d promised to give them upon the very first
opportunity which presented itself as being likely to promise success.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

THE RED DAY OF CUZCO.

A fortnight had passed since that memorable night upon which Jim
communicated his plan of escape to his fellow-prisoners, and still no
opportunity had come for the Chilians to make a bid for freedom. For
some days after Douglas had communicated with them the weary men had
brightened up considerably. The spark of hope which glimmered in the
midst of their darkness gave them strength to bear up under their many
misfortunes. But as day after day came and went without the signal
being given, a dull despair had taken the place of hope, and many a
worn-out and soul-sick man fell down in the dusty road, never to rise
again. Belonging, as the bulk of the prisoners did, to a southern race,
they were very easily cheered up or cast down, and their despair was all
the deeper for the short interval of hope which had been given them.
The majority of them seemed to have almost resigned themselves to fate,
and were looking forward to nothing better than a lifelong captivity in
the mines of Sorata. To such an extent, indeed, was this the case that
Jim realised that, unless an opportunity should very shortly occur
whereby he could put his scheme into execution, his companions would be
too profoundly dispirited to attempt to make use of the chance of escape
when it should actually arrive. He had told them, however, at the
outset that it would be folly to make the attempt while crossing the
mountains; for, even should they contrive to get away, they would be in
the heart of a hostile country, where they might easily be recaptured.
The young Englishman's plan had been to wait until they got farther
south, when they would again be comparatively close to the coast, so
that they might escape thither and trust to being able to get away in
boats. But the long-protracted waiting, coupled with the intense cold
which they experienced up among the mountains, was fast taking all the
heart out of the prisoners, and Jim saw that unless the attempt were
made almost at once everything would be lost.

They were now nearing Cuzco, having travelled nearly half the distance
to Sorata, and the weary men hoped to sleep that very night in the
ancient capital of the Incas. Jim had managed to interchange a few
hasty words about mid-day with the officers of his own group, all men of
high courag