*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 69515 ***

IN THE TIGER’S LAIR




BY THE SAME AUTHOR

  _Illustrated by Paul Bransom_
  THE HIDDEN PEOPLE
  A Story of a Search for Hidden Treasure

CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS




[Illustration: “Quizquiz, Inca, Child of the Sun ... commands that you
appear before his sacred person”
                                                           [_Page 95_]




  IN THE TIGER’S LAIR

  BY
  LEO E. MILLER

  AUTHOR OF
  “IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA,”
  “THE HIDDEN PEOPLE”

  ILLUSTRATED BY PAUL BRANSOM

  NEW YORK
  CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
  1921




  COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY
  CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS

  COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY THE CURTIS PUBLISHING CO.

  THE SCRIBNER PRESS




  TO THE MEMORY
  OF
  LITTLE ROBERT




PREFACE


“In The Tiger’s Lair” is the story of the return of Stanley Livingston
and Ted Boyle to the Andes Mountains of Peru to complete their search
for the hidden treasure of the Incas. It is a separate and complete
story in itself--one may read and understand it without having read
“The Hidden People.”

                                                        LEO E. MILLER.
  FLORAL PARK,
  STRATFORD, CONN.,
  Sept. 1, 1921.




CONTENTS


  CHAPTER                                         PAGE

      I. THE END OF THE UNDERGROUND RIVER            1

     II. SKY HIGH                                   11

    III. THE RETURN TO THE LAND OF THE INCAS        24

     IV. THE RIVALRY OF THE AIRMEN                  32

      V. IN QUEST OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE            43

     VI. THE CROWNING MISFORTUNE                    55

    VII. IN THE TIGER’S LAIR                        66

   VIII. THE INCA’S THREAT                          80

     IX. SONCCO’S SHREWDNESS                        92

      X. THE PRISONERS CAPTURE THE KING            105

     XI. THE COUNSEL OF THE WISE MEN               116

    XII. THE VILLAINY OF VILLAC UMU                128

   XIII. STANLEY’S PLAN                            140

    XIV. SONCCO’S AID TO THE PLOTTERS              151

     XV. THE TERROR OF DARKNESS AT MIDDAY          165

    XVI. THE COMING OF THE TIGERS                  180

   XVII. ANIMALS OF A BYGONE AGE                   193

  XVIII. THE MAN IN THE CRATER                     205

    XIX. THE BREACH IN THE MOUNTAIN IS CLOSED      221

     XX. THE KING IS CROWNED                       233




ILLUSTRATIONS


  “Quizquiz, Inca, Child of the Sun ... commands that you
    appear before his sacred person”                      _Frontispiece_

                                                             FACING PAGE

  Very obviously the Inca had carefully planned to impress
    the visitors                                                      82

  It was a bushmaster, the deadliest and the most feared of all
    South American snakes                                            170

  An instant later a huge, dark form catapulted past the crouching
    men                                                              210




IN THE TIGER’S LAIR




CHAPTER I

THE END OF THE UNDERGROUND RIVER


Two years had passed since that day when Stanley Livingston and Ted
Boyle, accompanied by the giant negro, Moses, faced the perils of the
underground river rather than suffer a lingering death on the dismal
shores of the lagoon beyond the wall at Uti.

Having finished their course at college, Livingston and Boyle, or
Stanley and Ted, as they were better known, had decided upon a novel
way of spending a few months’ vacation before entering their more
serious professional careers. They went to look for the hidden treasure
of the Incas that was known to lie somewhere in the vast ranges of
the Andes Mountains of Peru. They well understood the difficulties of
such an undertaking; there were snow-clad peaks to climb and steaming
jungles to penetrate, and dangerous animals and still more formidable
wild people to combat. But all these things simply added to the
attraction of the venture.

They had gone in quest of adventure, and their desire was gratified
beyond their wildest expectations. Shipwreck, the burning thirst of a
desert land, battles with fierce monkey-men, and the dread fevers of
the lowlands were their lot during the first months of the journey.
Then--the Hidden Valley where the Inca Huayna Capac lived and ruled
the remnant of the once-great nation in all the magnificence and
splendor of ancient times. The great king received them, not unkindly,
made them princes, and surrounded them with every luxury. From the
beginning, however, Quizquiz, son of the Inca and heir to the throne,
had conspired against them, and in the end he had succeeded in securing
their conviction on the charge of treason. They were condemned to exile
beyond the great wall that divided the valley from Uti, the abode of
the evil spirits. It was Timichi, previously banished to the dismal
place, who showed them the gold-filled cavern where the vast treasure
reposed and who later pointed out to them the underground river
just as all hope of escape seemed gone. They had accepted the last,
desperate chance and had emerged in the outer world rich in gold and in
experience.

And now, after a period of two years, they found themselves back in
the drooping wilderness, encamped at the outer end of the underground
river, preparing to remove the vast treasure their former efforts had
revealed.

“We might have left this place only yesterday, so far as appearances
are concerned,” Stanley said as they stood on the edge of the open,
park-like place flanked by the abrupt cliffs on one side and the
heavy jungle on the other. “Everything looks just the same as it
did then. The deer are grazing just as peacefully and--I distinctly
remember seeing that one with the lame fore leg. It speaks well for the
neighborhood; the monkey-men have not invaded it yet, or the deer would
not be so tame.”

“Yes, it surely does not seem as if two years have passed since we
were here. The only thing lacking is Moses, but that is not our fault.
We tried our best to find him. But, I wish we had him just the same,
because we need him.”

“Poor old Moses. I miss him too. He saved our lives, and no one but a
giant like him could have done it. But for him we should never have
gotten out of the valley. If we ever succeed in locating him we shall
have to divide up the gold we are going to get now. He shared all the
hardships and he is entitled to a share of the spoils.”

“You are right, and no matter how much we give him we shall always be
in debt to him for what he did for us.”

They started across the open plot toward the little stream that wended
its way through the centre. The deer stopped grazing, looked up at them
with startled eyes, and then bounded into the protecting forest. When
the men reached the watercourse, they followed it to the base of the
stone escarpment, the top of which was hidden by the belt of yellowish,
poisonous vapor that served as such an effectual barrier between the
outer world and the Hidden Valley. Laving the foot of the stone wall
was the pool, and opening into it was the black cavern that in reality
was the mouth of the underground river.

“One would hardly suspect it of being such a magic river to-day,”
Ted said, throwing himself on the short grass; “the water is flowing
neither way; it is standing still. Wonder what Timichi would say to
that, were he alive; but I have no doubt he has been dead a good many
months.”

“He clung to life a number of years even in that awful place, but I,
too, think he must be dead now. He was nearly gone when we left him.
Too bad there was nothing we could do for the poor fellow.”

They returned to camp and began to prepare supper.

“Our provisions should last several weeks, not counting on the game
we can get here,” Stanley observed as he looked over the supplies.
“In that length of time we can bring out all the gold any one could
possibly desire. We have only to hide it inside of sacks of ivory nuts,
of which the jungle is full around here, cache it, and then one of us
can stay on guard while the other goes back to Cuzco for peons to carry
them out. No one will ever suspect.”

“It’s all so simple. And there is not a chance of failure,” Ted
remarked between mouthfuls. “Just think, there are millions in gold on
the other side of that wall, and it is all ours for the mere taking.
Let’s do the job as quickly as possible; I want to get back home to
make use of my wealth.”

“Don’t be too sure,” Stanley cautioned. “You know we haven’t got it
yet.”

“But it is there. We know that, because we saw it and helped ourselves
to all we could carry. And we know how to get in and out of the place
too. So this one time I am dead sure that as much gold as we want
will be ours in a few weeks, and I for one am going to treat myself
generously.”

Remembering Moses’ experience with the deadly bushmaster, they made
no attempt to sleep on the ground. But, going into the forest, cut a
number of stout poles and, tying the tops together to form tripods,
slung their hammocks between them for the night.

Their first thought on the following morning was to see if there was
any perceptible current in the river; but to their disappointment they
found that the water was stationary, as before.

“Looks as if we might have to paddle the rafts through. We could do
that easily enough if necessary, but it would help a good deal if the
water were flowing in the right direction. But why worry? It will take
at least two days to make the rafts, and by that time the current will
doubtless set in again.”

They now began to work in earnest. Near the lower end of the open
space where the river entered the forest, clumps of tall bamboo dotted
both banks. Some of the great, jointed stems were fully eight inches
in diameter and fifty feet high. Chopping them down and cutting them
into ten-foot lengths was hard work, for they had only their machetes,
or brush-knives, with which to work. Also, as each joint was full of
water it had to be tapped and drained, after which the openings had to
be plugged up again with gum; this made the stalks light and buoyant.
They carried them to the water, one at a time, and lashed them together
to form rafts. This required more time than they had anticipated; in
fact, four days passed before the two were completed.

“How much gold do you intend to take from the cave?” Ted asked one day
when their task was nearly finished.

“As much as I can, of course. These rafts will carry several hundred
pounds each in addition to our own weight, and we can make a dozen
trips, or even more.”

“A ton for each is not too much. It is remarkable how much the yellow
metal is worth. When we were here before, you guessed that each of our
packs contained about ten thousand dollars’ worth, and you were nearly
right. We got almost eleven thousand apiece, and the emerald necklaces
were appraised at double that. I should not wonder but that there are
many precious stones in the cave, too, hidden among the gold.”

“All the better for us. They are not so bulky or heavy. Think of all
the good we can do when we get back home.”

“Yes! I intend to be very liberal with a certain college I think a lot
of.”

“Hospitals is my hobby. You shall see.”

When the rafts were all ready they pushed them along the bank, and up
to the mouth of the underground river.

“It is strange that the water does not move,” Ted said, looking
puzzled. “It looks black and stagnant--as if it has been standing still
a long time.”

“Do not let that trouble you. If it does not flow by to-morrow morning
we shall paddle through the tunnel. We have been through it before and
know the way. Besides, we are well supplied with flash-lights now.
There is nothing to it, so why worry?”

They hewed short, broad-bladed paddles out of a cottonwood branch and
carefully covered all the things they did not intend to take with them
on the following day with broad palm-leaves, to protect them if it
rained.

When dawn came, it found them on their rafts, paddling into the mouth
of the cave. Once inside, Stanley switched on one of the lights that
had been tied to the front of his raft, and the bright glare revealed a
passage from ten to twenty feet wide with an uneven ceiling of jagged
rock fifteen feet above their heads. Swarms of bats, frightened by the
unusual visitors, left their hiding-places overhead, and with a flutter
of wings dashed out of reach of the circle of light and disappeared.

“We have been going over half an hour now,” Ted said, looking at his
watch. “Of course we have not made very good time, but we should be
nearing the end. Can you see daylight ahead?”

“No! The opening is not in sight. But, what is this? Slow up so you
won’t bump into me! The water seems to stop here.”

“Stop? There must be a bend in the river.”

“I can see none.”

“Still there must be some open channel. Didn’t we come through here
before? Give me the light; perhaps the turn is back here.”

They focussed the bright rays in all directions, but to no avail.

“Ted!” Stanley cried in sudden consternation. “This _was_ the opening,
right here, but it is not here now. It has been blocked up.”

“Impossible,” Ted returned in dismay. “Do you mean that we cannot get
back into the valley?”

“Come ahead and see for yourself.”

Ted pushed his way to the front of Stanley’s raft. The latter’s words
were all too true, for the opening into the valley was filled with
earth and stones of large size.

“They learned of our escape from Timichi,” Ted said bitterly, “and knew
we would come back. Well, I am not ready to admit that all my visions
and hopes are dead; but just now there is nothing but darkness ahead.”

“How about dynamite?” Stanley asked suddenly. “We could blast away the
rocks in the entrance and get in after all.”

“But what could we do against the Inca’s hordes once we were inside?”

“Come to think of it, I do not believe they had anything to do with
this. They would not dare venture beyond the wall. There must have been
a landslide on the slope above. In a region like this earthquakes occur
frequently on account of the many volcanoes, and that would explain all
this.”

They paddled back through the tunnel silently and sadly. All their
dreams of wealth had suddenly vanished. It had never occurred to them
that something might prevent them from securing the enormous treasure
they had discovered. They knew its exact location; its value was so
great that no man could estimate it, and to secure it required no
further effort than to take it and carry it away. And then--their great
disappointment.

“That is just what we will do,” Stanley said that night as they were
eating their supper. “We have not lost a thing, only there will be a
slight delay in carrying out our original plans. To-morrow we shall
start back to Cuzco for the dynamite. The rest will be easy.”

Stanley had never been more mistaken in his life.




CHAPTER II

SKY HIGH


When the two reached Cuzco, after the long, difficult climb up the
mountain-sides, they found news of a startling character awaiting them.
Their own country had become involved in the World War. And with this
intelligence came to them the realization of their duty.

The two lost no time in returning to the coast, and took the next
steamer bound northward. Arrived in their homes, Ted applied for and
was accepted in one of the officers’ training-camps, while Stanley
enlisted in the aviation branch of the service.

Before long Ted began to regret his decision to join the infantry. It
happened late one October afternoon when the company was returning,
under full packs, from a lengthy hike into the country. The dust rose
in clouds that threatened to suffocate the men and the sun still blazed
unrelentingly on the weary, tramping forms. But even as they marched
along the men sang with a good deal of spirit, although any one who
had heard them outward bound that morning could have easily recognized
the difference in the vigor of their song.

From afar came a droning, buzzing sound, hard to locate but drawing
rapidly nearer. A moment later some one shouted “airplane,” and a
hundred and fifty pairs of eyes were eagerly scanning the sky; soon
they succeeded in making out a small, dark speck high in the heavens,
and as they gazed it grew larger and larger, until finally the trim
outlines of the graceful craft could be distinguished clearly.
Something seemed to go wrong with the machine when it was directly
overhead. The steady purr of the motor stopped and the great speed
at which the ship had been travelling began to slacken. Every one
held his breath in anticipation of the tragedy that was about to take
place. After a second’s pause, during which the airplane seemed to
stand still, it plunged toward the earth in a bewildering succession
of turns, nose down, tail pointed into the sky. Its antics gave one
the impression that it might be sliding down some gigantic aerial
corkscrew, and how long the craft continued in its spinning fall to
destruction no one knew, but to the spectators below it seemed like
minutes. Just as it appeared as if the next few turns must bring the
fatal crash the machine stopped spinning, started into a graceful,
straight dive, and then with a startled roar of the exhausts swooped
upward and away.

“I’d give anything in the world to be able to fly like that,” Ted
confided to the cadet by his side.

“You are covering a lot of territory,” he replied. “The ground is good
enough for me.”

“It will have to be for me, too, I guess, but think of those fellows
playing among the clouds while we swallow dust on the road or wallow
in knee-deep mud in the trenches. Think of the glory of fighting miles
above the earth!”

“What’s the matter? Not feeling sorry for yourself, are you?”

Ted ignored this remark. His thoughts were high above in the ethereal
blue, where the airplane had been manœuvring with such graceful ease
but a few minutes before.

“I want to fly and do my fighting up there,” he said to himself more
than to any one else in particular.

“And be shot down and hit the ground so hard it would take the whole
police squad a week to dig you out,” Ted’s neighbor, whose name was
Carter, interrupted. “Not for me! I’ll take mine down here, where I
know there is something safe and solid under my two feet.”

The company reached the barracks with just fifteen minutes in which to
brush up for retreat. There was no time for discussion or conversation,
but that night, just before taps, it was reported that a commission
had arrived whose object it was to select men for the air service;
several would be accepted from each company. That accounted for the
sudden appearance of the air-ship that afternoon; it was part of the
advertising plan to secure the necessary number of men.

Ted called on his captain immediately, and was told to report to the
major in charge of the commission on the following morning.

There was no sleep for him that night. The hours dragged as he tossed
restlessly on his hard bunk and listened to the heavy breathing of
the other men, and when morning came he was so excited he was sure he
should be rejected on that very account. But the major was inclined
to make allowances, and informed Ted that he might expect to be
transferred at no far-distant date.

The order releasing him from duty with the company and sending him
southward to the ground school in Texas came two weeks later. And two
days after that Ted was speeding toward his new station.

Then followed three months of the hardest kind of work; there were long
lectures and hours of study upon the organization of foreign armies,
interspersed with periods of calisthenics and infantry drill; also
instructions on topics connected with flying, such as motors, rigging,
gunnery, and wireless. Every one worked at top speed to assimilate as
much as possible of the knowledge with which he was being crammed; that
occupied all the hours of daylight and part of the night, too, so there
was little time to form close and lasting friendships. Everybody was so
busy with his own problems that it was impossible to pay much attention
to the other fellow.

But the three months were up at last, and Ted, standing near the head
of his section, was promptly sent to flying school. Those who were not
so fortunate in their marks were sent to concentration camps to wait
weeks, even months, for their turn.

“Attention to orders,” called the section leader the morning after Ted
and a number of others had reported for their new class of instruction.
“Boyle, Currier, Davis, and Edwards report to Lieutenant Livingston,
Ship Number 188. Green, Hammond, Jones, and Murphy report to Lieutenant
Talbot, Ship Number 210,” and so on down the line, ending with a final
“Fall out.”

Ted could not believe his ears. Was it possible that the Lieutenant
Livingston who was to be his instructor was Stanley? They had not
communicated with one another since entering the service.

Ted hurried to Ship Number 188, which had been pointed out to him by
one of the mechanics.

“Lieutenant Livingston, sir?” he inquired of the officer evidently in
charge of the ship.

“Yes, what can I do for you? Why--if it isn’t Ted. What are you doing
here? I am certainly glad to see you.”

Ted explained how he had been transferred from the infantry and had
just completed his course at ground school; also that he had been
assigned to Stanley for flying instruction.

“This is luck. Let’s get at it right away; we can talk more to-night.
Hop into the rear seat and we’ll start right off.”

“What do I have to do?” Ted asked excitedly.

“This is just going to be a joy ride around the field. Don’t do or
touch anything; sit as comfortably as you can and look around; watch
the ground and the air and the other ships.”

So saying he helped Ted into his place and showed him how to adjust the
buckle of his safety-belt across his lap. “You will hardly ever need
the belt,” he said, “but it is just as well to get into the habit of
fastening it.”

Then he climbed into the forward cockpit and opened and closed the
throttle a number of times, while the motor roared and slowed down
alternately. At a signal to the crew chief, the men removed the blocks
from under the wheels, and taking hold of the lower wings swung the
ship around until it faced the flying-field, which was into the wind.

An instant later, with an increasing roar, the machine was tearing
across the ground at a terrific speed. Ted looked down over the edges
of the cockpit, and saw the grass rushing backward in a blurred, green
streak. A frightful wind struck his face, cutting off his breath and
making his eyes water. He ducked his head behind the little celluloid
wind-shield to adjust his goggles more snugly, and when he looked again
they had left the ground. He closed his eyes for a moment; there was no
sensation of motion whatever; they seemed to be standing stock-still,
like a kite at the end of a string, facing a cyclone of wind, but the
thunder of the engine was deafening.

After climbing a thousand feet, they made a number of circuits of the
field. Then Stanley throttled the motor and dipping the ship down at a
steep angle, began the glide back to the landing-place. The propeller
moved so slowly that the blades could easily be distinguished, and the
wind shrieked through the wires with a shrill wail. They levelled
off at a few feet above the ground, and after skimming along a short
distance, touched so gently that there was scarcely any shock; after
that they slowed down and rolled up to the dead-line from which they
had started.

The course of instruction continued daily, and under Stanley’s capable
guidance Ted learned rapidly. When he had had six hours in the air
he could fly the ship in a manner satisfactory to his teacher; so
Stanley took it upon himself to include a few of the more commonly used
stunts in the course. For this purpose, however, they always went some
distance from the field, where they were safe from the observation from
below of the officers in charge.

“I am going to show you a new one to-day,” Stanley said one afternoon,
as they were taking their places for the flight. “Be doubly sure the
belt is fastened; you will need it for once.”

“I can stand anything you can,” Ted replied. “Go as far as you like.”

Soon they were leaving the field behind, mounting as they soared into
the distance. The aneroid needle pointed to two thousand, then three,
four, five, and finally six thousand feet. Ted had never been so high
before in the plane, and the earth below seemed new and strange. The
patches of woods looked like clusters of dark, green dots, and the
fields reminded him of the squares of a checker-board. Banks of white,
fluffy clouds rolled past, their upper edges tinted with glowing silver
by the brilliant sunlight.

Stanley shut down the engine. “Is everything all right?” he called back.

“Yes!”

“I am going into a whip-stall. Be sure your belt is tight.”

He opened wide the throttle and nosed the plane down so that they
attained a terrific speed; then he suddenly pulled it almost straight
upward and shut off the engine. For a moment the ship seemed to stand
still in the air in an upright position; then it whipped downward with
tremendous force, sliding on the tail. Ted felt himself raised off his
seat, but, thank heaven, the belt held, or he would have remained in
mid-air while the plane hurtled away from beneath him. After falling
some little distance Stanley again turned on the power and they swung
out of the dive and levelled off gracefully.

But at that instant a burst of smoke was swept back by the blast of
the propeller. The engine slackened its speed and a series of sharp,
pistol-like reports came from the exhausts.

Ted was seized with consternation, for a thin streamer of flame shot
back from under the hood; the plane was afire.

Stanley saw the danger at the same moment and dove in an attempt to
put out the fire, but this manœuvre, frequently successful in such an
emergency, proved to be the worst possible thing in this case. With a
roar the flame struck him full in the face; he tried to pull the ship
out of the dive, but the fiery blast stifled him; the ground below, the
sky above, and even the wings on either side of him seemed wrapped in a
haze, and in an instant he was enveloped in complete darkness.

Ted saw the wilting figure in front of him droop out of sight; at
the same time the plane began to quiver and lurch from side to side.
Without a guiding hand to direct it the heretofore graceful craft
became converted into a mass of steel and wood and cloth hurtling
through space to certain destruction. He realized the frightfulness of
the situation in a flash; Stanley had either fainted or was dead.

“I must get him down; I must save him,” he gasped, frantically grasping
the controls in his own cockpit. He thought little of his own danger;
it was his companion who filled his mind. He must get him to the ground
and save him if it was not already too late.

The blaze was sweeping back directly over the top of the twenty-gallon
container resting between the engine and the front cockpit. “I must fan
the flames to one side,” Ted thought. “If the gas catches, it will be
the end.”

Responding to a savage turn of the wheel, the ship turned on edge and
the streamer of fire darted out to one side. If only he could keep it
there! Perhaps the rudder would help; he gave it a sharp kick, then
felt that he had made a mistake, for he had pushed it in the direction
opposite to the wheel. But the ship, tilted at a steep angle, started
into a side-slip toward the ground, and that was exactly what he
wanted. He must keep on slipping from side to side, like a falling leaf.

The wind shrieked through the rigging with a terrifying scream and
threatened to tear away the side of Ted’s face. He straightened out the
plane, reversed his controls, and then began falling in the opposite
direction. Back and forth they darted; the ground was rushing up to
meet them at a furious speed. It was fascinating, this sight of the
ground rushing upward, and as he looked at it he suddenly realized
that they were almost directly above an open field--the landing-field,
it must have been, for there were the white hangars in which the
ships were kept; and the machines that had been out in the open were
scurrying in all directions. Vaguely he wondered how long it would be
before they should crash in their midst.

After what seemed like ages, but which was in reality a matter of
seconds, the ground loomed up close to them. The moment for the supreme
test had come. Throwing the controls into neutral he brought the ship
into an even glide. The hot blast struck his face and the fumes of
burning oil made him cough and choke. But not for an instant did he
relax to lower his head for a breath of air; he must see the thing
through if it was the last thing he ever did.

Her speed gone, the ship settled rapidly; it was but ten feet from the
ground. Ted pulled back the wheel cautiously to keep her nose up, as
he had been told so often by Stanley, and the plane responded ever so
feebly. The ship struck with a jolt, bounded, settled again, rolled
forward a short distance, and came to a stop.

Ted snatched at the buckle of his belt, tore off his goggles, and
jumped to the ground. His head was reeling and his throat was parched.
The flames now extended in back of the hood and were reaching for the
fuel-tank. It was only a question of seconds before the explosion that
would deluge them with a shower of burning gasolene.

There was not time to try to rescue Stanley by pulling him over the
rim of the cockpit, and, besides, Ted had not the strength left for
such an undertaking. So he clambered up on one wing and kicked in the
linen side of the fuselage, after which he dragged the unconscious form
of his companion through the hole. Then he tottered away with the limp
body in his arms, how far he never knew.

A chorus of excited voices reached his ears in a confused murmur
and helping hands relieved him of his burden. His head burned and a
thousand needles seemed to stab through his chest. He clutched the air
wildly and, gasping for breath, plunged headlong into darkness.




CHAPTER III

THE RETURN TO THE LAND OF THE INCAS


The exploits of Stanley and Ted in the great World War form no part
of this story. It is enough to say that they saw extensive service on
the Western Front and that they acquitted themselves in an entirely
creditable manner.

The armistice was signed at last and the two, in common with thousands
of others, were returned to their own country. They had attained the
rank of first lieutenant. Now, their services being no longer urgently
required, they tendered their resignations and received honorable
discharges.

“I am beginning to feel as if I have had enough of a rest,” Ted said
one night a few weeks afterward when Stanley dropped in at his home for
one of his visits. They saw one another almost daily. “What do you say
to making another attempt to get the treasure?”

“You know what I think about it,” Stanley replied. “If the folks had
not been urging me to remain with them a while longer, I should
have suggested starting before now. They cannot forget what we went
through on our first visit to the Hidden Valley; but they know we are
determined to return to it. They are not discouraging me at all; only
trying to put it off as long as possible.”

“We are losing a lot of time. The sooner we go back to Peru and have
it over with the better. Think of the tons of gold lying in the cave
waiting for us to carry them away.”

“I know. How do your people feel about it? I suppose they are not eager
to have you go?”

“The situation is the same with me as with you. But I think we should
start without further delay. There are so many things to be done when
we get back, and time flies.” Then, after a moment’s thought: “I have
been looking up the sailing dates. There is a good steamer for Panama
next Tuesday--that is, a week from to-day. It will get us to the
isthmus just in time to connect with the _Panela_ of the Peruvian Line
for Mollendo. Can you be ready then, or is that too soon?”

“I could be ready to-morrow. Waiting a whole week, now that we have
actually decided to go, will seem like a year!”

“And,” said Ted as Stanley was leaving, “we had better not take
anything with us from here. We can get all the supplies and outfit we
need in Cuzco.”

       *       *       *       *       *

Arrived in Colon, they found the _Panela_ scheduled to sail that
same afternoon. There was barely sufficient time to transfer their
baggage, comply with the customs formalities, and secure passage on the
departing steamer.

Before long they had entered the muddy water of the canal, and soon
after that the ship entered the locks and in an almost incredibly short
time was raised to the level of Gatun Lake, with its vast expanse of
murky water and its fringe of tree skeletons that stood like black
monuments to mark the graveyard of the inundated forest. Darkness
prevented the completion of the trip through the canal, so the ship was
tied up for the night.

There was no moonlight, but the thousands of scintillating stars shed
a soft radiance upon the torpid earth. The water was black and smooth
as glass, save for the myriad points of reflected starlight. But in
spite of the unruffled appearance of the surface the black depths were
charged with life. One had only to drop some object overboard in order
to excite to action the millions of jelly-fish that lurked below.
When the water was agitated by the missile, no matter how lightly,
it blazed with patches and circles of greenish phosphorescence, so
that the surface seemed aflame with a weird, unearthly fire. And
occasionally there was a streak of the same uncanny light as one of the
larger inhabitants of the deep cut the surface in a burst of speed in
pursuit of some of the lesser fry.

With the coming of daylight the _Panela_ was lowered through the locks
at the far end of the canal and headed for the open ocean.

“No wonder this is called the Pacific,” said Ted as they stood on deck
looking over the broad expanse of dark-blue water. The surface was so
smooth that it might have been a sheet of glass; into this the prow of
the ship cut a furrow crested with hissing white foam. Overhead the
man-o’-war birds described great circles on motionless wings; they were
marvels of grace and endurance, spanning the limitless blue day after
day without stopping to rest. In the distance a number of whales rolled
lazily in the briny water and blew thin jets of spray high into the air.

“If I were not so eager to finish our job down there I should say that
this is the only life. I could keep sailing on forever. I certainly
intend to do my share of travelling if this venture proves successful,”
Stanley said.

“_If?_” Ted queried in surprise. “You mean _when_ the job is finished.
There is no question in my mind but that we shall get the gold this
time. We know exactly how to overcome the one little barrier that lies
between us and the hidden millions.”

“You are right. When are we due to reach Mollendo?”

“Six days from now. Then three more days in which to get to Cuzco. Two
or three days in which to gather our outfit together, and then for the
trail. In a month from now, at the most, we shall be ferrying out the
gold that has been concealed for so many centuries. The underground
river will hum as we dash back and forth through it.”

“After that we shall be up against the hardest work of all; that is to
get the gold out of the country and back home safely. But let’s not
cross any bridges before we get to them. The future must take care of
itself,” said Stanley.

“While we are so near to it, I wish we could take a peep into the
Hidden Valley. Perhaps Huayna Capac, the Inca, is dead, and Quizquiz is
king now. I am sorry for everybody in the valley if he is their ruler.
The old king at least tried to be kind and generous, the best he knew
how, but Quizquiz will be a tyrant in every sense of the word. He is
conceited, arrogant, and cruel. I should hate to fall into his hands.”

“And I, too,” said Stanley. “But there is no chance. He would not
dare enter Uti, where the gold is hidden, and we shall certainly not
trespass in his kingdom beyond the great wall. So we can simply guess
at what is taking place in the Hidden Valley, and I am content to let
it go at that.”

Stanley spoke with conviction, but he had no way of knowing what the
future had in store for him. Just as the past years had brought the
momentous events due to the World War, so there had been events of
importance in the Hidden Valley, also. If Ted and Stanley could in
some manner have obtained an inkling of what had happened behind those
silent and unscalable mountains that surrounded the retreat of the
last of the Incas, they doubtless should have refrained from making
another attempt to secure the fabulous wealth that this same barrier
also protected. Firmly resolved though they were not to enter the
Hidden Valley proper again, it was not impossible that circumstances
beyond their control might take them into the very region they were so
eager to shun. And then--the terrible reckoning, with the pitiless,
triumphant, and all-powerful Quizquiz as their captor and judge.

