the well.

To Ka-yemo, Yahn seemed again the adoring creature of love. She held
him close, and whispered endearing things. Never had Yahn, the Apache
tigress, let him see how completely her love could make her gentle
and make him master. The sweetness of it, and the absolute relief
when the arrows were destroyed--gave him a sense of security;--It
would be easy to confess to the padre;--the Castilians would be glad
of converts--and Juan Gonzalvo--someway they could make words to
Juan Gonzalvo--and padre would help--and--

Holding closely his hand she led him up the ancient stairway, and the
little doorways of the cliff dwellings showed black, for the moon had
slipped above the far hills and shone, a dulled ball of fire through
the sultry haze. Enough light it threw on the white cliffs to show any
moving creature, and Ka-yemo glanced fearfully towards the portal of
the star, for surely a movement was there!

But Yahn Tsyn-deh at the head of the stairway looked straight ahead
where a man with a strong bow held himself close in the shadow of a
great rock. When the twang of the bow string sounded, she loosened not
her hand from that of Ka-yemo as he fell, but with her other hand she
pulled aside the robe from her breast--also the necklace of the white
metal, that not anything turn aside the point of the arrow which was
to follow.

And when it came she fell to her knees, and then over the huddled body
of the man she had loved and led to death.

She loosened not her hand, and only once she spoke.

"It is a good choice," she whispered, but he had led the way into the
Twilight Land--and she followed as she had said was the right of a
woman.

And the clan of Ka-yemo could chant songs of bravery all their days
and not know that Yahn the Apache had saved the pride of her father's
people, and had hidden the weakness of Ka-yemo on the heights of
Pu-ye!

CHAPTER XXI

THE CALL OF THE ANCIENT STAR

When the moon had scarce reached the center of the sky, a gray faced
man slipped through the corn fields of the river lands, and spoke to
the Spanish sentry who paced before the dwellings where the camp was
made outside the wall.

The sentry wondered who the woman was who had held him belated, for
many were now coming from Shufinne, and some of them were pretty.

But Capitan Gonzalvo laid himself down to dream of no woman. He crept
to the pallet of Padre Vicente. There were no words lest others be
aroused, but a press