Page:Gaston Leroux--The bride of the sun.djvu/130

116 Huascar knows where Maria-Teresa is. We must not lose sight of him."

"We shall not have to wait long," replied Natividad, stiffening at a fresh noise from the other end of the calle. "Here are those Indians coming back with horses.... What does it mean?... Madré de Dios!... Is it possible?... The Interaymi!... Silence!"

The clatter of hoofs on the cobbled roadway showed that quite a strong cavalcade was approaching, and the watchers drew back farther to the shelter of an alley nearly opposite the low door, and from which they could still see all that was happening round it. As the cavalcade rode up, the door opened again, showing all the Indians standing up, and apparently waiting for somebody.

Huascar appeared first; after him an Indian whom Dick recognized at once for the Red Preacher of Cajamarca; lastly a man in a lounge-suit of impeccable cut:—Oviedo Huayna Runtu himself. Then an incredible thing happened. All these men who had remained motionless before Huascar and the priest bent on their knees, humbled their heads to the ground before the bank-clerk.

The troop of horses and mules had halted before the low door, and men with lanterns came out of the house. The bank-clerk was the first