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 public she wascertain 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 gatheringmedicinal herbs. Shotaye enjoyed the reputation of being a strange andeven mysterious being; and so long as her services were not absolutelyrequired, nobody cared to intrude upon her. Nevertheless, she oftenreceived visitors of the male sex. She despised men most thoroughly, butaccepted their attentions if profitable.
On the day following the ayash tyucotz Shotaye left her cave in quest ofvegetable medicaments. We have seen how she met Okoya, and how theygreeted one another. The boy's sullen manner amused her; she attributedhis 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 ofthe streamlet. That the skies threatened to become overcast and thatrain might overtake her during the day mattered little. Whenever theIndian is bent upon the performance of some task, sunshine or rain,moonlight or snow, are matters of indifference. Shotaye strolled onregardless of things above or below. People were of as little interestto her as the clouds. The latter could do her errand no harm, and thaterrand everybody might know if they chose to follow her.
Wandering up the gorge of the Rito and along its northern limit, thewoman soon reached the upper part, where the cliffs crowd the water'sedge, where the southern slopes become more rugged and the valleyterminates. There a series of gigantic steps, formed by high andbeetling rocks, closes the Rito to the west. Down that mass of ledgesthe brook trickles from its source, and a trail, formerly much used bythe Navajos on their raids, creeps up, meandering over and betweencrags, ledges, and shelves of bare rock. This trail was seldom troddenat that time, and then only by armed men, for it was regarded asdangerous. Notwithstanding the proximity of the settlement at the Rito,the Navajos--Dinne, or Moshome--lurked here quite often, and many anunfortunate had lost his life while ascending the trail alone.
Shotaye was therefore travelling an exceedingly hazardous road, but shedid not think of danger. Many a time before had she clambered up anddown this rocky labyrinth, and while the Dinne fairly swarmed, nothinghad ever happened to her. It is true that she was exceedingly wary, andhad in her innumerable excursions gathered quite as much knowledge ofthe tricks of war as the most experienced scout, so that she felt almostintuitively the approach of danger. She had gradually become imbued withthe idea that she was invulnerable. To-day, therefore, she moved alongthis dangerous trail with the greatest apparent _nonchalance_.Furthermore her thoughts so completely absorbed her that while ascendingfrom the level of the Rito she unconsciously went on thinking of nothingelse but of what Say Koitza had told her in the cave, and of the plansfor relief which she had begun to devise, or at least to revolve in hermind.
The trail is not only rough and long, it is very steep in places; andthe woman stopped for rest, sitting on a ledge of rocks. Below her thevale was no longer visible; a dark chasm yawned at her feet; out of itthe cliffs of the Tyuonyi rose like the heads of giants.
One more difficult stretch had to be overcome before Shotaye could reachthe timber crowning the plateau on the northern cliffs of the Rito.Massive benches or ledges, abrupt and high, seemed to render fartherascent impracticable. But Shotaye kept on after a short stop without theslightest hesitation. The trail wound its way upward. It crept fromrocky step to rocky step, led her from crags to narrow bands skirtingdizzy cliffs, until she came to a level where the timber of the northernmesa was easily reached. Once in the shade of pines she looked around;the original object of her expedition returned to her mind, and shescanned with particular care the underbrush in hope of finding there theherbs on which she based the efficacy of her cures. It thunderedaudibly, but that was nothing to her.
There, close to a juniper-bush, grew one of the coveted plants. She wentto 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 waslying on the ground. Not a shriek, however, escaped her mouth, foralthough surprised, the woman had presence of mind enough to think thateither Tyope or some Navajo must have attacked her. In either case itwas useless to scream, for in either case she was lost. As soon howeveras 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 stooderect. He looked down into her face and grinned. That grin did not inthe least beautify his already horrible features. The creature wasindeed a man, but so disfigured by paint and accoutrements that any oneunaccustomed to the appearance of Indian warriors in full dress mustnecessarily have taken him for some fiend or demon from the netherworld. He was of robust build, his muscular chest was naked to thewaist, a kilt of deer-hide covered his thighs, and his feet rested onsmall hoops laid horizontally and tied to them like sandals. Face andbody were painted with a black metallic powder; under each eye there wasa red dash. Out of this sinister face the eyes gleamed like livingcoals; and the smile, though intended for a friendly token, appearedmore like a beastly leer. A close-fitting cap covered the skull to theears, giving it the appearance of ghastly baldness. From under thisprotection coarse locks of black hair protruded.
