UNDER THE ANDES........................................................................................................................................1

Rex Stout ..................................................................................................................................................1

The scene was not exactly new to me. Moved by the spirit of adventure, or by an access of ennui which

overtakes me at times, I had several times visited the gaudy establishment of Mercer, on the fashionable side

of Fifth Avenue in the Fifties. In either case I had found disappointment; where the stake is a matter of

indifference there can be no excitement; and besides, I had been always in luck.

But on this occasion I had a real purpose before me, though not an important one, and I surrendered my hat

At the entrance to the main room I met Bob Garforth, leaving. There was a scowl on his face and his hand

"Harry is inside. What a rotten hole," said he, and passed on. I smiled at his remarkit was being whispered

about that Garforth had lost a quarter of a million at Mercer's within the month and passed inside.

Gaudy, I have said it was, and it needs no other word. Not in its elements, but in their arrangement.

The rugs and pictures and hangings testified to the taste of the man who had selected them; but they were

The room, which was unusually large, held two or three leather divans, an English buffet, and many easy

Groups of men were gathered about each of the three roulette wheels ranged along the farther side. Through a

door to the left could be seen the poker tables, surrounded by grave or jocular faces. Above the low buzz of

conversation there sounded the continual droning voices of the croupiers as they called the winning numbers,

I made my way to the center wheel and stood at the rear of the crowd surrounding it.

The ball rolled; there was a straining of necks amid an intense silence; then, as the little pellet wavered and

finally came to a rest in the hole number twentyfour a fervent oath of disappointment came from some one

The next moment, rising on tiptoe to look over the intervening shoulders, I found myself looking into the

I pushed my way through and stood at his side. There was no sound from the group of onlookers; it is not to

"My dear boy," said I, "I missed you at dinner. And though this may occupy your mind, it can scarcely fill

Harry looked at me. His face was horribly pale and his eyes bloodshot; they could not meet mine.

"For Heaven's sake, Paul, let me alone," he said, hardly above a whisper. "I have lost ninety thousand."

"That's nothing," I whispered back. "But you are making a show of yourself. Just now you were swearing like

a sailor. See how your hand trembles! You were not made for this, Harry; it makes you forget that you're a

"But I say I have lost ninety thousand dollars," said the boy, and there was wildness in his eye. "Let me alone,

His mouth was drawn tight and his eyes glared sullenly as those of a stubborn child. Clearly it was impossible

to get him away without making a scene, which was unthinkable. For a moment I was at a complete loss; then

I silenced him with a glance and turned to my brother, having decided in an instant on the only possible

He looked at me for a moment in hesitation, then rose without a word and I took his place.

The thing was tiresome enough, but how could I have avoided it? The blood that rushes to the head of the

gambler is certainly not food for the intellect; and, besides, I was forced by circumstances into an heroic

attitudeand nothing is more distasteful to a man of sense. But I had a task before me; if a man lays bricks

he should lay them well; and I do not deny that there was a stirring of my pulse as I sat down.

Is it possible for a mind to directly influence the movements of a little ivory ball? I do not say yes, but will

you say no? I watched the ball with the eye of an eagle, but without straining; I played with the precision of a

man with an unerring system, though my selections were really made quite at random; and I handled my bets

with the sureness and swift dexterity with which a chessmaster places his pawn or piece in position to

This told on the nerves of the croupier. Twice I corrected a miscalculation of his, and before I had played an

The details would be tiresome, but I won; and when, after six hours of play without an instant's rest, I rose

exhausted from my chair and handed my brother the amount he had lostI pocketed a few thousands for

myself in addition. There were some who tried to detain me with congratulations and expressions of

The chauffeur, poor devil, was completely stiff from the long wait, and I ordered him into the tonneau and

Partly was this due to pity for the driver, partly to a desire to leave Harry to his own thoughts, which I knew

must be somewhat turbulent. He was silent during the drive, which was not long, and I smiled to myself in

the darkness of the early morning as I heard, now and then, an uncontrollable sigh break through his dry lips.

I preceded him up the stoop and into the hall of the old house on lower Fifth Avenue, near Tenth Street, that

had been the home of our grandfather and our father before us. There, in the dim light, I halted and turned,

The boy's nerves were stretched tightly; two words from me would have produced an explosion. So I clapped

him on the shoulder and sent him off to bed. He went sulkily, without looking round, and his shoulders

drooped like those of an old man; but I reflected that that would all be changed after a few hours of sleep.

"After all, he is a Lamar," I said to myself as I ordered Evans to bring wine and sandwiches to the library.

It was the middle of the following afternoon before Harry appeared downstairs. He had slept eleven hours. I

After he had eaten his "breakfast for five" he came in to see me with the air of a man who was determined to

I myself was in no mood for talk; indeed, I scarcely ever am in such a mood, unless it be with a pretty woman

or a great sinner. You may regard that sentence as tautological if you like; I sha'n't quarrel about it.

What I mean to say is that it was with a real effort I set myself to the distasteful task before me, rendered

necessary by the responsibility of my position as elder brother and head of the family.

Harry began by observing with assumed indifference: "Well, and now there's the deuce to pay, I suppose."

"My boy, there is always the deuce to pay. If not for one thing, then for another. So your observation would

serve for any other time as well as now. The point is this: you are ten years younger than I, and you are under

"Well?" said Harry, lighting a cigarette and seating himself on the arm of a chair.

"You have often thought," I continued, "that I have been trying to interfere with your freedom. But you are

"When our father and mother died you were fifteen years of age. You are now twentytwo; and I take some

credit for the fact that those seven years have left no stain, however slight, on the name of Lamar."

"Nothing irremediable, but you must admit that now and then I have been at no small pains toerassist

you. But there, I don't intend to speak of the past; and to tell the truth, I suspect that we are of one mind. You

regard me as more or less of an encumbrance; you think your movements are hampered; you consider

"Well, for my part, I find my dutyfor such I consider itgrows more irksome every day. If I am in your

way, you are no less in mine. To make it short, you are now twentytwo years old, you chafe at restraint, you

think yourself abundantly able to manage your own affairs. WellI have no objection."

But he wanted to talk, and I humored him. For two hours we sat, running the scale from business to

sentiment, and I must confess that I was more than once surprised by a flash from Harry. Clearly he was

developing, and for the first time I indulged a hope that he might prove himself fit for selfgovernment.

At least I had given him the rope; it remained for time to discover whether or not he would avoid getting

tangled up in it. When we had finished we understood each other better, I think, than we ever had before; and

Three days later I sailed for Europe, leaving Harry in New York. It was my first trip across in eighteen

months, and I aimed at pleasure. I spent a week in London and Munich, then, disgusted with the actions of

some of my fellow countrymen with whom I had the misfortune to be acquainted, I turned my face south for

A woman not beautiful, but eminently satisfying; not loose, but liberal, with a character and a heart. In more

ways than one she was remarkable; she had an affection for me; indeed, some years previously I had been in

a way to play Albert Savaron to her Francesca Colonna, an arrangement prevented only by my constitutional

dislike for any prolonged or sustained effort in a world the slave of vanity and folly.

It was from the lips of this friend that I first heard the name of Desiree Le Mire.

It was late in the afternoon on the fashionable drive. Long, broad, and shady, though scarcely cool, it was

here that we took our daily carriage exercise; anything more strenuous is regarded with horror by the ladies of

There was a shout, and a sudden hush; all carriages were halted and their occupants uncovered, for royalty

was passing. The coach, a magnificent though cumbersome affair, passed slowly and gravely by. On the rear

seat were the princess and her little English cousin, while opposite them sat the great duke himself

By his side was a young man of five and twenty with a white face and weak chin, and glassy, meaningless

eyes. I turned to my companion and asked in a low tone who he was. Her whispered answer caused me to

"My dear," said I, "you must remember that for the past year and a half I have been buried in the land of pork

and gold. The gossip there is neither of the poet nor the court. I am ignorant of everything."

"You would not have been so much longer," said my friend, "for Desiree is soon going to America. Who is

she? No one knows. What is she? Well, she is all things to some men, and some things to all men. She is a

"She dances and loves, and, I presume, eats and sleeps. For the past two years she has bewitched him"she

pointed down the drive to where the royal coach was disappearing in the distance "and he has given her

"It was for her that the Duke of Bellarmine built the magnificent chalet of which I was telling you on Lake

Lucerne. You remember that Prince Dolansky shot himself 'for political reasons' in his Parisian palace? But

for Desiree he would be alive today. She is a witch and a shedevil, and the most completely fascinating

"Yes. It is to be supposed that she has heard that every American is a king, and it is no wonder if she is tired

I laughed and pressed her hand, assuring her that I had no intention of allowing myself to be bewitched by a

shedevil; but as our carriage turned and started back down the long drive toward the hotel I found myself

I stayed two weeks longer in Madrid. At the end of that time, finding myself completely bored (for no woman

can possibly be amusing for more than a month at a time), I bade my friend au revoir and departed for the

East. But I found myself just too late for an archeological expedition into the heart of Egypt, and after a

tiresome week or so in Cairo and Constantinople I again turned my face toward the west.

At Rome I met an old friend, one Pierre Janvour, in the French diplomatic service, and since I had nothing

better to do I accepted his urgent invitation to join him on a vacation trip to Paris.

But the joys of Paris are absurd to a man of thirtytwo who has seen the world and tasted it and judged it.

Still I found some amusement; Janvour had a pretty wife and a daughter eight years old, daintily beautiful,

I really found myself on the point of envying him; Mme. Janvour was a most excellent housekeeper and

manager. Little Eugenie and I would often walk together in the public gardens, and now and then her mother

would join us; and, as I say, I found myself on the point of envying my friend Janvour.

This diversion would have ended soon in any event; but it was brought to an abrupt termination by a

cablegram from my New York lawyers, asking me to return to America at once. Some rascality it was, on the

part of the agent of my estate, which had alarmed them; the cablegram was bare of detail. At any rate, I could

not afford to disregard it, and arranged passage on a liner sailing from Cherbourg the following day.

My hostess gave me a farewell dinner, which heightened my regret at being forced to leave, and little

Eugenie seemed really grieved at my departure. It is pleasant to leave a welcome behind you; that is really the

Janvour took me to the railroad station, and even offered to accompany me to Cherbourg; but I refused to tear

We stood on the platform arguing the matter, when I suddenly became aware of that indistinct flutter and

bustle seen in public places at some unusual happening or the unexpected arrival of a great personage.

In the first place, the daintiest little electric brougham in the world, fragile and delicate as a toya fairy's

I caught a glimpse of glorious golden hair, softly massive; grayblue eyes shot with lightning, restless,

devouring, implacable, indescribably beautiful; a skin wondrously fine, with the purity of marble and the

warmth of velvet; nose and mouth rather too large, but perfectly formed and breathing the fire and power of

love. Really it was rather later that I saw all this; at the time there was but a confused impression of elegance

She passed from the brougham to her railway carriage supremely unconscious of the hundreds of eyes turned

on her, and a general sigh of satisfaction and appreciation came from the throng as she disappeared within her

"What?" he exclaimed in surprise. "But my dear Lamar, not to know her argues one a barbarian."

"Well, you will have an opportunity. She is going to America, and, since she is on this train, she will, of

It developed, luckily for me, that my lawyers had allowed themselves to become unduly excited over a trifle.

A discrepancy had been discovered in my agent's accounts; it was clearly established that he had been

speculating; but the fellow's excessive modesty and moderation had saved me from any serious

Some twenty thousand or so was the amount, and I did not even put myself to the trouble of recovering it. I

placed a friend of mine, a plodder and one of those chaps who are honest on account of lack of imagination,

My experiment with Harry had proved a complete success. Left to the management of his own affairs, he had

shown a wisdom and restraint none the less welcome because unexpected. He was glad to see me, and I was

Bob Garforth, having gambled away his entire patrimony, had shot and killed himself on the street; Mrs.

Ludworth had publicly defied gossip and smiled with favor on young Driscoll; the new director of the

Metropolitan Museum had announced himself an enemy to tradition and a friend of progress; and Desiree Le

The newspapers were full of her and filled entire columns with lists of the kings, princes, and dukes who had

Bets were made on her nationality, the color of her eyes, the value of her pearls, the number of suicides she

had caused corresponding, in some sort, to the notches on the gun of a Western bad man. Gowns and hats

It was announced that her engagement at the Stuyvesant would open in ten days, and when the boxoffice

opened for the advance sale every seat for every performance was sold within a few hours.

In the mean time the great Le Mire kept herself secluded in her hotel. She had appeared but once in the public

diningroom, and on that occasion had nearly caused a riot, whereupon she had discreetly withdrawn. She

I had not mentioned her name to Harry, nor had I heard him speak of her, until one evening about two weeks

We were at dinner and had been discussing some commonplace subject, from which, by one of the freaks of

"The Russians are preeminent," said I, "because they possess both the inspirationthe fireand the

training. In no other nation or school are the two so perfectly joined. In the Turkish dancers there is perfect

grace and freedom, but no life. In Desiree Le Mire, for example, there is indeed life; but she has not had the

"Not on the stage," I answered; "but I crossed on the same ship with her, and she was kind enough to give me

a great deal of her time. She seems to understand perfectly her own artistic limitations, and I am taking her

But Harry was no longer interested in the subject of dancing. I was besieged on the instant with a thousand

Had I known Le Mire long? What was she like? Was it true that Prince Dolansky had shot himself in despair

at losing her? Was she beautiful? How well did I know her? Would I take him to see her?

And within half an hour the last question was repeated so many times and with such insistence that I finally

My own experience with Desiree Le Mire had been anything but exciting. The woman was interesting; there

could be no doubt of that; but she possessed little attraction for me. Her charms, on close inspection, were

I require subtlety in a woman, and so far as I could discover Le Mire knew not the meaning of the word. We

had spent many hours during the trip across in pleasant companionship; she had done me the honor to tell me

that she found my conversation amusing; and, after all, she was undeniably a pretty woman. She had invited

me with evident sincerity to call on her in New York; but I had not as yet taken advantage of the invitation.

I did not then think, and I do not now believe, that I acted foolishly when I took Harry to see her. In any

event, he would have seen her sooner or later, and since all temptations meet us at one time or another, it is

best to have it out with them at as early a date as possible. At the time, indeed, I gave the subject no thought

We took tea with her the following afternoon in her apartment, and I must confess that I myself was more

than a little impressed when I entered. I realized then that on the ship nothing had been in her favor; she had

Here all was different. The stiffly ostentatious hotel rooms, by her own genius or that of her maid, had been

transformed into something very nearly approaching perfection. I was amazed at the excellent taste displayed

in her furniture and its arrangement, for it was clear that these were no hotel properties. Certainly a woman is

Harry was captivated, and I can scarcely blame him. But the poor lad betrayed himself so frankly! Though I

On that day, at least, she had reason to expect it. She satisfied the eye, which is saying a great deal and is the

highest praise possible for a woman's beauty, when you consider the full strength of the word.

She was radiant, adorable, irresistible; I had to own that my first impression of her had been far too weak.

We talked for an hour. Harry had little to say as he sat devouring Le Mire with his eyes, and whenever she

turned to him for an answer to a question or confirmation of an opinion he stammered and kept his

composure with difficulty. Never, I suppose, did woman have clearer evidence of her power, nor sweeter, for

Harry was by no means a fool to be carried away by the first pretty face that came in his way.

She simply overwhelmed him, and I repeat that I do not wonder at it, for my own pulse was not exactly

I pleaded an engagement at the club and signed to Harry to do likewise; but he was completely gone and paid

He accepted the invitation gratefully, with frank delight, and I left them together.

It was about ten o'clock when he came home that evening. I was seated in the library and, hearing him enter

What a face was his! His lips trembled with nervous feeling, his eyes glowed like the eyes of a madman. I

"I have no time," said he in answer to my invitation to join me with a bottle. "I have a letter or two to write,

"She is hardly your kind, Harry. You know that. You aren't going in for this sort of thing?"

"Yes, you do, Hal. You know exactly what I mean. To put the thing plainly, Le Mire is a dangerous

womannone more so in all the world; and, Harry boy, be sure you keep your head and watch your step."

He stood for a moment looking at me in silence with a halfangry frown, then opened his mouth as though to

speak, and finally turned, without a word, and started for the door. There he turned again uncertainly,

"I am to ride with Desiree in the morning," said he, and the next moment was gone.

I think I smiled for an hour over that; and, though my reflections were not free from apprehension, I really

felt but little anxiety. Not that I underrated Le Mire's fascination and power; to confess the truth, my ease of

mind was the result of my own vanity. Le Mire had flattered me into the belief that she was my friend.

A week passeda dull week, during which I saw little of Harry and Le Mire not at all. At the time, I

remember, I was interested in some chemical experimentsI am a dabbler with the tubesand went out but

little. Thenthis was on FridayHarry sought me out in the laboratory to tell me he was going away. In

I looked at him keenly, but said nothing. It would have done no good to force him into an equivocation by

questions. Early the next morning he departed, with three trunks, and with no further word to me save a

farewell. No sooner was he gone than I started for the telephone to call up Le Mire; but thought better of it

It was the following Monday that was to see the first appearance of Le Mire at the Stuyvesant. I had not

thought of going, but on Monday afternoon Billy Du Mont telephoned me that he had an extra ticket and

would like to have me join him. I was really a little curious to see Le Mire perform and accepted.

We dined at the club and arrived at the theater rather late. The audience was brilliant; indeed, though I had

been an ardent firstnighter for a year or two in my callow youth, I think I have never seen such a

Billy and I sat in the orchestraabout the twelfth rowand half the faces in sight were well known to me.

Whether Le Mire could dance or not, she most assuredly was, or had, a good pressagent. We were soon to

receive an exemplification of at least a portion of the reputation that had preceded her.

Many were the angry adjectives heaped on the head of the dancer on that memorable evening. Mrs. Frederick

Marston, I remember, called her an insolent hussy; but then Mrs. Frederick Marston was never original.

Others: rash, impudent, saucy, impertinent; in each instance accompanied by threats.

Indeed, it is little wonder if those people of fashion and wealth and position were indignant and sore. For they

had dressed and dined hastily and come all the way downtown to see Le Mire; they waited for her for two

The announcement was finally made by the manager of the theater at a little before eleveno'clock. He could

not understand, he saidthe poor fellow was on the point of wringing his hands with agitation and

She had rehearsed in the theater on the previous Thursday afternoon, and had then seemed to have every

intention of fulfilling her engagement. No one connected with the theater had seen her since that time, but

everything had gone smoothly; they had had no reason to fear such a contretemps as her nonappearance.

They had sent to her hotel; she was gone, bag and baggage. She had departed on Friday, leaving no word as

to her destination. They had asked the police, the hotels, the railroads, the steamship companiesand could

The manager only hopedhe hoped with all his heartthat his frank and unreserved explanation would

appease his kind patrons and prevent their resentment; that they would understand

I made my way out of the theater as rapidly as possible, with Billy Du Mont at my side, and started north on

"What a joke!" he exclaimed. "And gad, what a woman! She comes in and turns the town upside down and

I nodded, but said nothing. At FortySecond Street we turned east to Fifth Avenue, and a few minutes later

were at the club. I took Du Mont to a secluded corner of the grill, and there, with a bottle of wine between us,

"Billy," said I, "there's the deuce to pay. You're an old friend of mine, and you possess a share of discretion,

Then I explained in as few words as possible, and I ended, I think, with something like this:

"You know, Billy, there are very few things in the world I consider of any value. She can have the lad's

money, and, if necessary, my own into the bargain. But the name of Lamar must remain clean; and I tell you

Billy helped me, as I knew he would; nor did he insist on unnecessary details. I didn't need his assistance in

But it was certainly known that Harry had been calling on Le Mire at her hotel; conjectures were sure to be

made, leading to the assertions of busy tongues; and it was the part of my friend to counteract and smother

the inevitable gossip. This he promised to do; and I knew Billy. As for finding Harry, it was too late to do

The next morning I began by calling at her hotel. But though the manager of the theater had gotten no

I dared not go to the police, and probably they would have been unable to give me any assistance if I had

sought it. The only other possible source of information I disliked to use; but after racking my brain for the

better part of the day I decided that there was nothing else for it, and started on a round of the ticket offices of

I had immediate success. My first call was at the office where Harry and I were accustomed to arrange our

transportation. As I entered the head clerkor whatever they call himadvanced to greet me with a smile.

"Yes," said he in response to my question; "Mr. Lamar got his tickets from me. Let's seeThursday, wasn't

"Tickets!" I muttered to myself. And in my preoccupation I really neglected to listen to him. Then aloud:

That was all I wanted to know. I hurried home, procured a couple of hastily packed bags, and took the

My journey westward was an eventful one; but this is not a "History of Tom Jones," and I shall refrain from

detail. Denver I reached at last, after a week's stopover in Kansas City. It was a delightful adventurebut it

I left the train at the Rocky Mountain city about the middle of the afternoon. And now, what to do? I think I

am not a fool, but I certainly lack the training of a detective, and I felt perfectly rudderless and helpless as I

I was by no means sure that Harry had come to Denver. He was traveling with a bundle of animated caprice,

a creature who would have hauled him off the train at Rahway, New Jersey, if she had happened to take a

fancy to the place. At the moment, I reflected, they might be driving along Michigan Boulevard, or attending

Even if they were in Denver, how was I to find them? I keenly regretted the week I had lost. I was sure that

Harry would avoid any chance of publicity and would probably shun the big hotels. And Denver is not a

It was the beauty of Le Mire that saved me. Indeed, I might have foreseen that; and I have but poorly

portrayed the force of her unmatchable fascination unless you have realized that she was a woman who could

I made inquiries of the manager of the hotel, of course, but was brought up sharply when he asked me the

names of my friends for whom I was asking. I got out of it somehow, some foolish evasion or other, and

That same evening I dined at the home of my cousin, Hovey Stafford, who had come West some years before

on account of weak lungs, and stayed because he liked it. I met his wife that evening for the first time; she

may be introduced with the observation that if she was his reason for remaining in the provinces, never did

We were on the veranda with our afterdinner cigars. I was congratulating Hovey on the felicity of his choice

"Yes," said my cousin, with a sigh, "I never regretted it till last week. It will never be the same again."

Her husband, feigning the utmost woe, nodded mournfully; whereupon she began humming the air of the

This from a woman who was herself beautiful! Amazing! I suppose my face betrayed my thought.

"It isn't charity," she smiled. "Like John Holden, I have seen fireballoons by the hundred, I have seen the

Hovey explained. "She is the wife of Senor Ramal. They came here some ten days ago, with letters to one or

two of the best families, and that's all we know about them. The senora is an entrancing mixture of Cleopatra,

Sappho, Helen of Troy, and the devil. She had the town by the ears in twentyfour hours, and you wouldn't

"Hardly," said Hovey. "No midnight beauty for hers, thank you. Her hair is the most perfect gold. Her eyes

are green; her skin remarkably fair. What she may be is unknowable, but she certainly is not Spanish; and,

But I thought it needless to ask for a description of Harry; for I had no doubt of the identity of Senor Ramal

and his wife. I pondered over the name, and suddenly realized that it was merely "Lamar" spelled backward!

I asked in a tone of assumed indifference for their hotel, expressing a desire to meet themand was

informed by Hovey that they had left Denver two days previously, nor did he know where they had gone.

Thus did I face another obstacle. But I was on the track; and the perfume of a woman's beauty is the strongest

scent in the world as well as the sweetest. I thanked my cousin for a pleasant eveningthough he did not

know the extent of my debt to himand declined his urgent invitation to have my luggage brought to his

On my way to the hotel I was struck by a sudden thought: Senor Ramal could not be my brother or my cousin

would have recognized him! But I immediately reflected that the two had not seen each other for some ten

The following morning, with little difficulty, I ascertained the fact that the Ramals had departedat least

I followed. That same evening, when I registered at the Antlers Hotel, a few minutes before the dinner hour, I

turned over two pages of the book, and there before me was the entry, "Senor and Senora Ramal, Paris." It

After dinnera most excellent dinner, with melons from La Junta and trout from the mountain streamsI

descended on the hotel clerk with questions. He was most obliginga sharp, pleasant fellow, with prominent

"Senor and Senora Ramal? Most assuredly, sir. They have been here several days. No, they are not now in the

hotel. They left this afternoon for Manitou, to take dinner there, and are going to make the night trip up the

An idea immediately suggested itself to me. They would, of course, return to the hotel in the morning. All I

had to do was to sit down and wait for them; but that would have been dull sport. My idea was better.

I sought out the hotel's wardrobethere is nothing the Antlers will not do for youand clothed myself in

khaki, leggings, and boots. Then I ordered a car and set out for Manitou, at the foot of the mountain.

By ten o'clock I was mounted on a donkey, headed for the top, after having been informed by a guide that

Having made the ascent twice before, I needed no guide. So I decided; but I regretted the decision. Three

times I lost the path; once I came perilously near descending on the village belowwell, without hesitation.

It was well after midnight when I passed the Halfway House, and I urged my donkey forward with a

You who have experienced the philosophical calm and superb indifference of the Pike's Peak donkey may

imagine the vocabulary I used on this occasionI dare not print it. Nor did his speed increase.

I was, in fact, a quarter of an hour late. I was still several hundred yards from the summit when the sun's first

rays shot through the thin atmosphere, creating colorful riot among the clouds below, and I stopped, holding

There is no art nor poetry in that wonderful sight; it is glorious war. The sun charges forth in a vast flame of

inconceivable brilliance; you can almost hear the shout of victory. He who made the universe is no artist; too

I turned, almost regretting that I had come, for I had been put out of tune with my task. Then I mounted the

There, seated in the dazzling sunshine on the edge of a huge boulder near the eastern precipice, were the two

Le Mire's head was turned from me as she sat gazing silently at the tumbling, gorgeous mass of clouds that

seemed almost to be resting on her lap; Harry was looking at her. And such a look!

There was no rival even in nature that could conquer Le Mire; never, I believe, did woman achieve a more

notable victory than hers of that morning. I watched them for several minutes before I moved or spoke; and

Then I advanced a step, calling his name; and they turned and caught sight of me.

"Paul!" cried Harry, leaping to his feet; then he stopped short and stared at me half defiantly, half curiously,

moving close to Le Mire and placing his hand on her shoulder like a child clinging to a toy.

His companion had not moved, except to turn her head; but after the first swift shadow of surprise her face

brightened with a smile of welcome, for all the world as though this were a morning call in her boudoir.

"Senor and Senora Ramal, I believe?" said I with a smile, crossing to them with an exaggerated bow.

I could see Harry cocking his ear to catch the tone of my first words, and when he heard their friendliness a

grin overspread his face. He took his hand from Le Mire's shoulder and held it out to me.

Harry looked at me, then at his companion. "Of course," he agreed"of course. By Jove! that was stupid of

Whereupon Le Mire laughed with such frank enjoyment of the boy's simplicity that I couldn't help but join

"I want to know nothingat present," I interrupted. "It's nearly six o'clock, and since ten last night I've been

on top of the most perfectly imbecile donkey ever devised by nature. I want breakfast."

I pointed to the placeextreme charity might give it the title of innwhere smoke was rising from a tin

Soon we were seated inside with a pot of steaming black coffee before us. Harry was bubbling over with

gaiety and good will, evidently occasioned by my unexpected friendliness, while Le Mire sat for the most

part silent. It was easy to see that she was more than a little disturbed by my arrival, which surprised me.

I gazed at her with real wonder and increasing admiration. It was six in the morning; she had had no sleep,

and had just finished a most fatiguing journey of some eight hours; but I had never seen her so beautiful.

Le Mire turned to me, and I explained. Then she turned again to the surly host with a smile that must have

"Well, then, frried!" said she, rolling the "r" deliciously. "And you may bring me five, if you please."

It appeared that I was not the only hungry one. We ate leisurely and smoked more leisurely still, and started

It was late in the afternoon when we arrived at the Antlers. The trip was accomplished without accident, but

Le Mire was thoroughly exhausted and Harry was anything but fresh. That is the worst of mountain climbing:

the exaltation at the summit hardly pays you for the reaction at the foot. We entered the broad portico with

At dinner that evening Harry was in high spirits and took great delight in everything that was said, both witty

She made her impression; not a man in the wellfilled room but sent his tribute of admiring glances as she sat

seemingly unconscious of all but Harry and myself. That is always agreeable; a man owes something to the

I had intended to have a talk with Harry after dinner, but I postponed it; the morning would assuredly be

better. There was dancing in the salon, but we were all too tired to take advantage of it; and after listening to

one or two numbers, during which Le Mire was kept busy turning aside the importunities of wouldbe

It was late the next morning when the precious pair joined me in the garden, and when we went in for

breakfast we found the diningroom quite empty. We did not enjoy it as on the morning previous; the cuisine

was of the kind usuallyand in this case justlydescribed as "superior," but we did not have the same edge

We were not very talkative; I myself was almost taciturn, having before me the necessity of coming to an

understanding with Harry, a task which I was far from relishing. But there were certain things I must know.

"What do you say to a ride down the valley?" said Harry. "They have excellent horses here; I tried one of 'em

"Ugh!" said Le Mire with a shudder. "Never shall I forget that ride. Besides," she added, turning to Harry,

"this morning I would be in the way. Don't you know that your brother has a thousand things to say to you?

And she sent me a glance half defiant, half indifferent, which plainly said: "If I fight you, I shall win; but I

After breakfast she went to her roomto have her hair dressed, she saidand I led Harry to a secluded

corner of the magnificent grounds surrounding the hotel. During the walk we were both silent: Harry, I

suppose, was wondering what I was going to say, while I was trying to make up my own mind.

"I suppose," he began abruptly, "you are going to tell me I have acted like a fool. Go ahead; the sooner it's

"Of course," I continued, "Le Mire is a most amazing prize. Not exactly my style perhaps, but there are few

"But there were two things I feared for several reasonsLe Mire's fascination, your own youth and

impulsive recklessness, and the rather curious mode of your departure. I feared first and most that you would

Harry was regarding me with a smile which had in it very little of amusement; it held a tinge of bitterness.

"And so," he burst out suddenly, "you were afraid I would marry her! Well, I would. The last time I asked

"Bah!" I concealed my surprise, for I had really not thought it possible that the lad could be such a fool.

I stared at him for a moment in silence. Then I said: "Go and get her and bring her here. I'll find out what she

wants," and sat down on a bench to wait. Harry departed for the hotel without a word.

In a few minutes he returned with Le Mire. I rose and proffered her a seat on the bench, which she accepted

"Le Mire," said I, and I believe I frowned, "my brother tells me that you have been offered the name of

"Well," said I, "I am not a man of half measures, as you will soon see, Le Mire. Besides, I appreciate your

power. On the day," I continued with slow precision"on the day that you give me a contract to adhere to

She surprised me; I admit it. I had expected a burst of anger, with a touch of assumed hauteur; the surrender

to follow, for I had made the stake high. But as I stood looking down at her, waiting for the flash of her eye, I

was greeted by a burst of laughterthe frank laughter of genuine mirth. Then she spoke:

"Oh, you Americans! You are so funny! A million dollars! It is impossible that I should be angry after such a

compliment. Besides, you are so funny! Do you not know Le Mire? Am I not a princess if I desire

ittomorrowtoday? Bah! There is the worldis it not mine? Mrs. Lamar? Ugh! Pardon me, my friend,

"You know my ancestors? De L'Enclos, Montalais, Maintenon, La Marana! They were happyin their

wayand they were great. I must do nothing unworthy of them. Set your mind at rest, Mr. Lamar; but,

really, you should have known betteryou who have seen the world and Le Mire in Paris! And now our

Indeed I had not understood her. And how could I? There is only one such woman in a generation; sometimes

none, for nature is sparing of her favorites. By pure luck she sat before me, this twentiethcentury Marana,

"If you will forgive me, madame," I said, "I willnot attempt to make reparation, for my words were not

meant for you. Consider them unspoken. As for our amusement, why need it end? Surely, we can forget? I

see plainly I am not a St. Evremond, but neither am I a fool. My brother pleases youwell, there he is. As

for myself, I shall either stay to take care of you two children, or I shall return to New York, as you desire."

Le Mire looked at me uncertainly for a moment, then turned to Harry and with a fluttering gesture took his

hand in her own and patted it gaily. Then she laughed the happy laugh of a child as she said:

"Then it is well! And, monsieur, you are less an American than I thought. By all means, staywe shall be so

The events of the month that followed, though exciting enough, were of a similarity that would make their

We remained at Colorado Springs only two days after that morning in the garden. Le Mire, always in search

of novelty, urged us away, and, since we really had nothing in view save the satisfaction of her whims, we

consented. Salt Lake City was our next restingplace, but Le Mire tired of it in a day.

"I shall see the Pacific," she said to Harry and me, and we immediately set out for San Francisco.

Is it necessary for me to explain my attitude? But surely it explains itself. For one thing, I was disinclined to

leave Harry in a position where he was so abundantly unable to take care of himself. For another, I take

The vagaries and caprices of a beautiful woman are always interesting, and when you are allowed to study

them at close range without being under the necessity of acting the part of a faithful lover they become

Le Mire managed Harry with wonderful tact and finesse; I sat back and laughed at the performance, now and

then applying a check when her riotous imagination seemed likely to run away with us.

At San Francisco she achieved a triumph, notorious to the point of embarrassment. Paul Lamar, of New York,

had introduced himself into the highest circle of society, and in turn had introduced his friends, Senor and

Senora Ramal. The senora captured the town in a single night at a reception and ball on Telegraph Hill.

The day following there were several dozens of cards left for her at our hotel; invitations arrived by the score.

She accepted two or three and made the fortune of two drawingrooms; then suddenly tired of the sport and

insulted a most estimable lady, our hostess, by certain remarks which inadvertently reached the ears of the

She answered me with a smilestraightway proceeded to issue invitations for an "entertainment" at our

hotel. I had no idea what she meant to do; but gave the thing no thought, feeling certain that few, or none, of

the invitations would be accepted wherein I was badly mistaken, for not one was refused.

For myself it was barely interesting; I have passed the inner portals of the sacred temples of India, and the

human body holds no surprises for me. But the good people of San Francisco were shocked, astonished, and

entranced. Not a man in the room but was Le Mire's slave; even the women were forced to applaud. She

The newspapers of the following morning were full of it, running the scale of eulogy, admiration, and

wonder. And one of the articles, evidently written by a man who had been considerably farther east than San

In short, it was sublime, and with every movement and every gesture there was a something hidden, a

suggestion of a personality and mysterious charm that we have always heretofore considered the exclusive

property of just one woman in the world. But Desiree Le Mire is not in San Francisco; though we declare that

the performance of last evening was more than enough to rouse certain suspicions, especially in view of Le

I took the paper to Desiree in her room, and while she read the article stood gazing idly from a window. It

was about eleven in the morning; Harry had gone for a walk, saying that he would return in half an hour to

"But it is not well," I retorted, turning to face her. "I do not reproach you; you are being amused, and so, I

confess, am I. But your namethat is, Le Mirehas been mentioned, and discovery is sure to follow. We

She sent me a flashing glance, and for a moment I half expected an explosion. Then, seeming to think better

"But where? We can't go west without falling into the ocean, and I refuse to return. Where?"

"What would you say to a yachta hundred and twenty foot steamer, with a daredevil captain and the

"Bah!" Le Mire snapped her fingers to emphasize her incredulity. "It does not exist."

"But it does. Afloat and in commission, to be had for the asking and the necessary check. Dazzling white, in

perfect order, a second Antoine for a chef, rooms furnished as you would your own villa. What do you say?"

"Then I sayallons! Ah, my friend, you are perfection! I want to see it. Now! May I? Come!"

"Le Mire, you are positively a baby. Something new to play with! Well, you shall have it. But you haven't

had breakfast. We'll go out to see her this afternoon; in fact, I have already made an appointment with the

"Ah! Indeed, you are perfection. Andhow well you know me." She paused and seemed to be searching for

"I have saidanything in or out of reason. And, of course, I am one of the family."

I began to understand her, and I answered her somewhat dryly: "My dear Desiree, there can be none other."

"Ah!" It was a sigh rather than an exclamation. "And yet, on the shipdo you remember? Look at me, M.

Her lips were parted with tremulous feeling; her eyes glowed with a strange fire, and yet were tender. Indeed,

she was "worthy of a thought"dangerously so; I felt my pulse stir. It was necessary to assume a stoicism I

was far from feeling, and I looked at her with a cynical smile and spoke in a voice as carefully deliberate as I

"Le Mire," I said, "I could love you, but I won't." And I turned and left her without another word.

Why? I haven't the slightest idea. It must have been my vanity. Some few men had conquered Le Mire; others

had surrendered to her; certainly none had ever been able to resist her. There was a satisfaction in it. I walked

about the lobby of the hotel till Harry returned, idiotically pleased with myself.

At the breakfast table I acquainted Harry with our plans for a cruise, and he was fully as eager about it as Le

Mire had been. He wanted to weigh anchor that very afternoon. I explained that it was necessary to wait for

Then we fell to a discussion of routes. Harry was for Hawaii; Le Mire for South America.

I requested Le Mire to keep to the hotel as closely as possible for the days during which it was necessary for

I have never seen a creature so full of nervous energy and fire; only by severe restraint could she force herself

to even a small degree of composure. Harry was with her nearly every minute, though what they found to talk

about was beyond my comprehension. Neither was exactly bubbling over with ideas, and one cannot say "I

It was a cool, sunny day in the latter part of October when we weighed anchor and passed through the Golden

Gate. I had leased the yacht for a year, and had made alternative plans in case Le Mire should tire of the

She and Harry were delighted with the yacht, which was not surprising, for she was as perfect a craft as I

have seen. Sides white as seafoam; everything above decks of shining brass, below mahogany, and as clean

and shipshape as a Dutch kitchen. There were five rooms besides the captain's, and a receptionroom,

diningroom, and library. We had provisioned her well, and had a jewel of a cook.

Our first port was Santa Catalina. We dropped anchor there at about five o'clock in the afternoon of such a

day as only southern California can boast of, and the dingey was lowered to take us ashore.

"What is there?" asked Le Mire, pointing to the shore as we stood leaning on the rail waiting for the crew to

I laughed and went forward to the captain to tell him that madame did not approve of Santa Catalina. In

another minute the dingey was back on its davits, the anchor up, and we were under way. Poor captain!

At San Diego we went ashore. Le Mire took a fancy to some Indian blankets, and Harry bought them for her;

but when she expressed an intention to take an Indian girlabout sixteen or seventeen years oldaboard the

yacht as a "companion," I interposed a firm negative. And, after all, she nearly had her way.

For a month it was "just one port after another." Mazatlan, San Bias, Manzanillo, San Salvador, Panama

Cityat each of these we touched, and visited sometimes an hour, sometimes two or three days. Le Mire

was loading the yacht with all sorts of curious relics. Ugly or beautiful, useful or worthless, genuine or faked,

At Guayaquil occurred the first collision of wills. It was our second evening in port. We were dining on the

deck of the yacht, with half a dozen South American generals and admirals as guests.

Toward the end of the dinner Le Mire suddenly became silent and remained for some minutes lost in thought;

then, suddenly, she turned to the bundle of gold lace at her side with a question:

"It is there, senora," he said finally, pointing to the shore lined with twinkling lights.

The poor fellow, too surprised to be offended, stammered the name of his native land between gasps, while

"Ah," said Desiree in the tone of one who has made an important discovery, "I thought so. Ecuador.

