第16章

Then,asthoughIweresomethinghalfdivine,gentlyenough,theyloosedtheswordfrommywrist,tookthelongbowfrommyback,withthefewarrowsthatremained,alsomydagger,andhidthemaway。Theyunboundme,andfreeingmefrommyarmour,asItoldthemhow,andthegarmentsbeneath,lavedmewithwarm,scentedwater,rubbedmybruisedlimbs,andclothedmeinwonderfulsoftgarments,alsoscentedandfastenedaboutmymiddlewithagoldenbelt。Thisdone,foodandspiceddrinksoftheirnativewinewerebroughttomeingoldenvessels。Iateanddrankand,beingveryweary,laidmyselfdownupononeofthecouchestosleep。FornowInolongertookanythoughtastowhatmightbefallme,butreceivedallasitcame,goodandilltogether,entrustingmybodyandsoultothecareofGodandSt。

Hubert。Indeed,whatelsecouldIdowhowasdisarmedandaprisoner？

WhenIawokeagain,verystiffandbruised,butmuchrefreshed,nighthadfallen,forhanginglampswerelitabouttheroom。BytheirlightIsawthechamberlainofwhomIhavespokenstandingbeforeme。I

askedhimhiserrand。WithmanybowshesaidthatifIwererestedtheIncaUpanquidesiredmypresencethathemightspeakwithme。

Ibadehimleadon,and,withotherswhowaitedwithout,heconductedmethroughamazeofpassagesintoagloriouschamberwhereeverythingseemedtobegold,foreventhewallswerepanelledwithit。NeverhadIdreamtofsomuchgold;indeedthesightofitweariedmetillI

couldhavewelcomedthatofhumblebrickorwood。Attheendofthischamberthatwasalsolitwithlamps,werecurtains。Presentlytheseweredrawnbytwobeautifulwomeninjewelledskirtsandhead—dresses,andbehindthemonadaisIsawacouchandonthecouchtheoldIncaUpanquilookingfeeblerthanwhenIhadlastbeheldhimintheChancacity,andverysimplycladinawhitetunic。OnlyonhisheadheworetheredfringefromwhichIsupposeheneverparteddayornight。Helookedupandsaid:

"Greeting,White—Lord—from—the—Sea。Soyouhavecometovisitmeafterall,thoughyousaidthatyouwouldnot。"

"Ihavebeenbroughttovisityou,Inca,"Ianswered。

"Yes,yes,theytellmetheycapturedyouinthebattle,thoughI

expectthatwasbyyourownwillasyouhadweariedofthoseChancas。

Forwhat/laso/canholdagod？"

"None,"Iansweredboldly。

"Ofcoursenot,andthatyouareakindofgodthereisnodoubtbecauseofthethingsyoudidinthatbattle。Theysaythatthearrowsandspearsmeltedwhentheytouchedyouandthatyoushotandcutdownmenbyscores。AlsothatwhentheprinceUrcotriedtokillyou,althoughheisthestrongestmaninmykingdom,youknockedhimoverasthoughhehadbeenalittlechildandhackedhisheadopensothattheydonotknowwhetherhewillliveordie。IthinkIhopehewilldie,foryouseeIhavequarrelledwithhim。"

IthoughttomyselfthatsodidI,butIonlyasked:

"Howdidthebattleend,Inca？"

"Asitbegan,LordHurachi。Agreatmanymenhavebeenkilledonbothsides,thousandsandthousandsofthem,andneitherarmyhasthevictory。Theyhavedrawnbackandsitgrowlingateachotherliketwoangrylionswhichareafraidtofightagain。Indeed,Idonotwantthemtofight,andnowthatUrcocannotinterfere,IshallputastoptoallthisbloodshedifIamable。Tellme,foryouwerewithhim,whydoesthisHuaracha,whoIhearisalsowounded,wanttomakewaronmewiththosetroublesomeChancasofhis？"

"Becauseyourson,theprinceUrco,haspoisoned,ortriedtopoison,hisonlychild,Quilla。"

