45."Now's your time," whispered Sir Henry to me; "what are you waiting for?"
"I am waiting for that eclipse," I answered; "I have had my eye on the moon for the last half-hour, and I never saw it look healthier."
"Well, you must risk it now, or the girl will be killed. Twala is losing patience."
Recognising the force of the argument, and having cast one more despairing look at the bright face of the moon, for never did the most ardent astronomer with a theory to prove await a celestial event with such anxiety, I stepped with all the dignity that I could command between the prostrate girl and the advancing spear of Scragga.
"King," I said, "it shall not be; we will not endure this thing; let the girl go in safety."
Twala rose from his seat in wrath and astonishment, and from the chiefs and serried ranks of maidens who had closed in slowly upon us in anticipation of the tragedy came a murmur of amazement.
"Shall not be! thou white dog, that yappest at the lion in his cave; shall not be! art thou mad? Be careful, lest this chicken's fate overtake thee, and those with thee. How canst thou save her or thyself? Who art thou that thou settest thyself between me and my will? Back, I say. Scragga, kill her! Ho, guards! seize these men."
At his cry armed men ran swiftly from behind the hut, where they had evidently been placed beforehand.
Sir Henry, Good, and Umbopa ranged themselves alongside of me, and lifted their rifles.
"Stop!" I shouted boldly, though at the moment my heart was in my boots. "Stop! we, the white men from the Stars, say that it shall not be. Come but one pace nearer, and we will put out the moon like a wind-blown lamp, as we who dwell in her House can do, and plunge the land in darkness. Dare to disobey, and ye shall taste of our magic."
My threat produced an effect; the men halted, and Scragga stood still before us, his spear lifted.
"Hear him! hear him!" piped Gagool; "hear the liar who says that he will put out the moon like a lamp. Let him do it, and the girl shall be speared. Yes, let him do it, or die by the girl, he and those with him."
I glanced up at the moon despairingly, and now to my intense joy and relief saw that we—or rather the almanack—had made no mistake. On the edge of the great orb lay a faint rim of shadow, while a smoky hue grew and gathered upon its bright surface. Never shall I forget that supreme, that superb moment of relief.
Then I lifted my hand solemnly towards the sky, an example which Sir Henry and Good followed, and quoted a line or two from the "Ingoldsby Legends" at it in the most impressive tones that I could command. Sir Henry followed suit with a verse out of the Old Testament, and something about Balbus building a wall, in Latin, whilst Good addressed the Queen of Night in a volume of the most classical bad language which he could think of.
Slowly the penumbra, the shadow of a shadow, crept on over the bright surface, and as it crept I heard deep gasps of fear rising from the multitude around.
"Look, O king!" I cried; "look, Gagool! Look, chiefs and people and women, and see if the white men from the Stars keep their word, or if they be but empty liars!
"The moon grows black before your eyes; soon there will be darkness—ay, darkness in the hour of the full moon. Ye have asked for a sign; it is given to you. Grow dark, O Moon! withdraw thy light, thou pure and holy One; bring the proud heart of usurping murderers to the dust, and eat up the world with shadows."
A groan of terror burst from the onlookers. Some stood petrified with dread, others threw themselves upon their knees and cried aloud. As for the king, he sat still and turned pale beneath his dusky skin. Only Gagool kept her courage.
"It will pass," she cried; "I have often seen the like before; no man can put out the moon; lose not heart; sit still—the shadow will pass."
"Wait, and ye shall see," I replied, hopping with excitement. "O Moon! Moon! Moon! wherefore art thou so cold and fickle?" This appropriate quotation was from the pages of a popular romance that I chanced to have read recently, though now I come to think of it, it was ungrateful of me to abuse the Lady of the Heavens, who was showing herself to be the truest of friends to us, however she may have behaved to the impassioned lover in the novel. Then I added: "Keep it up, Good, I can't remember any more poetry. Curse away, there's a good fellow."
Good responded nobly to this tax upon his inventive faculties. Never before had I the faintest conception of the breadth and depth and height of a naval officer's objurgatory powers. For ten minutes he went on in several languages without stopping, and he scarcely ever repeated himself.