The generalor admiral, I forget whichacknowledged the correctness of her geography with a profound

"But yes. I have often heard of Quito, monsieur. It is a very interesting place. I shall go to Quito."

There ensued immediately a babel. Each of our guests insisted on the honor of accompanying us inland, and

the thing would most assuredly have ended in a bloody quarrel on the captain's polished deck, if I had not

Le Mire looked at meand such a look! Then she said in a tone of the utmost finality:

"M. Lamar," she burst forth, "I tell you I am going to Quito! In spite of your smile! Yes! Do you hear? I shall

Without a word I took a coin from my pocket and held it up. I had come to know Le Mire. She frowned for a

moment in an evident attempt to maintain her anger, then an irresistible smile parted her lips and she clapped

The coin fell tails, and we did not go to Quito, much to the disappointment of our guests. Le Mire forgot all

This historic old port delighted Le Mire at once. I had told her something of its story: its successive

bombardments by the liberators from Chile, the Spanish squadron, buccaneering expeditions from Europe

and the Chilean invaders; not to mention earthquakes and tidal waves. We moored alongside the stone pier by

the lighthouse; the old clock at its top pointed to the hour of eight in the morning.

But as soon as Le Mire found out that Lima was but a few miles away, Callao no longer held any interest for

There it was, in picturesque old Lima, that Le Mire topped her career. On our first afternoon we betook

ourselves to the fashionable paseo, for it was a band day, and all Lima was out.

In five minutes every eye in the gay and fashionable crowd was turned on Le Mire. Then, as luck would have

it, I met, quite by chance, a friend of mine who had come to the University of San Marcos some years before

as a professor of climatology. He introduced us, with an air of importance, to several of the groups of fashion,

and finally to the president himself. That night we slept as guests under the roof of a luxurious and charming

Le Mire took the capital by storm. Her style of beauty was peculiarly fitted for their appreciation, for pallor is

considered a mark of beauty among Lima ladies. But that could scarcely account for her unparalleled

The president himself sat by her at the opera. There were two duels attributed to her within a week; though

On society day at the bullring the cues were given by Le Mire; her hand flung the rose to the matador, while

the eight thousand excited spectators seemed uncertain whether they were applauding her or him. Lima was

But Le Mire soon tired of it, as was to be expected. She greeted me one morning at the breakfast table:

"My friend Paul, let us go to Cerro de Pasco. They have silverthousands and thousands of tonsand what

So we went to Cerro de Pasco. I wrote to Captain Harris, telling him not to expect us for another month or so,

I verily believe that every one of note in Lima came to the railroad station to see us off.

Our compartment was a mass of flowers, which caused me to smile, for Le Mire, curiously enough, did not

like them. When we had passed out of the city she threw them out of the window, laughing and making jokes

We arrived at Oroya late in the afternoon, and departed for Cerro de Pasco by rail on the following morning.

This ride of sixtyeight miles is unsurpassed in all the world. Snowcapped peaks, bottomless precipices,

huge masses of boulders that seem ready to crush the train surround you on every side, and now and then are

Le Mire was profoundly impressed; indeed, I had not supposed her to possess the sensibility she displayed;

and as for me, I was most grateful to her for having suggested the trip. You who find yourselves too

wellacquainted with the Rockies and the Alps and the Himalayas should try the Andes. There is a surprise

We found Cerro de Pasco, interesting as its situation is, far short of our expectations. It is a mining town,

filled with laborers and speculators, noisy, dirty, and coarse. We had been there less than fortyeight hours

"Bah! And you call yourself a traveler? Look! The snow! My friend Paul, must I ask twice for a favor?"

Ah, if Le Mire had only seen the future! And yetI often wonderwould she have turned her back? For the

woman craved novelty and adventure, and the gameness of centuries was in her bloodwell, she had her

Those snowcapped peaks! Little did we guess what they held for us. We were laughing, I remember, as we

We found it impossible to procure a complete outfit in the mining town, and were forced to despatch a

messenger to Lima. He returned in two days with mules, saddles, saddlebags, boots, leather leggings,

knickerbockers, woolen ponchos, and scores of other articles which he assured us were absolutely necessary

for any degree of comfort. By the time we were ready to start we had a goodsized packtrain on our hands.

The proprietor of the hotel found us an arriero, whom he declared to be the most competent and trustworthy

guide in all the Andesa long, loosejointed fellow with an air of complete indifference habitually resting

on his yellow, rather sinisterlooking face. Le Mire did not like him, but I certainly preferred the hotel

proprietor's experience and knowledge to her volatile fancy, and engaged the arriero on the spot.

Our outfit was complete, and everything in readiness, when Harry suddenly announced that he had decided

"I don't like it," he said in troubled tones. "I tell you, Paul, I don't like it. I've been talking to some of the

Then, seeing the expression on my face, he continued hastily: "Oh, not for myself. You know me; I'll do

anything that any one else will do, and more, if I can. But Desiree! I tell you, if anything happened to her

"My dear boy, the idea is Desiree's own. And to talk of danger where she is concerned! She would laugh at

"Come, brace up! Our caravan awaits usand see, the fairy, too. Are you ready, Desiree?"

She came toward us from the inner rooms of the hotel, smiling, radiant. I shall never forget the picture she

presented. She wore white knickerbockers, a white jacket, tanleather boots and leggings and a khaki hat.

Her golden hair, massed closely about her ears and upon her forehead, shimmered in the bright sun

dazzlingly; her eyes sparkled; her little white teeth gleamed in a happy, joyous smile.

We lifted her to the back of her mule, then mounted our own. Suddenly a recollection shot through my brain

"Desiree, do you know the first time I ever saw you? It was in an electric brougham at the Gare du Nord. This

"And infinitely more interesting," she answered. "Are you ready? See that stupid arriero! Ah! After all, he

The arriero, receiving my nod uttered a peculiar whistle through his teeth. The mules pricked up their ears,

With the cry of our late host sounding in our ears we passed down the narrow little street of Cerro de Pasco

You may remember that I made some remark concerning the difficulty of the ascent of Pike's Peak. Well, that

is mere child's playa morning constitutional compared to the paths we found ourselves compelled to follow

Nor was it permitted us to become gradually accustomed to the danger; we had not been two hours out of

Cerro de Pasco before we found ourselves creeping along a ledge so narrow there was scarcely room for the

mules to place their hoofs together, over a precipice three thousand feet in the airstraight. And, added to

this was the discomfort, amounting at times to positive pain, caused by the soroche.

Hardly ever did we find ground sufficiently broad for a breathing space, save when our arriero led us, almost

by magic it seemed, to a camping place for the night. We would ascend the side of a narrow valley; on one

hand roared a torrent some hundreds of feet below; on the other rose an uncompromising wall of rock. So

narrow would be the track that as I sat astride my mule my outside leg would be hanging over the abyss.

But the grandeur, the novelty, and the variety of the scenery repaid us; and Le Mire loved the danger for its

own sake. Time and again she swayed far out of her saddle until her body was literally suspended in the air

above some frightful chasm, while she turned her head to laugh gaily at Harry and myself, who brought up

And she would try to urge her mule into a trota futile effort, since the beast had a much higher regard for

his skin than she had for hers; and the mule of the arriero was but a few feet ahead.

Thus we continued day after day, I can't say how many. There was a fascination about the thing that was

irresistible. However high the peak we had ascended, another could be seen still higher, and that, too, must be

The infinite variety of the trail, its surprises, its new dangers, its apparent vanishings into thin air, only to be

found, after an all but impossible curve, up the side of another cliff, coaxed us on and on; and when or where

we would have been able to say, "thus far and no farther" is an undecided problem to this day.

About three o'clock one afternoon we camped in a small clearing at the end of a narrow valley. Our arriero,

halting us at that early hour, had explained that there was no other camping ground within six hours' march,

and no hacienda or pueblo within fifty miles. We received his explanation with the indifference of those to

whom one day is like every other day, and amused ourselves by inspecting our surroundings while he

Back of us lay the trail by which we had approacheda narrow, sinuous ribbon clinging to the side of the

huge cliffs like a snake fastened to a rock. On the left side, immediately above us, was a precipice some

thousand feet in height; on the right a series of massive boulders, of quartzite and granite, misshapen and

There were three, I remember, placed side by side like three giant brothers; then two or three smaller ones in

a row, and beyond these many others ranged in a mass unevenly, sometimes so close together that they

For several days we had been in the region of perpetual snow; and soon we gathered about the fire which the

arriero had kindled for our camp. Its warmth was grateful, despite our native woolen garments and heavy

The wind whistled ominously; a weird, senseless sound that smote the ear with madness. The white of the

snow and the dull gray of the rocks were totally unrelieved by any touch of green or play of water; a spot

Harry had gone to examine the hoofs of his mule, which had limped slightly during the afternoon; Le Mire

and I sat side by side near the fire, gazing at the play of the flames. For some minutes we had been silent.

"In Paris, perhaps" she began suddenly, then stopped short and became again silent.

But I was fast dropping into melancholy and wanted to hear her voice, and I said:

"Yes, my friendbut it is useless. I was thinking of you. 'Ah! A card! Mr. Paul Lamar. Show him in, Julie.

"Yes, that is how it would be. Why do I talk thus? The mountains hypnotize me. The snow, the solitudefor

I am alone. Your brother, what is he? And you, Paul, are scarcely aware of my existence.

"I had my opportunity with you, and I laughed it away. And as for the futurelook! Do you see that waste of

I tried to believe that she was merely amusing herself, but the glow in her eyes did not proceed from mirth. I

She rose and crossed the yard or so of ground between us to my side. I felt her eyes above me, and try as I

would I could not look up to meet them. Then she spoke, in a voice low but curiously distinct:

At once I was myself, calm and smiling. I was convinced that she was acting, and I dislike to spoil a good

"You laugh at me. You are wrong. Have I chosen this place for a flirtation? Before, I could not speak; now

you must know. There have been many men in my life, Paul; some fools, some not so, but none like you. I

have never said, 'I love you.' I say it now. Once you held my handyou have never kissed me."

I rose to my feet, smiling, profoundly fatuous, and made as if to put my arm around her.

But I had mistaken her tone and overreached. Not a muscle did she move, but I felt myself repulsed as by a

barrier of steel. She remained standing perfectly still, searching me with a gaze that left me naked of levity

and cynicism and the veneer of life; and finally she murmured in a voice sweet with pain:

Then she turned swiftly and called to Harry, who came running over to her only to meet with some trivial

I suppose that the incident had passed with her, as it had with me; little did I know how deeply I had

wounded her. And when I discovered my mistake, some time later and under very different circumstances, it

During the meal Le Mire was in the jolliest of moods apparently. She retold the tale of Balzac's heroine who

crossed the Andes in the guise of a Spanish officer, performing wondrous exploits with her sword and

creating havoc among the hearts of the fair ladies who took the dashing captain's sex for granted from his

The story was a source of intense amusement to Harry, who insisted on the recital of detail after detail, until

Desiree allowed her memory to take a vacation and substitute pure imagination. Nor was the improvisation

It was still light when we finished dinner, a good three hours till bedtime. And since there was nothing better

to do, I called to the arriero and asked him to conduct us on a tour of exploration among the mass of boulders,

He nodded his head in his usual indifferent manner, and fifteen minutes later we started, on foot. The arriero

Thrice I tried to enter into conversation with her; but each time she shook her head without turning round,

and I gave it up. I was frankly puzzled by her words and conduct of an hour before; was it merely one of the

I was interested in the question as one is always interested in a riddle; but I tossed it from my mind,

promising myself a solution on the morrow, and gave my attention to the vagaries of nature about me.

We were passing through a cleft between two massive rocks, some three or four hundred yards in length.

Our footfalls echoed and reechoed from wall to wall; the only other sound was the eery moaning of the wind

that reached our ears with a faintness which only served to increase its effect. Here and there were apertures

large enough to admit the entrance of a horse and rider, and in many places the sides were crumbling.

I was reflecting, I remember, that the formation was undoubtedly one of limestone, with here and there a

I approached. Harry and Desiree, with Felipe, the arriero, had halted and were gazing upward at the wall of

rock which barred the exit from the passage. Following their eyes, I saw lines carved on the rock, evidently a

"My dear boy," returned Desiree, "don't you think I know a horse when I see one?"

"When you see one, of course," said Harry sarcastically. "But who ever saw a horse with a neck like that?"

As for me, I was really interested, and I turned to the arriero for information.

"Have you no tongue?" I demanded. "Speak! If you don't know the author of that piece of equine art say so."

Without a sign of interest, Felipe turned twice around, found a comfortable rock, sat down, rolled a cigarette,

lighted it, and began. He spoke in Spanish dialect; I shall preserve the style as far as translation will permit.

"Many, many years ago, senor, Atahualpa, the Inca, son of HuaynaCapac, was imprisoned at Cajamarco.

Four, five hundred years ago, it was. By the great Pizarro. And there was gold at Cuzco, to the south, and

"Messengers carried the order like the wind, so swift that in five days the priests of the sun carried their gold

Felipe paused, puffing at his cigarette, glanced at his audience, and continued:

"But Hernando Pizarro, brother of the great Pizarro, suspected a delay in the carriers of gold. From

Pachacamac he came with twenty horsemen, sowing terror in the mountains, carrying eighty loads of gold.

Across the Juaja River and past Lake Chinchaycocha they came, till they arrived at the city of Huanuco.

"There were temples and gold and priests and soldiers. But when the soldiers of the Inca saw the horses of the

Spaniards and heard the guns, they became frightened and ran away like little children, carrying their gold.

"With them came many priests and women, to the snow of the mountains. And after many days of suffering

they came to a cave, wherein they disappeared and no more were seen, nor could Hernando Pizarro and his

"And before they entered the cave they scaled a rock near its entrance and carved thereon the likeness of a

horse to warn their Inca brethren of the Spaniards who had driven them from Huanuco. That is his story,

The arriero shrugged his shoulders and glanced about, as much as to say, "It is in the wind."

Then nothing would do for Desiree but to see the cave. The arriero informed her that it was difficult of

access, but she turned the objection aside with contempt and commanded him to lead.

Harry, of course, was with her, and I followed somewhat unwillingly; for, though Felipe's history was fairly

accurate, I was inclined to regard his fable of the disappearing Incas as a wild tradition of the mountains.

He had spoken arightthe path to the cave was not an easy one. Here and there deep ravines caused us to

Finally we came to a small clearing, which resembled nothing so much as the bottom of a giant well, and in

the center of one of the steep walls was an opening some thirty or forty feet square, black and rugged, and

"But no, senora!" The arriero was positively trembling. "No! Senor, do not let her go within! Many times

have my countrymen entered in search of the gold, and americanos, too, and never did they return. It is a cave

of the devil, senor. He hides in the blackness and none who enter may escape him."

"Then I shall visit the devil!" she exclaimed, and before either Harry or I could reach her she had sprung

With shouts of consternation from Felipe ringing in our ears, we leaped after her.

There was no answer, but echoing back from the night before us came faint reverberationscould they be

footsteps! What folly! For I had thought that she had merely intended to frighten poor Felipe, and now

Again there was no answer. Then we entered the cave together. I remember that as we passed within I turned

A hundred feet and we were encompassed by the most intense darkness. I muttered: "This is folly; let us get a

light," and tried to hold Harry back. But he pushed me aside and groped on, crying: "Desiree! Come back,

Suddenly a scream resounded through the cavern. Multiplied and echoed by the black walls, it was inhuman,

A tremor ran through me from head to foot; beside me I heard Harry gasp with a nameless fear. An instant

How long we ran I could never tell; probably a few seconds, possibly as many minutes.

On we rushed, blindly, impelled not by reason, but by the memory of that terrible cry, side by side, gasping,

A step into thin aira mighty effort to recover a footing a wild instant of despair and pawing helpless

The fallwas it ten feet or a thousand? I shall never know. Hurtling headlong through space, a man can

Actually, my only impression was of righteous indignation; my memory is that I cursed aloud, but Harry

But it could not have been for long, for when we struck the water at the bottom we were but slightly stunned

by the impact. To this Harry has since agreed; he must have been as lucky as myself, for I took it headlong

I rose to the top, sputtering, and flung out my arms in the attempt to swimor, rather, to keep afloatand

About me was blackest night and utter silence, save a low, unbroken murmur, unlike any other sound, hardly

to be heard. It was in my effort to account for it that I first became aware of the fact that the water was a

stream, and a moving onemoving with incredible swiftness, smooth and all but silent. As soon as I became

convinced of this I gave up all attempt to swim, and satisfied myself with keeping my head above the surface

Then I thought of Harry, and called his name aloud many times. The reverberations throughout the cave were

The echoes became fainter and fainter and died away, and again all was silence and impenetrable night, while

I battled with the strong suction of the unseen current, which was growing swifter and swifter, and felt my

Terror, too, began to call to me as the long minutes passed endlessly by. I thought, "If I could only see!" and

strained my eyes in the effort till I was forced to close them from the dizzy pain. The utter, complete darkness

The water, carrying me swiftly onward with its silent, remorseless sweep, was cold and black; it pressed with

tremendous power against me; now and then I was forced beneath the surface and fought my way back,

I forgot Desiree and Harry; I lost all consciousness of where I was and what I was doing; the silent fury of the

stream and the awful blackness maddened me; I plunged and struggled desperately, blindly, sobbing with

Suddenly, with a thrill of joy, I realized that the speed of the current was decreasing. Then a reaction of

despair seized me; I tried to strangle hope and resign myself to the worst. But soon there was no longer any

I floated with little difficulty, wonderingcould it be an approach to a smaller outlet which acted as a dam?

Or was it merely a lessening of the incline of the bed of the stream? I cursed the darkness for my

Finally the water became absolutely still, as I judged by the absence of pressure on my body, and I turned

sharply at a right angle and began to swim. My weariness left me as by magic, and I struck out with bold and

sweeping strokes; and by that lack of caution all but destroyed myself when my head suddenly struck against

I was stunned completely and sank; but the ducking revived me; and when I returned to the surface I swam a

few careful strokes, searching for the wall. It was not there, and I had no idea of its direction. But I had now

learned caution; and by swimming a few feet first one way, then another, and taking care not to go far in any

My hand easily reached the top, and, grasping the slippery surface with a grip made firm by despair, and

concentrating every ounce of strength in one final effort, I drew myself out of the water and fell completely

Under such circumstances time has no place in a man's calculations; he is satisfied to breathe. I believe that I

lay barely conscious for several hours, but it may have been merely as many minutes. Then I felt life stir

within me; I stretched my arms and legs and sat up. Gradually entered my mind the thought of Desiree and

Harry and the Andes above and Felipe shuddering with terror as he flew from the cave of the devil.

First came Harry; but hope did not enter. It was inconceivable that he, too, should have escaped that fearful

torrent; stupendous luck alone had saved me from being dashed senseless against the rocks and guided me to

Then he was gone! I had no thought of my own peril. I had gone through the world with but little regard for

what it held; nothing had been sacred to me; no affection had been more than a day's caprice; I had merely

But I loved Harry; I realized it with something like astonishment. He was dear to me; a keen, intense pain

contracted my chest at the thought of having lost him; tears filled my eyes; and I raised up my voice and sang

The cavern resounded. The call went from wall to wall, then back again, floating through black space with a

curious tremor, and finally died away in some dim, unseen corridor. And thenthen came an answering call!

Owing to the conflicting echoes of the cavern, the tone could not be recognized. But the word was

I sprang to my feet with a shout, then stood listening. Out of the blackness surrounding me came the words,

"The right side," I answered with heartfelt emphasis. "That is to say, the outside. If it weren't for this infernal

But the innumerable echoes of the cavern walls made it impossible to judge of distance by sound. We tried it

over and over; sometimes it seemed that we were only a few feet apart, sometimes a mile or more.

Then Harry spoke in a whisper, and his voice appeared to be directly in my ear. Never have I seen a night so

completely black as that cavern; we had had several hours, presumably, for our eyes to adjust themselves to

the phenomenon; but when I held my hand but six inches in front of my face I could not get even the faintest

"Turn to your left and proceed carefully along the edge. I'll turn to my right. Go easy, lad; feel your way."

I crawled on my hands and knees, no faster than a snail, feeling every inch of the ground. The surface was

wet and slippery, and in places sloped at an angle that made me hang on for dear life to keep from shooting

Meantime I kept calling to Harry and he to me; but, on account of our painfully slow progress, it was half an

hour or more before we discovered that the distance between us was being increased instead of lessened.

He let fly an oath at this, and his tone was dangerous; no wonder if the lad was half crazed! I steadied him as

well as I could with word of encouragement, and instructed him to turn about and proceed to the right of his

Our hope of meeting lay in the probability that the ledge surrounded a circular body of water and was

continuous. At some point, of course, was the entrance of the stream which had carried us, and at some other

point there was almost certainly an outlet; but we trusted to luck to avoid these. Our chances were less than

The simplest way would have been for me to take to the water and swim across to Harry, counting on his

voice as a guide; but the conflicting echoes produced by the slightest sound rendered such an attempt

I crept along that wet, slimy, treacherous surface, it seemed, for hours. I could see nothingabsolutely

nothing; everything was black void; it was hard to appreciate reality in such a nightmare. On the one side,

nameless dangers; on the other, the unseen, bottomless lake; enough, surely, to take a man's nerve. My fear

I hesitated to agree with him, but finally there was no longer any doubt of it. His voice began to reach me

almost in natural tones, which meant that we were near enough for the vibrations to carry without

Nearer still it came; it was now only a matter of a few feet; Harry gave a cry of joy, and immediately

afterward I heard his low gasp of terror and the sound of his wild scrambling to regain a foothold. In his

I dared not try to go his assistance; so I crouched perfectly still and called to him to throw himself flat on his

face. How my eyes strained despairingly as I cursed the pitiless darkness! Then the scrambling ceased and the

A minute later I held his hand in mine. At that point the incline was at a sharp angle, and we lay flat on our

backs. For many minutes we lay silently gripping hands; Harry was trembling violently from nervous fatigue,

What strength is there in companionship! Alone, either of us would probably have long before succumbed to

the strain of our horrible situation; but we both took hope and courage from that handclasp.

"You know as much as I do, Harry. This cursed darkness makes it impossible even to guess at anything.

"And no wonder. 'Tis hardly an everyday occurrence to ride an underground river several miles under the

Andes. Above us a mountain four miles high, beneath us a bottomless lake, round us darkness. Not a very

cheerful prospect, Hal; but, thank Heaven, we take it together! It is a graveours and hers. I guess Desiree

"We may as well meet the thing squarely like men. Pull yourself together, Harry; as for Desiree, let us hope

"Harry boy, we're buried alive! There! That's the worst of it. Anything better than that is velvet."

"Keep your nerve. As for a way outat the rate that stream descends it must have carried us thousands of

feet beneath the mountain. There is probably a mile of solid rock between us and the sunshine. You felt the

"Yes, and most probably forty or fifty miles awaythat's the distance to the western slope. Besides, how can

we find it? And there may be none. The water is most probably gradually absorbed by the porous formation

"But why isn't it known? Felipe said that the cave had been explored. Why didn't they discover the stream?"

Well, it was better to talk of that than nothing; at least, it kept Harry from his childish cries for Desiree. So I

explained that the precipice over which we had fallen was presumably of recent origin.

Geologically the Andes are yet in a chaotic and formative condition; huge slides of Silurian slates and diorite

are of frequent occurrence. A ridge of one of these softer stones had most probably been encased in the

surrounding granite for many centuries; then, loosened by water or by time, had crumbled and slid into the

"In the name of Heaven, don't be so cool! We can't get out till we try. Come! And who knowswe may find

Then I decided it was best to tell him. Evidently the thought had not entered his mind, and it was best for him

"Starve to death?" he exclaimed. Then he added simply, with an oddly pathetic tone: "I hadn't thought of

After that we lay silent for many minutes in that awful darkness. Thoughts and memories came and went in

my brain with incredible swiftness; pictures long forgotten presented themselves; an endless, jumbled

panorama. They say that a drowning man reviews his past life in the space of a few seconds; it took me a

little more time, but the job was certainly a thorough one. Nor did I find it more interesting in retrospect than

I closed my eyes to escape the darkness. It was maddening; easy enough then to comprehend the hysterics of

the blind and sympathize with them. It finally reached a point where I was forced to grit my teeth to keep

from breaking out into curses; I could lie still no longer, exhausted as I was, and Harry, too. I turned on him:

"Anywhereaway from this beastly water. We must dry out our clothing; no use dying like drowned rats. If

We rose to our hands and knees and crawled painfully up the slippery incline. Soon we had reached dry

We crept back down to the edge of the lake (I call it that in my ignorance of its real nature), and, settling

myself as firmly as possible, I held Harry's hand while he lowered himself carefully into the water. He was

unable to reach its surface with his mouth without letting go of my hand, and I shook off my poncho and used

"Fine!" was the response. "It must be clear as a bell. Lord. I didn't know I was so thirsty!"

I was not ignorant of the fact that there was an excellent chance of the water being unhealthful, possibly

poisoned, what with the tertiary deposits of copper ores in the rockbasins; but the thought awakened hope

But when I had pulled Harry up and descended myself I soon found that there was no dangeror chance.

The surface was perfectly level, and we set off at a brisk pace, hand in hand, directly away from the lake. But

when, about a hundred yards off, we suddenly bumped our heads against a solid wall of rock, we decided to

The darkness was intensified, if anything. We turned to the right and groped along the wall, which was

smooth as glass and higher than my best reach. It seemed to the touch to be slightly convex, but that may

We had proceeded in this manner some hundred yards or more, advancing cautiously, when we came to a

It was quite narrowso narrow that we were forced to advance very slowly, feeling our way to avoid

colliding with the walls. The ground was strewn with fragments of rock, and a hasty step meant an almost

We had not rested a sufficient length of time to allow our bodies to recuperate from the struggle with the

torrent; also, we began to feel the want of food. Harry was the first to falter, but I spurred him on. Then he

I was tempted myself, but I brought him to his feet, from some impulse I know not what. For what was the

Another hour and the passage broadened into a clearing. At least so it seemed; the walls abruptly parted to the

right and left. And still the impenetrable, maddening darkness and awful silence!

We gave it up; we could go no farther. A few useless minutes we wasted, searching for a soft spot to lie

onmoss, reeds, anything. We found none, of course; but even the hard, unyielding rock was grateful to our

exhausted bodies. We lay side by side, using our ponchos for pillows; our clothing at least was dry.

I do not know how long I slept, but it seemed to me that I had barely dozed off when I was awakened by

There was no sound to my strained ears. I sat up, gazing intently into the darkness, shuddering without

apparent reason. Then I reflected that nothing is dangerous to a man who faces death, and I laughed

aloudthen trembled at the sound of my own voice. Harry was in sound sleep beside me; his regular

Again I lay down, but I could not sleep. Some instinct, long forgotten, quivered within me, telling me that we

At first it was not a sound, but the mere shadow of one. It was rhythmic, low, beating like a pulse. What

could it be? Again I sat up, listening and peering into the darkness. And this time I was not mistakenthere

Little by little it increased, or rather approached, until it sounded but a few feet from me on every side,

sinister and menacing. It was the silent, suppressed breathing of something livingwhether animal or

Then was the darkness doubly horrible. I sat paralyzed with my utter helplessness, though fear, thank

Heaven, did not strike me! I could hear no footstep; no sound of any kind but that low, rushing breathing; but

From every side I heard itcloser, closeruntil finally I felt the hot, fetid breath in my very face. My

There was no answering sound, no rush of feet, nothing; but I felt my throat gripped in monstrous, hairy

I tried to struggle, and immediately was crushed to the ground by the overpowering weight of a score of soft,

The grasp on my throat tightened; my arms relaxed, my brain reeled, and I knew no more.

I returned to consciousness with a sickening sensation of nausea and unreality. Only my brain was alive; my

entire body was numb and as though paralyzed. Still darkness and silence, for all my senses told me I might

Then I tried to move my arms, and found that my hands and feet were firmly bound. I strained at the thongs,

making some slight sound; and immediately I heard a whisper but a few feet away:

"I was still half dazed, but I recognized Harry's voice, and I answered simply: "Yes. Where are we?"

"No. Too dark. They are strong as gorillas and covered with hair; I felt that much. They didn't make a sound

all the time. No more than half as big as me, and yet one of them carried me as if I were a babyand I weigh

"Don't know; it feels like leather; tough as rats. I've been working at it for two hours, but it won't give."

There was a soundthe swift patter of feet; they were approaching. Then suddenly a form bent over me

close; I could see nothing, but I felt a pressure against my body and an illsmelling odor, indescribable,

entered my nostrils. I felt a sawing movement at my wrists; the thongs pulled back and forth, and soon my

hands were free. The form straightened away from me, there was a clatter on the ground near my head, and

"I have an idea," I answered as I tore a strip from my shirt and bandaged the wound, which proved to be

"Here you go, Hal! here's some grub. But what the deuce is it? By Jove, it's dried fish! Now, where in the

But we wasted no more time in talk, for we were half starved. The stuff was not bad; to us who had been

fasting for something like thirtysix hoursfor our idea of time was extremely hazyit was a gorgeous

"Pretty decent sort of beggars, I say," came Harry's voice in the darkness. "But who are they?"

"Ask Felipe," I answered, for by this time I was well convinced of the nature and identity of our captors. "As

I said, dumb brutes don't bind men with thongs, nor feed them on dried fish. Of course it's incredible, but a

"Exactly. We are in the hands of the Incas of Huanucoor rather their descendants."

"Your history is perfect, like Desiree's geography," said I dryly. "But what then? They have merely chosen to

live under the world instead of on it; a rather wise decision, a cynic might saynot to mention the small

"My dear Hal, never allow yourself to be surprised at anything; it is a weakness. Here we are in total

darkness, buried in the Andes, surrounded by hairy, degenerate brutes that are probably allowing us to eat in

order that we may be in condition to be eaten, with no possibility of ever again beholding the sunshine; and

what is the thought that rises to the surface of my mind? Merely this: that I most earnestly desire and crave a

"Most probably they are cannibals. The Lord knows they must have some sort of mild amusement in this

fearful hole. Of course, the idea is distasteful; before they cut us up they'll have to knock us down."

"But it's sober truth, my boy. You know me; I never pose. There is nothing particularly revolting in the

thought of being eaten; the disadvantage of it lies in the fact that one must die first. We all want to live;

"We know now that there is food to be had here and sufficient air. It is nearly certain that we won't get out,

but that can come later. And what an experience! I know a dozen anthropologists that would give their

"Say it. Eat us? We can fight. It will be strange if we can't outwit these vermin. And now silence; I'm going to

begin. Listen hardhard! The brutes are noiseless, but if they are near we can hear their breathing."

We lay silent for many minutes, scarcely breathing. Not the slightest sound reached our ears through the

profound darkness; utter, intense silence. Finally I reached over and touched Harry on the shoulder, and arose

"Good enough! We're alone. We'll have to crawl for it. Keep close behind me; we don't want to get separated.

The first thing is to find a sharp stone to cut through these thongs. Feel on the ground with your hands as we

It was not easy to rise at all, and still harder to make any progress, for our ankles were bound together most

effectively; but we managed somehow to drag ourselves along. I was in front; suddenly I felt Harry pull at

I groped for his hand in the darkness and took from it the object he held out to mea small flat stone with a

I bent down to the thongs which bound his ankles. I was convinced that they were not of leather, but they

were tough as the thickest hide. Twice my overeagerness caused the tool to slip and tear the skin from my

hand; then I went about it more carefully with a muttered oath. Another quarter of an hour and Harry was

"Gad, that feels good!" he exclaimed, rising to his feet. "Here, Paul; where's the stone?"

What followed happened so quickly that we were hardly aware that it had begun when it was already

A quick, pattering rush of many feet warned us, but not in time. Hurtling, leaping bodies came at us headlong

through the air and crushed us to the ground, buried beneath them, gasping for breath; there must have been

I heard Harry give a despairing cry, and the scuffle followed; I myself was utterly helpless, for the thongs

which bound my ankles had not been cut through. Not a sound came from our assailants save their heavy,

I remember that, even while they were sitting on my head and chest and body, I noted their silence with a sort

of impersonal curiosity and wondered if they were, after all, human. Nor were they unnecessarily violent;

they merely subdued us, rebound our wrists and ankles more tightly than before, and departed.

"To the deuce with your perfume! But we're done for. What's the use? They've lived in this infernal hole so

Of course he was right, and I was a fool not to have thought of it before and practised caution. The

knowledge was decidedly unpleasant. No doubt our every movement was being watched by a hundred pairs

of eyes, while we lay helpless in the darkness, bound even more tightly than before.

"Look here," said Harry suddenly, "why can't we see their eyes? Why don't they shine."

"My dear boy," said I, "in this darkness you couldn't see the Kohinoor diamond if it were hanging on your

nose, drawingroom travelers to the contrary notwithstanding. We have one advantage they can't

"But I don't knowafter all, there is a chance. Just a bare chance, isn't there?"

"You know as well as I do, Harry. The chances are a million to one that Desireethank Heavenhas

"Lying here, bound hand and foot? She would make a dainty morsel for our friends."

"Well, let us forget herfor the present. Nor do we want to make a dainty morsel if we can help it. Come,

"I don't know why I didn't think of it before. I guess we were both too dazed to have good sense. What have

"A gun," said Harry. "Of course I thought of that. But what good is it after that ducking? And I have only six

"At last!" said I sarcastically. "And so have I. A sixinch, doubleedged knife, sharp as a razor and pointed

like a needle. They didn't have sense enough to search us, and we didn't have sense enough to realize it. I can

"Not if we use a decent amount of caution. The trouble is, I can't reach my knife with my wrists bound.

There's only one way. Lie perfectly still; let them think we've given it up. I'm going to try something."

I drew up my knees, twisted over on the hard rock, and lay flat on my belly. Then I drew up my hands and let

my face rest on them, like a dog with his head on his paws. And then, keeping my body perfectly still, and

with as little movement of the jaws as possible, I sought the tough thongs with my teeth.

That was a tedious job and a distasteful one. For many minutes I gnawed away at those thick cords like a dog

on a bone. It was considerably later that I discovered what those cords were made of; thank Heaven, I was

ignorant of it at the time! All I knew was that they were, to use one of Harry's phrases, "tough as rats."

I did not dare pull with my wrists, for fear they would fly suddenly apart and betray me to the unseen

watchers. It was necessary to cut clear through with my teeth, and more than once I was on the point of

giving it up. There was a nauseating, rancid taste to the stuff, but I dared not even raise my head to

Finally my teeth met; the cords were severed. I felt carefully about with my tongue to make sure there were

no others; then, without moving my hands in the slightest degree, carefully raised my head.

It was then that I first noticednot light, but a thinning out of the darkness. It was, of course, merely the

adjustment of my eyes to the new conditions. I could make out no forms surrounding me, but, looking down,

I could clearly distinguish the outline of my hands as they lay on the ground before me.

And, again looking up, I fancied that I could see, some twenty or thirty feet to the right, that the darkness

Obedient to my instructions, the lad had lain perfectly motionless and silent for over an hour, for it must have

"I said that must be a wall. Look, Harry, about thirty feet to the right. Doesn't it appear to you that way?"

I explained that, instead of "it's getting light," his eyes were merely becoming accustomed to the darkness.

After a moment's silence he answered: "Yees," and then more positively: "Yes. But what good does that do

"That's what I am about to tell you. Listen! I've cut the cords on my wrists, and I'm going to get my knife"

"With my teeth. I've been rather busy. I'm going to get my knifecautiously, so they won't suspect if they

are watching us. We must lie close together on our sides, facing each other, so I can cut the thongs on your

wrists without being seen. Then you are to get your knifecarefully. Do you understand?"

For the first time there was fight in Harry's voice; the curious, barely perceptible tremor of the man of

We went about the thing slowly, turning but an inch at a time; a second mistake might prove fatal. We heard

no sound of any kind, and ten minutes later we were lying flat on our backs side by side, keeping our hands

hidden between our bodies, that the absence of the thongs might not be discovered. Each of us held in his

right hand the hilt of a six inch knife. Cold steel is by no means the favorite weapon of an American, but

"Good! Now listen close and act quick. When I give the word reach down and grasp the cords round your

ankles in your left hand, then cut them through with one stroke. Then to your feet; grasp my jacket, and

"Don't waste any time; they'll probably start for us the instant we sit up. Be sure you get your feet free at the

We bent and cut and sprang to our feet, and dashed for the wall. There was a sound of rushing feetour

backs hugged the kindly rockI heard Harry's shout, "Here they come!"dim, rushing formsfingers

I felt the blade of my knife sink into soft and yielding flesh, and a warm, thick liquid flow over my hand and

It seemed to me then in the minutes that followed that there were thousands of black demons in that black

hole. At the first rushing impact I shouted to Harry: "Keep your back to the wall," and for response I got a

The thing was sickening. Harry is a natural fighting man; I am not. Without the wall at our backs we would

have been overpowered in thirty seconds; as it was, we were forced to handle half a dozen of them at once,

while the others surged in from behind. They had no weapons, but they had the advantage of being able to see

They clutched my throat, my arms, my legs, my body; there was no room to strike; I pushed the knife home.

They fastened themselves to my legs and feet and tried to bring me down from beneath; once, in slashing at

the head of one whose teeth were set in my calf, I cut myself on the knee. It was difficult to stand in the wet,

Suddenly I heard a sound that I understood too wellthe curious, rattling sound of a man who is trying to

"Harry!" I cried, and I fought like a wild man to get to him, with knife, feet, hands, teeth. I reached his coat,

his arm; it was dangerous to strike so near him in the dark, but I felt him sinking to the ground.

Then I found the taut, straining fingers about his throat, and lunged forward with the knifeand the fingers

As their bodies fell in front of us we were pressed harder, for those behind climbed up on the corpses of their

fellows and literally descended on our heads from the air. We could not have held out much longer; our

breath was coming in quick, painful gasps; Harry stumbled on one of the prostrate brutes and fell; I tried to

Suddenly there rang throughout the cavern a sound as of a gigantic, deeptoned bell. The walls sent it back

and forth with deafening echoes; it was as though the mountain had descended with one tremendous crash

The effect was indescribable. We could see nothing; we merely became suddenly aware that there were no

longer hands clutching at our throats or hairy bodies crushing us to the ground. It was as though the horde of

unseen devils had melted into thin air. There were movements on the ground, for many of them had been

wounded; a man cannot always reach the spot in the dark. This lasted for two or three minutes; they were

evidently removing those who still had life in them, for the straining breath of men dragging or lifting

Gradually that, too, died away with the last reverberations of the mysterious sound that had saved us, and we

found ourselves aloneor at least unmolestedfor in the darkness we could see nothing, except the dim

The cavern was a shambles. The smell was that of a slaughterhouse. I had had no idea of the desperateness

of our defense until I essayed to scramble over the heap of bodies to dry ground; I shuddered and grew faint,

Worse, he had dropped his knife when we stumbled, and we were forced to grope round in that unspeakable

"Nothing bad, I think," he answered. "My throat is stiff, and two or three of the brutes got their teeth in me. In

These were foolish questions, and I told him so. My leg was bleeding badly where I had slashed myself, and

I, too, had felt their teeth. But, despite our utter weariness and our wounds, we wanted nothingnot even

restso badly as we wanted to get away from that awful heap of flesh and blood and the odor of it.

