THE PIPES OF VICTORY 97

thoughtfully and he sat down upon the moss and
leaned back against a tree before he spoke again.

“T think I will tell you a secret, Kagan,” he began,
after a moment’s silence. “Long has it lain next my
heart, and no one else knows of it. But now you have
dreamed of this very thing, and I am sure you will
agree that it is a good omen.

“When I was young I had a brother, Kinna. He
was several years younger than I, and very dear to
me. He and I seemed to be different from the others
in our family, for I liked to steal away and carve,
and he liked to go into the forest and listen to the
birds and try to imitate them.

“One day he came to me, bearing a hollow reed
upon which he could make a sweet clear note. In one
side was a small hole, and Kinna had discovered that
the reed would make one sound when the hole was
covered with his finger, and another when it was left
open. In that way, by accident, we discovered the
secret of the reeds. I helped him make other holes for
his fingers, and carved a small mouthpiece for it of
ivory. Later on, Kinna put two reeds together and
joined them with thongs; and I carved another mouth-
piece, so that he could blow upon both reeds at the
same time, making strange music—music so clear
and beautiful that we stole away to a secret cave in
the forest whenever he played upon it. We feared
the jealous shamans might hear it and accuse us of