The Treasure of the Incas: A Story of Adventure in Peru, Page 4

  CHAPTER IV

  A STREET FRAY

  "Now, senor," Dias said, "as we have settled the main point, let ustalk over the arrangements. What is the weight of your baggage?"

  "Not more than a mule could carry. Of course we shall sling our riflesover our shoulders. We have a good stock of ammunition for them and forour pistols. We shall each take two suits of clothes besides those wewear, and a case of spirits in the event of accident or illness. Weshall each have three flannel shirts, stockings, and so on, butcertainly everything belonging to us personally would not mount up tomore than a hundred and fifty pounds. We should, of course, require afew cooking utensils, tin plates, mugs, and cups. What should we needbesides these?"

  "A tent and bedding, senor. We should only have, at the start, to carrysuch provisions as we could not buy. When we are beyond the range ofvillages in the forests we might often be weeks without being able tobuy anything; still, we should probably be able to shoot game for food.We should find fruits, but flour we shall have to take with us from thelast town we pass through before we strike into the mountains, anddried meat for an emergency; and it would be well to have a bag ofgrain, so that we could give a handful or so to each of the mules. I amglad you have brought some good spirits--we shall need it in the swampsby the rivers. Your tea and coffee will save your having to buy themhere, but you will want some sugar. We must take two picks and ashovel, a hammer for breaking up ore, a small furnace, twenty cruciblesand bellows, and a few other things for aiding to melt the ore. Youwould want for the journey five baggage mules, and, of course, threeriding mules. I could hardly manage them, even with aid from you, invery bad places, and I would rather not take any strange man with me onsuch business as we have in hand. But some assistance I must have, andI will take with me my nephew Jose. He has lost his father, and I havetaken him as my assistant, and shall train him to be a guide such as Iam. He is but fifteen, but he already knows something of his business,and such an expedition will teach him more than he would learn in tenyears on the roads."

  "That would certainly be far better than having a muleteer whom youcould not trust, Dias. My brother and myself will be ready to lend youa hand whenever you want help of any kind. We have not had anyexperience with mules, but sailors can generally turn their hands toanything. Now, how about the eight mules?"

  "I have five of my own, as good mules as are to be found in theprovince; we shall have to buy the three others for riding. Of course Ihave saddles and ropes."

  "But you will want four for riding."

  "No, senor; yours and the one I ride will be enough. Jose at times willtake my place, and can when he likes perch on one of the most lightlyladen animals."

  "How much will the riding mules cost?"

  "I can get fair ones for about fifty dollars apiece; trade is slack atpresent owing to the troubles, and there are many who would be glad toget rid of one or two of their train."

  "And now, Dias, we come to the very important question, what are we topay you for yourself, your nephew, and the five mules--say by themonth?"

  "I have been thinking the matter over, senor--I have talked it overwith my wife"--he paused for a moment, and then said: "She wishes to gowith me, senor."

  Harry opened his eyes in surprise. "But surely, Dias, you could notthink of taking her on such an expedition, where, as you say yourself,you may meet with many grave dangers and difficulties?"

  "A woman can support them as well as a man," Dias said quietly. "Mywife has more than once accompanied me on journeys when I have beenworking on contract. We have been married for fifteen years, and shehas no children to keep her at home. She is accustomed to my being awayfor weeks. This would be for months, perhaps for two years. I made nosecret to her that we might meet with many dangers. She says they willbe no greater for her than for me. At first she tried to dissuade mefrom going for so long a time; but when I told her that you were sentme by the gentleman who saved my life a year after I married her, andthat he had recommended you to me as standing to him almost in therelation of a son, and I therefore felt bound to carry his wishes intoeffect, and so to pay the debt of gratitude that I owed him, she agreedat once that it was my duty to go and do all in my power for you, andshe prayed me to take her with me. I said that I would put it beforeyou, senor, and that I must abide by your decision."

