the spies and the secret meeting—the prime minister foiled by the prince.
the sun was setting, the air was balmy, the face of nature was beautiful, the insects and birds were buzzing, humming, and chirping happily, as if there were no such things as care and sorrow in the wide world, when soa, the prime minister’s nephew, with his guide, approached the forest in which was the cavern where the persecuted christians had arranged to hold their secret meeting.
“i am to go as a christian!” thought soa, as he walked on swiftly and in silence, “as a christian hypocrite and spy!”
the young man’s countenance relaxed into something like a smile as he thought thus; then it became solemnised as he offered the silent prayer, “lord, enable me to do the work honestly and well.”
the way was long, but the youth’s limbs were strong and agile, so that night had not long overspread the land when he reached the end of his journey. the night was unusually dark—well adapted for deeds of secrecy and crime. if it had been lighter the two spies would have seen a number of men and women, and even children, hurrying along stealthily in the same direction with themselves. they observed only two or three of these, however, who chanced to fall in their way. they loomed up suddenly like spectres out of the surrounding darkness and as quickly melted into it again. soa paid no attention to these apparitions, neither did he utter a word to his companion during the journey.
most of the way he kept a pace or two in advance of his guide, but when they reached the more intricate and broken grounds of the forest, he fell behind and suffered the other to lead.
at last the path wound so much among broken rocks and over steep knolls that their progress became very slow—all the more so that the overshadowing trees rendered the darkness profound. sometimes they had to clamber up steep places on hands and knees.
suddenly they were arrested by what seemed to them a faint cry or wail. listening intently, they perceived that the sounds were musical.
“the christians are singing,” said the spy in a tone which, low though it was, betrayed a touch of contempt. “they hold their meeting in a cave on the other side of this mound.”
“remain here, then, till i return to you,” said soa. “they know you to be a spy. they will not suppose that i have come in such a capacity.”
the man gave vent to a slight laugh at the supposed joke and sat down, while the courtier advanced alone.
on the other side of the mound the sounds which had reached the listeners’ ears as a wail now swelled upon the young man as a well-known hymn in which he had many times joined. a feeling of joy, almost amounting to triumph, filled his heart as he stood there listening. while he listened he observed several indistinct forms glide past him and enter the cave. he crept after them.
a strange sight met his eyes. the cave was so large and high that the single torch which burned in it merely lighted up a portion of the wall against which it was fixed. even in the immediate neighbourhood of the torch things were more or less indistinct, while all else was shrouded in darkness profound. here more than a hundred dusky figures were assembled—those furthest from the light melting, as it were, into the darkness, and leaving the imagination to people illimitable space with similar beings.
soa slipped in, and sat down on a jutting rock near the entrance just as the hymn was closing. few people observed him. immediately after, an old man who sat nearest the light rose to pray. beside him stood our friend ravonino. on the other side sat a young man with a remarkably intelligent countenance.
with intense earnestness and great simplicity the old man prayed, in the name of jesus, that the holy spirit might bless their meeting and deliver them from the power of their enemies. he also prayed with much emphasis that their enemies might be turned into christian friends—at which petition a loud “amen” arose from the worshippers.
“now totosy will speak,” said the old man, after a brief pause, turning to the young man with the intelligent countenance. “let the word be brought forth.”
“stop!” cried a man, rising in the midst of the crowd, “it may not be safe to bring out the word just now.”
“why not, my son?” asked the old man. “are not all here to-night our friends?”
“i think not,” returned the man. “as i came along i saw one of the queen’s spies, who is well-known to me. he was walking with the nephew of our deadly foe rainiharo, and soa himself sits there!”
he turned as he spoke, and pointed straight at soa, who rose at once and advanced to the front.
“my friends,” he said, in a gentle voice, “the last speaker is right. i am here, and i was led here by one of the queen’s spies. but the spy is not here. he awaits me outside. let two of your young men guard the entrance of the cave so that our conference may not be overheard.”
two stalwart youths rose at once and hurried to the outside of this primitive meeting-house, where they mounted guard.
“i have been sent,” continued soa, “by my uncle, with orders to enter your meeting ‘as a christian,’ take note of your names, and report them to him!”
there was a tendency on the part of some to shrink into the background on hearing this.
