to meet the insatiable craving for extravagance
everywhere displayed, the beauties of the highly polished wood were
almost completely concealed by thick, richly coloured, woollen rugs of
marvellously fine texture, made of the wool of the vicuna. Nor was the
furniture of the apartment permitted to fall short of its surroundings
in point of extravagance. For the tables and chairs occupied by the
guests were of solid silver, while that occupied by the Inca and such of
his guests as he chose to especially honour by an invitation to sit with
him were of solid gold; and all the table utensils throughout the room
were of the same precious metal, most exquisitely and elaborately
wrought.

As for the guests, as might be expected, they had taken especial care
that their personal appearance should be in keeping with the general
scheme of wantonly lavish display that characterised the adornment of
the banqueting room. Every one of them, men and women alike, were
apparelled in the richest and most brilliantly coloured stuffs
procurable, stiffened with great masses of embroidery in heavy gold
thread, while they were literally loaded with ornaments of massive gold,
encrusted with gems, upon the hair, neck, and arms. And now, for the
first time, Harry had leisure to note--and to strongly disapprove of--
the characteristic ornament which was adopted to distinguish the
Peruvian noble from his plebeian brother. This consisted of a massive
circular disc of gold, wrought into the semblance of a wheel, and
measuring in some cases three or four inches in diameter, which was
inserted into the cartilage of each ear, which, of course, had
previously been pierced and gradually distended to receive it. To
Harry's unsophisticated eye these so-called ornaments constituted a
hideous disfigurement, and he was glad to see that they were worn by men
only, the ears of the women being for the most part innocent of
artificial adornment, although a few of the ladies wore ear-rings of
somewhat similar character to those of their more civilised sisters.

The Inca's table was placed at one end of the room, and raised upon a
dais some three feet high, from which elevation he could of course be
seen of all, and also command a view of the entire apartment, easily
distinguishing the whereabouts of any particular guest whom he desired
to honour especially with a summons to his own table; and to this he was
conducted by the chamberlain and ushers, the guests