was wretched, because -however calm her exterior, within love and -conscience were in conflict. Her misery was the -greater, that she must hide her secret within her -own bosom. Hitherto, every doubt or struggle -had been disclosed to her confessor, and in his -advice or consolation she had found repose. Now, -the duties of her religion required her to confess -this great sin to her confessor, and seek absolution -for her soul’s sake; but that confessor was the man -she loved, and the confession itself, besides being -forbidden by every principle of womanly feeling, -might, if made to him, precipitate both into the -gulf their faith told them to avoid.</p> - -<p>“Sinning woman that I am, how can I pray to -the Holy Virgin with such a stain on my soul! -Aid me, thou Chaste Mother, purest and best of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> -women. Must I ever carry this sorrow, known to -him and seen to God, yet dare not confess it, for -fear of a greater sin? Would that I had drowned -at the wreck,” and the tears dropped fast upon her -pale cheeks. For a moment her body swayed to -and fro with anguish, till faint and worn she sank -upon the ground.</p> - -<p>Woman! thine hour of trial has come; as the -good or evil principle succeeds within thee, so -wilt thou be saved or lost!</p> - -<p>Every soul is born into the kingdom of Heaven -only through spirit throes, such as thou now feelest -test thy power! Much has been given thee, and -much is required in <i>this</i> hour. Conquer, and eye -hath not seen nor ear heard, nor hath it entered -into the heart of man to conceive the joy reserved -for thee!</p> - -<p>“God knows I love Olmedo. Were I to force -my tongue to perjure my soul to man, He sees my -heart and its secret sin. Father in heaven, can it -be sin to love this man! Thou art all-wise, all-good, -all-merciful. Thou hast told us that imperfect -mortals cannot look on Thee and live, but -through him, thy likeness so shines, that I can -dimly see Thee. Do I not then in loving him, love -Thee?” And she mused for an instant with a dubious -smile, as if hope had began to dawn on her mind.</p> - -<p>It was but for a short moment. Again her features -darkened, and the cold shudder came back -upon her. Life seemed struggling to escape from -so bitter a trial. But her vital organization was so -exquisite, that as she could enjoy, so must she also -suffer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Oh! my God! my God!” broke passionately -from her lips, “what blasphemy is this! Save me, -Holy Mother! intercede for me with thy Son! the -Evil One seeks to snare my soul,” and she knelt in -prayer.</p> - -<p>There in the forest, no leaf stirring, all nature -hushed, that lone woman, her soul racked with -doubt, fearing equally to violate her own pure impulses -and the faith which bade her crucify them, -plead piteously to her Father in heaven for strength -to calm her soul, and to know the right. Never -before, in that land, had a truthful, earnest woman’s -heart poured forth its passionate griefs in -words of childlike simplicity, seeking sympathy -and aid direct from its Maker. Well might we call -that spot hallowed through all after time. Long -and deeply she prayed, with her sad, sorrow-convulsed -face upturned to heaven, into the vault of -which her full mild eyes seemed to pierce with a -bright light, as if like Stephen, she saw the crucified -one amid his angels. Gradually her features softened, -a tear stood in either eye, the spirit she sought -entered her soul, and she rose from her forest altar, -if not a happier, for the time a calmer woman.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XII.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“’Tis one thing to be tempted,</div> -<div class="verse">Another thing to fall.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Shakespeare.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Since the evening by the seaside so eventful to -each, Olmedo had not seen Beatriz. Indeed he -had avoided it, because with his present feelings he -dared not trust himself alone with her. His profession -having been chosen for him by his parents, -he had been subjected when so young to the discipline -of his order, that he had been screened from -the usual temptations and experiences of ordinary -life. Under any circumstances he would have been -an upright man. In his convent he had early -acquired an excellent character for strict compliance -with the ritual of his faith, benevolence, and study. -Some of his brethren, jealous perhaps of his greater -influence among their flock, had hinted occasionally -to their superior, that his opinions were somewhat -liberal, and that he had displayed at times an independence -and energy that betokened a more active -mind than was consistent with their order. Whatever -truth there may have been in these insinuations, -such was the general respect in which he was -held, that no harm came to him or even notice of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -them, except now and then a good-natured suggestion -to be cautious in his expressions before certain -of the brethren.</p> - -<p>Olmedo was born for a wider sphere than a -monastic life. His passions were active, but pure. -There had always existed within him a silent protest -to forced celibacy, for he felt that the family -was an institution of God, while the convent was -only of man. His mind, in all questions that -affected the welfare of the human race, naturally -took a broad and correct view, but so thoroughly -grounded had he been in the faith and practices of -his church, that when his opinions really differed, -he preferred outwardly to submit to what he considered -the highest authority. Whenever, however, -his good sense could consistently be active in opposition -to the narrow or fanatical views of other -members of his order, he had invariably spoken, and -in general with effect; and on all occasions which -required self-devotion or the exercise of a stricter -rule of conduct, he had been the most prompt -among them.</p> - -<p>He was eminently qualified to be a missionary. -His sincerity of faith had not cramped his sympathies -of human action. Active and thoughtful, self-denying, -yet charitable, firm to his convictions while -obedient to lawful discipline, with a winning, quiet -manner, that commanded respect and confidence, -he was just the man to go forth to the world as an -example and preacher of the pure tenets of Christianity. -The newly discovered continent of America, -with its novel races, greatly interested him. There<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> -he could be freer than in Spain. Accordingly he -had obtained permission to embark for this new -field of religious enterprise.</p> - -<p>Although Olmedo had come from Spain with her -father, it so happened that it was in Cuba that he -had first made the acquaintance of Beatriz. From -that moment he found himself strongly drawn towards -her by their mutual comprehension of each -other’s character, which to each filled their want of -sympathy in the deeper aspirations of their natures. -To either their friendship was a new and sweet -experience. Olmedo’s heart finding refreshment in -the ingenuous feelings and impulses of Beatriz, -while her mind expanded and strengthened in the -intellectual resources of his. Their intercourse, or -mental confidence it would be more proper to -term it, as it related so exclusively to their minds, -was the more complete, that while each was actually -governed by the real affinities from which -true love must spring, both were unconscious of -any alloy of passion. Such an intimacy as existed -between them, could not have been between brother -and sister, neither between lovers, for while it -was undoubtedly warmed by an undercurrent of -feeling unknown to the former, it was free from all -the embarrassments or dangers growing out of its -recognized existence with the latter. Olmedo was -her spiritual father, and something more; the magnet -of her soul. She was his spiritual daughter, and -filled to his then well disciplined nature the void -which lack of female communion had ever caused. -Hence both were free, unreserved, and affectionate.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> -Theirs was of its kind a perfect love, because it had -no fear, but now the time had come when the eyes -of both were opened.</p> - -<p>The effect on Olmedo of this sudden disclosure of -his passion, was no less a source of acute misery to -him than the same self-confession of Beatriz had been -to her. Perhaps his sufferings were even greater. -Hers were impulsive and passive. An intuitive perception -disclosed all at once the joys a complete -union of hearts like theirs might realize, while faith -forbade the banns. With her, therefore, it was simply -a struggle, not against reason, for that sided with -her, but a conscience educated in opposition to -nature. There is no source of mental misery more -poignant than this, because it is the actual right -struggling against the conventional wrong, which -by a false view of the laws of God has been made -to appear the right. It is God’s conscience against -man’s conscience, claiming to be of God. And -although the latter may not be right in itself, yet -from having been chosen as a moral guide, circumstances -may have woven so strong a web around it, -that to suddenly break the woof would be a wrong. -Hence, the eternal wrong having become the present -right, nothing remains but to obey duty and -leave the justification of God’s ways to his own -good time.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> -<img src="images/illus10.jpg" width="600" height="400" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>Olmedo now saw plainly that God had as fully -constituted him for marriage as any other man; -that even his partial intercourse with woman had -been the means of his greater soul-awakening; that -it was an error to view God as a being who delighted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> -in asceticism. On the contrary he rejoiced, -and all nature showed it, in man’s innocent appropriation -of all the sources of enjoyment and knowledge, -created expressly for him. The feasting and -sociality of Christ, his love for women and children -and constant intercourse with them, his generous -disregard of the letter of the law, all spoke to him -as they never had before. He was satisfied that -man was right only, in the degree that he exercised -all his faculties in the direction for which they were -created; that to deny some to the intent to exalt -others, was a fatal mistake. Harmony proceeded -solely from the mutual and free action of all, in -accordance with general principles which all nature -except man instinctively recognized, but which to -man were often perverted by the wantonness of -Reason. In demanding to be his sole guide, Reason -claimed too much. There were lessons to be -learned through his affection as well as through his -intellect. The more childlike he became, the more -direct was his intercourse with God. Nature, children, -and, above all, the heart of woman had become -to him new sources of inspiration. There was then -a Holy Book in all created things. Words of life -could be read alike in the phenomena of nature, -the sports of innocence, and the warm affections of -humanity. Revelation was not confined to the -printed page.</p> - -<p>Such thoughts as these would have brought him -to the stake in Spain. In the dull routine of convent-life, -they probably would never have been -awakened. Here he was in a new world. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> -church, as a human institution, was himself. There -was no official authority superior to his own; no -guide above his own reason or conscience. Naturally -free and inquiring, how could it be otherwise -than that the lessons of his new life should be felt -in his soul. He saw that hierarchies were not -indispensable roads to heaven. He even dimly -imagined the time when each man should be again -his own priest, and the intercourse between God -and his children be direct as it once was. But I -cannot follow him through all the foreshowings of -his newly aroused religious aspirations. The Age -and his education still had deep hold upon him. -Fain would he now, however, redeem himself a -man.</p> - -<p>“Why should I not?” thought he. “Am I always -to obey a vow taught me by others before -able to judge for myself? Is the scope of another’s -mind to be the measure for mine? Here Beatriz -and myself must pass our days, away from our -native lands, with no bars between our loves except -such as have been made for other places and circumstances. -Must we obey them and deny ourselves -all that God appoints for our union, because -man has put us asunder?”</p> - -<p>His heart rebelled at this thought, and his passions -grew clamorous. They were none the less -forcible from long restraint. He loved Beatriz -truly, but he loved her as a man; his whole nature -panted for hers, but with his intensity of feeling -there was perfect chastity, for he could as soon -have warmed towards a vegetable as towards one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> -he did not love. His passion was begotten of his -love. He felt its impulses, but neither analyzed nor -thought of them, except in relation to their object. -Did this monk sin?</p> - -<p>His thoughts now reverted to her. “She is my -spiritual child. Her soul is in my keeping. Should -I not be false to my charge to permit a union which -the Church anathematizes? I may risk my own -soul, but not hers. No! No! Be quiet, heart! -She is pure and artless, the child of heaven; she -must remain so,” and he sighed as if his last breath -was parting, as he strove to bring his will to this -self-renunciation.</p> - -<p>With him, passion, opportunity, reason, and even -his new views of religion plead for the union. -Greater temptation of circumstance and argument -never assailed a man. On the other hand, arose -the still, small voice, “You are her spiritual father; -love you may and must, but to confess that love, to -tempt her, would be a sin against the Holy Ghost; -for has she not been confided to thy charge? Was -ever such a crime known to one, who has vowed to -God for his better service here, and for higher -reward hereafter, to renounce the honors and pleasures -of this life,—to know no wife, or child; to -crucify alike passions and affections for the love of -Heaven. Have a care, priest! the devil baits his -hook temptingly for thee!”</p> - -<p>The full tide of a broken faith swept over his -soul with retributory energy. He trembled with -horror. Clasping his crucifix tightly to his breast,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -and frantically kissing it, he rushed from the -house, exclaiming, “Save me, Jesus, save me from -myself; save her, at least, whatsoever thou wilt do -with me.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XIII.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“The world and men are just reciprocal,</div> -<div class="verse">Yet contrary. Spirit invadeth sense</div> -<div class="verse">And carries captive Nature. Be this true,</div> -<div class="verse">All good is Heaven, and all ill is Hell.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Bailey.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The southern and most eastern portion of -Hawaii was, at the period of this tale, in great -part, a sterile, volcanic region, with but scanty -vegetation and a scanty supply of water. Mauna -Loa occupied the larger part, with its immense -dome and volcano. It threw off on its flanks, vast -rivers formed by the flow from its summit of torrents -of lava, which, in cooling, broke up into a -myriad of fantastic forms. In some places they -presented large tracks of volcanic rock, in easy -slopes, as smooth as if a sluggish stream of oil had -been suddenly changed to stone,—in others, the -sharp vitrified edges, broken, basaltic masses, and -savage look of the whole, suggested the thought of -a black ocean petrified at the instant when a typhoon -begins to subside, and the waves running -steeple high toss and tumble, break and foam, into -a thousand wild currents and irregular shapes. No -verdure of any kind found root in these wastes. -The sole nourishment they offered was an occasional<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -supply of rain-water, left in the hollows of -the rocks. It was impossible to traverse them, -unless the feet were protected by sandals, impenetrable -to the heat which was reflected from the -glassy surfaces of the smooth rock, or the knife-like -edges of the jagged lava, which formed a path as -unpleasant as if it had been freshly macadamized -with broken beer bottles. Fresh currents of lava -yearly flowed over the old, adding to the blackness -of its desolation. The fumes of sulphur and other -poisonous gases, the lurid glare of liquid rock, -explosions and mutterings, belchings and heavings, -the quaking and trembling of the fire-eaten ground -and jets of mingled earth and water,—the very -elements fuzed into whirlpools and fountains of -nature’s gore, redder and more clotted than human -blood, while fiery ashes obscured the sky, and heavy -rocks shot up as if from hell’s mortars, burst high in -the air, or fell far away from their discharging -craters with the crash and roar of thunderbolts,—such -at times were the scenes and atmosphere of -much of this district.</p> - -<p>Still the coasts and many of the valleys afforded -sufficient arable ground to support quite a numerous -population. The climate was as variable as -the variety of altitudes it covered. On the seaside, -to the leeward of the fire-mountains, it was -burning with the heat of Sahara, and all but rainless, -while the highest portions were almost continually -enveloped in clouds and dense vapors. The -natives were familiar with both the tropical palm -and the frigid lichens, perpetual heat and perpetual<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -cold, boiling springs and never melting ice, the precocious -luxuriance and the utter sterility of nature, -all within a circuit of not over one hundred and -fifty miles.</p> - -<p>I doubt if the earth’s surface affords elsewhere -more rapid transitions of zones within a more limited -territory than Hawaii. Her phenomena of all -kinds, and even her productions, though limited in -variety, are on no niggard scale. The active and -extinct volcanoes are the largest known,—her -mountains, not in chains, but isolated, are the more -impressive to the eye, from their solitary grandeur, -rising as they do directly from the ocean, which encircling -them leads off the view into immensity. -Thus the grandeur of this wonderful island becomes -complete.</p> - -<p>In the middle-ground between the hot country of -the coast and the cold of the highest region, there -is a neutral spot or belt, where the creative and destructive -agencies of nature are in intimate contact. -Here we find heavy forests with trees of immense -size, growing upon a soil so thin, that earthquakes -frequently tilted them to the ground, throwing roots -and the clinging earth into the air, and leaving bare -the rock beneath. Amid seas of cold lava arise -islets of shrubbery; verdant spots, where the strawberry, -raspberry, and other fruits grow, planted in -ages past by the provident agency of birds, that -have here rested in their flights from more prolific -soils. Now they yield welcome harvests to the -colonies of their first sowers and to man. Although -fire so often lays them waste, they speedily recover<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -their fertility, and, indeed, are gradually pushing -vegetation into the increasing soil on all sides, thus -adding slowly to the area of habitable earth.</p> - -<p>The inhabitants of this region partook of its -character. They were brave, hardy, fierce, and -cruel; as uncertain as their volcanoes, and as savage -as their soil. The sybaritic life of their more favored -neighbors had no attractions for them, except -as a temptation for foray. They loved to seize -upon the luxuries they were too ignorant to create -for themselves, and indeed which nature almost -denied them. But the superior arms and discipline -of Kiana’s people in general prevailed, and -they were confined within their own borders, although -sometimes a successful expedition supplied -them with both slaves and victims for sacrifice to -the gods of their terrible mythology. For they -saw in the mighty agencies of nature around them, -only malignant and sanguinary deities, -whom they feared and sought -to appease by rites as horrible as -their own imagination.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 150px;"> -<img src="images/illus11.jpg" width="150" height="350" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>The great crater of Mauna Loa -was their Olympus. Amid its -glowing fires, or high up in the -perpetual snows of the mountain, -resided their awful goddess Pele, -with her sister train and attendants -of the other sex, whose names best -express their terrific attributes. It -will be noticed that like the Grecian, -their mythology had its origin in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -their elementary conceptions of the facts of natural -philosophy, which in time, by their darker imaginations, -were personified into a family of monsters, instead -of the poetical fancies of the sensuous Greek. -“Hiaka-wawahi-lani,” the heaven dwelling cloud-holder, -and “Makole-inawahi-waa,” the fiery-eyed -cave breaker, were the sisters of Pele, and with the -brothers “Kamoho-alii,” the king of steam and -vapor, “Kapoha-ikahi-ala,” the explosion in the -palace of life, “Kenakepo,” the rain of night, -“Kanekekili,” thundering god, and “Keoahi-kama-kana,” -fire-thrusting child of war; the latter two -were like Vulcan deformed,—made up her court. -Their favorite sporting place was the volcano of -Kilauea, where they were always to be seen, revelling -in its flames, or bathing in its red surges, to -the chorus of its terrific thunderings or frightful -mutterings.</p> - -<p>My readers will, I trust, forgive me the insertion -of these sentence-long names for the poetry there -is in them, and if they will pronounce them with -the soft accent of Southern Europe, they will find -them as melodious as their definitions are expressive.</p> - -<p>But it was not alone to these deities these savages -paid homage. They worshipped a mammoth -shark, and fed him with human victims, casting -them alive within the enclosed water in which they -kept their ferocious pet. This was not quite so -bad as feeding lampreys on slaves, for their sin was -done under a mistaken idea of religion, while the -other was to glut revenge, and fatten eels for their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span> -owner’s dinner. If we condemn the unintellectual -Indian for his sacrifices and his tabus, how much -more must we pass under condemnation the Roman -for his inhumanity, and the Catholic for his -Inquisition; the one sinning in the full light of -knowledge, and the other of both knowledge and -revelation.</p> - -<div class="figleft" style="width: 200px;"> -<img src="images/illus12.jpg" width="200" height="250" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>As Kiana had partially succeeded in placing the -rites of worship among his sensuous people upon a -cheerful and in a material view, an elevated footing, -so the priests of these tribes had in every conceivable -way augmented the terrors and demoniacal -attributes of theirs, and shaped them into the likeness -of a devil, called “Kalaipahoa,” which combined -all the ugliness their imaginations were -capable of conceiving in a wooden idol, sufficiently -hideous to have sent a thrill of horror even through -Dante’s Inferno. It was the poison god, and was -made of a wood, which the priests gave out to be -deadly poisonous. Its huge, grinning mouth was -filled with rows of sharks’ teeth, human hair in -brutish curls covered its head, while its extended -arms and spread fingers continually cried, “give, -give,” to the poor victims of its fears.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span></p> - -<p>Such, in brief, were the chief objects of worship -among these Hawaiians, whose habits in other -respects offered a strong contrast to those of Kiana’s -people. Cannibalism, though not very common, -was not rare among the most ferocious of the clans, -but was restricted chiefly to feasts of revenge after -contests in which all their cruel propensities had -been fully aroused. They were given to the worst -forms of sorcery, and their worship embraced such -rites as might be supposed to be pleasing to their -demon-idols. Always at war, either among themselves, -or with their more favored neighbors of the -north, their selfish passions were ever active, and -their religion, based upon fear and the most abject -superstition, but confirmed them in the vices most -congenial to their natures. Kiana’s subjects presented -the aborigines of Polynesia under their most -favorable aspect, but these tribes the other extreme -of savage life. With both there were exceptions to -the general character. There was, however, sufficient -similarity between their traits to prove not -only a common parentage, but that a change of -circumstances would, in time, produce an alteration -in the most prominent qualities of each. This -actually occurred, nearly three centuries later, when -the first Kamehameha united the islands under one -sovereign. But even now the traveller perceives in -the sparse inhabitants of these regions a less genial -disposition than in those on the sea-coast, while it -is among them that still linger most pertinaciously -the traces of their former fearful worship.</p> - -<p>Among their chiefs was one named Pohaku, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> -had acquired by his superior courage and fierceness -an ascendency over all the others. He was dark -even for a native; his hair short and crispy; his -eyes blood-shot; nostrils thick and wide spread, -and his lips heavy and full, showing, when open, a -mouth in which great milky white teeth appeared -like scattered tomb-stones in a graveyard; many -having been knocked out in the various fights in -which he had been engaged. His frame and muscles -were those of a bull, and his strength prodigious. -Brute force was his tenure of power, for with all -the respect of the Hawaiians for inherited rank, he -was so bad a tyrant, that nothing but a convenient -opportunity had been wanting for them long before -to have rid themselves of him. So malicious was -his vanity, that he had been known to cut off the -leg of a man more richly tattooed than his own. -To mangle faces, whose beauty inspired him with -jealousy, was a common pastime. Thankful were -the possessors if their entire heads were spared. -Even a handsome head of hair was sufficient provocation -to cause the owner to be beheaded. To this -malevolence he joined a mania for building. What -with his wars, cruelties and constant consumption -of time in his rude works, his immediate tenants -had a hard service, so that it was not surprising -that they took every occasion to desert to the territories -of Kiana, who kindly received all who claimed -his protection. Others retreated farther into the -savage wilderness, and there became petty robbers, -a further pest to the little industry that could exist -under such a ruler, and on so precarious a soil.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -The whole population, therefore, bred to hardihood -and tyranny, were ever ripe for every opportunity -which would unite them in any enterprise that -savored of danger and plunder.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;"> -<img src="images/illus13.jpg" width="300" height="350" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XIV.</h2> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“He that studieth revenge, keepeth his own wounds green.”—<span class="smcap">Bacon.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p>Tolta had not been idle since the shipwreck. -The restraint which the presence of the Spaniards -had hitherto imposed upon him, was now removed. -He was rarely seen with them, and indeed often -disappeared for weeks at a time.</p> - -<p>Kiana had never liked him. Tolta felt it at -heart and resented it. At the bottom of this feeling -was no doubt the attachment both had for -Beatriz. We have seen the nature of Kiana’s; -generous and profound, more from deep respect -than from positive love, because in reality, while -her character compelled, it at the same time repelled -his passion. He had striven to win her, for -he could not help it. In one sense, he was not -disappointed at the result, because his reason told -him it could not be otherwise. Having therefore -obeyed both his own and her will, he now, in continuing -his kindness, left her as free to act as himself.</p> - -<p>It was different with Tolta. The Aztec saw -even deeper into the impassable gulf between their -two natures, but he was drawn to her with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> -tenacity of the bloodhound to his scent. In her -presence he was gentle and serviceable. The passions -which excited him when apart from her, became -with her like those of a little child. He -would gaze upon her for hours with eyes intense -with his fiery emotions, but the moment she spoke -to him the fire left them, and the good in him -illumined his countenance.</p> - -<p>Beatriz read his character, and while from sympathy -in his misfortunes she exerted herself to -soothe, she never could so overcome her repugnance -as to trust in him as she did in Kiana. With the -latter she felt safe; with Tolta never. The very -fierceness which he was ever ready to display in -her defence, might at any moment be turned upon -her. It was well that her instincts prompted her to -distrust him as much as she did, for often the only -barrier between them was her own moral superiority. -Tolta felt this to be indeed a far stronger -obstacle than would have been the jealous precautions -of lock or duenna. The possibility of Beatriz -loving him as he did her never deluded him. He -knew that was hopeless. Still his passion rather -grew than abated, especially in the freedom of his -new life, which brought back the pride and ambition -of his race. So long, however, as he saw that -Beatriz did not love another, he was reconciled. -She had so wisely avoided the subject whenever he -sought to suggest his feelings, that he had all but -persuaded himself that she was of a different mould -from other women. She might be worshipped, but -not sought in love.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span></p> - -<p>He hated Juan and the seamen with all the intensity -of an Aztec’s revenge, for their share in the -conquest of his country. Olmedo he had ever -respected for his virtues, and would have exempted -from the fate he cherished at heart for the others. -In his excursions about Hawaii, he had come in -contact with some of Pohaku’s warriors. Gradually -their intercourse had ripened into an intimacy with -their chief, with whom he now conspired to overthrow -Kiana and get possession of the Spaniards. -So adroitly had he concealed his designs, that he -had retained the friendship and confidence of all -except a few individuals about him, for his manner -was the same it had ever been. Their own consciousness -of the opportunities he now had, and the -provocation they had often given him, were more the -causes of their secret distrust than anything they -saw. His frequent absences were a relief rather than -a cause of suspicion, for he was then forgotten.</p> - -<p>He had no difficulty in obtaining a willing auditory -to his plans in Pohaku, and the chiefs leagued -with him. His inmost desire was to sacrifice the -Spaniards to the war-god of Mexico, under any -name his allies might choose from their mythology, -and to gloat over their dying agonies, while taunting -them with their fate as due their crimes against -his countrymen. Besides this, seeing the brutal -nature of Pohaku and the easy confidence of Kiana, -he conceived the design of eventually disposing of -both, by turning their arms against each other, -while he gradually united all Hawaii under his own -sway and forced Beatriz to become his wife. As<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> -hopeless as seemed such a plot, it was within the -range of probability could the wily Aztec dispose of -the chief actors. To this end he now bent all the -resources of his cunning.</p> - -<p>Pohaku listened eagerly to his seductive eloquence -as he promised him the wealth of Kiana’s -people, if he would unite his warriors under his -direction. He excited his fears also, as he narrated -the career of the white man in Mexico, insinuating -that they were spies, to be followed by numbers -sufficient for the conquest of Hawaii, as soon as -their report should reach their countrymen in the -ports whence they came.</p> - -<p>At the suggestion of Tolta, some days before the -declaration of Kiana to Beatriz, Pohaku had sent -his heralds to summon the friendly chiefs to a grand -council, at which the plot was to be finally discussed. -They assembled at one of his principal fortresses -on the southwestern bank of the crater of -Kilauea, and there in silence and secrecy prepared -their plans. Tolta knew too well the valor of the -Spaniards, not to impress upon the chiefs the importance -of securing them before marching in force -upon Kiana. So artfully did he mingle his own -revenge with their superstition, that they with one -accord decided to seize upon them by a secret expedition -entrusted to Tolta, who agreed to put them -into their hands for a solemn sacrifice to Pele, on -condition only that the white woman was to be his -own prize. Accordingly, some of the most active -and trusty warriors were placed at his command. -By slow marches and secret paths he led them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -without discovery to the borders of the valley where -the Spaniards dwelt, dividing them into different -ambushes, with orders to seize each one and bear -him off at once to Pohaku’s fortress, without taking -his life, while he was to decoy the white men to -them, and on each occasion make his own escape -as if equally endangered. So successful was he, -that the three seamen were abducted as arranged, -without any alarm being given. Tolta then, with -a select party lay in wait in the vicinity of Juan’s -dwelling, watching his opportunity to seize the -main prize. Alvirez, he soon ascertained, was for -the present out of his reach, being in a distant part -of the valley.