第10章

Onthefourthmorning,however,ourtroublesbegan,sincethefriendlywindfromthenorthgrewsteadilystronger,tillatlengthitrosetoagale。Soonourlittleragofcanvaswastornaway,butstillwerushedonbeforethefollowingseasataverygreatspeed。

NowIthoughtoftryingtomaketheland,butfoundthatwecouldnotdosowiththeoars,becauseofthecurrentthatsetouttowardstheoceanagainstwhichitwasimpossibletourgeourclumsycraft。

Thereforewemustcontentourselveswithtryingtokeepherheadstraightwiththesteeringoar,buteventhenwewereoftenwhirledroundandround。

Abouttwohoursafternoontheskycloudedover,andthereburstuponusagreatthunder—stormwithtorrentsofrain;alsothewindgrewstrongerandstronger。

Nowwecouldnolongersteerordoanythingexceptlieflatuponthebottomofthe/balsa/,grippingthecordswithwhichitwastiedtogether,tosaveourselvesfrombeingwashedoverboard,sinceoftenthefoamingcrestsofthewavesbrokeuponus。Indeed,itwasmarvellousthatthisfrailcraftshouldhangtogetheratall,butowingtothelightnessofthereedsandtheblown—upskinsthatweretiedinthem,stillshefloatedand,whirlingroundandround,speduponhersouthwardpath。YetIknewthatthiscouldnotendureforverylong,andcommittedmysoultoGodaswellasIwasableinmyhalf—drownedstate,wishingthatmymiserieswereended。

Thedarknesscamedown,butstillthethunderroaredandthelightningblazed,andbytheflareofitIcaughtsightofsnow—cappedmountainsfarawayuponthecoast,alsoofKariclingingtothereedsofthe/balsa/atmyside,andfromtimetotimekissingthegoldenimageofPachacamacwhichhungabouthisneck。Presentlyhesethislipsagainstmyearandshouted:

"Bebold！Ourgodsarestillwithusinstorm。"

"Yes,"Ianswered,"andsoonweshallbewithourgods——inpeace。"

AfterthisIheardnomoreofhim,andfelltothinkingwithsuchwitsaswerelefttomeofhowmanyperilswehadpassedsincewesawtheshoresofThames,andthatitseemedsadthatallshouldhavebeenfornothing,sinceitwouldhavebeenbettertodieatthebeginningthannowattheend,aftersomuchmisery。ThentheglareofthelightningshoneuponthehandleoftheswordWave—Flame,whichwasstillstrappedaboutme,andIrememberedtherunewrittenuponitwhichmymotherhadrenderedtomeuponthemorningofthefightagainsttheFrenchmen。Howdiditrun？

HewholiftsWave—FlameonhighInloveshallliveandinbattledie。

Storm—tossedo"erwideseasshallroamAndinstrangelandsshallmakehishome。

Conquering,conqueredshallhebeAndfarawayshallsleepwithme。

Itfittedwell,thoughoftheloveIhadknownlittleandthatmostunhappy,andthebattleinwhichImustdiewasonewithwater。Also,IhadconquerednothingwhomyselfwasconqueredbyFate。Inshort,thethingcouldbereadtwoways,likeallprophecies,andonlyonelineofitwastruebeyondadoubt——namely,thatWave—FlameandI

shouldsleeptogether。

Awhilelaterthelightningshoneawesomely,liketotheswordsofawholearmyofdestroyingangels,sothattheskybecamealivewithfire。InitslightforaninstantIsawaheadofusgreatbreakers,andbeyondthemwhatlookedlikeadarkmassofland。Nowwewereinthem,forthefirstofthosehungry,curlingwavesgotaholdofthe/balsa/andtosseditupdizzily,thenflungitdownintoadeepvalleyofwater。Anothercameandanother,tillmysensesreeledandwent。IcriedtoSt。Hubert,buthewasalandsaintandcouldnothelpme;soIcriedtoAnothergreaterthanhe。

