Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-07-05
CHAPTER XII.
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A POINT OF THEOLOGY.

At last, with great difficulty, Felix
managed to secure a certain momen-
tary lull of silence. The natives. clus-
tering round the line till they almost
touched it, listened with Sowing
brows, and brandished threatening
spears, tipped with points of stone or
sharks teeth or turtle-bOne, while he
made his speech to them. From time
to time, one or another Interrupted
him, coaxing and wheedling him. as it
were, to cross the line; but Felix never
needed them. He was beginning to
understand now how to trea; this
strange people. He took no notice of
their threats or their entreaties either.
By and by, partly by words and part
ly by gestures, he made them under
stand that they might take back and
keep for themselves all the cocoanuts
and bread-fruits they had brought as
windfalls. At this the people seemed
little appeased. "His heart is not
quite as bad as we thought" they
he didn't want them, what did he
mean? Why did he beat down our huts
and our plantations?"
Then Felix tried to explain to them
"a somewhat dangerous task-that
neither he nor Muriel were really re-
sponsible for last nights storm; but at
that the people, with one accord, raised
a great loud shout of ulmixed derision.
''He is a god" they cried, land yet he
is ashamed of his own acts and deeds,
afraid Of what we, mere men, will do
to him. Ha. hai Take care. These are
lies that he tells. Listen to him! Hear
him."
Meanwhile, more and more natives
kept coming up with windfalls of fruit,
or with objects they had vowed in
their terror to dedicate during the
night; and Felix all the time kept ex-
planning at the top Of his voice. to all
as they came, that he wanted nothing,
and that they could take all back again.
This curiously inconsistent action
seemed to puzzle the wondering ma
lives strangely. Had he made the
storm, then, they asked, and eaten the
storm-apple, for no use TO himself. but
out of pure peryerseness? II he didn't
even want the windfalls and the OBJ
iects vowed to him, why had he beaten
down their eros and broken their
houses? They looked at him mean
ingly; but they dared not cross that
great line of taboo. 1t was their own
superstition alone. in that moment OF
danger, that Ike pt their hands Off tn Ose
defenseless white people.
At last happy idea seemed to strike
the crowd. ''What he wants is
child?" they cried, etfusively. He
thirsts for blood. Let us kill and roast
him proper VICTIM"
Felix's horror at this appalling prop
osition knew no bounds. IF you do,'
he cried. turning their own supersti-
tion against them in this last hour Of
need. II will raise up storm worse
than last nights. You do it at Your
peril, [ want no victim. The people
of my country eat not of human flesh.
It is thing detestable, horrible, hate
full to God and man. With US, all hu-
man life alike is sacred. We spill mo
blood. If you dare to do AS you say, I
will raise such a storm over your heads
tonight as will submerge and drown
the whole of your island"
The natives listened to- him with
profound interest. 1--WE must spill NO
Blood" they repeated, looking aghast
at one another. ''Hear what the King
says. We must not cut the victim s,
throat. We must bind a child with,
cords and roast it alive for him."
no BE Continued sks