It was evening. The sun had just set beneath the waters of the Pacific,
which could be distinguished in the far distance; and the whole western
sky, undimmed by a cloud, was burning with a radiant glow of splendour
such as to the eyes of the untutored Peruvians might well appear an
emanation from the Deity they worshipped.
I was looking out, with others of my family, from the windows of the
country house we inhabited, on the glorious spectacle. We were residing
in Peru, that romantic region with which the name of the conqueror
Pizarro must be for ever associated--the kingdom of the once powerful
and enlightened Incas, on the western shore of South America. At the
time of which I speak, however, its greatness, its prosperity and
happiness, had passed away; it was a mere province of Old Spain, and
governed by a viceroy sent from that country, while the race of its
ancient sovereigns, though still existing, was humbled and disregarded,
and almost unknown.
My parents were English, and England was my native land. My father, Mr
Henry Rexton, had been a soldier in his youth; but when he married my
mother, who was the daughter of an eminent British merchant, he quitted
the army; and my grandfather induced him, by advantageous offers, to
take a share in his house of business. The firm traded with Peru; and
certain mercantile transactions of importance requiring for a time the
superintendence of a partner, my father and mother went out there,
taking with them me and a younger sister, their only children then born.
Year after year unexpected circumstances occurred which compelled them,
much against their wish, to remain in the country; and well do I
remember how frequently in our family circle the subject of conversation
was the happiness we expected to enjoy on returning home. On first
going to Peru, we resided in Lima, the modern capital; but at length the
heat of the climate affecting my mother's health, in the hopes of it
being restored by a cooler atmosphere, my father engaged a house in the
country, at a considerable distance from the city. It was situated
among the lower ranges of the lofty Cordilleras, one of those mighty
ranges of mountains which stretches from one end to the other of the
South American continent, the eastern portion of them being more
properly known by the name of the Andes.
Our house stood on a level spot on the summit of a spur of the main
chain. To the east behind it rose range above range of mountains, the
more distant towering to the sky, and covered with eternal snows. On
either side other spurs stretched out far towards the west, forming deep
gorges below us; while along the side of the ridge on which the house
was situated ran a narrow road, one of the few paths in that
neighbourhood, penetrating among the mountains into the regions on the
eastern side. From our windows westward, over a wide extent of broken
ground among the mounds, many of which might in other countries be
called mountains, would be seen the fertile plains of Peru stretching
away to the ocean, distinguished on clear days by a silvery line in the
horizon. The house was of one floor only, and built of brick and tiled.
The rooms were large and numerous, and it was surrounded by a
court-yard. It was of ancient construction, indeed it appeared to have
been built originally for a fortification to command the pass through
the mountains; but the outer walls had fallen into decay or been pulled
down, though it still retained enough of its former character to enable
it to be speedily prepared to resist any sudden attack by undisciplined
forces destitute of artillery. Around it were plantations of olive and
orange trees, on the slopes near it were vineyards, and on the level
spaces fields of maize or Indian corn, and many trees and plants of a
temperate clime. At the bottom of the ravine rushed a broad and
powerful stream, fed by the snows of the neighbouring mountains; and on
its banks, in a wider part, some little way to the west, was a large
village inhabited chiefly by Indians, the descendants of the hapless
race conquered by the Spaniards. In the neighbourhood, on the other
side of the river, was a silver mine, in working which many of the
inhabitants of the village were employed.
My father's house had, I believe, advanced money to the owners; and this
was one of the reasons which made him select the locality for his
temporary residence, besides its peculiar healthiness and beauty. He
was a firm friend to the Indians, for he pitied their hard fate; and he
endeavoured by every means in his power to mitigate their sufferings
under the cruel tyranny to which, even at that time, they were
subjected. As he did not own the mine, he could not prevent their
strength from being often overtaxed; but having some knowledge of
medicine, he used to prescribe for them when they were sick, and he to
the best of his means relieved them when overtaken by poverty, so that
they all learned to love and reverence the English stranger who had come
among them. His conduct was uninfluenced by any expectation of a
return, but he afterwards had reason to know that the despised Indians
were not ungrateful for his kindness. My father was a true Christian,
who looked upon all men helpless or suffering, whatever their hue, or
race, or religion, as brothers, whom it was his duty to aid and protect.
