The Virgin of the Sun

rror that caused all the Empire of Tavantinsuyu to tr

walk about the gardens and palaces with his arm around his neck babbling to him of whatever was uppermost in his mind. Moreover, hi

nds, also because they are more single in their minds. The man thinks of many things, the woman only thinks of what she desires. Therefore the man whom Nature already has bemused, only brings a little piece of his mind to fi

nothingness and ruin by their love for women; down into the dirt, indeed, when their hands were full of the world's wealth and glory. Moreover, I have noticed that they seldom learn wisdom, and that what they have done before, they are ready to do again, who believe anything that soft li

inking all this time, and seeing that I could ov

of all that were "earmen," a class of the same rank as our peers in England, to hear the proclamation of Kari as the In

image of the Sun twenty feet or more across, an enormous graven plate of gold set about with gems and having eyes and teeth of

with her radiant face shaped in silver fixed to the western wall. So it was with the temple of the Stars, of the Lightn

uld die by the ten thousand on the chance that they might conquer this country and make its wealth theirs. Yet here

eserved by the arts these people have, that except for the stamp of death upon their countenances, they might have been sleeping men and women. Thus in the dead face of the mother of Kari I could read her likeness to her son. Of these departed kings and queens there were many, since from the first Inca of whom history told all we

ne in the great temple, save myself alone whose British pride kept me on my feet, standing like one left living on a battlefield among a multitude of slain, prostrated himself before his divine

arving Indian marked with blows and foul with filth whom I had rescued from the cruel mob upon the Thames-side wharf,

world of which yonder we knew nothing, because I was strange and different, also full of unheard-of learning and skilled in war, but still no

g me more lonely than before. Also his mind was not as my mind, as his blood was not my blood, and he was the slave of a faith that to me was a hateful superst

s akin to me, because the sacred fire of love had burned away our differences and opened her eyes. But Quilla was snatched from me by the law of their

un, clothed in his white sacerdotal robes, made sacrifice up

gold. At least I saw nothing else, and am sure that nothing that had life was laid upon that altar after the f

t and somewhat different to that which was used in common speech; also the priests moved about, bowing and bending the knees mu

particulars that I had not heard before he told the tale of Kari and of his estrangement from him in past years through the plottings of the mother of Urco who now was dead, like the mother of Kari. This woman

ch sin he said he felt sure his father the Sun would bring some punishment on him, as indeed was to chance sooner than he thought. Then he continued his story, setting out all Urco's iniquities and sacrileges agains

ck to Kari to whom it belonged by right of birth and calling upon his dead forefathers, one by one, to be witness to t

ll the burden of empire, for know that as quickly as may be I purpose to withdraw to my palace at Y

s the sea, though of England he said nothing, and been saved from misery and death by myself, a very great person in my own country. Still, since I had suffered wrong there, as he, Kari, had in his, he had persuaded me to accompany him back to his own land, that there my w

that they were content

of the high-priest, and the offering of many prayers to them and to the Sun their father. So long were these prayers with the ch

f, the priests, and all the congregation, left the temple to present Kari as the heir

vellous cable made of links of solid gold which, it was said, needed fifty men to lift it from the ground. Then Upanqui, whose strength seemed restored to him, perhaps because of some drug that he had eaten, or under the s

accept the prince Kari, my fir

d away Upanqui turned to call Kari to him

knew to be Urco, leap over the golden chain. He sprang upon the platform and with a shout of "I do not a

er the golden chain, and from the edge of the platform, to vanish amongst those b

h deed as this was known in the annals of that empire. For a moment the aged Upanqui stood upon his feet, the bl

Receive me, O God my Father, and pardon this mu

n his face and when we

e tongues of men were smitten with dumbness

on to avenge him. I declare war upon Urco

l of hatred against Urco the butcher and parricide, while men rushed to

king the throne name of Upanqui after his father. In Cuzco there was none to say him nay for the whole city was horror-struck because of the sacrilege that had been committed. Also those who clung to

ough of all that happened in that time because of the labour

strength of arms. I found the old warrior-king still sick and wasted because of the hurt from Urco's club, though now he could walk upon crutches, and set out the case. He answered that he had no wish to fight against Kari who had offered him such honourable terms, especially when he was waging war against Urco whom he

ard as a rock of the mountains. In vain did I plead with him, and in vain did t

give, but leave this lady alone. If I handed her over to Huaracha or to you, as I have told you before, I should bring upon myself and upon my people the curse of my father the Sun, and of Pachacamac, the Spirit who is above the Sun. It was because Upanqui, my father according to the flesh, dared to look upon her after she had entered the House of the Sun, as I have learned he did, tha

never do," I a

whom you seek. But of my free will I will never give her to you. To me the deed would be as though in your land of England the King commanded the consecrated bread and cups of wine to be snatched from the hands of the priests of your temples and cast to the dogs, or given to cheer the infidels wit

answered that to me this matter wore another face. Also that Quilla had be

though the common people are taught otherwise. For the rest, this lady took her vows of her own free will and of her secret reasons I know nothing, any more than I know why she offered herself in marriage to Urco before she found you upon the island. For you I grieve, and for her also; yet I would have y

ed at me, till at length I could

ot be pleasing to Heaven. Therefore, great as you are, and friend of mine as you are, I tell you

ped by man. Still I tell you that I will thwart you if I can and that should you succeed in your ends, I will kill you if I can and the lady also, because you have committed sacrilege. Yes, although I love you better than any other man, I will kill you. And if King Huaracha should be able to snatch her a

ndry reasons of which the greatest was that his sickness increased on him as the days went by. Also I told him that much as I desired Quilla, I could not fight upon his side since I was sworn to aid Kari against Urco and my word might not be broken. Moreover, the Yuncas who had been our allies, wearying of their l

ay to some unknown and distant convent. All that we could do was to trust to fortune to deliver her into our hands. We agreed further that, having obtained an honourable peace and all else that he desired, it would be well for Huaracha

stepped forward at once and swore themselves to my service. Bidding farewell to Huaracha, with these troops I returned to Cuzco, sending messen

day and a night, and yet, like that of the Field of Blood, remained neither lost nor won. When the thousands of the dead had been buried and the wounded sent

had suffered sorely, we forced those of Urco to the shores of the Lake Titicaca, where most of them melted away into the swamps and c

ly, but driving them from street to street, at length we penned them in one of the largest of the temples of which by some mischance a reed roof was set on fire, so that there they perished miserably. It was a dreadful scene such as I never wish to behold agai

e returned to Cuzco which Kari entered in triumph, I ma