think this year is going to be any different?"
9 "Because," answered The Hawk, "we're going to make it different!
Bring all our engineers and anyone else we have with any experience in building to my tent. Keep a third of the
army here, send the rest into the forest and have them start cutting
trees, lots and lots of trees!"
10 The Hawk was quickly obeyed. In the steadily climbing hills and up
into the mountains men worked hard and long in the blazing summer heat.
11 Hundreds of dams were built, each designed to be broken whenever
desired.
12 Fall came, and then in the first days of winter it began to
rain.Already the enemy was bewildered why their rivers stood almost
empty. Now, their bewilderment grew into a sense of horror, as they
watched the rains fall from the sky, yet the river barely rose, barely
seemed to flow at all. "What magic are these Children of Spirit doing?"
they asked each other, "What evil is to befall us?"
13 High in the mountains and through the forest each dam reached its
capacity and began to overflow. Slowly the river swelled, and took on its normal look. The Epons began
to relax. "The river is back to normal," they thought, "all is well."
14 Standing on a ridge overlooking the river, The Hawk watched the
project with interest. He nodded and turned
to a trumpeter. "Give the signal!" he cried.
15 The trumpeter put his instrument to his lips and sounded two long,
mournful calls. Up the river the signal traveled to the highest-most
dam. There, when an engineer heard it, he put his ax to a rope, and
with a great roar the darn burst.
16 At each dam down the rivers the engineers waited until the walls of
water reached their dams,