“We have not made these complaints as yet, oh King,” said the man, “and we wished to place our suspicions before you and let you decide if they be well-grounded before we would call them complaints. But complaints to us seems to be the only fitting word to use in this connection.”
“I cannot understand you, my people,” said Onrai, “I was among you only to-day and you said naught to me about this matter. You allowed me to depart and come here without so much as a hint of your protest. Now, you follow me but a short time after, at the dead of night, and here where a fair life hangs by a thread; you come a thousand strong and voice your miserable suspicions. Our life has been so quietly peaceful that this trait has never before shown itself. A word which has almost passed from our vocabulary alone can fit the act, and that is cowardice,” and as Onrai ceased speaking he drew himself up grandly and faced them with such a haughty bearing and scornful look that the leader drew back involuntarily.
“No, no, King, not that,” said the man, “not that, for we had only your and our own best wishes at heart when we came here at this hour of night.”
“And had you no thought for those who are now under our protection? Had you a right, even with complaints to make, to sneak here like a band of jackals, in the dead of night? Why do you not come in the bright open light of the day and then in numbers only equaling those against whom you are going to make complaints, and not with a horde as if to intimidate them.”
“Listen, oh King,” answered the man. “You must know that this is an event which has never before occurred in our land, and the people did not know how to act. They then got together and decided that we were to come to-night, and in a large body; this is to impress the strangers within our land that, although war and strife, such as our sacred writings speak of, are unknown to us, still we can come before them in a formidable body and fight for our fair Land of On.”
“Are you mad, man?” asked Onrai. “What is this I hear? Are you talking of waging war against a handful of strangers, whom you ought to protect? Do you speak of war, that which has never been heard of in this land? Have the people of On gone mad with the advent of the storm?” and Onrai turned and strode up and down the terrace.
Mr. Bruce and Harry had come on to the terrace and now stood back with Mr. Graham but saying nothing, so alarmed were they over the new turn things had taken. The leader of the party said nothing for a few moments after the King had finished speaking the last time. He seemed convinced of the justice of the King’s remarks, but still he had a mission to perform and he was expected to carry it out to the letter. Again stepping forward, he said:
“We do not come to fight the few of another sphere, who are now here but to fight those of this race who might come to help them. These people came in the dead of night to our land; we know not how they came or whence they came and how should we know but that they could call to their assistance thousands of others. It is this possibility that we have prepared ourselves for.”
Onrai turned on the man almost savagely and said:
“Enough, now. I will listen to no more to-night. Begone, and find you quarters until morning, when I will meet you near here on the shore of the lake and hear these miserable complaints which you have to make. Discuss the matter well among yourselves to-night, but remember this, that I come to you to-morrow morning prepared to refute any statements which you may make against our guests. Your fears, whatever they are, are based on superstition and are simple. Now go and move away quietly, so as not to disturb the woman whom you come to war against.”