Shotaye looked up at the monster, and, strange to say, returned hishorrid grin with a smile and with encouraging winks. But the man did notmove; he only let go her arms. So she rose. Thereupon he touched herright arm with his left hand, pointed at himself with the right, anduttered in a strange dialect, "Tehua." Afterward he pointed at her,adding, "tema quio," and accompanied these words by most significantgestures.
Shotaye did not understand the language, but the signs were clear toher.
"Koitza," she replied, imitating his motions; "Tehua hachshtze;" andwith a wink, "amoshko."
The Indian shook his head; he dropped the arm of the woman, made withboth hands the motion of stringing a bow, and exclaimed,--
"Uan save." Grasping the war-club that hung from his wrist he struck twoor three blows with it at random, repeated the words "uan save," andlooked askance.
This was beyond Shotaye's powers of comprehension. She again pointed atherself, saying,--
"Tyuonyi koitza," then in the direction of the Rito, made thegesture-sign for killing, and looked at the stranger inquiringly andwith an anxious face.
Now the Indian understood her. His eyes sparkled; he shook his heademphatically, uttering,--
"Nyo nyo tema, uan save, uan save;" at the same time he pointed to thewest and brandished his war-club.
It became clear to the woman that the warrior was on an expeditionagainst the Navajos, and not after the scalps of her own people; but itwas equally plain to her that, being on the war-path, any kind ofenjoyment was prohibited to him. This was a disappointment, and thestrange dialogue came therefore to a stand-still. Each eyed the other insilence. All at once the stranger stepped up to her, and extending hisarms to the west, asked,--
"Uan save?"
She shrugged her shoulders in silence.
"Quio," he said now, and grasped her hand; "tupoge," pointing toward theRito. "Quio," he beckoned her to go with him. "Puye," waving his hand tothe north. Lastly he grinned and whispered, "cuinda?"
There was no possibility of misunderstanding the smile and the motions,although the words, of course, were beyond Shotaye's comprehension. Inreturn she pointed to the west again, made the conventional sign fornight and sleep, and began to count her fingers. As she bent the eighthdigit the Tehua stopped her, held up every finger of the right hand andthree of the left, described, as if in confirmation eight times, an archfrom east to west, and concluded by pointing to the north, exclaimingvery emphatically,--
"Puye!" He looked at her and laughed aloud, as the Indian does when hefeels delighted, pressed both hands against his chest, and utteredproudly,--
"Cayamo."
br />
"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 eightseveral times, and then suddenly bent down. One of his sandals hadbecome loose.
These sandals consisted, as mentioned before, of wooden hoops covered bystrips of rabbit-skin and tied to the naked foot with bands of the samematerial. The wearer stood on them as on wheels lying flat on theground; he was able to walk and even to run at a moderate speed, and theprints which he made, being circular, gave a pursuing enemy no clew tothe direction of his going or coming.
While the man was stooping and fastening the leather thongs, Shotayescanned his appearance thoroughly. She perceived on his back, aside froma bow and the usual quiver filled with war-arrows, a shield. Thepainting on that shield she examined with particular care. The targetwas painted white, with a black rim; and in the centre was a greencrescent, with four red crosses. Such figures have no heraldicsignification; they are but the creation of fancy or taste, and recallthe designs of the ancient Teutons which Tacitus describes, "Scutatantum lectissimis coloribus distinguunt."
Shotaye evidently took an interest in the stranger. He, on the otherhand, looked up to her from time to time with a terrific grin that wasintended for a sweet smile. As often as he turned his face toward hershe sought to decipher his real features, which the war-paint renderedutterly unrecognizable.
At last the sandal was fastened again, and the Tehua stood erect. Hewaved his hand to the west and north, repeated the words, "Cayamo,cuinda," and placed a finger on his lips. She nodded, raised eightfingers, softly uttered "raua, raua, Shotaye," and pointed to the northalso. Thereupon he moved away stealthily; but before disappearing in thetimber, he turned around once more and waved his hand northward. Thewoman replied with affirmative nods, and after his form had disappearedshe also turned to go. Her eyes sparkled; a gleam of intensesatisfaction illumined her features, as with head erect and heedless ofthe plants she had come to gather, she penetrated deeper into theforest. She now went due east, in a direction opposite to the one theTehua had taken.
