MY WANDERINGS WITH MANCO--HOW A PADRE TOLD HIS BEADS, BUT HIS BEADS TOLD
HIM NOTHING.
The morning I was to set out arrived at last, and I bid farewell to Nita
and her little infant, which I kissed over and over again for its
mother's sake; for my heart was full of gratitude for her kindness and
compassion. Manco had procured a mule for me--a small but strong
animal, with great sagacity. It was very sure-footed, and could climb
up the most rugged rocks, and slip down mountain precipices like a goat.
It was of the greatest value to me; for, weak as I was, I could not
possibly have walked a mile of my journey. We had to descend some way,
and then to travel along the side of the mountain range, in order to
gain the road which led across the Cordilleras. I speak of the path as
a road; but in many spots it was so narrow and difficult that I thought
it would be impossible for any mule to get along. Here and there large
blocks of stone had been placed, with the intention of facilitating the
ascent. My mule sprung up them with such violent jerks that I was at
first almost thrown over his head; but when we had to descend, he picked
his way with great caution. Manco went before me with a long pole in
his hand, ready to assist me if I required it.
After proceeding some way, I observed a large valley spread out at our
feet. It was full of people and numerous tents and huts. Manco pointed
to it with an expression of pride in his countenance.
"There," said he, "you see the headquarters of the army which is to
liberate our country from the power of the conqueror. The Inca Tupac
Amaru himself, and his two young and noble sons, are there. In a few
days the whole army will be assembled, when we march upon Cuzco, once
more to reinstate our sovereign in the capital of his ancestors."
Manco's dark eyes flashed proudly as he spoke; for after the recent
success of the Indian arms he had no doubt of victory. I thought
differently. Hitherto the Indians had fought among mountains, where
discipline was of little avail, and their bows and slings could send
their missiles with effect; or they had attacked unfortified and
unprepared villages; but in the neighbourhood of Cuzco they would be in
an open valley, where the cavalry and artillery of the Spaniards could
be brought into play, and I trembled for the consequences. I was
unwilling to damp Manco's ardour; but I endeavoured to point out the
dangers I foresaw, and urged him to persuade the chiefs not to be
over-confident.
We kept along the ridge of the height forming the side of the valley
without descending, and I was thus able to obtain a full view of the
Indian army. I was surprised not only at the vast number of people
collected, but at the apparent order which prevailed, and at the great
state which the Inca and his chief officers maintained. In the centre
of the camp, amid a number of banners fluttering in the breeze, was
erected a large canopy of gay-coloured cloth, beneath which was a
throne, richly ornamented with gold and silver. A flight of steps led
to it, along which were ranged a body of guards armed with battle-axes
and spears. The Inca sat on his throne, dressed in the ancient costume
of his ancestors, which I have before described; and officers of various
ranks kept continually coming up to receive orders. As they approached,
they bowed reverentially before him, and knelt at his feet while he
addressed them. I could scarcely believe that what I saw was a reality,
and that I was not dreaming of the accounts I had read of the early
history of the country. It did not then occur to me that much valuable
time was thus lost to the Indian cause in idle ceremony; and that Tupac
Amaru would have had a better chance of success had he at once swept the
country from north to south with his forces, before the Spaniards had
recovered from their terror and dismay at their first defeat.
After stopping for a few minutes to gaze at the novel and interesting
scene, we turned up a path through a ravine, and were quickly again in
the solitude of the mountains. We travelled upwards for three days,
sleeping at nights at the huts of Indians, where we received a warm
welcome from their wives, but the men were in all cases absent. We were
now crossing the Puna heights, as the table-lands on the upper part of
the Cordilleras are called. We were some fourteen thousand feet above
the level of the sea. On either side arose the lofty summits of the
Cordilleras, covered with the ice of centuries. Before us stretched out
to a great extent the level heights, covered with the dull yellow Puna
grass, blending its tint with the greenish hue of the glaciers. It was
truly a wild and desolate scene. Herds of vicunas approached to gaze
with wonder at us, and then turning affrighted, fled away with the
swiftness of the wind. The Puna stag, with stately step, advanced from
his lair in the recesses of the mountains, and gazed on us with his
large wondering eyes. Farther off were groups of huancas, looking
cautiously at us as we passed, while the rock-rabbits disported nimbly
around us. I begged Manco not to shoot them, for we did not require
food, and I never liked killing an animal for sport.
