IN THE TIGER’S LAIR
With each passing minute the helplessness of their position was more
firmly driven home upon Ted and Stanley. They expected momentarily to
be attacked by the horde of Indians, many of whom they had seen from
above. But not a human being came within range of their vision.
“What fools we were,” Ted observed dejectedly, “not to let well enough
alone. We _would_ come back, and now----”
“That is only human nature, I guess. Never satisfied and always eager
to take a chance. Well, we are like the pitcher that went to the well
once too often.”
“Why don’t they come after us, I wonder!”
“Superstitious, perhaps. But they will be here in due time. Count on
that!”
Ted changed the unpleasant subject.
“Whatever could have happened that the engine died that way? Did I
neglect to fill the second tank?”
“No. It’s full. There is something mysterious about it. We might try
to find out what the trouble is while we are waiting.”
They examined the tank for air-leaks that would reduce the pressure to
the point where the fuel would not feed. But the gauge registered five
pounds--more than enough. Then they began tracing the slender feed-pipe
from the tank to the carburetor. Almost immediately the trouble was
found. Some one had disconnected one of the joints and had stopped up
the pipe with soap, so of course the gasolene could not flow.
“We have our friends, the lieutenants, to thank for that,” Stanley said
bitterly. “It’s hard to believe that any one could do such a thing.”
“They did a good job. I guess we shall never stand in their way again.”
“If we had only brought a spare stick there would be a good chance of
getting out of here. We could make the change in a little while and
leave before any one had the courage to come near us.”
“But the fact is we did not bring a spare stick. We knew better than
that, too. Luck has been against us from the very start; and it’s
getting worse.”
“We might rig up the wireless outfit and send out a call for help.
That is the only thing I can think of,” Stanley suggested without
enthusiasm.
“It can do no harm, anyway.”
They unreeled the long wire antenna and removed the lead weight, or
“fish,” from the end, replacing it with a bottle from the emergency
kit. In flight the purpose of the fish was to keep the wire trailing
out behind as straight as possible; but now they stretched the slender
braided metal thread to the top of a tree near the river and tied the
bottle to the highest branch. In this manner a message could be flashed
into space, they did not know how far, but none could be taken in
answer, as there was no receiving equipment in the plane.
Ted switched on the battery and placed his fingers on the key.
“S. O. S., S. O. S.,” the spark was flashed into the ether; “stranded
one hour north of Cuzco, in valley surrounded by ring of yellow vapor.
Need propeller. Notify aviation-field, Cuzco.”
The message was repeated a number of times.
“We are wasting time and energy,” Ted said suddenly, releasing the
key and cutting the switch. “In the first place, I doubt if the spark
will carry beyond the valley. And I just remembered that even if they
should pick it up at the flying-field, they could not possibly help us.
There is no other ship in commission, and even if there were, the only
persons who could handle it are the lieutenants, who certainly would
not come to help us.”
“I don’t look for help from the field, but I thought there might be
a station somewhere near here in the mountains, a secret government
outfit. And if the facts were known, it might be possible that a ship
would be sent from some other camp, perhaps even from Bolivia.”
“All right. I’ll send it again and add our names to the end of it.”
Once more the appeal was wafted into space.
“I have it,” Ted shouted, jumping from his seat. “We will get a new
stick right here!”
“Get one here?”
“Yes. When the Indians show up it is as likely as not that they will
be overawed and treat us like gods instead of starting trouble, for
didn’t we come from the sky? We can keep on our goggles and helmets as
a disguise; then put them to work.”
“I fail to see what good that would do.”
“People who can build walls and houses of large stones that fit
together so perfectly they stand for centuries; who put up temples
and palaces, and who make such wonderful textiles and ornaments,
must be pretty skilful with their hands, and also have a good deal
of intelligence to back them up. We will get them to make a new
propeller, under our direction and with our help. Then we can leave the
way we came.”
“It sounds wild and impracticable.”
“Wait and see. Leave the matter to me.”
It was not until the next day that they saw signs of life in the
valley. They had eaten the last of their food and had spent a miserable
night huddled up in the seats of the stranded plane.
A long column of Indians, marching in orderly manner, appeared from
the direction of the river that flowed through the centre of the
depression. At first the advancing throng was too far distant to
distinguish its character, but as it drew nearer the two watchers
saw by the gorgeous dress and glittering ornaments that many of the
marchers belonged to the nobility.
