ld council at dawn in the house of the priests yonder. There
is much stir and talk in the city, but the hearts of the people are
light because their ancient gods have come back to us, bringing peace
with them."

"Good," said Juanna. Then she began to question him artfully on many
things, and by degrees they learnt more of the People of the Mist.

It seemed, as Leonard had already guessed, that they were a very ancient
race, having existed for countless generations on the same misty upland
plains. They were not, however, altogether isolated, for occasionally
they made war with other savage tribes. But they never intermarried
with these tribes, all the captives taken in their wars being offered
in sacrifice at the religious festivals. The real governing power in the
community was the Society of the Priests of the Snake, who held their
office by hereditary tenure, outsiders being admitted to their body only
under very exceptional circumtances. The council of this society chose
the kings, and when they were weary of one of them, they sacrificed him
and chose another, either from among his issue or elsewhere. This being
the custom, as may be imagined, the relations between church and state
were much strained, but hitherto, as Olfan explained with suppressed
rage, the church had been supreme.

Indeed, the king for the time being was only its mouthpiece, or
executive officer. He led the armies, but the superstitions of the
people, and even of the soldiers themselves, prevented him from wielding
any real power; and, unless he chanced to die naturally, his end was
nearly always the same: to be sacrificed when the seasons were bad or
"Jal was angry."

The country was large but sparsely populated, the fighting men numbered
not more than four thousand, of whom about half lived in the great city,
the rest occupying villages here and there on the mountain slopes. As a
rule the people were monogamous, except the priests. It was the custom
of sacrifice which kept down the population to its low level, made the
power of the priests absolute, and their wealth greater than that of all
the other inhabitants of the country put together, for they chose the
victims that had offended against Jal or against the mother-goddess, and
confiscated their possessions to "the service of the temple." Thus the
great herds of half-wild cattle which the travellers had seen on the
plains belonged to the priests, and the priests took a fourth of the
produ