Piloted by Motahuana, Harry presently found himself installed in a
marble throne raised on a dais at the western extremity of the building,
behind the altars--of which there were three--and facing them and the
vast assembly. Immediately on the other side of the altars, and facing
them, were the nobles, also occupying marble seats; and a brave show
they made in their gala attire, Umu, the captain of the royal bodyguard,
in his gorgeous uniform, being a very conspicuous figure among them.
And behind the nobles, seated on wooden benches, was the people ranged
row after row, until, so vast was the building, the features of those
seated near the eastern wall were quite indistinguishable to the young
Inca.
The slight stir in that immense assemblage caused by the entrance of the
monarch and his train of nobles had scarcely subsided when the strains
of distant music were heard, rapidly increasing in power and volume as
the musicians drew near; and presently, through an archway immediately
opposite that by which Escombe had entered, there filed a small army of
priests led by Tiahuana, still in his robes and bearing his wand. Some
sixty of these were performing on a variety of wind and string
instruments more or less remotely suggestive of those known to civilised
nations, while the remainder chanted to their accompaniment a quaint but
by no means unpleasing melody, the air of which was quite distinctly
suggestive of rejoicing. The words of the song--or hymn, rather--were
Quichua, and Escombe was therefore unable to gather the sense of them.
In the midst of the priests walked a band of some twenty youths attired
in richly embroidered white tunics of soft woollen material, girt about
the waist with a gold-embroidered belt; and each youth bore in his arms
a mass of beautiful flowers, the delicate perfume of which quickly
diffused itself throughout the building. Priests and youths were alike
barefooted; and a more careful scrutiny soon revealed to Harry the fact
that he was the only individual in the building--so far as he could
see--who remained shod.
Led by the instrumentalists, the procession wheeled to the right and
passed slowly down the first aisle of the building to its eastern
extremity, then right across it, past the great eastern door, up the
fourth aisle, down the third, and up the second, which brought them
finally to the altar which stood on the right of the main or high altar,
as looked at from Escombe's point of view. Then, while the priests
continued their chanting, the flower-laden youths piled their fragrant
burdens upon the right-hand altar and twined them about it until it was
completely hidden from view by the vari-coloured blooms and their
delicate foliage. This done, the youths retired, and the High Priest--
or Villac Vmu, as he was called--standing before the flower-draped
altar, with his back to the people, uttered what appeared to be a short
invocation or prayer, during which the worshippers all knelt upon the
beautifully tessellated marble pavement. This prayer lasted three or
four minutes, and upon its conclusion the people rose and resumed their
seats; while Tiahuana, turning and facing them, delivered an address of
some twenty minutes' length, after which another hymn was sung by both
priests and people, the former slowly filing out of the building during
the singing, and so timing their movements that as the last note was
sung the last priest disappeared through the arch, and the curtain fell
behind him.
Harry not unnaturally concluded that this ended the ceremonial; but he
was quickly undeceived by Motahuana, who informed him that one, if not
two, burnt sacrifices yet remained to be offered. And indeed, scarcely
had this piece of information been conveyed when the music and singing
again made themselves heard, and the priests filed into the building
once more. But, instead of the band of flower-bearing youths, there
appeared a llama, decked with garlands and wreaths of flowers, and led
by two young priests. This time the order of procedure was reversed,
the procession crossing over to the fourth aisle, passing down it and up
the first, down the second, and up the third, which finally brought them
opposite the second subsidiary altar, to a golden ring in which the
llama was now tethered, the processional hymn lasting long enough to
allow this operation to be completed. Then followed another prayer,
succeeded by another address, during which the unfortunate llama was
bound and trussed up so ingeniously that the unhappy creature was
rendered incapable of making the least struggle. Then a number of
priests seized the helpless animal and laid it upon the top of the
altar, upon which meanwhile a great pile of cedar boughs and other
scented wood had been carefully piled. This done, two priests strode
forward, one bearing a very formidable-looking copper knife, while the
other carried a large and most beautifully wrought basin of solid gold.
Seizing the llama by the ears and dragging its head back, the first of
these two priests raised his knife on high. There was a yellow flash as
the keen and heavy blade descended upon the animal's throat, and the
next instant the llama's lifeblood was pouring and smoking into the
basin which the second priest held to receive it. And so dexterously
was the whole thing done that not a single drop of blood stained the
white garment of either priest; had it been otherwise, it would have
been regarded as an unfavourable omen.
