CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
Cornell University Library 
 PS 1064.B2D3 1916 
 
 3 1924 022 113 736 
 
The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 9240221 1 3736 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS 
 
Portrait of the Author 
 
THE 
 
 DELIGHT MAKERS 
 
 BY 
 
 ADOLF F. BANDELIER 
 
 WITH AN INTROD UCTION 
 
 By CHARLES F. LUMMIS 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 NEW YORK 
 DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
|\.-2,-)0 31aU. 
 
 Copyright, iSqo 
 By Dodd, Mead and Company 
 
 Copyright, ipi6 
 By Dood, Mead and Company, Inc 
 
PREFACE 
 
 This story is the result of eight years spent in 
 ethnological and archaeological study among the 
 Pueblo Indians of New Mexico. The first chapters 
 were written more than six years ago at the Pueblo 
 of Cochiti. The greater part was composed in 1885, 
 at Santa F6, after I had bestowed upon the Tehuas 
 the same interest and attention I had previously paid 
 to their neighbours the Queres. I was prompted to 
 perform the work by a conviction that however 
 scientific works may tell the truth about the Indian, 
 they exercise always a limited influence upon the 
 general public ; and to that public, in our country as 
 well as abroad, the Indian has remained as good as 
 unknown. By clothing sober facts in the garb of 
 romance I have hoped to make the " Truth about 
 the Pueblo Indians " more accessible and perhaps 
 more acceptable to the public in general. 
 
 The sober facts which I desire to convey may be 
 divided into three classes, — geographical, ethnologi- 
 cal, and archaeological. The descriptions of the 
 country and of its nature are real. The descrip- 
 tions of manners and customs, of creed and rites, 
 are from actual observations by myself and other 
 ethnologists, from the statements of trustworthy In- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 dians, and from a great number of Spanish sources 
 of old date, in which the Pueblo Indian is repre- 
 sented as he lived when still unchanged by contact 
 with European civilization. 
 
 The descriptions of architecture are based upon 
 investigations of ruins still in existence on the sites 
 where they are placed in the story. 
 
 The plot is my own. But most of the scenes de- 
 scribed I have witnessed ; and there is a basis for 
 it in a dim tradition preserved by the Queres of 
 Cochiti that their ancestors dwelt on the Rito de 
 los Frijoles a number of centuries ago, and in a 
 similar tradition among the Tehuas of the Pueblo 
 of Santa Clara in regard to the cave-dwellings of 
 the Puye. 
 
 A word to the linguist. The dialect spoken by 
 the actors is that of Cochiti for the Queres, that of 
 San Juan for the Tehuas. In order to avoid the 
 complicated orthography latterly adopted by sci- 
 entists for Indian dialects, I have written Indian 
 words and phrases as they would be pronounced 
 in continental languages. The letter a is used to 
 denote the sound of a in " hare." 
 
 To those who have so kindly assisted me, — in 
 particular to Rev. E. W. Meany of Santa Fe, and to 
 Dr. Norton B. Strong, of the United States Army, — • 
 I herewith tender my heartfelt thanks. 
 
 AD. F. BANDELIER. 
 Santa Fi, New Mexico. 
 
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION 
 
 The aim of our good and lamented friend in writ- 
 ing this book was to place before the public, in 
 novelistic garb, an account of the life and activities 
 of the Pueblo Indians before the coming of white 
 men. The information on which it is based was the 
 result of his personal observations during many years 
 of study among the sedentary tribes of New Mexico 
 and in Spanish archives pertaining thereto in con- 
 nection with his researches for the Archasological 
 Institute of America. He spent months in con- 
 tinuous study at the Tehua pueblo of San Juan and 
 the Queres pueblo of Cochiti, and the regard in 
 which he was held by the simple folk of those and 
 other native villages was sincerely affectionate. 
 Bandelier's labors in his chosen field were com- 
 menced at a time when a battle with hardship was a 
 part of the daily routine, and his method of perform- 
 ing the tasks before him was of the kind that pro- 
 duced important results often at the expense of 
 great suffering, which on more than one occasion 
 almost shut out his life. 
 
 Because not understood. The Delight Makers was' 
 not received at first with enthusiastic favor. It 
 seemed unlike the great student of technical prob- 
 lems deliberately to write a book the layman might 
 read with interest and profit; but his object once 
 
viii PREFACE 
 
 comprehended, the volume was received in the spirit 
 in which the venture was initiated and for a long 
 while search for a copy has often been in vain. 
 
 Bandelier has come unto his own. More than one 
 serious student of the ethno-history of our South- 
 west has frankly declared that the basis of future 
 investigation of the kind that Bandelier inaugurated 
 will always be the writings of that eminent man. 
 Had he been permitted to live and labor, nothing 
 would have given him greater satisfaction than the 
 knowledge that the people among whom he spent so 
 many years are of those who fully appreciate the 
 breadth of his learning and who have been instru- 
 mental in the creation, by proclamation of the 
 President, of the ' ' Bandelier National Monument, " 
 for the purpose of preserving for future generations 
 some of the archaeological remains he was the first 
 to observe and describe. 
 
 F. W. HODGE. 
 
 Smithsonian Institution, 
 Washington, D. C. , 
 September 25, 1916. 
 
NOTE 
 
 A SPECIAL interest attaches to the illustrations, 
 now first included in this edition. Many of them 
 are from photographs made by Chas. F. Lummis 
 in 1890, under the supervision of Bandelier, and 
 with special reference to "The Delight Makers,' 
 then being written. These two friends were the 
 first students to explore the Tyuonyi and its neigh- 
 borhood. In rain and shine, afoot, without blankets 
 or overcoats, with no more provision than a little 
 atole (pop-corn meal) and sweet chocolate, they 
 climbed the cliffs, threaded the cafions, slept in 
 caves or under trees, measured, mapped and photo- 
 graphed the ruins and landscapes with a 40-pound 
 camera, and laid the basis-notes for part of 
 Bandelier's monumental "Final Report" to the 
 Archseological Institute of America. 
 
 A few later photographs from the same hand 
 show part of the excavation done in the Tyuonyi by 
 the School of American Archaeology — through whose 
 loving and grateful efforts this cafion has been set 
 apart as a National Monument bearing the name of 
 its discovtrsr and chronicler, 
 
 ADOLF F. BANDELIER. 
 
 Thanks are due also to Hon. Frederick C. Hicks, 
 M.C., for six very interesting photographs of the 
 Zufiis and their country. 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Portrait of the Author . .... Frontispiece 
 
 Facing Page 
 The East End of the Canon of the Tyuonyi ... 8 
 A Modern Indian Dance ... . . . . i8 
 
 An Estufa . . i8 
 
 Rito de los Frijoles: Cavate Rooms in Qifif; Ruins 
 
 of Talus Pueblo at the Foot of Cliff ... 38 
 A Westerly Cliff of the Habitations of the Tyuonyi, 
 Showing Second and Third Story Caves, and 
 
 Some High Lookout Caves 70 
 
 A Navajo Hogan 88 
 
 The Heart of the Tyuonyi : The Excavated Lower 
 
 Story of the Great Terraced Communal House . 88 
 Rito de los Frijoles: A Cliff Estufa of the Snake- 
 Clan 116 
 
 The Dance of the Ayash Tyucotz 140 
 
 Indian Pueblo Dances of To-day : Lining Up for the 
 
 Dance ; The "Clowns" ... ..... 1647^ 
 
 Type of Old Indian Woman 186 
 
 Juanico : A Member of the Modern Village-Council 224 
 The Hishtanyi Chayan, or Chief Medicine Man . . 256 
 Looking Out from One of the Weathered Cave- 
 Rooms of the Snake-Clan 320 
 
 Rito de los Frijoles : Looking Out from the Cere- 
 monial Cave 384 
 
 Ruins of an Ancient Pueblo 472 
 
 A Modern Pueblo 486 
 
IN MEMORY 
 
 One day of August, 1888, in the teeth of a par- 
 ticular New Mexico sand-storm that whipped pebbles 
 the size of a bean straight to your face, a ruddy, 
 bronzed, middle-aged man, dusty but unweary with 
 his sixty-mile tramp from Zuiii, walked into my soli- 
 tary camp at Los Alamitos. Within the afternoon I 
 knew that here was the most exraordinary mind I 
 had met. There and then began the uncommon 
 friendship which lasted till his death, a quarter of a cen- 
 tury later ; and a love and admiration which will be of 
 my dearest memories so long as I shall live. I was 
 at first suspicious of the "pigeon-hole memory" which 
 could not only tell me some Queres word I was search- 
 ing for, but add : "Policarpio explained that to me in 
 Cochiti, November 23, 1881." But I discovered that 
 this classified memory was an integral part of this 
 extraordinary genius. The acid tests of life-long col- 
 laboration proved not only this but the judicial poise, 
 the marvelous insight and the intellectual chastity of 
 Bandelier's mind. I cannot conceive of anything in the 
 world which would have made him trim his sails as 
 a historian or a student for any advantage here or 
 hereafter. 
 
 Aside from keen mutual interests of documentary 
 and ethnologic study, we came to know one another 
 humanly by the hard proof of the Frontier. Thou- 
 
xiv IN MEMORY 
 
 sands of miles of wilderness and desert we trudged 
 side by side — camped, starved, shivered, learned and 
 were Glad together. Our joint pursuits in comfort 
 at our homes (in Santa Fe and Isleta, respectively) 
 will always be memorable to me ; but never so wonder- 
 ful as that companioning in the hardships of what 
 was, in our day, the really difficult fringe of the South- 
 west. There was not a decent road. We had no en- 
 dowment, no vehicles. Bandelier was once loaned a 
 horse ; and after riding two miles, led it the rest of the 
 thirty. So we went always by foot; my big camera 
 and glass plates in the knapsack on my back, the heavy 
 tripod under my arm ; his aneroid, surveying instru- 
 ments, and satchel of the almost microscopic notes 
 which he kept fully and precisely every night by the 
 camp-fire (even when I had to crouch over him and 
 the precious paper with my water-proof focusing 
 cloth) somehow bestowed about him. Up and down 
 pathless cliflfs, through tangled canons, fording icy 
 streams and ankle-deep sands, we travailed ; no blan- 
 kets, overcoats, or other shelter; and the only com- 
 missary a few cakes of sweet chocolate, and a small 
 sack of parched popcorn meal. Our "lodging was the 
 cold ground." When we could find a cave, a tree, or 
 anything to temper the wind or keep off part of the 
 rain, all right. If not, the Open. So I came to love 
 him as well as revere. I had known many "scientists" 
 and what happened when they really got Outdoors. 
 He was in no way an athlete — nor even muscular. I 
 was both — and not very long before had completed my 
 thirty-five-hundred-mile "Tramp Across the Conti- 
 
IN MEMORY XV 
 
 nent." But I never had to "slow down" for him. 
 Sometimes it was necessary to use laughing force to 
 detain him at dark where we had water and a leaning 
 clifif, instead of stumbling on through the trackless 
 night to an unknown "Somewheres." He has always 
 reminded me of John Muir, the only other man I have 
 known intimately who was as insatiate a climber and 
 inspiring a talker. But Bandelier had one advantage. 
 He could find common ground with anyone. I have 
 seen him with Presidents, diplomats, Irish section- 
 hands, Mexican peons, Indians, authors, scientists and 
 "society." Within an hour or so he was easily the 
 Center. Not unconscious of his power, he had an 
 extraordinary and sensitive modesty, which handi- 
 capped him through life among those who had the 
 "gift of push." He never put himself forward either 
 in person or in his writing. But something about him 
 fascinated all these far-apart classes of people, when 
 he spoke. His command of English, French, Spanish, 
 and German might have been expected ; but his facil- 
 ity in acquiring the "dialects" of railroad men and 
 cowboys, or the language of an Indian tribe, was 
 almost uncanny. When he first visited me, in Isleta, 
 he knew just three words of Tigua. In ten days he 
 could make himself understood by the hour with the 
 Principales in their own unwritten tongue. Of course, 
 this was one secret of his extraordinary success in 
 learning the inner heart of the Indians. 
 
 I saw it proved again in our contact with the Qui- 
 chua and Aymara and other tribes of Peru ant? 
 Bolivia. 
 
xvi IN MEMORY 
 
 I have known many scholars and some heroes — but 
 they seldom come in the same original package. As 
 I remember Bandelier with smallpox alone in the two- 
 foot snows of the Manzanos ; his tens of thousands of 
 miles of tramping, exploring, measuring, describing, 
 in the Southwest ; his year afoot and alone in North- 
 ern Mexico, with no more weapon than a pen-knife, 
 on the trails of raiding Apaches (where "scientific 
 expeditions" ten years later, when the Apache was 
 eliminated, needed armed convoys and pack-trains 
 enough for a punitive expedition, and wrote preten- 
 tious books about what every scholar has known for 
 three hundred years) I deeply wonder at the dual 
 quality of his intellect. Among them all, I have never 
 known such student and such explorer lodged in one 
 tenement. 
 
 We were knit not only thus but in the very inti- 
 macies of life — sharing hopes and bereavements. My 
 first son, named for him, should now be twenty-two. 
 The old home in Santa Fe was as my own. The truly 
 wonderful little woman he found in Peru for mate — 
 who shared his hardships among the cannibals of the 
 Amazonas and elsewhere, and so aided and still car- 
 ries on his work — I met in her maiden home, and am 
 glad I may still call her friend. 
 
 Naturally, among my dearest memories of our 
 trampings together is that of the Rito, the Tyuonyi. 
 It had never in any way been pictured before. We 
 were the first students that ever explored it. He had 
 discovered it, and was writing "The Delight Makers." 
 What days those were! The weather was no friend 
 
IN MEMORY ivii 
 
 of ours, nor of the camera's. We were wet and half- 
 fed, and cold by night, even in the ancient tiny caves. 
 But the unforgettable glory of it all ! 
 
 To-day thousands of people annually visit the 
 Tyuonyi at ease, and camp for weeks in comfort. The 
 School of American Archaeology has a summer ses- 
 session there; and its excavations verify BandeHer's 
 surmises. Normal students and budding archaeolo- 
 gists sleep in the very caves (identified) of the Eagle 
 People, the Turquoise, Snake and other clans. And 
 in that enchanted valley we remember not only the 
 Ancients, but the man who gave all this to the world. 
 
 During the six years I was Librarian of the Los 
 Angeles Public Library, far later, no other out-of- 
 print book on the Southwest was so eagerly sought as 
 "The Delight Makers." We had great trouble in get- 
 ting our own copy, which slept in the safe. The many 
 students who wished copies of their very own were, 
 referred to dealers in Americana, who searched for this 
 already rare volume; and many were proud to get it, 
 at last, at ten, fifteen and even twenty times its orig- 
 inal price. It will always be a standard — the most 
 photographic story yet printed of the life of the 
 prehistoric Americans. 
 
 Charles F. Lummis. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The mountain ranges skirting the Rio Grande del Norte on 
 the west, nearly opposite the town of Santa F6, in the Ter- 
 ritory of New Mexico, are to-day but little known. The 
 interior of the chain, the Sierra de los Valles, is as yet im- 
 perfectly explored. Still, these bald-crested mountains, 
 dark and forbidding as they appear from a distance, con- 
 ceal and shelter in their deep gorges and clefts many a spot 
 of great natural beauty, surprisingly picturesque, but diffi- 
 cult of access. From the river these canons, as they are 
 called in New Mexico, can be reached only by dint of toil- 
 some climbing and clambering ; for their western openings 
 are either narrow gaps, or access to them is barred by colos- 
 sal walls and pillars of volcanic rocks. The entire formation 
 of the chain, as far as it faces the Rio Grande, is volcanic, 
 the walls of the gorges consisting generally of a friable white 
 or yellowish tufa containing nodules of black, translucent 
 obsidian. Thie rock is so soft that in many places it can be 
 scooped out or detached with the most primitive tools, or 
 even with the fingers alone. Owing to this pecuKarity the 
 slopes exposed to the south and east, whence most of the 
 heavy rains strike them, are invariably abrupt, and often 
 even perpendicular ; whereas the opposite declivities, though 
 steep, still afford room for scanty vegetation. The gorges 
 run from west to east, — that is, they descend from the moun- 
 
2 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 tain crests to the Rio Grande, cutting the long and narrow 
 pedestal on which the high summits are resting. 
 
 Through some but not all of these gorges run never-fail- 
 ing streams of clear water. In a few instances the gorge 
 expands and takes the proportions of a narrow vale. Then 
 the high timber that usually skirts the rivulets shrinks to 
 detached groves, and patches of clear land appear, which, 
 if cultivated, would afford scanty support to one or two 
 modem families. To the village Indian such tillable spots 
 were of the greatest value. The deep ravine afforded shelter 
 not only against the climate but against roving enemies, and 
 the land was sufficient for his modest crops ; since his wants 
 were limited, and game was abundant. 
 
 The material of which the walls of these caSons are com- 
 posed, suggested in times past to the house-building Indian 
 the idea of using them as a home. The tufa and pumice- 
 stone are so friable that, as we have said, the rock can be 
 dug or burrowed with the most primitive implements. It 
 was easier, in fact, to excavate dwellings than to pile up 
 walls in the open air. 
 
 Therefore the northern sides of these secluded gorges 
 are perforated in many places by openings similar in appear- 
 ance to pigeon-holes. These openings are the points of 
 exit and entrance of artificial caves, dug out by sedentary 
 aborigines in times long past. They are met with in clus- 
 ters of as many as several hundred ; more frequently, how- 
 ever, the groups are small. Sometimes two or more tiers 
 of caves are superimposed. From the objects scattered 
 about and in the cells, and from the size and disposition of 
 the latter, it becomes evident that the people who excavated 
 and inhabited them were on the same level of culture as 
 the so-called Pueblo Indians of New Mexico. 
 
 It is not surprising, therefore, that some traditions and 
 myths are preserved to-day among the Pueblos concerning 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 3 
 
 these cave-villages. Thus the Tehua Indians of the pueblo 
 of Santa Clara assert that the artificial grottos of what they 
 call the Puiye and the Shufinne, west of their present abodes, 
 were the homes of their ancestors at one time. The Queres 
 of Cochiti in turn declare that the tribe to which they be- 
 long, occupied, many centuries before the first coming of 
 Europeans to New Mexico, the cluster of cave-dwellings, 
 visible at this day although abandoned and in ruins, in that 
 romantic and picturesquely secluded gorge called in the 
 Queres dialect Tyuonyi, and in Spanish "El Rito de los 
 Frijoles." 
 
 The Rito is a beautiful spot. Situated in a direct line 
 not over twenty miles west of Santa F6, it can still be 
 reached only after a long day's tedious travel. It is a nar- 
 row valley, nowhere broader than half a mile ; and from where 
 it begins in the west to where it closes in a dark and 
 gloomy entrance, scarcely wide enough for two men to pass 
 abreast, in the east, its length does not exceed six miles. 
 Its southern rim is formed by the slope of a timbered mesa, 
 and that slope is partly overgrown by shrubbery. The 
 northern border constitutes a line of vertical cliffs of yellow- 
 ish and white pumice, projecting and re-entering like deco- 
 rations of a stage, — now perpendicular and smooth for some 
 distance, now sweeping back in the shape of an arched 
 segment. These cliffs vary in height, although nowhere are 
 they less than two hundred feet. Their tops rise in huge 
 pillars, in crags and pinnacles. Brushwood and pine tim- 
 ber crown the mesa of which these fantastic projections are 
 but the shaggy border. 
 
 Through the vale itself rustles the clear and cool brook 
 to which the name of Rito de los Frijoles is applied. It 
 meanders on, hugging the southern slope, partly through 
 open spaces, partly through groves of timber, and again 
 past tall stately pine-trees standing isolated in the valley. 
 
4 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Willows, cherry-trees, cottonwoods, and elders form small 
 thickets along its banks. The Rito is a permanent stream- 
 let notwithstanding its small size. Its water freezes in win- 
 ter, but it never dries up completely during the summer 
 months. 
 
 Bunches of tall grass, low shrubbery, and cactus grow in 
 the open spaces between rocky debris fallen from above. 
 They also cover in part low mounds of rubbish, and ruins 
 of a large pentagonal building erected formerly at the 
 foot of a slope leading to the cliffs. In the cliffs themselves, 
 for a distance of about two miles, numerous caves dug out 
 by the hand of man are visible. Some of these are yet 
 perfect ; others have wholly crumbled away except the rear 
 wall. From a distance the port-holes and indentations 
 appear like so many pigeons' nests in the naked rock. 
 Together with the cavities formed by amygdaloid cham- 
 bers and crevices caused by erosion, they give the cliffs 
 the appearance of a huge, irregular honeycomb. 
 
 These ruins, inside as well as outside the northern walls 
 of the canon of the Rito, bear testimony to the tradition 
 still current among the Queres Indians of New Mexico that 
 the Rito, or Tyuonyi, was once inhabited by people of their 
 kind, nay, even of their own stock. But the time when 
 those people wooed and wed, lived and died, in that secluded 
 vale is past long, long ago. Centuries previous to the ad- 
 vent of the Spaniards, the Rito was already deserted. Noth- 
 ing remains but the ruins of former abodes and the memory 
 of their inhabitants among their descendants. .These an- 
 cient people of the Rito are the actors in the story which 
 is now to be told ; the stage in the main is the Rito itself. 
 The language of the actors is the Queres dialect, and the 
 time when the events occurred is much anterior to the dis- 
 covery of America, to the invention of gunpowder and the 
 printing-press in Europe. Still the Rito must have ap- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 5 
 
 peared then much as it appears now, — a quiet, lovely, pic- 
 turesque retreat, peacefiil when basking in the sunlight, 
 wonderfully quiet when the stars sparkled over it, or the 
 moon shed its floods of silver on the cliffs and on the mur- 
 muring brook below. 
 
 In the lower or western part of its course the Tyuonyi 
 rushes in places through thickets and small groves, out of 
 which rise tall pine-trees. It is very still on the banks of 
 the brook when, on a warm June day, noon-time is just 
 past and no breeze fans the air ; not a sound is heard be- 
 yond the rippling of the water ; the birds are asleep, and 
 the noise of human activity does not reach there from the 
 cliffs. Still, on the day of which we are now speaking, a 
 voice arose from the thicket, calling aloud, — 
 
 " Umo, — ' grandfather ! '" * 
 
 " To ima satyumishe, — ' come hither, my brother,' " 
 another voice replied in the same dialect, adding, "See 
 what a big fish I have caught." 
 
 It sounded as though this second voice had issued from 
 the very waters of the streamlet. 
 
 Pine boughs rustled, branches bent, and leaves shook. 
 A step scarcely audible was followed by a noiseless leap. 
 On a boulder around which flowed streams of limpid water 
 there alighted a young Indian. 
 
 He was of medium height and well-proportioned. His 
 hands and feet were rather small and delicate. He carried 
 his head erect with ease and freedom. Jet-black hair, 
 slightly waving, streamed loose over temples and cheeks, 
 and was gathered at the back in a short thick knot. In 
 front it parted naturally, leaving exposed a narrow strip of 
 
 > The word " umo " properly signifies " grandfather ; " but it is 
 used indiscriminately for all ages and sexes in calling. An old man, 
 for instance, will call his grandchild " umo ; " so will a wife her hus- 
 band, a brother his sister, etc. 
 
6 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 the brow. The features of the face, though not regular, 
 were still attractive, for large black eyes, almond-shaped, 
 shone bright from underneath heavy lashes. The complex- 
 ion was dusky, and the skin had a velvety gloss. Form, 
 carriage, and face together betokened a youth of about 
 eighteen years. 
 
 His costume was very plain. A garment of unbleached 
 cotton, coarsely woven, covered the body as low as the 
 knee. This garment, sleeveless and soiled by wear, was 
 tied over the right shoulder. A reddish-brown scarf or belt 
 of the same material fastened it around the waist. Feet, 
 arms, and the left shoulder were bare. Primitive as was 
 this costume, there was, nevertheless, an attempt here and 
 there at decoration. The belt was ornamented with black 
 and white stitches ; from each ear hung a turquoise sus- 
 pended by a cotton thread, and a necklace of coloured 
 pebbles strung on yucca fibre encircled the neck. 
 
 Like a statue of light-coloured bronze decked with scanty 
 drapery, and adorned with crude trinkets, holding a bow in 
 the right hand, while the left clenched a few untipped 
 arrows, the youth stood on the boulder outlined against the 
 shrubbery, immovable above the running brook. His gaze 
 was fixed on the opposite bank, where a youngster was 
 kneeling. 
 
 The latter was a boy of perhaps nine years. A dirty 
 wrap hung loosely over shoulders and back, and no neck- 
 lace or ear-pendants decorated his body. But the child- 
 ish features were enlivened by a broad grin of satisfaction, 
 and his eyes sparkled like coals just igniting, while he 
 pointed to a large mountain trout which he pressed against 
 a stone with both hands. He looked at the older youth 
 with an expression not merely of pleasure, but of familiar 
 intimacy also. It was clear that both boys were children 
 of the same parents. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. J 
 
 The younger one spoke first, — 
 
 "See here, Okoya," he began, grinning; "while you 
 are older than I, and bigger and stronger, I am more 
 cunning than you. Ever since the sun came out you 
 have followed the turkeys, and what have you? Noth- 
 ing ! Your hands are empty ! I have just come down 
 from the field, and look ! I caught this fish in the water. 
 Shall we fry and eat it here, or carry it home to the 
 mother?" 
 
 The older brother did not relish the taunt; his lips 
 curled. He replied scornfully, — 
 
 " Any child may catch a fish, but only men can follow 
 turkeys. The tzina is shy and wary ; it knows how sure 
 my aim is, therefore it hides when I go out to hunt." 
 
 The little one replied to this pompous explanation 
 with a clear mocking laugh. 
 
 "Turkeys care nothing about you," he retorted. "It 
 is nothing to them whether you go out or not ! " 
 
 "Shyuote," his brother scolded, "stop prating about 
 things of which you do not know. It is true I am not 
 one of the order of hunters, Shyayak, but I may become 
 so soon." He stopped, as if a sudden thought had struck 
 him, and then exclaimed : " Now I know why luck has 
 failed me this morning ! When I left our houses I 
 should have scattered meal, and placed a pebble on the 
 heap beside the trail, and offered a plume to our Mother 
 Above. All this I neglected. Now I am punished for 
 it by the birds concealing themselves. For had they 
 come out — " 
 
 " You would have missed them," tauntingly replied the 
 other. "If you want to kill turkeys join the Koshare. 
 Then you will catch them with roots and flowers." 
 
 Okoya grew angry. 
 
 " Hush ! foolish boy," he retorted, " what are the Ko- 
 
8 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 share to me ? Don't speak about such things here. Come, 
 take your fish, and let us go home.'' 
 
 With this Okoya leaped over the brook. Shyuote whis- 
 pered audibly to him, "Yes; you are very fond of the 
 Koshare." But the sarcastic remark was not heeded by 
 the elder lad, who turned to go, Shyuote following him. 
 Proudly the little boy tossed his fish from one hand to 
 the other. 
 
 Beyond the straight and lofty pine trunks a whitish 
 glare soon appeared. Brilliant sunlight broke through the 
 tree-tops, and played around the dark needles, turning them 
 into a brighter, lighter, emerald green. A background of 
 yellow and cream-coloured rocks, visible now through open- 
 ings in the shrubbery, showed that the boys were approach- 
 ing a clear space. 
 
 Here the elder one suddenly stopped, turned to his 
 brother, looked straight at him, and asked, — 
 
 "Shyuote, what have you heard about the Koshare?" 
 
 Instead of answering the child looked down, indifferent 
 and silent, as if he had not heard the query. 
 
 " What have you heard, boy? " continued the other. 
 
 Shyuote shrugged his shoulders. He had no inclination 
 to reply. 
 
 "Why don't you answer? " Okoya persisted. 
 
 His brother looked up, cast a furtive glance at the in- 
 terlocutor, then stared vacantly, but with head erect, before 
 him. His eyes were glassy and without any expression. 
 
 Whenever the Indian does not wish to speak on any 
 subject, whatever it be, no power on earth can compel him 
 to break silence. Okoya, as an Indian, felt rather than 
 understood this ; and the child's refusal to answer a very 
 simple question aroused his suspicions. He looked at the 
 stubborn boy for a moment, undecided whether he would 
 not resort to force. The child's taunts had mortified his 
 
u 
 
 o 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 9 
 
 pride in the first place; now that child's reticence bred 
 misgivings. He nevertheless restrained both anger and 
 curiosity for the present, not because of indifference but 
 for policy's sake, and turned to go. Shyuote looked for a 
 moment as if he wished to confess to his brother all that 
 the latter inquired about, but soon pouted, shrugged his 
 shoulders, and set out after Okoya in a lively fox-trot again. 
 
 The valley lay before them ; they had reached the end of 
 the grove. 
 
 Smiling in the warm glow of a June day, with a sky of 
 deepest azure, the vale of the Rito expanded between the 
 spot which the boys had reached and the rocky gateways in 
 the west, where that valley seemed to begin. Fields, small 
 and covered with young, bushy maize-plants, skirted the 
 brook, whose silvery thread was seen here and there as its 
 meanderings carried it beneath the shadow of shrubs and 
 trees, or exposed it to the full light of the dazzling sun. In 
 the plantations human forms appeared, now erect, now bent 
 down over their work. A ditch of medium size bordered 
 the fields on the north, carrying water from the brook for 
 purposes of irrigation. Still north of the ditch, and be- 
 tween it and the cliffs, arose a tall building, which from a 
 distance looked like a high clumsy pile of clay or reddish 
 earth. 
 
 This pile was irregularly terraced. Human beings stood 
 on the terraces or moved along them. Now and then one 
 was seen to rise from the interior of the pile to one of the 
 terraced roofs, or another slowly sank from sight, as if 
 descending into the interior of the earthy heap. On the 
 outside, beams leaned against it, and on them people went 
 up and down, as if cHmbing ladders Thin films of smoke 
 quivered in the air from imperceptible flues. 
 
 The cliffs themselves extended north of this building and 
 east and west as far as the range of view permitted, like a 
 
lO THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 yellowish ribbon of towering height with innumerable flex- 
 ures and alternations of light and shade. Their base was 
 enlivened by the bustle of those who dwelt in caves all 
 along the foot of the imposing rocky wall. Where to-day 
 only vacant holes stare at the visitor, at the hour on the day 
 when our story begins, human eyes peered through. Other 
 doors were closed by deer-hides or robes. Sometimes a 
 man, a woman, or a child, would creep out of one of these 
 openings, and climbing upward, disappear in the entrance 
 of an upper tier of cave-dwellings. Others would descend 
 the slope from the cliffs to the fields, whUe still others 
 returned from the banks of the ditch or of the brook. At 
 the distance from which the boys viewed the landscape all 
 passed noiselessly ; no human voice, no clamour disturbed 
 the stillness of the scene. 
 
 Peacefiil as Nature appeared, neither of the youth were in 
 the least struck by its charms or influenced by the spell 
 which such a tranquil and cheerfiil landscape is likely to 
 exercise upon thinking and feeling man. With both it was 
 indifference ; for the Indian views Nature with the eyes of a 
 materially interested spectator only. But the elder brother 
 had another reason for not noticing the beauty of the scene. 
 He was not only troubled, he was seriously embarrassed. 
 The hint thrown out by his little brother about the Koshare 
 had struck him ; for it led to the inference that the child 
 had knowledge of secret arts and occult practices of which 
 even he, Okoya, although on the verge of manhood, had 
 never received any intimation. Far more yet than this 
 knowledge, which Shyuote might have obtained through 
 mere accident, the hint at unpleasant relations between 
 Okoya and the Koshare startled the latter. 
 
 It was perfectly true that he not only disliked but even 
 hated the cluster of men to which the name of Koshare was 
 given in the tribe ; but he had concealed his feelings as care- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. II 
 
 fully as possible until now. Only once, as far as he could 
 remember, had he spoken of his aversion ; and then it was 
 during an absolutely confidential conversation with his own 
 mother, who seemed to entertain like sentiments. 
 
 To his father he had never uttered a word ; because his 
 father was himself a Koshare. Whatever Shyuote knew, he 
 could only have gathered by overhearing a conversation of 
 the Koshare among themselves, in which it was mentioned 
 that he, Okoya, harboured ill-feelings toward that brother- 
 hood. In that case he might be exposed to serious danger, 
 since, as he believed, those people were in possession of 
 knowledge of a higher order, and practised arts of an occult 
 nature. Against danger arising from such a source, Okoya 
 considered himself utterly defenceless. 
 
 The more he tried to think over these matters, the more 
 troubled his mind became. Only one thought appeared 
 logical and probable and that was that the boy had over- 
 heard one or other of the Koshare's intimate conversations. 
 But how came it that the Koshare knew about Okoya's 
 aversion toward them? Who could have told them? Only 
 his mother knew the secret ! Had she, perhaps, she — 
 The thought was like a spark which glowed for a while, grew 
 to a flame, flared and flickered unsteadily within his heart, 
 then began to shrink. No, no ; it was impossible ! it could 
 not be ! His mother would never betray her child ! The 
 flame died out, the spark remained fast dying. Suddenly it 
 blazed up again as if some breath had fanned it. 
 
 With renewed insistence, it struck Okoya that even if 
 Shyuote had merely overheard a conversation and the child's 
 knowledge was derived from that source, the most extraor- 
 dinary part of the information could only have come from 
 one source, — the person in whom he had confided, his 
 mother ! She alone could have told the Koshare that 
 Okoya hated them. The spark flared up anew ; it burst out 
 
12 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 in a wild flame of suspicion. It singed the heart and 
 smothered feeling as well as reason. It so completely 
 absorbed his thoughts, that Okoya forgot everything else. 
 Instead of walking along at a quiet easy gait, he rushed fast 
 and faster, wrapped in dismal despair and in wild impotent 
 wrath. Heedless of his little companion he ran, pantmg 
 with agitation, until Shyuote, imable to keep pace and 
 startled at his wild gait, pulled his garment and begged him 
 to stop. 
 
 " Brother," he cried, " why do you go so fast? I cannot 
 follow you ! " 
 
 Okoya came to a sudden halt, and turned toward the 
 boy like one aroused from a sinister dream. Shyuote 
 stared at him with surprise akin to fright. How changed 
 was his appearance ! Never before had he seen him with 
 a countenance so haggard, with eyes hollow amd yet burn- 
 ing with a lurid glow. Loose hair hung down over fore- 
 head and cheeks, perspiration stood on the brow in big 
 drops. The child involuntarily shrunk back, and Okoya, 
 noticing it, gasped, — 
 
 " You are right, the day is long yet and the houses near. 
 We will go slower." 
 
 Bowing his head again he went on at a slower gait. 
 
 Shyuote followed in silence. Although surprised at the 
 change in his brother's looks, he did not for a moment 
 entertain the thought or desire of inquiring into the cause 
 of it. He was fully satisfied that as long as Okoya did not 
 see fit to speak of the matter, he had no right to ask about 
 it : in short, that it was none of his business. 
 
 Meanwhile dark and dismal thoughts were chasing each 
 other within the elder brother's soul. Doubt and suspicion 
 became more and more crushing. He was tempted to 
 break the spell and interrogate Sh)mote once more, even to 
 wrench from him, if needs be, a fuU explanation. The boy 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 3 
 
 was old enough to enjoy that great and often disagreeable 
 quality of the American Indian, reticence. Furthermore, 
 he might have been forbidden to speak. 
 
 If the Indian is not an ideal being, he is still less a stolid 
 mentally squalid brute. He is not reticent out of imbecility 
 or mental weakness. He fails properly to understand much 
 of what takes place around him, especially what happens 
 within the circle of our modem civilization, but withal he is 
 far from indifferent toward his surroundings. He observes, 
 compares, thinks, reasons, upon whatever he sees or hears, 
 and forms opinions from the basis of his own peculiar 
 culture. His senses are very acute for natural phenomena ; 
 his memory is excellent, as often as, he sees fit to make use 
 of it. There is no diiference between him and the Cau- 
 casian in original faculties, and the reticence peculiar to 
 him under certain circumstances is not due to lack of 
 mental aptitude. 
 
 He does not practise that reticence alike toward all. A 
 great number of examples seems to establish the fact that 
 the Indian has developed a system of casuistry, based 
 upon a remarkably thorough knowledge of human nature. 
 Certain matters are kept concealed from some people, 
 whereas they are freely discussed with others, and vice 
 versa. The Indian hardly ever keeps a secret to himself 
 alone; it is nearly always shared by others whom the 
 matter directly concerns. It may be said of the red man 
 that he keeps secrets in the same manner that he lives, — ' 
 namely, in groups or clusters. The reason is that with 
 him individualism, or the mental and moral independence 
 of the individual, has not attained the high degree of de- 
 velopment which prevails among white races. 
 
 When Europeans began to colonize America in the fif- 
 teenth and sixteenth centuries, the social organization of 
 its inhabitants presented a picture such as had disap- 
 
14 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 peared long before on the continent of Europe. Every- 
 where there prevailed linguistic segregation, — divisions into 
 autonomous groups called tribes or stocks, and within each 
 of these, equally autonomous clusters, whose mutual alli- 
 ance for purposes of sustenance and defence constituted 
 the basis of tribal society. The latter clusters were the 
 clans, and they originated during the beginnings of the 
 human family. Every clan formed a group of supposed 
 blood-relatives, looking back to a mythical or traditional 
 common ancestor. Descent from the mother being always 
 plain, the clan claimed descent in the female line even if 
 every recollection of the female ancestor were lost, and 
 theoretically all the members of one clan were so many 
 brothers and sisters. This organization still exists in the 
 majority of tribes ; the members of one clan cannot inter- 
 marry, and, if all the women of a clan die, that clan dies 
 out also, since there is nobody left to perpetuate it. The 
 tribe is in reality but a league ; the clan is the unit. 
 At the time we speak of, the affairs of each tribe were 
 administered by an assembly of delegates from all its clans 
 who at the same time arbitrated inevitable disputes between 
 the several blood-relations. 
 
 Each clan managed its own affairs, of which no one 
 outside of its members needed to know anything. Since 
 the husbands always belonged to a different consanguine 
 group from their wives, and the children followed their 
 mother's line of descent, the family was permanently di- 
 vided. There was really no family in our sense of the 
 word. The Indian has an individual name only. He 
 is, in addition, distinguished by the name of his clan, 
 which in turn has its proper cognomen. The affairs of 
 the father's clan did not concern his wife or his children, 
 whereas a neighbour might be his confidant on such mat- 
 ters. The mother, son, and daughter spoke among them- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. IS 
 
 selves of matters of whieh the father was not entitled to 
 know, and about which he scarcely ever felt enough curi- 
 osity to inquire. Consequently there grew a habit of not 
 caring about other people's affairs unless they affected one's 
 own, and of confiding secrets to those only whom they 
 could concern, and who were entitled to know them. 
 In the course of time the habit became a rule of edu- 
 cation. Reticence, secrecy, discretion, are therefore no 
 virtues with the Indian; they are simply the result of 
 training. 
 
 Okoya too had been under the influence of such train- 
 ing, and he knew that Shyuote, young as he was, had al- 
 ready similar seeds planted within him. But uncertainty 
 was insufferable ; it weighed too heavily upon him, he 
 could no longer bear it. 
 
 "Umo," he burst out, turning abruptly and looking at 
 the boy in an almost threatening manner, "how do you 
 know that I dislike the Koshare ? " 
 
 Sh3mote cast his eyes to the ground, and remained si- 
 lent. His brother repeated the query; the little fellow 
 only shrugged his shoulders. With greater insistence the 
 elder proceeded, — 
 
 " Shyuote Tihua, who told you that the Delight Makers 
 are not precious to me, nor I to them? " 
 
 Shyuote shook his head, pouted, and stared vacantly to 
 one side. He manifestly refused to answer. 
 
 Cold perspiration stood on the brow of the elder brother ; 
 his body quivered in anguish; he realized the truth of 
 his suspicions. Unable any longer to control himself he 
 cried, — 
 
 " It is my mother who told them ! " 
 
 Trembling, with clenched hands and gnashing teeth, he 
 gazed at the child unconsciously. Shyuote, frightened at 
 his wild and menacing attitude, and ignorant of the real 
 
1 6 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 cause of his brother's excitement, raised his hand to his 
 forehead and began to sob. 
 
 A shout coming from the immediate vicinity aroused and 
 startled Okoya. A voice called out to him, — 
 
 « Umo ! " 
 
 He looked around in surprise. They were standing 
 close to the cultivated plots, and a man loomed up from 
 between the maize-plants. He it was who called, and as 
 soon as Okoya turned toward him he beckoned the youth 
 to come nearer. Okoya's face darkened; he reluctantly 
 compUed, leaped over the ditch, walked up to the inter- 
 locutor, and stood still before him in the attitude of quiet 
 expectancy with downcast eyes. Shyuote had dropped to 
 the ground ; the call did not interfere with his sobs ; he 
 pouted rather than grieved. 
 
 Okoya's interlocutor was a man of strong build, appar- 
 ently in the forties. His features, although somewhat flat 
 and broad, created a favourable impression at first ; upon 
 closer scrutiny, however, the eyes modified that impres- 
 sion. They were small, and their look piercing rather 
 than bright. His costume was limited to a tattered 
 breechclout of buckskin. A collar of small white shells 
 encircled the neck, and from this necklace dangled a 
 triangular piece of alabaster, flat, and with a carving 
 on it suggesting the shape of a dragon-fly. His hair 
 streamed loose over the left ear, where there was fas- 
 tened to the black coarse strands a tuft of grayish 
 down. 
 
 This individual eyed Okoya in silence for a moment, 
 as if inspecting his person ; then he inquired, — 
 
 " Where do you come from ? " 
 
 The young fellow looked up and replied, — 
 
 " From below," pointing to the lower end of the 
 gorge. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 7 
 
 " What did you hunt ? " the other continued, glancing at 
 the bow and arrows of the boy. 
 
 "Tzina;" and with perceptible embarrassment Okoya 
 added, " but I killed nothing." 
 
 The man seemed not to heed the humiliation which this 
 confession entailed, and asked, — 
 
 " Have you seen tracks of the mountain-sheep down 
 yonder? " 
 
 " Not one ; but I saw at a distance on the slope two bears 
 very large and strong." 
 
 The other shook his head. 
 
 " Then there are no mountain sheep toward that end of 
 the Tyuonyi," he said, waving his left hand toward the 
 southeast, " thank you, boy," at the same time extending 
 his right to the youth. Okoya grasped it, and breathed on 
 the outside of the hand. Then he said, " hoa umo," and 
 turned and sauntered back to where his little brother was 
 still squatting and pouting, morose and silent. 
 
 The man had also turned around, bent down, and gone 
 on weeding the com. Withal he did not lose sight of the 
 boys ; on the contrary, an occasional stealthy glance from 
 his half-closed eyes shot over where they met. 
 
 Shyuote rose from the ground. His eyes were dry, but 
 he glanced at his brother with misgivings as well as with 
 curiosity. The latter felt a sudden pang upon beholding 
 the childish features. The short interruption, though an- 
 noying at first, had diverted him from gloomy thoughts. 
 Now, everything came back to his mind with renewed 
 force, — the same anguish, the feeling of utter helplessness 
 in case of impending danger, indignation at what he be- 
 lieved to have been base treason on the part of his mother, 
 — all this rushed upon him with fearful force, and he stood 
 again motionless, a picture of wild perplexity. His face 
 betokened the state of his mind. Shyuote did not dare to 
 
l8 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 inquire of him further than to ask a very insignificant ques- 
 tion, — namely, who the man was that had called, 
 
 Okoya answered readily, for this query was almost a re- 
 lief, — a diversion which enabled him to subdue his agita- 
 tion. "Tyope Tihua," he said hastily, "wanted to know if 
 I had seen any mountain sheep. I told him that I had 
 only seen bear-tracks. Let him follow those," he growled. 
 " Come on, satyumishe, it is getting late." 
 
 While this conversation had been carried on, the boys, 
 now hurrying and now slackening their pace, had arrived 
 within a short distance of the tall clay-pile, which was seen 
 to be a high polygonal building, apparently closed on all 
 sides. Between them and this edifice there was still an- 
 other lower one, not unlike an irregular honey-comb. 
 About forty cells, separated from each other by walls of 
 earth, carried up from the ground to a few inches above 
 the terraced roof, constituted a ground-floor on which 
 rested a group of not more than a dozen similar cells. 
 The walls of this structure were of stones, irregularly bro- 
 ken and clumsily piled, but they were covered by a thick 
 coating of clay so that nothing of the rough core remained 
 visible. Instead of doors or entrances, air-holes, round or 
 oval, perforated these walls. 
 
 The house appeared empty. No smoke flitted over the 
 flat roof; the coating was so recent that many places were 
 hardly dry. 
 
 North of this building, a circular structure thirty feet in 
 diameter rose a few feet only above the soil, like the upper 
 part of a sunken cylinder. Its top was flat, and large flags 
 of stone formed a rough staircase leading to its roof In the 
 centre, a square opening appeared, out of which a tall beam, 
 notched at regular intervals like a primitive ladder, pro- 
 truded, and down which also the beam disappeared as if 
 extended into the bowels of the earth. This edifice, half 
 
.^i^i^-arifc-'-ffi^^i.- V. . 
 
 (Upper picture) A modern Indian Dance 
 (Lower picture) An estufa 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 19 
 
 underground, half above the soil, was what to-day is called 
 in New Mexico an estufa} This Spanish word has become 
 a technical term, and we shall hereafter use it in the course 
 of the story as well as the designations tshikia and kaaptsh 
 of the Queres Indians. 
 
 The estufas were more numerous in a single pueblo for- 
 merly than they are now. Nor are they always sunken. At 
 the Rito there were at least ten, five of which were circular 
 chambers in the rock of the cliffs. These chambers or 
 halls were, in the times we speak of, gathering places for 
 men exclusively. No woman was permitted to enter, unless 
 for the purpose of carrying food to the inmates. Each clan 
 had its own estufa, and the young men slept in it under the 
 surveillance of one or more of the aged principals, until they 
 married, and frequently even afterward. 
 
 There the young men became acquainted with the affairs 
 of their individual connections, and little by little also with 
 the business of the tribe. There, during the long evenings 
 of winter, old men taught them the songs and prayers em- 
 bodying traditions and myths, first of their own clan, then of 
 the tribe.3 The estufa was school, club-house, nay, armory 
 to a certain extent. It was more. Many of the prominent 
 religious exercises took place in it. The estufa on special 
 occasions became transformed into a temple for the clan 
 who had reared it. 
 
 From the depths of this structure there came a series of 
 
 ^ Estufa properly means a stove, and the name was applied to those 
 semi-subterranean places by the Spaniards on account of their com- 
 fortable temperature in winter. They recalled to them the temaz- 
 calli, or sweat-houses, of Mexico. 
 
 ^ The preservation of traditions is much systematized among the 
 Pueblo Indians. Certain societies know hardly any other bnt the 
 folktales relating to their own particular origin. To obtain correct 
 tradition it is necessary to gain the confidence of men high in degree. 
 That is mostly very difficult. 
 
20 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 dull sounds like beats of a drum. The youngsters stopped 
 short, and looked at each other in surprise. 
 
 "The new house," whispered Okoya, "which the Com- 
 clan have built here is empty, yet there is somebody in its 
 estufa. What may this mean ? " 
 
 " Let us look into it," eagerly suggested Shyuote. 
 
 " Go you alone !" directed the elder brother. " I will 
 walk on, and you can overtake me by-and-by." 
 
 That suited Shyuote. He crept stealthily toward the 
 round building. There was an air-hole in the rim which 
 rose above the ground. Crouching like a cat, the boy 
 cautiously peered through this opening, but quickly with- 
 drew with an expression of disappointment. The under- 
 ground chamber was not even finished ; its walls were dark 
 and raw, the floor rough, and on this floor a half-dozen 
 young fellows in every stage of dress or undress were loung- 
 ing. One of them mechanically touched a small drum with 
 a stick, while two or three of the others were humming a 
 monotonous tune to the rhythm of his rappings. Shyuote 
 stole away in evident discontent ; his curiosity was satisfied, 
 but at the expense of his expectations. 
 
 Loud laughter, screams, and animated talking diverted 
 his attention, and caused him to run in the direction of the 
 new house of the Com clan. He heard the voice of his 
 brother, but at the same time women's voices also, and as 
 soon as he turned the farther comer of the building, he saw 
 what was plainly a playful encounter between Okoya and 
 a pair of young girls. 
 
 The former had his bow in hand ready to shoot, and he 
 pointed the arrow at the maidens alternately ; they, utterly 
 unconcerned about his weapon, were pressing him with 
 weapons of their own, which he was much more anxious to 
 avoid than they his missiles. These were two pairs of very 
 dirty hands filled and covered with liquid mud with which 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 21 
 
 the damsels attempted to decorate his person. Okoya was 
 clearly on the defensive, and the advantage so far seemed 
 on the side of his agressors. Shyuote flew to his assistance. 
 Rushing to a large vessel of burnt clay, standing alongside 
 the wall and filled with water, he plunged both hands into it, 
 and began to bespatter the assailants with the not very 
 clean liquid. Forthwith one of the girls turned against the 
 new enemy. She was older and taller than Shyuote. Seiz- 
 ing his raven locks she pulled him to the ground on his 
 face, knelt on the prostrate form, and then and there gave 
 the boy a series of energetic cuffs against which the young- 
 ster struggled and wriggled in the most desperate but 
 absolutely ineffectual manner. The fair sex held the bal- 
 ance of power and wielded it. At every attempt of Shyuote 
 to rise or to roll over, she pushed his face back into the 
 moist ground, she pulled his hair, thumped his shoulders, 
 and boxed his ears. She was in earnest, and Shyuote was 
 powerless in her firm grasp. He could not even scream, 
 for a thick coating of soil had fastened itself to his features, 
 had penetrated into eye, mouth, and nostrils. His fate was 
 as melancholy as it was ludicrous ; it brought about a truce 
 between Okoya and the other maiden. They dropped, he 
 the weapon, she her muddy arms, and looked at the other 
 set of combatants with surprise and with immoderate 
 laughter. The Indian is not tender-hearted on such occa- 
 sions. When the victorious beauty at last arose, suffermg 
 her victim to turn over again, the merriment became up- 
 roarious, for Shyuote presented the appearance of a blow- 
 ing, spitting, coughing, statue of dirt. His looks were in 
 no manner improved by his frenzy after the boy had rubbed 
 his eyes, and recovered his breath. Tears of rage rolled 
 down his cheeks over patches of sand and mud, and when 
 he noticed the mirth of the others Shyuote's fury knew no 
 bounds. He rushed madly at the triumphant lass, who 
 
22 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 did not shrink from the hostile approach. The contest 
 was threatening to assume serious proportions, when an- 
 other person appeared upon the scene, at the sight of 
 whom even Shyuote temporarily stayed all demonstrations, 
 while Okoya seemed both startled and embarrassed. The 
 new-comer was a young girl too ; she carried on her head 
 a vessel of burnt clay similar to a flat urn, decorated with 
 black and red designs on cream-coloured ground, and filled 
 with water. 
 
 To understand this scene we must know that the two girls 
 had been engaged in putting on the last coat of plaster to 
 the walls of the abode of the Com people, when Okoya 
 suddenly came upon them. At a glance they saw that he 
 had been on a hunt, and also that he had hunted in vain. 
 Here was a welcome opportunity for jeering and mockery. 
 They interrupted their plastic labour, and turned against 
 him with such merciless allusions to his ill-success, that un- 
 able any longer to reply to their sarcasm Okoya threatened 
 them, in jest of course, with his bow. Instead of desisting, 
 the girls at once moved upon him with muddy hands. 
 The one who last appeared upon the scene, although assis- 
 tant to the others, inasmuch as she carried the water needed 
 in the preparation of the mud for plastering, had not seen 
 the engagement just fought. She looked at the group in 
 blank surprise, stood still without lifting the bowl from her 
 head, and presented thus the appearance of a handsome 
 Statue, dusky and graceful, whose lustrous black eyes alone 
 moved, glancing from one of the members of the group to 
 the other. Those large expressive eyes plainly asked, 
 "What does all this mean?" 
 
 The antagonists of Okoya and Shyuote were buxom 
 lasses, rather short, thick-waisted, full-chested, with flat 
 faces, prominent cheek-bones, and bright eyes. The third 
 maiden was taller and much more graceful j her features were 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 23 
 
 less coarse, less prominently distinctive. The nose was well- 
 proportioned, the mouth also, although the lips were rather 
 heavy. The eyes were large and beaming, soft yet not 
 without an intelligent expression. All three girls were 
 dressed nearly alike. A dark- blue cotton garment descended 
 as far as the knees ; it was tied over the left shoulder, and 
 the right was exposed. A red-tinged scarf served as belt 
 around the waist. Arms and feet were bare. The long 
 black hair streamed loosely. Two of them wore heavy 
 necklaces of green stones, red pebbles, and shell beads. 
 The last comer carried only a single string of shell beads 
 with an iridescent conch fastened to it in front. Ear-pen- 
 dants of turquoises hung from the ears of all three. 
 
 The attention of the girl with the urn on her head soon 
 rested on Shyuote, and she was the first to break the 
 silence by a hearty peal of laughter. This started her com- 
 panions again, and the one nearest to Okoya exclaimed, — 
 
 "Mitsha help us throw the water in your urn over the 
 head of the boy. Okoya began it all, give it to him, too. 
 You are strong enough." 
 
 At the mention of Okoya's name the maiden addressed 
 as Mitsha started. She threw a quick glance like a flash at 
 him. Her face quivered and coloured slightly. Turning 
 away, she deposited the water-urn at the foot of the wall, 
 and remained standing, her eyes directed to the cliffs, her 
 lithe fingers carelessly playing with the beads of her neck- 
 lace. She was disinclined to take any part in the fray, and 
 her behaviour acted as a damper on the buoyancy of the 
 others. Okoya hastily gathered up his arrows, and called 
 Shyuote to his side. But the boy did not care to obey. 
 Thirst for revenge held him to the spot of his defeat ; he 
 shook his fists at the girls, clenched his teeth, and began to 
 threaten vengeance, and to shower unconiplimentary ex- 
 pressions upon them. As soon, however, as the one who 
 
24 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 had so effectually routed him showed again a decided 
 movement toward his raven locks, he beat a hasty retreat to 
 his elder brother. This change of base excited new hilarity, 
 and under a shower of jokes and sarcasms the two boys de- 
 parted. Okoya walked along at a steady gait ; but Shyuote, 
 as soon as he considered the distance safe enough, turned 
 arounS, making grimaces at the belligerent damsels, vowing 
 vengeance, and uttering opprobrious epithets of the choicest 
 kind. He noticed that the two returned his compliments 
 without reserve, whereas Mitsha stood in silence leaning 
 against the house-wall. One single look, one earnest 
 almost sad glance, she sent after the disappearing form 
 of Shjfuote's elder brother. 
 
 The main building was now close at hand. It was an 
 irregular pentagon, and at places two, at others three 
 stories high. With one single exception these stories 
 formed terraces, retreating successively from the ground to 
 the top like so many steps of a staircase. Nowhere did 
 there appear any entrance. Notched beams led up to trap- 
 doors in the roofs, similar beams penetrated into the in- 
 terior below. Absolute stillness reigned about the edifice. 
 Some women scoured scanty clothing m the ditch running 
 past the structure ; on the terraces not a soul appeared. 
 The lads directed their course toward that side where the 
 three stories presented a perpendicular wall, and as they 
 neared it an entrance, or doorway, high enough for a man 
 and wide enough for four abreast appeared in the vertical 
 front. It led them through a dark passage into an interior 
 court which was fairly clean and contained three estufas. 
 Its diameter did not exceed one hundred and fifty feet. 
 
 Toward this court, or yard, the stories of the building 
 descended in terraces also ; but though ever)Tvhere beams 
 leaned up as ladders, access to the ground-floor was also 
 afforded by narrow doorways close(i with hides or mats. It 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 2$ 
 
 was hot and quiet in this yard ; the sun shed glaring light 
 into it and over the roofs. Naked urchins played and 
 squirmed below, whereas above, an old woman or some 
 aged man would cower motionless, shading their blear eyes 
 with one hand and warming their cold frames in the Ineat. 
 Okoya went directly to one of the ground-floor openings, 
 lifted the deer-skin that hung over it, and called out the 
 usual greeting, — 
 
 " Guatzena ! " 
 
 " Opona, — 'come in,'" responded a woman's voice. 
 Both lads obeyed the summons. At first the room seemed 
 dark on account of the sudden contrast with the glare out- 
 side, but as soon as this first impression was overcome, it 
 appeared moderately lighted. It was a chamber about four- 
 teen feet long and ten feet wide, and its walls were white- 
 washed with burnt gypsum. Deer-hides and a mat plaited 
 of )mcca-leaves lay rolled up in one corner. A niche con- 
 tained a small earthen bowl, painted white with black 
 symbolic figures. A doorway to the right led into another 
 compartment which seemed darker than the first. As soon 
 as the boys entered the room, a woman appeared in this 
 side doorway. She was small, slender, and apparently 
 thirty-five years of age. Her features, notwithstanding the 
 high cheek-bones, were attractive though wan and thin. 
 An air of physical suffering lay over them like a thin cloudy 
 veil. At the sight of this woman, Okoya's heart be^an to 
 throb again ; for she it was whom he so direly suspected, 
 nay, accused of treachery and deceit. This woman wa,s his 
 mother. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 The homes of the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, espe- 
 cially as regards the size and disposition of the rooms, are 
 to-day slightly modified from what they were in former 
 times. An advance has been made, inasmuch as the build- 
 ings are not any longer the vast and ill-ventilated honey- 
 combs composed of hundreds of dingy shells, which they 
 were centuries ago. The houses, while large and many- 
 storied, are comparatively less extensive, and the apartments 
 less roomy than at the time when the Queres lived in the 
 Rito de los Frijoles. 
 
 The two rooms where we left the lads and their mother 
 at the close of the preceding chapter formed such a home. 
 Ip the front one the family slept at night, with the exception 
 of Okoya who was obliged to join the other youths La the 
 estufa of his clan. The husband was not always at home 
 after sunset. But the mother, Shyuote, and a little girl 
 four years old invariably took their nightly rest there. To 
 the little girl we have not yet been introduced. When the 
 boys returned she was in the court-yard at play, and in the 
 usual state of complete undress which is the regular condi- 
 tion of Indian children of her age. 
 
 The inner cell was kitchen and store-room, and there 
 the family partook of their meals. 
 
 Among the Pueblos the house was in charge of the 
 women exclusively, everything within the walls of the house, 
 the men's clothing and weapons excepted, belonging to th" 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS 27 
 
 housekeeper. Even the crops if once housed were con- 
 trolled by her. As long as they were in the field, the 
 husband or masculine head of the family could dispose of 
 them. Afterward he must consult the woman, and he could 
 not sell an ear of com without her consent. It is still so 
 to-day in many villages. Formerly all the field-products 
 were gathered and stored in the granaries of the several 
 clans whence each household drew its supplies. Even the 
 proceeds of communal hunts and fisheries were treated in 
 this manner. Only where the husband, son, or brother 
 killed game while out alone, could he do with it as he 
 pleased. 
 
 Not many centuries ago the members of each clan, or 
 rather the women, their offspring, and aged people who 
 were taken care of by their children, lived together. They 
 occupied a certain section of the great hive which the com- 
 munal dwelling represented, and such a section was not un- 
 appropriately called in Spanish a quartel or quarter. The 
 husband also stayed with his wife and the younger children, 
 but he had no rights as owner, or proprietor, to his abode. 
 Since it was the custom for women to raise the walls of 
 buildings, and to finish the house inside and outside, they 
 owned it also. The man was only tolerated. His home 
 was properly with his clan, whither he must return in case 
 his spouse departed this life before him. 
 
 It was different in regard to the fields. Each clan had 
 its particular holding, and since the field-work devolved 
 upon the men, the cultivated plots belonged to them alone. 
 Within each allotment every member who was of age, or 
 so situated as to have to support himself or a family, owned 
 and tilled a certain plot which was his by common consent, 
 although in no manner determined by metes or bounds. 
 The condition of ownership was regular improvement of the 
 plot, and if that condition was not complied with, any other 
 
28 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 member of the same clan could step in and work it for his 
 own benefit. In case of death the field reverted to the ma- 
 ternal relative of its ovraer, whereas the widow and children 
 fell back for support upon the resources of their own clan. 
 Hence the singular feature that each household got its live- 
 lihood from two distinct groups of blood-relatives. The 
 home which we have entered belonged to the quarters of 
 the Gourd people, or clan Tanyi hanutsh, from which the 
 mother descended; and Okoya had slept at night in the 
 estufa of that cluster ever since his thirteenth year. But 
 the cultivated patch which the father tilled pertained to the 
 fields of his clan, that of Water, Tzitz hanutsh. Though 
 the Water people were his relatives, the crop raised by him 
 found its way into the store-room of Tanyi for the support 
 of the family which he claimed as his own. 
 
 Okoya's mother scanned her boys with a sober glance, 
 and turned back into the kitchen without uttering a 
 word. 
 
 Soon a grating sound issued from that apartment, indi- 
 cating that toasted corn was being ground on the flat slab 
 called in Queres, yakkat, and now usually termed metate in 
 New Mexico. The boys meanwhile had approached a 
 niche in the wall. Each one took a pinch of yellow corn- 
 meal from the painted bowl, and scattered it successively 
 to the north, west, south, east ; then threw a little of it up 
 in the air and to the ground before him. During this per- 
 formance their lips moved as if in prayer. Then they 
 separated, for the spirits had been appealed to, and their 
 entrance into their home was under the special protection 
 of Those Above. Shyuote, whose trout had been ruined 
 during the combat with the girls, threw himself on the roll 
 in the comer, there to mourn over his defeat. Okoya went 
 out into the courtyard. Both expected an early meal, for 
 the fire crackled in the dark kitchen, and a clapping of 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 29 
 
 hands gave evidence that corn-cakes were being moulded 
 to appease their hungry stomachs. 
 
 The court-yard had become very quiet. Even the chil- 
 dren had gone to rest in a shady place, where they slept 
 in a promiscuous heap, a conglomerate of human bodies, 
 heads, and limbs, intermingled. The form of an old man 
 rose out of a hatchway in the ground-floor, and a tall figure, 
 slightly stooping, clad in a garment, and with a head of iron 
 gray hair, stood on the flat roof. He walked toward a beam 
 leading down into the court, seized its upper end and de- 
 scended with his face toward the wall, but without faltering. 
 A few steps along the house brought him in front of Okoya, 
 who had squatted near the doorway of his mother's dwell- 
 ing. The youth was so absorbed in gloomy thoughts that 
 the man's appearance was unexpected. Starting in surprise 
 and hastily rising, Okoya called into the house, — 
 
 " Yaya, sa umo, — ' Mother, my grandfather ! ' " 
 
 The old man gave a friendly nod to his grandchild, and 
 crossed the threshold, stooping low. Still lower the tall 
 form had to bend while entering the kitchen door. He 
 announced his coming to the inmate in a husky voice and 
 the common formula, — 
 
 « Guatzena ! " 
 
 " Raua, — ' good,' " the woman replied. 
 
 Her father squatted close to the fire and fixed his gaze 
 on his daughter. She knelt on the floor busy spreading 
 dough or thick batter on a heated slab over the fire. She 
 was baking corn-cakes, — the well-known tortillas as they 
 are called to-day. 
 
 After a short pause the old man quietly inquired, — 
 
 " My child, where is your husband? " 
 
 "Zashue Tihua," the woman answered, without looking 
 up or interrupting her work, " is in the fields." 
 
 "When will he come? " 
 
30 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 The woman raised her right hand, and pointed to the 
 hole in the wall, whence light came in from the outside. 
 The wall faced the west, and the height of the loop-hole 
 corresponded to that of the sun about one hour before 
 sunset. 
 
 " Give food to the children," directed the old man. 
 "When they have eaten and are gone I shall speak to 
 you." 
 
 The fire crackled and blazed, and ruddy flashes shot 
 across the features of the woman. Was it a mere reflec- 
 tion of the fire, or had her features quivered and coloured? 
 The old man scanned those features with a cold, steady 
 look. 
 
 She removed from the fire the sooty pot of clay in which 
 venison cut in small pieces was stewing together with com, 
 dark beans, and a few roots and herbs as seasoning. Then 
 she called out, — 
 
 "Shyuote, come and eat ! Where is Okoya?" 
 
 The latter alone heard the invitation, for Shyuote had 
 gone to sleep on the hides. The elder brother shook him, 
 and went into the kitchen. He was followed by the child 
 who staggered from drowsiness. The mother meanwhile 
 had placed on the floor a pile of com-cakes. Beside it, in 
 an earthen bowl decorated inside and out with geometrical 
 lines, steamed the stew. Dinner was ready; the table 
 spread. 
 
 To enjoy this meal both lads squatted, but Shyuote, still 
 half asleep, lost his balance and tumbled over. Angry at 
 the merriment which this created, the boy hastily grabbed 
 the food, but his mother interfered. 
 
 " Don't be so greedy, uak, — ' urchin.' Remember Those 
 Above," she said ; and Shyuote, imitating the example of 
 Okoya, crossly muttered a prayer, and scattered crumbs 
 before him. Then only, both fell to eating. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 3 1 
 
 This was done by simply folding a slice of the cake to 
 form a primitive ladle, and dipping the contents of the stew 
 out with it. Thus they swallowed meat, broth, and finally 
 the ladle also. Okoya arose first, uttering a plainly audible 
 hoa. Shyuote ate longer; at last he wiped his mouth 
 with the seam of his wrap, grumbled something intended 
 for thanksgiving, and strolled back to his resting place in 
 the front room. Okoya went out into the court-yard to be 
 alone with his forebodings. The sight of his mother seemed 
 oppressive to him. 
 
 After the boys had gone the woman emptied the remain- 
 der of the stew back into the pot, filled the painted bowl 
 with water, and put both vessels in a corner. Then she sat 
 down, leaning against the wall, looking directly toward her 
 father. Her face was thin and wan, her cheeks were hollow, 
 and her eyes had a suppressed look of uneasiness. 
 
 The old man remained quietly indifferent as long as the 
 meal lasted ; then he rose, peeped cautiously into the outer 
 apartment, resumed his seat, and spoke in a low tone, — 
 
 " Is it true that you have hstened to kamonyitza, — ' black 
 com ' ? " 
 
 The woman started. " Who says so ? " she answered 
 with sudden haste. 
 
 " The Koshare," replied the old man, lookmg at her with 
 a cold steady gaze. 
 
 "What do I care for them," exclaimed his daughter. 
 Her lips curled with an air of disdain. 
 
 " It may be," spoke her father, in measured tones, " that 
 you do not wish to hear from them ; but I know that they 
 care for your doings." 
 
 " Let them do as they please." 
 
 " Woman," he warned, " speak not thus. Their disposi- 
 tion toward you is not a matter for indifference." 
 
 "What reason have they to follow my path? I am a 
 
32 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 woman like many others in the tribe, nothing more or less. 
 I stay with my husband," she went on with greater anima- 
 tion, " I do my duty. What have the Dehght Makers to 
 say that might not be for my good?" 
 
 " And yet, you are not precious to them — " 
 
 " Neither are they precious to me," she cried. Her eyes 
 sparkled. 
 
 Her father heaved a deep sigh. He shook his head and 
 said in a husky tone, — 
 
 " Woman, your ways are wrong. I know it, and the 
 Koshare know it also. They may know more, much more 
 than I could wish," he added, and looked into her eyes 
 with a searching sorrowful glance. An awfiil suspicion lay 
 in this penetrating look. Her face flushed, she bent her 
 head to avoid his gaze. 
 
 To the gloomy talk succeeded a still more gloomy 
 silence. Then the woman lifted her head, and began 
 entreatingly, — 
 
 " My father, I do not ask you to tell me how you come 
 to know all this ; but tell me, umo, what are these Delight 
 Makers, the Koshare? At every dance they appcM and 
 always make merry. The people feel glad when they see 
 them. They must be very wise. They know of everything 
 going on, and drag it before the people to excite their 
 mirth at the expense of others. How is it that they know 
 so much ? I am but a woman, and the ways of the men 
 are not mine," she raised her face and her eyes flamed ; 
 " but since I hear that the Delight Makers wish me no good, 
 I want to know at least what those enemies of mine are." 
 
 The old man lowered his glance and sighed. 
 
 " My child," he began softly, " when I was young and a 
 boy like your son Okoya, I cared little about the Koshare. 
 Now I have learned more." He leaned his head against 
 the wall, pressed his lips firmly together, and continued. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 33 
 
 " The holders of the paths of our lives, those who can 
 close them when the time comes for us to go to Shipapu, 
 where there is neither sorrow nor pain, have many agents 
 among us. Payatyanjia our Father, and Sanashtyaya our 
 Mother saw that the world existed ere there was light, 
 and so the tribe lived in the dark. Four are the wombs in 
 which people grew up and lived, ere Maseua and Oyoyaua 
 his brother led them to where we are now, and this world 
 which is round like a shield is the fourth womb." 
 
 The woman listened with childlike eagerness. Her parted 
 lips and sparkling eyes testified that everything was new to 
 her. 
 
 " Father," she interrupted, " I knew nothing of this. 
 You are very wise. But why are women never told such 
 things?" 
 
 " Don't cut off my speech," he said. " Because women 
 are so forward, that is why many thiags are concealed from 
 them." 
 
 " But," she continued, heedless of his rebuke, " where 
 are the other three worlds?" 
 
 "This question I shall answer," he said, "for it is wise 
 in you to speak so. Haatze the earth is round and flat, 
 but it is also thick like a cake. The other three wombs 
 are down below inside, one beneath the other. At Shipapu 
 the people came out upon this world which is the fourth 
 womb, but it was cold and dark. Then the great sun rose 
 in the heavens above. In it Payatyama dwells, and on it 
 he rides around the world in one day and one night to see 
 everything which happens. It is day and light, night and 
 dark. We have also summer and heat, winter and cold. 
 For this reason there are summer-people and winter-people, 
 some who like to live when it is cold and others who enjoy 
 the heat. Every tribe, eveiy clan, has some of both kinds. 
 Thus they came out of the third world, and thus they have 
 
 3 
 
34 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 remained until this day. It was cold at Shipapu when the 
 people came out on the surface, and Those Above saw that 
 they felt weak. Toward the south it was warm and bright, 
 so Maseua and his brother said to their children, the men of 
 our tribe, ' Go you where there is more light ; ' and the 
 summer people they directed to go along the Rio Grande ; 
 the winter people they sent south also but far around by 
 the east over the plains where the great buffalo is roaming, 
 where the wind blows and it is cold and dry. To both 
 kinds of men they said, besides, 'Come together in the 
 mountains and live there in peace, each one getting food 
 for himself and others as you are wont to do.' But, lest the 
 people might get weary on their long journey, Maseua and 
 his brother commanded that from Shipapu there should 
 come forth a man whose body was painted white and black, 
 and who carried on his head dried corn-leaves instead of 
 feathers. This man began at once to dance, to jump, and 
 to tumble, so that the people laughed and their hearts be- 
 came glad. This man led the summer-men southward, 
 and as often as they grew tired he danced again and made 
 jests ; and the tribe followed him until they came to where 
 we are now, and all met again. The summer-people never 
 suffered hunger in all their wanderings, for their leader was 
 precious, and wherever they went he caused the fruits to be 
 ripe. That man was the Koshare.^ Since that time there 
 have been Koshare in every tribe. Their task it is to keep 
 the people happy and merry ; but they must also fast, mortify 
 themselves, and pray to Those Above that every kind of 
 fruit may ripen in its time, even the fruit in woman's womb. 
 To them is given the yellow flower from the fertile bottoms 
 which makes the hearts of men glad. Now you know what 
 the Koshare are and," he added emphatically, "why you 
 
 * This tradition was told me by Tehua Indians, and some friends 
 among the Queres subsequently confirmed it. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 3$ 
 
 should not laugh and make merry when you are not precious 
 to them." 
 
 The woman had listened with breathless attention. At 
 the close, however, she hung her head and sighed. The old 
 man gazed at her in silence. In the outer room the regular 
 breathings of the sleeping boy were heard, otherwise all was 
 as still as a grave. 
 
 At last she lifted her face again. 
 
 " Father," she asked, " are those who are precious to the 
 holders of our paths, are they always good? " 
 
 " I need not tell you about this," he replied, fixing upon 
 her a penetrating glance. 
 
 " I know of nothing evil," she stammered, " unless it be 
 bad men." 
 
 " And yet you have used owl's feathers ! " 
 
 Her face grew pale. She asked hoarsely, — 
 
 "Where should I keep them? " 
 
 " The Koshare know it," was the equally husky reply. 
 
 She started, her eyes gleamed like Uving coals. 
 
 " Have the Koshare sent you here, father? " 
 
 " No," was the gloomy answer ; " but if the old men come 
 to me and say, ' kill the witch,' I must do it. For you know 
 I am Maseu'a, head-war-chief, and whatever the principals 
 command I must do, even if it takes the life of my only 
 child ! " 
 
 The woman rose to her feet; her attitude was one of 
 defiance. 
 
 " Let the Koshare speak, and do you as you are com- 
 manded. The time must come when I shall have to die. 
 The sooner it comes, the sooner shall I find rest and peace 
 with our mother at Shipapu." 
 
 Her father also had risen, he clutched his cotton garment 
 as if a sudden chill went through his body. Without a word 
 he turned and went off dejected, stooping, with a heavy sigh. 
 
36 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 The woman dropped to the floor beside the hearth with 
 a plaintive moan. She drew her hair over her face, weep 
 she could not. The embers on the hearth glowed again, 
 casting a dull light over the chamber. 
 
 Say Koitza, as this wretched woman was called, was the 
 only child of him with whom she had just had this dismal 
 interview. His name was Topanashka Tihua, and he was 
 maseua, or head-war-chief, of the tribe, (in times of peace 
 the maseua is subordinate to the tapop, or civil governor, 
 and as often as the latter communicates to him any decision 
 of the tribal council he is bound to execute it. Otherwise 
 the maseua is really a superior functionary, for he stands in 
 direct relation to the religious powers of which we shall 
 hereafter speak, and these in reality guide and command 
 through oracles and prophetic utterances. In war the ma- 
 seua has supreme command, and the civil chief and the 
 diviners, or medicine-men, must obey him imphcitly as soon 
 as any campaign is started. 
 
 Topanashka was a man of great physical vigour notwith- 
 standing his age. He was highly respected for his skill and 
 bravery, and for his stem rectitude and obedience to strict 
 duty. He feared nothing except the supernatural powers of 
 evil. There is nothing the Indian fears, nay hates, so much 
 as sorcery. Topanashka could scarcely believe that his 
 daughter had tampered with magic by causing the dark- 
 coloured com to speak, and keeping owl's feathers in her 
 possession. Still, if such were really the case, he knew of 
 no other course to pursue but to execute the penalty which 
 according to Indian ideas she deserved, and which the 
 leading men of the tribe composing its council would un- 
 doubtedly mete out to her, — death ; a cmel, terrible death. 
 But she was his only child, and ere he placed faith in the 
 suspicion communicated to him in secret by one of the sha- 
 mans in the tribe, he wanted to satisfy himself from her own 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 37 
 
 behaviour whether it was true or not. To his deepest sorrow 
 Say Koitza's behaviour seemed to prove that she was not 
 falsely accused. It was a terrible blow to the old man, who 
 for the first time in his life rose from a task bewildered and 
 hopeless. Duty was to him paramount, and yet he could 
 not utterly stifle the longing to save his only child from a 
 cruel and ignominious fate. 
 
 His daughter too felt utterly wretched, and despondent 
 in the highest degree. For the accusation against her was 
 true. She had practised the dread art ; and yet, strange to 
 say, while conscious of guilt, in the bottom of her heart she 
 felt herself innocent. Let us recall the past life of the un- 
 happy being to see whether there is in it anything to explain 
 this apparent anomaly. 
 
 When Say Koitza was fourteen years of age her husband 
 Zashue Tihua began to pay her his first attentions. He 
 called at her mother's home oftener than any other youth 
 of her tribe, and one afternoon, when she was returning 
 from the brook with a jar filled with water on her head, he 
 stopped her, dipped some water out of the um, drank it, 
 and whispered something to which she gave no reply, 
 hurrying home as rapidly as possible. She could not speak 
 to her mother about this, for her mother was hopelessly 
 deaf, and it would not have been proper to consult her 
 father, since the father belonged of course to another clan. 
 A whole night and one full day Say pondered over the case ; 
 at last her mind was made up. The girl took a dish filled 
 with corn-cakes and rolls of sweet paste of the yucca-fruit, 
 and placed it on her head. With this load she climbed up 
 the rugged slope leading to the dwellings of the Water clan, 
 to which Zashue belonged. The lad was sitting in the cave 
 inhabited by his family, busying himself with straightening 
 arrow shafts over the fire, when the girl, pushing before her 
 the loaded tray, crept through the port-hole. Silently she 
 
38 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 placed the food before him, and went out again without a 
 word. This was her affirmative reply to his wooing. There- 
 after, Zashue visited the quarters of the Gourd people at the 
 big house every night. Along the foot of the cliffs, in soft 
 ground, and in a lonely sheltered spot, he meanwhile planted 
 four stakes connected by cross-poles. From end to end 
 cotton threads were drawn lengthwise, and here Zashue 
 wove a cotton wrap day after day. The girl would steal out 
 to this place also, carrying food to the young artisan. She 
 would cleanse his hair while they chatted quietly, shyly at 
 first, about the present and the future. When the mantle 
 was dojie and it looked white and firm, Zashue brought it 
 to Say Koitza's mother, who forthwith understood the in- 
 tention of his gift, and felt gratified at the prospect of secur- 
 ing a son-in-law who possessed cotton. The plant was not 
 cultivated near the upper Rio Grande at that time, and had 
 to be obtained from the far south by barter. Many joume)'S 
 distant, Pueblo Indians lived also, and thither the Queres 
 went at long intervals to trade and to hunt the buifalo on 
 the southwestern plains. 
 
 Topanashka also was pleased with the suitor. In due 
 course of time Zashue Tihua and Say Koitza, therefore, 
 became man and wife. 
 
 Zashue proved to be a good husband, according to In- 
 dian ideas. He worked and hunted dutifiiUy, providing 
 the store-rooms of Tanyi Hanutsh with supplies of which 
 his wife, and through her he also, enjoyed the benefit. 
 He spun cotton and wove it into wraps, scarfs, and sashes. 
 Furthermore, he was always good-natured and merry. He 
 did not spend too many nights out of his wife's home, 
 either. They had three children, Okoya, Shyuote, and a 
 little girl. Of these Shyuote became the father's favour- 
 ite, for when the child was yet small it happened that his 
 father made a vow to make a Koshare of him. Zashue 
 
Rito de los Frijoles 
 Cavate rooms in cliff; Ruins of Talus Pueblo at the foot of cliff 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 39 
 
 was a Delight Maker himself, and one of the merriest of 
 that singular crew. Among them he was perhaps the 
 most popular; for while good-looking, his strength and 
 agility enabled him to perform in a conspicuous manner, 
 and his ready wit and quick conception of everything lu- 
 dicrous caused him to shine as a great light among that 
 society of official jesters., 
 
 So the two lived in quiet and sober content. Zasihue 
 was pleased with his spouse. She kept her looks well with 
 advancing years, and while there is never among Indians 
 that complete intimacy between man and wife which en- 
 genders fideUty under all circumstances, while a certain 
 freedom of action is always permitted to the man toward 
 the other sex. Say had natural tact enough to never pry 
 into such matters. She, in turn, did her duty. Always 
 at home, she faithfully fulfilled her obligations as head 
 of the house, and naturally shrank from all society but 
 that of her own sex and such men as were aUied to her 
 by near ties of relationship. When she told her father 
 in that sad interview that she was faithful to her hus- 
 band, Say had told the truth. And yet there was some- 
 thing that caused her to plead guilty. 
 
 The family had lived contentedly, and no cloud appeared 
 to hang over them until, a few years previous to the date 
 of our story, Say Koitza fell ill from want of proper care. 
 Mountain fever is not infrequently fatal, and it was moun- 
 tain fever that had seized upon the delicate frame of the 
 little woman. This fever is often tenacious and inter- 
 mittent; sometimes it is congestive. Indian medicine 
 may cure a slight attack, and prevent too frequent returns 
 of more violent ones; but if the case is a serious one, 
 Indian remedies are of no avail. Say suffered from a 
 slight attack at first, and recovered from it. A primitive 
 cold-water treatment was effective for the time being ; but 
 
40 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 in the year ensuing fever set in again, and no sudorific 
 was of any use. She tried a decoction of willow bark, 
 but it did her no good. She took the root of the yucca, 
 or soapweed, and drank the froth produced by whipping 
 water with it, but gained no relief. The poor woman 
 did not know that these remedies are not employed by 
 the Indians in a case like hers, but only for toothache 
 and, in the case of soapweed, for consumption. 
 
 Thus it went on for three years. During the dry sea- 
 sons there were no signs of the illness ; but as soon as, in 
 July or August, thunderstorms shed their moisture over 
 the mountains, and chilly nights alternated with warm 
 sunshine, the fever made its appearance. Two years be- 
 fore the rainy season had lasted unusually long, and it 
 was followed immediately by snow-falls. The attacks 
 from the disease were therefore unusually violent, and by 
 November Say Koitza thought herself dying from weak- 
 ness and exhaustion. Her condition was such that her 
 husband felt alarmed, and every effort was made to re- 
 lieve her by the aid of such arts as the Indian believes in. 
 The chief medicine-man, or great shaman, of the tribe 
 had to come and see the patient, pray by her side, and 
 then go home to fast and mortify himself for four con- 
 secutive days. His efforts had no effect whatever. Every 
 indigenous medicine that was thought of had been al- 
 ready used, and none had been of any avail. 
 
 At last the shaman, encouraged by the many blue and 
 green stones, cotton wraps, and quantities of com meal 
 which Zashue Tihua contributed in reward of his jug- 
 gleries, resolved to make a final trial by submitting him- 
 self and his associates to the dangerous ordeal of fire-eating 
 for the invalid's sake. This ceremony was always per- 
 formed by a certain group of medicine-men, called there- 
 fore Hakanyi Chayani, or Fire Shamans. The Hishtanyi 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 4I 
 
 Chayan was their official head, and he, with the four 
 others belonging to the fire-eating crew, fasted rigorously 
 for four days and nights. Then they went to the house 
 of Say Koitza, and in her presence sang the powerful song, 
 while each one of them in turn waved a burning bunch 
 of long dry grass to the six sacred regions, and each time 
 bit off a piece of the burning weed and chewed it. When 
 all had gone through the performances, and their mouths 
 were well filled with ashes, each one gravely stepped up 
 to the invalid, and spat the contents of his mouth in her 
 face. Then they departed as quietly as they had come, 
 and went home to await the results of the wonderful rem- 
 edy.* It was a last, a supreme effort. 
 
 The condition of Say could not fail to arouse the sym- 
 pathies of her own sex, even outside of her clan. Many 
 were the 'calls from compassionate women. They would 
 drop in, squat down, tender their services, suggest reme- 
 dies, and gossip. Only one woman made herself directly 
 useful, and that was Shotaye, a member of the Water clan. 
 Shotaye was a strange woman. Nobody liked her, and yet 
 many applied to her for relief in secret ; for Shotaye pos- 
 sessed great knowledge of plants and other remedies, and 
 she had a keen practical sense. But people dreaded her ; 
 she lived alone in her cave among the abodes of the Water 
 people, and nobody knew but she might know more than 
 the official medicine-men themselves. In short, the major- 
 ity of the tribe believed that Shotaye was a witch ; but the 
 woman was so wary that nobody could prove her to be 
 one. 
 
 Shotaye was not an old woman. Her appearance was 
 not in the least repulsive, on the contrary. The men 
 knew that the woman showed no objections to occasional 
 
 1 This fire-cure was still practised by the Queres not very long 
 ago. 
 
42 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 attentions, even to intimacy. For this reason, also, she 
 was not popular among her own sex. 
 
 Shotaye had had a husband once ; but he had left her 
 and was living with another woman. That husband was 
 called Tyope, badger, a man of strong physique and one 
 averse to monotony in conjugal life. Tyope was a schem- 
 ing man, cunning and unscrupulous in the highest degree ; 
 Shotaye an energetic woman, endowed vsith a powerful 
 will of her own. Had there not been the little cloud of 
 marital inconstancy on both sides, the pair would have been 
 well-assorted for good as well as for evil. Tyope was a 
 Koshare rather than an agriculturist, he spent his time 
 mostly in other people's homes and in the estufa of the 
 Delight Makers, leaving his wife to provide for herself and 
 for him also, whenever he chose to remain at her house. 
 In short there were flaws on both sides, and Shotaye being 
 the house-mistress held the main power. One fine evening 
 when Tyope presented himself in the grotto occupied by his 
 wife, she refused to recognize him any longer. He pro- 
 tested, he stormed, he menaced her ; it was of no avail. 
 Shotaye told him to go, and he left. Henceforth the two 
 were mortal enemies. The woman said little ; but he was 
 bent upon her destruction by every possible means. She 
 kept on the defensive, avoided all conflicts, and was very 
 careful not to give any cause for a direct accusation of 
 sorcery. She cured people incidentally, never asking any 
 compensation for it. She lived alone, and thus earned 
 enough to be independent of her own clan if need be. 
 
 This woman called on Say occasionally, but only between 
 the periods of the attacks of fever. On such visits she 
 would assist the patient, do the housework, and arrange the 
 hides or covers for her. Say harboured a wish to consult 
 her about her disease ; but Shotaye studiously avoided any 
 opportunity for confidential talk. One day, however, when 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 43 
 
 the two were alone in the kitchen, and the invalid felt some- 
 what relieved, she opened her heart to her visitor. Shotaye 
 listened very attentively, and when Say had concluded, in- 
 stead of asking for further details, she abruptly asked 
 whether Say had no suspicion of being bewitched. 
 
 If such a question were put to us, we should doubt the 
 sanity of the questioner. Not so the Indian. Say felt like 
 one from whose eyes thick scales are suddenly removed. 
 Indeed, she thought this was the cause of her evil, this 
 alone could explain the tenacity of the disease, its mysteri- 
 ous intermittence. She told her interlocutor that she must 
 be right, or else why these regular returns and always during 
 the season of rain ? Shotaye listened and hstened ; every 
 word she heard was in confirmation of her own thoughts. 
 Say must be under the influence of some evil charm, and 
 unless counteracted by magic, it was clear to her that the 
 poor woman must succumb to its workings. 
 
 Whatever there is in nature which the Indian cannot 
 grasp at once, he attributes to mysterious supernatural 
 agencies. He believes that nature is pervaded by spiritual 
 essence individualized into an infinite number of distinct 
 powers. Everything in nature has a soul according to him, 
 and it is that soul which causes it to move or to act upon 
 its surroundings in general. Thus the medical properties 
 of animals, of plants, or minerals, are due to spiritual mani- 
 festations. His medical art therefore does not consist 
 merely in eliminating the physical cause of disease. As 
 soon as any disease is stubborn there must be at the bottom 
 of it some spiritual source, and this source can be discov- 
 ered and removed only by magic. 
 
 Incantations therefore form an important part of Indian 
 medicine. The formulas therefor are the special property of 
 the medicine-men, whom we shall hereafter designate with 
 the much more appropriate name of Shamans. The shaman 
 
44 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 is wizard and physician at the same time. He is also a 
 prophet, augur, and oracle. His duty it is not only to pro- 
 tect from evil, but to counteract it. He has charms and 
 incantations which he offers for the production of beneficial 
 natural phenomena. 
 
 Magic for such purposes is regarded by the Indian as 
 essential to the existence of man. Magic, however, as a 
 black art is the most heinous crime which he can conceive. 
 The difference between the two consists mainly in their 
 purpose j the manipulations are substantially the same, so are 
 the objects. To know those details is one of the attributes 
 of the shamans. 
 
 The latter constitute a circle of their own, — a cluster of 
 adepts, nominally in the arts of healing, but really in the 
 arts of magic. That circle is wide, and whoever stands 
 outside of it has no right to infringe upon the duties of its 
 members by attempting to follow their example. It is an 
 institution, and its origin dates from untold centuries. It is 
 subdivided into groups, each of which practises charms, in- 
 cantations, or magic, relating to certain human interests. The 
 Shyayak are in possession of the spell which charms game, 
 in other words they are the shamans of the hunt. The 
 Uakanyi practise magic in warfare, they are the shamans of 
 war. The Chayani are physicians who combine with the 
 knowledge of medicine proper, the knowledge of magic 
 curative powers. They are the shamans of medicine. 
 Lastly the Yaya combine a knowledge of all these different 
 branches in their essence. They are the prophets and 
 priests. These groups may be described as, in a certain 
 sense, guilds. But they are secret societies also, inasmuch 
 as the arts and practices of each are special property which 
 is kept secret from the others, and from the uninitiated 
 members in the tribe. In order to become a member of a 
 society of that kind secrecy is required and long apprentice- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 45 
 
 ship. The novice rises slowly from one degree of knowl- 
 edge to another, and only few attain the higher positions. 
 
 The members of these secret societies are therefore 
 magicians or wizards, and when any one dreads danger from 
 evil sorcery it is his duty to consult the proper shaman for 
 relief, unless he should be sure of the person of the sorcerer, 
 in which case he may kiU him outright without even men- 
 tioning the deed. In the present instance Say could not 
 resort to such a summary expedient. It was therefore the 
 duty of Shotaye, who was better informed on institutions 
 and customs, to direct her sick friend to a shaman. But 
 Shotaye was not on good terms with the official wizards, 
 particularly the Chayani, those who cured, and still less with 
 the highest religious powers, the Yaya. It suited her pride 
 to attempt the experiment at her own risk, conscious all the 
 while that it was dangerous, — dangerous for herself, as well 
 as for her patient. For it entailed performances which 
 only the shaman can undertake, and should they be de- 
 tected, the very crime of sorcery, against which their experi- 
 ments were directed, would be charged against them. 
 
 Shotaye had still another reason for not encouraging her 
 friend to speak to the higher chayani. The fever coincided 
 with the rainy season. As soon as this was over it subsided. 
 Natural as this was, both women attributed it to a mysteri- 
 ous cause ; and Shotaye, suspicious and vindictive even, 
 thought she had discovered a clew to the guilty party. 
 
 The rainy season in New Mexico is of course essential to 
 the growth of the chief staple of the Indian, — maize or 
 Indian com. When, therefore, in July daily showers should 
 occur, the principal shamans of each tribe and the yaya 
 must pray, fast, and mortify themselves, in order that 
 Those Above may send the needed rain. The hishtanyi 
 chayan scatters the powder of the white flower to the winds, 
 meanwhile murmuring incantations. At night he imitates 
 
46 THE DELIGHT ^4AKERS. 
 
 thunder, by whirling a flint knife attached to the end of a 
 long string, and draws brilliant flashes from pebbles which 
 he strikes together in a peculiar manner. For the Indian 
 reasons that since rain is preceded in summer by lightning 
 and thunder, man by imitating those heralds is calling the 
 desired precipitation, — beckoning it to come. 
 
 This is the time of the year when the Koshare perform 
 their chief work. Four days and four nights, sometimes 
 longer, they must fast and pray in order that the crops 
 may obtain the moisture indispensable for ripening. The 
 people look upon the Delight Makers with a degree of re- 
 spect akin to fear at all times, for they are regarded as 
 powerful intermediaries in matters of life and death to the 
 tribe ; but during that particular time they are considered 
 as specially precious to the higher powers. Shotaye hated 
 the Koshare. They in turn disliked the woman, and gave 
 vent to their disUke by turning her into ridicule at public 
 dances as often as possible. This she resented greatly ; 
 but she was powerless to retaUate, since the Delight Makers 
 enjoy special privileges on festive days. The medicine- 
 woman's hatred was still increased by the fact that her 
 former husband, Tyope, was a leading Koshare. To his 
 influence she attributed the insults which the jesters offered 
 her, and she saw in the whole group but a crowd of willing 
 tools handled by her personal enemy. 
 
 Since Say's illness coincided with the beginning of the 
 rainy season, the principal activity of the Koshare immedi- 
 ately preceded the outbreak of the fever. Urged by hate 
 and desire for revenge, Shotaye combined the two facts in 
 her mind, and drew the conclusion that the disease was 
 due to the magic power of the Koshare, directed against 
 Say for some unknown reason and purpose. 
 
 If the Koshare were guilty, it was not only useless, it 
 was dangerous even, to call upon any chayan for relief. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 47 
 
 The Delight Makers were the chief assistants of the sha- 
 mans in any pubUc ceremony, and indispensable to them 
 in many ways. Beside, Say Koitza could not have applied 
 to a chayan without her husband's knowledge, and that 
 husband was a Koshare. 
 
 So after explaining to the invalid her suspicions and in- 
 ferences, she suggested direct inquiry about the principals 
 in the supposed evil actions against her. That inquiry 
 could be conducted only through sorcery itself, and Say 
 at first trembled. She feared, and not without good cause, 
 an appeal to evil powers. Still Shotaye spoke so plausibly ; 
 she assured so strongly her friend of her own discretion and 
 fidelity, and was so insistant upon her constant success in 
 everything she had undertaken as yet, — that the woman 
 yielded at last against her own convictions. Something 
 within her seemed to speak and say, " Do not tread for- 
 bidden paths, speak to your husband first." But the argu- 
 ments on the other side were too strong, her own physical 
 condition too weak ; she grasped the expected relief re- 
 gardless of the warnings of her conscience. 
 
 Among the objects connected with evil magic, a certain 
 kind of maize had the power of speech attiributed to it. 
 It is the dark-coloured variety, called in the Queres language 
 ka monyi tza. Ears of this com belonging to a witch are 
 said to speak in the absence of their owner, and to tell of 
 her whereabouts and doings. Shotaye knew this, and her- 
 self but indifferently versed in the black art, concluded that 
 the black com would also reveal, if properly handled, the 
 agent whose manipulations caused Say Koitza's sufferings. 
 She hoped also that by combining the dreaded grain with 
 another more powerful implement of sorcery, owl's plum- 
 age, she would succeed in eliciting from the former all the 
 information desired. The woman was quite ignorant of the 
 evil ways in which she was about to wander ; but she was 
 
48 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 bold and daring, and the hope of injuring her enemies 
 was a greater inducement than the desire to relieve her 
 friend. The proposed manipulation was directed in fact 
 much more against her former husband than against the 
 disease. 
 
 But how to obtain the necessary objects ! How to secure 
 black com, and how and where to get the feathers of an 
 owl ! Both were so well known and so generally tabooed 
 that inquiry after them would forthwith arouse suspicion. 
 Black maize might be procured on the sly ; but the other 
 could be found by chance only, — by meeting with the body 
 of a dead owl on the heights surrounding the Tyuon)^ 
 
 Shotaye was in the habit of strolling alone all around the 
 Rito, over the timbered mesa as well as through the gorges 
 which descend from the mountains. On such excursions 
 the woman observed the most minute precautions, for there 
 was danger, — danger from roaming Indians of the Navajo 
 or Dinne tribe, and danger from spies of her own tribe. 
 Frequently people had followed stealthily in the hope of 
 surprising her at some illicit practice, but she had been 
 lucky enough to notice them in time. Of what is called 
 to-day the mesa del Rito, the high table-land bordering the 
 Tyuonyi on the south, Shotaye knew every inch of ground, 
 every tree and shrub. 
 
 On a clear, cool November day she strolled again in that 
 direction, climbing the heights and penetrating into the 
 scrubby timber, interspersed with tall pines, which covers 
 the plateau for miles. To her delight she discovered the 
 remains of an owl at no great distance from the declivity 
 of the Rito beneath a rotten pine. Instead of picking up 
 the carcass she kicked it aside disdainfully, but took good 
 care to notice whither so as to remember the place. It 
 landed on a juniper-bush and remained suspended from its 
 branches. Shotaye went onward carelessly. She looked 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 49 
 
 for herbs and plants, picking up a handful here, pulling out 
 a root there, until she had made a long circuit, which how- 
 ever brought her back to the place where the dead owl 
 was. Here she stopped, listening, all the while looking 
 out for plants. As if by accident she neared the bush on 
 which the carcass was still hanging, and .after assuring her- 
 self that the body had not been disturbed, she brushed 
 past so as to cause it to drop to the ground. She hastily 
 plucked a few feathers, put them with the herbs and roots 
 already gathered, and turned homeward. Everything was 
 quiet and still around her, only at a short distance two 
 crows flew up croaking. 
 
 Say Koitza was not strong enough to walk up to the 
 cliffs ; therefore Shotaye, when she came to announce to 
 her friend that the necessary material was at last secured, 
 suggested that the incantation be performed at the home 
 of the invalid. A certain evening when Zashue was sure 
 to be absent, owing to a gathering of the Koshare, was 
 appointed for the purpose. On that evening the two 
 women sat alone in the kitchen. Okoya was away in the 
 estufa of Tanyi hanutsh. The two younger children were 
 fast asleep in the outer room. It was a cold night, but 
 the fire on the hearth had almost completely subsided, 
 only a few embers remaining. Through the loophole in 
 the wall an occasional draught of chilly air entered. Say 
 Koitza clung to her friend's shoulder, shivering and tremb- 
 ling from fear as well as from cold. 
 
 In the centre of the dark room Shotaye had placed a 
 few ears of black com, and on them two bundles of owl's 
 feathers, each tied to a chip of obsidian. She had also 
 brought along some bark of the red willow ; this she pul- 
 verized in the hand, and made into two cigarettes with 
 com husks. At that time tobacco was unknown to the 
 Pueblos, and red willow-bark was the only thing used for 
 
 4 
 
50 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 smoking, while smoking itself was not a relish but exclu- 
 sively a sacrifice. 
 
 Handing one of the cigarettes to her friend, Shotaye 
 directed her to light it and then puff the smoke suc- 
 cessively to the six mythical regions. After this she 
 was to cast the glowing stub on the pile of com and 
 feathers. With a shudder Say Koitza obeyed these in- 
 structions ; her teeth chattered while the cave-woman re- 
 cited an invocation. Then both huddled together to list- 
 en. Even Shotaye felt afraid of the consequences. For 
 a long time everything was silent ; the cold draught from 
 the outside had stopped ; the women sat in breathless 
 silence j they listened and listened. Nothing moved. 
 Not a sound was heard. 
 
 Shotaye overcame her first anxiety and repeated the 
 dread formula. All was silent. Suddenly a cold blast 
 pervaded the room again. It fanned the embers to re- 
 newed life ; they shed a faint glimmer over the cham- 
 ber. The women started ; there was a crackling heard ; 
 the feathers moved; the ears of com seemed to change 
 position. One of the feather bunches rolled on the floor. 
 They nearly screamed in terror, for their excited imagina- 
 tion caused them to hear ghostly sounds, — disconnected, 
 uncomprehended words. It was clear that the black 
 com had spoken. What it said neither could tell; but 
 the fact of having heard the noise was sufficient to con- 
 vince them that Say was under the influence of an evil 
 charm, and Shotaye took care to add that that charm 
 was exercised by the Koshare or by some one belonging 
 to their society. 
 
 So powerful was the effect of this incantation scene 
 upon Say that she fainted. After a while she recovered 
 and Shotaye led her back to the outer room, where, after 
 some time, she began to slumber from sheer exhaustion. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. $1 
 
 Then the medicine-woman returned to the caves, taking 
 with her every vestige of the conjuration. 
 
 It was wise on heir part, for as soon as Say awoke from 
 feverish and anxious dreams, her first thought was about 
 the dismal objects. Everything was quiet. Zashue had 
 returned, and was quietly asleep by her side. She arose 
 and glided into the kitchen, noiselessly, stealthily. The 
 floor was clean. She felt around ; not a trace of the ob- 
 jectionable pile could be noticed. Unspeakable was the 
 feeling of relief with which she returned to her husband's 
 side and extended herself on the hides again ; sound 
 sleep came to her, and when she awoke it was daylight. 
 She felt stronger, brighter. Yet thereafter, as often as 
 Zashue approached her in his harmless, bantering man- 
 ner, she experienced a strange, sudden pang. She was 
 reminded of having done wrong in not having been open 
 with him. The Indian's conscience is hemmed in by 
 bonds arising from his social and religious organization ; 
 why, for instance, should she have told her spouse? He 
 was neither of her clan nor of her party. He belonged 
 to the summer people, she to those of winter. She 
 stood outside of all secret associations, whereas he was 
 a Koshare. 
 
 The winter following proved to be mild and dry. Say 
 recovered slowly. Shotaye kept aloof after the conjura- 
 tion, for a long time at least. All of a sudden she made 
 her appearance at the home of her convalescent friend. 
 It was in order to remind her that the first step was only 
 a preliminary, and that it could not effect a radical cure. 
 All that had been achieved was to prove that an evil 
 charm existed, and that the Koshare were the wrong- 
 doers. It remained now to remove the spell by breaking 
 the charm. This, she represented, had to be attempted 
 when the Koshare were in their greatest power, and could 
 
52 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 only be effected by means of the owl's feathers. By bury- 
 ing these feathers near the place where the Delight Mak- 
 ers used to assemble, Shotaye asserted that not only would 
 the disease be eliminated forever, but the guilty one be 
 punished according to the measure of his crime. 
 
 Say would not listen to any such proposals. She saw 
 no necessity for going any further in forbidden tracks. 
 Now that her health was restored, why should she attempt 
 to harm a cluster of men to which her husband belonged, 
 and thus perhaps imperil his life? Shotaye met this ob- 
 jection with the assurance that the remedy was directed 
 against the guilty ones only, and that she herself did not 
 for a moment think that Zashue had participated in the 
 evil manipulations against his wife ; that consequently he 
 was in no manner exposed to danger. Say finally told 
 her visitor that she would wait and see, and then decide. 
 
 Winter went and spring came. Warm summer followed 
 with a dark-blue sky and sporadic thunderclouds. All the 
 crops were planted, irrigated, and scantUy weeded. Now 
 they awaited the rains in order to complete growth and pre- 
 pare for maturity. The great chayani had gone through 
 their official fasts, they had made their sacrificial offerings 
 in the sacred bowls dedicated to rain-medicine. Every 
 day clouds loomed up in the west, distant thunder rumbled, 
 but not a drop of rain fell in the Rito and the people began 
 to look gloomy. The Koshare were therefore required to 
 go to work earlier than usual. They were to fast four con- 
 secutive days between two fiiU moons. 
 
 The estufa in which the Delight Makers used to assemble 
 is situated at the eastern end of the cliffs, and its access is 
 difficult to-day. It is a circular chamber in the rock twenty 
 feet in diameter. At present the outer wall has fallen in, 
 but a crease in the floor indicates the place where a little 
 port-hole led into the cave. The cave lies high, so that 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 53 
 
 from it a view of the whole valley presents itself, and at its 
 feet opens a narrow chasm of considerable depth. This is 
 a mere fissure, so narrow that cross-beams were fastened 
 into its sides like the rounds of a step-ladder ; and on these 
 the people ascended to a narrow trail leading up to the 
 entrance. Other cave-dwellings were scattered along this 
 trail and farther below. They were inhabited by the people 
 of the Turquoise clan. 
 
 All the Koshare had retired to this secluded spot, and 
 the first day of fasting was nearly over when Shotaye called 
 once more at the home of Say. The latter guessed the 
 object of her coming and felt afraid. Without preamble, 
 in a sober, matter-of-fact way, the cave- woman stated that 
 the time had come for a decisive step ; and with this she 
 placed three bunches of owl's feathers on the floor. In 
 vain Say Koitza protested, affirming that her health was 
 fully restored. Shotaye would not listen to refusal or ex- 
 cuse. Now or never, she commanded. She repeated her 
 former assertion that the charm could not hurt Zashue as 
 long as he was not guilty. For a long while the women sat 
 arguing the matter ; at last Say Koitza yielded, and prom- 
 ised to comply. 
 
