onged gathered in order to fast and
make the usual sacrifices preliminary to the formation of a war party.
On the last night of their fast a delegate from the hishtanyi chayani
appeared in their midst, and performed the customary incantations. He
painted their bodies with the black lustrous powder of iron and
manganese ore which is believed to strike terror into the hearts of
enemies. He selected their leader, invested him with the office, and
blessed the war-fetiches. To the leader he gave a little bag of buckskin
filled with the powder of the yerba del manso, which still further
produces dismay among the foe. That leader was Topanashka Tihua, then in
the full vigour of manhood.

On the following morning Topanashka left before daybreak with five
picked men in the hideous garb of Indian braves. They penetrated
cautiously the mountain labyrinth west of the Rito, concealing
themselves during the day and travelling at night. On the morning of the
fifth day they discovered a few huts of the Navajo. Whether or no their
inmates had participated in the murder of the old woman they did not
stop to inquire, but pounced upon the people who were still asleep. The
results of the surprise were nine scalps and one captive. This captive
was a little boy, and that boy was Nacaytzusle.

Although barely three years old, he was dragged to the Rito and had to
take part in the solemn dance, during which the scalps of his parents
were triumphantly waved by those who had killed them. Afterward he was
adopted into the Turquoise clan, for the people of the Eagle clan
refused to receive him, the privilege of so doing being theirs.
Topanashka disliked the appearance of the child, and his counsels
weighed heavily. Thus Nacaytzusle became an adopted son of the Queres,
but it did not change his nature. His physique at once indicated foreign
origin; he grew up to be taller, more raw-boned, than the youth of the
House people, and his dark, wolfish look and the angular cut of his
features betrayed his Dinne blood.

Like all the other youth, he received the rude education which was
imparted at the estufas. He showed considerable aptitude for mastering
songs and prayers, after once acquiring the language of his captors. He
also watched the wizards as often as opportunity was afforded, and
learned many a trick of jugglery. Tyope was struck by the youth's
aptitude for such arts and practices. It revealed natural tendencies,
and confirmed Tyope in the be