The Incas' Treasure House (2024)

A. HYATT VERRILL

ILLUSTRATED BY HERMAN FAY, JR.

Serialised in The Open Road for Boys, Oct 1931-Mar 1932 (this version)
First book edition: George G. Harrap & Co., London, 1936

This e-book edition: Roy Glashan's Library, 2018 from a file at
http://stillwoods.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-incas-treasure-house-15-magazine.html

Version Date: 2018-06-20

Produced by Doug Frizzle and Roy Glashan

The text of this book is in the public domain in Australia.
All original content added by RGL is protected by copyright.

Click here for more books by this author

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PART I

CHAPTER I. — LOST!

THEY were lost! For some time both boys had feltsure of it, and could no longer conceal their helplessness, ortheir realization of the dangers they faced. They gazed at eachother wide-eyed, without speaking, for each dreaded to voice hisfears.

It seemed days since they had crawled from under theoverturned car, unhurt, to find the Cholo chauffeur crumpledlifeless under the steering wheel; yet Pancho's watch told themit had been only eight hours since they had been laughing andchatting in the car as it bumped across the desert toward La Rayamining camp where the boys had planned to pass their vacationwith Bob Stillwell's father, the manager.

For months they had looked forward to the trip, ever since Bobhad received a letter from his father telling of the wonders ofPeru and suggesting that he bring a friend with him. Of courseBob had chosen Pancho McLean, his most intimate chum, who, havinglived for several years in Mexico, spoke Spanish fluently. Bob'sfather had sent word that he could not meet the boys as he hadplanned, but one of the officials of the La Raya Company hadgreeted them aboard ship at Callao, and had seen them safelystarted on their way to the mines in one of the company's cars.The accident happened suddenly, unexpectedly. One instant theywere speeding across seemingly trackless desert, the next instantthe car had skidded, crashed into one of the countless outcropsof jagged rock that dotted the waste, and overturned. Shaken andterrified, Bob and Pancho cut through the wrecked top. Withtrembling hands they tried to drag the chauffeur free, but afterone horrified glance at the fellow's battered face and crushedhead they hastily retreated.

"Let's take food and the water bottles and get going," saidBob. "That poor chap is beyond help, and there's no use stayinghere."

"How about the guns?" asked Pancho, as they prepared to burrowbeneath the car in search of food and the thermos bottles.

"What's the use," said Bob. "There's nothing to shoot in thisdesert, and we'll have to get someone to bring in the rest of thestuff. We can get the guns then. I'm not going to lug a gunacross this desert. It'll be bad enough hiking as it is."

"I don't know," muttered Pancho. "I'll feel safer with myrifle."

"All right, take it if you want to," said Bob, "but mine staysright here."

It was not a pleasant job, salvaging the precious waterbottles, the lunches provided for their journey, and the fewother necessities while the dead man lay so close beside them;and it was a still more unpleasant duty to cover the body withthe cushions and ripped top in order to protect it from the blackvultures which already were gathering. At last it was done andthe boys breathed sighs of relief.

"Now which way do we go?" asked Pancho, glancing at theglaring desert and distant mountains.

"Follow the road, of course," replied Bob.

"Yes, if there were a road to follow, but I don't seeany."

The boys gazed about in bewilderment. Beyond the spot wherethe car had skidded, there was no sign of road, nothing todistinguish one part of the rock-strewn waste from another.

"I never noticed we weren't following a road," muttered Bob."There was one back a ways. I wonder how far." Suddenly Pancholaughed. "We are boobs!" he exclaimed. "Even if there's noroad, we can follow the wheel marks back the way we came."

"Yes and walk fifty miles before we get anywhere," said Bob."We passed the last village a little after eight and it's noweleven.'"

"The Cholo said we'd be at a place called Palitos in time forlunch," Pancho declared. "So it can't be more than twenty-fivemiles away, but it might as well be a hundred if we don't knowthe road. I wonder how long we'd have to wait here before someonecomes along?"

"We'd die of thirst," declared Bob. "This isn't the regularroute to La Raya, you know. They generally go down to the coastand take a steamer at Lobos. Dad had us come this way becausethere won't be a ship for ten days. What's twenty-five miles? Allwe've got to do is to head for the hills, if Palitos isthere."

"Fine!" Pancho exclaimed sarcastically. "There are thousandsof hills. Count 'em."

"Well, the car was heading northeast so we can hike that way,"declared Bob "Come on, feller, move your feet."

THE walking was not hard, and though the sun beat downmercilessly and the desert quivered with heat, the boys trudgeddoggedly on. But they had not learned that mirages in thePeruvian deserts can play tricks, that the hill they had selectedas a guide to their objective did not exist—at least inthat spot—but was really ten miles further than itappeared. Tired and hot they threw themselves down to rest at thefoot of a billowy sand dune. They ate greedily, and washed thedry food down their parched throats with copious draughts fromthe thermos bottles.

"I guess we must be pretty near there," remarked Bob when,refreshed and with appetite satisfied, he rose and looked about."I hate to think of climbing over these dunes."

"No reason why we should," said Pancho. "The car couldn't havedone it so there must be a way around them."

They soon found that there were a dozen waysaround——or rather between the sand hills. Moreover,they were criss-crossed with innumerable narrow trails.

"That looks like an old river bed to me," observed Pancho, asthey pushed wearily onward. "I don't see how a car could ever getup here."

"Oh those Fords can go anywhere," grunted Bob. "Anyhow, thisis a sort of pass and the trail still leads up it, so there mustbe someone in here."

Presently the trail swung around a jutting shoulder of themountains, leaving the stony area behind, and zig-zagged up thesteep slope.

The boys halted undecided. Should they follow the wash or keepto the trail? Finally, deciding that the trail was probably ashort cut, and that from a height they could obtain a view oftheir surroundings, they turned up the narrow pathway. Up and upthey climbed, until at last they came to a wide stretch of hardrocky puna, or upland desert.

"It doesn't look as if anyone ever lived here!" cried Bob."Whew! I hope we don't have to go all the way back."

"I don't know," said Pancho, who was studying the surroundingscarefully. "It looks as if there were a valley over between thehills to the left, and there's some green among the rocks. Thatmeans water and most likely the village is in the valley. Let'sgo on and see."

"There's green all right," declared Bob, a few minutes later."Perhaps you're right, Gee Whittaker! I'd like to lie down andrest!"

"There's a house!" Pancho shouted suddenly.

Elated at thought of finding a village, they rushed forward.Clinging to the hillside was green vegetation, and, at the edgeof the stunted growth, a hut; but the boys' faces fell as theyreached it. The rude shelter of sticks and dry wild cane wasempty; it had been deserted for months, as even theirinexperienced eyes told them. And the vegetation consisted ofonly a scanty growth of wild cane, of giant prickly-pears andscraggly, dwarfed algorobo trees that clustered about atiny fissure in the rocks where a trickle of moisture showed.Worst of all, there was no valley—only a dark, yawningcanyon surrounded by forbidding cliffs.

UTTERLY spent, Bob and Pancho flung their tired bodies to theground in the shadow of the abandoned hut. The sun was alreadydipping toward the west and the mountains cast long purpleshadows across the rocky puna. Their tramp had been fornothing and night was fast approaching. Still the two did notrealize the predicament they were in. They were confident thathad they kept on up the pass, instead of striding off on thetrail, they would by now have been in the village theysought.

"My feet are two big blisters," Bob groaned. "But, if we'vegot to go we might as well be on our way," he sighed resignedly."I'd be too stiff to move if I stayed here much longer." Forseveral minutes they tramped with heavy feet across thepuna, then came to an abrupt halt. The trail led up, notdown, the hillside. Silently the two boys, now inwardly fearingthe worst, turned in the opposite direction only to find that thetrail described a wide loop and again led up hill. "How are wegoing to get out of here?" Bob looked around helplessly. "Whydidn't we notice some landmark?"

"Because we felt too co*cksure there were people here," repliedPancho.

Suddenly he laughed. "There are your people!" he exclaimed.

"They're goats, and these paths are only goat trails!"

Pancho dropped to one knee and co*cked his rifle. "Going tohave fresh meat for dinner," he declared. The goats hadapproached within easy gun shot. A half-grown kid dropped in itstracks and the others scampered off.

There was plenty of fuel in the little thicket, a fire wassoon blazing, and a hearty meal of broiled kid worked wonders inrestoring the boys' spirits. To be sure, the sip of water theypermitted themselves seemed only to increase their thirst, butthey were too tired and sleepy to worry over it much. Stretchingthemselves on the warm sand, they were soon sleeping soundly.

CHAPTER II. — INTO THE ANDES

SUNLIGHT streaming on their faces awakened them."I've been thinking," observed Pancho, as they ate breakfast,"that the best plan is to climb one of these hills before it getstoo hot. Then perhaps we can spot a valley where there's water ora village or something."

"All right," assented Bob, "but I hate to think of climbing upthere and then being no better off."

"We can't be any worse off," Pancho reminded him. "We'veeither got to find a village or a stream or we'll be up againstit, Bob. There's no use kidding ourselves. As it is we're lostand we haven't a decent drink of water left."

It was a terrible climb up the steep slope. Loose rocks rolledbeneath their feet, the razor-edged outcrops cut their hands andshoes, and their thirst became an almost unbearable torture. Atlast they reached the summit and gazed about. Far below them wasthe little hidden desert surrounded by its rim of rocky ridges.Beyond the western hills lay the hazy expanse of the big desert,a shimmering sea of sand.

Their eyes swung hopefully, expectantly around the horizon,and they shouted triumphantly. Almost at their feet a deep valleylay between the hills, and in the bottom of the cleft was richgreen vegetation and a sparkle of running water!

Promptly they drained the last of the precious fluid in theirthermos bottles. No need to save those few drops now. Then,stopping only long enough to pick out a descent that seemedpassable, they hurried downward towards the valley.

How they managed to reach the bottom without breaking theirnecks neither boy ever knew. They got there somehow, and threwthemselves down beside the little stream.

"I never knew water could taste so good," exclaimed Bob, whenat last he raised his dripping face. "I'm going to stay righthere till we're rescued."

"I'm not," declared Pancho. "But just the same that water'sthe best thing I ever tasted."

Refreshed, and having bathed their dust-covered bodies andblistered feet in the cool water, they discussed their nextmove.

"I'll bet there are people not far away," declared Bob."This is the only place we could see from the hill that hadwater."

"We'd better keep on up this valley," declared Pancho. "I'mfor sticking to the water as long as we can. We won't die ofthirst, and there should be game in these thickets."

As they walked up the valley, Pancho held his rifle ready. Hehad begun to fear that they would either have to go hungry ordepend upon small birds for their lunch, when he saw somethingmoving among the rocks and called his companion's attention toit.

"Looks like a rabbit to me," said Bob.

"Or a woodchuck," added Pancho. "Anyway, it may be good toeat, whatever it is."

The creature was now standing erect on its haunches watchingthe boys in the ravine below. It was an easy shot, and at thereport of the rifle the beast tumbled and slid down thehillside.

"Maybe it's a chinchilla," suggested Pancho, as they examinedtheir kill. "They live in Peru and their fur is valuable. We'dbetter save the skin, Bob."

"Do you suppose it's good to eat?" asked Bob.

"Guess it depends on how hungry we are," replied Pancho. "We'dbetter wait a while; it's not lunch time yet."

AS they continued up the valley they shot two more of theviscachas, as the gopher-like animals are called in Peru, and atBob's suggestion that it would be easier to carry them in theirstomachs than in their hands, they found a shady spot, built afire and proceeded to broil their game. With their appetiteswhetted by their tramp, the tender white meat tasted mostdelicious even without salt or seasoning.

They were just finishing when, with a whirring of wings alarge, brownish bird sprang from the ground almost at their feetand dropped into a tangle of vines across the little valley.

"Partridge!" exclaimed Pancho.

"Well, he'll be good for dinner," declared Bob. "Let's see ifwe can get him."

Cautiously the boys crept forward, but the vines and weedswere so thick that they couldn't detect the mountain partridge,or perdis. Not until they were within a few feet of it did ittake flight with a roar that startled them. With only a rifle anda limited supply of ammunition their only hope was to get a fairshot at it when it alighted, but the bird, whose plumage blendedperfectly with the sand and rocks, appeared to vanish as itdropped to the hillside.

Oblivious of all else, the boys crept, crawled and stalked theelusive perdiz, until at last Pancho brought it down with a luckyshot.

"Here 'tis!" cried Bob, dashing forward and holding it up intriumph. "Now we'll have a good dinner."

"And here's the end of the valley," exclaimed Pancho. "And nota sign of a house or a human being."

It was true. The valley narrowed into a mere rift in themountains with almost perpendicular walls.

"How are we going to get out of here?" queried Bob.

For some time they examined the rocks, searching for a way up,but in vain. Then Bob discovered some ancient, crumbling masonry,and the two examined it with intense interest.

"It looks like a regular flight of steps leading out of here,"declared Bob.

"No—I don't think so," said Pancho. "It curves the wrongway. Say! I know what it is—look, you can see it stickingto the rocks up there—it's part of an old bridge or viaductthat has fallen to pieces. There must have been a road up there,crossing this ravine."

"Maybe it's the old Inca road that Mr. Griswold told about!"cried Bob. "If so, we can follow it to some place. And I'll betwe can climb up here."

Carefully, for a slip meant a nasty fall and possibly brokenbones, the two began clambering up the steep side of the littlecanyon, aided by the bits of masonry still adhering to the cliff.It was a hard climb, but at last it was accomplished and theystood safely on the summit above the canyon. Then, for the firsttime, they remembered about water and food.

"Whew!" ejacul*ted Bob. "We forgot to get water and thebottles are empty!"

"We are a couple of boobs," declared Pancho. "Well, we'vesimply got to climb down again."

"We might explore around a bit before trying to go down," saidBob hopefully. "Say, look here! We're on a road!"

CHAPTER III. — THE OLD INCA ROAD

UNQUESTIONABLY, a shelf of rock on the mountainside had been cut by hand. It was too even and level for anatural formation, and the remains of a stone pavement werevisible amid the rocks and sand that had slid down the mountainthrough long centuries.

"It's a road all right," agreed Pancho. "Maybe the old Incaroad. See, there's more of it across the canyon. It must havecrossed over by a bridge once. I wonder where it leads."

"That's what we'll find out," said Bob positively. "We'll justhike along till we get somewhere."

Luck this time was with them. A few hundred yards beyond theravine a stream trickled down the mountain, and the two drank allthey could hold and filled the bottles. Then they walked steadilyon, gradually ascending, until by the time they began to think ofpreparing to pass another night in the open they were thousandsof feet above the desert where their car had been wrecked. Onevery side was a wilderness of peaks, ridges and purple canyons.In the distance, snow clad peaks gleamed against the sky.

"We're on top of the world!" cried Bob as they gazed about.The boys decided to spend the night where they were, and as theysearched for dry agave stalks and twigs for fuel they discoveredthe half ruined walls of a stone building.

"Someone lived here once," declared Pancho. "Let's clean itout and camp inside; it's a lot better than staying out in theopen." Very soon a fire was blazing in the ruins, and the perdizwas broiling over a bed of coals. Outside, the chill mountainwind whistled, but the boys were comfortable and warm. Theylaughed and chatted as they picked the bones of the bigpartridge, apparently as light-hearted and free from worry as ifthey had been on a week-end camping trip instead of lost amongthe Andes.

The fact that they had come upon the old road, that they wereenjoying the shelter of what had once been a building, convincedboth that they would soon reach a settlement. That the road hadnot been in use since the mail-clad soldiers of Pizarro traversedit more than four centuries before, that the stone walls thatsheltered them from the biting wind were the remains of an Incantambo or rest-house and had not been occupied since the days ofAtahualpa, never occurred to them. Unaware of these facts, neverdreaming that every mile they traveled along the ancient highwaywas taking them farther from La Raya, Palitos and all otheroutposts of civilization, the boys slept soundly, to awakenshivering in the chill morning air and with ravenousappetites.

"I wish we'd saved some of that bird for breakfast!" lamentedBob, as he crouched over the smouldering ashes of the fire.

"You're always wishing," Pancho reminded him. "I could wish alot better than that. I could wish we had a heaping dish of hotbuckwheat cakes and maple syrup and fried sausages or—"

"Oh, shut up!" cried Bob. "I wish we had some of that cocathat the Indians chew to keep from being hungry."

"No use wishing for anything," said Pancho philosophically."Come on, let's be on our way. Maybe we'll find something toshoot, even if it's only a buzzard!"

HALF an hour after leaving the ruined tambo they came in sightof a gravelly slope, and instantly dodged back. Less than ahundred yards distant they had seen several animals grazing.

"Deer!" whispered Pancho, co*cking his rifle and cautiouslywriggling forward.

As his shot rang out he sprang to his feet. "Got him!" hecried. "Golly, Bob! Look at those fellows go!"

"Whee! I've never seen anything step on it so fast!" exclaimedBob, as the frightened creatures vanished in the distance.

"Well, we got one and now we can have breakfast," Panchoreminded him.

"It's not a deer," Bob said as they approached the deadanimal.

"Looks more like llama," said Pancho.

"I know what it is! We saw one in the zoo at Lima. It's avicuña!"

"Guess you're right. Anyhow, I suppose he's edible so let'sfind a place where we can build a fire and eat."

"We can't cook him whole," Bob observed. "We've got to skinhim and dress him and wait till he's cold, you know."

"Seems to me it would be a lot easier and quicker to cut offhis legs and leave the rest," declared Pancho. "We couldn't carrythe whole thing along with us anyway."

