Loud the mountain roared and thundered; shuddered all who heard and saw, Dauntless stood Kapiolani, dauntless with her faithful few. "Come!" she cried again. "Come, Pélé! Smite me with thy dreadful doom! I am waiting, mighty Pélé!-Pélé! Pélé! Pélé! come!" And the mountain roared and thundered; -but the goddess did not come. "Hearken, Priest! You have deceived us. All your life has been a lie, Black your heart is, red your hands are, with the blood of those who die. All these years you have misled us with your awful threats of doom. Now it ends! I do defy you, and your goddess I defy. Pélé, is not, never has been. worship is a lie. All your I will climb your sacred mountain. I will dare your lake of fire. I will eat your sacred berries. I will dare your goddess there, There and then to wreak her vengeance, then and there to come in fire, And with awful burnings end me, now and for eternity; But if Pélé does not end me, then her worship ends this day.' Then the great high priest of Pélé turned to fiery Kilauea. "Come!" he said, "the goddess calls you!" -and they climbed the mountain side, Up the slopes of Mauna Loa, to the hell of Kilauea, With the bright blue sky above them, with the blazing sun above them, While the mountain shook beneath them, and its head was wrapped in fire. Fearful, hopeful, all the people crept along the shaking path, Hardly breathing at their daring, thus to brave dread Pélé's wrath, Bending low lest she should see them, breathing soft lest she should hear, Certain that Kapiolani would be sacrificed that day, To the vengeance of the goddess, to the anger of Pélé. "As little child On mother's breast, O rest, my heart, Have rest! Who rests on Him Is surely blest. So rest, my heart, As warrior bold Be strong, my heart, Be strong! Who rests on Him Shall ne'er go wrong. Thus, Kapiolani, dauntless, singing softly as she went, With a face as calm and fearless as a child on pleasure bent, Climbed the side of Mauna Loa, to the dreadful lake of fire, While the mountain shook and thundered, while the people blanched and shuddered, Climbed to Halé-Mau-Mau, -to the dreadful lake of fire. All the people waited trembling, stood afar off pale and trembling, While Kapiolani, fearless, climbed up to the lake of fire, With the fiery glow all round her, with a heavenly light about her. Shining with a radiance brighter than since time began had shone From the Lake of Ceaseless Burnings, from the dreadful lake of fire. "Here," she cried, "I pluck your berries, Pélé, and I give you none! See! I eat your sacred berries, Pélé,—and I give you none ! Pélé, here I break your tabus! Come, with all your dreadful fires! Burn me, Pélé! I defy you!-Pélé! Pélé ! Pélé! come!" Come now, Pélé, or for ever own that you are overcome! "Pélé comes not. Is she sleeping? Is she wandering to-day? Is she busy with her burnings? Has the goddess nought to say? Hear me, friends!-There is no Pélé! One true God alone there is. His, this mountain! His, these burnings! You, and I, and all things,-His! Goodness, Mercy, Loving-Kindness, Life Eternal-all are His! "From this day, let no man tremble, when he feels the mountain shake! From this day, no man or maiden shall be killed for Pélé's sake! From this day, we break the thraldom of the dreadful lake of fire. From this day, we pass for ever from the scourge of Pélé's rod.— From this day, Thou, Lord Jehovah, be our one and only God!" THEY COME! From North and South, and East and West, The sorely tried, the much oppressed, They come to tell of work well done, In a noble consecration, With a sound of jubilation, They come! They come! Through tribulations and distress, Through perils great and bitterness, They come by paths the martyrs trod, Out of mighty tribulation, They come! They come! From every land beneath the sun, To tell of mighty victories won; |