the Fate who made all things and directs all things."

"Very well, but why do you suppose that Oro, the servant of
Degai, lives in that mountain? I thought that he lived in a grove
yonder where your priests, as I am told, have an image of him."

"I do not know, Friend-from-the-Sea, but so it has been held
from the beginning. The image in the grove is only visited by his
spirit from time to time. Now, I pray you, come back and before
the priests discover that you have been here, and forget that
there are any canoes upon this lake."

So, thinking it wisest, I turned the matter with a laugh and
walked away with him to the village. On our road I tried to
extract some more information but without success. He did not
know who built the ruin upon the mountain, or who destroyed it.
He did not know how the terraces came there. All he knew was that
during the convulsion of Nature which resulted in the tidal wave
that had thrown our ship upon the island, the mountain had been
seen to quiver like a tree in the wind as though within it great
forces were at work. Then it was observed to have risen a good
many more feet above the surface of the lake, as might be noted
by the water mark upon the shore, and then also the mouth of the
cave had appeared. The priests said that all this was because the
Oromatuas who dwelt there were stirring, which portended great
things. Indeed great things had happened--for had we not arrived
in their land?

I thanked him for what he had told me, and, as there was
nothing more to be learned, dropped the subject which was never