Meanwhile the dark ring crept on, while all that great assembly fixed their eyes upon the sky and stared and stared in fascinated silence. Strange and unholy shadows encroached upon the moonlight, an ominous quiet filled the place. Everything grew still as death. Slowly and in the midst of this most solemn silence the minutes sped away, and while they sped the full moon passed deeper and deeper into the shadow of the earth, as the inky segment of its circle slid in awful majesty across the lunar craters. The great pale orb seemed to draw near and to grow in size. She turned a coppery hue, then that portion of her surface which was unobscured as yet grew grey and ashen, and at length, as totality approached, her mountains and her plains were to be seen glowing luridly through a crimson gloom.
On, yet on, crept the ring of darkness; it was now more than half across the blood-red orb. The air grew thick, and still more deeply tinged with dusky crimson. On, yet on, till we could scarcely see the fierce faces of the group before us. No sound rose now from the spectators, and at last Good stopped swearing.
"The moon is dying—the white wizards have killed the moon," yelled the prince Scragga at last. "We shall all perish in the dark," and animated by fear or fury, or by both, he lifted his spear and drove it with all his force at Sir Henry's breast. But he forgot the mail shirts that the king had given us, and which we wore beneath our clothing. The steel rebounded harmless, and before he could repeat the blow Curtis had snatched the spear from his hand and sent it straight through him.
56.Scragga dropped dead.
57.At the sight, and driven mad with fear of the gathering darkness, and of the unholy shadow which, as they believed, was swallowing the moon, the companies of girls broke up in wild confusion, and ran screeching for the gateways. Nor did the panic stop there. The king himself, followed by his guards, some of the chiefs, and Gagool, who hobbled away after them with marvellous alacrity, fled for the huts, so that in another minute we ourselves, the would-be victim Foulata, Infadoos, and most of the chiefs who had interviewed us on the previous night, were left alone upon the scene, together with the dead body of Scragga, Twala's son.
58."Chiefs," I said, "we have given you the sign. If ye are satisfied, let us fly swiftly to the place of which ye spoke. The charm cannot now be stopped. It will work for an hour and the half of an hour. Let us cover ourselves in the darkness."
59."Come," said Infadoos, turning to go, an example which was followed by the awed captains, ourselves, and the girl Foulata, whom Good took by the arm.
