The Royal Handmaid (31 page)

“I don’t blame him,” Rena said.

“Come on. Let’s go try again. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

Rena shrank from going, but she accompanied Travis. Chip was standing near the chief, shaking his head.

“The chief is very mad,” Chip told them. “The girl is his relative, a cousin of some sort.”

Rena stepped forward. “Chief,” she said quietly, “I’m so sorry. You must understand that what the man has done was his own idea. The rest of us, all of us, are against things like that. We want to honor you and your people. He’s done a bad thing, but our God teaches us to forgive our enemies.”

Lomu blinked with surprise after Chip had translated. The chief stared at her and said a few words.

Chip said, “He doesn’t understand that. He doesn’t believe in forgiving enemies.”

“It’s what Jesus did,” Rena explained. “He was being put to death because He loved all of His people, and as He was dying, one of the last things He did was to give forgiveness to those who were hurting Him. That’s the kind of people we’re all trying to be, and I ask you to show mercy to this man who has offended you.”

That was not the end of it. Lomu listened but was still angry. All day long Rena and the others waited, and more than one of them went to plead for Dalton.

As for Dalton, he had been badly slashed by the knife, but Karl had been able to staunch the flow of blood and
stitch the worst of the cuts. “He’ll be all right eventually,” Karl told Rena and Travis grimly. “But he’s a fool. I thought better of him.”

****

After supper, Chief Lomu sat for a long time with two men who were evidently his advisors. They spoke intently and finally they stood up. The chief said through Chip, “We will not kill the man.”

Travis responded, “We are very grateful to you. You are a great chief, Lomu.”

“You do not understand our ways.”

“It is hard for two peoples to come together. I know some of our ways are displeasing to you, but we want to do you good.” Travis hesitated, then said, “Chief Lomu, we think it would be good if you would take some of us back with you to your home, where we might meet your people and learn your ways. Perhaps there will be something we can do to help you.”

Lomu stared at the sky for a long time, and both Travis and Rena thought he would say no. Instead, he said, “We will do that. Six of you can come in our ship. We will leave in the morning.”

Travis and Rena immediately left to have a private discussion. “We’ve got to decide which six are going and who will stay,” Rena said.

“I know three who will go right now,” Travis said grimly. “Novak and his friends; they’ll insist on it.”

“Our strongest people will have to go to try to keep them from harming Chief Lomu’s people,” she said.

“We’ll have a meeting,” he said. “We’ll have to decide. Come along. Let’s get the word out.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“I’m Gonna Let You Pray for Me”

“Lomu says they can only take six of us.” Travis ran his hand through his hair and looked at the group that had gathered around him. All of the missionaries were there, as well as Captain Barkley. They had drawn apart from the natives, and now many of them had confusion written across their features.

“Why can’t they take us all?” Meredith asked. “Isn’t their boat big enough?”

“I don’t think it is, Meredith,” Travis said. “And I think he has other reasons besides, but I don’t know what they are.”

“Do you think they’re afraid of us or don’t like us?” Abby asked. She was holding Michael tightly to her breast, and her face was filled with apprehension. “I don’t understand why we can’t all stay together.”

Professor Dekker said, “I think it has something to do with their religion, but I’m not sure.” He scratched his grizzled beard and then put his hands out in a gesture of helplessness. “Who knows what’s going on in a primitive mind?”

“Well, whatever it is,” Pete put in, “we’re going to have to decide which six of us are going.”

“There won’t be six of us going.”

“What do you mean by that, Travis?” Rena asked. “I thought you said six would go.”

“I did, but you can rule three out because Novak, Day, and Olsen have already invited themselves to the party.” His lips drew tight. “They’ve got the guns, and they want to go.”

“You know why, don’t you, Travis?” Lanie said. “They want to go because of that liquor the natives have learned how to make.”

“Yes, and because of the women they think they’ll find willing,” Maggie said.

“I think you’re right, but there’s nothing we can do about it unless we get those guns away from them, and they’ve been pretty careful about that,” Karl said. He stood for a moment with his head bowed, then looked up. “So that means only three of us can go.”

