tter for it; he therefore
put his squeamishness on one side, and asked his companion to enlighten
him as to the manner in which he came to be where he was.

"It is very simple," answered the old woman. "While my son Yupanqui was
fishing in the river, two days ago, he caught sight of something unusual
lying at the edge of a sandbank, and upon paddling his _balsa_ to the
spot, he found your insensible body lying stranded there, bruised and
bleeding; so, like a sensible boy, he took you up and brought you hither
as quickly as possible, in order that I might exercise my skill in the
attempt to restore you to life. We managed to do so at last, between
us; but you were _caduco_ (crazy), and could tell us nothing of
yourself, for you spoke persistently in a language that we did not
understand; so, as soon as it was seen that you would live, I busied
myself in dressing your wounds and bruises, after which I prepared for
you a certain medicine which, as I expected, threw you into a deep
sleep, from which you have at length awakened in your right mind. And
now you have but to lie still and allow your wounds to heal. Which
reminds me that now is a very favourable time to dress them afresh."

"Two days ago--stranded on a sandbank!" repeated Escombe in
bewilderment. "I do not understand you, Mother. Surely I have not been
lying insensible for two whole days! And how could I possibly have
become stranded on a sandbank? I fell into the river in the _quebrada_,
and I am prepared to avouch that there were no sandbanks there!"

"In the _quebrada_! Is it possible?" echoed the old woman. "Why, the
end of the _quebrada_ is more than a mile away from where Yupanqui found
you! But I think I begin to understand a little. You are not a
Spaniard--I can tell that by your accent--therefore you must be an
Ingles, one of the _ingenieros_ who are making the new railway among the
mountains. Is it not so?"

"You have guessed it, Mother," answered Escombe. "Yes, I was taking
some measurements in the _quebrada_ when the rope by which I was hanging
broke, and I fell into a tree, and thence on to the rocks beneath, after
which I lost consciousness."

"Ah!" exclaimed the old woman, as she proceeded to remove deftly the
bandages and re-dress Harry's hurts; "yes, it is wonderful--very
wonderful; for if you had not chanced to fall into the tree before
striking the rocks, you must certainly have been killed. That I can
quite understand. But