“It was damned plucky of the nigger,” said Peter; “but I’ve heard of their doing that sort of thing before. Even of a girl who wouldn’t tell where her mistress was, and getting killed. But,” he added doubtfully, “all your company seem to be niggers or to get killed?”
“They are of all races,” said the stranger. “In a city in the old Colony is one of us, small of stature and small of voice. It came to pass on a certain Sunday morning, when the men and women were gathered before him, that he mounted his pulpit: and he said when the time for the sermon came, ‘In place that I should speak to you, I will read you a history.’ And he opened an old book more than two thousand years old: and he read: ‘Now it came to pass that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
“‘And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seemeth good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.
“‘And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my father unto thee.
“‘And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken unto him; for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers.’
“The man read the whole story until it was ended. Then he closed the book, and he said, ‘My friends, Naboth has a vineyard in this land; and in it there is much gold; and Ahab has desired to have it that the wealth may be his.’
“And he put the old book aside, and he took up another which was written yesterday. And the men and women whispered one to another, even in the church, ‘Is not that the Blue Book Report of the Select Committee of the Cape Parliament on the Jameson raid?’
“And the man said, ‘Friends, the first story I have read you is one of the oldest stories of the world: the story I am about to read you is one of the newest. Truth is not more truth because it is three thousand years old, nor is it less truth because it is of yesterday. All books which throw light on truth are God’s books, therefore I shall read to you from the pages before me. Shall the story of Ahab king of Samaria profit us when we know not the story of the Ahabs of our day; and the Naboths of our land be stoned while we sit at east?’ And he read to them portions of that book. And certain rich men and women rose up and went out even while he spoke, and his wife also went out.
“And when the service was ended and the man returned to his home, his wife came to him weeping; and she said, ‘Did you see how some of the most wealthy and important people got up and went out this morning? Why did you preach such a sermon, when we were just going to have the new wing added to our house, and you thought they were going to raise your salary? You have not a single Boer in your congregation! Why need you say the Chartered Company raid on Johannesburg was wrong?’
“He said, ‘My wife, if I believe that certain men whom we have raised on high, and to whom we have given power, have done a cowardly wrong, shall I not say it?’