Leo E. Miller

“ Darkness, like a cloak of mourning, will sweep over the valley and blot from your sight each familiar thing. In the cold blackness, with the chill gnawing into your bones, you will grovel in the dust and raise your voice in lamentations and in prayer, but your words will be wasted, for you will be powerless to drive away the darkness. All that live will curse Quizquiz and Villac Umu, and rightly accuse them of having brought the terrible catastrophe upon their heads.”
The Inca grew pale and arose from his cushions. ”

“ To their surprise they saw that it was a great mound of gold.
“Assembled here is all the treasure in the valley,” Soncco said solemnly. “Gold has been the curse of the nation, but we are determined to be cursed with it no longer. So much of the gold and precious stones as one hundred men can carry on their backs will be sent with our white friends to the outer world, as a token of the Inca’s appreciation of their unselfish service to him and to the people. The remainder will be destroyed.”
To the astonishment of Ted and Stanley a long line of men began filing past the glistening heap. ”

“ When your backs are chained to the cold stones, when the snakes have struck and the poison from their fangs is burning in your veins, you will think of your words and wish you had left them unsaid,” Quizquiz hissed. “We have proof of the sun’s power. We are not blind. Each day as the florid tints of dawn light up the eastern sky we are reminded anew of his glory and greatness. Without his light and warmth the valley would be steeped in everlasting gloom, and life could not exist. ”

“ When the sun plunged into the masses of yellowish mist that clung to the rim of the crater a bright moon was already high in the heavens. The transformation from day to night was sudden, for in the tropics the light fades abruptly, and darkness swoops upon the land almost as a black cloud scurrying across the face of the sun obliterates the brilliant radiance in a short space of time. ”

“ You are here, my captives, and I, Quizquiz, am king now! You shall suffer for those insults to me, and for your treachery to Huayna Capac when you protected the youth he had condemned to die. You shall not get away this time, be assured of that. You shall know what it is to suffer bitter agony, and when death comes to relieve you from the torture you will welcome it. ”

“ What have I done to deserve such punishment? Slaves all, you do not deserve to have a king to rule and to protect you; better by far that I return to the glory of the Sun, whence I came, and leave you to perish miserably without my wise guidance than remain among you. Is there not a single man of intelligence in my whole nation?”
This was no doubt the cue for the high priest. It was inconceivable that the plan had not been prearranged, and judging by the looks of several in the crowd, Ted and Stanley were not the only ones to see through the wily monarch’s tactics. ”

“ The Sun-God will protect his children. He demands vengeance upon you particularly because you profaned his temple; he never forgets. Perhaps you too have a god? Why not appeal to him? Of what use is any god if he will not help you?”
At this sally Quizquiz and Villac Umu burst into loud laughter. Several in the crowd followed their example.
“Yes,” the high priest seconded, “call upon your god. Tell him to show us what he can do; we shall see who is the more powerful, yours or our own.”
“The sun is not a god at all, if you want to know the truth,” Stanley hotly proclaimed. ”

“ They will cast off their superstitious reverence for you, for they will see in you the weakling you are, dominated by a cunning hypocrite who calls himself high priest, but who is, in reality, lower than the snakes in the temple.”
“Speech shall not be denied you,” the Inca mocked. “The more you talk the surer I am that your anguish has commenced. What next?”
“Do you not fear our friends in the outer world, whose number is greater than the grains of sand in the desert? They will avenge our death. You and your people will be reduced to slavery and destroyed!” ”

“ Ted said. He did not like the attitude of the questioner, and Stanley was visibly uneasy.
For a moment Quizquiz surveyed them. His face, while handsome, bore a sullen expression, and the beady black eyes and drooping mouth bespoke a cruel and cunning disposition.
“Yes, yes,” he said impatiently. “But are you gods? Are you brothers of the sun, or companions of the moon? You speak with the voices of men. You ask for food and rest, like mortals.”
“All who would make known their thoughts must speak with the voices of men. ”

