At the same instant, happening
to turn my head towards the mountain, I saw descending it, at a rapid
pace, a person whom I recognised as Ithulpo. He rushed on, leaping from
rock to rock at the risk of instant destruction. Nothing served to
impede his course. Life and death depended on him. He had discovered
the soldiers. For an instant he stopped, as if to consider whether he
could reach us before they did. Then on again he came as fast as
before. He was almost breathless when he arrived.

"Call in all the people, and shut the gates and doors!" he exclaimed,
panting as he spoke. "The soldiers will destroy you all without mercy
if they once gain an entrance. Hold out but a short hour or less, and a
force will be here which will drive back our enemies to the sea."

My father, astounded at what he heard, considered what was best to be
done. The advanced guard was already nearly half way up the hill. If
we attempted to block out the Spaniards, it would at once be
acknowledging ourselves guilty of some crime; but if we let them in,
unless Ithulpo deceived us, we might be subjected to ill-treatment. At
the utmost, with the few servants and some Indians who happened to be in
the house, we could not hope to hold out many minutes against the
formidable force now approaching.

"Do you hesitate?" exclaimed Ithulpo vehemently. "I tell you, Senor, I
speak the truth. Ah, there comes the army of the Inca! Death to the
tyrants of Peru."

As he spoke, he pointed up the mountain, when I saw, winding among the
rocks, a large body of Indians. Every instant others appeared, till the
surrounding heights and the whole gorge, through which the road wound,
was covered with them. They rushed impetuously down the mountain side,
a strong body making evidently for our house. The Spaniards, who had
also discovered them, redoubled their efforts to climb the mountain, for
the purpose, it was also very clear, of occupying the house before the
Indians could reach it.

The Indians were armed with firelocks of every sort and size, and of
curious antique forms, hoarded up with jealous care by father and son
for many a long year, to be ready for the days of retribution, which
they hoped had now arrived. A large proportion, however, had only clubs
and spears, and bows and arrows, and slings of the same description as
those used by their ancestors when they first encountered the Spaniards.
To counterbalance in a degree their deficiency