myself of knowledge
more profound than my own. Easy enough to guess that the hidden
deposits of the mountain had yielded oil which needed only a spark from
a piece of flint to fire it; and any one who knows anything of the
geological formation of the Andes will not wonder at their supply of
air.

Nature is not yet ready for man in those wild regions. Huge upheavals
and convulsions are of continual occurrence; underground streams are
known which rise in the eastern Cordillera and emerge on the side of
the Pacific slope. And air circulates through these passages as well
as water.

Their silence remains inexplicable; but it was probably the result of
the nature of their surroundings. I have spoken before of the
innumerable echoes and reverberations that followed every sound of the
voice above a whisper. At times it was literally deafening; and time
may have made it so in reality.

The natural effect through many generations of this inconvenience or
danger would be the stoppage of speech, leading possibly to a complete
loss of the faculty. I am satisfied that they were incapable of
vocalization, for even the women did not talk! But that is ahead of
the story.

I occupied myself with these reflections, and found amusement in them;
but it was impossible to lead Harry into a discussion. His mind was
anything but scientific, anyway; and he was completely obsessed by fear
for the safety of Desiree. And I wasn't sorry for it; it is better
that a man should worry about some one else than about himself.

Our chance of rescuing her, or even of saving ourselves, appeared to me
woefully slim. One fear at least was gone, for the descendants of
Incas could scarcely be cannibals; but there are other fates equally
final, if less distasteful. The fact that they had not even taken the
trouble to bind us was an indication of the strictness of their watch.

The hours crept by. At regular intervals our food was replenished and
we kept the platter empty, storing what we could not eat in our ponchos
against a possible need.

It was always the same--dried fish of the consistency of leather and a
most aggressive taste. I tried to convey to one of our captors the
idea that a change of diet would be agreeable, but either he did not
understand me or didn't want to.

Gradually our strength returned, and with it hope. Harry began to be
impatient, urging action. I was waiting for two things besides the
return of strength; firs