</p> - -<p>While watching for Olmedo and Beatriz, he had -been witness to the scene between Kiana and the -latter. Without overhearing their discourse, he -saw in their parting, as simple as it was, food for -his jealousy, for he well knew that her hand and -tear had never been given him. His tiger blood -was stirred, and he ground his teeth in rage. -“What,” said he, “does she frown upon the Aztec -noble, that she may smile upon this hind of Hawaii. -Once in my power, and she shall be taught -to love me or none.”</p> - -<p>He watched her after movements more in amazement -than anger, for they were to him contradictory -and unintelligible. Besides, until she was sufficiently -far from her people, he dared not give the -signal to seize her for fear of a general alarm; but -not for one minute did he let her get out of his -sight, following her movements under cover of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -thick undergrowth of the forest, with the silence -and subtlety of a serpent. While thus engaged, a -scene occurred which so astonished and fascinated -him, that until he had seen it out, he seemed to -have forgotten the object of his expedition.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XV.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse indent8">“Exalted souls</div> -<div class="verse">Have passions in proportion, violent,</div> -<div class="verse">Resistless and tormenting: they’re a tax</div> -<div class="verse">Imposed by nature in preëminence,</div> -<div class="verse">And Fortitude, and Wisdom must support them.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Lillo.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>When Olmedo left his house under such excited -feelings, he unconsciously followed the path which -led to the grove where Beatriz was, and which he -knew to be her favorite retreat. In his present condition -of mind, she was the last person his reason -would have counselled him to meet, but led by an -inward attraction, without seeking the meeting, his -steps took him towards where she had just risen -from prayer. So distracted, however, was he with -his conflicting emotions, that she saw him the first. -It was too late to avoid him, which she would not -have done had she been able. Conscious of the -rectitude of her own desires, and pacified by her -late appeal to heaven, she obeyed her impulse and -advanced towards him. As he suddenly looked up -and saw her within a few steps, a faintness came -over him, and he was well nigh falling, but with a -great effort recovering himself, he took her hand as -frankly as it was offered.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span></p> - -<p>Both were silent. Each felt the crisis of their -fate had arrived. Nature, when her mightiest -agencies are about to go forth in the hurricane, -the earthquake, or the volcanic eruption, is for the -moment breathless. So the human soul anticipates -its most direful trials by utter stillness.</p> - -<p>They walked on side by side, going deeper into -the wood, as if to screen themselves from all the -world. Yet neither knew why they did so, only it -was a relief to be together and to be apart from -every one else. Though not a word had been -spoken, each felt the confession had been made, and -they began to tremble, as did the guilty pair in -Paradise when they first heard the voice of the -Creator. Why should they tremble?</p> - -<p>To love surely was no crime. That hearts like -theirs should in meeting mingle, God had ordained -when he first created man and woman. Whence, -then, the thrill too deep for utterance that paralyzed -their tongues? Beatriz was not a woman to shrink -from the display of her own feelings. She was one -rather to avow them, and meet the consequences -fearless in her honesty. Olmedo had never before -shrunk from speaking directly from his heart words -of truth or admonition. Why, then, did these innocent -ones act as if guilt was upon them? Because -the Church had said to him, “thou shalt not love -her whom God gave thee for a companion, and to -her, thou shalt not be a companion to him.” Thus -man’s forgery of God’s will, making Him to say, -“it is good for man to be alone,” had given to each -of these sufferers, who by his laws were mated in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -love and sympathy in body and soul, for time and -eternity, a false conscience which perverted their -good into their evil. Much of theology is indeed a -cunningly contrived system of man’s to make himself -miserable, despite the broad ordinances of the -Creator, to be read in all his works, “to go forth -and enjoy the world, to be fruitful and multiply, to -love Him with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and -with all thy mind,” and “thy neighbor as thyself.” -Man will not be in his proper relation to his Maker, -until he escapes from the dogmas and creeds of a -conventional Christianity and walks with Him, as -did Enoch, in the faith of that perfect love which -casteth out all fear.</p> - -<p>But man in his soul-progress can keep pace only -with his age and opportunity. The duties he voluntarily -assumes are still duties, though more light -may have widened his own prospect. He is but a -link in the vast chain of humanity, no one of which -can be ruptured without affecting it through its -entire extent. He is, therefore, to consider well -before he acts whether in seeking his own personal -gratification, or even in obeying the right instincts -of his heart, he may not offend others, or do a general -injury for a particular good. In all doubtful -moral emergencies, duty says obey the higher law, -or that which shows that thou lovest thy neighbor -as thyself.</p> - -<p>There is a blessing in the principle of obedience, -springing from self-sacrificing motives, which, whatever -may be the result in this life, is sure of its final -reward. Duties, whether artificial or not, are the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> -moral diamond dust, by which our souls are polished. -As we free ourselves from all selfish considerations -in our relations with others, so shall our hope -be converted into joy in the next life. It is well, -therefore, to bear our burdens meekly and with -courage here, that we may travel the lighter hereafter.</p> - -<p>Olmedo was distracted between his vows and -his desire. How could he to the simple natives -recall his teachings and example as a monk, upon -the one point of celibacy, which in him was now in -such peril! Could they comprehend his recantation? -Would not the little truth that had already -begun to be understood among them, based as it -was more upon their respect for one who showed -himself superior to their ordinary passions, than to -an intellectual appreciation of his doctrines, would -not this seed even be lost, and the priest, tabued to -women, be hereafter esteemed only as one of themselves? -Besides, the doctrine of self-abnegation, -or the crucifying of his natural instincts, which -although his now more enlightened reason showed -him could not be an acceptable sacrifice to their -author, except in refraining from their abuse, still -had a deep hold upon him, particularly as it was -his own love that had just stimulated his mind to -the full exercise of its freedom. He who had already -sacrificed so much to an erroneous idea, could he -not now complete the sacrifice for the sake of the -good to others? Would not such a sacrifice to the -principle of love to his neighbor, and of duty to his -vows, be bread upon the waters, to be returned to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -him at the end of time? Each heart had its schooling -for eternity. The struggle to decide his future—his -salvation had come. What was once right -for him as a free man, was now wrong as pledged -to a religion whose tenets had ever been his love -and admiration.</p> - -<p>Such had been his reflections. They had flashed -through his mind and ten-fold more, with piercing -throbs of conscience, as in silence he walked by -the side of Beatriz with his eyes fixed on the -ground, while his blood was beating time to passion’s -marches, and his affections yearned, nay, -clamored to take Beatriz to wife. They had come -to him with all the quickness and vividness with -which the entire previous life crowds itself into the -brief struggle of the drowning man. Speak he -could not. His tongue was rooted to his mouth.</p> - -<p>With Beatriz the struggle was different. She -made no pretence to conceal what was longer impossible, -but waited with quickened pulse and -tremulous feeling, to hear him break the silence. -His mental agony was perfectly intelligible to her. -Without analyzing as he did the circumstances of -their position, they flooded her heart like a spring -freshet. It might break, but she would give no -sigh that should tempt him from his holy allegiance. -Once his decision made, her heart was wholly his, -either to sustain him in duty, or to share his lot. -With Ruth she would have said, “Entreat me not -to leave thee, nor to return from following after -thee, for whither thou goest I will go, and where -thou lodgest I will lodge.” How long they wandered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -thus, or how far, neither could realize, for -every step was as if a millstone were tied to their -heels. In their doubt and conflict the landscape, so -joyous in itself, seemed overspread with gloom. -The very sun, as it stole through the thick verdure -overhead, shot upon them cold and mocking rays—light -without warmth. Heaven was darkened, and -the earth gave them no rest.</p> - -<p>At last they sat down; Beatriz on a log, and -Olmedo at her feet. Around and over them rose a -rural bower, carpeted with soft mosses and canopied -with vines, fragrant in blossoms and flowers. The -birds warbled melodiously even at noon-day in this -shady retreat. Near by, flowed a little brook with -gentle murmurings, a vein of life coursing through -the green sward, on its way to a torrent stream that -thundered far below. Through an opening in the -trees, mountain-ward in the far distance could be -seen the glassy curve of the cataract which fed -both. Rising from its mist, enclosing in its hollow -the entire gorge from which it issued, was a perfect -rainbow, forming a frame of wondrous beauty to -nature’s painting. On the opposite side, glimmering -through the forests like a silver horizon, was -the ocean, its waves sparkling and dancing in the -bright sun as the fresh trade-wind swept over it, -and, cooled by its breath, came stealing with soft -notes and reviving breeze through every leafy -cranny of the dense jungle. The quick darting, -bright eyed lizards, crept out of their holes and -played about their human friends, sure that they -had nothing to fear from them. Adam and Eve<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span> -when they slept in Paradise, were not more alone -with the communings of nature than were apparently -this pair. A scene more soothing, since its -gates were closed upon our race, the earth had -never offered to mankind. Yet for a while it was -unheeded, for the eyes of both were turned within; -gradually, however, its beauties dawned upon them. -They looked around. Beatriz first spoke. “Olmedo,” -she said, “does not God reign here? How -beautiful is this landscape? how filled with repose; -all nature is hushed in harmony. Why is it we -alone are unhappy?”</p> - -<p>As she said this her face lighted up with its -wonted smile for him. She wished to chase away -the gloom that darkened his brow. The appeal -was irresistible. There was before him the rainbow, -God’s sign of hope and protection for man; -there was her smile which for so many years, and -through so many trials, had been the rainbow to his -heart. Why should it be less now? Could he not -learn to accept its spirit, without coveting her possession?</p> - -<p>His heart melted. He laid his head upon her -knees, and for an instant wept aloud. Their hands -soon met, and were entwined; then their eyes—long -and earnestly they searched each other’s souls. All -the tenderness and truth of natures, warm like theirs -with humanity’s deepest sympathies, poured forth -responsive in that gaze. From her face, lighted -with love’s softest smile, bending over him with an -angel look, as if it would pour into his torn heart -all the peace, purity, and sacrifice hers contained,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> -there shone a celestial glow, which savored more of -heaven than earth. Bright spirits were communing -with them; spirits of love and joy. Alas! their -lips meet, and in one lingering kiss, the first of love’s -passion either had known, was concentrated all the -long pent-up affection of their two lives.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XVI.</h2> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“It is with certain Good Qualities as with the Senses; those who -are entirely deprived of them, can neither appreciate nor comprehend -them.”—<span class="smcap">La Rochefoucauld.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p>There are some natures like the orange-tree, -upon which the blossom and fruit meet at the same -time. In their capacity for joy they receive more -from one glowing, self-forgetting impulse, than colder -and more calculating persons are able to gather in -a lifetime. With such are generally permitted on -earth only glimpses of ecstatic happiness, far-off -sights of their promised land, the eternal future, -through the never ending ages of which their affections -and intellect shall steadily advance towards -infinite Love and Wisdom, each emotion a new -bliss, and each thought a deeper current from the -infinitude of divine knowledge.</p> - -<p>Who are those that realize their hopes on earth; -here find their homes, content with the present and -its material gifts, without heart-yearnings for deeper, -truer, and more satisfying affections; without soul-strivings -to penetrate the mysterious Beyond? -Who are such? Through the length and breadth of -every land myriads respond, “Give us a sufficiency -of treasure on earth, and we will not seek to scale<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -heaven. Our loves, our lands, our gold and our -silver, our mistresses, our wives and our children; -our well-garnished tables and our fine houses; the -riches for which our hands and minds labor, and -which our hearts covet; all that we can see, feel, -weigh and compare; the honors by which we are -exalted above our neighbors, the fame by which -our names are in the world’s mouths; these are our -desires. Give us abundantly of these that we may -eat, drink, and be merry, and we ask not for more. -This earth is good enough for us.”</p> - -<p>Do they have their reward? Yea, verily! as they -sow, so they reap. Few there are who steadily -give themselves to the pursuit of these desires, but -receive houses and lands, honor and fame, meats -and drinks, handsome women or fine men, such -children as such parentage can give birth to, -stocks in all banks but that of Eternity. There is -no lack of wealth like this to the earnest seeker.</p> - -<p>God is a provident father. He has created everything -good of its kind, and bestowed self-will upon -man that he might himself elect his manner of life. -The standard of enjoyment for his own soul is at -his own option, whether he will discipline it here -for its higher good hereafter, or whether he will -enjoy here without reference to that hereafter, the -knowledge of which is suggested in some way or -other to all men. Man is highly distinguished. -For is not creation made for him? There is -neither gift nor discipline but can be made subservient -to his moral growth; to his conquest of the -kingdom of heaven. There is nothing, also, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> -may be transformed by sensual, selfish, short sighted -desire, by his weaknesses or passions; by his -false logic or falser ambition, into a morass of error, -into which he will ever plunge deeper and deeper, -unless he resolutely bends his steps towards the -firm land of hope and faith that is never wholly -shut out of the gloomiest horizon.</p> - -<p>Just in proportion to the quality of the treasure -we seek, is the degree of enjoyment that springs -from its realization. All that belongs solely to -earth has incorporated with it change, decay, satiety, -fear, and care. These are warning angels, to -urge the spirit to temperance, that it may not mar -its capacity for nobler enjoyments. As they are -disregarded, and man seeks only that which is -perishable, he finds his pleasures pall and his -appetites wane. Abuse extinguishes gratification. -Want of aspiration towards the perfect development -of all man’s faculties leaves him a monotonous, -abdominal animal, content with husks wherewith -to fill his belly. There is no increase in store -for him, because he can conceive of nothing better -than what his feeble hands or vainglorious mind -have gathered around him. Nature reads to him -no moral lesson, because he uses her only as a -slave, to administer to his material wants. He sees -not that there is in all things a deeper principle -than mere use for the body.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“A primrose by a river’s brim—</div> -<div class="verse">A yellow primrose is to him,</div> -<div class="verse">And it is nothing more.”</div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The vital element that pervades all nature, uniting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> -it in a chain of harmonious progression, the -eternal laws of which even his stolid spirit cannot -ultimately avoid, however much he now seeks to -bury it beneath the grosser particles of matter, -escapes his perception. Guided only by his finite, -perishable sensorium, in vain attempt to grasp at -once the entire treasure, he often plunges his -suicidal knife into the ovary which daily laid him -a golden egg. Thus man destroys his own birthright -through brutal ignorance and sensual impatience. -The truly wise count all things at -their right worth, and find a sympathy in every -natural object, in varied degree, according as it -speaks to them the thought of a common Creator, -and connects them in one common end. They -have, therefore, a double enjoyment. First, that -which springs from the right material use of every -object or sense; secondly, the language which both -speak to them of hope and faith in more refined -enjoyments and more perfect conditions of existence. -The very trials and incompleteness of -present experiences are so many testimonies of -future and nobler realizations. Thus God speaks -as kindly through the so-called evils and disappointments -of life, as through the more readily distinguished -blessings; for if they see in the latter -hope and happiness, so in the former they distinguish -that chastening which, through paternal -discipline, seeks to guide and strengthen.</p> - -<p>Few situations could be more trying to moral -firmness than the circumstances under which we -left Olmedo and Beatriz. Free from all external<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -restraint of church discipline, with no censorship -beyond their own consciences; reason and passion -both pleading their right to be united; their past by -its friendship casting a bright light upon their future -and closer union; doomed to pass their lives, -while still in the flush of life, away from all that -had made other homes dear; twin exiles, each -sustaining the other and now alone, amid a joyous -seductive nature, every motion and aspect of which -was pleading for love;—was there not in all this -sufficient temptation to have overcome them? -Neither were ascetic by nature nor principle. No -two human beings, by organization, were better -fitted to enjoy lawfully all the indulgences wholesome -instincts and the tenderness of united hearts -craved. The very restraint which former circumstances -and the absence of love had produced, now -that both were removed, but made them more -susceptible to the reaction. We must not, therefore, -judge that kiss too harshly. Less passion would -have removed them from our sympathies. Now -they have vindicated their humanity, will they be -able to vindicate their duty? Duty as their religion -taught them!</p> - -<p>Olmedo’s heart beat wildly. His face was -flushed and fevered. He would have repeated the -embrace, but something instinctively alarmed Beatriz, -and she sadly whispered, putting her hand on -his forehead, and looking directly at him, with an -expression of affection and alarm, “You do not love -me, Olmedo!”</p> - -<p>Had the voice of the Almighty called to him, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> -it did to Adam in the garden, a greater change -could not have come over Olmedo. It was the -voice of the Almighty in the pure soul of Beatriz, -and it spoke to an answering conscience. He became -breathless, pale, and faint, as the full meaning -of those soft words pierced through his soul. They -spoke volumes. His passion was quenched, and -true wisdom descended upon him. In an instant -he was another being, loving not less, but less selfishly—able -to sacrifice indulgence to Duty, to -her and to his faith; for he would not peril her -soul through the entreaties of passion, or the pleadings -of what might be selfish reason.</p> - -<p>Holding her hand tenderly as might a father, he -said, “Beatriz, my daughter in faith, thou art my -saviour in action. Love thee! let me prove how I -do love thee. I dare not think of what we might -be to each other, were not I wedded to the Holy -Church. No blessing will follow vows broken, -because circumstances tempt. Help me to be true -to my religion and to thee! Forgive my passion -thou wilt, because thou knowest the strength of -passion. Be to me sister, spirit-bride—all of woman -in tenderness, love and friendship thou canst, -and as I am true to thy confiding faith, so God -deal with me. In his own wise providence and -good time will he recompense our faith in Him -and our love to each other. Had my passions overpowered -us both, however much our union might -have brought us pleasure, we should have sought -to hide our heads in shame and confusion, as the -conviction that we had purchased it by the violated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -faith of a soul, consecrated to heaven, grew upon -us. Heaven spoke through thee, Beatriz; angel -woman hast thou ever proved to me.”</p> - -<p>Kneeling upon the ground, with Beatriz besides -him, every passion harmonized by gratitude and -hope and faith, Olmedo lifted up his head and said, -“Father, I thank thee, that thou hast spared me -this crime. Thine be the praise, and not to my -own feeble will, which without thee, in the hour -of temptation, thou hast permitted me to see is as -a broken reed. I praise thee, I thank thee, Father, -that thou hast pitied thy servant, and in saving him -from error hast given him further opportunity for -thy service and of getting wisdom. In creating -man, thou has bestowed upon him affections for -wise purposes, and I now see that thou delightest -no more in their sacrifice than in innocent blood. -I thank thee that I am a man; that I possess from -thee the desires and aspirations for love eternal as -the heavens, and that thou hast permitted me to -find, even in my solitary profession, a heart which -makes mine beat warmer, truer and better. May -it ever be a strength and a support, and this love, -which I now confess before thee, our Father, be a -bond of stricter service and accountability for every -thought and action, and finally unite us in spirit -among the just made perfect.”</p> - -<p>Thus plead the Man with his Maker. In his -aroused emotions, the formal language of priestly -prayer was forgotten, and the genuine, sincere -thought of the heart ascended freely and welcome -to God, with nature’s true eloquence. Does the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span> -Great Heart not hear such prayers? Heart to -heart and soul to soul make answer! When man -conquers himself and ascends in spirit to his eternal -home in the heavens, asking from God direct, -life and light to guide and keep him through his -earthly trials, the sympathetic voice of the entire -heavens echoes his prayer, and repeats to him the -assurance of aid. Prayer is to the soul what the -plough is to the soil. It opens it to vivifying rays. -As the disturbed water sends circle after circle, -wider and wider over its surface, so in the moral -world, each thought or action for good or evil, -spreads likewise, and awakes throughout its infinity -its circle of affinities. Angels rejoice with man in -his rise, and fiends exult in his fall. Be cautious, -therefore, fellow-man, for thou canst not calculate -the extent of thy influence in either life.</p> - -<p>Beatriz felt her power and her responsibility, and -was troubled. Silently, but with deep earnestness, -she followed Olmedo in his prayer. Both rose from -that forest sanctuary dearer to each other, because -there was now no secret thought between them. -Each felt that the salvation of the other was a -solemn charge from heaven.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XVII.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“How now?</div> -<div class="verse">A foe? What means this most unwelcome visit?”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Kemble.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>By the time Olmedo and Beatriz had begun to -retrace their steps to their homes, Tolta’s hesitation -had vanished, and he prepared to seize them. If -his anger had been aroused by the scene between -Kiana and the maiden, he was now furious with -rage and jealousy at the discovery of the mutual -love of Olmedo and Beatriz. Of their motives and -resolves he could appreciate nothing. He saw only -that they loved. Their devout prayer had astonished -him, but that over, his imagination acted as a -slow-match to explode his passions.</p> - -<p>At a sign from him, his warriors stealthily encircled -the two, and stepping out suddenly from their -retreat, seized and bound them before they could -either resist or effectually cry out. Tolta, unable to -repress his satisfaction, walked up to Olmedo and -hissed in his ear, “Catholic maidens are not kept -solely for the dalliance of Catholic priests. You -shall soon see her fonder of an Aztec priest than -she has been of you, most chaste monk,” and he -leered upon him with such a demoniacal meaning,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -as for an instant to paralyze the speech of Olmedo, -who almost fancied the devil himself had bodily -entrapped him.</p> - -<p>Soon recognizing Tolta, he exclaimed, “What -means this violence? Are you mad? Release us, -or evil will come upon you.”</p> - -<p>“Not so fast, monk, we have a journey to make -first. I wish to introduce you to one who is as -fond of Spanish blood as your countrymen are of -Mexican.”</p> - -<p>“Do with me as you will, but send back Beatriz -to her brother. She has never injured you,” urged -Olmedo.</p> - -<p>“Beatriz is my prize, you are another’s,” said -Tolta, with a look so full of dark insinuation that -his captive shuddered,—not for himself, but for the -maiden.</p> - -<p>He would have again entreated, but Tolta fearing -to lose time, ordered his men to gag him and -drive him before them, while he whispered to Beatriz, -“If you attempt an outcry, these infidels will -kill Olmedo. His sole hope is in your keeping -quiet.” This he said with cunning forethought, -and it had the immediate effect he wished, to keep -her silent, for he dreaded the influence of her voice -quite as much as he feared any alarm she could -give.</p> - -<p>Compelling her to walk before him, the party -passed in single file through the forest in the direction -of the mountain, till they reached its outskirts, -and came to the more scantily wooded uplands. -Here they were joined by another and larger band,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -bearing a “manele,” a sort of palanquin, into which -Beatriz was placed, and borne rapidly on by four -stout warriors, who were relieved each hour by -others. In this way allowing no intercourse between -the captives, but hurrying on at a dog trot -by a circuitous course that took them away from -the inhabited portions of the country, they made -rapid progress for several hours without a halt or -seeing any one.</p> - -<p>Their course lay along the eastern and southern -flank of Mauna Kea, which was then a wilderness, -much broken up by precipitous ravines and irregular -plains, dotted with groves of a beautiful species -of laurel, whose pendant branches, with small dark -green leaves intermingled with delicate white blossoms, -all but swept the ground, affording by day a -shade impervious to the sun, and by night not an -unwelcome shelter. Not a word had been uttered -by which either of the captives could get a clue to -their probable fate. Each was most anxious for -the other. At the same time both felt a certain degree -of relief and even pleasure in their mutual -presence, and had the choice to be free and apart -been given to either, while thus uncertain as to -their future, neither would have accepted it. Beatriz -alone had some suspicion as to the object of -Tolta in their abduction. Olmedo on the contrary, -notwithstanding the dark hints of the Mexican, -could not persuade himself that any real danger -awaited either. Calm in his own soul-peace, he -patiently bided a solution of the mystery.</p> - -<p>As night approached, Tolta gave orders to encamp<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -under one of the laurel groves. Being now -beyond immediate danger of a recapture, Olmedo’s -gag was removed, and he was permitted to warm -himself by the fire, which, at that altitude, was -agreeable even in July. He was kept apart from -Beatriz, each being under the charge of a distinct -company of warriors. They were fierce, athletic -men, quite capable of executing any orders their -chief,—for such by the command of Pohaku, they -now considered the Mexican,—might give, but at -the same time they regarded their captives, especially -Beatriz, more with curiosity than hostility. -Her quiet, resigned demeanor, had made some impression -upon them, and involuntarily they treated -her with a degree of respect, that did not pass unnoticed -by their crafty leader. He was not at all -satisfied with himself, although his expedition -promised such complete success. While away from -Beatriz, he could plot against her honor and her -brother’s life without compunction, but it was quite -a different thing when she was an unresisting captive -in his power. Her apparent feebleness and -moral security were more formidable barriers than -an armed defence. She had not once appealed to -him by voice, but her mournful look, excited rather -at his treachery than her danger, recalled to him -those moments which, under other auspices, had -impelled him to peril his life for hers. Besides, he -thought of Pohaku, and feared the effect of her -beauty on his sensual appetite. He might claim -the woman as well as the man, and how could he -resist.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p> - -<p>Having fully embarked in his career of deceit -and revenge, Tolta saw at a glance he had gone too -far to withdraw, for the fiery Juan would never -forgive the insult to his sister, however lenient she -might prove. The future began already to wear a -different and more problematical aspect than it did -when he first meditated his treachery. The apparent -ease with which he had done so much, but -magnified what remained to be done. In fact, his -conflicting emotions all but paralyzed his evil energies, -which threatened to leave him midway in his -career an imbecile villain, sure to die like a torpid -serpent from the blows of the first that discovered -him. This hesitation arose from the influence Beatriz -exercised over him, despite his jealousy, which -at intervals somewhat cooled from having his rival -in his power. He was therefore, restless, suspicious -and wavering. While his captives slept peacefully -on the rude couches of tapa and dried leaves their -guards had prepared for them, he sat apart gloomily -brooding over his projects.