CHAPTER XIX
THE WONDERS OF THE "AMIR"
We were drawn on cars up to the first terraced street, and here wefound the vast multitude which we had seen from a distance. Crossingthis street, we ascended and came to another precisely like it; then,still going on, we came to a third. Here there was an immense space,not overgrown with trees like the streets, but perfectly open. In themidst arose a lofty pyramid, and as I looked at it I could not refrainfrom shuddering; for it looked like the public altar, upon which indue time I should be compelled to make my appearance, and be offeredup as a victim to the terrific superstitions of the Kosekin.
Crossing this great square, we came to a vast portal, which openedinto a cavern with twinkling lights. The city itself extended abovethis, for we could see the terraced streets rising above our heads;but here our progress ended at the great cavern in the chief square,opposite the pyramid.
On entering the cavern we traversed an antechamber, and then passingon we reached a vast dome, of dimensions so great that I couldperceive no end in that gloom. The twinkling lights served only todisclose the darkness and to indicate the immensity of the cavern. Inthe midst there arose two enormous columns, which were lost in thegloom above.
It was only by passing through this that we learned its great extent.We at length came to the other end, and here we saw numerous passagesleading away. The Kohen led us through one of these, and after passingthrough several other domes of smaller dimensions we at length reachedan apartment where we stopped. This place was furnished with couchesand hangings, and lighted with flaming lamps. The light wasdistressing to those who had accompanied us, and many of them left,while the few who remained had to cover their eyes. Here we found thatall preparations had been made. The apartments were all illuminated,though our love of light never ceased to be a matter of amazement tothe Kosekin, and a bounteous repast was spread for us. But the Kohenand the others found the light intolerable, and soon left us toourselves.
After the repast some women appeared to take Almah to her chamber,and, with the usual kindness of the Kosekin, they assured her that shewould not be expected to obey the law of separation, but that she wasto remain here, where she would be always within reach of me.
After her departure there came to visit me the lowest man in all theland of the Kosekin, though, according to our view, he would beesteemed the highest. This was the Kohen Gadol. His historyhad already been told me. I had learned that through lack of Kosekinvirtue he had gradually sunk to this position, and now was compelledto hold in his hands more wealth, power, and display than any otherman in the nation.
He was a man of singular appearance. The light was not so troublesometo him as to the others--he merely kept his eyes shaded; but heregarded me with a keen look of inquiry that was suggestive ofshrewdness and cunning. I confess it was with a feeling of reliefthat I made this discovery; for I longed to find someone among thissingular people who was selfish, who feared death, who loved life, wholoved riches, and had something in common with me. This I thought Iperceived in the shrewd, cunning face of the Kohen Gadol, and I wasglad; for I saw that while he could not possibly be more dangerous tome than those self-sacrificing, self-denying cannibals whom I had thusfar known, he might prove of some assistance, and might help me todevise means of escape. If I could only find someone who was a coward,and selfish and avaricious--if this Kohen Gadol could but be he--howmuch brighter my life would be! And so there happened to me anincredible thing, that my highest wish was now to find in the KohenGadol cowardice, avarice, and selfishness.
The Kohen was accompanied by a young female, richly attired, who, Iafterward learned, was his daughter. Her name was Layelah, and shefilled the office of Malca, which signifies queen; and thoughhonorable with us above all, is among the Kosekin the lowest in theland. Layelah was so beautiful that I looked at her in amazement. Shewas very tall for one of the Kosekin, which made her stature equalto that of an ordinary girl with us; her hair was rich, dark andluxuriant, gathered about her head in great masses and bound by agolden band. Her features were delicate and perfect in their outline;her expression was noble and commanding. Her eyes were utterly unlikethose of the other Kosekin; the upper lids had a slight droop, butthat was all, and that was the nearest approach to the national blink.Her first entrance into the room seemed to dazzle her, and she shadedher eyes for a few moments, but after that she looked at me fixedly,and seemed to suffer no more inconvenience than I did. The perfectliberty of women among the Kosekin made this visit from her quite asnatural as that of her father; and though she said but little on thisoccasion, she was an attentive listener and close observer.
