e listened.

"I wonder what 'Dona Bradamante' would have done in all her bravery of
white armor if such an earth wave had shaken her tilting court?" he
asked, but the secretary did not know, and with face still flushed,
and eyes on the ground, went to seek Yahn Tsyn-deh to hear if this was
a usual thing that walls lifted in wavy lines--and that chimneys
toppled from Te-hua dwellings.

The old people said it was long since the earth had shaken itself, and
they watched closely the Mesa of the Hearts, and the mesa of the
god-maid face, and a mountain over towards Te-gat-ha. If the anger of
the earth was great against earth people, then smoke would come from
certain earth breathing places,--and the sentinels kept watch--and the
old men watched also.

And around the village went a murmur of dire import--for it was plain
that the Great Mystery was sending many signs to the Te-hua
people;--the altars had been too long empty!

A strange foreboding filled the air, and the Castilians gathered in
little groups and talked. To send the Navahu captive to his death at
the hands of the tribe was not to their fancy, but if a member of a
Te-hua clan must be offered up, who could tell what vengeance that
clan might not take on the strangers?

Padre Vicente looked over all, and listened to much, and then talked
to the governor:--was it not the time to take strong brothers that
they share both the evil and the good together?

"The gods are certainly not well pleased with us, we make offerings
and we make prayers--and the only good they let come to us has been
our brothers of the iron and thunder and the fire sticks," said
Phen-tzah. "Yes, I think it is the time to take brothers of a strong
god."

This was the word of the governor and it was the strongest word yet
given for union. But the governor made it plain that he did not belong
to the order holding secret of the sun symbol. The Po-Athun were the
people who must decide these spirit things. He thought the hearts of
the old men of that order were kind and soft for the strangers,
but--the head of that order was Tahn-te, the Po-Athun-ho!

This gave pause for thought, every man who chose to go contrary to the
will of Tahn-te, found himself well nigh helpless in the Indian land,
his infernal gods were so strong that the Castilians were none too
eager to flout them, only Yahn Tsyn-deh seeing the crisis of things,
crept to Juan Gonzalvo and whispered,

"You hate the Po-Athun-ho--and