Onthefourthmorning,however,ourtroublesbegan,sincethefriendlywindfromthenorthgrewsteadilystronger,tillatlengthitrosetoagale。Soonourlittleragofcanvaswastornaway,butstillwerushedonbeforethefollowingseasataverygreatspeed。
NowIthoughtoftryingtomaketheland,butfoundthatwecouldnotdosowiththeoars,becauseofthecurrentthatsetouttowardstheoceanagainstwhichitwasimpossibletourgeourclumsycraft。
Thereforewemustcontentourselveswithtryingtokeepherheadstraightwiththesteeringoar,buteventhenwewereoftenwhirledroundandround。
Abouttwohoursafternoontheskycloudedover,andthereburstuponusagreatthunder—stormwithtorrentsofrain;alsothewindgrewstrongerandstronger。
Nowwecouldnolongersteerordoanythingexceptlieflatuponthebottomofthe/balsa/,grippingthecordswithwhichitwastiedtogether,tosaveourselvesfrombeingwashedoverboard,sinceoftenthefoamingcrestsofthewavesbrokeuponus。Indeed,itwasmarvellousthatthisfrailcraftshouldhangtogetheratall,butowingtothelightnessofthereedsandtheblown—upskinsthatweretiedinthem,stillshefloatedand,whirlingroundandround,speduponhersouthwardpath。YetIknewthatthiscouldnotendureforverylong,andcommittedmysoultoGodaswellasIwasableinmyhalf—drownedstate,wishingthatmymiserieswereended。
Thedarknesscamedown,butstillthethunderroaredandthelightningblazed,andbytheflareofitIcaughtsightofsnow—cappedmountainsfarawayuponthecoast,alsoofKariclingingtothereedsofthe/balsa/atmyside,andfromtimetotimekissingthegoldenimageofPachacamacwhichhungabouthisneck。Presentlyhesethislipsagainstmyearandshouted:
\"Bebold！Ourgodsarestillwithusinstorm。\"
\"Yes,\"Ianswered,\"andsoonweshallbewithourgods——inpeace。\"
AfterthisIheardnomoreofhim,andfelltothinkingwithsuchwitsaswerelefttomeofhowmanyperilswehadpassedsincewesawtheshoresofThames,andthatitseemedsadthatallshouldhavebeenfornothing,sinceitwouldhavebeenbettertodieatthebeginningthannowattheend,aftersomuchmisery。ThentheglareofthelightningshoneuponthehandleoftheswordWave—Flame,whichwasstillstrappedaboutme,andIrememberedtherunewrittenuponitwhichmymotherhadrenderedtomeuponthemorningofthefightagainsttheFrenchmen。Howdiditrun？
HewholiftsWave—FlameonhighInloveshallliveandinbattledie。
Storm—tossedo\'erwideseasshallroamAndinstrangelandsshallmakehishome。
Conquering,conqueredshallhebeAndfarawayshallsleepwithme。
Itfittedwell,thoughoftheloveIhadknownlittleandthatmostunhappy,andthebattleinwhichImustdiewasonewithwater。Also,IhadconquerednothingwhomyselfwasconqueredbyFate。Inshort,thethingcouldbereadtwoways,likeallprophecies,andonlyonelineofitwastruebeyondadoubt——namely,thatWave—FlameandI
shouldsleeptogether。
Awhilelaterthelightningshoneawesomely,liketotheswordsofawholearmyofdestroyingangels,sothattheskybecamealivewithfire。InitslightforaninstantIsawaheadofusgreatbreakers,andbeyondthemwhatlookedlikeadarkmassofland。Nowwewereinthem,forthefirstofthosehungry,curlingwavesgotaholdofthe/balsa/andtosseditupdizzily,thenflungitdownintoadeepvalleyofwater。Anothercameandanother,tillmysensesreeledandwent。IcriedtoSt。Hubert,buthewasalandsaintandcouldnothelpme;soIcriedtoAnothergreaterthanhe。