  "By all means bring her with you, Dias. If you and she are both willingto share the dangers we should meet with, surely we cannot object inany way."

  "Thank you, senor; you will find her useful. You have already seen thatshe can cook well; and if we have Jose to look after the animals whenwe are searching among the hills, you will find it not unpleasant, whenwe return of an evening, to find a hot supper ready for us."

  "That is quite true, and I am sure we shall find your wife a greatacquisition to our party. The only difference will be, that instead ofone large tent we must have two small ones--it does not matter howsmall, so long as we can crawl into them and they are long enough forus to lie down. And now about payment?"

  "I shall not overcharge you," Dias said with a smile. "If my wife hadremained behind I must have asked for money to maintain her while wewere away. It would not have been much, for she has her garden and herhouse, and there is a bag hid away with my savings, so that if she hadbeen widowed she could still live in the house until she chose someoneelse to share it with her; she is but thirty-two, and is as comely aswhen I first married her. However, as she is going with us, there willbe no need to trouble about her. If misfortune comes upon us and I amkilled, it is likely she will be killed also. We shall have no expenseson the journey, as you will pay for food for ourselves and the animals.You will remember, senor, that I make this journey not as a businessmatter--no money would buy from me any information that I may have asto hidden mines or treasures,--I do it to repay a debt of gratitude tomy preserver, Don Henry Barnett, and partly because I am sure that Ishall like you and your brother as I did him. I shall aid you as far aslies in my power in the object for which you are undertaking thisjourney. Therefore until it is finished there shall be no talk aboutpayment. You may have many expenses beyond what you calculate upon. Ifwe meet with no success, and return to Lima empty-handed, I shall havelost nothing. I shall have had no expenses at home, my wife and I willhave fed at your expense, and Jose will have learned so much that hewould be as good a guide as any in the country. You could then give methe three mules you will buy, to take the place of any of mine that mayhave perished on the journey, and should you have them to spare, I willtake a hundred dollars as a _bueno mano_. If we succeed, and youdiscover a rich mine or a hidden treasure, you shall then pay me whatit pleases you. Is it a bargain?"

  "The bargain you propose is ridiculously one-sided, Dias, and I don'tsee how I could possibly accept the offer you make to me."

  "Those are my terms, senor," Dias said simply, "to take or to leave."

  "Then I cannot but accept them, and I thank you most heartily;" and heheld out his hand to Dias, and the Indian grasped it warmly.

  "When do you propose we shall start?"

  "Will this day week suit you, senor? There are the mules to buy, andthe tents to be made--they should be of vicuna skin with the wool stillon, which, with the leather kept well oiled, will keep out water. Weshall want them in the hills, but we shall sometimes find villageswhere we can sleep in shelter."

  "Not for us, Dias. Mr. Barnett has told me that the houses are for themost part alive with fleas, and I should prefer to sleep in a tent,however small, rather than lie in a bed on the floor of any one ofthem. We don't want thick beds, you know--a couple of thicknesses ofwell-quilted cotton, say an inch thick each, and two feet wide. You canget these made for us, no doubt."

  The Indian nodded.

  "That would be the best for travel; the beds the Peruvian caballerosuse are very thick and bulky."

  "You will want two for yourself and your wife, and two for Jose. By theby, we shall want a tent for him."

  Dias smiled. "It will not be neces
sary, senor; muleteers are accustomedto sleep in the open air, and with two thick blankets, and a leatherncoverlet in case of rain, he will be more than comfortable. I shallhave five leather bags made to hold the beds and blankets. But themaking of the beds and tents will take some time--people do not hurryin Lima,--and there will be the riding saddles and bridles to get, andthe provisions. I do not think we can be ready before another week. Itwill be well, then, that you should, before starting away, visit theruins of Pachacamac. All travellers go there, and it will seem onlynatural that you should do so, for there you will see the style of thebuildings, and also the explorations that were everywhere made by theSpaniards in search of treasure."

