sad
hearts. I speak because of the days when I may be gone, and another
than me will hold the knowledge of a sacred place where the Sun Father
hides his symbol. It is good that I hear of the men who let themselves
go into ashes, and when if they had said once:--'I know where it
is--the metal of the Sun!' all might have gone free and lived long
days. My children:--it may be that some day one of you will hold a
secret of the sacred place where strong magic lives! If it be so, let
that man among you think in his heart of the twenty times ten men who
let themselves be burned into ashes by the white men of iron! Guard
you the sacred places--and let your ashes go into the sands, or be
blown by the winds to the four ways. But from the sacred things of the
gods, lift not the cover for the enemy!"

The old man trembled with the intensity of the thought and the dread
of what the unborn years might bring.

After a moment of silence the governor spoke:

"It may be that you live the longest of all! No one knows who will
guard the things not to be told. But no Te-hua can uncover that which
belongs to the Sun Father, and the Earth Mother."

"It is true:--thanks that it is true!"--said the other men, and
Tahn-te knew he was listening to things not told to boys.

"Thanks that you speak so," said the Ruler. "Now we have all spoken of
this matter. It is done. But the magic of the white hunters of gold,
we have not yet heard spoken. How is it, boy, that you have brought
all these signs of it:--what made blind their eyes?"

"Not anything," said Tahn-te. "It was a long time I was with them.
Some men had one book, or two, other men had papers that came in great
canoes from their land in Spain. Some had writings from their fathers
or their friends. These I heard read and talked of around the camp
fire. When they went away some things were thrown aside or given to
the padres who were to stay and talk of their gods. All I found I hid
in the earth. The people of Ci-bo-la killed Padre Juan, and I traded a
broken sword for his books and his papers. The sword I also had
buried. They were afraid of the books, I had learned to read them, and
I was not afraid."

"And you came from Ci-bo-la alone?" asked the governor,--"it is a long
trail to carry a load."

"All was not carried from there. I came back to Ci-cu-ye to learn more
from Padre Luis who meant to live there. He did not live so long, but
while he lived he taught me."

"The men of Ci