He received his reward; and my belief is, that no person ever performs
a good disinterested action without being rewarded for it even in this
world. I, at all events, have met with numerous instances which tend to
show that such is the case. The means of crossing the river to the
mines was by a large hanging bridge, called by the Spaniards "_Puente de
Soga_," which could be seen from the windows of our house. On either
side of the river, some fifty feet above the water, stout posts were
driven into the steep bank, to which four ropes, formed of twisted
cow-hides the thickness of a man's arm, were fastened. These ropes were
laid parallel to each other, a few feet apart; and were again fastened
by thinner ropes laid transversely, and forming a sort of network. On
this foundation were spread roots of the Agave tree, branches of trees,
straw, and earth, so that even beasts of burden could walk across. On
either side of the bridge, and about three feet above it, two other
ropes were carried across to serve as a balustrade; but as it had sunk
in the middle, and the ropes were very slack, it frequently swung from
side to side as passengers went across, in a most terrific way. It
formed a very picturesque object in the landscape.
I have now given a sufficiently full description of our house and the
scenery surrounding it, to enable my readers to form a tolerably correct
idea of the picture I wish to present to them.
At the time when the adventures I have resolved to narrate commenced, I
had just attained my fifteenth year. I looked older, for I had grown
rapidly in that warm climate; and, accustomed to exercise and athletic
sports, I was of a well-knit strong frame, and had a very manly
appearance, though possessed of the light hair and complexion of the
Saxon race, somewhat tanned, however, by constant exposure to the sun.
My brothers and sisters, for I had several, all bore the same marked
characteristics of our Northern ancestors, contrasting strongly with the
swarthy hue on the countenances of the people among whom we lived. They
used to call us the fair-haired children of the North; and from the love
and respect with which they regarded us, I believe they associated us in
their minds with the revered race whom their traditions told them once
ruled the country with paternal sway--the family of the fallen Incas.
I shall have to tell more fully, in the course of my narrative, the
beautiful legend, for so I may call it, regarding the origin of the
Incas; how they appeared suddenly among the ignorant inhabitants of
Peru, claiming to be the children of the Sun, and, gathering their
scattered tribes together, formed them into one people, and gave them
laws and institutions, and brought peace and prosperity to the land,
which continued till the Spaniards arrived, and, with unexampled
treachery and cruelty, overthrew their monarchy and reduced the people
to abject slavery and misery. The Indians around us were nominally
Roman Catholics; but though they conformed openly to the ordinances of
that Church, and partly believed in the power assumed by its priests,
they pertinaciously retained many of the superstitions of their
ancestors, and practised their rites in secret.
Having given a brief account of my family, and their position in the
country, I must begin to unwind the thread of my Tale. We were seated,
as I have said, in our sitting-room, gazing on one of the most
magnificent of Nature's spectacles--the setting sun. The younger
children were playing about the room, while my sister Lilly and I, with
our father and mother, were seated near the open window. We were
talking, I well remember, about our distant home, when our conversation
was interrupted by seeing a man leap over the wall of the court-yard,
and rapidly approach the house.
"Who can he be? What brings him here?" exclaimed my mother, while my
father rose to make inquiries on the subject.
Scarcely had she spoken, when the door was thrown open, and the person
we had seen rushed into the room. He was a tall man, of well-knit,
active frame, and though he looked travel-stained and weary, there was
something in his appearance and manner which betokened that he was not
an ordinary being. His complexion was dark, though scarcely darker than
that of a Spaniard; but the contour of his features and the expression
of his countenance showed that he belonged to the Indian race. His
dress was simple, consisting of a pair of trowsers, and a shirt of the
cotton cloth of the country, of a dark blue colour; a poncho of alpaca
wool covered his shoulders, while a sash was fastened round his waist,
and his feet were protected by sandals, fastened on by leather thongs.
He threw himself on the ground before my father, who went to meet him,
and taking his hand, he looked up imploringly in his face.
"Save me, Senor!" he exclaimed in Spanish, "you have the power if you
will venture to do it. I am flying from what they call justice--the
tyranny of our cruel task-masters. If I am captured, my death is
certain. You are noble and generous, and I throw myself on your mercy."
The appeal thus made, with all the energy of despair, was difficult to
resist. My father's feelings were enlisted on the side of the fugitive;
but he looked round at my mother and us, who now stood grouped about
him, and remembered the difficulties to which we might be exposed,
should he yield to the promptings of his heart, from the anger of the
Spanish authorities. The Indian divined his thoughts.
"You run no danger," he continued. "Far be it from me to cause you to
suffer for your charity. No one saw me approach your house; neither did
your servants observe me enter it. I was on my way through the
mountains to the far interior, but not daring to enter any house for
food and rest, I felt that my strength was forsaking me, and that I
could not hope to combat with the difficulties of the road. If you
cannot shelter me, noble Senor, either I must die from fatigue, or be
captured by my enemies."
"Of what crime have you been guilty, that you thus seek to fly from
justice?" asked my father.