The mountain air and exercise had completely restored my strength, when
on a sudden an indescribable oppression overcame me. My heart throbbed
audibly, and my breathing became short and interrupted, while a weight
as if of lead lay on my chest. My lips swelled and burst, blood flowed
from my eyelids, and I began to lose my senses. I should have fallen
from my mule had not Manco lifted me off. A grey mist floated before my
eyes, and I could neither see, hear, nor feel distinctly. Manco sat
down, and took my head in his lap; when after a time I began to recover,
and I saw that he was anxiously looking at a dense mass of clouds
gathering above us.
"Up, up, my friend, and mount if you value your life!" he said. "You
are better now. A storm is about to burst, and we must face it boldly."
Scarcely had he spoken, when, loud peals of thunder were heard, and
lightning darted from the skies. Down, too, came the snow in flakes, so
heavy that it was impossible to see many yards before us.
"We must push on," observed Manco. "We have lost much time already, and
night will overtake us before we can reach the nearest village." The
snow, however, fell faster, and completely concealed all signs of the
path. "When the snow-storm has ceased, I shall easily find the way by
the flight of the birds we are certain to see," he continued. "So, fear
not. You are suffering from the keen air of the mountains, and you will
quickly recover when we begin to descend to lower ground."
Even his sagacity was at fault, and we soon found that we had wandered
from the right path. As I did not grow worse, I kept up my spirits.
Two or three hours passed away, and the snow ceased. It had scarcely
done so, when the clouds opened, and the bright glance of the burning
sun burst forth dazzlingly on the white expanse of snow before me. In a
moment I felt my eyes stricken with almost total blindness. A cry of
horror escaped me. I fancied that I should not recover. Manco tried to
console me, assuring me that I was merely suffering from the _surumpe_,
a common complaint in those regions.
"I ought to have guarded you against it," he said. "Strangers
unaccustomed to the sight of the glittering snow constantly suffer from
it; but it will soon pass away."
I, however, thought differently, though I was unwilling to complain to
him. We went on as fast as we could; but the sun set when we were still
a long way from the edge of the plain. We had with difficulty avoided
several swamps, in which he had told me animals and men were sometimes
lost. They are the chief dangers of that region. Fortunately, he
recognised a range of lofty rocks near us.
"There is a cavern within them not far off, where we must rest for the
night," he said. "We might have a worse lodging, for we shall there, at
all events, be sheltered from the snow and wind."
It was now perfectly dark; but after searching for some time, we
succeeded in discovering the cavern. While he tethered my male outside,
I staggered in, and, overcome with fatigue and the pain I was suffering,
sunk upon the ground, a stone which lay near me serving for a pillow. I
begged him to let me remain where I was, while he refreshed himself with
some of the provisions we had brought with us. We had no means of
striking a light: and as he could afford me no assistance beyond
throwing a poncho over me, he did not interfere; but soon afterwards,
stretching himself out near me, he fell asleep. Having been on foot all
day, he required rest as much as I did. As soon as I fell into a
slumber, the smarting pain of the _surumpe_ awoke me, and I was obliged
to give up all hope of sleep. How long the night seemed! My thoughts
all the time were active, and I need scarcely say that they were fixed
on my expedition, and means of accomplishing my object.
It was towards the morning, when a dreadful turn was given to them.
Happening to stretch out my hand, it came in contact with a cold clammy
substance. I drew it back, and an indescribable horror crept over me;
but influenced by an impulse I could not control, I again put it out
towards the object. It rested on the face of a human being. I was
certain that I could not be mistaken. I felt the mouth, and nose, and
hair; but the features were rigid and immoveable. It was that of a
corpse. Constitutionally fearless, under other circumstances I should
have got up and removed myself from the disagreeable neighbourhood,
supposing that some unfortunate traveller had like us taken shelter
there, and died from cold or hunger; but weak with mental and bodily
suffering, I had now no power over myself, and lay trembling with
horror, not even venturing to call out to Manco to break the dreadful
spell which was upon me. It is impossible to describe my feelings, or
the ideas which took possession of my mind. Whose corpse could it be?
Might there not be others in the cave? I thought, if I could be said to
be thinking. At last, I believe I swooned away, for most certainly I
did not sleep. An exclamation from Manco aroused me. Daylight was
streaming into the cavern, and he was sitting up and gazing towards me.
In another instant he was by my side, and, with careful forethought, was
endeavouring to keep my attention fixed on himself, so as to prevent me
from seeing the dreadful objects in the inner part of the cavern.
"Manco," I said, "I have had a horrid dream. I fancied that the cavern
was full of corpses." As I spoke I really thought I had been dreaming.
Without answering me, he lifted me up, and led me towards the open air.
