instinct of the semi-savage, he flung his
glances quickly about the room, and instantly detected signs that it had
been invaded during the night by a number of people, and that his master
had arisen and dressed in haste. Quick to take the alarm where Escombe
was concerned, he at once hurried out, and, without waiting to find any
of the palace officials to whom to report his discovery, proceeded
forthwith to question as many of the servants as he met. But here again
he only found matter for further alarm and apprehension; for not only
did the whole service of the building appear to be in a state of
complete disorganisation, but it at once became evident to him that
every man he met was confused, agitated, and more or less anxious of
manner; and, although each and all professed themselves unable to throw
any light upon the mystery of the Inca's inexplicable disappearance, he
felt instinctively that they were all lying to him.

Realising at length that no information was to be obtained from these
people, Arima passed from the palace into the grounds, making his way,
in the first instance, down to the shore of the lake, for the purpose of
satisfying himself beyond all possibility of question whether or not
there was any foundation for his first surmise, that Escombe had risen
early and left the palace without waiting for him. But no; there was no
sign of his young master in that direction; moreover, the balsa was
lying moored in its proper place; also the cutter was at her usual
moorings. There was therefore no possibility that the Inca had taken it
into his head to go for a solitary early morning sail. Satisfied upon
this point, the Indian next made his way round to the front of the
palace, and here at once the evidences of a visit of a large party of
people to the palace, some time during the preceding night, once more
presented themselves, the latest--that is to say the topmost--set of
footprints showing that quite a crowd of people had hurried from the
main entrance of the building down the broad path leading to the
entrance gates of the garden and thence into the main road. Moreover,
the "spoor" remained undisturbed in the road for a distance sufficient
to indicate the general direction in which the party had gone, although
it was lost in the ordinary signs of traffic within a few yards of the
gates. Having ascertained thus much, Arima returned to the spot where
the footprints first showed outside the palace door