Mylastvisionwasofmyselfridingahugebreakerasthoughitwereahorse。Thentherecameacrashanddarkness。

Lo！itseemedtomeasthoughonewerecallingmebackfromthedepthsofsleep。WithtroubleIopenedmyeyesonlytoshutthemagainbecauseoftheglareofthelight。ThenafterawhileIsatup,whichgavemepain,forIfeltasifIhadbeenbeatenallover,andlookedoncemore。Abovemeshonethesuninaskyofdeepestblue;beforemewastheseaalmostcalm,whilearoundwererocksandsand,amongwhichcrawledgreatreptilesthatIknewforturtles,asIhadseenmanyoftheminourwanderings。Moreover,kneelingatmyside,withtheswordthathehadtakenfromthebodyofDeleroystillstrappedabouthim,wasKari,whobledfromsomewoundandwasalmostwhitewithencrustedsalt,butotherwiseseemedunharmed。Istaredathim,unabletoopenmymouthfromamazement,soitwashewhospokethefirst,saying,inavoicethathadanoteoftriumphinit:

"DidInottellyouthatthegodswerewithus？Whereisyourfaith,O

WhiteMan！Look！TheyhavebroughtmebacktothelandofwhichIamPrince。"

NowtherewasthatinKari"stonewhichinmyweakstateangeredme。

Whydidhescoldmeaboutfaith？Whydidheaddressmeas"WhiteMan"

insteadof"Master"？WasitbecausehehadreachedacountrywherehewasgreatandIwasnothing？Isupposedso,andanswered;

"Andaretheseyoursubjects,OnobleKari？"andIpointedtothecrawlingturtles。"Andisthistherichandwondrouslandwheregoldandsilverareasmud？"andIpointedtothebarrenrocksandsandaround。

Hesmiledatmyjest,andansweredmorehumbly:

"Nay,Master,yonderismyland。"

ThenIlooked,followinghisglance,andsawmanyleagueswayacrossthewatertwosnowcladpeaksrisingaboveabankofclouds。

"Iknowthosemountains,"hewenton;"withoutdoubttheyareoneofthegatewaysofmyland。"

"ThenwemightaswellbeinLondonforallthehopewehaveofpassingthatgate,Kari。Buttellmewhathaschanced。"

"This,Ithink。Averygreatwavecaughtusandthrewusrightoverthoserocksontotheshore。Look——thereisthe/balsa/,"andhepointedtoabrokenheapofreedsandpiercedskins。

WithhishelpIroseandwenttoit。Nownonecouldknowthatithadbeenaboat。Still,the/balsa/itwasandnothingelse,andtiedinitstangledmassstillremainedthosethingswhichwehadbroughtwithus,suchasmyblackbowandarmour,thoughallthejarswerebroken。

"Ithasborneuswell,butwillneverbearusagain,"Isaid。

"Thatisso,Master。ButifwewereinmyowncountryyonderIwouldsetitsfragmentsinacaseofgoldandplacethemintheTempleoftheSunasamemorial。"

Thenwewenttoapoolofrainwaterthatlayinahollowrocknearby,anddrankourfill,forwewereverythirsty。Alsoamongtheruinsofthe/balsa/wefoundsomeofthedriedfishthatwaslefttous,andhavingwashedit,filledourselves。Afterthiswelimpedtothecrestofthelandbehindandperceivedthatwewereonalittleisland,perhapstwohundredEnglishacresinextent,whereonnothinggrewexceptsomecoarsegrass。Thisisland,however,wasthehauntofgreatnumbersofseafowlwhichnestedthere,alsooftheturtlesthatIhavementioned,andofcertainbeastslikesealsorotters。

"Atleastweshallnotstarve,"Isaid,"thoughinthedryseasonwemaydieofthirst。"

