ondrous ships, cock-boats, though, as compared even to
our collier brigs. War and rapine were in the land; the arms of the
Spaniards--the thunder and lightning they bore with them in their guns--
were everywhere victorious, and the riches of the temples were seized;
gloriously wrought vessels were hastily molten down into ingots, along
with plate, shield, and wonderfully-worked flowers; rapacity was
triumphant, and upon one occasion the value of the treasure collected
and melted down into bars was computed at three millions and a half
pounds sterling of our money.

The temples and their adornments were many and held sacred by the
people, a sanctity they had ventured to hope would be observed by the
conquerors; but the delusion was of short duration. The coming of a
body of Spaniards was the signal for the stripping of each gorgeous
building. Sacred vessel and ornament were seized upon and borne off;
but the news was spread from temple to temple, from priest to priest,
through the length and breadth of the land by means of swift-footed
couriers, not by written letter, neither by word of mouth, but by means
of a fringe of cords tied in knots, each knot and its place having its
particular signification.

The alarm spread, and the day of evil being upon them--their sun-gods
giving no sign of crushing the profane intruders--the priests looked
upon it as a sign of wrath and punishment; and sooner than their
treasure should fall into the hands of the fierce, remorseless
conquerors, eagerly stripped their temples themselves, and in remote
hiding-places, with many a mysterious rite, re-committed the gold to its
parent earth, binding all who beheld by the most fearful bonds never to
reveal the treasure-places to the conquerors, but to wait for the great
day when the ancient glory of Peru should be revived, when the Incas
should reign once more, and their religion flourish, ere the sacred
treasures were disinterred.

But that day came not. European civilisation began to take the place of
that of the Incas, a new form of religion flourished, and from being
monarchs in the country the Peruvians became the slaves, the hewers of
wood and drawers of water of a new race. Generations came and
generations died out, and the years still rolled on till ages passed
away; but though poor and degraded, the priestly caste existed still
amongst the Indians, and from father to son was the great secret handed
down in village after village,