ke the squares of a chess-board.
Others were clad in pure white, bearing hammers or maces of silver or
copper; and the guards, together with those in immediate attendance on
the Prince, were distinguished by a rich azure livery, and a profusion
of gay ornaments, while the large pendants attached to the ears
indicated the Peruvian noble.

Elevated high above his vassals came the Inca Atahualpa, borne on a
sedan or open litter, on which was a sort of throne made of massive gold
of inestimable value. The palanquin was lined with the richly colored
plumes of tropical birds, and studded with shining plates of gold and
silver. The monarch's attire was much richer than on the preceding
evening. Round his neck was suspended a collar of emeralds of uncommon
size and brilliancy. His short hair was decorated with golden ornaments,
and the imperial _borla_ encircled his temples. The bearing of the Inca
was sedate and dignified; and from his lofty station he looked down on
the multitudes below with an air of composure, like one accustomed to
command.

As the leading lines of the procession entered the great square--larger,
says an old chronicler, than any square in Spain--they opened to the
right and left for the royal retinue to pass. Everything was conducted
with admirable order. The monarch was permitted to traverse the plaza in
silence, and not a Spaniard was to be seen. When some five or six
thousand of his people had entered the place, Atahualpa halted, and,
turning round with an inquiring look, demanded, "Where are the
strangers?"

At this moment Fray Vicente de Valverde, a Dominican friar, Pizarro's
chaplain, and afterward Bishop of Cuzco, came forward with his breviary,
or, as other accounts say, a Bible, in one hand and a crucifix in the
other, and, approaching the Inca, told him that he came by order of his
commander to expound to him the doctrines of the true faith, for which
purpose the Spaniards had come from a great distance to his country. The
friar then explained, as clearly as he could, the mysterious doctrine of
the Trinity, and, ascending high in his account, began with the creation
of man, thence passed to his fall, to his subsequent redemption by Jesus
Christ, to the Crucifixion, and the Ascension, when the Saviour left the
apostle Peter as his vicegerent upon earth.

This power had been transmitted to the successors of the apostle, good
and wise men, who, under the title of popes, held authority over all