An impulse I could not restrain made me turn my head; and on the ground,
close to where I had rested, I saw the corpse of a man. Trembling in
every limb, I stopped to look at it. It was that of a white man.
Several ghastly wounds were seen on the broad chest, and another on the
head. The dress and the full black beard and moustache showed me that
he was a Spaniard. There were no other corpses to be seen; and as I
looked at the object in the broad daylight, with the fresh breeze
blowing in my face, the undefined horror I had before felt completely
vanished. I felt ashamed of my previous fears, and releasing myself
from his support, assured him that I had recovered my strength. The
effort itself assisted to restore my nerves to their usual tension; and
I was able to turn back and examine the corpse.
"Who can have murdered the man and placed him here?" I asked.
Manco shook his head. "It is a bad thing--a very bad thing!" he
replied, as he examined the wounds of the man. "I fear my countrymen
have done it. He must have been taken prisoner, for I find the marks of
cords round his wrists, and he attempted to escape, and thus was killed;
but ask no further questions. Come, it is time to proceed."
The little mule was safe outside, so I mounted and hastened from the
spot.
As I rode on, my spirits returned with the air and exercise, and my mind
no longer dwelt on the events of the previous night; and the effects of
the _surumpe_ also began to wear off. Several rock-rabbits crossed our
path, two of which Manco shot; and when we came to a height which
sheltered us from the wind, we halted for breakfast. Having tethered
the mule, we set to work to collect the dry grass and the stems of
creepers growing from the clefts of the rocks for fuel. Manco had with
him the means of striking a light, and a fire was soon kindled, over
which we cooked the rabbits and boiled some cocoa in a tin pannikin, by
the aid of which, with some Indian corn bread, we made a very fair meal.
In an hour more we reached the edge of the _Alto_, or high plain, over
which we had been travelling. Before us lay, deep and deeper, the dark
valleys of the lower mountain regions, among which, scarcely
discernible, were scattered numerous Indian villages. Far beyond a more
level country stretched out, till it was lost in the distant line of the
horizon. For several hours we descended, till we began to experience a
very great change of temperature. We rested that night at a village
inhabited entirely by Indians. It was situated among such inaccessible
rocks that they had no fear of being surprised by the Spaniards. To my
great grief, Manco told me that he must quit me by dawn on the morrow.
I of course could not be so selfish as to wish to detain him.
"I have been, fortunately, able to find a trustworthy guide for you," he
said. "He is a lad a year or so younger than you are, but very quick
and intelligent. He is of a white complexion, though he has an Indian
heart, for he has been among us from his childhood. When an infant he
was discovered by some of our people in a wood near a Spanish village,
and was brought hither by them. Their idea is, that either he had been
deserted by his mother, or that his parents had been murdered by
robbers, who, for some reason or other, saved his life. He is called
Pedro. He speaks Spanish well; and should you fall among the Spaniards,
he will be supposed to belong to their people. Should you discover your
parents, of which I have no hopes, give him his liberty, and he will
return to us; and if you abandon the attempt, he will lead you back to
us. But I will bring him to you, and he will speak for himself."
On this Manco left the hut where we were lodging, and soon returned,
accompanied by a youth, whose clear complexion and full black eyes
showed that he was descended from the race who had conquered Peru.
"Are you willing to accompany me, Pedro?" I asked in Spanish. "You
will probably have many dangers to encounter."
He looked at me attentively for some time, as if examining my
countenance to judge if he could trust me, before he answered.
"Yes," he at length said. "I will aid you gladly in the work you are
about. I care not for dangers. God will protect me, as He has before
done."
I was much struck with his words and manner, and gladly accepted his
services.
"But I have no means of rewarding you, Pedro," I remarked. "Some day I
may have, but the time is probably far distant."
"A good action is its own reward," he answered, in an unaffected tone.
"I require no reward. My chief and benefactor wishes me to go; and I
desire to obey him."
Pedro was an unusual character. He possessed all the genius and fire of
his Spanish fathers, with the simple education of an Indian
uncontaminated by mixing with the world. The next morning he appeared
habited in the dress of a Spanish farmer's son, which was the character
he was to assume should he be interrogated. He rode a mule similar to
mine. He and I set forward together towards the west at the same time
that Manco started to return to the Indian camp. I found that Manco had
supplied him amply with money to pay our expenses, when we should reach
the territory inhabited by Spaniards; but he told me that we should
require none while we wandered among the Indian villages.
"I thought that all the Indians were poor, and that even a chief like
Manco would have little or no money," I remarked.
He smiled as he answered, "When men are slaves, if they are wise they
conceal their wealth, lest their masters should take it from them.
