his sword, tore his weapon
from his grasp and bore him, still fighting savagely with his fists, to
the ground. In another minute it was all over; with men grasping each
of his limbs, and two or three more piled upon his prostrate body, poor
Harry was soon overcome and reduced to a condition of comparative
quiescence, after which it was not a very difficult matter to enwrap his
body with so many turns of a thin, tough, raw-hide rope that further
movement became an impossibility.

Immediately the whole place rang with howls and shouts of fiendish
rejoicing at the brilliance of the feat which had culminated in the
capture of this pestilent young foreigner, whose gallant resistance, so
far from exciting admiration in the breasts of his captors, seemed to
have filled them with the ferocity of wild beasts. As he was raised to
his feet preparatory to bearing him away to the place where a fiery
death even now awaited him, first one and then another fought and
struggled through the yelling crowd to glare into his face with
ferocious glee, and to hiss into his ear bloodcurdling hints of the doom
prepared for him.

The uproar was at its height when Escombe's preternaturally sharpened
ear detected a new note in it, a note of astonishment, consternation,
and terror that quickly overbore and drowned the tones of savage
exultation. The next instant the air was vibrant with shrieks and cries
for mercy as the crowd, scattering right and left, made way before the
levelled spears and whirling blades of the Inca's bodyguard; while the
voice of Umu, harsh and tense with concentrated fury, was heard high
above the din, exhorting his followers to let not one of those present
escape. Within a moment Umu himself, whirling a heavy battle mace about
him with savage freedom, had forced his way to Harry's side, and had
either beaten down or driven off those who had constituted themselves
his custodians.

"Are you hurt, Lord; have these sacrilegious beasts dared to harm a hair
of your head?" he panted, as he flung a supporting arm about Escombe's
bound and helpless body.

"No," answered Harry, smiling rather wanly upon him; "I am as sound as
ever I was, thank God! But you have only arrived in the very nick of
time, Umu. In another five minutes you would have been too late, my
good and trusty friend. How did you know where I was, and what was
happening?"

"The tale is too long to tell just now, Lord," answered Umu, as he
busied himself