war-party of Navajos infested the avenues
to the Rito. They succeeded in killing a defenceless Indian, who had
wandered from the bottom of the gorge, and whom they found on the mesas
somewhere wending his way back to the homes of his tribe. After the fact
became known, a party went out to take revenge, and it so happened that
there was deep snow, and the murderers could easily be trailed. On the
top of what to-day is called the Potrero Viejo the avengers surprised
the Navajos fast asleep. It was bitterly cold, and evil tongues affirmed
that the Navajo whose scalp Hoshkanyi Tihua brought home had been frozen
to death previous to the arrival of the hero from the Tyuonyi. However
that may be, our governor returned with one scalp; and he was declared
to be manslayer, and henceforth counted among the influential braves of
his community.

Hoshkanyi Tihua was by no means silly. He possessed the valuable faculty
of keeping his mouth closed and of holding his tongue under
circumstances when it would be disadvantageous to him to speak. This
faculty had been inculcated after long and earnest training by his great
wife. Whenever there was no danger, Hoshkanyi proved very outspoken; but
as soon as there was the slightest sign of active opposition he became
extremely wise, and shrouded his views in a cloud of dignified gravity.

In addition to these qualities Hoshkanyi was the happy owner of an
unlimited amount of personal vanity. His ambition had no definite
object, provided some external authority was associated with his person.
After having for a long time fulfilled the rather insignificant office
of assistant to the governor of the tribe, his ambition at last became
gratified with the announcement that after the governor's demise the
Hotshanyi, or chief penitent, and his associates had designated him as
the incumbent of the office. So Hoshkanyi Tihua rose suddenly to the
rank of one of the chief dignitaries of his commonwealth.

The choice thus made by the religious heads of the Queres did not
satisfy everybody, but everybody was convinced that Those Above had
spoken through the mediums to whose care the relations between mankind
and the higher powers were specially committed. Everybody therefore
accepted the nomination, and the council confirmed it at once. The
majority of the clans opposed Hoshkanyi because he belonged to the
Turquoise people, who were rendering themselves obnoxious to many by
pretensions which they upheld b