This had been a very remarkable meeting indeed. More than ever, Shotayebelieved that she was invulnerable. The Queres of the Rito and theTehuas, living north of them on the other side of savagemountain-fastnesses, and more than a day's journey distant, were notalways on the best of terms. There was no regular intercourse betweenthe 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 atthe Tyuonyi spoke Tehua, and no one at the Puye understood Queres, suchattempts at commercial intercourse usually terminated in a fracas, inbloodshed even, and the party offended sought to make things evenafterward by waylaying and murdering such of the other side as mightchance to wander in the neighbourhood of their abodes. Actual warfarehad taken place between the tribes within the time of Shotaye'srecollection, and engagements were fought; one party got worsted and ranhome, the other went home, too, and that settled the matter for the timebeing. It was, therefore, not at all safe for an Indian from the Rito tomeet one from the Puye, and _vice versa_. Women made an exception,inasmuch as they were exposed only to capture and adoption in the tribeto which their captors belonged. Such compulsory adoption was renderedvery easy by the fact that nearly the same clans existed among all thePueblos. But the Eagle clan, for instance, which the Queres called Tyamehanutsh in their dialect, bore in the Tehua language the name of Tzedoa.
As soon as Shotaye saw into whose hands she had fallen, she feltcompletely reassured. Even if she were carried off a prisoner, it was nomisfortune. When, moreover, she discovered that the stranger had noteven such an object in view, but was after the scalp of some Navajo, sheexperienced a feeling of delight. When at last the Indian readilyunderstood her suggestions, and went so far as to indicate a day whenshe should come to him at the Puye, her gladness knew no bounds. In theaccidental meeting, all her hopes for relief had been realized. She wasnow able to save herself by flight to the other tribe, but enough timewas 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 obstacleto temporary outside friendships. She could take refuge at the Puyewithout hesitation, and claim the protection of her warrior. In case sheafterward felt like tying herself to one man only, there was no doubt inher mind that a domestic animal of the _genus_ husband could easily befound. How often could she have been married at the Rito, had the mennot looked upon her as a witch!
The friend whom she had now secured among the Tehuas called himselfCayamo. Thus much she had guessed, and guessed rightly. But would she beable to recognize him after his face was washed and the military undressexchanged for that of civil life? Never mind, she had noted thepaintings on his shield, and that was enough. There are no two shieldsalike in one village; and by uttering the name Cayamo and describing thewhite escutcheon with a green crescent and four red crosses--a thingeasy for Indian sign-language--she could not fail to identify him. ThatCayamo would recognize her and acknowledge her acquaintance she did notdoubt for a moment. She even hoped to meet him half way on the trail tothe village of his tribe, provided the Navajos did not kill the hero.While she sincerely hoped that he would return safe and in possession ofmany scalps, there was still a possibility of his own scalp being takenby the enemy. The Navajos were very cunning, and their arrows weretipped with very sharp flint. With all her feelings for her knight, andthe reliance she placed on his broad shoulders, heavy neck, strong arms,and well-turned legs, accidents remained possible. In case Cayamo shouldnever return to his native village, what then? Well, he was not the onlyman 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 sufficient respite? Things might have taken placeduring and after the dance that changed the face of matters andprecipitated them beyond remedy. In case, for instance, that the DelightMakers had overturned Say's household as they were wont to overturnothers, and had discovered the feathers, was not all hope gone? Shotayesuddenly recollected how Okoya had greeted her that morning,--how surlyhis glance, how gruff and unfriendly his call. Was that significant?Still, if the secret had been disclosed, there would surely have beensome noise about it the night before. On the other hand, it might bethat the council had the case in hand and preferred not to make anythingpublic for the present. What if the council were in deliberation at thevery moment, discussing her fate and that of her accomplice? Would itnot be safer, instead of returning to the Rito, to follow the tracks ofher new friend, Cayamo, and join him on his dangerous errand?