Besides, we did not know at what moment they might return. So I spoke, and Harry agreed. I led the way; he

But which way to turn? We wanted water, both for our dry and burning throats and for our wounds; and rest

and food. We thought little of safety. One way seemed as likely as another, so we set out with our noses as

A man encounters very few misfortunes in this world which, later in life, he finds himself unable to laugh at;

Every step was torture. I had bandaged the cut on my leg as well as possible, but it continued to bleed. But it

was imperative that we should find water, and we struggled on, traversing narrow passages and immense

caverns, always in complete darkness, stumbling over unseen rocks and encountering sharp corners of cross

It lasted I know not how many hours. Neither of us would have survived alone. Time and again Harry sank to

the ground and refused to rise until I perforce lifted him; once we nearly came to blows. And I was guilty of

But the despair of one inspired the other with fresh strength and courage, and we struggled forward, slower

and slower. It was souldestroying work. I believe that in the last hour we made not more than half a mile. I

know now that for the greater part of the time we were merely retracing our steps in a vicious circle!

It was well that it ended when it did, for we could not have held out much longer. Harry was leading the way,

for I had found that that slight responsibility fortified him. We no longer walked, we barely went forward,

Suddenly Harry stopped short, so suddenly that I ran against him; and at the same time I felt a queer

Then Harry stooped over quickly, half knocking me down as he did so, and dropped to his knees; and the

How we drank and wallowed, and wallowed and drank! That water might have contained all the poisons in

the world and we would have neither known nor cared. But it was cool, fresh, livingand it saved our lives.

We bathed our wounds and bandaged them with strips from our shirts. Then we arranged our clothing for

cushions and pillows as well as possible, took another drink, and lay down to sleep.

We must have slept a great many hours. There was no way to judge of time, but when we awoke our joints

were as stiff as though they had gotten rusty with the years. I was brought to consciousness by the sound of

Somehowfor every movement was exquisite painwe got to our feet and reached the water, having first

removed our clothing. But we were now at that point where to drink merely aggravated our hunger. Harry

"Go easy, Hal. Don't say anything you'll be sorry for. And I refuse to consider the sordid topic of food as one

that may rightfully contain the elements of tragedy. We seem to be in the position of the king of vaudeville. If

"And what can we do but die?" I demanded. "Do you think there is any chance of our getting out of this?

Take it like a man. Is it right for a man who has laughed at the world to begin to whine when it becomes

"You know I'm with you; I'll fight, and what I find I'll take; in the mean time I prefer not to furnish

amusement for the devil. There comes a time, I believe, when the stomach debases us against our wills. May I

"That's more like it. There's only one hope. We must smell out the pantry that holds the dried fish."

We talked no more, but set about bathing and dressing our wounds. Gad, how that cold water took them! I

was forced to set my teeth deep into my lip to keep from crying out, and once or twice Harry gave an

When we had finished we waded far to the right to take a last deep drink; then sought our clothing and

prepared to start on our all but hopeless search. We had become fairly well limbered up by that time and set

We had gone perhaps a hundred yards, bearing off to the right, when Harry gave a sudden cry: "My knife is

gone!" and stopped short. I clapped my hand to my own belt instinctively, and found it empty both of knife

His gun was gone, also. We debated the matter, and decided that to attempt a search would be a useless waste

of time; it was next to certain that the weapons had been lost in the water when we had first plunged in. And

There was but one encouragement allowed to us: we were no longer in total darkness. Gradually our eyes

were becoming accustomed to the absence of light; and though we could by no means see clearly, nor even

could properly be said to see at all, still we began to distinguish the outlines of walls several feet away; and,

Once we stood close, less than a foot apart, for a test; and when Harry cried eagerly, "Thank Heaven, I can

see your nose!" our strained feelings were relieved by a prolonged burst of genuine laughter.

There was little enough of it in the time that followed, for our sufferings now became a matter not of minutes

or hours, but of days. The assault of time is the one that unnerves a man, especially when it is aided by

gnawing pain and weariness and hunger; it saps the courage and destroys the heart and fires the brain.

We dragged ourselves somehow ever onward. We found water; the mountain was honeycombed with

underground streams; but no food. More than once we were tempted to trust ourselves to one of those rushing

torrents, but what reason we had left told us that our little remaining strength was unequal to the task of

keeping our heads above the surface. And yet the thought was sweetto allow ourselves to be peacefully

We lost all idea of time and direction, and finally hope itself deserted us. What force it was that propelled us

forward must have been buried deep within the seat of animal instinct, for we lost all rational power. The

Then Harry was stricken with fever and became delirious. And I think it was that seeming misfortune that

saved us, for it gave me a spring for action and endowed me with new life. As luck would have it, a stream of

I made a bed for him with my own clothing on the hard rock, and bathed him and made him drink, while all

That lasted many hours, until finally he fell into a deep, calm sleep. But his body was without fuel, and I was

convinced he would never awaken; yet I feared to touch him. Those were weary hours, squatting by his side

with his hand gripped in my own, with the everincreasing pangs of hunger and weariness turning my own

Suddenly I felt a movement of his hand; and then came his voice, weak but perfectly distinct:

"Oh, you don't need to talk like that; I'm not delirious now. I guess it must have been a dream. Do you

remember that morning on the mountainin Coloradowhen you came on us suddenly at sunrise? Well, I

saw her thereonly you were with her instead of me. So, of course, she must be dead."

His logic was beyond me, but I pressed his hand to let him know that I understood.

"And now, old man, you might as well leave me. This is the end. You've been a good sport. We made a fight,

"Not thatdon't be a poor loser, Hal. And you're not gone yet. When a man has enough fight in him to beat

But he would not have it so. I let him talk, and he rambled on, with scarcely an idea of what he was saying.

The old days possessed his mind, and, to tell the truth, the sentiment found a welcome in my own bosom. I

And then, lifting my head to look down the dark passage that led away before us, I sprang to my feet with a

shout and stood transfixed with astonishment. And the next instant there came a cry of wonder from Harry:

So it was. The passage lay straight for perhaps three hundred yards. There it turned abruptly; and the corner

thus formed was one blaze of flickering but brilliant light which flowed in from the hidden corridor.

It came and went, and played fitfully on the granite walls; still it remained. It was supernaturally brilliant; or

I turned to Harry, and the man who had just been ready to die was rising to his feet!

"Wait a minutenot so fast!" I said half angrily, springing to support him. "And, for Heaven's sake, don't

make any noise! We're in no condition to fight now, and you know what that light means."

To tell the truth, I felt as eager as he. For the first time I understood clearly why the Bible and ancient

mythology made such a fuss about the lighting up of the world. Modern civilization is too far away from its

And here was a curious instance of the force of habitor, rather, instinctin man. So long as Harry and I

had remained in the dark passage and byways of the cavern we had proceeded almost entirely without

But the first sight of light made us wary and careful and silent; and yet we knew perfectly well that the

denizens of this underworld could see as well in the darkness as in the light perhaps even better. So

Harry was so weak he was barely able to stand, even in the strength of this new excitement and hope, and we

were forced to go very slowly; I supported him as well as I was able, being myself anything but an engine of

power. But the turn in the passage was not far away, and we reached it in a quarter of an hour or less.

Before we made the turn we halted. Harry was breathing heavily even from so slight an exertion, and I could

scarcely suppress a cry of amazement when, for the first time in many days, the light afforded me a view of

It was drawn and white and sunken; the eyes seemed set deep in his skull as they blinked painfully; and the

hair on his chin and lip and cheeks had grown to a length incredible in so short a space of time. I soon had

reason to know that I probably presented no better an appearance, for he was staring at me as though I were

"Now, let's see what this light means. Be ready for anything, Harrythough Heaven knows we can find

We advanced to the corner together within the patch of light and turned to the right, directly facing its source.

It is impossible to convey even a faint idea of the wild and hugely fantastic sight that met our gaze. With us it

Before us was an immense cavern, circular in shape, with a diameter of some half a mile. It seemed to me

then much larger; from where we stood it appeared to be at least two miles to the opposite side. There was no

roof to be seen; it merely ascended into darkness, though the light carried a great distance.

All round the vast circumference, on terraced seats of rock, squatted row after row of the most completely

They were men; I suppose they must have the name. They were about four feet tall, with long, hairy arms and

legs, bodies of a curious, bloated appearance, and eyesthe remainder of the face was entirely concealed by

thick haireyes dull and vacant, of an incredibly large size; they had the appearance of ghouls, apes,

They sat, thousands of them, crouched silently on their stone seats, gazing, motionless as blocks of wood.

The center of the cavern was a lake, taking up something more than half of its area. The water was black as

night, and curiously smooth and silent. Its banks sloped by degrees for a hundred feet or so, but at its edge

Near the middle of the lake, ranged at an equal distance from its center and from each other, were

threewhat shall I call them?islands, or columns. They were six or eight feet across at their top, which

On top of each of these columns was a huge vat or urn, and from each of the urns arose a steady, gigantic

column of fire. These it was that gave the light, and it was little wonder we had thought it brilliant, since the

But that which left us speechless with profound amazement was not the endless rows of silent, grinning

dwarfs, nor the black, motionless lake, nor the leaping tongues of flame. We forgot these when we followed

the gaze of that terrifying audience and saw a sight that printed itself on my brain with a vividness which time

Exactly in the center of the lake, in the midst of the columns of fire, was a fourth column, built of some

strangely lustrous rock. Prisms of a formation new to meinnumerable thousands of themcaused its sides

to sparkle and glisten like an immense tower of whitest diamonds, blinding the eye.

The effect was indescribable. The huge cavern was lined and dotted with the rays shot forth from their

brilliant angles. The height of this column was double that of the others; it rose straight toward the unseen

It was cylindrical in shape, not more than ten feet in diameter. And on its top, high above the surface of the

lake, surrounded by the mounting tongues of flame, whirled and swayed and bent the figure of a woman.

Her limbs and body, which were covered only by long, flowing strands of golden hair, shone and glistened

strangely in the lurid, weird light. And of all the ten thousand reflections that shot at us from the length of the

Her arms, upraised above her head, kept time with and served as a key to every movement of her white,

supple body. She glided across, back and forth, now this way, now that, to the very edge of the dizzy height,

The thing was beauty incarnatethe very idea of beauty itself realized and perfected. It was staggering,

overwhelming. Have you ever stood before a great painting or a beautiful statue and felt a thrillthe thrill of

Well, imagine that thrill multiplied a thousandfold and you will understand the sensation that overpowered

me as I beheld, in the midst of that dazzling blaze of light, the matchless Dance of the Sun.

For I recognized it at once. I had never seen it, but it had been minutely described to medescribed by a

beautiful and famous woman as I sat on the deck of a yacht steaming into the harbor of Callao.

I looked at Harry, who had remained standing beside me, gazing as I had gazed. His eyes were opened wide,

He took his hand from my shoulder and stood erect, alone; and I saw the light of recognition and hope and

deepest joy slowly fill his eyes and spread over his face. Then I realized the danger, and I endeavored once

more to put my arm round his shoulder; but he shook me off with hot impatience. He leaped forward with the

quickness of lightning, eluding my frantic grasp, and dashed straight into the circle of blazing light!

I followed, but too late. At the edge of the lake he stopped, and, stretching forth his arms toward the dancer

I expected I know not what result from Harry's hysterical rashness: confusion, pandemonium, instant death;

I had reached his side and stood by him at the edge of the lake, where he had halted. Desiree Le Mire stopped

For ten silent, tense seconds she looked down at us from the top of the lofty column, bending dangerously

near its edge. Her form straightened and was stretched to its fullest height; her white, superb body was

distinctly outlined against the black background of the upper cavern. Then she stepped backward slowly,

Suddenly as we gazed she appeared to sink within the column itself and in another instant disappeared from

We stood motionless, petrified; how long I know not. Then I turned and faced our own danger. It was time.

The Incasfor I was satisfied of the identity of the creatureshad left their seats of granite and advanced to

the edge of the lake. Not a sound was heardno command from voice or trumpet or reed; they moved as

We were utterly helpless, for they numbered thousands. And weak and starving as we were, a single pair of

I looked at Harry; the reaction from his moment of superficial energy was already upon him. His body

swayed slightly from side to side, and he would have fallen if I had not supported him with my arm. There we

Then for the first time I saw the ruler of the scene. The Incas had stopped and stood motionless. Suddenly

they dropped to their knees and extended their armsI thoughttoward us; but something in their attitude

Built into the granite wall of the cavern, some thirty feet from the ground, was a deep alcove. At each side of

the entrance was an urn resting on a ledge, similar to those on the columns, only smaller, from which issued a

On the floor of the alcove was a massive chair, or throne, which seemed to be itself of fire, so brilliant was

the glow of the metal of which it was constructed. It could have been nothing but gold. And seated on this

"God save the king!" I cried, with a hysterical laugh; and in the profound silence my voice rang from one side

Immediately following my cry the figure on the throne arose; and as he did so the creatures round us fell flat

on their faces on the ground. For several seconds the king surveyed them thus, without a sound or movement;

then suddenly he stretched forth his hand in a gesture of dismissal. They rose as one man and with silent

swiftness disappeared, seemingly melting away into the walls of rock. At the time the effect was amazing;

later, when I discovered the innumerable lanes and passages which served as exits, it was not so difficult to

We were apparently left alone, but not for long. From two stone stairways immediately in front of us, which

evidently led to the alcove above, came forth a crowd of rushing forms. In an instant they were upon us; but if

At the first impact we fell. And in another moment we had been raised in their long, hairy arms and were

carried swiftly from the cavern. Scarcely five minutes had elapsed since we had first entered it

They did not take us far. Down a broad passage directly away from the cavern, then a turn to the right, and

again one to the left. There they dropped us, quite as though we were bundles of merchandise, without a

By this time I had fairly recovered my witssmall wonder if that amazing scene had stunned themand I

knew what I wanted. As the brute that had been carrying me turned to go I caught his arm. He hesitated, and I

But he could seeI thanked Heaven for itand I began a most expressive pantomime, stuffing my fingers

in my mouth and gnawing at them energetically. This I alternated with the action of one drinking from a

basin. I hadn't the slightest idea whether he understood me; he turned and disappeared without a signat

But the creature possessed intelligence, for I had barely had time to turn to Harry and ascertain that he was at

least alive, when the patter of returning footsteps was heard. They approached; there was the clatter of stone

I stood eagerly; a platter, heaped, and a vessel, full! I think I cried out with joy.

He was too weak to move; but when I tore some of the dried fish into fragments and fed it to him he devoured

We ate as little as it is possible for men to eat who have fasted for many days, for the stuff had a sharp,

concentrated taste that recommended moderation. And, besides, we were not certain of getting more.

I wrapped the remainder carefully in my poncho, leaving the platter empty, and lay down to rest, using the

poncho for a pillow. I had enough, assuredly, to keep me awake, but there are bounds beyond which nature

cannot go. I slept close by Harry's side, with my arm across his body, that any movement of his might

When I awoke Harry was still asleep, and I did not disturb him. I myself must have slept many hours, for I

felt considerably refreshed and very hungry. And thirsty; assuredly the provender of those hairy brutes would

I unwrapped the poncho; then, crawling on my hands and knees, searched about the ground. As I had

expected, I found another full platter and basin. I had just set the latter down after taking a hearty drink when

"I was afraid you had gone. I've just had the most devilish dream about Desiree. She was doing some crazy

dance on top of a mountain or something. and there was fire, andPaul! Paul, was it a dream?"

"No, Hal; I saw it myself. But come, we'll talk later. Here's some dried fish for breakfast."

"Harry! Listen to me! Are you a baby or a man? Talk straight or shut up, and don't whine like a fool. If you

It was stiff medicine, but he needed it, and it worked. There was a silence, then his voice came, steady

"You know me better than that, Paul. Onlyif it were not for Desireebut I'll swallow it. I think I've been

Poor lad! I wanted to take his hand in mine and apologize. But that would have been bad for both of us, and I

"Yes, a little fever. But you're all right now. And now you must eat and drink. Not much of a variety, but it's

I carried the platter and basin over to him, and sat down by his side, and we fell to together.

But he would talk of Desiree, and I humored him. There was little enough to say, but he pressed my hand

hopefully and gratefully when I expressed my belief that her disappearance had been a trick of some sort and

"On the contrary, we must delay. Right now we are utterly helpless from our long fast. They would handle us

"You see. To move now would be folly. And of course they are watching us at this minuteevery minute.

Harry lay silent, but not asleep; now and then he would ask me some question, but more to hear my voice

than to get an answer. We heard or saw nothing of our captors, for all our senses told us we were quite alone,

I found myself almost unconsciously reflecting on the character and nature of the tribe of dwarfs.

Was it possible that they were really the descendants of the Incas driven from Huanuco by Hernando Pizarro

and his horsemen nearly four hundred years before? Even then I was satisfied of it, and I was soon to have

Other questions presented themselves. Why did they not speak? What fuel could they have found in the

bowels of the Andes for their vats of fire? And how did sufficient air for ten thousand pairs of lungs find its

way miles underground? Why, in the centuries that had passed, had none of them found his way to the world

Some of these questions I answered for myself, others remained unsolved for many months, until I had

opportunity to avail myself of knowledge more profound than my own. Easy enough to guess that the hidden

deposits of the mountain had yielded oil which needed only a spark from a piece of flint to fire it; and any

one who knows anything of the geological formation of the Andes will not wonder at their supply of air.

Nature is not yet ready for man in those wild regions. Huge upheavals and convulsions are of continual

occurrence; underground streams are known which rise in the eastern Cordillera and emerge on the side of

Their silence remains inexplicable; but it was probably the result of the nature of their surroundings. I have

spoken before of the innumerable echoes and reverberations that followed every sound of the voice above a

whisper. At times it was literally deafening; and time may have made it so in reality.

The natural effect through many generations of this inconvenience or danger would be the stoppage of

speech, leading possibly to a complete loss of the faculty. I am satisfied that they were incapable of

I occupied myself with these reflections, and found amusement in them; but it was impossible to lead Harry

into a discussion. His mind was anything but scientific, anyway; and he was completely obsessed by fear for

the safety of Desiree. And I wasn't sorry for it; it is better that a man should worry about some one else than

Our chance of rescuing her, or even of saving ourselves, appeared to me woefully slim. One fear at least was

gone, for the descendants of Incas could scarcely be cannibals; but there are other fates equally final, if less

distasteful. The fact that they had not even taken the trouble to bind us was an indication of the strictness of

The hours crept by. At regular intervals our food was replenished and we kept the platter empty, storing what

It was always the samedried fish of the consistency of leather and a most aggressive taste. I tried to convey

to one of our captors the idea that a change of diet would be agreeable, but either he did not understand me or

Gradually our strength returned, and with it hope. Harry began to be impatient, urging action. I was waiting

for two things besides the return of strength; first, to lay in a supply of food that would be sufficient for many

days in case we escaped, and second, to allow our eyes to accustom themselves better to the darkness.

Already we were able to see with a fair amount of clearness; we could easily distinguish the forms of those

who came to bring us food and water when they were fifteen or twenty feet away. But the cavern in which we

were confined must have been a large one, for we were unable to see a wall in any direction, and we did not

But Harry became so insistent that I finally consented to a scouting expedition. Caution seemed useless; if the

darkness had eyes that beheld us, doubly so. We strapped our ponchos, heavy with their food, to our backs,

We went slowly, straining our eyes ahead and from side to side. It was folly, of course, in the darknesslike

trying to beat a gambler at his own game. But we moved on as noiselessly as possible.

Suddenly a wall loomed up before us not ten feet away. I gave a tug at Harry's arm, and he nodded. We

approached the wall, then turned to the right and proceeded parallel with it, watching for a break that would

I noticed a dark line that extended along the base of the wall, reaching up its side to a height of about two feet

and seemingly melting away into the ground. At first I took it for a separate strata of rock, darker than that

above. But there was a strange brokenness about its appearance that made me consider it more carefully.

It appeared to be composed of curious knots and protuberances. I stopped short, and, advancing a step or two

toward the wall, gazed intently. Then I saw that the dark line was not a part of the wall at all; and thenwell,

For that "dark line" along the bottom of the wall was a row of squatting Incas! There they sat, silent,

motionless; even when my laugh rang out through the cavern they gave not the slightest sign that they either

There was nothing for it but retreat. With our knives we might have fought our way through; but we were

Harry took it with more philosophy than I had expected. As for me, I had not yet finished my laugh. We

sought our former restingplace, recognizing it by the platter and basin which we had emptied before our

"I'll tell you what they are, Paul; they're frogs. Nothing but frogs. Did you see 'em? The little black devils!

"To the deuce with your mineralogy or anthromorphism or whatever you call it. I don't care what makes 'em

smell. I only know they doas Kipling says of the oonts'most awful vile.' And there the beggars sit, and

"And what good would that do us? Could we fight? No. They'd smother us in a minute. Say, wasn't there a

I explained my theory at some length, with many and various scientific digressions. Harry listened politely.

"I don't know what you mean," said he when I had finished, "but I believe you. Anyway, it's all a stupendous

joke. In the first place, we shouldn't be here at all. And, secondly, why should they want us to stay?"

"You are not. I want to talk. Now, they must want us for something. They can't intend to eat us, because there

isn't enough to go around. And there is Desiree. What the deuce was she doing up there without any clothes

Thus we rattled on, arriving nowhere. Harry's loquacity I understood; the poor lad meant to show me that he

had resolved not to "whine." Yet his cheerfulness was but partly assumed, and it was most welcome. My own

We slept through another watch uneventfully, and when we woke found our platter of fish and basin of water

beside us. I estimated that some seventytwo hours had then passed since we had been carried from the

However that may be, we had almost entirely recovered our strength. Indeed, Harry declared himself

perfectly fit; but I still felt some discomfort, caused partly by the knifewound on my knee, which had not

entirely healed, and partly, I think, by the strangeness and monotony of our diet. Harry's palate was less

On awaking, and after breaking our fast, we were both filled with an odd contentment. I really believe that we

had abandoned hope, and that the basis of our listlessness was despair; and surely not without reason. For

what chance had we to escape from the Incas, handicapped as we were by the darkness, and our want of

And beyond thatif by some chance lucky we did escapewhat remained? To wander about in the endless

caves of darkness and starve to death. At the time I don't think I stated the case, even to myself, with such

brutal frankness, but facts make their impression whether you invite them or not. But, as I say, we were filled

with an odd contentment. Though despair may have possessed our hearts, it was certainly not allowed to

Breakfast was hilarious. Harry sang an old drinkingsong to the waterbasin with touching sentiment; I gave

"The last time I sang that," said Harry as the last echoes died away, "was at the Midlothian. Bunk Stafford

was there, and Billy Du Mont, and Fred MarstonI say, do you remember Freddie? And his East Side

"My, but weren't they daisies? And polo? They could play it in their sleep. Andwhat's this? Paul!

Through the half darkness they came, hundreds of them, and, as always, in utter silence. Dimly we could see

their forms huddled together round us on every side, leaving us in the center of a small circle in their midst.

"Now, what the deuce do they want?" I muttered. "Can't they let us eat in peace?"

The forms surrounding us stood silent for perhaps ten seconds. Then four of their number stepped forward to

us, and one made gestures with a hairy arm, pointing to our rear. We turned and saw a narrow lane lined on

either side by our captors. Nothing was distinct; still we could see well enough to guess their meaning.

"And step high, Hal; it may be our last one. If we only had our knives! But there are thousands of 'em."

We started, and as we did so one of the four who had approached darted from behind and led the way. Not a

hand had touched us, and this appeared to me a good sign, without knowing exactly why.

"They seem to have forgotten their manners," Harry observed. "The approved method is to knock us down

We had just reached the wall of the cavern and entered a passage leading from it, when there came a sound,

sonorous and eardestroying, from the farther end. We had heard it once before; it was the same that had

ended our desperate fight some days before. Then it had saved our lives; to what did it summon us now?

The passage was not a long one. At its end we turned to the right, following our guide. Once I looked back

and saw behind us the crowd that had surrounded us in the cave. There was no way but obedience.

We had advanced perhaps a hundred, possibly two hundred yards along the second passage when our guide

He turned sharply to the left, and, beckoning to us to follow, began to descend a narrow stairway which led

directly from the passage. It was steep, and the darkness allowed a glimpse only of black walls and the terrace

immediately beneath our feet; so we went slowly. I counted the steps; there were ninetysix.

At the bottom we turned again to the right. Just as we turned I heard Harry's voice, quite low:

But I shook my head. It would have been mere folly, for, even if we had succeeded in breaking through, we

could never have made our way back up the steps. This I told Harry; he admitted reluctantly that I was right.

We now found ourselves in a lane so low and narrow that it was necessary for us to stoop and proceed in

single file. Our progress was slow; the guide was continually turning to beckon us on with gestures of

At length he halted and stood facing us. The guard that followed gathered close in the rear, the guide made a

curious upward movement with his arm, and when we stood motionless repeated it several times.

"I suppose he wants us to fly," said Harry with so genuine a tone of sarcasm that I gave an involuntary smile.

The guide's meaning was soon evident. It took some seconds for my eye to penetrate the darkness, and then I

saw a spiral stair ascending perpendicularly, apparently carved from the solid rock. Harry must have

For a moment I hesitated, glancing round uncertainly at the dusky forms that were ever pressing closer upon

Then I said, shrugging my shoulders: "It's no good pulling, Harry. Come on; take a chance. You said

Harry followed without comment. Up we went together, but slowly. The stair was fearfully steep and narrow,

Suddenly I became aware that light was descending on us from above. With every step upward it became

There came an exclamation from Harry, and we ascended faster. I remember that I counted a hundred and

sixty stepsand then, as a glimmering of the truth shot through my brain into certainty, I counted no more.

Harry was crowding me from below, and we took the last few steps almost at a run. Then the end, and we

stumbled out into a blaze of light and surveyed the surrounding scene with stupefaction and wonder.

We were on the top of the column in the center of the lake; on the spot where Desiree had whirled in the

For many seconds we stood bewildered, too dazed to speak or move. The light dazzled our eyes; we seemed

surrounded by an impenetrable wall of flame. There was no sensation of heat, owing, no doubt, to the

immense height of the cavern and our comparatively distant removal from the flames, which mounted

I have said the scene was the same as that we had previously beheld. Round the walls of the immense circular

Below, at a dizzy distance, was the smooth surface of the lake, black and gloomy save where the reflections

from the blazing urns pierced its depths. And directly facing us, set in the wall of the cavern, was the alcove

And on the throne was seatednot the diminutive, misshapen king, but Desiree Le Mire!

She sat motionless, gazing directly at us. Her long gold hair streamed over her shoulders in magnificent

waves; a stiffly flowing garment of some unknown texture covered her limbs and the lower part of her body;

her shoulders and breasts and arms were bare, and shone with a dazzling whiteness.

Beside her was a smaller seat, also of gold, and on this crouched the form of an Incathe king. About them,

at a respectful distance, were ranged attendants and guardsa hundred or more, for the alcove was of an

impressive size. The light from the four urns shone in upon it with such brightness that I could clearly

"All right, Hal. But we're safe enough, I think. Most probably our introduction to court. This is what they call

'the dizzy heights of prominence.' Now keep your eyes opensomething is going to happen."

There was a movement in the alcove. Four of the attendants came forward, carrying a curious framework

apparently composed of reeds and leather, light and flexible, from the top bar of which hung suspended

several ropelike ribbons, of various lengths and colors and tied in curious knots. They placed it on the

All doubt was then removed from my mind concerning the identity of our captors and their king. For these

They were the famous Inca quiposthe material for their remarkable mnemonic system of communication

and historical record. At last we were to receive a message from the Child of the Sun.

But of what nature? Every cord and knot and color had its meaningbut what? I searched every avenue of

memory to assist me; for I had latterly confined my studies exclusively to Eastern archeology, and what I had

known of the two great autochthonous civilizations of the American Continent was packed in some dim and

I recollected first the different disposition of the quipos for different purposeshistorical, sacred, narrative,

et cetera. Then the particulars came to me, and immediately I recognized the formula of the quipos before the

Harry and I were prisoners before the bar of the quipos! I turned to him, but there was not time for talk. The

Immediately the vast assemblage rose from their stone seats and fell flat on their faces. It was then that I

noticed, for the first time, an oval or elliptical plate of shining gold set in the wall of the cavern just above the

This, of course, was the representation of Pachacamac, the "unknown god" in the Inca religion. Well, I would

For perhaps a minute the king stood with outstretched arm and the Incas remained motionless on their faces.

The king turned on his throne and laid his hand on Desiree's arm; we could see her draw away from his touch

with an involuntary shudder. But this apparent antipathy bothered his kingship not at all; it was probably a

most agreeable sensation to feel her soft, white flesh under his black, hairy hand, and he kept it there, while

with the other arm he made a series of sweeping gestures which I understood at once, but which had no

We had a friend in court, but she was dumb, and I must give her voice. There was no time to be lost; I

stepped to the edge of the column and spoke in a voice loud enough to carry across the cavernwhich was

"He means that you are to judge us by the quipos. The meaning is thisyellow, slavery, white, mercy;

purple, reward; black, death. The lengths of the cords and the number of knots indicate the degree of

punishment or reward. Attached to the frame you will find a knife. With that detach the cord of judgment and

Again silence; and not one of the vast throng, nor the king himself, appeared to pay the slightest attention to

She rose and walked to the frame of quipos and took in her hand the knife which she found there suspended

by a cord. There she hesitated, with the knife poised in the air, while her eyes sought mineand found them.

I felt a tug at my arm, but I had no time for Harry then. I was looking at Desiree, and what I saw caused a

cold shudder to flutter through my body. Not of fear; it was the utter surprise of the thingits incredible

horror. To die by the hands of those hairy brutes was not hard, but Desiree to be the judge!

For she meant death for us; I read it in her eyes. One of the old stale proverbs of the stale old world was to

have another justification. I repeat that I was astounded, taken completely by surprise; and yet I had known

It was as though our eyes shot out to meet each other in an embrace of death. She saw that I understood and

she smiledwhat a smile! It was triumphant, and yet sad; a vengeance, and a farewell. She put forth her

It wavered among the quipos as though uncertainly, then closed firmly on the black cord of death.

A thought flashed through my mind with the speed of lightning. I raised my voice and sang out:

She hesitated; the hand which held the knife fell to her side and again her eyes sought mine.

"Bah! Who are you? For you are not Le Mire!" I weighted my voice with contempt. "Le Mire is a child of

"With marked cards!" I exclaimed scornfully. "The advantage is yours, madame; may you find pleasure in it."

There was a silence, while our eyes met. I thought I had lost. Le Mire stood motionless. Not a sound came

from the audience. I felt Harry pulling at my arm, but shook myself free, without taking my eyes from Le

"You are right, my friend Paul. I take no advantage. Leave it to Fortune. Have you a coin?"

I had won my chance. That was alla chancebut that was better than nothing. I took a silver peseta from

I let the coin fall. It rolled halfway across the top of the column and stopped at the very edge. I crossed and

Harry was behind me; as I straightened up I saw his white, set face and eyes of horror. He, too, had seen the

verdict; but he was moved not by that, but by the thought of Desiree, for Harry was not a man to flinch at

I stood straight, and my voice was calm. It cost me an effort to clear it of bitterness and reproach. I could not

avoid the reflection that but for Desiree we would never have seen the cave of the devil and the Children of

Desiree stared at me in the most profound surprise. I understood her, and I laughed scornfully aloud, and held

my head high; and I think a voice never held so complete a disdain as did mine as I called to her:

"I am one who plays fair, even with death, Le Mire. The coin fell headsyou win your black cord fairly."

She made no sign that she had heard; she was raising the knife. Suddenly she stopped, again her hand fell,

I noddedI could not speak. Her hand touched the white cord and passed on; the yellow, and again passed

on. Then there was a flash of the knifeanotherand she approached the king and laid at his feet the purple

A lump rose to my throat and tears to my eyes. Which was very foolish, for the thing had been completely

theatrical. It was merely a tribute from one of nature's gamblers to the man who "played fair, even with

For all that was visible to the eye the verdict made not the slightest impression on the rows of silent Incas.

Not a movement was seen; they might have been carved from the stone on which they were seated.

Their black, hairy bodies, squat and thick, threw back the light from the flaming torches as though even those

Suddenly they rosethe king had moved. He picked the purple cord from the ground, and, after passing his

Then he stretched out his hand, and the Incas, who had remained standing, turned about and began to

disappear. As before, the cavern was emptied in an incredibly short space of time; in two minutes we were

There was a sound behind us. We turned and saw a great slab of stone slowly slide to one side in the floor,

leaving an aperture some three feet square. Evidently it had been closed behind us when we had ascended; we

had had no time to notice it then. In this hole presently appeared the head and shoulders of our guide, who

I started to obey, but turned to wait for Harry, who was gazing at Desiree. His back was toward me and I

could not see his face; his eyes must have held an appeal, for I saw Desiree's lips part in a smile and heard her

I found myself wondering how these halfcivilized brutes had possibly managed to conceive the idea of the

spiral stair. It was known to neither the Aztecs nor the Incas, in America; nor to any of the primitive

European or Asiatic civilizations. But they had found a place where nothing else would doand they made

I took time to note its construction. It was rude enough, but a good job for all that. It was not exactly circular;

there were many angles, evidently following the softer strata in the rock; they had bowed to their

Even the height of the steps was irregular; some were scarcely more than three inches, while others were

twelve or fourteen. You may know we descended slowly and with care, especially when we had reached the

point where no light came from above to aid us. We found our guide waiting for us at the bottom, alone.

We followed him down the low and narrow passage through which we had previously come. But when we

reached the steps which led up to the passage above and to the cave where we had formerly been confined, he

"We shall not, for that very reason," I answered. "It means that we are guests instead of captives, and far be it

from us to outrage the laws of hospitality. But seriously, the safest thing we can do is to follow him."

The passage in which we now found ourselves was evidently no work of nature. Even in the semidarkness the

mark of man's hand was apparent. And the ceiling was low; another proof, for dwarfs do not build for the

accommodation of giants. But I had some faint idea of the pitiful inadequacy of their tools, and I found

myself reflecting on the stupendous courage of the men who had undertaken such a task, even allowing for

Soon we reached a veritable maze of these passages. We must have taken a dozen or more turns, first to the

right, then to the left. I had been marking our way on my memory as well as possible, but I soon gave up the

Several times our guide turned so quickly that we could scarcely follow him. When we signified by gestures

our desire to go slower he seemed surprised; of course, he expected us to see in the dark as well as he.

Then a dim light appeared, growing brighter as we advanced. Soon I saw that it came through an opening in

the wall to our left, which we were approaching. Before the opening the guide halted, motioning us to enter.

Several blazing urns attached to the walls furnished the light, wavering but brilliant. There were tables and

rude seats, fashioned from the same prismatic stones which covered the column in the lake, and from their

At one side was a long slab of granite covered with the skins of some animal, dry, thick, and soft. The walls

themselves were of the hardest granite, studded to a height of four or five feet with tiny, innumerable spots of

Harry crossed to the middle of the apartment and stood gazing curiously about him. I turned to the door and

"Thanks to the devil! What did she meanwhat could she mean? Was it one of her jokes? For I can't believe

"Have sent us to death? Wellwho knows? Yes, it may have been one of her jokes," I lied.

For, of course, Harry knew nothing of the cause of Desiree's desire for revenge on me, and it would have

We talked for an hour or more, examining our apartment meanwhile with considerable curiosity.

The gold excited our wonder; had it come from Huanuco four hundred years ago, or had they found it here in

I examined the little blocks of metal or gems with which the tables and seats were inlaid, but could make

nothing of them. They resembled a carbon formation sometimes found in quartzite, but were many times

The hides which covered the granite couch were also unknown to me; they were of an amazing thickness and

We were amusing ourselves with an attempt to pry one of the bits of gold from the wall when we heard a

She stood in the entrance, smiling at us as though we had been caught in her boudoir examining the articles

on her dressingtable. She was clothed as she had been on the throne; a rope girdle held her single garment,

and her hair fell across her shoulders, reaching to her knees. Her arms and shoulders appeared marvelously

Harry sprang across to her with a single bound. In another moment his arms were round her; she barely

submitted to the embrace, but she gave him her lips, then drew herself away and crossed to me, extending her

But that was no time for hostilities, and I took the hands in my own and bent over them till my lips touched

"A visit from the queen!" I said with a smile. "This is an honor, your majesty."

"A doubtful one," said Desiree. "First of all, my friend, I want to congratulate you on your savoir faire. Par

"But you!" cried Harry. "What the deuce did you mean by pretending to play the black? I tell you, that was a

Desiree sent me a quick glance; she was plainly surprised to find Harry in ignorance of what had passed

between us that evening in the camp on the mountain. Wherein she was scarcely to be blamed, for her

"Now what's up?" demanded Harry, looking from her to me and back again. "For Heaven's sake, don't talk

But Desiree silenced him with a gesture, placing her fingers playfully on his lips. They were seated side by

side on the granite couch; I stood in front of them, and there flitted across my memory a picture of that

morning scene in the grounds of the Antlers at Colorado Springs, when Desiree and I had had our first battle.

We talked; or, rather, Harry and Desiree talked, and I listened. First he insisted on a recital of her experiences

since her reckless dash into the "cave of the devil," and she was most obliging, even eager, for she had had no

one to talk to for many days, and she was a woman. She found in Harry a perfect audience.

Her experience had been much the same as our own. She, too, had fallen down the unseen precipice into the

She asserted that she had been carried along by its force scarcely more than a quarter of an hour, and had

been violently thrown upon a ledge of rock. It was evident that this must have been long before the stream

reached the lake where Harry and I had found each other, for we had been in the water hardly short of an

She had been found on the ledge by our hairy friends, who had carried her on their backs for many hours. I

remembered the sensations of Harry and myself, who were men, and together, and gave a shudder of

sympathy as Desiree described her own horror and fear, and her one attempt to escape.

Still the brutes had shown her no great violence, evidently recognizing the preciousness of their burden. They

had carried her as gently as possible, but had absolutely refused to allow her to walk. At regular intervals they

Then of the elevation to her evident authority. Brought before the king, she had inspired the most profound

wonder and curiosity. Easy, indeed, to understand how the whiteness of her skin and the beauty of her form

and face had awakened the keenest admiration in the breast of that black and hairy monarch. He had shown

her the most perfect respect; and she had played up to the role of goddess by displaying to the utmost her

Here her remarks grew general and evasive, and when pressed with questions she refused details. She

declared that nothing had happened; she had been fed and fawned upon, nor been annoyed by any violence or

"That is really too bad," said I, with a smile. "I was, then, mistaken when I said 'your majesty'?"

"Faugh!" said Desiree. "That is hardly witty. For a time I was amused, but I am becoming bored. And yet"

"Idon'tknow. They are mine, if you know what I mean. Eh, bien, since you ask mefor I see the

question in your eye, friend PaulI am content. If the world is behind me forever, so be it. Yes, they are

"Why not?" she demanded. "They are men. And besides, it is impossible for us to return. With all your

cleverness, M. Paul, can you find the sunlight? To remain is a necessity; we must make the best of it; and I

"That's bally rot," said Harry, turning on her hotly. "Satisfied? You are nothing of the sort. I'll tell you one

thing Paul and I are going to find our way out of this, and you are coming with us."

For reply Desiree laughed at hima laugh that plainly said, "I am my own mind, and obey no other." It is

one of the most familiar cards of the woman of beauty, and the most effective. It conquered Harry.

