CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
THE EFFECT OF PERSUASION ON DIVERSE CHARACTERS.
The warlike tendencies of Grabantak, the northern savage, had the effectof compelling Captain Vane and his party to delay for a considerabletime their efforts to reach the Pole. This was all the more distressingthat they had by that time approached so very near to it. A carefullymade observation placed the island of Poloe in latitude 88 degrees 30minutes 10 seconds, about 90 geographical, or 104 English statute milesfrom the Pole.
There was no help for it, however. To have ventured on Grabantak'sterritory while war was impending would have been to court destruction.Captain Vane saw therefore that the only way of advancing his own causewas to promote peace between the tribes. With a view to this he soughtan 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 wasvery 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, oilcans, and cooking-lamps somewhat like that famous bull which got into achina shop. Finding the space too small for him he suddenly dropped onhis knees, crept through the low entrance, sprang up, and began tostride about more comfortably.
The open air calmed him a little. He ceased to grind his teeth, andstopping in front of the Captain, who had followed him, said in a lowgrowl, "Do you think I will submit to insult?"
"Some men have occasionally done so with advantage," answered theCaptain.
"Kablunets may do so, Eskimos _never_!" returned the old man, resuminghis hurried walk to and fro, and the grinding of his teeth again.
"If Amalatok were to kill all his enemies--all the men, women andchildren," said the Captain, raising a fierce gleam of satisfaction inthe old man's face at the mere suggestion, "and if he were to knock downall their huts, and burn up all their kayaks and oomiaks, the insultwould still remain, because an insult can only be wiped out by one'senemy confessing his sin and repenting."
For a few seconds Amalatok stood silent; his eyes fixed on the ground asif he were puzzled.
"The white man is right," he said at length, "but if I killed them all Ishould be avenged."
"Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord," leaped naturally to the Captain'smind; but, reflecting that the man before him was a heathen who wouldnot admit the value of the quotation, he paused a moment or two.
"And what," he then said, "if Grabantak should kill Amalatok and all hismen, and carry away the women and children into slavery, would theinsult 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 perhapsthe women and children left behind might care. They would also suffer."
"Go, go," said the Eskimo chief, losing temper as he lost ground in theargument; "what can Kablunets know about such matters? You tell me youare 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 wasin this frame of mind, Captain Vane left him and returned to his ownhut, 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 turfseat, "because Chingatok and I are discussing the subject of war; and--"
"A strange coincidence," interrupted the Captain. "I have just beendiscussing the same subject with old Amalatok. I hope that in showingthe evils of war you are coming better speed with the son than I didwith the father."
"As to that," said Leo, "I have no difficulty in showing Chingatok theevils of war. He sees them clearly enough already. The trouble I havewith him is to explain the Bible on that subject. You see he has got avery troublesome inquiring sort of mind, and ever since I have told himthat the Bible is the Word of God he won't listen to my explanationsabout 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 hasgiven His? I want to know what _He_ says.' Well, now, you know, it ispuzzling to be brought to book like that, and I doubt if Anderstranslates well. You understand and speak the language, uncle, betterthan 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 theWord 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 togo 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 thenI had told him before, that the Great Spirit had told His ancient peoplethe Jews to go and fight His enemies, and take possession of theirlands. Now he regards this as a contradiction. He says--How can a manlive peaceably with all men, and at the same time go to war with somemen, kill them, and take their lands?"
"Ah! Leo, my boy, your difficulty in answering the Eskimo lies in yourown _partial_ quotation of Scripture," said the Captain. Then, turningto Chingatok, he added, "My young friend did not give you the wholelaw--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 keepfrom fighting `_as much as you can_.' Mind that, Chingatok, and if youare ever induced to go to war for the sake of a little island--for thesake of a little insult,--don't flatter yourself that you are keepingout of it as much as lieth in you."
"Good, good," said the giant, earnestly; "Blackbeard's words are wise."
"As to the people of God in the long past," continued the Captain, "Godtold them to go to war, so they went; but that does not authorise men togo to war at their own bidding. What is right in the Great Father ofall may be very wrong in the children. God kills men every day, and wedo not blame Him, but if man kills his fellow we hunt him down as amurderer. In the long past time the Great Father spoke to His childrenby His wise and holy men, and sometimes He saw fit to tell them tofight. With His reasons we have nothing to do. Now, the Great Fatherspeaks to us by His Book. In it He tells us to live in peace with allmen--if _possible_."
"Good," said the giant with an approving nod, though a perplexedexpression still lingered on his face. "But the Great Father has neverbefore spoken to me by His Book--never at all to my forefathers."
"He may, however, have spoken by His Spirit within you, Chingatok, Icannot tell," returned the Captain with a meditative air. "You havedesires for peace and a tendency to forgive. This could not be the workof 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 relapsedinto silence as he thought of the wonderful idea that within his breastthe Great Spirit might have been working in time past although he knewit not. Then he thought of the many times he had in the past resistedwhat he had hitherto only thought of as good feelings; and the suddenperception that at such times he had been resisting the Father of allimpressed him for the first time with a sensation of guiltiness. It wassome 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 readby 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 solong.
But, as we have said, this effect was not immediate, and he remained ina state of uncertainty and sadness while the warlike councils andpreparations went on.
Meanwhile Captain Vane set himself earnestly to work to hit on some planby which, if possible, to turn the feeling of the Eskimo community infavour of peace
. At first he thought of going alone and unarmed, withAnders as interpreter, to the land of Grabantak to dissuade that savagepotentate from attacking the Poloes, but the Eskimos pointed out thatthe danger of this plan was so great that he might as well kill himselfat once. His own party, also, objected to it so strongly that he gaveit up, and resolved in the meantime to strengthen his position andincrease his influence with the natives among whom his lot was cast, bysome exhibitions of the powers with which science and art had investedhim.