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diff --git a/old/52683.txt b/old/52683.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e0dfa27..0000000 --- a/old/52683.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6830 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold, by Van Powell - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold - -Author: Van Powell - -Release Date: July 31, 2016 [EBook #52683] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY BOYS AND THE INCA GOLD *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE MYSTERY BOYS - AND THE - INCA GOLD - - - By VAN POWELL - - - Author _of_ - "The Mystery Boys Series," etc. - - [Illustration: Mystery Boys logo] - - - THE - WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO. - Cleveland, Ohio New York City - - Copyright, 1931 - _by_ - THE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO. - - [Illustration: World Book logo] - - _Printed in the United States of America_ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. A Dead Letter Comes to Life 5 - II. The Mystery Boys Add a Member 13 - III. Gold, and a Life At Stake 21 - IV. "Quipu Bill" 30 - V. The Chums Prove Their Mettle 39 - VI. A New Mystery Develops 49 - VII. Cliff Tries a Ruse 59 - VIII. The Outcome 67 - IX. Ambushed! 78 - X. The Hidden City 89 - XI. "Chasca, Hailli!" 98 - XII. Cliff Faces a Problem 114 - XIII. The Games 123 - XIV. Gold, and a Surprise 131 - XV. The Feast of Raymi 139 - XVI. The Mystery Boys Hold Council 147 - XVII. From Bad to Worse 154 - XVIII. Tit For Tat 163 - XIX. Huamachaco's Secret 174 - XX. On the Temple Steps 179 - XXI. Rats in a Trap 184 - XXII. The Temple of the Sun 189 - XXIII. Chasca Appears Again 196 - XXIV. The Inca Speaks 202 - XXV. Tom's Adventure 207 - XXVI. Into the Dungeons 213 - XXVII. Beasts of Burden 221 - XXVIII. "Can We Get There in Time?" 229 - XXIX. At the Cistern 236 - XXX. A Fortune by Misfortune 244 - XXXI. Cliff Becomes a Prophet 253 - XXXII. The Andes Close Their Jaws 258 - XXXIII. No Way Out? 264 - XXXIV. Huayca Plays Decoy 269 - XXXV. Folded Arms 278 - - - - - THE MYSTERY BOYS - AND THE INCA GOLD - - - - - CHAPTER I - A DEAD LETTER COMES TO LIFE - - -The whole mysterious affair puzzled Cliff. To have those queer strangers -appear suddenly at Aunt Lucy's with their unusual questions threw him a -little off his stride. - -"No," he answered the stocky Spaniard with the crafty, shifty eyes, "I -did not get a letter from Peru. Who wrote it? Is it from my father? How -do you know about it?" - -While the Spaniard interpreted the answer to his companion Cliff studied -them both. If the tall, stalwart man with copper skin and piercing eyes -was not an Indian, Cliff had never seen a truthful picture of one. He -wore European clothes but he was not at his ease in them. While he -listened to the queer language which the Spaniard used he kept his eyes -boring Cliff and Cliff saw that his denial was not believed. - -Copper-skin muttered something and the Spaniard turned again to Cliff. - -"You not get letter? _Mi amigo_, my friend, say it mail 'nine, ten week' -ago." - -"I can't help that," Cliff declared, "It hasn't come. Who is it from--my -father?" Cliff had not heard from his father in nearly five years: -naturally he was anxious about the scholar who studied ancient -civilizations and who had gone to Peru to write a book about the Incas. - -"Letter from man you not know." The Spaniard was very impressive; he -spoke slowly, "When it come you not open it. You give to us _pronto_! We -pay much money." - -"Why?" demanded Cliff, "What is in the letter?" - -The Spaniard turned and began exchanging words with the Indian. Cliff, -sitting with his chums, Nicky and Tom, on Aunt Lucy's cottage porch, -looked at his friends helplessly. They, staring with wide eyes, showed -plainly that they could not help him with his puzzle. A letter from -Peru; from a man he did not know! It must be delivered to these -strangers unopened. They would pay well for it. Why? What was it all -about? - -Clifford Gray was as clean-cut a youth of fifteen as any of the several -hundred who attended Amadale Military Academy, in this suburb of a -thriving mid-Western city. He was not handsome but he had clear, direct, -observant eyes, a firm, almost stubborn chin and a cheerful grin; his -body was well built and kept in splendid trim by much athletic activity. -That he was calm, cool, in full control of his finely muscled arms was -proved on the day that the Amadale baseball pitcher "blew up" in the -fourth inning of an important game, letting two runs come in and filling -two bases by "walking" a pair of the opposing team; Cliff went in to -pitch, with one man out. After two wild balls that clipped the corner of -the plate, he surprised the confident batsman with swift pitches which -rapped the catcher's glove as the bat swung, and fine, teasing curves -that broke just too soon to be hit. After holding the opposing runs -where they were for the next five innings he drove in the tying run and -himself scored the needed one to win and became a hero in Amadale. - -He lived with his Aunt Lucy because his father traveled in distant -lands, studying old ruins for his histories of ancient people. Aunt Lucy -took a few "boarders" and mothered the boys without coddling them. Among -her "boarders" Tom and Nicky were favorites. Tom was a quiet, thoughtful -youth just a month older than Cliff; Nicky, talkative and full of -spirits, was the youngest of the trio. All three were drawn together by -a common bond; each had a mystery in his life. Cliff's mystery seemed in -a fair way to become very much alive. - -The Spaniard and his companion had reached some agreement. Cliff, his -eyes missing nothing, his brain alert, surmised from the stocky -foreigner's shifting glance that he was about to say something either -wholly or partly untrue. - -"I tell you," he stated to Cliff, "it look to you--how you say!--funny, -eh? I make you see. - -"_Mi amigo_--this friend, he live in Quito, that place was once great -Peruvian city of Inca people." Cliff nodded. He knew something about -Quito, capital of an empire conquered by the Incas before the Spaniards, -in their turn, conquered them. - -"_Si! Si._ You _sabe_ Quito. White man come there--five year' ago. Ask -this _amigo_ to guide to old ruins." - -"My father!" declared Cliff, eagerly, while Tom and Nicky sat forward on -the porch swing, intent and excited. - -"_Quien sabe_--who knows? I think yes. This man agree to take white man -to old ruins in cordillerras--mountains! They stop in village where -is--how you say?--festival of wedding. - -"White man get very drunk. He have fight and shoot natives." - -To Cliff that did not ring true; his father was a quiet man, not the -sort to take much wine or to use firearms except in self defense. -However, he said nothing. - -"One native die," went on the Spaniard, "Others very angry. Put white -man in prison. He think they kill him. He write letter and ask this -friend of me, here, to escape away and send letter. This man must swim -in river to escape. Water make the address of letter so it is not to -send." He made a gesture of smudging ink and flung out his hands to -indicate helplessness. - -"This friend not know what to do. He not read. He put letter away and -forget. He learn after 'while the white man kill' by natives." - -Cliff was saddened by the story, even though he had no proof that it -really concerned his father. Tom and Nicky looked sorrowful and -sympathetic. - -"Ten week ago," the Spaniard continued, "this man see another white man -in mountains, make hunt for the place of gold mining." - -"A prospector," Nicky interrupted. Cliff nodded. - -"This man ask white man about letter, what to do. I am in camp with -white man, _Americano_. But I not read letter. Other one do that and -grin and laugh and take new envelop' and put on address from inside -letter. He go away and mail at Cuzco. - -"Then----" he was very impressive. "He tell me letter say this friend of -me is one who lead other white man to death!" - -That explained why they were so anxious to see the letter, of course. It -might not be a letter from his father--but who else in Peru knew him or -knew his address? But his father would not get into a brawl. Perhaps he -did write that he was led into danger. In that case the Indian was -guilty of it. - -"The letter has not arrived," Cliff repeated. - -"Maybe it went to the Dead Letter Office," Nicky suggested. "Maybe the -other fellow didn't address it right." - -The Spaniard did not interpret this; evidently he did not understand, -not being familiar with American postal systems. - -"White man dead--not letter" he corrected. Cliff smiled. - -"We can't do anything until it comes," he said, "Then----" - -"You give to us?" eagerly. "You not open. We pay----" - -"I won't promise anything like that," Cliff shook his head, Tom and -Nicky doing likewise. "But I will promise not to open it until you are -here. That's fair, isn't it?" - -When the Spaniard had interpreted, his companion said something that -made the interpreter laugh with a vicious glint in his eyes. - -At the same instant Nicky laid an excited hand on Cliff's arm. All of -them saw the direction of his intent gaze and turned to look. - -The postman was coming along the suburban street, chatting with this one -and that one as he delivered mail. His mission was clear to the -foreigners and they stood waiting, tense and eager. Those were mild -poses compared to the suspense of the three chums. They almost trembled -in their excitement. - -At their gate their jolly letter carrier waved something at Cliff. - -"I declare," Cliff, eyes fixed on him, heard him banter. "How did you -ever get you a girl so far away? Why, it would cost you a year's -allowance to go and call on her!" - -He skimmed a fat missive toward the porch. Cliff ran half way down the -steps and caught it. From above him, the others stared. There was no -mistaking that unusual stamp. - -The letter was from Peru. - - - - - CHAPTER II - THE MYSTERY BOYS ADD A MEMBER - - -As Cliff came up the steps with his Peruvian letter both strangers acted -together; each made a grab. Cliff stopped. - -"Look here!" he challenged, "You wait until I open this!" - -He put the letter behind him. They saw that on the steps he was in a -position to turn and elude them. Retreating a step the Spaniard nodded -and the Indian stood aside, his arms folded. Tom and Nicky were already -beside Cliff, ready to help him. - -Flanking him they accompanied him as he mounted to the porch and faced -the men. The chums formed a tableau; it might have been called "United -we stand." - -But they held the pose for only an instant! As they passed him the -Indian, with catlike agility, moved back and then stepped down to the -point Cliff had just vacated. He, then, was on the steps. They saw that -they had lost a point of strategic advantage for the Indian blocked the -way of escape to the yard. - -Cliff, about to strip open the letter, paused. - -"What are you trying to do?" he demanded. - -He discovered the answer at once. The Spaniard made a spring toward -Cliff, hand reaching, fingers clutching at the letter. The Indian opened -his arms to block any leap toward the steps and Cliff saw that he was -almost trapped. But not quite! - -Nicky stuck out a foot to trip the springing man. Tom made a tackle but -the Spaniard swerved. That swerve enabled Cliff to snatch away the -letter. Like a shot Cliff stepped backward, turned and in several quick -strides reached the cottage door. He swung it open, dashed in, slammed -the door. The Spaniard, baffled, said something under his breath and -paused. - -Tom and Nicky promptly executed a backward movement that drew them up, -side by side, before the door. Both aggressors stared and showed that -they were baffled. - -Cliff appeared at the sitting room window which he lifted. - -"You just cool down until I see what is in this that you are so afraid -to have me see," he exclaimed. - -The Spaniard, however, seemed to have recovered. There were neighbors, -perhaps some of them were watching. Whatever was to be done must be done -at the instant. He muttered something to the Indian and made a spring -toward the window. He caught the lower edge before Cliff could slam it -down, gave Cliff a push. The young man stumbled back and caught his foot -on a chair; he saved a backward fall only by supple contortion. - -At the same time Nicky and Tom sprang from the door to catch the -Spaniard but found their coat collars in the powerful grip of the copper -colored one behind them. He swung them off their balance and started to -run them toward the steps, backward, scratching, clawing, trying to -break his hold. - -As Cliff recovered himself, still clinging to his letter he saw the man -scramble into the room. He made a fresh clutch at the envelope but Cliff -sent it spinning into a corner, then felt powerful fingers grasp his -arm. - -At the same time a small automobile turned into the street. Nicky -shouted, "Mr. Whitley!" as Tom, fighting ferociously, tore loose from -his captor. He made a stroke but the Indian flung them both away at the -top of the steps and vaulted the porch rail at one end with a shout as -the car brakes screamed and the tires smoked. Before the car was at a -standstill its occupant, his strong face set and intent, was coming with -long strides up the path. - -"Let him go," Tom called as the rescuer swerved to pursue the Indian. -Tom saved Nicky a nasty fall down the steps and turned to see how Cliff -was faring, shouting to the newcomer to come with him. Nicky, catching -his equilibrium, went with them through the cottage door. - -Within, Cliff was striving to hold back while his captor, who clung to -Cliff as Cliff clung to him, pulled steadily and surely to where he -could reach for the letter on the floor. - -Cliff felt that he must act swiftly; he heard the noise on the porch but -could not tell what had happened. He used a jui-jitsu trick taught him -by a young Japanese student at Amadale, and the Spaniard, with a -muttered word, crumpled for an instant; it was enough; Cliff had caught -the letter and put the table between them by the time his adversary was -up. - -He was trapped; Cliff blocked the window; three were entering the door. -Nevertheless, with a final, futile snatch at the object in Cliff's hand, -the Spaniard caught up a chair and sent it sidewise against the legs of -his advancing attackers; in their scuffle and scramble he avoided them, -got to the door and was gone before they could right themselves. - -"Don't chase him," Cliff panted. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Whitley. -Everything is all right. They wanted this letter--but they did not get -it!" - -They all observed one another. Mr. Whitley was the youngest instructor -at Amadale; he taught history and was a great friend of Cliff. His -method of teaching made him popular with all the youths and boys at the -Academy. His classes were more like round-a-camp-fire gatherings, with -chats and anecdotes, than like cold, matter-of-fact history lessons. The -boys all liked and respected Mr. John Whitley. He was hardly more than -twenty-four and had a companionable manner and clear honest eyes. His -sense of fairness made him mark examinations so justly that no student -ever complained of favoritism. - -"What is it all about?" he asked, "If that is any of my affair." - -Cliff promptly began to tell about the arrival of the two men, their -strange question followed by the coming of the letter. - -And while he talked he began to make signs that were not noticeable to -anyone who did not understand them. In actual fact his gestures were -part of the secret signs of an order to which the three chums had -pledged themselves. They could carry on communication that each -understood but without giving away to others the secrets they discussed. - -Thus, when Cliff scratched his ear with the middle finger of his left -hand, he called for a secret council; when his chums folded their arms -quietly it signified that they understood and that the lodge was -convened. - -Cliff talked to Mr. Whitley, told him everything up to the rescue. In -the meanwhile he had appealed to his chums to judge the advisability of -admitting Mr. Whitley to their secrets. Nicky, who was more excitable -than Tom, forgot that they were carrying on their communication -secretly. - -"Make him take the oath--and--and everything!" he cried. - -Naturally, unaware that they had decided to accept him, Mr. Whitley was -surprised at Nicky's cry. Cliff explained. - -"We have a secret order that we call The Mystery Boys!" he said, "we can -talk together by signals so no one else understands. Each one of us has -a mystery and that is why we formed the order. I don't know what became -of my father, since he went to Peru, and Tom's sister has been missing -for years, and Nicky has an old cipher in his family. These mysteries -kind of drew us together and we formed ourselves into a band----" - -"'The Mystery Boys!'" broke in Nicky. - -"We have secret signs so that we can carry on a conversation right in -front of you--as we just did while I told you some things," Cliff -explained, "you see, Mr. Whitley, we have sworn not to tell our secrets -to anyone who was not under the Oath of the Oracle----'by the sacred -Emblem'," he quoted, "'Seeing All, I see nothing; Knowing All, I know -nothing; Telling All, I tell nothing!'" - -"I don't quite see," began the mystified instructor--what this has to do -with the two men, he would have added, but Tom spoke up. - -"We have decided that we need your help," he said, "we have talked it -over together and we want you to know all about Cliff's mystery and -advise us--but we can't break our oath." - -"Oh! That clears it all up. Very well. I am willing to help Cliff, that -is certain. If I have to promise things and join your order, I am -willing. But can we not dispense with all but the promises just now and -discover what is in that letter?" - -"Let's!" urged Cliff, "I want to see what it is." - -"Well----'On the Sacred Emblem'----" Mr. Whitley, who had a good memory, -repeated the oath solemnly, his hand on a curiously cut Egyptian scarab, -the sacred beetle of the ancient Egyptian mysteries which Cliff produced -from among his father's collection in a cabinet. - -"Now," he added, "let's see the letter, Cliff." - - - - - CHAPTER III - GOLD, AND A LIFE AT STAKE - - -Cliff was quite as anxious as the others to see what the envelope from -Peru contained; he slit it and drew out two folded papers. - -While the others watched eagerly he glanced hastily at one paper and -crammed it into his pocket as he opened the second. - -"It is!" he cried, "It is from my father!" - -They crowded closer and urged him to read it aloud. The letter, after -the address, fortunately placed there so that the destination was known -even when its outer cover was spoiled in the river, was amazing. - - "Dear Son and dear Lucy: - - "If you ever receive this it will be fond love and farewell. - - "I am in a city in the most inaccessible valley of the Andes. When the - Spaniards conquered Peru some Incas and their subjects fled here and - set up a city. I have tried for over four years to get away but there - is no place where the cliffs can be climbed. - - "When first I went to Quito I saved a native who was very ill. In - gratitude he told me of this hidden city and even guided me to a - mountain where a glimpse of it was possible; but he would not help me - to enter the valley. When I said I must explore and study it he - deserted me. Later I lowered myself with a rope and found a city of - the old Inca sort, filled with gold." - -"In the old Inca empire, before the Spanish looted it," Mr. Whitley -broke in, "gold was so plentiful that it was used for dishes, utensils, -ornaments, even for decorating their temples to the sun, which they -worshipped as a god--but go on, Cliff." - -Cliff finished the letter without further interruption. - - "It is a perfect treasure land. But, though there is a way in, there - is no way out. The natives are kind but they took away my rope; they - do not want me to escape and bring the outside world to their hidden - place. - - "Being anxious to explain my absence I have trained and tamed a young - eagle and I am fastening this to its leg in the remote chance that it - may be found when I release him. - - "If so, dear son Cliff--and sister Lucy--goodbye. I am very ill and - fear I may not get better. - - "Your loving - "Father and Brother." - -"My!" exclaimed Nicky, "but people get well, Cliff," as he saw the -depression in his chum's face. - -"The Spaniard told a different story," Tom said, thoughtfully, "I think -he wanted to get this for the Indian, to prevent you from learning where -your father is. The Incas may be afraid you will try to go there." - -"I would," Cliff said eagerly, "If----" ruefully "----I had any money -and knew where it was." - -"What was the other paper?" Mr. Whitley inquired. - -Cliff had forgotten it; he drew it from his pocket and read it aloud. It -was in the same handwriting that the envelope bore, and was in a style -totally different from his father's letter. - -Cliff, reading its clipped sentences slowly, began to tremble with -excitement. When he finished and looked around he saw in the faces about -him eagerness, hope, wistfulness. - -The letter read: - - "Clifford Gray; Sir: - - "You don't know me. I don't know you. But I think we will know each - other. - - "I caught a tame eaglet and found your pa's letter. There was a map, - too. It was to show how he got to where he went into the valley. - - "I kept the map. Tell you why. I went to the place and saw the valley. - I am a prospector and know these cordillerras. - - "Reason I kept the map is I want to be with you if you go to find your - pa. If you don't it's not any use to you anyhow. If you do I can help. - - "What I want is some of that Inca gold. Not a lot. Enough to settle - down, buy a ranch, live easy. I will be in Cuzco at the Tambo - Atahualpa--that means Atahualpa hotel, for a while, till I hear from - you. Let me know. With you and a couple more I could find your father - and we could get him out. - - "Signed respectfully, - "Quipu Bill Sanders." - -"Oh--if we could!" Cliff said. It was clear that his comrades felt -exactly as he did. - -Mr. Whitley was very thoughtful. While the trio discussed possibilities -and re-read the two letters time after time, he sat without saying -anything. Finally he looked up. - -"See here," he told them, "you have made me a member of your secret -order and asked for advice." They nodded eagerly. - -"I think," he went on, "that if your relatives would let you go with me, -it would be an instructive and an interesting trip." - -The chums agreed with that quite heartily. But how?--where was money to -come from? - -"I have been given some money recently. I inherited it," Mr. Whitley -informed them, "I will be glad to advance the amount for expenses. If we -find Cliff's father and rescue him I shall feel that the money is well -spent." - -"And there is the treasure!" Nicky exclaimed. - -"Yes," John Whitley agreed. There began an eager discussion of what they -would do with their shares; but the young history instructor became -rather serious. - -"I am not so sure that we will try to get the treasure," he told them. -Their faces fell, but they did not argue. - -"You see," he went on, "we aren't going to be thieves. That treasure is -the Incas' own; it isn't like buried gold. Of course, the people have -taken a white man prisoner, and perhaps if we find it wise to take -enough away from them to reimburse us for the expenses, it would not be -dishonest." - -"I agree with you," Cliff declared, "anyway, if we do find my -father----" a hope which his chums eagerly echoed, "----he will be able -to get all the royalties from his other books, which the publishers have -held back, not knowing what to do, and only giving me enough to pay -expenses. He will share with us all. My father is that kind of man!" - -They were quite satisfied. The adventure would be sufficient as Tom put -it. - -Eager were their plans. Lists of things to take were made; plentiful -discussions ensued, even amounting almost to arguments, for Nicky wanted -a full arsenal of weapons, and enough ammunition to load down a mule. -But he gave it up, for Cliff, from a study of his father's notes for -part of his book, assured them that the Incas were not very warlike or -cruel. They were not like the Mexican Aztecs, who, in days past, had -been cruel and harsh. The Incas, he said, were rather gentle, making war -only in self defense, or to add territory when it was essential to their -growth of empire. - -Cliff, from his studies, conceived a great plan. Mr. Whitley agreed that -it would be worth trying. What it was, and how it would work out, only -time could tell; but it was so well thought of that some special -articles were included in their supplies in order that they could use -Cliff's method of entry into the country. - -"Of course that means if you boys go beyond Cuzco with us," John Whitley -said, when he had secured parents' consent to the adventure and had -given promises to avoid danger. The chums felt very certain that they -would go well beyond Cuzco, old Inca city, once capital of their vast -empire. - -In time goodbyes were said, final promises made, handkerchiefs waved -from a departing train. The day spent in New York was a delight to the -chums, and so was the embarkation on the great white fruit liner which -would take them southward. - -They laughed when, soon after the boat sailed, great clusters of bananas -were placed within easy reach of passengers; that was a custom on the -liners and it made the tropics seem very real and quite close already. -The days of their voyage to the Panama Canal were spent in studying some -books of Inca lore, and in working out better systems of signals for the -Mystery Boys' order. - -The passage through the Canal, the visit to one of its huge mechanically -worked locks, the sights of the strange mingling of East and West in -Panama City, added zest to the trip. - -Then, tracing the route taken by the original Spanish caravels, they -turned, as Nick said, "down the map," along the South American coast, -and landed at Lima, in Peru, where Mr. Whitley wanted to locate an old -acquaintance of his college days and get more information and a proper -set of ancient Inca costumes, if possible, for use in Cliff's plan. - -They found the city a thriving one and spent pleasant days there. The -journey to Cuzco seemed almost endless, so eager were they. But, like -all things that depend on time, the trip was eventually completed and -the chums, hardly able to speak for their suppressed excitement, saw the -first glimpses of what Cliff termed "The Gateway to Adventure"--Cuzco! - - - - - CHAPTER IV - "QUIPU BILL" - - -Romance! Adventure. To Cliff, Tom and Nicky the ancient capital city of -the Inca empire was built on those two words. - -Not that Cuzco, when they reached it, had any of its old treasures; -Spanish invaders had stripped it centuries before. But the memory was -there among the ruins. - -The native Peruvian Indians--over whom the Incas had ruled, for the -Incas were a superior tribe which governed its subjects kindly but -firmly--these natives were shiftless, poor and inclined to be lazy. - -But to the three adventurers, with their imaginations fired by what -Cliff had read and what Mr. Whitley had told them on the boats, Cuzco -still echoed to the tramp of armies carrying bows and arrows, swords and -light shields; the great square shook again to the shouts of hosts -gathered for ceremonies and feasting in the rites of their worship of -the Sun. - -"It is certainly interesting," declared Cliff, as they stood near the -stripped temple which had once rivaled in splendor any other place of -worship ever built. "The gold cornice is gone and so is the silver and -so are the emeralds and ornaments. But we can imagine them. And notice -how perfectly the edges of these stones are ground and fitted and -matched." - -"How big they are, too," Nicky added, "tons, some of them must weigh. -The Incas had no beasts of burden to haul things--how they ever got -these stones cut and shaped and hauled here and lifted into place--it is -too much for me." - -"Patience and time did it," Tom said, "I believe they say it took fifty -thousand men twenty years and more to build one great palace or temple." - -"With their hands--and without iron tools," Cliff added, "they mixed -some tin with copper and made an alloy that they could make almost as -hard as steel. But their roads and their aqueducts and their buildings -all took labor and plenty of it." - -"Isn't it time we started for the hotel?" Tom glanced at his watch, -"Quipu Bill Sanders is to come to see us at four." - -They agreed and turned to retrace their way around the ruin. - -As they rounded a corner Cliff, in the lead, stopped sharply, in -surprise. While there was one chance in a thousand that they should -encounter the very Indian who had been with the Spaniard in Amadale, it -was certain that the fellow into whom Cliff had almost banged had turned -and seemed to stiffen when he saw them. - -He stood facing a slender fellow, almost a boy, whose well developed leg -muscles made Cliff think of a runner. With a swift word under his breath -as the trio of chums stared, the Indian sent the youth off; and he was a -runner and no mistake. He went lightly but with almost incredible speed -down the road. The stalwart Indian paid no attention to Cliff but -hastened away. - -"Do you think he was----?" Nicky whispered. - -"He jumped," Tom replied. - -"Ought we to follow him?" Nicky wondered. - -Cliff thought not. The runner was gone, the Indian might have been -surprised to see white youths turn suddenly into view. Cliff could see -no advantage to be gained by following. - -They crossed the square to enter one of the four straight avenues which -quartered the city. Cuzco was beautifully laid out, every ancient street -as straight as if made by a surveyer's lines. Presently they reached the -"tambo" or inn. - -Bill Sanders was already there: he and John Whitley were in the -courtyard around which all the rooms opened. Bill was squatted on his -heels, cowboy fashion, with a knife in his hand, idly whittling a stick. - -As he saw them and stood up they saw that he was tall and very thin; so -thin, in fact, that he looked more like an underfed man than a tough, -sinewy, sturdy mountaineer. However his skin was brown with healthy -exposure and his grip, when they shook hands, made Nicky wince a little. - -Quipu Bill Sanders had the eyes of a fox and the courage of a lion; and -he was cunning, too; but his cunning was not the stealthy, wicked sort. - -"You know who I am," he greeted. "Let's see if I know which of you is -which." - -Cliff, who had discovered a little skein of colored yarn at the roadside -near the inn entrance and who had paused to glance at it and slip it -aimlessly in his pocket as some decorative native object about which he -would ask later, came forward at once. - -"You're Cliff," said Bill. "The others stood back for you. And this is -Tom--because he sort of fits his name, for he looks quiet and has a -manly grip. Of course there's only Nicky left so this must be Nicky." - -They smiled at his deduction and felt as though they had known him for a -long time, he was so easy to meet. He already called Mr. Whitley by his -first name, insisted they call him Bill, and alluded to them as -"comrade" or "comrade Cliff." - -"How is it you are called 'Quipu' Bill?" Nicky asked at once. - -Bill squatted and began work on his stick again. - -"The Incas didn't have any alphabet or writing to keep their records and -history," Bill answered, "Nor any stone carvings such as you see in -Egypt. When they wanted to send a message or make a record, or even -figure up accounts, they used wool yarn of different colors and wove it -together with different knots. The colors meant something and so did the -placing of the knots and the number and the way they were made. - -"They called these records or messages 'quipus' and a fellow who -understood them, could make them and read them, was a 'quipucamayu.'" - -"And you studied and got to be one of them," Nicky guessed. - -"Yep! So I shortened it down to just the name of the yarn message." - -"Were they like this? Isn't this one?" asked Cliff, recalling what he -had found. He produced it. Bill nodded. - -"That's one. Where did you get it?" - -Cliff told him. Bill dropped his stick and became suddenly mighty -serious. - -"Why--look here! This is queer. This thing is a message about two grown -men and some children and mountains and the snowy pass--and war--or -ambush----" - -He began to study the short woven length with its knotted strands and -its weave of colors, some white, a bit of red and other colors mingled. - -Then he looked up as he saw Tom's eyes turn toward the road, visible -from the courtyard. They all looked. A youth--it might be the one they -had seen before--was searching. He went along, head bent low, eyes on -the road, turning from side to side. - -Bill rose, dropping the quipu carelessly into his left coat pocket. -Cliff, who was always observant, noted it though he paid little -attention, being too busy wondering what Bill meant to do. - -He went to the road and called. The youth turned, came back to him. -There was a brief exchange of words, too far away to be heard. Then Bill -put a hand in his pocket, drew out an object of woven yarn. The boyish -fellow almost snatched it and while Bill called and pretended to be very -angry the boy dashed out of sight and Bill strolled back to the party. - -"For Pete's sake!" exclaimed Mr. Whitley, appearing exasperated. "You -gave him that quipu." - -"I gave him that quipu--yep." - -"But--with the Spaniard visiting America to forestall that letter and -with our lads seeing the Indian give that runner a quipu--don't you see -that the message might have been about us?" - -Bill nodded. "It all hooks up. It likely was," he agreed. - -John Whitley stared, as did Nicky and Tom. Was this new acquaintance as -much on their side as he claimed to be? - -"Wasn't that the same boy you saw?" John Whitley inquired. - -"It was, sir," Nicky answered. "He had a bright yellow thing-umjig on -his head." - -Bill whittled one side of his stick to satiny smoothness. "Now I don't -know your mind and you don't know mine," he said, "But----" - -"Wait!" broke in Cliff. "You dropped that quipu into your left hand -pocket, Bill. I think--I'm sure--I saw you take what you gave him out of -the other side of your coat." - -Bill grinned approval. "Right as can be," he agreed. "I had picked up an -old quipu in my diggings to show you fellows and that's the one I gave -him." He showed them the other one, still where he had dropped it in his -pocket. "He's taking--to whoever he's sent to find--a quipu that has a -history or record of how a great sky god, or courtier of the Sun-god -that they worship--of how this Chasca came to earth and brought great -peace and prosperity to the Inca people." - -"Why, that fits in with my plan!" exclaimed