Builder moved in closer to one of the fires to warm himself against the early spring night. Someone recognized him--it was one of his workers--and he was suddenly made welcome, once again being given the place of honor nearest the fire, as in the old days when he’d first discovered the humans. Builder was dumbfounded at the sudden cordiality. In recent days, Thougor had done such a good job of discrediting, he never dreamed of regaining his old standing. Then he was told what had happened during the day while he lay almost dying: When the god and Morge were discovered missing, Thougor had called the village together, explaining that Thor had left them, taking Morge as a sacrifice because he was dissatisfied with the tribe’s paltry blood offerings and worship. Therefore a great death sacrifice of young men and women must be undertaken to pacify Thor and cause his return. But the people questioned Thougor’s order; they seemed to feel it was the priest who had been at fault, not themselves. After all, he was the closest to Thor, was he not? Therefore it was Thougor, not the village, that Thor had become angered at. And after holding quick council, they had driven Thougor out into the wilderness, telling him he was not to return unless Thor was with him. Old Builder almost cried when he heard this joyful news. The dam would be completed after all, he was almost certain. He decided to say nothing more about religion, Thor or Thougor. Maybe soon they would forget the whole thing. Now he could go back to teaching the youngsters and some of the brighter oldsters the methods of writing in symbols instead of drawing pictures. Hours and days turned into weeks and months as Builder taught his people what feeble knowledge he possessed in arithmetic, simple engineering--such as the dam--and most of all, instilling in them the will to want to learn and investigate and question anything they came in contact with--even the very thing he was asking them to do. As the weeks passed on and the dam was completed, he gradually gathered around him an ardent little group of seeker after that most elusive of all things--"Truth". But Builder knew that his days were numbered now, and his work completed; there was still one thing he had to do, and that was permanently to do away with Thor by dropping the idol to the bottom of the dam; he still hadn’t examined the god hidden under his sleeping pile. One evening after returning from a solitary walk above the dam, he entered his shack and lit a torch, then almost dropped it from shock! His dwelling was a wreck. The place had been ransacked from top to bottom. His sleeping pile lay in the middle of the floor--the idol was gone! He turned and fled from the room, but before he could take a dozen steps towards the village, several shadows glided out from behind trees and rocks in the moonlight, resolving themselves into men.