truth which is truer than your prophets." Therefore Uldoon went into
the desert and in storm and still he sought for many years. When the
thunder roared over the mountains that limited the desert he sought the
Secret in the thunder, but the gods spake not by the thunder. When the
voices of the beasts disturbed the stillness under the stars he sought
the secret there, but the gods spake not by the beasts.

Uldoon grew old and all the voices of the desert had spoken to Uldoon,
but not the gods, when one night he heard Them whispering beyond the
hills. And the gods whispered one to another, and turning Their faces
earthward They all wept. And Uldoon though he saw not the gods yet saw
Their shadows turn as They went back to a great hollow in the hills;
and there, all standing in the valley's mouth, They said:

"Oh, Morning Zai, oh, oldest of the gods, the faith of thee is gone,
and yesterday for the last time thy name was spoken upon earth." And
turning earthward they all wept again. And the gods tore white clouds
out of the sky and draped them about the body of Morning Zai and bore
him forth from his valley behind the hills, and muffled the mountain
peaks with snow, and beat upon their summits with drum sticks carved of
ebony, playing the dirge of the gods. And the echoes rolled about the
passes and the winds howled, because the faith of the olden days was
gone, and with it had sped the soul of Morning Zai. So through the
mountain passes the gods came at night bearing Their dead father. And
Uldoon followed. And the gods came to a great sepulchre of onyx that
stood upon four fluted pillars of white marble, each carved out of four
mountains, and therein the gods laid Morning Zai because the old faith
was fallen. And there at the tomb of Their father the gods spake and
Uldoon heard the Secret of the gods, and it became to him a simple
thing such as a man might well guess--yet hath not. Then the soul of