"What if Chinigchinich should be angry with us? He does not like to have
children in the ceremony of the offering," said Payuchi.
"I will give him my humming-bird skin, and you shall give him your
mountain quail head; then he will be pleased with us," answered Nopal.
"All right," said the boy; "I do not like very well to part with that
quail head, but perhaps it is a good thing to do."
Creeping softly from the jacal, the boys crouched in the shade of a
willow bush and watched the men by the camp fire.
"They are standing up. They are just going," said Payuchi, "and every
one has something in his hand. Father has two bows; I wonder why."
"I think he is going to make an offering of the new bow to
Chinigchinich," answered Nopal. "I thought he was going to keep it and
give me his old one," he added, with some disappointment.
"What are they offering for?" asked the young brother.
"For rain," said Nopal. "See, they are going now." In single file the
men walked swiftly away, stepping so softly that not a twig cracked.
After a little the boys followed, slipping from bush to bush that they
might not be discovered.
Pages:
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42