"Yes,yes,Iknow,anditwasawickedthingtodo。Yousee,Lord,whathappenedwasthis:ThatlovelyQuilla,whoisfairerthanhermothertheMoon,wastohavemarriedUrco。But,Lord,asitchancedonourjourneytogether,althoughIamold——well,shebecameenamouredofme,andprayedmetoprotectherfromUrco。Suchthingshappentowomen,Lord,whosehearts,whentheybeholdthedivine,areapttocarrythemawayfromthevulgar,"andhelaughedinasillyfashionlikethevainoldfoolthathewas。

"Naturally。Howcouldshehelpit,Inca？Who,afterseeingyou,wouldwishtoturntoUrco？"

"Noone,especiallyasUrcoisacoarseandbrutalfellow。Well,whatwasItodo？TherearereasonswhyIdonotwishtomarryagainatmyage;indeedIamtiredofthesightofwomen,whowanttimetoprayandthinkofholythings;alsoifIhaddonewhatshewished,somemighthavethoughtthatIhadbehavedbadlytoUrco。Atthesametime,awoman"sheartissacredandIcouldnotdoviolencetothatofonesosweetandunderstandingandlovely。SoIputherintotheHouseoftheVirginsoftheSunwhereshewillbequitesafe。"

"Itseemsthatshewasnotsafe,Inca。"

"No,becausethatviolentman,Urco,beingdisappointedandveryjealous,throughsomelowcreatureofhis,whowaitedontheVirgins,triedtopoisonherwithadrugwhichwouldhavemadeherallswollenandhideousandcoveredherfacewithblotches,alsoperhapshavesenthermad。Luckilyoneofthematrons,whomwecall/Mama—conas/,knockedthecupawaybeforeshedrank,butsomeofthehorriblepoisonwentintohereyesandblindedher。"

"Soshelives,Inca。"

"Certainlyshelives。Ihavelearntthatformyself,becauseinthiscountryitisnotwisetotrustwhattheytellyou。YouknowasIncaI

haveprivileges,andalthoughevenIdonottalktothem,IcausedthoseVirginsoftheSuntobeledinfrontofme,whichinstrictnessevenIoughtnottohavedone。Itwasadrearybusiness,LordHurachi,forthoughthoseVirginsmaybesoholy,someofthemareveryoldandhideousandofcourseQuillaasanovicecamelastinthelineconductedbytwo/Mama—conas/whoarecousinsofmyown。Theoddthingisthatthepoisonseemstohavemadehermuchmorebeautifulthanbefore,forhereyeshavegrownbiggerandareglorious,shininglikestarsseenwhenthereisfrost。Well,theresheissafefromUrcoandeveryotherman,howeverwickedandimpious。ButwhatdoesthisHuarachawant？"

"Hewantshisblindeddaughterback,Inca。"

"Impossible,impossible！Whoeverheardofsuchathing！Why,HeavenandEarthwouldcometogetherandtheSun,myfather,andherhusband,wouldburnusallup。Still,perhaps,wecouldcometoanagreementforHuarachamusthavehadenoughfightingandverylikelyhewilldie。NowIamtiredoftalkingabouttheladyQuillaandIwanttoaskyousomething。"

"Speakon,Inca。"

Suddenlytheolddotard"smannerchanged:hebecamequickandshrewd,asdoubtlesshewasinhisprime,forthisUpanquihadbeenagreatking。AtthebeginningofourtalkthetwowomenofwhomIhavespokenandthechamberlainhadwithdrawntotheendofthechamberwheretheywaitedwiththeirhandsfolded,likethosewhoadorebeforeanaltar。

Stillhepeeredabouthimtomakesurethatnonewerewithinhearing,andintheendbeckonedtometoascendthedaisandsituponthecouchbesidehim,saying:

"YouseeItrustyoualthoughyouareagodfromtheseawhohasbeenfightingagainstme。Nowhearken。Youhadaservantwithyou,averystrangeman,whoissaidalsotohavecomeoutofthesea,thoughthatIcannotbelievesinceheislikeoneofourprinces。Whereisthatman？"

