I
shall bandage it myself; Harry will take my place here. But your foot?"

"That, too, is nothing," she answered with a half-smile. "I merely
twisted it; it is nearly well already. See!"

She placed her weight on the injured foot, but could not suppress a
faint grimace of pain.

Calling to Harry to watch the crevice, I took Desiree in my arms and
carried her back to her seat.

"Now sit still," I commanded. "Soon we'll have dinner; in the mean
time allow me to say that you are the bravest woman in the world, and
the best sport. And some day we'll drink to that--from a bottle."

But facts have no respect for sentiment and fine speeches. The last
words were taken from my very mouth by a ringing cry from Harry:

"Paul! By gad, they're coming at us from the water!"

Chapter XVI.

THE ESCAPE.

The ledge on which we rested was about forty feet square. Back of us
was a confused mass of boulders and chasms, across which I had come
when I first encircled the cavern and found Harry.

In front was the crevice, guarded by the two massive boulders. On the
right the ledge met the solid wall of the cavern, and on the left was
the lake itself, whose waters rippled gently at our very feet.

At sound of Harry's warning cry I ran to the water's edge and peered
round the side of the boulder. He was right; but what I saw was not
very alarming.

Two rafts had been launched from the enemy's camp. Each raft held
three Incas--more would have sunk them. Two were paddling, while the
third balanced himself in the center, brandishing a spear aloft.

Turning to Desiree, I called to her to move behind a projecting bit of
rock. Then, leaving Harry to guard the crevice in case of a double
attack, I took three of our four spears--one of which had made the
wound in my leg--and stood at the water's edge awaiting the approach of
the rafts.

They came slowly, and their appearance was certainly anything but
terrifying.

"Not much of a navy," I called to Harry; and he answered, with a laugh:
"Lucky for us! Look at our coast defense!"

One of the rafts was considerably ahead of the other, and in another
minute it had approached within fifty feet of the ledge. The Inca in
the center stood with legs spread apart and his spear poised above his
head; I made no movement, thinking that on such precarious footing he
would have difficulty to hurl the thing at all. Wherein I underrated
his skill, and it nearly cost me dear.

S