The survey party had traversed about half the distance between Cuzco and
Santa Rosa when the two Englishmen, following their invariable custom of
indulging in a swim as often as opportunity afforded, made their way, at
the end of a hard day's work, to a most romantic spot which they had
encountered. Here a small stream, flowing through a rocky gorge, fell
over a granite ledge on to a large flat slab of rock some nine feet
below, from which in turn it poured into a noble basin almost perfectly
circular in shape, about twenty feet deep, and nearly or quite a hundred
feet in diameter, ere it continued its course down the ravine. To stand
on the slab of rock beneath the fall was to enjoy an ideal shower bath;
and to dive from that same slab into the deep, pellucid pool and
thereafter swim across the pool and back three or four times was a
luxury worth riding several miles to enjoy; small wonder, therefore, was
it that the two Englishmen resolved to make the most of their
opportunity, and continue to use this perfect natural swimming bath so
long as their work kept them within reach of it.
The camp was situated some two miles back from the pool, the bathers
therefore, fatigued with a long day's work, decided to ride to and from
the spot, instead of walking, and Arima, the Indian--who had by this
time constituted himself Escombe's especial henchman--was directed to
accompany them to look after the horses while the riders were enjoying
their dip.
Arrived at the pool, the two friends dismounted and proceeded to undress
on a small space of rich, lush grass in close proximity to the basin,
the Indian meanwhile squatting upon his heels and holding the horses'
bridles while the animals eagerly grazed.
Now, Arima's devotion to Harry, originating at the time when the two had
made their memorable journey together to Mama Cachama's cave, and very
greatly strengthened during the adventurous hunt for the missing Butler,
had steadily developed until it had become almost if not quite as strong
as that of a parent for an idolised child. The Indian could not bear
his young master to be out of his sight for a moment, and was always
most unhappy whenever the exigencies of work necessitated a separation
of the two. He had been known to resort to the most extraordinary
devices to prevent such an occurrence, and when the two were together
Arima never allowed his gaze to wander for a moment from his master's
form if he could help it. Yet, singularly enough, it was not until this
particular evening that the Indian had become aware of Escombe's
possession of the jewel so strangely fished up from the depths of Lake
Chinchaycocha, or had ever caught sight of it. But he saw it now, as
Escombe undressed at a few yards' distance, the light falling strongly
upon the dull red gold and the emeralds, as the lad carefully removed it
from his neck and laid it upon the top of his clothes ere he rushed,
with a joyous shout, and placed himself immediately beneath the foaming
water of the fall. The sight appeared to arouse a feeling of very
powerful curiosity in the breast of the Indian, for it was only with the
utmost difficulty that he contrived to retain his attitude of passivity
until the more deliberately moving Bannister had joined his friend upon
the slab beneath the fall; but no sooner had this happened than,
abandoning the horses to their own devices, Arima crept cautiously
forward until he reached Escombe's heap of clothing, and, availing
himself of the preoccupation of the bathers, took the jewel in his hand
and examined it with the most rapt attention and care. For a space of
nearly five minutes he continued his examination, after which he slowly
and thoughtfully made his way back to the horses, which were too busily
feeding upon the luscious grass to stray far. For the remainder of the
evening the Indian seemed to be plunged in a state of meditation so
profound as to be quite oblivious of all outward things save his young
master, his conduct toward whom was marked by a new and yet subtle
attitude of almost worshipping reverence. But when the hands were
mustered for work on the following morning, Arima was nowhere to be
found; he had vanished some time during the night, saying nothing to
anyone, and leaving no trace behind.
Harry was very much upset at this sudden and inexplicable disappearance
of the servant who, in a thousand little unobtrusive ways, had
ministered so effectually to his comfort that his loss was at once felt
as a serious misfortune, and he devoted two whole days to a search for
the missing man, fearing that the fellow had strayed away from the camp
and that something untoward had befallen him. But the search was quite
unavailing, and on the third day it was abandoned, the only conclusion
at which Escombe could arrive being that the Indian had deserted under
the influence of pique at some unintentional affront and gone back to
his own people.
