purple agate, saying: "Yazun is god." Still the gods sat and smiled.

About the feet of Yonu, Bazun, Nidish and Sundrao had gone the worship
of the people of Mlideen, and still the gods sat holding the avalanche
in leash above the city.

There set a great calm towards sunset over the heights, and Mowrah
Nawut stood up still with gleaming snow, and into the hot city cool
breezes blew from his benignant slopes as Tarsi Zalo, high prophet of
Mlideen, carved out of a great sapphire the city's hundredth god, and
then upon Mowrah Nawut the gods turned away saying: "One hundred
infamies have now been wrought." And they looked no longer upon Mlideen
and held the avalanche no more in leash, and he leapt forward howling.

Over the Middle City of Mlideen now lies a mass of rocks, and on the
rocks a new city is builded wherein people dwell who know not old
Mlideen, and the gods are seated on Mowrah Nawut still. And in the new
city men worship carven gods, and the number of the gods that they have
carven is ninety and nine, and I, the prophet, have found a curious
stone and go to carve it into the likeness of a god for all Mlideen to
worship.




THE SECRET OF THE GODS


Zyni Moe, the small snake, saw the cool river gleaming before him afar
off and set out over the burning sand to reach it.