The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold

by Van Powell

  CHAPTER XVIII TIT FOR TAT

  "Certainly you may do the talking," John Whitley agreed to Bill's urgenthint as they all watched the arrival of the other party. "But I cannotunderstand how Pizzara can dare to risk his own safety----"

  "The high priest hates the Inca's older son," Bill answered. "He will bediscredited if the corn grows. He would rather see the crop ruined thanto have that happen. The Spaniard must guess that. Probably he hintedenough to whet Huamachaco's curiosity. I think the priest might evenpromise--promise, I said, not give!--him gold for his help in removingus from the scene."

  The rest of the party nodded; there was no time for more discussion. TheInca arrived and they all stood up respectfully and bowed to him.

  "This man makes a strange story," said the ruler. "He says you come herefrom across the great blue waters to steal our gold and to take away thewhite man who is sick."

  Bill bowed to the Inca, but his eyes watched the face of the priest;Cliff and his chums saw that the latter was smiling in a satisfied,triumphant way.

  "Truly it is a strange tale, oh ruler," Bill spoke without apparentsurprise. "A tale that is the more strange because it comes from thelips of one of that race of Spaniards who tore the empire of the Incasto shreds and took much gold away!"

  Pizzara snarled as the Inca turned toward him; but he swiftly composedhis face to a smile.

  "Royal son of the Sun," Pizzara said to the Inca. "Which of us speaksthe truth? It is easy to prove. Here come the men!"

  Cliff, Nicky and Tom wheeled. There was a commotion among the crowdsstill mulling around in the great square, drawn by the feeling thatsomething important was happening. Soldiers threw the people aside asthey advanced toward the gardens in which the royal table and those forthe nobles were set out.

  Cliff felt a prickle of fear run along his spine; there was no mistakingthe figure coming toward them. It was Huayca, or Whackey, their formermountain guide, the one who had deserted them on the same night that theSpaniard had slipped away. Behind him were two others. They later provedto be the Indian who had accompanied Pizzara to America and the otherwho had waited in the hills for the quipu from Cuzco.

  Soldiers formed a cordon around the garden as though by a previousarrangement; it was as well, for the crowd, sensing one threat in theattitudes of the five strangers, began to murmur and to press in towardthe gardens.

  "Can you say who these men are?" the Inca demanded, turning to Huaycaand signing for him to rise from his posture of kneeling with his faceto the ground.

  "They are five," replied Huayca. "They have the same height as did fivewhom I guided toward our trap in the white pass. But their faces arered, the others were white."

  "And who, say you, does this man resemble?" Bill indicated Pizzara. "Ishe not of the height of a Spaniard who followed us?"

  "He is of that height, perhaps," said the former guide. "But him Icannot recognize for I saw him only at a distance."

  "But these," he indicated the chums, "they wear robes like those I sawin a pack carried by the men I guided--I could say they are the samerobes, noble and great son of the Sun!"

  At a word from the second of his associates, soldiers roughly drew Cliffto one side and pushed Nicky and Tom to either side of him.

  "Thus they stood in a house in that strange land which I visited," saidthe other man, and he added, "I recall the picture perfectly and theyare of the same height and attitude."

  "What say you?" said the Inca, frowning.

  "This!" replied Bill, while the chums stood watchful but realizing thathe had urged them to let him handle the situation. "This, Inca!" Nolonger was he humble or quiet. Quipu Bill was stern, erect, his lankfigure towering even above that of the tall ruler. "This I answer. Whiteor red--messengers from the sky or visitors from across the bluewater--these things do not matter."

  He slipped a hand quietly under his robe.

  "What does matter is that we came here to save your corn----"

  "That is so!" cried the elder son of the Inca, eagerly; he had evidentlybeen waiting for an opportunity to help them.

  "Ask this other man what he has come to do," Bill whirled to scowl atPizzara who cringed instinctively before he could regain his braggadociopose. "And--further--" went on Bill, "--ask Huamachaco how much gold hehas promised to this man for a story that will work against your olderson and his friends who seek to save your grain!"

  It proved to be a telling thrust; the high priest shifted his eyes andfidgeted under the Inca's inquiring gaze.

  "The man speaks wisely," said the younger son, Challcuchima. "Whatevermay be their past, my brother has said that his corn begins to thriveagain under this servant of Chasca and his magic. And you have seen thehigh priest's face. I can say truly that my brother has told me beforeof Huamachaco's envy and fear of him." He had paid Cliff back forsparing him the humiliation of defeat in the wrestling matches. Cliffsmiled gratefully and Challcuchima smiled back.

  "What magic has this other to match that?" asked the older son quicklyusing the advantage for his friend, John Whitley, who had shown him howto enrich the earth and help his crop.

  Pizzara blustered.

  "I do not fling magic about like water," he boasted, "but I will makeyour corn grow when the fate of these men is settled."