They landed in Mollendo just in time to take the early afternoon
train into the mountains, and night found them in the upland city of
Arequipa. It required the greater part of another day to cover the
distance to Puno, and on the morning after that the journey to Cuzco
began.

As the train crept wearily over the high plateau and entered the
outskirts of the city, Ted, who was gazing interestedly through the
little window of their compartment, gave a cry of surprise.

“Things have certainly been happening here since we last saw this
place,” he said. “Look!”

Stanley, too, peered through the window. A number of long, wide, wooden
buildings had been erected along one side of a level field. There were
also narrower and higher structures and a small cluster of tents. Men
in uniform were drilling near the group of buildings; and a detachment
of other soldiers was signalling with large white panels that were
spread out on the ground.

“Ted,” he said suddenly, “that aviation-field has been put there for a
purpose. It may mean that the war fever has spread even to these remote
countries; or it may be only the beginning of a preparedness campaign.
I can’t say why, but I feel in my bones that we are going to get mixed
up in whatever it is before very long.”

“I hope not. We can’t afford to let anything sidetrack us from getting
that gold. If we keep putting it off something may happen to prevent
our getting it altogether.”

“But that is just what I am thinking,” Stanley protested. “Everything
we do must be a step toward the big goal.”

“I don’t see the connection.”

“Well, then, let me tell you. It takes many days of walking over the
most difficult trail to reach the underground river. And heaven only
knows how hard it will be to carry the gold back up the mountainside.
Now, in an airplane the distance cannot be very great, and instead of
work it would be fun. Now do you see what I mean?”

“Stanley!” Ted’s face beamed. “Do you think we could arrange it?”

“There is nothing impossible if you do not want it to be. We are going
to get into the treasure-ground by the air-route this time, even if we
have to steal one of those planes to do it.”

Just then the train rolled into the station and Ted and Stanley
gathered up their baggage and followed the crowd along the platform and
out into the street.




CHAPTER IV

THE RIVALRY OF THE AIRMEN


“Sir, the colonel presents his compliments and commands you to report
to him at once.”

Ted and Stanley had just finished breakfast and were crossing the open
little courtyard between the dining-room of the inn and their own
quarters when the orderly stepped briskly in their path, saluted, and
delivered his message.

“What?” Ted asked, stopping in his tracks.

“Colonel who?” from Stanley, “and what does he want with us?”

“Colonel José Antonio de Estrella, commanding officer of the First Aero
Squadron.”

“Why this great honor? We do not know the colonel and cannot imagine
why he wishes to see us. But of course if he insists, we shall be happy
to pay him a visit. Only he should invite, not command, us; we have put
up with enough ‘commanding and ordering’ in our own army to last us a
long, long time.”

“Are not the _señores_ the flyers who have been expected the past
month? The colonel has been very impatient of the delay.”

“No, we know nothing of the gentlemen you mention, but perhaps we can
be of service, anyway. Take us to the colonel. I guess we can see him
right away.”

The youth saluted and started away at a fast walk, the two Americans
following.

“I told you we were going to get mixed up in that aviation
proposition,” Stanley said. “I knew it the minute I saw that field.”

“Who knows what it may lead to? but I cannot see much to it just yet.
We are being mistaken for some one else, and that is about all that
is clear so far. So soon as the colonel sees us he will recognize his
mistake, apologize profusely, and tell us to go our way.”

“Now that is exactly what we must avoid. We have an opening to do the
very thing that will help us and we must manage to take advantage of
it. Instead of our going to them to beg for a job, they have sent for
us in error, it is true, but what is to prevent us from profiting by
it?”

“You are right, and I only hope we can see the thing through. How much
hard work it would save us if we could fly to the Hidden Valley, to say
nothing of the time we should save!”

They reached the camp in a little over half an hour and were
immediately taken to headquarters, where the adjutant, a second
lieutenant in a brilliant uniform, lost no time in ushering them into
the colonel’s office.

The latter officer was of rather short build but of distinguished
appearance. His hair and long mustaches were snowy white; his eyes were
black. A number of medals and military decorations were pinned to his
coat in a neat row, but one of the first things the Americans observed
was that the wings of a flying officer were lacking.

“It is I who have made a big mistake,” he said as the two entered. “For
the last four weeks I have been expecting two officers from Europe,
but they do not come. Last night, when I heard that two strangers
had arrived in the city, I concluded it must be they. I now see and
acknowledge my mistake and I apologize for troubling the gentlemen.”

“The colonel owes us no apology,” said Stanley in a respectful manner.
“Quite the contrary. It is a great pleasure for us to visit him. If we
can be of service it will please us to help in any way we can. Both my
companion and I have had considerable experience with airplanes.”

“You mean to say you are aviators?” the colonel asked, rising from his
chair. “When and where did you learn to fly and what has been your
experience? Sit down and tell me all about it.”

Ted and Stanley did as they were asked, and for an hour they related
to the officer their various experiences so far as aeronautics were
concerned. He listened intently to all they had to say and asked many
questions.

“It is indeed fortunate for me that you came,” he said when they had
finished, “for I need your help and can offer you good positions. The
manœuvres take place in two months and we must have ships in the air
by that time. Now, when can you begin work? Remember, there is need of
great haste.”

“Will you tell us exactly what is expected of us?” Ted asked. “And then
we shall want to talk the matter over between ourselves. And what is
the remuneration?”

“Your work will be to assemble the machines and to test them thoroughly
before turning them over to the instructors. That will not be an easy
undertaking and, as you know, it is not without danger, for I shall
insist that the test flights be very conclusive; they will include
trips across country of several hours’ duration. I want the planes to
be as safe as possible before we begin taking up students. You will be
subject to my orders only as civilian employees. And the pay is five
hundred _soles_ a month, which is about two hundred and fifty dollars
in the money of your country.”

They thanked the colonel for his offer and returned to the inn.

“What do you think of that for luck?” Ted fairly shouted. “Things are
coming our way so fast it is hard to keep track of them.”

“We could not wish for a better arrangement,” Stanley agreed. “It is
almost too good to be true. Every time we make one of those long test
flights the colonel insists upon, we can drop into Uti and bring out a
load of gold, as much as the ship will carry, and that is considerable.
When we have enough we can resign and go home. We have not been asked
to enlist for any given period of time, so we can quit when we want to,
provided, of course, we give them reasonable notice, so they can get
some one else to take our places.”

That afternoon they sent word to the colonel that they should be ready
to start work on the following morning, and shortly after daybreak a
cart arrived to take their effects to camp, as they were henceforth to
occupy quarters on the military reservation.

The two reported to the officer soon after, and were at once sent to
the hangars, where a number of crates and boxes were stored. These
containers held wings, bodies, and motors, just as they had been packed
for shipment by the manufacturers in the United States. A detachment
of some twenty odd mechanics were placed at their disposal. These men
had been well trained in the theory of aeronautics, and while they
lacked practical experience, showed unbounded enthusiasm for the work,
combined with intelligence and adaptability. Before long the tasks in
hand began in earnest.

Ted and Stanley went about the matter in a systematic, businesslike
way. They called the men together and then divided them into sections,
or crews, and explained in detail what the duties of each would be. A
leader or chief was appointed for each crew. The Americans were to give
orders to the chiefs, and the latter would be held responsible that
these orders were carried out promptly by the men in their charge.

First they examined the bills of lading and invoices. Then they
selected certain of the boxes, checked them off the lists, and had them
removed to the largest hangar, which stood not far away. This required
all of the first day.

The second day they opened the packages and removed the various parts,
subjecting them to inspection, checking them against the lists, and
noting minor breaks that had to be repaired. They also visited the
supply-tent, looked over the tools and materials available, and made
out requisitions for such things as would be needed but which were
lacking.

“It’s beginning to look like business now,” Stanley commented that
night. “The first thing is always to work out a system; after that
everything is easy.”

“Two days is a short time, but it is surprising how many things one can
do. Of course we had a good foundation to build on, for the colonel
had made a good beginning. Too bad there is not a flying officer in
charge of the field; he could understand the whole proposition more
clearly and make allowances for the difficulties we are up against,”
Ted returned.

“So far the colonel has been a prince. He has given us a free hand, and
so long as he continues in that spirit we shall get along all right. If
he were a flyer he would want to boss everything and show us how to do
things, probably in a way different from the one we are accustomed to.”

“Right. I never thought of that.”

It was exactly four weeks later that the first of the planes had been
assembled ready to roll out of the hangar for the final adjustments
and tuning up. The ships were of the two-seater type, similar
to the JN4H’s so commonly used on American flying-fields, and of
sturdy, dependable construction. They had two-hundred-horse-power
eight-cylinder engines, and were rated as capable of making an
air-speed of ninety miles an hour. There were radio sets and
machine-guns, the latter mounted one above the engine and the other on
a turret in the rear cockpit.

Ted and Stanley surveyed their work with pride. The motor roared with
an even, steady purr, or snorted and banged as the mechanician opened
and closed the throttle, while the graceful machine tugged impatiently
in its efforts to free itself from the grasp of the men clinging to the
wings, and to leap the blocks that had been placed under the wheels.

“When shall we take the first spin?” Ted asked as he inspected the
turnbuckles and hit the wire braces with his hand to gauge their
tautness.

“To-morrow, if nothing goes wrong. Think of what a wonderful experience
it will be to soar over the peaks of the Andes; and the first chance
we get we will hop off to the Valley. All our dreaming and planning is
about to bear fruit.”

Just then the colonel accompanied by two officers in strange uniforms
approached.

The colonel introduced the new arrivals to the Americans. “At last
they are here,” he added. “They will have entire charge of the cadets.
You gentlemen will work together in perfect harmony, I hope, in the
best interests of the service.”

Ted and Stanley showed genuine pleasure at making the acquaintance of
the two lieutenants, but the latter seemed cool and reserved, and after
a casual examination of the throbbing ship followed the colonel into
one of the hangars.

A moment later Ted went to the rear of the structure to get a wrench
from the tool-box, and while pawing through the miscellaneous
collection the chest contained, the sound of voices from within reached
his ears.

“I have investigated them thoroughly,” the colonel was saying, “and I
have learned that they have been in Cuzco at least twice before this.
Each time they disappeared on some secret mission into the mountains,
and it is said that they are searching for a lost mine or hidden
treasure. But that is nothing against them; we should do the same if
we had a reason to hope for success in such a venture. I have also
examined their pilot’s books, for which they cabled voluntarily, and
they showed an unusually large number of hours in the air and a record
above reproach. Their work here has been done well. And, besides, they
came to my assistance when I needed them. I sent for them; they did not
beg me for the places.”

“If the colonel will pardon my saying so, the lieutenant and I can
now assume full charge of the work. We do not need the Americans. We
ourselves should supervise the rigging of the ships we are to fly.”

“It is a part of their agreement that they must test the machines
first, so they, not you, will take all the risks. There are enough
duties to keep all of you occupied. Never forget that I am commanding
officer and I shall not tolerate interference with my plans.”

With these words the colonel strode angrily away. For a minute neither
of the two foreigners spoke.

“Those Americans are in everything,” one said finally. “What chance
do we stand while they are here? They do not know the meaning of the
word fear; I have often watched them on the battle-front and I know.
If these two give such exhibitions here as their countrymen did over
there, they and not we will attract all the attention. We must manage
to keep them out of the air.”

“That is easy,” the other replied. “If we cannot keep them from going
up, we can see to it that they come back down in an unexpected way. A
loose pin, a defective strut, or any one of a dozen other things, and
they will not stand in our way again. And no one will ever suspect!”

Ted did not wait to hear more. With a face white with anger he hastened
to where Stanley was clamping the Lewis gun to the iron bars of the
turret.




CHAPTER V

IN QUEST OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE


Ted’s first impulse was to tell Stanley immediately of the conversation
he had heard in the hangar. But the roar of the motor made this
impossible. Then it occurred to him that the two officers might be
watching them, so he decided to withhold the information until they
were safely in their own quarters.

Stanley’s face was a puzzle as he listened to the story. He did not
interrupt until the recital was completed.

“I am surprised that they should resent our presence here,” he said
finally. “There is room enough for all of us, but these fellows must
have come bent on being the whole show and are determined to have their
way. Still, it is almost impossible to believe they were altogether in
earnest. Perhaps they knew you were listening and tried to frighten us.”

“That is what they said, no matter what their real intention. I think
the thing ought to be reported to the colonel.”

“Perhaps we should report it, but that would only make matters worse.
Why not wait until we have some proof of their intentions? Then we
shall have a fair case against them. In the meantime I guess we can
take care of ourselves.”

“We must take every precaution. There is too much at stake for us to
make a break one way or the other.”

“Yes, we will be very careful. And we will let it go at that. I
think we shall be able to tell without trouble if there has been any
tampering with the ships. A strict watch must be kept, for one thing,
and we shall make a most thorough inspection of our machine before each
flight,” said Stanley. “Above all, we must work fast; that is, get
into and out of our destination as soon as possible, and then we shall
be at liberty to leave the country. If we speed up we may be able to
forestall our rivals.”

“How about a test flight to-morrow? And then an attempt to reach the
hidden place a few days later?”

“The very thing. Have a first trial flight to-morrow and then spend a
few days making adjustments while we also make our other preparations.
After that the dash for the mountains. But we may have to alter our
plans greatly. With the opposition and competition we have now it
will not be possible to make an unlimited number of flights. We might
succeed in going once or twice without trouble, but if we went too
often and remained away for long periods of time they would become
suspicious and either stop us or try to follow to see what we were
doing.”

“I have a scheme we could try. Why not take a load of equipment on
the first trip and cache it in one of the caves; then open up the
underground river and take out as much gold as we want that way. If we
have to discontinue flying before we bring out very much in the plane
we can go back by the overland route and pick up what we have hidden in
the forest. That will save a lot of time and trouble.”

“We could not improve on that if we tried,” Stanley agreed
enthusiastically. “While I do the final tinkering on the machine you
can be gathering the things together. Bring them to our hangar, load
them at night, and we can hop away early the next morning.”

Somehow the news had spread that there was to be a trial flight on the
following day, and a huge crowd, composed mostly of Indians, gathered
on the outskirts of the field at daybreak. It was not until shortly
after noon, however, that everything was in readiness for the initial
attempt. The two donned their leather coats, helmets, and goggles, and
climbed into the cockpits. At a signal from Stanley the crew removed
the wooden blocks from under the wheels and swung the ship around into
the wind. Stanley gradually opened the throttle, and as the roar of
the engine increased in volume the machine gathered speed and raced
over the even ground. In a moment it had left the earth and was soaring
upward at an appreciable angle. The crowd of onlookers waved their hats
and burst into a wild cheer, and Ted, who was standing in the rear pit,
leaned over the rim and waved his hand toward the ground as they sped
into the distance.

Stanley carefully watched the braces, struts, and wings, but as there
was no unusual vibration, he tried a number of turns, banking gently,
dived and zoomed, and in other ways tested the craft. Its stability
and balance were to his entire satisfaction. Then they ascended to a
height of five thousand feet and performed a series of stunts that
even the birds would not dare attempt. They side-slipped, dived, and
spiralled, did wing-overs, and ended in a series of loops. After that
they descended to the field in a long tail-spin, levelling off just in
time to land easily and gracefully in front of their hangar.

The colonel was most enthusiastic and congratulated them heartily, but
the two lieutenants kept in the background and offered no comments.

“There are only a few wires to tighten a little,” Stanley informed the
commanding officer. “They are always liable to slacken somewhat during
the first flights. The fuselage is lined up perfectly. If the colonel
so desires, we shall be glad to make a long cross-country flight next
Sunday. That could serve as a final test, after which the ship would be
ready to go into commission for the regular work of training cadets.”

“Splendid!” the colonel replied. “Go anywhere you like. Give the
machine a most thorough trial. The instructors and pupils are waiting
impatiently for their turn.”

Two days later, as they were going over the ship for a final
inspection, Stanley suddenly noticed that the keys had been removed
from the pins that fastened the right upper wing to the body. With a
slight motion of his hand he indicated the fact to Ted.

“Now we shall find out who is responsible for that,” he said to Ted
between his teeth.

They had the ship rolled out on the line and started the engines. The
colonel and the two lieutenants were on the field as usual, watching
the operations.

“Perhaps the lieutenants would like a flight to-day?” Stanley suggested
pleasantly, approaching the trio. “With the colonel’s consent, and so
far as we are concerned, the ship is at your disposal.”

The two began to look uncomfortable, and one of them stammered an
excuse about not being prepared with the proper clothing. The colonel
promptly suggested that they might use the outfits of the Americans if
they desired, but upon this the other one pleaded illness.

“Well,” Stanley said, looking straight at the two, “we thought we might
go up for a few minutes, but I guess we had better not. If it is not
safe for you, it is not safe for us.”

The colonel understood that there was some difficulty, but said nothing
until the two instructors had gone. Then he questioned the Americans as
to the meaning of the affair. They showed him the pins with the missing
keys.

“But you have no evidence against any one!” he said slowly. “This is
most serious, but I cannot accuse any one of such an act without proof.”

“No, but in the future the hangars must be guarded day and night. No
one must be permitted to enter without a written pass from you.”

“That is a good idea. It shall be done. I shall immediately issue an
order to that effect.”

The damage was soon repaired and the ship rolled back into the hangar.

Ted spent the greater part of the next morning making purchases in
the city, and the packages were delivered to the field early in the
afternoon. They had been compelled to buy numerous things connected
with their work during the previous weeks, so the arrival of the boxes
caused no comment. Ted stored them in a corner of the hangar and
covered them with a tarpauling.

That night they carefully studied their map, on which the location
of the Hidden Valley had been marked as accurately as possible, as
they had done so many times before. And at daybreak on the following
morning Ted loaded the packages into the ship, while Stanley went for
a conference with the colonel. When the latter, too, arrived on the
field, the plane was on the line with the engine roaring.

Although the guards assured them that none had approached the hangar
during the night, the two spent considerable time in a minute
inspection of the machine. And when the sun was an hour high in the
heavens they left the ground, circled the field until they had reached
an altitude of several thousand feet, then headed straight to the north.

If their calculations were right, they should reach the valley in an
hour, unless they encountered a strong head-wind. Allowing another
hour for the return, there would be a leeway of a third hour, for the
fuel-supply, counting that contained in the emergency-tank overhead,
was ample for three hours.

From directly above, the mountain-peaks appeared flattened out exactly
like the plateaux and valleys, but they could be distinguished from the
latter by the patches of snow and fields of black rocks. A wind from
the south added greatly to their speed, so that the landscape beneath
them moved back at a rapid pace. To their right, and far, far below,
lay the sea of dark-green Amazonian jungle.

Here and there among the bleak mountain-peaks lay little green valleys
with square, blocklike dots scattered about singly and in groups. To
the casual observer they might have been mistaken for stones. But to
the trained eye they were clearly Indian huts, distinguishable from the
other objects by their regular outlines. And if Ted looked closely he
could make out minute specks moving toward the houses; they were the
Indians running to shelter, terrified, no doubt, by the roaring spectre
in the sky.

“Keep your eyes open wide,” Stanley shouted back to his companion
after he had throttled down the motor so that its roar did not drown
the sound of his voice. “Look for the yellow vapor and the ring of
volcanoes. The wall, too. What was that?”

A black form had passed them at great speed, its shadow blanketing one
side of the craft.

Ted looked back, knowing that it could not have been a cloud, for the
sky was clear.

“It’s a condor,” he called at the top of his voice, just as Stanley
opened the throttle. Even as he spoke the great bird was wheeling
gracefully and heading in their direction. Master of the desolate
mountain tops and of the air above them, the huge bird was evidently
investigating or challenging this newcomer into its realm.

Ted pounded the linen side of the fuselage frantically with his gloved
hand, and at the signal Stanley automatically pushed the control
forward, ever so slightly, and the ship went into a steep dive. It was
part of their old code, originated on the Western Front, and in the
emergency both remembered it instantly.

They were not a moment too soon. The great bird shot past above
them with a rush of wings audible above the slow throbbing of the
throttled-down motor.

Just as Stanley brought the plane to a level keel, the bird wheeled,
and again came toward them, from the front, but this time the pilot
saw it in time. He must avoid collision with the audacious creature,
for the impact of the heavy body against the struts of propeller would
be enough to shatter them and send them crashing to the ground. His
first impulse was to use the machine-gun in an attempt either to kill
the bird or to cause it to swerve; but a second thought seemed better.
He waited until the black form was a scant hundred yards away; then
he pulled hard on the control, and instantly the bird seemed to drop
into space below them. What had really happened was that the ship had
bounded upward in a steep zoom, passing high above the attacker, and
before the latter could turn, Stanley had resumed the level course and
opened wide the throttle. The ship started forward at such great speed
that the bird, swift of wing though it was, could not overtake them;
and they soon lost it in the distance, a black speck growing constantly
smaller in the unclouded sky.

After that they flew at a lower altitude, so as not to arouse the ire
of other condors that might be soaring at that dizzy height.

Ted was carefully scanning the ground, on which everything now appeared
with startling distinctness. Below was an Indian trail on which a
caravan of llamas had been wending its leisurely way. The leader of
the file stopped and evidently sounded an alarm of some kind, for
in a moment the panic-stricken animals were dashing down the trail,
leaving a cloud of dust in their wake and scattering their packs by the
wayside. After leaping a stone wall they disappeared into the doorway
of a hut. At the same time a number of Indians, wearing bright-colored
blankets, darted out of the rear doorway, routed from their abode by
the onrushing beasts, but no sooner had they gained the open than one
of the group discerned the strange monster above them, and back they
dashed into the hut.

Ted was watching the spot long after to see if any of the occupants of
the shelter would appear after they had passed, when the engine again
slowed down.

“That looks like the spot over there,” Stanley shouted, nodding toward
the landscape in front of them.

Ted looked in that direction and nodded assent. Far ahead, and to one
side, lay a circle of yellow vapor; it seemed to hug the earth in a
solid ring, while columns and whisps rose into the sky to a great
height. That could mean but one thing. It was the impenetrable barrier
of poisonous gases arising from the chain of volcanoes surrounding the
Hidden Valley. A quarter of an hour later they had crossed the margin
of the ring. There it was, directly beneath them--the long valley
with its winding river, Uti with the dismal lagoon glistening in the
sunlight, and the great wall that separated the two places showing
like a narrow gray ribbon. To the left was another valley with high,
steep walls of rock hemming it in on all sides, but there was no vapor
clinging to the rim of that enclosure.

Stanley shut down the power and they began a rapid and almost noiseless
descent in a series of graceful spirals. When down to five hundred feet
above the ground, he again opened the throttle and circled a few times,
while both craned their heads over the sides of the cockpits, looking
for a suitable place to land. In a moment they recognized the level
strip of beach on the border of the lake, the very spot, in fact, where
their canoe had been stranded several years before; another spiral,
then a long glide, and they had landed on the hard sand.

At last they were in the region of gold-filled caves, a mere stone’s
throw from the place where the vast treasure of the Incas had lain
untouched for so many centuries. The two scrambled out of their cramped
quarters and jumped to the ground. Then, dashing their helmets and
goggles aside, they started in a wild rush toward the cave.




CHAPTER VI

THE CROWNING MISFORTUNE


Upon reaching the entrance to the underground chamber they stopped. The
vision of Timichi, the demented, self-styled king they had encountered
on their previous visit, loomed up before them. What if he were still
alive and had observed their approach? It was not probable, for even
years ago he had been very old and in ill health; but it was just
barely possible that he still lived. In that event he would be awaiting
them in the darkened passageway with some heavy weapon with which to
attack them. He had every advantage, and that he would submit to the
seizure of the treasure without putting up a fight was out of the
question.

“Let’s call to him,” Ted suggested. “Perhaps he will recognize our
voices or his name and come out--if he is in there.”

They called “Timichi,” then “Loco,” which latter was the name he had
liked and which applied to him so well. But there was no response.
Then they advanced slowly, but no sinister figure dashed out of the
blackness to dispute their way.

A few steps and they had entered the treasure-chamber. The light from
the openings in the ceiling shone full upon their faces. They broke
into a run in their eagerness to reach the shining heaps of yellow
metal. Then they slackened their pace, stopped, and stared hard--first
straight ahead and then at one another. Was it true? Could it be
possible? Or were they dreaming? For a moment they were speechless, but
Stanley finally managed to force the fateful words through his lips.

“It’s gone, it’s gone!” he cried hoarsely. “The gold is gone!”

“Yes, it’s gone!” Ted echoed. “There is not a speck of it left. All our
trouble is for nothing.”

Stanley burst into a laugh almost hysterical in its sudden shrillness.

“Why, what a pair of chumps we are! Timichi must have taken it away. He
was the only one this side of the wall. He got some foolish notion or
other into his head and so carried away the treasure.”

“Of course! And being old and feeble, he could not have taken it very
far. He took it to one of the neighboring caves, where we shall find
it in a few minutes. It did give me a scare, though, to find the place
empty.”

“Same here,” agreed Stanley. “For a minute I was thunderstruck. I could
not even think straight.”

They hurried from the cavern and began a systematic exploration
of the numerous openings that led to subterranean chambers in the
mountainside. Some were so dark that they had to make constant use of
their flash-lights in finding their way about. Others were illuminated
by shafts of daylight that entered through crevices overhead. Most of
the caves bore no evidence of ever having been occupied; others had
evidently been used as lairs by curious wild beasts of a bygone age,
and their bones, mingled with those of the creatures on which they had
preyed, strewed the earthen floor.

At last they came to the cave where Timichi had pointed out to them
the rows of his silent subjects. They had avoided this place until the
last, because they did not want to look upon the rows of dead. Now,
as they had half expected, they found the remains of Timichi, dressed
in his gorgeous finery, and sitting on a stone with his head resting
against the wall, as if surveying his little kingdom of the departed.
It was weird and pathetic and they did not stay long.

As for the gold, it had not been found. It had disappeared as
completely as if the rumbling craters had opened and engulfed it with
their fiery mouths.

“It’s the most mysterious thing I ever heard of. There were tons of
it, and it does not seem possible that Timichi could have carried it
away at all.”

“I’ll bet he didn’t. Some one else has been here since we left. Let’s
look around,” Ted replied.

The underground river occurred to them first of all. It was by this
means that they had made their escape during their previous visit to
the dismal place, just as it seemed they were condemned to a living
death in company with the demented Timichi.

When, after a tedious journey along the murky margin of the lagoon,
they finally reached the mouth of the subterranean stream, they found
the entrance blocked by a mass of stones. Nor was the barrier the
result of a landslide, as they had supposed when they tried to force
their way through from the other side; the stones had been placed there
by human hands. Some one had indeed anticipated their return and had
tried to forestall them in every way.

Then they returned to the cave in which the gold had been concealed and
carefully looked around for traces or clews of the one who had removed
the treasure, and after a lengthy search their efforts were rewarded. A
faint trail led from the entrance toward the great wall. They followed
the indistinct path, breathless with anticipation; it ran straight to
the point where the wall joined the abrupt mountainside. And there,
under the massive structure, a hole had been dug large enough for men
to pass freely to and fro. The gold had been carried back into the
Hidden Valley.

“Quizquiz!” both shouted in one breath. “It was he. No one else
would have thought of it or had the cunning to put through such an
undertaking.”

The hole had been partially blocked with a heap of earth and stones.

“Not even this place, which had the reputation of being the home of
the devils, could stop Quizquiz,” Stanley said. “I see through it now.
After our escape in the canoe he planned to get us back. He had the
hole dug and found that we were gone. Then they saw the underground
river. Putting two and two together, he could easily figure out how we
got away. He knew we should return, so he had the river blocked and
carried away the gold.”

“We are stumped, all right,” Ted admitted. “All my wonderful plans
have gone soaring. We might as well go back and forget about the whole
thing. But it is a bitter pill to swallow.”

They made their way to the plane slowly and suffering all the agony
of keenest disappointment; their hopes and ambitions were not to be
realized. Their dreams of the future had vanished in thin air.

“Let’s have a bite to eat,” Stanley suggested. “I feel faint and weak.
Then we can fly back to the field, give up our jobs, and get back
home--soon, I hope; the sooner the better.”

“What about all the stuff we brought with us?” Ted asked. “We shall not
need it.”

“No! We might as well dump it. No use to carry back the extra weight.
And, by the way, what is in those boxes? They are awfully heavy. I
could tell we had a big load aboard because I could not get the ship to
climb fast.”

“That is the dynamite,” Ted said calmly.

“What?” in consternation.

“Dynamite. About a hundred pounds of it!”

“Do you mean to tell me those boxes are full of dynamite?”

“Certainly. We should have needed it to blow open the entrance to the
underground river.”

“Good heavens!” Stanley fairly shrieked. “Think of carting along a load
of dynamite in a country like this. If we had had a forced landing we
should have blown into bits.”

“I thought of that. But a forced landing in a mountainous country would
have meant our finish anyway. So what is the difference?”

“I guess you are right, but if I had known it I should not have
attempted to fly a single inch until we had taken it out. It is a good
thing you did not tell me about it.”

“What shall we do with it?”

“Get rid of it as soon as we can.”

“But if any one from the valley should come here he would find it,”
said Ted. “I have an idea. Let’s mark the boxes for Quizquiz and leave
a note saying that if he hits them with his golden sceptre he will see
all his forefathers; then shove the boxes through the hole under the
wall.”

“It would serve him right, but they cannot read. Besides, we do not
want to kill any one. We shall have to hide it or throw it into the
lake.”

“No, not throw it into the lake,” Ted said, with a peculiar shudder.
“We are not out of here yet; we might need it!”

“Are you predicting more trouble? Hasn’t enough happened to us already?”

“I don’t know. But something tells me not to throw it away. I feel
queer; it might be my imagination, but it is true just the same.”

“All right; do anything you like with it. But we will take it out of
the ship this very minute; and the other things, too. We cannot be
bothered with useless baggage.”

They unlashed and unloaded the boxes. Then they ate a light lunch.

“We can hide everything in one of the smaller caves,” Ted decided.
“No one will go prowling around in any of them. And if--I almost said
when--we need the things we shall know where to find them.”

When they had disposed of the packages they prepared to depart. It
was mid-afternoon and they must lose no more time in returning to the
field. The colonel, no doubt, was anxious about them already.

