to the yellow
where the stars are lost.

The head of the Towa Toan clan spoke from a terrace.

"We have heard the words of Tahn-te. The witch maid is not known by
our people, and our clan does not claim her! By evil magic has the
song of this maid blinded the eyes of Tahn-te,--and by evil magic
will she make desolate the land if she is let live. The white priest
has strong medicine--and good medicine of the gods. The men of
Te-gat-ha and the men of Navahu knew her as a witch, and sought her.
They did not find her because the men of iron were not their brothers.
To us they are brothers. I give thanks, and we think they should have
that which they seek with us. Their priest works also for our god, and
the symbol of the god is not to be hidden from him. Also the altar
waits;--and the stars are going away!"

Tahn-te touched the hand of the maid.

"Come!" he said gently, and as he touched her hand, he gave to her the
last seed from the fruit of the sacred plant,--"eat for the trail you
must walk over, and sing for me alone the song holy of the Navahu Sun
God; I take you to meet him on the Mesa of the Hearts."

Don Ruy tried to press through the guard, but the orders of the heads
of the clans had been strong orders. The Castilian brothers might
follow; but the stars were going away, and there was no time for words
after the crown was made. The flowers must not wither above a living
face.

And the maid entered the canoe with the Po-Ahtun-ho and the Te-hua
boatmen plied the paddles so that the crossing was quick, and all the
others followed, and some men swam, and the Castilian horses and
riders went also. And a second priest of the Po-Ahtun went with a
white robe, and a good knife in his girdle. Tahn-te was called
"sorcerer" by the wise men of iron, and it was best to trust not
entirely to the heart of a sorcerer. He was plainly bewitched, and his
heart might grow weak when he looked on the altar, and looked on the
maid!

Tahn-te pointed to the upturned face of the God-Maid on the bosom of
the south mesa.

"That was my altar to you all the days of my boyhood," he said softly,
"there I met the god thoughts; there were the serpents tamed. It is
the God-Maid of this valley and her face is ever to the sun. To her
was my love given while I waited for your face! Listen!--and know this
is so--and sing now the song of the Sun God and the earth's end."

With her eyes on his she chanted the words, and the Te-hua oarsmen
dar