of the wealth of the country, and if it could be collected thus
by the Inca's order, he might really hope to secure it, whereas if he
trusted to being able to seize it for himself the chances were that most
of it would disappear for ever, hidden by the natives beyond recovery.
At all events he decided it would be safe to agree to Atahuallpa's
proposal; when the gold was collected it would be time enough to think
about setting the captive at liberty. The room to be filled was
seventeen feet broad by twenty-two feet long, and the line upon the wall
was drawn nine feet from the ground. A smaller room which adjoined it
the Inca offered to fill with silver twice over, and he demanded two
months' time to accomplish all this.

As soon as the arrangement was made, Atahuallpa sent couriers to Cuzco
and all the other chief places in the kingdom, with orders to strip the
royal palaces of their treasures and send them without delay to
Caxamalca. Meanwhile he lived in the Spanish quarters, treated with
consideration, and allowed to see his subjects freely, but at the same
time strictly guarded.

THE INCA'S RANSOM

[Illustration: The Spaniards destroy the idol at Pachacamac]

The news of Atahuallpa's capture and the immense ransom he had offered
soon reached the ears of Huascar, who was encouraged by the tidings to
make vigorous efforts to regain his own liberty, and sent a message to
the Spanish commander saying that he would pay a much larger ransom than
that promised by Atahuallpa, who, never having lived in Cuzco, could not
know the quantity of treasure there, or where it was stored. This was
told to Atahuallpa, who also knew that Pizarro had said that Huascar
should be brought to Caxamalca, that he himself might determine which of
the two brothers had the better right to the sceptre of the Incas.
Furiously jealous, and fearing that the decision would surely be in
favour of the more docile Huascar, Atahuallpa ordered secretly that he
should be put to death by his guards, and he was accordingly drowned in
the river of Andamarca, declaring with his dying breath that the white
men would avenge his murder, and that his rival would not long survive
him. Week by week the treasure poured in from all quarters of the realm,
borne on the shoulders of the Indian porters, and consisting mainly of
massive pieces of plate, some of them weighing seventy-five pounds; but
as the distances were great, and the progress necessarily slow, the