Even to cut off the vicuña's hind quarters with only theirpocket knives was no easy job, and the boys were tired, bloodyand heartily sick of their amateur butchering before it wasfinally accomplished. Each carrying a haunch of the vicuña, theyleft the carcass to the buzzards and made their way to a littlestream where they washed the blood from their hands and the meat.Soon two steaks were sizzling over a fire. Blackened, smoky,half-cooked as it was, the meat tasted delicious. As they wereeating, they made a surprising discovery. They had built theirfire against a big grayish-green object that Bob had thought wasa moss-covered rock. Now as he gnawed at a slice of the meat andglanced at the dying fire, his jaws stopped working and he staredincredulously. The supposed rock was burning!

"Look! Look there!" he cried, seizing his companion's arm."That rock's on fire!"

Pancho exclaimed in amazement. He picked up a heavy stone andthrew it at the glowing mass. A shower of sparks flew up, therewas a dull thud, and a piece of the burning object broke off.

"It's not a stone," he declared. "It's some sort of wood. Say,Bob, we're in luck! I've seen lots like it and now we knowthey'll burn, we won't have any more trouble over fuel."

"Say, that's a lucky break," declared Bob. "Let's build a bigfire and roast this meat now. Then it won't spoil and we can eatit any time."

At once the boys began to gather a great pile of the strangewoody masses, which were really yaretta plants, the customaryfuel of the denizens of the higher Andes. Then, after roastingthe vicuña, they started along the road. Back and forth aroundthe mountain sides, along narrow ridges, zigzagging up theprecipitous slopes, winding along the edges of mile-deep canyons,the ancient road led, until the boys were hopelessly confused.Seemingly near at hand, an immense snowcapped peak thrust itsdazzling summit far above the surrounding mountains.

"I'll bet we're not far from La Raya," declared Bob. "Dad saidthe camp was on a mountain within sight of a glacier, and that'sthe only mountain with a glacier we've seen. My guess is that themine's right on the other side of it, so all we have to do is towalk half-way around it."

"Sounds easy," Pancho replied, "but there may be canyons andall sorts of obstacles in the way. Anyhow, it's miles to thatmountain, and a lot more miles around it. "

"You don't seem very worried over it," commented Bob, "andsomehow I can't get terribly scared myself. But I am troubledabout Dad. He must be worrying, and wondering what'shappened."

"We were fools to have left the car," said Pancho. "If we'donly stayed there they'd have found us. It's too late now. Comeon, the sooner we get started the sooner we'll getsomewhere."

PRESENTLY, they realized that they were no longer climbingupward. Glancing back, Bob saw that they had already descendedseveral hundred feet.

"We're going down hill!" he cried, "Probably this old roadleads into some valley where there are people."

"We're going down, all right," agreed Pancho, "but likely asnot we'll be climbing again in ten minutes. The fellows thatbuilt this road just went wherever they felt like it. You'reright, though, Bob! There's a valley down there and green stuff!"Far below them opened a deep valley richly green.

Feeling sure they were nearing inhabited country, the boyshurried forward. Sliding and slipping, barking knees and shins,yelping with pain as they bumped into clumps of cacti, they atlast reached the bottom of the slope in a cloud of dust and asmall avalanche of dislodged gravel and stones.

"Well here we are, but where are we?" remarked Pancho.

"How should I know?" grinned Bob. "There are trees downfarther, and water. Let's have a bath and wash some of thismountain off of us."

Refreshed by their bath in the cold water, they started downthe valley.

"There's one thing sure," announced Pancho presently. "If wecan follow this stream it's bound to lead to a river, and aspeople nearly always live near rivers we're certain to findsomeone in time. And if there's any game anywhere it will bewhere there are water and trees.

"The vicuña wasn't," Bob reminded him.

"No, but we might hunt for a month and not see any more ofthem," declared Pancho. "I'll—Gosh, Bob! What wasthat!"

They halted in their tracks, listening intently. Fromsomewhere ahead sounded a piercing scream followed by snarlinggrowls, groans and the crashing of brush!

PART II

WE want you to meet Mr. A. Hyatt Verrill, authorof The Incas' Treasure House. Here he is dressed in his Indiancostume, as Chief Cuviboranandi of the Guaymi Indians, a wildPanama tribe. When you are reading this story, you may feel surethat the author "knows his stuff," for he is an explorer of widerenown. He has penetrated distant Central and South Americanjungles, climbed perilous mountain peaks, mingled with wildIndian tribes and won their confidence, to the extent of beingadopted into a tribe. He is the only white man who has seen thefabulously rich gold mine of Tisingal, in Costa Rica, and livedto tell of it, since the Indians killed the Spanish miners longago, and swore death to any white man who should ever seek to layeyes on the treasure again. And it was all because he cured thechief's young daughter of an illness that this honor was bestowedon him. His own experiences are as interesting as any story thathe could write, and that's saying a good deal.

THE STORY SO FAR

BOB STILLWELL and Pancho McLean, who has livedin Mexico and speaks Spanish, are on their way to La Raya miningcamp in Peru, where Bob's father is manager and where they are tospend their summer vacation. On the last lap of their journeythey are met by one of the company's cars and are speeding overbarren wastes toward their distant goal when the car overturnskilling the native chauffeur. Bob and Pancho hike off in whatthey think is the direction of La Raya, but they soon becomehopelessly lost and, following an ancient abandoned road, wanderfarther and farther into the fastness of the Andes. They manageto find water and kill enough game for their needs. As thisinstallment opens they have just been started by a piercingscream, followed by groans and crashing of brush near athand.

CHAPTER IV. — JAGUAR

STARTLED by the piercing scream, the two boysdashed into the thicket toward the sound. Bursting through adense tangle, they came suddenly upon an open space in which anIndian was battling for his life with a tawny spottedcreature—a huge jaguar. His poncho was torn andbloodstained, one arm hung limp at his side, and though hestruggled frantically to rise to his feet, an injured leg refusedto support him. His only weapon, a heavy club, provided littledefense against the great cat. Rearing on its hind legs, strikingviciously and with lightning speed, green eyes blazing andgleaming teeth bared in a snarl, the creature seemed to becertain of its prey.

All this Bob and Pancho took in at a single glance. To theirterrified eyes the jaguar appeared as huge as a lion, but intheir pity for the helpless Indian they gave no thought to theirown danger. Springing to within a few feet of the jaguar, Panchopoured four bullets into the spotted hide as fast as he couldpull the trigger. With a savage roar the creature turned andleaped toward its new enemy with jaws open and great claws wide-spread.

For a moment Pancho's bullets seemed to have no effectand he could almost feel the ripping blow of those terribleclaws, the agony of those crushing, gleaming fangs. Bob's excitedyells and the snarling growls of the jaguar rang in his ears. Hefelt certain they were the last sounds he would ever hear.

Staggering back, he swung his empty rifle upward, but beforehe could strike, the spotted fiend half turned in the air, bitsavagely at its flank and collapsed in a lifeless heap.

Pancho tripped and fell but was up in an instant, hurryingwith Bob to the side of the Indian who was stretched unconsciouson the ground. Wide-eyed, the two boys gazed at the man's ghastlywounds. Scarcely an inch of his skin was left un-scored by thejaguar's claws. The left wrist was broken and the flesh torn fromthe shoulder exposing the bone. One leg had been bitten through.He still breathed, but it seemed as if death would come at anymoment. Despite the seeming hopelessness of the task, the boysstarted at once to do what they could for the injured native.

"I'm mighty glad we brought our first-aid kits along," saidPancho. "Fill your hat with water from the brook, Bob. We'll needlots of it."

WITH shaking hands they bathed the worst wounds, appliedantiseptics and exhausted the supply of bandages. Quickly theytore their shirts into strips, sprinkled them with the remainingdisinfectants and placed tourniquets about the torn arm and legto stop the flow of blood. Fortunately the leg bone was notbroken, but the fractured wrist was bad.

"We'll never be able to fix that!" declared Pancho, turningwhite as he examined the injury. "I know you're supposed to pulla broken bone into place, but—I—I'm afraid to pullthis. It looks as if the least pull would tear the hand from thearm. It's terrible!"

Bob, too, was pale and his stomach was giving him mostuncomfortable sensations. "Maybe if we shut our eyes and felt ofit we could tell where the bones belonged, and sort of push 'emback."

Never had they faced a more trying job, but at last it wasdone and the two breathed sighs of relief. There were still thedeep wounds to be attended to. The tourniquets had practicallystopped the flow of blood but they could not be left in placeindefinitely. So, mustering their courage once more, the boyscarefully examined the raw flesh, washing away the blood, andtentatively loosened the ligatures. To their joy they found thebleeding had almost stopped, and feeling sure no arteries hadbeen severed, they removed the tourniquets and bound up thewounds.

As they finished, they suddenly became aware that the Indianhad regained consciousness. His eyes were open, but no murmur orgroan came from his lips.

"Gee, he is stoical!" exclaimed Bob. "And he must want adrink."

As he spoke Bob placed a water bottle to the man's lips. Hedrank greedily, and then, mumbling unintelligible words, reachedweakly with his uninjured hand toward a small leather wallet athis belt. Wondering what the contents, might be, Bob opened itand guided the trembling fingers to it. Within were a number ofdried leaves and a small lump of what looked like gray chalk."What do you suppose those are?" asked Bob, as the gropingfingers withdrew a few leaves and the little chalky lump.

"I know!" exclaimed Pancho. "It's coca—don't youremember your father writing about the way the Indians chew cocaleaves and can go all day without food or rest because ofthem?"

"Yes, I guess that's it," agreed Bob. "Say, I wouldn't mindhaving some myself right now, I'm weak as a cat."

"Don't talk about cats being weak," said Pancho. "There's oneright over there that was anything but weak."

"What'll we do next," demanded Bob. "Here we are with thishalf-dead Indian on our hands and nowhere to take him. He won'tbe able to walk for weeks, even if he gets better."

"I guess we'll have to camp here till he walks—or dies,"said Pancho resignedly. "We can't go off and leave him alone. AndI guess we can find game. Anyhow, we can eat that jaguar if worsecomes to worst."

"Not I," declared Bob. "I'd just as soon eat buzzards."

"It's a shame to lose his skin," observed Pancho with regret."I may never kill another jaguar. And—"

He was interrupted by the Indian who was trying to speak. Theycaught the words, "Tonak," "huauki," "uturunku," "kispishkuni,"and others, but they meant nothing for the man was speaking inhis native Quichua.

The boys shook their heads, and Pancho spoke to him slowly inSpanish, telling him they did not understand. The man nodded, wassilent for a moment, apparently puzzling over something, and thenin halting, broken Spanish, he mumbled, "You are my brothers. Youhave killed the great tiger. I, Tonak, am your brother and yourslave."

"That's all right," commented Bob. "We'd have done as much foranyone. But I'd rather find a village than have a slave. Ask himwhere he lives and if it's far."

But the Indian appeared to have lapsed into unconsciousnessagain.

"He's a queer looking chap," observed Pancho. "Doesn't looklike any of the other Indians we've seen."

NOW that they began to notice the man's appearance, the boysdiscovered a number of strange facts. As Pancho had said, the manwas quite different. His skin was a clear golden-yellow in color,his nose large, thin and aquiline, and his long hair was held inplace by a narrow band of silver. Even his clothes seemed unlikethose of other Indians they had seen. His tunic-like blouse andknee-long trousers were richly decorated with designs inbrilliant colors, while about his neck hung a colored cordsupporting a carved stone llama and a lapis-lazuli charm.

"I wonder what he was doing here," mused Bob. "Funny he hadnothing but a club. I should think—Hello! Look there,Pancho! He had a spear, too."

Not far away lay a broken javelin with the point missing, andthe boys also found a powerful bow and two broken arrows. "Looksas if he was hunting," observed Pancho. "Probably the beast cameon him unexpectedly. Say, what do you suppose this is?"

He had picked up a peculiar object, a slender hardwood stickabout fifteen inches long, with a curved bone grip at one end anda small silver hook at the other.

"Looks like a magician's wand to me," declared Bob, "but Idon't see what the hook and handle are for."

Suddenly Pancho whistled. "I know what 'tis!" he exclaimed. "Iremember seeing them—or something like them—in Mexicowhen I was a kid. The Indian boys at Tlaclan used them. Theycalled them atlatls and they used them for throwing spears."

"I don't see how any one could throw a spear with that thing,"Bob interrupted.

"I'll show you," replied Pancho. Picking up one of the arrowshe grasped the atlatl in his right hand, rested the arrow on hisdoubled fingers, holding it in place with the first finger, andwith its butt against the silver hook. Then, with a sweep of hisright arm, he sent the shaft flying across the clearing.

"Say, that goes all right!" cried Bob. "But—look, theold chap's waked up."

The boys hurried to the side of the wounded Indian. He askedfor water and when this had been given him he again closed hiseyes.

"He's in bad shape," muttered Pancho. "I don't believe he'lllive until morning, but we'll make him as comfortable as wecan."

By means of canes and palm leaves they managed to rig up ashelter over the injured man, and gathering a supply of brush anddead limbs they prepared a camp-fire near-by. As the sun sankbehind the western ranges, the two boys prepared their eveningmeal, cutting slices of the partly roasted haunch of vicuña andtoasting them over a small fire. As they worked the Indianwatched with half closed eyes and expressionless face.

"I wonder if he's hungry," said Bob. "Maybe he could eat aslice of meat."

"I don't know," replied Pancho. "If I were as badly hurt Iwouldn't have any appetite. I guess Indians must be tougher thanwhite men, though. If we had a cup or something we might make hima sort of broth."

"Can't we use the tops of the thermos bottles?" suggestedBob.

"Fine!" cried Pancho. "They're small but he probably won'twant much."

Shredding some of the juiciest of the meat, the boys simmeredit over the coals in the metal covers of the bottles. The result,despite the cinders and bits of ashes it contained, wasnourishing, and the Indian gulped it down ravenously and askedfor more.

"Poor chap!" muttered Pancho. "I'll bet he's sufferingterribly but he's not even groaned since we began fixing him up.I'm beginning to think he may pull through yet."

"I'm sorry for him of course," Bob replied, "but it does seemmighty bad luck that the first man we've met should be torn topieces and half dead, forcing us to stick here when we might beon our way to La Raya."

"Yet, that's so," Pancho agreed. "Just, the same it's got tobe done unless the old chap can tell us how to reach a villageand one of us goes there and gets help. Anyhow there's no useworrying over it tonight. Things may be different in themorning."

CHAPTER V. — THE UNKNOWN TRIBE

NEXT morning, the Indian appeared to be morecomfortable and stronger. "He surely is a tough old bird,"commented Bob. "Now I suppose we ought to change the dressings onhis wounds."

"Yes, I know we should," agreed Pancho, "but we can't. If wetear up any more of our clothes we'll be pretty near naked, andwe're just about out of antiseptics anyway. We'll have to let itgo for another day and trust to luck."

"We might wash out the bandages and use 'em over again,"suggested Bob. "If we boiled them it would sterilize them."

"Yes, I guess that's so," assented Pancho.

"I hadn't thought of that. I—"

The Indian's voice interrupted him. He was speaking Spanishslowly, in almost inaudible tones. "An hour towards the risingsun—village of my people. The way lies down the valley to agreat black rock and the trail is clear. That my people may knowyou are my brothers and that you come from me, take with youthis." As he spoke, he reached uncertain fingers to the charmhanging about his neck.

Pancho stooped and lifted the cord over the Indian's head. Theinjured man smiled wanly and after a moment's silence, spokeagain. "Fear not to enter my village. Cry aloud these words:'Ama-Yulya-Ama, Sua-Ama-Kuo-lya.'" (No enemy, no thief.The ancient Incan salutation of the Quichuas.)

"That's easy," declared Pancho as he repeated the six words.

"Your people—they know Spanish?"

The Indian nodded. "There are some who do," he replied."Kespi, Wini, Kenko and others who have dwelt among the whiteskins."

"One of us must stay here," Bob declared. "If we left this manalone a jaguar or some beast might attack him and— well,there are those vultures up there—" he looked up at the skywhere broad winged buzzards swung in great circles.

"I'll go and you stay here," said Pancho. "My Spanish isbetter. I can talk with the villagers."

"All right," Bob replied. "Hurry all you can."

The trail offered little difficulty to Pancho. At the end ofan hour he came to the ruins of a great stone bridge. From thereon the jungle had been cleared and the hillsides were coveredwith small terraced gardens in which grew maize, barley, peas,sweet potatoes, peanuts and various other vegetables, while hereand there were fruit trees. Picking up some ripe duraznos (a kindof peach) that had fallen, Pancho almost ran down the windingpathway until suddenly he saw the village just ahead. Evidently,the Indians at once caught sight of him for he heard cries ofalarm, and saw hurrying figures vanishing into doorways andchildren scurrying to cover like frightened partridges.

Not until then did he remember the Indian's six words. Heshouted them at the top of his lungs, then moving slowly forward,repeated them. For a time there was no response, but presentlythe people timidly appeared, ready to turn and run at any moment.The instant he held up the cord with the carved stone llama,however, their manner completely changed. Chattering, exclaiming,they pressed about Pancho as he tried to describe what hadhappened.

TWO young Indians now stepped forward and the elder spoke toPancho in fairly good Spanish. "I am Kespi," he said, "the nephewof Tonak, and this is my brother, Kenko. We are your brothers andyour slaves, for you have saved the life of our curaca(chief or governor). We will prepare a litter to bring Tonak tohis village. But you are weary. Eat and drink that you may bestrong for the journey before us."