Before we reached the gate of the kraal the moon went out utterly, and from every quarter of the firmament the stars rushed forth into the inky sky.
Holding each other by the hand we stumbled on through the darkness.
45.「さあ今度はあなたの番だ。何をぐづぐづしてゐるのです？」とサー・ヘンリイは私に囁いた。
「月蝕を待つてゐるんですがねえ、もう半時間もぢつと月を見てゐるんだが、 まだちつとも變りがないのです」と私は答へた。
「だが今やらなければあの娘は殺されてしまふ。ツワラはもう癇癪玉を破裂さしてゐますよ。」
それも尤もだと思ひながら私は念のためにもう一度月を仰いで見た。 どんな熱心な天文學者が自分の學説を證明するために天體に起る出來事を待つてゐるときだつて、 その時ほどの熱心をもつて天體を見つめてはゐなかつたゞらう。 しかし結果はやはり駄目だつたので、私は精一ぱいの威嚴を保つて、 ひれ伏してゐる娘とスクラッガの突き出した槍の穗尖《ほさき》との間へ進んで行つた。
「國王、そんなことをしてはいけない！吾々は默つて見てゐる譯にいかん。 この娘は許してやりなさい！」と私は言つた。
ツワラは驚いて烈火の如く怒りながら起ち上つた。 その場にゐならぶ首長連や悲劇を見ようとしてだん〜吾々の方へすり寄つて來てゐた娘等から驚きの囁きが洩れた。
「そんなことをしてはいけないつて、この白犬奴！ ライオンの洞穴《ほらあな》の前で吠えてゐる白犬奴、 してはいけないだつて！貴樣たちは氣が違つたのか？ よく氣をつけて物を言はぬと貴樣たちも捲きぞへを喰はすぞ、 一たい貴樣たちは何者ぢや？わしの邪魔をするなんて。 下れ！さあ、スクラッガあの娘つ子を殺してしまへ！ 護衞の者ども此奴等をふん縛つてしまへ！」
この聲に應じて武裝した者どもが小舍の後から出て來た。前もつて用意してゐたものらしい。
サー・ヘンリイと、グッドと、ウムボバとは私の兩側に竝んで銃をとり上げた。
「やめろ！」と私は大膽に叫んだ。しかし心の中ではびく〜ものだつたのだ。 「やめろ！吾々の星の國の人間の命令だ。その娘を殺してはならぬ。 一歩でもこちらへ寄つたら、月の光りを消して下界をまつ暗にしてやる！」
私の脅しはきゝめがあつたと見えて、者どもはたぢ〜とした。 スクラッガは槍を持つたまゝ吾々の前に立つてゐた。
「は！は！は！」とガゴオルは金切り聲で笑つた。
「この[言|虚;#2-88-74]《うそ》つきは月の光をランプのやうに消すなんて、 さあ消して見ろ！消えたら娘は助けてやる。消えなかつたら娘もろとも殺してしまへ！」
私は絶望の眼で空を見上げた。すると嬉しや！吾々は——いや吾々ぢやない暦《こよみ》は—— 間違つてゐなかつた。おほきな天體の周縁《ぐるり》にかすかな影がさしはじめ、 煙のやうな色が明るい月の面を蔽ひはじめた。 まつ黒な影はだん〜と明るい月の面に浸蝕してゐつた。群集の間から深い恐怖の喘ぎが起つた。
「見よ！國王！」と私は叫んだ。「見よ！ガゴオル！首長たちも、人民も、 女どもも見よ。星の世界の白人の言ふことが[言|虚;#2-88-74]《うそ》か眞實《ほんたう》か見よ！
「月は汝等の前で暗くなつて行く。今にまつ暗になるだらう。滿月の夜に月がまつ暗になるのだ。 お前たちは驗《しる》しを求めた。今それを見せてやる。おゝ月よ！ 暗くなれ！清らかなる聖なる月よ！お前の光りを隱してしまへ！ 奢れる人の見せしめにこの下界をまつ暗にしてしまへ！」
恐怖の呻きが見物人の中から起つた。恐ろしさに茫然としてしまつたものもあれば、 地べたに跪いて高い聲で叫んだものもあつた。國王はうす穢《きたな》い皮膚の下でまつ青になつてぢつと坐つてゐた。 ただガゴオルだけはびくともしなかつた。
「今にやんでしまふ！」と彼女は叫んだ。「わしはかういふことは前にも見たことがある。 誰にだつて月の光りは消せはしない、元氣を出すんだ！影は今に通りすぎてしまふ！」
黒い環はだん〜月の面に廣がり、群集は物も言はずにうつとりとして空を眺めてゐた。 不思議な、呪はしい影が月の面を蔽ふてゆくにつれて、四邊《あたり》はしんと靜まり、 森羅萬象は死の如く靜かになつた。この嚴肅な沈默の中に時は刻々と過ぎて行き、 滿月はだん〜深く地球の影に沒して行つた。
影はます〜月の面に匍ひよつて、もはや月の面を半分以上も浸蝕して行つた。 四邊《あたり》は薄暗くなつて群集の兇猛な顏も殆んど見えなくなつた。 群集の間からはごとりといふ音もしなかつた。
「あゝ月が死んで行く！白い魔法使が月を殺してしまつた！」とたうとうスクラッガがわめいた。 そして恐怖と怒りとの餘り槍を振つて力ぱいサー・ヘンリイの胸を目がけて突いた。 だが彼は吾々が國王から貰つた鎖鎧を着物の下に着てゐることを知らなかつたのだ。 鋼鐵の鎧は槍を彈ね返した。そしてスクラッガが二度目に突きかゝつて來るまでに、 サー・ヘンリイはスクラッガの手から槍を奪つてそれを彼の體に突き刺してしまつた。 スクラッガはごろりと仆れて死んだ。
これを見て恐怖にうたれた娘等はきやあ〜わめき聲をたてながら門の方へ逃げ出した。 國王も護衞兵や首長等の一部分とガゴオルを連れて小舍の中へ逃げこんでしまつた。 あとには吾々と殺されかゝつたファウラタと、インファドオスと、 前の晩に會つた首長等の大部分とがスクラッガの死體と共に殘された。
「皆さん！」と私は首長等に向つて言つた。「吾々はしるしを見せました。 これで滿足されたなら一刻もはやく昨日《きのふ》の話の處へ行かう。 闇は一時間半ばかりも續く筈だから、その間に逃げて行くことにしよう。」
「こちらへ」とインファドオスは先に立つて行つた。首長等も吾々もその後に續いた。 グッドは、ファウラタの手を取つて行つた。
吾々が宮殿の入口まで着かぬうちに月はすつかり見えなくなり、 まつ暗な空から星の光りが輝き出した。
てんでに手をつなぎ合せて吾々は躓きながら闇の中を進んで行つた。
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