The moment that the blood ceased to flow, the thongs which confined the
poor beast's limbs to its body were released, the carcass was turned
upon its back, the belly was ripped open, and the Villac Vmu stepped
forward and carefully examined the entrails, during which the people
appeared to be held in a state of the most painfully breathless
suspense. This, however, was happily not prolonged, for it lasted only
a few seconds when Tiahuana, stepping forward and facing the assembly,
threw up his hands and shouted:
"Blessed be our Father the Sun, the omens are all exceptionally,
marvellously, favourable, and our sovereign Lord the Inca is assured of
a long and prosperous reign, during which he will be permitted to
accomplish all that was prophesied concerning him."
Instantly the priests burst into a loud paean of praise, which was
promptly taken up by the entire people, standing, during the singing of
which a priest appeared, bearing a torch kindled at the sacred fire,
which was kept alight throughout the year. This torch he presented to
Harry, who, at Motahuana's prompting, and with several qualms of
conscience, rose to his feet and thrust it in among the pile of wood on
the top of the altar, beneath the body of the llama. The crackling of
the dry twigs that formed the substructure of the cunningly arranged
pile, and the curling wreaths of fragrant smoke, soon showed that the
wood was fairly alight; and as the little tongues of yellow flame leapt
from twig to twig and gathered power, and the smoke shot upward from the
altar in a thin perfectly straight column to the ceiling, the great
building fairly resounded with the shouts of jubilation of the enormous
congregation, for this was the last and most important omen of all. If
the smoke column had bent or wavered in the least it would have foretold
trouble--ay, or even disaster, had the wavering been sufficiently
pronounced. But, on the contrary, every omen, from first to last, had
been of so exceptionally favourable a character that the special
sacrifice of thank-offering that was always tentatively arranged for
upon such occasions as the present became a foregone conclusion, and the
assembly, instead of dispersing, as they would have done had the omens
been less eminently favourable, settled again into their seats with a
great sigh and shudder of tense expectancy; for this would be the first
time that many of them had ever been present at a ceremony of the kind
that was now pending.
Escombe, who was by this time beginning to feel very tired, as well as
distinctly dissatisfied with himself for taking part in all this
mummery, noticed vaguely that something out of the common was evidently
toward, but he was too thoroughly distrait to even seek an explanation
from Motahuana, and he watched, as in a dream, the long procession of
priests file out of the building to the accompaniment of an unmistakable
song of triumph. Presently, with more singing and music, they came
filing back again; but in the comparatively brief interval of their
absence they had contrived to effect a complete change in their
appearance, for, instead of the white garments which they had previously
worn, they were now robed in crimson, heavily bordered with gold
embroidery, while Tiahuana's robe was so completely covered with gold
embroidery, encrusted with gems, that it was as stiff as a board, the
crimson colour of the material scarcely showing through it. He still
bore his wand in his hands, and the mitre which he now wore blazed with
gold and precious stones. On this occasion, instead of leading the
procession, he was preceded by a priest, scarcely less gorgeously robed
than himself, who held aloft a beautiful banner of crimson cloth
emblazoned with the figure of the Sun. Other banners, equally rich and
beautiful, about twenty in all, were borne by the main body of the
priests.
But no sooner was the procession--singing a peculiarly sweet and
plaintive air--fairly inside the body of the temple than Escombe aroused
himself with a violent start, for walking in the midst of the priests,
attired in a simple white robe, from the hem of which her little bare
feet peeped as she walked with downcast eyes, and wreathed and garlanded
about with a long chain of magnificent crimson roses, and with her hands
bound behind her, there walked the most lovely maiden that the young man
had ever seen. Although there was little doubt that she was of pure
Indian blood, she was as fair as a Spaniard, but without a vestige of
colour--as might well be expected under the circumstances. Her long,
dark hair, unbound, clustered in wavy ringlets upon her shoulders and
far enough below her waist to completely veil her tied hands. Every eye
in the building was instantly turned upon this fair vision as the
congregation rose _en masse_, and a loud gasp of what sounded very much
like dismay drew Escombe's attention to Umu, who distinctly staggered as
he rose to his feet, while his face went a sickly, yellowish-white, and
the perspiration poured from his forehead like rain. The poor fellow
stared at the girl as though he could scarcely believe his eyes; yet
that he did believe them was perfectly evident, while the anguished
expression of his countenance made it equally evident that he was very
deeply interested in the young lady and her fate. As to what that fate
was to be there could be no shadow of doubt, even in the mind of one so
ignorant of the details of the religious ceremonial of the Peruvians as
was its new monarch. The girl's awful pallor, her very presence in the
procession, and the fact of her being garlanded with flowers, each had
its own significance, and pointed indubitably to the fact that she was
the destined victim in a human sacrifice!