“now,” continued soa, “i have come to obey only part of his orders. i have come, as a christian, to warn you of the dangers that surround you. the queen is exceeding mad against you. it will be your wisest course to refrain from meeting together just now, and rest content with worshipping in your own homes. but let not this distress you, my friends. the god whom we love is able to turn darkness into light and to make crooked things straight. neither let it break up our meeting just now. we are safe at present. let us get out the word and enjoy the worship of our saviour while we may.”
there were murmurs of assent and satisfaction at the close of this brief address, and one of the young men, with grave—almost mysterious—looks, took up a small spade and went towards that part of the wall where ravonino sat. the latter rose to let the young men get at a particular spot, which was marked on the wall with a small—almost imperceptible—red square. here, after turning up a few spadefuls of earth, he struck upon a stone. lifting it, he disclosed a hole about a foot square. the old man who presided at the meeting thrust his hands into this hole and gently lifted out a thick volume, which he laid reverently upon a flat rock that formed a sort of natural table in front of him.
this was “the word” to which reference had been made—an old, much-soiled and worn malagasy bible, which had been buried there, so that, whatever might become of its christian owners, it might escape being found and condemned to the flames, as so many of its fellows had been.
it was a curious bible this, in more respects than one. in madagascar the bible was printed first in sections by the natives, under the superintendence of the missionaries; these sections got scattered, for teaching purposes, and various editions of different sizes were printed at different times. the original owner—if we may not call him fabricator—of the bible, now referred to as having been dug up in the cave, must, in his desire to possess the word of god complete, have been at considerable pains to secure every fragment and leaf that came in his way, and then had them all bound together. a clasp of leather and a european hook-and-eye fastened the edges. the different portions, of course, did not fit exactly, and some of the verses necessarily overlapped. nevertheless, a nearly complete and substantial bible was the result of his labours. see note 1.
taking up the treasured book with great care, the young man before mentioned by the name of totosy opened it and selected a text. “fear not, little flock, it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
from this he preached an admirable sermon, full of hope and consolation to men and women situated as his companions were at that time, and holding up jesus not only as the deliverer of the world from sin but from fear of physical death. strengthening of this sort, truly, was much-needed, for during the previous persecutions of 1837 and 1849 queen ranavalona had given terrible evidence of her fierce and relentless nature, so that christians were now well aware of what they had to expect if another cruel fit came upon her.
the sermon finished, another hymn was sung, followed by a prayer, after which, before finally breaking up and dispersing, the worshippers collected in various groups; and exclamations of surprise, joy, and fervent thanksgiving were heard, now and again, when friends who had parted as enemies on account of religious differences unexpectedly met as brothers in the lord.
it has ever been a result of persecution that the persecuted cause has made progress—naturally so, for trial and suffering winnow out the chaff and leave the good seed to flourish with increased vigour. few false professors attended those midnight meetings, which were so full of joy and danger, and none of these ever got the length of ranavalona’s fiery stakes or the fearful “rock of hurling.”
for fully a quarter of a century, (from 1836 to 1861), did the persecution of the native christians last in madagascar. during most of that dark period queen ranavalona the first endeavoured, by cruel prohibitive laws, torture, and death, to stamp out the love of christ from her dominions. through most of that period she tried to prevent her people from meeting for worship, praying to god in the name of christ, or reading the scriptures or any other christian book, and those who disobeyed her did so at the risk of losing property, liberty, or life. nevertheless, in spite of this, worship was kept up in secret—in secluded villages, in recesses of the forest, in caves, even in rice-holes; the word was read, faithful natives preached, and baptism and the lord’s supper were continuously observed. small portions of scripture—even leaves—were carefully treasured and passed from hand to hand until “these calamities” were past; and now, at the present time, the church in madagascar is ten times stronger than ever it was before!
of course active persecution was not maintained throughout the whole period of twenty-five years. the volcano smouldered at times. for brief periods it almost seemed as if about to become extinct, but at intervals it burst forth with renewed violence. at the time of which we write, (1857), there were mutterings of the volcano, and portents in the air which filled the persecuted ones, and those who loved them, with grave anxiety.
in a dark corner of the cavern soa and ravonino stood apart, after the service was over, and conversed in subdued tones.
“do you think the lives of my comrades are in danger?” asked the latter, anxiously.
“it is difficult to answer that,” replied soa. “the queen fears to offend the english by putting european subjects to death; but she is in a savage mood just now, and your friends have intermeddled with matters that they would have been wise to let alone. banishment is more likely to be their fate, but that will be almost equal to death.”
“how so?” asked ravonino.
“because ranavalona will probably treat them as she treated the europeans who lately tried to overthrow her government. she sent them down to the coast with orders to their conductors to keep them so long on the way—especially on the unhealthy fever-stricken parts of the route—that sickness might have time to kill them.”
“and was the plan successful?”
