by my Lord
Tiahuana as perfectly satisfactory; but on the other I think there is
reason in the objection raised by my Lord Huanacocha that the aspirant
is a white man. Notwithstanding what has been said by the High Priest,
my conviction is that the true Manco, when he appears, will be born
among us and be one of ourselves. I am unconvinced."

Thus the expression of opinion went on until all had given one, when it
appeared that Huanacocha had four adherents to his views, the remainder
of the nobles being quite unanimous in their conviction that Harry was
in very deed the re-incarnation of the first Manco. He was therefore
accepted by an overwhelming majority, as Tiahuana had confidently
anticipated; and the discomfited Huanacocha and his friends were
compelled to waive their objections, which, after recording them, they
did with a somewhat better grace than might have been expected.

Then came the ceremony of swearing allegiance to the new sovereign,
which was done by every individual present, beginning with Tiahuana, who
was followed by Motahuana and the entire body of the priests, who, in
their turn, were succeeded by the nobles, beginning with Huanacocha.

By the time that this ceremony was concluded the afternoon was well
advanced and it was time to repair to the main body of the temple, where
the service of thanksgiving was to be held; and in consideration of the
fact that Harry was a stranger, and of course completely ignorant of the
religious ritual followed by the worshippers of the Sun, Motahuana was
told off to accompany and prompt him. Accordingly, led by the deputy
High Priest, the young monarch, followed by the nobles, passed down a
long corridor and, wheeling to the left, passed through an enormous
archway veiled by great gold-embroidered curtains which, upon being
drawn aside at their approach, revealed the whole of the vast interior
of the temple proper in which the ceremony was to be held.

When, an hour or two earlier, the young Inca--whose official name was
now Manco Capac--had approached the enormous building in which he now
found himself, he had promptly come to the conclusion that the edifice
owed little or nothing of its imposing character to the skill of the
architect; for, so far as architectural beauty was concerned, it was
almost as plain and unpretentious as his own palace: it was imposing
merely because of its immense dimensions. It consisted of a huge
rectangular block of pure white