Turning to Motahuana, Harry demanded, in a fierce whisper:
"Who is that girl, and why is she taking part in the procession?" To
which Motahuana replied:
"She is Maia, the daughter of Umu, captain of my Lord's bodyguard; and,
as the most beautiful maiden in the city, she has been chosen by the
Villac Vmu as worthy the great honour of being offered in sacrifice upon
the altar of thanksgiving on this most memorable and auspicious
occasion. It is a great surprise to Umu, of course, to see his only
daughter occupying her present proud position, for by the order of
Tiahuana she was taken from her father's house within an hour of his
departure to meet my Lord and escort him to the city; and his duties
have probably not permitted him to visit his home since his return,
hence the sight of his daughter in the procession is the first
intimation which he has received of the honour conferred upon her--and
him."
The utter indifference to the anguish of those chiefly concerned which
Motahuana betrayed in this speech made Escombe fairly writhe with
disgust and abhorrence, which feelings were increased a hundredfold by
the knowledge that this young maiden was to be forced to lay down her
life, and her parent's home was to be made desolate, in order that his--
Harry Escombe's--accession to the throne of the Incas might be fitly
celebrated! He ground his teeth in impotent fury, and unrestrainedly
execrated the stupendous folly which had induced him to enter so light-
heartedly into an adventure fraught with elements of such unimaginable
horror. True, he had done so with the very best intentions; yes, but
how often, even in his comparatively brief experience of life, had he
known of actions instigated by "the very best intentions" that had
culminated in grim disaster! And now he was adding yet another to the
long list!
But stay; was this thing inevitable? He suddenly remembered that many
of the good intentions that had determined him to acquiesce passively in
the events that had placed him where he now was were based upon the fact
that, as Inca, he would be the possessor of absolute power, and would be
able to mould events to his will; that, as Inca, he would be superior to
everybody, even the priesthood, for the Inca was not only the head of
the priesthood but was actually credited with the possession of a
certain measure of divinity in his own person. If all this were really
true, now was the time to assert his authority and test his power. He
would forbid the sacrifice, and see what came of it.
As he arrived at this determination he glanced up, to find Umu's gaze
fixed fully upon him, and there was such intensity of unmistakable
anguish and entreaty in the gaze that Harry unhesitatingly answered it
with a nod and an encouraging smile, which evoked a gasp of almost
incredulous joy and relief from its recipient.
The procession had by this time passed down the first aisle and was
coming up the second, the paean of triumph and thanksgiving pealing
louder and more thrillingly on the ear with every step of its progress.
At length it reached the head of the aisle and wheeled to the right with
the evident intention of turning into the third aisle, which would have
caused it to brush close past the row of benches by which Umu was
standing. But a moment before the banner bearer who was leading the
procession arrived at the wheeling point, Harry rose from his throne
and, standing on his footstool, so that every person in that vast
building might see and hear him, flung up his right hand and imperiously
called a halt in the proceedings, in response to which the procession
came to an abrupt standstill, and the singers and musicians almost as
abruptly became silent. Then Harry beckoned Tiahuana to his side, and
said:
"Interpret for me; I have a message for the people."
Then, as Tiahuana gazed aghast and speechless at the young man who had
resorted to so unheard of a proceeding as to interrupt a ceremony of
thanksgiving at its most intensely interesting and dramatic moment,
Harry proceeded:
"Children of the ancient Peruvian nation, hearken unto me; for
Pachacamac, the Supreme, the Creator and Ruler of the Universe, who made
all things, yea even unto the Sun, Moon, and Stars which you adore, each
in their several seasons, has this moment put a message into my mouth
and bid me deliver it unto you.
"Thus saith Pachacamac, the Great and Only One. `In the days of old,
when the Peruvians were but a few scattered tribes plunged in the depths
of ignorance and barbarism, I took pity upon them and sent to them Manco
Capac and Mama Oello Huaco, two of my children, to gather together those
scattered tribes and form them into communities, to instruct them in the
mysteries of my worship, and to teach them the arts whereby they might
become a great and civilised nation. And for a time all things went
well with the Peruvians, for they listened to the voice of my
messengers, and obeyed it, worshipping me and acting in accordance with
my commands. Therefore I blessed and prospered them exceedingly, and
made of them a glorious and powerful nation, wise in the art of
government, and invincible in the field of battle, so that as the years
rolled on they conquered all the surrounding tribes and nations and
absorbed them into themselves.