“It looks that way,” Travis said. “Captain Barkley, what do you think?”

Barkley was leaning against a tree. His leg was much better now, and he had learned to maneuver quite easily on the crutches Shep had made for him. It had been a hard time for the captain. He was accustomed to being in command, and his injury had removed him from that post. Now, however, he thought hard about the matter and said, “I think we ought to take a vote. It wouldn’t do me any good to go, so I’ll take my name off the list.”

Rena saw the wisdom of his suggestion. “Let’s do this,” she said. “Let’s have a prayer and ask God to choose whom He wants to go. With those three awful men going, God will need some voices on the other island to speak for Him.”

Travis suddenly felt a warm admiration for Rena. Even in the fading light he was reminded of how she combined beauty and strength. He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled. “I think you’re becoming a real missionary, Rena.”

Rena flushed, embarrassed by the praise. “It just came to me,” she said, “that when the apostles decided to elect another to take the place of Judas, they cast lots.”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Meredith said warmly.

Travis and the others agreed. “Let’s pray first for God’s guidance,” Travis suggested.

They all bowed their heads and remained silent for a few minutes. From time to time someone would pray fervently.
As Travis sought God, he was aware of the changes that had been wrought in this group. They had been a proud company when they had left the States, but time and circumstance and hardship had broken and molded them.

Finally Travis closed the prayer and took a deep breath. “Well, how shall we do this, Professor?”

Professor Dekker reached into his pocket and took out a sheet of folded paper. “One side of this is covered with my notes, but the other side is blank, so we can use it for ballots.” He tore the paper into strips and handed a strip to each one. “Do any of you have pencils?”

None of them did, so the professor wrote quickly with the stub he had and then handed the pencil to Travis. Travis wrote down a name and handed the pencil on to Rena. All of them waited their turn, and finally when all of the slips had been signed, Pete took off his hat and went around collecting them in his hat. “Who wants to draw?” he said with a smile.

“Let me do it,” Lanie offered. She pulled out the first slip of paper. “
Travis,
it says.”

“One vote for Travis. Take the next one,” the professor instructed.

The next vote was also for Travis, and when all of the votes had been taken, there were seven votes for Travis and five for Rena.

“I’d say that’s pretty conclusive,” Captain Barkley said.

But Rena was confused. She had not expected to be chosen. She looked at Travis, and he smiled at her, giving her confidence. “But that’s only two of us.”

“The other one will have to be Chip,” Travis said. “He’s the only one who can speak the language.”

“I never even thought of that,” Rena said. She looked around and asked, “Is that all right with everyone?”

“I think the Lord has just spoken to us,” Lanie said warmly. She came over and put her arms around Rena and kissed her cheeks. “Go with God. We’ll wait here while you go speak for God there.” She went then to Travis and touched his cheek.
“Take care of her and of yourself. I know God has put you in this place.”

One by one they all gathered around and wished the two Godspeed.

“You’d better take everything you can think of that will help you, especially Bibles and books.”

“Yes, we’ll definitely need our Bibles,” Travis said.

The last one to come speak to the two was Dalton Welborne. He had said nothing as the discussion went on around him. He was in a great deal of pain from his numerous cuts but was on his way to recovery. His face was filled with shame as he finally addressed Travis and Rena. “I’ve been wrong,” he said. “I found a weakness in myself I didn’t know was there.”

“You’re going to be fine, Dalton,” Travis responded. “We all get off on the wrong foot every now and then.”

“Good of you to say that, Travis.” Dalton shook Travis’s hand and then put out his hand to Rena. “This is good-bye in more ways than one, but I know it’s the right thing for us.”

Rena took his hand, and in her heart she said good-bye to this man who had once meant so much to her. She smiled at him and said, “Get well quickly, Dalton.”

The two turned and walked over to where Lomu was watching the proceedings with a careful eye. “The two of us are going, along with Chip,” Travis said.

The chief smiled and responded, and Chip, who was never far from the chief, said, “He thinks it’s good for you two to come.”

The next morning everybody was up with the sun. After a quick breakfast they gathered their supplies, said their good-byes, and started their hike for the other side of the island.

