Oftentimes I made mistakes.For instance, what seemed to interest them enormously was the story of how Moses struck the rock and obtained a miraculous supply of water.Anything in the way of fresh water procured in the desert interested them keenly.Only, unfortunately, they floored me by asking me to accomplish a similar miracle!
Another Bible story which brought me some discomfiture was about Balaam and his ass.Now, when I decided to tell the story of Balaam, I knew from experience that if I mentioned an "ass," that animal would require all kinds of tedious explanation, which would probably result in needless mystification and consequent suspicion;so I boldly plunged into the story of BALAAM AND HIS KANGAROO! But what staggered the blacks altogether was that Balaam's kangaroo should be able to speak.Now, it seems that a talking animal is the greatest possible joke known to the blacks, and so my narrative was greeted with uproarious mirth; and my "impossible" story even spread from tribe to tribe.I found it was no use telling the blacks anything they could not readily comprehend.
One day I told them about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and brimstone, and this again landed me in disaster, for I was promptly asked how could any one, Great Spirit or other, burn up THE STONES of which the houses were composed? And, of course, each instance of this kind would be pounced upon by a tribal medicine-man or some other jealous enemy, and used to discredit me.A few days after telling the Sodom and Gomorrah story, I was on a walk-about with Yamba in my mountain region, when I suddenly discovered that shale existed in very considerable quantities, and I thereupon conceived the idea of demonstrating to the blacks that, not only was the Bible narrative a true one, but that it was quite possible to ignite stone; AND I WOULD EVEN SHOW THEM HOW IT WAS DONE!
Aided by Yamba and other members of my family, I constructed an immense shaft-like cairn, mainly composed of loose pieces of shale intermixed with sandstone.I put in the sandstone and other stones, partly in order that the blacks might not notice the uniform construction of the cairn; and partly also because I knew that when the ordinary stones were heated, they would probably burst or explode with a loud sound, and so terrify the superstitious onlookers.The cairn was about fifteen feet high, with an opening at the summit and other small openings at the sides in order to ensure a good draught.At the base I left an opening sufficiently large for me to crawl through.Then I placed inside a quantity of inflammable material--such as wood and dry bark;--and as all these preparations went forward in a very leisurely manner, my monthly reception was quite due when everything was ready.
Wishing to have an exceptionally large gathering, I sent out invitations to all the surrounding tribes to come and see my wonderful performance at which I would "set fire to the rocks and stones."A perfectly enormous crowd assembled at the time appointed, for my previous achievements had led the black-fellows to suppose I had some marvellous manifestation in store for them.Never can Iforget the keenness with which that great assembly anticipated the entertainment in store for them.And remember, they were growing pretty blase by this time, having witnessed so many miracles.
In the twilight of the evening, when the murmur of the multitude was hushed, I crawled cautiously into the cairn (I should have been buried alive had it collapsed), and at once commenced operations with the flint and steel and tinder which I had taken care to leave there.In another minute I had set fire to the wood and dry material that filled the bottom of the shaft.When I was satisfied that it was thoroughly alight, I discreetly withdrew and joined the wondering crowd, which I had forbidden to approach too close.
Dense clouds of smoke were now rolling from the apertures of the great cairn, and in a short time the shaft was a fierce and raging furnace, with the ordinary stones red hot and occasionally bursting with loud explosions, which threw showers of glowing slag high into the air.
The blacks were almost paralysed with fear, and many of them threw themselves prostrate on the ground, ignoring the hail of stones that fell upon their naked bodies.I stalked about majestically among them, exulting in my power and the success of my manifestation.The big cairn burnt for many days more fiercely than even a stack of coal would do; and I never ceased to wonder that the blacks themselves had not long ago found out the inflammable nature of the "stone."By this time Yamba could speak English tolerably well, but we did not invariably use that language.
Gradually and half unconsciously I fell into the habit of speaking the native tongue, until I suddenly found that the practice was obtaining such a firm hold upon me that I was forgetting French altogether; whilst it was only with difficulty that I could form grammatical sentences in English.I soon came to the conclusion, therefore, that it was necessary for me to hold much more converse in English than I had hitherto done; and from the moment that this curious "scare" suggested itself to my mind, Yamba and I and our children spoke nothing but English when we were by ourselves in the evening.I cultivated my knowledge of English in preference to any other language, because I knew that if ever we should reach civilisation, English and not French would be the language spoken.
It may be interesting also to mention that one of the first indications I had that I was losing my English was an inability to THINK in that language.