In order to take off properly they were compelled to head toward the
great wall because a current of air came from that direction. But the
distance was sufficient to enable them to clear it by an ample margin.
They also wanted to circle above the valley a few times for a farewell
glimpse of the hiding-place of the last of the once powerful Incan
nation, for soon they should leave it, never to return.

With a steadily increasing roar of the engine the ship raced over the
ground, and when it had gained enough headway Stanley pulled back the
stick and the plane leaped into the air. In a moment they had cleared
the wall by a hundred feet. Now they were skimming above the depression
concealing the Inca’s stronghold.

Ted leaned out over the rim of the gunpit in order to have a good view
of the fleeting ground below them. There was the river down which
Moses had steered their plunging canoe to safety on the night of
their escape, spread across patches of velvet green; stone huts that
looked like toy blocks were scattered over the barren places, some in
rows, others in groups and villages. People, terrified by the monster
thundering over their heads, were scurrying to cover behind stone walls
and into doorways. Far, far in the distance was a great city; Ted
recognized it as the Patallacta, or City on the Hill, where they had
first met Huayna Capac, the old king. Nearer was another collection of
buildings covering a large territory; that was the City of Gold, with
its palaces, gardens, and the great temple of the sun. Ted remembered
it, too, only too well, for it was there they had been tried and
condemned because of Quizquiz’s treachery. But they had escaped, thanks
to Moses! And here they were again, safe, high in the air, out of reach
of their enemy.

Without warning there came a few loud explosions from the exhausts, the
engine hesitated, picked up again for a moment, slowed down, faltered,
and stopped. Stanley realized immediately that the fuel in the main
tank was exhausted, so he quickly shut off the feed-valve and turned on
the supply from the second reservoir, after which he dived at a steep
angle, so that the rush of air might spin the propeller and thus crank
the engine. But the expected roar did not come. Apparently the gasolene
did not flow, for while the propeller was turning, there was only the
coughing sound of a dead engine. He looked at the indicator in alarm;
the tank was full, there was no mistake about that.

Almost before he knew it he was so near the ground that there was not
time for further efforts to determine the cause of the trouble. He
barely succeeded in straightening out the diving craft before it struck
the earth with a thud. They cavorted along over a rock-strewn field
beside the river, bounding and threatening to upset, and when the ship
finally came to a stop the two were too dazed for speech. For, in their
wild sprint over the uneven ground the propeller had struck a boulder
and one of the blades was shattered.

They were indeed in an unenviable predicament. Not for all of the gold
of the Incas should they have entered the Hidden Valley voluntarily.
Yet fate had decreed that they should find themselves there, and under
the most distressing circumstances. The ship was as useless as if it
had been broken into bits, and there was no other means of escape.

They were as good as in the hands of Quizquiz, their enemy, who did
not know the meaning of the words fair play or mercy. He would come to
them soon with his hordes of followers, overwhelm them, and gloat over
them as a beast of prey might do over its victim, exulting over their
helplessness and over his own unlimited power. At last his day had
arrived when he could repay them for the humiliation they had caused
him during the athletic contests, where they had made such a superior
showing against him and the other picked youths of the nation. And
their escape--that rankled, too.

As they thought of these things they grew pale and shuddered. There
could be but one outcome of the misadventure, and they knew only too
well what that end should be.




CHAPTER VII

IN THE TIGER’S LAIR


With each passing minute the helplessness of their position was more
firmly driven home upon Ted and Stanley. They expected momentarily to
be attacked by the horde of Indians, many of whom they had seen from
above. But not a human being came within range of their vision.

“What fools we were,” Ted observed dejectedly, “not to let well enough
alone. We _would_ come back, and now----”

“That is only human nature, I guess. Never satisfied and always eager
to take a chance. Well, we are like the pitcher that went to the well
once too often.”

“Why don’t they come after us, I wonder!”

“Superstitious, perhaps. But they will be here in due time. Count on
that!”

Ted changed the unpleasant subject.

“Whatever could have happened that the engine died that way? Did I
neglect to fill the second tank?”

“No. It’s full. There is something mysterious about it. We might try
to find out what the trouble is while we are waiting.”

They examined the tank for air-leaks that would reduce the pressure to
the point where the fuel would not feed. But the gauge registered five
pounds--more than enough. Then they began tracing the slender feed-pipe
from the tank to the carburetor. Almost immediately the trouble was
found. Some one had disconnected one of the joints and had stopped up
the pipe with soap, so of course the gasolene could not flow.

“We have our friends, the lieutenants, to thank for that,” Stanley said
bitterly. “It’s hard to believe that any one could do such a thing.”

“They did a good job. I guess we shall never stand in their way again.”

“If we had only brought a spare stick there would be a good chance of
getting out of here. We could make the change in a little while and
leave before any one had the courage to come near us.”

“But the fact is we did not bring a spare stick. We knew better than
that, too. Luck has been against us from the very start; and it’s
getting worse.”

“We might rig up the wireless outfit and send out a call for help.
That is the only thing I can think of,” Stanley suggested without
enthusiasm.

“It can do no harm, anyway.”

They unreeled the long wire antenna and removed the lead weight, or
“fish,” from the end, replacing it with a bottle from the emergency
kit. In flight the purpose of the fish was to keep the wire trailing
out behind as straight as possible; but now they stretched the slender
braided metal thread to the top of a tree near the river and tied the
bottle to the highest branch. In this manner a message could be flashed
into space, they did not know how far, but none could be taken in
answer, as there was no receiving equipment in the plane.

Ted switched on the battery and placed his fingers on the key.

“S. O. S., S. O. S.,” the spark was flashed into the ether; “stranded
one hour north of Cuzco, in valley surrounded by ring of yellow vapor.
Need propeller. Notify aviation-field, Cuzco.”

The message was repeated a number of times.

“We are wasting time and energy,” Ted said suddenly, releasing the
key and cutting the switch. “In the first place, I doubt if the spark
will carry beyond the valley. And I just remembered that even if they
should pick it up at the flying-field, they could not possibly help us.
There is no other ship in commission, and even if there were, the only
persons who could handle it are the lieutenants, who certainly would
not come to help us.”

“I don’t look for help from the field, but I thought there might be
a station somewhere near here in the mountains, a secret government
outfit. And if the facts were known, it might be possible that a ship
would be sent from some other camp, perhaps even from Bolivia.”

“All right. I’ll send it again and add our names to the end of it.”

Once more the appeal was wafted into space.

“I have it,” Ted shouted, jumping from his seat. “We will get a new
stick right here!”

“Get one here?”

“Yes. When the Indians show up it is as likely as not that they will
be overawed and treat us like gods instead of starting trouble, for
didn’t we come from the sky? We can keep on our goggles and helmets as
a disguise; then put them to work.”

“I fail to see what good that would do.”

“People who can build walls and houses of large stones that fit
together so perfectly they stand for centuries; who put up temples
and palaces, and who make such wonderful textiles and ornaments,
must be pretty skilful with their hands, and also have a good deal
of intelligence to back them up. We will get them to make a new
propeller, under our direction and with our help. Then we can leave the
way we came.”

“It sounds wild and impracticable.”

“Wait and see. Leave the matter to me.”

It was not until the next day that they saw signs of life in the
valley. They had eaten the last of their food and had spent a miserable
night huddled up in the seats of the stranded plane.

A long column of Indians, marching in orderly manner, appeared from
the direction of the river that flowed through the centre of the
depression. At first the advancing throng was too far distant to
distinguish its character, but as it drew nearer the two watchers
saw by the gorgeous dress and glittering ornaments that many of the
marchers belonged to the nobility.

“What are we going to do?” Ted asked, breaking the suspense.

“The machine-guns are in good order and there are over five hundred
rounds of ammunition in the magazines.”

“Shall we open fire?”

“No; at least not yet. We could do that only as a last resort. It would
rout them in terror, but they would come back. There are many thousands
of them, you know. If gaining a few hours’ or days’ time alone would
help us, I should be in favor of standing them off with the guns. But
that would be of no use whatever to us. As you suggested, we need their
help, and the way to get it is to play on their superstitious natures
and put them to work. It seems like a flimsy bulwark right now that the
mob is bearing down on us; but let’s try it and trust to luck. I will
do the parleying and you supervise the work when the time comes. I can
see no other way out of it.”

“Nor I,” Ted agreed.

The Indians had halted while still some distance away and were
obviously holding a discussion as to whether or not they should
advance. A few minutes later they again started forward, then stopped
for a second conference. This time they reached a definite conclusion,
for they now approached in an unfaltering manner.

Ted and Stanley put on their helmets and goggles and, at least to
outward appearances, calmly awaited the coming of the mob. When the
Indians had reached a point a hundred feet from the airplane they
stopped.

Two files of soldiers stepped forward, halted, and turned to face one
another, forming a wide lane. Scarcely had they taken their station
when a procession began to advance through this formation. Ted and
Stanley watched with pounding hearts and bated breath.

First came a group of menials sweeping the ground with branches of
evergreens; then a number of officers or high officials garbed in
brilliant robes and bearing various insignia of rank in their hands,
such as silver staffs and bundles of rods. Following these, several
score of youths, walking backward and singing in a monotonous cadence,
strewed the ground with flowers.

A sedan of gold borne on the shoulders of twenty-five of the highest
nobles came next. The curtains, heavily embroidered in colors and
threads of gold, were drawn so that the occupant of the conveyance
could not be seen.

When the men who carried the precious burden reached the end of the
lane formed by the soldiers they halted and lowered the fitter to the
level of their knees. The curtains were drawn aside and an elderly man
wrapped in a mantle of black-and-white and wearing numerous amulets,
bracelets, and anklets stepped out upon the rug that had been spread
on the ground for him and stood with outstretched hands. Apparently he
belonged to the religious order, or perhaps he was a witch-doctor, for
he made mysterious passes with his hands and shook a rattle of dried
seeds. After a moment he came forward a dozen paces, bowed to the
ground, and throwing one corner of his mantle over his shoulder in an
impressive manner, spoke.

“Benevolent spirits, demons or men,” he began in a loud voice, “I know
not which you may be, so know not how to receive you.”

“And who are you who dares question us?” Stanley returned, pitting his
own strategy against the Indian’s.

“If you are spirits or demons, you must know that; for I am Villac Umu,
one of the obedient servants of the great Inca, and High Priest of the
Temple of the Sun. And you?”

“We have come from the sky. That is all you shall know until it pleases
us to tell you more.”

“Yes, yes; even the king saw the great bird swoop into the valley. It
filled him with amazement and joy, for might it not be a messenger from
heaven with tidings to the greatest of the Incas? If you are brothers
of the moon or children of the sun, you may confide in me; the king
demands to be told, so that he may prepare to receive you according to
your rank.”

“Why did not the king come in person?” Stanley abruptly changed the
subject.

“The king is far away.”

“Villac Umu, you dare say that? For all you know we may be able to
read your most secret thoughts and to separate the truth from the
untruth.”

“Then you must know that I speak truly. The king is not here. If he
were, you should feel his very presence, though you could not see him.
He is great and powerful and so terrible that he is called the Tiger.”

“Go back to your people,” Stanley commanded, “and return when I wave my
hand like this.”

The man bowed and turned without a word.

“What do you make of it?” Ted asked when he was out of hearing. “It
looks like a plot of some kind.”

“Certainly. Quizquiz sent him on a spying mission, to find out who or
what we are. He dared not come himself, the coward, but I would bet he
is concealed somewhere in the background, at a safe distance. No doubt
he connects this occurrence with our previous visit, but does not quite
trust his own judgment.”

“So much the better. We do not want to see him.”

“I will call back the old man and tell him what we need and ask him to
send it to us.”

“Good! Tell him to come on.”

Stanley waved his hand and the waiting figure approached.

“For the present we shall need food, water, and shelter,” he began,
“and as soon as possible thereafter twenty of the most skilled workers
in wood, who must bring with them their implements; also a dozen
boards of the finest, hardest wood that grows in the valley, of these
dimensions.” Here he threw to the priest a ball of cord, into which he
had tied knots to show the required length, breadth, and thickness of
the boards. “Let them bring an abundance of glue, also.”

“But there is no shelter near by,” the spokesman of the Indians
interposed. “Let the visitors accompany me to the villa at the baths
where the Inca sojourns, and where there is comfort and refreshment.”

“That is impossible. We shall remain here.”

“The king will want to know to whom these supplies are to be given.”

“Tell him they are for visitors from the sky who are disappointed and
grieved at the suspicion with which they have been received, and who
will therefore depart again after a short rest.”

“The great king will be pained to receive such a message, for in
addition to being terrible he is also generous and kind. He would
welcome the visitors from the sky in his palace.”

“Will you kindly convey our requests to him?”

“With pleasure. And in the meantime tents and food will be provided
without delay.” Then, after a moment’s silence: “The king will be sad
and disappointed because you will not accept the hospitality of his
villa. Will you not go, later perhaps, when you are rested?”

“Later, perhaps.”

“Possibly the king may consent to come here as a special favor to----”

“No! It is not necessary. Urge him not to expose his sacred person to
the hardships of the trail. Plead with him. We could fly to the palace
later, so why subject the great Inca to any inconvenience.”

Without a word the priest returned to his followers and immediately
departed in the direction from which the column had come.

“He is a shrewd old fellow,” Ted said when they were gone.

“But he did not find out much. You don’t think he recognized our
voices?”

“I hope not. You should be an actor. You played your part very
impressively. I almost forgot who was talking.”

A number of soldiers arrived before nightfall. They brought tents and
baskets of food. After putting up the shelters, two of their number
volunteered to remain to do the cooking, but Stanley ordered all of
them to depart.

“We must use the greatest caution. We will be surrounded by spies.
Instead of using the tents we had better take the blankets and sleep on
the ground under the wings.”

“I wish the carpenters would get here, although I doubt if they can
make a usable propeller. There is nothing like trying, though, and we
will pretend that they can; that will be more cheerful and will give us
time to look for some other possible opening for escape.”

“No telling! Something _may_ turn up sooner than we expect. That has
always been the way here. New things happen suddenly every so often.
Let’s eat.”

The carpenters did not arrive until the third day. They brought all
the articles that had been asked for and were at once put to work.
Their first task was to shave down the boards until their surfaces were
absolutely smooth. Then they were all glued together face to face,
forming a thick block, after which heavy stones were placed on top to
press them firmly together while the glue set. The dexterity with which
the Indians plied their tempered copper tools was remarkable. And the
hopes of the two Americans rose accordingly, for they saw that the
shaping of a new propeller was a possibility after all.

These hopes, however, were badly shaken a few days later. A herald
arrived to announce the coming of the Inca on the following morning.
The youth was dressed in a tunic made of small golden disks linked
together, and comported himself in an arrogant, even impudent, manner.

“I have never known it to fail,” Ted exploded. “Just when things are
beginning to run smoothly a new calamity happens.”

“I knew he would come. They have given him a good description of us and
of the plane, and as we refused to visit him, he decided to come here.
You remember how curious he was.”

“Yes, and you know what curiosity did.”

“I only wish Quizquiz had been the cat.”

“Well, if he is determined to pay his respects to us, we shall return
the compliment in due time, count on that.”

“I have just thought of something,” Ted said solemnly. “The way Pizarro
conquered the whole Incan nation of many millions was to capture the
king. Without a leader they were like so many sheep. We will capture
Quizquiz.”

“I should like to lay my hands on him for a few minutes at least. But
how are we going to do it?”

“Induce him to take a ride after the ship is repaired.”

“He would never do it. He’s too big a coward.”

“We will tell him he can soar above the clouds and absorb some of the
radiance of the sun. That will flatter his vanity and he will accept
eagerly in spite of his fears. Then we can land him outside the valley
and hold him prisoner while we come back to continue our search for
the gold. His people will do anything to help us and will give us
everything they have if we will but give them back their king.”




CHAPTER VIII

THE INCA’S THREAT


When the Inca hove in sight the following morning Ted and Stanley were
filled with wonder and dismay. It seemed as if the whole population of
the valley had come with him. Long lines of soldiers marched in advance
and at the rear of the procession. In the centre were the members of
his court, the nobles, and a numerous body of the clergy. The pomp and
splendor affected by the youthful monarch were surprising to the two
Americans, who on their previous visit had become accustomed to the
gorgeous attire of Huayna Capac and to the lavish display of wealth
with which he surrounded himself.

A horde of menials swept the roadway in advance of the royal party;
youths in snowy garments sprinkled it with scented water and strewed
the petals of orchids and other rare flowers over the way the ruler
must pass.

The golden litter in which the king rode was not the one used by his
father, for, according to custom, upon the death of an Inca, all those
things connected intimately with his use accompanied his remains to
their final resting-place or were destroyed. Quizquiz had a more
massive one, encrusted with emeralds, which were ingeniously mounted
in the pale, pure gold, so as to form figures of the sun rising above
the mountain tops, of llamas and of condors. And while fifty of his
subjects of the highest rank trudged along under the oppressive weight
of the litter and its occupant, Quizquiz, reclining on soft cushions,
amused himself by striking at them with a long-lashed whip. The
carriers seemed not to resent this abuse; they deemed it an honor thus
to serve their sovereign, knowing all the while that to trip or fall
while bearing the sacred burden would constitute a crime punishable by
death.

Very obviously the Inca had carefully planned to impress the visitors
with his power and magnificence. When the throng reached the helpless
airplane and its equally helpless occupants, it formed a circle around
them, leaving a space in the centre not over a hundred feet across. The
golden litter was carried much nearer, so that the monarch could have a
clear view of what was in front of him.

Ted and Stanley, their faces well concealed by their helmets, goggles,
and upturned collars, returned the insolent stare of Quizquiz, and at
the same time took in the colorful display of his trappings. On his
head he wore the scarlet fringe, or _borla_, that fell down to his
eyes, with two slender, glittering feathers standing up in front; that
was his crown. His mantle, falling loosely about his rather well-knit
body, was a mass of shimmering folds of rich brocade, gold and silver
threads woven upon a white ground. His arms, which were exposed to
view, were bedecked with bracelets; rings covered his fingers.

“I am Quizquiz, Child of the Sun, most illustrious of all the Incas
that have honored the earth with their presence,” he announced
haughtily, toying with his whip as he spoke. “My authority is
unquestioned and unlimited. My subjects do my bidding. At a word from
me they die, if it suits my pleasure. Indeed, I am called the Tiger.”

“None disputes the glory or the power of the great king,” Stanley
replied promptly.

“Then make known your mission. The valley is sacred ground. Intruders
are not welcome, as two men from the outer world learned during the
reign of Huayna Capac, my father.”

At the latter words the two Americans detected a shade of hatred in the
speaker’s voice, while his eyes flashed fire.

“We desire food, shelter, and rest until it suits our convenience to
return to the sky whence we came. That is a small request to make of a
king.”

[Illustration: Very obviously the Inca had carefully planned to impress
the visitors]

“You came from the sky! I saw that with my own eyes. Are you gods
that you travel through space like the spirits of the departed?”

“We are masters of the air,” Ted said. He did not like the attitude of
the questioner, and Stanley was visibly uneasy.

For a moment Quizquiz surveyed them. His face, while handsome, bore a
sullen expression, and the beady black eyes and drooping mouth bespoke
a cruel and cunning disposition.

“Yes, yes,” he said impatiently. “But are you gods? Are you brothers of
the sun, or companions of the moon? You speak with the voices of men.
You ask for food and rest, like mortals.”

“All who would make known their thoughts must speak with the voices of
men. The Inca is no exception.”

Quizquiz was plainly puzzled.

“And the thing that carries you through the air,” he asked, “is it
bird, beast, or devil?”

“That you shall hear for yourself. It speaks with the voice of thunder.”

According to a prearranged plan, Ted sprang to the ground and spun the
propeller, while Stanley operated the switch and throttle. With a snort
the engine was under way and rapidly picked up speed, until the hand
of the indicator registered five hundred revolutions a minute, the
shattered blade of the propeller adding a whining shriek to the roar of
the exhausts.

The Indians stared wide-eyed at the marvellous performance, and many,
no doubt, would have liked nothing better than to turn and flee,
but the knowledge that a show of fright would bring dire punishment
restrained them from following their impulse.

Stanley cut the switch and the engine stopped.

“Now you have heard,” he said. “Let your priests and wise men interpret
the message.”

Quizquiz called Soncco and a number of other sages and after they had
all admitted that they were unable to interpret the strange sound he
dismissed them in anger with a flick of his whip.

“Twenty strokes of the lash for each one,” he shouted, and a body of
soldiers promptly stepped forward to obey the order.

“Mercy, great and glorious father,” one of the older men cried out,
falling upon his knees and extending his hands in supplication.

“An additional ten strokes for the beggar! Take him away,” Quizquiz
ordered. “And if any one of them so much as sigh while the lash is
falling on his back, run him through with a lance.”

“If it pleases the king, I will explain the message,” Stanley
announced.

“I will hear your words, but let your speech be brief, for I am weary.”

“The great vehicle would carry the Inca into the sky, high above the
tallest mountain-peaks, where the air is pure and where not even the
condor dares venture; out of reach of the contaminating earth, to play
among the clouds and to bask in the bright sunlight; it would take him
so high that the radiance of the sun could descend upon his sacred
person; men would be blinded by the dazzling splendor of the great
king,” Stanley announced solemnly.

“Is that the message?”

“That is my interpretation. A few days are needed for preparations for
the momentous event. And then, the flight into the heavens which even
an Inca has never visited.”

If these speeches were calculated to flatter the vanity of Quizquiz,
the two were doomed to disappointment. For a moment he regarded them
with narrowing eyelids while his hands toyed nervously with the whip.
Then he flew into a violent rage.

“Now indeed do I know that you are not gods, nor even the messengers
of gods,” he shrieked, rising from his cushions and raising his whip
as if to strike in their direction, “for else you must know that I,
Quizquiz, mightiest of all the great kings, never touch my foot upon
the contaminating earth; I honor my highest nobles by permitting them
to carry my holy person from place to place. I need not the radiance
of the sun, for I am already more resplendent than his brightest rays;
is it not through my benevolence that the sun shines at all, and the
stars come forth at night? It is I who permits the wind to blow and the
rain to fall. Your words are blasphemy to my ears. All who live are my
slaves, and to them my words are laws. Depart at once or you remain
here forever!”

The two had no time to ponder the quandary in which this unexpected
turn of affairs had placed them, and for a moment they were speechless.

“Villac Umu!” Quizquiz called. “Come to my side!”

Attendants brought forward the sedan containing the high priest, which
had been kept a few paces to the rear previously. It was the same
conveyance in which he had appeared some days before to interrogate
them.

“How may I serve my revered father?” Villac smirked, with a great show
of humility. “My one hope, my one desire is that I may one day give my
unworthy life to please the king.”

“Speak not of death, Villac Umu, for I have need of you alone among all
men. You, who relieve me of the burden of communing with the gods and
with the spirits, tell me, who are these insolent ones who dare invade
my kingdom, and who disobey me when I command them to depart.”

The high priest languidly raised his hands to his eyes, and for a full
minute appeared to be lost in thought. Then he stood up and pointed
toward Ted and Stanley with one hand. “I have divined the mystery,” he
announced.

“Then speak, good Villac,” Quizquiz said indulgently. “Wisdom such as
yours is given to few men. I knew I could depend on you.”

“The visitors from the sky are no other than the two strangers from the
outer world who came into the valley during the reign of Huayna Capac,
your father, and then escaped after having been condemned to death for
their treason against the king. The great bird on which they ride is a
contrivance of the evil one, and I know not the limits of its power.
But as for the men, I recognize their voices, even though they feign
hoarseness, and the color of their eyes is not unfamiliar to me. Seize
them, great king, before they escape.”

“He talks like a madman,” Stanley quickly interrupted, quivering with
apprehension.

“Still, I am inclined to believe his words. Uncover your heads and
faces.”

“When the Inca removes his crimson fringe, for, as the _borla_ is the
emblem of his position, so does this head-dress proclaim ours.”

The crowd began to surge forward at this bold defiance hurled at their
sovereign, whose eyes blazed as he raised his jewelled hands to heaven.
It was a signal to the soldiers. Like an avalanche they swept upon the
plane. The engine not running, Stanley’s gun was useless, but Ted swung
his weapon and pulled the trigger. Three shots rattled out in quick
succession; then the gun jammed and was worthless. The mob was upon
them in a flash. Ted and Stanley fought valiantly, but the fight was
of short duration. Numerous hands clutched them; they struck back with
wrenches, but so soon as one of the soldiers dropped another jumped
into his place. The odds against them were too great to be overcome.

In a short time the two had been dragged from their stronghold, their
clothes nearly torn from their bodies, and barely conscious of the fact
that they were being carried to the Inca’s litter.

Quizquiz’s eyes gleamed with a triumphant and malicious fire. He
gloated over his prisoners, and could scarcely keep from leaping from
his seat to pounce upon them.

“Ever since the day I caused the hole to be dug under the wall and
learned of your escape, I knew you would return; that your greed for
gold would overcome your better sense, and that you would again fall
into my power. The great day has arrived. You are here, my captives,
and I, Quizquiz, am king now! You shall suffer for those insults to me,
and for your treachery to Huayna Capac when you protected the youth he
had condemned to die. You shall not get away this time, be assured of
that. You shall know what it is to suffer bitter agony, and when death
comes to relieve you from the torture you will welcome it. Nor shall
you long be kept in ignorance of the fate that awaits you, for the
knowledge will add to your torment. The highest intellect of the nation
shall pass the sentence. The valley will be rid of you forever and
we shall live in peace, knowing well that your secret ends with your
lives,” he roared.

“Quizquiz,” said Stanley, recovering his senses sufficiently to speak,
and shaking his clenched fists up at the Inca before the guards roughly
grasped his arms. “You cannot frighten us with your threats; it is you
who are afraid, not we. We got the better of you once and we can do it
again. If you are a man, come down and fight me now. I will show you
up for the weakling you are, depending on that villainous creature
called Villac Umu for every word that comes out of your mouth. You
haven’t a thought of your own; if a bird had so little sense it would
fly backwards. You may kill us if you dare, but so surely as you do our
friends in the outer world will come in search of us; they will find
the Hidden Valley and enter it as we did, from the sky. Your crimson
crown will be dragged in the mud and your people exterminated. Now do
your worst and the responsibility for what follows will rest on your
own head.”

The throng stood silent as death, hardly daring to breathe. No one had
thought it possible that any human being could utter such a tirade
against the Inca and live. In awe, they expected the speaker to be
struck to the ground by a hand from heaven, for had he not insulted a
divinity? Even the king was speechless and waited for the miracle that
he felt sure must happen, and that would vindicate his position. But
nothing occurred. Then the people began to stir; into their minds had
come the first suspicion that Quizquiz was not a god, but very human
like the rest of them.

“I am waiting.” Stanley broke the spell with the sound of his voice.
“Will you come down and fight, or do you admit before all your people
that you are a coward and afraid of me?”

In response Quizquiz flicked his whip and the nobles holding his litter
turned and started away.

The multitude, however, did not go away; it broke up into small groups
and in hushed voices discussed the momentous events of the day.




CHAPTER IX

SONCCO’S SHREWDNESS


The two prisoners were closely guarded by a double circle of soldiers
until the day drew to a close; then the guards tied their hands
securely behind their backs, but not without a struggle, and lashed
their feet with tough thongs and fastened the ends to stakes driven
into the ground. A small shelter-tent was erected over them.

There they remained throughout the long hours of the night, helpless
and suffering from the numerous bruises they had received in the
encounter and from the cramped position of their limbs. Added to
these tortures were hunger and a burning thirst, for they had been
given neither food nor drink. And during all this time they heard the
monotonous tramp of many sentinels walking around their prison.

In the morning the thongs were loosened and coarse bread and a basin of
water were placed before them. As they ate Stanley tried to engage the
guards in conversation.

“What is all the noise outside?” he asked.

The soldiers did not reply.

“Is the Inca still here? Tell him to call; I have thought of several
other things I should like to say to him.” But still no reply, so
Stanley concluded that further attempts would be futile.

When the two had eaten, the guards gathered up the empty bowls and
departed. Ted looked through the opening in the tent; what he saw made
him stare in wonder. There was great activity in the direction he could
see. Tents in hundreds were being put up and groups of soldiers, led by
gaily dressed officers, were marching back and forth. The surrounding
country was assuming the aspect of a vast encampment.

Stanley, too, came up to the opening.

“Looks like preparations for a battle,” he said.

“And it is all for our benefit, no doubt. I wonder what Quizquiz
intends to do?”

“We shall find out soon enough. I wonder where he is?”

They tried to venture out of their tent, but the guards pounced upon
them immediately and forced them back into the prison.

Days passed slowly for the two confined within the narrow space of
their shelter; but, fortunately, they were not again bound. Evidently
their captor had no fear that they might escape--the place was too
well guarded. The suspense was terrible. They knew only too well that
all the preparations going on around them were directly connected with
their fate; but what that fate was to be they could not even surmise.

One day Ted noticed that Stanley was counting a number of knots that
he had tied in a string. “Poor fellow,” he thought as he watched him
sadly, “his mind is going, but I cannot blame him. It’s enough to drive
any one mad. Sometimes I think I feel myself slipping, too”; the latter
was uttered half aloud.

“What are you mumbling about?” Stanley asked, looking up. “I guess I
know; it is enough to drive anybody crazy.”

“I was just thinking the same thing about you when I saw you playing
with that string. What are you doing?”

“What, this? Take a good look and see if you can’t guess.”

After a while Ted was compelled to admit that he could not make out the
meaning of the string.

“Well,” Stanley informed him, “this is my calendar. I am keeping track
of the days. Each morning I tie another knot. We left Cuzco on the 12th
of the month; it is the 26th to-day.”

“How the days pass, even if the hours drag! I would not have thought
it is so long since we got into this. By now we have been given up for
lost. I can only hope the colonel suspects what happened and starts an
investigation. One of the sentinels must have been in the plot and may
talk if he is cornered.”

Further conversation was checked by the entrance of an officer of the
guard attended by a score of soldiers. He looked at them haughtily and
elevated his dagger to the waist-line, point outward.

“Quizquiz, Inca, Child of the Sun, greatest king that ever came from
heaven to rule the earth, commands that you appear before his sacred
person. Prepare at once to face the mighty sovereign,” he announced in
a loud voice.

