Blood-red Stars in the Green of His Crown Page 18
“I do not fear,” said S[=aa]-hanh-que-ah, the woman of the twilight, “and my son does not fear. Before he was born to the light of the Sun Father, I made the trail from the level land of the west where the snow is, to the deep heart of the world where the plants have blossoms in winter time, and the birds sing for summer. Beside it this deep step down from the world above is like the thickness of your finger against the height of a tall man.”
The men stared at her in wonder, and Tahn-té listened, but could not speak when the older men were silent.
“There is such a place,” said the oldest of the men. “It is to the sunset. The water comes strong there, and it is a place of the gods, as this place is. And you have seen it with your eyes?”
“I have seen it, and the water that is so strong looks from the top like this reed of this ancient dwelling place,” said S[=aa]-hanh-que-ah, and she pointed to the waving slender lattice grass of the cañon.
“I have heard of it, but our people do not cross it in these days,” said the old man. “Our friends the Te-huas cross it––and cross a desert beyond when they go to the Love Dance of the Chinig-Chinik who live by the sunset sea. In my youth I thought to go, but old age is here and I have not yet seen it.” Then after an interval of thoughtful silence he said:––“You have crossed that river in the heart of the world––I did not know that women went to the Love Dance.”
“I can not tell you. I also do not know,” said S[=aa]-hanh-que-ah quietly, and the boy saw that the 21 eyes of all the men were directed strangely to his mother. “I do not belong to the Order from which the people are sent to the Dance of Love or the Dance of Death. My eyes have not seen the waters of the sunset sea.”
“Then you did not go beyond the river in the heart of the rocks?” asked the old man. “You did not cross over?”