CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
DICK CAVENDISH LOSES HIS TEMPER.
Earle thought he had good reason to congratulate himself upon thesuccess with which he had grappled the problem of human sacrifice inconnection with the septennial festival in honour of Kuhlacan; for, atthe first, his pronouncement seemed to meet with universal approval.Yet but a few days elapsed before it was apparent that even sohumanitarian an edict as Earle's, one which, it might have beensupposed, would appeal more or less directly to everybody, was notwithout its objectors. True, those objectors were only to be foundamong those who had not, and were not in the least likely to have,daughters who might be reckoned as "eligible"; yet it was reallysurprising to find how many of these there were. Precisely _why_ theyobjected it was very difficult to ascertain; but it was thought that thereason was that the "sacrifice" afforded an exciting spectacle topersons of a cruel, morbid and vicious disposition. Also, it soon beganto be hinted that although Zorah, the high priest, had seemed toacquiesce in the innovation, the priesthood were in reality opposed toand were secretly stirring up the people to rebel against it.
Meanwhile, however, Earle had earned the undying gratitude of the king,the princess, and several of the most powerful and influential of thenobles, who treated him and Dick with greater respect and reverence thanever. The preparations for the festival proceeded apace; and tocompensate the masses for the loss of the most spectacular feature ofthe event, Earle and Dick inaugurated a series of games and sports, withvaluable prizes for those successful in them, sufficient in number tooccupy the entire day; so that when that day arrived, it not only passedwithout any marked demonstration of dissatisfaction, but was pronouncedto be a distinct improvement upon the old order of things.
True, it was not possible for those who keenly watched the demeanour ofthe crowd to avoid noticing that the satisfaction was by no meansgeneral; and another disconcerting fact in connection with the festivalwas that, when it was over and Zorah was requested to report to Earlethe amount presented in the temple on that day, in lieu of the usualofferings cast into the lake, the sum named by the high priest wasdisappointingly meagre, amounting to less than a tenth of what had beenanticipated. Earle mentioned privately to Dick his suspicion that therehad been a tremendous amount of leakage somewhere, and expressed hisdetermination to look into the matter at the earliest possibleopportunity; but before he could do so his attention was distracted fromit by other and more important happenings.
The first of these happenings was the sudden and wholly unexpected deathof the king. When he retired to rest on the preceding night, Judaappeared to be in the enjoyment of perfect health; but when his servantsentered the royal sleeping-apartment on the following morning to arousehis Majesty and attend him to the bath, he was found lying dead upon hiscouch, with every indication that dissolution had taken place severalhours previously. Of course, the court physicians were instantlysummoned; but they could do nothing except pronounce that death hadactually occurred, and that it was due to natural causes. To the greatsurprise of Earle and Dick, no attempt was made to hold a _post mortem_,with the object of ascertaining the actual cause of death; but a littlejudicious inquiry soon elicited the fact that such investigations wereunknown in Ulua, the skill and knowledge of the physicians not havingadvanced so far. With the permission of the princess, Earle was presentwhen the physicians viewed the body, and he was compelled to admit thatthere was nothing in its appearance to justify the slightest suspicionof foul play, which indeed nobody so much as hinted at. Earle gave itas his opinion that the cause of death was some obscure and unsuspectedaffection of the heart.
Simultaneously with the summoning of the physicians upon the discoveryof the royal demise, the "Council of Nobles"--a council, the functionsof which correspond in some measure with those of the British Cabinet--was summoned to the palace; and it was to the members of this that thephysicians formally reported the death of the king. Thereupon stepswere immediately taken for the public announcement of the event, whichtook place at noon of the same day, the heralds proclaiming the death ofthe king and the accession of the Princess Myrra to the throne, first inthe square before the palace, and next in four other squares situatedrespectively in the northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters ofthe city. And at the same time the state embalmers were called in andthe body was handed over to them that they might at once begin the longand elaborate process by means of which the subject is renderedpractically impervious, for all time, to the influences of decay.