  "Very well, Dias; then this day week we shall be ready to start.However, I suppose I shall see you every day, and learn how you aregetting on with your preparations."

  Bertie had been sitting at the window looking down into the streetwhile this conversation was going on. "Well, what is it all about?" heasked, turning round as the Indian left the room. "Is it satisfactory?"

  "More than satisfactory," his brother answered. "In the first place hisnephew, a lad of fifteen, who is training as a mule-driver, is goingwith us, which is much better than getting an outsider; in the nextplace his wife is going with us."

  "Good gracious!" Bertie exclaimed, "what in the world shall we do witha woman?"

  "Well, I think we shall do very well with her, Bertie; but well or illshe has to go. She will not let her husband go without her, which isnatural enough, considering how long we shall be away, and that thejourney will be a dangerous one. But really I think she will be anacquisition to the party. She is bright and pretty, as you no doubtnoticed, and what is of more importance, she is a capital cook."

  "She certainly gave us a good meal yesterday," Bertie said, "and thoughI could rough it on anything, it is decidedly pleasanter to have awell-cooked meal."

  "Well, you see, that is all right."

  "And how many mules are we to take?"

  "Five for baggage, and three for riding. I have no doubt Dias's wifewill ride behind him, and the boy, when he wants to ride, will perchhimself on one of the baggage mules. Dias has five mules, and we shallonly have to buy the three for riding."

  "What is it all going to cost, Harry?" Bertie said when his brother hadtold him all the arrangements that had been made. "That is the mostimportant point after all."

  "Well, you will be astonished when I tell you, Bertie, that if we don'tsucceed in finding a treasure of any kind I shall only have to pay forthe three riding mules, and the expenses of food and so on, and ahundred dollars."

  "Twenty pounds!" Bertie said incredulously; "you are joking!"

  "No, it is really so; the man said that he considered that in goingwith me he is only fulfilling the obligation he is under to Mr.Barnett. Of course I protested against the terms, and would haveinsisted upon paying the ordinary prices, whatever they might be, forhis services and the use of his mules; but he simply said that thosewere the conditions on which he was willing to go with me, and that Icould take them or leave them, so I had to accept. I can only hope thatwe may find some treasure, in which case only he consented to acceptproper payment for his services."

  "Well, it is awfully good of him," Bertie said; "though really itdoesn't seem fair that we should be having the services of himself, hiswife, his boy, and his mules for nothing. There is one thing, it willbe an extra inducement to him to try and put us in the way of findingone of those mines."

  "I don't think so, Bertie; he said that not for any sum of moneywhatever would he do what he is going to do, but simply from gratitudeto Barnett. It is curious how the traditions, or superstitions, orwhatever you like to call them, of the time of the Incas have continuedto impress the Indians, and how they have preserved the secretsconfided to their ancestors. No doubt fear that the Spaniards wouldforce them to work in the mines till they died has had a great effectin inducing them to conceal the existence of these places from them.Now that the Spaniards have been cleared out there is no longer anyground for apprehension of that kind, but they may still feel that thePeruvians would get the giant's share in any mine or treasure thatmight be found, and that the Indians would, under one pretence oranother, be defrauded out of any share of it. It is not wonderful thatit should be so considering how these poor people have been treated bythe whites, and it would really seem that the way in which Spain hasgone to the dogs is a punishment for her cruelties in South America andthe Islands. It may be said that from the very moment when the goldbegan to flow the descent of Spain commenced; in spite of the enormouswealth she acquired she fell gradually from her position as thegreatest power in Europe.

  "In 1525, after the battle of Pavia, Spain stood at the height of herpower. Mexico was conquered by Cortez seven years before, Peru in 1531,and the wealth of those countries began to flow into Spain in enormousquantities, and yet her decline followed speedily. She was bearded byour bucaneers among the Islands and on the western coast; theNetherlands revolted, and after fierce fighting threw off her yoke; thebattle of Ivry and the accession of Henry of Navarre all but destroyedher influence in France; the defeat of the Armada and the capture ofCadiz struck a fatal blow both to her power on the sea and to hercommerce, and within a century of the conquest of Peru, Spain wasalready an enfeebled and decaying power. It would almost seem that thediscoveries of Columbus, from which such great things were hoped,proved in the long run the greatest misfortune that ever befell Spain."