These mountains are full of rich mines of gold and silver, with which
none but the Indians are acquainted. Many such exist, known only to
particular families, to whom the knowledge has been handed down from
father to son. Perhaps Manco has such a mine; but he is too wise to
speak of it."
I did not think it right to inquire further about the source of Manco's
wealth; but I was satisfied that he could spare what he had provided for
me. My young guide, however, was inclined to be communicative, and he
beguiled the way by a number of interesting anecdotes.
"O yes," he continued; "the Indians are wise to conceal their riches;
for if the Spaniards discovered them, they would no longer be theirs.
Not far from this, there lives a good padre, the curate of the parish.
He is very much liked by all the Indians, though he has his faults like
other men. He is very kind-hearted and generous, and is ready to
administer to the sick in body as well as in mind; but he is sadly
addicted to gambling. He will play all day and night with anybody who
will play with him, till he has lost his last real, and has often, I
know, to go supperless to bed. When the Indians know by his looks and
his staying at home that he is in poverty, they will send him fowls and
eggs, and bread and provisions of all sorts. One day he had just
received his yearly stipend, when the evil spirit came upon him, and he
went away to the nearest town and lost it all. He came home very
miserable, and could scarcely attend to his duties. Fortunately for
him, an Indian, whose sick child he had attended, had compassion on his
grief, and told him to be comforted. The next day, as soon as it was
dark, the Indian came to his house, bringing a bag full of rich silver
ore. The padre was very grateful; but instead of spending it wisely to
supply his wants, he took it into the town, and it went the way of his
stipend--into the pockets of his gambling companions. Again he returned
home as full of grief as before. The Indian soon heard of what had
happened, for he loved the padre very much; so he brought him another
bag of silver. The padre's propensity was incurable, and he lost that
as he had done the first. The Indian's generosity was not yet worn out,
and he brought him a third bag full of ore. When the padre saw it, he
could scarcely believe his own senses.
"`I fear that I am robbing you, my kind friend,' he said. `I shall
bring you into the poverty to which I have foolishly reduced myself.'
"`O no, Senor Padre; there is plenty more where this comes from,'
returned the Indian. `What I have given you is but like a drop of water
in the ocean to the abundance of rich ore which there lies concealed.'
"`If that be the case, my kind friend, why not show it to me?' exclaimed
the padre. `I shall soon become a rich man, and will no longer think of
gambling.'
"After much persuasion, the Indian agreed to lead the padre to the mine,
on condition that he would consent to be blindfolded both going and
returning. The next night they accordingly set out, the Indian leading
the padre by the hand. After walking for some hours, the bandage was
taken from the padre's eyes, and he found himself in a spot he had never
before visited. The Indian set to work, and clearing away a quantity of
earth and bushes, exposed to the delighted eyes of the padre a cave full
of glittering masses of pure silver.
"`There, Senor Padre, is the mine I spoke of. Take as much as you can
carry, and we will return speedily home,' said the Indian.
"The padre filled a number of bags he had brought with him under his
cloak, till he could scarcely stagger onwards with the weight. While
also he was collecting the treasure, avarice seized his soul, and he
forgot the dictates of honour. He was then again blindfolded; and he
set forward on his return in the same manner as he had come. But though
he had got as much silver as would have supplied him with food and
clothing for many years, he wanted more. He contrived, therefore, as he
thought unperceived, to break the string of his rosary, and as he
returned he dropped one bead, then another, hoping thus to trace his way
by means of them back to the mine. At last he reached home,
congratulating himself on his cleverness. Of what use, he thought, is
all that silver to the Indians? They are not the better for it, but I
shall know how to spend it. He was eager to set out the next morning,
when just as he was leaving his house, the Indian stepped in at his
door.
"`Ah, Senor Padre, I am come to see how you are after your long walk,'
said the Indian, smiling.
"`Very well, my son--very well, thank the saints,' answered the padre.
`I am just going out to take another.'
"`I hope it may be a pleasant one, Senor Padre,' observed the Indian.
`But I forgot--I came to return you your rosary, which you dropped last
night.'
"And to the dismay of the padre, the Indian gave him all the beads which
he had carefully collected. The padre had nothing to say for himself;
but the Indian did not utter any other rebuke, though he never again
offered to bring him any more silver ore."
"I think the Indian behaved very well; but I can find no excuse for the
padre," I remarked.
With similar stories, which he told with far more spirit than I have at
this distance of time been able to give to them, Pedro endeavoured to
divert my mind from dwelling on the thoughts which he saw oppressed it.
He certainly succeeded better than I could have expected.