"Of no crime, Senor, believe me," replied the Indian in a proud tone,
rising to his feet as he spoke. "Of no crime in the sight of Heaven, or
even of men, if they had regard to justice. I was selected for the
hated _Meta_, I, a descendant of the great Incas, was ordered to work as
a slave--a _Pongo_ in the house of a sub-delegado, a man noted for his
crimes and cruelty. I refused to perform the disgraceful office--I was
dragged there by force--with a thong he endeavoured to frighten me into
performing the work he ordered. His rage surpassed all bounds; he
struck me again and again. Was I tamely to submit? My dormant spirit
was aroused. I at length struck him again; and when he rushed at me in
his fury, I felled him to the ground. I attempted to fly, but I was
captured ere I could do so, and was borne off to prison, there to await
my doom, which would have been death. My name was unknown. They
thought I was an humble Indian; but some of my race were at hand, and,
aided by them, I effected my escape from prison. My friends could not
conceal me, and my only course was instant flight into the mountains."
"Let us shelter him, Henry," exclaimed my mother, in English; "Heaven
surely will not allow us to suffer injury from doing what is right."
The Indian at once comprehended by her looks that she was pleading his
cause.
"May the blessing of the God of my fathers light on you and yours!" he
cried, kneeling at her feet.
My father thought as she did; but he had learned not to give way on a
sudden to the impulse of his feelings, and he wished to ascertain that
the Indian was not deceiving him before he promised his protection.
"Who are you?" he asked; "though your tale, alas! is too probable to be
doubted."
"I am one who would not be guilty of a falsehood to save my life,"
answered the Indian proudly; "I am the cousin of the Cacique Tupac
Amaru, the rightful heir of the last Inca of Peru. You see in me one of
the children of the Sun; and though the blood of the conquerors of my
country is mixed in my veins, I feel that of my fathers still burning
strongly within me. I had heard of your charity and kindness to my
people; and for long I have known you, hoping some day to repay you; but
I see that you fear my presence might risk the safety of your family,
and I will not trespass on you. Give me but some food to sustain my
wearied body, and I will depart."
My father took the stranger's hand. "You shall not go," he said. "I
will trust you, and at all hazards I will endeavour to conceal you till
your strength is recruited. David," he continued, speaking to me, "see
that the servants do not come into this part of the house till I have
concealed this poor fellow; and remember, children, do none of you on
any account speak of what has occurred. Now, my friend," he added,
turning to the Indian, "follow me; I trust in the truth of your story,
and will endeavour to preserve you from injury."
While I went out to the end of the passage to send any of the domestics
back who might by chance have been coming to that part of the house, my
father led the Indian to a large unfurnished room, which the children
used as a play-room in rainy weather. At one end was a deep recess in
the wall, with a door to it, and from the recess a narrow flight of
steps led to a vault of considerable depth, from whence there was a
passage to the side of the mountains. In the roof of the chamber there
was a small trap-door, through which a thin ladder conducted to the roof
of the house. It had evidently been constructed when the building was
used as a fortification, and was probably intended to enable the
garrison to make a sudden sortie on the enemy at an unexpected point.
The outside entrance was blocked up by rubbish overgrown with
vegetation; and my father had caused a strong door to be placed to the
vault, to prevent any intruder, who might by chance have found his way
through it, from entering the house. He always kept the keys himself;
and as no one ever thought of wishing to enter the recess, a securer
place for the concealment of the fugitive could not have been found.
Our evening meal was, fortunately, spread in the parlour, so that we
were able to supply our guest with the refreshment he so much required,
without exciting the suspicion of the servants. I must remark that
several of them, of the higher class, were Spanish, though the rest were
Indians; and though we believed them to be honest and faithful, my
father did not consider it right to trust them with a secret which might
compromise them as well as himself and all his family.
He was very sensible, even as it was, of the risk that he was running;
but he had resolved, at all hazards, to preserve the unfortunate man who
had thrown himself on his protection. While I kept watch, my mother
collected some bedding, and took it into the closet; so that in a few
minutes our guest was made as comfortable as circumstances could allow.
He ate sparingly of the food placed before him, and then, expressing his
deep gratitude for the protection afforded him, he threw himself on his
couch, and sought the repose he so much needed. My father having
secured the door, called me to him, and we all again assembled in the
sitting-room as if nothing had occurred, till summoned by the servant to
our evening meal. The arrival of the stranger had, however, an
influence on my future fortunes.
While our servant Jose, who was a Spanish Creole, was waiting at table,
I could not help looking into his face to try and discover if he
suspected anything; but the look of perfect unconsciousness which his
countenance bore reassured me. I was afraid also that the children
might betray it to their nurses; but our mother had kept them carefully
shut up in the sitting-room while our father was concealing the
stranger, so that they were under the impression that he had gone away.
Lilly and I were therefore the only ones in the secret.