As the two brothers led him through a narrow street betweenlow stone houses Pancho looked about with intense interest.Everywhere were Indians, but they were not at all as he hadimagined they would be. As a youngster, he had seen plenty ofwild Indians in Mexico, and somehow he had imagined the Indiansof these remote Peruvian mountains as more like the NorthAmerican redmen—naked, painted, feather-bedecked. Insteadhe found them far more civilized than the denizens of the smallerPeruvian towns, and their streets, houses, garments and personsall seemed far neater and cleaner than those of the white orcholo villagers. He knew that the Peruvians at the time of theSpanish conquest had been highly civilized under the Incas, buthe had never dreamed that any of them had retained their ancientcivilization or habits.

Had Pancho been an ethnologist or an archeologist he wouldhave been most amazed and excited, for though he did not realizeit, he was among Huancas, so remote from contact with white menthat they had retained practically all the customs, the religion,the costumes and the culture of the Incas. Though several of themhad visited the outside world, this tribe was unknown even to thePeruvian authorities. It had literally been lost for centuries inits mountain fastnesses. Tonak—and his fathers beforehim—had taken every care that the people should remainisolated. They had frowned upon the introduction of anythingsavoring of the white men, the despoilers of their race. Nomodern inventions were permitted in the village, although steelmachetes, axes, knives, needles and similar tools and implementswere used.

They lived just as their ancestors had lived before the daysof Pizarro. With snares, traps, bows and arrows, throwing spearsand slings they secured all the game they needed; there wereplenty of fish in the streams; they raised their own cotton, hadtheir llamas, and alpacas, wove the finest of cloths on hand-looms, and were expert potters and basket makers. From the bedsof the rivers they washed what gold they required for makingornaments; copper was abundant in the hills as well as pockets ofsilver.

Of course Pancho did not learn all this at once, but as he atehis breakfast of mote (hulled corn), purutu (beans)and charki (dried meat) and drank the sweet ciderlikeaka (corn chicha) and revelled in the lusciousduraznos (peaches) and cherimoyas (custard apples),Kespi and Kenko asked innumerable questions and told himsomething about their village and their people. By the time thelitter and the men were ready to start for the distant gladewhere the wounded curaca lay awaiting them, Pancho hadbegun to realize that he had suddenly stepped back four centuriesor more.

THE litter proved to be a hammocklike affair of llama woolropes woven into a coarse net and filled with soft woolen robes.Four stalwart men went along as carriers, together with twoothers armed with heavy spears, slings, bows and arrows andatlatls, and finally Kespi, Kenko and Pancho.

The return journey seemed very short. Almost before Panchorealized it, they came in sight of the little glade and the rudeshelter over the wounded chief.

Bob sprang to his feet as the party appeared. "Looks likeyou've brought a regular army along!" he cried. "Seems as ifyou'd been gone a week. Say! Do you know who our Indian is?He's—"

"King of the place—" supplied Pancho with a grin. "Howis he feeling?"

The Indians had gathered about their chief, prostratingthemselves beside him, lifting his uninjured hand to theirforeheads and moaning with pity and sorrow at sight of hisinjuries. Presently one of the warriors hurried to where the deadjaguar lay and began to talk to it.

"Look at him!" exclaimed Bob. "What do you suppose he'sdoing?" Pancho shook his head. "I'll ask Kespi and Kenko," hesaid. To his questions the Indian boys replied that the man wasasking the spirit of the creature to forgive them for havingkilled it.

"But why?" asked Pancho. "Why should he ask forgiveness whenthe beast nearly killed your curaca?"

Then, somewhat hesitatingly, Kespi explained that as theHuancas regarded a jaguar as sacred, and as the abiding place ofa very powerful divinity, they felt that whenever it wasnecessary to take a jaguar's life they must try and propitiatethe offended spirit.

"Well, if that doesn't beat anything!" said Bob.

Pancho grinned. "You don't know the half of it, Bob. Wait tillyou get into their village. Talk about the Yankee at the court ofKing Arthur! Why, that fellow wasn't in it with us. We're at thecourt of an Inca! What do you know about that?"

Bob laughed derisively. "Go on, you can't kid me that way!" hedeclared. "The last Inca died over four hundred years ago."

"So they say," admitted Pancho, as the little group with thewounded curaca in his improvised litter left the glade,"but I'm not kidding you, Bob. From what Kespi and Kenko tell meI shouldn't be a bit surprised if their uncle Tonak is an Inca.Inca merely means a king."

CHAPTER VI. — AMONG THE INCAS

IN due time they reached the village. ApparentlyTonak was none the worse for his journey, and with a plentifulsupply of clean cloths at their disposal the boys dressed hiswounds and were relieved to find that there was no infection andthat the cuts were beginning to heal.

"Who'll say we're not heap big doctors?" laughed Bob. "Let'shang out a sign and start a hospital! I'll bet we'd get all thepatients we could handle, and more too."

Pancho grinned. "I'll bet we would," he agreed. But they soondiscovered there was no chance to start a medical career in thevillage. A wrinkled, bent old woman arrived on the scene with asupply of herbs, roots and powders, and took complete charge ofTonak's case. Though she grumblingly condescended to let the boysattend to the broken wrist and allowed them to do the bandaging,she replaced their antiseptics with bruised leaves and strangelooking unguents, then she dosed the curaca with weirdbrews. To the boys' surprise, the treatment had an almost magicaleffect.

"No hocus-pocus about her," declared Bob. "She knows her joball right. I wonder what the things are that she uses. If afellow could find out he could make a fortune putting them on themarket. Funny these Indians should know about medicine."

"Why?" demanded Pancho. "These Peruvian Indians used quinineages before white men ever heard about it. They had sarsaparilla,ipecac, rhubarb, cascara and castor oil, so why shouldn't theyknow about a lot of medicines?"

"Listen to the professor!" laughed Bob. "Where did you learnall that, Pancho?"

"Out of a book, dumbbell," grinned Pancho. "I read all I couldfind about Peru before we came down here."

"So did I," replied Bob, "but I've forgotten nearly all Iread. Say, why can't we be on our way to La Raya or somewhere,now the chief has a nurse to look after him?"

"I suppose we can," said Pancho. "I'll ask Kespi and Kenkoabout getting some one to guide us."

To the boys' astonishment, Kespi insisted that there was noone in the village who could guide them to La Raya or even toPalitos. Tonak, he declared, was the only person who knew theroute to the northern settlements. Moreover the journey would bemost difficult and dangerous. He advised them to wait until Tonakhad recovered.

"I'll bet the old chief won't be able to walk for two weeks,"lamented Bob. "It'll be twice as long before he'll be strongenough to take such a trip."

"If he ever is," supplemented Pancho. "With that injury to hisleg I don't see how he ever will be able to do much. Seems to methere's something queer about the matter. You can't tell me thesepeople don't know the way to every place in Peru. I don't believewe're so awfully far from La Raya at that. Now why don't theywant to take us there?"

"How should I know," muttered Bob, "unless they want to holdus for ransom."

Pancho laughed heartily. "If we were in China or Greece orsome other wild place where there are brigands, or even in Mexicofor that matter, I might think it possible. But not here withthese Indians, Bob. In the first place old Tonak owes his life tous and Indians remember a kindness just as much as they rememberan injury. No, old timer, it's something else, but—"

"Well, whatever 'tis we're stuck," declared Bob gloomily.

"Not by a long shot!" said Pancho. "We're safe, we have plentyto eat and drink, and if you weren't worrying about your father,you'd think it a swell adventure."

"Maybe you're right—in a way," admitted Bob. "I can'thelp thinking how Dad must feel, not knowing what's become of us.If I could only let him know, it would be different."

"Being gloomy won't help him any," Pancho said. "I don'tbelieve he does think anything serious has happened to us.Probably he has men trailing us through the mountains right now.Shouldn't be a bit surprised to see them appear any time."

"Well—" Bob sighed—"I guess you're right. Let'ssee how old Tonak's getting on, and then go fishing orhunting."

TONAK was doing wonderfully well. Thanks to his ruggedconstitution and the native doctor's medicines, his wounds werehealing rapidly. He smiled as the boys approached his doorwaywhere he was basking in the sun and asked if they werecomfortable. Again and again he declared that they were his sonsand brothers and that he and all his people were theirslaves.

"I wish they were," muttered Bob. "Then I'd order them to takeus out of here. Why don't we ask him what the trouble is?"

The old chief nodded as Pancho told him of their desires andasked why the men seemed unwilling to guide them to a settlementor the mine. Then for a space he sat silent, apparently deep inthought.

"My people obey the orders of their curaca," he said atlast in his slow, halting Spanish. "I have told them not to takeyou through the mountains. Ill might befall you and then I,Tonak, would be sad. Few know the way, and it is my wish to gowith you. That your father may not be worried I have sent amessenger to carry word that you are safe and will return soon. Iand my people owe what we can never repay, but white men, mysons, love riches, and riches we can give you. Wait but a littletime and all will be well."

"I guess that's final," observed Pancho. "I was wrong aboutthere being some mystery. Tonak's just afraid something mighthappen to us."

"I like his nerve!" exclaimed Bob angrily. "Why didn't he tellus a messenger was going to La Raya? Then I could have sent aletter to Dad. And what does he mean about giving us riches?"

Pancho shook his head. "Probably some sort of present," hesaid. "He used the word ricos which is poor Spanish andmeans rich people. But I suppose he meant riquezas. Maybeit's ponchos or robes or some gold and silver. I admit it's queerabout his not sending a messenger to La Raya and not letting usknow. Well, what's the good of worrying? Let's enjoy ourselvesthe best we can. Hello, here come our three friends. Now let'ssee how much Quichua we've learned."

KESPI, Kenko and Wini were returning from their hillsidegardens and the two boys hurried to meet them. Ever since theyhad reached the village Bob and Pancho had been picking up thenative language. They had found the words easy to pronounce andcould "get along," as Bob put it, with the Indian youths bypadding out with Spanish.

"Alli-punchantin!" cried Pancho in greeting."Maipi—er—"

"Maipita-rinqui?" supplied Bob, "only—" he added,"I don't believe that's right. It means where are you going, andI suppose you wanted to ask where they'd been."

The three Indians were grinning. "Alla-right!" said Winisuddenly. The two boys looked at him in surprise.

"Say," exclaimed Pancho, "Where'd you learn that?"

His question was beyond Wini's comprehension. "Na macunipachuasita" (now to my house to eat), he replied in answer tothe boys' first question.

"Chaupi punchau huaska chitanipac" (after noon we gofor a hunt), added Kespi. "Rini-munani?" (Want to go?)

The boys grinned. "Too much for me," declared Pancho inSpanish. "I get the house and eating part and the 'want to go'but what's the rest?"

"Something about hunting," put in Bob.

Kenko translated. "Kespi says after noon we go to hunt. Youlike to come?"

"You bet!" replied the boys in chorus.

"Chu-pet!" repeated Wini with a broad grin. "What thatmean?"

Unable to explain in Quichua the boys told him in Spanish, andadded the words "your life" to the Indian's vocabulary.

Kespi had been mumbling something to himself. "What itmean—Karsh?" he asked.

The boys laughed. "Gosh!" Bob corrected him. Itmeans—well, it means about the same as caramba."

Kespi grinned from ear to ear. "Karsh-chu-petchu-life-alla-right!" he cried delightedly.

Pancho slapped him on the back. "Fine!" he exclaimed.

"Maybe the boys back home wouldn't be surprised if they couldlook in and see us here!" said Bob, as he helped himself to acalabash of boiled corn and beans, that noon. "Eating lunch witha couple of Incan Indians up here on the back side of theAndes!"

Pancho, who was gnawing at an ear of sweet corn, nodded. "I'llbet if anyone asked them they'd say we'd have to eat monkey orraw fish or bugs or lizards or something," he said. "And here weare eating just as good food as we would back home—corn andbeans, baked potatoes, squash and wheat cakes—"

"Barley cakes," Bob corrected.

"Well, barley then, and honey and crawfish and peachesand—"

"If you eat all that you'll die," laughed Bob.

"Well, it's here to eat if we want it," argued Pancho. "Say,it's not so bad being a wild Indian after all. I—"

"Well, cut it out," Bob admonished him. "You've eaten twice asmuch as any of the rest now, and they're all waiting for you. Youforget we're going on a vicuña hunt."

CHAPTER VII. — HUNTING VICUÑA

"I'D LIKE to know how they expect to get vicuñaswith those things," observed Bob, as the boys watched theirIndian friends preparing for the hunt. "From what I saw of thevicuñas we met, a fellow needs a good rifle and has to be someshot to get them. These chaps have only spears and clubs."

As they saw Kespi drop two great balls of fine cord into a bagslung over his shoulder they were even more puzzled.

"Now what do you suppose they're going to use that for?"exclaimed Pancho. "It's too fine to use in tying anything andwhat do they want string for anyway?"

"Look!" cried Bob. "They're taking a drum and one of thoseflute things they call quenas, and a horn trumpet. Anyone wouldthink we were going to a dance instead of a hunt, and what onearth are they carrying that bundle of sticks for?"

"Maybe they charm the beasts," laughed Pancho. "I know Dadused to tell about attracting antelopes within range by makingqueer noises or waving a rag or something of the sort. Maybevicuñas can be attracted by Indian music."

"After seeing that chap begging the dead jaguar's pardonbecause we killed him I can believe most anything," declared Bob."Anyhow, I'm going to ask about it."

The Indians either would not or could not explain. Theygrinned, and Kespi declared: "All things for make get vicuñas.Pretty soon you see."

It was a long tramp from the village to the puna beyondthe mountain summit, and they panted, puffed and perspired asthey toiled up the steep, narrow pathway.

As they neared the top of the ridge, the Indians gestured forsilence, and crawling forward on hands and knees, cautiouslyraised their heads and peered over the rocks. Bob and Pancho didthe same. Before them appeared a wide, almost level expanse ofpuna, and about five hundred yards from where the huntingparty crouched was a herd of at least fifty of the graceful,slender-limbed, buff and white vicuñas. Wholly unaware thatenemies were near, they played and gambolled about, while theboys watched them fascinated.

Never had they imagined that any living creatures could moveso rapidly. Running in circles so swiftly that they appeared butblurs, the creatures would suddenly leap upward as if impelled bysprings, and wheeling in mid-air, would resume their mad race inthe opposite direction. Others would bound from the earth likerubber balls, and turning complete somersaults, would be off likethe wind as their hoofs touched the ground, moving so swiftlythat, as Bob put it, you couldn't see anything but theirdust.

"It seems a shame to kill them," whispered Pancho.

"Well, I don't see how we're going to get any nearer," saidBob. "The minute they see us they'll be off like a shot." Thereisn't enough cover to hide a rat between here and where theyare."

THE Indians evidently had no intention of approaching closerto the vicuñas. Two of them, crouching, hurried off to the leftwhile Kespi and Kenko, motioning the boys to follow, went to theright.

For fully a quarter of a mile the Indians led the way aroundthe ridge, always keeping below the summit. Then once more theycrept up and peered over. The vicuñas were now scarcely visible,and their position was betrayed only by the cloud of dust theystirred up in their frolics.

Rising, the Indians climbed over the intervening rocks withBob and Pancho at their heels. Then to the boys' surprise, Kespitook a stick from the bundle he carried and planted it firmly inthe sand. One end of a ball of twine was fastened to the uprightstick, and unwinding it as he proceeded, Kenko walked rapidlyforward across the desert for several hundred feet. Then anotherstick was erected, the twine attached, and again Kenko hurriedforward.

"Now what do you know about that!" exclaimed Bob. "Are thesefellows going to build a fence or are they stringing that twineso we can find our way back? I—"

"Look there!" cried Pancho, pointing to the north. "Thoseother two are doing the same thing. It's the strangest stunt I'veever seen."

"Even if it were wire it wouldn't make a fence," Bobremarked.

"They must be crazy," Pancho announced when Kespi had repliedto his questions. “They say they are preventing the vicuñas fromgetting away!"

"Oh, they're just jollying us," declared Bob. "Hello! Thoseother fellows are close to us."

For the first time Bob and Pancho realized that the two linesof posts and strings were converging. Presently Kespi and hisbrother were side by side with the two others. Placing two of thestrongest sticks about three feet apart they fastened the stringsto them and dropped the remainder of the balls of twine on theground.

Close to where they stood was a low ridge of outcropping rock,and beckoning to the boys, Kespi and Kenko, armed with spears andclubs, seated themselves behind the little rise while the otherIndians, one carrying the drum and quena, the other withthe horn trumpet and a brilliant red poncho, turned and startedback across the puna, following the lines of string.

"I'd like to know when the hunt's going to begin," saidPancho. He turned and put the query to the Indians.

THE two Huancas looked astonished. Then, with a broad grin,Kenko told them the hunt already had begun. Seeing the white boyswere still mystified the Indians began to explain. Vicuñas, theysaid, were strange creatures. Though very wary and fleet of footthey were very stupid beasts and could be easily killed. One waywas to find the places where they slept, and while the vicuñaswere away during the day build little stone shelters or blindsclose to the beds. Then at night the hunters could lie behindthese and shoot down the creatures when they came to rest.

At such times, Kespi stated, several of the vicuñas could betaken before the others ran off, and no matter how many werekilled they would return to the spot night after night until allhad been destroyed. Another way was much quicker and easier.Vicuñas, he informed the boys, would never dare to cross abarrier in the shape of a string. Even if it were a mere threadthey would keep clear and follow it along, seeking some placewhere they might escape through an opening. So, by stretchingconverging lines of string and then driving the herd betweenthem, the stupid beasts would rush along, until at the narrowopening at the end, they could readily be clubbed or speared. Ina few moments, he added, they would see the creatures comingtowards them, frightened by the noise of the drum and horn.

"Well, if those vicuñas do come running along here as if thosestrings were twenty foot walls, I'll swallow anything they tellme hereafter," said Bob, "but the queerest thing yet is the waythat chap begged the jaguar's forgiveness."