“ THE VILLAINY OF VILLAC UMU
A few breaths of the fresh, outer air restored the two prisoners to their senses, although it was some time before the stupor caused by the suffocating fumes left them entirely; this was followed by severe spells of coughing and a choking sensation. They asked for water but none was given them.
If Quizquiz had looked upon them before with a triumphant gleam in his eyes, he now regarded them with utter disdain. An insect or a reptile could not have been treated with greater contempt. ”

“ A new horror is stalking through the valley. Every one is terror-stricken. An undefinable dread clutches at each heart. The air is heavy with forebodings and vibrates with the rumblings from monster throats that bespeak death and destruction. We are in your power. If this be a punishment, let it be inflicted upon those of us who deserve it, but spare those who are innocent the anguish and the suffering they are compelled to endure awaiting an unknown fate.”
“Wait,” Stanley said simply. Then, turning to Ted: “This is awful. ”

“ Look, Villac Umu! Do you see anything?”
The Inca and the high priest were anxiously scanning [175] the heavens, shielding their eyes with jewel-bedecked hands. Concern and fear were plainly pictured in their faces.
“It is not the drink.” Stanley was quick enough to comprehend the situation and to make use of it to their advantage. “What you see is a giant hand grasping the neck of your helpless Sun-God. Soon his light will fade and you will be floundering in the darkness. Your time has come!”
Then to Ted in a joyous shout: “I was right! I was right! Look! The eclipse; it is starting.” ”

“ Stanley announced.
[85] “I will hear your words, but let your speech be brief, for I am weary.”
“The great vehicle would carry the Inca into the sky, high above the tallest mountain-peaks, where the air is pure and where not even the condor dares venture; out of reach of the contaminating earth, to play among the clouds and to bask in the bright sunlight; it would take him so high that the radiance of the sun could descend upon his sacred person; men would be blinded by the dazzling splendor of the great king,” Stanley announced solemnly. ”

“ Far ahead, and to one side, lay a circle of yellow vapor; it seemed to hug the earth in a solid ring, while columns and whisps rose into the sky to a great height. That could mean but one thing. It was the impenetrable barrier of poisonous gases arising from the chain of volcanoes surrounding the Hidden Valley. A quarter of an hour later they had crossed the margin of the ring. There it was, directly beneath them—the long valley with its winding river, Uti with the dismal lagoon glistening in the sunlight, and the great wall that separated the two places showing like a narrow gray ribbon. ”

“ Nor shall you long be kept in ignorance of the fate that awaits you, for the knowledge will add to your torment. The highest intellect of the nation shall pass the sentence. The valley will be rid of you forever and we shall live in peace, knowing well that your secret ends with your lives,” he roared.
“Quizquiz,” said Stanley, recovering his senses sufficiently to speak, and shaking his clenched fists up at the Inca before the guards roughly grasped his arms. “You cannot frighten us with your threats; it is you who are afraid, not we. ”

“ Soncco was in despair. An expression of helplessness spread over his face.
“The person of the Inca always has been considered holy, and it cannot be violated now,” he wailed. “I ought not to listen to your words, for they are blasphemy. I should not have come here at all. And I should not have stayed on and on after I got here, were it not for one fact——”
“That you know I am speaking the truth,” Stanley interrupted. “The truth is painful as often as not, but it is best to listen while there is time. If you delay you will be lost.” ”

“ Quizquiz said indulgently. “After listening to the jabbering of these ignoble ones my ears long for words of real wisdom, such as always flow from your lips.”
“I, Villac Umu, high priest of the Temple of the Sun though I am, do not deserve the praise of my adored sovereign. What man, indeed, lives who is worthy of even one glance from those august eyes, or one thought from that godlike mind?” ”

“ And if Quizquiz keeps on at the rate he is going, he will break down and destroy all that the others before him have built up at such enormous cost and sacrifice. And that will mean the end of the hidden people, the last remnant of the once powerful and glorious nation. Those who survive will be like your brethren in the outer world, downtrodden, miserable, and without hope.”
“Quizquiz is young, and he is under the spell of an evil influence.”
“Yes, Villac Umu. We must get rid of him by all means. And we must save the nation. We want you to help us help you to do these things.” ”