Nowthereonthatislandweremainedforfourlongmonths。Forfoodweatetheturtles,whichwecookedoverfiresthatKarimadebycunninglytwirlingapointedpieceofdriftwoodinthehollowofanotherpiecethathefilledwiththedustofdriedgrass。Hadhelackedthatknowledgewemusthavestarvedorlivedonrawflesh。Asitwas,wehadplentywiththismeatandthatofbirdsandtheireggs,alsooffishthatwecaughtinthepoolswhenthetidewasdown。Fromtheshellsoftheturtles,bythehelpofstones,webuiltusakindofhuttokeepoffthesunandtherain,whichinthathotplacewassufficientshelter;also,whenthestenchwasoutofthem,weusedothershellsinwhichtocatchrainwaterthatwestoredasbestwecouldagainstseasonsofdrought。Lastly,withmybigbowwhichwassavedwiththearmour,Ishotsea—otters,andfromtheirpeltswemadeusgarmentsafterrubbingtheskinswithturtlefatandhandlingthemtomakethemsoft。

Thus,then,welivedfrommoontomoonuponthatdesertplace,tillI

thoughtIshouldgomadwithlonelinessanddespair,fornohelpcamenearus。Therewerethemountainsofthemainlandfaraway,butbetweenthemandusstretchedleaguesofseathatwecouldnotswim,norhadweanythingofwhichtomakeaboat。

"Herewemustremainuntilwedie！"atlastIcriedinmywretchedness。

"Nay,"answeredKari,"ourgodsarestillwithusandwillsaveusintheirseason。"

This,indeed,theydidinastrangefashion。

CHAPTERIII

THEDAUGHTEROFTHEMOON

Forthefourthtimesincewewerecastawayonthisislandthehugefullmoonshoneinaskyofwondrousblue。KariandIwatcheditrisebetweenthetwosnow—cladpeaksfarawaythathehadcalledagatewaytohisland,whichwassoneartousandyetitwouldseemmoredistantthanHeavenitself。Heavenwemighthopetoreachuponthewingsofspiritwhenwedied,buttothatcountryhowcouldwecome？

Wewatchedthatgreatmoonclimbhigherandhigherupaladderoflittlebar—likeclouds,tillwearyingweletoureyesfallupontheglitteringpathwaywhichitslightmadeuponthebosomoftheplacidsea。SuddenlyKaristaredandstared。

"Whatisit？"Iaskedidly。

"IthoughtIsawsomethingyonderfarawaywhereQuilla"sfootstepsmakethewatersbright,"hesaid,speakinginhisownlanguageinwhichnowweoftentalkedtogether。

"Quilla"s？"Iexclaimed。"Oh！Iforgot:thatistheladymoon"snameinyourtongue,isitnot？Well,come,Quilla,andIwillwedandworshipyou,as"tissaidtheancientsdid,andneverturntolookuponanother,beshewoman,orgoddess,orboth。OnlycomeandtakemefromthisaccursedisleandinpaymentI"lldieforyou,ifneedbe,whenfirstI"vetaughtyouhowtoloveasstarorwomanneverlovedbefore。"

"Hush！"saidKariinagravevoice,whenhehadlistenedtothismadstuffthatburstthroughmylipsfromthespringofaminddistraughtbymiseryanddespair。

"WhyshouldIhush？"Iasked。"Isitnotpleasanttothinkofthemoonwearingalovelywoman"sshapeanddescendingtogivealonelymortalloveandcomfort？"

"Because,Master,tomeandmypeoplethemoonisagoddesswhohearsprayerandanswersit。Suppose,then,thatsheheardyouandansweredyouandcametoyouandclaimedyourlove,whatthen？"

"Why,then,friendKari,"Iravedon,"thenIshouldwelcomeher,forlovegoesabegging,readyasripefruittobepluckedbythefirsthandifitbefairenough,readytomeltbeneaththefirstlipsiftheybewarmenough。"Tissaidthatitisthemanwholovesandthewomanwhoacceptsthelove。Butthatisnottrue。Itistheman,Kari,whowaitstobelovedandpaysbackjustasmuchasisgiventohim,andnomore,likeanhonestmerchant;forifhedoesotherwise,thenhesuffersforit,asIhavelearned。Therefore,come,Quilla,andloveasaCelestialcanandIswearthatstepbystepI"llkeeppacewithyouinfleshandspiritthroughHeaven,orthroughHell,sinceloveImusthave,ordeath。"