 Night came, and the people of the Rito went to rest. 
 The moon rose behind the lava-ridge of the Tetilla; the 
 rocky battlements of the cUffs shone brightly above the 
 gorge, whose depths rested in dark shadow. A tiny figure 
 crept out of the big building and hurried down the vale 
 along the fields. When she reached the grove where we 
 met Okoya and his httle brother for the first time, she 
 crouched beneath a tree, covered her head, and sobbed 
 aloud. It was a dire task for Say Koitza, this errand out of 
 which harm might arise to the whole cluster to which her 
 husband belonged. If the charm which she clutched with 
 trembling fingers should work against him, then he was the 
 
S4 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 guilty party. So Shotaye had insinuated, and the word had 
 stung her like the bite of a serpent. It came back to her 
 mind as she hurried to perform the deed, and caused her 
 to start. She rose hastily and turned toward the cliffs. 
 
 The uppermost rocks glistened fairly in the light of the 
 moon ; and where the sharp line of the shadows commenced, 
 the ruddy glow of a fire burst from an oblong aperture. 
 There was the estufa of the Koshare. From it issued the 
 sound of hollow drumming intermingled with the cadence 
 of a chorus of hoarse voices. A thrill went through Say, 
 she stopped again and listened. Was not her husband's 
 voice among them? Certainly he was there, doing his duty 
 with the rest. And if he was as guilt}* toward her as the 
 others ? That monstrous thought rose again, it pushed her 
 onward. She crawled ahead slowly, scarcely conscious of 
 the danger attending her mission. Large blocks of debris, 
 tent-shaped erosive hillocks, impeded her progress; they 
 crowded along the foot of the cliffs like protecting bulwarks, 
 and the trail wound around them on a higher plane. But 
 this trail she dared not follow, there was not enough dark- 
 ness on it. She crept along the base, the sense of danger 
 coming to her with the increasing obscurity, until suddenly 
 she stood before a cleft of almost inky hue. Here she re- 
 membered was the ascent to the estufa, here she had to 
 perform the work, and here overpowered by emotion and 
 excitement she dropped behind an angular block of stone 
 unconscious. 
 
 When she recovered, the chorus sounded directly above 
 her, and the chant seemed to soar away like voices from an 
 upper world. She glanced up the dark fissure as through 
 a flume. The cross-beams were faintly visible. Over the 
 cleft rested a moonUt sky, but to the rocks clung the figure 
 of a man. That man stood there a moment only, then 
 shouting a few words as if calling to somebody within, 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 55 
 
 he disappeared. The song was hushed. Say recognized the 
 speaker ; it was Tyope, Shotaye's former husband, and the 
 one whom the woman suspected of having done her harm. 
 Resolutely she went at her task. 
 
 Taking a bundle of owl's feathers from her wrap, she 
 presented it successively to the six regions, and then buried 
 it carefully in the sand, below where the first cross-beam 
 traversed the fissure. Again she listened and spied, and 
 crdfeping forward concealed the second bunch in another 
 place near by. Then she whispered the sinister prayer 
 which was to give to the feathers the power to do harm. 
 At the close the drum rumbled again within the cliffs above 
 her, and the chant rose strong and rude. Covering her 
 head, shaking and shivering with sudden fear, Say Koitza 
 rushed from the spot. Ere day broke she had reached 
 home again, and extended her weary frame by the side of 
 her sleeping children. 
 
 Say slept for the remainder of the night a long sleep of 
 exhaustion. The next morning her first task was to bury 
 the last bunch of owl's feathers in the kitchen, close to the 
 fireplace, where it was to protect her from the inroads of 
 enemies. She felt weak but rather comfortable. Her only 
 anxiety was now the return of her husband. 
 
 Zashue came home at last, good-humoured as ever, but 
 with a lively appetite akin to hunger. His wife received 
 him in a subdued maimer bordering on obsequiousness; 
 she was more than ever bent on anticipating any desire on 
 his part. All the while afraid of detection, every kind word 
 spoken to her caused remorse, every joke pained her in 
 secret. It recalled what she had done to his companions, 
 perhaps to him also. 
 
 The incantations of the chayani and the fasts of the 
 Koshare seemed to have no effect whatever upon the course 
 of the rain-clouds. The heavens clouded regularly every 
 
S6 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 day ; they shed their moisture all around the Tyuonyi, but 
 not a drop fell in the valley-gorge. Now the three chief 
 penitents of the tribe, the Hotshanyi, the shaykatze, and the 
 uishtyaka, were called upon to use their means of interces- 
 sion with Those Above. They fasted, prayed, and made sac- 
 rifices alternately for an entire moon ; still it rained not. In 
 New Mexico local droughts are sometimes very pertinacious. 
 Plants withered, the com and beans suffered, languished, 
 and died. The tribe looked forward to a winter without 
 vegetable food. But Say Koitza was secretly glad, for 
 drought killed her disease. She felt stronger every day, and 
 worked zealously, anxious to please her husband and to 
 remove every suspicion. Shotaye called on her frequently ; 
 she, too, felt proud of the success of her cure, sure of the 
 revenge she had taken upon her enemies. 
 
 When a few rains swept at last down upon the vale, it was 
 too late for the crops. Only the few stores kept in reserve 
 and the proceeds of the hunt could save the tribe from 
 a famine. Women and children put on red wristbands to 
 comfort their hearts in the prospective distress, for a win- 
 ter without vegetable suppUes was until then an unknown 
 disaster. Say Koitza also placed strips of red buckskin 
 around her arms. Ostensibly she mourned for her tribe; 
 in reality it was to relieve her heart from the reproaches of 
 her own conscience. 
 
 But when winter set in and the fever had not put in its 
 appearance, her mind gradually changed. She lost all fear 
 of discovery, and finally felt proud of what she had done. 
 Had she not preserved herself for her own husband, for 
 her children? Instead of performing a crime, it was a 
 meritorious act. Shotaye encouraged her in such thoughts. 
 To her it was less the recovery of her friend than the blow 
 dealt the Koshare, particularly her former husband, that 
 excited her satisfaction and tickled her pride. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. $7 
 
 Say thus felt happy and at rest, but that fatal interview 
 with her father suddenly dispelled all her fond dreams. 
 The old man's revelations annihilated everything at one 
 fell blow. No hope was left ; her life was gone, her doom 
 sealed. As if lightning had struck her she lay down by 
 the hearth, motionless, for a long while. She heard noth- 
 ing; she stared vacantly; her thoughts came and went 
 like nebulous phantoms. At last somebody entered the 
 outer room, but the woman noticed him not. Three 
 times the new-comer called her name ; she gave no reply. 
 At the fourth call, " Koitza ! " she started at last, and faintly 
 answered, — 
 
 " Opona." 
 
 Zashue, her husband, entered the kitchen and good- 
 naturedly inquired, — 
 
 "Are you ill?" 
 
 She raised herself hastily and replied, — 
 
 " No ; but I was asleep." 
 
 "The sun is resting on the western mountains," said 
 Zashue ; " give me something to eat, I am tired." 
 
 She stirred the fire, and when dry brush flamed over 
 the hearth she placed the stew-pot on it. The remain- 
 der of the commeal she stirred with water, and began 
 to mix cakes in the usual way. Her husband watched 
 her pleasantly. 
 
 Zashue was indeed a good-looking Indian. Lithe and 
 of a fair height, with black hair and large bright eyes, he 
 appeared the picture of vigour and mirth. He chatted 
 with the utmost nonchalance, telling his wife about the 
 insignificant happenings of the day, the prospects of the 
 crops, what such and such a one had said to him, and 
 what he had told the other in return. It was innocent 
 gossip, intimate chat, such as a contented husband may 
 tell a wife in whom he places entire confidence. How 
 
58 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 happy she felt at the harmless chatter, and yet how in- 
 tensely miserable. His inquiry, "Are you ill?" rang in 
 her ears with a sickening clang, like some overwhdming 
 reproach. Why, oh why, had she not spoken to him in 
 time? He was so good to her. Now it was too late; 
 and beside, why anticipate the fatal hour when he must 
 know all? Why not improve the few moments of respite 
 granted ere death came? 
 
 Say Koitza suffered him to continue, and listened with 
 increasing interest to the talk of her husband. It might 
 be the last time. Little by little, as he went on, with 
 harmless, sometimes very clumsy, jokes and jests, she be- 
 came oblivious of her wretched prospects, and her soul 
 rested in the present. She began to smile shyly at first, 
 then she even laughed. As Zashue ate he praised her 
 cooking; and that gratified her, although it filled her 
 with remorse and anguish. The children came also and 
 squatted around the hearth, Okoya alone keeping at a 
 distance and eyeing his mother suspiciously. Could she 
 in his presence really feel as merry as she acted? Was 
 it not evidence of the basest deception on her part ? So 
 the boy reasoned from his own standpoint, and went out 
 into the court-yard in disgust. 
 
 The sun set, and a calm, still night sank down on the Rito 
 de los Frijoles. As the sky darkened, evidences of life and 
 mirth began to show themselves at the bottom of the gorge 
 as well as along the cliffs. Monotonous singing sounded 
 from the roofs of the big house, from caves, and from 
 slopes leading up to them. Noisy talking, clear, ringing 
 laughter, rose into the night. Old as well as young seemed 
 to enjoy the balmy evening. Few remained indoors. 
 Among these were Zashue and his wife. The woman 
 leaned against him, and often looked up to his face with a 
 smile. She felt happy by the side of her husband, and 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 59 
 
 however harrowing the thought of her future seemed to be, 
 the present was blissful to her. 
 
 After a while Zashue rose, and his spouse followed him 
 anxiously to the door, trembling lest he should leave her 
 alone for the night. She grasped his hand, and he stood 
 for a while in the outer doorway gazing at the sky. Every 
 sound was hushed except the rushing of the brook. The 
 canopy of heaven sparkled in wonderful splendour. Its stars 
 blazed, shedding peace upon earth and good-will to man. 
 The woman's hand quivered in that of her spouse. He 
 turned and retired with her to the interior of the dwelling. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 We must now return to the fields of the Rito, and to the 
 spot where, in the first chapter of our story, Okoya had 
 been hailed by a man whom he afterward designated as 
 Tyope Tihua. That individual was, as we have since found, 
 the former husband of Shotaye, Say's ill-chosen friend. 
 After the boys had left, Tyope had continued to weed his 
 com, not with any pretence of activity or haste, but in the 
 slow, persistent way peculiar to the sedentary Indian, which 
 makes of him a steady though not a very profitable worker. 
 Tyope's only implement was a piece of basalt resembling a 
 knife, and he weeded on without interruption until the 
 shadows of the plants extended from row to row. Then he 
 straightened himself and scanned quietly the whole valley 
 as far as visible, like one who is tired and is taking a last 
 survey of the scene of his daily toil. 
 
 The fields were deserted. Everybody had left them 
 except himself. Tyope pushed aside the stone implement 
 and turned to go. After leaving the com he tumed to the 
 right, and gradually stooping went toward a grove of low 
 pines. Into that grove he penetrated slowly, cautiously, 
 avoiding the least noise. It was clearly his intention to 
 conceal himself. Once inside of the thicket of pine boughs 
 he cowered, and after listening again and satisfying him- 
 self that nobody was around, he plunged his right arm 
 beneath the branches that drooped down to the surface. 
 When he withdrew it his hand grasped a bow. He placed 
 this bow near his feet and dived a second time imder the 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 6 1 
 
 branches, pulling out another object, which proved to be a 
 quiver made of panther-skin filled with arrows. He exam- 
 ined each of these arrows carefully, trying their heads of 
 flint and obsidian, and replaced them in such a manner 
 that the feathered ends projected from the quiver. A thirc 
 time he ransacked the hiding-place, and produced from 
 beneath the boughs a short wooden war-club. His last 
 essay brought to light a cap of buffalo-hide thick enough to 
 repel an arrow fired at short range, and so fashioned as to 
 protect the forehead to the eyebrows, while behind, it de- 
 scended low upon the neck. This cap, or helmet, he forth- 
 with placed upon his head. Then he slung the quiver 
 across his shoulders, wound the thong of the club around 
 his right wrist, grasped the bow with the left hand, and rose 
 to his feet. 
 
 Daylight was gone. Only a flat golden segment blazed 
 above the western peaks. The peaks themselves, with the 
 mountains, formed a huge mass of dark purple. Over the 
 valley night hovered already, but a streak of mist trailing 
 here and there like a thin veil marked the course of the 
 little brook. It was so dark that Tyope could move with- 
 out any fear of being seen. He nevertheless maintained a 
 stooping position as long as he was on open ground. Once 
 in the com he followed its rows instead of traversing them, 
 as if afraid of injuring the plants. He also examined care- 
 fully the edge of the brook before crossing it to the south 
 side. Once on the declivity leading up to the mesa, he 
 climbed nimbly and with greater unconcern, for there the 
 shadow was so dense that nobody could notice him from 
 below. 
 
 From the brink of the table-land Tyope looked back upon 
 the Rito. He stopped not so much in order to see, for it 
 was too dark, but in order to listen. Everything was quiet. 
 A bear snarled far away, but this did not concern the 
 
62 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 listener. He strolled on through the scrubby timber of the 
 mesa until he arrived at a place where tall pines towered up 
 into the starry sky, when he stopped again and remained for 
 quite a while looking up at the heavens. The great bear — . 
 the seven stars, as the Pueblos term it — sparkled near the 
 northern horizon, and Tyope seemed to watch that constel- 
 lation with unusual interest. Now a hoarse dismal yelping 
 struck his ear, the barking of the coyote, or prairie wolf. 
 Twice, three times, the howl was repeated in the distance ; 
 then Tyope replied to it, imitating its cry. All was still 
 again. 
 
 Suddenly the barking sounded much nearer, and Tyope 
 moved toward the place whence the sound issued, brushing 
 past the shrubs. Reaching a clear space, he saw before 
 him the form of a big wolf. The animal was standing im- 
 movable, his tail drooping, his head horizontal. 
 
 "Are you alone?" Tyope whispered. The apparition 
 or beast, whatever it might be, seemed not to excite the 
 least apprehension. The wolf bent its head in reply with- 
 out uttering a sound. 
 
 " Where are the Dinne ? " Tyope continued. 
 
 A hollow chuckle seemed to proceed from the skull of 
 the animal ; it turned and disappeared in the darkness, but 
 a rustling of boughs and creaking of branches made known 
 the direction. Tyope followed. 
 
 The wolf moved swiftly. From time to time its husky 
 barkings were heard ; and the Indian from the Rito, guided 
 by these signals, followed as rapidly as possible. At last he 
 saw the outlines of a juniper-bush against a faint glow. 
 Behind it sounded the crackling of freshly ignited brush- 
 wood, and soon a light spread over the surrounding neigh- 
 bourhood. Stepping into the illuminated circle Tyope 
 stood before a man squatting by the fire. 
 
 The man was heaping wood on the fire which he had 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 63 
 
 just started. By his side lay the skin of a large wolf. He 
 seemed not to notice Tyope, although his face was directed 
 toward him, for his eyes disappeared below projecting brows, 
 so projecting that only now and then a sudden flash, quick 
 as lightning, broke out from beneath their shadow. His 
 form indicated strength and endurance ; he was of stronger 
 build than the man from the Tyuonyi. A kilt of deer-hide 
 was his only dress. His hair was wound around his skull 
 like a turban. As ornaments the stranger wore a necklace 
 of panther claws. A bow and some arrows were lying on 
 the wolfs skin beside him.^ 
 
 Without a word Tyope squatted down near the fire, facing 
 the other Indian. It had turned cold, and both men held 
 their hands up to the flame. The former glanced at the 
 latter furtively from time to time, but neither uttered a 
 word. The fire was beginning to decline ; its light grew 
 faint. At last the other Indian said, — 
 
 " When will the Koshare go into the round house ? " 
 
 " As soon as the moon gives light," Tyope carelessly 
 replied. 
 
 "How many are there of you?" 
 
 "Why do you want to know this?" inquired the man 
 from the Rito, in a husky voice. 
 
 His companion chuckled again and said nothing. He 
 had put an imprudent question. He turned away carelessly, 
 placed more wood on the fire, and poked the embers. 
 Tyope looked up at the sky, and thus the vivid, scornful 
 glance the other threw on his figure escaped him. 
 
 So far the conversation had been carried on in the 
 Queres language ; now the stranger suddenly spoke in an- 
 other dialect and in a more imperious tone. 
 
 1 This custom of taking the disguise of a wolf is or has been used 
 by the Navajos frequently in order to surprise herds of cattle and 
 horses. 
 
64 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 "Art thou afraid of the Dinne?" 
 
 "Why should I be afraid of them? " responded Tyope in 
 his native tongue. 
 
 " Speak the tongue of the Dinne," the other sternly 
 commanded, and a flash burst from beneath his eyebrows, 
 almost as savage as that of a wolf. " Thou hast courted 
 the people of my tribe. They have not sought after thee. 
 Thou knowest their language. Speak it, therefore, and 
 then we shall see.'' He straightened himself, displaying a 
 youthful figure full of strength and elasticity. 
 
 Tyope took this change of manner very composedly. 
 He answered quietly in the same dialect, — 
 
 " If thou wilt, Naca5rtzusle, I can speak like thy people 
 also. It is true I came for them, but what I wanted" — he 
 emphasized the word — " was as much for their benefit as my 
 own. Thou, first of all, wast to gain by my scheme." His 
 eyes closed, and the glance became as sharp as that of a 
 rattlesnake. 
 
 Nacaytzusle poked the embers with a dry stick as if 
 thinking over the speech of the other. Then he asked, — 
 
 " Thou sayest thou hast wanted. Wantest thou no more? " 
 
 " Not so much as hitherto," Tyope stated positively. 
 
 " What shall it be now? " inquired the Dinne. 
 
 " I will speak to thee so as to be imderstood," explained 
 the man from the Rito, "but thou shalt tell thy people 
 only so much of it as I shall allow thee to say. Thou art 
 Dinne, it is true, and their tongue is thy language, but 
 many a time hast thou seen the sun set and rise while the 
 houses wherein we dwell on the brook were thy home. 
 When they brought thee to us after the day on which 
 Topanashka slaughtered thy people beyond the mountains, 
 thou didst not remain with us long. The moon has not 
 been bright often since thou left us to join thy people. Is 
 it not so, Nacaytzusle? Answer me." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 6$ 
 
 The Navajo shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " It is true," he said, " but I have nothing in common 
 with the House people." 
 
 " It may be so now, but if thou dost not care for the 
 men, the women are not without interest to thee. Is it not 
 thus?" 
 
 "The tzane on the brook," replied the Navajo, disdain- 
 fully, " amount to nothing." 
 
 "In that case" — Tyope flared up and grasped his club, 
 speaking in the Queres language and with a vibrating tone — 
 " why don't you look far a companion in your own tribe ? 
 Mitsha Koitza does not care for a husband who sneaks 
 around in the timber like a wolf, and whose only feat con- 
 sists in frightening the old women of the Tyuonyi ! " 
 
 The Navajo stared before him with apparent stolidity. 
 Tyope continued, — 
 
 " You pretend to despise us now, yet enough has re- 
 mained within your heart, from the time when you lived at 
 the Tyuonyi and slept in the estufa of Shyuamo hanutsh, to 
 make my daughter appear in your eyes better, more hand- 
 some, and more useful, than the girls of the Dinne ! " 
 
 The features of the Dinne did not move ; he kept silent. 
 But his right hand played with the string of the bow that 
 lay on the wolfs skin. 
 
 " Nacaytzusle," the other began again, " I promised to 
 assist you to obtain the girl against her will. Mind ! Mitsha, 
 my daughter, will never go to a home of the Dinne of her 
 own accord, but I would have stolen her for your sake. Now 
 I say to you that I have promised you this child of mine, and 
 I have promised your people all the green stones of my tribe. 
 The first promise I shall fulfil if you wish. The other, you 
 may tell your tribe, I will not hold to longer." 
 
 The Navajo looked at him in a strange, doubtful way and 
 replied, — 
 
 S 
 
66 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " You have asked me to be around the Tyuonyi day after 
 day, night after night, to watch every tree, every shrub, 
 merely in order to find out what your former wife, Shotaye, 
 was doing, and to kill her if I could. You have demanded," 
 he continued, raising his voice, while he bent forward and 
 darted at the Indian from the Rito a look of suppressed 
 rage, " that the Dinne should come down upon the Tyuonyi 
 at the time when the Koshare should fast and pray, and 
 should kill Topanashka, the great warrior, so that you might 
 become maseua in his place ! Now I tell you that I shall 
 not do either ! " 
 
 The eyes of the young savage flamed like living coals. 
 
 " Then you shall not have my child ! " exclaimed 
 Tyope. 
 
 " I will get her. You may help me or not ! " 
 
 " I dare you to do it," Tyope hissed. 
 
 Nacaytzusle looked straight at him. 
 
 " Do you believe," he hissed in turn, " that if I were to 
 go down to the brook and tell the tapop what you have 
 urged me and my people to do against your kin that he 
 would not reward me?" 
 
 Tyope Tihua became very quiet ; his features lost the 
 threatening tension which they had displayed, his eyes 
 opened, and he said in a softer tone, — 
 
 " That is just what I want you to do. But I want this 
 from you alone. Go and see the tapop. Tell him not the 
 small talk about this and that, but what you have seen with 
 your own eyes about Shotaye, that witch, that snake, — of her 
 dark ways, how she sneaked through the brush on the mesa, 
 and how she found and gathered the plumage of the 
 accursed owl. Tell him all, and I will carry Mitsha to your 
 lodges, tied and gagged if needs be." 
 
 " Why don't you send the girl out alone ? I will wait for 
 her wherever you say." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 6 J 
 
 " Do you think that I would be so silly? " the Pueblo re- 
 torted with a scornful laugh. " Do you really believe I 
 would do such a thing ? No, Dinne, you and your people 
 may be much more cunning than mine in many ways, but 
 we are not so stupid as that. If I were to do that, you 
 would rob me of my handsome maiden and that would be 
 the last of it. No, Dinne, I do not need you to such 
 an extent, I am not obliged to have you. But if you go to 
 the Tyuonjd and accuse the witch, then you shall go out 
 free, and Mitsha must follow you to the hogans of your 
 people, whether she will or not. Do what I tell you, and I 
 will do as I promise. If you will not neither will I, for 
 mind, I do not need you any longer." 
 
 Tyope glanced at the stars with an air of the utmost in- 
 difference. Nacaytzusle had listened quietly. Now he 
 said without raising his eyes, — 
 
 " Tyope, you ask me to do all this, and do not even give 
 me a pledge. You are wise, Tyope, much wiser than we 
 people of the hogans. Give me some token that you also 
 will do what you have said when I have performed my 
 part. Give me " — he pointed to the alabaster tablet hanging 
 on Tyope's necklace — " that okpanyi on your neck." 
 
 It was so dark that Nacaytzusle in extending his arm in- 
 voluntarily touched the other's chest. Tyope drew back at 
 the touch and replied, rather excitedly, — 
 
 " No, I will not give you any pledge ! " 
 
 "Nothing at all?" asked the Navajo. A slight rustling 
 noise was heard at the same time. 
 
 " Nothing ! " Tyope exclaimed hoarsely. 
 
 The savage thrust his arm out at the Pueblo with the ra- 
 pidity of lightning. A dull thud followed, his arm dropped, 
 and something fell to the ground. It was an arrow, whose 
 head of flint falling on the ashes caused the embers to glow 
 for an instant. Both men sprang in opposite directions. 
 
68 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 like snakes darting through the grass. Each one concealed 
 himself behind a bush. The branches rustled and cracked 
 for a short space. The place around the fire was vacant ; 
 nothing remained but a dim streak of ruddy light. 
 
 Tyope, after repelling the assault upon him, had taken 
 refuge behind a low juniper-bush. When the Navajo thrust 
 a pointed arrow at his chest he had numbed the arm 
 of the savage by a blow from his club, and then both men, 
 like true Indians, hurriedly placed themselves under cover, 
 whence each listened eagerly to discover the movements of 
 his foe. Tyope could have killed the Navajo while close to 
 him, for he had the advantage in weapons ; but, although 
 he really had no further use for the young man, he was not 
 so angry as to take his life. 
 
 Still, under the circumstances, the greater the caution 
 displayed the b^er. Intimately acquainted with the char- 
 acter of the Dinne Indians, and that of Nacaytzusle in par- 
 ticular, Tyope had gone on this errand well armed. Open 
 hostiUty had resulted from the interview ; it was useless to 
 make any attempt at conciliation. Speedy return to the 
 Rito was the only thing left. This return might become 
 not only difficult, but dangerous, with the young Navajo 
 concealed on the mesa. Tyope had known Nacaytzusle 
 thoroughly from childhood. 
 
 Twenty years before, the Dinne had killed an old woman 
 from the TyuOnyi. The murder took place near the gorge, 
 on the mesa north of it, whither she had gone to collect the 
 edible fruit of the pinon tree. When the corpse was dis- 
 covered the scalp had been taken ; and this, rather than the 
 killing, demanded speedy revenge. A number of able- 
 bodied men of the clan to which the grandmother belonged 
 gathered in order to fast and make the usual sacrifices pre- 
 liminary to the formation of a war party. On the last night 
 of their fast a delegate from the hishtanyi chayani appeared 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 69 
 
 in their midst, and performed the customary incantations. 
 He painted their bodies with the black lustrous powder of 
 iron and manganese ore which is believed to strike terror into 
 the hearts of enemies. He selected their leader, invested 
 him with the office, and blessed the war-fetiches. To the 
 leader he gave a little bag of buckskin filled with the powder 
 of the yerba del manso, which still fiirther produces dismay 
 among the foe. That leader was Topanashka Tihua, then 
 in the full vigour of manhood. 
 
 On the following morning Topanashka left before day- 
 break with five picked men in the hideous garb of Indian 
 braves. They penetrated cautiously the mountain labyrinth 
 west of the Rito, conceaUng themselves during the day and 
 travelling at night. On the morning of the fifth day they 
 discovered a few huts of the Navajo. Whether or no their 
 inmates had participated iij the murder of the old woman 
 they did not stop to inquire, but pounced upon the people 
 who were still asleep. The results of the surprise were nine 
 scalps and one captive. This captive was a little boy, and 
 that boy was Nacaytzusle. 
 
 Although barely three years old, he was dragged to the 
 Rito and had to take part in the. solemn dance, during 
 which the scalps of his parents were triumphantly waved by 
 those who had killed them. Afterward he was adopted into 
 the Turquoise clan, for the people of the Eagle clan refused 
 to receive him, the privilege of so doing being theirs. To- 
 panashka disUked the appearance of the child, and his coun- 
 sels weighed heavily. Thus Nacaytzusle became an adopted 
 son of the Queres, but it did not change his nature. His 
 physique at once indicated foreign origin ; he grew up to 
 be taller, more raw-boned, than the youth of the House 
 people, and his dark, wolfish look and the angular cut of his 
 features betrayed his Dinne blood. 
 
 like all the other youth, he received the rude education 
 
^0 ■ THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 which was imparted at the estufas. He showed consider- 
 able aptitude for mastering songs and prayers, after once 
 acquiring the language of his captors. He also watched the 
 wizards as often as opportunity was afforded, and learned 
 many a trick of jugglery. Tyope was struck by the youth's 
 aptitude for such arts and practices. It revealed natural ten- 
 dencies, and confirmed Tyope in the beUef that the Navajos 
 were bom wizards, that their juggleries and performances, 
 some of which are indeed startling, revealed the possession 
 of higher powers. The Pueblos hold the Navajos in quite 
 superstitious respect. Tyope therefore looked upon the 
 young fellow as one who in course of time might be- 
 come an invaluable assistant. He observed the boy's ways, 
 and became intimately acquainted with all his traits, bad 
 and good. 
 
 Nacaytzusle was a successful hunter ; he was very nimble, 
 quick, and exceedingly persevering, in everything he under- 
 took. But he was also a natural lounger and idler, when- 
 ever he was not busy with preparations for the hunt or 
 repairing his own scanty clothing. Work in the fields he 
 avoided. He even showed marked contempt for the people 
 of the Rito, because the men performed toil which he 
 regarded as degrading. Keeping aloof from the men's 
 society to a certain extent, he was more attracted by the 
 women. It was especially Mitsha Koitza, Tyope's good- 
 looking daughter, who attracted him ; and he began to pay 
 attentions to her in a manner in keeping with his wild 
 temperament. Tyope, strange to say, was pleased to notice 
 this. He would have been happy to have given his child 
 to the savage, but he had no right to interfere in the matter 
 of marriage, for this belonged to the girl's own clan to 
 arrange. The clan was that of the Eagle, and Topanashka 
 was its most influential member, its leading spirit. Mitsha 
 avoided the Navajo; and when Nacaytzusle attempted to 
 
13 
 C 
 
 C > 
 
 >, o 
 o 
 
 o ^ 
 
 i4= 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 7 1 
 
 press his suit, the girl repelled his addresses in a manner 
 that showed her aversion to him beyond any possible 
 question. 
 
 Had Mitsha been less positive in her behaviour, it is quite 
 likely that the character of the young captive might have 
 changed, — that he might have softened little by little, en- 
 tering into the path traced by the customs of sedentary In- 
 dians. As it was, his hatred to them increased, and with it 
 the desire to recover his independence by returning to his 
 kindred. 
 
 About a year before, then, Nacaytzusle disappeared from 
 the T5aionyi. Shortly afterward Tyope was suddenly ac- 
 costed by him while hunting on the mesa, and a secret 
 intercourse began, which led to the negotiations of which 
 we have just heard the main purport. These negotiations 
 were now broken, and in a manner that made a return to 
 the Rito rather dangerous. The very qualities which had 
 fascinated Tyope — the wariness, agiUty, and persistency 
 of the Navajo, his physical strength, and above all his sup- 
 posed natural faculties for magic, coupled with his thor- 
 ough knowledge of the country — caused Tyope to ponder 
 upon his means of escape. 
 
 The blow which he dealt the savage was sufficient to 
 teach him that a hand-to-hand encounter would not result 
 favourably to him. At the same time this shght injury could 
 not fail to exasperate the Navajo, and Tyope knew that the 
 savage would lie in wait for him at some point which he had 
 to pass on his return. For the present, Nacaytzusle was 
 very likely concealed in the vicinity, in the same manner 
 and for the same reasons as the Pueblo Indian himself; but 
 he was sure to leave his hiding-place and make some move- 
 ment toward preparing either an ambush or a sudden sur- 
 prise. Tyope remained motionless for a while. He glanced 
 across the space where the fire had been burning ; but every 
 
72 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 spark was gone, and it was too dark to discern anything. 
 He finally rose to his knees slowly and cautiously, and 
 turned his eyes in the opposite direction. There also was 
 an open space, and the dim starlight enabled him to dis- 
 cover that between his station and the nearest tree some- 
 thing similar to a rock or ledge protruded. He peered and 
 listened, then turned around on his knees and flattenmg 
 his body on the ground began to creep toward the tree. 
 As soon as he reached its foot he rose to fiill height, leaned 
 against the trunk, and glanced at the stars. They indicated 
 that it was past midnight, and Tyope felt uneasy. In case 
 he should be delayed, and reach the Rito after daylight, it 
 might excite suspicions. Yet his only safety lay in making 
 a wide circuit. 
 
 The dismal yelping of a prairie wolf struck his ear, and 
 to his alarm there was at once a reply near where the 
 interview had taken place, but slightly to the east and more 
 toward the deep gorge in which the Rio Grande flows. 
 He concluded that Nacaytzusle had shifted his position, by 
 placing himself on Tyope's supposed line of retreat. But 
 it was also manifest that the boy had not come to the meet- 
 ing alone, — that at least one more Navajo lurked in the 
 vicinity. At least one, perhaps more. 
 
 Another wolf now howled in the direction of the south. 
 A fourth one was heard farther off, and both voices united 
 in a plaintive wail. Any one unacquainted with the re- 
 markable perfection with which the Navajos imitate the 
 nocturnal chant of the so-called coyote, would have been 
 deceived, and have taken the sounds for the voices of the 
 animals themselves ; but Tyope recognized them as signals 
 through which four Navajo Indians prowling around him 
 informed each other of their positions and movements. 
 This made his own situation exceedingly critical. The 
 only mitigating circumstance was that the four were dis- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 71 
 
 persed, and only one of them could as yet have an idea of 
 his whereabouts. 
 
 The Indian from the Rito braced himself against the tree, 
 and taking off his helmet laid it carefully beside him on the 
 ground. Then he took off the quiver, emptied it, and tied 
 the strap to which it was fastened around his waist. To 
 this belt he tied both the quiver and the helmet, distributing 
 them in such a manner that in the prevailing darkness they 
 appeared like one of the ragged kilts of deer-skin which 
 formed the main part of a Navajo's costume. Next Tyope 
 untied the knot which held his hair on the back of the head, 
 divided the long strands into switches, and began to wind 
 those around his skull. Necklace, fetich, and the plume 
 that adorned his sidelock, he put in the quiver. He was 
 now so far transformed that any one, Nacaytzusle excepted, 
 might have taken him in the night for a Navajo warrior. 
 This metamorphosis was performed rapidly, but without 
 anxious haste or confusion. The howls had meanwhile been 
 repeated. They sounded nearer than before from the east, 
 the south, and the southeast. Nacaytzusle alone, to judge 
 from the signals which he gave, remained stationary. 
 
 Tyope, abandoning his position at the foot of the tree, 
 glided to the nearest shrub. Thence he struck northward 
 in the direction of the Rito. He walked erect, but scrupu- 
 lously avoided everything that might create noise. When 
 near the fireplace he stood still and Hstened. A wolf yelped 
 to the right of where the Dinne of whom Tyope was most 
 afraid seemed to be listening, about two hundred steps 
 from him, on the swelling of the mesa. He manifestly ex- 
 pected the Queres to return the same way he came. It 
 was not a sign of much wisdom, but the boy was young and 
 inexperienced in the stratagems of Indian warfare. Tyope 
 felt relieved. 
 
 Suddenly loud barking sounded directly in front of 
 
74 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 him, and at no great distance. Tyope dropped on the 
 ground and began to glide like a snake toward the 
 place whence this last signal came. He crouched behind 
 a flat rock and raised his eyes. It was in vain ; nothing 
 could be seen in the obscurity. He felt puzzled. Was 
 this last signal the voice of another enemy who had hitherto 
 remained silent, or was it Nacaytzusle who had changed 
 his position? At all events it was safer to rise and go 
 directly toward the spot, rather than approach it in a 
 creeping posture. He walked deliberately onward, at the 
 same time calling out in a low tone, — 
 
 " Nacaytzusle ! " 
 
 Nothing moved. 
 
 He advanced a few steps and repeated, — 
 
 "Nacaytzusle! Hast thou seen anything?" 
 
 " No," said a hollow voice near by, and a human form 
 arose as if from beneath the surface. The man stepped 
 up to Tyope ; and to the latter's impeakable reUef, he 
 looked stouter and shorter than Nacaytzusle. The Indian 
 was unknown to him, and Tyope said eagerly, — 
 
 "The badger must be hiding near where the fire is. 
 We should cut off his trail to the north. Nacaytzusle 
 went too far east; there" — he pointed toward the north- 
 east — "is where he ought to stand." 
 
 Tyope spoke the Navajo language fluently. 
 
 "Thou art right," said the other; "go thither, and we 
 will be closer together." 
 
 Tyope felt loath to follow this advice, for it would have 
 brought him uncomfortably near his most dangerous foe ; 
 yet, under the circumstances and to avoid all suspicion 
 he accepted the suggestion, and was about to turn in the 
 direction indicated when the signals sounded again and 
 simultaneously from every quarter. The strange Indian 
 held him back, asking, — 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 75 
 
 "How is this? We are five, and four have shouted 
 now. Who art thou, and where dost thou come from?" 
 
 " I came from above," Tyope rephed, with affected 
 composure. 
 
 They stood so close together that the Navajo could no- 
 tice some details of Tyope's accoutrements. Grasping the 
 cap of buffalo hide which dangled from the belt of the 
 Queres, he inquired, — 
 
 "What dost thou carry here? " 
 
 All was lost, for the Navajos were well acquainted with 
 this garment, peculiar to the war dress of the Pueblos. 
 Tyope saw that only the most reckless act could save him. 
 So he dropped all his arrows, which until now he had 
 carried in his right hand, and thrust his club like a slung- 
 shot into the other's face. With a yell of pain and sur- 
 prise the Navajo tumbled backward into a bush, while 
 Tyope darted forward in the direction of the Rito. Be- 
 hind him sounded the hoarse cries of the wounded man, 
 loud yells answering. They came from four sides; all 
 the pursuers were running at full speed to the assistance 
 of their companion. 
 
 Madly, like a deer pursued by wolves, Tyope bounded 
 onward. But soon his speed slackened ; he believed that 
 he was safe, and there was no use in tiring himself. His 
 movements were no longer noiseless as before. During 
 his first run he had made so much noise as to lead the 
 pursuers directly on his trail. These pursuers had sud- 
 denly become silent. Nevertheless, from time to time, 
 rustling sounds struck the ear of Tyope, and proved that 
 the pursuit was carried on unrelentingly. He noticed a 
 suspicious twittering and cracking, not behind him, but 
 at one side ; and it approached. 
 
 He comprehended at once that one of the Navajos, 
 instead of rushing to the rescue of the one whom Tyope 
 
76 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 had struck down, had taken a direction diagonal to his 
 own, with the hope of intercepting him near the brink 
 of the declivity leading down into the Rito, or perhaps 
 sooner. A change in his line of flight was thereby ren- 
 dered necessary, but in what direction? The warning 
 sounds were heard directly north of him; then every- 
 thing became quiet. The same stillness reigned all 
 around; and this proved that the pursuers, while cer- 
 tainly approaching with the greatest possible alacrity, 
 were anxious to cover their movements. Tyope stood 
 still, undecided what to do. The sound of a breaking 
 or bending twig, faint though audible, caused him to 
 crouch behind a cedar bush again. He held his breath, 
 listened, and peered through the branches. Soon a man 
 appeared, — a Navajo ; but whether it was Nacaytzusle or 
 not, he could not discover. The Indian glided across the 
 open space as noiselessly as a spectre, and disappeared in 
 a northerly direction. Tyope remained in his concealment 
 for a while, and as nothing more was heard or seen, he 
 crawled to the nearest shrub to the west. There he 
 again listened and watched, then rose to his feet and 
 moved in a westerly direction. 
 
 The moon had risen, and its crescent shed a glimmer 
 over the tree-tops. For some time Tyope walked on. 
 Frequently he halted to listen ; everything was still. From 
 this he inferred that his enemies had passed him, and were 
 now stationed along the brink of the gorge in order to in- 
 tercept him, and that he had gone far enough to risk a de- 
 scent from where he stood. It did not seem likely that 
 the Navajos had posted themselves so far up the brink, 
 since he knew it to be beyond the highest cave-dwellings. 
 Turning to the north, therefore, he soon found himself 
 under the last trees of the mesa. Beyond opened a whit- 
 ish chasm, and the northern cliffs of the Rito rose Uke 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. JJ 
 
 dim gigantic phantoms. Here he knew the descent had to 
 be made, but here also the most imminent danger was 
 lurking. 
 
 The brink of the Rito on the south side is lined by shrub- 
 bery, with high timber interspersed ; but ledges of friable 
 volcanic rocks advance in places beyond this shade, crown- 
 ing the heights like irregular battlements. Their surface is 
 bare, and anything moving on them might become visible 
 to a watchful eye, notwithstanding the dimness of the 
 moonlight. 
 
 Tyope lay down, and began to glide like a snake. He 
 moved slowly, pushing his body into every depression, hug- 
 ging closely every protuberance. Thus he succeeded in 
 crossing the open space between the woods and the rim of 
 the declivity. Now he could overlook the valley beneath 
 and glance down the slope. It was not very steep, and 
 thickets covered it in places. But between him and the 
 nearest brush a bare ledge had yet to be crossed. He 
 crept into a wide fissure, and then down. The crags were 
 not high, scarcely ten feet. Then he pushed cautiously on 
 to the open space. When near the middle of it he raised 
 his head to look around. Immediately a twang sounded 
 from the heights above him, and a whiz followed. Tyope 
 bounded to his feet, reeled for a moment ; another twang 
 and another whizzing, — an arrow struck the ground where 
 he had lain ; but already the Queres was away, leaping from 
 rock to rock, tearing through shrubbery and thickets like a 
 frightened mountain sheep. Stones rolled from above ; 
 somebody was hastening down in pursuit ; arrow upon 
 arrow sped after the fugitive. But Tyope was safely out of 
 reach and in the bottom, whither the Navajo did not dare 
 to follow. A drizzling noise, like that of pebbles dropping 
 from a height, told that the pursuer had withdrawn to the 
 woods again ; then all was stilL 
 
78 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Down below on the edge of the brook lay Tyope, panting 
 from exhaustion. His life was safe and he felt unhurt, but 
 he was overcome by emotion and effort. As long as the 
 excitement had lasted his physical strength had held out. 
 Now that all was over he felt tired and weaL Yet he could 
 not think of rest, for daybreak was close at hand. He dipped 
 some water from the brook and moistened his parched lips, 
 taking care not to touch his face or body with the liquid. 
 Tyope was tired and worn out, but at the same time angry ; 
 and when the Indian suffers or when he is angry he neither 
 washes nor bathes. Physical or mental pain, disappoint- 
 ment, and wrath, are with him compatible only with lack 
 of cleanliness, and since he becomes wrathfiil or disap- 
 pointed or sick quite as often as we do, his bodily condition 
 is frequently far from pleasant. 
 
 Tyope felt angry and disappointed at himself. The fail- 
 tue in regard to Nacaytzusle was not the cause of his dis- 
 appointment. What angered him was that he had not 
 killed the Navajo whom he struck down on the mesa, and 
 taken his scalp. There would have been ample time, and 
 he could have concealed the trophy, returning for it in the 
 daytime. He had already taken one scalp in his life, but 
 to have missed this opportunity of securing a second one 
 was an unpardonable failure. It was this which caused him 
 to avoid the cooling waters and forget the demands of 
 cleanliness. 
 
 He rose and walked on. The valley opened before him ; 
 the dim light of a waning moon shone into it, allowing a 
 practised eye to discern grotto after grotto in the cliffs. As 
 Tyope proceeded down the gorge, following the brook's 
 course, he glanced at the caves. They were those of the 
 Water clan. He frowned and clenched his fist in anger. 
 There lived his enemy, Shotaye, his former spouse. There 
 was her den, the abode of the hated witch. How often had 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 79 
 
 she crossed his path, how often warned those whom he had 
 planned to injure ! Yes, she was a sorceress, for she knew 
 too much about his ways. But now his time would come, 
 for he too knew something concerning her that must ruin 
 her forever. He had known it for some time, but only 
 now was it possible to accuse her. He shook his fist at the 
 cliffs in silent rage ; the thought of taking revenge filled his 
 heart with sinister joy, and made him forget the fatigue and 
 disappointment of the past hours. 
 
 He soon stood in front of the place where the cliffs form 
 a perpendicular wall, and where instead of excavating dwell- 
 ings the people of the Eagle clan had built their quarters 
 outside, using the smooth surface of the rock as a rear wall. 
 A row of terraced houses, some three, some two stories high, 
 others with a ground-floor only, extended along the base of 
 the rocks, looking Uke a shapeless ruin in the faint glow of 
 the moon. Toward this edifice Tyope walked. All was 
 silent, for nobody had as yet risen from sleep. He cUmbed 
 on the roof of a one-story house and stooped over the 
 hatchway to listen. It was dark inside, and only the sound 
 of regular breathings could be heard. Tyope descended 
 into the room. Two persons lay on the floor fast asleep. 
 They were his wife and daughter. Concealing his weapons 
 and war-accoutrements, he stretched himself at full length 
 beside the others. The rushing of the brook was but faintly 
 heard ; a cold blast entered through the loophole in the wall. 
 Tyope heaved a deep sigh of relief and closed his weary 
 eyes. The night was nearly over, but he had reached home 
 before the dawn of day. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A BRIGHT morning followed the night on which Tyope 
 underwent his adventures. He slept long, but it attracted 
 no undue attention and called forth no remarks on the 
 part of his wife and daughter. They were wont to see 
 him come and go at any hour of the night. It was very 
 near noon when he awoke at last, and after disposing of his 
 late breakfast, i la mode du pays, sauntered off to parts 
 unknown to the others. The day was one of remarkable 
 beauty. No dim foggy city sun cast a sullen glance at the 
 landscape. The sun stood in the zenith of a sky of the 
 deepest azure, like a flaming, sparkling, dazzling meteor. 
 Still its heat was not oppressive. 
 
 On the mesa above the Rito a fresh wind was blowing. 
 The shrubbery was gently moved by the breeze. A faint 
 rushing sound was heard, like distant waves surging back 
 and forth. In the gorge a zephyr only fanned the tops of 
 the tallest pines ; a quietness reigned, a stUhiess, like that 
 which the poets of old ascribe to the Elysian fields. 
 
 There is not much bustle about the big house on the 
 Tyuonyi. The men are out and at work, and the children 
 have retired to the court-yard. A group of girls alone 
 enlivens the space between the main building and the new 
 home of the Com people. They are gathered in a throng 
 while they talk, laugh, and chatter, pointing at the fresh 
 coat of clay which they have finished applying to the out- 
 side of the new building. Their hands are yet filled with 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 8 1 
 
 the liquid material used for plastering, and they taunt each 
 other as to the relative merits of their work. 
 
 One of the maidens, a plump little thing with a pair of 
 lively eyes, calls out to another, pointing at a spot where 
 the plaster appears less smooth and even, — 
 
 " See there, Aistshie, you did that ! You were too lazy 
 to go over it again. Look at my work ; how even it is 
 compared with yours ! " 
 
 The other girl shrugged her shoulders and retorted, — 
 
 " It may be, but it is not my fault, it is yours, Sayap. 
 You did it yesterday when we beat off the boys. You 
 pushed Sh)Tiote against the wall and he thumped his head 
 here. See, this is the mark where he struck the clay. You 
 did this, Sayap, not I." 
 
 Sayap laughed, and her buxom form shook. 
 
 " You are right • I did it, I served the urchin right. It 
 was good, was it not, Aistshie? How I punished the 
 brat, and how he looked afterward with his face all one 
 mud-patch ! " 
 
 "Yes," Aistshie objected, "but I did more. I faced 
 Okoya, despite his bow and arrows. That was more than 
 you did." 
 
 The other girls interrupted the scornful reply which Sayap 
 was on the point of giving. They crowded around the 
 two with a number of eager questions. 
 
 "What was it?" queried one. 
 
 "What happened yesterday?" another. 
 
 " Did you have a quarrel with boys," a third ; and so on. 
 All pressed around begging and coaxing them to tell the 
 story of yesterday's adventure. The heroines themselves 
 looked at each other in embarrassment. At last Aistshie 
 broke out, — 
 
 " You tell it, Sayap." 
 
 "Well," began the latter, "it was yesterday afternoon, 
 
 6 
 
82 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 and we were just putting on the last touches of the coating, 
 when Okoya and little Shyuote his brother — " 
 
 A clod, skilfully hurled, struck her right ear, filling it with 
 sand and cutting off the thread of her narrative rather 
 abruptly. Sayap wheeled around to see whence the blow 
 had come. The other girls all laughed, but she was angry. 
 Her wrath was raised to the highest pitch however, when 
 she discovered that Shyuote was the aggressor. On a little 
 eminence near by stood the scamp, dancing, cutting capers, 
 and yelling triumphantly. 
 
 " Shyuote is small, but he knows how to throw." 
 
 " Fiend," cried Sayap in reply. She picked up a stone, 
 raised it in the awkward manner in which most girls handle 
 missiles, and running toward the boy hurled it at him. It 
 fell far short of its mark, of course, and Shyuote only laughed, 
 danced, and grimaced so much the more. As Sayap kept 
 advancing and the other girls followed, he threw a second 
 clod, which struck her squarely in the face, and so sharply 
 that blood flowed from her nose and mouth. At the same 
 time the rogue shouted at the top of his voice, — 
 
 " Come on ! All of you ! I am not afraid. You will 
 never catch me ! " 
 
 And as the majority of his pursuers came on, while two 
 or three remained behind soothing and consoling Sayap, 
 who stood still, crying and bleeding, he thrust out his tongue 
 at them its full length, performed a number of odious gri- 
 maces, and then nimbly clambered up between a group of 
 erosive cones that lay in front of the cliff. He turned 
 around once more to yell defiance and scorn at his pur- 
 suers, and disappeared on the other side. Farther pursuit 
 being hopeless, the girls clustered around the weeping 
 Sayap and held a council of war. They vowed dire ven- 
 geance on the lad, and promised their injured sister to 
 improve the first opportunity that should present itself. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 83 
 
 Shyuote, on the other hand, felt proud of his success. 
 His revenge was, he felt, a glorious one. Still he was care- 
 ful not to forget the counsels of prudence, and instead of 
 returning to the house by a direct route, which might have 
 carried him too near the enraged damsels, he sauntered 
 along, hugging the cliffs for some distance, and then cau- 
 tiously sneaked into the fields below the new homes of the 
 Maize clan. Once in the corn he felt safe, and was about 
 to cross the brook to the south side, when the willows 
 bordering the streamlet rustled and tossed, and a voice 
 called to him from the thicket, — 
 
 "Where are you going, uak? " 
 
 Shyuote stopped, and looked around for the speaker ; but 
 nobody was visible. Again the boughs rustled and shook, 
 and there emerged from the willows an old man of low 
 stature, with iron-gray hair and shrivelled features. He wore 
 no ornaments at all ; his wrap was without belt and very 
 dirty. In his left hand he held a plant which he had 
 pulled up by the roots. He stepped up to Shyuote, stood 
 close by his side, and growled at him rather than spoke. 
 
 " I asked you where you were going. Why don't you 
 answer?" 
 
 Shyuote was frightened, and stammered in reply, — 
 
 "To see my father." 
 
 "Who is your father? " 
 
 "ZashueTihua." 
 
 The features of the interlocutor took on a singular 
 expression. It was not one of pleasure, neither did it 
 betoken anger; if anything, it denoted a sort of grim 
 satisfaction. 
 
 " If Zashue is your father," continued he, and his eyes 
 twinkled strangely, " Say Koitza must be your mother." 
 
 " Of course," retorted the boy, to whom this interroga- 
 tory seemed ludicrous. 
 
84 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " And Okoya your brother," the old man persisted. 
 
 "Why do you ask all this?" inquired the child, 
 laughingly. 
 
 A look, piercing and venomous, darted from the eyes of 
 the questioning man. He snarled angrily, — 
 
 " Because I ask it. I ask, and you shall answer me with- 
 out inquiring why and wherefore. Do you hear, uak? " 
 
 Shyuote hung his head ; he felt afraid. 
 
 " I forbid you to say anything about what I say to you to 
 your mother," continued the other, grasping the left arm of 
 the boy. 
 
 Shyuote shook off the grip, and also shook his head in 
 token of refusal. The old man seized the arm agaia and 
 clutched it so firmly with his bony fingers that the lad 
 screamed from pain. 
 
 " Let me go !" he cried. " You hurt me, let me go t " 
 
 "Will you do as I bid you? " asked his tormentor. 
 
 "Yes," sobbed the child. "I will obey. My mother 
 shall not know anything. Let me go, you hurt ! " 
 
 The man loosened his grip slightly. 
 
 " To your father you shall say that I, the Koshare Naua," 
 
 — the boy looked up at him at these words in astonishment, 
 
 — " send word to him through you to come to my house 
 on the night after the one that will follow this day, when 
 the new moon sets behind the mountains. Do you hear 
 me, boy? " 
 
 Shyuote stared at the interlocutor with mouth wide open, 
 and with an expression of fear and surprise that evidently 
 amused the other. He gave him a last look, a sharp, threat- 
 ening, penetrating glance ; then his features became less 
 stem. 
 
 " Have no fear," he said in a milder tone. " I will not 
 do you any harm ; but you must do as I say. Go to your 
 nashtio now, and tell him what I said." With this he 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 8$ 
 
 wheeled about and left the boy as abruptly as he had ap- 
 peared. Shyuote stood gaping and perplexed. 
 
 He felt very much like crying. His arm still ached from 
 the grip of the old man, and while he was rubbing the sore 
 spot his anger rose at the harsh and cruel treatment he 
 had suffered. He thought of rushing home to his mother 
 forthwith and telling her all about the bad old man, and 
 how he had forbidden him to say anything to her. Still, 
 the Koshare Nana was not to be trifled with, and Shyuote, 
 young and childish as he was, had some misgivings about 
 betraying his confidence. His father had told him that the 
 Naua, or chief leader of the Koshare, was a very wise and 
 therefore a very powerful man. Zashue, who as soon as 
 Shyuote was bom had pledged the child to become one of 
 the Delight Makers, was educating the lad gradually in his 
 duties ; and Shyuote had already imbibed enough of that 
 discipline to feel a tremendous respect for the leader of the 
 society to which he was pledged to belong. He suppressed 
 the thoughts of rebellion that had arisen, and strolled on, 
 crossing the creek and hunting for his father among the 
 corn-patches on the other side. But his good-humour had 
 left him. Instead of being triumphantly buoyant, he felt 
 morose and humiliated. 
 
 Zashue Tihua was at work in the fields of the Water 
 clan, on the southern border of the cultivated plots. He 
 was not alone; another young man kept him company. 
 It was his younger brother, Hayoue. They were weeding 
 side by side, and exchanging remarks while the work went 
 on. Zashue looked up, and his handsome face brightened 
 when he discovered Shyuote coming toward them through 
 the maize. A visit from his favourite child, although by no 
 means an unusual occurrence, was always a source of pleas- 
 ure. He liked to have Shyuote around him when he was 
 at work. 
 
S6 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Throwing a small, sharp stone-splinter toward the boy, he 
 called out to him, — 
 
 " Come, take this okpanyi and begin weeding where you 
 stand. Weed toward us until we meet, and we will go 
 home together to the yaya." 
 
 This was still further a source of displeasure to Shyuote, 
 who above all things disliked work. He had not come 
 down to the fields to toil. What he sought for was a 
 friendly chat with his father, a few hours of loimging and 
 loafing near him. Disappointed and pouting, he bent over 
 the work assigned, while the two men went on with then- 
 task as well as with their conversation. 
 
 Hayoue was taller than his brother, and a strikingly hand- 
 some young Indian. His eyes had a more serious and less 
 mischievous expression than those of Zashue. He was yet 
 unmarried; but, notwithstanding, a marked predilection 
 for the fair sex formed one of his characteristics, ^e was 
 held in high esteem by the leading men of the tribe, Tyope 
 and his adherents excepted, for his sagacity, good judg- 
 ment, and personal valour. 
 
 " I tell you," Zashue spoke up, " Shyuote will become a 
 good one." 
 
 Hayoue shrugged his shoulders and replied, — 
 
 " You should know your own children better than I, yet 
 I tell you Okoya also is good ; besides, he is wise and 
 reserved." 
 
 " Yes ; but he is too much with the women, and his 
 mother stands nearer to him than his father. He never 
 follows me to the fields unless I tell him. Look at the 
 little one, on the other hand. He will be a man." 
 
 While his brother spoke Hayoue had quietly observed 
 Shyuote ; and the slow, loitering way in which the boy per- 
 formed his work had not escaped his observation. He 
 said, — 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 87 
 
 "It may be. To-day he certainly acts rather Uke an 
 old woman. See how loath he is to weed the plants." 
 
 "You always prefer Okoya," replied Zashue. "You like 
 him because he never opens his mouth unless an arrow is 
 forced between his teeth." 
 
 " And you prefer Shyuote because you are making a Ko- 
 share of him," Hayoue answered, with great composure. 
 
 " He surely will become a good one, a better one than 
 I am." 
 
 "If he becomes as good a Delight Maker as you are, 
 Zashue, we may be satisfied. Shall you soon retire to 
 the estufa?" he inquired, changing the subject of the 
 conversation. 
 
 " I don't know ; the Naua has not said anything as 
 yet, but the time is near at hand when we should begin 
 to work. Before going into the round house in the rocks, 
 we ought to be sure that there are no Navajos in the 
 neighbourhood. You are Kauanyi, a member of the order 
 of warriors," he added with a side-glance at his brother, 
 "do you know anything of the sneaking wolves in the 
 mountains? " 
 
 Hayoue denied any knowledge concerning the Navajos, 
 adding, — 
 
 " I did not like it when that fellow Nacaytzusle ran away 
 from us. He knew too much of our ways." 
 
 " He can do no harm. He is glad to stay among his 
 people." 
 
 " Still I don't trust him," Hayoue muttered. 
 
 "Neither would I, if I were in your place," Zashue 
 taunted, and a good-natured though mischievous smile lit 
 up his features. " If I were you I would keep still better 
 guard over Mitsha Koitza." 
 
 "What have I to do with the child of Tyope," ex- 
 claimed the other, rather contemptuously. 
 
88 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 "Indeed?" queried Zashue, "so you, too, are against 
 Tyope? What has he done to you?" 
 
 "Nothing, but I mistrust him as much as I do the 
 Navajo." 
 
 These last words were uttered in such a positive manner — 
 they were so earnestly emphasized — that they cut off the 
 conversation. It was plain that Hayoue had made up his 
 mind on the subject, and that he did not wish to have it 
 broached again. 
 
 "Sa nashtio,'" called Shyuote over to where the brothers 
 were weeding in silence, " come over here ; I must tell you 
 something, but I must tell it to you alone." 
 
 Hayoue at once turned away, while Zashue called the lad 
 to him. But Shyuote protested, saying that only his father 
 was to hear his communication, and Zashue at last went 
 where the boy was standing. It vexed him, and he in- 
 quired rather gruffly what he had to say. Shyuote made 
 a very wise and important face, placed a finger to his lips, 
 and whispered, — 
 
 " The Koshare Naua told me to tell you that you should 
 go to see him, not to-morrow, but the day after, when the 
 moon goes behind the mountains." 
 
 " Is that all ! " exclaimed Zashue, disappointed and angry, 
 — " is that all you had to say ? That much you might have 
 shouted to me. There was no need of being so secret 
 about it, and" — he glanced at the insignificant and care- 
 less work the boy had performed — " is that all you have 
 done since you came ? You are lazy, uak ! Go home. Go 
 home at once to your mother and tell her that I shall not 
 return for the evening, but will stay with Hayoue in the 
 caves." And as Shyuote, dismayed and troubled, appeared 
 loath to go, Zashue turned to him again, commanding in a 
 very angry tone, — 
 
 " Go home ! Go home at once ! " 
 

 
 1*^- 
 
 
 ^3t^^ 
 
 V ^g^*" *t 
 
 *«■ 
 
 ««s 
 
 'a 
 
 (Upper picture) A Navajo Hogan 
 
 (Lower picture) The Heart of the Tyuonyi : The excavated 
 lower stor\ of the great terraced Communal House 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 89 
 
 Shyuote left in haste ; he felt very much Uke crying. 
 Hayoue said to his brother, — 
 
 "Didn't I tell you that Shyuote was lazy? Okoya is 
 far, far more useful." 
 
 " Let me alone about Okoya," growled Zashue ; and both 
 went on with the work as before. 
 
 Shyuote stumbled across the patches of com, rather 
 than walked through them. He felt sad, dejected, and very 
 wrathful. AU the buoyancy with which his victory over the 
 girls had inspired him was gone. Since that heroic feat 
 nothing but ill-luck had crossed his path. He was angry at 
 his father for scolding him and driving him home, in the 
 presence of Hayoue, for whom the boy had as great a dis- 
 like as his uncle had for him. Why, it was worse than the 
 threats and cuffs of the old Naua ! It was not only an 
 injustice, it was an insult ! So the lad reasoned, and began 
 to brood over vengeance. He was going to show his father 
 that he, the ten-year-old boy, was not to be trifled with. 
 Yes, he would show his teeth by refusing to become a 
 Koshare. Would not that be a glorious revenge ! The 
 little fellow did not know that he was pledged to the 
 Delight Makers by a sacred vow of his parent which it 
 was not in his power to break. After a while his thoughts 
 changed, and he concluded that it might be better to say 
 nothing and to go home and ask for something to eat. But 
 never, never again would he favour his father with a 
 friendly call in the corn-patch. This latter resolve ap- 
 peared to him so satisfactory, the revenge so ample for the 
 injury received, that he forgot the past and fairly danced 
 through the fields, hopping sometimes on one foot and some- 
 times on the other. He crossed the brook and reached the 
 large house almost to his own surprise. 
 
 It was noon, and the full blaze of the sun flooded the 
 valley with light. Not a breeze fanned the air, nothing 
 
90 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 stirred. No vibrations troubled the picture which the cliffs, 
 the caves, the buildings, presented in the dazzling glare. 
 The cliffs had lost their yellowish hue and appeared white, 
 with every protuberance, every indentation, or cavity, 
 marked by intense shadows. The houses inhabited by 
 the Eagle clan along the foot of the rocks were like a row of 
 irregularly piled cubes and prisms ; each beam leaning 
 against them cast a jet-black streak of shadow on the 
 ground. Below the projecting beams of the roofs a short 
 black line descended along the wall, and the towering 
 rocks jutted in and out from dark recesses like monsters. 
 So strong were the contrasts between shadow and light 
 that even Shyuote was struck by it. He stood still and 
 stared. 
 
 Something indefinite, a vague feeling of awe, crept over 
 him. For the real grandeur of the scenery he had no sense 
 of appreciation, and yet it seemed to him as if everything 
 about were new and strange. Thousands of times had he 
 gazed at the cliffs of his valley home, but never had they 
 appeared to him as they did now. So strong was this 
 impression, and so sudden, too, that he shrank from the 
 sight in amazement ; then he turned his eyes away and 
 walked rapidly toward home. He was afraid to look at the 
 colossal pillars and walls ; they appeared to him like giants 
 threatening to move. All his plans for revenge, every 
 thought of wrath and indignation, had vanished. 
 
 Suddenly his left knee was struck by a stone hurled with 
 such force that Shyuote bounded and screamed. At the 
 same time six or seven boys, some apparently of his age 
 while others were taller and older, rushed from the bushes 
 skirting the ditch. Two of them ran directly in front of 
 him. They were armed with sticks and short clubs, and 
 the largest, who seemed to be of the same age as Okoya, 
 shouted, — 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 9 1 
 
 " You have injured Sayap, and caused her blood to flow. 
 You rotten squash, you shall suffer for it." 
 
 Shyuote took in the situation at a glance. He saw that 
 only desperate running would save him from being roughly 
 handled. He darted off like an arrow toward the cave- 
 dweUings in front of him. Unfortunately these were the 
 quarters of the Corn people who had not yet moved into 
 their new homes. To them belonged Sayap and the boys 
 ■ that were assailing Shyuote ; and as the fugitive approached 
 the slope, he saw it occupied by other youth ready and 
 eager to give him a warm reception. At the same time the 
 tallest of his pursuers was gaining on him rapidly ; rocks 
 flew past his head; a stone struck him between the ribs, 
 stopping his breath almost. In despair he turned to the 
 left, and making a last effort flew towards the houses of the 
 Eagle clan. Panting, blinded by exertion and by pain, he 
 reached one of the beams leading to a roof, rushed upward 
 along it, and was about to take refuge in the room below, 
 when a young girl came up the primitive ladder down which 
 he had intended to precipitate himself. Issuing from the 
 hatchway she quietly pushed the lad to one side ; then, as 
 in that moment one of his pursuers appeared on the roof, 
 she stepped between him and Shyuote. 
 
 " Get out of the way, Mitsha ! Let me get at the 
 wren ! " cried the youth who had just climbed the roof. 
 Shyuote fled to the very wall of the rock ; he gave up 
 all hope and thought himself lost. But the girl quietly 
 asked, — 
 
 "What do you want with the boy? " 
 
 " He has hurt Sayap, our sister," the tall youngster an- 
 swered. "He threw a stone at her and caused her to 
 bleed. Now I am going to pay him for it." 
 
 " So will I ! " shouted another one from below. 
 
 " I too ! " " And I ! " " He shall get it from all of 
 
92 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 us ! " yelled a number of youthful voices, and in an instant 
 the roof was crowded with boys. 
 
 Mitsha had placed herself so as to shield the trembling 
 lad with her own body. Very quietly she said, — 
 
 "Don't you see that he also is bleeding? Let him go 
 now, it is enough." A stone had mdeed grazed Shyuote's 
 scalp, and bloo.d was trickling down his cheek. 
 
 " It is not enough ! " shouted one of the older boys, an- 
 grily. " Get out of the way, Mitsha ! " 
 
 " You shall not hurt him on this roof," repUed Mitsha, in 
 a calm but very positive tone. 
 
 "Do you intend to protect him?" cried the tallest one 
 of the pursuers, and another one exclaimed, — 
 
 " How does it concern you ? You have nothing to do 
 here." All turned against the girl. A Uttle feUow, who 
 carried several large pebbles in his hand for the occasion, 
 endeavoured to steal a march around Mitsha in order to 
 reach Shyuote ; but she noticed it, and grasped his arm and 
 pulled him back so vigourously that he reeled and feU at 
 full length on the roof Then she ordered them all to 
 leave forthwith. 
 
 "You belong to the Com clan," she said, "and have 
 nothing to do here on the houses of the Eagle clan. Go 
 down ! Get away at once or I will call our men. As long 
 as I am here you shall not touch the uak." 
 
 " So you take his part ? " cried the biggest one of the 
 invaders. He raised a stick to strike her. 
 
 " Lay down your club, you dirty ear of com," replied the 
 maiden, " or you will fare badly." With this she drew 
 from under her wrap a heavy war-club ; it was the same 
 weapon which Tyope had used the night previous. 
 
 The boy's arm remained upUfted, but still the attitude of 
 the girl, her threatening look and resolute appearance, 
 checked the assailants. Mitsha stood with apparent com- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 93 
 
 posure, but her eyes sparkled and the expression of her 
 face denoted the utmost determination. Besides she was 
 fully as tall as most of her opponents, and the weapon she 
 was holding in readiness looked quite formidable. But the 
 superior number of her assailants exercised a certain pres- 
 sure on these assailants themselves, and the Indian under 
 such circumstances has no thought of chivalrous feeling. 
 A dozen boys stood before the solitary maiden on the roof, 
 and they were not to be intimidated by her. For an in- 
 stant only neither said a word ; then a threatening mur- 
 mur arose. One of the lads called out to the tallest of the 
 crowd, — 
 
 " Strike her down, Shohona ! " 
 
 A stone was thrown at her but missed its aim. At this 
 moment the boys nearest the brink of the roof were sud- 
 denly thrust aside right and left, the one who had threatened 
 Mitsha with his stick was pulled back and jerked to one 
 side violently, and before the astonished girl stood Okoya. 
 Pale with emotion, breathless, with heaving chest, and quiv- 
 ering from excitement, he gasped to her, — 
 
 "Go down into the room; I will protect my brother." 
 Then he turned to face the assailants. 
 
 The scene on the roof had attracted a large number of 
 spectators, who had gathered below and were exchanging 
 surmises and advice on the merits of a case about which 
 none of them really knew anything. Now a woman's voice 
 rose from amid this gaping and chattering crowd, — the 
 sharp and screechy voice of an angry woman. She shouted 
 to those who were on the roof, — 
 
 " Get down from my house ! Get down, you scoundrels ! 
 If you want to kill each other do it elsewhere, and not on 
 my home ! " With this the woman climbed on to the 
 roof. She seized the boy nearest to her by the hair and 
 pulled him fairly to the ground, so that the poor fellow 
 
94 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 howled from pain. With the other hand she dealt blows 
 and cuffs, and scratched and punched indiscriminately 
 among the youngsters, so that a sudden panic broke out 
 among these would-be heroes. Each sought to get out of 
 her reach with the greatest alacrity. She at last released 
 her hold on the first victim and reached out for another ; but 
 the last of the young Cora people was just tumbling down 
 from the roof, and her clutch at his leg came too late. In 
 an instant the roof was cleared. The young braves from 
 the Maize clan were ungraciously received below. A num- 
 ber of their parents had assembled, and when the woman 
 began to expostulate, they looked at the matter from her 
 point of view. They saw that it was an infringement, a 
 trespass, upon the territory and rights of another clan, and 
 treated their pugnacious sons to another instalment of 
 bodily punishment as fast as they came tumbling from 
 above. The final result for the incipient warriors of the 
 Com people was that they were ignominiously driven 
 home. 
 
 While peace was thus restored upon the ground it still 
 looked quite stormy on the roof. The woman who had so 
 energetically interfered at last discovered Okoya, who was 
 looking in blank amazement at this sudden change of af- 
 fairs. Forthwith she made a vicious grab at his ebony 
 locks, with the pointed remark, — 
 
 " Down with you, you stinking weed ! " 
 
 But Mitsha interfered. 
 
 " Mother,'' she said gently, " do not harm him. He was 
 defending his brother and me. He is none of the others." 
 
 "What ! " the woman screamed, "was it you whom they 
 were about to strike, these night-owls made of black com? 
 You, my child? Let me tell them again what they are," 
 and she ran to the brink of the roof, raised handfuls of dust 
 from it, and hurled them in the direction of the caves of the 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. g$ 
 
 offenders. She stamped, she spat ; she raved, and heaped 
 upon the heads of the Corn people, their ancestors, and their 
 descendants, every invective the Queres language contains. 
 To those below this appeared decidedly entertaining ; the 
 men especially enjoyed the performance, but Mitsha felt 
 sorry, — she disliked to see her mother display such frenzy and 
 to hear her use such vulgar language. She pulled her wrap, 
 saying, — 
 
 " It is enough now, sanaya. Don't you see that those 
 who wanted to hurt me are gone? Their fathers and 
 mothers are not guilty. Be quiet, mother; it is all over 
 now." 
 
 Her mother at last yielded to these gentle remonstrances, 
 turned away from the brink, and surveyed the roof. She 
 saw Okoya standing before weeping Shyuote, and scolding 
 him. 
 
 "What are you doing to this child?" asked Mitsha's 
 mother, stiU under the pressure of her former excitement. 
 She was ready for another fray. 
 
 " He is my brother, and the cause of the whole trouble," 
 Okoya explained to her. " I chide him for it, as it is my 
 duty to do. Nevertheless, they had no right to kill him, 
 still less to hurt the girl." 
 
 The woman had at last had time to scrutinize the looks of 
 the young man. She herself was not old, and when not 
 under the influence of passion was rather comely. Okoya's 
 handsome figure attracted her attention, and she stepped 
 nearer, eyeing him closely. 
 
 " Where do you belong? " she inquired in a quieter tone. 
 
 " I am Tanyi." 
 
 "Who is your father? " 
 
 " Zashue Tihua." 
 
 The woman smiled ; she moved still nearer to the young 
 man and continued, — 
 
96 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " I know your father well. He is one of us, a Koshare." 
 Her eyes remained fastened on his features ; she was mani- 
 festly more and more pleased with his appearance. But at 
 the same time she occasionally glanced toward her daugh- 
 ter Mitsha, and it struck her forcibly that Mitsha, too, was 
 handsome. 
 
 "I know who you are," she said smilingly. "You are 
 Okoya Tihua, your little brother is called Shyuote, and Say 
 Koitza is your mother's name. She is a good woman, but " 
 — and she shrugged her shoulders — " always sick. Have 
 you any cotton?" she suddenly asked, looking squarely into 
 the eyes of the boy. 
 
 " No," he replied, and his features coloured visibly, " but 
 I have some handsome skins." 
 
 Mitsha too seemed embarrassed ; she started to go into 
 the room below, but her mother called her back. 
 
 "Sa uishe," she coaxed, "won't you give the motatza 
 something to eat?" 
 
 The faces of both young people became fiery red. He 
 stood like a statue, and yet his chest heaved. He cast 
 his eyes to the ground. Mitsha had turned her face away ; 
 her whole body was trembling like a leaf. Her mother 
 persisted. 
 
 " Take him down into the room and feed him," she re- 
 peated, and smiled. 
 
 " I have nothing," murmured Mitsha. 
 
 " If such is the case I shall go and see myself." With 
 these words the woman descended the beam into the room 
 below, leaving the two alone on the roof, standing motion- 
 less, neither daring to look at the other. 
 
 While the colloquy between Okoya and Mitsha's mother 
 was going on, Shyuote had recovered somewhat from his 
 fright and grief and had sneaked off. Once on the ground he 
 walked — still trembling, and suspiciously scanning the cliflF 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 97 
 
 wherein the Corn people had their abodes — as straight as 
 possible toward the big house. Nobody interfered with 
 him ; not even his two defenders noticed that he had gone ; 
 they both remained standing silent, with hearts beating 
 anxiously. 
 
 " Okoya," the woman called from below, " come and eat. 
 Mitsha, come down and give sa uishe something to eat." 
 
 A thrill went through Okoya's whole frame. She had 
 called him sa uishe, — "my child." He ventured to cast a 
 fiirtive glance at the maiden. Mitsha had recovered her 
 self-control ; she returned his shy glance with an open, 
 free, but sweet look, and said, — 
 
 "Come and partake of the food." There was no resist- 
 ing an invitation from her. He smiled ; she returned the 
 smile in a timid way, as shy and embarrassed as his own. 
 
 She descended first and Okoya followed. On the floor 
 of the room, the same chamber where Tyope had taken rest 
 the night before, stood the usual meal ; and Okoya partook 
 of it modestly, said his prayer of thanks, and uttered a plain, 
 sincere hoya at the end. But instead of rising, as he would 
 have done at home, he remained squatting, glancing at the 
 two women. 
 
 While he ate, the mother watched him eagerly ; her cun- 
 ning eyes moved from his face toward that of her daughter 
 hke sparks ; and gradually an expression of satisfaction min- 
 gled with that of a settled resolve appeared on her features. 
 There was no doubt that the two would be a handsome pair. 
 They seemed, as the vulgar saying goes, made for each other ; 
 and there was something besides that told that they were 
 fond of each other also. Okoya had never before entered 
 this dwelling ; but the woman thought that they had met 
 before, nay, that her desire had been anticipated, inasmuch 
 as the young people already stood to each other, if not in 
 an intimate, in a more than merely friendly, relation. 
 
 7 
 
98 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Why do you never come to see us? " asked the woman, 
 after Okoya had finished his meal. 
 
 "I stay at the estufa during the night," was the modest reply. 
 
 "You need have no fear," she answered pleasantly, 
 "Tyope and your father are good friends. You should 
 become a Koshare ! " she exclaimed. 
 
 Okoya's face clouded ; he did not like the suggestion, but 
 nevertheless asked, — 
 
 "Is she," looking at Mitsha, "a Koshare also?" 
 
 " No. We had another child, a boy. He was to have 
 become a Delight Maker, but he died some time ago." 
 The woman had it on her lips to say, "Do you become 
 one in his place as our child," but she checked herself in 
 time ; it would have been too bold a proposal. 
 
 Okoya glanced at the daughter and said timidly, — 
 
 " If you like, I shall come again to see you ; " and 
 Mitsha's face displayed a happy smile at the words, while 
 her mother eagerly nodded. 
 
 " Come as often as you can," she replied. " We " — em- 
 phasizing the word strongly — "like it. It is well.'' 
 
 "Then I will go now," said Okoya, rising. His face 
 was radiant. " I must go home lest Shjniote get into more 
 trouble. He is so mischievous and awkward. Good-bye." 
 He grasped the woman's hand and breathed on it ; gave a 
 smiling look to the girl, who nodded at him with a happy 
 face ; and returned to the roof again. Thence he climbed 
 down to the ground. How happy he felt ! The sun 
 seemed to shine twice as brightly as before; the air felt 
 purer ; all around him breathed life, hope, and bliss. At 
 the foot of the slope he turned back once more to gaze at 
 the house where so much joy had come to him. A pair 
 of lustrous eyes appeared in the little air-hole of the wall. 
 They were those of the maiden, which were following him 
 on his homeward way. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 99 
 
 Tyope's wife was right in supposing that her daughter 
 and Okoya were not strangers to each other. And yet not 
 a single word had passed between them before beyond a 
 casual greeting. As often as they had met he had said 
 " guatzena," and she had responded with "raua." But at 
 every meeting his voice was softer, and hers more timid 
 and trembling. Each felt happy at the sight of the other, 
 but neither thought of speaking, still less of making any ad- 
 vances. Okoya was aware of the fact — which he felt deeply 
 and keenly — that a wide breach, a seemingly impassable 
 chasm, existed between him and the girl. That gap was 
 the relation in which he stood toward Tyope, the girl's 
 father. Or rather the relation in which he fancied himself 
 to stand toward him. For Tyope had hardly ever spoken 
 to him, stiU less done him any wrong. But Okoya's mother 
 had spoken of Tyope as a bad man, as a dangerous man, as 
 one whom it was Okoya's duty to avoid. And so her son 
 feared Tyope, and dared not think of the bad man's 
 daughter as his future companion through life. Now every- 
 thing was changed. 
 
 Mitsha's mother had said that Tyope was a friend of his 
 father, and that Tyope would not be angry if Okoya came 
 to her house. Then he was not, after all, the fiend that 
 Say Koitza had pictured him. On the contrary he ap- 
 peared to Okoya, since the last interview, in the light of an 
 important personage. Okoya's faith in his mother was 
 shaken before ; now he began to think that Tyope after all, 
 while he was certainly to him an important man, was not as 
 bad as represented. The Koshare also appeared to him in 
 a new and more favourable light. The adroit suggestion 
 made by the woman that h,e should join the society bore its 
 fruits. Okoya felt not only relieved but happy; he felt 
 elated over his success. He was well trained in the reli- 
 gious discipline of the Indians ; and now that he saw hope 
 
lOO THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 before him, his next thought was one of gratitude toward 
 that mother of all who, though dwelling at the bottom of 
 the lagune of Shipapu at times, and then again in the 
 silvery moon, was still watching over the destinies of her 
 children on earth, and to whose loving guidance he felt his 
 bright prospects due. 
 
 He had no prayer-plumes with him. These painted sticks 
 — to which feathers or down of various birds, according to 
 the nature of the prayer they are to signify, are attached — 
 the aborigine deposits wherever and whenever he feels like 
 addressing himself to the higher powers, be it for a request, 
 in adoration only, or for thanksgiving. In a certain way 
 the prayer-plume or plume-stick is a substitute for prayer, 
 inasmuch as he who has not time may deposit it hurriedly 
 as a votive offering. The paint which covers the piece of 
 stick to which the feather is attached becomes appropri- 
 ately significant through its colours, the feather itself is the 
 symbol of human thought, flitting as one set adrift in the 
 air toward heaven, where dwell Those Above. But as in 
 the present instance, the Indian has not always a prayer- 
 plume with him. So he has recourse to an' expedient, 
 simple and primitive. 
 
 Two little sticks or twigs, placed crosswise and held to 
 their place by a rock or stone, serve the same purpose in 
 case of emergency. Such accumulations of rocks, little 
 stone-heaps, are plentiful around Indian villages ; and they 
 represent votive offerings, symbolizing as many prayers. 
 There were a number of them at the Rito around the big 
 house, along the fields, and on the trails leading up to the 
 mesa. Okoya went to the nearest one and placed two twigs 
 crosswise on it, poising them with a stone. Then he scat- 
 tered sacred meal, which he always carried with him in 
 a small leather wallet, and thanked the Sanashtyaya, our 
 mother, with an earnest ho-a-a, ho-a-a. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. lOI 
 
 Then he turned homeward. The very thought of that 
 home, however, made his heart heavy and sad. For more 
 and more he became convinced that his mother was false 
 to him. The assertion made by Tyope's wife that he was 
 welcome in her house, and that Tyope would not object to 
 his visiting there, worked another breach in the faith he 
 was wont to place in his mother's words. Not that the 
 invitation to join the Koshare had exercised any influence 
 upon his opinion regarding that society of men and wo- 
 men. He mistrusted, he hated, he feared them as much as 
 ever, but toward Tyope personally he felt differently. His 
 thoughts were carried back to the gloomy subject ; one by 
 one his doubts and misgivings returned with them, and a 
 longing after some friend to whom he might communicate 
 his fears and whom he might consult with absolute confi- 
 dence. As he was thus pondering and walking on, slowly 
 and more slowly, he saw at some distance two men climb- 
 ing up toward where the cave-dwellings of the Water clan 
 lay. One of them was his father; he recognized him at 
 once. Who was his companion ? He stopped and looked. 
 It was his father's brother, Hayoue ; and with this it seemed 
 as if a veil had suddenly dropped from his eyes. The tall, 
 slender young man yonder, who was advancing up the 
 declivity at such an easy gait, was the friend upon whom 
 he could fully rely, the adviser who would not, at least 
 purposely, lead him astray. Hayoue was but a few years 
 older than Okoya. The relations between the two were 
 those of two brothers and chums, rather than those of 
 uncle and nephew. Hayoue was not a member of his clan, 
 consequently not exposed to any influence which his mother, 
 through her father, Topanashka, might attempt to exert. 
 Hayoue, he knew, disliked the Koshare as much as he 
 disliked them himself, and Hayoue was thoroughly trust- 
 worthy and discreet, though very outspoken if necessary, 
 
I02 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 and fearless. Yes, Hayoue was the friend in need he so 
 anxiously desired to find, and now that he had found him 
 he resolved to seize upon the first opportunity of consulting 
 him on the subject that so seriously troubled his mind. He 
 was so delighted at this sudden discovery, as it might be 
 called, that he attributed it to an inspiration from above, 
 and stood for a moment in doubt whether he should not 
 return to the stone-heap and offer another prayer of thanks 
 to the mother above, for what he considered to have been 
 a gift of her goodness to him. But the house was too near, 
 and he bethought himself of Shyuote and what the mis- 
 chievous urchin might have done since he had left him. 
 He entered the front room of his mother's dwelling with a 
 lighter and easier mind than the day before, and what he 
 saw at once diverted his thoughts into another widely 
 different channel. 
 
 Shyuote sat in a comer, and his eyes were red from cry- 
 ing. Beside him stood Say, agitated and angry. Without 
 giving her elder son time to speak, she asked, — 
 
 " Who sent the boy to the fields ? " 
 
 "I don't know," replied Okoya, in astonishment. He 
 knew nothing of Shyuote's morning rambles. "He must 
 know; how could I tell?" 
 
 " He says that they drove him from the com because he 
 threw mud at a girl," added the mother. 
 
 " That is quite likely," rejoined his elder brother. " That 
 is why the lads of the Com clan intended to beat him, I 
 presume.'' 
 
 "Why did you not stay with your father?" cried Say. 
 
 " Because," — he held his arm up to his eyes and com- 
 menced to sob, — " because my father drove me off." 
 
 "Why did he drive you away?" 
 
 " Because — " He stopped, then raised his head as if a 
 sudden and wicked thought had flashed across his mind. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. I03 
 
 His eyes sparkled. " I dare not tell." He cast his eyes to 
 the ground, and a bitter smile passed over his Ups. 
 
 "Why dare you not tell?" both Say and Okoya in- 
 quired. " Has sa nashtio told you not to say anything 
 about it?" 
 
 " Not he, but the Koshare Naua." It was like an explo- 
 sion. Say Koitza felt a terrible pang ; she stared vacantly 
 at the wicked lad for a moment, and then turned and went 
 into the kitchen. Shyuote wept aloud ; his brother looked 
 down upon him with an expression of mingled compassion 
 and curiosity. 
 
 The doorway was suddenly darkened by a human form, 
 and with the usual guatzena the grandfather, Topanashka, 
 entered the apartment. Okoya stood up quickly and 
 replied, — 
 
 " Raua opona." 
 
 " What is the boy crying for? " inquired the old man. 
 
 " The Com people tried to hurt him because he threw 
 something at one of their girls," Okoya explained. 
 
 " Is that all ? I heard scolding and crying going on 
 here, and so I thought I would come and see what was 
 the matter. Where is your yaya? " 
 
 Say, when she heard her father's voice, came out and 
 leaned against the entrance to the kitchen. Her face was 
 convulsed, her eyes glassy. Topanashka scanned her fea- 
 tures quietly and then said in a cold tone, — 
 
 « Guatzena." 
 
 She understood the meaning of his cold, searching gaze, 
 and gathered all her strength to meet it with composure. 
 
 " Shyuote cries also," she said, " because his father sent 
 him home from the fields." 
 
 "Why did Zashue do that?" 
 
 "This he dare not tell, for the Koshare Naua" — her 
 voice trembled at the mention of the name — " forbade 
 
I04 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 him to say anything about it." Her eyes clung to the 
 features of her father. Topanashka turned away slowly 
 and quietly, and she followed him to the door. As he 
 was crossing the threshold he whispered to her, — 
 " There is nothing new as yet." 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 The people of the Water clan dwelt at the western end of 
 the cliffs which border the Tyuonyi on the north. They 
 occupied some twenty caves scooped out along the base of 
 the rock, and an upper tier of a dozen more, separated from 
 the lower by a thickness of rock averaging not over three 
 feet. This group of cave-dwellings — and vestiges thereof 
 are still visible at this day — lay in a re-entering angle 
 formed by the cliifs, which overhang in such a manner as 
 to form a sheltered nook open to the south. Ascent to 
 their base is quite steep, and great heaps of ddbris cover 
 the slope. The gorge is narrow, a dense thicket inter- 
 spersed with pine-trees lines the course of the brook, and 
 the declivity forming the southern border of the Rito ap- 
 proaches the bottom in rocky steps, traversed laterally by 
 ledges overgrown with scrubby vegetation. 
 
 Vestiges of former occupancy are still scattered about 
 the caves. Some of these furnish a clew to the manner in 
 which the dwellings were formed by scraping and burrow- 
 ing. Splinters of obsidian and of basalt — sharp fragments, 
 resembling clumsy chisels or knives — served to dig an ob- 
 long hole in the soft pumice or tufa of the cliff. After this 
 narrow cavity had penetrated a depth of one or two feet, 
 the artisan began to enlarge it inside, until a room was 
 formed for which the tunnelled entrance served as a door- 
 way. The room, or cell, was gradually finished in a quadran- 
 gular or polygonal shape, with a ceiling high enough to 
 
Io6 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 permit a person of average size to stand erect. Not unfre- 
 quently side rooms were excavated connecting with the first 
 by low apertures, to pass through which it was necessary to 
 stoop, or even to creep on all fours. These passages were 
 too low for doorways, too short to deserve the name of tun- 
 nels. Into the front apartment light and air were admitted 
 through the entrance, and sometimes through small window- 
 like apertures. The side cells were utterly dark except 
 where excavated parallel to the face of the rock, when 
 sometimes another entrance was opened to the front, 
 sometimes an air-hole only admitted light and air. 
 
 If on the afternoon of the day when Shyuote had his 
 perilous adventure with the young people of the Com clan, 
 we had been able to peep into the third one of the ground- 
 floor caves, counting from the west end of the group in- 
 habited by the Water people, we should have found the 
 apartment empty ; that is, as far as human occupancy was 
 concerned. But not deserted ; for while its owner was not 
 there, ample signs of his presence only a short time before 
 could be detected everjrwhere. In the fireplace wood was 
 smouldering, and a faint smoke rising from this found 
 egress through a crude chimney. This was built over the 
 hearth, with two vertical side slabs of pumice supporting a 
 perforated square flag, over which a primitive flue, made of 
 rubble cemented by mud, led to a circular opening in the 
 front wall of the cave. In a comer stood the frame for the 
 grinding- slabs, or metates, and in it the three plates of lava 
 on which the Indian cmshes and pulverizes his maize were 
 placed in the convenient slanting position. Not only the 
 prismatic cmshing-pins, but freshly ground meal also, lay in 
 the stone casings of the primitive mill, and on these the 
 plates themselves. Deerskins and cotton wraps were rolled 
 in a bundle in another corner. Others hung on a line made 
 of rawhide and stretched across one end of the room, fast 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. IO7 
 
 ened to wooden pins driven into the soft rock. On the 
 floor — to which a thick coating of mud, washed with blood 
 and smoothed, gave a black, glossy appearance — there were 
 beside, here a few stone axes with handles, there some black 
 sooty pots, painted bowls, and finally the inevitable water- 
 urn with wide body and narrow top, decorated in the usual 
 style with geometrical and symbolical figures painted in red 
 and black on whitish ground. The walls of the cave were 
 burnished with burnt gypsum ; the ceiling was covered by a 
 thick coat of soot ; and a band of yellow ochre, like wain- 
 scoting, ran along the base of the sides. 
 
 The owner of this troglodytic home, however, is not to 
 be seen ; but in a side chamber, which communicates with 
 this apartment through one of the dark and low passages 
 just described, a rustling sound is heard, as of some one 
 rummaging about in darkness. After a while a woman's 
 head peeps through the passage into the outer room, and 
 little by little the whole body emerges, forcing itself through 
 the narrow opening. She rises and stands erect in front of 
 the hearth, and the sunbeam which still enters the apart- 
 ment by the round hole above the fireplace strikes her 
 features full and enables us to scan them. The woman 
 into whose dwelling we have pryed, and who stands now in 
 the dim chamber as sole occupant and owner, is Shotaye, 
 Tyope's former wife, and the friend who has given Say 
 Koitza such ill advice. 
 
 If Shotaye be a witch, she certainly is far from display- 
 ing the hag- like appearance often attributed to the female 
 sorcerer. There is even something decidedly fascinating 
 about her. Shotaye, although near the forties, is for an 
 Indian woman undoubtedly good-looking. No wonder 
 some other women of the tribe are afraid of her. She is 
 tall and well rounded, and her chest is of that fulness that 
 develops at an early age in the women of the Pueblos, 
 
I08 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Her face is even pretty, — her lips are pouting and sensual, 
 the nose small and shaped like a short, pointed beak, the 
 cheek-bones high, while the chin indicates remarkable de- 
 termination. Magnificent black hair streams down her 
 back. It is as full as a wave, as lustrous as polished 
 obsidian. 
 
 Her dress consists of a buckskin wrap without girdle, 
 embroidered at the lower end with multi-coloured porcupine- 
 quills. Bracelets of white shells, a necklace of feldspar 
 crystals and turquoises, and strings of yellow cotton threads 
 around her ankles complete the costume. Such is the 
 woman who has played and still plays an ominous part in 
 the history of Okoya's mother, and in the history of the 
 people at the Rito de los Frijoles. Now that we have seen 
 her home and her person, let us proceed with the tale of 
 her doings on the afternoon to which the close of the 
 preceding chapter has been devoted. 
 
 Shotaye had been rummaging about in the inner cell of 
 her rocky house in search of some medicinal plant, for that 
 cell was her storeroom, laboratory, and workshop. But as 
 the room was without light at all, she had entered it with a 
 lighted stick in her hand ; and just as she had begun her 
 search the flame had died out. So after a vain attempt by 
 groping in darkness, she crawled back to the exterior apart- 
 ment and knelt down in front of the hearth to fan the coals 
 with her breath and thus obtain another torch for her 
 explorations. At that moment the deerskin robe closing 
 the entrance to her grotto was timidly lifted, and a feeble 
 voice called the usual greeting. " Opona," replied Shotaye, 
 turning toward the doorway. A lithe figure crept into the 
 cave. When near the fireplace it stood still, enabhng the 
 mistress of the dwelling to recognize the features of Say, 
 her friend and now fully recovered patient. 
 
 But how different was Say's appearance from what it 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 109 
 
 was when Shotaye a few days ago saw her last? How 
 changed, — how thin and wan her cheeks, how sunken her 
 eyes, how sallow and sickly her complexion ! Her face 
 seemed to bear the seal of approaching death, for the eyes 
 stared expressionless, the mouth twitched without speaking. 
 But one thought seized Shotaye, that her friend must be 
 ill, very, very ill, — that the old disease had returned in 
 full force and had clutched her anew with perhaps irresist- 
 ible power. Anxiously she rose to her feet, and scanned 
 the face of the invaUd. 
 
 " What ails you, my sister," she inquired tenderly. " Has 
 disease come on you again? Speak, sa uishe, speak to me 
 that I may know." 
 
 Her visitor only shook her head and glanced about as if 
 seeking a place to rest herself. The medicine-woman 
 gathered hurriedly a few robes, folded them so as to make 
 a cushion near the hearth, and then gently urged Say to sit 
 down on this soft and easy seat. She yielded, and then 
 remained motionless, her glassy eyes staring vacantly at 
 the floor. 
 
 "Sister," Shotaye reiterated, "sister, what ails you? 
 Speak, and I will do all I can for you." But the other 
 merely shook her head and began to shiver. Shotaye no- 
 ticed the wristbands of red leather on her arms, and it 
 startled her. She asked eagerly, — 
 
 "Why do you wear in trouble the colour that should 
 make our hearts glad? What has happened to you that 
 causes you to seek relief for your distress? " The tone of 
 her voice sounded no longer like entreaty ; it was an anxious, 
 nay stem, command. Okoya's mother raised her eyes with 
 an expression of intense misery ; she threw toward her ques- 
 tioner a look imploring relief and protection, and finally 
 gasped, — 
 
 "They know everything ! " Then her head drc5»ped on 
 
I lO THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 her knees, she grasped her hair, covered her face and chest 
 with it, and broke out in convTilsive sobs. 
 
 "They know everything!" Shotaye repeated, "Who 
 know everything?" Suddenly the truth seemed to flash 
 upon her mind. 
 
 " What, the Koshare ? " she cried in terror. 
 
 Convulsive sobs and groans were the only reply to her 
 exclamation. They amply confirmed her worst apprehen- 
 sions. " The Koshare know all." Unconsciously the cave- 
 dweller uttered these words while staring into the remnant 
 of gleaming coals on the hearth ; then she became silent. 
 Neither could Say Koitza utter a word ; only from time to 
 time her spasmodic sobs broke the stillness of the room. 
 The bright disk which the light from the outside painted 
 on the wall opposite was fading little by httle, a sign of 
 approaching sunset. 
 
 Shotaye's features displayed few signs of the terror which 
 her friend's disclosures had produced. Soon her face be- 
 tokened that fear could not retain its hold long on her 
 resolute mind, that intense reflection had superseded dis- 
 may. She turned to her visitor and asked, — 
 
 " Tell me, sister, how you came to know that the De- 
 light Makers are acquainted with your doings? Tell me, 
 and do not weep." And as Say remained silent and im- 
 movable she crouched beside her, removed her hair gently 
 from her face, then raised her head and placed it so as to 
 rest on her bosom. Then she looked deep into the eyes 
 of the poor woman. They were glassy and almost lifeless. 
 While thus gazing intently at Say, Shotaye's features 
 changed and became sad and dejected. 
 
 It was for a moment only. Soon the expression of hope- 
 lessness vanished and the lines of her face became resolute, 
 hard, and determined. Surprise had yielded to reflection, 
 reflection to pity and remorse. Now remorse in turn gave 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. Ill 
 
 way to determination. Shotaye felt that she, much rather 
 than her friend, was lost, irretrievably lost ; but her energetic 
 nature demanded that she should see the situation clearly. 
 Although the spasmodic hints of Say, her broken words, 
 spoke enough, she wanted more. Her mind craved the 
 full truth, however terrible it might prove. 
 
 Say Koitza had slowly recovered from her stupor. She 
 became quieter and quieter. In the arms of her resolute 
 and sympathizing friend consciousness returned ; she sobbed 
 no more, and from time to time, would raise her eyes with a 
 look that besought pity, mercy, and assistance. The medi- 
 cine-woman eagerly watched these changes and repeated 
 her previous query. 
 
 " How do you know that the Koshare are aware of it? " 
 
 "Sa nashtio told me," moaned the poor woman. 
 
 Shotaye sighed. This was bad news indeed. She 
 muttered, — 
 
 " This is bad, very bad. If the maseua knows it, then 
 the tapop will not be long without notice." 
 
 " The tapop knows nothing," breathed Say. 
 
 " But how can the maseua have been informed with- 
 out the knowledge of the other? " Shotaye asked with 
 surprise. 
 
 " He is my father," replied Say, and wept aloud. " He 
 is my father, and yet " — she started to rise and grasped 
 her hair with both hands, screaming — " he has to kill me 
 with his own hands ! " 
 
 So loud and piercing was her shriek that Shotaye was 
 seized with sudden fright. Rising quickly, she ran to the 
 doorway and peeped outside to see if the scream had at- 
 tracted attention. But there appeared to be nobody about, 
 except a few children who were playing and romping in 
 front of the caves and whose cries had drowned the shriek. 
 Reassured she returned to Say, who was lying with her face 
 
112 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 on the floor, tearing her hair and uttering low convulsive 
 groans. Shotaye grew frightened, and brought water in a 
 gourd. She moistened her forehead and hands with the 
 liquid, rubbed her face, and thus finally brought her back 
 to some composure. After drinking some water Say sat 
 on the robes again, shivering and gasping. Her mind 
 seemed entirely gone, the expression of her features was 
 akin to idiocy. The room had grown darker, night was 
 approaching. 
 
 As soon as she appeared to be quiet, Shotaye felt 
 tempted to resume her questionings. But she bethought 
 herself of the late hour, and of the suspicion which might 
 arise in case Say Koitza should not be home in time. 
 Still, she must ask some questions ; her positive mind re- 
 quired some additional knowledge which must be gained 
 ere she could afford to let her visitor return home. Shotaye 
 returned to the entrance, looked stealthily outside, and 
 listened. Dusk had set in, and the bottom of the gorge 
 was wrapped in twilight. The shrubbery along the brook 
 appeared dim and pale, the lofty pines looked like black 
 monuments. On the southern declivity all detail had van- 
 ished, but the top of the southern mesa glistened yet like a 
 golden seam. In the recess formed by the angle of the 
 cliffs which contained her home, the usual bustle of the 
 evening hours prevailed ; and laughter, merry and boisterous, 
 issued from a cave opposite that where Shotaye, concealed 
 by folds of the half-lifted curtain, stood watching with eye 
 and ear. In those caves fronting hers dwelt the family of 
 Zashue, Say's husband. Thence sounded the merriment, 
 and the woman recognized familiar voices. Surely enough 
 Hayoue was there ; and there could be no mistake, that 
 clear good-natured laugh was from Zashue himself. Sho- 
 taye dropped the curtain and turned back considerably 
 relieved. If Zashue was at his mother's and brother's 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. I13 
 
 home, she reasoned, he would not return to the big house 
 that night ; and since he was so gay, so merry, it was not 
 likely that he knew anything of the terrible accusation 
 against his wife and her. If that were the case there 
 was no immediate danger, since all the Koshare were not 
 informed of the matter. Returning to the hearth she 
 poked the embers, placed on them another stick of pitchy 
 wood, and fanned it with her breath until the flames burst 
 forth, lively and bright. Until then Say had remained 
 motionless in her seat. She had taken no notice of her 
 friend's movements ; but when the wood flamed and a warm 
 glow began to spread over the apartment, she started like 
 one whose dreams are suddenly disturbed and began to 
 speak. 
 
 " I must go," she exclaimed anxiously. " I must go 
 home. I must cook for Zashue ! He is looking for me ! 
 I must go," and she attempted to rise. 
 
 Shotaye tried to quell her sudden apprehension, but she 
 kept on with growing excitement, — 
 
 " I must ! Let me go ! Let me go ! For he is looking 
 for me." 
 
 " He is not," assured the other. " Be quiet. He is 
 yonder with his people in the cave. There he sits and 
 there he will stay till late." 
 
 A sudden tremor seized the body of Say. Her hands 
 shook like aspen leaves. "Is he there?" she gasped. 
 " Then he is coming after me. Is he not a Koshare ? " 
 Her eyes glistened with that peculiar glare which betokens 
 aberration of the mind. 
 
 Any ordinary Indian woman would have concluded from 
 the appearance and utterances of Say that she was hope- 
 lessly insane, and would either have resorted to incanta- 
 tions or left her in terror. Shotaye, although very much 
 frightened, did not think of desertion, but only of relief. 
 
 8 
 
114 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 With keen self-possession she said in a decided and con- 
 vincing tone, — 
 
 " Fear nothing, sa tao ; he will not come, for he knows 
 nothing." 
 
 "Nothing?" inquired Say, looking at her with the shy 
 and sly glance of a doubting maniac. 
 
 " Nothing at all ! " Shotaye exclaimed, firmly. She had 
 recovered her ascendency. She directed her glance, com- 
 manding and convincing, straight at the wavering gaze of 
 the excited woman, whose look became dim and finally 
 meek. Shotaye took advantage of the change. 
 
 "Zashue knows nothing at all," she asserted, "and that 
 is very, very good ; for it gives us hope." 
 
 " But if they tell him ! " and the anxious look came back 
 to her face. 
 
 "Let them tell, if they choose," defiantly exclaimed the 
 other ; " afterward we shall see." 
 
 Say shook her head in doubt. 
 
 "But how did the Koshare come to know about it?" 
 Shotaye again pressed the main question. 
 
 " I do not know," sighed Say ; and she again stared into 
 the fire, and her face quivered suspiciously. The cave- 
 dweller quickly interjected, — 
 
 " What do the Delight Makers really know about us ? " 
 
 " They know — they know that I spoke to the dark- 
 coloured com." 
 
 "Is that all?" 
 
 " No — yes — no. They know more." She spoke with 
 greater vivacity, and in a natural, tone of voice; "they 
 know about the owl's feathers, too." A deep sigh followed 
 this reply, and tears came to her eyes. Say was herself 
 again. 
 
 Shotaye also heaved a deep sigh of relief. Her friend's 
 mind was restored, and she had gained the much-desired 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 11$ 
 
 information. But it would have been dangerous to proceed 
 further in this conversation, lest the cloud which had threat- 
 ened Say's mental powers should return and settle perma- 
 nently. So, after a short silence, she turned to her friend, 
 and said in a positive tone, — 
 
 " Sister, go home now and rest easy. Nothing is lost as 
 yet. Go home, be quiet, and attend to your work as usual. 
 I shall be on the watch." 
 
 " But the Koshare ! " Say anxiously exclaimed. 
 
 " Leave them to me," the other answered ; and so pow- 
 erful was her influence on the timid mind of her visitor, so 
 unbounded the confidence which the latter had in her abili- 
 ties and her faithfulness, that Say rose without a word, and 
 like an obedient child, covering her head with one corner 
 of her wrap, went out and meekly strolled home. It was 
 night, and nobody noticed her. Okoya was already at the 
 estufa j Shyuote and the little girl were asleep. Say lay 
 down beside her sleeping children and soon sank into a 
 heavy slumber. Her body, weak from over-strain, com- 
 pelled a rest which the mind might have denied to her. 
 
 In her dark chamber in the rock, Shotaye sat alone 
 before the fire on the hearth. It began to flame lustily, 
 for the woman fed it well. She wanted the glow, first in 
 order to cook her food, next in order to brighten the 
 room; for with the dark and tangled subject on her 
 mind, she felt the need of light and warmth as her com- 
 panions in musing. When the flames rustled and crackled, 
 Shotaye squatted down in front of them, folded her arms 
 around her knees, and began to think. 
 
 She felt far from being as reassured about the outlook as 
 she had pretended to be when she sent Say Koitza home 
 with soothing and comforting words. But the preservation 
 of her friend's mental powers was an imperative necessity. 
 Had Say been permitted to fall a prey to her momentary 
 
Il6 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 excitement, everything would have been lost for Shotaye. 
 Had Say's mind given way permanently, the cause of that 
 calamity would have been attributed to her, and she would 
 have been charged with her friend's insanity in addition to 
 the charge of witchcraft already being formulated. 
 