"`But with the progress of time my people fell into error. They ceased
to worship and honour me, and transferred their adoration to the Sun,
which I had made and given unto them as the beneficent source of all
their material benefits, from which they derived light and warmth, which
caused their streams to flow and their soil to bring forth abundant
crops for the sustenance of man and beast, which caused their flocks to
increase and multiply greatly, and which is the source of all life,
health, and beauty. They gave their gratitude and devotion to that
which I had created, and forgot me, the Creator of all things; they
built hundreds of temples in honour of the Sun--and one only did they
dedicate to me! Therefore was I displeased with them and withdrew from
them the light of my countenance. I permitted the _Conquistadors_ to
land upon their shores and gave them power to triumph over the Peruvians
in battle, to destroy Atahuallpa, and to wrest their land from them
until, behold, all that is left of that once great nation is this valley
and the city that ye have built in it.
"`But my anger burns not for ever, nor will I hide my face from you for
all time. Behold, I have given you another Inca, who shall guide your
straying feet back into the right path, who shall point out to you the
mistakes which you have made and teach you how to correct them. And if
ye will obey him it may be that in process of time I will again make you
a great and powerful nation, even as you were in the old days ere I hid
my face from you and permitted calamity to overtake you.
"`And now, listen, my people, unto this. I have no pleasure in sorrow
or suffering; the shedding of blood in sacrifice is an abomination unto
me. Therefore do I forbid now and henceforth the sacrifice in burnt
offering of any creature that doth breathe the breath of life; for death
is a curse that I have sent upon the earth, and not a blessing, as ye
shall be taught in due time. Ye may deck my altars with flowers, and
make beautiful the houses in which ye worship me, if ye will; but
obedience to my laws and precepts is more precious to me than any other
thing, and if ye render that unto me ye shall do well.'"
As Harry uttered the last words, and sank back into his seat, it is safe
to say that no individual in that great building was more astonished at
his behaviour than himself; for he had sprung to his feet without the
ghost of a notion of what he meant to say, animated only by the one
great and overmastering impulse to save the life of Umu's daughter and
rescue a household from a great and terrible grief. But the words had
leapt to his lips, and he had spoken as one under the influence of
inspiration, without thought, or pause, or hesitation. In the very
building devoted to the worship of that object which, ever since Peru
became a nation, had been the especial veneration of its inhabitants, he
had stood up and boldly denounced the worship of the Sun as idolatry;
had told them that their religious beliefs were all wrong, and had
unceremoniously broken in upon and put a stop to the most impressive
ceremony in their ritual, and had forbidden certain practices hallowed
by ages of religious teaching! And now, what was to be the result?
Would the priests and the congregation rise up as one man and tear the
audacious young innovator limb from limb, or offer him up as a sacrifice
on the altar from which he had essayed to snatch its destined victim, to
propitiate their outraged deity? The sensation produced on all sides as
Tiahuana had translated Escombe's denunciation, sentence by sentence,
was tremendous, and grew in intensity as the denunciation proceeded.
But whether the emotion excited was that of anger, or of blank
astonishment, the young man could not determine; nor, to speak the
truth, did he very greatly care, for he felt that he was doing his duty
regardless of the possibility of the most ghastly peril to himself.
Indeed there are few possibilities more dreadful than those attendant
upon the bearding of a multitude of fanatical idolators and the
denouncing of the objects of their idolatry. Everything, or almost
everything, would depend entirely upon the view which Tiahuana and the
priests took of Harry's conduct. If, after that uncompromisingly
outspoken attack upon the worship of the Sun--the fundamental principle
of their religion--Tiahuana's belief in the theory that Escombe was
indeed the re-incarnation of the first Manco, foretold by the prophet
Titucocha, remained unshaken, all might yet be well; but if not--!
