Part 18 (1/2)

Then began a fight most grim and terrible. The Bolivians outnumbered their a.s.sailants by about four to one, but the latter had the advantage of a complete surprise, and they mowed down the savage guerillas by the score. There was a pa.s.sage leading from the gate to the interior of the fort, but this was soon very nearly choked with dead and wounded. Jim therefore rallied his men for another charge before the way should be quite closed, and, with a cheer, his brave fellows forced a pa.s.sage through for themselves, cutting down all who opposed them. So completely were the outlaws taken by surprise that many of them had not found time to arm themselves, and were therefore slaughtered like so many sheep. The promise of success, on the other hand, spurred the Chilians on to still further effort, and in another ten minutes they had struck such terror into the hearts of the defenders of the stronghold that the guerillas flung down their arms and cried for quarter; and thus at last the tide of death was stopped.

The guerillas were then disarmed and imprisoned in batches in the prison cells which they had so carefully prepared for others, while their arms were collected and destroyed, and the fort was in the hands of the Chilians. The terror of the surrounding country had been brought to nothing at last, and there would be no more savage raids and midnight ma.s.sacres.

A messenger was at once dispatched to La Paz to acquaint the Government with the fact of the capture and downfall of the guerilla band, with a request that a body of Bolivian troops might be dispatched to take charge of the prisoners. Jim determined, however, not to hand over the fort, although it was situated in Bolivian territory, until he should receive definite instructions so to do from headquarters; for he did not know what new boundaries Chili proposed to arrange as the limits to the country which she had acquired by conquest from the two republics; and he thought it more than probable that his Government would decide to retain the fort, since it occupied such a very commanding position.

He therefore in due time handed over the eight hundred prisoners--the rest of the band having been killed--to the Bolivian troops; who immediately returned with them to La Paz. Meanwhile Jim repaired the fort sufficiently to provide accommodation for his own troops, with whom he temporarily garrisoned the place. Then he sent a messenger on horseback to Arica to report the success which had been obtained, and to ask for instructions as to what he was to do with the fort.

Meanwhile the young Englishman made up his mind that he was in for at least a fortnight's sojourn in the fort, or until such time as his messenger should return from Arica; and he began to cast about for some means by which to while the time away.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

THE FULFILMENT OF THE PROPHECY.

”Well, Jose, what do you make of it, eh? Why, surely, man, there is nothing in it to frighten you, is there?”

So spoke Jim Douglas to his Indian guide one morning, three or four days after the messenger had been dispatched to Arica. The Englishman had found the time hanging somewhat heavily on his hands up there in that lonely mountain fortress; and therefore, having nothing better to do, he had brought out the roll of parchment which he had found in the tunnel at Sorata, and had set himself to the task of deciphering its meaning.

Failing entirely, however, to make any sense out of it, yet somehow convinced that the doc.u.ment was of some importance, he had called Jose into the tent and asked him whether his knowledge of the various native dialects was sufficient to enable him to translate it.

The effect of the sight of the doc.u.ment upon Jose had been peculiar, to say the least of it. The moment that his eyes had fallen upon the parchment, his face had turned that peculiar greyish tint which a dark skin takes on in lieu of pallor; his hands had trembled with excitement or some other emotion, and his whole demeanour had been so strange as to call forth the exclamation from Jim above recorded.

The Indian made no reply for several seconds, but sat gazing at the doc.u.ment with eyes that seemed to threaten every moment to start out of his head. Then he turned the parchment over and over in his hands, holding it tenderly, even reverently, as though it were some extremely precious or sacred thing. Finally he pulled himself together, and, in a voice trembling with emotion, replied: ”No-o, senor; there is nothing in this doc.u.ment to frighten me, but--but--. You have no idea at all, senor,” he continued, after a lengthy pause, ”what this writing refers to?”

”No, of course I have not,” answered Douglas, somewhat impatiently. ”If I knew the contents I should not be under the necessity to ask you to translate them, should I?”

”Pardon me, senor; I spoke foolishly,” replied Jose.

”Let the senor, however, listen to me while I recount a few facts to him. He will then see, perhaps, why I have been so utterly astonished at the sight of this doc.u.ment. Long ages ago--ay, long before the _conquistadores_ appeared in Peru--we Indians worked the silver and gold mines, which, as you know, abound in this country; and we also gathered enormous quant.i.ties of precious stones from the river-beds for the purpose of adorning the person of the Inca, our lord, and those of his n.o.bles whom he deigned to favour, as well as for the adornment of the temple and of the royal palace. By the time, then, that Pizarro and his horde of robbers overran the land, there were millions upon millions of dollars-worth of precious metals and precious stones in the possession of the Inca and his n.o.bles. You have heard of the ransom which Pizarro exacted from Atahualpa; how a large room was twice filled with gold, to the value of fifteen millions of your pounds? Well, the Spaniards themselves knew that that ransom was but a small fraction of the enormous wealth which we Peruvians possessed; but they did _not_ know, as we did, how very small a fraction it was. We had not time enough to secrete all our treasure, for the arrival of the Spaniards was unexpected; but we hid away an enormous quant.i.ty of gold, silver, and jewels. Some of it has been lost; irretrievably, I fear, through the sudden death of the men to whom the secret of its hiding-place had been entrusted. But we Peruvians still know the whereabout of a good deal of that vast h.o.a.rd which is being kept for the time when a new Inca shall arise who shall set himself at the head of our armies and sweep the invaders of our land into the sea. All our preparations are made; we only await the arrival of the man. And this doc.u.ment, into possession of which you have so strangely come, relates to the burial of one of these h.o.a.rds, and tells the secret of its hiding-place, as also the means whereby that hiding-place may be found.