  "It does look like it, Harry; however, we must hope that whatevereffect the discovery of America had upon Portugal or Spain, it willmake your fortune."

  Harry laughed.

  "I hope so, Bertie, but it is as well not to be too hopeful. Still, Ihave great faith in Dias, at any rate I feel confident that he will doall he can; but he acknowledges that he knows nothing for certain. I amsure, however, that he will be a faithful guide, and that though we mayhave a rough time, it will not be an unpleasant one. Now, you mustbegin to turn to account what Spanish you have learned during thevoyage; I know you have worked regularly at it while you have not beenon duty."

  "I have learned a good lot," Bertie said; "and I dare say I could askfor anything, but I should not understand the answers. I can make out alot of that Spanish _Don Quixote_ you got for me, but when Dias wastalking to you I did not catch a word of what he was saying. I supposeit will all come in time."

  "But you must begin at once. I warn you that when I am fairly off Ishall always talk to you in Spanish, for it would look very unsociableif we were always talking together in English. If you ride or walk bythe side of the boy you will soon get on; and there will be Donna Mariafor you to chat away with, and from what we saw of her I should say sheis sociably inclined. In three months I have no doubt you will talkSpanish as well as I do."

  "It will be a horrid nuisance," Bertie grumbled; "but I suppose it hasgot to be done."

  Three days later Dias said he thought they might as well start the nextday to Pachacamac.

  "We shall only want the three riding mules and one for baggage. Ofcourse we shall not take Jose or my wife. By the time we returneverything will be ready for us."

  "I shall be very glad to be off, Dias. We know no one here except SenorPasquez; and although he has been very civil and has begged us toconsider his house as our own, he is of course busy during the day, andone can't do above a certain amount of walking about the streets. So byall means let us start to-morrow morning. We may as well go this timein the clothes we wear, it will be time enough to put on the things wehave bought when we start in earnest."

  Starting at sunrise, they rode for some distance through a fertilevalley, and then crossed a sandy plain until they reached the littlevalley of Lurin, in which stand the ruins of Pachacamac. This was thesacred city of the natives of the coast before their conquest by theIncas. During their forty-mile ride Dias had told them something of theplace they were about to visit. Pachacamac, meaning "the creator of theworld," was the chief divinity of these early p
eople, and here was thegreat temple dedicated to him. The Incas after their conquest erected avast Temple of the Sun, but they did not attempt to suppress theworship of Pachacamac, and the two flourished side by side until thearrival of the Spaniards. The wealth of the temple was great; theSpaniards carried away among their spoils one thousand six hundred andeighty-seven pounds of gold and one thousand six hundred ounces ofsilver; but with all their efforts they failed to discover the maintreasure, said to have been no less than twenty-four thousand eighthundred pounds of gold, which had been carried away and buried beforetheir arrival.

  "If the Spaniards could not succeed in getting at the hiding-place,although, no doubt, they tortured everyone connected with the temple tomake them divulge the secret, it is evident there is no chance for us,"Harry said.

  "Yes, senor, they made every effort; thousands of natives were employedin driving passages through the terraces on which the temple stood. Ibelieve that they did find much treasure, but certainly not the greatone they were searching for. There is no tradition among our people asto the hiding-place, for so many of the natives perished that all towhom the secret was known must have died without revealing it toanybody. Had it not been so, the Spaniards would sooner or later havelearned it, for although hundreds have died under torture rather thanreveal any of the hiding-places, surely one more faint-hearted than therest would have disclosed them. Certain it is that at Cuzco and otherplaces they succeeded in obtaining almost all the treasures buriedthere, though they failed in discovering the still greater treasuresthat had been carried away to be hidden in different spots. ButPachacamac was a small one in comparison with Cuzco, and it wasbelieved that the treasures had not been carried far. Tradition has itthat they were buried somewhere between this town and Lima. Doubtlessall concerned in the matter fled before the Spaniards arrived, at anyrate with all their cruelty the invaders never discovered its position.The report that it was buried near may have been set about to preventtheir hunting for it elsewhere, and the gold may be lying now somewherein the heart of the mountains."

