IN THE TIGER’S LAIR
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
_Illustrated by Paul Bransom_
THE HIDDEN PEOPLE
A Story of a Search for Hidden Treasure
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
[Illustration: “Quizquiz, Inca, Child of the Sun ... commands that you
appear before his sacred person”
[_Page 95_]
IN THE TIGER’S LAIR
BY
LEO E. MILLER
AUTHOR OF
“IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA,”
“THE HIDDEN PEOPLE”
ILLUSTRATED BY PAUL BRANSOM
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
1921
COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY THE CURTIS PUBLISHING CO.
THE SCRIBNER PRESS
TO THE MEMORY
OF
LITTLE ROBERT
PREFACE
“In The Tiger’s Lair” is the story of the return of Stanley Livingston
and Ted Boyle to the Andes Mountains of Peru to complete their search
for the hidden treasure of the Incas. It is a separate and complete
story in itself--one may read and understand it without having read
“The Hidden People.”
LEO E. MILLER.
FLORAL PARK,
STRATFORD, CONN.,
Sept. 1, 1921.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE END OF THE UNDERGROUND RIVER 1
II. SKY HIGH 11
III. THE RETURN TO THE LAND OF THE INCAS 24
IV. THE RIVALRY OF THE AIRMEN 32
V. IN QUEST OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE 43
VI. THE CROWNING MISFORTUNE 55
VII. IN THE TIGER’S LAIR 66
VIII. THE INCA’S THREAT 80
IX. SONCCO’S SHREWDNESS 92
X. THE PRISONERS CAPTURE THE KING 105
XI. THE COUNSEL OF THE WISE MEN 116
XII. THE VILLAINY OF VILLAC UMU 128
XIII. STANLEY’S PLAN 140
XIV. SONCCO’S AID TO THE PLOTTERS 151
XV. THE TERROR OF DARKNESS AT MIDDAY 165
XVI. THE COMING OF THE TIGERS 180
XVII. ANIMALS OF A BYGONE AGE 193
XVIII. THE MAN IN THE CRATER 205
XIX. THE BREACH IN THE MOUNTAIN IS CLOSED 221
XX. THE KING IS CROWNED 233
ILLUSTRATIONS
“Quizquiz, Inca, Child of the Sun ... commands that you
appear before his sacred person” _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
Very obviously the Inca had carefully planned to impress
the visitors 82
It was a bushmaster, the deadliest and the most feared of all
South American snakes 170
An instant later a huge, dark form catapulted past the crouching
men 210
IN THE TIGER’S LAIR
CHAPTER I
THE END OF THE UNDERGROUND RIVER
Two years had passed since that day when Stanley Livingston and Ted
Boyle, accompanied by the giant negro, Moses, faced the perils of the
underground river rather than suffer a lingering death on the dismal
shores of the lagoon beyond the wall at Uti.
Having finished their course at college, Livingston and Boyle, or
Stanley and Ted, as they were better known, had decided upon a novel
way of spending a few months’ vacation before entering their more
serious professional careers. They went to look for the hidden treasure
of the Incas that was known to lie somewhere in the vast ranges of
the Andes Mountains of Peru. They well understood the difficulties of
such an undertaking; there were snow-clad peaks to climb and steaming
jungles to penetrate, and dangerous animals and still more formidable
wild people to combat. But all these things simply added to the
attraction of the venture.
They had gone in quest of adventure, and their desire was gratified
beyond their wildest expectations. Shipwreck, the burning thirst of a
desert land, battles with fierce monkey-men, and the dread fevers of
the lowlands were their lot during the first months of the journey.
Then--the Hidden Valley where the Inca Huayna Capac lived and ruled
the remnant of the once-great nation in all the magnificence and
splendor of ancient times. The great king received them, not unkindly,
made them princes, and surrounded them with every luxury. From the
beginning, however, Quizquiz, son of the Inca and heir to the throne,
had conspired against them, and in the end he had succeeded in securing
their conviction on the charge of treason. They were condemned to exile
beyond the great wall that divided the valley from Uti, the abode of
the evil spirits. It was Timichi, previously banished to the dismal
place, who showed them the gold-filled cavern where the vast treasure
reposed and who later pointed out to them the underground river
just as all hope of escape seemed gone. They had accepted the last,
desperate chance and had emerged in the outer world rich in gold and in
experience.