"WiththearmyofHuaracha,Inca。"

"SoIhaveheard。Iheardalsothatinthebattlehehoistedabannerwiththesunblazonedonit,andthatthereoncertainregimentsofminedesertedtoHuaracha。Now,whydidtheydothat？"

"Iunderstand,OInca,thatthekingsofthislandhavemanychildren。

Perhapshemightbeoneofthem。"

"Ah！Youarecleverasagodshouldbe。Well,Iamagodalsoandthesamethoughthascometome,althoughasafactIhaveonlyhadtwolegitimatesonsandtheothersareofnoaccount。TheeldestofthesewasanableandbeautifulprincenamedKari,butwequarrelled,andtotellthetruththerewasawomaninthematter,orrathertwowomen,forKari"smotherfoughtwithUrco"smotherwhomIloved,becausesheneverscoldedme,whichtheotherdid。SoUrcowasnamedtobeIncaafterme。YetthatwasnotenoughforhimwhoremainedjealousofhisbrotherKariwhooutpassedhiminallthingssavestrengthofbody。

TheywooedthesamebeautifulwomanandKariwonher,whereonUrcoseducedherfromhim,andafterwardsheorsomeonekilledher。Atleastshedied,Iforgethow。ThenthelordsoftheIncabloodbegantoturntowardsKaribecausehewasroyalandwise,whichwouldhavemeantcivilwarwhenIhadbeengatheredtotheSun。ThereforeUrcopoisonedhim,orsoitwasrumoured;atanyrate,hevanishedaway,andoftensincethenIhavemournedhim。"

"Thedeadcometolifeagainsometimes,Inca。"

"Yes,yes,Lord—from—the—Sea,thathappens;thegodswhotookthemawaybringthemback——andthisservantofyours——theysayheissoliketoKarithathemightbethesamemangrownolder。And——whydidthoseregiments,allofthemofficeredbymenwhousedtoloveKari,goovertoHuarachato—day,andwhydorumoursrunthroughthelandlikethewindthatspringsupsuddenlyinfineweather？Tellmeofthisservantofyoursandhowyoufoundhiminthesea。"

"WhyshouldItellyou,Inca？IsitbecauseyouwanttokillhimwhoissoliketothislostKariofyours？"

"No,no——godscankeepeachother"scounsel,cantheynot？ItisbecauseIwouldgive——oh！halfmygodshiptoknowthatheisalive。

Harkyou,UrcoweariesmesomuchthatsometimesIwonderwhetherhereallyismyson。Whocantell？Therewasacertainlordofthecoastlands,ahairygiantwho,theysaid,couldeathalfasheepatasittingandbreakthebacksofmeninhishands,ofwhomUrco"smotherusedtothinkmuch。Butwhocantell？Nooneexceptmyfather,theSun,andheguardshissecrets——forthepresent。AtleastUrcoweariesmewithhiscoarsecrimesandhisdrunkenness,thoughthearmyloveshimbecauseheisabutcherandliberal。WequarrelledtheotherdayoverthesmallmatterofthisladyQuilla,andhethreatenedmetillI

grewwrathandsaidthatIwouldnothandhimmycrownasIhadpurposedtodo。Yes,IgrewwrathandhatedhimforwhosesakeIhadsinnedbecausehismotherbewitchedme。Lord—from—the—Sea,"herehisvoicedroppedtoawhisper,"IamafraidofUrco。EvenagodsuchasI

amcanbemurdered,Lord—from—the—Sea。ThatiswhyIwillnotgotoYucay,forthereImightdieandnoneknowit,whereashereIstillamIncaandagodwhomitissacrilegetotouch。"

"Iunderstand,buthowcanIhelpyou,Inca,whoambutaprisonerinyourpalace？"

