CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
THE EFFECT OF PERSUASION ON DIVERSE CHARACTERS.
The warlike tendencies of Grabantak, the northern savage, had the effect of compelling Captain Vane and his party to delay for a considerable time their efforts to reach the Pole. This was all the more distressing that they had by that time approached so very near to it. A carefully made observation placed the island of Poloe in lat.i.tude 88 degrees 30 minutes 10 seconds, about 90 geographical, or 104 English statute miles from the Pole.
There was no help for it, however. To have ventured on Grabantak"s territory while war was impending would have been to court destruction.
Captain Vane saw therefore that the only way of advancing his own cause was to promote peace between the tribes. With a view to this he sought an interview with the old chief Amalatok.
"Why do you wish to go to war?" he asked.
"I do not wish to go to war," answered the chief, frowning fiercely.
"Why do you go then?" said the Captain in a soothing tone, for he was very anxious not to rouse the chief"s anger; but he was unsuccessful, for the question seemed to set the old man on fire. He started up, grinding his teeth and striding about his hut, knocking over pots, oil cans, and cooking-lamps somewhat like that famous bull which got into a china shop. Finding the s.p.a.ce too small for him he suddenly dropped on his knees, crept through the low entrance, sprang up, and began to stride about more comfortably.
The open air calmed him a little. He ceased to grind his teeth, and stopping in front of the Captain, who had followed him, said in a low growl, "Do you think I will submit to insult?"
"Some men have occasionally done so with advantage," answered the Captain.
"Kablunets may do so, Eskimos _never_!" returned the old man, resuming his hurried walk to and fro, and the grinding of his teeth again.
"If Amalatok were to kill all his enemies--all the men, women and children," said the Captain, raising a fierce gleam of satisfaction in the old man"s face at the mere suggestion, "and if he were to knock down all their huts, and burn up all their kayaks and oomiaks, the insult would still remain, because an insult can only be wiped out by one"s enemy confessing his sin and repenting."
For a few seconds Amalatok stood silent; his eyes fixed on the ground as if he were puzzled.
"The white man is right," he said at length, "but if I killed them all I should be avenged."
"Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord," leaped naturally to the Captain"s mind; but, reflecting that the man before him was a heathen who would not admit the value of the quotation, he paused a moment or two.
"And what," he then said, "if Grabantak should kill Amalatok and all his men, and carry away the women and children into slavery, would the insult be wiped out in that case? Would it not rather be deepened?"
"True, it would; but then we should all be dead--we should not care."
"The _men_ would all be dead, truly," returned the Captain, "but perhaps the women and children left behind might care. They would also suffer."
"Go, go," said the Eskimo chief, losing temper as he lost ground in the argument; "what can Kablunets know about such matters? You tell me you are men of peace; that your religion is a religion of peace. Of course, then, you understand nothing about war. Go, I have been insulted, and I _must_ fight."
Seeing that it would be fruitless talking to the old chief while he was in this frame of mind, Captain Vane left him and returned to his own hut, where he found Chingatok and Leo engaged in earnest conversation-- Alf and Benjy being silent listeners.
"I"m glad you"ve come, uncle," said Leo, making room for him on the turf seat, "because Chingatok and I are discussing the subject of war; and--"
"A strange coincidence," interrupted the Captain. "I have just been discussing the same subject with old Amalatok. I hope that in showing the evils of war you are coming better speed with the son than I did with the father."
"As to that," said Leo, "I have no difficulty in showing Chingatok the evils of war. He sees them clearly enough already. The trouble I have with him is to explain the Bible on that subject. You see he has got a very troublesome inquiring sort of mind, and ever since I have told him that the Bible is the Word of G.o.d he won"t listen to my explanations about anything. He said to me in the quietest way possible, just now, `Why do you give me _your_ reasons when you tell me the Great Spirit has given His? I want to know what _He_ says." Well, now, you know, it is puzzling to be brought to book like that, and I doubt if Anders translates well. You understand and speak the language, uncle, better than he does, I think, so I want you to help me."
"I"ll try, Leo, though I am ashamed to say I am not so well read in the Word myself as I ought to be. What does Chingatok want to know?"
"He wants to _reconcile_ things, of course. That is always the way.
Now I told him that the Great Spirit is good, and does not wish men to go to war, and that He has written for us a law, namely, that we should `live peaceably with all men." Chingatok liked this very much, but then I had told him before, that the Great Spirit had told His ancient people the Jews to go and fight His enemies, and take possession of their lands. Now he regards this as a contradiction. He says--How can a man live peaceably with all men, and at the same time go to war with some men, kill them, and take their lands?"