"I don't know about that," stated Pancho. "Isn't it queer tofind Indians living just the way their ancestors did five hundredyears ago? Isn't it queer to find Indians like these speakingSpanish?"

"Oh rats!" exclaimed Bob. "What's queer about a bunch ofIndians living up here and speaking Spanish? And who says they'reliving the way they did hundreds of years ago? And how do you getthat way about old Tonak being an Inca? Be yourself, Pancho,you're too darned romantic and imaginative."

"And you're too blind and stupid to see what's right in frontof your nose," Pancho retorted. "These Indians wear just the samesort of clothes and use the same weapons that are shown in theold pictures of the Incas. They don't use anything modern exceptknives and hatchets and such things, and I heard one of the mentalking to Tonak and he addressed him as 'Inca.' And if younoticed, you'll remember that whenever that old doctor comes in,or anyone else visits Tonak, they always are carrying somethingon their backs. Well, I read in a book that in the old days theyalways did that same thing when approaching an Inca. Besides theystill worship the sun. You know that half-ruined stone buildingback of the village?"

Bob nodded. "Yes, I thought of going up there, but Kespi saidthere was nothing to see."

Pancho grinned. "He would," he declared. "But there's a lot tosee. I went over there yesterday when you were off with thatlittle sister of Wini's gathering peaches—and it's allfixed up inside with rugs and hangings and an altar and idols anda big plate with a face on it that looks like gold."

Bob's eyes widened. "Gold!" he exclaimed. "How big is it?"

"It must be as big as an automobile wheel," replied Pancho."If it is gold it must be worth a fortune. And these people havegold ornaments so why—"

His words were interrupted by the distant sounds of shouts,blasts of a horn and a queer low rumbling noise. The Indiansgrasped their weapons and rose to a stooping posture, tense,expectant.

CHAPTER VIII. — SURPRISINGDISCOVERIES

NOT more than two hundred yards distant, a herdof vicuñas was dashing towards the spot where Bob and Pancho withthe two Indians, Kespi and Kenko, were hidden. And behind theterrified creatures, shouting, beating their drum, blowing on thehorn, and waving the red poncho, raced the other Indians in acloud of dust.

The vicuñas seemed to have lost their heads completely. Everymoment or two those in the lead would swing towards the slenderlines of twine as if about to break through, only to haltabruptly, snort with terror, and come dashing onward, seeking forsome spot not closed by the flimsy barrier.

The boys could scarcely believe their eyes. That such strong,active creatures could be kept within bounds by mere strings,breakable almost at a touch, seemed incredible. But there waslittle time for wonder. The converging lines soon forced thevicuñas into a struggling mass. They saw the narrow opening aheadand paid no heed to anything else. Behind them were enemies and aterrifying noise; on either side were the fearsome white strings;but before them was an opening, and their one thought was toreach it. Even when the waiting Indians leaped up and tookpositions on cither side of the opening, the creatures did notturn back. A moment more and the first vicuña leaped between thetwo last posts, only to be struck down by a club in Kespi's hand.Quickly the Indian stooped, seized the fallen creature by thelegs and dragged it aside as a second animal plunged through theopening to be pierced by Kenko's spear.

Bob and Pancho gazed upon the strange scene speechless withwonder. Paying no heed to their dead, the vicuñas continued tospring through the opening and to be killed, until nearly a dozenhad fallen. Then, with a shout, the two Indians dropped theirweapons and jerked up the posts. The strings fell, and instantly,like a released torrent, the remainder of the herd bolted inevery direction.

"More like butchering cattie than hunting," commented Pancho,"but I suppose you can't blame the Indians. It's the only waythey can get the beasts, and they need skins and meat."

"How on earth do four Indians expect to carry all thesevicuñas to the village?"

Pancho chuckled. "Perhaps they expect us to carry some ofthem," he said.

Neither boy realized the carrying ability of the Indians. Thebest portions of the meat, with the livers and hearts, werewrapped in the hides and lashed into four compact bundles bymeans of woollen ropes. With each Indian carrying a bundle on hisback, supported by a band around his forehead, they started backacross the puna, gathering up the string and sticks as theyproceeded, and seemingly oblivious of their hundred-and-fifty-pound loads.

When they came to the precipitous descent leading down themountain, the boys shuddered to think what a false step mightmean, but the Indians went down at a dog-trot, laughing andchatting as gaily as if the thousand feet of almost perpendicularrock were merely a gentle slope.

Although Bob and Pancho resented the fact that a messenger hadbeen sent to La Raya without their knowledge, the thought thattheir friends would soon learn of their safety relieved them agreat deal. They ceased to bemoan the necessity of waiting untilTonak could make the journey to La Raya with them, and took greatinterest in their strange surroundings.

Bob was eager to see the interior of the old temple

Pancho had described, and by choosing a time when the men werebusy in their fields and gardens, the two managed to reach theplace unobserved. Why they assumed that the Indians would objectto the visit, neither boy could have explained, yet they bothfelt that there was some mystery about the place and that theirvisit must be in secret, and they both felt excited and keyed upwhen at last they reached the temple and approached theentrance.

"Say," whispered Bob, "suppose some one's in there. What doyou think they'd do if they caught us here?"

"I don't know," replied Pancho, also in a whisper. "I'd hateto be caught sneaking about in here—it's a sacred place tothem, you know. I don't believe anyone is here now. Come on,let's go in."

On tiptoe they crept forward with fast-beating hearts, andreaching the low doorway with its inward-sloping sides, theypeered inside.

"Look!" cried Pancho. "See that big plate on the wall? Isn'tthat gold?"

"Gosh!It does look like it," said Bob. "Let's go in and have abetter look. The place is empty."

Emboldened by the fact that the temple was deserted, and witha final glance about to assure themselves no

Indians were in sight, the boys dodged inside the doorway,where they stood silent, awed, gazing about at the interior ofthe temple. The walls, of massive blocks of stone marvellouslyfitted together without mortar or cement, were stuccoed andcovered with elaborate frescoes in bright colours showinginnumerable figures of men, beasts, birds, plants, geometricaldesigns, and weird monsters. Many of these were meaningless tothe boys, but others were so excellently done that they left noroom for doubt.

"That chap seated on the throne looks just like Tonakhimself," whispered Bob, pointing to a figure covering half ofone wall.

"He certainly does," agreed Pancho, "only he's all dolled upwith a crown and everything. Guess he's some old Inca. See howall the others are running towards him carrying presents? Andlook at that picture over there with all those Indians dancing.And every one is dressed like these Indians in the village.Didn't I say these people are living as they have for ages?"

"Of course the pictures show the same kind of clothes," saidBob. "They were painted by these people. I don't see how thatproves anything."

“These people never painted them," retorted

Pancho. "I'll bet these pictures were made hundreds of yearsago."

"Well, these rugs on the floor weren't," declared Bob. "Andsay, isn't that the skin of the jaguar you killed?"

Before them, beneath the great golden sun-disk, was an altar-like affair of dark red stone, and placed upon it was the jaguarskin that had attracted Bob's attention.

Glancing nervously about and moving silently, for the boysfelt awed and fearful in the mysterious place, they steppedforward and examined the hide.

"No doubt of it," said Pancho. "It's got four bullet-holesthrough it and it's a fresh skin. What do you suppose it's doinghere?"

"You know how that fellow begged the beast's forgiveness," Bobreplied. "I expect they put the hide here to show the creature'sspirit they respected it."

"Guess you're right," the other agreed. "Look, see the rainbowover there. It's made of metal, but isn't it natural?"

"Yes, but see here!" cried Bob, who had stepped behind thealtar. "Here's a suit of old armour and a sword! Now where didthey get those?"

Pancho shook his head. "Must have found them somewhere," hesaid. "Indians always keep anything that's strange. In Mexicothey keep all the burned-out electric light bulbs and almostworship them. They— Holy cats! There's a mummy in it!"

Bob started and jumped back. "Let's get out of here!" hecried.

Pancho laughed. "He's been dead a long time," he said,"nothing much more than a skeleton—like those mummies fromIncan graves we saw in the Lima museum. I'll bet he's some oldSpaniard the Indians killed in the days of Pizarro. There's noneed to be afraid of it."

"Who's afraid?" demanded Bob. "You just startled me for aminute. Hello! What are those things over there along that wall?They look like big rag dolls."

Pancho turned in the direction the other indicated. Resting inniches in the wall were half a dozen bulky, shapeless figureswrapped in bright-coloured cloth, decked with woven bags,ornaments, and feathers. Each was furnished with a crude,artificial head covered with a mask-like face of yellow metalsurmounted by a gorgeous feather crown held in place by a goldfillet and topped by a golden ornament.

For an instant Pancho stared at the queer things. Then: "Theyare mummies!" he exclaimed in a hoarse whisper, "and covered withgold and jewels! They—they must be mummies ofkings—of Incas! Gosh! We'd better get out of here."

Bob had not waited for the other to finish. He was alreadyhalf-way to the door, and the next moment both boys were in theopen air.

"Now, who was afraid of mummies?" demanded Bob.

"You were," Pancho told him. "You turned and ran the minute Isaid they were mummies."

"I did not, I walked," Bob insisted. "It was you who ran afterme."

"Well, why did you walk so fast?" persisted Pancho. "Youdidn't even wait for me to finish speaking."

"I heard what you said — that we'd better get out,"declared Bob. "I'll bet you don't dare go back in there."

"I didn't mean we'd better clear out just because of those oldmummies," Pancho explained. "But if it's the private burial-placeof these Indians' kings, we've no right to be poking about inthere. And I'm not afraid to go back. Mummies can't hurtanyone."

"I know that," said Bob. "All the same, it was kind of spookywith that skeleton in armour and all those dead Indians staringat us with their yellow faces."

"Gold!" Pancho corrected him. "Do you know, Bob, very nearlyeverything in there is gold. There must be a fortune in thattemple. I'll bet that's the reason Tonak didn't tell us aboutsending a man to La Raya, and why he won't let us go back untilhe's quite ready."

"I don't see what that has to do with it," said Bob.

"Everything," declared the other. "If they had let us send anote we might have told our friends about the place and the gold,and then men would come here and rob the temple in no time. It'sthe same about going out. Tonak wants to make sure we couldn'tfind our way back. These Indians are wise birds. If they admittedthey knew the way to La Raya they know we'd insist on going, andbecause they owe the chief's life to us they'd hate to beunfriendly and refuse. So the easiest way for them is to pretendthey don't know the way. If they don't, how is that messengergoing to get there?"

"Gosh! I never thought of that," Bob admitted. “And—andif they really are afraid that we'll tell about this place, thenthey'll never let us go."

"I don't know about that," said Pancho. "If they actually senta man to La Raya they must expect to send us back some time. Butjust the same, I shouldn't blame them much if they did keep ushere. If I were Tonak I'd never take the chance of having a lotof white men come in here and loot my temple and my ancestors'bodies."

"Perhaps he never sent the messenger," suggested Bob. "And whycouldn't the men from La Raya follow him back here if he wassent?"

"He'd lose them easily enough if they tried that," Panchodeclared. "I can understand now why Tonak was anxious to sendword we were all right. He's afraid that if our people don'tknow, they'll hunt for us and might find this place. But if theyknow we're safe and sound, and the messenger tells them we'll beback soon, they'll stop searching."

"Yes, I can see that, too," said Bob. "But what I can't see iswhy the old chief should ever let us go. We might get a lot ofmen and come back and take away the gold for all he knows."

Pancho laughed. "Don't kid yourself he's such a fool," hesaid. "He'll probably blindfold us or something. But he can'tkeep us prisoners here after we saved his life. If you knewIndians, you'd realize that as long as they're in your debt,they're bound to treat you right."

"I wouldn't trust an Indian," declared Bob. "They're alltreacherous and tricky, and they hate white people."

"Wild West stuff!" cried Pancho. "You've been reading cheapnovels. A lot of Indians always have been friends of the whites,and have helped them fight other Indians. How about Uncus, forexample? And in Mexico the babies' nurses are Indians, and thenicest, gentlest, most trustworthy people you ever saw. Besides,even the worst Indians have a sense of humour and remember afriend. Once Dad and some other men were captured byYaquis—they're like the Apaches, you know—when thetribe was at war with Mexico and they were killing every whiteman they met. One of them recognized Dad as the man who had curedan Indian kid of a snake-bite, and just because of that the chieffreed Dad and the others and guided them to the railway at riskof his life. If a Yaqui will do that, you can bet on Tonak doingas much for us."

"Maybe," assented Bob," but I won't bet on it, all thesame."

"Let's forget about what's in the temple," suggested Pancho."I wonder why white men always seem to think an Indian hasn't anyright to his own gold and other valuables. I'll bet we wouldn'tlike it if some other race came along and helped themselves toeverything we owned."

"I'll keep mum," said Bob, "that is, I may tell Dad, but Iknow he won't tell anyone else if I ask him not to. Come on,let's go down the valley and see if we can find some sort ofgame."

CHAPTER IX. — THE MONSTER

AS the Indians depended largely on vegetablesfor food, and secured what meat they required by drying the fleshof deer and vicuñas, the smaller game was seldom disturbed andafforded excellent sport. To be sure, the Indians trapped quail,partridges, and wild pigeons, as well as a variety of wildguinea-pig of which they were very fond. But as they did notpossess firearms and their native weapons were not suited tobringing down game on the wing, the big pheasant-like perdiz, thewild ducks and geese, and the smaller mammals were allunsuspicious. Had the boys possessed a shot-gun they couldreadily have secured all the game they wished. Pancho's supply ofammunition was limited, however. He could not afford to riskwasting cartridges by firing at flying birds or runningquadrupeds with the rifle, and even with game as abundant as itwas it required no little skill and a great deal of patience tostalk it and bring it down with a rifle-bullet. On this occasionthe boys had secured two big partridges, and were stealthilycreeping towards a little pond where they had seen a flock ofducks alight, when a peculiar noise in a thicket of brush andsmall trees attracted their attention.

"What's that?" whispered Bob. "It sounded like a piggrunting."

"Perhaps there are wild pigs here," whispered Pancho. "Listen!There 'tis again."

Peculiar low grunting noises, and the sounds of a creature ofsome sort scratching or tearing at something, came from theminiature jungle.

"Sounds like something pretty big," said Bob. "Maybe it'sanother jaguar."

"Let's sneak over and see," suggested Pancho. "I wouldn't mindgetting a jaguar's skin."

Silently the boys crept towards the spot from which the soundscontinued to come. The brush was so dense that they could seenothing, and when they tried to force a way in they madeconsiderable noise. But the animal, whatever it might be, seemedoblivious of their approach, for the grunts and ripping soundscontinued. A moment later the boys were through the thick fringeof brush and were standing in an open wood. The sounds had nowceased, and the two peered about, searching for the creature theyhad heard. For a moment or two they saw nothing. Suddenly Bobgave an involuntary exclamation. "Look! What in the world is it?"he asked in a hoarse whisper.

Pancho saw it at the same instant. "Gosh! I don't know!" hereplied.

Staring at them from behind a tree trunk was a terrifyingface. Semi-human it seemed, with small, wicked eyes surrounded bylight-coloured circles that looked as if they had been paintedupon the dark brown features.

Into the boys' minds flashed visions of savage Indians, ofgorillas, of unknown gigantic ape-like beings. They had expectedto see some large animal—perhaps a wild pig, a deer, oreven a puma or a jaguar. Instead they had come face to face withthis monster, this being with its demoniacal face, with its bodyconcealed by the tree. No wonder they were frightened; the weirdapparition was enough to scare anyone. It was unlike anythingthey had ever seen, unlike anything they had ever seenpictured—a truly appalling, diabolical thing.Nameless—almost superstitious—terror gripped them.The monster was so uncanny—gazing fixedly at them,motionless, silent, the red-rimmed wicked eyes unblinking intheir stare. And they felt as if hypnotized by the face thatappeared more like some horribly grotesque mask than a part ofany living animal. Pancho even forgot that he held a rifle in hishands, and that the beast, or monster or whatever it might be,was within easy range, scarcely fifty feet distant, a target hecould not miss. Then as realization came back to him, he co*ckedthe weapon and started to raise it to his shoulder.

The click of the lock broke the spell. With a horrid growl thething fairly hurled itself at the boys. They had a brief glimpseof a huge, black, shaggy body, of long sinewy arms as thecreature, rearing itself on its hind legs, and looking moregorilla-like than ever, rushed at them. Then came a flash, a roaras Pancho's shaking finger pressed the trigger, and at the reportthe monster plunged forward and rolled over almost at the boys'feet.

They leaped back, staring at the great beast which the chanceshot had killed. Then cautiously, with steady rifle, Pancho tooka step nearer. The relaxed limbs were motionless, there was nosign of life, and confident that the monster was actually dead,the boys approached more closely.

"Gosh!" cried Bob. "It's a bear!"

"Bear?" reiterated Pancho. "I never heard of a bear with aface like that. Just the same," he added as he stooped andexamined the beast, "I guess 'tis a bear. But what amonster!"

"I'll say it's a monster," agreed Bob. "I didn't know they hadbears here. Say, maybe I wasn't scared stiff when I saw thatfellow's face looking at us."

"No more scared than I was," admitted Pancho, "and it was justby luck that I hit him. I wasn't aiming at him, and I didn't evenknow I fired."

"Luck all right," said Bob. "He'd have been on us in a secondmore. Whew! Look at those claws. There wouldn't have been muchleft of us if he had got within reach."

"We'd have been mincemeat all right," agreed Pancho. "Nowwe've killed him, what are we going to do with him? He must weighhundreds of pounds, and we can't carry him. We haven't anythingbut pocket-knives and we could never skin him with those. And ifwe leave him here and go to the village to get the boys to helpus, the buzzards will get him."