Yes, it would have been safer, provided Cayamo would have tolerated thecompanionship of a woman. But this he was not allowed to enjoy, andfurthermore, what would then become of that accomplice of hers? Thelatter thought staggered her.
Shotaye was a very strange woman. She was heartless, cold-blooded,merciless, remorseless, in everything that concerned her relations toothers. One person only she excepted in her selfish calculations, andthat was her accomplice and victim, Say Koitza. Happen what might, shecould not forsake Say. She must at all hazards go back to the Tyuonyi,call at her house, and find out from her whether or not anything hadoccurred that might jeopardize her plans and designs. In case matterswere unchanged, she intended to tell her friend the occurrence of theday, giving her at the same time directions for the future.
Shotaye quickened her step, for the road was long. It was not advisableto return by the trail she had taken in coming, for she needed a pretextfor running into the abode of Say Koitza as if by chance. At last shenoticed the change in the weather and the approaching shower, andthought it a good plan to regulate
her gait so as to reach the valleyand the big house when the storm broke. She might then seek shelterunder her friend's roof and avoid suspicion.
Crashing thunder roared in the high Sierra, and as Shotaye looked aroundshe saw the rain-streaks that swept down on the mesas in advance of theshower. The Sierra de la Jara had vanished in the clouds, and grayfleeces whirled about the flanks of the Sierra de San Miguel. She stoodon the brink above the eastern end of the Rito, and began to descendover boulders and crags, and through bushes. Only a part of the valleywas visible; in the corn-fields not a living soul appeared. Faster andfaster Shotaye ran, regardless of rocks and shrubbery. The westernmountains were completely shrouded, lightning tore the clouds, thunderbellowed nearer and stronger. At last she reached the bottom and turnedtoward the houses, panting, perspiring, but untired. As she passed thenew house of the Corn clan, the first angry blast of the storm met her,and she had to stop. It filled her with lively satisfaction, however, tosee how accurately she had regulated her movements. She might get intothe big house almost unnoticed, for the rain began to fall.
At the moment when Hayoue and Okoya found shelter in the caves of theWater clan, Shotaye dashed through the gangway of the building. Atremendous shower was falling, and as soon as she entered the court shewas drenched from head to foot, to the great delight of those who, wellprotected themselves, were standing in the doorways 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 thewalls, and finally stumbled into the open door of Say Koitza's home. Nota single thread of her scanty clothing was dry; her hair, soaked anddripping, clung to her forehead and cheeks as if glued to the skin;water filled her eyes, nostrils, and ears. She removed the hair from herbrow, shook herself, coughed, sneezed, and looked around. The room wasempty, but in the inner cell a fire crackled on the hearth; and Say cameout. At the sight of her friend she burst into a hearty laugh, andasked,--
"Where do you come from?"
"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 shereplied,--
"We are alone," and turned back into the kitchen. Her friend's questionsounded like a prelude to dismal tidings.
Both women squatted close to the fire. Not a word was spoken. Thenew-comer was busy drying herself, and the mistress of the house wasstruck by her rather cheerful looks. Possibly her sad presentiment waswrong. It was almost impossible to talk, except in a very loud tone; forthe rain fairly roared, peals of thunder followed each other in quicksuccession, flashes of yellow lightning quivered outside of the littleport-hole. The room itself was very dark.
How often had the two women sat here years ago in anxious doubt, buthopeful at last! How often had Say Koitza complained to her friend onthis very spot,--complained of her illness, of the sad outlook beforeher; and when she began to recuperate how often she told Shotaye abouther plans for the future. Now that future had come, and in what shape!
The roaring outside diminished gradually, the thunder sounded moreremote. Through the roof of mud and brush rivulets of water began toburst, forming little puddles on the mud floor and dripping on the headsof the two women. Shotaye took no notice of it, but Say moved to avoidthe 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 everything upside down,but found nothing."
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, "youare 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 ceiling.
Shotaye resumed the conversation.
"Speak, sa tao," she said; "speak, and tell me what you think. Why is itthat you still believe that bad men will be able to do you harm? Don'tyou know, sister, that you are safe from them now, and that they cannotinjure you any more?"
