The Treasure of the Incas A Story of Adventure in Peru

our ago I saw a man walking along where we generally see them; he was going straight along as if for some fixed purpose, and I thought at once that he might b

e irregularity in the ground. They were not running, but seemed to me to be going at a steady pace. Since then I have been watching carefully,

ar it, Dias; that is

us to catch them all together, for I have no fear that they

the drawb

f catching us at present, and are going to scatter and hunt till we venture out, which wo

k that we can b

e up your rifles. We shall have then only four shots left. If they continue their rush where shall we be? There would be two of us on one wall and two on the other. There would be four shot

ned to storm the place and take us alive th

tement, even that might not stop them, though I should think it would. Yes, I believe we mi

zen men to watch the entrance and report if we attempt to escape. That would be fatal, and our only chance would be to leave everything behind and endeavour to climb up one side or the other; and even that might not avail us, as there may b

nk we had better

night, so that I think we are pretty sure to find them all in the ravine this evening. If, when we get there, we find the place empty, we must come to a decision as to what our best course will be. In that case I think we ought to climb the hills and make our way up the mountains as rapidly as possible. We could calculate on eight or ten hours' start, and by keeping

r; I think that

tle to start at n

eir guns down beside them, and then Harry was to put the ends of his squibs against his brand, and hurl the whole of them among the Indians. A few seconds later Bertie was to do the same, while Harry fired one barrel of buck-shot. Bertie was to fire as Dias threw a dozen crackers, and t

rks fail to effect the panic they hoped for. Their pistols were also to be reserved until the Indians fled. Donna Maria was to stay by the water, and start at once on her way back if Dias shouted to her to do so. Every step of the plan settled upon was repeated again and again, until there was no possibility of any mistake

ated in the carrying-chair, and strapped on to her husband's back; then four brands were taken from the fire and the party started. When within fifty yards of the lower end of the ravine José went forward, and, returning in a few minutes, reported that no savages were on guard. A fire was burning

aria down. "You understand, Maria," he said: "t

d. "I have my knife, an

now how t

first volley of fireworks they will be off. They must be more than human i

ealed in the herbage, Harry took his bundle of squibs from his pocket. They were but lightly tied together; slipping off the string he applied the ends to the brand. There was a sudden roar of fire, and waving them once round his head he hurled them into the midst of the assembly. There was a yell of astonishment as the missiles flew hither and thither, exploding with loud reports. The last had not exploded when Bert

then both paused to reload while Dias and José hurled their remaining fireworks. By this time the last of the natives had leapt up and f

out; and Maria joined them a minute later. More than a sc

o with the wounde

t have come down from the hills, and will return here unaware of what has happened, or one or two of th

er to shoot them,

o the river. Savages frequently recover from wounds that would kill white men; and even if no others come down, those who are but slightly wounded will help the more incapable. We have cleared the way for ourselves, which was

f now; but you can leave me one of your pistols i

ong. You are generally at it, and as long as they hear you they wil

m should move and try to crawl away, don't fire at them; but if t

edge of the river. José and Dias went to the fire in the ravine, and returned laden with burning brands, and a fire was soon blazing near the water. Two of them kept watch by turns at the spot from which they had fired, lest any of the wounded Indians should, on recovering,

f his shoulders and one of Harry's, was carried across without being wetted. Then they joined the animals, which were grazing a short distance away, and set off without delay. Although they kept a sharp look-out they saw no more of the

n put here for some

searchers. You told me there were some marks by which you would be directed in the gold valley; it is quite likel

to prevent anyone not in the secret from knowing. The mark I have to loo

ation of the star would

-place very difficult to find, so that even when the valley was known,

ccording to your account, it is simply an extraordinarily rich deposit in the river, I ha

s searched everywhere for gold, and although the records of most of their discoveries still exist

. Mount Tinta was twenty miles in front of them, and from that point a range of mountains trended off almost at rig

that is the pe

y signs of a cl

it is a very

es, Harry exclaimed: "See, Dias, there is a cleft in that peak! From here it looks as

r, this must be the valley. Now,

the valley thoroughly to a point where, five miles higher, it ceased abruptly, the rocks closing in on either side, and the stream coming down in a perpendicular fall from a

ir meal at dusk. "Your tradition says nothing about hidden tr

end the hills on each side of the valley

t and the position of the gold. This cleft is undoubtedly very narrow-no doubt the result of an earthquake. It certainly goes straight through, and very likely it is some hundred yards across, so that unless we are exactly in the line we sha'n't see it. As soon as it is dark on the 21st we will all go some distance up the valley, where it is only about four or five hundred y

n the proper position to-morrow night," Harry said on the 20th of the month. "That

