n the ranks closed
up. The horses pranced and tossed their heads as they wheeled into
line, and the cavalcade proceeded, the band leading the way, followed by
a solitary horseman in gorgeous array who bore proudly aloft the Inca's
banner--a blue silk flag embroidered in gold and coloured thread with an
image of the rainbow, which was the symbol sacred to the Inca, and
trimmed with heavy gold fringe round the three free edges. Harry rode
immediately behind, surrounded by a little group consisting of the two
priests and the nobles who had come out to meet him, and followed by
Umu, who led his glittering and imposing regiment.

It was rather a trying ride in some respects for the young Inca, at
least at the outset, for Escombe's knowledge of the Quichua, or ancient
Peruvian, language was extremely restricted, while the nobles, with the
exception of Tiahuana and Umu, were apparently ignorant of Spanish.
Anything in the nature of conversation was therefore extremely
difficult, quite apart from the fact that everybody excepting Tiahuana
seemed altogether too shy to address the Inca, unless first spoken to by
him. Harry very quickly realised that his ignorance of the Quichua was
likely to handicap him most seriously, and he there and then ordered
Tiahuana to make the necessary arrangements to have himself taught
without delay.

But although for the first few miles of the journey the young Inca
suffered from a certain feeling of constraint, he did not allow it to
trouble him long, for if conversation lagged there was plenty apart from
it to interest and delight him. There was his horse, for instance.
Harry had alway been particularly fond of horses, and was an excellent
rider; as a boy, indeed, he had often followed the staghounds over
Dartmoor. He therefore had a very fair idea of what a horse ought to
be; but he had not been in the saddle more than five minutes, on this
particular morning, before he realised that at length he had come into
possession of that rarest of all good things, a perfect horse; perfect
in temper, shape, and action, full of fire and courage, yet with a mouth
so sensitive that it would be quite possible to control him with a
thread for a bridle, while one had but to glance at the great; hard
muscles sliding so smoothly beneath the satin skin to be assured of his
indomitable endurance and insensibility to fatigue. Then there was
plenty to interest and occupy his attention as they swept along the
g