The Day of Resis

by Lillian Frances Mentor

“I confess that I, myself, am desirous of leaving the place which has so nearly been the scene of our deaths,” rejoined Mr. Graham. “But Mr. Bruce thinks that we ought to look over the ground where so many of the Onians have fallen.”

“I will find no pleasure in thus going,” said Mr. Bruce, “but we should know the exact state of things here before returning to the city. The relatives and friends of all these buried thousands, will want to know if it will be possible to recover their bodies. And then it would be well to see the crevice. I think Onrai still holds the idea that this should be closed.”

“Yes, it will be one of my first duties, now,” said Onrai. “But what a task it will be for the men who do the work. The first unpleasant task they have ever had to perform.”

“The hole may have been closed somewhat by the stream of lava which poured into it,” said Mr. Bruce.

“Yes, I feel quite sure that it has,” said Mr. Graham, “for it poured into it in such a volume it could hardly be otherwise.”

“Yet there will be much to do,” said Mr. Bruce, “and it will mean a great deal of hard work before the break is made impassable.”

“Let us start,” said Onrai, “so as to be able to investigate as much as possible and return before nightfall. To-morrow we must start for the city in order to be there for the Day of Resis. It will be a sad return;” and again the King fell into that melancholy condition out of which Enola had tried so hard to draw him.

“True, Onrai,” said Enola, “but the only sadness which has ever darkened your life. It will cast a gloom over your life for awhile, but as time goes by and you see those about you again happy, and your life falls into the old routine, then will you also grow contented and happy once more. In our world we have so much sadness that we at last become accustomed to it, and expect it. But here you hardly know the meaning of the word. This experience has been fearful, I know, but it is better that you lose a few of your mighty men, than that all should lose country and, may be, life too, and even be sold into slavery. That must certainly have been the fate of your people, if they had fallen into the hands of the negroes. But that time has forever passed and out of this sad experience, which will cause so much grief, comes this grand assurance. The men who have been thus slain might have been spared until they had the wall on the way, and while in the country beyond the cliff, for they would have had to be there some of the time, they might have been overpowered by the natives, and the land been overspread with these hated negroes, before the majority of your people could have learned of their presence. In such a case your country would have been destroyed with all its villas and its beautiful city. But such a thing can never occur now. God has simply taken the work out of your hands, and in his own way has avenged your people and has also, by turning the lava into the crevice, helped to close to the outside world, the only means of ingress into your country. The present generation will die, and as it is forbidden your people to ever mention or talk of such things to those who will live beyond your reign, the thing will die from memory, the same as has all of the previous events of your history. This fearful occurrence has been ordained to come during your reign, but it casts no reflection upon you or your people, for it has been wholly the work of God.

“If He has chosen to take the men before their time, He has had a good purpose in it and I think that purpose has been shown. So don’t give up to despair in this moment, but be the brave, noble King which we have all learned to love. Be superior to the events which would crush most other men. Be strong, and set such an example before your people. They will look to you for strength and comfort, and you must be able to give them both.”

The King had listened quietly to the words of Enola, and seemed much impressed by her strong, clear-cut remarks and the sound advice which she had given. For the first time he realized that it would not do for him to give way to his feelings, in this hour of trial, for, as Enola had said, his people would look to him for comfort and strength, and he must be able to give them both. Somehow or other he felt better after Enola had talked to him in this way, and he felt that he could meet the inquisitive looks of his people and answer their mute questions without flinching.