 These thoughts, however, came to her now in the stUlness 
 of the night and by the fireside. So long as her poor friend 
 was with her she had acted almost instinctively, with the 
 quick grasp of an active intellect and under the good im- 
 pulses of compassion and attachment. Now that she was 
 alone the time had come to ponder, and Shotaye weighed in 
 her mind the liabilities and assets of her situation. She be- 
 gan to calculate the probabilities for and against. 
 
 It was not difficult for her to escape ; but this was only 
 possible when attempted alone. With Say Koitza flight 
 was next to impossible. Beside, it appeared very unlikely to 
 her that the woman would flee from her children. 
 
 As for Shotaye, the case was different ; she might leave 
 her cave and her scanty effects at any time, provided she 
 knew where to go. This was not so easy to determine. 
 The Navajos, or Dinne, haunted the country aroimd the 
 Tyuonyi ; and in case she fell in with one or more of their 
 number, it became a matter of life or death. The Mo- 
 shome, or enemies of her tribe, might take a fancy to the 
 woman and spare her ; but they might feel wicked and kill 
 her. Death appeared, after all, not such a terrible misfor- 
 tune ; for under present circumstances what else could she 
 expect at the Rito but a horrible and atrocious death? 
 But Shotaye was intent upon living, not so much for the 
 sake of life itself — although it had many sensual charms 
 for her — as out of a spirit of combativeness resulting from 
 her resolute character, as well as from the constant struggles 
 which she had undergone during the time of her separation 
 from her husband. She felt inchned to live, if possibk, iB 
 
Rito de los Frijoles 
 A cliff estufa of the Snake-Clan 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. II7 
 
 spite of her enemies. To endure the lot of a captive 
 among the Navajos was repulsive to her instincts; she 
 hated to be a drudge. Admitting that she succeeded in 
 eluding those enemies, whither was she to direct her 
 flight ? That there were village communities similar to her 
 own at a remote distance was known to her ; but she was 
 aware of only one in which she might be received, and that 
 belonged to the Tehuas, of whom she knew that a branch 
 dwelt in the mountains west of the river, inhabiting caves 
 somewhere in the rocks at one day's journey, more or less, 
 from the Rito. Between these Tehuas and the Queres of 
 the Tyuonyi there was occasional intercourse, and a fairly 
 beaten trail led from one place to the other ; but this inter- 
 course was so much interrupted by hostilities, and the 
 Navajos rendered the traU so insecure beside, that she had 
 never paid much attention to it. Still, there was no doubt 
 in her mind that if she reached the habitations of the Tehuas, 
 above where the pueblo of Santa Clara now stands, a hospi- 
 table reception would be extended to her. But could she 
 leave Say alone to her dismal fate ? 
 
 After all, death was not such a fearful thing, so long as no 
 torture preceded or accompanied it. Death must come to 
 her once, at all events, and then what of it ? There need 
 be no care for the hereafter, according to her creed. The 
 Pueblo Indian knows of no atonement after dying ; all 
 sins, all crimes, are punished during this life. When the 
 soul is released from the thralls of this body and its sur- 
 rounding nature, it goes to Shipapu, at the bottom of the 
 lagune, where there is eternal dancing and feasting, and 
 where everything goes on as here upon earth, but with less 
 pain, care, anguish, and danger. Why therefore shun death ? 
 Shotaye was in what we should call a philosophic mood. 
 
 Such careless philosophy may temporarily ease the mind, 
 *mce it stifles for a moment the pangs of apprehension and 
 
Il8 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 dread. But with the temporary relief which Shotaye felt, 
 the demands of physical nature grew more apparent. In 
 other words she felt hungry, and the more so as, being now 
 almost resolved to suffer death with resignation, it was im- 
 perative to live, and consequently to eat, until Death should 
 knock at her door. She poured a good portion of the now 
 boiling stew into a smaller bowl and began to fish out the 
 morsels with her fingers, while between times she drank of 
 the broth. The warm food comforted her, gave her 
 strength, and aroused her vital powers, which arduous 
 thinking had almost put to sleep. 
 
 She placed the pot with the stew in a comer and sat 
 down again, leaning against the wall. No sleepiness 
 affected her. There was too much to think of as yet. Her 
 thoughts returned to the absorbing subject of the day, and 
 with these thoughts, random at first, a pale, wan figure rose 
 before her inner eye, — a form well, only too well, known to 
 her ; that of Say Koitza. She saw that figure as she had 
 seen it not long ago, — crouching before that very fire in 
 bitterest despair, bewailing her own lot, lamenting her 
 imminent untimely death, and yet without one single word 
 of reproach for her who had beguiled her into doing what 
 now might result in the destruction of both. Was not that 
 thin, trembling woman her victim ? Was she not the one 
 who had led Say astray ? The Indian knows not what con- 
 science is, but he feels it all the same ; and Shotaye, igno- 
 rant of the natvu-e of remorse, nevertheless grew sad. 
 
 Indeed she it was who had beguiled the poor frail 
 creature, — she it was who had caused her to perform an act 
 which, however immaterial in fact, still entailed punishment 
 of the severest kind according to Indian notions and 
 creed. She was the real culprit, not Say, — poor, innocent, 
 weak-minded Say. Shotaye felt that she had done wrong, 
 and that she alone deserved to suffer. But would her 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. II9 
 
 punishment save the other? Hardly, according to Indian 
 ideas. Therefore, while it dawned upon her that by accus- 
 ing herself boldly and publicly she might perhaps ward off 
 the blow from the head of her meek and gentle accomplice, 
 that thought was quickly stifled by the other, that it was im- 
 practicable. Again a voice within her spoke boldly. Save 
 yourself regardless of the other. 
 
 Yet she discarded that advice. She could not forsake 
 her victim. For in addition to the legitimate motives of 
 sympathy, another and stronger reason prevailed, — the dread 
 of the very powers whom she thought to have invoked in 
 .Say's behalf, and to whose dark realm she fancied that she 
 would be fettered and still faster riveted by committing an 
 action which she regarded as worse than all her other deeds. 
 Dismissing every thought of self she resolved to remain true 
 to Say, happen what might. Shotaye had almost become — 
 
 " part of the power that still 
 Produceth good, whilst ever scheming ill." 
 
 She believed that death stood plainly at her door. 
 Nevertheless she hated to die. The philosophy of careless, 
 frivolous resignation could not satisfy her strong vitality, 
 still less her stronger feelings of hatred against her enemies. 
 She felt that there might be a bare possibility of saving her 
 companion ; and the wish to save herself at the same time, 
 and in the very teeth as it were of the Koshare, grew 
 stronger and stronger. It waxed to an intense longing for 
 life and revenge? But what was to be done? There was 
 the riddle, and to solve it she thought and thought. 
 Shotaye became oblivious of all around her, completely 
 absorbed in her musings. 
 
 It thus escaped her notice that the curtain over the door- 
 way had been cautiously lifted several times, and that a hu- 
 man face had peered into the apartment. She even failed 
 
I20 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 to hear the shuffling step of two men who stealthily en- 
 tered the room. Only when they stood quite near her did 
 the woman start and look up. Both men broke out into 
 roaring laughter at her surprise. Shotaye grew angry. 
 
 " Why do you come in so unceremoniously," she cried. 
 "Why do you sneak in here like a Moshome, or like a 
 prairie wolf after carrion? Caimot you speak, you bear?" 
 she scolded without rising. 
 
 Her anger increased the merriment of the intruders. 
 One of them threw himself down by her side, forced his 
 head into her lap, attempting to stroke her cheeks. She 
 pushed him from her, and recognized in him the gallant 
 Zashue, Say Koitza's husband. He grasped both her hands. 
 This she allowed ; but continued scolding. 
 
 " Go away, you hare, let me alone." He again reached 
 toward her face, but she avoided him. " Go home to your 
 woman ; I have no use for you." 
 
 The men laughed and laughed ; and the other one knelt 
 down before her, looking straight into her face with im- 
 moderate merriment. Then she became seriously angry. 
 
 " What do you want here," she cried ; and when the first 
 one attempted to encircle her waist she pushed him from 
 her with such force that he fell aside. Then she rose to 
 her feet and Zashue followed. 
 
 " Be not angry, sister," he said good-naturedly, rubbing 
 his sore shoulder; "we mean you no harm." 
 
 " Go home and be good to your woman." 
 
 "Later on I will," he continued, "but first we want to 
 see you.'' 
 
 "And talk to you," said Hayoue, for he was Zashue 's 
 companion ; " afterward I shall go." He emphasized the 
 " I" and grinned. 
 
 " Yes, you are likely to go home," she exclaimed. " To 
 Mitsha you will go, not to your mother's dwelling." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 121 
 
 "Mitsba is a good girl," replied the young man, "but I 
 never go to see her." 
 
 His brother meanwhile attempted to approach the woman 
 again, but she forbade it. 
 
 " Go away, Zashue, I tell you for the last time." Her 
 speech and manner of action were very positive. 
 
 " Why do you drive us away ? " he said in a tone of good- 
 natured disappointment. 
 
 "I do not drive you away," replied Shotaye. "You 
 may stay here a while. But then both of you must leave 
 me." Her eyes nevertheless gazed at the two handsome 
 forms with evident pleasure, but soon another thought 
 arose. 
 
 " Sit down," she added quietly, as she grasped after the 
 stew-pot, placed it on the fire, and sat down so that she was 
 in the shadow, whereas she could plainly see the features of 
 both men. The visitors had squatted also ; they feared to 
 arouse the woman's anger, and the surprise they had planned 
 had failed. 
 
 Hayoue spoke up first, — 
 
 " You are good, sanaya, you give us food." 
 
 " Indeed," she remonstrated, " when I am not willing to 
 do as you want, you call me mother and make an old 
 woman of me." She looked at the young man, smiling, and 
 winked at him. 
 
 "You are not very young after all," he teased; "you 
 might easily be my mother." 
 
 " What ! I your mother ? The mother of such an elk ? 
 You have one mother already, and if you need another, go 
 to Mitsha's mother." With these words she fixed her gaze 
 on the youth searchingly and inquiringly. As her face was 
 in the shadow Hayoue could not well notice its expression. 
 But he said again, and very emphatically, — 
 
 " I tell you once more, koitza, that I will not have any- 
 
122 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 thing to do with the girl; she is all right, but — " he 
 stopped and shrugged his shoulders. Zashue interjected, — 
 
 "Why not? Tyope would then be your nashtio." 
 
 "For that very reason I do not want his daughter," 
 Hayoue exclaimed, looking straight at his brother. He was 
 in earnest about this matter, and whenever Hayoue grew 
 serious it was best not to tease him too much. 
 
 Shotaye had treasured every word, noticed every look 
 and gesture. Of course she, as Tyope's former wife, took 
 care not to take part in the conversation as far as Tyope 
 was concerned. 
 
 Zashue turned to her with the query, — 
 
 " Samam, have you any feathers? " 
 
 Shotaye was startled ; what might be the import of this 
 suspicious inquiry ? Did he know about her affair and come 
 only as a spy ? She withheld her answer for a moment, just 
 time enough for reflection. It was better to seem uncon- 
 cerned, so she replied quietly, — 
 
 " I have." 
 
 " If you have hawk's feathers, will you give me some ? " 
 
 The mention of hawk's feathers reassured Shotaye. At 
 the same time it indicated to her a prospective trade, and 
 the woman had always an eye to business. So she placed 
 both elbows on her knees, looked straight at Zashue, and 
 inquired, — 
 
 " What will you give me for them ? " 
 
 " Nothing," replied Zashue, with a laugh. 
 
 " Promise her the next owl that you may find," Hayoue 
 taunted. 
 
 " Be still, you crow," scolded Shotaye, with well-feigned 
 indignation ; " you need owl's eyes that you may sneak 
 about in the dark after the girls. There is not a single 
 maiden safe when you are at the T)monyi." 
 
 " And no man is safe from you," retorted the young man. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 123 
 
 " You are safe, at any rate." 
 
 " When you call me a turkey-buzzard you say the truth," 
 he answered, " else I would not have come to you." 
 
 Shotaye understood the venomous allusion and was going 
 to retort, but bethought herself in time and only said in a 
 contemptuous tone, — 
 
 " Why should I quarrel with you, uak." Then turning to 
 Zashue and changing the subject, — 
 
 " How many feathers do you want, and what will you give 
 me for them? " 
 
 " Four, but they must be long ones." 
 
 "What will you give me for them? " 
 
 " Let me see the feathers." With this he rose. 
 
 Without replying Shotaye poured out two little bowls of 
 broth, placed them before her visitors, said " eat," took a 
 lighted stick from the hearth, and crawled into the dark pas- 
 sage leading to her magazine. Soon she was heard to rum- 
 mage about in that apartment, and a faint glow illuminated 
 the low tunnel. 
 
 While the woman was busy searching for the feathers, the 
 two men partook of the food she had set before them spar- 
 ingly, as it was a mere matter of etiquette. But while eating 
 they exchanged sly glances and winks, like bad boys bent 
 upon some mischief. At last, as Shotaye did not return, 
 Zashue stealthily arose, removed one of the heavy grinding- 
 plates from its frame, and placed it across the mouth of the 
 gangway. Then he stretched himself at full length on the 
 floor with his back leaning against the slab. Hayoue 
 watched him and chuckled. 
 
 The light of the torch shone through the space which the 
 slab could not cover ; the mistress of the cave was coming 
 back. Very soon however the light disappeared and all 
 grew silent. The firebrand had been extinguished ; the 
 womail was inside, but kept perfectly still, giving no signs 
 
124 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 of impatience or disappointment. The mischievous men 
 looked at each other in astonishment; they had not 
 expected that. 
 
 They waited and waited. Nothing stirred in the inner 
 room; it grew late and later. Hayoue had intended to 
 make other calls, and Zashue also became impatient to go. 
 So he called into the dark passage, — 
 
 "Shotaye." No reply. 
 
 " Shotaye." 
 
 " Shotaye samam ! " 
 
 All was as silent as the grave. They sat in expectation 
 for a while ; then he again shouted, — 
 
 " Shotaye samam ! Come out ! " 
 
 Nothing was heard. ' He noisily removed the grinding- 
 slab from the entrance and cried, — 
 
 " Shotaye, we must go. Bring the feathers." 
 
 " Let me alone and go," sounded the dull reply at 
 last. 
 
 " Give -me the feathers first," Zashue demanded. 
 
 "Come and get them yourself," replied the voice inside. 
 
 This was rather an awkward invitation, for both men, 
 like almost everybody else at the Rito, were afraid of the 
 medicine-woman's private room. 
 
 " Do bring them," Zashue begged. 
 
 " Go ! I will not come out any more," growled the voice 
 within. 
 
 " Shotaye, sister, bring me the feathers. I wUl give you a 
 fine deerskin for them," implored the husband of Say. 
 
 "What do you want them for? " 
 
 " For the dance." 
 
 " You lie ! There is no dance now." 
 
 Anxiously and eagerly Zashue cried, — 
 
 " There will certainly be a dance. Three days hence we 
 ■hall dance the ayash tyucotz ! " 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 125 
 
 And Hayoue, who until then had quietly enjoyed the 
 dialogue, now interjected emphatically, — 
 
 " Certainly, sanaya, in three days." 
 
 " What will you give me if I bring them ? " came the dull 
 query again from within. 
 
 "A hide." 
 
 " Go ! I will keep my feathers." 
 
 " I will give you two turquoises." 
 
 " Give me four," demanded the cave-dweller. 
 
 " It is too much," cried both men at once. 
 
 No reply followed. Shotaye remained silent. The trade 
 was broken off. Still the younger brother felt disinclined 
 to give up. He went to the mouth of the passage and said 
 aloud, — 
 
 " If you give us the feathers you shall have two green 
 stones and one deerskin." 
 
 " Is it true ; do both of you promise it? " asked the wo- 
 man, after a while. 
 
 " Yes ! yes ! " cried both men together. 
 
 "Then put the things near the hearth and sit down," she 
 commanded. 
 
 " We have them not with us." 
 
 " Go and get them." 
 
 " We cannot to-night." 
 
 " Then I will keep my feathers until you bring what you 
 have promised ; " and with these words Shotaye crept smil- 
 ing out of the passage and planted herself before the dis- 
 comfited men. 
 
 " Go home, now, children," she said. " I am tired. I 
 am sleepy." 
 
 They attempted to beg, they pleaded and implored ; but 
 she was firm. All they finally obtained was her promise to 
 deliver the feathers on the next day, provided the price 
 agreed upon was paid. With this the two men had to be 
 
126 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 satisfied, and their exit was as crestfallen and disappointed 
 as their entrance had been mischievous and buoyant. 
 
 They had been completely outwitted and foiled by the 
 wily woman. Nevertheless, they never thought for a mo- 
 ment of obtaining by force what she so positively refiised. 
 It would have been easy for the two strong men to over- 
 power her ; but both were afraid of the supernatural pow- 
 ers attributed to Shotaye. For the same reason they were 
 anxious to obtain the feathers. An object coming fi-om 
 her and having been in her possession was suspected of 
 having acquired thereby virtues which it did not possess 
 before. But these virtues were thought to be beneficial 
 only as long as the object was obtained from her in a legiti- 
 mate way, and with her own free will and kind consent. 
 In the opposite case, the bad wiU of the woman went with 
 the feathers, and was thought to work harm to their new 
 owner. It was easy to taunt or to tease Shotaye, but to 
 arouse her anger appeared a dangerous undertaking ; and 
 as for harming her person, none but the shamans would 
 have attempted it. 
 
 After her guests' departure Shotaye felt wide awake. 
 She had dismissed them, not in order to go to rest, but 
 in order to be once more alone with her thoughts. For 
 during the bantering conversation with the brothers, she 
 had learned several important facts that changed materi- 
 ally her plans. In order to ponder carefully over the 
 different aspect of matters, she poked the fire again and 
 sat down by the hearth in the same position as before the 
 interruption, and mused. 
 
 In the first place, it had become clear to her that Zashue 
 was utterly ignorant of the accusation against his wife. 
 
 Next, she was convinced that Hayoue was far from being 
 Tyope's friend ; on the contrary, he seemed to dislike him 
 thoroughly. Hayoue was known to be very outspoken in 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 12/ 
 
 matters of sympathy and antipathy, and if he were not 
 fond of Tyope, the latter certainly had come to feel it in 
 some way or other. Then, for she knew Tyope well, he 
 doubtless hated Hayoue cordially, and would have shown 
 his enmity in the dark, underhand way peculiar to himself 
 If Hayoue, on the other hand, was not favourably incUned 
 toward Tyope, it was quite certain that he, being Cuirana, 
 nursed feelings of dislike toward the Koshare in general. 
 Any accusation, therefore, which the Delight Makers would 
 bring against Say Koitza was sure to meet at first with de- 
 cided incredulity on the part of the young man, and this 
 incredulity might possibly be converted, through adroit 
 management, into active opposition. 
 
 But the most valuable piece of news she had heard 
 from the intruders was that three days hence a solemn 
 dance, the ayash tyucotz, was to be performed at the 
 Rito. These ceremonies, which are always of a religious 
 nature, are proposed generally by the principal shamans 
 to the civil chiefs, — in council or privately, — either on 
 the strength of some presage or. dream, or as a public 
 necessity. The proposal agreed to, as it usually is, the 
 time is set ; but no publication is made either of the per- 
 formance or of the hour until the day on which it is to 
 occur or the evening previous. But the matter is talked 
 about at home, in the circle of friends, and thus it gradu- 
 ally becomes known to everybody as a public secret, and 
 everybody has time to prepare for it. Shotaye mixed 
 very little with the people at the Rito; she hardly ever 
 went to see any one, and such as came to see her had 
 other matters to talk about. It was no surprise to her 
 to learn that an important dance was near at hand; but 
 it was a source of much gratification nevertheless. For 
 until the dance was over nothing could or would be un- 
 dertaken against Say and herself. After the perform- 
 
128 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 ance, it was equally sure that several days would elapse 
 ere the council could meet in full, as the religious heads 
 of the tribe had yet to go through ceremonies of a pri- 
 vate nature. At all events, it proved to her that there 
 was no immediate danger, and that she still had time be- 
 fore her. With time, so the resolute and wary woman 
 reasoned, there was hope. 
 
 Thus musing and speculating, she sat for a long while. 
 The fire went out, but she did not notice it. At last 
 she arose, unfolded several robes and mantles, which she 
 easily found in the dark, and spread them out on the floor 
 for her couch. Shotaye could go to sleep; for at last 
 she saw, or thought she saw, her way clearly. She had 
 fiilly determined upon her plan of action. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 " Hu-Hu-Hu-Hu-Hu-Hu-Hu-Hu-Hu-o-o-o-o ! " . 
 
 Shrill cries, succeeding one another in quick succession, 
 ending in a prolonged shout, proceed from the outer exit 
 of the gallery that opens upon the court-yard of the large 
 building. 
 
 The final whoop, caught up by the cliffs of the Tyuonyi, 
 echoes and re-echoes, a prolonged howl dying out in a wail. 
 Men's voices, hoarse and untrained, are now heard chant- 
 ing in rhythmic and monotonous chorus. They approach 
 slowly, moving with measured regularity ; and now strange 
 figures begin to emerge from the passage-way, and as they 
 file into the court-yard the chant grows louder and louder. 
 A refrain — 
 
 "Ho-a-al Heiti-na! Ho-a-a! Heiti-na!" 
 
 breaks clearly and distinctly upon the ear, mingled with the 
 discordant rumblings of a drum. The fantastic procession 
 advances, forming a double column, composed of men and 
 women side by side. The former are stamping and the 
 latter tripping lightly, but all are keeping time. They cer- 
 tainly present a weird appearance, tricked out in their 
 gaudy apparel and ornamented with flashy trinkets. The 
 hair of the men is worn loose ; tufts of green and yellow 
 feathers flutter over the forehead, while around their necks 
 and dangling over their naked chests are seen strings of 
 porcupine quills, shell beads, turquoises, bright pebbles, feld- 
 spar, apatite, — anything in short that glitters and shines. 
 Bunches of similar material glisten in their ears. Fastened 
 about the waist, and reaching as low as the knee, a rude 
 
 9 
 
I30 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 kilt-like garment composed of white cotton cloth or of 
 deerskin hangs and flaps. It is ornamented with an em- 
 broidery of red and black threads, and quills of the porcu- 
 pine. Below the knee, garters of buckskin, tinged red and 
 yellow, form a fringe to which are attached tortoise-shell 
 rattles and bunches of elk-hoofs. The ankles are encased 
 with strips of the white and black fiir of the skunk, and 
 from the waist a fox-skin hangs, fastened to the back and 
 reaching almost as far as the heel. Each man carries a 
 tuft of hawk's feathers in his left hand, while the right 
 grasps a rattle fashioned from a gourd and filled with 
 pebbles. 
 
 The women wear their ordinary dress, emphasized how- 
 ever with a proftision of necklaces, wristbands, and ear 
 pendants, while in each hand is borne a bunch of pine 
 twigs wagging from side to side as they move. But by far 
 the most striking feature of their costume is their headdress. 
 It consists of a piece of buffalo-hide scraped and flattened 
 like a board, about fifteen inches long and seven inches 
 wide, one end of which is cut square. The other termi- 
 nates in what resembles a triple turret, squarely notched. 
 This is painted green, and decorated with symbolic figures 
 in red and yellow. White feathers flutter from each of the 
 three turret-shaped projections, and this peculiar headgear 
 is held in place by strips of buckskin attached to the 
 squared end, and knotted about meshes of the dark, stream- 
 ing hair. 
 
 The faces of both sexes are generously daubed with white 
 clay, in addition to which the men have their naked chests, 
 upper arms, and hands also decorated with stripes and 
 blotches of the same substance. 
 
 The procession is a long one ; couple follows couple, the 
 men gravely stamping, the women gracefully tripping. At 
 the head are the tallest and most robust youths, the best 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. I3I 
 
 developed and most buxom girls. Following these, the 
 dancers are less and less carefully assorted and matched, 
 while boys and old women, little girls and old men, bring 
 up the rear. 
 
 As the last couple emerges, the chorus bursts out in full 
 force, the choristers themselves issuing from the dark passage- 
 way. These are twelve in number, all men, dressed or 
 undressed as each one's fancy dictates, their faces whitened 
 like the dancers'. Their rude chant or rhythmic shouting is 
 in the minor key. They advance in a body, keeping time 
 with their feet, gesticulating in a manner intended to con- 
 vey the meaning of their song. In their midst goes the 
 drum-beater, an aged man adorned with an eagle's feather 
 behind each ear. Like the rest, his face is daubed with 
 white paint ; his drum, which he thumps incessantly with a 
 single stick, being manufactured from a hollow tree. Both 
 ends of it are covered with rawhide, and the whole instru- 
 ment is painted yellow. We recognize easily in this musi- 
 cian the head of the Koshare, Shyuote's late tormentor. 
 
 At no great distance from the exit, the chorus comes to 
 a halt, but the singing, gesticulation and beating of the 
 drum proceed. The dancers meanwhile move about the 
 whole court to the same step, but the couples separate and 
 change places ; man steps beside man, woman joins woman, 
 all turning and passing each other, suggesting by their 
 movements the flexures of a closely folded ribbon. The 
 couples then re-form, the double rank strings out as at first, 
 tramping and tripping in a wide circle to the rhythm and 
 measure of the monotonous music. 
 
 This solemn perambulation and primitive concert is wit- 
 nessed by numerous interested spectators, and listened to 
 by a large and attentive audience. The Rite's entire 
 population is assembled, eagerly, at times almost devoutly, 
 gazing and listening. The assemblage crowds the roofs 
 
132 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 and lines the walls below, all confusedly gathered together. 
 There is every imaginable posture, costume, or lack of cos- 
 tume, — men, women, children clothed in bright wraps or 
 embroidered skins, scantily covered with dirty rags, or 
 rejoicing in the freedom of undress. The several roofs of 
 the large house, rising in successive terraces three stories 
 high, form an irregular amphitheatre filled with humanity of 
 all sizes, shapes, ages, clothing, in glaring contrast with one 
 another. In the arena formed by the court-yard, form and 
 colour intermingle with more order and regularity ; and at 
 the same time greater brilliancy is exhibited. The fan- 
 tastic headdresses of the women nod and vibrate like 
 waving plants of Indian com ; the lustrous hair and the 
 gaudy costumes glisten and sparkle in the sunlight, fox 
 pelts wag back and forth, plumes and feathers flit and 
 dance, the monotonous chanting, the dull thumping and 
 drumming rise into the deep blue sky, re-echoing from 
 the towering cliffs, whose pinnacles look down upon the 
 weird scene from heights far above the uppermost tier of 
 spectators. 
 
 Among those looking on we may recognize some of our 
 acquaintances. Seated upon one of the terraces, his chin 
 resting on his hand, is Topanashka, who looks down upon 
 the actors with a grave, cold, seemingly indifferent gaze. 
 Say Koitza stands in the doorway of her dwelling, her wan 
 face wearing an immobile expression. Her little girl, ele- 
 gantly arrayed in a breechclout and turquoise necklace, 
 clings to her mother's wrap with one hand while the other 
 disappears in her gaping mouth. The child is half afraid, 
 half curious ; and has an anxious, troubled look. Shyuote, 
 however, evinces no sign of embarrassment or humility. 
 Planted solidly on his feet, with legs well apart and both 
 arms arched, he gapes and stares at everybody and every- 
 thing, occasionally fixing his glance upon the resplendent 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 133 
 
 sky overhead. In vain we search for Zashue and his elder 
 son, Okoya. 
 
 The mass of spectators — hundreds are here already and 
 more are coming constantly — do not content themselves with 
 devout and reverent admiration. Criticism is going on, and 
 it is exercised with the most unlimited freedom. Should 
 any one attract attention to himself, either by the perfection 
 or imperfection of his dress measured by the standard of the 
 critic, he is not only mentioned by name and his garb au- 
 dibly criticised, but pointed at approvingly or derisively. 
 The men are made the butt of their own sex among the 
 audience ; while the women praise or depreciate, according 
 as the occasion may seem to require, the female members 
 of the procession. Frequently, when the costume of some 
 dusky beauty in the arena is the object of publicly expressed 
 admiration, some other within hearing may be seen casting 
 a covert glance of disappointment at her own less successful 
 apparel. Or she fixes her eyes upon her gorgeous necklace 
 with evident gratification, satisfied that her own get-up is 
 handsomer than the one that the others so much admire, 
 while she soothes her injured vanity with haughty con- 
 tempt for the taste of those who see so much in her rival to 
 admire. 
 
 The beat of the drum ceases, the wild song is hushed, 
 and the dancers break rank, seeking rest. They collect in 
 groups or mingle with the bystanders, chatting, laughing, 
 panting. Their violent exercise has played sad havoc with 
 the paint upon their faces and bodies, rendering them less 
 fantastic but more ludicrous. The drummer occasionally 
 raps his instrument to satisfy himself that it is in order, 
 otherwise there is a lull of which all avail themselves to take 
 part in the general conversation. Children resume their 
 sports in the court-yard. 
 
 Suddenly loud peals of laughter are heard on every side, 
 
134 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 and all eyes turn simultaneously toward the passage-way 
 whence are issuing half a dozen strange -looking creatures. 
 They do not walk into the polygon, but rather tumble into 
 it, running, hopping, stumbling, cutting capers, like a troop 
 of clumsy, ill-trained clowns. When they have reached the 
 centre of the open space, laughter becomes louder and more 
 boisterous all around. Such expressions of mirth do not 
 merely signify amusement, but are meant as demonstrations 
 of applause. The Indian does not applaud by clapping his 
 hands or stamping his feet, but evinces his approbation by 
 laughter and smirks. 
 
 The appearance of the six men who have just tumbled 
 into the arena is not merely strange, it is positively dis- 
 gusting. They are covered with white paint, and with the 
 exception of tattered breechclouts are absolutely naked. 
 Their mouths and eyes are encircled with black rings ; their 
 hair is gathered in knots upon the tops of their heads, from 
 which rise bunches of com husks ; a string of deer-hoofs 
 dangles from each wrist ; fragments of fossil wood hang 
 from the loins ; and to the knees are fastened tortoise-shells. 
 Nothing is worn with a view to ornament. These seeming 
 monstrosities, frightful in their ugliness, move about quite 
 nimbly, and are boldly impudent to a degree approach- 
 ing sublimity. Notwithstanding their uncouth figures and 
 mountebank tricks their movements at times are undoubt- 
 edly graceful, and they appear tQ exercise a certain authority 
 over the entire pageant. 
 
 White is the symbolic paint of the Koshare ; hence all the 
 actors who have performed their several parts, including the 
 coarse jesters, make up and represent the society of the 
 Delight Makers, whose office it is to open the ayash tyucotz. 
 The association whose name has heen selected as the title 
 of our story is now before us fully represented, arrayed in 
 its appropriate dress and engaged in the discharge of some 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 135 
 
 of its official duties. The clowns, too, the most agile and 
 sprightly, in a word the most amusing of the company, are 
 only an exaggeration of the rest, whose joint task it is to dif- 
 fuse mirth, joy, buoyancy, delight, throughout the whole 
 tribe. The jesters are also the heralds and marshals of the 
 celebration. They gather together in the centre of the court 
 and carry on a boisterous conversation accompanied with ex- 
 travagant gestures. No one interrupts their noisy garrulity, 
 but the entire assemblage Ustens eagerly, hailing their clumsy 
 attempts at a joke and their coarse sallies of wit with shrieks 
 of laughter. Their jests are necessarily of the coarsest ; 
 nevertheless excellent local hits are made and satiric person- 
 alities of considerable pungency are not infrequently indulged 
 in. One of the clowns has tumbled down ; he lies on his 
 back, feet in the air ; another takes hold of his legs and 
 drags him around in the dust. The peals of laughter that 
 greet this effort give testimony to the estimation in which it 
 is held by the lookers-on. If one of the spectators has the 
 misfortune to display immoderate enthusiasm, forthwith he 
 is made the target of merciless jeering. One of the merry- 
 makers goes up to him and mimics his manner and actions 
 in the crudest possible way. The people on the terraced 
 roofs exhibit their joy by showering down corn-cakes from 
 their perches, which the performers greedily devour. These 
 things are delightful according to Indian notions, and are 
 well fitted to show how much of a child he still is, — a child 
 however, it must be remembered, endowed with the physical 
 strength, passions, and appetites of adult mankind. 
 
 The jesters scatter. One of their number runs up to Say 
 Koitza, who shrinks at his approach. Nevertheless he plants 
 himself squarely in front of her, bends his knees sidewise so 
 as to describe a lozenge with his legs, and thrusts out his 
 tongue to its fullest possible extent. Upon this the woman 
 laughs, for in the grimacing abomination she has discovered 
 
136 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 her own husband, Zashue, who thus pleasantly makes himself 
 known. The hit is simply magnificent in the judgment of 
 his audience. Meanwhile one of his colleagues is astride a 
 beam and endeavouring to crawl up it ; a third is actually on 
 the roof and scatters the shrieking girls everywhere by his 
 impudent addresses ; another bursts from a room on the 
 ground-floor holding ears of com in each hand, and throw- 
 ing himself upon the earth begins to gnaw them as a dog 
 would a bone, while one of his companions leaps on him, 
 and together they give a faithful representation of two prairie 
 wolves fighting over carrion. The greatest uproar prevails all 
 about ; the Koshare are outdoing themselves ; they scatter 
 delirious joy, pleasure, delight, broadcast among the people. 
 The rumblings of the drum are heard again; the men 
 and women dancers take their places ; once more the 
 chorus surround the musicians. The clowns hush at once, 
 and squat or lie down along the walls, sober and dignified. 
 The strange corps de ballet re-forms in four lines, the second 
 and third facing each other, and the first and fourth front- 
 ing in opposite directions ; men and women alternate. 
 Loud whoops and yells startle the air ; the drum rolls and 
 thunders; each dancer brandishes his rattle. Softly and 
 gently, at first, the chant begins, — 
 
 " Ho-a-a, Heiti-na, Heiti-na." 
 
 Gradually it increases in power, the dancers marking 
 time. LiveUer become the motions, stronger and stronger 
 the chanting, its text distinct and clearly enunciated, — 
 
 " Misho-homa Shi-pap, Na-ya Hate Ma-a-a-se-ua, 
 Ua-tir-anyi, Tya-au-era-nyi, 
 Shoto Ha-ya Ma-a-a-se-ua, 
 Nat-yu-o-o, Nat yu-0-0, Ma-a-a-se-ua, 
 Heiti-na, Heiti-na, Ho-a-a, Ho-a-a." 
 
 The dancers intermingle ; those in tlje front shifl to the 
 rear rank ; then all together utter a piercing shriek and dart 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 37 
 
 back to their former positions. The ceremony continues 
 for upward of half an hour, during which the same words 
 are sung, the same figures repeated. Then there is again a 
 pause, and the actors disband to rest and recuperate. The 
 clowns forget their dignity and set to work with redoubled 
 energy, growing bolder and bolder. A party of them has 
 penetrated into a ground-floor apartment, and are throw- 
 ing the scanty furniture through the doorway. Now they 
 spread robes and mats in the open court, lie down on 
 them, crack jokes, and make faces at the audience. A 
 specially gifted member of the fraternity hurries down a 
 beam with a baby in his clutches, which he has powdered 
 with ashes. He dances about with it, and exhibits the 
 squalling brat in every attitude as a potential Koshare. 
 The people scream and shout with unmixed pleasure. 
 Now they point at a pair of monsters, one stamping 
 and the other tripping daintily, who effectually mimic the 
 late partners of the dance in the most heartless manner. 
 Another of these hideous creatures is sitting down, his 
 head covered with a dirty rag, staring, stuttering, and 
 mumbling, like an imbecile. His pantomime is recog- 
 nized at once as a cruel mimicry of the chief penitent 
 while at prayer, and it is universally pronounced to be a 
 superb performance. To the Koshare nothing is sacred ; 
 all things are permitted, so long as they contribute delight 
 to the tribe. 
 
 Topanashka appeared to be lonesome in his exalted seat 
 upon the roof. He arose quietly; and the by-standers 
 made room for the tall man as with eyes fixed on an op- 
 posite terrace, he slowly descended and walked along the 
 houses without deigning to take any notice of the gambols 
 of the Koshare. He brushed past Say Koitza, and with- 
 out looking at her or moving a feature muttered so that 
 she alone could hear, — 
 
138 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Watch, lest they discover the feathers." 
 
 Passing to the other side of the court he seated himself 
 near a small, slender man, somewhat younger than himself. 
 This was the tapop, or chief civil officer at the Rito. 
 
 The woman was greatly frightened by her father's words. 
 It flashed upon her that should the Delight Makers raid 
 her household and upset it, as they had others, the owl's 
 feathers might be detected. In the troubled state of her 
 mind she had failed to destroy or even remove them. 
 Nevertheless, she could not immediately leave her post, 
 through fear of awakening suspicion ; she must wait until 
 the dance should begin and the goblins become quiescent. 
 Then? What then? 
 
 The feathers lay buried in the earthen floor of the inner 
 room. Their removal must be accomplished with great 
 care, in such a manner as to leave no signs of the earth 
 having been recently disturbed.' There was no choice; 
 they must be removed at all hazards. There would be 
 ample time if she could only afterward obliterate all traces 
 of her work. Luckily the kitchen was very dark, and the 
 hearth covered with ashes. Water was there also, but she 
 dare not use it lest the moistened spot betray her. Her 
 mind was made up, however, and the attempt would be 
 made as soon as the dance was renewed. 
 
 Singing and drumming are heard once more ; the dancers 
 fall into line ; and when the chorus was shouting the sec- 
 ond verse, — 
 
 1 It was natural for her to think of removing the feathers, as they 
 would in all probability be looked for just where she had put them ; 
 that is, under the floor. Such was the case at Narabe in March, 
 1855, when owl's feathers were found buried at several places in the 
 Pueblo. The result of the discovery at Nambe was the slaughter of 
 three men and one woman for alleged witchcraft by the infuriated 
 mob of Indians. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 139 
 
 "Na-ya, Ha-te Oyo-ya-ua, 
 Ua-tir-anyi Tya-au-era-nyi," — 
 
 and the jokers had dispersed. Say slowly retreated within 
 the room, cowered down by the hearth, a sharp stone- 
 splinter in her hand and her eyes fixed upon the door, 
 watching lest anybody should appear. She listened with 
 throbbing heart to discover whether there was any shuffling 
 sound to betray the approach of one of the Koshare. She 
 saw nothing, and no sound was heard except the beats of 
 the drum and the monotonous rhythm, — 
 
 "Heiti-na, Heiti-na, 
 Nat-yu-0-0, Nat-yu-0-0, Ma-a-a-se-e-e-ua.'' 
 
 The woman began to dig. She dug with feverish haste. 
 The dance.lacked interest for her ; time and again had she 
 witnessed it, and well knew the figures now being per- 
 formed. She made the hole as small as possible, digging 
 and digging, anxiously listening, eagerly looking up now 
 and then at the doorway, and starting timidly at the least 
 sound. 
 
 At last her instrument struck a resisting though elastic 
 object ; it was the feathers. 
 
 Cautiously she pulled, pulled them up until she had 
 drawn them to the top of the hole, then peered about her, 
 intently listening. Nothing ! Outside the uproar went 
 on, the chorus shouting at the top of their voices, — 
 
 " Ei-ni-a-ha, Ei-ni-a-ha-ay, 
 Tu-ua Se-na-si Tyit-i-na, 
 Tyit-i-na-a-a, Ma-a-a-se-ua." 
 
 Wrenching the bundle from its hiding-place, she concealed 
 it in her bosom ; then carefully replaced the earth and 
 clay ; put ashes on this, then clay ; rubbed the latter with a 
 stone ; threw on more ashes and more clay ; and finally 
 stamped this with her feet, — all the while listening, and 
 
I40 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 glancing into the outer room. At last, when it seemed to 
 her that the most rigid search could detect no trace of her 
 labours, she brushed the ashes from her wrap and went out 
 under the doorway again. 
 
 She appeared composed and more cheerfiil, but hei 
 heart was palpitating terribly ; and at every pulsation she 
 felt the dangerous bundle concealed beneath her clothing, 
 and she tightened still more the belt encircling her waist. 
 
 The third act of the dance soon ended, and the jesters 
 went to work once more, — women and girls now became 
 the objects of their attentions. The screams and shrieks 
 from the roof terraces when a Koshare is tearing about 
 amongst the women, loud as they are, are drowned by the 
 uproarious laughter of the men, who enjoy hugely the dis- 
 gust and terror of the other sex. 
 
 From some of the houses the white painted horrors have 
 taken out the grinding-slabs. Kneeling behind them, they 
 heap dirt on their flat surfaces, moisten it with water, and 
 grind the mud as the housewife does the com, yelping and 
 wailing the while in mimicry of the woman and her song 
 while similarly engaged. The pranks of these fellows are 
 simply silly and ugly ; the folly borders on imbecility and 
 the ugliness is disgusting, and yet nobody is shocked ; every- 
 body endures it and laughs. 
 
 Say Koitza herself enjoyed seeing her sex made a butt 
 by coarse and vulgar satyrs. Suddenly two of the beasts 
 stand before her, and one of them attempts an embrace. 
 With a loud shriek she pushes him away, steps nimbly aside, 
 and so saves the treacherous bundle from his grasp. Both 
 the monsters storm into the house, where a terrific uproar 
 begins. Com is thrown about, grinding-slabs are disturbed, 
 pots and bowls, robes and mats, are dragged hither and 
 thither ; they thump, scratch, and pound every comer of her 
 little house. Gasping for breath, quaking from terror and 
 

 Q 
 
 h 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 141 
 
 distress, she leans against the wall, for in the fellow who 
 sought to embrace her she recognizes Tyope. 
 
 All at once he darts out of the house, rushing past her 
 with a large ear of corn in each hand which he forthwith 
 hurls at the head of one of his comrades. This provokes 
 intense merriment, increased still more by his lying down 
 and rolling over several times. The climax of his humour 
 is attained, and exhibits itself in his squatting on the ground 
 close to one of the clay-grinding artists, where he begins to 
 feed very eagerly upon the liquid mud, literally eating dirt. 
 But a terrible weight has been lifted from the breast of the 
 poor woman, for the dangerous man has, so she must con- 
 clude from his actions, discovered nothing. 
 
 Meanwhile the other Koshare had stepped out of the 
 house with well-filled hands. Say is unconscious of his 
 approach, and as he passes her he empties his treasures, 
 fine ashes, upon her devoted head. So sudden is his dis- 
 appearance and so loud the laughter which this display of 
 subtle humour excites among the by-standers, that Say 
 Koitza fails to recognize its author, Zashue, her own 
 husband. 
 
 She feels much relieved, and her heart has grown light 
 now that the immediate danger is past. And intently she 
 tries to catch her father's eye, but the old man is quietly 
 seated and does not look toward her. 
 
 The drum beats to signal the close of the intermission. 
 The clowns are becoming too impudent, too troublesome, 
 so that an end must be made to their pranks. The society 
 of the Koshare will appear now for the last time, as after 
 the next dance they retire. While this is at its height, 
 Topaaashka rises and returns to his former place. 
 
 Walking slowly past his daughter, he looks at her. She 
 meets his gaze cheerfully, and with a slight nod of appro- 
 bation he moves onward. 
 
142 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 The dance is over, and the Koshare depart to scatter be- 
 yond the large house and to rest. On the disappearance 
 of the last of their number, including the jesters, whoops 
 and shouts fill the air again from without, and a second 
 procession similar to the former marches into the court- 
 yard. It is composed of different persons similarly cos- 
 tumed, except that their paint is bluish instead of white. 
 No clowns accompany them. They go through a similar 
 performance, and sing the same songs ; but everything is 
 done with gravity and even solemnity. This band is more 
 numerous by at least ten couples, and as a consequence 
 the spectacle is more striking on account of a greater 
 variety of dress and finery. A tall, slender young man 
 opens the march. It is Hayoue. His partner is a buxom 
 lass from the Bear clan, Kohayo hanutsh, a strong, thick- 
 waisted creature, not so good-looking for a girl as he is for 
 a man, yet of such proportion and figure as strike the 
 Indian fancy. They pay each other little attention. Dur- 
 ing the pauses each one follows his own bent, and when 
 the time calls they meet again. 
 
 In an Indian dance there is no need of engaging part- 
 ners, though it is not unusual for such as fancy one another 
 to seize the opportunity of so doing. The mere fact of a 
 certain boy stamping the earth beside a certain girl on a 
 certain occasion, or a certain maiden tripping by the side 
 of a particular youth, does not call for that active gossiping 
 which would result if a couple were to dance with one 
 another alone at one of our balls. A civilized ball is pro- 
 fessedly for enjoyment alone ; an Indian dance is a re- 
 ligious act, a public duty. 
 
 The society who are now exercising their calisthenics in 
 the court has much similarity to the Koshare, yet their 
 main functions are distinct. They are called the Cuirana. 
 
 Tf, during the conversation in which Topanashka in- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 43 
 
 formed his daughter as to the origin of the Koshare and 
 the ideas underlying their role in Indian society, Say Koitza 
 had inquired of him about the Cuirana he might have 
 given her very similar information. 
 
 With this marked distinction, however, that whereas the 
 former consider themselves summer people, the latter are 
 regarded as winter men. While the Koshare are specially 
 charged with the duty of furthering the ripening of the 
 fruit, the Cuirana assist the sprouting of the seed. 
 
 The main work of the Koshare is therefore to be done 
 in the summer and autumn, that of the Cuirana in the 
 spring; and, moreover, while on certain occasions the 
 latter are masters of ceremonies also, they never act as 
 clowns or official jesters. Their special dance is never 
 obscene, like that of the Delight Makers. 
 
 During their performance, therefore, the public did not 
 exhibit the unbounded hilarity which marked that of their 
 predecessors. The audience looked on quietly, and even 
 with stolidity. There was nothing to excite laughter, and 
 since the figures were slavish repetitions, it became monoto- 
 nous. Some of the spectators withdrew to their houses, 
 and those who remained belonged to the cliffs, whence they 
 had come to witness the rite, as a serious and even sacred 
 duty. 
 
 While the dance of the Cuirana is in progress, two of 
 the white painted clowns are standing outside of the big 
 building, and at some distance from the new house of 
 Yakka hanutsh, in earnest conversation. Heat and ex- 
 ercise have partially effaced the paint, so that the features 
 of Tyope Tihua, and of Zashue, the husband of Say, can be 
 easily recognized. 
 
 " I tell you, satyumishe," asserts the latter, "you are mis- 
 taken, or words have been spoken to you that are not true. 
 This wife of mine is good. She has nothing to do with 
 
144 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 evil, nor has she tampered with it. You have done her 
 wrong, Tyope, and that is not right." His features, already 
 distorted by the paint, took on an expression of anger. 
 
 The other responded hastily, " And I tell you, Zashue 
 Tihua, that I saw your wife sitting by the hearth with 
 Shotaye," — his voice trembled at the mention of her name, 
 — " and I heard when that mean, low aniehna " — his eyes 
 flashed, giving a terrible expression to his already mon- 
 strously disfigured countenance — " spoke to the yellow 
 com ! " 
 
 " Did you understand what she said ? " Zashue interjected. 
 
 " No, but can any one ask aught of the yellow com but 
 evil? I know, too, that this shuatyam picked up the body 
 of an owl on the mesa" — he pointed to the southern 
 heights — " and carried its feathers back to her foul hole 
 in the rocks." 
 
 "But you did not see Say with them?" Her husband 
 looked in the eyes of the other inquiringly, and at the same 
 time threateningly. 
 
 " That is the tmth, but why does she go with the witch, 
 and for what purpose does that female skunk need owl's 
 plumage, if not to harm the tribe? She has done harm, 
 too," — he stamped his foot angrily, — " she is the cause of 
 our having no rain last summer. She destroyed the maize- 
 plant ere it could bring forth ears. She did it, and your 
 wife helped her." Furious, and with flaming eyes, Tyope 
 turned his head and stared into space. 
 
 " Are you sure that Shotaye has done this, and that it is 
 not Payatyama's will ? " 
 
 " Did we not fast and mortify ourselves while it was yet 
 time, all of us from the Hotshanyi down to the youngest 
 Koshare?" exclaimed Tyope. " Was it of any use ? No, 
 for that base woman had power over us in order to destroy 
 the tribe." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 45 
 
 " I am not defending her," Zashue muttered, " but it is 
 not certain that she is guilty, nor is it proven that she is 
 the cause of the hunger we suffered last winter." 
 
 His companion threw at him a glance of intense rage. 
 The other's incredulity exasperated Tyope, but he sup- 
 pressed his feeling and spoke in a quieter tone. 
 
 " Come, satyumishe, the Nana is expecting us, and in his 
 presence we shall speak further. Our father is wise and 
 will teach oui hearts." 
 
 Say Koitza's husband stood motionless, looking away 
 from his friend. 
 
 " Come," Tyope urged, placing his hand on the other's 
 shoulder. Zashue at last turned around and reluctantly 
 followed him. Both went toward the new estufa of the 
 Maize clan. 
 
 From this circular building faint sounds, as of a drum 
 beaten by a weak or lazy hand, were issuing. The principal 
 Koshare and the Nana had retired thither for recuperation 
 after the dance. Although the old man was not of the 
 cluster to whom the estufa belonged, he had obtained 
 permission from Yakka hanutsh to use the room on this 
 occasion as a meeting and dressing place for himself and 
 his associates. The club-house of the Corn people thus 
 served to-day a twofold purpose, and was used by two 
 distinct groups of the inhabitants of the Rito. 
 
 At this hour the Koshare Naua was its sole occupant. 
 He sat on the floor, holding the drum in his lap and touch- 
 ing the instrument lightly from time to time. His vacant 
 gaze was fixed upon a small heap of dying embers, nearly 
 in the centre of the room and beneath the hatchway. 
 Occasionally he raised his head to glance at the wall oppo- 
 site him. The interior of the estufa appeared quite differ- 
 ent from what it did on the day when Shyuote's peep into 
 it was so poorly rewarded. Its walls had been whitened, 
 
146 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 and were in addition covered with strange-looking paint- 
 ings. The floor was partly occupied by a remarkable 
 display of equally strange objects. 
 
 The painting in front of which the old man sat, and at 
 which he gazed from time to time, represented in the first 
 place a green disk surrounded by short red rays, which 
 three white squares, bordered with black, converted into 
 something like the rude semblance of a human face. This 
 disk stood for a picture of the sun. Below it was the 
 S3mibol of the moon's white disk, encircled by a black and 
 red ring, and provided also with square eyes and mouth. 
 Still lower were painted two crosses, a red one and a white 
 one, both with black border. 
 
 Above the sun there appeared a form intended to be 
 human, painted in very gaudy colours. This was Payat- 
 yama, the sun-father. On each side of him rose a terraced 
 pyramid painted green, and from the top of one of these 
 pyramids to that of the other there spanned or stretched a 
 tri-coloured arch, red, yellow, and blue, over the sun-father's 
 head. On each side of sun and moon was the crudely 
 executed picture of an animal, — the one on the right, 
 being intended for a bear, painted green ; the one on the 
 left, for a panther, painted red. The heads of these beasts 
 were turned toward the central figures. Still farther, beyond 
 these beasts of prey, two gigantic green serpents with homed 
 heads swept over the remainder of the wall, leaving but 
 a narrow space facing the sun, where four maize-plants, 
 two green ones and two of a reddish-brown hue, were 
 painted. 
 
 Below the central figures and not quite reaching up to 
 them, an arch of wood, painted green with a yellow middle 
 stripe, was held aloft by two poles driven into the floor of 
 the estufa. Under this arch stood a wooden screen, green 
 and black with a yellow border at the bottom, while the 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 47 
 
 upper edge was carved into four terraced pyramids sur- 
 mounted by as many black arches. Both right and left of 
 the screen, pine-branches resembling Christmas-trees of 
 to-day were stuck into the floor. This strange decoration 
 expresses symbolically a meaning similar to that intended 
 to be conveyed by the dance of the ayash tyucotz. 
 
 The sun-father, soaring above the sun, moon, and stars, — 
 for the red cross is the star of morning, the white the eve- 
 ning star, — IS surrounded by the symbols of the principal 
 phenomena in nature that are regarded as essentially benefi- 
 cent to mankind. Thus the terraced pyramids are the 
 clouds, for the clouds appear to the Indian as staircases 
 leading to heaven, and they in turn support the rainbow. 
 The two principal beasts of prey, who feed upon game, like 
 man, and whose strength, agility, and acute senses man 
 hopes to acquire, are represented as the bear in the colour 
 symbolic of the east, and the panther in that of the south. 
 Farther away from the sun-father are the two monstrous 
 water-snakes, genii of the fish-bearing and crop-irrigating 
 water-courses. The sun- father stands surrounded by all 
 these elements and beings ; he fixes his blissful magic gaze 
 upon the nourishing maize-plants, that they may grow and 
 that their ripe fruit may sustain the tribe. Thus much for 
 the allegory on the wall. 
 
 But in order that the wish and hope which this allegoric 
 painting expresses on the part of man may become realized, 
 invocation rises before the picture in the shape of the screen, 
 denoting an altar on which the rainbow has again settled 
 down as a messenger from above. Both are green, since 
 it is summer ; and the summer sun, or summer home of the 
 sun-father, is green also, like the earth, covered with luxuriant 
 vegetation. 
 
 Invocation alone does not suffice to incline the hearts 
 of Those Above kindly toward mankind ; gratitude is re- 
 
148 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 quired as an earnest of sincere worship. But this gratitude 
 can be expressed by words as well as by deeds, and prayers 
 must precede, accompany, or follow the offering. In front 
 of the altar a row of bunches artistically composed of snow- 
 white down are placed on the floor. Each of these delicate 
 fabrics has sacred meal scattered about its base, and each 
 of them symbolizes the soul of one household. They are 
 what the Queres Indian calls the yaya, or mother, dedicated 
 to the moon-mother, who specially protects every Indian 
 home. All these stand below the altar in token of the 
 many prayers that each household sends up to the, moon, 
 painted above, that the mother of all, who dwells in the 
 silvery orb, may thank her husband in the sun for all the 
 good received, and implore him to further shed his bless- 
 ings on their children. Between these feather-bushes and 
 the embers, a great number of other objects are placed, — 
 fetiches of stone, animal figures, prayer-plumes, sacrificial 
 bowls painted with symbolic devices and surmounted by 
 terraced prongs, and wooden images of household gods 
 decorated with feathers. Sacred meal is in or about all of 
 them, and all stand for so many intercessors praying for the 
 good of the people, giving thanks in the name of the 
 people and offering their vows in token of gratitude. 
 
 Similar to this estufa of the Com clan are to-day all the 
 other estufas on the Tyuonyi. They contain similar pic- 
 tures, and similar objects are grouped on the floors in front 
 of them. Before the altars the swan-white mother-souls 
 gUsten and flutter. The estufas are without human occu- 
 pants, their entrances alone are watched by old men or 
 women outside to prevent the work of invocation and grati- 
 tude performed inside by symbolic advocates from being 
 desecrated by rude or thoughtless intruders. 
 
 While this work is going on thus silently and without 
 direct intervention of man, man himself performs a similar 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. I49 
 
 duty in the open air through the ceremonies of the great 
 dance. 
 
 In this dance the Koshare came first, for their request 
 was one of immediate importance. That the fruit may ripen 
 is the object of their sacramental performances, — " even 
 the fruit in woman's womb," Topanashka had explained. 
 To this end man must contribute with delight and work 
 with love. Whoever mourns or harbours ill-will cannot 
 expect his task to prosper. In this manner even the ob- 
 scene performances of the Koshare are symbolic, and their 
 part in the great dance is above all an invocation. 
 
 Next the Cuirana came. Their labours are over; the 
 germs which they were to protect with incantations have 
 sprouted long ago, and the plants are ready for maturing. 
 For these results of their work they give thanks to the sun- 
 father, — thanks loud and emphatic, so that he may hear and 
 see how grateful his children are. Their performance to- 
 day is a testimonial of gratitude. 
 
 To close the dance, both societies will finally appear to- 
 gether, and with them representatives of the tribe at large. 
 All together they will go through the same succession of 
 ceremonies, in token that all acquiesce in the sentiments of 
 the Koshare and the Cuirana, — that each individual for 
 himself and in behalf of all the others joins in giving thanks 
 for the past and praying for the future. 
 
 This is the signification of the ayash tjrucotz when per- 
 formed about the time of the summer solstice. However 
 clumsy and meaningless it may seem, it is still a solemn 
 performance It gives public expression, under very strange 
 forms, to the idea that has found its most perfect utterance 
 in the German philosopher's * definition of "abject reliance 
 upon God ; " whereas in its lowest form it is still " a vague 
 and awful feeling about unity in the powers of nature, an 
 1 Schleiermacher. 
 
ISO THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 unconscious acknowledgment of the mysterious link con- 
 necting the material worid with a realm beyond it." 
 
 Seated comfortably and alone, surrounded by the sym- 
 bols of his creed, the old leader of the Koshare was tapping 
 his drum and humming softly a prayer. On a sudden the 
 hatchway above him became darkened, and as he looked 
 up he saw the legs of a man appearing on the uppermost 
 rounds of the ladder leading down into the subterranean 
 chamber. As that man continued to descend, the body, 
 and finally the head, of Tyope appeared. Then followed 
 Zashue Tihua. When both men were below, they went to 
 the nearest sacrificial bowl, each one took from it a pinch 
 of yellow corn-meal and scattered it in front of the altar. 
 Then they turned to the old man, but he did not take any 
 notice of either of them. Tyope squatted by his side, while 
 Zashue remained erect. 
 
 "Sa nashtio," began the former, "we have not found 
 anything." 
 
 " There is nothing," added Zashue, rather excitedly ; 
 "my wife is innocent." 
 
 The Nana raised his eyes with an expression of astonish- 
 ment and surprise, as if failing to understand. 
 
 "What is it that you have not found?" he asked, rather 
 dreamily. 
 
 "No coco — " Tyope stopped and looked at the pic- 
 tures on the wall. It is improper to mention the names of 
 evil powers or agencies in presence of the symbols of Those 
 Above. So he corrected himself and said, — 
 
 " No hapi." 
 
 " Hapi? " the Nana inquired with a vacant stare, " what 
 sort of hapi ? Where did you look for them ? " He bent his 
 head, as if trying to remember. 
 
 " Hapi," exclaimed Tyope, " in the house of Say Koitza, 
 this motatza's wife ; " and he pointed at his companion. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 151 
 
 " Yes, indeed ; " the chief of the Koshare now recollected. 
 " I know ; I recollect well." His eyes suddenly bright- 
 ened ; they assumed an expression of cunning as well as of 
 suspicion. His quick glance moved back and forth from 
 one of his visitors to the other. " So you found nothing ? 
 Then there is nothing ! You were right, Zashue ; your wife 
 is good." He gave a chuckle which he intended for a 
 benevolent smile. 
 
 " See," Say's husband exclaimed, turning to Tyope ; 
 " the Naua believes as I do. My wife is no — " the evil 
 word he suppressed in time. He stopped, biting his lips in 
 embarrassment. 
 
 Tyope's features moved not. He spoke to the chief of 
 the Delight Makers as quietly and calmly as possible, — 
 
 " I believe as you do, nashtio ; but while Say may be 
 guiltless, Shotaye is not." 
 
 " Hush ! " the Naua sternly interrupted ; " think Of those 
 here." He pointed toward the symbols. " Don't you know 
 that they must not hear the name of that woman? " 
 
 Tyope repUed hastily, and eager to drown the reprimand 
 his chief had given him, — 
 
 "What shall we do, Naua? " 
 
 The old man became impatient. " Don't you see that I 
 am at work? I am busy. Those here," he again nodded 
 at the idols, " leave me no peace. I must be with them 
 until the last otshanyi begins. In three days we go to the 
 kaaptsh, — you, he, all our brethren, — and then we may 
 speak. Now leave me alone. Go ! Leave me ! Go ! 
 Go ! " he cried, and waved his hand upward. He was not 
 to be spoken to any longer ; he began to beat his drum 
 and took up the low chant again. Zashue huniedly climbed 
 out of the estufa, and Tyope followed with an angry face. 
 When the latter was on the open ground again, Zashue 
 stepped up to him and said in a very decided tone, — 
 
152 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " You see now, satyumishe, that Say is innocent. Here- 
 after, Tyope, leave her alone." Turning about, he walked 
 toward the large house. Tyope cast after him a look less 
 of anger than of bitter disappointment. 
 
 The last act of the great ceremony began. A tremen- 
 dous shout sounded from the outer entrance to the gallery 
 leading into the court-yard of the great house. The chant 
 arose stronger and louder than ever before, and several 
 drums rumbled at once. Again were the terraces filled 
 with people, the walls below lined with spectators. Topan- 
 ashka sat on the roof, cold and impassable. Say Koitza 
 leaned in the doorway of her home, with a quiet, almost 
 smiling, countenance. 
 
 A long array of couples, dressed as before but painted 
 red, opened the procession ; then came the Cuirana, and 
 last the Koshare. Topanashka arose and joined the dan- 
 cers ; the Tapop stood beside him, and both stamped 
 along, keeping time as if they were young once more. 
 The singers were reinforced by several aged men with 
 snow-white hair, three of whom wore dark wraps, sleeve- 
 less and covered with red embroidery. These were the 
 chief penitents ; those without badges or distinctive dress, 
 the principal shamans of the tribe. A thrill of excitement 
 ran through the spectators ; children on the roofs gathered 
 in groups, moving in harmony with the strong rhythmic 
 noise below. The jesters had become very quiet; they 
 went about gravely keeping order, for the court was now 
 filled with performers. The green headdresses waved like 
 reeds before the wind, and the whole space looked like 
 a rhythmically wafted cornfield. When the dancers were 
 executing the beautiful figure of the planting of maize, — 
 man and woman bending outward simultaneously, each 
 one to his side, and all the rattles sounding as if upon 
 command, — everything around was hushed ; everybody 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 53 
 
 looked on in respectful silence, so correct were the mo- 
 tions, so well-timed and so impressive the sight. Say also 
 felt genuine delight. She thought of times long past when 
 she, too, had joined in the dance. Now, alas, she could not. 
 With all the relief this day had brought her, there still re- 
 mained a dull weight in her bosom, and an inner voice for- 
 bade her to mingle with those so sincerely engaged in rites 
 of thanksgiving to the powers of good and happiness. 
 
 While she stood and gazed around, her attention was 
 directed to a young couple passing in front of her. The 
 handsome lad with the dark, streaming hair was Okoya, 
 and she recognized him proudly as the best-looking youth 
 on the ground, Hayoue perhaps excepted. But then, was 
 not Hayoue, Okoya's father's brother? But who was the 
 girl by Okoya's side? That slender figure of medium 
 height, that earnest, thoughtful expression of the face, those 
 lustrous eyes, — whose were they ? The two were manifestly 
 a handsome pair, and the longer she watched them the 
 more she became satisfied that they were the prettiest 
 couple in the dance. They were certainly well matched ; 
 her son's partner was the handsomest girl of the tribe ; of 
 this she was convinced, and she felt proud of it. Motherly 
 pride caused her heart to flutter, and the instinct of woman 
 made her eager to know who the maiden was who appeared 
 such a fitting partner for her own good-looking son. Say 
 Koitza determined to improve the first opportunity that 
 might present itself for ascertaining who the girl was and 
 where she belonged. 
 
 The day was drawing to a close, a day of joyful excite- 
 ment for the people of the Tyuonyi. The dance termi- 
 nated. As the sun went down the dancers crowded out 
 of the passage-way ; so did the visitors ; it grew quieter 
 and quieter on and about the large house. The swarm of 
 people leaving it scattered toward the cliffs in little bands 
 
154 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 and thin streams, separating and divergmg from each 
 other like the branches of an open fan. And yet, after 
 night had come and the moon had risen in a cloudless 
 sky, there was still bustle everywhere. Households rav- 
 aged by the visitations of the Koshare were being re- 
 stored to order, the exhausted dancers were being feasted, 
 and the estufas were being cleared of everything bearing 
 a sacred character. Young men and boys still loitered 
 in groups, repeating with hoarse voices the songs and 
 chants they had lately addressed to the ruler of day. 
 
 On the terrace roof of the home of Tyope's wife a young 
 girl stood quite alone, gazing at that moon where the mother 
 of all mankind, the Sanatyaya, is supposed to reside. It was 
 Mitsha Koitza, who had just returned from the estufa of her 
 clan with the mother-soul of her own home, and who still lin- 
 gered here holding in her hands the cluster of snowy, delicate 
 feathers. She thinks, while her nimble fingers play with it, 
 of the young man who has been her partner the whole day, 
 who has danced beside her so quiet, modest, and yet so 
 handsome, and who once appeared to her on this same roof 
 brave and resolute in her defence. While she thus stands, 
 gazes, and dreams, a flake of down becomes detached and 
 quivers upward into the calm, still air. Involuntarily the 
 maiden fastens her glance on the plumelet, which flits up- 
 ward and upward in the direction of the moon's silvery orb. 
 Such a flitting and floating plume is the symbol of prayer. 
 Mitsha's whole heart goes anxiously with the feather. It 
 rises and rises, and at last disappears as if absorbed by 
 moonlight. The features of the maiden, which till now have 
 carried an anxious, pleading look, brighten with a soft and 
 happy smile. The mother above has listened to her en- 
 treaty, for the symbol of her thoughts, the feather, has gone 
 to rest on the bosom of her who watches over every house, 
 who feels with every loving and praying heart. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Among Indians any great feast, like the dance of the 
 ayash tyucotz described in the preceding chapter, is not fol- 
 lowed by the blue Monday with which modem civilization 
 is often afflicted. Intoxicating drinks were unknown to the 
 sedentary inhabitants of New Mexico previous to the advent 
 of Europeans. If it happened, however, that one or other 
 of the feasters overloaded his stomach with the good things 
 set before him, after the ceremony was over a decoction 
 made from juniper-twigs afforded prompt and energetic re- 
 lief. Among the younger men it was not rare for some to 
 remain in company with the fair sex until the small hours of 
 morning, in which case the rising sun found them somewhat 
 out of sleep. But the majority were glad to retire to their 
 habitual quarters for a good rest after the day's exertions, 
 and these woke up the following morning bright and active, 
 as if nothing had happened to divert them from the duties 
 and occupations of every-day life. To this majority be- 
 longed Okoya. 
 
 After the dance was over he had loitered and lounged 
 about for a time with some companions of his own age, but as 
 soon as the moon rose he had sauntered home. His mother 
 was busy putting things into shape, for the Delight Makers 
 had left behind a fearful disorder. Shynote was there, too ; 
 he was careful not to assist his mother, but to stand in her 
 way as much as possible, which action on his part called 
 forth some very active scolding. But it struck Okoya that 
 she appeared more cheerful than before. Her motions were 
 
156 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 brisker, her step more elastic. Say Koitza placed the usual 
 food before her eldest son, and at this moment Zashue 
 came in also. He felt exceedingly proud of his exploits as 
 a jester, and was jollier than ever before. Okoya listened 
 for a while to the clumsy and not always chaste jokes of his 
 parent, and then retired to the estufa. The next morning, 
 bright and refreshed, he strolled back to the house for 
 breakfast, expecting to meet his father, who would assign 
 him his day's work. 
 
 Zashue had gone already. Nobody asked where, but it 
 was taken for granted that he had gone to see the old chief 
 of the DeUght Makers about the approaching days of peni- 
 tential retirement. His mother was up ; and she addressed 
 her son in a pleasant manner, set food before him, and 
 then inquired, — 
 
 " Sa uishe, who was the girl that danced by your side? " 
 
 " It was Mitsha Koitza," Okoya repUed without looking 
 up. 
 
 "Mitsha Koitza," she repeated, "where does she belong?" 
 
 " Tyame hanutsh." 
 
 •'Who is her father?" 
 
 "Tyope Tihua. Do you like her?" and he looked at 
 his mother pleadingly, as if asking her forgiveness and her 
 consent to his choice. 
 
 The woman's brow clouded at the mention of a name 
 so hateful to her. She looked hard at her son and said in 
 a tone of bitter reproach, — 
 
 " And you go with that girl? " 
 
 "Why not!" His face darkened also. 
 
 " Have I not told you what kind of man Tyope is ? " 
 
 "The girl is no Koshare," he answered evasively. 
 
 " But her mother is, and he." 
 
 Both became silent. Okoya stared before him ; his ap- 
 petite was gone ; he was angry, and could not eat any more. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 157 
 
 What right had this woman, although she was his mother, 
 to reprove him because he was fond of a girl whose father 
 she did not like ! Was the girl responsible for the deeds of 
 her parents ? No ! So he reasoned at once, and then his 
 temper overcame him. How could his mother dare to 
 speak one single word against the Koshare ! Had she not 
 betrayed him to them ? In his thoughts the hatred which 
 she pretended to display against the Koshare appeared no 
 longer sincere ; it seemed to him hypocrisy, duplicity, de- 
 ception. Such deceit could mean only the darkest, the 
 most dangerous, designs. With the Indian the superlative 
 of depravity is witchcraft. Okoya revolved in his mind 
 whether his mother was not perhaps his most dangerous 
 enemy. 
 
 On the other hand. Say Koitza, when she began to ques- 
 tion her son, had in view a certain object. She was anxious 
 to find out who the maiden was whose looks had at once 
 charmed her. Next she was curious to know whether 
 the meeting of the two was accidental or not. Therefore 
 the leading question, " And you go with that girl? " 
 Under ordinary circumstances his affirmative reply might 
 have filled her motherly heart with joy, for Mitsha's appear- 
 ance had struck her fancy ; but now it filled her with dis- 
 may. Nothing good to her could result from a union 
 between her child and the daughter of Tyope. That union 
 would be sure to lead Okoya over to the home of his be- 
 trothed, which was the home of her mother, where he could 
 not fail to gradually succumb to the influence which that 
 mother of Mitsha, a sensual, cunning, sly woman utterly sub- 
 servient to her husband, would undoubtedly exert upon him. 
 It was not maternal jealousy that beset her now and filled 
 her with flaming passion, it was fear for her own personal 
 safety. Under the influence of sudden displeasure human 
 thought runs sometimes astray with terrific swiftness. Say 
 
IS8 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Koitza saw her son already going to the house of that 
 fiend, Tyope, night after night, whereas in reaUty he had 
 never called there as yet. She fancied that she heard him 
 in conversation with this girl, confiding in her Uttle by little, 
 just as Zashue used, before he and she became man and 
 wife. But what could Okoya tell after all that might 
 prove of harm to her? He was a mere child as yet. At 
 this stage of her reasoning, a cloud rose within her bosom 
 and spread like wildfire. Was it not strange that the dis- 
 covery of the owl's feathers, the betrayal of that dread 
 secret, almost coincided with Okoya's open relations with 
 the daughter of the man who, she felt sure, was at the 
 bottom of the accusation against her ? A ghastly suspicion 
 flashed up and soon became so vivid that no doubt could 
 arise, — her own son must accidentally have discovered the 
 fatal feathers ; he himself without intending any harm must 
 have mentioned them to the girl, perhaps even in the 
 presence of her mother. 
 
 Say became satisfied that she held the key to her be- 
 trayal. The riddle was solved. That solution dissipated 
 all hopes of salvation, for if her own son was to be witness 
 against her in the dreaded hour when the tribal council had 
 to determine for or against her guilt, there could be no 
 doubting his testimony. And Tyope would have that testi- 
 mony in any case, for if Okoya should deny, Okoya's own 
 betrothed might be brought face to face with him as a wit- 
 ness. Thus she reasoned in much less time than it can be 
 written, and these conclusions overwhelmed her to such a 
 degree that she turned away from her favourite child in 
 bitter passion, with the conviction that her son in whom 
 she had trusted was her destroying angel. She hid her face 
 from him in anger and grief. 
 
 Okoya noticed his mother's feelings. Her anger was 
 inexplicable to him, unless it meant disappointment in 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 159 
 
 relation to some of her own supposed dark designs. It 
 made him angrier still, for Say's bitterness against the 
 Koshare was in his opinion only feigned. Persuaded that 
 his mother was false to him, and that she was even har- 
 bouring evil designs, he rose abruptly and left the house 
 in silence. 
 
 He could no longer refuse to believe that she was plan- 
 ning his destruction. Otherwise, why did she oppose what to 
 him appeared the prelude to a happy future ? And why that 
 apparent duplicity on her part, — condemning the Koshare 
 to his face, and, as he thought, being in secret understand- 
 ing with them ? Only one explanation was reasonable, the 
 only one within reach of the Indian mind, — that Say Koitza 
 was in some connection with evil powers which she, for 
 some reason unknown to him, was courting for the purpose 
 of his destruction ; in other words, that Say Koitza, his own 
 mother, was a witch ! 
 
 Nothing more detestable or more dangerous than witch- 
 craft is conceivable to the Indian. To a young and un- 
 trained mind like Okoya's the thought of being exposed to 
 danger from such a source is crushing. The boy felt be- 
 wildered, dazed. He leaned against the wall of the great 
 house for support, staring at the huge cUffs without see- 
 ing them ; he looked at people passing to and fro with- 
 out taking any notice of their presence. He could not 
 even think any more, but merely felt, — felt unutterably 
 miserable. 
 
 If only he knew of somebody who might help him ! 
 This was his first thought after recovering strength and self- 
 control. Why not speak to Hayoue? The idea was like 
 the recollection of a happy dream, and indeed he had har- 
 boured it before. It roused him to such a degree that he 
 tore himself away from the wall against which he had leaned 
 as on a last staff, and straightening himself he walked de- 
 
I60 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 'iberately toward the upper end of the Rito, where the cave- 
 dwellings of the Water clan were situated. 
 \. Hayoue might be at home, still it was more than likely 
 hat the Don Juan of the Rito had been spending the last 
 night elsewhere. If at home, so much the better; if not, 
 there was nothing left but to wait until he came. The 
 prospect of waiting and resting was not an unpleasant one 
 for Okoya, who felt exhausted after the shock of disappoint- 
 ment and disgust he had just experienced. As he slowly 
 approached the recess wherein the grottoes of the Water 
 clan lay, he halted for a moment to catch breath, and just 
 then descried Shotaye, who was coming down toward him. 
 The woman had been quite a favourite of his ever since she 
 became so kind to his sick mother. Nevertheless he had 
 always felt afraid of her on account of her reputation as 
 a doubtful character. Now the sight of her made him 
 angry, for she was his mother's friend and a witch also ! 
 So he resumed his walk and passed her with a short, sulky 
 guatzena. Shotaye noticed his surly manner and looked 
 straight at him, returning the morose greeting with a loud 
 raua that sounded almost like a challenge. Then she went 
 on with a smile of scorn and amusement on her lips. She 
 was not afraid of the young fellow, for she attributed his 
 surly ways to sitting up late. 
 
 Okoya was glad to get out of the woman's reach, and 
 he did not stop until at the entrance to the caves which 
 Hayoue and his folk occupied. There was no necessity of 
 announcing himself; he merely lifted the curtain of raw- 
 hide that hung over the doorway, and peeped in. 
 
 His youthful uncle — so much he saw at a glance — was 
 not in. Another young gentleman of the tribe lay on the 
 floor beside the other members of the family. All were 
 sound asleep yet, and Okoya dropped the curtain quietly 
 and turned toward the brook. On its banks he selected a 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. l6l 
 
 spot where, unseen to others, he could look down the valley. 
 Here he threw himself on the ground to watch, and await 
 Hayoue's coming. 
 
 Although deeply anxious to meet his uncle, Okoya enter- 
 tained no thought of impatience. He had to wait, that was 
 all. Beside, his heart was so heavy, so full of grief and 
 despair, that not even his surroundings could divert him 
 from gloomy thoughts. The brook murmured and rustled 
 softly by his side, its waters looked clear and limpid ; he 
 neither heard nor saw them. He only longed to be alone, 
 completely alone, until his uncle should come. Okoya 
 had not performed his morning ablutions, but there was no 
 thought of them ; for he was in deep sorrow, and when the 
 Indian's heart is heavy he is very careful not to wash. 
 
 Flat on his stomach, with chin resting on both hands, 
 indiflferent to the peculiar scenery before him, he never- 
 theless scanned the cliffs as far as they were visible. The 
 grottoes of Tzitz hanutsh opened right in front of him; 
 lower down, the entrances of a few of the caves of Kohaio 
 hanutsh could be seen, for the rocks jutted out like tower- 
 ing pillars. They completely shut out from his gaze the 
 eastern cave-dweUings of Tzina hanutsh. Farther to the 
 east, the wall of cliffs swept around to the southeast, 
 showing the houses of the Eagle clan built against its base, 
 the caverns of Yakka hanutsh opening along a semicircle 
 terminating in a sharp point of massive rocks. In that 
 promontory the port-holes of some of the dwellings of the 
 Cottonwood people were visible. Beyond, all detail be- 
 came undistinguishable through the distance, for the north 
 side of the Rito turned into a dim yellowish wall crowned 
 by dark pine-timber. 
 
 Okoya lay there, scanning, watching every doorway back 
 and forth the whole length of the view ; hours went by ; 
 there were no signs of Hayoue. Yet Okoya did not rise in 
 
 II 
 
l62 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 anger and pace the ground with impatience, he did not 
 scratch his head or stamp, he did not even think of swear- 
 ing, — he simply waited. And his patient waiting proved 
 of comfort to him, for he gradually cooled off, and freed 
 from the effects of his violent impressions, began to think 
 what he could do. Nothing, absolutely nothing, at least 
 until he had seen Hayoue. To wait for the latter was a 
 necessity, if it took him the whole day. But to wait in the 
 same posture for hours was rather tiresome, so he rolled 
 over on his back, and folding his arms under his head began 
 to gaze on the skies. 
 
 Bright and cloudless as they had appeared at sunrise, a 
 change had come over them since which attracted even 
 Okoya's attention. Instead of the usual deep azure, the 
 heavens had assumed a dingy hue, and long white stream- 
 ers traversed 'them like arches. Had the boy looked in 
 the west he would have seen shredded clouds looming up 
 behind the mountains, a sure sign of approaching rain. 
 But he had become fascinated by what was directly 
 above him, and so he watched with increasing interest 
 the white arches overhead. Slowly, imperceptibly, they 
 pushed up, crossing the zenith and approaching the 
 eastern horizon, toward which the boy's face was turned. 
 And while they shifted they grew in width and density. 
 Delicate filaments appeared between and connected bow 
 with bow, gradually thickening, until the zenith was but 
 one vault of pale gray. The boy watched this process 
 with increased eagerness ; it caused him to forget his 
 troubles. He saw that rain — one of the great blessings 
 for which he and his people had so fervently prayed, 
 chanted, and danced yesterday — was coming on, and 
 his heart became glad. The spirits — the Shiuana — he 
 thought, were kindly disposed toward his people ; and 
 this caused him to wonder what the Shiuana might really 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 63 
 
 be, and why they acted so and so, and not otherwise. 
 The Shiuana, he had been taught, dwelt in the clouds, 
 and they were good; why, then, was it that from one 
 and the same cloud the beneficial rain descended, which 
 caused the food of mankind to grow, and also the de- 
 structive hail and the deadly thunderbolt ? ^ 
 
 A faint, muttering sound, deep and prolonged, struck 
 his ear. He started, for it was distant thunder. The 
 Shiuana, he beUeved, had read his thoughts, and they 
 remmded him that their doings were beyond the reach 
 of his mind. Turning away from the sights above, he 
 looked again down the valley. There, at last, came the 
 long-expected Hayoue, slowly, drowsily, like one who has 
 slept rather late than long. Hayoue, indeed, was so 
 sleepy yet that his nephew had to call him thrice. After 
 the third umo, however, he glanced around, saw Okoya 
 beckoning to him, and came down to the brook. Yawning 
 and rubbing his eyes he sat down, and Okoya said, — 
 
 " Satyumishe, I want to speak to you. Will you listen 
 to my speech ? " 
 
 Hayoue smiled good-naturedly, but looked rather in- 
 different or absent-minded as he replied, — 
 
 "I will; what is it about? Surely about Mitsha, your 
 girl. Well, she is good," he emphatically added; "but 
 Tyope is not good, not good," he exclaimed, looking up 
 with an expression of strong disgust and blowing through 
 his teeth. It was clear that the young man was no friend 
 to Tyope. 
 
 1 A clear definition of the Sliiuana is not easy to give. In a gen- 
 eral sense, they might be called the " spirits of the Fetiches." As 
 everything strange, unusual, or inexplicable is attributed to spiritual 
 origin, the numbers of the Shiuana are very great. Even the pictures 
 of the sun-father, of the moon-mother, etc., are Shiuana, in the sense 
 of their supposed spiritual connection with the deified beings they 
 represent 
 
1 64 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Okoya moved uneasily, and continued in a muffled tone 
 of voice, — 
 
 " You are not right, nashtio ; it is not concerning Mitsha 
 that I want to speak to you." 
 
 "About what else, then?" Hayoue looked up in sur- 
 prise, as if unable to comprehend how a boy of the age of 
 Okoya could think of anything else than of some girl. 
 
 His brother's son took from his neck the little satchel 
 containing sacred meal. Without a word he opened it, and 
 scattered the flour in the usual way to the six regions. Then 
 he pointed to the clouds and whispered, " The Shiuana are 
 good," at the same time handing the bag to his uncle. 
 The latter's astonishment had reached its maximum; the 
 boy's actions were utterly incomprehensible to him. 
 
 Again the sound of distant thunder vibrated from the 
 west, and the cliffs sighed in return. 
 
 "They are calling us," Okoya whispered. 
 
 Hayoue became suddenly very sober. He performed 
 the sacrifice in silence, and then assumed the position of 
 an earnest and attentive listener. 
 
 "Do you like the Koshare?" began Okoya, in a 
 whisper. 
 
 " No. But why do you ask this? " 
 
 " Because I don't hke them either.'' 
 
 " Is that all you had to tell me ? I could have told you 
 that in their own presence." Hayoue seemed to be disap- 
 pointed and vexed. 
 
 "That is not why I called you, umo," Okoya continued; 
 " it is because the Koshare know that I dislike them." 
 
 " What if they do know it." 
 
 " But they might harm me ! " 
 
 " They cannot. Otherwise I should have been harmed 
 by them long ago. But I don't care for them." 
 
 Okoya shook his head and muttered, — 
 
Indiar Pueblo Dances of To-day 
 
 (Upper picture) Lining up for the dance 
 
 (Lower picture) The "Clowns" 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 165 
 
 " I am afraid of the Koshare." 
 
 The other shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "I am not," he said. "Men can do harm with their 
 hands and with their weapons ; and against those you have 
 your fist and the shield. Those Above" — he pointed at 
 the skies — "can harm us; they can kill us. But men — 
 why, we can defend ourselves." 
 
 Okoya felt shocked at words which sounded to him like 
 sacrilegious talk. Timidly and morosely he objected, — 
 
 " Don't you know that there are witches ! " 
 
 " Witches ! There are no witches." 
 
 Again there was a mutter from the west, a hollow, solemn 
 warning ; and the cliffs responded with a plaintive moan. 
 Even incredulous Hayoue started, and Okoya sighed. 
 
 " I will tell you why I ask all this," said he, and he went 
 on to explain. Beginning with the incident provoked by 
 Shyuote, he confessed to the suspicions which it had aroused 
 in his mind, and laid the whole process of his reasoning 
 bare before his listener. His speech was picturesque, but 
 not consciously poetic ; for the Indian speaks like a child, 
 using figures of speech, not in order to embellish, but 
 because he lacks abstract terms and is compelled to bor- 
 row equivalents from comparisons with surrounding na- 
 ture. Hayoue listened attentively; occasionally, however, 
 he smiled. At last Okoya stopped and looked at his friend 
 in expectation. The latter cast at the boy a humorous 
 glance ; he felt manifestly amused by his talk. 
 
 " Motatza," he began, " in what you have told me there 
 is not more substance than in the clouds above, when the 
 Shiuana do not dwell in them. It is colour, white colour. 
 It is nothing. You have been painting; the picture is 
 done, but no spirit is there. Shyuote is a lazy, idle brat ; he 
 shirks work ; but when you say to him, Sit down and eat, 
 then he all at once becomes active. In this way he sneaks 
 
I66 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 around from house to house. He may have overheard 
 something said about you and your ways, he may even have 
 surprised the Koshare while talking among themselves. 
 But it is quite as likely that the toad has invented the 
 whole story just in order to anger you, for he always finds 
 time to sneak, to lounge, and to hatch lies, the lazy, good- 
 for-nothing eavesdropper ! I tell you what it is, that boy 
 is fit for nothing but a Koshare, and a real good one will 
 he become." 
 
 " But," Okoya rejoined, " if the Delight Makers have 
 spoken about the yaya and me, there must be some cause 
 for it." 
 
 " Don't you know that these shutzuna always find some 
 occasion for gossip?" Hayoue cried. "Don't they run 
 into every house? Don't their women stick their noses 
 into every bowl, in order to find out what the people cook 
 and eat ? Rest easy, satyumishe, your mother is good, she 
 has nothing in common with the Koshare." 
 
 " But is not the nashtio one of them ? Your brother, my 
 father? Is he like the rest of them?" 
 
 Hayoue replied, assuming an important mien, — 
 
 " It is true that brother is, and I don't like it ; but we 
 can't change it. It was so ordained long ago, for my father 
 himself was Koshare. Beside, let me tell you that not all 
 that the Koshare do is wrong. If there were no Koshare, it 
 would not be good for the people. They must see that 
 Those Above assist us when the com ripens, and inasmuch 
 as they perform their duties, they are necessary to us. It 
 is also well that they should bring joy and mirth among 
 the tribe, but " — he raised his hand and his eyes flashed — 
 " they must not go beyond their duty. Their leader shall 
 not presume to be more than the Hotshanyi, who has to 
 suffer and bear for our sake and for our good. They shall 
 do their duty and no more. It is not their duty to make 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 6/ 
 
 people believe that they are wiser than the chayani and to 
 induce the people to give them bowl after bowl full of 
 meal, feathers, shells, and whatever else may be good and 
 precious. For it is not to the Koshare as a body that all 
 these things are distributed ; it is only their naua who gets 
 them, and through him his hanutsh, at the expense of all 
 the other clans. Neither shall the Koshare alone enjoy our 
 makatza, pretending that it pleases Those Above ! " 
 
 It thundered again, louder and longer than before. 
 Hayoue stopped, and then went on. 
 
 " Zashue fails to see all this. He is Koshare, and follows 
 in the tracks of the others like a blind man. But we, the 
 Cuirana, — we see it. I am not a principal, I cannot sit in 
 council and speak, but withal I have noticed these doings 
 for a long time. I tell you, motatza, that if the DeUght 
 Makers, the old fiend who rules them, and Tyope are not 
 restrained very soon, there will be sorrow in the tribe ; the 
 people will become weak because they will be discontented, 
 and finally the Moshome may come and destroy us all." 
 
 " But if the Koshare are so powerful," retorted Okoya, 
 "must I not be on my guard?" 
 
 " With some of them, to be sure. Beware of Tyope and 
 of the old rogue ; they are base and dangerous men. Avoid 
 Shtiranyi, avoid Ture Tihua, Pesana, and the like of them. 
 But your father, Zashue, and Shiape, your grandfather's 
 brother, — do you believe they would forsake you ? Mind, 
 boy, even if the Koshare be against you, you are not lost. 
 There is your umo, Topanashka, and he has great weight with 
 the old men, with the council, and with the people. There 
 is your clan, Tanyi, and in fine I and my people are here 
 too." He uttered these words proudly, looking at his 
 nephew encouragingly. But Okoya was not fully reas- 
 sured ; his doubts were not removed. There was one thing 
 yet that he held in reserve for the last, and that was his 
 
l68 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 dread of witchcraft and the suspicion that such a danger 
 threatened him from his own mother. He resolved to tell 
 his friend all, including the scene of the morning and the 
 conclusions he had drawn from it. 
 
 " Hayoue," said he, " you are good and wise, much 
 wiser than I ; still, Usten to me once more." 
 
 Louder and nearer sounded the thunder. Hayoue bent 
 over toward Okoya, a close, attentive, sympathizing listener. 
 The young man related everything, — his relations with 
 Mitsha, how he had quarrelled with his mother, and the 
 conclusions at which he had arrived touching his mother's 
 evil designs and practices. At this point Hayoue began to 
 laugh, and laughed till he coughed. 
 
 " And you really believe this ! " he cried. But at once he 
 grew very serious and even stem. " Motatza, it is not right 
 in you to think thus of your mother. Say Koitza is good ; 
 she is better than most women at the Tyuonyi, far too good 
 for my brother Zashue, and better than I or you. I know 
 her well, and even if there should be witches, which I do 
 not believe — " 
 
 A loud thunderpeal caused the mountains to tremble. 
 Hayoue started, shook his head, and muttered, — 
 
 "They call loudly. It may be that there are witches. 
 At all events" — he raised his voice again — "if there are 
 such women, your mother does not belong to them. It is not 
 right, brother, for you to think such things of your mother. 
 You have done her a great wrong, for I tell you again she is 
 good and she is your best friend. Where do you belong? 
 Whose blood is yours ? Is it your father's ? Are the Water 
 people your people? No, Tanyi is your hanutsh. Your 
 mother's clan are your kindred. Mind, satyumishe, our 
 life is ia our blood, and it is the blood of her who gave you 
 hfe that flows in your veins. When you say aught against 
 your mother, you tarnish your own life." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 69 
 
 "But why does she not want me to go with Mitsha?" 
 Okoya asked, and pouted. 
 
 " Don't you see why, satyumishe ? Don't you understand 
 it ? Say knows Tyope ; she mistrusts him and is even afraid 
 of him. Mitsha is a good girl, and your mother has noth- 
 ing against her ; but she is her mother's daughter, and that 
 mother is Tyope's wife. If Mitsha becomes your wife you 
 will go and live with her, until Tyame hanutsh has a house 
 ready for Mitsha. You will even have to stay at the home 
 of Tyope's wife. Now I cannot say that Hannay, the wife 
 of Tyope, is really bad ; she is not nearly as bad as he, but 
 then Hannay is silly and allows him to make her his tool. 
 Everything that concerns her clan — things that he of course 
 is not entitled to know — she tattles to him ; and she tells him 
 everything else that she sees, hears, or imagines. I know it 
 to be so. Now, your mother is afraid lest through Mitsha's 
 mother, first Mitsha, afterward through her you, might be- 
 come entangled in the coils of that sand-viper Tyope. For I 
 tell you, motatza," — his eyes flashed, and he shook his 
 clenched fist toward the houses of the Eagle clan, — " that 
 man is a bad man ; he is bad from head to foot, and he 
 thinks of nothing but injury to others for the sake of his 
 own benefit." 
 
 " But what has Tyope done ? How do you know that he 
 is such a bad man ? " 
 
 " That's just it. He never acts openly. Like the badger, 
 after which he is named, he burrows and burrows in dark- 
 ness and covers up his ways ; and when the earth caves in 
 beneath those who walk over his trap and they fall, he is 
 already far away, and looks as innocent and bland as a 
 badger on top of the ground. But if you follow him, then 
 he will turn around and snap at you, like a real tyope. 
 Your mother is right in fearing him ; perhaps not so much 
 on her account as for your sake. You and Mitsha are both 
 
I/O THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 very young, and that man knows how to entrap such little 
 rabbits." 
 
 Okoya could not deny the truth of his uncle's speech. 
 He felt that he had wronged his mother, had misinterpreted 
 her motives ; and now he was ashamed of himself. Never- 
 theless Indian nature is exceedingly wary and suspicious in 
 all important matters, and it struck him that Hayoue was 
 trying to dissuade him from his project of union with 
 Mitsha. Knowing the propensities of his gallant uncle in 
 the matter of women, he began to suspect that the latter 
 might wish to estrange him from the girl or frighten him 
 ofT in order to step into his shoes. So he assumed an air 
 of quiet indifference and said, — 
 
 " I think it is better, after all, not to see Mitsha any 
 more." With this he attempted to rise ; but Hayoue held 
 him back, and spoke very earnestly, — 
 
 " No ; it would not be well. You are fit for each other, 
 and you must come together. I will help you all I can." 
 
 " Can you help me ? " Okoya exclaimed, delightfiilly 
 surprised. 
 
 " Perhaps I can, perhaps not. I will talk to your mother 
 and get her to be in your favour ; but there is one thing you 
 must promise me faithfully, and that is to be very, very 
 careful. When you go to the house of Tyope's wife and 
 you are asked about anything, say nothing ; reveal nothing 
 in regard to matters of our clans but what you might shout 
 over the housetops with perfect impunity. Otherwise " — 
 and his voice sounded like an impressive warning — " you 
 may do great injury to the tribe." 
 
 " But if Mitsha herself inquires of me ? " 
 
 " You must be wise, brother, wiser than she is ; for wo- 
 men are seldom wise, — only forward, curious, and inquisi- 
 tive. Wisdom " — and the dandy of the Rito shrugged his 
 shoulders — "is a gift to man, never to woman. When 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. \^\ 
 
 you and Mitsha are together alone, be wise. Don't ask her 
 anything that does not concern you ; and if she begins to 
 pry into your matters, you will have a right to say to her, 
 ' I don't pry into your affairs, so don't ask me about those 
 of my people.' I am sure that she will let you alone there- 
 after, for Mitsha is a good girl. Nevertheless, be careful, 
 for it is as certain as that the brook runs through here that 
 they will attempt to draw you out. Tyope will say to his 
 wife, ' Find out this or that from him.' He may even teU 
 her why he wants to know it. The woman goes to her 
 daughter, and bids her ask the boy about such and such a 
 thing. But she is careful not to let out why, and that 
 Tyope is at the bottom of the inquiry. The girl suspects 
 nothing wrong and asks you, and you tell her all you know. 
 In this manner precious things get httle by little into evil 
 hands, and the end of it is evil. If you will promise me 
 that you will be very cautious, I will speak to Say Koitza 
 such words that she will feel glad to see you and Mitsha 
 become one." 
 
 Okoya seized the hand of his friend, breathed on it, then 
 clasped it with both hands, lifting it up to heaven. He 
 could not utter a word ; joy and hope deprived him of the 
 power of speech. Hayoue suffered him to go through this 
 ceremony ; he also felt glad. 
 
 The storm was drawing nearer; dense clouds hovered 
 over the Rito, but they did not notice them. Louder and 
 louder the thunders rolled, and in quicker succession came 
 the peals ; they heeded not. From the heights in the west 
 there was a sound of gushing rain ; they paid no attention 
 to it. 
 
 Hayoue spoke again, — 
 
 "Something I have yet to tell you. Although Mitsha 
 may Uke you, and even if her mother be in your favour, — 
 perhaps as much for her own sake as on her daughter's 
 
172 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 account," he added, with a scornful smile, — " it is by no 
 means certain that Tyope will give his consent. If you 
 become his tool, if you let him wield you as a hand wields 
 flint or stone, then he will be in your favour ; if not, he will 
 not be. He knows very well how precious Mitsha is, and 
 with the aid of her mother and of that mother's clan he 
 hopes to sell his pretty girl to his own best advantage. Un- 
 less you are willing to let him use you to grind his com as 
 a woman grinds it on the yanyi, you have no chance ; he 
 will barter away Mitsha to a Navajo, if thereby he reaches 
 his ends." 
 
 Okoya started, horrified. "Is Tyope as bad as that?" 
 he asked. 
 
 "Do you recollect Naca5rtzusle, the savage stranger 
 boy?" Hayoue inquired in return. 
 
 " I do ; but he has left us." 
 
 " It . does not matter ; for to that wild wolf he would 
 rather give Mitsha than let her be your wife. There is no 
 danger of my obtaining her," he added, with a grim smile, 
 " for he hates me like a water-mole. True it is that I, too, 
 detest him as I do a spider." 
 
 Okoya felt bewildered. 
 
 " Why should he give Mitsha to a Moshome ? " he tim- 
 idly inquired. "What would he gain by it?" 
 
 " I don't know ; and nobody knows, except perhaps the 
 young Navajo, that fiend. But sure it is, and it bodes no 
 good for us at the Tyuonyi." 
 
 A violent crash of thunder was followed by a few drops 
 of rain. Hayoue looked up and said, — 
 
 " Kaatsh is coming ; let us go." 
 
 Both rose and walked toward the caves for shelter. On 
 the high mesa above, the wind roared through the timber ; 
 in the valley, it was yet quiet. Lightning flashed through 
 the clouds. Hayoue stood still, grasped the arm of his 
 companion, and pointed at the southern heights. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1/3 
 
 "If you ever go up there," he warned, "be very careful." 
 Okoya failed to understand, and only stared. 
 
 " Be careful," the other insisted, " and if possible never 
 go alone." He turned, and Okoya followed. What he had 
 heard and learned went beyond his comprehension. 
 
 Ere they could reach the caves a fiery dart shot from the 
 clouds that shrouded the mountain-crests ; it sped across the 
 sky and buried itself in the forest above the Rito. A clink- 
 ing and crackling followed, as if a mass of scoria were shat- 
 tered, then a deafening peal shook the chffs to the very 
 foundations. A strong gust of wind swept down the gorge. 
 It caused the tall pines to shake, and the shrubbery surged 
 in the blast. In the nooks and angles of the cliffs the wind 
 whirled, raising clouds of dust and sand. Raindrops began 
 to fall, large and sparse at first, afterward smaller but thick 
 and fast. The first rain of the season poured down upon 
 the Rito de los Frijoles. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Shotaye had taken no part in the great dance, and no 
 one had missed her. It was known that whenever the 
 Koshare appeared in pubhc she was certain to stay at 
 home. In point of fact she seldom left her cell, unless it 
 was to ascend one of the mesas for the purpose of gathering 
 medicinal heros. Shotaye enjoyed the reputation of being 
 a strange and even mysterious being; and so long as her 
 services were not absolutely required, nobody cared to in- 
 trude upon her. Nevertheless, she often received visitors 
 of the male sex. She despised men most thoroughly, but 
 accepted their attentions if profitable. 
 
 On the day following the ayash tyucotz Shotaye left her 
 cave in quest of vegetable medicaments. We have seen 
 how she met Okoya, and how they greeted one another. 
 The boy's sullen manner amused her; she attributed his 
 morose ways to the effects of an over-lively night. Onward 
 she went, down to the edge of the brook, then turned to 
 the right up the course of the streamlet. That the skies 
 threatened to become overcast and that rain might over- 
 take her during the day mattered little. Whenever the 
 Indian is bent upon the performance of some task, sunshine 
 or rain, moonlight or snow, are matters of indifference. 
 Shotaye strolled on regardless of things above or below. 
 People were of as little interest to her as the clouds. The 
 latter could do her errand no harm, and that errand every- 
 body might know if they chose to follow her. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. l^% 
 
 Wandering up the gorge of the Rito and along its north- 
 em limit, the woman soon reached the upper part, where 
 the cliffs crowd the water's edge, where the southern slopes 
 become more rugged and the valley terminates. There a 
 series of gigantic steps, formed by high and beetling rocks, 
 closes the Rito to the west. Down that mass of ledges the 
 brook trickles from its source, and a trail, formerly much 
 used by the Navajos on their raids, creeps up, meandering 
 over and between crags, ledges, and shelves of bare rock. 
 This trail was seldom trodden at that time, and then only 
 by armed men, for it was regarded as dangerous. Not- 
 withstanding the proximity of the settlement at the Rito, 
 the Navajos — Dinne, or Moshome — lurked here quite 
 often, and many an unfortunate had lost his life while 
 ascending the trail alone. 
 
 Shotaye was therefore travelling an exceedingly hazardous 
 road, but she did not think of danger. Many a time be- 
 fore had she clambered up and down this rocky labyrinth, 
 and while the Dinne fairly swarmed, nothing had ever 
 happened to her. It is true that she was exceedingly wary, 
 and had in her innumerable excursions gathered quite as 
 much knowledge of the tricks of war as the most experi- 
 enced scout, SO; that she felt almost intuitively the approach 
 of danger. She had gradually become imbued with the 
 idea that she was invulnerable. To-day, therefore, she 
 moved along this dangerous trail with the greatest appar- 
 ent nonchalance. Furthermore her thoughts so completely 
 absorbed her that while ascending from the level of the 
 Rito she unconsciously went on thinking of nothing else 
 but of what Say Koitza had told her in the cave, and of 
 the plans for relief which she had begun to devise, or at 
 least to revolve in her mind. 
 
 The trail is not only rough and long, it is very steep in 
 places ; and the woman stopped for rest, sitting on a ledge 
 
1/6 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 of rocks. Below her the vale was no longer visible ; a dark 
 chasm yawned at her feet ; out of it the cliffs of the Tyuonyi 
 rose like the heads of giants. 
 
 One more difficult stretch had to be overcome before 
 Shotaye could reach the timber crowning the plateau on the 
 northern cliffs of the Rito. Massive benches or ledges, 
 abrupt and high, seemed to render farther ascent impracti- 
 cable. But Shotaye kept on after a short stop without the 
 slightest hesitation. The trail wound its way upward. It 
 crept from rocky step to rocky step, led her from crags to 
 narrow bands skirting dizzy cliffs, until she came to a level 
 where the timber of the northern mesa was easily reached. 
 Once in the shade of pines she looked around ; the original 
 object of her expedition returned to her mind, and she 
 scanned with particular care the underbrush in hope of find- 
 ing there the herbs on which she based the efficacy of her 
 cures. It thundered audibly, but that was nothing to her. 
 
 There, close to a juniper-bush, grew one of the coveted 
 plants. She went to it, knelt down, and began to pull it up 
 by the roots. 
 
 Suddenly she felt both of her upper arms seized with 
 irresistible power. Her body was jerked backward. Ere 
 she could think of resistance, she was lying on the ground. 
 Not a shriek, however, escaped her mouth, for although 
 surprised, the woman had presence of mind enough to 
 think that either Tyope or some Navajo must have attacked 
 her. In either case it was useless to scream, for in either 
 case she was lost. As soon however as she was able to 
 glance at her captor her worst fears were dispelled. 
 
 The man, or being, whatever he might be, loosened 
 his grip and stood erect. He looked down into her face 
 and grinned. That grin did not in the least beautify his 
 already horrible features. The creature was indeed a man, 
 but so disfigured by paint and accoutrements that any one 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 77 
 
 unaccustomed to the appearance of Indian warriors in full 
 dress must necessarily have taken him for some fiend or 
 demon from the nether world. He was of robust build, 
 his muscular chest was naked to the waist, a kilt of deer- 
 hide covered his thighs, and his feet rested on small hoops 
 laid horizontally and tied to them like sandals. Face and 
 body were painted with a black metaUic powder; under 
 each eye there was a red dash. Out of this sinister face 
 the eyes gleamed like living coals ; and the smile, though 
 intended for a friendly token, appeared more like a beastly 
 leer. A close-fitting cap covered the skuU to the ears, giv- 
 ing it the appearance of ghastly baldness. From under 
 this protection coarse locks of black hair protruded. 
 
 Shotaye looked up at the monster, and, strange to say, 
 returned his horrid grin with a smile and with encourag- 
 ing winks. But the man did not move ; he only let go her 
 arms. So she rose. Thereupon he touched her right 
 arm with his left hand, pointed at himself with the right, 
 and uttered in a strange dialect, " Tehua." Afterward he 
 pointed at her, adding, " tema quio," and accompanied 
 these words by most significant gestures. 
 
 Shotaye did not understand the language, but the signs 
 were clear to her. 
 
 " Koitza," she replied, imitating his motions ; " Tehua 
 hachshtze ; " and with a wink, " amoshko." 
 
 The Indian shook his head ; he dropped the arm of the 
 woman, made with both hands the motion of stringing a 
 bow, and exclaimed, — 
 
 "Uan save." Grasping the war-club that hung from his 
 wrist he struck two or three blows with it at random, re- 
 peated the words " uan save," and looked askance. 
 
