nly in that direction, in
company with the shaman, and selected a spot where the mesa was covered
with the usual underbrush and where taller trees already began to
appear. Here he lay down to rest with eyes wide open, ready for any
emergency. Not far away the medicine-man found a secluded spot where he
sat down without fire, occasionally touching the drum and reciting his
prayers and incantations. They were the same as those which the shaman
of the Tehuas was directing to Those Above at the same time and not far
from him, but in a different tongue, for the success of his people and
the destruction of those for whom the Hishtanyi Chayan was praying.

The decision of Tyope to penetrate into the forest to the west brought
the Queres into the very position which the Tehuas desired. The scouts
of the latter had obeyed punctually and diligently the orders which they
had received, following step by step the advancing foe and reporting to
headquarters any notable move. They possessed the immense advantage of
knowing every movement the Queres made from the very beginning, and were
thus able to observe them unseen. As soon as Tyope had concentrated his
forces on the northern brink of the Canada Ancha, the main body of the
Tehuas receded slightly to the west. As soon as the Queres began to
ascend in that direction, the retrograde movement of the others
continued in the centre; whereas the left wing spread out, and the right
slightly advanced to the east along the brink of the ravine. The scouts
were called in with all haste and reinforced, especially the body that
faced the Queres in the north. At the time Tyope lay down to rest, his
forces were surrounded everywhere except on the east. Everything was
ready for the Tehuas to begin their attack upon the unsuspecting foe at
daybreak.

CHAPTER XVIII.

The change from night to daylight in New Mexico is by no means sudden.
Darkness yields slowly to the illumination streaming from the east; and
when the moon is shining, one remains in doubt for quite a while whether
the growing brightness is due to the mistress of night or to the lord of
day.

Nowhere is this more perceptible than on high plateaus covered by sparse
timber. Suddenly awaking, one is in doubt at first whether it is sunrise
or the full moon that illuminates the landscape. The shadows are
weakened, but objects are not much more distinct; a glow pervades the
air rather than a positive light.

When the Indian is