“Did he tell you to say that?” Stanley asked.

“He did. You will come at once. The king waits on no man.”

“I thought so. It sounds like him. Tell Quizquiz, Inca, and biggest
coward that ever lived that we are ready to fight at any time he
desires.”

“You dare be insolent! You shall pay for this,” the officer retorted.
“Come with me at once.”

“Suppose we refuse?”

“Refuse the king’s command?” incredulously.

“Why not? He is nothing to us.”

“Then you will be carried forcibly.”

“Not a bad idea. Being carried is better than walking. The king rides
from place to place, so why not we?”

At a word of command from their leader the soldiers seized the two,
raised them to their shoulders and passed quickly out of the tent.

An encampment of great size had sprung up on the level floor of the
valley. It was well laid out. The tents were placed in straight rows
with wide streets between them, and there seemed to be armed guards and
soldiers everywhere.

The Inca’s quarters, covering a large plot of ground, were easily
distinguishable on account of the brilliantly colored tapestries that
adorned the sides of the tents. In the rear was a spacious courtyard,
and it was there that the monarch awaited them, sitting in a raised
chair covered with a silky brown vicuna robe. His nobles and amautas,
or wise men, formed groups on each side. In front was a double row of
soldiers with spears held in a horizontal position, the points outward,
similar to the “on guard” position of bayonet drill.

The prisoners were brought close to the rows of spear-points and
unceremoniously deposited on the ground. Quizquiz cast one scornful,
triumphant glance in their direction, but without one word to them
turned and addressed the officials at his sides.

“Many, many months ago, as you are all aware, I, Quizquiz the Great,
commanded you, my abject servants to devise the means of punishment
for these two creatures from the outer world upon their return to my
kingdom, for my unfailing wisdom told me that they should one day
return to complete the plunder of my treasure. They are here; they are
in my hands. I am impatient to mete out to them their justly deserved
fate. But the modes of execution that have been placed before me are
too mild, too lenient; they must be more severe, more terrible, and
death must come only after a period of lingering horror and fear of
a very apparent end. You have not justified my confidence in your
intelligence. If you have not the knowledge to better serve me, I would
be well rid of your presence also. Therefore, I have selected twelve
of the highest in rank from among you, and do hereby command you to
appear before me to-morrow to make known to me the method of punishment
you have devised. But,” and he slowly turned his head to look first at
one, then the other of the groups of silent officials, “in order that
I may not be further annoyed with your stupidity, I shall cause to be
inflicted upon each one of you the mode of torture he prepares for the
prisoners, if I deem it too mild for them. Villac Umu, High Priest of
the Temple of the Sun, will now announce the names of the twelve whom
it has been my pleasure to honor. Proceed, good Villac!”

The throng stood in awe, while Villac Umu walked ceremoniously to the
front and, first kneeling, kissed both the sovereign’s feet with a
show of great humility. Then the high priest took up his position at
one side of the king. Aged men inclined their heads forward and pushed
back their snowy locks with trembling hands to hear the better; others
looked stolid or indifferent, while in the eyes of not a few appeared a
gleam of resentment and defiance.

The high priest, in a loud and officious voice, called a dozen names in
rapid succession, and finished by admonishing the chosen ones to think
well before they spoke or they should pay dearly for their haste. After
bestowing a look of approval on Villac Umu, the Inca was carried into
his apartments, which was the sign of dismissal for the assembly.

Not a word was spoken by any one as the crowd dispersed. A pall had
fallen over all, for the officials whose names had been announced
were the highest, the most respected, and the best beloved in the
nation. For the twelve it was a virtual sentence; according to the
terms announced, only one of them had a possible chance of escape, and
Quizquiz was to be their judge.

As Ted and Stanley were being taken back to their prison tent, walking
this time by preference, they realized that Quizquiz had had some deep,
ulterior motive when he called the assembly. It was but a flimsy way of
finding an excuse to rid himself of the most popular of his officials.
He envied them their knowledge and ability and the just esteem in which
they were held by the populace. But even he, powerful as he was, did
not dare condemn them without some pretext to his people. And, judging
by the saddened looks of the unfortunate ones, they, too, understood
his true motives. However, so accustomed were they to obeying without
question the mandates of their ruler, that apparently they would rather
suffer death than question an action of a Child of the Sun.

Quizquiz was indeed developing all the unjust, tyrannical, and evil
tendencies of which he had shown symptoms in his youth. Added to these
was his colossal conceit. If he continued to govern his people in his
present manner he must, before long, succeed in destroying all the
sacred traditions of the nation, and the nation itself, unless there
should be a revolution against his despotism.

That night Ted and Stanley had a visitor. They could not see his face
in the darkness, but they knew that he must be a person of distinction,
for at his word of command the guards withdrew to a distance at which
their footfalls were scarcely audible.

The curtained end of the shelter parted, and a stooped figure entered
hastily. That much but no more they could see in the semi-darkness.

“I am Soncco,” a tremulous voice announced without ceremony. “Do you
not remember me? I was one of the two amautas who instructed you in
preparation for your position as princes when you were here before.
You cannot see my face, and a light is forbidden you, but do you not
remember my voice?”

The two feared some new trap, so were on the alert.

“If you are Soncco, give some proof of the fact,” Ted demanded.

“I can soon prove that I am no other. If you will but recall, one day
when your fare was reduced to almost nothing, you complained to me
about it. I told you that others, including Quizquiz, son of the Inca,
were undergoing the same ordeal. You replied that ‘if the others can
do it we can.’ Those words impressed me. I admired your courage and
nobleness of spirit, and I felt that the nation would be honored in
admitting you to the lofty station you were about to occupy. I was more
sad than I can express when the council condemned you, for I knew in my
heart that you were guiltless of any intention of doing wrong. Men of
your character could not commit treason against the good Huayna Capac,
who had been so generous to you. And now I regret that your punishment
must be so terrible, for I feel that again you are innocent of evil
intentions against us.”

“We thank you, Soncco, and assure you that your confidence is not
misplaced. We did not intend to visit this place again. An accident
brought us here. We had no choice in the matter. We would have given
anything to have avoided it. But why talk of it? When we were here
before you taught us how to live; now you have come to instruct us how
to face the ordeal that is being prepared for us! Am I right?”

“No. This time I seek your advice. Tell me how I may meet my fate.”

“You, Soncco? What makes you talk like that?”

“Because I am compelled to. Was not my name called to-day by Villac
Umu, High Priest of the Temple of the Sun? It means that I and all
the other luckless ones must perish by the means we suggest for your
punishment, for Quizquiz will heed none of us. It is merely a pretext
for getting rid of those of us who have won his disfavor.”

“We thought the same thing. And while Quizquiz is bad enough, there is
another who is infinitely worse; that one is Villac Umu, who is the
real ruler. You know that as well as we do. Then why do you meekly
submit, like a flock of brainless llamas? Why not be men and fight for
your rights and your lives?”

“Quizquiz is king. The Inca always has been looked upon as a holy
being. In all the history of the nation none has ever resisted him
because he is a Child of the Sun, and no one dares question his actions
now. He cannot do wrong. If his will seems unjust to us it is only
because we lack the wisdom to see the higher aims that are clear to
him. We are as nothing compared to his magnificence.”

“Soncco, it is hard to believe that you really think that. You seem
to be a man of intelligence, but if you are really in earnest it is
time you knew better. The Inca is a person like any one else, and is
great only because the people make him so. Strip him of his crown, his
jewels, and his finery, and he would look exactly like any other human
being. Dress him in the rags of a menial, and he would not even be
recognized in the street. He eats, drinks, and sleeps just as we do; he
is a king because the people are ignorant enough to want some one to
worship and to bow to,” Stanley said.

“If you were to choose your own mode of punishment, what would it be?”
Soncco evaded.

“I understand now why he came,” Stanley whispered to Ted. “He knows
we should pick out something easy, so he figures on getting off easily
himself, for he is to receive what he proposes for us. Let’s humor
him. Who knows what it may lead to?” Then to Soncco: “Nothing could be
more terrible than to keep us in the valley the rest of our natural
lives and to do everything possible to make us live a long, long time.
We should be given full liberty, of course, to come and go as we
please, and should live in state, like princes. But still we should be
prisoners of the Inca.”

Soncco appeared to be surprised.

“What would be so terrible about that?” he asked.

“Just think of it, prisoners in this small place, when we have been
accustomed to the outer world. We long to travel its vast lands, its
great rivers, and the mighty oceans. We have even conquered the air and
can fly from place to place like the birds. Here we are far from home
and all those we hold dear; we should never see them again, nor would
they know what had befallen us. What could be more horrible?”

“I understand now,” Soncco replied with enthusiasm. “You speak wisely.
I shall suggest it at the meeting to-morrow, and I can only hope that
my words will be heeded. And now I must go. Good night, my friends.”

As he stole away they heard him mutter to himself: “I am afraid
Quizquiz will never let them off so easily, for they might escape;
but, at any rate, he can do nothing worse to me, for if he refuses the
request for them he will be compelled to grant it to me. I am safe. And
the proposition offers the one chance to----”

They could hear no more, for he had passed into the night. Soon the
guards were back at their posts and the steady tramp of their feet was
the last sound the two heard before falling into a fitful sleep.




CHAPTER X

THE PRISONERS CAPTURE THE KING


After a few hours Stanley awoke with a start. The seriousness of their
position made lengthy or restful sleep impossible. As he lay thinking
of their plight and raking his brain for some means by which its
outcome could be averted, he heard a sigh from Ted.

“Are you awake?” he whispered.

“Yes. I have given up trying to sleep. I am thinking of to-morrow and
what it may bring. For once I wish the night would last forever.”

“I have made up my mind. I am not going to stay here longer waiting for
them to drag me away----”

“That’s just the way I feel. Suppose we try to get away. It seems
hopeless, but we can try. The guards may be overconfident or drowsy.
And, anyway, whatever they would do to us if they caught us would be
quicker than the plan Quizquiz is preparing.”

“Then let’s go. Try to get hold of a weapon of some kind; perhaps the
guards have stacked their arms, or we might be able to overpower one
of them. A knife, a spear, anything will help if we have to fight our
way through.”

Apparently the watch was being changed, for they had not heard the
footfalls of the sentinels for several minutes.

Cautiously stealing out of the tent, they listened for a moment; then
they began to crawl in the direction of the river. If they could gain
its banks they would brave the current in an attempt to reach Uti,
beyond the wall, and once there the numberless caves offered places of
at least temporary security against any horde of besiegers.

When they had crawled a distance of twenty yards they heard the sound
of approaching footsteps; they stopped and flattened themselves to the
ground. Four sentries passed between them and the end of their tent.

Ted touched Stanley lightly on the shoulder. “We are through the line,”
he whispered. Again they resumed their stealthy advance. From out of
the blackness ahead of them came the murmur of flowing water; it must
be the river.

And then, without warning, a loud clangor broke upon their startled
ears; it seemed to come from all around them at the same time, and
bewildered them by its suddenness. Before they fully realized what
had happened, a dozen soldiers with flaming torches came running from
various directions, shouting as they ran. The two sprang to their feet
and started away as fast as they could, but other guards headed them
off and, tripping them, pinned them to the ground. Before long they
had been taken back to their tents, bruised from the rough treatment
they had received, but leaving several of the soldiers sprawled on the
ground from the mauling they had given in return.

“We travel in circles,” Stanley panted. “Here we are, back again in the
place we started from. But that was a clever plan of theirs; we have to
give them credit for that. And we fell for it like a couple of chumps.”

“What caused all the racket?” Ted, too, was breathing hard. “I don’t
know yet what happened, unless some one saw us and gave the alarm.”

“Nothing of the kind. We gave the alarm ourselves, or at least I did.
The place is surrounded with a rope fence with bells attached to it. I
was all tangled up in it.”

“Well,” Ted tried to console his companion, at the same time paying him
a graceful compliment, “you could not help it. You got into it only
because you were in the lead; if I had been first I should have done
the same thing.”

The end of that night, wretched as it was, came all too soon. As day
was breaking the journey began to the City of Gold, where stood the
great Temple of the Sun, for it was in the court of this sacred edifice
that the sentence was to be pronounced. The procession was already
formed when the prisoners joined it. Every one of the numerous host was
in his proper place in the line that reached far into the distance,
excepting only a small detachment of soldiers that remained behind to
look after the encampment.

Quizquiz truly travelled in all the barbaric splendor and luxury at
his command. Riding aloft in his golden litter, borne on the shoulders
of his uncomplaining nobles, he looked down haughtily upon the throng
that formed his escort; he even gazed defiantly or with a superior air
at the snow-capped mountains in the distance marking the confines of
his empire, as if they, too, were subject to his wishes. Occasionally
he amused himself by striking those nearest him with his whip, or in
admiring the flashing jewels on his fingers and around his neck.

The march was interrupted frequently while the monarch took long
draughts of corn beer from golden goblets served by the numerous
attendants.

Other menials of the retinue carried cages of live ducks, doves, and
tinamou or mountain partridges, so that their sovereign might not
want for these highly esteemed delicacies while on the march. Another
group had charge of the Inca’s wardrobe, which was of necessity very
large, for with the exception of the outer mantles he never donned the
same garment more than once. After having been worn it was discarded
forever, nor could it be used by any other person after having graced
the sacred person of the king. It was either burned outright or stored
in the repositories of the palace to be destroyed with much ceremony at
some future time.

One incident of the march well illustrated the cruel and unfeeling
nature of Quizquiz, as well as his entire lack of justice or desire to
provide for the welfare of his people.

In passing through one of the settlements an elderly man rushed out of
the crowd and knelt in the street; as the royal litter approached he
threw himself flat on the ground and begged the Inca to grant him an
audience.

“What does this insolent creature want?” Quizquiz asked in a surly
voice of Villac Umu, whose sedan was carried directly in back of the
king’s.

“Speak!” Villac commanded the man.

“My allotment of land has been taken from me by my gracious lord’s
governor. I have nothing now and am starving,” the aged man pleaded.

“Why was it taken?” asked the high priest. “What crime did you commit?
Conceal nothing from the all-knowing king!”

“No crime. I was not even accused of a crime. My plot was more fertile
than that of the officer, so he envied me and took it away. I beseech
you that justice be done.”

Quizquiz flew into a rage.

“The governor represents me and enforces my laws upon an unworthy
people. If he desires your land he shall have it. What right have you
to anything? Everything is mine. You have lived many years by my grace
and by my father’s, yet you complain. Is it true that you now have
nothing--no place to which to go?”

“It is true, most noble king. I know not where to turn.”

“It is well; throw him into the river!”

Two soldiers seized the luckless man and hurried him away. With a
chuckle Quizquiz ordered that the march be resumed, while Villac Umu
nodded approvingly.

Ted and Stanley were enraged at this high-handed action on the part
of the Inca. Even the meanest of his subjects had always retained the
right to plead his case before the king, according to the law of the
nation. Huayna Capac had without exception listened patiently, caused
an investigation to be made, and if one of his officials had been
guilty of oppression or had administered the laws badly he had been
severely punished. It was obvious that Quizquiz had launched forth upon
a career of cruelty and extermination that would surely lead to his own
downfall.

Arrived at the Golden City, the procession proceeded directly to the
Temple of the Sun. The soldiers arranged themselves to form a hollow
square. The nobles, priests, and amautas formed groups in the centre
of it. In front of the massive structure of the temple stood a giant
tree, its topmost branches reaching well over a hundred feet above
the ground. Trailing plants that hugged the earth grew at its base;
they were symbolic of the Inca towering high above his lowly, cringing
subjects.

The king’s litter was carried to the very door of the temple and placed
upon the top of the stone terrace, from which a rug-covered runway led
into the building. A carpet of soft chinchilla skins covered the floor
of the passage.

Quizquiz arose, stepped out of his conveyance, and in a haughty,
deliberate manner entered the holy edifice--alone and unattended. No
one dared enter the temple while the king was within, lest they disturb
his devotions.

A loud voice raised in a chant soon came out of the open door and
reached the ears of the waiting multitude, which promptly fell upon its
knees; supposedly Quizquiz was praying to his Sun-God for guidance in
dealing with his prisoners in a proper manner, but the tone and words
were of such nature that they were obviously calculated to impress his
hearers rather than any divinity.

The soldiers, too, were kneeling, with heads bowed low. For a moment
Ted and Stanley stood alone. Not an eye was turned upon them.

“Come!” Stanley whispered. “This is our chance.”

Closely followed by Ted, he sprang lightly to the raised platform,
and before the guards knew what had occurred the two had disappeared
into the gloomy building. Knowing that there could be no pursuit, they
moved slowly and silently through a corridor flanked by tall columns of
stone, and reached the main room, which was the place of worship.

They saw Quizquiz in the distance, and once again they gasped in
astonishment. They had fully expected that at least in the temple the
vainglorious monarch would dispense with some of his conceit. But they
had been mistaken.

A representation of the sun, emblazoned with gold and jewels, covered
the entire end wall of the building. Instead of kneeling, or at
least standing in front of it, with outstretched arms, as the ritual
prescribed, Quizquiz had seated himself on a cushion, with his back
turned toward the sacred emblem. That accounted for the fact that his
voice could be heard so distinctly by the multitude outside. But, most
profane of all, he held a large metal mirror in his hands and admired
his own reflection the while he prayed.

So absorbed was he in this fascinating occupation that he did not see
the two until they had left their place of concealment and were close
upon him. Hearing the sound of their footsteps at last, he looked up to
ascertain their cause. As he beheld the onrushing pair a shudder passed
over his frame and the mirror fell from his hands; his arms froze in
mid-air while a look of terror came into his face. Before he could
recover the two had reached his side.

“One sound and I will choke the life out of you,” Stanley threatened
in a whisper, at the same time grasping him by the throat, while Ted,
picking up a heavy gold sceptre that lay on the floor, raised it above
the startled ruler’s head in a manner that left no doubt as to his
intentions.

Quizquiz was too frightened to speak.

“You are our prisoner now, understand?” Stanley continued. “The tables
are turned. Now you know just how we felt up to a few minutes ago, and
you will learn other things, too, before we are through with you. Not a
sound, remember, or it will be the last one you ever make.”

“You dared follow me here?” At last words came to the lips of the
terrified monarch, but his voice was scarcely audible; the thing seemed
so impossible to him. “Here! in the holy temple--in the presence of the
Sun-God and of my sacred forefathers----”

“Shut up!” Stanley commanded, while Ted’s eyes, becoming accustomed to
the semi-darkness, made out a row of mummies seated on gold thrones
that lined the walls on both sides of them.

“Take us to one of the inner chambers,” Stanley continued, “and we will
tell you what to do, but do not forget, no treachery, or you know what
will happen,”--and he tightened his fingers perceptibly.

“I am the king; I obey no man’s orders,” Quizquiz protested weakly.

“You _were_ king; now you are our prisoner and you will do exactly as
we say. Move on!”

Without another word the captive led them to a small, bare room, with
four walls of solid, hewn stone. Light was admitted through an opening
ten feet above their heads. Ted stood guard at the door, while Stanley
pushed Quizquiz to the centre of the floor, still retaining his hold on
the prisoner’s throat.

In this position they stood for an appreciable length of time, looking
at one another, the Inca’s wily brain busy trying to devise some means
of outwitting his captors, and the two Americans hoping they could gain
their end without resort to the violence they had promised in the event
their demands were refused.




CHAPTER XI

THE COUNSEL OF THE WISE MEN


Quizquiz was rapidly regaining his self-control and haughty reserve.
He folded his arms majestically and looked at the two who had made him
prisoner.

“What do you want?” he asked with a sneer.

“You know without asking. Set us free and permit us to return to the
outer world.”

“And give you all my gold to take with you. Is that all?”

“We do not want your gold. We told you that before.”

“If I should grant that request you should soon return with some new
and more powerful contrivance to rob me. And others would come with you
to make sure of it. I know your thoughts. Gold, gold, gold! That is all
the white men think of and they stop at nothing to get it. The history
of my people proves it.”

“We are not going to argue. If you don’t grant our request at once----”
Stanley’s fingers again tightened, while Ted advanced with the heavy
rod.

“It shall be as you say. Now I shall go.”

“No, you will stay. We are not fools. What assurance have we that you
will keep your promise?”

“The word of a king.”

“That means nothing to us. We must have something more substantial than
that, something more reliable.”

“I will make a solemn oath in the presence of my ancestors. There is
nothing more binding in the laws and rites of the nation. No one could
break a promise so given and live.”

“Then swear, and after you have taken the oath we will tell you what to
add to it; and you will talk loud enough so that the people outside can
understand every word you say. Make it clear that we are free to leave
the valley, and that you will help us in every way to do so; that if
you fail to keep your promise, you will forfeit your throne and submit
to the vilest treatment any mortal ever received in the valley; admit
that your action toward us was unjustified, and apologize for it. Also,
as a sign of good faith, tell the truth about Villac Umu, and command
the soldiers to arrest him at once and throw him into the river--this
to be done before we let you out of the temple; appoint Soncco to take
his place. When you have said all this, we will dictate the rest of
your speech.”

Quizquiz appeared startled, but soon the old manner returned.

“But not here,” he protested. “The people could not hear me, and to
make the oath binding it must be made in the sanctuary before the image
of the Sun-God, and where the bodies of my dead and glorious ancestors
repose.”

“Then come at once. And be sure that you attempt no trickery. One
suspicious move and you will never see the daylight again.”

They quickly retraced their steps, holding the Inca between them, to
the main hall of the building. It was damp and gloomy. The rows of dead
seemed waiting in silent expectancy; each was seated on his golden
throne in a niche in the wall. Their heads were inclined forward, as
if in a listening attitude, and their hands, adorned with many jewels,
were crossed on their breasts. The crimson fringe adorned the royal
heads, and the attire was of the richest. Most of them had long, white
hair, indicating that they had attained a ripe age. Obviously they had
been embalmed by some secret process, and were in such a splendid state
of preservation that they seemed more asleep than dead.

“This place is holy and you have desecrated it by your presence,”
Quizquiz hissed as they reached a stone sacrificial altar which stood
in the centre of the floor. “You have insulted me, the king, have laid
your hands on my sacred person, have gazed upon the venerable dead,
and----”

“And we will do one other thing--you know what it is--if you don’t
hurry and do what we told you to. Now take your oath; turn around so
every one can hear you, then repeat what we said.”

“Release me so I can kneel!”

Stanley relaxed his hold and the Inca knelt close to the altar. Raising
both hands he began in a solemn voice: “In this holy temple, in the
presence of my forefathers now resting in the glory of the sun, I,
Quizquiz, king, swear that----”

At the same moment Stanley noticed a movement in the altar wall. A
panel was sliding noiselessly to one side. He made a quick lunge for
Quizquiz, and Ted struck with the heavy staff just as the Inca dived
headlong into the dark opening that had been revealed under the stones.
The door sprang back instantly and from beyond it a mocking voice
continued in triumph: “Your punishment will be a thousand times more
terrible because of this. You shall see!”

The two stared at one another in blank amazement. It had happened so
quickly that it was over before they were fully aware of what was
taking place. They pushed and tugged at the panel, but it resisted
their efforts.

In kneeling to pray, Quizquiz had pressed a secret mechanism that
operated the sliding front of the altar. And he had made good his
escape. He had out-generalled them just as it had seemed certain that
their release and departure from the valley was assured. The blow
stunned them.

“He’s gone for good,” Stanley panted. “It’s all over with us now.”

“Why didn’t we fix him while we had him? Why didn’t we at least tie his
hands and feet? We might have known what to expect. Listen!”

A loud shout from without rent the air. The Inca had reappeared and the
people acclaimed him with loud applause. Suddenly the noise stopped;
some one was speaking. Scarcely knowing what they did the two crept
forward to listen. The voice was Villac Umu’s:

“Our holy and adored sovereign, having finished his devotions in the
temple, now commands that we, his unworthy slaves, proceed with our
declarations. Tupichi, commander of the army, advance, kiss the king’s
feet with reverence, and speak. But hold! First I must again remind you
of the responsibility attached to the honor bestowed upon you by the
king, for each high honor, like each exalted position, carries with
it the heavy burden of rendering worthy account of the opportunities
it affords. Therefore, should your proposal displease our generous
and beloved ruler, you must suffer the fate you suggested for the
prisoners.”

Tupichi came forward as he was bidden, knelt humbly, and kissed the
Inca’s feet. After a slight pause, lengthened by the silence of the
crowd, his tremulous voice could be heard.

“If it pleases the king, let them be stoned to death,” he said meekly.

“You have the courage to insult me thus?” It was Quizquiz who replied.
“That penalty is inflicted on petty thieves and like offenders, not on
persons like these. The army shall have a new leader; for you, Tupichi,
shall be stoned.”

“Huascar, advance and let our ears drink in the thoughts that have been
conjured by your fertile brain,” Villac Umu commanded in a croaking
voice. Again the silence of expectancy pervaded the air.

“My unworthy proposal is that the prisoners be boiled in a caldron of
oil,” he said simply.

“Your proposal is unworthy indeed. It blasphemes my ears. If you,
Huascar, can think of nothing better than that, you do not deserve
to be permitted to live. Space in the valley is limited and far too
valuable to be occupied by such as you. Boiling in oil will be a
fitting reward for your stupidity, and so it shall be.”

“Let Toparca now be heard,” the high priest then announced.

“Glorious one, who has honored me with this rare distinction, blind
them with the point of a red-hot spear,” Toparca ventured. “Then set
them free on the rugged peaks flanking one of the many craters, so that
they will fall into the lake of fire that seethes and roars at the
bottom.”

“Come, come!” Quizquiz scolded impatiently. “You chatter like a monkey,
or like a parrot that lacks the power to think. Words that mean nothing
proclaim a brain that has lost its usefulness. You have pronounced your
own sentence.”

“Speak Zaron! It is your turn.”

“I would hold them prisoner until the next exercises, then set them up
as targets and let the youths of the nation try their skill at them
with bows and arrows, or, if the king prefers, with spears and daggers.
A living mark is more interesting to shoot at than some lifeless
object.”

“You will be a more fitting target than either of these, Zaron, but I
doubt not that the density of your head will dull the arrows and turn
them aside,” Quizquiz retorted with a chuckle, in which he was joined
by Villac Umu.

And so they proceeded. Each one of the luckless twelve was ordered to
state his proposition, and the offering of each was spurned, often
with sarcasm and ridicule. So each in turn was sentenced to the same
punishment he had contrived to plan for the captives. Only one remained
to be heard.

“Soncco, speak quickly; I am fatigued with all this stupidity,”
Quizquiz continued impatiently after directing a number of cutting
shafts at Chapas, eleventh on the list. “Surely you possess wisdom,
or at least so you have pretended. I have trusted you with important
missions in the past, and I trust you still or I should not consent to
listen longer to this idle gossip.”

“Great and holy king,” Soncco began gravely, “besides whose splendor
even the sun pales to the dimness of a menial’s grease-lamp, I am
flattered by this praise and confidence, which is undeserved. To
serve my revered sovereign is my only wish; to die for him would be
my greatest joy. I have evolved a plan that is as striking as it is
different from all the others that have been proffered. Therefore I beg
of my beloved master that he will condescend to listen with patience
while----”

“If you think to flatter me, Soncco, I must tell you that your words
are falling on deaf ears. What mere mortal can proclaim my glory? I
am above the praise that any tongue can speak,” Quizquiz interrupted
haughtily.

“Keep the two strangers in the valley until they die of old age. Let
them go where they will, and feed them well so that they may live all
the longer--and provide rich apartments for them, with servants and
all the comforts of life. As your prisoners they will give perpetual
testimony of the power and greatness of the king who is capable of
holding them against their will. That is my humble plan, offered in
deepest humility.”

“It must be that Soncco does not understand. A reward is not wanted for
these intruders, but a penalty of the most terrible nature,” Villac Umu
said in consternation.

“It is the high priest who fails to understand,” Soncco replied in a
steady voice, while the crowd craned their necks so as not to lose a
word. “What punishment could be more horrible than to keep the two here
as prisoners all their lives, far removed from their homes and friends?
The valley is a small place compared to the vast lands, rivers, and
oceans of the outer world that they have been accustomed to traverse.
They are masters of the air as well. An ant confined within the pod of
a bean would have a thousand times more liberty than they.”

Quizquiz looked incredulous. For a short while he looked intently at
Soncco, as if trying to read his innermost thoughts. Then a look of
understanding came into his face.

“I have heard your words, Soncco, and I appreciate the motive that
inspired them. Instead of obeying my command to contrive a method of
punishment for the prisoners, you have thought only to save yourself.
One inspired by motives less lofty and less generous than mine would
see in your act disloyalty, even treason, and would deal with you
accordingly. But have no fear; your life shall be spared, for I have
need of you. I hereby designate you to carry out the sentences imposed
upon themselves by your eleven companions, and remember, Tupichi, your
brother, is among them. Even though you live, Soncco, you will be the
one to inflict torture and death on others who are dear to you.”

Soncco was stunned at hearing these words. He stood as in a trance
until Quizquiz waved him aside and continued with a note of triumph in
his voice: “Let the prisoners now be brought out of the temple.”

Hearing this, Ted and Stanley rushed from the opening in the wall at
which they had been listening, and fled to one of the smaller rooms
where they could better defend themselves, for now that the Inca was
no longer in the building the priests and guards were at liberty to
enter. They waited, Ted retaining the heavy, golden rod in his hands,
Stanley holding a long knife he had taken from one of the altars; but
no one came to attack them. Instead, a pungent odor, faint and not
disagreeable, came to their nostrils; they could not tell where it
originated. Aside from noting the scent which grew constantly stronger
and began to roll into the room in thin wisps and wreaths of blue
smoke, they attached no importance to it. Doubtless it was caused by
burning incense in one of the numerous sanctuaries; matters of greater
import filled their minds.

“I am choking,” Ted suddenly muttered, clutching at his throat; tears
streamed down his cheeks. “And I can’t see either.”

Stanley was blindly groping his way toward the door. The two were
rapidly losing consciousness in the suffocating fumes that seemed
completely to fill the building. As they painfully and aimlessly
stumbled through the growing darkness a harsh voice half aroused them
to their senses. It was the high priest’s. At the same time they could
make out his form, faintly outlined in the haze, while in back of him
were other dim figures.

“Drag them out of the holy place,” cried Villac Umu, “and take them
before the throne of judgment.”

