ed not look on her face for very terror. The words they did not
know--but no victim had ever yet gone singing to that altar.

"_In my thoughts I approach--I approach!
The Sun God approaches,
Earth's end he approaches.
Estsan-atlehi approaches
In old age walking
The beautiful trail.
In my thoughts I approach--I approach!
The Moon God approaches
Earth's end he approaches--_"

The canoe touched the shore, and the maid clasped the hand of Tahn-te
and went over the sand lightly as a child who wanders through flower
fields to a festival. He looked in her eyes and knew that the magic of
the sacred seed was strong, and that the hand of no man could hurt
her.

"Your trail is to the hills," he said.--"To the heart of the forest
you go. Where the bluebird builds her nest--there you build the nest
where we meet again. You see your wings in my hair? I wear both of
them that they lead me again to your trail when the time comes. When
the bluebird calls to her mate, I will hear your voice in that call.
When the anger of the gods has passed, I will find you again in the
Light beyond the light at the trail's end."

"At the trail's end," she said as a child repeats a lesson--"I build
the nest for you, and sing the bluebird song for you at the trail's
end."

"Thanks to the gods that it will be so," he said, and sprinkled prayer
meal to the four ways.--"The Spirit People stand witness! The gods
will be good in that Afterworld;--I will find you again."

They had reached the edge of the mesa--and the pale yellow of the sky
had been covered with a weird murky red. For all the many followers, a
strange hush was on the height, and far in the south low thunder was
heard. The same still, heavy air of the night was brooding over the
world, and long rays of copper and dull red were flung like banners to
the zenith. Each man's eyes looked strange questions into the eyes of
his neighbor, and the Te-hua men came not close to the witch maid, and
the man at the altar.

"_The Sun God approaches--approaches!
Earth's end he approaches!_"

They could hear the low chant of her witch song, and they could see
Tahn-te offer prayer meal to the Spirit People of the four ways, and
to the upper and the nether world. At his word she laid herself on the
rock, and no other priest was asked to