le, just as the fellows at the last cave
told the people and the Chiefs that if they went into the cave the Great
Spirit would destroy them."

John and the Professor both laughed, while the boys looked on. There did
not seem to be anything amusing about that, and they wondered why they
should laugh at George's remark.

"Did it ever occur to you how like that is to the white man's way of
doing things?" asked John.

"I never thought of that!" said Harry.

"Do the white people act that way, too?" inquired George. "I never knew
that we had people who tried to deceive others so they could give them
up as a sacrifice?"

"What do you think the Krishnos deceive the people for?" asked the
Professor.

"So as to give them the power," answered George.

"Quite true. But what is the object of that power?"

"So they can rule?"

"Yes; but what gives them the power to rule?"

"Oh, I see now! They get paid for it! And that is why the Krishnos have
all the best things, and are better cared for than even the chiefs are?"

"You have given the right answer. The Krishnos don't want to sacrifice
human life because they love to do it, but because in the doing of it
they inspire fear, and through fear they can get what they want."

"But, Professor, you haven't yet told us how that is like the white
people do it."

"In exactly the same way. The Krishnos own the big gun factories, and
they tell the chiefs that the people across the river, or on the other
side of the mountain are going to rise up against them, and they must
arm the people and attack them. You see the white man's Krishnos have a
great cave, called a gun factory, and while he does not want to offer up
any sacrifices for the love of it, he does so because it is his business
to make guns, and ammunition, and shells which explode with terrific
force, and destroy hundreds at every shot."

"Well, after all, we are not much better than the savages here, are
we?" said Harry, as he looked around, with a sad expression.

"We have advanced a little beyond them," interpolated John. "We have
tried to systematize the killing. The savage goes at it without regard.
But the white man has set rules to conduct the slaughter. Of course, the
rules do not say that they shall not kill but it does point out the
impolite ways of killing."

The Professor smiled at this homely way of putting it, but the boys
looked doubtfully at John's exposition, and then George ventured to
remark: "I ca