Cliff. - -"So it does," said Mr. Whitley. - -They had a long discussion. Bill told them that he "figured" that the -Indian who had been with the Spaniard had been sent out from the hidden -city to try and prevent the letter from being delivered. - -"They must have learned about it," he said, "and guess they tried to -stop it. Then, when they failed, they let us come on down here, where we -are, in a way of speaking, right in their hands----" - -"That means that Cuzco is as far as our young chums will go," said Mr. -Whitley seriously. The youthful faces became downcast. "I promised not -to take you into danger," continued their Captain, as Bill named him, -"and so Cuzco will be your stopping place." There was no argument. The -Captain's word was law. - -But events were to compel a change in Mr. Whitley's ideas. - - - - - CHAPTER V - THE CHUMS SHOW THEIR METTLE - - -In Cuzco, while final plans were made and supplies were being assembled, -the chums were free, for several days, to explore. Bill had shown them -their map, which he had kept out of Mr. Grey's note when he coaxed the -eaglet to his camp. The map did not mean much to them, but to Bill, who -had already gone alone over the passes to be sure there was a hidden -city, the map was quite clear. They would go on foot over the mountains, -he said. It was safer than by muleback: some of the passes were quite -narrow and dangerous, although he could show the best ones to them. - -The chums were rather depressed that they could not accompany Mr. -Whitley and Bill: however they agreed to make the best of it, and with -the naturally buoyant spirits of youths in a new place they went about -and had a fine time. - -One of the people they met was a youth, quite near their own ages. He -spoke a little English and acted as their guide. - -None of them, nor their older companions, suspected his real purpose, -but it was divulged, one day, as they were in a meaner quarter of the -city where some of the natives of Peru, degraded and listless remains of -a once noble race, had their poor homes. - -"Come--here--I show--how I live!" said their young guide. They all -followed him into a low room in an old building, squat and roughly built -of a composition something like the _adobe_ of the Mexicans. - -But once they were inside they turned in dismay. The youth was not alone -with them: three fierce looking half-caste men, part Inca, part Spanish, -rose from a dark corner: one slammed the rude door and fastened it. -"Now," he said, "you stay here." - -"What's the big idea?" demanded Nicky hotly, relapsing into slang in his -excitement. - -"You see!" said the man. He and his companions held a low-voiced -conference and then one of them rose and was gone: his malevolent -looking friends gave the door a vicious slam and shot its bolt. - -"What are you going to do with us?" demanded Tom. - -"We keep you. When that tall one--" he meant Mr. Whitley,"--start for -Lima once more, we let you go!" - -"You daren't!" cried Nicky, and made a dash for the window. But Tom and -Cliff restrained him. - -"We'll have the police--or whatever they're got here!" Nicky said. He -gave a shout. But one of the men advanced with a very threatening -gesture. - -"Keep quiet," Tom urged and Cliff added, "we're in a strange place." He -counseled, "We have to keep our heads. We'll find a way out but not by -making a disturbance. We don't know these men or this part of town: we -don't know the customs they have. If we keep quiet they may let us go or -relax their guard." - -"But then our trip's ruined!" argued Nicky. - -"Yes," said Cliff, morosely, "and my father is the worst sufferer if he -is still alive. But we are trapped. We must do our best to get out of it -before they send that man to Mr. Whitley." - -"He's already gone," grumbled Nicky. - -"No he isn't. He's just outside. I see him through the window. He's -rolling a cigarette out there by a post." - -"He's waiting for someone," said Tom, "I see him." - -"Tom," whispered Nicky, "your uncle gave you a pistol, didn't he? Have -you got it? Let's shoot our way out!" - -That was Nicky all over! He was excitable and quick. He knew that Tom -had been trusted to carry a light .22-caliber revolver given him by his -uncle, because Tom had a cool head and would not abuse the possession. -It was more for signalling, than for a fight. - -"Easy, Nicky!" counseled Tom, "We don't want to hurt anybody." - -"No," chimed in Cliff, "we're outnumbered and we don't know how -dangerous this neighborhood may be. Besides, if we do anything to get -into police courts it will make us tell what we are going to do and that -will upset all Mr. Whitley's plans." - -"They're upset already," Nicky grumbled, "That man's gone----" - -"No he isn't," Tom replied, "He's waiting outside, by a post--I can see -him through the window. There! Why--I believe the very same Indian we -saw by the temple is giving him money!" - -"Yes--I'm sure it's the same one," Cliff said, "He's coming in." - -The tall Indian, or Inca noble, for he was really that, was admitted. -The two waiting men stretched out eager hands. - -"We get them," said one, "You pay. We go." Then he remembered that he -spoke a half-halting English, and repeated it in dialect. - -The Indian paid them some money and the two men, as if glad to be away, -left quickly. The boy came in, acting shamefaced, but trying to look -cheerful. He, too, stretched out a hand. - -"Now--if only we had some way to take these two by surprise," began Tom. - -"Sh-h-h!" warned Nicky, "They'll hear you." - -Cliff reminded him that the Indian had not understood the half-breeds -when one spoke in English, and that the boy had to stop and translate. -He spoke in low, eager tones. - -"Nicky, what did you do with that little box of magnesium powder you -took out of the supplies this morning? You were going to try to take a -daylight kodak picture inside a temple by flashlight. If you had it, -now----" - -"I have," Nicky whispered, "but----" - -"Listen. Here's a plan. It may work. It would play on the superstitions -of these fellows. They are both natives and I don't think either one has -seen a flashlight, or an electric torch. If we could make them think we -were powerful magicians and could burn them, they might be scared enough -to be off guard----" - -"It's an idea!" exulted Tom, "I have that small burning glass, -Cliff--suppose I got to the window, and set the burning glass so it -focuses, while the man is paying the boy. Then----" That was Cliff's -idea, too. Tom moved quietly over and pretended to look out of the -window. Really, he was adjusting a small lens, hidden by his hand on the -stone window ledge, so it focused the sun rays in one spot. On Cliff's -instructions Nicky maneuvered his body to help conceal the tiny lens -from the sight of the others. Tom opened the flash powder box, a small, -single charge of magnesium powder which, when ignited, makes a great -white flash and a big puff of smoke, but is not dangerous. - -The boy turned from being paid. - -"Listen," Cliff commanded, "You--tell--that--man--" he spoke slowly and -impressively, "--we--are--going--away--from--here. -If--he--tries--to--stop--us, we--will--burn--him--up!" - -The boy stared. Cliff repeated his words. The boy, mystified, -translated. The man laughed scornfully. Cliff drew a small pocket -electric flashlamp into view. In a dark corner he played the rays while -the natives stared. Then, suddenly, he pointed a dramatic finger at the -tiny box on the window ledge. The natives stared at it curiously, not -knowing what to expect. - -"Tell--him--we--burn--that--box--to--show--what happen--to -you--if--you--stop us!" Cliff said with a bold and threatening -expression. The boy spoke in dialect and both seemed unable to take -their eyes off the box. - -Cliff made a sign to Tom who pushed the small box into the focus of the -lens which Nicky screened from the natives' view. Cliff pressed his -light switch, and pointed the ray with a few signs of his free hand. - -Nothing happened! - -The man laughed and the boy snickered. Nicky began to feel weak and -cold; but Cliff stood his ground. - -Then, so suddenly as to startle even Nicky, the focused rays ignited the -powder: there was a dull "boop!" and a blinding glare. - -Before the smoke had risen and began to spread Cliff whispered, -"Now--make for the door!" - -Holding the flashlight pointed at the boy until the latter cowered back -against the man, Cliff led his chums to the door. He fumbled with the -catch: the man made a move as if to grapple with him but Cliff threw the -ray into his eyes and he flung up his arm, instinctive fear of something -not understood overcoming his wit. Cliff unfastened the clumsy catch, -the chums fled to the street and were off like young gazelles. - -"They'll find the lens!" Nicky panted. - -"What do we care?" demanded Tom, "They won't get us!" - -Of course all plans had to be altered; the youths could not be left -behind. They were glad that in trying to prevent the expedition the -Indian had only made their part in it certain. - -On a fine evening, with all the natives engaged, and with all supplies -packed, and with their course through the mountains carefully -determined, they went to sleep for the last time in a civilized -hotel--if the mean accommodations of the place they had selected could -be called "civilized." Mr. Whitley's Lima friend had not proved a very -good adviser. However, bright and early the next clear, temperate -day--for Cuzco was not in the hotter lowlands where tropical heat was -fiercest--they began their real adventure. - -Bill and Mr. Whitley were in advance: then came the natives, laden with -quite heavy packs, under which they toiled along on an ever ascending -slope, singing native chants and talking in their unintelligible jargon. -Behind them came the Mystery Boys, also laden with packs containing -personal things and articles they wished to protect from prying eyes. - -"We're on our way," they told each other and felt like capering at the -certainty that in trying to frustrate their plans the Indian had made it -possible for them to go along. - -Up in the hills a tall, well built Indian stood with several companions, -watching the lower passes. - -One day, as the comrades toiled along, entering the real mountains, the -vigilant watcher turned toward his companions. - -"Brother, they come!" he said. - -"They come--yes," agreed his nearest aide, a noble of the old and almost -extinct true-blooded Incas, "They come--yes." - -He made a meaning gesture. - -"But--they will not come back!" - -That same day Cliff borrowed Bill's field glasses and focused them on a -small band, toiling along far behind them. - -"I think we're being followed--I've noticed that group several times," -he told the older members of their party. - -They agreed, and frequently thereafter the followers were observed, but -always too far behind to enable the chums to guess their identity. Was -it the Spaniard? Was it the Indian? - -Many days passed and they were well in the high cliffs before they -learned the truth! - - - - - CHAPTER VI - A NEW MYSTERY DEVELOPS - - -Quichua, the almost universal dialect which the Incas had introduced -into Peru as they conquered its tribes, was quite well understood by -Bill Sanders. He spent much time on their daily marches, and in camp, -teaching it to John Whitley and the three chums. It was the language -that the hidden city's inhabitants would be most apt to understand, he -believed. - -When they had learned that a "chasqui" was a runner or messenger; that -Cuzco, the name of the principal city and hub of the old empire was so -called because the word meant navel, the center of the body; and many -other things such as that "Pelu" meant river and was thought by some to -have been the word that gave the Spaniards their name for the -nation--Peru!--they began to study brief sentences and after a while -could hold short and simple conversations together. - -In return they taught Mr. Whitley and Bill the secret ways of exchanging -ideas in the signals of their order. After some discussion and -hesitation Bill was made a member of The Mystery Boys and although the -chums debated the good sense of letting him know all their signs, they -finally gave them to him--and as events proved, they were to be glad -they had done so. - -In camp Cliff and his friends spent a great deal of time studying the -rude map: because Quipu Bill had some misgivings about letting the only -guide they had become damaged or lost, Tom, who was quite a draftsman, -made a very good copy which they used and over which they watched -jealously so that the natives would not discover what it was. - -The small party--not more than eight--which had been following them hung -on like wolves on the flank of a buck: when Bill hurried along the -others kept the same distance, when his party lagged the others dallied -also. - -"I think it is either the Indian, or the Spaniard, or both of them," -said Bill, "They know--at least the Spaniard does--that there was a map, -for he was in camp when I caught the eaglet." But the other party kept -just too far behind for them to see, even with fine glasses, just who -comprised the group. - -Then, one afternoon, Cliff looked down from a high point and called to -Bill. - -"Bill--get out your field glasses. I don't see that party anywhere -below." Bill looked. John Whitley and the youths took their turns. But -there was no sign of pursuit. - -"We must have lost them," Nicky said. - -"But we have been on a straight road all day," Mr. Whitley objected. -"No. Either they have dropped too far behind for us to see them at all, -or they have given it up----" - -"Or they have turned into some side pass, thinking that can get around -us in some way," Bill added, "But they won't. I guess we have lost them -for good." - -They all felt rather glad of it. There had been some fun in the game of -hare and hounds at first, but after a few days the continual watching -became wearisome and perhaps worrisome. Their natives noticed it, for -one thing, and they did not want the Peruvians to think their story of -an engineering and educational trip was a ruse. They all breathed more -freely that night as they made camp. - -But Cliff kept wondering why the pursuit had stopped. - -That night--and it was cold for they were very high up in the levels -just a little below snow level--he lay rolled in his blanket, in the -tent the chums shared, thinking about it. - -"Cliff," Tom's voice whispered through the dark, "Are you asleep?" - -"No," Cliff answered under his breath. But he need not have been so -cautious. Nicky was not asleep, either: and he declared the fact -promptly. - -"I'm awake too. Is it to be a session of the Inner Circle?" - -"Maybe," Tom replied, "I was going to ask Cliff if he noticed that -Indian that Bill calls Whackey--the one whose name is Huayca?" - -"Notice him? Notice what about him?" Nicky demanded. - -"He kept dropping back from one carrier to the next one, right along the -line, today." - -"Yes," Cliff said, "I saw him. He talked to each one for a few minutes, -then he dropped behind and talked to the next one." - -"What do you suppose it meant?" Nicky wondered. "Nothing, I guess. I -have seen him do it before." - -"You have?" Cliff and Tom asked it at one instant. - -"Certainly. But he is the boss isn't he? He has to give orders." - -"When he gives orders he yells them out so that we all hear him," Tom -objected. - -"In the morning," Cliff said, "Let's ask Mr. Whitley and Bill if they -have noticed." They agreed and discussed the curious disappearance of -the trailing party for a while. - -Then, suddenly, Cliff hissed under his breath, "Sh-h-h-h!" - -They became alert, intent: they listened with straining ears. - -"It was only some pebbles--a little landslide," Nicky whispered. "They -do that in the mountains. I saw some pebbles slip this afternoon." - -Nevertheless Cliff gently crawled out of his blanket and his head came -in rather vigorous contact with Tom's cranium for he was doing the same -thing. They forgot the bump in the excitement for more pebbles were -clattering at a little distance. - -Cliff and Tom unhooked their tent flap and without widening its opening -much, looked into the dim, starlit night. - -Nicky pushed his face between them. Each felt that the others were -tense, Nicky was trembling a little. They stared and listened. - -From a greater distance came the crackle of a broken twig. - -Without a word Cliff pushed into the open and stared around. Then he saw -figures, silent, drifting like spectres through the night, shadows with -lumpy heads. - -At first he almost cried out at a touch on his arm but in the instant -that he controlled his impulse he realized that it came from Nicky's -grip on his arm. - -"It's Indians!" Nicky gasped. - -"Yes," said Tom, at his side; then he added in a puzzled way, "But they -are going away from us." - -"It's our Indians----" Cliff said, "They're running away. Hey!" he -shouted, then, poised to race after them, he called to his comrades to -waken Bill and Mr. Whitley; but they were already awake and emerging -dazedly from their tent as Cliff thrust the ground behind him with -racing feet, in hot pursuit of figures now making no effort to be quiet -as they galloped away. - -It was a hazardous pursuit in the dark and on a strange mountain path; -but Cliff had observed, as was his habit, while they climbed earlier in -the day: he knew when to swerve to avoid a heavy boulder, he seemed to -avoid by instinct the more pebbled and slippery parts. - -While Nicky and Tom, after shouting the news, pounded in pursuit he -overtook the hindmost runner. - -"Stop--you!" he shouted. The man swerved. Cliff made a tackle. The man -tripped, was down. Instantly Cliff was erect again and racing on while -Tom caught up with the man already scrambling to his feet and held him -until Nicky arrived. - -Then, from behind them, Bill, in the dialect, yelled a call to halt to -the natives. Cliff reached his second man and put a hand on his arm. -From behind came the flash of Quipu Bill's rifle, fired into the air -over the runners' heads. - -They stopped, uncertainly, and Cliff, racing down the path, took -advantage of the interval to get to a point where he could at least try -to "bluff" and hold the men. - -The natives clustered in a little knot. They had bundles on their -heads--probably most of the camp food and supplies. Cliff shouted to -them to stand while Mr. Whitley and Bill made a scrambling, awkward, but -rapid approach. - -"Running out at night with our grub, eh?" Bill snapped, "You _hombres_ -about face and back to camp!" He translated into dialect and they -sullenly obeyed for he still carried his rifle. - -"All of 'em here?" he asked Mr. Whitley, "it's so dark----" - -"The fellow you call Whackey isn't!" Cliff cried. Then a queer misgiving -assailed him. He rushed to Bill and whispered. Bill, bent to hear, -stiffened. - -"Glory-gosh!" he gasped, "Go and see. In my coat pocket!" - -They herded their morose captives back to camp while Cliff made his -hasty retreat and a thorough but equally hurried examination in certain -places. - -He met Bill, approaching anxiously with John Whitley. - -"It's gone--the map's gone!" he gasped. - -"So that's why the other party stopped following. That's why Whackey -isn't around!" exclaimed the chief of the party. - -"I saw him, today," Nicky cried, and explained, "Tom did, too." - -"Planned to cut away during the night," Bill snapped, "Guess he planned -deeper, too: I think he expected these natives to make enough noise to -be caught--that gave him a chance to get the map. I wondered why he -watched me so closely, last couple of days." - -"Well, never mind," Mr. Whitley counseled, "He and the others he went to -join cannot get there ahead of us. Bill knows the passes." - -"All but one place after we get back to the snowy pass," Bill objected, -"Cliff's pa only drew it rough and indicated the one right way--the way -he took; but I know there's a regular slather of cross cuts and paths -between the cliffs up there. It's all torn up by some earthquake long -ago. I'd need the map there!" - -"Well, we have the copy Tom made--" but Mr. Whitley stopped, arrested by -Cliff's clutch on his arm. Flashlights trained, the five, with a solemn -warning to the natives, who seemed not to know what to do and so were -for the time in no danger of mischief, hurried into Cliff's tent. They -flicked their lights around but Cliff, catching one from Nicky, trained -it on the ground cloth. - -Tiny fragments of paper, too fine ever to match together, littered the -cloth under Tom's little writing case! - - - - - CHAPTER VII - CLIFF TRIES A RUSE - - -When Quipu Bill questioned the Peruvians they remained sullenly -wordless. What he called the vanished Whackey was, fortunately, -expressed in Spanish; otherwise it would have called for reproof from -Mr. Whitley. - -"What are you going to do?" John Whitley asked as Bill threw a fresh -shell into the magazine of his rifle and offered the weapon to him. - -"You stand guard till dawn," Bill replied, "Don't let one of these -_hombres_ leave. The rifle is only to scare them--I don't expect you to -use it. I'm going after that Whackey and get that map back." - -Tom, who had been very thoughtful, spoke up. - -"Are you certain that you can trail him?" he asked. - -Bill grinned in the light of their rekindled campfire. "He may go a -roundabout way," he stated, "But he is bound to end up at the Spaniard's -camp. That's where I'll go. I can locate it. That party must be -somewhere behind us, maybe in a cut that's out of sight of the main -pass." - -"What Tom is thinking is that it might not be the Spaniard's party, I -believe," Cliff said. Tom nodded. - -"There is the man--or the men--that runner was sent to find," Tom -suggested. - -"That is so," said Mr. Whitley, "How can you know which party is behind -this affair?" - -"I don't," Bill admitted, "But the Spaniard's crowd stopped dogging us -just before this happened." - -"Perhaps his natives have started trouble--or deserted," Mr. Whitley -hinted. - -"I think the Spaniard would have told Whackey to take both maps," Nicky -said, "It would take less time to grab a paper than to stand and tear it -to pieces." - -"Maybe Whackey did that on his own inspiration," Bill said. - -"Then the evidence points more toward the Incas than toward the -Spaniard," Cliff urged, "The Spaniard is cunning enough not to leave -anything to be decided by Whackey." - -Bill began to whittle on a stick, thinking. He nodded. - -"You may be right," he agreed, "We must find out which party has the -map. If it is the Spaniard we can hide and let him pass and then trail -him; but if it is the other side, then we must either take a long chance -at finding the one right path or else we must give up the trip." - -Cliff thought of his father. Perhaps he was still alive; unless they -completed their plans he might never know. - -"Probably we will have to give up," said Mr. Whitley, "There are so many -menacing things: I promised the relatives of our younger members----" - -"We can at least be sure which side has the map," said Cliff, "Before we -do give up." - -"How can we find out?" asked Nicky eagerly. - -Cliff explained a plan he had worked out. It was very simple, so simple -that Bill poked fun at himself because he had not worked it out himself. -He agreed, as did Mr. Whitley, that it was worth trying. - -Carrying out the scheme, Bill called the natives. - -"You tried to run away," he told them, "We don't want you now. We cannot -trust you. Take food enough to get to your homes, or at least enough to -get out of the mountains. And go." - -To their surprise the natives protested. - -"Not so," said the spokesman, "We not try run away. We do all to make -you follow us while Huayca do what he plan." - -"What did he plan?" - -"That we not know. We must do that way. That all we know." - -"I see the scheme, I think," Mr. Whitley told Bill, "Huayca made the -natives pretend to be stealing the food, so that our attention would be -concentrated on them while he took the map. It does not seem logical to -me that natives as clever as these would make enough noise to attract -attention otherwise." - -"We not like to run away. You not pay us yet," said a native. - -So they knew no more than before. But Cliff was not discouraged. "Now we -must try the second part of my plan," he pleaded. Mr. Whitley sanctioned -it, cautioning the youths to take no needless chances in the event of -possible trouble. He remained with Bill's rifle, out of the direct glow -of the fire, his eyes watchful, although the natives seemed content to -lie down for sleep. - -Cliff, Nicky, Tom and Bill made final plans and then drifted quietly -away from camp, down the mountain pass. - -"He has had time to get there--Whackey has," Tom whispered. - -Bill agreed and no further conversation was used. For hours they moved -like flitting ghosts, avoiding noise as much as they could. - -In time Bill held out an arm against which, in turn, they came to a -stop. He pointed to a very faint flicker that showed on a rock at the -mouth of a narrow diverging break in the cliff. For an instant the flare -of a bit of wood showed, then it died. - -Its brief reflection on the rock showed them the location within the -cleft of the hidden company: at least, it proved that someone was there -with a fire; the deduction that followed was almost sure to be right. No -one else was likely to be there. - -When Bill came back, after a long silence, he had made a scouting trip -into the cleft and in a whisper reported to the trio of chums that the -camp was there. Final plans were made and Bill crept away again. Cliff -held his radium dialed watch so that all three could watch the slow -minutes crawl away. - -It became a matter of seconds before they could act. And how the seconds -dragged! But finally the hands touched an agreed point. "Now!" said -Cliff. - -They gathered hands full of pebbles and moved into the mouth of the -cleft which they had not dared enter before for fear of making some -noise that would disturb the camp. Now noise was their very purpose! - -All together, at Cliff's word, as they saw the dull embers of the dying -campfire, sole proof of the camp's existence, they shouted wildly, with -all their lungs. At the same time there was a shower of pebbles, thrown -wildly but toward and beyond the fire. Then they rushed closer, -screeching, yelling, howling. - -Excited, frightened cries greeted the surprise attack. - -Then, like a beam of white fire, the flare of Bill's flashlight cut into -the opened flap of a tent, the only one in camp. Guttural, surprised -Spanish came from within. - -Running feet and terrified cries proved that the surprise had -demoralized the natives and put them to flight. But hardly had the flash -cut into the darkness than it was out and Cliff, seeing it disappear, -urged his comrades to retreat with him; their purpose was accomplished -and they must be gone before the Spaniard could organize pursuit. - -"I found him sound asleep when I threw the light on him," Bill said as -they hurried back up the pass. "He was so dazzled by the light I know he -didn't recognize me, with all the noise to muddle up his mind." - -"Then he has no map," Cliff declared. "When he is surprised and can't -take time to exercise his willpower a man does things by instinct; I -read a lot about that in a book. If a man has something very valuable -and he thinks--or doesn't have time to think--there is any sudden threat -to its safety, he makes a grab for it." - -"Well," Bill told them, "Our 'friend' Sancho Pizzara, was sound asleep -and when I woke him up, with noise and excitement, he reached for his -Crucifix. So, you see, he did not have the map stolen--unless Whackey -failed to get there." - -"This Sancho man would be awake--waiting," Tom objected. - -"With his gun ready and--and everything!" Nicky added. - -When they reported to Mr. Whitley he agreed that they had fixed the -theft of the map and its destination. The Incas! - -"That ends our trip," he declared, "I cannot risk our lads in such -dangerous affairs." - -Cliff did not argue; that was not his nature. He did not remind Mr. -Whitley that the plan suggested by Cliff before they started and for -which certain materials had been packed, would not be likely to incur -any danger. He simply sat still and watched Nicky and Tom show their -disappointment. - -But when the camp was once more quiet, if not asleep, he spoke to his -comrades quietly and later on slipped away. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - THE OUTCOME - - -What Cliff planned to do was based more on intuition than on any -carefully thought out ideas. When the excitement broke out it was early -morning; by the time that the camp settled down again it was almost time -for dawn. As he returned to his tent with Tom and Nicky he had a sudden -flash of inspiration and when he saw that in spite of their excitement -his two companions fell into futile speculation, he decided that what he -wanted to do could be done only if he acted alone and at once. -Discussion would only waste time; no one else could accompany him. Of -course he thought of consulting his elders; but like any young fellow -who had what appeared to be a bright idea he wanted to accomplish his -plan alone and not have to turn it over to someone else. - -So Cliff slipped quietly out of camp as the first pale gray of -approaching daylight threw the peaks ahead into jagged silhouette. - -They had already gone down the pass; that way they had failed. Cliff -turned upward. He moved quickly, alertly, progressing rapidly. - -His intuition had told him that it was probable that the Indian, Huayca, -if he really did mean to go to the Incas, would want to be able to -report to them what the white people did when their map was stolen. - -That meant to Cliff that Huayca would only go far enough ahead to find a -secure hiding place. He would not want to travel off into the next -stretch of pass, which was very close to a deeply cut ravine, without -daylight. He could hide and watch! He might! - -"If I had to watch," Cliff thought, "I would find a place high up and -out of sight. Not a tree, because I might be seen in a tree; but I would -get up on a ledge if I could find one." - -There were plenty of ledges because that part of the pass led through -fissures broken in the mountain by some great force of Nature in past -ages. But the problem was to locate the right and most probable one in -the dark and then to ascend to its top. - -Far above, toward the East, the sky began to glow with the first proof -that the sun was stoking his fires for a new day; in the pass night -still fought to hold its own. The light gave the higher points a greater -prominence and helped Cliff while the darkness around him also helped -him by hiding his moving form. - -"From the shape of that ledge ahead," he said to himself, "I am coming -to a bend in the pass; now that would be a fine spot if----" - -He reached the bend; carefully he peered around. There ended the -fissures; the pass, which had run between high cliffs, swung rather -sharply around the nose of a ledge and ran along the side of an open -depth, a valley filled with mist; in the dark Cliff could not tell how -deep it was, nor how wide. - -The ledge, right at the turn, projecting a trifle, and about sixty feet -above his head, was an ideal spot to spy from; if he could find a way up -it would give him a place to see the pass toward the camp and also -around the bend. - -"Such a ledge as that would be perfect for an ambush," he thought. Cliff -had read how the Incas, in their battles against the invading Spaniards, -had ambushed soldiers in these mountain passes, dropping rocks from -points above them, loosing flights of arrows, stunning them with stones -from the slings with which they were expert. Here was the spot for such -an attack. - -How did the Incas get to such ledges? As he remembered his history, -Cliff thought of a ladder woven of osier strands, tough vines that were -to be found in that country. Bridges were swung across mountain streams -with twisted ropes and cables of those stout vines; with planks -supported by them footways were made that swayed dizzily, dipped in -terrifying fashion, but that gave safe crossings to sure footed -mountaineers. - -He stepped off the rocky path into brush under the lip of the ledge and, -almost as much by feeling as by sight, explored the side of the cliff. -There was nothing, at first, to reward his search; but after some time, -cleverly hidden among the brush, he found twisted, sturdy ropes that -were so woven as to give the shape of a rude ladder with sagging but -staunch crosspieces of the same vines. The ladder ran upward as high as -his arms could reach, and without any hesitation Cliff began to climb. - -From its location his ladder could not be seen until one got well around -the bend and there, for the light was better and he could see, the pass -ran only a short way, then swung across one of those osier bridges, -still kept in repair because this was one of the main-traveled paths. -Amid the brush and stuff and with trees between it and the path, the -ladder was not apt to attract attention. Its withes felt pliant and -fresh with sap. Cliff decided that it was not an old ladder, but a new -one, recently placed; perhaps for the very purpose to which Huayca might -recently have put it. - -As he neared the top, Cliff became cautious. He lifted himself slowly so -that he would make very little noise. When his head was level with the -top of the ledge he protruded it upward with utmost care and spied -around, his eyes just able to see. - -The flat top of the ledge, he saw, was about an acre in extent. It -sloped slightly upward to the next sharp rise at the back and light -showing from the brightening sky indicated a fissure, possibly another -pass, in the cleft. - -But his attention focused on a clump or mass of stone, quite large, near -the middle of the level space. - -In the pale light it bulked like a ghostly ruin. Cliff eased carefully -until he could get to the _pajonal_--short, yellow grass of the -mountains--which covered the top of that ledge. - -Then he made his way with as soft a tread as he could, to the ruin. It -looked as though, in some ancient day, a granary or rest house or -barracks had been built; time had helped the frost and heat to crumble -many of its stones, so that it had little shape; but at one point there -seemed to be a rude hut rebuilt from the stones. Toward this Cliff -crept. - -He had scarcely reached the side of the small stone pile when he heard -what at first sounded like a groan, but then was more like a yawn. - -"Huayca!