"Ah! Leo, my boy, your difficulty in answering the Eskimo lies in your own _partial_ quotation of Scripture," said the Captain. Then, turning to Chingatok, he added, "My young friend did not give you the whole law--only part of it. The word is written thus:--`if it be _possible_, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Some times it is _not_ possible, Chingatok; then we must fight. But the law says keep from fighting `_as much as you can_." Mind that, Chingatok, and if you are ever induced to go to war for the sake of a little island--for the sake of a little insult,--don"t flatter yourself that you are keeping out of it as much as lieth in you."
"Good, good," said the giant, earnestly; "Blackbeard"s words are wise."
"As to the people of G.o.d in the long past," continued the Captain, "G.o.d told them to go to war, so they went; but that does not authorise men to go to war at their own bidding. What is right in the Great Father of all may be very wrong in the children. G.o.d kills men every day, and we do not blame Him, but if man kills his fellow we hunt him down as a murderer. In the long past time the Great Father spoke to His children by His wise and holy men, and sometimes He saw fit to tell them to fight. With His reasons we have nothing to do. Now, the Great Father speaks to us by His Book. In it He tells us to live in peace with all men--if _possible_."
"Good," said the giant with an approving nod, though a perplexed expression still lingered on his face. "But the Great Father has never before spoken to me by His Book--never at all to my forefathers."
"He may, however, have spoken by His Spirit within you, Chingatok, I cannot tell," returned the Captain with a meditative air. "You have desires for peace and a tendency to forgive. This could not be the work of the spirit of evil. It must have been that of the Good Spirit."
This seemed to break upon the Eskimo as a new light, and he relapsed into silence as he thought of the wonderful idea that within his breast the Great Spirit might have been working in time past although he knew it not. Then he thought of the many times he had in the past resisted what he had hitherto only thought of as good feelings; and the sudden perception that at such times he had been resisting the Father of all impressed him for the first time with a sensation of guiltiness. It was some time before the need of a Saviour from sin entered into his mind, but the ice had been broken, and at last, through Leo"s Bible, as read by him and explained by Captain Vane, Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, rose upon his soul and sent in the light for which he had thirsted so long.
But, as we have said, this effect was not immediate, and he remained in a state of uncertainty and sadness while the warlike councils and preparations went on.
Meanwhile Captain Vane set himself earnestly to work to hit on some plan by which, if possible, to turn the feeling of the Eskimo community in favour of peace. At first he thought of going alone and unarmed, with Anders as interpreter, to the land of Grabantak to dissuade that savage potentate from attacking the Poloes, but the Eskimos pointed out that the danger of this plan was so great that he might as well kill himself at once. His own party, also, objected to it so strongly that he gave it up, and resolved in the meantime to strengthen his position and increase his influence with the natives among whom his lot was cast, by some exhibitions of the powers with which science and art had invested him.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
THE CAPTAIN ELECTRIFIES AS WELL AS SURPRISES HIS NEW FRIENDS.
It will be remembered that the party of Englishmen arrived at Poloeland under oars, and although the india-rubber boats had been gazed at, and gently touched, with intense wonder by the natives, they had not yet seen the process of disinflation, or the expansion of the kites.
Of course, Chingatok and their other Eskimo fellow-travellers had given their friends graphic descriptions of everything, but this only served to whet the desire to see the wonderful oomiaks in action. Several times, during the first few days, the old chief had expressed a wish to see the Kablunets go through the water in their boats, but as the calm still prevailed, and the Captain knew his influence over the natives would depend very much on the effect with which his various proceedings were carried out, he put him off with the a.s.surance that when the proper time for action came, he would let him know.
One night a gentle breeze sprang up and blew directly off sh.o.r.e. As it seemed likely to last, the Captain waited till the whole community was asleep, and then quietly roused his son.
"Lend a hand here, Ben," he whispered, "and make no noise."
Benjy arose and followed his father in a very sleepy frame of mind.
They went to the place where the india-rubber boats lay, close behind the Englishmen"s hut, and, uns.c.r.e.w.i.n.g the bra.s.s heads that closed the air-holes, began to press out the air.
"That"s it, Ben, but don"t squeeze too hard, lest the hissing should rouse some of "em."
"What"r "ee doin" this for--ee--yaou?" asked Benjy, yawning.
"You"ll see that to-morrow, lad."
"Hum! goin" t"squeeze"m all?"
"Yes, all three, and put "em in their boxes."
The conversation flagged at this point, and the rest of the operation was performed in silence.
Next morning, after breakfast, seeing that the breeze still held, the Captain sent a formal message to Amalatok, that he was prepared to exhibit his oomiaks.
The news spread like wild-fire, and the entire community soon a.s.sembled--to the number of several hundreds--in front of the Englishmen"s hut, where the Captain was seen calmly seated on a packing-case, with a solemn expression on his face. The rest of his party had been warned to behave with dignity. Even Benjy"s round face was drawn into something of an oval, and b.u.t.terface made such superhuman attempts to appear grave, that the rest of the party almost broke down at the sight of him.