And now, after a period of two years, they found themselves back in
the drooping wilderness, encamped at the outer end of the underground
river, preparing to remove the vast treasure their former efforts had
revealed.
“We might have left this place only yesterday, so far as appearances
are concerned,” Stanley said as they stood on the edge of the open,
park-like place flanked by the abrupt cliffs on one side and the
heavy jungle on the other. “Everything looks just the same as it
did then. The deer are grazing just as peacefully and--I distinctly
remember seeing that one with the lame fore leg. It speaks well for the
neighborhood; the monkey-men have not invaded it yet, or the deer would
not be so tame.”
“Yes, it surely does not seem as if two years have passed since we
were here. The only thing lacking is Moses, but that is not our fault.
We tried our best to find him. But, I wish we had him just the same,
because we need him.”
“Poor old Moses. I miss him too. He saved our lives, and no one but a
giant like him could have done it. But for him we should never have
gotten out of the valley. If we ever succeed in locating him we shall
have to divide up the gold we are going to get now. He shared all the
hardships and he is entitled to a share of the spoils.”
“You are right, and no matter how much we give him we shall always be
in debt to him for what he did for us.”
They started across the open plot toward the little stream that wended
its way through the centre. The deer stopped grazing, looked up at them
with startled eyes, and then bounded into the protecting forest. When
the men reached the watercourse, they followed it to the base of the
stone escarpment, the top of which was hidden by the belt of yellowish,
poisonous vapor that served as such an effectual barrier between the
outer world and the Hidden Valley. Laving the foot of the stone wall
was the pool, and opening into it was the black cavern that in reality
was the mouth of the underground river.
“One would hardly suspect it of being such a magic river to-day,”
Ted said, throwing himself on the short grass; “the water is flowing
neither way; it is standing still. Wonder what Timichi would say to
that, were he alive; but I have no doubt he has been dead a good many
months.”
“He clung to life a number of years even in that awful place, but I,
too, think he must be dead now. He was nearly gone when we left him.
Too bad there was nothing we could do for the poor fellow.”
They returned to camp and began to prepare supper.
“Our provisions should last several weeks, not counting on the game
we can get here,” Stanley observed as he looked over the supplies.
“In that length of time we can bring out all the gold any one could
possibly desire. We have only to hide it inside of sacks of ivory nuts,
of which the jungle is full around here, cache it, and then one of us
can stay on guard while the other goes back to Cuzco for peons to carry
them out. No one will ever suspect.”
“It’s all so simple. And there is not a chance of failure,” Ted
remarked between mouthfuls. “Just think, there are millions in gold on
the other side of that wall, and it is all ours for the mere taking.
Let’s do the job as quickly as possible; I want to get back home to
make use of my wealth.”
“Don’t be too sure,” Stanley cautioned. “You know we haven’t got it
yet.”
“But it is there. We know that, because we saw it and helped ourselves
to all we could carry. And we know how to get in and out of the place
too. So this one time I am dead sure that as much gold as we want
will be ours in a few weeks, and I for one am going to treat myself
generously.”
Remembering Moses’ experience with the deadly bushmaster, they made
no attempt to sleep on the ground. But, going into the forest, cut a
number of stout poles and, tying the tops together to form tripods,
slung their hammocks between them for the night.
Their first thought on the following morning was to see if there was
any perceptible current in the river; but to their disappointment they
found that the water was stationary, as before.
“Looks as if we might have to paddle the rafts through. We could do
that easily enough if necessary, but it would help a good deal if the
water were flowing in the right direction. But why worry? It will take
at least two days to make the rafts, and by that time the current will
doubtless set in again.”
They now began to work in earnest. Near the lower end of the open
space where the river entered the forest, clumps of tall bamboo dotted
both banks. Some of the great, jointed stems were fully eight inches
in diameter and fifty feet high. Chopping them down and cutting them
into ten-foot lengths was hard work, for they had only their machetes,
or brush-knives, with which to work. Also, as each joint was full of
water it had to be tapped and drained, after which the openings had to
be plugged up again with gum; this made the stalks light and buoyant.