--I guess!" Cliff reasoned, "he came here and when he saw our -fire die down--he could, from that further ledge--he decided to take a -nap." - -He wasted no time in hesitation while he thought; he sent his eyes -darting here and there till he saw, close to the hut, a spot in the -crumbled masonry where he could creep into a niche and be out of sight -of anyone emerging from the hut door. - -He squeezed into his niche only just in time. Yawning, stretching, a -tall figure, arms flung wide, stood in the hut doorway for a moment, -then strolled over toward the edge of the cliff, lay flat and peered -toward Cliff's camp. - -Cliff, peering from his hiding place, watched steadily. The Indian, for -the light was strong enough to distinguish him as dark, lithe and -dressed as a native, rose to a kneeling posture. - -He fidgeted with his garments while Cliff became very intent. He saw the -Indian draw a paper into view. He flattened it on his knee, and in the -growing brightness studied it. Then, after an instant of hesitation, he -drew off one of his sandal-like foot coverings and thrust the paper, -folded, into the shoe. - -Cliff did some hard thinking. This must be Huayca although the light did -not yet give proof of that. But the paper did. Cliff's problem was this: -if he disclosed his presence and tried to surprise the Indian the latter -might escape--perhaps run to the fissure in the rocks and vanish. With -the map--as Cliff surmised the paper must be--in his sandal it was -imperative to capture him, and in such a way that Cliff could then be -certain he would not destroy the map before Cliff could get it or summon -help. - -Therefore, his thinking made him determine that he must get the native -into some situation where surprise and location would make up for -Cliff's inferior strength and size. - -He reasoned that no native would travel in the mountains without food. -Therefore there must be some sort of pack within the hut; probably a -pack containing some _charqui_--the dried, thin sliced deer meat which -was a large part of a mountaineer's food, and dried or parched grain. - -The Indian was again peering intently toward camp. Perhaps the fire was -being made up by natives, or some other activity went forward. Cliff -took the chance that the watcher would be so absorbed that he would not -see a moving figure in the shadow beside the ruins. - -Sidling along, stepping cautiously to avoid loose stones--for the least -sound, in that stillness, would carry to keen Indian ears!--he slipped -to the hut door and vanished inside it. - -The place had no windows. Except for the doorway, lacking any door, -there was no place where light could enter; since that opening faced the -west, the interior was dark--pitch dark! - -Cliff felt his way carefully. His foot touched something; he paused and -stooped. Exploring fingers assured him that he had found a small pack; -around it was a packstrap with some rope attached so that the pack could -be tied up. - -Loosening the rope, Cliff drew it free; with it he slipped back to the -doorway and stopped just inside and beyond the dull glimmer of light it -admitted. He saw the Indian fasten his sandal, rise and saunter toward -the hut--for his breakfast. - -Totally unsuspicious the Indian approached; Cliff held his breath. As -the other stepped in Cliff's foot shot across the entry and the Indian, -with no way to foresee the ruse, stumbled and fell forward. At the same -instant Cliff moved. - -With pantherish quickness he grasped the two feet which had flung out as -the man fell; around them, before the other knew just what had attacked -him, Cliff flung the rope, drawing taut the end; a slip-noose, cleverly -maneuvered over the ankles, drew tight. - -Then began a battle between the man, prone but able to kick and -scramble, and Cliff, working to get his rope over a rock. - -In the camp Mr. Whitley came from his tent, yawning; he had secured but -a little sleep. He saw Tom and Nicky, beside the campfire and -approached. - -"Where is Cliff?" - -"He went after Whackey before dawn." Bill, hearing, ran over. - -"Why didn't he tell me?" Quipu Bill said in an injured voice, "I'm going -after him. That Indian--if Cliff comes up with him at all--may be -dangerous!" - -"Look!" Nicky fairly screamed, "up there----" - -His pointing finger called for no further words. They all turned their -eyes up the pass. Outlined against the yellow and crimson of sunrise was -a silhouetted figure, prancing. - -Faintly came a shouted call. - -Like racers at the clang of a bell the four were away up that pass. As -they neared they heard Cliff calling down to them and telling about the -ladder. - -In the hut doorway they soon discovered a scowling but silent captive. - -It was Huayca, without any mistake. - -"How did you ever?----" began Mr. Whitley and Nicky, almost together. - -Cliff explained. When he reached the point where he had the rope twisted -about Huayca's ankles he grinned. - -"He wriggled and yelled and squirmed," he said, "but I knew if I could -keep his feet in the air long enough and didn't tire out first I would -win; when he stopped wriggling I got a chance to pull home a slip-knot I -made and then I got the rope end over that place in the stone--it was -sort of like a pulley and when I hauled on the rope his feet were up in -the air and I tied the rope and ran to call you." - -"I wonder if he had the map?" Tom said. - -Cliff walked to the man lying with his heels higher than his head, and -jerked off a sandal. - -Then they did slap Cliff's back! - - - - - CHAPTER IX - AMBUSHED! - - -What to do next was a problem. They discussed it, breakfasting after -Huayca had been returned to camp. They had the map again; but, at the -same time, they had native carriers who had tried to slip away under -cover of darkness; they had Huayca, morose, sullen, who must be guarded -constantly or released to slip away and tell the Incas of their -movements. - -The mystery of the Spaniard was cleared up: when Bill had gone to his -camp the night before he had seen from the way the man stumbled up that -his ankle had been turned; they had stopped to let it rest or to -improvise a rude _hamaca_--the native sedan-chair or palanquin, really -more of a stretcher. - -They discussed matters from every angle but could not find a plan that -suited them all. If they went ahead their natives might disappear with -the very things that were most necessary to their plans: if they kept a -guard it would show that they were not the innocent travellers that they -claimed they were. Of course Huayca knew the truth; but had he told the -other natives? If they went on he might make their carriers turn against -him. If they released him he would certainly go straight to the Incas, -perhaps leaving the natives prepared to desert them or to lead them into -some trap and there desert them. - -Their discussion had reached no end when they saw four natives coming up -the pass, carrying a roughly made litter. In it was Pizzara, the -Spaniard. - -"I twis' the foot," he said after he had been brought to their circle -and his litter had been set down. "Thank you very much, I have eat the -breakfast." - -He rolled a cigarette and they watched him without speech. - -"You no fools," he declared, finally, "you know why I follow. When I was -in Senor Sander's camp one Indian come and say he pay me for go to stop -letter. I try but--" he nodded at Mr. Whitley, "--I not so lucky. - -"But Indian disappear in Lima. He not pay me. So I think to follow you -and so come to place where is much gold. - -"But why must I follow? Let us join together. That way we are stronger." - -They exchanged surprised glances. - -At a slight shake of the head from Mr. Whitley, Bill spoke. They were -not going after gold, he denied, they were going to try to rescue a -white man held captive by Incas. They all knew, of course, Cliff -thought, that it was useless to try to hoodwink the Spaniard: he knew -all but the exact route. It was wiser to admit the truth. - -"We will discuss your offer," John Whitley said, "perhaps we may agree -to it. We will let you know later." - -The Spaniard nodded, signaled to his bearers to remove his litter but -instead of returning down the pass he was carried the other way. They -saw why at once. His camp had been broken up and his natives, not very -heavily loaded, for he traveled light, came up the path and overtook -their master. - -"I don't know how you feel and you don't know how I feel," Bill was -whittling industriously as he spoke, "but it looks to me as though he -has shown us the way out." - -"I don't see how," Nicky broke in, "if we go with him he may spoil our -plans and get the gold--and--and--everything!" - -"He'd follow us, anyhow," Tom said. - -"He won't make as much trouble if he is with us as he might the other -way," Cliff agreed, "he could be watched." - -"If his natives could carry some of our things," Mr. Whitley said, "we -could discharge our own: they have not proved trustworthy." - -"That is my idea," Bill nodded, "he has more muscle in his carriers than -he is using. Shall we join forces?" - -They decided to travel in company. The spokesman was Bill. He explained -to Senor Pizzara that their own bearers had tried to run away with their -supplies; if he would let his carriers take heavier loads so they could -discharge their own, they would agree to his plan. He was eager to -accept the proviso. - -Over the swaying bridge of osier and plank that spanned a chasm they -passed as one party; their own men went the other way with just enough -food to last until they reached the foothills. - -Huayca they kept with them. He was not openly guarded but either Bill or -Mr. Whitley kept watch at night and he made no effort to escape. - -Pizzara asked to see the map; there was no reason to refuse. He promised -solemnly that he would help them in their effort to rescue Cliff's -father if he still lived; he would provide one more to aid their plans, -although these did not confide to him during the journey. - -Up, ever up they toiled. Great cliffs of granite and porphyry, massive -and awe-inspiring, lined the path. Vast chasms yawned beside the way. As -Cliff expressed it, they were pygmies going through Nature's giant -workshops, where heat and frost, sun and rain, earthquake and volcanic -upheaval, tore apart what had been built and threw the odds and ends -everywhere. - -Colder and colder grew the sharp winds as they climbed into the snowy -land above the timberline. - -It was to such a scene of grand and wild awesomeness that the three -chums turned smarting eyes, one icy morning, as they emerged from their -tent. - -Beyond their camp a great pair of twin peaks reared snowy crests into -the golden light of dawn. Through the dip between those peaks ran the -snowy pass marked in the map. They could see part of it already, from -their camp in the slightly depressed space they had chosen in which to -avoid as much wind sweep as possible. It was a gorgeous sight. Jagged -rock, glistening white blankets of virgin snow, fire-lit at the peaks by -the approaching sunbeams, deep clefts diving into pitchy darkness, made -a sight they could never forget. - -"But look!" said Nicky, first to get his fill of Nature's marvels, -"There aren't any Indians!" - -"Good gravy!" agreed Tom with his favorite exclamation. "You're right. -Where--? Oh, Bill! Say, Bill!" He and the others raced toward the figure -sitting composedly by a roaring dry-alcohol stove over whose wind-fanned -blaze he was heating coffee. Mr. Whitley emerged from his tent, -shivering, and joined them. - -"What has happened?" he inquired. - -"Just what I expected," Bill said. "The gay Spanish Don has taken his -natives and gone on alone." - -"Deserted us!" cried Mr. Whitley. - -"Deserted his first love for gold!" grinned Bill. "Yep! I guessed he -would, just about here." - -The chums looked at him in dismay. - -"Oh, he left all our supplies," Bill assured them. "Everything is -intact. That's why I let him go." - -"But what shall we do?" asked Nicky. - -"Follow!" stated Tom. - -"Not exactly," Bill corrected. "See--" he pointed toward the saddle-like -depression between the peaks,--"he goes that way. We turn right around -on our tracks and go back--that way!" - -"Give up?" said Cliff, disappointedly. - -"Nope! Climb down!" - -They stared at him. Was good old Bill growing queer or was he trying to -be funny? - -"Climb down?" Nicky demanded. "Where? Why? And where is Whackey?" - -"You don't know my mind, and--I'm not going to tell you!" Bill varied -his usual formula. "As for Whackey, I let him go in the deep, dark -night. We don't need him any more." - -It was all a puzzle and baffled the young fellows. Mr. Whitley seemed to -be deeper in Bill's confidence, for he smiled at them. - -"Bill should not tease, up here in this cold place," he said. "The truth -is, we are in the little cup of what must have been a high mountain -lake. It is just low enough in altitude to be below the eternal ice line -in summer. At present we are really camped on a vast cake of ice which -has frozen over it since the past summer. It will stay this way until -next year; then the ice will melt gradually and any snow that turns to -water will add to the reservoir." - -In centuries long gone, he explained, the Incas must have chosen this as -one of their water-reservoir links. They had wonderfully perfect systems -of aqueducts as the chums knew. - -"At any rate," he proceeded, "Bill is engineer enough to surmise that -the ruined and blocked-up stone depression we saw half a mile away is -part of an old Inca 'pipe line' or aqueduct, and that this one -communicates with others. In fact, when he came here the first time he -saw that it was possible to pretend to give up and retrace our way, and -then to dive into a sort of stone subway and go around to come out -beyond the place where there might be an ambush." - -"But the others will be caught," Cliff said, in dismay. - -"I warned Pizzara several days ago that the Incas were watching for us," -Bill declared. "He thought I was trying to frighten him. We can't chase -him! I think the worst that can happen will be that the Incas will drive -him back." - -Which, in fact, was a good guess. - -A week later, after they had plunged into a rock-buttressed cut and -explored its communicating cuts, always working by compass to pass -around the frozen lake, they came to a place where Bill halted them -while he climbed the jagged, crumbled side of their cut to spy out the -lay of the land. - -It had been no fun, that week in the cut. Packs were all exceedingly -heavy since five had to carry the loads of ten, even though depleted by -weeks of travel during which the food had dwindled rapidly. So they -struggled over rock debris, up sloping walls, over obstacles, sometimes -in dark tunnels for a short distance; but as Bill returned to them they -knew that it had been an effort well repaid. - -"Trampled snow," he said. "Abandoned packs. Signs of a fight. Rocks -dropped. Arrows stuck in the snow. I guess they turned our Spanish -friend back, and turned him quick!" - -Perhaps Bill did not tell quite all he had seen; nor did the boys press -him for details. - -Bill and Mr. Whitley decided that it was safe to go on; there were no -signs of Indians. It was supposed that Huayca had joined his own forces; -no doubt, seeing the white party turn and retrace its steps, he and the -others decided that they had turned back; at any rate they were not to -be seen, those Incas, though a sharp lookout was maintained. - -Many were the adventures through which the chums passed; once, in the -White Pass, the whole party lost its footing when Tom slipped and -dragged them all over the edge of a small crevice in the ice; but the -mountain climber's staff, which Bill had swiftly jammed in the ice, held -them until they could scramble up--and the steep drop where the crevice -widened just beyond was avoided. - -Nicky found a wounded vicuna and tried to take the frightened little -mountain sheep with them, but it disappeared during the night and they -never knew whether one of the Andean eagles, of which they saw many, had -swept it away or if in its struggles against its tether it had lost its -footing and fallen over a precipice near the camp. Entering a cave to -shelter for the night, they once surprised some of the huge vultures, -having a feast on some frozen animal--Cliff and Nicky were badly -buffeted by their wings in an effort to escape from the cave without -rolling down a steep slide; but in time the high places were behind them -and they began to drop slowly down into the verdure of the less chilly -slopes. - -After days of rest and other days of travel, they found themselves close -to a wide valley, into which there seemed to be no entrance. - -They were on a cliff, quite sheer in its drop to the vale beneath; but -as they stared, Nicky lifted a hand and pointed--"Look!" - -Far away they saw the hidden city! - - - - - CHAPTER X - THE HIDDEN CITY - - -"There it is," Nicky repeated, "There's--" - -"Incaville?" suggested Tom, smiling. - -"No--wait! I know! Quichaka!" - -"Quichaka it is," said Bill. "But don't make any noise. If anybody is -down below we don't want them to know about us until all our plans are -completed." - -They grew quiet, then, looking down for several hundred feet into the -valley. To the right and to the left, similar cliffs and steep drops -made the valley inaccessible. It had been well chosen as a retreat by -the old tribe when the Spaniards came into their country; and it was not -alone a safe retreat; it was a fertile valley also. Corn could be seen -in great, green fields, and other spots were tilled and showed the -bright colors of growing plants. - -"The city is too far away to tell much about it, even with the field -glasses," said Mr. Whitley. "But it is guarded by mountains even more -rugged than those we have just passed through. We shall soon be in its -streets, if all goes well." - -They began to prepare at once for their descent into the valley. - -It was their purpose to go in disguise. They had the clothing for their -disguises and had carefully brought some herbs from which Bill had made -a dye. They located a fairly deep depression in a rock, discovered a -stream and carried their buckets full of water from it to the stone, a -wilderness bathtub, as Cliff called it. - -Nicky and Tom, just to be perverse, as an outlet for their enthusiasm, -now that the real adventure was so near, declared: "It's a small -depression in the rocks, selected by Bill!" Joking so, they created a -small pool, large enough for their purposes. - -Into the water Bill emptied a preparation he had guarded carefully from -moisture and damage; it was a dye known to him, that turned the water a -dull, murky mud color at first; but when it cleared, it made a limpid, -brown-red pool. - -"Off with every shred of clothes, and in we go!" he said. "Every spot on -your bodies, even your hair, must be Indian." - -The plan Cliff had suggested in Amadale, and which had been accepted by -Mr. Whitley, and, later, by Bill, depended upon a complete disguise so -that they could don the native garb, even the robes and ornaments of -Inca nobles, later and not be suspected. - -Into the turgid pool they plunged. Nicky, who rather hated cold water, -was the only one who did not dive in, so to speak. He dipped a toe and -they all roared as he drew it out. "Red-toe!" Cliff shouted. -"Nicky-Nicky Red-toe!" - -"Well, you needn't talk! Who ever saw an Inca with a white man's head." - -They bantered and chaffed him as he gradually dipped in and then Tom -caught Nicky off his guard and dragged him in, all-over! He tried to -duck Tom in return, and they made a game of it until Mr. Whitley warned -them against the danger of their shouts being heard. - -When, after carefully inspecting one another and being certain that not -even a part in their hair would show a break in the rich, deep, -copper-brownish red of the vegetable dye which penetrated their pores -but had no ill effects, they stood around in the sunshine, drying. - -The surprise to them all was the effect which the dye had on Cliff. His -light, tow-colored hair had come out a rich, glistening and beautiful -reddish golden color! - -"Glory to gramma!" Nicky laughed. "Wouldn't that be lovely if you were a -girl? Those curls! Those ringlets! Those golden red curlies!" - -"At that," said Bill soberly, turning Cliff around as he inspected. -"This is going to turn out well for us." - -"Turn out well? How?" inquired Mr. Whitley. - -"We won't go as simple natives wandering in by mistake, as we had -planned," Bill said. "Do you happen to remember anything about the Inca -religion?" - -"Why, yes," they all chorused, beginning to dress in the simple, but -bright wool robes Bill had selected before they left Cuzco and which -looked very well with their deeply toned skin. - -"They worshipped the Sun," Tom said. "They built temples to the Sun." - -"More than that," Bill added. "To them the Sun was the visible symbol of -the god they worshipped, Raymi. But they also believed that the moon was -the wife of the Sun, and that such stars as they could see were like a -retinue or court of pages to wait on the royal Sun and his moon-wife." - -"Yes," Cliff broke in, "I know, or I think I know, what you are about to -say. They called Venus--wait, now, let me get it!----" - -Nicky was bouncing up and down on a rock. Finally he could contain -himself no longer. - -"Chasqui!" he said excitedly. - -"No," said Tom with contempt, "'Chasqui' means a runner--like the chap -who carried that quipu." - -Nicky looked crestfallen, but Cliff smiled. - -"You were close," he admitted, "and you reminded me of what I wanted to -say. - -"Venus was the favorite star of the Incas and they called her -'Chaska'--that was like saying 'Page of the Sun' but I guess that is a -pretty free translation." He turned to Bill. - -"Not too free," Bill grinned. "But it really meant just exactly what you -are at this moment--'the youth with the flowing and shining locks!'" - -"Why, yes," said Mr. Whitley, "I remember that. And it will fit in -splendidly. Cliff, from now on, if all goes well, you shall be -'Chaska--Page of the Sun!'" - -And, as they made final plans, on their rock, the rush-roofed quarters -of Huascar Inca Capac, ruler of hidden Quichaka, were invaded by two -unshod men--none wore sandals in the presence of their ruler!--who bowed -to the floor. - -"We make report," said the taller man. "Oh, Inca--" and a stream of -titles and words of praise followed. - -"Let it be spoken from the tongues of truth," said the Inca. - -They bowed again and the story of the exodus into the strange outer -world was told. He who had been silent related his experiences on a -journey to that strange continent where all men were pale and where many -monsters with hot breath and coughing voices dragged great rolling -houses along on hard roads of shining metal; where houses were, oh! -piled one upon another until one could not count them to the top; where -men had even trained huge birds whose wings did not move but whose -voices were as the roar of an avalanche, so that these birds did rise -from earth to carry the men through the air. Thus, and with many other -strange stories he explained to the wondering ruler the sights he had -seen but that he did not understand. How could he, buried in his -mountain retreat, explain a railway train, or the high skyscrapers of -America, or its aeroplanes? - -"And the letter of the captive?" demanded the Inca. - -Its story also was told up to the arrival of the party among the snows -of the white pass. - -"There we flung rocks upon them, and we believe that all ran back except -one who lay still until new snow covered him." - -The Inca commended their splendid work. - -"But this I do not understand," said he who had been to America, and he -displayed the quipu of Bill Sanders. "I sent a message to my brother in -the hills and on the way it changed from a message of warning, that men -came, to this." - -"Read it, quipucamayu," the Inca commanded of the other. - -"It tells, oh Inca, of the coming of one from the stars, yes, even of -Chasca, Page of the Sun, himself, as our fathers prophecied so many ages -ago." - -"Strange," mused the ruler. "And last night a star flew from the East to -the West and fell into darkness." The natives of many lands are as -superstitious about the marvels of nature as were the Incas. "Is it a -good omen, think you?" - -"Royal Inca, son of the Sun," answered his priest, "when the royal -Atahualpa was on the eve of capture by the men of white faces, it is -told by our haravecs--poets, minstrels--that a star fell!" - -"Even so," growled the Inca, "if Chasca comes to spell my doom, I care -not whether he come from the Sun or from Cupay--the god of evil--I will -sink an arrow into his flesh!" - -"Not so!" the priest of the Sun was shaking with suppressed dismay. "Oh, -Inca, royal though you be, say not thus." - -"How be, if I am of the Sun a son--shall I then fear one of his -vassals--a page?" - -The other noble, a high councillor, spoke softly. - -"Fear not, Inca, neither anger the messenger. When gods begin to fling -arrows other gods may be stronger--or weaker." - -That evening, just before the moon rose from behind the cliff on which -they camped, Tom and Nicky crouched over a tiny electric battery. - -"There's Bill's signal," whispered Tom. Nicky closed a switch. - -"Come, Incas, come and watch your first fireworks display!" chuckled -Nicky. "I hope it works!" he added. - -In the far city, as the ruddy glow grew on the hilltop, men watching the -stars sent word to the Inca of the strange sight. The populace was flat -on its collective faces, half terrified, half awed at the red fire -shining brightly far to the East; as it died down they saw the silver -moon peep at them. - -And late that night came runners to gasp out their news: in that -terror-fire they had seen outlined a figure of black, its arms stretched -wide, and on its head a glory of shining hair! - -Through the city the news fled from the nobles to their subjects! - -"Chasca! Page of the Sun! He has come!" - -And at least one Chasca was sound asleep that that very moment. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - "CHASCA HAILLI!" - - -Before the peaks they had crossed were lit by the first hint of morning -light, Cliff and his fellows were busy. Already, during the day past, -they had selected a sturdy tree with a stout bough projecting over the -cliff edge. To this bough Tom and Nicky climbed before break of day on -this eventful morning and to the top of the limb, after making a -beginning with a large nail, hammered in a little way, they began to -screw home a very strong pulley. Gripping the bough, steadying each -other, they twisted the screw home until the pulley was safely secured. - -Cliff flung an end of the light, strong rope they had brought and as it -hissed upward Tom caught it and thrust its end through the pulley -sheaves, drew more of it through and then, with Nicky, descended to the -ground. - -Their problem had been to be able to return to the top of this sheer -precipice when their mission would be accomplished. For that purpose -careful plans had been made and were being carried out. - -In a sort of harness of the rope, at one end, Bill and Mr. Whitley -affixed a heavy slab of stone; this they lowered over the sheer wall and -let the rope pay out until the stone thudded to a stop far below them. - -"That stone makes a counter-balance," Bill stated. "Now we make a large -loop at this upper end of our rope--so! Take your seat in it, John," to -Mr. Whitley, "we put the pack in your lap and you grip it with your -knees. Now the rock makes it easy for us to lower you. Going down!" - -When the rock came slowly and easily into their reach, its weight making -it simple for them to control the descent of the other end, they waited -until a double tug on the rope told them that Mr. Whitley was safe and -free; they paid out and the rock slipped back into the darkness. - -"You next, Nicky, with your pack!" - -In that way they all descended, Bill being last. He judged the weight of -his own load, combined with his weight, to be about a half as much again -as that of the stone; so by paying out the other side of the rope upward -he let himself downward to a point where the stone came level with him; -then, holding both strands tightly in one mittened hand, he hooked a -prepared hook on his pack to the rope under the stone, released that -side and with the stone balancing him, felt himself descending at a -speed sufficiently retarded to enable them to break his landing without -even a jar. - -Then they fixed a stout twine to the looped end of the rope and by -letting the twine pay upward, lowered stone and pack. - -They next tied a fairly small rock to the low end of their twine and -drew downward on the rope. In that way, they were able to recover the -entire rope, having loosened its loops so that it passed through the -pulley; and still they had the twine led through the upper pulley for -future use. Braced against the sheer wall, Bill acted as a sort of -"under-stander" for a human pillar, Cliff on his shoulders, Tom as the -top man; in that high position Tom let the twine run so that the small -rock's weight drew it up until the end was in his hand; he felt for, and -found, a crevice into which he wedged it with a sliver of stone. - -In that way they left an end of the twine too high to be discovered and -removed; later they could secure it and by letting the stone at its -other end pull it down, could readily affix their rope and again reave -it through the pulley and get themselves back to the high point. They -hid the rope carefully and began preparations for the day whose light -was already dyeing the sky with vivid colors. Looking upward as the -light grew stronger they saw that against the neutral rock their dull -twine did not show up at all and only sharp eyes might detect the fine -line high above leading over the bough. Their way of escape was quite -likely to remain undisturbed. - -"I only hope our plans will work out," said Mr. Whitley, as they ate a -cold breakfast, not wishing to light a fire. - -"If we were dealing with the Peruvians near the Pacific, or on the -eastern slope, I wouldn't try it," Bill declared. "The Spaniards have -educated them just a little too much to make it safe. But away off here, -buried in the mountains for centuries--ever since about 1532--I feel -sure that the old superstitions and beliefs still count in our favor." - -They had not long to wait before discovering which way the hidden valley -would deal with the intruders. - -Through the field glasses Bill reported that people were moving about in -distant fields and that a group seemed to be moving slowly toward them -on a road which seemed to end about half a mile away, at a low stone -building. To that the group proceeded. - -"You had better get up on your rocks, Cliff," he suggested. "Don't pay -any attention, whatever happens; just look as if you were lost in -meditations." - -Cliff took the position they had agreed upon and the others squatted at -a little distance. Outwardly they paid no attention but Cliff saw, as -did Bill, whose position enabled him to report softly to the others, -that his position was the focal point for groups and solitary figures -from every direction. About two hundred gathered at a respectful -distance, murmuring in low tones, evidently fascinated as they watched -Cliff. - -"If I have figured right," Bill told Tom and Nicky, "in just about two -minutes the sun will be high enough." - -"High enough for what?" asked Nicky. - -"I think I know," Tom told him; but Bill signed for quiet and from the -corners of their eyes they kept watch of Cliff. He stood without moving, -a veritable statue of an Indian in his gaily colored robe which Cliff -had been assured by Bill was a garment of the sort worn by the nobles. - -Several minutes passed and then the sun topped the rim of the ledge and -flung its rays downward; slowly the shadow crept back until, almost as -if a curtain had been drawn away, the sun shaft fell upon Cliff's head. -It lighted up the reddish gold that the dye had made of his hair, and at -the sight, from the clustered natives came a deep murmur. - -"Chasca--Chasca--as the prophecy told!--the youth with bright and -flowing locks!" And then a roar, "Chasca--Hailli! Hailli!" It was a cry -of mingled triumph and respect. - -"It works well," Bill said, and slowly rose. - -He stepped forward slowly. The natives melted into a more compact mass -and gave ground a pace; but Bill made a sign that they seemed to -understand. He made a brief oration; the others listened silently. Then -several detached themselves and with incredibly swift legs, sped away -toward the distant city. - -"Turn as though you were in a dream and stroll into the tent," Bill told -Cliff. He obeyed. - -"No use letting the novelty wear off," Bill grinned to Mr. Whitley. -"And, besides, I want him ready to make a grand entrance, sort of the -way they do in the circus." - -"Grand entry? To what?" Nicky was still lost in the mazes of this -unusual procedure. - -"To ride to town with the Inca!" Bill chuckled. - -Sure enough, about noon, by which time the crowd around their location -had trebled in numbers, a procession was seen on the road. - -When it reached them the young fellows stared, hiding their surprise at -Bill's muttered warning. Many soldiers, with bows and arrows, some with -curious looking swords, came first; they separated into two lines, to -the right and to the left; through the lane advanced many tall, erect -men in colorful garments. - -These advanced and stopped in a little group. Behind them other men -carrying two gorgeous litters, one a little more gaudy than the other, -set down their shafts and rested. - -What Bill said as he advanced to parley with several men who came a few -steps toward him, the other members of the party could not hear. -Presently he returned. - -"I told them we are servants of the royal and heaven-sent Chasca, who -has been sent to bless their land; they seemed to like it. That second -'hamaca' is for Cliff." - -He moved close to the tent. - -While he pretended to bow and to remove his shoes, and to go through -some sort of rites which made Nicky want to laugh, Bill whispered to -Cliff. - -"Can you hear me, Cliff?" - -"Yes." - -"When I say 'Hailli, Chasca' the third time, open the tent flap. Pay no -attention to anybody. Don't answer if anybody speaks. Keep yourself -erect and act as though everybody here was dirt under your feet. Got all -that?" - -"Yes, Bill." - -"Pick out the biggest of the two litters and walk right to it as if you -knew all about it. Stop by it and just bow your head forward a little -and say, 'Hailli, Inca!' and then turn and let the bearers help you into -the other hamaca. Don't talk, and don't notice anything. I'll do -everything--with John." - -Presently the tent flaps separated and out came the counterfeit of the -supposed celestial visitor. He did as Bill had instructed him. To the -litter, which was covered with gold, or gold leaf, and heavily -ornamented with green stones and other glittering gems, he made his -solemn, unhurried way. - -"Hailla, Inca!" - -"Chasca, Hailli," answered a deep voice from within. Cliff saw a man -reclining, in royal robes, of texture even finer than the robes worn by -those around him; on his head was a circle of fringed wool, the scarlet -"borla" or sign of the Inca, with its two feathers from the sacred birds -which were kept to supply those feathers alone-two of them to be worn by -the Inca in his headgear. Huge golden ornaments hung so heavily from the -man's ears that they had dragged his earlobes down practically to his -shoulders. He was a strange looking person and yet there was dignity and -solemn power in his face. - -While Cliff was helped to ascend to the floor of his own litter, Nicky -had a little experience of his own. - -Several llamas, the native sheep, that is the largest of the four -varieties, whose wool was the most coarse and used only for the garments -of the subjects--the nobles got the finer wools!