mples, they are theirs. Worship the Mother, do
honour to the god!"

The multitude heard and prostrated themselves like a single man, every
one of them crying in a shout of thunder:

"Aca, the Queen of life, has come; Jal, the doom-god, has put on flesh.
Worship the Mother, do honour to the god!"

It was as though the army had suddenly been smitten with death, and of
the hundreds there, Juanna and Otter alone were left standing. There
was one exception, however, and that was Olfan, the warrior chief, who
remained upon his feet, not seeming to relish the command to abdicate
his authority thus brusquely in favour of a dwarf, were he god or man.

Otter, who was utterly bewildered, not comprehending a word of what
had been said, and being unable to fathom the meaning of these strange
antics, pointed at the chief with his spear by way of calling Juanna's
attention to the fact that he was still standing. But the great man
interpreted the action otherwise; evidently he thought that the newly
arrived god was invoking destruction on him. His pride yielded to his
superstition, and he sank to his knees also.

When the sound of the worshipping had passed away Juanna spoke again,
addressing the old priest.

"Rise, my child," she said--he might well have been her
great-grandfather--"and rise all ye, soldiers of the Spear and servants
of the Snake, and hear my words. Ye know me now, ye know me by the holy
name, ye know me by the fashion of my face, and by the red stone that
gleams upon my brow. In the beginning my blood fell yonder and was
frozen into such gems as these, which to-day ye offer yearly to him who
is my child, and slew me. Now the fate is accomplished and his reign is
finished. I come with him indeed, and he is still a god, but he loves me
as a son again, and bows the knee to me in service.

"Enough, ye know the ancient tale that is fulfilled this day. Now
we pass on towards our city, there to sojourn with you awhile and to
proclaim the law of the Ending, and we pass alone. There, in our city,
let a place be made ready for us, a place apart, but nigh to the temple;
and let food be brought to the place, that my servants may eat. At the
gates of the city also let men be waiting to bear us to that dwelling.
Let none spy upon us, lest an evil fate attend you all; and let none be
disobedient, lest we pass from you back to the land of Death and Dreams.
Perchance we shall not tarry here for long, perchance we come to bring