“not quite, for the white people turned out to be tough. they managed to get away from our island alive, but in a state of health, i believe, that will very likely prevent them from ever wishing to return!”
“i have much love for these men,” said ravonino, after a pause. “you have influence with rainiharo. can you not befriend them?”
“i shall have little influence now with my uncle,” returned soa, sadly, “for i am a christian, and he will soon discover that. but i will help them if i can—for your sake.”
“and rafaravavy,” said ravonino, in a lower voice, “do you think she can be induced to fly? if she were brought to me here, i should have little difficulty in taking her to a place of safety.”
“the difficulties in your way are greater than you suppose,” said soa. “the queen’s spies and soldiers are out all over the land. even now, were it not that i am your friend and brother in jesus, you would have been caught here as in a trap. besides, there is the greater difficulty that rafaravavy is filled with fidelity to her royal mistress, and pities her so much that she will not leave her. you know that she openly confesses christ in the palace, yet so great is the queen’s regard for her that she will not listen to my uncle, who would gladly see her tossed over the ‘rock of hurling.’ i had converse with her the other day, and i see that she even hopes to be the instrument of the queen’s conversion to christianity.”
“god bless her!” exclaimed ravonino, fervently.
“amen!” returned soa, “and i doubt not that the blessing will come, though it may not come in the way we hope. it is no easy matter to say ‘thy will be done’ when we are suffering.”
“prince rakota has done much for the christians in time past,” urged poor ravonino, who felt that all hope of delivering the girl he loved, at the present time, from the dangers that surrounded her was gradually slipping away from him; “surely he can and will protect her.”
“i fear he has not the power,” answered soa. “he has interfered in behalf of the christians so often of late that the queen is losing patience; and you know that if she once gives way to her cruel rage, the life of rakota himself is not safe. but, you may trust me, my friend; i will do my best to move him to aid you—and your friends also.”
most of the people had left the cave while these two were conversing, with the understanding that they were not to return, as it was no longer a safe retreat. another and more distant rendezvous was, however, appointed; the treasured bible was not restored to its old place of concealment, but carried off by totosy, the young preacher, to be reburied in a new place of refuge.
“do you follow them?” asked soa of ravonino, when the others had all gone and they were about to part.
“no. my companions will come here expecting to find me if they escape. i must remain, whatever befalls. if the soldiers come, i will see them before they arrive, and give them the slip. if they give chase they will find it troublesome to catch me!”
when soa returned to the city he went straight to the apartments of the prime minister, whom he found impatiently awaiting him.
“you have been long,” said the latter.
“the distance is great,” replied the nephew.
“well?” exclaimed the uncle, inquiringly.
“you ordered me to act as a christian,” returned the young man, with a slight smile, “and you know it takes time to do that.”
“true—true. and you have brought me the list?”
“no, uncle.”
“what mean you, boy?”
“i mean that i have obeyed your first command; i have been to the christian meeting as a christian.”
a puzzled, inquiring look overspread the premier’s countenance.
“well, what then?”
“well, then, of course i acted the part of a christian to the best of my power. i told them why i had been sent, warned them of the evil intended them, and advised them to escape for their lives; but, as no immediate danger was to be feared, i joined them in their worship.”
“and you have brought no list?”
“none.”
rainiharo’s visage, while his nephew spoke, was a sight to behold; for the conflicting emotions aroused produced a complexity of expression that is quite indescribable.
“young man!” he said, sternly, “you have disobeyed my orders. why have you done this? your head must fall, for you show that you are a christian.”
with great simplicity and gentleness soa said:
“yes, my uncle, i am a christian; and if you please you may put me to death, for i do pray to jesus.”
utterly confounded by this straightforward and fearless reply, rainiharo stood for some moments gazing in silent wonder at the youth who thus calmly stood prepared to abide the consequences of his confession. at first it almost seemed as if, in his anger, he would with his own hand, then and there, inflict the punishment he threatened; but once again, as in the case of ranavalona, love proved more powerful than anger.
“no, no, boy,” he said, turning away with a wave of his hand, as if to dismiss the subject finally, “you shall not die. it is a delusion. you deceive yourself. go. leave me!”
soa obeyed, and went straight to the apartment of prince rakota to relate to that fast friend and comrade his recent adventures, and consult with him about the dark cloud that threatened to burst in persecution over the unhappy land.
note 1. a bible of the kind here described may now be seen in the museum of the british and foreign bible society, 146 queen victoria street, london, just as it was dug up out of the earth, where it had been buried by christian natives who probably perished in the persecutions. the new testament bears the date of 1830, the old testament that of 1835.