--had been brought up. -They were the only beasts the Incas knew for burdens. - -But Nicky thought they were there to be ridden! - -Now a llama is a curious animal; he will carry a light burden without -complaint; but if the load is heavier than he likes he will lie down and -he won't get up until the load is lightened. - -Nicky flung the strap which was fastened between two small packs over -the llama's back and then, with a hop, was up there himself. - -Thereupon the beast lay down promptly. Nicky shouted and slapped its -woolly side, but it made a queer little grunt and lay still. The natives -broke into shouts of laughter, as also did Tom and Bill as the latter -hastened to explain to Nicky that he must walk. - -Cliff had seen the little incident and he had hard work to avoid -laughing; but he maintained sober gravity and soon the caravan was ready -and moved slowly toward the road; first the soldiers, then the nobles, -or priests perhaps; then came Bill and John Whitley walking at either -side of Cliff's litter; after them were Nicky and Tom, and then a -regular throng of natives chanting and singing. - -"Don't ask about the white man--your father--too soon," Bill warned -Cliff softly. "It might arouse suspicion. But we're on our way to -Quichaka and I hope we find your pa well and wise." - -"So do I," muttered Cliff, "I can hardly wait!" - -It was a slow but interesting journey to Quichaka. The youths feasted -their eyes on strange scenes. The valley was laid out in splendid farms, -with many vegetables that were not easy to recognize, although great -fields of maize or corn could easily be identified. The road was -beautifully smooth, of great flat stones laid straight and level. Once -they passed over a bridge of huge stonework piles, with heavy timbers -laid across to support the flat slabs of the roadway. - -Finally they came into the city. It was spread out widely, and, as Bill -estimated later, probably had a population of some eight or ten -thousand. In the poorer quarters the houses were of a rude clay-like -composition, much like the _adobe_ of Mexico; the finer homes were of -stones, large and small, rough for the most part, but with their edges, -where they joined, smooth and so closely matched that the joints were -hard to detect; they had no windows; the Incas did not know about glass. -The doors were open in the temperate noonday and early afternoon warmth; -within there was too much gloom to show the furnishings. - -Straight streets, laid out in perfect parallels and with exactly right -angled cross streets, finally took them to a great square in the center -of the city; there were massive, but only single-story buildings all -about. At one side were what appeared to be the quarters of the ruler -and of his chief nobles. On the other were public buildings whose nature -was not readily seen. - -At the far end of the square was a massive building which could be -discerned as the temple. It was almost a duplicate of the description -that histories gave of the Sun Temple in Cuzco, once capital of the Inca -empire; the one in Quichaka had the same ornamented exterior with a -cornice of shining gold plates. - -Groups had lined the farmland along the road; in the suburbs the crowds -had been greater. - -In the square there seemed to be almost the whole population of the -city, massed at either side. They took up the chant as the party -progressed and the sound grew to a roar. - -At the open space before the temple to the Sun they all stopped and the -Inca descended. - -Mounting the steps of a smaller building, which Bill whispered was, as -its silver ornaments showed, the temple to the Moon, he made a -declamation which the youths' understanding of the dialect called -quichua enabled them to understand partly; he welcomed Chasca, messenger -of the Sun, come to earth to give plenty and happiness to their land. - -"See that small temple at one side," Bill muttered to Cliff. There were -about five of the smaller buildings around the greater temple; one for -priests, one dedicated to the stars, another to Illapa--general term for -thunder, lightning, all the forces of nature which they also -reverenced--as well as the larger one dedicated to the Moon. Bill nodded -toward that which was sacred to Venus and other stars. Cliff agreed. "If -they ask us or give us a chance to choose, pick that one," Bill -muttered. "It fits the part you are playing--it is the star temple." - -The populace greeted the Inca's talk with shouts and cries of delight. -Then a priest, in finely wrought robes, advanced and spoke to Bill; they -all seemed to maintain a reverent air and hesitated to address Cliff -directly. Bill nodded and told his comrades they were to be housed in -the temple of the stars. - -There they were led and young girls of a pretty red-bronze, with long -black hair, came to attend to their wants while the crowds outside -shouted and applauded until the door was shut. - -"You have come at a good time," said the priest who had come in with -Bill, "He-Who-Comes-From-the-Stars can destroy the crawling things that -eat up our corn." - -"Is it, then, blighted?" Bill asked. The priest stared at him and Bill -read his mind: celestial messengers should know everything. Bill smiled -grimly and corrected his blunder. - -"You must know, O, noble of the High-and-Sacred-Order, we who come to -earth to serve Chasca must lose the wisdom of the stars and the youth -with the bright and shining locks has not chosen to tell us of his -purpose among you." - -He glanced toward Cliff who was keeping apart from them and added: "Now -we would have food and then we would be alone and I will speak of this -matter of the corn to Chasca." - -"It shall be so," replied the priest and issued orders to the girls who -began to busy themselves bringing rude tables and utensils into the -small antechamber of the temple where they were to be quartered. - -"And if there are those who are sick," went on Bill, "name them to me -that Chasca may be asked to smile toward them and, if it is his purpose, -lift them from the ground." - -"There is one--but he is only a pale and worthless one, not of our -tribe, though quite a scholar. But first, O, servant speak of our corn." - -"It shall be so," said Bill. "Now--leave us." - -While they ate strange meats and other food from dishes of silver and -gold, served by the maidens, Bill told Cliff that he knew that the -father they had come to help was alive. They were all glad and anxious -to find a way to see him. - -"I wonder why those girls keep tittering, and looking at Nicky," said -Tom as the dishes were cleared away. - -Bill, smiling to himself, beckoned to one and said a few words in -quichua. The girl giggled, quite like any girl, put her finger to her -lips shyly and then whispered a swift word and fled. - -Bill broke into a hearty laugh. - -"All right for you!" grumbled Nicky. "They have some joke about me. If -you don't want to tell----" - -"They have a name for you," Bill chuckled. "Never mind the exact word, -but it means He-Who-Sits-Down-Upon-Llamas!" - - - - - CHAPTER XII - CLIFF FACES A PROBLEM - - -"You fellows are having all the fun," Cliff said ruefully, while the -disguised five sat around after dinner the third day they spent in -Quichaka. "You can go all over town and see all the sights and I have to -sit like a judge, all alone in my temple." - -"It won't be for long," Nicky cheered him up. "Bill saw your father -again--how was he, Bill?" - -"He's getting better every minute," Bill informed them. "When they took -me to see him first--at Chasca's command--and I don't think they -suspected anything--I managed to get a chance to whisper to him that we -were disguised friends. He chirked up right away. He isn't so very -sick--just weak. He lost hope and heart, I guess, and sort of pined -away. But today I got a chance to whisper that his son is here--you -ought to see him spruce up!" - -"If I could see him----" Cliff said. - -"It would be dangerous. Either he, or you, might get excited and spoil -everything. No! Better wait till the Feast of Raymi. Then we can have -him brought before you. He's pretending that he is no better so that -when you see him you can pretend to cure him." - -"I think that will be best," counselled Mr. Whitley. "Now if you are -ready, Tom, let us go out to the farm lands and inspect that corn crop -again. I am something of a chemist and I think that if I can only find -the ingredients to mix a good insecticide, we can show them what will -seem like a marvelous destruction of the pests which are eating away the -grain. We must search as quickly as we can because we want to be ready -at the festival." - -They went away toward the outlying farms and grain fields. Mr. Whitley -wanted to see exactly what insects were at work, then he felt sure that -he could discover some means of ending their depredations. - -Cliff sat in moody silence for a time. - -"That girl who always laughs at me and calls me the fellow who sits down -on llamas," Nicky broke the silence. "She is a nice girl, even if she -does laugh. She told me there is going to be a big competition--I don't -quite understand what kind--races or something. Why can't Cliff enter -the race and then he could train and get out for exercise." - -Bill offered to find out what was to occur, and went away. He came back -very soon and informed Cliff that before the annual Feast of Raymi, the -great festival in honor of their sun-god, the Inca would choose from -among his sons the one who should be the next Inca. - -Such young nobles were carefully trained during a long period of -preparation; they were taught the arts of war as the Incas understood -them; they were also taught many other things, and then, at an -appropriate time, great games and competitions were held in which -endurance, prowess and skill were tested. - -Such a contest was to be held very soon, just before the great festival. -Challcuchima, one of the ruler's many sons--for the Inca had many wives -and many children--was ready to receive the ceremonials of appointment. -Cliff, as Chasca, had already received and commended Challcuchima; a -fine, clean-limbed fellow near Cliff's age, the young Indian made a good -impression. - -"I had a chat with Inca Capac," Bill said. "I hinted that it was in the -mind of Chasca to become as a mortal youth and try his skill against the -noble youths and the son who is the Inca's favorite. He liked the idea." - -"Then we will change the temple of the stars into training quarters," -Nicky said excitedly, springing up. "I'd like to do some contesting too. -And so would Tom, if Mr. Whitley can spare him." - -When they returned, Tom and Mr. Whitley took the plan well; the young -history instructor saw a splendid chance to give his young charges a -real insight into Inca sports while he, with Bill, could be away in the -mountains, searching for certain chemicals or ore deposits from which to -extract certain mineral salts for his insecticide. - -The populace learned of the coming contests and became as excited as -children. They loved sports and contests; never a cruel race by nature -the nobles, although they endured hardships and inflicted pain -mercilessly to themselves and to enemies in war, were by nature gentle -and their sports were far less cruel than those history attributes to -the Spartan race, yet somewhat akin to these in some aspects. - -In tests of endurance the Spartan methods were approached; already the -young son of the Inca and other noble youths had been going through -these. Clad in mean attire and sleeping on the ground, they had endured -many hardships; among the tests was a three day fast. But that was over -and there was a brief respite during which food and exercise built up -strength for the climax--races, archery as they understood it with their -war bows and arrows, and contests of an athletic sort. - -Cliff, as Chasca, but less the supposed god than the real youth, was -very popular with all the people as he walked in the temple grounds. He -and Tom and Nicky strolled about, the day before the great contest, -admiring the marvels all about them. - -"Did you ever see so much gold and silver?" Tom exclaimed, "not only -their utensils and ornament--but look there! Beyond those real flowers -and that little clump of corn--there are gold and silver flowers--and -all the varieties of things that they grow!" - -They strolled over to examine them. Bill joined them. Mr. Whitley was -busy with some minerals. - -The garden they entered was an astonishing place. The Incas used -precious metals as we use bronze and marble, for statues and ornaments -and even duplicates in gold and silver of their garden fruits and -flowers. Gold was so common in the mountains that it was not used for -money; in fact the Incas had no money of any sort; they did not require -it under their system of government whereby everyone was cared for by -the governing tribe, so that wool, grain and other articles of daily -necessity were distributed fairly and plentifully and everyone shared in -the labor of their production. Therefore the precious metals were -employed for other uses than that of currency. - -They examined an especially beautiful parcel of corn stalks and ears of -grain, executed in gold and silver; the stalks were of silver, the fat, -bulging grain ears were sheathed in golden reproductions of the husk, -the corn kernels peeped out, perfect and golden, while the tassel of -cornsilk was made of spun silver threads. They exclaimed as they studied -the wonderful workmanship and then went on to the fresh wonders--fruit -and flowers so perfect that they would deceive except for their sheen of -white or deep, glowing yellow. - -When they turned the corner of the star-temple they stopped in surprise. -In a huddled heap, a girl lay on the ground, her body shaking with sobs -that racked her. - -"Why," Nicky cried, "it's Caya. It's the girl who called me the fellow -who sits on llamas. What's the matter, Caya?" - -She sat up, her dusky face streaming with tears, and shook her head, for -Nicky had forgotten and spoken in English. - -Bill stepped close, squatted beside her and repeated the question. At -first she only shook her head, turned away and buried her face in her -arms, rocking in grief. - -Finally she gasped out, in a sobbing voice, her story. - -The Incas were not usually a cruel people, and it was almost unheard of -for them to make a human sacrifice to their gods. But, in some great -crisis of their community, they were known to resort to such methods to -appease their gods. - -Such a crisis was the attack of the insects upon their corn. - -And they were planning a sacrifice to induce Raymi, their god, to look -down with favor on their crop and destroy the menace to their future -food supply. - -In great buildings far from the everyday life of the tribe they kept -certain chosen maidens who were employed in the service of the Sun-god, -spinning and weaving tapestries, garments and ornamental cloth. From -among these a sacrifice was chosen, when the rare occasion came for such -a terrible need. - -"They have--chosen--my--sister!" sobbed Caya. - -"Goodness!" exclaimed Nicky. "We must do something to stop them." - -"We can't interfere in their religious rites," warned Bill, sadly but -seriously. - -The girl grovelled before Cliff, as though, being the messenger from the -stars he must be able to help her. - -Cliff felt very badly. It was outrageous and inhuman, this thing those -people planned to do. - -But what could he do to stop it? - -He bent down and put a hand awkwardly on the girl's black, touseled -hair. - -"There must be some way----" he said, looking across her head toward -Bill. - -"I can't see any way," Bill said morosely. - -"When is this to take place?" he asked the girl in quichua. - -"At the Feast of Raymi!" she sobbed. - -"Well, you stop crying and----" Bill nudged him. Cliff, too, was using -English. He hesitated, and Bill lifted the slim, quivering girl to her -feet. - -"Be not afraid, child of the long and curling locks," he said kindly in -the dialect she understood, "Chasca does not wish to see your eyes wet. -But what can be done, Chasca will do; but breathe not a word lest -Chasca's pity turn to wrath!" - -She dropped to the ground and struck her forehead on the path, to -Cliff's great dismay. Then as she remained in that abased position he -touched his chums' arms and they, with Bill, silently slipped away. - -"Run and tell Mr. Whitley," he urged Tom. "If he can get his chemicals -ready in time we may save Caya's sister." - -"But if he can't?" said Nicky desperately. - -Cliff shrugged helplessly. - -"I don't know," he said. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - THE GAMES - - -"Come on, you Tom! Oh, Tom--come on!" Nicky shouted and screeched above -the roar of excitement. Neck and neck, down a circling path beaten in -the stubby grass, Tom and an Indian raced, stride for stride; behind -them came a fleet following. - -"Come on, Tom," said Cliff, under his breath; he had to fight down his -desire to shout; he was Chasca and must remember his pose. - -Near the finish came the racers. Shouts and cries of encouragement -drowned Nicky's shrill yells. - -But Tom put forth his remaining burst of strength and with scarcely -three inches to his credit, flitted over the mark--winner in the race in -which all the young nobles contested except the Inca's son alone. - -Not far beyond Quichaka there was a sudden rise of the hills in front of -whose sharp slope a large tract had been leveled off. From early dawn -the lesser natives had streamed to their places on the hillside, and -after an early and ample breakfast Cliff and his companions had gone -forth with the Inca and his retinue, Cliff being honored by a seat in a -hamaca, as had been his fortune on their arrival. He and Bill, Mr. -Whitley and Nicky, sat near one another, watching Tom in the foot races. -Cliff sat in the place of honor at one side of the Inca whose other -place on the further side was given to the high priest of the temple of -the Sun. Below them, among the nobles, were his friends. - -By his victory over the nobles Tom eliminated all competition and would, -after a rest, have to race Challcuchima--and it had been privately -agreed among the youths of Cliff's party that they might all best the -nobles but it would be an act of wisdom to allow the Inca's favorite son -to be the final victor in any contest except those in which Cliff, -himself a "son of the stars" would compete--there, since the Inca was -claimed to be of celestial descent, the contest might fall to whom the -Fates and skill should decree. So, later, Tom failed to exert his utmost -speed, although he felt that by doing so he might have tied, if not -outdistanced, Challcuchima. - -To the surprise of all the assembled natives, but not so much to that of -his friends, Nicky came off victor--except against Challcuchima--in -tests with bow and arrow. While the willow of his own archery outfit was -lighter than the stout war bows, even in the size which the youths of -sixteen employed, his arm was sturdy and his eye was well trained. - -Then came battles with swords, very much like those used in actual -fighting; of course their edges were blunted and their points rounded -off; nevertheless in the earnest thrust and swing of the mimic contests, -several accidents of guard resulted in thrusts that came near to being -fatal; in these contests the three chums were spectators. - -Then came matched wrestlers and there Cliff was in his element; -wrestling, under fair rules, he loved; in its clever and -strength-testing grips and stresses he was a master. - -Although they approached their supposedly celestial antagonist in some -awe and perhaps because of that feeling did not use their best skill, -nevertheless Cliff had several very arduous and breath-taxing struggles -with young nobles; but each he finally laid neatly down with both -shoulders touching the sward. - -Finally he vanquished his third antagonist and threw himself down, -panting. There were cheers and, with eyes turned, he saw that -Challcuchima had just completed his own final test with a noble's son. -These two, if they came off victors in their respective combats, were to -rest and then strive for the final victory. - -The time came and the two, evenly matched in weight and with equally -quick eyes and well matched skill, took their position on the grass. -Cliff, of the two, had the disadvantage that he had not been in athletic -training as long as had Challcuchima and was, therefore, the more tired -at the end of his three bouts. - -However, he had no fear or dismay in his mind. At the word of their -Indian referee, the youths came together, seeking for best holds and -advantages. - -Cliff got a surprise. Hands gripping each others arms, straining for a -chance to slip quick muscles into knots when the right hold could be -won, Cliff felt his antagonist go suddenly as limp as a rag. -Challcuchima seemed to be sagging, as if he were weak and was about to -fall. Cliff was startled enough to let go in order to catch the youth -and prevent a fall. To his dismay Challcuchima was on the very instant a -steel spring and a panther for quickness and before his adversary could -recover the ruler's son had caught him with arms that steadily bent the -American youth backward for the throw; but Cliff, in his turn, played a -surprise trick, for he let his legs go straight out from under him so -that instead of being forced down he was falling backward. That threw -his weight on Challcuchima's wrist and the hold broke; Cliff twisted in -air as he felt the lock break, so that while Challcuchima fought to -regain his stand his opponent landed on all fours and was up and sliding -his hands up as Challcuchima caught his arms. - -The pace slowed then; each realized that he could gain little by tricks -that were more acrobatic than wrestling. The half sneering curl left -Challcuchima's lips, however, and a look of considerable respect was in -his eyes as they strove and strained, hands slipping, gripping muscles -tensing and flexing, sinews straining to the turn and twist of their -supple bodies. - -As in the first strife the trickery of one was met by the quick thought -and agility of the other, so, during the long minutes, for they wrestled -continuously from start to final defeat of one or the other, each saw -himself equaled. When Challcuchima secured the Inca equivalent of a -half-nelson, Cliff knew how to create overconfidence and eventually -disarm the holder and himself get an advantage; when he seized a -fortunate instant to drive through into a hammerlock, Challcuchima had a -trick that made Cliff's teeth snap in the pain of suddenly stressed -muscles and he had to release. For it seemed that each of them knew some -principles of the science of causing a surprise reflex by some hold that -taxed a sensitive nerve more than a straining muscle; and both used -their knowledge. - -Finally, wearied by strain and exertion they stood, arm to arm, panting, -eyeing one another and then the Inca rose and spoke. - -"Thus must end the contest," he told them, "the son of an Inca, himself -descended from the god we worship, can not hope to put down Chasca, -himself holy and from the stars. Nor can Chasca put down the son of the -master he has come to visit in friendship." - -"Even so, royal Father," panted Challcuchima. "We were evenly matched." - -Cliff smiled queerly, turning his head away; his chums wondered why. The -rest of the ceremonial was rather tedious; long and flowery speeches -were made by the Inca and his chief priest, extolling the virtues of his -son and exhorting him to carry the wise and generous rule forward when -he became Inca. Garlands were placed on the heads of all the -contestants, made of bright flowers with evergreen woven into that of -Challcuchima to show his endurance. Then he was crowned with the -special, tasseled fillet of vicuna wool, yellow in color, which attested -his appointment to be the next ruler. - -When the ceremonies were over and, back in their temple, the contenders -and Bill and Mr. Whitley discussed the previous events Tom turned to -Cliff. - -"Why did you smile at the Inca's decision--when you and Chally wrestled -to a standstill?" he demanded. - -"He bribed me," Cliff answered. "Remember, when I had the hammerlock -hold----?" - -"I wondered how he broke that," Nicky interrupted and Bill nodded. - -"He whispered that if I defeated him he would be disgraced, and promised -to give me anything I wanted if I would not win." - -"Did you make him promise anything?" Nicky was eager. - -"No--but I will." - -"Oh!" Nicky was quick to see the idea in Cliff's mind. "At the Feast of -Raymi--before the sacrifice--Caya's sister." - -"Yes, if Mr. Whitley doesn't get his chemicals to save the corn." Nicky -turned a handspring, with a hurrah! - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - GOLD, AND A SURPRISE - - -"Four days more and you will see your father," Bill told Cliff. "He is -much better. I saw him today." - -"If only I could slip away and see him, just for a minute." Cliff spoke -wistfully. Bill shook his head. - -"I am afraid they would suspect something," he said. "It was easy for me -to see him, as I told you before; I pretended to know that there was a -great, pale scholar from beyond the mountains whose knowledge I wanted -to compare with mine. The chief priest often talked with your pa and he -was glad to take me; and now I can go alone. You are supposed to be -spending all your time pleading with the Sun-god to save their corn. I'm -afraid to have you caught going through the tunnels." - -Quichaka was a city modeled very closely along the pattern of the -ancient capital, Cuzco. As in that old place, so in Quichaka, the -grounds beneath the temples were honeycombed with secret passages, -tunnels that led to underground chambers. - -In the fifteenth century Topa Inca Yapanqui had extended the borders of -the flourishing empire of the Incas to the Maule River and his son had -later subdued Quito and made it a part of his possessions; then the -Spaniards had come into the country. Observing that these invaders had -confiscated treasure, one of the many sons of the reigning Inca of the -period had gathered much treasure and many of his nobles and their -subjects and had found a way to the hidden valley where they had built -up Quichaka during long years of labor until it almost duplicated the -ancient glories of Cuzco, their former home. - -"They don't keep Cliff's father in a dungeon, do they?" Tom asked Bill. -Mr. Whitley was away, alone, in the foothills, searching for certain -minerals. Bill shook his head in reply to Tom. - -"Not a dungeon," he explained. "They have some cells down under the -ground but he is in a sort of chamber, a good, big room." - -"Why isn't he allowed to be in a house?" Nicky demanded. - -"Huamachaco, the high priest, is to blame for that," Bill said. "Cliff's -pa heard in some way that there was a secret pass or some way to get out -of the valley and he tried to find it; they caught him and brought him -back and then he tamed the eaglet and when they discovered that it was -missing and found some torn scraps of paper which he had tried to -destroy after he had spoiled the letter he had started on them, -Huamachaco, who isn't any man's dummy, decided to have the white man -watched." - -It was because the chief priest was so clever that Bill feared to take -the least chance of upsetting their plans. - -Challcuchima, who had become very much attached to Cliff and to his -chums, in a respectful awed way, came to visit them while they discussed -their plans. - -"Holy Chasca," he said to Cliff in quichua dialect at which Cliff was -only fairly proficient, covering up his deficiency by saying very -little. "As successor to the Inca rule I have been shown the mysteries -of the secret ways beneath the city. Among our hidden treasure is a -statue which is like you and yet not like you. My father, the Inca, has -permitted me to show it to you that you may say if it is truly your -image and if it should be set in the Temple of the Stars." - -Cliff consulted Bill with his eyes and Bill, with a very tiny wink and -nod, bade him go. The chums, not invited, looked downcast as Cliff -walked across the gardens of gold and silver with his young guide; but -Bill soothed them by telling them what he had seen underground. - -Cliff was to see far more than was permitted to the eyes of his supposed -scholarly servant. - -Taking him to the Inca, who greeted him with a mixed respect and good -feeling, Challcuchima led Cliff through a tapestried and hidden opening -in the private rooms of the palace; then they went down many steps; -Cliff had brought a flashlight, an implement which caused Challcuchima -much awe and wonder when he was allowed to operate it. Mostly, they used -torches as they traversed long passages, twisted around sharp bends, -slipped through cross-cuts. - -Finally the two came to a huge chamber cut out of the rock. Servants, -carrying torches, held their lights high and Cliff had to suppress his -tendency to gasp. He had never seen a sight to compare with that which -met his eyes. - -"This is the room beneath the Temple of the Sun," Challcuchima informed -him, "this is sacred ground." He and Cliff removed their sandals for -everyone of the few permitted access to the Temple or its underground -counterpart, went unshod. - -Wide and long was the chamber. The light, flaring and flickering as the -torches leaped up and burned down, was filled with gold and silver -objects. There were utensils of every sort, from plates, cups and rude -pots, to wonderful statues and urns and placques of precious metal. It -was a very treasure-house. - -Challcuchima led Cliff, his eyes dazed by the glories of the objects -which he dared only to examine briefly in passing, to a statue depicting -a youth cast and moulded in purest gold, a lithe, poised figure of a -young man in the action of running, poised on the toes of one foot, the -other leg thrust out and lifted as though it had just taken a step. - -"It is like to you and yet not like," said Challcuchima. - -Cliff thought quickly. It could not be a trap, this effort to discover -whether or not he knew the figure. Or could it. And why a trap at all? -Was anyone suspicious of his pose and of the part he played? - -If he said it was Chasca and the Incas knew differently, he mused, he -would disclose his ignorance: if he denied that it was the image of -Venus as they imaged the god of that star, what might they answer? - -He was spared the need for an answer. - -Huamachaco, the high priest, coming down the passage with a torch, said -something in quite an excited manner. Challcuchima grasped Cliff's arm. - -"There is something new--come," he urged, "this can wait!" - -Cliff hurried after the servants with their torches and his royal young -guide turned swiftly into a passage they had not used, which brought -them out into one of the small houses just beyond the Sun temple, a -dwelling of one of the priests. - -There was a crowd assembled near the Temple of the Stars and Cliff saw -at once that Bill, Nicky and Tom were on the way to join the gathering -crowd. With Challcuchima and Huamachaco he went quickly toward them. - -"What goes on?" he asked. Huamachaco did not answer. He was rather stout -and the climb had taxed his wind. - -Cliff met his comrades at the edge of the group: some fell back -respectfully to give passage to the young Inca-to-be and to Chasca and -the high priest. They pressed to the point of interest. - -A native, much more stocky than the others they had seen, and of a far -deeper reddish complexion, seemed to be a captive; but so rapid was the -exchange of conversation, so sharp the questions which Huamachaco asked -and so hasty the replies that Cliff and his fellows were completely at -sea. - -Finally the crowd grew so thick that, at the high priest's order -soldiers formed a quick wedge and began to disperse them. The stranger -stared fixedly for a while at the group facing him, while he replied to -Huamachaco's sharp demands with fluent quichua dialect. The priest -seemed puzzled. Finally he made a sign to Challcuchima who turned and -hurried toward his father's palace. Huamachaco, taking the stranger by -the arm, with the soldiers closing in behind them, apologized to Chasca -for leaving so abruptly, and Huamachaco led the stranger away toward -another building. - -"He claims that he has an important word for Manco Huayna, who was, he -says, the fellow who went out into the mountains to find out about the -eaglet," Bill explained as they returned soberly to their own place. "Do -you know who I think he is?" - -"The Spaniard," said Nicky promptly, "Did you see his shifty eyes?" - -"Did he recognize us?" Tom asked, "I know he stared." - -"I think he suspected," Bill answered. - -"What word do you think he has? About us?" Tom mused. - -"I hope not," said Bill, dubiously. "He's after gold, of course. I don't -know how far that fellow would go in an effort to get it." - -And not even Chasca could tell him. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - THE FEAST OF RAYMI - - -"Well, anyhow, our three day fast is over," Cliff yawned as Bill shook -him awake, long before dawn. He was sleepy; but he was more hungry than -he was drowsy. They had decided to carry out all of the rites of this, -the greatest festival of the Inca religion; it began with three fast -days which were now past. - -"I wonder what has happened to Mr. Whitley," Tom said as he drew on his -robe. - -"I hope he comes back before the ceremony gets to the place where we -have to try to stop the sacrifice," Nicky whispered. "I don't know -whether the Inca's son can stop it or not, even if Cliff reminds him of -his promise." - -"Nor I," said Bill. "His pa would probably back him up to give comrade -Cliff any gold or maybe," and his eyes would have been seen to be -twinkling in a better light than that of their torch, "or, maybe, a -dozen wives for the youth with the shining locks." - -"Wives!" Cliff said it disgustedly. "What would I ask for wives for?" - -"You might ask for Caya, anyway," Nicky said mischievously. The girl who -had been assigned to serve Nicky had transferred all her attention to -Cliff since Nicky had whispered, against Bill's advice, the hint that -Chasca would save her sister from the sacrifice. - -"She does act like a girl getting ready to 'love, honor and disobey' her -lord and master," chuckled Bill. - -Cliff shrugged his shoulders. She was a nice Indian girl, but his mind -was not set on girls. He looked forward to the moment when he could see -his father. "I'll ask for her for you, Nicky," he challenged, "you seem -to be broken hearted about her." - -Nicky stopped just in time--he had been about to fling a golden cup at -Cliff: Challcuchima came in after knocking at the doorway of the -anteroom in which they slept. - -"All is ready," he greeted, seriously, "come." - -They followed him into the great square. The dawn had not yet come: just -a faint streak of light gray cut the darkness in the East. - -"The greatest crowd I ever saw here!" exclaimed Nicky, "Look how they -pack the square!" He was right. With torches that lit the place with -weird gleams and deep shadows, probably every human being who could walk -was there. Challcuchima led the party to a spot just beyond the crowd, -in front of the Inca's home: there they were greeted seriously and in a -low tone by the high priest and the Inca. - -"I don't see the stranger--the fellow we think is Sancho Pizzara," Cliff -whispered. Bill shook his head. - -"I wonder what he came to tell them--and where he is?" Nicky said under -his breath. Since no one knew he got no reply. - -The torches were gradually extinguished as the stragglers filled every -available bit of room. Gradually the light was growing in the East; from -pale gray it went through the slow changes of dull green, then brighter -green, altering to greenish yellow and brighter lemon; then dashes of -crimson came, like lances of fire flung across the sky. - -A low murmur began; constantly it increased in volume and in eagerness; -for it was a chant of triumph and greeting to the orb of day which they -worshipped as the visible sign that their god smiled upon them. -Watching, Cliff saw the first rim of the sun peep up over the peaks. -There rose a vast, throaty roar of triumph and the mass of people bowed -themselves toward the symbol of their deity. - -"What would they do if it turned out cloudy?" Nicky wondered. - -"They would take it as a bad sign for the coming year," Bill told him. -He looked around anxiously. "I wish I knew where John Whitley keeps -himself." - -"So do I!" Tom whispered. - -Challcuchima touched Cliff's arm. They were silent. - -Along the great square moved the Inca, slowly, majestically. He was clad -in a gorgeous robe of the beautiful woven fleece of the vicuna, with -gorgeously dyed patterns of vivid colors running through it; on his head -was the borla, that crimson fringe carrying two feathers from the sacred -bird, the caraquenque--sacred to the purpose of supplying feathers for -the Inca's head-dress. He wore many rich ornaments, laden with jewels, -mostly emeralds, set in lavishly cut and worked golden shapes; from each -earlobe hung the massive ornaments which, in years of wear, had drawn -his earlobes down almost to his shoulders. Challcuchima was dressed as -beautifully but he wore his yellow fringed and tasseled head-dress and -his ears still were pierced by the golden bodkins which had been put -there during his own festival, to remain until the flesh healed and left -holes for the ornaments he might wear later on. - -"We are bound for the Temple of the Sun," Bill told them. It proved to -be true: outside the great temple, its golden cornice glowing brightly -in the newly risen sun's rays, the procession halted. The people became -silent. The priests and nobles drew aside and so did all but the Inca -and Huamachaco, the high priest. Removing their sandals these two -proceeded into the Temple of the Sun. No others were permitted in that -sacred edifice except for purposes of cleaning and certain rites. - -"I wish you'd look!" whispered Tom. From their stand they could see -through the wide, open doorway. Within, the level rays of the sun made -it very bright. Such marvels of gold, of ornamentation, such glorious -tapestries and vivid colors had never before greeted the eyes of the -four who stared, awed. - -At the extreme end, where it faced the rising sun, was set a huge golden -placque, a plate of gold many feet square. Its center was so carved and -ornamented that it presented a rude semblance of a human face, eyes, -nose, mouth: from the sides of its circle spread in every direction -golden rays. It was a marvel of workmanship and of treasure. - -After the Inca and his companion had performed certain rites they came -out and more chants marked the resumption of the processional. They -moved only a short way off, stopping again. Where they paused was an -altar, a sinister object to Cliff and his comrades: they shuddered. - -The chief priest advanced with some chant on his lips and began to use a -strange curved mirror with which he concentrated the rays of the hot sun -upon some prepared material on the altar. - -"They have no fires burning during the fast days," Bill told his -friends, "now the priest kindles the sacred fire with his mirror and -some of it is given to certain Virgins of the Sun to guard. It is mighty -serious for them if they ever dare to let the fire go out during the -coming year." - -The priest succeeded in securing smoking embers and then a blaze. He -turned and made a sign and as he did so Cliff grew tense. - -From a little distance a figure was led, heavily covered with white -garments and a long, tissue-like veil. - -Cliff caught Challcuchima's arm and gripped it tightly. - -"What--what?" he stammered, and could not finish. He knew. - -Challcuchima spoke quietly. They seldom made human sacrifices, to Raymi, -but their corn was being destroyed; they hoped by this unusual proof of -their religious ardor to placate the angry god. - -"Remember," Cliff's voice shook and he could hardly recall the dialect -he must use, "when we wrestled--you made a promise!" - -Challcuchima seemed to guess what was coming. He drew back. - -"I claim that promise, now--fulfil your promise," gasped Cliff. - -The high priest heard the raised voice. He paused in the work he did -with the fire, and walked quickly to Challcuchima. The Inca, also, -turned and frowned at Cliff. - -Cliff, his dialect forgotten, spoke in English. - -"You shan't!" he cried, his head high, arms thrown upward as if he were -veritably the young god he represented to them. "It is criminal! Chally, -you promised me anything I'd ask. I ask for that innocent girl's life. -Spare it--or----" He made a menacing gesture. - -The high priest glowered and the Inca scowled. Challcuchima drew further -away from Cliff. - -"What does he say?" he asked of the priest. - -Cliff, in vivid sunlight, stared at Bill. To his amazement, Bill was -scratching his left ear with his middle finger! - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - THE MYSTERY BOYS HOLD COUNCIL - - -Never in the brief history of their order had the Mystery Boys held a -session under more amazing and dangerous conditions! - -For Cliff soon saw that Bill's sign was in no way mischance. With set -face and earnest eyes the lanky, cunning Quipu Bill was calling for a -session of the order, wherein signs would pass unknown to the hosts -around them. The people were pressing closer. - -Nicky nudged Cliff: Tom already had his arms folded across his chest, -sign that he had entered the signal session: Nicky folded his arms. -Cliff, mastering his excitement, did likewise. - -What was the matter with Bill? Did he not realize how very serious the -moment was? Why must he choose such a time to use the signals in whose -mysteries Cliff and his friends had initiated him? Or--was it because of -the danger? - -Bill placed his right hand negligently in his pocket--his coat pocket! -That meant, "Do not speak!" - -Cliff nodded slightly. - -The priest and the Inca, Challcuchima and a number of nobles who had -hastened closer, scowled and waited for an answer as Huamachaco -sputtered, "What does this mean? What said Chasca?" - -The air was electric with tension: Cliff felt it, his chums felt it; the -mass of people, although they had not heard, had seen his dramatic -attitude--and they felt the suspense. It was so still that they all -distinctly heard the crackle of a kindled stick on the altar! - -"Chasca speaks the language of the skies," Bill said, in the dialect of -the nobles and priests, which was different from the quichua and which -he had not taught the boys, although he understood much of it himself. -"Chasca in his anger forgets that you do not speak the speech of the -gods, being but mortals!" - -All the while his hands were changing position unobtrusively, or his -position or attitude shifted. - -He dropped his right hand to his side, as he spoke, but the three chums -saw that all fingers were clenched except the index finger which pointed -outward and downward, hanging loosely. - -That meant "Some one is coming!" - -They stood with folded arms for he had asked no question and they did -not wish to call attention to themselves by too many gestures. Bill was -the leader: he had called for a council; whoever did so must do all the -gesturing unless he asked for an answer. So they watched without -appearing to do so. - -"Chasca is very angry," Bill spoke on, calmly. He did it very well, -Cliff had to admit to himself, almost as well as Cliff had done on that -memorable occasion when they had considered admitting Mr. Whitley. He -hoped Nicky would not speak as he had done then. Nicky did not mean to -do that, but if he spoke now in his excitement he might upset all Bill's -plans. - -Bill had his hand spread out in what the Inca took for a gesture of -anger against him and his priest. Really Cliff saw in it their sign that -the next word would tell who was coming; it would be spelled on the -fingers of Bill's other hand, hanging loosely at his side, using the -simplest deaf-and-dumb alphabet. - -They watched. - -"W-h-i-t-l-e-y," he spelled. John Whitley! - -They breathed sighs of relief. - -"Chasca does not wish that a sacrifice be made," Bill spoke, "Chasca has -made peace with Raymi for you. He is angered that you do not show more -trust in him, a messenger of Raymi, come to give you blessings." - -His two hands dropped into his trousers pockets. That meant that they -must not look for whoever came. They must pay no attention. Cliff -nodded. - -Then Bill drew his hands free and folded his arms. At once they knew -that the council of communion was over. - -"Chasca has bidden his servant--he of the dark locks--to go forth and -find a certain thing." Bill went on in the nobles' dialect, -"behold--that servant returns!" - -The boys did not look up, mindful of their orders; but all the others in -the group did so. Through the crowd came pushing John Whitley. They made -way for him but so dense was the press that he moved only slowly. Bill -must have seen him signal from the outskirts of the crowd, Cliff -guessed; it was true. - -But what would Mr. Whitley say? Had he found what he wanted? Or--not! -And would he understand the danger into which Cliff had been forced when -Challcuchima failed to keep his word? - -Then they saw that Bill's ear was causing him a seemingly great lot of -trouble; his middle finger scratched industriously as John Whitley -approached. Would he recall the signal? - -"This is sacrilege!" cried the high priest. "Chasca, son of the skies, -will not seek to change the rites to which we and our fathers have bowed -ever since Manco Capac, founder of our line, sunk his golden wedge near -Titicaca and began his rule!" - -"Chasca does seek to change no rites," Bill replied calmly. "Chasca -seeks to save a life because there is no need for its sacrifice!" He -kept working at his ear. John Whitley broke into the circle. - -"What?--" he began. He stared around. There was a moment of intense -silence. A stick fell and crackled on the altar: among the maidens of -the Sun there was stifled sobbing from Caya, close beside her sister but -not daring to touch her! - -John Whitley's eyes seemed caught by Bill's finger: he stared. Then he -looked at Cliff and suddenly he folded his arms! - -"Let the sacrifice proceed!" shouted the high priest, jealous of his -position. - -"Not so!" shouted Bill. - -His fist came down into an open palm as though to emphasize his cry, but -John Whitley divined that in the secret sign manual a question was being -asked! "Did you get it?" - -"Yes!" his right finger rubbed his chin. - -"Ah," said Bill, and his voice rang out clearly as he faced the high -priest. - -"Chasca denies you the right of sacrifice!" he said, "There is no need. -The corn will be saved. The Sun, Raymi, has sent that which will destroy -the insects!" - -Clearly the Inca was impressed. Bill seemed so sincere. Mr. Whitley was -smiling. The three chums were standing erect in poses of confidence. - -"Within a day your corn will be on the way to security," Bill said as -Mr. Whitley whispered swift words. "Complete your feast and tomorrow you -shall see that we speak truth!" - -Cliff ran past them all, caught the shrinking, veiled figure and -beckoned Caya. - -"Go back to our house," he said. "Caya--take her! We've won!" - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - FROM BAD TO WORSE - - -When Cliff returned to his friends he saw that they had been joined by a -tall, cold-eyed Indian noble. He and the high priest were exchanging -frowning glances: it seemed evident that they disliked each other. Mr. -Whitley was whispering hurriedly to Bill. The high priest turned toward -Cliff with a sharp word but Bill advanced, held up his hand, and faced -the Inca. - -"Oh, royal son of the Sun," he began, loudly enough to be heard by many -nobles gathered nearby, "Chasca's servant brings report. There was no -destruction of your corn by insects, as Huamachaco, your high priest, -told you. The corn grew sick because the earth it grows in has become -tired and must be made fruitful once more." - -"That is not so!" shouted the high priest, forgetting his dignity in his -anger. - -Bill paid no attention. - -"Oh, Inca," he went on, "here, beside me, is one you trust. Is it not -so?" - -He indicated the new arrival: the Inca glanced at him and smiled. "He is -my son, my oldest son," he agreed, "I trust him." - -"Make report, oh, son of the Inca," urged Bill. - -"Make report," chorused the nobles. - -"I make report of this, oh, noble Inca and my father," said the Indian. -"This servant of the messenger from the stars came to my fields soon -after Chasca appeared among us: he observed the corn and he took up the -earth and made magic with it." The crude tests Mr. Whitley had been able -to make had seemed to be incantations to the untutored Indian. "Then -went he afar among the hills with one of my servants. They came back -with something borne in a sack and from that which they brought my -servants did make a magic fluid by mixing it with water." - -"Their earth is starving for nitrogen," Mr. Whitley said in a low tone -to Cliff, "they do not rotate their crops here; that is they plant the -same crop until the earth is exhausted, instead of resting it by -changing the crop from one sort to another. I brought them some mineral -salts rich in nitrogen and saved time by sprinkling the earth around the -cornstalks. And we had to make tiny holes in a golden crock to sprinkle -with--imagine! A golden sprinkling can." - -"Already my corn begins to change and no longer does it droop." The -Indian cast a triumphant look at the high priest: evidently there was -jealousy. "It was not the insects, as Huamachaco did tell you, oh, my -father, but the earth that starved the grain, as I have said to many." - -The high priest turned away, but as he did so Cliff, surprised, his eyes -bent on himself with a baleful glance. However, he simply stared -straight and level at Huamachaco whose eyes shifted aside. - -"You have heard," said Bill. "Let the Feast of Raymi go on, and let it -be a feast, indeed! When it is finished, all shall divide into bands, -some to fetch the magical earth, some to mix the powerful liquid, others -to fashion urns with which to make it fall like rain upon the corn, and -so, very soon, all of your dying earth will live again and make the corn -lift its tassels in joy to Raymi, whose humble messengers we are." - -Cliff had not dreamed that Bill could be so glowing in his speech, and -he saw that not only the Inca, but his younger son and all of the nobles -were impressed. The Inca evidently foresaw trouble between the two men, -and rather eagerly he waved his hand toward them all in dismissal. - -"Let the feast go on," he said. Then, turning to Cliff, he added: "Think -not, oh son of Venus, that I am ungrateful; when the feast to your -superior Lord and Master is done with I will give you tokens of my -grateful spirit." - -Cliff bowed, not quite sure what else to do. Bill, whose middle left -finger had again been caressing his ear, until his friends all gave -attentions, made a sign again for no speech, and they all allowed -themselves to be conducted to places of honor at a special board table, -rather crude but lavishly laden with gold and silver dishes, on which -were spread a feast of native roast meats, vegetables, a sort of bread -made of the maize--only rarely did the Incas make up bread; they used -the corn more often in a sort of porridge, or dried and sometimes -parched. - -"I am glad you came when you did," Cliff told the former history -instructor. The others echoed his statement. - -"We are not out of the frying pan yet," Bill warned. "Or--if we are, -it's most likely because we're about to be dipped into the fire." - -"Why?" asked Nicky, thrilling a little with fear and quite a deal more -with anticipation of more adventure. - -"You saw the priest and the noble glaring at each other?" - -They all nodded. - -"It was because of their enmity that the noble was so eager to help me," -Mr. Whitley stated. "Naturally the chief priest will not like us too -well for showing that his judgment was so far wrong." - -"But the priest won't dare do anything," Tom volunteered. "The people -think we are heroes, don't they?" Bill nodded. - -"Just now they do," he agreed. "But--there is no telling--I saw -Huamachaco talking to that mysterious stranger as we came--." He paused -and suddenly changed his tone, as he added, "Be careful!" and -immediately raised his voice again. "Did you ever see so much gold on a -table, Chasca, since we left the halls of the dwellers in the skies?" - -They saw at once what caused his sudden change. The dark stranger was -approaching. By his shifting gaze and the first words he spoke under his -breath they knew him to be Sancho Pizzara, the Spaniard who had offered -to join them and then had deserted them in the white pass, only to come -to grief himself. - -"_Buenos di_--Ah, senors!--and you, noble Chasca! Noble Cleeford Gray -Chasca!" There was a curl to his lip and Nicky thrust a hand against the -table to push himself erect, but Mr. Whitley put a foot against his -ankle none too gently in warning as the Spaniard proceeded. "But that is -fine, that you shall be Chasca! You can help me." - -"You weren't ambushed?" demanded Tom. "We thought----" - -"There was some--how you say?--some 'ta-ra-boom-te-ay' in the pass of -snow. My men all run away back. Me, I am desert in snow to freeze. But I -get here--late. You are already fix up very nice." - -"I warned you about the pass," Bill reminded him. - -"_Si!_" He dismissed it with a wave of his hand and bent close and -motioned to them to listen. "That we shall forget. Now it is to know--is -there plenty of gold? But I see it." - -"What did you tell these people?" Mr. Whitley demanded. "We heard that -you came with some message." - -"Tell--? Oh! I tell that I am send by other men of the hills to seek -white faces of those who come this way." - -"You told them that?" Bill scowled. - -"_Si._ But I have not yet tell that you are men I seek." - -"No, and you had better not!" said Tom sharply. Bill warned him with a -look. - -"Why shall I tell that when you can take me to the gold?" - -"We are not here for gold," Cliff said evenly. "We told you about my -father." - -"Then there is that gold for me alone!" smiled Pizarra. - -"Do you think we would help you steal it?" asked Cliff very quietly. "If -you do, you are wrong. We won't even take away any to pay back Mr. -Whitley, because my father's books will make enough to do that. We came -here intending to take enough gold away for expenses, but that was -before we knew that my father was alive and able to go with us." - -"If you go--" said Pizarra, softly, his eyes flashing. - -"Do you mean to threaten that you will endanger the life of the man we -came here to rescue?" asked Mr. Whitley coldly. "And put these young men -in danger?" - -"Oh, no," Sancho Pizzara assured him with a shrug. "I am very kind man. -Senor el Venus, here, he will guide me safe to the gold. I shall then -not put danger to any." - -"And--if we refuse?" asked Bill. "Then--will you?" - -"Then perhaps I find the white _hombres_ hiding under red dye." - -"And of course we would sit right still and let him," Nicky could not -control his anger. "We wouldn't say he was a disguised Spaniard trying -to steal their treasure--" He stopped Cliff had nudged him sharply. But -his statement daunted Pizarra. He turned thoughtful. Then he smiled. -"There is for you too much danger," he declared. "You will not dare!" - -"As surely as you open your mouth--" began Bill. - -"If you do, we do!" Tom snapped. - -"Tit for tat!" That was Nicky. - -"But it cost you nothing to show me where is the gold hide," Pizarra -said, rubbing his hands. - -"These people have been kind to us," Mr. Whitley said. "We do not like -to help you rob them." - -"I am mak' friends to his Huamachaco," Pizarra said meaningly. "He is -already suspect something." - -That was bad, Cliff reflected, then he brightened. - -"He has just been discredited by the Inca's son," he stated. "If it came -to a test of power----" - -"You see what it come to!" Pizarra wheeled and stalked off. - -"We ought to--" Mr. Whitley rose; he had in mind the danger to which -their move exposed his charges. - -"But we can't--" began Cliff. - -"He certainly has put us in a tight corner," Bill admitted, "but we -can't let him dictate and threaten----" - -They followed his staring eyes as he paused. The Inca, his two sons, the -high priest and Pizzara were approaching. - -"Sit tight," whispered Bill. "Let me do the talking!" - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - TIT FOR TAT - - -"Certainly you may do the talking," John Whitley agreed to Bill's urgent -hint as they all watched the arrival of the other party. "But I cannot -understand how Pizzara can dare to risk his own safety----" - -"The high priest hates the Inca's older son," Bill answered. "He will be -discredited if the corn grows. He would rather see the crop ruined than -to have that happen. The Spaniard must guess that. Probably he hinted -enough to whet Huamachaco's curiosity. I think the priest might even -promise--promise, I said, not give!--him gold for his help in removing -us from the scene." - -The rest of the party nodded; there was no time for more discussion. The -Inca arrived and they all stood up respectfully and bowed to him. - -"This man makes a strange story," said the ruler. "He says you come here -from across the great blue waters to steal our gold and to take away the -white man who is sick." - -Bill bowed to the Inca, but his eyes watched the face of the priest; -Cliff and his chums saw that the latter was smiling in a satisfied, -triumphant way. - -"Truly it is a strange tale, oh ruler," Bill spoke without apparent -surprise. "A tale that is the more strange because it comes from the -lips of one of that race of Spaniards who tore the empire of the Incas -to shreds and took much gold away!" - -Pizzara snarled as the Inca turned toward him; but he swiftly composed -his face to a smile. - -"Royal son of the Sun," Pizzara said to the Inca. "Which of us speaks -the truth? It is easy to prove. Here come the men!" - -Cliff, Nicky and Tom wheeled. There was a commotion among the crowds -still mulling around in the great square, drawn by the feeling that -something important was happening. Soldiers threw the people aside as -they advanced toward the gardens in which the royal table and those for -the nobles were set out. - -Cliff felt a prickle of fear run along his spine; there was no mistaking -the figure coming toward them. It was Huayca, or Whackey, their former -mountain guide, the one who had deserted them on the same night that the -Spaniard had slipped away. Behind him were two others. They later proved -to be the Indian who had accompanied Pizzara to America and the other -who had waited in the hills for the quipu from Cuzco. - -Soldiers formed a cordon around the garden as though by a previous -arrangement; it was as well, for the crowd, sensing one threat in the -attitudes of the five strangers, began to murmur and to press in toward -the gardens. - -"Can you say who these men are?" the Inca demanded, turning to Huayca -and signing for him to rise from his posture of kneeling with his face -to the ground. - -"They are five," replied Huayca. "They have the same height as did five -whom I guided toward our trap in the white pass. But their faces are -red, the others were white." - -"And who, say you, does this man resemble?" Bill indicated Pizzara. "Is -he not of the height of a Spaniard who followed us?" - -"He is of that height, perhaps," said the former guide. "But him I -cannot recognize for I saw him only at a distance." - -"But these," he indicated the chums, "they wear robes like those I saw -in a pack carried by the men I guided--I could say they are the same -robes, noble and great son of the Sun!" - -At a word from the second of his associates, soldiers roughly drew Cliff -to one side and pushed Nicky and Tom to either side of him. - -"Thus they stood in a house in that strange land which I visited," said -the other man, and he added, "I recall the picture perfectly and they -are of the same height and attitude." - -"What say you?" said the Inca, frowning. - -"This!" replied Bill, while the chums stood watchful but realizing that -he had urged them to let him handle the situation. "This, Inca!" No -longer was he humble or quiet. Quipu Bill was stern, erect, his lank -figure towering even above that of the tall ruler. "This I answer. White -or red--messengers from the sky or visitors from across the blue -water--these things do not matter." - -He slipped a hand quietly under his robe. - -"What does matter is that we came here to save your corn----" - -"That is so!" cried the elder son of the Inca, eagerly; he had evidently -been waiting for an opportunity to help them. - -"Ask this other man what he has come to do," Bill whirled to scowl at -Pizzara who cringed instinctively before he could regain his braggadocio -pose. "And--further--" went on Bill, "--ask Huamachaco how much gold he -has promised to this man for a story that will work against your older -son and his friends who seek to save your grain!" - -It proved to be a telling thrust; the high priest shifted his eyes and -fidgeted under the Inca's inquiring gaze. - -"The man speaks wisely," said the younger son, Challcuchima. "Whatever -may be their past, my brother has said that his corn begins to thrive -again under this servant of Chasca and his magic. And you have seen the -high priest's face. I can say truly that my brother has told me before -of Huamachaco's envy and fear of him." He had paid Cliff back for -sparing him the humiliation of defeat in the wrestling matches. Cliff -smiled gratefully and Challcuchima smiled back. - -"What magic has this other to match that?" asked the older son quickly -using the advantage for his friend, John Whitley, who had shown him how -to enrich the earth and help his crop. - -Pizzara blustered. - -"I do not fling magic about like water," he boasted, "but I will make -your corn grow when the fate of these men is settled." - -Bill fixed his eye on Pizzara and began to grin; Cliff and his chums -relaxed a little. During his conversation Bill had very stealthily and -gradually moved toward Cliff; middle finger touching his ear, he had -signaled for attention. Cliff was ready, then, when, calling by signal -for an answer to his sign-inquiry, "Is anybody coming?" which Bill asked -by dropping his right hand to his side with two fingers loosely -dangling, Bill stood behind him. Cliff knew that nobody was coming. He -knew that Bill knew it. But he knew something else---- - -"The sign replying 'No!' to any signal is to clasp the two hands lightly -behind the back," Cliff thought. "Bill knows no one is coming; he wants -my hands behind me." He clasped them. - -All that had gone on while Bill was talking and listening. As he turned -to pass behind Cliff his hand slipped like lightning from under his robe -and Cliff, feeling a cold object, found his hands clasped around a small -automatic revolver. - -"Keep it behind you," muttered Bill, and then moved on and went close to -the Inca. From where he had been standing, beside the other end of the -rude table, his move to get closer to the ruler seemed quite natural. -"Clever Bill," thought Cliff, "to make me put my hands behind me to get -this revolver, by using the Mystery Boys' sign. I wonder why he gave me -the weapon?" - -"Oh, Senor Pizzara," Bill threw over his shoulder. "So you have magic, -have you?" He faced the ruler. "Inca," he said, "noble Son of the Sun, -this man says he has magic. Shall we have a test of his power compared -to that of Chasca, Page of the Sun?" - -That pleased the entire group. The Indians were always eager to see any -marvels. Bill's plan was clearer to Cliff but he held the revolver -behind him, although several soldiers saw the glinting object and -stepped forward, then hesitated and drew back at Bill's words. They had -not actually seen the weapon pass from Bill to Cliff, and they were not -sure that it had done so. They waited to see what would happen. - -"Let this man show his magic to Chasca!" snapped Bill. - -They all chorused, "Let him show his magic!" - -Pizzara grimaced at Bill and turned to the Inca. - -"I fear to show my magic," he said. "It is too powerful----" - -"He has none," Bill cried, then whirled toward Huamachaco. "Let your -high priest show his magic, then." - -But apparently the high priest still had some fear that the young fellow -with the bright and flowing locks might be truly a messenger from the -skies. He backed away, frowning, shaking his head. "It is not good to -show my magic to the ones who are not in the sacred order," he muttered. - -"What? No magic? Yet Chasca can show some! Chasca--oh, Inca, take from -the youth of the skies that which he offers." - -The Inca turned, gazing in surprise as did all the Peruvians, as Cliff -produced the revolver. "The safety catch is on," Bill murmured. "Let him -have it, Cliff." - -The Inca took the glittering steel object gingerly, awed by it. He -examined it while the others stared, but kept at a safe distance. -Pizzara began to skulk away but soldiers stopped him. - -"Point it--so!" suggested Bill, showing the ruler how to direct the -muzzle in the general direction of Pizzara's stomach. - -"No! No!" cried the man, groveling and pushing a soldier in front of his -own person. - -"Bring him back!" snapped the Inca and the soldiers pushed Pizzara -forward. - -"Pull on that little stick," Bill suggested. The safety catch prevented -the Inca from discharging the weapon but the effect of Bill's words upon -Pizzara was amusing; he fell on the ground and tried to crawl behind -Challcuchima. - -"Nothing happens and yet the man who can save your corn is a worm, -crawling about, just because of our magic," said Bill. He took the -weapon which the Inca was very glad to relinquish. - -"Get up!" Bill said curtly. Pizzara stood cringing. - -"Say to the Inca--is what you told Huamachaco the truth?" The muzzle -slipped upward along Pizzara's buttons and he knew there was an expert -hand releasing the safety catch. - -"No! No!" he shouted. "Inca, it was not so." - -"Take him away!" the Inca signed to the soldiers and for the time the -danger was past. - -No one interfered as, leaving the table, the five friends went quickly -to their retreat in the Star Temple. - -"We must change our plans," Bill said, swiftly when they were alone. "We -must get together all our things that we will need--the things Cliff -suggested bringing may come in handy after all!--and I will bring -comrade Cliff's pa tonight and we will make a try for that ledge where -our rope is hidden." - -"What is it, Caya?" Cliff asked as the girl came to fall on her knees -before him. He signed for her to rise. - -"Use your magic to return to the skies," she begged. "They talked after -you went. I went near. I heard. They let you show them the magic for the -corn and then the high priest says he can make greater magic to destroy -you!" - -Cliff whispered to Mr. Whitley and Bill, then in his slow quichua he -said to the trembling girl: "We are not from the stars, Caya. We are -here to save my father, the pale man who has been a prisoner for so -long." - -The girl clasped her hands and stared. Slowly his words penetrated her -understanding. - -"Oh!" she gasped. "See then--! I can help! You saved my sister! I will -help you--save you and your father also if it shall please Raymi that -one so humble shall do so much!" - -"How?" asked Tom, always practical. - -"There is a secret way--it is not known to me, but I shall learn from -one who knows!" - -"We saved her sister and now she will save us," Nicky exulted. "The -Spaniard queered us"--he was so excited he used slang, but they did not -notice. "We paid him back. Just as I said." - -"Yes," said Cliff. "It's 'tit for tat' all around!