dered it wise to cumber themselves with; after which Phil extracted
from a pocket in his puma-skin tunic one of the emeralds which he had
mentioned, and holding it close to the eyes of the prostrate armourer,
said:

"You see that, my friend? It is an emerald; and its value is about one
hundred times that of what we have taken from you. Nevertheless, I am
going to leave it with you for payment. See, there it is." And he
placed the stone on the floor where Cervantes could see it. "And now,
listen to me," continued Phil. "You probably have it in your mind to go
to the authorities to-morrow, as soon as you are released, and inform
them of this visit of ours to you. Isn't that so? Yes, I can see by
the expression of your eyes that I have guessed aright. Well, friend,
be advised by me: Don't do it. Remember that we have escaped from the
Inquisition; and if the Head of that institution should learn that we
have been here, he will certainly hold you responsible for our escape
from the town; and it will be useless for you to say that you could not
help yourself, that we surprised and overpowered you, and helped
ourselves to some of your property; he will simply reply that you ought
not to have allowed yourself to be surprised and overpowered, that you
knew two prisoners had escaped, and that you should have had wit enough
to have seen through our disguise and given the alarm before we had time
or opportunity to overpower you. And I suppose I need not remind you of
what your fate will be in that case. Therefore, think well over the
matter, and do nothing that you may afterward regret. You should be
easily able to concoct a story to account for your present plight that
should satisfy those who may find you in the morning, without referring
to us. And now we will leave you. Farewell!"

Therewith the two friends extinguished the lamps, and, taking the
candle, retired from the shop, quietly closing the door behind them.
The light of the candle enabled them easily to unfasten the outer door;
and, this done, they blew out the light, silently opened the door, and
cautiously peered out into the street. It was silent and deserted,
therefore, without further ado, they tiptoed down the steps, closing the
door behind them as they went, and, keeping within the shadows as much
as possible, hastened in the direction which would take them out of the
city. An hour later they were clear of Cuzco, and using the stars as
their guid