He gazed at her for a long moment in silence, while his eyes filled with an expression which one man should

never show to another man. It is the betrayal of the masculine sex and the triumph of the feminine.

Suddenly he threw himself on his knees before her and took her hands in his own. She attempted to withdraw

The king of the Incas was standing within the doorway, surveying the lovers with beadlike, sparkling eyes.

If it had not been for the manifest danger, I could have laughed aloud at what I read in the eyes of the king.

Was it not supremely ridiculous for Desiree Le Mire, who had been sought after by the great and the wealthy

and the powerful of all Europe, to be regarded with desire by that ugly dwarf? And it was there,

I sang out a sharp warning, but it was unnecessary; Desiree had already caught sight of the royal visitor. She

pushed Harry from her bodily. He sprang to his feet in angry surprise; then, enlightened by the confusion in

How critical the situation was I did not know, despite Desiree's assertions. His eyes were human and easily

But Desiree proved herself equal to the occasion. She remained seated on the granite couch for a long minute

without moving; confusion left her eyes as she gazed at us apparently with the utmost composure; but I who

knew her could see that her brain was working with the rapidity of lightning. Then her glance passed to the

figure at the doorway, and with a gesture commanding and truly royal in its simplicity, she held her hand

Like an obedient trained monkey he trotted across the intervening space, grasped her soft white hand in his

That was all, but it spoke volumes to one who could divine the springs of action. I remember that at the time

there shot through my mind a story I had heard concerning Desiree in Paris. The Duke of Bellarmine, then

her protector, had one evening entered her splendid apartment on the Rue Jonteurfurnished, of course, by

himselfand had found his divinity entertaining one Jules Chavot, a young and beautiful poet. Whereupon

he had launched forth into the most bitter reproaches and scornful denunciations.

"Monsieur," Desiree had said, with the look of a queen outraged, when he had finished, "you are annoying.

Little Chavot amuses me. You are aware that I never refuse myself anything which I consider necessary to

And the noble duke, conquered by that glance of fire and those terrible words, had retired with humble

In short, Desiree was irresistible; the subjection of the Inca king was but another of her triumphs, and not the

And then I looked at Harry, and was aware of a new danger. He was glaring at the Inca with eyes which told

their own story of the fire within, and which were waiting only for suspicion to become certainty. I called to

Her meaning was clear; it was to us she spoke. The king had turned from her and was regarding us steadily

with eyes so nearly closed that their meaning was impenetrable. Harry and I glanced at each other and

It was the appeal to a child; but love is young. Immediately Harry dropped to his knees, facing the king; and I

followed him, wondering at myself. To this day I do not know what the compelling force was that pulled me

For perhaps a minute we remained motionless on our knees while the king stood gazing at us, it seemed to

me with an air of doubt. Then slowly, and with a gait that smacked of majesty despite his ungainly

appearance and diminutive stature, he stalked across to the doorway and disappeared in the corridor without.

Harry and I looked at each other, kneeling like two heathen idols, and burst into unrestrained laughter. But

"That is well, but I don't care to repeat it. Harry, for the sake of my dignity, employ a little discretion. And

"Nothing," said Desiree, shrugging her shoulders. "Only he must be pacified. I must go. I wonder if you

know you are lodged in the royal apartments? His majesty's roomhe has but oneis in the corridor to the

"Mine is on the rightand he is probably stamping the place to pieces at this moment." She left the granite

couch and advanced half way to the door. "Au revoir, messieurs. Till laterI shall come to see you."

Harry and I, left alone, had enough to think and talk about, but there was ten minutes of silence before we

spoke. I sat on one of the stone seats, wondering what the result would beif anyof the king's visit and his

Harry paced up and down the length of the apartment with lowered head. Presently he spoke abruptly:

"Paul, I want to know exactly what you think of our chances for getting out of this."

"But you've thought about it, and you know something about these things. What do you think?"

"Nothing less than miracles. There are just two. First and I've spoken of this beforewe might find an

"Nature herself. She plays queer tricks in the Andes. She might turn the mountain upside down, in which case

we would find ourselves on top. Seriously, the formation here is such that almost anything is possible.

Upheavals of vast masses of rock are of ordinary occurrence. A passage might be opened in that way to one

"We are surrounded by layers of limestone, granite, and quartzite, which are of marked difference both in the

quality of hardness and in their ability to withstand the attacks of time. When one finds itself unable to

Again silence. Harry stood gazing at one of the flaming urns, buried in thoughteasy to guess of what

"Trust Desiree. It's true that she can't even talk to him, but she'll manage him somehow. You saw what

"But the creature is no better than a dumb brute. He is capable of anything. I tell you, we ought to get her

"And we're none too safe ourselves. As for starving, we could carry enough of their darned fish to last a year.

And one thing is sure: we won't get back to New York lying round here waiting for something to turn

In that question was the whole matter. To escape with Desiree was possiblebut then what? We knew by

experience what it meant to wander hopelessly about in the darkness of those desolate caverns, without food,

and depending on Providence for water. Neither of us cared to repeat that trial, especially with the added

We decided to wait for the future, and in the mean time lay in a supply of provisions, and, if possible, devise

It is worth remarking here that the Incas, so far as we had seen, used no weapons whatever. This was most

probably the result of their total isolation and consequent freedom from foreign hostility.

In the matter of food we were soon to receive an agreeable surprise. It was about an hour after Desiree had

left us that the royal stewardI give him the title on my own responsibility arrived, with pots and pans on

In the first place, the pots and pans were of solid gold. Harry stared in amazement as they were placed in

brilliant array on one of the stone tables; and when we essayed to lift the empty tray from another table on

which it had been placed we understood why the steward had found it necessary to bring four assistants along

There was a king's ransom on that table, in sober truth, for there could be no doubt but that this was part of

the gold which had been carried from Huanuco when it had been demanded by Pizarro as payment for the life

But better even than the service was that which it contained. It may not have been such as would enhance the

reputation of a French chef, but to us then it seemed that the culinary art could go no farther.

There was a large platter; Harry lifted its cover in an ecstasy of hope; but the next instant his face fell

First I uncovered a dish of stew, steaming hot! To be sure, it was fish, but it was hot. Then a curious, brittle

kind of bread; I call it that, though on trial it appeared to be made from the roe of some kind of fish. Also

Four hundred years of development had taught the royal chefs to prepare fish in so many different ways that

"Couldn't be better," said Harry, helping himself liberally to the stew. "We can eat this, and cache the dried

"As for me, I saw before me the raw material for our weapons. When we had emptied the golden platter that

held our "bread," I secreted it under the cover of the granite couch. When the servingmen called to remove

Some hours later Desiree paid us a second call. She appeared to be in the gayest of spirits, and I eyed her

curiously from a seat in the corner as she and Harry sat side by side, chatting for all the world as though they

Was it possible that she was really satisfied, as she had said? What imaginable food could these black dwarfs

find to appease her tremendous vanity? Or was she merely living the motto of the French philosopher?

Harry was demanding that he be allowed to visit her apartment; this she refused, saying that if he were found

there by the king nothing could avert a catastrophe. Harry's brow grew black; I could see his effort to choke

back his anger. Then Desiree led him away from the topic, and soon they were both again laughing merrily.

Some fortyeight hours passed; in that perpetual blackness there was no such thing as day. We saw no one

save Desiree and the serving men. Once a messenger appeared carrying a bundle of quipos; I was able to

decipher their meaning sufficiently to understand that we were invited to some religious ceremony in the

great cavern. But I thought it injudicious to allow a meeting between Harry and the king, and returned a polite

It may be of interest to some to know the method, which was extremely simple, as in ordinary

communications the quipos are easy to read. I removed two knots from the white cordthe sign of

affirmativeand placed two additional ones on the black cordthe sign of negative. Then on the yellow

cordthe sign of the Child of the Sun and submission to himI tied two more knots to show that our

Here were the descendants of the subjects of MancoCapac, himself a son of the orb of day, still holding to

their worship of the sun, though they had not seen its light for four centuries. Deserted by their god, they did

not abandon him; an example from which the followers of another and more "civilized" religion might learn

As I say, I was anxious to avoid a meeting between Harry and the king, and subsequent events proved my

wisdom. Harry was acting in a manner quite amazing; it was impossible for me to mention the king even in

As I look back now I am not surprised; for our harrowing experiences and the hopelessness of our situation

and the wilfulness of Desiree were enough, Heaven knows, to jerk his nerves; but at the time I regarded his

actions as those of a thoughtless fool, and told him so, thinking to divert his anger to myself. He took no

We were left entirely to ourselves. At regular intervals our food was brought to us, and within a week we had

accumulated a large supply of the dried fish against necessity, besides my collection of six golden platters, of

Once in about twentyfour hours two Incas, who appeared to be our personal attendantsfor we were

actually able to recognize them after half a dozen visitsarrived to perform the offices of chambermaid and

valet. The floor of the apartment was scrubbed, the urns refilled with oil, and the skin cover of the granite

couch was changed. It seemed that another beliefin cleanlinesshad refused to be dislodged from the Inca

When I managed, by dint of violent and expressive gestures, to convey to our valet the idea that we desired a

bath, he led us down the corridor some two hundred feet to a stream of cool running water. We took

advantage of the opportunity to scrub our clothing, which was sadly in need of the operation.

I had early made an examination of the urns which furnished our light. They were of gold and perfect in

form, which convinced me that they had been brought by the fugitives from Huanuco, as, indeed, the quipos

The urns were filled with an oil which I was unable to recognize. There was no wick, but round the rim or lip

of each was set a broad ring carved of stone, which made the opening at the top only about two inches in

Of smoke there was none, or very little, a circumstance which was inexplicable, as there seemed to be no

possibility of the generation of gas within so small space. But the oil itself was strange to me, and its

As I say, I had collected six of the golden platters, one at a time. Together they weighed about twenty

poundsfor they were small and rather thinwhich was near the amount required for my purpose. I

We first procured a vessel of granite from the attendant on some pretext or otherthis for melting the gold.

Then we pried a slab of limestone from a corner of one of the seats; luckily for us it was very soft, having

been selected by the Incas for the purpose of inserting in its face the crystal prisms. Then we procured a

dozen or more of the prisms themselves, and, using them as chisels, and small blocks of granite as hammers,

It was slow work, but we finally succeeded in hollowing out a groove in its surface about eighteen inches

Then to melt the golden platters. We took four of the urns, placing them in a group on the floor, and just at

the tip of the flames placed the granite vessel, supported by four blocks of stone which we pried loose from

But we found, after several hours, that we did not have sufficient heator rather that the vessel was too thick

to transmit it. And again we set to work with our improvised chisels and hammers, to shave off its sides and

Finally, with the profane portion of our vocabularies completely exhausted and rendered meaningless by

repetition, and with bruised and bleeding hands, we again arranged our furnace and sat down to wait. We had

waited until the dishes from our dinner had been removed, and we were fairly certain to be alone for several

Finally the gold was melted, stubbornly but surely. We took the thick hide cover from the couch and, one on

each side, lifted the vessel of liquid metal and filled our mold. In an hour it was hardened into a bar the shape

It would appear that the gain was hardly worth the pains, and I admit it. But at the least I had kept Harry

occupied with something besides his amatory troubles, and at the best we had two heavy, easily handled bars

of metal that would prove most effective weapons against foes who had none whatever.

We had just removed the traces of our work as completely as possible and secreted the clubs of yellow metal

in a corner of the apartment when the sound of pattering footsteps came from the corridor.

Harry gave me a quick glance; I moved between him and the door. But it was Desiree.

She entered the room hurriedly and crossed to the farther side, then turned to face the door. Her cheeks were

glowing brightly, her eyes flashed fire, and her breast heaved with unwonted agitation. Before either she or I

"What has he done now?" he demanded in a tone scarcely audible in its intensity.

"Idon'tknow," said Desiree without removing her eyes from the door. "Let me go, Harry; let me sit

"Yespartly. The brute! But then, he is human, and that is his way. And youI was rightyou should

"But it was merely an invitation. Cannot one refuse an invitation?" I protested.

"Still it was an error, and I think you will pay for it. There have been unusual preparations under way for

many hours. The king has been in my apartment, and messengers and guards have been arriving constantly,

"Did any of them contain a red cord, suspended alone, with a single knot at either end?"

"That means Harry and me," I observed. "But the message! Can you remember any of them?"

She tried, but without success. Which will not surprise any one who has ever seen the collection at the

"Something else has happened, Desiree. No bunch of cords tied in silly knots ever made you look as you did

"I say yes! And I want to know! And if it's what I think it is we're going to clear out of here now!"

"We can! We have enough provisions to last for weeks. And see here," he ran to the corner where he had

hidden the golden clubs and returned with them in his hands, "with these we could make our way through

"And so you would fight for me, Harry?" she said halfwistfully, halfI know not what. Then she continued

She liedI saw it in her eyes. Perhaps she meant to save Harry from his folly, to quiet him by the knowledge

that he need not fight for what was no longer his own; but she was mistaken in her man.

Harry did not stop to read her eyeshe heard her words. He took two slow steps backward, then stood quite

still, while his face grew deadly white and his eyes were fastened on hers with a look that made me turn my

own away. His soul looked out from themhow he loved the womanand I could not bear it!

Nor, after a moment, could Desiree. She took a step forward, extending her arms to him and cried out:

And they gazed at each other, and I at Desiree, and thus we were unaware that a fourth person had entered the

room, until he had crossed its full length and stood before me. It was the Inca king.

I took no time for thought, but jumped straight for Harry and threw my arms round him, dragging him back

halfway across the room. Taken completely by surprise, he did not struggle. I noticed that he still held in his

She stood erect, with flashing eyes. The king approached; she held out her hand to him with an indescribable

For a moment he looked at her, then his lips curled in an ugly snarl, and, dashing her hand aside, he leaped

There was a strangled scream from Desiree, a frantic cry from Harryand the next instant he had torn

A single bound and he was across the room; a single blow with his fist and the king of the Incas dropped

Desiree shrank back against the wall, covering her face with her hands. Harry stood above the prostrate figure

As for me, I gave no thought to what had been donethe imminent peril of the situation possessed my mind

I ran to the figure on the floor and bent over him. There was no movementhis eyes were closed. Calling to

Harry to watch the corridor without, I quickly tore my woolen jacket into stripsmy fingers seemed to be

made of steeland bound the wrists and ankles of the Inca firmly, trussing him up behind.

Then with another strip I gagged him, thinking it best to err on the side of prudence. In another moment I had

dragged him to the corner of the room behind the granite couch and covered him with its hidecover.

"Then herequick, man! Get the clubs and the grub. Desireecome! There's not a second to lose."

"But, Paul" she began; then, seeing the utter folly of any other course than instant flight, she sprang to

There was more than we could carry. Harry and I each took a bundle under our left arm, carrying the clubs in

the other hand. Desiree attempted to take two bundles, but they were too heavy for her, and she was forced to

With a last hasty glance at the motionless heap in the corner we started, Harry leading and myself in the rear,

But it was not to be so easy. We were nearly to the door when there came a grating, rumbling sound from

above, and a huge block of granite dropped squarely across the doorway with a crash that made the ground

Stupefied, we realized in a flash that the cunning of the Incas had proved too much for us. Harry and I ran

forward, but only to invite despair; the doorway was completely covered by the massive rock, an

impenetrable curtain of stone weighing many tons, and on neither side was there an opening more than an

We stood stunned; Desiree even made no sound, but gazed at the blocked doorway in a sort of stupid wonder.

It was one of those sudden and overwhelming catastrophes that deprive us for a moment of all power to

"Impossible!" Harry asserted; but I agreed with Desiree; and though I could see no opening or crevice of any

sort in the walls or ceiling, I was convinced that even then the eyes of the Incas were upon us.

Our situation was indeed desperate. With our every movement spied upon, surrounded by four solid walls of

stone, and beyond them ten thousand savage brutes waiting to tear us to pieceswhat wildest fancy could

Then, glancing up, my eye was arrested by the heap under the cover in the corner. There, in the person of the

"I thank Heaven," he said, "that you are with us." Then he turned to me: "I believe it is for the best, Paul.

There never was a chance for us; we may as well say it now. And it is better to die here, together, thanthe

I smiled at his philosophy, knowing its source. It came not from his own head, but from Desiree's arms. But it

We sat silent. The thing was beyond discussion; too elemental to need speech for its explanation or

understanding. I believe it was not despair that kept back our words, but merely the dumb realization that

Finally I crossed the room and removed the cover from the body of the Child of the Sun. He had recovered

consciousness; his little wicked eyes gleamed up at me with an expression that would have been terrifying in

the intensity of its malignant hatred if he had not been utterly helpless. I turned to Harry:

"By Jove, I had forgotten!" exclaimed the lad. "Paul, perhaps if we could communicate with them" He

"I believe it is possible," I contradicted. "If the Incas were able to lower that stone at any moment you may be

sure they are prepared to raise it. How, Heaven only knows; but the fact is certain. Do you think they would

"Our lives for his. We'll give him nothing to eat, and if, as you say, they have some way of watching us,

they'll be forced to negotiate. You can talk with the quipos, and tell them that unless they give us our freedom

and let us go in safety they'll have a dead king. From the way they seem to worship him they'd come through

"No, Harry; to trust them would be folly. The minute we stepped through that doorway they would be on

"None. We may as well admit the worst. And the worst is best for us now. Really, we are in luck; we die in

Then, in answer to their glances of inquiry, I added significantly: "We have no weapons. We cannot allow

ourselves to starvethe end must come before that, for as soon as they saw us weakening we would be at

There was comprehension and horror in Desiree's eyes, but she looked at me with a brave attempt to smile as

she took from her hair something which gleamed and shone in the light from the flaming urns. It was a tiny

I had seen it before many timesa present, Desiree had told me, from the young man I had seen in the royal

Brave Le Mire! I took the dagger and placed it in my pocket, and, looking at Harry, exchanged with him a

"But I must confess I am a coward," said Desiree. "When the time comes II could not bear to seeto

I looked at her and said simply: "You shall be first," and she gave me a smile of thanks that spoke of a heart

that would not fail when the final moment arrived. And in my admiration of her high courage I forgot the

It was a relief to have admitted the worst and discussed it calmly; there is no torment like suspense, and ours

was at an end. A load was lifted from our hearts, and a quiet sympathy created between us, sincere as death

itself. And it was in our power to choose for ourselves the final momentwe were yet masters of our fates.

All action seems useless when hope is dead, but certain things needed to be done, and Harry and I bestirred

ourselves. We extinguished the flame in all the urns but one to save the oil, not caring to depart in darkness.

Our supply of water, we found, was quite sufficient to last for several days, if used sparingly; for we intended

to support life so long as we had the fuel. Then responsibility ceases; man has a right to hasten that which

We talked very little; at times Desiree and Harry conversed in subdued tones which I did not overhear; I was

engaged with my own thoughts. And they were not unpleasant; if, looking death in the face, a man can

preserve his philosophy unchanged, he has made the only success in life that is worth while.

We ate and drank, but gave neither water nor food to our fellow prisoner. Not because I really expected to

force negotiations with the Incasbut the thing was possible and was worth a trial. I knew them well enough

I was a little surprised to find in Desiree no levity, the vulgar prop for courage based on ignorance. There was

a tenderness in her manner, especially toward Harry, that spoke of something deeper and awoke in my own

breast a deeper respect for her. The world had not known Desiree Le Mireit had merely been fascinated

Many hours had passed in this tomblike apathy. Two or three times I had advised Desiree to lie down to rest

and, if possible, to sleep. She had refused, but I became insistent, and Harry added his voice to my own.

Then, to please us, she consented; we arranged the cover on the granite couch and made her as comfortable as

In five minutes she was fast asleep. Harry stood a few feet away from the couch, looking down at her. I spoke

"And you must rest too, Hal. One of us must remain on watch; I'll take it first and call you when I feel

drowsy. It may be a needless precaution, but I don't care to wake up and find myself in the condition of our

He wanted to take the first watch himself, but I insisted, and he arranged our ponchos on the ground, and

soon he too was sleeping easily and profoundly. I looked from him to Desiree with a smile, and reflection that

It was possible that the stone curtain across the doorway could be raised noiselessly, and that made it

necessary to keep my eyes fastened on it almost continuously. This became irksome; besides, twice I awoke

to the fact that my thoughts had carried me so far away from my surroundings that the stone could have been

So, using my jacket for a cushion, I seated myself on the ground in the threshold, leaning my back against the

I had sat thus for three hours or more, and was thinking of calling Harry to relieve me, when I felt a

Slowly it rose, by little frequent jerks, not more than an eighth of an inch at a time. In fifteen minutes it was

only about four inches from the ground. There was no sound save a faint grating noise from above.

I stood several feet away, holding one of the golden clubs in my hand, thinking it unnecessary to rouse Harry

until the space was wide enough to cause apprehension. Or rather, because I had no fear of an assaultI was

convinced that our ruse had succeeded, and that they were about to communicate with us by means of the

The stone was raised a little over a foot, then became stationary. I waited, expecting to see a bundle of quipos

Instead, five golden vessels were pushed across the ground until they were inside, clear of the stone; I could

Then the granite curtain fell with a crash that caused me to start with its suddenness and awakened both Harry

Two of the vessels contained water, two oil, and the other dried fish. Harry, who had sprung to his feet

"It means that Desiree was right," I observed. "They have some way of watching us. And, seeing that we

refused to provide their beloved monarch with provender, they have sent him an allowance from the pantry."

"Hardly," said I with emphasis. "We'll make 'em treat with us if it's only to observe their diplomacy. There'll

"Anyway, we know now that they can raise that stone whenever they feel like it. But in the name of

He advanced to the doorway and examined the block of granite curiously, but there was no clue to its weight

or thickness from the inside. I explained that there were several ways by which the thing could be raised, but

that the most probable one was by means of a rolling pulley, which required merely some rounded stones and

It had been several hours since we had last eaten, and we decided to at once convey to the spies without our

intentions concerning our prisoner. So we regaled ourselves with dried fish and water, taking care not to

approach the king, who had rolled over on his side and lay facing us, looking for all the world, in the dim

Harry relieved me at my post against the door, and I lay down to sleep. Desiree had seated herself beside him,

and the low tones of their voices came to me as I lay on the couch (which Desiree had insisted I should

occupy) in an indistinct, musical murmur. This for perhaps ten minutes; then I slept.

That became our routine. During the many weary hours that followed there was never a moment when one of

us was not seated with his back against the stone across the doorway; we dared not trust our eyes. Usually

Harry and Desiree watched together, and, when I relieved them, slept side by side on the couch.

Sometimes, when we were all awake, Desiree was left on guard alone; but Harry and I were never both asleep

An estimate of the time we spent thus would be the wildest guess, for time was heavy and passed on leaden

feet. But I should say we had been imprisoned for something like four days, possibly five, when the

I had come off watch, and Harry and Desiree had taken my place. Before I lay down I had taken some water

to the prisoner, for we had some time before admitted the necessity of giving him drink. But of food he had

Harry told me afterward that I had slept for two or three hours, but it seemed to me rather as many minutes,

when I was awakened by the sound of his voice calling my name. Glancing at the doorway, I sprang to my

The stone was slowly rising from the floor; already there was a space of a foot or more. Desiree and Harry

"Of coursethe stone," I observed facetiously, yawning. "Probably nothing more important than a bundle of

Still the stone moved upward, very slowly. It reached a height of two feet, yet did not halt.

"This is no quipos" said Harry, "or if it is, they must be going to send us in a whole library. Six inches would

"This means business, Hal. Stand ready with your club. Desiree, go to the further corner, behind that seat."

"You will go", I said sternly, "or I shall carry you and tie you. This is not play. We must have room and know

To my surprise, she made no reply, but quietly obeyed. Then, struck by a sudden thought, I crossed to where

"Here," I said in a low tone, taking the little jeweled dagger from my pocket and holding it out to her, "in

By that time the stone was halfway to the top of the doorway, leaving a space over three feet high, and was

still rising. I stood on one side and Harry on the other, not caring to expose ourselves immediately in front.

Suddenly he left his post and ran to one of the stone seats and began prying at the blocks of granite. I saw at

once his intention and our mistake; we should have long before barricaded the door on the inside. But it was

too late now; I knew from experience the difficulty of loosening those firmly wedged blocks, and I called out:

"No good, Hal. We were fools not to have thought of it before, but there is no time for it now. Come back; I

Nevertheless, he continued his exertions, and succeeded in getting one of the blocks partially free; but by that

time the doorway was almost completely uncovered, and he saw the folly of attempting further.

The stone appeared to be going faster. It reached the top passed itand quickly swung in toward the wall

We stood waiting, tense and alert. The open doorway gaped on the black, empty corridor, into which the light

from our single urn shone dimly. We could see or hear nothing, no indication that any one was in the passage,

but we dared not look out in that darkness. The suspense was trying enough; Harry ripped out an impatient

oath and made a movement as though to step in the entrance, but I waved him back.

Crouching, rushing forms filled the doorway from both directions and leaped savagely at us. After so many

weary days of dull inaction and helpless, hopeless apathy, a mad joy fired my brain and thrilled my heart as I

That blow crushed the skull of one whose fingers were at my throat, and he dropped like a log at my feet; but

his place was already filled. Again I swung the club; another swayed, toppling against the doorway and

leaning there with the blood streaming from his broken head, quite dead, but held erect by the pressure of his

If the doorway had been but a foot wider we would have been overwhelmed almost instantly. As it was, but

three or four could get to us at once, and they found the gold which their ancestors had carried from the

temples of Huanuco waiting for them. My arm seemed to have the strength of a hundred arms; it swung the

Harry fought like a demon. I think I did all that a man could do, but he did more, and withal more coolly. I

brought down my club on heads, shoulders, chests, and rarely failed to get my man.

But the impact of Harry's blows was like the popping of a Maxim. I saw him reach over and grasp the throat

of one who had his teeth set in my shoulder, and, holding him straight before him with his arm extended,

break his neck with one blow. Again, his club descended on one black skull with a glancing blow and shot off

At the time I did not know that I saw these things; it was all one writhing, struggling, bloody horror; but

Still they came. My arm rose and fell seemingly without order from the brain; I was not conscious that it

moved. It seemed to me that ever since the beginning of time I had stood in that butcher's doorway and

brought down that bar of gold on thick, black skulls and distorted, grinning faces. But they would not

disappear. One fell; another took his place; and another, and another, and another.

The bodies of those who fell were dragged away from underneath. I did not see it, but it must have been so,

or soon we would have raised our own barricade for defensea barricade of flesh. And there was none.

I began to weaken, and Harry saw it, for he gasped out: "SteadyPaul. Take iteasy. They

His blows were redoubled in fury as he moved closer to me, taking more than his share of the attack, so that I

But we could not have held out much longer. My brain was whirling madly and a weight of a thousand tons

seemed dragging me remorselessly, inevitably to the ground. I kept my feet through the force of some crazy

And then, for an instant, Harry's eyes met mine, and I read in them what neither of us could say, nor would.

Whether the Incas saw in that effort a renewed strength that spoke of immortality, or whether it happened just

at that moment that the pressure from behind was removed, no longer forcing them to their death, I do not

From whatever cause, the attack ceased almost with the suddenness with which it had begun; they fell back

from the doorway; Harry lunged forward with raised club, and the forms melted away into the darkness of the

Harry turned and looked at me as I stood swaying from side to side in the doorway. Neither of us could

speak. Together we staggered back across the room, but I had not gone more than half way when my legs

bent under me and I sank to the floor. Dimly I saw Harry's face above me, as though through a veilthen

Soft white arms were about my neck, and a velvet cheek was pressed against my own.

"That's all right, old fellow. I knowI have known she loves you. This is no time to talk of that. Listen,

Paulwhat you were going to do for Desireeif you canthey will be back at any moment"

"I haven't the strength," I said, hardly knowing how I spoke. "You must do it, Harry; you must. And quick,

What followed came to me as in a dream; my eyes were dim with the exhaustion that had overcome my body.

Desiree's face disappeared from before my facethen a silencethen the sound of her voice as though from

"Harrycome! I can't find it! I dropped it when I ran acrossit must be hereon the floor"

And then another sound came that I knew only too wellthe sound of rushing, pattering feet.

I think I tried to rise to my own feet. I heard Harry's voice crying in a frenzy: "Quickhere they come!

There was a ringing cry of despair from Desiree, a swinging oath from Harry, and the next instant I found

I hardly know what happened after that. I was barely conscious that there was movement round me, and that

my wrists and ankles were being tightly bound. Harry told me afterward that he made one last desperate

stand, and was halted by a cry from Desiree, imploring him to employ the club in the intended office of the

He wheeled about and raised it to strike; then his arm dropped, unable to obey for the brutal horror of it. In

another instant he and Desiree, too, had been overpowered and carried to the floor by the savage rush.

This he told me as we lay side by side in a dark cavern, whither we had been carried by the victorious Incas. I

had expected instant death; the fact that our lives had been spared could have but one meaning, I thought: to

We knew nothing of Desiree's fate. Harry had not seen her since he had been crushed to the floor by that last

assault. And instead of fearing for her life, we were convinced that a still more horrible doom was to be hers,

and hoped only that she would find the means to avoid it by the only possible course.

I have said that we again found ourselves in darkness, but it was much less profound than it had been before.

We could distinctly see the four walls of the cavern in which we lay; it was about twelve feet by twenty, and

the ceiling was very low. The ground was damp and cold, and we had neither ponchos nor jackets to protect

A description of our state of mind as we lay exhausted, wounded, and bound so tightly that any movement

was impossible, would seem to betray a weakness. Perhaps it was so; but we prayed for the endHarry with

curses and oaths, myself in silence. There is a time when misery becomes so acute that a man wants only

That was reaction, and gradually it lessened. And when, after we had lain unconscious for many hours (we

can hardly be said to have slept) they came to bathe our wounds and bruises and bring us food and drink, the

water was actually grateful to our hot, suffering flesh, and we ate almost with relish. But before they left they

If they meditated punishment they certainly seemed to be in no hurry about it. The hours passed endlessly by.

We were cared for as tenderly as though we had been wounded comrades instead of vanquished foes, and

though we were allowed to remain on the damp, hard rock of the cavern, we gradually recovered from the

effects of that gruesome struggle in the doorway, and our suffering bodies began to feel comparative comfort.

"What the deuce are they waiting for?" Harry growled, after one of their visits with food and water. "Why

"Most likely because a well man can appreciate torture better than a sick one," I answered, not having seen fit

"I don't thinkI dare not think about her," I interrupted. "And it is our fault; we failed her. I should have put

her beyond their reach, as I promised. I have reproached myself bitterly, Hal; you need add nothing."

"Do you think I would? Onlythere is something else. About what she said to you. I knew that, you know."

"I knew it long ago. Do you think I am blind? And I want to say this while I have a chanceit was

His simplicity made me uncomfortable, and I made no answer. Indeed, the thing was beyond discussion; it

was merely a bare fact which, when once stated, left nothing to be said. So I refused to humor Harry's evident

We must have lain bound in that cavern little short of a week. Our wounds and bruises were completely

healed, save one gash on Harry's side where he had been hurled against the sharp edge of one of the stone

seats as he had been borne to the floor. But it was not painful, and was nearly closed. And we could feel the

return of strength even through the stiffness caused by the inactivity of our muscles.

We had given up wondering at the delay by the time it came to an end. When they finally came and cut our

bonds and led us from the cavern we felt nothing keener than a mere curiosity as to what awaited us at the

end of our journey. For myself, there was a distinct sensation of thankfulness that uncertainty was to end.

They took no chances with us, but paid us the compliment of a truly royal escortat least, in number. There

could not have been less than two hundred of them in front, behind, and on either side, as we left the cavern

Once, as we started, we stretched our arms high and stood on tiptoe to relieve the stiffness of our joints; and

"Gad! We seem to have made an impression!" Harry grinned. On the way down the passage we marched with

the Prussian goosestep, and felt the blood quickening to life in our legs and arms.

We had proceeded in this manner for some ten minutes when we rounded a corner which I recognized at once

by the peculiar circular formation of the walls. We were on our way to the great cavernthe cavern where

we had first seen Desiree, and where later she had won the toss for our lives and then preserved them.

Another minute and we had reached the steps leading to the tunnel under the lake. Here our guards seemed in

doubt as to just what to do; those in front halted and stood hesitant, and it seemed to me that as they gazed

below down the stone stair their eyes held a certain shrinking terror. Then one came up from behind and with

Harry and I still found ourselves surrounded by a full company; there were fifty or sixty ahead of us and at

least twice that number behind. The idea of a successful struggle was so patently impossible that I believe it

There was further delay at the bottom of the stairs, for, as I have said before, the tunnel was extremely narrow

and it was barely possible to walk two abreast. None of them turned back, but Harry and I could scarcely

restrain a laugh at the sight of those immediately in front of us treading on the toes of their fellows to keep

out of our way. With all their savage brutality I believe they possessed little real bravery.

Five minutes more and we had reached the end of the tunnel and found ourselves at the foot of the spiral

stairway. The passage was so blocked by those ahead that we were unable to approach it; they flattened their

squatty bodies against the wall and we were forced to squeeze our way past them.

There we stood, barely able to make out their black forms against the blacker wall, when the one who

appeared to be the leader approached and motioned to us to ascend. We hesitated, feeling instinctively that

That was a dark moment, but though I did not know it, Providence was with us. For, happening to glance

downward, beneath the spiral stairfor there was no ground immediately beneath itI saw a faint glimmer

and a movement as though of a dim light in the black, yawning space at my feet. (You must understand that

Moved either by curiosity or a command of Providence, I stooped and peered intently downward, and saw

that the movement was the almost imperceptible reflection of a stray ray of light from above on the surface of

water. At the time I merely wondered idly if the water came from the same source as that in the lake outside,

"There is nothing else to do," I answered, and I placed my foot on the first step of the spiral stair.

The ascent seemed even longer and more arduous than before, for then we had been propelled by keen

curiosity. Twice I stumbled in the darkness, and would have fallen if it had not been for Harry's supporting

hand behind me. But finally we reached the top and stepped out into the glare of the great cavern. I saw the

stone slab close to behind us, noiselessly, and wondered if I should ever see it open again.

We looked about us, and as our eyes sought the alcove in the wall opposite, we gave a simultaneous start of

surprise, and from Harry's lips came a cry, half of gladness, half of wonder. For, seated on the golden throne,

exactly as before, was Desiree. By her side was seated the Inca king; round them, guards and attendants.

We gazed at her in astonishment, but she did not look at us; even at that distance we could see that her eyes

were lowered to the ground. Harry called her namethere was no answer. Again he called, and I caught him

"Don't, Hal! She can't possibly do us any good, and you may do her harm. If she doesn't answer, it is because

He was silent, but not convinced, and would probably have argued the matter if our attention had not been

The king rose and extended an arm, and the Incas who filled the seats surrounding the cavern fell flat on their

"We don't seem to have thinned them out any," I observed. "I believe there are actually more than before.

"And, by the way, it is now apparent why they waited so long to attend to us. The king naturally wanted to be

present at the entertainment, and he had to take time to recover from his little fasting operation. But now,

The king had dropped his arm, and the Incas were again sitting as Nature had intended they should sit, instead

of on their noses. And four attendants had approached the throne, bearing a frame of quipos.

"Right; they can't get even with us, anyway; there are only two of us. And as far as the other is concerned, I

The king had left his throne and approached the outer edge of the alcove, until he stood almost directly under

To this he knelt and made a succession of weird, uncouth gestures that suggested a lunatic or a traveling

hypnotist. Evidently the good Pachacamac approved whatever suggestions the royal priest communicated, for

he rose to his feet with a solemn grin and strutted majestically to the rear, facing the frame of quipos.

It was evident that he no longer had faith in Desiree's interpretation of the divine will of the great

The hand of the Child of the Sun passed slowly up and down the frame of quipos, betraying a commendable

reluctance. It touched the yellow cord and passed on; grasped the white and dropped it.

"The old hypocrite!" exclaimed Harry in disgust. "Does he imagine he is playing with us?"

Then there was an imperceptible movement, rather felt than seen, throughout the vast assemblage, and

Desiree sank back on her throne of gold with a shudder as the king severed with the knife the black cord of

I looked at Harry; his face became slightly pale, but his eyes met mine firmly, speaking of a fortitude

An attendant approached from the rear and stood before the golden throne, while the king motioned to

Desiree to take up the black cord. For a moment she did not understand him, then she drew back, shaking her

The king did not wait to argue the matter, but stooped himself and picked up the cord and handed it to the

attendant, who received it with a great show of respect and retired to the rear, where a commotion was

The judgment was passed, but what was to be the nature of the execution? That uncertainty and the weirdness

of the scene gave to the thing an air of unreality that shut out the tragic and admitted only the grotesque.

I have many times in my life felt nearer to death than when I stood on the top of that lofty column,

surrounded by the thousands of squatting dwarfs, whose black bodies reflected dully the mounting light from

I cannot say what we expected, for we knew not what to expect. Many conjectures entered my mind, but none

of them approached the fact. But, thinking that our guide might now return at any moment to lead us below,

and not caring to be surprised by an attack from behind on that narrow precipice, I moved across to the rear,

where I could keep my eyes on the alcove opposite, and at the same time watch the stone slab which closed

He knelt down and tugged at it, but there was no edge on which to obtain a purchase. The thing was

Five minutes passed, during which there was no movement, either in the audience on the stone seats or in the

alcove. But there was an indefinable air of expectancy on the faces of the king and those surrounding him,

Another five minutes and still nothing happened. Harry called across to Desiree, or rather began to call, for I

stopped him with a jerk. It was impossible for her to aid us, and her situation was already sufficiently

Then, becoming impatient, I decided to try to move the stone slab myself. Kneeling down, I placed the palms

And then I knew. Complete comprehension flashed through my brain on the instant. I sprang to my feet, and

my thought must have shown on my face, for Harry looked at me in surprise, demanding:

"We're caught, Hal. Like rats in a trap. Oh, the black devils! Listen! We have no time to lose. Bend over and

He did so, plainly puzzled. Then he drew his hand hastily away, exclaiming: "It's hot!"

"Yes." I spoke quickly. "Our boots kept us from feeling it before, and the stone doesn't throw out enough heat

to feel it in the air. They've built a fire under us in the column. The stone is thick and heats slowly."

"It means one of two things. In a few minutes this floor will be baking hot. Then we either fry on their stone

griddle or drown in the lake. You see the distance belowonly a man crazed by suffering or one incredibly

brave would take that leap. This is their little entertainmentthey expect us to dance for them."

I saw that the lake was our only chance, if there could be said to be any in so desperate a situation. To be

sure, there seemed to be no possibility of escaping, even if we took the water without injury. On every side its

bank was lined with the watching Incas, and the bank itself was so steep that to ascend it would have required

The heat began to be felt even through the soles of our heavy boots; involuntarily I lifted one foot, then the

other. I saw the Child of the Sun in the alcove lean forward with an appreciative grin. Another minute

I jerked my wits togethernever did my brain answer with better speed. And then I remembered that flash of

water I had seen under the spiral stairway at the base of the column. I had thought at the time that it might be

I turned to Harry and conveyed my idea to him in as few words as possible as we walked up and down, side

by side. It was impossible longer to stand stillthe stone was so hot that the bare hand could not be held

against it for an instant. I saw that he did not comprehend what I said about the water in the column, but he

Removing our woolen knickerbockersfor better ease in the waterwe placed them on the hot stone, and

on top of them our boots, which we had also removed. Thus our feet were protected as we stood on the

I saw the thousands of black savageswho had been cheated of their dancecrane their necks forward

I saw the king gesture excitedly to an attendant, who turned and flew from the alcove.

