CHAPTER XIV.
More than eight days had elapsed since the one on which Shotaye hadpledged her new friend, the Tehua warrior, to meet him at the homes ofhis tribe. She had not redeemed that pledge. In appearance she wasunfaithful to Cayamo, as her knight was called; and yet her lack ofcompliance with her promise was not intentional. She calculated that hercase would have come up by that time; and until this occurred, theenergetic woman had no intention of leaving the Rito, much less offorsaking her friend Say Koitza. Now that her case had been delayed, theeight days had grown to nearly ten. The chayani and the caciques werefasting still, as well as some of the clan delegates.
Twelve days had passed, and it was the last day of official penance.That evening something was sure to occur to relieve the situation. Soeverybody thought at the Tyuonyi; so Shotaye thought herself. But shefelt more than usually excited and worn out. It was not fear; it was thenatural longing of a soul replete with energy and activity to see amatter ended that kept her in suspense. In regard to Say Koitza she feltperfectly reassured; the woman had not shown herself at her cave, andmust feel quiet, cautious, and careful.
When the sun rose on the fourth day, it found Shotaye just about to takeher morning meal. That was soon over, for there was no coffee, no hotrolls, no butter. It consisted merely of cold corn-cakes. When she hadsatisfied her appetite, she rose, shook the crumbs from her wrap, andwent out. She had made a full toilet; that is, she had rubbed her facewith her moistened hands and dried it with a deerskin, whereby a littlemore dust was added to her cheeks. She felt _pro forma_ clean.
It was yet so early that hardly any one showed himself out of doors. Thesun peeped up behind the volcanic heights in the east, casting a glowover the summits and crests that rise above the Rio Grande in thatdirection. The Tetilla stood out boldly, crowning the black ridges withits slender, graceful cone.
Shotaye strolled down the Rito. A few people were about; but regardlessof these and what they might think or say, she wandered along past thedwellings of the Eagle clan. What if Tyope should see her? "Let him seeme," she thought; "let him become convinced that I know nothing, that Irest easy, without any suspicion whatever of the dreadful fate he hasprepared for me. Later on he may find out that his former wife is morethan a match for him."
She went on and on, and passed the big house. A few men stood on theroofs, gazing motionless in the direction where the sun rose like a massof melted ore. Farther she went, always down stream, quietly and withthe greatest apparent unconcern. A girl from Yakka hanutsh greeted herin a friendly voice; she returned the greeting cheerfully. The cliffswherein Oshatsh, Shutzuna, and lastly Shyuamo resided were to her leftas she passed the grove where Okoya and Shyuote had had their firstdiscussion. Here she turned to the north, in the direction of the spotwhere she had met the Tehua Indian. Even on this upward trail, rocky asit was and overgrown with shrubbery, her form was plainlydistinguishable from below. But Shotaye scorned to conceal herself, shewalked without haste or hurry; her errand was perfectly legitimate andeverybody might see her undertake it.
Everybody might indeed witness her doings as far as these could be seen.She simply took a walk on the mesa of the Bird, Ziro kauash. She hopedalso to gather some useful plants,--such as the shkoa, a spinach-likevegetable; asclepias; apotz, a fever-medicine of the genus _artemesia_,and many other medicinal herbs known to the Indian and used by him. Forit had sprinkled if not rained every day of late, and last night's rainwas still visible in the drops that covered the leaves. The ground wassoft, and her step left plainly distinguishable tracks. Not only mightevery one see her; she almost invited people to follow her on herwanderings. Tyope, the Koshare Naua, the Chayani, might trail and spyout her movements as much and as long as they pleased, step by step ifthey wished; for the real object of her stroll they would never be ableto guess.
After reaching the top of the plateau, Shotaye sat down on a protrudingrock, from which she might look over the whole valley beneath. She caredlittle for this; her main object was to rest and to think. What she nowundertook was a step preliminary to the last act. A trail almostindistinguishable, so little was it used of late, led from the Rito tothe north, where the Tehuas dwelt in caves in the rock which they namePuye. This trail was the object of Shotaye's search. We know of herintention to take refuge among the northern tribe of village Indians,but she had meanwhile determined upon something else. She not onlywanted to go but had determined upon returning! Yes, she would return,though not alone. With armed men from the Puye she intended to return inthe stillness of the night. She would hide her companions at theapproaches to the Tyuonyi, and lie in wait for Tyope and the old DelightMaker, for the Chayani also if possible. The Tehuas would reap manyscalps; she would have had her revenge; and the deed could be soperformed as to make those at the Rito believe that the Navajos were theperpetrators. This was her plan, and she did not feel the slightestscruple or compunction. For years she had been, among her own people,the butt of numberless insults and mortifications. Now it had gone sofar that her life even was in imminent peril. Ere this should be lost,she would prove to her enemies that she was alive, and terribly alive!
To reconnoitre the ground, to study every detail of it, to store hermemory with everything that might be useful or valuable in the lay ofthe land, was what she had come for now. After she felt thoroughlyrested she rose, and continued her walk. Where she had been sitting, thetrail was plain, for there it descended into the gorge. So she onlynoticed the place and then went into the shrubbery to seek for plants.She gathered a few leaves of the dark-green shiutui, sauntered fromjuniper-bush to juniper-bush, glanced from time to time upward into thetops of pines to see whether they bore edible nuts of the kind nowcalled pinons, or threw stones at the noisy birds that fluttered about.
Again she came upon the trail, and her trained eye could follow it forsome distance until it disappeared in the timber. So far she felt sureof her impressions for the future and turned away to the right,penetrating deeper into the forest. She could find her way even atnight, for the moon shone still. Besides, once acquainted with the spotwhence she had to start, it mattered little whether there was any pathor not. The Indian needs only two points to guide himself,--the place ofdeparture and the spot where he wants to arrive. Moreover, for herflight it was better not to follow the trail at all. She felt sure ofmeeting some one of the Tehuas in the vicinity of the Puye.
The topographical details attracted the woman's attention much more thanthe path. She studied them carefully, pretending to hunt for plants.Unconsciously she went farther and farther, regardless of time, for itwas yet early. The surface of the Ziro kauash is slightly undulated, aswell as the mesa to the south of the Tyuonyi; the timber is relativelysparse; the pines are grouped together at intervals; and juniper andcedar bushes cover it uniformly like an extensive, irregular plantation.
Such is the topography of the mesas west of the Rio Grande, from theRito until one is beyond, and opposite to San Ildefonso. They aretraversed and cut by deep ravines and canons, which run generally fromwest to east, emptying their waters after storms into the valley of theriver through narrow gaps, or terminating before reaching the streamagainst a towering wall of volcanic rock. Ere Shotaye noticed it, theshrubbery had begun to grow thinner, until she noticed in frontsomething like a vacant space, indicating a gap; beyond that gap therewas timber again. This told her that she had reached the brink of thefirst canon north of the Rito.
In these solitudes game is not by any means so plentiful as might besupposed. This is particularly the case in the vicinity of Indiansettlements. The merciless methods of communal hunting eitherexterminate or frighten away most of the larger animals. Roaming tribessend parties of men, hunters or warriors, long distances away; and thesenot only slaughter but frighten the deer, the mountain sheep, and themountain goat, driving them into regions less accessible to man. Theturkey alone, that noble bird, with its dark, iridescent plumage,remains everywhere; and Shotaye had already heard their loud cacklingand calling before she
entered the high timber. Several gobblers as wellas hens had run away on her approach; at last they rose into the airone after the other, flapping their wings until they settled down on atall pinon that was visible from where the woman stood. There were fourbirds on the tree. With necks extended and eyelids alternately openingand shutting, they peered down on her, ready to soar away at the leastsuspicious motion. Shotaye could not resist glancing at them. It seemedas if something was creeping up the tree very slowly. Like a grayishstreak, a long body flattened itself against the trunk. Shotaye grewattentive, and the more so as the suspicious object all at oncedisappeared below the nethermost branches. The turkeys themselves wereso occupied with the appearance of the woman that they lost thought ofeverything else. One of them, a gobbler, braced himself up, his breastbulged out, his head and neck drawn in; then quickly thrusting themforward, sent out a loud cackle. At this moment the pine-branches wereviolently tossed about. With noisy flapping of their wings the hens roseinto the air; their companion flapped his wings but once or twice, anddisappeared in the tree-top. For a moment the twigs and branches rustledand rattled; then all was still. A panther had surprised them andsecured one for his breakfast. A long distance off might be heard thecackling of another gobbler; the forest was full of turkeys.
Shotaye burst out laughing. The panther had done well. He had enough tosatisfy his appetite, besides, and there was no danger of her beingattacked. The American panther is not dangerous to man; but he carries amouthful of very sharp teeth, and his claws are long; he is a powerfulanimal, agile and large. Nobody can foretell what might happen in casehe should be ill-humoured. The woman began to scan the landscape around;it was a clear space, and she could see the bushes from their tops downto the ground. The base of one of these bushes attracted her attention.Almost level with the soil, something black appeared beneath itsbranches. As she examined it more closely she saw that it was not reallyblack, but of a grayish brown, like the colour of the soil. It wasneither a plant nor was it a part of the earth itself, nor a stone. Itmight be some animal. The more she looked the more she became satisfiedthat it was neither animal's skin nor fur. The object was hairless. Onlythe skin of a human being could appear so smooth. Her first impulse wasto hide; but before she could execute her purpose the object movedslightly, and something white appeared above the black. It wasdisk-like, and on it there was some object of a red colour. The eyes ofShotaye sparkled; she abandoned all thoughts of concealment or offlight, and fastened her gaze on the strange thing beneath the shrub. Itbecame clearer and clearer to her that it was a human form, and that onits back was a white shield decorated with red. That shield she knew tobe Cayamo's.
But what could Cayamo be doing here? Or was it perhaps not he, but someNavajo who had vanquished the proud warrior and was carrying home hisweapons in triumph? The latter appeared rather improbable, and yet whocould tell? At all events the man was alive, for he had moved. It wasequally certain that he had not seen her. In order to clear up all doubtShotaye looked around for shelter, and saw near by a bush that affordeda scanty hiding-place. She glided to it noiselessly; and changing herposition, got nearer to him, and was even able to see more of his bodyand dress. The first glance satisfied her that he was not a Navajo, buta village Indian, and indeed her friend Cayamo.
Every trace of fear disappeared. Shotaye left the shelter of the bushand stepped up toward him rather noisily, at the same time calling hisname. He did not reply; and as she came nearer, the regular breathingand the heaving of his chest showed the cause of his silence; the greatwarrior from the Puye was fast asleep! Under different circumstances shewould have left him and quietly retired, but now she could not; theopportunity was too favourable, matters too threatening for her. Shemust be recognized by him once more, must show to him that she stillcounted on his pledge, on his friendship, his protection. Yet she didnot wake him, but went close to his prostrate form and bent over it,even holding her breath for a while.
He slept profoundly. The war-paint on his face was sorely blurred; thecampaign had not improved his appearance,--the face with closed eyesresembled a lump of dirt rather than a human head, his kilt wastattered, and his legs covered with scars and scratches. The circularsandals, much dilapidated, were tied to the belt; and close to them wasanother object, which Shotaye began to examine attentively, while hereyes flashed at the sight of it. It was a piece of human skin coveredwith gore and straight hair partly plaited. Her heart began to pulsateproudly and in delight, for she saw that Cayamo had secured a scalp, thescalp of a Navajo! Cayamo was a great warrior! Shotaye was careful notto touch the trophy, for no woman is allowed to handle the sacred tokenuntil after its taking has been duly celebrated in the great dance ofthe tribe. But lest the hero might wake up prematurely and notice herpresence in too close proximity to the repulsive laurels which he hadwon, Shotaye quietly withdrew and sat down at some distance from him,where he could easily see her, and quietly awaited his rising from theslumbers of fatigue.
In point of fact it was not proper for her to remain so close to him.The scalp-crowned warrior must keep aloof from the other sex until hehas been purified and has danced. Shotaye relied upon the extraordinarycircumstances, and upon his interpretation of her presence as having runafter him, to obtain his forgiveness. Furthermore they were alone; and afew moments spent in the practice of sign-language could not, shetrusted, deprive the scalp of the magic qualities attributed to it. Hadit been a warrior from the Rito she would have left him long ago.
Cayamo was manifestly tired, for he slept hard. The sun stood close tothe zenith, and still he dozed. The luminary of day did not onlyilluminate, but its heat was scorching; the shadows under cover of whichCayamo had retreated were moving gradually, and the unkempt head of thehero became exposed to the most direct rays. The heat began to disturbhim; he groaned, stretched himself, moved uneasily, and attempted toturn over. In this he bent his shield, and the hard leather struck himin the ribs. Cayamo woke up! He opened his eyes and yawned, closed themagain, then opened the lids a second time, when his look became suddenlya stare of surprise. Lightning-like he rose to a sitting posture, andgrasped the bow as well as his war-club. In this position he stared atthe woman, who smiled, winking and placing a finger on her lips. As soonas she whispered "Shotaye," the threatening flash in his eye vanished;he dropped both weapons and threw his features into a repulsive, hideousgrin intended for a soft smile. Then he rose. It was very plain that hefelt overjoyed, and that he would fain have expressed his delight to thewoman through some clumsy caress, but he restrained his feelings andbecame serious.
Extending his arm to the west, he shook his head in a warning manner,pointed to himself, made the sign indicating the act of men coming, andsaid, "Uan save;" then he waved his hand northward, afterward at thesun; and finally he pointed at Shotaye, uttering,--
"Uiye tha, 'two days!'"
She could not fully comprehend. Until better informed she drew theconclusion that the Navajos were in pursuit of him, but more she failedto understand. To ascertain his meaning she pointed at him, then atherself, raised four of her fingers, and asked,--
"Tehua?"
Cayamo shook his head, counted two on his fingers, accompanying thegestures with the words,--
"Tema quio Puye," pointing to the north at the same time. Now her doubtswere cleared. Shotaye saw that two days hence she would be expectedamong the Tehuas. She nodded eagerly and rose. If the Navajos, as sherightly concluded, were on her warrior's trail, it was unsafe for bothof them to remain here long; but neither could she insinuate to Cayamothat she would like to go with him at once. To her surprise the man bentdown and with his fingers drew a line on the ground which ran in thedirection where the cave-dwellings of the Tehuas were situated. Thewoman bent over him with great curiosity.
"Tupoge," said Cayamo, indicating the southern end of the line andlooking askance. Shotaye nodded that she understood, and he slowly movedhis fingers along the line to the north, uttering,--
"Tema quio."
The nort
hern terminus of the streak he designated as Puye. Finally hemade a mark across the middle of the line, saying very positively,--
"Uiye tha Shotaye Teanyi." These words he accompanied successively withthe signs for the number two, for male Indian, and for the meeting oftwo persons.
Nothing could be clearer. Two days hence Shotaye was to leave the Ritofor the Puye; and as Cayamo himself would be unable to meet her, owingto the ceremonies which he had to perform in honour of the scalp, somemale friend of his, called Teayni, would meet her half-way and conducther safely to the abode of his people. With a radiant face the womannodded assent, and made other gestures expressive of delight andagreement. Cayamo took advantage of his cowering posture to fasten thewar-sandals to his naked feet, and then rose and took the trail towardsthe north, but Shotaye held him back in token of misgivings. Heunderstood her motive, but pointed to his circular foot-gear and smiled.It was clear that he trusted to the round tracks left by thatcontrivance for safety. So he went on toward the brink of the gorge thatlay before them. As soon as his form had sunk below it, Shotaye alsoturned, this time in the direction of the Rito.
Everything was right at last! She felt safe, completely safe; for theroad was clear to her, and furthermore Cayamo, of whose attachment shewas now fully convinced, would provide for a guide during the secondhalf of the journey, which was utterly unknown to her. Everything wasmoving to her fullest satisfaction, provided she could escape from theRito.
In regard to that matter she had scarcely any doubt, unless--and thisthought came to her while she was wending her way slowly homeward--someone should have followed her and witnessed the strange meeting betweenher and Cayamo. In that case everything might be lost. But there werenot the slightest marks of human presence about. Nature, even, seemed toslumber in the heat of the day; an occasional lizard rustled through thedried twigs and fallen pine needles, a crow sat on a dry limb, and highup in the air an eagle soared below the mares' tails that streamed overthe sky. It would have been very disagreeable, to say the least, if oneor other of the Navajos who were in pursuit of Cayamo should cross herpath; but of this she had little fear. She was already too near theRito for that. Soon the gorge opened at her feet, showing a placid,lovely picture,--the little valley down below, huge pines raising theirdark columns by the side of light-green corn-patches, and the tall pileof the big houses looming up like an enormous round tower. But Shotayewas not affected by scenery. Walking along the brink to the west she atlast reached the upper end, where twelve days ago she had ascended, andwhere the brook, swollen by late rains, now gushed down the ledges in aseries of murmuring cascades. Here she began her descent, and as the sundisappeared behind threatening clouds over the western mountains, sheentered her home again. Shotaye had spent nearly the whole day on themesa, had spent it profitably, and was--so she fancied--in completesecurity as regarded her ultimate designs.
And yet had the woman, after taking leave of the strange Indian andafter the latter had gone out of sight, peered into the shadow of thepines on one of which the panther had so nimbly captured theunsuspecting turkey, she might have noticed something that would havegreatly modified her ideas on this point. For behind one of them therestood, all the while she and the Tehua were carrying on their pantomime,a human figure intently watching them. Pressed against the trunk of atree there was, motionless, quiet, calm, not a common spy, but a coolobserver of her doings, whose presence was accidental, but who not onlywatched but at the same time judged and passed sentence on her actions.
A short time after Shotaye had set out on her walk, Topanashka Tihuaalso started in the same direction. With all the self-control he hadmaintained, inward agitation and sorrow nearly overcame him. The nearerthe hour came when the momentous question that was going to shake theexistence of the tribe to its very foundations would be taken in hand,the more conscious he became that he was carrying a terrible load, andthat upon his action depended nearly everything. The feeling ofresponsibility was crushing. He had, of course, ascertained nothing new;neither had he thought of making notes of what met his gaze. But on thislast day he felt the necessity of being alone ere the dread moment came.Others could not help; he was alone with his thoughts, and yet, as hedid no fasting, not alone in the proper use of the word. On that lastday, therefore, he resolved upon retiring to some solitude. It wouldattract no undue attention, and he would have done according to thespirit of the shaman's instructions. After leaving the Rito he climbedto the northern mesa, and instead of resting on its brink as Shotayehad, he strolled into the timber perfectly at random, hardly consciouswhither he directed his steps, and content to be for once alone with hisdismal thoughts.
However much he speculated and reflected upon the matter, he drew notthe slightest comfort from it. The main factor he lacked; namely, aknowledge of the judgment which Those Above would render. This thechayani alone knew, and they alone would proclaim it at the council. Ifthe case of Shotaye only had been before the meeting, his position wouldhave been very simple. All he had to do was to kill her if found guilty,and he was ready to do this at any time. He did not especially hate thewoman, and all he cared for in such an event was to perform his duty. Inregard to his daughter Say he no longer entertained any apprehension.Matters, however, had degenerated into a venomous contention between twoclans, amounting almost to a schism in the tribe. If now the Chayani inthe name of the Shiuana proclaimed that Shyuamo was right, and theothers, his own clan included, resisted, what then? He had to obey, hehad to execute what Those Above decreed; for that purpose was he calledmaseua, like him who bears the same name and is the most active amongall the deities on high. What the Shiuana determined was right always.
The old man sat down under a tree and attempted to ponder over thislittle query of "always." But he did it in vain. It was a problemperhaps not beyond the reach of his intelligence, if it had beenproperly cultivated, but far beyond the limits which training and customhad set to the working powers of that intelligence. He staggered fromdoubt to doubt, and finally gave it up. No other conclusion could hereach than to wait. But waiting alone gives no light, does not comfort,gives neither strength nor wisdom. Strength and wisdom, so the Indianbelieves, are gifts from above, and can be obtained by prayer.Topanashka came to the conclusion that he would pray. He picked up astone, and was searching his memory for one of the many formulas thatthe Indian has in his rituals, when a faint pattering sound attractedhis attention.
Looking out from one of the weathered Cave-Rooms of theSnake-Clan]
It was as if something glided through brushwood. He forgot to pray, andlistened. Now it sounded again, at a greater distance from him. Onlysome animal could have produced the noise; a human being would eitherhave come up to him if a friend, or kept absolutely still if a foe. Helooked and looked, and at last caught a glimpse of the panther'syellowish fur gliding along the ground. When a cat glides stealthily sheis on the hunt. His curiosity was fully aroused; he longed to see whatthe animal was hunting and how he would succeed. Furthermore the pantheris in the eyes of the Pueblo Indian the symbol of the greatest physicalpower. A feeling overcame the old man as if this symbol was presentingitself to him at the very time when he needed the greatest moralstrength himself; and the animal appeared like a living fetich, a hintfrom Those Above. He followed the movements of the puma eagerly. Thetree where the turkeys sat stood near; he had heard their gobblings longago without paying any attention to them. But now they explained themovements of the gigantic cat; he was creeping up to the birds. The pumaapproached the tree noiselessly; at its foot he laid down his head, andraised his tail, sweeping the ground with nervous force. Now the beastof prey began to climb the trunk of the pine carefully and noiselessly.He reached the lower branches and disappeared within their maze. Thenfollowed his spring; and the turkeys flew away, all but one. With atremendous leap the cat broke through the tree-top and down on theground, with the wriggling bird in his jaws, and trotted off howling.
Topanashka had witnessed the performance with interest and with genuine
pleasure. He admired the strength and the swiftness of the animalhunter. Unconsciously his thought turned back to the intended prayer,and he earnestly addressed it now to Those Above, that they might giveto his heart the strength which the panther had shown in his limbs.Placing two sticks on the ground before him and a stone over them, herose to go. But another sight met his eyes, and he stood still as ifrooted to the soil, gazed and gazed. His eyes opened wide, then hisexpression became dark and almost fierce.
On the clear space beyond the pines on which the puma had caught hisprey, a woman sat near a cedar-bush; and in the shade of the bush a manrested. The first glance convinced Topanashka that the man wore paint,and carried the accoutrements and weapons of a warrior. It was not awarrior from the Rito; he was positive it could not be. Nor was it aNavajo. He undoubtedly belonged to some foreign tribe of villageIndians, in all probability to the Tehuas. What was he here for? Andwhat business had the woman in his company? Indians in war-paint do notassociate with women. Topanashka strained his eyes, and recognized tohis astonishment and dismay the woman Shotaye.
He could not contain himself any longer. Like a shadow he moved forwardand hid behind the trunk of a pine, whence he could see more and better.From there he witnessed the strange pantomime of Shotaye and Cayamo. Hewas too far off to hear the words, but the gestures spoke plainlyenough. As they pointed and gesticulated to the west, north, and south,he thought that they were planning some murderous surprise for theQueres,--that Shotaye was betraying her own people and conspiring withan enemy of her own stock. Fierce wrath filled his heart. Yes, Tyope'scharge was true; the woman was a witch, and had Topanashka been armed hewould have sought to kill her on the spot. But though he had no weapons,his hand clutched a stone, raised it from the ground, and held it inreadiness. The interview ended, the Tehua disappeared, and Shotaye wentin the direction of the Rito. Topanashka felt tempted to follow her atonce, to overtake her if possible and secure her person, or even toexecute summary justice; but she was sure not to escape him. She hadevidently not noticed his presence and had gone back to her den in thecliffs in complete security. There, on this very evening, he would seizeher, drag her before the uuityam, disclose her shameless and dangerousplots, and doom her to the horrible death she deserved to suffer.
Whither was her accomplice, the Tehua, going meanwhile? He was probablyreturning to his people to report, and to lead back those in whosecompany he intended to carry out the projected assault. The old mancould not stop him, being himself unarmed: but he could follow at adistance, cautiously and without exposing himself to danger. For it waspossible that the hellish plot had developed much further, and that thewarriors from the north were lurking already near by to pounce upon theQueres at daybreak. It was not only from the instinct of the old warriorscout, it was out of a sense of duty as head war-chief that hedetermined at once upon following the Tehua. As soon as Shotaye, too,was out of sight, he went over to the spot where the interview had takenplace and examined the soil carefully. The round impression made by awar-sandal struck his eye; it proved to him beyond any possibility ofdoubt that his inferences were correct. The old man straightened himselfto his full height. His piercing glance went in the direction whitherthe Tehua had gone. He bent forward again and followed the same linetoward the north.
* * * * *
The sun had just set over the Rito. It disappeared behind dense clouds;a storm was gathering in the west. Its wings were spreading liketentacles; they pushed on to meet the moon, whose light was just risingin the east as a dim whitish arch. The orb itself still remained belowthe horizon. Gusts of wind whirled up the gorge from the east atintervals, causing the pines to sigh, the willows and poplars to rustle.The corn whispered and tinkled. The usual bustle prevailed about thehouses and in front of the caves.
Before the grotto where the council was to meet that night, men werestanding, sitting, or lounging. They were the delegates who had come tolisten at last to the oracle which was to be revealed to them throughthe mouth of the great shaman. Their number was not yet complete; theTapop, Tyope, the Koshare Naua were there, but neither the Caciques northe Chayani nor the Maseua had put in an appearance. Everybody wassilent, hardly a word was heard from time to time, seldom a whisper. Themen were in part exhausted by long penitence, but mostly depressed as ifsome nightmare was still weighing upon them. The obligation to be silentimposed by the medicine-man was yet in force.
One by one those who were lacking came. The medicine-men appeared atlast, and only the yaya and the maseua were missing. The tapop, promptedby a wink of the Hishtanyi Chayan, went into the cave and prepared thecouncil-fire. It burned well, but nobody came.
Distant thunder rolled through the clouds; lightning flashed from themin fiery red tongues. The wind continued to blow in gusts, but at longintervals only. Between gust and gust it grew dismally, anxiously,still. The singing, shouting, laughing of the people had almost ceased.Now the wind again whirled up the valley stronger than before, and asits noise ceased, a plaintive sound, a distant howling, floated on theair. It waxed in strength and power till it rose into the night shrilland heart-rending. The men listened in surprise. Sobs, cries, shrieks,from time to time a piercing scream, were the dismal sounds that struckupon their ears. All came from the large building; it was a lament bymany voices, the sad, soul-rending lament over the dead!
Breathlessly they listened. Hurried footsteps rushed toward them,several men came running up the slope. When the foremost of them reachedthe group he asked, panting,--
"Where is the tapop?"
Hoshkanyi Tihua stepped forward and inquired,--
"What has happened? What do you want?"
"Our father the maseua," gasped the man, "is dead! He was killed on theZiro kauash!"
"Who killed him?" demanded the principal chayan, placing himself infront of the speaker.
The Indian raised his arm on high; from it depended a circular object.As the pale light of the rising moon fell on it, it was plainlydistinguishable as a circular war-sandal!
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