In the Wrong Paradise, and Other Stories Read online

  THE LOVES OF VERVA AND WHY-WHY.

  No man, however intrepid, can offend with impunity the most sacred lawsof society. Why-Why proved no exception to this rule. His decline andfall date, we may almost say, from the hour when he bought a fair-haired,blue-eyed female child from a member of a tribe that had wandered out ofthe far north. The tribe were about to cook poor little Verva becauseher mother was dead, and she seemed a bouche inutile. For the price of apair of shell fish-hooks, a bone dagger, and a bundle of grass-string Why-Why (who had a tender heart) ransomed the child. In the cave she livedan unhappy life, as the other children maltreated and tortured her in themanner peculiar to pitiless infancy.

  Such protection as a man can give to a child the unlucky little girlreceived from Why-Why. The cave people, like most savages, made it arule never to punish their children. Why-Why got into many quarrelsbecause he would occasionally box the ears of the mischievous imps whotormented poor Verva, the fair-haired and blue-eyed captive from thenorth. There grew up a kind of friendship between Why-Why and the child.She would follow him with dog-like fidelity and with a stealthy treadwhen he hunted the red deer in the forests of the Alpine Maritimes. Shewove for him a belt of shells, strung on stout fibres of grass. In thisbelt Why-Why would attend the tribal corroborees, where, as has beensaid, he was inclined to "sit out" with Verva and watch, rather than joinin the grotesque dance performed as worship to the Bear.

  As Verva grew older and ceased to be persecuted by the children, shebecame beautiful in the unadorned manner of that early time. Herfriendship with Why-Why began to embarrass the girl, and our hero himselffelt a quite unusual shyness when he encountered the captive girl amongthe pines on the hillside. Both these untutored hearts were strangelystirred, and neither Why-Why nor Verva could imagine wherefore theyturned pale or blushed when they met, or even when either heard theother's voice. If Why-Why had not distrusted and indeed detested thechief medicine-man, he would have sought that worthy's professionaladvice. But he kept his symptoms to himself, and Verva also pined insecret.

  These artless persons were in love without knowing it.

  It is not surprising that they did not understand the nature of theircomplaint, for probably before Why-Why no one had ever been in love.Courtship had consisted in knocking a casual girl on the head in thedark, and the only marriage ceremony had been that of capture. Affectionon the side of the bride was out of the question, for, as we haveremarked, she was never allowed so much as to see her husband's face.Probably the institution of falling in love has been evolved in, and hasspread from, various early centres of human existence. Among theprimitive Ligurian races, however, Why-Why and Verva must be held theinventors, and, alas! the protomartyrs of the passion. Love, likemurder, "will out," and events revealed to Why-Why and Verva the truenature of their sentiments.

  It was a considerable exploit of Why-Why's that brought him and thenorthern captive to understand each other. The brother of Why-Why haddied after partaking too freely of a member of a hostile tribe. The cavepeople, of course, expected Why-Why to avenge his kinsman. The brother,they said, must have been destroyed by a boilya or vampire, and, assomebody must have sent that vampire against the lad, somebody must bespeared for it. Such are primitive ideas of medicine and justice. Anordinary brave would have skulked about the dwellings of someneighbouring human groups till he got a chance of knocking over a childor an old woman, after which justice and honour would have beensatisfied. But Why-Why declared that, if he must spear somebody, hewould spear a man of importance. The forms of a challenge were thereforenotched on a piece of stick, which was solemnly carried by heralds to themost renowned brave of a community settled in the neighbourhood of themodern San Remo. This hero might have very reasonably asked, "Why shouldI spear Why-Why because his brother over-ate himself?" The laws ofhonour, however (which even at this period had long been established),forbade a gentleman when challenged to discuss the reasonableness of theproceeding.