I saw Desiree spring up from the golden throne and run to the edge of the alcove, crying to us in a tone of

The next instant we were flying headlong through the air toward the surface of the lake a hundred feet below.

Men have told me since that I never made that dive, or that I greatly overestimated the distance, and I admit

that as I look back at it now it appears incredible. Well, they are welcome to their opinion, but I would not

The impact with the water all but completely stunned me; as I struck the surface it seemed that a thousand

cannons had exploded in my ears. Down, down I wentlucky for us that the lake was apparently bottomless!

I seemed to have gone as far below the water as I had been above it before I was able to twist myself about

and meet it with my belly. Then, striking out with every ounce of strength in me, I made for the surface as

rapidly as possible. I had started with my lungs full of air, but that headlong plunge had emptied them.

I made the surface at last and looked round for Harry, calling his name. For perhaps thirty seconds I called in

vain, then there came an unanswering shout off to the left. The urns were far above us now, and the light on

the surface of the lake was very dim, but soon I made out Harry's head. He was swimming easily toward me,

At the instant that we turned to swim toward the column I became aware of a strong current in the water

carrying us off to the right. It was inexplicable, but there was no time then for speculation, and we struck out

The Incas had left the stone seats and advanced to the water's edge. I could see their black, sinister faces,

thousands of them, peering intently at us through the dim light, but they made no sound.

Once I cast a glance over my shoulder and saw Desiree standing at the edge of the alcove with her clenched

fists pressed to her throat. Beside her stood the Child of the Sun. Harry, too, saw her and sent her a shout of

We were now less than thirty feet from the column. Its jeweled sides sparkled and shone before us; looking

up, our eyes were dazzled. Something struck the water near me. I glanced to the right and saw what moved

The black devils were increasing the fun by hurling stones at us from the bankapparently with the kind

As we neared the column the current which tended to carry us to the right became stronger, but still we

seemed not to be approaching the bank. What could it mean? The struggle against it was fast taking our

Looking up, I saw that we had swung round to the other side of the columnit was between us and the

alcove. Then I understood. We were in a whirlpool, ever increasing in force, which was carrying us swiftly in

I called a swift warning to Harry, who was some ten feet to my left, and he answered that he understood. The

stones from the bank were falling thick about us now; one struck me on the shoulder, turning me half round.

The current became swifterso swift that we were almost helpless against it and were carried around and

Nearer and nearer we were carried, till, thrusting out my arm, the tips of my fingers brushed against the side

of the column. The water whirled with the rapidity of a millstream; ten more seconds and our brains would

have been dashed against the unyielding stone. It was now but half an arm's length away. I kept thrusting out

Suddenly my outstretched hand found a purchase in a break in the wall, but the force of the water tore it loose

and swept me away. But when I reached the same spot again I thrust out both hands, and, finding the edge,

held on desperately. The next instant Harry's body was swept against mine, doubling the strain on my fingers.

He understood, and the next moment he, too, had grasped the edge. Together we pulled ourselves, little by

little, toward the opening; for our strength was nearly spent, and the force of the maelstrom was nigh

It was as I had thought. The base of the column consisted merely of two massive pillars, some twelve feet in

length and circular in shape. The water rushed in through each of the two openings thus left, and inside of the

column was the center of the whirlpool, sucking the water from both sides. The water I had seen; I had not

We had pulled ourselves round till our bodies rested against the edge of the opening, clinging to either side.

Inside all was blackness, but we could judge of the fury of the maelstrom by the force of the current outside.

Stones hurled by the Incas were striking against the sides of the column and in the water near us.

We were being hunted from life like dogs, and a hot, unreasoning anger surged through my brainanger at

the grinning savages on the bank, at the whirling black water, at Harry, at myself.

"I can't holdmuch longer," Harry gasped. "What's the use old manPaulcomeI'm going"

He disappeared into the black, furious whirlpool with that word. The next instant my own fingers were torn

Water, when whirling rapidly, has a keen distaste for any foreign object; but when once the surface breaks,

that very repulsion seems to multiply the indescribable fury with which it endeavors to bury the object

Once in the whirlpool, I was carried in a swift circle round its surface for what seemed an age, and I think

could not have been less than eight or ten seconds in reality. Then suddenly I was turned completely over, my

limbs seemed to be torn from my body, there was a deafening roar in my ears, and a crushing weight pressed

Any effort of any kind was worse than useless, as well as impossible; indeed, I could hardly have been said to

be conscious, except for the fact that I retained sufficient volition to avoid breathing or swallowing the water.

The pressure against my body was terrific; I wondered vaguely why life had not departed, sinceas I

supposedthere was not a whole bone left in my body. My head was bursting with dizziness and pain; my

Suddenly the pressure lessened and the whirling movement gradually ceased, but still the current carried me

on. I struck out wildly with both armsin an effort, I suppose, to grasp the proverbial straw.

I found no straw, but something betterspace. Instinct led the fight to reach it with my head to get air, but

the swiftness of the current carried me again beneath the surface. My arms seemed powerless; I was unable to

I hardly know what happened after that. A feeling of most intense suffocation in my chest; a relaxation of all

my muscles; a sensation of light in my smarting eyes; a gentle pressure from the water beneath, like the rising

gait of a saddlehorse; and suddenly, without knowing why or when or how, I found myself lying on hard

ground, gasping, choking, sputtering, not far from death, but nearer to life than I had thought ever to be again.

I lay for several minutes unable to move; then my brain awoke and called for life. I twisted over on my face,

and moved my arms out and in with the motion of a swimmer; the most exquisite pains shot through my chest

Water ran from my nose and mouth in gurgling streams. The roaring, scarcely abated, pounded in my ears. I

was telling myself over and over with a most intense earnestness: "But if I were really dead I shouldn't be

able to move." It appears that the first sense to leave a drowning man, and the last to return, is the sense of

In another ten minutes, having rid my lungs of the water that had filled them, I felt no pain and but little

fatigue. My head was dizzy, and there was still a feeling of oppression on my chest; but otherwise I was little

the worse for wear. I twisted carefully over on my side and took note of my surroundings.

I lay on a narrow ledge of rock at the entrance to a huge cavern. Not two feet below rushed the stream which

had carried me; it came down through an opening in the wall at a sharp angle with tremendous velocity, and

must have hurled me like a cork from its foaming surface. Below, it emptied into a lake which nearly filled

the cavern, some hundreds of yards in diameter. Rough boulders and narrow ledges surrounded it on every

This I saw in time, but the first thing that caught my eye was no work of nature. Fastened to the wall on the

opposite side of the cavern, casting a dim, flickering light throughout its vast space, were two golden, flaming

It was not fear, but a sort of nausea, that assailed me as I realized that I was still in the domain of the Incas.

The ledge on which I lay was exposed to view from nearly every point of the cavern, and the sight of those

urns caused me to make a swift decision to leave it without delay. It was wet and slippery and not over three

feet in width; I rose to my feet cautiously, having no appetite for another ducking.

At a distance of several feet lay another ledge, broad and level, at the farther end of which rose a massive

boulder. I cleared the gap with a leap, barely made my footing, and passed behind the boulder through a

Then through a narrow lane onto another ledge, and from that I found my way into a dark recess which gave

assurance at least of temporary safety. The sides of the cavern were a veritable maze of boulders, sloping

ledges, and narrow crevices. Nature here scarcely seemed to have known what to do with herself.

I seated myself on a bit of projecting limestone, still wet and shivering. I had no boots nor trousers; my feet

were bruised and swollen, and my flannel shirt and woolen underwear were but scanty protection against the

chill air, damp as they were. Also, I seemed to feel a cold draft circling about me, and was convinced of the

Desolate, indeed, for I gave Harry up as lost. The thought generated no particular feeling in me; death, by

force of contrast, may even appear agreeable; and I told myself that Harry had been favored of the gods.

And there I sat in the halfdarkness, shrinking from a danger of whose existence I was not certain, clinging

miserably to the little that was left of what the world of sunshine had known as Paul Lamar, gentleman,

But the senses remain; and suddenly I became aware of a movement in the water of the lake. It was as though

an immense trout had leaped and split the surface. This was repeated several times, and was followed by a

I peered intently forth from my corner in the recess, but could see nothing, and finally gave it up.

As the minutes passed by my discomfort increased and stiffness began to take my joints. I realized the

necessity of motion, but lacked the will, and sat in a sort of dumb, miserable apathy. This, I should say, for an

I had before noticed that on the side of the cavern almost directly opposite me, under the flaming urns, there

was a ledge some ten or twelve feet broad and easily a hundred in length. It met the surface of the lake at an

easy, gradual slope. In the rear, exactly between the two urns, could be seen the dark mouth of a passage,

Out of this passage there suddenly appeared the forms of two Incas. In the hand of each was what appeared to

be a long spearI had evidently been mistaken in my presumption of their ignorance of weapons.

They walked to one end of the long ledge and dragged out into the light an object with a flat surface some six

feet square. This they launched on the surface of the lake; then embarked on it, placing their spears by their

sides and taking up, instead, two broad, short oars. With these they began to paddle their perilous craft toward

About a hundred feet from the shore they ceased paddling and exchanged the oars for their spears, and stood

I, also, remained motionless, watching them in dull curiosity. There was little danger of being seen; for, aside

from the darkness of my corner, which probably would have been no hindrance to them, a projecting ledge

The wait was not a long one, and when it ended things happened with so startling a suddenness that I scarcely

There was a loud splash in the water like that I had heard before, a swift ripple on the surface of the lake, and

simultaneously the two Indians lunged with their spears, which flew to their mark with deadly accuracy. I had

not before noticed the thongs, one end of which was fastened to the shaft of the spear and the other about the

There followed a battle royal. Whatever the thing was that had felt the spears, it certainly lost no time in

showing its resentment. It thrashed the water into furious waves until I momentarily expected the raft to be

One Inca stood on the farther edge of the craft desperately plying an oar; the other tugged lustily at the

spearthongs. I could see a black, twisting form leap from the water directly toward the raft, and the oarsman

barely drew from under before it fell. It struck the corner of the raft, which tipped perilously.

That appeared to have been a final effort, for there the battle ended. The oarsman made quickly for the shore,

paddling with remarkable dexterity and swiftness, while the other stood braced, holding firmly to the

spearthongs. Another minute and they had leaped upon the ledge, drawing the raft after them, and, by

It appeared to be a large black fish of a shape I had never before seen. But it claimed little of my attention;

my eye was on the two spears which had been drawn from the still quivering body and which now lay on the

ground well away from the water's edge, while the two Incas were dragging their catch toward the mouth of

I wanted those spears. I did not stop to ask myself what I intended to do with them; if I had I would probably

have been hard put to it for an answer. But I wanted them, and I sat in my dark corner gazing at them with

Finally I rose and began to search for an exit from the recess in which I had hidden myself. At first there

appeared to be none, but at length I found a small crevice between two boulders in the rear. Into this I

The rock pressed tightly against me on both sides, and the sharp corners bruised my body, but I wormed my

way through for a distance of fifteen or twenty feet. Then the crevice opened abruptly, and I found myself on

a broad ledge ending apparently in space. I advanced cautiously to its edge, but intervening boulders shut off

Throwing prudence to the winds, I let myself over the outermost corner, hung for a moment by my hands,

and dropped. My feet touched ground almost instantlythe supposedly perilous fall amounted to something

I turned round, feeling a little foolish, and saw that from where I stood the ledge and part of the lake were in

But as I looked the two Incas emerged from the passage. They picked up the spears, walked to the raft, and

I thought, "Here is my chance; I must make that ledge before they return," and I started forward so

precipitately that I ran head on into a massive boulder and got badly stunned for my pains. Half dazed, I went

The trail was one to try a llama. I climbed boulders and leaped across chasms and clung to narrow, slippery

edges with my fingernails. Several times I narrowly escaped dumping myself into the lake, and half the time

My hands and feet were bruised and bleeding, and I had bumped into walls and boulders so often that I was

I found myself finally within a few yards of my destination. A narrow crevice led from where I stood directly

to the ledge from which the Incas had embarked. It was now necessary to wait till they returned to the shore,

They were still on the raft in the middle of the lake, waiting, spear in hand. I watched them in furious

Suddenly I saw a dark, crouching form outlined against a boulder not ten feet away from where I stood. The

form was human, but in some way unlike the Incas I had seen. I could not see its face, but the alertness

Vaguely I felt myself surrounded on every side; I seemed to feel eyes gazing unseen from every direction, but

I could not force myself to search the darkness; my heart rose to my throat and choked me, and I stood

absolutely powerless to make a sound or movement, gazing in a sort of dumb fascination at that silent,

"Another second and he will be at my throat," I thoughtbut I stood still, unable to move.

But the figure did not spring. Instead, it suddenly straightened up to almost twice the height of an Inca, and I

"Thank God!" came his voice, also in a whisper; and in another moment he had reached my side.

A hurried word or twothere was no time for moreand I pointed to the Incas on the raft, saying: "We

"There's no use taking them while the Incas are away," I replied, "because they would soon return and find

As I spoke there came a sound from the lakea sudden loud splash followed by a commotion in the water. I

looked around the corner of the boulder and saw that the spears again found their mark.

Harry followed close at my heels. It was easier here, and we soon found ourselves close to the shore of the

lake, with a smooth stretch of rock between us and the fisherman's landingplace. The urns, whose light was

The Incas had made their kill and were paddling for the shore. As they came near, Harry and I sank back

against the boulder, which extended to the boundary of the ledge. Soon the raft was beached and pulled well

They drew forth the spears and laid them on the ground, as they had done formerly; and, laying hold on the

immense fish, still floundering ponderously about, began to drag it toward the mouth of the passage.

"Now," whispered Harry, and as he stood close at my side I could feel his body draw together for the spring.

"Not yet. Others may be waiting for them in the passage. Wait till they return."

In a few minutes they reappeared in the light of the flaming urns. I waited till they had advanced halfway to

the water's edge, some thirty feet away. Then I whispered to Harry: "You for the left, me for the right," and

released my hold on his arm, and the next instant we were bounding furiously across the ledge.

Taken by surprise, the Incas offered no resistance whatever. The momentum of our assault carried them to the

ground; their heads struck the hard granite with fearful force and they lay stunned.

Our friend the king thought us dead, and we wanted no witnesses that we had returned to life. We laid hold of

the unconscious bodies, dragged them to the edge of the lake, and pushed them in. The shock of the cold

water brought one of them to life, and he started to swim, and wewell, we did what had to be done.

The head appeared to be of copper and the shaft was a long, thin rod of the same material. But when I tried it

against a stone and saw its hardness I found that it was much less soft, and consequently more effective, than

copper would have been. That those underground savages had succeeded in combining metals was incredible,

but there was the evidence; and, besides, it may have been a trick of nature herself.

The point was some six inches long and very sharp. It was set on the shaft in a wedge, and bound with thin,

We carried the spears, the raft, and the oars behind a large boulder to the left of the ledge with considerable

difficulty. The two latter not because we expected them to be of any service, but in order not to leave any

trace of our presence, for if any searchers came and found nothing they could know nothing.

We expected them to arrive at any moment, and we waited for hours. We had about given up watching from

our vantage point behind the boulder when two Incas appeared at the mouth of the passage. But they brought

only oil to fill the urns, and after performing this duty departed, without a glance at the lake or any exhibition

Every now and then there was a commotion in some part of the lake, and we could occasionally see a black,

"I'm hungry," Harry announced suddenly. "I wonder if we couldn't turn the trick on that raft ourselves?"

The same thought had occurred to me, but Harry's impulsiveness had made me fearful of expressing it. I

"Hal, I don't know. In the first place, it's impossible. And where could we take her and what could we doin

"In the world I refused to struggle because nothing tempted me; in this infernal hole I have fought when there

was nothing to fight for. If civilization held no prize worth an effort, why should I exert myself to preserve

the life of a rat? Faugh! It's sickening! I wondered why I wanted those spears. Now I know. I have an idea I'm

"On the contrary, it is consistent with my whole life. I have never been overly keen about it. To end it in a

hole like this well, that isn't exactly what I expected; but it is all oneafter. Understand me, Hal; I don't

want to desert you; haven't I stuck? And I would still if there were the slightest possible chance. Where can

"I can stay in the game. You call yourself a philosopher. I won't quarrel about it, but the world would call you

a quitter. Whichever it is, it's not for me. I stay in the game. I'm going to find Desiree if I can, and, by the

Lord, some day I'm going to cock my feet up on the fender at the Midlothian and make 'em open their mouths

"Personally, yes. If I were here alone, Hal"I picked up one of the spears and passed my palm over its sharp

point"I would quit cold. But notnot with you. I can't share your enthusiasm, but I'll go fiftyfifty on the

"But understand me. I expect nothing. It's all rot. If by any wild chance we should pull out in the end I'll

admit you were right. But I eat under compulsion, and I fight for you. You're the leader unless you ask my

"And I begin right now," said Harry with a grin. "First, to get Desiree. What about it?"

We discussed plans all the way from the impossible to the miraculous and arrived nowhere. One thing only

we decidedthat before we tried to find our way back to the great cavern and the royal apartments we would

lay in a supply of food and cache it among the boulders and ledges where we then were. For if ever a place

were designed for a successful defense by two men against thousands it was that one. And we had the spears.

Still no one had appeared in the cavern, and we decided to wait no longer. We carried the raft back to the

ledge. It was fairly light, being made of hide stretched tightly across stringers of bone, but was exceedingly

clumsy. Once Harry fell, and the thing nearly toppled over into the lake with him on top of it; but I caught his

Another trip for the oars and spears, and everything was ready. We launched the raft awkwardly, nearly

shipping it beneath; but finally got it afloat with ourselves aboard. We had fastened the loose ends of the

I think that raft was the craziest thing that ever touched water. It was a most excellent diver, but was in

After a quarter of an hour of experimentation we found that by standing exactly in a certain position, one on

each side and paddling with one hand, it was possible to keep fairly level. If either of us shifted his foot a

We finally got out a hundred feet or so and ceased paddling. Then, exchanging our oars for the spears, we

The surface of the lake was perfectly still, save for a barely perceptible ripple, caused no doubt by the

undercurrent which was fed by the stream at the opposite side. The urns were so far away that the light was

very dim; no better than half darkness. The silence was broken by the sound of the rushing stream.

Suddenly the raft swayed gently; there was a parting of the water not a foot away toward the front, and

A black form arose from the water with a leap like lightning and landed squarely on the raft, which proceeded

to perform its favorite dive. It would have done so with much less persuasion, for the fish was a monsterit

On the instant, as the raft capsized, Harry and I lunged with our spears, tumbling forward and landing on each

other and on top of the fish. I felt my spear sinking into the soft fish almost without resistance.

I have said the spearthongs were fastened about our waists. Otherwise, we would have let the fish go; but

we could hardly allow him to take us along. That is, we didn't want to allow it; but we soon found that we had

nothing to say in the matter. Before we had time to set ourselves to stroke we were being towed as though we

But it was soon over, handicapped as he was by four feet of spears in his body. We felt the pull lessen and

twisted ourselves about, and in another minute had caught the water with a steady dogstroke and were

Pulling and puffing side by side, we gradually neared the center of the lake, passed it, and approached the

ledge. We were wellnigh exhausted when we finally touched bottom and were able to stand erect.

Hauling the fish onto the ledge, we no longer wondered at his strength. He could not have been an ounce

under four hundred pounds, and was fully seven feet long. One of the spears ran through the gills; the other

was in his middle, just below the backbone. We got them out with some difficulty and rolled him up high and

We straightened to return for the spears which we had left at the edge of the water.

I was gazing straight ahead at the mouth of the passage where stood two Incas, spear in hand, returning my

I was quick to act, but the Incas were quicker still. I turned to run for our spears, and was halted by a cry of

warning from Harry, who had wheeled like a flash at my quick movement. I turned barely in time to see the

Incas draw back their powerful arms, then lunge forward, the spears shooting from their hands.

I leaped aside; something struck my leg; I stooped swiftly and grasped the spearthong before there was time

for the Inca to recover and jerk it out of my reach. The other end was fastened about his waist; I had him, and

giving an instant for a glance at Harry, saw that he had adopted the same tactics as myself.

It wasn't much of a fight. One came at me with his head lowered like a charging bull; I sidestepped easily and

floored him with a single blow. He scrambled to his feet, but by that time I had recovered the spear and had it

I waited until he was quite close, then let him have it full in the chest. The fool literally ran himself through,

hurling himself on the sharp point in a brutal frenzy. He lay on his back, quite still, with the spearhead

I turned to Harry, and in spite of myself smiled at what I saw. He stood with his right arm upraised, holding

his spear ready. His left foot was placed well and gracefully forward, and his body bent to one side like the

classic javelinthrower. And ten feet in front of him the other Inca had fallen flat on his face on the ground

"The fact is, no. Look at the poor beggarscared silly. But we can't let him go."

It was really a question. Mercy and murder were alike impossible. We finally compromised by binding his

wrists and ankles and trussing him up behind, using a portion of one of the spearthongs for the purpose, and

gagging him. Then we carried him behind a large boulder some distance from the ledge and tucked him away

"In that case I wouldn't give much for his chances of a happy existence," I observed.

We wasted no time after that, for we wanted no more interruptions. Some fifteen precious minutes we lost

trying to withdraw the spear I had buried in the body of the Inca, but the thing had become wedged between

two ribs and refused to come out. Finally we gave it up and threw the corpse in the lake.

We then removed the oars and spears and raftwhich had floated so near to the ledge that we had no

It was a task for half a dozen men, but we dared not remain on the ledge to skin him and cut him up. After an

hour of exertion and toil that left us completely exhausted, we managed to get him behind a large boulder to

the left of the ledge, but it was impossible to carry him to the place we had selected, which could be reached

The only knives we had were the points of the spears, but they served after a fashion, and in another hour we

had him skinned and pretty well separated. He was meaty and sweet. We discovered that with the first

opportunity, for we were hungry as wolves. Nor did we waste much time bewailing our lack of a fire, for we

had lived so long on dried stuff that the opposite extreme was rather pleasant than otherwise.

We tore him into strips as neatly as possible, stowing them away beneath a ledge, a spot kept cool by the

"That'll be good for a month," said Harry. "And there's more where that came from. And now"

We had but few preparations to make. The solidest parts of the fish which we had laid aside we now strapped

together with one of the extra spearthongs and slung them on our backs. We secreted the oars and raft and

Then, having filled ourselves with raw fish and a last hearty drink from the lake, we each took a spear and

started on a search wilder than any ever undertaken by Amadis of Gaul or Don Quixote himself. Even the

Bachelor of Salamanca, in his saddest plight, did not present so outrageous an appearance to the eye as we.

We wore more clothing than the Incas, which is the most that can be said for us.

We were unable to even guess at the direction we should take; but that was settled for us when we found that

there were but two exits from the cavern. One led through the boulders and crevices to a passage full of twists

and turns and strewn with rocks, almost impassable; the other was that through which the Incas had entered.

"No. You're in for the finish. I know that. I want to find Desiree. And we'll find her. After that, if nothing else

"But I don't want a thousand of those brutes falling on us in the dark. If they would end it I wouldn't care."

I had given him my promise, so I pushed on at his side. I had no stomach for it. In a fight I can avoid

disgracing myself, because it is necessary; but why seek it when there is nothing to be gained? Thus I

As he had said, I was in for the finish. What I feared was to be taken again by the Incas unseen in the

darkness. But that fear was soon removed when I found that we could see easily some thirty or forty feet

Our flannel shirts and woolen undergarments hung from us in rags and tatters. Our feet were bare and bruised

and swollen. Our faces were covered with a thick, matted growth of hair. Placed side by side with the Incas it

is a question which of us would have been judged the most terrifying spectacles by an impartial observer.

I don't think either of us realized the extreme foolhardiness of that expedition. The passage was open and

unobstructed, and since it appeared to be the only way to their fishingground, was certain to be well

We sought the royal apartments. Those we knew to be on a level some forty or fifty feet below the surface of

the great cavern, at the foot of the flight of steps which led to the tunnel to the base of the column. I had

counted ninetysix of those steps, and allowing an average height of six inches, they represented a distance

How far the whirlpool and the stream which it fed had carried us downward we did not know, but we

estimated it at one hundred feet. That calculation left us still fifty feet below the level of the royal apartments.

But we soon found that in this we were mistaken. We had advanced for perhaps a quarter of an hour without

incident when the passage came to an abrupt end. To the right was an irregular, twisting lane that disappeared

around a corner almost before it started; to the left a wide and straight passage, sloping gently upward. We

We had followed this for about a hundred yards when we saw a light ahead. Caution was useless; the passage

was straight and unbroken and only luck could save us from discovery. We pushed on, and soon stood

directly within the light which came from an apartment adjoining the passage. It was not that which we

sought, however, and we gave it barely a glance before we turned to the right down a cross passage, finding

Soon another light appeared. We approached. It came from a doorway leading into an apartment some twenty

There were two flaming urns fastened to the wall above a granite couch. Stone seats were placed here and

there about the room. The walls were studded with spots of gold to a height of four or five feet.

"It looks like" Harry whispered, and then exclaimed: "It is! See, here is where we took the blocks from this

So it was. We were in the room where we had imprisoned the Inca king and where we ourselves had been

"She said her room was to the right of this," whispered Harry excitedly. "What luck! If only"

He left the sentence unfinished, but I understood his fear. And with me there was even no doubt; I had little

hope of finding Desiree, and was sorry, for Harry's sake, that we had been so far successful.

Again we sought the passage. A little farther on it was crossed by another, running at right angles in both

directions. But to the right there was nothing but darkness, and we turned to the left, where, some distance

ahead, we could see a light evidently proceeding from a doorway similar to the one we had just left.

We went rapidly, but our feet made scarcely any sound on the granite floor. Still we were incautious, and it

was purely by luck that I glanced ahead and discovered that which made me jerk Harry violently back and

In silence I pointed with my finger to where two Incas stood in the passage ahead of us, just without the patch

of light from the doorway, which they were facing. They made no movement; we were as yet undiscovered.

There was no time to lose; at any moment that they should chance to glance in our direction they were certain

The next instant we were advancing slowly and noiselessly, hugging the wall. We carried our spears ready,

"If she is alone!" I was saying within myself, almost a prayer, when suddenly one of the Incas turned, facing

Half a dozen bounds and we were upon them, before they had had time to realize their danger or move to

escape it. With a ferocity taught us by the Incas themselves we gripped their throats and bore them to the

No time then for the decencies; we had work to do, and we crushed and pounded their lives out against the

stone floor. There had not been a sound. They quivered and lay still; and then, looking up at some slight

She stood in the doorway, regarding us with an expression of terror that I did not at first understand; then

suddenly I realized that, having seen us disappear beneath the surface of the take after our dive from the

"Bon Dieu!" she exclaimed in a hollow voice of horror. "This, too! Do you come, messieurs?"

"For you," I answered. "We are flesh and bone, Desiree, though in ill repair. We have come for you."

Belief crept into her eyes, but nothing more, and she stood gazing at us curiously. Harry had sprung to her

We carried the bodies of the two Incas within the room and deposited them in a corner. Then I ran and

brought the spears, which we had dropped when we attacked the Incas. Desiree stood just within the

"You don't knowwhat has happened. I want to die. Where are you going to take me?"

Then she moved and appeared to acquiesce. I started ahead; Harry brought up the rear, with an arm round

Desiree's shoulders. She started once more to speak, but I wheeled sharply with a command for silence, and

We reached the turn in the corridor and passed to the right, moving as swiftly and noiselessly as possible.

Ahead of us was the light from the doorway of the room in which we had formerly been imprisoned.

We had nearly reached it when I saw, some distance down the corridor, moving forms. The light was very

I turned, with a swift gesture to Harry and Desiree to follow, and dashed forward to the light and through the

doorway into the room. Discovery was inevitable, I thought, in any event, but it was better to meet them at

But by a rare stroke of luck we had not been seen. As we stood within the room on either side of the doorway,

out of the line of view from the corridor, we heard the patter of many footsteps approaching.

They neared the doorway, and I glanced at Harry, pointing to his spear significantly. He gave me a nod of

The footsteps sounded just without the doorway; I stood tense and alert, with spear ready, expecting a rush

momentarily. Then they passed, passed altogether, and receded down the corridor in the direction whence we

had come. I wanted to glance out at their number, but dared not. We stood still till all was again perfectly

"It is useless; we are lost. That was the king. He is going to my room. In ten seconds he will be there and find

There was only one thing to do, and I wasted no time in discussing it. A swift command to Harry, and we

dashed from the doorway and down the corridor to the left, each holding an arm of Desiree. But she needed

little of our assistance; the presence of the Inca king seemed to have inspired her with a boundless terror, and

We reached the bend in the passage, and just beyond it the lightthe first one we had seen on our way in. I

had our route marked on my memory with complete distinctness. Soon we found ourselves in the wide,

sloping passage that carried us to the level below, and in another five seconds had reached its end and the

At the turn Harry stumbled and fell flat, dragging Desiree to her knees. I lifted her, and he sprang to his feet

She was panting heavily. Harry had dropped his spear in the fall, and we wasted a precious minute searching

for it in the darkness, finally finding it where it had slid, some twenty feet ahead. Again we dashed forward.

A light appeared ahead in the distance, dim but unmistakable the light of the urns in the cavern for which

we were headed. Suddenly Desiree faltered and would have fallen but for our supporting arms.

"It is useless," she gasped. "I hurt my ankle when I fell. I can go no farther. Leave me!"

Harry and I with one impulse stooped over to pick her up, and as we did so she fainted away in our arms. We

were then but a few hundred feet from our goal; the light from the urns could be plainly seen gleaming on the

Suddenly the sound of many footsteps came from behind. I turned quickly, but the passage was too dark. I

could see nothing. The sound came closer and closer; there seemed to be many of them, advancing swiftly. I

He thrust his spear into my hand, and in another instant had thrown Desiree's unconscious body over his

shoulder and was staggering forward toward the cavern. I followed, while the sound of the footsteps behind

We neared the end of the passage; we reached it; we were on the ledge. Even with Desiree for a burden,

Harry moved so swiftly that I found it difficult to keep up with him. The strength of a god was in him, which

On the ledge, near the edge of the water, stood two Incas. They turned at our approach and rushed at us.

Unlucky for them, for Harry's example had fired my brain and put the strength of a giant in me.

To this day I don't know what followedwhether I used my spear or my fists or my head. I know only that I

leaped at them in irresistible fury and left them stretched on the ground before they had reached Harry or

We crossed the ledge and made for the boulders to the left. The crevice which led to our hidingplace was

too narrow for Harry and his burden. I sprang forward and grasped Desiree's shoulders; he held her ankles,

Then I leaped back through the crevice, and barely in time. As I looked out a black, rushing horde emerged

from the passage and dashed across the ledge toward us. I stood at the entrance to the narrow crevice, spear in

They appeared to have no sense of the fact that my position was impregnable, but dashed blindly at me. The

crevice in which I stood and which was the only way through to the ledge where Harry had taken Desiree,

was not more than two feet wide. With unarmed savages for foes, one man could have held it against a

But they came and I met them. I stood within the crevice, some three or four feet from its end, and when one

appeared in the opening I let him have the spear. Another rushed in and fell on top of the first.

As I say, they appeared to be deprived of the power to reason. In five minutes the mouth of the crevice was

completely choked with bodies, some, who were merely wounded, struggling and squirming to extricate

"Not unless they find some gunpowder," I answered. "The idiots eat death as though it were candy. We're

"They can't; they've blocked the way with their smelly black carcasses. How is Desiree?"

"Better; she's awake. I've been bathing her ankle with cold water. She has a bad sprain; how the deuce she

Thinking I heard a sound above, I looked up; but there was nothing to fear in that direction. The boulders

which formed the sides of the crevice extended straight up to the roof of the cavern. We appeared, in fact, to

With one exceptionhunger. But there would be plenty of time to think of that; for the present we had our

fish, which was sufficient for the three of us for a month, if we could keep it fresh that long. And the water

The bodies wedged in the mouth of the crevice began to disappear, allowing the light from the urns to filter

through; they were removing their dead. I could see the black forms swaying and pulling not five feet away.

But I stood motionless, saving my spear and my strength for any who might try to force an entrance.

Soon the crevice was clear, and from where I stood I commanded a view of something like threequarters of

the ledge. It was one mass of black forms, packed tightly together, gazing at our retreat.

They looked particularly silly and helpless to me then, rendered powerless as they were by a little bit of rock.

Brute force was all they had; and nature, being the biggest brute of all, laughed at them.

But I soon found that they were not devoid of resource. For perhaps fifteen minutes the scene remained

unchanged; not one ventured to approach the crevice. Then there was a sudden movement and shifting in the

mass; it split suddenly in the middle; they pressed off to either side, leaving an open lane between them

Down this lane suddenly dashed a dozen or more of the savages, with spears aloft in their brawny arms. I was

As it was I did not entirely escape; the spears came whistling through the crevice, and one of them lodged in

I jerked it out with an oath and turned to meet the attack. I was now clear of the crevice, standing on the ledge

inside, near Harry and Desiree. I called to them to go to one side, out of the range of the spears that might

As I expected, the Incas came rushing through the crevice that narrow lane where a man could barely push

through without squeezing. The first got my spear full in the facea blow rather than a thrust, for I had once

As he fell I struck at the one behind. He grasped the spear with his hand, but I jerked it free and brought it

down on his head, crushing him to the ground. It was mere butchery; they hadn't a chance in the world to get

at me. Another fell, and the rest retreated. The crevice was again clear, save for the bodies of the three who

I turned to where Harry and Desiree were seated on the further edge of the ledge. Her body rested against his;

As I looked at them, smiling, her eyes suddenly opened wide and she sprang to her feet and started toward

"It's nothing," I declared; "a mere tear in the skin. But your ankle! I thought it was sprained?"

She had reached my side and bent over to examine my wound; but I raised her in my arms and held her

"That," I said, "is nothing. Believe me, it isn't even painful. I shall bandage it myself; Harry will take my

"That, too, is nothing," she answered with a halfsmile. "I merely twisted it; it is nearly well already. See!"

She placed her weight on the injured foot, but could not suppress a faint grimace of pain.

Calling to Harry to watch the crevice, I took Desiree in my arms and carried her back to her seat.

"Now sit still," I commanded. "Soon we'll have dinner; in the mean time allow me to say that you are the

bravest woman in the world, and the best sport. And some day we'll drink to thatfrom a bottle."

But facts have no respect for sentiment and fine speeches. The last words were taken from my very mouth by

The ledge on which we rested was about forty feet square. Back of us was a confused mass of boulders and

chasms, across which I had come when I first encircled the cavern and found Harry.

In front was the crevice, guarded by the two massive boulders. On the right the ledge met the solid wall of the

cavern, and on the left was the lake itself, whose waters rippled gently at our very feet.

At sound of Harry's warning cry I ran to the water's edge and peered round the side of the boulder. He was

Two rafts had been launched from the enemy's camp. Each raft held three Incasmore would have sunk

them. Two were paddling, while the third balanced himself in the center, brandishing a spear aloft.

Turning to Desiree, I called to her to move behind a projecting bit of rock. Then, leaving Harry to guard the

crevice in case of a double attack, I took three of our four spearsone of which had made the wound in my

"Not much of a navy," I called to Harry; and he answered, with a laugh: "Lucky for us! Look at our coast

One of the rafts was considerably ahead of the other, and in another minute it had approached within fifty feet

of the ledge. The Inca in the center stood with legs spread apart and his spear poised above his head; I made

no movement, thinking that on such precarious footing he would have difficulty to hurl the thing at all.

Suddenly, with hardly a movement of his body, his arm snapped forward. I ducked to one side instinctively

and heard the spear whistle past my ear with the speed of a bullet, so close that the butt of the shaft struck the

I sprang quickly to my feet, and barely in time, for I saw the Inca stoop over, pick up another spear from the

raft, and draw it back above his head. At the same moment the second raft drew up alongside, and as I fell to

At that game they were my masters; it would have been folly to have tried conclusions with them with their

own weapons. As the spears clattered on the ground thirty feet away I sprang to my feet and ran to the farther

With two or three of these in my hands I ran back to the water's edge, meeting two more of the spears that

came twisting at me through the air, one of which tore the skin from my left shoulder.

A quick glance at the crevice as I passed showed me Harry fighting at its entrance; they were at us there, too.

My first stone found its goal. The two rafts, side by side not forty feet away, were a fair mark. The stone was

nearly the size of a man's head and very heavy; I had all I could do to get the distance.

It struck the raft on the right fairly; the thing turned turtle in a flash, precipitating its occupants onto the other

raft. The added weight carried that, too, under the surface, and the six Incas were floundering about in the

I expected to see them turn and swim for the landing opposite; but, instead, they headed directly toward me!

The light from the urns was but faint, and it was not easy to distinguish their black heads against the black

water; still, I could see their approach. Two of them held spears in their hands; I saw the copper heads flash

I stood at the edge of the lake, wondering at their folly as I waited; they were now scarcely ten feet away.

Another few strokes and the foremost stretched out his hand to grasp the slippery ledge; my spear came down

By that time another had crawled half onto the ledge, and another; a blow and a quick thrust, and they, too,

Just in time I saw that one of the remaining three had lifted himself in the water not five feet away, with his

spear aimed at my breast. But the poor devil had no purchase for his feet and the thing went wide.

The next instant he had received a tenpound stone full in the face and went down with a gurgle. At that the

remaining two, seeming to acquire a glimmering of intelligence, turned and swam hastily away. I let them go.

Turning to Harry, I saw that the crevice also was clear. He had left his post and started toward me, but I

No need to ask when; he understood me; he sent me the glance of a man who has become too familiar with

I told him to keep an eye on both points of attack and went across to where Desiree sat crouched on the

I went to the edge of the ledge where we had the fish stowed away near the water and took some of it both to

her and Harry. We ate, but with little relish. The stuff did not seem very fresh.

I remained on guard at the mouth of the crevice while Harry went to the lake for a drink, having first helped

Desiree to the water and back to her seat. Her foot gave her a great deal of pain, but instead of a sprain it

appeared that there had been merely a straining of the ligaments. After bathing it in the cold water she was

I remained on watch at the mouth of the crevice, from where I could also obtain a pretty fair view of the lake,

and commanded Harry to rest. He demurred, but I insisted. Within two minutes he was sleeping like a log,

Several hundred of the Incas remained huddled together on the ledge without, but they made no effort to

attack us. I had been watching perhaps three hours when they began to melt away into the passage. Soon but

a scant dozen or so remained. These squatted along the wall just under the lighted urns, evidently in the

Soon I became drowsyintolerably so; I was scarcely able to stand. I dozed off once or twice on my feet;

Desiree also had been asleep, lying on the raft which Harry and I had concealed along with our fish. At sound

of my voice she awoke and sat up, rubbing her eyes; then, as I assured her that all was quiet, she fell back

I have never understood the delay of the Incas at this juncture; possibly they took time to consult the great

Pachacamac and found his advice difficult to understand. At the time I thought they had given up the attack

and intended to starve us out, but they were incapable of a decision so sensible.

Many hours had passed, and we had alternated on four watches. We had plenty of rest and were really quite

fit. The gash on my leg had proven a mere trifle; I was a little stiff, but there was no pain.