Our road led us over a lofty height, at the summit of which we halted to
rest ourselves and our mules. As we were sitting on the ground, and
employed in eating our dinner, we observed a large condor high above us
in the air. He approached us with outstretched wings, and at first I
thought that he had been attracted by the provisions we carried, and
that he was about to attack us. I cocked a gun Manco had given me, and
prepared to shoot him should he come near us; but he passed beyond us,
and presently he pounced down on the ground at some distance off.
Instead, however, of his rising again with his prey in his talons as we
expected, we saw him violently flapping his wings; and, to our great
surprise, directly afterwards he was surrounded by a number of Indians,
who began to strike him about the head with sticks to keep him quiet.
Our curiosity induced us to run as fast as we could towards the spot,
when we found that the condor had been caught in a trap laid on purpose
for him. A hole had been dug in the ground, over which had been spread
a fresh cowhide, with parts of the flesh still adhering to it.
Underneath this an Indian had concealed himself with a rope in his hand.
The condor, attracted by the smell of the flesh, had darted down on the
hide, when the Indian below had firmly bound his claws together, and
held on with all his might, the cowhide protecting him from the attacks
of the bird's beak. The other Indians had been concealed near the spot
to help their companion. They quickly secured the monster bird, and
prepared to carry him off in triumph to their village. At first when we
appeared, they looked suspiciously at us; but after Pedro had spoken to
them, their looks brightened up, and they invited us to accompany them
to their dwellings, which were on the other side of the height.
We gladly accepted their invitations, for they lived near the road we
wished to pursue. I have so often spoken of the wretchedness of Indian
huts, and of the coarseness of the food, that I need not describe them.
They were no exceptions to the general rule. The scene before them was
wild and dreary. At some distance off appeared a mass of long rushes,
beyond which extended a sheet of water, the opposite shore of which was
scarcely visible. Numerous flocks of waterfowl were hovering over the
marshy banks of this lake, which I found was of very considerable
extent, though inferior to that of Titicaca, the largest in South
America.
Pedro and I were sitting round a fire in the hut with our Indian hosts,
before retiring to rest, when a loud moaning noise was heard in the
distance. The Indians regarded each other with terrified looks.
"What can cause that noise?" I inquired of Pedro. He shook his head,
and turned to one of the Indians.
"It forebodes evil to the herdsmen," answered the man. "In yonder lake,
which is so profound that no plummet has ever reached the bottom, there
dwell huge monsters, neither beasts nor fish. No man has ever seen one
near; but at night, when the moon is shining, they have been descried at
a distance, prowling about in search of prey. When that noise is heard,
which has just sounded in our ears, it is a sign that they have attacked
some of the cattle feeding in the surrounding pastures; and to-morrow
morning there is no doubt several will be found missing."
"But cannot the monsters be caught or killed?" I asked. "Surely it is
foolish in the herdsmen to allow the cattle to be killed with impunity."
"Who would venture to do it?" exclaimed the Indian with a look of
horror. "Besides, I told you, Senor, that no one has seen them near
enough to observe their form; and sure I am that neither stones cast
from slings, nor arrows shot from bows, nor bullets from guns, would
pierce their hides."
"I should like to encounter one of these monsters," I replied. "A ball
from a good rifle would soon enable me to judge what they are like."
"May Heaven protect you from such an adventure!" answered the Indian.
"If I ever return here, we will see."
I said this because I very much doubted the existence of the monsters he
spoke of, and suspected that the moanings we heard arose most probably
from some of the cattle which had sunk into the marshes near the lake,
and were unable to extricate themselves. In every part of the world
where I have since been, I have heard similar legends, and have in most
instances been able to discover a very probable explanation of the
mystery.
The rays of the sun were shining on the waters of the lake as we passed
one end of it the next morning, and it now wore a far more cheerful
aspect than it had done on the previous evening. The two next days of
our journey were one continual descent, and we were now approaching the
ruined village, near which the body of the faithful Ithulpo was said to
have been discovered, and in which I supposed my parents had taken
refuge.
I could no longer attend to any of Pedro's remarks, but rode on sadly
and moodily, dreading to find the truth of the dreadful report I had
heard, confirmed, yet not daring to believe in its possibility. It was
now necessary to proceed with great caution, for we were in a part of
the country which had been inhabited chiefly by Spaniards; but we found
that they had all fled or been destroyed, and the blackened ruins of
farm-houses and hamlets met our sight every league we proceeded. Here
and there we encountered an Indian, of whom Pedro made inquiries; but
from no one could we obtain information to guide us.