Read Ebook: Kulmuja 1: Kuvia elämän varrelta by Kataja V In

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Ebook has 521 lines and 18217 words, and 11 pages

"Well, and what do you think, Miss Cheriton?" says Upward turning to their guest, when this desirable result has been achieved. "Are you sick of camp yet?"

"N-no--I don't think I am--At least--of course I'm not."

"I'm afraid Nesta does find it slow," puts in Mrs Upward--But before Nesta Cheriton can utter a disclaimer, the other of the two children gives a whistle.

"Lily, my dear girl!" expostulates her mother.

"I can't help it. Slow? I should think Nesta did find it slow. Why, she was only saying this morning she'd give ten years of her life for a little excitement."

"Lily is simply `embroidering,' Mr Upward," pleads Nesta, with a bright laugh. "I said--at anytime--not only now or here."

"We could have found you excitement enough in some of my other districts. You could have come after tiger with me."

"Oh no--no! That isn't the kind of thing I mean--And I can't think how Mrs Upward could have done it"--with a glance at the latter. For this gentle, refined looking woman with the pretty eyes and soft, charmful manner, had stood by her husband's side when the striped demon of the jungle, maddened with his wounds, ears laid back and eyes flashing green flame, had swooped upon them in lightning charge, uttering that awful coughing roar calculated to unnerve the stoutest of hearts--to drop, as though lightning-struck, before the heavy Express bullet directed by a steady hand and unflinching brain.

"Well, the kind of excitement you mean will roll up in a day or two in the shape of Bracebrydge and Fleming"--replies Upward, with a genial twinkle in his eyes--"they want to come after the chikor. It's rather a nuisance--This place won't carry two camps. But I say, Miss Cheriton, those fellows wont do any chikor shooting."

"Why not?--Isn't that what they are coming for?"

"Oh, yes. But then, you see, when the time comes to go out, each of them will make some excuse to remain behind--or to double back. Neither will want to leave the field open to the other."

"Ah, but--I don't care for either of them," laughed Nesta, not pretending to misunderstand his meaning.

"Not? Why everybody is in love with Bracebrydge--or he thinks they are--There's only one thing I must warn you against, and that is not to spell his name with an `I'. There are two girls in Shalalai to my knowledge who wrecked all their chances on that rock."

"Nonsense Ernest"--laughed his wife. "How can you talk such a lot of rubbish? To talk sense now. I wonder when Mr Campian will turn up?"

Dinner was over now, and very snug the interior of the tent looked in the cheerful lamplight, as Upward, selecting a cheroot from the box the bearer had just deposited in front of him, proceeded to puff away contentedly. The rain pattered with monotonous regularity on the canvas, and, reverberating among the crags, the thunder rolled in deep-toned boom.

A shade of alarm came into Nesta Cheriton's face.

"Should we be--er--quite safe here if it did?" she asked.

The two younger girls had got out cards and were deep in some game productive of much squabbling. The conversation among their elders had been carried on in an easy, placid, after-dinner tone. But through all there came, distinctly audible, the sound of a sharp, heavy report, not so very distant either.

Various emotions were manifest on the countenances of the listeners--one or two even expressing a shade akin to fear. As they stood thus, with nerves at tension, a new sound rushed forth upon the silence of the night--a sort of hollow, bellowing roar--nearer and nearer--louder and louder.

"Hurrah! hurrah!" crowed Lily, clapping her hands. "Let's go and look at it. Come along, Nesta. Here's some excitement at last!"

"Wait for the lantern. Wait--wait--do you hear?" cried her mother. "It's very dark; you might tumble in."

"Oh, hang the lantern," grumbled Lily. "The water will have passed by that time, and I want to see it rush out."

She had her wish, however, for the lantern being quickly lighted, the whole party stepped forth into the rain and the darkness. At first nothing was visible, but as the radius of light struck upon the vertical jaws of the great black chasm, they stopped for a moment, awed, appalled--almost instinctively stepping back.

Forth from those vertical jaws vomited a perfect terror of roaring, raging water. It was more like a vast spout than a mere stream was this awful flood; of inky blackness save where the broken waves, meeting a projection, seethed and hissed; and, amid the deafening tumult, the rattle of rocks, loosened from their bed, and shot along like timber by the velocity of the waters, mingled with the crash of tree trunks against the smooth cliff walls of the rift. In a moment, with a roar like a thunder burst, it had spread itself over the dry face of the nullah, which was now rolling many feet deep of mountainous swirling waves.