  The champions met on a sandy plain beside a little river near the modernVentimiglia. An amphitheatre of rock surrounded them, and, far beyond,the valley was crowned by the ancient snow of an Alpine peak. The tribesof either party gathered in the rocky amphitheatre, and breathlesslywatched the issue of the battle. Each warrior was equipped with ashield, a sheaf of spears, and a heavy, pointed club. At thirty pacesdistance they began throwing, and the spectators enjoyed a beautifulexposition of warlike skill. Both men threw with extreme force anddeadly aim; while each defended himself cleverly with his shield. Thespears were exhausted, and but one had pierced the thigh of Why-Why,while his opponent had two sticking in his neck and left arm.

  Then, like two meeting thunder-clouds, the champions dashed at each otherwith their clubs. The sand was whirled up around them as they spun inthe wild dance of battle, and the clubs rattled incessantly on the headsand shields. Twice Why-Why was down, but he rose with wonderful agility,and never dropped his shield. A third time he stooped beneath atremendous whack, but when all seemed over, grasped a handful of sand,and flung it right in his enemy's eyes. The warrior reeled, blinded andconfused, when Why-Why gave point with the club in his antagonist'sthroat; the blood leaped out, and both fell senseless on the plain.

  * * * * *

  When the slow mist cleared from before the eyes of Why-Why he foundhimself (he was doubtless the first hero of the many heroes who haveoccupied this romantic position) stretched on a grassy bed, and watchedby the blue eyes of Verva. Where were the sand, the stream, the hostilewarrior, the crowds of friends and foes? It was Verva's part to explain.The champion of the other tribe had never breathed after he received theclub-thrust, and the chief medicine-man had declared that Why-Why wasalso dead. He had suggested that both champions should be burned in thedesolate spot where they lay, that their boilyas, or ghosts, might notharm the tribes. The lookers-on had gone to their several and distantcaves to fetch fire for the ceremony (they possessed no means of strikinga light), and Verva, unnoticed, had lingered beside Why-Why, and laid hisbleeding head in her lap. Why-Why had uttered a groan, and the bravegirl dragged him from the field into a safe retreat among the woods notfar from the stream. Why-Why had been principally beaten about the head,and his injuries, therefore, were slight.

  After watching the return of the tribesmen, and hearing the chiefmedicine-man explain that Why-Why's body had been carried away by "thebad black-fellow with a tail who lives under the earth," Why-Why enjoyedthe pleasure of seeing his kinsmen and his foes leave the place to itsnatural silence. Then he found words, and poured forth his heart toVerva. They must never be sundered--they must be man and wife! The girlleaned her golden head on Why-Why's dark shoulder, and sniffed at him,for kissing was an institution not yet evolved. She wept. She had adreadful thing to tell him,--that she could never be his. "Look at thismark," she said, exposing the inner side of her arm. Why-Why looked,shuddered, and turned pale. On Verva's arm he recognized, almostdefaced, the same tattooed badge that wound its sinuous spirals acrosshis own broad chest and round his manly legs. _It was the mark of theSerpent_!

  Both were Serpents; both, unknown to Why-Why, though not to Verva, borethe same name, the same badge, and, if Why-Why had been a religious man,both would have worshipped the same reptile. Marriage between them thenwas a thing accursed; man punished it by death. Why-Why bent his headand thought. He remembered all his youth--the murder of his sister forno crime; the killing of the serpent, and how no evil came of it; theeating of the oysters, and how the earth had not opened and swallowedhim. His mind was made up. It was absolutely certain that his tribe andVerva's kin had never been within a thousand miles of each other. In afew impassioned words he explained to Verva his faith, his simple creedthat a thing was not necessarily wrong because the medicine-men said so,and the tribe believed them. The girl's own character was alltrustfulness, and Why-Why was the person she trusted. "Oh, Why-Why,dear," she said blushing (for she had never before ventured to break thetribal rule which for
bade calling any one by his name), "Oh, Why-Why, youare _always_ right!"

  And o'er the hills, and far away Beyond their utmost purple rim, Beyond the night, across the day, Through all the world she followed him.