"Iprayyou,talknotso,"saidKariagain,inafrightenedvoice,"sincethosewordsofyourscomefromtheheartandwillbeheard。Thegoddessisawoman,too,andwhatwomanwillturnfromsuchabait？"

"Lethertakeit,then。Whynot？"

"Because,Ofriend,because/Quilla/iswedto/Yuti/;theMoonistheSun"swife,andiftheSungrowsjealouswhatwillhappentothemanwhohasrobbedthegreatestoftheworld"sgods？"

"IdonotknowandIdonotcare。IfQuillawouldbutcomeandloveme,I"dtakemychanceofYutiwhomasaChristianIdefy。"

Karishudderedatthisblasphemy,thenhavingoncemorescannedthatsilverpathwayonthewaters,butwithoutavailforthegreatfishordriftingtreeorwhateverhehadseen,wasgone,prayedafterhisfashionatnight,toPachacamac,SpiritoftheUniverse,ortotheSunhisservant,godoftheworld,Iknownotwhich,androllinghimselfinhisrugofskins,creptintoourlittlehuttosleep。

ButasyetIdidnotsleep,forthoughKarihatedboth,thistalkofloveandwomenhadstirredmybloodandmademewakeful。SoItookaroughcombthatIhadfashionedfromtheshellofaturtle,anddraggeditthroughmylongfairbeard,which,growingfast,nowhungdownfaruponmybreast,andthroughthecurlinghairthatlayuponmyshoulders,forIhadbecomeasotherwildmenare,andsangtomyselftherebythelittlefirewhichwekeptburningdayandnightandtriedtothinkofhappythingsthatnevershouldIknowagain。

AtlengththefitpassedandIgrewwearyandlaidmyselfdownbythefire,forthenightbeingsofineandwarmIwouldnotgointothehut,andtheresleepfoundme。

Idreamedinmysleep。Idreamedthataverybeautifulwomanwhoworeuponhernakedbreasttheemblemofthemoonfashionedincrystal,stoodoverme,lookingdownuponmewithlargedarkeyes。Andasshelookedshesighed。Thriceshesighed,eachtimemoredeeplythanthelast。Thenshekneltdownbyme——orsoitseemedinmydream,andlaidatressofherlongdarkhairagainstmyyellowlocks,asthoughshewouldmatchthemtogether。Shedidmore,indeed——inmydream——forliftingthattressoffragranthair,sheletitfalllikethistledownacrossmyfaceandmouth,andthenkissedthehair,forIfeltherbreathreachmethroughitsstrands。

Thedreamendedthus,thoughIwishedverymuchthatitwouldgoon,andIfeltasthoughithadgoneawayassuchvisionsdo。Awhilelater,asIsuppose,Iawokequitesuddenly,andopenedmyeyes。

There,neartome,glitteringinthefulllightofthebrilliantmoon,stoodthewomanofmydream,onlynowhernakedbreastwascoveredwithasplendidcloakbroideredwithsilver,andonherdarklockswasafeatheredheaddressinfrontofwhichrosethecrescentofthemoon,likewisefashionedinsilver。Alsoinherhandsheheldalittlesilverspear。

Istaredather,formoveIcouldnot。ThenrememberingmycrazytalkwithKari,utteredoneword,onlyone。Itwas——/Quilla/。

Shebowedherheadandansweredinavoicesoftasthemurmurofthewindthroughrushes,speakingintherichlanguagecalledQuichuathatKarihadtaughtme。Inthistongue,asIhavetold,wetalkedtogetherforpracticeduringourjourneysandontheisland。SothatnowIknewitwell。