"No,no,youareonlyaprisonerinname。AttheworstUrcowillbesickforalongwhile,sincethephysicianssaythatswordofyourshasbittendeep,andduringthattimeallpowerismine。Messengersareatyourservice;youarefreetocomeandgoasyouwill。Bringthisservantofyourstomypresence,fordoubtlesshetrustsyou。I

wouldspeakwithhim,OLord—from—the—Sea。"

"IfIshoulddothis,Inca,willtheladyQuillabegivenbacktoherfather？"

"Nay,itwouldbesacrilege。Askwhatelseyouwill,landsandruleandpalacesandwives——notthat。MyselfIshouldnotdaretolayafingeronherwhorestsinthearmsoftheSun。WhatdoesitmatteraboutthisQuillawhoisbutonefairwomanamongthousands？"

Ithoughtawhile,thenanswered,"Ithinkitmattersmuch,Inca。

Still,thatthisbloodshedmaybestayed,Iwilldomybesttobringhimwhowasmyservanttoyourpresenceifyoucanfindmethemeanstocomeathim,andafterwardswewilltalkagain。"

"Yes,Iamwearynow。Afterwardswewilltalkagain。Farewell,Lord—

from—the—Sea。"

CHAPTERIX

KARICOMESTOHISOWN

WhenIawokeonthefollowingmorninginthesplendidchamberofwhichIhavespoken,itwastofindthatmyarmourandarmshadbeenrestoredtome,andverygladwasItoseeWave—Flameagain。AfterI

hadeatenand,escortedbyservants,walkedinthegardens,fornevercouldIbeleftalone,marvellingatthewondrousgoldenfruitsandflowers,amessengercametome,sayingthatthe/Villaorna/desiredspeechwithme。Iwonderedwhothis/Villaorna/mightbe,butwhenheenteredIsawthathewasLarico,thatsamestern—faced,cunning—eyedlordwhohadbeenthespokesmanoftheIncawhenhevisitedthecityoftheChancas。AlsoIlearnedthat/Villaorna/washistitleandmeant"Chiefpriest。"

Webowedtoeachotherandallweresentfromthechamber,leavingusquitealone。

"Lord—from—the—Sea,"hesaid,"theIncasendsme,hisCouncillorandbloodrelative,whoamheadpriestoftheSun,todesirethatyouwillgoonanembassyforhimtothecampoftheChancas。First,however,itisneedfulthatyoushouldswearbytheSunthatyouwillreturnthencetoCuzco。Willyoudothis？"

NowastherewasnothingIdesiredmorethantoreturntoCuzcowhereQuillawas,IansweredthatIwouldswearbymyowngod,bytheSun,andbymysword,unlesstheChancasdetainedmebyforce。Further,I

prayedhimtosetouthisbusiness。

Hedidsointhesewords:

"Lord,wehavecometoknow,itmattersnothow,thatthemanwhoappearedwithyouinthislandisnootherthanKari,theeldersonoftheInca,whomwethoughtdead。NowitisintheInca"smind,andinthemindsofus,hiscouncillors,toproclaimthePrinceKariasheirtothethronewhichsoonhewouldbecalledupontofill。Butthematterisverydangerous,seeingthatUrcostillcommandsthearmyandmanyofthegreatlordswhoareofhismother"sHouseclingtohim,hopingtoreceiveadvancementfromhimwhenhebecomesInca。"

"But,PriestLarico,Urco,theysay,isliketodie,andifsoallthistroublewillmeltlikeacloud。"

"Yourswordbitdeep,Lord,butIhaveitfromhisphysiciansthatasthebrainisuncuthewillnotdie,althoughhewillbesickforalongwhile。Thereforewemustactwhileheissick,sinceitisnotlawfultobringabouthisend,evenifhecouldbecomeat。Timepresses,Lord,forasyouhaveseen,theIncaisoldandfeebleandhismindisweak。Indeedattimeshehasnomind,thoughatothershisstrengthreturnstohim。"

"WhichmeansthatIdealwithyouwhoarethechiefpriest,andthosebehindyou,"Isaid,lookinghimintheeyes。

