Seeing that it would be fruitless talking to the old chief while he was in this frame of mind, Captain Vane left him and returned to his own hut, where he found Chingatok and Leo engaged in earnest conversation—Alf and Benjy being silent listeners.
“I’m glad you’ve come, uncle,” said Leo, making room for him on the turf seat, “because Chingatok and I are discussing the subject of war; and—”
“A strange coincidence,” interrupted the Captain. “I have just been discussing the same subject with old Amalatok. I hope that in showing the evils of war you are coming better speed with the son than I did with the father.”
“As to that,” said Leo, “I have no difficulty in showing Chingatok the evils of war. He sees them clearly enough already. The trouble I have with him is to explain the Bible on that subject. You see he has got a very troublesome inquiring sort of mind, and ever since I have told him that the Bible is the Word of God he won’t listen to my explanations about anything. He said to me in the quietest way possible, just now, ‘Why do you give me your reasons when you tell me the Great Spirit has given His? I want to know what He says.’ Well, now, you know, it is puzzling to be brought to book like that, and I doubt if Anders translates well. You understand and speak the language, uncle, better than he does, I think, so I want you to help me.”
“I’ll try, Leo, though I am ashamed to say I am not so well read in the Word myself as I ought to be. What does Chingatok want to know?”
“He wants to reconcile things, of course. That is always the way. Now I told him that the Great Spirit is good, and does not wish men to go to war, and that He has written for us a law, namely, that we should ‘live peaceably with all men.’ Chingatok liked this very much, but then I had told him before, that the Great Spirit had told His ancient people the Jews to go and fight His enemies, and take possession of their lands. Now he regards this as a contradiction. He says—How can a man live peaceably with all men, and at the same time go to war with some men, kill them, and take their lands?”
“Ah! Leo, my boy, your difficulty in answering the Eskimo lies in your own partial quotation of Scripture,” said the Captain. Then, turning to Chingatok, he added, “My young friend did not give you the whole law—only part of it. The word is written thus:— ‘if it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.’ Some times it is not possible, Chingatok; then we must fight. But the law says keep from fighting ‘as much as you can.’ Mind that, Chingatok, and if you are ever induced to go to war for the sake of a little island—for the sake of a little insult,—don’t flatter yourself that you are keeping out of it as much as lieth in you.”
“Good, good,” said the giant, earnestly; “Blackbeard’s words are wise.”
“As to the people of God in the long past,” continued the Captain, “God told them to go to war, so they went; but that does not authorise men to go to war at their own bidding. What is right in the Great Father of all may be very wrong in the children. God kills men every day, and we do not blame Him, but if man kills his fellow we hunt him down as a murderer. In the long past time the Great Father spoke to His children by His wise and holy men, and sometimes He saw fit to tell them to fight. With His reasons we have nothing to do. Now, the Great Father speaks to us by His Book. In it He tells us to live in peace with all men—if possible.”
“Good,” said the giant with an approving nod, though a perplexed expression still lingered on his face. “But the Great Father has never before spoken to me by His Book—never at all to my forefathers.”