</p> - -<p>It was clear star-light. Through the thick foliage -an occasional bright ray at times found its way, as -if to hint to his troubled soul there still was light -for it if he would but look upward. But his eyes -were either bent upon the ground, or peered out between -the pendulous branches into the mysterious -horizon around, out of which grew strange, spectral -shapes, with long arms sweeping the night-air. In -the daytime they were but common trees, like those -under which he sat, but to him they now became -demon ambassadors from his terrible war-god to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> -arouse him to vengeance. Through the overhanging -branches, the chill breeze sent hoarse sounds as -they chafed against each other, at times grinding -heavily with a dismal noise like the crushing of -bones, while the more distant trees responded with -fitful shrieks or deep sighings as the winds by turns -rose or sunk in varying gusts; now wholly silent, -then swelling into a diapason that thrilled Tolta’s -heart with horrible fancies. Owls flapped their -white wings, and lighted near by, hooting, with -their great staring eyes fixed on him. Then gathered -about him a chorus of furies that excited every -passion to avenge his father, massacred by Cortez -at the foot of the altar, on which still reeked a human -sacrifice; his mother violated and slain by the -savage allies of the inhuman Christian; himself, -wounded and senseless in her defence, mangled and -taunted by his Tezcucan foes,—but, but what? -that <i>but</i> for the instant exorcised the vision, for it -recalled to him that Juan, indignant at the wanton -barbarity, had rescued him from their hands, and -that Beatriz had bound up his wounds, and spoken -to him the first words of kindness he had ever heard -from the lips of a Spaniard.</p> - -<p>Could he have forgotten this, he would have -gone straight on to his revenge without a single -soul-qualm. As it was, fortified by his jealousy, -and impelled by the gathering force of reawakened -passions, the struggle of personal gratitude became -gradually weaker, until there was nothing between -him and his victims, except the love which he felt -for Beatriz, and which jealousy had now all but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -turned into hate. From out of the gloom of nature -around him, there spoke voices and issued shapes, -kindred to all the darker purposes of his soul. -Guatimotzin, his butchered sovereign, whose blood -was in his own veins, called to him from his bed of -hot coals, not to forget his martyrdom. The spirits -of myriads of Mexicans slain by famine were -waving their gaunt arms, and clawing with feeble -fingers at him, while hollow voices muttered, -“Avenge us, art thou not our kin?” and they -pointed to the sleeping Spaniards, and wound their -dark limbs over them in a death embrace. The -flames of Mexico, once the pride and glory of the -Aztec empire, now in ashes, burst upon his vision. -He once more saw her towers and palaces glowing -with heat and crumbling to the ground, while fire -and smoke shut out the bright heaven above, and -settled like a hellish pall upon his native city. His -eye-balls became blood-shot as he strove to penetrate -the darkness to gainsay his vision. It was in -vain. Far into the deep shadow beyond, and high -above him, there glowed a bright red spot growing -larger each minute, with flames and smoke intermingled, -and ever and anon there faintly reached -him a crashing sound like the fall of heavy bodies -from a great elevation. There was a reality in the -sight he could not dissipate by reason, or by gazing. -The longer he looked, the more true it became. -At last, tired out by his watchings, he too sunk into -an uneasy slumber, saying to himself as his original -purpose, with renewed craft returned to him, -“Away with doubt; I will obey your call, my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -countrymen, or join you in the dark abodes whence -you urge me to vengeance,”—then mingling with -his patriotic frenzy his personal desires, he added, -“I will circumvent them all. The Spaniards shall -be sacrificed, and Juan slain. Kiana and Pohaku -must perish in the coming war. Olmedo and -Beatriz shall believe that I have taken them away -to save them. He shall die in attempting to escape, -and she shall be rescued by me. It will then be time -enough to use my opportunity, if she still resists my -love. Alone! whom else can she look to? Chiefs -and people all curse Pohaku, brute that he is. Many -already hail me as their deliverer from his tyranny. -Yes, love and revenge are both sweet to an Aztec. -My parents’ slaughter shall be avenged, and these -sacrilegious Spaniards shall learn that an Aztec’s -hate never dies.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XVIII.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“The spirits I have raised abandon me—</div> -<div class="verse">The spells which I have studied baffle me—</div> -<div class="verse">The remedy I recked of tortures me.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Byron.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>As soon as day broke, Tolta recommenced his -march. The route was difficult, but he hoped to -reach Pohaku’s fortress the coming night. They -had camped well up Mauna Kea, and as the sun -slowly lighted the landscape, sending his rays into -the depths of that mysterious space which lay between -them and Mauna Loa, it disclosed a scene -that might literally be taken for the valley of the -shadow of death.</p> - -<p>Its mean elevation above the sea was about four -thousand feet, gradually rising as it approaches the -mountains on either side. Numerous streams of -lava, now black and vitreous, and of great extent, -having their source in the huge volcano opposite, -glistened in the morning sun. Several of these lay -in their direction, and they would be obliged to -make their way as they best could over their jagged -and distorted surfaces. At the distance they were -from them, they looked like cataracts of ink. Amid -them, and scattered thickly over the plain, were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -small conical craters, regular in shape, and composed -of clay and ashes. These gave to the region -the appearance of being pock-marked on a -leviathan scale. Whirlwinds swept frequently over -the plain, taking up high into the air columns of -fine sand, and dispersing it with furious and blinding -gusts. There was neither water nor vegetation, -except in the immediate vicinity of Mauna Kea, or -a long way to the eastward. In their rear, but far -above, was perpetual snow, though not in sufficient -masses to make a conspicuous land-mark. Immediately -beneath them were piles of basaltic rocks -and loose stones, thrown together in abrupt heaps -on slippery beds of gravel, with now and then soil -enough to grow coarse grasses, and stunted cassia -trees, whose yellow blossoms were the sole bits of -bright color permitted by nature to enliven the -general dreariness. Far away to the left the horizon -was lined with forests, that rose on its verge -like great green billows. Before them, somewhat -to the right, was the gigantic outline of the lofty -crater of Mauna Loa, whose immense base occupied -nearly one third of the island, rising so gradually -to its summit, as to appear in the distance like -a huge dome, up whose sides a carriage might -easily be drawn. The vast scale of its desolation -may be judged of from its having on its summit, as -already remarked, an active crater of nearly thirty -miles in circuit.</p> - -<p>As Tolta turned his eyes towards this mountain, -he saw the bright red spot that had glowed so fiery -in his late vision was not without foundation in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> -fact. The edge of the crater was to be clearly seen -with not much more than its usual volume of -smoke. At some distance below, however, there -was a great rent in the mountain, out of which -poured a stream of melted lava, rapidly making its -way in an oblique direction between them and -Kilauea.</p> - -<p>His warriors saw it at the same time, and comprehending -from their long experience in this region, -the necessity of despatch, if they would not -be cut off from the territories of Pohaku beyond, -they set forward on their march at the top of their -speed.</p> - -<p>In compliance with his resolution of the previous -night, to regain if possible the confidence of his -captive, Tolta approached Olmedo and said, “We -have far to go to-day. Forget my words of yesterday; -I was angered to see the white priest embrace -Beatriz. Had you remained where you were, you -would have both been slain. More I cannot now -say; but with Tolta you are safe, he will restore -you to your homes when the storm is over. Confide -in him. You are now free to talk with your -daughter; but be cautious before your guards, for -though they serve me well now, it is at the bidding -of a greater chief than Kiana.”</p> - -<p>This artful speech confused Olmedo. He distrusted -Tolta; but he knew enough of the artifice of -Indian character, not to give himself blindly to the -Mexican, and at the same time not to reject him -outright; for whatever might be his motives, on him -alone to all appearance depended the fate of Beatriz.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span> -Besides, he saw that he had him at disadvantage, -from having witnessed his interview with her. -This gave the wily Aztec an opportunity of injuring -both in their most sensitive points, for he had learned -enough of the sacred responsibility of a Catholic -confessor to his female flock, to see at once his -power over the priest. Whatever else Juan might -forgive, he would be relentless towards the dishonorer -of his sister.</p> - -<p>Olmedo, therefore, coolly thanked Tolta, saying, -“I trust, my son, no injury will befall us or our -friends. Why not seek Juan? He is needed more -than either of us to protect his sister, if there be the -danger you imply?”</p> - -<p>“Ask no questions now, priest. Later you will -know all; Juan will be with you soon. I have -provided also for him. He would have been here -now, had he not been absent yesterday from his -house. Go and aid Beatriz. Inspire her with -courage. You will have need of all your forces -this day. See how that lava gains upon the plain -below us,” and Tolta pointed to its red current -which was rapidly flowing towards their intended -track.</p> - -<p>Olmedo parleyed no longer with the Mexican, -but hastened to Beatriz, and related their brief conversation. -“I much fear he is false to us all,” -added he, “but we have no alternative now but to -follow his directions. We shall have enough to do -to-day, to contend with the obstacles in nature that -threaten us, for it is plain that he fears more the -dangers behind him, than those in front. He will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> -not retrace his steps,—we must trust in God and -go on.”</p> - -<p>The voice of Olmedo was soothing to Beatriz, -and with his presence she forgot her fears. Her -anxiety for Juan was almost lost in her present joy -in finding Olmedo free to be by her side, and she -looked forward hopefully to meeting her brother as -Tolta had promised. “I am strong, Olmedo, thanks -to my rough journeys with the army. Never fear -for me. Be Tolta true or false, our fates are bound -up together, and the Holy Virgin will protect us;” -and she smiled so trustingly upon him, that he felt -she was indeed protected by the Mother of God.</p> - -<p>They had little opportunity to talk, because the -way was so rough as to require constant care and -great exertion to prevent the warriors who bore the -“manele” from falling. As their own lives were -to be the forfeit should harm befall their prisoners -before they were delivered to Pohaku, they were -most cautious to preserve them from injury from -the stones which frequently came rolling down the -mountain, set in motion by the haste with which -they clambered over them. Their activity, however, -prevented any accident, and in a few hours -they arrived at the less rugged plain, where they -halted near a spring of water, from which they -replenished their stock, as it was the last they -could hope to fall in with during the day.</p> - -<p>But little rest was allowed. Tolta was afraid of -pursuit, while his men were even more fearful of -the volcanic eruption. The immediate outbreak -was now hid from them by an intervening ridge,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span> -but the smoke and explosions continued to increase -very perceptibly. Their course was for the present -more rapid, as it was on comparatively level ground. -The soil being of loose ashes, was, however, fatiguing -to the step, except where the smooth lava -rock cropped out. Over that they could go at a -quick pace, and thus make up for their previous -slower progress. Such scanty vegetation as this -district afforded was soon passed, and they came -upon the region of dead streams of lava, emphatically -known as clinkers. Some of them were -several miles in width, and tried the endurance of -the party greatly. As it was impossible to carry -Beatriz farther on the “manele,” it was abandoned. -They had now to climb over huge fragments of -lava, of obsidian hardness, and as sharp and brittle -as glass, continually breaking into minute pieces -that frequently cut through their sandals, and -wounded their feet, so that their course might have -been tracked for some distance by blood. Tolta -had provided against this contingency by spare -sandals, otherwise his expedition would have been -crippled midway—equally unable to advance or -retreat. Olmedo lifted Beatriz over the roughest -passages, assisted by the stoutest warriors, who, on -several occasions, caught him and his burden just -in time to save them from severe bruises. None -escaped some injuries, for it was often necessary to -crawl for short distances over steep masses so slippery -and friable, as to cause many a slide and fracture, -ending in cut limbs. Imagine all the slag -from all the forges and glass factories, that have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> -ever existed, thrown confusedly on the ground, in -pieces from the size of hillocks to that of peas, -shivered into every variety of pointed and cragged -fragments, and an idea of the highway over which -they were now making their way may be formed.</p> - -<p>To add to their delays it began to rain, and by -the time they had got to the smoother ground -beyond, a fog set in, so dense as to obscure the -landmarks by which they had hitherto been guided. -The oldest warriors were now at fault. After wandering -for some time at random, the fruitlessness -of such exertions compelled them to stop. So -many hours had been consumed in disentangling -themselves from the clinkers, that it was nigh dark. -There was no remedy but to seek the best camping -spot the locality offered. Tolta ordered several -couples of the men to explore about them in different -directions, keeping within hail of the main -party. In a half hour they returned, and reported -having found a cave on the edge of a dwarf Ohia -wood. To this they went, and with a fire made -themselves tolerably comfortable. With the refinement, -in which the Aztec nobility were bred, Tolta -screened a portion of the cave for the sole use of -Beatriz, and with tapa mantles made for her not an -unwelcome retreat from the storm without and the -rude men within. Olmedo was permitted to remain -near by, but Tolta kept beside him. The rain -poured in torrents and made its way through the -roof, wetting the floor, while the smoke from the -fire with difficulty escaped into the open air. Yet, -amid all this discomfort, Olmedo offered up his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -evening prayer, Beatriz joining in the usual hymn, -with a voice that seemed to the stilled warriors to -come from another world, so melodious was it even -to their dull ears, in contrast with the barbarous -chants of their own women.</p> - -<p>The captives found it difficult to sleep in the -confined air of the cave, which grew more hot and -stifling as the fire died out. Occasionally fatigue -overpowered them and they dozed; but they were -oftener awake, from a restlessness they could not -account for, and which kept their senses in that -dreamy, vague condition, which neither admits of -perfect consciousness nor salutary rest. At intervals -a hoarse blast, and a dull heavy roar, like the -sudden escape of vast volumes of ignited gases, -startled their ears. Several times the cave trembled -as if in an ague fit; once so violently that a -loosened rock fell near the guards and caused them -all to start up. For a few seconds they staggered -like sea-sick men, but recognizing the breathings of -the volcano, with which they were familiar, they -merely ejaculated, “Pele is sporting to-night in the -fire-surf,” and laid themselves down again to sleep.</p> - -<p>At the earliest light all were on foot for a fresh -start. The rain had ceased, but the atmosphere -was lurid and heavy, and respiration more or less -difficult. They found themselves upon a knoll of -considerable dimensions, lightly wooded, and surrounded -by a sea of lava, over which they could -not see far on account of the smoke and steam -arising from it in all directions. During the night -a fresh flow had spread itself over the clinkers they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -had passed the day before. It was now so hot and -vaporous as to cut off all retreat in that direction.</p> - -<p>As the wind at times dispersed the smoke, they -caught glimpses of the fountain-head of the stream, -apparently some fifteen miles from them, and about -half way up the mountain. It was not a violent -eruption, but poured out at short intervals, with -roarings and tremblings of the earth, huge masses -of molten rock of the hue of blood, which descended -rapidly towards them. In spots it suddenly -disappeared, emerging at some distance, and -continuing its course with renewed rapidity. This -was caused by its meeting with an obstacle it had -not sufficient volume to overwhelm, but was driven -to eat its way underground, forming galleries, which, -when cooled and emptied of the lava, leave caves -sometimes of great extent and intricacy. This -alternate appearing and disappearing of the crimson -fluid amid the surrounding blackness, gave it -the look of the glaring eyes of huge basilisks -watching in desert caverns for their prey. At times -it leaped precipices with a furious, fiery plunge, -scattering its hot spray on all sides, rock and forest -alike recoiling from its destructive touch, shivering -into a thousand fragments, or melting with the fervent -heat, and swelling the consuming tide.</p> - -<p>The progress of the torrent towards them was -so rapid, as to leave but little time for reflection. -It was gradually rising all around, and threatened -to submerge the knoll, which as yet had escaped. -Many of the trees on its skirts had already been -crisped and blackened with the heat; some had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -fallen, the trunks being burned off near the ground, -while the branches lay unconsumed, on the lava -stream, which cools and hardens very rapidly, presenting -a surface often sufficiently strong to bear a -man’s weight, even while the crimson current is -flowing underneath. This fact was suggested to -Tolta by his men as the most likely means of -escape. Indeed none other seemed to offer.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, they sought the stream in the direction -in which it was narrowest and firmest. Ten -of the warriors spread themselves out in the form of -a fan, sounding their way with their spears as if on -ice, for fear of air-holes, and to test the strength of -its surface. The remainder of the party followed, -more or less apart, with great caution, holding their -breaths to lighten their weights. Their feet were -protected by rough sandals, and bits of wood strapped -to them, from the lava, which was in spots still -so warm as frequently to raise blisters. Where it -had suddenly cooled it had split up into deep -chasms, raised cones, and twisted and cracked into -every variety of shape. It was therefore with the -greatest difficulty that any progress could be made. -They persevered, however, when a sudden crack -was heard, and at the same instant a shriek of -agony. The foremost of the warriors had trodden -upon the thin crust where it had been puffed up -by the air, and, being as brittle as glass, it had -broken and let him down into the liquid lava beneath.</p> - -<p>Appalled by his fate, the whole party halted. To -go on was impossible, as it was evident they had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -reached the extreme verge of solid lava. All beyond -was either fluid, or so densely covered with -sulphurous vapor, that it was sure death to advance. -They retraced their steps without a minute’s -delay, and it was none too soon. A fresh -wave of lava was fast descending towards them, -and setting the crust on which they were all in -motion. Suddenly a vein of red lava showed itself -in a narrow chasm, over which several of the warriors -had already leaped. At the same moment, -detonating gases were heard near by, and then -louder explosions, from which the air was fast becoming -impregnated with deadly vapors. Beatriz, -sinking from their suffocating effects, faintly said to -Olmedo, “My father, I can go no farther,—my -strength is all gone.”</p> - -<p>He had been sustaining her for some time past, -and felt himself scarcely stronger, but roused by her -danger he seized her in his arms and was about to -leap the fiery chasm, when he stumbled and partially -fell, with both their weights overhanging its -brink. Quicker than thought the men nearest -seized them, and, before a word could be uttered, by -a violent effort they had cleared the chasm, but not -before all were slightly scorched by the heat which -flickered above it. They had scarcely time to leave -the spot before it discharged a stream of viscid lava, -which pursued them coiling and twisting after their -footsteps like a wounded snake. As it was an easy -matter to outrun this, they soon got back to the -knoll, which now rose like an island above the -molten flood.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;"> -<img src="images/illus14.jpg" width="300" height="300" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>The Hawaiians, breathless with their efforts, sat -down and gazed hopelessly upon the rising lava. -A dense poisonous smoke was gradually narrowing -their horizon all around and slowly approaching, -leaving no hope of escaping suffocation, even if -they were spared a more immediate and violent -death. Their position was far worse than to be on -a burning prairie, for fire can then be made to fight -fire as the ally of man. Here all nature was melting -before the heat of the eruption. At any instant -the solid rock on which they sat might surge and -toss like the waves of the ocean, in blazing, gory-hued -billows, while of themselves not one particle -of matter would survive to disclose their fate. The -fast increasing heat soon drove them to the centre -of the hill, where sheltered by a pile of stones they -had a moment’s respite.</p> - -<p>Tolta, leaving his men, searched everywhere for -another chance to cross the lava, but was driven<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -back, scorched and faint, to the knoll. “Am I to -die here like a scorpion encircled by fire?” said he, -in a rage at his futile efforts. “Was it for this that -I have plotted vengeance, and to possess Beatriz? -Juan to escape, and she to die with me the death of -a dog; curses upon Pele and her demon crew! -Great god of Mexico, if thou art not thyself become -a slave to the Christian’s God, save thy servant!” -and he shook his fist at the hot lava in the fury of -his despair.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XIX.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“This inhuman cavern—</div> -<div class="verse">It were too bad a prison-house for goblins.</div> -<div class="verse">—— —— —— no place safe but this!”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Coleridge.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Mutual terror forces hostile animals into peaceful -companionship. Under its influence the wolf -lies down as quietly beside the lamb as if in the -kingdom of love. The extremes of faith and education -produce in man under threatened, speedy -death, much the same outward result. Pohaku’s -warriors, bred in cruelty, and believing only in malignant -deities, viewed their fast coming fate with -sullen indifference. So long as there was hope in -their exertions they were ready to show themselves -men, but when death looked them right in the face, -they were equally ready to proffer their breasts to -his stroke without further struggle. Their instincts -taught them that as life was beyond their control, -so was death. He was a foe they could not conquer, -neither should he triumph in their fear. Thus -in his ignorance and unbelief the savage meets the -great change with an insensibility, which, in its -outward calm, rivals the faith of the Christian.</p> - -<p>Having abandoned hope, they sat stoically regarding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> -the rising tide of lava,—seldom speaking, -for it was a scene in which nature, uniting them by -a common feeling, made speech useless. The air -grew hotter each second. Puffs of steam issued -from the rocks near by. At times a thick cloud of -suffocating vapor swept so close to them, that they -were obliged to hold their breaths until it passed.</p> - -<p>Olmedo and Beatriz, with their hands joined, -calmly awaited their end. As the danger drew -nigher they shrunk closer together, each impulsively -seeking to shield the other.</p> - -<p>“How terrible this is, Olmedo, to see earth and -air on fire,” said Beatriz to him, in a voice scarce -above a whisper. “Look, it will soon reach us.” -She shuddered and was silent for a minute, but -recovering herself, added, with her eyes seeing only -him, “it will be sweet to enter heaven together, -will it not, my more than father?” She thought -of him now only as the being who had awakened -in her faith and feelings, which made her look forward -with joy to celestial freedom.</p> - -<p>“Yes, my daughter, this is indeed a terrible sight. -Nature perishes like a scroll in the flames. The -last day has indeed come upon us, and we shall -soon see the Holy One and his Saints. Have no -fear. As we have fought the good fight, so shall -we be welcomed into the joy of our Lord. But my -soul faints for these poor heathen, who await their -death with such unconcern. Would that I could -even now baptize them into the true faith.”</p> - -<p>In the meantime Tolta had returned from his -fruitless endeavor to find an avenue for escape. In<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> -his anger, he had cursed the gods of Hawaii and -denied his own, from whom no succor came. More -enlightened and cultivated than the Hawaiians, -with a moral conviction of the superior truths of the -Catholic faith, yet hating it for the injuries it had -brought upon him and his country, Tolta was filled -with distracting emotions. The Spaniard’s deity -might even now save them, as he had ever shown -himself so much more powerful than his own, but -he disdained to call upon him, and the very sight of -the crucifix which Olmedo wore filled him with -fresh anger.</p> - -<p>He felt that his treachery had brought this awful -fate upon those of all the Spanish race, who had -never done him evil. This was a source of misery -to him, but far weaker than that which sprung -from having his hopes baffled by so unexpected and -lingering a death, which in releasing his victims, -consigned himself to the accumulated horrors of his -own and the Christian’s hell. Oppressed by these -thoughts, believing but contemning repentance; -seeing that just retribution was seeking him out, -yet bidding it defiance; sorrowing, not for his selfish -passions, but for their defeat, he crept back -despairing, and laying himself down close to the feet -of Beatriz, said to her, “We shall all burn together. -You will go to the Virgin Mother and I to darkness,—to -despair,—to any hell that shall release me -from the sight of the hated white man—curses -upon them all,” and covering his head with his -mantle he shut out all outward objects, and remained -as motionless as if turned to stone.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p> - -<p>Olmedo made no appeal to him, comprehending -its uselessness, but turning to the warriors, spoke to -them of a brighter world which awaited them if -they would trust in the Christian’s God and be -baptized. “Renounce your demon idols and call -upon the Saviour this represents,” said he, holding -up his crucifix, and pointing to a calabash of water, -added, “you can be baptized and saved even at the -last hour.”</p> - -<p>“We have offended Pele,” one of them replied, -“and she dooms us. No one can escape her anger. -More powerful is she than your deity. You and -your god will soon be but ashes. See how she -rides the air, spouting fire in her anger! She comes, -she comes!” “<i>auwe!</i> <i>auwe!</i>” and a mournful and -prolonged wail, like the death-song of the Indian, -burst from their united lips, as a shower of hot -cinders began to fall so thick and fast as to obscure -the little light that had reached them through the -smoke, which the wind had hitherto in a considerable -degree kept off.</p> - -<p>“The cave, Olmedo, the cave,—quick, quick!” -cried Beatriz, grasping his hand to urge him forward. -Tolta started up at the call, like one retouched -with life, and the three were soon under its -shelter.</p> - -<p>The warriors remained as Olmedo last spoke -to them, either not hearing the cry of Beatriz, or -preferring to meet their death like soldiers at their -posts in the open air. Their wail continued to be -heard to the latest moment, rising from a low -monotonous, tremulous note of suppressed suffering<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> -into a prolonged chorus of muffled shrieks, that fell -upon the ears of Beatriz and Olmedo like the last -despairing cry of humanity, and thrilled their hearts -with horror. For an instant it made them regardless -of their own safety, and they turned back a step -or two, calling upon the warriors to follow, but the -burning ashes fell so fast that they were immediately -driven still farther into the recesses of the -cave. Their ears were ringing with the dismal -wail; the effect of which from sheer sympathetic -force, is to enhance the bitterness of grief and paralyze -joyous emotion, so that the listener is changed -into the mourner, despite his own indifference to the -cause. In this case, the sensibilities of the priest -and maiden were the more acute from their own -participation in the dangers which were bringing a -lingering death upon so many of their number, -added to their inability to render any assistance. -Doubtless the stupefaction from the poisonous -gases, with which the atmosphere was laden, -added to their own exhaustion from previous -efforts, aided to make the warriors so indifferent to -their fate. No one replied to the call of Olmedo, -or even to the authoritative voice of Tolta, who -had at last roused himself at the clearer perception -of their situation, and with reawakened energies -was prepared to continue his exertions to escape.</p> - -<p>It was impossible for them to remain near the -mouth of the cave, so they lighted some torches of -the kukui nut, and proceeded to explore it. “We -may find it deep enough to screen us from the lava -and fatal air,” said Olmedo. “Here are the remains<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span> -too of our last night’s provisions, which those poor -heathen left here this morning. Alas! for their -souls! Come, Beatriz, you shall yet see Juan. Eat -a morsel to sustain your strength,” and he gave the -example, more to persuade her than to appease his -own hunger.</p> - -<p>Tolta scowled at the confiding smile Beatriz -gave to the priest as she complied with his advice, -but he ate also, and the three found in the short -respite from the sights and sounds of the outer air, -helped as it was by much needed food, a renewal -of mental and physical energies which surprised -them. It seemed as if they were aroused from some -oppressive dream.</p> - -<p>The extent of the cave tempted them on. It -descended at first somewhat abruptly. At the distance -of a hundred rods from the entrance the -passage grew narrow, and was partially choked -with stones, which had fallen from overhead. By -some labor the two men cleared the way for Beatriz -to follow, and they found themselves in a large -chamber, where the air was quite fresh in contrast -with what they had been breathing for hours past. -This revived them still more. The roof was covered -with stalactites of great size, and had the appearance -of having been long undisturbed. Occasionally a -slight jar was perceptible in the ground, and a low -warning sound of disturbed elements was heard. -They were encouraged to go on by finding both -decreased as they advanced. Once, only, there was -a shock so severe that they paused in stupor, fancying -that the rock above them was being crushed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> -in. But, with the exception of a few loose stones -that rattled down, no harm was done. Evidently -the eruption was either abating, or they were get-away -from it. Still to wander at random in an -intricate cave, which might at any moment bury -them in its ruins, or become a living sepulchre by -tempting them away from one danger to meet the -still more horrible fate of starvation in utter darkness, -for their food and lights could not last much -longer, were not thoughts at all calculated to raise -their courage.</p> - -<p>Something, however, tempted them to keep on. -So long as they were in action, hope buoyed them -up. Owing to the frequent turnings of the cave, -it was impossible to have a clue as to their real -direction. It was a series of halls or rooms, some -of which were lofty and spacious, joined by long, -tortuous and low passages, at times so barricaded -by rocky debris as to almost arrest further -progress. Tolta, however, was indefatigable in -clearing a way through them, as he was the first to -explore, while Olmedo and Beatriz waited his report.