 This was beyond Shotaye's powers of comprehension. 
 She again pointed at herself, saying, — 
 
 "Tyuonyi koitza," then in the direction of the Rito, 
 
178 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 made the gesture-sign for killing, and looked at the stranger 
 inquiringly and with an anxious face. 
 
 Now the Indian understood her. His eyes sparkled ; he 
 shook his head emphatically, uttering, — 
 
 " Nyo nyo tema, uan save, uan save ; " at the same time 
 he pointed to the west and brandished his war-club. 
 
 It became clear to the woman that the warrior was 
 on an expedition against the Navajos, and not after the 
 scalps of her own people ; but it was equally plain to her 
 that, being on the war-path, any kind of enjoyment was 
 prohibited to him. This was a disappointment, and the 
 strange dialogue came therefore to a stand-still. Each 
 eyed the other in silence. All at once the stranger 
 stepped up to her, and extending his arms to the west, 
 asked, — 
 
 " Uan save ? " 
 
 She shrugged her shoulders in silence. 
 
 " Quio," he said now, and grasped her hand ; " tupoge," 
 pointing toward the Rito. " Quio," he beckoned her to 
 go with him. " Puye," waving his hand to the north. 
 Lastly he grinned and whispered, "cuinda? " 
 
 There was no possibility of misunderstanding the smile 
 and the motions, although the words, of course, were be- 
 yond Shotaye's comprehension. In return she pointed to 
 the west again, made the conventional sign for night and 
 sleep, and began to count her fingers. As she bent the 
 eighth digit the Tehua stopped her, held up every finger 
 of the right hand and three of the left, described, as if 
 in confirmation eight times, an arch from east to west, 
 and concluded by pointing to the north, exclaiming very 
 emphatically, — 
 
 " Puye ! " He looked at her and laughed aloud, as the 
 Indian does when he feels delighted, pressed both hands 
 against his chest, and uttered proudly, — 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 179 
 
 " Cayamo." 
 
 " Shotaye," she eagerly replied. 
 
 The black-painted hero burst out in immoderate laughter. 
 
 " Shotaye, Shotaye," he repeated, caught hold of one of 
 her hands, caressed his chest with it, and danced about 
 merrily, exclaiming, — 
 
 " Cuindae, Cayamo, cuindae, Shotaye, cuinda ! " He 
 counted the number eight several times, and then suddenly 
 bent down. One of his sandals had become loose. 
 
 These sandals consisted, as mentioned before, of wooden 
 hoops covered by strips of rabbit-skin and tied to the 
 naked foot with bands of the same material. The wearer 
 stood on them as on wheels lying flat on the ground ; he 
 was able to walk and even to run at a moderate speed, 
 and the prints which he made, being circular, gave a 
 pursuing enemy no clew to the direction of his going or 
 coming. 
 
 While the man was stooping and fastening the leather 
 thongs, Shotaye scanned his appearance thoroughly. She 
 perceived on his back, aside from a bow and the usual 
 quiver filled with war-arrows, a shield. The painting on 
 that shield she examined with particular care. The tar- 
 get was painted white, with a black rim ; and in the centre 
 was a green crescent, with four red crosses. Such figures 
 have no heraldic signification ; they are but the creation of 
 fancy or taste, and recall the designs of the ancient Teu- 
 tons which Tacitus describes, " Scuta tantum lectissimis 
 coloribus distinguunt." 
 
 Shotaye evidently took an interest in the stranger. He, 
 on the other hand, looked up to her from time to time 
 with a terrific grin that was intended for a sweet smUe. 
 As often as he turned his face toward her she sought to 
 decipher his real features, which the war-paint rendered 
 utterly unrecognizable. 
 
l8o THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 At last the sandal was fastened again, and the Tehua 
 stood erect. He waved his hand to the west and north, 
 repeated the words, " Cayamo, cuinda," and placed a finger 
 on his lips. She nodded, raised eight fingers, softly uttered 
 " raua, raua, Shotaye," and pointed to the north also. There- 
 upon he moved away stealthily ; but before disappearing in 
 the timber, he turned around once more and waved his hand 
 northward. The woman replied with afl&rmative nods, and 
 after his form had disappeared she also turned to go. Her 
 eyes sparkled ; a gleam of intense satisfaction illumined her 
 features, as with head erect and heedless of the plants she 
 had come to gather, she penetrated deeper into the forest. 
 She now went due east, in a direction opposite to the one 
 the Tehua had taken. 
 
 This had been a very remarkable meeting indeed. 
 More than ever, Shotaye believed that she was invulnera- 
 ble. The Queres of the Rito and the Tehuas, living north 
 of them on the other side of savage mountain-fastnesses, and 
 more than a day's journey distant, were not always on the 
 best of terms. There was no regular intercourse between 
 the tribes, for the speech of one differed from that of the 
 other. Barter and traffic took place at long intervals ; but as 
 not a soul at the Tyuonyi spoke Tehua, and no one at the 
 Puye understood Queres, such attempts at commercial inter- 
 course usually terminated in a fracas, in bloodshed even, and 
 the party offended sought to make things even afterward by 
 waylaying and murdering such of the other side as might 
 chance to wander in the neighbourhood of their abodes. 
 Actual warfare had taken place between the tribes within 
 the time of Shotaye's recollection, and engagements were 
 fought; one party got worsted and ran home, the other 
 went home, too, and that settled the matter for the time 
 being. It was, therefore, not at all safe for an Indian from 
 the Rito to meet one from the Puye, and vice versa. Women 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. l8l 
 
 made an exception, inasmuch as they were exposed only to 
 capture and adoption in the tribe to which their captors be- 
 longed. Such compulsory adoption was rendered very easy 
 by the fact that nearly the same clans existed among all the 
 Pueblos. But the Eagle clan, for instance, which the Queres 
 called Tyame hanutsh in their dialect, bore in the Tehua 
 language the name of Tzedoa. 
 
 As soon as Shotaye saw into whose hands she had fallen, 
 she felt completely reassured. Even if she were carried off 
 a prisoner, it was no misfortune. When, moreover, she dis- 
 covered that the stranger had not even such an object in 
 view, but was after the scalp of some Navajo, she experienced 
 a feeling of delight. When at last the Indian readily under- 
 stood her suggestions, and went so far as to indicate a day 
 when she should come to him at the Puye, her gladness 
 knew no bounds. In the accidental meeting, all her hopes 
 for relief had been realized. She was now able to save 
 herself by flight to the other tribe, but enough time was left 
 her to provide for the safety of her companion in peril. 
 
 She had no hope or thought of becoming the wife of her 
 new acquaintance. He was probably married ; but marriage, 
 as we have seen, was no obstacle to temporary outside friend- 
 ships. She could take refuge at the Puye without hesitation, 
 and claim the protection of her warrior. In case she after- 
 ward felt like tying herself to one man only, there was no 
 doubt in her mind that a domestic animal of the genus hus- 
 band could easily be found. How often could she have been 
 married at the Rito, had the men not looked upon her as a 
 witch ! 
 
 The friend whom she had now secured among the Tehuas 
 called himself Cayamo. Thus much she had guessed, and 
 guessed rightly. But would she be able to recognize him 
 after his face was washed and the military undress ex- 
 changed for that of civil hfe ? Never mind, she had noted 
 
1 82 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 the paintings on his shield, and that was enough. There 
 are no two shields alike in one village ; and by uttering the 
 name Cayamo and describing the white escutcheon with a 
 green crescent and four red crosses — a thing easy for Indian 
 sign-language — she could not fail to identify him. That 
 Cayamo would recognize her and acknowledge her ac- 
 quaintance she did not doubt for a moment. She even 
 hoped to meet him half way on the trail to the village of his 
 tribe, provided the Navajos did not kill the hero. While 
 she sincerely hoped that he would return safe and in pos- 
 session of many scalps, there was still a possibility of his own 
 scalp being taken by the enemy. The Navajos were very 
 cunning, and their arrows were tipped with very sharp flint. 
 With all her feelings for her knight, and the reliance she 
 placed on his broad shoulders, heavy neck, strong arms, 
 and well-turned legs, accidents remained possible. In case 
 Cayamo should never return to his native village, what 
 then? Well, he was not the only man among the Tehuas, 
 and that consoled her. 
 
 There seemed to be but one dark point in the otherwise 
 bright outlook. Would she have time to put her plans in 
 execution? Would the Koshare, would Tyope, leave her 
 sufi&cient respite ? Things might have taken place during 
 and after the dance that changed the face of matters and 
 precipitated them beyond remedy. In case, for instance, 
 that the Delight Makers had overturned Say's household as 
 they were wont to overturn others, and had discovered the 
 feathers, was not all hope gone ? Shotaye suddenly recol- 
 lected how Okoya had greeted her that morning, — how surly 
 his glance, how gruff and unfriendly his call. Was that sig- 
 nificant ? Still, if the secret had been disclosed, there would 
 surely have been some noise about it the night before. On 
 the other hand, it might be that the council had the case in 
 hand and preferred not to make anything public for the 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 83 
 
 present. What if the council were in deUberation at 
 the very moment, discussing her fate and that of her ac- 
 complice? Would it not be safer, instead of returning to 
 the Rito, to follow the tracks of her new friend, Cayamo, 
 and join him on his dangerous errand? 
 
 Yes, it would have been safer, provided Cayamo would 
 have tolerated the companionship of a woman. But this he 
 was not allowed to enjoy, and furthermore, what would then 
 become of that accomplice of hers? The latter thought 
 staggered her. 
 
 Shotaye was a very strange woman. She was heart- 
 less, cold-blooded, merciless, remorseless, in everything that 
 concerned her relations to others. One person only she 
 excepted in her selfish calculations, and that was her ac- 
 complice and victim. Say Koitza. Happen what might, she 
 could not forsake Say. She must at all hazards go back 
 to the T)monyi, call at her house, and find out from her 
 whether or not anything had occurred that might jeopardize 
 her plans and designs. In case matters were unchanged, 
 she intended to tell her friend the occurrence of the day, 
 giving her at the same time directions for the fiiture. 
 
 Shotaye quickened her step, for the road was long. It 
 was not advisable to return by the trail she had taken in 
 coming, for she needed a pretext for running into the abode 
 of Say Koitza as if by chance. At last she noticed the 
 change in the weather and the approaching shower, and 
 thought it a good plan to regulate her gait so as to reach 
 the valley and the big house when the storm broke. She 
 might then seek shelter under her friend's roof and avoid 
 suspicion. 
 
 Crashing thunder roared in the high Sierra, and as Sho- 
 taye looked around she saw the rain- streaks that swept 
 down on the mesas in advance of the shower. The Sierra 
 de la Jara had vanished in the clouds, and gray fleeces 
 
1 84 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 whirled about the flanks of the Sierra de San Miguel. She 
 stood on the brink above the eastern end of the Rito, and be- 
 gan to descend over boulders and crags, and through bushes. 
 Only a part of the valley was visible j in the corn-fields not 
 a living soul appeared. Faster and faster Shotaye ran, re- 
 gardless of rocks and shrubbery. The western mountains 
 were completely shrouded, lightning tore the clouds, thunder 
 bellowed nearer and stronger. At last she reached the 
 bottom and turned toward the houses, panting, perspiring, 
 but untired. As she passed the new house of the Com 
 clan, the first angry blast of the storm met her, and she had 
 to stop. It filled her with lively satisfaction, however, to 
 see how accurately she had regulated her movements. She 
 might get into the big house almost unnoticed, for the rain 
 began to fall. 
 
 At the moment when Hayoue and Okoya found shelter 
 in the caves of the Water clan, Shotaye dashed through 
 the gangway of the building. A tremendous shower was 
 falling, and as soon as she entered the coiut she was 
 drenched from head to foot, to the great delight of those 
 who, well protected themselves, were standing in the door- 
 ways of their quarters. One single voice called to her 
 to come in, but she took no notice of it. Blinded by the 
 torrents of falling water, she groped her way along the walls, 
 and finally stumbled into the open door of Say Koitza's 
 home. Not a single thread of her scanty clothing was dry ; 
 her hair, soaked and dripping, clung to her forehead and 
 cheeks as if glued to the skin ; water filled her eyes, nos- 
 trils, and ears. She removed the hair from her brow, shook 
 herself, coughed, sneezed, and looked around. The room 
 was empty, but in the inner cell a fire crackled on the 
 hearth ; and Say came out. At the sight of her friend she 
 burst into a hearty laugh, and asked, — 
 
 " Where do you come from ? " 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 85 
 
 "Tziro kauash." Shotaye coughed, then in a whisper 
 she inquired, — 
 
 " Are you alone ? " 
 
 Say's brow clouded, and a deadly pang seized her. What 
 meant this query, this call so unusual, so mysterious ? In a 
 low, hollow tone she replied, — 
 
 " We are alone," and turned back into the kitchen. Her 
 friend's question sounded like a prelude to dismal tidings. 
 
 Both women squatted close to the fire. Not a word was 
 spoken. The new-comer was busy drying herself, and the 
 mistress of the house was struck by her rather cheerful 
 looks. Possibly her sad presentiment was wrong. It was 
 almost impossible to talk, except in a very loud tone; for the 
 rain fairly roared, peals of thunder followed each other in 
 quick succession, flashes of yellow lightning quivered outside 
 of the little port-hole. The room itself was very dark. 
 
 How often had the two women sat here years ago in 
 anxious doubt, but hopeful at last ! How often had Say 
 Koitza complained to her friend on this very spot, — com- 
 plained of her illness, of the sad outlook before her ; and 
 when she began to recuperate how often she told Shotaye 
 about her plans for the future. Now that fiiture had come, 
 and in what shape ! 
 
 The roaring outside diminished gradually, the thunder 
 sounded more remote. Through the roof of mud and 
 brush rivulets of water began to burst, forming little pud- 
 dles on the mud floor and dripping on the heads of the 
 two women. Shotaye took no notice of it, but Say moved 
 to avoid the moisture. The roof seemed a sieve, the floor 
 became a lagune. 
 
 Shotaye inquired, — 
 
 " Have the Koshare been here? " 
 
 "They have," the other said, "and they turned every- 
 thing upside down, but found nothing." 
 
1 86 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Shotaye drew a long breath, exclaiming, — 
 
 " Then everything is right, all right ; and you are safe ! " 
 
 But the wife of Zashue Tihua shook her head mournfully. 
 " No, sa tao," she replied, " it cannot save me. I am lost, 
 lost beyond hope." 
 
 " Rest easy, sister. Believe me," the medicine-woman 
 assured her, " you are saved ; they can do you no harm." 
 
 It rained softly in the court-yard ; inside of the room it 
 went on, pat, pat, pat, pat, dripping through the ceiUng. 
 
 Shotaye resumed the conversation. 
 
 " Speak, sa tao," she said ; " speak, and tell me what you 
 think. Why is it that you still believe that bad men will be 
 able to do you harm ? Don't you know, sister, that you are 
 safe from them now, and that they cannot injure you any 
 more ? " 
 
 Say Koitza shook her head gloomily and replied, pointing 
 to her ear and eye, — 
 
 " Sanaya, what the ear hears and the eye sees, the heart 
 must fain believe." 
 
 " Then speak to me ; tell me, sa uishe, what it is that 
 your ear has heard, your eye has seen, that makes your 
 heart so sad." The woman spoke softly, entreatingly, 
 as if she was soothing a sick child. But the object of her 
 sympathy sighed, and continued, in the same tone of utter 
 despondency, — 
 
 " Sister, had you been present at the ayash tjoicotz, when 
 all the people danced and sang, your eyes would have seen 
 what the heart could not approve. I saw my son Okoya 
 Tihua, the chUd of Tanyi hanutsh, dancing beside Mitsha 
 Koitza, the girl from Tyame ; and she is the daughter of our 
 6ase enemy." 
 
 "Is that all that causes you trouble, koya?" Shotaye 
 very placidly asked. 
 
 "Listen to me further, yaya," Say entreated. "This 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 8/ 
 
 morning I took the boy to task for it, and then I found out 
 that Mitsha is near to him, — nearer than his own mother. 
 I discovered that he goes to see her, and thus gets to the 
 house of the woman of whom they say that she is Tyope's 
 ear and eye, tongue and mouth. What do you say to that, 
 sa tao ? " 
 
 Shotaye smiled. " Have you ever spoken to Mitsha?" 
 
 " Never ! " exclaimed Say. " How could I speak to one 
 whose mother is a sand-viper, and whose father a carrion 
 crow? " 
 
 "Is that all?" 
 
 " You know," Say cried, " how mean Tyope is ! If my 
 child goes to see his child, is it not easy for the young ser- 
 pent to ask this and that of my son? Then she will go 
 and tell the old sand-viper, her mother, who will whisper it 
 to Tyope himself. Don't you see it, sister?" 
 
 The argument was forcible, and Shotaye felt the truth of 
 it. The other proceeded, — 
 
 " Okoya may have been going with the girl for a long 
 while ; and I knew nothing of it. Have you found out, 
 sister," — she leaned forward and looked at her guest 
 with a very earnest expression, — " how the Koshare have 
 learned about the owl's feathers in my house?" 
 
 The other shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. 
 
 "Neither have I," continued Sayj "but might not 
 Okoya — " The hand of her friend closed her lips. 
 
 " Hush ! " cried the medicine-woman, imperatively ; 
 " speak not, beheve not, think not, such a thing ! Okoya 
 is good; I, too, know the boy. He will never do what 
 you suspect." 
 
 But Say was too excited to listen to her. She drew 
 Shotaye's hand away from her mouth and exclaimed, — 
 
 " Remember that it is but a short time that the Koshare 
 have known about the feathers." 
 
1 88 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " And remember, you, that Okoya is of your own blood ! " 
 
 " He is young, and the makatza has great power over 
 him, for he likes her. When Zashue " — her voice trembled 
 and she turned her face away with a suppressed sigh — 
 " came to me and I went to him, he often told me things 
 about your people, — things that your hanutsh would not 
 have liked, had they known that I knew of them." 
 
 " Hush ! I tell you again. Hush, koitza ! " the other 
 commanded. " Hush ! or I will never Usten to you any 
 more. You loathe your own flesh, the very entrails that 
 have given birth to the motatza 1 I tell you again, Okoya 
 is good. He is far better than his father ! Thus much 
 I know, and know it well." She looked hard at the wife 
 of Zashue, while her Ups disdainfully curled. Say cast 
 her eyes to the ground ; she did not care to learn about 
 her husband's outside affairs. 
 
 It was very still in the dark room. Even the rain was 
 scarcely heard ; and from the ceiling it dripped in one 
 place only, — the very spot where the owl's feathers had 
 lain buried. It seemed as if the waters from heaven 
 were eager to assist in obliterating every trace of the fatal 
 tuft. Shotaye turned away from her friend indignantly; 
 the mere thought of a mother accusing her child, and such 
 a son as Okoya, was revolting to her. Say hung her head 
 and pouted ; and yet she felt that Shotaye was right, after 
 all. And then it was so gratifying to hear from Shotaye's 
 own lips how good her son was. 
 
 " Sanaya," she asked after a while, timidly, " tell me for 
 what you came." 
 
 " No," the other curtly answered. 
 
 Say started, " Be not angry with me," she pleaded. " I 
 do not mean anything wrong." 
 
 "And yet you slander your best child." 
 
 Say Koitza began to sob. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 89 
 
 Shotaye continued, angrily, — 
 
 " You may well weep ! Whoever speaks ill of his own 
 blood, as you do, ought to be sad and shed tears forever. 
 Listen to me, koitza. Okoya is good; he will not be- 
 tray anybody, and least of all his mother. And hear my 
 words, — Mitsha also is good; as good as her father is 
 bad, as wise as her mother is foolish. Even if Qkoya 
 had found the feathers and had told makatza of it, she 
 would keep it to herself, and the secret would lie buried 
 within her heart as deep as if it rested beneath the nether- 
 most rock on which the Tetilla stands. And in the end 
 let me tell you," — she raised her head defiantly and her 
 eyes flashed, — " if Okoya likes the girl and she wants 
 him, they are sure to come together. You cannot prevent 
 it ; neither can Tyope, the tapop, the Hotshanyi, — not even 
 the whole tribe ! Those on high hold the paths of our 
 lives ; they alone can do and undo, make and unmake." 
 
 Say wept no more. She was convinced, and lifted her 
 eyes again. 
 
 " Mother," — it was Shyuote's voice which called into the 
 outer room from the court-yard, — " mother, come out and 
 look at the fine rainbow." With this he dashed into the 
 inner door and stood there, the very incarnation of dirt. 
 He had been playing at Delight Makers in the mud- 
 puddles outside with some of his comrades, and was 
 covered with splashes of mud from head to foot. Say 
 bounded from her seat and pushed back the forward 
 youngster. 
 
 "Who is with you, sanaya?" he inquired, while re- 
 treating. 
 
 " Nobody, you water-mole ! I want to be alone. I 
 have no time to look at your rainbow. Get away ! " 
 and she hustled him outside and quickly returned to the 
 kitchen. 
 
I90 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 But Shyuote, not satisfied with his mother's statement, 
 rushed to the port-hole to see for himself. This Sho- 
 taye had expected; and as soon as his dirty face dark- 
 ened the opening, it received a splash of muddy rain-water 
 that caused the boy to desist from further prying. 
 
 After Say had resumed her seat by the hearth, Shotaye 
 bent toward her and whispered, — 
 
 " Mark me, the Shiuana are with us ; the rainbow stands 
 in the skies. Those Above know that what I speak to 
 you is the truth." Okoya's mother nodded ; she was fully 
 convinced. 
 
 The cave-dweller took up the former subject again. 
 
 " Do not misunderstand me, sister," she said ; " I do 
 not say that it is well that Okoya should go to the house 
 of the girl's mother. There is danger in it. But your 
 son is careful and wise, and Mitsha is good, as good as 
 our mother on high. Therefore don't cross his path ; let 
 him go as he pleases ; and if Mitsha should come to 
 you, be kind to her, for she deserves it. All this, how- 
 ever," — the tone of her voice changed suddenly, — "is not 
 what I came to see you for. What I have to teU you 
 concerns me and you alone. Keep it precious, as pre- 
 cious as the green stone hidden in the heart of the yaya ; 
 and whatever may happen, be silent about it, as silent 
 as the mountain. Keep your lips closed against every- 
 body until the time comes when we must speak." 
 
 Say nodded eagerly, and Shotaye was fiilly satisfied with 
 the mute pledge, for she knew that the woman dared not 
 betray her. 
 
 " Believe me," she continued, " your life is safe. You 
 will not, you cannot, be harmed." 
 
 Say Koitza looked at her in surprise ; she could not 
 realize the truth of these hopeful tidings. 
 
 " They found nothing in your house," resumed the other, 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 191 
 
 " because, I presume, you removed the feathers in time, and 
 in this you were wise. If Tyope says that he saw you hold- 
 ing owl's feathers in your hands, and you have not kept 
 them, who can speak against you at the council? Rest 
 assured of one thing. Tyope is at the bottom of all our 
 troubles, and unless he or somebody else watched you while 
 you buried the hapi at the foot of the beams on which 
 the Koshare go up to their cave, nobody will believe him 
 when he rises against you. Are you sure," she added, 
 "that nobody saw you?" 
 
 "They were all up there, so Zashue himself told me." 
 
 "Tyope, also?" 
 
 "Tyope," Say replied with animation, — "I saw Tyope. 
 He was outside, clinging to the rock on high like a squirrel 
 to a tree. But he could not see me." 
 
 " Then, child, you are safe ; let them do as they please." 
 
 " But if he comes and says, ' I saw Say and Shotaye with 
 black corn, and owl's feathers on it ; and I heard them ask 
 of the evil corn to speak to them'?" 
 
 " Then everybody will say, ' Shotaye is a witch, Say only 
 her tool ; we must punish Shotaye, she must be killed,' and 
 that will be the end of it." 
 
 She brought her face so close to that of her friend that 
 the latter, while unable to see her features, clearly felt her 
 breath. The last words of the medicine-woman shocked 
 Say. She stood toward Shotaye almost in the relation of a 
 helpless child, and the thought of seeing her friend exposed 
 to death produced a feeling of dismay and sadness. 
 
 "But, sanaya," she asked, "how can they harm you and 
 let me go free ? Am I not as guilty as you ? What you did, 
 was it not for me, for my good? Why may I not go along 
 if they send you to our mother at Shipapu? " 
 
 " Hush, sa uishe," the other retorted. " Do not speak 
 thus. I have led you to do things which those on high do 
 
192 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 not like, so I alone must suffer. Nevertheless " — she laid 
 her hand on the other's lap — " rest easy ; I shall not die." 
 
 In her simplicity, Say, when Shotaye mentioned the 
 probability of her suffering capital punishment, had not 
 thought of her children and of the consequences that would 
 arise in case she herself were to share that fate. She felt 
 greatly relieved upon hearing the cave-woman speak so 
 hopefully of her own case, for she bethought herself of those 
 whom she would leave motherless. But her curiosity was 
 raised to the highest pitch. Eager and anxious to learn 
 upon what grounds Shotaye based her assurance of safety, 
 Say nestled close to her side in order not to lose a syllable 
 of the talk. It was necessary, for Shotaye proceeded in a 
 slow solemn whisper, — 
 
 " Sister, I shall be accused and you will be accused also. 
 If you are brought before the council, and they ask you 
 about our doings, deny everything, say no to everything, 
 except when the black com is spoken of. That you may 
 confess. They will inquire of you why we used the evil 
 cobs. Answer, and mark well my words, that you did not 
 understand what I was doing, that you only did what I told 
 you to do. Lay all the blame on me." 
 
 " But it is not true," the little woman objected. 
 
 " Never mind, provided you go free." 
 
 "They, then, will kill you ! " Say cried. 
 
 " Be not concerned about me ; I will save myself." 
 
 " How can you?" 
 
 " That is my secret ; still this I will confide to you ; " 
 her whisper became scarcely audible as she added, " I shall 
 flee ! " 
 
 "Whither?" gasped Say in surprise. 
 
 " To the Tehuas ! But, sa tao, be silent, as silent as the 
 stone, as quiet as kohaio when in winter he is asleep. What- 
 ever you may hear, heed it not ; what you may see, do not 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 93 
 
 notice. Deny eveiything you can deny, and what you 
 have to confess lay on me. Do as I tell you, sa uishe," she 
 insisted, as Say moved uneasily, " and trust to me for the 
 rest." 
 
 Shotaye arose, shook her wet garments, and stepped into 
 the outer room. There she turned around once more, and 
 repeated in a low but impressive voice, — 
 
 " Sa tao, trust in me, and believe also that Okoya is good, 
 and Mitsha better yet. Be kind to both and be silent." 
 
 She stepped into the court-yard, and Say Koitza remained 
 standing in the doorway. 
 
 The rain had ceased ; the sky was clear again, all ablaze 
 with the richest golden hues over the crest of the big 
 houses. It was near sunset. Say watched her friend as 
 she went to the entrance ; and as Shotaye's form vanished in 
 the dark passage Okoya emerged from it, coming toward his 
 mother, slowly, shyly, but with a smile on his countenance. 
 That was surely a good omen, and she anticipated the 
 timid "guatzena" with which he was about to greet her by 
 a warm and pleasant " raua opona." 
 
 13 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The interview between Okoya and Hayoue, which took 
 place at almost the same time that Shotaye fell in with the 
 Tehua Indian on the mesa, had completely changed the 
 mind of Say Koitza's eldest son, and turned his thoughts 
 into another channel. He saw clearly now to what extent 
 he had been led astray by mere imagination, — to what sm- 
 ister depths his reasoning had carried him. Since Hayoue's 
 talk, Okoya felt like another man. The world of his 
 thoughts, limited as it was still, appeared now in rosy hues, 
 hope-inspiring and encouraging in spite of all obstacles. 
 These obstacles he saw in their true light, and the last 
 warning of Hayoue had made a deep impression. But 
 obstacles clearly understood are half surmounted already, 
 and "threatened people live long." 
 
 It is not good for man to be alone. Okoya had felt the 
 truth of it bitterly. Now that he knew that he was not 
 forsaken, he was filled with strength and vigour. On the 
 whole, an Indian is much less exposed to isolation than a 
 white man, for his clan and, in a wider range, his tribe, 
 stand by him against outside danger ; but when that dan- 
 ger arises within the narrow circle of constant surround- 
 ings there is imminent peril. Okoya had fancied that such 
 peril threatened his own existence, and that he stood alone 
 and unsupported. Now he saw that in any event he would 
 be neither abandoned nor forsaken, and this imparted to 
 his spirit a degree of buoyancy which he had never ex- 
 perienced before. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 1 95 
 
 When he issued from the cave where both his uncle and 
 he had found shelter, the storm was over, and nature had 
 assumed a different aspect. A heavy shower in the moun- 
 tains of New Mexico is often followed by illuminations of 
 peculiar beauty. So it happened then. The west, where 
 the sun had already descended behind the mountains, was 
 crossed by a series of arches displaying successively from 
 below upward the most resplendent gold, bright orange, 
 green, and finally deep blue colours. In the eastern skies 
 the storm-king hovered still in a mass of inky clouds above 
 the horizon, but these clouds had receded beyond the 
 graceful cone of the Tetilla, which stood out in front of 
 the dark mass of the storm sharply defined, with a rosy hue 
 cast over every detail of its slopes. The air was of wonder- 
 ful transparency, and every tint of the brilliant heavens 
 above and in the west seeiped to reproduce itself with in- 
 creased intensity, on the dark, cloudy bank in the east, in 
 the dazzling arch of a magnificent rainbow. The rays of the 
 setting sun no longer penetrated the depths of the vale, 
 they only grazed the moisture-dripping tops of the tallest 
 pines, changing them into pyramids of sparkling light. 
 
 Okoya looked at the scenery before him, but its beauty 
 was not what caused him to gaze and to smile. The Indian 
 is quite indifferent to the sights of nature, except from the 
 stand-point of strictest and plainest utilitarianism. The 
 rainbow fascinated the boy, not through its brilliancy and 
 the perfection of the arch, but because the rainbow was 
 in his conception Shiuana, and a messenger from Those 
 Above.' Where the ends of the luminous arch appear to 
 rest, a message from heaven is said to be deposited. No 
 more favourable token could have greeted him, for although 
 
 1 In the symbolical paintings of the Pueblos, the rainbow is repre- 
 sented usually as a tri-coloured arch with a head and arms at one end 
 and with feet at the other. It is a female deity. 
 
196 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 the message was not for him, since the brilliant bow seemed 
 to stand far oif from the Rito, still the Shiuana, the spirits, 
 graced the sky with their presence. They appeared clad in 
 the brightest hues, and what is bright and handsome is to 
 the Indian a harbinger of good. 
 
 No wonder, therefore, that the boy greeted his mother 
 with a happy face and a pleasant smile. He had passed 
 Shotaye in the entrance, and his salutation to her was widely 
 different from the gruff notice he had taken of her in the 
 morning. When, afterward, he met his mother's gaze and 
 saw how kindly she looked at him, how warm her invitation 
 to come in sounded, his heart bounded with delight, and he 
 obeyed her summons with a deep sigh of reUef. His ap- 
 pearance was not very prepossessing, for between the caves 
 and the big house a number of newly created mud-puddles 
 and rivulets had crossed his path. His scanty clothing was 
 profusely bespattered, and broad cakes of mud clung to the 
 soles of his naked feet. Before entering the house he 
 carelessly shook off and scraped away the heaviest flakes, 
 and then went in and sat down on the bundle of skins. 
 Say Koitza offered him no change of clothing ; she did not 
 bring a pair of slippers, warm and dry, for his wet feet. No, 
 she simply went into the kitchen and let him alone. Such 
 is the Indian custom. But in the kitchen she began to 
 move about. She was cooking, and that proved beyond a 
 doubt that everything must be right again. After a while 
 she squatted in the inner doorway and inquired, — 
 
 "Where were you while it was raining? " 
 
 " With Hayoue." 
 
 "How late did he come home?" She laughed; he 
 chimed in and answered, — 
 
 " Late enough ; I had to wait a long time before he 
 came, and so sleepy was he, — as tired and sleepy as a 
 bear in spring." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 197 
 
 " Do you know where he spent the night? " The tone 
 of the conversation sounded easy and pleasant. 
 
 " I don't know the name of the makatza," — here Okoya 
 laughed again and his mother caught the contagion, — " but 
 she must belong to Oshatsh. He did not say much, for he 
 was tired from yesterday." 
 
 " Was she a short, stumpy girl? " 
 
 " I don't know. It must have been the same one with 
 whom he was at the dance. I paid no attention to her." 
 
 " It is Haatze ; I know her. She is a strong girl and 
 tall." 
 
 " Do you think he goes to see her? " Okoya asked. 
 
 " It may be, and it may be not. Hayoue goes to every 
 one ; he is like a fly, — he sits down everywhere and stops 
 nowhere." 
 
 Okoya enjoyed hugely his mother's joke. The latter 
 with some hesitancy continued, — 
 
 " Does he also visit Mitsha Koitza? " 
 
 Okoya bent down to avoid her glance, then he resolutely 
 replied, — 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Are you sure of it?" 
 
 " I am sure." He cast a furtive glance at his mother. 
 
 " Did Mitsha tell you ? " 
 
 Not in the harsh tone of an inquisitor were these words 
 uttered. Say spoke them softly, gently; and Okoya was 
 comforted. He was moved by the question. 
 
 "No," he replied in the same manner; "Hayoue spoke 
 to me about it." 
 
 Say felt a decided relief. It was clear to her now where 
 Okoya had spent the day, and how he had spent it. She 
 liked her husband's younger brother and trusted him. Al- 
 though very fond of the other sex, Hayoue was still honest 
 and trustworthy in everything else. Her son had evidently 
 
198 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 spoken to his uncle about Mitsha, and in Say's estimation 
 he could not have chosen a better person in whom to 
 confide. Hayoue, she knew, harboured toward Tyope 
 sentiments akin to her own. His advice to Okoya must 
 therefore have been sound. On the other hand she was 
 herself, since the talk with Shotaye, greatly drawn toward 
 Mitsha. This made her anxious to find out what Hayoue 
 thought of the girl. So she put the direct question, — 
 
 "You spoke with your nashtio about Mitsha?" 
 
 " I did." 
 
 " What says he of the makatza? " 
 
 Had the room been better lighted Say would have seen 
 how flushed Okoya's face became, notwithstanding the 
 tawny colour of his complexion. The boy saw at once 
 that he had confessed much more than he had intended, 
 — that the secret of his interview of the morning was 
 divulged. Recede he could not ; neither could he con- 
 ceal his embarrassment. He began to twist the end of 
 his wrap, and stammered, — 
 
 " He says not much." And then he stared at the door- 
 way with that stolid air which the Indian assumes when he 
 is in trouble. 
 
 " Does he speak good or ill? " Say insisted. 
 
 "Good," muttered Okoya, casting his eyes to the 
 ground. The mild, soft smile which played over his 
 mother's features as he uttered the word escaped him. 
 When he raised his eyes again her looks were serious, 
 though not stem. He was completely bewildered. What 
 had occurred to cause his mother to speak in this man- 
 ner? Had she changed her mind since morning, and 
 why so suddenly? He had, of course, no thought of 
 attributing to Shotaye and to her influence this surpris- 
 ingly favourable change, for he did not know the inti- 
 mate relations existing between her and his mother. So 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 199 
 
 he remained silent, staring, wrapped in his own musings. 
 His mother looked at him in silence also, but with a half- 
 suppressed smile. 
 
 At last she asked, — 
 
 "Sa uishe, will you eat?" 
 
 "Yes," he replied, considerably relieved by this turn 
 in the conversation. He rose and moved briskly toward 
 the entrance to the cooking apartment ; but Say held him 
 back. 
 
 " Tell me, but tell me the truth ; did Hayoue say it was 
 well for you to go with Mitsha?" 
 
 Okoya was so embarrassed by this direct query that 
 he could not answer at once. He stood still and hung 
 his head. 
 
 " Tell me, child," Say insisted. 
 
 "He said" — the words were scarcely audible — "that 
 it was well." 
 
 " Did he also say it was good for you to listen to the 
 words of Tyope and of his woman? " 
 
 Now light began to dawn upon the boy. He felt a pre- 
 sentiment of something favourable. " No," he exclaimed, 
 " he said that I must beware of Tyope and of his koitza"; 
 but that Mitsha I could trust." 
 
 "Then it is well, sa uishe," replied the mother; "come 
 in and eat." 
 
 Okoya could hardly believe his senses. Had his mother 
 really said, "It is well?" Was it possible that she was 
 satisfied and in sympathy with his feeling toward Mitsha ? 
 Such was his surprise that he performed his prayers before 
 squatting down to the meal without a thought for the ko- 
 pishtai, to whom he scattered crumbs mechanically. He 
 forgot to eat, and stared Uke a blind man with eyes wide 
 open, heedless of the food, heedless of everything around 
 him. 
 
200 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Eat," said Say to him. Twice she repeated the invi- 
 tation ere he came to himself and reached out for the first 
 morsel. Aware of his mute astonishment and conscious of 
 his perplexity, his mother finally asked, — 
 
 "What is the matter with you, motatza?" 
 
 He merely shook his head and stared. 
 
 Very few young Indians in Okoya's condition would have 
 placed so much stress on their mother's consent or dissent. 
 All or nearly all of them would simply have left the old 
 home and would have joined their betrothed at her mother's 
 house ; and only the clan, and not the family, could have 
 interfered with their action. In the case of Okoya it was 
 different, and unusual circumstances complicated the matter. 
 Mitsha's clan was that of Topanashka, his own maternal 
 grandfather; and if he spoke against the union matters 
 would be desperate. His mother, therefore, held the key 
 to the situation, inasmuch as through her both the Eagle 
 clan, to which Mitsha belonged, and Tanyi hanutsh, his 
 own consanguine cluster, could be favourably or unfavour- 
 ably influenced. As things appeared now, all seemed most 
 promising. Even his mother — who a short time ago had 
 expressed herself so bitterly against his choice — was now 
 favourable to it. What could Tyope do under such cir- 
 cumstances ? Nothing at all. So the boy reasoned uncon- 
 sciously ; but beside, he felt glad, he felt happy, because 
 his mother approved of him. He was fond of his mother 
 at the bottom of his heart, as fond as any Indian can be. 
 
 Say Koitza approved his choice. There was no doubt 
 about it, and still she had not spoken plainly as yet. At 
 any other time he would have maintained a prudent reserve 
 and waited his time to inquire. To-day he felt so surprised, 
 so completely stupefied, that only one course was left him, 
 and that was to learn her real feelings by asking his mother 
 directly for an explanation of her inexplicable demeanour. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 20I 
 
 When, therefore, Say asked again, " What ails you, motatza, 
 why don't you eat ? " he turned to her with a heavy sigh, 
 placed both hands on his knees, and replied, — 
 
 " I cannot eat until I have asked a question of you. Tell 
 me, yaya, how it is that this morning, when I said to you 
 that I was going with Mitsha Koitza, you grew angry at 
 me, and now you say it is right? Tell me, sanaya, how 
 it comes about that you like the girl in the evening, whereas 
 in the morning she was not precious to you ? " 
 
 His mother smiled. She sat down beside him, and her 
 face almost touched his own. The glare of the fire illumi- 
 nated her features, so that their expression became fully 
 visible to him. Then she spoke softly, — 
 
 " Umo, have I not often said to you, ' Beware of Tyope' ? 
 Is it not so, sa uishe? " 
 
 Okoya nodded affirmatively. 
 
 " Can you suppose that I should feel easy at heart, if you 
 go to the house where dwells the woman of that man?" 
 
 Okoya trembled. This was a discouraging beginning. 
 Had he mistaken his mother's views? In a faltering 
 voice he replied, — 
 
 " No." 
 
 Say continued, "When for the first time you said, 
 ' Mitsha and I see each other,' I felt afraid. My heart spoke 
 to me and said. Your child is lost ; and then sa nashka 
 became angry. This was early in the morning ; but after- 
 ward, when I was sitting alone here and the Shiuana called 
 loudly above during the storm, it seemed to me as if some 
 kopishtai whispered, ' Mitsha is good, — she is as good as 
 Okoya; she will belong to him, and not to her mother, 
 much less to her father.' And as I was thinking, I heard 
 the kopishtai again, saying to me, ' Okoya is good ; he is 
 your child, and Mitsha will become your daughter, for 
 she is of your father's own blood.' And as the kopishtai 
 
202 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 thus spoke, the Shiuana thundered louder and more loud. 
 Then I thought it must be right and good for the motatza 
 to go to the girl, and I was no longer angry. And then 
 you came, and I asked you what I wanted to know, and 
 you told me what Hayoue had said. So it is well, and 
 thus it shall remain." 
 
 The sigh of relief heaved by Okoya at hearing these 
 words was as sincere as it was deep. He had barely 
 strength to ask in the meekest manner possible, — 
 " Then you have nothing against my going to Mitsha? " 
 " Nothing ; I like to see you go, for Mitsha is good 
 and " — her voice became a whisper — " the Shiuana have 
 thus disposed it. But " — she spoke louder again — " hear 
 me, go to Mitsha, and to her alone." 
 
 " But I cannot disown her mother and father." 
 " You need do nothing of the kind unless you wish. Be 
 pleasant to the man, as behooves you, but be careful. 
 Never say sanaya is doing this or that, or to-day they speak 
 so or so at the estufa. If Tyope queries what is your yaya 
 doing, answer, her usual work. If he inquires about what 
 is going on in the estufa of Tanyi hanutsh, reply to him, 
 ' Nashtio, I am only a boy, and do not know what the 
 men talk about.' To Tyope's wife say nothing but what 
 even Shyuote might hear. To the makatza you can say, 
 ' Let us be together and live for each other and talk as is 
 right. What concerns your hanutsh shall be hidden from 
 me, and I will be silent on anything that concerns mine.' 
 If you will do thus, sa uishe, then you can go to see Mitsha ; 
 and I myself would like to see the girl who is to become 
 my child." 
 
 This was too much for Okoya. He grasped with both 
 his hands the hand of his mother, carried it to his lips, and 
 breathed on it. Then he gave back the hand, and said 
 with an effort, — 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 203 
 
 " You are good, yaya, and I will do as you say. Hayoue 
 said to me the same things you have." 
 
 " Hayoue is a true friend. His tongue is like his heart, 
 and you did right in taking his advice.'' 
 
 A tall figure stepped into the apartment with a shuffling 
 step. His loud greeting, " guatzena," cut off further talk for 
 a moment. Both mother and son, taken by surprise, 
 answered, — 
 
 " Raua A." 
 
 It was Hayoue himself who thus suddenly appeared. He 
 complied with the request to sit down, and afterward with 
 the customary invitation to eat. But he seemed as much 
 surprised as the inmates themselves ; for while eating, his 
 glance flitted inquiringly from mother to son, as if he were 
 astonished to see them together. When he had finished, 
 he asked, — 
 
 "When will Zashue be here?" 
 
 " I do not know," replied Say. 
 
 Hayoue turned to his nephew, — 
 
 " Okoya, will you let me speak to your yaya alone ? " 
 These words he accompanied with a knowing wink at the 
 young man. It amused Okoya to see that his uncle came 
 so A&ixA'e.^y postfestum in the matter, but he at once rose 
 and went out. 
 
 In the court-yard it was still very damp, and hardly any- 
 body was outside of the dwellings ; but from the estufas 
 there sounded merry talking, singing, and the beating of 
 drums. Okoya stood a while in the doorway, undecided 
 whether he ought not to go to Mitsha at once. He 
 wavered, but at last the impressions received during the 
 day, especially the warnings about Mitsha's mother, pre- 
 vailed, and he concluded not to go at this time. He was 
 afraid as yet to cross the threshold of that woman's home. 
 So he crept into the estufa of Tanyi hanutsh, sat down be- 
 
204 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 side the others, and soon joined in the chorus of discordant 
 voices in the everlasting refrain, — 
 
 "Ho-a-al Heiti-nal Ho-a-a! Heiti-na!" 
 
 In the meantime Hayoue had drawn closer to Say in the 
 kitchen, saying, — 
 
 " Sister-in-law, I have come to speak to you concerning 
 Okoya." 
 
 She motioned to him to remain where he was, and said, 
 half in jest, half in earnest, — 
 
 " Stay where you are, I hear you. You talk loud enough 
 for me." 
 
 " Rest easy, saman," he replied, with a peal of laughter 
 that fairly shook his tall and slender form. " Have no 
 fear, I am tired out after yesterday. But I must talk to 
 you about the motatza." He patted his knees and looked 
 straight into her face. "Are you aware that your chUd 
 goes with the child of Tyope ? " 
 
 " I am," said Say, with a smile. 
 
 "What do you think of it? " 
 
 "Good," was the simple reply. "And you?" 
 
 " Good, yes, in one way, and not good in another." 
 
 " What do you think of the girl? " the woman inquired. 
 
 " Very, very good ! " Hayoue emphatically exclaimed. 
 "But her mother and her father," — he hissed through his 
 teeth and shook his head with every sign of disgust, — " they 
 are very, very bad." 
 
 " I think as you do," said Okoya's mother, " and yet 
 I know that the boy is good and the girl is good. Why 
 should they not go together?" 
 
 " I say the same, but how comes it that you believe 
 so now?" 
 
 " I presume the motatza has told you a different story? " 
 Say suggested, with a smile. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 20$ 
 
 Hayoue nodded. 
 
 " I thought differently," she explained, " but now my 
 heart has changed." 
 
 "You are right," the young man said approvingly, add- 
 ing, " but he must avoid the snares which that turkey- 
 buzzard Tyope may set for him, and we must preserve 
 him from them." 
 
 "I warned him." 
 
 " So have I, and he promised to be wise." 
 
 "Had we not better speak to Zashue?" suggested Say 
 Koitza. 
 
 Hayoue remained thoughtful for a while ; then he said, — 
 
 " I dislike to say aught against my own brother, but in this 
 matter I disHke to speak to him." 
 
 "He is Okoya's father," objected Say. 
 
 " True, but he is Koshare, and completely under Tyope's 
 influence. Nevertheless do as you like, for you know him 
 better than I do." 
 
 " He ought to come soon," Say said, and rose. 
 
 She went out. A noise of quarrelling children was ap- 
 proaching the door. Soon she clearly distinguished the 
 voice of Shyuote scolding. 
 
 " Come with me, worm ! Go home, frog ! " he yelled, 
 and mournful cries succeeded to his kind invitation. At 
 the same time his young sister, propelled by a violent push 
 of his fist, stumbled into the outer room and grasped the 
 dress of her mother for protection. 
 
 "Satyumishe is beating me," whined the little one, 
 glancing anxiously toward the entrance. In the doorway 
 appeared Shyuote himself, a soUd lump of mud from head 
 to foot. His black eyes stared out of the dirty coating that 
 covered his face, like living coals. The appearance of his 
 mother put an end to his hostile actions, — he felt uncertain 
 about the manner in which they would be viewed by his 
 
206 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 parent. Say quickly changed his forebodings into absolute 
 certainty. 
 
 "Are you not ashamed of yourself, you big, ugly uak," 
 she scolded, "to beat your poor little sister?" 
 
 " She would not come home." 
 
 " Neither would you, lazy brat, else you would have been 
 here a long while ago ! Do not cry, my heart," — she turned 
 to the weeping child, — " do not weep. He will not hurt 
 you any more, the bad, bad mocking-bird. Weep not." 
 She took the crying child into her arms in order to carry 
 her into the kitchen, but on the way she turned back and 
 called, — 
 
 " Shyuote ! " 
 
 "What do you want," growled the boy, and stumbled 
 after her. 
 
 " Do you know where your nashtio is ? " 
 
 " He is coming." 
 
 " Go and tell him to come. Say that Hayoue is here, 
 and that he wants to see him." 
 
 "Did I not tell you that he was coming? " muttered the 
 unruly lad. This answer was too much for Hayoue, who 
 until now had been a mere listener. He said in a peculiar 
 tone of command, — 
 
 "Will you go or not, you silly, lazy, good-for-nothing 
 whelp ! Go at once, or I will lead you where your father 
 is ; " and he pretended to rise. 
 
 Shyuote had not noticed the presence of his uncle. His 
 sudden appearance upon the scene was to him an unwelcome 
 sight, and he sped away with unusual and commendable 
 alacrity. Hayoue was greatly amused and laughed aloud. 
 
 " That urchin," he said, " is more afraid of me than of 
 Zashue and you together. The brat is no good, and wiU 
 never do for anything but a Koshare. How different is 
 Okoya ! " 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 207 
 
 Say had again squatted near the hearth. She gathered 
 the crying child into her arms. The httle girl continued to 
 sob for a while, and at first refused to eat. Finally Say per- 
 suaded her to take one of the corn-cakes, and still sobbing, 
 she pushed the greater portion of it gradually into her little 
 mouth. Thus chewing, sobbing, and resting on the lap of 
 her mother, the child forgot all fear, and ultimately forgot 
 herself and fell asleep. 
 
 " Umo," Say began again, " I think it is better to speak 
 to Zashue about it. Not that he has an)rthing to do in the 
 matter, but then you know how it is. Sooner or later he 
 must hear of it, and if we tell him first he may perhaps as- 
 sist us in teaching Okoya and advising him about the future. 
 All the boy needs is counsel, for we cannot prevent him from 
 going to live with the people of Tyame hanutsh with this 
 girl." 
 
 " The people of, Tyame," Hayoue remarked, " are good. 
 It is only that woman of Tyope's who is bad, and after all 
 she is not all-powerful." 
 
 " How would it do," suggested Say, " to call sa nashtio? " 
 
 Hayoue looked at her like one to whom has come a 
 sudden revelation. 
 
 " Topanashka, the maseua," he said ; " you are right, 
 koya, this is a wise thought. Nashtio is very wise. He 
 will give us counsel that we can trust, but do you think 
 he is here? " 
 
 " He was in his cell while it rained." 
 
 Hayoue rose. " I will go and call him," he said. " He 
 can help us. Zashue listens to the talk of the old man, 
 and what he says goes far with my brother." With this 
 Hayoue, ere Say could interpose a word, went out and left 
 her alone with the sleeping child. 
 
 She felt happy. For years past she had not enjoyed the 
 feeling of contentment, of quiet bliss, that filled her now. 
 
208 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 It seemed as if the danger that threatened her so direly 
 had vanished. Her thoughts were all with the fUture of 
 the child whom only a few hours ago she had so bitterly 
 accused. Shotaye had worked wonders. 
 
 But it was not the influence of Shotaye alone that produced 
 such a great change in the mind of Say Koitza. It was 
 the fact that at the same time, and through the unwelcome 
 interruption by Shyuote, the Shiuana — so she believed — 
 had sent her a message confirmatory of the woman's ad- 
 monition. Say did not, she could not, reason as we should 
 under similar circumstances. The rainbow of whose pre- 
 sence the awkward boy informed her appeared to her, not in 
 the natural order of phenomena, but, in the light of her 
 creed, as a messenger specially sent by one or more of the 
 innumerable spirits which surround man in nature, whose 
 call she had to obey implicitly. This implicit, slavish 
 obedience to signs and tokens of a natural order to which 
 a supernatural origin is assigned, is the Indian's reUgion. 
 The life of the Indian is therefore merely a succession of 
 religious acts called forth by utterances of what he sup- 
 poses to be higher powers surrounding him, and accompany- 
 ing him on every step from the cradle to the grave. The 
 Indian is a child whose life is ruled by a feeling of complete 
 dependence, by a desire to accommodate every action to 
 the wills and decrees of countless supernatural beings. 
 
 In the eyes of Say Koitza, the whole afternoon appeared 
 now like an uninterrupted chain of dispensations from Those 
 Above. She was, of course, convinced that the rain had 
 come in response to the prayers and ceremonies of yester- 
 day's dance. That same rain had driven Shotaye to shelter 
 under her roof, had given the medicine-woman an oppor- 
 tunity to clear the mind of Say of many a dismal fear, 
 many a distressing apprehension and suspicion. The rain- 
 bow, in her eyes, was a token that what the cave-dweller said 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 209 
 
 was true ; it was also the messenger through whose agency 
 Okoya, and later on Hayoue, had drifted into her home 
 with cheering tidings. Even Shyuote had arrived at the 
 right moment, in time to be sent after the husband and 
 father. So happy felt Say, that in view of Shyuote's op- 
 portune coming, she almost regretted having scolded 
 the boy. 
 
 An intense feeling of gratitude toward the powets above 
 filled her heart. Among these powers there are two that 
 appear not so much superior to the rest as more intimately 
 connected with the fate of man, — as more directly influ- 
 encing his weal and woe. These are the prominent figures of 
 the sun-father and his spouse the moon-mother. It is prin- 
 cipally the latter that moves the hearts of men, and with 
 whom mankind is in most constant relations. Say Koitza 
 felt eager to thank the Mother Above for all she had re- 
 ceived that day. She went to the recess in the kitchen wall 
 where the yaya, that fabric of snow-white down tied into a 
 graceful bunch of drooping plumage, was carefully stored 
 away, wrapped in a cover of deerskin. She took out the 
 plumage and placed it before her on the floor, scattered 
 sacred meal around it, and whispered a prayer of thanks. 
 Hardly had she replaced it, when the sound of voices ap- 
 proached the outer doorway. It was Zashue and Shyuote, 
 who were coming home together. 
 
 Zashue seemed vexed at being called home. He looked 
 around with a scowl, for Hayoue, whom he had expected to 
 meet, was not there. 
 
 "Why did you call me, koitza?" he grumbled, "satyu- 
 mishe is not here. Give me something to eat ! " He threw 
 hiniself down on the floor. Shyuote nestled by his side, 
 proud of being under his father's immediate protection. 
 Zashue said to him, — 
 
 " Have you eaten, sa uishe ? " 
 14 
 
2IO THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Not yet." 
 
 "Why don't you feed Shyuote?" Zashue asked his wife. 
 "Surely Okoya had his stomach full long ago, whereas this 
 poor Httle frog here — " 
 
 "This toad, you ought to call him," Say interrupted her 
 husband, in a tone of indignation. "He has been away 
 from home all day, as he is wont to be. Besides, when he 
 came home at last, he beat his little sister. Okoya was 
 here early, therefore Okoya got what belonged to him." 
 She placed the food on the floor before her husband, and 
 proceeded in a dry tone, — 
 
 " Hayoue has gone to call sa nashtio. I want the maseua 
 to hear what we have to say to you." 
 
 Zashue was surprised at his wife's manner. She spoke in 
 a way that betokened more resolution than he was wont to 
 see her display. But he was in her house, and had to ac- 
 cept the situation. So he fell to eating, careful all the while 
 to supply his favourite child with the best morsels. At the 
 close of the meal Hayoue returned, saying, — 
 
 " Sa nashtio is coming soon." Turning to his brother he 
 asked, — 
 
 " Where have you been all day, sat3fumishe ? " 
 
 "With the nana," was the short reply. "And you?" 
 
 " At home ; I felt tired from yesterday." 
 
 "And from kenayte ! " Zashue taunted, laughing. Say 
 joined in the laugh. 
 
 " I don't ask you where you were last night." 
 
 "At home." Say confirmed it. 
 
 "Surely?" 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " Then you are better than people say." 
 
 " Sh — sh — ! " the woman cried, pointing to Shyuote, 
 " you need not speak thus. Sa uishe," — she turned to the 
 boy, — " go to rest." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 211 
 
 " I won't ! " growled the disobedient child, " I want to 
 hear what you say." 
 
 " That is just what you shall not," commanded the woman. 
 " Go out at once. Lie down on the hides." 
 
 Even the father became impatient now, for he saw that 
 nothing would be said in the boy's presence. So he ordered 
 him to leave. Slowly and reluctantly Shyuote obeyed ; but 
 when his sullen glance accidentally met the eye of Hayoue 
 he accelerated his motions. His uncle was not a favourite 
 of his. 
 
 "Well, what do you want? Why did you call me?" 
 This query Zashue negligently addressed to his brother, 
 as if expecting the latter to inform him of the object of 
 the interview. But it was Say Koitza who undertook 
 the task of replying. In earnest and measured tones she 
 said, — 
 
 " Umo, we have called and sent for you in order to tell 
 you that Okoya, my child, your son, is going with the girl of 
 Tyope. Now we wish to ascertain what you think of it, and 
 what you have to say." 
 
 "Is that all?" 
 
 " Okoya is your child as well as mine," Say emphatically 
 stated ; " it cannot be immaterial to you whom he selects 
 for his wife." 
 
 "I don't bother about that," he yawned. "The mo- 
 tatza is old enough to care for himself. It is his business 
 and yours, koitza. It does not concern me, and still less 
 you," turning to his brother. 
 
 " Neither do I take part in it without request from 
 Okoya," answered Hayoue, sharply. "But Okoya has 
 spoken to me about it and begged me to see his mother 
 in his behalf. I have therefore a right to be here and to 
 speak." 
 
 " We expect sa nashtio also," the woman remarked. 
 
212 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Nashtio ! Who? Tyope ? " Zashue looked at his wife 
 in surprise. 
 
 " Tyope ! " Say exclaimed, " he shall never cross my 
 threshold. I mean Topanashka ; he shall give his speech ; 
 him we want and expect." 
 
 " In that case you do not need me," replied Zashue, at- 
 tempting to rise. " I go to my people." Hayoue touched 
 his arm. 
 
 " Satyumishe," he said gravely, " it is not well for you to 
 leave us now. We must speak with you more." 
 
 " It is none of my business," growled the elder brother. 
 
 "And yet you must hear about it, for Mitsha is a 
 daughter of the Koshare." 
 
 " She is not Koshare herself, her mother only and Tyame 
 hanutsh are entitled to speak." Zashue was becoming 
 impatient. 
 
 " Hachshtze," Say interfered, " I know that you are not 
 fond of Okoya. Still he is good." 
 
 " Far better than Shyuote," interjected the younger 
 brother. 
 
 She continued, — 
 
 " But mark my words ; is it right that our child should go 
 to the house where dwells the wife of a man who for a 
 long time past has sought to torment me, who harbours ill- 
 will toward my hanutsh and your hanutsh, and who, not- 
 withstanding that you beUeve him to be your friend and 
 are more attached to him than you are to your wife and 
 child, is not your friend at all? " 
 
 Zashue was visibly impressed by these words of his 
 wife. Was she perhaps aware of the secret motives of 
 the upturning of her household, which he and Tyope had 
 performed yesterday? He could hardly imagine that she 
 could know an)fthing about it, and yet her utterances inti- 
 mated some occurrence of the past that had opened a wide 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 213 
 
 breach forever between her and Tyope. Might not that 
 occurrence have prompted the latter to his accusation 
 against Say? This was an entirely new idea to him, and, 
 while he felt ashamed of having yielded to Tyope against 
 his own wife, he now began to suspect the real motives 
 which inspired the man in his denimciations. He replied 
 hastily, — 
 
 " I am not with Tyope." 
 
 "He is your best friend," Hayoue objected. 
 
 "That is not true." 
 
 " Hachshtze,'" Say said in a tone of serious reminder, 
 " speak not thus. I know that you and Tyope are good to 
 each other. I know that he gives you advice, and I know 
 too " — her voice rose and grew solemn — " that you have 
 told him many things which neither Tzitz hanutsh nor 
 Tanyi hanutsh like him to know." 
 
 "Tyope is wise." 
 
 "And he is also very bad," the younger brother ex- 
 claimed. This made Zashue angry. 
 
 " If he is such a bad man why do you want to throw 
 away Okoya, that jewel," he said with a grin of irony, " on 
 that bad man's daughter? It seems that you have called 
 me in, only in order to slander the best of my brethren. 
 I am Koshare, and will remain Koshare, whether it pleases 
 you, koitza, or not. The motatza here," alluding to 
 Hayoue, " has still less to say about it. He is Cuirana and 
 has his people ; I am Koshare and have my people. 
 Okoya may do as he pleases. If he thinks that his fa- 
 ther's brother is nearer to him than his father himself, let 
 him believe it forever. Now let me alone ; and as to his 
 makatza, do as you please. I will return to my brethren ! " 
 He rose angrily and went out. 
 
 Hayoue shook his head and looked sad ; Say drew a sup- 
 pressed sigh and stared before her in silence. After a while 
 
214 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 she rose and fed the fire, and a more vivid glow spread over 
 the room where both sat again motionless, absorbed by their 
 own thoughts. 
 
 A shuffling sound was heard outside, a muffled step in 
 the outer room. Then the woman's father entered the 
 kitchen with the usual salutation, spoken in a hoarse voice. 
 
 " Guatzena." He sat down near the hearth, where his 
 daughter had placed a deerskin for him. 
 
 Holding both hands up to the fire, his quick glance shot 
 from one of those present to the other, scanning the ex- 
 pression of their features. Then he asked quietly, — 
 
 " Where is Zashue? " 
 
 " He went to the Koshare," Hayoue explained. 
 
 "Why did you call me? " 
 
 Say answered in a meek, submissive manner, — 
 
 " We wished to speak to you, nashtio, for Okoya, 
 my child, has told me something that may be good, al- 
 though it may also not be good. It is something I like 
 to see, and yet it also makes my heart heavy. He has 
 spoken about it to satyumishe, too," — she nodded at 
 Hayoue, — " before he said anything to me. Therefore 
 Hayoue came to see me, and we thought it would be well 
 to seek your advice. For, umo, you are wise and we are 
 foolish ; you are old and we are but children. Therefore 
 listen to our speech kindly, and then open our hearts 
 with your speech as a father should with his children." 
 
 The old man was flattered by this address from his 
 daughter, and glanced at Hayoue with the air of one who 
 feels proud of the achievements of his child. The young 
 man, too, bowed in approbation. Topanashka turned to 
 Say, and said in an affable tone, — 
 
 " Speak, sa uishe ; I am glad to listen." 
 
 " Sa nashtio," she began, " Okoya is young, but he is no 
 longer a child. His eyes have seen a girl and that girl has 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 215 
 
 pleased his heart. So he has gone to that girl and may be 
 with her at present. I hold this to be good, umo. What 
 do you think?" 
 
 " It is well, and it is good for him and for the tribe," the 
 old man asserted. 
 
 " Afterward he came and said, ' Sanaya, I am going with 
 that makatza ; does she please you ? ' I believe that was 
 right also ? " 
 
 " It was right." 
 
 The woman omitted the incident of her quarrel with 
 Okoya as well as her interview with Shotaye, and said, — 
 
 " He also went to Hayoue and told him to speak to 
 me for him. Was that right, sa nashtio ? " 
 
 The old man remained thoughtful for a while, and then 
 declared, — 
 
 " It was right." 
 
 " Should he not have said to his father, ' sa nashtio, do 
 you speak to the yaya for me ' ? " 
 
 The reply was very positive, — 
 
 " No." 
 
 "Why not, sa umo? " Hayoue interjected. 
 
 "I will explain this to you later on," Topanashka 
 answered. Turning to his daughter again he inquired, — 
 
 " Who is the makatza, and to which hanutsh does she 
 belong?" 
 
 " She belongs to your people." 
 
 " To Tyame ? Who is her mother, and what is the name 
 of the girl?" 
 
 " She is called Mitsha Koitza ; Tyope Tihua is her father, 
 and her mother you know too. Is all that good also ? " 
 
 The maseua pressed his lips together firmly, ener- 
 getically, lowered his eyelids, and gazed before him in 
 silence. The others exchanged a rapid glance, and then 
 both looked at the ground, remaining thus in expectation 
 
2l6 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 of the old man's reply. He kept silent for a long while. 
 At last he inquired of the woman, — 
 
 " Do you know the child? " 
 
 " I have seen her, but have never spoken to her." 
 
 " Do you know her? " He turned to Hayoue. 
 
 " Why not ? " replied Hayoue, with a smile. " I know 
 everybody who wears a petticoat." 
 
 "Have you been to see her? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Never? " Topanashka looked at him suspiciously. 
 
 « No ! " 
 
 " How can you know her, then? " 
 
 " As I know all the others, — by meeting them out of 
 doors, talking, and playing with them. I know them all, — 
 all ! " And the beau of the Rito yawned complacently, and 
 stretched himself. 
 
 " Is she a good girl? " continued Topanashka. 
 
 " She is," the youth replied emphatically. 
 
 "Does she talk much? " 
 
 « No." 
 
 " Is she easily angered? " 
 
 " That I don't know. I have never teased her." 
 
 " Is she a good worker? " 
 
 " So they say." 
 
 "Good-looking?" 
 
 " Raua, raua ! " Hayoue exclaimed. 
 
 "Tall?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Strong?" 
 
 "I believe so." 
 
 Topanashka became silent again, and both Say and 
 Hayoue observed the proper decorum by fastening their 
 glances on the floor in silence. Then the old man raised 
 his head, and spoke slowly and in solemn tones, — 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 217 
 
 " It is well ; all you have said to me is well, my children. 
 The daughter of my hanutsh is a good girl, she is a hand- 
 some girl, she is a strong girl. Therefore she is as a 
 woman ought to be. Okoya is like her ; they belong to 
 each other ; and it is wise for a son of Tanyi to wed a 
 daughter of Tyame. The body must be as the heart ; each 
 must suit the heart and the body of the other, and since 
 the two go with each other it is a sign that they are fitted 
 to live together. But the hearts of men must abide by 
 what Those Above " — he pointed upward — " command, 
 and before we decide we should ascertain how the Shiuana 
 are disposed." 
 
 Here Say interrupted him, and suggested, — 
 " When he was coming to speak to me the rainbow stood 
 in the skies. Is not that a sign that the Shiuana are with 
 my child?" 
 
 Topanashka smiled a kind, benignant smile, and said, — 
 " It is right to think thus, sa uishe, but remember that 
 the rainbow is a messenger to a great many and for many 
 purposes. As long as we have not asked the Shiuana 
 themselves, we cannot sayj we do not know whether 
 they approve or not. I shall therefore go to the yaya of 
 our tribe and ask them to pray to Those Above that they 
 may let them know if what we now treat of is good or not. 
 For as long as Payatyama himself does not connect the 
 paths of the two young people all our doings are in vain. 
 In the meantime do not hinder Okoya from seeing the 
 girl ; and when I come to you with the answer from Those 
 Above, and that answer is favourable, then. Say, go you to 
 the people of the Eagle and say to them, ' My son asks 
 for your daughter in order that your numbers may be in- 
 creased.' I myself like to see the blood of my children 
 flow in that of mine own." 
 
 Hayoue and his sister-in-law looked at each other in 
 
2l8 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 mute admiration at this speech, which to them appeared so 
 wise, so thoroughly appropriate 
 
 Topanashka went on, — 
 
 "You have told me that Mitsha is the child of Tyope. 
 That, it is true, is not good. But if Okoya is strong and if 
 Mitsha is true to him what can Tyope do ? He belongs to 
 his hanutsh, his daughter to hers ; and the people of Tyame 
 have no faith in those of Shyuamo, for they mistrust them. 
 But warn the motatza ; tell him to be prudent ; for Tyope 
 is cunning, — as cunning as shutzuna and as treacherous as 
 the wildcat, and my grandson is young. But let them go 
 together, for I am glad to see Tyame and Tanyi become 
 one often." 
 
 " A-a ! " was the admiring and afifirmative ejaculation 
 of both his listeners. Every word he had spoken was 
 according to their convictions, and besides, whatever he 
 said was law to them. Hayoue rose, breathed on the 
 hand of the old man, said " tro uashatze, umo," and left. 
 After his departure Topanashka also rose, but before 
 crossing the threshold he whispered to Say, — 
 
 " They found nothing ? " 
 
 " Nothmg." 
 
 "Was Tyope along?" 
 
 " He was." 
 
 " In that case they may accuse you as much as they 
 please, they cannot do you any harm." 
 
 " But who could have told them? " 
 
 " That I do not know and cannot know ; but rest easy, 
 you are safe." With these words he left the dwelling and 
 returned to his own abode, where his deaf consort was 
 already asleep. The fire had gone out ; it was dark in his 
 humble home ; still Topanashka did not go to rest, but sat 
 down in a corner and mused. He felt happy in the 
 thought that Okoya and Mitsha might become united; it 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 219 
 
 caused him pleasure that his grandson should wed a child 
 of his own clan. Still with his strong attachment to the 
 faith, or creed, in which he was born, he would not yield 
 to his own wishes until the will of the higher powers was 
 ascertained. To that end he was resolved to apply to the 
 leading shamans of the tribe. In order, however, that the 
 Shiuana might look favourably upon his request, he deter- 
 mined upon doing penance himself during four consecutive 
 days. Until this was performed he would not even speak 
 to the medicine-men. The self-sacrifice he thus imposed 
 was to be light, and not a formal fast. It limited itself to a 
 much less substantial nourishment, and to a shorter rest 
 during the hours of night. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 At the time of which we are speaking, the chief civil officer 
 of the tribe at the Rito, — its tapop, or as he is now called, 
 governor, — was an Indian whose name was Hoshkanyi 
 Tihua. 
 
 Hoshkanyi Tihua was a man of small stature ; his head 
 was nearly round, or rather pear-shaped, for the lower jaw 
 appeared to be broader than the forehead. The Ups were 
 thin and the mouth firmly set, the nose small and aquiline. 
 The eyes had usually a pleasant expression, but when the 
 little man got excited they sparkled in a manner that de- 
 noted not merely an irascible temper, but a disposition 
 to become extremely venomous in speech and utterance. 
 Hoshkanyi Tihua was nimble, and a good hunter. He sel- 
 dom returned from a hunt without a supply of game. On 
 such occasions he was always suitably Welcomed by his wife, 
 who suffered him to skin the animal and cut up the body. 
 When that was performed she allowed her husband to go to 
 rest, but not before ; for Koay, Hoshkanyi's wife, was not 
 so much his companion in life as his home-tyrant ; and 
 however valiant the little fellow might try to appear out- 
 side of his home, once under the immediate influence of 
 that home's particular mistress he became as meek as a 
 lamb. Koay was an unusually tall woman for an Indian, — 
 she overtopped her husband by nearly a head ; and the re- 
 sult of this anomalous difference in size was that Hoshkanyi 
 felt very much afraid of her. Koay had a temper of her 
 own, besides, which temper she occasionally displayed at 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 221 
 
 the expense of the little tapop's bodily comfort. Among 
 the Pueblo Indians the wife is by no means the slave only 
 of the lord of creation. 
 
 Hoshkanyi had somehow or other acquired the reputa- 
 tion of being an experienced warrior. Whether he really 
 deserved that reputation or not was never accurately ascer- 
 tained. At all events, he was the lucky possessor of one 
 scalp, and that gave him prestige. There is no doubt that 
 he acquired the trophy in a legitimate way ; that /s, he had 
 not stolen it. Once upon a time a war-party of Navajos 
 infested the avenues to the Rito. They succeeded in killing 
 a defenceless Indian, who had wandered from the bottom 
 of the gorge, and whom they found on the mesas somewhere 
 wending his way back to the homes of his tribe. After the 
 fact became known, a party went out to take revenge, and 
 it so happened that there was deep snow, and the murderers 
 could easily be trailed. On the top of what to-day is called 
 the Potrero Viejo the avengers surprised the Navajos fast 
 asleep. It was bitterly cold, and evil tongues affirmed that 
 the Navajo whose scalp Hoshkanyi Tihua brought home 
 had been frozen to death previous to the arrival of the hero 
 from the Tyuonyi. However that may be, our governor 
 returned with one scalp ; and he was declared to be man- 
 slayer, and henceforth counted among the influential braves 
 of his community. 
 
 Hoshkanyi Tihua was by no means silly. He possessed 
 the valuable faculty of keeping his mouth closed and of 
 holding his tongue under circumstances when it would be 
 disadvantageous to him to speak. This faculty had been 
 inculcated after long and earnest training by his great wife. 
 Whenever there was no danger, Hoshkanyi proved very 
 outspoken ; but as soon as there was the slightest sign of 
 active opposition he became extremely wise, and shrouded 
 his views in a cloud of dignified gravity. 
 
222 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 In addition to these qualities Hoshkanyi was the happy 
 owner of an unlimited amount of personal vanity. His 
 ambition had no definite object, provided some external 
 authority was associated with his person. After having for 
 a long time fulfilled the rather insignificant office of assist- 
 ant to the governor of the tribe, his ambition at last became 
 gratified with the announcement that after the governor's 
 demise the Hotshanyi, or chief penitent, and his associates 
 had designated him as the incumbent of the office. So 
 Hoshkanyi Tihua rose suddenly to the rank of one of the 
 chief dignitaries of his commonwealth. 
 
 The choice thus made by the religious heads of the Queres 
 did not satisfy everybody, but everybody was convinced that 
 Those Above had spoken through the mediums to whose 
 care the relations between mankind and the higher powers 
 were specially committed. Everybody therefore accepted 
 the nomination, and the council confirmed it at once. The 
 majority of the clans opposed Hoshkanyi because he be- 
 longed to the Turquoise people, who were rendering them- 
 selves obnoxious to many by pretensions which they upheld 
 by means of their number, and by their connection with the 
 leader of the Koshare. The Turquoise clan was beginning to 
 assert ki tribal affairs an unusual influence, — one that really 
 amour\ted to a pressure. Tyame and Tanyi particularly 
 felt this growing power of Shyuamo at the expense of their 
 influence. Of all the less numerous groups, Tzitz hanutsh 
 was almost the only one who took the side of Tanyi under 
 all circumstances, and this was due exclusively to the fact 
 that the marriage of Zashue with Say Koitza bound the two 
 clans together. Topanashka himself was a member of the 
 Eagle clan, and through him the Water clan, feeble in num- 
 bers, enjoyed the support not only of Tanyi but also of 
 Tyfuue hanutsh. 
 
 In proposing for the vacant position of tapop a member 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 223 
 
 of the Turquoise people, the chief penitents had in a meas- 
 ure acted discreetly. They certainly acted very impartially, 
 or they considered that already one important office, — the 
 office of maseua, or war-captain, — was held by a member of 
 one of the most numerous hanutsh, Tyame. It appeared 
 unwise to them to refuse to as large a cluster as Shyuamo 
 an adequate representation in the executive powers of the 
 community. So they chose Hoshkanyi, as a member of the 
 Turquoise clan, and proposed him for the office of tapop, or 
 civil chief. That more opposition was not made to this 
 selection was due to two facts, — first, to the tacit acknowl- 
 edgment on the part of all that it seemed fair to give Shy- 
 uamo a share in the tribal government, and second, to the 
 equally tacit conviction that Hoshkanyi, while in appearance 
 a man of determination and perspicacity, was in fact but a 
 pompous and weak individual, ambitious and vain, and 
 without the faculty of doing harm. In both these points 
 public opinion at the Rito was right. 
 
 It will be seen from what has been said that there pre- 
 vailed a strong desire on the part of the chief religious 
 authorities to preserve a certain equilibrium between the 
 components of the tribe. That anxiety to maintain an even 
 balance of power was in itself evidence of danger that this 
 equilibrium might be disturbed. The great penitents, — or 
 as they are erroneously called to-day, caciques, — had not 
 and could not have any clear conception of the condition of 
 affairs in the government of their people. Men old, even 
 prematurely old from the effects of the life of constant 
 abnegation and self-sacrifice to which they had to resign 
 themselves, excluded from listening to anything that was 
 or might indicate strife and contention, they knew not what 
 was going on under cover of apparent harmony. Theoreti- 
 cally and from the stand-point of their duty, which consisted 
 in praying and suffering for the peace and happiness of the 
 
224 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 community, and thus securing these boons by means of 
 more direct intercourse with Those Above, their choice was 
 excellent. Practically, it was the most dangerous step that 
 could have been suggested and carried out. 
 
 They did not consider that instead of giving to Shyuamo 
 a legitimate share in the government of the tribe, they 
 virtually gave the Turquoise people a majority. For the 
 latter had already two representatives of great influence. 
 Tyope was delegate to the council, where he represented 
 his clan ; and the Koshare Naua, who also was a member of 
 ^yuamo, not only belonged to the leading councilmen but 
 was one of the religious heads ! By adding Hoshkanyi as 
 tapop it gave the Turquoise clan an unfair preponderance. 
 For while Hoshkanyi was a weak man, — while he was 
 mortally afraid of his inflexibly honest colleague, the maseua 
 Topanashka, he was dependent upon Tyope and upon the 
 chief of the Delight Makers, because both belonged to his 
 clan. He very soon began to display an utter flexibility to 
 the desires of the two last-mentioned individuals, to the 
 disadvantage of those who did not coincide with their 
 views. 
 
 This marked preponderance of Shyuamo in tribal affairs 
 aroused apprehensions on the part of the other strong 
 clans ; it also caused the greater number of the weaker 
 clusters to gravitate toward the growing element of power 
 held by the Turquoise people. A schism was slowly and 
 imperceptibly preparing itself among the people of the 
 Rito. That schism was not the work of circumstances, it 
 was being systematically prepared by two crafty men, — 
 Tyope and the Koshare Naua. 
 
 In working at such a division these two men had in view 
 well-defined objects. Their aim in itself was not absolutely 
 illegitimate, since it foreshadowed what would be an inevi- 
 table necessity in the course of time. What rendered their 
 
Juanico : A member of the modern village-council 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 22$ 
 
 doings reprehensible and positively odious were the means 
 employed to hasten events. Their object was nothing less 
 than to expel a part of the people, for the exclusive benefit 
 of the remainder. 
 
 The extent of land that can be cultivated in the gorge 
 of the Rito is small, and the tribe was growing in numbers. 
 The time was sure to come when the crops would no longer 
 be adequate for all. Furthermore, a positive danger threat- 
 ened the people in their dwellings. The rock, being ex- 
 tremely friable, crumbled constantly ; and now and then 
 inhabited caves were falling a prey to the wear and tear of 
 the material in which they had been excavated. As this 
 slow decay was sure to continue, it was logical to expect 
 that room must be found for the houseless outside. Al- 
 ready the Corn clan had been compelled to build a house 
 in the bottom of the valley. All this further tended to cur- 
 tail the space for agriculture, and rendered a diminution of 
 numbers prospectively imperative. 
 
 These facts had been recognized by Tyope, and he had 
 talked with the Koshare Nana about them for some time 
 past. They were the only persons who had thought of 
 them, not so much deploring the necessity arising there- 
 from in the future as hailing them as welcome pretexts for 
 their immediate personal aims. Neither Tyope nor the 
 Naua had such high ambition as to aspire to a change of 
 the basis of social organization. Neither of them had any 
 conception of government but what was purely tribal, but 
 they both aspired to offices and dignities such as tribal 
 organization alone knows. These seemed unattainable for 
 them as long as there were other powerful clans at the Rito 
 besides their own, whereas in case some of the former were 
 expelled, it would leave vacant and at their disposal the 
 positions which they coveted. 
 
 Tyope, for instance, looked forward to the dignity of head 
 15 
 
226 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 war-chief, or maseua ; but as long as Topanashka lived he 
 saw no chance for himself. He therefore concocted with 
 the young Navajo the sinister plan of murdering the old 
 man. It was even uncertain, in presence of the two power- 
 ful clans of Tanyi and Tyame, whether after the death of 
 Topanashka it would be possible for him to secure the suc- 
 cession. For the chief penitents, who selected oflficially the 
 new incumbent, while they were in no manner accessible to 
 outside influence, might consider the general tendency of 
 affairs, and for the same reasons that they chose Hoshkanyi 
 Tihua for tapop might determine upon appointing some 
 member of Tanyi or Tyame as maseua. Tyope had fore- 
 seen such a contingency, and had therefore suggested to 
 Nacaytzusle the propriety of converting the isolated murder 
 into a butchery of the adult men as far as possible. His 
 suggestion to surprise the Rito while the Koshare were at 
 work in their egtufa had a double aim, — in the first place 
 it made it less dangerous for the Navajos, in the second it 
 appointed a time when most of the men of the Turquoise 
 clan were out of reach of an enemy. The blow must then 
 fall upon the males of other clans, for the majority of the 
 Koshare were from the people of Shyuamo. This plan was 
 out of the question since the night when his negotiations 
 with Nacaytzusle had come to such a disastrous termina- 
 tion. But Tyope had laid his wires in other directions also. 
 Seeing that he could not reduce the numbers of the tribe 
 by one fell blow, or that at least his endeavours might not 
 succeed, he was devising in his peculiar imderhand way 
 means to create a disunion, and trying to secure for the 
 time of the crisis a commanding position for his own 
 clan. 
 
 As he could never have attempted all this alone, he 
 needed an associate, an accomplice. That accomplice he 
 readily found in the old Koshare Nana. In the same man- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 22/ 
 
 ner that Tyope aspired to the position, of war-chief, the 
 chief of the DeUght Makers was coveting the rank of leading 
 shaman, or medicine-man. Not the dignity of cacique, — 
 for that position entailed too many personal sacrifices, and 
 carried with it a life of seclusion and retirement that pre- 
 sented no redeeming features, — but the office of hishtanyi 
 chayan, or principal medicine-man, was what the Naua de- 
 sired to obtain. That position did not entail greater priva- 
 tions than the one which the old schemer occupied, but it 
 secured for its incumbent much greater sway over the 
 people, and placed him in the position to exert a degree of 
 influence which was beyond the pale of Koshare magic. 
 The Naua was working toward his end by ways and with 
 means different from those employed by Tyope. His 
 machinations were directed against the religious heads of 
 the tribe, and he persisted in securing for the society of 
 Delight Makers a prominence that lay outside of their real 
 attributes. Therefore Hayoue did not speak amiss when, 
 in his interview with Okoya, he accused the Koshare, and 
 principally their leader, of attempting to usurp functions 
 and rights belonging properly to the main official shamans, 
 and thus secure for themselves undue advantages. 
 
 Tyope and the old Naua had found each other, in ac- 
 cordance with the proverb about birds of a feather. Their 
 understanding was perfect, although it had been brought 
 about gradually and without the formality of a conspiracy. 
 Each worked in his own line and with his own means, and 
 neither had any thought of going beyond what the tribal 
 organization could give them. There was no idea of revo- 
 lutionizing or even reforming the organization. Had one 
 of them entertained such a thought the other would have 
 become his bitterest enemy, for both were deeply imbued 
 with the principles on which rested the existence of the 
 society in which they had been bom. All they aspired to 
 
228 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 was to eliminate a certain number of men or people, in 
 order to secure with greater ease certain advantages. It 
 was the survival of the fittest, as primitive society under- 
 stands it and as refined society attempts to enact, though 
 with more refined means. 
 
 The stumbling-blocks in the path of these intriguers were 
 the chief penitents, — the cacique, or as their titles run, 
 the Hotshanyi, or principal cacique, and his two assistants, the 
 uishtyaka and the shaykatze. These men, selected for the 
 purpose of doing penance for all and thus obtaining readier 
 access to the ear of the immortal ones, were the official 
 keepers of peace among the tribe. For the Indian feels 
 that a house divided against itself caimot stand, and that 
 the maintenance of harmony through a constant appeal to 
 the higher powers is the most important feature in the life 
 of his tribe. To discredit in an underhand way the 
 caciques was the special aim of the Koshare Nana, and to 
 direct the eyes of the people to his own achievements in 
 religious magic, — in one word to place the power of the 
 Koshare and their specific medicine on a higher plane than 
 all that the official penitents might achieve. To do this 
 was a very slow piece of work, and it had to be brought 
 about in such a manner that nobody could suspect his ob- 
 ject. But both Tyope and the aged scoundrel were work- 
 ing their plans with the utmost caution, and the religious 
 heads of the tribe had not the slightest suspicion of what 
 was going on against them. 
 
 The Tjmonyi, therefore, was quiet on the surface, but 
 there were occasional ripples of that placid brook which 
 earnest and thoughtful observers could not fail to notice. 
 Hayoue, although very young, was one of these observers ; 
 but none saw more and penetrated deeper into the real 
 state of affairs than Topanashka. He and the Hishtanyi 
 Chayan, who to some extent was his trusty friend, felt that 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 229 
 
 a tempest was coining. Both saw that the disturbing 
 powers were rooted in the society of the Koshare, that 
 Tyope and the Naua must be the leading spirits. But how 
 and to what ultimate end the machinations were intended 
 escaped their penetration. For the same reason they could 
 not come actively to the relief of the situation, as no overt 
 action had as yet been committed which would justify an 
 official movement against the conspirators. 
 
 Topanashka had for several days been keeping the infor- 
 mal fast upon which he had determined for the benefit of 
 his grandson's wooing. It was a warm, pleasant afternoon. 
 Since the rain which followed upon the ayash tyucotz the 
 sky had been blue again as before ; the season for daily 
 showers had not yet commenced, and the people were in 
 the corn-patches as busy as possible, improving the bright 
 days in weeding and putting the ground in order. The 
 bottom of the gorge therefore presented an active appear- 
 ance. Men and women moved about the houses, in and 
 out of the cave-dwellings, and in the fields. From the 
 tasselled corn that grew in these plots a tall figure emerged ; 
 it was Topanashka himself, and he directed his steps toward 
 the cliffs -at the lower end, where the Turquoise people 
 dwelt. The old man moved as usual with a silent, meas- 
 ured step which would have appeared stately had not his 
 head leaned forward. He was clad in a wrap of unbleached 
 cotton, and a leather belt girded his loins. Around his neck 
 a string of crystals of feldspar was negligently thrown ; and 
 a fetich of white alabaster, representing rudely the form 
 of a panther, depended from the necklace hanging upon 
 his breast. 
 
 The people of the Turquoise or Shyuamo resided on the 
 lower range of chffs, and formed the most easterly group of 
 cave-dwellings on the Rito. Here the rocks are no longer 
 absolutely perpendicular; they form steps; and the slope 
 
230 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 leading to them is overgrown with shrubbery, except where 
 erosive action of wind, as well as of water or frost, has 
 scooped out strange formations in advance of the main 
 wall. These erosions are mostly regular cones, tent-shaped, 
 between and behind which open chasms and deep rents 
 like the one above which, as we recollect, lies the estufa of 
 the Koshare. Topanashka walked toward the upper part 
 of the cluster of dwellings of Shyuamo, where the ascending 
 slope was sparsely covered with brush. In front of one of 
 the caves sat a woman. She was unusually tail for an 
 Indian, and neither young nor old. She appeared to be 
 busy extracting the filaments from shrivelled leaves of the 
 yucca, which had been dried by roasting, and afterward had 
 been buried to allow the texture to decay. So engrossed 
 was the woman by her task that only when the old man 
 stood by her side, and asked, " Where is the tapop ? " did 
 she notice his presence. 
 
 Koay, for it was she, the towering consort of the governor 
 of the Tyuonyi, did not condescend to reply in words to 
 the inquiry of the war-captain. She resorted to a lazy 
 pantomime by gathering her two lips to a snout-like pro- 
 jection and thrusting this protuberance forward in the 
 direction of the doorway before which she was squatting. 
 Then she resumed her occupation. 
 
 The visitor paid no further attention to the imcivil 
 woman. He passed in front of her unceremoniously, and 
 entered the cave. The apartment was like those we have 
 previously described, with the single difference that it was 
 better lighted, somewhat larger, and that the household 
 effects scattered and hung around were of a different char- 
 acter. Implements of warfare, — a bow and a quiver with 
 arrows, a shield — convex and painted red, with a yellow disk, 
 and several green lines in the centre, — were suspended from 
 the wall. The niches contained small vessels of burnt clay 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 231 
 
 and a few plume-sticks. A low doorway led from this room 
 into another, and beyond that there was even a third C€ll, 
 so that Hoshkanyi Tihua, the civil chief of the Queres, 
 enjoyed the luxury of occupying three apartments. 
 
 Still this was not the dwelling which he commonly in- 
 habited. His wife descended from the Bear clan ; and 
 her home, and consequently his also, was higher up the 
 gorge, among the caves belonging to the people of the 
 Bear. But as his father had recently departed this Ufe, 
 and his mother was left alone, she had begged her only son 
 to remain with her until one or the other of her brothers or 
 sisters might be ready to take her in charge, either by mov- 
 ing into her abode or by her going to them. Hoshkanyi, 
 therefore, had temporarily gone to live with his mother, 
 but his portly consort was careful not to let him go 
 alone. They had no children, and she felt constrained to 
 keep an eye upon the little man. 
 
 In the room which Topanashka had entered, his execu- 
 tive colleague was sitting on a round piece of wood, a low 
 upright cylinder, whose upper surface was slightly hollowed 
 out. Such were the chairs of the Pueblos in olden times. 
 With the exception of that well-known garment peculiar 
 to Indians and babies, and called breech-clout, the gover- 
 nor's manly form was not concealed by any vestment what- 
 ever. But while he evidently thought that at home the 
 necessities of costume might be dispensed with, he had not 
 abandoned the luxuries of ornamentation. He wore on his 
 naked body a necklace of wolves' teeth, ear pendants of 
 black and green stones, and wristbands of red leather. The 
 latter he carried in order to reUeve his heart, still heavy 
 under the severe blow that he had experienced through the 
 death of his father. 
 
 The tapop was also at work. By means of the well- 
 known fire-drill he was attempting to perforate a diminutive 
 
232 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 shell disk and thus transform it into the shell bead so es- 
 sential to the Indian. So intent was he upon this arduous 
 task that he failed to notice the coming of Topanashka ; and 
 the latter stood beside him for a little while, an impassive 
 observer. At last Hoshkanyi Tihua looked up, and the 
 visitor said to him, — 
 
 "Umo, you have sent for me and I have come. But 
 if you are engaged, or have no time now, I do not mind 
 returning again." 
 
 There was a decided irony in the manner in which the 
 old man uttered these words, and Hoshkanyi felt it. He 
 rose quickly, gathered a few robes, and spread them on the 
 ground. In short he was as pleasant and accommodating, 
 all at once, as he and his wife had been careless in the be- 
 ginning. Topanashka settled down on the hides, and in 
 the meantime the woman also entered the room and quite 
 unceremoniously squatted beside the men. Hoshkanyi 
 said to her, — 
 
 "We have to talk together, the maseua and I." He 
 fastened on his spouse a look timid and imploring ; it was 
 plain that he did not venture to send her out directly, — 
 that he was afraid of her. Koay looked at him carelessly, 
 and said in a very cool manner, — 
 
 " I want to hear that talk." 
 
 " But I will not allow it," interposed Topanashka ; and 
 his cold, piercing eye rested on the woman's face. She cast 
 hers to the ground, and he proceeded, — 
 
 " As long as you are here, the tapop and I cannot speak." 
 
 She lifted her head angrily, with the manifest intention 
 of rebelling, but as soon as her eyes met the cold, deter- 
 mined glance of the war-chief, she felt a chiU, rose, and left 
 the room. Hoshkanyi Tihua drew a sigh of relief; he was 
 grateful to his visitor for having so summarily despatched 
 his formidable spouse. Then he said, — 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 233 
 
 " Umo, I have sent for you because a speech has been 
 spoken here in this house, which belongs to my mother. 
 That speech may be good and it may not be good, and I 
 cared not to tell my thoughts until I had spoken to you, 
 nashtio. The matters of which it treated belong before the 
 council, but I do not know whether to say to you, the 
 nashtio of the Zaashtesh, Call them together, or not." He 
 was manifestly troubled, and fastened an uncertain glance 
 upon the face of the other. 
 
 Topanashka very composedly answered, — 
 
 " You are as wise as I, umo ; you know what your duties 
 are. Whenever you say to me. Go and call together the 
 council, I shall do it. If you do not tell me to do so, I 
 shall not." 
 
 Hoshkanyi moved in his seat ; the reply did not suit him. 
 After some hesitation he continued, — 
 
 " I know, father, that you do as the customs of the 
 Zaashtesh require," — he held himself erect with an attempt 
 at pride, for he felt that in the present instance his person- 
 ality and word represented customs which were law, — " but 
 I do not know that I shall tell you so or not. Do you 
 understand me, umo?" 
 
 " I understand your words, Tapop, but you know that I 
 have only to act, whereas it is your office to speak." 
 
 The cool reply exasperated the little man. He retorted 
 sharply, — 
 
 "And yet you have often spoken in the council, when 
 your hanutsh wanted something ! " 
 
 Topanashka lifted his eyes and gazed fiiUy, calmly, at 
 the other; he even suppressed a smile. 
 
 " Then it is your hanutsh, Shyuamo, that wants something 
 this time?" 
 
 Hoshkan)d felt, as the saying is, very cheap. His secret 
 was out \ and his plan to obtain an expression of opinion 
 
234 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 from the maseua ere he came to a conclusion himself, a 
 total failure. The latter added in a deprecating way, — 
 
 " If you do not know what to do, ask the Hotshanyi. He 
 will give you good advice." This was just what the governor 
 wished to avoid, but he knew that when Topanashka had 
 once expressed his opinion it was useless to attempt to 
 dissuade him. 
 
 After an interval of silence the civil chief looked up and 
 said, — 
 
 " Come, let us go to the Hotshanyi." 
 
 Topanashka thought over this proposal for a moment. 
 " It is well," he at last assented ; " I will go." With this 
 he rose. The governor rose also, but was so embarrassed 
 and excited that he would have run out as he was, in almost 
 complete undress, had not the maseua reminded him by 
 saying, — 
 
 " Remember that we are going to the Shiuana," adding, 
 " take some meal along." 
 
 " Have you any with you? " inquired Hoshkanyi, with a 
 venomous look. The other responded quietly, — 
 
 " I do not need any. You are seeking their advice, not 
 I." That settled the matter. 
 
 As both went out, Koay, who had been sitting as close by 
 the doorway as possible, snappishly asked her husband, — 
 
 "Where are you going, hachshtze?" 
 
 Topanashka took the trouble of satisfying her curiosity 
 by dryly answering, — 
 
 " About our own business." The icy look with which he 
 accompanied his retort subdued the woman. 
 
 The Hotshanyi, or chief penitent, lived with the people of 
 the Prairie-wolf clan. His abode consisted of two caves on 
 the lower and one on the upper tier. The two officers of 
 the tribe wandered slowly along the cliffs, past the abodes 
 of the Sun clan, Topanashka walking as usual, — erect, with 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 235 
 
 his head bent slightly forward, — Hoshkanyi with a pomp- 
 ous air, glad to display himself in company with his much 
 more respected colleague, to whom all the pleasant greet- 
 ings which the two received on their peregrination were 
 really directed. When they reached the cave wherein the 
 cacique resided, Hoshkanyi entered first. 
 
 Close to the fireplace, which was one of those primitive 
 chimneys like the one we have seen in the home of Shotaye, 
 an old man was seated on the floor. His age was certainly 
 greater than Topanashka's ; he was of middle height, lean 
 and even emaciated. His eyes were dim, and he received 
 the greetings of his visitors with an air of indifference or 
 timidity ; it was difficult to determine which. Pointing to 
 the floor he said, — 
 
 " What brings you to my house, children ! " and he 
 coughed a hollow, hectic cough. 
 
 The tapop began, — 
 
 "We wish — " 
 
 "Do not say we," the maseua corrected him, "you wish, 
 not I." 
 
 Hoshkanyi bit his hps and began anew, — 
 
 " I and my brother here have come because I want to 
 ask you something. But if you are at work, grandfather, 
 then we will go." 
 
 " I am not working, sa uishe," said the cacique. " Speak ; 
 I Usten. What is it you wish? " 
 
 « Can I see the kopishtai ? " Hoshkanyi whispered 
 anxiously. 
 
 The eyes of the Hotshanyi brightened. His look sud- 
 denly became clear and firm. With surprising alacrity he 
 rose, as if he had become younger at once. His whole 
 figure, although bent, attained vigour and elasticity. Before 
 leaving the cave he looked inquiringly at Topanashka, who 
 only shook his head and said in a low tone, — 
 
236 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " I have nothing to ask." 
 
 The two left the room. The place where Those Above 
 were thought to be accessible to the intercession of man 
 was the cave adjoining, but there was no communication 
 between the two chambers. 
 
 Presently the cacique crept back to where they had 
 left Topanashka alone, and Hoshkanyi followed. The 
 former resumed his seat by the hearth, whereas the tapop 
 cowered in front of him. He looked anxiously in the old 
 man's face, and at the same time shot an occasional quick 
 glance over toward the maseua. In a hollow voice the 
 Hotshanyi said, — 
 
 " You may speak now, sa uishe ; the kopishtai know 
 that you are here." 
 
 " Sa umo Hotshanyi," the tapop commenced, " I have 
 listened to a speech. Things have been said to me that 
 concern the tribe." He stopped short and fastened his 
 eyes on the floor. 
 
 "This is well," the cacique said encouragingly; "you 
 must hear what the children of Payatyama and Sanatyaya 
 are doing ; you are their father." 
 
 Hoshkanyi sighed, and appeared to be much embarrassed. 
 
 "Speak, motatza," urged the old man. 
 
 " I don't know what to do," the little man stuttered. 
 
 " Have you been asked to do anything ? " 
 
 " Yes, they have — " He stopped, sighed again, and then 
 proceeded hastily and with an expression of anguish in his 
 face, " Shyuamo hanutsh asks that Tzitz hanutsh — " 
 
 The Hotshanyi commanded him to desist. 
 
 "Stay, stay, Hoshkanyi Tihua ! " he hoarsely exclaimed. 
 "You know that we, the mothers of the tribe, will not 
 listen to anything that divides our children among them- 
 selves or that might cause division among them. You ask 
 for advice from me. This advice you shall receive, but 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 237 
 
 only on things that I can know of and which I dare to 
 hear. If you speak to me of strife and dispute, I shall not 
 listen to it. Speak of yourself, not of others." 
 
 Topanashka was an attentive listener, but not a muscle in 
 his face moved ; whereas the little tapop was manifestly in 
 great trouble. He coughed, hemmed and hawed, twisted 
 his body, moved uneasily in his seat, and at last continued 
 in a faltering manner, — 
 
 "I do not know whether or not I ought to call the 
 council together." 
 
 " Were you asked to do it? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Then you must do it ; it is your duty," replied the 
 Hotshanyi. He spoke imperatively, and with remarkable 
 dignity of manner. Thus the first point was settled. And 
 the tapop with growing uneasiness proceeded to his next. 
 
 "It has been said to me that I should send my brother 
 here," pointing at Topanashka, "to call together the 
 fathers. Now is it well to do so, or shall I send the assist- 
 ant civil chieftain to the men ? " Hoshkanyi spoke like a 
 schoolboy who was delivering a disagreeable message. 
 
 The matter in itself seemed of no consequence at all, 
 but the manner in which the governor spoke and acted 
 looked extremely suspicious. Both of his listeners became 
 attentive ; the cacique displayed no signs of surprise, but he 
 looked at the speaker fixedly, and inquired of him, speak- 
 ing very slowly, — 
 
 " Is my brother the maseua willing to go ? " 
 
 " I have not asked him as yet." 
 
 "Then ask him," sternly commanded the old man. 
 
 Almost trembling, the tapop turned to Topanashka, who 
 was sitting immovable, with lips firmly set and sparkling 
 eyes. 
 
 "Will you call the council together, nashtio? " 
 
238 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " No ! " exclaimed the maseua. 
 
 "You have heard what your brother says," coldly pro- 
 ceeded the cacique ; " you know now what you are to do. 
 My brother will not go, and you can only command him 
 if the council orders you to do so. Therefore send the 
 assistant; he is your messenger. Do your duty and 
 nothing else, for it is not good to attempt anything new 
 unless Payatyama has so directed." The words were 
 spoken in a tone of solemn warning, and even Topanashka 
 was startled, for never before had he heard the Hotshanyi 
 speak thus. The old man had always been very meek and 
 mild in his utterances, but now his voice sounded almost 
 prophetic. Was he inspired by Those Above? Did the 
 Shiuana speak through him? Was there danger for the 
 tribe? 
 
 At all events the conference had come to a close, for 
 the cacique had bent his head, and spoke no more. 
 
 " Trouashatze, sa umo," said Topanashka, and left the 
 room. Hoshkanyi followed hurriedly. The cacique took 
 no notice of their departure. 
 
 When both men stood outside, Topanashka turned to the 
 tapop coldly, asking, — 
 
 "Are you going to call the council? " 
 
 " I will," whined the little man. 
 
 "For what day?" 
 
 " I don't know yet." 
 
 " But I want to know," sternly, almost menacingly, insisted 
 the other. " I want to know, for I shall be present ! " 
 
 " Four days from now," cried Hoshkanyi, trembling. 
 
 "What time?" 
 
 " I don't know yet. When the moon rises," he added 
 in despair, as the cold, determined gaze of Topanashka met 
 his eye. Without a further word the war- chieftain turned 
 and went off. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 239 
 
 Hoshkanyi was utterly annihilated. He had made a total 
 failure, and as he stood there like a child that has just been 
 thoroughly whipped he began to curse the weakness that 
 had caused him to yield to the advice and the demands of 
 Tyope. For it was Tyope who had brought him to act the 
 part in which the unfortunate governor had so disgracefully 
 failed. Tyope, when as representative of the clan Shyuamo 
 he asked the tapop to call together the council for a matter 
 wherein the Turquoise people were interested, had artfully 
 told him that as one of their number it would be better 
 if the maseua would issue the call. He knew very well 
 that this was an innovation ; but the deceiver made it ap-r 
 parent that if Topanashka should yield, and commit the 
 desired misstep, the blame would of course fall upon the 
 war-chief, and the civil chief would profit by the other's 
 mistake, and would gain in the opinion of the people at 
 the expense of the maseua. 
 
 But Tyope, cunning as he was, had underrated the firm- 
 ness and perspicacity of Topanashka as much as he had 
 overrated the abilities of Hoshkanyi. As soon as the latter 
 saw the rigidity of his colleague in a matter of duty, he felt 
 completely at sea ; he lost sight of everything that Tyope 
 had recommended, tumbled from one mistake to another, 
 and finally exposed himself to grave suspicions. As the 
 popular saying is, he let the cat out of the bag, and made 
 an absolute, miserable fiasco. All this he saw clearly, and 
 he cursed Tyope, and cursed himself for having become 
 his tool. More than that, he trembled when he thought 
 of what Tyope would say, and also what his own energetic 
 wife would call him, and even perhaps do to him, if he 
 went home. For Koay was sure to exact a full report of 
 what had occurred ; and to save himself, nothing remained 
 but to tell her lies. This he finally determined upon. But 
 to Tyope he could not lie ; to Tyope he must tell the truth ; 
 
240 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 and then ? Hoshkanyi Tihua wended his way home wrapped 
 in thoughts of a very unsatisfactory nature. 
 
 While the governor of the Queres was thus agitated by 
 unpleasant forebodings, the mind of the war-chief was not 
 less occupied by gloomy thoughts. Of all the leading men 
 of the tribe, Topanashka saw perhaps most clearly the sinis- 
 ter machinations of some of the Turquoise people. Still he 
 had not discovered, and could not even surmise, the real ob- 
 ject of their intrigues. Of an intention to divide the tribe 
 he had no idea. Personal ambition, greed, and thirst for 
 influence was all he could think of; and he felt sure that 
 they would not prevail, for to personal ambition the tribal 
 system afforded little, if any, opportunity. It was manifest 
 however from what Hoshkanyi had involuntarily divulged, 
 that the clan Shyuamo intended to press some claim against 
 the small Water clan, which besides was so distantly located 
 from the abodes and the lands of the Turquoise that he 
 could see no just reason for a claim. It was equally impos- 
 sible for him to imagine the nature of the claim. Quarrels 
 between clans are always most dangerous for the existence 
 of a tribe, for disruption and consequent weakening is likely 
 to result from them. The old man felt the gravest appre- 
 hensions ; he saw imminent danger for his people ; and still 
 he could not arrive at any conclusion before the threatening 
 storm had broken. There was no possibility of averting the 
 peril, for he could not even mention its approach to any 
 one. 
 
