rince across the waters, who, attracted by the report of
his great victories, had come to offer their services, and to impart to
him the doctrines of the true faith which they professed, and he brought
an invitation from the general to beg Atahuallpa to visit them in their
present quarters. To all this the Inca listened with his eyes fixed upon
the ground, and answered never a word, but one of the nobles standing by
said, 'It is well.' Hernando Pizarro then respectfully begged the Inca
to speak to them himself and inform them of his pleasure, upon which
Atahuallpa smiled faintly and replied: 'Tell your captain that I am
keeping a fast, which will end to-morrow morning; I will then visit him.
In the meantime let him occupy the public buildings on the square, and
no other, till I come and order what shall be done.'

PIZARRO AND THE INCA

[Illustration: The cavalier displays his horsemanship before Atahuallpa]

One of the cavaliers who was mounted upon a fiery steed, seeing that
Atahuallpa looked at it with some interest, caused it to rear and
curvet, and then dashed out over the plain in a wild gallop, and
returning checked it in full career close beside the Inca. But the face
of Atahuallpa never for an instant lost its marble composure, though
several of his soldiers shrank back in manifest terror as the strange
creature passed them; and it is said that they paid dearly for their
timidity, as Atahuallpa caused them to be put to death for thus showing
fear in the presence of the strangers. Wine was now brought, and offered
to the Spaniards in golden goblets of extraordinary size, and then they
took their leave and rode gloomily back to Caxamalca. Pizarro alone was
not discouraged by the news they brought. He saw that matters had now
come to a climax, and determined upon making a bold stroke. To encounter
the Inca in the open field was manifestly impossible, but could his
person be secured when he entered the city with comparatively few of his
followers the rest might be intimidated, and all might yet be well. To
this end, therefore, he laid his plans. The building in which the
Spaniards were encamped occupied three sides of a square, and consisted
of spacious halls opening upon it with wide doors. In these halls the
general stationed his men, and there they were to remain under cover
till the Inca should have entered the square, when at a given signal,
the firing of a gun, they were to rush out uttering their battle-cr