  Bill fixed his eye on Pizzara and began to grin; Cliff and his chumsrelaxed a little. During his conversation Bill had very stealthily andgradually moved toward Cliff; middle finger touching his ear, he hadsignaled for attention. Cliff was ready, then, when, calling by signalfor an answer to his sign-inquiry, "Is anybody coming?" which Bill askedby dropping his right hand to his side with two fingers looselydangling, Bill stood behind him. Cliff knew that nobody was coming. Heknew that Bill knew it. But he knew something else----

  "The sign replying 'No!' to any signal is to clasp the two hands lightlybehind the back," Cliff thought. "Bill knows no one is coming; he wantsmy hands behind me." He clasped them.

  All that had gone on while Bill was talking and listening. As he turnedto pass behind Cliff his hand slipped like lightning from under his robeand Cliff, feeling a cold object, found his hands clasped around a smallautomatic revolver.

  "Keep it behind you," muttered Bill, and then moved on and went close tothe Inca. From where he had been standing, beside the other end of therude table, his move to get closer to the ruler seemed quite natural."Clever Bill," thought Cliff, "to make me put my hands behind me to getthis revolver, by using the Mystery Boys' sign. I wonder why he gave methe weapon?"

  "Oh, Senor Pizzara," Bill threw over his shoulder. "So you have magic,have you?" He faced the ruler. "Inca," he said, "noble Son of the Sun,this man says he has magic. Shall we have a test of his power comparedto that of Chasca, Page of the Sun?"

  That pleased the entire group. The Indians were always eager to see anymarvels. Bill's plan was clearer to Cliff but he held the revolverbehind him, although several soldiers saw the glinting object andstepped forward, then hesitated and drew back at Bill's words. They hadnot actually seen the weapon pass from Bill to Cliff, and they were notsure that it had done so. They waited to see what would happen.

  "Let this man show his magic to Chasca!" snapped Bill.

  They all chorused, "Let him show his magic!"

  Pizzara grimaced at Bill and turned to the Inca.

  "I fear to show my magic," he said. "It is too powerful----"

  "He has none," Bill cried, then whirled toward Huamachaco. "Let yourhigh priest show his magic, then."

  But apparently the high priest still had some fear that the young fellowwith the bright and flowing locks might be truly a messenger from theskies. He backed away, frowning, shaking his head. "It is not good toshow my magic to the ones who are not in the sacred order," he muttered.

  "What? No magic? Yet Chasca can show some! Chasca--oh, Inca, take fromthe youth of the skies that which he offers."

  The Inca turned, gazing in surprise as did all the Peruvians,
as Cliffproduced the revolver. "The safety catch is on," Bill murmured. "Let himhave it, Cliff."

  The Inca took the glittering steel object gingerly, awed by it. Heexamined it while the others stared, but kept at a safe distance.Pizzara began to skulk away but soldiers stopped him.

  "Point it--so!" suggested Bill, showing the ruler how to direct themuzzle in the general direction of Pizzara's stomach.

  "No! No!" cried the man, groveling and pushing a soldier in front of hisown person.

  "Bring him back!" snapped the Inca and the soldiers pushed Pizzaraforward.

  "Pull on that little stick," Bill suggested. The safety catch preventedthe Inca from discharging the weapon but the effect of Bill's words uponPizzara was amusing; he fell on the ground and tried to crawl behindChallcuchima.

  "Nothing happens and yet the man who can save your corn is a worm,crawling about, just because of our magic," said Bill. He took theweapon which the Inca was very glad to relinquish.

  "Get up!" Bill said curtly. Pizzara stood cringing.

  "Say to the Inca--is what you told Huamachaco the truth?" The muzzleslipped upward along Pizzara's buttons and he knew there was an experthand releasing the safety catch.

  "No! No!" he shouted. "Inca, it was not so."

  "Take him away!" the Inca signed to the soldiers and for the time thedanger was past.

  No one interfered as, leaving the table, the five friends went quicklyto their retreat in the Star Temple.

  "We must change our plans," Bill said, swiftly when they were alone. "Wemust get together all our things that we will need--the things Cliffsuggested bringing may come in handy after all!--and I will bringcomrade Cliff's pa tonight and we will make a try for that ledge whereour rope is hidden."

  "What is it, Caya?" Cliff asked as the girl came to fall on her kneesbefore him. He signed for her to rise.

  "Use your magic to return to the skies," she begged. "They talked afteryou went. I went near. I heard. They let you show them the magic for thecorn and then the high priest says he can make greater magic to destroyyou!"

  Cliff whispered to Mr. Whitley and Bill, then in his slow quichua hesaid to the trembling girl: "We are not from the stars, Caya. We arehere to save my father, the pale man who has been a prisoner for solong."

  The girl clasped her hands and stared. Slowly his words penetrated herunderstanding.

  "Oh!" she gasped. "See then--! I can help! You saved my sister! I willhelp you--save you and your father also if it shall please Raymi thatone so humble shall do so much!"

  "How?" asked Tom, always practical.

  "There is a secret way--it is not known to me, but I shall learn fromone who knows!"

  "We saved her sister and now she will save us," Nicky exulted. "TheSpaniard queered us"--he was so excited he used slang, but they did notnotice. "We paid him back. Just as I said."

  "Yes," said Cliff. "It's 'tit for tat' all around!"