"I don't see anything else to do, though," declared Bob."Perhaps if we cover him up with branches the vultures won't findhim before we get back."

As there appeared to be no other solution to the problem, theygathered leaves and branches and spread them over the carcass ofthe beast which, they learned later, was one of those rare,spectacled bears that inhabit portions of the trans-Andeanregions and are only equalled by the grizzly for ferocity.

Hurrying back to the village, they told the Indians of theirkill, although unable to describe the creature so as to make theIndians understand what it was. However, they realized that theboys had slain some big beast, and Kespi and several othersaccompanied the boys to the spot. As they pulled aside thecovering of leaves and revealed what lay beneath, the Indianscommenced to yell with delight, prancing and laughing.

"Ukumari!" they shouted. "Ukumari! (great bear) kamkunakashkankechic pinyakuk! Huanyusfika na nyukanchik kushinchik (Youwere brave, but now we rejoice that you are dead)." Then, dancingabout, they broke into a triumphant chant: "At the hands of ourwhite brothers you fell!" they sang. "At the voice of the rodthat speaks with fire your life fled. Though we may not destroyyou, our white brothers fear not the demon within you. Now do welaugh at you. We will feast on your meat, and your head shallhang in our temple, and your teeth and claws shall be hung aboutthe necks of the brave ones who slew you. Great is ourrejoicing."

"Now what's all that about?" exclaimed Bob, as, unable tograsp the meaning of the words, they watched the Indians dancingabout the dead bear and chanting their Quichua song.

Pancho shook his head. "You'll have to ask them," he replied."They're the only ones who know. I guess they're celebratingbecause the beast's dead. But I can't understand why they're sopleased over a dead bear when they weren't at all pleased by adead jaguar."

"They're a queer bunch," declared Bob. "When we killed thejaguar and saved their chief's life they begged the beast'sforgiveness. But now you've killed a bear they dance about andshout like wild Indians."

Pancho chuckled. "Why shouldn't they?" he asked. "That's whatthey are—wild Indians."

Presently the Indians ceased their impromptu celebration, andcutting stout poles, lashed the bear's feet to them. Then theyplaced their shoulders under the poles, straightened up withgrunts, and lifting the carcass clear of the ground, staggeredalong towards the village.

As they toiled along, the boys plied Kespi with questions.Were these beasts common? Were they always savage? Was this anunusually big fellow? Why did he and the others dance and singabout the creature?

Kespi told them that ukumari seldom came so far into themountains, that he was "the father of all bears," that he wasalways dangerous. This, he declared, was because of a terribledemon who dwelt within the bear's body. The Indians, heexplained, were forbidden to kill the bears, because whoeverdestroyed one would at once be possessed with the demon, and everafter would live apart, attacking all whom he met.

"But we killed the bear," objected Bob, "or rather Pancho did,and no devils have taken possession of him."

This argument did not worry the Indian in the least. Heexplained that the demons would be powerless against white menwho believed in a strange God and were not afraid of spirits. Andhow, he asked, could a Quichua devil survive in the body of onewho was not a Quichua and did not even speak the languagenaturally?

Pancho grinned. "Lucky we haven't learned the languageproperly," he said to Bob. "If we had, the devil might have gotinto us by mistake."

"One advantage in not being an Indian," Bob said. "But I don'tblame them for believing a devil lived in that beast—hecertainly looked like one when he stuck his head from behind thattree."

"And he acted like one when he started for us," addedPancho.

PART III

THE STORY SO FAR

BOB STILLWELL and Pancho McLean become lost inthe Andes on their way to La Raya, a mining camp in Peru whereBob's father is manager. Luckily they save the life of an Indianchief, disabled by a jaguar. Because of this they are welltreated by the Indians of the chief's village, but the chiefdeclines to send them to La Raya until he has recovered. Hedispatches a messenger, however, to report the boys' safety. Theboys find these Indians different from all others and theyconclude that they are a lost tribe, living as did the Indiansunder the Incas before the time of Pizarro. They discover atemple with amazing golden ornaments and relics of the Spanishconquest.

At La Raya, Mr. Stillwell has left on a prospecting expeditionwithout knowing that the boys are lost, but when they fail toarrive Mr. Griswold, the chief of operations, is worried. Asearch fails, and a talk with an old-time prospector, Carmody,throws no light on the boys' whereabouts.

CHAPTER X. — AN AMAZING STRANGER

ALTHOUGH La Raya was called a "camp," it wasreally a sizable town. Far up on the mountain sides, colored avivid rose, with splashes of vermilion and orange from the leadand silver oxides, were the tunnels and shafts of the workings.Along the east bank of a river near-by stood the mills andrefineries, while on the western shore squatted the long, lowquarters of the native Indian and Cholo laborers. In a levelspace where the valley widened, was the town itself. La Raya,originally an almost unknown Indian village, had become anobscure Peruvian town, dirty, poverty-stricken, despite the factthat untold fortunes were hidden in the mountain overhanging itsred-tiled roofs. Then the Americans had acquired the mines, andhad cleaned, rebuilt and modernized the place. A neat, greenlittle plaza faced the cabildo, or city hall, presided over bythe fat, fiercely-moustached but good-natured Alcade, DonDiogenes Beltran, who represented the Peruvian government but whonever had anything to do except to gossip with Padre Augustin,doze in the sun, or play cards with Lieutenant Navez. Thelieutenant, a boyish, smiling youth with a budding moustache anda sword almost as long as himself, represented the Peruvian army.He had six brown-faced little soldiers and four policemen inkhaki and scarlet uniforms to aid him in maintaining order inthis spot where disorders were almost unknown.

In the old town dwelt the Peruvian employees of the company,the few Peruvian officials and their families, and some of theAmerican and British employees. But the majority of the Anglo-Saxons lived in attractive bungalows on a little rise beyond thetown.

Such was the "camp" to which the missing boys had beeninvited, a community of more than five hundred inhabitants,including the Indians and Cholos. The natives came and went asthey pleased, on foot, on burros, or driving strings of donkeysor llamas in from the hills; sometimes to seek work, sometimes tovisit friends, but more often bringing fruits, vegetables ornative handiwork to the La Raya market. No one paid any heed tothese brown-skinned, sturdy, poncho-clad natives of the mountainswho seldom ventured in the American section, but strolled throughthe streets of the lower town or gravitated naturally to theIndians' barracks across the river.

So, when, on the day old Carmody had talked with Mr. Griswold,a strange Indian drifted into La Raya, none of the Americans orPeruvians noticed him; but the other Indians he met looked at himcuriously. Those whom he passed raised their hands to theirforeheads in salute, and the market place and barracks were soonbuzzing with speculation as word of the strange Indian's arrivalspread.

Taller by a head than the brown-skinned employees of themines, erect, with a keen, hawk-like face and pale ochre-coloredskin he was obviously of a distinct and superior race. And hiscostume—though to the unobservant eyes of the white men itseemed merely a variation of the inevitable poncho and loosetrousers—instantly identified him to the Indian denizens ofLa Raya.

FOR a time, the stranger wandered about, gazing into shopwindows and staring at the two ramshackle cars the place boasted.Then he made his way toward the American camp. Carmody wastalking with the superintendent when one of the assistantsentered the office.

"There's an Indian outside who insists on seeing you, sir," heinformed the superintendent. "He doesn't speak more than a fewwords of Spanish and I'm not much on Quichua. He won't tell mewhat he wants, but he said to give you these."

As he spoke, Johnson placed four empty rifle cartridges on thedesk. The superintendent stared at them, a puzzled frown on hisface, but Carmody sprang forward, seized one of the shells, andexamined it intently.

"By gum an' Godfrey, bring him in!" he cried excitedly. "Thesehere ca't'idges is from them missin' boys' rifle! I'll bet myboots this Injun's got a message from em."

"Good Heavens!" exclaimed the superintendent. "Maybe you'reright. Perhaps —" His words were interrupted by thereappearance of Johnson followed by the stranger, with Chico, oneof the company's natives, to serve as interpreter.

As the Indian entered, Carmody uttered a sharp ejacul*tion,and gazed at the fellow with a strange expression of amazementand perplexity.

"By Jupiter's black pocket!" he exclaimed. "Now where theeverlastin' blazes did that there bird come from?"

"What's the matter with him?" demanded the superintendent. "Helooks just like any cacique to me."

Carmody snorted. "Why, he's a everlastin' ap-ap'rition, that'swhat he is. There ain't nothin' like him been seen knockin' 'boutthese here diggin's since old man Pizarro killed the Inca. He's areg'-lar chasqui, that's what he is. He—"

"Chasqui?" enquired the superintendent, whose knowledgeof Peruvian history was limited to the country's miningindustries. "What's that?"

"Lor' bless your dumbness!" replied the old prospector. "Achasqui was a runner what them ol' Incas used for to sendmessages. But shucks! there ain't no Incas an' no chasquisnor nothin' o' the sort left, less'n—Here we be, wastin'time chinnin' 'stead of finding out what this bird's got to say'bout them two boys."

Turning to the Indian, Carmody spoke to him in Quichua,telling him the man at the desk was the "chief" of the place, andasking him what he wanted to tell him.

At the fellow's reply, Carmody started. "By gum, he ain'tspeakin' no Quichua like I ever heard afore," he muttered underhis breath. Then, turning to the superintendent: "He says themtwo boys is O.K. up to his village. I don't savvy every word whathe says, 'cause he's chinnin' some dialec' what I ain't neverheard afore, but I get the meanin' right enough. And he sayssomethin' 'bout them boys havin' killed the 'spottedone'—meanin' of a jag'ar, I 'spect, an' a-savin' of hiscuraca's life— ain't been no such thing as acuraca for nobody knows how long—an' how, soon'sever the ol' chief's able to git about on his pins, he'll bebringin' the boys down his-self. Them there ca'ti'ges he brung inis to show you he's on the level."

"Where's the village? Why didn't the boys send a message?"snapped the superintendent. "How do I know he didn't pick thoseshells up somewhere and cook up the whole yarn? Sounds fishy tome, Carmody."

The old prospector shook his head. "Seems likely enough tome," he declared. "Derned sight likelier than to be here chinnin'with a Injun what might have come to life outen one o' them thereold graves."

Turning to the silent, impassive Indian he again questionedhim. "Nothin doin'," he announced presently. "Says his village isway back in the hills; Chaca-Lyacta, he calls it, meanin''Place of the Bridge,' but shuts up tighter'n a sardine tinsoon's ever I ask him anythin' 'bout it."

"Tell him we'll send men back with him when he goes—youcan go along to interpret, can't you, Carmody? No sense in thosetwo boys waiting for some fool Indian to get well. Tell him we'llleave first thing tomorrow morning, and meantime he can bunk withChico and Manuel."

Carmody grinned and chuckled. "Lor' bless your soul, boss!" hecried, "I don't know how to figger it out, but howsom-ever 'tis,he's a king's messenger. You might just as well ask the BritishMinister over to Lima to bunk in with Chico an' Manuel. An'nothin'd ever get them two Injuns to dare act like they was hiseq'als neither. They'll clear out an' let his nibs have theirquarters to hisself. But I shouldn't be a mite s'prised if he'denjoy seein' of a movie. Reckon Chico wouldn't mind takin' him toone."

When asked, Chico seemed highly honored at the opportunity,and trotted off at the strange Indian's side.

"Now I'm a-goin' to hunt up Griswold and tell him the news,"the old prospector announced. "He'll be glad to know them thereboys is safe an' sound."

"THANK Heaven!" Mr. Griswold exclaimed when the old prospectorhad related all that had occurred. "I'm going along with theothers, Carmody. I'll leave a note here for Mr. Stillwell beforeI go. Thought you said there were no Indians in thatdistrict!"

The old prospector's eyes half closed and his face set in anew expression. "I did, Mr. Griswold," he admitted. "But I wasmeanin' these here ord'nary Injuns. Ain't I been tellin' you thischap's different? Now, like as not you'll be laffin' at me, butI'll tell you somethin', sir, that I ain't breathed to no otherlivin' soul. Member what I tol' you 'bout the natives back in theol' times knockin' down a bridge to keep the Dons from a-gettin'through by the Inca road, an' a-ambushin' of 'em arter-wards? NowI 'aint never had no such faith in findin' that there Incatreasure as mos' folks think, but there's that story 'bout themInca folk an' the bridge. Why'd they knock it down, I'm askin'.Why didn't that bunch of Injuns do jus' like all the othersdid—clear out, or else treat the Dons friendly-like?

"Now then, by gum an' Godfrey, this is how I figger it out.The treasure was hid up there, an' the Injuns tore down thebridge to keep them Dons from findin' of it. Then, arter theSpaniards had gone, they come back and went on livin' there jus'the way they allus done afore a Spaniard stuck his long nose intothe Inca pie. An ' by crickety chop-sticks, I'll bet this herechasqui's one o' them guys. Didn't he say his village wascalled the 'Place of the Bridge'?"

"But my dear man!" exclaimed Mr. Griswold, trying hard not tosmile at the old fellow's earnestness, "if by chance the boys hadstumbled on such a hidden treasure-house and lost city they wouldhave been done away with. The Indians never would permit them tolive and still less return to civilization."

Carmody nodded and stroked his scraggly gray beardreflectively. "I've thought of all them things," he declared."Like as not the boys would have been put out o' the way 'ceptin'for the fact they done the Injuns a good turn— killed ajaguar what was maulin' of the ol' chief, you know. No Injun'dever harm anyone who done a thing like that. No, sir, they'd betreated like frien's and r'yalty, by Jiminy. Only thing bothersme is, why in thunder that chasqui will take us back!That's beyond me."

NEXT morning, Mr. Griswold was up early. He was lacing one ofhis high boots when Carmody burst into the room without theformality of knocking.

"Great jumpin' Jemima!" he exploded. "He's gone! Vamoosed!Cleared out! By gum and Godfrey, he's given us the slip! ThatInjun chasqui, I mean."

"What!" exclaimed Mr. Griswold, "you mean the fellow hasleft?"

The old man flung himself into a chair. "Yep!" he replied. "Iknowed there was somethin' funny 'bout him bein' willin' to guideus back there. He didn't never mean for to do it. An', byJupiter, I'm dead certain now I figgered out things kerect."

"Can't—don't the other Indians know where he went?"asked Mr. Griswold.

Carmody laughed hoarsely. "Lor' bless you, they know more orless," he cried. "But they'd never tell. No, sir, we just got toset here an' wait for them there boys to turn up. Yes, by cricky,he's gone, an' less'n I'm plumb lucky I ain't never goin' to seteyes onto that there Place of the Bridge an' know whether themstrange Injuns have got that treasure or not."

"Perhaps," suggested Mr. Griswold, "the boys will be able totell you all about it."

CHAPTER XI. — JEWELS BEYOND PRICE

IN the lost Inca village, Bob and Pancho foundthat the days and weeks passed quickly. Almost before theyrealized how time had flown, Tonak was up and about, apparentlyas well as ever except for his wrist, which was twisted andpartly useless. At last the boys asked him how soon he couldguide them back to La Raya. The chief shook his head sadly. For amoment he sat gazing into space and the boys began to fear he wasabout to tell them he had no intention of ever letting them go.Then, rising, he placed his hands on their heads. "My sons andbrothers must leave us," he said. "I and my people will grievethat it is so. But it is the call of nature. Each creature mustgo with its kind and so must each tribe of men. Does the Chunchoof the jungles dwell with the Collas on the mountains? Does theHuanca find happiness in the villages of the Panos? No. When thegreat Pachakamak made all things on earth and breathed life intothem he ordered that each living thing should ever seek those ofits own kind. Though we of Chaca-Lyacta love you as our own, itis best that you should go to your people. I and my people oweyou what we cannot repay. But my sons' race loves riches andriches will be given you. Tomorrow I, Tonak of the house ofYupanqui Inca, will lead you forth to your friends and to youwill give that which will make you mighty chiefs. Now, my sons, Igo to prepare for the journey."

Much that the chief said had been in his own dialect, and hisbroken Spanish was difficult for the boys to understand, but theycaught the meaning of his words.

"Whoopee! Tomorrow we'll scram!" cried Bob.

"Didn't I say he was a real Inca?" exclaimed Panchotriumphantly.

"How do you know he is?" demanded Bob. "He didn't say so."

"Didn't he?" retorted Pancho. "Didn't he say he was Tonak ofthe house of Yupanqui Inca? Let's see—" Pancho was silentfor a moment counting on his fingers—"I think Yupanqui wasthe father of Huayna Kapak who was the father of Atahualpa. Gosh,Bob, this fellow must be a direct descendent! Say perhaps he'sgoing to make us a present of some of those things in thetemple!"

"I hope he doesn't give us one of those old mummies or thatdead man in the armor," interrupted Bob. "And I don't see howanything he's got will make us chiefs, as he calls it, athome."

THE boys found Tonak waiting for them when they appeared thefollowing morning. He was dressed like the other Indians, wearingnothing to denote his rank, and was leaning on a heavy staff ofpolished hardwood with an elaborately wrought silver head anddecorated with silver bands. With him were Kespi and Kenko, eachcarrying a pack supported by brow-bands, while gathered in acircle were the villagers, all waiting to bid the white boysfarewell.

One by one they approached, lifted Bob's and Pancho's hands totheir foreheads and solemnly repeated the words: "Ayhualya HuaukiNyukapak Inti Huakaychar." (Farewell, my brother, may God guardyou.)

When the last good-bye had been said, with Tonak leading theway the little party descended into the ravine and clambered upthe further side while the entire population of the villagechanted in unison the farewell song of the Incan people.