A dozen hands seized them by the shoulders and legs and carried them,
limp and unconscious, out of the temple.




CHAPTER XII

THE VILLAINY OF VILLAC UMU


A few breaths of the fresh, outer air restored the two prisoners to
their senses, although it was some time before the stupor caused by
the suffocating fumes left them entirely; this was followed by severe
spells of coughing and a choking sensation. They asked for water but
none was given them.

If Quizquiz had looked upon them before with a triumphant gleam in his
eyes, he now regarded them with utter disdain. An insect or a reptile
could not have been treated with greater contempt. His lips were set.
Cruelty and the desire for revenge showed in every line of his face. He
had suffered what he considered an unspeakable indignity; the captives
had actually dared touch his sacred person, and none too gently at
that. The temple had been desecrated. It was only by sheer luck that
he had succeeded in escaping them. In the secret underground passage
into which he had disappeared he had taken enough time to collect his
composure and to straighten out his dishevelled clothes and diadem
before appearing to the multitude that awaited him. Halting an instant
he had spoken quickly and in a whisper to Villac Umu, whereupon an
officer and a squad of soldiers, accompanied by one of the priests,
entered the labyrinth of galleries that undermined the holy edifice to
start the smudges. Then, without referring to his experience, the Inca
calmly seated himself on the throne and proceeded with the business for
which the assembly had been called. As king he owed explanations to no
man; and, besides, he was in no humor to recall or to make known to
others the humiliation he had suffered. However, his scathing remarks
to the unfortunate ones who were called before him gave evidence to his
state of mind; the rage that boiled within him found an outlet and an
antidote in the denunciations and sentences he hurled at those of his
nobles who had been chosen to forfeit their lives for no other reason
than that it pleased him that it should be so.

This gruesome work finished, the high priest followed the soldiers into
the temple and soon returned with the captives. For Quizquiz that was
the supreme moment.

“I am the most luckless of kings,” he began, feigning deep sorrow
and unclasping his hands in despair, “for when it is my pleasure to
call upon the members of my court for advice or assistance, even
the highest fail me miserably. What have I done to deserve such
punishment? Slaves all, you do not deserve to have a king to rule
and to protect you; better by far that I return to the glory of the
Sun, whence I came, and leave you to perish miserably without my
wise guidance than remain among you. Is there not a single man of
intelligence in my whole nation?”

This was no doubt the cue for the high priest. It was inconceivable
that the plan had not been prearranged, and judging by the looks of
several in the crowd, Ted and Stanley were not the only ones to see
through the wily monarch’s tactics.

Villac Umu came forward and bowed low, too low in fact for entire
sincerity. “Beloved ruler,” he smirked, “do not desert us; tarry a
moment longer, I beseech you on bended knees. If you will lend your
most gracious ears to my unworthy words, I----”

“By all means, good Villac Umu,” Quizquiz said indulgently. “After
listening to the jabbering of these ignoble ones my ears long for words
of real wisdom, such as always flow from your lips.”

“I, Villac Umu, high priest of the Temple of the Sun though I am, do
not deserve the praise of my adored sovereign. What man, indeed, lives
who is worthy of even one glance from those august eyes, or one thought
from that godlike mind?”

“True! But I would have it so. So do not hesitate to speak freely; that
is my pleasure.”

“In the Temple of the Snakes there are two serpents of immense size,
with unusual length of fangs, and with the dispositions of all the
demons combined. As I studied them in their golden dens, a thought came
to me.”

Quizquiz leaned forward eagerly.

“You interest me, great Villac. I would hear the thought that formed
itself in your brain.”

“Yesterday, Sarrak, keeper of the serpents, was struck in the thigh
by one of these devils. They brought him to me without delay that I
might observe his writhings, for it was I who ordered him to stroke the
snake-gods to soothe their tempers. For half an hour he suffered all
the pains of a lost soul before death came. I saw it with my own eyes,
and I heard his cries of agony; it thrilled me with a strange joy, for
nothing that I have ever experienced was more magnificent and at the
same time more terrible. Might we not rid the valley of these two,”
pointing to Ted and Stanley, “in the same manner?”

“You possess the wisdom of a god, Villac Umu. You are sublime! I am
more pleased than words can express. You may kiss both my feet, nay,
even my hands, and I will invest you with a chain of emeralds in
appreciation of your nobleness of character. You will see that I amply
reward those who prove themselves worthy of my confidence.”

The high priest was enraptured. He raised his voice to a scream and
waved his arms wildly, so that his numerous bracelets tinkled like
miniature bells.

“But they shall not die the easy death of Sarrak,” he shouted.
“Horrible though that was, it is still too good for them, and not
edifying enough for your eyes. So I would have it arranged thus.
Chain the two prisoners to a wall, their backs to the cold stones;
and to stakes driven into the ground in front of them tie the great
serpents--but just a hair’s breadth out of reach of their victims.
There let them remain, the men to gaze in terror into the green eyes
of the merciless monsters, and the snakes to glare with impatience and
increasing rage at the victims who cannot escape them. Hour after hour
you shall witness this glorious spectacle. The heat of the midday sun
and hunger and thirst will add to the suffering of the captives. But
human nature can endure only so much, and then at last their limbs will
grow numb and sag, and they will crumple and fall to the ground. The
great moment will have arrived; they will be in reach of the snakes.
You shall see the gleam of white fangs and the lightning thrusts of
arrow-shaped heads, and hear the cries of the doomed ones. It will be
a sight for the gods, and--your revenge will be complete.”

“But, good Villac,” Quizquiz protested mildly and hypocritically, “is
the venom of these serpents really so deadly? May not the white men
possess some antidote or some magic charm to counteract its effect?”

“There is no antidote known to god or man effective against the poison
of these snakes. Upon that point I will stake my life.”

“Now only does my mind feel relieved, and I shall sleep again, for at
last I have heard words of real wisdom. Your description, dear Villac
Umu, has aroused my interest and curiosity; I can picture the grandeur
of the spectacle--it unfolds itself like a vision before my eyes.
And the plan shall be carried into execution with the least possible
delay. To-morrow we begin the return journey to the plain beside the
river. I shall allow two days after our arrival for the preparations.
On the following morning the festivities shall begin. Look well to the
prisoners--the eleven who condemned themselves by their own stupidity,
and these two enemies of the common good, who stop at nothing to attain
their evil end, not even at invading the temple and scoffing at the
Sun-God.”

“Quizquiz”--Stanley took a step forward, with clinched fists and
blanched face--“King though you are of a nation of ignorant, cringing
people, you are a coward at heart, and you know it. What is more
important still, your subjects know it too, and the day is coming when
your tyranny and abuse will bring them to their senses. They will cast
off their superstitious reverence for you, for they will see in you the
weakling you are, dominated by a cunning hypocrite who calls himself
high priest, but who is, in reality, lower than the snakes in the
temple.”

“Speech shall not be denied you,” the Inca mocked. “The more you talk
the surer I am that your anguish has commenced. What next?”

“Do you not fear our friends in the outer world, whose number is
greater than the grains of sand in the desert? They will avenge our
death. You and your people will be reduced to slavery and destroyed!”

“Should other men from the outer world invade my kingdom they shall
receive the same welcome that has been prepared for you. But they will
not come. Your greed for gold is so great that you kept to yourselves
the knowledge gained during your previous visit here; if others were
informed of your secret they too would come to share the spoils; so you
have told no one. I know that.”

“Our promise to Huayna Capac has been kept, for we are men of honor.
But a letter has been left behind. If we fail to return within a given
time, that letter will be opened. Others will learn of our whereabouts,
and how to get here, for we included a map and full directions for
reaching the valley. Your existence will be known. Men in great numbers
will enter your hiding-place armed with contrivances against which you
will be powerless. They will annihilate you, carry away everything of
value, and leave your cities masses of deserted ruins.”

“You cannot frighten me. The Sun-God will protect his children. He
demands vengeance upon you particularly because you profaned his
temple; he never forgets. Perhaps you too have a god? Why not appeal to
him? Of what use is any god if he will not help you?”

At this sally Quizquiz and Villac Umu burst into loud laughter. Several
in the crowd followed their example.

“Yes,” the high priest seconded, “call upon your god. Tell him to show
us what he can do; we shall see who is the more powerful, yours or our
own.”

“The sun is not a god at all, if you want to know the truth,” Stanley
hotly proclaimed. “You might as well worship a stick or a stone for all
the good it would do you. Therefore we could not have possibly offended
that which does not exist.”

“Blasphemer! When your backs are chained to the cold stones, when the
snakes have struck and the poison from their fangs is burning in your
veins, you will think of your words and wish you had left them unsaid,”
Quizquiz hissed. “We have proof of the sun’s power. We are not blind.
Each day as the florid tints of dawn light up the eastern sky we are
reminded anew of his glory and greatness. Without his light and warmth
the valley would be steeped in everlasting gloom, and life could not
exist. What other evidence do we need? None! Now, perhaps you can give
some proof of the----”

“You ask for proof? All right, you shall have it, and of a most
convincing nature. You shall see that the object of your adoration is
as nothing in the hand that created it. Then you will believe--but it
will be too late.”

“Does the king wish him to speak more in this irreverent manner?”
Villac Umu asked, seeming ill at ease. “May not he be struck dead and
thus evade our plans of a just punishment?”

“Let him continue, for his show of suffering gives me delight. The more
he talks the greater his guilt.”

“On the fourth day from to-day,” said Stanley, drawing from his pocket
the string with many knots tied in it, “you shall see a miracle, and
one not soon to be forgotten. You say that the sun gives the light
and warmth that makes life possible, and even the most ignorant of
your people know that that is the truth. Then you shall experience the
despair of seeing that light and warmth shut off in the middle of the
day while it is at its height. Darkness, like a cloak of mourning, will
sweep over the valley and blot from your sight each familiar thing. In
the cold blackness, with the chill gnawing into your bones, you will
grovel in the dust and raise your voice in lamentations and in prayer,
but your words will be wasted, for you will be powerless to drive away
the darkness. All that live will curse Quizquiz and Villac Umu, and
rightly accuse them of having brought the terrible catastrophe upon
their heads.”

The Inca grew pale and arose from his cushions. “Tell me, Villac
Umu, is such a thing possible? You talk with the gods and know their
thoughts.”

“It is not possible or I should have been informed of it,” the priest
assured him, although he too was perturbed. “How could such a thing
come about? I assure you there is no god but the sun, and he always
protects his child, the Inca, and his people.”

Evidently Stanley was thinking fast, while Ted, dazed at his
companion’s rash predictions, gazed at him wide-eyed, not knowing what
to make of the situation.

“And then,” Stanley continued, pointing straight at the Inca, “while
the darkness is heaviest, you shall have proof of other strange powers
of which you know nothing, for in spite of your good opinion of
yourself, you have the mind of a child. From out of the blackness will
come a roar mightier than the loudest thunder, and more penetrating
than the rumble of the volcanoes all around you. The ground under your
feet will tremble, and even the stones in the great wall will hurl
themselves into the air and fall with a crash. The barrier between Uti
and the valley that has stood for hundreds of years shall no longer
exist; and that will serve as an invitation to the evil spirits who
slumber there to come back to life to complete the work of destruction.
Quizquiz, the days of your glory are no more than the number of fingers
on one of your hands.”

“I will listen to no more,” Quizquiz screamed, clapping his hands over
his ears. “I should not have listened to anything at all.”

“Nor I,” wailed Villac Umu. “Take them away. To-morrow we start on the
journey. The sentence must be carried out. Let there be no delay!”

“Poor Stanley,” Ted thought sadly as the guards seized them and
hurried them away to the place of confinement, “his mind has snapped.
He is as crazy as a loon. I wonder how much longer I can stand it.”




CHAPTER XIII

STANLEY’S PLAN


Stanley could hardly await the time when he could reveal his scheme to
Ted. The opportunity came as they were being led away from the meeting
by the guards.

“What do you think of it? Maybe I didn’t start something. They are all
excited and scared to death, and will be more so, too, before the thing
is over. Why don’t you say something? I need a lot of encouragement
to put the thing through. You will have to help me,” he exclaimed
enthusiastically.

“I am sorry,” Ted returned sadly. “Try to keep as calm as you can and
do not think of the future. It will be over soon.”

“Not think of it? Why, I can think of nothing else. It will be great.
Quizquiz will get the surprise of his life, and his people will wake
up with a start. There will be no stopping them when they see what
happens.”

“Yes, and think of how _we_ will feel about that time,” Ted thought,
but said nothing.

“What is the matter, anyway?” Stanley demanded, losing patience. “Do
you think I am joking?”

“Joking, no! There is nothing humorous in our situation. If you want to
know the truth, it strikes me you are just a little upset, that is all.
But no one could blame you for that. This whole thing is enough to----”

“I thought so from the way you acted, and I was beginning to wonder if
you were not showing the effects of it too. I was never more in earnest
nor saner in my life. Just fix that firmly in your head.”

“You think we have a chance?”

“I am making one. And I would be absolutely sure of the result if
it were not for two things. First, we must get Soncco to help us; I
believe he will because we saved his neck, and he does not relish the
job that has been assigned to him--that of chief executioner of his
fellow teachers. Second, my calculations as to the day of the month
must be correct; on that point I am not quite sure, but I feel that I
am right. I was careful to tie a knot in the string each morning so
far as I can remember. But it is possible that I may have forgotten it
once, and that would throw off all my calculations.”

“But what is your scheme? The predictions you made are so wild and
impossible it would take a miracle to fulfil them.”

“Nothing of the kind. It can and it will all happen exactly as I said.
It sounds impossible so long only as they are ignorant of the things
that could cause such happenings.”

By this time they had reached the building in which they were to be
confined for the night.

“I will tell you the rest when they leave us alone,” Stanley added. “It
will take some time to explain the plan fully.”

Much to their disgust they found that they were not to be imprisoned in
the same enclosure. Ted, with a score of guards, was left in one small,
dungeon-like room, while Stanley was taken to another on the opposite
part of a courtyard. The officers obviously suspected that another plot
to escape might be formed if the two were left together. Henceforth
they would forestall such a move by keeping them apart, or at least so
it seemed to the captives. That was indeed discouraging, for Stanley
could not possibly carry out his plan without Ted’s help.

The distance between the two prison cells was too great to enable them
to carry on a conversation even by shouting, so they tried wigwagging
signals across the open space. But the guards immediately understood
their design, and drew rush mats across the doorways.

On the return journey to the plain, however, they were again thrown
together, much to their delight.

“Tell me quick, before they separate us,” Ted begged. “I couldn’t sleep
a wink last night for thinking over what you said; but I can’t figure
it out.”

“Listen! Do you remember that before we left home the papers were full
of stories about the eclipse of the sun that is to occur this month?”

“Yes, I remember that. We talked about it at the time. But it was to be
partial only.”

“Partial at home, but complete in parts of South America. It depends on
where you are looking from. The black bands on the maps illustrating
the articles extended right across this part of Peru. So you see what
is going to happen, and that I haven’t exaggerated.”

“I have to hand it to you, Stanley, for remembering the event, and
making such good use of it. It will seem like the most powerful kind of
magic to these Indians, and will terrify them. They will think we are
responsible for it and will respect us after that. Then it will be our
turn to have the upper hand.”

“The only thing that worries me,” said Stanley with concern, “is that I
may have made a mistake in keeping track of the time. If I am off one
single day, the eclipse might as well never come, so far as we care.”

“Do you feel that you have made a mistake, or not?” Ted asked bluntly.

One look into the serious, apprehensive face of his companion and
Stanley felt that he could not dash all his hopes to the ground by
telling him of the fear that had gradually loomed up to dispel the
hopes of the previous day. For the more he thought of the matter the
more certain he was that not only had he tied too few knots in the
string, but that the eclipse was not due until the following month.

“You shall see,” he said evasively. “Look, here comes Soncco now. He
looks troubled. We must have an interview with him where none can hear.
That is the first step, and it has got to be arranged somehow.”

As a matter of fact, Soncco was looking for them. He was the picture of
misery; years had been added to his age overnight.

“The king did not see fit to accept my suggestion,” he said slowly. “I
have escaped death only to be condemned to a worse fate.”

“It looks bad for all of us,” Ted returned.

“I did all I could,” the aged amauta whispered. “Alas! that I should
live to see such days. By the king’s command I am forced to become a
killer--of my own relatives and fellow teachers. I can neither eat,
drink, nor sleep. Still, the will of my sovereign must be obeyed.”

“Soncco, you have charge of the prisoners. Is not that true?”

“Yes; I am the jailer.”

“Then arrange that my companion and I remain together hereafter. You
can do that.”

“I can do that, but I will not. You would think up another plan for
escaping; but you might as well save yourselves the trouble.”

“On our honor, we shall not attempt to escape, and you know we are men
of our word. One more thing: come to our place of confinement to-night.
We have something of great interest to say to you.”

“Say it now. Why wait until to-night?”

“There is not time. Besides, we are being watched. Come to-night just
after dark, and you will learn something worth your while.”

“It shall be as you say. But remember, the guard will be tripled--so
as to form a solid wall around you. Attempt no treachery or you will
regret it.”

With that the amauta went his way.

“Do you think he will come?” Ted asked.

“I hope so. We helped him out once and he believes we may do it again,”
Stanley replied.

Soncco kept his promise and arrived shortly after nightfall had come
upon the valley. His face bore a tragic expression and his voice
trembled. They had never seen him so agitated.

“Speak quickly, for I have not long to stay,” he faltered. “There are
many things on my mind.”

“Soncco,” said Stanley slowly, looking straight at the aged man, “the
task for which you have been selected does not suit you. I can tell
that by your appearance and your actions. You are worried to death.”

“But I will obey the Inca’s command.”

“You do not want to kill your own relatives and friends, do you?”

“The king’s commands must not be questioned.”

“Of course not. And we are not asking you to disobey your king in
even the smallest matter. But you will admit that Quizquiz is not the
kind of king his father was. He is cruel and bloodthirsty. You know
the history of the nation back to its very beginning. Was there ever
another such ruler--one who wantonly destroyed his highest nobles as
well as his common people for the mere pleasure it gave him?”

“No, there was not. The Incas were all filled with solicitude for their
subjects. They were all kind and benevolent and just; that is why they
were so great and why the people venerated them.”

“I thought so. And if Quizquiz keeps on at the rate he is going, he
will break down and destroy all that the others before him have built
up at such enormous cost and sacrifice. And that will mean the end of
the hidden people, the last remnant of the once powerful and glorious
nation. Those who survive will be like your brethren in the outer
world, downtrodden, miserable, and without hope.”

“Quizquiz is young, and he is under the spell of an evil influence.”

“Yes, Villac Umu. We must get rid of him by all means. And we must save
the nation. We want you to help us help you to do these things.”

“I will not be a traitor to the Child of the Sun; I will not even
consider such a thing.”

“No one is asking you to do that. In helping us you will be doing a
favor to all the people. This may sound strange to you, and we do not
expect you to understand because you are accustomed to look at things
differently than we do. But we simply want to prove to you the thing
you refuse to admit--that the Child of the Sun is very human; that he
makes mistakes and can be good or wicked like any one else; and that
he must be taught a lesson that will bring him to his senses. Even your
Sun-God is subject to a higher power. Do not take my word for it. You
shall have the proof. Wait and see.”

Soncco was in despair. An expression of helplessness spread over his
face.

“The person of the Inca always has been considered holy, and it cannot
be violated now,” he wailed. “I ought not to listen to your words,
for they are blasphemy. I should not have come here at all. And I
should not have stayed on and on after I got here, were it not for one
fact----”

“That you know I am speaking the truth,” Stanley interrupted. “The
truth is painful as often as not, but it is best to listen while there
is time. If you delay you will be lost.”

Soncco was showing signs of weakening.

“The people are grumbling,” he admitted reluctantly. “If the oppression
and tyranny continue, there will be an uprising--the first in the
history of the nation. We have suffered misfortune enough already
without having a new calamity thrust upon us.”

“Now you are talking sensibly. We are offering you the opportunity to
prevent all this trouble and bloodshed you justly despise. Will you
take advantage of it? Will you trust us and let us help you?”

“How can I accomplish the impossible? What can I do? I am old and
my power has been taken from me. Indeed, I am now no more than an
executioner, hated by all men.”

“You can do more than you think possible. Are you acquainted with the
country beyond the wall--I mean Uti?”

“Uti, yes. Only sixteen changes of the moon ago I accompanied an
exploring party there much against my will. It is a terrible place with
death staring one in the face at every step.”

“Then you know the caves in the mountain-sides?”

“Each one of them. We searched them all. It was like a hideous
nightmare. In some were the remains of men, rows upon rows of them. In
others we found the bones of monstrous beasts or demons that invaded
the valley many years ago and killed the people by hundreds. It was to
keep them out of the valley that the wall was built.”

“Good! You know the place well. Now listen carefully.”

Stanley then minutely described the cave where the dynamite had been
hidden when they had first landed, several weeks before, and after they
had discovered that the gold had been removed from the cave in which it
had been hidden.

“Bring those boxes to me,” Stanley concluded. “That is all for the
present. No one will suspect anything. As master of ceremonies you have
a perfect right to come and go as you please, and make any preparations
you like.”

It took a good deal of persuasion, but Soncco finally consented to make
the trip to Uti for the boxes. He had reached the point where he would
do almost anything rather than carry out his part of the fiendish plot
set for two days hence.

“I will do this one thing,” he said, “but no other; so spare yourselves
the trouble of making any more requests.”

“Now do you see daylight?” Stanley asked when the aged amauta had gone.

“No!” Ted was bewildered. “I haven’t brains enough to go around.”

“Well, then, do as I am doing. Trust to luck.”




CHAPTER XIV

SONCCO’S AID TO THE PLOTTERS


Soncco, accompanied by two soldiers carrying the heavy boxes, returned
as the first shafts of coming daylight penetrated the wreath of vapor
that clung to the peaks standing like black monoliths between the
Hidden Valley and the steaming forests of the Upper Amazon. The party
looked tired and worn from the strenuous labor of the night.

The men threw down their burdens none too gently and departed. Stanley
noticed that one of the boxes had been opened, and the aged amauta,
reading the trend of his thoughts, hastened to explain.

“I could not bring the parcels without knowing what was in them,” he
said; “they might have contained some contrivance dangerous to the Inca
or to the people, or that would help you to escape. I am responsible
for your safe-keeping. But I found only sticks of sweet, harmless
earth. There can be nothing wrong in letting you have them, so I had
them brought to you. I tasted one of them; how it did make my head
ache!”

“You are lucky to have your head on your shoulders,” thought Stanley,
“handling and eating that dynamite as if it were candy.” Then aloud:
“Thank you, Soncco, for bringing it. You shall be well rewarded for
your trouble. Now you must continue to do as we say.”

“No! I will do nothing more. My conscience troubles me already. I may
have done too much. And, besides, the things you ask me to do are
too hard. The tunnel under the wall was blocked with stones; we had
to remove them, and there were many; then hunt for the cave in the
darkness. Uti is a terrible place even when the sun shines. What then
is it at night? The bats were chirping and fluttering about our heads,
and we had to drive them away to keep from being attacked; and one of
the men bumped into a wasp’s nest, so that we were all stung. After we
finally found the boxes they had to be dragged back to the wall and
through the passage, and then there were all the stones to put into
place again. The men grumbled at the work, and I, Soncco, old though I
am, had to help them.”

“I am sorry we had to put you to all that trouble; but remember, we are
helping you more than any one else. Do you want to take the lives of
your relatives and friends?”

“No! You know that. My heart is heavy that this duty has fallen upon
me.”

“Then do as I say and you will be relieved of that duty.”

“But the Inca’s command must be obeyed.”

“Of course. We have given you our word before this that his wishes
shall be carried out. In other words, you will do exactly as he
directs. Go ahead with all the preparations; do as you were told. It is
Quizquiz who will change his mind at the proper time. And, remember,
you shall be well paid.”

“Who will reward me?”

“The king. Be patient. You shall see in a few days.”

“My head is dizzy. I cannot think clearly. But no matter what happens I
can be no worse off than I am. I curse the day that Villac Umu obtained
his evil power over Quizquiz,” Soncco murmured.

“Come back at nightfall, then,” Stanley continued. “We want you to take
these boxes away again. Bring only one man with you this time--some one
you can trust absolutely. If he is deaf, dumb, and blind, it will be
all the better.”

“Yes, yes; I will be here. You have me completely in your power. And
may all the devils of Uti torture you if you betray me.”

“Do not worry. You will soon find out that we have told you nothing but
the truth. Then you will be thankful to us.”

“I will keep my word,” Soncco said, “and at the same time I will make
provisions against trickery. Do not forget that.”

When the old amauta had gone the two opened the boxes and took out the
fuse and primers; then they began to prepare the charge. They fastened
one of the long, copper caps to one end of the fuse and then inserted
it in a stick of dynamite, carefully folding back the paper wrapper
over the end and tying it in place with a strip of cloth torn from
their clothing. As they worked Stanley explained his scheme to Ted. The
latter fell in with it immediately, and to all outward appearances both
were cheerful and entirely confident over the outcome of the plan.

“I am going to ask you just one more time,” Ted said suddenly after a
short pause, and with a trace of anxiety in his voice. “Are you sure
about the date of the eclipse? And are you certain you made no mistake
in keeping track of the time--the knots in the string, I mean?”

“Wait and you shall see,” was all Stanley could say. Of course he knew
that everything depended on these two things, and several times he
was on the verge of confessing to Ted his uncertainty as to both the
date and the number of knots. But why should he add to the burden of
worry of his companion? If he were mistaken, they would meet the end
like men, fighting to the last gasp. If he were right, they would be
freed, no doubt. Better look at the bright side, anyway, and make their
last days as cheerful as possible. They could do no more than had been
done, and in the meantime they were constantly on the alert for any
eventuality that might present itself.

Food of excellent quality and in abundance was brought the two by the
guards. Soncco was responsible for that, they felt sure. They were also
permitted to walk around the outside of their tent. A double row of
soldiers, well armed, formed a compact circle around them, and not more
than twenty paces away. They watched every movement of the prisoners
and held their spears ready for instant action.

As they strolled about they could not help but see that preparations
for the awful event had begun on all sides of them. They had frequent
glimpses of Soncco hobbling from one group of workers to another,
giving sharp orders, reprimanding, and directing their labors in
general.

Here, a furnace was being built in which to heat the spear with which
to blind Toparca. The workers had piled up two rows of stones and were
covering them with mud. After that other stones were placed across the
top and plastered down with more mud so that no heat could escape from
the interior of the oven-like structure.

A short distance away was the enormous earthenware caldron; menials in
a steady stream were bringing oil in small vessels and pouring it into
the huge container. Ted and Stanley did not envy Huascar the fate that
awaited him.

The stones that were intended for Tupichi lay in a neat heap. They were
the size of apples, and were round and smooth, having been gathered
from the river-bed.

Then their eyes met another sight that made them shudder. On the far
end of an open, arena-like plot masons were constructing a short wall.
The stones were being dragged to the spot by long lines of men. As the
work progressed, earth was banked up against the structure and tamped
down to form an inclined plane up which other stones could be hauled
into position on top of the last layer of the wall. The ingenuity
displayed would have been interesting to the Americans had they not
known the sinister meaning of the work. It was against this wall that
they were to be chained, with the deadly snakes at their feet. Copper
rings on long spikes had been incorporated in the wall between the
stones to receive the chains that would hold them in their helpless,
hopeless position.

After surveying the various activities for a short time they went back
into their prison tent.

“One of us will have to accompany Soncco to-night,” Stanley announced
when they were inside, “to see that the dynamite is placed where it
will do the most damage.”

“I will go,” Ted volunteered, “but I doubt if I can get past the
guards, even in the company of Soncco. The soldiers get their orders
higher up.”

“That is why I asked him to bring along some one he trusts absolutely.
That one must change clothes with one of us and remain here while the
work is being done. Perhaps I had better go.”

“It isn’t fair to let you face all the danger.”

“There is no danger, but even if there were, it would be up to me
because I started the thing, and I shall have to see it through. You
entertain the substitute while I am away.”

“It is all a capital idea. How easy everything is when you know just
how to do it! You are a better general than Pizarro. He killed the Inca
and caused the death of millions of the people. You will bring the
whole nation to its knees through strategy, and they will respect you
instead of hating you as they did the Spaniard.”

“Never mind that kind of talk. We haven’t done a thing yet.”

“But we shall, to-morrow,” Ted said confidently.

Stanley suppressed a sigh and turned away.

Soncco arrived in due time.

“You see, I have kept my promise,” he said without enthusiasm. “And I
have brought a man who can neither hear, see, nor speak.”

“You are a wonder, Soncco,” Stanley returned gleefully. Then he told
him what was expected of him.

At first the aged teacher was absolutely set against allowing Stanley
to accompany him after exchanging clothes with the man he had
brought. He was certain that it must be part of a plot to escape, the
far-reaching branches of which he could not foresee.

“But,” they argued, “what good would it do one of them to get away
while the other remained a prisoner in the valley? Could he not quickly
take revenge on the hostage who was left to his mercy? From what he had
seen of them, did it seem possible that one of them would desert the
other in such a position?”

Soncco finally was forced to bow to the strength of their arguments.
But only the firm conviction that his lot was already so luckless that
it could not possibly be worse, no matter what happened, and that the
growing unrest among the people was spreading to the proportions where
it was a menace to the existence of the race induced him to lend his
aid in a scheme he could not comprehend.

Therefore the two, carrying the heavy boxes of explosive, left the
tent at a moment when clouds obscured the moon, Soncco taking the
lead, Stanley, fully disguised in the borrowed clothes, following at
his heels. Before long the latter realized how futile it would have
been for them to attempt to leave the place of confinement unaided by
some one in full authority. They passed through no fewer than five
lines of sentries. To each of the five challenges Soncco replied with
a different password, and in addition there was also a short ceremony
to be gone through with each time they were halted. Thus, at the first
challenge of “Who lives?” Soncco replied with “Quizquiz, the great
and glorious king,” and, stooping, picked up a handful of earth which
he threw over his left shoulder. At the second station he answered,
“Quizquiz, greatest of all the great kings,” and beat his breast three
times with his free hand; and so on until all the guard-lines had been
passed.

