own and his fellow servants' predicament, turned to Umu and cried:

"Stay, Lord, I pray you, and visit not upon us the misdeeds of our lord.
When I said just now that I knew not the whereabouts of my Lord
Huanacocha, I spoke only the truth, for indeed I cannot tell for certain
where he is--nay, Lord, have patience, and hear what I have to say ere
you condemn me to a frightful death for a fault which is not mine. It
is indeed true that I know not where my Lord Huanacocha is to be found,
for he did not deign to tell me his business when he went out last
night; but I believe I can form a very good guess as to where he now
is."

"You can?" ejaculated Umu. "Then say on, and that right quickly. For
within the next five minutes this house will be ablaze, and you within
it, if you have not by then told me what I want to know." Then, turning
to a sergeant, he said: "Take with you a dozen men; bring everything in
the house that will burn, pile it in this hall, and pour on it all the
oil you can find. Now, sirrah, proceed with your tale."

"Then, Lord, in brief, it is this," answered the wretched steward,
speaking as well as his chattering teeth would allow. "From words which
I have overheard from time to time of late passing between my Lord
Huanacocha and others, especially the new Villac Vmu, I believe that
when my master left this house last night he did so with the purpose of
accompanying the High Priest and an armed party to the palace in order
to seize the person of our Lord the Inca and convey him to the temple,
that he might be subjected to the fire ordeal, to prove whether or no--"

"The fire ordeal, say you?" roared Umu in a paroxysm of fury, as the
full horror of the situation at last dawned upon him.

"Even so, Lord," answered the quaking steward. "I heard my--"

"You had reason to believe that your master had conspired with the
Villac Vmu to seize the Inca and subject him to the fire ordeal, yet you
never took the trouble to come and report the matter to me?" roared Umu.

"I--I--Lord, I knew not that--it was no part of my duty to--" stammered
the wretched steward, as too late he began to realise the terrible
nature of the predicament in which he had placed himself by his too
great fidelity to his master.

"It is enough," interrupted Umu. "Bind him hand and foot; lay him upon
that pile yonder; and set fire to it. Sergeant Huarima, you will remain
here with six men to ensure the utter destruction of thi