Ere long, the sound of music was heard, coming from up the river,
and soon came Paíyatuma followed by his Flute people and singers and
maidens of the Flute dance. Uprose the fathers and all the watching
people, greeting the God of Dawn with outstretched hands and offerings
of prayer-meal, and words of thanks and welcome. Then the singers took
their places and sounded their drum, flutes, and song of clear waters,
while the Maidens of the Dew danced their custom of the Flute dance.
Greatly marveled the people when from the wands they bore forth came
white clouds, and fine cool mists descended.
THE SACRILEGE OF THE YOUTHS OF THE DANCE, AND THE FLEETING OF THE
MAIDENS OF CORN.
Now when the dance was ended and the Dew maidens, with Paíyatuma, had
retired within the bower, forth came the beautiful and ever young
Mothers of Corn. And when the players of the flutes saw them, they
were enamored of their beauty, and gazed upon them so intently that
fain were the maidens to let fall their hair and cast down their eyes.
Yet the youths grew not less bold of eye. Then, yea and with jealousy
now, bolder grew the youths mortal, who led the dance and attended the
dancers, and lo! as the morning neared and the dancers of the flute
came forth again, these, impassioned and in rivalry, sought all too
freely the presence of the Mother-maidens, no longer holding them so
precious as in olden time, but e'en plucking at their white garments.
Meanwhile the people, eagerly watching the new dance, gave little heed
to aught else. For behold! the waters rose in the terraced bowl and
flowed out toward the dancers, yea, and the mists increased greatly,
shrouding the watchers and the dancers alike, until within them the
Maidens of Corn, all white their garments, became invisible! Then
sadly and noiselessly they stole in amongst the people and laid their
corn-wands down amongst the trays, and passing the seed-corn over their
persons, placed it back in the trays, and laid their white broidered
garments thereupon as mothers lay soft kilting over their babes.
Behold! having thus by their wonderful knowledge now placed within
the corn the substance of their flesh, then even as the mists became
they, and with the mists drifting, fled away, verily, to the far south
Summerland!
As the day dawned the dancers of the flutes completed their custom,
the players, waving their flutes over the people assembled, followed
Paíyatuma as he strode, wordless, forth from the midst of the people.