Desiree's foot was almost entirely well; she was able to walk with ease, and had insisted on taking a turn at

Something had to happen, and I suppose it was as well that the Incas should start it. For we had met with a

misfortune that made us see the beginning of the end. Our fish was no longer fit to eat, and we had been

Then we held a council of war. The words we uttered, standing together at the mouth of the crevice, come to

me now as in a dream; if my memory of them were not so vivid I should doubt their reality. We discussed

Desiree's position may be given in a wordshe was ready for the end, and invited it.

I was but little behind her, but advised waiting for one more watcha sop to Harry. And there was one other

circumstance that moved me to delaythe hope for a sight of the Inca king and a chance at him.

Desiree had refused to tell us her experiences between the time of our dive from the column and our rescue of

her; but she had said enough to cause me to guess at its nature. There was a suppressed but ever present

horror in her eyes that made me long to stand once more before the Child of the Sun; then to go, but not

Harry advised retreat. I have mentioned that when he and I had started on our search for Desiree we had

found two exits from the cavernthe one which we had taken and another which led through the maze of

boulders and chasms back of us to a passage full of twists and turns and choked with massive rocks, almost

The question was still undecided when our argument was brought to a halt and the decision was taken away

from us. Through the crevice I saw a band of Incas emerge from the passage opposite and advance to the

Soon the landing was completely covered with themprobably three hundred or moreand others could be

seen in the mouth of the passage. Each one carried a spear; their heads of copper, upraised in a veritable

Harry and Desiree stood close behind me, looking through at the fantastic sight. I turned to him:

"But what can they do? Except get knocked on the head, and I'm sick of it. If we had only left an hour ago!"

"For my part," I retorted, "I'm glad we didn't. Desiree, I'm going to put you in my debt, if fortune will only

I pointed to where the Inca king stood in the forefront, at the very edge of the lake.

"He is a monster," she said in a voice so low that I scarcely heard, "andI thank you, Paul."

They did not leave us long in doubt. As he spoke there was a sudden sharp movement in the ranks of the

Incas. Those in front leaped in the water, and others after them, until, almost before we had time to realize

their purpose, hundreds of the hairy brutes were swimming with long, powerful strokes directly toward the

I left Harry to guard the crevice, and ran to repel the attack at the water. Desiree stood just behind me. I called

to her to go back, but she did not move. I grasped her by the arm and led her forcibly to a break in the rock at

our rear, and pointed out a narrow ascending lane in the direction of the other exit.

When I returned to the ledge of the water the foremost of the Incas were but a few feet away. But I looked in

vain for the one face I wanted to see and could recognize; the king was not among them. A hasty glance

across the landing opposite discovered him standing motionless with folded arms.

The entire surface of the lake before me was one mass of heads and arms and spears as far as I could see.

There were hundreds of them. I saw at once that the thing was hopeless, but I grasped my spear firmly and

The first two or three reached the ledge. At the same instant I heard Harry call:

I did not turn my head, for I was busy. My spear was whirling about my head like a circle of flame. Black,

dusky forms swam to the ledge and grasped its slippery surface, but they got no farther. The shaft of the spear

A wild and savage delight surged through me at the sight of those struggling, writhing, slipping forms. I

Something suddenly struck me in the left arm and stuck there; I shook it loose impatiently and it felt as

I did not care to glance up even for an instant; they were pressing me closer and closer; but I knew that they

had begun to hurl their spears at me from the water, and that the game was up. Another struck me on the leg;

Calling to Harry to follow, I turned and ran for the opening in the rock to which I had led Desiree. In an

By that time scores of the Incas had scrambled out of the water onto the ledge and started toward us, and as

many more came rushing through the crevice, finding their way no longer contested.

Harry carried three spears. I had four. We sprang up a lane encircling the rock to the rear and at its top found

A projecting bit of rock gave us some protection from the spears that were being hurled at us from below, but

they came uncomfortably close, and black forms began to appear in the lane through which we had come.

Harry shouted something which I didn't hear, and, taking Desiree in his arms, sprang from the rock to another

I followed. At the bottom he stumbled and fell, but I helped him to his feet and then turned barely in time to

beat back three or four of the Incas who had tumbled down almost on our very heads.

Immediately in front of us was a chasm several feet across. Harry cried to Desiree, "Can you make it?" and

"To me!" I shouted desperately; they were coming down from above despite my efforts to hold them back.

Then, in answer to a call from Harry, I turned and leaped across the chasm, throwing the spears ahead of me.

Harry took Desiree in his arms and swung her far out; I braced myself for the shock and caught her on my

I set her down unhurt, and a minute later Harry had joined us and we were scrambling up the face of a

Desiree lost her footing and fell against Harry, who rolled to the bottom, pawing for a hold. I turned, but he

shouted: "Go on; I'll make it!" Soon he was again at my side, and in another minute we had gained the top of

the boulder, quite flat and some twenty feet square. We commanded Desiree to lie flat on the ground to avoid

The light of the urns were now hidden from us, and we were in comparative darkness, though we could see

with a fair amount of clearness. Nothing could be made of the mass of boulders, but we knew that somewhere

The Incas came leaping across the chasm to the foot of the rock. Several of them scrambled up the steep

surface, but with our spears we pushed them back and they tumbled onto the heads of their fellows below.

But we were too exposed for a stand there, and I shouted to Harry to take Desiree down the other side of the

rock while I stayed behind to hold them off. He left me, and in a moment later I heard his voice crying to me

Then began a wild and desperate scramble for safety, with the Incas ever at our heels. Without Desiree we

would have made our goal with little difficulty, but half of the time we had to carry her.

Several times Harry hurled her bodily across a chasm or a crevice, while I received her on the other side.

Often I covered the retreat, holding the Incas at bay while Harry assisted Desiree up the steep face of a

boulder or across a narrow ledge. There was less danger now from their spears, protected as we were by the

maze of rocks, but I was already bleeding in a dozen places on my legs and arms and body, and Harry was in

Suddenly I saw ahead of us an opening which I thought I recognized. I pointed it out to Harry.

"The exit!" he cried out, and made for it with Desiree. But they were brought to a halt by a cliff at their very

I started to join them, but hearing a clatter behind, turned just in time to see a score of Incas rush at us from

I sprang toward them, calling to Harry for assistance. He was at my side in an instant, and together we held

In five minutes the mouth of the lane was choked with their bodies; some behind attempted to scramble over

the pile to get at us, but we made them sick of their job. I saw that Harry could hold it alone then, and calling

I let myself over the edge of the cliff and hung by my hands, then dropped to the ground below. It was even

further than I had thought; my legs doubled up under me and I toppled over, half fainting.

I gritted my teeth and struggled to my feet, calling to Desiree. She was already hanging to the edge of the

cliff, many feet above me. But there was nothing else for it, and I shouted: "All right, come on!"

She came, and knocked me flat on my back. I had tried to catch her, and did succeed in breaking her fall, at

no little cost to myself. I was one mass of bruises and wounds. But again I struggled to my feet and shouted at

He did not come alone. I suppose the instant he left the lane unguarded the Incas poured in after him. They

followed him over the edge of the cliff, tumbling on top of each other in an indistinguishable mass.

Some rose to their feet; their comrades, descending from above, promptly knocked them flat on their backs.

Harry and Desiree and I were making for the exit, which was not but a few feet away. As I have said, the

thing was choked up till it was almost impassable. We squeezed in between two rocks, with Desiree between

"In Heaven's name, come on!" Harry shouted suddenly; for I had turned and halted, gazing back at the Incas

But I did not heed him, for, standing on the top of the cliff, waving his arms wildly at those below, I had seen

With cries from Harry and Desiree ringing in my ears, I braced my feet as firmly as possible on the uneven

rock and poised my spear above my head. The Incas saw my purpose and stopped short.

The king must also have seen me, but he stood absolutely motionless. I lunged forward; the spear left my

But it failed to reach the mark. A shout of triumph was on my lips, but was suddenly cut short when an Inca

standing near the king sprang forward and hurled himself in the path of the spear just as its point was ready to

take our revenge. The Inca fell to the foot of the cliff with the spear buried deep in his side. The king stood as

Then there was a wild rush into the mouth of the exit, and I turned to follow Harry and Desiree. With extreme

Desiree's breath was coming in painful gasps, and we had to support her on either side. The Incas approached

closer at our rear; I felt one of them grasp me from behind, and in an excess of fury I shook him off and

dashed him backward against the rocks. We were able to make little headway, or none; by taking to the exit

Harry went on with Desiree, and I stayed behind in the attempt to check the attack. They came at me from

both sides. I was faint and bleeding, and barely able to wield my spearmy last one. I gave way by inches,

Suddenly Harry's voice came, shouting that they had reached the end of the passage. I turned then and sprang

desperately from rock to rock after them, with the Incas crowding close after me.

I stumbled and nearly fell, but recovered my footing and staggered on. And suddenly the mass of rocks ended

abruptly, and I fell forward onto flat, level ground by the side of Desiree and Harry.

But they grasped my arms and dragged me away from the passage to one side. I was half fainting from

exhaustion and loss of blood, and scarcely knew what they did. They laid me on the ground and bent over me.

At that I struggled to rise and rested my body on my elbows, gazing at the mouth of the passage. It was so;

It was incomprehensible to us then; later we understood. And we had not long to wait.

Harry and Desiree were bending over me, attempting to stop the flow of blood from a cut on my shoulder.

"We must have water," said Desiree. Harry straightened up to look about the cavern, which was so dark that

Desiree and I followed the direction of his gaze, and saw the huge, black, indistinct form of some animal

suddenly detach itself from the wall of the cavern and move slowly toward us through the darkness.

The thing was at a considerable distance; we could barely see that it was there and that it was moving. It was

of an immense size; so large that it appeared as though the very side of the cavern itself had moved

At the same moment I became aware of a penetrating, disagreeable odor, nauseating and horrible. I had risen

to my knees and remained so, while Harry and Desiree stood on either side of me.

The thing continued to move toward us, very slowly. There was not a sound. The strength of the odor

Still we did not move. I could not, and Harry and Desiree seemed rooted to the spot with wonder. The thing

came closer, and we could see the outlines of its huge form looming up indistinctly against the black

I saw, or thought I saw, a grotesque and monstrous slimy head stretched toward us from about the middle of

That doubt became a certainty when suddenly, as though they had been lit by a fire from within, two

luminous, glowing spots appeared about three feet apart. The creature's eyesif eyes they werewere

turned full on us, growing more brilliant as the thing came closer. It was now less than fifty feet away. The

I pinched my nostrils to exclude the horrible odor which, like the fumes of some deadly poison, choked and

smothered me. It came now in puffs, like a draft of a fetid wind, and I realized that it was the creature's

breath. I could feel it against my body, my neck and face, and knew that if I breathed it full into my lungs I

But still more terrifying were the eyes. There was something compelling, supernaturally compelling, about

their steadfast and brilliant gaze. A mysterious power seemed to emanate from them; a power that hypnotized

the mind and deadened the senses. I closed my eyes to avoid it, but was unable to keep them closed. They

There was a movement at my side. I turned and saw that it came from Desiree. Her hands were raised to her

face; she was holding them before her as though in a futile attempt to cover her eyes.

The thing came closer and closer; it was but a few feet away, and still we did not move, as though rooted to

Suddenly there came a cry from Desiree's lipsa scream of terror and wild fear. Her entire form trembled

She extended her arms toward the thing, now almost upon us, and took a step forward. Her feet dragged

unwilling along the ground, as though she were being drawn forward by some irresistible force.

I tried to put out my hand to pull her back, but was absolutely unable to move. Harry stood like a man of

She took another step forward, with arms outstretched in front of her. A low moan of terror and piteous

Suddenly the eyes disappeared. The huge form ceased to advance and stood perfectly still. Then it began to

I was gasping and choking for air; my chest seemed swelling with the poisonous breath. Still slowly the thing

receded into the dimness of the cavern; the eyes were no longer to be seenmerely the huge, formless bulk.

Desiree had stopped short with one foot advanced, as though hesitating and struggling with the desire to go

The thing now could barely be seen at a distance; it would have been impossible if we had not known it was

there. Finally it disappeared, melting away into the semidarkness; no slightest movement was discernible. I

As I did so Desiree threw her hands gropingly above her head and fell fainting to the ground.

Harry sprang forward in time to keep her head from striking on the rock and knelt with his arms round her

shoulders. We had nothing, not even water, with which to revive her; he called her name aloud appealingly.

Soon her eyes opened; she raised her hand and passed it across her brow wonderingly.

Then she pushed Harry aside and rose slowly to her feet, refusing his assistance.

"We have found the devil at last," I answered, with an attempt to laugh, which sounded hollow in my own

Desiree could tell us nothing, except that she had felt herself drawn forward by some strange power that had

seemed to come from the baneful, glittering eyes. She was bewildered and stunned and unable to talk

coherently. We assisted her to the wall, and she sat there with her back propped against it, breathing heavily

I understood him. Danger could not have stayed him nor fear, but the horror of the thing which roamed about

the cavern, dark as darkness itself and possessed of some strange power that could not be withstood, was

enough to make him pause. For myself it was impossible; I was barely able to stand. So Harry went off alone

It was perhaps half an hour before he returned, and we were shaken with fear for him long before he

appeared. When he did so it was with a white face and trembling limbs, in spite of his evident effort at

"There is water over there," said he, pointing across the cavern. "A stream runs across the corner and

disappears beneath the wall. There is nothing to carry it in. You must come with me."

"I saw it," he replied simply, but expressing enough in those three words to cause a shudder to run through

Then, speaking in a low tone that Desiree might not hear, he told me that the thing had confronted him

suddenly as he was following the opposite wall, and that he, too, had been drawn forward, as it were, by a

spell impossible to shake off. He had tried to cry aloud, but had been unable to utter a sound. And suddenly,

"No wonder the Incas wouldn't follow us in here," he finished. "We must get out of this. I'm not a coward, but

He led us around the wall several hundred feet. The ground was level and clear of obstruction; but we went

slowly, for I could scarcely move. Harry kept his eyes strained intently on all sides; his experience had left

Soon we heard the low music of running water, and a minute later we reached the stream Harry had found.

The fact that there was something to be done seemed to infuse a new spirit into Desiree, and soon her deft

fingers were bathing my wounds and bandaging them as well as her poor material would allow.

The cold water took the heat from my pumping veins and left me almost comfortable. Harry had come off

much easier than I, since I had so often sent him ahead with Desiree, and myself brought up the rear and

As Harry had said, the stream cut across a corner of the cavern, disappearing beneath the opposite wall,

forming a triangle bound by two sides of the cavern and the stream itself. I saw plainly that it would be

impossible for me to move any distance for at least a few days, and that triangle appeared to offer the safest

I spoke to Harry, and he waded across the stream to try its depth. From the other side he called that the water

was at no point more than waisthigh, and Desiree and I started to cross; but about the middle I felt the

On that hard rock we lay for many weary hours. We had no food; but for that I would soon have been myself

again, for, though my wounds were numerous, they were little more than scratches, with the exception of the

gash on my shoulder. Weakened as I was by loss of blood, and lacking nourishment, I improved but slowly,

Twice Harry went out in search of food and of an exit from the cavern. The first time he was away for several

hours, and returned exhausted and emptyhanded and without having found any exit other than the one by

He had ventured through that far enough to see a group of Incas on watch at the other end. They had seen him

and sprung after him, but he had returned without injury, and at the entrance into the cavern where we lay

The second time he was gone out more than half an hour, and the instant I saw his face when he returned I

But I was not in the best of humor; his terror appeared to me to be ridiculously childish, and I said so in no

"You don't know, you don't know," was all he said in answer to me; then he added; "I can't stand this any

"True," said Harry. "I know. But we can help you. There must be another exit, and we'll start now."

"Very well," I said quite calmly; and I picked up one of the spears which we had carried with us, and, rising

But Harry saw my purpose, and was too quick for me. He sprang across and snatched the spear from my hand

"No," I answered; "but I am little better, and I doubt if I shall be. Comewhy not? I hinder you and become

"You blame me," he said bitterly; "but I tell you you don't know. Very wellwe stay. You must give me

"In any event, you must go soon," I answered, "or starve to death. Perhaps in another twentyfour hours I

She did not answer; her back was turned to us as she stood gazing across the stream into the depths of the

cavern. There was a curious tenseness in her attitude that made me follow her gaze, and what I saw left me

with no wonder at ita huge, black, indistinct form that moved slowly toward us through the darkness.

Harry caught sight of it at the same moment as myself, and on the instant he turned about, covering his face

Desiree obeyed; I had risen to my knees and remained so, gazing straight ahead, ready for a combat if it were

not a physical one. I will not say that a certain feeling of dread did not rise in my heart, but I intended to show

Nothing could be seen but the uncertain outline of the immense bulk; but the same penetrating, sickening

odor that had before all but suffocated me came faintly across the surface of the stream, growing stronger

with each second that passed. Suddenly the eyes appearedtwo glowing orbs of fire that caught my gaze and

I did not attempt to avoid it, but returned the gaze with another as steadfast. I was telling myself: "Let us see

this trick and play one stronger." My nerves centered throbbingly back of my eyes, and I gave them the whole

The thing came closer and the eyes seemed to burn into my very brain. With a great effort I brought myself

back to control, dropping to my hands and knees and gripping the ground for strength.

"This is nothing, this is nothing," I kept saying to myself alouduntil I realized suddenly that my voice had

I no longer returned the gaze from my own power; it held me of itself. I felt my brain grow curiously numb

and every muscle in my body contracted with a pain almost unbearable. Still the thing came closer and closer,

and it seemed to me, half dazed as I was, that it advanced much faster than before.

Then suddenly I felt a sensation of cold and moisture on my arms and legs and a pressure against my body,

I was crawling toward the thing on my hands and knees, without having even been conscious that I had

That brought despair and a last supreme struggle to resist whatever mysterious power it was that dragged me

Cold beads of sweat rolled from my forehead. Beneath the surface of the water my hands gripped the rocks as

in a vise. My teeth had sunk deep into my lower lip and covered my chin with blood, though I did not know

But I was pulled loose from my hold, and forward. I bent the whole force of my will to the effort not to move,

but my hand left the rock and crept forward. I was fully conscious of what I was doing. I knew that if I could

once draw my eyes away from that compelling gaze the spell would be broken, but the power to do so was

The thing had halted on the farther bank of the stream. Still I moved forward. The water now lapped against

I was fully conscious of the fact that in another ten feet the surface would close over my head, and that I had

not the strength to swim or fight the current; but still I went forward. I tried to cry out, but could force no

Then suddenly the eyes began to disappear. But that at least was comprehensible, for I could distinctly see the

black and heavy lids closing over them, like the curtain on a stage. They fell slowly.

The eyes became half moons, then narrowed to a thin slit. I rose, panting like a man exhausted with extreme

A mad impulse rushed into my brain to dash forward and touch the monster, to see if that dim, black form

were really a thing of flesh and blood or some contrivance of the devil. I smile at that phrase as I write it now

in my study, but I did not smile then. I was standing above my knees in the water, trembling from head to

foot, divided between the impulse to go forward and the inclination to flee in terror.

I did neither; I stood still. I could see the thing with a fair amount of distinctness and forced my brain to take

I guessed at rather than saw a hideous head rolling from side to side at the end of a long and sinuous neck,

and writhing, reptilian coils lashing the rock at the edge of the water, like the tentacles of an octopus, only

many times larger. The body itself was larger than that of any animal I had ever seen, and blacker even than

Suddenly the huge mass began to move slowly backward. The sharpness of the odor had ceased with the

opening of the eyes, which did not reappear. I could dimly see its huge legs slowly rise and recede and again

I took a step forward as though to follow; but the strength of the current warned me of the danger of

proceeding farther, and, besides, I feared every moment to see the lids again raised from the terrible eyes. The

thought attacked my brain with horror, and I turned and fled in a sudden panic to the rear, calling to Harry

They met me at the edge of the stream, and their eyes told me that they read in my face what had happened,

"Yes," I interposed. "Let's get out of here. It's horrible. And yet how can we go? I can hardly stand."

But Harry was now the one who argued for delay, saying that our retreat was the safest place we could find,

and that we should wait at least until I had had time to recover from the strain of the last halfhour. Realizing

that in my weakened condition I would be a hindrance to them rather than a help, I consented. Besides, if the

We were sitting side by side, well up against the wall. It was an abrupt question, with no apparent pertinence,

"Do you remember," I asked by way of answer, "a treatise of Aristotle concerning which we had a discussion

one day? Its subject was the hypnotic power possessed by the eyes of certain reptiles. I laughed the idea to

scorn; you maintained that it was possible. Well, I agree with you; and I'd like to have about a dozen of our

"Well, and why not? I should guess that it is about thirty feet in height and forty or fifty in length. There have

A discussion which led us nowhere, but at least gave us the sound of one another's voices.

We passed many hours in that manner. Utterly blank and wearisome, and all but hopeless. I have often

wondered at the strange tenacity with which we clung to life in conditions that made of it a burden almost

The instinct of selfpreservation, it is called by the learned, but it needs a stronger name. It is more than an

But soon we were impelled to action by something besides the desire to escape from the cavern: the pangs of

hunger. It had been many hours since we had eaten; I think we had fasted not less than three or four days.

Desiree began to complain of a dizziness in her temples, and to weaken with every hour that passed. My own

strength did not increase, and I saw that it would not unless I could obtain nourishment. Harry did not

"It is useless to wait longer," I declared finally. "I grow weaker instead of stronger."

We had little enough with which to burden ourselves. There were three spears, two of which Harry had

brought, and myself the other. Harry and I wore only our woolen undergarments, so ragged and torn that they

Desiree's single garment, made from some soft hide, was held about her waist by a girdle of the same

material. The upper half of her body was bare. Her hair hung in a tangled mass over her shoulders and down

We crossed the stream, using the spears as staffs; but instead of advancing across the middle of the cavern we

turned to the left, hugging the wall. Harry urged us on, saying that he had already searched carefully for an

exit on that side, but we went slowly, feeling for a break in the wall. It was absolutely smooth, which led me

"This is senseless," said Harry impatiently. "I tell you I have examined this side, too; every inch of it."

"Because I didn't want to," he returned sullenly. "You can go there if you care to; I don't. It was from there

I did not answer, but pushed forward, not, however, leaving the wall. Perhaps it was cowardly; you are

Another halfhour and we reached the end of the lane by which we had first entered the cavern. We stood

gazing at it with eyes of desire, but we knew how little chance there was of the thing being unguarded at the

farther end. We knew then, of course, and only too well, why the Incas had not followed us into the cavern.

"Perhaps they are gone," said Harry. "They can't stay there forever. I'm going to find out."

He sprang on the edge of a boulder at the mouth of the passage and disappeared on the other side. In fifteen

minutes he returned, and I saw by the expression on his face that there was no chance of escape in that

"They're at the other end," he said gloomily; "a dozen of 'em. I looked from behind a rock; they didn't see me.

We turned then, and proceeded to the third wall and followed it. But we really had no hope of finding an exit

since Harry had said that he had previously explored it. We were possessed, I know, by the same thought:

should we venture to follow the fourth wall? Alone, none of us would have dared; but the presence of the

Finally we reached it. The corner was a sharp right angle, and there were rifts and crevices in the rock.

I turned to the right and proceeded slowly along the wall, feeling its surface with my hand.

We had advanced in this manner several hundred yards when Desiree suddenly sprang forward to my side.

I followed the direction with my eye, and saw what appeared to be a sharp break in the wall.

It was some fifty feet away. We reached it in another moment, and I think none of us would have been able to

express the immeasurable relief we felt when we saw before us a broad and clear passage leading directly

I think we had not known the extent of our fear of that thing in the cavern until we found the means of escape

We had gone about a hundred feet when we came to a turn to the left. Harry stumbled against the corner, and

Then we made the turn, side by sideand then we came to a sudden and abrupt stop, and a simultaneous

Not three feet in front of us, blocking the passage completely, stood the thing we thought we had escaped!

The terrible, fiery eyes rolled from side to side as they stared straight into our own.

We stood for a long moment rooted to the spot, unable to move. Then, calling to Harry and grasping Desiree

But too late. For Desiree, inspired by a boundless terror, suddenly raised her spear high above her head and

The point struck squarely between then with such force that it must have sunk clear to the shaft. The head of

the monster rolled for an instant from side to side, and then, before I was aware of what had happened, so

rapid was the movement, a long, snakelike coil had reached out through the air and twisted itself about

As she felt the thing tighten about her waist and legs she gave a scream of terror and twisted her face round

toward me. The next instant the snaky tentacle had dragged her along the ground and lifted her to the head of

the monster, where her white body could be seen in sharp outline sprawling over its black form, between the

As we did so the eyes closed and the reptile began to move backward with incredible swiftness, lashing about

on the ground before us with other tentacles similar to the one that had captured Desiree.

I cried out to Harry to avoid them. He did not answer, but rushed blindly forward.

The eyes were closed, leaving but a vague mark for our spears, and besides, there was the danger of striking

Desiree. We were barely able to keep pace with the thing as it receded swiftly down the broad passage.

Desiree had twisted her body half round, and her face was turned toward us, shadowy as a ghost. Then her

The thing moved swifter than ever; we were barely able to keep up with it. Harry made a desperate leap

I cried out a warning, but one of the writhing tentacles swept against him and knocked him to the ground. He

Suddenly the passage broadened until the walls were no longer visible; we had entered another cavern. I

heard the sound of running water somewhere ahead of us. The pace of the reptile had not slackened for an

Harry had again caught up with us, and as he ran at my side I saw him raise his spear aloft; but I caught his

Her body covered the only part of the thing that presented a fair mark. Harry swore, but his arm fell.

I saw his meaning and followed at his heels as he swerved suddenly to the right and sprang forward in an

But in our eagerness we forgot caution and went too close. I felt one of the snaky tentacles wrap itself round

my legs and body, and raised my voice in a warning to Harry, but too late. He, too, was ensnared, and a

moment later we had both been lifted bodily from the ground and swung through the air to the side of

I writhed and twisted desperately, but that muscular coil held me firmly as a band of steel, tight against the

Harry was on the other side of Desiree, not three feet from me. I could see his muscles strain and pull in his

But suddenly, quite near my shoulder, I saw the lid suddenly begin to raise itself from one of the terrible eyes.

I was almost on top of the thing and a little above it. I turned my head aside and called to Harry.

Then as I saw he understood, I turned a quarter of the way roundas far as I could getand raised my spear

the full extent of my arm, and brought it down with every ounce of my strength into the very center of the

At the same moment I saw Harry's arm descend and the flash of his spear. The point of my own had sunk

I grasped the shaft and pulled and twisted it about until it finally was jerked forth. From the opening it had

Suddenly the body of the reptile quivered convulsively. The head rolled from side to side. There was a quick

tightening of the tentacle round my body until my bones felt as though they were being crushed into

Other tentacles lashed and beat on the ground furiously. The reptile's swift backward movement halted

jerkily. I made a desperate effort to tear myself free. The tentacle quivered and throbbed violently, and

In an instant Harry was at my side, and we both leaped forward with our spears, slashing at the tentacle which

still held Desiree in its grasp. Others writhed on the ground about our feet, but feebly. There came a sudden

cry from Harry, and his spear clattered on the ground as he opened his arms to receive Desiree's unconscious

But there was life in the reptile's immense body. It staggered and swayed from side to side in drunken agony.

Its monstrous head rolled about, sweeping the air in a prodigious circle. The poison of its breath came to us in

great puffs. There was something supremely horrible about the thing in its very helplessness, and I was

shuddering violently as I stooped to help Harry lift Desiree from the ground and carry her away.

We did not go far, for we were barely able to carry her. We laid her on the hard rock with her head in Harry's

For many minutes we worked over her, rubbing her temples and wrists, and pressing the nerve centers at the

"She has a pulsesee! But we must find that water. I think she isn't injured; it is her weakened condition

I started out across the cavern in the direction from which the sound of the water appeared to come, bearing

off to the right from the huge, quivering form of the monster whose gigantic body rose and fell on the ground

I found the stream with little difficulty, not far away, and returned to Harry. Together we carried Desiree to

its edge. The blood was stubborn, and for a long time refused to move, but the cold water at length revived

her; her eyes slowly opened, and she raised her hand to her head with a faltering gesture.

But she was extremely weak, and we saw that the end was near unless nourishment could be found for her.

I stayed by her side, with my arms round her shoulders, and Harry set out with one of the spears. He bore off

to the left, toward the spot where the body of the immense reptile lay; I was too far away to see it in the

"It isn't possible that the thing is fit to eat," I had objected, and he had answered me with a look which I

Soon a sound as of a scuffle on the rocks came through the darkness from the direction he had taken. I called

out to ask if he needed me, but there was no answer. Ten minutes longer I waited, while the sound continued

I was just rising to my feet to run to the scene when suddenly he appeared in the semidarkness. He was

coming slowly, and was dragging along the ground what appeared to be the form of some animal. Another

"A peccary!" I cried, bending over the body of the fourfooted creature that lay at his feet. "How the deuce

"Peccarymy aunt!" observed Harry, bending down to look at Desiree. "Do peccaries live in the water? Do

they have snouts like catfish? This animal is my own invention. There's about ten million more of 'em over

there making a gorgeous banquet off our late lamented friend. And now, let's see."

He knelt down by the still warm body and with the point of his spear ripped it open from neck to rump.

He dragged the thing a few feet away, and I heard him slashing away at it with his spear. A minute later he

That was not exactly a pretty meal. How Desiree, in her frightfully weakened condition, ever managed to get

the stuff down and keep it there is beyond me. But she did, and I was not behind her. And, after all, it was

We bathed Desiree's hands and face and gave her water to drink, and soon after she passed into a seemingly

healthy sleep. There was about ten pounds of meat left. Harry washed it in the stream and stowed it away on a

rock beneath the surface of the water. Then he announced his intention of going back for more.

"Hardly," said Harry. "Didn't I say there are millions of those things over there? Anyway, there are hundreds.

If they should happen to scatter in this direction and find her, she wouldn't stand a chance. You take the other

So I sat still, with Desiree's body in my arms, and waited for him. My sensations were not unpleasant. I could

Civilization places the temple of life in the soul or the heart, as she speaks through the mouth of the preacher

or the poet; but let civilization go for four or five days without anything to eat and see what happens. The

In five minutes Harry returned, dragging two more of the creatures at his heels. In half an hour there were a

"That's all," he announced, panting heavily from his exertions. "The rest have taken to the woods, which, I

imagine, is quite a journey from here. You ought to see our friendthe one who couldn't make his eyes

behave. They've eaten him full of holes. He's the most awful messsickening beast. He didn't have a bone in

"And who, in the name of goodness, do you think is going to eat all that?" I demanded, pointing to the heap

"I don't know. I was so excited at the very idea of a square meal that I didn't know when to stop. I'd give five

fingers for a fire and some salt. Just a nickel's worth of salt. Now, you lie down and sleep while I cut these

He brought me one of the hides for a pillow, and I lay back as gently as possible that I might not awaken

Desiree. Her head and shoulders rested against my body as she lay peacefully sleeping.

I was awakened by Harry's hand tugging at my arm. Rising on my elbows, I demanded to know how long I

"Six or seven hours," said Harry. "I waited as long as I could. Keep a lookout."

Desiree stirred uneasily, but seemed to be still asleep. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. The heap of bodies had

disappeared; no wonder Harry was tired! I reproached myself for having slept so long.

Harry had arranged himself a bed that was really comfortable with the skins of his kill.

I sat motionless, stiff and numb, but afraid to move for fear of disturbing Desiree.

Presently she stirred again, and, bending over her, I saw her eyes slowly open. They met my own with a

I told her of everything that had occurred since she had swooned; she shuddered as memory returned, but

forgot herself in my attempt at a humorous description of Harry's valor as a hunter of food.

"You don't need to turn up your nose," I retorted to her expressive grimace; "you ate some of the stuff

What a woman she was! Under those circumstances, and amid those surroundings, she was still Desiree Le

"Don't laugh at me," she said. "I want to know. I have never spoken of what I did that time in the

"But you did nothing," I objected. "And you wouldn't. You were merely amusing yourself."

"Don't play with me!" she burst out. "My friend, you have never yet given me a serious word."

"Nor any one else," I answered. "My dear Desiree, do you not know that I am incapable of seriousness?

"At least, you need not pretend," she retorted. "I meant once for you to die. You know it. And since you

pretend not to understand me, I ask youthese are strange words from my lips will you forgive me?"

"My friend, you are becoming dull. An evasive answer should always be a witty one. Must I ask you again?"

"On whether or not you were serious, once upon a time, when you made ashall we call it a confession? If

you were, I offended you in my own conceit, but let us be frank. I thought you were acting, and I played my

role. I do not yet believe that you were; I am not conceited enough to think it possible."

"I do not say," Desiree began; then she stopped and added hastily: "But that is past. I shall not tell you that

again. Perhaps I forgot myself. Perhaps it was a pretty play. You have not answered me."

I looked at her. Strange and terrible as her experiences and sufferings had been, she had lost little of her

beauty. Her face was rendered only the more delicate by its pallor. Her white and perfect body, only half seen

in the halfdarkness, conveyed a sense of the purest beauty with no hint of immodesty.

But I was moved not by what I saw, but by what I knew. I had admired her always as Le Mire; but her

bravery, her hardihood, her sympathy for others under circumstances when any other woman would have

been thinking only of herselfhad these awakened in my breast a feeling stronger than admiration?

I did not know. But my voice trembled a little as I said: "I need not answer you, Desiree. I repeat that there is

nothing to forgive. You sought revenge, then sacrificed it; but still revenge is yours."

She looked at me for a moment in silence, then said slowly: "I do not understand you."

For reply I took her hand in my own from where it lay idly on my knee, and, carrying it to my lips, pressed a

long kiss on the top of each of the slender white fingers. Then I held the hand tight between both of mine as I

"Yes, Desiree. We are not children. I think we know what we mean. But you have not told me. Did you mean

Then suddenly, with the rapidity of lightning, her manner changed. She bent toward me with parted lips and

looked straight into my eyes. There was passion in the gaze; but when she spoke her voice was quite even and

"Paul," she said, "I shall not again say I love you. Such words should not be wasted. Not now, perhaps; but

"You have said that nothing is worth a serious word to you; and you are right. You are too cynical; things are

bitter in your mouth, and doubly so when they leave it. Just now you are amusing yourself by pretending to

care for me. Perhaps you do not know it, but you are. Search your heart, my friend, and tell medo you want

Well, there was no need to search my heart, she had laid it open. I hated myself then; and I turned away,

"Bon Dieu!" she cried. "That is an ugly speech, monsieur!" And she laughed aloud.

"But we must not awaken Harry," she continued with sudden softness. "What a boy he isand what a man!

That topic suited me little better, but I followed her. We talked of Harry, Le Mire with an amount of

enthusiasm that surprised me. Suddenly she stopped abruptly and announced that she was hungry.

I found Harry's pantry after a few minutes' search and took some of its contents to Desiree. Then I returned to

the edge of the water and ate my portion alone. That meal was one scarcely calculated for the pleasures of

It was several hours after that before Harry awoke, the greater part of which Desiree and I were silent.

I would have given something to have known her thoughts; my own were not very pleasant. It is always a

disagreeable thing to discover that some one else knows you better than you know yourself. And Desiree had

cut deep. At the time I thought her unjust; time alone could have told which of us was right. If she were here

Finally Harry awoke. He was delighted to find Desiree awake and comparatively well, and demonstrated the

fact with a degree of effusion that prompted me to leave them alone together. But I did not go far; a hundred

paces made me sit down to rest before returning, so weak was I from wounds and fasting.

Harry's spirits were high, for no apparent reason other than that we were still alive, for that was the best that

could be said for us. So I told him; he retorted with a hearty clap on the back that sent me sprawling to the

"What the deuce!" he exclaimed, stooping to help me up. "Are you as weak as that? Gad, I'm sorry!"

But my strength was not long in returning. Over a long stretch our diet would hardly have been conducive to

health, but it was exactly what I needed to put blood and strength in me. And Harry and Desiree, too, for that

Again I had to withstand Harry's eager demands for action. He began within two hours to insist on exploring

"I won't stir a foot until I am able to knock you down," I declared finally and flatly. "Never again will I

attempt to perform the feats of a Hercules when I am fit only for an invalid's chair." And he was forced to

As I say, however, my strength was not long in returning, and when it started it came with a rush. My wounds

were healing perfectly; only one remained open. Harry, with his usual phenomenal luck, had got nothing but

Desiree improved very slowly. The strain of those four days in the cavern had been severe, and her nerves

required more pleasant surroundings than a dark and damp cavern and more agreeable diet than raw meat, to

Thus it was that when Harry and I found ourselves ready to start out to explore the cavern and, if possible,

find an exit on the opposite side from the one where we had entered, we left Desiree behind, seated on a pile

"We'll be back in an hour," said Harry, stooping to kiss her; and the phrase, which might have come from the

lips of a worthy Harlem husband leaving for a little sojourn with friends on the corner, brought a smile to my

We went first toward the spot where lay the remains of "our friend with the eyes," as Harry called him, and

we were guided straight by our noses, for the odor of the thing was beginning to beto use another phrase of

There was little to see except a massive pile of crumpled hide and sinking flesh. As we approached, several

hundred of the animals with which Harry had filled our larder scampered away toward the water.

"They're not fighters," I observed, turning to watch them disappear in the darkness.

"No," Harry agreed. "See here," he added suddenly, holding up a piece of the hide of the reptile; "this stuff is

But by that time I was pinching my nostrils with my fingers, and I pulled him away.

Several hundred yards farther on we came to the wall of the cavern. We followed it, turning to the right; but

though it was uneven and marked by projecting boulders and deep crevices, we found no exit. We had gone

at least half a mile, I think, when we came to the end. There it turned in a wide circle to the right, and we took

the new direction, which was toward the spot where we had left Desiree, only considerably to the left.

Another five minutes found us at the edge of the stream, which at that point was much swifter than it was

farther up. We waded in and discovered that the cause was its extreme narrowness.

We soon found out. Proceeding along the bank to the left, within fifty feet we came to the wall. There the

stream entered and disappeared. But, unlike the others we had seen, above this there was a wide and high

arch, which made it appear as though the stream were passing under a massive bridge. The current was swift

but not turbulent, and there was something about the surface of that stream flowing straight through the

Harry and I glanced at each other quickly, moved by the same thought. There was an electric thrill in that

For suddenly, startlingly, a voice sounded throughout the cavernDesiree's voice, raised in a shrill cry of

It was repeated twice before our startled senses found themselves; then we turned with one impulse and raced

As we ran swiftly, following the edge of the stream, the cries continued, filling the cavern with racing echoes.

They could not quicken our step; we were already straining every muscle as we bounded over the rock.

Luckily, the way was clear, for in the darkness we could see but a few feet ahead. Desiree's voice was

Finally we reached her. I don't know what I expected to see, but certainly not that which met our eyes.

Desiree was standing exactly in the spot where we had left her, screaming at the top of her voice.

Around her, on every side, was a struggling, pushing mass of the animals we had frightened away from the

carcass of the reptile. There were hundreds of them packed tightly together, crowding toward her, some

leaping on the backs of others, some trampled to the ground beneath the feet of their fellows. They did not

This we saw in a flash and an instant later had dashed forward into the mass with whirling spears. It was a

We brought our spears down on the swarm of heads and backs without even troubling to take aim. They

pressed against our legs; we waded through as though it were a current of water. Those we hit either fell or

They had the senseless stubbornness of pigs, at least. They seemed absolutely unable to realize that their

presence was not desired till they actually felt the spearutterly devoid even of instinct.