It was with a feeling of relief that Stanley finally found himself in
the open country beyond the encampment. He offered to carry Soncco’s
burden in addition to his own, for the old man was lacking in strength;
but the amauta insisted on retaining possession of the package, adding
in a whisper: “Now you walk in front of me, and at the first sign of
treachery I will kill you; I have a poisoned dagger in my hand.”

“Do not be foolish,” Stanley responded, losing patience. “I would not
leave this place now if you asked me to. I want to stay to see all of
you get what’s coming to you.”

Before long they reached the foot of the great wall, looming black and
awe-inspiring high into the cloud-checkered sky. They followed along
the base, their elbows almost touching the cool, moss-covered stones,
until they reached the point where the gigantic structure joined the
abrupt face of the mountain. It was here that the passage into Uti had
been dug under the foundation; the existence of this opening saved them
the labor of making another in which to place the explosive.

“We need go no farther,” Stanley announced, carefully depositing his
pack on the ground and relieving the aged man of his.

“I am glad of that; my limbs are weary, for I am no longer young.”

“Then rest while I work. Sit right beside me if you wish, so you can
see everything I do.”

“I will tie this thong to your foot, and fasten the other end to my own
feet.”

Stanley was on the point of making a wrathy reply when the humor of the
situation struck him. Soncco, in spite of his shrewdness, was childish
in many ways. With the thong tied to his feet and the other end in
Stanley’s possession, it would have been an easy matter to upset the
old man and then pounce upon him. But of course he did not intend to
do anything of the kind. With a smile he submitted to his companion’s
whim. Then he fell to work in earnest, carefully following the plan
formulated by Ted and himself after much discussion.

The passage under the wall had been left partly open by Soncco when
he brought back the boxes of dynamite from the other side. Therefore
Stanley had to close it again. He began by rolling stones into the
tunnel and pushed them to the far end, packing in the open spaces
between them with earth. When half of it had been filled he carefully
planted the explosive, placing the fuse so that it led out where Soncco
was sitting. Then he shut up the remaining portion of the passage with
earth and the largest stones he could handle.

This took several hours of the hardest kind of work. Stanley was nearly
exhausted when the task was completed.

“Now listen,” he said, seating himself by the side of his guard. “If
you fail us in this one detail, everything will be lost.”

“I am willing to hear. Speak!”

“Here is a white cord,” Stanley explained, placing the end of the fuse
in Soncco’s hands. “I will leave it here in plain view. To-morrow
you must have a trusted guard stand on this spot beginning with the
rising of the sun. He must not go away from this place for an instant,
understand, for it all depends upon his faithful performance of the
duty you will impose upon him.”

“What is that duty?”

“When the light of your god, the sun, is suddenly blotted out, as it
were, by a hand to hide his face in shame over the actions of his child
Quizquiz, and of all the rest of you, too, who meekly permit him to do
such fiendish things; when the blackness of night has enveloped the
valley, although it is only noon; when the bats leave their caves, and
the beasts of prey come out of their dens to kill their defenseless
victims, thinking the day is over--that will be the time for him to
act. Fire must be applied to the end of this cord. It will begin to
burn and sputter, and later will send out a message that will be heard
throughout the valley, and even far beyond. But I must caution you of
this: when the cord begins to give off its first crackling sparks,
let the man who lighted it flee from the spot. His work here will be
finished, so he must hurry back to the encampment, and not stop running
until he reaches it.”

Soncco appeared greatly impressed.

“The message that will be conveyed by the cord,” he asked in an awed
whisper, “will it reach the sun?”

“Who knows? It may reach farther than the sun.”

“And will it cause the bright light and warmth to come back to us
again?”

“If the sunlight should be withheld from the earth all life would
soon come to an end. Nothing could live in the cold and everlasting
darkness.”

“Oh! Such a calamity must not befall us.”

“Then follow my instructions to the letter. Will you?”

“I swear it. My own beloved brother, whom I trust in all things, shall
be assigned to this mission. His faithfulness cannot be questioned.”

“Good. Now we might as well start back. My companion is waiting, and we
must get past the guards before daylight comes or they would recognize
me.”

“Yes, and that would spoil everything. I can hardly wait to see if you
are really such wonderful magicians, or if you have been deceiving me.”

“Soncco,” Stanley said with a note of pleading in his voice, “do
everything exactly as Quizquiz has commanded. If he should suspect
anything he might remove you from your position, where you can help us
and--yourself. Be patient. Continue to trust us. And you will not be
disappointed in the end.”

“Now what do you want?” rather testily.

“Nothing right now. But if we should need you again we shall let you
know. How about this cord? Do you expect me to walk back like this?”

Soncco removed the thong from Stanley’s ankle and the two started away
at a fast walk. They passed through the guard-lines without trouble.
Stanley returned the borrowed garments to the waiting man, and then the
latter, led by the aged amauta, departed.




CHAPTER XV

THE TERROR OF DARKNESS AT MIDDAY


Ted and Stanley slept little during the night preceding that fateful
day. And, to Ted’s occasional questioning, Stanley could only repeat
that he thought his record of the time correct; however, there was no
way of finding out for a certainty. The morrow alone would tell.

The camp was astir early. Groups of musicians struck up tunes on reed
instruments accompanied by the deep roll of drums. The wailing of the
flutes seemed to carry a mournful note, an ominous message in its very
monotony. But, when singers joined in the music, their shrill voices
rising and falling in gay cadence, it changed its tenor and was more
like the celebration of some joyous festival than the beginning of a
day of torture and life-taking. How pitiless these people were, how
devoid of all compassion! Downtrodden and suffering though they were,
they made an outward show of rejoicing at the ill fortune of others.

After a breakfast scarcely touched by the two, they were taken to the
arena where the spectacle was to be staged. A vast number of people
had already assembled. Most of them stood in a solid mass surrounding
an open square; armed guards formed lines and held them in check. On
one side stood those of noble birth, dressed in their most gorgeous
attire and bedecked with jewels. Round ornaments of gold hung from
their ears. Some wore large breast-plates of the same precious metal
that extended from shoulder to shoulder, and from the chin to the
waist-line. Their mantles were embroidered or brocaded in curious
figures of birds and animals, among which the condor and puma were
conspicuous by the frequency with which they appeared. Huge golden
pins, shaped like spoons, held the draperies in place. And chains of
emeralds hung from their necks, while the turbans that crowned their
heads were a mass of bright colors and flashing stones. Each noble
was accompanied by a number of attendants that held a canopy of cloth
of fine texture over his head to shield it from the sun, and in his
hand he carried a staff of polished wood with numerous gold and silver
pendants that denoted his rank and position.

Quizquiz arrived not long after. He came in his sedan of gold, massive
and heavy, and borne on the shoulders of his highest officials. As the
latter deposited their burden on a specially constructed platform, Ted
and Stanley could not suppress exclamations of surprise at his lavish
and beautiful attire. He was wrapped in a mantle of gold cloth that
covered him from his head to his feet; throwing this aside carelessly,
he revealed his undergarments made of the same material. Bracelets
and amulets covered his arms. The chain around his neck, falling to
his waist, was composed of alternate turquoise, pearls, and emeralds,
some of them the size of a pigeon’s egg, and so skilfully had the gems
been polished that there was continuous play of refracted light in a
thousand points of shimmering, satiny color.

Quizquiz carried a burnished-silver mirror in his hand and made
frequent use of it to throw a shaft of dazzling light into the eyes
of some favorite; this was always the signal for the honored one to
fall upon his knees and to chant the praises of the sovereign who had
thus condescended to throw the radiance, supposedly emanating from the
Inca’s sacred person, upon him.

After amusing himself in this manner for some time, Quizquiz spoke:

“Rejoice with me, for this day is an eventful one,” he said. “I am
about to rid my kingdom of its worst enemies; the two strangers who
came to spy on me and to rob me, and also of those others who are of
no further use to me, but are rather a burden. There are more persons
in the valley deserving of a similar fate, and they all shall be called
to account in due time. We shall have these imposing spectacles often.
It shall be my pleasure to attend them; you also shall be commanded to
do so, for they shall remind you of my greatness and of your own abject
station. And let each one feel that perhaps he may some day be chosen
to delight my eye as one of those to die in my presence. What end could
be more glorious for a slave? So cherish the hope of that honor in your
hearts.”

The crowd moved uneasily. Evidently they did not relish recognition
of that kind. Was there no limit to the vainglorious boasting and
cruelty of the tyrant? Was he personally responsible for his words and
deeds, or was there some evil influence that prompted him to do such
things? Among the spectators were not a few who knew the truth, and
their unanimous verdict would have placed the responsibility upon the
shoulders of Villac Umu.

“Now let the ceremonies begin. Soncco will attend to his duties well or
suffer dire consequences. First, let the two men from the outer world
be bound to the wall; then tie the serpents at their feet.”

Soncco bowed low to the Inca. His face was pale and his eyes shot
fire. Resentment was pictured in his every feature, and Ted and Stanley
knew that it was directed not at them but at the king. Still, he had
no alternative but to obey the command. He started his work in a
businesslike manner, and prepared personally to bind the hands of the
Americans with copper chains. As he reached their side he whispered
in Stanley’s ear: “Pray to your God, to mine, or to any other one you
want to; use your most powerful charms and magic. But let everything
happen just as you said it would. If you fail in this, stand quietly
until Quizquiz has taken too much wine; then break away, for the chains
have an open link, and kill Villac Umu. Leave the rest to me. Here is a
dagger,” and he slipped a long, keen blade into Stanley’s hand, hiding
the transaction with his cloak.

Stanley made no answer, but a moment later conveyed the information to
Ted, who was tied close by his side.

These preparations completed, the priests from the Temple of the Snakes
put in their appearance. They were a hideous lot, clothed in long
mantles of a drab color, and wore black masks over their faces. Each
one carried a tuft of red feathers in his hand. The column, headed by
six of its number who beat drums and sang in a weird jargon, marched
to the Inca’s dais and halted. The drum-beats ceased and the priests
prostrated themselves on the ground, rising after a moment and forming
a semicircle in front of the doomed men. One of the leaders produced
two bags from under his cloak; he untied the string of one of them
and shook its contents on the ground. It was a great snake, drawn up
in a mass of tight coils, and hissed defiantly at the men who stood
around it. The two saw at once that it was a bushmaster, the deadliest
and most feared of all South American serpents. But what a monster it
was! It could have been no less than ten feet long. As it raised its
head, slowly, the deep orange color of its back, marked with a regular
pattern of broad, black X’s, glistened with a metallic lustre in the
sunlight.

Before the reptile could get its bearings to dart away several of
the priests pounced upon it and seized it in their hands, for it
was harmless so far, its arrow-shaped head having been covered with
a muzzle of fine, gold wires. A stout cord was fastened around its
neck, and with this it was securely tied at Ted’s feet, the priests
stretching out the snake and allowing sufficient cord so that it could
strike to within less than an inch of the man.

[Illustration: It was a bushmaster, the deadliest and the most feared
of all South American snakes]

The second bag was now opened and its occupant, exactly like that of
the first, bound in front of Stanley. Then two of the priests pinned
the heads of the snakes to the ground with long, forked sticks, while
others removed the wires that held the death-dealing jaws together.
This accomplished, the entire company performed a wild, uncanny dance,
howling and rushing past the supposedly helpless men and the serpents.
As they passed each stooped and struck the reptiles a blow with his
tuft of feathers, until they had been aroused to a mad frenzy. After
that the priests again marched up to the Inca’s sedan, fell flat on
their faces as before, and took up their station in the front ranks of
the onlookers.

Ted and Stanley were fascinated by the terrible creatures at their
feet. Enraged at the treatment received from the priests, the snakes
were lunging to right and to left, and then settled down to striking at
the men in front of them. Again and again their repulsive heads shot
forward, with wide-open mouths and long, white fangs that glistened
in the sunlight; but the tethers kept them just out of reach and
tantalized them to further effort. And all the while the snakes coiled
and uncoiled their great, scale-covered bodies and lashed their tails
on the hard ground with such rapidity that they made a buzzing sound.
Ted and Stanley felt the cold, sinuous bodies writhe against their
bare feet; how long could they withstand this ordeal? If it was true
that snakes could charm, and they began to think it was because they
could not remove their gaze from the greenish eyes of the reptiles,
they would be unable to endure the strain much longer, and would soon
either droop within reach of the darting heads or be compelled to make
a break for liberty.

Peals of laughter from Quizquiz recalled them to their senses.

“It is better than I had hoped,” he said in a shrill voice. “Praised be
Villac Umu, who is father of the idea.”

The high priest, who was seated in his own golden sedan by the Inca’s
side, rose and bowed in recognition of this compliment.

“For the pleasure of my adored one I would arrange any spectacle,” he
said.

“Now let us feast and sing and dance to while away the time,” Quizquiz
continued. “Bring the sparkling wine that we may drink to the evil
fortune of the men from the outer world.”

Golden cups of large size, filled with a beverage made from ground,
fermented maize, were brought by attendants, and after the Inca and
Villac Umu had partaken liberally, the others of the nobility were
served. The drinking continued throughout the remainder of the morning,
interrupted only when Soncco came to report the progress of the
preparations that were being made for the other victims.

“The spear-point glows with a reddish heat, and Toparca lies on the
ground, bound hand and foot,” he said on one occasion, and, “The oil is
bubbling in the caldron; Huascar is near by, well guarded and sullenly
awaiting his fate,” on another. But Quizquiz only laughed and bade
Soncco stay his hand and to place the condemned men in a position so
they could see what was happening to the strangers.

To Ted and Stanley the hours seemed like eternity. Would Quizquiz
never succumb to the influence of the liquor? The amount he could
consume was prodigious! The strain of remaining in one position was
becoming unbearable. They dared not shift their feet; the snakes, now
motionless, with heads raised a few inches above their coiled bodies,
were quietly waiting for the decisive moment.

“It must be noon now,” Ted finally ventured.

“Yes,” said Stanley slowly, looking up at the glaring sun almost
overhead in a cloudless sky.

“No signs of anything happening yet,” uneasily. “I wonder if Soncco
told the truth about the open link in the chains. He may have said
that simply to pacify us, so we would submit to being bound without a
struggle.”

“Wait a little while longer. Then--well, I believe Soncco told the
truth. We must get Villac Umu. If there is a fight, any one and every
one else will do for the next, but I think that with the high priest
out of the way Soncco can handle the crowd; he is the one they really
hold in superstitious fear. Snap the chain suddenly and jump to one
side so far as you can. Remember that Pizarro conquered the whole
nation of millions of people by capturing the leader; we have a chance
of doing the same thing on a smaller scale with that beast out of the
way.”

Minutes passed; they waited in vain.

“I must have been mistaken, after all,” Stanley said gloomily as he
caught an impatient look from Soncco. “Look! he is signalling us now.
Let’s break away. Are you ready?”

“Yes. Give the word.”

A crash halted the reply on Stanley’s lips.

“Cursed drink that has dimmed my vision,” Quizquiz shouted, at the same
time dashing his heavy golden goblet to the floor of his litter, “for
it must be my blurred eyes that deceive me. Look, Villac Umu! Do you
see anything?”

The Inca and the high priest were anxiously scanning the heavens,
shielding their eyes with jewel-bedecked hands. Concern and fear were
plainly pictured in their faces.

“It is not the drink.” Stanley was quick enough to comprehend the
situation and to make use of it to their advantage. “What you see is a
giant hand grasping the neck of your helpless Sun-God. Soon his light
will fade and you will be floundering in the darkness. Your time has
come!”

Then to Ted in a joyous shout: “I was right! I was right! Look! The
eclipse; it is starting.”

The two could scarcely keep from jumping from their places, but the
decisive moment had not arrived.

The stillness of death had fallen upon the multitude. The drum-beats
stopped suddenly, the reed flutes ceased their wails, the voices of
the singers were hushed, and half-emptied cups of wine slipped from
nerveless fingers and fell to the ground. Every eye was turned skyward,
and upon the sea of faces came a pallor and a look of horror, for the
impossible was unquestionably happening. A black disk was rapidly
stealing over the face of the sun from the west; half of the flaming
orb was already obscured, and slowly but relentlessly a sickly gray
twilight was falling upon the earth. Brilliant colors faded in the
uncanny dusk, and jewels that had flashed and shimmered grew dull and
lifeless. Familiar objects took on strange, fantastic shapes before
they melted in a maze of grotesque shadows.

“Speak, Villac Umu! Speak!” Quizquiz’s voice was bordering on despair.
“You are High Priest of the Temple of the Sun and know the will of the
gods. You said this thing could not happen.”

“It is but a cloud,” Villac Umu explained nervously, but his faltering
words carried no conviction.

“You lie! It is not a cloud. Command the shadow to retreat. Show your
power. Use your magic. Do anything you wish to stop this terrible
thing!”

The high priest arose and stretched both arms heavenward. In one
hand was a staff from which numerous charms dangled, in the other a
rattle of dried seeds. He loudly berated the demons that dared thrust
themselves in front of the sun, and commanded them to depart without
delay. He shook his staff and rattled his charms at them, but the
grayness rapidly deepened into gloom, and when the last vestige of
light had disappeared his helplessness was apparent to all. Loud cries,
first singly, then in chorus, were raised in terrible accusation. In
the darkness it was impossible to see who spoke, and this gave the
speakers courage to say what was on their minds, but Ted and Stanley
recognized the voice of Soncco among the leaders.

“Villac Umu is to blame for this; he said it could not happen, but it
did, and now he is powerless to protect us. Kill him!” the mob shouted,
and “Quizquiz shares in his guilt; he is not fit to be king, for he has
betrayed us.”

Then one solemn voice made itself heard above the multitude:

“Stay in your places,” it shouted, “for you know not what new terror
may overtake you if you move. Do nothing--yet. First beg the white man,
who has shown you his power, to bring back the sunlight he has taken
away, then----”

A deafening crash cut short the words that came from Soncco’s lips.
Then more crashes came, followed by roars and rumbles that shook the
very ground beneath their feet.

Ted and Stanley were nearly as much startled as were the others, for in
the excitement of the moment they had completely forgotten the dynamite.

“Now,” Stanley shouted, “let’s go.”

With a start they snapped their chains and leaped to one side. Stanley
rushed up to Soncco, who, too, seemed bewildered.

“Silence the crowd,” he panted. “I have something to say that I want
every one to hear.”

Regaining his senses, Soncco blew shrill blasts upon a trumpet, but it
was some time before the confusion subsided. Judging by the sounds, the
majority of the people were either kneeling or had fallen to the ground
in their terror.

“You have seen and heard everything,” Stanley shouted at the top of his
voice. “Now, what do you want? Choose between----”

His words were drowned in the clamor that went up.

“Kill Quizquiz and Villac Umu,” the thousands demanded, “and make the
white man king. His companion shall be high priest. We ask nothing more
than to be permitted to serve them as slaves for the remainder of our
lives if they will but bring back the sunlight.”

It was with the greatest difficulty that Soncco again silenced them.

“It shall be as you say,” said Stanley. “But for the present let every
one remain in his place. The sunlight will come back again, and so long
as you obey my wishes no harm shall come to you. But if a single one of
you betrays his pledge, worse things may happen.”

“You shall be king,” the multitude roared. “We swear it.”

“Quizquiz is gone,” Soncco whispered to Stanley; “the thunder of your
medicine was too much for him. He jumped to the ground and ran when
the crash came. Villac Umu followed him.”

“Will they keep their promise?” Stanley asked.

“Without question,” Soncco assured him. “And I am sure you will fill
the lofty stations in a manner befitting them.”

“What do you mean? What stations? We want to leave so soon as possible.”

“What are the wishes of an individual compared to the welfare of a
nation? Consider yourself king, although the actual crowning ceremonies
are still to be performed. And your companion is head of all the
religious orders. If you had planned to go back to your people, you may
find that they will insist on keeping you here, for the people have
sworn it.”




CHAPTER XVI

THE COMING OF THE TIGERS


The sunlight returned in due time, and with its coming the people
regained their composure. A shout that rapidly assumed the proportions
of a roar went up as the assembled host proclaimed Stanley their king,
and Ted high priest. This latter office was the second highest any man
could hold. A few short minutes before they had been meek spectators to
the terrible ordeal to which the white men had been subjected, ready
to see them die without the courage to so much as say a single word
in their defense. But now the tide had turned. Men who could command
the sun to be darkened, and to shine again, and who brought thunder
to the earth, were not men in reality in their sight, but gods. And
to prove this contention, had the two not come from the sky in some
mysterious contrivance they could control? It was but an example of how
the estimation in which people are held too often varies with their
fortunes.

“Long live the king and the high priest!” and “let them be crowned
now!” they cried, while stalwart hands seized them, and carrying them
aloft placed them in the golden thrones that had been deserted by
Quizquiz and Villac Umu.

Ted and Stanley were on the point of objecting, but a look from
Soncco silenced them. They permitted the nobles to raise the shining
conveyances to their shoulders and carry them to the regally appointed
quarters that had been occupied by the Inca.

Stanley’s first official act was to order the instant release of the
other prisoners who had been condemned to die with them. Next, he
instructed the commander of the troops to capture Quizquiz and Villac
Umu, and to bring them to him, unharmed. After that he commanded that
preparations for the return to the city be made at once, and that
the journey begin early the following morning. Soncco was appointed
counsellor, and to him they intrusted the management of all civic
affairs, the important ones, however, to be brought to Stanley’s
attention before action was taken. Upon reaching the capitol he would
take up everything in detail and consider what was best for the future.
In the meantime work was to be resumed by the inhabitants, and the laws
administered exactly as they were before. This done, every one was
dismissed excepting only Soncco and the servants of the royal quarters.

“You will dispose with all formalities while in our presence,” Stanley
instructed the aged amauta. “No crawling or bowing or taking off your
shoes. We will conduct things on strictly business basis. Talk freely.
We depend on you to help us.”

To the former Soncco reluctantly agreed, for was not a king entitled to
homage? The latter he would do with pleasure.

“Now let’s take a walk,” Ted suggested. “I am eager to see how much
damage that dynamite did to the wall. I didn’t think it would do more
than tear a hole in it, but it sounded as if the whole thing fell down.”

They went out of the spacious tent and looked in the direction of the
great wall that had been erected to shut off the lower from the upper
and larger end of the valley. That end of the massive structure that
joined the natural stone escarpment of the mountains had fallen to the
ground; there was a gap that appeared to be fully fifty yards wide. But
that was not the more surprising result of the explosion. A broad rent
had been torn in the mountainside itself.

The two gazed in astonishment.

“That hundred pounds of dynamite could never have done all that
damage,” Ted commented, much puzzled by the scene of devastation. “But
I am glad to see that there is a hole in the slope, because that means
that we will have an easy passage into the outer world.”

“That is just what I was thinking. What the jar of the explosion did
was to cause a landslide, and the whole upper precipice tumbled down.
Look at the huge pile of rocks! The avalanche carried the stones of the
wall with it, and that accounts for the destruction of such a large
section.”

“To-morrow, after the people leave, let’s go over there for a good look
at it. We can catch up with the procession later. And perhaps we had
better examine the airplane, too. It is standing there exactly as we
left it. I guess they were afraid to touch it.”

“Yes, let’s do those things to-morrow. We have had enough for to-day.
I am wobbly and all in a muddle, and cannot realize yet all that has
happened to us. So I am in favor of getting something to eat, and then
going straight to bed.”

“I second that motion. It will be the first real sleep in a long time.”

The food was of the finest the valley afforded, served by numerous
menials and with all the pomp that had been lavished on Quizquiz.
The bowls, platters, and goblets were of gold, finely wrought and
decorated with flowers, fruit, and other designs. The two ate heartily
but refused the cups of corn wine, or _chicha_, remembering that the
grain of which it had been brewed, first had been chewed thoroughly to
induce its fermentation. Roast partridges, cakes made of fine meal,
strawberries and honey, that was the repast intended for the Inca, and
which they did not hesitate to accept.

Soncco remained in waiting in an adjoining room, and at their request
came for an interview in the evening. They discussed their future
policy with him for a brief time, and after assigning a place to him
for the night sought their own luxurious blankets.

Sleep came almost immediately but was destined to be of short duration.
At the command of Stanley the people had retired to their shelters
early, thus putting an end to the loud chatter over the day’s events.
Also, the numberless fires had been extinguished and absolute quiet
reigned over the sea of tents.

A frightful roar broke the silence of the night. For an instant
there was not a sound; then came the hum of excited voices, for the
encampment had been aroused, and lights began to flicker in many places.

Ted and Stanley sat bolt upright. They strained their ears for a
repetition of the sound. It came before long. Another roar, preceded by
a few low, hoarse growls, came to the ears of the astonished listeners.

“What under the sun can that be?” Ted asked, stepping off the edge of
his couch. Stanley was up and had lighted a torch.

“I never heard anything like it before.”

“Sounds something like a jaguar, only much more powerful. Perhaps it is
the noise of some wind-instrument we don’t know anything about. Do you
suppose it can be Quizquiz, trying to frighten us, perhaps? Or is it
the people serenading us?”

“I don’t know. Listen! It may come again.”

“I’ll bet it is Quizquiz. He has gathered those of his followers who
are still faithful to him, and is preparing to attack the camp. That
was a war horn.”

“We shall soon see. If it is anything of that kind Soncco will know and
report to us.”

The excitement among the Indians was great, but as the unusual sound
was not repeated, and as their adviser did not show up, the two came to
the conclusion that the disturbance did not concern them, and went back
to bed.

They had scarcely closed their eyes, or, at least so it seemed, when
the camp was again thrown into an uproar by a repetition of the
unearthly sound.

“I am going to find out about this,” Stanley said decisively. “It must
be stopped.”

He had scarcely finished speaking when Soncco rushed into the apartment.

“Forgive me, great and noble king,” he panted, “for entering without
asking permission.”

“I am glad you came,” Stanley replied quickly. “What is all the racket
about? Find out who or what is making it and have it stopped.”

“That is why I came to you. The people are in a panic and many are
fleeing toward the city. They fear it is some evil sequel to the
astounding events of the day.”

“But what is it?”

“Every one is asking that. They are begging that you, their king,
enlighten them. On my knees I am presenting their humble petition.”

The sound of heavy footfalls attracted their attention and hushed their
conversation. A moment later some one clapped his hands before the
entrance.

“Enter!” Stanley commanded.

Toparca and Huascar, followed by a dozen other nobles, in bare feet and
carrying their sandals on their left shoulders as a sign of homage,
filed into the tent. Their faces were pale and they could hardly
suppress their excitement.

“Speak quickly and freely, for I know what is on your minds,” Stanley
encouraged.

“Lords, lords, who have mastered the air and to whose wishes even the
Sun-God bows, save us or we shall all be killed,” cried one of the
party as they all fell upon their knees and stretched their hands
toward Stanley and Ted.

“Stand up. Now explain just what you mean. What do you want us to save
you from?” Stanley was losing patience.

“We do not know. But having seen and heard the events of the past day,
and having been shown the great power of the men from the outer world,
we came to beg for help and for mercy. A new horror is stalking through
the valley. Every one is terror-stricken. An undefinable dread clutches
at each heart. The air is heavy with forebodings and vibrates with the
rumblings from monster throats that bespeak death and destruction.
We are in your power. If this be a punishment, let it be inflicted
upon those of us who deserve it, but spare those who are innocent the
anguish and the suffering they are compelled to endure awaiting an
unknown fate.”

“Wait,” Stanley said simply. Then, turning to Ted: “This is awful. Have
you any idea what the trouble is?”

“This is so bewildering I can hardly think. There it is again.”

Once more the frightful roar reached their ears, followed by shrieks
and wails. For a moment they studied the blanched faces before them in
the vain hope that they might betray some clew to the solution of the
mystery.

“We are certainly up against it. Let’s go outside. Perhaps we can learn
something definite there.”

Throwing light blankets over their shoulders they started toward the
door. As they reached it they nearly collided with a man who was
dashing in.

Half-naked, with streaming, dishevelled hair and bulging, startled
eyes, he was a picture of the kind of fear that borders on insanity.

“I have heard with my own ears, and I have seen with my own eyes,” he
shrieked, waving his trembling hands over his head, “and I shall carry
the image of it into my grave.”

“Who is he?” Stanley asked Soncco.

“He is Lolo, one of the officers of the guard.”

“Lolo, having heard and seen, you will tell me everything. Talk slowly
and distinctly and keep nothing from me. Remember, your king commands
it.” Stanley addressed the man in a tone of authority.

This in a measure brought the officer to his senses, but the look
of bewilderment did not leave his eyes, and his face retained the
expression of fright and suffering. He bowed low, unsteadily, and asked
forgiveness for intruding into the royal quarters without permission.

“It is all right,” Stanley reassured him; “think as clearly as you can,
and tell us plainly what happened. We understand your position.”

In obedience to the command just given him Lolo told of the terrible
spectacle he had witnessed.

“I was on my rounds, inspecting the guard,” he panted, “and was just
nearing the post close to the mountains. One of the soldiers was piling
wood on the watch-fire, and the flames shot up, lighting the plain for
many paces around. Without warning, a deafening roar came out of the
blackness beyond the circle of light. We had never heard anything like
it before, and the shock of it was so great that we could not stir from
the places on which we stood. We were as men paralyzed, and simply
stared into the darkness. A pair of points of green fire appeared; they
were the eyes of some great beast. A form followed, gliding between the
watch-fire and the stone wall of the mountainside, so that its outline
fell full upon the smooth face of the precipice. And such a monster!
It was higher than the Temple of the Sun in the Golden City, with eyes
that burned into our hearts and brains.”

The man had gesticulated wildly during the recital. He now wrung his
hands in despair, and was on the point of breaking down.

“Go on!” Stanley commanded. “Finish your story.”

“The brute raised its great head; the jaws opened wide, like a
serpent’s, and fangs, shaped like curved swords and longer than a man’s
arm, flashed white in the flaring light, and then buried themselves
in the breast of the nearest soldier. The man uttered not a sound, so
quickly had death come. With a low, rumbling growl the beast or demon,
I know not which it may be, turned and faded away into the darkness
whence it had come, the dead soldier limply dangling from its mouth.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?” Stanley demanded sternly. “Did you
see it?”

“Yes, yes. And others saw it too. I have spoken only the truth. The
king shall have the proof of other eyes and other ears.”

“Then go, all of you, as fast as you can. Command the people, in my
name, to congregate in the centre of the camp, and to build a ring of
fires around the outer border. Do not lose a minute. It is a matter of
life and death.”

