The Bridge-Builders Part 4

"This only. A new word creeping from mouth to mouth among the Common Folk--a word that neither man nor G.o.d can lay hold of--an evil word--a little lazy word among the Common Folk, saying (and none know who set that word afoot) that they weary of ye, Heavenly Ones."

The G.o.ds laughed together softly. "And then, beloved," they said.

"And to cover that weariness they, my people, will bring to thee, s.h.i.+v, and to thee, Ganesh, at first greater offerings and a louder noise of wors.h.i.+p. But the word has gone abroad, and, after, they will pay fewer dues to your fat Brahmins. Next they will forget your altars, but so slowly that no man can say how his forgetfulness began."

"I knew--I knew! I spoke this also, but they would not hear," said the Tigress. "We should have slain-we should have slain!"

"It is too late now. Ye should have slain at the beginning when the men from across the water had taught our folk nothing. Now my people see their work, and go away thinking. They do not think of the Heavenly Ones altogether. They think of the fire-carriage and the other things that the bridge-builders have done, and when your priests thrust forward hands asking alms, they give a little unwillingly. That is the beginning, among one or two, or five or ten--for I, moving among my people, know what is in their hearts."

"And the end, Jester of the G.o.ds? What shall the end be?" said Ganesh.

"The end shall be as it was in the beginning, O slothful son of s.h.i.+v!

The flame shall die upon the altars and the prayer upon the tongue till ye become little G.o.ds again--G.o.ds of the jungle--names that the hunters of rats and noosers of dogs whisper in the thicket and among the caves--rag-G.o.ds, pot G.o.dlings of the tree, and the village-mark, as ye were at the beginning. That is the end, Ganesh, for thee, and for Bhairon--Bhairon of the Common People."

"It is very far away," grunted Bhairon. "Also, it is a lie."

"Many women have kissed Krishna. They told him this to cheer their own hearts when the grey hairs came, and he has told us the tale," said the Bull, below his breath.

"Their G.o.ds came, and we changed them. I took the Woman and made her twelve-armed. So shall we twist all their G.o.ds," said Hanuman.

"Their G.o.ds! This is no question of their G.o.ds--one or three--man or woman. The matter is with the people. I move, and not the G.o.ds of the bridge-builders," said Krishna.

"So be it. I have made a man wors.h.i.+p the fire-carriage as it stood still breathing smoke, and he knew not that he wors.h.i.+pped me," said Hanuman the Ape. "They will only change a little the names of their G.o.ds.

I shall lead the builders of the bridges as of old; s.h.i.+v shall be wors.h.i.+pped in the schools by such as doubt and despise their fellows; Ganesh shall have his mahajuns, and Bhairon the donkey-drivers, the pilgrims, and the sellers of toys. Beloved, they will do no more than change the names, and that we have seen a thousand times."

"Surely they will do no more than change the names," echoed Ganesh; but there was an uneasy movement among the G.o.ds.

"They will change more than the names. Me alone they cannot kill, so long as a maiden and a man meet together or the spring follows the winter rains. Heavenly Ones, not for nothing have I walked upon the earth. My people know not now what they know; but I, who live with them, I read their hearts. Great Kings, the beginning of the end is born already. The fire-carriages shout the names of new G.o.ds that are not the old under new names. Drink now and eat greatly! Bathe your faces in the smoke of the altars before they grow cold! Take dues and listen to the cymbals and the drums, Heavenly Ones, while yet there are flowers and songs. As men count time the end is far off; but as we who know reckon it is to-day. I have spoken."

The young G.o.d ceased, and his brethren looked at each other long in silence.

"This I have not heard before," Peroo whispered in his companion's ear.

"And yet sometimes, when I oiled the bra.s.ses in the engine-room of the Goorkha, I have wondered if our priests were so wise--so wise. The day is coming, Sahib. They will be gone by the morning."

A yellow light broadened in the sky, and the tone of the river changed as the darkness withdrew.

Suddenly the Elephant trumpeted aloud as though man had goaded him.

"Let Indra judge. Father of all, speak thou! What of the things we have heard? Has Krishna lied indeed? Or---"

"Ye know," said the Buck, rising to his feet. "Ye know the Riddle of the G.o.ds. When Brahm ceases to dream, the Heavens and the h.e.l.ls and Earth disappear. Be content. Brahm dreams still. The dreams come and go, and the nature of the dreams changes, but still Brahm dreams. Krishna has walked too long upon earth, and yet I love him the more for the tale he has told. The G.o.ds change, beloved--all save One!"

"Ay, all save one that makes love in the hearts of men," said Krishna, knotting his girdle. "It is but a little time to wait, and ye shall know if I lie. Truly it is but a little time, as thou sayest, and we shall know. Get thee to thy huts again, beloved, and make sport for the young things, for still Brahm dreams. Go, my children! Brahm dreams and till he wakes the G.o.ds die not."

"Whither went they?" said the Lascar, awe-struck, s.h.i.+vering a little with the cold.

"G.o.d knows!" said Findlayson. The river and the island lay in full daylight now, and there was never mark of hoof or pug on the wet earth under the peepul. Only a parrot screamed in the branches, bringing down showers of water-drops as he fluttered his wings.

"Up! We are cramped with cold! Has the opium died out. Canst thou move, Sahib?"

Findlayson staggered to his feet and shook himself. His bead swam and ached, but the work of the opium was over, and, as he sluiced his forehead in a pool, the Chief Engineer of the Kas.h.i.+ Bridge was wondering how he had managed to fall upon the island, what chances the day offered of return, and, above all, how his work stood.

"Peroo, I have forgotten much I was under the guard-tower watching the river; and then--Did the flood sweep us away?"