They carried them to the water, one at a time, and lashed them together
to form rafts. This required more time than they had anticipated; in
fact, four days passed before the two were completed.
“How much gold do you intend to take from the cave?” Ted asked one day
when their task was nearly finished.
“As much as I can, of course. These rafts will carry several hundred
pounds each in addition to our own weight, and we can make a dozen
trips, or even more.”
“A ton for each is not too much. It is remarkable how much the yellow
metal is worth. When we were here before, you guessed that each of our
packs contained about ten thousand dollars’ worth, and you were nearly
right. We got almost eleven thousand apiece, and the emerald necklaces
were appraised at double that. I should not wonder but that there are
many precious stones in the cave, too, hidden among the gold.”
“All the better for us. They are not so bulky or heavy. Think of all
the good we can do when we get back home.”
“Yes! I intend to be very liberal with a certain college I think a lot
of.”
“Hospitals is my hobby. You shall see.”
When the rafts were all ready they pushed them along the bank, and up
to the mouth of the underground river.
“It is strange that the water does not move,” Ted said, looking
puzzled. “It looks black and stagnant--as if it has been standing still
a long time.”
“Do not let that trouble you. If it does not flow by to-morrow morning
we shall paddle through the tunnel. We have been through it before and
know the way. Besides, we are well supplied with flash-lights now.
There is nothing to it, so why worry?”
They hewed short, broad-bladed paddles out of a cottonwood branch and
carefully covered all the things they did not intend to take with them
on the following day with broad palm-leaves, to protect them if it
rained.
When dawn came, it found them on their rafts, paddling into the mouth
of the cave. Once inside, Stanley switched on one of the lights that
had been tied to the front of his raft, and the bright glare revealed a
passage from ten to twenty feet wide with an uneven ceiling of jagged
rock fifteen feet above their heads. Swarms of bats, frightened by the
unusual visitors, left their hiding-places overhead, and with a flutter
of wings dashed out of reach of the circle of light and disappeared.
“We have been going over half an hour now,” Ted said, looking at his
watch. “Of course we have not made very good time, but we should be
nearing the end. Can you see daylight ahead?”
“No! The opening is not in sight. But, what is this? Slow up so you
won’t bump into me! The water seems to stop here.”
“Stop? There must be a bend in the river.”
“I can see none.”
“Still there must be some open channel. Didn’t we come through here
before? Give me the light; perhaps the turn is back here.”
They focussed the bright rays in all directions, but to no avail.
“Ted!” Stanley cried in sudden consternation. “This _was_ the opening,
right here, but it is not here now. It has been blocked up.”
“Impossible,” Ted returned in dismay. “Do you mean that we cannot get
back into the valley?”
“Come ahead and see for yourself.”
Ted pushed his way to the front of Stanley’s raft. The latter’s words
were all too true, for the opening into the valley was filled with
earth and stones of large size.
“They learned of our escape from Timichi,” Ted said bitterly, “and knew
we would come back. Well, I am not ready to admit that all my visions
and hopes are dead; but just now there is nothing but darkness ahead.”
“How about dynamite?” Stanley asked suddenly. “We could blast away the
rocks in the entrance and get in after all.”
“But what could we do against the Inca’s hordes once we were inside?”
“Come to think of it, I do not believe they had anything to do with
this. They would not dare venture beyond the wall. There must have been
a landslide on the slope above. In a region like this earthquakes occur
frequently on account of the many volcanoes, and that would explain all
this.”
They paddled back through the tunnel silently and sadly. All their
dreams of wealth had suddenly vanished. It had never occurred to them
that something might prevent them from securing the enormous treasure
they had discovered. They knew its exact location; its value was so
great that no man could estimate it, and to secure it required no
further effort than to take it and carry it away. And then--their great
disappointment.
“That is just what we will do,” Stanley said that night as they were
eating their supper. “We have not lost a thing, only there will be a
slight delay in carrying out our original plans. To-morrow we shall
start back to Cuzco for the dynamite. The rest will be easy.”
Stanley had never been more mistaken in his life.