"SoindeedamInamedaftermymother,the"Moon,""shesaid。"Buthowdidyouknowit,OWanderer,whoseskiniswhiteasthefoamoftheseaandwhosehairisyellowasthefinegoldinthetemples？"

"Ithinkyoumusthavetoldmewhenyoukneltovermejustnow,"I

said。

Isawtheredbloodruntoherbrow,butsheonlyshookherhead,andanswered:

"Nay,mymother,theMoon,musthavetoldyou;orperchanceyoulearneditinthespirit。Atleast,QuillaamInamedandyoucalledmearight。"

NowIstoodupandstaredather,overcomebythestrangenessofthebusiness,andshestaredatme。Amarvellouslybeautifulwomanshewasinherdazzlingrobeandheaddress,andlightercolouredthananynativeIhadseen,almostwhite,indeed,inthemoonlightsaveforthecoppertingethatmarkedherrace;tall,too,yetnotover—tall;slimandstraightasanarrow,buthigh—breastedandround—limbed,andwithawildgraceinhermovementsliketothatofahawkuponthewing。

Alsotomyfancyinherfacetherewassomethingmorethancommonyouthfulbeauty,somethingspiritual,suchasgreatartistsshowuponthecarvencountenancesofsaints。

Indeedshemightwellhavebeenonewhosehumanbloodwasmixedwithsomeotheralienstrain——asshehadcalledherself,adaughteroftheMoon。

Aquestionrosetomylipsandburstfromthem;itwas:

"Tellme,OQuilla,areyouwifeormaid？"

"MaidamI,"sheanswered,"yetonewhoispromisedasawife,"andshesighed,thenwentonquicklyasthoughthismatterweresomethingofwhichshedidnotwishtotalk,"Andtellme,OWanderer,areyougodorman？"

NowIgrewcunningandanswered,"IamaSonoftheSeaasyouareaDaughteroftheMoon。"

Sheturnedherheadandglancedattheradiancewhichlayuponthefaceofthedeep,thensaidasthoughtoherself:

"Themoonshinesupontheseaandtheseamirrorsbackthemoon,yettheyarefarapartandnevermaydrawnear。"

"Notso,OQuilla。Outoftheseadoesthemoonriseand,hercourserun,intothesea"swhitearmsshesinkstosleepatlast。"

Againtheredbloodrantoherbrowandhergreateyesfell,thoseeyesofwhichneverbeforehadIseenthelike。

"Itseemsthattheyspeakourtongueinthesea,andprettily,"shemurmured,adding,"ButisitnotfromandintoHeaventhattheMoonrisesanddeparts？"

Atthatmomenttomygriefourtalkcametoanend,foroutofthehutcreptKari。Herosetohisfeetandstoodthereasevercalmanddignified,lookingfirstatQuillaandthenatme。

"WhatdidItellyou,Master？"hesaidinEnglish。"DidInotsaythatprayerssuchasyoursareanswered？Lo！hereisthatChildoftheMoonforwhomyousought,clothedinbeautyandbringinghergiftsofloveandwoe。"

"Yes,"Iexclaimed,"andIamgladthatsheishere。Fortherest,wereshebutmine,IthinkIshouldnotgrudgeherpricewhate"eritbe。"

QuillalookedatKarifrowningoverthespearthatwhenheappearedshehadlifted,asthoughtodefendherself,whichinmycaseshehadnotthoughtneedful。

"Sotheseabreedsmenofmyownracealso,"shesaid,addressinghim。

"Tellme,OStranger,howdidyouandyonderwhitegodcometothisisle？"

"Ridingontheoceanbillows,ridingforthousandsofleagues,"heanswered。"Andyou,OLady,howdidyoucometothisisle？"

"Ridingonthemoonbeams,"shereplied,smiling,"I,thedaughteroftheMoon,whoamnamedMoonandwearhersymbolonmybrow。"

"DidInottellyouso？"exclaimedKaritomewithagloomyair。

ThenQuillawenton:

