its carcass might serve
as a bait for the enticement of the monster out of the pool, thus
enabling them to get a fair shot at him; and having dragged the dead
animal to the mouth of the cave, they next proceeded to examine at
leisure the sculptured face of the rocks, which Vilcamapata at once
unhesitatingly pronounced to be the work of Amalivaca, the wonderful
being whom the Indians were looking for from across the Great Water to
deliver them from the power of the hated Spaniard, and restore to them
the undisputed possession of their own country. But he was unable to
interpret the meaning of the sculptures, beyond stating vaguely that
they, like many others existing in the country, undoubtedly portrayed
certain customs and modes of life peculiar to a race who inhabited the
country long before the Indians came into it.

Then, having at length satisfied their curiosity by gazing their fill at
the curious scenes set forth in the imperishable porphyry, they entered
the cavern and inspected the pool, the surface of which was still
agitated, showing that its tenant was restless, as indeed might be
expected. Then, returning to where they had left the carcass of the
deer, they dragged it far enough into the cavern to enable the monster
just to reach it by completely emerging from the pool; and then,
stringing their bows, and satisfying themselves that the priming of
their pistols was as it should be, calmly sat down to await the issue.

For more than an hour they waited in vain; for beyond an occasional
stirring of the water, which caused it to overflow momentarily and
trickle down the slope of the approach, nothing happened. Then a troop
of small monkeys suddenly approached the cavern, and, seeing its human
occupants, bolted, loudly chattering their indignation and fright.
Shortly afterward a deer came tripping daintily across the glade, halted
suddenly, threw up its head, and after sniffing the air for a few
seconds, wheeled smartly round and bounded back into the forest.
Another hour passed, and they were discussing in low tones the
advisability of adopting some other plan for the enticement of the great
beast from his lair, when they heard a sudden rippling and splashing of
water in the interior of the cave, followed by a low moan and a gust of
the offensive effluvium which Phil had noticed on the previous day, then
a still more violent splashing of water, accompanied by a quick rush of
overflow, a sound of ponderous m