“What are we going to do?” Ted asked, breaking the suspense.
“The machine-guns are in good order and there are over five hundred
rounds of ammunition in the magazines.”
“Shall we open fire?”
“No; at least not yet. We could do that only as a last resort. It would
rout them in terror, but they would come back. There are many thousands
of them, you know. If gaining a few hours’ or days’ time alone would
help us, I should be in favor of standing them off with the guns. But
that would be of no use whatever to us. As you suggested, we need their
help, and the way to get it is to play on their superstitious natures
and put them to work. It seems like a flimsy bulwark right now that the
mob is bearing down on us; but let’s try it and trust to luck. I will
do the parleying and you supervise the work when the time comes. I can
see no other way out of it.”
“Nor I,” Ted agreed.
The Indians had halted while still some distance away and were
obviously holding a discussion as to whether or not they should
advance. A few minutes later they again started forward, then stopped
for a second conference. This time they reached a definite conclusion,
for they now approached in an unfaltering manner.
Ted and Stanley put on their helmets and goggles and, at least to
outward appearances, calmly awaited the coming of the mob. When the
Indians had reached a point a hundred feet from the airplane they
stopped.
Two files of soldiers stepped forward, halted, and turned to face one
another, forming a wide lane. Scarcely had they taken their station
when a procession began to advance through this formation. Ted and
Stanley watched with pounding hearts and bated breath.
First came a group of menials sweeping the ground with branches of
evergreens; then a number of officers or high officials garbed in
brilliant robes and bearing various insignia of rank in their hands,
such as silver staffs and bundles of rods. Following these, several
score of youths, walking backward and singing in a monotonous cadence,
strewed the ground with flowers.
A sedan of gold borne on the shoulders of twenty-five of the highest
nobles came next. The curtains, heavily embroidered in colors and
threads of gold, were drawn so that the occupant of the conveyance
could not be seen.
When the men who carried the precious burden reached the end of the
lane formed by the soldiers they halted and lowered the fitter to the
level of their knees. The curtains were drawn aside and an elderly man
wrapped in a mantle of black-and-white and wearing numerous amulets,
bracelets, and anklets stepped out upon the rug that had been spread
on the ground for him and stood with outstretched hands. Apparently he
belonged to the religious order, or perhaps he was a witch-doctor, for
he made mysterious passes with his hands and shook a rattle of dried
seeds. After a moment he came forward a dozen paces, bowed to the
ground, and throwing one corner of his mantle over his shoulder in an
impressive manner, spoke.
“Benevolent spirits, demons or men,” he began in a loud voice, “I know
not which you may be, so know not how to receive you.”
“And who are you who dares question us?” Stanley returned, pitting his
own strategy against the Indian’s.
“If you are spirits or demons, you must know that; for I am Villac Umu,
one of the obedient servants of the great Inca, and High Priest of the
Temple of the Sun. And you?”
“We have come from the sky. That is all you shall know until it pleases
us to tell you more.”
“Yes, yes; even the king saw the great bird swoop into the valley. It
filled him with amazement and joy, for might it not be a messenger from
heaven with tidings to the greatest of the Incas? If you are brothers
of the moon or children of the sun, you may confide in me; the king
demands to be told, so that he may prepare to receive you according to
your rank.”
“Why did not the king come in person?” Stanley abruptly changed the
subject.
“The king is far away.”
“Villac Umu, you dare say that? For all you know we may be able to
read your most secret thoughts and to separate the truth from the
untruth.”
“Then you must know that I speak truly. The king is not here. If he
were, you should feel his very presence, though you could not see him.
He is great and powerful and so terrible that he is called the Tiger.”
“Go back to your people,” Stanley commanded, “and return when I wave my
hand like this.”
The man bowed and turned without a word.
“What do you make of it?” Ted asked when he was out of hearing. “It
looks like a plot of some kind.”
“Certainly. Quizquiz sent him on a spying mission, to find out who or
what we are. He dared not come himself, the coward, but I would bet he
is concealed somewhere in the background, at a safe distance. No doubt
he connects this occurrence with our previous visit, but does not quite
trust his own judgment.”
“So much the better. We do not want to see him.”
“I will call back the old man and tell him what we need and ask him to
send it to us.”