The young queen was now allowed a clear week of complete retirement, inorder that she might give free vent to her natural grief at the loss ofher grandfather, and prepare herself for the discharge of the importantduties which would now devolve upon her, during which period she wasleft entirely to herself, and was not asked to transact business of anysort whatsoever. At the expiration of the week she emerged from herseclusion, a little pale and worn-looking, but to all appearanceperfectly calm, as the two white men were rejoiced to see, for it nowtranspired that the religious beliefs of the Uluans were such as topreclude anything in the nature of deep or lasting sorrow at the loss ofrelatives, an article of their faith being that the departed, unlessthey happened to be notoriously evil livers, found everlasting peace andhappiness in a sort of Elysium, and that therefore there was no occasionfor prolonged grief.
No sooner, however, did the young queen emerge from her temporaryseclusion than she found herself face to face with a problem which,unless all the conditions are favourable, may easily resolve itself intoone of the most unpleasant which a young woman so placed can be calledupon to solve.
For it now appeared that Myrra occupied a position unique in the annalsof Uluan sovereignty, being the only female who had ever succeeded tothe throne. All the past monarchs had been male, from time immemorial;and the fact that a female had now succeeded, and she only a young girl,filled the Council of Nobles with consternation, which is easily to becomprehended, when it is remembered that in Ulua women are regarded asbeing so far inferior to men that they are considered as mere chattelsand but little better than domestic animals. A Council of Nobles hadalready been convened to discuss so novel and disconcerting a situation,at which one more than usually daring spirit had actually ventured tosuggest the election of one of themselves to fill the vacated throne.But this suggestion had been promptly vetoed by Lyga, the "Keeper ofStatutes," who, referring to the musty tome in which were the lawsrelating to the government of Ulua, reminded the council that the law ofsuccession explicitly provides that, upon the death of the sovereign,his next immediate successor becomes monarch. Or, failing an immediatesuccessor, through pre-decease--as in the present case--then, theimmediate successor of him who should have succeeded comes to thethrone. The title of Princess Myrra to the throne was thus indubitablyestablished, and the only question really before the council was how sounique a situation was to be met. A long and heated discussionfollowed, in the course of which two facts were clearly established, thefirst of which was that, by the law of succession, Myrra was now theQueen of Ulua; and the second, that the idea of being governed by awoman was utterly distasteful to the members of the Council of Nobles.Finally, it was decided that, since by immemorial custom, the Uluan wifewas the subject of her husband, the only thing to be done was to requestthe queen to marry, when her husband would become virtually king. Thisdecision was regarded as a quite satisfactory solution of thedifficulty; and it was immediately proposed that a list of approvednames should be there and then prepared for submission to her Majesty,and that she should be invited to select from that list the person whomshe would accept as her spouse.
So far, so good. But now, at the very moment when the great difficultyappeared to have been surmounted, other and equally awkward difficultiesat once began to arise. The position of husband to the queen was onewhich naturally appealed to every member of the council, and equallynaturally, each member claimed the right to have his name included inthe list. Sachar, the most powerful of the nobles--
he who had suggestedthe election of one of themselves to fill the throne--seized a parchmentand, with the air of an autocrat, at once inscribed his own name at thehead of the list, without deigning to inquire whether such action was orwas not acceptable to his colleagues. Then, still retaining the pen inhis hand, he glanced round at the assemblage and said:
"I propose that the next name upon the list shall be that of Lyga, theKeeper of Statutes."
For a moment the members regarded each other in amazement; then, underthe impression that Sachar was perpetrating an ill-timed jest of morethan questionable taste, they broke into a storm of protest; for Lygawas a little wizened, dried-up man, close upon eighty years of age.
But Sachar answered their protests with a stare of haughty surprise thatquickly silenced them, for not only was he the most powerful man amongthem, but he was also of a headstrong, domineering disposition,impatient of opposition and quick to resent anything that in the leastdegree savoured of it. He was by no means popular, either with hiscolleagues or with the people at large; but he was greatly feared,because of the immense power and influence which he commanded, and theunscrupulous manner in which he wielded it.
"What mean ye?" he fiercely demanded. "Am I to understand that yeobject to Lyga as unsuitable? And if so, upon what grounds? Is he notthe `Keeper of Statutes,' and as such, the most suitable man for theposition of virtual ruler of Ulua? For who among ye knows a tithe somuch as he of the laws by which we are governed; or who so likely to seethat those laws are maintained in perfect integrity?"
