ul which
was akin to mine, that of a beautiful woman who loved me and whom I
had come to love and desire. But what was the end of it? Owing to the
necessities of statecraft and her own nobleness, she had been separated
from me and although, as it would seem, she had as yet escaped
defilement, was spirited away into the temple of some barbarous worship
where I was almost sure death had found her.

At the best she was blinded, and where she lay in her darkness no man
might come because of the superstitions of these folk. Even if Kari
became Inca, it would not help me or her, should she still live, since
he was the fiercest bigot of them all and swore that he would kill me,
his friend, rather than that I should touch her, the vowed to his false
gods.

Or perhaps, through the priests, to save himself such sorrow, he
would kill her. At the least, dead or not, she was lost to me, while
I--utterly alone--must fight for a cause in which I had but one concern,
to bring some savage prince to his end because of his crime against
Quilla. And, if things went well and this chanced, what of the Future?
Of what use to me were rewards that I did not want, and the worship of
the vulgar which I hated? Rather would I have lived out my life as the
humblest fisherman on Hastings beach, than be made a king over these
glittering barbarians with their gold and gems which could buy nothing
that I needed, not even a Book of Hours to feed my soul, or the sound of
the English tongue to comfort my empty heart.

At length I fell asleep, and as it seemed but a few minutes later,
though really six hours had gone by, was awakened by Kari, who told
me that the dawn was not far off and came to help me to buckle on my
armour. Then I went forth and together with Huaracha arranged our army
for battle. Our plan was to advance from our rising ground across a
great plain beneath us which was called Xaqui, but afterwards became
known by the name of Yahuar-pampa, or Field of Blood.

This plain lay between us and the city of Cuzco, and my thought was that
we would march or fight our way across it and rush into the city which
was unwalled, and there amidst its streets and houses await the attack
of the Inca hosts that were encamped upon its farther side, for thus
protected by their walls we hoped that we should be more equal to them.
Yet things happened otherwise, since with the first light, without which
we did not dare to move over unknown ground, we perceive