rocession came. Men carrying long fringes of the cedar such as grow
in the moist places in the canyons,--also festoons of the ground pine,
and flowers of the sun with the brilliant petals like warm rays.

The bearers of these ran swiftly, but the others moved more steadily,
and Don Ruy called to Jose to learn for him the meanings of things,
and why Tahn-te, the Ruler, walked like that as if in prayer, and
clasped hands with a girl who smiled up in his face as a child on a
holiday, though all the older men looked as though walking to battle.

"It is the witch maid who has brought evil magic on the land," said
Jose, who had heard the herald--"also she has enchanted the
Po-Ahtun-ho with devil's arts, and has killed Yahn Tsyn-deh and
Ka-ye-mo with Navahu arrows on Pu-ye. They say she laughs to show that
no knife can harm her, and she goes to the altar instead of the
Yutah;--for it is she the earth groaned for."

"Go--"--said Don Ruy to his lately claimed "Dona Bradamante"--"keep
within the house with Ysobel until we come again. There may be much
to do, Lady mine, but there are no records for you to keep this
day."

And without protest or reply he was obeyed. There was something so
awful in the sight of the smiling maid of the bluebird wing, and the
wails of the women who mourned those she had destroyed, that one would
willingly flee the sight of their meeting.

But the Te-hua guards closed around the enchantress and the fanatics
of vengeance were barred out. Those meant for the Mesa of the Hearts
were not to be given to people!

Publicly the governor made thanks to the priest of the men of
iron;--he it was who had smelled out the witch--and sent the men where
her dead was found! Plain it was that their white brothers helped in
magic and in battle. Let the old men think wisely and well before they
let such brothers go from the land. For the angry gods, and the
quaking earth, the priest of the beard had found the cause;--also the
cure had he found. Did not the sun symbol belong to this man for this
work? Let the old men think well of this thing!

Don Ruy held Jose at his side, and listened, and hearing all, he faced
the padre with the first anger they had seen in his reckless kindly
eyes.

"For your own ends of the gold search you have done this thing?" he
demanded. "To a death on the altar have you sent that child-woman?
Good priest of the church, you make a man wonder if the saints indeed
listen, and God is above!