</p> - -<p>Upon emerging into a larger hall than the others, -they thought they heard the noise of running water. -It grew louder as they approached the farther end, -where the torches showed to them a stream, which -directly crossed their path. It appeared to issue -from the solid rock, but their light was so faint it -was impossible to discern anything clearly, except -the quick flow of the black waters before them, -while not far below they heard a roar and dash<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span> -as of a cascade or a rapid descent among rocks and -chasms.</p> - -<p>Here, indeed, was an obstacle undreamed of. -Fire cut off their retreat on one side, and water -their progress on the other. Beatriz, already well -nigh exhausted, said to Olmedo, “We can go no -farther. Tell Tolta to save himself if it be possible. -He can swim and may find his way out, but we -must remain here and await our fate. Let us by -prayer prepare to resign ourselves to what must -now soon come. With you I shall have no fear of -death in any shape.”</p> - -<p>Beatriz no more thought of the possibility of -Olmedo’s leaving her, even if he could escape, than -she would have consented to have left him to perish -by himself. It never occurred to her, therefore, to -urge him to an effort without her.</p> - -<p>“Beatriz, my long loved one, my more than -daughter in faith, if die we now must, we will be -one in death as we have ever been in our lives. -But take courage, we are not to perish so. God -has not brought us thus far, to abandon us. I -hail this water as a happy omen. What say you, -Tolta?”</p> - -<p>“When water comes it must go. Rivers do not -long flow underground. They love light as do the -trees and flowers. I will see how the other side -looks,” replied the Mexican.</p> - -<p>Holding his torch above his head, he waded in. -The water was warm and sulphurous and refreshed -him; but it soon became so rapid and deep as to -require all his skill as a swimmer to prevent being<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -drawn too near the gulf, whose warning roar was -heard not far below. Beatriz and Olmedo watched -his progress anxiously, for fear he might be drifted -into the rapids, but his light soon showed by its -steadiness that he had reached ground on the -farther side. A few minutes of suspense ensued, -when suddenly he shouted, “We are saved! we -shall soon see daylight!” and plunging into the -water again, pushing something before him, he was -quickly back. “See,” said he, “here is a log hollowed -out into a rough canoe. This cave must have -an outlet near by, for I see that the natives come -here to bath and sport by torch-light. Hurry, and -you shall see for yourselves the traces of their -presence.”</p> - -<p>Beatriz, at the direction of Olmedo, who could -swim, placed herself on the log with her feet in the -water. It had scarcely buoyancy enough to support -her weight, but with Tolta on one side and the -priest on the other keeping it upright, she was -ferried safely over.</p> - -<p>It was as Tolta had said. Fragments of food and -other tokens of a recent visit were strewed about. -The air also was purer. With lighter spirits they -went on, over an easier path than the one they had -traversed, and in about twenty minutes began to -see glimmerings of light. After climbing a steep -and narrow ascent, the mouth of the cave came in -sight, and they shortly found themselves in the -open air.</p> - -<p>For a few minutes they were unable to discern -objects distinctly, but as they became able to look<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -about, they saw that they were some distance from -the line of the eruption which was still active, but -the wind now blew its smoke and gases from them. -The country was wooded, and for this region fertile. -It had suffered much from the vicinity of the lava -stream, the vegetation being either killed or wilted -by the heat.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/illus15.jpg" width="400" height="500" alt="" /> -<p class="caption"><i>Hawaiian Girl.</i></p> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XX.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“A smile amid dark frowns! A gentle tone</div> -<div class="verse">Amid rude voices—a beloved light,</div> -<div class="verse">A solitude, a refuge, a delight!”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Shelley.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Night being close at hand, the rescued party lost -no time in leaving the vicinity of the torrent of -lava, hoping to find a path which would bring -them to the food and shelter which they so greatly -needed. Tolta knew he was within the immediate -territory of Pohaku, and was desirous to meet some -of his people, to make sure of his captives, who -were now quite as able to exert their wills as to -the course they should take, as he his. But they -were wholly ignorant of their position, while he -began to discern familiar landmarks. The recent -danger which they had all incurred and escaped -together, occupied the thoughts of Beatriz and Olmedo, -more than the outrage which had led them -into it, so they made no opposition to the direction -he prepared to take.</p> - -<p>This led them at first obliquely towards a stream -of lava, which was still running at about two miles -from them to the northeast. For some time their -path was comparatively smooth. But at intervals<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -it was crossed by crevices in the earth, some of -which were so wide that they were compelled to -make long circuits to get round them. The air -from them was quivering with heat, and filled with -noxious gases. Tolta was frequently obliged to -leave his companions in order to explore the ground, -which became, as they advanced, more and more -cut up with chasms, whose depths the eye often -could not reach. Had it not been daylight these -fissures would have made their present position -scarcely less hazardous than their confinement in -the cave, for at every throe of the crater they -threw out jets of steam, and filled the atmosphere -with poisonous fumes. Once or twice they came -upon them so suddenly, that they were obliged to -cover their heads with their mantles, and rush -through the vapor at full speed. Fortunately they -proved to be but puffs, which required but an -instant’s exertion to emerge from.</p> - -<p>Beatriz had grown so faint and fatigued as to be -forced often to stop to gather breath and strength. -On one of these occasions Tolta had gone farther -from them than usual, in search of the path which -he hoped to strike, and which led direct to Pohaku’s -fortress. Not finding it, he was returning in another -direction, when his progress was stopped by a -broad chasm, which poured forth so hot a blast as -to singe his clothes and crisp his hair, as he heedlessly -looked into it. Jumping quickly back, he -followed its edge in search of a spot narrow enough -for him to leap across. In doing this he came upon -the path he had been looking for. It led through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> -low bushes which partly hid it. He was about -taking the shortest track back to where he had left -Olmedo and Beatriz, when his eye was caught by -a human form stretched lifeless upon the ground. -Going towards it, to his surprise he recognized one -of the warriors whom he had sent to capture the -three Spaniards. It was plain that he had been -stiff and cold for some hours. Not far from him -he found the entire party, with the three Spaniards -bound and lying on their backs, in the centre of -their guards. One by one he felt of them to detect -life. There were no signs of external violence on -their bodies. Each lay apparently as he had fallen -asleep. The faces and limbs of some were slightly -contracted, showing that they had become conscious -of their danger, when powerless to escape. -All were dead. They had encamped too near the -chasm, and, during the night, by a change of wind, -the fatal air had been blown upon them, and they -had perished in their dreams to a man.<a name="FNanchor_2" id="FNanchor_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p> - -<p>“Pele balks me every way—the foul goddess! -may she be blasted in her own fires,” muttered -Tolta, as he turned in angry mood from the scene. -“She leaves me only those I would not sacrifice. -I hate the priest, yet I would he might die by other -hands than mine. Pshaw! why should I feel tenderness -towards that puling monk! Who so -stands between me and Beatriz as he? But while -Juan lives I have much to do. This is no sight for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -Beatriz and Olmedo to see. I will send and get -the heads of the Spaniards. In death even they -shall be present at the feast which was to have -been their sacrifice. May their souls rot in everlasting -darkness.”</p> - -<p>Joining Olmedo and Beatriz, he led them into -the path by a course which kept their eyes from -the fatal spot. “Hasten,” said he, “we shall -shortly find succor.”</p> - -<p>“Beatriz needs it much,” replied Olmedo; “see -with what effort she sustains herself.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! say not so, Olmedo. I am still equal to -any exertion. The hot air made me giddy for a -moment, but now the fresh breeze revives me.” -But her action belied her words, and she would -have fallen that moment if Olmedo had not caught -her.</p> - -<p>“Tolta, you have greatly erred in exposing this -maiden to these dangers. What tempted you to -such a wrong to one who never gave you offence. -The blood, too, of those heathen warriors, does it -not lie heavy on your soul? You have made a -sad day of it?” said Olmedo to the Mexican, -more in grief than in anger, as he helped Beatriz -to reach a grassy slope on which she could recline.</p> - -<p>“Ha, priest! you reproach me with this day’s -work! Am I a god to control the volcano? Come -with me a few steps, and you shall see from what -you have been saved.” He grasped Olmedo’s arm, -and led him to the group of the dead. “You and -the maiden you love, chaste monk,” continued he -with artful sarcasm, “have escaped this. Had I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> -not borne you off, these soldiers would have seized -you, and if they had spared Beatriz outrage, it -would have been for you all either to have died -together, like dogs, poisoned by the gases of the -volcano, or they would have carried you as prisoners -to their chief, who awaits your arrival even -now, to offer you in solemn sacrifice to Pele. He -has sworn to exterminate you Spaniards, and Kiana’s -power will be but smoke before the wind in -contact with his. All of you I could not save! -Have I reason to love a Spaniard?”</p> - -<p>Pointing to the corpses of the three seamen, he -added in a seemingly friendly tone, “They have -been spared such torture as even we Mexicans, -skilled as we are in tormenting our enemies, never -learned; for Pele’s worshippers are fiends. Reproach -me not with their deaths, for it was given -to them in mercy. You and the maiden are my -benefactors; for your sakes I will save Juan also, -if it be possible. You must go with me. Follow -my directions, and you will be safe. No more -words now. If you would keep Beatriz from further -harm, cease to chafe me.”</p> - -<p>Returning to where she sat, they again slowly -pursued their journey. As Tolta hurried on in -advance, Olmedo whispered to Beatriz, “I much -fear the Mexican intends evil. I would not wrong -him, but I do not like his words, and his eye often -gleams as if the evil spirit of his race were aroused -within him.”</p> - -<p>He did not tell her what he had seen, but merely -added, “Watch, and beware of him. He can do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -us much good or ill. Now we can do but little for -ourselves. The blessed mother of God will not -desert you, rest assured, my beloved daughter.” -Even with his arm about her waist she walked -with difficulty, while her head frequently drooped -heavily upon his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“I have no fear, Olmedo, for myself,” she faintly -replied. “We have together too often looked upon -death to shrink from it now as a stranger. To -leave you, would make me indeed sad, but with -you,—God forgive me if my heart sins in saying -so,—it would be most welcome? But look, who -comes here?”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/illus16.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>As she spoke, a crowd of natives, of both sexes, -drew nigh from a cross path. They did not see the -party until they were close upon them. Tolta was -at once recognized, and giving him the customary<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -<i>“Aloha kealii</i>” ‘love to you chief,’ they turned in -surprise towards the white strangers. They had -heard of the Spaniards, but knowing nothing of -Tolta’s expedition, were amazed to find these -strange beings in their midst. Forming a circle -around them, they gazed curiously and timidly at -Olmedo and Beatriz, now and then venturing to -touch their clothes and feel of their persons, but -evidently with no unfriendly intent.</p> - -<p>The party was composed chiefly of women and -children, who had been enjoying themselves in wild -dances. A few young men, hardly beyond boyhood, -were with them, but no warriors.</p> - -<p>Tolta ordered some to lead the way to their village, -while others were sent on in advance to prepare -food and lodging for the strangers, who he said -would be their guests for the night. As they began -with alacrity to fulfil his orders, a maiden of not -above fourteen years, accompanied by a train of -her own sex, of more mature age, and who showed -her great deference, came up. As soon as the -crowd saw her, they made way submissively for -her to approach the whites.</p> - -<p>No fawn could tread lighter than she trod. Every -motion was lithe and elastic. Her limbs were full -and tapering, beautifully proportioned, and her flesh -soft yet springy. With so few summers she was -mature in person, having in this climate attained -thus early that perfection of physical development, -which marks the most seductive period of woman. -The fineness of her hands; the tapering fingers and -nicely adjusted wrists; the velvet softness of her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -clear olive skin, and through which the blood could -be distinctly seen underlying it with richer color; -and her proud, yet graceful carriage, showed that -she belonged to the highest rank.</p> - -<p>She was indeed one of Nature’s pets. Her face -was open and sunny. To one who rigidly exacted -the fineness of Grecian outline in each feature of -the face, some fault might be found with the fulness -of the lip and nostril. But this was so slight -that it was lost in the generous loving smile, laughing, -sensuous eye,—sympathy in the joyful and -beautiful which sparkled in her countenance. This, -with a consciousness of rank, and a dignity which -had never suffered from the passions of rivalry and -ambition, made Liliha,—for such was the name -of the maiden,—a specimen of natural loveliness, -which the salons of civilization might not excel, -except in the acquired refinements of intellectual -life.</p> - -<p>She wore on her neck a wreath of rich yellow -feathers. Another of gossamer lightness, the effect of -which was increased by alternate rows of crimson -feathers, was interwoven with her long dark wavy -hair. Over her delicately moulded bosom was -thrown a loose white mantle, which hid her form as -the foam conceals the wave, but to heighten its -beauty.</p> - -<p>She was no less surprised than her people at the -apparition of the whites. Tolta she had heard of -as the companion of Pohaku, but had never seen -him. “Who is it that gives orders in my presence,” -she asked somewhat haughtily, as she stepped -forward.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span></p> - -<p>Tolta advanced to greet her, and made himself -known. Acknowledging his claim to her aid by -the tie of allegiance to the supreme chief, she coolly -repeated his orders, as if through her only they -should be given, and then with courteous manner -turned to Beatriz, took her hand and said, “You -are welcome. Come with me; the daughter of -Hewahewa will be the friend of the pale maiden.”</p> - -<p>Beatriz looked her thanks, and simply said, “My -father needs your hospitality too. We will gladly -make your home ours until we can return to our -own.”</p> - -<p>Tolta kept silent. It was dark before the party -arrived at the abode of Liliha, which was in a considerable -village, pleasantly situated in the centre of -one of the few verdant spots to be found in that region. -Olmedo was allowed to occupy one of the -best houses, where every attention was shown him. -Liliha led Beatriz to her own habitation, where she -was received with true Hawaiian hospitality. At -a signal from their mistress, her waiting women -made her up a couch of the finest mats, and before -retiring they so refreshed her by their gentle, soothing -manipulations,<a name="FNanchor_3" id="FNanchor_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> by which the pain was drawn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -out from her wearied limbs, that she was soon able -to sleep soundly.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XXI.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“Give her but a least excuse to love me!”—<span class="smcap">R. Browning.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse indent10">“But he</div> -<div class="verse">Can visit thee with dreader woe than death’s.”—<span class="smcap">E. B. Browning.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>As soon as Tolta had seen his captives disposed -of for the night, he despatched a messenger to -Pohaku, requesting a few warriors to be sent him. -The fortress was but twelve miles distant, so that -before daybreak the men had arrived. Taking -every precaution not to let his movements be seen -by any one who would communicate them to -Liliha, he entered the house where Olmedo was -still sleeping, and told him he must rise and follow -him.</p> - -<p>“Nay, Tolta, I will not leave Beatriz,” said Olmedo, -firmly.</p> - -<p>“She will join you immediately,” replied Tolta. -“Up, priest, if you would save yourself and her.”</p> - -<p>“Whence this untimely haste, Tolta? The poor -child now rests. To you we owe the perils and fatigues -of our abduction. I will trust you no further, -but remain amid these friendly natives until Juan -can learn where we are.”</p> - -<p>“Ha! do you brave me? It is time then to throw -off the mask! Have you forgotten, monk, that you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -are in the power of the son of an Aztec priest, slain -by the sacrilegious hands of your countrymen? -Priest for priest,—life for life,—my father’s blood -cries for thine,—to-morrow’s sun will set on your -sacrifice. No more shall you hold fond dalliance -with the white maiden. She is my spoil.”</p> - -<p>“What mean you, Mexican? What words are -these? You rave! You cannot,—you dare not injure -Beatriz! Nay,—you seek to alarm me. It is -a jest,—is it not, Tolta? Your heart will not let -you ruin that pure being, whose life has been a -good gift to you as well as me.”</p> - -<p>“Silence! I can listen no longer to this babble. -We must be off. A Mexican is not wont to be -moved by the tongue of a Spaniard.”</p> - -<p>Olmedo started up and looked around for some -means of defence, but before he could even call for -help, Tolta’s men, at a signal from him, had seized -and bound him. Taking him upon their shoulders -in silence, they left the house and rapidly bore him -towards Pohaku’s quarters. His mouth and eyes -being bandaged, he was unable to cry out or to obtain -any clue to his route. They hurried him on, -and early in the morning, bruised by their rough -handling, he found himself deposited on the ground -apparently in a house, and there left by himself.</p> - -<p>Tolta had now obtained one great object, which -was to secure Olmedo in the fortress, while Beatriz, -equally in his power, was removed from the immediate -presence of Pohaku.</p> - -<p>Hewahewa, the father of Liliha, was the high-priest -of Pele. Second only to Pohaku in authority,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -he was his superior in influence, from his position -as the chief minister of the goddess. Himself a -skeptic, believing in none of the grosser superstitions -of the people, and using them merely as a -source of power, he was indifferent to everything -but his own ambition. His lands were the best -cultivated, and his tenantry the most favored of all -this portion of Hawaii, because being tabu, the wars -and anarchy which so generally prevailed spared -them. Rigorous in conforming to all the rites of -his fearful worship, he expiated his external hypocrisy -by inward contempt. But his mind, though -intelligent, had never conceived any purer system, -and only busied itself in scheming to turn the national -mythology to his individual profit. He was -the rival of Pohaku, but for the present coalesced -with him. Not being of the highest blood, he was -obliged to rely for his influence mainly upon his -increasing importance as a priest, but was slowly -making his way to supreme rule, aided much by -the tyranny of Pohaku, to whose capricious cruelties -his studied suavity and mildness afforded a -contrast greatly to his advantage. Liliha was his -only child. He loved her tenderly, and by this tie -only was he connected with true humanity. No -other being had sufficient influence to move him to -any action not calculated from selfish policy. She -at times made him susceptible to feeling by her -impulsive nature, so prone to joy and kindly emotions, -from her affinity with all she found fair and -good. This was little at the best, but she kept -that little fresh and active from her own fountain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span> -of affections, and it appeared brighter and more -winsome from the dark shadows about her.</p> - -<p>She was the idol of her immediate attendants, -and though capricious from unregulated authority, -yet they had nothing to fear. Her father, so far -from seeking to instil into her mind the vulgar -faith, left her free to her own intuitions. She believed -in the beautiful and sublime nature she so -loved to look upon, and felt there had been given -her in it a varied and limitless source of enjoyment. -Not that she reasoned much upon anything, but -she was so quick to recognize all that was innocent -and virtuous, under the circumstances of her life, -that her heart and mind were ever developing in -the right direction. Her religion, therefore, was not -the result of thought, but the spontaneous action of -an untrammelled soul, that instinctively attracting -to itself good in preference to evil, spoke the faith -in actions which it was powerless to frame in -words. She knew nothing of a personal God, yet, -had any one explained to her his existence, she -would have listened as if it were nothing new, and -rejoiced in a higher mental satisfaction than she -had before realized. Quick to perceive, she had -acquired from her father, almost without his will, -his disbelief in the demon origin of the terrific -phenomena of nature in their vicinity, and looked -upon them as fearlessly as upon the placid ocean -or the tiny sea shell. Why should she fear? Had -she not been born among them? Like herself, -they were the creation of some unseen power, who -ruled all! So her few years had gone by kindly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> -and lovingly, with health coursing in every vein, -and happiness overflowing her heart.</p> - -<p>As soon as Tolta had secured Olmedo, he hastened -to announce to Pohaku his success. That -grim chief was not in the best humor upon learning -the death of so many of his warriors, by the new -flow of the crater. “A poor exchange this, is it -not, Hewahewa,” said he turning to that person; -“so many of our fighting men for this foreign -priest and his woman. But let us see the prize -that has cost so much.”</p> - -<p>The three passed to the hut in which Olmedo -was confined. His bandages were removed, and -he found himself in their presence. Pohaku looked -at him as he would have at a strange animal, and -marvelling at his long robes and the effeminate air -they gave him, said to Tolta, “You Mexicans must -have been less than women to have been conquered -by such a race as this. Would you have -my warriors fight them? I have a mind to tie you -to him and toss you both into the crater. Kiana -would have been a prey worth a legion of such as -this long-robed, pale-faced she.”</p> - -<p>Tolta’s hand nervously sought the dagger he -wore, but prudence restrained him, and he quietly -replied, “The Spanish chief has for the while -escaped. He will soon enough give you a chance -to feel his stroke in battle. Till then spare your -taunts. Their priests are women in looks, but -devils in deeds. If you would see the faces of -their soldiers, look there,” and he tossed out of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -bag before him the ghastly heads of the three -Spaniards.</p> - -<p>Even Pohaku was surprised at their long grisly -beards and fierce faces, scarred by wounds, and -bronzed by a score or more of years of constant -adventure and warfare. “These may have been -men,” said he, “but my soldiers would have soon -rolled their heads in the dust,” at the same time -kicking them scornfully, not choosing to remember -that some of his best warriors had within the past -year fallen by their blades. “Guards,” he added, -“take this carrion away, and put it up over the -eastern gate of the fortress,—’twill be a fit target -for our boys. As for you, puny priest, you are -destined for Pele. Thank your gods you are to -be so honored.”</p> - -<p>“Chieftain,” replied Olmedo, “the God I serve -will protect me living or dying. I am indeed a -man of peace, but fear not the sword. Death has -no terrors, for it opens to me a heaven, such as your -idolatry can never know. In your delusion and -ignorance you are to be pitied—not me. You -shall see how calmly a Christian can die. Perhaps -it will lead you to ask what it is to be a Christian.”</p> - -<p>“I will tell you what it is to be a Christian, Pohaku, -for none know better than my countrymen,” -broke in Tolta. “It is to rob, to murder, to burn, -to ravish, to lie, to torture, to destroy the sacred -images and break down the altars of the gods; -to demolish towns and to waste fields; to breed -famine and pestilence. All this, for gold and conquest, -have the Spaniards, cursed be their mothers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -brought upon Mexico in the name of their god, -and this will they bring to you, O chief! Even if -you welcome them to your bosom, as did our sovereign, -Montezuma, they will imprison and spurn -you to your death, or they will broil you on hot -coals as they did the emperor Guatimotzin, to make -you confess riches that you have not. Yet they -say their god is merciful and full of love. See, -here is the lying image,” and snatching the crucifix -from Olmedo’s neck, he handed it contemptuously -to Pohaku, who, putting it curiously to his ear, -said, “It does not talk. How does it give you -power to do all this? Pele thunders and destroys. -She speaks, and we listen. She is silent, and we -fill her with gifts to buy her good will. But this -bit of wood is dumb. Pele eats the ocean and the -earth,—mountains and rivers she swallows. She -is a dread goddess, and must be worshipped or we -perish. Here, take your god,” added he, disdainfully -flinging it towards Olmedo, “to-morrow we -will give Pele a rare meal. You and your god -shall she feast upon.”</p> - -<p>“Hold, chief!” cried Olmedo, excited by his -sacrilegious act, “the mercy you refuse you may -shortly need. This image is no God, but it represents -the Son of God; his words of peace and -love will fill my heart and rejoice my spirit, when -your false Pele, with all her thunderings, is dumb -in my ears. God made the volcano, and at his -bidding it sleeps or overflows. Cease to bow the -knee to Pele, and pray to Him, and you shall learn -such truths as shall make you live on earth in -peace, and welcome death with joy.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Ha! white priest, do you despise Pele?” replied -Pohaku fiercely, and seizing Olmedo by the -arm, he dragged him outside the house to the verge -of the precipice, which looked down upon the -crater of Kilauea.</p> - -<p>That immense circle of dead lava, now known -as the black ledge, which contracts the active portion -of the crater to a circuit of a few miles, was -not then in existence. The whole pit, embracing -an area sufficient to contain the city of New York, -was in commotion. From where Olmedo looked, -the height above the fiery mass was about five -hundred feet. It had undermined the wall of the -crater, so that it overhung the sea of lava, as the -Table Rock does the cataract of Niagara. Immediately -beneath him, therefore, lay the lurid cauldron. -Its heavy, sluggish waves, of deep crimson, -surged against the banks with a muffled roar, as -unlike the glad sound of surf, as a groan to laughter. -Occasionally a thick black crust formed over -the surface, like a huge scab. Then this would -break asunder, and bright red currents of liquid -rock appear underneath; whirlpools of boiling blood -fusing everything they touched into their own gore-hued -flood. Huge masses of solid stone were -vomited high into the air, and fell hissing and sputtering -back again into the depths of the fiery gulf, -to be again cast forth, or melt like wax in a ten-fold -heated furnace. Lighter jets of lava were -being thrown up, sometimes in rapid succession, -and sometimes at long intervals, which filled the -atmosphere with red hot spray and steam, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> -gases, blown hither and thither, and whirled about -like the sands of the desert before a simoom, by the -furious blasts of wind that swept with mingled -moans and shrieks across that lake of hell, and -through its glowing caverns and out of its black -pits. Overhead hung a dense cloud, gradually -spreading as it rose, until it enveloped all the region -of the crater. The smoke of its torment, like a -pall, covered the cancerous earth, to screen its -throes from the light of the sun.</p> - -<p>Coming so unexpectedly upon a spectacle of -which he had heard only vague accounts, Olmedo, -at first sight, forgot both himself and his enemies in -awe. It was indeed a fearful spectacle, beautiful -even in its terror, exciting all that was appalling in -the imagination, and fascinating the eye as by a -spell. The solid earth was passing away in a -flame, and would soon be as a vapor. Olmedo felt -as if he were the sole spectator. The wreck of -matter lay before the last man. Such was his immediate -sensation, from which he was rudely roused -by Pohaku’s hoarse voice crying, “How like you -this lake to swim in? You shall bathe in it before -to-morrow’s sun sinks behind yonder forest. My -people shall see if your god will carry you unharmed -over Pele’s billows of fire. Meantime, feast and -be merry, for the goddess likes a full stomach,” and -thrusting him back into the house he left him.</p> - -<p>Tolta lingered behind. Approaching Olmedo, he -whispered in Spanish, “Would you save yourself -from this death?”</p> - -<p>“My life is the gift of my God,” he replied.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -“His will and not that cruel chief’s will determine -my fate.”</p> - -<p>“Have you forgotten Beatriz so soon? How -would she feel to see your form shrivelling and -writhing as it plunged into that boiling lava? -Think of her, priest.”</p> - -<p>“Wretch, you dare not tell her this, much less -make her witness such a horror!”</p> - -<p>“I dare not! Know that Tolta dares anything -for his revenge, and to glut his desires. With you -it lays to save yourself and her from this fate. -Pohaku has summoned his people to a solemn -festival, before he strikes at Kiana. He is furious -that the three Spaniards should have escaped their -intended sacrifice. Think you he will spare Beatriz -when he sees her? She either dies on the altar -or by his lust.”</p> - -<p>Olmedo for the instant was dumb with anguish -at the threatened fate of Beatriz. But clinging to -the slightest hope of rescuing her, as he recovered -his voice, with hands clasped in an appealing gesture -towards Tolta, he eagerly asked, “How can I -save her? Oh, gladly would I ransom her life with -mine. Tell me, good Tolta; by the love you bore -your mother, by your hope of heaven, tell me, Mexican, -and the prayers of gratitude, and all that a -chaste maiden and a Christian priest may do, shall -be forever yours. She saved your life amid the -ruin of your native city—you rescued her from -drowning, but not for this fate. Let her not perish -now, and thus”—Olmedo paused for an instant, -as his imagination pictured to him with the force<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> -of reality, all the horrors that encompassed her for -whom he plead; big drops of agony came upon his -brow as he met the cold, fierce, lustful eye of the -Aztec fixed unmoved upon his, while the same -wily, implacable look, born of his deepest passions, -overspread his pitiless features which he had -noticed once before, and now, as then, involuntarily -shuddered to see; but the stake at issue was the -honor and life of his daughter in Christ, and so he -plead on. “No! you cannot—you will not suffer -this; the hand that has fed you, nursed you, the -heart that has cared for you and your eternal welfare, -when all others were cold; the tongue that -never spoke to you but in love and kindness,—surely -you will not harm them? Look, Tolta, Olmedo -the priest, the friend of the Mexican,—your -father was a priest,—Olmedo on his knees beseeches -you to save the white maiden, to restore her in -all honor to her brother; take my life as a ransom -for hers, if your vengeance must have life,—will -you not, Tolta?”