"So far, perhaps ye are right, Sachar," retorted Lyga, who was the onlyman present entirely devoid of fear of the formidable noble. "But is myage to be counted as nothing? Am I a suitable consort for a girl ofsixteen? Ye know that I am not; and ye know, too, that if the choicerested between me and thee, thou would'st be the chosen one. Go to! Yeare astute, Sachar, but not astute enough to deceive old Lyga. If yeare taking it upon yourself to propose names, propose those of men whoshall not only be capable of efficiently discharging the duties of theirexalted position, but who shall also be acceptable to her Majesty inpoint of age and disposition. I say that, in nominating such a man asmyself, ye are lacking in respect and consideration to your sovereign."
There was a low murmur of approval at this fearless, straightforwardspeech from the old man, hearing which, Sachar, who perceived that hisruse had been seen through, savagely dashed down the pen and, wheelinground upon his colleagues, exclaimed:
"So ye approve of and endorse the unworthy insinuation which Lyga haspreferred against me? It is well! Proceed ye with your nominations,uninfluenced by me. My aim was to nominate those who, by wisdom andexperience, are most suited to rule over us, irrespective of age orother considerations. But since ye have seen fit to suspect my motives,nominate whom ye will. Understand this, however, I demand that my nameshall be included, for I am at least as capable of governing as any manamong ye; and understand this also, that I retain my right to voteagainst those nominated whom I may regard as unsuitable."
And therewith Sachar bowed to the assembly, a bow in which scorn andcontempt were about equally expressed, and stalked out of the chamber.
For a few moments consternation reigned supreme among those whoremained, for they knew Sachar well, and clearly understood that, quiteunwittingly, they had made a bitter and implacable enemy of the mostpowerful and unscrupulous man in Ulua. But presently Lyga grappled withthe situation and, with a few carefully chosen words, rallied hiscolleagues upon their alarm, which he assured them was altogetherdisproportioned and uncalled for, and brought them back to the businessin hand, with the result that, after a long and acrimonious discussion,a list was drafted, containing some twenty names, for submission to herMajesty.
In due course the list was presented, with all the state and ceremonywhich so momentous an occasion demanded. And then consternation againreigned; for the young queen, after carefully perusing the list, handedit back to Sachar, who had presented it, with the calm pronouncementthat none of the names therein was acceptable to her!
Thereupon the council retired in confusion; another meeting was held,another list prepared--in which Sachar insisted that his name should beincluded, notwithstanding the queen's previous rejection; and herMajesty was requested to name an early date for its presentation, whichshe did.
The second presentation took place at about half-past nine o'clock inthe morning, a few minutes prior to which the Council of Nobles, havingpreviously assembled in the antechamber, filed in and took their places.These were immediately followed by a squadron of the queen's bodyguard,fully armed, under the command of their officer, who drew them up acrossthe lower end of the chamber, completely blocking all means of exit orentrance, except through the doorway at the upper end of the chamber,used exclusively by the monarch and his or her personal attendants.This done, a court messenger was dispatched to acquaint the queen thatthe council had assembled; and a few minutes later her Majesty entered,heralded by a flourish of trumpets moulded out of a sort of terra-cotta,and, accompanied by the ladies and officers of her household, among whomwere Earle and Dick.
With slow and dignified step her Majesty moved to the throne and, bowingto the assembled council, seated herself, at the same time signing tothe two white men to stand one on either side of her, to the undisguisedastonishment of the nobles and the scarcely concealed indignation ofSachar.
A short pause now ensued while the members of council, who had risenupon the queen's entrance, seated themselves. Then Sachar, who occupiedthe place at the head of the table on the queen's right hand, rose tohis feet and, addressing her Majesty, made a lengthy speech, in which heset forth, in considerable detail, all the reasons which had led up tothe present action of the council, reminded her of her rejection of thefirst list presented, and in veiled dictatorial tones, ventured toexpress the hope that her Majesty would experience no difficulty inselecting a name from the list now about to be laid before her. Then heunrolled the parchment and, with a bow which seemed to say: "This isyour last chance, so make the best of it," laid it upon the table beforeher.
Bowing in return, and with just the faintest suggestion of a smilelurking about her lips and in her eyes, Myrra stretched forth her handand, taking the parchment began to read it. But no sooner had her eyesrested upon it than she laid it down again.
"How now, my Lord Sachar!" she exclaimed. "What means this?" And shelaid her finger upon the place where his name again occupied the head ofthe list. "Have ye here the list which was first submitted to me?"