  Harry Prendergast and his brother looked in astonishment at the massivewalls that rose around the eminence on which the temple had stood. Thelatter had disappeared, but its situation could be traced on theplateau buttressed by the walls. These were of immense thickness, andformed of huge adobe bricks almost as hard as stone; even the longefforts of the Spaniards had caused but little damage to them. Theplateau rose some five hundred feet above the sea, which almost washedone face of it. Half-way up the hill four series of these massivewalls, whose tops formed terraces, stood in giant steps some fifty feethigh. Here and there spots of red paint could be seen, showing that thewhole surface was originally painted. The ascent was made by windingpassages through the walls. On the side of the upper area facing thesea could be seen the remains of a sort of walk or esplanade, withtraces of edifices of various kinds. On a hill a mile and a half awaywere the remains of the Incas' temple and nunnery, the style differingmaterially from that of the older building; it was still more damagedthan the temple on the hill by the searchers for treasure.

  Pachacamac was the most sacred spot in South America, vast numbers ofpilgrims came here from all points. The city itself had entirelydisappeared, covered deeply in sand, but for a long distance round, ithad, like the neighbourhood of Jerusalem and Mecca, been a vastcemetery, and a small amount of excavation showed the tombs of thefaithful, occupied in most cases by mummies.

  "We will ride across to the Incas' temple. There is not much to seethere, but it is as well that you should look at the vaults in whichthe treasures were hid. There are similar places at Cuzco and severalof the other ruins."

  "It may certainly be useful to see them," Harry agreed, and they rodeacross the plain. Leaving their mules outside they entered the ruins.The Indian led them into some underground chambers. He had brought atorch with him, and this he now lit.

  "You have to be careful or you might otherwise tumble into one of theseholes and break a limb; and in that case, if you were here byyourselves, you would certainly never get out again."

  They came upon several of these places. The openings were sometimessquare and sometimes circular, and had doubtless been covered withsquare stones. They were dug out of the solid ground. For about sixfeet the sides of the pit were perpendicular; in some it swelled outlike a great vase with a broad shoulder, in others it became a squarechamber of some size.

  "Some of these places were no doubt meant to store grain and otherprovisions," the Indian said, "some were undoubtedly treasuries."

  "Awkward places to find," Harry said; "one might spend a lifetime insearching for them in only one of these temples."

  "They were the last places we should think of searching," Dias said."For years the Spaniards kept thousands of men at work. I do not saythat there may not be some few places that have escaped the searchers,but what they could not with their host of workers find certainly couldnot be found by four or five men. It is not in the temples that theIncas' wealth has been hidden, but in caves, in deep mountain gorges,and possibly in ruins on the other side of the mountains where even theSpaniards never penetrated. There are such places. I know of one towhich I will take you if our search fails elsewhere. It is near thesea, and yet there are not half a dozen living men who have ever seenit, so strangely is it hidden. Tradition says that it was not the workof the Incas, but of the people before them. I have never seen itclose. It is guarded, they say, by demons, and no native would gowithin miles of it. The traditions are that the Incas, when theyconquered the land, found the place and searched it, after starving outthe native chief who had fled there with his followers and family. Somesay that they found great treasure there, others that they discoverednothing; all agree that a pestilence carried off nearly all those whohad captured it. Others went, and they too died, and the place wasabandoned as accursed, and in time its very existence became forgotten;though some say that members of the tribe have always kept watch there,and that those who carelessly or curiously approached it have alwaysmet with their death in strange ways. Although I am a Christian, andhave been taught to disbelieve the superstitions of my countrymen, Iwould not enter it on any condition."

