and passed round the table till I came
face to face with Quilla. Then a strange dumbness fell upon me like a
spell or dead Upanqui's curse, so that I could not speak.

I stood there staring at those beautiful blind eyes and the blind eyes
stared back at me. Presently a look of understanding gathered on the
face and Quilla spoke, or rather murmured to herself.

"Strange--but I could have sworn! Strange, but I seemed to feel! Oh! I
slept in my vigils upon that dead old man who in life was so foolish
and in death appears to have become so wise, and sleeping I dreamed. I
dreamed I heard a step I shall never hear again. I dreamed one was near
me whom I shall never touch again. I will sleep once more, for in my
darkness what are left to me save sleep and--death?"

Then at last I found my tongue and said hoarsely,

"Love is left, Quilla, and--life."

She heard and straightened herself. Her whole body seemed to become
rigid as though with an agony of joy. Her blind eyes flashed, her lips
quivered. She stretched out her hand, feeling at the darkness. Her
fingers touched my forehead, and thence she ran them swiftly over my
face.

"It is--dead or living--it is----" and she opened her arms.

Oh! was there ever anything more beautiful on the earth than this sight
of the blind Quilla thus opening her arms to me there in the gorgeous
house of death?

We clung and kissed. Then I thrust her away, saying:

"Come swiftly from this ill-omened place. All is ready. The Chancas
wait."

She slipped her hand into mine and I turned to lead her away.

Then it was that I heard a low, mocking laugh, Larico's, I thought,
heard also a sound of creeping footsteps around me. I looked. Out of the
darkness that hid the doors of the chamber on the right appeared a giant
form which I knew for that of Urco, and behind him others. I looked
to the left and there were more of them, while in front beyond the
gold-laid board stood the traitor, Larico, laughing.

"You have the first fruits, but it seems that another will reap the
harvest, Lord-from-the-Sea," he jeered.

"Seize her," cried Urco in his guttural voice, pointing to Quilla with
his mace, "and brain that white thief."

I drew Wave-Flame and strove to get at him, but from both sides men
rushed in on me. One I cut down, but the others snatched Quilla away.
I was surrounded, with no room to wield my sword, and already weapons
flashed over me. A thought came to me. The Chancas were at the