"Strangers,Iwasoutfishingwithtwoofmymaidensandwehaddriftedfarfromland。AsthesunsankIcaughtsightofthesmokeofyourfire,andhavingbeentoldthatthisislewasdesert,myheartdrewmetodiscoverwhohadlitit。So,thoughmymaidenswereafraid,hitherIsailedandpaddled,andtherestyouknow。Hearken！Iwilldeclaremyself。IamtheonlychildofHuaracha,KingofthePeopleoftheChancas,bornofhiswife,aprincessoftheIncabloodwhonowhasbeengatheredtoherFather,theSun。Iamhereonavisittomymother"skinsman,Quismancu,theChiefoftheYuncasoftheCoastlands,towhommyfather,theKing,hassentanembassyonmattersofwhichIknownothing。Behindyonderrockismy/balsa/andwithitarethetwomaidens。Say,isityourwishtobidehereuponthisisle,ortoreturnintothesea,ortoaccompanymebacktothetownofQuismancu？Ifso,wemustsaileretheweatherbreaks,lestweshouldbedrowned。"

"Certainlyitismywishtoaccompanyyou,Lady,thoughagodoftheseacannotbedrowned,"IsaidquicklybeforeKaricouldspeak。

Indeed,hedidnotspeakatall,heonlyshruggedhisshouldersandsighed,likeonewhoacceptssomeevilgiftfromFatebecausehemust。

"Sobeit！"exclaimedQuilla。"NowIgotomakereadythe/balsa/andtowarnthemaidenslesttheybefrightened。Whenyouarepreparedyouwillfindusyonderbehindtherock。"

Thenshebowedinastatelyfashionandeparted,walkingwiththeproud,lightstepofadeer。

FromourlittlehutItookoutmyarmourandwithKari"shelp,putiton,becausehedeclaredthatthusitwouldbemoreeasilycarried,thoughIthinkhehadotherreasonsinhismind。

"Yes,"Ianswered,"unlessthe/balsa/oversets,whenIshallfindmailhardtoswimin。"

"The/balsa/willnotoverset,sailingbeneaththemoonwiththatMoon—ladyforapilot,"herepliedheavily。"Hadthesunbeenup,itmighthavebeendifferent。Moreover,thepathintoanetisalwayswideandeasy。"

"Whatnet？"Iasked。

"Onethatiswovenofwomen"shair,Ithink。Already,ifImistakenot,suchanethasbeenaboutyourthroat,Master,andnexttimeitwillstaythere。Hearkennowtome。Thegodsthrustusintohighmatters。TheYuncasofwhosechiefthisladyisaguestareagreatpeoplewhommypeoplehaveconqueredinwar,butwhowaittheopportunitytorebel,iftheyhavenotalreadydoneso。TheChancas,ofthosekingsheisthedaughter,areastillgreaterpeoplewhoforyearshavethreatenedwaruponmypeople。"

"Well,whatofit,Kari？Withsuchquestionsthisladywillhavenothingtodo。"

"Ithinkshehasmuchtodowiththem。Ithinkthatsheknowsmorethansheseemstoknow,andthatsheisanenvoyfromtheChancastotheYuncas。Towhomissheaffianced,Iwonder？SomeGreatOne,doubtless。Well,weshalllearnintime;andmeanwhile,Iprayyou,Master,rememberthatshesaysshe/is/affianced,andthatinthislandmenareveryjealousevenofawhitegodwhorisesfromthesea。"

"OfcourseIshallremember,"Iansweredsharply。"HaveInothadenoughofwomenwhoareaffianced？"

"Byyourprayerofthemoonthisnight,whichthemoonansweredsowellandquickly,onemightthinknot。Alsothisdaughterofhersisfair,andperchancewhenshegaveherhandshekeptherheart。Listenagain,Master。OfmeandofwhomIam,saynothing,savethatyoufoundmeonthisislandwhereIdweltahermitwhenyourosefromthesea。Asformyname,why,itisZapana。Rememberthatifyoubreathemyrankandhistory,howevermuchsweetlipsmaytrytocozenthemoutofyou,youbringmetomydeath,whonowdonotwishtodie,havingavengeancetoaccomplishandathronetowin。Thereforetreatmeasadog,asoneofnoaccount,andbesilenteveninyoursleep。"