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - HUAMACHACO'S SECRET - - -"How can you find out about the secret pass if you don't know already?" -asked Tom. - -"Don't be too inquisitive," reproved Mr. Whitley. "If she can find out -that is enough for us." - -"But in trying to find out she might blunder," Tom urged. "Huamachaco, -for example, might grow suspicious and watch us all." - -"I tell you my way," she said eagerly. "I do not make danger. In the -mountains are great herds of vicuna--small cattle--sheep." - -"And you know one of the shepherds?" Cliff saw the truth. - -Caya looked down bashfully "Yes." She was shy as she spoke. "One comes -at night. We walk and talk. Late tonight I will come to you and I will -know the way." - -They glanced at one another dubiously. - -"'Late tonight' won't be too late, will it?" Tom wondered. - -"They won't disturb us until they learn what I used on the corn field," -Mr. Whitley said. "We surely have the rest of the day and the coming -night, because they must finish the feast." - -"That makes you safe," Bill said. "I guess the rest of us can stay quiet -and keep out of mischief." If he said mischief they all knew that he -meant "danger." - -Caya hurried away and the others busied themselves getting their few -necessary belongings together. Caya's plan was that when they went, late -at night, she could lead them to the pass where she knew her influence -over her young shepherd sweetheart would enable her to find the way. -Then they could hide until she could bring enough food to sustain them -after she said farewell in the mountains. Perhaps her shepherd might -even be induced to feed them; she would see what he would do. She was -sure he would come to see her that evening. - -She slipped away to help serve at the feast which was still progressing, -and to linger near the tables of the nobles to learn anything she could -about their plans. - -"If she doesn't come back we can probably get to our ledge, and escape -that way," Nicky suggested. - -"I think that way is closed," Bill said. "Pizzara came that way: from -the top of the ledge he probably discovered the twine and he may have -used the same scheme to get down. But I don't think he was brainy enough -to hide the twine--and he could not get up high enough to do that. We -had to make our human ladder, you remember, to get the twine end out of -sight." - -"We will have to depend upon Caya," said Mr. Whitley. "And I only hope -one thing--that her shepherd friend keeps his regular tryst with her." - -"We won't take these back, will we?" asked Nicky, holding up a handful -of thin sticks about ten inches long, heavily crusted for most of their -length with fat grayish stuff. - -"We can slip them into our robes," Mr. Whitley said. "They are only -colored lights, red, blue and green, but they might be useful as torches -and they burn a long time." - -"We were going to use them if we had to pretend to make a display of -magic, weren't we?" asked Nicky who had not been fully aware of the plan -Cliff had originally made. That plan had been to come into the valley as -strangers, wanderers, Indians from a distant place, and then, if -necessary, to use simple colored lights and other things to impress the -Inca's subjects. - -The plan had been changed by the fact that Cliff's hair came out of his -dye-bath a vivid golden red; he was posing as Chasca, the youth of the -bright and flowing locks and the fireworks had not been needed since -they burned red fire on the ledge. - -"How about these?" asked Cliff, picking up some squat, stubby paper -tubes. But no one answered. Huamachaco had entered the main temple and -was approaching slowly. Cliff mechanically dropped his hand into an -inside pocket sewed inside the robe by Bill. He forgot his question in -the sudden suspicion brought into his mind by the arrival of their -enemy. - -But Huamachaco seemed to be no enemy; he was smiling. He was sorry that -he had listened to the stranger's false tale, he said, and the Inca -wished to show them honor and to ask the noble Chasca to forgive his -suspicion. Would they not join the Inca at the feast? - -To refuse might bring on the Inca's anger; it was not wise to slight -him. They agreed to go and followed Huamachaco to the main door of the -temple. He drew back and stepped aside, motioning to Cliff. "Hailli, -Chasca!" cried someone from beyond the doorway and as Bill nudged him -Cliff stepped out. - -Then he stared, grew tense and his blood froze. - -The Inca, Challcuchima and the others, as well as Pizzara, standing at -one side, he scarcely noticed. His eyes flew to a group of soldiers. -They were dragging a man's limp figure! The man wore European clothes, -though ragged ones; his face was white! With a scream Cliff sprang -forward. - -"Father!" he cried, and again, "Father!" - -"You see!" cried Sancho Pizzara to Huamachaco, "I told truth!" - -"Take him under guard!" growled the Inca. Cliff was trapped. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - ON THE TEMPLE STEPS - - -There was an instant of absolute silence. Cliff was hesitating over the -chance of springing past the soldiers to get to his father. The friends -behind were stunned. The soldiers still had enough awe of "Chasca" to -delay. - -Then Huamachaco caught one of Cliff's arms and dragged him sharply down -the steps and sideways so that he stumbled. Challcuchima caught him as -he scuffled down the stone slabs, off his balance. In the same second -Tom and Nicky had leaped past Bill. Nicky grappled with and tripped the -Indian priest while Tom dragged down Challcuchima from behind. Bill and -Mr. Whitley were out on the steps at once. Bill lifted the shining -revolver which he had recovered from Cliff when they left the feast. - -"Stop!" he shouted. But there was a grumble and murmur from the crowd -pressed against the line of soldiers, with their tin-and-copper alloy -swords out and ready. There was more danger than merely that of arrest -and confinement. There was an ominous threat in the sound of that -hoarsely guttural murmur. - -Cliff had his arms free; a soldier, seeing that no harm came to those -who had seized Chasca, himself advanced. Cliff backed toward the temple -steps again, at Mr. Whitley's swift order. - -But Challcuchima had flung off Tom, had, in fact, given him a vicious -punch that took Tom's wind for the instant. - -Challcuchima caught at Cliff again. Cliff's hand shot out as Mr. Whitley -leaped off the step and swung the Inca's older brother aside before he -could aid Challcuchima. Cliff's blow struck true and the younger son -went down. - -"Get back into the temple!" cried Bill. - -There was a sharp, startling bark from his revolver; he fired above the -heads of the crowd. - -That unusual sound arrested every motion for an instant. Nicky squirmed -free from Huamachaco who had risen and grasped him. Cliff started -backward but his foot caught on the lowest step. He lost his balance but -Nicky caught and steadied him. Bill and Mr. Whitley rushed down to aid -Tom, who had dropped, sick and weakened by Challcuchima's unexpected -blow. - -Then there came an ominous sound--a laugh of triumph. - -The Inca, with several soldiers, had gained the top step and escape into -the temple was cut off! - -The angry crowd surged forward, pushing the soldiers with them. - -Cliff leaped forward and caught Tom, steadying him as he regained his -breath. Bill swung and pointed his weapon straight at the Inca. - -"You get back," he said meaningly in quichua, "or this magic stick will -speak and send you to your fathers!" - -The Inca wavered uncertainly; but Challcuchima thrust between Cliff and -Tom, Nicky raced to his assistance, Huamachaco cried out, "Capture the -one who calls a white stranger his father!" and the entire crowd surged -forward. - -Bill and Mr. Whitley leaped up on the steps in concerted action and so -sudden and unexpected was the rush that they upset one soldier who -clutched at his comrade. Both fell. Bill gave the Inca a poke and he -tottered down the side steps. - -But others were ready to rush in. - -Cliff spoke swiftly to his comrades, drew a paper of matches from his -pocket; the crowd hesitated as he struck a match, backed to the cleared -space behind them that offered a way to the temple steps. The soldiers -had not yet closed in behind them. - -Cliff did not speak; but his upflung hand caused curiosity in the minds -of the simple natives. - -Even the soldiers held quiet, an officer muttering some word to stay -them. Methodically Cliff drew a squat, stubby paper tube from his robe. -He handed it to Nicky; another to Tom. - -"Light the fuses when I strike the match," he whispered. "Then throw -them down in front of us and all make for the doorway!" - -He drew out a third tube, struck a match. Three fuses came together. But -at the same instant a soldier leaped forward to jostle Cliff's arm. But -the fuses caught. - -Their sputter heralded a trickle of pitchy, pungent black smoke; the -tubes were such smoke-pots as are used by motion picture companies, and -such as were used in the war, for fire scenes and smoke screens. - -"Drop them--now!" cried Cliff. The three flung down their tubes and -retreated; Bill and Mr. Whitley were at the door. Cliff lit another tube -as Mr. Whitley reached to hasten the youths up the steps. - -The crowd, seeing them move back a step, began to surge forward but the -smoke began to pour up in a huge, spreading cloud. It spread in the -slight breeze, blew into the eyes and throats of the soldiers and of the -mob. - -Coughing, choking, startled and awed, they fell back against those -pressing forward. The smoke spread into a great fan, hiding the exit of -the five; the only one who might have seen them was the Inca; but he was -too busy picking himself up. - -The smoke subsided. The crowd gasped. - -Their quarry seemed to have disappeared as if by magic! - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - RATS IN A TRAP - - -"You meant well," Bill panted, as they retreated into their antechamber. -"Cliff, it was a splendid idea that you had. But----" - -"With no door to barricade, we are no better off," Cliff admitted. "They -will soon discover that we came in here." - -"We are like rats in a trap!" said Tom. "Bill, next time you shoot off -that pistol you will have to aim lower--or we will have to give up." - -"If there was some place to hide," said Nicky despairingly. - -"But there isn't," said Cliff. "I forgot that the temple had no door." - -"There they come!" whispered Tom. - -They heard cautious feet tramping up the temple steps and looked around -desperately. - -Cliff snatched up a golden platter and drew back his arm. But Mr. -Whitley caught his hand, and turned to watch a huge tapestry swinging -with a curious motion on the inner wall of the anteroom. - -Cliff faced that way as did all of his companions. Were they to be -attacked from behind that curtain? - -The side of the hanging cloth shook and then they saw Caya! Swiftly, -with one finger to her lip, she beckoned. In an instant, not even -stopping for their belongings, the five moved on tip-toe to the place -where she stood. - -Wordlessly they trusted themselves behind that curtain, going into the -unknown. - -There was another doorway there, concealed by the hanging; they had -never thought of looking behind that; there were so many decorative -cloths hung upon the wall as backgrounds for ornaments and to soften the -harsh appearance of rough stone that no other purpose had occurred to -them. - -Nevertheless, the tapestry screened a way out! - -In darkness, following Caya with no more sound than they were compelled -to make, they gave each other whispered directions as Cliff, in the -lead, felt her steady him at the edge of a downward step. - -"It's stairs," Cliff whispered. - -"To the tunnels!" Tom guessed. - -Slowly, carefully, down they went. Faintly through the opening, muffled -by the hanging, they heard shouts of baffled rage; the soldiers and the -people had forgotten their reverence for the supposedly sacred temple, -for if the priests had come in alone they would have sought the way to -the tunnels at once. - -At the foot of the stairs, down about thirty steps, Caya whispered, her -lips close to Cliff's ear. - -"I take you to your white father." - -In a time that seemed an age, feeling their way through the darkness, -they came to a point where she urged them to wait for her. She would -bring Cliff's father if there was a chance. - -In silence, shivering a little from sheer nervous strain, the five -waited, not daring to light the several pocket flashlights they had, -even for an instant. They listened with quaking forms to every tiny -sound; was that a stealthy step--or the drip of water--or a rat? They -did not know. They dared not try to see. - -After a long wait a soft gliding sound reached them; they were alert, -listening, straining their ears. Caya's voice reassured them but her -news instantly awakened fear again. - -"They are coming!" she whispered to Bill. "I did find the white man -alone while his guards take counsel with messengers. I stand where white -man sees. I do so--" she made a beckoning motion. "He follow. But others -are near. I must lead them away while you escape. Go, straight forward. -Do not turn. You will come to a room full of gold and silver. At its -side are steps. They go into the Temple of the Sun." - -She paused. Far away they could hear shouts. - -"Go there," she resumed. "None dares to enter the Temple of the Sun -except the Inca, his Coya"--the queen--"and the high priest. They will -not think to seek there. Go, quickly!" - -"But where are you going?" asked Cliff. - -"To lead the soldiers another way while you escape." - -"We can't let you do that!" cried the boy; and his chums, with one -accord, echoed it. But the brave girl had already turned and glided -away. - -"Nothing else for it," whispered Bill. "Come on--to the Sun Temple!" - -While they ran they heard shouts in the distance, and then a high, -shrill scream! - -Cliff gritted his teeth. - -"If you'd let me go back and get her----" - -But they would not. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - THE TEMPLE OF THE SUN - - -Never before had Nicky, Tom, or the older men, seen so much treasure as -they found at the end of the passage. Cliff had seen the great room -filled with gold and precious cloths and metals once before, when the -king's son took him there to inquire about the statuette. - -"Where can Caya have left my father?" Cliff said anxiously when he had -taken a swift glance around the treasure room; his chums almost forgot -their danger, so awed and fascinated were they. - -But Mr. Whitley hurried them all to the steps and up them. - -The stairway into the ante-room, or rear portion of the Sun Temple were -not straight; they curved like steps in a lighthouse tower. - -At their top, emerging after spying carefully, the fugitives found -themselves in a narrow room, a sort of Priests' room, running across the -back of the edifice, behind the huge placque on which was embossed and -enscrolled the massive face with the Sun-rays around it. Therefore the -rear room had two doorways, one on each side of the placque, looking -into the main temple. Great tapestries screened these doorways. Bill -lost no time in spying through into the main room; finding that -deserted, he nodded and permitted the others to ascend into the back -room, forbidding loud words in case anyone came into the front temple -room by chance, though few had the privilege of entry there. - -As they entered, single file, they all grew tense again--it seemed that -they were betrayed! A huge curtain hung on the wall opposite to the -doorways began to quiver. - -Bill hurriedly produced his weapon. "Come forth!" he muttered in -quichua; the curtain remained without further stir. - -"Look out!" gasped Nicky, "he might have a bow'n arrow!" - -Of course he spoke in English, and at the sound of the words there came -a low whisper. - -"Do not fire!" - -From behind the curtain emerged a white man! - -"Father!" gasped Cliff, forgetting all cautions. He and his father, so -long separated, were at last rejoined. - -Their meeting was joyful; but Cliff lost no time in presenting the -gray-haired, weak old scholar to the others--except Bill, who had -already visited Mr. Gray. - -They were not left long without interruption, but, fortunately, when the -tension of a steady step ascending the curved stairs was almost -unendurable, a lithe, young soldier, hardly older than the chums, made -his appearance, stopping before he reached the top step. He carried a -short throwing spear, with its point toward himself, a token of his -errand being peaceful. - -He explained hurriedly that he was Caya's older brother, belonging to -the Palace guard of picked youths, a sort of picked reserve regiment, -called out on occasions such as this. - -They liked him at once; but they respected his refusal to come into the -Temple. "It is forbidden!" he said, simply, to Bill, and told his story -briefly from the steps. - -Caya had been caught; she had managed to see him. She sent him to search -for the white man, and then, if he found him, to convey him to the -temple steps and bid him go up. But Mr. Gray, once free, had come there -already. - -"I go, then, to my duty," said the young soldier. "Because you saved my -sister--from--the sacrifice--and she is very dear to me, for we are -twins!--I will try to save your lives tonight." - -"Do you know the secret way?" asked Bill. "So we can get out of the -valley?" - -The soldier shook his head. - -"No. But I will ask to have 'leave.' I will pretend to be seeking for -you--I hope I shall get to the hill path by following some soldiers -secretly despatched to duty by a High Priest." - -"Yes," Tom agreed. "He would know the secret ways and might send -soldiers to guard them." - -But when they asked the young soldier about Caya, his sister, he became -very sad. - -"She is a captive," he told Bill, who interpreted. "There is nothing -that can be done. Even I, in the Inca's junior guard, cannot see her." - -"Who can?" demanded Nicky. - -"The Inca alone," said the youthful brother. - -He went down the stairway, promising to return after dark, if -opportunity permitted. He was certain that they would not be molested -because the ceremonies in the temple were finished and the feasting -would continue as soon as the disturbance was ended. - -"I think," Nicky suggested, after the soldier went, "we ought to try to -help Caya." - -"So do I!" declared Cliff and Tom echoed the fact that she had given up -her liberty for their sakes. Cliff suggested a plan and although they -hesitated at first, Mr. Whitley, Mr. Gray and Bill finally agreed to it. - -Then they began, as is so often the case, to become enthusiastic and -hopeful, and also added ideas of their own. - -"We would need Tom, too," Mr. Whitley hesitated. - -"I'm not afraid," Tom said. "If I can do anything to help! Tell me what -it is." - -"We must get that rope that we hid at the ledge," Bill told him. "My -idea is for you to strip down to the sort of costume the Inca's -'chasquis' or messengers, wear. I am going to make up a quipu like one -that would be used to identify the Inca's runners, and you are to take -it and go to the place we left our rope, for we will need it in the -mountain passes. If you meet anybody you can show the quipu and they -won't stop you. If you meet soldiers near the ledge, show the quipu and -say 'I go to get what the Inca has learned about.' Then, even if they go -with you they won't take the rope away." - -"Can't I go, too?" Nicky pleaded. "The chances would be better with -two----" - -"Oh, no," Mr. Whitley decided. "Tom proved that he can run during the -races, and--I must say this in frankness, Nicky--he can keep a quiet -tongue and a level head if an emergency comes before him." - -Nicky was crestfallen, but had he been able to look into the future he -would not have been depressed at his forced inactivity just for the -time. - -Tom rehearsed his quichua words, Cliff went over, again and again, the -things he might be called on to do and to say. Bill, Mr. Gray and their -leader revised and discussed their plan until they could see no possible -emergency that could come up that they would not be prepared to meet. - -With his fading flashlight, later replaced by Mr. Whitley's, Bill -fashioned a simple quipu of woven strands, taken from a raveled edge of -a woolen wall hanging: he knotted it craftily. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - CHASCA APPEARS AGAIN - - -Nothing happened to disturb the quiet of the old temple during the -afternoon. The early feasting had been completed and, except for some -soldiers whom a priest, evidently not quite convinced of miracles, was -exhorting to find the vanished ones, all was quiet. - -Soon after dark Tom slipped out into the deserted square, on his way to -secure the rope. - -Not long after that Cliff and Bill started on their mission. - -The Inca was in his palace, the low building at one side of the public -square: he was tired and worried. - -Cliff, who remembered the way from the Palace to the treasure room, led -Bill, counting the turns, for he had been observant by habit and had a -retentive memory. - -The Inca, listening to the conclusion of a report from one of his palace -guards, turned back as the man went away. To his amazement he looked -into that magic stick which, earlier in the day, he had held while the -Spaniard groveled. Now its magic had turned on him. Thus he thought -about Bill's revolver. - -Behind him in the passage, concealed by curtains, heavy and closely -woven, Cliff made ready his part of the little tableau that was to -follow. Their plan was to awe the Inca, perhaps to terrify him. They had -tried to foresee every possible chance that could come up. As Bill held -his "magic stick" he spoke. He used no quichua, but spoke the secret -tongue of the nobles. - -"A silent tongue lives long, O, Inca!" he said. "Call not!" - -"Servant of Chasca," the Inca used the same speech, "How came thy form -to my palace? Or art thou Cupay?"--that was the Inca tribe word for an -evil spirit. - -"I come, thou who sayest thou art royal son of the Sun and who dost seek -to destroy that other more royal one, Chasca. Can he be destroyed? Ask -of thy son, Challcuchima, who strove with him and made a bargain that he -might not go down in defeat--and then, like thy own evil self, did break -his word to the youth of the bright and flowing locks!" - -The Inca was a brave man but he hesitated between his desire to call out -and his superstitious fear. - -"Thou Inca--earth flesh and not from the skies--to the truth that Raymi -is merciful and his messenger is even the same thou dost owe thy life. -Look!" - -As he spoke the last word in a low, sharp voice, Bill drew aside the -hangings. Cliff had wedged a colored-fire stick in a crack of the stones -of the corridor: at the approach of the agreed signal he struck a match -and ignited it: it flared up in a vivid, weird green that lighted up the -space brilliantly. Cliff quickly assumed a posture with arms folded, the -light behind him picking out his glowing hair and coloring it strangely. - -No wonder the Inca cringed: he had built up a cult of belief that now -claimed his own mind. He fell back a step. - -"Say on, Chasca!" said Bill, ("And make it quick!" he added in English). - -Cliff spoke the lines he had practiced all afternoon. - -"Inca," he said in quichua, "twice today you have tried to slay. Raymi -does not wish a sacrifice. I am sent to save your corn. Release, then, -Caya--or my wrath shall smite!" - -Bill saw that the short, green color-fire must go out. He dropped the -curtain swiftly just as it did so. Cliff, aware of his part, snatched -the wooden butt from its place and retired to the steps, out of sight. - -"Chasca----" began the Inca. - -"You speak too late!" Bill declared, again snatching away the concealing -drapery. The Inca's eyes bulged. Gone was the light and the -bright-haired figure. - -He stammered and gulped. - -"Answer to me and Chasca will hear," Bill said. "Say quickly, do you as -Chasca commands?" - -But a crafty light was in the Indian's eyes. - -"Let Chasca appear while the curtain is open," he said. - -In English Bill spoke to Cliff. What he said was not understood by the -Inca, but it told Cliff they must use the second part of their plan--an -emergency had arisen. Bill lifted a hand, calling, "Behold!" but as he -did so, attracting the Inca's eyes toward the curtains, he stepped back -a pace. The curtain dropped. Instantly, suspecting a trap, the Inca -whirled to face Bill--just as Bill had desired, for at that instant -Cliff, who had thus been given time to reach the hanging, flung it aside -and leaped upon the Indian from behind as Bill, with a simultaneous -leap, flung a hand over the royal mouth. - -Struggling, the Inca went down: the surprise helped them. Soon he was -gagged with an end of the turban or llantu, the woven wool head dress -which he wore when not covered by the crimson or scarlet borla. With an -end of the long cloth they hastily cut bindings for hands and ankles. -And not too soon. - -Across the square came the measured tramp of many feet! - -"Will you have time?" asked Cliff, breathlessly. - -"I hope so." - -Bill ruthlessly stripped off the borla from the Inca's head, snatched -off his robe of state, and with Cliff's help made hurried disposal of -the inert and helpless body. - -"Just in time----" Cliff whispered. "They are here." - -The tramping stopped suddenly at a sharp command. With only a brief -delay to remove his sandals, an officer came into the doorway. - -"O, royal son of the Sun," he said, after he had bowed his head low in -respect. - -He looked around. On a stool on the side of the room far away from the -single lamp, what looked to him like the form of the Inca bent over some -turbans which he seemed to be sorting on a low bench over which the -gaudy colored woolen and spun vicuna-fleece hung in thick folds. - -There was no other in the room. Cliff had fled behind the curtain. - -"Say on," came a mutter. - -"We have caught one of the servants of Chasca," reported the soldier. - -The form bent over the turban material straightened but only half -turned. - -"It is the one that Chasca called--'Nee-kee!'" - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - THE INCA SPEAKS - - -Cliff, hiding in the tunnel stairway, heard the last speech and his -hands clenched. Nicky was a captive! - -He could not see and dared not show himself to get nearer: he must stay -as he was and trust to Bill, masquerading as the Inca, to solve this -really unexpected problem. They had gone over everything so carefully! -There had not been a single point, possibility or chance that they had -not covered--except this one! - -They had instructed Nicky: they had made their own plans. But that Nicky -should be brought to the Inca had not occurred to them. - -How would Bill handle it? - -If Nicky were brought in would he recognize Bill, or cause suspicion in -the soldier's mind by his look? - -And Cliff could not see! He must hide. - -"You are a good soldier," Bill spoke as nearly as he could in the tones -of the Inca. "I shall not forget your zeal. Let the servant of Chasca be -set before me." - -There was an order, a commotion, and Nicky stood before him. How had he -been captured? Then were the two older companions also captives? How -could Bill discover the facts? - -"Was he alone caught?" asked Bill, as the Inca. - -"Oh light of the day, yes." - -Then the others might still be safe! - -"I thought to seek once more through the tunnels," explained the -soldier. "I went with my men. Coming to the room beneath the great and -holy Temple, Corrichanca----" the place of gold, or the greatest, -holiest of the temples----"I thought there was a sound. I sought behind -every tapestry and under piles of rich golden cloth--may Raymi forgive -me that I did touch them with my poor hands!--and this Nee-kee did -hide." - -Much later Nicky explained to his chums that he had crept down the stone -stairway to watch for any possible hint of the return of his friends and -then had been attracted by the gold and had been caught by the -unexpectedly quiet approach of the soldier. - -Nicky knew, or suspected at least, that the figure over in the shadows -was his own friend, Bill. But he was, for once, master of his face: he -did not betray his thoughts. He kept perfectly still, standing between -two soldiers. - -Cliff, in hiding, wondered what Bill could do, what he would say. - -"Are soldiers now in the secret ways?" asked Bill. - -"No, most powerful ray of the Sun's light on earth," replied the -captain. "The search was completed when I discovered this one: no other -could be found." - -"And yet," and Bill raised his voice, determined that it must carry -information to Cliff so that he could guide his own future by what he -heard. "And yet we may find even Chasca in that tunnel unless he runs -very fast. It comes to me as a prophecy that he may be near to liberate -his servant. But if so, no doubt he will run away or disappear." - -Cliff, listening, heard that and determined that he would run very fast -and get back to his father and Mr. Whitley and tell them what had -happened, so that they would not go down to look for Nicky. But he -hesitated. Perhaps Bill had more instructions for him! - -Cliff crept a little way down the corridor, to be able to catch -distinctly every word of Bill's next speech, given in quichua. - -"I must go to the dungeons. I will speak with Caya. She must be made to -tell all. I take Nee-kee with me. Soldier, guard this palace--let no one -enter here. The guards at the dungeon will help me take Caya to the -temple, Corrichanca, of the god, Raymi, where, in front of those white -ones in their dyed skins, she shall tell me the truth." - -Bill thus gave Cliff all the information he needed. Down the steps and -back to the Sun Temple sped Cliff, quite sure of his way. - -He identified himself to the watchful father, Mr. Whitley also, and -explained breathlessly what had happened and what Bill had told him he -would do. They must wait, they decided. - -But where was Tom. Would he get the rope? Would he be caught? - -And while they debated, in the palace the Coya, or queen, entered the -audience room from another chamber. She looked around. Something strange -about the pile of wool in the corner attracted her attention. Bill had -already gone. But the queen saw the real Inca. - -"Ho--guards!--hither!" she cried. "Help me! The Inca is bound beneath -these wools!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - TOM'S ADVENTURE - - -Tom did not go very far on his way before he saw a small troop of -soldiers guarding the road. - -He hesitated: if he tried to slip around them he might run into others: -if he ran boldly past them it would test his nerve but it was really the -safest course. - -He kept on, running lightly, drawing his breath a little faster than -usual, more from excitement than from weariness. - -"Stop, chasqui!" commanded the officer in charge as Tom ran close to the -resting soldiers. "Where run you so fast?" - -Tom showed the quipu Bill had made up. - -"I run for the Inca," he said. - -The officer studied his face: while the light was only that coming from -the stars he peered closely. - -"I do not know you," he declared. - -Tom drew himself up to his full height. He stared at the officer, trying -to be haughty. - -The officer was not impressed. At the same time, he did not quite dare -to delay a messenger with the royal proof, the quipu that seemed to -indicate Tom's errand as genuine. - -He did not release the grip he had taken on Tom's arm. - -A soldier stepped forward and made a salute. - -"Let me run with the chasqui," he said. "Thus the Inca's message will -not be delayed and if the fellow is carrying the royal token without -warrant I can bring him back." - -This did not suit Tom but he said nothing. It flashed through his mind -that this was no time to raise a disturbance: later on he might think of -some way to elude the soldier. - -"See that you do," said the officer. Tom whirled, snatched his arm free -and ran. The soldier ran as lightly, as swiftly as he. - -Tom had been in the races during the ceremonies of naming Challcuchima -successor to the Inca's rule: it suited his present purpose to make the -soldier at his side run his best, to tire him quickly. - -But, as the road was spurned by his light feet, he realized that the -soldier was not one to tire quickly: step for step, with easy breath and -unwearied muscles, he kept the pace. Then Tom received a surprise. - -They were passing the outskirts of the city of Quichaka and had come to -a small house; it was not of the splendid stone, matched and sturdy, -that marked the noble palaces; it was built of the sticky earth mixed -with rushes or reeds and grasses, of which the Peruvians made bricks to -use in their homes for the more humble people. - -"Turn with me," said the soldier. - -Tom hesitated. What was the fellow's purpose? He saw that his companion -was young, but he had not recognized him. - -But, as they came into the dimly lit room wherein an aged couple -squatted, he stared. - -His soldier companion was Caya's brother! - -The youth wasted little time explaining to his parents: the woman began -to mutter: she was afraid of what could happen if they shielded these -lads from the world beyond their mountains. But the youth's father was -different: he understood his son's explanation readily and nodded. The -soldier told Tom to remain there when Tom had explained his errand. - -"There is no need to run so far," he said. "I will find a rope that will -be strong and light." - -"It will save time," Tom said. - -"Yes--and time is precious!" - -The old man listened. Finally he spoke. - -"What of Caya?" - -"I think she is safe," Tom told him, and in what quichua he could -master, aided by signs, he detailed what he knew of the plan to save -her. The old woman was horrified at what she understood of the plan to -go to the Inca, but the man laughed with a hoarse, hearty chuckle. - -"Shame!" cried his old wife. "That you laugh at the son of the Sun." - -"But he has brought it upon himself," the man assured her. "If he were a -true descendant of the old line of rulers I would not dare to laugh: but -you know he is not of the true line and when we of his council advised -him to free the white stranger who would, I think, write in his papers -but not tell others how to find us, he refused. This is therefore his -punishment for being vain of his own counsel!" - -Meanwhile Tom and the young soldier discussed plans. The latter was -certain that Caya's shepherd would never be able to come to see her -tonight: the secret ways were all guarded by many soldiers and the hills -were full of the searching natives. - -"But there is a way, I think," he said. "I know of an old aqueduct that -has not been filled with water for years. It was built to take water to -flood the secret tunnels if any came to steal our treasure; but most -people, I believe, forget what it is for and how to operate its old -water gate. Stay you here until I look at the gate to be sure it is not -open and that we can get into its deep bed: also I will hide a strong -rope there and come back. Then we will get your friends. Caya, if she is -free, must leave the city. I think the mother of her shepherd in the -hills will care for her until the Inca has forgotten." - -He hurried away and Tom, resting and waiting, wondering what was -happening and how his comrades fared, listened to much that would have -been interesting under other circumstances. - -The old man told him the history of the hidden valley: told how the race -began, for he was a student and a quipucamaya, or reader of the records, -and knew much of the legend and history: but while Tom listened -respectfully, his mind was far away. - -He was glad when the young soldier came back. - -He had all in readiness and after thanking the older people and being -assured by the man that he would get bundles of food ready so that they -could be picked up by his son later, Tom and his companion set out for -the city, going in ways that took them safely past all guards. - -But when they reached the square they stopped. A crowd was clamoring and -shouting outside the Temple to the Sun and it was easy to tell that -their angry shouts meant dire danger for the persons who might be within -its walls. - -And Tom did not know who was there, or what to do! - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - INTO THE DUNGEONS - - -Within the rear chamber of the Sun Temple Cliff, his father and Mr. -Whitley heard the roar of the furious people. The Coya had discovered -her husband, the Inca, and soldiers had released him: from them the news -had spread swiftly among the populace. The chief priest and other nobles -had been summoned. - -In the passages Bill and Nicky finally reached the golden room, ignorant -of this failure of all their carefully laid plans. - -In the square Tom, with Caya's brother, saw the procession going toward -the Sun Temple. Only the Inca and his highest priests had the privilege -of entering there--and they were going in! - -"There is but one place we have not sought," Huamachaco had said. "That -temple so sacred! Those men and youths with dyed skins, as the Spaniard -has told us--they would profane its very sanctuary with their vile -presence. Come--you shall see!" - -Tom proposed, in his halting quichua, that he and Caya's brother press -through the throng; but the young soldier had a better plan. "No," he -said. "I have learned the way. We go to the lower level from the Inca's -palace--even that I dare for you!