THE SACRILEGE OF THE YOUTHS OF THE DANCE, AND THE FLEETING OF THE MAIDENS OF CORN.
Now when the dance was ended and the Dew maidens, with Paíyatuma, had retired within the bower, forth came the beautiful and ever young Mothers of Corn. And when the players of the flutes saw them, they were enamored of their beauty, and gazed upon them so intently that fain were the maidens to let fall their hair and cast down their eyes. Yet the youths grew not less bold of eye. Then, yea and with jealousy now, bolder grew the youths mortal, who led the dance and attended the dancers, and lo! as the morning neared and the dancers of the flute came forth again, these, impassioned and in rivalry, sought all too freely the presence of the Mother-maidens, no longer holding them so precious as in olden time, but e'en plucking at their white garments.
Meanwhile the people, eagerly watching the new dance, gave little heed to aught else. For behold! the waters rose in the terraced bowl and flowed out toward the dancers, yea, and the mists increased greatly, shrouding the watchers and the dancers alike, until within them the Maidens of Corn, all white their garments, became invisible! Then sadly and noiselessly they stole in amongst the people and laid their corn-wands down amongst the trays, and passing the seed-corn over their persons, placed it back in the trays, and laid their white broidered garments thereupon as mothers lay soft kilting over their babes. Behold! having thus by their wonderful knowledge now placed within the corn the substance of their flesh, then even as the mists became they, and with the mists drifting, fled away, verily, to the far south Summerland!
As the day dawned the dancers of the flutes completed their custom, the players, waving their flutes over the people assembled, followed Paíyatuma as he strode, wordless, forth from the midst of the people.