For a few moments they stood contemplating the wild tumult by the light of the lantern. Then Mrs Upward, her voice hardly audible through the bellowing of the waters, said:

"Now girls, we'd better go in. It's raining hard still."

This drew a vehement protest from Hazel and Lily. It was such fun watching the flood, they urged. What did it matter about a little rain? and so forth. But Tinkles, the little fox terrier, was now barking furiously at something or other unseen, keeping, however, very close to her master's legs, for all her expenditure of vocal ferocity. Then a voice came out of the darkness--a male voice which, although soft and pleasing, caused Nesta Cheriton to start and cling involuntary to Upward's arm.

Ymp?rist?ni on omaa maailmaani, omaa yksin?ist? onneani. Ei se olekaan pienoinen akvarelli, se on ??rett?m?n suuri j?ttil?istaulu, jonka on piirt?nyt j?ttil?isnero. Se on meren syvyinen, taivaan korkuinen ja ulottuu kaukaisuudesta toiseen. Ei rajoja lent?v?lle mielelle, ei esteit? tunteiden paisuvalle tulvalle. Yhten? ainoana suurena kultameren? on varhainen aamuhetki, ja kuuluu kuin ikuisen lemmen kanteleesta soitto hel?j?isi.

Tuo se on Kaiholani, tuo, jonka kalju laki siint?? muita korkeammalla. Sinne p?iv?n kullat ensiksi ehtiv?t, sinne lemmenkanteleen ??ni ensiksi kumajaa, ja sinne ensiksi n?kyy, kun onnen kultainen koi maailmoita kiertelee...

Nousen sinne juuri silloin, kun aamun ensi hetki alkaa. Sill? Kaiholaani on minun valta nousta mist? mieli tekee. Eik? h?iritse tuloni luonnon suurta aamuvirtt?. Olen tervetullut. Kev?inen Kaiholani ei ole viel? minua unhottanut.

Olen t??ll? taas kev??n juhlaa viett?m?ss?! Olen tuomassa viestej? siit? maailmasta, joka siint?? tuolta alhaalta ja n?ytt?? niin surkean pienelt? ja kurjalta.

Sill? t??lt? n?en kaikille ilmoille silm?nsiint?m?tt?miin: n?en tummapohjaisen Pohjolan, liekaroivan l?nnen ja ilakoivan id?n.

Etel? on niin kumman valju ja totinen ja ik??nkuin itkusilmin katselisi. Olisikohan etel?ll?, siint?v?ll? ja harsopeitteisell?, aavistuksia, tietoja uudesta el?m?st??

Palttinanvalkoisia vaarain lakia kohoaa toinen toistaan mahtavampina. Niiden puuttomat huiput kimaltavat, kiiltelev?t ja s?ken?iv?t niin ett? silmi? huikaisee, ne ovat kuin taikalinnoja, salaper?isi? ja lujia, joissa ihanat immet itkev?t sotaan menneit? ritarejaan.

P?iv?n kullat t?ytt?v?t ??rett?myytt?, koitar vilist?? rannattomia ulapoitaan, ja kev?isten ilmojen lemmenkannel soi...

Oliko sen s?veleess? kuisketta siit?, miss? oli minun lempeni?

Soi, eloni lemmen kannel! Kaikuos niin, ett? maa ja taivas vavahtaa! N?ytt??s tie, miss? on minun lempeni! -- Sinne tahdon rient?? ja tuoda h?net t?nne kev?iseen Kaiholaani, halki maalimain ja poikki merten. Ja el?isin t??ll? Kaiholassani ja viett?isin t??ll? lempeni suurta sunnuntaita.

Mutta pohjoinen on tumma ja riemuton, l?nsi liekaroi ja it? ilakoi...

Tuolla oli lempeni etel?n harson takana niin mittaamattoman kaukana!... Oliko siell?k??n? Ei. Siell? ei h?nt? olekaan. H?n on vain kev?isten ilmojen henget?r, joka t?nne Kaiholaani v?listi eksyy ja unelmoi kanssani t??ll?, miss? ei muu maailma kuule kuiskettamme...

