King Solomon's Treasure

Chapter 18 Miracle Appearance (1)
For about two hours, we just sat quietly like this, and when we recalled the horrible scene just now, we still have lingering fears in our hearts.We didn't intend to sleep for a while until a few gleams of dawn appeared in the east.At this moment, only the sound of footsteps was heard, and then the voice of the guard at the door questioning. Although it was not clear, it was obvious that the password had been passed, and the sound of footsteps was getting closer.A few seconds later Inverdus came in, followed by six dignified chiefs.

"The gods," he said, "I have come as promised. The gods, Aegnus, the true king of Kukuana, I have brought them." He pointed to the chiefs standing in a row. "They are all great. Men, each with three thousand soldiers sworn to die, second only to the king. I have been told what I have seen and heard. Agnus, now show them also the sacred serpent, Tell me about your experience. So they can decide whether to help you overthrow Tewala."

So Agnus took off the short apron again, revealing the snake pattern around his waist.The chiefs stepped forward in turn, inspected it carefully under the dim light, and then stepped aside without saying a word.

Agnus put on his short apron and told the chiefs again the story he had told in the morning.

"Now you have heard, chiefs," said Inverdus, "do you have anything to say? Would you like to help this young man take back his throne? Tewala is brutal and resentful, and the people in this land The blood of innocent people is everywhere. You saw it tonight. I was going to discuss this with the other two chiefs. Where are they now? Their dead bodies have been eaten by hyenas. If we don't now Rebel, their today is our tomorrow. Brothers, please make a decision."

The oldest of the six was a white-haired old man with a short stature and a strong physique. He took a step forward and replied:
"This is true, Inverdus, and the whole country is complaining. My own brother was also executed tonight. But this matter is of great importance. How can we be sure that his identity is true or false based on a pattern and one-sided words? How can you feel safe to work for such an unknown person? In my opinion, the matter is of great importance and the outcome is unpredictable. But one thing is certain, once we rebel against Tewara, a bloody battle will inevitably be inevitable. Many people still Will serve the king, for the people worship the sun that still hangs in the sky, not the sun that has not yet risen. These white men from the stars are strong in magic, let them give us a miracle, so that everyone can understand so that people will know that white man's magic will protect them and stand by us."

"You have seen the snake pattern." I replied.

"God, this is not enough. As long as a person is born, he can have a snake tattoo. We want a miracle. We will not act without warning." Others also echoed, with a firm attitude.I looked at Sir Henry and Goode in bewilderment, and told them my present difficulty.

"I have an idea," Goode said excitedly, "give them time to think about it." I told the Chief what he had said, and they left.As soon as they left, Goode took out the small medicine chest, opened the lid, and took out a notebook, the first page of which was an almanac. "Look here, guys, isn't tomorrow the Fourth of June?" We'd been keeping track of the date carefully, so we nodded in affirmation. "Very well, look here, 'June [-]th, at [-]:[-] GMT, there will be a total solar eclipse visible from Africa and beyond.' Isn't that a ready-made miracle? Tell them tomorrow you will make The sun goes dark."

The idea is great, the only concern is if Goode's almanac is accurate.If the prophecy fails, our prestige will be discredited, and Agnus will never have a chance to retake the throne.

"What if the annual calendar is wrong?" Sir Henry said to Goode, who was busy calculating something on the blank page.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Goode replied. "Generally speaking, eclipses are on time. At least in my experience. Besides, it's written in the almanac that Africa is visible. Although we don't know our exact position, I figured out the time though. Appears at about one o'clock tomorrow and lasts until 02:30. It's completely dark for about an hour and a half."

"Very well," said Sir Henry, "let us take a chance."

Eclipses are hard to grasp, in my opinion.But despite my doubts, I agreed.So I sent Ambopa to gather some chiefs.Soon they came, and I said to them:

"Great men of Kukuana, and you, Inverdus, listen carefully. We do not like to display divine powers indiscriminately, because doing so would disrupt the laws of nature and plunge the world into fear and chaos, but this time The stakes are high, we've been enraged by Tewara's brutality, and Jagul nearly killed our friend Agnus, so we've decided to make a show of our power for all to see. Come here," I told them to go At the door, he pointed to the rising red sun and said, "What did you see?"

"We have seen the rising sun," replied the elder chief.

"Yes. Now tell me, can mortals take down the sun and turn noon into night?"

The chief smiled and said, "No, god, no one can do it. The power of the sun is unmatched."

"You think so. But I want to tell you that one hour after noon today, we will temporarily take off the sun for an hour, and then darkness will cover the earth. This is the miracle we will show to prove that Aignus He is the real king of Kukuana. I wonder if this will satisfy you?"

"Of course you are satisfied, God," the old chief smiled, and the others also laughed, "If you really do it, we have nothing to say."

"It will be done. The three of us: Inchub the Elephant, Bugwan with the Transparent Eyes, and Maku Mazahn, the Guardian of the Night, will do what we say. Do you understand, Inverdus?"

