r promised power in another!"
Revel grinned wolfishly. "And here's to the priests who weren't allowed
to go, and so have become miners and know what it is to sweat!"

Rack stood up, looming gigantic above them. "Here's to the men awakening
now all over this country--the men of the Ancient Kingdom!"

"And the things they can teach us," added Jerran.

"And a toast to the most important of those things--the art of tobacco
growing!" shouted John gaily.

They sat down after that, and Revel said to John affectionately, "If it
hadn't been for you, friend, we'd still be ruckers and worse. You gave
us a new world."

"Rot. I gave you a technical skill--you furnished the brains, brawn and
motivating force, a legend come to life. I was only one more weapon in
your hand."

Lady Nirea touched the Mink's arm tenderly. "We'll all be weapons in
your hands now, Revel. Tools to make a civilization again--to make the
last verse of the old song come true."

"Let's sing it," said Dawvys, a little in his cups by now. "Let's all
sing it loud."

"The gods have flown beyond the sky,
The priests toil underground;
The gentry's curse is lifted free,
And all our foes are downed....

"Now over all the Mink he reigns,
And gone are rank and caste;
The ruck is lifted from the mire--
And we are free at last!"

* * * * *

They finished the rousing song and looked expectantly at the Mink; but
he had borne back Lady Nirea on the bench and was kissing her with
enormous warmth, so that even a prophetic song, written about him ages
before he was born, could not tear loose from him the only chains that
would ever bind him again--the wrought-steel, invisible, shatter-proof
shackles of Nirea's love.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Buttoned Sky, by Geoff St. Reynard

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