ly required, I will cause my people to form
a litter to transport you to a place of safety. What has occurred must
remain secret for a time. I can trust you; but some of the people in
your company who have escaped, might betray our proceedings to the
authorities. Their lives are safe, but we must keep them prisoners till
they can no longer injure us by being at liberty."

Neither my father nor I could understand what he meant, and before we
could ask an explanation, he had left us. We watched his movements, and
saw him place each of the survivors of our party between a guard of four
armed Indians. Some of his followers took charge of the baggage mules;
others lifted up the dead bodies of their friends; while the rest were
busily employed in collecting the arrows and the other Indian missiles
and weapons; and they then again formed in marching order. A few had
constructed a litter, and brought it to the foot of the cliff, down
which Manco, with my father's aid, now conveyed me.

"I wish to have no sign of our having taken share in the fray," observed
the Indian. "The lions and condors will take good care that none shall
discover how those men died."

As he spoke, I looked up, and observed several of those mighty monsters
of the air hovering above our heads, ready to pounce down on their prey
as soon as we should have left them to enjoy their banquet undisturbed.

At a sign from Manco, whom the Indians seemed to obey with the greatest
zeal and respect, they lifted up my litter, and bore it along at a rapid
rate. My father mounted a horse which was brought him, Manco rode
another, and the priest was accommodated with a mule; but the rest of
the Spaniards were compelled to walk, except poor Jose, who was carried,
as was I, on the shoulders of some Indians; but they did not seem at all
to like the office, nor to regard the rest of their prisoners with any
feeling of good-will. Every arrangement was made with great
promptitude; and as I watched from my litter the Indian warriors filing
before me, I could scarcely help thinking that I saw a portion of the
very army which the great Incas were accustomed to lead to victory.

We proceeded along what might be called the high road for some miles,
when we struck off across the mountains to the left, the latter part of
the time being guided by torches, for it had become too dark otherwise
to see our way. At last we arrived at a small hut, built on the side of
a rugged m