it caught him
on the hand that he had lifted to protect his head, and shore off two of
his fingers so that he dropped his sword. Next instant, still roaring,
as doubtless old Thorgrimmer, my forefather, used to do when he fought
to the death, for blood is very strong, I leapt on the giant, who like
myself was swordless. There in the gulf we wrestled. He was a mighty
man, but now my strength was as that of ten. I threw him to the ground
by a Sussex trick I knew and there we rolled over and over each other.
Once he had me undermost and I think would have choked me, had it not
been that his right hand lacked two fingers.

With a mighty heave I lifted him so that now we lay side by side. He
was groping for a knife--I did not see, but knew it. Near his head a
sharp-edged stone rose in the path to the height of a man's hand or
more. I saw it and bethought me what to do if I could. Again I heaved
and as at length he found the knife and stabbed at me, scratching my
face, I got his bull's neck upon that stone. Then I loosed my hand and
caught him by the hair. Back I pressed his great head, back and back
with all my might till something snapped.

Urco's neck was broken. Urco quivered and was dead!

I lay by his side, panting. A voice came from the white heap upon the
ground by whom and for whom this dreadful combat had been fought, the
voice of Quilla.

"One died, but who lives?" asked the voice.

I could not answer because I had no breath. All my strength was gone.
Still I sat up, supporting myself with my hand and hoping that it would
come back. Quilla turned her face towards me, or rather towards the
sound that I had made in moving, and I thought to myself how sad it was
that she should be blind. Presently she spoke again and now her voice
quavered:

"I _see_ who it is that lives," she said. "Something has broken in my
eyes and, Lord and Love, I see that it is _you_ who live. You, you, and
oh! you bleed."

Then the Chancas came bounding down the gorge and found us.

They looked at the dead giant and saw how he had died, killed by
strength, not by the sword; they looked and bent the knee and praised
me, saying that I was indeed a god, since no man could have done this
deed, killing the huge Urco with his naked hands. Then they placed
Quilla back in her litter and six of them bore her down that black
gorge. The two who remained, for in that fight none of them had been
hurt, supported me till my strength came back, for