</p> - -<p>Olmedo became silent, and dropped his eyes to -the ground, then raising them for a second towards -heaven, he ejaculated in Spanish, as he met the -relentless gaze of Tolta still fixed upon him, -“Mother of Christ, soften the heart of this heathen,—save -thy lamb from the wolves that beset her. -If there be no escape prepared, sustain and fortify -our spirits until their hour of final deliverance has -come.”</p> - -<p>As he finished his prayer, Tolta grasped his arm -and said to him, “Now listen to me, Olmedo. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -would save Beatriz, for I love her—start not—yes, -the Mexican dog dares love the Castilian maid, -loves her with all the fiery, quenchless passion of his -race, as noble and proud as her own, and, till the -Spaniards came, as victorious. I saved her from -the ocean because I loved her. I have borne insult, -oppression, slavery, the fierce words of Juan, and -even a Christian baptism from you because of this -love. I have been faithful to the Spaniard when -revenge was offered me until now, because I love -Beatriz. Would you know how much I <i>love</i> her?—as -deeply as I <i>hate</i> her nation. She must become -mine. It is in your power to accomplish this. You -are her confessor, and you will she obey. Persuade -her to be mine, and you shall be free, Juan -warned, and even Kiana be spared the slaughter -now ready to fall upon him. I can easily fool this -brute Pohaku, and lead him into the destruction he -richly deserves. Speak, priest, will you not make -her my wife to save her, yourself, and all you love, -from destruction?”</p> - -<p>More in sorrow than in anger at his blindness -and confessed villany did Olmedo reply to him. -“Life is dear to all of us, but our souls are dearer. -Willingly would I do all but violate my conscience -and her truth to save her a single pang. You know -not a Christian woman’s heart. She mate with you! -the dove seek the nest of the hawk! Never! Beatriz -would die a thousand deaths first. Oh! Tolta, is -it for this you have played the traitor? Were I to -name the price of my safety, she would spurn me, -as I do you, for the thought. Tempt me no further.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -Repent of this wrong before it be too late, or you -will learn that though you may imprison the body, -the spirit escapes your bondage. Destroy her you -may, but you cannot dishonor a Christian maiden. -Her soul will defy your wiles, and we shall meet -in Paradise. No more! I will hear no more of -this.”</p> - -<p>Tolta could as little comprehend the lofty motive -of Olmedo in refusing to abase Beatriz’s purity, by -merely hinting at its sacrifice, as a door of escape -from bodily torment for either himself or her, as -could Pohaku the spiritual strength of his faith in -contrast with the thunder and lightnings of Pele. -Unmoved by his reply, he sneeringly said, “I give -you till night to think of this. After the moon rises -it will be too late,” and left him.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XXII.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“Be just and fear not.</div> -<div class="verse">Let all the ends thou aim’st at be</div> -<div class="verse">Thy God’s, and Truth’s; then, when thou fall’st,</div> -<div class="verse">Thou fall’st a blessed Martyr.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Shakespeare.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Hewahewa had been a silent witness of the two -interviews. His curiosity was excited by what -Olmedo had said of his religion to Pohaku, and he -desired to know more of a faith so new to him. -From the first, Tolta had been an object of jealousy -and suspicion, as likely to cross his own ambition; -but the wily Mexican in winning the confidence of -Pohaku, had also paid such court to him, in his -character of high-priest, that he could find no -positive cause of distrust. He had supported his -schemes, therefore, because they enlarged his own -field, relying upon his own cautious and calculating -policy to reap the harvest of which the other two -would sow the seeds. Without comprehending a -word of what had passed between the Mexican -and Spaniard, the deportment of the latter, as he -rejected Tolta’s double treachery, attracted his attention, -and he determined to know for himself the -actual relations between them.</p> - -<p>When Tolta left Olmedo, Hewahewa went out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -also, saying to his associate, “Thanks, Mexican; -a rare festival you have provided for us to-morrow. -An offering like this is a new event in Hawaii. -Sweet will be your revenge. May Pele prosper -you,” and touching noses, according to the national -mode of salutation, they parted.</p> - -<p>No sooner, however, was Tolta fairly out of sight, -than Hewahewa retraced his steps to Olmedo’s -prison. The guards were his own men, because -the prisoner was in his custody, preparatory to the -solemn rites of the next day. He alone, besides -Tolta, had the right of access at any hour, for the -victim once consecrated to the gods was tabu, but -permitted to feast, if he could, in view of his terrible -destiny.</p> - -<p>Olmedo was on his knees, with crucifix uplifted, -praying for strength for himself, and that Beatriz -might be spared the fate to which she seemed -doomed. “Not our will, but thine be done, our -Saviour and our God; yet if this trial and death be -necessary that we may enter Paradise, O grant -that I, the enlisted soldier of the cross, may alone -bear the torment. Accept my sacrifice, Queen of -Heaven, pity and save thy daughter. Let not -these heathens triumph in her agony, but take her -peacefully to thy bosom, Virgin Mother,” and his -eyes overflowed with grief as he thought of his -utter helplessness to aid her. With his prayer, -however, a calm gradually came to his spirit. It -could not be called hope, but it brought peace, -and renewed his trust in divine aid. A demeanor -so unlike the dogged despair, or frantic fear to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -which he had been accustomed in his victims for -the altar, surprised the high-priest, and imbued him -with a respect for his prisoner, that he had never -before felt for any one. Olmedo was so wrapped in -his own emotions, that his entrance had been unnoticed. -Tapping him on the shoulder as he still -knelt, Hewahewa said to him, “You pray then, -brother priest. Who to?”</p> - -<p>“I am an unworthy servant of the Holy Church. -Have you heard of the Christian’s God? I pray to -Him.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing but what Tolta tells. He must be -more fiendish than is our Pele in her anger, if he -delights in such deeds as your countrymen have -done in Mexico. But I believe in neither. There -is no God but what we make for ourselves. Tell -me your thought. I would know what makes you -so calm, in sight of a death so terrible?”</p> - -<p>“Willingly. First tell me, who created Hawaii?”</p> - -<p>“I know not. It sprang from night or chaos, so -our bards say,” replied Hewahewa.</p> - -<p>“Something from nothing. Do you believe this? -Where does a man go when he dies?”</p> - -<p>“Back to night, or everlasting sleep.”</p> - -<p>“Then, you think, that man and the earth came -by chance out of nothing, and return to nothing?”</p> - -<p>“That is my thought. We must make the most -of life. There is no other. I believe in what I -have, in what I feel and see, but in nothing more. -Death finishes all. Do you not fear to go back to -nothing?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span></p> - -<p>“If I thought as you think, I should. But the -earth you love, and the life you covet teach differently. -Can the canoe live on the ocean without a -pilot? Does the taro ripen without the sun? -Think you that this earth drifts at random in space, -without a hand to guide it? No! the Supreme -Being made this world and man to dwell therein. -He has made also a heaven for the good, and a hell -for the evil. He governs all, and sent his Son ages -gone by to tell us there was eternal life, and we -should be happy or miserable as we obeyed the -commands he left. Among other things, he told -us white men to go abroad over the earth and tell -to all nations the glad tidings. I am one of his -soldiers. But we carry no arms. We fight not, -we teach as he taught, and if we are put to death, -we pray for those who kill our bodies, that they -may believe as we do. Then will they see that -death is but a portal to a more glorious life. There -are bad men among us white as among you, who -love evil and commit the crimes Tolta tells of. Our -mission is as much to them as to you. We preach -love and faith in the Great God to all, and it is because -we know that he will receive us into Paradise -that we dread not death.”</p> - -<p>Much after this manner did Olmedo talk to -Hewahewa, who listed attentively to words which -opened to him new trains of thought. He felt a -desire to save him from his impending fate, that he -might hear more. But the whole population were -assembling to witness a sacrifice such as had never -before been offered in Hawaii, and he dared not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -disappoint them. Besides, Tolta and Pohaku were -not to be easily balked. Musing for a few moments -he abruptly said to Olmedo, “I would see -more of you. You must not die. I will provide a -substitute; give me your garments for him and you -shall be secreted, while the howling mob will think -you have been thrown to Pele.”</p> - -<p>“Not so! I would not purchase my life at the -expense of an innocent victim. I thank you for -your intended kindness to me, but this must not -be.”</p> - -<p>“Are you mad? What is the life of a slave to -you! He will be but too much honored to take -your place. Refuse me not. I am determined on -this.”</p> - -<p>“Never! My religion forbids even evil thoughts, -much more deeds. Free me if you will, for that I -would be most grateful. But you know not the -spirit of a Christian, if you think him so base as to -purchase his safety by a crime.”</p> - -<p>“Strange being, what means this? Soon the -sacred drums will sound, and the criers announce -that the solemn festival has begun. Then it will be -beyond my power to make the exchange. Yield before -it be too late. Hast thou no daughter, no wife -to live for?”</p> - -<p>“Daughter! alas I have a daughter. Think of -me no longer. Take her from the toils of that -Mexican, and I will even bless you, and pray the -Son for you in heaven to which I am going. She -would despise me, more if possible than I should -myself, could I accept my life on your terms. Mention<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> -not that again. Have you a daughter? I see -by your face you have. By the love you bear -her, as you would not have her dishonored by a -villain, or see her a mangled corpse, save her. -You can: will you not?” and he grasped the hand -of Hewahewa and wrung it in his anguish.</p> - -<p>He had struck the only chord of feeling in his -gaoler. “Where is this woman,” he asked; “for -your sake I will see her.”</p> - -<p>Olmedo then detailed their capture and subsequent -history up to the time he was violently -separated from Beatriz, and finally the offer of -Tolta to redeem them both, and his contemplated -treason to Pohaku, provided he would assent to -his designs upon her. Hewahewa listened eagerly -to every word by which the thread of his rival’s projects -was unravelled to him. He now saw clearly -the game he was pursuing, and without betraying -his intention, simply said, “If not too late, I will do -as you wish. She shall be a sister to my daughter. -Courage. Farewell.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XXIII.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“And priests rushed through their ranks, some counterfeiting</div> -<div class="verse">The rage they did inspire, some mad indeed</div> -<div class="verse">With their own lies. They said their god was waiting</div> -<div class="verse">To see his enemies writh and burn and bleed,</div> -<div class="verse">And that —— Hell had need of human souls.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">The Revolt of Islam.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>We left Beatriz sleeping, watched over by Liliha, -who with true kindness had forborne to ask any -questions, but had confined her hospitality to -administering to the bodily needs of her guest. As -she believed Olmedo to be equally attended to, and -both now in comparative safety, it is not surprising -that her slumbers, after the excessive fatigue and excitement -of the few past days, should have been long -and deep. Liliha herself came often to her, to see -that she was comfortable, and to be the first to greet -her when she woke. After it was light and her -household had begun their daily employments, she -sat constantly by her side, watching her with mingled -curiosity and love, for she was attracted to her by a -feeling she had never before experienced. Beatriz -now stirred frequently, and her lips moved, but she -did not open her eyes. She seemed agitated by distressing -emotions, and often spoke as if to some one -she loved, but in a language strange to her watcher.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> -At times, however, there came words of earnest -pleading, succeeded by a resolute and defiant tone, -as if she struggled with an enemy.</p> - -<p>To calm her inquietude, Liliha gently took her -hand, pressing it for a while with soothing caresses, -and then softly whispered in her ear, “Have no fear, -dear stranger, much love Liliha bears to you.”</p> - -<p>Beatriz slowly opened her eyes, looking at first -with surprise upon the young girl, but as her -memory brought back the scene of the preceding -night and her young host, she smiled and said to -her, “I cannot thank you enough, kind maiden. -You have aroused me from a painful dream. Forgive -me if my recollection was somewhat confused.”</p> - -<p>Liliha returned her smile, with a look full of -gladness, saying, “You will now be better. Your -sleep was long and deep until the day dawned. -Liliha is your near companion; will you not be -hers?”</p> - -<p>“Most gladly,” replied Beatriz. “You can indeed -be to me a friend. I have sad need of one.” She -then briefly related her history to Liliha, who listened -in amazement at the narrative, which carried -her ideas so far beyond the horizon of her own little -world.</p> - -<p>“You then are the pearl of Hawaii, of whom I -have heard my father speak; the beautiful, pale-faced -woman whom Kiana was to wed; Lono’s -sister. Glad is my heart to welcome you,” and -she jumped up and beat her little hands with joy at -the thought that she had at last met with such a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -companion and friend. “But,” added she, “tell me -what fate brought you here with that dark stranger. -He comes often to see my father. Much I fear -him, and hate him too. His presence portends -trouble, I am sure, for since he has known him my -father leaves me more than ever. He goes to that -ugly fortress, but never takes me with him. But -he will be glad to know that I have found a sister. -May I call you so?” and the bright-eyed, affectionate -girl seized both Beatriz’s hands in hers and -looked up so winningly and hopefully, that Beatriz -felt she must take her at once to her heart; a singing -bird ever there to nestle and cheer her with -sweet song.</p> - -<p>Beatriz continued her narrative, at least all but -what her heart held as too sacred for human confidence, -and which indeed would have been unintelligible -to the untutored forest-girl, whose bosom as -yet had known only her own simple impulses, -which to her nature were like the sweeping of the -summer breeze over a lake, gently stirring its surface, -but leaving its crystalline depths unmoved.</p> - -<p>She comprehended that Beatriz felt like herself -towards Tolta, and loved Olmedo, who was a priest, -as she did her father. Her active sympathies were -therefore at once enlisted in her new friendship -by a common bond of feeling. As Beatriz concluded, -she said, referring to Tolta, “He is a bird of -evil, but no harm shall reach you with me. My -father is high-priest, and will protect you from him. -Let us send for Olmedo, and talk together.”</p> - -<p>Beatriz had been longing to see Olmedo, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -delicacy had prevented her from expressing her -desire. She therefore joyfully acquiesced in the proposition -of Liliha. Calling one of her attendants, -the chief bade her request the presence of the white -priest. She soon returned with the information -that he had disappeared.</p> - -<p>“And Tolta,” demanded Liliha, “where is he?”</p> - -<p>“Gone also,” replied the messenger.</p> - -<p>“Then he is upon some evil errand. Hasten -and inquire of my people what this means. Who -knows about it! Send out runners in all directions -to seek the strange priest. Off, off,” said Liliha, -enforcing her order with an imperious gesture to -all her train.</p> - -<p>Beatriz’s heart sank within her. But controlling -her emotions, she calmly awaited farther intelligence. -Meanwhile Liliha comforted her with the assurance -of her friendship and her father’s assistance.</p> - -<p>They had not long to wait before several of her -people returned with the tidings, that a sacred -festival had been proclaimed for the morrow at the -temple at Kilauea, and all the people invited to -witness a new and solemn sacrifice to Pele. Every -chief also had been summoned to attend with his -warriors in readiness for war. Some important -event was in preparation, which the heralds would -announce before the sacrifice. But the news that -most touched them was, that a boy in returning -home at an early hour of the morning, had passed -on the road to Pohaku’s fortress, a band of armed -men carrying a prisoner, clad in a strange costume.</p> - -<p>“It is Olmedo,” said Beatriz, as the truth flashed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span> -across her mind, “they are bearing him away to be -sacrificed. My friend, my sister, cannot we save -him? I will go to him and share his fate. Aid -me as you would act for your own father.”</p> - -<p>Dismissing her attendants, Liliha replied, “My -father charged me not to follow him to the fortress -without his express orders, and never has he permitted -me to witness the offices of religion. But we -will go there and appeal to him. I am sure he will -grant my wish. Kind he is ever to me. But you -must not be known by my people. In disguise we -will go together.” So saying, she summoned four -of her “bosom companions,” as were called the -most attached and trusty of a chief’s retinue, and -confided her intention to them. With their assistance -the needful disguises were soon arranged, and -the little party, taking a by-path to avoid observation, -began their journey to the fortress.</p> - -<p>With an object so dear in view, Beatriz felt equal -to any emergency. Eager to serve her new sister, -Liliha entered fully into her zeal. As they drew -near the fortress, they met parties of women and -children and bands of warriors, hurrying forward in -the same direction. All were so bent on arriving -early at their destination, that our travellers attracted -but the customary salutations, with now and then -the inquiry, “Have you seen the strange priest Hewahewa -is to offer to Pele to-morrow? It will be -a novel sight.” At these ominous inquiries, Beatriz -shuddered and drew closer to Liliha, who at times -barely refrained from indignantly bidding them -cease their exultation, for her father would be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> -guilty of no such breach of hospitality. “Has not -Olmedo eaten beneath his roof;” she would say to -Beatriz, “how then can he slay him? The laws -of Hawaii forbid. Believe them not. Take courage.” -As they passed one group of decrepit women -to whose bony hands young children clung, scarcely -old enough to totter along, but yet able to keep -pace with the faltering steps of the hags who led -them, Liliha could restrain herself no longer, and in -her usual tone of authority, bade them “begone to -their homes, and not leave them to glut their dim -sight with the agonies of a horrible death. Their -own would soon enough be upon them.” Not recognizing -the young chiefess, they shook their lank -arms menacingly at her, and croaked out, “So, so, -my gay bird, you would look on it alone! Old -eyes love new sights as well as young eyes. You -go fast enough now, but your bones will crack and -your flesh will wither like ours before many suns. -You’ll know then what a treat ’tis to see Pele fed. -Come, come, don’t keep us back,” and they twitched -the little ones at their sides in impotent effort to -make them go faster.</p> - -<p>Luckily Liliha was out of hearing before they -had finished their sentence, and thus was spared -the temptation to reply. In company with a motley -crowd, her party arrived at dusk at the western -gate of the fortress, and entered unnoticed amid the -throng. Numerous companies of warriors, with -their arms and provisions, and headed by their hereditary -chiefs, had assembled and were encamped -apart from each other, both within and without the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> -stronghold. Knots of these fierce men, intermingled -with women and children, were gathered around -orators, who were exciting their passions to war -and plunder, and to whose eloquence they replied -by shouts and yells and thrilling chants, brandishing -their weapons and deriding their foes. There -were many fighting women among them, the most -ferocious of Amazons, whose cries and gestures -were the wildest of all, as they indulged in imaginary -triumphs, and danced and raved by torch light -in maniac groups, or flying hither and thither with -dishevelled hair and distorted countenances, sought -to inspire the spectators with their own savage -emotions. Priests were discussing their singular -good fortune in the propitiatory offering they had -secured for Pele in the white man, and promising -the people her aid and that of her terrible sisters in -the nefarious designs of Pohaku, whose heralds just -before night-fall, had proclaimed war, and invited -all the population to join in the feast, or more -properly speaking the saturnalia, in anticipation of -the solemn sacrifice of the morrow, and the subsequent -march towards the territories of Kiana, whom -they hoped to surprise. The non-combatants were -to remain within the fortress. This was more than -seven hundred feet wide. Its walls were fifteen -feet thick and twelve high, making it for Hawaii -impregnable, if resolutely defended. Along its -whole extent at short intervals, were hideous images -of stone or wood, which stood as sentinels -over their worshippers. Now in the dusky light -they looked like real demons, silently watching the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -noise and revelry below. The maddest of the -priests were rushing about with smaller idols, lifting -them above their heads with fearful screams -and grimaces, pretending that they came from the -images, which were to be borne in the ranks as -consecrated banners. Feasting had already commenced, -and various parties were to be seen seated -on mats on the ground, both inside and outside of -the houses, banqueting on wild boar, dog, live -fishes, and other luxuries of the region, which they -washed down with copious draughts of the intoxicating -arva, amid rude jeers, jests, shouts and uproarious -laughter. Slaves of both sexes, naked to -their waist-cloths despite the chill air, gaunt and -feeble, from famine and ill-usage, stood in the rear -of their masters, eager to clutch the thrown aside -morsel, while tremblingly obeying their capricious -orders. Canine and swinish pets, barked and -grunted, fought and rooted in unrebuked proximity -to their owners, adding their stirring noises to the -general chorus of discordant sounds.</p> - -<p>Such was the spectacle into which Beatriz was -introduced, as following Liliha they quietly made -their way in search of Hewahewa. Fortunately, -the deepening shadows of night favored their disguise, -and Beatriz was too intent on finding -Olmedo, to notice what otherwise would have -alarmed her, for there were scenes of debauchery -going on which it is not for the pen to describe.</p> - -<p>As they passed the open door of a house larger -than the rest, Liliha saw the gloomy features of -Pohaku, intently gazing into a smothered fire, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> -which something was slowly consuming. Around -him were a party of the high chiefs, who stood -deferentially, while he reclined on a divan. On -either hand were two priests, who were uttering a -dismal chant with their hands extended towards -heaven, but frequently stopping to throw a substance, -the nature of which they could not discern, -upon the fire. If it flashed into a quick bright -flame, all hailed it with cries of satisfaction; but as -it oftener seemed to half extinguish the fire, or to -puff out thick wreaths of smoke, Pohaku’s face became -fearfully moody, and he growled curses upon -the priests, who evidently were more in awe of him -than their deities. Tolta stood in the back-ground, -regarding the scene with a look of mingled contempt -and impatience.</p> - -<p>Making a sign to her companions to remain -where they were, Liliha thinking her father might -be within, cautiously approached where she could -see the interior. Hewahewa was not there. But -before she could retire, Tolta passed out so close to -her that she could have touched him, saying to -himself, “Fools, do they think by drunkenness and -frantic shouts to beat Kiana’s men, or by incantations -to waste the flesh from his bones? Rightly -that brute is named stone,”—referring to the meaning -of the word Pohaku,—“his head and heart are -made of nothing else. His stupid sorcery will lose -me my game. He says he will not budge until he -omens are auspicious. Would he were to be cast -to Pele with Olmedo. But I must see that priest -and get his final answer.” Seeing the group of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> -women, he roughly said to them as he passed, -“Away with you, hags, to your feasting; leave -such foolery to your betters; you’ll have enough -to wail for to-morrow,” little perceiving to whom -his bitter words were spoken.</p> - -<p>Liliha motioned to them to follow her as she -stole after him. He walked fast, but they dogged -him as noiselessly as shadows. Olmedo had been -removed into the heiau, or temple, outside of the -fortress, upon a cliff overhanging the lake of fire. -Inside were a few houses devoted to the priests and -the idols. As they passed under the eastern gate -of the fortress, Liliha saw the three heads of the -Spaniards set upon poles. In the dim light their -features could not be distinguished. Supposing -them to be some of the common victims of the -priests, she put her finger upon her lips for Beatriz -to keep silent, fearing the effect upon her of so sudden -and ghastly a sight. Beatriz knew too well to -whom they belonged, but she restrained her emotions, -and passed them quickly, though not without -an inward prayer for the repose of their souls.</p> - -<p>They arrived at the entrance of the heiau as -Tolta disappeared within. It had been made tabu -to females, and was now deserted by all but the -guards appointed by Hewahewa to watch over -Olmedo. Death, under the most appalling forms, -would be the penalty if they were detected within -the sacred precincts. As little as Liliha knew of -the rites of the popular religion, she was quite -aware of the terrible punishment awarded to any -breach of priestly tabus, though without any superstitious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -dread of infringing them. It was natural, -therefore, for her to pause before she crossed the -fatal barrier. Beatriz, either not perceiving or not -understanding her hesitation, entered at once. Liliha -stopped no longer, but impulsively followed, -as did her faithful women, who, if it had been her -will, would have leaped after her into the crater, so -attached were they to their young mistress.</p> - -<p>The heiau was reeking with foul odors, that arose -from the putrefying masses of animal offerings -upon the numerous altars. Some human sacrifices -had been recently made. These corpses, in which -decay had already begun, were stretched out before -images so foul in features and postures, as to be -unlike anything earthly. To a savage they might -well appear to be fiends, but to an educated mind -they were absurd and disgusting, exciting horror -only from the blind devotion paid them. They saw -also the secret access to the principal idols, by -means of which the priests, like those of Isis at -Pompeii, were able to utter oracles through their -mouths, as if the god spoke, and to perform the -usual ritual jugglery which, among all ignorant -races, designing priestcraft passes off as miracles.</p> - -<p>Although faint and soul-sick at these evidences -of a faith so false, so pitiless to the doomed, and so -suggestive of what might be her own fate, and -unless they succeeded in rescuing Olmedo, would -be his, Beatriz did not for a second falter. For a -little while they were bewildered in the intricacies -in the interior of the heiau, as they had lost sight -of Tolta, and knew not in what direction to seek<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> -for the prison of Olmedo. As they cautiously -groped their way from one house to another, listening -to catch signs of life, they heard voices from -one near by. Being of thatch, there was no difficulty -in observing the interior through a hole made -in the straw. They saw Olmedo lying on mats, -with several guards about him, whom Liliha recognized -to be her own men. Indeed they were husbands -of the women with her. Tolta had just -gone in, and was speaking to Olmedo in Spanish.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/illus17.jpg" width="400" height="275" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>“I have come, monk,” said he, “according to -promise, to hear your final answer. For the last -time I ask, will you assist me to wed Beatriz, -and live? Methinks the sights and odors about -you must have quickened your reflections. Remember, -yes is still in time, but shortly no power -can save you from your doom.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Leave me, Mexican,” replied Olmedo, “my few -remaining hours in peace. My answer has been -already given. I will not join in your treachery to -save myself. Beatriz may die, but she never will -be dishonored.”</p> - -<p>“Even now her life and honor depend upon your -answer. Make her my wife, and she shall be queen -of Hawaii. Hear me! No other faith but yours -shall exist in Hawaii. This I swear, and you shall -be its chief minister. My plans are ripe. I have -but to lift my finger and they turn either way, as -you decide,” urged Tolta, in his eagerness, forgetting -the doubts that but shortly before clouded his -mind and angered him.</p> - -<p>“Your offers and your threats are alike useless, -Tolta. I have not the power, if I had the will, to -make Beatriz love you. I may perish, and she too, -but we both will die with souls unsullied by falsehood,” -answered Olmedo. “Even now He to -whom I pray, upholds me and gives me peace. -Go, and tempt me no further.” And he turned his -face from him in sadness, firmly refusing to listen -to him any more.</p> - -<p>“Then perish, you and yours; all in whom flows -Spanish blood. I doom you all.” Saying this, -Tolta left the house, and returned towards the -fortress, at each step venting his anger in execrations -upon the obstinacy, as he called it, of the -monk.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XXIV.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“There is no danger to a man that knows</div> -<div class="verse">What life and death is.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Chapman.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>It may be readily imagined that Beatriz listened -eagerly to a conversation which gave her the clue -to all the tortuous actions of Tolta in regard to -herself and Olmedo. He had no sooner gone than -she entered, throwing back the covering to her face, -which, amid the general excitement, had enabled -her to pass unobserved among her companions, -who, immediately coming after, imitated her example. -Notwithstanding the suddenness of her appearance, -and the obscure light, Olmedo knew her -at once, and greeted her with an exclamation of -joyful surprise. The guards, challenging the intruders, -were about to take them into custody, but -perceiving their young chiefess, and two of them -recognizing their wives, they were at a loss what -to do; whether to give an alarm, which would be -their death-warrant, or by acquiescing in the sacrilege, -run the risk of being themselves involved in -their crime. Their attachment to Liliha proved -stronger than their fears, as she partly appealed to -their personal fealty, and partly commanded their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> -services, seconded by her women, who, having now -irrevocably committed themselves, had no other -resource than to bribe or cajole them to silence. -Still they were incurring, as they well knew, a fearful -hazard, and they heartily wished themselves -out of the net into which they had been led by -their inexperienced mistress. She herself did not -reflect how the adventure might terminate, now -that she had missed her father, but was so absorbed -in her desire to save Beatriz, that she thought of -nothing else. Indeed she entered as impulsively -into every act that had that in view, as she would -have into any scheme of pleasure. It was the first -time she had ever taken any serious responsibility -upon herself, unknown to or unadvised by her father. -Up to this moment she had fully expected to meet -him, not doubting but that, as usual, he would -accede to her wishes. Could she have read in his -calm exterior the closely weighed policy which -decided every question solely in reference to his -ambition, and made him patient or impetuous, -kind or cruel, priest or infidel, selfish or generous, -only as interest swayed, she would have hesitated -to approach him on such an errand. When he -proposed to Olmedo to save him by substituting -another victim, he was sincere. Not that he desired -to spare him the pangs of the sacrifice, but -that he might reserve him to gratify his inquisitive -mind, after which he would have consigned him, -with equal indifference, to death, or sent him back -to Kiana, as his policy prompted. The refusal of -Olmedo had perplexed him. It was an exhibition<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span> -of character not within his calculation. He would -not risk his popularity with the expectant multitude, -by refusing to sacrifice Olmedo, as had been -solemnly proclaimed; but, true to his promise to -aid Beatriz, and hoping from her to obtain further -disclosures of the acts of Tolta, he had set off soon -after for his own residence. By taking the main -road he missed Liliha, who arrived at the fortress -at the same time that he reached his own house. -Thus it was that the maiden was left solely to her -own resources, as she was told by the guards her -father had returned to his home, and would not be -back before early morning.