Say Koitza shook her head gloomily and replied, pointing to her ear andeye,--
"Sanaya, what the ear hears and the eye sees, the heart must fainbelieve."
"Then speak to me; tell me, sa uishe, what it is that your ear hasheard, your eye has seen, that makes your heart so sad." The woman spokesoftly, entreatingly, as if she was soothing a sick child. But theobject of her sympathy sighed, and continued, in the same tone of utterdespondency,--
"Sister, had you been present at the ayash tyucotz, when all the peopledanced and sang, your eyes would have seen what the heart could notapprove. I saw my son Okoya Tihua, the child of Tanyi hanutsh, dancingbeside Mitsha Koitza, the girl from Tyame; and she is the daughter ofour base enemy."
Type of old Indian woman]
"Is that all that causes you trouble, koya?" Shotaye very placidlyasked. "Listen to me further, yaya," Say entreated. "This morning Itook the boy to task for it, and then I found out that Mitsha is near tohim,--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 isTyope'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 asand-viper, and whose father a carrion crow?"
"Is that all?"
"You know," Say cried, "how mean Tyope is! If my child goes to see hischild, is it not easy for the young serpent to ask this and that of myson? Then she will go and tell the old sand-viper, her mother, who willwhisper it to Tyope himself. Don't you see it, sister?"
The argument was forcible, and Shotaye felt the truth of it. The otherproceeded,--
"Okoya may have been going with the girl for a long while; and I knewnothing of it. Have you found out, sister,"--she leaned forward andlooked at her guest with a very earnest expression,--"how the Kosharehave learned about the owl's feathers in my house?"
The other shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.
"Neither have I," continued Say; "but might not Okoya--" The hand of herfriend closed her lips.
"Hush!" cried the medicine-woman, imperatively; "speak not, believe not,think not, such a thing! Okoya is good; I, too, know the boy. He willnever do what you suspect."
But Say was too excited to listen to her. She drew Shotaye's hand awayfrom her mouth and exclaimed,--
"Remember that it is but a short time that the Koshare have known aboutthe feathers."
"And remember, you, that Okoya is of your own blood!"
"He is young, and the makatza has great power over him, for he likesher. When Zashue"--her voice trembled and she turned her face away witha suppressed sigh--"came to me and I went to him, he often told methings about your people,--things that your hanutsh would not haveliked, had they known that I knew of them."
"Hush! I tell you again. Hush, koitza!" the other commanded. "Hush! or Iwill never listen to you any more. You loathe your own flesh, the veryentrails that have given birth to the mot[=a]tza! I tell you again,Okoya is good. He is far better than his father! Thus much I know, andknow it well." She looked hard at the wife of Zashue, while her lipsdisdainfully curled. Say cast her eyes to the ground; she did not careto 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 wherethe owl's feathers had lain buried. It seemed as if the waters fromheaven were eager to assist in obliterating every trace of the fataltuft. Shotaye turned away from her friend indignantly; the mere thoughtof a mother accusing her chi
ld, and such a son as Okoya, was revoltingto her. Say hung her head and pouted; and yet she felt that Shotaye wasright, after all. And then it was so gratifying to hear from Shotaye'sown 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 meananything wrong."
"And yet you slander your best child."
Say Koitza began to sob.
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 isgood; he will not betray anybody, and least of all his mother. And hearmy words,--Mitsha also is good; as good as her father is bad, as wise asher mother is foolish. Even if Okoya had found the feathers, and hadtold makatza of it, she would keep it to herself, and the secret wouldlie buried within her heart as deep as if it rested beneath thenethermost rock on which the Tetilla stands. And in the end let me tellyou,"--she raised her head defiantly and her eyes flashed,--"if Okoyalikes the girl and she wants him, they are sure to come together. Youcannot prevent it; neither can Tyope, the tapop, the Hotshanyi,--noteven the whole tribe! Those on high hold the paths of our lives; theyalone 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 fromthe court-yard,--"mother, come out and look at the fine rainbow." Withthis he dashed into the inner door and stood there, the very incarnationof dirt. He had been playing at Delight Makers in the mud-puddlesoutside with some of his comrades, and was covered with splashes of mudfrom head to foot. Say bounded from her seat and pushed back the forwardyoungster.
