Neuroomia/Chapter 6
CHAPTER VI.
HE ADDRESSES LARGE AUDIENCES.
The sun was now drawing nearer and nearer to the horizon, and his oblique rays appeared to significantly remind us that he would soon be lost to view. Tehana, however, was just as gay as when we left it, and I went from gathering to gathering, enjoying myself and making fresh acquaintances. Still, I felt as if I should like to have something to do. All I had hitherto done, apart from recreation, was to keep my diary posted up. During one of our walks in the neighbourhood of the city, I made my desire known to Yeyema, who approved of the idea.
"Everybody will very soon be at work again," I said, "and I would like to follow their example."
"How would you like to pass the months of twilight?" he inquired.
"I think that I would like to settle upon the land," I replied, "although I have never led that life before."
"Or perhaps you might take charge of one of our large vessels," he suggested.
"Yes," I answered; "but I am not prepared to do so at present, for, in the first place, I have not studied the geography of the Nocalattan Sea; and, again, your vessels are in many respects different from ours, and it would take me some little time to master these details."
"Very well," was the response; "I merely mentioned the matter because I considered it might be more congenial to your inclination than settling upon the land. However, there are several small estates vacant in the neighbourhood, and you may choose one for yourself; you will be charged rent on the minimum scale allowed by our laws. This, however, you will find to be a mere trifle; in fact, you will very probably not be charged for the use of the land at all, as I am almost certain that the legislature shall be willing to take exception to your case. However, I may as well tell you that Onneyubla and myself have already discussed the question of your employment, and the Government have something else in view for you, if it should prove acceptable."
"What is it?" I inquired.
"To write a history of the other continents and their inhabitants from your own personal knowledge and observations."
I stood still and considered for a moment. Yes, I would do it.
"But before commencing a work of this kind," I said, "it will be necessary for me to become acquainted with the history of this continent; and I understand that you already knew something of the other parts of the world previous to my arrival here."
"Yes," was the answer. "And if we consider traditions, legends, and MSS., together with the opinions of our philosophers, we have quite a collection of books treating on the subject."
"I should like to read them all before commencing the history," I said.
"Perhaps, in that case," he observed, it would be advisable to take an estate as near as possible to Tehana, so that you can consult the library when you choose without inconvenience. Of course, at the same time, you will have perfect liberty to take any books you wish away from it. You will, however, in all likelihood," he continued, "be interviewed towards the close of the summer by representatives of the press, and if you accede to their wishes, you will find that these interviews will take up a lot of your time; indeed, it is not at all improbable they will be continued from time to time throughout the whole period of twilight."
"What do you suggest?" I asked.
"That you give a few lectures," was the ready response.
"I would willingly do so," I answered, "but I am a poor speaker, as I have not been accustomed to speaking in public; and further, I am afraid that I shall experience a difficulty in speaking in your language."
"But you will have an indulgent audience," was the reply; "for I am certain the people will appreciate the effort, and doubtless you will improve by practice."
"Then I will make the attempt," I said. But will not the people be too much occupied to attend during the period of twilight?"
"Perhaps they will," was the answer; "but suppose you give one before the end of the summer?"
"That undoubtedly will be the proper time," I responded. "And am I to deliver the lectures as an employé of the Government?" I inquired.
"If you choose," he answered; "but you will find it much more profitable to give them on your own account; for if you make the charge for admission ever so small, I am confident that, owing to numbers who will attend, you will be well repaid."
"And the press goes free," I said.
"Always free," was the answer.
"Perhaps," I observed, "it would be as well to commence preparations at once."
"Whenever it suits you," was the reply, I can make the matter known to the public."
"And what about the subject?" I said.
"Choose whatever subject you please," he responded, "and give yourself a reasonable time to prepare your address."
I thought over the matter, and before parting we fixed the hour for the commencement of my first lecture.
When I got home, I sought out my studio, in order to reflect over this new deviation, and now discovered that I had undertaken a more difficult task than I had anticipated. First, what subject should I choose? I was fairly puzzled about this. It would be of no use referring to the triumphs of the sciences, manufactures, or machinery; for in all these, with the exception, perhaps, of geography, they were far in advance of ourselves. Of course there were our labour troubles, and other social problems, but I was doubtful if these would prove interesting; and apart from that, I was not desirous of having to say anything in my address that might have a tendency, however slight, of underestimating my own people in their estimation.