“Good! Tell him to come on.”
Stanley waved his hand and the waiting figure approached.
“For the present we shall need food, water, and shelter,” he began,
“and as soon as possible thereafter twenty of the most skilled workers
in wood, who must bring with them their implements; also a dozen
boards of the finest, hardest wood that grows in the valley, of these
dimensions.” Here he threw to the priest a ball of cord, into which he
had tied knots to show the required length, breadth, and thickness of
the boards. “Let them bring an abundance of glue, also.”
“But there is no shelter near by,” the spokesman of the Indians
interposed. “Let the visitors accompany me to the villa at the baths
where the Inca sojourns, and where there is comfort and refreshment.”
“That is impossible. We shall remain here.”
“The king will want to know to whom these supplies are to be given.”
“Tell him they are for visitors from the sky who are disappointed and
grieved at the suspicion with which they have been received, and who
will therefore depart again after a short rest.”
“The great king will be pained to receive such a message, for in
addition to being terrible he is also generous and kind. He would
welcome the visitors from the sky in his palace.”
“Will you kindly convey our requests to him?”
“With pleasure. And in the meantime tents and food will be provided
without delay.” Then, after a moment’s silence: “The king will be sad
and disappointed because you will not accept the hospitality of his
villa. Will you not go, later perhaps, when you are rested?”
“Later, perhaps.”
“Possibly the king may consent to come here as a special favor to----”
“No! It is not necessary. Urge him not to expose his sacred person to
the hardships of the trail. Plead with him. We could fly to the palace
later, so why subject the great Inca to any inconvenience.”
Without a word the priest returned to his followers and immediately
departed in the direction from which the column had come.
“He is a shrewd old fellow,” Ted said when they were gone.
“But he did not find out much. You don’t think he recognized our
voices?”
“I hope not. You should be an actor. You played your part very
impressively. I almost forgot who was talking.”
A number of soldiers arrived before nightfall. They brought tents and
baskets of food. After putting up the shelters, two of their number
volunteered to remain to do the cooking, but Stanley ordered all of
them to depart.
“We must use the greatest caution. We will be surrounded by spies.
Instead of using the tents we had better take the blankets and sleep on
the ground under the wings.”
“I wish the carpenters would get here, although I doubt if they can
make a usable propeller. There is nothing like trying, though, and we
will pretend that they can; that will be more cheerful and will give us
time to look for some other possible opening for escape.”
“No telling! Something _may_ turn up sooner than we expect. That has
always been the way here. New things happen suddenly every so often.
Let’s eat.”
The carpenters did not arrive until the third day. They brought all
the articles that had been asked for and were at once put to work.
Their first task was to shave down the boards until their surfaces were
absolutely smooth. Then they were all glued together face to face,
forming a thick block, after which heavy stones were placed on top to
press them firmly together while the glue set. The dexterity with which
the Indians plied their tempered copper tools was remarkable. And the
hopes of the two Americans rose accordingly, for they saw that the
shaping of a new propeller was a possibility after all.
These hopes, however, were badly shaken a few days later. A herald
arrived to announce the coming of the Inca on the following morning.
The youth was dressed in a tunic made of small golden disks linked
together, and comported himself in an arrogant, even impudent, manner.
“I have never known it to fail,” Ted exploded. “Just when things are
beginning to run smoothly a new calamity happens.”
“I knew he would come. They have given him a good description of us and
of the plane, and as we refused to visit him, he decided to come here.
You remember how curious he was.”
“Yes, and you know what curiosity did.”
“I only wish Quizquiz had been the cat.”
“Well, if he is determined to pay his respects to us, we shall return
the compliment in due time, count on that.”
“I have just thought of something,” Ted said solemnly. “The way Pizarro
conquered the whole Incan nation of many millions was to capture the
king. Without a leader they were like so many sheep. We will capture
Quizquiz.”
“I should like to lay my hands on him for a few minutes at least. But
how are we going to do it?”
“Induce him to take a ride after the ship is repaired.”
“He would never do it. He’s too big a coward.”
“We will tell him he can soar above the clouds and absorb some of the
radiance of the sun. That will flatter his vanity and he will accept
eagerly in spite of his fears. Then we can land him outside the valley
and hold him prisoner while we come back to continue our search for
the gold. His people will do anything to help us and will give us
everything they have if we will but give them back their king.”