"No, your Majesty, we have it not here," answered Sachar."Understanding that the names therein were unacceptable, we thought itunnecessary to produce it. But it can be procured in a very brief spaceof time, if your Majesty so desires."
"I do so desire," remarked the queen. "Let it be brought forthwith."And she sank back in her seat to await the arrival of the document.
A few minutes later Lyga, in whose charge it was, appeared with thefirst list, which he laid open upon the table before the queen. He worea smile of amusement as he hobbled back to his place, for in common withmost of the members of council, he pretty shrewdly guessed what wasimpending, and he would very cordially welcome anything that savoured ofa snub administered to the haughty and domineering Lord Sachar.
"So!" continued the queen, placing a slim forefinger upon each of thedocuments. "I felt sure I was not mistaken. The name of my Lord Sacharheads each of these documents. Yet I think it will be remembered that,only a few days agone, I distinctly stated that _none_ of the names inthis list"--tapping Number 1 with her left forefinger--"was acceptableto me. How comes it, then, that a name once rejected by me is againsubmitted for my approval?"
And, so saying, Myrra stretched forth her hand and, taking the reed penwhich Lyga smilingly handed to her, drew it firmly and deliberatelythrough Sachar's sprawling signature.
For a moment there was a breathless hush, while the very atmosphereseemed to shudder in anticipation of that tempestuou
s and irreparableoutbreak on the part of Sachar which the queen's deliberate snub mightbe expected to provoke. The man's sallow visage grew black with fury,his eyes blazed lightnings down upon the head of the girl who wassmilingly erasing his name, his fists clenched until the knuckles showedwhite, and his beard and moustache bristled like the mane of an angrylion. Indeed, so menacing was his aspect that Dick Cavendish, with asingle stride, interposed his own bulky form between that of the queenand the infuriated Sachar, into whose flashing eyes he stared sothreateningly that the noble suddenly found a new object for the vialsof his wrath. But Dick simply did not care a fig for Sachar or hisanger; he already knew the man pretty well by reputation, andinstinctively understood that there was but one way to deal with abully, therefore he laid a heavy hand upon the noble's shoulder, glaredas savagely at him as he knew how, and whispered--a whisper whichreached the ears of every occupant of the table:
"Have a care, my lord; have a care! Restrain yourself, sit down if youdon't want me to wring your neck for you!"
And Sachar, who had never in his life before been cautioned, much lessthreatened, sank into his seat, speechless and utterly overwhelmed withamazement, for the moment, at the discovery that there actually existedan individual who was not afraid of him.
Meanwhile, the queen, with the pen still in her hand, was thoughtfullyconsidering the list before her and calmly and deliberately erasing nameafter name, until not one remained. Then, with a smile, Myrra glancedat the faces turned toward her, and remarked:
"I am sorry, my lords, that you should have been put to so much troubleto no purpose, but the names in this list are no more acceptable to methan were those in the first."
Sachar had been watching the steady process of erasure with fast growinganger. He believed he began to see the full meaning of the queen'saction. She did not intend to wed at all if she could help it, andunless she could be compelled to do so, his chance of becoming king wasgone. If she could only be induced to name some person as acceptable,he believed he could find means to persuade that person to waive thehonour in his (Sachar's) favour; but if she would not do so, what was tobe done? Therefore, when the queen lightly pushed the rejected listfrom before her, Sachar sprang to his feet and, addressing the assemblyat large, said:
"My lords, we seem to be singularly unfortunate in our endeavours tofind a consort in every way acceptable to her Majesty. To me it seemspossible that we may compile list after list of names regarded byourselves as in every respect eligible, and every list shall meet with afate like unto that now upon the table. I would therefore venture tosuggest that the process be reversed, and that instead of our drafting alist and presenting it for her Majesty's approval, the Queen berequested to prepare a list of persons acceptable to her, and submit itto us. Then we, in council assembled, will take that list, give it ourmost careful consideration, and decide whether there be any names in itof which we can all conscientiously approve. What say you, my lords;does my proposal seem acceptable to you?"
A momentary silence followed this proposal; then, one after another, theassembled nobles briefly expressed their acquiescence, finishing up withold Lyga, who pithily remarked:
"If her Majesty approves your proposal, my Lord Sachar, I see not whyany of us should disapprove."
"That being the case--" began Sachar. But the queen stopped him withuplifted hand.
