A man of the Po-Ahtun stood up and looked at Tahn-té.
“A man and a woman hold that secret of the symbol of the god,” he said. “In our own kiva must that be spoken of, and not in another place. But the hearts of our people are gentle towards our new brothers who smell out witches, and do not mate with them! Our order will surely make medicine that the priest of the great king be given that secret to keep for us, and the Sun God will smile again on our land.”
“It is well––it is very well,” said all the council. And then there was a long silence, and they looked at Tahn-té until he arose.
“Not except I die for you, will you believe;––and even then you will not believe,” he said in sadness. “You, my people, will accept the god of the gold hunters, and you will not see that it is only riches they want at your hands! In other years you will see. When the men of Te-hua work in chains for the men of Spain––and for the masters of the men of Spain!––Then in that day will the men of Te-hua tell to their sons these words––the words of the prophecy of Tahn-té!”
“We are much troubled, and our hearts are sad,” said Po-tzah. “The magic of the white god is strong––and their priest has let our people see that it is strong. We do not want that magic against our children.”
“Against your children will the magic come in the unborn years!” said Tahn-té with decision. “You will take the god of the white man because one more god, or one more baptism hurts no man. You will be trapped by fair words until I see the time when you can circle in the half of a day all the fields you dare 322 plant for your own! The Flute of the Gods will be silenced in the land. Your Te-hua daughters will be slaves for the men of the iron! The sacred places will be feeding lands for their animals. The Te-hua priests will wait the word of the white man ere they dare go to the groves of the sacred trees for the prayer wreaths to the gods!”
“The sacred pine must be sacred to all––always!” said Po-tzah.
“Not anything is sacred to the white men––I have looked in their books;––I, of all Te-hua men!”
Padre Vicente saw that the old magic of the talking leaves was potent;––and he arose without waiting for formal interpretation.
“He has looked in the books with the eyes of a sorcerer!” he declared, thus openly accusing Tahn-té before the council.––“He has read crooked things––and his words are the words of the man who mated with the witch in the hills!”