"Iwillremember,Kari。"

"Thatisnotenough——swearit。"

"Good。Iswearit——bythemoon。"

"Nay,notbythemoon,forthemooniswomanandchanges。Swearitbythis,"andfrombeneathhisskinrobehedrewoutthegoldenimageofPachacamac。"SwearitbytheSpiritoftheUniverse,ofwhomSunandMoonandStarsarebutservants,theSpiritwhomallmenworshipinthisshapeorinthat。"

SotopleasehimIlaidmyhanduponthegoldensymbolandswore。

Then,veryhurriedly,wemadeupataleofhow,cladinmyarmour,I

hadrisenfromtheseaandfoundhimontheisland,andhowknowingmeforawhitegodwhoonceinagespasthadvisitedthatlandandwho,asprophecyforetold,shouldreturntoitindaystocome,hehadworshippedmeandbecomemyslave。

Thisdonewewentdowntotherock,KariwalkingaftermeandbearingalloursmallpossessionsandwiththemDeleroy"ssword。Passingroundtherockwesawthe/balsa/drawnuptothesand,andbyittheladyQuilla,whonowhadputoffherfinerobesandagainwasattiredasafishing—girlasIhadseenherinmydream,andwithhertwotallgirlsinthesamescantygarments。Whenthesesawmeintheglitteringarmour,whichinourlongidlehourswehadpolishedtillitshonelikesilver,withtheshielduponmyarmandthecasqueuponmyheadandthegreatswordgirdedaboutmymiddleandtheblackbowinmyhand,theyscreamedwithfearandfellupontheirfaces,whileevenQuillastartedbackandglancedtowardstheboat。

"Fearnot,"Isaid。"Thegodsarekindtothosewhodothemservice,thoughtothosewhowouldharmthemtheyareterrible。"

KarialsowenttothemandwhisperedintheirearswhattaleIknownot。Intheendtheyrosetrembling,andhavingmotionedtometobeseatedinit,withthehelpofKaripushedthe/balsa/,whichInotedwithjoywaslargeandwellmade,downintothesea。Thenonebyonetheyclimbedin,Quillatakingthesteering—oar,whileKariandthetwomaidenshoistedthelittlesailandpaddledtillwewereclearoftheisland,wherethegentlewindcaughtthe/balsa/。Thentheyshippedthepaddles,andalthoughfullladen,wesailedquietlytowardsthemainland。

NowIwasatthebowofthe/balsa/andQuillawasatitsstern,andbetweenusweretheothers,sothatduringallthatlongnight"sjourneyIhadnospeechwithherandmustcontentmyselfwithgazingovermyshoulderatherbeautyasbestIcould,whichwasnotwell,becauseofKari,whoeverseemedtocomebetweenmyeyesandhers。

Thusthelonghourswentbytillatlengthwhenwewerenearthelandthemoonsank,andwesailedonthroughthetwilight。Thencamethedawn,andthereinfrontofuswesawthelovelystrandgreenwithpalmswithinaringofsnow—cladmountains,twoofthemthegreatpeaksthatwehadseenfromourisle。

Ontheshorewasacityofwhite,flat—roofedhouses,andrisingaboveit,perchancethehalfofamilefromthesea,ahillfourorfivehundredfeetinheightandterraced。Onthetopofthehillstoodamightybuilding,paintedred,thatfromthelookofitItooktobeoneofthechurchesofthesepeople,inthecentreofwhichgleamedgreatdoorsthat,asIfoundafterwards,werecoveredwithplatesofgold。

"BeholdthetempleofPachacamac,Master,"whisperedKari,bowinghisheadandkissingtheairintokenofreverence。