 Topanashka was calm and absolutely brave. His life was 
 nothing to him except as indispensable for the performance 
 of his duty. He knew long ago that the leaders of the 
 movement for which the Turquoise people were used as bat- 
 tering-rams hated him, that he was a thorn in their flesh, 
 a stone in their crooked paths. If the revelations of Hosh- 
 kanyi created deep apprehensions in him, it was out of no 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 24I 
 
 personal fear; in the present instance it was clear that a 
 trap had been set for the purpose of decoying him into a 
 false move. It was the first time that anything of the kind 
 had been attempted; and Topanashka looked upon it as 
 very serious, not for his individual sake, but because it 
 showed that it was undertaken jointly with a move that was 
 sure to bring about internal disturbances, and was probably 
 a part of that move itself, and because it exhibited a degree 
 of boldness on the part of the schemers which proved that 
 their plans were nearly, if not absolutely, mature. A crisis 
 was near at hand ; he saw it, but it could not be prevented. 
 A deep gloom settled on the heart of the old maseua, and 
 something like despondency crept over him at times. It 
 caused him to forget the matter of his grandson's wooing 
 and his proposed appeal to the Shiuana in behalf of Okoya, 
 and to look forward to the momentous time, four days hence, 
 when his mind would become enlightened on the impend- 
 ing danger. All his thoughts were henceforth with the 
 council and the object for which it was to be held. He 
 looked forward to it with sadness and even with fear. It 
 was clear to him that the hour of that council must become 
 an evil hour in the annals of his people. 
 
 16 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The four days at the expiration of which the council was to 
 take place were drawing to a close, for it was the night of 
 the fourth, that on which the uuityam was to meet. It was 
 a beautiful night ; the foil moon shone down into the gorge 
 in its greatest splendour, and only along the cliffs was it 
 possible to walk in the shadow. The air was cool and 
 balmy ; not a breeze stirred ; and the population of the Rito 
 seemed to enjoy the luminous, still, and refreshing hours 
 that followed upon a warm and busy day. Laughter, sing- 
 ing, shouting, came from the roofs and the vicinity of the 
 houses, as well as from the caves and their approaches. 
 The people felt happy; few if any suspected that a mo- 
 mentous question agitated the minds of some of their 
 number. 
 
 Two men were walking along the cliffs toward the group 
 of cave-dwellings which the Prairie-wolf clan inhabited. 
 They hugged the rocks so closely that most of the time 
 their figures disappeared in the inky shadows of projecting 
 or beetling cliffs and pillars. One of these men asked in 
 a low tone, — 
 
 " Are you going to the uuityam ? " 
 
 " I am," replied the other. 
 
 The words were spoken in a tone sufficiently loud to 
 enable any one acquainted with the inhabitants of the 
 T)fuonyi to recognize in the first speaker Tyame Tihua, the 
 delegate or councilman from the Eagle clan, in the other, 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 243 
 
 our old friend Topanashka. After exchanging these few 
 words both continued their walk in silence. 
 
 The round chamber in which the meetings of the tribal 
 council were usually held exists to-day as a semicircular 
 indentation in the cliffs, the rudely arched ceiling of which 
 is still covered with a thick coating of soot. The front wall 
 has crumbled long ago. At the time we speak of it was 
 entire, and the apartment formed a nearly circular hall of 
 more than usual size, with a low entrance in front and two 
 small air-holes on each side of the doorway. 
 
 As the two men approached the place, they noticed that 
 a number of others were already congregated in front of it, 
 but that no light issued from the interior. It was a sign 
 that the council was not yet assembled, and especially that 
 the religious chiefs had not made their appearance. Those 
 who were present assumed any posture imaginable, pro- 
 vided it gave them comfort. They talked and conversed 
 about very unimportant matters, and laughed and joked. 
 There was no division into separate groups, foreshadowing 
 the drift of opinions and of interests ; for no lobbying was go- 
 ing on. Every one seemed to be as free and easy as in 
 his own home or in the estufa among his companions, and 
 the greatest apparent harmony prevailed. One man only 
 had retired to a rocky recess where he sat aloof from the 
 others in the darkest shadow of the already shadowy spot. 
 It was the old chief of the Delight Makers, the Koshare 
 Naua. 
 
 When the last two comers reached the group and offered 
 the usual greeting, the conversation — in which the delegate 
 from Tzitz hanutsh, a short, stout man, and his colleague 
 from Oshatsh had been the loudest participants — came to 
 a sudden stop. The subject of the discussion was not a 
 reason for its abrupt breaking off, for it was merely the all- 
 absorbing topic as to whether two summers ago it had 
 
244 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 rained as early as this year. It was out of respect for the 
 maseua, out of deference to his presence, that the other 
 clan representatives became silent, all except one. That 
 one was Tyope, who continued the subject, as if he in- 
 tended to display greater independence than the rest. 
 Nevertheless, as no one paid attention to his speech, he felt 
 at last constrained to drop into silence. Not for a long 
 time, however, for as if he wished to atone for his lack of 
 civility he called out to Topanashka, — 
 
 " You are late, sa nashtio ! " 
 
 " Early enough yet, satyumishe," replied the old man 
 quietly, and Tyame remarked, — 
 
 " Shyuamo dwells nearer to the uuityam than we. The 
 Turquoise men have everything close at hand, — the tapop, 
 the place, everything, and everybody. All we have is the 
 maseua," he added laughing, "and he is very old." 
 
 The laughter became general, and Tyope said in a tone 
 of flattery, — 
 
 " Our nashtio is old, but he is still stronger than you, 
 Tyame. He is also wiser than all of us together. Our 
 father is very strong, runs like a deer, and his eye is that of 
 an eagle." 
 
 There was something like irony in this speech, but To- 
 panashka took no notice of it. He was looking for the 
 tapop, a difficult task in the darkness, where a number of 
 men are grouped in all kinds of postures. Finally he 
 inquired, — 
 
 "Where is Hoshkanyi? " 
 
 " Not here," came a reply from several voices. 
 
 "And the yaya?" 
 
 "Tza yaya," was the negative answer. 
 
 " Then we are not too late," said the war-chief, turning 
 to Tyame. He sat down among the rest, and the talk went 
 on as before his arrival. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 24S 
 
 At last the governor came. He offered a short greet- 
 ing and received a careless reply. Then he crawled into 
 the cave, and his assistant followed him. Soon a rustling 
 noise was heard inside, a grating like that of a drill fol- 
 lowed, and everybody outside became silent. The tapop 
 was starting the council-fire, and he used for the purpose 
 that venerable implement of primitive times, the fire-drill. 
 It was a sacred performance, therefore tlie sudden silence 
 of all within hearing of the process. Little by little a glim- 
 mer of light illuminated the entrance of the cave ; the fire 
 had started, which was a favourable omen. Now the con- 
 versation might be resumed, but nobody entered the room. 
 The fire was burning, and its light shone vividly through 
 doorway and port-holes, and the men outside were begin- 
 ning to move and to yawn, and some had even fallen 
 asleep, but no one gave a sign of impatience. Stillness 
 prevailed ; it was so late that all noise and bustle had 
 ceased, and the rippling and rushing of the brook alone 
 pervaded the night. 
 
 Several more men approached from various directions; 
 their steps were almost inaudible, and when they reached 
 the company each invariably uttered a hoarse " guatzena, sa 
 uishe." One by one the new-comers glided into the estufa, 
 until six of them had entered. Then a metallic sound was 
 heard within, as if two plates of very hard material were 
 beaten against each other. All rose at once ; those who 
 had fallen asleep were shaken and pulled until they woke ; 
 and one after another filed into the chamber, Topanashka 
 being the last. The metallic sound produced by two plates 
 of basalt had been the call to council. 
 
 The interior of the estufa was as brightly illuminated as a 
 small fire could make it, the smoke of which found egress 
 through the door and the two air-holes, or rose to the 
 low ceiling, where it floated like a grayish cloud. The air 
 
246 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 was heavy and stifling, and the odour of burning pitch pro- 
 ceeded from the pine wood with which the flames were fed 
 in the centre of the room. Close to the fire the tapop had 
 squatted, with three aged men by his side in the same 
 posture. All three wore short, black wraps with red stripes. 
 We recognize in one of these men, who sit with humble, 
 downcast looks, the chief penitent, or Hotshanyi ; the other 
 two are his assistants, the shaykatze and the uishtyaka. 
 In their immediate neighbourhood sat three others, whose 
 hair also was turning gray ; but they sat upright and looked 
 around with freedom and assurance. Their dress had 
 nothing particular or distinctive about it, but each carried 
 on his head feathers of a certain kind. One, with a tall, 
 spare figure, an intelligent face, and dark complexion, wore 
 behind each ear one blue and one yellow feather. He was 
 the Hishtanyi Chayan, the principal medicine-man of the 
 tribe. Next to him was the Shkuy Chayan, or great shaman 
 for the hunt, equally tall, slender, and with a thin face and 
 quick, unsteady glance. The third, or Shikama Chayan, was 
 an individual of ordinary looks and coarse features, who was 
 decorated by a single upright feather. The leaders of the 
 societies of the Koshare and Cuirana had squatted among 
 the central group, while a projection that ran around the 
 whole room served as a bench, or settee, for the representa- 
 tives of the clans. 
 
 This arrangement corresponded closely to the degree of 
 importance of the various officers, or rather to their as- 
 sumed proximity to the higher powers under whose pro- 
 tection the tribe believed itself to be placed. The tapop, 
 as chairman of the meeting, occupied the middle, together 
 with the principal religious functionaries, — - the yaya, or 
 mothers of the tribe. On the outer circumference were 
 placed the nashtio, or fathers, the delegates of the clans. 
 The Koshare Naua and his colleague of the Cuirana held 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS 247 
 
 an intermediate position. Topanashka, as military head, 
 and the assistant governor, who had neither voice nor vote, 
 sat beside the entrance, guarding it. A lieutenant of the 
 maseua crouched outside to prevent the approach of 
 eavesdroppers. 
 
 As soon as the rustling noise occasioned by so many 
 people taking their seats in a small room had subsided, 
 the Hishtanyi Chayan again seized the two basalt plates and 
 caused them to ring. When the metallic sound was heard, 
 everybody became very quiet ; and not one of the twenty- 
 three men that composed the meeting moved. All main- 
 tained the deepest silence, fastening their eyes on the ground. 
 The shaman scattered sacred meal to the six regions, then 
 he raised his eyes to the ceiling, and finally turned to 
 the three caciques with the formal greeting, " Guatzena, 
 yaya ! " then to the others, with " Guatzena, nashtio ! " 
 
 Raising both hands upward, he pronounced the following 
 prayer : — 
 
 " Raua Payatyama our father, Sanatyaya our mother, 
 Maseua, Oyoyaua ! You all, the Shiuana all, the Kopishtai all, — 
 all, raua! Hear what we shall speak, witness all our deeds. 
 Make wise the heart, cunning the ear, bright the eyes, and 
 strong the arm. Give us wisdom and goodness, that our hearts 
 may listen ere we say 'yes,' 'no,' or 'perhaps.' Assist your 
 children, help the Zaashtesh, that they may remain united among 
 themselves, wise, far-seeing, and strong. We call upon you, the 
 Shiuana, the kopishtai ; whisper to us good thoughts and guide 
 us to the right. To you, Payatyama, Sanatyaya, Maseua, — to 
 all of you we pray. Raua, raua ! Ho-a, ho-a, raua ! " 
 
 Again the speaker scattered yellow meal in front of the 
 principal penitent, who only bowed in a dignified manner in 
 response. The remainder of the assembly uttered an affir- 
 mative " A, a," and one after the other rose and deposited 
 sacrificial meal before the cacique. When each of them 
 
248 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 had resumed his seat, the Hishtanyi Chayan turned to the 
 tapop and looked inquiringly. 
 
 Hoshkanyi Tihua assumed an air of solemn importance, 
 for he was to play a prominent role. He glanced around 
 the circle pompously; but when his eye caught the cold 
 gaze of Topanashka he felt almost a chill, and shrank to 
 natural and more modest proportions. He looked quickly 
 in the direction where Tyope was sitting; but the delegate 
 from Shyuamo hanutsh held his face covered with both 
 hands, and did not notice the pleading look of the little 
 governor. So the latter began in an unsteady tone, — 
 
 " Hotshanyi, shaykatze, uishtyaka, and you, the mothers 
 of the tribe, hear me ! Hear me also, you who are our 
 fathers," — his voice grew stronger ; he was recovering 
 assurance. " I have called you together to listen to 
 what I say.'' He crowed the last words rather than 
 spoke them. 
 
 " My brother, the nashtio of Sh)niamo hanutsh," con- 
 tinued he, " has spoken to me and said," — he stopped and 
 shot a glance of inquiry over toward Tyope, but Tyope 
 failed to note it, — " satyumishe has said, ' Tapop, my hanutsh 
 is numerous and has many children, but only very little 
 maize; the motatza and the makatza are many, but of 
 beans there are few, and the field we are tilling is small.' " 
 Hoshkanyi Tihua was manifestly pleased with his own 
 eloquence, for he again looked around the room for marks 
 of admiration. Only the icy look of Topanashka met 
 his gaze, and he proceeded more modestly, — 
 
 " My brother from Shyuamo then said to me, ' See here, 
 nashtio Tapop, there are the people from Tzitz; they are 
 the least in numbers on the Tyuonyi, and yet they have as 
 much ground as we ; and they raised as much maize and 
 even more beans, for they are higher up thin we, and get 
 more water than we. Now, therefore, c.ll them together, 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 249 
 
 all the yaya and the fathers, and say to them, "Shyuamo 
 hanutsh demands from Tzitz hanutsh that it should share 
 its field with us, for where there are two mouths of Shyuamo 
 there is only one of Tzitz ; but when Tzitz raises one ear 
 of com, Shyuamo grows not more than one." ' " 
 
 He had spoken, and drew a heavy sigh of relief. The 
 most profound silence reigned. Tyope remained with his 
 head bowed and his face covered with both hands. Topa- 
 nashka sat rigidly immovable, his cold piercing gaze fastened 
 on the tapop. The representative of the Water clan made 
 a very wry face and looked at the fire. 
 
 The tapop had yet to perform one duty ere discussion 
 could begin. He turned to the Hotshanyi and addressed 
 him, — 
 
 " Sa umo, you and your brethren the shaykatze and the 
 uishtyaka, I address; what do you say to what Shyuamo 
 is asking? Speak, yaya; we are your children; we listen. 
 You are old and wise, we are young and weak." 
 
 The old cacique raised his dim eyes to the speaker and 
 replied in a hoarse voice, — 
 
 " I thank you, sa uishe, — I thank you for myself and for 
 my brethren here that you have put this question to us. 
 But" — the voice grew more steady and strong — "you 
 know that it is our duty to pray, to fast, and to watch, that 
 peace may rule among the Zaashtesh and that nothing may 
 disturb it. We cannot listen to anything that calls forth two 
 kinds of words, and that may bring strife," — he emphasized 
 strongly the latter word; "we cannot therefore remain. 
 May the Shiuana enUghten your hearts. We shall pray 
 that they will counsel you to do good only." 
 
 The old Hotshanyi rose and went toward the doorway. 
 His form was bent, his step faltering. His two associates 
 followed. Not one of those present dared to look at them. 
 None of them noticed the deeply, mournfully significant 
 
2SO THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 glance which the cacique, while he crept through the door, 
 exchanged with Topanashka. 
 
 The address which the governor had directed to the 
 official penitents was a mere formality, but a formality that 
 could not be dispensed with. It was an act of courtesy 
 toward those who in the tribe as well as in the council 
 represented the higher powers. But as these powers are 
 conceived as being good, it is not allowed to speak in their 
 presence of anything that might, in the remotest manner 
 even, bear evil consequences such as disunion and strife. 
 Therefore the caciques, as soon as they had been informed 
 of the subject, could not stay at the meeting, but had to 
 retire. 
 
 This happens at every discussion of a similar nature, and 
 their departure was merely in the ordinary routine of busi- 
 ness. Nobody felt shocked or even surprised at it. But 
 everybody, on the other hand, noticed the reply given by 
 the aged Hotshanyi, felt it like some dread warning, — the 
 foreboding of some momentous question of danger to the 
 people. An uneasy feeling crept over many of the assis- 
 tants who were not, like Tyope and the Koshare Naua, in 
 the secrets of the case. After the departure of the caciques, 
 therefore, the same dead silence prevailed as before. 
 
 The tapop broke the silence by turning officially to the 
 principal shaman and asking him, — 
 
 " Sa umo yaya, what do you hold concerning the demand 
 of our children from Shyuamo? " 
 
 The Chayan raised his face, his eyes sparkled. He gave 
 his reply in a positive tone, — 
 
 " I hold it is well, provided Tzitz hanutsh is satisfied." 
 He bent his head again in token that he had said as much 
 as he cared to say for the present. 
 
 Hoshkanyi Tihua then interrogated the Shkuy Chayan, 
 who very pointedly answered, — 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 25 1 
 
 " It is good." 
 
 His colleague, the Shikama Chayan, remained non-com- 
 mittal, sajdng, — 
 
 " It may be good, it may not be good ; I do not know. 
 My hanutsh is Shutzuna," — he cast a rapid glance to where 
 the delegate of the Prairie-wolf people was sitting, — " and 
 we have enough land for ourselves." 
 
 The governor now addressed the same question succes- 
 sively to the Koshare Nana and to the leader of the Cuirana. 
 The dim eyes of the former began to gleam ; his shrivelled 
 features assumed a hideous, wolfish expression as he spoke 
 in a voice trembling yet clear, — 
 
 " It is well. Our brethren deserve what they demand. 
 If the crops ripen, my children from Shyuamo are those 
 who pray and fast most of all. My hanutsh alone counts 
 more Koshare than all the others together. If they get 
 more land they will fast and pray so much the more, and 
 this they do not for themselves only, but for the benefit of 
 all who dwell on the Tyuonyi." 
 
 The Cuirana Naua, on the other hand, gave a confiised 
 and unsatisfactory reply. In his opinion it would be well 
 if both clans could agree. 
 
 It was next the turn of the clan delegates to be called up. 
 They were those most directly interested, but yntil now 
 they had, out of deference for their religious leaders, main- 
 tained an absolutely passive attitude. After the Cuirana 
 Naua had spoken, however, many raised their faces, changed 
 their positions ; some looked at the tapop with an air of 
 expectancy, others glanced around, still others seemed to 
 denote by their demeanour that they were anxious and 
 eager to speak. Tyope and Topanashka, alone, did not 
 change their attitudes. The former remained with his 
 head bent and his face covered with both hands ; the lat- 
 ter, who happened almost directly to face Tyope, with 
 
252 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 head erect and an expression of calm watchfulness on his 
 features. 
 
 It was of course impossible to foretell the general feeling 
 among the members of the council in regard to the de- 
 mands of the Turquoise people. The Shkuy Chayan and 
 the Koshare Nana had declared themselves favourable to 
 their pretensions, but on the other hand the Hishtanyi 
 Chayan — and his word had greater weight than their 
 speeches — had made a very significant suggestion by re- 
 minding the governor in his reply that the matter did not 
 properly come before the tribal council, but should be settled 
 between the two clans directly interested. Hoshkanyi 
 Tihua should have taken the hint; but Hoshkanyi TUiua 
 had not the sUghtest tact ; and besides, as a member of 
 the clan Shyuamo, he felt too much interested in the matter 
 not to be eager to press it at once, however imprudent and 
 out of place such action might be. He was, moreover, 
 utterly unconscious of the fact that he was nothing but a 
 tool which both Tyope and the Nana wielded to further 
 their perfidious designs. 
 
 The tapop therefore called upon the delegate of the Sun 
 clan to speak. He dwelt not far from the Turquoise peo- 
 ple, and he expressed himself strongly in their favour. 
 
 " It is true," said he, " and I know it to be so, that my 
 fiiends of Shyuamo are hungry. I know it, and it is true 
 also, that the Water people have too much ground. It is 
 right, therefore, for Shyuamo to ask for a share of what 
 they have in excess. How much it shall be, they must 
 settle among themselves." 
 
 Everybody did not appear to be satisfied with this ; but 
 when the tapop summoned the representative of the Bear 
 clan to give his opinion, the speech of the latter was not only 
 stronger, it was even offensive to the Water people. He 
 accused them of having done wrong in not sharing theii 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 253 
 
 fields with the clan of the Turquoise some time before, 
 since it was the duty of those who had too much to di\dde 
 with those who were poorer. He said that it was wrong 
 on the part of Tzitz to have remained silent when they 
 knew how much Shyuamo did for the tribe, while at the 
 same time they had not enough for their own existence. 
 He charged the tapop, in the name of the council, with 
 delinquency in not having required the Water people to 
 share their superabundance with those of the Turquoise. 
 The delegate of Kohaio was not only aggressive in his 
 speech, but his manner of delivering it was brusque and 
 violent, and created quite a stir ; and many of the members 
 cast glances at him which were not of a friendly nature. 
 
 It was now the turn of the delegate of the Water people ; 
 and much depended upon what he would say, for he was, 
 besides the members from Shyuamo, the party most in- 
 terested in the proceedings. Kauaitshe, as he was called, 
 was not, unfortunately, the man for the situation. Short and 
 clumsy in figure, extremely good-natured and correspond- 
 ingly slow in thought and action, he was intellectually 
 heavy and dull. When the demand upon his clan was 
 first formulated, he hstened to it like one whom it does 
 not concern, and only gradually came to the conception 
 that the matter was after all of prime importance to him 
 and to those whose interests he had been selected to de- 
 fend. Kauaitshe was thunderstruck upon arriving at full 
 comprehension ; he was bewildered, and would much rather 
 have run away from the council, But that was impossible. 
 He heard the men speak one by one, and — what to him 
 caused most anxiety — he saw ' the moment approaching 
 when he also would be called upon ; and the prospect filled 
 him with dismay. What should he say ! What could he 
 say ! The injustice intended toward his constituents, the 
 necessity of undertaking a task for which he felt himself 
 
254 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 incapable, terrified him at first and soon drove him to utter 
 despair ; and as all weak and lazy natures, when they see 
 themselves driven to the wall, become firenzied, Kauaitshe, 
 when the tapop turned to him, exploded like a loaded 
 weapon, venting his wrath upon the governor instead of 
 calmly discussing the matter itself. He saw in the governor 
 not only a member of the clan whose plans were detri- 
 mental to the interests of his kinsmen, but chiefly the instru- 
 ment by means of which he was placed in the present 
 difficult position. His face turned dark, then yellow. His 
 eyes glowed like embers. Bounding from his seat, he ad- 
 vanced toward the chairman and hissed, — 
 
 " I have heard. Yes," — his voice became louder, — "I 
 have heard enough. Enough!" he screamed. "You 
 want to take from us what is ours ! You want to rob 
 us, to steal from my people in order that your people may 
 prosper and we may suffer ! That is what you want," and 
 he shook his clenched fist in the face of the tapop. The 
 latter started up like an irate turkey, and screamed, — 
 
 " You lie ! what we want from you is right ! You are 
 only a few people, and you are lazy ; whereas we are many 
 and thrifty ; you are a liar ! " 
 
 " Hush ! hush ! " sounded the voice of the principal 
 shaman, between the shouts and screams of the disputing 
 parties. 
 
 " No ! no ! " shrieked Kauaitshe, " I will not hush. I 
 will speak ! I will tell these friends — " 
 
 " Water-mole 1 " yelled the tapop in response ; and both 
 the Koshare Naua and Tyope cried at once, — 
 
 " We are Shyuamo, not shuatyam." Their voices sounded 
 like the threatening snarls of wild beasts. 
 
 " Hush ! hush ! " the Hishtanyi Chayan now sternly com- 
 manded. Rising, he grasped the little governor by the 
 shoulder, pulled him back to his place on the floor, and 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 255 
 
 wamingly raised his hand toward Kauaitshe, whose mouth 
 one of his colleagues had already dosed by force. 
 
 " If you hope for light from Those Above," the medicine- 
 man warned the delegate from Tzitz, " you must not name 
 in their presence the powers of darkness." To the tapop 
 he said, — 
 
 " Do your duty, but do it as it ought to be done ! " 
 
 Kauaitshe reeled back to his place, where he sat down in 
 sullen silence. It happened to him as it always does to 
 any one who loses his temper at the wrong time and in 
 the wrong place ; after the flurry is over, they find that 
 they have wasted all their energies, and remain henceforth 
 incapable of any effort. The delegate of the Water people 
 was hors du combat for the remainder of the evening. 
 
 The incident had made an impression on the assembly. 
 Nearly everybody shared more or less in the excitement. 
 Now that quiet was restored, apparent calmness seemed to 
 prevail in their minds again. The men stared as motion- 
 less as before ; but their faces were dark, and many an 
 eye displayed a spark of passionate fire. Topanashka had 
 not moved during the quarrel, and Tyope hid his face in 
 his hands as before. 
 
 Hoshkanyi's voice still trembled as he called upon the 
 representative of Tanyi hanutsh. The latter replied, — 
 
 " There is more land yet at the Tyuonyi ; let Shyuamo 
 increase their ground from some waste tract." 
 
 " There is no room for it," growled the Koshare Naua. 
 
 " I say there is," defiantly retorted the other. 
 
 The delegate of the Prairie-wolf people was not only of 
 the same opinion as his predecessor, he even mentioned a 
 tract of waste land that lay east of the cultivated plots, 
 from which Shyuamo might take what they needed. The 
 speaker of.Tzina hanutsh, however, was of an adverse 
 opinion. He remarked that it was always better for a 
 
256 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 smaller clan to divide their ground with a more powerful 
 one, as in that case larger crops would be raised. As 
 matters stood, he added, only a portion of the land be- 
 longing to the Water people was tilled. This the mem- 
 ber from Huashpa denied, and reminded him that the 
 Hishtanyi Chayan had suggested that the whole matter 
 should be settled by the two clans privately. Both the 
 Cuirana Naua and Tyame, the delegate of the Eagle clan, 
 could not refrain from expressing their approval in an 
 audible manner by the customary "A-5," and the Shikama 
 Chayan slightly nodded assent. 
 
 It was already late, but nobody thought of the hour. 
 On such occasions the Indian can sit up whole nights 
 without ever thinking of rest. Not only was everybody in- 
 terested, but the excitement, although barely visible on the 
 surface, was rapidly growing; and personal ill-feeling and 
 spite cropped out more and more. 
 
 Tyame having expressed himself in favour of the opinion 
 of the delegate from Huashpa hanutsh, the tapop could not 
 refrain from going out of the ordinary routine in order to 
 slight him, and to give the floor to the member from Hiits 
 Hanyi. This flattered the popular delegate, and he accord- 
 ingly spoke so strongly in favour of the claim presented by 
 Shyuamo that at the close of his speech several voices at 
 once grunted assent. Both parties were growing decidedly 
 bitter. 
 
 Tyame noticed the intended slight ; so when Hoshkanyi 
 called him up he opened his talk with the remark, — 
 
 " One can see that you are Shyuamo." 
 
 " That is what I am," the Httle fellow bragged. 
 
 " But you are tapop also," Tyame objected. 
 
 "Why do you speak thus? Are you angry that you 
 could not be used for the place?" venomously inquired 
 the governor. 
 
The Hisht:in\i Cha\an, or Chief Medicine Man 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 257 
 
 " If I were in your place," retorted the Eagle, " I should 
 do as is customary, and call upon each one in turn." 
 
 " You have time enough left to speak against Shyuamo," 
 said the chief of the Delight Makers in a wicked manner. 
 
 "That I shall do, most assuredly," exclaimed Tyame. 
 " I am against giving Shyuamo any more ground than they 
 have at present. You have enough for yourselves, for your 
 women, and for all your children. Do more work in the field 
 and do less penance ; be shyayak rather than Koshare ! " 
 He rose and turned toward Tyope. "Your woman be- 
 longs to our hanutsh, and I know that it is not you who feed 
 her ; and so you are, all of you. You live from other peo- 
 ple's crops ! " 
 
 Tyope looked up, and his eyes flashed ; but in a quiet 
 tone he answered, — 
 
 " Your woman is Shyuamo ; you know best how it is." 
 The other continued with growing passion, — 
 
 "And when your wife was from Tzitz everybody knew 
 that it was not you who supported her, but that she main- 
 tained you ! " 
 
 Loud murmurs arose, and the Shkuy Chayan called Tyame 
 to order, so that Tyope did not have time for a reply to 
 this insulting insinuation. 
 
 Of all the clans represented three had yet to express 
 their views. These were the clans of Yakka, of the Pan- 
 ther, and Shyuamo. The delegate of the Corn people was 
 no friend of Tyame's, therefore he spoke directly against 
 what the Eagle had intimated. He emphasized how detri- 
 mental it might become for a small cluster to own too much 
 tillable land while a large and important clan was suffering 
 for the lack of vegetable food. With notable shrewdness, 
 he exposed to the meeting the danger for the whole tribe 
 in case one of its principal components should begin to 
 decrease in numbers. He woimd up by saying, — 
 
 17 
 
2S8 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " The strong hanutsh are those who maintain the tribe, 
 for they are those who give us the most people that do 
 penance for the welfare of all, be they Koshare or Cuirana. 
 They also have the greatest number of warriors and hunters. 
 If they have nothing to eat, they cannot watch, pray, and 
 fast in honour of Those Above ! So the Shiuana and the 
 Kopishtai become dissatisfied with us, and withdraw their 
 protection from their children ; and we become lost through 
 suifering those to starve who are most useful." But he 
 omitted altogether the important fact that there was still 
 waste land in the gorge, and that it was far preferable to 
 redeem such tracts than to create dissension. 
 
 Still it must be acknowledged that the clearing of tim- 
 bered expanses, such as those on the eastern end of the 
 valley mostly were, opposed great difficulties to the Indian. 
 At the time when the Rito was settled, the native had 
 only stone implements. To cut down trees, to clear brush 
 even, was a tedious and protracted undertaking when it 
 had to be performed with stone axes and hatchets. Fire 
 was the most effective agent, but fire in such proxim- 
 ity to the dwellings was a dangerous servant. On the 
 western end there was no tillable land beyond the patches 
 of the Water clan. Still, if there had been any disposition 
 on the part of Shyuamo to be reasonable, they would have 
 remained satisfied with extending their field slowly and 
 gradually toward the east ; but neither Tyope nor the Naua 
 really wanted more land ; what they desired was strife, 
 disunion, an irremediable breach in the tribe. 
 
 The Panther clan, whose representative had to speak now, 
 was a cluster which belonged neither to the larger nor to 
 the smaller groups. Occupjdng, as was the case, a section 
 of the big house, the Panther people were consequently 
 near neighbours of Tanyi, and they sympathized generally 
 with the latter. Their delegate, however, was Koshare, and 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 259 
 
 he leaned not so much toward the Turquoise as toward 
 what seemed to be the desire of the leading Delight Makers, 
 — the Naua and Tyope. He therefore expressed himself 
 bluntly in favour of Tzitz hanutsh giving up a certain quan- 
 tity of land to the clan Shjmamo, without stating his opinion 
 or suggesting in the least how it ought to be done. 
 
 Every member of the council, Tyope and Topanashka 
 excepted, had spoken. The majority of votes seemed in 
 favour of the claim represented, but it is not plurality of 
 votes which decides, but unanimity of opinion and con- 
 viction ; and finally and in the last instance, the utterances 
 of those who speak in the name of the powers above. The 
 shamans had given their opinions, the Shkuy was manifestly 
 favourable to Shyuamo, but his colleague, the Hishtanyi 
 Chayan, had spoken in a manner that restricted the point 
 at issue to a discussion among the clans directly interested. 
 The Histanyi Chayan was a personage of great authority, 
 and many of those who were on the side of the Turquoise 
 people thought his word to be law in the end. They ha.d 
 shown themselves friendly toward their brethren of Shyu- 
 amo, wiUing, however, to abide by what the closing discus- 
 sion would bring to light. That discussion was yet to 
 commence, and the opening was to be the speech of Tyope 
 himself. Much stress also was laid upon what Topanashka 
 would say, for he too was to take part. Some had their 
 misgivings concerning the real object of the move which 
 every one felt certain Tyope and the Koshare Naua had set 
 on foot ; and when the tapop summoned Tyope to speak at 
 last, there was something like a subdued flutter among the 
 audience. Many turned their heads in the direction of the 
 speaker, others displayed in their features the marks of 
 unusual attention. 
 
 Tyope rose slowly from his seat. He looked around 
 quietly ; there was a sardonic smile on his lips. His eyes 
 
260 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 almost closed ; he spoke in a muffled voice, slowly and very 
 distinctly. He was evidently master of his subject, and a 
 natural orator. 
 
 " Yaya, nashtio, Tapop, I have heard what you have all 
 said, and it is well, for it is well for each one of you to have 
 spoken his thoughts, in order that the people be pleased 
 and delight come into their hearts. For there are many of 
 us, the fathers of the tribe, and each one has his own 
 thoughts ; and thoughts are like faces, never two alike. For 
 this reason did I speak to our father the tapop that he 
 should call in the uuityam, in order that all might hear and 
 that nobody could say afterward, — ' Shyuarao hanutsh has 
 taken from Tzitz hanutsh what belonged to the Water 
 people, and behold we knew nothing about it ! ' Sh)mamo 
 hanutsh " — he raised his voice and glanced around with 
 flashing eyes — " has many people ; Shjoiamo is strong ! But 
 the men of the Turquoise are just ! They go about in day- 
 light and speak loudly, and are not like the water that roars 
 at night and drops into silence as soon as oshatsh brightens 
 the world." After this fling at the delegate of the Water 
 clan, Tyope paused a moment ; he seemed to wait for a 
 reply, but none came, the explanation of his action in car- 
 rying the matter before the council appearing to satisfy all. 
 "Shyuamo hanutsh," he proceeded, "is great in numbers 
 but weak in strength, for its people have no food for them- 
 selves, and what they raise is barely enough for their koitza, 
 their makatza, and the little ones. They themselves must 
 starve," he cried, " in order that other clans may increase 
 through the children which my men beget with their 
 daughters ! " 
 
 The most profound silence followed these words. The 
 speaker paused again and looked around as if challenging 
 an answer. He felt very sure of his point. 
 
 " We have worked, worked as hard as any one on the 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 26 1 
 
 Tyuonyi, but our numbers have grown faster than our crops. 
 Go and look at the field of Shyuamo and you will see how 
 many are the corn-plants, and how large the ears of com, 
 but the field is too small ! We have not more land than 
 the Turkey people, and not as much as the Water clan ! 
 When during last summer no rain fell, notwithstanding all 
 our fasting, prayer, and sacrifice, when yamunyi dried up and 
 kaname shrivelled, Tzitz hanutsh still had enough to eat, 
 and its men grew fat ! " This hint at the stout repre- 
 sentative of the Water clan created great hilarity. Her 
 representative growled, — 
 
 " You are not lean either." 
 
 Without noticing this interruption, Tyope proceeded, — 
 
 '' Its women and its children are well ! But we, at the 
 lower end of the cliffs," — he extended his arm to the east, — 
 " starve in order that your daughters and the little ones 
 whom we have begotten to the other clans shall not perish. 
 We had no more than food enough to pray for, to fast for, 
 in order that the Shiuana might not let our brethren be 
 lost." Here the Koshare Nana, as well as the representa- 
 tive of the Panther clan, uttered an audible " A-a ; " and 
 even the Shkuy Chayan nodded. " How many Koshare are 
 there in Tzitz hanutsh ? How many in Tanyi ? How many 
 in Tyame who would sacrifice themselves for the ripening 
 of fruit ? How many in Huashpa ? Shyuamo alone has as 
 many Delight Makers as the remainder of the Zaashtesh. 
 One single clan as many as eleven others together ! And " — 
 he drew himself up to his full height and fastened on the 
 delegate of the Water clan a glance of strange fierceness, 
 as he cried — " while your Koshare feed themselves well 
 between the fasts, ours starve to regain strength after they 
 have watched, prayed, and starved ! " 
 
 This explosion of bitter reproach was again followed by 
 deep silence. Tyope was indeed a fascinating speaker. 
 
262 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 The maseua and the Hishtanyi Chayan were the only ones 
 whom his oratorical talent could not lead astray. He pro- 
 ceeded in a quieter tone, — 
 
 "We need more land. Some of our fathers have sug- 
 gested that we should extend our territory to the eastward 
 and open the soil there. They mean well ; but there is not 
 enough, and the pines are too near. Shall we go as far as 
 Cuapa, where there is enough soil, or where the kauaush 
 descends to the painted cave ? Shall we go and live where 
 the Moshome would surround us and howl about like hungry 
 wolves ? No ! Ere we do this we have thought to say to our 
 brethren, ' Tzitz has more land .than it needs ; Tzitz is our 
 brother ; and we will ask them, " Satyumishe, give us some 
 of that of which you have too much, so that we may not be 
 lost." ' But not to the Water people alone did we wish to 
 speak J no, to all of you, to the yaya nashtio and the tapop, 
 that you all may know it and assist us in our need. For 
 rather than starve we shall leave the Tyuonyi and look for 
 another- place. And then," he concluded, *'you will be- 
 come weak and we shall be weak ; and the Moshome, the 
 Tehuas, and the Puyatye will be stronger than the Queres, 
 for we shall be divided ! " 
 
 He resumed his seat in token that his speech was ended. 
 From all sides sounded the afiSrmative grunt " A-a-a ; " the 
 Shkuy Chayan and the Cuirana Naua even nodded. Tyope 
 had spoken very well. 
 
 Hoshkanyi Tihua was delighted with the talk of his clan- 
 brother. Forgetful of his position as chairman he looked 
 around the circle proudly, as if to say, " He can do it 
 better than any one of you." The stillness that followed 
 was suddenly broken by the voice of the Hishtanp Chayan, 
 who called out in a dry, business-like manner, — 
 
 " Our brother Tyope has spoken well, and all the others 
 have spoken as their hearts directed them to speak ; but my 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 263 
 
 brother " — he emphasized the my — " the maseua has not 
 yet said what he thinks. My brother is very wise. Let 
 him open his heart to us." 
 
 There was a slight commotion among the assembled par- 
 ties. The speech of Tyope had so monopolized their atten- 
 tion that none of them had thought of the maseua. Now 
 they were reminded of his presence through the principal 
 medicine-man himself, and that reminder acted like a re- 
 proach. The eyes of all, Tyope and the Koshare Naua 
 excepted, turned toward the doorway, where Topanashka 
 was quietly sitting. The two men from Shyuamo affected 
 to pay no further attention to what was going on. 
 
 Topanashka Tihua remained sitting. He directed his 
 sharp, keen glance to the Hishtanyi Chayan, as if to him 
 alone he condescended to speak. Then he said, — 
 
 " I believe as you do, nashtio yaya, but I also believe as 
 you, Tyope, have spoken." So great was the surprise caused 
 by this that Tyope lifted his face and looked at the old 
 man in blank astonishment. Kauaitshe stared at Topan- 
 ashka like one suddenly aroused by a wondrous piece of 
 news. 
 
 "Tyope is right," continued the maseua; "Shyuamo 
 has not soil enough. He is also right in saying that 
 there is not room enough on the Tyuonyi for making 
 new plantations." 
 
 " A-a, " the delegate from the Turquoise interjected. 
 
 " It is true our brethren are suffering for want of land 
 whereon to grow their com. It is equally true that Tzitz 
 hanutsh has more land than it needs, and it is well that 
 Shyuamo should ask for what it wants and not leave the 
 Zaashtesh forever. Tyope has well spoken." 
 
 Nothing can describe the effect of this speech. Even the 
 chief of the Delight Makers smiled approvingly a hideous, 
 Satanic grin of pleasure. He felt like loving the speaker ; 
 
264 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 that is, provided the schemer had been capable of liking 
 anybody but himself. The eyes of Tyope sparkled with grim 
 delight. Kauaitshe and Tyame hung their heads, and reck- 
 oned themselves lost forever. The maseua continued, still 
 addressing the principal shaman, — 
 
 " But you are right also, nashtio yaya, when you say that 
 it is Tzitz hanutsh who shall decide whether or not it wishes 
 to part with some of its fields for the benefit of the Tur- 
 quoise people." Both Tyope and the Koshare Nana grew 
 very serious at these words. " We cannot compel the Water 
 people to give up any of their soil." 
 
 " No," the Shikama Chayan audibly whispered. 
 
 " But if Shyuamo hanutsh says to Tzitz hanutsh, ' We will 
 give you such and such things that are precious to you if 
 you give us the land,' and does it, — then I am in favour of 
 compelling Tzitz hanutsh to give it ; for it is better thus 
 than that the tribe should be divided and each part go 
 adrift. These are my thoughts, sa nashtio yaya." 
 
 The Hishtanyi Chayan actively nodded assent, and all 
 around the circle approving grunts were heard. The old 
 man's speech satisfied the majority of the council, with the 
 sole exception of those who represented the clan Shyu- 
 amo ; it was now their turn to become excited, and the 
 Koshare was the first one to display his dissatisfaction. 
 
 " What shall we give ? " he muttered. " We are poor, we 
 have nothing. Why should we give anything for that which 
 does not help the others? It will help us, but only us and 
 nobody else. We give nothing because we have nothing," 
 he hissed at last, and looked at Tyope as if urging him 
 to be firm and not to promise anything under any circum- 
 stances. Tyope remained mute ; the words of the maseua 
 appeared to leave him unmoved. But Tyame, the man <A 
 the Eagles, became incensed at this refusal on the part of 
 the Turquoise people. He shouted to the Koshare Nana, — 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 26$ 
 
 " What ! you will give nothing ? Why are you Koshare, 
 then? Why are you their chief? Do you never receive 
 anything for what you do? You are wealthy, you have 
 green stones, red jewels from the water ; you have and you 
 get from the people everything that is precious and makes 
 the heart glad. You alone have more precious things than 
 all the rest of us together ! " 
 
 " It is not true ! " exclaimed Tyope. 
 
 " We are poor ! " screeched the Koshare Naua. 
 
 Kauaitshe now interfered ; he had recovered from his 
 stupor and yelled, " You have much, you are wealthy ! " 
 Turning against Tyope he shouted to him, — 
 
 "Why should we, before all the others, give you the soil 
 that you want? Why should we, before all the others, give 
 it to you for nothing? You are thieves, you are Moshome, 
 shutzuna, tiatiu ! No ! " He stamped his foot on the ground. 
 " No ! we will give you nothing, nothing at all, even if you 
 give us everything that the Koshare have schemed and stolen 
 from the people ! " 
 
 The commanding voice of the Hishtanyi sounded through 
 the tumult, — "Hush! Hush!" but it was of no avail; 
 passions were aroused, and both sides were embittered in 
 the highest degree. 
 
 The delegate from Tanyi jumped up, yellmg, " Why do 
 you want the ground from Tzitz alone? Why not our 
 field also ; " and he placed himself defiantly in front of 
 
 Tyope. 
 
 The member from Huashpa cried, — 
 
 " Are the Water people perhaps to blame for the drought 
 
 of last year?" 
 
 "They are ! " screamed the Koshare Naua, rising; "Ta- 
 pop, I want to speak ; make order ! " 
 
 " Silence ! " ordered the little governor, but nobody paid 
 any attention. 
 
266 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 "Satyumishe Maseua," now shouted the principal sha- 
 man, " keep order, the nashtio Koshare wants to speak ! " 
 
 The tall man rose calmly ; he went toward the cluster of 
 wrangling men and grasped Kauaitshe by the shoulder. 
 
 "Be quiet," he ordered. 
 
 Nobody withstood his determined mien. All became 
 silent. Topanashka leaned back against the wall, his gaze 
 fixed on the Koshare. Everybody was in suspense, in ex- 
 pectation of what the Naua might say. He coughed, and 
 began addressing the leading shaman, — 
 
 " Yaya Hishtanyi, you hear that the Water people refuse 
 to give us the land that we so much need. They ask of us 
 that we should give them all we have for a small part of 
 theirs. The motatza from the hanutsh Huashpa has asked 
 whether Tzitz hanutsh is perhaps the cause that the crops 
 failed last year. I say it is the cause of it ! " 
 
 " How so ? " cried Tyame. 
 
 "Through Shotaye, their sister," repUed the old man, 
 slowly. 
 
 It was not silence alone that followed this utterance. A 
 stillness ensued so sudden, so dismal, and so awful that it 
 seemed worse than a grave. Every face grew sinister, every 
 one felt that some dread revelation was coming. Tyope 
 held his head erect, watching the face of the old maseua. 
 Topanashka's features had not moved; he was looking at 
 the Koshare Naua with an air of utter unconcern. The 
 Hishtanyi Chayan, on the contrary, raised his head ; and the 
 expression of his features became sharp, like those of an 
 anxious inquisitor. In the eye of the Shkuy Chayan a sinis- 
 ter glow appeared. He also had raised his head and bent 
 the upper part of his body forward. The Shikama Chayan 
 assumed a dark, threatening look. The name of Shotaye 
 had aroused dark suspicions among the medicine-men. 
 Their chief now asked slowly, measuredly, — 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 267 
 
 "You accuse a woman of having done harm to the 
 tribe?" Henceforward he and his two colleagues were the 
 pivots around which the further proceedings were to revolve. 
 The tapop was forgotten; nobody paid attention to him 
 any longer. 
 
 " I do ; I say that Shotaye, the woman belonging to Tzitz 
 hanutsh, has carried destruction to the tribe." 
 
 "In what way?" 
 
 " In preventing the rain from falling in season." 
 
 "And she has succeeded ! " ejaculated Tyope, in a low 
 voice, — so low that it was not heard by all. 
 
 The Shkuy Chayan continued the interrogatory. Nobody 
 else uttered a word ; not even the Hishtanyi spoke for the 
 present. The latter disliked the woman as much as any of 
 his colleagues ; but he mistrusted her accusers as well, and 
 preferred, after having taken the initiatory steps, to remain 
 an attentive listener and observer, leaving it to his associ- 
 ates to proceed with the case. The Shkuy, on the other 
 hand, was eager to develop matters ; he had been secretly 
 informed some time ago of what was known concerning the 
 witchcraft proceedings of Shotaye, and he hated the woman 
 more bitterly than any of his colleagues did ; and as the 
 charge was the preventing of rain-fall, it very directly af- 
 fected his own functions, — not more than those of the 
 Hishtanyi, who is ex-officio rain-maker, but quite as much. 
 
 For drought not only affects the crops ; it exerts quite as 
 baneful an influence upon game ; and game, as food for man, 
 is under the special care of the Shkuy Chayan. He is 
 the great medicine-man of the hunt. Drought artificially 
 produced, as the Indian is convinced it can be through 
 witchcraft, is one of the greatest calamities that can be 
 brought upon a tribe. As a crime, it is worse than murder, 
 for it is an attempt at wholesale though slow extermination. 
 The sorcerer or the witch who deliberately attempts to pre- 
 
268 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 vent rain-fall becomes the object of intense hatred on the 
 part of all. The whole clus^:er of men assembled felt the 
 gravity of the charge. Horror-stricken, they sat in mute 
 silence, awaiting the result of the investigation which the 
 Shkuy Chayan proceeded to carry on. 
 
 " How do you know that the aniehna " — he emphasized 
 the untranslatable word of insult, and his voice trembled 
 with passion — " has worked such evil to the people ? " The 
 query was directed to the Koshare Naua. The latter turned 
 to Tyope, saying, — 
 
 " Speak, satyumishe nashtio." He squatted again. 
 
 The eyes of all, Topanashka's excepted, who did not for 
 a moment divert his gaze from the chief of the Delight 
 Makers, were fixed on Tyope. He rose and dryly said, — 
 
 " I saw when Shotaye Koitza and Say Koitza, the daughter 
 of our father the maseua," — everybody now looked at the 
 war-chief in astonishment, dismay, or sorrow ; but he re- 
 mained completely impassive, — " who lives in the abodes 
 of Tanyi hanutsh, caused the black corn to answer their ques- 
 tions. And there were owl's feathers along with the com. 
 It was night, and I could not hear what they said. It was 
 in the beginning of winter ; not last winter, but the winter 
 before." 
 
 "Is that all?" inquired the Hishtanyi Chayan in turn. 
 It displeased him to hear that Tyope had been eavesdrop- 
 ping in the dark, — the man had no business in the big 
 house at night. 
 
 " I know also," continued Tyope, " that Shotaye gathered 
 the feathers herself on the kauash toward the south." 
 
 " Did you see her?" 
 
 "Yes," boldly asserted Tyope. He lied, for he dared 
 not tell the truth ; namely, that the young Navajo was his 
 informant. 
 
 " Is that all? " queried the Hishtanyi again. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 269 
 
 " After we, the Koshare, had prayed and done penance 
 in our own kaaptsh I at one time went back to the timbers 
 on which we cHmb up to the cave. At their foot, below the 
 rocks, I found this ! " 
 
 He drew from beneath his wrap a Httle bundle, and 
 handed it to the shaman, who examined it closely and gave 
 it to his colleagues, who subjected the object to an equally 
 thorough investigation. Those sitting along the wall bent 
 forward curiously, until at last the bundle was turned over 
 to them also. So it went from hand to hand, each one 
 passing it to the next with sighs and marks of thorough dis- 
 gust. The bundle was composed of owl's feathers tied to a 
 flake of black obsidian. 
 
 " I found a second one," quietly saidTyope, pulling forth 
 a similar bunch. Now the council gave demonstrations not 
 only of amazement but of violent indignation,; the shamans 
 and Topanashka alone remained calm. Both bunches were 
 given to the tapop, who placed them on the floor before 
 him. 
 
 The Hishtanyi Chayan inquired further, — 
 
 "Where did you find the feathers? Say it once more." 
 
 " At the foot of the rocks, where we ascend to our estufa 
 on cross-timbers." 
 
 " Did you see who put them there? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " When do you think they were placed there ? " 
 
 " While the Koshare were at work in the estufa." 
 
 " Do you know more ? " 
 
 " Nothing more." Tyope sat down, and the interrogatory 
 was over. 
 
 It was as stiU as a grave in the dingy, ill-lighted chamber. 
 No one dared even to look up, for the matter was in the 
 hands of the yaya, and they were still thinking over it. The 
 demands of Shyuamo hanutsh were completely forgotten. 
 
270 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 the owl's feathers had monopolized the attention and the 
 thoughts of every one in the room. 
 
 At last the Hishtanyi Chayan rose. He threw a glance at 
 his colleagues, who understood it, and rose also. Then the 
 great medicine-man spoke in a hollow tone, — 
 
 "We will go now. We shall speak to our father the 
 Hotshanyi, that he may help us to consult Those Above. 
 Four days hence we shall know what the Shiuana think, and 
 on the night following" — he turned to the tapop — "we 
 will tell you here what to do. In the meantime," — he ut- 
 tered these words like a solemn warning, — " hush ! let none 
 of you exchange one word on what we have heard or seen to- 
 night. Let none of you say at home, ' I know of something 
 evil,' or to a friend,*' bad things are going on in the tribe.' 
 Be silent, so that no one suspect the least thing, and that the 
 sentence of the Shiuana be not interfered with. Nasha ! " 
 he concluded, and went toward the exit. Ere leaving the 
 room, however, he turned once more, adding, — 
 
 " And you go also. Each one for himself and alone. 
 Let no one of you utter words, but all of you pray and do 
 penance, keep open your ears, wide awake your eye, and 
 closed your lips." 
 
 With this the shamans filed out, one after the other. 
 Their muffled steps were heard for a moment as they grated 
 on the bare rock. One by one the other members of the 
 council left the chamber in silence, each wending his way 
 homeward with gloomy thoughts. Dismal anticipations and 
 dread apprehension filled the hearts of every one. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 At the time when the tribal council of the Queres was 
 holding the stormy session which we have described in the 
 preceding chapter, quite a different scene was taking place 
 at the home of the wife of Tyope. That home, we know, 
 belonged to Hannay, the woman with whom Tyope had 
 consorted after his separation from Shotaye ; and it was also 
 the dwelling in which he resided when other matters did 
 not keep him away. The tie that bound Tyope to his 
 second wife was of rather a sensual nature. Hannay was a 
 very sensual woman, but in addition to this she possessed 
 qualities that made her valuable to her husband. She was 
 extremely inquisitive, listened well, knew how to inquire, 
 and was an active reporter. On her side there was no real 
 affection for Tyope ; but her admiration for his intellectual 
 qualities, so far as she was able to appreciate them, knew 
 no bounds. It amounted almost to awe. Their connec- 
 tion was consequently a partnership rather than anything 
 else, — a partnership based on physical affinities, on mutual 
 interest, and on habit. Of the higher sort of sympathy 
 there was no trace. Neither had room for it among the 
 many occupations which their mode of hfe and manner of 
 intercourse called forth. 
 
 If Tyope was shrewd and cunning, and if he made of 
 his own woman his eye, ear, and mouth, as has been said in 
 one of the previous chapters, Hannay was not a fool. She 
 did not of course understand anything of his plans and 
 
272 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 schemes, and he never thought it necessary to inform herj 
 but she knew how to manage him whenever anything 
 aroused her curiosity. She contrived to gratify this some- 
 times in a way that her husband failed to detect, — by draw- 
 ing from his talk inferences that were exceedingly correct 
 and which he had no thought of furnishing. For Tyope 
 knew his wife's weakness ; he knew that if her ears and her 
 eyes were sharp, her tongue was correspondingly swift ; and 
 he tried to be as guarded as possible toward her on any 
 topic which he did not wish to become pubUc property. 
 Nevertheless Hannay succeeded m outwitting her husband 
 more than once, and in guessing with considerable accu- 
 racy things that he did not regard as belonging within the 
 field of her knowledge. So, for instance, while he had 
 carefully avoided stating to her the object of the council, 
 she nevertheless had put together in her own mind a num- 
 ber of minor points and hints to which he attached no 
 importance, and had thus framed for herself a probable 
 purpose of the meeting that fell not much short of the real 
 truth. 
 
 The main desire that occupied Hannay's mind for the 
 present was the union between Okoya and her daughter 
 Mitsha. Okoya had, unknown to himself, no stronger ally 
 than the mother of the girl. The motive that actuated her 
 in this matter was simply the apparent physical fitness of 
 the match and the momentary advantages that she, con- 
 sidering her own age and the loose nature of Indian mar- 
 riages, might eventually derive from the daily presence of 
 Okoya at her home. In other words, she desired the good- 
 looking youth as much for herself as for her child, and saw 
 nothing wrong in this. From the day when Okoya for the 
 first time trod the roof of her dwelling in order to protect 
 Mitsha, she had set her cap for him. But she knew that 
 there was no love on the part of Tyope for the relatives 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 273 
 
 of Okoya, paternal or maternal, and she was too much 
 afraid of him to venture open consent to a union that 
 might be against his wishes. In her mind Tyope was the 
 only stumbling-block in the path of the two young people ; 
 that is, in the way of her own desires. 
 
 She had consequently set to work with a great deal of 
 tact and prudence in approaching Tyope about the matter. 
 After a number of preparatory skirmishes, she at last ven- 
 tured to tell him of it. To her astonishment he took it 
 quite composedly, saying neither yes nor no, and displaying 
 no feeling at all. He saw not the least objection to having 
 Okoya visit her house as often as he might please ; in fact, 
 he treated the matter with great indifference. This was a 
 decided relief to her, and she anxiously waited for Okoya's 
 first visit to impress him most favourably regarding not 
 merely herself but her husband. 
 
 Tyope indeed did not attach the slightest importance to 
 Okoya personally. The youth had no value for him at 
 present ; he did not dislike him ; he did not notice him at 
 aU. The boy was as unobjectionable to him as any one 
 else whom he did not need for his purposes. But there 
 were points connected with the union that affected Tyope's 
 designs very materially, and these would come out in course 
 of time, although he foresaw them already. In the first 
 place, intermarriage between the clans of Tanyi and Tyame 
 was not favourable to his scheme, which consisted in ex- 
 pelling gradually or violently four clusters, — Tanyi, Tyame, 
 Huashpa, and Tzitz, from the Rito. The last-named clus- 
 ter he wanted to get rid of on account of Shotaye, whom 
 he feared as much as he hated ; the other three he 
 wished to dispossess of their houses, which were the best 
 secured against decay on the Tyuonyi, in order to lodge 
 therein his own relatives and their partisans. Had Okoya 
 aspired to the hand of a daughter of the Turquoise clan, 
 
 18 
 
274 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Tyope would have been in favour of his pretensions at 
 once. 
 
 On the other hand, Okoya was very young ; he might be 
 flexible if properly handled; and in case the boy, whose 
 father was already a Koshare and completely under Tyope's 
 influence, could be induced to join the society of the De- 
 light Makers, it would be a gain fully compensating for the 
 other disadvantages of the situation. One more Koshare in 
 Tanyi, and one who would dwell with Tyame, besides, after 
 marriage, was a gain. It would facilitate the realization of 
 the plan of a disruption of tribal ties by creating disunion 
 among the clans most powerful, after Shyuamo. Tyope did 
 not care for the expulsion of certain special clusters as a 
 whole, provided a certain number and a certain kind of 
 people were removed. But the matter of making a Koshare 
 out of Okoya was a delicate undertaking. His wife had 
 already suggested as much to him, and he had insinuated 
 to her that she might try, cautioning her at the same time 
 against undue precipitation. Finally he left the whole mat- 
 ter in her hands without uttering either assent or dissent, 
 and went about his own more important and much more 
 intricate affairs. 
 
 Hannay awaited Okoya with impatience, but the youth 
 had not appeared again. He was afraid of Tyope and also 
 afraid of her. The warnings of his mother and Hayoue he 
 had treasured deeply, and these warnings kept him away 
 from the home of Mitsha. Still he longed to go there. 
 Every evening since the one on which Say encouraged him 
 to go, he had determined to pay the first regular visit, but as 
 often as the time came his courage had abandoned him and 
 he had not gone. And yet he must either go or give up ; 
 this he realized plainly. There might be a possibility of 
 some other youth attempting the same, and then he would 
 be too late, perhaps. There was no thought on his part of 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 275 
 
 giving up ; he felt committed ; and yet he was more afraid of 
 going to call on the maiden than he would have been of en- 
 countering some wild beast. Not on Mitsha's account, oh 
 no ! He longed to meet her at her own home, but he 
 feared both her parents. 
 
 Say Koitza instinctively noticed her son's trouble, and 
 she became apprehensive lest out of timidity he might 
 suffer to escape him what she now more and more re- 
 garded as a golden opportunity. At last, on the evening 
 when the council was to meet, a fact that was well known to 
 all, she said to her son, — 
 
 " I hear that sa nashtio maseua is going to the uuityam 
 to-night ; in that case Tyope will be there also." More she 
 did not say, but Okoya treasured the hint, and made no re- 
 mark about it, but at once thought that the time had come 
 to pay a visit to the maiden. After the sun had gone down 
 he went out and leaned against the northern wall of the big 
 house, gazing steadily at the dwellings of the Eagle clan. 
 There were too many people about yet for him to attempt 
 the call, and futhermore it was so early that the council 
 could hardly have assembled. By the light of the moon he 
 saw clearly the movements of the people, although it was 
 impossible to recognize individuals at any distance. The 
 boy sat down and waited. From where he rested he could 
 not fail to notice when the delegates of the clans that 
 inhabited the big house left for the council, and that would 
 be the signal for his own starting. His heart beat ; he felt 
 happy and yet anxious ; hope and doubt both agitated his 
 mind. 
 
 One of his comrades stealthily approached Okoya, sat 
 down on the ground beside him, threw one arm around his 
 shoulders, and began to sing loudly. Okoya chimed in, and 
 the two shouted at the top of their untrained voices into the 
 clear still night. Such is the custom in Indian villages. 
 
276 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 A third one joined them, finally a fourth. The latter lay 
 down on his stomach, rested his elbows on the ground, his 
 chin in both hands, and sang in company with the others. 
 Soon after, two men issued from the gangway and walked 
 down the valley ; at last another went in the same direc- 
 tion. These were the members of the council, and now it 
 was time for Okoya. As soon as the song reached a pause, 
 he stood up, said " sha,'' and turned to go. One of his com- 
 panions seized him by the ankles, saying, " It is too early 
 for you to go to see the girls ; " and all together added, 
 laughing, " Don't go yet, later on we will all go together." 
 
 But Okoya stepped firmly on the arm of him who at- 
 tempted to hold him back, so that the boy loosened his 
 grip ; then he jumped into the passage, where they could 
 not see him. He disliked to have any one notice that he 
 went to see Mitsha. Waiting in the dark passage for a 
 short time, he glided out at last on the side farthest from 
 where the boys were still sitting and singing, crossed the 
 ditch into the high com, and went through the latter upward 
 until opposite the western end of the building. Crossing 
 the ditch again, he reached the slope that led to the 
 buildings occupied by the people of the Eagle. In order 
 to mislead his comrades, in case they should be on the 
 lookout, he went higher up along the cliffs till he reached 
 the caves of Tzina hanutsh. Here he looked back. The 
 three boys were singing lustily the same monotonous rh)rme 
 at the same place where he had left them. 
 
 From the rock dwellings of the Turkey people there was 
 a gentle declivity to the houses which the clan Tyame had 
 constructed against the perpendicular wall of the cliffs. 
 Okoya walked rapidly ; now that he had started, he longed 
 to reached Mitsha's home. Children still romped before 
 the houses; on the roofs entire families were gathered, 
 loudly talking, laughing, or singing. Some of them had 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 2^7 
 
 even built small fires and cooked their evening meal in the 
 wonderfully cool and invigourating air. The terrace of the 
 abode whither Okoya directed his steps was deserted, but a 
 ray of light passed through the opening in the front wall. 
 Nothing seemed to stir inside when the boy approached. 
 
 Had Okoya glanced at that little opening he might have 
 discerned a woman's face, which looked out of it for a mo- 
 ment and then disappeared within. Had he stepped closer 
 to the wall he might have heard a woman's voice inside 
 calling out in a low tone, — " Mitsha, he is coming ! " But 
 he neither looked nor listened ; he was barely able to think. 
 His feelings overpowered him completely ; wrapped in 
 them he stood still, lost in conflicting sentiments, a human 
 statue flooded by the silvery moonlight. 
 
 Somebody coughed within the house, but he did not hear 
 it. Again the face appeared in the small, round air-hole. 
 Okoya had his face turned to the east and away from the 
 wall of the house. At last the spectator within thought 
 that the boy's musings were of a rather long duration, and 
 she called out, — 
 
 " Sa uishe, opona ! " 
 
 He started and looked toward the dwelling, but saw only 
 two black points peeping through the port-hole. Again the 
 voice spoke, — 
 
 "Why don't you come in, motatza?" Now he became 
 conscious that Hannay was calling him into her home. 
 
 His first impulse was to run away, but that was only a 
 passing thought ; and it became clear to him that he had 
 reached the place whither he was going, and furthermore 
 that the women were alone. Without a word of reply he 
 climbed the roof and nimbly down into the apartment. 
 He was still on the ladder when Hannay repeated the 
 invitation, — 
 
 " Opona, sa uishe." 
 
2/8 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 His greeting was responded to by a loud and warm 
 " Raua, raua " from the mother, and a faint, slightly tremu- 
 lous " Raua a " from another voice, which from its softness 
 could only be that of Mitsha. The room was dark, for the 
 fire was about to go out ; but beside the hearth cowered 
 a female figure who had placed fresh wood on the em- 
 bers and was fanning them with her breath. It was Mitsha.. 
 At the entrance of the visitor, she quickly stroked back 
 the hair that streamed over her cheeks and turned her 
 face half around. But this was for a moment only; as 
 soon as the wood caught fire and light began to spread 
 over the room she again blew into the flames with all 
 her might. It was quite unnecessary, for the fire burned 
 lustily. 
 
 Hannay stood in the middle of the floor, wiping her 
 mouth with the back of her hand. Stepping up to the boy 
 she said, — 
 
 " You have not been here for a long time, motatza." It 
 sounded like a friendly reproach. He modestly grasped 
 her fingers, breathed on her hand, and replied, — 
 
 " I could not come." 
 
 " You did not want to come," said the woman, smiling. 
 
 "I could not," he reiterated. 
 
 " You could had you wished, I know it ; and I know also 
 why you did not come." She added, " Well, now you are 
 here at last, and it is well. Mitsha, give your friend some- 
 thing to eat." 
 
 The significant word " friend " fell on fertile soil. It eased 
 Okoya at once. He sat down closer to the hearth, where 
 the maiden was very busy in a rather confused manner, her 
 face turned from him. Still as often as the strands of hair 
 accidentally parted on the left cheek, she shot quick side- 
 glances at him. Okoya, balancing himself on his heels, 
 quietly observed her. It was impossible to devote to her 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 279 
 
 his whole attention, for her mother had already taken her 
 seat close by him and was claiming his ear. She offered 
 slight attraction to the eye, for her squatting figure was not 
 beautiful. Okoya grew lively, much more lively than he 
 had been on his first visit. 
 
 " Why should I not have wanted to see you? " he good- 
 naturedly asked. 
 
 " I will tell you," Hannay chuckled ; " because you were 
 afraid." 
 
 " Afraid ? " he cried, " afraid ? Of whom ? " But within 
 himself he thought the woman was right. Hannay smiled. 
 
 " Of Mitsha," she said ; adding, " she is naughty and 
 strong." A peal of coarse laughter accompanied this 
 stroke of wit. The girl was embarrassed ; she hid her face 
 on her lap. Okoya replied, — . 
 
 " Mitsha does not bite." 
 
 "She certainly will not bite you," the mother answered, 
 causing the maiden to turn her face away. 
 
 "Does she bite others?" Okoya asked. Again Hannay 
 laughed aloud, and from the comer whither Mitsha had 
 retreated there sounded something hke a suppressed laugh 
 also. It amused her to think that she might bite people. 
 Her mother, however, explained, — 
 
 " No, Mitsha does not bite ; but if other boys should come 
 tic see her she might perhaps strike them. But you, sa 
 iishe," — the woman moved closer to him, — " you, I am 
 sure, she will not send away. Is it not so, Mitsha? Okoya 
 taay come to see you, may he not?" 
 
 The poor girl was terribly embarrassed by this more than 
 direct question, and Okoya himself hung his head in con- 
 fusion. He pitied the maiden for having such a mother. 
 As Mitsha gave no answer, Hannay repeated, — 
 
 " Speak, sa uishe ; will you send this motatza away as you 
 do the others?" 
 
28o THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 "No," breathed the poor creature thus sorely pressed. 
 A thrill went through the frame of Okoya ; he looked up, 
 and his eyes beamed in the reflex of the fire. The woman 
 had watched him with the closest attention, and nothing 
 escaped her notice. Her eyes also sparkled with pleasure, 
 for she felt sure of him. 
 
 "Well, why don't you give the motatza some food?" 
 she asked her daughter again. " On your account he has 
 walked the long way from the big house. Is it not so, 
 Okoya?" 
 
 " Yes," the boy replied innocently. 
 
 Quick as thought Mitsha turned around, and her eyes 
 beamed on him for an instant. He did not notice it, and 
 she forthwith stepped up to the hearth. Even though she 
 lacked evening toilette, Mitsha presented a handsome pic- 
 ture ; and her friend became absorbed in contemplation of 
 the lithe, graceful form. She lifted the pot from the fire, 
 placed the customary share of its contents before Okoya, 
 and retired to a comer, whence she soon returned with a 
 piece of dried yucca-preserve, regarded as a great treat by 
 the Indians, because it has a sweet taste. As she was plac- 
 ing the dessert on the floor, the boy extended his hand, and 
 she laid the sweetmeat in it instead of depositing it where 
 she had originally intended. Okoya's hand closed, grasp- 
 ing hers and holding it fast. Mitsha tried to extricate 
 her fingers, but he clutched them in his. Stepping back, 
 she made a lunge at his upper arm which caused him to let 
 go her hand at once. Laughing, she then sat down be- 
 tween him and her mother. The ice was broken. 
 
 " You are very strong," Okoya assured her, rubbing the 
 sore limb. 
 
 " She is strong, indeed," her mother confirmed ; " she can 
 work well, too." 
 
 " Have you any green paint ? " the girl asked. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 28 1 
 
 " No, but I know a place where it is found. Do you 
 want any?" 
 
 " I would like to have some." 
 
 " For what do you use the green stone ? " 
 
 " Next year I want to paint and burn bowls and pots." 
 Mitsha had no thought of the inferences that he would draw 
 from her simple explanation. He interpreted her words as 
 very encouraging for him, not only because the girl under- 
 stood the art of making pottery, but he drew the conclusion 
 that she was thinking of furnishing a household of her own. 
 
 Hannay improved the opportunity to still further praise 
 her child. She said, — 
 
 " Mitsha does not only know how to paint ; she can also 
 shape the uashtan)d, the atash, and the asa." With this 
 she rose, went to the wall, and began to rummage about in 
 some recess. Okoya had meanwhOe taken one of the girl's 
 hands in his, playing with her dainty fingers, which she 
 suffered him to do. 
 
 " See here," the woman cried, and turned around. He 
 dropped the girl's hand, and Hannay handed something to 
 him. 
 
 " Mitsha made this." Then she sat down again. 
 
 The object which Okoya had received from her was a 
 little bowl of clay, round, and decorated on its upper rim 
 with four truncated and graded pyramids that rose like 
 prongs at nearly equal intervals. The vessel was neatly 
 finished, smooth, white, and painted with black symbolic 
 designs. There was nothing artistic in it according to our 
 ideas, but it was original and quaint. Okoya gazed at the 
 bowl with genuine admiration, placed it on the floor, and 
 took it up again, holding it so that the light of the fire 
 struck the inside also. He shook his head in astonishment 
 and pleasure. Mitsha moved closer to him. With inno- 
 cent pride she saw his beaming looks, and heard the ad- 
 
282 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 miring exclamations with which he pointed at the various 
 figures painted on the white surface. Then she began to 
 explain to him. 
 
 " Lightning," said she, indicating with her finger a sinuous 
 black hue that issued from one side of the arches resting on 
 a heavy black dash. 
 
 " Cloud," he added, referring to the arches. 
 
 " Rain," concluded the maiden, pointing at several black 
 streaks which descended from the figure of the clouds. 
 Both broke out in a hearty laugh. His merriment arose 
 from sincere admiration, hers from equally sincere joy at 
 his approbation of her work. The mother laughed also; 
 it amused her to see how much Okoya praised her daughter's 
 skill. She was overjoyed at seeing the two become more 
 familiar. 
 
 Okoya returned to his former position, placing the vessel 
 on the floor with tender care ; and Mitsha resumed her sit- 
 ting posture, only she sat much nearer the boy than before. 
 He still examined the bowl with wonder. 
 
 " Who taught you to make such nice things ? " he asked 
 at last. 
 
 "An old woman from Mokatsh. Look," and she took 
 up the vessel again, pointing to its outside, where near the 
 base she had painted two homed serpents encircling the 
 foot of the bowl. 
 
 " Tzitz shruy," she laughed merrily. The youth laughed, 
 so did the women, all three enjoying themselves like big, 
 happy children. 
 
 " For whom did you make this ? " Okoya now inquired. 
 
 " For my father," Mitsha proudly replied. 
 
 "What may Tyope want with it?" asked the boy. "I 
 have seen uashtanyi like this, but they stood before the 
 altar and there was meal in them. It was when the Shiuana 
 appeared on the wall. What may sa nashtio use this for?" 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 283 
 
 " I don't know," Mitsha replied, and her eye turned to 
 her mother timidly askance and with an expression of 
 doubt. 
 
 Hannay saw here an excellent pretext to put in a word of 
 her own which she had wished to say long before. 
 
 " I will tell you, sa uishe ; I will speak to you as I would 
 to my own child." The artful flattery had its desired effect, 
 Okoya became very attentive ; he moved closer apparently 
 to the mother, — in reality, to the daughter. 
 
 " You know Tyope is a Koshare, and I am Koshare too ; 
 and he is very wise, a great man among those who create 
 dehght. Now it may be that you know also what we have 
 to do." 
 
 "You have to make rain," said the youth; for such was 
 the common belief among the younger people about the 
 duties of the society. 
 
 Hannay and Mitsha looked at each other smiling, the 
 simple-mindedness of the boy amused them. 
 
 "You are right," the woman informed him. "After we 
 have prayed, fasted, and done penance, it ought to rain, in 
 order that yamunyi may grow to koatshit, and koatshit ripen 
 to yakka." In these words she artfully shrouded the true 
 objects of the Koshare. It enhanced their importance in 
 the eyes of the uninitiated listener by making him believe 
 that the making of rain was also an attribute of theirs. 
 " See, uak," she proceeded, " on this bowl you see every- 
 thing painted that produces rain." One after the other she 
 pointed out the various figures. " Here you see the tad- 
 pole, here the frog, here the dragon-fly and the fish ; they, 
 as they stand here, pray for rain ; for some of them cry for 
 it, when the time comes others live in the water, which is 
 fed from the clouds, or they flit above the pools in summer. 
 Here is the cloud and lightning, and " — she turned the vessel 
 bottom side up — " here are the Shiuana themselves," point- 
 
284 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 ing at the two homed serpents. "These live everywhere 
 where Tzitz is running or standing. In this uashtanyi we 
 keep meal in order to do sacrifice at the time when rain 
 ought to fall. The pictures of the Shiuana call the Shiuana 
 themselves ! So you see what the Koshare want with this 
 thing." 
 
 Okoya's lips had slowly parted in growing astonishment ; 
 and Mitsha, to whom the explanation was not altogether 
 new, watched the expression of his features with genuine 
 delight. 
 
 " And when you pray and scatter meal out of this," — 
 pointing to the bowl, — " does the rain always come ? " 
 
 "Always." 
 
 " Why, then, did it not rain last summer? " 
 
 "That I cannot tell you," said the woman. " Only the 
 Shiuana know. Besides, there are bad people who stop the 
 rain from coming." 
 
 " How can they do that ? " cried both Okoya and Mitsha 
 in surprise, neither of them having heard as yet of such a 
 thing. 
 
 " I must not tell you that," said Hannay, with a mysterious 
 and important air ; " you are too young to know it. TeU me, 
 Okoya," — her voice changed with the change of the subject, 
 — " does Shotaye Koitza often come to see your mother? " 
 
 This question was highly imprudent. But Hannay was 
 often imprudent. Smart and sly in a certain way, she was 
 equally thoughtless in other matters. The query so sudden, 
 so abrupt, and so uncalled for must, she ought to have 
 foreseen, look extremely suspicious. And yet Okoya was 
 on the point of answering, " She was at our home a few 
 days ago." In time, however, he bethought himself of the 
 warnings she had received, and replied in an unsteady 
 tone, — 
 
 "I don't know." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 285 
 
 Hannay noticed his embarrassed manner, and saw at a 
 glance that he was forewarned. The "no" of the boy told 
 her "yes." The discovery, however, that Okoya was on his 
 guard was rather disagreeable ; it angered her so much that 
 her first impulse was to send him away. But she soon 
 changed her mind. The youth was obedient ; and if now 
 he obeyed the counsels of his people, why might he not 
 later on become accustomed to submission to his wife's 
 people also? At all events he was good-natured, and ac- 
 cording to Hannay's conceptions, good-natured folk were 
 always Silly. That smart but ill-natured persons might also 
 prove extremely silly on occasions was far from her thoughts, 
 and yet the very question she had imprudently put to Okoya 
 was an instance of it. 
 
 It did not occur to her that it might yet be problematic 
 whether Okoya would ever become a traitor to his own peo- 
 ple. She could not conceive how anybody might be differ- 
 ent from her and from Tyope, and of course she had no 
 doubt concerning his ultimate pliability. And she relied 
 also upon the influence Mitsha would exert upon her future 
 husband, taking it for granted that her child had the same 
 low standards as her parents. That child Hannay regarded 
 merely as a resource, — as valuable property, marketable 
 and to be disposed of to the most suitable bidder. In her 
 eyes Okoya appeared as a very desirable one. 
 
 She saw that the courtship, if thus it may be called, was 
 advancing most favourably ; and thought it proper, now that 
 the ball was in motion, to allow it to roll alone for a short 
 time, — in other words, to leave the house under some pre- 
 text, abandoning the young folk to themselves. After her 
 return she intended to sound Okoya again, though in a 
 more skilfiil manner. So she replaced the bowl in its niche 
 and went toward the ladder. Before ascending it she turned 
 and said, — 
 
286 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " I will be back soon." 
 
 The youth smiled, and she gave him a knowing, signifi- 
 cant wink, climbed on the roof and down to the ground, 
 and remained standing outside for a while, until she thought 
 that the young people had forgotten about her. Then she 
 glided noiselessly to the air-hole and peeped in. They Btill 
 sat by the hearth, examining together some object the na- 
 ture of which she could not discover; and Mitsha was 
 explaining something to the boy. Evidently the girl was 
 showing him another piece of her handiwork. She heard 
 them laugh merrily and innocently. They were like chil- 
 dren at play. Satisfied with the outlook, Hannay crept 
 off to a neighbour's dwelling where the whole family was 
 gathered on the house-top. She took her seat by the old 
 folk and joined in the conversation. That conversation 
 was nothing more nor less than the merest gossip, — Indian 
 gossip, as genuine as any that is spoken in modem society ; 
 with this difference only, that the circle of facts and ideas 
 accessible to the Indian mind is exceedingly narrow, and 
 that the gossip applies itself therefore to a much smaller 
 number of persons and things. But it is as venomous, the 
 backbiting as severe and merciless among Indians as among 
 us ; and there is the same disposition to criticise everything 
 that does not strictly pertain to us and to our favourites, the 
 same propensity to slander the absent and to be of the 
 same opinion as those present so long as they are within 
 hearing distance. 
 
 Gossip has a magic power. It fascinates more than any 
 other kind of conversation. It fascinated Hannay, and 
 time rolled on without her noticing it. The night was so 
 beautiful, so still, so placid, and it felt so comfortable out- 
 side on this terrace, whereon the moon shone so brightly, 
 that Hannay sat and sat, listened and talked, until she had 
 forgotten the young folk at home. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 287 
 
 Suddenly a dark shadow covered the roof ; the change was 
 so abrupt that everybody looked around. What a moment 
 ago was plunged in the silvery bath of the moon's rays was 
 now wrapped in transparent darkness. But the valley be- 
 low and the slope in front were as softly radiant as before. 
 The moon had disappeared behind one of the cliifs, and the 
 shadow of the rocks was now cast over the houses of the 
 Eagle. It reminded the talkers that it was late, and it also 
 reminded Hannay of her visitor. She clambered hurriedly 
 oif and hastened home. Again she looked through the cir- 
 cular vent. It was dark inside, and still. After listening 
 a while she distinguished regular breathings. It was easy to 
 recognize them as those of Mitsha, who was soundly, peace- 
 fully asleep. Hannay, as soon as she reached the floor of 
 the apartment, called out, — 
 
 " Sa uishe ! " No reply. 
 
 " Sa uishe ! " No answer. 
 
 She groped about in the dark until her hands touched the 
 sleeping form. She pulled the girl's dress and shook her by 
 the arm until she sighed and moved, and then asked, — 
 
 " Sa uishe, has your father come ? " 
 
 " No," murmured the still dreaming child. 
 
 "Where is Okoya?" 
 
 «' He has left." 
 
 " Will he come again ? " 
 
 " Oh, yesi " breathed Mitsha softly ; then she turned over, 
 sighed, and spoke no more. 
 
 Hannay was happy. The boy would return ! That was 
 all she cared for. She really liked him, for he was so can- 
 did, so good, and so simple-minded. With such a son- 
 in-law much was possible, she thought. Okoya could 
 certainly be moulded to become a very useful tool to her 
 as well as to Tyope. The woman felt elated over the re- 
 sults of the evening ; she felt sure that notwithstanding one 
 
288 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 egregious mistake, of which of course she would be careful 
 not to speak, her husband would be pleased with her man- 
 agement of affairs. It was long after midnight when that 
 husband returned to the roof of his wife, and Hannay was 
 already fast asleep. 
 
 Okoya had gone long before Hannay thought of return- 
 ing. He went home happy, and satisfied that Mitsha 
 henceforth belonged to him. And yet after all there was a 
 cloud on his mind, — not a very threatening one, yet a 
 cloud such as accompanies us ever5rwhere, marring our 
 perfect happiness whenever we fancy we have attained it. 
 Mitsha had said to him, while they were alone, — 
 
 " If you wiere only Koshare, the sanaya would give me to 
 you." 
 
 Okoya thereupon imagined that without Hannay's con- 
 sent he could never obtain the maiden. On the other 
 hand, the idea of joining the Delight Makers did not at all 
 suit him. He feared in that case the opposition of his 
 mother. After he had returned to the estufa and lain down 
 among the other boys, who were mostly asleep, he revolved 
 the matter in his mind for a long time without arriving at 
 any conclusion whatever. Had he been less sincere and 
 less attached to his mother, such scruples would hardly have 
 troubled him ; had he owned more experience he would 
 have known that his apprehensions were groundless, and 
 that Hannay could not, if she wished, prevent him from 
 becoming Mitsha's husband. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 When, at the close of the eventful meeting of the council at 
 which the accusation against Shotaye and Say Koitza had 
 fallen like a thunderbolt upon the minds of all present, the 
 principal shamans warned the members of that council to 
 keep strict silence and to fast or pray, that reminder was 
 not to be understood as imposing on them the obligation of 
 rigid penitence. Secrecy alone was obligatory ; it remained 
 optional with each how far he would carry his contrition. 
 The three caciques, however, and the chief medicine-men 
 had to retire and begin rigorous penitential ceremonies. 
 Therefore the Hishtanyi Chayan had said that he was going 
 to speak to the leading penitents at once. 
 
 Some of the fathers of the tribe, however, took the matter 
 so much to heart that they obeyed the injunction of the 
 great medicine-men literally, and took to sackcloth and 
 ashes as soon as they reached home. Their motives were 
 extremely laudable, but their action was by no means wise. 
 They lost sight of what the shaman had strongly insisted 
 upon ; namely, that none of them should, by displaying 
 particular sadness or by dropping mysterious hints, attract 
 attention, and thus lead the people to surmise or suspect 
 something of grave import. The shaman knew the human 
 heart well, at least the hearts of his tribe ; but with all his 
 well-intended shrewdness he overlooked the fact that the 
 very recommendations he gave had fallen on too fertile 
 ground, and consequently worked more harm than good. 
 
 19 
 
290 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 For the majority of the councilmen were so horror-stricken 
 by the disclosures of Tyope and of the Koshare Naua, that 
 they went to do penance ,with a zeal that could not fail 
 to draw the attention of everybody around them. Thus 
 Kauaitshe, the delegate of the Water clan, and Tyame, he 
 of the Eagles, and several others considered it their duty to 
 fast. Not a word concerning the meeting passed their lips ; 
 but when on the following morning each one of them retired 
 to a secluded chamber or sat down in a corner of his room, 
 his arms folded around his knees, speechless, motionless; 
 when he refused to partake of the food which his wife or 
 daughter presented to him, — when he persisted in this at- 
 titude quietly and solemnly, it could not fail to attract atten- 
 tion. The father, brother, or husband fasted ! Whenever 
 the Indian does penance it is because he has something 
 heavy on his mind. In the present instance, as it haj, 
 pened immediately after the council, it necessarily led to 
 the inference that at that council momentous questions must 
 have been discussed, and also that these questions had not 
 been solved. Otherwise, why should the councilmen fast? 
 
 Penitence, with the Indian, is akin to sacrifice ; the body 
 is tormented because the soul is beyond human reach. 
 The fasting is done in order to render the body more 
 accessible to the influence of the mind. Often, too, one 
 fasts in order to weaken the body, in order to free the soul 
 from its thralls and bring it into a closer relation with the 
 powers regarded as supernatural. At all events, fasting and 
 purifications were a sure sign that serious affairs were in 
 process of development, and such proceedings on the part 
 of some of the nashtio could not fail to produce results the 
 opposite of what the shaman had intended. 
 
 It would have been different had the yaya alone retired 
 for penitential performances ; nobody would have been 
 struck by that, for everybody was accustomed to see them 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 29 1 
 
 at work, as such voluntary sacrifice on their part is usually 
 called ; it was their business. But since the nashtio also, at 
 least in part, performed similar acts, it could not help pro- 
 ducing, slowly and gradually but surely, a tremendous amount 
 of gossip and a corresponding number of speculations of a 
 rather gloomy nature. 
 
 That gossip was started in the cave- dwellings of Tzina 
 hanutsh. The stout representative of the Water clan had 
 married into that cluster, and lived consequently among 
 them with his wife. He returned home wildly excited ; he 
 did not go to rest at all ; and when his family awoke they saw 
 him sitting in a comer. As soon as he declined to eat, re- 
 maining there in morose silence, they all knew that he was 
 grieving and chastising himself. Everybody thought, " The 
 nashtio of Tzitz since his return from the council is doing 
 penance. What can have happened last night ! " 
 
 Owing to the custom which compels a man to marry 
 outside of his own clan, the abodes of the women of each 
 clan were frequented by their husbands. They of course be- 
 longed to different clans. Their natural confidants were not 
 Jheir wives, still less their children, but their clan-brothers 
 and clan-sisters. During the day that followed the council, 
 a man whose wife was from the Turkey people, but who 
 himself belonged to Shyuamo, went down to the caves 
 of the latter. There he was received with the remark, — 
 
 " The nashtio of the Eagles, Tyame, who lives with us, is 
 feting." 
 
 He replied in surprise, "And Kauaitshe is also doing 
 penance." 
 
 A third, whose wife belonged to the Bear clan, was within 
 hearing ; and he quickly added, " The delegate from Hiit- 
 shanyi dwells wiili Kohaio ; he, too, is fasting ! " It was 
 strange ! People said nothing, but they shook their heads 
 and separated. 
 
292 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Similar things occurred in the houses of the Tanyi. There 
 the representative of the Bear clan was in retirement. In the 
 big house news circulated faster than anywhere else on the 
 Tyuonyi, and in a very short time it became known that not 
 only the nashtio from Kohaio, but especially that the Hish- 
 tanyi Chayan and the Cuirana Nana were secluding them- 
 selves. Step by step the news got abroad and went from 
 clan to clan, while the people compared notes without ex- 
 pressing opinions. At sunset it was known all over the 
 Rito that since the council at least six of the clan delegates 
 were fasting, besides the three shamans. When at last 
 news came that a woman had gone to see the wife of the 
 chief penitent, and had heard from her that her husband 
 was working, things began to look not only strange but 
 portentous. 
 
 In an Indian village, gossip about public affairs comes to 
 a stand-still as soon as the outlook seems very grave. A sul- 
 len quiet sets in ; the hanutsh recede from each other, and 
 only such as are very intimate venture to interchange opin- 
 ions, and even they only with the utmost caution. For any 
 event that concerns the welfare of the community is, in the 
 mind of the aborigine, intimately connected with the doings 
 of Those Above. And if the Shiuana were to hear an ir- 
 relevant or unpleasant utterance on the part of their chil- 
 dren, things might go wrong. There is, beside, the barrier 
 between clan and clan, — the mistrust which one connection 
 feels always more or less strongly toward the others. In- 
 stead of the excitement and display of passion that too often 
 accompany the preliminaries of great events in civilized 
 communities, and which too often also unduly precipitate 
 them, among the Indians there is reticence. They do 
 not run to headquarters for information ; they make no 
 effort at interviewing the officers ; they simply and sullenly 
 wait. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 293 
 
 This patient waiting, however, is only on the surface. In 
 strictly intimate circles apprehensions are sometimes uttered 
 and opinions exchanged. But this is done in the clan, and 
 rarely in the family. 
 
 In the present case it was not reticence alone that pre- 
 vailed. The conviction that great things might be brought 
 to light soon, caused uneasiness rather than anything else. 
 Apprehensions were increased by the fact that only a part of 
 the dignitaries of the tribe were doing penance. The Ko- 
 share Naua was not fasting, neither was Topanashka ; and 
 Tyope went about with the utmost unconcern. Members 
 of the clans whose delegates kept secluded became suspi- 
 cious of the fact that their nashtio appealed more particu- 
 larly to the higher powers, and hence that his constituents — 
 such was their conclusion — were in danger of something as 
 yet concealed from the people. Suspicion led to envy, and 
 finally to wrath against such as appeared to be free from the 
 necessity of intercession. Tyope had thrown a firebrand 
 among he tribe, and the fire was smouldering yet. But it 
 was merely a question of time for the flames to burst forth. 
 It was even easy to guess when it must occur, for no such 
 fast can last longer than four days. At their expiration, if 
 not before, all doubts must be dispelled. With this abso- 
 lute certainty the people rested, not content, but submitting 
 to the inevitable. 
 
 Only two men among the Queres knew the whole truth of 
 the matter, and these were Tyope and the old Koshare Naua, 
 They watched with apparent calmness, but with the greatest 
 attention, the approach of the storm which they had pre- 
 pared. Everything went on to their hearts' content. They 
 did not need to do penance, for their sinister plans were 
 advancing satisfactorily. 
 
 And a third at the Rito, although unknown to them, also 
 began to see the truth gradually with a distinctness that 
 
294 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 was fearfial, that was crashing to him. That man was the 
 head war-chief, Topanashka Tihua. A series of logical de- 
 ductions brought him to ravel step by step the game that 
 was being played. He saw now why Tzitz hanutsh had been 
 made to bear the first assault. It was on account of Sho- 
 taye. But as the demand was put, it involved, ultimately 
 the question of residence, and consequently an expulsion of 
 the Water people. This could never have been merely on 
 account of one woman and in order to get rid of her, since it 
 was so easy to put Shotaye out of the way by the mere accu- 
 sation of witchcraft. That accusation itself appeared to the 
 old man to be a mere pretext and nothing else. To expel 
 the small Water clan alone was not their object either. 
 His daughter, the child of Tanyi, was also implicated, and 
 with this thought came a flash of light. Not one clan alone, 
 but several, were to be removed, and as he now saw plainly, 
 mostly the clans occupying houses which were not exposed 
 to the dangers which threatened the cave-dwellers from the 
 crumbling rock. Tzitz had only served as an entering-wedge 
 for their design that the house-dwellers should make room 
 for the others. The more Topanashka thought over it, the 
 more he felt convinced that he was right. And the stronger 
 his convictions the more he saw that the plans of the two 
 fiends, Tyope and the Naua, were likely to succeed. They 
 were bad men, they were dangerous men ; but they certainly 
 had a pair of very subtle minds. 
 
 Was it possible to defeat their object? Other men, 
 differently constituted from Topanashka, might have come 
 to the conclusion that it was best to leave the Rito with 
 their people at once, without any further wrangUng, and 
 make room peaceably. To this he could never consent. 
 None of his relatives or their friends should be sacrificed 
 to the intrigues of the Turquoise people. Rather than 
 yield he was firmly determined that the Turquoise people 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 295 
 
 themselves should go. But only after they had done their 
 worst. It was true, as Tyope had said, that a division of 
 the tribe entailed a dangerous weakening of both fragments ; 
 but then if it must be, what else could be done ? Still he was 
 in hopes that the Shiuana would not consent to a separa- 
 tion, and in his firm behef in the goodness of Those Above 
 he resolved, when the time came, to do his utmost for the 
 preservation of peace and unity. But it was a crushing 
 weight to him. Not a soul had he with whom to commu- 
 nicate, for his lips were sealed ; not one whom he might 
 enlighten and prepare for the hour of the crisis. And he 
 felt unconsciously that he was the pillar on which rested 
 the safety of his people, — he and the Shiuana ! The feeling 
 was no source of pride ; it was a terrible load, which he 
 longed in vain to share with some one else. Topanashka did 
 not attempt to do penance externally ; he was too shrewd 
 for that ; but he prayed as much as any one, — prayed for 
 light from above, for the immense courage to keep silent, 
 to hope, and to wait. 
 
 The news that Kauaitshe, the delegate from Tzitz hanutsh, 
 was fasting had reached the cave-dwellings of his cluster 
 late in the afternoon. Zashue had carried it thither, com- 
 municating the intelligence secretly to his mother and 
 sister. They were speaking of it, the old woman with 
 apprehensions, and Zashue in his usual frivolous manner, 
 when Hayoue entered. 
 
 "Do you know," said he, "that the nashtio of Tyame is 
 doing penance ? " 
 
 " So does ours," remarked Zashue, growing serious. He 
 began to see matters in a different light. 
 
 "What may this all be about?" wondered the younger 
 brother. 
 
 The elder brother shrugged his shoulders, sighed, and 
 rubbed his eyes ; and all four kept silent. 
 
296 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 "Is it perhaps from the uuityam? " asked Hayoue; and 
 his mother exclaimed, — 
 
 " Surely it is." 
 
 "Then something must have occurred," continued Ha- 
 youe ; and with a side-glance at his brother, " I wonder if 
 Tyope is fasting also ? " 
 
 Zashue denied it positively, and added, " The Naua is out 
 of doors." 
 
 " In that case it is our people again who have to suffer." 
 His passion was aroused ; he cried, rather than spoke. 
 "The Shyuamo never suffer anything. Who knows but 
 the shuatyam, Tyope, and the old one have again done 
 something to harm us ! " Ere Zashue could reply to this 
 sally the young man had left the cave. 
 
 When Hayoue stood outside he noticed Shotaye sitting 
 on her doorstep. 
 
 " Guatzena, samam," he called over to her. 
 
 " Raua A," the woman answered, extending her hand 
 toward him as if she wished to give him something. 
 
 He went over to her,, took the object, and looked at it. 
 It was the rattle of a snake. 
 
 " Where did you get this? " he asked. 
 
 " I found it above, where a rattlesnake had been eaten. 
 Do you want it?" 
 
 He shook the rattle and inquired, — 
 
 " Will you give it to me ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " It is well ; and now I will tell you something that you 
 don't know yet. Our father, Kauaitshe, is fasting." 
 
 " He is right," Shotaye remarked ; " it will make him 
 leaner." 
 
 Both laughed, but Hayoue said with greater earnestness, 
 
 " Tyame is doing penance also. 
 
 " Then he is with his woman from Shyuamo," flippantly 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 297 
 
 observed Shotaye ; " it will make Turquoises cheaper." 
 She turned away with an indifferent air. Her careless 
 manner struck the young man, and when he saw that she 
 would not speak, but only gazed at the sky, he went off 
 with the present he had received. He felt differently ; he 
 took the matter very seriously. He directed his steps 
 toward the tall building where it might be possible to 
 ascertain something else. Hayoue was afraid of the Tur- 
 quoise people and their designs. 
 
 Shotaye was far from indifferent to the piece of news 
 which Hayoue had brought to her. But neither was she 
 surprised. She expected as much. It was therefore easy 
 for her to appear perfectly calm and unconcerned. She 
 was fully convinced that her case had been the subject of 
 last night's discussion in the council, but the fact that 
 the delegates were doing penance proved that the matter 
 was still pending, and that no conclusion had been reached. 
 There was consequently time before her still, and the 
 reprieve amounted to about four days. She had time to 
 reflect and to prepare her course of action. The sooner 
 she was alone and left to her own musings the better, and 
 that was why she turned away so abruptly from the young 
 man. Hayoue drew from her manner the inference that 
 the woman busied herself with thoughts entirely foreign to 
 his own, and did not wish to be disturbed. But as soon as 
 he turned to go she watched him through one corner of her 
 eye. When he was far enough away, she rose, and slowly 
 crept back into her dwelling. 
 
 We need not follow the train of thought that occupied 
 Shotaye. 
 
 It was in the main the same that had filled her mind 
 during the last week. One thing was certain, she was not 
 silly enough to fast. She would not commit such a blunder. 
 Neither would she call on Say Koitza. She regarded her 
 
298 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 companion in danger as sufficiently advised, and felt sure 
 that the wife of Zashue was prepared for any event. Why 
 then disturb her? It might only lead her into committing 
 some disastrous blunder. Without Shotaye's direct knowl- 
 edge Say was sure to do nothing at all, and that was the 
 best for both. For the present, all that could be done was 
 to remain absolutely quiet and to wait. 
 
 Hayoue, on the other hand, was not so philosophical. As 
 he strolled down the valley, his mind was deeply agitated. 
 It seemed clear to him that a grave question had been pro- 
 pounded at the council, and it could only have originated 
 through some deviltry on the part of the evil spirits of the 
 Turquoise clan, Tyope and the old Naua. This made him 
 very angry, and he vowed within himself that when the time 
 came he would take a very active part in the proceedings. 
 
 He would rather have commenced the fray at once by 
 slaughtering Tyope and his accomplice ; but then, it was not 
 altogether the thing to do. Neither would it do to go 
 about and inquire at random. Nothing was left to him 
 but to have patience and wait. 
 
 Waiting, however, did not interfere with his disposition to 
 talk. With a nature as outspoken as that of Hayoue, it 
 was impossible to wait without saying something to some- 
 body about it. But to whom ? At home he could not 
 speak, for there was Zashue, and he was never impartial 
 when any one of the Koshare was concerned. Okoya would 
 be far preferable, and he determined upon looking him 
 up. His nephew was not in the big house, and Hayoue went 
 out to the corn-patches. The Indian goes to his field fre- 
 quently, not in order to work, but simply to lounge, to seek 
 company, or to watch the growing crops. Okoya was in 
 his father's plot, sitting comfortably among the com ; but it 
 was not the plantation that occupied his thoughts, they were 
 with Mitsha ; and he pondered over what she had told him 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 299 
 
 the night before, and how he might succeed in making her 
 his beyond cavil. Looking up accidentally he discerned 
 the form of his uncle coming toward him, and his face 
 brightened. He motioned Hayoue to come, and this time 
 Hayoue was eager to meet Okoya. 
 
 The uncle wore a gloomy face, and the nephew noticed 
 it at once. But he thought that if his friend intended to 
 confide in him he would do so spontaneously. He had 
 not long to wait. Hayoue sat down alongside of him and 
 began, — 
 
 " Do you know where sa umo is, — the maseua? " 
 
 " He is at home, I think. At least he was there when I 
 went away." 
 
 " Is he doing penance ? " 
 
 Okoya stared at Hayoue in astonishment. 
 
 " No, he ate with us. Why should he fast ? " 
 
 " Do you know," Hayoue continued to inquire, " that the 
 nashtio of Tzitz and the nashtio of Tyame are fasting? " 
 
 " I did not, but I know that the Hishtanyi Chayan is at 
 work." 
 
 Hayoue extended his neck and pricked up his ears. 
 "What," said he, "the yaya also?" 
 
 " Indeed, the Cuirana Naua also. Did not you know it? 
 You are a nice Cuirana." 
 
 The imcle shook his head. 
 
 " That is bad, very bad indeed," muttered he. Okoya 
 was perplexed. At last his curiosity overcame all diffidence 
 and he asked, — 
 
 "What is it, satyumishe nashtio? Do you know of 
 anything evil?" 
 
 Hayoue looked at him and said, — 
 
 " Okoya, you and I are alike. When your heart is heavy 
 you come to me and say, ' My heart is sad ; help me to 
 make it light again ; ' and when I feel sorrow I go to you 
 
300 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 and tell you of it. When you came to me up there " ^ 
 he pointed to the west — " it was dark in your heart. To- 
 day it is night in mine." 
 
 The speech both astonished and pleased the boy. He 
 felt pride in the elder's confidence, but was too modest to 
 express it. So he merely replied, — 
 
 " Nashtio, I am very young, and you are much wiser than 
 I. How can I speak so that your heart may be reUeved ? 
 You know how I must speak, and when you tell me I will 
 try and do it." 
 
 He gazed into Hayoue's features with a timid, doubting 
 look ; he could hardly conceive that his uncle really needed 
 advice from him. 
 
 It was Hayoue's turn to sigh to-day. Slowly he said, — 
 
 " Last night the uuityam was together, and to-day the 
 yaya and the nashtio are fasting." 
 
 Okoya innocently asked, — 
 
 "Why do they fast?" 
 
 "That is just what I want to know," Hayoue impatiently 
 exclaimed, " but surely it bodes nothing good." 
 
 " Why should the wise men want something that is evil? " 
 said the other, in surprise. 
 
 " You are young, motatza, you are like a child, else you 
 would not ask such a question. The wise men are doing 
 penance, not because they intend harm, but in order to 
 prevent the people from being harmed. Do you under- 
 stand me now? " 
 
 It began to dawn on Okoya's mind ; still he had not fully 
 grasped his uncle's meaning. 
 
 " Who is going to do evil things to us ? Are there 
 Moshome about ? " 
 
 Hayoue was struck by the remark. He had not thought 
 of this possibility. It might be that the older men had 
 learned something of the approach or presence of Navajos. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 301 
 
 A few moments of reflection, however, convinced him of 
 the utter improbability of the suggestion. If there were 
 danger of this the warriors, to whom he belonged, — that 
 is, the special group of war magicians, — would have been 
 the first to be informed of it ; and they would all be 
 now in the estufa preparing themselves for duty, and the 
 maseua first of all. Instead of it the old man was up and 
 about as usual. No, it could not be j and he accordingly 
 said, — 
 
 " It may be that some sneaking wolf is lurking about, 
 but I do not believe it. See here, sat5Timishe, I belong to 
 those who know of war, and I should certainly have heard 
 if there were any signs of the Dinne. And our father the 
 maseua would not have remained about the big house. No, 
 umo, it is not on account of the Moshome that the yaya 
 and nashtio take no food." 
 
 " But if there are no Moshome about, whence could there 
 come danger to us ? " 
 
 " From there ; " and Hayoue pointed to distant cliffs 
 where some of the cave-dwellings of Shyuamo were visible 
 at the diminutive openings in the rock. 
 
 "Why from there?" 
 
 " From Shyuamo hanutsh." 
 
 "What can Shyuamo want to do harm for? " 
 
 Hayoue grew really impatient. 
 
 "You think of nothing else but your girl," he grumbled. 
 " Have you forgotten already what I told you of Tyope and 
 of that old sand-viper, the Nana? " 
 
 It thundered in the distance ; a shower was falling south 
 of the Rito, and its thunder sounded like low, subterranean 
 mutterings. Hayoue called out, — 
 
 "Do you hear the Shiuana? They remind you of what 
 I said." 
 
 The parts were reversed. It was now the uncle who 
 
302 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 reminded the nephew of the voices from the higher world. 
 Okoya hung his head. 
 
 " Listen to me," continued Hayoue j " I know that you 
 do not like it that I speak against Tyope, but I am right 
 nevertheless. He is a bad man and a base man ; he only 
 looks at what he desires and to the welfare of his hanutsh. 
 Toward others he is ill-disposed; and his companion is 
 worse yet, the old fiend." 
 
 "Yes, but what can they gain by doing evil to others? " 
 Okoya asked. 
 
 " I don't know." 
 
 " How can I know it, then? I am much younger, much 
 less wise than you." 
 
 Hayoue saw the candour of the boy and it troubled him. 
 It was true ; Okoya was too young yet, too inexperienced ; 
 he could not folly understand what Hayoue was suspecting, 
 and could not give him any light or advice. It was use- 
 less to press him any further. But one thing Hayoue had 
 achieved, at all events. He had enjoyed an opportunity to 
 vent his feelings in full confidence, and that alone afforded 
 him some relief. After musing a while he spoke again, — 
 
 " Let it be what it may, I tell you this much, brother : be 
 careful, and now especially. Speak to nobody of what I 
 have told you ; and should you go to see Mitsha, keep your 
 ears open and your mouth shut. I cannot find anybody to 
 speak to except you and the maseua, but our father I dare 
 not ask, for when the others are fasting Topanashka's lips 
 are closed until the time comes to act. Meanwhile, brother, 
 we must wait. I am going back to the katityam, for it is 
 not good to run about and pry. Nobody knows anything 
 but the yaya and the nashtio, and these do not speak to us." 
 With these words he rose and left Okoya alone. 
 