Yht? ??ret?n kuin nyt on avaruuden s?ken?iv? liesi ja yht? uneksuvan lempe? kuin py?rrytt?v? taivas, yht? kaukana leijailee onneni ja iloni morsian ja yht? kaukaa kuuluu lemmenkanteleen vieno valitus.

Mutta t?nne Kaiholaani tulen joka kev?t nauttimaan yksin?ist? onneani ja kuulemaan soittoa ikuisen lemmen valkamasta.

TAKAISIN POHJOLAAN

Takanani on siis jo etel?, iloinen, hauska maailma...

Ja tuolla edess?ni, mist? vaalea taivaanranta silm??ni huikaisee, on Pohjolani, kaihoni ja lempeni kaukainen koti.

Kuljin kauas Pohjolastani, katselin tuhatj?rvist? maatani, kiertelin ja luulottelin, ett? se oli ihanampi ja viljavampi kuin oma kaukainen ja kylm? Pohjolani. Luulin etel?-Suomen j?rvien laineita kanteleen soitoksi, m?nnikk?m?ki? kukkakummuiksi, ja kuvittelin taivaan sine? niin kertomattoman kauniiksi. Mutta eiv?tp? ne olekaan. Sill? min? olen Pohjolan lapsi ja sille siksi viimeisen kiitosvirteni veisaan ja viimeiset voimani uhraan.

Minun tuli niin itkev?n ik?v? Pohjolaani, kun vieraana ja outona kuljin, ja minusta tuntuu nyt niin hauskalta j?lleen, kun p??sen valon suureen kotiin Pohjolaani...

Kuinka tuulikin, joka vastaani puhaltaa, on lempe? ja lauha, kuinka yst?v?n tavalla se hipi??ni hivelee! Oi puhalla, kotoinen tuuli, suurten tunturien p??lt?! Valaise, taivas, kirkkaudellasi pime? mieleni! Syleile minua, oma komea Pohjolani! Olen niin v?synyt, en jaksa tuntea suuruuttasi, en k?sit? valosi ??rett?myytt?, mutta syleilysi tunnen...

Tie, jota kuljen, on kuin onneni kultainen polku, joka kellert?v?n? hiekkanauhana nousee korkealle vaaralle... Vaaran laella jo n?en kotikyl?ni tutun maiseman leve?n joen rannalla, somien peltojen keskell?.

On jo y?. Mutta pohjoinen taivas on vaaleansinerv?, ja kaukaisuudessa h??m?itt?? suuri j?ttil?ismaisema kuin tumma meri oudon valon vallassa. Tuntuu kuin hiljainen uinaileva henki olisi hetkeksi nukahtanut tai kuin suuri sielu olisi silm?ns? ummistanut... Sill? ?kki? ja arvaamatta alkaa auringon punertava laita n?ky? ja p?iv? paistaa. Her?? kuin kuiskeita ilmassa, metsist? kuuluu salaper?ist? supatusta ja nuolennopeasti lent?v?t valojen viestit kukkulanhuipulta toiselle, taivaanrannasta toiseen, poikki ja pitkin. N?ytt?? kuin tuo suuri vuorinen maisema, laaksot ja vaarojen harmaat laet ?kki? muuttuisivat aavaksi valomereksi, jonka pohjalta kuultaa metsi?, vilahtaa jonkin j?rven pinta ja suunnattomia saloja.

K?kikin kukkuu, ja joen louhikkosaaret her??v?t morsiusvuoteeltaan, ja tieni varsilla laulavat linnut minulle tervetuloa. Kuinka oletkaan siev? ja sile?, jokeni, syv? v?yl?ni! Kuinka on viekoittelevan pehmoista usva, joka rantojen siimeksist? nousee!

Ah! Minusta alkaa nyt tuntua, etten olekaan vieras, etten olekaan liikaa sinulle, Pohjolani, Kaiholani, surujeni, rakkauteni ja toivojeni her?tt?j?. Tuntuu niin turvalliselta ja hauskalta. Valosi on valaissut pime?n mieleni, antanut toivoja syd?melleni, joka jo voivotellen lepoa ik?v?i. En viel? tahtoisikaan kuolla, tahtoisin viel? kes?ni viett?? t??ll? suuressa valon maassa, tahtoisin nukahtaa tuon vuolaan virran rannalla ja viett?? yksin y?ni korkeuksien huipuilla...

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