, and therefore it was agreed that Dias, Harry, and José should take their places only some forty yards apart across the centre; Maria and Bertie going farther, near the sides of the hills. When midnight approached they took their stations. Suddenly Harry, who was standing by the side of the rivulet, exclaimed, "I see it!" It was more than a minu

w at the bottom. It is certainly a splendid guide, and there can be no mistaking it. Unless I had been standing on the exact line, I should not have noticed the star till later, and the crack is so much wider towards the top that it could probably be seen on a lin

merely a rich place in the river, and that it must be some vast treasure, perhaps hidden by the people before the Incas, and kept by them as a certain resource when needed. We shall have to search,

eel absolutely certain that the line bet

rted up the valley. Harry gave an exclamation of surprise as, standing behind the first sti

hree sharp bends between the spot where h

are great stones and boulders at the foot of the fall, and a large deep poo

ward slowly till he reached the edge of the pool. It was some fifteen

been thrown overboard." He stripped and swam out to the middle of the pool and dived. He was down about a minute, and on

is so flat that it would need a cut at least a mile long to let the water off, and we should therefore require either an army of men or a re

past two months, and the quantity of water coming down was but small, while in the wet season a mighty flood would shoot far out from the rock. The width of the stream in the wet season

purpose. On the other hand, they may have fallen. I think that is the most likely explanation, for

sly scraped off with their picks. Silently they went out again at the end, and stood hopelessly looking at the fall. It was some time before Harry said, "We must move some of those stones now. Let us go at once and cut down some young trees, for we can do nothing w

the levers

r wife went off to prepare it when we came out from

hey rested. So they toiled on, stopping for half an hour in the middle of the day for food, and then renewing their work. By evening they had made an opening four or five feet wide at the top, and six feet deep, close to the wall. It was now get

too tired to ea

ad some coffee. I have fed the mules,

y had finished their meal, "that

ainly we have worked like niggers since seven o'clock this morning. I will open the case; it

s said. "I will get it, se?or. I

, which means that the crew shall have a glass of grog-that is, a glass of spirits and water-to cheer and warm

minutes h

randy. Is your kettle boiling still, se?ora? We shall want hot water, sugar,

, se

xed four mugs, and a half one for Maria. "There, Dias!" he said. "

ng daintily, she finished her portion with evident satisfaction. They did not sit up long, and as soon as they had finished their first smoke all retired to bed, leaving for once the llamas and mules to act as sentries. As soon as it was fairly daylight, they drank a cup of coffee an

torch he

t; then ligh

for Bertie to stand by the side

es as low as yo

point of his knife for a mi

he cave. That stone under it has a rough face, but on the top and sides it is straight. It is fitted in with cement, or something of that s

, Harry. Those three stones would never fit together so closely if they had not been cu

examined t

; and the three went out beyond the fall, for the noise of the water was too great for th

is blocked by a wall several feet thick. We should want tools and blasting-powder to get through it. No doubt it is a natural cave, and it seems to me probable that they altered the course of the stream abov

ake their way down to the gorge through whic

l; but there are marks of tools on the rocks on each side of the fall, and the water

that however strong the rush of water may be it will always g

fore them was a wide valley, filled to the spot where they were standing with a placid sheet of water four or f

ave thought of finding a

d of it. But that is not strange, for no one who came up the

t for some minutes, looking o

ion was a true one after all, and that the gold lay in

not have been shallower, for there is no other escape than the waterfall; and however heavy the

some other way

e of the valley. "There is no break

I thought at first that the stream above might have been diverted to hide it, but the ravine is so narrow that that could not be possible. In the next place, your tradition has proved absolutely true in the matter of the star, and in the hour of its appearance in the exact line to the mouth of that cave. How cor

en no doubt they would heap stones and boulders against the face of the wall. By the time the Incas had conquered the country the valley would be a lake many feet deep. The Incas, having gained an abundant supply of treasure elsewhere, would take no steps towards opening the tunnel, which in any case would have been a terrible business, for the pressure of water would drive everything before it. Having plenty of slave labour at their disposal, they knew that it could be done at any time in case of great necessity, when the loss of the lives of those concerned in it would be nothing to them. When the valley became full the

means, Harry-?

of getting at the gold than if it were lyi

t down wi

e hundred experienced miners, and ten times as many labourers. The other would need twenty or thirty miners, and a hundred or two labourers. There is possibly another way; but as that would require an immense iron siphon going down to th

normous undertaking; and even were it here, and put up and going, the difficulty of supplying it with fuel would be enormous. Certainly one could not get up a company with capital enough to carry out any one

as well go d

lked with his head down and the air of a criminal going to execution. The disappointment to him was terrible. He had all along felt so confident that they should be suc