 Much as the latter was attached to his father's brother, 
 he was still glad to see him go. The sinister hints which 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 303 
 
 Hayoue had dropped were as good as incomprehensible to 
 him. That the Zaashtesh could be damaged through some 
 of its own people he could not conceive ; still he believed it, 
 for Hayoue had said so and it must be true. But it was 
 equally true that Okoya's thoughts were with his own affairs 
 exclusively, and his uncle's talk affected him mainly on that 
 score. It increased his already uneasy feelings. The fear 
 that Mitsha would be given him only on condition that 
 he became Koshare was now stronger than ever, and his 
 prospects appeared still further complicated in the light of 
 Hayoue's disclosures. Nevertheless, nothing was absolutely 
 certain so far ; and he could not precipitate matters. In his 
 case, too, there was nothing left but to wait. 
 
 The shower, which was sending floods of moisture into the 
 valleys farther south, only grazed the Rito, sending a short 
 and light rain upon its growing crops. It surprised Zashue 
 upon his return to the big house, and drove him to shelter 
 at his own, that is, his wife's home. He did not really care 
 to go there, for since the time when he and Tyope had 
 searched the rooms, Zashue had kept rather away from his 
 spouse. 
 
 He did not suspect her any longer ; but the very convic- 
 tion on his part that she was innocent, and that con- 
 sequently he had wronged her, kept him away from her 
 presence. The weaker a man is, the less he likes to ac- 
 knowledge guilt. He feels ashamed of himself, but will 
 not acknowledge it. The Indian in this respect is as tough 
 as other people, if not tougher. To beg pardon for an 
 offence committed is to him a very difficult task. He is 
 a child, and children rarely make atonement unless com- 
 pelled. They conceal their guilt, and so does the Indian. 
 If he has wronged any one, the redman persists in acting as 
 if nothing had happened, or he pouts, or avoids the party 
 offended. Zashue did not pout, but he avoided his wife's 
 
304 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 dwelling as much as possible, and felt embarrassed when 
 there, or as had been the case a few days ago, when the 
 matter of Okoya's wooing was discussed, he availed him- 
 self of the first pretext to take leave. To-day it was dif- 
 ferent; he had to go there for shelter. Say received him 
 in her usual way, almost without a word, but with a look that 
 was at once friendly, searching, and unsteady. It was dark 
 in the inner room, and Zashue failed to notice his wife's 
 glance. 
 
 Say also had heard of the fasts and penitence to which 
 some of the officers of the tribe had submitted ; and she 
 rightly surmised that the accusation against Shotaye, and 
 against herself perhaps, had at last been made, and was 
 the cause of such unusual proceedings. But Shotaye had 
 judged her well when she decided upon not troubling Say 
 with a visit. It was unnecessary, for Say took everything 
 calmly and with perfect composure. The positive assur- 
 ance of Shotaye that she was safe, and still more the words 
 of her father to the same effect, had completely reassured 
 the woman. She looked forward to coming events with 
 anxious curiosity rather than with apprehension. Still as 
 her husband unexpectedly entered her dwelling, she could 
 not resist the temptation to sound him, and to find out, 
 if possible, what he thought about affairs. While knead- 
 ing the corn-cakes she therefore asked, in a quiet, cool 
 manner, — 
 
 " Hachshtze, do you know that the nashtio are fasting? " 
 
 "AUofthem?" 
 
 " I don't know," she replied, going on with her work, 
 " and yet I know this much, — that sa nashtio does not fast. 
 He ate with us and is going about as usual." 
 
 "What may it all mean? " he inquired of her. 
 
 She shrugged her shoulders, and asked, — 
 
 " Does Tyope do penance ? " 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 30S 
 
 In view of the intimate relations existing between Tyope 
 and Zashue this was a very natural question, and yet it 
 stung Zashue. He interpreted it as a covert thrust. But 
 as he bethought himself of the charges which Hayoue had 
 uttered against the delegate from Shyuamo, a whole series 
 of ideas rose within him so suddenly, and so far from 
 pleasant or comforting to himself, that he forgot the con- 
 versation and inclined his head in thought. 
 
 Say Koitza was too much absorbed by her work to 
 notice the change in her husband's manner at once. After 
 a few moments of silence she reiterated her question. 
 Zashue appeared to wake up ; he started, sajdng, — 
 
 " I don't know ; but why do you ask this ? " 
 
 The woman realized that her inquiry might have been 
 imprudent, but with great assurance explained, — 
 
 " Because he is nashtio, and a great one at that. Shyuamo 
 is a strong hanutsh, and what it wants will be done. It 
 alone can do more than Tzitz and Tanyi together." 
 
 The quick, bold, apparently unpremeditated reply re- 
 lieved Zashue of an undefined feeling of suspicion that 
 had arisen within him. During his moment of thoughtful- 
 ness he had been led from the accusations of Hayoue 
 against Tyope unconsciously to the accusation which Tyope 
 had launched before against Shotaye and his own wife. 
 Quick as lightning it flashed upon his mind that that accu- 
 sation had perhaps been formulated again, and this time 
 officially before the council. And if Say were innocent, as 
 he still believed, why did she inquire about him who was 
 the originator of it ? He did not attribute her query to a 
 guilty conscience, for the Indian has but a very dim notion 
 about human conscience, if he thinks of it at all. He 
 would have gone further and have seen in the utterance of 
 his wife the evidence of some positive knowledge. Did 
 Say know anything about the real object of the stormy visit 
 
306 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 which he and Tyope paid to her home during the dance of 
 the ayash tyucotz? Her ready reply to his mistrustful in- 
 quiry had allayed suspicions as to her guilt for the time 
 being, but on the other hand he felt strong misgivings that 
 she had found out something, either of what the Koshare 
 said or thought concerning her, or about the attempt which 
 Tyope and he had failed in. One thing, however, grew to 
 be more and more certain in his judgment ; namely, that a 
 charge proffered against Shotaye was probably the cause of 
 the extraordinary fastings going on among the tribal heads. 
 More he could not surmise, still less find out. But he 
 determined upon being very guarded toward his wife 
 hereafter. Say, on her side, had a similar feeling toward 
 him. The breach which social customs already established 
 between man and wife was gradually but surely widening. 
 
 Still they continued to talk quietly. No one seeing them 
 together in the dingy kitchen would have suspected a lack 
 of harmony, or discontent, much less the sinister preoccu- 
 pations lurking in the heart of each. Both felt that it was 
 useless, that they must abide their time, avoid imprudent 
 words and queries, conceal from each other their misgiv- 
 ings, and wait. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 More than eight days had elapsed since the one on which 
 Shotaye had pledged her new friend, the Tehua warrior, to 
 meet him at the homes of his tribe. She had not redeemed 
 that pledge. In appearance she was unfaithful to Cayamo, 
 as her knight was called ; and yet her lack of compliance 
 with her promise was not intentional. She calculated that 
 her case would have come up by that time ; and until this 
 occurred, the energetic woman had no intention of leaving 
 the Rito, much less of forsaking her friend Say Koitza. 
 Now that her case had been delayed, the eight days had 
 grown to nearly ten. The chayani and the caciques were 
 fasting still, as well as some of the clan delegates. 
 
 Twelve days had passed, and it was the last day of official 
 penance. That evening something was sure to occur to 
 reUeve the situation. So everybody thought at the Tyuonyi ; 
 so Shotaye thought herself But she felt more than usually 
 excited and worn out. It was not fear ; it was the natural 
 longing of a soul replete with energy and activity to see a 
 matter ended that kept her in suspense. In regard to Say 
 Koitza she felt perfectly reassured ; the woman had not 
 shown herself at her cave, and must feel quiet, cautious, 
 and careful. 
 
 When the sun rose on the fourth day, it found Shotaye 
 just about to take her morning meal. That was soon over, 
 for there was no coffee, no hot rolls, no butter. It con- 
 sisted merely of cold corn-cakes. When she had satisfied 
 
3o8 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 her appetite, she rose, shook the crumbs from her wrap, 
 and went out. She had made a full toilet; that is, she 
 had rubbed her face with her moistened hands and dried it 
 with a deerskin, whereby a little more dust was added to 
 her cheeks. She felt pro forma clean. 
 
 It was yet so early that hardly any one showed himself 
 out of doors. The sun peeped up behind the volcanic 
 heights in the east, casting a glow over the summits and 
 crests that rise above the Rio Grande in that direction. 
 The Tetilla stood out boldly, crowning the black ridges with 
 its slender, graceful cone. 
 
 Shotaye strolled down the Rito. A few people were 
 about ; but regardless of these and what they might think or 
 say, she wandered along past the dwellings of the Eagle clan. 
 What if Tyope should see her ? " Let him see me," she 
 thought ; " let him become convinced that I know nothing, 
 that I rest easy, without any suspicion whatever of the 
 dreadful fate he has prepared for me. Later on he may 
 find out that his former wife is more than a match for 
 him." 
 
 She went on and on, and passed the big house. A few 
 men stood on the roofs, gazing motionless in the direction 
 where the sun rose like a mass of melted ore. Farther she 
 went, always down stream, quietly and with the greatest 
 apparent unconcern. A girl from Yakka hanutsh greeted 
 her in a friendly voice ; she returned the greeting cheerfiilly. 
 The cliffs wherein Oshatsh, Shutzuna, and lastly Shyuamo 
 resided were to her left as she passed the grove where 
 Okoya and Shyuote had had their first discussion. Here 
 she turned to the north, in the direction of the spot where 
 she had met the Tehua Indian. Even on this upward 
 trail, rocky as it was and overgrown with shrubbery, her 
 form was plainly distinguishable from below. But Shotaye 
 scorned to conceal herself, she walked without haste or 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 309 
 
 hurry J her errand was perfectly legitimate and everybody 
 might see her undertake it. 
 
 Everybody might indeed witness her doings as far as these 
 could be seen. She simply took a walk on the mesa of the 
 Bird, Ziro kauash. She hoped also to gather some useful 
 plants, — such as the shkoa, a spinach-like vegetable ; as- 
 clepias ; apotz, a fever- medicine of the genus artemesla, and 
 many other medicinal herbs known to the Indian and used by 
 him. For it had sprinkled if not rained every day of late, 
 and last night's rain was still visible in the drops that cov- 
 ered the leaves. The ground was soft, and her step left 
 plainly distinguishable tracks. Not only might every one 
 see her; she almost invited people to follow her on her 
 wanderings. Tyope, the Koshare Naua, the Chayani, might 
 trail and spy out her movements as much and as long as 
 they pleased, step by step if they wished ; for the real object 
 of her stroll they would never be able to guess. 
 
 After reaching the top of the plateau, Shotaye sat down 
 on a protruding rock, from which she might look over the 
 whole valley beneath. She cared little for this ; her main 
 object was to rest and to think. What she now undertook 
 was a step preliminary to the last act. A trail almost indis- 
 tinguishable, so little was it used of late, led from the Rito 
 to the north, where the Tehuas dwelt in caves in the rock 
 which they name Puye. This trail was the object of 
 Shotaye's search. We know of her intention to take refuge 
 among the northern tribe of village Indians, but she had 
 meanwhile determined upon something else. She not only 
 wanted to go but had determined upon returning ! Yes, 
 she would return, though not alone. With armed men 
 from the Puye she intended to return in the stillness of 
 the night. She would hide her companions at the ap- 
 proaches to the Tyuonyi, and lie in wait for Tyope and 
 the old Delight Maker, for the Chayani also if possible. 
 
3IO THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 The Tehuas would reap many scalps ; she would have had 
 her revenge ; and the deed could be so performed as to 
 make those at the Rito believe that the Navajos were the 
 perpetrators. This was her plan, and she did not feel the 
 sUghtest scruple or compunction. For years she had been, 
 among her own people, the butt of numberless insults and 
 mortifications. Now it had gone so far that her Ufe even 
 was in imminent peril. Ere this should be lost, she would 
 prove to her enemies that she was alive, and terribly alive ! 
 
 To reconnoitre the ground, to study every detail of it, to 
 store her memory with everything that might be useful or 
 valuable in the lay of the land, was what she had come for 
 now. After she felt thoroughly rested she rose, and con- 
 tinued her walk. Where she had been sitting, the trail was 
 plain, for there it descended into the gorge. So she only 
 noticed the place and then went into the shrubbery to seek 
 for plants. She gathered a few leaves of the dark-green 
 shiutui, sauntered from juniper-bush to juniper-bush, glanced 
 from time to time upward into the tops of pines to see 
 whether they bore edible nuts of the kind now called 
 pinons, or threw stones at the noisy birds that fluttered 
 about. 
 
 Again she came upon the trail, and her trained eye could 
 follow it for some distance until it disappeared in the timber. 
 So far she felt sure of her impressions for the fiiture and 
 turned away to the right, penetrating deeper into the forest. 
 She could find her way even at night, for the moon shone 
 still. Besides, once acquainted with the spot whence she 
 had to start, it mattered little whether there was any path 
 or not. The Indian needs only two points to guide him- 
 self, — the place of departure and the spot where he wants to 
 arrive. Moreover, for her flight it was better not to follow 
 the trail at all. She felt sure of meeting some one of the 
 Tehuas in the vicinity of the Puye. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 311 
 
 The topographical details attracted the woman's attention 
 much more than the path. She studied them carefully, pre- 
 tending to hunt for plants. Unconsciously she went farther 
 and farther, regardless of time, for it was yet early. The sur- 
 face of the Ziro kauash is slightly undulated, as well as the 
 mesa to the south of the Tyuonyi ; the timber is relatively 
 sparse ; the pines are grouped together at intervals ; and 
 juniper and cedar bushes cover it uniformly like an exten- 
 sive, irregular plantation. 
 
 Such is the topography of the mesas west of the Rio 
 Grande, from the Rito until one is beyond, and opposite to 
 San Ildefonso. They are traversed and cut by deep ravines 
 and canons, which run generally from west to east, emptying 
 their waters after storms into the valley of the river through 
 narrow gaps, or terminating before reaching the stream 
 against a towering wall of volcanic rock. Ere Shotaye 
 noticed it, the shrubbery had begun to grow thinner, until 
 she noticed in front something like a vacant space, indi- 
 cating a gap ; beyond that gap there was timber again. 
 This told her that she had reached the brink of the first 
 caiion north of the Rito. 
 
 In these solitudes game is not by any means so plentiful 
 as might be supposed. This is particularly the case in the 
 vicinity of Indian settlements. The merciless methods of 
 communal hunting either exterminate or frighten away most 
 of the larger animals. Roaming tribes send parties of men, 
 hunters or warriors, long distances away ; and these not only 
 slaughter but frighten the deer, the mountain sheep, and 
 the mountain goat, driving them into regions less accessible 
 to man. The turkey alone, that noble bird, with its dark, 
 iridescent plumage, remains everywhere ; and Shotaye had 
 already heard their loud cackling and calling before she 
 entered the high timber. Several gobblers as well as hens 
 had run away on her approach ; at last they rose into the 
 
312 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 air one after the other, flapping their wings until they set- 
 tled down on a tall pinon that was visible from where the 
 woman stood. There were four birds on the tree. With 
 necks extended and eyelids alternately opening and shutting, 
 they peered down on her, ready to soar away at the least 
 suspicious motion. Shotaye could not resist glancing at 
 them. It seemed as if something was creeping up the tree 
 very slowly. Like a grayish streak, a long body flattened 
 itself against the trunk. Shotaye grew attentive, and the 
 more so as the suspicious object all at once disappeared 
 below the nethermost branches. The turkeys themselves 
 were so occupied with the appearance of the woman that 
 they lost thought of everything else. One of them, a gob- 
 bler, braced himself up, his breast bulged out, his head and 
 neck drawn in ; then quickly thrusting them forward, sent 
 out a loud cackle. At this moment the pine-branches were 
 violently tossed about. With noisy flapping of their wings 
 the hens rose into the air; their companion flapped his 
 wings but once or twice, and disappeared in the tree-top. 
 For a moment the twigs and branches rustled and rattled ; 
 then all was still. A panther had surprised them and se- 
 cured one for his breakfast. A long distance off" might be 
 heard the cackling of another gobbler ; the forest was full 
 of turkeys. 
 
 Shotaye burst out laughing. The panther had done well. 
 He had enough to satisfy his appetite, besides, and there 
 was no danger of her being attacked. The American pan- 
 ther is not dangerous to man ; but he carries a mouthful of 
 very sharp teeth, and his claws are long ; he is a powerful 
 animal, agile and large. Nobody can foretell what might 
 happen in case he should be ill-humoured. The woman 
 began to scan the landscape around ; it was a clear space, 
 and she could see the bushes from their tops down to the 
 ground. The base of one of these bushes attracted her 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 313 
 
 attention. Almost level with the soil, something black 
 appeared beneath its branches. As she examined it more 
 closely she saw that it was not really black, but of a gray- 
 ish brown, like the colour of the soil. It was neither a 
 plant nor was it a part of the earth itself, nor a stone. It 
 might be some animal. The more she looked the more 
 she became satisfied that it was neither animal's skin nor 
 fur. The object was hairless. Only the skin of a hu- 
 man being could appear so smooth. Her first impulse 
 was to hide; but before she could execute her purpose 
 the object moved slightly, and something white appeared 
 above the black. It was disk-like, and on it there was some 
 object of a red colour. The eyes of Shotaye sparkled j she 
 abandoned all thoughts of concealment or of flight, and 
 fastened her gaze on the strange thing beneath the shrub. 
 It became clearer and clearer to her that it was a human 
 form, and that on its back was a white shield decorated 
 with red. That shield she knew to be Cayamo's. 
 
 But what could Cayamo be doing here ? Or was it per- 
 haps not he, but some Navajo who had vanquished the 
 proud warrior and was carrying home his weapons in tri- 
 umph? The latter appeared rather improbable, and yet 
 who could tell? At all events the man was alive, for he 
 had moved. It was equally certain that he had not seen 
 her. In order to clear up all doubt Shotaye looked around 
 for shelter, and saw near by a bush that afforded a scanty 
 hiding-place. She glided to it noiselessly; and changing 
 her position, got nearer to him, and was even able to see 
 more of his body and dress. The first glance satisfied her 
 that he was not a Navajo, but a village Indian, and indeed 
 her friend Cayamo. 
 
 Every trace of fear disappeared. Shotaye left the shelter 
 of the bush and stepped up toward him rather noisily, at 
 the same time calling his name. He did not reply ; and as 
 
314 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 she came nearer, the regular breathing and the heaving of 
 his chest showed the cause of his silence ; the great warrior 
 from the Puye was fast asleep ! Under different circum- 
 stances she would have left him and quietly retired, but 
 now she could not; the opportunity was too favourable, 
 matters too threatening for her. She must be recognized 
 by him once more, must show to him that she still counted 
 on his pledge, on his friendship, his protection. Yet she 
 did not wake him, but went close to his prostrate form and 
 bent over it, even holding her breath for a while. 
 
 He slept profoundly. The war-paint on his face was 
 sorely blurred ; the campaign had not improved his appear- 
 ance, — the face with closed eyes resembled a lump of dirt 
 rather than a human head, his kilt was tattered, and his 
 legs covered with scars and scratches. The circular san- 
 dals, much dilapidated, were tied to the belt; and close 
 to them was another object, which Shotaye began to ex- 
 amine attentively, while her eyes flashed at the sight of 
 it. It was a piece of human skin covered with gore and 
 straight hair partly plaited. Her heart began to pulsate 
 proudly and in delight, for she saw that Cayamo had se- 
 cured a scalp, the scalp of a Navajo ! Cayamo was a 
 great warrior ! Shotaye was careful not to touch the tro- 
 phy, for no woman is allowed to handle the sacred token 
 until after its taking has been duly celebrated in the great 
 dance of the tribe. But lest the hero might wake up pre- 
 maturely and notice her presence in too close proximity to 
 the repulsive laurels which he had won, Shotaye quietly 
 withdrew and sat down at some distance from him, where 
 he could easily see her, and quietly awaited his rising from 
 the slumbers of fatigue. 
 
 In point of fact it was not proper for her to remain so 
 close to him. The scalp-crowned warrior must keep aloof 
 from the other sex until he has been purified and has 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 3 IS 
 
 danced. Shotaye relied upon the extraordinary circum- 
 stances, and upon his interpretation of her presence as 
 having run after him, to obtain his forgiveness. Further- 
 more they were alone ; and a few moments spent in the 
 practice of sign-language could not, she trusted, deprive the 
 scalp of the magic qualities attributed to it. Had it been a 
 warrior from the Rito she would have left him long ago. 
 
 Cayamo was manifestly tired, for he slept hard. The 
 sun stood close to the zenith, and still he dozed. The 
 luminary of day did not only illuminate, but its heat was 
 scorching ; the shadows under cover of which Cayamo had 
 retreated were moving gradually, and the unkempt head of 
 the hero became exposed to the most direct rays. The 
 heat began to disturb him ; he groaned, stretched himself, 
 moved uneasily, and attempted to turn over. In this he 
 bent his shield, and the hard leather struck him in the ribs. 
 Cayamo woke up ! He opened his eyes and yawned, 
 closed them again, then opened the lids a second time, 
 when his look became suddenly a stare of surprise. Light- 
 ning-like he rose to a sitting posture, and grasped the bow 
 as well as his war-club. In this position he stared at the 
 woman, who smiled, winking and placing a finger on her lips. 
 As soon as she whispered " Shotaye," the threatening flash in 
 his eye vanished ; he dropped both weapons and threw his 
 features into a repulsive, hideous grin intended for a soft 
 smile. Then he rose. It was very plain that he felt over- 
 joyed, and that he would fain have expressed his delight to 
 the woman through some clumsy caress, but he restrained 
 his feelings and became serious. 
 
 Extending his arm to the west, he shook his head in 
 a warning manner, pointed to himself, made the sign in- 
 dicating the act of men coming, and said, " Uan save ; " 
 then he waved his hand northward, afterward at the sun ; 
 and finally he pointed at Shotaye, uttering, — 
 
3l6 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Uiye tha, ' two days ! ' " 
 
 She could not fully comprehend. Until better informed 
 she drew the conclusion that the Navajos were in pursuit of 
 him, but more she failed to understand. To ascertain his 
 meaning she pointed at him, then at herself, raised four of 
 her fingers, and asked, — 
 
 "Tehua?" 
 
 Cayamo shook his head, counted two on his fingers, 
 accompanymg the gestures with the words, — 
 
 "Tema quio Puye," pointing to the north at the same 
 time. Now her doubts were cleared. Shotaye saw that 
 two days hence she would be expected among the Tehuas. 
 She nodded eagerly and rose. If the Navajos, as she rightly 
 concluded, were on her warrior's trail, it was unsafe for both 
 of them to remain here long ; but neither could she insinuate 
 to Cayamo that she would like to go with him at once. To 
 her surprise the man bent down and with his fingers 
 drew a line on the ground which ran in the direction where 
 the cave-dwellings of the Tehuas were situated. The wo- 
 man bent over him with great curiosity. 
 
 "Tupoge," said Cayamo, indicating the southern end of 
 the line and looking askance. Shotaye nodded that she un- 
 derstood, and he slowly moved hb fingers along the line to 
 the north, uttering, — 
 
 " Tema quio." 
 
 The northern terminus of the streak he designated a» 
 Puye. Finally he made a mark across the middle of the 
 line, saying very positively, — 
 
 " Uiye tha Shotaye Teanyi." These words he accompanied 
 successively with the signs for the number two, for male 
 Indian, and for the meeting of two persons. 
 
 Nothing could be clearer. Two days hence Shotaye was 
 to leave the Rito for the Puye ; and as Cayamo himself 
 would be unable to meet her, owing to the ceremonies which 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 317 
 
 he had to perform in honour of the scalp, some male friend 
 of his, called Teayni, would meet her half-way and conduct 
 her safely to the abode of his people. With a radiant face 
 the woman nodded assent, and made other gestures ex- 
 pressive of delight and agreement. Cayamo took advan- 
 tage of his cowering posture to fasten the war-sandals to 
 his naked feet, and then rose and took the trail towards the 
 north, but Shotaye held him back in token of misgivings. 
 He understood her motive, but pointed to his circular foot- 
 gear and smiled. It was clear that he trusted to the round 
 tracks left by that contrivance for safety. So he went on 
 toward the brink of the gorge that lay before them. As 
 soon as his form had sunk below it, Shotaye also turned, 
 this time in the direction of the Rito. 
 
 Everything was right at last ! She felt safe, completely 
 safe ; for the road was clear to her, and furthermore Cayamo, 
 of whose attachment she was now fully convinced, would 
 provide for a guide during the second half of the journey, 
 which was utterly unknown to her. Everything was moving 
 to her fullest satisfaction, provided she could escape from 
 the Rito. 
 
 In regard to that matter she had scarcely any doubt, 
 unless — and this thought came to her while she was wend- 
 ing her way slowly homeward — some one should have fol- 
 lowed her and witnessed the strange meeting between her 
 and Cayamo. In that case everything might be lost. But 
 there were not the slightest marks of human presence about. 
 Nature, even, seemed to slumber in the heat of the day ; an 
 occasional lizard rustled through the dried twigs and fallen 
 pine needles, a crow sat on a dry limb, and high up in 
 the air an eagle soared below the mares' tails that streamed 
 over the sky. It would have been very disagreeable, to 
 say the least, if one or other of the Navajos who were in 
 pursuit of Cayamo should cross her path ; but of this she 
 
3l8 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 had little fear. She was already too near the Rito for that. 
 Soon the gorge opened at her feet, showing a placid, lovely 
 picture, — the little valley down below, huge pines raising 
 their dark columns by the side of light-green corn-patches, 
 and the tall pile of the big houses looming up like an 
 enormous round tower. But Shotaye was not affected by 
 scenery. Walking along the brink to the west she at last 
 reached the upper end, where twelve days ago she had 
 ascended, and where the brook, swollen by late rains, now 
 gushed down the ledges in a series of murmuring cascades. 
 Here she began her descent, and as the sun disappeared be- 
 hind threatening clouds over the western mountains, she en- 
 tered her home again. Shotaye had spent nearly the whole 
 day on the mesa, had spent it profitably, and was — so she 
 fancied — in complete security as regarded her ultimate 
 designs. 
 
 And yet had the woman, after taking leave of the strange 
 Indian and after the latter had gone out of sight, peered 
 into the shadow of the pines on one of which the panther 
 had so nimbly captured the unsuspecting turkey, she might 
 have noticed something that would have greatly modified 
 her ideas on this point. For behind one of them there 
 stood, all the while she and the Tehua were carrying on 
 their pantomime, a human figure intently watching them. 
 Pressed against the trunk of a tree there was, motionless, 
 quiet, calm, not a common spy, but a cool observer of her 
 doings, whose presence was accidental, but who not only 
 watched but at the same time judged and passed sentence 
 on her actions. 
 
 A short time after Shotaye had set out on her walk, 
 Topanashka Tihua also started in the same direction. 
 With all the self-control he had maintained, inward agita- 
 tion and sorrow nearly overcame him. The nearer the 
 hour came when the momentous question that was going 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 319 
 
 to shake the existence of the tribe to its very foundations 
 would be taken in hand, the more conscious he became that 
 he was carrying a terrible load, and that upon his action de- 
 pended nearly everything. The feeling of responsibility was 
 crushing. He had, of course, ascertained nothing new; 
 neither had he thought of making notes of what met his 
 gaze. But on this last day he felt the necessity of being 
 alone ere the dread moment came. Others could not help ; 
 he was alone with his thoughts, and yet, as he did no fast- 
 ing, not alone in the proper use of the word. On that last 
 day, therefore, he resolved upon retiring to some solitude.. 
 It would attract no undue attention, and he would have 
 done according to the spirit of the shaman's instructions. 
 After leaving the Rito he climbed to the northern mesa, 
 and instead of resting on its brink as Shotaye had, he 
 strolled into the timber perfectly at random, hardly con- 
 scious whither he directed his steps, and content to be for 
 once alone with his dismal thoughts. 
 
 However much he speculated and reflected upon the 
 matter, he drew not the slightest comfort from it. The 
 main factor he lacked ; namely, a knowledge of the judgment 
 which Those Above would render. This the chayani alone 
 knew, and they alone would proclaim it at the council. If 
 the case of Shotaye only had been before the meeting, his 
 position would have been very simple. All he had to 
 do was to kill her if found guilty, and he was ready to do 
 this at any time. He did not especially hate the woman, 
 and all he cared for in such an event was to perform his 
 duty. In regard to his daughter Say he no longer enter- 
 tained any apprehension. Matters, however, had degen- 
 erated into a venomous contention between two clans, 
 amounting almost to a schism in the tribe. If now the 
 Chayani in the name of the Shiuana proclaimed that 
 Shyuamo was right, and the others, his own clan included, 
 
320 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 resisted, what then? He had to obey, he had to execute 
 what Those Above decreed ; for that purpose was he called 
 maseua, like him who bears the same name and is the most 
 active among all the deities on high. What the Shiuana 
 determined was right always. 
 
 The old man sat down under a tree and attempted 
 to ponder over this little query of " always." But he did it 
 in vain. It was a problem perhaps not beyond the reach 
 of his intelligence, if it had been properly cultivated, but 
 far beyond the limits which training and custom had set 
 to the working powers of that inteUigence. He staggered 
 from doubt to doubt, and finally gave it up. No other 
 conclusion could he reach than to wait. But waiting alone 
 gives no light, does not comfort, gives neither strength 
 nor wisdom. Strength and wisdom, so the Indian believes, 
 are gifts from above, and can be obtained by prayer. 
 Topanashka came to the conclusion that he would pray. 
 He picked up a stone, and was searching his memory for 
 one of the many formulas that the Indian has in his rituals, 
 when a faint pattering sound attracted his attention. 
 
 It was as if something glided through brushwood. He 
 forgot to pray, and listened. Now it sounded again, at a 
 greater distance from him. Only some animal could have 
 produced the noise ; a human being would either have come 
 up to him if a friend, or kept absolutely still if a foe. He 
 looked and looked, and at last caught a glimpse of the 
 panther's yellowish fur ghding along the ground. When a 
 cat- glides stealthily she is on the hunt. His curiosity was 
 folly aroused ; he longed to see what the animal was hunting 
 and how he would succeed. Furthermore the panther is in 
 the eyes of the Pueblo Indian the symbol of the greatest 
 physical power. A feeling overcame the old man as if this 
 symbol was presenting itself to him at the very time when 
 he needed the greatest moral strength himself; and the 
 
Looking out from one of the «-eathered Ca\e-Ro()ms of the 
 Snake-Clan 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 321 
 
 animal appeared like a living fetich, a hint from Those 
 Above. He followed the movements of the puma eagerly. 
 The tree where the turkeys sat stood near ; he had heard 
 their gobblings long ago without paying any attention to 
 them. But now they explained the movements of the 
 gigantic cat ; he was creeping up to the birds. The puma 
 approached the tree noiselessly ; at its foot he laid down his 
 head, and raised his tail, sweeping the ground with nervous 
 force. Now the beast of prey began to climb the trunk of 
 the pine carefully and noiselessly. He reached the lower 
 branches and disappeared within their maze. Then fol- 
 lowed his spring ; and the turkeys flew away, all but one. 
 With a tremendous leap the cat broke through the tree-top 
 and down on the ground, with the wriggling bird in his 
 jaws, and trotted off howling. 
 
 Topanashka had witnessed the performance with inter- 
 est and with genuine pleasure. He admired the strength 
 and the swiftness of the animal hunter. Unconsciously his 
 thought turned back to the intended prayer, and he earn- 
 estly addressed it now to Those Above, that they might give 
 to his heart the strength which the panther had shown in 
 his limbs. Placing two sticks on the ground before him 
 and a stone over them, he rose to go. But another sight 
 met his eyes, and he stood still as if rooted to the soil, gazed 
 and gazed. His eyes opened wide, then his expression 
 became dark and almost fierce. 
 
 On the clear space beyond the pines on which the puma 
 had caught his prey, a woman sat near a cedar-bush ; and in 
 the shade of the bush a man rested. The first glance con- 
 vinced Topanashka that the man wore paint, and carried 
 the accoutrements and weapons of a warrior. It was not a 
 warrior from the Rito ; he was positive it could not be. 
 Nor was it a Navajo. He undoubtedly belonged to some 
 foreign tribe of village Indians, in all probability to the 
 
322 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Tehuas. What was he here for? And what business had 
 the woman in his company ? Indians in war-paint do not 
 associate with women. Topanashka strained his eyes, and 
 recognized to his astonishment and dismay the woman 
 Shotaye. 
 
 He could not contain himself any longer. Like a shadow 
 he moved forward and hid behind the trunk of a pine, 
 whence he could see more and better. From there he wit- 
 nessed the strange pantomime of Shotaye and Cayamo. He 
 was too far oif to hear the words, but the gestures spoke 
 plainly enough. As they pointed and gesticulated to the west, 
 north, and south, he thought that they were planning some 
 murderous surprise for the Queres, — that Shotaye was be- 
 traying her own people and conspiring with an enemy of her 
 own stock. Fierce wrath filled his heart. Yes, Tyope's 
 charge was true ; the woman was a witch, and had Topa- 
 nashka been armed he would have sought to kill her on the 
 spot. But though he had no weapons, his hand clutched a 
 stone, raised it from the ground, and held it in readiness. 
 The interview ended, the Tehua disappeared, and Shotaye 
 went in the direction of the Rito. Topanashka felt tempted 
 to follow her at once, to overtake her if possible and secure 
 her person, or even to execute summary justice ; but she 
 was sure not to escape him. She had evidently not noticed 
 his presence and had gone back to her den in the cliffs in 
 complete security. There, on this very evening, he would 
 seize her, drag her before the uuityam, disclose her shame- 
 less and dangerous plots, and doom her to the horrible 
 death she deserved to suffer. 
 
 Whither was her accomplice, the Tehua, going meanwhile ? 
 He was probably returning to his people to report, and to lead 
 back those in whose company he intended to carry out the 
 projected assault. The old man could not stop him, being 
 himself unarmed ; but he could follow at a distance, cau- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 323 
 
 tiously and without exposing himself to danger. For it 
 was possible that the hellish plot had developed much fur- 
 ther, and that the warriors from the north were lurking 
 already near by to pounce upon the Queres at daybreak. 
 It was not only from the instinct of the old warrior scout, 
 it was out of a sense of duty as head war-chief that he de- 
 termined at once upon following the Tehua. As soon as 
 Shotaye, too, was out of sight, he went over to the spot 
 where the interview had taken place and examined the 
 soil carefully. The round impression made by a war-sandal 
 struck his eye ; it proved to him beyond any possibility of 
 doubt that his inferences were correct. The old man 
 straightened himself to his fall height. His piercing glance 
 went in the direction whither the Tehua had gone. He 
 bent forward again and followed the same line toward the 
 north. 
 
 The sun had just set over the Rito. It disappeared be- 
 hind dense clouds ; a storm was gathering in the west. Its 
 wings were spreading like tentacles ; they pushed on to 
 meet the moon, whose light was just rising in the east as a 
 dim whitish arch. The orb itself still remained below the 
 horizon. Gusts of wind whirled up the gorge from the east 
 at intervals, causing the pines to sigh, the willows and 
 poplars to rustle. The com whispered and tinkled. The 
 usual bustle prevailed about the houses and in front of the 
 caves. 
 
 Before the grotto where the council was to meet that 
 night, men were standing, sitting, or lounging. They were 
 the delegates who had come to listen at last to the oracle 
 which was to be revealed to them through the mouth of 
 the great shaman. Their number was not yet complete ; 
 the Tapop, Tyope, the Koshare Nana were there, but 
 neither the Caciques nor the Chayani nor the Maseua had 
 
324 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 put in an appearance. Everybody was silent, hardly a 
 word was heard from time to time, seldom a whisper. 
 The men were m part exhausted by long penitence, but 
 mostly depressed as if some nightmare was still weighmg 
 upon them. The obligation to be silent imposed by the 
 medicine-man was yet in force. 
 
 One by one those who were lacking came. The medicine- 
 men appeared at last, and only the yaya and the maseua 
 were missing. The tapop, prompted by a wink of the 
 Hishtanyi Chayan, went into the cave and prepared the 
 council-fire. It burned well, but nobody came. 
 
 Distant thunder rolled through the clouds; Ughtning 
 flashed from them in fiery red tongues. The wind con- 
 tinued to blow in gusts, but at long intervals only. Be- 
 tween gust and gust it grew dismally, anxiously, still. The 
 singing, shouting, laughing of the people had almost ceased. 
 Now the wind again whirled up the valley stronger than 
 before, and as its noise ceased, a plaintive sound, a distant 
 howling, floated on the air. It waxed in strength and 
 power till it rose into the night shrill and heart-rending. 
 The men listened in surprise. Sobs, cries, shrieks, from 
 time to time a piercing scream, were the dismal sounds 
 that struck upon their ears. All came from the large build- 
 ing ; it was a lament by many voices, the sad, soul-rending 
 lament over the dead! 
 
 Breathlessly they listened. Hurried footsteps rushed 
 toward them, several men came running up the slope. 
 When the foremost of them reached the group he asked, 
 panting, — 
 
 " Where is the tapop ? " 
 
 Hoshkanyi Tihua stepped forward and inquired, — 
 
 " What has happened ? What do you want? " 
 
 "Our father the maseua," gasped the man, "is dead! 
 He was killed on the Ziro kauash ! " 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 325 
 
 " Who killed him ? " demanded the principal chayan, 
 placing himself in front of the speaker. 
 
 The Indian raised his arm on high ; from it depended a 
 circular object. As the pale light of the rising moon fell on 
 it, it was plainly distinguishable as a circular war-sandal ! 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 "Did you find that? " asked the shaman. 
 
 " Yes, I found it. I and Hayash Tihua together." 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 "On the kauash, on the trail that leads to the north." 
 
 "Who killed sa nashtio? " the chayan further inquired. 
 He alone carried on the investigation; Hoshkanyi Tihua 
 had mingled with the rest again, and stood there silent and 
 speechless over the terrible news. Neither did any of the 
 others utter a single word, but from time to time one or 
 the other shook his head and sighed deeply. 
 
 "We don't know," replied the Indian, "for we did not 
 find anything else." 
 
 " Have you looked for more ? " emphasized the medicine- 
 man. 
 
 The other hung his head as if he felt the reproach. " No,*' 
 he said in a low tone. 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Because we were afraid that other Tehuas might be 
 around." 
 
 " How do you know that the people from the north have 
 killed our nashtio? " 
 
 "Because the Moshome Dinne never wear such." He 
 pointed to the sandal, which he had handed to the tapop. 
 
 "Did the shoe lie where our father died?" 
 
 "No, we found it closer to the Tyuonyi." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 327 
 
 A flutter went through the group, — a movement of sur- 
 prise and of terror. Many persons had collected, and the 
 steps of more were heard coming up. In the valley the 
 wind sighed. Louder than its plaintive moaning sounded 
 the howling wail that continued in the great house with 
 undiminished power. The Hishtanyi continued, — 
 
 "How did the shuatyam kill our father?" His voice 
 trembled as he uttered these words. 
 
 "With arrows." 
 
 "Have you brought them along?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " How many?" 
 
 " One. " 
 
 " Where is the corpse ? " 
 
 "At the house of Tanyi hanutsh." 
 
 The shaman turned around. " Tyame," he called to the 
 delegate of the Eagle clan, " do your duty. And you, too, 
 Tapop." 
 
 The group was about to disperse when the Shikama 
 Chayan called back the men who had brought the news. 
 All stood still and listened. 
 
 " Is the head entire? " asked the medicine-man. 
 
 "The scalp is not on it." 
 
 A murmur of indignation arose. The chayan turned 
 away and walked slowly along the foot of the cliffs toward 
 his dwelling. Every one set out for the great house, talking 
 together excitedly, but in low voices. The tapop, Tyame, 
 md the two men who had found the body took the lead. 
 The Hishtanyi Chayan and the Shkuy Chayan came last. 
 
 The nearer they came to the great building, the louder 
 and more dismal sounded the lamentations. 
 
 The storm was approaching with threatening speed. 
 One dense mass of inky clouds shrouded the west. From 
 time to time it seemed to open, and sheets of fire would fill 
 
328 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 the gap. To this threatening sky the death-wail ascended 
 tremulously and plaintively, like a timid appeal for redress. 
 In response the heavens shot angry lightning and thunder- 
 peals. The cliffs on the Tyuonyi trembled, and re-echoed 
 the voices from above, which seemed to tell feeble humanity 
 below, " We come ! " 
 
 It was long before sunset when the old war-chief of the 
 Queres, after having thoroughly examined the spot where 
 the interview between Shotaye and the Tehua Indian took 
 place, began to follow on the tracks of the latter. He was 
 undertaking a difficult, an extremely dangerous task. It is 
 not easy for a man well provided with weapons to pursue 
 an armed Indian, but to attempt it unarmed is foolhardi- 
 ness. The Indian is most dangerous when retreating, for 
 then he enjoys the best opportunities to display his main 
 tactics in warfare, which are hiding and patient lurking. 
 He has every opportunity to prepare his favourite ambush, 
 and woe unto him who runs after an Indian on the retreat, 
 unless the pursuer is thoroughly prepared and well ac- 
 quainted with the war-tricks of the redman. The annals 
 of western warfare give sad evidence of the disastrous re- 
 sults. The mountaineers among the Indian tribes are those 
 who are best skilled in the murderous hide-and-seek game. 
 Indians of the plains have less occasion to cultivate it. 
 
 Topanashka Tihua was aware that if he followed the 
 Tehua he was risking his own life. But it was not the first 
 time he had attempted such dangerous undertakings, and so 
 far he had never failed. With the configuration of the ground 
 and the landmarks in vegetation and scenery he was far 
 better acquainted than the Tehua. Furthermore, he en- 
 joyed the material advantage that the latter could not have 
 noticed him. Everything depended on ascertaining unseen 
 as much as possible about the enemy's movements. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 329 
 
 From some of Shotaye's gesticulations the maseua had 
 concluded that the Tehua would proceed on the old trail 
 leading from the Rito to the Puye, or at least keep himself 
 very near that trail. He was confirmed in it by the direc- 
 tion which the friend of the woman took after leaving her. 
 Topanashka maintained, therefore, the same course, go- 
 ing slowly and with the greatest caution. He kept on the 
 alert for the least noise that struck him as suspicious, or 
 for which he could not at once account. 
 
 In consequence of the heat of the day, the forest was 
 remarkably still. Not a breeze sighed through the tops of 
 the pines, for the wind that blows toward a coming storm 
 and heralds its approach rises later in the day. The distant 
 gobbling of turkeys was a sound that awakened no suspi- 
 cions, the more so as it grew fainter and fainter, receding 
 in the direction of the higher crests and peaks. Neither 
 were the numerous crows a source of uneasiness to him. 
 On every clearing these birds gravely promenaded by half- 
 dozens together, and his cautious gliding across such ex- 
 posed places did not in the least discommode the dusky 
 company. As soon as Topanashka came in sight of the 
 trail again he kept near it, but to its left, gliding from tree 
 to tree or creeping across clear expanses from shrub to 
 shrub. He therefore moved more slowly than the Tehua 
 whom he was pursuing. 
 
 In this manner he had advanced for quite a while, 
 .always keeping an eye on the trail to his right, when he 
 caught sight of a suspicious object lying directly in the 
 path, where the latter was barely more than a faint streak 
 across the thin grass that grows sometimes on the plateaus 
 in bunches. At once the old man stopped, cowered be- 
 hind a juniper, and waited. 
 
 A novice on the war-path, or an inexperienced white man, 
 would have gone to examine the strange object more closely. 
 
330 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 but the old scout takes such unexpected finds in the light 
 of serious warning. Nothing appears more suspicious to 
 him than something which seems to have been accidentally 
 dropped on a trail over which hostile Indians are retreating. 
 He forthwith thinks of a decoy, and is careful not to ap- 
 proach. For Topanashka it was doubly significant, for had 
 the object purposely been placed there, it led to the dis- 
 agreeable inference that the Tehua was aware of his pursuit. 
 In that case he was sure to lie in wait for him, and upon 
 nearer approach he could expect an arrow-shot without 
 the least doubt. That shot might miss him, but at all 
 events the lurking enemy would find out that his pursuer 
 was an unarmed man, and that there was no danger in 
 attacking him openly. Then the situation would become 
 desperate. 
 
 Still, as the old man had always kept to the right of the 
 trail, it was possible that the enemy had not so far noticed 
 him. But somewhere in the neighbourhood of the suspi- 
 cious object that enemy must be hidden ; of that he felt 
 sure. It was a very serious moment, for any awkward 
 movement or the least noise might bring about his destruc- 
 tion. Under such circumstances many a one sends a short 
 prayer to Heaven for assistance in his hour of need. Not 
 so the Indian ; he has only formulas and ritualistic perform- 
 ances, and there was no time to remember the former or 
 to think of the latter. Topanashka strained his eyes to the 
 utmost to find out the nature of the suspicious object that 
 lay not far from his hiding-place, but he could arrive at no 
 satisfactory result. It appeared to be round, like a flat 
 disk ; but of what material it was made and for what pur- 
 pose it had been manufactured, he could not discover. At 
 last it flashed upon him that it might be one of the circular 
 war-sandals of the Tehua, whose tracks he had noticed from 
 time to time, which the owner might have taken off and 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 33 1 
 
 deposited here. There was no doubt that the enemy must 
 be close at hand. 
 
 Topanashka had no thought of turning back. FUght was 
 very difficult, since he did not know where the foe lurked. 
 To wait was the only thing to be done, — wait until night 
 came, and then improve the darkness to return to the Rito 
 in safety. But what of the all-important council-meeting, at 
 which he was compelled to assist ? Crouched behind the 
 juniper-bush, cautiously peering out from behind it now and 
 then, the old warrior pondered over the situation. At last 
 he saw what to do. 
 
 Slowly extending his feet and legs backward, he little by 
 little succeeded in laying himself flat on his stomach. He 
 had noticed that not far behind him there was another and 
 much taller bush. Toward this bush he crept, but like a 
 crawfish, feet foremost. Had his enemy stood otherwise 
 than in a line with the first shelter which Topanashka had 
 made use of, he would surely have sent an arrow during this 
 retrograde performance. He continued to crawfish until 
 the tall bush was between him and the smaller one. Once 
 covered by the former, he raised his head and looked 
 around. 
 
 A peculiar stillness reigned. Not a breeze stirred, the 
 sun was blazing hot, notwithstanding the long, trailing clouds 
 that traversed the sky. 
 
 " Kuawk, kuawk, kuawk ! " sounded the cries of sev- 
 eral crows, as they flew from a neighbouring tree. They 
 went in the very direction where Topanashka suspected the 
 Tehua to be, and alighted on a pinon in that neighbour- 
 hood. The old man glanced, not at the birds, but at the 
 trunk above which the crows were sitting. It was not thick 
 enough to conceal the body of a man, and about it the 
 ground was bare. If there had been anybody hiding there, 
 the cunning and mistrustful birds would never have alighted. 
 
332 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 The maseua took this into consideration, and began to 
 doubt the correctness of his former conclusions. Yet it 
 was wiser not to attempt a close examination of the sandal j 
 such curiosity might still lead to fatal results. 
 
 Like an old fox, Topanashka determined to circumvent 
 the dangerous spot, by describing a wide arc around it. 
 He would thus meet the trail farther north, and be able to 
 judge from signs there whether or not the Tehua was close 
 upon the Rito. First he would have to crawl backward 
 imtil he was at a sufficient distance to be out of sight 
 altogether. 
 
 This movement he began to execute in his usual slow and 
 deliberate manner, crawfishing until he felt sure that he 
 could not be seen from the point where the crows had taken 
 their position. Once during his retreat the birds fluttered 
 upward, croaking, but alighted again on the same spot. 
 Something must have disturbed them. 
 
 Topanashka arose, straightened himself, and moved ahead 
 as noiselessly as possible. He maintained a course parallel 
 to the trail. 
 
 The old man considered himself now as being in the 
 country of the enemy and on hostile groimd. For whereas 
 he was in reality not far from the Rito, still, possibly, he 
 had an enemy in his rear. It is the custom of a warrior of 
 high rank in the esoteric cluster of the war magicians, ere 
 the trailing of an enemy begins, to pronounce a short 
 prayer, and Topanashka had neglected it. His indignation 
 at the discovery of Shotaye's misdeed was the cause of this 
 neglect. Now it came to his mind. 
 
 " Kuawk, kuawk, kuawk ! " 
 
 A crow flew overhead. It came from the tree where the 
 Others had been sitting, or at least from that direction. 
 
 To the Indian the crow is a bird of ill omen. Its dis- 
 cordant voice is, next to the cry of the owl, regarded as the 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 333 
 
 most dismal forewarning. The use of its plumage in magic 
 is strongly condemned. Was it not strange that those har- 
 bingers of misfortune so persistently followed him, and that 
 their repulsive croaking always interrupted his thoughts? 
 Topanashka resolved to make good on the spot what he 
 had omitted, and ere he moved, to pray. 
 
 In place of the formula which the warrior recites when he 
 is on the track of an enemy, Topanashka selected another 
 one, spoken upon entering dangerous ground where enemies 
 may be lurking. It seemed to him that the latter was 
 better adapted to the occasion, since he was unarmed and 
 therefore unable to fight in case of necessity. He still 
 carried with him the same fetich, a rude alabaster figure of 
 the panther, which we saw dangling from his necklace on 
 the day he went to visit the tapop. But the necklace he 
 had left at home this time, and he carried the amulet in a 
 leather satchel concealed under his wrap. He took out the 
 wallet and removed the fetich from it. To the back of the 
 figure was fastened a small arrow-head, on the sides a tur- 
 quoise and a few shells were tied with strings of yucca fibre. 
 
 The old man squatted on the ground, took from the 
 same satchel a pinch of sacred meal, and scattered it to the 
 six regions. Then he whispered, — 
 
 " A-a. Nashtio, Shiuana, Kopishtai ! Make me precious 
 this day, even if the land be full of enemies. Let not my 
 life be threatened by them. Protect me from them. Let 
 none of the Moshome go across this line," he drew a line 
 in the sand with the arrow-point, " give me protection from 
 them ! Mokatsh, Tyame, Shiuana, shield my heart from the 
 enemy." 
 
 While pronouncing the latter words he drew three more 
 lines, breathed on the fetich, placed it in the satchel again, 
 and rose. He felt strengthened, for he had performed his 
 duty toward the Shiuana, had satisfied Those Above. 
 
334 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Kuawk, kuawk, kuawk ! " The crow soared back over 
 his head. The ugly, ill-voiced bird ! Topanashka's eyelids 
 twitched angrily ; he was amazed. 
 
 He resumed his walk, or rather his cautious, gliding gait, 
 his head bent forward, all his faculties strained to see, to 
 hear, and to detect. Frequently he would stop, hide him- 
 self, and listen. All was quiet around him, for even the 
 crows kept silent or were heard in the distance only. 
 
 The glare of the sunlight was less vivid, the afternoon 
 was on the wane. The late hour was not alone the cause 
 of the diminution of hght ; the sun was shrouded by heavy 
 masses of clouds. With the waning daylight it grew cooler, 
 a faint breeze being wafted over from the Rio Grande. 
 
 The old man rightly supposed that he was approaching 
 the trail again and would soon strike it. The canon near 
 which he had surprised Shotaye and her ally lay some dis- 
 tance in his rear and to the right, for the old trail crosses 
 it at its upper end, and the canon bends to the north. 
 Topanashka intended to reach this upper terminus. He 
 expected in case other Tehuas should be about, that they 
 would be hidden in that vicinity. He wanted to strike the 
 path first, and survey it, if from a distance only, then keep 
 on again in a line parallel to its course until it crossed the 
 ravine. Afterward he would go back to the Tyuonyi, if 
 possible, with the sandal as corroborative evidence. 
 
 He almost chided himself now for not having picked up 
 the foot-gear. The more he reflected, the more he became 
 convinced that his suspicions about some ambush having 
 been prepared by means of the sandal were groundless. 
 The crows especially seemed to be a sure sign of it. 
 That bird is very bold, but also very sly ; and had a war- 
 rior or any human being been in concealment, would 
 never have selected his vicinity for a place of comfortable 
 rest. Had they not flown away as soon as he approached 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 3\35 
 
 their roosting-place ? And yet he moved very slowly and 
 noiselessly. 
 
 But why did the crows so persistently follow him ? What 
 signified their restlessness, their loud and repeated cries? 
 It boded nothing good. The black pursuivants either fore- 
 told or intended evil. Were they real crows ? 
 
 The Indian is so imbued with the nbtion of sorcery that 
 any animal that behaves unusually appears to him either as 
 a human being changed into an animal, or some spirit 
 which has assumed the form for a purpose. That purpose is 
 either good or bad. Owls, crows, and turkey-buzzards, also 
 the coyote, are regarded as forms assumed by evil spirits, or 
 by men under the influence of evil charms. The more 
 Topanashka reflected upon the conduct of the birds, the 
 more superstitious he became concerning them. They cer- 
 tainly meant harm. Either they sought to allure him into 
 danger, or they indicated the presence of imminent peril. 
 
 Whatever that danger might be and wherever it might 
 lurk, the man thought of nothing but to do his duty under 
 all circumstances. He was, after all, glad that he had not 
 taken up the sandal. It had brought him as far as he was 
 now, and he considered it his duty to go to the bitter end, 
 and find out everything if possible. That he exposed him- 
 self more than was really necessary did not enter his mind. 
 He failed to consider that if he were killed, nobody would 
 be able to give timely warning at the Rito, and that the 
 very search for him might expose his people to the danger 
 which he was striving to avert. Death had little terror for 
 him ; it was nothing but the end of all pain and trouble. 
 
 As soon as Topanashka believed that he had come again 
 into proximity of the path, he resumed his previous methods 
 of locomotion ; that is, he began to crawl on hands and feet. 
 The timber was of greater density here, for it was nearer 
 the foot of the mountains. 
 
336 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 In proportion as the trees become taller and as they 
 stand closer together, the ground below is freer from shrub- 
 bery, and may be scanned from a certain distance with 
 greater ease. Nevertheless the soil is more rocky, ledges 
 crop out on the surface, isolated blocks appear, boulders, 
 and sometimes low, dyke-like protuberances. 
 
 When Topanashka felt certain of the proximity of the 
 trail, he scanned the ground very carefully. It was still flat, 
 notwithstanding some rocky patches. The shade was deep, 
 and as far as the eye reached, nothing moved ; nothing sus- 
 picious was seen, nay, nothing that bore life, except the 
 sombre vegetation. The wind increased in force ; the pines 
 faintly murmured from time to time ; a blast penetrated 
 beneath them to the surface of the soil, chasing the dry 
 needles in fitful whirls or playing with the tall btmch- 
 grasses that were growing profusely here. 
 
 If any man was about he certainly kept outside the range 
 of vision. So the old man reasoned, and he began to creep 
 toward a place where the smoothness of the rocks indicated 
 the wear and tear of human feet. It was the only trace of 
 the trail, and barely visible. As he approached the place 
 he knew that he must be seen, but he relied upon the 
 fact that a man lying flat on the ground is very difficult to 
 hit. An arrow could scarcely strike him, and in no case 
 could the wound be other than slight, for the shot must 
 come from a distance, as there was, he felt certain, no one 
 near by. 
 
 He glided like a snake, or rather like a huge lizard, which 
 crawls over obstacles, and whose body adapts itself to 
 depressions instead of crossing or bridging them over. His 
 cautious progress scarcely caused a leaf to rustle or a stone 
 to rattle, and these noises were perceptible only in the vicin- 
 ity of where they were produced. So he pushed himself 
 gradually close up to a ledge, which, while of indifferent 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 337 
 
 height, still protected his body somewhat. On this ledge 
 he expected to notice scratches which indicated that the 
 trail passed over it. 
 
 It was as he suspected, — the rock was slightly worn by 
 human feet ; but of fresh tracks there could of course be no 
 trace here, for only long and constant wear and tear, and 
 not an occasional hurried tread, can leave marks behind. 
 But Topanashka noticed a few fragments of rock and little 
 bits of stone that lay alongside the old worn-out channel. 
 Without Hfting his head, he extended his arm, grasped some 
 of the fragments, and began to examine them. 
 
 Loose rocks or stones that have been lying on the 
 ground undisturbed for some time, always have their lower 
 surface moist, while the upper dries rapidly. When the 
 yellowish tufa of these regions becomes wet, it changes 
 colour and grows of a darker hue. Topanashka had no- 
 ticed that some among the stones which he was examining 
 were darker than the others. The Indian, when he exam- 
 ines anything, looks at it very carefully. One of the frag- 
 ments was darker on the surface ; of this he felt sure, as 
 when he removed them he was careful to keep them as they 
 lay. Below, the piece had its natural colour, that of dry 
 stone. He assured himself that the darker shade really 
 proceeded from humidity ; it was still moist. The fragment, 
 therefore, must have been turned over ; and that, too, a very 
 short time ago. Only a large animal or a man could have 
 done this. He looked closely to see whether there were 
 any scratches indicative of the passage of deer-hoofs or 
 bear-claws, but there were none except those that appeared 
 so large as to show plainly from a distance. There was 
 every likelihood, therefore, that some human being had but 
 very lately moved the stones, and not only since the rain of 
 last night but since the surface had had time to dry again j 
 that is, in the course of the afternoon. 
 
 22 
 
338 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 He moved his body forward where he could examine the 
 soil alongside the ledge. The grass was nowhere bent and 
 broken, still that was no sufficient indication. There at 
 last was a plain human track, the impression of a naked 
 foot with its toe- marks to the north, and the impression 
 was fresh ! But the Tehua walked on round sandals. Had 
 he not lost one of them? It was very uncomfortable 
 walking on one of the circular disks only. Topanashka 
 rose on hands and feet and crept farther, regardless of 
 what might be behind him. His eyes were directed north- 
 ward and he relied upon his ear to warn him of danger 
 in the rear. 
 
 The trail lay before him quite distinct for a short distance. 
 Close to it some grasses were bent, and on the sandy place 
 near by there was a print as if from a small hoop, but the 
 impression was old and partly blurred. In vain did the 
 old warrior search for other marks ; the rain had obliterated 
 everything except this faint trace that might originally have 
 been plainer because deeper. It looked as if the wearer 
 of the sandal had stepped on the grass-bunch with the fore 
 part of his foot, slipped back lightly, and thus pressed the 
 hind part of the hoop deeper into the soil. In that case 
 some trace of the heel-print might still be found. And in- 
 deed a very slight concavity appeared behind the impres- 
 sion of the sandal. The heel was turned from the north, 
 consequently the man was going to, not coming from the 
 Rito. The tracks were surely old ones. 
 
 Everything was plain now. The Tehua had lost one of 
 his sandals and was returning on his bare feet. But why 
 should he leave it? Why did he not take it along? Even 
 that Topanashka could easily explain. People from the 
 Rito frequently roamed over the northern mesa, close to the 
 Tyuonyi. He might have noticed the presence of some of 
 them, and have fled in haste, leaving his foot-gear behind. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 339 
 
 Most likely the ties or thongs had given way, and he had no 
 time to mend them. That was an evidence also that the 
 man was alone, else he would not have fled with such pre- 
 cipitation. Neither was he in this vicinity any longer. 
 Topanashka felt that his task was done ; he could not gain 
 anything by proceeding farther. 
 
 " Kuawk, kuawk, kuawk ! " sounded overhead. A crow 
 had been sitting quietly on the tree above him, but now it 
 flew off again, the unlucky bird ! Its cry startled the old 
 man, and he raised his head to look after the herald of evil, 
 following him with his eye. All was still. Then he rose to 
 his knees. 
 
 A sharp humming twang, a hissing sound, and a thud fol- 
 lowed in lightning-like succession. Topanashka bends over, 
 and at the same time tumbles forward on his face. There 
 he lies, the left cheek and shoulder on the ground. The 
 left arm, with which he has sought to support the body, has 
 slipped ; and it now lies fially extended partly below the 
 head, the prostrate head. The chest is heaving painfully, 
 as if under extraordinary pressure. Face and neck are 
 colouring ; the lips part ; the throat makes a convulsive 
 effort to sWallow. The eyes are starting; they denote 
 suffocation and terrible pain. The legs twitch ; they 
 seem struggling to come to the rescue of the body's upper 
 half 
 
 From the back of the old man there protrudes an arrow- 
 shaft. It has pierced it close to the spine, between it and 
 the right shoulder-blade, penetrating into the lungs, where 
 it now stabs and smarts. 
 
 From a distant tree-top there sounds the hoarse " kuawk, 
 kuawk " of the crow. Otherwise all is still. 
 
 The wounded man coughs ; with the cough blood comes 
 to his lips, — light red blood. The thighs begin to struggle 
 as if formication was going on in the muscles. It is an im- 
 
340 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 potent movement, and yet is done consciously ; for the trunk 
 of the body, which was beginning more and more to yield, 
 now begins to turn clumsily backward; the left hand 
 clutches the soil ; the arm is trying to heave, to lift. But 
 the weight is too heavy, the shaft inside too firmly and too 
 deeply rooted. Nevertheless the hips succeed in rising ; the 
 trunk follows ; then it tumbles over on the back, contracts 
 with a moan of pain and suffering, and lies there trembling 
 with spasmodic shivers. 
 
 Topanashka has made this superhuman effort for a piu:- 
 pose. He feels that his wound is severe, that his strength 
 is gone ; his senses are darkened and his thoughts confused. 
 Still there is a spark of life left, and that spark demands 
 that he should attempt to see whence came the arrow that 
 so terribly lacerates his breast. But as he has fallen over 
 heavily, the point of the arrow has been pressed deeper. 
 Flint — an arrow-head of flint with notched edges — tears; 
 the muscles do not close about the intruder. The blood 
 flows into the chest ; it fills the lungs ; he suffocates. Yet 
 all consciousness has not vanished, although pain and op- 
 pression overwhelm the physical instruments of conscious- 
 ness, and deprive the will of its connection with its tools. 
 The will longs to see him who has destroyed its abode, 
 but it no longer controls the shattered tissues ; the nerves 
 shiver like the broken springs of clockwork ere they come 
 to a stand-still forever. The eye still distinguishes light 
 occasionally, but it cannot see any longer. 
 
 Weaker and weaker become the breathings. On both 
 sides of the mouth a fold begins to form over the blood 
 that has curdled and dried ; new fillets stream to the lips 
 from within. The legs still twitch convulsively. 
 
 Now a stream of blood gushes from the open mouth; 
 wave after wave rushes up with such swiftness that bubbles 
 and froth form between the lips and remain there. A chill 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 34I 
 
 pervades the whole body ; it is the last nervous tremor ; the 
 lower jaw hangs down, showing with fearful distinctness the 
 folds, the ghastly folds, of death. 
 
 All is still. Through the tops of the pines comes a 
 humming sound like a chant, a last lay to the brave and 
 dutiful man. Still, stark, and stiff he lies in his gore. His 
 career is ended ; his soul has gone to rest. 
 
 And thus all remained quiet for a short time. Then the 
 grass was waved and shaken in the direction to which the 
 old man had turned his back in the last hapless moment. 
 The grass seemed to grow, to suddenly rise ; and a figure 
 appeared which had been lying flat behind a projecting 
 rocky ledge. As this figure straightened itself, bunches of 
 grass dropped from its back to the ground. It was the 
 figure of a man. 
 
 But it is not the Tehua Indian who stands there motion- 
 less, with bow half drawn and an arrow in readiness, who 
 gazes over to the corpse to see whether it is really a corpse, 
 or whether it will need a second shaft to despatch it for- 
 ever. The man is of middle height, raw-boned and spare. 
 Shaggy hair bristles from under the strands that surround 
 his head like a turban. He wears nothing but a kilt of 
 deerskin ; from his shoulders hangs a quiver ; a flint knife 
 depends from the belt. This man is no village Indian, not- 
 withstanding that dark paint on his body. It is one of the 
 hereditary foes of the sedentary aborigines, — a Navajo ! 
 
 He is eying the dead body suspiciously. If it is surely 
 dead the second arrow may be saved. Those glassy eyes ; 
 that sallow face ; and the fold, the ghastly fold that runs on 
 both sides of the mouth, of that mouth filled with blood 
 now clotting, — they show that life is gone. 
 
 Still the savage keeps his bow well in hand, as with head 
 and neck extended he steals forward slowly, mistrustfially 
 approaching his victim. When he is close to the body his 
 
342 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 eyes sparkle with delight and pride, and his face gleams 
 with the triumph of some hellish spirit. 
 
 He touches the corpse. It is warm, but surely lifeless. 
 He grasps at the wrap; it is of no value to him, al- 
 though made of cotton. Beneath, however, there must be 
 something that attracts his attention, for he quickly tears 
 off the scanty dress and fumbles about the chest of the 
 victim. A horrible grin of delight distorts his features, al- 
 ready hideously begrimed, for he has found the little bag 
 and takes from it the fetich of the dead man. That fetich 
 is a prize, for with it the magic power that was subservient 
 to the victim while alive now becomes the victor's. He 
 handles the amulet carefully, almost tenderly, breathes on it, 
 and puts it back into the bag. Then he detaches his 
 stone knife, grasps it with the right hand, and with the left 
 clutches the gray hair of the dead man and with a sudden 
 jerk pulls the head up. Then he begins to cut the scalp 
 with his shaggy knife-blade of flint. 
 
 A faint whistling sound, as of some one hissing near him, 
 is heard ; and ere he looks up a male voice by his side has 
 said, — 
 
 "That is good, very good ! " The words are spoken in 
 the Dinne language. 
 
 The murderer looks up, staying his work of mutilation. 
 By his side there stands another Navajo, dressed, painted, 
 and armed like himself. 
 
 A short time after he had risen from his hiding-place and 
 was stealing over toward the body of his victim, this other 
 Navajo had appeared in sight. He watched from the dis- 
 tance his companion's proceedings, and as he recognized 
 that he was busying himself with some dead body, ap- 
 proached rapidly, though without the least noise. He dis- 
 covered the dead, stood still, fastened a piercing glance on 
 the prostrate form, and heaved a great sigh of relief. Not- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 343 
 
 withstanding the paint on his face it was easy to see how 
 delighted he was at the sight. He again advanced, not un- 
 like a cat which is afraid to go too near another that is play- 
 ing with a mouse, for fear of being scratched or bitten by 
 her. But when unobserved he had reached the Navajo, 
 he could not withhold a joyful exclamation that startled and 
 interrupted the murderer. He asked, — 
 
 " Dost thou know who that is? " 
 
 The other shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " That is Topanashka, the strong and wise warrior. That 
 is very, very godd ! " 
 
 Navajo number two looked closely at the corpse ; then 
 he grasped the hair again and resumed the cutting. 
 Number one touched his arm. 
 
 " Why do you do this? " he asked. 
 
 The other chuckled. 
 
 " Dost thou not see it, Nacaytzusle," said he ; " the peo- 
 ple of the houses know that we only take a lock of the hair. 
 If now they find the body and see that this " — he pointed to 
 the skin — " is g&ne, they will think it is one of those up 
 here" — waving his hand to the north — "that has done 
 it." 
 
 Nacaytzusle, for he was indeed the second Navajo, 
 nodded approvingly and suffered the other to go on. 
 
 Cutting, scraping, tearing, and pulling, he at last suc- 
 ceeded in making a deep incision around the skull. Blood 
 flowed over his fingers and hands. Then he grasped the 
 gray hair, planted himself with both feet on the neck, and 
 pulled until the scalp was wrenched off and dangled in his 
 fist. Over the bare skull numberless fillets of blood began 
 to trickle, at once changing the face and neck of the dead 
 into a red mass. Then he turned to the other, nodded, and 
 said, — 
 
 « It is well." 
 
344 TH& DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Nacaytzusle turned his eyes upon the dead, and replied in 
 a hoarse voice, — 
 
 " It is well." 
 
 He scanned the surroundings suspiciously. 
 
 "Thou hast done well, very well," he said to the mur- 
 derer. "Thou art strong and cunning. This one " — he 
 touched the body with his toes — "was strong and wise 
 also, but now he is so no longer. Now," he hissed, "we 
 can go down into the Tu Atzissi and get what we want." 
 
 " What dost thou mean, Nacaytzusle ? " inquired the vic- 
 torious Navajo. 
 
 "Go thou back to the hogan," whispered Nacaytzusle to 
 him, " and tell the men to be there," pointing southwest- 
 ward, " four days from now. I will be there and will speak 
 to them." 
 
 The other nodded. 
 
 " Let us go," said he. 
 
 They moved off in silence without casting another glance 
 at the dead. Their direction was southwest. They care- 
 fully avoided making the least noise ; they spied and peered 
 cautiously in every direction, shy, suspicious. Thus they 
 vanished in the forest like wolves sneaking through timber. 
 
 Evening had set in. Stronger blew the wind, and the 
 top of the pines shook occasionally with a solemn rushing 
 sound that resembled distant thunder. The breeze swayed 
 the grass, the blades nodded and bowed beside the remains 
 of the brave man as if they were asking his forgiveness for 
 the bloody deed of which they had been the innocent wit- 
 nesses. A crow came up, flapping her wings, and alighted 
 on a tree which stood near the corpse, and peered down 
 upon the body. Then she croaked hoarsely, jumped to 
 a lower limb, and peered again. Thus the bird contin- 
 ued to descend from one branch to another, croaking and 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 34$ 
 
 chuckling as it were to herself. At last she fluttered 
 down to the ground, a few paces from the body, peeped 
 slyly over to where it lay, and walked toward it with slow, 
 stately steps and eager nods. But something rattled in the 
 distance ; the bird's head turned to the east, and as quick 
 as lightning she rose in the air and flew off with a loud, 
 angry, " kuawk, kuawk, kuawk ! " 
 
 Two men are coming toward the spot. They are In- 
 dians from Tyuonyi who came up in the course of the 
 afternoon with bows and arrows. They perceive the body, 
 and the blood on it and around it. Both stand still, terri- 
 fied at the sight. At last one of them exclaims, — 
 
 " It is one from the Zaashtesh ! " 
 
 They ran together to the spot, heedless of the danger 
 which may yet be lurking about. They bend over the 
 dead, then look at each other speechless, confused. At last 
 they find words, and exclaim simultaneously, — 
 
 " It is our father, Topanashka Tihua ! " 
 
 " It is sa nashtio maseua ! " 
 
 Both men are young yet, they weep. Their sorrow is so 
 great, in presence of the loss sustained by them and by 
 all, that they forget all caution. Had the Navajos been 
 about stiU, two more of the house-dwellers would have 
 fallen. 
 
 They attempt to decide what is to be done ; their 
 thoughts become confiised, for the terrible discovery dis- 
 tracts them. Little by little they become conscious that it is 
 impossible to leave the body here, a prey to the wolves and 
 carrion crows ,• that it must be brought home, down into the 
 valley where he was so beloved, so worshipped almost, by 
 everybody. Nothing else can be done. 
 
 With sighs and sobs, stifled groans and tears, the body 
 is raised up, one supporting the head, the other the feet. 
 Thus they drag and carry it along on the old trail to the 
 
346 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Rito. Blood clings to their hands and to their dress. 
 Never mind. Is it not the blood of a good man, and may 
 not with that blood some of his good qualities perhaps pass 
 into them ? Not a word is spoken, not even when they lay 
 down the corpse to rest themselves a while. In such mo- 
 ments they stand motionless, one by the mutilated head, the 
 other at the feet. They look neither at each other nor at 
 it, for if they should attempt it tears would be sure to come 
 to their eyes. Without a word they lift up the body again, 
 tenderly as if it were a child's, and on they go, slowly, 
 painfully, and silently. 
 
 It is night now, and the forest is more full of life. The 
 dread voices of the darkness are heard around them ; coyo- 
 tes howl and whine ; in the distance owls hiss and shriek 
 and flit from tree to tree, as the panting men approach. 
 They think not of danger, not even of those who so ruth- 
 lessly slaughtered their great and good maseua; on they 
 go as fast as the heavy load permits and as their heavy 
 hearts afford them strength. 
 
 Now one of them stumbles and falls, and as he rises he 
 notices that the object over which he has tripped is still 
 clinging to his foot. He cannot see what it is, but grasping 
 it, discovers a round war-sandal, over which he has stumbled, 
 whose thongs have remained between his toes. This discov- 
 ery he communicates to his companion. With fresh vigour 
 they resume their dismal march. It is dark, so dark that 
 nothing more can be seen ; nothing more is heard save dis- 
 tant thunder and the discordant voices of the night in the 
 forest. Slowly and silently they proceed homeward with 
 their gory but precious burden. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Lamentations over a dead body are everywhere a sad and 
 sickening performance to witness and to hear. Among the 
 aborigines of New Mexico — among the sedentary tribes at 
 least — the official death-wail is carried on for four days. 
 The number four plays a conspicuous role in the lives of 
 those people. And it is natural that it should. Four are 
 the cardinal points, four the seasons, four times five digits 
 depend from hands and feet. The Queres has not even a 
 distinct term for finger or for toe. He designates the 
 former as one above the hand, the latter as one above the 
 foot. Four days the redman fasts or does penance ; four 
 days he mourns, for that is the time required by the soul 
 to travel from the place where it has been liberated from 
 the thralls of earthly life to the place of eternal felicity. At 
 the time of which we are speaking, the body was still 
 cremated, and with it everything that made up the personal 
 effects of the deceased.' If a man, his clothes, his weapons, 
 his loom, in case he had practised the art of weaving, were 
 burned ; if a woman, the cooking utensils were " killed ; " 
 
 1 I borrow these facts from Spanish sources. Both Castaneda and 
 Mota Padilla mention cremation as being practised in the sixteenth 
 century by the Pueblos. The latter author even gives a detailed 
 description. Withal, the fact that the Pueblos also buried the body 
 is more than abundantly established. Both modes of burial were 
 resorted to, and contemporaneously even, according to the nature of 
 the country and soil. There is comparatively little soil at the Rito. 
 The mourning ceremonies, etc., I have witnessed myself. 
 
348 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 that is, either perforated at the bottom or broken over the 
 fiineral pyre and afterward consumed. In this manner 
 the deceased was accompanied by his worldly goods, in the 
 shape of smoke and steam, through that air in which the 
 soul travelled toward Shipapu, in the far- distant mythical 
 North. The road must be long to Shipapu, else it would 
 not require four entire days to reach it ; and there are 
 neither eating-places nor half-way houses on the way, where 
 the dead may stop for refreshments. Therefore the sur- 
 vivors placed on the spot where the body had rested for 
 the last time an effigy of the dead, a wooden carving, and 
 covered it with a piece of cloth ; while by the side of this 
 effigy they deposited food and water, in order that neither 
 cold, hunger, nor thirst might cause the travelling spirit to 
 suifer. But the road is not only long, it is also dangerous ; 
 evil spirits lie in wait for the deceased to capture him if 
 possible, and hamper his ultimate felicity. To protect him- 
 self against them a small war-club is added to the other 
 necessaries, and to render the journey safe beyond a doubt 
 a magic circle is drawn, encompassing the statuette with a 
 circle of cruciform marks, imitating the footprints of the 
 shashka, or road-runner. As these crosses point in all four 
 directions, it is supposed that evil spirits will become be- 
 wildered and unable to pursue the soul in its transit. At 
 the end of the fourth day, with many prayers and ceremo- 
 nies, the circle is obhterated, and the other objects, in- 
 cluding the effigy, are taken away by the shamans to be 
 disposed of in a manner known to them alone. 
 
 During the period of official mourning the loud wail was 
 carried on incessantly, or at least at frequent intervals; 
 fasting was practised ; the women wept, sobbed, screamed, 
 and yelled. Both sexes gathered daily around the place 
 where the effigy lay, praying loudly for the safe journey and 
 arrival at Shipapu of the defunct. The women alone shed 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 349 
 
 tears on such occasions, the men only stared with a gloomy 
 face and thoughtful mien. They recalled and remem- 
 bered the dead. What the great master of historical 
 composition has said of the ancient Germans may be 
 applied here also: "Feminis lugere honestum est, viris 
 meminisse.'' 
 
 In the humble abode where Topanashka Tihua had dwelt 
 with his deaf old wife, and where his bloody remains had 
 rested previous to being borne to the funeral pyre, his 
 effigy lay covered by the handsomest piece of cotton cloth 
 that could be found among the homes of the Rito, and a 
 quaintly painted and decorated specimen of pottery con- 
 tained the drinking-water for his soul. It was dusky in the 
 room, for the window as well as the hatchway afforded little 
 light. Subdued voices sounded from the apartment, monot- 
 onous recitals, which the loud refrain, " Heiti-na, Heiti-na," 
 at times interrupted. The poor deaf widow sat with tearful 
 eyes in a comer ; her lips moved, but no sound came from 
 them ; only, when the leader of the choir broke out with 
 appropriate gesticulations, she chimed in loudly. When at 
 such a signal the other women present began to tear their 
 hair, she did the same, and shouted at the top of her voice 
 like the others, " Heiti-na, Heiti-na ! " 
 
 Group after group of mourners visited the room, until 
 both clans, Tanyi and Tyame, had performed their duty. 
 Hannay, too, had made her appearance; she had shed 
 tears like a rain-cloud, had howled and whined more than 
 any one else. Her grief was surely assumed, for when 
 Tyope asked her in the evening she told him everything in 
 detail that she had noticed, — how this one had looked, 
 how such and such a one had yelled, — plainly showing 
 that the flood of tears had in no manner impeded her 
 faculties of perception, the sighs and sobs around her in no 
 manner deafened her attentive ear. Tyope listened with 
 
3 so THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 apparent indifference, and said nothing. She attended to 
 the weeping part, he not so much to the duty of pious 
 recollection as to that of deep thinking over the new phase 
 which matters had entered upon in consequence of the 
 bloody event. 
 
 For this sudden death of the maseua was for his designs 
 a most fortunate occurrence. The only man who in the 
 prospective strife between the clans might have taken an 
 attitude dangerous, perhaps disastrous, to his purposes, was 
 now dead ; and the office which that man held had become 
 vacant. There was but one individual left in the tribe who 
 might yet prove a stumbling-block to him ; that was the 
 Hishtanyi Chayan. But the great medicine-man was not so 
 much a man of action as a man of words, and the force of 
 his oracular utterances Tyope hoped to destroy through the 
 powerful speeches of the Koshare Naua and the strong 
 medicine of the Shkuy Chayan. The plans of Tyope had 
 been immensely furthered by the terrible accident ; they had 
 advanced so much that he felt it indispensable to modify 
 them to some extent. Terror and dismay were great at 
 the Rito, and the council had been adjourned sine die. 
 There could be no thought of a fresh accusation against 
 Shotaye until the four days of official mourning were past, 
 and the campaign against the enemy, which the bloody 
 outrage imperatively called for. 
 
 The murder by the Tehuas, as Tyope and the others 
 believed, of the principal war-chief of the tribe, at a time 
 when the two tribes were without any communication with 
 each other, was too great an outrage not to demand imme- 
 diate revenge. The murder could not have been the result 
 of a misunderstanding or accident, else the scalp would not 
 have been taken by the murderer. It was premeditated, 
 an act of deliberate hostility, a declaration of war on the 
 part of the Tehuas. The dead man's scalp had certainly 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 351 
 
 wandered over to the caves of the northern tribe; it was 
 certainly paraded there in the solemn scalp-dance by which 
 the Tehuas, beyond all doubt, publicly honoured and re- 
 warded the murderer. 
 
 Tyope knew that the Queres were of one mind and that 
 the official mourning alone kept them from replying to this 
 act of unjustifiable hostility by an attack upon the Puye, 
 but he also knew that as soon as the four days were past a 
 campaign against the Tehuas would be set on foot. The 
 Hishtanyi Chayan had retired to work, and that meant war ! 
 He and the Shikama Chayan fasted and mourned together ; 
 their mourning was not only on account of the great loss 
 suffered by the tribe in the person of the deceased ; they 
 bewailed a loss of power. That power had gone over into 
 the enemy's ranks with the scalp of the murdered man. 
 
 Although the death of Topanashka was for Tyope an 
 event of incalculable benefit, he had exhibited tokens of 
 regret and sorrow. His manner was dignified ; he did not 
 mourn in any extravagant fashion, but conducted himself 
 so that nobody could suspect the death of the old man to 
 be anything else than a source of regret to him. Further- 
 more, he intended by his own example to foster the idea 
 among his tribal brethren that the outrage was so grave 
 that it demanded immediate and prompt redress. The 
 carrying out of this redress was of the greatest importance 
 to him. The sooner it was executed the better it would 
 suit his plans. 
 
 During the last interview of Tyope with the young Na- 
 vajo, the latter had charged him with having asked the 
 Dinne to kill the old maseua during an incursion which his 
 tribe were to make into the valley of the Rito. It was true 
 that Tyope had suggested it, but he had not told the Na- 
 vajo all that he designed through this act of treachery. 
 His object was not merely to rid himself of the person of 
 
352 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Topanashka; he sought an opportunity of becoming the 
 ostensible saviour of his tribe in the hour of need. If the 
 Dinne had made the premeditated onslaught, he would, 
 after he had given them time to perform the murder, have 
 appeared upon the scene, driven off the assailants, and thus 
 recommended himself tt) the people for the vacant position 
 of war-chief. The game was a double one on his part; 
 first he was to betray his kinsfolk to the Navajos, and sec- 
 ondly to turn against the Navajos in defence of the betrayed 
 ones. Tyope realized that it was a very dangerous game, 
 and he had therefore desisted and even gone so far as to 
 repel the young Navajo at the risk of his own hfe. 
 
 As matters stood, all had gone far better than he ever 
 hoped for. Without compUcity on his part, Topanashka 
 had been put out of his way; and the office coveted by 
 Tyope was vacant. An important military enterprise was 
 to follow at once. Tyope intended to go on this cam- 
 paign at all hazards, in order to distinguish himself as much 
 as possible. This he was able to do, for he possessed all 
 the physical qualities necessary for a powerfiil Indian war- 
 rior, and he was very crafty, cunning, bold and experienced. 
 He belonged to the society of war magicians, and held in 
 his possession most of the charms and fetiches used for 
 securing invincibility. There was no doubt in his mind 
 that he would return from the war-path crowned with glory 
 and with scalps, provided he was not killed. Should he 
 return alive, then the time would come for him to set the 
 Koshare Naua to work to secure him the desired position. 
 Once made maseua he would resume his former plans, push 
 the case against Shotaye to the bitter end, and try to divide 
 the tribe. For the present the two objects had to be set 
 aside. The expedition against the Tehuas must take the 
 lead of everything else. 
 
 While Tyope was prompted, by the grief and mourning 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 353 
 
 that prevailed, to display fresh activity and resort to new 
 intrigues; while at the same time his wife improved the 
 occasion for her customary prying, listening, and gossip, — 
 their daughter, Mitsha, on the other hand, really mourned 
 sincerely and grieved bitterly. She mourned for the dead 
 with the candour of a child and the feeling of a woman. 
 When she, too, had gone to the house of the dead to pray, 
 her tears flowed abundantly ; and they were genuine. The 
 girl did not weep merely on account of the deceased, for 
 she could not know his real worth and merits ; she grieved 
 quite as much on Okoya's accoimt. The boy had been to 
 see her every evening of late. He was there on the night 
 when the corpse was brought home, and they heard the wail 
 and rushed out on the roof. At that moment Hannay had 
 returned, full to the brim with the dismal news. Okoya for- 
 got everything and returned home, and Mitsha went back 
 to the room and wept. While her mother proceeded in 
 her account with noisy volubility, Mitsha cried ; for Okoya 
 had often spoken of his grandfather, telling her how wise, 
 strong, and good sa umo maseua was. She felt that the 
 young man looked up to him as to an ideal, and she wept 
 quite as much because of her feeling for Okoya as for the 
 murdered main-stay of her people. 
 
 While she thus mourned from the bottom of her heart, 
 the thought came to her how she would feel in case her 
 father was brought home in the same way. Mitsha was a 
 good child, and Tyope had always treated her not only 
 with affection but with kindness. He gave her many pre- 
 cious things, as the Indian calls the bright- coloured peb- 
 bles, shell beads, base turquoises, crystals, etc., with which 
 he decorates his body. He liked to see his daughter shine 
 among the daughters of the tribe. With him it was specu- 
 lation, not affection ; but Mitsha knew nothing of this, and 
 felt that in case her parent should ever be borne back to 
 
 23 
 
354 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 this house dead, and placed on the floor before her covered 
 with gore, she must feel just as Okoya felt now. And yet 
 the dead man was only his grandparent. No, it was not 
 possible for him to be as sad as she would be in case 
 Tyope should meet with such a fate. And then she won- 
 dered whether the whole tribe would regret her father's 
 death as much as they regretted the loss of Topanashka. 
 Something within her told that it would not. She had al- 
 ready noticed that Tyope was not liked ; but why, she knew 
 not. Okoya himself had intimated as much. She knew 
 that the boy shunned her father; and her attachment to 
 Okoya had become so deep that his utterances began to 
 modify her feelings toward her own parents. 
 
 If she would sorrow and grieve for her father's loss, if 
 Okoya was mourning over his grandfather's demise, how 
 must the child of the murdered man, of such a man as To- 
 panashka, feel? His only child was a woman like herself. 
 A true woman always feels for her sex and sympathizes with 
 other women's grief; and besides, that woman was the 
 mother of the youth who had won her heart. Okoya had 
 told her a great deal about his mother, — how good she was 
 and how content she was to see him and her become one. 
 The girl was anxious to know his mother, but a visit to a pro- 
 spective mother-in-law is by no means an unimportant step. 
 If it is accompanied by a present it bears the character of 
 an official acceptance of courtship. That step Mitsha was 
 afraid as yet to take ; it was too early ; there were too many 
 contingencies in the way. 
 
 Still she longed to go to Say Koitza now. But visits of 
 condolence are not in vogue among Indians as long as there 
 is loud mourning, except at the house where the mourning 
 is going on. How much Mitsha would have given to be 
 permitted to go to Say, sit down quietly in a comer, and 
 modestly and without speaking a word, weep in her company. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 355 
 
 At the same time she felt another longing. Since the night 
 of the murder Okoya had of course not been to see her, and 
 she naturally longed to meet him also in this hour of sad- 
 ness and trial. Once when she had gone to the brook for 
 water, Zashue had crossed her path ; but he looked so 
 dark and frowning that she did not venture even to greet 
 him. 
 
 It was the last day of mourning, and nearly everybody at 
 the Rito who could or ought had paid his respects to the 
 dead. The Chayani of lesser rank alone returned from 
 time to time to perform specially strong incantations in aid 
 of the still travelling soul. Mitsha had gone down to the 
 brook to get water. It occurred only once a day during these 
 days, for the people of Tyame fasted, taking but one frugal 
 meal daily. Everybody was very careful also not to wash, 
 and Mitsha herself was as unkempt as any one else of her 
 clan. 
 
 Bearing the huashtanyi on her head, she was returning, 
 when as she passed the comer of the big house her eyes dis- 
 covered a man standing with his back turned to her, gazing 
 at the cliffs. He seemed to face the dwellings of the Eagle 
 clan. As the girl approached, the noise of her step caused 
 him to turn, and she recognized Okoya. 
 
 The youth stepped up to her ; his eyes were hollow, and 
 now they became moist. He attempted to control himself, 
 to restrain the tears that were coming to his eyes at the sight 
 of her ; but he sobbed convulsively. When she saw it tears 
 came to her eyes at once. The two children stood there, he 
 struggling to hide his grief, for it was unmanly to weep, and 
 yet he was young and could not control his feelings ; she, 
 as a woman, feeling at liberty to weep. She wept, but 
 silently and modestly. It grieved her to see him shed 
 tears. 
 
 He, too, felt for her ; but it was soothing to his own grief 
 
3S6 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 that Mitsha mourned. He too was longing to meet her ; the 
 four days of separation had been very long to him. 
 
 "He was so good," Okoya at last succeeded in saying. 
 Fresh tears came to his eyes. 
 
 Mitsha merely nodded and covered her face with a cor- 
 ner of her wrap. 
 
 " Have you been to him ? " he asked. 
 
 She nodded ; Okoya continued, — 
 
 "To-morrow I will come again." 
 
 Eager nods, mingled with sobs and accompanied by rub- 
 bing of the eyes, were her reply. The nodding proved that 
 his call would be very, very welcome. She uncovered her 
 face, her eyes beamed through tears, and she smiled. As 
 sincerely as she felt her grief, the announcement that he 
 would return as soon as the mourning-time was over made 
 her happy, and her features expressed it. She went her 
 way quietly, Okoya following her with his eyes. 
 
 He longed to say to her, " Come with me, and let us go 
 together to my mother ; she weeps so much." But it could 
 not be ; it was useless to mention it. About his mother 
 Okoya felt deeply concerned, for she did not bear her grief 
 as the others bore theirs. She was not noisy like the rest. 
 Utterly oblivious of her daily task, she neither cooked nor 
 baked nor cared for anything. Her husband and children 
 had to go hungry, while she sat in a comer sobbing and 
 weeping. It was indeed a blessing for her that she was able 
 to weep ; otherwise her reason might have given way under 
 the terrible and crushing blow. With the loss of her father 
 she felt as if lost forever, as if her only support, her only 
 hope, had gone. The past came back to her, not like an 
 ugly dream, but as a fearful reality threatening sure destruc- 
 tion. Between her and the accusation which she felt cer- 
 tain had been fulminated against her before the council, 
 there stood henceforth no one, and at the end of the mourn- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 357 
 
 ing she expected to be dragged before the council at once 
 and condemned to death ! And what sort of death ? Ex- 
 posed to pubHc wrath as a witch, bound and gagged, tied 
 to a tree, with the rough bark lacerating her breast, and then 
 beaten, beaten to a jelly, rib broken after rib, limb after 
 limb, until the soul left the body's wreck under the curses 
 of bystanders. Oh, if she could only die now a swift, an 
 honourable death like that of her father ! 
 
 If she could only have seen Shotaye ! She expected 
 the cave-woman surely to come down to cheer her up. She 
 felt a longing for her friend, a desire to see her, to hear her 
 voice. But day after day ran on, night after night followed, 
 and Shotaye did not come. It did not surprise her that 
 Shotaye did not appear on the first day, but on the evening 
 of the second she began to tremble. When the night of 
 the third came, her apprehensions became distressing. On 
 the fourth, Shotaye must surely come ; expectation, and 
 finally disappointment, almost tortured to death the poor 
 woman, for Shotaye came not. 
 
 Everything seemed to conspire to render her hopelessly 
 miserable. She lost sight of her surroundings, grew speech- 
 less, and almost devoid of feeling. The others explained her 
 state as one of profound and very natural grief, and let her 
 alone. But it was uncomfortable in the house when the 
 mistress took no notice of anything, and did not even 
 provide the most necessary things, not even drinking-water. 
 Therefore Zashue, as well as Okoya, preferred to go out of 
 doors, there to await the termination of the disagreeable 
 period of mourning at the end of which they confidently 
 expected Say to return to her normal condition. 
 
 After he had separated from Mitsha, Okoya sauntered, 
 without really knowing whither, up the gorge and down the 
 northern side of the cultivated plots. He gradually neared 
 the cliffs, and found himself beyond the dwellings of the 
 
3S8 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Water clan, and therefore beyond the uppermost caves 
 that were inhabited. The gorge, narrow and covered 
 mostly with underbrush and pines, aiforded to his sight but 
 a single conspicuous object, and toward this he turned at 
 once. 
 
 To his right lay some caves that had been long ago for- 
 saken, and whose front wall had partly crumbled. Below 
 the short slope leading up to them are the traces of an old 
 round estufa. A plain concavity in the ground indicates its 
 site to-day. At the time when Okoya strolled about, the 
 roofing alone was destroyed, and part of the interior was 
 filled with blocks of stone that had tumbled from the cliffs, 
 crushing the roof. Okoya, from where he stood, had the 
 interior of the ruin open before him, and he saw in it, 
 partly sitting and partly reclining, the figure of his friend 
 Hayoue. It was a welcome discovery. 
 
 He had not met Hayoue since the death of his grand- 
 father, for the brother of Zashue had avoided the great 
 house and its inmates on purpose. He mourned earnestly 
 and sincerely, and wished to be alone with his thoughts. 
 But Okoya was not disposed to let him alone. He knew 
 that if his uncle spoke to any one he would speak to him, 
 and that if he felt indisposed to enter into any conversation 
 he would say so at once. Hayoue was very outspoken. 
 
 The boy jumped down from block to block noisily, for 
 he wanted to attract his uncle's attention beforehand. The 
 latter looked up. As soon as he saw who the disturber 
 of his musings was, he waved his hand, beckoning him to 
 come. Okoya obeyed with alacrity, for he saw that Hayoue 
 felt disposed to talk. Throwing himself down beside him 
 he waited patiently until the other saw fit to open the con- 
 versation. They both remained for a while in silence, until 
 Hayoue heaved a deep sigh and said, — 
 
 "Does Zashue, my brother, mourn also?" 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 359 
 
 " Not as we do," replied Okoya ; " yet he is sad." 
 
 "It is well. He is right to feel sad. Sad for himself, 
 for you, for all of us." 
 
 " Sa umo was so good," whispered the boy, and tears 
 came to him again ; but he controlled his feelings and 
 swallowed his sobs. He did not wish the other to see 
 him weep. 
 
 " Indeed sa umo maseua was good, " Hayoue empha- 
 sized, " better than any of us, truer than any of us ! None 
 of us at the Tjmonyi is as strong and wise as he was." 
 
 " How could the Moshome kill him, if he was such a 
 great warrior," Okoya naively inquired. 
 
 "See, satyumishe, he was struck from behind. In this 
 way a Moshome may kill a bear, and so yai shruy destroys 
 the strongest mokatsh. Sa umo had no weapons, neither 
 bow nor arrow nor club. He did not suppose that there 
 were any Moshome lurking about as tiatui lies in wait for 
 the deer. Had sa nashtio gone south or toward the west, 
 he would have carried what was right, but over there," — he 
 pointed northward, — " who would have believed the people 
 over there to be so mean as these shuatyam of Tehuas now 
 prove to be? Destruction come upon them ! " He spoke 
 very excitedly, his eyes flashed, and he gnashed his teeth. 
 Shaking his clenched fist at the north, he hissed, " And de- 
 struction will come upon them soon ! We shall go to Kapo 
 and come back with many scalps. We will not get one 
 only, and crawl back, as shutzuna does after he has stolen a 
 turkey. We shall go soon, very soon ! " 
 
 Okoya yielded to the excitement which the latter part of 
 his friend's speech bespoke. His eyes sparkled also, and 
 his chest heaved at the mention of blood. 
 
 "Satyumishe," he exclaimed, "let us go, I and you 
 together. Let us go and get what may please our father's 
 heart ! " 
 
360 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Hayoue looked at him ; it was an earnest and significant 
 look. 
 
 "You are right, brother. You are wise and you are 
 good. You also know how to hit with an arrow, but you 
 are not uakanyi." 
 
 " But I shall be one, if I go with you," boldly uttered the 
 boy. 
 
 His uncle shook his head, and smiled. 
 
 " Don't you know, sa uishe, that every one cannot go with 
 the warriors, when they go on the war-path? Every one 
 cannot say, 'I am going,' and then go as he pleases and 
 when he pleases. Every one cannot think, 'I am strong 
 and wise, and I will follow the enemy.' If the Shiuana do 
 not help him, the strongest is weak, and the wisest is 
 a child before the foe. See, satyumishe, I am as good a 
 uakanyi as any one, but I do not know whether, when the 
 Hishtanyi Chayan says in the uuityam which men shall go 
 and take from the Tehuas what is proper, I may go with 
 them. Perhaps I shall have to stay, and some other one 
 will go in my stead." 
 
 "Must not all go?" Okoya asked; he was astonished. 
 
 " Every one must go whom the maseua chooses." With 
 a sad expression he added, " Our maseua is no more, and 
 ere the Hotshanyi has spoken to the yaya and nashtio, and 
 said to them, ' such and such a one shall be maseua,' it is the 
 Hishtanyi Chayan who decides who shall go and who shall 
 stay at home." 
 
 His nephew comprehended ; he nodded and inquired, — 
 
 " Does not the Hishtanyi Chayan fast and do penance 
 now?" 
 
 " Our nashtio yaya," Hayoue replied with an important 
 and mysterious mien, " has much work at present." 
 
 "Do you know what he is working?" naively asked 
 Okoya. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 36 1, 
 
 "He is with Those Above." 
 
 The reply closed the conversation on that subject. Okoya 
 changed the topic, asking, — 
 
 "Satyumishe, you are not much older than I, How 
 comes.it that you are uakanyi already?" 
 
 Hayoue felt quite flattered. He was indeed very young 
 for a war magician, and he felt not a Uttle pride on account 
 of it. Assuming a self-satisfied and important air, he turned 
 to his nephew with the query, — 
 
 "When you go out hunting, what is the first thing you 
 do?" 
 
 " I take my bow and arrow and leave the house," readily 
 answered the boy. 
 
 " This is not what I ask for," growled Hayoue. " What 
 kind of work do you do ere you rise to the kauash?" 
 
 The boy understood at last. 
 
 " I place the stone, and speak to Those Above." 
 
 " If before you go hunting you do not speak to them, are 
 you lucky?" 
 
 "No," Qkoya mumbled. He recalled the unlucky tur- 
 key-hunt of some time ago, when he had forgotten to say his 
 prayers before starting, of which we have spoken in the first 
 chapter. 
 
 "Why have you no luck?" Hayoue further asked. 
 
 " Because the Shiuana are not satisfied," replied the 
 other. His uncle nodded. 
 
 " Are you a hunter? " he asked. 
 
 " Not yet, I am only learning." 
 
 " Why do you learn? " 
 
 " In order to know." 
 
 " When you once know, what can you do then? " 
 
 " I can — " Okoya was embarrassed. " I can make the 
 Shiuana help me." 
 
 " That, is it ! " Hayoue exclaimed. " If the Shiuana do 
 
362 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 not help, you can do nothing ; no matter how swift you run, 
 how far you see, and how sure your aim is. But of the 
 Shiuana there are many, as many as grains of sand on the 
 shore of the great river below here, and when we do not 
 know them we cannot speak to them and beg for assist- 
 ance. Just as there are Shiuana who assist the hunter, there 
 are those who help us, that we may strike the enemy and 
 take away from him what makes him strong, that it may 
 strengthen us. Look at Tyame, the nashtio of Tzitz ha- 
 nutsh j he is swift and strong, but he knows not how to call 
 to Those Above and around to help him take the scalp of 
 the Moshome. We must be wise, and listen to what those 
 speak who know how to address the Shiuana, and what to 
 give them. We must learn in order to act. I have learned, 
 and thus I have become uakanyi. And he who will soon 
 be where in time we also shall find rest, — he taught me 
 many things. He was good and wise, very good, our father 
 the maseua," he added, sighing deeply. 
 
 "Will you help me to learn and become uakanyi?" 
 Okoya turned to him now with flashing eyes. 
 
 " I will, surely I will. You shall become one of us. But 
 you know, brother, that you must be silent and keep your 
 tongue tied. You must not say to this or that one, ' I am 
 learning, I have learned such and such things, for I am 
 going to become uakanyi.' " 
 
 Okoya of course assented. Then he asked, — 
 
 " I am not uakanyi, and can the Hishtanyi Chayan tell me 
 to go along too with the men to strike the Tehuas?" 
 
 " Certainly, for there are not many of us, and in the 
 Zaashtesh all must stand up for each, and each for all. But 
 when many go on the war-path there are always some of us 
 with them in order that the Shiuana be in our favour." 
 
 " Do the Shiuana help the Tehuas also ? For the Tehuas 
 are people like ourselves, are they not?" 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 363 
 
 " They are indeed Zaashtesh, like the Queres. But I do 
 not know how the Shiuana feel toward them. Old men 
 who knew told me that the Moshome Tehua prayed to 
 Those Above and around us, and that they call them Ohua. 
 Whether they are the same as ours I cannot tell; but I 
 cannot believe them to be ; for the kopishtai who dwell 
 over there must be good to their people, whereas the 
 kopishtai here are good to us. Only those who hold in 
 their hands the paths of our lives help those who do 
 right and give them what is due, wherever and whoever 
 they be." 
 
 " How soon shall we go against the Tehuas? " 
 
 "The Yaya Chayan and the uishtyaka perhaps alone 
 know that. As soon as the Hishtanyi has done his work 
 he will call the uuityam, and then those shall go that must. 
 Perhaps I may go, perhaps not. It may be that both of us 
 will be sent along. But we will go soon," he fiercely mut- 
 tered, " soon, to take from the Tehuas what is precious to 
 the heart of our father, who now goes toward Shipapu." 
 
 Okoya felt wildly excited and could barely restrain him- 
 self. Thirst for revenge joined the intense wish to become 
 a warrior. But Hayoue's placed a damper on his enthusi- 
 asm, else he might have left that night alone, with bow 
 and arrow and a stone knife, to hover about the Puye until 
 some luckless Tehua fell into his hands. He saw, .however, 
 that nothing could be done without the consent and support 
 of the higher powers, and that he must curb his martial 
 ardour and abide by the decisions of Those Above. The 
 present topic of conversation being exhausted, both sat in 
 silence for a while, each following his own train of thoughts. 
 Okoya was the first to speak again. 
 
 " Does your hanutsh mourn ? " 
 
 " The women have gone to weep with the dead," replied 
 Hayoue. "I too am mourning," he added sorrowfully; 
 
364 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " but I mourn as is becoming to a man. Crying and weep- 
 ing belong only to women." 
 
 " I h^ve cried," whispered Okoya timidly, as he looked at 
 his friend with a doubting glance. He was ashamed of the 
 confession, and yet could not restrain himself from making 
 it. Hayoue shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " You are young, sat)mmishe, and your heart is young. It 
 is like the heart of a girl. When you have seen many dead 
 men and many dying, you will do as I do, — you will not cry 
 any more." He coughed, and his face twitched nervously; 
 with all his affectation of stoicism he had to struggle 
 against tears. In order to suppress them completely he 
 spoke very loudly at once, — 
 
 " Tzitz hanutsh has nothing to do with the dead, and yet 
 the women lament and its men think over the loss that the 
 tribe has sustained. I tell you, Okoya, we have lost much ; 
 we are like children without their mother, like a drove 
 of turkeys whose gobbler tiatui or mokatsh have killed. 
 Now," — his eyes flashed again and he gnashed his teeth, — 
 " now Tyope and the old Naua are uppermost. Just wait 
 until the men have returned from the war-path, and you will 
 see. Evil is coming to us. Did you notice, satyumishe, 
 on the night when they carried sa nashtio maseua back to 
 the Tyuonyi how angry the Shiuana were ; how the light- 
 ning flamed through the clouds and killed the trees on the 
 mesa? I tell you, brother, evil is coming to our people, for 
 a good man has gone from us to Shipapu, but the bad ones 
 have been spared." 
 
 Okoya shuddered involuntarily. He recollected well that 
 awful night. Never before had a storm raged on the Rito 
 with such fury. Frightful had been the roar of the thun- 
 der, prolonged like some tremendous subterranean noise. 
 Incessant lightning had for hours converted night into day, 
 and many were the lofty pines that had been shattered or 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 365 
 
 consumed by the fiery bolts from above. The wind, which 
 seldom does any damage at such places, had swept through 
 the gorge and over the mesas with tremendous force, and 
 lastly the peaceful, lovely brook, swollen by the waters that 
 gushed from the mountains in torrents, as well as by the 
 rain falling in sheets, had waxed into a roaring, turbid 
 stream. It had flooded the fields, destroying crops and 
 spreading masses of rocky ddbris over the tillable soil. 
 Yes, the heavens had come upon the Rito in their full 
 wrath, as swift and terrible avengers. Both of them re- 
 membered well that awful night, and dropped into moody 
 silence at the dismal recollection. 
 
 "Are there any other bad men at the Tyuonyi? " Okoya 
 asked ; but low, as if he were afraid of the answer. 
 
 "There maybe others," Hayoue muttered, "but those 
 two are certainly the worst." 
 
 Okoya felt disappointed ; Tyope, he saw, must indeed be 
 a bad creature. 
 