”That is why I was so greatly overcome with amazement when you showed me the paper, senor. _I_ am one of the descendants of the ancient Peruvian race; and, since this doc.u.ment is written in the secret character used by the Incas, I can read it, and I can say, now, where this treasure is located!”

”Phew!” whistled Jim, ”that's a strange story, and no mistake. I did not think when I brought that doc.u.ment away that it would prove of quite so much importance and value; although, to be sure, there were several small gold and silver images buried with it.”

”Images!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Jose excitedly; ”where are they, where are they, oh, my preserver? If you really have the signs in your possession, then I-- Show me them, senor, show me them, I pray you.”

Thus exhorted, Jim dived into the chest which he had brought with him to accommodate his belongings, and produced the little images which he had found in the tunnel at Sorata. Jose fell upon his knees before them in a perfect ecstasy of mingled reverence and delight, turning them over and over in his hands, and speaking to them as though they were, in very truth, alive. Then presently he recovered himself and, placing Jim's hand upon his head in token of submission, he said in a trembling voice:

”Oh, my deliverer, it was prophesied of old that the man who possessed those figures should also possess the treasure; for that man would be destined to do great things for the benefit of our race. But in addition to this, you have found the doc.u.ment; there can be no doubt, therefore, that you, my master, are the man who is destined to receive this great treasure, for all the signs point that way. I am willing, therefore, to translate this writing to you, senor, and to show you the way to the place where the treasure is hidden, so that you may obtain possession of it.”

”By Jove!” exclaimed Douglas, leaning back in his chair and wiping his forehead, ”this is the most extraordinary affair that I have ever come across; and--let me think! what was it that old Inca witch-woman told me about treasure being in store for me? Ah yes! I remember. She said that one day I should come into possession of great wealth; that it was still hidden in the ground, but that the secret of its hiding-place should one day be revealed to me. _Caramba_! It really seems as though the Inca's prophecy is about to come true. Now, Jose,” he went on, aloud; ”this is a very curious tale indeed. I hope you are not playing any tricks with me.

”Senor, you saved my life, only a few days ago,” replied the Indian; ”is it likely that I should deceive the man who rescued me from a horrible death? Besides, the treasure is situated only a very short distance from here--about a day's journey--so your Excellency can easily prove whether I am telling the truth or not by accompanying me to the place, and seeing the treasure with your own eyes.”

”H'm!” said Jim, ”yes; that is of course the most satisfactory way of proving the matter. My messenger cannot possibly return for eight or ten days yet, so I should have plenty of time to make the journey. I can leave the fort in charge of Lieutenant Munoz, as there is really nothing in the way of duty to keep me here. Yes, I think that will be best. Very well, Jose,” continued the Englishman, ”we will start early to-morrow morning; and you shall show me the way to this wonderful treasure-house of which you speak. You had better not talk too much, however, about the matter whereon we shall be engaged; for there is no need to excite an undue amount of curiosity about our movements. Make all the necessary preparations to-day,--you will of course know what we ought to take with us for the expedition,--and I will let it be understood that I am setting out for a hunt of two or three days'

duration. We can make an early start, travel during the day, encamp on the spot for the night, and start work on the second day, returning here on the third. That ought to give us enough time to do what we have to do, ought it not?”

”Plenty of time, Excellency,” returned the Indian. ”And the senor need not be afraid that I shall disclose the secret of our journey. You had better take a rifle with you, senor, and let me take one, too; for it is just possible that we might be obliged to defend the treasure after we have secured it.”

Jose then went away to make his preparations, while Jim remained in his tent thinking over the very curious train of incidents which had led up to that of this morning. Later in the day he sent for Munoz and handed the command over to the lieutenant during his absence, giving him instructions how to act in any eventuality which was in the least likely to arise; and the next morning, just before daybreak, he set off in company with the Indian for the spot where the Inca's treasure was a.s.serted to be concealed. Two mules had been loaded with provisions, a tent, cooking utensils, blankets, etcetera, and in the middle of the blankets had been concealed a couple of picks and the same number of shovels. Jim and the Indian each carried an ordinary army rifle slung over his shoulder, and had a bandolier of cartridges strapped round his waist, so that they were well prepared for whatever might befall.