"Still reprobate and unregenerate, I see," returned the Jesuit. "Atone time we might have made terms with you, but that day is past. Wehave the whip hand now and you are in our power. Man (speaking to asoldier), run to the nearest house and borrow a couple of spades orshovels, and be quick about it. Follow us down the beach."
The three men walked down the coast to a more secluded spot.
"What do you plan to do to me?" asked the erstwhile Maximo.
"It will be time to discuss that when we come to it. Do you wish toreturn to the true church and receive absolution?"
"I am in the true church," replied Aglipay, hardly above awhisper. "You will not murder me?"
"We do not murder snakes and vermin when we destroy them. And to think,you used to be a priest in the one true church. You see now what yourambition brought you to."
"Ambition!--I would talk about ambition if I were you. You, who havemastered the poor Filipinos; you, who are planning for control ofAmerica! Ambition--may God forgive you!"
"I am sorry I can not return the compliment of praying for yourforgiveness, but you are so unrepentant. However, I will hear yourconfession if you wish."
"I will confess to God and not the devil."
"You might as well begin your confession then."
Aglipay paled. But he faced the nuncio and spoke in a calm voice:"How can you profess religion, you who are so cruel, so ambitious, solicentious? Do you really believe, or is it an open mockery with you?"
Violeta laughed.
"Yes," answered he, "there is a God, and truth, too, in religion. Butit is moral to rise to your full height, though you may trample othersas you rise; and though it seem a pity to devour the weaker creatures,no one thinks about it. It is a part of feeding, and is right. Weeat a woman's flesh as 'twere a fowl's, and take a poor man's lifeas though a bird's; that is, the great do, those with authority. Itis doing this that makes them great. Repression is but failure. Lifeand success came from expression and experience. I am friendly withyou because we must part. Good-bye; Bishop."
He extended his hand, but the schismatist, pale and unable to morethan move mechanically, stared at him without offering his hand. Thenuncio laughed again, and carelessly said, "Oh, as you please."
By this time they were in a shady place, secure from observationby a clump of trees, and the other soldier approached with a coupleof shovels.
"Scoop out a grave there, fellows," said the Jesuit. "You must nottake your prisoners to headquarters if you would avoid trouble. Wewill have a bit of fun by and by."
The soldiers were sufficiently drunk to be irresponsible, and of atemperament to receive suggestions. They obeyed the Jesuit withoutdemurring, while he taunted the renegade Romish priest, and then theycame to him to inform him that all was ready.
"Tie the prisoner," said the Jesuit.
They proceeded to pinion his legs and arms, and when this was donethe Jesuit continued:
"Now take him and throw him in the trench."
"Dios Mio! You surely will not bury me alive," plead the leader of theschism, as they lifted him and deposited him in the rude and shallowgrave. For answer the Jesuit bade the soldiers seize the shovels andfill up the sand over the body, leaving the head uncovered. Aglipaybegged and prayed, as shovelful after shovelful of sand fell uponhim, first rendering him powerless to move, and then bearing upon himwith a weight intolerable. His face was blanched, his eyes stood out,bloodshot in horror. For answer to his pleading the Jesuit produceda prayer book and began to read in mockery the service of the dead:
"From the pains of death, good Lord, deliver me." Aglipay grittedhis teeth, but his soul responded in a sincerer prayer than theJesuit uttered.
"From the pains of hell and the agony of the grave"--
"Good Lord, deliver me," plead the man in the grave.
"Silence the disturber of our devotions," commanded the Jesuit.
One of the soldiers lifted a shovelful of sand and threw it in theface of the man man in the grave. Some grains entered his eyes, butas he lay in agony, because gravel filled his mouth, he could onlygroan and sputter without speaking.
"His mouth shall be filled with gravel," quoted the Jesuit, withunfeeling sarcasm. "Fill in the grave, men."
The soldiers shoveled for a moment and the remains of Aglipay wereburied from sight, literally buried alive.