“ You seem to be a man of intelligence, but if you are really in earnest it is time you knew better. The Inca is a person like any one else, and is great only because the people make him so. Strip him of his crown, his jewels, and his finery, and he would look exactly like any other human being. Dress him in the rags of a menial, and he would not even be recognized in the street. He eats, drinks, and sleeps just as we do; he is a king because the people are ignorant enough to want some one to worship and to bow to,” Stanley said. ”

“ It was a signal to the soldiers. Like an avalanche they swept upon the plane. The engine not running, Stanley’s gun was useless, but Ted swung his weapon and pulled the trigger. Three shots rattled out in quick succession; then the gun jammed and was worthless. The mob was upon them in a flash. Ted and Stanley fought valiantly, but the fight was of short duration. Numerous hands clutched them; they struck back with wrenches, but so soon as one of the soldiers dropped another jumped into his place. The odds against them were too great to be overcome. ”

“ Halting an instant he had spoken quickly and in a whisper to Villac Umu, whereupon an officer and a squad of soldiers, accompanied by one of the priests, entered the labyrinth of galleries that undermined the holy edifice to start the smudges. Then, without referring to his experience, the Inca calmly seated himself on the throne and proceeded with the business for which the assembly had been called. As king he owed explanations to no man; and, besides, he was in no humor to recall or to make known to others the humiliation he had suffered. ”

“ Quizquiz truly travelled in all the barbaric splendor and luxury at his command. Riding aloft in his golden litter, borne on the shoulders of his uncomplaining nobles, he looked down haughtily upon the throng that formed his escort; he even gazed defiantly or with a superior air at the snow-capped mountains in the distance marking the confines of his empire, as if they, too, were subject to his wishes. Occasionally he amused himself by striking those nearest him with his whip, or in admiring the flashing jewels on his fingers and around his neck. ”

“ The future must take care of itself,” said Stanley.
“While we are so near to it, I wish we could take a peep into the Hidden Valley. Perhaps Huayna Capac, the Inca, is dead, and Quizquiz is king now. I am sorry for everybody in the valley if he is their ruler. The old king at least tried to be kind and generous, the best he knew how, but Quizquiz will be a tyrant in every sense of the word. He is conceited, arrogant, and cruel. ”

“ It is Quizquiz who will change his mind at the proper time. And, remember, you shall be well paid.”
“Who will reward me?”
“The king. Be patient. You shall see in a few days.”
“My head is dizzy. I cannot think clearly. But no matter what happens I can be no worse off than I am. I curse the day that Villac Umu obtained his evil power over Quizquiz,” Soncco murmured.
“Come back at nightfall, then,” Stanley continued. “We want you to take these boxes away again. Bring only one man with you this time—some one you can trust absolutely. If he is deaf, dumb, and blind, it will be all the better.” ”

“ Then one solemn voice made itself heard above the multitude:
“Stay in your places,” it shouted, “for you know not what new terror may overtake you if you move. Do nothing—yet. First beg the white man, who has shown you his power, to bring back the sunlight he has taken away, then——”
A deafening crash cut short the words that came from Soncco’s lips. Then more crashes came, followed by roars and rumbles that shook the very ground beneath their feet.
Ted and Stanley were nearly as much startled as were the others, for in the excitement of the moment they had completely forgotten the dynamite. ”

“ There let them remain, the men to gaze in terror into the green eyes of the merciless monsters, and the snakes to glare with impatience and increasing rage at the victims who cannot escape them. Hour after hour you shall witness this glorious spectacle. The heat of the midday sun and hunger and thirst will add to the suffering of the captives. But human nature can endure only so much, and then at last their limbs will grow numb and sag, and they will crumple and fall to the ground. ”

“ The brutes were in a deadly embrace, and rolled over and over on the rock-strewn ground, biting, clawing, and tearing at one another with all the ferocity of their savage nature. The onlookers could not tell whether this was the settling of an ancient grudge, or if the tiger that had been on the ground had quickly realized the helplessness of the one that had fallen from above, and had taken advantage of the opportunity to easily rid the crater of one of its own kind, of which there [211] may have been more than the limited space could conveniently support. ”