Their visit was long, for they were evidently full of curiosity. Theyhad heard much about me and wished to see more. It was the first timethat I had found among the Kosekin the slightest desire to know whereI had come from. Hitherto all had been content with the knowledgethat I was a foreigner. Now, however, I found in the Kohen Gadol andLayelah a curiosity that was most eager and intense. They questionedme about my country, about the great world beyond the mountains, aboutthe way in which I had come here, about the manners and customs of mycountrymen. They were eager to know about those great nations of whichI spoke, who loved light and life; about men who loved themselvesbetter than others; of that world where men feared death and lovedlife, and sought after riches and lived in the light.
The sleeping-time came and passed, and my visitors were still full ofeager questionings. It was Layelah who at last thought of the latenessof the hour. At a word from her the Kohen Gadol rose, with manyapologies, and prepared to go. But before he left he said:
"When I was a child I was shipwrecked, and was taken up a ship whichconveyed me to a nation beyond the sea. There I grew up to manhood. Ilearned their language and manners and customs, and when I returnedhome I found myself an alien here: I do not love darkness or death, Ido not hate riches, and the result is that I am what I am. If I werelike the rest of my countrymen, my lot would make me miserable; but asit is I prefer it to any other, and consider myself not the lowest butthe greatest in the land. My daughter is like me, and instead of beingashamed of her station she is proud of it, and would not give it upeven to become a pauper. I will see you again. I have much to say."
With these words the Kohen Gadol retired, followed by Layelah, leavingme more hopeful than I had been for a long time.
For many joms following I received visits from the Kohen Gadol andfrom Layelah. Almah was with me until sleeping-time, and then theseother visitors would come. In this, at least, they resembled the otherKosekin, that they never dreamed of interfering with Almah when shemight wish to be with me. Their visits were always long, and wehad much to say; but what I lost of sleep I always made up on thefollowing jom. The Kohen Gadol, with his keen, shrewd face,interested me greatly; but Layelah, with her proud face and air ofcommand, was a positive wonder.
I soon learned that the Kohen Gadol was what we term "a man ofadvanced views," or perhaps a "Reformer," or a "Philosophic Radical,"it matters not which; suffice it to say that his ideas and feelingsdiffered from those of his nation, and if carried out would be equalto a revolution in politics and morals.
The Kohen Gadol advocated selfishness as the true law of life, withoutwhich no state can prosper. There were a few of similar views, butthey were all regarded with great contempt by the multitude, and hadto suffer the utmost rigor of the law; for they were all endowed withvast wealth, compelled to live in the utmost splendor and luxury, tohave enormous retinues, and to wield the chief power in politics andin religion. Even this, however, had not changed the sentiments ofthe condemned, and I learned that they were laboring incessantly,notwithstanding their severe punishment, to disseminate their peculiardoctrines. These were formulated as follows:
1. A man should not love others better than himself. 2. Life is not an evil to be got rid of. 3. Other things are to be preferred to death. 4. Poverty is not the best state for man. 5. Unrequited love is not the greatest happiness. 6. Lovers may
sometimes marry. 7. To serve is not more honorable than to command. 8. Defeat is not more glorious than victory. 9. To save a life should not be regarded as a criminal offence. 10. The paupers should be forced to take a certain amount of wealth, to relieve the necessities of the rich.
These articles were considered both by the Kohen Gadol and by Layelahto be remarkable for their audacity, and were altogether too advancedfor mention by any except the chosen few. With the multitude he had todeal differently, and had to work his way by concealing his opinions.He had made a great conspiracy, in which he was still engaged, and hadgained immense numbers of adherents by allowing them to give him theirwhole wealth. Through his assistance many Athons and Kohens and Melekshad become artisans laborers, and even paupers; but all were bound byhim to the strictest secrecy. If anyone should divulge the secret, itwould be ruin to him and to many others; for they would at once bepunished by the bestowal of the extremest wealth, by degradation tothe rank of rulers and commanders, and by the severest rigors ofluxury, power, splendor, and magnificence known among the Kosekin.Overwhelmed thus with the cares of government, crushed under theweight of authority and autocratic rule, surrounded by countlessslaves all ready to die for them, their lives would be embitteredand their punishment would be more than they could bear. But thephilosophic Kohen Gadol dared all these punishments, and pursued hisway calmly and pertinaciously.