Mylastvisionwasofmyselfridingahugebreakerasthoughitwereahorse。Thentherecameacrashanddarkness。
Lo！itseemedtomeasthoughonewerecallingmebackfromthedepthsofsleep。WithtroubleIopenedmyeyesonlytoshutthemagainbecauseoftheglareofthelight。ThenafterawhileIsatup,whichgavemepain,forIfeltasifIhadbeenbeatenallover,andlookedoncemore。Abovemeshonethesuninaskyofdeepestblue;beforemewastheseaalmostcalm,whilearoundwererocksandsand,amongwhichcrawledgreatreptilesthatIknewforturtles,asIhadseenmanyoftheminourwanderings。Moreover,kneelingatmyside,withtheswordthathehadtakenfromthebodyofDeleroystillstrappedabouthim,wasKari,whobledfromsomewoundandwasalmostwhitewithencrustedsalt,butotherwiseseemedunharmed。Istaredathim,unabletoopenmymouthfromamazement,soitwashewhospokethefirst,saying,inavoicethathadanoteoftriumphinit:
\"DidInottellyouthatthegodswerewithus？Whereisyourfaith,O
WhiteMan！Look！TheyhavebroughtmebacktothelandofwhichIamPrince。\"
NowtherewasthatinKari\'stonewhichinmyweakstateangeredme。
Whydidhescoldmeaboutfaith？Whydidheaddressmeas\"WhiteMan\"
insteadof\"Master\"？WasitbecausehehadreachedacountrywherehewasgreatandIwasnothing？Isupposedso,andanswered;
\"Andaretheseyoursubjects,OnobleKari？\"andIpointedtothecrawlingturtles。\"Andisthistherichandwondrouslandwheregoldandsilverareasmud？\"andIpointedtothebarrenrocksandsandaround。
Hesmiledatmyjest,andansweredmorehumbly:
\"Nay,Master,yonderismyland。\"
ThenIlooked,followinghisglance,andsawmanyleagueswayacrossthewatertwosnowcladpeaksrisingaboveabankofclouds。
\"Iknowthosemountains,\"hewenton;\"withoutdoubttheyareoneofthegatewaysofmyland。\"
\"ThenwemightaswellbeinLondonforallthehopewehaveofpassingthatgate,Kari。Buttellmewhathaschanced。\"
\"This,Ithink。Averygreatwavecaughtusandthrewusrightoverthoserocksontotheshore。Look——thereisthe/balsa/,\"andhepointedtoabrokenheapofreedsandpiercedskins。
WithhishelpIroseandwenttoit。Nownonecouldknowthatithadbeenaboat。Still,the/balsa/itwasandnothingelse,andtiedinitstangledmassstillremainedthosethingswhichwehadbroughtwithus,suchasmyblackbowandarmour,thoughallthejarswerebroken。
\"Ithasborneuswell,butwillneverbearusagain,\"Isaid。
\"Thatisso,Master。ButifwewereinmyowncountryyonderIwouldsetitsfragmentsinacaseofgoldandplacethemintheTempleoftheSunasamemorial。\"
Thenwewenttoapoolofrainwaterthatlayinahollowrocknearby,anddrankourfill,forwewereverythirsty。Alsoamongtheruinsofthe/balsa/wefoundsomeofthedriedfishthatwaslefttous,andhavingwashedit,filledourselves。Afterthiswelimpedtothecrestofthelandbehindandperceivedthatwewereonalittleisland,perhapstwohundredEnglishacresinextent,whereonnothinggrewexceptsomecoarsegrass。Thisisland,however,wasthehauntofgreatnumbersofseafowlwhichnestedthere,alsooftheturtlesthatIhavementioned,andofcertainbeastslikesealsorotters。
\"Atleastweshallnotstarve,\"Isaid,\"thoughinthedryseasonwemaydieofthirst。\"
