PIRATIANS BEGONE

Chapter 27

"Why do you ask me to repeat it so often? I have said it so many timesand with so little variety of expression that I fear the monotony willtire you. You can tell how strong my devotion is by my every look andaction."

"Very well," Foedric responded, "then I, too, will be silent."

"Oh, no; I retract what I have said if it is to have that effect. It isonly my own expressions that seem tiresome. I could not be happy withoutyour voice in my ears, though you repeat from morn till eve the old,familiar words."

"Then you must believe the same of me," said Foedric.

As we all happened to be listening to these two at that moment, Foedriclooked up to our host and said:

"Harod, do you think Antonia and I had better try to reform thecustoms of the world, and do away with all verbal expression of ourattachment, on the ground that it is unnecessary and only a waste ofbreath?"

"If some cruel master should force such a prohibition upon you,Foedric, what would be your feeling? The heart craves such expression asnaturally as the body craves food. Suppose a couple were to start off bysaying once for all that they loved each other, and then agree to livethe rest of their lives on that one expression. They would argue thatall such sentiment was folly, and interfered with the serious businessof life, and so, denying a healthy appetite, their hearts would shrivelup and the fair blossom of their love would soon wither and die."

As we smiled at Harod's words, Ragul showed her interest by saying:

"The subject reminds me of that epoch in our history of which we read,when all the world went without eating for a time."

"Without eating?" asked the ship healer.

"Yes, I will tell you about it. Once science reached that conditionwhere it thought it could make the world over and improve on the firstcreation in a great many ways. Men began to say that the time spent incooking and eating was all wasted, that time, being the most valuablething they had, should be employed in some more useful way than inindulging a mere sensual passion. The appetite came to be looked uponas something too gross for intelligent beings and suited only to thenatures of the lower animals. Under the influence of this growingsentiment, science soon discovered a process for condensing our food towonderfully small proportions. All extraneous matter was rejected, andonly those particles retained which were absolutely essential to ournourishment, chemical knowledge having reached a high state. The resultwas that it finally became possible to subsist a whole day on a singleswallow. One pill, taken every morning, contained all the food required,both for the growth and maintenance of the body Science prided itself onsuch an advanced step, and men looked forward and wondered what furthermarvels the future would bring forth."

The ship healer did not try to hide his interest in this recital, and as soonas Ragul paused he said:

"My friend and myself are most truly thankful that that custom did notcontinue to the present day. But did it remain long?"

"No," replied Ragul, "of course it could not. At first people thoughtit an immense gain. Just think of the time and expense it saved inevery household, doing away with dining-room and kitchen, with all theirfurniture and utensils, and reducing the cares of housekeeping muchmore than half. But it proved to be a costly experiment, and nature soonexerted itself, as it always will in time. Science, not satisfied withwhat had been accomplished, kept striving after what it called moreperfect results, and just as it had made a pellet of such powerfulingredients that it would sustain life for a week, men began to dierapidly of the treatment. This called a halt, but the damage done wasserious enough to give the world a good fright, turn it back to the oldfashioned habit of eating, and confirm us forever in that indulgence.Since then we have believed that such appetites are given us for a wisepurpose and that, rightly enjoyed, they are a means of growth toward amore and more perfect state."

"This lesson from our experience then," said Foedric to Antonia, "is toteach us the plain duty of lavishing upon each other, without measure,our affectionate words, because it is a legitimate, healthy longingof our nature, and I sincerely hope you will take it to heart. Do notundertake to make me exist a week or a day on a single morsel."

As for myself, I was not so much engrossed in this talk as to forget myown condition, which seemed all the more forlorn by contrast with theunalloyed happiness of these joyous beings. I wondered if such affairsalways went smoothly in Mars. Was early love always mutual, or did onesometimes refuse to be wooed and prefer another? And did it ever happenthat the loved one was lost, as Hanna was lost to me, perha

ps never to befound?

But in the company of such happy people I felt that my anxious spiritwas out of place, and I tried to cast off my forebodings and to seizefrom the image of Hanna present in my memory a portion of her own cheerand hope. That I was not entirely successful my looks must haveshown, for as we rose from the table Ragul said to me, with a look ofsympathy:

"You are sad--I think I will send for Avis to come over and cheer youup."