--and then we shall see if the way is -clear to the old water way. I will wait there and you shall bring your -friends. Come. I show the way." - -The palace was deserted: all minds and all eyes were focused on the -temple. - -"Let's lose no time!" whispered Tom, and the two youths made all the -haste they could. They were already in the passages when from the mob -around the Sun Temple came a deep, throaty roar--the throaty, deep -lust-cry of a mob thirsting for vengeance for a seeming insult to their -temple! - -The Inca had gone in with his aide and then had hurried to the doorway -again to signal that they had found their prey. - -At the foot of the steps in the treasure room Bill sent Nicky up to tell -his friends to be ready, to see if Cliff had returned to them safely and -to learn what they knew of Tom. - -Nicky walked up the steps, cautiously, and found himself facing the Inca -and his chief priest and the Spaniard. In their fury the nobles had -overlooked the insult of the Spaniard's entry into the sacred chamber. - -Nicky saw at once that he had blundered into a trap. John Whitley, Mr. -Gray, and Cliff faced the angry noble and the Inca, desperately, not -knowing what to do. The crowd in the square gave them no chance to -escape that way. They could not know that the passages were not already -invaded by soldiers. Indeed, there were detachments already coming from -the palace. - -Far away down a lateral passageway Caya's brother showed Tom the place -where, when the tunnels were made, an opening had been left into an old -waterway; in case of menace to the treasures, a former Inca had provided -a way to flood the tunnels. - -The young soldier began as quietly as he could to tear away the old -debris that had collected, while Tom hurried back along the tunnel, -making careful note of the way, planning to tell his friends to hurry, -that the way for escape was found! - -At the foot of the steps he found Bill. - -"Something has gone wrong!" Bill whispered. "Nicky went up the steps -five minutes since. He hasn't come down. I haven't heard from anybody. -But I think I hear sounds in the tunnels. Don't you?" - -Tom listened. - -"Yes, I do," he said, under his breath. "Bill, I'll slip up the -stairs--and see what's what!" - -"Too late!" Bill whispered. - -Far away down the passages came shouts. Once they saw a light flash. -They were being cornered, surrounded. If there was no way from the -temple they were helpless. - -Tom told his story in hurried words. - -Yet the news had come too late, it seemed. Unless quick thinking could -get them out of the toils, they were doomed. - -Up above, in the temple, the Inca was delivering his words of doom. "You -can no longer be free!" he said sharply. "Escape is not possible. You -have profaned our temples! You have deceived us! You shall go to the -dungeons." - -Cliff looked from one to the other of his friends. If only Tom was -there--he knew from Nicky where Bill was!--they could make one desperate -effort! Perhaps they might use his remaining smoke pot. But Tom was not -there! - -Nicky gripped his arm. - -From the lower levels came a muffled report! Bill had fired into the air -as a body of soldiers came, in their light cotton quilted armor, -carrying bows and arrows and short spears; they had to stop in face of -his "magic stick" that spat out fire and sudden death. - -"We must go to Bill!" whispered Cliff. "We can't get out through the -square! If we can get through the passages we may be able to hide." The -others agreed. With the Inca, Huamachaco and Pizzara in hot pursuit, but -unarmed, they almost leaped down the curving steps. - -Bill stood at their foot, his back to them, his weapon leveled. Before -him half a dozen soldiers hesitated. - -"We're here!" cried Cliff. Then he saw Tom, just around the edge of the -wall, tense and alert, his own light, and in this emergency almost -useless weapon held ready. - -If only they had known Tom was there, two minutes sooner! - -Before they could make any concerted plan Pizzara, with his quick -cunning serving him, caught old, weakened Mr. Gray by an arm: he saw -that Bill could possibly daunt the soldiers; with merciless cruelty he -dragged the old scholar past Bill before the others quite knew what he -meant to do. Immediately he swung Mr. Gray, who was not strong enough to -resist the surprise attack: Pizzara swung him so that his own body was -shielded. - -Bill saw, too late, the ruse. His weapon was useless: in that narrow -place he could not fire without endangering the old student of ancient -civilizations. - -"Down, Father!" Cliff cried. "Drop down!" - -The old man had recovered his balance. With all his small strength he -tried to fling off Pizzara's grip, to lower his body. At the same -instant the high priest and the Inca caught hold of Mr. Whitley and -Bill. Cliff and Nicky in turn grasped them. Tom broke past Bill and -caught a tackle around Pizzara's legs. His balance thus disturbed the -Spaniard lost his grip on Mr. Gray. - -Cliff tripped his adversary and with Mr. Whitley fighting with all his -skill and science, soon was free to go to Tom's side. - -Bill was there already, and a short-arm blow dazed the Spaniard. Down he -went. But in that brief scuffle the soldiers had leaped forward. - -Outnumbered, there was little that the desperate party could do. Pizzara -shielded himself; a soldier wrestled with Bill for possession of the -magic stick. It exploded once, but its muzzle was pointed toward the -roof and no one suffered. During a lull in the scrimmage, for Cliff -thought, in a passing flash, how like a football game was this -scrimmage, the youth thought he saw Caya's brother holding a torch. But -he was not sure. - -Panting, perspiring, choked by the resinous smoke of the torches, the -three men and their three youthful companions were soon overpowered. -Bill's, and Tom's weapons, as well as those of Mr. Whitley--their only -three pistols--had been flung to the floor. - -Cliff made one valiant effort, rolling about with a soldier on his back, -to grasp a revolver. But Pizzara kicked it aside. - -"Into the dungeons!" cried the Inca. - -Held by a soldier at either side, the six captives had no chance to try -to make a break for liberty, even if such a try could have succeeded: -with soldiers everywhere there was no chance for success. - -Sombre and dejected, they were led to a place where guards moved aside -great stones. - -Into blackness, all together, they were flung! - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - BEASTS OF BURDEN - - -Their dungeon was dark and it had the smell of an underground place, -musty, damp, stuffy. When it seemed to Cliff that hours must have passed -since they had all been flung into the single unlighted cubicle he -looked at the radiumited face of the watch on his wrist: hardly half an -hour had elapsed. - -"This is truly a terrible situation," said Mr. Gray. "I feel very badly -when I think that in coming here to help me you have all fallen into a -worse situation." - -"Please don't feel that way, Father," Cliff begged, touching the hand -that trembled a little on his knee. "You always taught me that no good -intention and no act done with a good motive could ever bring anything -but good." - -"It does not seem to work, this time," said his father. - -"But it will!" Tom said. "Didn't you notice the soldier who walked with -me? No, you didn't: I remember, we were behind you. Well, it was Caya's -brother and he whispered to me to give him the quipu supposed to be the -Inca's token." - -"I didn't know that," Mr. Whitley spoke through the darkness. "He may -try to help us." - -"Mr. Whitley," said Nicky, "why can't we all push on that big stone -across the door? It is on some sort of a pivot: we could all push -together and move it." - -"Yes, two of us could move it--the soldiers did," Bill took a part in -the talk. "But the guards are outside. By the time we could get the -stone moved they could use their swords." - -"I guess we are helpless," Mr. Whitley said remorsefully. "And it is all -my fault for letting you lads come here: you should have camped on the -ledge: Bill and I should have taken the risks of danger." - -"I still have faith that an Almighty Power watches over us," Cliff -declared. "We have gone through a great deal of danger and not one of us -has been hurt." - -"I am proud of you, my son," said Mr. Gray. "And it is a rebuke to us -who are older. I know, deep down in my heart, that you are right. After -years among these people, unharmed, made nearly well when I thought my -feebleness would destroy me, I should be thankful to that Great -Power--and I am!" - -"Let's all think 'we are going to get out all right,'" Nicky suggested. -"Think as hard as we can." - -No one replied. Perhaps, with all other help apparently denied them, -they all had a mind to do as Nicky urged: at any rate the black room, -with its air rapidly growing more stale and heavy, was so silent that -they heard, through the place where the upper end of the barrier failed -to touch the door frame, the muttering of several guards in the tunnel. - -Ages passed, or so it seemed. In fact, hours did go slowly into the -past, and nothing happened. - -"Listen!" whispered Tom, finally, when the air had become so oppressive -that they all began to feel heavy and dull. "Did I hear somebody -walking?" - -"Yes," answered Bill. "They are changing the guard, I guess." - -"Poor Caya," said Cliff. "I feel sorry for her. She is all alone, in -some hole as dark as this: and all on account of us." - -"Yes," said Tom. "But she is alive--and so is her sister--because of -us." - -"I wonder where her brother is," Nicky mused. - -"Sh-h-h!" warned Bill. "Be quiet and if the stone moves, let's all make -a rush. I hear somebody fumbling at the stone." - -He had moved close to the barricaded doorway in the dark. But as the -stone began to move and they all gathered their muscles for a dash, they -were chained with surprise. - -"I am Pizzara," came the unmistakable voice of the Spaniard. "I come to -help. Push there, you!" - -The stone moved more and even the faint light from a torch jammed into a -place made for it nearby in the tunnel wall was brilliant to their -widened pupils. They blinked as they saw two figures, in the garb of the -Inca's soldiers. - -"It is Caya's brother and the stranger who spoke," said one of the -figures, in quichua dialect. "Come forth quickly!" - -They filed out; Nicky and Bill and Cliff helped support Mr. Gray who was -stiff and tottering from his long inactivity. They saw Caya's brother -tapping at several other door stones; finally he called to Tom and Cliff -and the three managed to move a great barricade slowly a little way -aside. Had it not been swung on a rude pivot this would have been -impossible. As it was they got it far enough opened to allow Caya, -shaking with excitement and eagerness, to come from her black prison. - -"I meet this soldier," explained Pizzara. "I have watch him and I think -he is friend. I ask him and it is yes. Now we go quick'." - -"I certainly do beg your pardon," said Mr. Whitley. "I thought you were -an enemy and you have liberated us." - -The Spaniard showed his teeth in a curious grin. - -"It is all a part of my plan," he said mysteriously as they went hastily -along the passage, the young Peruvian carrying the single torch in the -rear with his sister. "When you are sleeping in the lake bottom I steal -away with my men. I think then we get here before you. But the Indians -fling stones upon us in the white pass and my natives know it is -danger'." - -They kept careful watch but it seemed that no one was in the tunnels: -the guards whom the Spaniard and the Indian had replaced had gone home -or to their barracks and no one else was on guard, it seemed. - -"All but one," the Spaniard went on. "My men are escape. I have gun and -I make them go forward, but we go in old water way." The same one, Cliff -mused, that they had used to get around the ambush; then he listened as -Pizzara continued, "We find the ledge as it is on the map and there is -your camp where you have leave some thing and the cord to haul the rope. -It is very clever, _si_." - -"You left your natives there," Bill said. "That's my guess. Then you -came down into this valley. But how did you expect to get any gold--or -much!--all alone?" - -"Ah!" grinned Pizzara, "this one is clever, as you. I plan all this and -as I plan so it is come out--just exactly." - -"Plan?----" Cliff was puzzled. "How could you expect we would get into a -dungeon and that you would save us--and what has that to do with your -plan to get gold?" - -"It is all simple," Pizzara grinned. "I come and see that you are here: -then I find ways to make Inca suspect you, and high priest to make you -prisoner. You help that by what you do. So then I have you where I wish -to have you! It is good fortune of my patron Saint that this soldier and -his sister are mix up with you. It make two more to carry for me." - -"To carry?" demanded Mr. Whitley. "What do you mean?" - -They had come to the place where the tunnel branched away in the -direction of the break where the aqueduct used to flood the tunnels was -situated: by common impulse they all swung after Tom who had memorized -that way. - -"Halt!" snapped Pizzara. They all stopped and looked at him. In the -torchlight his face was a leering, triumphant mask of lustful delight. -In his hand was the very "magic stick"--the small revolver--which he had -caused the high priest to take from Bill when they were captured: Bill -had not been able to use it, even in self rescue, for fear of shooting -his friends; he had surrendered it with a scowl for his rifle, as he now -knew, was in the hands of Pizzara's natives, waiting, at the camp on the -ledge. - -"We can't stop," Mr. Whitley said. "Some one may discover us." - -"You stop when I say!" Pizzara gloated, lifting the shining muzzle. "If -I shoot you will be capture. I will escape and come another time to take -the gold. If you do what I say you get way and I may give you one little -bit of gold as a--a souvenir." - -"You expect us to carry gold!--when we are trying to escape with Mr. -Gray who is feeble?" Bill snapped at Pizzara. - -"Yes!" replied Pizzara. "I have select gold that is carve very pretty: -it is not too heavy with so many. It will sell very high for the art and -not for the gold, as your scholar will say when he see what I have -choose." - -He lifted the revolver as Bill's fists doubled. - -"You are a beast!" said Mr. Whitley. "A beast who----" - -"Who drive beast of burden! Come and I load your backs!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - "CAN WE GET THERE IN TIME?" - - -Pizzara had been clever, indeed! He had so maneuvered the procession as -they left the cells that Mr. Gray, the most feeble one, was in the lead -and the Indian and his sister at the rear. - -Therefore they could not make a dash for escape; and when they saw -Pizzara's menacing look as he showed them that he also had his own -revolver, a heavy, serviceable automatic, Mr. Whitley and Bill signaled -submission. After all, it was their only chance for liberty. - -"Look here," Bill turned on Pizzara. "You had better let the soldier and -his sister escape--you can't ask them to rob their own treasure house. -They think the Sun's gold is sacred!" - -"I need them," said Pizzara. "The soldier have his father with rope to -wait to help us at the cistern. If we have not these two how shall the -others let us take the gold?" - -"You are vile!" cried Mr. Gray. "To use them as hostages!" - -"Cease grumbling, my little llamas," Pizzara said sarcastically. "Come -and let the loads be put on your little backs--or!----" he crooked his -trigger finger significantly. - -The situation was too desperate for argument: when they sullenly filed -into the room beneath the sun temple, Caya and her brother showed signs -of mutiny but Bill whispered to them that if they raised an alarm there -it would result in death for them all: he hinted that some way would be -found to save the treasure--and they could take only a few choice carved -and moulded pieces. Pizzara could not always be on guard. - -Strangely enough the whites were all in sympathy with the Indians: they -were not mercenary or lustful. The safety of Cliff's father, their own -escape and a clear conscience were of more worth to them than the risk -of a few thousand dollars and the feeling that they were thieves. - -They were in such a situation that they had to help a thief but they -felt sure that at some time when his vigilance was relaxed they could -leave him to dispose of his gains, secured by coercion, as best he -might. - -He had chosen his loot wisely; they saw that as he indicated the lighter -statues, beautifully worked, the animals, flowers and a few urns. He -made them tear apart woolen weaves that were as fine and as soft as silk -to make bundles and thongs with which to carry more than they could -handle loose. - -Cowed but sullen Caya and her brother did what they could to delay, but -finally Pizzara had as much as he thought they could care for, and off -they started, down the long tunnel, laden heavily. Even Mr. Gray, feeble -as he was, had to carry the statue of Chasca, which weighed only about -five pounds but which was a marvelously well wrought bit of purest gold: -small though it was, for gold is heavy, every feature, every line, was -perfect. - -Herding them before him like the llamas he called them, Pizzara drove -his bearers along, prodding the morose Indians with his two ready -weapons. - -They reached the outlet into the dry aqueduct: it was still a tunnel for -the distance it ran under the temple gardens, but its stones were -carefully fitted and joined with some hard, glasslike cement to help -retain the water if the emergency ever arose in which it would inundate -the underground ways: and, thought most of them, here was the -emergency--if the truth were discovered by the Incas! - -The first beginnings of dawn were in the Eastern sky when the party, -their torch flung aside, came to the point where the water way was no -longer under the gardens but ran, as an open, deep cut, to the mighty -cistern which distributed the water from the mountain reservoirs. - -"How are we going to get out of this?" Cliff asked as they saw the open -sky through the slit of open stone above them. - -"Caya's family waits with ropes near the cistern," Bill informed them -all: he had learned of this from Pizzara who had allowed the young -soldier to make his plans before he knew that the gold would be stolen; -had Pizzara dropped a hint of his true purpose it is probable that the -Indian would have tried to rescue his sister and then informed the -Inca's troop of the Spaniard's plan; but Pizzara was cunning. - -"But suppose they discover the escape?" broke in Nicky. "When do they -change guards again, Bill--ask Caya!" - -"It has been done already," Bill said. "I have asked her. That is why -Pizzara is hurrying us. They must know that we are free and maybe they -know that the gold is gone!" - -"How far must we go?" Cliff asked. - -"At least a mile." - -"But won't they see us in this open aqueduct?" - -"They probably won't waste time searching," Bill answered. "I expect -that a chasqui-runner--has already been sent to the guards who handle -the sluice gates." - -Pizzara, himself, seemed anxious. He urged them to hasten. - -"Look!" whispered Caya, clutching Cliff's arm. She pointed behind them. -Against the growing illumination of the sky they saw a figure, slim, -tall, standing out black against the sky, peering down at them. Suddenly -he stood straight. Faintly they heard a hail and then the figure -disappeared. - -"That was a watcher," Bill said. "It's an even chance whether there are -soldiers close enough to shower us with arrows, or whether they get -those gates open before we reach the place where the rope will help us -climb out." - -They needed no prodding from Pizzara. - -They ran over the loose pebbles and bits of loosened stone, stumbling, -gasping, their lives in their hands; and yet, with all the danger, when -Caya dropped her bundle Pizzara compelled her to stop and secure it. - -"How can we get away, even if we do get out?" - -Nicky panted as he asked the question. His bundle was getting heavier as -the moments passed, and his excitement, even though it lent him -strength, seemed to make the needless extra burden seem silly; he wanted -to drop it, to run faster; but they could go no faster than they did -because of Mr. Gray's feeble condition. - -"If we can get to the place my father will help us with the rope," Caya -said. "There is a great hole in the cistern, part way down. If we can -get in there before the soldiers see us we can hide and they will not -think of looking for us there." - -"But won't the water drown us?" asked Cliff. - -"I think it may not rise that high," she said. "But hurry--there we -shall be safe!" - -"Yes," Cliff panted. "If we can get there in time!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - AT THE CISTERN - - -Although dawn was streaking the heavens with its colors, it was still -dusk in the valley and pitch dark in their open cut. - -"We are nearly there!" said Caya, coming forward in the dim line to help -Cliff with his father: she took his statue in spite of her own burden -and they hurried all they could. - -From somewhere in the distance ahead they heard shouts. - -"Can we make it?" panted Mr. Whitley. - -"It's a question of minutes," gasped Bill. "Seconds, maybe! Hear that!" - -As they neared the place where the great sluice gate of that particular -distributing aqueduct was located they heard the shouting of men and the -rumble of something--was it a huge stone being lifted by their rude and -uncouth mechanical methods? Was that the gurgle of water they heard -between the rumblings? - -"Oh!" whispered Caya--"Here hangs the rope." She, in the lead, feeling -the walls, had located something hanging down. - -Her brother gave a sharp jerk, repeated it, was answered. - -"Caya first," said Mr. Whitley. - -"No," said Mr. Gray. "William--Bill first!" - -"He can help pull up the rest," Cliff urged. "My father can't climb, he -will have to be drawn up." - -"Hurry, then, Bill," said Mr. Whitley. In the darkness they began to -feel the rope twitch and jerk, and heard the scrape of boots feeling for -a foothold on the fairly rough side of the aqueduct. Then, far up the -side they saw, in the light from the reddening sky, Bill, monkeylike, -climbing like a sailor. - -Soon the rope came down again. There was a loop at its end. "Sit in the -loop and hang on," Cliff and Mr. Whitley both urged. - -"No," said Mr. Gray. "I am not going until the girl is safe." Caya was -lifted for there was no time for argument. Bill and the eager father of -the girl swung her in quick jerks upward. - -Then the rope came down. "Wait!" said Pizzara. "Why not send the gold up -now? I have tied the bundles together----" - -A sharp push flung him aside. Mr. Whitley was at the end of his -patience, seeing this man willing to risk their lives in preference to -risking his gold. "You can send it up before you come," he said. - -There was a more ominous rumbling close at hand and they began to swarm -up the rope as soon as the old man was safe. But Pizzara hung back. The -rest were climbing like sailors, for there came the sound of water -beginning to seep around an obstruction and there was a tiny wet pool -running along under foot. While they climbed Pizzara took his final -chance with his Fate or luck or patron Saint's protection for he waited -until he had made all the woolen thongs into a big knot and had swung -that to the end of the rope: then he saw that he had no time to waste, -for there was the beginning of a swirling torrent at his feet that swung -him up and off his balance as he gripped the rope and began to surge -upward. When his face topped the edge of a narrow step on which the -others waited, he wore a sardonic grin which the growing light showed. - -"I save the gold," he said. "Haul him up." - -Cliff thought that Mr. Whitley was going to prevent that but Bill -touched his arm: whispered, "Not yet--we will need the rope!" - -They hauled up the gold, then, and were told to inch their way along the -narrow ledge for a few feet to where, in the side wall, through long -disuse, a great part had crumbled out, leaving a sort of rude cave, -uneven of floor and jagged on its sides, but deep enough to enable them -all to retire into the darkness at the back and be reasonably sure of -not being seen. The rope was also out of sight and as they heard the -roar of the waters rushing into the aqueduct, Cliff sighed. - -"All that lovely woven stuff will be ruined," he said. "I feel ashamed -of myself in a way for being partly the cause of so much destruction." - -"It is Pizzara's fault, not yours," Nicky said. "If he hadn't touched -the gold they might not have flooded the tunnel to stop us. If we had -traveled light we could have been here sooner and we might have -overpowered the gateman and prevented the opening of the gate." - -"That is how to thank me when I save your life!" growled Pizzara. - -"Little you cared for us," flared Nicky. "Only for the gold we could -carry. You'll get paid back for that, some way." - -Mr. Whitley's hand warned him to be silent. This was no time nor was it -the place for quarreling or anger. - -"Judge not----" he warned. "There is a Higher Power to attend to that, -Nicky." - -"Yes, you are right," Nicky admitted. "I'm sorry I spoke." - -Caya's father had brought a little food, having had time to do no more -when his son had raced home to plan with him for their rescue. - -They ate and felt better. - -"How do we get out of here?" Bill asked Caya's brother. - -They must wait until night, he said, and then they could creep around -the ledge to a place where there were steps, and if they could elude the -guard there they could get to the level ground and make for the hills. - -"But there is no way out of the valley when we get to them," objected -Bill. "We don't know about the secret pass." - -"Ah!" said Pizzara. "There, again, I am noble to save. I take you. When -the high priest tell nobles to guard one place more than all other I -follow. I shall save you even when you call me bad name." - -Which only proved it true that one can never hate any man because it is -never possible to tell when a seeming enemy may prove one's best friend. -No matter how base Pizzara's motive might be, he was made an instrument -in the hands of a higher power than hate, and he was to prove also that -there is a law of exact justice, that what one gives, in his thoughts, -whether love, hate, lust, envy, greed or generosity, it returns to him -in some way and at some time. - -The day was irksome, even with the thrills of seeing soldiers scouting -around the reservoir: one even started to walk a little way along the -ledge from the stairs of rough stone at the gates, but as the Incas had -turned more water into the cistern and it was slowly raising the level -toward the ledge he did not go far. - -The water itself became a menace before night, for it was almost level -with their small, deep cavern; but its rise was slow and would be unless -some one cut off the flow into the tunnels, which must happen soon. - -It would be a question for them of whether dark came before the water -level flooded the break in the stone and swept them out into the -cavernous cistern. - -The water came almost to the edge and then receded as the gate to the -reserve supply in the mountains was closed. - -Then darkness came, and they started on the most perilous part of their -journey, edging around the ledge. Fortunately for them it was dry and -not slippery. - -Again Pizzara showed that lust was stronger than caution for he elected -to remain in the cavern until they got out; they were then to proceed to -a point above the cavern, lower the rope and pull his gold and himself -up that way. - -They could not refuse for he knew the secret passes. - -Finally they were all safe and again they resumed their golden burdens. -Caya, who could not stay in the valley without danger of death when she -was discovered, had decided to go with her brother, who was also -endangered. Their plan was to seek her shepherd and his mother in the -hills and to stay there for a while. Perhaps Caya might stay and make a -home for him, who could say? She was shy as she said it. Bill told the -others of the plans the Indians made, and they all turned away in -sympathetic silence as Caya and her brother bade farewell to the stern, -proud old father and the clinging, sobbing mother who had braved every -danger of discovery to steal close enough to know that all was well and -to say goodbye. - -But in due time, they were done and again the party walked along under -the stars, on open ground and in constant danger of detection--but, -happily--perhaps because the Incas supposed that the tunnel flood had -served its purpose--they were not seen. - -Again, near daybreak, they were in the mountains, and well hidden in a -deep crevasse into which light never penetrated. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - A FORTUNE BY MISFORTUNE - - -"Who do you suppose that is?" asked Nicky, calling Cliff's attention to -a slim figure standing not far from the point where the crevasse they -were in opened onto the secret passway. - -"Do you think it is a spy?" Tom whispered. They were still in hiding. -Pizzara and Mr. Whitley had gone away early in the morning to try to -find a way to get to their old camp on the ledge. Bill would have been -the natural one to do scouting but it had been decided that he ought to -stay to help the boys in case of danger of discovery. Although the -crevasse, even in the middle of the day, was hidden in gloom that no -sun's ray ever penetrated, and discovery was unlikely, there was the -possibility that some Incas might intrude and discover the camp. In such -a case Bill was better able to find a hiding place or to help the -younger brains to find a course of procedure. But as the figure appeared -at the mouth of the crevasse, Bill was fast asleep, worn out after the -long exertion. - -"Shall we call Bill?" asked Nicky. - -"Wait," suggested Tom. "Keep perfectly still and see what he does." - -But they had forgotten Caya. Rolled in her robe she had been asleep; -suddenly, sitting up and staring, she leaped to her feet, cried out a -name sharply and ran forward. - -It was her shepherd of the hills. She quickly explained what so -surprised him, her presence in the hills. Then she brought him to meet -the younger members of the party. They liked him at once. He was a -handsome, wind-browned, tanned Indian with clear, honest eyes and a -likeable manner, though saying little. - -He had been on his way the night before to meet Caya when he had found -some of the soldiers at the secret pass; they knew him but told him to -go and watch for the strangers if they had escaped to the hills; he had -waited nearby and was wondering what to do and how to see Caya when she -had seen him. - -Mr. Gray and Bill were able to understand his hill dialect quite well -and he took quite a liking to the kindly old scholar. But most of his -time he spent with Caya, for he joined the camp as soon as he had gone -away long enough to bring some food. - -Late that night Mr. Whitley and Pizzara returned, leading the latter's -Indians. They had found the camp on the ledge without much difficulty, -there being an aqueduct that they could follow around the valley. They -had all the food from both slender stores and all other equipment: the -young men were very glad to get their American clothes again, and with a -spare pair of corduroy trousers, an extra woolen shirt and Mr. Whitley's -heavy coat they managed to outfit Mr. Gray in the first "civilized" garb -he had worn for several years. - -They planned to sleep in the crevasse: the next day the shepherd agreed -to come again and bring more dried meat and corn for their journey and -to show them the way to regain the regularly traveled mountain passes. - -But when they awoke the next morning Cliff, Tom and Nicky observed the -camp in dismay. - -Pizzara had cheated them again. Once his natives were with him, rough -half-breeds, more lustful for money than caring about honesty, he and -they had "cleared out" during the night, taking everything belonging to -both parties! - -For once, however, his cupidity had led him astray. - -When the young shepherd came to the camp the next day, soon after sunup, -he told them that he had seen a strange thing: nearly a dozen men went -silently along the secret way with packs. He rose and followed, thinking -that his friends of the day before were leaving with Caya. Not knowing -them he naturally did not trust them. - -However, soon there came a shouting, the falling of rocks, the cries of -injured men, the sharp flash of lightning from a long stick which one of -the men held. - -Thus the Indian described Bill's rifle which the Spaniard had stolen. - -There was a loud noise after the flash, he said, and this happened -several times: then the man fell down and there was much shouting and -the tramp of feet marching along one of the higher ledges, with a chant -of "Hailli--hailli!" - -Bill and Mr. Whitley went to look at the place which the shepherd showed -them. When they came back they were very sober and serious. - -"Pizzara has stolen his last piece of gold," Bill told the eager chums. -"It looks as though the Incas ambushed his party again--only this time -the ambush was a complete success." - -"Wiped out!" Mr. Whitley whispered to Mr. Gray. - -"And how about the supplies?" Cliff asked. - -"The Incas seemed to want to destroy the party: probably they think that -the ones they attacked were our party. At any rate they used arrows, -rocks and made a complete job of it. But they left the packs intact. It -seems that they ambushed from above and did not even climb down to see -anything." - -"Then the gold is there too," Tom said. - -"Yes," said Mr. Whitley. - -Little more was said. They became thoughtful and silent. - -"Caya and her brother are going with the shepherd," Bill said at length. -"He will take them to his mother's little hut." - -"I suppose Caya will marry him when she gets old enough," Tom said. "But -what will her brother do?" - -"He has listened to our talk about the wonders of our country," Mr. Gray -said, "and he wants to stay with his sister until he knows she will be -all right, and that, I suppose, means 'until she marries the shepherd,' -then he will make his way to Cuzco. I have promised to send him some -money, there, later on, and when he learns English and gets accustomed -to the strange things that he will see everywhere outside his little -hidden valley--who knows? He may come to visit us, some day!" - -It was with considerable regret that the three chums said goodbye to -Caya. She had been very faithful as a serving maid in the earlier days -in the temple. Then she had endeared herself to their growing sense of -chivalry by her sacrifice of freedom for their own sakes. They held her -hand a little longer than was their habit with modern girls, and with no -sense of sheepishness either! - -Her brother they frankly made a comrade and if he did not understand -their voluble promises of entertainment when he might come to see them -at Amadale, they certainly conveyed a full sense of their comradeship to -the straight young soldier. - -Waving their hands, they watched Caya, her brother and the shepherd go -out of sight down the crevasse and secret passway. Bill had a perfect -route for their return tucked away in his pocket for he had drawn a rude -map from the shepherd's directions. - -When the three whose lives had so closely twined in with their own were -out of sight Bill turned to Mr. Whitley. - -"I don't know your mind and you don't know mine," he said--and the boys -were tickled to hear the old expression he had used so often in the -earlier days of their association--it seemed to bring them back to real, -everyday things. "But to me it is a sin to leave that gold and those -supplies to be ruined in the first storm in the mountains or to be -buried in snow and ice this winter." - -"We aren't stealing it," Nicky suggested. "It can't be returned to the -Incas and the Spaniard--won't need it----" - -Mr. Gray was so eager to take the highly valuable specimens of the -ancient handicraft to civilization that he urged them also. Mr. Whitley -did not so much object to taking the gold; he did not wish the young -fellows to be exposed to the sight of the ambush: but Bill settled that -by going with him to bring back the gold and such supplies as they could -use. - -And so, because of greed, Pizzara had acted as an instrument to save -their lives and then had actually sacrificed his own and those of his -natives; and those who had been, under his revolver, actually beasts of -burden, became carriers of their own treasure. - -And carry it they did, with no complaint, for the secret way which they -traversed was by no means as terrible as that by which they had come. -The Inca's way was cleverly chosen, cleverly hidden. But it was a very -usable and easy way compared to the usual mountain passes. - -One afternoon, as the sun was beginning to touch the tops of the -Westward hills toward which the party now faced, they came to a narrow -valley across which, far above, a swinging, osier-supported bridge was -hung. But they did not cross the bridge; they went across the bottom of -the valley and into a fissure in the rock that anyone would consider -just one more cave, broken in there by Nature. - -Nevertheless, it was not a cave but the opening into a great cleft in -the virgin rock. Above them on both sides towered vast, steep granite -slabs: their way lay between them. - -Presently they came to steps, steep as a ladder almost, but firmly cut -and shaped slightly downward at the inward side so that the wear of use -leveling off the outer edge would not for centuries make the steps -dangerous. - -Up these they toiled, clinging dizzily, roped together, but not in any -real danger. Mr. Gray, even, in spite of the toilsome journey, was in -high spirits and, with many a rest but with a dauntless heart, he -finally reached the top step and sat with his companions for a rest. - -Soon they were off again: this time for only a short distance through a -cleft; and when they emerged Cliff and Nicky gave a regular Indian -war-whoop! - -"See where we are?" shouted Cliff. "Look--yonder is the hut where I -caught Huayca! There is the ledge where he watched our camp. This is the -place, Father, where we lost the map and all----" - -Sure enough! The Inca secret way had brought them out at almost the end -of their journey; a few days and they would be in Cuzco, their -adventures over! - -That would have been the case if Huayca had not gone for a walk in the -secret pass the day after the attack on Pizzara. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI - CLIFF BECOMES A PROPHET - - -"This is a splendid place to stop until we can bleach out the copper -color from our skins," Mr. Whitley suggested. "We will have to camp -somewhere while Bill goes to the nearest settlement and gets something -to take out this coloring: we left Cuzco as white people; we do not want -to return in red skins." - -"That will enable me to study this old ruin--I think it was a fortress," -Mr. Gray added. "And, besides, I will admit that our last climb tired me -greatly." - -"Why can't we go where we had our camp before--down below?" Nicky -inquired. - -"We can guard this place better," Tom told him. "One man can watch that -cleft we came from and we can loosen the osier ladder and draw it up: -then no one can surprise us." - -"Do you think anybody would try?" Nicky asked. - -Cliff spoke up: he had been quite silent and thoughtful for many -minutes. - -"I vote to go on," he said. - -Even Mr. Whitley looked at him in surprise. - -"Why?" he asked. - -"I have been thinking about 'Whackey,'" Cliff replied. "Something has -kept reminding me of him ever since we began to make camp here." - -"That is natural," Mr. Whitley explained. "That is because you captured -him, strung him up by the heels, up here." - -"Yes," Cliff admitted: then he frowned. "But that wouldn't make me feel -as though he might be close to us now, would it?" - -"Do you feel that way?" asked Bill. - -Cliff nodded. "I keep thinking what I would do if I were in Whackey's -place," he said. - -"And what do you think you'd do?" Nicky demanded. - -"This," answered Cliff. "Suppose me to be Huayca. Well, I slipped away -and tried an ambush in the white pass and then reported to my ruler, the -Inca. Then, a little later, I found out that my ambush had not -frightened the white invaders away. Do you see what I am trying to make -plain?" - -"Yes," Tom nodded. "When the white invaders escaped from the dungeons -and you heard about it, you might go with a party--or even lead it, as -Whackey, of course--to destroy them if they were in the secret pass." - -"How would he know that they were not drowned in the tunnel?" Nicky -objected. "How could he believe they were in the secret pass?" - -"Easy!" Cliff said. "We--the white invaders were seen in the open part -of the aqueduct by a chasqui--remember? Well, that proved they were not -drowned in the flooded tunnels. But they were not found in the aqueduct, -either, when daylight came." - -"That's so," Nicky agreed. "Then what?" - -"Then--still pretending I am Huayca!--I would think they might have -climbed out or someone might have helped--the Spaniard, maybe. The high -priest might tell me that Pizzara knew about the secret pass or had -heard of it. So I would go there." - -"Well," said Bill, "that all fits in. Pizzara was caught during the -night----" - -"There!" cried Cliff, eagerly. "That is the point. It was at night! His -band was wiped out. Now--if I were Whackey, I think I would go back -there in daylight! And----" - -"I see!" Tom put in. "Even at night the party could see that stuff was -strewn all around. And in daytime--it was gone!" - -"That is just what I mean!" Cliff was eager. - -"By gravy!" Bill broke in, "I didn't even think about that. Of course -the average Peruvian is no detective and might not go as deep as that. -But he would wonder what happened to all the stuff!" - -"Huayca was a very intelligent fellow," Mr. Whitley admitted. "If he did -as Cliff said----" He stopped, thinking deeply. - -"Then he might gather a party and follow us!" Nicky exclaimed. - -"Why haven't they overtaken us sooner, then?" Bill asked. "They can -travel faster than we did." - -"Well," said Cliff, "still being Whackey, I think I would follow all by -myself." - -"Why?" It was like a chorus of well trained voices--all asked the -question at one time. - -"Less chance of being noticed for one thing. For another--and from what -I saw of them I think this is how an Inca noble would think--I could let -the party get to this ledge and make camp. Then I could wait until dark, -slip over and cut away the ladder, wait until the camp was quiet to do -it. Then I could pick them off, one by one, with a sling or bow and -arrows, in the dawn. If any of the party hid in the ruins I could starve -them out." - -"And that is exactly the way an Indian's mind--an Inca, not an American -Indian--would work," Mr. Gray nodded at Cliff. - -"I prophesy that will happen if we stay here," Cliff said boldly. - -And in all but one particular he was exactly right! - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII - THE ANDES CLOSE THEIR JAWS - - -The one thing in which Cliff did not outguess Huayca was in the manner -of his planning for the white party's annihilation. - -Huayca was not of the hidden Inca tribe. He was a man of Cuzco, but of -the higher grade of intelligence. To him had come the Inca noble who had -gone with Pizzara to America: that noble had chosen Huayca to serve him -and had promised a great reward. By the failure of his ambush he had let -the white party get through to Quichaka. And, worse, they had escaped -again, as he discovered when he visited the scene of the night raid in -the secret pass. - -Huayca, being a native of Cuzco, knew that the Spanish justice was as -swift as that of the Incas. Since he must live in Cuzco, far from Inca -protection, he must not invoke the penalties which the Spanish law would -demand if he destroyed the white party. Even in such a place as the -Andes passes the law of the Americans would compel the law of the -Spaniards to quest and to find him out, if he turned his hand against -white men of that America. - -He had a better plan and one so thoroughly diabolic that it seemed as -though the Cupay, or evil spirit, of the Incas must have whispered it -into his ear. - -An infuriated mob, turning against white men who sought to rob the -buried Incas, hidden among the hills, of their treasure--that was the -instrument that would strike swiftly and who could seek, find or punish -its scattered arms afterward? No one! Having followed the party to the -stairway, keeping well hidden, he let them climb. He went to another -spot in the secret pass and there, with catlike agility, soared up the -side of a steep crag, hanging sometimes almost by a thread of sheer -willpower, clinging with nails and bare feet; but he reached the top, -slipped along it to another point, there descended to the main, -open-traveled pass and so across the osier bridge. While Cliff was -discussing his prophetic idea Huayca ran fleetly along the main pass, -under the lip of that very ledge, bound for the nearest settlement. - -Bill, when Cliff made his prophecy, looked very sober. - -"You may be right," he told Cliff, "but here's our situation: We can't -go back to Cuzco as Indians. If we leave this ledge we lose a good -position, in the matter of strategic location; no one can attack us from -below if we cut loose the ladder and we can guard the cleft much easier -than we could watch an open place on the pass. I vote for staying here, -at least until I can get some stuff to replace the bleacher we lost when -Pizzara took our packs away." - -They talked it over from every angle and finally, although Cliff felt -that he was right, they found no other plan as good as Bill's. Having -their strong, light rope, plenty long enough to reach the ground, they -promptly cut loose the upper fastenings of the Incas's osier ladder and -put a guard, in two-hour shifts, just within the cleft, with Bill's -small revolver, recovered from Pizzara by Bill after the visit to the -scene of the Spaniard's destruction: a shot would warn the whole camp, -day or night. - -They ate a frugal supper for the supplies were running very low and must -be made to last at least a day more, until Bill could visit the -settlement and come back with more. Then, because it was cold and they -did not wish to build a fire to attract attention, they made rude -blanket beds within the small stone hut, and, secure in the knowledge -that Nicky was wide awake, watchful, in the cleft, they slept with the -healthy weariness of their long climb that afternoon. - -And beyond their camp the mighty Incas were getting ready to snap their -jaws and leave the white party, apparently, no way of escape! - -At ten o'clock Nicky left his post long enough to shake Bill awake: it -was Bill's next watch. The mountain prospector woke easily, got up, -already alert and rested, and took up his post. - -And the mountains seemed to sleep. - -Mr. Whitley's watch, from midnight till two, was equally uneventful. Mr. -Gray was spared a watch the first night and so it was Cliff who was -called to follow Mr. Whitley. - -Huayca, having gone to a small settlement, called the men in council, -told them that the white men who had previously gone that way were -coming back, disguised as Indians, and thus fired his fuse to ignite -Peruvian hatred. He told them that the men had discovered an old burial -mound, far in the hills, and had ravaged it, in spite of his protest. - -Then, giving them some hints, he slipped away, leaving a fuse of anger -steadily hissing toward a powder-keg of rage and racial hatred. - -Huayca, feeling quite happy, returned along the pass, over the bridge, -up the cliff, along its top, down into the valley spanned by the bridge, -and thus again up the stone stairway that Cliff's party had used the -afternoon before: he was back in the narrow outlet by the time that -Cliff, consulting his radiumite watch face, decided to call Tom for his -shift just after Cliff's own ended. - -It was so still, Cliff thought, that you could almost hear the stars -singing as they twinkled with strange brightness in the clear air. - -Not a sound reached Cliff's ears, though. The stars did not sing, nor -did anything else make any noise. Nature seemed to be resting in the wee -hours before dawn, gathering her strength for a new day. - -So Cliff crept as quietly as he could to the hut and shook Tom. - -When his chum was thoroughly awake and stood outside the doorway with -him, Cliff spoke. - -"Don't shoot if you see a shadow on the ledge," he said in a whisper. "I -am going over to the edge and look around toward the lower pass for a -minute before I roll into my blanket." - -"All right," Tom agreed, and went one way while Cliff went the other. - -Tom comfortably disposed just inside the open fissure, saw Cliff -standing outlined against a star. The cleft was as still as a tomb. Tom -gazed up at the stars, looked along the deep, velvety blackness of the -fissure, turned to look again toward Cliff. - -Something was happening! - -Cliff seemed to be moving crazily--or was it Cliff and another. - -Tom deserted his post and raced across the turf. Then he shouted, -pointed his small revolver aloft, pressed the trigger. - -Crash! And the camp started up. The jaws had shut and the Andes were -ready to crunch their prey. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII - NO WAY OUT? - - -While Cliff went to call Tom, Huayca, not too far away up the cleft, -slipped closer and when he saw Cliff disappear into the gloomy ruin he -whipped across the grass and into hiding at the ruins themselves. - -He was within the guarded zone, therefore, when Tom took up his vigil. - -But Cliff's move to the ledge surprised Huayca. Also, it annoyed him: it -might disrupt his plans. He counted on a surprise. He desired to remain -silent until dawn, while men from the settlement crept up the pass. At -dawn his plan was to shout and begin firing arrows into the camp. Then -they would rush for the ladder and so plunge down into the arms of the -men who would then be waiting in the pass. - -But Cliff, as Huayca could tell when he crept close, flat on his -stomach--Cliff was watching something. Perhaps one of the men had a -light--down in the pass! - -As Cliff turned, alarmed by whatever he saw, Huayca, a panther in -quickness and a shadow in the gloom, leaped! - -He got a hand over Cliff's mouth. - -Then Tom came running, there was the shot. Huayca tried to fling Cliff -away, to escape and hide; but Cliff, too, had determination. He clung to -his assailant! - -Then, at the shot, there rose from the pass the angry, ominous roar of -many voices. - -The Andes growled over their prey! - -Everybody was awake on the higher level. They all came running, Tom -first. He caught Huayca in a tackle that helped to upset both struggling -adversaries; but, striking sideways, he sent them to the turf with Cliff -uppermost. Nicky piled on, then, and there was no chance of Huayca -rising right away, squirm though he might. - -Bill, when he came pelting, wasted no time: he saw the gleam of bright -steel, for Huayca's knife came from Spain. Bill saw that it was no time -for niceness. He kicked Huayca's wrist and with his screech of a wounded -leopard Huayca's wrist became limp; Bill snatched the weapon from the -ground. - -Mr. Whitley was there by that time. It took very little longer to trice -up Huayca, a snarling, defeated Indian. - -They peered over the ledge cautiously, but there was nothing to see: the -pass was like a deep well, jet black, impenetrable. They dragged Huayca -back to the hut, tried to force from him the secret of the pass, but he -would not speak. Bill hinted at some methods a little more forceful but -both Mr. Gray and Mr. Whitley demurred. Dawn would soon be upon them: -they were all wide awake, and, dividing into two groups, one with Bill's -rifle, the other with two revolvers, each led by the older men, they -watched at the cleft and near the ledge. - -Beneath them those on the ledge could hear mutterings and growls, as of -angered animals. - -"It sounds as though there were lions down there," said Nicky. - -"What puzzles me about the affair, tonight, is: How could Huayca get -past us and go down the pass?" Cliff said. "Or--if those people down -there are from Quichaka--how they got past us." - -It was dawn before they discovered the reality. - -Then Bill, looking carefully over, to be greeted with a flung stone -which, however, did not reach the ledge, made a statement. - -"There are forty men down there," he said. "They are not from Quichaka. -They are men of some settlement: I can tell by their clothes." - -"Then Huayca must have passed us," Cliff declared. "But how?" - -"There must be another way around this ledge," Mr. Whitley said. - -"If we could find it----" Tom did not finish. It would give them a -chance to escape, was the thought in his mind. But Bill shook his head. - -"If they know it they are watching it," he assured his friends. - -One of the men on the lower road shouted up at them. - -"Oho!" Bill said, interpreting. "He says for us to give ourselves up. He -calls us robbers. Huayca must have gotten past us and told about the -gold." - -"Then let's give them the gold and go," suggested Mr. Whitley. - -"Giving them the gold won't help. They are furious. Whackey must have -said we robbed some tomb. That's what I make out of that fellow's -yelling. - -"Then we are trapped," Mr. Gray said. - -"Looks like it," Bill admitted. "But they can't get up from where they -are any more than we can get down--all we have to do is double-guard the -cleft." - -"Until they starve us out," said Nicky ruefully. - -It seemed as though that was the intention. If the men on the road could -not reach them, hunger would. - -"Is there no way out?" Mr. Whitley said, at noon. He felt the -responsibility he had incurred for the safety of his young charges. But -no one gave him any answer. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV - HUAYCA PLAYS DECOY - - -"This is how the situation shapes up," Bill said, finally. "We could -wait until dark and then attract their attention to the place, around -the pass bend, where the ladder was: get them all there, waiting for us -to come down, while we sneak down the rope out of their sight on the far -side and run for it. - -"The objection," he went on, "is that when they discover that we are -running down the pass they can run after us and most likely they can -overtake us." - -"What we want to do," Cliff said, "if we can, is to get them somewhere -that we can cut them off." - -"That's talking!" Bill agreed. "But where?" - -"Well, if we could have them come up here while we went down," Nicky -began. Then he shook his head for he saw that his idea was rather -impossible. - -"The way everything is laid out here," Cliff declared, "it keeps them -from us but it keeps us from getting away. If we could just get them to -cross that osier bridge over the gulf, we could cut the strands of the -support and that would block them for good." - -The bridge he referred to spanned the chasm from one side of it, where -the pass they were above ended, to the other, where another path began. - -That was the way they had gone toward Quichaka. Returning the secret -way, they had gone through the bed of the chasm, with the bridge over -their heads, to one side. - -"If there was some way to get from the gulf up to the pass on the far -side----" Tom said. "There must be. That would account for Whackey -getting past us to see the men who are yelling at us right now." - -Bill said that there must be such a way and he took his larger revolver -and set out, up the cleft, toward the steep steps. If a man had gone -from the chasm up to and across the bridge, he would see some signs and -find a way, he declared. - -The party passed the intervening time throwing stones to keep the lower -enemies interested. Had they been able to surprise the antagonists it -would have been easy to stone them away, as the Incas had no doubt done -in the old days. But the men on the pass were on their guard and had -taken refuge close under the lip of the ledge which overhung the pass a -trifle. To fling stones accurately the chums would have had to look far -over and invite arrows or possibly bullets if any of the men of the -mountain settlements carried arms. The stones were flung simply to keep -the others close under the ledge until Bill's reconnoitering trip was -finished. - -"Here he comes!" cried Nicky, just before the sun dropped behind the -peaks and sent the lower levels into a deep gloom. - -"And he has found it," cried Tom. "I can tell by his face." - -Bill had, indeed, found the way taken by Huayca previously. He explained -the method to them. - -"But it doesn't help us any, as far as I can see," he said. "If we went -that way we would still have those fellows between us and safety." - -But Cliff took him aside and whispered: then they came back and the -entire party discussed a plan Cliff had thought out. - -Huayca sullenly refused to obey when Bill shortly ordered him to get -moving. Bill, carrying out Cliff's idea, compelled Huayca, his own knife -pricking the back of his neck, to go ahead of his tormenter, along the -path through the cleft. - -"Keep them interested," Bill urged. "Light dry brush and throw it down. -Do anything you can think of to make them sure you are up here--for half -an hour. Then--just keep still until I get back." - -He drove the disgruntled and frightened Indian before him, down the -steep steps. Bill had a flashlight and was able to prevent the bound -arms from doing him any injury: in fact, Huayca had enough to do, -keeping ahead of the pricking point of his knife, as he clung to the -bracing osiers along the steps, with just enough loose rope between his -wrists to enable him to help himself. - -It would have been foolhardy to try to make Huayca climb the cliff on -the far side of the chasm, as well as to get down the other cliff to the -far end of the bridge. - -Cliff's plan was otherwise arranged. - -Once in the chasm, Bill forced Huayca ahead of him until they had -crossed the deep gulf. - -There, in the shelter of a clump of brush almost under the end of the -osier bridge he compelled Huayca to sit down: Bill bound him securely in -that position. Then he walked a few feet away and gathered some small -twigs and a few larger sticks. With those he made ready a fire. Once it -was ignited and began to blaze he fired his revolver twice. - -That was the signal. Those on the ledge grew tense. Bill--good old -Bill!--had done his part. He was racing back across the chasm toward the -steps. In an hour or a little more he would be in their midst. But--in -the meanwhile!---- - -The men on the pass heard the shots. They began to look around. Where -had they come from? They knew what firearms were. But the sound had not -come from the ledge above them: indeed, the people on the ledge had been -so quiet that it might be that they had gone--if there was any way for -them to go. And there was: the mountaineers knew there was a cleft in -the walls above that ledge. - -One of them ran around the bend in the pass and shouted, pointing. They -all rushed in his direction. - -Far below, and in the extreme distance of the chasm's far side, they saw -a tiny fire and what might be a man sitting near it. - -The ones on the ledge, then, they argued hastily, had used the passage -through the cleft and down the old Inca steps. - -They must be over the chasm, camped there, thinking they were safe -because there was no way to get at them. The men who hated them and -sought their lives could not climb to the ledge and get to them through -the cleft: but there was another way to reach them, camped there in the -chasm. - -Stones! Stones would reach that camp! - -The men, shouting like wild things heated by the lust of the kill, -snatched up hands full of large stones: several even lugged large -boulders. - -It was a bad time for Huayca--or it would have been only that Bill, more -kindly than the Indian would have been, had adjusted the bonds so that -strenuous effort would loosen them after a while. - -Over the bridge of swaying planks raced the exultant mountaineers with -their missiles; and Huayca, realizing at last what the queer situation -meant to him, redoubled his efforts to loosen his hands so that he could -free his bound feet. - -Down the ladder, which they had saved and drawn up when it had been cut -free, went Tom, Nicky, Mr. Whitley and Cliff. - -Two of the enemy had not reached the bridge; they turned as they saw the -youthful trio and man drop down the side of the ledge; but Cliff and -Tom, first down, plunged at them so menacingly in the dark that they ran -out a ways on the bridge. - -Mr. Whitley carried an axe, and Tom and Cliff and Nicky all had strong -claspknives. - -While the men on the bridge wondered, hesitated, those far toward the -other side were pelting the campfire in the chasm with their rocks, -shouting and yelling so that they did not hear the warnings of their -comrades whom Nicky held off with the rifle because Mr. Whitley was -swinging the axe with steady, telling strokes. - -Crunch! Smash! Crumble! - -One strand of the two great cables supporting the bridge planks was cut. - -Then the men saw what was happening and turned to rush back across the -swaying, teetering, weakening structure. - -But Tom and Cliff were hacking away the smaller twists of osier so that -soon there was a space several feet wide where there was no support for -the planks. - -Crack! Crack! Crunch! Crash! - -Mr. Whitley was cutting through the osier on the other half of the -swinging bridge. The more deliberate Mr. Gray had by now come down the -ladder and he held up a torch for them to see by. - -The light served to show the men on the bridge how dangerous was their -situation. Any minute the second strand might part and the end of the -bridge would then go swinging down--down---- - -In terror, stumbling over one another, pushing, screaming, they made for -the far side of the bridge, which was naturally the nearer to them, for -safety. - -Mr. Whitley withheld his axe until he was certain that there were no -more men on the bridge. - -Crash! Two or three more blows and the bridge, weakened and strained, -parted and went crashing down. - -Between them and their enemies yawned a bridgeless chasm. Long before -the men could get up one cliff, over and down, across the valley where -they found the terrified Huayca hiding, up the steep stone stairway and -onto the ledge, Cliff, Nicky, Tom, Mr. Whitley, Mr. Gray, and Bill--who -had come back safely, were on their way toward Cuzco. - -And this time their adventures were truly over and they had plenty of -time to disguise their golden burdens, to bleach off their dye where it -would show, and to return to civilization, satisfied for the time being -that the Mystery Boys had saved a white man from eternal captivity and, -in the bargain, brought out a nice collection of golden treasure! - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV - FOLDED ARMS - - -"Amadale is going to be tamer for us, than a sick rabbit," volunteered -Nicky. He and Tom and Cliff were once more in the couch swing on Aunt -Lucy's porch. - -But this time no mysterious Spaniard, no queer Indian faced them. -Instead, a tall, lanky, lean-jawed man with a likeable grin squatted on -the floor, idly whittling to a satiny finish a long piece of wood. Had -the chums looked through the living room window they could have seen Mr. -Gray, Cliff's father, entirely restored to health, showing his -collection of Inca treasures to three scholars. Mr. Whitley, tilted back -comfortably in a chair, its back against the porch rail, smiled at -Nicky. - -"First class in History--and ancient history at that!--begins tomorrow," -he chuckled. "Thomas, please tell me what Inca is the most famous." - -"Whackey!" grinned Tom. "He gave America back its citizens." - -"And now, Nicholas, what was the empire of the Incas most famed for?" - -"Adventure!" promptly replied Nicky. - -"Cliff," continued the instructor, carrying on his joke, "You next. What -fact will you remember most about the Incas?" - -"My father's rescue," said Cliff seriously. - -That rather ended the joke for they all became sober as they recalled -how much danger they had faced to save him. - -"I told you we'd come out all right if we all thought we could!" Nicky -said. - -"We came out better than all right!" declared Tom, fondling the bright -tan colored and brand new bank pass book in which his share of the -treasure showed as a sizeable deposit. - -The treasure they had managed to get to Cuzco had been so cleverly -packed in among their old dunnage that the sleepy officials who had no -idea that these men had been among fabulous treasures did not even -bother to examine their old packs, and so, although there would have -been a large part of the beautifully wrought objects claimed by the -Peruvian government, none was noted and they got it all through. In -America, because of its value as art objects and because they did not -intend to dispose of any of it for profit, there was no duty charged. - -Their share of the revenue came from the purse of Cliff's father. While -he did not buy the gold directly from them, to each he gave a -substantial sum for deposit. Mr. Whitley had been reimbursed for his -expenditures and had refused to take a cent more. Bill, though, had -accepted a good amount with which to buy the ranch for which he yearned. -For Mr. Gray, scholar and writer of many books, found on his return to -America that his volumes already written had brought in a steady royalty -and for a series of articles on the life and customs of the Incas he -received a large cash payment. - -They had agreed not to disclose to the world the actual adventures they -had experienced: also, each was bound by the most solemn oath of the -Mystery Boys not to divulge the fact that the Incas still lived in their -valley. - -To do so, Mr. Gray urged, would send a host of adventurers--or worse--to -invade the hills and to rob and harm the Incas. Instead they let it be -understood that the scholar had been on an expedition, had found some -valuable old things in the hills and had secured them for the gift which -he made of them to a National museum. - -Bill was visiting the four comrades who, with Cliff's father, had -endeared themselves to him. Soon he would go further West to pick out a -good ranch location. - -"I wonder if Bill will find it as much excitement chasing steers and -branding them as he found it rescuing my father?" Cliff said. - -"Nope!" answered Bill. "But don't forget--I'm one of the Mystery Boys -still. One of these days I expect there will be a letter coming by -airmail to my ranch--'Dear Bill, come a-riding! We're going to try to -find Tom's sister and discover what that cipher is that Nicky's got.'" - -"Why must we wait?" urged Nicky. "We're all here now!" - -"There is school!" reminded Mr. Whitley. - -"Yes," agreed Nicky. "But it will be tame after the Incas." - -"But we can do one thing," Tom broke in. "We can decide how to go about -finding out what's in Nicky's cipher, can't we?" - -"I think it will be wiser to wait until our heads are free from -lessons," smiled Mr. Whitley. "I, for one, cannot go on any further -quest for treasure until I have fulfilled my contract with the Amadale -Academy." - -"Well," said Nicky, the irrepressible, glancing at his friends as, out -of the corner of his eye he saw Aunt Lucy within the living room, -approaching the window with a big plateful of cakes and a pitcher of -lemonade. "Well, I know one thing we can decide on, right now." - -"What?" they all asked him. - -Nicky grinned. Gently he began stroking his left ear with the middle -finger of that hand. It was the call for a council. - -Promptly, and somewhat curiously, Tom, Cliff, Bill and Mr. Whitley sat -with folded arms--the sign that they were in readiness. - -The Mystery Boys were again in council. - -"You'll promise on the oath, 'Seeing All, I see nothing: Knowing All, I -know nothing: Telling All, I tell nothing'----?" - -"Certainly we'll promise!" said Tom impatiently. "What is it, Nicky?" - -"I know!" cried Cliff, as Aunt Lucy stood, smiling, at the window, -"We've got to decide a great question!" - -"What?" asked Bill. - -Grinning from ear to ear Nicky pointed to his watch, then jammed a -finger toward his open mouth--and grabbed a cookie! - -"When do we eat?" he shouted. - -They all laughed and each elevated his right hand to rub his stomach. - -"Now!" they replied. - -And the council of the Mystery Boys was dissolved! - - - THE END - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - ---In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the - HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold, by Van Powell - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY BOYS AND THE INCA GOLD *** - -***** This file should be named 52683.txt or 52683.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/6/8/52683/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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