Everybody helped load the catamaran with the supplies and then pushed it into the choppy waves. It was crowded, and Rena stood close to Travis as the paddlers propelled the vessel into the endless water.

Rena said, “It makes me sad to leave like this, Travis. I’ve almost come to think of this island as home.”

“We’ll be back before long, I hope.”

****

“I don’t like the look of that sky,” Cerny Novak said to Travis early that afternoon as they stood in the bow of the catamaran looking up. The paddles of the natives made a regular cadence as they drove themselves tirelessly. “I’m afraid we’re in for a blow.”

“Do you think it’ll be bad?”

“It won’t be good. I sure wish we were there already.”

“We’ll make it,” Travis said. “God isn’t going to let us down now.”

The two men had taken their turns at the oars, as had Chip, Day, and Olsen. It was hard work, but there were enough natives that some could rest while the others rowed. The catamaran was rising now to meet a rolling swell. The ocean waves were like moving hills, rolling and swelling, and the catamaran rose and fell with them. There was an oily look to the water that made Novak nervous.

“I’ve seen seas like this before,” Novak said. “If we get caught between islands in a hurricane, we’re goners.”

Travis did not know the sea as Novak did, but the sky and the sea did look ominous. He glanced back and saw Rena talking with Chip and the chief. He wondered what they were talking about, and then his mind came back to the darkening clouds.

“I don’t much like this,” Novak grumbled. “Maybe we oughta turn back.”

“Chief Lomu doesn’t look worried, so I guess I’m not gonna worry either. He gives the orders around here.”

The two men surveyed the turbulent seas in silence. Travis finally said, “Do you have a family anywhere, Cerny?”

“You mean a wife? No. What would I be doing with a wife?”

“Well, you might have children.”

Cerny laughed. He stroked his crooked nose with his
forefinger and looked at Travis as if he had said something amusing. “What would a rough like me be doing with a wife and kids?”

“Lots of men have them.”

“I guess maybe you’re planning on something like that.”

“I’ve always liked children.”

“You’ve got your sights on Rena, don’tcha? That’s easy to see.”

“She’s a fine woman,” Travis said. “She’s changed a lot since we landed on the island.”

“You got that right,” Cerny said. “She was proud as a peacock when we left. Didn’t care a whit for nobody ’cept her own kind. She’s changed, though,” he said thoughtfully. He balanced himself against the boat as it lifted then ran down the slope of gray water. “I have to say I’ve changed my ideas about preachers a bit—mostly about you and her. But the others ain’t bad either, most of ’em.”

“Cerny, you’re a smart guy. You must have thought about what happens when you die.”

“I try not to.”

“I can understand that. I did the same thing before I knew the Lord. But now we could all die in this storm that’s blowing up. I’d hate to see you go out to meet God without hope.”

Cerny didn’t answer. Travis knew that at one time he would have sharply rejected any talk of religion. Travis had tried before to speak with him about Jesus, but Novak had simply ignored him or walked away. Now he saw that Novak had placed the rifle down. It was wrapped in oilcloth to keep it dry, and he knew that this marked a change in Novak’s thinking. Always before he had kept it in his hand and ready to use anytime he was close. Travis put that thought aside and said, “You know, you’re the kind of man Jesus could use.”

Astonishment swept across Novak’s face. “Me?” He laughed and shook his head. “I can barely read, and I ain’t led a good life. You know that, Travis.”

“You remind me of the apostle Peter. He was a fisherman,
a sailor like you. A big, rough fellow, apparently, always talking when he should be quiet. But when Jesus came along, it changed him. He became a great man of God.”

“That’s him, and I’m me.”

Travis continued to share Bible stores and Scripture and was aware again that something had happened to Cerny Novak. Perhaps it was the fear of the storm that he was afraid to show, but he knew that every man and every woman had thoughts about what would happen after death. He did not press the big man, but he simply gave his own testimony and talked about how he had come to know Jesus.

Cerny listened, his eyes sometimes on the sea, sometimes coming to rest on Travis, and finally he said, “You’re a right guy, Travis. You and me have been crossways, but that’s been my fault.”