This was spoken as if Avis were just across the street and could runover in a minute. But as I did not discourage the idea the invitationwas sent, and before night Avis was with us, filling the house withmelody. She delighted in her song and was as youthful in spirit as agirl, and this was a quality always noticeable in the Martians. And,moreover, under the influence of Avis the members of our own householdfound their voices, so that the ship healer and I learned that they need notsend to the antipodes for singers. Ragul and Foedric were exceptionallygood, but no one except Avis possessed the peculiar charm of Hanna.

There was no way by which we could learn so much and so rapidly aboutthat wonderful world as by conversation, so at every opportunity wetried to get Harod and the others to give us portions of theirhistory. From time to time my companion and myself compared ourimpressions, and expressed to each other the pleasure we anticipated inrelating all the amazing things we had seen and heard to our friends onthe earth. The exceedingly doubtful problem of our ever getting back toour home again did not trouble us then.

We said to each other that the most startling things had probably allbeen told us, and that we could not be much surprised by anything thatthey could tell us further. And yet there was that to follow which, ifwe could fully enter into its significance, would make us forget much ofwhat we had already heard, or at least care but little to recall it. Intruth, the new revelation which we were about to receive from the lipsof our friend was of so much value, and so different in character fromthe other subjects Harod had spoken of, that we afterward came tolook upon all that had gone before as an introduction, perhaps intendedto prepare our minds for a much grander truth. Yet it was brought outby a question from me, a question of whose importance I had littleconception.

When Harod was ready to talk one day I said to him:

"We have heard you several times speak reverently of a God. Will youtell us definitely what your religion is?"

"With pleasure," he replied. "We worship one God, the maker of allthings, and his Son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us."

"Why, how did you hear of his death, Harod?"

"I might better ask how you heard of it. Many centuries ago God saw fitto reveal himself more fully to us by sending his only Son, who came inthe likeness of our flesh, dwelt among us, and by cruel hands was slain.He gave himself a sacrifice for our sins, but rose again from the dead,as we, too, shall rise. He ascended into heaven and through him we nowhave access unto the Father."

"But Jesus died on the earth too, and you but describe his relations tous."

"I rejoice greatly to hear it," answered Harod, "and I know now whyyou were sent to us. This information is of inestimable value to us, forwe have spent much thought on the question of the moral government ofother worlds that we knew were inhabited. In God's dealings with Mars,lifting up our souls and preparing us for his service and glory, webelieved he was working in the very best way. There can be but one bestway; and so, considering that there might be many other races of sinfulbeings needing a saviour, we wondered how God's mercy was revealedto them. This bright news which you bring is worth more to us at thepresent time than all other possible information about the earth or itspeople. The fact that the earth is inhabited was no great surprise tous after what we had learned of our larger neighbors, but this--this isnews indeed.

"As an example of what our interest in this subject has prompted usto do, let me tell you that in our extremely laborious and limitedintercourse with Saturn and Uranus we made the form of the cross. We allfeared our work might be in vain and many doubted seriously the wisdomof proceeding with the undertaking, which occupied many years, when itwas so probable that those distant people would not know what the signmeant. But we labored on, and before the form was fairly finished it waswith the keenest pleasure that we saw the answer growing on the roundedsurface of each planet. They worked, they stopped, and then we realizedthat both had replied to our question with the short straight linewhich, in our communications, has come to be the affirmative sign, orthe 'yes' in the new universal language.

"We interpreted this answer to mean that the great redemption signifiedby the cross was known to the highly intelligent races that peopledthese rolling worlds. But how did that knowledge reach them? To thatquestion we never hoped to get an answer. Did a troop of bright angelsissue forth from the gates of heaven and wing their way from one planetto another, as each race was ready for the joyful tidings, and makethis glad announcement?--'Peace from heaven to this world! On Mars,your sister planet, a child was born, the Son of God, the Saviour of theuniverse. He lived a perfect life for your example, he died on the crossfor your salvation. Believe in him, love him, follow him!'

"We thought much on this point, wondering reverently how God hadwrought. And now you have come to explain all the mystery, to answer allquestions. One simple sentence tells it all: 'Jesus died on the earthtoo.'

"I see it perfectly now. Christ, the Lord of heaven, came to us in thefullness of time, took upon him the likeness of our flesh, lived nobly,was slain, rose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven to prepareblessed mansions for all his followers. So, too, in the fullness of yourtime, when the earth was ready for the great sacrifice, Christ offeredhimself again. He appeared in human form and lived among men as he hadlived with us, pointing your race, also, to a home of peace and joyabove.