  "If we happen to be near it I shall certainly take a close look at it,"Harry said with a laugh. "I don't fancy we should see anything that ourrifles and pistols would find invulnerable."

  It was getting dark by the time they had finished their inspection ofthe rooms, so, riding two or three miles away, they encamped in a groveup the valley. Next morning they returned to Lima. Dias had given outthat the two white senors intended to visit all the ruined temples ofthe Incas, and as other travellers had done the same their intentionexcited neither surprise nor comment.

  On the following evening after dark Harry and his brother werereturning from the house of Senor Pasquez.

  "It is a pleasant house," Harry said; "the girls are pretty and nice,they play and sing well, and are really charming. But what a contrastit was the other morning when we went in there and accidentally ranagainst them when we were going upstairs with their father, utterlyuntidy, and, in fact, regular sluts--a maid of all work would look apicture of neatness beside them."

  Bertie was about to answer, when there was an outburst of shouts from awine-shop they were passing, and in a moment the door burst open andhalf a dozen men engaged in a fierce conflict rushed out. Knives wereflashing, and it was evident that one man was being attacked by therest. By the light that streamed out of the open door they saw that theman attacked was Dias. It flashed across Harry's mind that if this manwas killed there was an end to all hope of success in their expedition.

  "Dash in to his rescue, Bertie," he cried; "but whatever you do, mindtheir knives."

  With a shout he sprang forward and struck to the ground a man who wasdodging behind Dias with uplifted knife, while Bertie leapt on to theback of another, the shock throwing the man down face forward. Bertiewas on his feet in a moment, and brought the stick he carried with allhis force down on th
e man's head as he tried to rise. Then, springingforward again, he struck another man a heavy blow on the wrist. Theknife dropped from the man's hand, and as he dashed with a fierce oathupon Bertie the stick descended again, this time on his head, andfelled him to the ground. In the meantime one of the assailants hadturned fiercely on Harry and aimed a blow at him with his knife; butwith the ease of a practised boxer Harry stepped back, and before theman could again raise the knife he leaped in and struck him atremendous blow on the point of his chin. The fifth man took to hisheels immediately. The other four lay where they had fallen, evidentlyfearing they would be stabbed should they try to get on to their feet.

  "Are you hurt, Dias?" Harry exclaimed.

  "I have several cuts, senor, but none of them, I think, serious. Youhave saved my life."

  "Never mind that now, Dias. What shall we do with these fellows--handthem over to the watch?"

  "No, senor, that would be the last thing to do; we might be detainedhere for months. I will take all their knives and let them go."

  "Here are two of them," Bertie said, picking up those of the men he hadstruck.

  Dias stood over the man Harry had first knocked down, and with a fiercewhisper ordered him to give up his knife, which he did at once. Theother was still stupid from the effect of the blow and his fall, andDias had only to take his knife from his relaxed fingers.

  "Now, senor, let us be going before anyone comes along."

  "What was it all about, Dias?" Harry asked as he walked away.

  "Many of the muleteers are jealous, senor, because I always get whatthey consider the best jobs. I had gone into the wine-shop for a glassof pulque before going round to see that the mules were all right. As Iwas drinking, these men whispered together, and then one came up to meand began to abuse me, and directly I answered him the whole of themdrew their knives and rushed at me. I was ready too, and wounded two ofthem as I fought my way to the door. As I opened it one of them stabbedme in the shoulder, but it was a slanting blow. Once out they allattacked me at once, and in another minute you would have had to lookfor another muleteer. 'Tis strange, senors, that you should have savedmy life as Mr. Barnett did. It was a great deed to risk your lives withno weapons but your sticks against five ruffians with their knives."

