Plants withered, the corn and beans suffered, languished, and died.

The tribe looked forward to a winter without vegetable food.
But Say Koitza was secretly glad, for drought killed her disease.

She felt stronger every day, and worked zealously, anxious to please her husband and to remove every suspicion.

Shotaye called on her frequently; she, too, felt proud of the success of her cure, sure of the revenge she had taken upon her enemies.
When a few rains swept at last down upon the vale, it was too late for the crops.

Only the few stores kept in reserve and the proceeds of the hunt could save the tribe from a famine.