Turning toward Onrai they saw him still standing wrapped in deep thought, with the attendants standing near, also looking at that great expanse of field, forest, river and lake before them, with wondering faces.
“Come,” said Mr. Bruce, “we must start. From the summit you can get a better view both of this and your own country. And now we must hasten to reach that summit.”
“You do not seem surprised at the great expanse of land beyond the cliffs,” said Onrai to Mr. Bruce.
“No, I am not surprised,” replied Mr. Bruce, “because I knew that it existed before we ever came to you.”
“And you did not tell me?” inquired Onrai.
“And why should I tell you, Onrai,” asked Mr. Bruce. “Have you not a beautiful country with everything that heart could wish for? Were you not happy there in your belief, and could the knowledge of the fallacy of the teachings which has helped to make you happy make you any happier? You would not have thanked me for such information and I would advise you now, as I have before, to try and forget that you have seen these things.”
“That I can never do,” said Onrai. “But they may never have any great impression on me, further than in making me disbelieve that part of the teachings which relates to the end of our world. I cannot believe that any longer, of course.”
“No,” said Mr. Bruce, “but you can refrain from speaking of it, and you can make it a punishable offense for any of these attendants, who have also witnessed these scenes, to ever speak of it; and in this way it will soon be forgotten, and the next generation will go on in blissful ignorance of the existence of the land beyond the cliff. It will be better, will it not?”
“I think so,” answered Onrai.
They were now ascending the mountain, the ascent for a way being very gradual, but as they proceeded further the ascent became steeper and more rugged. No trace of negroes were seen, but our friends knew that the negroes seen the day before on the summit, must be somewhere near. They had probably ascended the mountain in order to get a sight, if possible, of that land from which they had been driven, and in thus doing they had spied those who had driven them from it, and had immediately conceived the idea of hurling the great stones in their midst, and may be, by so doing, kill all, thus giving them an open sesame into the coveted country. They had villages near this point, according to Sedai, and if our friends should fall in with any of these tribes, there would very evidently be more bloodshed, for they were the intruders now and the African negro considers this a sacrilege. Nothing is so sacred to him as his country, and they will fight for this quicker than they will for their wives.