"Ayhualya! Ayhualya!—Inti guard thy weary journey Overdeserts, over mountains— All our prayers and thoughts areof thee. Ayhualya! Ayhualya!—Inti guard thee on thyjourney. All we live for, all we wait for— Is for thee tocome again— Ayhualya! Ayhualya!"

In a plaintive wail the cadence ended, and though the boyscould understand only a few of the words of the ancient song,they were far more deeply touched than they would have liked toadmit. Presently they reached the summit of the hill, andglancing back for a last view of the village, saw the peoplestill gathered at the brink of the ravine, waving a lastfarewell.

Along an almost undistinguishable trail they plodded on, Tonakalways in the lead, turning and twisting, doubling back andforth, ascending hills, slipping and sliding into ravines,traversing cañons, at times following the beds of streams. Fourhours after leaving the village, Tonak came to a halt in a deepcañon which had become narrower and narrower, until now it endedin a blind wall. From the base of the seeming cul-de-sac rose aconical hill, towering for nearly a hundred feet above thesummits of the banks.

"Behold, my sons!" exclaimed Tonak. "Did I not promise to leadyou to the place of riches? You alone of all save the people ofChaca-Lyacta may look upon the treasure house of the Incas!"

The boys gasped. They could scarcely believe their ears.Treasure house of the Incas! They had heard of the fabulous hoardof gold and gems that, according to legend, had been gathered forthe ransom of the captive Inca, Atahualpa, but which had beenburied somewhere in Peru when the carriers learned of theirruler's death at Pizarro's hands. Neither of the boys had evergiven the story a second thought, yet here was Tonak—whoclaimed to be a descendent of the Incas—telling them thatthey were looking on the Incan treasure house. But they could seenothing that appeared in the least like a ruin, a building, oreven a cave. Wondering, they gazed about while Tonak and theother Indians grinned.

"I don't see—" began Bob.

Pancho gripped his arm. "Look!" he exclaimed. "Look at thathill, Bob! It's not a real hill, it's built of stones! It'sa—a pyramid! That must be the treasure house!"

Bob whistled. "But there isn't a door or a window or anythingin it. And—"

Tonak again spoke. "To none but he who rules in Chaca-Lyactaand those of the village is the treasure known," he said."Through four times four hundred hundred suns have we watchedover it that, if need should come, we might buy the freedom ofour people. But now the time has passed. Never again will an Incasit upon the golden throne of Cuzco and rule over the kingdom ofTihuantisuyo (the Incan name of the empire meaning The FourCorners of the Earth). We are few and scattered, and aside fromus of Chaca-Lyacta all are but vassals of the sons of the BeardedOnes who conquered our land and destroyed our Inca. Some timewill come the Spaniards and force the secret of the treasure; butto you, my sons, we give gladly. From what lies within the secretportals take what you desire as a parting gift from Tonak and hispeople."

The boys were speechless. Were they actually about to gazeupon that mythical, fabulous treasure? No, that was too fantasticto be true. And yet—

TONAK had turned and was moving forward towards the blank wallat the head of the ravine. There Kespi and Kenko dropped theirburdens and at Tonak's direction began tossing the stones to oneside while the two boys watched fascinated. Presently arectangular, sculptured stone was revealed. Then, as the last ofthe rocks were removed, Tonak placed his staff in the mouth of acarved jaguar and leaned hard against it while the two Indianyouths put their shoulders to the stone. It swung aside slowly,silently, revealing a low, dark doorway.

From their packs Kespi and Kenko produced torches. With flintand steel they were lit, and, taking one, Tonak bent and enteredthe portal, beckoning the boys to follow. For perhaps fifty feetthey passed along a narrow stone corridor barely three feet inwidth and five feet in height. Then they descended a short flightof stone steps, entered a large circular room, crossed this pastan immense stone statue of a jaguar-headed god, entered anotherlow, narrow passage, and, traversing this for another fifty feet,came to a smaller square court in the centre of which was a stoneimage of the sun god.

Bowing before this, Tonak and the two Indians ascended the lowpyramidal dais on which the statue stood, and tugged with alltheir strength at a projecting stone ornament. Slowly themonolith moved to one side, disclosing a dark opening. Excited,with fast beating hearts, the two boys followed the Indians intothe aperture. Descending a flight of stone steps they entered anarrow corridor, passed along it, turned right and then left intoother passageways, ascended more stairs and entered a large room.As the Indians halted and held high their flaring torches theboys gasped, staring speechlessly, incredulously, at what theysaw.

Piled in the corners and about the walls of the stone chamberwere great heaps of glittering yellow gold! Bars and ingots,hammered breastplates and great wheel-like suns; stacks of thingold sheets; ceremonial axes and maces; spears and sceptres;massive chains and crowns; ornaments of every form; vases andlamps; dishes and utensils were everywhere.

In one spot, piled almost to the ceiling, were cloth bags andrawhide sacks, some of which had burst. From the rents, streamsof yellow gold dust had trickled to the floor. There seemed to betons of the precious metal, and the boys scarcely noticed thegreat stacks of silver bars, the silver vases and utensils andweapons that lay on every side.

Heaps of glittering yellow gold!

"Do—do you suppose all that really is gold?" whisperedBob in awed tones.

"It must be," replied Pancho. "But I never thought there wasso much in the whole world."

Tonak's voice interrupted their thoughts. "It is yours, mysons," he announced. "Take what you desire. Did I not say that mywhite sons would be great chiefs amid their own people?"

"Great millionaires!" exclaimed Pancho. "Whew, there must bemore treasure here than in the Treasury at Washington.It—"

"And he says we can have all we want!" cried Bob, gazing aboutat the vast store of riches. "But that's just a joke. How couldwe carry off all we wanted? It must weigh tons."

Apparently the old chief read their thoughts. "Two times tenhundred yana-conas (cargo carriers) and two score trains ofllamas groaned beneath the treasure that you gaze upon," he toldthem. "We are but five, and we have far to go and gold is heavy.Yet my sons have not seen all. Behold! This treasure may you takemore easily."

As he spoke Tonak stepped to a carved chest hasped and boundwith massive silver, and lifted the lid. The boys leaned forwardwith sharp exclamations of amazement.

PART IV

THE STORY SO FAR

BOB STILLWELL and Pancho McLean become lost inthe Andes on their way to La Raya, a mining camp in Peru whereBob's father is manager. While lost they save the life of anIndian chief, disabled by a jaguar. Because of this they are welltreated by the Indians of the chief's village. The boys findthese Indians different from all others and they conclude thatthey are a lost tribe, living as did the Indians under the Incasbefore the time of Pizarro. They discover a temple with amazinggolden ornaments and relics of the Spanish conquest.

Having recovered, Tonak starts with the boys and two youngIndians, Kespi and Kenko, for La Raya, but first, because Bob andPancho saved his life, Tonak shows them a fabulous treasure whichthe ancestors of his people kept from Pizarro's clutches, andtells them that they may take with them as much of it as they cancarry.

CHAPTER XII. — AMAZEMENT!

GLEAMING, flashing in the glare of the torcheswere jewels of every hue. Bob and Pancho found themselves almostblinded by the brilliancy of the precious stones. Like livingfire they scintillated and sparkled—blue, green, purple,lavender, crimson and dazzling white. Never, the boys thought,had white men looked upon such a vast treasure. Here, as Tonakhad said, was wealth which they could carry—riches incondensed form—and though ignorant of the value of jewels,they realized that a pocketful would be worth hundreds of poundsof the yellow gold.

They plunged their hands into the chest, lifted the emeralds,rubies, sapphires, diamonds, topazes, amethysts and countlesssemi-precious stones and let them trickle in showers of flamebetween their fingers. Could it be possible the glorious thingswere real, that they were seeing, handling such gems as neitherthey nor anyone else had believed existed: limpid green emeraldsas large as pigeons' eggs, blood-red rubies the size of marbles,ropes of iridescent pearls from Lake Titicaca, topazes carved torepresent the sun, fire-flashing diamonds set in beautifullywrought ornaments of gold; golden and silver flowers with petalsof gems, golden insects with jeweled eyes and wings, golden earsof maize with kernels of pearls and husks of silver, the finestexamples of Incan and pre-Incan art, the work of the incrediblyskillful goldsmiths and lapidaries of the vast ancient Incanempire!

The Indians stood silent, motionless, watching the boys andwaiting for them to help themselves to the vast treasure.

"My heavens!" sighed Bob. "I can't believe I'm not dreaming.There must be millions and millions of dollars' worth of jewelshere."

"Fortunes!" agreed Pancho. "When are we going to wake up?"

"Better fill our pockets before we do," said Bob.

"I'm going to take these that are set in gold," declaredPancho. "And one of these gold ears of corn." He turned to Tonak."Do you really mean that we are to have all we can carry?" heasked. "We have done nothing to deserve so generous a reward andthis gold and these jewels must be very precious to you."

Tonak nodded and spread his hands in a wide gesture thatseemed to sweep over the entire contents of the room.

"All you wish of the treasure is yours," he said, "nor do wefeel that we give too much. The fearlessness with which you savedmy life and the friendliness with which you have lived among mypeople make us most willing that you should choose and take allthat you can carry. There will indeed be ample left, for we fivecan take away from the entire treasure only as little as fiveants could carry at one time from an anthill. Yes, my sons, it isyours."

Again and again Bob and Pancho expressed their thanks to theChief and for some time examined the jewels and with manyexclamations of wonder and astonishment laid aside those whichmost appealed to them. Taking Tonak at his word, they also handedover to the Indians all which they could carry. At last theirtask was done, and with a final long look at the astounding heapof treasure which remained, they turned toward the doorway, andwith Tonak in the lead, again traversed the various passages andat last stepped out into the sunlight. It seemed strange enoughto come back to their own world after having lived for a fewmoments in an era that had ended centuries before. Carefully theIndians replaced the stones and then with scarcely a backwardglance set off down the trail.

"I wonder," said Bob, "if we shall ever come back for any moreof this treasure. There is no doubt in my mind but that Tonakwould be more than glad to let us come again."

"I don't know about that," said Pancho. "He isn't going totake any chances of having the location of this wealthdiscovered. These Indians must have guarded it most carefully orsome inkling of its whereabouts would have leaked out during thelast few hundred years. He has paid his debt to us, but of coursehe doesn't want the hoard plundered, and if I am not mistaken,would never again be willing to bring us here."

"You may be right," said Bob, "and anyway, I wouldn't want tocome back for any of the treasure without his permission; but allthe same, it will do no harm if we try our best to remember howto reach this place. I'm going to watch for landmarks carefullyand note them down so that I won't forget them."

"That's all right with me," assented Pancho. "I'll do thattoo, but I don't believe we have a chance in the world of everbeing able to return to this spot. These Indians will see to itthat they leave too confused a trail."

So, concentrating their minds on the character of thesurrounding hills and valleys, the boys followed silently inTonak's footsteps, wondering how long it would be before theywould reach La Raya.

DAY after day they plodded steadily on, sometimes followingnarrow paths, at other times proceeding where no trail wasvisible; turning now east, now north, now west, now south, untilthe two boys were hopelessly confused and had not the most remoteidea of the general direction in which they had traveled.

"It's lucky Tonak knows the way," panted Bob as they climbed along slope. "Sometimes I wonder if he really does or is justgoing round and round, as much lost as we were on the other sideof the mountains. If he does know where he's headed for, how onearth does he find his way?"

"I guess it's instinct," replied Pancho. "Same way pigeons andtoads and other things find their way home. He knows where he'sgoing all right."

Though the journey was long and the boys desperately footsoreand weary, they at least did not suffer for want of water orfood. The Indians carried a good supply of parched corn, barleymeal, dried beans and jerked meat; the country through which theypassed, though often barren, was cut by many small streams; andwhile game was scarce, still hardly a day passed that Pancho didnot shoot something. At night the boys threw themselves downutterly tired out, but the Indians made nothing of it. Evenburdened with their loads of over one hundred pounds each, Kespiand his brother seemed never to tire, and Tonak, who had sorecently recovered from injuries that would have left a white mana semi-invalid, kept up his same swinging pace for hours on endwith never a sign of weariness.

Frequently Bob or Pancho asked the chief how much farther theywould have to go or how many more days it would be before theyarrived at La Raya—and he invariably replied in someunintelligible metaphor or declared he could not say, as it alldepended on how fast they traveled.

By the end of a week the trip seemed like an endlessnightmare. It did not appear possible that they could have walkedsteadily for seven days without seeing a single human being, ahouse or a village. To be sure they had passed within sight ofseveral ruins of ancient buildings, but the entire country seemeddevoid of human life, a wilderness of hills and valleys, of darkcañons, of broad punas and grassy upland plains, oftumbling mountain streams, gleaming silvery lakes and distantphantom-like mountains.

They camped wherever the end of the day foundthem—sometimes in the shelter of a pile of rocks, sometimesin a cavern in the hills, sometimes in hastily constructed hutsbeside streams or ponds. One morning they came to a large lakethat barred their progress and the boys groaned as they thoughtof being forced to tramp the long way around it. Then to theirsurprise the Indians threw down their loads and, wading knee-deepinto the water, commenced gathering great bundles of the tall,inch-thick reeds that grew everywhere in the shallows. These theyplaced in bundles on the ground and lashed them together withwithes and roots.

Kespi grinned when the boys questioned him and informed themhe and the others were making a balsa.

"We know just about as much—or as little—asbefore," complained Bob. "What's a balsa, anyhow?"

"Looks as if they were making some kind of boat!" Panchosaid.

IT was soon evident that a boat was precisely what the Indianswere making, for they worked rapidly, tying bundles of reedstogether, lashing these bundles into place, and forming a canoe-shaped affair some twenty feet in length by six feet in width.Within three hours from the time they had begun work the strangecraft was completed, and as the astonished boys looked on, two ofthe Indians lifted the little vessel to their shoulders, carriedit to the shore of the lake and placed it on the water.

"Well I never saw anything like that!" cried Bob. "Come on,let's see if it'll hold us!"

The balsa seemed scarcely affected by their weight and was sobuoyant, dry and steady that the boys shouted with delight. TheIndians seemed vastly amused at all this enthusiasm. To them thebalsa was nothing extraordinary, for similar boats had been usedby Peruvian Indians for thousands of years. Having loaded thesupplies and armed themselves with poles cut from a hillsidethicket of poplars, they clambered aboard and pushed off.

"This is something like!" declared Pancho, as the buoyantcraft moved toward the center of the lake. "Wish we could travelthis way all the time!"

"You bet!" agreed Bob heartily. "But look there! Ever see somany ducks and geese and—say, what are those two big whiteones with the black necks? Try a shot. They ought to be fineeating."

As Pancho threw a shell into the chamber of his rifle theIndians grasped his intention and slowly guided the balsa towardthe unsuspecting waterfowl. Not until he was within easy rangedid Pancho risk a shot. Then he brought down one of the bigblack-necked swans. As the flock of birds rose with a terrifiedsquawking and a roar of beating wings, he fired twice more andthree ducks fell splashing to the water.

"Great!" cried Bob. "That was swell shooting—three ducksin two shots and on the wing!"

Pancho grinned. "Swell nothing," he declared. "I couldn't helphitting them, they were so close together. But— Well, whatdo you think of that?" Kespi, not to be outdone by the white boy,had jerked a woven woolen sling from his girdle, had hastilyfitted a round stone from a wallet at his side, and whirling itabout his head had sent the stone whizzing after the birds. AsPancho spoke, one of the flock plunged headlong to the water.

"Guess you aren't such a crack shot after all," laughed Bob,as he saw Pancho staring in surprise. "If an Indian can knock oneof those fellows over with a stone from a sling you ought to getthree of them with two rifle bullets."

Gathering up their game, the party continued on their way,following the winding sheet of water for mile after mile betweenthe hills. Not until they had reached the head of the lake didthe Indians pole the balsa into shoal water and draw it up on theshore.

They dined royally that night on roast duck, and afterwardsthe boys slept like logs. It was broad daylight when Panchoawoke. Rubbing his eyes he sat up, glanced about to see if theIndians were cooking breakfast, and then suddenly wide awake, heleaped to his feet shouting excitedly to Bob.

The Indians were nowhere in sight!

"Wha-what's the matter?" asked Bob sleepily, yawning as he satup. "Why all the shouting?"

"The Indians!" cried Pancho. "Tonak, Kespi,Kenko—they're not here!"

"What?" exclaimed Bob getting to his feet and staring about,blinking in the bright light. "Not here? Well, what of it? Mostlikely they've gone for a swim."

"I hadn't thought of that," Pancho admitted. As he spoke hehurried toward the spot where they had beached the balsa. Neitherthe Indians nor the craft were anywhere to be seen.

"They're not at the lake!" cried Pancho. "And the boat's gonetoo!"

"Well, they've left everything behind them—if theyreally have gone," Bob informed him. "The gold and jewels theywere carrying are here. I guess they're somewhere near. Whyshould they run off, anyway? You don't think they'd desert us, doyou?"

"I can't believe they would," declared Pancho. "But just thesame, it's mighty queer—the way they've gone off withoutsaying anything, and they've taken the boat. I admit I'm scared.We can never find our way alone!"

"If they've taken the boat," Bob said, "that explains it.They've gone fishing."

"I'll soon find out," declared Pancho. "I can see all aroundfrom the top of that hill."

Without waiting for Bob, he hurried off toward the crest. Ashe reached the summit and glanced about, he stood staring, open-mouthed, incredulous. Within a quarter mile of where he stood, astream flowed around the base of the hill, its banks fringed withaspens. And there, in plain sight beneath the trees, were tents,tethered horses and mules, men! For a brief moment Pancho gazedat the seeming apparition, too amazed to utter a sound. Then helet out a yell like a Comanche. “Whoop-eee! White men, Bob! Comeon!"

