Then Mung said: "Friend of Mung! Go, thou and grin before the
faces of Eimes, Zaenes, and Segastrion till they see whether it be
wise to rebel against the gods of Pegana."

And Umbool answered: "I am the beast of Mung."

And Umbool came and crouched upon a hill upon the other side of
the waters and grinned across them at the rebellious home gods.

And whenever Eimes, Zaenes, and Segastrion stretched out their
hands over their rivers they saw before their faces the grinning
of Umbool; and because the grinning was like death in a hot and
hideous land therefore they turned away and spread their hands no
more over their rivers, and the waters sank and sank.

But when Umbool had grinned for thirty days the waters fell back
into the river beds and the lords of the rivers slunk away back
again to their homes: still Umbool sat and grinned.

Then Eimes sought to hide himself in a great pool beneath a rock,
and Zaenes crept into the middle of a wood, and Segastrion lay and
panted on the sand--still Umbool sat and grinned.

And Eimes grew lean, and was forgotten, so that the men of the
plain would say: "Here once was Eimes"; and Zaenes scarce had
strength to lead his river to the sea; and as Segastrion lay and
panted a man stepped over his stream, and Segastrion said: "It is
the foot of a man that has passed across my neck, and I have sought
to be greater than the gods of Pegana."