Nowthereonthatislandweremainedforfourlongmonths。Forfoodweatetheturtles,whichwecookedoverfiresthatKarimadebycunninglytwirlingapointedpieceofdriftwoodinthehollowofanotherpiecethathefilledwiththedustofdriedgrass。Hadhelackedthatknowledgewemusthavestarvedorlivedonrawflesh。Asitwas,wehadplentywiththismeatandthatofbirdsandtheireggs,alsooffishthatwecaughtinthepoolswhenthetidewasdown。Fromtheshellsoftheturtles,bythehelpofstones,webuiltusakindofhuttokeepoffthesunandtherain,whichinthathotplacewassufficientshelter;also,whenthestenchwasoutofthem,weusedothershellsinwhichtocatchrainwaterthatwestoredasbestwecouldagainstseasonsofdrought。Lastly,withmybigbowwhichwassavedwiththearmour,Ishotsea—otters,andfromtheirpeltswemadeusgarmentsafterrubbingtheskinswithturtlefatandhandlingthemtomakethemsoft。
Thus,then,welivedfrommoontomoonuponthatdesertplace,tillI
thoughtIshouldgomadwithlonelinessanddespair,fornohelpcamenearus。Therewerethemountainsofthemainlandfaraway,butbetweenthemandusstretchedleaguesofseathatwecouldnotswim,norhadweanythingofwhichtomakeaboat。
\"Herewemustremainuntilwedie！\"atlastIcriedinmywretchedness。
\"Nay,\"answeredKari,\"ourgodsarestillwithusandwillsaveusintheirseason。\"
This,indeed,theydidinastrangefashion。
CHAPTERIII
THEDAUGHTEROFTHEMOON
Forthefourthtimesincewewerecastawayonthisislandthehugefullmoonshoneinaskyofwondrousblue。KariandIwatcheditrisebetweenthetwosnow—cladpeaksfarawaythathehadcalledagatewaytohisland,whichwassoneartousandyetitwouldseemmoredistantthanHeavenitself。Heavenwemighthopetoreachuponthewingsofspiritwhenwedied,buttothatcountryhowcouldwecome？
Wewatchedthatgreatmoonclimbhigherandhigherupaladderoflittlebar—likeclouds,tillwearyingweletoureyesfallupontheglitteringpathwaywhichitslightmadeuponthebosomoftheplacidsea。SuddenlyKaristaredandstared。
\"Whatisit？\"Iaskedidly。
\"IthoughtIsawsomethingyonderfarawaywhereQuilla\'sfootstepsmakethewatersbright,\"hesaid,speakinginhisownlanguageinwhichnowweoftentalkedtogether。
\"Quilla\'s？\"Iexclaimed。\"Oh！Iforgot:thatistheladymoon\'snameinyourtongue,isitnot？Well,come,Quilla,andIwillwedandworshipyou,as\'tissaidtheancientsdid,andneverturntolookuponanother,beshewoman,orgoddess,orboth。OnlycomeandtakemefromthisaccursedisleandinpaymentI\'lldieforyou,ifneedbe,whenfirstI\'vetaughtyouhowtoloveasstarorwomanneverlovedbefore。\"
\"Hush！\"saidKariinagravevoice,whenhehadlistenedtothismadstuffthatburstthroughmylipsfromthespringofaminddistraughtbymiseryanddespair。
\"WhyshouldIhush？\"Iasked。\"Isitnotpleasanttothinkofthemoonwearingalovelywoman\'sshapeanddescendingtogivealonelymortalloveandcomfort？\"
\"Because,Master,tomeandmypeoplethemoonisagoddesswhohearsprayerandanswersit。Suppose,then,thatsheheardyouandansweredyouandcametoyouandclaimedyourlove,whatthen？\"
\"Why,then,friendKari,\"Iravedon,\"thenIshouldwelcomeher,forlovegoesabegging,readyasripefruittobepluckedbythefirsthandifitbefairenough,readytomeltbeneaththefirstlipsiftheybewarmenough。\'Tissaidthatitisthemanwholovesandthewomanwhoacceptsthelove。Butthatisnottrue。Itistheman,Kari,whowaitstobelovedandpaysbackjustasmuchasisgiventohim,andnomore,likeanhonestmerchant;forifhedoesotherwise,thenhesuffersforit,asIhavelearned。Therefore,come,Quilla,andloveasaCelestialcanandIswearthatstepbystepI\'llkeeppacewithyouinfleshandspiritthroughHeaven,orthroughHell,sinceloveImusthave,ordeath。\"