"Who is with you, sanaya?" he inquired, while retreating.
"Nobody, you water-mole! I want to be alone. I have no time to look atyour rainbow. Get away!" and she hustled him outside and quicklyreturned to the kitchen.
But Shyuote, not satisfied with his mother's statement, rushed to theport-hole to see for himself. This Shotaye had expected; and as soon ashis dirty face darkened the opening, it received a splash of muddyrain-water that caused the boy to desist from further prying.
After Say had resumed her seat by the hearth, Shotaye bent toward herand 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 mothernodded; 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 iswell that Okoya should go to the house of the girl's mother. There isdanger in it. But your son is careful and wise, and Mitsha is good, asgood as our mother on high. Therefore don't cross his path; let him goas he pleases; and if Mitsha should come to you, be kind to her, for shedeserves it. All this, however,"--the tone of her voice changedsuddenly,--"is not what I came to see you for. What I have to tell youconcerns me and you alone. Keep it precious, as precious as the greenstone hidden in the heart of the yaya; and whatever may happen, besilent about it, as silent as the mountain. Keep your lips closedagainst everybody until the time comes when we must speak."
Say nodded eagerly, and Shotaye was fully satisfied with the mutepledge, for she knew that the woman dared not betray her.
"Believe me," she continued, "your life is safe. You will not, youcannot, be harmed."
Say Koitza looked at her in surprise; she could not realize the truth ofthese hopeful tidings.
"They found nothing in your house," resumed the other, "because, Ipresume, you removed the feathers in time, and in this you were wise. IfTyope says that he saw you holding owl's feathers in your hands, and youhave not kept them, who can speak against you at the council? Restassured of one thing. Tyope is at the bottom of all our troubles, andunless he or somebody else watched you while you buried the hapi at thefoot of the beams on which the Koshare go up to their cave, nobody willbelieve him when he rises against you. Are you sure," she added, "thatnobody 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 notsee 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, andowl's feathers on it; and I heard them ask of the evil corn to speak tothem'?"
"Then everybody will say, 'Shotaye is a witch, Say only her tool; wemust punish Shotaye, she must be killed,' and that will be the end ofit."
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 lastwords of the medicine-woman shocked Say. She stood toward Shotaye almostin the relation of a helpless child, and the thought of seeing herfriend exposed to death produced a feeling of dismay and sadness.
"But, sanaya," she asked, "how can they harm you and let me go free? AmI 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 youto do things which those on high do not like, so I alone must suffer.Nevertheless"--she laid her hand on the other's lap--"rest easy; I shallnot die."
In her simplicity, Say, when Shotaye mentioned the probability of hersuffering capital punishment, had not thought of her children and of theconsequences that would arise in case she herself were to share thatfate. She felt greatly relieved upon hearing the cave-woman speak sohopefully of her own case, for she bethought herself of those whom shewould leave motherless. But her curiosity was raised to the highestpitch. Eager and anxious to learn upon what grounds Shotaye based herassurance of safety, Say nestled close to her side in order not to losea syllable of the talk. It was necessary, for Shotaye proceeded in aslow solemn whisper,--
"Sister, I shall be accused and you will be accused also. If you arebrought before the council, and they ask you about our doings, denyeverything, say no to everything, except when the black corn is spokenof. That you may confess. They will inquire of you why we used the evilcobs. Answer, and mark well my words, that you did not understand what Iwas doing, that you only did what I told you to do. Lay all the blame onme."
"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 whisperbecame 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 quietas kohaio when in winter he is asleep. Whatever you may hear, heed itnot; what you may see, do not notice. Deny everything you can deny, andwhat you have to confess lay on me. Do as I tell you, sa uishe," sheinsisted, 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 impressivevoice,--
"Sa tao, trust in me, and believe also that Okoya is good, and Mitshabetter yet. Be kind to both and be silent."
She stepped into the court-yard, and Say Koitza remained standing in thedoorway.
The rain had ceased; the sky was clear again, all ablaze with therichest golden hues over the crest of the big houses. It was nearsunset. Say watched her friend as she went to the entrance; and asShotaye's form vanished in the dark passage Okoya emerged from it,coming toward his mother, slowly, shyly, but with a smile on hiscountenance. 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."