"Thatiswhatitmeans,Lord。NowhearkenwhileItellyouthetruth。

AftertheIncaIamthemostpowerfulmaninTavantinsuyu,indeedforthemostparttheIncaspeakswithmyvoicealthoughIseemtospeakwithhis。YetIaminasnare。HeretoforeIhavesupportedUrcobecausetherewasnootherwhocouldbecomeInca,althoughheisabrutalandanevilman。Oflate,however,sincemyreturnfromtheCityoftheChancas,IhavequarrelledwithUrcobecausehehaslostthatwitch,theladyQuilla,whomhedesiresmadlyandlaystheblameonme,andithascometomyknowledgethatwhenhesucceedstothethroneitishispurposetokillme,whichdoubtlesshewilldoifhecan,orattheleasttocastmefrommyplaceandpower,whichisasbadasdeath。Therefore,IdesiretomakemypeacewithKari,ifhewillsweartocontinuemeinmyoffice,andthisIcanonlydothroughyou。Bringthispeaceabout,Lord,andIwillpromiseyouanythingyoumaywish,evenperchancetotheIncashipitself,shouldaughthappentoKariorshouldherefusemyoffers。IthinkthattheQuichuasmightwelcomeawhitegodfromtheSeawhohasshownhimselfsogreatageneralandsobraveinbattle,andwhohasknowledgeandwisdommorethantheirs,toruleoverthem,"headdedreflectively。"Onlythen,Lord,itwouldbeneedfultoberidofKariaswellasofUrco。"

"TowhichIwouldneverconsent,"Ireplied,"seeingthatheismyfriendwithwhomIhavesharedmanydangers。Moreover,IdonotwishtobeInca。"

"Istherethenanythingelsethatyouwishverymuch,Lord？Athoughtcametome,yonderattheCityoftheChancas。Bytheway,howlovelyisthatladyQuillaandhowroyalawoman。ItismoststrangethatsheshouldhaveturnedhermindtowardsanagedmanlikeUpanqui。"

Welookedateachother。

"Verystrange,"Isaid。"ItseemstomesadalsothatthisbeauteousQuillashouldbeimmuredinanunneryforlife。Totellyouthetruth,High—priest,sinceitisnotgoodformantolivealone,ratherthanthatsuchathingshouldhavehappenedIwouldhavemarriedhermyself,towhichperchanceshemighthaveconsented。"

AgainwelookedateachotherandIwenton:

"IhintedasmuchtoKariafterweheardshewasnumberedamongsttheVirgins,andaskedhimwhether,shouldhebecomeInca,hewouldtakeherthenceandgivehertome。"

"Whatdidheanswer,Lord？"

"Hesaidthatthoughhelovedmelikeabrother,firsthewouldkillmewithhisownhand,sincesuchadeedwouldbesacrilegeagainsttheSun。LastnightalsotheIncahimselfsaidmuchthesame。"

"Isitso,Lord？Well,wepriestsbringupourIncastothinkthus。Ifwedidnot,wherewouldourpowerbe,seeingthatwearetheVoiceoftheSunuponearthandissuehisdecrees？"

"Butdoyoualwaysthinkthusyourselves,OHigh—priest？"

"Notquitealways。Thereareloopholesineverylawofgodsandmen。

Forexample,IbelieveIseeoneintheinstanceofthisladyQuilla。

Butbeforewewastemoretimeintalking——tellme,WhiteLord,doyoudesireher,andifso,areyoureadytopaymemyprice？ItisthatyoushallassuretomethefriendshipoftheprinceKari,shouldhebecomeInca,andthecontinuanceofmypowerandoffice。"

"MyansweristhatIdodesirethislady,OHigh—priest,andthatifI

canIwillobtainfromKarithepromiseofwhatyouseek。Andnowwhereistheloophole？"

"Iseemtoremember,Lord,thatthereisanancientlawwhichsays——

thatnonewhoaremaimedmaybethewivesoftheSun。Itistruethatthislawappliestothem/before/theycontracttheholymarriage。