"So this is what you captured for us at the risk of your life!" I shouted to Harry in disgust. "They haven't even

We finally reached Desiree's side and cleared a space round her. But it took us another fifteen minutes of

pushing and thrusting and indiscriminate massacre before we routed the brutes. When they did decide to go

they lost no time, but scampered away toward the water with a sliding, tumbling rush.

"Gad!" exclaimed Harry, resting on his spear. "And here's a pretty job. Look at that! I wish they'd carry off

"You frightened us, all right," Harry retorted. "Utterly fungoed. I never ran so fast in my life. And all you had

to do was shake your spear at 'em and say boo! I thought it was the roommate of our friend with the eyes."

"Yes, and that isn't all. You'll continue to eat 'em as long as I'm the cook. Come on, Paul; it's a day's work."

We dragged the bodies down to the edge of the stream and tossed them into the current, saving three or four

I then first tried my hand at the task of skinning and cleaning them, and by the time I had finished was

thoroughly disgusted with it and myself. Harry had become hardened to it; he whistled over the job as though

"I'd rather go hungry," I declared, washing my hands and arms in the cool water.

"Oh, sure," said Harry; "my efforts are never appreciated. I've fed you up till you've finally graduated from

the skeleton class, and you immediately begin to criticize the table. I know now what it means to run a

By the time we had finished we were pretty well tired out, but Harry wouldn't hear of rest. I was eager myself

for another look at the exit of that stream. So, again taking up our spears, we set out across the cavern, this

time with Desiree between us. She swallowed Harry's ridicule of her fear and refused to stay behind.

Again we stood at the point where the stream left the cavern through the broad arch of a tunnel.

"Yes, if we had a boat," I agreed. "But that's a tenmile current, and probably deep."

I waded out some twenty feet and was nearly swept beneath the surface as the water circled about my

"We couldn't follow that on our feet," I declared, returning to the shore. "But it does look promising. At ten

miles an hour we'd reach the western slope in four hours. Four hours to sunshinebut it might as well be

We turned then and retraced our steps to our camp, if I may give it so dignified a title. I hated to give up the

idea of following the bed of the stream, for it was certain that somewhere it found the surface of the earth,

and I revolved in my brain every conceivable means to do so. The same thought was in Harry's mind, for he

"If we only had something for stringers, I could make a raft that would carry us to the Pacific and across it.

The hide of that thing over yonder would be just the stuff, and we could get a piece as big as we wanted."

"I thought of that. But we have absolutely nothing to hold it. There wasn't a bone in his body; you know that."

But the idea was peculiarly tempting, and we spent an hour discussing it. Desiree was asleep on her pile of

skins. We sat side by side on the ground some distance away, talking in low tones.

"By gad!" exclaimed Harry, springing to his feet. "Did you hear that? It sounded likeremember the fish we

"Which has nothing to do with this," I answered. "It's nothing but the waterpigs. I've heard 'em a thousand

But Harry protested that the splash was much too loud to have been caused by any waterpig and waded into

the stream to investigate. I rose to my feet and followed him leisurely, for no reason in particular, but was

I ran as swiftly as I could to the shore and returned with our spears, but when I reached Harry he greeted me

with an oath of disappointment and the information that the "whale" had disappeared. He was greatly excited.

"I tell you he was twenty feet long! A big black devil, with a head like a cow."

"I have drunk nothing but water for a month," he said dryly. "It was a fish, and some fish."

"Well, there's probably more like him," I observed. "But they can wait. Come on and get some sleep, and

Some hours afterward, having filled ourselves with sleep and food (I had decided, after mature deliberation,

not to change my hotel), we started out, armed with our spears. Desiree accompanied us. Harry told her

We turned upstream, thinking our chances better in that direction than toward the swifter current, and were

surprised to find that the cavern was much larger than any we had before seen. In something over a mile we

had not yet reached the farther wall, for we walked at a brisk pace for a quarter of an hour or more.

At this point the stream was considerably wider than it was below, and there was very little current. Desiree

There was a long and weary wait before anything occurred. The water was cold, and my limbs became stiff

and numb; I called to Harry that it was useless to wait longer, and was turning toward the shore when there

I went. But I soon saw that Harry didn't have him. He had Harry. They were all of ten yards away from me,

and by the time I reached the spot there was nothing to be seen but flying water thrashed into foam and fury.

I caught a glimpse of Harry being jerked through the air; he was holding on for dear life with both hands to

the shaft of his spear. The water was over my head there; I was swimming with all the strength I had.

"I've got himthrough the belly," Harry gasped as I fought my way through the spray to his side. "His head!

I finally succeeded in getting my hand on Harry's spearshaft near where it entered the body of the fish; but

the next instant it was jerked from me, dragging me beneath the surface. I came up puffing and made another

For that I was saving my spear. But I could make nothing of either head or tail as the immense fish leaped

Once he came down exactly on top of me and carried me far under; I felt his slippery, smooth body glide over

me, and the tail struck me a heavy blow in the face as it passed. Blinded and half choked, I fought my way

I swam to them, breathing hard and nearly exhausted. The water foamed less furiously about them now. As I

came near the fish leaped half out of the water and came down flat on his side; I saw his ugly black head

I set myself firmly against the water and waited. Soon it parted violently not ten feet in front of me, and again

the head appeared; he was coming straight for me. I could see the dull beady eyes on either side, and I let him

There was little force to the blow, but the fish himself furnished that; he was coming like lightning. I hurled

By the time I reached him the fish had turned over on his back and was floating on the surface, motionless.

We had still to get him ashore, and, exhausted as we were, it was no easy task. But there was very little

current, and after half an hour of pulling and shoving we got him into shallow water, where we could find the

bottom with our feet. Then it was easier. Desiree waded out to us and lent a hand, and in another ten minutes

He was even larger than I had thought. No wonder Harry had called himor one like hima whale. It was

all of fifteen feet from his snout to the tip of his tail. The skin was dead black on top and mottled irregularly

As we sat sharpening the points of our spears on the rock, preparatory to skinning him, Desiree stood

"Oh, that isn't what we want him for," said Harry, rubbing his finger against the edge of his spearpoint.

Then he explained our purpose, and you may believe that Desiree was the most excited of the lot as we ripped

down the body of the fish from tail to snout and began to peel off the tough skin.

"If you succeed you may choose the new hangings for my boudoir," she said, with an attempt at lightness not

"As for me," I declared, "I shall eat fish every day of my life out of pure gratitude."

It took us three hours of whacking and slashing and tearing to pull the fish to pieces, but we worked with a

purpose and a will. When we had finished, this is what we had to show: A long strip of bone, four inches

thick and twelve feet long, and tough as hickory, from either side of which the smaller bones projected at

right angles. They were about an inch in thickness and two inches apart. The lower end of the backbone, near

"Absolutely perfect!" Harry cried in jubilation. "Three more like this and we'll sail down the coast to Callao."

"If we can get 'em," I observed. "But two would do. We could make it a triangle."

We discussed that question on our way back to camp, whither we carried the backbone of our fish, together

with some of the meat. Then, after a hearty meal, we slept. After seven hours of the hardest kind of work we

That was our program for the time that followedtime that stretched into many weary hours, for, once

started, we worked feverishly, so impatient had we become by dint of that faint glimmer of hope. We were

going to try to build a raft, on which we were going to try to embark on the stream, by which we were going

to try to find our way out of the mountain. The prospect made us positively hilarious, so slender is the thread

The first part of our task was the most strenuous. We waited and waded round many hours before another fish

appeared, and then he got away from us. Another attempt was crowned with success after a hard fight. The

The next two were too small to be of use in the raft, but we saved them for another purpose. Then, after

another long search, lasting many hours, we ran into half a dozen of them at once.

By that time we were fairly expert with our spears, besides having discovered their vulnerable spotthe

throat, just forward from the gills. To this day I don't know whether or not they were maneaters. Their jaws

Thus we had four of the large backbones and two smaller ones. Next we wanted a covering, and for that

purpose we visited the remains of the reptile which had first led us into the cavern.

Its hide was half an inch thick and tough as the toughest leather. There was no difficulty in loosening it, for

by that time the flesh was so decayed and sunken that it literally fell off. That job was the worst of all.

Time and again, after cutting away with the points of our spearsour only toolsuntil we could stand it no

longer, we staggered off to the stream like drunken men, sick and faint with the sight and smell of the mess.

But that, too, came to an end, and finally we marched off to the camp, which we had removed a halfmile

upstream, dragging after us a piece of the hide about thirty feet long and half as wide. It was not as heavy as

We first made the larger bones, which were to serve as the beams of our raft, exactly the same length by

filing off the ends of the longer ones with rough bits of granite. I have said it was tedious. Then we filed off

each of the smaller bones projecting from the neural arch until they were of equal length.

They extended on either side about ten inches, which, allowing four inches for the width of the larger bone

and one inch for the covering, would make our raft slightly over a foot in depth.

To make the cylindrical column rigid, we bound each of the vertebrae to the one in direct juxtaposition on

either side firmly with strips of hide, several hundred feet of which we had prepared.

This gave us four beams held straight and true, without any play in either direction, with only a slight

With these four beams we formed a square, placing them on their edges, end to end. At each corner of the

square we lashed the ends together firmly with strips of hide. It was both firm and flexible after we had

lashed the corners over and over with the strips, that there might be no play under the strain of the current.

Over this framework we stretched the large piece of hide so that the ends met on top, near the middle. The

bottom was thus absolutely watertight. We folded the corners in and caught them up with strips over the top.

Then, with longer strips, we fastened up the sides, passing the strips back and forth across the top, from side

to side, having first similarly secured the two ends. As a final precaution, we passed broader strips around

both top and bottom, lashing them together in the center of the top. And there was our raft, twelve feet

square, over a foot deep, watertight as a town drunkard, and weighing not more than a hundred pounds. It

But we discovered immediately that the four beams on the sides and ends were not enough, for Desiree's

weight alone caused the skin to sag clear through in the center, though we had stretched it as tightly as

possible. We were forced to unlash all the strips running from side to side and insert supports, made of

smaller bones, across the middle each way. These we reinforced on their ends with the thickest hide we could

find, that they might not puncture the bottom. After that it was fairly firm; though its seaworthiness was not

For oars we took the lower ends of the backbones of the two smaller fish and covered them with hide. They

were about five feet long and quite heavy; but we intended to use them more for the purpose of steering than

Near the center of the raft we arranged a pile of the skins of the waterpigs for Desiree; a seat by no means

uncomfortable. The strips which ran back and forth across the top afforded a hold as security against the

tossing of the craft; but for her feet we arranged two other strips to pass over her ankles what time she rested.

This was an extreme precaution, for we did not expect the journey to be a long one.

Finally we loaded on our provisionsabout thirty pounds of the meat of the fish and waterpigs, wrapping it

"And now," said I, testing the strips on the corners for the last time, "all we need is a name for her and a

"The name is easy enough," said Desiree. "I hereby christen her Clarte du Soleil."

"Sunshine," I told him. "Presumably after the glorious King of the Incas, who calls himself the Child of the

"I think we ought to take more grub," said Harryan observation which he had made not less than fifty

times in the preceding fifty minutes. He received no support and grumbled to himself something about the

Why it was I don't know, but we were fully persuaded that we were about to say goodby forever to this

underground world and its dangers. Somehow, we had coaxed ourselves into the belief that success was

certain; it was as though we had seen the sunlight streaming in from the farther end of the arched tunnel into

which the stream disappeared. There was an assurance about the words of each that strengthened this feeling

in the others, and hope had shut out all thought of failure as we prepared to launch our craft.

It took us some time to get it to the edge of the water, though it was close by, for we handled it with extreme

care, that it might not be torn on the rocks. Altogether, with the provisions, it weighed close to one hundred

We were by no means sure that the thing would carry us, and when once we had reached the water we forgot

caution in our haste to try it. We held it at the edge while Desiree arranged herself on the pile of skins. The

"Ready!" he called, and I shoved off, wading behind. When the water was up to my knees I climbed aboard

"By all the nine gods, look at her!" cried Harry in huge delight. "She takes about three inches! Man, she'd

"Couldn't be better," I agreed; "but watch yourself, Hal. When we get into the current things are going to

begin to happen. If it weren't for the beastly darkness 'twould be easy enough. As it is, one little rock the size

We were still near the bank, working our way out slowly. Harry and I had to maintain positions equidistant

from the center in order to keep the raft balanced; hence I had to push her out alone.

Another five minutes and we were near the middle of the stream. At that point there was but little current and

we drifted slowly. Harry went to the bow, while I took up a position on the sternif I may use such terms for

such a craftdirectly behind Desiree. We figured that we were then about a mile from the Point where the

Gradually, as the stream narrowed, the strength of the current increased. Still it was smooth, and the raft

sailed along without a tremor. Once or twice, caught by some trick of the current, she turned half round,

The water began to curl up on the sides as we were carried more and more swiftly onward, with a low

murmur that was music to us. The stream became so narrow that we could see the bank on either side, though

I called to Harry: "Keep her off to the right as we make the turn!" and he answered: "Aye, aye, sir!" with a

Another minute and we saw the arch directly ahead of us, round a bend in the stream. The strength of the

current carried us toward the off bank, but we plied our oars desperately and well, and managed to keep fairly

We missed the wall of the tunnelblack, grim rock that would have dashed out our brainsby about ten

feet, and were swept forward under the arch, on our wayso we thoughtto the land of sunshine.

Here I might most appropriately insert a paragraph on the vanity of human wishes and endeavor. But events,

they say, speak for themselves; and still, for my own part, I prefer the philosopher to the historian. Mental

To the story. As I have said, we missed the wall of the tunnel by a scant ten feet, and we kept on missing it.

Once under the arch, our raft developed a most stubborn inclination to bump up against the rocky banks

First to one side, then to the other, it swung, while Harry and I kept it off with our oars, often missing a

collision by inches. But at least the banks were smooth and level, and as long as the stream itself remained

The current was not nearly so swift as I had expected it would be. In the semidarkness it was difficult to

calculate our rate of speed, but I judged that we were moving at about six or seven miles an hour.

We had gone perhaps three miles when we came to a sharp bend in the stream, to the left, almost at a right

angle. Harry, at the bow, was supposed to be on the lookout, but he failed to see it until we were already

Then he gave a cry of alarm, and together we swung the raft to the left, avoiding the right bank of the curve

by less than a foot. Once safely past, I sent Harry to the stern and took the bow myself, which brought down

There the tunnel widened, and the raft began to glide easily onward, without any of its sudden dashes to right

or left. I rested on my oar, gazing intently ahead; at the best I could make out the walls a hundred yards

ahead, and but dimly. All was silence, save the gentle swish of the water against the sides of the raft and the

Her voice, subdued and low, breathed a sweetness that seemed almost to be of another world. My ear

quivered with the vibrations, and long after she was silent the last mellow note floated through my brain.

Suddenly I became conscious of another sound, scarcely less musical. It, too, was low; so low and faint that

at first I thought my ear deceived me, or that some distant echo was returning Desiree's song down the dark

Gradually, very gradually, it became louder and clearer, until at length I recognized it. It was the rush of

water, unbroken, still low and at a great distance. I turned to remark on it to Harry, but Desiree took the

"I seem to hear somethinglike the surf," she said. "That isn't possible, is it?"

"Hardly," I answered. "I have heard it for several minutes. It is probably some shallows. We must look

Another fifteen minutes, and I began to notice that the speed of the current was increasing. The sound of the

rushing water, too, was quite distinct. Still the raft moved more and more swiftly, till I began to feel alarmed.

"That begins to sound like rapids. See that the spears are fastened securely, and stand ready with your oar. Sit

One thing was certain: there was nothing to do but go ahead. On both sides the walls of the tunnel rose

straight up from the surface of the water; there was nowhere room for a landingplace not even a foot for a

purchase to stay our flight. To go back was impossible; at the rate the current was now carrying us we could

Soon we were gliding forward so swiftly that the raft trembled under us; from the darkness ahead came the

sound of the rapids, now increased to a roar that filled the tunnel and deafened us. I heard Harry shouting

something, but could not make out the words; we were shooting forward with the speed of an express train

The roar of the rapids became louder and louder. I turned for an instant, shouting at the top of my voice: "Flat

on your faces, and hold on for dear life!" Then I dropped down with my oar under me, passing my feet under

Another few seconds passed that seemed an hour. The raft was swaying and lurching with the mad force of

the current. I called out again to Harry and Desiree, but my words were completely drowned by the

deafening, stunning roar of the water. All was darkness and confusion. I kept asking myself: "Why doesn't it

Suddenly the raft leaped up under me and away. It seemed as though some giant hand had grasped it from

beneath and jerked it down with tremendous force. The air was filled with water, lashing my face and body

furiously. The raft whirled about like a cork. I gripped the straps with all the strength that was in me. Down,

down we went into the darkness; my breath was gone and my brain whirled dizzily.

There was a sudden sharp lurch, a jerk upward, and I felt the surface of the water close over me. Blinded and

dazed, I clung to my hold desperately, struggling with the instinct to free myself. For several seconds the roar

of the cataract sounded in my ears with a furious faintness, as though it were at a great distance; then I felt the

I opened my eyes, choking and sputtering. For a time I could see nothing; then I made out Desiree's form, and

Harry's, stretched behind me on the raft. At the same instant Harry's voice came:

In another moment we were at her side. Her hands held to the straps on each side with a grip as of death; we

had to pry off each of her fingers separately to loosen them. Then we bent her over Harry's knee and worked

her arms up and down, and soon her chest heaved convulsively and her lungs freed themselves of the water

they had taken. Presently she turned about; her eyes opened and she pressed her hands to her head.

"I don't know," she answered, still gasping for breath. "What was it? What did we do?"

I left them then, turning to survey the extent of our damage. There was absolutely none; we were as intact as

when we started. The provisions and spears remained under their straps; my oar lay where I had fallen on it.

The water about us was churned into foam, though we had already been carried so far from the cataract that it

was lost behind us in the darkness; only its roar reached our ears. To this day I haven't the faintest idea of its

We were moving slowly along on the surface of what appeared to be a lake, still carried forward by the force

of the falls behind us. For my part, I found its roar bewildering and confusing, and I picked up my oar and

"Like a drowned rat," she answered, but with a laugh in her voice. "I'm faint and sick and wet, and my throat

is ready to burst, but I wouldn't have missed that for anything. It was glorious! I'd like to do it again."

"Yes, you would," said Harry skeptically. "You're welcome, thank you. But what I want to know is, where

"Oh, as for that," she retorted, with a lightness that still had a sting, "my good friend, you never had any."

Soon I discovered that though, as I have said, we appeared to be in a lakefor I could see no bank on either

sidethere was still a current. We drifted slowly, but our movement was plainly perceptible, and I rested on

Presently a wall loomed up ahead of us and I saw that the stream again narrowed down as it entered the

tunnel, much lower than the one above the cataract. The current became swifter as we were carried toward its

mouth, and I called to Harry to get his spear to keep us off from the walls if it should prove necessary. But we

The ceiling of the tunnel was so low that we could not stand upright on the raft, and the stream was not more

than forty feet wide. That was anything but promising; if the stream really ran through to the western slope,

its volume of water should have been increasing instead of diminishing. I said nothing of that to Harry or

We had sailed along thus without incident for upward of half an hour, when my carelessness, or the darkness,

nearly brought us to grief. Suddenly, without warning, there was a violent jar and the raft rebounded with a

force that all but threw us into the water. Coming to a bend in the stream, the current had dashed us against

But, owing to the flexibility of its sides, the raft escaped damage. I had my oar against the wall instantly,

But that bend was to the left, as the other had been, which meant that we were now going in exactly the

opposite direction of that in which we had started! Which, in turn, meant the death of hope; we were merely

winding in and out in a circle and getting nowhere. Harry and Desiree had apparently not noticed the fact, and

I said nothing of it. Time enough when they should find out for themselves; and besides, there was still a

Soon the bed of the stream became nearly level, for we barely moved. The roof of the tunnel was very

lowbut a scant foot above our heads as we sat or crouched on the raft. It was necessary to keep a sharp

The air, too, was close and foul; our breath became labored and difficult; and Desiree, half stifled and

drowsy, passed into a fitful and broken sleep, stirring restlessly and panting for air. Harry had taken the bow

and I lay across the stern. Suddenly his voice came, announcing that we had left the tunnel.

I sat up quickly and looked round. The walls were no longer to be seen; we had evidently entered a cavern

He assented, and I took the oar and worked the raft over to the left. There was but little current and she went

well in. In a few minutes we were in shallow water, and Harry and I jumped off and shoved her to the bank.

Harry explained while we beached the raft. Then we broke out our provisions and partook of them.

The words "Because we are not getting anywhere" rose to my lips, but I kept them back.

So as soon as we had eaten our fill we loaded the stuff again and prepared to shove off. By that time I think

Harry, too, had realized the hopelessness of our expedition, for he had lost all his enthusiasm; but he said

nothing, nor did I. We secured Desiree on her pile of skins and again pushed out into the current.

The cavern was not large, for we had been under way but a few minutes when its wall loomed up ahead and

the stream again entered a tunnel, so low and narrow that I hesitated about entering at all. I consulted Harry.

The current was extremely sluggish, and we barely seemed to move. Still we went forward.

Which shows that a man does not always appreciate a blessing. It was not long before we were offering up

To be exact, about an hour, as well as I could measure time, which passed slowly; for not only were the

minutes tedious, but the foulness of the air made them also extremely uncomfortable. Desiree was again lying

down, halfunconscious but not asleep, for now and then she spoke drowsily. Harry complained of a

dizziness in the head, and my own seemed ready to burst through my temples. The soroche of the mountains

Suddenly the swiftness of the current increased appreciably on the instant; there was a swift jerk as we were

carried forward. I rose to my kneesthe tunnel was too low to permit of standingand gazed intently

ahead. I could see nothing save that the stream had narrowed to half its former width, and was still becoming

We went faster and faster, and the stream narrowed until the bank was but a few feet away on either side.

Then a wall loomed up directly ahead. I thought it meant another bend in the stream, and I strained my eyes

intently in the effort to discover its direction, but I could see nothing save the black wall. We approached

closer; I shouted to Harry and Desiree to brace themselves for a shock, praying that the raft would meet the

I had barely had time to set myself and grasp the straps behind when we struck with terrific force. The raft

rebounded several feet, trembling and shaking violently. The water was rushing past us with noisy

There was a cry from Desiree, and from Harry, "All right!" I crawled to the bow. Along the top the hide

covering had been split open for several feet, but the water did not quite reach the opening.

And we had reached the end of our ambitious journey. For that black wall marked the finish of the tunnel; the

stream entered it through a narrow hole, which accounted for the sudden, swift rush of the current. Above the

upper rim of the hole the surface of the water whirled about in a widening circle; to this had we been led by

When I told Desiree she stared at me in silence! I had not realized before the strength of her hope. Speechless

with disappointment, she merely sat and stared straight ahead at the black, unyielding rock. Harry knelt

"Comeget busy! A few hours in this hole and we'd suffocate. Do you realize that we've got to pull this raft

First it was necessary to repair the rent in the hide covering. This we did with strips of hide; and barely in

time, for it was becoming wider every minute, and the water was beginning to creep in over the edge. But we

It appeared to be not only difficult, but actually impossible to force the raft back upstream against the swift

current. We were jammed against the rock with all the force of many tons of water. The oar was useless.

Getting a purchase on the wall with our hands, we shoved the raft to one side; but as soon as we got to the

wall on the left the whirling stream turned us around again, and we found ourselves back in our original

position, only with a different side of the raft against the rock. That happened three times.

Then we tried working to the right instead of the left, but with no better success. The force of the current,

coming with all its speed against the unwieldy raft, was irresistible. Time and again we shoved round and

started upstream, after incredible labor, only to be dashed back again against the rock.

We tried our spears, but their shafts were so slender that they were useless. We took the oar and, placing its

end against the wall, shoved with all our strength. The oar snapped in two and we fell forward against the

wall. We tore off some of the strips of hide from the raft and tried to fasten them to the wall on either side,

but there was no protuberance that would hold them. Nothing remained to be done.

Harry and I held a consultation then and agreed on the only possible means of escape. I turned to Desiree:

"Parfaitement," she replied. "But against that" pointing to the whirling water"I do not know. I can try."

I, who remember the black fury of that stream as it swept past us, can appreciate the courage of her.

We lost no time, for the foulness of the air was weakening us with every breath we took. Our preparations

The two spears and about half of the provisions we strapped to our backsan inconsiderable load which

would hamper us but little. We discarded all our clothing, which was very little. I took the heavy skin which

Desiree had worn and began to strap it also on top of my bundle, but she refused to allow it.

Then, with Desiree between us, we stepped to the edge of the raft and dived off together.

Driven as we were by necessity, we would have hesitated longer if we had known the full force of the

undercurrent that seized us from beneath. Desiree would have disappeared without a struggle if it had not

But we kept on topmost of the timeand fought our way forward by inches. The black walls frowning at

us from either side appeared to me to remain exactly the same, stationary, after a long and desperate struggle;

but when I gave a quick glance behind I saw that we had pulled so far away from the raft that it was no longer

in sight. That gave me renewed strength, and, shouting assurance to Harry and Desiree, I redoubled my

efforts. Desiree was by now almost able to hold her own, but we still supported her.

Every stroke made the next one easier, carrying us away from the whirlpool, and soon we swam smoothly.

Less and less strong became the resistance of the current, until finally it was possible to float easily on our

"Somewhere between one and ten miles," was my answer. "How the deuce should I know? But we'll make it

"Easily," she answered. "If only I could get some air! Just one good, long breath."

There was the danger, and on that account no time was to be lost. Again we struck out into the blackness

ahead. I felt myself no longer fresh, and began to doubt seriously if we should reach our goal.

But we reached it. No need to recount our struggles, which toward the end were inspired by suffering

Another hundred yards would have been too much for us; but it is enough that finally we staggered onto the

bank at the entrance to the cavern in which we had previously rested, panting, dizzy, and completely

But an hour in the cavern, with its supply of air, revived us; and then we sat up and asked ourselves: "What

"And all that brings usto this," said Harry, with a sweeping gesture round the cavern.

"At least, it is a better tomb," I retorted. "And it was a good fight. We still have something in us. Desiree, a

"I'm going to look round," he announced. "We've got to do something. Gad, and it took us a month to build

"The vanity of human endeavor," said I, loosening the strap round my shoulders and dropping my bundle to

But she was too tired to rise to her feet, and we left her behind, arranging what few skins we had as well as

"Rest your weary bones," said Harry, stooping to kiss her. "There's meat here if you want it. We'll be back

So we left her, with her white body stretched out at its full length on the rude mat.

Bearing off to the left, we soon discovered that we would have no difficulty to leave the cavern; we had only

to choose our way. There was scarcely any wall at all, so broken was it by lanes and passages leading in all

We followed some of them for a distance, but found none that gave any particular promise. Most of them

were choked with rocks and boulders through which it was difficult to force a passage. We spent an hour or

more in these futile explorations, then followed the wall some distance to the right.

Gradually the exits became less numerous. High on a boulder near the entrance of one we saw the head of

some animal peering down at us. We hurled our spears at it, but missed; then were forced to climb up the

"We'd better go back to Desiree," said Harry when we reached the ground again. "She'll wonder what's

After fifteen minutes' search we found the stream, and followed it to the left. We had gone farther than we

thought, and we were looking for the end, where we had left Desiree, long before we reached it. Several times

"She's probably asleep," said Harry. And a minute later: "There's the wall at last! But where is she?"

I called to Harry, and at the same instant heard his shout of consternation as he came running toward me,

Harry and I stood gazing at each other blankly in the semidarkness of the cavern.

"But it isn't possible," I objected finally to my own thoughts. "She would have cried out and we would have

Then I raised my voice, calling her name many times at the top of my lungs. There was no answer.

"They've got her," said Harry, "and that's all there is to it. The cursed brutes crept up on her in the

darkmuch chance she had of crying out when they got their hands on her. I know it. Why did we leave

We found the exit, and another, and a third. Which to take? They were very similar to one another, except

that the one in the middle sloped upward at a gentle incline, while the others were level.

Once started, we advanced with a rush. The passage was straight and narrow, clear of obstruction, and we

"Or five minutes," I returned. "We have no way of knowing. But I'm afraid we're on the wrong trail."

Still as I had said, one chance was as good as another, and we did not slacken our pace. The passage went

straight forward, without a bend. The roof was low, just allowing us to pass without stooping, and the walls

It was not long before we found that we had taken the wrong chance, having covered, I think, some two or

But it was not a turn. It was the end of the passage. We had been following a blind alley.

Harry let out a string of oaths, and I seconded him. Twenty minutes wasted, and another twenty to return!

There was nothing else for it. We shouldered our spears and started to retrace our steps.

"No use running now," I declared. "We can't keep it up forever, and we may as well save our strength. We'll

I pointed to the exit in the middle. "That! We should have taken it in the first place. On the raft we probably

descended altogether something like five hundred feet from the level where we startedpossibly twice that

We had not proceeded far before we found ourselves in difficulties. The gentle slope became a steep incline.

In spots the passage was so narrow that two men could hardly have walked abreast through it, and its walls

were rough and irregular, with sharp points projecting unexpectedly into our very faces.

Still we went forward and upward, scrambling over, under, round, between. At one point, when Harry was a

few yards in front of me, he suddenly disappeared from sight as though swallowed by the mountain.

Rushing forward, I saw him scrambling to his feet at the bottom of a chasm some ten feet below. Luckily he

had escaped serious injury, and climbed up on the other side, while I leaped acrossa distance of about six

"They could never have brought her through this," he declared, rubbing a bruised knee.

But he said that would be useless, and I agreed with him. So we struggled onward, painfully and laboriously.

The sharp corners of the rocks cut our feet and hands, and I had an ugly bruise on my left shoulder, besides

many lesser ones. Harry's injured knee caused him to limp and thus further retarded our progress.

At times the passage broadened out until the wall on either side was barely visible, only to narrow down

again till it was scarcely more than a crevice between the giant boulders. The variation of the incline was no

less, being at times very nearly level, and at others mounting upward at an angle whose ascent was all but

When we came to a stream of water rushing directly across our path at the foot of a towering rock Harry gave

a cry of joy and ran forward. I had not known until then how badly his knee was hurt, and when I came up to

where he was bathing it in the stream and saw how black and swollen it was, I insisted that he give it a rest.

But he absolutely refused, and after we had quenched our thirst and gotten an easy breath or two we struggled

After another hour of scrambling and failing and hanging on by our finger nails, the way began to be easier.

We came to level, clear stretches with only an occasional boulder or ravine, and the rock became less cruel to

our bleeding feet. The relief came almost too late, for by that time every movement was painful, and we made

Soon we faced another difficulty when we came to a point where a split in the passage showed a lane on

either side. One led straight ahead; the other branched off to the right. They were very similar, but somehow

We had followed this but a short distance when it broadened out to such an extent that the walls on either side

could be seen but dimly. It still sloped upward, but at a very slight angle, and we had little difficulty in

We were proceeding at a fairly rapid gait, keeping our eyes strained ahead, when there appeared an opening

in the right wall at a distance of a hundred feet or so. Not having seen or heard anything to recommend

I said aloud to Harry, "Probably a crosspassage," and then jerked him back quickly against the opposite wall

It led to a small room, with a low ceiling and rough walls, dark as the passage in which we stood, for it

We could see its interior dimly, but well enough to discover the form of an Inca standing just within the

doorway. His back was toward us, and he appeared to be fastening something to the ceiling with strips of

It was evident that we had not been seen, and I started to move on, grasping Harry's arm. It was then that I

became aware of the fact that the wall leading away in front of usthat is, the one on the rightwas marked

They were quite close together; from where we stood I could see thirty or forty of them. I guessed that they,

too, led to rooms similar to the one in front of us, probably likewise occupied; but it was necessary to go on

Then, seeing by his face that something had happened, I turned my eyes again on the Inca in the room. He

had turned about, squarely facing us. As we stood motionless he took a hasty step forward; we had been

There was but one thing to do, and we didn't hesitate about doing it. We leaped forward together, crossing the

My fingers were round his throat, Harry sat on him. In a trice we had him securely bound and gagged, using

It was quite evidentdisgustingly so. Her eyes, dull and sunken, appeared as two large, black holes set back

in her skull. Her hair, matted about her forehead and shoulders, was thick and coarse, and blacker than night.

Altogether, not a very pleasant sight; and we bundled her into a corner and proceeded to look round the room,

being careful to remain out of the range of view from the corridor as far as possible.

The room was not luxuriously furnished. There were two seats of stone, and a couch of the same material

covered with thick hides. In one corner was a pile of copper vessels; in another two or three of stone, rudely

carved. Some torn hides lay in a heap near the center of the room. From the ceiling were suspended other

Some of the latter we cut down with the points of our spears and retired with it to a corner.

Hungry as we were, we made sad havoc with the lady's pantry. Then we found some water in a basin in the

corner and dranknot without misgivings. But we were too thirsty to be particular.

Then Harry became impatient to go on, and though I had no liking for the appearance of that long row of

open doorways, I did not demur. Taking up our spears, we stepped out into the corridor and turned to the

We found ourselves running a gantlet wherein discovery seemed certain. The right wall was one unbroken

series of open doorways, and in each of the rooms, whose interiors we could plainly see, were one or more of

In one of them a man stood; I could have sworn that he was gazing straight at us, and I gathered myself

together for a spring; but he made no movement of any kind and we passed swiftly by.

Once a little black ball of flesha boy it was, perhaps five or six years oldtumbled out into the corridor

We had passed about a hundred of the open doorways, and were beginning to entertain the hope that we

might, after all, get through without being discovered, when Harry suddenly stopped short, pulling at my arm.

At the same instant I saw, far down the corridor, a crowd of black forms moving toward us.

Even at that distance something about their appearance and gait told us that they were not women. Their

number was so great that as they advanced they filled the passage from wall to wall.

There was but one way to escape certain discovery; and distasteful as it was, we did not hesitate to employ it.

In a glance I saw that we were directly opposite an open doorway; with a whispered word to Harry I sprang

Inside were a woman and two children. As we entered they looked up, startled, and stood gazing at us in

terror. For an instant we held back, but there was nothing else for it; and in another minute we had

The children were ugly little devils and the woman very little above a brute; still we handled them as tenderly

as possible. Then we crouched against the wall where we could not be seen from the corridor, and waited.

Soon the patter of many footsteps reached our ears. They passed; others came, and still others. For many

minutes the sound continued steadily, unbroken, while we sat huddled up against the wall, scarcely daring to

Immediately in front of me lay the forms of the woman and the children; I could see their dull eyes,

unblinking, looking up at me in abject terror. Still the patter of footsteps sounded from without, with now and

Struck by a sudden thought, I signaled to Harry; and when he had moved further back into his corner I sprang

across the room in one bound to his side. A word or two of whispering, and he nodded to show that he

My thought had come just in time, for scarcely another minute had passed when there suddenly appeared in

the doorway the form of an Inca. He moved a step inside, and I saw that there was another behind him. I had

not counted on two of them! In the arms of each was a great copper vessel, evidently very heavy, for their

effort was apparent as they stooped to place the vessels on the ground just within the doorway.

As they straightened up and saw that the room before them was empty, their faces filled with surprise. At the

same moment a movement came from the woman in the corner; the two men glanced at them with a start of

wonder; and as I had foreseen, they ran across and bent over the prostrate forms.

The next instant they, too, were prone on the floor, with Harry and me on top of them. They did not succumb

The great muscles of his chest and legs strained under me with a power that made me doubtful for a moment

of the outcome; but the Incas themselves had taught us how to conquer a man when you attack him from

With a desperate effort he got to his knees and grasped my wrists in his powerful black hands and tore my

own grip loose. He was halfway to his feet, and far more powerful than I; I changed my tactics. Wrenching

myself loose, I fell back a step; then, as he twisted round to get at me, I lunged forward and let him have my

The blow nearly broke my hand, but he dropped to the floor. The next instant I was joined by Harry, who had

overcome the other Inca with little difficulty, and in a trice we had them both bound and gagged along with

Owing to my strategy in withholding our attack until the Incas had got well within the room and to one side,

we had not been seen by those constantly passing up and down in the corridor without; at least, none of them

had entered. We seemed by this stroke to have assured our safety so long as we remained in the room.

But it was still necessary to remain against the wall, for the soft patter of footsteps could still be heard in the

They now came at irregular intervals, and there were not many of them. Otherwise the silence was unbroken.

"The Incas are coming home to their women," I guessed. "Though, after seeing the women, it is little wonder

if they spend most of their time away from them. He is welcome to his repose in the bosom of his family."

There passed an uneventful hour. Long before it ended the sound of footsteps had entirely ceased; but we

thought it best to take no chances, and waited for the last minute our impatience would allow us. Then,

uncomfortable and stiff from the long period of immobility and silence, we rose to our feet and made ready to

Harry was for appropriating some of the strips of dried fish we saw suspended from the ceiling, but I objected

that our danger lay in any direction other than that of hunger, and we set out with only our spears.

The corridor was deserted. One quick glance in either direction assured us of that; then we turned to the right

and set out at a rapid pace, down the long passage past a succession of rooms exactly similar to the one we

Each one was occupied by from one to ten of the Incas lying on the couch which each contained, or stretched

on hides on the floor. No one was stirring. Everywhere was silence save the patter of our own feet, which we

"Will it never end?" whispered Harry at length, after we had traversed upward of a mile without any sign of a

The endat least, of the silencecame sooner than we had expected. Hardly were the last words out of my

mouth when a whirring noise sounded behind us. We glanced over our shoulders as we ran, and at the same

instant an Inca spear flew by not two inches from my head and struck the ground in front.

Not a hundred feet to the rear we saw a group of Incas rushing along the passage toward us. Harry wheeled

about, raising his spear, but I grasped him by the arm, crying, "Run; it's our only chance!" The next moment

It would have fared ill with any who appeared to block our way in that mad dash; but it remained clear. The

corridor led straight ahead, with never a turn. We were running as we had never run before; the black walls

flashed past us an indistinguishable blur, and the open doorways were blended into one.

Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw that the small group of Incas was no longer small. Away to the rear

the corridor was filled with rushing black forms. But I saw plainly that we were gaining on them; the distance

"If it weren't for this knee," Harry returned between breaths and through clenched teeth. "ButI'm with

you." He was limping painfully, and I slackened my pace a little, but he urged me forward with an oath, and

himself sprang to the front. His knee must have been causing him the keenest agony; his face was white as

Then I uttered a cry of joy as I saw a bend in the passage ahead. We reached it, and wheeled to the right.

A short distance ahead we came to another crosspassage, and turned to the left. Glancing over my shoulder,

I saw that our pursuers had not yet reached the first turn. Harry kept in the lead, and was giving me all I could

We found ourselves now in a veritable maze of lanes and crosspassages, and we turned to one side or the

other at every opportunity. At length I grasped Harry by the arm and stopped him. We stood for two full

"Thank Heaven!" Harry breathed, and would have fallen to the ground if I had not supported him.

We started out then in search of water, moving slowly and cautiously. But we found none, and soon Harry

declared that he could go no further. We sat down with our backs against the wall of the passage, still

In that darkness and silence the minutes passed into hours. We talked but little, and then only in whispers.

