diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/60066-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60066-0.txt | 7128 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 7128 deletions
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. - |