-meetin' langwidge on--all stiff an'
stuck up grammar, same zif dey was at school. Well, arter de speech
about de wedder, dey bof blushed--I could see dat, dough I was tryin'
hard not to look,--and dey was so long silent dat I begin to t'ink ob
offerin' to help, when Massa Lawrence he plucked up heart all ob a
suddent, an' went in like a good un.

"`Manuela,' says he, quite bold-like, `I promised your fadder dat I
would not make any 'tempt to meet you before leabing for de mountains,
an' I hab fait'fully striben to keep dat promise. It is by mere chance,
I assure you, dat I hab meet you here now, and I would not, for all de
wurl' break my word to your fadder. But as chance _hab_ t'rown you in
my way, it cannot be wrong to tell you--what you knows a'ready--dat I
lub you, and dat, God permittin', I will return ere long to Buenos
Ayres. Farewell.'

"Wid dat he wheel round, zif he was afraid to trust hisself to say more,
an' went off at full gallop."

"An' what did Miss Manuela say?" asked Susan.

"She say not'ing--not one word--on'y she smile a leetle, an' kiss her
hand to him when he hoed away. It passes my compre'nshin, kite. An' as
we rode home she says to me, says she, `Quashy, you's a good boy!' I
bery near say to her, `Manuela, you's a bad gurl,' but I di'n't feel
kite up to dat."

"Quashy, you're a fool," said Susan, abruptly.

"Das no news," returned the amiable man, "I's said dat ob myself ober
an' ober again since I's growed up. De on'y time I feel kite sure I
wasn't a fool was de time I falled in lub wid you, Sooz'n."

As the negro's account of this inflecting and parting was substantially
correct, we feel indisposed to add more to it, except to say that our
hero stuck manfully to his resolve, and finally went off to the distant
valley in the Andes without again meeting the Inca princess.

He was accompanied by Pedro and his daughter, Quashy and Susan, Ignacio,
the old hunter, and his boy, as well as Spotted Tiger. In addition to
these there was a pretty large following--some engaged in the service of
Pedro, others taking advantage of the escort. Among them were Dick
Ansty, the Cornish youth, Antonio, the ex-bandit, and the English
sportsman with--aw--his friend.

It is not our purpose to drag the patient reader a second time over the
rolling Pampas, or to introduce him to the mysteries of silver-mining in
the Andes. Our end shall be sufficiently explained by stating the fact
that as Lawren