"I did not think of that. Yes, that must be so. Well, you had certainly

better go at once. My brother will relieve Jose, and after the boy has

breakfasted he can return to his post, and Bertie can join me. I think if

I see the savages trying to find a path I will open fire upon them. I

don't say I should be able to hit them, for the top of those hills must be

eight or nine hundred yards' range, and it is not easy to hit an object

very much above or very much below you; but it is important that they

should know that our weapons carry as far as that; when they hear bullets

strike close to them they will hesitate about coming lower down, and

unless they do come within two or three hundred feet from the bottom they

cannot be sure of getting down."

 

Dias nodded. "That is a very good idea. Another cause of delay will be

that those at the top cannot see far down the rock on their own side, so

they will have to start by guess-work. Each party must fix upon the

easiest places on the opposite side, and then go back again and change

sides. I don't suppose they know any more of this place than we do. They

always keep down in the plains, and it is only because they met us down

there that they have followed us so far. I believe they will follow on as

long as they think there is a chance of destroying us, for they are so

jealous of any white man coming into what they regard as their country

that they would spare no pains to kill anyone who ventured there. Now I

will go, senor. You will keep near this end of the valley, in case there

should be an alarm that they are coming up the stream."

 

"Certainly; and my brother shall remain with Jose. With his rifle and the

two double-barrelled guns and Jose's musket they could hold the ravine

against anything but a rush of the whole tribe."

 

An hour later Harry saw a number of figures appear against the sky-line on

both sides. As they were clustered together, and would afford a far better

mark than a single Indian, he took a steady aim at the party on the

southern hill and fired. He had aimed above rather than below them, as,

had the ball struck much below, they might not hear it, whereas, if it

went over their heads, they would certainly do so. A couple of seconds

after firing he saw a sudden movement among the savages, and a moment

later not one was to be seen. Donna Maria, who was standing close by him

watching them, clapped her hands. "Your ball must have gone close to

them," she said, "but I don't think you hit anyone."

 

"I did not try to do so," he said. "I wanted the ball to go just over

their heads, so that they should know that even at that distance they were

not safe. I have no doubt that astonishment as much as fear made them

bolt. They'll be very careful how far they come down the side of the hill

after that. Now for the fellows on the other side."

 

But these too had disappeared, having evidently noticed the effect

produced upon the others. After a pause heads appeared here and there at

the edge of the crests. Evidently the lesson had impressed them with the

necessity for precaution, as they no longer kept together, and they had

apparently crawled up to continue their investigations. Beyond keeping a

watch to see that none had attempted to descend the slope Harry did not

interfere with them. At times he strolled to the breast-work, but no

movement had been seen in that direction. In two hours Dias returned.

 

"The gorge above is a quarter of a mile through, and very difficult to

pass. It is half-blocked with great rocks in two or three places, and

there would be immense difficulty in getting the mules over. Beyond that

it widens again, but the extent is not more than half what it is here. The

walls are almost perpendicular, and I do not think that it would be

possible to climb them at any point. Farther up there is another ravine.

It is very narrow--not half so wide as this--and the stream rushes with

great velocity along it. Two hundred yards from the entrance the rocks

close in completely, and there is a fall of water sixty or seventy feet

high."

 

"Well, that settles the point, Dias. We cannot get the animals out except

by the way they came in. As for ourselves, we might climb up at some point

in this ravine, but not in the others."

 

"That is so, senor," Dias said. "The outlook is a bad one--that is to say,

we may now be unable to reach the gold river in time--but so long as we

stay here we may be safe. We have plenty of provisions, we can catch fish

in the stream, and no doubt shall find birds in the bushes at the lower

part of the slopes. I doubt whether the natives will dare come down those

precipices at night. If they try to descend by day, we can very well

defend ourselves."

 

"The only question is, How long will it take to tire them out?"

 

"That I cannot tell. We know so little of the Chincas that we have nothing

to go upon. Some savages have patience enough to wait for any time to

carry out their revenge or slay an enemy; others are fickle, and though

they may be fierce in attack, soon tire of waiting, and are eager to

return to their homes again. I cannot think that they will speedily leave.

They have assembled, many of them perhaps from considerable distances;

they have had two days' march up here, and have lost at least two of their

comrades. I think they will certainly not leave until absolutely convinced

that they cannot get at us, but whether they may come to that decision in

two days or a month I cannot say."

 

 

 

 

CUSCO PERU VIII

 

DEFEAT OF THE NATIVES