nee and with
their hands clasped, she leaning slightly back in a reclining posture,
with her eyes upturned toward the invisible roof of the cavern. As she
finished speaking the young Englishman directed his thoughts backward to
the morning of two days ago, mentally reproducing every incident of the
day, beginning with the moment when he arose from his camp bed, and
intending to continue, if need were, to that other moment when, after
the long fruitless search in the pine wood, he cast himself on that same
bed at the end of the day and, completely exhausted, sank to sleep.

But when he had reached this latter point of retrospection Mama
Cachama's eyes were closed and, to Harry's chagrin, she appeared to have
fallen into a deep sleep. Before, however, his disappointment had found
time to express itself in words the old Indian woman began to speak in a
low tone, as though soliloquising.

"Yes," she murmured, "I see it all quite distinctly, the white tents
gleaming in the brilliant sunshine of early morning, with their ropes
strained tight by the dew that has fallen heavily during the night; the
peons moving hither and thither, shivering in the keen air as they make
their preparations for the day's work; the horses and mules feeding
eagerly; the fires blazing cheerily and the blue smoke streaming
straight up in the still air. Yes, and I see the two Englishmen, the
old and the young one, sitting at breakfast in their tents. The elder
man is tall and thin, with black hair touched here and there with grey,
and a close-clipped moustache. He is dressed in dark-grey woollen
clothing, and wears brown boots reaching to the knee. He is glancing
through a little book as he eats, writing in it from time to time. Now
he rises and, taking a whip in his hand, puts on a soft cloth cap and
goes to the tent door. He calls to one named Jose to bring him his
horse, and then gives the young _Ingles_ certain instructions, speaking
sharply as though in anger.

"Now the horse is brought, and the elder _Ingles_ mounts him somewhat
awkwardly, as though he were not accustomed to life in the saddle, and
rides off, accompanied by six peons who carry long poles with small
flags on them, also heavy hammers, axes, machetes, ropes, and bundles of
wooden stakes. The young _Ingles_ also prepares to leave the camp, and
busies himself in examining certain strange instruments that are packed
in boxes of polished wood. But it is the elder _Ingles_ t