</p> - -<p>When she heard this her heart failed her, and -she wrung her hands, exclaiming, “What can be -done? By morning it will be too late. I will go -to Pohaku. He will not refuse the daughter of -Hewahewa her petition.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, nay, our chiefess, you would bring ruin to -us all, and to your father also. Think not of this. -He is as merciless as death. Like a maddened -boar, he will rend us all,” both women and guards -exclaimed in one breath, as each began to discuss -how to escape from their present perilous position.</p> - -<p>While this was going on, Beatriz had explained -to Olmedo all that had occurred since they parted, -and he had told her his history. His first idea in -seeing her was that she had been brought to share -his fate, but finding that she was comparatively free -and with friends, hope began to revive in each for -the other. Overhearing the discussion between -the women and the guards, Olmedo said, “These<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -friendly natives must not be put to death for me. -We must either all depart, or you must go as you -came, and leave me to my destiny. Some other -mode of escape may offer, which shall not risk so -many lives for one.”</p> - -<p>“I will never again leave you, Olmedo. If you -remain, I remain; if you go, I go. Whatever your -fate may be, I am here to share it,” said Beatriz.</p> - -<p>“Say not so, my daughter, my Beatriz. Go with -those who brought you here. They can guard you -safely back to Juan. If you remain with me, they -are lost. Surely you would not cost them their -lives. Go while there is yet time. God will guard -you. As for me, I am a soldier of the cross, and it -is meet that I should offer up my life rather than -violate its holy principles. There,” said Olmedo, -tenderly taking her hand and putting it into that of -Liliha, “depart with her. She will rescue you -and restore you to your brother.”</p> - -<p>Withdrawing her hand from Liliha’s, Beatriz -took Olmedo’s, and fixing her expressive eyes on -his, firmly and slowly said, “My resolution is -formed. Did you ever know me to swerve from -my decision? Go, I pray you,” said she, turning to -Liliha. “May the Holy Virgin reward you for your -kindness, dear sister. Embrace me. Your father, -should he come to know this, would not be cruel to -his daughter for her love to the white maiden.”</p> - -<p>But Liliha clung convulsively to her and refused -to part. “I cannot give you up,” said she. “I am -your sister. If you stay, I will stay. You shall -not die so cruel a death,” and she sobbed like an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -infant, while her women, terrified at her words, -urged her to delay no longer. The guards added -their entreaties, for at any moment some of the -priests might return, and then all would be lost.</p> - -<p>Olmedo, seeing the unfortunate turn Beatrix’s -endeavor to save him was taking, here interposed, -as a new idea suggested itself, saying, “Calm -yourselves and listen to me. If these good men,” -speaking of his guards, “will consent, we can be -all saved.”</p> - -<p>“How! What do you propose? I will answer -for my people,” eagerly exclaimed Liliha.</p> - -<p>“Then let us all fly at once, taking the shortest -and safest route to Kiana’s territory. Some of you -must know the country well. He will reward you -all to the extent of your desires, and protect you -from the vengeance of your chief.”</p> - -<p>“And leave my father! What will he think of -me? I must not forsake him,” said Liliha, with a -filial firmness that threatened to extinguish the last -hope of rescue for Beatriz.</p> - -<p>“It will be but for a short time, noble maiden,” -urged Olmedo. “He will pardon you for an act of -mercy—for saving the life of your friend and sister. -You have gone so far that there is safety in no -other course. Finish your merciful work, my -daughter, and the blessings of the God of the -Christian will ever attend you, and his holy saints -have you always in their keeping. The Great God -wills it. Your heart is too tender to leave her to -suffer so cruelly from the malice of a stranger to -your race and ours. Your women, too; think of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -them; their visit here cannot long be concealed. -As soon as it is known, they will be inhumanly -tortured, and sacrificed to demons. Would you -have the blood of all these upon your head? No. -Your father will not blame you.”</p> - -<p>“The stranger priest speaks well,” interposed -Umi, the captain of the guards, glad of an opportunity -to desert the service of Pohaku for that of -Kiana, and seeing in this affair an occasion to recommend -himself to that chieftain. “By sunrise we -can reach the territories of Kiana if we start now. -I know a city of refuge near the frontier, where we -can be in safety until he comes to our rescue. Let -us go at once.”</p> - -<p>“For my sake, for the love you bear your father, -save mine,” pleaded Beatriz, embracing her.</p> - -<p>The women and guards added their entreaties, -so that Liliha hesitated no longer. “Be it so,” -said she, “I yield for your sakes, but my heart misgives -me for deserting my father.” But there was -no time for further indecision, so they bore her half-reluctantly -forward, leaving the heiau by the gate -farthest from the fortress, fortunately meeting no -one. It wanted an hour and a half of midnight. -The moon rose as they reached a path that skirted -the crater on its northern side. By its light they -made tolerably quick progress over the rough country, -in the direction of the eastern shore of Hawaii.</p> - -<p>They had been gone about three hours, when -Tolta walked once more towards the heiau, desirous -of seeing his captive again before he was wholly -given up to Hewahewa, for the terrible rites of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> -dawning festival. Surprised and angry at finding -the temple wholly deserted, his first thought was, -that the guards and priests, whose duty required -them to have been there at that hour, had left their -captive and gone to indulge in the orgies at the fort. -He searched everywhere without finding a trace of -Olmedo, and was on the point of going back to -seek Hewahewa, and demand why the prisoner had -been removed, when he saw something bright lying -on the ground, close by the gate farthest from -Pohaku’s quarters. Picking it up he recognized -the well-known rosary of Beatriz. Immediately -the misgiving crossed his mind that by some means -he was unable to account for, she had been able to -release Olmedo, and they had fled. Alone and unassisted, -such a deed was impossible. She must, -therefore, have secured aid from some one, able -either to overawe or bribe those who had the custody -of Olmedo. His suspicion fell at once upon -Hewahewa. “He seeks to ingratiate himself with -Kiana,” thought he, “by revealing the plot and restoring -the prisoners. But why? What motive can -there be for such a step, when our joint plans were -so nigh success?” Confiding his discovery to no -one, he went back to the fortress, hoping that he -might find Hewahewa, and learn from him that he -was wrong in his conjecture. He was as unsuccessful -in getting tidings of him as of Olmedo. -Doubt now ripened into certainty, and he felt sure -that Hewahewa had not only released the prisoners, -but accompanied them in their flight. “The traitor, -does he think to foil me thus? I will have his head<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -and one rival the less. I never liked his ominous -silence,—his thought is as secret as the grave. -But they cannot have gone far. I must pursue -and capture them before this gets to the ears of -Pohaku. Caught in the act, he will then be sure -not to spare even his favorite priest. Beatriz must -still be kept from his sight. The war once begun, -he will hence have enough to glut his passions -without thinking of the white woman. It will go -hard with me if some lucky blow may not put an -end to him. Then, Tolta, you are supreme.”</p> - -<p>So musing, pleased at the opportunity that offered -for catching Hewahewa in the same net which he -had been spreading, and not doubting but that in a -few hours he should return successful from the pursuit, -he apprised his most trusty partisans that he -had need of their services, and without letting them -know his object until fairly upon the road, he made -all possible haste to come up with the fugitives. -Trained to forest warfare, his men once upon the -route found no difficulty in tracking, even by the -uncertain light of the moon, the party in advance, -whose progress, encumbered as it was with women, -was necessarily much slower than their own.</p> - -<p>While Tolta was pursuing Olmedo, Hewahewa, -surprised at not finding his daughter and Beatriz at -his own house, was on his return to the fortress to -learn further tidings of them. His people knew -only that they were missing, and that a party of -women had left quite early in the day in that direction. -They supposed that their mistress, curious to -witness the spectacle, had secretly gone for that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span> -purpose. The high-priest arrived at the stronghold -in about an hour after Tolta had left, presuming he -should have no difficulty in detecting Liliha through -any disguise. He anxiously sought for her among -the different groups that were prolonging their -carousings into the morning, and searched every -house, but equally in vain. At last he went to the -temple, though believing it impossible that she -could have braved the terrors of the tabu, either -from curiosity or to gratify the white woman. He -was more astonished than even Tolta at its desertion, -and could scarcely credit his sight. The heiau -was a complete solitude. Its foul offerings polluted -the night air, and sent up their reeking incense -to impish idols, unwatched by human eyes. Excited -as his feelings were for the safety of the only -being he loved, never had the gloomy precincts of -the sacred enclosure and its disgusting rites appeared -to him as they did now. He was repelled -and disgusted, and as he recalled the words and -resolute self-denial of Olmedo, he felt disposed to -proclaim the whole a delusion. But the thought -was only momentary. As he discovered the absence -of Olmedo, he remembered what the white -priest had told him of the proffered treachery of -Tolta, and he suspected that Olmedo might have -relented at the last moment and consented to his -plans. Liliha no doubt had been seduced to conduct -Beatriz to the fortress in disguise, and the -whole party had fled with the guards. Instead, -therefore, of surprising Kiana, that chieftain, led by -Tolta, would shortly be down upon them with all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> -his force. Enraged at the abduction of his -daughter, which he attributed to the Mexican, and -hoping to defeat his intentions, he hurried to -Pohaku, and related the circumstances and his -conclusions.</p> - -<p>That chief was still engaged with the sorcerers, -and as the auguries had not improved, his temper -was in its most savage mood. He heard, however, -without interrupting, the story through.</p> - -<p>Starting up, he roared rather than spoke, “The -lying hound, the whelp of a wild dog—no marvel -that the sacred signs failed before his false eyes. -Arm ye, all, and pursue the traitor. My richest -valley shall be the prize of his capturer—off men -to the hunt, but leave him to be dealt with by me. -He who lags behind shall feel my spear.”</p> - -<p>Clutching his weapons he rushed out, followed -by the fiercest and most resolute of his retainers, -who, eager to win the reward, tumultuously pushed -forward; but Pohaku, maddened by his abortive -witchcraft, and the deceit of his tempter, soon outstripped -them all, and intent upon revenge, went on -at a pace to which few of his men were equal.</p> - -<p>Hewahewa perceived that Tolta had not gone -alone, as many able fighting men were missing. -He concluded, therefore, that he had partisans, and -would make fight, should he be overtaken before -joining Kiana. The fury of Pohaku might defeat -its object, unless sustained by his regular force. -So calling together as many companies of the warriors -under their chiefs, as the debauch had left fit -for immediate service, he led them in military array<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -after Pohaku. Thus it happened that within a few -hours, these different parties, actuated by such conflicting -emotions, in wild chase of or from each -other, were on the road to Kiana’s territories.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XXV.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“When Anger rushes unrestrained to action,</div> -<div class="verse">Like a hot steed, it stumbles in its way.</div> -<div class="verse">The Man of Thought strikes deepest and strikes safely.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Savage.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The reason why Tolta missed entrapping Juan -at the same time with Beatriz, was this. Early on -that very morning he had set out with Kiana to hunt -wild boars in a forest in the district, now known as -Puna, but which at that date was about equally -divided between the territories of Kiana and Pohaku. -It would be impossible for the traveller of the present -day to recognize the localities of the events of this -chapter, on account of the repeated changes in the -features of the country, occasioned by the successive -eruptions of Kilauea since that period. Even the -coast line has been greatly extended and altered. -When the Spaniards first arrived at Hawaii, the volcano -had for a long period been quiet in this direction. -Consequently, the country had become overgrown -with vegetation, which mantling the abrupt mountain -spurs, and numerous lava raised hills, and wide -extended plains gave it a highly picturesque appearance. -Cultivation was spread over its surface but -very slightly. In general, it was a fertile wilderness,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -sparsely peopled, but prolific with the game of the -country. On this account it was much frequented -by the sporting warriors of both the chieftains, -whose followers, in pursuing the chase, not unseldom -met in deadly conflict. There was, therefore, a -double risk to the adventurer in exploring its wilds. -In escaping the tusks of an infuriated animal, he -might fall upon the spear of an ambushed foe.</p> - -<p>The very dangers of this territory were the origin -of its most redeeming feature. Abounding in wild -forests, it naturally became a refuge to the escaped -slave, or oppressed tenant, and even the fugitive -from justice, who without the intervention of an -institution, which I will now describe, would, from -their common perils, have banded together, and -made themselves formidable as robbers or assassins.</p> - -<p>I refer to the Pahonua, or to adopt the phraseology -of the Israelities, in a kindred institution, the -‘city of refuge.’ The analogy between the two is -very striking. With both, it was a necessity as a -check upon the prevalent laws of retaliation, the barbarous -character of their warfare, and their system -of justice, so liable to perversion from the caprices -or tyranny of their rulers. It affords also consoling -evidence of the disposition of mankind, even in the -least improved condition, to correct evil. It is true, -that like the sanctuaries of the Roman Catholic -Church, they were liable to abuse, and were available -to the criminal, as well as the innocent, but in -a rude society, they afforded a wholesome check -upon revenge, whether private, or under judicial<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> -forms, and served in a considerable degree to mitigate -the otherwise unendurable ferocity of war.</p> - -<p>A river, having its source in Mauna Kea, flowed -through this region. It was a rapid, impetuous -stream, much broken by rocks and whirlpools, and -fed by numerous cascades and torrents from the -neighboring hills. As it rained a great deal in this -vicinity, it was generally swollen. Near the sea -the river forced its way between precipitous banks, -with much roaring and many abrupt leaps, at times -quieted by the depth of its waters, as it reached -some rocky dell, and at others spreading out into a -quick, broad current, until it finally expanded itself -into the sea, amid the thundering of breakers, over -a treacherous bottom of moving sands. Only in -the calmest weather could canoes venture to cross -its bar. There were a few spots where sufficient -land had been gained from the river, higher up the -valley by dykings, so as to repay careful cultivation -with rich crops. Here the banana and taro grew -most luxuriantly, ripened into a luscious flavor by -the sun’s rays, caught and retained between the -steep, verdure-clad banks. Dams were partly -thrown across the river in several places near its -mouth, diverting portions of it into artificial ponds, -well stocked with fish, particularly the delicious -mullet, which being reared in brackish water, acquired -a flavor and fatness unknown to the species -bred elsewhere.</p> - -<p>Besides these signs, there were many others of -peace and abundance in the immediate vicinity. -They were due to the presence of a spacious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> -Pahonua built of stone, situated upon the river’s -left bank, which there formed an easy precipice, -affording a pleasing contrast to the lofty and jetting -crag opposite. The juncture of the fresh water -with the salt tide of the ocean, took place almost -under the walls of the city of refuge, occasioning -eddies, admitting of a ford, though at no time safe, -because of quicksands.</p> - -<p>The tutelar deity of this Pahonua was Keave, -now worshipped, or more properly speaking, sainted; -for the formula of the Roman Catholic Church -is in this respect as applicable to the paganism of -Hawaii, as to its own more enlightened ritual. -Keave was simply the benevolent founder of this -particular institution, the building of which was, -considering its purpose, solidity and extent, as creditable -to his sanctity and enterprise, as have been -any of the numerous monasteries of the papal -church, to their canonized founders. Canonization -is indeed but another form of heathen deification. -The creation of this Pahonua, the natives being -destitute of machinery for raising large masses of -stone, was in truth a prodigious feat. In its walls -were blocks weighing upwards of two tons, elevated -six feet or more above the ground. Around it were -the sacred images, usually placed upon such structures. -Within, there were several pyramidal temples, -besides a sufficient number of houses for the -people likely to take refuge therein. The limits of -the sanctuary extended to a certain distance outside -the walls, marked by white flags, while its charge -devolved upon a class of priests,—monks they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> -might aptly be called, if we set aside the vow of -chastity—who with their servants were permitted -to slay any one that transgressed their privileges. -Like themselves, their property was sacred, which -accounts for the oasis they had created amid the -otherwise forbidding scenery and its pertinent perils. -Whoever once got safely within their precincts, -became inviolable. This personal security extended -to a certain time after the refugee had returned to -his home, as the protecting spirit was supposed to -still abide with him, though guilty of the foulest -crimes, or even of violating the most solemn tabus. -Before a fight, the women and children of both -the belligerents, assembled in the Pahonua for -security. After the battle was won, the vanquished -also fled to it to secure that mercy which the conqueror -rarely granted. All made offerings to the -deified founder, as does the Roman Catholic to his -patron saint, in gratitude for favors vouchsafed.</p> - -<p>Olmedo and his party arrived soon after sunrise, -without interruption, at the base of a sharp mountain -ridge, which intervened between the river and -the more level ground over which they had passed. -It was not lofty, but, owing to its dense vegetation, -extremely difficult to scale, except at one point -where the natives had, by frequent traversing, worn -a rude passage. Path it could not be called, for -the jungle was so thick, and the branches of the -trees so interlocked, that it offered much of the -way a series of climbing and leaps, more suited -to the habits of a monkey than a human being. -There were other points of access to the river, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span> -Umi had selected this as much the shortest, though -it involved greater fatigue. For a considerable -distance the party was obliged to go in Indian -file up a rapid ascent, which formed the backbone -of the spur, and was so narrow, that to unpractised -feet it was safer to sit upon it, as on a saddle, -and to hitch themselves along by the help afforded -by the coarse grasses and ferns. On either side -was a steep precipice, covered with a slippery coating -of rank verdure. Before arriving at the summit -the path became so obstructed with trees of a -large growth, imbedded in a tangled network of -shrubs and vines, that the utmost caution was -required to prevent the weaker members of the -party from becoming inextricably involved therein. -Often they were obliged to find a foothold on -branches elevated twenty feet and even more, from -the soil, and clinging to the limbs above them, -slowly work their way through the vegetable barrier. -The sun’s rays never penetrated the leafy -canopy overhead, though to the almost constant rains -they were a slight obstacle. These had caused a -luxuriant growth of mosses which encircled every -limb, making them appear double their real size, -and frequently hiding their decay. In grasping the -seemingly stout branch it would prove to be a -flexible twig or a rotten stick, and giving way, precipitate -the climber into beds of oozy vegetation, -which, sponge-like, not only showered their chilling -contents upon the wayfarers at every step, but, -from their slimy coating, rendered both foothold -and grasp very uncertain. Nothing short of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> -previous rough experiences of Beatriz, in the wild -campaigns of Mexico, could have prepared her for -an effort like the one she was now making. Her -companions were indefatigable in their exertions to -aid her. After two hours of excessive labor they -had the satisfaction to stand upon the summit, and -look down upon the river which separated them -from the territories of Kiana.</p> - -<p>“Look,” said Umi, “our toils are almost at an -end. There is the Pahonua, and the priests will -give us food and rest while we send for Kiana.”</p> - -<p>“But what comes there?” exclaimed Olmedo, -pointing to some objects moving along the narrow -ridge they had just traversed, and which were -hardly perceptible from their point of view.</p> - -<p>All looked anxiously to the spot indicated, and -were not long in perceiving Tolta, followed by -several score of warriors, rapidly advancing towards -them. At the same instant the Mexican caught -sight of them, and they saw him pointing their -party out to his followers, and urging them forward -with impatient gestures. A wild shout of triumph -broke from his men at the discovery, and they -dashed forward in expectation of speedily seizing -the fugitives. The difficulties of the ascent, however, -so impeded their progress, as to give ample -time to Umi to put into execution his plan of -escape. Tolta had taken this difficult pass to the -river, thinking to arrive on its banks in advance of -those he pursued, and intercept them as they came -by the longer but more easy route. He was therefore -taken by surprise on discovering them ahead<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -of him. His hope now lay solely in the greater -speed of his men. With promises and threats he -excited them to redoubled exertions, himself leading -the way.</p> - -<p>Fortunately for Beatriz and Olmedo, the descent -towards the river was comparatively facile. Sending -two of his men forward to aid the women, -Umi with the others took post just at the crest of -the mountain, where the path was so narrow that -they could easily hold it against great odds. With -their spears poised they awaited the onset of Tolta’s -men.</p> - -<p>While these incidents were in progress, Kiana -and Juan, accompanied by a mixed train of not -above one hundred men, warriors and servants -included, were occupied in the chase. They were -unaware of the abduction of the Spaniards and -the subsequent events, having had no communication -with their homes for several days. Indeed, although -many of their people had missed their guests -of late, as they were accustomed to their retirement -at not unfrequent intervals, few besides their -immediate attendants had manifested either curiosity -or anxiety at their absence. But when three -days had gone by without news of them, their -retainers prepared to notify Kiana of the fact. -Some had gone in pursuit of him on the very -morning of the escape. But the hunters at early -daylight had crossed the river at some distance -above the Pahonua, and had been beating the -forest at the foot of the mountain in pursuit of -their game, with, however, but indifferent success.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -Wearied with their exertions, they were reposing -in the shade of a grove about half way between -its base and the river, when their attention was -attracted by shouts proceeding apparently from the -mountain. Soon several women were seen issuing -from the forest, and running at full speed towards -the river, followed by armed men, a few of whom, -every now and then, faced about and stood on the -defensive against others who were pursuing them. -By this means the women made some progress, but -evidently their strength was failing, and they must -quickly be captured, especially as the foremost of -their pursuers had overthrown his antagonist, and -was gaining rapidly upon them.</p> - -<p>It seems that Umi and his men had been unable -to retard the progress of Tolta for a much shorter -time than he anticipated. The followers of the -Mexican had rushed fiercely upon them, and although -beaten back, returned again and again to -the charge, throwing their spears, and yelling frightfully -to intimidate their foes. But Umi was too -well practised in native warfare to be driven from -his post by menaces, while he was sufficiently protected -as to avoid much risk from the missiles of -his assailants. Chafing at this delay, Tolta was -himself preparing to close with Umi, when his -quick eye caught sight of a vine overhanging -the rock which effectually screened his enemy. -With the spring of a wild cat he caught at it, and -almost as quick as the thought had been formed, -he had scrambled to the summit, whence he could -look down upon Umi. Another leap would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span> -brought him into his rear. Umi seeing this retreated, -but, as he turned, dealt a quick blow to a -careless assailant, which stretched him lifeless right -in the way of his companions, who stumbled over -him as they pursued him down the mountain. His -men, taking somewhat different directions, followed, -occasionally stopping to arrest the progress of their -pursuers, that the women might have a chance to -reach the river.</p> - -<p>Kiana, surprised at this scene, called his men to -stand by their arms, saying to Juan, “We must be -on our guard. Pohaku, I suspect, is about to pay -us the compliment of a visit. If so we shall find -him fiercer game than we have yet seen this morning.”</p> - -<p>Juan was too intently gazing upon the flying -group to heed the remark. Suddenly he exclaimed, -“That headmost warrior is Tolta. There is no mistaking -his tiger spring. But what is the Mexican -doing here? Jesus Maria! That robe belongs to -no Hawaiian. By the holy saints it is our worthy -priest. He must have strangely changed his nature -to be marauding with that wily Aztec. But, no! -the villain! he throws his javelin at him. There is -foul work going on here. At them, Kiana, or they -will slay the monk.” So saying, he rushed towards -the assailant, calling upon Olmedo to turn towards -him. Kiana and his men added their shouts to his, -and ran quickly after him.</p> - -<p>Their apparition seemed to paralyze both the -pursuer and the pursued. With the latter, however, -the hesitation was but brief. Recognizing her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span> -brother, Beatriz gave a cry of joyful surprise, and -hastily bidding Liliha follow her, turned towards -him. Juan knew her voice, though he could -scarcely credit his senses on finding his sister in -such a position. Both he and Kiana were immediately -at her side. Overcome by her exertions, she -fainted as she fell into Juan’s arms. Olmedo and -the rest of the party were soon surrounded by the -friendly warriors, eagerly inquiring the cause of -their appearance and flight. Their story was told in -a few words. A cry of vengeance upon the Mexican -rose from every throat as his men called upon -Kiana to lead them against the traitor.</p> - -<p>Meantime Beatriz slowly came to. Both Juan -and Kiana, in their anxiety for her, thought of nothing -else, until she was able to confirm by her own -lips the narrative of her faithful friends. Her weakness -made her tale short, but the little she spoke, -stopping at each broken sentence to gain strength, -told much to her listeners. Olmedo was almost -as feeble as she. Juan gave a look of grateful surprise -at Liliha, as his sister, embracing her, presented -her as her rescuer. His thanks were hearty and -brief, but all other feeling was speedily lost in his -desire to revenge the treachery towards Beatriz. -Without stopping to count his foes, he sprang towards -them, calling upon Tolta to prove himself a -man by facing one.</p> - -<p>Kiana was prompt to sustain him, but not before -he had charged a portion of his retinue to escort -the rescued party across the river, and place them -in safety in the Pahonua, while he with the remainder<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> -would cover their passage. Less fiery than -Juan, his first impulse was to see to their safety, then -to look to their own, for he felt certain Tolta would -not have undertaken an enterprise of so much danger, -without being sustained by the whole power of -Pohaku. That chief, therefore, he believed, would -soon appear upon the field. As it was, Tolta had -the superiority in numbers, and it would not be -prudent to exhaust their strength before they knew -what fresh dangers might be in store.</p> - -<p>The Mexican, calling his men about him, determined -to act solely on the defensive. It might -have fared ill with Juan, had Tolta with his whole -force made a rush upon him as he came towards -them. Several of the most eager of his men did -indeed sally from their ranks, to make a combined -assault upon the white man. Their commander -recalled them, but not before the foremost having -struck at Juan with his mace a blow which he -easily parried, was run through by his sword before -he could recover his guard. This experience of -the fatal skill and power of the weapon of the -Spaniard made them more cautious, and they kept -their ranks retreating slowly towards the rocky -promontory directly facing the Pahonua. It was -not far from this point that the road usually traversed -from Kilauea, and leading to the somewhat -dangerous ford before spoken of, joined the river. -Tolta knew too much of Juan’s prowess to venture -himself in combat with him, especially with inferior -weapons. He noticed the fewness of Kiana’s men, -and hoped before long Pohaku might join him,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -when their combined force would easily slay or -capture their opponents.