\"Iprayyou,talknotso,\"saidKariagain,inafrightenedvoice,\"sincethosewordsofyourscomefromtheheartandwillbeheard。Thegoddessisawoman,too,andwhatwomanwillturnfromsuchabait？\"
\"Lethertakeit,then。Whynot？\"
\"Because,Ofriend,because/Quilla/iswedto/Yuti/;theMoonistheSun\'swife,andiftheSungrowsjealouswhatwillhappentothemanwhohasrobbedthegreatestoftheworld\'sgods？\"
\"IdonotknowandIdonotcare。IfQuillawouldbutcomeandloveme,I\'dtakemychanceofYutiwhomasaChristianIdefy。\"
Karishudderedatthisblasphemy,thenhavingoncemorescannedthatsilverpathwayonthewaters,butwithoutavailforthegreatfishordriftingtreeorwhateverhehadseen,wasgone,prayedafterhisfashionatnight,toPachacamac,SpiritoftheUniverse,ortotheSunhisservant,godoftheworld,Iknownotwhich,androllinghimselfinhisrugofskins,creptintoourlittlehuttosleep。
ButasyetIdidnotsleep,forthoughKarihatedboth,thistalkofloveandwomenhadstirredmybloodandmademewakeful。SoItookaroughcombthatIhadfashionedfromtheshellofaturtle,anddraggeditthroughmylongfairbeard,which,growingfast,nowhungdownfaruponmybreast,andthroughthecurlinghairthatlayuponmyshoulders,forIhadbecomeasotherwildmenare,andsangtomyselftherebythelittlefirewhichwekeptburningdayandnightandtriedtothinkofhappythingsthatnevershouldIknowagain。
AtlengththefitpassedandIgrewwearyandlaidmyselfdownbythefire,forthenightbeingsofineandwarmIwouldnotgointothehut,andtheresleepfoundme。
Idreamedinmysleep。Idreamedthataverybeautifulwomanwhoworeuponhernakedbreasttheemblemofthemoonfashionedincrystal,stoodoverme,lookingdownuponmewithlargedarkeyes。Andasshelookedshesighed。Thriceshesighed,eachtimemoredeeplythanthelast。Thenshekneltdownbyme——orsoitseemedinmydream,andlaidatressofherlongdarkhairagainstmyyellowlocks,asthoughshewouldmatchthemtogether。Shedidmore,indeed——inmydream——forliftingthattressoffragranthair,sheletitfalllikethistledownacrossmyfaceandmouth,andthenkissedthehair,forIfeltherbreathreachmethroughitsstrands。
Thedreamendedthus,thoughIwishedverymuchthatitwouldgoon,andIfeltasthoughithadgoneawayassuchvisionsdo。Awhilelater,asIsuppose,Iawokequitesuddenly,andopenedmyeyes。
There,neartome,glitteringinthefulllightofthebrilliantmoon,stoodthewomanofmydream,onlynowhernakedbreastwascoveredwithasplendidcloakbroideredwithsilver,andonherdarklockswasafeatheredheaddressinfrontofwhichrosethecrescentofthemoon,likewisefashionedinsilver。Alsoinherhandsheheldalittlesilverspear。
Istaredather,formoveIcouldnot。ThenrememberingmycrazytalkwithKari,utteredoneword,onlyone。Itwas——/Quilla/。
Shebowedherheadandansweredinavoicesoftasthemurmurofthewindthroughrushes,speakingintherichlanguagecalledQuichuathatKarihadtaughtme。Inthistongue,asIhavetold,wetalkedtogetherforpracticeduringourjourneysandontheisland。SothatnowIknewitwell。
