nclusion
at which Escombe could arrive being that the Indian had deserted under
the influence of pique at some unintentional affront and gone back to
his own people.

It was some two months later--by which time the party was drawing near
to Santa Rosa, and the great railway survey was approaching completion--
that in the dead of a dark and starless night three Indians stealthily
approached the surveyors' camp and, having first reconnoitred the ground
as carefully as the pitch darkness would permit, made their way,
noiseless as shadows, to the tent occupied by young Escombe. The
leading Indian was Arima, the two who followed were very old men, their
scanty locks, white as snow, hanging to their shoulders, their ascetic,
clean-cut features sharp and shrunken, yet they carried themselves as
upright as though they had been in the heyday of youth, and their sunken
eyes glowed and sparkled with undiminished fire. They wore sleeveless
shirts of pure white, finely woven of vicuna wool, reaching to the knee,
the opening at the throat and arms, and also the hem of the garment,
being richly ornamented with embroidery in heavy gold thread. This
garment was confined at the waist by a massive belt of solid gold
composed of square placques hinged together, and each elaborately
sculptured with conventional representations of the sun. Over this was
worn a long cloak, dyed blue, also woven of vicuna wool, but without
ornament of any description. Their heads were bare, and the lobe of
each ear was pierced and distended to receive a gold medallion nearly
four inches in diameter, also heavily sculptured with a representation
of the sun. Their legs were bare, but each wore sandals bound to the
feet and ankles by thongs of leather. To judge from the travel-stained
appearance of their garments they must have come a considerable
distance, and have been exposed to many vicissitudes of weather.

Entering Escombe's tent, which was dimly lighted by a hanging lamp
turned low, Arima noiselessly moved aside and silently, with
outstretched hand, indicated to his two companions the form of the
sleeping lad, who lay stretched at length upon his camp bed, breathing
the long, deep breath of profound slumber. Nodding silently, one of the
two withdrew from a pouch which hung suspended from his belt a soft
cloth and a small phial. Extracting the stopper from the latter, he
emptied the contents of the phial upon the cloth, which he then very
gradual