XVII.
"HE AIN'T NO FRIEND."
Of course, the death of Aglipay became noised abroad. Indeed,the Jesuit took no pains to keep it from being known, because hefelt that the death of the leader would have an important effect inending the schism. The death was a matter susceptible of proof fromthe fact that the body was found, but that he was buried alive couldnot be proven save from the participants in the tragedy, who werenot required to testify against themselves. Rumors as to the horrorsof the fate of Dr. Obispo Maximo spread through Manila and Luzon,and aroused the people to a high pitch of indignation. In a sense,it was for the time beneficial to the revolt, because hundreds nowflocked to Saguanaldo, bringing their own weapons and ammunition, andevery region through which he passed was eager to feed the soldiery,so that opposition to the friars gained strong headway again. It becameimpossible for the Americans to ignore the matter. In order to appeasethe inhabitants of Manila, the three soldiers were arrested and placedon trial, before a court martial, for killing a prisoner. They werefound guilty and ordered shot.
It was then that Violeta appeared before Judge Daft.
"You must pardon these men," he said.
"Must is a strong word," returned the Judge, flushing.
"The reasons behind it are strong," continued the Jesuit. "Thedeed they did, while irregular, has simplified matters amazingly,by removing the head and cause of the schism, so that they did youan inestimable service. You can not afford to show ingratitude towardwhat they did."
"But it was murder."
"Manslaughter, perhaps. America is at war, not only with Spain,but also with this schisms, and all war is manslaughter. Rainey'svictory was manslaughter. Manslaughter among soldiers is not a crime."
"It seems to me you assume a great deal in saying that we are at warwith this schism."
"You will be, which is the same thing. The Aglipayans over all thearchipelago are in arms."
"Yes, and this deed precipitated it."
"Precipitated it, perhaps; that does not mean that was the cause ofthe revolt. It was bound to come anyhow, and the sooner it comes thecheaper it will be for America; the quicker you win, the greater yourreputation will be. The United States could not occupy the archipelagoand leave the Philippine republic intact, you know that."
Judge Daft thought in silence, pacing the floor. Then, seating himselfat his desk, he wrote:
"Commander of American Forces:
"Sir: Manslaughter in war is not a crime, though, if irregular, may be an offense. You will place the slayers of Aglipay in the guard house until you judge they have learned the lesson and until discipline is conserved, then release them for service.--Benjamin Daft, Governor."
News of this transaction did not set well with the people ofManila. There was an old song sung in the island, and that nightclumps of stragglers paraded the streets, noisily singing to thattune the improvised words:
He may be a brother of Governor Daft, But he ain't no friend of mine. [18]
XVIII.
THE WOMAN OF IT.
When news of the death of Aglipay reached her, near Manila, HilarioAgonoy was awakened to sufficient interest to plan something forherself. She straightway thought that if she could appear beforeJudge Daft and plead against the Jesuit, even going so far as tosacrifice herself by telling the whole story of Ambrosia Lonzello,she might change the attitude of the United States and thus save theday for the insurrectionists.
Within a few days, therefore, Hilario Agonoy disappeared. AmbrosiaLonzello again appeared before her mother at the grass hut--her mother,who has mourned the mysterious disappearance of
Ambrosia--and madeherself known--telling the terrible story without concealment. Themother was stricken with horror, and convinced her daughter thatshe was in no way culpable. Woman's garments were again donned andAmbrosia Lonzello prepared to appear, with her mother's consent,before Governor Daft to tell her story.
It was somewhat discouraging to Ambrosia to find the Governor'sheadquarters in the convento, and to be compelled to again visit thescene of her agony and ruin. But she nerved herself for the ordeal. Itwas her fortune to be admitted to Judge Daft's office, to find theJesuit with him. To her it was a surprise and shock. But perhaps itwas as well. Had he been there, had he seen her before she reachedthe governor, she might have been locked up again, both to safeguardhimself and satisfy anew his lust. And, after the first shock of ithad passed, the sight of her despoiler revived all the strength withinher into anger and hatred, rendering her doubly powerful. Judge Daftkindly asked:
"What can I do for you, my child?"