Bob gave one glance at the camp among the aspens, and with ayell that outdid Pancho's, dashed after his comrade.

At sound of the wild shouts, the men camped beside the streamturned with one accord and reached for their weapons. They hadthought there were no human beings except themselves within ahundred miles. Who could these two be?

"Hey, who in time are you?" demanded a tall, rawboned fellow."What's chasin' you?"

Before Pancho or Bob could gasp out an explanation, a manemerged from the door of a tent nearby. "What's up, Haskins?" heasked. Bob wheeled at the sound of the voice. His eyes grewround, his jaw gaped. Then—"Dad!" he shouted, and fairlythrew himself upon the astounded figure before the tent.

CHAPTER XIII. — SURPRISE

MR. STILLWELL was too surprised to utter a word.He had known nothing of the boys' disappearance, he had thoughtthem safe at La Raya, and here they were dropping out of a clearsky as if by magic. "Good heavens, what are you doing here, Bob?"he gasped when he found his voice. "Why aren't you at LaRaya?"

"Gosh, Dad, but it's good to see you!" cried Bob. "But whatare you doing here? Searching for us?"

"No, son, why should I be searching for you? I'm on my wayback to La Raya. Been examining prospects for the past month andmore. How did you know where to find me?"

"It's a long, long story, Dad, and we haven't had breakfastyet. Our Indians ran off and left us. We'll tell you all about itwhile we eat. But didn't you know we were lost?" Mr. Stillwellshook his head. It was hopeless to make any headway until hecould get a connected account of the mystery. "All right," heagreed. "You arrived just in time for breakfast—never knewyou to miss a meal yet—so come along and eat, and let's seewhat sort of fairy tale you can think up to explain why Panchoand you are here."

"Well, first thing that happened," mumbled Bob as he helpedhimself to an immense flapjack, "the car skidded and was wreckedand the chauffeur was killed. Then Pancho and I decided to walkto Palitos and—"

"Lost your way of course," his father interrupted. "Well, goon."

As they ate, the boys described their adventures while Mr.Stillwell and Haskins listened attentively. When they reached thepoint where they told of having saved Tonak's life and of livingin his village, Bob's father again interrupted.

"Never mind about all the details," he said. "I can guess thatpart. I suppose eventually the Indians guided you out for LaRaya, and if I'm not mistaken you said they deserted you. Whenwas that?"

"Last night," said Pancho.

"Say, wasn't that a wonderful coincidence, Dad?" cried Bob."There we were, camping almost within sight of each other andnever dreaming of it, and then the Indians happening to go offjust at that particular time."

"Coincidence nothin'!" growled Haskins. "Them Injuns knew wewas camped here. They figgered it out to leave you flat soon'sever they brung you within sight of us. But I'd like to know whythey done it. Injuns don't do nothin' without a reason.I—"

"And they left their packs, too," exclaimed Bob."And—galloping catfish! I'd forgotten all about it." Hejumped up, his mouth full of food. "Say, we'd better go backbefore some one finds all that gold and stuff over there at ourcamp!"

"Gold!" cried Mr. Stillwell. "What gold? What are you talkingabout, Bob?"

"Why, the gold they gave us. Gee whiz, we haven't told youabout that yet. You see—"

The men scarcely heard his words. They were gazing at thegleaming objects Pancho had nonchalantly placed on the tablebefore them. "We got these, too," he announced. "Are they worthvery much?"

"Jumping Jupiter! Am I seein' things?" gasped Haskins. "Worthvery much? Oh, my everlastin' sainted aunt!"

"Where on earth did you get those?" asked Bob's father in awedtones as he picked up one of the flashing gems. "This—whydon't you know, don't you realize this is an emerald—ajewel? It must be of great value!"

"Yea, verily!" declared Haskins, leaning forward and peeringat the stone with burning eyes. "If it didn't have that therehole into it I'd say 'twas worth all of ten thousand!"

"Ten thousand dollars!" cried the boys.

HASKINS sank limply into his camp chair, threw up his handsand groaned.

"While we're skinnin' these darned hills an' a-walkin' ourfeet off lookin' for some outcrop of pay dirt these two humanhorseshoes are a pickin' up jools like they were daisies!" heexclaimed.

"Gee, I wish we'd brought more of 'em," lamented Bob. "Therewas a whole chest full of—"

"Hold on, son!" cried his father. "Let's have this straight.Where did you find these? What about the chest? You didn'tmention it when you were telling your adventures."

"Well, you didn't let me," Bob reminded him. "You said nevermind about what happened after we got to the village. But there'sa lot more to tell. We found a temple—"

"With mummies and an old fellow in armor and a goldsun—" put in Pancho. "And Tonak told us he'd make us 'greatchiefs' in our own country and gave us these and the gold. Showedus a large treasure they'd been guarding for hundreds of years ina big pyramid. Tons of gold and silver and a chest full of thesestones. And—"

"He told us to take all we wanted, but we couldn't carry verymuch," added Bob. "Just the gold the Indians could tote and whatwe put in our pockets. But Tonak said we were welcome to go backand get more whenever we wanted to."

Mr. Stillwell almost collapsed as he listened to the boys'amazing statements. "If these stones weren't here before my eyesI wouldn't believe a single word of what you've said," hedeclared. "What do you make of it, Haskins?" The foreman sat upwith a jerk. "Make of it!" he cried. "Why, these two boys haveseen what folks have been huntin' for close onto four hundredyears—Atahualpa's treasure! They get plumb lost an' just bybull luck find the old cacique bein' chawed by a cussed tiger,an' here they be with their pockets stuffed full of jools an'nobody knows how much gold lyin' around loose over to their camp.Oh my aunt!"

The boys started to disgorge the contents of their pockets,but Mr. Stillwell stopped them.

"Don't!" he exclaimed. "Not here, boys. I think my men arehonest, but there's a limit to temptation for any native. Comeinto my tent—you, too, Haskins, and we'll see what lootyou've got and put it under lock and key."

When at last the boys had emptied their pockets the two mensat gazing at each other with wide eyes.

"I haven't the most remote idea what this is worth," saidBob's father. "Have you, Haskins?"

The miner shook his head. “If them stones wasn't so badly cutand wasn't bored I'd guess they'd be worth close to quarter of amillion," he announced. "But as 'tis—"

"As it is," declared Mr. Stillwell, interrupting him, "in myopinion they may be worth fully as much or even more asarcheological specimens."

THE two boys scarcely could believe their ears. A quarter of amillion! A fortune! And they had taken but a fraction of thecontents of the chest!

"Whew!" whistled Pancho. "Then there must be billions in thatplace!"

Mr. Stillwell smiled. "Scarcely that," he said. "It takesalmost two tons of solid gold to be worth a million—and abillion is one thousand millions or over two thousand tons ofgold, my boy."

"Well, it looked to me as if there were thousands of tonsthere," declared Bob. "What was it old Tonak said about all thellamas it took to bring it there?"

"He said it required two thousand yanaconas and fortyllama trains to carry it," announced Pancho. "What areyanaconas? I suppose they're some kind of Indians."

"They be," Haskins replied. "That's Quichua for porters. Theycarry about seventy-five to a hundred pounds. Are you dead surethe old boy said two thousand?"

"Well, he didn't say exactly that," Pancho admitted. "He said,'Yanacona-kuna Ishcaica mitikuna huranga.'"

"That's right, by hooky!" Haskins declared. "Twice tenhundred. And how many llama trains?"

"Chusgo-Chunga," replied Pancho promptly.

"Forty all right," affirmed the miner. Then, after a moment'smental calculation: "Tie me down, Stillwell!" he exclaimed. "Ifthe ol' Injun told the truth, more'n seventy-five tons of goldwere brung by them there porters even if they only luggedseventy-five pounds apiece. And close onto twenty ton more must'a' been on them llamas—forty trains is four hundredcritters more or less. That's more'n a hundred ton of gold,Stillwell, not countin' them there stones—over fiftymillions lyin' in that there place a-waitin' for us to walk inan' take it!"

Mr. Stillwell shook his head and smiled. "Even if there areone hundred tons of gold and countless gems in that remarkabletreasure vault," he said, "there are a great many matters to beconsidered and not a few difficulties to be overcome before wecan 'walk in an' take it.' "

"Well, what's the use of talking about that now?" demandedBob. "Let's go over and get that gold at our camp. First thingyou know someone'll run off with it."

Half an hour later, the gold had been safely hidden away amongMr. Stillwell's mineral samples without, apparently, arousing anysuspicion among the muleteers and other natives. Orders weregiven to break camp and before noon the cavalcade was again inmotion, wending its way slowly toward distant La Raya.

AS the boys rode along they told of many incidents which theyhad not mentioned before, but their thoughts naturally centeredon the treasure they had seen and the small fortune they nowpossessed. They were greatly disappointed when they found thatMr. Stillwell could not at once go back with them in search ofthe treasure. "It would take weeks," he declared, "perhaps monthsto locate the spot, even if we ever found it. As a matter of factI don't believe you boys have the remotest idea as to where itis."

They admitted that they did not.

"It may be in any direction from here then," he continued."I'm inclined to think those Indians deliberately took you aroundabout route, and the only chance of finding it again wouldbe by airplane."

"I been wonder in' why them Injuns left you boys when theydid," observed Haskins, "but I reckon I know. That ol' cacique,to save a lot of travellin', brung you down to where he savviedwe'd be an' set you down where you couldn't miss findin' us. He'sa wise ol' bird an' wasn't takin' no risks of bein' trailed backto that there treasure house of hisn."

"But why should he object to taking us back there?" asked Bob."He said we could have all the treasure ye wanted."

"Lord love ye!" exclaimed Haskins with a laugh. "You weren'ttakin' what he said for what he meant, were you? Injuns is likeSpaniards that-a-way. If they like you or owe you somethin',they'll say a lot more'n they mean jus' to be perlite like. ASpaniard'll tell you his house an' all in it's yourn. But jesttry to take it!"

"Well, maybe you're right," sighed Bob. "Anyway, we shouldn'treally complain even if we never find the place again. We're bothpretty rich."

His father smiled. "I'm afraid, son, you'll find you andPancho are not as wealthy as you imagine. Most of these gems areantiquities and cannot legally be exported from Peru. Even if thegold were melted down and the gems recut, and thus destroyed asfar as their archeological value is concerned, you would still beliable to have one-half of all the valuables seized by thegovernment. It would be treasure-trove and according to law Peruclaims fifty per cent."

"Then—but, Dad, that isn't fair!" cried Bob. "Tonak gavethe things to us—we didn't find them."

"You'd have a mighty hard job trying to make the officialsbelieve that," laughed his father. "I advise you boys to be verycareful of what you say—don't mention treasure or Tonak'sgift or, for that matter, anything about the hidden village, itspeople or the temple. The less said the better."

"You're dead right, Chief," exclaimed Haskins. "What folksdon't know won't bother 'em, an' there ain't no danger of theirknowin' nothin' less'n the boys spill the beans."

COMPARED to trudging on foot over the punas and acrossthe mountains, camping wherever night found them and depending onchance game and the coarse food of the Indians, the boys foundtheir present journey almost luxurious. They had horses or mulesto ride, they slept on comfortable cots in tents, and they had anabundance of food. Although Mr. Stillwell and Haskins were bothaccustomed to hardships, they saw no reason in beinguncomfortable when it could be avoided. This was a companyexpedition, and neither money nor equipment had been spared torender it as successful as possible. Because considerablesampling had to be done, a gang of laborers had been taken along,in charge of Haskins. In addition to these ten fellows—allSlavs or Russians, there were two "powder-men," Chilean "Rotos"of Spanish blood; a Peruvian surveyor, Señor Larañaga; Mr.Stillwell's Chinese cook, a coal black Jamaican, Tom, who cookedfor the men; four Quichua Indian "arrieros" or muleteers; andhalf a dozen Cholo roustabouts and servants, while finally, therewas a red-headed, bow-legged Texan named Masden, universallyknown as "Red," who was in charge of the live stock andpacking.

Although Mr. Stillwell believed his men honest, he felt thathis precautions in keeping the gems and gold out of sight werefully warranted. The men were a far from prepossessing lookinglot, especially the laborers who, as Pancho remarked to Haskins,looked "more like pirates than miners."

Haskins, however, rated them differently. "Them!" heexclaimed. "They haven't the nerve to do nothin'. Now it'sdifferent with them two Rotos, who are plumb p'izen no matterwhere they be. Too danged ready with a knife an' short-temperedas a rattler. Just the same, them two ain't lookin' for trouble.What's that? The Cholos? Lord love you, son, them an' the Injunsis jus' about as dangerous as them llamas. You could load 'emdown with gold and tell 'em to lug it down to La Raya alone an'they'd do it. But what you boys worryin' over? They's three of uswhite men—me, the boss an' Red—an' say, you ought tosee Red when he get's het up!"

ILLUSTRATION? "Seems to me there are four white men," observedBob. "You didn't count Señor Larañaga."

"Shucks, he's a Peruvian," replied Haskins. "Course I s'posehe is white, but we wouldn't never count on a native if it cameto any trouble—not that they's a mite of chance of it. EvenRed don't savvy what you two brung in."

"I wonder," mused Pancho a little later when Haskins hadridden off with Bob's father to look at a crimson patch on ahillside that indicated a lead-silver outcrop, "I wonder ifHaskins really isn't worrying some over all our stuff."

"Nonsense!" declared Bob. "Why should he? No one knows aboutit. What put that idea into your head?"

"Well, nothing very much," replied Pancho thoughtfully. "OnlyI noticed that he's been wearing a revolver. And last night Iwoke up and heard someone moving about and peeked out and sawhim."

Bob laughed. "Red carries a revolver, too," he remindedPancho. "And why shouldn't Haskins be moving about at night? He'sin charge of the outfit, after Dad, you know. It's his businessto see that everything's all right."

"Well, maybe," admitted Pancho, "but he just said a fewminutes ago that even Red didn't know anything about—well,about our things—and yet I saw him whispering with Red lastnight."

PART V

THE STORY SO FAR

BOB STILLWELL and Pancho McLean become lost inthe Andes on their way to La Raya, a mining camp in Peru whereBob's father is manager. While lost they save the life of anIndian chief, disabled by a jaguar. Because of this they are welltreated by the Indians of the chief's village. The boys findthese Indians different from all others and they conclude thatthey are a lost tribe, living as did the Indians under the Incasbefore the time of Pizarro. They discover a temple with amazinggolden ornaments and relics of the Spanish conquest.

Having recovered, Tonak starts with the boys and two youngIndians, Kespi and Kenko, for La Raya, but first, because Bob andPancho saved his life, Tonak shows them a fabulous treasure whichthe ancestors of his people kept from Pizarro's clutches, andtells them that they may take with them as much of it as they cancarry.

The Indians suddenly desert the boys, just as they come insight of a large exploring party under Mr. Stillwell, who hasleft La Raya before the news that the boys were lost had arrived.He is astounded to find Bob and Pancho in the midst of thedesert, and amazed at the precious stones and gold they carry.Haskins, the foreman, and "Red" Masden, who are the only otherwhite men in the party (except Larañaga, a Peruvian surveyor) aretold the secret of the treasure. Arrangements are made to guardit, but the boys' suspicions become aroused and they feel thatHaskins is worried and fears violence.

CHAPTER XIV. — TREACHERY

MR. STILLWELL laughed when the boys told him oftheir suspicions. "Of course Haskins isn't worried, he said. "Buthe's responsible for everything and it's no light matter to keepan expedition of this sort running right."

"He told us Red didn't know anything about what we had," saidPancho. "Don't you think Red does know, or has guessed?"

Mr. Stillwell looked at Pancho with a peculiar expression inhis half-closed eyes. "How should I know what Red thinks?" hesaid. "I haven't told him anything."

Had the two boys known what Red had told Haskins in thewhispered conference Pancho had witnessed, and which Haskins inturn had reported to Mr. Stillwell, they would have understoodseveral matters that puzzled them. They would have known why theminer carried his revolver, why he made the rounds of the camp inthe middle of the night, and why—although they were notaware of the fact—Red slept on a most uncomfortable bed ofblankets spread over the loads of the pack-mules, instead of uponhis comfortable camp cot. Also, Bob would have known why hisfather had evaded Pancho's question and had looked so queerly athim.

There was not in fact anything definite to worry about. Redhad strolled over to the boys' camp while they had been talkingwith Mr. Stillwell and Haskins inside the tent on the morning oftheir astonishing appearance, and had surprised two of the Cholospoking about the packs left by Tonak and his Indians. Whether ornot they had discovered that they contained gold Red did notknow.

"Even if those Cholos saw the gold, I don't think there isneed for worry," Mr. Stillwell had declared. "These two haveworked for me for several years. They are so accustomed to seeingand even handling bullion at La Raya that I don't think it wouldoccur to them that they could steal this gold or that it wasunusual for the boys' packs to contain it."

"Sure, if they don't talk, there's nothin' to it," agreedHaskins. "Trouble is, a Cholo can't keep his mouth shut. The menhave been talkin' quite a bit 'bout them boys bobbin' up. Like asnot they'll get arguin' where they come from an' how, an' thenthem Cholos'll up an' tell what they know. Now I ain't sayin' ashow there's danger from these here men. Them two Rotos is theonly ones as has got backbone enough for anythin'. It'd be deadeasy for 'em to lift a few bars or bags or plates an' hide 'em inthe sand or amongst the rocks an' come back an' get 'em when theywas ready. So I reckon the bes' thing is to have Red keep themthere packs alongside him at night an' for all of us to kind ofbe watchin' out. I'm goin' heeled from now on an' if any of thatbunch tries any funny business it'll be an unlucky day forhim."

