Bo and Nare, or Found Out

“Rub-a-dub-dub! rub-a-dub-dub!”

Little Bo heard the music, and ran after it. He had been fishing in a pool with a bent pin for a hook. “It is lots more fun to run after the band than to fish with a pin and not catch anything,” thought Bo. So he gave the line to his little sister Nare. Nare wanted to fish before, but Bo had said, “Girls don’t know anything ’bout fishing.”

Bo lived in a far country where even fathers don’t love little girls. Bo did not share his playthings with his sister, as you have done. He made her wait on him. He didn’t know any better. That was the way Bo’s father treated his mother. Bo was not white, as are the boys and girls who read this. He was brown as a berry. So was his little sister Nare. So were all the people Bo and Nare knew, except two ladies. These white missionary ladies were Bo’s teachers. They told him about Jesus. But Bo’s father taught him to worship idols. Bo sometimes wondered which was the true God. But at this particular minute he only thought about the music, and ran after it. He saw a great crowd and a priest in the midst beating a drum. He heard the priest cry in a loud voice, “Let every one keep silence.” Then the priest looked fiercely at the small boys. Bo began to tremble, and wish he were back fishing. “On this day week,” again shouted the priest, “at noon a god will arise from the ground in the field near our temple.” A second time the drum sounded, and the priest moved on to convey the news to other villages.

Everybody began to talk excitedly. “A god rise from the ground!” said they; “can it be possible?”

Bo was delighted. “Now I’ll find out,” thought he, “if men make our gods out of wood and stone, as the missionaries say. I’ll go and see for myself.”

That week seemed the longest Bo had ever spent. But the great day came at length, and Bo was very happy. Nare was not. Nare wanted to go too. She begged Bo to take her, but Bo answered, “You are only a girl; it doesn’t make any difference what you think. By-and-bye I’ll be a man; so I ought to know what is right.” Bo thought it manly to speak so rudely. Why, even mothers are treated very badly by boys in countries where Jesus’ teachings are not known.

So Bo started off alone. He found the largest crowd he had ever seen in the great field near the temple. In the centre was a vacant space, where only priests stood. Bo made straight for that spot. But a priest took him roughly by the shoulder, and said, “The new god will kill any one who comes inside this circle.” Bo ran back and hid behind a tall man, who didn’t look afraid.

It was a silent crowd. Most of the people seemed awe-struck. Every one was eagerly looking toward the vacant space where the god would rise. At noon more priests in long white robes came out of the temple. They began to mutter and wave their hands. The tall man next to Bo said, “Something black is coming out of the ground!” Bo stood on tip-toe and strained his eyes to see.

The something grew larger and larger. Every eye was fixed upon the spot. Could it be the top of a head? Yes, for the brow, eyes, nose, and mouth slowly appeared. All this time the priests never once went near. The big black idol seemed to rise of itself. The crowd, almost wild with excitement, cried out, “A miracle! a miracle!”

Bo thought the priests looked much pleased when the people shouted, “’Tis a miracle!” Soon the priests went into the temple. They didn’t think any one would dare go inside the circle.

Now it happened that the tall man who stood next to Bo no longer believed that idols were gods. “The priests are trying to cheat us,” thought he. “A rival temple is the favorite, where most money is given. The priests of this temple are poor. They have made up this miracle in order to draw more offerings here.” So this wise man said to a friend near, “Let us make this god grow faster.” The other agreed. They went boldly forward and took hold of the idol.

Bo heard people say, “They will surely fall down dead.”

But no; the god came up quickly—head, hands, body—all complete. Still the two brave men stood unharmed and actually laughing. They cried out, “The priests have fooled us; come and see for yourselves!”

Then, pell-mell, pushing and tumbling over each other, all rushed to the spot. What do you think they saw? A great pit full of soaked peas. The priests knew that peas grow larger when left in water; so they filled the pit with peas, poured on water, placed the idol on top, and covered it lightly with soil. By-and-bye, when the peas had begun to swell, the idol was pushed through the ground.

The people were very angry. They nearly killed the priests, whom they found feasting in the temple.

After one long look backward, Bo trudged home in disgust. He could never again believe in their priests. That evening Bo told Nare his decision: “We’ll not be afraid of make-believe gods any more. We must pray to the great Father who lives up in the sky.”—Selected.