 " Do you know whether Tyope is mourning? " asked his 
 uncle. 
 
 " I have not seen him," grumbled the other. 
 
 " I am sure he will look as if his mother had died," 
 scolded Hayoue. " He is a great liar, worse than a Na- 
 vajo. He puts on a good face and keeps the bad one 
 inside. I would like to know what the Shiuana think of 
 that bad man." 
 
 " Have we any bad women among us? " Okoya said, to 
 change the conversation. 
 
 " Hannay is bad ! " his uncle cried. 
 
 A pang went through the heart of the other youth. His 
 prospective father and mother in-law appeared really a pair 
 of exquisite scoundrels. 
 
 " Are there any others ? " 
 
 " I don't know, still I have heard," Hayoue looked 
 
366 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 about as if afraid of some eavesdropper, — " what I tell you 
 now is only for yourself, — that Shotaye is bad, very bad ! 
 After being Tyope's wife for a while, I should not be sur- 
 prised if — " 
 
 " Does she speak to those that can do us harm? " Okoya 
 interrupted in Et timid whisper. 
 
 " It may be. There is no doubt but she is a harlot ; I 
 know it myself, and every man on the Tyuonyi knows it. 
 Other women are also spoken of, but nobody says it aloud. 
 It is not right to speak thus of people when we do not 
 know positively. I have not seen Shotaye since our father 
 died. She is mourning perhaps, for her cave is shut and 
 the deerskin hangs over the doorway. She is likely to be 
 inside in quiet until the trouble is over and the men can 
 go to her again." 
 
 Okoya rose to go. 
 
 "Are you coming along?" he asked his uncle. 
 
 Hayoue shook his head ; he still wished to remain alone. 
 
 " It may be," he said, " that we shall have to leave in 
 two days against the Tehuas, and I shall remain so that I 
 may be ready when the tapop calls upon us. You rely 
 upon it, satjTimishe, we shall go soon, and when it so 
 happens that we both must go you shall come with me that 
 I may teach you how the scalp is taken." 
 
 Thus dismissed, Okoya sauntered back down the valley. 
 
 When opposite the caves of the Water clan he furtively 
 glanced over to the one inhabited by Shotaye. The deer- 
 skin, as Hayoue had stated, hung over the opening, and no 
 smoke issued from the hole that served as vent and smoke- 
 escape. The woman must be mourning very deeply, or 
 else she was gone. She did not often enter his thoughts, 
 and yet he wished Shotaye might come now and see his 
 mother. He was convinced, without knowing why, that his 
 mother would have been glad to see her. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 367 
 
 At all events the dismal period of mourning was drawing 
 rapidly to a close, and with it official sadness would vanish. 
 He could hardly await the morrow. On that day he hoped 
 that the question would be decided when the great work of 
 revenge should commence and whether he would be per- 
 mitted to take part in it. The words of his uncle had 
 opened an entirely new perspective to Okoya. To become 
 uakanyi was now his aim, his intense ambition. As war- 
 rior, and as successful warrior, he confidently expected that 
 no one would dare refuse him Mitsha. This hope over- 
 came the grief he had harboured during the days that 
 elapsed, for that grief belonged to the past ; and as the past 
 now appeared to him, it seemed only a stepping-stone to a 
 proud and happy future. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Oroya had been correct in his surmise that Shotaye was 
 gone. In vain Say Koitza pined ; her friend had left never 
 to return. 
 
 When the news of Topanashka's death reached her, which 
 it did on the very night of the occurrence, she saw at a 
 glance that henceforth her presence among the Queres was 
 an impossibility, for she knew that the deceased was the 
 only one who could interpose himself between Say Koitza 
 and her enemies, and thus wield an influence indirectly fa- 
 vourable to herself. She recognized that henceforth Tyopie 
 was free to act as he pleased in the matter, for the medicine- 
 men would be on his side. And she saw that the days of 
 mourning that were sure to follow afforded her a capital 
 opportunity for leaving the Rito unobserved, and executing 
 her flight to the Tehuas of the Puye. 
 
 Shotaye could not believe that Cayamo was the slayer of 
 Topanashka. Her warrior from the north was in too great 
 a hurry to get out of the way of pursuing Navajos. He 
 was too anxious to save the scalp he had taken. Even in 
 case Topanashka had overtaken him, which seemed impos- 
 sible, the Tehua would have avoided rather than attacked 
 the unarmed old man. And if the maseua surprised their 
 interview and followed her knight, the latter had too much 
 vantage-ground to be ever overtaken by his aged and un- 
 armed pursuer. The fact that the sandal had been found, 
 Shotaye interpreted as evidence of Cayamo's precipitate 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 369 
 
 flight. From her stand-point she reached the very correct 
 conclusion that the Navajos who followed in Cayamo's 
 tracks, and not the Tehua, must have killed the father of 
 her friend Say. 
 
 But she saw that her people would fall into error as to 
 the manner of Topanashka's death. She saw that they 
 could not have reached a different conclusion, and also 
 that the error must call forth extraordinary measures of 
 revenge. She heard enough and saw enough, during the 
 commotion prevailing at the Rito when the dead body was 
 brought in, to become convinced that as soon as the 
 mourning ceremonies were over the Queres would take 
 the war-path against the supposed murderers of their war- 
 chief. She took care not to disabuse the minds of any of 
 her tribal brethren, and said nothing, but felt glad at the 
 opportunity which the proposed campaign would give her 
 for revenge. 
 
 Flight to the Tehuas was not only very easy, it could be 
 executed under circumstances that would give her among 
 the other tribe a position of considerable importance. It 
 was almost needless to avail herself of the understanding 
 with Cayamo ; she had far more important things to com- 
 municate. By informing the Tehuas of the movement on 
 foot against them, she appeared as a deserter from the 
 enemy, as a timely friend. If afterward, as she confidently 
 believed, Tyope should come up with the warriors against 
 the Tehuas, he would find everything prepared for a disas- 
 trous reception. Matters looked exceedingly promising for 
 her plans. 
 
 For all that, she did not forget Say Koitza ; but she had 
 been to some extent forewarned, and as soon as Say heard 
 of Shotaye's absence she must suspect the truth. After all. 
 Say was in no real danger. Until the campaign was over, 
 there was no time to think of her case, and during that 
 
 24 
 
37° THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 campaign Shotaye would provide for the Queres such s 
 rough handling that no thoughts of witchcraft trials would 
 trouble them for some time to come. For there should be 
 mourning, sadness, grief, howling, and gnashing of teeth on 
 the Rito on a very large scale. 
 
 Still she did not lose sight of the possibility that her 
 absence might be noticed at an early day, and might arouse 
 suspicion. It was possible, though not at all likely. As 
 long as people mourned, nobody would care for her. 
 After the official mourning was over the council would be 
 convened and the campaign announced. Thereupon all 
 the men who had to take part would have to retire for the 
 customary fasts and purifications, and the Yaya and the 
 Chayani would have to work heavily. Her home was not 
 likely to be visited by any one for a number of days, and 
 when the warriors of the Queres were on the march nobody 
 would call them back because she had disappeared from 
 the Rito. 
 
 , Perfectly at rest in regard to her own fiiture, reassured as 
 to the fate of Say Koitza, Shotaye had, on the night of the 
 second day after the murder of Topanashka, left her home 
 and climbed to the northern mesa without meeting any 
 obstacle. When the sun rose, she found herself quite near 
 the place which Cayamo, as far as she understood, had 
 designated as the spot where his friend Teanyi would wait 
 for her. Unacquainted with the real distance that separates 
 the Rito from the cave-dwellings above Santa Clara, she 
 had underrated it ; and it was only at noon, after she had 
 spent hours walking through the pine timber and in fruitless 
 waiting, that a man stepped up to her from behind a tree 
 and called out, — 
 
 "Teanyi !" Then he added, "Cayamo," and inquired, 
 "Shotaye?" 
 
 He was the looked-for and longed-for delegate ; and 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 371 
 
 when the sun stood at its height, the two were travelling 
 toward the Puye together. 
 
 Shotaye attempted to convey the idea to her companion 
 that the Queres were upon the point of moving upon the 
 Tehuas in force. Her excited gesticulations and broken 
 sentences only succeeded in making him believe that she was 
 herself the object of lively pursuit by a considerable number 
 of men. Therefore when the pair reached the isolated, 
 castle-like rock called Puye, which dominates the country 
 far around, and along the base of which the dwellings of 
 the Tehuas were excavated in friable white pumice-stone, in 
 the same manner as are those of the Rito, Teanyi left her 
 standing before the entrance to his own cave-home, went 
 in, and called his wife to take care of the new-comer while 
 he ran to the tuyo, as the governor is called among the 
 Tehuas. The wife of Teanyi had not been informed of the 
 nature of Shotaye's call, and as she took her into her quar- 
 ters she eyed her curiously and suspiciously, for it was 
 probably the first time she had seen a human being that 
 spoke a language different from her own. She gave her no 
 food, but waited her husband's return. Shotaye, on her 
 side, cast the quick glance of her lively eyes at everything. 
 From time to time she attempted a word of conversation ; 
 she smiled and gesticulated, but the only response was a 
 shaking of the head and facial expressions that denoted 
 suspicion rather than friendship. 
 
 Teanyi had informed the tuyo that he had met a woman 
 from the Rito de los Frijoles and had taken her to his home, 
 or rather to that of his wife ; that the woman was gesticulating 
 in an unintelligible manner; and that all he could surmise 
 was that there might be Queres approaching the Puye with 
 hostile intentions. He said nothing about Cayamo and his 
 relations toward Shotaye, for Cayamo had enjoined absolute 
 secrecy. 
 
372 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 The governor of the Tehuas was a different man from the 
 pompous Uttle tapop of the Queres. The latter would at 
 once have called the council and done everything to sur- 
 round the event and his own person with as much noise as 
 possible. Not so the tuyo of the Puye. He only said, 
 " I will go with you," and went to the room of Teanyi's 
 wife to see Shotaye and investigate for himself. 
 
 The gesticulations began again, and the woman used every 
 effort to make herself understood. The governor did his 
 best to understand her, but no progress was made toward 
 comprehension. She even followed Cayamo's precedent in 
 drawing a line on the floor from north to south, designating 
 the southern end as Tupoge, the northern end as Puye, for 
 thus much she had kept in memory. Then she pointed out 
 on that line the spot where Topanashka had been kUled, and 
 said, "Uan save," and made the gesture-sign for killing. 
 Lastly she tried to convey the idea that the Queres were in 
 arms against the Tehuas. 
 
 The governor displayed much coolness, and paid close 
 attention during this strange and almost comic interview. 
 He thought he understood that a man from the Rito, prob- 
 ably called Topanashka, had been murdered by the Diimes 
 on the trail leading to the Puye from the south. He also 
 thought that the Queres were on the war-path to avenge the 
 murder. In what manner this was connected with the ex- 
 cited state of the woman he could not clearly see, unless 
 she was perhaps the widow of the murdered man. In that 
 event she might have become insane from fright and 
 despair ! Her violent gesticulations and the expression of 
 passion and agitation on her features confirmed his suspi- 
 cion that Shotaye was distracted. 
 
 A growing coldness in his maimer at last showed the 
 woman what sort of an impression she had been creating, 
 and she felt very uneasy. Not that her life became en- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 373 
 
 dangered thereby ; on the contrary, the Indian is very con- 
 siderate and charitable toward such unfortunates. But from 
 the moment that the Tehuas were convinced of her insanity 
 they would attach no longer any importance to her warn- 
 ings, and a precious lapse of time that should be improved 
 for immediate preparations for defence was irretrievably 
 lost. The Queres might be allowed to approach, and their 
 onslaught would find the Tehuas utterly unprepared. If 
 only Cayamo had been present ! But he dared not ap- 
 proach a woman now, for he was at work purifjdng himself 
 and fasting, in anticipation of the great day when the scalp 
 which he had taken would be feasted over, danced over, 
 prayed at, and sung to. Shotaye found herself in a most 
 painful situation. She noticed how complacently the tuyo 
 smiled, the more she attempted to insist. At last he turned 
 to Teanyi and said a few words to the latter. Teanyi shook 
 his head, and Shotaye followed the discussion that ensued 
 between the two men with eager eyes and ears. 
 
 It soon became clear to her that they were of different 
 opinions, and that each one persisted in his own. Finally 
 Teanyi spoke alone, and for quite a while in a low voice ; 
 and the governor listened attentively and with growing 
 interest. Though Teanyi's voice was muffled, Shotaye 
 still overheard the word Cayamo several times. Straining 
 her sense of hearing, she caught the words tupoge, tema 
 quio, finally Shotaye also. The tuyo listened, smiled, winked 
 slyly, and at last laughed aloud. At the same time he turned 
 his face to her and nodded most pleasantly ; thereupon he 
 said a few words to Teanyi aloud, and the latter turned to 
 his family, which had little by little congregated in the 
 room, and repeated, as appeared to Shotaye, his statements. 
 At the close of his talk all broke out in a joyful laugh. The 
 housewife, who until then had rather frowned at the visitor, 
 now smiled and nodded too, repeating the words, — 
 
374 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Not Queres ; Tehua woman, wife of Cayamo." 
 
 All laughed, and the governor exclaimed, — 
 
 "It is well." 
 
 The case was clear to all. Cayamo, on his expedition 
 to secure scalps, had picked up a sweetheart. Food was 
 placed before Shotaye, and the woman caressed her, inviting 
 her to eat. 
 
 In the mean time, one of the boys had left the room. 
 Shotaye was still eating when he returned in company with 
 an elderly man of low stature, whose greeting was answered 
 with the usual reply. 
 
 This man cowered down among the rest, and listened 
 with the closest attention to a long speech of the governor. 
 At the close of it he sat for a while scrutinizing the wo- 
 man's appearance, but when she looked up at him he 
 addressed her in her own dialect, and with the words, — 
 
 "Where do you come from? " 
 
 A heavy load fell from Shotaye's heart. The ice was 
 broken ; henceforth she could explain herself in her own 
 tongue, and inform the Tehuas of everything that was so 
 important to them, so momentous to her. But her first 
 impression, on hearing her tongue spoken by one who 
 was certainly not of her stock, was almost one of fright. 
 People who spoke more than one language were exces- 
 sively rare at those times ; and those who happened to 
 learn the speech of another tribe kept it secret, as Tyope, 
 for instance, concealed his knowledge of the Navajo lan- 
 guage from the people of the Rito. The knowledge of 
 more than one tongue was a suspicious and therefore 
 a dangerous gift. The man who now conversed with 
 Shotaye in the Queres dialect was not a native of the 
 Puye. He belonged to the linguistic group of the Tehuas, 
 but to the southern branch, the Tanos, who inhabited sev- 
 eral villages west of the Rio Grande and in the country 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 375 
 
 where the city of Santa Fd now stands. Between the 
 Tanos and the Queres there was limited commercial inter- 
 course, for the Tanos claimed the veins of turquoise that 
 abound on the heights near some of their villages, and the 
 Queres went thither at rare intervals to trade for the 
 gems which they were unable to obtain by force. 
 
 Through this rare and limited traffic the Tano had 
 become acquainted with some of the men of the Rito, 
 and many years ago had even accompanied them to their 
 home in the mountain gorge. Such visits were literally 
 great affairs at the time, and they lasted long. Exten- 
 sive formalities were required to ascertain first how far 
 the Shiuana appeared favourable to the new-comer, and 
 how he should make himself understood to them. The 
 medicine-men had to make strenuous efforts in behalf of 
 the visitor. Equally long formalities preceded his depart- 
 ure, and our Tano had in this manner, between reception, 
 residence, and leave-taking, spent more than a year at 
 the Rito de los Frijoles. During that time he had ac- 
 quired a knowledge of the Queres language, and spoke 
 it therefore not fluently, but still intelligibly. 
 
 As Shotaye had appeared excited and agitated as long 
 as she felt helpless in matters of speech, so now she 
 became free, easy, and above all, calm and clear in her 
 utterances, when she could make herself understood. The 
 Tano began to question her in a methodical, and even in 
 an argumentative manner. He spoke slowly and brokenly ; 
 but she understood him, and he comprehended fully her 
 replies, for they were given in the same categoric way. 
 Each of her sentences he translated into Tehua, turning 
 to the tuyo at the end of every one of her answers. 
 Shotaye told him everything, with the exception of the 
 matter of the owl's feathers, for these would have been 
 as dangerous among the Tehuas as among the Queres. 
 
37^ THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 She explained the misunderstanding that lay at the bot- 
 tom of the hostility displayed by the Queres, and finally 
 she insisted that there was no time to clear up that mis- 
 understanding ; and since the Queres were already on the 
 march, she urged speedy preparation to repel the assault. 
 She strained the truth on the latter point, but the tuyo 
 forgave her this manifest exaggeration. He knew that 
 there must be at least five days' delay before the pro- 
 spective campaign. The further the woman proceeded 
 in her exposition of facts, the more she observed, through 
 her quick and scrutinizing glance, that her listeners be- 
 came deeply interested, and that thoroughly startled, they 
 at last displayed marks of indignation. That indignation, 
 it was plain, was against the Queres; and Shotaye felt 
 that she had gained her point. The breach between the 
 tribes was now widened to such an extent that it could 
 never be healed. At the close of the interrogatory, which 
 had frequently been interrupted by exclamations of sur- 
 prise and anger, the mistress of the house caressed Sho- 
 taye, calling her sister. The tuyo, however, merely nodded 
 to her kindly, uttered in a commanding tone a few words 
 to those present, and went out to attend to his duties 
 of convening the council. But the Tano Indian remained 
 with Shotaye until late in the night. He pretended to 
 keep her company, and to contribute toward dispelling 
 the feeling of loneliness that might overcome her in the 
 midst of people with whom she could not converse. But 
 in reality he remained as a spy, to cross-examine in a 
 covert way. Shotaye was wary, and not one contradic- 
 tion, not one misstatement, could he detect during their 
 talk. Then he went where the council had gathered, 
 reporting that according to his conviction the woman 
 was not only sincere, but exceedingly well-informed. 
 It would be superfluous to enter into details concerning 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 377 
 
 the proceedings of the council. Its composition and the 
 formalities were in the main similar to those of the coun- 
 cil of the Queres. One point was earnestly discussed, — 
 the propriety of sending a messenger to the Queres to 
 clear up, if possible, the misunderstanding. But the thought 
 was finally discarded, on the ground that it was not the 
 Tehuas who should make overtures of peace, — because 
 they were absolutely innocent, — but the Queres, for it was 
 they who, ere proceeding to hostile demonstrations, should 
 have called on the Tehuas for explanation. Had the two 
 tribes been on friendly terms, it might have been different ; 
 but there existed a breach between them already, and if 
 the Queres chose to still further widen it, the Tehuas felt 
 ready for any emergency. It was resolved to prepare for 
 war at once, to call to arms the entire male population, 
 send ahead the necessary spies, and thus prepared, to wait. 
 With this the matter went into the hands of the great medi- 
 cine-man and the head war-chief. The former was almost 
 an equivalent to the Hishtanyi Chayan among the Queres, 
 the latter the exact equivalent of the maseua. 
 
 The castle-like rock of the Puye, along whose base 
 the numerous cave-dwellings are burrowed out of a very 
 friable and almost snow-white tufa, is situated about ten 
 miles west of the Rio Grande, and not two miles south 
 of the picturesque canon of Santa Clara. The cliff is 
 over one half mile long, and it dominates the mesa on 
 which it stands. For many miles there are groves of 
 timber surrounding the foot of the high and rugged slope 
 that leads up to the cave-dwellings. While the Queres 
 at the Rito dwelt at the bottom of a secluded gorge, the 
 Tehuas occupied a picturesque citadel rising from a high 
 and level plateau. Northeast of the Puye, and separated 
 from it by the canon of Santa Clara, there rises a similar 
 rock, equally bold and striking, and higher still, but not 
 
378 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 as extensive. This is called by the Tehuas, Shu Firine. 
 Its lower rim is also perforated by cave-dwellings, and 
 these were inhabited by a portion of the same tribe. 
 During the night runners were sent to the Shu Finne, 
 calling upon its people for assistance ; and videttes were 
 placed on the mountains and on the httle mesa capping 
 the cliff. The Tehuas were more numerous than the 
 Queres of the Rito, and might well wait calmly and with 
 dignity until the latter either sought to negotiate or broke 
 out in unjustifiable warfare. 
 
 The five days which, as the tuyo had correctly inferred, 
 would be spent by the people of the Tyuonyi in mourning 
 and in warlike preparations, passed ; and no messenger of 
 peace came to the Tehuas. The Queres remained in 
 perfect confidence that those whom they intended to sur- 
 prise were in absolute ignorance of any evil intentions 
 on their part. But when the night of the fifth day had 
 shrouded the landscape in purple darkness, Tehua war- 
 riors began to stream down the slopes from the cliif and 
 its cave-dwellings. The deepest silence was observed, 
 instructions having been given beforehand, and the bands 
 of armed men moved noiselessly forward. The plan was 
 not to await the attack at home, but to advance into the 
 more timbered country south of the barren mesa where 
 the cliff rises, and to surprise the enemy on their ap- 
 proach. From reports of spies it was known that no 
 Queres were as yet scouring the heights north of the 
 Rito ; and the Tehuas, moving swiftly, were able to place 
 themselves in ambush in the rocky wilderness where, later 
 on, their descendants built and inhabited the now ruined 
 village of the Pueblo of the Bird. One half day's journey 
 would bring the Queres easily to that point, where they 
 certainly would not expect to be met by armed foes. There 
 is water in the vicinity, and the ground is broken with pine 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 379 
 
 groves. It could be foretold with reasonable certainty that 
 the enemy would move in the direction of this place, for it 
 is the straightest course, though not the easiest, from the 
 Eito northward. In this region the Tehua hosts spread 
 out, scouts preceding even as far as the Ziro kauash. 
 The Queres might come, for everything was as ready as 
 Shotaye's fondest hopes could have wished. 
 
 During these warlike preparations Shotaye found ample 
 time and opportunity to become initiated into the life of 
 her new home. The old interpreter proved a very useful 
 guide, and she improved his willingness to talk and to ad- 
 vise. He informed her that Cayamo was free, and that as 
 soon as the story of their meeting had become known among 
 the people of the Puye, everybody began to look upon her 
 as his future wife. Shortly before the beginning of the cam- 
 paign, the time of his retirement expired ; the ceremonies on 
 the scalp matter had to be postponed on account of the all- 
 important measures of war, and Cayamo was able to pre- 
 sent himself to his fiiture spouse in the natural colour of 
 his skin and in his usual costume. Their meeting was 
 not in the least sentimental. Both laughed aloud and 
 joyfully ; they exchanged gestures and signs plainly indicat- 
 ing their fiiture duties and probable results. Those pres- 
 ent laughed in token of approval and applause. At a hint 
 from Teanyi's wife, Shotaye placed some corn-cakes before 
 Cayamo. He ate a few morsels, the courtship formalities 
 were fulfilled, and the bridegroom returned to his duty as 
 a warrior. 
 
 The Tano had informed the woman that Cayamo belonged 
 to the clan of the Sun. In return she communicated that 
 the Water people were her kindred. What the Queres called 
 Tzitz hanutsh the Tehuas named P'ho doa, and the members 
 of the clan P'ho were therefore officially requested to take 
 their new sister in charge. Some of the old men of the 
 
38o THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 cluster came over to the dwellings of the Turquoise clan, 
 where the wife of Teanyi lived. In their company came sev- 
 eral women, who escorted Shotaye to her new quarters. On 
 the way to the caves of P'ho doa one of the women lightly 
 touched Shotaye's breast, then her own, and whispered, — 
 
 " Oyike P'ho." 
 
 It was her name, and Shotaye communicated her own in 
 reply. The woman shook her head, whispering, — 
 
 " Nyo Shotaye, nyo Tema, ' not Shotaye, not Queres.' 
 Tehua quio." Then she grasped her hand and breathed 
 into Shotaye's ear, — 
 
 " Aua P'ho Quio." 
 
 Shotaye easily imderstood the meaning of this confiden- 
 tial communication. With her change of abode her name 
 was to change also. Henceforth she was to be a Tehua 
 woman, and Aua P'ho Quio was to be her name. 
 
 The Tano continued his visits as heretofore. He plied 
 the woman with questions, sometimes of the most complex 
 nature. His conduct in this respect was characteristic of the 
 suspicious nature of the Indian generally. The leaders of 
 the Tehuas mistrusted Shotaye still, notwithstanding her 
 clear and positive talk ; and they had instructed the Tano to 
 keep her company and to probe her sincerity and veracity 
 still further. But she was more than a match for all of them. 
 She saw through the maze of the very confused and bewil- 
 dering -interrogatory, and her replies were such as to ab- 
 solutely confirm the Tehuas in the good opinion they had 
 conceived of her. Whatever the interpreter reported to 
 the tuyo that was of any value to the military operations 
 impending, was immediately communicated to the war-chief 
 through a special runner, for that fiinctionary was in the 
 field already with his men. 
 
 Shotaye made use of her conversations with the Tano 
 Indian to direct the attention of the Tehuas toward Tyope. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 38 1 
 
 She described him as the leading warrior and the most in- 
 fluential man on the Rito, as the pivot around which every- 
 thing revolved and on whose life much would depend. . But 
 she was artful enough not to depict Tyope as a bad man, 
 lest the Tehuas might infer her real purpose. She spoke of 
 him as a man dangerous through his good qualities, and as 
 a formidable adversary. In short her words produced such 
 an effect that the governor himself came to interrogate her 
 on the subject, and even caused the war-chief to return from 
 the field on the fourth day, and had him visit Shotaye in 
 company with the interpreter and secure a detailed and ac- 
 curate description of this dangerous individual. Then they 
 went to the medicine-man and consulted him about the 
 propriety of taking Shotaye along into the field, that she 
 might point out the great warrior who, so they had become 
 convinced, must be killed at all hazards in order to insure 
 success. On the evening of the sixth day, therefore, Shotaye 
 wandered over to Tzirege in company with the commander 
 himself. 
 
 Shortly after their arrival among the group of warriors 
 where the war-chief had taken his position, runners came 
 from the south with news that they had detected several 
 Queres in full war-paint creeping northward from the brink 
 of the Rito. These runners were at once ordered back, with 
 strict injunctions to the scouts not to impede the enemy's 
 movements, but to suffer them to advance. The Tehuas 
 were quite scattered, particularly in the front, as is usually 
 the case with bodies of Indians on the war-path. The main 
 bodies concealed themselves between the Tzirege and a 
 deep and broad ravine farther south, called to-day Canada 
 Ancha. They kept in the woods toward the mountains, ex- 
 pecting their foes to approach on a line closer to the river. 
 The plan was to allow the Queres to come up undisturbed 
 as far as the north side of the Canada. As th? men from 
 
382 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 the Rito advanced, the Tehua scouts were to close in from 
 the rear and follow them cautiously, until the enemies were 
 all gathered on the desired spot, with the woods to their 
 left and rugged, barren cliffs and peaks to their right. Then 
 the trap would be sprung ; and if the Queres took to those 
 bleak fastnesses for defence it would be easy to surround 
 them, cut them off from water, and thus exterminate them 
 completely. 
 
 Night had fallen when another message came, to the 
 effect that the numbers of the enemy were increasing, and 
 beginning to spread over the timber in small groups. The 
 war-chief sent a messenger to the Puye, and after midnight 
 the great medicine-man of war appeared in person. The 
 shaman was, like all the others, painted black ; a tall plume 
 taken from an eagle rose behind each ear ; the left hand car- 
 ried a rattle ; and a little drum was suspended from his shoul- 
 der. As soon as he arrived, one of the warriors retired to a 
 spot which was almost hedged in by several bushy cedar- 
 trees. There he built a fire, and as soon as it burned he 
 covered it in such a manner that only a thin film of smoke 
 arose from it. To this smouldering heap the shaman pro- 
 ceeded alone and sat down. There he spent the night, 
 muttering incantations and prayers, shaking his rattle, and 
 striking the drum softly from time to time. 
 
 The sounds that proceeded from his discordant music 
 were so faint that they could be heard only in close prox 
 imity. They were besides the only human sound in this 
 wilderness. Animal voices occasionally disturbed the quiet- 
 ness of the night. Nobody would have supposed that 
 between the Rito and the mesas opposite San Ildefonso 
 of to-day several hundred Indian warriors were hidden, 
 patiently waiting or slowly moving forward. It was a quiet, 
 still night, cool, as the nights mostly are in the rainy sea- 
 son, and dark. The sky was partly overcast ; but the clouds 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 383 
 
 did not drift, they formed and dissolved overhead ; and the 
 stars appeared and disappeared alternately as the nebulous 
 fleeces disclosed or shrouded them. Behind the mountain, 
 thunder-clouds rested, and occasional flashes of lightning 
 illuminated the crests, and faint thunder muttered in the 
 distance. It had no threatening sound, and the lightning did 
 not seem like prophetic writing on the sombre clouds. It 
 was a pleasant night and an excellent one for Indian 
 warfare. 
 
 The scouts of the Tehuas had reported in the last 
 instance that the bulk of the war-party from the Rito must 
 now be on the move, for no fresh additions were coming up 
 from the gorge. So careless and unconcerned were the 
 Queres, so absolutely sure of the enemy's ignorance of their 
 designs, that they never thought of sending scouts to the 
 upper end of the northern mesa. From there a few Tehuas 
 had comfortably observed everything that happened in the 
 gorge during the day, and as evening came they could re- 
 port even the numbers of the warriors who took part in the 
 campaign. As soon as these warriors were all on the Ziro 
 kauash, the Tehua spies, after warning those behind them, 
 crept cautiously into the rear of the advancing foe. 
 
 All the able-bodied men from the Tyuonyi had not been 
 permitted to join the expedition. Hayoue was not among 
 them, neither was Okoya. It was a sad disappointment to 
 the boy, and yet was he not staying at home in defence of 
 his mother and of Mitsha ? Say Koitza had ceased to weep, 
 but the persistent neglect which she thought she suffered 
 from Shotaye grieved her. At last she asked Okoya 
 whether he had seen anything of the cave-woman. His 
 reply, that he thought she had gone, explained everything. 
 She recollected the confident words that Shotaye had 
 spoken to her, and concluded that the woman had carried 
 out her plan of taking refuge with the Tehuas. That 
 
384 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 quelled her apprehensions and allayed her fears. Shotaye 
 knew what she was and had to do ; and Shotaye — of this 
 Say felt convinced — was true to her. In order to be quite 
 sure of the fact, however, she strolled up to the cave in the 
 course of an afternoon. The rooms were empty, and Say 
 turned back. One of Shotaye's neighbours stopped her to 
 ask where the medicine-woman might be. Say carelessly 
 replied that she was probably on the heights above, -gather- 
 ing herbs. The wily fugitive had left her household as if 
 she were about to return soon. With the exception of the 
 mother of Okoya nobody noticed her absence. She was 
 known to disappear occasionally for several days ; and fur- 
 thermore, the excitement and bustle incident upon the pro- 
 spective expedition against the Tehuas engaged everybody's 
 attention. 
 
 Say Koitza could not help wondering whether Shotaye 
 would inform the Tehuas of the impending attack. Per- 
 haps she might, perhaps not. At all events she felt relieved 
 upon hearing that neither her son nor her husband nor 
 even Hayoue were to go with the warriors. The enterprise 
 aroused within her vague apprehensions ; why, she could not 
 tell. But it pleased her to learn that Tyope was going, — 
 going as the leader, the war-captain of the party. 
 
 Tyope had worked incessantly and with brilliant results. 
 The Shkuy Chayan and' the Koshare Naua had succeeded 
 in so inveigling the principal shaman that he ordered that 
 all the men from the Water clan, and those from Sh)Tiamo 
 with few exceptions, should stay at home for the protection 
 of the women and children. That included Hayoue, of 
 whose abilities and popularity Tyope was afraid, and saved 
 the Turquoise people from the casualties of war. Tyope 
 went so far as to praise Hayoue in the council, suggesting 
 that the young man should be intrusted with authority as 
 war-chief ad interim. The suggestion was carried out at 
 
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 o 
 
 'c 
 
 OJ g 
 
 .■° Ji 
 
 o 
 
 [XH 
 
 
 c^ S 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 385 
 
 once, and afterward the Hishtanyi Chayan appointed Tyope 
 as commander-in-chief of the forces marching out. He 
 himself accompanied the body of warriors as adviser and 
 spiritual guide to the captain. Nothing could suit Tyope 
 better. The man was old and not very strong, and people 
 are often killed in war. 
 
 After sunset the medicine-man made his appearance on 
 the northern mesa and performed his incantations. Tyope 
 and most of the others breathed on their war-fetiches, and 
 then group after group stealthily moved onward. The plan, 
 which had been communicated to every one in its main 
 points, consisted in reaching before sunrise the very ground 
 which the Tehuas had selected for their operations ; pass- 
 ing the following day in the woods of that vicinity in con- 
 cealment, and creeping up to the Puye the following night ; 
 then, after sunrise, when the Tehuas would begin to scat- 
 ter, unarmed and unsuspecting, pouncing upon them and 
 making a general slaughter. Tyope had under his direc- 
 tion more than two hundred men, and they extended over 
 a wide front. About twenty experienced warriors, mostly 
 uakanyi, glided in advance as scouts. Behind them came 
 at a suitable distance either single warriors or small bands. 
 The main body came last. It was divided into several 
 groups. Near the centre were Tyope and the shaman. 
 
 Every one knew that his duty for the present consisted in 
 searching for traces of the enemy without exposing himself 
 to discovery. Should a single Tehua be observed, and it 
 became possible for a scout to overpower and kill him with- 
 out noise, he might do it. In case a number of foes were 
 noticed, the spy was to give quiet warning to the man near- 
 est to him, that one to those in his rear ; and they were to 
 send a runner to inform Tyope. In the mean time all were 
 to halt until orders came to move in a new direction. For 
 Tyope, although he did not in the least suspect that the 
 
386 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Tehuas were forewarned, and still less on the alert so close 
 by the Rito, used every possible precaution in order that 
 the surprise might be complete and the blow as crushing as 
 possible. 
 
 It was dark in the timber, and the main body of the 
 Queres approached the brink of the first canon north of 
 the Rito while the advance were cautiously descending 
 into the bottom and the scouts were already farther on. 
 Tyope and the medicine-man were standing a short dis- 
 tance from the descent of the south side and listening to 
 the news which a runner had just brought in from the front. 
 
 "Are you sure you have noticed a man?" the Chayan 
 asked in a whisper. 
 
 " I am sure of it. He crouched at the foot of a juniper- 
 bush," replied the messenger, positively. 
 
 " Has he seen you ? " demanded Tyope. 
 
 " I believe not." 
 
 "When you left was he there still?" 
 
 " I could not see any more of him." 
 
 " How far is it from here ? Where stands the tree ? " the 
 Chayan asked. 
 
 " It is on the other side of the ravine, near the border to 
 the left." 
 
 Tyope pondered a while ; then he said to the shaman, — 
 
 "Nashtio yaya, I think we should go more toward the 
 east. What do you say?" 
 
 " It is well," muttered the medicine-man. 
 
 " Satyumishe," Tyope said to the runner, "go and tell 
 the men to go along the ravine toward the Rio Grande 
 until the trees become smaller. Thence they may go to the 
 north again, but slowly and carefully. Ziua," he called to 
 one of the bystanders, " go and tell those toward the left to 
 come where I stand. Ohotika," calling another, " run to the 
 right and command those there to wait until we join them." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 387 
 
 The runners left in the directions indicated. 
 
 The information which had just been conveyed to Tyope 
 was most disagreeable. The presence of one human being 
 at the time and place indicated looked very suspicious. If 
 the man had seen his warriors he would certainly run home 
 and give the alarm. All Tyope could do now was to keep 
 as close as possible to the Rio Grande, push up parallel 
 with the river as cautiously as possible, and thus sneak 
 beyond the enemy, in case, as he still could not believe, 
 the latter were in anything like a considerable force. He 
 would thus eventually place himself between them and their 
 village. 
 
 After a while the warriors from the left came on hastily, 
 stumbling through the darkness. All together now went 
 down in an easterly direction, where the right wing, if this 
 term can be used, was halting. Thence Tyope despatched 
 runners ahead to inquire whether everything was quiet in 
 front, to repeat the order of slow marching, and to direct 
 them to halt on the northern brink of the Caiiada Ancha. 
 
 When the runners left, the march was resumed in the 
 usual scattering manner, as if all were skirmishers. Tyope 
 and the shaman remained together. Neither uttered a word. 
 The commander looked up to the stars from time to time. 
 They were peeping out more and more, for the clouds 
 were dispersing. Only from the southwest distant thunder 
 sounded and lightning flashed occasionally. A shower was 
 falling in that direction. 
 
 It was past midnight when the main body came up with 
 the advance guard after crossing the Caiiada Ancha. Tyope 
 found everything in order, and he directed a farther advance. 
 Tyope was angry. The circuit which he had felt obliged to 
 make made a serious delay, and there was danger that with 
 the early sunrise of the summer months he might be behind 
 to such an extent as to be unable to reach the cover of the 
 
388 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 woods in time. If the Tehuas were informed of his approach 
 they would either prepare for his coming at the Puye — and 
 the result of an open attack would be to say the least ex- 
 tremely doubtful, — or they would come out in force, and 
 desultory fighting would ensue. In this those who were 
 nearest water and supplies always had the advantage. His 
 idea of striking a sudden blow appeared very much endan- 
 gered by the presence of Tehuas in. the forest. He thought 
 and thought without arriving at any satisfactory conclusion. 
 Return to the Rito he could not, for such a retreat was worse 
 than disaster. Neither could he decide alone ; the Hishtanyi 
 Chayan was by his side and he had to consult him. So he 
 stood still and turned to the shaman, saying, — 
 
 " Nashtio yaya, the night will soon be over, and the sun 
 may come out from behind the mountain in the east." 
 
 " Ko,'' grunted the medicine-man. 
 
 " It is far yet to the houses of the Moshome Tehua." 
 
 The Chayan stood still. 
 
 "Sauishe nashtio," said he, "the Shiuana direct us to go 
 on a different road. I saw an owl fly toward the moon. 
 Let us go away from the river into the kote to rest and to 
 hide until the sun goes down again and we may go farther 
 toward the katityam of the enemy." 
 
 This was just as Tyope wanted. He disliked the idea of 
 passing a day concealed under cliffs and crags where a torrid 
 sun shone, and where there was water only in the river be- 
 neath and at a great depth. But he wanted to be sure of 
 what Those Above intended, so he asked again, — 
 
 "Yaya Chayan, do the Shiuana" — he emphasized the 
 term — " say that we should go to the west ? " 
 
 " The spirits say that we should go where there is shade 
 and water ! Let us go to the mountains ; there we shall 
 find both." 
 
 " They are right ! " Tyope exclaimed. " I believe it is 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 389 
 
 better to stay there -until the sun has risen. I will send 
 word to the men to turn to the left, and we will sleep in the 
 shade of the trees until the time comes to advance." 
 
 " You are right, brother," the Chayan assented ; " do as 
 you have said." 
 
 The two men had lagged behind the others during this 
 conversation. Tyope imitated the cry of an owl. Soon 
 several warriors came up to him. He directed them to go 
 to the front, to the right, and to the left, and give orders 
 that all should move to the westward a short distance, far 
 enough to reach high timber. Then aU should halt and 
 prepare to pass the night. He himself moved a short dis- 
 tance only in that direction, in company with the shaman, 
 and selected a spot where the mesa was covered with the 
 usual underbrush and where taller trees already began to 
 appear. Here he lay down to rest with eyes wide open, 
 ready for any emergency. Not far away the medicine-man 
 found a secluded spot where he sat down without fire, oc- 
 casionally touching the drum and reciting his prayers and 
 incantations. They were the same as those which the 
 shaman of the Tehuas was directing to Those Above at 
 the same time and not far from him, but in a different 
 tongue, for the success of his people and the destruction 
 of those for whom the Hishtanyi Chayan was prajdng. 
 
 The decision of Tyope to penetrate into the forest to the 
 west brought the Queres into the very position which the 
 Tehuas desired. The scouts of the latter had obeyed punc- 
 tually and diligently the orders v/hich they had received, fol- 
 lowing step by step the advancing foe and reporting to 
 headquarters any notable move. They possessed the im- 
 mense advantage of knowing every movement the Queres 
 made from the very beginning, and were thus able to ob- 
 serve them unseen. As soon as Tyope had concentrated his 
 forces on the northern brink of the Canada Ancha, the main 
 
39° THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 body of the Tehuas receded slightly to the west. As soon 
 as the Queres began to ascend in that direction, the retro- 
 grade movement of the others continued in the centre; 
 whereas the left wing spread out, and the right slightly ad- 
 vanced to the east along the brink of the ravine. The 
 scouts were called in with all haste and reinforced, espe- 
 cially the body that faced the Queres in the north. At the 
 time Tyope lay down to rest, his forces were surrounded 
 everywhere except on the east. Everything was ready for the 
 Tehuas to begin their attack upon the unsuspecting foe at 
 daybreak. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The change from night to daylight in New Mexico is by no 
 means sudden. Darkness yields slowly to the illumination 
 streaming from the east ; and when the moon is shining, one 
 remains in doubt for quite a while whether the growing 
 brightness is due to the mistress of night or to the lord of 
 day. 
 
 Nowhere is this more perceptible than on high plateaus 
 covered by sparse timber. Suddenly awaking, one is in 
 doubt at first whether it is sunrise or the fiiU moon that il- 
 luminates the landscape. The shadows are weakened, but 
 objects are not much more distinct ; a glow pervades the. air 
 rather than a positive light. 
 
 When the Indian is on the war-path he sleeps but little, 
 and never long. He prefers the day to the night for rest, 
 as he can conceal his movements better in the darkness. 
 Tyope had halted his little army just before daybreak be- 
 cause he felt afraid of going any farther, and because he had 
 arrived close to the place where he desired to remain dur- 
 ing the day without exposing his forces to the chance of dis- 
 covery. None of his men slept ; none of them dozed, even. 
 They had all been warned of the possible presence of foes, 
 and although there seemed not the slightest evidence of 
 those foes being aware of their coming, yet the mere appre- 
 hension caused uneasiness. There was therefore increased 
 watchfulness on their part. 
 
 Every one among the Queres was looking forward with 
 anxiety to the hour when there would be sufficient light to 
 
392 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 investigate the situation more closely. The sky had cleared ; 
 the air became cooler, and the morning star shone brightly, in 
 spite of the luminous crescent of a waning moon. The Hish- 
 tanyi Chayan was sitting at the same place where he had re- 
 tired a few hours before, but he no longer prayed ; he stared 
 motionless. Tyope lay on his back behind a juniper-bush. 
 He was watching the sky and the approach of dawn. A 
 number of warriors had lain down in the vicinity, awaiting 
 the signal to move. 
 
 One of these had placed himself in such a position that 
 he could glance at the forest, which loomed up before him 
 like a mass of dense shadows with rays of moonlight be- 
 tween. He peered into that maze of darkness and light for 
 hours. But nothing appeared in it worthy of note. So the 
 Queres warrior turned around on his back in order to 
 change position. He saw the moon rise to the zenith and 
 the corona borealis disappear below the western horizon. 
 He noticed also how the stars grew dimmer and dimmer, 
 how the shadows commenced to wane. Finally he fixed his 
 gaze on the east. 
 
 Owing to the shrubbery it was not possible to see dis- 
 tinctly, yet anything lying on the ground could be discerned. 
 From the place where he lay, the Queres Indian looked 
 through a lane bordered on both sides by bushes of cedar 
 and juniper. At the end of that lane he discovered a dark 
 spot. That spot disappeared while he was still gazing at it. 
 He strained his eyes to find the spot again, but it had really 
 vanished. 
 
 The man from the Rito became suspicious. Again he 
 looked, but the spot or object, whatever it might be, had 
 gone out of sight altogether. He crawled over to the man 
 nearest him, told him what had occurred, and returned to 
 his post. The dark speck or thing had not reappeared ; but 
 on the right side of the gallery formed by the trees it seemed 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 393 
 
 as if, somewhat nearer to his own position, something black 
 became apparent and disappeared in an instant. The scout 
 strained both ear and eye. Nothing could be heard, and 
 nothing else of a suspicious character met his gaze. 
 
 Meanwhile his companion had crept over to where Tyope 
 was lying, and had reported to the commander the strange 
 apparition. Tyope turned over so as to face the east and 
 said, — 
 
 " It is well." 
 
 He also began to scan the network of shadows and illu- 
 minated patches extending in that direction. The Indian 
 who had spoken to him went back to his post, but very 
 soon returned, whispering, — 
 
 " Somebody has crossed over from one tree to another." 
 
 " Where? " Tyope asked in a subdued voice. 
 
 " There," replied the scout, pointing with his hand toward 
 a group of bushes. 
 
 " It is well," said the leader ; " go back and keep your 
 eyes open." 
 
 The Indian crawled off. Tyope rose to his knees, seized 
 two branches of the tree behind which he had been reclin- 
 ing, and bent them asunder. In this manner he was able 
 to overlook the ground to the east at a greater height than 
 before. The light had increased, but it would have been 
 impossible to discern any object at a distance. 
 
 Daylight was growing on the waning night. Had Tyope 
 stood up and looked toward the east, he would have seen 
 the dark, sinuous line which the mountains east of Santa Fd 
 trace along that part of the horizon. Their uppermost 
 snow-fields were beginning to glisten in the light streaming 
 up from beyond. 
 
 On Tyope's left a rustling sound was heard ; he turned 
 around. One of his men was cautiously approaching. 
 
 "There are Moshome in front of us." 
 
394 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " I know it," replied the commander. " How many have 
 you seen ? " 
 
 " Two." 
 
 "And you saw them clearly? " 
 
 " Yes, but they sneaked pff." 
 
 " Did they seem to come toicard us? " 
 
 " They crept behind a juniper, and after that I could see 
 nothing more." 
 
 " Do the others know it? " 
 
 " Not yet. Shall I tell them? " 
 
 " Go tell them. Afterward return here to me." 
 
 Tyope felt embarrassed. It was clear to him that several 
 Tehuas were lurking in the direction whence he had come, 
 and that they were moving toward him. It indicated that 
 their numbers were strong enough to engage him. That 
 looked very, very ominous ! If he only knew how matters 
 stood elsewhere, and whether the enemy had shown himself 
 at other points ! Tyope grew very uneasy. 
 
 Tactics in Indian warfare reduce themselves to a game of 
 hide-and-seek. He who must show himself first is sure of 
 suffering the greater loss. Tyope knew that in case the 
 Tehuas had actually surrounded him they had the greater 
 advantage at their disposal. They might wait much longer 
 than he and his men. They might even wait for days, 
 keeping the Queres penned up in uncertainty, and then 
 break out as soon as the latter were sufficiently exhausted. 
 
 The same scout approached again. He crawled Uke a 
 mole. 
 
 " Nashtio," he whispered, " there are Moshome to the 
 left of us." 
 
 " Many? " Tyope inquired hastily. 
 
 " Six of them have been noticed." 
 
 That was exceedingly alarming. He directed the man 
 to stay on the spot, while he glided through the bushes to 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 395 
 
 where the Hishtanyi Chayan had spent the night. The 
 medicine-man was awake, and looked at the captain in 
 astonishment. Tyope placed a finger on his lips and shook 
 his head. The shaman asked, — 
 
 "Sa uishe, what is it? " 
 
 " Tzatze raua ! Tzatze raua ! " Tyope exclaimed in a 
 low tone. "The Tehuas are sneaking about us like 
 shutzuna. There are many of them, and they come up 
 from the east. What shall we do, yaya? Speak." 
 
 "Tzatze raua," the shaman repeated, shaking his head. 
 "As you say, the Moshome come up behind us?" 
 
 " I thought," Tyope suggested, " of sending word to the 
 men in front to come back, and as soon as we could see 
 anything, striking the enemies in our rear. What do you 
 think of it, sa nashtio ? " 
 
 "Many will go to Shipapu to-day," the Chayan muttered. 
 
 "What shall I do? Speak !" Tyope insisted. The last 
 words of the shaman frightened him. 
 
 The Chayan gave no immediate reply, but sat musing in a 
 manner indicating that his thoughts were with Those Above. 
 At last he raised his head and replied, — 
 
 " We must wait until the sun stands in the sky." 
 
 Tyope suppressed a sigh. However much he attributed 
 this answer of the shaman to inspiration from those on high, 
 it appeared to him dangerous. Tyope felt very uneasy, but 
 he was no coward. In case the worst had really happened, 
 if the Tehuas had anticipated and surrounded him, he still 
 inclined to the conviction that concentration of his forces 
 and a rapid onslaught on the foes in his rear would not 
 only save him, but secure a reasonable number of coveted 
 trophies. If this could be speedily effected, the less impor- 
 tant would be his loss in attaining it ; for as long as the light 
 was faint and dim, the enemy's missiles could not be dis- 
 charged with certain aim. He had hoped that the Chayan 
 
39^ THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 would assent to this suggestion. Now on the contrary, 
 the oracle spoke in a manner that plainly indicated 
 that the Shiuana ordered him to wait until dayUght It 
 was sure destruction, he felt it; but the Shiuana spoke 
 through the medium of the old man, and the Shiuana 
 were of course right. He could not complain or even 
 grumble. 
 
 But he might at least prepare everything in advance, 
 so that as soon as the medicine-man gave the signal, his 
 favourite move might be executed with a promptness and 
 alacrity that would surprise the enemy. So Tyope crept 
 back to the juniper-bush in whose neighbourhood his men 
 were grouped. 
 
 Dawn was coming on, and the shadows were beginning 
 to assume definite shapes and directions. Tyope sighed 
 when he noticed the approach of sunlight ; precious time 
 was being irretrievably lost. 
 
 He relieved the warrior whom he had left at his post. 
 The latter whispered to him that nothing suspicious had 
 turned up. Suddenly Tyope started and pressed his ear to 
 the ground ; then he darted up, rising to his knees, and 
 listened, straining every nerve, his head turned to the 
 southwest. 
 
 In that direction arose loud yells. They were followed 
 by piercing cries. Soon the sounds mingled, so as to create 
 a noise like that which a struggle between men and wolves 
 might produce. These sounds told Tyope that a severe 
 engagement had commenced in that direction. At the 
 same time it struck him that the main body of the Tehuas 
 were probably south and east of his forces, and that con- 
 sequently by moving swiftly westward he could interpose 
 himself between the Tehuas and their homes, cut off their 
 warriors from their village, and secure complete triumph. 
 But before he could order such a change of tactics he ought 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. Z97 
 
 to know something definite from the quarter where the 
 fight had begun. To send a runner seemed unadvisable, 
 for he thought it unsafe to lessen the forces around him, if 
 only by a man. Several of his companions had approached, 
 startled by the sudden noise. He motioned them to return 
 to their posts. 
 
 The noise of the battle diminished ; then it broke out 
 anew and sounded nearer. It seemed to extend to the 
 east. In the west and north everything remamed quiet ; 
 the enemy appeared to be entirely southwest and east of 
 the little army which Tyope commanded. He felt relieved, 
 and a grim satisfaction crept over his mind. He thought, 
 surely the Tehuas have committed a grave mistake. 
 
 If only his people would report to him ! Now at last ! 
 The bushes rattled, and a man stepped up. In a tone of 
 intense agitation he said, — 
 
 " Where is the war-chief ? " 
 
 " I am here," replied Tyope in a mufiled voice, motion- 
 ing the warrior to lie down. The latter either failed to 
 notice the gesture or misunderstood it, and walked on up- 
 right. Something whizzed through the branches of the 
 shrubs ; the messenger bent as if suddenly folded up ; he 
 grasped at his stomach with his hand, and tumbled to the 
 ground. Tyope stood by his side in the twinkling of an 
 eye. The shaft of an arrow was sticking in his body, 
 and in vain did the wounded man try to pluck it out. 
 Regardless of the horrible pain the unfortunate one was 
 suffering, bent upon catching the drift of his message be- 
 fore the soul could escape the tortured body, Tyope almost 
 lay down on the groaning man. 
 
 "What news do you bring? Speak ! " he hissed into his 
 ear. 
 
 The wounded warrior moaned, moaned again. Tyope 
 grew wild. 
 
398 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Speak ! " he growled, and shook him by the shoulder so 
 rudely that the other screamed. 
 
 "The Moshome," he gasped, "they — they — have come 
 on to us." A chill went through his body ; he lay there 
 gasping, incapable of speech. 
 
 Tyope was frenzied; he again shook the dying man 
 ruthlessly. 
 
 "Where have they attacked?" he roared. 
 
 " West." 
 
 " Have they killed any of our people ? " 
 
 "I — don't — know," breathed the poor fellow. His 
 head was swaying ; it rolled back and forth on the ground. 
 Tyope could not obtain any further reply. So he crawled 
 back and left him to die. The Moor had done his duty ; 
 the Moor might go to Shipapu. 
 
 Tyope had been so eager to secure from the djdng man 
 any information the latter might still be able to impart, that 
 he paid no immediate attention to the noise and uproar 
 which had arisen in his own vicinity. Almost at the very 
 moment when the Queres warrior was mortally wounded, 
 one of Tyope's companions despatched one of his arrows 
 at a Tehua whom he had distinctly seen in front. This 
 shot he accompanied by a loud yell. The foe replied to 
 the challenge in the same manner ; arrows whizzed and 
 hissed through the air, crossing each other and tearing 
 through the shrubbery or penetrating the trunks of trees 
 with dull thuds. The fight had begun here too, but little 
 if any damage was done as yet by either side. Most of 
 the arrows were shot at random, and both parties whooped 
 and yelled. Their purpose was manifestly to frighten the 
 adversary by creating an exaggerated impression of their 
 own numbers and strength. 
 
 All this did not make an unfavourable impression upon 
 Tyope. On the contrary, as soon as he saw that the en- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 399 
 
 gagement had broken out in his rear also, he felt a thrill of 
 pleasure and changed his plans at once. He believed now, 
 in presence of the attacks made by the Tehuas, that the 
 latter had indeed placed all their men between him and the 
 Rito, and that consequently the road to the Puye lay open, 
 and he could rush up, capture the women and children, and 
 hold them for ransom. But he must move swiftly and 
 energetically, leaving the fight to go on as best it might. 
 By advancing with a part of his forces, first to the west and 
 then straight to the north, Tyope might execute his plan of 
 leaving enough men behind to make a desperate stand 
 against the Tehuas here. Without the consent of the 
 Hishtanyi Chayan, however, he felt unauthorized to adopt 
 decisive measures. So he again crept over to the shaman 
 and communicated his plans to him. To his delight the 
 old man rose and said, — 
 
 " It is well. Let us go." 
 
 It was daylight now, and everything could be plainly 
 seen. The extended skirmishing went on with less ardour 
 than before, neither party pressing the other very closely. 
 
 Tyope glided back to one of his men. An arrow well 
 directed struck the ground very near. Whispering into his 
 ear the change of programme, Tyope took off his shield, 
 turned it toward the enemy, and rose on his right knee. 
 ' Fastened to the left arm and resting on the ground with its 
 lower rim, the shield covered the kneeling man almost com- 
 pletely. The left hand held the bow, and the weapon 
 slightly protruded from behind the protecting target. Ty- 
 ope then pushed his body forward from behind the bush 
 where he had been crouching. 
 
 Hardly was the shield visible when its owner felt a sud- 
 den blow against it, and the point of an arrow came through 
 the hide. The shot must have come from a short distance, 
 or it would not have pierced the shield. Ere Tyope dis- 
 
400 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 covered whence it came, his companion had discharged his 
 bow, and with a loud whoop hurled himself forward, where 
 he fell headlong behind a little tree. Wild yells sounded 
 from the Tehuas, and several of their warriors rushed up to 
 the spot ; branches rattled and bushes shook as the men 
 brushed past them. Tyope had an arrow ready, and he 
 despatched it at one of his foes. He pulled another from 
 the quiver without looking to see whether the first had struck 
 a mark or not, darted up, and with a shout bounded ahead 
 to encounter the enemy. A shot grazed his right hand, 
 scratching the wrist and causing him to drop his arrow. 
 For a time the arm was numb, but Tyope heeded it not. 
 Where the man who had stood beside him had fallen, a 
 number of warriors from both sides were wrangling. A 
 Queres lay dead on the dead body of a Tehua whose scalp 
 he had intended to secure. Two of his brethren were defend- 
 ing his corpse against half a dozen Tehuas. Tyope's right 
 wrist had been paralyzed by the arrow-shot, but he raised 
 his arm and flung the war-club that dangled from it against 
 the head of the nearest foe. The blow was too feeble, 
 and Tyope grabbed the man's hair. Arrows whizzed and 
 shrieked past the fighting group ; shrill yells and wild howl- 
 ing sounded from every quarter. The contending parties 
 exchanged insulting cries and abusive words in both 
 languages. 
 
 The Tehua whom Tyope had grabbed by the hair made 
 desperate lunges at him from below with a sharply pointed 
 arrow. He succeeded in slightly wounding him in several 
 places. Tyope kicked him in the abdomen, causing him to 
 double up at once. Regardless of the pain in the right 
 hand Tyope succeeded in grasping the war-club at last. 
 With it he directed several blows at the head of the enemy, 
 but they were so weak that only at the third stroke did the 
 Tehua fall. At this juncture an arrow grazed Tyope's tem- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 4OI 
 
 pie. He looked up, and saw that he had been very impru- 
 dent in yielding so far to ardour and excitement as to mingle 
 with his men in a strife for the possession of a single scalp, 
 and thus expose unduly his own person. He began to 
 think of withdrawal into the neighbourhood of the Hish- 
 tanyi Chayan, but it was not easy to extricate himself. 
 Warding off a blow aimed at his skull, with his shield he 
 pushed it into the face of the new assailant with sufficient 
 force to cause the man to stagger. Then he shouted a few 
 words to his own men, turned around, and rushed back to 
 his tree, where he fell down at fiill length, exhausted and 
 bleeding. The other Queres, two in number, followed his 
 example, and the Tehuas did not pursue. The result was 
 so far favourable to the Queres that they lost but one man 
 and the Tehuas two ; but the scalp of the dead man from 
 the Rito remained with the enemy. 
 
 When Tyope had recovered his breath, he sneaked back 
 to where he had left the shaman. As he approached the 
 spot he heard the medicine-man singing and beating his 
 drum. It was a very good sign to see the shaman at work 
 with such enthusiasm ; still Tyope must disturb him. 
 
 "Sa nashtio," he cried, "we must go." 
 
 " Heiti-na ! Heiti-na ! " shouted the praying shaman, 
 drumming incessantly. He was in ecstasies. His uplifted 
 eyes sparkled ; he paid no attention to what was around 
 him. 
 
 " Sa nashtio yaya," Tyope anxiously insisted. 
 
 " Do not disturb me, let me alone ! Heiti-na ! Heiti-na ! " 
 cried the Hishtanyi Chayan aloud. 
 
 Tyope was in despair. Arrow after arrow was flying past 
 him, rending twigs and shattering branches. The Tehuas 
 shot faster than the Queres. They must have a large sup- 
 ply of missiles. Every shot was accompanied by trium- 
 phant yells; the enemy was growing bolder. 
 
 26 
 
4D2 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Again the leader tried to rouse the medicine-man to de- 
 cisive action, but the latter only shook his head in an irri- 
 tated manner and proceeded with his song louder and 
 louder. At last he dropped his drum, jumped to his feet, 
 and began to dance and to stamp, shaking his rattle and 
 wildly yelUng, — 
 
 " Raua, raua ! Ho-a-a, Heiti-na ! Ho-a-a, Heiti-na ! " 
 Then he stood still, and looked around as if aroused from 
 a dream. At the sight of Tyope he remembered, and 
 spoke, panting still, — 
 
 " It is well. They are good. Those Above ! We will do 
 as you said ! " Heedless of missiles he walked on into the 
 forest. Tyope heaved a great sigh of relief. 
 
 A small whistle made of bone depended from Tyope's 
 neck. He raised it to his lips and blew a shrill, piercing 
 blast. The warriors in his neighbourhood turned their 
 faces toward him. He beckoned to one of them to ap- 
 proach. To this man he gave directions in a low tone. 
 They were to the effect that they should offer the most 
 determined resistance to the enemy, while at the same time 
 they were to retire gradually but slowly from the actual 
 position, as if yielding to pressure. Their sturdy resistance 
 was to cover the movements of the main body. 
 
 Tyope now stealthily crept away from the line of the 
 fight. Soon he met a group of his people who, outside of 
 the range of missiles, were waiting to be called into action. 
 He sent the majority of them to the front to reinforce 
 the others. Two runners were despatched to the south 
 and southwest with orders. With the remainder he set 
 out slowly, penetrating deeper into the timber. He thus 
 collected, one after another, the various groups into a 
 fairly compact body, always sending a few men back to 
 reinforce the fighting portions. Over one hundred men 
 were now engaged with the Tehuas. The remainder 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 403 
 
 moved, as Tyope confidently hoped, upon the cave-dwell- 
 ings of the unprotected Puye by a detour which would 
 enable the Queres to avoid the rather exposed site of 
 Tzirege. 
 
 A tremendous noise. from the south indicated that a hand- 
 to-hand encounter was going on there. The noise lasted 
 but a short time, then it subsided. Shortly afterward a 
 warrior rushed panting up to Tyope. 
 
 " Nashtio," he said, " the Moshome have taken five 
 scalps." 
 
 " Where? " Tyope snorted. 
 
 " There ; " he pointed southward. 
 
 "And we?" 
 
 "Three." 
 
 " Have the people gone back ? " 
 
 "A little." 
 
 " It is well. Tell the men to come still farther this way, 
 but very slowly." 
 
 He ordered five of his own men to go back with the run- 
 ner to replace the five whom the Tehuas had killed. With 
 the rest he pushed forward. He kept beside the Hishtanyi 
 Chayan, and both walked almost at the head of their little 
 troupe. Only a few scouts preceded them, so completely 
 safe did Tyope feel about the west and northwest. 
 
 The action in the rear seemed to lag. A wild uproar 
 broke out in the southwest but no messenger came with evil 
 tidings. The Queres maintained themselves. All was well. 
 
 The engagement had lasted two hours already, and it 
 might continue in this way for hours more without coming 
 to a crisis in the mean time. Tyope would creep up to the 
 women and children of the Tehuas. In case the rear-guard 
 should be ultimately destroyed by the enemy it mattered 
 little, for by capturing the non-combatants the Queres still 
 remained masters of the situation. Tyope was explaining 
 
404 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 all this to the Hishtanyi Chayan; and the two, in conse- 
 quence of their conversation, had remained behind the fore- 
 most skirmish-line. The shaman was listening, and from 
 time to time grunting assent to Tyope's explanations. 
 
 Suddenly the shrubbery in front rattled, and moved vio- 
 lently, as though deer were endeavouring to tear through 
 it at full speed. At the same time there arose in that 
 very west which had been so still, and close upon the two 
 men, a fearful war-whoop uttered by many voices. Like 
 wildfire this threatening howl spread to the west ; it seemed 
 to run along an arc of a circle from the northwest to the 
 south. The warriors in front came running back in dismay. 
 Many of them were already wounded. One reached the 
 spot where the commander and the shaman were standing 
 spell-bound. There he fell to the ground headlong, blood 
 flowing from his mouth. His body had been shot through 
 and through. 
 
 However great his surprise at that completely unexpected 
 attack, and however disastrous it must be to all his plans, 
 Tyope not only did not lose his head, but rather seemed to 
 grow cool and self-possessed, and an expression of sinister 
 quiet settled on his features. Yet he was internally far from 
 being at ease or hopeful. He blew his whistle. Without 
 regard to his ofiftce the old shaman crouched behind a shrub, 
 where, placing his shield before him, he listened and spied. 
 The medicine-man had imitated Tyope's example ; the magi- 
 cian was now turned into a warrior ! 
 
 The signal given by the war-chief was heard by very few 
 only, for the yells of the Tehuas drowned every other noise. 
 The enemy this time rushed up without any preliminary skir- 
 mishing, and the surprise was so sudden that the Queres were 
 running back in every direction with their foes in close pur- 
 suit. They had no time to gather or to hide. Ere Tyope 
 knew it, his men were far away in his rear, as well as a num- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 40$ 
 
 ber of his enemies also. To his left he noticed one of his 
 tribe lying on the ground dead, and a Tehua standing with 
 both feet on his back, cutting and jerking at the scalp of 
 the dead man. Tyope was alone, for the medicine-man 
 had fled. The Tehua was so intent upon securing the tro- 
 phy that he had not seen Tyope, and he could easily have 
 killed him. But hurried footsteps, many voices, and the 
 shaking of bushes in front showed plainly that quite a nu- 
 merous body of Tehuas was rapidly coming toward him. 
 His own life was too precious in this hour of terrible need 
 to permit exposure for the sake of killing one enemy, so he 
 turned about softly on his knees. The Tehua still did not 
 pay any attention to him, and now the temptation was too 
 great ; he quickly placed an arrow on the string and sent 
 the shaft, thanks to the short distance, between the ribs of 
 the unsuspecting foe. Then with a yell of triumph and de- 
 fiance he darted off in the direction whither his men had 
 scattered. 
 
 He had been noticed by some of the Tehuas who were 
 coming up from the west, and without delay they followed 
 in pursuit. But it was not easy to overtake a man like 
 Tyope when fleeing for life. The powerful onslaught of the 
 Tehuas had scattered the Queres in such a manner that 
 friend and foe were intermingled in the forest, and it was 
 not safe for the pursuers to shoot at the fugitives, who were 
 only occasionally visible between tree-trunks and bushes, for 
 the arrow might have struck a friend. 
 
 Tyope ran so fast that he soon left his pursuers far behind 
 him. When he noticed that their shouting sounded more 
 distant, he stopped, crouched under a bush that grew near 
 the foot of a large tree, and listened and peered again. He 
 was breathless from the rapid flight, and his heart throbbed 
 so violently at first that he could not clearly distinguish 
 sound from sound. At last he grew quiet, and now heard 
 
406 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 the din that seemed to fill the entire forest in every direc- 
 tion except the north. It was nearest toward the east and 
 south, and there the fight seemed to concentrate. Above 
 the shouting, yelling, whooping, sounded the piercing war- 
 whistle. There could be no thought of still winning any- 
 thing like success, for the day was irretrievably, disastrously 
 lost. To save as many of the survivors as possible was all 
 that could be done. Tyope would have raved, had it been 
 of any avail. This terrible failure, he saw clearly, ruined his 
 prospects forever. He wished to die, and despair began 
 for the first time in his life to fill his heart. 
 
 The noise of the battle was now approaching rapidly from 
 the east and south. The Tehuas were forcing his men into 
 a confused mass ; it was no longer an action, it was becom- 
 ing a slaughter, a butchery of the vanquished. Tyope felt 
 as if chills and fever were alternately running through him ; 
 his people were without head, for the Hishtanyi Chayan was 
 useless as a leader. He must try to get through, and as it 
 was impossible to force a passage, he determined to steal 
 through at all hazards. 
 
 A number of Tehuas had passed without seeing him, in 
 their eagerness to reach the slaughter-pen into which the 
 timbered plateau above the Canada Ancha was converted. 
 Tyope improved the opportunity to slip from one tree to 
 another, toward where the greatest uproar was heard. Voices 
 sounded quite near, and he cowered down between two 
 cedars. The voices came nearer, and the more he listened 
 the more he became convinced that his own tongue was 
 spoken. He was on the point of rising and going up to 
 the parties who spoke Queres, for they must be friends. 
 He distinctly heard his name. He looked, and looked 
 anxiously, for he preferred to find out who they were ere 
 addressing them. As they came closer he thought he 
 recognized a woman's voice. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. API 
 
 Nearer and nearer came the voices, and at last a group of 
 men stood out between the trees. They were warriors of 
 the Tehuas, and in their midst was a woman. She was 
 speaking to one of them in the language of the Rito, and 
 all around her seemed to be attentively listening. He stared 
 at her, — stared, his eye-balls starting from their sockets, 
 his face colouring and then becoming almost black. Had 
 any one seen Tyope at that moment he must have taken 
 him for some baffled and terrified demon from the nether 
 world. 
 
 He felt neither indignation nor passion. His heart stood 
 still ; so wonderful was the discovery he was making that 
 he was benumbed, body and soul ! For that woman who 
 so confidently stood in the midst of the enemies of her 
 tribe, and who spoke to them with an air of assurance bor- 
 dering upon authority, uttering his own name time and 
 again, was Shotaye ! 
 
 Once more his passion came back, and delirious with 
 rage and frenzied with fiiry he lifted the bow with the ready 
 arrow. But so monstrous was the sight to his eyes that his 
 hand dropped paralyzed, and he was unable to speed the 
 shaft. He stood disarmed, and stared, gaping like a fiend 
 in despair who does not venture to oppose his master. He 
 understood now the connection of events, the unexpected 
 ambush. He saw that it could not have happened other- 
 wise. He saw it clearly, to his shame ! The woman whom 
 he had persecuted for years, and whom he was certain that 
 he should destroy utterly at the end of this campaign, had 
 outwitted him and destroyed his plans and hopes forever. 
 Then let her suffer for it ! He raised his bow, dropped it 
 again and stared. It was not pity that fettered his other- 
 wise ruthless hand ; it was superstitious fear. That Shot- 
 aye could have divined all his secret moves and could have 
 saved herself at the right moment filled him with aston- 
 
408 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 ishment and gradually with invincible dread. She was no 
 common witch ! Such wonderful insight, such clear per- 
 ception of the means to save herself and at the same time 
 destroy him, were not human. Rage and passion disap- 
 peared ; a chill went through his frame and his lower jaw 
 hung down hke that of a corpse, as he stared motionless, 
 powerless to act and unable to move. 
 
 A change came over Tyope, — a change so sudden and so 
 complete that he was henceforth another man. Hope, am- 
 bition, revenge, vanished from his thoughts, and with them 
 all energy left him. The appearance of that woman crushed 
 him utterly. Shotaye appeared to him by the side of the 
 great war shaman of his enemies like some fiend, to be sure, 
 but a fiend of so much higher rank than his own that it was 
 fiitile to cope with her. The Indian believes in evil spirits, 
 but even they are subjected to the power of deities of a 
 higher order beneficial to mankind. As such a shuatyam 
 the woman appeared to Tyope, — as one whom the Shiuana 
 had directed to accomplish his ruin. Those Above, not 
 Shotaye, not the Tehuas, had vanquished him ; and against 
 them it was useless to strive. 
 
 With a ghastly look of terror on his countenance, his eyes 
 staring in uncontrollable fright, Tyope slowly receded. 
 Mentally crushed, shivering and shuddering, he at last 
 turned about and fled. 
 
 The conviction that he was henceforth utterly powerless 
 had seized upon him. Like an utter coward, unmindful of 
 his rank and duties, and bent only upon saving his life, 
 Tyope ran and ran until he found himself in the midst of 
 the slaughter. He had mechanically warded off' some ar- 
 rows which the enemy had shot at his rapidly approaching 
 figure ; but he passed in among friends and foes, heedless of 
 both, until his mad career was stayed by the brink of the 
 Canada Ancha. In the course of the massacre the Queres 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 409 
 
 had succeeded in breaking partly through the enemy, and 
 gathering on the south, thus securing a Hne of retreat, or at 
 least escape from the bloody trap. Tyope had reached 
 that point without knowing well whither he was fleeing. 
 The sight of the ravine at his feet stopped him ; he looked 
 around absent-mindedly at first, then little by little self- 
 control returned. 
 
 A man came up to him. He was covered with blood. 
 A drum was suspended from his shoulder. It was the 
 Hishtanyi Chayan. 
 
 " How is everything? " Tyope gasped. 
 
 "Where have you been? " the shaman asked in a tone 
 of stem reproach. 
 
 " I was cut off and had to hide," Tyope flared up ; the 
 manner of the questioner irritated him, and with his anger 
 a portion of his former energy seemed to return. 
 
 " Do you not know that the war-chief should carry the 
 life of his men upon his own heart, and care for them 
 more than for himself ? That he should pot hunt for scalps 
 in the rear of the enemy, as shutzuna follows a herd of buf- 
 faloes to eat a fallen calf ? " the Chayan hissed. 
 
 " And you," Tyope roared, " do you not know that you 
 should speak the truth to the people ? Not say that the 
 Shiuana are good, that they say it is well, while the kopish- 
 tai and the shuatyam go over to the enemy together to help 
 him ! You are a liar ! You he like a Dinne ; you are fool- 
 ish like a prairie dog when shutzuna plays before him ! " 
 It was Tyope's last effort at passion. He nearly cried from 
 rage as he brandished his war-club in the face of the shaman. 
 The latter remained calm and spoke not a word, merely 
 fastening on the maddened, raving man a cold, stem glance. 
 Heedless of his threats and insults he commanded, — 
 
 " Hush, Tyope, hush ! If the evil ones are about us it is 
 because they have followed along from the Tyuonyi ! Hush, 
 
4IO THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 I say, do your duty at last. At the Tyuonyi, if we ever get 
 there, we shall see further." 
 
 At this moment several Queres burst from the timber. 
 One of them cried to Tyope, — 
 
 " Nashtio, the Moshome are too strong, they are coming 
 to kill you and all of us. We must away into the karitya ! " 
 And with this he leaped from the brink. He had selected 
 a spot where the rim was precipitous for a short distance. 
 Over he went ! A cry of anguish and of helpless despair 
 was heard ; then followed a series of thuds, as though a heavy 
 body were falling from step to step. From the depths be- 
 low a faint moaning arose. Then all was still. The din 
 and noise of the battle was drawing nearer and nearer ; soon 
 more of the Queres rushed out and would in their precipi- 
 tate flight have followed the example of their comrade had 
 not others coming up behind them held them back Re- 
 gardless of the danger, they clustered together on the brink, 
 and gazed at the shattered, mangled, gory mass beneath, 
 which was once the body of one of their companions. The 
 words of the shaman fell upon Tyope like another blow from 
 above. They cowed him. To avoid the gaze which the 
 old man fastened upon him stUl, he turned to fly, no longer 
 a warrior, no longer the commander. He was partly im- 
 becile and absolutely cowed. He trembled, but the shaman 
 seized his arm and restrained him. Pointing to the men 
 he said, — 
 
 " Save these if you can. " 
 
 Tyope obeyed, for he had no longer a will of his own. 
 He cast a vacant glance about, but arrows whistled from 
 the timber ; the Tehuas were coming. Panic-stricken, the 
 Queres ran along the brink to look for a descent. There 
 was no stopping them, no possibility of restoring order; 
 every one looked out for himself Tyope cast a pleading 
 glance at the old man by his side, and the Chayan felt that 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 4II 
 
 he must henceforth do what was yet to be done. Seeing 
 the Queres clambering down into the gorge in wild haste, 
 and that others were still rushing out of the thickets, he 
 caught Tyope by the shoulder and drew him along, saying 
 in a milder tone, — 
 
 " Follow me, sa uishe." He pitied the crest-fallen man. 
 
 Henceforth it was the medicine-man who assumed the 
 lead, Tyope gathering energy enough to act as his lieutenant. 
 The shaman was but a mediocre warrior ; still in this dismal 
 hour he was the only salvation of the remaining. Queres. 
 
 Not one half of their number succeeded in reaching the 
 bottom of the Canada Ancha and taking shelter in the 
 groves of tall pines that dot the vale. It was an anxious 
 time for those who had already found safety behind trees, 
 when they saw the stragglers rush down the rugged slope 
 and tear through the thickets, followed by the Tehuas, who 
 crowded along the brink in greatly superior numbers, yell- 
 ing, shooting arrows, and waving triumphantly the many, 
 many scalps they had taken. A few of their skirmishers 
 descended some distance, but the main pursuit was stayed 
 by strict orders from the Tehua war-chief. As soon as the 
 first group of fugitives, among them Hishtanyi and Tyope, 
 had reached the bottom of the Canada, the shaman arrested 
 their farther flight, prevailing upon them to make a stand. 
 
 Their position was temporarily a good one. No approach 
 was possible without exposing the assailant to arrow- shots, 
 whereas the defenders were thoroughly protected. 
 
 As their numbers increased by accessions from those who 
 had also been able to extricate themselves, their courage 
 returned, and they willingly remained until the time came 
 when the shaman, and Tyope by his command, should di- 
 rect farther retreat. The leaders of the Tehuas saw this 
 and desisted from an attempt at complete extermination. 
 It would have cost them dearly, and would only have in- 
 
412 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 creased the number of their trophies. So the Tehvias 
 remained above the gorge, displaying a threatening front, 
 while in reality the majority of them returned home, and 
 with them Shotaye. 
 
 Great was the exultation of the woman when she saw the 
 triumph of her new friends over her own people. She was 
 proud of this result of her craftiness and her skill. When, 
 the engagement over, she scanned the field, looking at the 
 dead and searching for Tyope among them in vain, her 
 disappointment was fearful. Corpse after corpse she 
 scrutinized, turning over the ghastly bodies, peering into 
 the lifeless features, raising the mutilated heads to see more 
 closely, more distinctly. In vain ; Tyope was not among 
 them, Tyope had escaped. Her revenge was sterile ; it had 
 fallen on the least guilty. She, too, felt that a higher hand 
 must have interfered and made her triumph next to worth- 
 less. As she scanned the bloody, distorted features of the 
 men of her tribe, in the expectation of gloating over those 
 of him against whom she had schemed, she recognized 
 more than one of whose company she had agreeable recol- 
 lections, more than one whom in her cold-blooded, calcu- 
 lating way, she had made her tool for a time. Something 
 like regret arose within her, — regret at her treason. She 
 went back to the Puye with a sting in her heart forever. 
 Outwardly she led a contented life as the consort of Ca- 
 yamo, and the Tehuas looked upon her as a useful accession, 
 if not as one who had at one time become the saviour of 
 their tribe ; but she could never think of the Rito nor hear 
 it mentioned without feeling a pang. It was remorse, but 
 she did not know it. Never again was she seen by any 
 of her former people. 
 
 The position in which the Queres had taken refiige was 
 tenable only for a short time, because the Caiiada Ancha 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 413 
 
 has no permanent water-supply. There were a few pools, 
 however, containing remnants of the rain that had lately 
 fallen. But that was not enough. To abandon the groves, 
 in which they felt comparatively safe in presence of the foe, 
 would have been reckless; so the Queres remained during 
 the whole day, while the Tehuas kept guard over them, 
 observing their movements from the cover of the timber on 
 the mesa. As night set in, the Hishtanyi Chayan ordered 
 a slow, noiseless retreat down the Canada toward the Rio 
 Grande. Tyope passively did what the shaman told him ; 
 he had no longer a will of his own. He who had al- 
 ways judged others from the stand-point of their usefulness 
 to him as his tools, was now reduced mentally to be a blind 
 instrument of the man of whom he expected to rid himself 
 on this very campaign. All of Tyope's authority was gone ; 
 the men did not reproach him, did not scorn ; they simply 
 ignored him, except when he spoke in the name and by 
 direction of the Hishtanyi Chayan. The latter saw more 
 and more the mental downfall of the war-chief, and took 
 pity on him, making him his lieutenant When morning 
 dawned, the little troop halted on the Ziro kauash. They 
 had made a long detour, and now were in dread lest the 
 Tehuas had prepared an ambush near home. Tyope him- 
 self was still further concerned. He who had boldly 
 attempted to carry out the most daring schemes, was afraid 
 of returning to his people, now that these schemes had 
 failed. He feared, like a child, reproach and punishmejit. 
 The spirit of the man was utterly crushed. 
 
 When a war-party returns, it never enters the village di- 
 rectly, but halts at some distance and sends a messenger to 
 inform the people of its approach. The Queres halted on 
 the Ziro kauash, and some of them scoured the woods, but 
 no trace of the enemy appeared. The dreaded ambush 
 had not been laid ; the Tehuas had certainly returned con- 
 
414 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 tent with victory and their trophies. A runner was sent to 
 the Rito, and the men waited and waited. Even the Hish- 
 tanyi Chayan became startled at the long delay. Tyope 
 squatted at the foot of a tree ; he was thinking of the 
 reception that might be in reserve for him. Everything 
 manly and strong had left his heart ; nothing of it remained 
 but a languidly putrid core, whose former fermentation had 
 produced the effervescence that took the shape of energy, 
 shrewdness, and daring. 
 
 At last toward evening a man approached the silent 
 group. He came, accompanied by the runner, and every 
 one recognized the features of Kauaitshe, the delegate from 
 the Water clan. He went straight to Tyope ; and the latter 
 looked at him timidly, almost tremblingly. Kauaitshe's 
 face looked sad and mournful, but not wrathful. He grasped 
 the hand of Tyope, breathed on it, lifted it upward with 
 both his hands, and said in a tone of intense sorrow, — 
 
 "Satyumishe, Those Above are not kind to us." 
 
 A terrible pang flashed through Tyope's heart, for he had 
 experienced how little the Shiuana liked him. 
 
 Kauaitshe continued in a low voice, — artless, but the 
 more impressive for its natural sadness, — 
 
 " While you went to strike the Tehuas with our men, the 
 Moshome Dinne came upon us." 
 
 A shriek of dismay, of terror, issued from every one pres- 
 ent, Tyope excepted. He only groaned, and sinking shriv- 
 elled, pressed down his chest against his knees, as if suffering 
 intense physical pain. He recalled his intrigues with the 
 young Navajo. This last blow to the tribe was his work 
 also. 
 
 In a monotonous voice the messenger of evil tidings 
 proceeded, — 
 
 " My hanutsh is no more. Tanyi hanutsh is dispersed, 
 scattered, fleeing through the timber. Of Mokatsh hanutsh 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 415 
 
 only one girl has remained alive. Of Tyame a- few women, 
 but your wife, satyumishe, is dead ; your child Mitsha the 
 Moshome have carried away, or else she hides in the timber 
 and starves. The great house is empty, and fire comes out 
 from its roof Your people can have the field of Tzitz 
 hanutsh," he added with trembling voice ; " we need it 
 no longer. But your clan has land enough now, for many 
 of the men of Shyuamo have gone over to Shipapu ! " He 
 dropped Tyope's hand, wiped away the tears that were 
 forcing themselves to his eyes, and stood in silence. Not 
 one of the by-standers moved ; the Hishtanyi Chayan lifted 
 his eyes to the sky, Tyope stared vacantly. He seemed to 
 stagger. The delegate from the Water clan grasped his 
 hand again, and said, — 
 
 "Come and see how the Shiuana have visited the 
 Tyuonyi." 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 It is contrary to the custom of the Indians for a war-party 
 to enter their village at once upon returning. For at least 
 one day the warriors must wait at some distance from the 
 pueblo. They are provided with the necessaries of life, and 
 afterward are conducted to the village in triumph. In the 
 present case all these formalities were neglected, but not 
 through spite or disapproval ; the terrible visitation which 
 the Rito had suffered changed everything ; the survivors of 
 the Queres were anxious to have their numbers increased 
 by the returning warriors. 
 
 Mechanically Tyope accompanied his guide. The war- 
 riors followed in sullen silence, the Hishtanyi Chayan alone 
 holding his head erect. The visitation from above aifected 
 him least of all. No one asked about the details of the 
 Navajos' attack, but all feared the moment when their valley 
 homes should come in sight. As they neared the brink of 
 the gorge many lagged behind. 
 
 Tyope was filled with thoughts of the most dismal nature. 
 He felt wretched, crushed, almost distracted ! The news 
 brought by Kauaitshe weighed him down in a manner that 
 allowed neither hope or quietude. His plans had become 
 realized, but how? The loss of his wife he hardly felt, so 
 much the more did he regret Mitsha's disappearance. But 
 far above all this loomed up the terrible consequences, less 
 of the defeat than of the blow which the Navajos, following 
 the instructions he had once given Nacaytzusle, had struck 
 during his absence. He had done most toward bringing 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 417 
 
 about the expedition to the Puye ; therefore he had led the 
 flower of the tribe into perdition. During his absence and 
 that of the majority of its defenders the Navajos had exe- 
 cuted the fatal surprise. He had often been reproached 
 with his intimacy with the young Dinne,' and while the 
 savage remained at the Rito everybody knew that the boy 
 was a favourite of his. What else could the caciques, the 
 leading shamans, infer but that the savage had been able to 
 select his time, and that he, Tyope, had betrayed the tribe 
 to the Dinne ? And the worst of it was, it was true ! He 
 had at one time suggested the plan and had abandoned it 
 afterward as too dangerous. He had suggested it with the 
 view of furthering his personal ends. Now its execution 
 took place when he least expected it, and when the very 
 event which he had prepared for his benefit struck the most 
 crushing blow he could ever have imagined possible for him 
 to have suffered. 
 
 Had Tyope returned from the campaign victorious, it 
 might have been different ; but now the Shiuana bore down 
 upon him with crushing power ; there was no hope nor 
 thought of his ever rising again. The best he could ex- 
 pect was to be set aside forever as a broken, useless 
 unfortunate. 
 
 But the Koshare still remained, and they would not for- 
 sake him in the hour of need. The Nana, if alive, would 
 certainly not permit his utter ruin. The two conspirators 
 had prevailed upon the Hishtanyi so that only a few of the 
 Delight Makers accompanied the war-party. Of these, two 
 or three had escaped. How had the majority fared, — that 
 majority which remained at the Rito for prudence's sake? 
 Tyope dared not ask questions ; he went along mutely as if 
 in a dream. 
 
 The Hishtanyi Chayan stopped Kauaitshe, and asked 
 him, — 
 
 27 
 
41 8 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Have any of my brethren the yaya suffered? " 
 
 Tyope's heart throbbed, and he turned his face away, 
 so fearful was he of the reply. 
 
 " The Shkuy Chayan," replied Kauaitshe, in his simple 
 manner, "is dead. An arrow entered his eye." 
 
 Tyope shivered ; misfortune crowded upon misfortune. 
 He could no longer resist inquiring. Panting, he asked, — 
 
 " Is our father the Naua still alive ? " 
 
 " He lives and mourns. After you were gone with the 
 people, he retired to the place in the cliffs with the 
 Koshare ; and when the Moshome came, nearly all the 
 men were up there." 
 
 Tyope's head was swimming. Everything he had pre- 
 pared for the destruction of others and the security of 
 his own tools had come about as he had schemed, but 
 the results had been fatal to him and his. The Shiuana 
 allowed him to apparently succeed in ever)rthing, but they 
 reserved for themselves the final results. It was terrible ; 
 all was lost ; he was forever undone. 
 
 Still if the Koshare had been at their estufa, they were 
 out of harm's way. 
 
 " Satyumishe," he asked, faltering, "have many of my 
 brethren perished ? " 
 
 "Nearly all," was the plain answer. "When the Dinne 
 came upon us, the Koshare rushed out after bows and 
 arrows ; but the Moshome met them before they could 
 reach the houses, and killed many before they could get 
 into the cave." 
 
 The poor man had to cling to a tree for support ; then 
 he slipped down along its trunk to the ground. 
 
 "I am very tired," he murmured. It was not fatigue, 
 however ; it was the ghastly tidings which were poured on 
 his head, so slowly, so surely, with such deadly effect. 
 Kauaitshe looked at him with genuine pity. The Hish- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 419 
 
 tanyi said nothing; he was in his thoughts with Those 
 Above, and hardly listened to the conversation. Kauaitshe 
 extended his hand to Tyope. 
 
 " We are not far from the brink," said he, kindly ; 
 "come, satyumishe, a few steps only, and you may rest, 
 and I will tell you all, — how the attack came, and how 
 Hayoue saved the Zaashtesh from being all driven into 
 the woods. Hayoue is a mighty warrior ; he is wise and 
 very strong. As soon as our mourning is over, the Hot- 
 shanyi will make him maseua in place of our father To- 
 panashka. The Shiuana have left us Hayoue ; had he 
 gone with you not one of us would be alive." 
 
 Even that ! Hayoue ! Hayoue, whom Tyope had left 
 behind in order to deprive him of all opportunity to dis- 
 tinguish himself ! Hayoue had reaped laurels, whereas he 
 had harvested only shame, disgrace, destruction. Hayoue 
 was a great warrior. He had averted a part at least of 
 the disaster which Tyope had secretly prepared for the 
 tribe. The hand of Those Above weighed heavily upon 
 him ; all he cared for henceforth, all he could hope for, 
 was not to suffer the rightful doom which he had intended 
 for Shotaye. 
 
 That Kauaitshe, the poor simple man whom he so dis- 
 dainfully rebuked at the council, had been selected to 
 communicate to Tyope all this crushing news, the latter 
 did not interpret as an intentional cruelty. The Indian 
 is not malicious. He will insult and exult over the van- 
 quished foe in the heat of passion ; but he will take the 
 scalp and keep it very carefully, respect it, and to a 
 certain extent the memory of the slain. But to sneer at 
 and taunt a fallen adversary in the hour of sadness, and 
 in the condition in which Tyope was, is not the Indian's 
 way. That was not what made Tyope suffer. What over- 
 powered his faculties, darkened his mind, and deprived 
 
420 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 him of energy for all time to come, were the results that 
 crowded upon him so wonderfully, so completely at vari- 
 ance with his own intentions. And yet they were strictly 
 the consequences of what he had schemed and done. 
 Everything he had thought of and planned had taken 
 place, but the results did not coincide with his expecta- 
 tions. Those Above alone could have directed the course 
 of events ; they were against his doings ; he was a doomed 
 man. 
 
 The reader will forgive a digression. We will leave 
 Tyope and his companions on the brink of the Rito, 
 and abandon them for a while to their sombre thoughts; 
 nay, we will leave the Rito even, and transport ourselves 
 to our own day. I desire to relate a story, an Indian 
 folk-lore tale of modem origin, which is authentic in so 
 far that it was told me by an Indian friend years ago at 
 the village of Cochiti, where the descendants of those 
 who once upon a time inhabited the caves on the Rito 
 de los Frijoles now live. My object in rehearsing this 
 tale is to explain something I have neglected ; namely, 
 the real conception underlying the custom of taking the 
 scalp of an enemy. 
 
 The Indian friend of whom I am speaking, and whose 
 home I inhabited for quite a while, came over to the 
 little dingy room I was occupjdng one winter evening. 
 The fire was burning in a chimney not much better than 
 the one Shotaye possessed at the Tyuonyi. He squatted 
 down on his folded blanket, rolled a cigarette, and looked 
 at me wistfully. I felt that he was disposed for a long 
 talk, and returned his glance with one of eager expecta- 
 tion. Casting his eyes to the ground, he asked me, — 
 
 " You know that the Navajos have done us much harm ? " 
 
 " Yes, you and your brother Shtiranyi have told me so." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 42 1 
 
 He curled his lip at the reference to his brother's 
 knowledge, and said sneeringly, — 
 
 " Shtiranyi is young ; he does not know much." 
 
 " Still he told me a great deal about the wars you had 
 with the Moshome Dinne." 
 
 " Did he ever tell you of the hard times the people of 
 Cochiti suffered three generations ago?" 
 
 « Never." 
 
 " He knows nothing of them. He is too young. I," — 
 he assumed an air of solemn importance, — "I will tell 
 you something ; something true, something that you can 
 believe ; for the old men, those from a long time ago, 
 tell it, and what they say is so. The Mexicans never 
 hear of it, and to the Americans we don't tell such 
 things, for they think they are too smart, and laugh at 
 what we say." 
 
 "Is the story really true ? " I inquired, for I saw that 
 something interesting was coming. 
 
 " As true as if I had seen it myself. But I was not born 
 when it happened. Cochiti was larger then, a big village, 
 twice as big as it is to-day. But the Navajos were very 
 powerful. They attacked us in the daytime in the fields. 
 They killed the inen who went to gather firewood, and they 
 stole our cattle. At night they would come to the Zaashtesh 
 and carry off the women and the girls. There lived at the 
 time a young koitza who had recently married, and she hked 
 her husband. One evening after dark this woman went to the 
 corral. There the Moshome seized her, closed her mouth 
 with their hands, dragged her from the village, tied and 
 gagged her, and placed her on a horse ; then they rode off 
 as fast as they could, far, far away to the northwest and the 
 hogans of their people. The young woman cried bitterly, 
 but it availed her nothing ; she had to live with one of the 
 Navajos, had to cook for him and work his corn-patch like 
 
422 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 other women. Soon the koitza saw that it was useless to 
 weep, so she put on a contented look ixi the da)rtime, while 
 at night she was thinking and scheming how she might es- 
 cape from the enemy. Women are sometimes wiser than 
 we are ourselves. Is it not so, sa ukinyi? " 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " It was springtime when she was captured. She suffered 
 summer to pass, worked well, and appeared satisfied. The 
 Moshome began to trust and even to like her. It began to 
 turn cool ; the time came when the piiions are ready for 
 gathering, and the captive thought of flight. One morning 
 she said to a young woman of the Navajos, ' Let us go and 
 gather piiion ! ' Both women went to work and prepared 
 food for several days, then they went out into the timber 
 far away until they came to a place where there were many 
 pinon-trees. There they gathered nuts, and placed them 
 on the blankets ; and as noontime came on, and it became 
 warm, the young Navajo woman grew sleepy. So the koitza 
 from Cochiti said, ' Sister, lay your head on my lap, I will 
 cleanse your hair.' As the other was lying thus and the 
 Queres woman cleansed her head, she fell asleep. There- 
 upon the captive took a large stone, crashed her skull with 
 it, and killed her. Was not that very wise? " 
 
 " Indeed," I uttered, but thought to myself that the ac- 
 tion was not very praiseworthy from our point of view. 
 
 " Then our koitza took a knife, scalped the dead, and 
 concealed the scalp under her skirt. It was now toward 
 evening. All at once the woman heard a voice calling to 
 her, ' Sister ! ' She was frightened, and looked about, but 
 saw nobody. She lay down. Again a voice spoke close to 
 her, ' Sister, stay here no longer, they are uneasy ! ' Noth- 
 ing was to be seen, and the woman began to feel afraid. For 
 the third time the same voice said, ' Do not fear, sister ; it is 
 I, the ahtzeta, which speaks to thee. Go now, for the men 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 423 
 
 are saddling their horses to look for us.' The captive gath- 
 ered hastily as much food as she could carry with ease ; and 
 as the sun went down the scalp spoke again, ' It is time to 
 go, for my people are on their way hither, and it is far to 
 Cochiti.' So she ran and ran all the night long, and al- 
 ways straight toward our pueblo. Toward morning she felt 
 tired, and the scalp spoke, ' Lie down to rest, it is far yet to 
 your people.' She slept, but soon woke again feehng fresh 
 and bright. Then the ahtzeta said to her, ' Let us go now, 
 for soon the Dinne will be where you took me and where I 
 became yours.' On she ran, eating pinons as she went. 
 At noon the scalp was heard to say, ' My men have found 
 the place, and are searching for your tracks. You must go 
 faster.' When the sun set the ahtzeta spoke again, 'Run, 
 sister, they have found the trail and follow it on horseback.' 
 Thus she went all night long, and the nearer she came to 
 Cochiti the more the scalp urged her to quicken her speed, 
 for the Navajos were coming nearer and nearer. You 
 know," asked he, "where the sand-hills are, a little this 
 side of Cuapa?" 
 
 I assented ; that whole track is nothing but sand and 
 drift, but which particular hills he meant I could not of 
 course imagine. Still, the Indian knows every foot of the 
 country, and he supposed that I, having been over the trail 
 two or three times, recollected every detail of it as well as 
 he did himself. 
 
 " You know also that there are junipers right there." 
 
 Such was indeed the case. Not only there, but all over 
 the country. 
 
 " Well, there, about two leagues from Cochiti, the scalp 
 spoke, 'Sister, they are quite near; hide yourself.' The 
 woman looked around, but she saw no other hiding-place 
 except the junipers. You know them, they are to the left 
 of the trail." 
 
424 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 I nodded of course. There are a great many to the left 
 of the trail. 
 
 " Then the scalp told her, ' Crawl into a rabbit-hole under 
 the tree.' You know the hole, don't you ? " 
 
 I said yes to this query also. Around Cochiti there are 
 perhaps hundreds of rabbit-burrows ; and it might have been 
 one of those, although after a full century a rabbit's hole is 
 not supposed to be apparent. The narrator was satisfied, 
 nevertheless, for I had assented. 
 
 " It is well ; but as the woman looked at that hole she 
 was frightened and replied, ' It is too small.' ' Creep into 
 it,' ordered the scalp. ' I cannot even get my head into it,' 
 objected the koitza from Cochiti. ' Creep in quick, they 
 come ! ' the scalp cried. The woman tried, and the open- 
 ing became larger and larger. First she found room for 
 her head, afterward for her shoulders ; lastly her whole body 
 was inside. As soon as she was within, the hole closed 
 again and appeared as small as before. Was not that 
 wonderful ? " 
 
 I thought it was strange indeed, exceedingly wonderful. 
 I could not refrain from asking my friend, — 
 
 " But was it really so? " 
 
 " So the old men are telling, those from many years ago. 
 It must be true. Therefore don't disturb me in my speech, 
 and listen. The Navajos came on. They saw that the 
 tracks stopped. They jumped from their horses, and the 
 woman heard them go about searching, complaining, howl- 
 ing, scolding. At last they mounted their horses again and 
 rode off. When all was quiet the scalp spoke, ' Sister, they 
 have gone ; get out now and let us return to your people.' 
 With this the hole opened ; the woman crept out and ran 
 and ran as fast as she could. When she reached the Canada 
 de la Peralta, the scalp spoke for the last time, saying to her, 
 ' Sister, now you are safe ; henceforth I shall speak no more.' 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 425 
 
 And so it was. On the other side of the ravine stood her 
 own husband. He recognized her at once. They went to- 
 gether to the houses, where she lived for many years." 
 
 He paused and looked at me, scanning my face to see 
 the impression made by his tale. Then he continued, — 
 
 " You see now, sa uishe, how the scalp saved her to whom 
 it belonged. Therefore we take ahtzeta, for as long as the 
 spirit is not at Shipapu it follows him who has taken the 
 scalp, and serves and helps him. And the strength, wisdom, 
 and knowledge of him whose scalp has been taken, here- 
 after belong to the man who took it; they increase his 
 power and make the tribe more powerful." 
 
 The appearance of the Rito from above presented at first 
 sight nothing startUng. From the tall building thin films of 
 smoke arose, but no flames were visible. The house of the 
 Com clan seemed inhabited, for people stood on its roof. 
 As the returning warriors grouped themselves on the brink 
 to look down into the valley, those below stood still, gaz- 
 ing at them. Then they broke out into a plaintive waU ; 
 the women tore their hair, shrieked, screamed, and wept. 
 The men above gazed and listened in silence. Very few 
 men were seen in the vale. The tribe of the Queres 
 seemed divided into two parties, the women lamenting 
 below, the men, like dark, blood-stained statues, standing 
 high above them, posted on yellowish rocks among the 
 shrubbery. 
 
 Kauaitshe told Tyope to rest, and he willingly complied. 
 His figure appeared less conspicuous when he sat down. 
 Around the two the others gathered, except the Hishtanyi, 
 who was slowly descending the slope alone, eager to hear 
 the story of the people's misfortunes. Kauaitshe began, — 
 
 " It was yesterday, and the sun had not yet come up." He 
 heaved a deep sigh. " All the Koshare were in the estufa 
 
426 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 over there," he pointed at the cliffs to his right; "the 
 makatza and our koitza were grinding corn ; many also had 
 gone to the brook to wash away sadness and grief. Most 
 of them, mainly those of Tanyi, Huashpa, and our women, 
 bathed higher up beyond the fields; some farther down. 
 Shotaye was not among them; nobody knows what has 
 become of her." 
 
 Tyope twitched nervously. He knew where the woman 
 had gone. 
 
 "Hayoue," the man from Tzitz proceeded, "was the 
 only one who carried weapons. He had gone out very 
 early with Okoya, the youth from Tanyi who is his brother's 
 child. They had started while it was yet night, following 
 the tshinaya up to the top of the rocks. As soon as it 
 became light they noticed tracks and heard sounds that 
 told them that there were Moshome about. They went 
 around by the south, and as it began to dawn they stood 
 there ; " he pointed to a spot on the southern mesa directly 
 opposite the big house and facing the latter. " That saved 
 us," he cried ; " if Hayoue had not stood there to watch, we 
 should all have died ! " 
 
 Tyope could not help contrasting the watchfulness of 
 Hayoue with his own supercilious negligence. Yes indeed, 
 it was all over with him; he was good for nothing any 
 more. 
 
 " I was in the katityam," Kauaitshe went on, " when I 
 heard the yells of the savages in the com below. They had 
 concealed themselves there over night, and as soon as the 
 people came forth from their homes unarmed^ not thinking 
 of any danger, they rushed upon them and into the big 
 house. I grasped uishtyak and the club, and ran for the 
 stream. There everybody was screaming ; some were run- 
 ning this way, others fled that way, but none could get back 
 to the cliffs, none into the houses, for the Moshome stood 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 427 
 
 between them and their homes. They fled toward the 
 south into the kote as a mountain sheep runs from the 
 panther. But as tyame shoots down upon a hind, so 
 the enemies flew after them, scattering them in every direc- 
 tion. All this happened so quickly, brother, that I was not 
 half way down when it was over, and a few of the Dinne 
 rushed up to kill me. They were going to the caves to 
 slaughter the people. I ran back and hid myself, and as 
 they came up I shot at one of them so that he died. The 
 Cuirana Naua killed another; the others ran away. We 
 took their ahtzeta and kept guard over the caves, but for 
 what? There was nobody left of Tzitz hanutsh except a 
 few old women and Ciay Tihua, the little boy. Go down 
 we could not, for below was such a noise, — such fighting, 
 struggling, shouting, and wailing ! The Moshome tore the 
 firebrands from the hearths, set fire to the beams, dragged 
 the cloth and the hides into the court-yard and burned 
 them there. Fire came out of the big house, and great was 
 the smoke and black ! In the smoke we could see how 
 the shuatyam were dancing on the roofs, and how they 
 threw the dead down upon the ground so that their bodies 
 rattled and the blood spurted and spattered everywhere. 
 Satyumishe, it was sad, very sad ; but I could not help, nor 
 could the Naua, for we were alone. Still I have one scalp," 
 he added with simple satisfaction. "Hayoue has many, 
 many ! How many have you brought home ? " 
 
 Tyope cast his eyes to the ground. 
 
 " None," he breathed ; he could not conceal his contri- 
 tion and shame. Kauaitshe made no remark. . He was not 
 malicious. 
 
 "From the great house they ran into that of Tyame 
 hanutsh. There they killed your wife." 
 
 "And Mitsha, my daughter? " Tyope asked at last. 
 
 " Mitsha was at the brook, and fled with the others. Na- 
 
428 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 caytzusle, the fiend, was after her to catch her, but he caught 
 her not. Hayoue told us afterward that Okoya Tihua killed 
 the savage just as he had overtaken the girl. Okoya is strong 
 and good ; he will become a great warrior, like sa umo the 
 maseua. That is, if he still live." 
 
 At last a ray of light seemed to penetrate the darkness 
 that shrouded Tyope's heart. Nacaytzusle was dead ! The 
 dangerous accomplice, the only one who might have told 
 about Tyope's attempted conspiracy with the Navajos, was 
 forever silenced. He felt relieved also to think that Mitsha 
 had not become a prey to the savage, and it pleased him to 
 hear Okoya praised. If the youth had still been at the Rito 
 he might have become a support for him. 
 
 "Where is Okoya?" he anxiously inquired. 
 