"Hear me," replied the girl, trembling from the intensity of herfeeling. "I come to ask for justice. That man (pointing to the Jesuit)has wronged me. I came to the church to confess, and he by force tookme to the convento, where he locked and kept me all night, using meas I can not tell, and making me, who trusted him as a man of God,an outcast by his devil-deeds. I come to call justice and God'svengeance upon him. But this is not all. He it is who persuadeddrunken soldiers to bury Bishop Aglipay alive--alive, mind you;and as the poor man stifled in the sand, this fiend who poses as arepresentative of God, mocked him by saying the burial service overhim. I come to call God's vengeance on him, and to ask for justice,from you toward this enemy of mankind."
The girl was half hysterical, speaking in loud, impassionedtones. Judge Daft sought to quiet her.
"Be seated, my dear young lady," he said. "These are grave chargesyou make, and I shall look into them. But be calm, I fear in yourexcitement you are exaggerating."
"Exaggerating! I could not if I had a thousand tongues, all eloquent,tell half the wrongs I feel. I could not, even though educated asyou are and as he is, reveal a tenth of what I have suffered athis hands. I beg of you, for humanity's sake, for the sake of yourdaughter, if you have one, hear me and give me vengeance."
She fell on her knees before Judge Daft, who gently lifted her andsat her in the chair. The Jesuit stood smiling and serene. The girl,scarce knowing what she did, arose and screamed:
"You will not aid me. It is because you are as wax in the hands ofthat devil, who by the hope of power and position for yourself mouldsyou to his will. He induced you to pardon the murderers of Aglipay. Hepersuaded you to have the army seize on our churches. He has you inhis house, directing you by flattery and making you a tyrant fromyour very kindness. My curses on you both! How hard and bitter thisfierce world can be! It was my father, my own father, Judge Daft,who delivered his daughter to this fiend. And this man, my father,Bishop Lonzello, betrayed my mother when she was young, so that Icame into the world foredoomed to ruin and disgrace. And you, you,Judge Daft, uphold this Jesuit in his villainy and plots and willnot hear my prayer."
The over-wrought girl sank in a heap on the floor, sobbingbitterly. The noise of her last speech had brought several servantson the scene. To them Judge Daft turned and compassionately said:
"Take her to a room, where she may rest."
"What! A room in this convento?" screamed the girl arising. "Back tothe scene of horror? I did not think this of you."
She was now attacking the servants with nails and fists, pressingher way toward the door. She fought her way to the street, and thenran at her fullest speed, away, anywhere, but away from the convento.
"Poor creature!" cried the Jesuit in tones of the deepestcommiseration. "I think there is nothing in all the world sadder thanthe hallucinations of the insane."
XIX.
"WHEN DO YOU THINK OF LEAVING?"
"It was a most fortunate turn of affairs that led her to the extremesshe went," said the Jesuit, in reporting Ambrosia's visit to herfather. "Had she stopped short of where she did, an investigationwould have been ordered, I feel sure of that."
"I wish it had been," commented Lonzello. "You deserve punishmentfor the wrong you did her."
"Don't be unreasonable," gently expostulated the Jesuit. "Heraccusation was against you also, and the same drag net that caughtme would have caught you, too."
The passionate Lonzello walked the floor nervously, cursing underhis breath.
"When do you think of leaving?" persisted the Jesuit, quietly.
"When you leave, beast," hissed the priest.
"No, you will have to leave soon. The people demand it, and yoursuccessor is in the harbor. But I have other work to do."
"The mob will have you, too," returned the bishop.
"Oh, no. I am under the protection of my good humor, but you have nosuch guardian. Have you much money?"
"You know I haven't anything."
"Would you like to know how you can get away full-handed, feared andhonored by all?"
