of you who will surrender his native dignity in such a fashion?"
Millions of voices rendered the air hideous with their cries, so
accurately did Blackana reproduce it all.
"I knew your sentiments," continued he, triumph ringing in his tones.
"What can we do but stand unitedly on our rustic frontier, and push
the conquest on to farther realms. Then all Heaven will learn that we
are made of grit too fine and true to lie beneath the feet of any foe."
As Blackana continued, I was struck with shuddering terror at his awful
gestures; but conscious that no harm could befall me, I continued
listening to his flaming oratory.
"We must arise and seize our opportunities. Go forth, under cover of
night, and sow the seed of our own growing; this will flourish in the
very soil that Christ would bring to highest cultivation. The germs
of our literature, rooted in human soil and growing secretly beneath
the surface, shall spread throughout the world and come to fruitage
in the light of every clime.
"We must build schools of literature, inspire the authors of the world
with our fine creed, and thereby spread our doctrines to the myriad
readers of every land and tongue. Who then, amongst our enemies, can
kill the appetite when once 'tis roused to craving for the carnal?
Give me the quill and the coming pen and press, and I can create thought
at my bidding and turn the main streams of human endeavor into
whatsoever channels I choose; and thus our river shall run full, while
other streams are drying.
"With such a work how can our cause grow less or we go groveling under
any foot? Impossible, my heroes! for we will live in glorious triumph
to the end of time. On to your tasks, listening multitudes, and he who
most successfully counteracts the so-called 'Truth' shall be a ruler
in my kingdom, and shine more brightly than the radiance of all this
region."
Thus was the speech suddenly ended, and I heard the unearthly
reverberations of the fiendish cheering by the mighty host, while the
form of Satan vanished; but from his waning shadows Blackana came forth
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