ntable behaviour of his abductors, found
himself partaking of the said breakfast, presented to him in a service
of solid gold of curious but most elaborate design and workmanship, and
waited upon by his entire suite with as much ceremony and obsequiousness
as though he were a king.

CHAPTER NINE.

TIAHUANA TELLS A STRANGE STORY.

Escombe's appetite was good, the food delicious, the cooking perfection,
the service irreproachable, if somewhat elaborate. It is not to be
wondered at, therefore, that the young man made an excellent meal, and
that at its conclusion he should feel himself in admirable form for
tackling his captors upon the subject of their outrageous abduction of
him. Therefore, after performing his post-prandial ablutions in a basin
of solid gold, held before him by a kneeling man, and drying himself
upon an immaculate towel woven of cotton which was a perfect miracle of
absorbent softness, tendered to him by another kneeling man, he
resolutely seated himself upon a moss-grown rock which happened to
conveniently protrude itself from the soil close at hand, and proceeded
to deal with the matter. He had no difficulty in recognising that
Tiahuana and Motahuana were the two wielders of authority in his
escort--which, by the way, he noticed had a persistent trick of
arranging itself about him in a tolerably close circle of which he was
the centre--he therefore opened the proceedings by remarking:

"Now, before I go another step I insist upon having a full and explicit
explanation of your unwarrantable behaviour in entering my camp last
night and abducting me, to the serious detriment of the exceedingly
important work upon which I am engaged. You have assured me that I have
nothing to fear at your hands, and you appear to be quite satisfied that
in abducting me you have got the man you want; but I am as far as ever
from understanding what your motive can be. Which of you two men is
responsible for the outrage?"

"I am the responsible one, Lord," answered Tiahuana. "I, the high
priest of the remnant of the ancient Peruvian race, now and for many
long years established in the city of the Sun which, unknown to any but
ourselves, lies hidden far away among the mountains. You demand an
explanation of what you have termed my unwarrantable action in taking
possession of your august person. It is a just and reasonable demand,
Lord; moreover, it is necessary that you should have it. Therefore, let
my Lord