pholes, now looking out upon the priests, or listening to
catch such words as fell from the lips of those nearest the stone of
sacrifice.

In this manner Ixtli contrived to pick up quite a little fund of
information, mainly through the confidences reposed in a certain
favoured few of the brotherhood by the chief paba. And this, in turn,
filtered through his lips after the chums once again retreated to the
lower regions for both safety and comfort.

And then Bruno learned how the adventurous young Aztec, far less
superstitious than the vast majority of his people, thanks to the kindly
teaching of Victo, Child of Quetzal', had in his explorations discovered
so many secrets of the temple and priesthood, secrets which he now had
no scruple in communicating to another of a different race.

Ixtli told how, on various occasions, he had lurked behind the scenes
while the miraculous "oracle" was delivering fiat or prophecy, and then
he told his white brother how Tlacopa meant to completely confound the
Children of the Sun when once brought before the gods.

"He tell slave what say. Slave come dis way. Hide in War God. Wait for
time, den tell Tlacopa's words!"

A most infernal scheme, yet the danger of which Bruno could readily
recognise, together with the serious difficulty of refuting any such
supernatural evidence.

"Surely your people will not suffer a few dirty curs to do such horrible
wrong to ladies like--Why, Ixtli, even the gods you fellows bow the knee
to in worship, ought to rise up in their defence!"

But Ixtli merely sighed, then spoke in sad tones, explaining how he
alone had been taken wholly into the confidence of the Sun Children.
Even the captain of their guards knew Victo and Glady as but descendants
of the great Fair God whom the audacious trickery of a rival sent far
away from the land of his favoured people, to find an abiding-place in
the sun itself.

"He good brave. He die for dem,--easy! But he not know all. He think
drop from sun, to lead people back to light. If think not so, dat make
face turn black; dat make mad come--great big!"

As was ever the case when his feeling seemed deeply stirred, Ixtli found
it difficult to fully or fairly explain his sentiments; but Bruno caught
sufficient of his meaning to give a fair guess at the rest.

He found a ray of hope in the belief that Aztotl at least would defend
the Children of the Sun, and Ixtli predicted with apparent confidence
that the members