a thing not of
custom:--he was leaving the governor to hear the prayers of Povi-whah,
while he, for reasons politic, made the run to the most northern of
pueblos.

Much in the council of the strangers had shown him their power over
the old men whose minds were divided between dread of the savage
tribes, and wonder if the youth of Tahn-te gave him warrant for all
the knowledge expressed by him.

The governor of Te-gat-ha had sent no men to the council of Povi-whah.
From that fact had Tahn-te reasoned that Te-gat-ha meant to show no
favors to the white strangers. Te-gat-ha was of itself, very strong,
else it could not have held its walls against the Yutah and the wild
tribes of the north. Therefore would Te-gat-ha be a good comrade.

Twenty leagues it lay across the river and the mountain, but Tahn-te
had ere the dawn taken the bath in the living stream of the river:--it
runs and never tires, and its virtues are borrowed by the bather who
lets it have its way with him while he whispers the prayers of the
stars of the morning.

He knew that this was the moon and the time of the moon, when the
summer ceremonies were made in Te-gat-ha to the God of Creations, and
because of a wonderful visitor in the sky, he knew that special
ceremonies would be held. The Ancient Star was near the zenith--never
must it depart without a life to strengthen it on the downward trail!

The Po-Ahtun-ho in his ceremonial person never leaves the region of
the sanctuary, any more than the pope across the seas dare go
adventuring. It was as Tahn-te the courier, that he carried the
message of the Po-Athun to the man of Te-gat-ha that no shadow of
doubt be left in his mind as to where they stood in the Pueblo
brotherhood.

The mountain forest of Te-gat-ha, and the rose thickets close to the
brown walls make it a place of beauty. Through the open court between
the century old buildings, runs the mountain stream with its message
from the heights to the hidden river cutting deep down in the green
plain to the west.

The valley of Povi-whah was beautiful in itself as a garden is good to
look on when the spirits of the Growing Things have worked well with
the man who covers the seed, but Te-gat-ha brought thoughts of a
different beauty--even as did the memory of Walpi in Tusayan.

Walpi breathed the spirit of a tragic life, the last fortress of a
mysterious people. Te-gat-ha sat enthroned facing the setting sun.
Ancient, beautiful and insolent--w