\"SoindeedamInamedaftermymother,the\'Moon,\'\"shesaid。\"Buthowdidyouknowit,OWanderer,whoseskiniswhiteasthefoamoftheseaandwhosehairisyellowasthefinegoldinthetemples？\"
\"Ithinkyoumusthavetoldmewhenyoukneltovermejustnow,\"I
said。
Isawtheredbloodruntoherbrow,butsheonlyshookherhead,andanswered:
\"Nay,mymother,theMoon,musthavetoldyou;orperchanceyoulearneditinthespirit。Atleast,QuillaamInamedandyoucalledmearight。\"
NowIstoodupandstaredather,overcomebythestrangenessofthebusiness,andshestaredatme。Amarvellouslybeautifulwomanshewasinherdazzlingrobeandheaddress,andlightercolouredthananynativeIhadseen,almostwhite,indeed,inthemoonlightsaveforthecoppertingethatmarkedherrace;tall,too,yetnotover—tall;slimandstraightasanarrow,buthigh—breastedandround—limbed,andwithawildgraceinhermovementsliketothatofahawkuponthewing。
Alsotomyfancyinherfacetherewassomethingmorethancommonyouthfulbeauty,somethingspiritual,suchasgreatartistsshowuponthecarvencountenancesofsaints。
Indeedshemightwellhavebeenonewhosehumanbloodwasmixedwithsomeotheralienstrain——asshehadcalledherself,adaughteroftheMoon。
Aquestionrosetomylipsandburstfromthem;itwas:
\"Tellme,OQuilla,areyouwifeormaid？\"
\"MaidamI,\"sheanswered,\"yetonewhoispromisedasawife,\"andshesighed,thenwentonquicklyasthoughthismatterweresomethingofwhichshedidnotwishtotalk,\"Andtellme,OWanderer,areyougodorman？\"
NowIgrewcunningandanswered,\"IamaSonoftheSeaasyouareaDaughteroftheMoon。\"
Sheturnedherheadandglancedattheradiancewhichlayuponthefaceofthedeep,thensaidasthoughtoherself:
\"Themoonshinesupontheseaandtheseamirrorsbackthemoon,yettheyarefarapartandnevermaydrawnear。\"
\"Notso,OQuilla。Outoftheseadoesthemoonriseand,hercourserun,intothesea\'swhitearmsshesinkstosleepatlast。\"
Againtheredbloodrantoherbrowandhergreateyesfell,thoseeyesofwhichneverbeforehadIseenthelike。
\"Itseemsthattheyspeakourtongueinthesea,andprettily,\"shemurmured,adding,\"ButisitnotfromandintoHeaventhattheMoonrisesanddeparts？\"
Atthatmomenttomygriefourtalkcametoanend,foroutofthehutcreptKari。Herosetohisfeetandstoodthereasevercalmanddignified,lookingfirstatQuillaandthenatme。
\"WhatdidItellyou,Master？\"hesaidinEnglish。\"DidInotsaythatprayerssuchasyoursareanswered？Lo！hereisthatChildoftheMoonforwhomyousought,clothedinbeautyandbringinghergiftsofloveandwoe。\"
\"Yes,\"Iexclaimed,\"andIamgladthatsheishere。Fortherest,wereshebutmine,IthinkIshouldnotgrudgeherpricewhate\'eritbe。\"
QuillalookedatKarifrowningoverthespearthatwhenheappearedshehadlifted,asthoughtodefendherself,whichinmycaseshehadnotthoughtneedful。
\"Sotheseabreedsmenofmyownracealso,\"shesaid,addressinghim。
\"Tellme,OStranger,howdidyouandyonderwhitegodcometothisisle？\"
\"Ridingontheoceanbillows,ridingforthousandsofleagues,\"heanswered。\"Andyou,OLady,howdidyoucometothisisle？\"
\"Ridingonthemoonbeams,\"shereplied,smiling,\"I,thedaughteroftheMoon,whoamnamedMoonandwearhersymbolonmybrow。\"
\"DidInottellyouso？\"exclaimedKaritomewithagloomyair。