It was some two months later--by which time the party was drawing near
to Santa Rosa, and the great railway survey was approaching completion--
that in the dead of a dark and starless night three Indians stealthily
approached the surveyors' camp and, having first reconnoitred the ground
as carefully as the pitch darkness would permit, made their way,
noiseless as shadows, to the tent occupied by young Escombe. The
leading Indian was Arima, the two who followed were very old men, their
scanty locks, white as snow, hanging to their shoulders, their ascetic,
clean-cut features sharp and shrunken, yet they carried themselves as
upright as though they had been in the heyday of youth, and their sunken
eyes glowed and sparkled with undiminished fire. They wore sleeveless
shirts of pure white, finely woven of vicuna wool, reaching to the knee,
the opening at the throat and arms, and also the hem of the garment,
being richly ornamented with embroidery in heavy gold thread. This
garment was confined at the waist by a massive belt of solid gold
composed of square placques hinged together, and each elaborately
sculptured with conventional representations of the sun. Over this was
worn a long cloak, dyed blue, also woven of vicuna wool, but without
ornament of any description. Their heads were bare, and the lobe of
each ear was pierced and distended to receive a gold medallion nearly
four inches in diameter, also heavily sculptured with a representation
of the sun. Their legs were bare, but each wore sandals bound to the
feet and ankles by thongs of leather. To judge from the travel-stained
appearance of their garments they must have come a considerable
distance, and have been exposed to many vicissitudes of weather.
Entering Escombe's tent, which was dimly lighted by a hanging lamp
turned low, Arima noiselessly moved aside and silently, with
outstretched hand, indicated to his two companions the form of the
sleeping lad, who lay stretched at length upon his camp bed, breathing
the long, deep breath of profound slumber. Nodding silently, one of the
two withdrew from a pouch which hung suspended from his belt a soft
cloth and a small phial. Extracting the stopper from the latter, he
emptied the contents of the phial upon the cloth, which he then very
gradually approached to the nostrils of the sleeper until it was within
an inch of them. He held the cloth thus for about five minutes,
allowing the fumes of the liquid to enter the sleeper's nostrils, while
his companion very gently laid his fingers upon the pulse of Escombe's
right hand, which happened to be lying outside the coverlet. At length
the second Indian--he who held Harry's wrist--nodded to the first,
saying, in a low voice, in the ancient Quichua language: "It is enough;
nothing will now awaken him,"--whereupon the holder of the cloth
returned it and the phial to his pouch and stepped back from the side of
the bed. Then, turning to Arima, he said, in the same language:
"Say you, Arima, that this youth always wears the collar upon his
person, night and day?"
"Even so, Lord," answered Arima. "At least," he modified his statement,
"so I surmise; for I have never seen the jewel save the once whereof I
told you, and again on that same night when I stole into his tent while
he slept, and found that he was wearing it then. Whereupon I hastened
to you with my momentous news."
"You have done well, friend," answered the first speaker. "Should all
prove to be as you say, you shall be richly rewarded. And now,"--he
caught his breath with sudden excitement--"to settle the question."
Then, turning to his companion, he said:
"Approach, brother, and look with me. It is meet that we should both
gaze upon the sacred emblem--if so it should prove--at the self-same
moment." He signed to Arima, who turned up the flame of the lamp,
whereupon the two Inca priests--for such the strangers actually were--
bent over Escombe's sleeping figure, one on each side of the bed, and
while one drew down the coverlet the other unbuttoned the lad's sleeping
jacket, exposing to view the jewel which he had fished up from Lake
Chinchaycocha, and which, for safety, he always wore round his neck.
Eagerly the two priests bent down and scrutinised the magnificent
ornament as it lay upon the gently heaving breast of the sleeper; and as
their eyes hungrily took in the several peculiarities of the jewel a
thrill of excitement visibly swept over them. Finally, he who appeared
to be the elder of the two said to the other:
"There can scarcely be a doubt that Arima's surmise is correct;
nevertheless, brother, pass your hand beneath the young man's shoulder
and raise him slightly that I may remove the collar and examine it."
The priest addressed at once obeyed the request of the other, who
thereupon gently passed the ornament over the sleeper's head and, taking
it immediately beneath the lamp, proceeded to examine every part of it
with the closest scrutiny, his companion allowing Escombe's limp body to
subside back on the pillow before he, too, joined in the inspection.
