opposite discovered him standing
motionless with folded arms.

The entire surface of the lake before me was one mass of heads and arms
and spears as far as I could see. There were hundreds of them. I saw
at once that the thing was hopeless, but I grasped my spear firmly and
stood ready.

The first two or three reached the ledge. At the same instant I heard
Harry call:

"They're coming through, Paul! It's you alone!"

I did not turn my head, for I was busy. My spear was whirling about my
head like a circle of flame. Black, dusky forms swam to the ledge and
grasped its slippery surface, but they got no farther. The shaft of
the spear bent in my hand; I picked up another, barely losing a second.

A wild and savage delight surged through me at the sight of those
struggling, writhing, slipping forms. I swung the spear in vicious
fury. Not one had found footing on the ledge.

Something suddenly struck me in the left arm and stuck there; I shook
it loose impatiently and it felt as though my arm went with it.

I did not care to glance up even for an instant; they were pressing me
closer and closer; but I knew that they had begun to hurl their spears
at me from the water, and that the game was up. Another struck me on
the leg; soon they were falling thick about me.

Calling to Harry to follow, I turned and ran for the opening in the
rock to which I had led Desiree. In an instant he had joined me.

By that time scores of the Incas had scrambled out of the water onto
the ledge and started toward us, and as many more came rushing through
the crevice, finding their way no longer contested.

Harry carried three spears. I had four. We sprang up a lane
encircling the rock to the rear and at its top found Desiree.

A projecting bit of rock gave us some protection from the spears that
were being hurled at us from below, but they came uncomfortably close,
and black forms began to appear in the lane through which we had come.

Harry shouted something which I didn't hear, and, taking Desiree in his
arms, sprang from the rock to another ledge some ten feet below.

I followed. At the bottom he stumbled and fell, but I helped him to
his feet and then turned barely in time to beat back three or four of
the Incas who had tumbled down almost on our very heads.

Immediately in front of us was a chasm several feet across. Harry
cried to Desiree, "Can you make it?" and she shook her head, pointing
to her injured foot.