The Adventures of Captain Mago

Picking up a few fragments of stone, Bichri was beginning to lament that he had not a sling, when Himilco in a moment produced the rope which he invariably wore, and tore off a piece of the goat-skin that had carried his wine, and with these materials the young archer was not long in putting together a sling which he hoped might do him good service.

Night closed in. It was still raining; the wind blew furiously. Everything seemed to favour our escape.

"Now's your time, my men!" I said. "Make your prayer to your gods, and we will be off at once."

It was agreed that if we should find more than one sentinel, we should fight our way through and make for the canoes, and that if we failed in that attempt, we should take to the water, and swim to the far end of the causeway. Our watch-word should be three raven-croaks.

"Now, invoke your gods," I repeated.

There was silence in the hut, and I noticed that Himilco raised his single eye to the aperture in the roof, as though looking for the Cabiri, but there was nothing to be seen except the pitchy blackness of the night.

I was about to lead the way, when, on peering out, I not only heard the sound of footsteps, but saw the glimmer of a torch. My heart beat fast, and I made my companions arrange themselves on either side of the doorway, so as to guard the entrance. It seemed to me that there were not more than one or two approaching. Chamai pressed his back against the wall, ready to brain the first savage that came within reach; but whoever they were that were coming, it was evident that they were not hurrying themselves: they paused in quiet conversation outside, and at intervals we could again catch the mysterious word "Jono."

"I wonder whether they are going to give us any more of their beastly sprinkling," said Himilco.

"I have something here," muttered Hannibal, "that may give them a sprinkling they don't expect."

Breaking the silence of the night, we now heard the ringing notes of the trumpet, followed by yells and vociferations. The clamour was obviously a signal, for at the same moment the covering at the door was raised, and a man carrying a torch entered the hut, and closed the entrance behind him. But scarcely had he advanced a step, when four strong arms arrested him. Chamai's hand was across the intruder's mouth, effectually stopping any outcry he might raise; I took possession of his torch; and Himilco, having lifted the stone above his head, was about to hurl it on his victim, when he let it fall to the ground, and ejaculated:

"Merciful Cabiri!"

I raised the torch to the visitor's face, and in a moment had thrown myself upon his neck. It was Hanno.

The sailor picked up the torch that I had dropped in my excitement, and enabled Hanno in his turn to recognise us.

We were speechless.

For some moments we could do nothing but grasp each other's hands and embrace our long-lost friend.

Hanno himself was the first to speak.

"Don't strangle me quite. What a joyful surprise is this!"

"Out with a joke, Hanno!" cried Hannibal, "or I shall never believe it's you!"

Hanno did not smile, but inquired anxiously about Chryseis. Hearing from me that she was safe and well, his eyes filled with tears, and he murmured:

"Ashtoreth be praised!"

A violent thumping outside brought us back to a sense of our real position, and when the thumping was renewed Hanno went to the door, and having addressed some one with a few guttural words, which were received with a half-approving grunt, he returned to us.

"And now," he said, his voice assuming its old tone of vivacity, "perhaps you would like to know what brings me here. I am come to conduct you to the grand temple of the Suomi; and a fine structure you will see it is, built of reeds and fish-bones in tip-top style. You are there to be sacrificed to the great god Jono."

"So then Jono is a god, is he?" I said; "but if you are his high priest I presume we need not give ourselves much alarm."

Himilco said that if this Jono were the god of fish-oil he most heartily wished that he might be sent some hundred fathoms down below the sea.

"Gently, gently, good pilot!" said Hanno, with mock solemnity; "you must not speak disparagingly of the great divinity. I can, however, tell you one thing. Jono has no more liking for fish-oil than you have yourself. No one loves a draught of good wine better. And I may as well tell you at once who he is. He is none other than our friend Jonah of Eltekeh! our incomparable trumpeter, Jonah!"

"Ah! didn't I say," cried Himilco, "that no one but Jonah could bring out such a flourish as that?"

Hanno went on to tell us that the people were already assembled in the temple awaiting the arrival of ourselves, their destined victims, and in reply to Chamai, who suggested that we should rise up and attack them bodily, informed us that there were more than three thousand of them, so that any resistance on our part would not only be useless, but must result in our immediate destruction.

"No;" he continued; "you have no alternative but to trust yourselves implicitly to the influence of the mighty Jono and of his high priest Hono, your humble servant. My first proceeding will be to acquaint the assembly that I have released you from your bonds, and that by the agency of magic I have rendered you quite mild and submissive."

"Allow me to interrupt you for a moment," I said; "but I am intensely anxious to learn whether you know anything of our comrades?"

"They are now on their way hither," replied Hanno; "and the very object with which the Suomi propose to sacrifice you is to propitiate their god, so that he may vouchsafe them the victory."

Hannibal burst out enthusiastically:

"I knew our fellows would come to our defence; brave souls they are! we'll conquer yet!"

"Not so fast," was the reply; "you must be content to leave everything to me. I will send a message to Hamilcar and Hasdrubal. See now; I have my writing materials ready; I made myself a calamus from the marsh-reeds; my ink is some of the Suomi war-paint; and for papyrus I have a piece of deer-skin."

Hanno wrote and talked at once; and as soon as he had finished he turned to us:

"Now then, follow me to the temple. You need be under no apprehension yet. I will take care that the god shall declare that he does not require your lives at present. This will give some hours' respite. In the interval I shall be able, I trust, to send my letter to our friends. Let us go: but one more word of caution; you must be careful above all things not to laugh at any of our proceedings."