 " In the mountains or dead," was the reply. " When the 
 women fled up to the mesa, Hayoue and Okoya ran to meet 
 them. But the Moshome were too many, and the two be- 
 came separated. Okoya killed the shuatyam, the Navajo 
 boy. He went close to him and struck him with his club 
 till he died. So Hayoue says. Hayoue remained behind ; 
 he kept back the Dinne and then came down through the 
 enemy — how I do not know — and protected the kati- 
 tyam, helping the Koshare. All the Moshome who entered 
 the house of the Eagles — twelve of them — were killed in- 
 side ; their scalps are with us. And when the others saw it 
 they ran out of the big house ; but Hayoue and the men fol- 
 lowed and killed nine ere they could hide on the Kauash." 
 
 " So you have taken many ahtzeta ? " one of the bystanders 
 asked. 
 
 Kauaitshe began to count, " Eleven — two — twelve — 
 nine; thirty-four," he concluded, adding, "without those 
 that Okoya may have if he be alive." 
 
 An exclamation of admiration and a grunt of satisfaction 
 sounded from the lips of those present. But they became 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. ^2g 
 
 silent and sad again at once, for they, the warriors, had only 
 eight or nine all told. 
 
 Kauaitshe's pride and exultation could not last long. He 
 bethought himself of the losses, and continued in a tone of 
 sadness, — 
 
 " But we have lost many, many. Nearly one hundred of 
 our people have gone over to Shipapu, and twice as many 
 are now in the woods, hungry and forlorn, or the Moshome 
 have taken them with them. Luckily, they are mostly 
 women. Hardly more than twenty of the men can have 
 died, for it may be that Okoya is still alive. Of these, 
 sixteen were Koshare ; and the Shkuy Chayan is no 
 more." He cast a glance of sincere pity at Tyope. The 
 latter said nothing, and all the others stared in mournful 
 silence. 
 
 The lamentations below had gone on uninterruptedly. 
 Corpses might be seen lying on the roofs, others partly 
 hanging down over the walls. Two men were carrying a 
 dead body toward the caves of the Turquoise people. In 
 the distance a group was seen dragging another corpse up 
 the gorge. Below the house of Yakka hanutsh there stood 
 a group of men, their faces turned toward the brink of the 
 mesa. 
 
 The nashtio of the Water clan rose, and pointed at the 
 group. 
 
 "There stand Hayoue, the Shikama Chayan, the three 
 Yaya, the Hotshanyi, Shaykatze, and Uishtyaka ; and see, the 
 Hishtanyi Chayan is down on the Tyuonyi already, and goes 
 up to them. Let us go now, and " — he turned to Tyope — 
 " you, brother, tell us what you have achieved and how you 
 all have fared. We cannot receive you as it behooves us ; 
 there is too much mourning on the Tyuonyi. The Shiuana 
 have punished us so that we cannot be merry and glad. 
 Therefore I have been sent to receive you, for the men are 
 
43° THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 few in the vale and " — he looked around as if counting the 
 bystanders — " of those that went out to avenge the death 
 of our father not many have come back either." 
 
 In dreary silence they began to move downward. Not a 
 shout, not a whoop, heralded their coming ; not a scalp was 
 waved on high in triumph. In dead silence those below 
 watched the sombre forms as they descended slowly, clam- 
 bering over rocks, rustling through bushes, and coming 
 nearer and nearer. From the caves issued plaintive wails ; 
 from the big house moans and subdued crying ascended, — 
 the lament over the dead on the Rito. 
 
 More than a week has elapsed since the return of the dis- 
 comfited war-party to their desolate and ravished homes. 
 It is August, and the rains have fallen abundantly. What 
 little was left of the growing crops, what the torrent has not 
 destroyed and the Navajos did not lay waste, looks promis- 
 ing. But this remainder is slight, and there is anxiety lest 
 the surviving inhabitants may starve in the dreary winter. 
 The formalities of mourning have therefore been performed 
 hastily and superficially. The remaining Koshare have 
 retired into the round grotto, there to fast and to pray for 
 the safe maturity of the scanty crops. But Tyope is not 
 among them. His accomplice, the Nana, has forsaken him. 
 He, too, has become convinced that everything is lost for 
 them, and he has thrown away Tyope like a blunt and use- 
 less tool. Hereafter the Naua attends strictly to his ofi&cial 
 duties, and to nothing beyond his duties. For the Shkuy 
 Chayan is dead, the Shikama Chayan has no love for him, 
 and the old Hishtan3d, who has seen more of the real nature 
 of events than any on the Rito, went over to the cave of the 
 old sinner and spake to him a few words. The " old sinner " 
 comprehended ; he has gone back to his duties and attends 
 to them exclusively. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 43 1 
 
 Afterward the Chayan called upon the chief penitent, or 
 Hotshanyi, and spoke to him long and earnestly ; after him 
 to the shaykatze and the uishtyaka; lastly with all three 
 yaya together. Then the yaya went into retirement, all three 
 in the same place. They are fasting, doing penance, merci- 
 lessly mortifying themselves,' in order that Those Above may 
 forgive the tribe and suffer it to prosper again. 
 
 All this has taken place in silence and secret, and noth- 
 ing has come to the surface. The only thing that has be- 
 come public is a general council, not merely of the delegates 
 of clans with the yaya, but of the tribe. Hayoue assisted, 
 with Zashue his brother. Tyope was present also, but he 
 said nothing, and nobody requested him to speak. He was 
 not outlawed ; no punishment was dealt to him ; he was 
 simply suffered to remain on that lower level to which he 
 had naturally dropped. 
 
 The principal question agitating the council was the nomi- 
 nation of a maseua, or head war-chief. The caciques inti- 
 mated that Hayoue would be their choice, and all concurred 
 in the selection. But Hayoue positively declined, insisting 
 that lis clan had virtually ceased to exist on the Rito, and 
 that it was his duty to follow his people in their distress. 
 Zashue also spoke to the same effect. His wife Say Koitza 
 and his children had disappeared, even to the little girl, 
 whose brains were still clinging to the walls of the big house, 
 against which the enemy had dashed her head. However 
 much the people insisted, Hayoue remained firm in his re- 
 solve to go after the fugitives and to save them if possible. 
 Most of the people thought them lost, dead, or captives ; 
 but both young men were of the opinion that there were 
 too many of them, and that at least some must have es- 
 caped. It was consequently the duty of the two youngest 
 survivors to trace them if possible. 
 
 The Hishtanyi Chayan was the first to accede to Hayoue's 
 
432 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 demands, but conditionally. He insisted that when their 
 duties were fulfilled Hayoue and his brother should return 
 to the Rito with the rescued. But Hayoue refused to con- 
 sent even to this. The grounds given by him were obvious, 
 though hard to listen to. In case they found a few, he 
 promised to return ; but should there be many yet alive he 
 was determined upon founding a new settlement. He re- 
 proached the council bitterly for having allowed the lack 
 of arable soil to have been taken as a pretext for de- 
 priving his own small clan of its allotment in order to give 
 it to a larger one. That small clan should not come back 
 and again be in the way of the others. " Tzitz hanutsh," 
 said he in closing, alluding to his own performances, " has 
 saved the tribe ; it has done its duty. Now we will go and 
 see whether our brethren and sisters are still alive ; and in 
 case we find them, seek for another spot where there will be 
 sufficient room for all." 
 
 Every one present did not understand these words ; but 
 the members of the council knew to what the young man 
 was alluding, and they bowed their heads in shame. Even 
 the Hishtanyi Chayan felt the reproach, for he knew that it 
 was partly his fault, since had he followed the hint dropped 
 by Topanashka, and his own first impressions, all might have 
 taken a different turn. He did not therefore insist any 
 longer, and did not even think it advisable to invoke the 
 will of Those Above in aid of his personal desire. His si- 
 lence determined the people of the Rito, for they took it 
 for granted that the higher powers approved of Hayoue's 
 resolution to leave. 
 
 It may seem strange that the Chayan did not insist upon 
 consulting the Shiuana first, for Hayoue would have been 
 compelled to abide by their final decision. Here the ques- 
 tion arises how far the Indian shaman is sincere in his 
 oracular utterances, — how much of his decisions is hon- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 433 
 
 est error, and how much of his ofiScial acts may be decep- 
 tion or mere jugglery. 
 
 In most cases of importance the shaman is honest. He 
 really believes that what he says is the echo from a higher 
 world. This firm belief is the fruit of training; and the 
 voices he hears, the sights he sees when alone with Those 
 Above are the products of honest hallucination. His train- 
 ing and the long and painful discipline he undergoes in ris- 
 ing from degree of knowledge to degree of knowledge, the 
 constant privations and bodily and mental tortures, prepare 
 him for a dreamy state in which he becomes thoroughly con- 
 vinced that he really is a medium. As such he speaks in 
 councU, and he is most thoroughly satisfied that what he 
 says is the truth. Of course there are among them some 
 who are rogues, who profit by the creduhty of others, and 
 who even invent tricks in order to fasten their authority 
 upon the people in an illegitimate manner. These tricks 
 themselves are not performed in the majority of cases as 
 conscious sleight of hand. They may have been such at their 
 inception, but their origin has been forgotten by subsequent 
 generations, and nothing has remained but the bare won- 
 derful, inexplicable fact of their performance. Thus they 
 have become in course of time hallowed ; and the shaman 
 who causes lightning to flash through a dark room, or com 
 to grow and mature in the course of one day, honestly be- 
 lieves in the supernatural origin of the trick. Such men are 
 often very punctilious, and while they will go to the direst 
 extremity in what they regard as their duties and privileges, 
 will with equal scruple avoid going a single step beyond. 
 Imbued with an idea that they are the mouth-pieces or 
 Those Above, they listen anxiously to everything that is 
 striking and strange, and attribute to inspiration forcible 
 arguments as well as their own speeches and actions. So 
 it was with the Hishtanyi Chayan. The refiisal of Hayoue 
 
 28 
 
434 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 to accept an honourable charge struck him as being an ex- 
 pression of the will of the Shiuana, against which it was his 
 duty not to protest. When the young man brought forward 
 such strong arguments he was still further confirmed in his 
 belief, and bowed to the inevitable in respectful silence. 
 
 At the close of the council the Koshare retired to the 
 estufa, the caciques followed their example, and the Cha- 
 yan came next. But before he withdrew into privacy, 
 the great medicine-man had a long talk with Hayoue, 
 his object being to strengthen the tie which united the 
 young man with the people of the Rito, and to engage him 
 not to forsake altogether the abode of the spirits of his 
 tribe. Hayoue made no definite promise beyond what he 
 had already pledged himself to at the general meeting. 
 
 Hayoue and Zashue had taken leave of the invisible 
 ones as well as of the inhabitants of the Tyuonyi, and 
 ascended to the brink of the southern mesa above the 
 Rito. Here they turned around to look back upon the 
 home to which neither of them was any longer strongly 
 attached. The sun was setting, and they wished to im- 
 prove the night, for fear that Navajos might still be prowl- 
 ing about on the mesas. At the bottom of the gorge 
 there was little life, compared with the bustle that pre- 
 vailed in former days. On the plateau the evening breeze 
 fanned the trees ; in the east, distant lightning played about 
 sombre clouds. 
 
 " The corn-plant is good," Zashue remarked to his 
 brother; "the Zaashtesh will not starve this winter. We 
 have called loudly to Those Above." 
 
 " It is well," said the other in a tone of authority, which 
 since his achievements he was wont to assume toward his 
 elder brother ; " when the Koshare perform their duty 
 they are precious to the people." 
 
 "Without the Cuirana," the elder repUed, "the sprout- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 43S 
 
 ing com cannot grow." Zashue had conceived a very 
 high opinion of Hayoue, and his weaker mind gladly 
 leaned upon the strong will of the youth. Hayoue started ; 
 it was as if a sudden thought struck him. "Look, see 
 how good the Shiuana are ! We are leaving the Tyuonyi ; 
 and behold, if we find our people there can be no lack 
 of food wherever we dwell. I am Cuirana, you are Ko- 
 share. I pray and fast for the growing com, you do the 
 same for the ripening of the grain. It will be well." 
 
 " If Shyuote is alive he will help me." Zashue uttered 
 these words timidly. 
 
 " Okoya will help me ; " Hayoue spoke with great 
 assurance. " In that case we shall be four already. How 
 often have I told you, satyumishe, that Okoya is good. 
 He is a man; I saw it when he struck Nacaytzusle, the 
 young Moshome." 
 
 The elder brother said nothing. He acknowledged the 
 wrong he had done his eldest child. In case Say Koitza, 
 in case Shyuote were still alive, it would be owing to that 
 elder son of his. And his wife, Say Koitza, he longed 
 for now as never before. For her sake he had left every- 
 thing, — his home, his field. Willingly he abandoned his 
 whole past in order to find her. He regretted all that 
 he had done in that past, — his suspicions, his neglect, his 
 carelessness to her. The fearful visitations of the latter 
 days had changed him completely. 
 
 All these thoughts he gathered in one exclamation, — 
 
 " If we only find them ! " 
 
 "Let us go and search," said Hayoue, turning to go. 
 His brother followed him into the woods. 
 
 Henceforth we shall have to follow the two adventurers, 
 for a while at least. Therefore we also must take leave 
 of the Rito de los Frijoles. Of its inhabitants nothing 
 striking can hereafter be told. They lived and died in 
 
436 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 the seclusion of their valley gorge, and neither the Tehuas 
 nor the Navajos molested them in the years following. 
 Tyope continued to vegetate, anxiously taking care to 
 give no occasion for recalling his former conduct. The 
 Nana soon died. The subsequent fate of the tribe is 
 faintly deUneated by dim historical traditions, stating that 
 they gradually emigrated from the Rito in various bands, 
 which little by little, in course of time, built the villages 
 inhabited by the Queres Indians of to-day. Long before 
 the advent of the Spaniards, in the sixteenth century of 
 our era, the Rito was deserted and forgotten. The big 
 nouse, the houses of the Eagles and of the Com clan, 
 are now reduced to mere heaps of rubbish, overgrown 
 by cactus and bunches of low grass. Most of the cave- 
 dwellings have crumbled also. But the Rito always re- 
 mains a beautiful spot, lovely in its solitude, picturesque 
 and grand. About its ruins there hovers a charm which 
 binds man to the place where untold centuries ago man 
 lived, loved, suffered, and died as present generations live, 
 suffer, and die in the course of human history. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Sunshine and showers ! A dingy blue sky is traversed by 
 white, fleecy, clouds, long mares' tails, on whose border 
 giant thunder-clouds loom up, sometimes drifting majes- 
 tically along the horizon, or crowding upward to spread, 
 dissolve, and disappear in the zenith. 
 
 It is the rainy season in New Mexico, with its sporadic 
 showers, its peculiar sunlight, moments of scorching heat, 
 and blasts of cool winds, with thunder overhead. To 
 the right and left rain falls in streaks, but without sultri- 
 ness, and with no danger from violent wind- storms or 
 cyclones. We are in the beginning of the month of 
 September. It is warm, but not oppressive, and the spot 
 from which we view the scenery around is high, open, 
 and commands a wide extent of country. 
 
 We stand on a barren plateau. Lava-blocks are scat- 
 tered about in confusion, while tall arborescent cacti rise 
 between them like skeletons, and bunches of grass point 
 upward here and there. North of us the mesa, expands 
 in monotonous risings and swellings to the foot of a tall, 
 exceedingly graceful cone, whose slopes are dotted with 
 bushes of cedar and juniper. Beyond it are dark humps, 
 denoting by their shape that they are extinct craters. 
 In the distance, west of that beautiful cone, which to-day 
 is called, and very appropriately, the Tetilla, the sinuous 
 profile of a mountain-chain just peeps over the bleak 
 line formed by the mesa and its various corrugations. 
 Nestling within its bosom rests the Rito de los Frijoles. 
 
438 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 In the south, dense thunder-clouds overhang massive 
 peaks. Only the base of the Sierra de Sandia, of the 
 Old Placeres, and the numerous ranges beyond, is visible, 
 for a heavy shower falls in that direction. In the east 
 a plain sweeps into view, dotted by black specks looming 
 up from a reddish soil. This plain rises gently to the 
 eastward, and abuts against a tall mountain-range whose 
 summits also are shrouded in massive clouds. 
 
 We stand on the bleak and wide mesa that interposes 
 itself between the town of Santa F6 and the valley of the 
 Rio Grande. Not a living object, with the exception of 
 wasps and beetles, can be seen; everything appears duU 
 and dead. The thunder roars in the distance. 
 
 And yet there is life of a higher order. Two ravens 
 stalk about in an earnest, dignified manner. The birds 
 look exceedingly and comically serious. Their plumage 
 glistens in the subdued light of the sun. They look out 
 for themselves, and care nothing for the remainder of 
 creation. So deeply are they imbued with a sentiment 
 of their own exceptional position in the realm of nature, 
 that they pay no attention to another phase of life that 
 shows itself near by, though not conspicuously. 
 
 Over the surface of the mesa are seen here and there 
 almost imperceptible elevations destitute of vegetation. 
 In these slight swellings, apertures are visible. Out of 
 the latter the head of a small animal occasionally pro- 
 trudes, disappears again, or rises displaying a pair of 
 shovel-like front teeth. Then a worm-like body pushes 
 up from below, and a yellowish figure, half squirrel, half 
 marmot, stands erect on the hillock, and utters a sharp, 
 squealing bark. This barking is answered from a neigh- 
 bouring protuberance. From each hillock one of these 
 little animals crawls down ; and meeting one another half- 
 way, they stand up facing each other, scratch and bite 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 439 
 
 for a moment, then separate and return to their re- 
 spective cave-dwellings. Other similar creatures wriggle 
 about in the vicinity; the shrill barking sounds far and 
 near. A colony of so-called prairie dogs dwells in the 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 To this exhibition of animal life the ravens pay no 
 attention whatever. It is beneath their notice ; their aims 
 are of a higher order than those of beings who live upon 
 roots and who burrow for their abode. They live on 
 prey that is far above the simple products of animal 
 industry. Carrion is what they aspire to. Therefore they 
 aspire with a lofty mien, prying and peering in every 
 direction for something fallen. They are not far from 
 the eastern brink of the mesa, where the volcanic flow 
 breaks off suddenly in short, abrupt palisades. Who knows 
 what their keen eyes may have espied along that brink? 
 
 Another actor appears upon the scene, a prairie wolf, 
 or coyote ; consequently a rival, a competitor of the 
 ravens ; for he is in the same business. But he belongs 
 to a higher order ; for while the ravens are scavengers, 
 the coyote is a hunter as well. He would even prey 
 upon the birds themselves. As he approaches, with tail 
 drooping and ears erect, and stops to sniff the air and 
 glance about slyly, the ravens hop off sidewise away from 
 the dangerous neighbour. Still they are loath to go, for 
 the wolf may discover something the leavings of which 
 they may perhaps enjoy. But the coyote lies down, 
 with his head between his forepaws, and in this attitude 
 pushes his body forward, almost imperceptibly. Such 
 tnotions are very suspicious; the scavengers flap their 
 wings, rise into the air, and soar away to some more 
 secure spot. 
 
 T^e ccyote, however, seems in no wise disappointed ■ at 
 the ^' S.rture of the ravens. He pays no attention to 
 
440 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 their flight, but moves on toward the lava-blocks that 
 Indicate the rim of the plateau. There he has noticed 
 something; an object that lies motionless like a corpse. 
 It may be a corpse, and therefore something to prey 
 upon. Nearer the coyote glides. The object is long 
 or elongated. Its colour is lighter than that of the lava- 
 blocks surrounding it, but its farther end is dark. Now 
 that end moves, and the head of an Indian, a village 
 Indian of New Mexico, looms up above the boulders. 
 The coyote has seen enough, for the man is alive, and 
 not carrion. Away the beast trots, with drooping tail 
 and ears. 
 
 The Indian, who has been lying there with his face 
 turned to the east, rises to his knees and faces about. 
 His features are those of a man on the threshold of 
 mature age. We know this man ! We have seen him 
 before ! And yet it cannot be, for how thin, how wan, 
 how hollow the cheeks, how sunken the eyes ! The face, 
 notwithstanding the red paint, appears sallow. Still it 
 is an old acquaintance, although since we saw him last 
 he has sadly changed. Now he turns his face to the 
 south, and we catch a glimpse of his profile. It is Zashue 
 Tihua, the Indian from the Rito de los Frijoles, husband 
 of Say Koitza, and father to Okoya and Shyuote. 
 
 What is he doing here? It is now more than three 
 weeks since he and his brother Hayoue took leave of the 
 Tyuonyi in order to search for their lost people. They 
 went forth into that limited, yet for the Indian immensely 
 vast, world to-day called central New Mexico. In a month 
 a travelling Indian may easily be hundreds of miles away if 
 unimpeded in his march. But we find him here, barely a 
 day's journey from the Rito. A strong man cannot have 
 spent all this time in going such a litde distance. He must 
 have wandered far, strayed back and forth, up and down, 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 44I 
 
 perhaps into the western mountains, where the Navajos 
 lurk, — the bad men who frightened his wife and children 
 away from their homes, or who perhaps captured or killed 
 them. Or he may have gone to the south, where the black 
 cloud is hanging, and where it thunders, and the rain-streaks 
 hang like long black veils of mourning. He has perchance 
 tramped down the Rio Grande valley, through sand, by 
 groves of poplar-trees, and where the sand-storms howl and 
 wail. Now he comes back, unrequited for all his labour 
 and sufferings, for those whom he sought are not with 
 him ! 
 
 His gaze was not directed to the north when the wolf 
 espied him, but to the east. He may be on the homeward 
 stretch, but he has not given up all hope. His eyes look 
 for those whom he has lost; he is loath to give up the 
 search, loath to return alone to the home which the enemy 
 has soiled with the lifeblood of his youngest child. He is 
 changed in appearance, lean, and with hollow burning eyes 
 he gazes at the clouds as if there he might find his missing 
 wife and children. 
 
 As he kneels and gazes, another Indian rises from amidst 
 the shaggy blocks of lava a short distance oflf, stands up, and 
 then sits down upon a rock. He turns his head to the 
 east. He too is gaunt and thin, his features are pale, and 
 his eyes lie deep in their sockets. On his back hangs a 
 shield ; but it is soiled, beaten, and perforated. To his arm 
 is fastened a war-club, and the quiver on his back is half- 
 filled with newly made arrows. As this Indian turns his 
 face to the north we recognize him also. It is Hayoue, 
 Hayoue as emaciated and careworn as his brother Zashue. 
 They are alone. Neither has found anything yet. 
 
 Zashue rises to go where his brother is sitting. As the 
 latter perceives him he points with his arm to the east. 
 There at the farthest end of the plain, at the foot of the 
 
442 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 high cloud-veiled mountains, a long row of foot-hills recedes 
 in an angle. To this angle Hayoue is pointing. An un- 
 trained eye would have seen nothing but cedar-clad hills 
 and the lower end of slopes dark and frowning, above which . 
 seething clouds occasionally disclose higher folds of moun- 
 tains whose tops are shrouded in mist. But Zashue has no 
 untrained eye ; he gazes and gazes ; at last he turns around 
 to his brother with an approving nod and says, — 
 
 " Fire." 
 
 "Puyatye Zaashtesh," Hayoue replies; and each looks at 
 the other inquiringly. 
 
 Where we might have seen but the usual dim haze veil- 
 ing distant objects, they have discovered a bluish tint cap- 
 ping the hills like a pale streak. It denotes the presence 
 of smoke, therefore fire. Not a burning forest, for there is 
 no high timber on that range of foot-hills, but smoke arising 
 from a place where people are dwelling. The roaming 
 mountain Indians, the Apaches or Navajos, settle nowhere 
 permanently. The smoke has not been produced by their 
 straggling camp-fires ; it indicates the location of a perma- 
 nent village. Those village Indians that dwell east of the 
 Rio Grande are Tanos, and the Queres call them Puyatye. 
 There must be a Tano village in that comer far away where 
 the bluish film hovers. Hayoue is right, a Puyatye Zaashtesh 
 stands where to-day lies the capital of New Mexico, — the 
 old Spanish settlement of Santa Yk. 
 
 The brothers cast their eyes to the ground ; both seem 
 to be in doubt, Zashue is the first to speak. 
 
 " Do you suppose that our people might be at that 
 Zaashtesh?" 
 
 Hayoue shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " It may be, I don't know." 
 
 " Will it be safe for us to go to the Puyatye ? " the other 
 inquired doubtfully. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 443 
 
 The younger sighs and answers, — ■ 
 
 " They have never done wrong to us." 
 
 " Still they speak the tongue of the people of Karo." 
 
 " It is true, but they live nearer to us." 
 
 " But they are Tehuas too, like the people of the north, 
 and — " 
 
 Hayoue interrupts him, saying, — 
 
 " Our folk have gone to them as often as they wished 
 buffalo-hides, and the Puyatye have received them well, giv- 
 ing them what was right. Why should they now be hard 
 toward us?" 
 
 " Still if the Tehuas have gone to see them, saying, ' The 
 Queres from the Tyuonyi came to strike us like Moshome 
 over night; look and see that they do not hurt you also,' 
 and now we come with shield, bow, and arrow, what can the 
 Puyatye think other than that we are Moshome Queres?" 
 
 Hayoue feels the weight of this observation ; he casts his 
 eye to the ground and remains silent. Zashue continues, — 
 
 " It is true that the Moshome Dinne cannot have killed 
 all our people. This we found out on the Ratye," point- 
 ing to the Sierra de San Miguel ; " ere I killed the old man 
 to take ahtzeta from him, he lifted all of his fingers four 
 times and pointed over here. Do you not think, satyu- 
 mishe, that he meant to tell me thereby that forty of our 
 people escaped and fled to Hanyi?" 
 
 " I do ; and that is the reason why I believe we shall find 
 them in Hashyuko," — the eastern corner, the Queres name 
 for the place where Santa Fd stands, — replied the other, very 
 positively. " Behold, satyumishe, we have searched every- 
 where we could, have followed every trail we could follow. 
 Nearly all the tracks were those of our people, of that I am 
 sure, and how far have we not gone after them ? Ten days 
 at least we were in the mountains on the tracks of the 
 Moshome Dinne. We fought them and took ahtzeta. At 
 
444 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 last we learned that many of our women and children had 
 been taken by those shuatyam and that we never any more 
 could obtain them, also that Okoya was probably not still 
 alive. Then we went south and saw tracks, — small tracks 
 of children, larger ones of women, and a few that were those 
 of men. We went toward Cuame until we could not see 
 the tracks because it had rained, and the rain had washed 
 them away. To go farther was useless, for whither should 
 we go?" 
 
 " There are other Zaashtesh farther down the Rio Grande, 
 so the Naua told me," replied Zashue ; " but these dwell far, 
 far away," — he waved his hand to the south, — "where it 
 is very warm and where there are a great many Moshome." 
 
 "Those are too far off," Hayoue said, shaking his head; 
 " our people did not go so far without resting. We must 
 have overtaken them, for we rested not." 
 
 The elder brother nodded ; he was fiilly conscious that 
 they had never rested on the journey. He felt it now. 
 
 "Therefore, brother," Hayoue went on, "I believe that 
 those whom we look for are there," pointing to the east. 
 " In the Sierra del Valle are only those whom the Moshome 
 have captured ; the others must have turned back along the 
 river, crossing it to go to the Puyatye; for there are no 
 Moshome over here, and if the Puyatye speak like the Te- 
 huas, their hearts are different and more like ours. I think 
 we should go to the Zaashtesh yonder, at the foot of the big 
 kote where the snow is hanging. If we do not find them 
 there, then I think we should go farther, as far as where the 
 buffaloes are feeding. There are villages there, too, I have 
 been told, and there our people will be. If we once know 
 which of them are alive and free, we shall also know those 
 who are among the Moshome, and can see what to do for 
 them." 
 
 " It strikes me," Zashue still objected, " that if the koitza 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 445 
 
 and the little ones were on this side of the river we must 
 have seen their tracks." 
 
 "But it rains, brother," Hayoue replied, looking up at 
 the sky. " The Shiuana send us rain every night and often 
 during the day, and it washes away the footprints. Besides, 
 we have merely followed the river thus far, and our people 
 may have turned inland. There is so much sand on the 
 banks that the rain destroys all foot-marks." 
 
 Zashue looked up ; a thought had struck him like a flash. 
 
 " Have you seen the ravine below here ? " He pointed to 
 the south. " How would it do for us to look there ? The 
 ravine comes from the river." 
 
 "You are right," Hayoue assented, rising and moving 
 slowly on. The strong young man was tired, almost ex- 
 hausted from endless roaming, searching, sp)dng, and from 
 hunger and thirst combined. Zashue took a more south- 
 easterly direction, so that both struck the brink of the ravine 
 at some distance apart. 
 
 From the brink they looked down into a deep cleft, at the 
 bottom of which the little Rio d'e Santa F6 winds its course 
 toward the Rio Grande. This cleft is the gorge which to- 
 day is called Canon de las Bocas. South of it the plateaus 
 continue with barren undulations and whitish hills. They 
 rise gradually to the base of a sombre mountain cluster, the 
 bulk of which was wrapped in clouds, as well as the huge 
 mass of the Sandia chain to its right. Still farther to the 
 right the Rio Grande valley opened. Sand-whirls chased 
 along that valley to meet a shower which was sending rain- 
 streaks into it. A cloud had meanwhile gathered over the 
 heads of the wanderers, thunder reverberated, and the rain- 
 drops began to fall. The men paid no attention; they 
 gazed down at the little torrent beneath, at the groups of 
 poplar-trees on its banks, and at the scattered patches of 
 open ground alon^; its course. Their desire was to descend 
 
446 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 into the gorge to search for traces of those whom they 
 longed for. 
 
 The descent was impracticable from where they had 
 stopped. A rim of vertical cliffs of lava and trap 
 formed the upper border of the cleft. Suddenly Hay- 
 oue exclaimed, — 
 
 " Umo, they are not down here, or we should see them 
 from above. Let us go farther, where there are no rocks, 
 and where the stream enters the gorge. If our people have 
 come through here we must find their tracks at the outlet." 
 
 " It is well," replied Zashue. 
 
 The shower drizzled out ; its main force was spent on the 
 southern plateaus, and cool gusts of wind blew across to 
 the north side. When the brothers had clambered down 
 the rugged slope covered with scattered lava-blocks to the 
 sandy nook where now stands the hamlet of the " Cidnd- 
 quilla," clouds had again lifted over Hashyuko, and on the 
 slope of the high Sierra the bluish cloudlet swam clear and 
 distinct. 
 
 Much water ran in the bed of the river at the mouth of 
 the Bocas, and there was no hope of finding any tracks 
 there. 
 
 The men staggered up and down, and at last Zashue stood 
 still, bent over, and appeared to examine something. Then 
 he called aloud, — 
 
 " Come over here ! " With this he raised something from 
 the ground. Hayoue went over to him, and both looked at 
 the object carefully. It was a piece of cloth made of cotton 
 dyed black, of the size of a hand, torn off but recently, and 
 soiled by mud and moisture. Hayoue nodded; the find 
 pleased him. 
 
 "That is from our women," said he. 
 
 "The women frcm the Puyatye," Zashue said doubt, 
 ingly, "wear skirts like our koitza." 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 447 
 
 " It is so, but the women from Hashyuko do not go so 
 far from their homes now. Nothing is ripe, — neither cactus, 
 figs, nor yucca fruit. What should they come out here for? 
 When do our women ever go so far from the Zaashtesh ? " 
 
 " Shotaye used to go farther," objected the elder. 
 
 "Shotaye," Hayoue muttered, "Shotaye was — you know 
 what she was ! There is none like her in the world. What 
 she may be doing in case she is alive, nobody can tell." 
 
 "I wish I knew her to be with Say Koitza now," Zashue 
 sighed. 
 
 "Shotaye is dead," his brother asserted. "But I believe 
 that this rag is from our people, and you were right in com- 
 ing hither. Look ! " pointing to the entrance of the Bocas, 
 "they came through there and from the west. Even if 
 we find no trace of them I still beUeve that they went to 
 Hashyuko and that we shall find them there. Let us go 
 ere it is too late ! " 
 
 The last words were uttered in such a positive tone that 
 Zashue yielded, and followed his brother, who since their 
 discovery again moved with vigorous strides. Since the 
 last evening neither of them had eaten anything, and their 
 meal then had been scanty enough. The discovery had 
 infused new strength into their exhausted bodies, and the 
 brothers walked on, side by side, as if they were well fed 
 and thoroughly rested. Zashue still remained in doubt ; he 
 would rather have made fiirther researches. He knew from 
 the talk of old men that the Tanos inhabited villages farther 
 south, and it was possible that the fugitives, afraid of the 
 dispositions of the Puyatye that lived closer to the Tehuas, 
 had avoided them in order to take refuge at a greater dis- 
 tance from the people of the Puye. But above all, Zashue 
 felt strong misgivings in regard to the reception which he 
 and his brother, both armed as they were, might find at 
 Hashyuko. 
 
448 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 Under different circumstances he would have gone to the 
 Tanos without any fear, and would have entered the village 
 as a guest. Now, since the Queres of the Rito and the 
 Tehuas had come to blows, it was possible that the latter 
 had informed their relatives in the southeast of what occured, 
 and thus made them suspicious of the Queres. He and his 
 brother carried the implements of war, but they were not 
 in war-paint. That looked very suspicious, and they might 
 be taken for spies ; and as soon as they should be noticed 
 some of the Tanos might lie in wait for them with evU in- 
 tentions. If on the other hand Hayoue was right, then all 
 would be right. But he could not agree with his brother on 
 that point. A certain instinct told him that the fugitives 
 had wandered south instead of east. Nevertheless he 
 yielded willingly to the superior energy and determination 
 of Hayoue. Zashue was a weak man, and glad to lean upon 
 a stronger arm, a more determined will. 
 
 Hayoue on his part was fully convinced of the correct- 
 ness of his views. He had no thought of danger. He re- 
 flected, and Zashue had overlooked this important point, 
 that, in case the Tehuas notified the Tanos of recent occur- 
 rences, they would not fail to boast of their signal triumph, 
 and to represent the defeat of the Queres as akin to com- 
 plete destruction. Therefore in what light could he and 
 his brother appear to the people of Hashyuko than as fugi- 
 tives from a tribe well nigh exterminated? Fugitives of that 
 class are always, even by savages, received and treated as 
 guests. Finally, should it come to blows, Hayoue was 
 ready for them also, to give as well as take. 
 
 The distance which separated the two men from their 
 place of destination was about twelve English miles. The 
 plain between the upper, or eastern mouth of the Canon of 
 the Bocas and the foot of the Santa F6 mountain-range 
 rises gradually, and in even but extensive undulations. It 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 449 
 
 is closed to the north by a broad, sandy ridge, which skirts 
 the northern bank of the little Santa Y€ stream. That ridge 
 extends from the east, where Santa F6 stands, to the volcanic 
 mesa through which the cleft of the Bocas meanders in the 
 west ; and the plain lies south of it, dipping in that direction 
 as well as to the west also. Several ravines with sloping 
 borders run through it from east to west ; the nearest one 
 south of the Santa Fd river is called Arroyo Hondo. These 
 gorges or channels are dry except in the rainy season, when 
 torrents of water gush down them for a few hours after some 
 exceedingly violent shower in the mountains. The vegeta- 
 tion of the plain consists mainly of bunch-grass, juniper, and 
 tall, arborescent cacti. 
 
 Hayoue took the direction to the northeast, keeping be- 
 tween the Santa Fd Creek on their left and the Arroyo 
 Hondo on the right. As often happens during the after- 
 noon, the sky had begun to clear ; and as evening ap- 
 proached, the tall Santa F6 Sierra shone out majestically, 
 free from clouds, the top of " Baldy " covered with snow. 
 The high timber on the lower ridges appeared distinct, 
 and the folds of the mountain-sides clothed in vivid green 
 alternated with black yet luminous shadows. A cool wind 
 blew from the south in gusts, and the wanderers hastened 
 their steps lest night should overtake them ere they could 
 reach the village, now distinguishable below the blue cloud 
 of smoke as a reddish protuberance on a bleak hill. 
 
 Zashue stood still, and beckoned his brother to do the 
 same and listen. From the direction they were going came 
 faint cries ; the brothers looked at each other. 
 
 " There are Puyatye over there," said Hayoue. 
 
 " Ko ! " assented Zashue, then as if making a discovery 
 he added, " They are hunting rabbits and hares." 
 
 "You are right, surely they hunt rabbits," said Hayoue, 
 his eyes brightening at the suggestion. 
 
 29 
 
4SO THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " What shall we do ? " Zashue asked. 
 
 "We will go to them at once/' said the other. "That is 
 very good, very good for us indeed, for if they hunt rabbits 
 all their yaya and nashtio will be there too." 
 
 One of the broad swellings which traverse the Santa F€ 
 plain lay between the young men and the place whence the 
 sounds came ; it concealed the hunters from their gaze, but 
 the manner in which the cries seemed to shift proved that 
 they were swiftly moving to and fro. Zashue felt greatly 
 relieved, for his explanation that the Tanos might be on a 
 general hunt for rabbits was probably true, and it was a very 
 good sign. The rabbit-hunt is usually a prelude to solemn 
 dances, therefore it was not likely that the Tanos suspected 
 danger or had any knowledge of events at the Puye. 
 
 The great rabbit-hunt, still practised by all the Pueblos 
 several times during each year, is a communal undertaking, 
 a religious ceremony, in which not only the men take part, 
 but the women and children also. The object is to ob- 
 tain the skins which the chief penitents use for some sacra- 
 mental purpose. It is also a feast and a day of rejoicing 
 and merriment for the whole village. The hunt is under 
 the direction of the principal war captain, and the leading 
 dignitaries share the sport. Long prayers around a fire 
 which is started outside of the pueblo opens the perform- 
 ance. The game is himted and killed with clubs, and a 
 lively and sometimes amusing rivalry is displayed by both 
 sexes in securing the rabbits, which often gives rise to very 
 ludicrous scenes. Sometimes the hunt is continued for 
 several days in succession. 
 
 When the brothers reached the crest of the undulation, 
 they witnessed sights that to a stranger would have been 
 nearly incomprehensible. Men, women, and children were 
 running back and forth in every direction, no longer chas- 
 ing game, but playing, laughing, romping, with loud and 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 45 1 
 
 boisterous talk. Small groups were already going home 
 loaded with game, others with empty hands, to the great 
 amusement and merciless jeering of the successful hunters. 
 Among the former were men dressed in the costume of 
 women, while with the lucky ones women in male attire 
 paraded proudly. It was an animated picture spread over 
 a wide expanse, but it was moving back to the village in 
 the east ; and when the Indians from the Rito stood still to 
 observe, there remained in their immediate vicinity only 
 a few men in female garb. Beyond them stood a group of 
 five or six persons, laughing and jesting. 
 
 Over the broad plain there rested a mUd, subdued glow 
 of pleasant twilight ; the highest summits of the Sierra 
 glistened in fiery hues. 
 
 Hayoue stepped up boldly, his brother keeping alongside 
 watchfiilly. He was ready, not to flee, but to hide, and use 
 the bow in case of necessity. They were noticed by those 
 standing nearest. The men in women's garb were busy 
 breaking twigs and branches, or cutting them off with stone 
 implements. At the sight of strangers, they suspended 
 work and stared. Hayoue laid aside his bow and quiver, 
 and extended his right hand, calling out, — 
 
 " Queres Tyuonyi ! " 
 
 No answer came. Zashue could not control his mirth at 
 the sight of the men in such guise ; he broke out in a ring- 
 ing laugh, pointed at them, and shouted, " Puyatye ! " 
 then to himself with the exclamation, " Koshare ! " 
 
 The salutations called forth no reply. The Tanos con- 
 tinued to stare. It was not merely astonishment which 
 caused them to remain motionless ; there was quite as much 
 embarrassment on their part. For these men in women's 
 wraps had had to assume the costumes as a punishment, 
 because they had allowed women to outwit or out-hunt 
 them in the joint pursuit of the same animal. Whenever a 
 
452 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 man and a woman, during one of these ceremonial hunts, 
 chase the same rabbit, and the woman succeeds in slaying it, 
 then her male competitor must exchange his dress for that 
 of the successful woman, who in turn proudly, amidst ap- 
 plause and jeerings, assumes the garb of the male. The 
 man thereafter has to go on hunting until he kills a rabbit 
 himself, and can by offering it to the woman reclaim his 
 clothing. All are not lucky enough to succeed, and it hap- 
 pens sometimes that the hunt is over before their efforts 
 are successful. Such unfortunates are required to gather 
 a load of firewood as big as they can carry, and bring it to 
 the house of the woman holding their clothes in pledge. 
 Thereupon the dresses are exchanged, and the night passes 
 in the usual childish amusements for the many, in religious 
 rites for the religious functionaries. 
 
 The men first seen by the brothers betrayed by their 
 dress and occupation that they belonged to the unlucky 
 ones. They saw at a glance that the new-comers were vil- 
 lage Indians ; they also recognized from their behaviour that 
 they came with friendly intentions. This increased their 
 embarrassment, for they knew, or at least supposed, that the 
 strangers would see at once the cause of their strange ap- 
 pearance. So great was their uneasiness, that one of them 
 crouched behind a bush to hide. 
 
 Meanwhile all the Tehuas, who had been standing some 
 distance off, came running up, with the exception of one, 
 who was seen going toward the pueblo at full speed. The 
 others held their wooden clubs ready, in case of trouble. 
 Hayoue advanced toward them in his usual unconcerned 
 way, and saluted them with — 
 
 " Guatzena, Puyatye ! " 
 
 Zashue had remained behind, keeping an eye on the 
 weapons which both of them had laid on the ground. 
 
 The Tanos whispered and whispered. They evidently 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 453 
 
 guessed at the meaning of Hayoue's words, for one of 
 them stepped up, and replied with the usual compliment 
 in Tehua, — 
 
 " Senggerehu." 
 
 Each grasped the other's hand. Hayoue uttered " Que- 
 res," and pointing to the west, " Tyuonyi." 
 
 To this speech the other replied by pointing at himself 
 and at his comrades with the word " Tano ; " then at 
 the village, which was still dimly visible in the twilight, 
 "Oga P' Hoge." * Thereupon he made the gesture-sign 
 for sleep, and breathed on Hayoue's hand. The latter 
 responded to the compliment and gave Zashue a signal to 
 come nearer. When Zashue rejoined the group they all 
 greeted the Queres in the same manner, and the one who 
 was still holding Hayoue's hand began to pull him along, 
 urging him to go to the village with them. The adventur- 
 ers from the Rito felt that they might be welcome. Zashue 
 even made an eccentric, clownish jump, exclaiming, — 
 
 " Koshare raua ! Raua Koshare ! " 
 
 Boisterous laughter broke out. One of the Tanos threw 
 his arm around Zashue's neck, shouting at the top of his 
 voice, — 
 
 " Hftonde tema kosare ! " He pressed him to his breast, 
 whispering, — 
 
 " Oga P' Hoge Pare ! " 
 
 No mistake was possible ; the Tano was a brother, a 
 Koshare like Zashue, and delighted to meet another from 
 the far-distant west. More and more lively the men became 
 on both sides ; clumsy attempts at explanation were made ; 
 
 1 " Oga P' Hoge " is the name given to Santa F^ by the Tehuas 
 of Santa Clara. The Tehuas of San Juan call it " Cua P' Hoge," the 
 place or village of the shell beads, or of the shells ( Olivilla ) from 
 which they make the beads which they so highly prize. In the six- 
 teenth century that pueblo was already deserted. 
 
4S4 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 words, signs, gestures passed between them, while walking 
 briskly on ; and all were merry and in good spirits. 
 
 It was night. Behind the gigantic wall of mountains in 
 the east a whitish glare arose, the light of the rising moon. 
 The group had reached the banks of the Rio de Santa F6, near 
 where now stands the church of Nuestra Senora de Guada- 
 lupe. Before them lay a dusky wilderness, abutting against 
 steep hills. On the highest of those, which overlooks the 
 present town in the north, a terraced mound could be dis- 
 tinguished, and from its sides luminous points twinkled in 
 ruddy light. The thumping of drums, shrill flutes, and an 
 undefined noise rhythmic in its character, in which human 
 voices and numerous rattles were confusedly mingled, issued 
 from a quarter above which a glow arose like that of a fire 
 burning within. That irregular pile was the pueblo of Oga 
 P' Hoge ; it stood where Fort Marcy was subsequently 
 erected by the United States troops. 
 
 The moon had risen and rested on the higher crests of 
 the mountains. Its light penetrated the basin in which 
 now the town of Santa F6 extends, on both banks of the 
 little stream and south of it. When to-day the moon thus 
 stands over the heights, and looks down the turrets and 
 cupolas of the capitol, hospitals and seminaries gUsten in 
 phosphorescent Ught, and the towers of the cathedral loom 
 up solemnly, casting on the ground before it jet-black 
 shadows. Over elegant dwellings, over modest flat roofs 
 of adobe houses, over military buildings, institutes for the 
 education of those of all races and creeds, the moonlight 
 rest peacefully. Brilliant music sounds in the plaza from the 
 heights ; in the northwest a spark rushes down in serpentine 
 windings nearer and nearer, — the approaching railway train ! 
 From the south a shrill whistle is heard, — another iron 
 horse sweeping up with people and news from the outside 
 world. Shade-trees rustle in the evening breeze, and their 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 455 
 
 leaves dance, alternately plunged in silvery brightness and 
 transparent night. 
 
 To-day the heights of Fort Marcy are deserted, bleak by 
 daylight, pale and yet frowning when shines the moon. 
 Since the seventeenth century life has sprung up at its base. 
 At the time when Hayoue and Zashue lived, life was above, 
 and looked down upon a wilderness beneath. To-day the 
 hills are wild. Formerly juniper-bushes, cedar, and cactus 
 alone peopled the banks of the river, growing along the 
 rills and on the drift-heaps formed by the torrent. 
 
 The group of men, with Hayoue and Zashue in their 
 midst, halted on the south bank. This did not suit Zashue ; 
 it struck him as rather unfriendly or at least as suspicious. 
 Their companions were evidently waiting for orders, ere 
 they crossed the river. 
 
 A man came splashing through the water and called out 
 something, which the Queres of course did not understand. 
 At once all conversation ceased, and the Tanos became si- 
 lent and grave. The new-comer spoke first ; he spoke rap- 
 idly and in a low voice, then grasped Hayoue's hand to 
 breathe on it, and held it fast. Zashue's hands as well had 
 been seized by two Tanos. His bow and quiver had been 
 removed from him under some friendly pretext. They were 
 disarmed. Then all moved on, forded the stream, and took 
 a trail that led directly to the foot of the hill where stood 
 the pueblo. All sounds of merriment above were hushed, 
 nothing moved but the men and the night wind rustling 
 through the shrubbery. At the foot of the high hill other 
 Indians came up ; these were armed, and they followed the 
 group. 
 
 All this looked ominous. They were no longer treated 
 as guests ; they were prisoners ! Zashue was not so much 
 surprised as Hayoue, for he had always mistrusted. Hayoue 
 inwardly raved. He reproached himself for not having lis- 
 
456 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 tened to his brother's warnings, for having allowed his rash- 
 ness, his conceit, his over-confidence, to prevail to such an 
 extent as to fall into a trap which he felt sure the Tanos 
 had artfully laid and cunningly sprung upon them. Still all 
 his indignation and rage were of no avail. Even if he were 
 able to free himself from the grasp of his guards, and to es- 
 cape the arrow-shots that would be aimed at the fugitive, he 
 saw no chance for him in the relentless chase that would 
 follow. All advantages would be on the side of the Tanos, 
 who knew the country, whereas he was a total stranger. 
 Nothing was left him but to resign himself to his fate and 
 to await the course of events. It was hard for the proud, 
 self-glorious young warrior ; it was not only hard but if he 
 took into consideration his overbearing manner toward 
 Zashue, a punishment justly merited. Hayoue hung his 
 head, crestfallen and in bitter wrath. 
 
 At last some one came down the steep hill, muttered a 
 few words, and the ascent began. Nobody turned back to 
 glance at the moonlit expanse that was unfolding itself more 
 and more beneath. A dismal yelping sounded from below, 
 the voice of a coyote from the banks of the stream. The 
 wolf had followed the returning hunters. He licked the 
 blood trickling from the dead game and called his com- 
 rades. Other voices answered in the neighbourhood ; from 
 various parts of the basin the barking died away in a moum- 
 fiil, dismal wail mingled with shrieks, sobs, and fiendish 
 laughter. It rose from the depths, filling the air, re-echoing 
 from the hills, and changing its modulations, a horrible 
 chorus of moans and groans alternating with exclamations 
 of hellish triumph. A shiver passed through both the pris- 
 oners ; their entrance into Oga P' Hoge took place with 
 dismal prognostications. 
 
 The pueblo was built in the shape of a rectangle. The 
 north and east sides of it formed a continuous structure ; 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 457 
 
 narrow alleys separated them from the south and the west 
 sides, and between the two there was also an alley of en- 
 trance and exit. Through the latter therefore, on the 
 southwest corner, the Tanos entered an open space like a 
 large court-yard, surrounded by the terraced buildings com- 
 posing the village. 
 
 At the approach of the group, human forms had appeared 
 on the flat roofs and peered down upon the prisoners with 
 curious eyes. As soon as the captives entered the square, 
 the number of spectators increased ; they came out from 
 the interior, from lower stories, down from the upper tier, 
 men, women, and children. They descended into the square, 
 and the whole population of the village, about four hun- 
 dred souls, gathered around the strangers and their guard. 
 All the able-bodied men were not among them. A dozen 
 videttes were distributed on the flat roofs, and nearly fifty 
 warriors, hastily armed and equipped, had scattered at some 
 distance from the buildings along the hills throughout the 
 basin, to intercept a possible flight, as well as to guard ap- 
 proaches in case the two prisoners should be merely advance 
 scouts of a larger body of enemies. Of all this Hayoue and 
 Zashue knew nothing, of course ; but they noticed that the 
 throng about them was not friendly, that an ominous silence 
 prevailed. Hardly a whisper was heard ; a few women only 
 gesticulated wildly. 
 
 The Tanos dropped the hands of their captives, but they 
 remained around them still. For a long while they were 
 left to stand ; nobody brought them food, nobody offered 
 them water to allay their thirst. The whispering grew 
 louder ; it sounded like murmured threats. 
 
 At last the hands of the strangers were again seized and 
 they were led across the square to the northeastern comer. 
 The throng opened in front of them as they advanced, clos- 
 ing in behind, and all following like children after a proces- 
 
458 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 sion. Some ran along the walls, eager to be near and on 
 hand when the strangers came up. Their curiosity was soon 
 gratified, for the square was small. At the foot of one of 
 the notched beams another halt was made. Two of the 
 guards climbed up and exchanged a few words with an In- 
 dian sitting on the roof. Then Hayoue was signalled to fol- 
 low. A Tano came behind him; after him Zashue, and 
 then two armed men. The crowd had meanwhile closed up 
 against the wall, pressing eye and ear against the air-holes, 
 out of which the firelight shone. Nobody attempted to 
 cUmb the roof, but all remained below, a moving, wrangling 
 crowd of people illuminated by the placid Ught of the 
 moon. 
 
 Another delay occurred on the roof. The wanderers 
 heard loud talking beneath their feet, and concluded that 
 the council sat in a room below, and that they would be 
 led before that august body. There was some consolation 
 in this fact, for it showed at least that they would not be 
 slaughtered at once. But how should they defend them- 
 selves? Nobody understood their language, any more thap 
 they understood that of the Tanos ! The situation seemed 
 desperate. Hayoue, as well as Zashue, felt helpless; but 
 they had to submit to the inevitable. After all, death would 
 put an end to everything; it is beautiful at Shipapu, — 
 there is constant dancing and singing ; the girls are always 
 young and the women never too old. 
 
 Hayoue's hand was again grasped by one of the guards, 
 and he was motioned to descend into the apartment below. 
 Zashue had to follow. They found themselves in a long 
 room, whose whitewashed walls reflected the light of a 
 small fire burning on a rude hearth. Close to the hearth 
 sat a man whom the prisoners at once supposed to be the 
 puyo, or governor. By his side sat another, a small figure, 
 somewhat wrinkled. He wore nothing but a breech-clout 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 459 
 
 of buckskin, for it was summer. Several aged men were 
 gathered in the neighbourhood of the fire. Although none 
 of them wore either ornaments or badges, it was easy to 
 surmise that they were the principal shamans. Along the 
 wall sat, lounged, or squatted the clan delegates, so that all 
 in all there were present about eighteen persons, including 
 the prisoners. Outside, the faces and eyes of listeners 
 appeared from time to time through the air-holes. 
 
 The man whom the two Queres rightly took to be the 
 civil chief, motioned them, adding, " Sit down." 
 
 They obeyed, and remained sitting with downcast looks. 
 The councilmen glanced at them furtively from time to 
 time. None of them spoke. At last a whisper was 
 heard, and now a voicf^ said in the Queres dialect, — 
 
 "Whither are you going?" 
 
 Hayoue started, and stared about in the room, looking 
 for the man who in this foreign country spoke his own 
 language. When he finally discovered that it was the 
 small old man sitting by the side of the governor, he 
 gaped at him with lips parted, and an expression akin 
 to fright. He had acquired a dim knowledge of the 
 fact that it might be possible for one man to know more 
 than one language, but he had never met such a prodigy 
 as yet. After the first surprise was over, he still stared at 
 the speaker with inquisitive glances, eager to see whether 
 it was possible to speak two dialects with one and the 
 same tongue. Zashue was less startled. He knew that 
 there were people who had learned a speech different 
 from the one to which they were bom. Therefore he 
 replied to the query, — 
 
 " We are searching for our women, our daughters, and 
 our children." 
 
 "Why do you look for them here? We have them 
 not," said the old man. 
 
46o THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Because we have hunted for them everywhere else 
 and have not found them." 
 
 " Are you alone ? " continued his interlocutor. 
 
 " I and my brother are alone," Zashue asserted. 
 
 " Why did your koitza and makatza leave you? " 
 
 " The Moshome drove them off." 
 
 " The Moshome ? " The inquisitor criticised his words. 
 
 Hayoue had recovered from his surprise. He inter- 
 jected in a loud, blunt voice, — 
 
 "While the men went out to strike the Tehuas, the 
 Moshome Dinne came upon us. We were only a few, 
 and the shuatyam laid waste our com, and killed many 
 women. Many more, however, fled ; we do not know 
 whither. These we have gone out to find ; we are look- 
 ing for them this day here among you, but you have 
 taken us captives. You have treated us, not as it is 
 customary between the Zaashtesh, but as the Moshome 
 are wont to do when strangers come to their hogans." 
 He looked down again, angry. Zashue endeavoured to 
 give him a warning sign, but Hayoue saw it not. 
 
 The old man smiled. Afterward he translated to the 
 Tanos what had been said. His communication excited 
 considerable attention. At the close of his speech, one of 
 the medicine-men replied in a few words. The interpreter 
 turned again to the Queres, asking, — 
 
 "Why did the people of the T)Tionyi come upon our 
 brethren in the north by night, like shutzuna? The 
 men from the Puye had done them no harm." 
 
 " No harm ? " Hayoue broke out. " Did they not 
 murder the best, the bravest, the wisest man, our father 
 the maseua? Was it not enough? If you do not call 
 that a bad, a base deed, then you and all of you are as 
 bad and as base as the Tehuas." 
 
 The old man's features remained placid. He replied in 
 a quiet tone, but his manner was cool and measured, — 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 461 
 
 " I know that you believe that the Tehuas killed your 
 maseua. I know it well; for Shotaye, who now is called 
 Aua P'ho Quio, and who lives with Cayamo in the homes 
 at the Puye, came to warn the Tehuas that the Queres 
 were coming over against them. But it is not true. It 
 was not our brethren from the north, it was the Moshome 
 Dinne." He uttered the name with marked emphasis. 
 "They killed the maseua of your tribe." 
 
 We recognize in the interpreter the same old man who 
 served the Tehuas in their first interviews with Shotaye. 
 The Tehuas had despatched him to the Tanos, in order 
 to inform the latter of their signal triumph, and to put 
 them on their guard against the Queres. It was a lucky 
 hour for Hayoue and Zashue, especially for the former, 
 when the old man reached the Tanos. 
 
 The two adventurers were thunderstruck. Speechless, 
 with heads bowed, they sat in utter amazement at what 
 they were being told. Everything was so completely new 
 to them, and yet it explained so much, that they were 
 unable to collect their minds at once. The Tanos saw 
 their confusion. What the interpreter told them of the 
 replies of the prisoners had already created much interest, 
 and now their embarrassed state attracted still greater 
 attention. The interpreter, therefore, was prompted to 
 further question them. 
 
 "When the Queres moved against the Tehuas, were 
 you along?" 
 
 " No," Zashue replied sullenly. 
 
 " Have many of your people returned from the north ? " 
 
 " Enough to hold their own against all who speak your 
 language," Hayoue retorted. 
 
 The old man blinked ; he had put an imprudent ques- 
 tion. After a short pause, he asked again, — 
 
 " Why did you alone go out to seek for your people ? " 
 
462 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Because," Hayoue indignantly retorted, " the others 
 had to remain at home to protect the weak ones, in case 
 the Moshome Tehua came for the leavings of the Moshome 
 Dinne." He accompanied these already insulting words 
 with looks of defiance, glancing around with eyes flashing, 
 and lips scornfully curled. His wrath was raised to the 
 highest pitch; he could not control himself. 
 
 Fortunately for him the Tanos did not understand his 
 words, and the interpreter was shrewd enough to see that 
 the young man thought himself justly angry, and withheld 
 his insulting speech from his listeners. He comprehended 
 the position of the strangers, and understood what their 
 feelings must be. He had no doubt in regard to their 
 sincerity and truthfulness. An important point whicl^ he 
 realized was the present weakened condition of the Queres 
 tribe. He turned to the meeting and spoke long and 
 earnestly. His speech was followed with the closest atten- 
 tion, and Zashue, who felt more composed than his younger 
 brother, noticed that the words fell on ready ears. A short 
 discussion followed, in which every one participated in turn ; 
 at last all seemed unanimous, and the interpreter, avoiding 
 Hayoue, who sat with eyes gleaming like a loaded electric 
 battery ready to send off flying and burning sparks, turned 
 to Zashue with the query, — 
 
 " Have you any trace of your people ? " 
 
 Zashue related everything in a simple and truthful man- 
 ner, — how they came to the determination to visit the vil- 
 lage, with the intention in case there should be none of the 
 fugitives here to turn southward and continue their search 
 among the southern pueblos. Every word he said was after- 
 ward translated to the council ; the fuyo delivered a short 
 address ; and the interpreter spoke to the two young men 
 in a solemn, dignified manner, as follows : — 
 
 " It is well ! My brethren say that you are welcome. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 463 
 
 They also say that you should forgive them for having sus- 
 pected you. The people on the Tyuonyi wronged those 
 at the Puye, and that was not good ! But now, since the 
 hand of Those Above has stricken the Queres, we will no 
 longer be Moshome, but brethren, and will forget what 
 has come between us. Are we not all one, we who wear 
 the hair in sidelocks, — one from the beginning ; and 
 have we not all come forth at the same place? You are 
 welcome ! " 
 
 The speaker paused, glancing at the governor. The latter 
 rose, went over to Zashue, took his hand, breathed on it, 
 and lifted it upward. He did the same to Hayoue ; then 
 he returned to his seat and gave a sign to the interpreter, 
 who went on, — 
 
 " Those whom you Ibng for are not here. But it may be 
 that as you say, brother," — he directed these words to 
 Zashue — " they went to our people farther south. In a 
 few days I will have to go thither, and will be your guide. 
 Meanwhile eat the food and drink the water offered you 
 by those who speak a tongue different from yours, but 
 whose hearts are like your heart, and who like you pray 
 to Those Above. He who dwells up there is our father 
 and your father; she who has her home on high is our 
 mother and your mother. Therefore the mothers and 
 fathers of the Tanos say to you through me that it is well 
 that you should stay here. Be welcome ! " 
 
 Involuntarily Zashue uttered a deeply felt " Hoa " of re- 
 lief. Hayoue nodded, and sighed as if breathing freer again. 
 The great medicine-man arose, scattered sacred meal, and 
 uttered a prayer to which all the others listened in deep 
 silence. Then he went to greet the strangers in the cus- 
 tomary manner. One by one the others followed, — the 
 second medicine-man, the other chief officials, finally the 
 delegates of the clans. Every one grasped their hands and 
 
464 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 went through the same ceremonies. The council was 
 ended, and to every one's satisfaction. 
 
 Last came the old interpreter, and greeted them, say- 
 ing, — 
 
 "I am Chang Doa, what you call Mokatsh hanutsh, 
 'panther clan.' Where do you belong? " 
 
 " Tzitz hanutsh," Zashue quickly responded. 
 
 The old man turned to one of the delegates. 
 
 "Father," he called to him in his language, "our sons 
 belong to your people. WUl you take them with you, or 
 shall they go to the summer cacique? " 
 ^ The other reflected a short while, then he replied, — 
 
 " The summer cacique is busy ; let the brethren come with 
 me. I will lead them to the homes of P'ho Doa." 
 
 News of the happy result of the council had already 
 spread outside. When the prisoners of a few hours ago, 
 now transformed into honoured guests, stepped down into 
 the square, every one looked at them pleasantly. The 
 throng dispersed, but many followed them into the houses 
 of the Water clan, where they were treated to the primitive 
 food of those times. Soon they retired to rest on simple 
 couches, there to forget the hardships and dangers they had 
 suffered during the day. 
 
 Outside, the deepest silence reigned. The pueblo on the 
 steep hill and the desert plain below shone in the rays of 
 the moon, peacefully, as though they too would slumber. 
 From the thickets along the little stream arose a faint twit- 
 ter ; louder and louder it sounded, and rose heavenward in 
 full, melodious strains, soaring on high through the stillness 
 of the night; it was the mocking-birds' greeting to the 
 hour of rest. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Autumn in New Mexico, as well as in many other parts of 
 the world, is the most beautiful time of the year. The rains 
 are over, and vegetation is refreshed and has developed. 
 Yellow flowers cover the slopes of the higher ranges ; the 
 summits are crowned with glistening snow again ; the days 
 are pleasant and the nights calm, clear, and wonderfully 
 cool. Nature in autumn seems to display its greatest 
 charms to allure mankind into placid submission to the 
 approach of rigid winter. 
 
 Autumn has come, and the two adventurers of whose 
 reception we have spoken in the last chapter are still guests, 
 kindly treated and waiting for the guide to give the signal 
 of departure for the south. A few days the old man had 
 said, — in a few days he would himself go to the southern 
 pueblos of his tribe. But upon the rabbit-hunts there fol- 
 lowed ceremonial dances which lasted for days, and Hayoue 
 and Zashue could not leave until they were over. Then it 
 required several days to rest and to perform certain rites, 
 and Zashue and Hayoue could not leave on that account. 
 Furthermore, Zashue being Koshare, the Kosare of the 
 Tanos held him back for certain performances of their own, 
 and Hayoue could not or would not start alone. Afterward, 
 Hayoue being Cuirana, the Cuirana held something in store 
 for him, and Zashue did not care to start without his 
 brother. And when all that was finished the old man was 
 not ready ; and so they are waiting and waiting, and autumn 
 
 30 
 
466 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 is here in all its beauty, and Hayoue and Zashue, Zashue as 
 well as Hayoue, begin to chafe ; but it is of no avail ; they 
 must wait. 
 
 While they are thus waiting until it pleases their friend to 
 start, we shall precede them to that south which is their 
 objective point, in order to anticipate if possible the crav- 
 ings of the two adventurous young men. They may over- 
 take us there, perhaps when we least expect it. 
 
 About thirty miles south of Santa Y€, the southern rim of 
 the so-called Basin of Galisteo is bounded by a low and 
 shaggy ridge running from east to west, whose crest is 
 formed of trap-dyke sharply though irregularly dentated. 
 In Spanish this ridge and another similar one which trav- 
 erses the plain several miles north of it, running parallel to 
 the former, is called very appropriately El Creston, for if 
 seen from a distance and edgewise it strikingly resembles 
 the crest of an antique helmet. The plain of Galisteo ex- 
 pands between crestones, and on the edges of it stand sev- 
 eral villages of the Tanos. Of the Galisteo Basin a Spanish 
 report from the sixteenth century says : " There they have 
 no stream ; neither are there any running brooks nor any 
 springs which the people could use." 
 
 The mountain clusters of the Real de Dolores and Sierra 
 de San Francisco, and beyond these the high Sandia chain, 
 divide the Galisteo country from the valley of the Rio 
 Grande in the west. To the south there extends a dreary 
 plain as far as the salt marshes of the Manzano ; eastward 
 spread the wooded slopes of the plateau ; above the Pecos 
 border upon the basin. To the north the plain rises grad- 
 ually, traversed only by the northern creston, until it merges 
 into the plain of Santa Y€. 
 
 On the southwestern comer of the Galisteo Basin a broad 
 channel discharges its waters into it, passing between the 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 467 
 
 San Francisco range and the mountains of Dolores. The 
 channel is arid. Mountain torrents rush through it only in 
 the season of thunder-storms, and they have burrowed and 
 ploughed through its surface, scarring it with deep furrows 
 and shifting waterfalls. Near the mouth of the pass and 
 at no great distance from the plain, one of these arroyos 
 has cut through an ancient village, exposing on both banks 
 the lower walls and rooms of its buildings, visible on the 
 surface only as irregular lines and quadrangles of rubbish. 
 The village must have been quite large for an Indian set- 
 tlement, since seven rectangles with wing-like additions can 
 still be traced. This village in ruins is called to-day the 
 Pueblo Largo, and the name is not inappropriate. 
 
 At the time of which we speak, the Pueblo Largo was 
 inhabited, and in as high a state of prosperity as Indian 
 pueblos ever attain unto. It contained, as the ruins attest, 
 nearly fifteen hundred people of the Tanos tribe. Its name 
 was Hishi. The name is well known to-day to the remnants 
 of the Tanos, for they have piously preserved the recollec- 
 tions of their former abodes. 
 
 Hishi is not on a beautiful site. It lies in a wide ditch 
 rather than in a valley. No view opens from it, and sombre 
 mountains loom up in close proximity both to the north and 
 west. In the rear of the village, the soil rises gradually to a 
 low series of ridges, from the top of which, at some distance 
 from Hishi, the eye ranges far off toward the plains and the 
 basin of the salt lakes. These ridges are convenient posts 
 of observation. Scouts placed there can descry the ap- 
 proach of hostile Apaches. The latter roam up and down 
 the plains, following the immense herds of buffalo, and 
 prey upon the village Indians whenever the latter present 
 any opportunity for a successful surprise. 
 
 The buffalo himself not infrequently comes to graze 
 within a sihort distance of Hishi. South of the present 
 
468 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 ruins lies the buffalo spring. When the dark masses of this 
 greatest of American quadrupeds are descried from the 
 heights above the village, the Tanos go out with bow and 
 arrow ; and woe to the straggling steer or calf that lags 
 behind. Like the wolf, the Indian rarely attacked any but 
 isolated animals. Only when a communal hunt was organ- 
 ized, and a whole village sallied forth to make war upon the 
 mighty king of the prairies, — only then, previous to the 
 introduction of fire-arms, could the redman venture to as- 
 sault even a small herd or the rear-guard of a numer- 
 ous column. 
 
 September is drawing to a close, and the autumnal sky is 
 as cloudless and as pure over Hishi as it is over most of the 
 other portions of New Mexico. But in the hollow where 
 the village is situated the sun is scorching, as Hishi lies 
 much lower than the " corner in the east " and lower than 
 the Rito. The chaparro flowers, in dense masses of deep 
 yellow, carpet the earth ; and the dark pine forests on 
 the mountain-slopes stare, while yellow streaks sweep up 
 among the dusky timber. In the distance we catch a 
 glimpse of the eastern slope of the Sandia range glistening 
 in the bright yellow hue of the flowers that cover miles of 
 its slanting surface. 
 
 On the ridges south of Hishi human figures stand. They 
 are scattered, watching and spying attentively. They are 
 videttes, — outposts, placed to scan the plains and the 
 slopes of the mountains, lest some enemy sneak up and 
 pounce upon the defenceless village. For at the time of 
 which we are speaking the Tanos, or Hishi, are not only 
 defenceless, but singularly unsuspecting and heedless of 
 danger. They would be at the mercy of an enemy, were it 
 not for these guards and scouts, who watch and pry, strain- 
 ing every organ of perception that their people at home may 
 be without care while singing, praying, and making merry. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 469 
 
 Is not the dance now going on at the village danced, prayed, 
 and sung for their benefit also ? 
 
 Whenever these outposts turn toward their pueblo they 
 see clouds of dust rising from it, hear loud rhythmic shout- 
 ing, whoops and yells, beating of drums, and the shrill 
 sounds of flutes. A haze seems to cover the tall and long 
 terraced buildings quite distinct from the vertical columns 
 of sand-whirls that drift over the plain of Galisteo, in calm 
 weather rising above the horizon like thin films of smoke. 
 
 It is a great day at Hishi. A dance is performed, songs 
 are sung, and prayers and sacrifices are offered that shall be 
 powerful with Those Above. The people make merry over 
 the fruits of the soil that have now matured. They are 
 gratefiil, and they wish to be precious to the higher powers 
 in years to come. The great harvest dance is performed 
 to-day. A long procession perambulates the long village. 
 The Koshare trot ahead. They are the same black and 
 white goblins with whom we are already acquainted, but 
 their bodies are decorated now with ripe fruit, with small 
 squashes and ears of corn, all strung to cords of fibre or 
 buckskin, and hung over their shoulders like wreaths. Wild 
 sunflowers adorn their heads. They are followed by the 
 Cuirana, whose bodies are daubed over with bluish clay. 
 Then the general public tramp along. The procession is 
 divided into four sections, the faces of all being painted ad 
 libitum. The first detachment is led by an old man whose 
 snow-white hair supports a wreath of yellow blossoms. He 
 is the so-called summer cacique. 
 
 The winter cacique leads on the second group. Behind 
 each ear he wears a tall plume from the wings of the eagle, 
 and around his neck are strung rows upon rows of sacred 
 shell beads, turquoises, and gaudy pebbles. The third is 
 preceded by the great shaman of the hunt. His dress is 
 a tight-fitting suit of buckskm ; long fringes depend from 
 
470 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 his sleeves, and the front and shoulders of his jacket are 
 profusely embroidered with porcupine-quills. A small 
 plumelet of eagle-down dances over his head. The last 
 section is led by the highest shaman. His head is also 
 decorated with yellow flowers, and a green and a yellow 
 plume stand erect behind each ear. The war shaman is 
 not to be seen; the spirits of strife have nothing to do 
 with the feast of peace. The war captain and his assistants 
 accompany the procession to keep order and clear the way. 
 
 This long, long pageant winds on, meandering through the 
 pueblo to the sound of drums, of flutes, and of monotonous 
 chants ; the white satyrs go ahead, then follow the blue ones, 
 then come in single file the men, vigorously stamping, and 
 behind each a woman, tripping lightly. 
 
 Every man is loaded with fruit of some kind, and carries 
 com and squashes also in each hand. Every woman or 
 girl bears on her head a basket of willows or yucca filled 
 with corn-cakes, )fucca preserve, and other delicacies, prod- 
 ucts of the vegetable kingdom. It is a procession of baskets 
 filing through Hishi, solemn and sober, and in the main ex- 
 tremely monotonous. At intervals the Koshare break ranks 
 to cut a few capers, but to-day the Delight Makers of the 
 Tehuas are remarkably decent, for they are those, par excel- 
 lence, who say grace. Since their labours have been re- 
 warded, and the crops are now ripe, and the people have 
 sufficient food, they are merry in the prospects of an easy 
 winter, and there is no need of any artificial delight-making. 
 
 The procession has passed through the entire village and 
 returned to one of its main squares. The end of the pageant 
 is still on the march when the Koshare break ranks again 
 and cluster in the centre of the square. From every side 
 bystanders come up with fruits, scattering them over the 
 ground where the Delight Makers are waiting; and when 
 the soil is well covered with squash, com, and other veg- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 47 1 
 
 etables, the white satyrs begin to dance with the most 
 serious faces, singing and Ufting their hands to the skies. 
 Gradually the whole of the offering is crushed, and at 
 last pounded into the earth by the feet of the dancing 
 clowns. The earth has brought forth the necessaries of 
 Ufa to man; now man, in token of gratitude, returns a 
 tribute to the earth. 
 
 As soon as this part of the ceremony is over, there arises 
 a great shout from all sides. Ears of corn, gourds, cakes of 
 corn meal, pieces of dried preserve, ripe fruits of the yucca, 
 are thrown up into the air ; the baskets are emptied, and 
 bystanders run home to replenish them. Whoever can 
 catch anything proceeds to devour it at once. The whole 
 tribe displays its gratitude by throwing heavenward the food 
 which heaven has enabled it to raise. Man intercepts and 
 enjoys it after the will and the deed have satisfied the 
 invisible powers on high. 
 
 The usual mass of spectators are gathered on the roofs 
 and along the walls of the houses. When the noisy dis- 
 tribution of offerings begins, many run to get their share. 
 But it is not those who are most eager that are most con- 
 sidered ; it seems that the bulk of the food thrown into the 
 air is showering down upon a row of houses on whose ter- 
 races stands a group of men, women, and children who 
 seem no part of the inhabitants of Hishi, manifesting this 
 not so much in dress as from their distant and timid deport- 
 ment. All of them are very poorly clad, the children 
 mostly naked ; and yet here and there a girl among them 
 wears a new hide, and some old woman a new white cotton 
 wrap. Their pieces of clothing appear like new mendings on 
 old rags, or like a substantial shawl thrown over scanty vest- 
 ments. The older members of this peculiar group look down 
 upon the merry spectacle below with grave and melancholy 
 eyes; the younger would fain be merry also, but sadness 
 
472 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 lurks in their smiles. The children alone yield fully to the 
 excitement and happiness of the hour. As the gifts fall 
 down from above the older ones do not attempt to seize 
 them ; the girls and younger women gather what they can 
 and place them carefully in a heap. What the children do 
 not succeed in devouring at once is taken away from them 
 and placed with the rest. They are improving the oppor- 
 tunity to lay in stores, and the Tanos lend them a willing 
 hand. Spectators below turn over to them what has fallen 
 to their share, others place what they have secured with the 
 little hoard the strangers are accumulating. For these peo- 
 ple, so poorly clad and looking so needy, must be strangers 
 in the village of Hishi. Strangers, yes; but strangers in 
 need ; and could there be any sacrifice, any offering, more 
 agreeable to those on high than the feeding of people whom 
 they allow to live by thrusting them on the charity of fellow- 
 beings? These strangers are after all but children of the 
 same spiritual parents from the upper world, and as such 
 they are brothers, sisters, and relatives. 
 
 That the strangers are village Indians can easily be seen. 
 It is proved by the cut of the hair, and by the rags which 
 still protect their bodies from absolute nakedness. But the 
 tongue they speak is different from that spoken by the peo- 
 ple of Hishi. To us, however, it is not new. We have 
 heard that dialect before. It is the Queres language, the 
 language of the Rito. The strangers are the lost ones whom 
 Hayoue and Zashue have sought so anxiously and with so 
 much suffering, and for the sake of whom they have ex- 
 posed their lives a hundred times perhaps, in vain. Zashue 
 was right, the fugitives had turned south from the Bocas ; 
 and had Hayoue been less self-sufficient they would have 
 found them ere now. 
 
 Still we miss among that little band of Queres fugitives 
 those with whom we have become more closely acquainted. 
 
Ruins of an Ancient Piichlc 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. A71 
 
 In vain we look for Say Koitza, for Mitsha, for Okoya. Can 
 it be true, as Hayoue surmised, that his bosom friend, 
 Zashue's eldest son, is dead? 
 
 The throwing about of fruit has ceased ; the dance is re- 
 sumed, and new figures may appear. Everybody hushes, and 
 fastens his gaze on the performance. 
 
 The dancers have formed a wide ring. Men and women 
 hold each other by the hands, and dance in a circle around 
 the place which has been covered with objects of sacrifice. 
 One after the other, the Koshare, the Cuirana, after them 
 each one of the four sections, step within the circle, stamp- 
 ing down the fruits spread out there. Two or three of the 
 Delight Makers improve the occasion to cut some of their 
 usual capers, and the spectators laugh to their heart's con- 
 tent. Laughter is contagious, it captures even the melan- 
 choly group of Queres ; the old among them smile, the 
 young chuckle, the children shout and yell from sheer de- 
 light. One boy in particular is very conspicuous from the 
 intense interest he takes in everything the Koshare are 
 doing. He is about ten years of age. A dirty breech- 
 clout constitutes his only vestment, but a necklace of multi- 
 coloured pebbles adorns his neck ; and as often as a Koshare 
 grimaces, or makes an extraordinary gesture, or displays his 
 tongue to the public, this boy jumps up, screams and shouts, 
 and screeches in delirious joy. His whole heart is with the 
 Koshare ; he imitates their movements, improves on their 
 gestures to such a degree that those around him smile, ex- 
 changing winks of approval as if saying, '^ He will be a good 
 one." 
 
 The head of a girl slowly rises through a hatchway ; and as 
 her face turns toward us, we recognize the soft, beaming eyes 
 of Mitsha Koitza. The maiden looks thinner, her features 
 sharper. She remains standing on the notched beam serv- 
 ing as a ladder, and calls out, — 
 
A74 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 " Shyuote ! " 
 
 No reply is made to the call. The din and noise of the 
 dance drown her voice, and all are so occupied by the sights 
 that none pay any attention to her. The youngster who has 
 been devoting all his time to the pranks of the Delight 
 Makers jumps forward in his enthusiasm, and would have 
 tumbled sheer over the low parapet encircling the roof had 
 not one of the men standing near grasped his hair and 
 pulled him back. It saved the boy's life, but the urchin is 
 highly displeased at the informal manner in which he is re- 
 strained. He screams and struggles to free himself. Again 
 the voice of the maiden is heard ; this time it is louder and 
 the tone commanding. 
 
 " Shyuote ! " 
 
 " She is calling you, uak," the man says who has saved the 
 brat. 
 
 " I won't go," retorts our old friend Shyuote, for he it is 
 who attempts to play at Koshare here. 
 
 " Shyuote, come to sanaya ! " again calls the maiden. 
 
 The mention of his mother creates a stir among the by- 
 standers. They forget the dance and turn toward Mitsha. 
 Shyuote still refuses to obey, but the others push him for- 
 cibly to the hatchway. Several of the women approach 
 Mitsha, and one inquires of her in a subdued voice, — 
 
 " How goes it below?" 
 
 The girl's eyes fill with tears. At last she whispers, — 
 
 " It goes — to Shipapu." She turns around and disap- 
 pears beneath, sobbing. Shyuote is sent after her. 
 
 The people stand and shake their heads. The news 
 wanders from lip to lip, " She is dying." All the pleasure, 
 every interest in the performance, has vanished. Indiffer- 
 ent to the celebration, the Queres hang their heads in sad- 
 ness ; yet no complaint is heard, not a tear glistens in those 
 moumfiil eyes. She is only dying, not dead. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 47$ 
 
 But who is dying? The query cannot be answered up 
 here. Let us go down and follow Mitsha. 
 
 In the dingy room of an Indian home, where light and 
 air penetrate through a single diminutive air-hole, sit and 
 crouch half a dozen people. They surround at some dis- 
 tance a human being whose head rests on a bundle of skins, 
 the body on a buffalo-robe. The knees are drawn up, and 
 cotton mantles cover the lower extremities. The chest, 
 scantily covered with a ragged, dark-coloured wrap, heaves 
 at long intervals ; the extremities begin to stretch ; the face 
 is devoid of expression ; the eyes are wide open, staring, 
 glassy ; the lips parted ; and on each side of the mouth- 
 comers ominous wrinkles begin to form. The sufferer is a 
 woman, and as we look closer we recognize her as Say 
 Koitza, the wife of Zashue. He must hasten his steps if he 
 wishes to find her upon earth, for she is dying ! 
 
 It is very still in the room. The prayers which the 
 medicine-man of the Tanos has been reciting are hushed, 
 the little idols of lava with red-painted faces and eyes made 
 of turquoises by means of which he hoped to conjure the 
 sickness, lean against the wall useless. Those whose duty 
 it is cower about the dying woman, and look on speechless. 
 How faint the breathings grow, how the chest rises and falls 
 at longer intervals, weaker every time ! They listen as the 
 rattling in her throat becomes harder and slower. They 
 dare not weep, for all is not over. 
 
 Say Koitza is dying ! Not the sudden death she once 
 prayed for when Topanashka her father went over to 
 Shipapu ; but still she dies a painless death, — she dies from 
 exhaustion. 
 
 What is going on in her mind while the fetters which tied 
 her soul to the body are being dissolved? That body is 
 henceforth powerless; it has no wants, no cravings. The 
 soul becomes free. Can it already glance beyond? Not 
 
476 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 yet, for as long as earthly matter clings to him man cannot 
 perceive the other world. Flashes of light gleam through 
 the mist in which he is plunged, through both physical 
 weakness and the efforts of the soul to become free. The 
 body struggles for preservation, the spirit for freedom from 
 its henceforth useless shell. 
 
 Are mind and body merely one ? Does not death pu. 
 an end to everything that we ever were and can be ? Does 
 there remain after death anything beyond the memory of 
 our former existence, preserved in the hearts of our fellow- 
 beings ? Nobody has ever returned from beyond the grave 
 to tell us how he felt, what he thought, while dying. But 
 a dying person always casts rays of light over his surround- 
 ings, and the surroundings of dying Say Koitza are not 
 without their lesson for us. 
 
 What do we see? A man sits near the dying woman. 
 He lifts up his hands and stares; it is the medicine-man, 
 and he has done his utmost ; he is powerless, his art useless. 
 What he did was done in the conviction that spiritual in- 
 fluences, however grossly conceived and coarsely applied, 
 could compel the soul to master the body's ailment, could 
 prop up the sinking machinery and strengthen the motive 
 power without regard to its decaying tools. To-day, pro- 
 vided the body is helped along with physical means, the 
 soul would remain against its will, or agamst the will of what 
 stands in closer relation to it originally than the form which 
 it has animated here beneath. If mind and body were one, 
 either method could be successful. Neither is, when death 
 steps in to proclaim their separation. 
 
 By the side of the shaman a young man leans against the 
 wall. He is well-built and lithe. His head is bent so low 
 in grief that the dark hair streams over his face, concealing 
 his features. The youth is mourning, mourning deeply. 
 Over what? Over the body or its sufferings? No, he 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 477 
 
 mourns because of an impending separation. From what? 
 From the form of her whom he will miss? No, for that 
 form will not leave this earth in substance. He mourns 
 for something that goes beyond his grasp, and remains 
 beyond it so long as he himself moves upon this earth. 
 
 Mitsha also is here. She has properly no right to be 
 for she does not belong to the same clan as Say ; but she 
 has remained, and nobody has objected to her presence. 
 She has not craved permission, it has come by tacit consent. 
 Mitsha has felt that Say was approaching the point when 
 the soul breaks loose and flits to another realm, and she 
 wishes to remain with her to the last. If that soul should 
 drop like a shrivelled fruit, to decay and perish forever, 
 nobody would bend to gaze fondly at it. But if it flutter 
 upward, we follow it with our eyes as long as we can, un- 
 consciously thinking, " How happy you are, free now ; and 
 how much I wish to be with you." The very grief caused 
 by the separation, the longing, the clinging to him or to her 
 whom we know to be leaving us, are signs that there is 
 something beyond, something which we are loath to lose 
 but sure to find again elsewhere. Mitsha has known Okoya's 
 mother but little, but the fearful distress of the past two 
 months has brought them together at last. Now the girl 
 weeps, but not loudly, at the thought of separation. If 
 death be annihilation, tears are of no avail. But if death 
 be a promise of life in another condition, then, child, well 
 may you shed tears, for your grief is a token of hope. 
 
 Shyuote stands at the foot of the beam, gaping. His 
 mother lies so still, she breathes so loudly. How well she 
 must be sleeping ! Why did they call him down at all ? 
 It would have been much nicer upstairs where there are 
 Koshare to be seen. He knows well enough that sanaya is 
 sick, but as long as she has such good rest she ought to feel 
 well. A child is not afraid of a dying mother, and when 
 
478 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 she has breathed her last is convinced that she must be 
 happy. To be well is compatible in the minds of children 
 only with life. Death therefore appears to them as a step 
 into a better and more beautiful existence. Children and 
 fools tell the truth. The gleam of light which from dying 
 Say is cast on her unruly son is but the rosy hue of a hopeful 
 twilight. 
 
 The remaining occupants of the room stand with sad 
 looks; they are all women but one, a middle-aged man. 
 They do not feel the occasion except so far as there is 
 a certain solemnity connected with it. Silent and grave, 
 they watch a process going on whose real nature they 
 cannot understand except as a momentous and appalling 
 change. Change is only transformation, not annihilation. 
 
 Say Koitza has been l)dng thus for several days. The 
 end is near at hand, and yet hours may elapse ere she dies. 
 So still it is in the apartment that nobody dares even move. 
 Rising and falling come the song and the noise of the dance 
 from the outside, but they seem to halt at the little open- 
 ing, as if an invisible medium would interpose itself, saying, 
 " Stay out, for within there ripens a fruit for another and a 
 better world." 
 
 Mitsha glides over to the young man with the dark, stream- 
 ing hair and touches his arm lightly. He looks up and 
 at her. It is Okoya, — Okoya, whom we believed to be 
 dead, but who stands here by the side of his dying mother. 
 He also looks emaciated and wan. After all the dangers 
 and misery of a protracted flight this hour has come upon 
 him. The eyes of the two meet ; their looks express neither 
 tenderness nor passion, but a perfect understanding that 
 betokens a union which even death cannot destroy. It is 
 that simple, natural attachment which forms the basis of 
 Indian wedlock when the parties are congenial to each 
 other. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 479 
 
 That the two are one can be plainly seen. As yet no 
 outward sanction has been given to their union ; but they are 
 tacitly regarded as belonging to each other, and no opposi- 
 tion is offered to an intimacy which lacks but the bond of 
 marriage. Passion has little to do with that intimacy ; the 
 severe trials of the past have riveted them together on a 
 higher plane. 
 
 Mitsha has made a sign to the young man. Both steal 
 from the chamber noiselessly and climb to the roof. He 
 goes first and she follows, as is customary among Indians. 
 Once up there the dance attracts Okoya's attention for a 
 moment. He has not seen anything of it as yet, for all 
 day he has remained by his mother's side. 
 
 Sh)Tiote improves the opportunity to slip out also. As 
 he sees his brother and future sister-in-law go out, he follows. 
 Why should he stay down any longer? His mother is well. 
 She sleeps soundly and breathes so loud ! She certainly is 
 improving, and up there he can see Koshare. But he is 
 careful not to let Mitsha see him; her positive ways are 
 distasteful, so he creeps in among the spectators where her 
 eyes cannot follow and soon has lost sight of everything in 
 contemplation of the Koshare. 
 
 The appearance of Okoya and Mitsha on the roof attracts 
 no attention. As long as the death- wail is not sounded, 
 none but those of her clan have a right to be with the dying. 
 Still one or other of the women casts an inquisitive glance 
 at Mitsha ; a slight shake of her head is sufficient answer to 
 them. The young pair go to one side ; he sits down on the 
 parapet of the roof and she beside him. Their eyes follow 
 the dance, but their thoughts are elsewhere. Okoya whispers 
 at last, " Sanaya is dying." 
 
 Mitsha nods, and tears come to her eyes. Here she is 
 not afraid to weep. Okoya continues, — 
 
 " I knew it would happen. Yonder " — he points at the 
 
480 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 mountains — "I heard the owl, and I knew it meant what is 
 now coming upon us." 
 
 The girl shudders. She weeps no longer ; dread scenes 
 of the past are looming up before her mind. 
 
 " In the kote," says she, " it was very bad. Do you re- 
 member over on the other side of the great river on the 
 mesa, from which one can see so very far, almost over 
 where we are now?" 
 
 "Not as far as that," replied Okoya, in a quiet tone, 
 " but far enough. You are right, makatza ; on the mesa we 
 suffered much ; there the Moshome did us a great deal of 
 harm. If it had not been for you we should not be here.'' 
 
 " For me ? " Mitsha asked in surprise. 
 
 " Yes, you. You saved me, saved the yaya, saved Shyuote 
 from the fierce shuatyam ! Yes, surely," he continued as 
 the girl shook her head incredulously. " Do you remember, 
 sa uishe, when one Moshome was holding my hands while 
 another struck at me with his club? You took a big stone 
 and hit him so that he fell and I could kill the other. After- 
 ward you took the bow away from the dead Moshome, and 
 you did as much with it as I did with mine. Yes, indeed, 
 you are strong, but you are wise too, and good." He fast- 
 ened his eyes on her with a deep, earnest look, and the girl 
 turned away her face. She felt embarrassed. 
 
 " We shall be happy when you have built your house and 
 you dwell in it as my koitza," Okoya whispered. 
 
 Mitsha cast her eyes to the ground, and a faint glow ap- 
 peared on her bronzed cheeks. The young man was not 
 misled by her manner, he knew well enough that she liked 
 him to speak in this way. 
 
 " Sanaya goes to Shipapu," said he, moving closer to her, 
 " and I must have a koitza. You said you would be mine 
 and I should be your husband. It was the night of the 
 council on the Tyuonyi. Do you remember?" 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 48 1 
 
 " I do, and so it will be," she said, raising her head. Her 
 large eyes beamed upon him with an expression of softness 
 and deep joy. " But whither shall we go ? Here we are 
 strangers ; and the Puyatye, although they are very good to 
 us, speak a tongue we do not understand. Shall we return 
 to the Tyuonyi and live with my mother and the hanutsh? " 
 
 " Are you sure that your mother is still alive ? Are you 
 sure that there is a single one of our people alive ? " Okoya 
 objected. 
 
 Again the eyes of Mitsha grew moist; she turned her 
 head away and Okoya heard her sobs. Well did he under- 
 stand her grief; it was stirred for the fate of her parents. 
 Had he, had she, known all that had happened on the Rito ! 
 
 A tremendous shout arose from the dancing crowd below. 
 The distribution of gifts was beginning anew. Again the 
 majority of the missiles were directed toward the Queres ; 
 a perfect shower of provisions, cooked and raw, pattered 
 down upon the strangers. A large ear of com tumbled into 
 Mitsha's lap, and she handed it to Okoya, whispering, — 
 
 " The Shiuana are good." 
 
 " They are. They are good also to the yaya, for they take 
 her away to Shipapu, where there is no hunger as on the 
 shore of the great stream." 
 
 He sighed, and gazed to the west, where the San Francisco 
 mountains stood. Beyond them, along the northern base 
 of the Sierra de Sandia, in the sandy bottom of the Rio 
 Grande, uninhabited at this time, they had suffered from 
 hunger and heat. There misery had reached its climax. It 
 is terrible even in our days to be compelled to flee from 
 house and home in time of war into the cold, strange world. 
 And yet nowadays one can flee to one's kind ; and where 
 there are human beings there are hearts. But in the days 
 of old, and for Indians, it was not only distressing, it was 
 ghastly to be obliged to fly. Nature alone stared them in 
 
 31 
 
482 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 the face, and Nature has no heart, although it is said that 
 we are one with her. The Navajos had driven away the 
 fugitives, had tracked and tormented them fearfully, and yet 
 once relieved from the enemy's clutches and thrust upon 
 Nature alone, the wretched band regretted the days when 
 the ruthless enemy swarmed about them. The Moshome 
 at least fed those whom they captured, and those whom 
 they killed were happy forever. Nature knows but law and 
 force, and whoever depends upon her at a time when her 
 laws will not tolerate the existence of man, falls a victim to 
 the power of her forces. 
 
 Now all this was past. It rained gifts about them, and 
 with a sad smile Mitsha gathered them into a little pile. 
 Okoya looked on; he thought the girl was making pro- 
 vision for their futvure household. 
 
 The distribution stopped, for the dancers were resting. 
 They began to sit down along the walls of the houses to 
 rest and to enjoy the needed recess. Mitsha took some 
 of the fruit on her arm, and said to Okoya, — 
 
 " Come, let us go down again." 
 
 "What do you want to do with that? " asked he, desig- 
 nating her little burden. 
 
 " I give it to the Chayan for what the Shiuana are 
 doing for our mother." 
 
 Even in the state of most abject poverty, the Indian 
 shows gratitude to Those Above. 
 
 The head of a man rises above the hatchway and sig- 
 nals the two young people gravely, sadly. They descend 
 hastily \ Okoya remains standing in the middle of the room, 
 and Mitsha goes over to him as soon as she has deposited 
 her burden. As nobody notices her she grasps his hand, 
 and he presses it softly with his own. Say Koitza remains 
 in the same position as before, but she lies more extended, 
 and her chest heaves no longer. The by-standers are mo- 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 483 
 
 tionless like statues, expectant. A last rattle sounds from 
 the throat of the woman ; a deep heavy effort, and all is 
 over. Light froth issues from her lips. Say Koitza has 
 breathed her last. 
 
 It has become very quiet outside, as if men there had 
 guessed at what was going on within. In the little apart- 
 ment it is as still as the grave, — a stillness which speaks 
 louder to the heart than the mightiest sound, and which is 
 appropriately designated by the popular saying, "There 
 is an angel flitting through the room." 
 
 This stillness might have lasted long ; but now the noise 
 and uproar arise again outside, and with full power the 
 sounds of delight and mirth break into the dingy cell like 
 mighty waves. With the departure of life from the body, 
 it is as if a barrier that forbade entrance to noise from 
 the outer world had been drawn away, permitting the 
 sounds of joy to come in triumphantly, now that the soul 
 is free. They find an echo inside, a dismal echo of lamen- 
 tations and tears. Mitsha cannot weep boisterously like 
 the rest, neither can Okoya. The two lean toward each 
 other sobbing ; the girl has grasped his arm with both 
 hands, her head rests on his shoulder, and she weeps. 
 
 The lament below has been heard on the roof; it is a sig- 
 nal to rush down and join in it. Soon the room is crowded 
 with people \ the women grasp their hair and pull it over 
 their faces. Dismal wailing fills the cell. Among the others 
 stands Shyuote, who has been told that his mother is dead. 
 He plants himself squarely with the rest, and howls at the 
 top of his voice. In front of the house the dance con- 
 tinues, and the monotonous chant and the dull drumming 
 ascend to the sky ; alongside of it the death-wail. 
 
 Tanos also crowd into the room ; the throng is so great 
 that the last comers must stand on the beam. Suddenly 
 they are pushed aside ; a tall young man rushes down and 
 
484 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 makes room, regardless of the weeping and howling crowd. 
 Up to Okoya he forces his way ; throws his left arm around 
 him and Mitsha ; his right hand seizes the hand of the 
 youth and presses it against his breast. It is Hayoue, who 
 has come from the north at last, — his heart guiding him 
 to that friend whom he has so bravely, so unwearyingly 
 sought. 
 
 Another Indian rushes down after Hayoue, his motions 
 not less anxious, not less rapid and determined. He makes 
 his way to the body and falls down upon his knees, staring 
 with heaving chest but tearless eyes into the placid, ema- 
 ciated face. It is Zashue Tihua. With a tension akin to 
 despair he searches for lingering life in the features of 
 that wife whom he formerly neglected and afterward sus- 
 pected, whom he at last anxiously sought, and now finds 
 asleep in death. 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 After twenty-one long and it may be tedious chapters, no 
 apology is required for a short one in conclusion. I cannot 
 take leave of the reader, however, without having made in 
 his company a brief excursion through a portion of New 
 Mexico in the direction of the Rito de los Frijoles, though 
 not quite so far. 
 
 We start from Santa F6, that " comer in the east " above 
 which the Tano village stood many centuries ago. We 
 proceed to the Rio Grande valley, to the little settlement 
 called Pena Blanca, and to the Queres village, or Pueblo of 
 Cochiti. There you will hear the language that was once 
 spoken on the Rito ; you will see the Indians with charac- 
 teristic sidelocks, with collars of turquoises and shell beads, 
 but in modem coats and trousers, in moccasins and in New 
 England boots and shoes. Still they are at heart nearly 
 the same Indians we found them in this story. I could 
 introduce you to Hayoue, to Zashue, to Okoya, and the 
 rest. If we strike the time well, you may witness the Ko- 
 share at their pranks, and in their full, very unprepossess- 
 ing ceremonial toggery. At Cochiti we take a guide, 
 possibly Hayoue, and proceed northward in the direction 
 of the Rito. 
 
 For a number of hours we have to follow the base of the 
 huge potreros, crossing narrow ravines, ascending steep 
 but not long slopes, until at about noon we stand on the 
 
486 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 brink of a gorge so deep that it may be termed a chasm. 
 We look down to a narrow bottom and groves of cotton- 
 wood trees. To the north, the chasm is walled in by 
 towering rocks ; the Rio Grande flows through one comer ; 
 and on its opposite bank arise cliffs of trap lava and basalt, 
 black and threatening, while the rocks on the west side are 
 bright red, yellow, and white. The trail to the Rito goes 
 down into this abyss and climbs up on the other side 
 through clefts and along steep slopes. But we are not 
 going to follow this trail. We turn to the left, and with the 
 dizzy chasm of Canon del Alamo to our right, proceed 
 westward on one of the narrow tongues which, as the 
 reader may remember, descend toward the Rio Grande 
 from the high western mountains, and which are called in 
 New Mexico potreros. The one on which we are travel- 
 ling, or rather the plateau, or mesa, that constitutes its 
 surface, is called Potrero de las Vacas. 
 
 For about two hours we wander through a thin forest. 
 From time to time the trail approaches the brink of the 
 rocky chasm of the Canon del Alamo, near enough to have 
 its echo return to us every word we may shout down into 
 its depths. Suddenly the timber grows sparse and we be- 
 hold an open space on a gentle rise before us. It is a bare, 
 bleak spot, perhaps a quarter of a mile long, and occupying 
 the entire width of the mesa, which here is not.much broader. 
 Beyond, the timber begins again, and in the centre of the 
 opening we see the fairly preserved ruins of an abandoned 
 Indian pueblo. 
 
 There are still in places three stories visible. The walls 
 are of evenly broken parallelopipeds of very friable pumice- 
 stone, and the village forms the usual quadrangles. In the 
 centre is a large square ; and no fewer than six, depressions 
 indicate that the Pueblos had at one time as many as six 
 circular subterranean estufas. In the ruins of the dwellings 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 487 
 
 over four hundred cells are still well defined, so that the 
 population of this communal village must formerly have 
 reached as high as one thousand souls. Over and through 
 the ruins are scattered the usual vestiges of primitive arts 
 and industry, — pottery fragments and arrow-heads. Sel- 
 dom do we meet with a stone hammer, whereas grinding- 
 slabs and grinders are frequent, though for the most part 
 scattered and broken. 
 
 The spot is well selected for an abode of sedentary In- 
 dians. An extensive view opens toward the east, north, and 
 south. We see in the east the mountains above Santa Fd, 
 in the south the ranges at whose foot he the ruins of Hishi. 
 In the north the high plateaus above the Rito shut out a 
 glimpse of the Puye, but a whitish streak in that direction 
 indicates the top line of the northern chffs that overhang the 
 Rito de los Frijoles. Right and left of the village, not more 
 than a hundred yards from each side, begin the rugged de- 
 clivities of the sides of the potrero. If we want to go far- 
 ther we can proceed to the west only, and there we soon get 
 into timber again. 
 
 A few steps within that timber, and we have before us a 
 strange sight. A wall of rudely piled stone slabs planted 
 upright, flags laid upon them crosswise, and smaller frag- 
 ments piled against and between them, form a pentagonal 
 enclosure which at first sight reminds us of a diminutive 
 Stonehenge. There is an entrance to it from the south- 
 east, — an open corridor flanked by similar parapets. The 
 enclosing wall is not more than three feet high, and we 
 easily peep into the interior. 
 
 Inside there are two statues carved out of the living rock 
 Although much disfigured to-day they still show a plain re- 
 semblance to the figures of two crouching panthers or pumas. 
 They are life size ; and the animals seem to lie there with 
 their heads to the east, their tails extended along the ground. 
 
488 THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 As we stand and gaze, our Indian goes up to the statues and 
 furtively anoints their heads with red ochre, muttering a 
 prayer between his teeth. 
 
 What may be the signification of this statuary? Do you 
 remember the great dance at the Rito, and the painting on 
 the wall of the estufa where the Koshare Naua sat and held 
 communication with Those Above? Do you recollect that 
 among these paintings there was one of a panther and another 
 of a bear ? The relation of the bear and panther of the estufa 
 to the picture of the sun-father is here that of the two stone 
 panthers to the sun himself. Their faces are turned to the 
 east, whence rises the sun, in which dwells the father of all 
 mankind, and the moon, which their mother inhabits. As 
 in the estufa on the Rito, so in the outside world, the pic- 
 tures of stone express a prayer to the higher powers, and 
 here daily the people of the village were wont to make offer- 
 ings and say their prayers. 
 
 We are therefore on sacred ground in this crumbling en- 
 closure. But who knows that we are not on magic ground 
 also ? We might make an experiment ; and though our 
 Indian guide is not one of the great shamans, he might 
 help us in an attempt at innocent jugglery. 
 
 Let us suffer ourselves to be bhndfolded, and then turn 
 around three times from left to right while our friend 
 recites some cabalistic formula, incomprehensible of course 
 to us. 
 
 One, two, three ! The bandage is removed. What can 
 we see? 
 
 Nothing strange at first. Surrounding nature is the same 
 as before. The same extensive view, the same snow-clad 
 ranges in the far east, the same silent, frowning rocks, the 
 same dark pines around us. But in the north, over the yel- 
 lowish band that denotes the cliffs of the Rito, we notice a 
 slight bluish haze. 
 
THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 489 
 
 A change has taken place in our immediate vicinity. The 
 stone panthers and the stone enclosure have vanished, and 
 the ground is bare, like all the ground in the neighbourhood. 
 Looking beyond we see that a transformation has also taken 
 place on the spot where stood the ruin. The crumbling 
 walls and heaps of rubbish are gone, and in their place 
 newly built foundations are emerging from the ground; 
 heaps of stone, partly broken, are scattered about; and 
 where a moment ago we were the only living souls, now 
 Indians — village Indians likS our guide, only somewhat 
 more primitive — move to and fro, busily engaged. 
 
 Some of them are breaking the stones into convenient 
 sizes, for the friable pumice breaks in parallelepipeds with- 
 out eifort. The women are laying these in mortar made of 
 the soil from the mesa, common adobe. We are witness- 
 ing the beginning of the construction of a small village. 
 Farther down, on the edge of the timber, smoke arises; 
 there the builders of this new pueblo dwell in huts while 
 their house of stone is growing to completion. It is the 
 month of May, and only the nights are cool. 
 
 These builders we easily recognize. They are the fugi- 
 tives from the Rito, the little band whom the Tanos of 
 Hishi have kindly received and charitably supported until 
 a few months since, when they allowed them to go and 
 build a new home. They came hither led on by Hayoue, 
 who is now their maseua; for each tribe, however small, 
 must have one. Okoya is with him, and Mitsha, now 
 Okoya's wife, comes up from the bottom with the water- 
 urn on her head, as on the day when we first saw her on the 
 Rito de los Frijoles. 
 
 And now we have, though in a trance, seen the further fate 
 of those whose sad career has filled the pages of this story. 
 We may be blindfolded again, turned about right to left ; and 
 when the bandage is taken from our eyes the landscape is 
 
49° THE DELIGHT MAKERS. 
 
 as before, silent and grand. The ruins are in position again ; 
 the panthers of stone with their mutilated heads lie within 
 the enclosure ; an eagle soars on high ; and our Indian points 
 to it, smiles, and whispers, — 
 
 " Look ! see ! the Shiuana are good ! " 
 
 THE END.