"Yes, I think it wise to be on the safe side," agreed Mr.Stillwell. "I'm thankful none of the men know about thestones."

"It's lucky we're in Peru," declared Haskins, "an' not someplace where they's bandits. Howsomever, I'm goin' for to keep myeyes on them there Rotos— they're jus' nat'ral born pizen,even if they can shoot a vein to beat all get out."

THAT night the expedition camped in a deep, fertile ravine,and before they dropped off to sleep, Bob and Pancho determinedto go out on a hunt at dawn the next day. They arranged to jointhe expedition again at about noon, farther down the ravine.

It was still quite dark when they awoke and crept out of theirtent. Tiptoeing through the silent camp they met Haskins, whowished them good luck in a hoarse whisper. After eating thesandwiches which old Chin Foo had thoughtfully provided, theyhurried up the canyon.

By the time the sun rose, they had traveled a mile and morefrom camp, Bob taking the right side of the canyon and Pancho theleft. Often they were within sight of each other, but at timesthe ravine widened, and fallen rock masses and miniature junglesintervened.

In one such spot, Pancho heard the sound of a gunshot from theopposite side of the canyon. "Well, Bob's found somethinganyway," he said to himself. "I wonder what he got." Almost atthe same instant a deer sprang into view and Pancho threw hisrifle to his shoulder and fired. "Missed!" he exclaimed, as hesaw the creature vanishing like a fleeting shadow. "Guess I'll goover and see what luck Bob had."

Just ahead the canyon narrowed abruptly. As he reached thispoint Pancho shouted and listened for Bob's reply. But all wassilent. Pancho felt suddenly panic-stricken. Why didn't Bobanswer? Taking a long breath, he opened his mouth to call again,but no sound issued from his lips. A slight noise caused him toturn and he stood transfixed, gazing into the muzzle of a gunalong the barrel of which squinted a dark, villainous face!

Pancho felt his last moment had come. The thought racedthrough his mind that Bob already had been killed by the shotwhich he had heard. Incapable of moving, unable to utter a sound,he awaited the blinding flash that would end his life. Suddenlyhe heard the man say in Spanish, "Drop your gun!"

Pancho's fingers relaxed and his rifle fell clattering to theground. Instantly a second figure sprang from behind a rock,seized the rifle, co*cked it, and jamming the muzzle againstPancho's back ordered him to move along.

Faint with fear, yet vastly relieved to be still alive. Panchostumbled forward. He had recognized the man who had seized hisrifle as one of the Roto "powder-men" belonging to Haskin's gang,and he now recalled the other as one of the burly Slav miners.Somehow they must have discovered the secret of the treasure, andmust have learned that he and Bob were going on this earlymorning hunt. With guns in their possession, they were doubtlessplanning to hold up the party and seize the gold and jewels. Anambush could easily be arranged among the rocks, from the shelterof which the villains could pick off the three white men, and asmany of the others as they chose. And Bob! A lump rose inPancho's throat as he thought of what must have been Bob'sfate.

THE three soon came out on a bare slope below almost sheercliffs. The fellow behind Pancho ordered him to turn to the rightwhere a narrow shelf led up the canyon wall. Presently the narrowpathway ended behind a pillar of rock where a dark cavern openedin the cliff. With a kick and a curse the Roto ordered Panchointo the cave. As, with an involuntary cry of pain, he stumbledforward on hands and knees, he was thrown on his face and hiswrists and ankles were quickly lashed together. In the dim lightof the cavern he recognized the fellow who was manhandling him asthe other Roto. Like a sack of meal he was dragged across thefloor and flung into a corner.

"Pancho!" came a muffled cry from the blackness.

"Bob!" gasped Pancho, "Where are you?"

"Here!" came the whispered response.

"Over beyond me," came a new voice almost in Pancho's ear."Ouch! You're lying on my wrists. Roll over!"

"Wh-who's that?" whispered Pancho. "Me—Larañaga!" camethe reply. "They got me, too. They need me to guide them, butthey plan to kill Mr. Stillwell and the others!"

"Shut up in there!" ordered the Roto from the outercavern.

Larañaga lowered his voice to a whisper. "There's only onechance for them," he said. "Haskins is no fool. He'll miss thesefellows sooner or later and know something is wrong. The fools!With good wages due them, to kill and rob for the sake of a fewhorses and the camp outfit!"

Larañaga evidently did not know about the treasure, did notrealize that the Rotos and the big Slav were playing for highstakes. Pancho pondered whether he should let his fellow prisonerremain in ignorance or tell him about the gold and preciousstones. He was about to speak up, when an exclamation from Bobstopped him.

"Listen!" Bob hissed. "They forgot to search my pockets! I'vea knife. If we can get it open we can cut each other free!"

"Caramba, it is true!" agreed the Peruvian. Perhaps Ican reach the knife."

It was slow and painful work, trying to secure the knife withhis lashed hands, but at last Larañaga drew it out and got itopen. It took only a short time to cut Bob free, and the rest waseasy. With sighs of relief the three rubbed their numbed, swollenhands and wrists.

"It's more comfortable," said Bob, "but I don't see as we'reany better off."

"We'll be a lot worse off if they come in and find us free,"Pancho remarked.

"No fear—for the present," declared Larañaga. "They'reexpecting our party at any moment and won't give us a thoughtuntil the fight is over."

The sharp report of a rifle suddenly rang through thecanyon!

CHAPTER XV. — ATTACKED

WITH no suspicion of danger, Mr. Stillwell ledhis party up the canyon toward the spot where the threedesperadoes crouched behind the rocks, their rifles co*cked andready. They could not have found a place more perfectly designedfor an ambuscade. In front of the cavern erosion had formed agroove or gutter with its outer edge nearly two feet above itsfloor. Lying with their bodies in the hollow, with rifles restingin crevices of the rock, the men could be seen only from above,by some one looking down from the top of the canyon, or by thecondors sailing in great circles in the cloudless sky.

Mr. Stillwell did not expect to meet the boys for anotherhour, and not until the expedition was actually within range ofthe plotters' guns did he have any inkling that something waswrong. Then the alert Haskins rode up, scowling darkly.

"Them two Rotos has skipped!" he announced.

"Skipped!" repeated Mr. Stillwell, "you mean—"

"Gone. An' that ain't the whole of it neither. That big Slav,Peter, has cleared out with 'em, an' Larañaga's mis-sin'. Nowwhat do you make out of that?"

"Larañaga—I can't believe he would associate with thoseRotos," cried Mr. Stillwell. "Is any of the gold missing?"

"Not a chance!" declared Haskins. "An' I ain't sayin' asLarañaga j'ined them pizen Rotos. Maybe they're aimin' on makin'us ransom him."

"I believe you're right!" exclaimed Mr. Stillwell, pulling hishorse to a stop. They've taken him prisoner. And the boys! Do yousuppose they've got them too, and will demand the gold as ransom?Good Heavens, Haskins, the boys have guns! Those villains wouldstop at nothing if they know about the treasure. They may alreadyhave killed Bob and Pancho to get their rifles! Quick! Call Redand a few men you can trust. We must plan a rescue if it's notalready too late!"

In response to Haskins' summons, Red rode up hastily. Suddenlythere came the sharp report of a rifle, and Red's sombrero flewfrom his head! With a single motion he threw himself behind hishorse, whipped out his revolver and fired at the tiny puff ofsmoke that had spurted from the face of the cliff.

The detonations of his forty-five drowned the sound of asecond rifle shot; but a Cholo, frantically striving to control aterrified mule, spun like a top and sank limply to theground.

"Back!" roared Haskins, wheeling his mount. "Back to themrocks!"

INSTANTLY all was confusion. The Slav laborers took to theirheels like stampeded cattle. The arrieros, shouting, cursing,cracking their whips, strove to check and turn their mules andburros. The frightened animals snorted, reared, and kicked. Onlythe Indians and the llamas remained calm.

Unmindful of their danger, the three white men herded men andanimals back to the partial protection of boulders and trees. Amule uttered a piercing scream and plunged to its knees to rollover kicking spasmodically. Burros squealed with fear or felldead or wounded. A lumbering Slav uttered a bellow of mingledpain and rage as a bullet clipped his shoulder.

One Cholo lay dead beside the trail and a second crawled,dragging a shattered leg, into a crevice of the rocks. Haskins'face was covered with blood from a furrow cut by a bullet acrosshis forehead. Red's mount had been killed under him, and Mr.Stillwell's saddle-horn had been broken by a rifle ball. But byfar the greater number of shots spattered harmlessly against therocks or thudded into the earth. Not until the last man and allthe animals were comparatively safe in the shelter of the naturalbarrier did the three Americans turn their attention to theirenemies.

"Those scoundrels have the boys' guns!" cried Mr. Stillwell asthe trio crouched with poised weapons. Haskins' heavy revolverroared as he fired at a momentary glimpse of a moving body on thecliff side. "How many shells did them boys have?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," said Mr. Stillwell. "I think Bob had at leastfifty and Pancho about half as many."

Red and Haskins fired together.

"Mebbe the Rotos loaded up with more before they vamoosed,"remarked Red.

"Dumb fools!" growled Haskins. "Lessen they kill us three theycan't never get away with it. Hullo! Who's them up there atop thecliff?"

On the summit of the canyon wall, above the spot where thebandits lay concealed, three figures had appeared, stooping,gazing down over the edge.

"Injuns!" exclaimed Red. "Reckon they heard the shootin' an'come along to see what's up."

"Injuns they be," agreed Haskins. "But what be they up to?Looks like—By thunder, they're throwin' somethin' downsure's I'm a settin' here. An' them villains up there have quitshootin'. Now what the dickens can that—"

Mr. Stillwell had leaped to his feet.

"The boys! Thank Heaven!" he shouted, springing over the rocksand dashing across the canyon.

At the spot from which the bandits' rifles had blazed,Larañaga and the two boys had suddenly popped into sight, wavingtheir arms and shouting.

CHAPTER XVI. — AYHUALLA!

AS the first shot fired by their captors echoedthrough the cave, Larañaga, Bob and Pancho tensely listened foranswering shots. Between the sharp cracks of the rifles close athand, they could hear faint sounds and the occasional staccato,barking of pistols. Slowly the three prisoners drew nearer theentrance to the cavern, but they could see nothing of what wastranspiring in the canyon even when they at last crouched justwithin the shelter of the cave. From their right came thecrashing reports of rifles, and wisps of pungent smoke drifted totheir nostrils. Now the shouting had ceased. Only theintermittent rifle fire and the answering reports of revolversbroke the silence.

"Caramba!" whispered Larañaga. "The fiends have notkilled our comrades. They are still shooting. How many pistolscan you distinguish?"

"Two fired then—almost together!" replied Panchito.

"There goes another!" said Bob. "Dad and Haskins and Red mustbe all right. They're the only ones who were armed."

"If they have plenty of cartridges they will win," declaredLarañaga. "How many have these brigands?"

"I had twenty-three and used two—that leaves twenty-one," Pancho told him.

"I had fifty though," said Bob, "a full belt, and—"

A sharp, agonized cry from one of the bandits interruptedBob's words.

"Gracias a Dios!" exclaimed Larañaga. "One of thescoundrels has been hit!"

"Give it to 'em!" shouted Pancho, in his excitement forgettinghe was supposed to be a bound and helpless prisoner within thecave. But the Rotos and their companion were too occupied tonotice, even if they heard his exultant shout.

"I've got to see what's going on!" cried Bob, stealthilycreeping to the entrance of the cave and peering around an angleof the rock.

"Whew!" he exclaimed, drawing back. "They're right around thecorner. But they're back to and won't see us. Come on, let'swatch!"

"That big fellow is badly hurt," whispered Pancho as thethree, emboldened by the men's position and their own excitement,darted from the cave and dropped behind a sheltering rock whencethey had a clear view of the whole scene.

"Dead!" muttered Larañaga. "If it weren't for being shot bymistake by our friends we could now escape. These fellows couldnot see us until we reached the bottom of the canyon."

Bob grasped his arm. "Look!" he cried. "Where on earth didthat come from?"

At his words the others turned toward the Rotos at whom Bobwas gazing in puzzled amazement. From between the shoulders ofthe nearer man a slender shaft projected like a miniatureflagstaff. Before the astonished three could speak, other shaftsflashed downward to stand quivering, one in the sprawled body ofthe dead Slav, another within an inch of the surviving Roto, who,apparently oblivious of his companions' fate, was still firing atthe men across the canyon. But at the impact of the missile heturned, uttered a startled cry, and twisting over on his backfired straight upward.

"Arrows!" gasped Larañaga. "Indians! From above!They—"

The words died on his lips as he stared at the Roto. Gazingtoward the canyon rim with rolling, fear-filled eyes, he workedthe rifle bolt frantically but only metallic clicks followed. Themagazine was empty. With an oath he cast the useless weaponaside, half rose, then remembering the enemies across the canyon,he dropped back and like a gigantic reptile clawed and writhedhis way toward the cavern's mouth. Never had the boys dreamedsuch awful fear could be written on a human face.

Scarcely had he moved forward his own length when a largestone whanged on the ledge before him. With a jerk and a cry ofterror he flung himself back. Too late! With a sickening thud arock struck his back. He screamed, and doubling up like ajackknife writhed horribly for a moment and then lay still."Quick!" cried Larañaga, leaping to his feet. "It is over! We aresaved!"

"Hold on! Wait!" yelled Pancho, grabbing the Peruvian andjerking him back. "They'll think you're a Roto and shoot at you.We'll show ourselves first. They'll recognize us. Come on, Bob!Jump up and yell like blazes!"

As they did so, Bob's father sprang from behind a rock andcame dashing across the canyon, followed by Haskins and Red.

THE boys and Larañaga raced down the narrow ledge and skirtedthe face of the cliff to the bottom of the canyon to meet thethree men.

"Where's them blasted Rotos?" demanded Haskins, as the twogroups converged. "What happened to 'em? Did we get 'em or was itthem Injuns on the cliff?"

"Madre de Dios! Did you not know then?" pantedLarañaga. "I thought you sent Indians to attack from above."

"Gosh it was awful!" exclaimed Bob.

"They killed one with an arrow and the other with rocks!"interrupted Pancho.

"Yes, and that big Peter was already shot," put inLarañaga.

"But who in time were them Injuns?" demanded Haskins. "I seen'em up there, thro win' somethin' down. Let's go up an' have alook at them Rotos. We'll want the rifles, anyhow."

As the two boys, shuddering a bit, approached the dead men,Pancho uttered a surprised cry and darting forward seized thearrow-like shaft that had struck the rocks. "It—it's one ofKespi's throwing spears!" was his amazing declaration.

"It sure is!" gasped Bob. "But—"

"You mean—" began Mr. Stillwell, "you mean it's a weaponbelonging to those Indian friends of yours?"

"How about this here pig-sticker?" asked Red who had withdrawnthe spear from the body of the dead Roto.

"That's old Tonak's!" cried Bob excitedly. His spears alwayshad this mushroom-shaped mark and a silver band. But Dad! howcould they be here?"

"It sure beats me," commented Red. "Them Injuns made a mightygood job of it. Cleaned out the whole nest. That Peter wasn'tshot by a bullet. There's a hole in his head, but not a bullethole or I'm a liar."

"Yes, by hookey, an' I figger this is what made it,"interrupted Haskins. As he spoke he exhibited a smoothly finishedspherical object of grayish stone.

"That's a sling stone!" cried Bob, "just like those theIndians used."

"By Jove!" exclaimed Mr. Stillwell, who had taken the littleball from Haskins. "Did you notice it's weight, Haskins? It'stin—cassiterite—stream-tin! And as heavy as lead. Nowonder it could kill a man."

"'Pears to me," Haskins observed, "that them three Injuns mustha' been campin' on our trail ever since we met up with theboys."

"Gee, I'd like to see them again!" declared Bob.

"Me too!" chimed in Pancho. "Can't we find them and thank themfor helping us?"

Red chuckled, "I reckon not," he said. "If they'd wanted to bemet up with they'd have been here by now. Looks to me like theirjob's done and most likely they're hittin' the high spots ontheir way back to their hide-out."

BUT Red was mistaken. As the party crossed to where the restof the expedition lay hidden behind the rocks, the boys haltedand glanced back.

"Look! Look!" cried Bob excitedly. "There they are!"

Standing upon the verge of the canyon wall, motionless asstatues, were three figures that the boys would have knownanywhere. Wildly they shouted and waved their hats.

"Tonak! Kespi! Kenko!" they yelled at the tops of their lungs.For a moment the Indians upon the cliff top remained silent, asquiet as if carved from stone. Then slowly they raised theirarms, their right hands lifted toward the sky, their left handsresting over their hearts in the Incan gesture of farewell.

"Ayhualla! Ayhualla!" Faint and thin as the whisper ofa breeze the words drifted across the canyon. The next instantthe three figures vanished.

In silence the boys turned to the waiting horses. Silentlythey mounted and rode forward as with the cracking of whips, theshouts of Cholos and Indians, the clatter of hoofs and the trampof the Slavs' hobnailed boots the cavalcade once again resumedits interrupted journey.

"Day after tomorrow we'll be in La Raya," muttered Bob with anote of regret in his voice. "But—well, I suppose it willbe awfully tame after all the adventures we've had. Somehow I'dlike to be going back to Tonak's village."

"So would I," declared Pancho. "I'd give a lot to be withthose Incans again. They're mighty fine fellows."

Mr. Stillwell smiled. "Remember the old saying, boys," hereminded them. "Distance lends enchantment, you know."

"By gum, I don't know about that neither," exclaimedHaskins.

"Seems to me the nearer I be to my pay the better it looks.Danged if it don't."

THE END