Every link, almost every mark of the chisel, was subjected to the most
careful examination, and apparently certain of the engraved marks were
recognised as bearing a definite meaning; for on more than one occasion
the elder of the two priests pointed to such a mark, saying, "Behold,
Motahuana, here is, unmistakably, the secret sign," while the other
would nod his head solemnly and respond, "Even so, Tiahuana; I see it."
Finally he who had been addressed by the other as Tiahuana turned the
jewel over in his hand and examined the back of it. His gaze instantly
fell upon the cabalistic characters engraved upon the backs of the
emeralds, which had puzzled Escombe, and, laying the jewel gently down
upon the bed, he prostrated himself before it, Motahuana immediately
following his example, as also did Arima.
For a space of some three or four minutes the trio appeared to be
absorbed in some act of silent devotion, then Tiahuana rose to his feet
and fixed his gaze on the jewel which lay upon the coverlet of Escombe's
bed. Meditatively his eyes rested upon the great emerald pendant with
its engraved representation of a human face, and from thence they
wandered to the calm features of the sleeping lad. Suddenly he started,
and his gaze became alert, almost startled. He bent down and
scrutinised the engraved features intently, then quickly diverted his
gaze to those on the pillow. Was it some trick of light, he asked
himself, or were the two sets of features identical?
"Look, Motahuana, look!" he whispered in tense accents; "see you the
resemblance? I have but observed it this instant. Nay, man, you can
scarcely see it from where you stand, for that side of his face is in
shadow. Come to this side of the couch--or, stay, I will move the
lamp."
He did so, holding the lamp so that its light fell full upon the
sleeper's face, while with the other hand he rearranged the collar so
that the pendant lay upright upon Escombe's breast. In this position,
and in the stronger light, the likeness was even more startlingly
striking than before, and for two long minutes the aged pair bent
intently over the object of their scrutiny with an ever-growing
expression of wonder and awe upon their attenuated features.
"Well, brother," at length demanded Tiahuana, somewhat sharply, "see you
what I mean, or is it merely my fancy--a figment of my over-heated
imagination?"
"Nay, Lord," answered Motahuana in an awestruck whisper, "it is no
figment, no fancy; the likeness is wonderful, marvellous, perfect; the
features are identical, curve for curve and line for line, save that
those engraved on the emerald bear the impress of a few more years of
life. That, however, is immaterial, and in no wise affects the fact
that in this sleeping youth we behold the reincarnation of him who first
wore the sacred jewel, the lord and father of our people, Manco Capac!"
"Even so; you say truly, Motahuana," agreed Tiahuana in tones of
exultation. "The revelation is complete and indisputable past all
doubt; the mighty Manco Capac has returned to earth from his home among
the stars, and soon now shall Peru resume its former glorious position
as the greatest and most powerful nation in the world. It is true that
the great Manco returns to us in the guise of a young Englishman, for
which circumstance I was scarcely prepared; but what of that? It is
better so; for England is to-day the wisest and most mighty nation on
the face of the earth, and doubtless the Inca brings with with him a
rich store of the knowledge of England. Come, there is no occasion for
further delay; let us be going, for we must be far hence and beyond the
reach of pursuit ere our father the Sun awakens his children and
discloses the fact of our Lord's disappearance. Go thou, Arima, and
summon hither the litter bearers and the others."
In a perfect ecstasy of pride and delight that it should have fallen to
his lot to become the humble instrument whereby had been made known to
his people the glorious fact of the great Inca's reincarnation in the
person of Escombe--as he never for a moment doubted was the case--Arima
hurried out to where the remainder of the party lay patiently in ambush,
briefly announced to them that all was well, and bade them follow him in
perfect silence to the tent in which Harry still lay plunged in a
deathlike yet quite harmless sleep. The litter--a light but strong
structure, framed of bamboos and covered with vicuna cloth, so arranged
that it could be completely closed--was carried right into the tent, the
covering thrown back, and Escombe was lifted, on his mattress and still
covered with the bedclothes, off the little iron camp bedstead and
carefully placed in the litter, the jewel was replaced about his neck,
the pillow under his head was comfortably arranged by Arima, the litter
was closed, and then a little procession, consisting of the litter and
its four bearers, with the eight other men who acted as reliefs, headed
by the two priests, filed silently out into the darkness, leaving Arima,
with six men, armed to the teeth with bows and arrows--the latter tipped
with copper--lances of hardwood sharpened by fire, and short swords, the
copper blades of which were hardened and tempered almost to the
consistency of steel by a process known only to the Peruvians
themselves. The duty of these men was to collect together and pack,
under Arima's supervision, the whole of Escombe's private and personal
belongings; and this they did with such expedition that, in less than
half an hour from the involuntary departure of its owner, the tent was
almost entirely stripped of its contents and left deserted.
