tossed about
like a straw in an eddy.

"Now, if he is still there and awake," thought Otter, "surely the father
of crocodiles will take this bait; therefore I shall do best to be still
awhile and see what happens."

As he reflected thus a louder shout than any he had heard before reached
his ears from the multitude in the temple above him, so tumultuous a
shout indeed, that for a few moments even the turmoil of the waters was
lost in it.

"Now what chances up there, I wonder?" thought Otter again. Then his
attention was diverted in a somewhat unpleasant fashion.

This was the cause of that shout: a miracle, or what the People of the
Mist took to be a miracle, had come about; for suddenly, for the first
time within the memory of man, the white dawn had changed to red.
Blood-red was the snow upon the mountain, and lo! its peaks were turned
to fire.

For a while all those who witnessed this phenomenon stood aghast, then
there arose that babel of voices which had reached the ears of Otter as
he lurked under the bank of rock.

"The gods have been sacrificed unjustly," yelled the people. "They are
true gods; see, the dawn is red!"

The situation was curious and most unexpected, but Nam, who had been a
high priest for more than fifty years, proved himself equal to it.

"This is a marvel indeed!" he cried, when silence had at length been
restored; "for no such thing is told of in our history as that a white
dawn upon the mountain should turn to red. Yet, O People of the Mist,
those whom we thought gods have not been offered up wrongfully. Nay,
this is the meaning of the sign: now are the true gods, Aca and Jal,
appeased, because those who dared to usurp their power have gone down to
doom. Therefore the curse is lifted from the land and the sunlight has
come back to bless us."

As he finished speaking, again the tumult broke out, some crying this
thing and some that. But no action was taken, for Nam's excuse was ready
and plausible, and the minds of men were confused. So the assembly broke
up in disorder; only the priests and as many more as could find place,
Olfan among them, crowded round the edges of the pool to see what
happened in its depths.

Meanwhile Otter had seen that which caused him to think no more of the
shouting above him than of the humming of last year's gnats. Suffering
his eyes to travel round the circumference of the rocky wall, he saw
the mouth of a circular hole, situated immediately under the