</p> - -<p>Kiana and his men had now come up, and without -making a direct assault were gradually pressing -Tolta’s party back to the highest part of the precipice, -which here overlooked the deepest waters of -the river, though a little way below they became -shallower as they approached the ford. Olmedo -and his companions were already preparing to -cross, having availed themselves of some canoes -belonging to the priests of the Pahonua, which -Kiana had borrowed early in the day for his own -passage. The rising ground on which they now -found themselves, gave Tolta’s men a decided advantage -in resisting any attack. Their flank was -protected by a dense thicket, which bordered the -road that led from Kilauea, while the river effectually -sheltered them on the right. Thus they were -in a position either to retreat or to await a reinforcement. -A messenger had been despatched by Tolta -to Pohaku, as soon as he had made the discovery -of the presence of Juan and Kiana. In the meantime -he had determined to remain where he was. -Should Kiana attempt to recross the river, he could -sally down upon him at advantage.</p> - -<p>Juan, irritated at Kiana’s prudence, demanded -that they should attack Tolta at once, and drive -his men into the river. But that chief would not -waver from his surer policy, for he had also sent to -summon his warriors to join him. By keeping his -foes in their present situation, they would, before -long, be enabled to assault them, certain of success;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span> -whereas now, a defeat or even a repulse would -endanger the lives of those they had just rescued. -Until Beatriz and Olmedo were within the Pahonua, -it would be risking too much. Juan acquiesced -in these measures, but swore he would not -lose sight of Tolta while he lived.</p> - -<p>Pohaku, as we know, had pursued Tolta, deceived -by the report of Hewahewa. But few of -his warriors had been able to keep up with him. -The messenger that Tolta had sent, and who -might have explained their position, had missed -him. The enraged chief came in sight on the main -road, soon after the hostile parties had assumed -their present positions. Perceiving Kiana and his -warriors, he was still more confirmed in his belief of -Tolta’s treachery; believing that he had fled to rejoin -that chief and surprise him. Without stopping -to parley or to ascertain the truth, he roared out to -Tolta’s men to make way, and sprang forward with -a ferocious look towards the Mexican. The warriors, -surprised and confused, for they had supposed -he had come to their assistance, parted before him -like water before a strong swimmer. Straight on -towards Tolta he came foaming and cursing, and -bidding him await his fate. The Mexican, at a -loss to account for his sudden hate, supposed him -gone mad and ordered his men to seize him, but -they would have sooner, unarmed, crossed the tusks -of the fiercest wild boar of the mountains, than -have now put themselves in his path. With his -spear poised, he stopped a few feet from Tolta, -glaring upon him with blood-shot eyes. In another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span> -second he would have driven it clean through him, -but Tolta’s instinct of life was quicker than even -his rage. Seeing his hopeless position, he sprang -aside and the spear glanced on the turf, tearing -up the ground, and finally burying itself deep into -it, remained with its haft quivering in the air. -Pohaku, uttering a fearful howl of disappointed -rage, ran towards him, intending to seize him with -his naked arms, and to twist his spine. The Mexican, -whose movements were quick and subtle, again -dodged him, and sprang upon the cliff. As Pohaku -rushed after, he aimed a stroke at him with his -dagger, which would have reached his heart had it -not struck upon an ivory ornament, which he wore -upon his breast. The steel broke, and Tolta was -left defenceless. The river was now his only -chance. A precipice ninety feet high lay between -him and it. With one bound he cleared its edge. -So sudden was this movement and so desperate -the leap, that all for the moment supposed him -dashed to pieces on the rocks beneath. Striking -the water, however, with his feet pointed like a -wedge, and his arms clinging to his sides, he disappeared, -but soon rose and struck out towards the -Pahonua. The rapid current bore him towards the -shallower waters. Here his feet touching the sand, -he was obliged to walk now and then, sinking as -the water deepened and compelled him again to -swim. Suddenly he was seen to throw his arms -wildly in the air, and to shriek for help to the priests -who were watching him from the walls of the -Pahonua. They ran hastily towards the water’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span> -edge to rescue him, but perceiving his position they -dared not trust themselves on the treacherous sands. -His exertions to reach them were desperate, but -every struggle sank him deeper. He had touched a -quicksand, and its vortex was slowly sucking him -down. Inch by inch he disappeared, each moment -to him an eternity. His entire life of baffled ambition -and revenge, with all the deeds of horror he -had witnessed or participated in; all the better -desires he had cherished and affections he had indulged; -all of his dark and troublous career became -legible in letters of fire to his quickened memory, -and mingling with an obscure and despairing future, -the terrible mythology of his earliest belief -conflicting with the hated creed of the Spaniard, -harrowed his soul. Fiercely he struggled for a -while with his fate. The water became discolored -by the sand his frantic exertions to release himself -stirred up. But nothing could now save him. -Conscious of this he became more quiet. As the -waters covered his face its latest look was towards -a group of females just landing at no great distance -above him. One among them had seen the leap -and after struggle. Shuddering she covered her -head with her mantle, and was then praying for the -soul of her enemy, whose hands, even after his head -had sunk out of sight, were seen for an instant -turned imploringly towards her.</p> - -<p>This sight sobered even the rage of Pohaku, and -arrested the attention of all. No sooner, however, -was it over, than Juan, unable longer to restrain -himself, called upon Kiana to avail himself of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span> -confusion of their enemy and attack him. Setting -the example, he sprung among them dealing fatal -wounds at every stroke. Kiana and his men -seconded him well, and the melée, it could scarcely -be called battle, soon became general and bloody. -Pohaku, who had regained his arms, rallied his men -and fought with courage, but in skill he was not a -match for his assailants, whose better discipline -compensated for their inferior number. Three -times, however, he foiled the desperate attack of -the bravest of Kiana’s men, slaying several of them, -and might at last have repulsed his foes had it not -been for the impetuosity of Juan, who, calling to -him to beware, closed upon the chief. Twice -Pohaku succeeded in casting his javelin at him. -The first blow he avoided by an active movement -of his body, but the weapon whizzed so near as to -bruise his left arm. The second javelin pierced his -helmet, as he fortunately stumbled over a corpse, -otherwise it would have brained him. Before he -could recover himself, Pohaku had sprung forward -with an uplifted war-club, which, with terrible force, -was about descending on his head, when Kiana -intercepted the blow by his mace. The warriors -on both side sprang to the rescue of their chiefs, -and in the rush Kiana’s men were borne back a -few paces. He, however, held his ground, beating -off his assailants, thus giving time to Juan to rise. -“Leave this chief to me, he is my foe,” he cried to -Kiana, and advancing once more upon him he -easily parried his furious blows, and at every thrust -drew blood, until watching a moment when Pohaku<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span> -from sheer exhaustion struck less quickly and -forcibly, Juan plunged his sword through his breast. -His fall disheartened his men, and they began to -recoil before the renewed efforts of their foes, when -loud shouts were heard from the road, and soon -after a regular body of warriors, outnumbering -greatly all on both sides engaged in the present -fray, marched upon the field.</p> - -<p>It was Hewahewa with the warriors he had -assembled after the hasty departure of Pohaku, -whose soldiers recognizing them, re-formed in their -rear, and awaited the orders of the high-priest.</p> - -<p>Kiana drew his men off from the pursuit and -arrayed them into a wedge-shaped phalanx, with -its rear towards the stream. Juan and himself occupied -the <i>welau</i>, or point which must receive the -brunt of the onset, should an attack be made. On -the other side of the river his followers who had -escorted Beatriz over, seeing his danger, came back -with the canoes and joined him. Thus he had it -in his power to retreat, presenting the while a -formidable front to his enemy.</p> - -<p>Hewahewa, having learned the state of affairs, -was not desirous of pushing him to extremity. His -own immediate rivals, Tolta and Pohaku, were -dead,—no small gain to him,—but his daughter -was virtually in the power of Kiana. He was -therefore disposed to terms. Sending a herald -bearing a branch of the <i>ti</i> plant used as a flag of -truce, he proposed a parley. To this Kiana assented, -and it was finally agreed that Kiana should -return to his own territories unmolested, Liliha<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span> -remaining as a hostage, until he was on equal -terms with his antagonist, after which they would -treat for a general peace. Upon those terms, -Kiana withdrew to his own side, while Hewahewa -encamped where he was.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XXVI.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse indent1">“Sudden arose</div> -<div class="verse">Ianthe’s soul; it stood</div> -<div class="verse">All beautiful in naked purity,</div> -<div class="verse">The perfect semblance of its bodily frame.</div> -<div class="verse indent1">Instinct with inexpressible beauty and grace,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Each stain of earthliness</div> -<div class="verse indent1">Had passed away; it reassumed</div> -<div class="verse indent1">Its native dignity, and stood</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Immortal.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Queen Mab.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Beatriz was once more at her home by the seaside. -Liliha was always near her. Since their first -meeting the loving forest-girl had grown still dearer -to her. When her father claimed her, she pleaded -so hard and showed so much distress at the thought -of leaving her white sister that he consented she -should remain for the time being. Kiana and the -high-priest were at peace. The latter had more -than once visited Olmedo, for the double purpose -of talking with him and seeing his daughter. By -this interchange of civilities and the impression -which the superior condition of Kiana’s people -made upon him, added to the more enlarged views -derived from his intercourse with the Spaniards, -Hewahewa became, if not a believer in any creed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span> -a more humane and wiser man. By his influence, -backed as it always was when necessary with the -arms of Kiana, his people partially gave up their -predatory habits, and paid more attention to their -fisheries and the culture of their soil. It was great -gain also to establish an amicable intercourse between -tribes so long bitterly hostile to each other. -Instead of warlike expeditions to secure prisoners -for sacrifice and to plunder, Hewahewa’s people -now came often to trade. A commerce was growing -up, which later led to the establishment of -regular fairs, the principal of which was held at -stated intervals on the banks of the Wailuku river, -in the territory of Kiana. Here the products of the -soil and the manufactures of the several districts of -Hawaii, each of which from peculiarity of soil or -climate, or from the skill and industry of its inhabitants, -could claim some local advantage, were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span> -brought and interchanged. A paid police preserved -order, and public inspectors decided upon -the qualities of the merchandise, or acted as arbitrators -in case of dispute, while the numerous -pedlars by their cries and importunity would not -have discredited their brethren of Europe.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/illus18.jpg" width="400" height="275" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>But this fact is foreign to my story, except so far -as showing how soon and rapidly commercial industry -supplants the fighting principle, if it be -allowed a fair chance, even among the passionate -and sensuous aborigines of Polynesia.</p> - -<p>Beatriz looked wan and feeble. More than a -month had gone by since her rescue. Before her -capture she had been gradually failing, but almost -imperceptibly and with such an increased delicacy -of outline and purity of complexion, that while -Olmedo and Juan had praised her increasing beauty, -neither had noticed that it was sapping her life. -The exposure and excitement consequent upon -the violence of Tolta, acting upon an already -enfeebled frame, had at last brought her very low. -Daily since her return had she been compelled to -shorten her walks. At the same time her voice -grew weaker, but gained ever in sweetness, and -the flush upon her face became deeper. Still so -long as she could go out she went, leaning upon -Liliha or Olmedo, to look upon the scenery she so -loved, and to breathe the balmy sea air beneath the -palms. Juan clung to her as to a life-buoy. Careless -and impetuous as he had always been, he -loved his sister fervently. To see her pine day by -day, her flesh wasting as disease claimed it, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> -rich blood fading from her cheek never to return, -each embrace growing more languid as life ebbed, -well nigh drove him mad. Bitterly he blamed himself -for his absence on that fatal day. Even the -horror of Tolta’s death did not check his curses upon -him. To Olmedo he would listen in deference as he -talked of the consolations of religion, but escaping -to the woods, he would there sit hours in silent -agony brooding over his coming loneliness, and -fiercely resenting any intrusion. Liliha alone could -quiet his grief. Knowing his habits, she would -sometimes steal from the side of Beatriz and go -after him. Taking his hand, without speaking, she -would lead him to his sister, and the two would sit -by her in sympathetic sadness, watching her every -motion, and endeavoring to anticipate every want. -While thus occupied he was in some degree soothed. -His sister was still with him. The Blessed -Mother of God might yet restore her. He would -be so lonely when she was gone. Never until now -had he felt how large a portion of his happiness was -derived from her presence; how much he needed her -calm sustaining spirit, her untiring kindness, and -above all her exhaustless fountain of forgiveness. -Was all this so soon to be taken away? Cold -shudders passed through his heart as the gloom of -certainty shut down upon him, and starting up -abruptly he would go back to the forest. Giving -time for the paroxysm to subside, Liliha at a sign -from Beatriz would again bring him back. “My -dear brother,” she would say, “sorrow not so, I may -yet live; I feel stronger to-day. Take my hand;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span> -see! it is not very thin; and my face, is it not a -little fuller? It seems so to me. Once you know, -before we left Spain, I was as ill, but I got well. -Kiss me and stay by me while I sleep a little. -When I wake we will talk more. I have much to -say, and yet I cannot speak it, when you are so -sad. Another kiss, dear Juan; you have ever been -a kind brother to me.” Thus she would cheer him -with a hope that at times dawned upon herself, in -spite of her rapid decline.</p> - -<p>Often Kiana came in, and sat gazing at her until -the big tears followed one another down his cheeks. -Seemingly unconscious of them, he would remain -without uttering a word for hours, striving only to -give some order which he thought might promote -her comfort. To him the fading away of the maiden -was like the loss of sunlight to the landscape. -The earth was all there, but its joy and glory were -alike gone.</p> - -<p>How was Olmedo? Calm. Never had Beatriz -appeared to him so lovely as now. He had seen -too many death-beds not to know that she was -shortly to pass away. Every change in her aspect -was closely watched, and all that his experience -could suggest done to postpone, if it could not -avert, her death. But he neither sought to deceive -himself nor her. If Juan felt himself alone, how -much more must he whose soul was so interwoven -with the dying woman’s! Tenderly and truly had -their love and faith kept pace in all the eventful -scenes they had passed through. Tempted, they -had conquered. Their hearts had recognized their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span> -inalienable birthright—to love—yet they had not -sinned. Now the spiritual was triumphing over -the material. As the body grew more helpless, the -spirit became indeed stronger. This he saw. How -could he then sorrow; when, with the eye of faith, -he beheld infinite joy expanding in her soul? -Mourn for himself, left so solitary in his earthly -pilgrimage, he must, and did, but he rejoiced for -her. At no time had he been more earnest in his -religious duties than during her illness. A solemn -responsibility rested upon him to be even more -faithful to her pure aspirations and gentle faith. -He was with her also more than ever. As she -drew nigh her departure, every trace of the harsher -doctrines of her church passed from her mind, as -the dead leaves of autumn give way to the living -growth of spring. Fed by the vital currents of -faith and love that flowed into her soul from that -world her spirit was now piercing, his mind grew -likewise, and he perceived how that separation in -body could prove union in spirit. Thus he was -comforted and sustained. He now felt that divine -wisdom and love were given in some degree to all -men; that all nature was imbued with their principles; -that both nature and man were working -out the great problem of happiness, through a slow -and laborious progress, governed by universal laws -existing from a beneficent and impartial deity. -Polemical creeds were the shackles of intellect and -the graves of the soul. There was but one creed, -viz., that God made all men, and none had a right -to arrogate to themselves the way of salvation.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span> -Of him to whom much was given, it was true that -much would be required. God was always revealing -himself to the inquiring soul. No age or race -had a right to claim a final revelation or a monopoly -of inspiration. Truth was as free as the air -to all who could or would receive it, but it was like -gold in the mine, dark and hidden until labor -brought it to the sunlight, stamped it with the die -of reason, and put it into circulation. All new coin -was looked on with suspicion, but when made -familiar became as current as the old. All truth -was partial, because its degree depended upon the -quality and capacity of the individual mind. Perfect -truth is the divine atmosphere. No man can -breathe that now, but might hope to attain it -through infinite progress. Hence among men universal -toleration of opinions should prevail. The -best minds here were but infants in knowledge. -Striving there should be, but it should consist in -mutual charity and forbearance; the patient waiting -of each soul, and patient working out of its -duties in faith, for individual and general life were -linked together for a harmonious end. If disappointment -to him were needful for another’s good, -he was ready to bid it welcome, and from out of -self-sacrifice to rise the stronger man. He saw in -Beatriz’s death her spiritual promotion. In strengthening -her to meet it, he was best preparing himself -for those consolations which as necessarily result -from moral laws as does gravitation from the physical. -Therefore Olmedo looked upon the present -trial as the beautiful working out of the final happiness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span> -of Beatriz and himself. To him she was -the divine messenger through whom life and light -had come. Talk not of the power of passionate -love! Its selfish flame burns itself out, leaving -nothing but ashes. Olmedo loved Beatriz, but it -was now with a love in which passion was sublimated -into purity; strengthened by self-sacrifice -and made immortal by faith. What, then, were a -few years of time to him who already saw into -eternity!</p> - -<p>One day Beatriz felt so much stronger that she -asked to be carried to the spot in the forest, where -she and Olmedo had met when they were taken off -by Tolta. Besides her litter-bearers and women, -who retired a little way after making up for her an -easy couch, she was alone with him. It was the -loveliest hour of the twenty-four, drawing towards -sunset, just as the sun’s rays, becoming mellow, -were casting a veil of soft and purple light, tinged -with golden radiance, over sea and land. The air -was as warm and healthful as an infant’s breath.</p> - -<p>Beautiful as was the place, it had never looked -so beautiful to her as now. The birds were twittering -in their leafy homes, and, coming close to -her as to an old friend, warbled a welcome before -they bade good night to the sinking sun, or from -the topmost branches sang their vespers. All old -memories came back to her, save only the sad one -connected with Tolta, which she seemed now to -have forgotten. She thought only of the many talks -they had had here, on subjects dear to both; their -mutually expressed longings for the familiar faces<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span> -and scenes of their native land, and their plans and -hopes when forced to feel that they would no more -see them; the sadness that stole over her spirit as -she realized that she must live and die upon the -island without one of her sex, born of her race, to -share her solitude; how the good father comforted -her with holy words, and finally her love spoke and -his spoke, and they each knew the heart’s secret of -the other, and both trembled, but grew stronger -from prayer and faith, and now could look back -upon their past without a blush, and forward with -hope in an eternal union; all this, and much else -that was endeared to her, came bright and joyful -to her recollection. She recalled to Olmedo scenes -and words full of gladness to both. Her voice was -much clearer and stronger, and her manner so -cheerful, that he was borne away on the pleasant -tide, and thought only of their present happiness, -without heeding that it was the illumination of a -mortal on the confines of the spirit-world.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a shadow passed over her features, and -she told Olmedo that she would rest awhile. Closing -her eyes, she sank into a gentle slumber that -lasted for half an hour. Bright smiles chased each -other in such quick succession on her face, that she -seemed to her watcher to be already living in -another sphere. As he gazed almost in awe upon -a happiness that gave him a closer insight into -the joys of a soul communing with its God, Beatriz -awoke. Turning her eyes vacantly upon him, then -looking around upon the scenery still lovely, for the -brief twilight was in its prime, she was for a moment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span> -bewildered. “Where am I; is this earth,—am -I back again? How dark it seems,” said she. -“Give me your hand, Olmedo,—I see you now. -I have had such a dream,—shall I tell it to you?”</p> - -<p>Olmedo begged her not to exhaust herself, but -to wait until she was more equal to talking. “No, -Olmedo, I must tell it now. I am quite strong. -Indeed a new life is in my veins, but something -bids me be quick. When I closed my eyes it seemed -to me I was dead. My spirit slowly left my body, -and rested in the air above you, who were watching -it so tenderly. How I wanted to embrace you -and speak my love, but I could not. Soon a bright -form came, so bright that my eyes were at first too -dazzled to be able to look upon it. But as that -wore off, I knew my sister Domitila, who you -remember, died before we left Spain. She welcomed -me to my new home, as she called it, and -took me away with her. How we went I could -not tell, but we were borne on without effort on our -own part, by an unseen power, and yet it seemed to -come from ourselves. Such scenery, such beauty, -those loving faces crying, ‘welcome, dear sister.’ -Would that I could describe them. Joy filled my -heart. I was amid all things loveliest and best, -such as of late you and I have so often faintly -conceived as we talked of heaven. Oh! how real -they now were! I was a spirit, yet I had a body -and senses that gave me exquisite pleasure. Every -emotion and effort was increasing happiness. How -clearly my soul saw into divine wisdom and love. -I thought it strange at first that I did not see the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span> -Holy Virgin and the Saints, and asked where they -were. ‘Such as we are now they were,’ replied my -sister; ‘they have passed on to greater glory through -the sure operation of the laws of progress. Ye do -wrong on earth to worship those who once were -but human beings like yourselves,—whose sole -claim to honor is, that they were obedient to the -divine will, diligent to understand, and quick to -practise. It is because you have lived on earth a -blameless life, charitable and useful, enjoying existence, -cultivating purity, seeking truth, actively good, -and ever aspiring to know the divine will, patient -and sincere, through doubt and ignorance trusting -in the great good, that you now witness these mysteries. -Soon they will be as much yours as mine. -Go back to earth and tell your companion what you -have seen. He will understand the message. Bid -him be patient and zealous, for he has much earthly -work yet to do, but for you, my sister, I shall soon -return. I have watched over you as you will over -Olmedo since we parted in form, striving to impress -your heart with the love of our world. It was an -easy task, and now it is finished, and we will kneel -in future together at the feet of older spirits, to learn -of them still further the way of truth and life.’ So -saying, she floated away like a sunbeam, and I -awoke.</p> - -<p>“What think you of it, Olmedo? Was it not -sweet? There is no death; joy! joy! Ever shall -I watch over you with my sister until you too pass -through the gate of heaven. Look! look! there -she comes. Oh! how beautiful. Many others are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span> -with her now. I see their rainbow robes. I hear -their voices,—they call me; oh! listen to the music. -Seraphs are striking their harps,—the air is -filled with harmony,—do you not hear it too? -Where are you, Olmedo? Touch me. I do not -see you, but I see them,—that white light,—how -glorious all appears; how melodious their speech! -I am here, dear sister,—quick,—take me,”—and -thus her sweet spirit went home.</p> - -<p>Olmedo was stupefied. Not a word had he lost, -feebly and brokenly as the last words had been -uttered. Yet to see her go from him as her spirit -became so ravishingly beautiful, was more than -even he could well bear. There she lay in death’s -stillness. The sun had gone down, the wind was -hushed, her maidens looked on in speechless grief, -not a leaf stirred, all was silent,—silent as the -grave! No! there is no silence in the grave to the -believer.</p> - -<p>Before him it is true was the form by which he -had known Beatriz, soon to be dust. The eloquent -eye, the laughing lip, the blushing cheek were never -again in flesh to speak to him. Must we not allow -him a moment’s anguish as he <i>heard</i> their silence? -Mourn, monk;—thou art still human! Grief is -permitted thee. Many and lonely must thy days of -pilgrimage yet be!</p> - -<p>He shed no tears, but leaned his face on the -bosom of the corpse, and there groaned. A light -seemed to pass before his eyes. He looked up. -“Merciful God, am I too a Spirit?” burst from his -lips as he gazed. There, floating in the air, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span> -almost touching him, he saw her he had just lost. -She was an angel now. As she smiled upon him, -he thought he heard a voice say, “Farewell for a -little while,”—and then the stars only were twinkling -above him.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XXVII.</h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">“Yet human spirit! bravely hold thy course,</div> -<div class="verse">Let virtue teach these faintly to pursue</div> -<div class="verse">The gradual paths of an aspiring change:</div> -<div class="verse">For birth and life and death, and that strange state</div> -<div class="verse">Before the naked soul has formed its home,</div> -<div class="verse">All tend to perfect happiness.”</div> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse right"><span class="smcap">Queen Mab.</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>In my opinion, I should stop here. Each reader, -so it seems to me, can readily conjecture the subsequent -fate of the survivors. But a voice over my -shoulder whispers, No. We are still curious and -quite unable to trace their after history without -your aid. Recollect, you are familiar with the locality, -customs, and above all the traditions which -first brought the actors to your notice. Where -everything varies so greatly from our experiences, -the result must be more or less of an enigma.</p> - -<p>And why should it not be? Mystery will give -the story a charm beyond the power of my pen. -Beatriz has gone up to heaven, not in chariots of -fire, but in the arms of love. Well would it be if -we could there follow her and partake of her felicity. -“A little while,”—yes, in a little while the call of -each of us will be heard. May our welcome be like -hers.</p> - -<p>As I cannot follow her into the scenes of her new<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> -duties and joys, I leave them to the imagination. -To gratify any lurking curiosity as to the others, I -will briefly relate all that came to my knowledge -after that—to her—great gain.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<img src="images/illus19.jpg" width="400" height="275" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>Kiana proved a sincere mourner. The character -of Beatriz had so impressed him that he never after -sought companionship among the females of his -race. He grew to be a silent, reserved man, kind -to all, but indisposed to interest himself in the usual -duties of his station. Much of his time he passed -alone, so that his people, in their poetical fancy, in -speaking of him among themselves, called him -Kamehameha, “the lonely one.” To Olmedo he -particularly attached himself, and as he soon neglected -the religion of his ancestors more than ever, -it was supposed that he had imbibed many of his -views. When he died, which took place at the -expiration of ten years, there was a wailing over -all Hawaii, such as had never been heard before.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span> -The people all grieved for him as for one they -deeply loved. At his dying request they abstained -from the usual barbarous demonstrations, by which -they were wont to mark their sorrow. There were -no sacrifice of property, no shaving of heads, no -knocking out of teeth, or self-inflicted wounds. -Above all, his memory was honored by a strict -abstinence from the usual saturnalia, allowed on -the death of a chief of the highest rank, during -which sensuality and the darkest passions were -permitted to riot unchecked. A decorous funeral -took place, at which all the people assisted, with a -solemn state heretofore unknown in their annals.</p> - -<p>Hewahewa became a powerful and sagacious -ruler. By the influence of Olmedo he was induced -to mitigate many of the cruel rites of his mythology, -though the belief of his people in Pele remained -unshaken. The good monk had therefore the satisfaction -to see that humanity gained by his presence -in Hawaii, though his opinions affected but a few -of the most intelligent minds. Indeed, so satisfied -had he himself become of the inefficiency of strictly -dogmatic teachings, that he seldom attempted to -expound the mysteries of the Roman creed, but -confined his discourses to such general ideas of the -nature of divinity and the absurdity of idol worship, -as might be comprehended by the simplest mind. -The seed which he thus sowed was not without -fruit. It slowly ripened during rather more than -two centuries, gradually weaning the masses from -their belief in demonology, until a short time before -the advent of the American missionaries, in 1820,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span> -the nation discarded paganism and destroyed their -idols. Hewahewa, the then high-priest, had inherited -much of the inquiring, skeptical spirit of -his ancestor. Publicly resigning his office, he was -the first to apply the torch to the temples and -their sacred contents. The accumulated gifts of -national piety through the long centuries of heathenism -were consumed in a day, while he and others -proclaimed their belief in “one only Great God, -dwelling in the heavens.”