T. S. Stribling

“ Along the strip of sand in front of the great piazza Lassiter saw three or four men running to and fro, meeting every boatload of fugitives that came ashore. When the promoter's bolsa drew to the sand, a little hunchback splashed into the water to pull the craft ashore, at the same time calling shrilly:
“Señor Lassiter, Gogoma wants to speak to you, if you will have the kindness. He has sent runners for you everywhere——”
Lassiter recognized Quiz-Quiz. Lassiter agreed, got his crowd ashore, and the four with their guide set out across the piazza. ”

“ Old Prymoxl said that Birdsong had acted quite differently. He had struck her tree with his hand and fire had flamed up; he had nothing to strike with except his hand and flames had leaped out; and as for Lassiter, making a light and no fire, a firefly could do that much—Here the talk drifted away from the flashlight, which got no further attention, although Lassiter continued snapping it on and off in an absent-minded way.
Both women were in a state of perturbation. They had been watching a light far to the north that reddened the sky. They could see glimpses of it through the trees. ”

“ The high priest looked at Lassiter.
“Are you so poor a man, señor, as not to be able to make what you consume?”
“Wait, don't judge me hastily. In my country, Gogoma, each man does one thing well, and nothing else. Take my shoe, for instance—” the promoter held out his foot—“the labor of five thousand men went into that shoe. One man killed the cow, others stripped the hide, a whole tannery of men cured it, thousands of men worked over it in a shoe factory. Still another army of men grew the cotton and made the laces for the eyes. ”

“ From here and there came the call of a bird or the chatter of some animal at this untimely radiance. Strange delicate perfumes became sensible in the air from the burning of aromatic trees.
The lovers slipped their arms about each other and speculated in whispers on the origin of the light. ”

“ Somehow the sight of the maiden seated at the door of the temple melted some frozen thing in Lassiter's heart. Suddenly he understood why women, always, were the religious moiety of mankind. They have so much more at stake. ”

“ His comrades broke, and the Christians charged over him after the fugitives. Then he had hobbled toward the teocalla.
“There was no use in staying,” he shivered, “for who can fight the gods?”
The promoter and the girl each gave a shoulder to the wounded warrior and they set off toward the lake. Presently they found the jungle was full of refugees. Dozens of persons, some to the right, some to the left, overtook and passed them. It seemed all Motobatl was converging upon the teocalla. All were fearstruck. Each party avoided all others as if fearful, of enemies everywhere. ”

“ Nobody can stand before men with thunder in their hands.”
As the army marched away, the murmur of the fugitives fell to silence. Here and there a woman shrieked and clung to one of the warriors. During the interlude, from far across the lake came the faint staccato of Nunes' automatic.
QUIZ-QUIZ led the way to the northern side entrance. Lassiter entered a hallway cut through solid stone and lighted by several tapers suspended in bowls of oil. The ceiling itself was so high it was lost in gloom. Here and there, in the long corridor, a priest moved about on some obscure errand. ”