Finally Harry fell into a restless sleep, if it may be called that, and several times I dozed off and was

At length, finding Harry awake, I urged him to his feet. His knee barely supported his weight, but he gritted

We searched for an hour before we found the stream of water we sought. After Harry had bathed his knee and

drunk his fill he felt more fit, and we pushed on more rapidly, but still quite at random.

We turned first one way, then another, in the neverending labyrinth, always in darkness and silence. We

seemed to get nowhere; and I for one was about to give up the disheartening task when suddenly a sound

smote our ears that caused us first to start violently, then stop and gaze at each other in comprehension and

It was the same sound we had heard twice before; a sound as of a great, deeptoned bell ringing sonorously

throughout the passages and caverns with a roar that was deafening. And it seemed to be closequite close.

"It came from the left," said Harry; but I disagreed with him and was so sure of myself that we started off to

the right. The echoes of the bell were still floating from wall to wall as we went rapidly forward. I do not

know what we expected to find, and the Lord knows what we intended to do after we found it.

A short distance ahead we came to another passage, crossing at right angles, broad and straight, and somehow

familiar. As with one impulse we took it, turning to the left, and then flattened ourselves back against the wall

as we saw a group of Incas passing at its farther end, some two hundred yards away.

There we stood, motionless and scarcely breathing, while group after group of the savages passed in the

corridor ahead. Their number swelled to a continuous stream, which in turn gradually became thinner and

thinner until only a few stragglers were seen trotting behind. Finally they, too, ceased to appear; the corridor

We waited a while longer, then as no more appeared we started forward and soon had reached the corridor

down which they had passed. We followed in the direction they had taken, turning to the right.

We had no sooner turned than we saw that which caused us to glance quickly at each other and hasten our

step, while I smothered the ejaculation that rose to my lips. The corridor in which we now found ourselves

stretched straight ahead for a distance, then turned to one side; and the corner thus formed was flooded with a

There was no longer any doubt of it: we were on our way to the great cavern. For a moment I hesitated,

asking myself for what purpose we hastened on thus into the very arms of our enemies; then, propelled by

instinct or premonitionI know not whatI took a firmer grasp on my spear and followed Harry without

Yet we avoided foolhardiness, for as we approached the last turn we proceeded slowly, keeping an eye on the

rear. But all the Incas appeared to have assembled within, for the corridor remained deserted.

We crept silently to the corner, avoiding the circle of light as far as possible, and, crouching side by side on

the rock, looked out together on a scene none the less striking because we had seen it twice before.

It was the great cavern. We saw it from a different viewpoint than before; the alcove which held the golden

throne was far off to our left, nearly halfway round the vast circumference. On the throne was seated the

As before, the stone seats which surrounded the amphitheater on every side were filled with the Incas,

crouching motionless and silent. The flames in the massive urns mounted in steady tongues, casting their

All this I saw in a flash, when suddenly Harry's fingers sank into the flesh of my arm with such force that I all

but cried out in actual pain. And then, glancing at him and following the direction of his gaze, I saw Desiree.

Her white body, uncovered, was outlined sharply against the black background of the cavern above.

Neither Harry nor I spoke; our eyes were concentrated on the scene before us, trying to comprehend its

It was something indefinable in Desiree's attitude that told me the truthwhat, I cannot tell. Her profile was

toward us; it could not have been her eyes or any expression of her face; but there was a tenseness about her

pose, a stiffening of the muscles of her body, an air of lofty scorn and supreme triumph coming somehow

"Follow me," I whispered; and he must have read the force of my knowledge in my eyes, for he obeyed

without a word. Back down the passage we ran, halting at its end. Harry opened his lips to speak, but I took

"They have fired the columnyou remember. Follow me; keep your spear ready; not a sound, if you love

I saw that he understood, and saw too, by the expression that shot into his face, that it would go ill with any

We rushed forward side by side, guessing at our way, seeking the entrance to the tunnel that led to the foot of

the column. A prayer was on my lips that we might not be too late; Harry's lips were compressed together

tightly as a vise. Death we did not fear, even for Desiree; but we remembered the horror of our own

As I have said, we had entered the great cavern at a point almost directly opposite the alcove, and therefore at

a distance from the entrance we sought. It was necessary to half encircle the cavern, and the passages were so

often crossed by other passages that many times we had to guess at the proper road.

But not for an instant did we hesitate; we flew rather than ran. I felt within me the strength and resolve of ten

men, and I knew then that there was something I must do and would do before I died, though a thousand

I do not know what led us; whether a remorseful Providence, who suddenly decided that we had been played

with long enough, or the mere animal instinct of direction, or blind luck. But so fast did we go that it seemed

to me we had left the great cavern scarcely a minute behind us when I suddenly saw the steps of a steep

How my heart leaped then! Harry uttered a hoarse cry of exultation. The next instant we were dashing

headlong down the steps, avoiding a fall by I know not what miracle. And there before us was the entrance to

I held Harry back, almost shouting: "You stay here; guard the entrance. I'll get her."

"Fool!" I cried, dashing him back. "We would be caught like rats in a trap. Defend that entrancewith your

I saw him hesitate, and, knowing that he would obey, I dashed forward into the tunnel. When nearly to its end

I made a misstep on the uneven ground and precipitated myself against the wall. A sharp pain shot through

my left shoulder, but at the time I was scarcely conscious of it as I picked myself up and leaped forward. The

Just as I reached the foot of the spiral stairway I saw a black form descending from it. That Inca never knew

what hit him. I did not use my spear; time was too precious. He disappeared in the whirlpool beneath the base

But despair filled my heart as, with my feet on the first step of the spiral stairway, I cast a quick glance

upward. The upper half of the inside of the column was a raging furnace of fire. How or from what it came I

I did not know then that the stone steps were baking and blistering my feet; I did not know, as I came level

with the base of the flames, that every hair was being singed from my head and bodyI only knew that I

Then I saw the source of the flames as I reached them. Huge vats of oilsix, a dozen, twentyI know not

how manywere ranged in a circle on a ledge of stone encircling the column, and from their tops the fire

leaped upward to a great height. I saw what must be done; how I did it God only knows; I shut my eyes now

Hooking the rim of the vat nearest me with the point of my spear, I sent it tumbling down the length of the

column into the whirlpool, many feet below. Then another, and another, and another, until the ledge was

Some of the burning oil, flying from the overturned vats, alighted on the stairway, casting weird patches of

light up and down the whole length of the column. Some of it landed on my body, my face, my hands. It was

My brain sang and whirled. My eyes felt as though they were being burned from their sockets with redhot

A few more stepsI could not see, I could hardly feeland my head bumped against the stone at the top of

the column. I put out my hand, groping around half crazily, and by some wild chance it came in contact with

the slide that moved the stone stab. I pushed, hardly knowing what I did, and the stone flew to one side. I

Her back was toward me. As I emerged from the opening the Incas seated round the vast amphitheater and

the king, seated on the golden throne in the alcove, rose involuntarily from their seats in astonished wonder.

Desiree saw the movement and, turning, caught sight of me. A sudden cry of amazement burst from her lips;

I shook her violently, but she remained unconscious, and this added catastrophe all but unnerved me. For a

moment I stood on the upper step with the upper half of my body, swaying from side to side, extending

beyond the top of the column; then I turned and began to descend with Desiree in my arms.

Every step of that descent was unspeakable agony. Feeling was hardly in me; my whole body was an engine

of pain. Somehow, I staggered and stumbled downward; at every step I expected to fall headlong to the

I reached the ledge on which the vats had been placed and passed it; air entered my burning lungs like a

breeze from the mountains. Every step now made the next one easier. I began to think that I might, after all,

reach the bottom in safety. Another twenty steps and I could see the beginning of the tunnel below.

Desiree's form stirred slightly in my arms. A glance showed me her eyes looking up into mine as her head lay

"Why?" she moaned. "In the name of Heaven above us, why?" I had no time for answer; my lips were locked

tightly together as I sought the step below with a foot that had no feeling even for the stone. We were nearly

"Can you stand?" I gasped; and the words were torn from my throat with a great effort.

"But you!" she cried, and I saw that her eyes were filled with horror. No doubt I was a pitiful thing to look at.

But there was no time to be lost, and, seeing that her feet supported her, I grasped her arm and started down

the tunnel just as Harry's voice, raised in a great shout, came to us from its farther end.

Then, as Harry's cry was repeated, she seemed to understand and sprang forward beside me.

Another second wasted and we would have been too late. Just as we reached Harry's side, at the end of the

tunnel, the Incas, warned by my appearance at the top of the column, appeared above on the stairway, at the

At the sight of Desiree Harry uttered a cry of joy, then gazed in astonishment as I appeared behind her.

"Run for your lives!" he shouted, pointing down the passage leading to the apartments beyond. As he spoke a

shower of spears descended from above, rattling on the steps and on the ground beside us. I stooped to pick

up two of them, and as Desiree and I darted forward into the passage, with Harry bringing up the rear, the

We found ourselves at once in the maze of lanes and passages leading to the royal apartments. That, I

thought, was as good a goal as any; and, besides, the way led to the cavern where we had once before

Turn and twist about as we would, we could not shake off our pursuers. Harry kept urging me forward, but I

was using every ounce of strength that was left to me. Desiree, too, was becoming weaker at every step, and I

could hear Harry's cry of despair as she perceptibly faltered and slackened her pace.

I soon realized that we were no longer in the passage or group of passages that led to the royal apartments and

the cavern beyond. But there was no time to seek our way; well enough if we went forward. We found

Desiree stumbled and would have fallen but for my outstretched arm. A spear from behind whistled past my

ear as we again bounded forward. Harry was shouting to us that the Incas were upon us.

I caught Desiree's arm and pulled her on with a last great effort. The lane became narrower still; we brushed

the wall on either side, and I pushed Desiree ahead of me and followed behind. Suddenly she stopped short,

turning to face me so suddenly that I was thrown against her, nearly knocking her down.

"Your spear!" she cried desperately. "I can go no farther," and she sank to the ground.

At the same moment there came a cry from Harry in the reara cry that held joy and wonderand I turned

to see him standing some distance away, gazing down the lane through which we had come.

Then, seeing Desiree on the ground, Harry ran to us and sprang to her side. "Desiree!" he cried, lifting her in

his arms. She opened her eyes and smiled at him, and he kissed her many timesher hair, her lips, her eyes.

Then he placed her gently on her feet, and, supporting her with his arm, moved forward slowly. I led the way.

The lane ahead of us was scarcely more than a crevice between the rocks; I squeezed my way through with

difficulty. Then the walls ended abruptly, just when I had begun to think we could go no farther, and we

found ourselves at the entrance to a cavern so large that no wall was to be seen on any side save the one

On the instant I guessed at the reason why the Incas had ceased their pursuit so abruptly, and I turned to

"I'm afraid we've jumped from the fryingpan into the fire. If this cavern holds anything like that otheryou

Supporting Desiree on either side, we struck out directly across the cavern, halting every few steps to listen

for a sound, either of the Incas, which we feared, or of running water, which we desired. We heard neither.

Then I became aware, for the first time, of intolerable pains shooting up through my legs into my body. The

danger past, reason returned and feeling. I could not suppress a low cry, wrung inexorably from my chest,

"What is it?" she cried, and for answerthough I strained every atom of my will and strength to prevent

What followed came to me as in a dream, though I was not wholly unconscious. I was aware that Harry and

Desiree were bending over me; then I felt my head and shoulders being lifted from the ground, and a soft,

A minute passed, or an hourI did not knowand I felt hot drops of moisture fall on my cheek. I struggled

to open my eyes, and saw Desiree's face quite near my own; my head was resting on her shoulder. She was

To have seen the sun or stars shining down upon me would not have astonished me more. I gazed at her a

long moment in silence; she saw that I did so, but made no effort to turn her head or avoid my gaze. Finally I

"He is gone to look for water," she replied; and, curiously enough, her voice was quite steady.

"That isn't true," she denied, in a voice almost of anger. "You will get well. You areinjured badly" After

There was a long silenceI thought it hardly worth while to contradict herand then I said simply, "Why

She looked at me as though she had not heard; then, after another silence, her voice came, so low that it

"I know! Would you make me doubt again? Do not! Ah"she passed her hand gently over my forehead and

touched the tips of her fingers to my burning eyes"you must have cared for me in that other world. I will

not doubt it; unless you speak, and you must not. Nothing would have been too high for us. We could have

"But you said onceforgive me if I remind you of it nowyou said that you areyou called yourself 'La

"Still, it is true," I persisted, turning to look at her. The movement caused me to halt, closing my eyes, while a

great wave of pain swept over me from head to foot. Then I went on: "Could you expect to confine your

heart? You say we could have opened any doorwell, tell me, what could we have done, you and I?"

"But that is what I do not think of!" cried Desiree impatiently. "I would perhaps have placed my hand on your

heart, as I do now; you would perhaps have fought for me, as you have done. I might even" She hesitated,

while the ghost of a smile that had died before it reached the light appeared on her lips, as her head was

I raised my hand, groping for her fingers, but could not find them. She saw, and slowly, very slowly, her hand

"DesireeI want it," I said half fiercely, and I forgot my pain and our dangerforgot everything but her

white face in dim outline above me, and her eyes, glowing and tender against her wish, and her hand that

nestled in my hand. "Be merciful to meI want it as I have never wanted anything in my life. Desiree, I love

At that I felt her hand move quickly, as for freedom, but I held it fast. And then slowly her head was lowered.

I waited breathlessly. I felt her quick breath on my face, and the next moment her lips had found my lips, hot

At the same instant we were startled by the sound of Harry's voice in the darkness:

I waited for her to answer, but she was silent, and I called out to him our direction. A moment later his form

Then he told us that he had found no water. He had explored two sides of the cavern, one at a distance of half

"But there is little use," he finished gloomily. "The place is silent as the grave. If there were water we would

"It may beperhaps I can go with you," I suggested. But he would not hear of it, and set out again alone in

In a few minutes he returned, reporting no better success than before. On that side, he said, the wall of the

cavern was quite close. There was no sign anywhere of water; but to the left there were several narrow lanes

leading at angles whose sides were nearly parallel to each other, and some distance to the right there was a

"Is the passage straight?" I asked, struck with a sudden idea. "Could you see far within?"

"A hundred feet or so," was the answer. "Why? Shall we follow it? Can you walk?"

"I think so," I answered. "At any rate, I must find some water soon or quit the game. But that isn't why I

asked. Perhaps it explains the sudden disappearance of the Incas. They knew they couldn't follow us through

We decided to wait a little longer before starting out from the cavern; Harry helped me to my feet to give

them a trial, and though I was able to stand it was only by a tremendous effort and exertion of the will.

"Not yet," I murmured between clenched teeth, and again Desiree sat on the hard rock and supported my head

and shoulders in her arms, despite my earnest remonstrances. Harry stood before us, leaning on his spear.

Soon he left us again, departing in the direction of the crevice by which we had entered; I detected his

uneasiness in the tone with which he directed us to keep a lookout around in every direction.

"We could move to the wall," I had suggested; but he shook his head, saying that where we were we at least

When he had gone Desiree and I sat silent for many minutes. Then I tried to rise, insisting that she must be

exhausted with the long strain she had undergone, but she denied it vehemently, and refused to allow me to

"It is little enough," she said; and though I but half understood her, I made no answer.

I myself was convinced that we were at last near the end. It was certain that the Incas had merely delayed, not

abandoned, the pursuit, and our powers and means of resistance had been worn to nothing.

Our curious apathy and half indifference spoke for itself; it was as though we had at length recognized the

hand of fate and seen the futility of further struggle. For, weak and injured as I was, I still had strength in me;

it was a listlessness of the brain and hopelessness of the heart that made me content to lie and wait for

The state of my feelings toward Desiree were even then elusive; they are more so now. I had told her I loved

her; well, I had told many women that. But Desiree had moved me; with her it was not the samethat I felt.

I had never so admired a woman, and the thrill of that kiss is in me yet; I can recall it and tremble under its

Her warm hand, pressed tightly in my own, seemed to send an electric communication to every nerve in my

body and eased my suffering and stilled my pain. That, I know, is not love; and perhaps I was mistaken when

"Are you asleep?" she asked presently, after I had lain perfectly quiet for many minutes. Her voice was so

"Hardly," I answered. "To tell the truth, I expect never to sleep againI suppose you understand me. I can't

"Do you remember, Paul, what I said that evening on the mountain?" ThenI suppose my face must have

betrayed my thoughtshe added quickly: "Oh, I didn't mean thatother thing. I said this mountain would

I started to reply, but was interrupted by Harry, calling to ask where we were. I answered, and soon he had

"I found nothing," was all he said, wearily, and he lay back and closed his eyes, resting his head on his hands.

The minutes passed slowly. Desiree and I talked in low tones; Harry moved about uneasily on his hard bed,

saying nothing. Finally, despite Desiree's energetic protests, I rose to my knees and insisted that she rest

herself. We seemed none of us to be scarcely aware of what we were doing; our movements had a curious

purposelessness about them that gave the thing an appearance of unrealityI know not what; it comes to my

Suddenly, as I sat gazing dully into the semidarkness of the cavern, I saw that which drove the apathy from

my brain with a sudden shock, at the same time paralyzing my senses. I strained my eyes ahead; there could

be no doubt of it; that black, slowly moving line was a band of Incas creeping toward us silently, on their

knees, through the darkness. Glancing to either side I saw that the line extended completely around us, to the

The sight seemed to paralyze me. I tried to call to Harryno sound came from my eager lips. I tried to put

out my hand to rouse him and to pick up my spear; my arms remained motionless at my side.

Desiree lay close beside me; I could not even turn my head to see if she, too, saw, but kept my eyes, as

It could not be much longerthey were now so close that each black, tense form was in clear outline not

Whether I would have been able to rouse myself to action before the shock of the assault was actually upon

It was not fear that held me, for I felt none; I think that dimly and half unconsciously I saw in that black line,

silently creeping upon us, the final and inexorable approach of the remorseless fate that had pursued us ever

since we had dashed after Desiree into the cave of the devil, rendering our every effort futile, our most

But action came, though not from me, so suddenly that I scarcely knew what had happened. There was a cry

I felt myself jerked violently from the ground, and a spear was thrust into my hand. Harry's form flashed past

me, shouting to me to follow. Desiree was at his heels; but I saw her halt and turn to me, and I, too, sprang

Harry's spear whirled about his head, leaving a gap in the black line that was now upon us. Through it we

plunged. The Incas turned and came at us from behind; one whose hands were upon Desiree got my spear in

"Cross to the left!" Harry yelled. He was fighting them off from every direction at once.

I turned, calling to Desiree to follow, and dashed across the cavern. We saw the wall just ahead, broken and

rugged. Again turning I called to Harry, but could not see him for the black forms on every side, and I was

starting to his rescue when I saw him plunge toward us, cutting his way through the solid mass of Incas as

Then I turned and ran with Desiree to the wall. We followed it a short distance before we reached one of the

lanes of which Harry had spoken; at its entrance he joined us, still bidding us to leave him to cover our

Once within the narrow lane his task was easier. Boulders and projecting rocks obstructed our progress, but

they were even greater obstacles to those who pursued us. Still they rushed forward, only to be hurled back

by the point of Harry's spear. Once, turning, I saw him pick one of them up bodily and toss him whirling

I had all I could do with Desiree and myself. Many times I scrambled up the steep face of some boulder and,

after pulling her up safely after me, let her down again on the other side. Then I returned to see that Harry got

over safely, and often he made it barely by inches, while flying spears struck the rock on every side.

It is a wonder to me now that I was able even to stand, after my experience on the spiral stairway in the

column. The soles of my feet and the palms of my hands were baked black as the Incas themselves. Blisters

Every step I took made me clench my teeth to keep from sinking in a faint to the ground; I expected always

that the next would be my lastbut somehow I struggled onward. It was the thought of Desiree, I think, that

Suddenly a shout came from Harry that the Incas had abandoned the pursuit. It struck me almost as a matter

of indifference; nor was I affected when almost immediately afterward he called that he had been mistaken

Still we went forward. The land had carried us straight away from the cavern, without a turn. Its walls were

the roughest I had seen, and often a boulder which lay across our path presented a serrated face that looked as

though it had but just been broken from the wall above. Still the stone was comparatively softtime had not

"They're stopped," he cried gleefully, "at least for a little. A piece of rock as big as a house gently slid from

We hurried forward then; Harry helped Desiree, while I painfully brought up the rear. At every few steps they

were forced to halt and wait for me, though I did my utmost to keep us with them. Harry had taken my spear

Climbing, sliding, jumping, we left the Incas behind; no sound came from the rear. I began to think that they

had really been completely shut off, and several times opened my mouth to call to Harry to ask him if it

would not be safe to halt; for every movement I made was torture. But each time I choked back the cry; he

This lasted I know not how long; I was staggering and reeling forward like a drunken man, so little aware of

what I was doing that when Harry and Desiree finally stopped at the beginning of a level, unbroken stretch in

Harry stooped over to assist me and set me with my back resting against the wall. Desiree supported herself

As he spoke I became aware of a curious movement in the wall oppositea movement as of the wall itself.

At first I thought it a delusion produced by my disordered brain, but when I saw Desiree's astonished gaze

following mine, and heard Harry's cry of wonder as he turned and saw it also, I knew the thing was real.

A great portion of the wall, the entire side of the passage for a length of a hundred feet or more, was sliding

slowly downward. Glancing above I saw a space of several feet where the rock had departed from its bed.

The only noise audible was a low, grating sound like the slow grinding of a gigantic millstone.

None of us movedif there were danger we would seem to have welcomed it. Suddenly the great mass of

rock appeared to halt in its downward movement and hang as though suspended; then with a sudden jerk it

seemed to free itself, swaying ponderously toward us; and the next moment it had fallen straight down into

There was a deafening roar under our feet, the ground rocked as from an earthquake, and it seemed as though

the wall against which we stood was about to fall in upon us. Dust and fragments of rock filled the air on

every side, and one huge boulder, detached from the roof above, came tumbling at our feet, missing us by

We were completely stunned by the cataclysm, but in a moment Harry had recovered and run to the edge of

There was nothing to be seen save the blackness of space. Immediately before us was an apparently

bottomless abyss, black and terrifying; the side descended straight down from our feet. Looking across we

could see dimly a wall some distance away, smooth and with a faint whiteness. On either side of us other

"Hardly," I answered; and in my absorbing interest in the phenomenon before me I half forgot my pain.

I moved to the edge of one of the walls extending at right angles to the passage, but there was little to be

made of it. It was of soft limestone, and most probably the portion that had disappeared was granite, carried

"We are like to be buried," I observed, returning to Harry and Desiree. "Though for that matter, even that can

"For my part," said Harry, with a curious gravity beneath the apparent lightness of his words, "I have always

Just as Harry opened his mouth to reply a more decisive answer came from another source. The rock that had

fallen, obstructing the path of the Incas, must have left an opening that Harry had missed; or they had

In some way they had forced a passage, for as Desiree spoke a dozen spears whistled through the air past our

heads and we looked up to see a swarm of Incas climbing and tumbling down the face of a boulder over

I have said that we had halted in a level, unbroken stretch that still led some distance ahead of us. At its

farther end could be seen a group of rocks and boulders completely choking the lane, Beyond, other rocks

But there was no time for deliberation or the weighing of chances, and we turned and made for the pile of

There Desiree and I halted in despair, but with a great oath Harry brushed us aside and leaped upon a rock

higher than his head with incredible agility. Then, lying flat on his face and extending his arms downward

over the edge, he pulled first Desiree, then myself, up after him. The whole performance had occupied a scant

two seconds, and, waiting only to pick up the three spears he had thrown up the sloping surface of the rock to

"Why don't we hold them here?" I demanded. "They could never come up that rock with us on top."

"Spears," he said briefly; and, of course, he was right. They would have picked us off like birds on a limb.

We scaled the second rock with extreme difficulty, Harry assisting both Desiree and me; and as we stood

upright on its top I saw the Incas scrambling over the edge of the one below. Two or three of them had

already started to cross; many more were coming up from behind; and one, as he made the top and arose to

his feet, braced himself on the sloping rock and raised a spear high above his head.

"The king!" I shouted; and I saw a shudder of terror run over Desiree's face as she, too, recognized the black

form below. At the same instant the spear darted forward from the hand of the Child of the Sun, but it landed

The next moment the Inca king had bounded across the rock toward us, followed by a score of others.

I was minded to try my luck with his own weapon, but we had no spears to waste, and Harry was dragging

Desiree forward and shouting to me to follow. I turned and ran after them, and just as we let ourselves down

into a narrow crevice below the Incas appeared over the edge of the rock behind.

Somehow we scrambled forward, with the Incas at our heels. Sharp corners of projecting rocks bruised our

faces and bodies; once my leg bent double under me as I fell from a ledge onto a boulder below, and I

Harry seemed possessed of the strength of ten men and the heart of a thousand. He pulled Desiree and me up

and over boulders and rocks as though we had been feathers; the Lord knows how he got there himself! Half

of the time he carried Desiree; the other half he supported me. His energy and exertions were titanic; even in

We did not gain an inch; our pursuers kept close behind us; but we held our own. Now and then a stray spear

came hurtling through the air or struck the rock near us, but they were infrequent and we were not hit.

One, flying past my head, stuck in a crevice of the rock and I grasped the shaft to pull it out, but abandoned

He and Desiree were standing on the rim of a ledge that stood high above the ground of the passage. At its

He let himself over the ledge, hung by his hands, and dropped. "All right!" he called from below; and I lay

flat on the rock while Desiree scrambled over the edge, holding to my hands. For a moment I held her

suspended in my outstretched arms; then, at a word from Harry, I let her drop. Another moment and I was

over myself, knocking Harry to the ground and tumbling on top of him as he stood beneath to break my fall.

By then the Incas had reached the top of the ledge above us, and we turned and raced down the long stretch

Suddenly, as I ran, I felt a curious trembling of the ground beneath my feet, similar to the vibrations of a

Then the ground actually swayed beneath me; and, realizing the danger, I sent a desperate shout to Harry over

my shoulder and bounded forward. He was at my side on the instant, with Desiree in his arms.

The ground rocked beneath our feet like a ship in a storm; and, just as I thought we were gone, my foot

One more leap to safety, and we turned just in time to see the floor of the passage which we had traversed

We stood at the very edge of the chasm thus suddenly formed, gazing at each other in silent wonder and awe.

"The beggars are stopped now," said Harry finally. "That break in the game is ours."

Looking back across the chasm, we saw the Incas tumbling by twos and threes over the boulder on the other

side. As they saw the yawning abyss that separated them from their prey they stopped short and gazed across

Others came to join them, until there were several hundred of the black, ugly forms huddled together on the

I ran over the group with a keen eye, seeking the figure of the Inca king, and soon my search was successful.

He stood a step in front of the others, a little to the right. I pointed him out to Harry and Desiree.

Turning suddenly, she grasped Harry's spear and tore it from his hand. Before we realized her purpose, she

stepped forward until her foot rested on the very edge of the chasm, and had hurled the spear across straight

It missed him, but struck another Inca standing near full in the breast. Quick as lightning the king turned,

grasped the shaft of the spear, and pulled it forth, and with his white teeth gleaming in a snarl of furious hate,

Harry and I sprang forward with a shout of warning; Desiree stood motionless as a statue. We grasped her

She came, but only to fall lifeless into our arms with the spear buried deep in her white throat.

We laid her on the ground and knelt beside her for a moment, then Harry arose to his feet with a face white as

death; and I uttered a silent and vengeful prayer as I saw him level a spear at the Inca king across the chasm.

"There was another!" cried Harry, and soon he had found it where it lay on the ground and sent it, too,

This time he missed by inches. The spear flew just past the shoulder of the king and caught one who stood

behind him full in the face. The stricken savage threw his arms spasmodically above his head, reeling forward

There was a startled movement along the black line; hands were outstretched in a vain effort at rescue; a

savage cry burst from Harry's lips, and the next instant the king had toppled over the edge of the chasm and

"Little enough," he said between his teeth, and again he knelt beside the body of Desiree and took her in his

But her fate spoke eloquently of our own danger, and I roused him to action. Together we picked up the form

of our dead comrade and carried it to the rear. I hesitated to pull forth the barbed head of the spear, and

instead broke off the shaft, leaving the point buried in the soft throat, from which a crimson line extended

A short distance ahead we came to a projecting boulder, and behind that we gently laid her on the hard rock.

Neither of us had spoken a word. Harry's lips were locked tightly together; a lump rose in my throat, choking

Harry knelt beside the white form and, gathering it gently in his arms, held it against his breast. I stood at his

For a long minute there was silencea most intense silence throughout the cavern, during which the painful

throbbing of my heart was plainly audible; then Harry murmured, in a voice of the utmost tenderness:

"Desiree!" And again, "Desiree! Desiree!" until I half expected the very strength and sweetness of his

"She loved you," he said; and though there was neither jealousy nor anger in his voice, somehow I could not

"She was yours," I said, with a touch of bitterness that persuaded him of the truth. "All her beauty, all her

My voice broke, and I knelt on the ground beside Harry and pressed my lips to the white forehead and golden

It was hard to believe that death had in reality taken possession of the still form stretched as in repose before

us. Her body, still warm, seemed quivering with the instinct of life; but the eyes were not the eyes of Desiree.

I closed them, and arranged the tangled mass of hair as well as possible over her shoulders. As I did so the

air, set in motion by my hand, caused some of the golden strands to tremble gently across her lips; and Harry

His hand sought her swelling bosom gropingly; and his eyes, as they looked pleadingly even into mine, shot

But the fate that had finally intervened for ustoo late, alas! for onedid not leave us long with our dead.

Even now I do not know what happened; at the time I knew even less. Harry told me afterward that the first

shock came at the instant he had taken Desiree in his arms and pressed his lips to hers.

I had crossed to the other side of the passage and was gazing back toward the chasm at the Incas on the other

side, when again I felt the ground, absolutely without warning, tremble violently under my feet. At the same

I sprang toward Harry with a cry of alarm, and had crossed about to the middle of the passage, when a

deafening roar smote my ear, and the entire wall of the cavern appeared to be failing in upon us. At the same

time the ground seemed to sink directly away beneath my feet with an easy, rocking motion as of a wave of

the ocean. Then I felt myself plunging downward with a velocity that stunned my senses and took away my

When I awoke I was lying flat on my back, and Harry was kneeling at my side. I opened my eyes, and felt

He told me afterward that I had lain unconscious for many hours, but that appeared to be all that he knew.

How far we had fallen, or how he had found me, or how he himself had escaped being crushed to pieces by

the falling rock, he was unable to say; and I concluded that he, too, had been rendered unconscious by the

For we were weak and faint from hunger and fatigue, and one mass of bruises and blisters from head to foot.

And we had had no water for something like twentyfour hours. Heaven only knows where we found the

energy to rise and go in search of it; it is incredible that any creatures in such a pitiable and miserable

condition as we were could have been propelled by hope, unless it is indeed immortal.

The place where we had found ourselves was a jumbled mass of boulders and broken rock, but we soon

Down this we made our way. Every few feet we stopped to rest. Neither of us spoke a word. I really had no

sense of any purpose in our progress; I crept on exactly as some animals, wounded to death, move on and on

until there is no longer strength for another step, when they lie down for the final breath.

We saw no water nor promise of any; nothing save the long stretch of dim vista ahead and the grim, black

I dragged one leg after the other with infinite effort and pain; Harry was ahead, and sometimes, glancing back

over his shoulder to find me at some distance behind, he would turn over and lie on his back till I approached.

Suddenly, at a great distance down the passage, much further than I had been able to see before, I saw what

I called to Harry and pointed it out to him. He nodded vaguely, as though in wonder that I should have

But the white wall became whiter still, and soon I saw that it was not a wall. A wild hope surged through me;

I felt the blood mount dizzily to my head, and I stilled the clamor that beat at my temples by an extreme effort

of the will. "It can't be," I said to myself aloud, over and over; "it can't be, it can't be."

Harry turned, and his face was as white as when he had knelt by the body of Desiree, and his eye was wild.

We went faster then. Another hundred yards, and the thing was certain; there it was before us. We scrambled

to our feet and tried to run; I reeled and fell, then picked myself up again and followed Harry, who had not

even halted as I had fallen. The mouth of the passage was now but a few feet away; I reached Harry's side,

I tried to shout, to cry aloud to the heavens, but a great lump in my throat choked me and my head was

Harry, at my side, was crying like a child, with great tears streaming down his face, as together we staggered

forth from the mouth of the passage into the bright and dazzling sunshine of the Andes.

Never, I believe, were misery and joy so curiously mingled in the human breast as when Harry and I

stoodbarely able to standgazing speechlessly at the world that had so long been hidden from us.

We had found the light, but had lost Desiree. We were alive, but so near to death that our first breath of the

The details of our painful journey down the mountain, over the rocks and crags, and through rushing torrents

that more than once swept us from our feet, cannot be written, for I do not know them.

The memory of the thing is but an indistinct nightmare of suffering. But the blind luck that seemed to have

fallen over our shoulders as a protecting mantle at the death of Desiree stayed with us; and after endless hours

of incredible toil and labor, we came to a narrow pass leading at right angles to our course.

Night was ready to fall over the bleak and barren mountain as we entered it. Darkness had long since

overtaken us, when we saw at a distance a large clearing, in the middle of which lights shone from the

windows of a large house whose dim and shadowy outline appeared to us surrounded by a halo of peace.

But we were nearly forced to fight for it. The proprietor of the hacienda himself answered our none too gentle

knock at the door, and he had no sooner caught sight of us than he let out a yell as though he had seen the

devil in person, and slammed the door violently in our faces. Indeed, we were hardly recognizable as men.

Naked, black, bruised, and bleeding, covered with hair on our faces and parts of our bodiesmine, of recent

growth, stubby and stiffour appearance would have justified almost any suspicion.

But we hammered again on the door, and I set forth our pedigree and plight in as few words as possible.

Reassured, perhaps, by my excellent Spanishwhich could not, of course, be the tongue of the deviland

convinced by our pitiable condition of our inability to do him any harm, he at length reopened the door and

When we had succeeded in allaying his suspicions concerning our identitythough I was careful not to

alarm his superstitions by mentioning the cave of the devil, which, I thought, was probably well known to

Calling in some hombres from the rear of the hacienda, he gave them ample instructions, with medicine and

food, and an hour later Harry and I were lying side by side in his own beda rude affair, but infinitely better

than granite refreshed, bandaged, and as comfortable as their kindly ministrations could make us.

The old Spaniard was a direct descendant of the good Samaritan despite the slight difference in nationality.

For many weeks he nursed us and fed us and coaxed back the spark of life in our exhausted and wounded

Our last ounce of strength seemed to have been used up in our desperate struggle down the side of the

mountain; for many days we lay on our backs absolutely unable to move a muscle and barely conscious of

But the spark revived and fluttered. The day came when we could hobble, with his assistance, to the door of

the hacienda and sit for hours in the invigorating sunshine; and thenceforward our convalescence proceeded

rapidly. Color came to our cheeks and light to our eyes; and one sunny afternoon it was decided that we

Harry proposed a postponement of our departure for two days, saying that he wished to make an excursion up

"But she was with us when we fell," he persisted, not bothering to pretend that he did not understand me.

"That isn't it," I explained. "Have you forgotten that we have been here for over a month? You would find

nothing." As he grasped my thought his face went white and he was silent. So on the following morning we

Our host furnished us with food, clothing, mules, and an arriero, not to mention a sorrowful farewell and a

hearty blessing. From the door of the hacienda he waved his sombrero as we disappeared around a bend in

the mountainpass; we had, perhaps, been a welcome interruption in the monotony of his lonely existence.

We were led upward for many miles until we found ourselves again in the region of perpetual snow. There

we set our faces to the south. From the arriero we tried to learn how far we then were from the cave of the

We could see that the question made him more than a little suspicious of us; often, when he thought himself

unobserved, I caught him eyeing us askance with something nearly approaching terror.

We journeyed southward for eleven days; on the morning of the twelfth we saw below us our goal. Six hours

later we had entered the same street of Cerro de Pasco through which we had passed formerly with light

hearts; and the heart which had been gayest of all we had left behind us, stilled forever, somewhere beneath

Almost the first person we saw was none other than Felipe, the arriero. He sat on the steps of the hotel portico

as we rode up on our mules. Dismounting, I caught sight of his white face and staring eyes as he rose slowly

I opened my mouth to call to him, but before the words left my lips he had let out an earsplitting yell of

terror and bounded down the steps and past us, with arms flying in every direction, running like one

possessed. Nor did he return during the few hours that we remained at the hotel.

Two days later found us boarding the yacht at Callao. When I had discovered, to my profound astonishment,

at the hacienda, that another year had taken us as far as the tenth day of March, I had greatly doubted if we

should find Captain Harris still waiting for us. But there he was; and he had not even put himself to the

As he himself put it that night in the cabin, over a bottle of wine, he "didn't know but what the senora had

decided to take the Andes home for a mantel ornament, and was engaged in the little matter of

But when I informed him that "the senora" was no more, his face grew sober with genuine regret and sorrow.

He had many good things to say of her then; it appeared that she had really touched his salty old heart.

"She was a gentle lady," said the worthy captain; and I smiled to think how Desiree herself would have

We at once made for San Francisco. There, at a loss, I disposed of the remainder of the term of the lease on

Four days later we were in New York, after a journey saddened by thoughts of the one who had left us to

It was, in fact, many months before the shadow of Desiree ceased to hover about the dark old mansion on

lower Fifth Avenue, incongruous enough among the ancient halls and portraits of Lamars dead and gone in a

day when La Marana herself had darted like a meteor into the hearts of their contemporaries.

That is, I suppose, properly the end of the story; but I cannot refrain from the opportunity to record a curious

incident that has just befallen me. Some twenty minutes ago, as I was writing the last paragraphI am seated

in the library before a massive mahogany table, close to a window through which the September sun sends its

golden raystwenty minutes ago, as I say, Harry sauntered into the room and threw himself lazily into a

I looked up with a nod of greeting, while he sat and eyed me impatiently for some seconds.

I considered a moment. "Why, I guess I'll run down with you. I'm about through here."

"Good enough!" Harry arose to his feet and began idly fingering some of the sheets on the table before me.

"My dear boy," I smiled, "you'll be sorry you called it silly rot when I tell you that it is a plain and honest tale

"Others may not think so," I retorted, a little exasperated by his manner. "It surely will be sufficiently

exciting to read of how we were buried with Desiree Le Mire under the Andes, and our encounters with the

I gazed at him, trembling with high indignation. "I suppose," I observed with infinite sarcasm, "that you will

"And that you never dived with me from the top of a column one hundred feet high?"

"And that you did not avenge the death of Desiree by causing that of the Inca king?"

"So far as that Desiree woman is concerned," said Harry, and his tone began to show impatience, "I can only

repeat that I have never heard of the creature. And"he continued"if you're trying to bamboozle a gullible

world by concocting a tale as silly as your remarks to me would seem to indicate, I will say that as a cheap

author you are taking undue liberties with your family, meaning myself. And what is more, if you dare to

This threat, delivered with the most awful resolution and sincerity, unnerved me completely, and I fell back

When I recovered Harry had gone to his polo game, leaving me behind, whereupon I seized my pen and

hastened to set down in black and white that most remarkable conversation, that the reader may judge for

For my part, I do swear that the story is true, on my word of honor as a cynic and a philosopher.