At last, however, after racking my brain till I felt giddy, a happy thought struck me—"The American Civil War." It would be interesting, for war was unknown to them, and they had no big guns or men-of-war ships; besides, I would be at home on this subject, for I had taken a part in all the principal battles of that memorable campaign. The next issue of the journals contained notifications of my approaching lecture in Tehana.
When the appointed hour arrived, I appeared on the stage of the largest theatre in the city, and faced an audience of fully twenty thousand persons. I felt the responsibility of the situation, and was extremely nervous. However, with an effort I rose to the occasion, and began speaking. Although I spoke in a comparatively low voice, yet I heard the sound reverberating to a degree that induced me to lower my tone, such were the acoustic fittings of this enormous building.
I commenced by referring to the institution of slavery, which was the principal cause of the war. Of course I knew that at first they were horror-stricken at the cruelty of a section of my countrymen who prospered by trading in human bones and flesh; but on the other hand, I knew that they could appreciate the magnanimity of the philanthropists, their sacrifices and final triumph in the cause of outraged humanity.
At the close I did not forget to point out that among the civilized nations slavery as a recognised institution had ceased to exist. Then I referred to the black-labour question, still to be solved, and strongly advised them, even if it were possible, never to import "coloured" labour, for it would lead to no end of troubles; and, above all, never to have anything to do with "black-birding." There was no interruption, and no questions were asked; indeed, that vast crowd listened with a silence that was commendable.
During the lecture I noticed several of my friends and acquaintances present. Among them were Onneyubla, Yeyema, Vandalia, Alvarez, Delemia, Yondozi, Hitomlik, Moro, Estas, Arizenda, Banyaba, Folbrizzio, Ilaclatella, Golonzola, Fontin, Unaloplo, Fudelora, and many others.
When I sat down, I was heartily applauded, and, to my surprise, all the leading journals not only printed the address, but criticised my attempt in a very favourable manner. This, more than anything else, gave me encouragement, and in the end induced me to yield to the solicitations of my friends by promising to give a second lecture.
Onneyubla, and those who came with him, re-remained for a while in Tehana, and were, with myself, the guests of Yeyema. In the meantime I made arrangements to return with them to Atazatlan, where the next address was to be delivered.
We were a merry lot that stepped on board the Omardanhkk, bound for the capital city of Neuroomia. Smiling faces were seen on every side, but none brighter than that of the beautiful Alvarez, who kept me company during the greater part of the voyage. She referred to my lecture and the war almost as soon as we met, and said she felt horrified to think that in future she should be compelled to look upon me as a slayer of my fellow-men—one who had actually taken away human life. I told her that I was by no means certain that such was the case; for although I had served in the war, and many lives were lost, yet I was by no means positively certain that I had, directly or indirectly, caused the death of one individual; for in our battles there was much smoke, and men fired in among their opponents, in most instances over their heads—indeed, many fired anywhere; and even if I had killed several in the manner indicated, which was just as probable as not, with us such a proceeding would not be looked upon as criminal, but, on the contrary, virtuous and patriotic."
"Rather a painful and cruel task, was it not?" she interjected.
"Certainly," I added; "but still necessary in the interests of freedom and justice."
I had some difficulty in persuading her that I was not an assassin. However, she eventually appeared satisfied with my explanation, but deplored the condition of things that rendered such inhuman acts imperative. I was not surprised to find that a naturally sympathetic and noble-minded girl should look upon the atrocities of the battlefield with unutterable repugnance; but when I came to discuss the subject with Onneyubla, I wondered not a little to find that he looked upon war as something worse than a childish evil, and characteristic of the most contemptible imaginations.
"What greater proof could be forthcoming," he said, "of the utter depravity and barbarism of any people or peoples than that they should have to resort to the fiendish practice of killing one another, in order to settle their disputes? To speak mildly of it," he continued, "it is not ingenious, for the lowest and most despicable of human beings that ever existed could not possibly have hit upon a more infamous institution."
I now began to wax warm on the question.
"It is all very well for you," I said, to argue in that strain, for in Neuroomia you have but one nationality, but in many other countries the population is of such a mixed character, and the members of the different races have so little sympathy in common with one another, that hostilities on a larger or smaller scale are apt to break out at any moment, and to prevent this, the governments are compelled to support large standing armies in order to preserve the peace among their own subjects."