ThenQuillawenton:
\"Strangers,Iwasoutfishingwithtwoofmymaidensandwehaddriftedfarfromland。AsthesunsankIcaughtsightofthesmokeofyourfire,andhavingbeentoldthatthisislewasdesert,myheartdrewmetodiscoverwhohadlitit。So,thoughmymaidenswereafraid,hitherIsailedandpaddled,andtherestyouknow。Hearken！Iwilldeclaremyself。IamtheonlychildofHuaracha,KingofthePeopleoftheChancas,bornofhiswife,aprincessoftheIncabloodwhonowhasbeengatheredtoherFather,theSun。Iamhereonavisittomymother\'skinsman,Quismancu,theChiefoftheYuncasoftheCoastlands,towhommyfather,theKing,hassentanembassyonmattersofwhichIknownothing。Behindyonderrockismy/balsa/andwithitarethetwomaidens。Say,isityourwishtobidehereuponthisisle,ortoreturnintothesea,ortoaccompanymebacktothetownofQuismancu？Ifso,wemustsaileretheweatherbreaks,lestweshouldbedrowned。\"
\"Certainlyitismywishtoaccompanyyou,Lady,thoughagodoftheseacannotbedrowned,\"IsaidquicklybeforeKaricouldspeak。
Indeed,hedidnotspeakatall,heonlyshruggedhisshouldersandsighed,likeonewhoacceptssomeevilgiftfromFatebecausehemust。
\"Sobeit！\"exclaimedQuilla。\"NowIgotomakereadythe/balsa/andtowarnthemaidenslesttheybefrightened。Whenyouarepreparedyouwillfindusyonderbehindtherock。\"
Thenshebowedinastatelyfashionandeparted,walkingwiththeproud,lightstepofadeer。
FromourlittlehutItookoutmyarmourandwithKari\'shelp,putiton,becausehedeclaredthatthusitwouldbemoreeasilycarried,thoughIthinkhehadotherreasonsinhismind。
\"Yes,\"Ianswered,\"unlessthe/balsa/oversets,whenIshallfindmailhardtoswimin。\"
\"The/balsa/willnotoverset,sailingbeneaththemoonwiththatMoon—ladyforapilot,\"herepliedheavily。\"Hadthesunbeenup,itmighthavebeendifferent。Moreover,thepathintoanetisalwayswideandeasy。\"
\"Whatnet？\"Iasked。
\"Onethatiswovenofwomen\'shair,Ithink。Already,ifImistakenot,suchanethasbeenaboutyourthroat,Master,andnexttimeitwillstaythere。Hearkennowtome。Thegodsthrustusintohighmatters。TheYuncasofwhosechiefthisladyisaguestareagreatpeoplewhommypeoplehaveconqueredinwar,butwhowaittheopportunitytorebel,iftheyhavenotalreadydoneso。TheChancas,ofthosekingsheisthedaughter,areastillgreaterpeoplewhoforyearshavethreatenedwaruponmypeople。\"
\"Well,whatofit,Kari？Withsuchquestionsthisladywillhavenothingtodo。\"
\"Ithinkshehasmuchtodowiththem。Ithinkthatsheknowsmorethansheseemstoknow,andthatsheisanenvoyfromtheChancastotheYuncas。Towhomissheaffianced,Iwonder？SomeGreatOne,doubtless。Well,weshalllearnintime;andmeanwhile,Iprayyou,Master,rememberthatshesaysshe/is/affianced,andthatinthislandmenareveryjealousevenofawhitegodwhorisesfromthesea。\"
\"OfcourseIshallremember,\"Iansweredsharply。\"HaveInothadenoughofwomenwhoareaffianced？\"
\"Byyourprayerofthemoonthisnight,whichthemoonansweredsowellandquickly,onemightthinknot。Alsothisdaughterofhersisfair,andperchancewhenshegaveherhandshekeptherheart。Listenagain,Master。OfmeandofwhomIam,saynothing,savethatyoufoundmeonthisislandwhereIdweltahermitwhenyourosefromthesea。Asformyname,why,itisZapana。Rememberthatifyoubreathemyrankandhistory,howevermuchsweetlipsmaytrytocozenthemoutofyou,youbringmetomydeath,whonowdonotwishtodie,havingavengeancetoaccomplishandathronetowin。Thereforetreatmeasadog,asoneofnoaccount,andbesilenteveninyoursleep。\"