Under the anaesthetic influence of the vapour which he had unconsciously
inhaled, Escombe continued to sleep soundly until close upon midday, by
which time the effect had almost entirely passed off, and he began to
awake very gradually to the consciousness that something very much out
of the ordinary course of things was happening. The first thing to
impress itself upon his slowly awakening senses was the fact that the
bed upon which he was lying was in motion, a gentle, easy, rhythmic,
swaying motion, unlike any movement that he had ever before experienced.
Yet the bed seemed to be the same as that upon which he had retired to
rest upon the preceding night, so far as he could judge; the mattress
had the old familiar feel, and--yes, certainly, he was still under the
shelter of the bedclothes, and his head still rested upon the familiar
pillow--he could feel the lumps in it where the flock filling had become
matted together. But why the mysterious motion? Could it be that he
was experiencing for the first time the effects of a Peruvian
earthquake? Slowly and reluctantly he opened his eyes, and saw that his
bed was indeed the same, yet with a certain difference, the precise
nature of which he was at first unable to define. But presently he saw
that the bed or couch upon which he was lying was closely encompassed by
a soft blanket-like cloth, tightly strained over a light bamboo
framework, forming a sort of canopy. And the motion? He was by this
time sufficiently awake to understand that it was real; nor was it due
to earthquake, as he had at first been inclined to think it might be;
no, it was the regular, rhythmic movement of men marching and keeping
step; he was being carried!
With a rush his senses came fully back to him, and he started up into a
sitting posture. It was high time for him to get to the bottom of this
mystery, he told himself. He saw that midway in their length the side
curtains which enclosed him were divided and overlapped, and, stretching
out his hand, he wrenched them apart, at the same time, in his
forgetfulness, calling loudly for Arima.
In an instant the Indian was by the side of the litter and peering in
through the opening between the parted curtains, to his masters intense
astonishment.
"You called, Senor--my Lord, I mean?" exclaimed the man submissively.
"I did!" answered Escombe incisively. "What has happened, Arima? Where
have you been? Where am I? Why am I being carried off in this
outrageous manner? Answer me quickly."
"My Lord," answered the Indian deprecatingly, "I implore you not to be
disturbed or alarmed in the least. We are all your slaves, and are
prepared to lay down our lives in your service. No harm is intended
you; but it is necessary that you accompany us to the place whither we
are going. Here is my Lord Tiahuana. He will perhaps explain further."
Meanwhile, during this brief colloquy, the cortege had come to a halt,
and now the elder of the two priests presented himself as Arima retired,
and, with a profound obeisance, said:
"Let my Lord pardon his servants, and let not his anger be kindled
against them. What we have done has been done of necessity and because
there seemed to be no other way. But my Lord need have no fear that
evil is meditated against him; on the contrary, a position of great
power and glory will be his at the end of his journey; and meanwhile
every possible provision has been made for the comfort and wellbeing of
my Lord during his passage through the mountains."
"But--but--I don't understand," stammered Harry. "Who are you, why do
you address me as Lord, and what do you mean by talking about a passage
through the mountains? There is a ridiculous mistake."
"Nay, Lord, be assured that there is no mistake," answered Tiahuana
impressively. "The matter has been most carefully investigated, and the
fact has been conclusively established that my Lord is he whom we want.
The jewel which my Lord even now wears about his neck proves it.
Further than that--"
"The jewel that I am wearing about my neck--this thing?" exclaimed
Harry, drawing it forth. "Why, man, I fished this up from the bottom of
Lake Chinchaycocha, and am simply wearing it because it appeared
valuable and I did not wish to lose it."