</p> - -<p>Juan’s grief was violent, but he recovered before -long his natural tone. As he could not recall the -dead, he interested himself in the living, and was -ever the same adventurous, impetuous being, -admired for his gallantry and beloved for his -generosity. Before his sister died, Liliha’s artless -sympathy had touched his heart. After that event, -he was more than ever drawn to her, and she -to him. There was something in her youth and -character so different from the wanton beauty -and unrefined minds of Hawaiian women in general, -that it commanded his respect. He must have -some one to love, now his sister was gone, and he -loved her. She returned his love as freely, and truly -as the wood-dove returns its mate’s. There was -no coyness or affected reserve. His manly qualities -had now won her heart, still warm with its -devotion to Beatriz, and she told him so, and gave -it to him with her all. Juan asked of Olmedo the -Roman Catholic rite to sanctify their union. Liliha -assented, much wondering at first why the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span> -words of another were requisite to bind them closer -together. They loved each other faithfully. How -then could the bond be made dearer or truer? -It was difficult to make her understand the necessity -of the ceremonies and pledges with which -Christians wed. With or without it, however, she -was the same faithful, sincere, joyous creature, -right in her instincts and quick in her perceptions. -From their mingled blood descended several noted -chiefs.</p> - -<p>What of Olmedo? He lived long and usefully. -The dying vision of Beatriz was never absent from -his thoughts. It had become a holy message to -him. Never did the good man let go by an opportunity -for a kind act or comforting word. His -counsels and instruction were freely given to all -who applied. He lived apart from all others as he -had always done, the same solitary chaste man of -God. So wrapt was he ever in his reflections, inwardly -conversing with his spirit-bride, that among -the natives he was known as Kapiolani, “the captive -of heaven.”</p> - -<p>Beatriz was buried on the spot where she died. -Olmedo erected a cross over her remains with the -simple inscription in Spanish, “<i>She is not here.</i>” -He had consigned her dust to its mother earth, but -the spirit had gone back to the God who gave it. -Daily at sunset he prayed over the grave. Often -that dear face came back to greet and cheer him, -and as he gazed, the same lowly whispered words, -“for a little while,” fell on his ear. He would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span> -then go back with fresh courage and hope to his -earthly home, fulfilling its duties as a sacred trust. -When he died the tradition does not tell. The -last it says of the strange priest is, that he was -“the captive of heaven.”</p> - -<p class="titlepage">THE END.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<h2>FOOTNOTES</h2> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1" id="Footnote_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> An exception in one instance to this fact, so creditable to the -Hawaiians, is said to have occurred to one of the American missionary -ladies, to whom a native behaved with so much rudeness that -the king, Liholiho, only spared his life at the intercession of her -husband. The contemplated punishment for a breach of their -national hospitality, shows in what abhorrence they regarded a -wanton insult to a white woman!</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2" id="Footnote_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> This is not fiction. A large party of warriors once met their -death in this way, while others of their company, encamped not far -off, escaped.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3" id="Footnote_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> <i>Lomilomi</i>, as this process is called, is peculiar to Polynesia, for -the Asiatic shampooing is but a rough substitute. In Hawaii it was -an art, and as much a necessary rite of hospitality to the fatigued -traveller, or even of luxurious pleasure, as the wine cup in Europe. -By it, commencing with almost imperceptible pressure, from the -softest hands, every part of the body was gradually submitted to -gently increasing force, until each muscle was kneaded and each -joint stretched and cracked, and the whole frame, with fatigue removed -and endowed with fresh vitality, was lulled into slumber or -recruited for fresh exercise. The Hawaiian Sybarites had invented a -pleasure unknown to the Roman. The latter, to have the greater -capacity for gorging at their feasts, were wont to prepare themselves -by emetics, but the more ingeniously sensual savage first eat his fill, -and then resigned himself into the hands of skilled and meretricious -women, who, by their ingenious substitute of artificial action of the -muscles for natural exercise, hastened digestion without the trouble -of locomotion to the effeminate Hawaiian, and by a most deliciously -sense-exciting and restoring process, prepared him for fresh gratification -of his appetites. In this respect we need not regret that the -refinement of the art has departed from Hawaii, but the voyager who -has once experienced it in its genuineness, cannot but prize its -virtues.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="ads"> - -<p class="center larger">CONVERSATION:<br /> -<span class="smaller">ITS FAULTS AND ITS GRACES;</span></p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">OR,</span><br /> -THE BEST MANNER OF<br /> -SPEAKING, WRITING, AND PRONOUNCING THE -ENGLISH LANGUAGE CORRECTLY.</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">COMPILED BY</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">Rev. ANDREW P. PEABODY, D.D.</span></p> - -<p class="center smaller">NEW EDITION: REVISED, WITH ADDITIONS.</p> - -<p class="center">16mo, cloth stamped, marble edge, pp. 150. 50 cts.</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">PUBLISHED BY</span><br /> -JAMES MUNROE & CO., BOSTON AND CAMBRIDGE.</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center">OPINIONS OF THE PRESS ON THE PREVIOUS EDITION OF THIS WORK.</p> - -<p>“This is an exceedingly interesting little volume, and one which -deserves to be carefully read and studied. It is not only a very interesting -publication, but a very timely one. There is a tendency, -even with people who know better, to use phrases which are far from -correct, at first by way of fun, but gradually they come to be incorporated -into general use. Dr. Peabody’s Address is very beautiful -and sensible, and treats of the principle and sentiment of conversation -from a high point of view. It is a very valuable compilation, -and should have a wide circulation.”—<i>Boston Daily Advertiser.</i></p> - -<p>“This little volume is dedicated to American teachers, but it has -words of wisdom worthy the attention of all classes in the community. -We commend the work not only to those who have but little -acquaintance with grammatical rule, but even to scholars, for even -they sometimes are guilty of great enormities in English syntax. -The name of Dr. Peabody is a full and sufficient voucher and authority -in this case, and this little work deserves extensive circulation.”—<i>Boston -Evening Transcript.</i></p> - -<p>“A pure and graceful style of conversation cannot be learned -from books; but much may be done in the way of suggestion, which -is well done in this volume. It deserves to be studied.”—<i>Watchman -and Reflector.</i></p> - -<p>“The design and execution of this work are alike felicitous. It is -intended to secure the legitimate end of conversation, by correcting -what is amiss, and elevating its general tone and character. It consists -of several lectures and brief treatises, partly American, and -partly English, which, taken together, form as good a manual on the -subject as could be desired.”—<i>Puritan Recorder.</i></p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Conversation: Its Faults and its Graces.</span>—A little volume, -but instructive and highly valuable.”—<i>Christian Register.</i></p> - -<p>“We welcome this volume as a timely and valuable auxiliary in -the cause of polite learning—a branch of the education of the -present day which does not receive sufficient attention from our -authors and teachers of grammar and rhetoric. It is not, however, -a book for teachers alone, but one that is happily adapted to general -use. It should be read and consulted by all persons who desire to -speak the English language with that elegance which adorns the -conversation of ladies and gentlemen of genuine cultivation, of taste, -and true refinement of mind.”—<i>Christian Examiner.</i></p> - -<p>“This is a very useful little work, pointing out the true ends of -conversation, and exposing a number of current improprieties in -writing and speaking.”—<i>Methodist Quarterly Review.</i></p> - -<p>“One of the most useful books the season has produced. It should -be in every family.”—<i>Boston Mercantile Advertiser.</i></p> - -<p>“It is a work of great use, and should be in every family. The -hints here given would tend more to purity of language than a -year’s study otherwise devoted.”—<i>Portsmouth Journal.</i></p> - -<p>“The greatest faults in our conversational habits do indeed require -a more deep and vital cure than is to be found in simple -external omissions or improvements; and these are admirably treated -by the compiler in the address delivered by him before the Newburyport -Female High School, which introduces this little volume. We -cannot too earnestly commend this Address to the consideration of -readers of all ages. The compilation is most judiciously made, and -should be widely circulated. We welcome this little volume as indicating -the gravest dangers which threaten sometimes to make conversation -more of a hindrance than a help, and also as one which in -a lively manner will suggest to young people the absurd errors into -which so many unconsciously fall.”—<i>Salem Gazette.</i></p> - -<p>“This neat little work is made up of a lecture by Rev. A. P. -Peabody, and several English essays. Its aim is not only to direct -us in conversation, so as to make it entertaining and morally pure, -but also to furnish rules against the most common verbal faults. It -carries out its purpose admirably.”—<i>Portland Advertiser.</i></p> - -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p class="center larger"><span class="larger">WORKS</span><br /> -<span class="smaller">OF</span><br /> -JAMES J. JARVES,</p> - -<p class="center smaller">PUBLISHED BY</p> - -<p class="center">HARPER & BROTHERS, <span class="smcap">New York</span>; and SAMPSON -LOW, SON & Co., <span class="smcap">London</span>.</p> - -<p class="hanging"><b>Art-Hints: Architecture, Sculpture, and -Painting.</b> By <span class="smcap">James Jackson Jarves</span>, Esq., author -of “Parisian Sights and French Principles,” -“History of the Sandwich Islands,” &c. Post 8vo. -Cloth, $1.25; half-calf, $1.75.</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“There are few subjects connected with art in relation to its history, -to matter, and to mind, which Mr. Jarves does not touch upon, -and with so much freshness of thought, enthusiasm tempered with -judgment, and sensibility to the beautiful, as to render his remarks -no less pleasant to read than they are instructive.... His remarks -evince sound discrimination and good taste. It is when we have -such a book as this under our notice, that we find most occasion to -regret our inability, from want of space, to quote from it.”—<i>Art-Union, -London.</i></p> - -<p>“Fervent and useful—clever and well-written. Mr. Jarves’s -language displays a strong nervous structure, that indicates a strong -thinker.” “America has at last produced a writer who may help -to educate her in art, guide her infant steps, and to point out the -pitfalls that surround the pilgrim of Art.”—<i>London Athenæum.</i></p> - -<p>“This is the only way in which it is worth while to write about -art, and Mr. Jarves founding on high principles, and honest and -acute in applying them, will be found, without at all rivalling such -a man as Ruskin in depth or originality, well worth the hearing.”—<i>London -Spectator.</i></p> - -<p>“ ... We have seldom indeed read a book which excited more -respect for the author and sympathy for his opinions—his criticism -is in general at once refined and elevated in spirit, animated by a -thorough and patient knowledge of what he is describing, and for -the most part singularly just and sound.”—<i>London Guardian.</i></p> - -<p>“The work is one that may render good service to students in this -country as well as in America. It is a suggestive as well as instructive -volume, and deals with the philosophy as well as the facts of -the history of art.”—<i>London Literary Gazette.</i></p> - -<p>“We commend the volume for its pleasant style, its varied historical -facts, its fresh and honest criticisms, its rare good sense, its interesting -analysis of Art in different countries, its hopeful and -healthy tone, and the importance of the theme to which it relates.”—<i>Boston -Transcript.</i></p> - -<p>“It does one good to fall in with such a book as this, one that shows -intimate knowledge of the subject it handles, and is yet free from -pedantry or pretence; one in which the author’s glowing enthusiasm -is tempered by judgment and discretion. From its earnestness and -loving tone, you might suppose it the work of a tyro; from its -moderation and respect for the opinion of others, it impresses you -with the belief that the writer has pondered much, ere he gave his -opinions to the world. Not that he is deficient in boldness; very far -from it, he sometimes runs counter to the general voice; and—what -is a far better token of moral courage—he does not minister to -national self-love.”—<i>Albion, New York.</i></p> - -<p>“Gracefully and elegantly written, this work is destined to take -rank with those masterly criticisms which have given the name of -Ruskin such a world-wide reputation.”—<i>New York Herald.</i></p> - -<p>“Hardly a page of this book but abounds with thoughtful comment -and valuable suggestion.”—<i>New York Churchman.</i></p> - -<p>“Next after Ruskin we are disposed to rank the author of Art-Hints.”—<i>North -American Review.</i></p> - -<p>“Mr. Jarves has written upon a subject with which thought and -taste, education and travel, enthusiasm and observation, have made -him most familiar. He has written well, because with fulness of -knowledge and clearness of expression. At times, his language -rises into eloquence but it is always lucid, nervous, and harmonious.”—<i>New -York Times.</i></p> - -<p>“Mr. Jarves’s views on Art are as remarkable for their calmness -and good sense, as for their requisite appreciation of every form of -genuine beauty.”—<i>Courier and Inquirer, N. Y.</i></p> - -<p>“A work which every American tourist in Europe should read -carefully before setting out, and consult frequently while among the -art-collections of the old world.”—<i>Godey’s Ladies Magazine.</i></p> - -<p>“A noble sermon on Art.”—<i>Christian Examiner.</i></p> - -</div> - -<p class="hanging"><b>Parisian Sights and French Principles</b>, seen -through <span class="smcap">American Spectacles</span>. First and Second -Series. 12mo., with numerous illustrations. Price, -$1.00 each.</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“A better picture of Paris, in so narrow a compass, we have never -seen.”—<i>N. Y. Courier and Enquirer.</i></p> - -<p>“As a shrewd observer, a stinging critic of society, and a lively -narrator, we have not seen his superior for many a day,—one of -the most amusing books of the time.”—<i>N. Y. Tribune.</i></p> - -<p>“Without question one of the raciest books ever written upon -Parisian life and manners.”—<i>Boston Post.</i></p> - -</div> - -<p class="hanging"><b>Italian Sights and Papal Principles.</b> With -numerous illustrations. 12mo. Muslin, $1.00.</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>“In variety of style, truth of description, and piquancy of criticism, -Mr. Jarves has few competitors among tourists.”—<i>New -York Independent.</i></p> - -<p>“Mr. Jarves combines many important qualities which are essential -to the character of an intelligent tourist. He is, evidently, a -person of education and refinement, conversant with the principles -of art, as well as familiar with its chief productions; cherishing an -interest in religious systems, apart from their external ceremonies, -and accustomed to carry a critical spirit into his observations of -nature and society. Hence, the sketches, of which this volume is -composed, are not only spirited, but informing. They furnish an -impressive idea of the grandeur and the glory, and the degradation -and shame of modern Italy. They are not merely brilliantly colored -pictures addressed to the eye, but pregnant illustrations of profound -social truths. As a writer on art, Mr. Jarves will well sustain his -reputation in this volume; while his description of ecclesiastical -ceremonies, local scenery, and popular customs, will place him in -the front rank of recent travellers.”—<i>Home Journal.</i></p> - -</div> - -<p>⁂ <i><span class="smcap">Harper and Brother</span> will send either of the above works -by mail, postage paid, (for any distance in the United States under -3000 miles,) on receipt of the price.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="center">IN PRESS.</p> - -<p class="center larger">PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.,<br /> -<span class="smaller">Winter Street, Boston,</span></p> - -<p class="center">WILL PUBLISH, OCTOBER FIRST,</p> - -<p class="center larger">“WHY AND WHAT AM I:”</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">THE</span><br /> -CONFESSIONS OF AN INQUIRER,</p> - -<p class="center">In Three Parts.</p> - -<p class="titlepage"><span class="smaller">PART FIRST,</span><br /> -<span class="larger">HEART EXPERIENCE;</span><br /> -<span class="smaller">OR,</span><br /> -THE EDUCATION OF THE EMOTIONS.</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">BY</span><br /> -JAMES J. JARVES.</p> - -<p>This is a <i>resumé</i> of life-experiences in the spheres of the affections, -art, and religion. The first part is a narrative of educational experiments -and conclusions, embracing a wide and varied field of -adventure, erratic, and often at war with commonly received -opinions, but earnest, sincere, and thoughtful. Whatever judgment -may be formed of the author’s philosophy of life, no one will -question the frankness of his Confessions or withhold sympathy from -feelings that touch and try all hearts alike, and make us sensible of -our common brotherhood. The descriptive portion of society and -manners in Polynesia, with particular reference to the great question -of the capacity of the Indian and Negro races for civilization and -Christianity, is of particular interest. There are, too, not a little of -the spirit and savor of Sterne, Rabelais, and Montaigne, in its pages; -an audacity of revelation and reflection, and an unshrinking probing -into the issues of humanity, with an individuality of style, not -common in modern literature, which will make the book either a -decided success or the reverse.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="center">IN PRESS.</p> - -<p class="center larger">PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.,</p> - -<p class="center">WILL PUBLISH, NOVEMBER FIRST,</p> - -<p class="center">Part Second of the preceding Work,</p> - -<p class="center smaller">NAMELY,</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="larger">ÆSTHETIC CULTURE;</span><br /> -<span class="smaller">OR,</span><br /> -THE ART-IDEA,</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">BY</span><br /> -JAMES JACKSON JARVES.</p> - -<p>This portion of the work is intended to show the importance of -Art-culture individually and nationally, and treats of Art in relation -to principles, religions, races, climate, artists, and science, with particular -reference to its quality and prospects in America, embracing -a critical review of the works of many of our living artists, as compared -with European artists of the present and past ages, and a -historical review of Art-motives of ancient and modern times. A -competent critic who has examined the MS., pronounces it “an -original and vigorous Æsthetic Treatise, evincing a profound study -of the subject, and a rare insight into the principles of Art.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="center larger">KIANA:<br /> -<span class="smaller">A TRADITION OF HAWAII.</span></p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smaller">BY</span><br /> -JAMES JACKSON JARVES,</p> - -<p class="center smaller">Author of “History of the Hawaiian Islands,” “Parisian” and “Italian Sights,” -“Art-Hints,” &c., &c.</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">With Illustrations.</span></p> - -<p class="center">Price $1.00.</p> - -<p class="center">Published by JAMES MUNROE & Co.,<br /> -No. 134 Washington Street, BOSTON.</p> - -<p class="center">⁂ <i>Copies sent by mail for above price.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p class="center"><i>Extracts from the Preface.</i></p> - -<p>“In my youth I spent several years in different parts of the Pacific -Ocean, but chiefly at the Sandwich or Hawaiian Islands. While engaged -in procuring materials for their history,—first published in 1843,—I -was much struck with a tradition relating to their discovery by Europeans, -two and a half centuries before Cook so accidentally stumbled -upon them. Briefly it was this—</p> - -<p>“Eighteen generations of kings previous to Kamehameha I., during -the reign of Kahoukapa, or Kiana, there arrived at Hawaii, a white -priest, bringing with him an idol, which by his persuasion, was enrolled -in the calendar of the Hawaiian gods, and a temple erected for its service. -The stranger priest acquired great influence, and left a reputation for -goodness that was green in the memories of the people of Hawaii three -centuries later. Another statement adds that a vessel was wrecked on -the island, and the captain and his sister reached the shore, where they -were kindly received and adopted into the families of the chiefs.</p> - -<p>“Without enlarging here upon the tradition, and the light my subsequent -researches threw upon it, I will simply state that I became convinced -that a Spanish priest, woman, and several men were rescued from -a wreck, landed and lived on Hawaii, acquired power and consideration -from their superior knowledge, and for a while were even regarded as -gods. Some of them intermarried with the aborigines, and their blood -still exists (or did recently) among certain families, who pride themselves -greatly upon their foreign origin.</p> - -<p>“Other traces of their existence are perceptible in the customs, ideas, -and even the language of the natives, which last has a number of words -strikingly analogous to the Spanish of the same meaning. Captain Cook -found among them a remnant of a sword-blade and another bit of iron. -They were not strangers to this metal, and as no ores exist in their -soil, they could have derived their knowledge solely from foreign intercourse.</p> - -<p>“Soon after the conquest of Mexico, Cortez sent three vessels upon -an exploring expedition to California. After sailing as far as 29° north, -one was sent back to report progress. The other two held on and were -never heard from. Why may not one of these be the vessel that was -wrecked on Hawaii? The winds would naturally drive her in that -direction, and the date of the expedition agrees, so far as can be made -out from Hawaiian chronology, with the time of the first arrival of white -men on that island. Indeed, at that period of maritime discovery, white -men could come from no other quarter. For my part, I believe that a -port of Mexico was the starting point of the wrecked party; a conjecture -which derives some plausibility from the fact, that, when the natives -offered the whites bananas and other tropical fruits, they were familiar -with them, which would be the case, if they came from Tehuantepec, -whence Cortez fitted out his vessel.</p> - -<p>“To absolutely identify the white strangers of Hawaii with the missing -ships of Cortez, it is not now possible. But the interest in them, -left thus isolated from civilization amid savages, upon an island in the -centre of the then unknown ocean is peculiar. Especially have I always -been curious to trace the fate of the solitary white woman,—a waif -of refinement cast thus on a barbarous shore,—and of the priest too,—to -learn how far their joint influence tempered the heathenism into -which they were thrown, or whether they were finally overcome by -paganism.</p> - -<p>“Twelve years ago while amid the scenery described in this volume, -and the customs and traditions of the natives were fresh in my mind, I -began to pen their history; but other objects prevented my going on, -until the past winter, when leisure and the advice of friends, pleased -with the subject, prompted its completion. The descriptions of the -natural features of this remarkable island, of the religion, customs, -government, and conditions of its aborigines, as well as the events in -general, are as faithful transcripts, in words, of the actual, to my personal -knowledge, as it is in my power to give.”</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KIANA: A TRADITION OF HAWAII***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 60066-h.htm or 60066-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/0/0/6/60066">http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/0/6/60066</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. -</p> - -<h2>START: FULL LICENSE<br /> -<br /> -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE<br /> -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</h2> - -<p>To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license.</p> - -<h3>Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works</h3> - -<p>1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8.</p> - -<p>1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.</p> - -<p>1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others.</p> - -<p>1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States.</p> - -<p>1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:</p> - -<p>1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed:</p> - -<blockquote><p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United - States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost - no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use - it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with - this eBook or online - at <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you - are not located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws - of the country where you are located before using this - ebook.</p></blockquote> - -<p>1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</p> - -<p>1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work.</p> - -<p>1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.</p> - -<p>1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License.</p> - -<p>1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.</p> - -<p>1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</p> - -<p>1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that</p> - -<ul> -<li>You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation."</li> - -<li>You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works.</li> - -<li>You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work.</li> - -<li>You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.</li> -</ul> - -<p>1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.</p> - -<p>1.F.</p> - -<p>1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment.</p> - -<p>1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE.</p> - -<p>1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem.</p> - -<p>1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.</p> - -<p>1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions.</p> - -<p>1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. </p> - -<h3>Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm</h3> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life.</p> - -<p>Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org.</p> - -<h3>Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation</h3> - -<p>The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.</p> - -<p>The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact</p> - -<p>For additional contact information:</p> - -<p> Dr. Gregory B. Newby<br /> - Chief Executive and Director<br /> - gbnewby@pglaf.org</p> - -<h3>Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation</h3> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS.</p> - -<p>The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/donate">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>.</p> - -<p>While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate.</p> - -<p>International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.</p> - -<p>Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate</p> - -<h3>Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works.</h3> - -<p>Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support.</p> - -<p>Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition.</p> - -<p>Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org</p> - -<p>This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.</p> - -</body> -</html> - diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 46adf7e..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus1.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus1.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3c997fa..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus1.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus10.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus10.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 8bd0b11..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus10.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus11.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus11.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index aafe3dd..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus11.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus12.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus12.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b1a50fe..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus12.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus13.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus13.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f1c7110..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus13.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus14.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus14.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4aa179d..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus14.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus15.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus15.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 529c88f..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus15.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus16.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus16.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7ee6672..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus16.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus17.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus17.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6b878fa..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus17.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus18.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus18.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 72d51ba..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus18.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus19.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus19.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0a97668..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus19.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus2.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus2.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 64a0a1b..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus2.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus3.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus3.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7a35b28..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus3.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus4.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus4.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2a80aa4..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus4.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus5.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus5.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6cebae1..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus5.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus6.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus6.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e2c2194..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus6.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus7.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus7.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 76b4734..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus7.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus8.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus8.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b3208bb..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus8.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60066-h/images/illus9.jpg b/old/60066-h/images/illus9.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9676c62..0000000 --- a/old/60066-h/images/illus9.jpg +++ /dev/null |