\"Iwillremember,Kari。\"
\"Thatisnotenough——swearit。\"
\"Good。Iswearit——bythemoon。\"
\"Nay,notbythemoon,forthemooniswomanandchanges。Swearitbythis,\"andfrombeneathhisskinrobehedrewoutthegoldenimageofPachacamac。\"SwearitbytheSpiritoftheUniverse,ofwhomSunandMoonandStarsarebutservants,theSpiritwhomallmenworshipinthisshapeorinthat。\"
SotopleasehimIlaidmyhanduponthegoldensymbolandswore。
Then,veryhurriedly,wemadeupataleofhow,cladinmyarmour,I
hadrisenfromtheseaandfoundhimontheisland,andhowknowingmeforawhitegodwhoonceinagespasthadvisitedthatlandandwho,asprophecyforetold,shouldreturntoitindaystocome,hehadworshippedmeandbecomemyslave。
Thisdonewewentdowntotherock,KariwalkingaftermeandbearingalloursmallpossessionsandwiththemDeleroy\'ssword。Passingroundtherockwesawthe/balsa/drawnuptothesand,andbyittheladyQuilla,whonowhadputoffherfinerobesandagainwasattiredasafishing—girlasIhadseenherinmydream,andwithhertwotallgirlsinthesamescantygarments。Whenthesesawmeintheglitteringarmour,whichinourlongidlehourswehadpolishedtillitshonelikesilver,withtheshielduponmyarmandthecasqueuponmyheadandthegreatswordgirdedaboutmymiddleandtheblackbowinmyhand,theyscreamedwithfearandfellupontheirfaces,whileevenQuillastartedbackandglancedtowardstheboat。
\"Fearnot,\"Isaid。\"Thegodsarekindtothosewhodothemservice,thoughtothosewhowouldharmthemtheyareterrible。\"
KarialsowenttothemandwhisperedintheirearswhattaleIknownot。Intheendtheyrosetrembling,andhavingmotionedtometobeseatedinit,withthehelpofKaripushedthe/balsa/,whichInotedwithjoywaslargeandwellmade,downintothesea。Thenonebyonetheyclimbedin,Quillatakingthesteering—oar,whileKariandthetwomaidenshoistedthelittlesailandpaddledtillwewereclearoftheisland,wherethegentlewindcaughtthe/balsa/。Thentheyshippedthepaddles,andalthoughfullladen,wesailedquietlytowardsthemainland。
NowIwasatthebowofthe/balsa/andQuillawasatitsstern,andbetweenusweretheothers,sothatduringallthatlongnight\'sjourneyIhadnospeechwithherandmustcontentmyselfwithgazingovermyshoulderatherbeautyasbestIcould,whichwasnotwell,becauseofKari,whoeverseemedtocomebetweenmyeyesandhers。
Thusthelonghourswentbytillatlengthwhenwewerenearthelandthemoonsank,andwesailedonthroughthetwilight。Thencamethedawn,andthereinfrontofuswesawthelovelystrandgreenwithpalmswithinaringofsnow—cladmountains,twoofthemthegreatpeaksthatwehadseenfromourisle。
Ontheshorewasacityofwhite,flat—roofedhouses,andrisingaboveit,perchancethehalfofamilefromthesea,ahillfourorfivehundredfeetinheightandterraced。Onthetopofthehillstoodamightybuilding,paintedred,thatfromthelookofitItooktobeoneofthechurchesofthesepeople,inthecentreofwhichgleamedgreatdoorsthat,asIfoundafterwards,werecoveredwithplatesofgold。
\"BeholdthetempleofPachacamac,Master,\"whisperedKari,bowinghisheadandkissingtheairintokenofreverence。