"Even so, Lord," answered Tiahuana soothingly, and with even increased
reverence, if that were possible. "The circumstance that my Lord drew
the collar of the great Manco Capac from the depths of Chinchaycocha is
but an added proof--if such were needed--that my Lord is he whom we have
believed him to be, and that no mistake has been made."
"But, my good man, I tell you that a mistake _has_ been made--a very
stupid mistake--which I must insist that you rectify at once," exclaimed
Escombe, who was beginning to grow a trifle exasperated at what he
inwardly termed the fellow's stupid persistence. "Look here," he
continued, "I don't in the least know whom you suppose me to be, but I
will tell you who I am. My name is Escombe--Henry Escombe. I am an
Englishman, and I only came to Peru--"
"My Lord," interposed Tiahuana with deep humility, yet with a certain
inflection of firmness in his voice, "all that you would say is
perfectly well known to us your servants; it has been told to us by the
man Arima. But nothing can alter the fact that my Lord is the man
referred to in the prophecy pronounced by the great High Priest
Titucocha on the awful night when the Inca Atahuallpa was strangled by
the Spaniards in the great square of Caxamalca. From that moment the
ancient Peruvian people have looked for the coming of my lord to free
them from the yoke of the foreign oppressor, to give them back their
country, and to restore them to the proud position which they occupied
ere the coming of the cruel Spaniard; and now that my lord has deigned
to appear we should be foolish indeed to permit anything--anything,
Lord--to stand in the way of the realisation of our long-deferred
hopes."
Harry began to realise that the misunderstanding was more serious than
he had at first thought. It must be put right without any further
delay. But he could not sit there in that ridiculous palankeen affair
and argue with a man who stood with his head thrust between the
curtains; he must get up and dress. Moreover, he was ravenously hungry,
and felt certain that the breakfast hour must have long gone past. So,
instead of replying to Tiahuana's last remarks, he simply said: "Send
Arima to me."
The old priest instantly withdrew, and in his place appeared Arima
again, who had been standing within earshot, quite expecting a summons
at any moment.
"Behold, I am here, Lord," remarked the Indian with a deep obeisance.
"What is my Lord's will with the least of his servants?"
"My will," answered Harry, "is to dress and have breakfast at once.
When you and your friends kidnapped me last night, did you by any chance
have the sense to bring my clothes along?"
"We have brought everything with us, Lord," answered Arima. "Nothing
that I know to be my Lord's property has been left behind."
"Um!" thought Harry, "the beggar has been altogether too faithful for my
liking. He has brought everything of mine, has he? That means that if
I cannot persuade these idiots to take me back to the camp, and it
becomes necessary for me to make my escape, I shall have to go off with
just what I stand up in, leaving the rest of my belongings in their
hands!" Aloud he said: "Very well, then please bring me the clothes
that I wore while at work yesterday."
With breathless haste the clothes required were brought forth from a
bundle into which they had been hastily thrust, and presented to their
owner; the litter was gently deposited upon the ground, and Harry,
lightly clad in his pyjama suit, scrambled out, to find himself in the
midst of an extensive pine wood, with his escort, consisting of twenty-
one persons all told, prostrate on their faces around him! Evidently,
he told himself, he was a personage of such dignity and consequence that
he must not be looked at by profane eyes while dressing. Smiling to
himself at the absurdity of the whole adventure, he quickly proceeded
with his toilet, obsequiously assisted by the faithful Arima; and when
at length he was dressed, a word from Arima caused the escort to rise to
their feet. Then, while some of them proceeded to gather branches and
light a fire, others set to work to open certain bundles from which they
rapidly extracted bread, chocolate, sugar, and, in short, all the
ingredients required to furnish forth an appetising and satisfying
breakfast. Finally, about half an hour later, the young Englishman, in
a frame of mind about equally divided between annoyance at his abduction
and amazement at the unaccountable behaviour of his abductors, found
himself partaking of the said breakfast, presented to him in a service
of solid gold of curious but most elaborate design and workmanship, and
waited upon by his entire suite with as much ceremony and obsequiousness
as though he were a king.