hout the gates at dusk, and I
call over my shoulder to the whitebeards. Ye know, Heavenly Ones, that I
alone of us all walk upon the earth continually, and have no pleasure
in our heavens so long as a green blade springs here, or there are two
voices at twilight in the standing crops. Wise are ye, but ye live
far off, forgetting whence ye came. So do I not forget. And the
fire-carriage feeds your shrines, ye say? And the fire-carriages bring
a thousand pilgrims where but ten came in the old years? True. That is
true, today."

"But tomorrow they are dead, brother," said Ganesh.

"Peace!" said the Bull, as Hanuman leaned forward again. "And tomorrow,
beloved--what of tomorrow?"

"This only. A new word creeping from mouth to mouth among the Common
Folk--a word that neither man nor God can lay hold of--an evil word--a
little lazy word among the Common Folk, saying (and none know who set
that word afoot) that they weary of ye, Heavenly Ones."

The Gods laughed together softly. "And then, beloved?" they said.

"And to cover that weariness they, my people, will bring to thee, Shiv,
and to thee, Ganesh, at first greater offerings and a louder noise of
worship. But the word has gone abroad, and, after, they will pay fewer
dues to our fat Brahmins. Next they will forget your altars, but so
slowly that no man can say how his forgetfulness began.

"I knew--I knew! I spoke this also, but they would not hear," said the
Tigress. "We should have slain--we should have slain!"

"It is too late now. Ye should have slain at the beginning when the men
from across the water had taught our folk nothing. Now my people see
their work, and go away thinking. They do not think of the Heavenly Ones
altogether. They think of the fire-carriage and the other things that
the bridge-builders have done, and when your priests thrust forward
hands asking alms, they give a little unwillingly. That is the
beginning, among one or two, or five or ten--for I, moving among my
people, know what is in their hearts."

"And the end, Jester of the Gods? What shall the end be?" said Ganesh.

"The end shall be as it was in the beginning, O slothful son of Shiv!
The flame shall die upon the altars and the prayer upon the tongue till
ye become little Gods again--Gods of the jungle--names that the hunters
of rats and noosers of dogs whisper in the thicket and among the
caves--rag-Gods, pot Godlings of the tree, and the villagemark, as
ye were at the beginning. T