The Day of Resis

by Lillian Frances Mentor

And again the pistols were fired, this time at very close range.

The expression on the negroes’ faces had changed now, and they looked at the slowly approaching party with eyes almost standing on their cheeks, and mouths wide open, showing their white ivories. They stood still after the first shots, paralyzed with fear, but when the last shots were fired, and they saw three more of their companions topple over, their fright induced them to seek safety in flight, and they turned and ran down the footpath, crowding, shoving and jostling each other in their frantic efforts to get farther away from these death-dealing missiles, many of them being pushed off into the crevice in the wild rush. Our friends fell into line with Mr. Bruce again in the lead, and followed slowly after the negroes.

It was now quite dark and as they descended further into the ravine, it became so dark that they could no longer see the path, and a torch was lit. The negroes had long since passed out of sight and hearing, and our friends were giving them little heed, having enough to think about in looking after themselves, for they were in a very dangerous position, the pathway being so narrow at places, that a misstep would undoubtedly hurl them into eternity. They kept close to the side of the crevice and moved slowly, and the mountain was passed through without a mishap.

The light from the volcano now lit up the scene somewhat, and our friends began to congratulate each other on getting out of the several difficulties so easily, when a shout was heard, and looking through the semi-gloom they saw the negroes coming hastily toward them, and a band of Onians following them along the top of the crevice hurling stones at them. The party halted, and raising their arms fired, when the negroes came within range. The negroes stopped and in a moment realized that they were between two fires; but the pistols were too much for them, so they again turned and ran toward the Land of On. The Onians, seeing them do this, started for the end of the path to head them off. This they did, and one of their number, a mighty fellow, jumped into the path and with his dagger began plunging it into the backs of the unfortunate negroes who had again turned toward their own land. As one would receive his death-wound and would fall over the side of the crevice, this great Onian would stab another, and he kept this up until his arm was red to the shoulder with the blood of his victims.

“As one would receive his death-wound and would fall over the side of the crevice, this great Onian would stab another.”—Page [293].

The head of the column now came up within range of the pistols again, and they were shot down like sheep, the few who were not killed with the knife of the Onian. The slaughter did not last long, for in a short time the negroes were all killed and the bodies lay at the bottom of the crevice. It had been a onesided fight, for the negroes had not raised a hand to defend themselves.

The party were finally out of the crevice and found quite a number of Onians camped near the base of the cliff, and with them Enola. Their surprise was great when they saw her with the party, and upon asking her why she was here, she told them that she had gotten tired of remaining at the villa and as she had come to this land to see all that there was in it, she did not intend being cheated out of any part of it.

“Your departure was so unexpected,” she continued, “and the attendants had been so mysterious in their movements ever since, I began to fear that all was not right and came to see for myself. Are you not all glad to see me? But where have you been? Your faces and garments are as black as the skin of the negroes which have just been killed.”

It was true, they had been so long exposed to the smoke of the crater that they had become perfectly black, and it might have been this which made the negroes laugh so when they saw them approaching. They had seen the white skins before and they must have thought that it was a ruse to fool them, in thus blacking their faces.