r in the mountains, carrying eighty loads of gold. Across
the Juaja River and past Lake Chinchaycocha they came, till they
arrived at the city of Huanuco.

"There were temples and gold and priests and soldiers. But when the
soldiers of the Inca saw the horses of the Spaniards and heard the
guns, they became frightened and ran away like little children,
carrying their gold. Never before had they seen white men, or guns, or
horses.

"With them came many priests and women, to the snow of the mountains.
And after many days of suffering they came to a cave, wherein they
disappeared and no more were seen, nor could Hernando Pizarro and his
twenty horsemen find them to procure their gold.

"And before they entered the cave they scaled a rock near its entrance
and carved thereon the likeness of a horse to warn their Inca brethren
of the Spaniards who had driven them from Huanuco. That is his story,
senor."

"But who told you all this, Felipe?"

The arriero shrugged his shoulders and glanced about, as much as to
say, "It is in the wind."

"But the cave?" cried Desiree. "Where is the cave?"

"It is there, senora," said Felipe, pointing through a passage to the
right.

Then nothing would do for Desiree but to see the cave. The arriero
informed her that it was difficult of access, but she turned the
objection aside with contempt and commanded him to lead.

Harry, of course, was with her, and I followed somewhat unwillingly;
for, though Felipe's history was fairly accurate, I was inclined to
regard his fable of the disappearing Incas as a wild tradition of the
mountains.

He had spoken aright--the path to the cave was not an easy one. Here
and there deep ravines caused us to make a wide detour or risk our
necks on perilous steeps.

Finally we came to a small clearing, which resembled nothing so much as
the bottom of a giant well, and in the center of one of the steep walls
was an opening some thirty or forty feet square, black and rugged, and
somehow terrifying.

It was the entrance to the cave.

There Felipe halted.

"Here, senor. Here entered the Incas of Huanuco with their gold."

He shivered as he spoke, and I fancied that his face grew pale.

"We shall explore it!" cried Desiree, advancing.

"But no, senora!" The arriero was positively trembling. "No! Senor,
do not let her go within! Many times have my countrymen entered in
search of the gold, and americanos, too, and never did they return. It