"No. The boats broke loose, Sahib, and," (if the Sahib had forgotten about the opium, decidedly Peroo would not remind him) "in striving to retie them, so it seemed to me but it was dark--a rope caught the Sahib and threw him upon a boat. Considering that we two, with Hitchc.o.c.k Sahib, built, as it were, that bridge, I came also upon the boat, which came riding on horseback, as it were, on the nose of this island, and so, splitting, cast us ash.o.r.e. I made a great cry when the boat left the wharf and without doubt Hitchc.o.c.k Sahib will come for us. As for the bridge, so many have died in the building that it cannot fall." A fierce sun, that drew out all the smell of the sodden land, had followed the storm, and in that clear light there was no room for a man to think of the dreams of the dark. Findlayson stared upstream, across the blaze of moving water, till his eyes ached. There was no sign of any bank to the Ganges, much less of a bridge-line.

"We came down far," he said. "It was wonderful that we were not drowned a hundred times."

"That was the least of the wonder, for no man dies before his time.

I have seen Sydney, I have seen London, and twenty great ports, but,"--Peroo looked at the damp, discoloured shrine under the peepul--"never man has seen that we saw here."

"What?"

"Has the Sahib forgotten; or do we black men only see the G.o.ds?"

"There was a fever upon me." Findlayson was still looking uneasily across the water. "It seemed that the island was full of beasts and men talking, but I do not remember. A boat could live in this water now, I think."

"Oho! Then it is true. 'When Brahm ceases to dream, the G.o.ds die.' Now I know, indeed, what he meant. Once, too, the guru said as much to me; but then I did not understand. Now I am wise."

"What?" said Findlayson, over his shoulder.

Peroo went on as if he were talking to himself "Six--seven--ten monsoons since, I was watch on the fo'c'sle of the Rewah--the k.u.mpani's big boat--and there was a big tufan; green and black water beating, and I held fast to the life-lines, choking under the waters. Then I thought of the G.o.ds--of Those whom we saw to-night,"--he stared curiously at Findlayson's back, but the white man was looking across the flood. "Yes, I say of Those whom we saw this night past, and I called upon Them to protect me. And while I prayed, still keeping my lookout, a big wave came and threw me forward upon the ring of the great black bow-anchor, and the Rewah rose high and high, leaning towards the left-hand side, and the water drew away from beneath her nose, and I lay upon my belly, holding the ring, and looking down into those great deeps. Then I thought, even in the face of death: If I lose hold I die, and for me neither the Rewah nor my place by the galley where the rice is cooked, nor Bombay, nor Calcutta, nor even London, will be any more for me. 'How shall I be sure,' I said, 'that the G.o.ds to whom I pray will abide at all?' This I thought, and the Rewah dropped her nose as a hammer falls, and all the sea came in and slid me backwards along the fo'c'sle and over the break of the fo'c'sle, and I very badly bruised my s.h.i.+n against the donkey-engine: but I did not die, and I have seen the G.o.ds. They are good for live men, but for the dead. . . . They have spoken Themselves.

Therefore, when I come to the village I will beat the guru for talking riddles which are no riddles. When Brahm ceases to dream the G.o.ds go."

"Look up-stream. The light blinds. Is there smoke yonder?"

Peroo shaded his eyes with his hands. "He is a wise man and quick.

Hitchc.o.c.k Sahib would not trust a rowboat. He has borrowed the Rao Sahib's steam-launch, and comes to look for us. I have always said that there should have been a steam-launch on the bridge works for us."

The territory of the Rao of Baraon lay within ten miles of the bridge; and Findlayson and Hitchc.o.c.k had spent a fair portion of their scanty leisure in playing billiards and shooting blackbuck with the young man.

He had been bearded by an English tutor of sporting tastes for some five or six years, and was now royally wasting the revenues acc.u.mulated during his minority by the Indian Government. His steam-launch, with its silver-plated rails, striped silk awning, and mahogany decks, was a new toy which Findlayson had found horribly in the way when the Rao came to look at the bridge works.

"It's great luck," murmured Findlayson, but he was none the less afraid, wondering what news might be of the bridge.

The gaudy blue-and-white funnel came downstream swiftly. They could see Hitchc.o.c.k in the bows, with a pair of opera-gla.s.ses, and his face was unusually white. Then Peroo hailed, and the launch made for the tail of the island. The Rao Sahib, in tweed shooting-suit and a seven-hued turban, waved his royal hand, and Hitchc.o.c.k shouted. But he need have asked no questions, for Findlayson's first demand was for his bridge.

"All serene! 'Gad, I never expected to see you again, Findlayson. You're seven koss downstream. Yes; there's not a stone s.h.i.+fted anywhere; but how are you? I borrowed the Rao Sahib's launch, and he was good enough to come along. Jump in. Ah, Finlinson, you are very well, eh? That was most unprecedented calamity last night, eh? My royal palace, too, it leaks like the devil, and the crops will also be short all about my country. Now you shall back her out, Hitchc.o.c.k. I--I do not understand steam-engines. You are wet? You are cold, Finlinson? I have some things to eat here, and you will take a good drink."

"I'm immensely grateful, Rao Sahib. I believe you've saved my life. How did Hitchc.o.c.k--"

"Oho! His hair was upon end. He rode to me in the middle of the night and woke me up in the arms of Morpheus. I was most truly concerned, Finlinson, so I came too. My head-priest he is very angry just now. We will go quick, Mister Hitchc.o.c.k. I am due to attend at twelve forty-five in the state temple, where we sanctify some new idol. If not so I would have asked you to spend the day with me. They are dam-bore, these religious ceremonies, Finlinson, eh?"

Peroo, well known to the crew, had possessed himself of the inlaid wheel, and was taking the launch craftily up-stream. But while he steered he was, in his mind, handling two feet of partially untwisted wire-rope; and the back upon which he beat was the back of his guru.