u--but Ka-yemo says no evil words
of Tahn-te--he knows that Tahn-te has ears to hear far off, and eyes
to see in the dark."

"Do you forget you are a Christian soul?" demanded the padre. "The
holy saints can kill the evil powers even in the sons of Satan! Let me
hear no more of the 'eyes of the dark;'--pagan trickery!"

Jose said no more, but it was easy to see that the veneer of foreign
ritual had made little impression on the Indian mind. He feared all
the devils of the Christian hell, and most of the gods of the pagan
pantheon. A policy of propitiation towards all the unseen powers is
the wise and instinctive attitude of the primitive mind. He slipped
his prayer beads through his fingers as taught for prayer, but to be
quite certain that evil be bribed to keep its distance, he stealthily
scattered prayer meal as he walked behind the others, and Yahn who was
coming behind them, saw him, and laughed. She was glad of heart to see
that the Te-hua, after years of the white man's religion, was still at
heart, a devotee of the Sun.

"He says that Tahn-te the Ruler has not the strong magic," he said
lowly to Yahn--"but no one else says so in this land."

Yahn did not care to discuss the power of Tahn-te--it was a bitter
thing in her days.

And as the little group went on through the fragrant sage and the
yellow bloom, Tahn-te himself stood almost on their trail, but a
little to one side where a knoll was.

Still as a thing of stone he stood there. His hand shaded his eyes
while he gazed across the sage levels--across the water of the river
and to the yellow and red sands beyond.

Even at their footsteps near, and their voices, he made no sign and
wavered not in his gaze. Don Ruy glancing at him saw that his
expression was keen, yet incredulous. So strange was it that Don Ruy
instinctively turned in his saddle to see the thing at which Tahn-te
looked and frowned.

At first he could see only the wavering lines of heat across the
level--and then he saw the thing, and with a word halted the others
and pointed.

Out of the red and yellow sand and soft green patches of the desert
growth a group of men were outlined against the low hills. Indians
with lances and with shields.

"That is a curious thing," said Don Ruy. "They walk this way yet their
steps bring them not closer! Is it a war party?"

Yahn gave one look, drew her breath sharply, and turned speechless to
Tahn-te. Jose after a long look crossed himself many