Night after night the war-drum sounded, deep in the caves of the valley, and with it the tones of the words—all potent—forbidden and secret which the Twain gods were teaching unto the first Priests of the Bow.
THE DOWNFALL OF HÁN‘HLIPIŊK‘YA, AND THE SEARCH ANEW FOR THE MIDDLE.
Thus wise were the Priests of the Bow established by teaching of the Twain, whose breaths of destruction each one of them breathed in due part; whom none might gainsay; nay, not even the fathers whose speakers they were, and with whom none might contend; nay, not even sorcerers, whose scourgers they were—nor yet the Fearful!
And so, when on a dark night thereafter the world groaned and the shells sounded warning, all together the Twain and these their new warriors sought the priest-fathers of the people, bidding them take in hand for carrying, their tabernacles of precious possessions. And swiftly and sternly too they wakened all sleepers, old ones and young, and those who obeyed them were gathered in clan-lines and led off to safety, for Áhaiyuta, the elder, and his warriors journeyed before them, and Mátsailema, the younger, and his warriors followed behind—shields of the people, makers and destroyers of pathways! But those who loved sleeping or who murmured like children were left to their evil; they were choked by the black fumes, or buried in the walls of their houses, which fell when presently the earth heaved with dire fumes, fire and thunder. Their bones are still digged by the gopher and marmot.
Thus, from country to country journeyed the people, their fathers the priests and the keepers of the mysteries, with the women and children in their midst, while before them, from valley to valley, the Bow-priests swept danger away.
THE WARS WITH THE BLACK PEOPLE OF THE HIGH BUILDINGS AND WITH THE ANCIENT WOMAN OF THE K‘YÁKWEINA AND OTHER K´KÂKWE.
At last the people neared, in the midst of plains to the eastward, great towns built in the heights (héshotayálawa). But in these times the thoughts of their warriors were always those of the eagle or mountain-lion or other fierce creatures of prey. Of those they met it was "Lo, now! If I can but seize him and utterly overthrow him and eat of his substance, feeding therewith also my kind!" Thus, only, thought they.
Great were the fields and possessions of this people, for they knew how to command and carry the waters, bringing new soil; and this too without hail or rain. So, our ancients, hungry with long wandering for new food, were the more greedy, and gave them battle. Now as these people of the highlands and cliffs were of the elder nations of men and were allied to the Ákâkâ-kwe (the Man-soul Dance-gods) themselves, these our people, ere they had done, were well nigh finished of fighting. For it was here that the K‘yákweina Ók‘yätsiki, or Ancient Woman of the K‘yákweina, who carried her heart in her rattle and was deathless of wounds in the body, led the enemy, crying out shrilly; all of which, yea and more, beyond the words of a sitting, is told in other speeches of our ancient talks, those of the Kâ´kâ. Thus, it fell out ill for the fighting of our impetuous ancients; for, moreover, thunder raged and confused their warriors, rain descended and blinded them, stretching their bow-strings of sinew, and quenching the flight of their arrows as the flight of bees is quenched by the sprinkling-plume of the honey hunter. But the strong ‘Hléetokwe devised bow-strings of yucca, and the Two Little Ones sought counsel of the Sun-father, who revealed the life-secret of the Demoness and the magic power over the under-fires (kóline) of the dwellers in the mountains and cliffs; so that after certain days the enemy in the mountain town were overmastered. And because our people found in that great town some survivors hidden deep in the cellars thereof, and plucked them forth as rats are pulled from a hollow cedar, and found them blackened by the fumes of their own war-magic, yet comely and wiser than the common lot of men withal, they spared them and called them the Kwínikwa-kwe (Black people), and received them into their kin of the Black Corn.
THE ADOPTION OF THE BLACK PEOPLE, AND THE DIVISION OF THE CLANS TO SEARCH FOR THE MIDDLE.
Now for once even the Warriors of the Bow were fully surfeited of fighting, and paused to rest. Thus, warm hands of brothers elder and younger were clasped with the vanquished; and in time (for at first these people were wild of tongue) speech was held with them, whereby our fathers gained much knowledge, even of their own powers and possessions, from these Black people, in like manner as they had gained knowledge from the People of the Dew, whence in like manner also they grew wiser in the ways of living, and loved more to cherish their corn and corn virgins that they might have life and abundance rather than cause death and hunger. Yet were their journeyings not ended. Again, and anon, the shell sounded warning.