For some minutes excitement and consternation reigned supreme over that
vast assembly, yet there was nothing approaching tumult or disorder in
the behaviour of the people; the points raised by the young Inca's
message were evidently of such tremendous import that they felt
themselves quite unable to deal with them. They recognised, almost from
the first moment, that these were matters which must be left in the
hands of the priests, and presently the excitement began to die down,
and everybody waited to see what would next happen. As for Tiahuana,
the denunciation had fallen upon him with such paralysing effect that he
had simply translated Escombe's message as nearly word for word as the
Quichua language would permit, with the air and aspect of a man speaking
under the influence of some fantastically horrible dream. But by the
time that the excitement had subsided, and silence again reigned in the
great building, he had pulled himself together and, turning to Harry,
said:
"Is my Lord quite certain, beyond all possibility of doubt, that the
message which he has just delivered has been put into his mouth by
Pachacamac, and not by some evil and malignant spirit?"
"Yes," answered Escombe with conviction; "I am. What evil spirit would
instruct the Peruvians to worship and adore the Great Pachacamac Himself
instead of one of the works of His hands? The very import of the
message ought to be convincing testimony of the source from which it
comes."
"It may be; it may be; I cannot tell," answered Tiahuana wearily. "If
the message comes in very truth from Pachacamac, then have we indeed
strayed far from the right path, and much that has troubled and puzzled
the wisest heads among us can be accounted for. It would also explain
why our forefathers were so blind as to permit the _Conquistadors_ to
enter their country, and so weak as to be conquered by them! Yes,
methinks there are matters of vast moment contained in that message; but
they cannot be discussed here and now. Is it my Lord's will that the
people be dismissed?"
"Yes," answered Harry, almost breathless with astonishment at the
complete success of his intervention. "Tell the people that my
appearance among them is the signal for many great and momentous changes
decreed by Pachacamac for their advantage, one of the most important of
which will be that, henceforth, Pachacamac Himself--the Supreme, the
Creator of the Heavens and Earth, and all that are therein, and only He,
is to be worshipped in this building. Ye have wandered far astray; but
be of good comfort, I--and, later on, others whom Pachacamac will send
to you--will point the way of return, and all shall be well with you."
"And the maiden, Lord, who was to have been offered as a thank-
offering--what is to be done with her?" demanded Tiahuana.
"Let her be returned with all honour to her home and parent," answered
Harry. "Henceforth there are to be no burnt sacrifices, whether human
or otherwise."
Then Tiahuana, standing before the central altar, where he could be seen
by all, and heard by perhaps about half of the congregation, raising his
hand to command the attention of his audience, interpreted Escombe's
second message to them, adding the words "Go in peace!" and raising both
hands in a gesture of blessing, which he maintained until the last
person had passed out through the great eastern door. Meanwhile Maia,
the daughter of Umu and the destined victim of the thank-offering,
having not only heard but also understood everything that had
transpired, had fainted from excess of emotion produced by the revulsion
of feeling from that of lofty exaltation to relief and joy at her
reprieve from death--even though that death had come, through long
usage, to be regarded as more honourable and glorious than anything that
this life had to offer--and had been delivered to her father, who had
lost not a moment in conveying her back to the shelter of his roof.
"And now, Lord," said Tiahuana, "tell me, I pray you, what is to be done
in the matter of conducting the ceremonies in the temple, henceforth;
for Pachacamac's message seems to strike at the very root of our
religion, and until I am more fully instructed I know not what to do, or
how to proceed."
"Nay," said Harry reassuringly, for he saw that the old man was
intensely worried and distressed, "the matter is surely very simple.
All that you have to do is to transfer your adoration from the Sun to
Pachacamac, offering to him your prayers and praises instead of
addressing them to the Sun. Surely it is wiser and more reasonable to
worship Him who made all things, than it is to worship one of the things
that He has made? Do this, and ye shall do well. And if any doubts
should arise in your minds, come to me and I will resolve them. Also I
will instruct you from time to time in the truth concerning Pachacamac,
until his messengers shall arrive. And now, go in peace; for ye have
but to be obedient, and to instruct the people in the truth, even as you
yourselves shall be instructed, and all will be well."
Then Harry rose, and, escorted by the nobles, made his way out of the
building to the place where his litter and his guard awaited him,
whence, mounting into his seat, he was rapidly borne back to the palace
amid the enthusiastic acclamations of the populace which lined the
streets. But as the bearers trotted smoothly and evenly along the road
Escombe detected--or thought that he did--a new note in those
acclamations; a note which he could not for the life of him interpret.