"You will have to conjure pretty cleverly," I said, "if you are going to conjure us out of this dilemma."

"Well, you know," he said with a smile, "I have had some education in this line. I have learnt a bit of the craft of a priest and a magician; though I acknowledge I did not anticipate that I should have to practise under the present circumstances."

Taking his torch, he led the way; and with downcast eyes, and much to the amazement of some savages who were waiting outside, we filed demurely after him.

The island which we proceeded to cross was considerably larger than it had at first sight appeared. The huts were arranged in irregular clusters, each group surrounded by its own palisade. The road was very dark, and we had to ford a number of pools of water, while the rain splashed heavily down upon our bare heads. After winding through the labyrinth of huts, we reached an open place in the heart of the village, lighted with torches, and thronged with a crowd of Suomi, armed and coloured with their paint. The central hut into which we were conducted was much larger than the others, and served the purpose of a temple; it was circular, and had the appearance of a gigantic beehive. The interior was lighted with torches, and with pans of oil, furnished with flaming wicks, which had been made of bark; it was crowded with the savages, and what with the fumes of the torches, the vile odour of the burning oil, and the stench of the grease with which the savages had smeared their bodies, the atmosphere of the place was positively sickening.

On first entering the assembly the mist was so thick, and the confusion from the noise of the savages, who were raving like maniacs, was so great, that I could not distinguish the venerated deity; but as I gradually got accustomed to the smoky glare and the boisterous hubbub, I made out that there was a kind of dais or altar piled up with every conceivable variety of natural products, – skins of beasts, intestines of fishes, bladders of sea-calves, feathers of birds – mounted upon which, daubed with blue and crimson, and adorned with bulls' horns and sea-calves tusks, was the god himself. Not a feature could I distinguish; one only object seemed familiar; in one of his crimson hands the god held the very trumpet which I had purchased for twelve silver shekels of Khelesh-baal the merchant of Tyre.

The savages did more than make room for us to pass; they thrust us forward till we were close in front of the altar-shrine. Hanno placed himself at the side of the god, who, at a given signal, raised his trumpet to his mouth and blew a deafening blast. A few words from Hanno made the entire assembly, except ourselves, prostrate themselves with their faces to the very ground, and thus left standing conspicuously above the rest, the god could not fail to recognise us.

No words of mine can describe Jonah's amazement. Eyes, nose, and mouth, were all distended until the very paint broke in scales upon his face. He was dumbfounded for the time, and only after a long stare of astonishment, exclaimed:

"Baal Chamaim! lord of the heavens!"

A sensation of terror thrilled through the prostrate worshippers. The mighty Jono had spoken!

"Hold your tongue, you fool!" exclaimed Hannibal, with sonorous solemnity, but in plain Phœnician. The god started, and said no more.

The crowd of worshippers shivered with awe.

All at once a piercing shriek echoed through the temple. A black-haired object, ill-defined, had made a tremendous bound, and perching upon the head of the divinity himself, began tearing his hair, scratching his face, and hugging and caressing him with wild delight. The savages started to their feet in consternation, and some of them fled at once; but when they saw their god drop his trumpet and take the apparition in his arms, and heard him say to it, "Gebal, Gebal! dear little man! and have you found out your poor old Jonah?" their terror knew no bounds, and they rushed frantically out, leaving us absolutely by ourselves.

Chamai on one side gave the god a good dig in his ribs, while Hanno on the other kicked him pretty sharply on the leg, but neither of these attentions seemed to disconcert him in the least; he came forward and said:

"Delighted to see you all, my friends; an unexpected pleasure: you know I am a god now; what shall I order for you to eat?"

"Back to your seat, jackanapes!" cried Hanno, severely, "and don't speak another word until I give you leave."

For a moment Jonah's dignity seemed somewhat wounded, and he hesitated about complying; but upon my promising him a good skin of wine, he returned to his shrine without further murmuring. Hanno re-arranged the trumpery jewellery with which the god was bedecked, and Bichri whistled the monkey back to his own shoulder.

"Here's a messenger," said Hanno, "that I think will answer my purpose very well."

And turning to the creature, who was making the oddest grimaces, he said:

"Now, Gebal, take this to Hamilcar, quick; and you shall have some cake."

The monkey appeared perfectly to comprehend what was wanted, snatched the piece of skin that was held out to it, gnashed its teeth, and on three legs hopped rapidly out of the temple. A buzz of mingled surprise and fright made us aware that the animal had passed through the crowd outside.

"So far, so good," said Hanno; "now for the next scene. You must all prostrate yourselves to the ground before Jonah. I am going to recall the Suomi."

Jonah was taken aback, and modestly remonstrated against this humiliation on our part; but Chamai, by way of enforcing obedience to Hanno's injunction of silence, gave him a sharp blow across his mouth, and then came and took up with the rest of us his posture of outward reverence and awe.

Standing at the doorway in the character of Hono the priest, Hanno encouraged the people to re-enter their temple. Gradually the more courageous were induced to return, and ultimately about fifty, still tremulous with their recent alarm, were assembled in front of the shrine. Jono once again made the building ring with a tremendous blast, and Hanno delivered a brief oration, which seemed to have a soothing effect. The Suomi quietly retired, and we could hear them placing sentinels outside to prevent any one from entering.

Finding that we were not likely to be disturbed again, Hanno extinguished all the lights except two torches, and led us into the darkest corner of the temple, whither Jonah, after flinging off all his gew-gaws, was only too delighted to follow us.