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"Well now, this is the queerest go-to-meetin' that I've had to do with since I was a babby," remarked Hockins, as he looked from side to side upon the varied crowd of men and women, black, brown, and yellow, rich and poor, noble and slave, who were joyfully and noisily thronging to the house of God!
Good, stout, courageous fellows were the men whom John Hockins and his comrades saw that day manoeuvring below them on the plain of Imahamasina; men who, although by no means comparable to European troops in precision of movement, understood their work nevertheless, and would have proved themselves formidable opponents to deal with in war.
But Hockins ran on with persistent vigour, although the creature was leaving him further behind at every stride. "Absurd!" murmured Mark, as he gazed at him. "No use wassomiver," said Ebony. It did indeed seem as if the seaman's exertions would prove abortive, but something in the spirit of the wounded bull suddenly changed the aspect of affairs.
You two had better stop here and look on." "No, massa," said the negro, firmly, "I go wid you. If you is to die, we die togidder!" "What are you thinking of, Hockins?" asked the youth, observing that the seaman stood staring at the ground with knitted brows, as if in deep thought. "I'll go with you too," he replied, drawing his cutlass and feeling its point with his finger. "You may need help.
"Well now," said Hockins, gasping forth his morning yawn in spite of circumstances, "I've many a time read and heard it of other folk, but I never did think I should live to hear my own chains rattle."
There Mark and Hockins were soon disporting joyously, while the Secretary looked on and laughed. Evidently he did not in the circumstances deem warm water either a necessity or a luxury.
"What need to ax that, you stoopid nigger?" said Hockins; "don't you know he's a Christian?" "Das true, 'Ockins. I hoed an' forgot." "But tell me, Ravonino, are de crokindiles awrful rampageous when dey're roused?" "Yes, they are pretty bad," said the guide, clearing his throat, for he was fond of expatiating on the wonders and beauties of his native land!
The sound reached the ear of the soldier with the torch and for a moment arrested him, but, thinking probably that the sound was in his imagination, he again advanced. The case was now desperate. Just then a gleam of light flashed into the mind of Hockins. Next moment, to the consternation of his comrades and the guide, a strain of the sweetest music floated softly in the air!
With a roar like a lion Hockins went at them. He tripped up some half-dozen big boys, flattened still more the flat noses of some of the men, stretching them flat on their backs, and then, standing astride the fallen man, flourished his enormous fists, and invited the entire population of Antananarivo to "come on!" The population refused the invitation and retired.
"Not a bad style of brotherhood that," said Hockins, with a tremendous yawn. "Eh, Ebony? What d'ee think of you an' me goin' in for the same sort o' thing?" "P'r'aps," answered Ebony, with a responsive yawn which threw that of Hockins quite into the shade, "p'r'aps black blood mightn't agree wid your stummick. But I say, Massa Breezy, don' you tink it a'most time we was goin' to sleep?"
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