Hawk-Eye and Limberleg had felt earthquakes before, but never one like this. It seemed as if the world were shaking itself to pieces. They huddled closer together and clasped their arms around the Twins.
“Oh,” shrieked Limberleg, “the water gods are angry because we tried to find out the secret of the sun!” She and Hawk-Eye prayed to them at the top of their lungs. “Spare us, oh, spare us,” they cried.
As they prayed, there came a long, fearful cracking noise, and the sound of falling rocks. It was as if the thunder had fallen to the earth and were rumbling round over it. A gigantic wave came roaring against the rocks as if it would dash them to pieces.
The Twins burrowed their heads in their mother’s lap, and shook almost as if they were having little earthquakes of their own.
The great wave marked the crest of the storm. After that the winds grew gradually less violent, the rain ceased, and the waves crept farther and farther away down the beach.
The earth ceased its trembling. The clouds rolled away like great curtains, and the thunder went grumbling off toward the west.
When the grey dawn came stealing over the wet earth and the birds began to sing, Limberleg raised her head.
“Look,” she said, “and listen! The birds are singing! I thought the world had come to an end, but it is still here, and so are we.”
Then they all opened their eyes, which they had kept shut for terror. A wonderful sight met them! Over the water toward the east the sky was blushing like a rose. Little pink clouds were hurrying away to lose themselves in the blue sky. Then the great fiery red disk of the sun rose slowly out of the water!
They watched it in awed silence as it climbed higher and higher into the blue. Then, trembling again with fear, the little group of watchers prostrated themselves before it in a blind impulse of worship.