more freely. He was a firm believer in ghosts, and feared them
more than he would have feared an army of Redskins or jaguars. Indeed
it is a question whether Quashy could ever have been brought to realise
the sensation of fear if it had not been for the existence, in his
imagination, of ghosts! The mere mention of the word in present
circumstances had converted him into a sort of human sensitive-plant.
He gave a little start and glance over his shoulder at every gust of
unusual power that rattled the door, and had become visibly paler--
perhaps we should say less black.

Manuela was evidently troubled by no such fears, perhaps because she did
not understand the meaning of the word ghost, yet she gazed at the
speaker in apparently rapt attention.

"You may believe," continued the guide, "that I was disgusted at their
cowardice; so, to shame them, as well as to do what I could for the
travellers, I loaded a couple of my mules with meat, and said I would
set off alone. This had the desired effect, for three men volunteered
to go with me. When we reached the hut we found that six of the ten
poor fellows were dead. The bodies of two who had died just before our
arrival were lying in the corner over there behind Quashy. They were
more like skeletons covered with skin than corpses. The four who still
lived were in the corner here beside me, huddled together for warmth,
and so worn out by hunger and despair that they did not seem to care at
first that we had come to save them. We warmed and fed them, however,
brought them gradually round, and at last took them back to the farm.
They all recovered. During the time they were snowed up the poor
fellows had eaten their mules and dogs. I have no doubt that if the
ground were clear of snow you would find the bones of these animals
scattered about still."

This was not a very pleasant anecdote, Lawrence thought, on which to
retire to rest, so he changed the subject by asking Pedro if there were
many of the Incas still remaining.

Before he could reply Manuela rose, and, bidding them good-night in
Spanish, retired to her screened-off corner.

"A good many of the Incas are still left," replied the guide to his
companion's question; "and if you were to visit their capital city you
would be surprised to see the remains of temples and other evidences of
a very advanced civilisation in a people who existed long before the
conquest of Peru."

"Massa Pedro," said Quashy, wh