Nothing surprised the Kohen Gadol so much as the manner in which Ireceived his confidences. He half expected to startle me by hisboldness, but was himself confounded by my words. I told him that inmy country self was the chief consideration, self-preservation the lawof nature; death the King of Terrors; wealth the object of universalsearch, poverty the worst of evils; unrequited love nothing less thananguish and despair; to command others the highest glory; victory,honor; defeat, intolerable shame; and other things of the same sort,all of which sounded in his ears, as he said, with such tremendousforce that they were like peals of thunder. He shook his headdespondently; he could not believe that such views as mine could everbe attained to among the Kosekin. But Layelah was bolder, and with alla woman's impetuosity grasped at my fullest meaning and held it firm.
"He is right," said Layelah--"the heaven-born Atam-or. He shall be ourteacher. The rich shall be esteemed, the poor shall be down-trodden;to rule over others shall be glorious, to serve shall be base; victoryshall be an honor, defeat a shame; selfishness, self-seeking, luxury,and indulgence shall be virtues; poverty, want, and squalor shall bethings of abhorrence and contempt."
The face of Layelah glowed with enthusiasm as she said these words,and I saw in her a daring, intrepid, and high-hearted woman, full of awoman's headlong impetuosity and disregard of consequences. In me shesaw one who seemed to her like a prophet and teacher of a new orderof things, and her whole soul responded to the principles which Iannounced. It required immense strength of mind and firmness of soulto separate herself from the prevalent sentiment of her nation; andthough nature had done much for her in giving her a larger portion oforiginal selfishness than was common to her people, still she was achild of the Kosekin, and her daring was all the more remarkable. Andso she went further than her father, and adopted my extreme views whenhe shrank back, and dared more unflinchingly the extremest rigors ofthe national law, and all that the Kosekin could inflict in the way ofwealth, luxury, supreme command, palatial abodes, vast retinues ofslaves, and the immense degradation of the queenly office.
I spoke to her in a warning voice about her rashness.
"Oh," said she, "I have counted the cost, and am ready to accept allthat they can inflict. I embrace the good cause, and will not give itup--no, not even if they could increase my wealth a thousand-fold,and sentence me to live a hundred seasons. I can bear their utmostinflictions of wealth, power, magnificence; I could even bear beingcondemned to live forever in the light. Oh, my friend, it is theconviction of right and the support of conscience that strengthens oneto bear the greatest evils that man can inflict."
From these words it was evident to me that Layelah was a true child ofthe Kosekin; for though she was of advanced sentiments she still usedthe language of her people, and spoke of the punishments of the law asthough they were punishments in reality. Now, to me and to Almah theseso-called punishments seemed rewards.
It was impossible for me to avoid feeling a very strong regard forthis enthusiastic and beautiful girl; all the more, indeed, becauseshe evinced such an undisguised admiration for me. She evidentlyconsidered me some superior being, from some superior race; andalthough my broken and faulty way of speaking the language wassomething of a trial, still she seemed to consider every word Iuttered as a maxim of the highest wisdom. The tritest of truths, thecommonest of platitudes, the most familiar of proverbs or old sawscurrent among us were eagerly seized by Layelah, and accepted astruths almost divine--as new doctrines for the guidance of the humanrace. These she would discuss with me; she would put them into betterand more striking language, and ask for my opinion. Then she wouldwrite them down.
For the Kosekin knew the art of writing. They had an alphabet of theirown, which was at once simple and very scientific. There were novowels, but only consonant sounds, the vowels being supplied inreading, just as if one should write the words fthr or dghtr, andread them father and daughter. Their letters were as follows: P, K, T,B, G, D, F, Ch, Th, M, L, N, S, H, R. There were also three others,which have no equivalents in English.
It soon became evident to me that Layelah had a complete ascendancyover her father; that she was not only the Malca of the amir, butthe presiding spirit and the chief administrative genius of the wholenation of the Kosekin. She seemed to be a new Semiramis--one who mightrevolutionize an empire and introduce a new order of things. Such,indeed, was her high ambition, and she plainly avowed it to me; butwhat was more, she frankly informed me that she regarded me as aHeaven-sent teacher--as one who in this darkness could tell her of thenations of light--who could instruct her in the wisdom of other andgreater races, and help her to accomplish her grand designs.
As for Almah, she seemed quite beneath the notice of the aspiringLayelah. She never noticed her, she never spoke of her, and she alwaysmade her visits to me after Almah had gone.
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