The visitors bowed and rushed away, Soncco going with the rest. When
they had gone, Stanley turned to Ted.

“That man told the truth, but he was excited and exaggerated the facts.
We know the worst now.”

“You mean that it was a----”

“Yes, nothing less than a sabre-toothed tiger--a living example of the
kind whose bones we found in the cave in Uti when we were there before.
He saw the beast, but the thing that made the greatest impression on
him was its shadow on the abrupt mountainside. Heaven only knows where
it came from, but we must have opened the passage for it with the
dynamite.”

“Can it be possible that some of those awful creatures still survive
after all the hundreds of years?” Ted asked incredulously.

“It must be possible because we have the evidence. And, besides,
anything is possible in a place like this. Come to think of it, I know
just where it came from; you remember that other valley we saw from
the air? That is the place. We are in it for fair now. A more terrible
creature never trod the face of the earth. We are to blame for the
calamity of turning it loose on these people, and we shall have to
find a way of exterminating it; there may be many of them for all we
know. What to do is the question. A tiger the size of a cow, and more
powerful and ferocious than a dozen of the ordinary kind, is not an
antagonist to be sneezed at. Will our troubles never end? We haven’t a
rifle; nothing but spears and bows and arrows; they will do about as
much good as hailstones.”

“I have it,” Ted announced suddenly. “What about the machine-guns on
the airplane? We can rig them up on mounts. Each one will be worth
twenty rifles.”

“Why, of course. That’s just what we’ll do. And we will have our hands
full at that. But now, let’s go out and help quiet the people. They are
starting their wailing again, and there will be real trouble unless we
can soothe them.”




CHAPTER XVII

ANIMALS OF A BYGONE AGE


Ted and Stanley lost no time in going out among the people. The event
of a king mingling freely with his subjects, and on foot at that, was
without precedent. They encouraged, soothed, and even threatened where
necessary. But their presence in the midst of danger in itself had
a calming effect on the majority of Indians, and the Americans rose
mightily in the estimation of the multitude.

“Quizquiz deserted us in time of peril,” they said with an awe akin to
adoration; “the new king shares our danger and will vanquish it, just
as he drove away the demon of darkness and brought back the sunlight.
Long live the new king, the greatest of them all.”

Apparently the animals that had invaded the valley had become
emboldened by their first onslaught, for toward morning the thunderous
roars again rent the silence hovering over the valley. This time they
were repeated more frequently and drew nearer with great rapidity.

“It is exactly as I thought,” Stanley said. “They are coming from the
direction of the gap torn by the dynamite.”

“But if they are coming from Uti, why did not they attack us while we
were there?” Ted asked.

“I don’t think any of the brutes survived beyond the wall. They must be
extinct there, for we saw only their bones in the cave, and Timichi,
the exile, who had lived there for years, had never been molested by
them. The landslide caused by the jar of the explosion opened a passage
from that other hidden valley where they still exist, and it did not
take them long to find the outlet into a new feeding-ground.”

“We had better make a round of the outposts. If the soldiers become
panic-stricken and desert the fires the tigers will break through the
lines and carry away more people.”

“By all means, let’s go. This is doubtless the last attempt of the
creatures to invade this place, for daylight will soon be here, and
they will return to their hiding-places.”

They hurried from fire to fire, and ordered the guards to pile on more
fuel, and the two viewed with satisfaction the mounting glow as the
flames leaped higher and higher.

The unbroken prospect of the circle of crackling fire did not appeal
to the attackers, for they did not venture near to it, but after a
succession of deafening howls and cries retreated in the direction from
which they had come.

Daylight brought relief to the frightened inhabitants of the valley,
and Soncco urged that they break camp immediately and return to the
capital, for in the stone houses of the city there would be at least
a measure of safety. Also, preparations must be made without delay
for the coronation ceremonies, when Stanley would be crowned with the
crimson _borla_, and Ted receive his appointment as High Priest of the
Temple of the Sun.

Soncco argued long and earnestly, but to all his pleas they replied
that while, no doubt, they would be safe in their stone palaces, the
hundreds of others living in the country would remain exposed to the
ravages of the great brutes, which, growing constantly bolder, would
destroy them in increasing numbers. The welfare of the king depended
upon the welfare of the people, they believed; to desert the latter at
a time like this would be to invite their own ruin.

No! They were determined to attack the tigers in their own fastness, in
their very lairs, if necessary; to exterminate them if possible, and if
not, to at least check their inroads. After that had been accomplished
there would be time enough to consider other matters. But the safety of
the populace came first.

After a hurried breakfast the two Americans hastened to the stranded
airplane. The wings and body had been battered considerably by the
wind, but as no rain had fallen since their arrival, the guns were
free from rust and in good working order. They immediately set about
to strip the weapons, carefully wiped all the working parts with oily
cloths, and reloaded the magazines. Then they made tripods of stout
poles on which to mount the guns.

In the meantime the people had been sent away to places of security.
Only fifty picked soldiers, with their officers, were retained. These
were ordered to look after their bows, arrows, and swords in order to
be sure that everything was in fighting trim. Shortly before noon all
preparations had been completed, and the expedition, with Stanley and
Ted in the lead, started for the break in the mountainside.

If there had been any doubt as to the locality from which the tigers
had come, the great footprints of the animals would have dispelled them
soon. Where the ground was soft or under cultivation the massive paws
had sunk to a depth of nearly twelve inches, and the holes measured
fully as much in diameter. Some were larger than others, indicating
that several of the beasts, of various ages, had been quick to take
advantage of an opportunity to secure a meal easily.

“We will mount one of the guns here,” Stanley said when they had
approached to within fifty yards of the opening. “You stay here with
half the men; I will place the remainder on either side of the gap
while I take a look at what is on the other side. If there is none of
the animals in sight I will motion to you to come on. If there should
be one near by and it charges, I will run to the rocks on one side so
as to give you a clear sweep of the gap. Keep the gun trained on the
opening, and if anything comes through hold the trigger back until you
are sure the bullets are hitting in the right spot. You can’t miss at
such close range.”

“You stay here and let me go first,” Ted pleaded. But Stanley insisted
on being the one to face the danger.

The gun was quickly set up, a magazine full of cartridges snapped into
place, and the muzzle trained on the narrow passage through which the
tigers must come if they should be aroused and attempted a charge. Then
Stanley cautiously started forward with his men, weapons in hand, the
party moving in two files, one on each side, and keeping out of sight
as much as possible behind the mass of rocks that had fallen from above.

They halted when they reached the foot of the escarpment, and Stanley
mounted his gun on one side of the breech. Then he crept forward
alone, at such a slow pace that he seemed scarcely to move. His face
was covered with cold perspiration, and he thought the pounding of his
heart must be audible across the entire expanse of the valley, but
his courage remained unshaken. Crouching low, he took a hurried peep
around the edge of the rock barrier. Ted watched his every move, firmly
gripping the handle of the gun with one hand, the forefinger of the
other resting lightly on the trigger.

Stanley must have seen nothing of a formidable nature, for he took a
second and longer look, then, emboldened, crept into the opening. A few
minutes later he emerged, crawling backward, and motioning to the men
to remain where they were, hastened to Ted’s side.

“It’s the most wonderful thing I ever saw in my life.” He could hardly
speak from excitement. “There is another world beyond that wall of
stone, and it belongs to the past--thousands of years ago, I mean. You
won’t believe it; you can’t until you see for yourself.”

“What is it?” Ted asked, also breathless with excitement. “You wait
here now and let me sneak up and see.”

“I will crawl back and put up the gun in the passage. Then you come
with yours. I can’t believe my eyes, and I want you to see it and then
tell me if I am right, or am I losing my mind.”

To Ted, waiting in the distance, it seemed ages while Stanley carried
out his plan, although in reality it was only a few minutes. The
eagerly awaited wave of the hand came at last, so, picking up his gun,
he hastened to the side of his companion.

Together they quietly made their way through the rent in the
mountainside; the walls, jagged and torn, rose to a great height on
each side of them, and the bottom was strewn with a mass of shattered
rock. When they reached the far end of the passage they stopped and
stared in awe and amazement at the panorama spread before their eyes.

They were standing on the brink of a crater miles across in each
direction. The floor of the great depression was only slightly lower
than the spot on which they stood. Plots of green grass, fields of
huge, black boulders, interspersed with islands of tall trees, met
their gaze whichever way they turned. Whisps and jets of steam and
smoke rose from crevices in the rockfields, showing that the volcano
was not yet extinct, but obviously it had been many, many centuries
since there had been an eruption of any importance. In the centre lay a
lake of large size--it covered at least a square mile. And enclosing
the arena on all sides rose the stupendous walls of stone and lava,
blackened with smoke and sulphurous fumes, and of such abruptness that
they appeared perfectly vertical.

“Good heavens!” Ted gasped. “It looks like the Inferno and Paradise
combined.”

“It is so terrific and so unbelievable that I am stunned. Prehistoric
is the word for it--a leaf torn from the pages of the world’s history
of thousands of years ago; perhaps even a million. Look, look!”

Stanley was pointing to a number of black objects of rounded form that
dotted one of the velvety, green areas.

“Wonder how those stones came to be of such uniform size, and why they
are standing in such evenly distributed groups. Some one must have
placed them there. Why, one of them is moving!”

“They are not stones. They are tortoises. See that one? It is the size
of a wash-tub, and it’s eating grass.”

“And look over there, on the margin of the water--to the right,” Ted
whispered.

A herd of deer was timidly approaching its favorite drinking-place,
out in the open where the nervous animals had a clear view of their
surroundings for many yards.

“But the tigers! I don’t see a sign of them anywhere except these
tracks leading away from here.”

“They must be laying up in their lairs among the rocks, or in caves,
maybe. Perhaps they come out only at night.”

“That makes our work all the harder,” Ted returned. “We cannot follow
them in there without rifles. And if they remain hidden all day long,
how are we going to get at them?”

“I thought of something just this minute. See that ledge right above
us? That must be fifty feet from the ground. Why not hide up there
to-night and shoot the beasts as they pass? There will be a full moon,
so we shall have no trouble in seeing.”

“Great! The very thing! We can stick a fluff of white wool on the
sights to make them plainer,” Ted exclaimed enthusiastically. “We have
a number of hours to get ready in, but not one too many, so let’s get
busy right away.”

While two of the soldiers crouched in the opening as sentinels, ready
to give the alarm at the first sign of danger, the others, under the
direction of Ted and Stanley, rigged up a ladder by winding thongs
around a spliced pole, up which the two could climb to the rock shelf.
This required a good deal of time, but when the work was finally
completed the Americans ascended to the lofty perch, after which they
hoisted up the guns. There were other ledges above them, but the lower
one, they thought, was high enough for security.

The guards then removed the pole-ladder. Ted and Stanley found
themselves alone on a narrow ledge, and confident that from this
strategic position they could easily stop the murderous marauders when
nightfall should induce them to leave their hiding-places in quest of
victims.

The soldiers, with their officers, departed immediately, with
instructions to barricade themselves in the nearest houses. At first
the officers were reluctant to leave, but they dared not disobey the
command to go now and to return early on the following morning. They
left their woollen cloaks to be used as blankets by the watchers, and
also a sufficient quantity of food.

Ted and Stanley, from their point of vantage, scrutinized the
saucer-like expanse before them. Probably they were the first men to
behold the strange world within the crater. So long as daylight lasted,
life in that weird place was peaceful enough. Animals were abundant,
almost everywhere. Species they had not observed before appeared here
and there. Besides the tortoises and deer, there were herds of wild
pigs, armadillos of such great size that they must have weighed a ton,
ant-eaters resembling the large, banded kind, not uncommon in the
Amazon country, and monkeys with short tails. The creatures seemed to
live in perfect harmony; they frolicked in play or busied themselves
searching for food. To look at them engaged in their peaceful
occupations, one would never suspect that such terrible monsters as the
tigers lurked in their very midst. It was a curious conglomeration that
defied description, but of the kind that the men of ages ago saw and
struggled with daily.

With the first signs of coming night the animals grew restive. The
deer moved toward the high, barren sides of the crater; the armadillos
sought their burrows; the tortoises waddled into crevices in the rocks,
and the other creatures hurried to the forested areas. Within the
space of half an hour the crater appeared deserted. It was ominous.
Experience had taught the denizens of this strange region to seek their
shelters before the onrush of darkness.

“I’ve loaded the magazines so there will be bursts of ten shots,” Ted
announced. “That ought to be enough, and if it is not, we can let loose
another string of ten additional ones.”

“If that does not stop them, nothing will.”

“This place does not seem so high as I thought, somehow or other.”

“The coming darkness and the shadows are deceptive. Powerful as they
are, the tigers could not possibly jump up here.”

“No, of course not. But this is a creepy place, just the same. I hope
they do not keep us waiting very long. I almost think I might get
nervous,” Ted laughed, but the laugh sounded hollow and was without
mirth. It seemed as if the experience would be more exciting and less
enjoyable than they had anticipated.

Just then a black apparition swept past their faces, not a yard away,
on silent wings, and settled on the ledge near by. When it hooted
dismally they knew it was an owl.

“Wow!” Stanley exclaimed. “I’ll say it’s creepy here. And we are in for
a whole night of it. They took the ladder away so we can’t get down if
we want to. Come on, tigers; this suspense is worse than fighting you.”

And, almost before he knew it, his wish was gratified.




CHAPTER XVIII

THE MAN IN THE CRATER


When the sun plunged into the masses of yellowish mist that clung to
the rim of the crater a bright moon was already high in the heavens.
The transformation from day to night was sudden, for in the tropics
the light fades abruptly, and darkness swoops upon the land almost as
a black cloud scurrying across the face of the sun obliterates the
brilliant radiance in a short space of time.

The soft moonlight, in streaks and splashes, and the long, creeping
shadows made the floor of the crater seem weird and unreal. A streak
of silvery light lay across the smooth surface of the lake, and as the
two men, crouching on the narrow ledge, gazed in fascination at it, the
mirror-like water was broken by ripples that appeared here and there
like little pools and lines of sparkling jewels. The creatures that
were coming out for their nocturnal frolic, but which could not be
clearly distinguished, swam in circles or straight lines and dived with
great splashes. Only their heads, like black dots, could be seen on the
surface of the water.

“They may be some kind of a muskrat, like the _nutria_ of the
Argentine, or like the water opossums,” Stanley suggested. “Whatever
they are, they do not seem to be afraid of anything, for, look, one is
heading for the shore.”

“I suppose the tigers don’t bother them; they are too small to make
even a mouthful.”

A herd of very large, black animals, with low-swinging heads and short,
curved horns suddenly hove into sight. They emerged from a clump of
forest in a long, straggling formation, and moved to the centre of the
largest clearing.

“Buffaloes,” Stanley gasped. “A herd of buffaloes. But what are they
doing out in the open?”

“I should think they would hide at night, like the other animals we
saw. But they do not seem to be worrying about anything.”

A shrill wail rose clear and piercing from somewhere in the darkness
and echoed back and forth among the rocky walls. It was not repeated.

“That sounds like a puma,” Ted hazarded after listening in vain for a
repetition of the cry. “I wonder what next!”

Just then one of the buffaloes gave a sharp bellow of alarm. The herd
became charged with life instantly, and rushed into a compact mass so
quickly it was impossible to follow their movements. But when they
again became quiet it was seen that they were standing in a solidly
packed circle. The cows and calves were in the centre, and the males,
facing outward with lowered heads and bristling horns, formed an
unbroken stockade around them.

“Now I see their scheme,” Stanley exclaimed. “They have taken their
stand for the night out in the open, where they have a chance for their
lives. I doubt if even the sabre-tooths would dare charge that front of
horns and hoofs. In the forest they could pick them off singly without
much trouble, but----”

A small stone struck Ted’s shoulder, dropped to the ledge, bounded off,
and rattled down to the ground.

“Where did that come from?” he asked with a start.

They looked up along the face of the stone wall, but saw nothing.

“Just a loose fragment,” Stanley explained with a nervous laugh.
“Probably small pieces are dropping all of the time, or an owl may have
started it in alighting.”

Again they strained their eyes toward the moonlit floor of the crater.

“I don’t remember seeing that stone before--the one right below and a
little to the left.”

“Nor I. But it must have been there, just the same, for stones can’t
walk.”

“How smooth and round it looks. The moonlight and shadows make it
appear more conspicuous than before; that is why we notice it now.”

“Yes; I guess you are right.”

Another pebble came rattling down from above, struck the ledge, and
bounded down into the crater.

“There is something up there. Stones like that would not drop one at
a time unless something started them,” Ted whispered. “I am going to
watch the top while you keep your eyes on the bottom.”

But a short time elapsed. Stanley nudged his companion.

“Look!” he whispered. “The smooth, round stone is moving. It is
creeping along as stealthily as the shadows themselves, and it is
coming in our direction. It must be an animal of some kind.”

“There is one above, too,” Ted returned with bated breath. “They are
stalking us from the top and the bottom.”

Stanley quickly looked upward. What he saw made him gasp. A massive
head was clearly outlined against the dark rock of the wall, and a pair
of eyes, blazing with a green fire, seemed to pierce him through.

“The guns, the guns; quick!” he panted, “before it springs. Don’t mind
the one below----”

Ted was tugging at his weapon.

“I can’t. I can’t point it straight up. The angle is too great.”

“Kneel down. I will rest it on your shoulder.”

Stanley pulled one of the guns from its mount. The great head was now
hanging over the edge of the shelf on which the creature stood, not ten
feet above them, and from it came a rumbling growl accompanied by a
clicking and champing of strong teeth.

Ted had dropped to his knees. Stanley was flat on his back trying to
bring the bead through the ring sight of the gun. But the high lights
and shadows were deceptive, and before he could align the sights the
glowing eyes had vanished again. The tiger had drawn back for the
spring.

“Back! Flatten yourself against the wall,” he shouted, throwing himself
against the face of the cliff and dragging Ted with him.

Something whizzed through the air; there came a crunching thud, and
then a roar that seemed to make the earth tremble shattered the
death-like silence that had reigned in the crater. An instant later
a huge, dark form catapulted past the crouching men, heavily struck
the edge of the narrow shelf, and fell to the ground with a crash.
Something had gone awry; either the brute had miscalculated the
distance or its footing had given away, and the fall of such a heavy
creature from the great height must have hurt it sorely.

With one accord the two men pulled themselves to the edge and looked
down. They were just in time to see what they had at first mistaken for
a stone rise to its feet, give one snarl of rage, and then spring upon
the mass that had fallen from above and was thrashing about helplessly
on the ground.

As it shot through the air, white teeth, like long daggers, glistened
in the sides of the wide-open mouth. There was no mistake. They were
face to face with the sabre-toothed tigers.

[Illustration: An instant later a huge, dark form catapulted past the
crouching men]

Screams and snarls, hoarse bellowings and roars cut short by gurgling
blood filled the air, mingled with the sound of the heavy, struggling
bodies. The brutes were in a deadly embrace, and rolled over and over
on the rock-strewn ground, biting, clawing, and tearing at one another
with all the ferocity of their savage nature. The onlookers could not
tell whether this was the settling of an ancient grudge, or if the
tiger that had been on the ground had quickly realized the helplessness
of the one that had fallen from above, and had taken advantage of the
opportunity to easily rid the crater of one of its own kind, of which
there may have been more than the limited space could conveniently
support.

The combat was terrifying, even from a safe distance, but of short
duration. The aggressor finished his work in short order. To the
ears of the spellbound watchers came the sound of crunching bones
and rending flesh, mingled with cries of agony and fear. And from a
distance rose the mournful wail of a lone wolf, doubtlessly watching
the battle and impatiently waiting for its end so that it might feast
on the remains of the loser. Shadowy forms, also, were flitting
noiselessly through the air, coming apparently from nowhere. They, too,
were awaiting their share of the spoils.

A few additional plunges of the sword-like teeth and the tiger that
now was underneath lay still. Then the victor arose, shook himself,
and calmly walked away a few paces, faced the centre of the crater and
announced his supremacy with an ear-splitting roar. But was it really
the proclaiming of the winning of a battle with one of his own kind, or
did the thunderous voice convey a challenge? Looking in the direction
toward which the brute had turned, the two on the ledge understood the
situation in a flash. In front of the terrible creature, and not fifty
yards away, stood a man.

For a moment the tiger stood still, as if planning its strategy, then
it advanced with measured steps, moving its head from side to side and
growling the while. But the man did not stir; he had taken an arrow
from a pack that he carried slung over one shoulder, and was fitting
it, without haste, to his bow.

Ted and Stanley stared in horror. Who was the man who had dared venture
into the crater, alone and at night, and who now calmly faced the most
powerful as well as most savage of all the earth’s living creatures,
armed with but a bow and a handful of arrows? Surely, he must be
demented, for any man in his right senses would know that such weapons
were of little avail against such an adversary.

At five paces from its victim the tiger stopped. It crouched low.
The head was resting between the forepaws; the tail, which was short
and thick, twitched nervously from side to side. Was the great beast
surprised and puzzled by the audacity of the mancreature? Or was it
preparing for the spring?

The man, without haste, raised his bow, grasping the tough wooden arc
and the shaft of the arrow with his left hand while with his right he
began steadily and firmly to draw back the cord. The upper part of his
body was bare, and there was the rippling play of powerful muscles in
arms and shoulders straining to the limit of endurance.

_Crack!_ The arrow fell to the ground and the bow straightened with a
twang. The string had snapped under the terrific strain. The weapon was
useless. But the man was not dismayed by the misfortune. He threw it
from him and calmly drew a short sword from his belt; then he crouched
forward to await the onslaught of the tiger.

Stanley sprang to his gun and Ted was not long in following his action.

“We must save him,” the former shrieked.

A string of shots rattled forth in quick succession as pointed
tongues of flame leaped from the muzzle of the gun. Another followed
immediately and the gunners took their eyes from the sights and
anxiously looked for the result of the fusillade. Some of the bullets
had found their mark. The great beast was rolling on its back, clawing
the air with frantic and convulsive movements, and tearing at its own
shoulders and sides. Screams of pain came from its throat. But its
struggles did not last long. It lay still save for an occasional moan
and quiver, then even these signs of life stopped.

“Run! Run for your life!” Stanley shouted to the man. “There may be
another one near by. Come this way. There is a ladder at the foot of
the cliff.”

“I am not afraid,” the man replied. “I came here to fight the demons.”

“But your bow is useless; you have only a knife, and that is little
more than worthless against such creatures.”

“I will come up to you because I want to talk with you. After that I
shall return to the crater.”

The man started toward them in a leisurely manner.

“I never saw such courage before. It borders on recklessness.”

“He must be crazy or trying to do away with himself,” Ted said
emphatically. “Wonder who he can be?”

“The voice sounded familiar. I am sure I have heard it before, often.
Do you realize that he saved our lives? The _whiz_ we heard over our
heads just as the tiger above us was about to spring was caused by an
arrow. He saw our position and knew that it was hopeless, so he shot
at the animal and wounded it; that destroyed its aim and it missed us,
barely striking the edge of the shelf and falling to the ground. If it
hadn’t been for him the brute should have dropped on top of us.”

“Well, it was a narrow escape, and I am glad we were able to repay the
fellow in kind. But I want to meet him and thank him for his action,
anyway.”

There was the scraping of the tall pole-ladder against the face of the
rock, and a moment later the man’s head and shoulders appeared over the
rim of the ledge. The two grasped his hands and helped him up.

His face was youthful. Ted and Stanley knew they had seen it somewhere.
And his body, while inclined to be slender, was of strong, athletic
build. His only article of clothing was a short tunic of a dark color,
so tattered that it hung from him in strips and fringes of thread.

“You killed the demon,” he said in a voice touched with sadness. “Why
did you do it?”

“To save you, of course. Your weapon was broken. You had only a sword
left. And, anyway, you saved our lives, so we were but repaying an
honorable debt,” Stanley said in surprise.

“I was not afraid. I am not a coward.”

“No one could ever call you a coward after seeing what we saw. But it
was only natural that we should see your danger and do what we could
to help you out of it. A man armed with only a sword would have small
chance against such a large, ferocious beast.”

“I was not afraid to die. It would not have mattered, anyway,” the man
said sadly.

“Tell us,” Stanley urged, “how did you happen to be in the crater at
this time of the night, and alone?”

“To prove to myself that, no matter what I may have been or may have
done in the past, I am not a coward at heart.”

“No one called you a coward.”

“Yes, imploring your forgiveness for the contradiction. You called me
that very loathsome thing.”

“I?” in surprise. “When?”

The man hesitated. His demeanor was so humble and he appeared so
downcast that the two were sorry for him.

“I will take it all back,” Stanley apologized, holding out his hand.
“You are as courageous as any one I have ever seen.”

“Do you not know me?” The man came a few steps nearer and turned his
face full into the moonlight. “Look into my face. I am Quizquiz!”

“Quizquiz!” both the Americans exclaimed in astonishment.

“Yes.”

“Impossible.”

“Look closely! Now do you recognize me?” He came still nearer and
quietly submitted to their scrutiny.

“As I live, it is Quizquiz, but it cannot be the one we knew.”
Stanley could hardly believe his eyes. “The Quizquiz who was king was
treacherous, cruel, cowardly, and bloodthirsty; the person who stands
before us has proved by his actions to-night that he does not know
fear, at least, and such valor must have other noble qualities for
companions.”

“The same body, but not the same spirit, stands before you. Yesterday I
was king, with all the evil traits you mentioned, and more too. To-day,
I rank with the lowliest--I am nobody in the sight of men, but I have
found my true self. That is worth all it cost.”

“Tell us, how did you get into the crater?”

“When, at your command, the sun became darkened, I was seized with
panic and fled, blinded by fear and terror. I knew not where I went.
And when daylight came again I found myself in this frightful place.
Fearing pursuit, I hid in the first crevice in the rocks--it would
scarcely admit my body--and waited. Darkness came and with it great
monsters emerged from their lairs in the caves. First one, then
another, found my hiding-place, but the opening was too small to admit
their massive heads. There they stood, screaming and roaring, and
blowing their hot breath into my face until I fainted. When I came
to, the demons had gone; soon they returned carrying in their mouths
the bodies of the luckless soldiers they had slain in the valley.
One stopped not ten paces from my place of concealment and, in full
view, proceeded to eat its victim; for minutes that seemed like ages
I was compelled to lie quietly with the sound of tearing flesh and
splintering bones in my ears. And then it came to me suddenly, like
the lightning flash in the sky. I was to blame for all this. It was
my wrong-doings that had caused untold discontent and suffering in my
kingdom. With vainglorious pride I had listened to the flatterers,
had followed their suggestions, and had rewarded them lavishly at the
expense of the wise, the just, and the good. It was too late to undo
these wrongs or to right the injustices of which I had been guilty; but
I still had the opportunity to prove to myself that I could be a worthy
son of Huayna Capac, then return and ask for a merited punishment. My
spirit is now at ease.”

“Villac Umu was the cause of your downfall, was he not?”

“He was my instructor and adviser so long back as I can remember.”

“Were you not governed entirely by his advice?”

“I blame only myself. As king, I was not compelled to listen to any
one. I alone am responsible for everything, and deserve the most
merciless punishment.”

“Of course you realize that you are no longer king. You are a fugitive
from justice, while we are now masters. The tables are turned. You
prepared the most fiendish torture that could be devised for us;
naturally you must expect us to treat you in the same manner.”

“I am in your hands. Do as you see fit.”

Quizquiz fumbled at his belt; then he fell upon his knees.

“On bended knees I give to you the crimson fringe to which I have no
further right. Take it, wear it, and may your God and mine protect you.”

His head was bowed in deepest humiliation. In his extended hand he held
the _borla_, the Inca’s badge of authority.

Stanley took it almost reverently.

“Quizquiz”--Stanley’s voice was tense with emotion--“we are not
unmindful of the fact that to-night you were the means of saving our
lives, and we are not ungrateful. But neither can we forget your
previous character. The welfare of a nation depends upon us. We cannot
sacrifice it. You admitted your guilt; you deserve the severest
punishment possible. Therefore, you will now consider yourself our
prisoner. Do you consent to arrest, or shall we use violence?”

“I give myself into your keeping freely, and I know that the worst
you can do to me will not be half so much as I deserve. Here are my
hands--bind them--then my feet, too.”

“No, we shall not bind you. We are not afraid of you, or that you will
escape. Go to the far end of the ledge and sit down with your back
toward the wall. Our guns will be trained upon you; one move, and you
die, understand?”

“Your words are very plain. I will do as you command,” and he took up
his station in the spot indicated.

Ted and Stanley, while never for an instant relaxing their vigilance,
discussed at length the amazing turn events had taken. The problem that
confronted them was a perplexing one. Had they encountered the old
Quizquiz they had known it would have been an easy matter to dispose
of him. But the new Quizquiz was a different person, endowed with the
very virtues the other had lacked. There was also this to consider: was
he sincere? Would his goodness last, or was he but playing a game with
the hope of regaining the throne, when his old character should again
assert itself in all its viciousness?

The problem, therefore, that they discussed far into the night, but for
which they were unable to find the solution, was: “What shall we do
with Quizquiz?”




CHAPTER XIX

THE BREACH IN THE MOUNTAIN IS CLOSED


“I hope the two dead tigers down there are not the only ones that
remained in the crater. It would be a pity to exterminate such a
wonderful species,” Stanley said toward morning. They had watched
throughout the long hours of the night without seeing more of the
beasts. So long as the moon shone observation had been comparatively
easy, but when the bright disk dipped behind the crater walls the
darkness was intense. They strained their eyes and ears but saw or
heard nothing.

“It does seem a pity to destroy all of them, but what else can we do?
If they are not killed they will eventually wipe out the people,” Ted
returned.

“Quizquiz!” Stanley called to the crouching form that had not stirred
from its place on the ledge. “You spent last night in the crater. Were
there many of the creatures you call demons, but which are in reality
tigers? Did you see more than two?”

“There were more than two. There were more than four. I saw five from
my crevice in the rocks after I had regained my senses and looked out.”

“I wonder why we saw only two to-night?”

“I saw a third and a fourth near the lake just before the moonlight
faded; but the smell of the blood of their dead kindred kept them from
coming nearer.”

“What? You saw others to-night?” from Stanley severely. “Why did you
not tell us about it?”