"It wouldn't be bad."
"Well, I will tell you. That daughter of yours will tell her storythrough town and she will be believed by hundreds there. The way tosilence these rumors, and to turn the tide toward us is to performa miracle."
"A miracle?"
"Yes, think of the honor of being Saint Lonzello, the miracle worker,and having hundreds come to your shrine seeking the efficacy of yoursanctimonious bones! You may go from the archipelago honored and richand feared, or you may go from the end of a rope. Which shall it be?"
The two men drew chairs close together and talked earnestly inlow tones.
XX.
THE JUDGMENT.
A throng of the devout were gathered in Manila cathedral. To a pillarnear the pulpit Ambrosia Lonzello was chained. Neither she or theaudience knew, but wires connecting with the chains ran under the floorto the pulpit, connecting them with a key on the floor. Underneathit all was a powerful battery. It had all been arranged secretly, atnight, by the Jesuit, who was himself an expert electrician. BishopLonzello occupied the pulpit.
"We have come to the test by ordeal," he told the people. "It grievesme that any one of the flock should have gone astray, but when the onewho leaves the true fold is my own daughter I am doubly grieved. And,as though it were not enough that she should desert the true church andbecome a friend and companion of the enemy of the church and state,she brings accusation against the priests of the Lord, against herown father, and the apostolic nuncio. You have heard these charges,for the unbelievers in the city take pleasure in rolling the scandalunder their tongues. It is beneath my dignity to deny, it is beneaththe dignity of the Pope's messenger to deny, such preposterousthings. We will call on the Almighty to decide between us. But first,my daughter, let me beg of you, before we reach this supreme test,recant and save yourself."
He turned toward the girl, who was chained to the stake. There weretears in his eyes, and feeling was in his voice. It was evident hesincerely hoped she would clear the situation by recanting.
"Ambrosia, save your father," he plead. "Say I did not do the awfulthing you charge."
"A father should not ask his daughter to perjure herself in the houseof the Lord. This is nearly as wicked as to send me to confessionin order I might in that holy place be made the victim of another'slust. Priest--for you have been so unfatherly, I will not call youfather--you are guilty, and you know it."
As she spoke the people arose and stood, eager to catch each word. Nowthat she was through they caught their breaths with a gasp that wasaudible through all the edifice. The face of the man in the pulpit grewwhite as his own surplice. His nails dug into the wood of the pulpit.
"Apply the test," said the Jesuit, arising and standing by theother. Lonzello assayed to speak, but he could not articulate.
"Shall we call on God to decide between us?" asked the Jesuit ofthe congregation.
"The test, the test," came from over all the house. Lonzello's facegrew haggard. Many of
the congregation were surprised to see the manbefore them was old, with face deeply wrinkled. But the Jesuit wasplacid, fully in command of himself and of the situation. He raisedhis hands toward heaven, and remained silent until the people grewtense, waiting for what might come.
"Thou who didst destroy the guilty Jannes and Jambres in thewilderness," he began impressively, "thou who didst reveal of old thestealer of the golden wedge, judge now, oh, God, the truth betweenus here. If thy servants are guilty of the things charged against us"--
He paused, not only that he might the more impress the people, butalso to place one arm about Lonzello that he might support him incase his nerve should fail him and his limbs grow weak; then, withthe other hand spread upward, he continued, impressively:
"Strike us dead, oh, God, cause us to die at once."
Every person in the house was standing; every neck was craned; everysound, even to the rustle of breathing, was stilled. A moment passedin tense silence. Then the low voice of the Jesuit continued:
"The Almighty has spoken. We live."
The people breathed again, audibly. Lonzello, his strength partlyreturned and his anxiety burning into his very bones, rushed fromthe pulpit to the post where his daughter was chained, and, fallingon his knees, begged piteously:
"Confess, confess, Ambrosia, and end this horrible thing. The fatheris on his knees to the daughter, begging you to recant."