It was not that the acclamations were less hearty than before. On the
contrary, they seemed to be more enthusiastic than ever; yet, mingled
with their enthusiasm and joy there seemed to be a certain subtle
undertone that thrilled him curiously and caused him to vaguely wonder
whether that "message" of his, delivered without forethought on the spur
of the moment, would prove to have been a master-stroke of genius--or an
irreparable mistake. Anyhow, he had delivered it, and that was the main
thing. He had quite determined that he would deliver it at the first
fitting and convenient opportunity; he had, therefore, no regrets on
that score, and the only thing that worried him was the question whether
it had been delivered prematurely; whether, in fact, it would have been
more powerful and effective if he had deferred its deliverance until he
had taken time to prepare the minds of the people for its reception.
But, be the issue what it might, he had accomplished at least one good
deed; he had saved a life and given joy to one household in the city,
and that was certainly a matter upon which he might unreservedly
congratulate himself.
Meditating thus, Harry found himself, he scarcely knew how, back at the
palace, where his chamberlain informed him, first, that a grand banquet
had been arranged for that same evening, to be given by him to the
nobles to celebrate his accession to the throne; and, secondly, that the
Lord Umu was in waiting, and craved an audience. Whereupon the young
man requested to be conducted to some room in which he could suitably
receive the captain of his bodyguard, and directed that functionary to
be brought to him.
Flinging himself wearily into the only chair in the room to which he had
been conducted, Escombe awaited the arrival of Umu, who was presently
ushered into the apartment barefooted, and carrying upon his shoulders a
small burden as a badge of his immeasurable inferiority--great and
powerful noble though he was--to the Inca. So intense was his emotion
upon finding himself in his Lord's presence that, for the moment, he
seemed quite incapable of speech; and, to help him out of his
difficulty, whatever it might be, Harry extended his hand to him and
said:
"Well, Umu, my friend, what is it? Are you in trouble, and can I help
you?"
Whereupon Umu, the great and powerful noble, and captain of a thousand
picked warriors, flung himself upon his knees before the young Inca,
and, clasping the outstretched hand in both of his, pressed it
convulsively to his lips, while the tears streamed like rain from his
eyes. But he quickly pulled himself together, and, gazing up into
Harry's face, answered:
"Gracious Lord, pardon this unseemly emotion, I pray you, and attribute
it to the awful ordeal through which I have this day passed. I have
presumed to hasten hither, Lord, to express, as well as may be, the
heartfelt gratitude of myself and my daughter for your gracious
intervention to-day in the temple, but for which my Maia would now be
dead and my home desolate. Lord, you are as yet strange among us, and
may therefore not know that for a maiden to be chosen to be offered as a
thank-offering on the altar of the temple upon such an occasion as that
of to-day is regarded by the Peruvian Indians as the highest honour that
can be conferred upon her and all who are connected with her; and
doubtless it would be so regarded by many. But, Lord, natural affection
is not always to be so easily stifled. I am a widower, and Maia my
daughter is my only child; the love that exists between us is therefore
perhaps unusually strong, and the honour of having given my daughter as
a thank-offering would never have compensated me for, or reconciled me
to, her loss. The shock which I experienced to-day when I recognised
her, bound and decked with flowers for the sacrifice, in the midst of
the priests, I shall never forget, for I had not then been to my house,
and knew not that she had been chosen. And though, having been chosen,
she had wrought herself up to the point of passive submission, she had
no wish to die, for she is young, and the best part of her life is still
before her; moreover she loves me, and knows that without her my heart
and my house would be empty and desolate. Therefore, Lord, I pray you
to accept our heartfelt thanks for her deliverance, and to believe my
assurance that henceforth, let what will betide, we two are your
faithful and devoted slaves unto our lives' end."
"Thanks, Umu, for your assurance of devotion, which, I am convinced,
comes from your heart," said Harry, raising the soldier to his feet.
"But, Umu, I wish to regard you henceforth not as my `slave', but as a
faithful and devoted friend. Servants who will unhesitatingly do my
will I shall doubtless be able to command in plenty; but sincere friends
are less easily won, especially by a monarch, and a wise, faithful,
devoted friend who will help and advise me in the difficult task that
lies before me will be of greater value than many slaves. I shall
always remember with especial pleasure that my first official act was to
save an innocent life, and that the life of your daughter, whom heaven
long spare to be a joy and comfort to you. Go in peace, Umu, and serve
me faithfully."
"I will, Lord; I swear it by the great Pachacamac Himself!" answered
Umu, raising his right hand as though to register his oath. Then,
turning, he went forth from the palace the proudest, and probably the
happiest, man in the Valley of the Sun that day.