Still,ifthepointcameupbeforemeashigh—priest,Imightperhapsfindthatitappliedalsotothosewhoweremaimed/after/marriage。

Thecaseisrare,forwhichprecedentscannotbefoundifthesearchbethorough。NowthroughthewickednessofUrco,asithappens,thisladyQuillahasbeenblinded,andthereforeisnolongerperfectinherbody。Doyouunderstand？"

"Quite。ButwhatwouldUpanquiorKarisay？TheIncasyoudeclarearealwaysbigotsandmightinterpretthislawotherwise。"

"Icannottell,Lord,butletusceasefrombeatingbushes。IwillhelpyouifIcan,ifyouwillhelpmeif/you/can,thoughIdaresaythatintheendyou,whoarenotabigot,musttakethelawintoyourownhands,asperhapstheladyQuilla,whoisamoon—worshipper,wouldbewillingtodoalso。"

ThefinishofitwasthatthiscunningpriestandstatesmanandImadeabargain。IfIcouldwinKariovertohisinterests,thenhesworebytheSunthathewouldgainmeaccesstotheladyQuillaandhelpmetoflywithher,ifsowebothwished,whileIonmypartsworetopleadhiscausewithKari。Moreover,asheshowedme,therewaslittlefearthateitherofuswouldbreaktheseoathssincehencefortheachlayinthepoweroftheother。

Afterthiswepassedontopublicmatters。IwaschargedtoofferanhonourabletrucetoHuarachaandtheChancaswithpermissiontothemtocamptheirarmiesincertainvalleysneartoCuzcowheretheywouldbefeduntilpeacewasdeclared,whichpeacewouldgivethemalltheyneeded,namely,theirfreedomandsafeguardsfromattack。FortherestIwastobringKariandthosewhohaddesertedtohimontheyesterdayintoCuzcowherenonewouldmolestthem。

Thenhewent,leavingmehappierthanIhadbeensinceIbadefarewelltoQuilla。FornowatlastIsawlight,afaintuncertainlight,itwastrue,onlytobereached,ifreachedatall,throughmanydifficultiesanddangers,butstilllight。AtlastIhadfoundsomeoneinthislandofblacksuperstitionwhowasnotabigot,andwho,beingtheHigh—priestoftheSun,knewtoomuchofhisgodtofearhimortobelievethatheshouldcomedowntoearthandburnitupshouldoneofthehundredsofhisbridesseekanotherhusband。OfcoursethisLaricomightbetraymeandQuilla,butIdidnotthinkhewould,sincehehadnothingtogainthereby,andmighthavemuchtolose,forthereasonthatIwasable,orhethoughtthatIwasable,tosetKariagainsthim。AtleastIcouldonlygoforwardandtrusttofortune,thoughinfacthithertoshehadnevershownmefavourwherewomanwasconcerned。

AwhilelaterIwasbeingborneinoneoftheInca"sownlittersbacktothecampoftheChancas,accompaniedbyanembassyofgreatlords。

Wepassedoverthatdreadful,bloodstainedplainwhere,underaflagoftruce,bothsideswereengagedinburyingthethousandsoftheirdead,andcametotheridgewhencewehadchargedontheyestermorn。

HeresentriesstoppedusandIdescendedfrommylitter。WhentheChancassawmeinmyarmourcomebacktothemalive,theysetupagreatshoutingandpresentlyIandthelordswithmewereledtothepavilionofKingHuaracha。

Wefoundhimlyingsickuponacouch,forthoughheshowednowoundhehadbeenbadlybruiseduponthebodybyablowfromUrco"scluband,asIfeared,washurtinthebowels。Hegreetedmewithdelight,sincehethoughtthatImighthavebeenkilledafterIwascaptured,andaskedhowIcametoappearinhiscampinthecompanyofourenemies。