“A prisoner may not speak to his captors unless he is spoken to first,”
Quizquiz replied meekly.

“You are right. See that you keep your proper place at all times.”

When daylight was fairly advanced, Soncco and the soldiers appeared
in the distance. They approached the spot cautiously until Stanley,
from his lofty station, bade them halt. Soncco alone was commanded
to advance to the foot of the precipice, but in deference to his age
Stanley came down the ladder instead of asking the elderly man to climb
up. Ted remained above to keep his eye on the captive, and also to
watch for signs of life in the crater. He could not hear what was being
said by the two below, but after half an hour Stanley rejoined him,
while Soncco remained on the ground.

“We have been discussing a number of things,” he said in answer to his
companion’s inquiring looks. “I suggested some of them, Soncco thought
of others, and still others just grew out of our conversation. First,
before anything is decided definitely, I want to lay the plans before
you so you can express your opinion. Whatever we do concerns both of
us. Your future, as well as mine, depends on the outcome of things.”

“All right,” Ted returned, “but I should be perfectly willing to
intrust the whole matter to you; you have done pretty well, so far.”

“Thanks! But I will let you help. Now, first, here is the crater. From
all we can see of it it does not possess much value as an agricultural
proposition. There are scores of queer animals in there that probably
do not exist anywhere else on the face of the earth. If we let the
people go in there the animals will be exterminated in short order. We
do not want that. They are a last remnant of a prehistoric age, just
as the people in the valley are the last pitiful reminder of a once
powerful nation, possessing a wonderful civilization. Both survived
because they were isolated from the outer world--and would still be so
but for us.”

“How can we save them?” Ted asked. “I am in favor of it if it can be
done.”

“That great wall between Uti and the main valley was built to keep the
tigers from destroying the people years ago,” Stanley said, pointing
to the massive structure, the end of which had been undermined and
destroyed by the explosion. “If that was not too much work for them, it
will not be too much to fill up this little gap.”

“That’s a bully idea. We can watch up here while the men place the
stones in position, and protect them if need be. Then life can go on in
the crater just the same as if we had never found it.”

“Exactly. I am glad you are in favor of that, too. Now for the two dead
tigers. We must take them out, of course, and carry them back home with
us. I am glad we have them, and we have a clear conscience also. We did
not destroy them wantonly. And we did not exterminate the species.”

“I should say we do want to take them home with us. They will be the
biggest treasure we shall get.”

“Then we must have them dragged out and skinned. The skins and
skeletons will weigh a lot. Remember, the same weight in gold would be
worth a fortune.”

“I would rather have the animals. Some museum will be glad to have
them, and they will create no end of discussions. Now we ought to make
a solemn pledge--never to tell any one of this place, or how to get to
it. We shall have the proof that we were in some prehistoric spot, and
that will have to be enough.”

“It’s a go. Shake! Now that is settled. Soncco wants to have the
coronation at once. I want him to hold off a while. We must have
time to learn more of our respective jobs before undertaking the
responsibility of them. How does that strike you?”

“Very sensible, I should say. Let’s call together all the amautas in
the valley and ask them questions. They can tell us all we ought to
know.”

“We’ll do that. Last of all is the proposition of having Quizquiz on
our hands. But we can come to no decision about him just now. Time may
make a difference in the attitude we should assume toward him. We must
be perfectly fair and see that no injustice is done any one.”

“That seems to answer the question for the time being. He is our
prisoner and we can take our time in deciding what his fate shall be.”

Stanley went back down the ladder and, after a short conversation with
Soncco, the latter commanded the soldiers to advance. He then placed
himself at the head of the column and led it through the passage into
the crater. There, under his direction, they fastened thongs to the
legs of the great animals, and after an infinite amount of tugging and
panting succeeded in dragging the heavy carcasses out into the valley.
Then they built a fire in the far end of the gap, after which Ted and
Quizquiz, the latter with a cloth covering his face, came down from the
ledge, and while messengers returned to the city for laborers the two
Americans examined their prizes, measured them, and made numerous notes
upon their appearance. The monsters were terrible even in death. They
were the size of a grizzly bear and of a uniformly tawny color. The
head and shoulders were massive and showed that the brutes possessed
unrivalled strength. A short but thick mane of coarse hair grew on
the neck, although it was not so abundant as the mane of a lion. From
each side of the mouth protruded a long, curved tooth, sharp and
dagger-like. It was these terrible weapons, a foot long, coupled with
the powerful claws, that made the tigers so formidable, and enabled
them to kill without danger to themselves every denizen of the crater
world excepting only the buffaloes, whose safety lay in concerted
action. The tail was short and thick.

One of the animals, the one that had fallen from the high ledge, had
been so badly mauled that its skin was torn to shreds in numerous
places. The other was in perfect condition; it had been struck by five
of the twenty shots fired from the machine-gun.

Ted and Stanley lost no time in beginning the preparation of their
prizes, after having recorded the necessary observations. At their
request Soncco detailed a dozen soldiers to do the work under their
direction. The natives were wide-eyed with wonder at sight of the
strange creatures, and marvelled over the fact that the Americans
had been able to slay them, for, according to their traditions, they
were demons that had best be pacified with offerings of victims, and
not attacked and vanquished. But so accustomed were they to the rigid
discipline of army life that they dared not question the orders that
had been given them, and fell to work in a mechanical manner.

While some worked at removing the skins, others began to scrape the
bones. When the skins were finally free from the flesh they were
stretched on frames of poles and raised to a vertical position. Soon
a black speck appeared in the sky, then another, and another, until a
score of vultures were circling overhead, drawing constantly nearer and
moving their bare heads from side to side as they scanned the ground
for the food they had sensed from a distance.

At a word from Soncco the men stepped back a few yards and stood
motionless. Then the repulsive birds swooped down and hovering in front
of the hides pecked and tore at the particles of flesh that clung to
them until they were clean, so that they could dry without spoiling.
The skins themselves were not in the least injured by the birds; only
the superfluous tissue had been removed, and the men were saved the
trouble of scraping and dressing them down.

After that, the bones of both tigers were taken to an ant-hill and
buried in the loose mound. In a few days they too would be perfectly
clean, and could be taken out and packed for transportation.

“If we had rifles we could make a complete collection of all the
species in the crater,” Ted exclaimed. “There is not another one like
it in the world.”

“The temptation to do that would be strong, so I am glad we have no
rifles.”

“Yes, it is best to let them stay where they are and to live their
lives as was intended rather than preserve them in a glass case.”

By this time a detachment of the laborers arrived. This group had been
recruited from the nearest village and brought camping equipment and
supplies. Soncco immediately put them to work erecting tents for the
Americans, and when this had been accomplished the two retired for a
much-needed rest. The aged amauta had urged them again to return to
the city, but they steadfastly refused, saying that the safety of the
populace was their first consideration. Their own comfort could wait.
How different was their conduct from that of the deposed Inca! Although
they had been raised to the highest ranks by popular acclamation,
their request that the people refrain from showing signs of homage were
wonderingly respected; and their orders were instantly obeyed. That
was sufficient for the present. It would inspire that confidence and
admiration that would be the greatest asset in the long run.

Quizquiz, unrecognized, shared their quarters with them. No one dared
question them upon any matter whatever, so their secret was safe.

It was not until the following morning that the laborers arrived in
numbers. A roaring fire had been kept burning in the passage throughout
the night, and there had been no attempt on the part of the tigers to
force this barrier. That more of the ferocious creatures did exist in
the crater, however, was proven by the occasional roar that issued from
the dark regions beyond the fire.

Being unacquainted with the working methods of the Indians, Stanley
turned the proposition of building the wall over to Soncco, who in
turn immediately placed one of the chief masons in complete charge of
the undertaking. The latter proceeded in a most businesslike manner.
He divided his workmen into squads and assigned to each its respective
duty.

There being need of great haste, the master mason had decided to erect
a temporary obstruction first. Some of the workers brought baskets
of earth and pebbles from the river-bank, carrying their burdens on
their shoulders, and dumped them into the opening. Others picked out
the smaller fragments of stone from the débris of the tumbled-down
section of the great wall, and of the avalanche that had slid down the
mountainside, and threw them into the breach. It was surprising to see
how rapidly the heap of material grew in height as the unbroken line of
toilers filed past and deposited the contents of their baskets.

Nor did they pause in their labors for food or drink. At frequent
intervals they crammed handfuls of coca-leaves into their mouths, which
they chewed or held in their cheeks so that they bulged out like a
gopher’s. The effect of the drug derived from the dried leaves was to
deaden all feelings of thirst, hunger, and fatigue. At night they ate
a large quantity of thick porridge, made by boiling ground maize in
water; after eating, each man took off his _poncho_, or cape, wrapped
it tightly about himself, and lay down on the bare ground to sleep.

By the end of the second day the ridge of earth and pebbles had reached
a height of fifteen yards, and preparations were made to begin work on
the wall proper on the following morning. The skilled masons had been
engaged during this time in hewing the blocks of stone intended for the
permanent structure. They used mallets of stone and chisels of tempered
copper.

The stones for the first layer, or foundation, were of large size and
very heavy. They were rolled and pried into place by a swarm of workmen
who used long, stout poles as levers. This accomplished, the horde
again took up its baskets and brought pebbles and earth as heretofore.
But this time the material was thrown on the ground in front of the
wall-base and tamped into place, forming an inclined plane, the higher
end of which was level with the top of the row of stones already in
place. Other blocks of granite were now pried and rolled on the first
tier; then the sloping plane was immediately filled in to reach the top
of this layer.

Thus the work continued for thirty days. And when the wall had reached
the height of fifty feet it was considered finished. The tigers were
again shut off from the valley, isolated in their own little world,
to live their lives free from the destructive influences of man, and
the inhabitants of the Inca’s domain were safe from the attacks of the
ferocious creatures. Ted and Stanley felt sure that the Indians would
never reopen the passage; they held the great beasts in superstitious
awe and were afraid of them, and were only too glad to keep them
prisoner where they belonged.

The workers now removed the material forming the inclined plane,
leaving the wall straight and true, rising from the foot of the
escarpment, with each stone exposed to view. As this task was one not
requiring their supervision, and would take a long time, for the earth
and pebbles were scooped into baskets and returned to the places from
which they had been taken, the two Americans did not stay to see its
completion.

They had spent the days in serious discussions with Soncco, and others
of the amautas were sent for at times. The policy of the new government
was considered minutely; reforms were considered; and, after numerous
secret sessions to which Ted and Stanley admitted only Soncco, the
fate of Quizquiz was definitely decided. Their power and authority was
supreme; they would use them as they saw fit, and the example they had
determined to set was one the people would never forget.




CHAPTER XX

THE KING IS CROWNED


The way back to the city was short, and Ted and Stanley, accompanied
only by Soncco and the disguised Quizquiz timed their march so as
to arrive after nightfall. They did not want to be observed by the
populace. The white-haired amautas, who were on the lookout, took them
directly to the royal palace--the one that had been occupied by the
late Huayna Capac, and more recently by Quizquiz.

“In the olden days each ruler had his own residence,” Soncco
apologized. “When an Inca died his palace was closed forever and a
new one built for his successor. But there is so little room in the
valley that the same edifice is used by all the rulers. But the old
furnishings are always destroyed and new ones provided.”

“That is perfectly all right so far as we are concerned. We shall
retire at once. Come back early in the morning; there are a million
things to do,” Stanley replied. Then to Ted, after the amauta had gone:
“We shall have our hands full for quite a while. Their whole system of
government will have to be studied, but we must make as few changes as
possible.”

At daybreak the two were awakened by the chatter and whistling of
troupials in the garden. Further sleep was impossible, so they went out
into the crisp air to view their surroundings and to witness the birth
of the new day.

“What gorgeous birds!” Ted exclaimed when he discovered the source of
the early serenade. “It’s a pity their voices are not so beautiful as
their feathers.”

A number of troupials, or orioles, of a black-and-yellow color were
confined in cages suspended from the lower branches of the trees. They
were of a fearless and happy disposition and pecked at the fingers of
the men when they thrust them between the golden wires of the little
prisons.

The two wandered between the trees and flowers for some time. Among the
growing, blossoming plants were clumps of artificial ones wrought in
gold and silver. They admired and marvelled at the extravagant beauty
of the garden; and to think that it was all theirs!

The murmur of water came to their ears, and following the sound they
came upon a basin hewn in the solid stone and lined with silver. It was
the Inca’s bath. Streams of water flowing from silver tubes poured
into the pool on two sides. Vines covered with brilliant flowers formed
a canopy over it.

“Just what I have been looking for,” Stanley exclaimed gleefully. “I
have not had a bath in ages.”

“Huayna Capac would turn in his grave if he saw us profane the sacred
bath of the Incas.”

“Let him turn. I am certainly going in for a swim.”

“If you can, I will too.”

They splashed about for a while and had hardly finished dressing again
when Soncco appeared and greeted them with a low bow.

“I am at the service of the king,” he said humbly.

“Remember,” Stanley rebuked him, “I do not want to be addressed that
way. And stop the bowing--at least for a while. What news?”

“Villac Umu has been captured.”

“Good work! Now we have both the troublemakers.”

“What is your pleasure regarding him?”

“Keep him prisoner--closely guarded. Feed him all he can eat and do not
mistreat him in any way. He shall have a fair trial.”

“Why not have him brought here so we can keep him under observation and
size him up?” Ted asked.

“I have no objection. Bring him to the palace. And now about the
meeting: have all the nobles here to-morrow morning an hour after
sunrise. Above all things, do not let out the secret that Quizquiz is
here. That must remain absolutely unknown.”

Soncco, forgetting himself, bowed and departed. The two returned to
their apartments and spent the day examining the wonders of the palace
and in questioning Quizquiz.

The next day the council chamber was packed with the nobles who had
been gathered together by Soncco. They formed a silent and expectant
mass. It was their first official visit to the new sovereign they had
chosen during the moment of darkness and terror when the eclipse had
wiped out the light of the sun. Ted and Stanley felt the importance of
the occasion. Their future might depend upon the way they handled the
situation. They must impress the assembly favorably and more firmly
establish their power over it. For these reasons they consented to use
the thrones that stood at one end of the room, but were concealed from
the assembly by heavy curtains.

Attendants drew aside the draperies slowly, and as the two Americans
were revealed the nobles bowed low their heads in homage and reverence,
nor did they raise them until Stanley spoke.

“Quizquiz is no longer king by reason of his desertion of his throne
and because you, the nobility of the nation, have declared his reign at
an end,” he said without rising. “By popular acclamation I have been
chosen his successor.”

Not a sound interrupted the speech. All ears were strained so as not to
lose a single word.

“My first and only desire in accepting the lofty office is to serve
the people. This sounds strange to you. But the welfare and happiness
of the nation must be brought about, and I shall work toward that end.
In order to accomplish this it is only just and proper that the people
should have a voice in their government through chosen representatives
from the various districts. Theirs shall be the duty to meet and
discuss the needs of the populace, and to advise the king of them, and
to act with him in council. Therefore, the first step under the new
régime is to secure these representatives.”

Soncco, who had been in the front of the gathering, now came forward
and stood on the left side of the golden chairs on which Ted and
Stanley were seated; after bowing to the two he turned and faced
the audience. It was necessary for him to assume this position in
addressing the gathering, for it was unlawful for any one to turn his
back upon the ruler.

“It has been decreed by our most wise sovereign,” he began in a solemn
voice, “that two representatives shall be chosen from each of the
twelve districts--one to be a noble and the other from among the common
people, and in the following manner. On the day of the election all the
men must gather in the respective capitals of the various districts to
make their choice. The office is open to any man above thirty years
of age. Those who seek election must present themselves in the public
square and stand facing the sun, twenty paces apart; they may not ask
support of any one, but each may briefly state his policy so that
every one may hear. One hour after sunrise each voter will fall in
line in back of the candidate of his choosing. The groups will then be
counted by the resident chief of the district, and the man having the
greatest number of supporters will be declared elected for a term of
two years. If any candidate solicits a vote, or if any voter sells his
ballot, he will be guilty of a crime; the penalty for either offense
shall be disqualification to ever vote again or to ever hold office.
Furthermore, the offender shall work for a period of one hundred
days in the public fields, clothed in a distinctive black mantle of
disgrace. If there be any one who would ask questions, let him speak!”

An avalanche of queries were hurled at the speaker and for a moment he
was nonplussed.

“One at a time,” Stanley ordered, and then the commotion subsided.

Soncco was kept busy explaining the matter for over two hours, but
finally they understood. It was all so different, so unheard of, that
at first they could not comprehend the situation.

Before dismissing the assembly Stanley ordered them all to return to
their homes without delay and in a series of mass-meetings explain
the tidings to the inhabitants of the valley. At the end of twenty
days the elections were to be held, and at the end of thirty days the
representatives were to report to the Coricancha for the coronation of
their ruler and for the inauguration into their new offices.

“We cannot do everything,” Stanley said to Ted when they were alone
after the meeting. “Changes in government come slowly, and if they
are too radical and too complicated they cause only confusion. All we
can do here is to point out the right road; then let them find their
own way. In the long run it is they, not we, who must work out their
salvation.”

“Even at that it will be one of the biggest steps forward they have
made in ages. I believe we are accomplishing something well worth
while. To have a whole nation in one’s absolute power, and to set it on
its feet, is a thing the greatest statesmen in the world are trying to
do at this very minute, and without glaring success either.”

       *       *       *       *       *

The ensuing thirty days were busy ones for Ted and Stanley. Each
morning they received the amautas and spent several hours in
conversation with them. After that they strolled in the garden with
its marvellous flowers, gorgeous birds, and sparkling fountains. The
afternoons were spent closeted with Quizquiz, whose presence they had
succeeded in keeping secret save only for Soncco and a few trusted
guards. They received reports daily from the caciques, or chiefs, of
the various districts who were conducting the search for the supposed
fugitive, and these reports, of course, always admitted failure to
capture the elusive Quizquiz.

Villac Umu remained surly and unapproachable. The Americans tried
in every way to penetrate into his real character, and to learn if
there was not a single good trait in his make-up, but his case proved
hopeless. He repelled all their advances with sneers and threats, and
convinced the two that any attempt to reason with him was worse than
futile. So, after deciding definitely the future of Quizquiz, they also
passed upon the fate of the high priest.

The month passed all too soon. By the end of the twenty-second day
the representatives from the nearer districts began to arrive. Those
from the more remote cities did not reach the City of Gold until the
day before the ceremonies. Each one was accompanied by the chief from
the district that had sent him, and the latter was compelled to vouch
for his identity and to certify to his proper election. Those of noble
birth as well as the commoners were given quarters in one of the large
buildings adjoining the Inca’s own residence.

Besides the delegates, hundreds of nobles and a host of the populace
swarmed to the capital for the great event, and these were taken care
of either in the numerous barracks or in the private houses of the
city. No one was left without suitable accommodations and food, as
befitted his rank.

Long before sunrise of the appointed day the crowds began to make their
way to the great plaza, where they took up their stations, silently
and expectantly. The space had been divided into three sections, the
limits of each of which was defined by a line of soldiers. In the first
part, immediately in front of the palace, was a raised dais on which
the coronation was to take place; it was covered with a fringed canopy
of snowy cloth, and an enclosed passage led from it into the royal
residence. On each side was a lower platform for the newly elected
delegates of the people.

The second section was reserved for the nobles. And in the third as
many of the populace crowded as the space would hold.

The Americans had planned to make the ceremony as unpretentious as
possible. All the pomp and splendor that had previously attended the
crowning of a sovereign should be lacking. Only those things were
retained that were absolutely required by the ancient code of laws
to make the act legal and binding in the eyes of the nation. The
importance of the occasion should impress itself indelibly upon the
minds of the assembly by its seriousness and simplicity.

The sun was high in the heavens when all was in readiness. A single
herald stepped from behind the curtains that hid the stage from
view and, raising a silver bugle, blew a loud blast. Instantly all
conversation was hushed, and a breathless silence fell upon the
throng. A second blast, but not so loud as the first, rang out upon
the still, morning air. And then a third, so low and plaintive that it
was scarcely audible, and seemed to die with a sob. Then the trumpeter
withdrew.

One hundred youths, dressed in simple blue tunics, with bare arms and
legs, now filed out of the palace with slow, measured steps. On their
shoulders they carried a massive golden chain, each link of which was
four inches long. They formed a semicircle in front of the soldiers
between the first and second sections--a kind of barrier between the
king and the people.

When they had taken their places six trumpeters appeared on the stage
and sounded the three blasts, as before, in unison. Then the curtains
were slowly drawn aside revealing the massive throne of wrought gold
that had been removed from the palace; beside it stood Ted, dressed in
the robes of Villac Umu, and in front of him knelt an attendant holding
a white cushion, upon which rested the _borla_, or crimson fringe, that
had been given to them by Quizquiz on the ledge the night he had saved
them from the tiger, and which was the diadem of the kingly office.

Once more the bugles sounded, but this time it was the royal fanfare of
twelve loud blasts; it announced the coming of the one to be crowned
king. At last the great moment had arrived. The assembled thousands
uncovered their heads and reverently awaited the appearance of their
white ruler.

A single figure walked out upon the stage, clad in a simple white tunic
and scarlet sandals. Not a jewel, not an ornament of gold, adorned
the newcomer, and this fact alone was unexpected and startling to the
multitude. But the thing that caused them to gasp in even greater
astonishment was that the lone figure was not Stanley--but Quizquiz.
They were speechless with amazement. Where a thunderous roar should
have greeted the appearance of the sovereign, there was the silence of
death.

Quizquiz, pale but unafraid, stood in the centre of the dais and
faced the people. He said nothing, but in his eyes there shone a new
light that bespoke courage, firmness of purpose, and at the same time
repentance. After standing quietly for a few minutes he spoke in a
clear, steady voice:

“The past cannot be recalled. You know what my conduct was. I have no
excuses to make. I was a fool. Judge me as you will, do with me as you
will. I am ready to abide by your decision.”

The surprise had been so overwhelming that for a short time no one was
able to utter a word. They simply stared, unable to believe their eyes.
But finally Huascar, he who had been condemned to be boiled in oil,
assumed the rôle of spokesman:

“It is Quizquiz,” he cried hoarsely, “who wanted to kill us. Where is
the white man who saved all of us and who was chosen to be king? Has
this evil one done away with our benefactor, who came from the sky and
whose commands even the sun obeys? Is he usurping the power given to
another and which he so shamefully gave up?”

“The white king!” other voices took up the cry. “We want the white
king who saved us from the darkness and the demons, and----”

At this juncture Stanley, who had been waiting on the rear of the
stage, thought it best to show himself. His appearance was the signal
for a demonstration of welcome that sounded like the rumble of thunder.

“Hail! Hail the king!” and “Let him be crowned at once!” the multitude
shouted until Stanley raised his hand to command silence.

“I am not unappreciative of this, the greatest of all honors, which you
offer me,” he said with feeling, “and I thank you. My companion and I
did not come here to rule you.”

“You saved the nation from destruction,” Huascar shouted. “Do not
desert us now.”

“Our work is finished. Therefore we shall return again to our own
people.”

“And leave us to the mercy of Quizquiz the Tyrant? Never!”

“Wait! Quizquiz is the son of Huayna Capac, whom you all loved and
venerated for his many noble qualities. Does it seem possible that
the son of the Inca so justly beloved for his kindness, justice, and
understanding should have inherited none of his father’s greatness?”

“He has never shown it. He was cruel and unjust and selfish. He
treated us like vermin, and tried to exterminate us.”

“No one knows that better than I, unless it is Quizquiz himself. But
listen, and when you have heard my words you will understand; and,
understanding, you will agree that what we would do is for the best.”

Stanley then related how they had found Quizquiz in the crater, alone,
and with only a fragile bow and arrows, surrounded by strange and
terrible beasts, and of the courage he displayed in facing them; how he
had saved their lives when the tiger was about to spring upon them, and
how he had climbed to the ledge and voluntarily surrendered his crown
after acknowledging the wrongs of his past life. Finally, he told of
the months during which they had kept him under constant observation,
and of the decision they had reached regarding his future.

“Furthermore,” he concluded, “we have surrounded you with safeguards
for the future. The code of laws has been revised, and the
death-penalty abolished, so your lives are safe. Every person accused
of a crime or offense will be considered innocent until proven
guilty in a fair trial, by the regularly constituted court. The king
may suggest new laws, or changes in the existing ones, but unless
two-thirds of the representatives, chosen by the people, agree with
him they shall not be effective. But to all government there must be
a head. Quizquiz is your king by law and heritage. Respect him as such
and he will rule wisely and well in return for your devotion. We are
sure of this or we should not ask you to take him back.”

“Truly, the white man’s words are those of a god, and not of a mortal!”
Huascar exclaimed. “The things he says must be true, for have we not
had proof of his powers? To keep him here against his wishes would be
poor gratitude for his goodness--and, anyway, he would find a way to
leave us if he so desired. A great light is dawning upon me. Instead
of taking advantage of our helplessness, the men from the outer world
have made over our king and are giving him back to us. They could have
power and riches, but their unselfishness causes them to reject the
temptation. Let us kneel in gratitude and bless them.”

The words of Huascar had a magical effect, which only proves how easily
mobs are swayed provided there is a strong leader among them. As one
man the mass of people obeyed, and as they knelt Stanley spoke to them
for the last time:

“Receive your king with the acclamation that is due him,” he said.

Then Quizquiz advanced and extended his hands toward his people. The
roar that greeted him left no doubt in the minds of the Americans of
the success of their plan. So Ted came forward and placed the crimson
fringe on Quizquiz’s head; then he stepped back three paces, saluted
the new king smartly, and followed Stanley into the passage.

Quizquiz descended the steps and taking a sword cut a cord that joined
two links in the golden chain, whereupon the youths carrying it stepped
aside, leaving an opening in the centre. The Inca then invited the
twenty-four representatives of the people to follow him up the dais and
take their places by his side. After that he delivered a short address,
lauding the Americans for their work and thanking them, and assuring
his subjects that henceforth his life would be devoted to their welfare.

The crowd was delirious with joy. It was one of the happiest days in
the lives of the populace, for, despite their denunciation of Quizquiz
in the hour of panic, old beliefs die hard, and most of them still
felt deep in their hearts the old reverence for the Child of the Sun,
and were glad to have him back. And they celebrated the festival for
a period of ten days. They also rejoiced over the fact that Villac
Umu, the real cause of all the trouble, had been banished to the high
slopes, to be a herder of llamas.

       *       *       *       *       *

Quizquiz had arranged an impressive demonstration to commemorate the
departure of the Americans. By his command every inhabitant of the
valley capable of making the trip had journeyed to the foot of the
range that formed the western enclosure of the hidden retreat. There
was to be a gala celebration, after which the strangers would depart
through the secret pass that opened up once every ten years.

During the first day there were music, dancing, and feasting. On the
second all the nobles came to bid the two farewell, and to offer their
well-wishes for a safe and speedy return to their homes. On the morning
of the third day a surprising thing occurred. Soncco, who was master of
ceremonies, had arranged a startling spectacle. At his command a number
of menials removed the covering from what had appeared to be a great
heap of wood or stones. To their surprise they saw that it was a great
mound of gold.

“Assembled here is all the treasure in the valley,” Soncco said
solemnly. “Gold has been the curse of the nation, but we are determined
to be cursed with it no longer. So much of the gold and precious stones
as one hundred men can carry on their backs will be sent with our white
friends to the outer world, as a token of the Inca’s appreciation of
their unselfish service to him and to the people. The remainder will be
destroyed.”

To the astonishment of Ted and Stanley a long line of men began filing
past the glistening heap. Each one picked up as much of the treasure
as he could carry, and started up the slope to the rim of one of the
numerous craters; there the precious burdens were dropped into the
volcano.

Not until dusk did the homeward journey commence. The people had
been sent away to their own homes. Only Quizquiz and his attendants,
Soncco, and the hundred soldiers with their officers remained with the
Americans. After embracing the two the Inca gave the officers their
final orders. Then he turned to Ted and Stanley.

“As I have told you before, the journey to the coast is not a long
one--ten days at most. You will be among my people all of the time, for
the trail runs through a region into which white men never venture.
Food will be supplied by the villages through which you pass. On the
shore of the great water stands the town of Tula. There you may safely
store your treasure until such time as you care to remove it; the
inhabitants are my faithful subjects, and my orders to serve you in
every way will not be disobeyed. Good-by.”

Soncco accompanied the two to the very end of the narrow passage
between the seething volcanoes.

“Before you go,” he said with a merry gleam in his bright eyes, “I
want to tell you something. That eclipse of the sun came at a very
opportune moment for all of us.”

“What!” both Ted and Stanley exclaimed in chagrin. “You knew about it?”

“Of course, and so did all the other amautas, for do we not know
everything? Eclipses have occurred before, and we have records of them,
but the Inca and the people are not told about such things. If we told
them everything we know we should lose our standing among them.”

“Then why did you help us and seem so reluctant about doing it?” Ted
asked.

“Because, from my knowledge of you, gained during your previous visit
here, and also this one, I felt that you could be trusted. But I wanted
to test you in every way so as to be sure. You acted just as I expected
you would. Quizquiz was getting intolerable, and something had to be
done. You offered the solution.”

“And now, Soncco,” Stanley said smiling, “let me tell you something.
You made a great show of destroying all that treasure. We should have
believed that you did actually have it thrown into a seething volcano
were it not for the fact that early this morning we saw a number of
soldiers go up the slope and disappear into the very place they later
carried the gold to. The carriers simply handed it over the rim,
carefully, to those others waiting to receive it. To-morrow, no doubt,
they will bring it out again.”

Soncco appeared confused and panic-stricken.

“Do not fear,” Stanley hastened to assure him. “You said you trusted
us. Continue to do so. Your secret is safe with us. We shall never
return under any circumstances, and we shall never tell any one else,
either. I swear it!”

“And I,” added Ted.

“Good-by. And may the greatest blessings of life be yours. I shall
always remember you with gratitude, and the story of your visit will be
handed down from generation to generation by the amautas as part of the
history of the nation.”

One of the officers gave a sharp command and the column of men, each
carrying a pack containing one hundred pounds of gold and gems on his
back, started forward. Ted and Stanley followed.

An hour later they were descending a green slope, their first glimpse
of the outer world in many months. They were happy, for they were on
the way home.




TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:


  Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.

  Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

  Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.

  Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 69515 ***