The father also listened for the voice of the spirits.
The voices seemed to say that the children were safe and would soon be at home again.
The father and mother sat about the fire for a long time, then rose quietly, and after throwing more corn to the flames, walked out of the kiva.
They went on the cliff, and looked about them for some sign of their children.
“The moon is clear to-night,” said the father. “There are no clouds to hide her light. She will guide Teni and Mavo home.”
“Where can they have been all day?”
“If only we knew that they were safe!”
The mother and father could not see the pony as it neared the cliff.
Mavo had fallen asleep in Teni’s arms, and Demino walked on, thinking how glad the parents would be to see their children.
Teni did not say a word, but kept looking toward his home.
The father and mother were looking anxiously into the valley.
While they were watching, they saw shadows in the distance.
“Look!” said the mother. “I see something. Can it be our children?”
They waited a moment, then the father climbed down the cliff and ran quickly toward Demino.
The children clung to their father while Demino tried to tell the story.
The father did not wait to hear very much, for he wished to get back to the mother.
How happy he was to find that the fierce Indians had not harmed his children! and he thanked Demino again and again.
As they came nearer the cliff they saw their mother watching.
She waved her hand and called to them, but they could not hear her, they were so far below.
Then she raised her arms to the moon above, and called aloud her thanks for the safe return of her children.
The little boy and girl were soon clinging to their mother and trying to tell her all about what had happened.
That night their dreams were happy, for they were safe in their own home.
THE END
Transcriber’s Notes
- Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.
- In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.)
- Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.