"One moment, if you please," she said. "If I understand the councilaright, their purpose in all this talk about lists, is to hurry me intomarriage, irrespective of my own inclinations. Now, my Lord Lyga,before we proceed farther into this matter, I wish to ask you, as Keeperof Statutes: Is there in existence a law compelling me to wed at thebidding of my Council of Nobles?"
"I am not aware of any such law, your Majesty," answered Lyga. "Nay, Iwill go farther than this, and say that, knowing the statutes intimatelyas I do, there is no such law."
"Good!" answered the queen. "I have never heard of any such law, but inview of my council's somewhat high-handed action, I thought it possiblesuch a law might exist, of which I had not heard. You say that there isno such law; and I trust my council will accept your assurance as proofof its non-existence. Now, one more question. Is there a lawprohibiting an unmarried woman from ruling Ulua?"
"No, your Majesty, there is no such law," answered Lyga. And the glanceof triumph which he flashed at Sachar seemed to say that he was glad ofit.
"Again, good!" remarked the queen. "My thanks to you, my Lord Lyga, formaking this matter perfectly clear. And my thanks to you also, themembers of my council, for the keen interest which you have been pleasedto manifest in a matter which, now that it comes to be investigated,seems to concern me alone. Believe me, I appreciate that interest atits true and full value; but I beg that you will not trouble yourselvesfurther in the matter, for the thought of marriage has not yet occurredto me, and at the present moment I am not prepared to entertain aproposal from anyone. When I am, I will let you know, and the mattercan be re-opened. Meanwhile, I will seize this opportunity to say thatI believe I, though unmarried, shall be able, with your wise advice andassistance, to govern Ulua as efficiently as though I enjoyed the helpof a husband."
For a moment the members of council were stricken dumb with amazementand consternation at the quiet, self-possessed firmness with which thisyoung girl deliberately set herself in opposition to their combinedwishes. And the worst of it was that, as they now fully realised, shewas acting entirely within her rights.
They were still struggling with their emotions when Sachar, alwaysbitterly impatient of opposition, and always accustomed to act upon theimpulse of the moment, sprang to his feet, his eyes ablaze with fury,and shouted:
"My lords, fellow members of the Council of Nobles, are you going tosubmit without protest to this most monstrous disregard of our wishes?Because, if you are, I am not. I say that, law or no law, we will notbe governed by a woman. The queen _must_ and _shall_ marry forthwith;and if she will not choose for herself a husband, acceptable to us all,we will choose one for her and compel her to marry him, by force, ifnecessary--"
He stopped suddenly and sank helplessly back into his seat, forcedthereto by the irresistible pressure of Dick's hands upon his shoulders,the grip of which threatened to crush his shoulder-blades together.And, looking up, he found Dick Cavendish towering over him with a lookin his eyes that seemed to spell sudden death to the rash offender. Forthree or four seconds Dick, still retaining that frightful and agonisinggrip upon Sachar's shoulders, glowered at the now writhing noble; thenhe shook the unfortunate man with such furious violence that Sachar'steeth not only clicked together like castanets, but they also bit histongue through as he attempted to speak.
By this time the whole chamber was in an uproar, _every_ man havingstarted to his feet in terror of what should happen next. A few of themore timid ones were hastily leaving their seats and beating aprecipitate retreat toward the door, only to be stopped, however, by thecrossed halberds of the guard. Lyga was the only noble who seemed innowise disconcerted by so extraordinary a happening, and he stoodsmiling benevolently on Dick while the latter was manhandling theenraged yet terrified Sachar. Several of the other nobles, however,anxious to curry favour with Sachar, hastened to his assistance, andstrove unavailingly to break Dick's grip, while the captain of theguard, accompanied by a file of soldiers, having responded to Dick'scall, now stood uncertainly by, at a loss to know whether or not heought to obey the young Englishman's order to arrest a noble and memberof the council.
This state of uncertainty on the part of the captain of the guard didnot pass wholly unnoticed by those present, a few of whom loudlyprotested against the arrest as illegal, in that it had been ordered byone without authority.
"Ha! say you so?" cried the queen, also rising to her feet. "Then thatis a matter to be easily remedied." Turning to Dick, she added:
"My Lord Dick, I appoint you Captain-General of my bodyguard, here andnow. And I authorise you to arrest my Lord Sachar and
lodge him inprison."