ItoldhimatoncewhathadchancedandthatIwassworntoreturntoCuzcowhenIhaddonemybusiness。ThentheInca"sambassadorssetouttheirproposalsforatruce,andretired,whileHuarachadiscussedthemwithhisgeneralsandKari,whoalsowasoverjoyedtoseemesafe。

Theendofitwasthattheywereacceptedonthetermsoffered,namely,thatHuarachaandhisarmyshouldwithdrawtothevalleysofwhichIhavespoken,andtherecamp,receivingallthefoodtheyneededuntilapeacecouldbeofferedsuchashewouldbewillingtoaccept。Indeed,theChancasweregladtoagreetothisplanfortheirlossesinthebattlehadbeenverygreatandtheywereinnostatetorenewtheattackuponCuzco,whichwasstilldefendedbysuchmightyhordesofbravewarriorsfightingfortheirhomes,families,andfreedom。

Soallwasagreedonthepromisethatpeaceshouldbemadewithinthirtydaysorsooner,andthatifitwerenotthewarshouldre—commence。

Thenprivately,ItoldHuarachaallthatIhadlearnedaboutQuillaandthatIhadstillhopesofsavingherthoughwhatthesewereIdidnottellhim。Whenhehadthought,hesaidthatnowthefateofQuillamustbeleftinthehandsofthegodsandmine,sincenotevenforhercouldheneglecttheopportunityofanhonourablepeace,seeingthatanotherbattlemightmeandestruction。AlsohepointedoutthathewashurtandIwhohadbeengeneralunderhimwasaprisonerandboundbymyoathtoreturntoprison,sothattheChancashadlosttheirleaders。

Afterthisweparted,Ipromisingtoworkforhiscauseandtocometoseehimagain,ifImight。

ThesemattersfinishedIwentasidewithKaritoaplacewherenonecouldhearus,andtherelaidbeforehimtheoffersofLarico,thehigh—priest,showinghimhowthecasestood。OfQuilla,however,I

saidnothingtohim,thoughitpainedmetokeepbackpartofthetruthevenfromKari。Yet,whatwasItodo,whoknewthatifItoldhimallandhebecameInca,ortheInca"sacknowledgedheir,hewouldworkagainstmebecauseofhissuperstitiousmadness,andperhapscauseQuillatobekilledbythepriests,asonewhosefeetweresetinthepathofsacrilege？SoonthismatterIheldmypeace,nordidheaskmeanythingconcerningQuillawho,Ithink,wishedtohearnothingofthatladyandwhathadbefallenher。

Whenhehadlearnedall,hesaid:

"Thismaybeatrap,Lord。IdonottrustyonderLarico,whohasalwaysbeenmyenemyandUrco"sfriend。"

"Ithinkheishisownfriendfirst,"Ianswered,"whoknowsthatifUrcorecovershewillkillhim,becausehehastakenthepartofyourfather,Upanqui,intheirquarrels,andsuspectshim。"

"Iamnotsure,"saidKari。"Yetsomethingmustberisked。DidInottellyouwhenweweresailingdowntheEnglishriverthatwemustputfaithinourgods,yes,afterwardsalso,andmorethanonce？Anddidnotthegodssaveus？Well,nowagainItrusttomygod,"anddrawingouttheimageofPachacamac,whichheworeroundhisneck,hekissedit,thenturning,bowedandprayedtotheSun。

"Iwillcomewithyou,"hesaid,whenhehadfinishedhisdevotions,"tolivetobeInca,ortodie,astheSundecrees。"

Sohecameandwithhimsomeofhisfriends,captainsofthosewhohaddesertedtohiminthebattle。Butthefivethousandsoldiers,orthosewhowereleftofthem,didnotcomeasyetbecausetheyfearedlesttheyshouldbesetuponandbutcheredbytheregimentsofUrco。

Thatnight,whenwewerebacksafeinCuzco,Kariandthehigh—priest,Laricotalkedtogetherinsecret。Ofwhatpassedbetweenthemheonlytoldmethattheyhadcometoanagreementwhichsatisfiedthemboth。