"Is that the costume of the priests of your religion, OBastin?" she asked, surveying his dishevelled form."If so, you were better without it."Then Bastin retired to straighten his tie, and grabbing his coat from Bickley, who handed it to him with a malicious smile, forced his perspiring arms into it in a peculiarly awkward and elephantine fashion.
Meanwhile Bickley and I produced two camp chairs which we had made ready, and on these the wondrous pair seated themselves side by side.
"We have come to learn," said Oro."Teach!""Not so, Father," interrupted Yva, who, I noted, was clothed in yet a third costume, though whence these came I could not imagine."First I would ask a question.Whence are you, Strangers, and how came you here?""We are from the country called England and a great storm shipwrecked us here; that, I think, which raised the mouth of the cave above the level of this rock," I answered.
"The time appointed having come when it should be raised," said Oro as though to himself.
"Where is England?" asked Yva.
Now among the books we had with us was a pocket atlas, quite a good one of its sort.By way of answer I opened it at the map of the world and showed her England.Also I showed, to within a thousand miles or so, that spot on the earth's surface where we spoke together.
The sight of this atlas excited the pair greatly.They had not the slightest difficulty in understanding everything about it and the shape of the world with its division into hemispheres seemed to be quite familiar to them.What appeared chiefly to interest them, and especially Oro, were the relative areas and positions of land and sea.
"Of this, Strangers," he said, pointing to the map, "I shall have much to say to you when I have studied the pictures of your book and compared them with others of my own.""So he has got maps," said Bickley in English, "as well as star charts.I wonder where he keeps them.""With his clothes, I expect," suggested Bastin.
Meanwhile Oro had hidden the atlas in his ample robe and motioned to his daughter to proceed.
"Why do you come here from England so far away?" the Lady Yva asked, a question to which each of us had an answer.
"To see new countries," I said.
"Because the cyclone brought us," said Bickley.
"To convert the heathen to my own Christian religion," said Bastin, which was not strictly true.
It was on this.last reply that she fixed.
"What does your religion teach?" she asked.
"It teaches that those who accept it and obey its commands will live again after death for ever in a better world where is neither sorrow nor sin," he answered.
When he heard this saying I saw Oro start as though struck by a new thought and look at Bastin with a curious intentness.
"Who are the heathen?" Yva asked again after a pause, for she also seemed to be impressed.
"All who do not agree with Bastin's spiritual views," answered Bickley.
"Those who, whether from lack of instruction or from hardness of heart, do not follow the true faith.For instance, I suppose that your father and you are heathen," replied Bastin stoutly.
This seemed to astonish them, but presently Yva caught his meaning and smiled, while Oro said:
"Of this great matter of faith we will talk later.It is an old question in the world.""Why," went on Yva, "if you wished to travel so far did you come in a ship that so easily is wrecked? Why did you not journey through the air, or better still, pass through space, leaving your bodies asleep, as, being instructed, doubtless you can do?""As regards your first question," I answered, "there are no aircraft known that can make so long a journey.""And as regards the second," broke in Bickley, "we did not do so because it is impossible for men to transfer themselves to other places through space either with or without their bodies.".
At this information the Glittering Lady lifted her arched eyebrows and smiled a little, while Oro said:
"I perceive that the new world has advanced but a little way on the road of knowledge."Fearing that Bastin was about to commence an argument, I began to ask questions in my turn.
"Lord Oro and Lady Yva," I said, "we have told you something of ourselves and will tell you more when you desire it.But pardon us if first we pray you to tell us what we burn to know.Who are you? Of what race and country? And how came it that we found you sleeping yonder?""If it be your pleasure, answer, my Father," said Yva.
Oro thought a moment, then replied in a calm voice:
"I am a king who once ruled most of the world as it was in my day, though it is true that much of it rebelled against me, my councillors and servants.Therefore I destroyed the world as it was then, save only certain portions whence life might spread to the new countries that I raised up.Having done this I put myself and my daughter to sleep for a space of two hundred and fifty thousand years, that there might be time for fresh civilisations to arise.Now I begin to think that I did not allot a sufficiency of ages, since I perceive from what you tell me, that the learning of the new races is as yet but small."Bickley and I looked at each other and were silent.Mentally we had collapsed.Who could begin to discuss statements built upon such a foundation of gigantic and paralysing falsehoods?
Well, Bastin could for one.With no more surprise in his voice than if he were talking about last night's dinner, he said:
"There must be a mistake somewhere, or perhaps I misunderstand you.It is obvious that you, being a man, could not have destroyed the world.That could only be done by the Power which made it and you."I trembled for the results of Bastin's methods of setting out the truth.To my astonishment, however, Oro replied: