The Flute of the Gods Part 35

She had worked herself into such a pa.s.sion that the long smothered rage against the women who spoke her name lightly in the village spent itself on the one woman of all who lived most apart from such speech.

But aloud had Yahn Tsyn-deh said once for all that her life was as the life of Ka-yemo, and that no earth creature could make that different, and for the saying of it aloud she was a happier woman.

And Gonzalvo who listened to her defiance, fancied that the silent woman of mystery had given her chiding, and that Yahn was doing wordy battle for the new Castilian friends.

All the more could he think so when Yahn joined him with her great eyes shining like stars, and braided in her hair some flowers he had plucked for her--and walked back to the camp with him openly before all men!

And she said to him;--"I like only men who fight,--men who are not afraid. Tell your priest who does not like me that now is the time to speak again to the council of the sun symbol and of brothers. The old men have seen that your fighting was good, and that it saved them their women. This will be the time to speak."

"But their proud Cacique--"

"It is a good time to speak--" she insisted--"else will Tahn-te grow so tall with prophecies that his shadow will cover the land, and the men in the land,--tell your priest that the shadow has grown too tall now for one man. Other men have fought well and taken scalps--yet only one name is heard in your camp--the name of Tahn-te who sees visions in the hills!"

He wondered at her mocking tone of the visions in the hills, for no other Indian mocked at the visions of the sorcerer.

Don Ruy was well agreed to get back to the fair camp by the river, and so pleased with them were their new comrades in arms, that he was amused to see more than one dame of the village trudging homewards across the mesa:--they forgot to doubt the new allies who had helped send the Navahu running to the hills. When he reached Povi-whah he rallied Chico that he kept close to the camp and found so many remembered records to put safely down the "Relaciones," when there were more than a few pairs of strange dark eyes peeping from the terraces.

But Chico had quite lost the swagger of the adventurous youth since he tumbled down the arroyo bank almost on top of the flayed savage. The fainting fit need not have caused him so much of shyness, since his Excellency had also apparently indulged in the same weakness;--for Chico on awaking had carried two hats full of water and drenched his highness completely ere he had opened his eyes and again looked on the world. However, without doubt that fainting fit of Master Chico's had taken away a fine lot of self confidence, for ink-horn and paper gave all the excitement he craved. His audacity was gone, and so meek and lowly was his spirit, that Don Diego had much pleasure in the thought that the vocation of the lad was plainly the church, and that sight of the dead, unconfessed barbarians, had awakened his conscience as to human duties for the Faith.

This interesting fact he made mention of to Don Ruy, who bade him G.o.d speed in making missionaries out of unexpected material,--and got more amus.e.m.e.nt out of the idea than one would expect, and Don Diego hinted that it was unseemly to jest at serious matters of the saving of souls when his own had stood so good a chance at escape through the hole in his neck.

"It may be that I found a soul through that same wound," said Don Ruy, "at least I gained enough to make amends for the scar to be left by the wicked lance."

"It is true that the knowledge gained of their savage surgery is a thing of import for the 'Relaciones,'" agreed Don Diego,--"but only the infidel Cacique made practice of it, and his acts are scarcely the kind to bring a blessing on any work--I have been put to it to decide how little s.p.a.ce to give his name in these pages. It is not a seemly thing that the most wicked should be the most exalted in the chronicles of our travels."

"Whether exalted or not he must be again considered in this quest of the gold," stated Padre Vicente, "Gonzalvo brings me word that more than one of the tribe would have joy in his downfall, and that it is the good time to talk with the head men openly on this question. Our men have helped fight their battles:--thus matters have changed for us. Many of the women are allowed to come home--they perceive we are as brothers and are not afraid."

"They also perceive that we have a Navahu war captive whom they desire exceedingly for use on the altar of the Mesa of the Hearts,"--observed Don Ruy. "They are much disturbed for lack of a sacrifice these days.

They say the Ancient Star will send earth troubles until such sacrifice is made, some of the clans must donate a member unless the G.o.ds send a subst.i.tute--their preference is for a young and comely youth or maiden. They plainly hinted to Gonzalvo that the Navahu has been given into our hands by the G.o.ds for that purpose."

Don Diego was emphatic in his horror, but the padre explained that from the heathen point of view it was not so cruel as might be thought. When the savages went to war they prepared themselves for such fate if captured. More:--the death was not torture. The ceremonies were religious according to the pagan idea--chants and prayers and garlands of flowers and sacred pine were a part of the ritual. The blade of sacrifice must be sharp, and the heart removed from the victim quickly and held to the sun or the star behind which the angry G.o.d waited. When it was a sacrifice of much high import, it was made on the Mesa of the Hearts, and in remembrance a heart shaped stone was always left near the shrine by one of the secondary priests:--for that reason one could find many heart shaped stones, large and small on that mesa. When a medicine man found one, even in a far hunting ground, he brought it home for that purpose.

"And the body of the victim?" asked Don Ruy--"I have been on that mesa and seen no bones--what becomes of it?"

"If it is trouble of floods or storm or drouth, the victim is thrown to the G.o.d of the river below. On the mesa to the west is an ancient circle of stones with the entrance to the east. The ordinary sacrifice is made there for good crops, and the body is divided until each clan may have at least a portion which he consumes with many prayers."

Don Diego confessed that such ritual sat ill upon even a healthy stomach, for his own part the open air seemed good and desirable, and he was of a mind to return whence they had come, rather than risk longer unauthorized visits among such smiling soft voiced savages.

Since his eminence had learned thus much of their horrors, who was to know how many might be left untold?--or how soon the tribes might have a mind to circle the camp and offer every mother's son of the Christians on some such devilish altar?

Even while he spoke a curious shock ran through the men, and they stared at each other in amaze and question. Plainly the floor had lifted under their feet as though some demon of the Underworld had heaved himself upward in turning over in his sleep.

Screams and loud cries were heard from the terraces, men came tumbling up the ladders from the kivas, and Master Chico let fall a slender treasured volume of Senor Ariosto's romances and ran, white faced and breathless to Don Ruy, who caught and held him while the world swayed about them.

In truth he did not even release him so quickly as might be after the tremor had pa.s.sed, but no man had time or humor to note the care with which he held the secretary, or that it was the lad himself who drew, flushing red, from the embrace of very strong arms.

"I--I feared you might not know--I came to tell you--" was the lame explanation to which Don Ruy listened, and smiled while he listened.

"I wonder what 'Dona Bradamante' would have done in all her bravery of white armor if such an earth wave had shaken her tilting court?" he asked, but the secretary did not know, and with face still flushed, and eyes on the ground, went to seek Yahn Tsyn-deh to hear if this was a usual thing that walls lifted in wavy lines--and that chimneys toppled from Te-hua dwellings.

The old people said it was long since the earth had shaken itself, and they watched closely the Mesa of the Hearts, and the mesa of the G.o.d-maid face, and a mountain over towards Te-gat-ha. If the anger of the earth was great against earth people, then smoke would come from certain earth breathing places,--and the sentinels kept watch--and the old men watched also.

And around the village went a murmur of dire import--for it was plain that the Great Mystery was sending many signs to the Te-hua people;--the altars had been too long empty!

A strange foreboding filled the air, and the Castilians gathered in little groups and talked. To send the Navahu captive to his death at the hands of the tribe was not to their fancy, but if a member of a Te-hua clan must be offered up, who could tell what vengeance that clan might not take on the strangers?

Padre Vicente looked over all, and listened to much, and then talked to the governor:--was it not the time to take strong brothers that they share both the evil and the good together?

"The G.o.ds are certainly not well pleased with us, we make offerings and we make prayers--and the only good they let come to us has been our brothers of the iron and thunder and the fire sticks," said Phen-tzah. "Yes, I think it is the time to take brothers of a strong G.o.d."

This was the word of the governor and it was the strongest word yet given for union. But the governor made it plain that he did not belong to the order holding secret of the sun symbol. The Po-Athun were the people who must decide these spirit things. He thought the hearts of the old men of that order were kind and soft for the strangers, but--the head of that order was Tahn-te, the Po-Athun-ho!

This gave pause for thought, every man who chose to go contrary to the will of Tahn-te, found himself well nigh helpless in the Indian land, his infernal G.o.ds were so strong that the Castilians were none too eager to flout them, only Yahn Tsyn-deh seeing the crisis of things, crept to Juan Gonzalvo and whispered,

"You hate the Po-Athun-ho--and you say love words to me. You think you want me?"

Juan Gonzalvo was a blunt soldier who had never before been kept at the distance of Tantalus by an Indian girl who took his gifts. On her brown neck a silver necklace of his shone richly, and in her braided hair corals of the sea gleamed red. While others had fled to the altars for prayers,--and sprinkled sacred pollen to the Go-he-yahs--the mediators between earth and spirit world--Yahn had bathed in the river and made herself beautiful with Castilian gifts and barbaric trinketry.

To the man who measured her with eager eyes, she looked beautiful as the Te-hua G.o.ddess of whom she had told him--Ta-ah-quea who brings the Spring.

He told her so while he devoured her with his glances.

"Good!" she said. "You give me love, and you hate the Po-Athun-ho. You can have us both if your heart is brave this night."

His arms would have clasped her for that promise, but she eluded him and laughed.

"Your Don Ruy tells you the Po-Athun-ho must have no harm," she whispered, "but is there not among your men, one, maybe even three soldiers who are master of the bow,--and can destroy in silence?"

Gonzalvo was himself a master bowman--and had some pride in knowing it, also he could if need be, pick men of his company who had skill, and could be trusted.

"Could you send these men as if to hunt or to fish,--could you have them find the way past the Te-hua sentinels to the place where they camped in the pines?" and she made a gesture towards Pu-ye. "Could you secretly find your way there in the dark before the Mother Moon looks full on the face of the earth?"

"I can do this--and I can do more than this."

"Can you win for your people the good heart of the council that they show you the sun symbol?" she asked. "Only Tahn-te closes the door to you, and they fear Tahn-te. Tell me why your hate of him is strong."

"His father was the Devil. Through the devil soul he learns magic things."

"Good! You hear the wise men tell of a maid of evil who brought the tornado and the battle--and now brings this shake of the world?"

"The witch maid," and Gonzalvo crossed himself--"Yes--the men speak of her in whispers--and the Indians say a sacrifice must be made."

"It must be made," said Yahn Tsyn-deh, and her white teeth shut tight in decision. "Maybe it happens that you can make it, and win the council--how then?"

"I--make the sacrifice--I?"

"Not where the altar is," soothed Yahn as he recoiled from the thought. "But listen you!--maybe I dream--but listen!--maybe the witch maid is a human thing with the heart of magic like Tahn-te,--maybe I can find them together for you in the sacred place of the stars in Pu-ye. Maybe the spirit of Tahn-te has been traded into her keeping, and with the double strength of evil she will destroy the earth in this place. The stars say so;--a great evil is coming! The medicine men see it in the sacred vessels of water and in the clear stone of the ancient prophets--they say so! You are a brave heart--you can save these people and win the gold secret from the council. If you want Yahn Tsyn-deh for love you will do this thing!"

[Ill.u.s.tration: SHE LED HIM UP THE ANCIENT STAIRWAY _Page 295_]