  "I did not use my stick," Harry said. "I am more accustomed to use myfists than a stick, and can hit as hard with them, as you saw. But mybrother's stick turned out the most useful. He can box too, but cannotgive as heavy a blow as I can. Still, it was very lucky that I followedyour advice, and bought a couple of heavy sticks to carry with us if weshould go out after dark. Now you had better come to the hotel, and Iwill send for a surgeon to dress your wound."

  "It is not necessary, senor; my wife is waiting for me in my room, shearrived this afternoon. Knife cuts are not uncommon affairs here, andshe knows quite enough to be able to bandage them."

  "At any rate we shall have to put off our start for a few days."

  "Not at all, senor; a bandage tonight and a few strips of plaster inthe morning will do the business. I shall be stiff for a few days, butthat will not interfere with my riding, and Jose will be able to loadand unload the mules, if you will give him a little assistance. Adios!and a thousand thanks."

  "That was a piece of luck, Bertie," Harry said when they had reachedtheir room in the hotel. "In the first place, because neither of us gota scratch, and in the second, because it will bind Dias more closely tous. Before, he was willing to assist us for Barnett's sake, now it willbe for our own also, and we may be quite sure that he will do his bestfor us."

  "It is my first scrimmage," Bertie said, "and I must say that Ithought, as we ran in, that it was going to be a pretty serious one. Wehave certainly come very well out of it."

  "It was short and sharp," Harry laughed. "I have always held that theman who could box well was more than a match for one with a knife whoknew nothing of boxing. One straight hit from the shoulder is sure toknock him out of time."

  Next morning Dias and his wife came up early. The former had one arm ina sling. As they entered, the woman ran forward, and, throwing her armsround Bertie, she kissed him on both cheeks. The lad was too muchsurprised at this unexpected salute to return it, as his brother didwhen she did the same to him. Then, drawing back, she poured out herthanks volubly, the tears running down her cheeks.

  "Maria asked me if she might kiss you," Dias said gravely when shestopped. "I said that it was right that she should do so, for do we notboth owe you my life?"

  "You must not make too much of the affair, Dias; four blows werestruck, and there was an end to it."

  "A small matter to you, senor, but a great one to us. A Peruvian wouldnot interfere if he saw four armed men attacking one. He would be morelikely to turn down the next street, so that he might not be called asa witness. It is only your countrymen who would do such things."

  "And you still think that you will be ready to start the day afterto-morrow?"

  "Quite sure, senor. My shoulder will be stiff and my arm in a sling fora week, but muleteers think nothing of such trifles,--a kick from amule would be a much more serious affair."

  "You don't think those rascals are likely to waylay us on the road, andtake their revenge?"

  "Not they, senor. If you could do such things unarmed, what could younot do when you had rifles and pistols? The matter is settled. Theyhave not been seriously hurt. If one of them had been killed I shouldbe obliged to be careful the next time I came here; as it is, no morewill be said about it. Except the two hurt in the wine-shop they willnot even have a scar to remind them of it. In two years they will haveother things to think about, if it is true that Colombia means to go towar with Chili."

  "What is the quarrel about, Dias?"

  "The Colombians helped us to get rid of the Spaniards, but ever sincethey have presumed a right to manage affairs here."

  "Perhaps nothing will come of it."

  "Well, it is quite certain that there is no very good feeling betweenChili, Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru."

  "I suppose they will be fighting all round some day?"

  "Yes, and it will interfere with my business. Certainly we are betteroff than when the Spaniards were here; but the taxes are heavy, andthings don't go as people expected they would when we got rid of theSpaniards. All the governments seem jealous of each other. I don't takeany interest in these matters except so far as they interfere withtrade. If every man would attend to his own affairs it would be betterfor us all."

  "I suppose so, Dias; but one can hardly expect a country that has beenso many years governed by a foreign power to get accustomed all at onceto governing itself."

  "Now, senor, I shall be glad if you will go with me and look at thestores that are already collected. I think you will find thateverything is ready."