I further reminded him that all the continents were not like Neuroomia, surrounded by barriers of ice and climatic conditions that bade defiance to the invader; but, on the contrary, the greater portion of their coast lines were bounded by open seas, and exposed to the ravages of nations more cruel and bloodthirsty than the fiercest animals of the brute creation, and that it was of the highest importance that the more civilized communities should adopt measures for self-preservation against such as these.
It was not, however, till I inquired of him how he would act in the event of another race of people coming to take possession of the land he loved, and to kill or make slaves of the inhabitants, that he appeared to realize the situation as it existed with us. He said that he was forced to admit that in an instance of the kind I had just related, there could be no alternative.
On arriving at Atazatlan, we drove to the palace, and after the usual rest, I began to make preparations for my second lecture. On this occasion, however, I was determined to spare the young ladies the penalty of meditating over the heinousness of war, and also not to give any sketches that might cause them to look upon myself as a savage and criminal, so I chose for my subject, "The Voyages and Adventures of some Great Navigators in Modern Times."
As in Tehana, preparations were made for a large audience, but the attendance far exceeded their calculations, for I afterwards learned there were over thirty thousand persons present, yet there was abundance of room for all, and no disturbance of any kind.
I commenced with Columbus and the discovery of the New World, briefly referring to the state of the country and its inhabitants when he landed, and contrasted the condition of things then with the vast prosperity and high civilization the greater part of it enjoyed at the present time. Vasco de Gama and his memorable trip to India came next. Then I spoke of Magellan and his wonderful feat, the circumnavigation of our planet, also his discoveries and sad end. I then passed on to Drake and Anson, giving an account of their piratical expeditions, and the manner in which they plundered the defenceless towns along the west coast of America. Time would admit of nothing more than a mere sketch of the lives of Franklin, McClintock, Hall, Parry, and Nares. I dwelt upon the important discoveries of Tasman, the genius, humanity, and sad fate of Captain Cook and La Perouse, paying the highest tribute to the memory of the latter, and at the same time referring to the mystery that surrounded his absence for such a long period.
Breathless, however, was their attention when I began to speak of James Poss, who had penetrated far to the south, and actually surveyed portions of their remote shores.
I sat down amidst applause as before, and, on joining my friends, was highly complimented by Onneyubla and others. Alvarez and the young ladies with her said they believed that the romantic career of the great mariners compensated in a degree for the uneasiness caused them by my account of the war.
In every way this address was a more marked success than the previous one.
New fields now opened out before me. I felt that I was improving mentally, and began to devote more time to study. The sun, however, would soon disappear. The long holiday was really over, and the people began, to return to their various occupations, so it was arranged that I should give no more lectures till the end of the following summer. In company with Onneyubla, I set out again for Tehana, in order to make final arrangements to secure a home for myself.
On our arrival, Yeyema presented us with a list that he had received from one of the Government offices, showing all the available estates in the neighbourhood. We inspected a few. However, I was quite satisfied with the first we visited, for it was indeed a delightful spot, the house being situated on an elevation, below which the cataracts of the river roared. It was enclosed by a magnificent garden, containing fruit trees and flowers, and was within easy distance of the city. There was a tract of land set apart for cultivation, and a larger one for pasture. We had an agreeable ride home, and the President sailed for Atazatlan.
As I had so much book work to do during the twilight, I decided not to cultivate on a large scale. However, it would be necessary to employ two men—one to assist me in working the land, and the other to look after household matters.
Next time I went into the city, I purchased furniture, cooking utensils, and a stock of provisions. Having engaged the men, and agreeing to pay them the highest wages going, I started them off with a vehicle full of goods to Raveria, my new home. Then I bought a large collection of books, maps, pictures, drawings, and several other articles of various kinds, to form a library of my own.
I consulted Yeyema about the MSS. that had been found. He informed me that they were in the custody of the chief librarian, from whom they could be obtained on application—that they had caused a considerable amount of discussion and writing some years ago, but were seldom referred to now, He himself, however, considered them to be of some importance. They had caused him much speculation, and he was glad I had taken the matter up soon, and would patiently await the result of my labours. I interviewed the librarian, and got from him all the books, MSS., legends, etc., relating to the early history of their own country, and also that of the other parts of the world. Armed with this varied assortment of books, etc., and a promise of a visit occasionally from Yondozi, whose vast stock of so many branches of knowledge would be of use to me in elucidating matters that I might not be able to understand, I retired to my country home.