"Understood, God. But the fact you said is too incredible. The sun is the father of all things, and it is immortal."

"We have our way, Inverdus."

"Okay, gods. After noon today, Taiwala will invite the gods to enjoy the dance together. An hour after the dance begins, Taiwala will choose the most beautiful girl among them, and order Skaga to kill her as a sacrifice Dedicated to the silent mountain god who guards the mountains." He pointed to the three strange-shaped peaks at the end of Solomon's Avenue, "When the time comes, ask the gods to cover the sun and save the girl's life, then the people of Kukuana will definitely believe it. "

"Yes," said the old chief with a smile on his face, "the people of Kukuana will definitely believe it."

"Two miles from Loo," continued Inverdus, "is a hill in the shape of a crescent, which is a fortress, where my troops and those of the other three chiefs here are stationed. This morning we shall discuss our plans , Send two or three more troops to go there. If the gods are really successful, we will take the gods out of Lucheng in the dark and send them to that fortress. It is safe there, and then we can declare war on Taiwala."

"That's right," I said, "let's sleep for a while now, and prepare to display our powers."

Inverdus stood up, saluted, and left with the chiefs.

"My friends," Agnus asked anxiously as soon as they left, "can you really do such a miraculous thing? Or are you just deceiving them?"

"We can do it, Ambopa, no, Agnus."

"It's incredible," he replied. "If you were not English, I would never believe anything you say. But English gentlemen keep their word. If you can get through this, I will reward you!"

"Agnus," said Sir Henry, "promise me one thing."

"Tell me, I will agree to anything." The tall Ambopa replied with a smile, "What is it?"

"If you become king, you must abolish the absurd behavior of the witch hunt last night. You cannot kill innocent people without trial."

After hearing my translation, Agnus thought for a while and replied:
"Inchub, black people don't behave in the same way as white people. We don't value our lives as much as yours. But I promise you. If I had the right to do it, I would abolish witch hunts, and I wouldn't do it without trial. kill."

"It's settled," said Sir Henry, "and now we're going to rest for a while."

We were all exhausted and soon fell into a deep sleep.About eleven o'clock Agnus woke us up.After waking up, we washed up, had a hearty breakfast, and didn't know when we would have the next meal.We walked out of the house and looked up at the sun, only to find that the sun was high and there was no sign of a total solar eclipse. We couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"Hopefully there will be a total solar eclipse," said Sir Henry suspiciously. "If the prophecy fails, we will be in danger."

"If the total solar eclipse does not appear, we will be finished soon." I said sadly. "Once it is known that we are mortals, there will be a chief who will tell the king. At that time, it will not be the sun that disappears, but us." life."

Back in the house, we put on the armor given by the king.As soon as we were dressed, the emissary sent by Taiwala arrived and informed us to attend the annual grand maiden ball.

Following Inverdus' advice, we carried our rifles and ammunition in case of accident.Although trembling in our hearts, we mustered up the courage and set off boldly.The ball was held in the square in front of the palace.Compared with the previous night, the scene in the square today is completely different.Rows of majestic soldiers turned into groups of Kukuana girls. Although they were not dressed gorgeously, each wore a wreath, held a palm leaf in one hand, and a big lily in the other.In the center of the square sat Taivala, Gagul squatting at his feet, and behind him stood Inverdus, Skarga, and about a dozen soldiers.There were also more than 20 chiefs, most of whom I had met last night.

Tewala greeted us with an outward solemnity, but I saw his one eye staring viciously at Umbopa.

"Welcome, white friends from the stars," he said, "Today you will see a very different scene from last night, but it is still very exciting. The girls are lovely, without them," he said, pointing around "There is no us. But men are better than women. Women's kisses and sweet words are delightful, but men's guns and guns and the smell of blood are more intoxicating! White people, do you want to choose some of them?" If you want, just pick the most beautiful one here, and pick as many as you want." He paused, waiting for our answer.

Taiwala's words made Goode a little tempted.Like most sailors, he is easily emotional.And I am older and more sensible, knowing that women are the bane and will cause countless troubles, so I quickly replied: "Thank you, the king. But we white men only marry white women. These girls are very beautiful, not suitable for us !"

The king smiled: "Okay then. There is a saying in our country that 'No matter what skin color, a woman's eyes are equally attractive', and there is a saying that 'The woman in front of you is the one who loves you the most'. But it is different in the stars. Never mind. In white land, anything is possible. So be it, white. I don't push you. Girls don't beg for your love! Welcome again, white friends, and you, the black man. If no white man stopped Jagul, you would be a cold corpse by now. You are lucky because you also came from the stars. Haha!"

"Your Majesty, before you kill me, I can take your life." Agnus replied calmly, "I'm afraid you will die before I die."

Tewala was taken aback. "You're being rude, boy," he said angrily. "Don't be so self-righteous."

(End of this chapter)