The Bride of the Sun

oup of riders. Dick, first to realize the change in

of this! Steady,

Indians. The menace in the voices grew clearer. He looked round him, and drove his spu

ian pushed his way toward the Spaniards. Maria-Teresa, Don Christobal and Dick reco

irl's mule by the bridle. "Who touches

arted. Silence succeeded th

d Huascar, and himself escorted

king to escort them to the inn, was eloquent on their imprudence in comin

d. Maria-Teresa and Dick, both very white, had not a word to sa

which they all gathered. Dick was the first t

e it wa

was true!" repe

rue?" demanded the Marqui

gin of t

urd, monstrous thought. And they exchanged anxious, frightened looks, like c

touches the Virgin of the Sun is a

hesitated Uncle Francis. "I

o you mean?" demanded

If Maria-Teresa was... was the Virgin of th

Don Christobal. "There are the police, and the troops. All those r

exclaimed M

as we can," said Dick, going to the window and looking out Night

in a letter addressed to Maria-Teresa. She tore it open and

e said, "but this warn

er knock at the door. This time, it announced the arrival of

Indian, an employee at the Franco-Belgian bank at Lima, that it might be dangerous fo

les away. When he learned that they were ready to leave at once, he busied himself about finding them f

nobody rest, and forced the pace throughout. It was not until the following night, safe in the train for Pascamayo, that they realized the r

atics resenting the presence of strangers at a religious festival, and nothing more. The best thing they could do was to forget it a

of work awaiting her, and forgot her fears in a maze of figures which took her to Callao ear

she retreated with a half-strangled scream. Was it possible? In the rapidly gathering darkness, she could not be sure, and leaned out of the window to see better.... That thing, swaying in the darkness, looked just like th

d her, swaying horribly, above shadowy bodies! A desperate scream for help was choked in her throat. "Dick!..." and nothing more. The three living skulls had hurled themselves upon her, gagged her,

tonneau, and the three monsters, like three larvae, climRed i